Glamour (Rae Wilder #1)

TDG: Chapter Nine

"And now they're gone, lost ... hidden in forgotten paradises in the corners of your mind."

– Decisive Moments by  @JoannaNestoridi

Fingers entwined and shoulders brushing as we walked, Breandan and I entered Lochlann’s tent and stopped in the centre.

He paced in front of us, eyes narrowed and chest heaving. “Finally you are here, and I can begin judgment. Did you get lost on your way here?”

Breandan did not answer. Clearly, the question was rhetorical.

I, however, had something to say, “What do you mean, judgment?”

“You will not speak unless spoken to.” Lochlann’s voice cracked like a whip.

It took a beat for me to recover from the shock of being told pipe down so rudely. “Who to the gods do you think you’re talking to? I’m not one of your rebels. You can’t talk to me that way, or boss me about and expect me to obey.”

He stopped pacing and looked deliberately from my face, to my fingers wrapped around Breandan’s. “My younger brother is sworn to me. Your attachment to him makes you part of my court.”

“Like hell it does,” I fired back. “What Breandan and I do is none of your business.”

Lochlann had intimidated me when I’d first met him, but not any more. Two people had tried to kill me. I was pissed, tired, had a full bladder an empty stomach, and he was making it worse. It was hard for me to keep a semblance of calm when Breandan had only just been healed, and I had been parted from my vampire-boy. He was pushing all the wrong buttons at the wrong time.

Lochlann seethed at me silently for a moment before his face went blank. Instead of relaxing I put up all my mental guards; I was used to this behaviour. Breandan did it when he planned to manipulate me.

My eyes wandered and landed on Conall who smiled encouragingly. I managed a tight grimace in return.

Lochlann held out his hand. “The amulet of wisdom, give it to me.”

“No,” I said.

He blinked and frowned. “I want to see it. You can have it back.”

“I said, no.”

He watched me for a while then said, “You saw my sister before she was taken captive?”

“Killed,” I said slowly and carefully. “I saw Maeve as the Clerics killed her.”

He pressed his eyes shut, cocked his head then shook it. “I feel her. She is alive. I would know the moment of my sibling's death.”

Breandan nodded in agreement. “She is still with us. I cannot find her, but I felt a glimmer of her aura. She is hidden and bound by iron.”

That was news to me, and why hadn’t he said so before. I knew fairies had amazing powers of recovery, but could we survive a bullet to the chest? Maeve had looked pretty dead to me. I didn’t say this, of course, out of respect.

“The humans have gone too far this time. They will pay. My sister will be returned. We will give them one chance to free her, or we shall take her back by force.”

I didn’t like where this was heading.

“Hold on. You can’t be so general in your damnation, and you can’t start throwing around ultimatums.” Breandan squeezed my hand, hard and I shot him a look. “Don’t be trying to silence me. There are good people at the Temple. Yes, Lord Cleric Tu and the Lady Cleric were wrong, but not all humans think like them.” I kept it to myself that a fair portion did.