A lot of questions are answered in the next two chapters!
Breena
The tinkling of soft piano music playing is the first thing I am aware of, the next is the smell of hay. I open my eyes and see rafters above my head. The events from last night wash over me like a bucket of cold sea water and I try to sit up, but my head swims and someone pushes me back down onto the pillows. I roll my head to the side to see Kean sitting on a chair beside the bed I am laying in.
"Take it easy," he says, "you lost a good amount of blood and went into shock."
"Where are we?" I ask.
"Were in the living quarters above your barn. We've been waiting for you to wake up."
I glance around recognizing my surroundings, "How long was I out?"
He looks at the clock, "A few hours, it's ten in the morning."
I try to push myself up again and succeed this time but lean heavily against the head board. He reaches back and hits the pause button on the CD player, "Looks like I owe Dunkin," he murmured, "he said the music would help bring you around."
I don't totally understand what he means but there are too many other questions warring for space in my mind and mouth. "Is Fiona alright?" I finally ask.
"She's upset, she's worried about you but she's physically okay," he tells me. "There's a lot more to what went on last night than what we knew going into it."
The now familiar feeling of dread curls in my stomach, "What?"
He ducks his head – a strangely submissive gesture for him – and I am sure I won't like what he has to say. "I suppose I'm just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to keeping things from you. Remember what Ciná said about me owing him?" I nod recalling the Sidhe's sadistic ranting, "Well he wasn't lying I do owe him a tithe," he swallows hard.
"When my parents died I was left alone, I was ten and grief stricken and I didn't know what to do with myself. Ciná is old even for a Sidhe, he is The Fire Elemental; he was born from the first flame. With all his years he is cunning and patient and powerful and bored. That being said he finds enjoyment in watching others squirm; so when he saw me the heir to a powerful Keeper thrust into his role too soon and floundering, he pounced upon the opportunity to get me indebted to him. He acted like the friend I so desperately needed, and at the time I was naive and wasn't well educated in the ways of the Fey.
"Meanwhile I was trying to take on my father's responsibilities and find a paying job. I finally found one at Allard's, I started out cleaning stalls at the lowest wage he could give me but it was something. I usually ended up being the last to leave because I had to sweep up the barns, tack rooms and feed rooms. One night I was walking home and ran into a nasty Fey that wanted to eliminate the Keeper line in Teelin. He had a sword and I had nothing but the two iron rods. He left me on the road a bloody mess sure that I would be dead within the hour and he was right, I was dying. But Ciná found me unconscious and took the opportunity to heal my wounds and bring me back leaving me in his debt."
He took a deep breath and ran his shaking fingers through his hair not meeting my eye. "Looking back if I could have I would have told him to let me die. Once I realized what him saving my life meant I threw myself into research and contacted all my father's friends who were Keepers on the mainlands. I disconnected myself from anyone he could use to hurt me and when I formed a bond with Cinis I moved him to Allard's barn because the wards were better. For the last three years he has been after me about that Augisky and I have used every trick in every book along with a few of my own to avoid him. Then you came along, and somehow broke down the walls I had surrounded myself with for so long. Of course Ciná saw that and used it against me."
The story is a lot to process and I'm torn between pity and anger; but the anger is directed at Ciná rather than Kean. I notice the pain and guilt that sit heavily on his features and I realize he thinks my anger is directed at him. "Kean, I'm not mad at you," I say and his eyes meet mine. "I'm mad at Ciná, I'm mad that you felt like you had to stay away from anyone you might care about for years in the fear that they would be hurt."
"But I hurt you in more ways than one," he mutters fiddling with his fingers.
I cock my head for a second trying to figure out exactly what he means, then I'm able to connect the dots, "Marissa? You mean you brushed me off and let her climb all over you to try to scare me away?"
He nods, "Yeah when you told me what the Feeorin said I panicked. I didn't know what to do, I just knew that you weren't safe with me and I made some bad choices. I should have just told you everything," he sighs.
"Just tell me next time," I say. My stomach chooses now to grumble loudly.
Kean chuckles a bit, "Your siblings did their best to cook breakfast if you want some," he pales dramatically for a moment before recovering and I can't help but assume Declan's cooking has something to do with it.
I nod eagerly, "Yes, then you guys can tell me what I missed."
He nods a bit hesitantly and helps me up. My head swims a bit and I am more unsteady on my feet than I would like to admit but I push his hands away and head for the door. Down the short hallway I can smell food and hear muted conversation. It's been years since I've been up in the apartment and the dust that has settled over much of it can attest to that. It was supposed to be living quarters for a live in farm hand but finances got hard and my parents never ended up hiring anyone.
I walk into the kitchenette to find Fiona, Declan and Dunkin sitting around the small table that is piled with food. My stomach growls again announcing my arrival. In the blink of an eye I am being smothered in hugs and I am glad that Kean is behind me because as I stumble back he is able to keep me from landing on the floor.
Questions are being hurled at me faster than I can register from three different mouths. I clear my throat, "Guys, guys," they finally shut up, "let's sit down, I think I know less than all of you."
We all squeezed in around the little table elbows and shoulders touching. Kean is on my right and Declan on my left and the center of the table piled with bacon, eggs and toast. I pull a few pieces of toast and bacon onto my plate but when I look around I see that everyone else is sitting rather sedately around the table not touching the food, their faces serious and tight a stark difference from just moments earlier. My appetite starts to disappear.
"So," I say slowly, "what happened last night?"
The four of them exchange looks and Fiona pales remarkably. Finally Declan clears his throat and meets my eyes, "It seems that several factors came into play last night, the first and longest coming being the Tithe that Kean owes Ciná which I assume he has filled you on," Kean nods in affirmation. "The second has to do with the 'job' Fiona has had this summer," at this Fiona buries her face in her arms. "She was not actually working at the Iron Bells which I think you already found out. She was working with Ciná. Kean believes that he did bewitch her to some extent and used her to get information about you and Kean, but her memories seem to be spotty at best. Through her Ciná discovered that he could get to Kean through you and that he could get to you through family. He already held sway over Fiona and decided to use her to draw you to him knowing that Kean would never let you walk into a situation like that alone. He was pulling strings we didn't know existed."
There is a moment of silence as I try to digest that information that has been given to me and as much as I don't want to believe it what Declan is saying makes a lot of sense. It explains Fiona's odd behavior and how she ended up in the hands of a mad Fey. I nod in acceptance, I can't hold what happened entirely against my sister, she should have known better than to have anything to do with Faeries but I also should have been paying more attention to her. I have failed hugely in several aspects of stepping up where my parents left off. Yes, I have kept the farm going, but I've left what's left of my family fall through the cracks
Declan picks at his toast with his fork then pushes back his chair and clears his throat, "Fiona and I have to go for a while," he says, "we need to go see Johnny." He leans over and kisses the top of my head and whispers, "I'm glad you're alright, Breena," and I don't know why but it feels like a goodbye.
"I'll drive you over," Kean offers, "I need to get to Allard's and Johnny's is on the way."
Without another word or bite of food the three of them troop down the stairs leaving their plates full and me with the feeling of being diseased.