“Indeed, my Queen. I suggest we try the next Queen’s realm. Grian might be more interested.”
“Wasn’t she my predecessor’s sister? I would think that would pre-dispose her against me.”
Grimnaugh managed a mischievous grin. “The two did not communicate on friendly terms.”
“Hmm. Very well, Grian’s realm shall be your next destination. Tell me what you know of her.”
“Grian was Áine’s sister. She is the pale, dim, winter sun to Áine’s full, bright, summer sun. As the realm is always somewhat light here, and you have Cerul who can summon a facsimile of the sun itself, she rules the short days of the colder seasons in the mortal realm. Her realm is darker, gloomier, and many of her creatures boast darker hearts.”
“Queen Grian sounds like a delightful friend.”
He let out a bark of laughter, taking another of the offered fruits. Grimnaugh peeled one with thicker skin and chewed the flesh before speaking. “You may jest, but she may have use of you.”
Clíodhna didn’t care for the sound of that. “What use?”
“She has, in the past, expressed a love of the ocean.”
“And what is that to me?”
His face broke into a grin. “You hold power over the sea.”
Clíodhna blinked. “I do? Was someone supposed to inform me of this?”
Grimnaugh rolled his eyes, taking another bite of his fruit. “From where do you believe you call your storms from?”
“Adhna said I had air magic. He taught me earth magic, but I had the natural call for air.”
“You command water magic. The storms come from the sea, not from the air. The wind, yes, that comes from the air. A powerful queen can call upon multiple sources of power, but from what I’ve seen, you are an ocean Queen.”
Clíodhna blinked a few times, looking into the middle distance. “I grew up near the ocean, far to the southwest corner of the island. We lived on the beach, and I loved swimming with the dolphins.”
“Yes, exactly that. You will again, I’m sure. There is where your true powers lie.”
“What would Grian want of my power over the ocean, then?”
“That is what I mean to find out on my mission.”
“Did you hear anything of Adhna during your visits?”
Grimnaugh fiddled with his fingers. “I still can’t find out where Áine sent him on that last mission, nor have I heard of him since. He must be somewhere in the mortal world. Maybe he’s taking some time to look after your children?”
That idea warmed Clíodhna’s heart. “Perhaps so. I hope he is well. I hope they are well.”
* * *
Queen Grian agreed to be part of a very loose alliance, but none of the others. Grimnaugh felt certain she only did so out of a strange animosity for her sister, and the resultant good will toward her usurper. No matter that Clíodhna hadn’t intended to usurp Áine, only that it happened, at Bodach’s design.
Grian didn’t want a visit from Clíodhna, though, according to Grimnaugh. She would agree to pledge safety for Clíodhna and her family, in exchange for the same, without such physical meetings. When Grimnaugh reported on his last mission, Clíodhna expressed concern about the stricture. They once again sat in her antechamber, long after the court cleared.
“I suspect,” Grimnaugh said, “she doesn’t care for traveling much. Rumor has it she’s never left her realm, even for battle.”
“How does she lead her troops if she’s not there?”
“She either sends her war leader, her Consort, or arranges the battles to be near her.”
Clíodhna giggled. “Arranges her battles? This is not a game on a strategy board. These are the lives of our subjects!”
“Still, the Queens hold a great deal of power, and if she wishes to use it for her own convenience, well, other Queens have used their power with less wisdom.”
“And yet she wants my ocean power for something? Did she speak to you of that?”
“Yes, but in private. This would be a personal favor, understand, not one between Queens. Are you willing to hear what she asks?”
The servant came in to bring more mead. Clíodhna waited until they were alone again before nodding. “Tell me what she wants.”
Grimnaugh poured mead into two goblets and handed her one. “She wants you to heal part of the ocean.”
Clíodhna took hers but didn’t sip. “She what?”
“There’s a place in the mortal world where the ocean has been damaged by men. A place near the shore on the west coast. They throw their waste into the water, and the sea life is suffering. She has some creatures from her realm living there, Fae of the sea, and they have been complaining.”
“But I can’t go to the mortal world but once again. I’m stuck here as Queen.”
“She’s aware of this. The need is not urgent. When you do return, she asks you spend some time healing that part of the sea.”
Clíodhna considered the request. If she had the power to do so, she would have done such healing anyhow. She wished she could find Adhna. He might be the only one to teach her what she needed to complete such a task. In the meantime, she needed to send an answer to her counterpart.
“You said men lived nearby. Will they object to my work?”
He shrugged. “They dwell on an island not far away. You can do your work from the mainland, without their direct knowledge.”
“Very well. Tell her I agree to this boon. In return, I ask… I don’t know. What should I ask as a personal favor, Grimnaugh? I don’t wish to waste this opportunity, but I’m unsure what might be within her power to grant.”
He bit his lip, eying her with a roguish grin. “The most insidious, open-ended boon a Queen can ask for–a future favor.”
“Would she agree to such a thing?
