“Did you just use 'twilight' as a verb?” Bress lifted a dark gray brow.
“Well, what do you call it?” Killian asked.
“Treading the In-Between, walking the worlds, tripping-”
“The light fantastic?” Killian finished for him.
Bress frowned.
“I think I'll stick with 'twilighting' and all its tenses,” Killian grinned.
“You're a buffoon,” Bress rolled his eyes.
“Oh yeah, speaking of me being a buffoon, you're gonna wanna scry your father,” Killian said to me. “He might be just a tad concerned.”
“At least he knows he's a buffoon,” Tiernan huffed. “That's a start.”
“Killian,” I groaned. “What did you say to him?”
“I was rushing,” Killian whined. “Dusk was dwindling. I didn't have time to get specific.”
“So what did you tell the Twilight King about his beloved, only child?” Tiernan growled.
“I may have said you'd been shot, and I had to go find you,” Killian gave me a pained expression. “Whoopsie.”
“Damn it, Kill-” I started.
“My crystal ball is upstairs,” Aideen cut me off. “Why don't you scry King Keir, Your Highness?”
“Thank you, Aideen,” I said.
I cast Killian a dark look before I headed up the twining stairway which ran along the tree's trunk. Cat accompanied me, casting her own angry looks at Killian as she went. The next floor up was a bedroom, and one of Raza's guards was just getting out of the bed.
“Your Highness,” he stood. “I'm relieved to see that you're healed.”
“Thank you, Balasi,” I said. “Have you recovered?”
“Yes, I'm feeling very well, Princess,” he smiled. “Ready to return to my king. Are the others up yet?”
“Not yet. Why don't you go downstairs, and have something to eat?” I suggested. “It's already dark out. Better to head out in the morning.”
“Is His Majesty downstairs?”
“No, he's already returned to Unseelie,” I said. “King Raza had to confront the dark elves.”
“Of course,” Balasi nodded. “Are there any more of the King's Guard here, or am I alone?”
“Two others are here,” I reassured him. “But either way, you wouldn't have been alone. And by the way, I want you to know that I support what you and the rest of Raza's Guard did. You kept him safe, and that should be your priority.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Balasi gave me a smile, and headed downstairs. I heard him mutter as he left, “I just hope my king feels the same way.”
I went to the crystal ball, set on a little pedestal in the corner, and called out my father's name. Keir's anxious face filled the curved surface within moments.
“Seren,” Keir's tone was relieved. His face pulled back from the ball as he took a seat. “Thank Danu.”
“Yeah, sorry about Killian,” I rolled my eyes. “He speaks without thinking sometimes.”
“No, I'm glad he said something,” Keir scowled. “Otherwise I wouldn't have known that anything was wrong. Now tell me, what happened?”
