Darkcord shook his head. “None.” His eyes narrowed as he sipped his drink. “And a few courtiers dared to convey their support to ye in secret, but I dinna trust them. I fear all they want is protection.”
“We keep Sevenrest safe. If the Realm falls to the Fifth Kingdom, they will come for us next. Ye ken as well as I how vindictive Princess Faeniana and her family can be.”
“We will remain strong,” Darkcord said, then tipped his head with a single hard nod. “We know who we can trust. Trust no one else.”
“That will not be a problem.”
* * *
Mairwen bracedherself as she sensed Lexi storming toward the meeting hall. This would not go well. The bond between Lexi and Jeros, while still quite new for this incarnation, was already stronger than many. When she had torn Lexi from the Seventh Realm, the Veil had actually groaned. This separation was not good for anyone, neither Lexi and Jeros, the Highland Veil, nor the worlds and planes of existence the Veil protected.
Damn the Realm and the Kingdom’s war that amounted to nothing more than power hungry greed and petty revenge. Mairwen blamed the corruption of the Realm on the weakness of the king and the festering hatred for him possessed by the queen. The darkness had taken them over. Only Lexi and her light could save them now. But Jeros had to realize that for Lexi to do that, she would have to return and face the danger head-on. Mairwen hadn’t been able to convince his stubborn arse of that fact. He wanted to shelter Lexi away, shield her from everything, place her on a shelf as if she were a fragile sculpture of porcelain. Mairwen prayed some time away from his mate would persuade him to listen. It was all well and good to protect his lady love, but he also needed to recognize that Lexi was a lioness in her own right.
“Send me back!” Lexi demanded with a raging growl as she hit the long council table with both fists. “Send me back now.”
Mairwen leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers in front of her. “I canna do so. Not yet.”
Lexi bared her teeth like a raging animal. Her wee Fae tiger kitten jumped onto the table, danced sideways with its back bowed, and hissed like a boiling teakettle.
“Explain to me exactly why not,” Lexi said, “since you’re the one who sent me there in the first place. It suited you then. Why does it not suit you now?”
“It is not entirely up to me. It is up to forces stronger than ye understand. They have advised me that we must wait.” Mairwen dreaded having to negotiate with the mothers for a second passage into the Fae realm for a mortal who had already been there once and left. Time travel was easy for mortal females. Alternate realities were not an issue either. But crossing the barrier between real and magical, passing into the world of myth and legends, into the Fae world, was no easy feat the first time, much less the second.
Seven Cairns was a way station, a portal where all could gather. But Lexi had fully returned to her world of origin. Not only had she reconnected with her past, which was no big deal since she had done it by phone, but she had also left the boundaries of the village in search of the way back to Jeros. She had left the protection of Seven Cairns and re-entered the twenty-first century Scotland of her world. It would take the mother goddesses to grant her passage back to Sevenrest. “We must wait until the proper time and then ask for permission.”
“Jeros is in danger. Not only did his mother attack us, but that Princess Faeniana bitch is thirsty for revenge as well.” Lexi thumped the table with her fist. “I know I’m not a warrior, but he is weaker when he’s alone. He told me so.” Tears sprang to her eyes and spilled over, running down her face. “You made me meet him. Made me love him. You have to help me now. And what do you mean, ask for permission?”
Mairwen sorely regretted her part in Lexi’s pain. But it was for the greater good, for Lexi and Jeros’s good, and eventually, they would see that. “Jeros must learn that while it is well and good for him to protect ye, he must also recognize ye are strong enough to protect yerself and those ye care about. Not by blade or bullet, but by other means. Ye must also realize the entirety of yer strengths before I can convince the goddesses to allow yer return to yer mate. It is Bride, Cerridwen, and the mighty Danu herself who must grant ye permission to fully cross over into the Seventh Realm for a second time.”
Lexi dropped into a chair, propped her elbows on the table, and cradled her head in her hands. “I have to get back, Mairwen. I have to get back there now. Every moment that passes here is days and days there. He needs me. I can feel it. I have no superpowers or strengths, but I can support him with my heart and soul.”
Mairwen couldn’t outright tell Lexi where her powers lay, or the mothers would never grant their request. But she could guide Lexi with the cards and subtle hints. “Aye, he does need ye. But ye canna return until ye realize the fullness of yer worth. Yer grandmother taught ye well, but ye have even more talents than ye’ve yet realized. Talents that will not only protect yer Jeros, but end the Seventh Realm’s ridiculous war.”
“Are you not listening? I have no superpowers. I’m not a magical being, remember?”
Mairwen laid out a three card spread. “Look here at the cards the tarot chose for ye. The lion in the Strength card represents courage and inner strength. The lion, ox, eagle, and man in the World card symbolize wholeness and completion. Wolves in the Moon card, telling ye to listen to yer intuition and instinct. Do ye see a constant theme in these cards, lass? Look at them. Hear yer grandmother’s voice. What does she tell ye?”
Tears escaping, Lexi stared down at them while slowly shaking her head. “I don’t know.” She scrubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Just tell me and stop playing games.”
“I canna tell ye, lass. If I tell ye, ye will not truly believe it in yer heart. Ye must discover it on yer own, and then we will go to the mothers and plead for them to grant ye yet another opening of the mists.” Mairwen ached for Lexi to realize, to open her eyes and see, to remember how the unicorns and Fae tiger had listened to her. Her natural affinity with animals had grown stronger in the Seventh Realm, even before she received Pegasus’s mark. Every beast, every creature would heed her words as long as kindness, caring, and justice ruled her requests. But currently, she only believed animals liked her because she liked them. Her love and understanding of animals came from her heart. It was so much deeper than simply loving the beasts. “Calm yerself, child. Breathe in, hold it as long as ye can, then breathe it out. Yer grandmother is speaking to ye through the cards. Open yer eyes and see.”
Swiping her tears away, Lexi sniffed and stared down at the cards. With a forlorn shake of her head, she shrugged. “Intuition. Instinct. I’m listening to them. I’m trying to get back to Jeros because I know it’s right. Sevenrest is where I’m meant to be.”
“What else?”
“Courage. Inner strength. Wholeness. Completion.” She shook her head again and threw up her hands. “I don’t have a freakin’ clue.”
Mairwen clenched her teeth to keep from telling Lexi the answer. She gathered up the cards again, shuffled the deck, and laid out another three card spread. The same cards turned up. The tarot was shouting that Lexi’s gift with animals was her strongest weapon against the darkness befouling the Seventh Realm. She and the creatures of the Fae world could unite and teach the foolish ones how they should behave. “Yer emotions are clouding yer reason.”
“I miss Jeros!” Lexi sagged forward and buried her face in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
With a heavy sigh, Mairwen picked up the cards. The mate bond could be both a blessing and a curse at times. Presently, it was first and foremost in Lexi because it was still raw from being torn asunder. Until the lass was able to calm herself, she would never recognize what the tarot was trying to tell her. “Go for a walk with yer wee catling. Maybe that will help it come to ye. Trust in yerself, child. Trust in all that ye have ever been, and all ye are meant to be.”
Lexi lifted her tear-stained face. “All I know is my heart is breaking. Jeros is at war. He’s in danger. I don’t understand why you and those mothers of yours won’t help me just because I’ve yet to come up with the magic password. You’re being cruel.”
Heart aching, Mairwen nodded. “All things must happen as they are meant to happen, lass. I am sorry. What do ye hope to do about Jeros’s danger should ye return? How do ye mean to help him?” Mairwen held her breath, praying Lexi would remember her strengths, the strength that could save everything.
The lass slowly shook her head. “I would be there for him. Give him strength. Let him know he’s not alone.” She stared at Mairwen as though willing her to understand. “His family, his entire country, well, nearly the entire Realm has turned on him. With me gone, he has one less ally. I love him, Mairwen, and he needs me. Isn’t that enough?”
