“It may take some time for him to prepare, but he will invade,” I said. “Nori, I'm the only one in all existence who can give him children. Think about that. The continuation of the Dragon-Sidhe race depends on him finding me. He is not giving up. Not ever.”
Nori blinked. “You're right.”
I started to suggest he simply release me, but then he went on.
“I can't keep you here. I need help.” Waving at my sandwich, he said, “Finish your meal, Samara. I'm sorry, but we're going to Under to meet the Queen.”
Chapter Thirty
“What?!” I shrieked.
“Shh!” Nori hissed. “Sound carries down here. Do you want my neighbors to come investigating?”
“That might be better than meeting Dubheasa,” I grumbled.
“No, it wouldn't.” He sighed and said, “I know I just said I wouldn't introduce you, but you're too important, Samara. If you're the key to the continuation of the Dragon-Sidhe race, King Arach will do anything to get you back. And my queen will reward me rather than punish me for bringing you to her.”
“Why don't I ever keep my big mouth shut?” I grumbled.
“You're valuable. She won't hurt you. On the contrary, she will see to your comfort until she can trade you to the Fire King.”
“Do you really think King Arach is going to barter for me?” I scoffed. “He will drain this fucking kingdom dry to get to me. But he will not give in to your queen.”
Yes, I was mad enough to drop the F-bomb.
Nori's hand shook and a bit of cheese fell to the table. He set the food down. “This decision is beyond me. I simply don't have the knowledge needed to make a correct judgment. I must take you to my queen. Again, I'm sorry.”
I sighed. “Not yet. But you will be.”
That angered Nori enough to end the conversation. We finished our food and water, then he took me down a long, spiraling stairwell, past two more floors of his home, and then it was just the stairwell, going down and down. We stepped out into a garden of vegetable beds, fruit trees, and shell paths. A fountain bubbled merrily in the middle of it.
I looked behind and up to see Nori's home, perched atop stone columns, with the stairwell in the center. The top of it disappeared into the cavern ceiling, the glowing algae growing right up to it and a little down the walls, like ivy on an English manor. The village was the same size as the one above but instead of being hemmed in by a reef, it was defined by the cavern that contained it. Just below the blue algae, fey lights hovered, but they weren't necessary. The algae was bright enough to replace the sun.
Nori went to his garden gate. The polished wood didn't make a sound when he pushed it open. Not that I noticed it much or the neat shell path outside his garden, leading around the village. My stare kept sliding up to the odd sight of all those homes on stilts, pressed against the ceiling. I'd seen a lot of strange things in Faerie, but combined with the glowing algae and fenced gardens, the village looked more alien than fey. Looking down at last, I realized the point of it. Not only did it make a smooth transition from ocean to cavern, but it also kept the cavern floor mostly bare, allowing each household to grow their own food. I guess I wasn't the only one who got tired of fish.
“This way,” Nori said.
“Why didn't we just go back up and out into the water?” I asked.
“This way is faster.” He nodded at a Water Fey woman tending her garden.
Her eyes widened on my manacles and then she spun and raced into the stairwell behind her.
I grimaced. “We're attracting attention.”
“It doesn't matter. They all know I work for the Queen.”
Under my breath, I muttered, “And they all know the Queen.”
“Enough!” Nori hissed at me. “She's not just my queen and you know it. So stop insulting her.”
“Is it insulting if it's the truth?” I cocked my head at him. “I mean, what did I really say that was so terrible about her? Only that her people would know her. That could be a good thing.” I smirked. “Unless you know it isn't.”
Nori shook his head and yanked on the chain. He dragged me down the lovely paths, through that alien and yet familiar landscape (it was looking more and more like an English country village), and to the cavern wall. A crevice in the wall revealed itself to be a narrow tunnel. Into it we went, slipping sideways at first before the way opened up.
“It's like a maze down here,” I said. “Do these tunnels run under the whole kingdom?”
“Yes.” Nori turned right. “I wouldn't suggest running.”
