“What’s your name?”
He bent in a half bow. “I am—”
“Teagan!” Rian exclaimed from behind us.
The boy whirled. “Rian.” He rushed over and threw his arms around him. Rian patted his back and chuckled. “Is the lady with you?”
I could tell Teagan tried to be quiet, but Rian laughed and ruffled his wet hair. “Where are your mother and father? They will not be happy that you’re outside of the boundary.”
Teagan swatted at his hand and shook his head. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them,” he replied.
As I watched the obvious affection between then, I felt a lightness in my chest. Teagan was an adorable kid, and for a second, he made me forget the dark emotions swirling within. The rain had even let up its relentless pounding. Rian looked up and then at me with his eyebrows raised.
Teagan stared upward. “The new Queen lady has some strange emotions.”
My cheeks heated. Thank God, the rain made it hard to see my blush.
“I—” I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. I’ll learn to control it.”
Teagan looked at me, and his eyebrows rose. “You’re her?” He shuffled over and elaborately bowed, his arm going back and his head almost touching his knees.
“No need to bow,” I managed to say over my embarrassment.
He nodded seriously. “Very well, my Queen.”
“Rae! Call me Rae.”
Teagan nodded jerkily and blinked quickly. I could tell he was upset about something.
From afar, I heard a yell, and a British accent flowed from a female voice. “Teagan, get your arse inside the gates right now, or I’ll drag you by your ear.”
Teagan’s spine seemed to straighten more, and the guilty, frantic look on his face made me feel for him. As he took a step away, a young woman stomped up, a glare on her face. The water sloshed under her feet, and her dress was soaked.
“Brat, I already told you not to do that. You live to worry me,” she ground out. I expected her to smack him, but she enfolded him in her arms. “Do you see how soaked I am?”
Teagan held himself stiff but eventually wrapped his arms around her, flashing me an embarrassed glance. “Ok, Mother, enough.” He wiggled, and she finally released him.
She turned, startled to find me near the tree. “Hello,” she said, looking confused. She looked at Rian, and something seemed to register. “Oh, the Queen!”
She strode over to me and enveloped me in her arms. Her arms were soft against me, and I relaxed into it. I didn’t remember the last time someone was nice right off the bat. A small percentage of the weight on my shoulders lessened.
“So good to meet you. I’m Cora.” The name sounded vaguely familiar, but the memory was as elusive as smoke.
“Nice to meet you, Cora.” She seemed different from the other Fae I’d met… warmer, almost. I wanted to snap my fingers when I figured it out. I hadn’t encountered a Fae who smiled and hugged. It was very human. Her tired blue eyes sparkled back at me.
“We’re taking her in through the back. She’s not ready,” Rian said, stepping forward.
“It is all a bit intimidating. Many Fae gathered in the foyer to show you their loyalty, but I’ll handle it. You’re more than welcome to stay at our home near the boundary. We haven’t stayed there since magic was bound.”
Before I could ask more about this secluded place, Rian interjected. “For her safety, I think it best for her to get used to the castle.”
Cora nodded, not offended. She brushed her flowing dark brown hair behind her curved ear. “No problem, if you need anything, Rae, just let someone know, and they’ll fetch me.”
I shot her a grateful glance as she pushed a grumbling Teagan in the direction of the entrance. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, I turned to Rian. “She’s nice.”
Rian smiled and gave me a short nod as he walked away at a normal pace. I quickened my pace and caught up to him. “I thought there hadn’t been any births in the last two centuries since magic was taken.”
“There have not… except one.” Rian smiled, all mysterious.
“Come on, you can’t leave me hanging that way.”
“Teagan was a miracle. About sixteen years ago, the Queen started experimenting with what she could do to help Fae repopulate. The question of putting magic together to preserve a womb was brought up, but there was no one willing to sacrifice their time or magic for something that would not benefit them, and we needed the strongest. It wasn’t until… Jase, or Roark, I should say”—he paused. I was still perturbed that Roark had been known under a different name—“approached Luz and volunteered for the project.”
“And by project, do you mean keeping Cora pregnant?” I asked, a sense of dread rising. More thunder rolled overhead. “Was that Roark’s kid?”
Rian shook his head. “No, no. It’s Conan’s child.” There was a slight hesitation. “Between Luz, Roark, and Conan, they were able to combine their magic to protect the little one until his birth. But it took a toll on all of them. They fell into a deep sleep that lasted months.”
Roark hadn’t known that Sabine had been taking his magic. I wondered if that had somehow hindered the experiment.
“In the end, it was too much. They were unable to duplicate the effects, and it was too dangerous. Attacks from rebel Fae intensified, and we couldn’t steer our resources from the safety of the whole. It didn’t help that Roark and Sabine were raising their own army against the Queen. Something we did not know at the time.”
“Rebel Fae?” My eyebrows scrunched. “Why would they attack?”
“Some were sent by Roark and Sabine to cause dissent, others lived solitary lives and wanted to challenge the Queen for dominance.”
“Challenge?” My stomach churned.
“You do not have to worry about that.” Rian brushed my worry off as we arrived at a short door that blended in
