Page 5 of Kings and Monsters

"Good," Rosa spat the magic residue from her mouth. "If she's left this many traps, hopefully, it means her soldiers have been pulled from the border patrols to protect her court." She hurried up the trail where Eli and Eirianwen were crouched next to an oak tree.

"What was that?" Rosa asked.

"A warning system, should Unseelie be passing this way. It was subtle, set to alert, but not to disable," Eli replied.

"I've seen this more often in the past few months. Aeronwen has slavers working for her, trying to round up any Unseelie she can to steal their magic. This trap hadn't been set off yet, which means there is either no Unseelie still living in these parts, or she has them all," Eirianwen added as she stood up.

"Could it be possible that the Unseelie have gone to ground? Maybe gathered somewhere safe to combine their strength?" Arthur asked, the general in him running strategic scenarios.

Eirianwen made a sound like a choking laugh. "Unlikely, young king. The tribes of the Unseelie don't…get on. It took me five centuries to get a rebel group of outcasts together. There hasn't been anyone that could keep them together since the last Seren Du king. The Children of Midnight and Winter don't sit easily under rulers like the Seelie do. They are not docile sheep who will follow any shepherd. There is me and three other generals that our people now follow, and I've managed to convince them to use the old Night Court as a base."

"Then they have brought much of their misfortune upon themselves." Eli shook his head, his glamour slipping enough that a wild, feral light came into his eyes. "They should've worked together against their enemy. Even without the full strength of their magic, they would've been able to stop the queen from being bold enough to their young ones."

"You speak of what you don't know or understand. You abandoned one kingdom and went to make another when it became inconvenient. You've no right to judge what has happened to this place in your absence," Eirianwen said through her teeth.

Eli's power spilled out with his anger, and Rosa stepped between them, placing her hands on his tight forearms.

"Let's fight about this later, okay? We need to get moving. If the queen felt the spell break, she's going to have eyes trying to search us out."

"She's right, Father. The trees are already starting to whisper. Put a lid on that power while you're at it, or she'll have us by nightfall," Merlin added.

A wall came down on Eli's magic and frustration, leaving his face cold and blank, his eyes withdrawn. Eirianwen was already moving again, putting space between her and Eli.

Fucking Vanes, Rosa groaned inwardly. Eli had always been the calm in the storm, but the closer they came to Unseelie territory, the shorter his fuse was becoming. Considering the lack of her own control, they would all end up killing each other before they could get to Balthasar.

Merlin laughed bitterly. "When that fight comes to a head, I pray that none of us are within a hundred miles."

"When that fight comes to a head, I'm putting my gold on her," Arthur said quietly. "That woman is going to eat him alive."

"They can fight as much as they like for all I care. I don't give a shit about lost heirs and the thousands of years of the queen's rule as long as they figure out a way to get Balthasar and Nimue back." Arguments about kingship and Eirianwen's grudge Rosa could tolerate, if it yielded some results.

"Well said, Rhosyn." Merlin gave her braid a playful tug. "We had better follow them."

Rosa nodded and adjusted her pack. "Was that thing you said about the trees true?"

His golden eyes flashed with amusement. "No. I just wanted them to shut up."

Rosa smiled before she could stop herself. "You are such a plonker, Merlin Wylt."

CHAPTER TWO

Bleddyn was being slowly torn apart inside. The life he'd built for himself in the human world was crumbling under the invisible and wilful force of the Aos Si. He was becoming Bleddyn Seren Du once more whether he liked it or not. The past he had locked away for his own sanity was all around him and walking in front of him.

Eirianwen is alive. It still seemed like an impossible miracle whenever he looked at her. He hadn't just seen her die that awful day when the queen had killed the kings; he hadfelther die. The bond that they had shared through blood, love, and magic had been torn apart. Yet, here she was walking in front of him, silver braid swaying and hands resting on the knives strapped to her thighs.Impossible.

They had crossed into the Aos Si, a place of pure magic, and he'd known something had altered in her very nature. It wasn't that time had changed the mischievous, sweet girl he knew into a hardened rebel general. It was as if something had changed in the very core of her. She looked and sounded like Eirianwen. The soul that looked out of her eyes was altered.

"You shouldn't be disabling these traps on your own," he said, coming up behind her. She ignored him and knelt down toinspect a clump of autumn leaves, moving them about with the blade of her knife.

"I've been disabling traps of the queen's for centuries."

Eli crouched down beside her. "Don't be stubborn. Let me help." The blade went from the leaves to his throat.

"Let's make something very clear between us, Bleddyn Seren Du. You are not my father figure, my king, or my friend. I don't need your help for anything. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I only want to see how you did it. Will you show me how to disable them? The last one I did lacked skill, and my children felt the side effects of it breaking," Bleddyn replied, careful not to move.

"You protect them too much," Eirianwen grunted, the knife returning to its sheath.

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