“And you are queen of two fairy kingdoms as well as the princess of the third.”
“Yes, Tiernan, I know who I am.”
“Do you?” He leaned in to whisper, “Ever since you returned from your last mission on Earth, you've been acting strangely, Seren.”
I went still. How could I have thought that no one would notice? I'm almost never alone. Still, I tried to play it off. “What do you mean?”
Tiernan's silver eyes narrowed. “You make odd sounds in your sleep and wake up tired. There's a shadow in your eyes.” He took my hand. “Is it in your heart as well?”
“What?” I whispered.
“Do you still love me?”
“Tiernan! Of course, I love you. I will love you until my last breath.”
“Then what is it, Seren? Why do you pull away from me in your sleep and reluctantly go into my arms when awake?”
“Reluctantly? I don't—”
“You sigh often. Not in a good way,” he cut me off. “And there have been times when I feel as if you're not mentally there with me, even when I'm inside you.”
I glanced at Falcas, but, as usual, he had sensed what the people around him needed and had retreated to another room. It was just Tiernan and me in the huge entry hall. I looked back at Tiernan. “I'm sorry, T. I've been so tired lately. You're right. It feels as if all I do is travel between kingdoms and have sex with my husbands.”
Tiernan blinked. “I see.”
“I want to be with you.” I squeezed his hand before he pulled it away. “I've just been tired. Miri is so active these days. She's nearing the terrible twos.”
Tiernan frowned. Falcas, like Rowan, didn't go through that phase. So, Tiernan only had stories of Shahzadi and Caelum to go by. And he knew me. He knew when I was misdirecting him.
I tried again. “I'm sorry. I'll do better.”
“Seren, none of us wants you to feel as if you have to constantly perform sexually to satisfy us. It's just that we get only three days with you.”
“I know. And I want to make the most of those three days too. It'll get easier again. Babies always make things more difficult.”
“I think there's more to it than Miri.”
“I'll be fine. Now, tell me about the blight. Where were you going?”
“The last report came from Begonia, an Anthousai village. I'm headed there. Do you want to come with me? It's only about an hour's ride by cair.”
“Yes, all right.” I looked down at my clothing, glad I'd prepared for an adventure.
“You'll need a cloak.” Tiernan went to the wall where a service cord hung and pulled it.
One of the staff appeared seconds later—a Glastig woman whose goat hooves announced her arrival. “Your Majesty?”
“Fetch the Queen a cloak, please.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The Glastig hurried off.
I glanced at the window high up in the front wall. Seelie was about eight hours ahead of Twilight and got a lot colder. At this time of year, that translates into rain. The sky was clear so far, and bright blue. Two in the morning in Twilight meant it was around 10 AM in Seelie.
“Falcas,” I called out.
Falcas hurried back into the room. “Yes, Mother?”
“I'm going with your father. Come give me a hug.” I opened my arms.
