Breaking Out (21 page)

That is until as a single unit, the entire
group bowed to me. The steeds could only do that horsey bow, but
the people were kneeling on one knee. To me—Charlie Curvier. This
had to be the most bizarre moment of my life. I expected someone to
jump out any second and yell “punked.”

They waited, expecting me to respond in some
way. Not knowing what else to do, I covered my heart with the palm
of my hand and bowed back. It was the way the fae showed someone
the greatest amount of respect.

I straightened, but they remained bowing, I
looked at Jay for help but all he could do was shrug. Ivy pointed
toward a large archway, one that was wide enough for several horses
to pass through without touching and as if on cue a haunting sound
filled the grotto, and a procession of horses entered. The purest
whites led the parade, followed by a pair of golden browns.

A kelpie in human form dressed in a uniform
had approached Ivy, whispering. “Child, do not dishonor us. Bow to
the fae lord.”

“No way. We’re friends, now.”

I walked closer to Ivy. “I’ve given her
permission not to bow.” She smirked at the male who’d criticized
her. “Unless I feel it’s necessary.” She scowled, but smiled, when
she figured out I was teasing.

“And the large one?”

“Jeez, Char.”

“He is my second-in-command and…has a
princely dispensation.”

“Your second-in-command is not a fae
lord?”

“No. He’s a…a duke of the shapeshifter
community, an ally of mine.”

“I see.”

Oh boy, I was digging myself into a hole with
all the lies. I looked around the room, searching for the steed I’d
rescued. “Where is…?

“Here lord. I am the chieftain’s eldest son,
Rylen.” He was now in human form, tall with coffee colored skin,
hair the same gold as his mane and eyes the darkest shade of brown
I’d ever seen. “I owe you my life, lord. As payment I will serve as
your steed when you do battle against demonkind.”

“Just a moment, son. Our people have not
served the fae for centuries.” The chieftain had arrived in stocky
human form looking annoyed. He was followed by a taller, broader
male with an angry expression. This second guy looked like he could
eat a whole bag of burgers and still be hungry. He walked past me
without a second glance, moving directly to Ivy.

“You were told to report.”

“I tried, but the tides disrupted the
signals.”

“You have disobeyed me and will not be
allowed to leave again.”

Jay had taken a few steps forward, already on
protective detail, but I put out my arm to stop him. We couldn’t
bully our way into their private business, but I was pretty sure I
could help Ivy out. I thought about how Fin or Isaiah would handle
this, then stepped forward. “Who are you?”

He had the snooty expression down, all right.
“Lord Tellek. The chieftain’s advisor.” His voice was kind of high
and squeaky for such a big dude.

Isaiah had dealings with so many different
species it used to make my head spin. He’d usually pretend to be
friendly at first, then wait to see how the talk played out. “It’s
a pleasure to meet you, lord. However Ivy stays with me. She is my
personal assistant, an invaluable aide.” They seemed to speak in a
more formal way, so I tried to match it.

“You have used her?”

I didn’t pay any attention to the couple of
gasps I heard behind me. “Her clever mind, nothing else.” I drew
myself up to my full height, which was taller than anyone else in
the room—except the steeds. Tellek had to bend his neck way out of
joint to look me in the eye. “I’m affronted that you’d think me
capable of what you imply. She’s a child.” Ivy began to protest,
but Jay pulled her closer and whispered something in her ear. I
turned to Chieftain Marea.

“I ask the chieftain, in front of everyone in
attendance, that Ivy be allowed to return to Los Angeles to help me
with my work there.” There was no way in hell I was leaving her
here with this bozo.

Tellek took two steps closer. “You are but a
child yourself. What experience do you have? Why should we follow
you into battle or trust you not to get us killed?” He spoke
loudly, a few of the crowd moving in his direction as if in
support. “The fae are not what they were.”

And this would be the exact time Isaiah would
take charge of the meeting.

“
Wish me luck
,” I sent to Jay, after
explaining some of what had been said.

“
Keep the blood to a minimum
,” he
teased.

I’d learned that fae and demons could create
whatever they needed and what I needed at the moment was a symbol
of what I could do. Nothing violent or frightening, just something
that said,
I’m so much more than what you see before
you.

I pulled on the lines and twisted them in my
mind, taking hold of a nearby chair and molding it into a fancy
throne like Isaiah had in his receiving room, placing it on a
platform above the others. When I was done, I sat. The room was
silent for a few heartbeats, then most of the humans began
chattering at once. Some looked pretty freaked out, others were
excited at the small example of my power.

“Quiet.” The chieftain shouted above the
noise. When the room settled down he crooked his finger, indicating
that one of his servants should bring over another chair. I
fashioned it into a throne, the same dimensions but decorated in
shining shells with molded waves and tides rippling across the arms
and legs. I was in his court, after all, and was hoping he’d see me
as an ally and not an enemy. I was not above using bribery.

The chieftain sat, looking extremely pleased
with the gift.

“
Told ya. You should’ve started practicing
years ago.”

“
I might turn you into a totem pole when
we get back to land.”

“
I’d make an awesome totem pole.”

Rylen stepped forward. “Father, Lord Tellek.
The young fae prince risked his life to save mine. He had no reason
to do such a thing, yet he did. If Ivy—Ivonne—can be helpful to him
in his work, then she should make herself useful.”

“That female has one use only.” Tellek
sneered.

The chieftain held up his hand. “Tellek. We
will speak later. Perhaps Ivonne has value we do not understand.
She will return with this fae to the city. If she can wipe out her
family’s debt through service to the young prince, then so be
it.”

“She cannot. Their debt is owed to me.”

“I will decide what is best.”

Tellek bowed his head in submission, but I
could see the lie in his aura. “Yes, lord.”

“Leave us. Everyone. Not you, Rylen.

A table and more chairs were brought over for
Ivy, Jay and Rylen. Then platters of fruit, breads and seaweed
rolls filled with fish and other greens. Jay started popping those
in his mouth so fast half the platter was gone in a few
heartbeats.

“
Slow down. Leave some for the
chieftain.”

“
My metabolism speeded up during the trip.
I need to eat or I might lose control. You better eat too.”

Jay was great at judging his physical state,
so I always took that kind of advice seriously. I loaded up my
plate.

The chieftain leaned forward. “May I ask a
few questions?” I nodded. “Do you represent your people? Can you
speak for them?’

Good question. Who were my people anyway?
Sitting here in the court of another species did I represent the
fae, demon or shifter races? Why did I have to choose sides?

It was best to be honest. “What do you know
about me?”

“We have all heard the prophecy. You will
lead the fae army against the demonic forces. There is a second
prophecy, one which I never believed to be true, that states you
will destroy us and your fae allies.

“My grandfather, Finvarra, now rules the
fae.”

“He has returned?”

“Yes. His daughter, Fionna, was killing her
own people by draining away their power. He decided it was time for
him to step up to the plate.”

“Step up…?”

“Um, resume the throne.”

“This is wonderful news for my people.
Finvarra will remember us.”

“He will,” I agreed. Finvarra never seemed to
forget anything. Sometimes it was annoying.

“You are pureblood fae?”

“Not even close. My birth father was one
hundred percent fae lord, but my mother, Jacqueline, is a cheetah
shapeshifter, a healer with a good amount of demon blood. I’m part
of Naberia’s line as well as Finvarra’s.”

“This is an impressive bloodline.”

“Each race wants me on their side, but I
won’t be used by any species.” I let that info sink in for a
moment. “If a war is coming, I’ll have to take a stand, but until
then, I’m going to hope for peace.”

“Why? War is glorious. You are young and do
not know the rush of battle, the freedom that comes when one throws
away fear and faces death.”

“It’s not glorious to the innocents who get
caught in the middle. Your people are protected, hidden away from
the world, but what will happen to the shifters, the humans, the
wolves and the vampires when battles are fought on the beaches and
plains of my world? When fae and demon warriors meet in our realm,
thousands will be slaughtered.”

“Why is this your concern?”

“If you can ask this question, we have no
more to say to each other.” I stood, intending to look for Jay and
Ivy.

“Wait. Is it because of your shifter friend,
the duke? Or your mother, the cheetah shifter?”

“I have friends in every race. And they all
have a right to live their lives.”

“Not every race, young prince.”

I pulled on the lines, wrapping Jay, Ivy and
myself in a protective shield. We might be under trillions of tons
of water, but I could get us out of here in an instant. “Is that a
threat?”

“An observation. There are hundreds of
unseelie races you know nothing of: races who will also be affected
by the war. Some crave it, as we do, others fear it. Some are
powerful enough to manipulate its outcome.”

“I’ve met more unseelie than you might
imagine.” We ate and chatted for a while, the Chieftain and Rylen
watching me, asking general questions about my world. Ivy asked if
she could see her family and the Chieftain agreed, suggesting she
take Jay along.

“Rylen will accompany them. They will be
perfectly safe.” The truth. The chieftain didn’t have the ability
to lie like the wolves did. Maybe because it was more in his nature
to be honest.

After they’d left, I asked, “Why is there
unrest between the demons and the unseelie?”

“You have seen many fae and demons, yes?” I
nodded. “They are beauty and grace, equal in power, each simply
opposite sides of the same tide.” He asked for a refill on the
wine, the servant pouring then bowing after the glass was filled. I
stuck with tea. “As you see, we are not like either race.”

The horsemen in human form were stocky and
shorter, their features less even, more rugged. Some, like Tellek
would be considered obese in my world, although his horse form was
probably magnificent.

“You may be different in this form, but in
the others…”

“The fae and demon races stay in human form
at all times, unless there is war. Only those of our royal line are
able to shift to this human form and that is also considered a
weakness.”

“Ivy?”

“Her family is also of the royal house,
although they are disgraced.”

“Why disgraced?”

“Her father mated to a human female. Ivonne
was the product of that mating.”

“Her mother…?”

“Died immediately after the birth. Her father
fell into financial ruin and borrowed credits from Lord Tellek. Now
Ivy serves him.”

Cold claws raked my spine. My intuition told
me there’d been nothing natural about the female’s death. “The
mother was killed?”

“No. A complication.” A lie. Good thing he
didn’t know I could recognize the difference.

“What do you know of the murdered
wolves?”

He hadn’t expected that question. “Are you
accusing someone in my court?”

“I have pictures of the wounds on their
bodies. They weren’t made with wolf claws, teeth or any blade I
know of. Jay’s interned with his dad, a forensics expert. He
agrees.”

“May I see the pictures?”

“Of course.” I passed over my phone.

“In our sea form our teeth are designed to
rip and tear, but this looks more like the work of an extremely
large chela. It is neat and precise. Chela of this type are similar
to garden clippers. Do you see how the skin is bruised and the
flesh is not ripped but cut cleanly?”

“Is there a creature in the sea with chela
large enough?”

“There were, but now they are extinct.”

“The wolves could bring in the WPC. A war
could be declared between your two species if the murderer isn’t
found.”

“Follow me.”

On display in an enormous room were fossils
of extinct sea creatures: skeletons of giant whales, swordfish the
size of yachts, eels the length of a football field. In one display
case were spaces for three enormous chela. One was missing.

“I will call my advisors. We will find who
has taken the artifact. We will get the answers you require, but it
may take days.”

“I can get the information much faster.”

“When we find a suspect, I will contact
you.”

“Thank You.”

Ivy, Jay and Rylen met us in the hallway.
“Ivy and Rylen will return you to shore. Rylen may stay if you wish
it.”

“I don’t need a hostage.”

“He has declared himself your steed before
all at court. He would be shamed if you rejected him.”

I met his gaze. “I wouldn’t send you away. I
just won’t always be near the ocean.”

Rylen shocked me by speaking English. “In
horse form, I do not require the sea to sustain me, although I will
miss it. In this form a lake, a pond or even a bath is enough.”