Page 170 of First Light

“You need to speak to Lachlan.”

“Right.” She nodded and closed her eyes. “Yeah. I need to speak to Lachlan.”

Lachlan wasin the North Hall, holding audience with his father. Robb sent the rest of the court from the room when Cadell and Carys walked in.

She looked at Robb and Lachlan. “I’ll be returning to the Brightlands shortly.”

“What?” Lachlan sat forward in his chair. “No.”

Carys tried to read his expression, but he was carefully masking his feelings.

“I need to go home,” she said. “I’ve been here over two weeks. I have a life there. If I don’t return to it, people are going to start raising alarms.”

“You’re on sabbatical from teaching,” Lachlan said.

“I have friends,” Carys said firmly. “If I don’t return, they won’t just accept it and move on. They’ll come to Scotland just like I came. They’ll track my phone. They’ll call the police. The fae gate could be compromised.”

“Nothing in your world can compromise the gate,” Robb said softly. “You don’t think the magic will protect itself?” He smiled a little. “Your… modern police officers are hardly the greatest challenge the Shadowlands have faced.”

Carys turned her attention to Robb. “So you’re fine with keeping me captive here against my will?”

“I told you I wanted answers.” Robb stared at her. “I don’t have them.”

“Father” —Lachlan interrupted— “you cannot keep Carys here if she wants to go.”

“Why not?”

“King Dafydd for one.” Cadell spoke in a firm voice. “He will not take lightly any attempt to confine his niece.” Cadell seemed to grow bigger and wider in the throne room, and heat poured off his body. “And me. You will not keep my nêrys where she does not wish to be.”

“Hold.” Lachlan stood and ran an unsteady hand through his hair. “Everyone, please be calm.”

Robb kept his eyes on Cadell. “Fine. I will let your nêrys return to Cymru.”

“Okay, sure.” Carys threw up her hands. “And then I’ll just go through a fae gate there and cause even more questions in my world. You think that’s better? You’re not being logical.”

Robb was clearly stumped, but he wasn’t giving up. “So you found your sister’s murderer, incited an international conflict, and now you are content to leave.”

Carys opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Robb narrowed his eyes. “The queen of Éire will wantanswers. Her daughter and granddaughter have been killed. She will want an explanation. War between Cymru and Éire could be on the horizon, and you want to leave?”

And she hadn’t even told them about the maps yet.

“You could mention the part about her having a half-fae daughter and not telling anyone,” Carys said softly. “I feel like she might want to keep that quiet.”

“Rumors and innuendo are not international relations!” Robb rose to his feet. “You leave Briton teetering on the edge of war.”

Well, fuck. When he put it that way, Carys definitely understood why Lachlan’s dad was pissed off.

She looked at Cadell, but his face was as expressive as ever.

Fantastic.

“I…” She started slowly. “I have faith in my uncle’s wisdom.” Carys swallowed the lump in her throat. “And Queen Eamer’s sway with her mother. Dafydd and Eamer know that breaking the Queens’ Pact would have horrible consequences. And I’m sure Queen Orla does too.”

Robb persisted. “There was mention made of maps that could cause a war. These were the reason Seren was killed.”

Well, shit. How did he find out about those? Was that Duncan or Lachlan? One of them must have said something. Tattletales. She was trying to make a clean break with Robb and all this mess because she was more than done being a political football. She was clearly not Seren in so many ways, and this was one of them.

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