Crossing Boundaries

Chapter 33

Arrowan

This day started so beautifully. I wanted to hit rewind, to go back to breakfast in bed, before we came across another Unseelie and discovered this place that looked so peaceful but which was apparently wrapped up in the war, too. Or if I couldn't rewind, I wanted to yank Luin back home and forget we had ever come here.

That wasn't what we were going to do, though, for so many reasons. Luin had a friend here, and he was enamored with the place, anyway. Even without those facts drawing us in, it seemed stupid to bury our heads in the sand instead of collecting what information we could about the war. I had heard rumblings about one approaching back when I was in Alterra, and I knew the Seelie were gearing up too. If the fey who lived here in Faerie were meeting about it, then there was a very real chance whatever was going down with the war might impact us on Earth. I had really been hoping both sides would have the decency to keep their conflict in Alterra, but maybe that was a fool's hope.

Luin raised a brow at me and I nodded. We followed Nuala and a growing stream of other people through the winding streets of Faerie until we reached a large open amphitheater. There were a few people standing on a raised platform in the middle, talking amongst themselves, as crowds streamed in through the six entryways. Nuala led us toward the front of our section, where a light-haired Unseelie with alarmingly red eyes waved her down with an easy grin.

"Hey! Who are your friends?" he asked.

"You'll never believe it – this is Luin and his bond mate, Arrowan!" she said, gesturing at us with a broad grin.

The Unseelie man stood and offered Luin his hand, then mine. "I'm Carlon, Nuala's bond mate."

Once Carlon had clasped both of our hands, we all sat down and Luin chatted with Nuala while I watched dozens and dozens of fae streaming into the amphitheater. Several great rings of seating filled quickly, and within half an hour, the crowd was settling down with a hush of expectation. The low rumble of whispers and murmurs carried on until a Seelie woman walked up to a podium in the center and cleared her throat. A microphone ensured the sound carried easily.

"That's Elaina. She's something of an honorary leader around here," Nuala whispered.

Elaina looked around at the crowd that had gathered here and said, "War is coming." She paused, though I couldn't tell whether it was for drama or for emphasis, then continued. "Skirmishes are breaking out across Alterra even now, and it is yet unclear which way the scales will tip. Whichever side emerges victorious, one thing is certain: our people will continue to lose."

A rush of muttering broke out across the crowd and Elaina was the picture of patience as she waited until it silenced again. "I am here to call for change. This war is an opportunity. We are even now devising a course of action that might cut both the Seelie and Unseelie at the knees, with the goal of establishing an Alterra that looks more like Faerie. Let us put an end to the discrimination within our kind."

Elaine paused while a cheer erupted all around us. "Let us heal the rift between Seelie and Unseelie." Another cheer went round the stadium, and I could almost feel the anticipation as they quieted quicker this time and waited for her next words. "Let us be as one people!"

And the crowd went absolutely nuts.

What had Luin and I stumbled into?

As Elaine continued to speak, and then stepped away to let someone else take over, I started to have a hard time listening. I tried to focus, but I was overwhelmed with dread. Luin and I deserved a break, didn't we? Sure, these people had a point – no matter how this Unseelie vs. Seelie war turned out, the victor would not make life easier for us. Bonds like mine and Luin's would still be forbidden and we would still be either hunted or ripped away from our families if we chose to pursue them.