The Seven Year King (The Faerie Ring #3) (25 page)

The
liche
did not have the ability to enter the townhome without being invited and it was too risky to try and bluff his way in with so many eyes watching. However, sated by the guard’s heart, he could afford to bide his time and wait for the right opportunity to present itself…

Chapter Thirty-Four

T
iki was rigid with anger. Her rage at Larkin gave her strength, though, and she forgot to be intimidated when she returned to the Otherworld.

“I will have a word with her,
now,”
Tiki snapped at the guard who stood outside Larkin’s door. Tiki had removed her glamour upon her return to Faerie and donned the crimson gown she’d been wearing when she’d sat on the Stone of Tara for the first time. There would be no mistaking who was queen at this moment.

Rieker trailed behind her, followed by Callan, Toran and Bith.

Tiki stormed past the guard, who barely yanked the door open in time to allow her passage. Larkin was seated at her desk making notes on a stack of papers. She raised her head as though she’d been expecting Tiki.

“It’s about time.”

“You will
not
tell Clara anything about Dain,” Tiki growled as she jerked to a stop in front of the desk. “And you will NOT visit her without my permission.” Tiki slapped both hands down on the desk and leaned forward until she was only inches from Larkin’s face. She was so mad it was hard to draw a deep breath. “
Is that understood?”

Larkin didn’t flinch as she coldly returned Tiki’s stare—challenging her. A brittle silence filled the room until the air seemed to crackle with tension. Finally, Larkin leaned back in her chair and cocked her head at Tiki. “And how will you stop me?”

Tiki’s mouth dropped open at the utter disrespect in Larkin’s reply.

“Larkin—” Rieker stepped forward but Tiki stiff-armed him back from the desk without taking her eyes from the blond faerie.

“
Watch me.”
Tiki snarled at Larkin. She’d never felt such hatred for another person before in her life. Outside, a summer storm suddenly ravaged the daytime sky. A
boom!
of thunder cracked overhead as hail poured from the sky as though thrown from above.

Tiki whirled to face the Macanna who had followed her into the room. At her insistence, the other five Macanna had stayed behind in London to watch over Grosvenor Square. “Callan—you are here to protect and serve me, correct?”

The hulking faerie didn’t hesitate. He bowed his head as he answered. “Yes, Majesty.”

“I want you to keep her—” Tiki jerked her arm up to point in Larkin’s direction— “under constant surveillance. She is to be watched at all times. She is not allowed to give orders to my staff. She is not allowed to attend Court. She is not allowed to go to London—under ANY circumstances.” Tiki stared at the muscled guard, as if daring him to disobey her. “Am I clear?”

Callan dropped his eyes. “Yes, Majesty.”

Larkin slammed her hand on the desk and jerked to her feet. “How
dare
you! You can’t—”

Tiki cut her off. “I CAN and I HAVE because I AM QUEEN.” She shouted the last words as she glared at the other faerie with pure loathing. “You have meddled in my affairs and with my family for the LAST time.” Tiki raked her gaze over the faerie, her lip curled in disgust. “You’re dismissed.”

For a moment, Larkin seemed speechless. When she spoke, her voice was ragged with anger. “You’ve forgotten, this is
my
study.”

“Not anymore.” Tiki pointed at the door. “GET OUT.”

LARKIN AND CALLAN left, leaving Tiki and Rieker alone in Larkin’s study. Tiki stood at the window and gazed out at the panoramic view, trying to regain her sense of equilibrium. She fingered the soft braid of blond hair that was wrapped around a small brown gourd—the lone decorative item that Larkin had kept in the room. Tiki was tempted to throw the rattle through the window, but something held her back.

Larkin had provoked her to the point where she’d acted on impulse without thought for the consequences. From this perspective, perched high on Wydryn Tor, Tiki suddenly had a sense of the magnitude of her actions and the new responsibilities she bore as queen of a world she barely understood.

The Wychwood Forest stretched for miles before her, the tops of the trees creating a multi-layered canopy that hid the mysterious wood below. The creatures who lived in the forest answered to her now. In the distance, dark clouds gathered over the Plain of Starlight where the Winter King and the UnSeelies lived during the summer months. What threat would Donegal bring? When would the war between the courts that had simmered under the surface for so many centuries become reality? But even as she contemplated the evil that Donegal had done and could still do, Tiki wondered who was the biggest threat to her own happiness: Donegal or Larkin?

“I’m proud of you, Teek.” Rieker spoke from behind her, his voice soft in her ear. He rested his hands on her shoulders and some of the tension seeped from Tiki’s muscles at his touch. “I always knew there would come a time when you would stand up to Larkin—I just never knew when it would come. But you did and you were brilliant.”

Tiki watched a large black bird with a crescent-shaped beak cut across the sky, its large fan wings sweeping the sky with mesmerizing repetition. She tried to ignore the guilt that weighed on her shoulders, perhaps even heavier because of Rieker’s charitable forgiveness.

“We can’t ask her to help us find Dain now,” Tiki said quietly, wishing the sick feeling in her stomach would go away.

“No, we can’t. But we didn’t need her to find the
Cloch na Teamhrach
. We can find the White Tower without her, as well.” He rubbed Tiki’s arms slowly up and down. “You and I will find a way.”

Tiki blinked back tears as she turned to cup his face. “My dearest William.” She traced his cheekbone with her fingertip, marveling at the depth of her emotion for the handsome young man who stood before her. “I would be lost without you.” Her finger dropped and gently traced the curve of his bottom lip. “You are everything to me.” She placed her hand against his chest to feel the slow thud of his heart and raised her eyes to his. “I love you so very much.”

Rieker slid his arms behind her back and pressed her close. He wrapped his fingers in the strands of her long hair as he gazed deep into her eyes. “Fear not, my faerie queen, for you will never be without me.” He lowered his head and whispered against her lips, “I will be by your side for all eternity.”

THE COURT JESTER was the first to approach when Tiki and Rieker entered the Great Hall some time later.

“Majesty.” With a dramatic flair, the gaudily-dressed man swept one arm out to the side and bowed over his extended leg. “Your beauty provides inspiration for even the simplest of minds.” He gazed up at her. “If I may be so bold?”

Tiki inclined her head. “Please. Is it too much to hope there will be another pearl of wisdom disguised within your wit?”

The jester straightened, the bells on his hat jingling. “Falsehood wears a mask that is concealed but from those who seek the hidden way.” He pulled a reed flute from his pocket and played a haunting melody as his words echoed in Tiki’s ears. The yellow sunbursts surrounding his black eyes made their depths seem bottomless and she wondered if it was wisdom or foolishness that he offered. His expression was sober as he raised an imaginary glass. “To your health, Majesty.”

“And to yours,” Tiki replied, pretending to lift her own glass.

He blinked in surprise and stared at her for a long moment before he inclined his head and murmured, “fear not the water, my queen, for it only appears to block our way.” Then he turned and danced away, singing an Irish jig.

“A strange character,” Rieker said, as he watched the Court Jester begin to juggle what looked like balls of white sparkling flame. “Did that mean anything to you?”

“Not in the least,” Tiki replied. She slipped her hand through Rieker’s arm and leaned against his shoulder as she led him in the direction of the High Chamber. “Larkin said the Jester’s loyalty lies with neither Seelie nor UnSeelie, but with whoever rules Faerie. I imagine he’s used to making up nonsensical sayings to amuse the royals.”

“Think of the secrets that man must know,” Rieker murmured, still watching the Jester in the distance.

“Half a step behind the queen, half-breed!”

The shout echoed across the Great Hall like a clap of thunder. It took Tiki a second to realize the insult was directed at Rieker. As the meaning sunk in Tiki jerked to a stop, searching for the speaker.

A hush fell over the room as the occupants waited for her reaction.

“Keep walking, Tiki,” Rieker murmured. “Pretend you didn’t hear him. This is not the time.”

Tiki took a deep breath and nodded at Rieker, laughing up at him as though he’d shared a humorous tidbit. “It’s Larkin’s doing,” she said through her forced smile. “I know it.”

“It doesn’t matter. You are queen. Remember that above all else.”

Tiki could hear the whispers as they left the Great Hall and a slow burn began deep inside her chest. It would be just like Larkin to undermine her by trying to divide her relationship with Rieker here in the Otherworld. Tiki clenched her teeth. This was a battle Larkin wasn’t going to win.

Chapter Thirty-Five

T
he next day, Tiki made preparations for a great table of food to be set up on the steps near the Night Garden for all to share.

“I want to make sure the faeries in the homeless camp know they can come eat,” Tiki said.

“It’s very kind of you, Majesty, but we’re a bit short on supplies,” one of the cooks murmured as Tiki made her request. “Larkin’s givin’ us instructions to ration what we put out.”

“Short supply?” Tiki frowned. “Why would that be?”

“We get our fruit and vegetables from the hobgoblins, don’ya know?—they’s the best gardeners we’ve got, but Donegal burned their fields and destroyed most their crops.”

“Said it was because they was Seelies,” another whispered, her eyes wide with a fright. “He wants to kill us all, he does.”

THE SUN HAD crested the sky when Tiki and Rieker left the Palace of Mirrors. They gathered Aeveen from a nearby meadow where the Seelies pastured their horses while living on the Tor. The weather was sunny, with clear skies and just a hint of a breeze in the air—a perfect summer day. The murmured warnings from the cooks had stayed with Tiki, like a cloud blotting out the sun, and she wondered silently if Donegal would dare attack during the summer months.

The white horse had greeted them with a whinny, shaking her head, causing her white mane to fly. They had changed into their camouflaged garments and Rieker gave Aeveen her head to lead them off Wydryn Tor.

“It’s like she knows where to go,” Tiki said from where she sat behind Rieker, her arms wrapped around his waist.

“If only she could talk, maybe she could tell us where to find the White Tower.”

“I’ve got an idea where to start. There was something strange about that village in the Wychwood. I think we need to investigate further.” Tiki said. “Maybe this time I’ll be able to see something I couldn’t before.”

THE BRILLIANT SUNLIGHT that had shone down on the Tor became diluted as they descended into the dappled light of the forest. The breeze was stronger here, rattling the leaves until they sounded like voices, whispering a message that Tiki couldn’t quite understand. Once again, Rieker had loaded Aeveen with a variety of weapons: a broadsword, a whip, a sabre and several daggers that hung from his belt. Tiki had brought the stake of ash with her again, and scanned the surrounding trees and bushes as they rode, wondering what creatures watched their passage.