Swallowing Darkness - Laurell K. Hamilton [95]
It was Lord Hugh who walked into view. He actually gave a little bow before he peered more closely at the mirror. He paled. That was answer enough; he knew it.
He spoke, hoarsely. “Aben-dul. So the sluagh stole that away as well.” But he didn’t believe it.
I reached my free hand back to Sholto. He took my hand and came to stand beside me. The moment his tattooed arm touched mine, the magic flexed, as if the air itself took a breath. The herb crown wove itself to life while the Seelie watched. The herb ring on his finger bloomed white, and his crown bloomed into a haze of pastel flowers. We stood crowned by faerie itself before them.
“This is King Sholto of the sluagh, crowned by faerie itself to rule. I am Queen Meredith of the sluagh, and I bear his child, his heir.”
I let the hand holding Aben-dul drop to my side. “Hear me, Mother Besaba, and all the Seelie listening to my voice. The old magic is returning. The Goddess moves among us once more. You can either move with her power, or be left out of it. It is your choice. But it is truth that is needed, no more lies, no more illusions. Think well upon that before you decide to try to take me back by force.”
“Are you threatening me?” she asked, and it was so like her to concentrate on the smaller issue. Though I suppose for her it might have been the large issue.
“I am saying that it would be unwise to force me to use all the power I have been given by the Goddess to defend myself. And I will use every ounce of power I have to keep from being forced back to Taranis. I will not be his victim again. I will not be raped again, not even by the King of the Seelie.”
Lord Hugh had stepped back a little from the mirror. “We hear your words, Princess Meredith.”
“Queen Meredith,” I said.
He gave a little bow of his head. “Queen Meredith.”
“Then disband this ill-conceived and unneeded rescue attempt. Go back to your faerie mound and your deluded king, and leave us in peace.”
“His orders were very specific, Queen Meredith. We are to come back with you and the chalice, or not return at all.”
“He has exiled you, unless you succeed?” I asked.
“Not in those words, but we are left few choices.”
“You must kidnap me for him, or be kicked out,” I said.
Lord Hugh spread his hands wide. “Blunter than I would have put it, but not inaccurate, unfortunately, for all concerned.”
There was movement in the tent wall, and Lord Hugh said, “Please, forgive me, Queen Meredith, but I have a message.” He bowed again and left me looking at my mother.
She said, “You look lovely in a crown, Meredith, just as I always knew you would.” She even looked pleased, as if what she said were true.
I could have said a lot of things in that moment. Like “If you thought I would ever rule, why did you let Taranis nearly beat me to death as a child?” Or, “If you thought I would ever be queen, why did you give me away, and never wish to see me?” What I said out loud was “I knew you would like the crown, Mother.”
Lord Hugh came back into sight. He bowed lower. “I am told that human police and soldiers are coming. You called the humans for help.”
“I did.”
“Now if we attack, the Seelie Court could be banished from this new land, which would leave the Unseelie and the sluagh in place, and in control of the last remnants of faerie.”
I smiled sweetly at him.
“You would win all that Queen Andais has sought to win for centuries without the Unseelie, or the sluagh, striking a blow.”
“The point is to not strike the blow,” I said.
He gave the lowest bow yet, a real one, causing him to partially vanish from the view of the mirror. When he stood up, he had a look of naked admiration on his face. “It seems as if the Goddess and faerie have not chosen ill in their new queen. You have won. We will retreat, and you have given us a reason that even King Taranis will understand. He would never risk our entire court being cast from these shores.”
“I am very glad that your king will take you back, and understand that to do anything but retreat would be extremely unfortunate,