2 Deja Blue (22 page)

Brennan drove
and Jeremy
sat
in the passenger seat next to him so he could st
retch out his long, lanky legs.
Anya and I sat in the back and
enjoyed
the
wind
that
whooshed over us in the cool convertible.
I
was
thankful that I was
actually able to doze
off on the way there. I think Anya
may have
had something to do with that
…
she
and her
Fairy
spells…I suppose I didn’t really mind though. It gave me time to rest
my mind.
My nerves have been
on
high alert for so long, that
sleep was a welcome relief.
Brennan seemed busy talking to Jeremy about what
ever Jeremy wanted to talk about.
A
nd
,
with the top down, the n
oise of the wind made
it nearly impossible to hear the conversation that was going on between the two boys sitting up front.
I
was grateful for
the little
snooze.
I hadn’t been sleeping
very well
lately
.

We pulled into a secluded area near the
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
in record time, t
hanks
to Brennan’s lead foot driving.
T
his wasn’t any local
tourist
attraction, that’s for sure. In fact, if you didn’t know it was there, you’d never see the turn-off on the road.
The Tahquamenon Falls are a set of waterfalls flowing into the Tahquamenon River, tinted with a unique copper color…earning them the n
ickname of the “Root Beer Falls
.
”
T
he Upper Falls is one of the largest wat
erfalls east of the Mississippi, so it was quite a site to see. But
, unfortunately,
we weren’t going to
see
the
water
falls. We were going to a secluded section of th
e beach right on Lake Superior, where I would soon be getting my ass
swished.

We walked along the star
lit beach until we
neared
a small gathering of “people.” I soon found out that the “people” in attendance were the Water Court King and
Queen; Celestine;
Celestine’s s
ister, Freya;
Celestine’s love, the
Troll
Bexin
;
and
Bexin’s
brother,
Grobel
(AKA Creepy Stalker Dude)
;
and Simon, that Royal Guard I’d first met at Martino’s Pizza.
I suppose I was expecting a
bigger gathering of people…or
M
erpeople
…
like
a grand event.
I thought it would be a huge
spectacle
…Maybe I
have
seen too many
Harry Potter
movies…I guess I was expecting a big grandstand and onlookers like in the
Goblet of Fire
. Where was Cedric
Diggory
? Where were the fans? Sigh. What a let-down. This was a deserted beach. The only sounds were the lapping of the water on the beach, the toads croaking and the katydids
chirping
in the nearby trees. T
hi
s was a private matter – a
matter to be dealt with
by only
the King and Queen of the Court and those that were to be betrothed.
I suppose it was better this way
. It did seem to settle my nerves a little, knowing that a bunch of strangers wouldn’t be cheering or booing my performance
in the as-yet unknown spectacle.

Celestine, as usual, looked stunning. Her sister, Freya
,
was just as beautiful, with the same
somewhat freakish
purple eyes. The
main difference between the sisters was their hair color. Where Celestine’s was a shimmering white-blond, Freya’s was the color of Aquamarine, with streaks of white-blond running through it.
Freya’s hair
was
just a few shade
s
lighter than the color of Brennan’s Mustang actually.
Grobel
looked as tough and stocky as always
,
with his stone features and short cropped hair.
Bexin
, although very similar in stature and appearance
to his brother,
was slightly thinner and
a bit
softer looking. I could see why Celestine might mistake the two of them at a distance…
B
e
xin
had the same angular, sharp features
as
Grobel
, but his nose didn’t look like it was broken and smashed about ten times, like
Grobel’s
did. Celestine definitely picked the right brother.
Bexin
was a notch or two up on the good-looking scale.

The King and Queen of the Water Court were standing regally on the sandy beach
next to the
Troll
brothers
. I was told that the King and Queen were not Celestine’s parents. Celestine was not of royal decent, but merely a subject of the Court. As such, her parents were not entitled to be
in attendance
. The King and Queen, as rulers of the
Water
Court, would oversee the
Challenge
and declare the winner. As all inhabitants of Fey,
Celestine’s
parents would
learn of
the outcome immediately through their telepathic communication. Celestine would be broadcasting the entire
event
to them
as
it happened.
My eyes settled on the King and Queen, who were both stunningly magnificent sights.
Draped in simple
white
cloths
, they too, were beautiful specime
ns, just as Celestine
and Freya
w
ere
.
Both had long flowing hair, both were athletically muscular and seemingly young. This King didn’t look like
the images I’d seen of King
Neptune or anything. No white hair. No beard. No spear with fish symbols.
He had long, dark hair, almost black but not quite as dark as Brennan’s.
His muscular chest was bare, except for an
elaborate symbolic
tattoo over his heart.
The Queen’s hair was much wavier and much longer – down to her waist – and it was a fiery shade of red.
She
had
a similar tattoo
,
matching the King’s
,
starting at her shoulder and winding down her left arm. They also
both
w
ore
crowns. They were small, intricate bands of gold
that
were
woven together with small,
spark
l
ing gem stones in shades of green, turquoise and blue sprinkled through
out. Subtle, yet beautiful, the crowns
glittered
in the moonlight. It’s like that old saying, sometimes less is more. Even though these crowns were not huge and ornate, they had an air of distinction…of
regalness
and of pure and simple beauty…just like the wearers. 

Then there was Simon, the Royal Guard
from the Earthen Court
. I didn’t really kno
w why he was here.
He was
looking as nondescript as ever
with
his
brown tousled hair
,
jeans
,
and plain brown t-shirt.
He
was a stark contrast to the elegance and beauty of the King and Queen.

The King spoke, “Whom do you bring at your side, Prince of the Earthen Court?”

I looked over at Brennan
,
and he bowed gracefully to the King, looking serious and stoic. Without blinking an eye, he loudly answered, “King of the Water Court, it is an
honor to stand in your presence
for the
Challenge
. Representing my Court is Lady Ruby Blue and her consort, Jeremy, my sister, Princess Anya and
,
of course, my personal Royal Guard, Simon. He is
in attendance for my security at the request of my father, the King
of the Earthen Court
.
My father, as you know, could not attend tonight, so I am here in his stead.
”
My eyes bugged out in surprise
and I gulped back a gasp when Brennan referred to
me as “Lady Ruby Blue” and
Jeremy as my “consort.”
Consort of what?!
Any time I had ever heard that term, consort meant a friend of the sexual nature…there was definitely none of that going on with me and Jer.
Ichhh
!
I inwardly shuddered at that thought.
I then noticed Jeremy eyeing Simon up and down, drinking him in like he was a
glass of cold lemonade
. I nudged Jeremy’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Ahem. You have a boyfriend, remember? Michael?” Without taking his eyes off of Simon, he whispered back, “I’m just
lookin
’ at the menu. Didn’t say I was
gonna
order.” I snickered at his little remark
,
and I turned my attention back to the King.

The King spoke again, “I address the
Mermaid
Celestine. You are of the Water Court and have so desired to marry out of
our clan
. I
s that correct
?” Celestine nodded
,
and the King
continued on,
“Whom do you bring at your side to compete
on behalf of the Water Court
?”

“My sister, Freya.”
Celestine answered with a nod of respect. Freya graciously curts
ied
to the King.  The King nodded, and replied, “I address the
Mermaid
Freya. Before you answer my next question, all must be advised that
,
as a member of my Court, I will be aware of all of your inner-most truths. Your word and honor will be sealed with a bond
,
and if you do not compete honorably and to the best of your ability, the highest penalty shall be paid.” Freya nodded in understanding as the King continued on, “
Do you accept the c
hallenge to compete?” Freya answered, “I do, Sire.” The King nodded and placed his hands on her shoulders. They seemed to be in some kind of silent prayer. I leaned over to Brennan and whispered, “What’s going on?”

Brennan replied with
Fairy
telepathy, and I hea
rd his voice inside of my head,
“
He is looking within her, determining whether or not she is being truthful and sealing her promise with the magic of their Court.
The penalty for deceit or purposely throwing the
Challenge
is death.
It’s their way of assuring that the Water Court Competitor is not going to
be sympathetic to the couple…to ensure Freya will not betray her Court just so her sister can marry the
Troll
.
And, Ruby, next
time
use
your
Fairy
-speak. We don’t need every
one here knowing
our conversations
.
”
Oops.
My bad.
I suppose Brennan is right.
I gave him an apologetic look and he
shrugged in response
. “It’s alright
,” I heard him say.
“Just remember for next time, okay?”

The King seemed to approve of Freya’s response and turned to us again. He said, “I address the
Troll
Bexin
. Do you forever love the
Mermaid
Celes
t
ine?”

Bexin
bowed deeply and answered solemnly, “I do, Sire.
She is
grá
mo
chroí
go
deo
…the love of my heart forever,” he looked
adoringly
at Cel
e
s
tine, with their hands entwined.
I could almost feel the love
oozing
out of every pore of their bodies. Surely, these two were meant to be together. I couldn’t imagine someone looking at me with such longing, such endearment…
such…
such pure love. I swallowed down the big lump in my throat as I stared at the two beings on the beach,
both of whom
looked like they were in their own little world, unaware of the several pairs of eyes
on them
.