“Catriona,” my Uncle Uisdean purred to my puka. “How lovely to see you again.”
“Uncle Uisdean?” I blinked at him in shock as he closed the coach door and oozed up to me.
“King Uisdean,” Tiernan, who had evidently been behind me the whole way, was already recovered from the shock of seeing the Unseelie King on some random backwoods road, and was bowing like he was in the middle of court.
“Hello, my darling niece,” Uisdean aimed his sharp smile at me and then nodded to Tiernan, “Count Tiernan.”
“What are you doing here?” I blurted as more fairies broke through the treeline behind us.
“The Goddess called upon me,” for a moment, Uisdean's face glowed with wonder and worship, and then his expression cleared and his usual smirk settled in. “She said you needed transportation,” he waved a hand backwards and behind his coach I saw a line of wagons waiting for us.
“Sweet Danu,” I breathed. “I never would have thought she'd use you to save us.”
“I admit that I see the irony in it as well,” he strode forward and peered at the group behind me. “But one must not ignore a request from our Goddess.”
“No, one must not,” I huffed as a dragon roar echoed, coming closer and closer until Raza circled overhead.
I waved Raza down and he settled on the road nearby. The pukas immediately went crazy, rearing and crying until Raza shifted into man form. Cat just watched the show with casual curiosity, glancing at the unseelie pukas in what appeared to be amusement. The pukas settled as Raza joined us and Uisdean immediately removed his cloak and handed it to the dragon-djinn.
“Lord Raza,” Uisdean smiled. “I'm relieved to see that you're unharmed.”
“As if my death would pain you,” Raza chuckled as he accepted the cloak.
Then a horn sounded and Uisdean lifted a brow, “Should we wait for them? It may prove entertaining.”
“I'm rather surprised that they're brave enough to give chase after the roasting I just gave them,” Raza looked back towards the village with a perturbed glare.
“I guess you're losing your touch, old friend,” Uisdean laughed and gave Raza a pat on the shoulder.
“Wait,” I blinked at the two of them. “You'refriends?”
“Why does that shock you?” Uisdean lifted one wicked, black brow.
“I didn't think you had any friends,” I grimaced at my uncle.
“And I didn't think you could think,” Uisdean smiled sweetly back at me.
“What are you; five?” I huffed.
“You threw the first glove,” he gave me a sassy look.
“Punch,” I growled. “I threw the first punch.”
“Hardly,” Uisdean scoffed. “You couldn't land a punch on me, little Seren,” he swept by me and I rolled my eyes. “Now are we fighting or leaving?”
“Leaving,” I started waving our people forward. “I'm not risking the children.”
“Fine,” Uisdean sighed and nodded to his unseelie knights.
The men rushed forward to help our fairies and witches onto the wagons. I started to join one of the groups but Uisdean took my arm and escorted me back to his coach. I got in grudgingly, simply because we didn't have time to waste arguing, and Cat jumped in after me. Before Tiernan could climb in with us, Uisdean shut the coach door in his face.
“I need a moment with my niece,” he called out to Tiernan and I heard Tiernan race off to one of the wagons, cursing in Gaelic as he went.
Soon we were rumbling down the road, headed away from Dathadair and its unsettling occupants. Unfortunately I was left alone in a coach with a new unsettling occupant. I frowned at Uisdean as Cat settled on the floor between us.
“Thanks for the lift,” I said warily.
“I am obeying the Goddess, that is all,” he waved his hands out to the sides.
