"I am sorry," Redbird apologized, even while she held my Toff tightly against her. I wasn't buying that apology and she knew it.
"If there is any way to make this up to you," Tiearan said, "we will do our best to oblige."
"And just how would you propose to do that?" I hissed. "If someone stole your child and forced you to come and haul their ass out of a bind, and then ended up taking your child anyway, tell me how that would make you feel?" I was so angry my eyes were likely blood red and my fangs pricked my lower lip. That was nothing compared to the headache I now had.
"We would not like it," Tiearan refused to look at me. "We thought we would have to contend with the Karathian King over this," he muttered. "We expected to die for Redbird's mistake."
"And I want to kill you," I said. "And if my Larentii had not given me mindspeech, telling me that it will harm Toff if Redbird dies, well, you might already be dead," I growled. "Didn't you have enough sense to hand him to somebody who would keep him safe, instead of fucking with his head?" Connegar had also told me that the mind-bond was irreversible in a child as young as Toff—if we tried, he would likely die or be simple from the damage.
"I thought my daughter would keep him safe," Tiearan glanced at Redbird, who was playing with Toff and pointedly ignoring her father and me.
"So I get fucked over, for coming to save your sorry asses."
"There is nothing I can say or do, which will eliminate your pain or anger," Tiearan said quietly.
"So, I'm to go home, without my child. That's what you're telling me. Are you going to do this again? You get in a bind; you kidnap a child to get what you want?"
"We have never done anything of this nature before," Tiearan winced. "And it was to save our half-children that we did it. We understand the threat of loss, but not the loss. We cannot repay this debt. We have no way to do so."
"We will send him to you when he reaches his maturity, so he may decide which world he would rather live in," the other female offered. Her name was Rain, I knew; they'd introduced both of the females after a while.
"Sure, after you've raised him and indoctrinated him," I muttered angrily. "He'll resent the fact that he has to live with relatives he doesn't remember."
"He will not have the talent and capability that we have, and that will separate him from us," Tiearan sighed.
"So, my child gets tortured, no matter what," I muttered, now close to tears. I knew what growing up without belonging felt like, and these Fae had condemned Toff to that existence.
"He will love Redbird, and she will love him," Tiearan tried to calm me.
"Forced to love her," I shot back, wiping away the tear that fell. "Tell me what good that does me?"
"We cannot replace a child," Tiearan replied. "I am sorry."
"I will go back with her," the blue-green haired one offered.
"Corent, no!" Rain was standing, now. His offer also had Redbird off her seat, holding a hand out to him. They were lovers; I knew it in that instant.
"It is only fair," Corent turned his gaze on Redbird. "You keep her child until he comes to adulthood. Nothing can relieve that pain for her. Therefore, it is only fair that you suffer, since you did not confer with us over this matter. You chose this yourself."
"Corent," Redbird whined. Well, somebody was used to getting her way.
"Fine." I stood up. "Don't ever come to me or any of my kind for help. Ever. And if this child is raised in anything other than a loving environment, I will still come and take this world apart and I won't waste time doing it."
"We will see that he is loved and cared for and I regret that this has harmed you," Tiearan stood with me. "I understand that you would not truly harm us, I felt the insincerity in your words. You are allowing your pain to speak for you. If there were any way to take that away from you, I would do it. If there were any way for me to take back my daughter's folly, I would do it. I only beg you to take care of Corent; he has never been anywhere except through these valleys, and only knows a peaceful existence."
"I'll put him with the comesuli, near the light half of the planet," I was crying again; I couldn't seem to stop. Garde had his hand at the small of my back, trying to comfort me without being obvious about it. "The farms and orchards are there," I lost it, then, and the Larentii had to haul us all home.* * *
"Daughter, you almost destroyed us all," Tiearan looked at Redbird, as she bounced Toff on her lap. "And call that child by his given name," Tiearan went on. "That is only fair, and we will not be otherwise." Tiearan stalked away, leaving Rain to stare at Redbird. "You cost me my child," she said sadly, and rose to follow Tiearan.
* * *
Reemagar did all the talking for me when we took Corent to his new home. He nodded as we introduced him to Riff, the orchard overseer. I felt Corent might be more comfortable with trees around him. Riff promised to find housing for the displaced Fae; Garde offered to bring clothing. I hoped Corent would be happy in his self-imposed exile; I wanted to lock myself away and scream and cry. I was doing my best to hold off on that.
In all my dreams, I had no idea that this would turn out the way it did. I folded myself back to the palace with Garde and the Larentii hot on my heels. I went straight to my bedroom, threw myself on the bed and started crying. Connegar had the presence of mind to Pull back the duffle and blades I'd taken to Vionn—I'd left them behind in the tents. He also folded in Solis and the General—Hardin Wolf was his name. I learned all this when Connegar whispered what he'd done when he returned. I was still crying my eyes out, so Connegar told me he would turn Solis and Hardin over to Drake and Drew while Reemagar rubbed my back soothingly and Garde lay down beside me, trying to gather me against him.
I wasn't just crying for myself. I was crying for Giff and Roff, too. What would they do, when they found out? Roff didn't have the memory of his child, but what if he remembered one day? The news that his child was stolen and turned against him was going to be as painful as it could possibly be.
* * *
"The Green Fae did this?" Dragon shook his head in confusion. The Green Fae were always peaceful and nonviolent. To kidnap a child was unheard of, but to amplify the mistake by performing the mind-bond on a child who didn't belong to them, well, that was unconscionable. They sometimes did it with orphans or runaways, but this was nothing of the kind. And Lissa had protected them, on top of all that. It was a senseless, selfish act.
"We can't get Lissa to eat," Drake and Drew sat down heavily on either side of their father. Dragon put an arm around each of his youngest.
"It'll take time," Dragon sighed. "I don't know what to do in the meantime. Of all the people for this to happen to."
"Problem?" Thurlow came in to sit at the kitchen island. He'd been given the run of the palace; he just wasn't allowed to barge into private suites or offices. The amenities were his to use if he so desired. He was quite surprised at the openness of all of it.
"A private matter," Dragon's scowl was back in place. "May we offer you something to eat or drink?"
"A sandwich, perhaps," Thurlow nodded. The comesula servant went about making a sandwich for their guest. Dragon and his sons rose after a bit, wished Thurlow goodnight and left the kitchen. Thurlow blew out a sigh. He had a difficult task before him, it seemed. The Queen had returned, he knew that much. He also knew she was extremely upset, which meant all her mates were upset. Thurlow would have to wait to meet her.
* * *
"Lissa, sweetheart, you have to stop crying." Aurelius was there, somehow, and he'd pulled me off the bed. Being wrapped in Aurelius' arms was like being hugged by a bear. A really gentle, careful bear. Gavin and Tony had gone to follow a spy, so they were both away. Aurelius was filling in for them. Drake and Drew had sat with me for a while, but they couldn't get the tears to stop any better than Garde could, or the Larentii. I don't know why they didn't put me in a healing sleep and be done with it.
* * *
"What the hell were they thinking?" Dragon had called a meeting and nearly all of Lissa's mates were there, as were many of the Saa Thalarr. Kiarra cursed while she paced inside her kitchen; that's where the meeting had been called. Drake and Drew were both looking haggard and unhappy. Radomir was furious and Rolfe was even angrier. Giff hadn't been told yet and Roff was still oblivious—Flavio thought it best not to bring him. Davan and Grant had been brought instead, since they loved Toff. Davan was silent and obviously troubled; Grant was nearly in tears at the news.
Shadow couldn't understand any of it. Erland was relaying mindspeech as fast as he could to Wylend Arden. This was one of the worst possible outcomes for this entire sorry affair. Karzac felt like cursing—just when it appeared that Lissa might have a child, albeit an adopted one, it was taken away from her.
"What did she do?" Erland asked. He was almost afraid to learn the answer.
"She put up a curtain that the others can't cross, to keep the Green Fae safe," Kiarra muttered. "After they kidnapped Toff. She didn't know what else they'd done until afterward."
"A Karathian would have killed them all," Erland mumbled his response.
"It's better for them in that respect, and worse for Lissa, at the same time," Kiarra snorted. "And now she has someone who exchanged himself for Toff. What good is that supposed to do her?"
Adam sat silently at the island and wondered at the absence of Griffin. Lissa's father should be there, or with Lissa. Yet he wasn't in either place. Adam sent mindspeech to Merrill regarding that fact. One of Merrill's eyebrows lifted at the observation, but he didn't reply.
* * *
"Avilepha, I cannot bear this." Kifirin had come, so Aurelius stole quietly from the room. I sniffled again and wiped my face with a sleeve.