Chapter Eleven: Crazy Off

“You. Fucking bitch.”

Well, then.

At her voice, the knife in my submerged hand melted back into the royal blue bands that decorated my fingers. Silver and blue against rich brown skin contrasted so beautifully it was almost hypnotizing. Unfortunately, Dani’s cutting voice yanked my attention to her looming form. Dropping my head back against the rim of the tub, I stared blankly at her stormy expression.

“You’re going to make me blush if you keep complimenting me, Babes.”

“Did you really think I wasn’t going to find out? Were you even going to tell me?”

“You’re right. Cheating was in poor taste, I should have just dumped you.”

Pink eyes rolled in annoyance, “Just tell me, you not actually going to see that crazy bastard?”

Pressing a hand to my chest, I jutted my chin out in an appalled expression. “First of all, there is only one crazy bastard in history and that’s me. Secondly, why are you upset? You like Afric.”

“No, Macha. You like him. Afric is a certified lunatic, who you never should’ve made a deal with.” She announced, sitting on the bed a good distance away.

Shaking my head, I stood and gave her my back while using a spare tunic to dry off. With only a few hours of sleep in my system, I wasn’t in the mood to listen to her talk down at me for a deal she was there for. Popping open the wooden chest, I dug around for something appropriate to wear to Afric’s den.

Sliding on a pair of matching undergarments, I muttered, “I didn’t hear you complaining when I made it.”

“That’s because I never thought you’d ever actually call it in.”

Wiggling into a pair of grey leather trousers, I snorted, “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

“For once in your life, Macha. Be serious.”

“What do you want me to say?” I sighed, grabbing a black long sleeve.

“That you’re not going to collect on a Death Deal with a Den Head Banshee tonight.”

Shrugging on the tunic, I finally turned around to face her. “I can’t do that.”

“Damned to the ground, Macha!” Dani shouted. Jumping from the bed, she pointed a sharp nail in my direction. “Afric is not to be toyed with.”

“And neither am I. So, back off.” I gritted out between pointed teeth.

For a moment it looked like she was going to scream at me again until her shoulders slumped. Smoothing a hand over her pink and black curls, she groaned, “Look, I’m not trying to piss you off. You can obviously handle yourself, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“You and Afric play an intense game of who’s crazier, Macha. Are you sure you’re up for that?”

An honest to Divines, genuine grin spilt my face followed by a hysteria tinged laugh. “Oh. You don’t have to worry about that, Babes. Trust me. It’s Afric who should be concerned.”

Pink eyes searched my face, “Okay. If you’re really doing this then I’m coming too. And despite what you want us to believe, you’re not crazy.”

Rolling my eyes, I slipped on my boots and walked around to the other side of the tent. Why did people always assume that my personality was an act? Maybe I was certifiable and maybe I wasn’t but that didn’t change who I was. If I had an urge to go toe to toe with a most definitely insane Den Head for a little thrill, why did it have to be an act? What couldn’t it just be me?

“I don’t want you to believe anything but the truth, Babes.”

Silver chains rattled as they unwound from the desk chair to wrap around my waist. Grabbing the handles of my swords, I shivered in delight when the cool blue metal snaked around my fingers and wrists. Bracelets tinkling, I waved at her to follow me from the tent.

“Wait, did you have dinner yet? I brought a bowl of coddle.”

To lie or not- Oh, who am I kidding? “I already ate.”

As soon as I stepped out from the tent, fresh air heavily scented with smoking vegetables greeted me. Nodding to the nearby fae, some with blue ribbons and some without, I continued on my way to the outskirts of the camp. The small bonfires scattered about lit our path out from the tents and into the tree line where a small group waited for us. Dougal, General Erick, and a few soldiers spoke in low tones as we approached.

One of the soldiers, sporting teal colored hair and a blue ribbon around his wrist, spotted me first. Sliding out from the group, he stepped in front of me with a nervous look. Chest tightening, I watched as his eyelids lowered and his head bowed, “My Queen.”

Once the words left his mouth, the others were quick to turn my way and repeat the gesture. Uncomfortable, I nodded in respect to the soldiers and caught sight of the blue ribbon they all wore. Before I could panic, they fanned out so that we could see each other clearly. Each soldier had their preferred weapon strapped to their body and a serious expression hardening their features.

“We’re ready to go when you are, My Queen.”

Nodding at Dougal, I glanced over the rest. “Does everyone here know where we’re headed? And who we’re meeting?” At the reassured ’yes’s, I continued, “If you don’t want to go, stay here. No one will think any less of you.”

“These soldiers know the risk, My Queen.” General Erick announced.

“Perfect. So, then listen closely. None of you will be harmed on this little mission if you follow the blue rules.”

A soldier with rose petal eyes tilted his head, “The blue rules?”

Laughing at Dani’s groan, I fluffed my shiny hair, “Blue’s a thousand times better than gold, don’t you think Babes?” Scanning over their amused looks, I pushed on, “Going into any banshee den but especially Afric’s, these will be your tools of survival. Rule One, Show absolutely no fear. Rule Two, Never at any point separate from the group. Rule Three, Do not and I repeat do not drink or eat anything offered to you.” Locking eyes with each of them, I added the most important rule of the night. “This last rule is only for tonight but I need you to follow it to the T. No matter what is said or done tonight, you will not intervene in my conversation with Afric.”

Dougal immediately went to disagree, “Fahbt Siúcra, you can’t ask us to just standby.”

“I can and I am. If your reason for wearing my color is true then you will listen to me. Afric isn’t someone you can handle.”

“But you can?”

Turning to the General, I raised a brow and stated point blank, “We have a Death Deal. Afric is Den Head because of me. I took out his brothers in exchange for a future favor. He now owes me a large debt that I plan on collecting, plain and simple.”

While a few of them looked impressed as a Death Deal wasn’t something to balk at, Dougal was angry. Holding his gaze, I waited for him to say something but he seemed to bite his tongue. I knew he would be pissed when he found out exactly what kind of deal it was. Instead of sealing the deal with a jolt of magic, a Death Deal with a banshee required both participants to die. Me and Afric’s death had only lasted a couple of minutes but it was enough to seal the deal.

“Why would you make that deal?” Dougal snapped, aggression lining his tone.

Oh, he was soooooo not going to like my answer.

Giving him my best ‘please don’t be mad’ smile, I admitted, “I could say the old Den Head was giving me trouble. But really, I was just bored.”

Seconds went by where he just stared at me but right when I caught sight of pointed teeth, Erick jumped in. “We should go. We still have a fake travel trail to create before we head to the den.”

Taking the exit he was giving me, I replied, “Let’s head out. Remember the rules for tonight and after you’ve established a fake trail, meet at the entrance of Garran Tolglainne.”

The men and women in front of me nodded in agreement before one by one, we all disappeared.

————————————————————————————

Inky darkness gave way to a charcoal sky dotted with shimmering diamond like stars and a shadowy castle. The flowers dotting the overgrown field swayed gently under the breeze coasting towards the stone walls of the castle. Without a tree in sight, there was nowhere for Afric’s guards to hide other than within the shadows of their fortress walls. Tall wraith like beings with waist length black hair leaned slightly out of the shadows to reveal their pale skin and yellow tinged eyes. It was almost unsettling that these dark beings lived in such a picture perfect clearing. But then again, the same could be said for the Unseelie.

While my group began to appear around me, the Banshees slunk out from their hiding places to confront us. Ankle length cloaks whispered across the grass as their metal staffs pounded into the ground creating an ominous tune. Taking a step forward, I placed myself between my soldiers and the Banshees who approached. Say what you will about Afric but he did excell in intimidation and dramatic flares.

A woman of my height called out, “Blue Queen, you’ve returned.”

“If I never truly left, how do I return.”

“What is it you seek within our walls?”

Folding my hands behind me, I rocked back on my heels and smiled, “The most powerful of all.”

“He is not receiving.” She replied.

“I’m taking, not giving.”

A small smirk transformed her expression from bored to interested, “There are no guarantees in the Banshees den. Do you wish to wake the king?”

“I deal in certainty. He deals in death. A king does not wake for a Queen but bows instead.” A weightlessness filled me at our tricky conversation and my grin continued to grow.

She eyed me with her own grin before spinning on her heel and tossing over her shoulder, “Follow Queen if you dare. Not one of you to be spared if it is declared. Dinner is rare.”

Hollowed chuckles rose from the line of Banshees leading us towards the castle while I glanced at the others behind me. Confusion and apprehension warred on their faces but they stood tall with a solid grip on their weapons. I couldn’t blame them, the Banshees loved their riddles and rhymes. Especially, when it was about granting someone entrance into their den. Taking pity on them, I flipped around to face them while continuing to walk.

Pressing a finger to my lips, I mouthed, ‘Remember the rules.’

Dani, apparently unimpressed with my attitude, mouthed back, ‘You could at least pretend not to be enjoying this so much.’

Muffling a laugh, I shot her a wink before turning around in time to see the Banshees come to a stop. As the gates slowly opened, the others behind the leading female drifted back along the wall to reclaim their positions. When it became possible to slip between the gates, the woman went through quickly and motioned for us to do the same. Dani and Dougal pressed in close as I passed between the gates making me roll my eyes at them. We were already invited in so they wouldn’t lock them out. They were tricky and insane but not impolite.

Instead of leading us into the castle, she led us around the side to a beautiful garden at the back of the stone castle. Roses, Lillies, Dandlewoods, and Fire Brights tangled together in a thorn filled arch in front of the gardens entrance. What held my attention though, was the man sitting at the long oak table a few feet in front of the garden. Banshees hovered by the table drawn in by the man’s alluring aura of death and insanity. It was thick and more intoxicating than a Nymphs lustful intent.

Sparkling yellow tinged eyes flicked over our group with a growing interest while he sipped from a golden chalice. His thin skeletal like body wrapped in black should have been corpse like but instead seemed effortlessly elegant. Afric’s long black hair was piled high on his head with a metal spike impaled through it. Sharply defining his hollowed out features while causing his eyes to stand out more. Despite having the same eyes as the rest of his kind, Afric always declared them his most unique and attractive feature.

Giggling, he raised his chalice in the air, “Blue Queen! Many whispers of you but none know the truth. Take a seat and let me see you.”

With a little pep in my step, I crossed the space between us and took a seat on his right. Resting my hands on the metal arm rests, I watched as Afric slid a filled cup in front of me and then turned to look at me. His smile grew to an almost uncomfortable degree when all I did in return was grin back at him. The others around us shifted at our odd situation but otherwise didn’t intervene. Good, they’re listening. Picking up the cup, I gave it a quick jerk and flicked the liquid into the bushes over my shoulder.

“No drink is free. Ask my fee.”

Without looking away, Afric shook his head, “Tsk. Tsk. Much has changed, you are not the same.”

“I have no time to waste.” I shrugged.

“Yes, yes. My Banshees, you implore, for your domestic war.”

My eye twitched at his little ‘implore’ and ‘domestic war’ comment but my grin never slipped, “I’d never implore. It’s to complete our deal and nothing more.”

Afric hummed, tapping a long nail against the side of his cup, “No.”

I could tell his one worded answer unnerved my companions but I was used to it. Even Afric’s whirlwind of a mind got tired of rhyming. That was more of a passing thought though as his ‘no’ pinged around my head at warp speed. Did this son of a bitch just really tell me no?

Pitching my voice sickly sweet, I purred, “Are you refusing to complete our deal, Afric?”

“Yes and no. I will only complete the deal by giving you something you really want.”

“I just told you what I wanted.”

He leaned forward with a conspiracatory smile, “But that’s not what you really want.”

Dropping my smile, I leaned into him, “And what is it that you think I really want?”

“Ah, ah ah. Not so fast, Blue Queen.” He replied, giving my nose a tap. “First, I must ask you a series of questions.”

I wish I could say I was annoyed by the sudden game he wanted to play. But the excitement that shot through me was undeniable. I wanted to play and see where it led me. Hopefully to a fight. It’s been too long.

“Fine, we play. But you condescendingly tap my nose again and I’ll rip your head from your shoulders.”

Afric slumped back into his chair with a high pitched laugh, “Always the jokester, Blue Queen. Answer the questions with the most base truth and there’ll be no retribution. First question! Who are you?”

“My most base truths, huh?” Sitting back in my own seat, I twirled a blue lock of hair around my finger, “In that case, I’m Macha O’Riordan. Mab’s first born and only bastard.”

“Off to a great start,” He announced, “Now, would you say you make rash decisions?”

I wasn’t even surprised that he wasn’t surprised to find out I was a bastard. “Concerning others? No, not anymore. Concerning myself? Always.”

Afric nodded with a serious expression and literally check marked the air, “Fantastic, we’re almost done. What’s your preferred method of killing?”

“Anything that amuses me in the moment.”

“Do you want to be Queen?”

I paused in my hair twirling to cast a look at the others sitting around us. The soldiers watched the surrounding Banshees but Dougal, Dani, and Erick watched us. Their colorful eyes were plastered to us as they witnessed our verbal sparring. Seemingly genuinely interested in how I would answer this next question.

Without looking away from them, I answered, “I honestly don’t know but I’ll stay and do my best if the people want me.”

“You, an Unseelie, would put aside your own wants for Fae you don’t know? For Fae that don’t owe you anything?”

Still looking at my small team, I smiled, “Yea.”

“How warm and fuzzy of you. Okay, Bastard Queen. Last question.”

Turning back to him, I caught his yellow tinged eyes with my own, “Hit me.”

“Are you the Hero or the Villain?”

My brows shot to my hairline as I jerked, “What?” I said hit me, not fucking slaughter me.

“It’s a simple question, Bastard Queen. Are you the Hero or the Villain in this future fairytale?”

I completely blanked as my eyes searched for the answer he expected but saw nothing. Was I the Hero or the Villain? The Hero or the Villain? Hero or Villain? Villain or Hero? The words felt like they were being repeated on a slow loop inside my head. Dougal said Puck called me a Hero but hundreds, including Mab, called me a Villain. A Hero was a savior, a person who sought justice for others. A Villain was someone who preferred chaos, death and destruction. Or were those just stereotypes?

“Macha is-”

Afric’s fist slammed harshly against the table before he grabbed the front of Dougals tunic and screamed in his face, “Afric and Macha are one in the same. Do not interrupt the game!”

Copying his actions, I snagged his collar and yanked him in my direction. His grip slipped from Dougal’s tunic and before he could blink, I had a knife pressed beneath his right eye. Afric raised a hand, stopping his Banshees from approaching, and gazed at me with a smile. Not an ounce of fear or concern for his eye showed as he whispered, “There she is, how beautiful a sight.”

“You asked if I was the Hero or the Villain, Afric. And I’m going to tell you my base truth.” Tapping the knife against his eye, I gave him a small private smile and whispered back, “You’re a worm, Afric. I take offense to people who try to wiggle their way out of my deals. So, I could stab this knife through your eye and slaughter your entire den without a single regret. Or I could let you go with a warning and everybody lives. This situation, like the many others I’ve been in, could go either way. And you know what, Afric?”

“Tell me, My Queen.”

“I. Couldn’t. Care. Less. The only thing stopping me is a whim. A whim of what I believe will benefit me and my people at the end of the day. And believe me when I say, I could leave here covered in your blood and not lose a wink of sleep over it.” Wrapping his cloak around my fist, I pulled him closer until our foreheads collided. “Hero or Villain? I’m whatever I need to be. So, give me what I’m owed before you really start to piss me off.”

His grin was huge as he shouted, “All Hail The Bastard Queen!”

“All Hail The Bastard Queen!”

Shoving him back into his seat, I looked around in confusion at the Banshees screaming in excitement and repeating his words. Dougal and the rest of my group slowly got their feet as well and looked around. Dragging my eyes back to Afric, I watched as he laughed hysterically and jumped up to grip the front of my tunic.

“A Queen! A Queen! A Queen! For so long we could only dream! Our loyalty and allegiance is solely yours. My soldiers, five thousand strong, will scream the death song for your glorious war! The deal is complete and much more!” Tears of joy gathered in the corner of his eyes as he released me to hop up on the table. His feet moved in a quick jig as the Banshees slammed their staffs into the ground setting a rhythm for him to dance to. “Brothers and Sisters! The Bastard Queen, our reigning supreme! The Den Head of All Den Heads! Neither good nor bad, she’ll lead us on the Divines path! A feast, a feast, to honor our Queen! Nay! Our God!”

Five thousand soldiers? God?

Drums began to beat in a loud haunting fashion as I tried to wrap my head around what the fuck just happened. Huge fires suddenly shot up in the once hidden pits around us and my group closed in around me. Banshees came crawling from the castle like a swarm of bees and covered the areas around us in a wiggling black mass. Laughter and screams rang out as their feet moved in fast spinning movements around us.

Dani clutched at my arm and yelled over the pounding drums, “Macha, what the fuck did you say to him?”

“Did you collect on the deal?” Dougal shouted.

Wide eyed, I watched as Afric got sandwiched between two dancing females on top of the table. “Uhhh, I could be mistaken but I think I just passed an interview to be their god.”

Erick leaned in to be heard, “Well, what do we do now?”

Taking a quick glance around at the partying Banshees, a grin spit my face. Screw it. Rushing forward, I got up on the table beside Afric and screamed, “We party till the fires die!”

More Banshees screamed out in joy as the fires shot higher into the sky. And the night passed by in a blur of fire, dancing and sugared liquor.

——————————————————————————

Okay, so be honest…who won that crazy off? Was anyone surprised with this little glimpse into Macha’s dark side? I think this might be my favorite chapter so far.

Don’t be shy to comment on what you liked about the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twelve: The Hangover

Hovering at the edge of sleep and consciousness, I tried to ignore the growing headache pounding at my temples. Sighing, I shoved my head deeper into the soft pillow and pulled the furs higher up on my neck. Swaddled in a cocoon of warmth and heat, I felt my body melt into a dead weight against the mattress. And right as I was about to fall back into a dreamless sleep, I heard the clink of glasses.

Popping an eye open, I immediately squinted against the dim light that caused my head to feel like it was splitting wide open. Laying still, I watched as Dougal, Erick, and Puck scattered around my little living room area with trays in hand. Each of them grabbed something to sit on before dragging it over to the side of my bed. With both eyes open now, I looked over the trays filled with food and drink they placed in front of them. The smell of fried potato patties and veggie pot pie caused my stomach to roll in the most unpleasant of ways.

Swallowing around a dry throat, I groaned loudly, “Get ouuuut.”

“Respectfully, My Queen. No.”

Snorting at Erick’s sassy response, I pulled the furs over my head and tried to block them out enough to fall back asleep.

“Up, up, Fabht Sicura. You’ve been asleep long enough and we have plans to make.”

“Already?” I groaned out from beneath the furs, “We just landed five thousand Banchees last night. I think we can take a couple of hours to sleep in.”

“Um, that was actually two days ago.”

My eyes snapped wide open as my body went taught. “What?”

“That was two days ago,” Puck repeated. “You’ve been asleep for two days.”

Shoving the furs away, I shot up into a seated position to stare at the men calmly eating beside me. Or at least they had been. Puck was now choking, Erick was blushing with his eyes firmly on his plate and Dougal had his head turned away with a grimace.

“I was asleep for two days and nobody woke me? We don’t have time to waste.”

My mind raced at the possible problems that came along with me being out for two days. If I was in a dreamless sleep for two days, did that mean my nightmares were going to be worse when I had to sleep again? Oh, I was so not looking forward to that. However with all the sleep I got, I bet I could go a few days without. I honestly doubt anyone at the camp would notice…Fuck. What did these Fae think of me now? I went out to recruit an ally and came back drunk before knocking out for two days. Not exactly Queenly.

Rubbing at my throbbing temples, I tried to calm my spiraling thoughts. Great fucking going Macha. They probably think you’re a sugarholic now.

“Please cover yourself!”

Confused at Puck’s sudden shout, I looked down and then rolled my eyes at his dramatics. Tucking a fur under my armpits to cover up, I snarked, “Happy, Lord Prude? They’re just tits. Haven’t you seen Bria’s?” That little comment bought me an evil eye from Dougal that had a laugh tumbling from my lips. But at the painful pulse in my head I stopped the laugh almost as soon as it started.

“Of course not. That would be highly improper. We’re just good friends.” Puck replied, keeping those golden eyes on mine to avoid Dougals piercing gaze.

I went to say something to Puck when I noticed the General still hadn’t looked up from his plate. Shifting into a criss cross position, I held the fur tightly against my chest and said, “You can look now, Erick.”

His brown hair swayed lightly as he peeked up at me and then straightened up when he saw that I was telling the truth. The blush coloring his cheeks went down as he got back to eating his meal without making eye contact. Who knew the General was so easily ruffled?

“So, how’d we get back here? Because I don’t remember anything after they brought out the human soda.”

At the mention of said soda, Erick’s face scrunched up and he pressed a hand to his stomach. “I can’t believe I drank that shit. I know you said it was safe for us to drink since they were sealed but I don’t think my liver will ever be the same.”

“Me and a few of the soldiers, who don’t drink, brought you guys back. And before you ask again, you’ve been having trouble sleeping so I thought you could use the rest.”

I bristled slightly at what he was implying, my nightmares are none of your fucking business. Smiling to hide my annoyance, I replied, “You should have woken me up. Now, since we’ve wasted two days. What’s next on the agenda?”

Instead of answering, Dougal pushed his untouched tray to me and stated, “Eat.”

Moving a frizzy chunk of blue hair back over my bare shoulder, I nudged the tray towards him. “Not hungry. I think I have a good idea on who to collect on next. She won’t have as many men as Afric but they’ll be big and strong.”

Slate gray eyes narrowed in on me, “As the Commander of your Elite Guard, it is my job to make sure you stay healthy and capable of ruling. You haven’t eaten in two days. No one is going to take stock in your decisions unless we know your judgement is sound.”

For a long moment, we were locked in an intense staring contest to see who’d flinch first. What he was saying was correct and under different circumstances I’d listen to him. But I really didn’t want to touch that food. I knew at the first bite I was going to spew it all back up in a nasty mess of tan and green. However, Dougal wasn’t going to back down if his lifted chin was anything to go by.

I waited a moment more before lifting my upper lip to flash pointed teeth. I wasn’t stupid. Dougal would definitely hand me my ass. The silver tattoos on my arm glinted in the dim light as I reached out to grasp a fried potato patty. Bringing the food to my lips, I opened my mouth and sunk my teeth-

“Stop! Drink this first!”

Son of aaaaa…“Lower your fucking voice, Petal Head.” I hissed, pulling the patty away from my mouth and pressing a hand to the side of my throbbing temple.

“You’re kind of rude but that’ll serve you well in the courts. Only goes to show that father was right in his choice.” A bright smile stretched Pucks golden face as he held the cup out for me to take. Not once did a single negative emotion flicker over his features at the insult I had hurled his way.

Disgusted by his lack of anger and annoyance, I snatched the cup from his hand with a little snarl. Always so Divines damned chipper.

“Orlaith said it was her hungover cure from back in the day. Fizz twig tea with a splash of burst berry root.”

Ignoring Puck, I gave the cup a quick sniff before taking a small sip of the sweet smelling concoction. The carbonation of the fizz twigs exploded over my tongue in a series of sharp little pricks. It tasted like the human’s soda but without the tang of pure sugar. Almost instantly, I felt the headache that once pounded at my temple fade away like a good memory. Savoring it with a little sigh of relief, I took an even bigger gulp and let it sit on my tongue before swallowing.

With my stomach settling from the carbonation, I took a confident bite of the potato patty and chewed obnoxiously. Dougals eyes rolled at my childish actions while I swallowed loudly and took another delicious bite. Once finished, I swiped another off the plate to appease my suddenly unbearably empty stomach.

“Did Afric’s whole den really give you their allegiance?”

Before answering Puck’s question, I took another big bite out of the patty. “Yea. I mean, he’s crazier than a Willow Wisp but he’s a good leader. His people will follow him to the end and beyond. If he pledged his allegiance and then declared me their God then the rest will fall in line. Ifreann, that whole party was them proving their acceptance of me.”

Erick swallowed before raising his fork to grab my attention, “I still don’t understand that. How can they just make you their God?”

“I have literally no idea. Nothing he does makes any sense, yet somehow his entire den is still alive and apparently five thousand strong.”

“But-”

“Don’t. Don’t try to make it make sense. It’ll only hurt your head, let’s just chalk it up to dumb luck.” Digging my fork into the veggie pot pie, I pulled a small steaming chunk out and plopped it into my mouth. Hot. Hot. Hot. Chewing with my mouth open, I huffed out air in the hopes of cooling it down as it bounced on my tongue.

Dougal shook his head in amusement and possibly a little bit of disgust before blowing a small wind over the pot pie.

“Thanks, Grimmy.”

Silence descended over our small group for a few moments as we all dug into our meals. I was pretty sure that this was dinner so I had to have been asleep for around forty eight hours. Which was probably the most I’d slept in the past seven hundred years or so. And although I was annoyed that they had let me sleep for two days, I felt more refreshed than I have in centuries. I had been right, a party and little fighting was definitely what I needed. And apparently sleep, who knew?

“So, what were you saying about the next deal you want to collect on?”

Taking another sip of the tea, I replied, “Right. Her name’s Caoimhe, she’s part of the Bàs do gach Fae. Daughter to some nobleman or something.”

“Are all the Faekind you do deals with hostile criminals?”

I curled my lip at Erick, “Okay, judgemental ass. Afric and his den aren’t criminals and neither is the Bàs do gach Fae Troll Clan.”

Dougal’s sigh brought my attention over to him as he rubbed at his nose, “Their Clan name literally means ‘Death to all Fae’. How did you even make a deal with one of them?”

“Coaimhe was in a bit of pickle when I met her,” I said, waving my fork around. “A woman between two lovers, both from different clans. But she wanted to be sure that the one she chose wouldn’t betray her. So, we made a deal. I figure out which one was playing her and in the future, she’d owe me a favor of my choosing.”

“Did you kill the one that was planning to betray her?”

I gave Dougal a look, “No. That wasn’t part of the deal. I gave her a name and then left.”

Erick stood up suddenly and collected Pucks empty tray along with his own. He slid out from between their chairs to place the trays on my desk before coming back and reclaiming his seat. Leaning back, he gave me a weary look and asked, “Is this Coaimhe going to be happy to see you like Afric was?”

“Oh, Divines no,” I laughed. “She along with her whole clan hate the Fae but a deal is a deal. I’m hoping they hate Mab a lot more than they hate us.”

“Considering she used to hunt them for sport? You don’t need to hope.”

Nodding at Dougal, I took the last bite of my veggie pot pie and then shoved the empty tray towards him. “We should head out the day after tomorrow in the morning. They’re very serious about their sleep.”

“Is the goal to only collect on the deal? Or to try and make it permanent?” Erick question.

“Permanent would be better but I can’t offer them anything when the people are still unsure if they want me as their Queen.”

Puck hummed, “That may not necessarily be true anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Raw and painful hope bloomed inside my heart and I fought to shove it down into the dark where it belonged.

“He’s right,” Erick nodded. “There are a lot more Fae in the camp wearing your color. If you started to offer positions or future deals, I don’t think anybody would be too upset. They were all impressed when we told them about how you got an entire Banshee den to ally with us. ”

Fear, followed closely behind the buried hope, wrapped around my vocal cords like a two headed snake. That was a lot of lives they were placing in my hands, a lot innocent lives too. Could I do it? Could I be the Queen that I wanted to be or would the power cause me to slip back into the Queen I once was? Was that even possible, though? Hadn’t enough time and painful consequences passed to where I could never be the same person again?

These were all questions I didn’t have the answers to or wanted to have answered. All I could do now was take precautions and be careful of what decisions I made. The people’s needs had to be at the front of my mind at all times. My desire to kill Mab couldn’t cloud my judgement this time. I couldn’t allow myself to become obsessed with revenge. Though if I was honest with myself, my anger with Mab and Lilly had dampened over the long years.

I mean I still wanted to rip them limb from limb but I didn’t cling to that anger like I had in Slykhelm. There’s only so long you can hold hatred in your heart for someone until it began to erode who you once were. In my case, I felt like a shadow of my former self. The anger and hurt was still there but it was no longer as all consuming as it once was. But it did explode at different times, I wasn’t a saint after all.

When the brass cup in my hand began to creak in warning, I loosened my grip and smiled. “Well, either way I’d like to receive their official okay.”

Dougal frowned, “A ruler cannot always ask the people what they want. You’re going to have to make decisions that they might not always like.”

“And I understand that. But I need to know if I even have the authority to make those decisions. When I run out of deals, I’ll talk to them.”

The men stared at me for a moment and then suddenly each of them gave me some version of their approval. I shook my head at them and took another sip of my hangover cure. Swallowing, I tapped my fingers against the side of the cup while trying to keep my mind blank of thoughts.

“Where is her clan located?” Puck asked, cheerfully.

“Trolls, like Banshees, aren’t big on moving around so the Tiveal Bridge.”

Erick sighed, “That’s Unseelie territory now. It’s going to be risky.”

Unseelie territory? “No. That Outerland territory.”

“Mab claimed a series of territories around the outskirts of her Kingdom when you fell in battle. It’s Unseelie now.” Dougal informed me.

“Son of a bitch.” That’s just fan-fucking-tastic.

“Pick another deal to collect on,” He continued. “We’re not going there.”

“I wasn’t really asking for your permission, Dougal. You can stay here.”

His expression went from stern to determined, “It’s too dangerous. Mab’s soldiers will be combing the area for any whisper or glimpse of you.”

“Maybe but we need the men Coaimhe could give us. One troll is equivalent to ten Fae. It’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

Puck leaned forward in his seat, “Dougal, if you’re referring to the fact that Mab has recently increased the need to find Macha. Don’t worry. While that is one of the three areas her soldiers will be vigorously searching first, my informant says they haven’t set foot in Tiveal yet.”

Astonished, I looked at Puck, “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Huh?”

“Puck. Why didn’t you tell me that as soon as you found out? We have a deal.”

“You haven’t been asking so I figured you didn’t need any information from him.”

Gritting my pointed teeth, I spit, “Everytime you receive information from him, you tell me straight away. Understood?”

“That does make more sense.” He replied happily.

“So glad you feel that way. Now, get out.”

Golden eyes grew wide, “I agreed, though.”

“That’s enough for now Puck thank you.” Dougal said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay.” Shooting up from his chair, Puck glided out of the tent with his head held high and of course a smile on his golden face.

“Ugh. Somebody really needs to shit in his porridge.”

Erick gave me a disgusted look before getting to his feet.

“What?” I called after him as he stepped through the tent opening. “We were all thinking it!” So judgemental that one.

“Macha.”

Swinging my eyes back to Dougal, I tilted my head in question.

“Tomorrow another secret of mine will be revealed and I need you to know that I would never make a decision that would knowingly harm you.”

I furrowed my brows, “I know that.”

He stood with a sigh and placed a hand on top of my head, “Remember that and keep an open mind please.”

Definitely concerned now with the way he was talking. I tried to make light of the situation by asking, “Do I get a hint as to what this secret is?”

“One you’ll despise.” He replied before exiting the tent.

Oh, joy.

——————————————————————————

What do you guys think, lol, is Erick judgmental? Is anyone surprised she flashed them, accidentally or not? Did Dougal have the right to make that call to let her sleep? What do you think about Macha’s deals?

As always, comment if you enjoyed something about the chapter! Love hearing for you guys and my silent readers I love you too!🤎

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Thirteen: Reunions Galore

Beads of sweat raced down the side of my temple distracting me from the small pond stationed in front of me. The evil liquid hadn’t so much as rippled at my attempts to bend it beneath my will. I whispered to it, demanded it, urged it, begged it but nothing seemed to work. In a moment of utter frustration, I had even screamed aloud for it to do my bidding but again nothing. I wrestled it away from Mab’s will to lessen her downpour during our battle so I knew I could at least do that.

Or so I thought.

Huffing in frustration, I dropped to my ass and tugged on a piece of my blue metal laden hair. It just didn’t make any sense! A Fae’s ability was only as strong as the Fae’s will. Which meant that if a Fae became a master of sorts over one of their abilities they could become a master over the other one as well. Sure one ability might take longer to master than the other but to have one significantly weaker than the other? It was unheard of. It was flat out impossible. So, how the shit was I basically a water dud?

Pulling my arms up, I squeezed my shoulder blades together until I received a satisfying crack along my spine. Alright, come on. Tucking my legs underneath me, I leaned forward and dipped my hands into the cool pond. The somewhat murky water rushed over my skin to submerge my hands in it’s silky depths. Cupping my hands to capture some of the liquid, I raised them up and then parted them quickly to drop it. I ignored the little sting of pain in my head and barked a mental order for them to freeze mid-air. But of course they didn’t, just like the eighty-seven other times before this.

Irritated beyond belief, I slashed at the pond with an open hand causing a spray of water to fracture the still surface. Divines, why was everything so fucking hard? My own mind didn’t work right so why did I think my abilities would? Flashes of me in cells, stone graves, and chained against walls pestered my sleep all night. A never ending loop that had me to waking up with a bloody neck and carved up wrists. I hated it. I fucking hated it. I wasn’t a weak person but reliving the memories of my past were too much. I couldn’t even stand to remain in my tent for longer than it took to get dressed and scrub the blood from my skin.

The only way to calm myself down had been to go deep into the woods but I couldn’t do that without passing by a bunch of Fae. Which brought up another thing that was wrong with me. What type of Queen couldn’t handle being called by her titled? My heart had squeezed painfully each time it was said until I had finally hit the tree line and took off. I literally ran away from the camp until my lungs burned and my legs threatened to send me collapsing to the grassy earth. I couldn’t take it, not after all those memories that threatened to drown me in the past.

To make matters worse, I didn’t need to ask the Fae in the camp if they chose me to be their Queen anymore. On my rushed exit of the camp, I couldn’t help but notice that every single Fae, even the children, wore some type of blue clothing. That’s what had me really running into the woods like someone had set my ass on fire. All those innocent lives in my hands. In my cracked, blood soaked, silver tattooed hands. I didn’t understand it. Why did they want me? Why did they choose me? I made one big score on allies, Sure. But what’ve I really done for them so far? Nothing. I’ve done nothing for them.

It didn’t make sense. Despite how much I didn’t want to believe it, I was sure that they’d heard about my midnight terrors. They knew that I was Mab’s bastard and that I didn’t particularly want to be Queen but they picked me anyways. I couldn’t understand it, how did they not see that I wasn’t fit to be anyone’s Queen? How did any of them trust me after I told them that forty of my past citizens had died because of my arrogance? Didn’t these people see that I was riding the fine edge of insanity or was I really that good of an actor? I was cracking at the fucking seams and no one’s noticed.

“For fucks sake.” I laughed bitterly. When did I start wanting them to notice? Who knew the come down from two days of sleep would be this rough.

Digging my fingers into the muddy ground, I leaned out over the pond as far as I could. Staring down at the water, I looked at the woman who had spent the last seven hundred and fifty years locked up in the worst Fae prison imaginable. Sunlight bounced off waves of shiny blue hair that sparkled with little pieces of decorative metal. Silver swirls of delicate tattoos, that spoke of the severity of her crime, ended right beneath a sharp jawline. Rich brown skin was draped tightly over high cheekbones that made her cheeks look flat until she smiled with plump lips. Royal blue eyes shined out like jewels underneath blue lashes and arched brows. Like the rest of her Unseelie kind, her ethereal beauty was enough to overlook the cruel sharpness of her features and the predatory glint in her eyes.

I looked exactly the same as I had the day I finally came into my adult fae features. The only obvious difference was the tattoos that would marr my body for the rest of my life and the scars I got from the battle with Mab. It was almost unreal to see that while my physical form had barely changed, my mind was entirely different. What was it about today that had me peering into myself? Whatever the fuck it was, I didn’t like it. It felt like I was teetering on the edge of something dangerous. That if I looked any deeper I’d find something that I didn’t like or worse… that I did.

Ugh, enough. I thought before slinging the handful of mud I was gripping at my reflection. Shove it all back down, Macha. It’s not the time for this shit. When did you get so sappy?

Climbing back to my feet, I slapped my hands together to rid them of the grimy mud clinging to my fingers. I was way too annoyed with water at the moment to wash my hands in the pond. Giving it a glare, I turned my back on the smug son of bitch that still refused to move and started walking. Bright green grass crunched underneath my boots as the sun warmed my skin. Without a breeze the heat should have been unbearable but the shade from the trees gave me spots of relief along the way.

As I walked, I could actually feel my mood level out due to the calm serenity of the Nymph filled forest. Some Fae might believe that all forests were beautiful and calming but there was something about the ones that Nymphs inhabited. They were much more lively and gave off a feeling of wanderlust that had caused more than a few problems with humans. Something about friends and family members disappearing in our woods but that was a long time ago. Humans were no longer brought to our realm because of the problems they always caused.

Chuckling a little, I started to move my head in time with an old forbidden tune that floated around my head. My humming started off slow before gradually speeding up. In my mind, little human figures danced to the tune while matching the speed at which I hummed. The corners of my mouth lifted when I reached the part where the human’s feet would normally start to bleed. Laughing loudly this time, I began to perform the moves to the song as I sped up to the ending. Feet twirling along the ground at an inhuman speed, I leaped over a bush and then dropped to the ground right as I stopped humming.

Panting, I stretched out over the leaf covered ground with a smile and stared up at the patches of sky unblocked from the trees. Fun just wasn’t the same anymore. Crossing my ankles, I lifted my arms and folded them behind my head. Nothing needed to be done at the camp right now, so what was the harm in laying around in the quiet for a while? Soaking up the sun and some alone time would be good for me. Yeah that was it. It definitely wasn’t because I didn’t want to go through the pain of being called Queen for a few more hours.

Yeah, the realm totally called me on my bullshit.

“There’s a reason that tune’s forbidden, My Queen. Are you dead?”

I knew that voice. Shooting to my feet, I spun around on the crumpled leaves to face her. Lugh’s dark red hair streaked with baby blue hung around her pale face in long layers and when her eyes met mine, I saw the past. Forty albino faces, a paper filled with missing names, worried advisors brushed aside, bodies crumbling beneath my finger tips, and mocking laughter.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed back against the trees that seemed to be closing in around me. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Lugh tilted her head at the tune she could clearly hear me humming but said nothing. It only served to calm me further that even after all these years, Lugh still understood what I needed in times like these. A moment of silence where I did whatever I needed to do and then after we’d pretend like it never happened.

When images of the past stopped making my heart squeeze up into my throat, I looked back into my former advisor’s eyes and replied, “I didn’t realize you were here, Lugh.”

She gave me a indulgent smile as she moved closer to where I stood, “You’d have known if you weren’t so busy avoiding your past subjects.”

I shook my head incapable of words as an overwhelming sense of failure came over me. I wanted to walk away, I wanted to act like seeing her wasn’t killing me but I couldn’t. She along with the rest of my old subjects deserved only the truth from me.

“We understand. After your speech it all became clear.”

My eyes burned painfully at the shame curling around my heart, “I should have listened to you, Lugh. You don’t know how much I regret ignoring you when you brought them to my attention. I-”

“You were young, Macha. Your kingdom was large and your position was consuming you. I held no anger for you then and I don’t hold any for you now.”

“How can you say that?” I snapped, grief stricken disgust. “All those Fae burned from the inside out! It was my fault they died! I should’ve listened to you, to everyone. We could have saved them. They’d still be alive right now if it wasn’t for me. I was arrogant and selfish. I didn’t deserve to be a Queen then, and I definitely don’t now.”

Lugh’s face went slack in disbelief as her dark red eyes took in my glistening ones, “Oh, my child. How deluded and lost you’ve become.” Coming the rest of the way, she placed a hand on the back of my head to bring our foreheads together. “I cannot believe that after all this time, you still blame yourself. Macha, you are not Mab.”

Frowning, I furrowed my brows, “What are you talking about? I know that.”

“No, you obviously don’t.” Dark red eyes peered deeply into my blue ones, “Listen to me and hear what I’m telling you. You couldn’t have saved those Fae. It wasn’t your fault they died. No one from the past blames you for what happened. Not for their deaths and not for the battle.”

Hot tears burned my skin as they fell in a downpour.

Her pale lips pulled into a sad smile, “We don’t hate you, My Queen.”

“How- how could they not? How could you not?”

“Macha, I was picked by our people to tell you that no one from the old kingdom blames you for their deaths. You were Queen of hundreds Fae and despite your flaws, you were a good one. Sure, at times you could be strict but we all loved you. We still do. And I won’t say that some of us aren’t hurt that you kept yourself such a secret from us but we forgive you. You are not a failure to us. You will always be our Queen.”

“Enough.” I forced out between clenched teeth. A feeling like a heavy weight pressed down on my chest and threatened to crush my fragile heart beneath it.

Lugh held me still when I tried to pull away, “No. Forgive yourself. It’s been almost a thousand years since your mistake and you’ve more than paid for it. Slykhelm is a place that we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy, let alone our beloved Queen.”

I squeezed my eyes tightly together, I couldn’t think correctly. I just needed to block out her words. They were lies. How could they possibly forgive me and how could I ever forgive myself? Lies, lies, lies. Cruel lies.

“Open your eyes and look at me.”

Taking a moment to collect myself, I pushed my tears away and looked into her red eyes.

“Macha O’Riordan. Former Queen of the Banished Kingdom. First born bastard of Mab. Your former subjects of the Banished Kingdom forgive you. ”

A harsh sob broke through my tightened lips and I clutched at her shoulders to keep myself from falling. Arms wrapped around me in a motherly hug as I released loud sobs of pain into her chest. My body shook and tears streamed from my eyes while something inside of me snapped free. I could feel myself growing lighter than I had felt in a very long time. The ache that I had thought was a permanent reminder, a punishment, for what I had let happen, disappeared. And I hated myself for it.

“Let it out. Free yourself from your misplaced pain and anger. Your people don’t want to see you second guessing yourself any longer. We trust and believe in you. We see already how much you’ve changed for the better and we cannot wait to see you become the Queen you’re meant to be.”

More tears fell at her words before finally I had no more to give. Sniffling, I pulled away and wiped at my eyes. Lugh fussed with my hair, her instincts as an advisor pushing her to make sure I was presentable. It brought a smile to my face and distracted me from the little embarrassment I felt from my full on ugly crying seconds before.

“Emotions shouldn’t embarrass you, My Queen.”

“Divines, you’re worse than Dougal.” I sniffed, rolling my eyes playfully.

She lifted her chin regally, “I’ve seen him around and he doesn’t look nearly as God-like as you made him out to be.”

Laughing softly, I shook my head, “I never made him sound like that.”

“Oh, please.”

“Thank you, Lugh. For everything.” I told her seriously. It was what she wanted to hear after all.

She took a few steps back as if to leave when she replied, “I know you better than that. It might take a while but when my words sink in, don’t waste your time feeling guilty afterwards.”

I nodded gently and watched her turn to go when she looked back, “Later tonight, on the other side of the pond. A few of us from the old kingdom will be sitting around drinking and reminiscing if you want to join.”

Excitement shot through me but when I thought of how I’d actually have to face them all… “I’ll think about it.”

Nodding in understanding, she finally finished making her exit.

Right when she turned out of view, I took a few stumbling steps backwards and dropped down to rest my back on the nearest tree. Divines. Sighing heavily, I rubbed at my chest and ignored my stinging eyes. I felt emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, in all the fucking ways, drained. Pulling my knees up slightly, I tipped my head back against the bark and closed my eyes. I just needed a moment. Everything inside me felt too open, too raw to take in anything else for the day. But of course, there was no rest for the wicked.

I felt the bark ripple at my back moments before desire shot through my body like a live wire. Keeping my eyes closed, I tried to hold my annoyance in check which was difficult since desire was the last thing I wanted to be feeling. But Nymphs couldn’t help their allure and getting mad at one for it was like kicking a puppy for barking. Bare feet scraped against the earthy ground before they stopped between my spread knees. I could feel the heat coming off her body as she placed her hands on my knees to lean in close.

“Are you alright, My Queen? I felt a huge energy disturbance around these trees.”

The caress of her voice had my eyes opening to look into leaf green orbs. “I’m fine, Sy. Just tired. Thank you for checking on the area though.”

“Just doing my duties, My Queen.” She replied, a light blush coloring her pale cheeks

I nodded with a hint of smile and tried to push the feelings of desire from my body. Shifting in discomfort, I pushed my back further into the tree and away from her. Sy took notice with a small tilt of her head and then her blush deepened. She was much more coy now that it was just the two of us versus when I had first met her. Sy’s eyes closed and suddenly the pulsing desire changed to a subtle warmth pushing against my skin. Much more bearable.

“I didn’t know Nymphs could do that.”

She shrugged, causing her makeshift leaf top to ruffle, “It’s a secret, My Queen.”

“Then why’d you tell me?”

“Because you’re the Queen. There is no one more trustworthy.”

Pressing my hands flat against the ground, I let my head rock back and strike the bark hard. Pain stuck me but not like it normally did at her words. This time it was more of a hard pinch to the chest rather than a brutal squeeze.

Eyes gazing up at the trees, I jumped a little when I felt her hands slide down my thighs. Grabbing on to them, I brought my eyes back down to look at her, “Sorry, Babes. But I’m not in the mood for what you want. If company is all you’re looking for though, you can sit with me.”

“Sit with you and not…do anything?”

“Just sitting, Babes. Nothing more.” Now that she had turned down the desire, I found the warmth she alluded relaxing. Like basking in the sun after a swim.

She looked hesitant to believe me but then quickly moved to straddle my lap.

A snort of amusement left my nose at her decision to sit in my lap. I guess I should have specified the ‘next to me’ part.

Green eyes looked up at me shyly, “Is this okay? Am I doing it right?”

I cocked a brow, was she playing me? Or has she never just sat with someone before? Deciding it was better not to ask now, I nodded in approval.

Closing my eyes once more, I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I didn’t want to think about anything for the next few hours. I needed my personal walls to rebuild and not leave me feeling so vulnerable and open. The weight on my lap shifted while I cleared my mind and I felt Sy lay her head on my shoulder. Who knew Nymphs were cuddlers?

I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, with her laying against my chest and me basking in the silence. But it was peaceful and the most relaxed I had felt in a long time which was why the snap of a twig sounded like a crack of lightning. Was I not allowed a single moment of Divines damned nothingness? Eyelids snapping open, I straightened up against the tree and glanced around. The movement inadvertently widening Sy’s thighs into a more intimate straddling position. Thankfully, my clothes kept any of her skin from actually touching mine.

Short grey dreads streaked with green swung into view before he completely rounded the tree. Dougal caught sight of us mid-sentence halting his conversation with whomever was hidden behind the tree, “Of all the ways…” Gray eyes quickly scanned over us before he placed a hand in front of the Fae that he was talking to to stop them from continuing forward.

Since it was Dougal, I felt comfortable enough to express my exhaustion, “Whatever it is, Dougal. It can wait until tomorrow. I’ve been emotionally fucked raw enough for an entire year.”

Sy slowly lifted her head to look at him but my gaze was locked onto the darker arm that shoved Dougal’s hand away at the sound of my voice. The hidden person sidestepped the tree and came into full view of me and Sy. Scrambling to her feet, Sy moved to the side but I barely noticed.

Cold silver eyes scanned over us much like his father had but I could feel the judgement. I was in such a state of complete shock at seeing him that it wasn’t until he spoke that I snapped out of it.

His sculpted face showed the barest hint of being unimpressed while staring Sy down until she traveled out, “Slumming it with the Nymphs now, Cell Bait? And not even the pretty ones at that.”

Son of fucking cunt whore.

Without thinking, I jumped to my feet and whipped a dagger at his fat head before screaming, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me right now, Dougal!”

——————————————————————————

Why do you think Macha can’t bend water to her will? How did you feel about Macha coming face to face with her past? More importantly, how did you feel about that little scene with Sy? How about Cillian’s reaction to seeing them? Or Macha’s reaction to seeing him?

My poor baby is more sporadic that usual in this chapter and the next. I don’t know if it’s because I’m the one writing it but Macha is a much more complex character than Kai was.

Feel free to comment if you want to!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Fourteen: Too Drained to Care

A gust of wind knocked the dagger off course sending it sinking into the hard bark of a tree instead of Cillian’s grotesquely chiseled face. “I told you to keep an open mind, Fabht Siúcra.”

“This isn’t keeping an open mind, Dougal. This is blowing it out of my fucking skull.” Fury ripped through me and burned my already raw insides. My emotional capacity for the day had officially hit it’s max.

Dougal took slow steps towards me, “Calm down. Cillian is on your side, he always has been.”

His words hit like a physical blow and I just stood there blinking at him. He did not just say that. The tension that had been gathered in my body released in a rush of utter exhaustion that had me laughing hysterically. Big bouts of laughter escaped from my mouth between gasps for air. Oh, Divines. ‘Calm down.’ ‘He’s on your side.’ Placing one hand on my stomach and the other on my knee, I continued to laugh until tears sprang up into my eyes.

“I see what you mean now, father. She is unstable.”

I should have been angry to hear that dumbass call me unstable but instead I felt like my gut was going to burst. Eventually, my laughter turned into soundless chuckles before finally morphing into panting breaths. Straightening my spine, I used my thumbs to wipe the tears from my eyes as I looked at them. Dougal looked appropriately bewildered by my sudden laugh attack while Cillian sported his signature blank expression.

“Whew. I really needed that.”

Dougal crossed the rest of the distance between us and placed a concerned hand on my arm, “Are you alright?”

“Not even a little.” I mused, sliding away from his touch.

Dougal lowered his hand, hurt shining in his eyes, “Fabht Siúcra, please. At least here us out.”

“No wonder she’s a mess. You need to stop babying her.”

Cillian’s smooth baritone vibrated through my bones until I mentally squashed it beneath my heel. “You,” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “Need to shut the fuck up. No one is talking to you.”

“Right, I forgot. You ask permission for everything now.”

Narrowing my eyes, I cocked my head to the side, “I don’t think I like your tone.”

“I thought you weren’t talking to me? Not real sure of anything are you.” He replied, his tone digging under my skin.

“No, I’m hundred percent sure I want to watch choke to death in a pool of your own blood while I snack on Choco Blasts and laugh.”

Cillian folded his arms over his muscular chest causing his black tunic to stretch deliciously around his biceps, “Considering you lost the last time we fought? I’m not too concerned.”

“Oh, you mean when you shoved an iron stake inches away from my heart? Yea. I still owe you for that.”

“Which my son will apologize for after we explain his role in all of this.” Dougal interrupted.

“I don’t want his weak-”

“I’m not apologizing.”

Excuse me? My eyes snapped back to him, “What?”

“Is your old age getting to you, Cell Bait? I said, I’m not apologizing.”

“You’re older than me, you arrogant piece of shit. Why aren’t you apologizing?”

The handles of his battle axes shifted as he shrugged those irritatingly broad shoulders, “Does it matter? You said you didn’t want one.”

“Well, I changed my mind.” I told him with a sugary smile. “I want an apology on your knees right before I behead you.”

“I won’t apologize for saving your life. Even if you spent a few years in discomfort at Slykhelm.”

At the mention of my time in Slykhelm spoken about in such a flippant manner, I snapped. Ripping a silver chain from around my hips, I whipped it in a fluid motion that sent it flying towards Cillian. He jumped back, catching the chain before it could touch his neck but I learned from my past mistake. The links of the chain extended until there was enough slack to wrap around his thick neck tightly. Eyes bulging slightly in shock, his hands pulled at the chain cutting off his air supply.

Baring my sharpened teeth in a murderous grin, I called the metal back to me. Cillian dug his heels in with a furrowed brow as his body was dragged against his will to the space before me. Dark hands reached behind him to grab onto the handles of his weapons but I tut-tutted. Oh, I learned from that mistake too. Metal that wasn’t the personal creation of an Unseelie’s metal ability could be bent by any Unseelie’s will with the ability to do so. Which meant that while no one could bend my blue metal but me, Cillians weapons were fair game. At my order the battle axe’s shot from the sheath on his back and landed in the dirt strewn grass.

“Macha, that’s enough.”

With my free hand I tore the second chain from around my waist and flung it in Dougals direction. From the corner of my eye, I saw it cut through the wind he sent towards me and wrap around his body like a snake. Bound from ankles to shoulders, he cursed as his body toppled over.

Staring up into blank silver eyes, I tightened the metal around his neck and was rewarded with a flinch. Jerking the chain, I forced him down until our noses grazed, “Say that again, I dare you.”

“I did what I needed to do. Like I always have.” Despite his voice being harsh and raw, his eyes glinted indifferently.

My knuckles popped as my grip on the chain grew harsher, “You didn’t save me. You condemned me.”

Silver brows slammed down and his own pointed teeth flashed in a shocking show of emotion. “You think I wanted to do what I did? No, I’m just the only one around here strong enough to do the dirty work.”

“Oh, so I should thank you then?” I laughed bitterly before whispering, “You should’ve let me die. I wanted to die.”

Shocked at the hidden truth that I had just revealed, my grip on the chain loosed before I dropped it completely. Looking away from Cillian, I kept my gaze firmly planted on the ground. I couldn’t believe I just said that. I didn’t want that. I didn’t. Not anymore. I’d been in a bad place back then. Even worse than the one I was in now. Why the fuck did I just say that? I hadn’t thought about that since the battle. This goddamn day needed to end already. I couldn’t watch what I was saying when I didn’t particularly care what I said. Which was dangerous for a Fae.

A rough hand clasped my jaw and almost painfully jerked my head back up to an angry face. “Yeah? Well, tough shit. You’re too important to the Fae to be allowed to die.”

Annoyed, I tried to jerk my head free of his grip but he only squeezed harder. “I said I wanted to die. Emphasis on the E-D. Now, fuck off.”

“You can hate me all you want, Macha. But I’ve always been on your side. How do you think you escaped?” Seeing the confusion on my face, his full lips twisted into the realms smallest smirk. “You really think you managed to escape the realm’s most secure prison with just Dani? Come on, Cell Bait. You’re smarter than that.”

Seeing the cocky look in his eyes, I snapped, “I got out because Dani smuggled herself and a bucket full of human explosives into the mailroom before blowing it to kingdom come. Fearghas got too cocky much like you and left my chains loose on that day.”

“That all sounds very convenient to me. Like maybe you had someone filling in the ginormous holes in your plan behind the scenes.”

Oh, I do not like the sound of that.

“Whatever you did or didn’t do on that day, doesn’t make everything else you did okay. I don’t trust you and I definitely don’t fucking like you. In fact the only reason you’re not dead is because I know it’d break Dougals heart.”

His grip on my jaw loosened, “Sure, let’s go with that.”

An ungodly amount of anger filled me once more at his tone. Why did everyone think they could use that condescending ass tone with me? Shifting my teeth back to normal, I smiled up at him. “You know what, Cillian.”

His brow raised slightly in question.

“I’m really tired of hearing your fucking chainsaw like voice.” His voice was actually as smooth as the finest sugared whiskey but that didn’t stop me from striking out with my fist and ramming it into his Adams apple.

Grinning, I watched as his hands flew up to his neck and his face turned an interesting shade of red and then blue. That was better than sex. In a much better mood, I turned to Dougal while pointing at his son’s face. “What color would you call that, Grimmy? Because I think that’s my new favorite shade of blue.”

His grey head shook in disapproval, “You two need to learn how to work together.”

“You know, I had a sneaking suspicion with all your little ‘all will be well’ comments that something like this would happen. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to work with him. I hate him, Dougal.”

“My son’s loyalty to Mab has only ever been a ploy. Everything concerning you, he has reported back to me. Cillian was the one who told me about Mab’s increased urgency to find you and where they’d be searching first.”

Shaking my head, I jabbed my finger back in Cillians still suffocating direction, “He put me in that hell, Dougal. He almost killed me. He’s the reason for…for everything that’s wrong with me. How am I supposed to ignore all that and trust him? The only reason I didn’t go completely bat shit when I saw him today is because you caught me on a good day.” And by that, I meant I couldn’t feel the full emotional impact of his presence yet.

“By doing what you do best, Fabht Siúcra. Strike a deal.”

Like he flipped a switch in my head, my mouth slowly pulled up into a pointed smile. “A deal? That should have been your opening line! You could’ve saved us all some time.” I replied, spinning around to face Lilly.

He was back on his feet, having collected his battle axes as well and rubbing at his abused throat. None of the emotion he showed me earlier glinted in his eyes when he stated, “If that’s what it takes for you to accept me as your Commander.”

I wanted to balk at the idea of making him my Commander but a deal with my personal devil was too good to resist. Besides what did those humans always say? Keep your friends close and your enemies within ball crushing distance? “Oh, how delightful.”

Silver eyes looked coolly into my own, “What are your terms, My Queen?”

A shiver raced up my spine from all the possible things I could ask of him. Hmmmmmmmm. The revenge I could get from a wordy little deal. Undying loyalty? Physically incapable of hurting me in any way? Only able to speak the truth in my presence? Ohhhh, that would be torture to his Unseelie nature.

“Any day now, Rumple.”

Rumple? “Rumple?”

“Stiltskin.”

I fluffed my hair, “That scaly fucker wishes he could weave a deal like me.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” He remarked dryly.

Just for that, loyalty it is. I rocked back onto the heels of my feet with a grin, “Okay, Cillian. You swear your fealty to me in the old Unseelie tradition and in exchange, the position of my Commander is yours. If you break this deal, the oath will take its revenge. Simple right?”

His cocked a silver brow, “You want me to swear my undivided loyalty to you and your reign for as long as we live?”

Meaning you’ll never be able to betray me again, Cillian. “More or less. It sounds so wordy when you explain it.”

“Of course. Why bog everything down with a silly explanation of what it is you’re really asking for.”

I gave a hard punch to his shoulder, “If I didn’t hate you with my entire being, I feel like we could’ve been really good friends. So, what do you say? Deal?”

“No.”

Without missing a beat, I pressed my swords to his neck, “Great! Stand still, I don’t want to get blood all over me. On second thought, it doesn’t matter.”

Pressing his palm flat against my swords, he pushed them to the side with more strength than I thought him capable of. “What I meant, Cell Bait. Was that you’re forgetting who you’re talking too. I’m going to need a little more on the receiving end.”

“I’m a taker not a giver. You want a fair deal? Go find a flower crown.” I sneered in disgust.

“Add in that you’ll actually listen to me as your Commander like you do my father and you have a deal.”

Sexy and intelligent, how annoying.

Stepping back from his chest, I quickly thought it over. Either way I was still getting a lot more in return but that didn’t mean I was dumb. “I’ll take what you say as my Commander into consideration.”

He eyed me closely, “Real consideration, not fake contemplation. And the position is solely mine. No firing me later down the line.”

“You’re no fun.” I snapped, baring my teeth. “In return for pledging fealty to me in the old Unseelie tradition, the position of my Commander is solely yours until death and I will take your advice into real consideration. Deal?”

“Nice try slipping in the ‘till death’ part, Rumple. Add a natural between the until and death. And I didn’t hear any mention of the repercussions of failure to complete the deal.”

“Nice try, Cillian.” I mocked. “But since I’m the one with the long running risk to fuck up this deal there will be no repercussions.

“Not worried I’ll try and weasel my way out of the deal?”

“You may be the scum beneath my shoe but you’re not a weasel.”

“Repeat the deal.” He said, tiling his head down to meet my eyes.

Huffing in my mounting frustration, I bit out, “In return for pledging fealty to me in the old Unseeelie tradition, the position of my Commander is solely yours until natural death and I’ll take your advice into real consideration. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Raw power stemming from the magnitude of the deal we just made shot through my veins. Grinning at the pure adrenaline rush, I held eye contact with the glowing pools of silver staring back at me. Folding my arms over my chest, I flicked my eyes to the ground and then back up. A muscle on the left side of his jaw ticked in irritation, probably because I wasn’t bothering to hide my smug expression.

Rolling his shoulders, Cillian got down onto his knees and pulled a small blade from his pocket. The flash of the metal glinted in the late sunlight as he held it out for me to take. Ignoring his offering, I called my metal to me. Waist chains clinked as they wrapped around my hips like a long lost lover and my dagger slipped back into my grasp. Pressing the tip against my finger, I nodded at him to start. His features formed a bored expression like he couldn’t believe he had to do this. And I was just about to snap at him or maybe just fling the dagger at his face again when he took off his tunic.

Holy Divines and the grateful whores they fucked. This man was stacked.

Wide muscular pecs trimmed down into eight beautiful abs with a silver happy trail leading into his trousers. Looking over all that chocolate rippling, probably smooth feeling, definitely tongue worthy….Oh, ho, ho, ho. No. Cillian was hotter than- than I don’t know what but I was soooooo not going there. Knowing someone was objectively attractive was different from lusting after them. And I passed that phase more than a thousand years ago.

Lifting my eyes from their trained spot on his crotch, I smoothed out my features and looked at him with a raised brow. Call me out on it, Asshole. I dare you. But he didn’t, since his own eyes had barely lifted their gaze from the chains around my hips. Not one to pass up an opportunity to antagonize, I purred, “Ask nicely, Cillian. And I’d be more than happy to do a repeat performance.”

For a second, I didn’t think he was going to respond but then silver met blue in a confident gaze. “Submission, if it’s mine, isn’t my thing.”

Ohhhhhhhhhh wow.

That sounded very intriguing to a certain part of my body, a part that liked that idea a lot. A little too much one could say. Which was appalling since I haven’t been submissive a day in my almost three thousand years of life. And I sure as ifreann wasn’t going to think about that and Cillian in the same sentence.

Dougal cleared his throat, internally scaring the shit out of me, “If we could get to it.”

I almost wanted to laugh, I couldn’t believe I forgot he was still here. But he was right, I felt like I was all over the place concerning Cillian at the moment. I needed this to be over quickly.

“Start the Oath.” I ordered, breaking the skin of my finger with the dagger.

Without missing a beat, he closed his eyes and began. “Maidir leis an mBanríon atá roghnaithe agam, Macha O’Riordan, tugaim faoi smacht ár mbásanna.”

As soon as my blood began to vibrate with the use of my name in the old magick, I stepped up and kneeled across from him. Lifting my bleeding finger, I smeared my blood in the shape of my initials over his heart with the old Gaelic symbol for queen as he spoke.

“Is liomsa a naimhde.”

Thinking to ifreann with it, I sliced open my palm with a quick cut I barely felt. Dipping my finger into the small pool of blood, I touched it to his right pec and drew the swirling symbol of a soldier.

“Is liomsa an chúis atá léi.”

Following his words, I rubbed the sharp lines of knowledge and understanding into the skin of his forehead.

“Go mbeidh mo dhílseacht dá réimeas gan chomhoiriúnú agus gan amhras.”

Sliding my fingers through my blood for the last time, I pressed them to the middle of his impressive stomach in sweeping lines. Sitting back on my heels, I looked over his bare chest marked with my blood and made sure they were correct. Satisfied, I lifted my eyes to his closed ones and pressed two fingers to my initials to complete the Oath.

“Glacaim, Macha O’Riordan, faoi mhionn Cillian Grymes dom mar a Bhanríon roghnaithe as seo go dtí bás.” As soon as the last word fell from my lips, I felt a huge surge of energy rush out of me.

Cillians body went taunt right before the bloody runes started to glow. It was faint at first and then grew brighter until they were glowing the same luminous blue as my hair. They stayed bright for a few more seconds and then absorbed into his skin with a flash. Panting from the energy that it stole from me as it went, I stayed seated while hiding just how much I wanted to fall asleep.

When I heard the low sound of fabric brushing against skin, I pushed myself to my feet and turned to face Dougal. He was staring at his son with an expression I couldn’t quite place but turned when he realized I was waiting for him to look at me. With the weight of my body trying to pull me to the floor, I didn’t want to waste time speaking but I had to.

“There’s a lot of things I didn’t ask about that I’m too tired to ask about now. But I will be getting the full story tomorrow. For now, I’m going to my tent and I don’t want him anywhere near me.”

“Understood.”

Nodding, I turned on heavy legs and started making my way back to camp.

“All this not eating and sleeping shit I keep hearing about ends now, Cell Bait.”

Raising a hand, I tiredly flipped him off without turning around. “I have no idea what you’re talking about and its Queen to you now, Dickhead.”

——————————————————————————

English Translation of the Oath:

Cillian’s Part:

To my chosen Queen, Macha O’Riordan, I swear fealty unto our death.

Her enemies are mine.

Her cause is mine.

May my loyalty to her reign be unmatched and undeniable.

Macha’s Part:

I, Macha O’Riordan, accept Cillian Grymes fealty and oath to me as his Queen from now until death.

Soooooooo, what do we think? Now be gentle with me, I am officially creatively burned out from these three chapters. But If anyone thinks Macha’s going to give into their undeniable sexual tension without a fight….lmao. Also is anyone surprised to find out that Cillian’s a little kinky? Or that Macha might just be into his hinted at kink?

Smooches, Verbage 💋

Chapter Fifteen: Conflicted

~Cillian’s P.O.V. ~

Lifting my hands, I slowly moved them into the positions my father called out. The slight burning in my muscles brought a calming relief to my conflicted mind. After Macha had left us to retire to her tent the night before, my father had immediately begun talking about what went wrong. He was upset that my presence hadn’t triggered her while I was relieved it hadn’t. Now that I’ve seen her, I could tell that pushing her into the transformation would burn her from the inside out. She wasn’t mentally strong enough to handle the power within herself and the cost for that would be her soul. Though the more I went over her words from the other day, the more I was starting to believe she’d already lost it in order to survive Slykhelm.

Crouching into a wide stance with both hands held out in front of me, I twisted my torso slightly and held the position. That’s what had my mind out of sorts. When it came to Macha, I had always listened to what my father had said was best. He knew her better than I did after all, they had a very close relationship and she trusted him completely. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was wrong this time. I didn’t think causing her breakdown in the hopes of triggering the transformation was a good idea. There was only one other time that I had felt like my father was wrong in a decision concerning her. Seeing the repercussions of that decision in person now was what had me even more unwilling to listen to him this time.

When the call came to end the training session, I rose to my full height on shaking legs and pulled my tunic from my waist band. With the threat of the rising sun, the soldiers began to disperse back towards their tents with smiles or groans to wake their families. Shrugging into the sleeveless tunic, I pulled the fabric down over my chest and strided over to where my father stood.

The royal blue C embroidered in his black tunic now held a S in front of it. The initials letting everyone know that he was the Second Commander, the one in charge when I was unavailable. When I no longer had to play a double agent, he’d supposedly retire from the Guard. But it would take a while for everyone to get used to the new power structure, including the Queen herself. The C embroidered into my own tunic had already caused more than a few dumbstruck expressions.

“Father.”

Taking one look at me, my father lifted his hand slightly and a typhoon of wind encased us. “What is it, my son?”

“About this plan for Macha. We shouldn’t continue.”

He arched a gray brow, “You’ve made you feelings on the matter more than clear, Cillian. But we need her to transform.”

“Yes but not this way.”

“Unless you have something else in mind, I don’t see how that’ll happen.”

Dipping my head to look more clearly into his eyes, I stated,“Your not understanding, father. I won’t allow your plan to continue. The way you’re going about it will burn away the rest of her soul.”

“I’m perfectly aware of how much she can handle and she can handle this.”

“No, she can’t. Slykhelm took more from her than we thought it would.”

His voice took on a dismissive tone, “You’ve been here less than a day. You can’t possibly know that. She may be hurting now because it’s still fresh in her mind but she’ll take the power.”

“If you won’t listen to me as your son then you will listen to me as your Commander. You will not bring about Macha’s breakdown. That’s an order.”

My father held my gaze for several long seconds but I wasn’t going to back down this time. Not when the last time I’d held my tongue caused more damage than I could’ve imagined. The wind whipped around us at a brutal speed to match whatever it was my father was feeling inside. Holding firm, I raised my upper lip and flashed pointed teeth in warning.

Finally, the wind slowed until it disappeared completely and my father nodded stiffly at the order. The tension between us was stifling but I knew it would die away after a few hours. “Where’s mother?”

At the mention of his mate, his features softened, “In the cooking tent. She’ll be happy to see you.”

Nodding, I stepped back and turned in the direction of the tent where I’d gotten my dinner from last night. Crossing through a row of tents, I maneuvered around the waking Fae that stumbled from their temporary homes. Passing a cluster of tired looking mothers watching their children race towards the lakes edge, I came before the cooking tent. A sea of blue clothed soldiers loitered about the entrance of the huge white tent and filled their plates from the barrels and platters left out. Keeping my pace, I walked along the side of the crowd to the opening and slipped inside.

The jostling of utensils and bowls filled the air along with a puff flour when a young male tripped with the bag in hand. A tall woman of my height raced over to kneel at his side, her long light green hair streaked through with gray brushing the carpet. Giving him a pat on the back after a few murmured words, the pale woman helped him to his feet with a smile and handed him a ladle. Snatching the bag up off the ground she turned to place it on the nearby table when she caught sight of me in the doorway. Another puff of white flooded the air as the bag slipped from her grip and she came racing towards me.

She was a foot away when she came to a sudden halt and struck me in the shoulder with a closed fist.

Shocked, I gripped my throbbing limb, “Mother.”

“Oh, don’t mother me.” She waved her hand around, “I haven’t seen you in centuries and what do you do? You go see your ungrateful father first. You love him more than me is that? After all I’ve done for you? It wasn’t your father who taught you how to swing those axes, boy. What did I do to deserve such a disrespectful son?”

“Give birth to Bear-Ass.” I remarked dryly.

“Hey! I told you to stop calling him that, Cillian. You know how sensitive your brother is.”

Dropping my hand from my shoulder, I raised a brow just the slightest bit, “Yeah and Bria got all the sense.”

“Speak of the golden child and she shall appear.” A female voice called out from behind.

Turning, I watched in amusement as Bria came to a stop beside us in her soldiers uniform. Mother rolled her eyes at the way Bria stuffed the rest of the pastry she had into her mouth, “Four children and not one with manners.”

Bria smiled, showing the chewed up pastry in her mouth, “Just living like no one’s watching. Exactly like you told us to.”

“If I had known that children used everything you’ve ever said against you, I never would have had any of you.” Mother replied, dramatically pressing a hand to her heart.

“No. If father never knocked you up, you never would’ve had us.”

Her pale green eyes narrowed, “Are you getting smart with me? I’m not too old to kick your ass.”

Fighting the urge to smirk, I remained expressionless and said, “No, Ma’am.”

“Suddenly remembering how I didn’t miss you that much after all.”

Bria barked out a sharp laugh, “Please! All we heard over the centuries was how much you missed him and how they better be feeding him well.”

Pulling a wooden spoon from the back pocket of her chef’s uniform, Mother thrusted it at Bria before turning around to stir the contents of the pot behind her with a mumble.

Shaking my head at them, I looked down to meet Bria’s eyes, “You’re one of Macha’s tent guards right?”

“Yeah, the rest are part of her personal guard.”

“Tell me about these…things you hear at night.”

Pale green eyes shot about the tent before Bria replied in a low voice, “It doesn’t happen every night but she’ll wake up shouting or gasping. Sometimes me or another guard will spot blood on her as well when we go to check on her.”

“Her own?”

She nodded in confirmation.

“What about her eating habits?” I asked, around a tight jaw.

“Dad or Dani will bring her plates but most of the time they’re left full. She’ll tell them she already ate but no one knows if she’s telling the truth.”

“Why do you think she isn’t eating?”

“I don’t know.” She answered while looking over my shoulder.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I dipped my head to catch her gaze again, “You’re a horrible liar for a Fae. What is it?”

“Okay, look.” She said, raising her hands slightly. “I don’t know anything for sure but I think she might be losing her appetite because of the nightmares.”

That sounded like it could be what was causing her not to eat but it also didn’t sit right with me. She wasn’t eating in what was probably days on end because of her nightmares? Macha was way too stubborn for that to be the sole reason she wasn’t eating. And from now on I was going to trust my gut on all things concerning her. I’m her Commander which makes her mental and physical state my responsibility for the good of the people.

Giving Bria a small twitch of my lips in thanks, I took the three steps over to where our mother stood. “What do you usually give Macha for breakfast?”

“You know, your father’s upset you pulled rank on him. He’s only ever tried to do right by her. Macha’s practically his daughter.”

Not feeling comfortable enough to tell her that he hasn’t always, I spoke like she hadn’t. “It might be the food that’s causing her to lose her appetite.”

“What?” Mother slammed the spatula against the pan, “My food’s delicious. That’s ridiculous, I give her the tastiest pieces of everything and use the freshest ingredients. Macha eats like a Queen as she should.”

That might be the problem. “Is there any porridge?”

“Of course. It’s over in that big brass pot.”

Catching sight of the pot she was talking about, I drifted over to it’s side and pulled out two wooden bowls. “Is it plain?”

“Yes, for the little ones.”

Nodding in response, I went about ladling a small amount into both bowls and added a dash of chocolate powder over one. Sliding a spoon into each, I spun around to leave and almost spilled them all over my mother’s white top.

“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t give her that plain porridge.”

Raising a sliver brow, I kept silent.

An expression of horror crossed over her features, “Cillian, no! The Queen can’t eat that, you’ll embarrass me.”

“She’ll know I was the one who got her breakfast from the lack of care.”

Not waiting a minute more, I raised the bowls and carefully slid past her angry form. Using my shoulder, I pushed the tent opening back and began the walk over to the large blue tent that shined like a beacon. A few Fae stared in confusion while others took on a more fearful expression but none stopped my trekk to their Queens tent.

The light morning breeze gave a faint tug to my tunic as a slow beat of desire throbbed through my body. Turning my head in the direction I assumed it was coming from, I caught sight of the short pale Nymph who had been straddling Macha the night before. The distraction. I wasn’t sure of Macha’s type when it came to women but if I had to guess, the Nymph fit the bill. The weak always drew the strong, I thought in disgust.

Glaring at the long haired weakling threatening to distract our Queen, I paused in my walk to stare her down. Meek green eyes met silver in a clash that held for several seconds before she morphed into the tree behind her. Amusement flooded me at how quickly she backed down, definitely not the type of Consort Macha needed. Shaking my head, I walked up to the two guards standing beside the shimmering blue tent a few feet away. They nodded in greeting when they saw me coming before looking forward once more.

“Is the Queen awake?”

The Fae with lilac streaks through his tightly curled hair nodded, “The Queen woke up about an hour ago, Commander.”

“Woke up or moved from the bed an hour ago?”

The two guards glanced at each other, “We’re not sure, Commander.”

Huffing, I passed between them to slip inside the cozy tent.

In the corner beside the entrance, a small eating area had been set up and a desk with two chairs took up the space in the middle area nearby. The back right corner held a large bed piled high with furs and pillows while the area directly across from it was blocked by a changing screen. Plush carpet cushioned the flooring and muffled my footsteps as I moved to place the bowls on the desk. The click of wood on wood must have finally alerted her to my presence because a sigh sounded out from behind the screen.

“What’s he really doing here, Dougal? Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning that he was on our side? Though it probably wouldn’t have mattered much anyways. He said he helped me escape but is that supposed to make locking me up, okay? In what fucked up realm, does helping someone escape after seven hundred and fifty years of torment you put them through balance out?”

My heart gently clenched at hearing the soft defeated voice she spoke in. That wasn’t a tone I recognized coming from her and I’m sure it was one I was never meant to hear.

“It doesn’t.”

Water splashed at the sound of my voice and then a long moment of tense silence gripped us in its hand. “Cillian?” She called out in a tone that I was far more familiar with. Anger.

“Here’s the truth, Cell Bait.” I called back, dropping into one of the desk chairs with my eyes on the screen. “My father had been grooming me to take over his position for a long time. As soon as Mab threw you out into the Outerlands actually. Apparently his heart just wasn’t in it anymore, he couldn’t pretend like he still agreed with Mab’s actions. And I can’t say I agreed with her actions either. Mab has never been the type of Queen that I wanted to serve. Centuries had gone by when one night on too many sugared ales, my father realized how I truly felt about Mab and her Winter Court. That’s when he told me the truth about who you were and who you could be. When the inevitable battle between you and Mab was about to begin, my father stepped down from his position.-”

“I have no desire to take Mab’s place on the Unseelie throne.” She interrupted harshly.

I smiled at the white screen, “We have no intention of making you the Unseelie Queen. Don’t interrupt, Cell Bait. It’s rude.” You’re meant for a much bigger throne.

“Right, how could I be rude to the male who almost killed me.”

Ignoring her bitter words, I continued, “My father left me with specific orders in order for our plan to work. I was told to do as he said and keep you alive so I did. We needed you to live, Macha. I didn’t miss your heart on accident, I missed it on purpose. And Slykhelm was the only place that Mab would continue to allow you to breathe for a long period of time. It was also the only place that we could bring you back from. Fae, for all our magicks, can’t bring someone back from the stars.”

“If you helped me escape, how’d you do it? How’d you know that I was planning to escape?” She asked, the sounds of water splashing followed her words before the creak of wood could be heard.

“I didn’t. I noticed Dani flirting with a guard a week before and knew that you two had gotten into contact or she was acting alone. So, I waited. A couple of days later when I got word that a female Fae was transferred to the mail room from a different prison, I acted. Snuck into the interrogation room you were being held in while you were knocked out and loosened the chains.”

Macha snorted, “Interrogation rooms? I didn’t figure you the diplomatic type, Cillian. Call them what they were, torture chambers.”

“When you escaped, I tried to track you down to tell you all of this but you attacked as soon as you saw me.” I replied, the sound of fabric scraping over skin teasing my ears.

“Say I lost my brain and I believe you. Are you staying here now as my Commander indefinitely? Is that your only role in this war?”

“No. I’ll be continuing my role as a double agent until I get my hands on Mab’s final war plans. I’ll be splitting my time between here and there.”

Metal clicked from behind the screen, “And what if you’re caught?”

“I’ll meet my ancestors in the stars, proud of what I’ve done here.”

Silence, thick and suffocating, coated the tent once more as Macha took her time coming up with a reply. Eventually, the sounds of humming could be heard coming from the other side of the screen but I kept my mouth shut. Staying silent, I listened to bare feet hitting the carpet repeatedly and a surprisingly jaunty tune. It was one note that sounded like it hit the back of her throat followed by three higher pitched notes. Strange because I’d never heard a tune quite like the one she was humming. Was it an older one? One from the old Unseelie tradition?

The humming cut off suddenly as she stepped out from behind the screen, “I was actually asking if you’d rat out everyone here under the threat of pain.”

With her fully in view, it was like I’d suddenly lost all the words I’d ever known. Long royal blue hair pulled up tight behind her head made her tanzanite colored eyes shine out from her rich brown skin. The gray tunic she wore hugged her small chest and curved sides while the leather trousers looked painted over her insanely long legs. Matching the bombshell of a woman in front of me to the skinny child who had a crush on me was difficult. Which in turn made it harder to kill my attraction to her.

“Did you hear me dickhead or are you dense?”

Thankfully, there was no way she felt the same attraction. “My loyalty has always been yours. Even if you don’t believe it, I took the Oath remember? I couldn’t tell them anything even if I wanted to.”

We locked eyes for a while until she nodded stiffly, “Not really like I have a choice right?”

“Not after the Oath, no.”

Macha huffed in annoyance, waist chains clanking against swaying hips as she strode towards the tent entrance.

Reaching over, I snagged her wrist and put a stop to her exit. “Your not going anywhere until-”

Blue eyes shot to my hand on her wrist and then my eyes before pain exploded out from my hand to race up my arm. A dark rage twisted her beautiful features into something truly dangerous as she flashed pointed teeth, “Don’t. Touch. Me.”

There she was.

Holding her fiery gaze, I hid the sharp flares of pain pulsing from my wrist from my face and finished my sentence, “you eat.”

The blue needles drilled deeper into my hand while her upper lip raised to show more of her sharp teeth,“Let me go before I decide that honoring deals is too old fashion.”

Scanning the expression on her face, that gave even me pause, I released my grip on her and immediately felt the needles rip free of my skin. I bit my tongue at the pain and almost instantly, Macha’s entire demeanor changed. Gone was the woman who looked like she’d dig around in my stomach with iron tongs for pleasure and in her place stood a reasonably sane one. The quick transition would’ve been more than a little concerning but unlike most, I knew that this was who she had always been. If not angrier than ever before. It was reassuring to see her this way but I could tell now with absolute certainty she wasn’t a hundred percent herself. Macha’s control over her reactions were better than this. The humming and no touching was also new and would be addressed later when she wasn’t as on edge.

Rosy lips rolled back into a smirk when her eyes glanced down at the damage she caused, “That looks like it hurts, Cillian. Take the day off and rest up.” And with that, she continued her walk to the exit with a little hop in her step.

“You need to eat, Cell Bait.”

“I already did.” She replied, in a sing-song tone.

Liar.

Turning in my chair, I looked at the bowls of porridge. “What a shame,” I hummed. “I guess the chocolate will just go to waste then.”

Boots scuffed over the carpet as she came to an unprepared stop. Her head turned slowly to side eye me, “Did you say…chocolate?”

“Never mind, you ate. I’ll eat it.” I said, pulling the bowls closer to my body.

A second later, her bowl was roughly yanked out of my injured hand, “Now that I think of it, I could eat.”

Looking down to hide my twitching lips, I dug a spoon into my bowl while she sank down into the chair across from me. Taking a bite, I watched with a blank face as she flattened the top of her food before scooping some out.

“Anything I should know about the deal you struck with this Troll before we arrive at her place?”

Without looking up from her food she mumbled something that sounded a lot like, Way to trap yourself in your own fucking deal, Macha. Of course, he’d be coming.

Amused, I asked loudly, “What was that?”

“I’m sure your father told you everything. Just stay out of the way, don’t talk, and don’t involve yourself in our interaction.” She smiled brightly, “In fact, just pretend like you’re a ghost. Or better yet, die.”

“Thanks for the suggestions but no. As your Commander I will intervene if things go badly.”

Swallowing her bite, Macha shot me a dirty look, “They weren’t suggestions but orders. From your Queen.”

I nodded, “Correct, ones I’m going to ignore.”

“You can’t ignore my orders.”

“I can when they put you, the Queen, in potential harm.” I said, taking another bite.

Blue eyes narrowed, “I can handle myself.”

“That has yet to be seen.”

Scraping the sides of the bowl, she took her last bite and stood, “Stay out of the way, Cillian. I’m not fucking around.”

“Good. Neither am I.”

Checking to make sure she ate it all, I mentally hummed in satisfaction at the empty bowl. Standing up, I motioned for her to exit the tent first. Following behind her, I narrowed my eyes at the tent guard watching her backside as she went. Stepping up behind her, I blocked his view of her and rolled my shoulders to rid myself of the agitation he caused. Did her movements really need to scream sex like they did? Was it necessary?

“Do you need to be so close?” She snapped.

“Yes.” I barked back. “Now, move. We’re wasting daylight.”

Without a word, she flung her hand down releasing a blue knife that nailed my foot to the ground. Cursing, I bent down to rip it free from the edge of my boot as she skipped away. This infuriating woman was going to get me in trouble. I could feel it.

——————————————————————————

Whew! This chapter is loooong. What do you guys think about Cillian so far? What about Dougal? And y’all finally met Orlaith, Dougals mate/Cillians mom! How was it reading about Macha from Cillians POV??

As always, feel free to comment if you enjoyed it!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixteen: Coming to Terms

Rage hummed just beneath the surface of my skin with every breath he took. Everything about him caused my body to tighten with raw aggression and I wasn’t sure I could hold it back for much longer. Yesterday it hadn’t truly sunk in that the man I was speaking to, was in fact the same man who tossed me into prison. The fact that I had also struck a deal that caused me to be stuck with him for as long as I reigned only fueled my anger. What the hell had I been thinking? Sure, he’d always be loyal to me but I didn’t want him this close for what was practically forever. The only way out now was to break the deal and I never broke a deal. Not ever. No matter the circumstances.

Footsteps crunched over the grass at a rapid pace as he jogged lightly to catch up with me. Rolling my shoulders, I forced the anger down and focused on anything other than him. I’d already fucked up and showed him just how much his presence was bothering me when I drilled those needles into his hand. Having him around me all the time was going to be a major test to my self control. And as much as I hated to admit it, Cillian wasn’t a stupid male. He’d notice if I wasn’t acting my usual self. He’d also insert himself further into my life than the role of a Commander was needed, in order to figure out what was wrong. And that was the last thing I wanted.

Smoke from the morning fire’s were barely starting to pollute the air as the camp came to life. Nodding to a few Banshees that passed, I continued on my way to where we met for the last mission. Soaking in the activity around me, I was glad to see that the Banshees and Fae were getting along surprisingly well. Dougal had mentioned that some of the Fae had been apprehensive to let the Banshees live here at first but after the Banshees went around calling me their god, the Fae got over it. After all, it would be kind of hard to stay weary of a group of people who called your Queen a God.

Rounding the last row of tents, I finally caught sight of the small group that was waiting for me. Like the last time Dougal, Dani, Erick and a few of my personal guards were clumped together in conversation. The blue ribbons they once wore had been replaced with the more obvious and uniform-y blue tunics. I sighed heavily at the sight and the now annoying tightening of my chest. I really needed to get over that and I needed to do it yesterday. What kind of Queen could I be if little things like this still caused me pain?

Oh, shit. The conversation I had with Lugh. I had completely forgotten about it, Cillian’s sudden appearance eclipsed everything much like his head did the sun.

As the painful words she had spoken begun to repeat themselves in my head, I stopped walking completely. ‘We understand’ ’Macha you are not Mab.’ ‘We forgive you.’ ‘Our beloved Queen’ My stomach bottomed out to my feet and my skin prickled as the words circled my mental walls like enemy troops. ’Macha O’Riordan. Former Queen of the Banished Kingdom. First born bastard of Mab. Your former subjects of the Banished Kingdom forgive you.’ My chest hollowed out and I closed my eyes to the sensation of weightlessness that came over me. They forgave me. My old subjects loved me. They still held hope for me. Trusted me again. Relief and gratefulness flooded my veins like injectable sugar but the comedown was almost instant.

“Is everything alright?”

Irritation burned away any positive feelings from before as I opened my eyes to meet silver ones, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? We can reschedule the meeting with Coaimhe.”

“Considering it wasn’t a scheduled meeting with her to begin with, we really can’t.” I replied dryly, eyes narrowing at the way he was squinting at me slightly.

He shifted in front of me before holding out my knife, handle first, for me to take, “Here. I think you misplaced this.”

Grabbing the handle, I grinned with pointed teeth on display, “I did. It was supposed to be buried in your thick neck.”

A grunt slipped past his lips as I jerked the knife back and accidentally on purpose slit open his palm. His sharp features tightened in annoyance while he squeezed his hand to stop the blood flow, “I can only take so much before I strike back, Cell Bait. I told you, submission isn’t my thing.”

“Did you not submit to me when you took the Oath?”

“That was an act from a Commander to his Queen. What you’re doing now is personal and I won’t put up with it for very long.”

Taking in his rigid stance and hard eyes, I purred, “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Making sure to slam my shoulder against his, I strolled over to where the group was waiting and watching. Dani’s pink eyes narrowed in on Cillian over my shoulder while everyone else pretended not to notice our exchange. The moment they stepped aside to allow me a spot in their little huddle, Dani scratched at her shoulder with three fingers. An old code system we came up with, ‘Are we killing him?’ Holding back a laugh, I gave the side of my thigh a double tap in answer. ‘When the time’s right.’

Lifting my gaze from hers, I glanced around the small group of head bowing soldiers. When it registered that Erick was wearing a blue tunic as well, I gave him a smug smile, “Looks like you finally joined the dark side, General.”

Brown eyes stared at me unamused, “Begrudgingly, My Queen.”

Chuckling, I turned to Dougal, “Everyone ready and know where we’re headed?”

“That would be a question for my son, My Queen.” He replied, pointing at the blue S.C stitched into his black tunic.

A fresh wave of anger rolled through my body at the thought of me having to work with Cillian sooner rather than later. Keeping my muscles relaxed and my face still cheery was possibly the third hardest thing I’d ever done. Unclenching my teeth, I forced out, “Since when?”

His short dreads swayed slightly as he replied, “We made the switch last night.”

“I see.” Turning to my left, I cut my eyes up to look at him.

The silver stubble on his high cheeks shifted as his lips twitched, “My Queen?”

Fighting against the strong urge to slit his throat, I asked, “Are we ready to head out, Commander?”

“Everyone’s ready to depart and aware that we’re heading to the Bas do gach fae Clan. To collect on a deal you made with a female Troll but we still don’t know what you’re going to ask of her.” His expression was as blank as ever but the gleam in his eye told me he was finding this amusing.

Deciding to be professional, I ignored it and turned to speak with the others, “The favor I will be asking of her is a meeting with the Clan King. Since she’s the daughter of a nobleman or something as equally as high ranking, it should be easy. Even if it isn’t, she’ll still deliver on it.” Checking to make sure their weapons were strapped to their bodies, I continued, “Where we’re headed will be hostile and they will look for any excuse to kill us. It’s important that you don’t give them one. Whatever happens at the Clan today, let me do the talking. Do not interfere under any circumstances. There’s also the possibility of running into Mab’s soldiers, so be ready to fight or travel out when I tell you to. Understand?”

A round of ’yes, My Queen’s filled the air for a few moments before the soldiers began to double check that their weapons were secured against their bodies.

Watching them gave me the urge to do the same but I never needed to double check my weapons. The only time my metal wouldn’t be on me was if I was dead. Actually….not even then. Considering that I now had a piece of metal underneath my skin, I’d always have some on me. And the thought was more than a little comforting.

“Does everyone know how to get to our destination?”

The sound of Cillian’s voice grated against my already taunt nerves but I shoved it aside. Professional Macha. You can be professional. As soon as they confirmed that they knew how to get there and that they needed to establish a fake travel trail, they began disappearing in pairs. When the last pair traveled out, I looked over at Dougal and waited for him to follow the rest.

Catching my expectant gaze, he gave me a slightly guilty smile, “I won’t be joining you on this one, Fabht Siúcra. I need to stay and watch over the camp while your gone.”

As much as I wanted to argue, I couldn’t. Last time we took the risk of leaving the camp without a Queen, Commander or General to take charge. This time it wouldn’t make sense since we now had two Commanders and it would be irresponsible of me to do so.

“Let me guess, Cillian can’t stay here while you come with me?”

“Like I said the other night, you two need to learn how to work together.”

Rolling my eyes, I went to reply but was robbed of the chance. A rough hand latched onto my right bicep seconds before the world gave out beneath my feet. The transition was so sudden and unexpected that I struggled against the grip. Darkness swallowed me completely as the panic started to dig itself into my chest. The ground solidified underneath me once more before it bottomed out again causing my heart to shoot into my throat.

Eyes darting around, I tried to uselessly search out anything in the inky abyss. With my free arm, I turned slightly and blindly swung on the Fae who took me without permission. An annoyed grunt sounded out as my fist connected with something hard and then I was pulled tightly up against a warm body. Rage overpowered my panic at the way the ground kissed my feet again only for it to be whisked away as he traveled out. Pulling my head back, I raised up as far as I could on my toes and then slammed my head against his.

Fuck. His head was hard as shit.

Dizziness immediately flooded my brain while I clutched onto his tunic to stay steady.

“Son of a bitch. It’s. Me.”

I snorted at his exasperated tone, “I know.”

With my forehead pressed against his chest, I felt him heave a heavy sigh before he rumbled out, “Always so difficult.”

“What the hell did I hit?” I asked, watching a little yellow bird fly pass my line of sight. Well, that’s concerning.

“My cheekbone.”

Blinking hard, I relaxed slightly as the bird disappeared. “I thought I told you not to touch me.” I spit, trying to struggle out of his grip.

“You did.” He said, sliding his arms to loop low around my waist. “But unless you want to be lost in the endless darkness…”

Gritting my teeth, I snapped, “Honestly, I might prefer it.”

“Just relax, Cell Bait. I’ll get us there in one piece.”

Laying my head against his chest, I sighed before lifting a booted foot and slamming down in the hopes of catching his foot. When I felt his muscles tense beneath my cheek, I smiled and dug my nails into his cloth covered chest. “Just getting comfortable.”

Instead of answering, his arms tightened around my waist with his hands on my hips to flatten me against him painfully. Laughing at his pettiness, I sunk my nails deeper into his chest.

……………………………………………

Ground pressed up against my boots for the sixth time but when it didn’t immediately disappear, I opened my eyes. Trees lined the edges of the dirt road we stood on while a peek around Cillian’s shoulder showed a small town in the distance. Straightening my stiff fingers, I wiggled them against his chest to loosen them up. The thought of little red crescent marks on his pec’s from my harsh grip brought a smirk to my lips.

A loud cough had Cillian dropping his tight hold on me, though it didn’t really make a difference. His grip had been so tight that the phantom feeling of his arms around my hips lingered as I stepped out of his personal space. Spinning on my heel, I felt the end of my high ponytail swish against my spine as I made eye contact with Erick. His brown gaze as always was judgmental but only lingered on me for a moment before he looked at Cillian. How refreshing.

Sliding my eyes over the group, they connected with narrowed ones underneath arched pink brows. Dani’s eyes shot from me to Cillian and then back again before tilting her head in question. Taking two fingers, I swiped them in a straight line under my collarbone in a causal move. ‘A necessary evil.’

Rolling my neck until it cracked, I bent at the waist and shifted my hips until my lower back cracked as well. Releasing a sigh of relief, I stood up and crossed over the ground separating us from the rest of the group. Once I was standing beside them, I pinned my eyes to the light brown bridge in front of us. The planks were run down and rotted while others were missing with moss covered ropes holding the whole thing together. In short, the bridge looked like it hadn’t been redone in centuries and would snap at any weight put on it. Which wasn’t promising, considering it’d drop you who knew how deep into a gagged gash in the earth.

“Alright,” I capped my hands to get their attention. “Who knows how to travel mid-free fall?” All but two hands rose in the air which was way more than I was expecting. “Perfect. You two stay close to us and if we fall, grab onto someone who knows how. If you can’t, I’ll grab you. Everyone else travel to the closest body of water you can think of.”

“My Queen, I don’t think you should step on the bridge. You wait here while we-”

“Nope. No, thank you. I’ll take the same risks as my soldiers.”

Erick gave me a disapproving look but didn’t push me on the matter.

Casting a look over each of their faces, I ended on Cillian’s as I said, “Remember the rules.”

Right as I turned away, I could have sworn I saw a spark in his metallic eyes. Fighting the automatic urge to attack him again, I forced my limbs to stay loose and light. Trolls weren’t fast but a blow from them or their weapons could crush bones like butter. And I knew from past experiences, that those hurt like a son of a bitch and took hours to heal.

Dirt kicked up around my black boots to swirl over the dirt road in little tan tornados. The closer we got to the bridge the more it became almost soundless. Natural wildlife and insects avoided the large crack in the ground making the area look empty. About roughly twenty to thirty feet across, there was a good ten feet on either side of the crack that was completely bare. But if you pressed your hands to the ground, you could feel the tremors coming from below.

My boot had just skimmed over the top of the first wooden slat when I was roughly shoved to the side. Tripping over my feet, I slammed my hand against the wooden post of the bridge to stop myself from falling. Infuriated, I whipped my head over to where I had been standing only to come face to face with a broad back covered in black cloth. Oh, you….

Silver hair glinted in the early sunlight as he tipped his head to the side to look back at me, “Safety first.”

Taking a deep breath, I released it on a shuddering exhale while watching him take cautious steps onto the bridge. Shooting my arm out, I stopped the rest of the group from following him out onto the rickety wood. Swallowing my rage for what was probably the millionth time today, I forced myself to follow behind him but not before hissing at the others to stay on land.

The planks creaked and swayed underneath our weight but held surprisingly steady. Hands gliding over the moss covered ropes, I sped up until I was practically stepping on the back of Cillian’s heels. So close that I actually bumped into his back when he suddenly stopped. Bending to the side, I look around his shoulder to find short almost invisible tan shapes scaling up the far side of the huge crevice. The Bas de gach Troll Clan. They were actually a pretty impressive bunch. Horror stories of what they did to captured Fae were what kept adolescents from doing something stupid. Like say, trying to pass over their bridge unnoticed. Yeahhh, this was a very old deal that I was collecting on.

The muscles in Cillian’s back went tense as he watched them, “Stay behind me, Cell Bait.”

Ducking under his arm, I slid through the small space between him and the ropes to end up in front. “I don’t recognize Cell Bait as one of my many names.”

“Divines damnit, Macha! Get back here.” He hissed.

Ignoring him, I strutted forward until I was standing in the middle of the bridge. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I leaned over the side and shouted down, “Coaimhe, Babes! It’s me! The Fae you did a deal with! Get your ass up here! ”

My voice echoed back off the surrounding rocks as the tan figures halted in their climbing. The laugh I couldn’t stop from coming out was the next thing to bounce off the rock walls until one Troll in particular began racing to the top. Thick arms reached out to grip the rock before propelling her body up higher. Chunks of rock broke underneath Coaimhe’s grip and tumbled down into the dark crevice.

Leaning back, I whispered out of the corner of my mouth, “Is it just me or is she climbing that rock a little aggressively?”

After a few moments passed and no response came, I risked a glance behind me only to immediately roll my eyes. He was such a child. Cillian stood exactly where I left him a couple feet back on the bridge with his arms crossed over his chest. And when he caught my eye roll, his lips twisted down into a feral snarl.

Sneering right back, I hissed, “What are you? Five hundred?”

“This’ll never work if you can’t lean on me. I’m here to make your life easier, not harder, Macha.” He replied, silver brows furrowing in frustration.

“Oh, piss off.”

“Fine. Let’s see how well you get through this without me.”

“You are grossly overestimating my need for your help.”

Seemingly fed up with my attitude already, he snapped, “What is it going to take, Macha? Hmm? What is it going to take for you to trust me again? Because obviously the Oath didn’t help.”

“You mean the band aid we slapped over the throbbing wound of my hatred for you. Yea, shocker.” I spat in disbelief and turned all the way around to look him in the eye.

Cillian shot me a deadpanned look, “You can’t possibly hate me that much. It’s been seven hundred and fifty years since then.”

“You stabbed me in the chest with iron and then sent me to the most infamous maximum security Unseelie prison in the history of our realm. I don’t think there’s a time limit as to how long I can hate you.”

“I already told you. I didn’t want to send you there, but I did what I thought I had to do. Besides, I helped you escape. Shouldn’t that count for something?”

Every emotion but pure unfiltered rage fled from my body.

Fisting my hands, I bared my sharpened teeth, “Shouldn’t that count for something? Shouldn’t that count for something? You…you…you unbelievably gigantic gaping ASSHOLE!”

Said asshole actually took a step back at my enraged scream before having the nerve to say, “So, we’re not hiding our anger anymore? Good to know.”

“Do you know what they did to me in there? Do you know what the fuck Fearghas did to me?” Tilting my head to the side, what I said next came out in a dangerous purr as I moved closer to him, “Did you watch the tapes, Cillian?”

His eyes cautiously scanned over my vibrating form, “What tapes?”

“The ones Mab had Fearghas take of our little, what did you call them? Interrogation sessions. So, she could watch.” My hands shot out to grip the moss covered railings as the bridge rocked hard but I never took my eyes off my prey.

“No. I didn’t know they were doing that, Macha. I swear it. And if I knew I would’ve tried to stop them.”

A cruel smile stretched my lips as I sang, “Why, oh why, don’t I believe youuuu?”

“You don’t have to believe me but I’m telling you the truth. Ever since I got here, I’ve done nothing but tell you the truth.” His own hands curled tightly over the railings while a scowl darkened his features.

“Little critters!” Called a booming voice from behind me.

Ignoring it, I focused on advancing on the male in front of me. “What I went through in that prison, you wouldn’t have lasted a year. Let alone seven hundred and fifty of them! You stabbing me in the fucking chest happened a very long time ago but the pain you put me through ended barely two months ago! And you won’t even admit to being wrong or sorry!”

“I did it to save your fucking life! If I hadn’t done what I did, you would be dead right now! So, yeah. I’m not sorry. Because I’d rather have you alive then dead!”

My swords slid into my palms the second I let go of the railing to point them at him. “I never asked you to do that!” I screamed back.

“You know what, Macha? What are you really angry about? Huh? Cause I still don’t understand why you’re this upset? We’re Fae, this isn’t anything new between Unseelies!” The veins in his neck strained against his skin as the words crawled out from between his tightly clenched teeth.

“Critters!” The booming voice shouted out again. This time from a position much closer to me.

Every piece of metal on my body, besides the one inside my wrist, hovered in the air around me with sharp tips honed in on Cillians body. The twin swords in my hands broke apart into jagged pieces as my hair fell around my face. With my eyes pinned on his every move, I watched him slowly grab his battle axes from over his shoulders in silent fury.

Nothing else registered as the anger I felt consumed me until I could barely think coherently. “Are you fucking serious? Did you not listen to a single word I just said?”

“I did,” He said, flashing me sharpened teeth. “And I call bullshit.”

Calling his axes, I gave him an insanity tinged laugh as they ripped from his hands to land in mine. Wielding his battle axes, I twirled them in my grip before slamming them into the wooden slats between us. Watching the wooden chips fade into the darkness in delight. Cillian stumbled back as the very tip of the axes slammed into the one he was standing on and shattered beneath him.

“Bullshit?” I laughed without humor. “BULLSHIT?”

Righting himself, he barked, “Yea. Bullshit. Tell me why you really hate me.”

“I already told you.” I snapped, my thoughts spinning violently.

He spread his arms wide with an angry smile, seemingly uncaring of the sharp hovering metal still pointed at him, “Come on, Cell Bait! Don’t hold back now!”

Chest heaving in fury, I screamed, “Because you betrayed me, you arrogant son of bitch! YOU CHOSE THAT CUNT OVER ME!”

—————————————————————————

Wheeeww, that was a lot to unpack y’all. Looks like Cillian finally pushed Macha over the edge. But she did have a huge break through…so I guess Cillian being asshole does have some perks. Lol.

As always, feel free to comment you thoughts on the chapter or the book so far!

Smooches, Verbage 💋

Chapter Seventeen: Oops.

My mouth snapped closed with a click as soon as the words left my lips. That. Did not. Just leave my mouth. Silence hovered thickly over the entire area, the only thing that could be heard was my screamed words echoing off the rock walls. Raw embarrassment smothered my anger and caused my cheeks to turn icy for a second. I could only stare right back into his slowly widening eyes as my entire body turned to stone. Blanking my expression, I felt one of my eyes twitch at the ever growing look of understanding coming over his usually inexpressive face.

“Macha-”

“I don’t care.”

He took a small step forward, “Macha, I didn’t-”

“I said, I don’t care.” I replied, feeling my embarrassment turn into anger from being embarrassed. Everyone heard that.

The bridge shook underneath us again and that deep female voice interrupted again, “Did you come here just to have your little domestic dispute or did you come for some other reason, Crit-”

Twisting the battle axes in my hands, I spun around and buried the sharp blades directly into the side of her thick thigh. The fragile bridge jerked harshly as she fell to one knee and released a roar of pain. Flipping the hovering metal to point at the Troll, I stared down into her furious brown eyes. Keeping my expression neutral, I yanked the axes from her flesh and didn’t blink when a few droplets of blood hit my clothing.

Smiling politely as she released another agonized roar, I began whipping the bloody blades on her tan tunic. Holding eye contact, I gave her a fake smile and pitched my voice to sound cheery, “I swear to all the Divines above. If you call me a critter one more time, I’m going to hack into that tree trunk you call a neck and rip your vocal cords right out with my bare hands.”

The woman glared but otherwise kept her mouth shut. Perfect.

Tossing the axes over my shoulders, I dusted my hands on my thighs and offered her one. “Now that we understand each other, let me help you up. That looks like it hurts. You really should be more careful these days, some Fae are just lunatics.”

“Yea,” She growled, while slipping her meaty paw into my hand. “I’m starting to see that.”

Bracing my feet and tensing my arm, I helped the thickly muscled woman to her feet. My lips twitched in humor as she took a few steps back to look at me without hurting her neck. The female’s head barely reached my chest but she looked like she could snap me in half with her pinky finger. Short and muscle bound the Trolls were but they made up for it with their architectural intelligence. Proven by the mere fact that this bridge was still holding up underneath the weight of three of them.

With the sun now high in the sky, I squinted to see them better beneath it’s bright glare. The woman in front of me wasn’t Caoimhe but the female behind her was. Brown hair piled high up on the top of her head, she crossed her tan arms and mumbled something incoherent to the male at her side. There really was no polite way to describe male Trolls, they all looked like short walking walls. At least underneath all those muscles the women had some shape. But the males…yeahhhh.

“Caoimhe! Long time no see!” I called out to her with a friendly grin.

Brown eyes rolled as she took heavy steps towards the rest of us, “I told you not to interfere, Sadhbh. The blue one is strange, not like the rest of her kind.”

Pressing a hand to my heart, I gave her a pout, “Aww, thanks. I thought everyone would be pissed when I show’d up.”

“Oh, we were. Very pissed. But then I caught a glimpse of your face during your domestic fight and changed my orders. Besides, it’s a very aggressive time in Tir Na Nog. We’ve had to resort to asking questions before attacking Fae now.” She responded, coming to a stop behind Sadhbh.

Before I could tell her what all her compliments were doing to my ego. Sadhbh interrupted, “I’m confused. Weren’t you just in a full on rage a few seconds ago?”

“Correct.” I nodded.

She blinked rapidly, “So, you guys made up?”

“No yet.” A smooth voice interjected into the conversation just as I spat, “Don’t be disgusting.”

The female furrowed her brows but Coaimhe placed a hand on her shoulder, “What kind of favor are you calling in, Macha? And could you put your weapons away?”

Opps. Immediately, the blue metal reformed into my twin swords and slid into the sheath on my back. “I want a meeting with your Clan King.”

Stray hairs sprung free from her bun as she vigorously shook her head, “The Trolls will not get involved in Fae wars. We want no part in your power struggle with Mab.”

“If you honestly believe Mab won’t pull you into the war at some point, you’re all dumber than a pile of Kelpie shit.”

The Trolls instantly took offense at the insult. Broadening their shoulders and fisting their hands as they bared their flat teeth at me with low growls.

Taken by surprise, I stumbled forward as something slammed into my back only to be yanked backwards by my elbow. Jerking again when my back hit a solid chest and then already knowing who it was, I drove my free elbow into his gut. A soft grunt above my ear was the only reward I received for my efforts.

Yanking my elbow from his grip, I snarled lowly, “Stop. Touching. Me.”

“You didn’t seem to mind earlier.” He murmured back.

“Congratulations,” I snapped. “I’d rather have you touch me than get lost for an indeterminable amount of time in the abyss of travel. Must be a huge ego boost for you.”

Cillian huffed, his chest brushing up against my back, “Coming from you? Definitely.”

“Um, excuse me?”

Focusing back on the women in front of us, I took in their bewildered expressions.

“Would you two like to come back after you’ve sorted out whatever messed up situation you’ve got going on?” Coaimhe snapped. “Our time is not to be wasted, Critters.”

Ooooooo, I thought while feeling my eye twitch again. I’ll let her have it because I didn’t directly threaten her.

“No. She told you what she wanted, now fulfill your portion of the deal.” Cillian replied.

Coaimhe glared up over my shoulder and seemed to bite her tongue at the last minute when the male behind her murmured something in her ear.

I don’t think I ever realized how much they whispered to each other.

When it continued for longer than was polite, I huffed, “Yeah but we’re the rude ones.”

“Call us Critters but they’re the ones doing all the chittering.”

An unexpected snort of laughter escaped my nose at his bone dry tone which I quickly smothered underneath my hand. Midway through my muffled laughter my eyes caught Sadhbh’s brown orbs shooting between me and Cillian before she placed a hand to her forehead. Yea, you and me both.

My rage at Cillian was considerably less then it was in the moments before I…said what I said. I think I was still in shock by what I revealed to him and myself. It was strange to think that I had smashed everything he’d ever done to me underneath one big banner of betrayal. Now that I was finally being honest with myself, I guess I could admit a few more things. My anger at him almost killing me wasn’t actually anger so much as pettiness. But thinking that I could get over it after stabbing him with iron was too childish to allow myself to think. Until now.

“Macha.”

The whole prison stint was a very tricky situation because if looked at it from an outsiders point of view, he was innocent of one important thing. The torture was completely on Fearghas and Mab if what he said about not knowing was true. But him putting me in Slykhelm was the damning reason why I had those experiences at all. My nightmares and other issues might not be entirely his fault but they are a direct result of his decision. He made the choice to betray me. He made the decision to send me to Slykhelm.

“Macha.”

Ahhh, anger. I almost missed you old friend.

“Macha.”

Shaking my head, I watched the blue strands fly around my vision before focusing on the expectant Trolls. “You said something, babes?”

“I can get you a meeting with the Clan King but there’s a trial you’ll have to pass before he’ll speak to you.” Caoimhe stated smugly.

I shrugged, “There always is with Trolls.”

Her brown eyes narrowed at me but instead of rising to the bait, she turned around and began lumbering back the way she came. Sabhbh gave us a nod to follow and then trekked after Coaimhe making me eye the roped railings as they went.

Turning to the side slightly, I met Cillians gaze, “Tell the others to follow.”

Without a word, he leaned over to the left and revealed the rest of our group standing right behind him with various expressions.

Despite the obvious questions on their faces, I just said,“Stay silent.”

Without waiting for their replies, I began to carefully pick my way across the fragile bridge behind the Trolls. Creaking wood sounded out behind me as the rest of my group followed my lead. Hands skimming over the moss covered ropes, I momentarily lost myself in the sensation it created brushing against my calloused palms.

What felt like only seconds later, I was stepping onto the solid ground of the other side of the crevice. Moving to stand on the edge, I watched as the rest of my people left the bridge to come stand beside me. Cillian, unfortunately, stopped on my left while Erick took a position on my right. They were practically sandwiching me between them and it wasn’t the tiniest bit enjoyable.

A voice that resembled an avalanche informed us, “Because none of you are Seelie, we will carry you down one at a time.”

Down? As in underground? Surround by miles and miles of hard packed rock? With Trolls crawling all over the place making escape impossible?

The second my breathing picked up speed, I pressed my fingertips into the sides of my thighs to distract myself. However when I started to hum, Cillian shifted until his shoulder partially blocked me from their view. Calm down, Macha. You’ve been doing so good, you can do this. Earth bends to your will. There is absolutely no way you can be trapped down there. And the Trolls? Pah! You’ve taken on five of them at a time before, a Clans nothing to you. Don’t be a little a bitch about it. Don’t do this in front of your soldiers, Macha. Pull yourself together now!

“Why can’t we have the meeting above ground?” Cillian asked, the tone of his voice could’ve frosted the lava pits of Boru.

The same avalanche-like voice responded, “The Clan King doesn’t come above ground anymore.”

“Is there a problem?” Sadhbh questioned.

Pushing my fear deep down somewhere dark, I plastered a smile on my face and followed my inner bully’s instructions. Nudging Cillian’s arm until he moved back to my side so I could step forward, I replied, “No. And we won’t be needing your help getting down either.”

With a soft whisper and little urging, the ground surrounding my group began to crack. Bracing my feet, I ignored the Fae panicking behind me and urged the chunk of earth to move. One moment we were standing on the edge of the crevice and the next we were hovering on a good sized chunk of rock over nothing but air.

Smiling at the shocked Trolls, I shot them a cheeky wink, “Last one to the bottom is a Gnome.”

Giving my fingers a little twist, the ground holding us up began to descend causing a few of my seasoned soldiers to squeak. Wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, I dropped us into the darkness below as fast as I was willing to risk it. The sun rays that abandoned us to the darkness were replaced by the torches lining the rough walls. Torches that gave us a view of the architectural wonder that was the rock city below us. Trolls on the spiraling roads that led from one part of the city to another looked up at us as we came down.

I stopped us around fifty feet above the city as some of the Trolls wore expressions that made it clear what they thought of us being in their city. Like the ones that greeted us, the Trolls outfits were one solid tan color that matched everything else around them. I did spot some glass in a few windows but otherwise everything here was tan and made of rock. Even their hair, eyes, and skin were various shades of brown.

When someone cleared their throat obnoxiously loud from behind, I twisted at the waist to glare. However, I started to laugh at the colorful wind ruffled hair of my group. Especially Dani’s since it was almost completely straight up in the air. Pink eyes grew tiny from the squinted look of rage she shot at me.

“What?”

Her head tilted at the question and when the pink curls didn’t even fall over another round of laughter left me. “Dismissing the fact that you’ve ruined my hair, since when in the ever loving fuck can you bend the earth to your will?”

“Oh, that. Yea, I don’t really remember so let’s just say since forever.” I shrugged.

“But how? That’s an ability that only the Seelie can do.” Erick pitched in sounding appropriately shocked.

Patting my hair, because if they looked like that then what did I look like?, I replied, “I don’t know. It’s just something that I can do.”

“I thought you could only bend metal to your will.” Cillian rumbled.

“Uh, no. Metal, Earth, Fire and Water are all mine to command. Although, I don’t count water because that fickle bitch will not work with or for me.”

A wide range of colored eyes looked at me in a shock with jaws loosened enough to hit their chests. Well all of them but Cillian as the only indication he gave that he was shocked was the slight widening of his silver eyes. Feeling a strain starting up in one of my back muscles, I twisted back around and stared out over the torch lit city. And just when the silence was beginning to get uncomfortable, the sounds of rock bouncing off rock scraped against my ears.

Turning my head to the right, I looked at the Trolls coming to a stop on the side of the cavern wall beside us. Caoimhe gripped the wall with one hand and leg while leaning back to look at us. Brown eyes zeroed in on mine and she pointed off it to the distance, “Follow us to that building for your trial.”

Nodding, I waited as they shifted to grip the wall horizontally before urging the rock underneath our feet to trail slowly after them. On our slow hovering journey around the outskirts of the city to the rock building she pointed to, more and more Trolls ventured out onto the roads. Grinning, I waved at a group of males hanging onto the bottom of a bridge by their feet. And I only smiled wider when they responded with their raised middle fingers.

“Don’t antagonize the Trolls, My Queen.”

Rolling my eyes at Erick’s comment, I continued to smile and wave at all the Trolls doing something interesting as we passed them. What seemed to be a daycare held my attention the most since it wasn’t everyday that you saw beefy babies roll boulders back and forth. Even when they left our view the thoughts of what else the little buff babies could do filled my head. Were they strong enough to lift a tree? Could they crush those boulders yet? Climb? Did Troll babies climb before they walked? Or did they walk before they climbed? Why have I never asked anyone that before?

Seeing the Trolls drop down into the roof of a wide rectangular stone palace. I slowed us down until I saw that there was a section of the roof missing where they dropped into. Coaimhe and Sadhbh motioned for us to come down from their standing positions on the stone floor. Flicking my fingers, I lowered us cautiously into the hole of the building. The minute our heads were officially inside, my skin began to tighten at the feeling of being closed in. My heart battered harshly against my chest as I took in the tan interior and felt the walls start to close in.

The fear of being trapped increased at the brush of bodies against my back and sides. Orange light splashed against the tan walls from the torches lining the inside of the large room. With every blink the room flashed between reality and a small concrete cell with a blue haired woman huddled in the corner. Forcing myself to take even breaths, I held completely still as we hit the ground.

Closing my eyes, I opened them on a deep breath. The rattling of the chains grew closer to me as they were dragged over the concrete. Fisting my hands, I closed my eyes in a slow blink before opening them once more. Blood splattered silver tattooed skin, raw wrists, flashing bright red lights. Another deep shuddering breath and this time I hoped I would see reality when my eyelids slid apart. A bloody grin reflected in bulging brown eyes, a scalpel running down a squirming pale chest, laughter, screaming alarms.

A rough hand jerked my arm and pulled me forward, “Let’s go, My Queen.”

Stumbling off the slab of rock we rode here on, I blinked rapidly as reality began to set in around me. Catching sight of the group of Trolls watching our every move, I got my feet underneath me and shoved Cillians grip off me for the millionth time today. Tilting my head up, I gave him a glare out of the corner of my eye that he steadily ignored. The rest of my group filled in the spaces behind me as I led the way up to the waiting Clan King.

Gnarled hands clutched the sides of his stone throne while his cane rested against the side for whenever he gathered the effort to stand. His face was a shocking display of creases and folds that somehow worked with the rest of his sagging body. I knew I was old but to be Faekind and actually have wrinkles? The male had to be older than the human world for him to look this severely aged.

Beady little light brown eyes peeked out underneath bushy brows that threaten to blind the old man. Despite the aging that he’s obviously undergone, he was still thickly built like the rest of his kind. Although, the muscles he once had have long since become a loose layer of skin draped over his hunched form. The Clan King’s head swiveled down a little to look at us more clearly from his high seated position.

The moment we came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs leading to his throne, Caoimhe bent over to whisper in his ear. Barely resisting the urge to scoff, I stood with my shoulders back and my head held high in the standard smug monarch-y way.

The faint sound of sandpaper rubbing against itself filled the room as the old King whispered back to her. A slit in his face that I was fifty percent sure was his mouth seemed to barely move but Caoimhe’s eyes lit up just the same. A evil little grin made its way across her face as her eyes slid over to me and stayed there. Without replying to the old man, she stood to her full five five height and took a few steps to stand in view of everyone.

“Open the pit.” Her words weren’t shouted or spoken menacingly but the atmosphere in the room changed just the same.

Trolls on either side of the throne, traveled down off the raised platform to calmly walk past us. Keeping my eyes on the old man in the chair, I felt the others turn slowly to watch what the Trolls were doing. It wasn’t long before the grating of rock over rock echoed out over the room. The Clan King’s light brown eyes never left mine while his minions worked behind me.

When the grating stopped, Caoimhe spoke again, “The Clan King has decided your trial. You must face those you have wronged in the pit. Defeat them non-leathly and he will speak with you after.”

“How big is that pit?” I asked dryly. “Because you’re looking aaaaattt give or take… a thousand or so.”

The smile on Caoimhe’s face dimmed, “Just those of the Clan that you’ve wronged.”

It took me a moment but when I finally understood, I groaned loudly, “You said you weren’t mad about that.”

“I never said I wasn’t mad!”

“You said you changed your mind when we were above ground.”

Her brows drew together as she roared, “Not about this!”

“Again, you told me to find out if they were telling you the truth about their love. So, I did.” I said, pointing a finger at her.

This time her shout shook the walls, “I never said to torture them!”

“Well, you didn’t say not to.” I snapped back. And then because I could feel his annoyance, I spun on Cillian and hissed, “Stop.”

He raised a silver brow, “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have too. I could feel it.” I bit at him.

Not appreciating the odd look he tossed my way, I whirled back around to face Caoimhe, “Fine. Knock out dumb and dumber in the pit. Got it.”

“But there’s a catch,” She said after a few deep breaths. “Our Clan King wants to see how far you’ll go to protect your people….even the ones you hate.”

And just like that…my gut dropped to my ass. Son of a bitch!

Faster that anyone would have thought possible, a meaty fist slammed into the top of Cillian’s fathead. To everyone’s surprise though, the silver eyed male just shook his head before stumbling towards the Troll. Having the advantage, the Troll stepped to the side and then jumped a little to give the top of Cillians head another love tap. This time the male dropped to the floor like a six foot six sack of bricks. Grabbing an arm and a leg, the same Troll spun around three times before flinging the dumbass into the pit head first.

Chucking at a sharp cracking sound, I half turned to Coaimhe, “Let me guess, I have to knock out both Trolls before they kill him.”

The smug bitch just nodded.

“How very original.” I sneered.

Grumbling underneath my breath, I gave her my back and made way to the huge hole in the ground. Pulling my swords over my shoulders, I held them vertically one over the other and melded them into one large training staff. The pole was thick with rounded tips that wouldn’t do anything more than break a few bones. Trolls lined the edges of the pit, blocking my view of anything or anyone already inside of it. But when they began to roar in excitement and stomp around, I knew I’d better haul ass.

I was a few strides away from the pit when I watched two large lumps launch over the crowd and downwards into the pit. Fuck. Sprinting across the last few feet, I hunched my shoulders and shoved the others out of my way. Coming to the edge, I sped up before slamming the staff into the ground and propelling myself into the pit. Keeping my legs straight, it was by sheer luck that my booted feet slammed into the face of the Troll closest to Cillian.

The Troll went tumbling back as I dropped straight down onto Cillian’s prone body. Laughing a little, I popped back up onto my feet and twirled the staff while keeping my eyes trained on the Trolls in front of me. This was going to be one intense game of keep away. Adrenaline was already starting to pump its way through my veins followed closely by excitement. Bouncing my eyes between the two, I licked my lips with a smirk as the male to the left started to become impatient.

“So, who’s who again? I don’t actually remember.” I purred to the males.

Like I thought, the one on the left charged me like a bull. Bracing my feet, I flung the staff directly at the right ones head before urging the rock to surge up. A two foot wall sprung up in the left one’s way which he immediately tripped over. And soon as the staff slapped back into my hand, I drove it into the side of his head in a swing that would’ve made Babe Ruth proud. The Troll gave a painful grunt before his head slammed into the ground.

Feeling the rock tremble, I spun around to face the last Troll with the long end of the staff pressed up against my back. Recognition sparked when I stared at him, it was the same male who had been with us the whole time. Mr. Avalanche voice. A deep hatred sparkled in his brown eyes as he shifted foot to foot.

“Careful now, you’ll make a girl blush looking at her like that.” I giggled pressing a hand to my cheek.

He grunted deeply before stomping one foot into the ground and causing the rock beneath my feet to crack.

Sighing, I tilted my head in question, “You’re not going to go down easy like your friend, are you?”

The Troll squatted low and dug his bare hands into the ground to pull away with a good sized chunk of earth.

“Good,” I grinned widely. “One minute guys are always a bummer.”

With a roar, he broke the rock in half and then slung a piece of it at my head. Using the staff, I batted the chunk away and sprinted to the nearest wall. Planting a foot against the rock like a spring board, I threw myself in the path of his next throw. Dropping my staff and catching it between my hands, I tucked it into my chest and rolled across the pit. The male roared in anger again and ran towards Cillian’s unprotected body.

Whispering to the rock, I smiled as it slid over my fists and then nudged the ground beneath me to move. Gliding over the distance like a figure skater, I reached them just as Cillian’s eyes started to move. Squatting a little, I twisted my torso underneath the Trolls outstretched arm and slammed my rock cover fist into his gut. As soon as his body started to curl inwards, I straightened up and sent a right hook to his chin. His meaty body flew back before slamming into the ground hard enough to shake the pit.

Frowning when he didn’t get back up, I glided over to him and kicked at his side, “Hey.”

The male didn’t so much as groan.

“Seriously? Come on, get up.” I called my staff back to me and poked at his head, “I should not be able to take you guys down this fast. I mean this is just embarrassing. For you though, not me.”

“What the hell happened?” Cillian moaned.

Looking over at him, I watched as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, “About time, Sleeping Ugly.”

Rubbing at his head, he squinted, “It’s Sleeping Beauty.”

“So you remember that, but not how you got your head bashed in like a little bitch?”

He looked about ready to snarl at me when his eyes suddenly shot wide open, “Watch out!”

I snapped my eyes back to the Troll just in time to watch him slam a rock into my left hip. FUCK. A muffled pop coming from my hip sounded in the air moments before the pain and fury hit me. Pure agony spread in a burning heat around my hip and the upper of my leg. Slamming the staff into the ground, I leaned against it while gritting my teeth to keep from crying out. With an ungodly amount of pain filled rage, I waited until the Troll got back up onto his feet.

Distantly, I could hear Cillian calling out to me as he scrambled to his feet. Without having to ask, the ground around the Trolls feet wrapped itself all the way up to his calves. Roaring, the Troll struggled to break the rock covering his feet but for every piece he broke off more rock replaced it. Eye twitching, I gripped my staff tightly and used it to drag myself over to him. When I came to a stop in front of him, he glared and swung his arms in my direction.

“That,” I grinned around gritted teeth, “Was a very very dirty trick.” Shifting so most of my weight was on my right leg, I gripped the staff with both hands. “Now, let me show you how I play dirty tricks.” Twisting a little on my back foot, I swung the staff right up between his legs. “I’m really really tired-” Swing. “Of people trying me like-” Swing. “I’m not that bitch, that’ll kill your entire family line for pissing me off.” Swing.

With a skull rattling shake, the Troll gave a small squeak before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and then toppled over. Huffing out a breath, I pushed a wayward strand of blue hair behind my ear and looked around the pit. The Trolls lining the edges of the pit look down upon their recently fallen brethren with pale faces and empathic gazes. Sneering up at them, I hopped around slightly to find Cillian and another Troll staring at the other male with their hands over their crotch.

“Cillian, lets go.” I barked, holding onto the staff tightly to stay standing.

His feet were moving before his eyes even met mine, “Coming.”

The moment his feet hit the ground beside mine, I had us in the air and soaring over the crowd towards the old man’s throne. My white knuckle grip on the staff didn’t lessen up the entire time and probably wouldn’t for a good while. A Divines damned hip injury. A Divines damned HIP INJURY! This shit was going to take a whole SIX HOURS until it healed. I was practically foaming at the mouth when we landed and I caught Cillian leaning away from me.

“If I didn’t kill you earlier and I didn’t let you get killed a while ago, then I’m not going to kill you now.” I snapped.

Not giving him a chance to respond, I grinded my teeth together and urged the ground to slide me towards the old man. The Trolls around him gave me a wide berth but still stuck as close as possible to the Clan King’s side. Glaring up at his sagging face, I slid up the stairs until I was two steps below him. My mouth had barely opened up to hand him his old scraggly ass when he beat me to it.

“You’re young, abrasive, overconfident, risky, foul-mouthed, short-tempered, a woman, undiplomatic-”

“Okay, Father Time. You can shove your outdated ideals right up your-”

“But,” He lifted a crinkly finger an inch off his arm rest. “You also didn’t hesitate to protect the young male you were threatening to kill over an hour ago. You poked and prodded at your enemy but you didn’t attack first. You have an impressive amount of control over your more intense emotions. From everything I’ve been told about you, I truly believe you can win the war against Mab. You really are the one they foretold. Unfortunately-”

“Just tell me what you want in return for siding with us in the war. I don’t have the patience for the whole song and dance routine. It’s been a very long day.” I spat, waving a stiff hand around.

The torch light gave his wrinkly small grin a creepy effect, “It’ll be tough convincing my Clan to take part in your Fae war but it can be done with…certain assurances.”

“I’m sure. And those would be?”

“In return for our help, we demand in the new Tir Na Nog that Troll hunting be abolished and punishable by death. We will abide by your reign but demand a seat on your council to ensure that the Troll’s voice will always be heard.”

I scrunched my face up slightly, “I can only promise to abolish Troll hunting in my kingdom not the entire realm. And I will only declare it, if the Trolls stop the Fae killings. I will also promise the Trolls a seat on my council but you have to speak with the other Clans. Get as many as you can on our side and then pick between yourselves who will become my councilman or woman.”

“You want me to tell the other Clan’s to join your war and not to kill anymore Fae?” He asked, incredulous.

Shrugging, I remarked, “Except for enemy Fae, of course.”

“Do you know who I am, young female?”

“It’s young Queen,” I corrected. “And no, Father Time. You haven’t gotten around to telling me your name.”

His bushy brows furrowed, blinding him momentarily, “I am Clan King Fionn, an elder amongst all Clans and the Fae Eater of the East.”

“Uh, Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Look, my hip is killing me and I’m trying to be patient but I really don’t give two shits about who you used to be. I only care about who you’re going to be, a possible ally that will further your kinds relations with the Fae or an enemy that I’m going to have to destroy. And,” I gave a painful laugh. “I got to tell you with the way my hip is throbbing…I’m really hoping you’ll say no. So, I can come back here and listen to your Clan scream in terror as I cave the roof in on all of you.”

Like everything this man did, a slow smile spread over his features, “I never did like the Fae and I’ll miss eating your kind but there’s something refreshing about your candor attitude. You have yourself a deal, Queen Macha.”

A wicked grin spit my face as I purred despite the pain, “Marvelous, Fionn. Marvelous.”

——————————————————————————

So again, a lot went down in this chapter! Poor Macha just keeps getting emotionally body slammed every other chapter, lol. I am very curious to know your thoughts on Cillian this far though. I feel like many of you are on the fence about liking him or not.

Like always, feel free to comment on something you enjoyed about the chapter or how you feel about Macha’s journey so far! You guys never fail to motivate me to continue with the book even when I feel like absolutely nothing about it makes sense, lol.

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Eighteen: Water

The cool water rippled like silk across my tattooed skin as I bent at the waist and dove beneath its glassy surface. Spreading my arms to my sides, I swam deeper into the lake’s murky depth. It was late into the night when the entire camp except for the guards on patrol slept soundlessly. And the stars twinkled high in the sky beside the cold white orb that signaled the realms bedtime. Kicking my legs, I relished the feeling of the water gliding against my bare limbs. The temperature dropped the closer I got to the bottom until my hands hit the muddy lakebed. Opening my eyes, I waved my hands around to keep me from floating back up to the surface. Darkness was the first thing to greet me which sent my heart racing for a few long moments until my eyes adjusted.

Laying awake for the fourth night in a row since Cillian had left, I decided that obsessively thinking about what I’d said was a waste of time. He went back to Mab’s army the same day we completed our arrangement with the Trolls. After debriefing Dougal, he tried multiple times to catch me alone so we could talk about what I said. But like the skilled Unseelie I was, I avoided him so successfully that he’d only been able to catch me as he’d been about to leave.

A whistle of wind that I was all too familiar with had me jerking my head back just in time. The blade of the battle axe embedded itself deeply into the bark of the tree beside me, sending a few splinters skittering across my face. Wide royal blue eyes reflected back off the silver blade while the metal cooled the skin of my nose. Still in shock, I turned on my heel and looked over at the giant male who gave me nothing back facially.

“You do realize I could charge you with treason right?” I asked on an exhale while raising a hand to touch my nose.

His normally smooth voice was a growl,“Stop avoiding me.”

“That is not how you get a female’s attention, Cillian.”

“Not a sane one’s.”

I fought down a smirk, “Nearly assaulted, ordered around, and insulted all under five minutes. That has to be a new record.”

“We need to talk, Cell Bait.”

The shock of nearly getting my head lopped off was officially gone, “There’s nothing to discuss.”

At my words, an honest to Divines full out expression covered his chocolate and silver features. And of course, because it was me, the expression he wore was one of anger. “Do you always avoid the things that make you uncomfortable?”

“No,” I huffed. “Sometimes I kill them too.”

He shook his head in frustration, “I don’t have a lot of time before I need to leave. And I have to make sure you understand what I did all those centuries ago.”

“I know what you did. I was there.” I said blandly, leaning back against the tree beside his axe when a twinge of pain shot through my left hip.

“I didn’t betray you, Macha. And I didn’t choose Mab over you. By saving your life-”

“Which I never asked you to do.” I murmured under my breath.

“That.” He snapped, taking steps forward with a finger aggressively pointed in my direction. “That pisses me the fuck off. Why do you keep saying that?”

My eyes slitted at his tone, “Because. I. Didn’t.”

“So what, you wanted me to just stand there and watch you die? Listen to Mab and do it myself?” His nostrils flared and his body seemed to grow larger with the words. “You’re alive right now, building an army to finally take down Mab and rid the realm of her because of the choice that I made. It may not have been the best one but your still breathing aren’t you?”

Laughter ripped from my throat violently at his last sentence, “Still breathing? Still breathing? Is that all it takes? I went through literal indescribable agony everyday for centuries but ‘hey, your still breathing so it couldn’t have been that bad?’”

Silver eyes pinned themselves to my blue ones but his lips stayed sealed.

I opened my mouth getting ready to scream again that I had never asked him to save me. I never asked to be someone who was deathly afraid of being trapped. I never asked to have nightmares that ended with me waking up bloody. I never asked for these panic attacks. I never asked to have the kind touches of others that were so natural, feel so unnatural on my skin. I never asked to be someone who grew irritated with herself. I never asked to be turned into someone I barely recognized.

But looking into those silver eyes, glinting with frustration and confusion, I saw someone who’d never truly understand. Because I doubted I had the strength to ever tell him. So I let my mouth fall shut on those truths and sighed, “Go back to your Queen, Cillian.”

“I keep trying to but she won’t let me.” He sighed in return.

This time I stayed silent with my eyes on his stubborn expression.

“Mab released me on a two night ‘Soldiers Vacation’ but when I come back it’ll be for two weeks.” He said, walking closer to me. “And in those two weeks, we’re going to talk about our relationship and how we can build trust.”

My face twisted in disgust, “We are not doing that and don’t, phrase it like that.”

Cillian stopped inches from my chest, “It’s going to get uncomfortable and we’re definitely going to piss each other off but I’ll be damned if my Queen doesn’t trust me with her life. Because I trust her with mine.”

“You really shouldn’t. The fantasy of you bleeding out still excites me.”

“Say what you want but I heard what that ancient Troll said,” Silver eyes encompassed my vision as he leaned in. “You didn’t hesitate to jump into that pit to protect me. You may think you hate me, Cell Bait. But you don’t want me dead and that‘s something I can work with.”

“If you die, it’ll be by my hand. I think I’ve earned that.”

He pulled back with a tilt to his lips and yanked his axe from the trunk beside my head, “Don’t do anything reckless while I’m gone. Eat what Bria brings you and sleep as much as you can.”

“Fuck off.” I grunted in annoyance. Who the in fuck did he think he was?

The asshole just smirked in response before disappearing.

Something slippery and scaly brushed against my fingertips causing my eyes to blink away the memory. Pushing forward, I shoved the blue strands of my hair flat against the back of my head and out of my eyes. Looking around, I took in the mossy rock fill bottom of the lake and the colorful schools of shimmering fish. Catching sight of a large relatively moss free boulder, I pushed off the muddy ground and swam for it. Time to do what I came here to do or at least try to.

Crossing my legs under me, I waved my arms up and down to keep myself seated at the bottom of the lake. By surrounding myself with the element I struggled to bend beneath my will the most, I hoped that something between us would click. Maybe I just needed a better understanding of how water felt and moved. Because if this didn’t work then I didn’t know what else I could possibly do.

Slowing my arms, I swished them slowly side to side in time with currents and focused solely on the water around me. Blanking my mind to everything but what was in the lake with me, I focused on moving the water towards me. Instead of words, I visualized the liquid around me slowly doing what I was asking. My hair obscured my eyesight once again but this time I didn’t push it out of the way. I didn’t need to see the water, I needed it to feel me and for me to feel it.

After a while a pressure in my nose slowly built while a burning sensation grew in my lungs. But the calmness that had taken a hold of my body was thick and heavy to the point that no panic could cut through. Tipping my head back, I forced the rest of the oxygen from my lungs and watched the clear bubbles rise to the dark surface. That was when a single clear thought, a need really, announced itself to me. Air. I need air.

At once the water around me began to swirl softly like a spiral to the surface. What looked like a ripple at the very top had me tipping my head in awe as a clear cone drilled down towards me. Pressure from the water around me became lighter the closer that it got. All aquatic life fled from the area that I was in until I was the only living thing watching the tornado-like shape draw closer.

When it was a few inches above my head, I raised my arms and broke through the thin surface. Cold air kissed my damp skin and I sucked in a huge breath of air. Droplets of lake water sprinkled my hair as the water slowly swirled around the boulder I chose to sit on. Breathing in deeply, I stared up at the sliver of moon that could be seen on the edge of my personal whirlpool.

Nothing but pure amazement and wonder raced through me at what was currently happening around me. The very edges of the whirlpool foamed and frothed at the top whereas the sides of the bottom were almost glass-like. Dazed, I lifted my hands to touch the water and felt the current gently tug on my fingers. An infectious happiness bubbled inside my chest until soft chuckles spilled from my lips.

Pushing up to stand on my feet, I stood at the bottom of the spiraling cone of water and tested my theory. Clearing my mind, I focused all my thoughts on getting to the surface and pushed a sense of urgency. Immediately, the water near my legs shifted in closer until my lower half was submerged. The motion was so smooth that I hadn’t realized I was moving until I noticed the ripples of the water were now going up and down instead of to the side.

The air turned colder the higher the water carried me and the moon moved further into view. My cheeks ached from how wide I was smiling but I didn’t care. My head broke over the water line and I could see the darkened tents and smoking fires of the campsite once again. Shivering a little as the rest of my body surfaced, I anticipated being dropped back into the water but it never came. My feet were perfectly balanced on the surface of the water and when I risked a step it held my weight.

No fucking way, I thought while taking another step. I can walk on–

With a loud splash, I sunk beneath the surface once more before kicking my way back up to the top. Sputtering and gasping as my head broke free, I pinched my nose at the burning sensation. Clearing the water from my nose and ears, I started swimming towards the shore. Note to Self: Water requires a clear mind and an urgent need. Fingers digging into the grass, I gave one big push and then flopped down into the dewy green blades.

“I thought you said you were horrible with your water ability.”

Groaning, I rolled onto my back, “I was.”

“Clearly. Why are you up so late?”

“Why are you?”

A pink brow arched, “Calvin wants to have kids. Your turn.”

Well, fuck. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Because of Cillian?” She asked, taking a seat beside me.

Pushing up on my elbows, I gave her a look, “No.”

“Definitely about him.” She laughed.

“Who decides to have kids in the middle of a war?”

“I don’t know. He said this situation caused him to wake up to the reality of his mortality and what he’ll leave behind. ‘My artwork isn’t enough, Dani. I need to an heir to carry on the immeasurable perfection of my work.’”

Huffing out a laugh, I repeated, “An heir?”

“Yup.”

“He wants to be a father?”

“Mmmhhhh.”

“The man who has a tantrum if his brushes and paints are out of order?”

“That would be my mate, Calvin, yes.”

Holding my sides in laughter now, I asked, “The-the Unseelie male whose entire house interior is pure white?”

“It’s my house too but yea.”

“Cal-Cal who h-h-has on several different occasions called children disgusting little mongrels of chaos?”

“Hey!” She slammed her fist down on my still throbbing hip. “He doesn’t call them that anymore.”

“Ow.” I hissed rubbing the injury.

Dani scoffed, rolling her pink eyes, “Don’t be a baby.”

Instead of answering, I grumbled under my breath about how I’ve walked around all day with a shattered hip and hadn’t cried once. The most unbaby thing I could possibly do.

“Soooo, that fight with Cillian.”

I slid my eyes over to side eye her, “What about it?”

“You feel like he chose Mab over you, why is that?” She questioned, plucking at her purple pajama top.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I told her, looking back over the still water of the lake.

“I know you said you blame him for what you went through in Slykhelm but he did save your life.”

Growing annoyed, I forced my voice to stay casual, “That doesn’t make it right.”

“After you escaped and he found you, he could have ratted you out at any time but he didn’t.”

“Probably to save his own ass because I escaped again.”

Dani shifted to try and catch my eyes, “Since before the battle between you and Mab, he’s known about the plan to overthrow her and he kept his mouth shut. Macha, he’s chosen your side everyday for over seven hundred and fifty years.”

A bone deep reluctance gripped my throat in its fist, “What are you asking?”

“Nothing. I’m just giving you the facts you overlooked. Cillian has been a double agent for almost a thousand years to make sure you stayed alive in that prison. He’s probably done some really horrifying things at Mab’s demand so that when her patience ran thin, he was there to keep her from taking your head.” Dani placed a hand on my shoulder, “You went through hell, Macha. No one can deny that and no one’s asking you to forget it but maybe it’s time to forgive. Or at least accept what he did and move past it so you can heal. You’re too old not to realize that you’ve made similar devastating decisions in the past.”

My eyes burned in anger as I kept them pinned to the camp off in the distance. Locking my jaw, I kept quiet and listened because when Dani got uncharacteristically deep she didn’t stop until she said everything she needed to.

“You know what I think? I don’t think you’re angry at Cillian at all. I think deep down you know that everything that happened to you in that prison is Mab’s fault. But because Cillian’s easier to get to than she is, you’ve transferred all that hate onto him. And you’re using the fact that he’s hurt you to fuel those feelings.”

Blue locks flung about my face as I viciously shook my head, “Your wrong. It’s both of their faults and I fully understand that. I’m not a child, I know my own feelings. And he didn’t hurt me, he betrayed me. Huge difference.”

“Macha-”

“And when I tell people, I don’t want to talk about it. It means, I don’t want to fucking talk about it.” I snapped, climbing to my feet.

She stood up with me, “Don’t get defensive, I didn’t mean to-”

“I need a break.”

“What?”

“I need to not be here for a day.” I elaborated.

Pink eyes bulged, “What do you mean? You can’t just take a break in the middle of a war, it’s a war. Mab’s troops are searching everywhere for you.”

“It’s not a full on war yet and they won’t find me.”

“You’re not serious. You’re going to leave right now?” She said, gesturing to the damp bindings covering my breasts and the linen shorts I wore to swim.

“First thing tomorrow morning, I’m leaving for the day. I don’t know when everyone turned so touchy feely, but it’s gross and I need a break.”

She sighed, “Dougals going to lose his head.”

“That’s exactly why you’re going to tell him. Just say I took a mental health day.”

“I can’t-”

Already walking away, I tossed over my shoulder, “I’m not asking as your friend. Your Queen is giving you an order.”

I needed to have a chat with someone who thought more like I did. An impartial third party who only gave the raw truth and wouldn’t put up with an excessive amount of bullshit. And I knew exactly who to see.

Next stop, the human realm.

—————————————————————————

Man, Cillian is saying alll the wrong things. Lol. But Macha’s figured out her water ability!! Yay, she needed a win. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long when Dani showed up and said some things Macha didn’t really like. Annndd, the moment some of you have been patiently anticipating is next!!

As always, feely share your thoughts in the comments!

Smooches, Verbage 💋

Chapter Nineteen: Entering a Wolf‘s Den

“The facts you overlooked.” I mimicked. “You’re too old not to realize that you’ve made similar devastating decisions in the past.”

Ripping a large chunk out of the chocolate bar in my hand with my pointy teeth, I threw my arms wildly around the air. Just who in the hell did Dani think she was! Telling me my feelings! Who the hell did Cillian think he was telling me that I didn’t want him dead! Ta ifreann with them both! Icy wind bit at the exposed skin of my cheeks and hands but I barely felt it as I angrily crunched my way through the thick layer of snow.

“Hurt me? Hurt me? Pah!” I sneered, slamming my slowly numbing feet in the ground. “It was betrayal! He didn’t call me ugly, Dani! He slammed an iron stake in my chest and then threw me in prison! Prison!”

Grumbling, I waved a hand at the tree in my path and watched as it picked itself up by its roots and scuttled off. “I’m transferring my anger, am I? I’ll transfer it right up your nosey fucking ass!”

Panting from all the screaming I’d been doing around the woods for the past half hour, I took another large bite of chocolate and felt the last of my anger drain from my body. Letting my hands flop down to my sides, I dropped my head back on my shoulders and groaned loud and long. Why did you have to say that shit, Dani? Why’d you have to bring up my past decisions and how similar they were to his?

Was I being hypocritical? Because it was true if I really thought about it. I made a decision on what I thought was right without asking any of my people and went to battle against Mab. A lot of Fae died in that battle, in battle that they hadn’t chosen or decided on. So could I really be upset with Cillian for practically doing the exact same thing?

Kicking up a tuft of snow, I raised a heavy arm and took a forced bite out of the chocolatey goodness. Sighing, I chewed lazily and restarted the path towards Kaiya’s pack. When the fuck did my life become so complicated? A snort jumped free of my nose at the load of bullshit I’d just told myself. My life had always been complicated but it was this new complication with Cillian that was irritating the shit out of me.

When another gust of freezing wind rushed over my chapped cheeks, I shook my head at my own idiocy. Closing my eyes, I envisioned the small cabin I had taken her to after we met. But as the ground fell away under my feet, I quickly reopened them. Did I travel to her cabin or to the main house that I had passed on the way to the door between our realms? These shifters were more of a primal kind and I did consider Kaiya one of my best friendssssss… better not stir the wolves into a frenzy.

Restarting, I envisioned the large wooden log cabin with a wrap around porch covered in snow and creaking with age. The cold ground beneath my feet disappeared as a sense of complete weightlessness overcame my entire body. Within a minute, my eyelids were sliding open in time with the solid ground pushing up against my boots. The old but charming cabin stood a few feet away from my position at the edge of the gravel road. With a few neutral colored cars parked out front besides a somewhat expensive looking bus.

Taking another bite of my dwindling chocolate bar, I strolled towards the front door. The small parking lot and surrounding area was devoid of life but the cabin was ablaze with lights. Shadows passed the curtained window on the right side of the house when I stomped up the porch steps. Hip chains clinking, I raised a ring ladened hand to the hard wood and knocked.

Poor timing though as a round of loud curses and groans could be heard from my position on the porch. Casting my eyes to the left and then to the right, I shrugged and gripped the handle. That was enough politeness for one day. I was prepared to command the handle to do my bidding when it twisted without resistance underneath my palm. Dark green walls covered in pictures of wolves came into view as the door slowly swung open.

Bending at the waist, I leaned into the warm house and turned my head to the right. A group of boys sat around on the couches in the living room with their eyes glued to the T.V. Controls clutched tightly in the hands of three of them, they shoved and shouted while their friends cheered them on. Raising a brow, I swiveled my head to look up at the empty stairs before stepping cautiously over the threshold. Closing the door behind me, I walked further into the house to stand behind the boys.

The T.V. screen was split into three with a different car driven by a cartoon player in each. Taking another bite of the chocolate, I winced in sympathy as a banana peel sent one of the cars caneering off of the path. One of the boys snarled in rage before hitting the closest boy holding another controller across the back of his head. Grinning, I leaned forward and watched the game continue with it’s random acts of violence between the players.

It was only a few minutes later when another round of loud groans and cusses filled the room. A boy with honey colored curls jumped to his feet and punched the air in victory, “Fuck yea!” Doing a little dance as his friends threw food and cushions at him, he spun around to face them yelling, “Suck a dick, lose-Oh. Shit.”

The controler slipped from his hand as wide hazel eyes took in my relaxed form leaning against the closet couch. At his reaction, the rest of the boys turned to look and jumped to their feet in alarm. Taking the last bite of my chocolate bar, I placed a hand on the back of the couch and vaulted over to take the vacant spot. Growls and snarls vibrated the air at my movements but I just smiled back at them clustered in front of the T.V.

“Hello, Babes.”

After a long moment, a series of shoves tossed the hazel eyed boy a few feet in front of me, “Who are you?”

“A woman seeking advice.”

Sniffing the air, he shot his friends a look, “You’re not human.”

“I see sniffing is a thing with you shifters.”

The boy stiffened as the others shifted uncomfortably, “What are you?”

“A Queen to some and a villainous bitch to others. Depends on who you ask.” I shrugged, stretching my arms along the back of the couch.

“This is Silver Fang territory and you’re trespassing. Leave before we rip your throat out and toss your body in the snow.” He snarled while his friends bared their fangs from behind him.

Looking at them, I tried, I really really tried, but I couldn’t control the laugh that immediately tumbled out at his words. Shaking my head, I leaned forward and laughed harder when they all leaned away from me. Pulling the second chocolate bar free of my back pocket, I pointed it at him, “That was adorable, Babes.”

He snarled, “The Ranks are on their way.”

“The adults in charge, I’m assuming?” I questioned, ripping open the chocolate bar.

Instead of answering, all of the boys in the room pinned their eyes to the door on the left. A crash sounded out before the wooden door violently swung open to show the light brown skinned woman I’d come to see. Wickedly sharp fangs were bared at the room while claw tipped hands grasped the sides of the doorway, but after spotting me on the couch her aggression visibly dimmed. However before I could speak, a large figure slammed into Kaiya from behind causing her to release a grunt as she jolted.

Pale hands grabbed onto her shoulders, “Shit, shit. Sorry, still not used to the speed.”

Grinning, I watched her ignore him to step into the room and retract her natural weapons. “Ryan, link Otis and tell him it was a false alarm. My…friend has come to visit.”

“Best friend.” I corrected her.

“You two are friends?” The boy from earlier all but yelled.

Kaiya turned to look at him, “Yes, Theo.”

“She ate a man’s head.” I sighed wistfully while taking a bite from my chocolate bar.

Theo’s eyes shot between us before settling his hazel orbs on my blue ones, “Then why didn’t you say that you were here to see Kai?”

I raised a brow, “You didn’t ask, Babes.”

“Macha, how did you get into the house?” Kai asked, narrowing her eyes on the boys.

Glancing around the room, the boys widened their eyes pleadingly at me while Kai’s male gave them a sympathetic smile. Hmmmmmm. I could lie but the boy did sniff me soooo… “The front door. Someone really should lock it, what if a human had walked in? Those snarls would have been pret-ty tricky to explain…”

A vicious snarl sent the boys racing from the room, “Three laps around the territory before dark and I’ll know if you lie.” She snapped out just as the front door slammed shut behind them.

Laughing, I wiggled deeper into the couch while watching Kai and her male approach. “Little Wolf Queen, how have you been?”

“Good.”

“Hi, we haven’t officially met yet but I’m Ryan. Kaiya’s mate.” The male with black curly hair said, holding his hand out for me to shake.

Reaching forward, I clasped his hand in mine, “I see you’ve lost the whole ‘boy next door’ thing, good for you. The eyes add an attractive mystique to your persona.”

He pulled away, brown eyes with a quarter of bright red shooting to Kai, “Uh, thank youuuu?”

“Ohhhh, you bagged a cute one. He blushes doesn’t he?”

Kai’s lips pulled into a small smirk as she took a seat on the couch beside me, “He does but not as much as he talks.”

“Male or female, I love me a blusher.” I purred causing Ryan’s cheeks to heat. Too cute.

“Your male doesn’t seem the blushing type.”

Scoffing in disgust, I turned to lay along the couch with a better view of the pair, “That asshole is not my male.”

After a beat of silence on their part, Kai asked, “Why are you here?”

“Can’t a girl come see her best friend?

Red eyes left mine to look at her mate, “Is this normal between friends?”

“Best friends. You keep forgetting that part, Babes.” I chimed in as I took another bite of chocolate.

Ryan nodded at her with a soft smile.

“Well, what do you want from me?” She questioned, squinting her eyes at my relaxed form.

“Your advice.”

“My advice?”

I chuckled, “Your advice.”

Giving Kai’s thigh a squeeze, Ryan stood, “I’ll leave you ladies to it.”

“Oh, no.” I said, motioning with my chocolate bar for him to sit. “I want your advice too. Add a little male perspective.”

His unique eyes lit up, “Okay!” Falling back into his seat, he eagerly leaned forward, “Is this about that big dude you stabbed? I’ve been secretly dying to know how that went.”

Grinning, I kicked my legs in excitement, “I had a feeling you loved to dish! The big dude’s name is Cillian and yes, it’s about him. It’s a long story though, do you guys have time?”

“We have time.” Kai said and I might’ve been imagining it but even she looked interested in my little tale.

So with a heavy sigh and another bite of my sensational chocolate bar, I went about sharing my life story. Or at least the important bits.

…………………………….

“Holy Wolf Spirit and Moon! You’re a Queen. My mate is best friends with a Queen. An honest to Moon, Fae Queen in our pack house! In our presen-Oh! I’m so sorry! Would you like something to eat or drink? We have beer and elk-What am I saying! I can’t serve beer and elk to a Queen! No, no, I’ll go get something much nicer. I-”

The poor wolf was almost to the door when Kai called out to him, “Ryan.”

“Right. Right.” He said turning back around. “She’s here for advice, not a meal.” Ryan froze mid-walk as his eyes snapped to mine, “Right?”

Mildly shocked at his verbal spiral and completely amused, I raised my third chocolate bar, “I’m good.”

“So, this male almost killed you before imprisoning you for seven hundred and fifty years?” Kai rasped.

“Yes.”

Ryan retook his seat with a hum, “Where you endured endless torture on your mothers orders by some male named Fearghas?”

“Yup.” I replied with a little pop on the P.

“But you’ve killed Fearghas?”

“Most heinously.”

Kai tilted her head, “And Cillian had no part in your torture?”

“So he says.”

“Then you can’t blame him for what happened to you in that prison.”

Eyebrows shooting to my hairline, I said, “He’s the one who put me in there. If he hadn’t of suggested Slykhelm, I never would’ve been through any of that.”

“Buuuuut, then you’d be dead right now. And to be honest, from what you said it doesn’t sound like he wanted to send you there.” Ryan countered.

Before I could respond, Kai jumped in, “The only thing he sounds guilty of is saving your life and almost killing you.”

“What? No, he-”

“Enough with the excuses.” She snarled a little. “You landed yourself in that prison by going to battle against your mother. What happened in that prison was your mother’s and this Fearghas’ fault. You killed Fearghas. That revenge is over. But you still need to kill your mother so you can get over it .”

Pushing up into a sitting position, I furrowed my brows, “It’s not that simple.”

“I hate to say it but it kind of is.” Ryan said, cringing a bit.

Mind shooting a mile a minute to process the simplicity in which she spoke about my trauma, I sputtered, “No but Cillian-”

“Cillian sounds like he’s been one of your most loyal allies, not to mention like he can help you win this war.”

“No dammit. He’s an asshole, he-”

“Is continuously risking his life to get you war winning information.”

Frustration hitting a boiling point, I shouted, “Fuck!” Because damn it all to ifreann, they were making sense.

“What do you need to do to get over what Cillian did to you?”

“Him bleeding out in front of me.”

Calculating red eyes looked me over, “That’s a lie, you don’t want him dead. If you did, he would be.”

“I-” What did I need? What did I need to get over what he did to me? Because Dani and Kai had both said similar things and it was only now smacking me harshly across the face. Cillian had saved my life in the most technical of ways and I don’t think he foresaw the damage that his decision would do to me. My trauma was mine alone and I needed to work through it to be the Queen that my people deserved. Blaming someone else for the consequences of my actions wasn’t like me and it wasn’t Queenly. There was also the cruel reality that I had made similar decisions, to the one that he had made for me, for other people.

And even though I hated the way he went about it, he did save my life. On that day, I had been prepared to die but all these years later, even after everything I had gone through…I didn’t want to die. I didn’t trust him but after hearing everything he had done for me layed out so simply twice now, I don’t think he was actively trying to hurt me. Besides, I told myself that I’d always put my people first. It was time to start doing that by working with the man who could tip the war in our favor.

So what did I need…….. Ripping off a chunk of chocolate, I chewed around my words, “I-I need to know why he said Slykelm, why he chose to send me there. And I need a Cluiche Grudge.”

“A Cluiche Grudge?” Ryan asked.

I kicked my legs back up on the couch, smirking at his horrible pronunciation, and explained, “A Cluiche Grudge is a Grudge Match. It’s an ancient non-lethal method of resolving issues between neighbors. They fight until the person or both of them no longer harbor any ill will.”

Kai smiled, “I like that.”

“Noooo, Buttercup. Some of our people don’t have that kind of restraint.”

Feeling truly a million pounds lighter, I complimented them, “Thank you both, I knew I made the right decision by coming here. You gave me the kick up the ass that I needed.”

“Uh, there is one thing I think you should pay more attention to.”

“Yea?” I asked, intrigued by Ryan’s hesitant tone.

“From what you told us, which was a very detailed account of your life, I think you should be asking more questions.”

“What do you mean?”

His eyes shot to Kai and at her reassuring nod, he continued, “Well, not to be rude but why was it so important that they kept you alive?”

“I’m the only one with a real shot at killing Mab.”

“Yeaaa, but the way they say things is weird. I think you need to ask what they expect of you after the war and what Dougals last secret is. Because if you ask me, it sounds like multiple people around you are keeping a secret.”

Concerned, I looked over at Kaiya for her opinion.

“Can you afford to be in the dark on this third secret of his, when the first two had such a big impact on you?”

No. No, I couldn’t. I thought, chewing on the last of my chocolate bar.

———————————————————-

Trust Kaiya to quickly get to the root of your problem, lmao. I don’t think Macha was expecting to be so bluntly put in her place.

For those of you that read Feral Born, I hope this was satisfying and a little bittersweet!

As always, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty: Tested

~Cillian’s P.O.V~

The soles of my boots clipped over the stone flooring as I exited the dark hall and stepped outside. Striding through the purple and white tents, I blinked away the sudden burn of sunlight and headed towards the tree line. After a week and a half of not seeing Macha, I was getting anxious. I didn’t trust her to follow the orders that I gave her before I left and I didn’t trust the others to watch over her.

In fact, I’d been proven right on both accounts already about a week ago. I’d spoken with Bria a few days after I left and she told me that Macha had been spending her nights by the lake. Not only was she not sleeping but she wasn’t letting Bria watch her eat so I was betting that she wasn’t eating either. It was frustrating that my family didn’t have the same concern about her habits as I did. Just because she acted normal throughout the day with no obvious changes didn’t mean she was fine. My father for all his talk was doing a shit job of taking care of her.

“Commander!”

Instead of turning around, I continued making my way to the edge of the camp. Mab had signed off on my ‘undercover’ work, so my two weeks off started now. While she thought I was roaming from town to town looking for Macha, I’d be force feeding Macha in her tent. So there was no reason for someone to be calling out for me. The anxiety of what that frustrationing woman could be doing without proper supervision was eating away at me. I was leaving today before she could get herself into trouble or distracted by a certain petite Nymph.

“Commander, wait!”

Coming to an abrupt stop, I stared coldly down at the male who stopped me, “What.”

“You-you can’t leave yet.” He panted out.

“I can and I am.” I replied, shouldering past the soldier.

Again the male blocked my path, “You can’t. We’ve caught word that a woman matching Macha’s description was spotted near the Tiveal Bridge a week ago.”

“Why is it only now being reported?” I asked, keeping my expression blank.

The male shriveled in on himself at my tone, “The village nearby is pretty isolated so the news about her being wanted by the Unseelie Court had just reached them.”

“Who reported it?”

“I’m not sure but Mab sent you a message.”

Stilling, I looked at his empty hands and barked, “Then where is it?”

His dark yellow eyes shifted to look over my shoulder before he dropped them to the ground. “Behind you.”

Tightening my grip on my bag, I turned on my heel to find a young pale skinned male with even paler lavender hair. Empty eyes of the same color met mine with a cold smile, “Commander, it’s good to see you again.”

“Prince Daithí,” I greeted. “What brings you here?”

“Mother sends her regrets but she wanted the Tiveal problem handled by people she trusts. I’ve never seen her so worked up over a common rebel before.”

Because Macha wasn’t just any common rebel. “You should join my team at this point, My Prince. We work together quite often.”

“Are we not already? With you in her army and me in her castle?”

Confusion and apprehension filled me at the prince’s words. Prince Daithí might’ve been the youngest of Mab’s sons but he was arguably the most dangerous. He was the one that everyone thought would succeed in stealing the throne out from under Mab and his older brother. A rumor only made worse when whispers of Mab killing his intended mate had started to circle the court. Daithí was his mother’s favorite because of his cunningness which put him in both the safest and the deadliest position in the Kingdom.

Thankfully he didn’t give me a chance to speak, “Let’s get going, Commander.”

“I’ll get my team.”

“That won’t be necessary, my personal team will be accompanying us.” He stated, raising a pale hand to motion behind me.

Instead of looking, I nodded and stepped to the side, “After you, My Prince.”

The young prince smirked before striding past me to join his small team of guards at the edge of the camp. Casting my eyes over the area, I hiked my bag up higher on my shoulder and followed after him.

Father.

A few seconds went by before I felt his mind push up against mine, Cillian? Are you here?

No. I’ve been delayed. Reports about Macha being near Tiveal Bridge have reached Mab. She sent Prince Daithí to come with me to check them out.

Just the two of you?

And his personal team. He declined when I offered to get my own.

…So you’re on your own with the Prince and his team? Cillian, something isn’t right. Pull out.

No. It might be nothing but Mab’s paranoia.

When has she ever told her sons to use their personal teams for something concerning important information. She doesn’t trust them, Cillian. Pull. Out.

I can’t do that, we still need her war plans. If I don’t contact you in the next two hours assume I’m dead and pull Baris out. They’ll be coming for him next.

Cillian-

Pushing my father out of my mind, I gave the Prince and his team a bored stare, “Everyone ready?”

The Prince nodded, “We’ll meet at the entrance of the village. And after we’re done, I’m guessing you’ll immediately take your leave?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you headed off to?”

Catching the mischievous glint in his eye, I kept my response short, “Only Mab is privy to that information.”

“She wouldn’t mind if you told me, I’m her favorite after all.” He replied in a falsely disinterested tone.

“Then I’m sure she’ll tell you if you ask her.”

Pale lavender eyes hardened at the jab, “I am your Prince, Commander. You will answer if I order you to.”

“The only orders I take are from My Queen, My Prince. And no one else’s.”

“No else’s?”

My eyes narrowed slightly at the unmistakable feeling of being tested, “Correct.”

“And when you say your Queen…”

“Is there something you’d like to ask me, My Prince?”

His lips quirked, “No. Just giving you a hard time, Commander. Let’s move out.”

Not wanting them to arrive first, I immediately traveled out. The last thing I saw was the Prince’s blank expression before the darkness took over my vision. As the feeling of weightlessness overcame me, I couldn’t help but think of Macha. I’d been genuinely shocked when she revealed the reason for hating me. How she could think that I picked Mab over her was baffling. I’d been picking Macha everyday for seven hundred and fifty years. I would’ve never become Mab’s commander otherwise. And if I didn’t die today, I was going to get it through her thick fucking head. Because that thinking was just offensive.

After a few stops, my boots crunched over a familiar dirt road and I quickly pulled an axe from over my shoulder. Scanning the area around me, I watched as the Prince and his team popped into existence a few feet away. He raised a lavender brow but said nothing as they turned to walk into the village.

We had barely reached a crossroads when a man and a woman came running up the path to meet us. Different colored eyes peeked out of the surrounding houses to watch us and the couple running towards us in concern. The children that had been playing outside were now being ushered back inside as quickly as possible. Mab’s ‘Queen of the people’ act might’ve worked on the Fae inside the Kingdom but the ones on the outskirts knew better. They were the ones that were ignored and suffered routinely from the cruelty of Mab’s soldiers.

“Prince Daithí! What an honor to receive you in our humble village! I’m Finn, the Chieftain of this village,” The yellow haired man greeted before motioning to the pink eyed woman. “and this is my mate, Sarah.”

“We’ve gotten reports of a possible sighting of the fugitive Macha from someone in this village.” The Prince announced, dismissing the man’s kindness.

Finn nodded, “Oh, yes. Of course! It was our elder Brogan who spotted her. Caelan!”

Footsteps skittered over the dirt floor before a barefooted boy came running around the corner with his navy colored hair flapping in the breeze. Panting, he came to a stop before Finn with a large grin, “Yes, Chieftain?”

“Go get Brogan for us please and tell him to hurry, the Prince is here to see him.”

Wide navy eyes took us in as he spun around and when he caught sight of the dark purple tunic lined with gold that Daithí wore, he started to bow. Thankfully, a brown hand quickly caught his shoulder and yanked him up straight. Finn gave the boy a tight smile, “Caelan. It’s treason to bow to anyone but the Queen. We only bow to Queen Mab. Do you understand?”

Fear covered the boy’s tan face as he nodded quickly before running off.

“I’m sorry about that, My Prince. The young ones still get very confused.”

Daithí waved a hand at the Chieftains words, “I understand, besides the boy doesn’t look older than two hundred. I wouldn’t brand him for that, I’d brand the ones responsible for teaching him.”

The Chieftain stiffened at the casually mentioned threat but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Disgust rolled through my body at the situation, I couldn’t wait until that dictating bitch was dead. People shouldn’t be punished for making an honest mistake like the one the child had just made. Despite Macha’s own past of not being the best Queen, she was never and could never be as bad a Mab. Macha’s strict hold over her citizens had been over their safety not their freedom and beliefs. A bigger difference between the two was that Macha’s citizens had never been afraid of what she’d do to them for disagreeing with her. While the Unseelie’s feared their own Queen and Princes more than any enemy that came pounding on their walls.

A thumping sound followed by a slow shuffle caused my head to turn in it’s direction. Coming up the dirt road on my right was a man with a limp that couldn’t have been much older than my father. His wooden cane hit the floor seconds before his left leg slid forwards in an off kiltered walk.

When he stopped just slightly off to the side of us, the Chieftain made introductions, “Elder Brogan this is the young Prince Daithí. Prince Daithí, this is our Elder Brogan.”

The Elder made no move beside turning his head to acknowledge Daithí.

“Tell us what you saw, Borgan.” The Prince demanded, showing his distaste already for the Elder by not using his title.

The old man raised an unkept red brow at the order, “I saw a woman with long blue hair near the Troll’s Bridge and I remember because I was going to tell her that she shouldn’t be so close.”

“Could you describe this woman in more detail?”

“Oh, sure sure. She was really tall, taller than me with these strange tattoos all over her.”

The Prince leaned towards the man, “What color were these tattoos?”

“Silver or white, something like that. Swirly too.”

Stepping up beside the Prince, I decided to ask a question of my own, “Elder Brogan was there anything else that caused you to believe it was the fugitive Macha?”

“Ermmm,” The Elder scrunched up his face before suddenly slamming his cane into the ground. “Yes! She had two swords strapped across her back and they were a vibrant blue color. The same as her hair.”

The Prince nodded as if it was a great find but I wasn’t too concerned. There was no way the man could give them any information of real substance. Except…if he saw her so clearly then he also saw-

“Was she alone?”

The Elder shook his head.

Prince Daithí flashed his sharpened teeth, “Describe them, old man.”

“There was this dark skinned woman with pink hair and a tan man with brown hair…Oh! And when she first appeared she was wrapped around this large-” The Elder cut himself off when his eyes caught on mine for the first time.

Tightening my grip on my axe, I narrowed my eyes at the old man and raised a lip to give a quick threatening flash of my sharpened teeth. Don’t.

“Who was she wrapped around?” The Prince barked, fed up with the Elder.

Tapping his cane three times in thought, his red eyes swung back to the royals lavender ones, “She was wrapped around this large white male with dark orange hair. Looked like lovers.”

His cover was good if not over the top, I highly doubted we looked like that with her nails piercing my chest. But this was a sign that I needed to start wearing a cloak whenever I went anywhere with her in public. The tensions between Mab and Macha was starting to heat up which meant that soon no one would be safe. And Mab’s paranoia was going to cause heads to roll in and out of Court.

“Interesting. Thank you for your information.” The Prince was halfway turned around when a sharp gust of wind snapped the man’s cane in half and sent him tumbling to the floor. “Next time, I expect to be informed immediately and spoken to with respect. My title is not optional when you speak to me.”

The Chieftain and his wife gasped as they rushed over to help the Elder to his feet.

“Commander, please inform these uneducated Fae about the dangers of this woman.”

Nodding, I stepped into the center of the crossroads and did a slow three sixty as I projected my voice, “The fugitive Macha is wanted by Queen Mab on the charges of high treason and mass murder. She is to be considered extremely dangerous and mentally unstable. Macha is a ruthless Unseelie of the old ways and she will not hesitate to kill. If you see her, you are to report it to a soldier immediately. For the safety of yourself and your neighbors do not attack or attempt to capture her yourself. Anyone one found to be helping or working with her will face the punishment of death and denied a sky pyre.”

The Fae watching from their houses sunk lower to avoid my eyes and the harsh knowledge of the punishment. To be denied a sky pyre was the cruelest fate that a Fae could be sentenced to. Without it, the Fae would never ascend into the stars to meet their ancestors or watch over their descendants. It was a punishment that caused even me to flinch but I knew that Macha was worth it. The future of Tir Na Nog was worth it.

When I was sure the village Fae had been scared enough, I walked down the path after the Prince and his silent team. The group of females and males had watched the area around their prince with sharp eyes. This was why Mab didn’t like her sons using their personal teams on missions important to her. Because she could never tell who held their true loyalty.

“Well, Commander this is where we part.” The Prince smiled coldly. “Before I leave, I’d like to give you a piece of advice.”

Ice raced through my veins, “I’d be honored, My Prince.”

“Unbreakable loyalty is only admirable when it’s to the right person.” He said, dead eyes glinting with something sharp.

I nodded my false understanding to his cryptic words and watched them all closely before they disappeared. Without thinking, I instantly started to travel from place to place. My interaction with the youngest Prince had put me on high alert, I wasn’t sure what his game was but I knew it wasn’t anything good.

I’d double the amount of places and broaden my range before I traveled to Macha’s base. Until I knew for sure, I was going to start acting like I was being followed. If Mab found our base before the actual war started we’d be done for. The only downside to this plan was that I was going to need a few hours of sleep after all of this traveling. But, I was hoping I wouldn’t be too tired to check in on Macha. It was late in the afternoon but I wouldn’t put it past her to be doing something that she shouldn’t be.

Please Divines, for once let this woman be in her tent doing something normal and calm.

———————————————————-

Daithí pronounced Dah-Hee

You’ve finally met Macha’s youngest brother!! What do we think of Daithí?? Anyone think he’s like Macha at all, lol. This is the first character I’ve written that makes ME feel uncomfortable. Also I wrote this in a day so sorry if it’s shit lol. I just had to put something out for y’all. I think I’m addicted to the notifications lmao.

As always, feel free to comment or like at will!

Smooches, Verbage💋