“Falcas?” I jerked forward. “What's wrong?”
“It's Fal?” Killian leaned in. “You okay, kid?”
“Mother, Father needs you. Now!”
“I'm coming, baby!” I snapped the phone shut and shot out of bed. “Tell the others, Kill. I'll scry you later.”
“Okay. Go!” He motioned me away even as he climbed out of bed, and then he followed me into the closet.
I yanked on pants, a tunic, and boots in case I needed to run, and then strapped on my Demon sword in case I needed to fight. One last look at Kill, and I laruked away. Killian's eyes were full of worry but also support. He knew I could handle whatever was happening in Seelie, and that trust centered me. The air condensed around me, swirling to transport me instantly to Castle Seelie. I arrived in the royal suite I shared with Tiernan, but it was empty.
Running for the door, I called, “Tiernan! Falcas!” I burst into the corridor, startling a maid.
“They're below, Your Majesty.” She pointed towards the stairs. “The entry hall.”
“Thanks!” I ran for the stairs and then used my Fey beag magic to float down the flights until I reached the entry hall, saving me several minutes. My husband was there, straightening out of a hug with Falcas. Tiernan's stunning silver eyes, the irises ringed in indigo, went wide when he saw me.
“Seren? What are you doing here?” Tiernan's fey ombré hair—platinum at the roots that darkened through shades of blond and then of brown before it became black at the tips—swung in a shining arch as he rushed to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Falcas scried me.” I looked at our son and then at Tiernan's guards. His King's Guard was composed of twelve men, and none of them would meet my gaze. I looked back at Falcas. “You said your father needed me right now.”
“Falcas?” Tiernan turned to look at him too.
Falcas had gone through a recent growth spurt and stood nearly as tall as I. With his black hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, the length shifting with shadows, he looked far older than ten. The silver streak at his left temple was in the same place as my ombré streak, but it matched his eyes—eyes that were identical to his father's. Falcas had always been a somber child, but these days, his somberness carried weight. He, like all my children from my first pregnancy, was maturing rapidly.
“You should have scried her, Father.” Falcas lifted his chin. “She is your queen. She deserves to know what's happening here.”
Oh, shit. Did our son just reprimand his father? I looked at Tiernan as my jaw fell.
Tiernan grimaced. “It is not for you to decide, Falcas. This is an adult matter.” He strode over to Fal and took his shoulder in hand. “I understand that you're worried, but I said I would handle this, and you should have trusted me.”
“I do trust you, but I have a feeling that you need Mother's help.”
“Why didn't you mention this feeling to me earlier?”
Falcas was developing an incredible intuition. Rowan inherited premonition from me, and I suspected she would exceed me in that talent. I was starting to think that Fal had gotten it too.
“I did tell you.” Falcas didn't get angry, just presented his case with calm assurance. “You said it would be all right. I decided that it would not, and I should bring Mother here so she could decide.” He looked at me. “Father is leaving to investigate a missing regiment.”
“What is he talking about, Tiernan?” I went to stand with them.
Tiernan sighed and motioned his guards away. “Wait for me in the courtyard.”
They marched out, all of them dressed for war. A shiver went down my spine.
“Tiernan?” I demanded when the last one closed the keep's main doors behind him.
“There is a strange blight infesting Seelie,” Tiernan said. “It's been appearing randomly in the forests and has now crept into farmland.”
“What kind of blight?”
“It is poisoning the plant life; beyond that, I'm not sure. The reports are mixed. I sent a regiment of soldiers to investigate a week ago. They never returned.”
“So, you're going after them yourself?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You're not a hunter anymore. You're the King of Seelie!”
“You run off to Earth to fight humans, Demons, and Angels, but you dare to remind me ofmystatus? Perhaps you should rethink your words, Seren.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fine, yes, you're right. I do that.”
