“Come.” I grabbed his hand, pulling him alongside me.
“Where are we going?”
I tugged him, forcing him out the door and down the wing to the royal courtyard.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? What is going on? Is everything okay? Is Father okay?”
Tallis walked behind us, silent, his footsteps a steady comfort. He would not reveal the horror about what transpired this afternoon unless I ordered him to. Nothing would hurt us while the Violent Wind protected us. His innate control over the element of wind made him faster anddeadlier than any other guard in the palace.
I placed my hands on the glyph outside the stone arch that led to the stairs leading down to the inner courtyard. The rune on my wrist glowed a vibrant purple, and then the magic shimmered, letting us through the magical barrier.
I had only one option here.
Kane wouldn’t like it, but he was not king, not yet, and I was queen, ruler of the surface fae,and it was my duty to protect them and my children from whatever madness had infiltrated our castle.
When his oldest sister, Catriona, died from falling off her horse, we grieved about the terrible accident. Months later, when Sorcha died from a strange illness, we disinfected and purified the castle for weeks, and thanked the All Father no one else showed any signs of the same illness.
But Laoise? Suddenly, dead in her room with nothing but a trickle of blood to determine the cause? No. This was not a coincidental series of horrid events. There was malicious activity happening in the castle and I would not let my last child succumb to it.
Holding Kane’s hand, we hurried down the spiral stone staircase and across the moss-covered ground. We passed through the open center court, heading toward the back of the flower garden where a large lilac tree stood. I let go of Kane and quickly glanced at Tallis. He didn’t know what I was up to and I was sure he would strongly disagree. My ancestors had lived in this castle for centuries. There had always been a moon fae on the throne, whether as king or queen. It was the way of our people, and it would not end today.
Placing both my hands on the tree, I pressed my forehead against the bark and whispered the ancient words, calling forth the dryad. The wood vibrated, and I stepped back as it shifted and shimmered until the solid bark liquified, and a thin green leg stepped out. A female dryad covered in wildflowers and olive hair that tumbled down her naked form appeared before us.
I grabbed Kane and moved him to her. “Take the prince and do not return him until I call him back.”
The dryad nodded.
Kane wrenched out of my grasp, his innocent face twisting in confusion. “I don’t want to go with her! Mommy,pleasedon’t send me away!”
Squatting down, I held Kane’s face, his lament staining my hands. Staring into his frightened eyes,I could feel my heart shattering under the weight of the moment.His sister was his best friend. “Your sister is dead.”
His eyes widened, the shock making his body go rigid in my arms. She was all he had left of his childhood. He would never know innocence again. I wiped away the falling tears.
“No, she can’t be gone.” Tears burst from his eyes as his nose began to run. He dove into my arms, the heaviness of his burden saturating me as he sobbed into my bosom.
Squeezing him tightly, his pain amplified my own. He was my little boy,the last of my children. I wanted to hold him there, shield him from the harsh reality, but he wasn’t safe in the palace, and even though my husband would reject the decision, it wasa mother’s job to protect her babies. “You are not safe here. I know you don’t understand but there is no time to explain. The dryads will protect you and when it is safe for you to return, I will bring you home.”
“Don’t make me go,” he cried, gripping the front of my dress. “What if something happens to you?”
“I will protect the queen. She will not be harmed while I live,” Tallis said, placing a hand on Kane’s shoulder.
“I don’t want to go. How long must I be away?”
“As long as it takes, but I will send word within a week’s time, and I will continue to do so until the threat is gone.” I kissed him on the cheek and brushed his dark hair off his face, taking him in one last time.
My boy, who was going through those pre-adolescent years and full of life, did not need to experience all this pain.
“No!” He pulled from the dryad’s touch, jumping into my arms,a terrified shudderamplified by his keen wail. “Don’t send me away! Don’t leave me!”
Prying his soft hands off my neck, I kissed them.
“Go,” I said and gently nudged him toward the dryad. The nature spirit took hold of his arm, and he pulled against her.
“Mother,please,” he sobbed, yanking his body, twisting to free himself and return to me. “I don’t want to go away!”
“The dryads will protect you.” My voice cracked and I wiped my eyes. “They are the servants of the All Father. It’s the only way to keep you safe.”
The dryad stepped into the bark, taking Kane with her until both disappeared into the tree. His sob was the last sound I heard.
