I grinned and answered in kind, “In the future, you are my friend. Hugging you will warm me to no end.”
The Goblins grinned even as Breck launched forward. I caught her and buried my face in her stringy hair. She smelled musty, and that was damn good for a Goblin, but I would have breathed deeply even had she smelled of rotted meat. Breck. Alive. At least she had thousands of years ahead of her. And she'd be even more prideful now, thinking she was destined to be friends with the future Queen of Fire. I was suddenly grateful that I could give that to her.
“Thank you,” I whispered as I eased back. I stroked her hair. “Beautiful Breck. Live well. Love well.”
“Thank you, my Queen, I shall.” She leaned in to whisper, “I can't help but love them all!”
I chuckled as I stood, the heaviness on my heart easing a bit. “Good for you.” Leaving her to her suitors, I walked back to Arach as I searched the ballroom for more familiar faces.
I didn't see Nora or the Phooka couple—Neala and Righ. Maybe they hadn't been born yet or maybe they hadn't come to work at Aithinne yet. The Fire Pixies weren't there either, nor the Hidden-Ones, and I felt their absence keenly. I wanted to run outside and herd the little ones into the castle, then rally the Hidden-Ones to come out of hiding. But it wasn't time for that yet. So I satisfied myself by meeting my court all over again and taking joy in those I recognized while feeling gratitude for the new faces.
“You are made to be my Queen,” Arach whispered as he bent his head into my neck. “I can't wait to crown you.”
“You will have to wait.” I turned toward him. “You're not thinking about slapping some manacles on me again, are you?”
“A Queen cannot rule in chains.”
“No, she can't.” I took his hand. “Arach, we need to discuss the future.”
“I thought you couldn't tell me anything more?”
“That was before I let it go this far. Now, I have to make sure that you don't screw things up.”
Instead of getting upset, Arach nodded and drew me to the nook that overlooked one of the lava flows. The heat comforted me. It comforted him too, from the look of his lowering shoulders.
He glanced at our court, then nodded. “I know about taking you from the Castle of Eight and hunting you to the End of the Road. What else are you concerned about?”
“Okay, lemme think.” I chewed at my lip. “Maybe I should tell you about dinner me at the Castle of Eight. I'm going to kill a Goblin, and for that, I'm very sorry. But he did attack me first.”
Arach scowled. “Maybe I—”
“No!” I cut him off. “This is the whole point of me telling you. You need to ensure it remains as close to the original timeline as possible.”
“Very well. Go on.”
“That night, you'll steal me from my guest room and bring me here. You're not supposed to know what I am at that point, and neither do I. So don't let on.”
“Yes, you've told me that.”
I frowned, trying to remember. Not what I'd already told Arach, but what had happened during our unusual courtship. It had been so long ago. Damn, and I haven't even reached a thousand years yet. No wonder faeries needed rings of remembrance.
“Just don't let on that you know what I am,” I said. “You have to hunt me in the morning. You set me loose, and I'll run for the End of the Road. You'll give me a bit of a head start, then lead the Wild Hunt after me.”
“I . . . fuck.” He sighed. “Couldn't we skip that? What would be the harm? It might help our relationship.”
“No! It's all a part of our story, and you must make sure that it happens. That is imperative, do you understand? Absolutely imperative.”
“Very well, A Thaisce.”
“I'm going to leave at that point, but don't worry, you'll—”
“Hold on, you're going to leave?”
“Yes, but you'll get me back. In fact, you enchant me with a forgetting spell and trick me into returning to you.”
“I trick you?”
“Yes, through a mirror.”
