The giant eye on the hill that nearly qualified as a mountain blinked.
“Hold fire!” Lt. Runningwolf shouted, the sound booming to be heard over ringing ears.
There weren’t many weapons useful against such large stone creatures as the rock trolls. Nothing short of mining explosives would bother the hill giant. Never mind whatever that was in the massive hillside behind it. The trolls didn’t have any clear weak points either, like Spearfinger had. If it came to a fight, as well-trained and well-armed as they were, the SET squad might take some of the Fae with them, but they would most likely all die.
The best option is for this not to become a battle.
That wasn’t what they came for, in any case.
Liliana reached out for Alexander’s long stone fingers. “You are part of the land that nurtured their rest, my prince. Speak and the people of the land will listen.”
His hand briefly squeezed hers, but he didn’t look at her. Instead, a single command rang out, echoing through the ground at her feet like a minor earthquake as he said, “STOP.”
All around them, the stone, earth, water, and plant beings that had started to look like an angry mob, froze.
“BE AT PEACE.”
The creatures blinked stone or bark or dirt or liquid eyes. Their fists unclenched. They looked around them as if waking from a dream.
A demi-crabapple tree, clenched her twiggy fists again. She stepped toward them. She said something in a language Liliana didn’t know.
Behind her, she could see with her second eyes, as the front row of soldiers shifted their aim to point at the brightly blooming sentient tree that stood quivering with acid green fear and determination in her aura.
Doctor Nudd stood on Alexander’s other side, still in human form. “Gaelic, my liege,” he said softly. “She says she is seelie. She asks if her and her kin can leave, or if you intend to kill them. She’ll fight if she has to.”
Alexander nodded, but instead of having Nudd translate for him, he spoke to his Guardian. “Siobhan, tell her that her people are welcome to stay, just as all the unseelie are. They can go back to sleep, leave, or join the modern world. They will have to accept an unseelie land-ruler, but this is not an unseelie court. This land draws no lines of blood between night and day. This isn’t Europe.”
Seelie flower-sprite Siobhan spoke in her high-pitched voice in a lilting, musically accented version of the same language the blooming tree had used. When the tree-woman said something short and probably rude in a grumbling, skeptical voice, Siobhan put a hand to her own chest, then gestured to Pete.
The red-headed man shifted larger and broader his muzzle and tall ears pushing out, showing his red-furred demi-wolf form.
The flowering tree woman put her hand over her mouth as she recognized the red wolf’s race.
“I told her, highness.” Siobhan spoke to Alexander in English loud enough for everyone to hear. “When she called me a liar, I told her I was a seelie sprite and Pete was a Celtic wolf, and we were both a respected part of your court.”
“The lesser one is joking, surely.” A tall, slender pine goblin spoke up in clear French. “Your choice, of course, if you choose not to obliterate them, but surely you don’t allow Seelie scum in your court.”
Alexander answered in the same language. “Siobhan is a court Guardian.” His stone nostrils flared. A small red coal of anger lit the center of his deep green eyes. “You will speak to her with respect if you intend to remain in my lands.”
The pine goblin laughed. “That little weed? A Guardian?” He laughed harder, slapping his woody thigh.
Alexander’s face didn’t change, except possibly to become more grim.
Siobhan’s expression twisted like she’d eaten something sour. “Can I kill him, highness?” she asked Alexander in French. She pumped the lower part of her weapon, just as she had before firing the stun grenade. “Make an example of one, and the others will fall in line.”
Liliana cocked her head to one side, confused. The stun grenades were not lethal, and Alexander had not given Siobhan permission to use more deadly grenades as far as Liliana knew.
She looked at Siobhan with all eyes open.
Oh. The threat is a lie.
Alexander’s black stone lips twitched at the corner in amusement. “It would be effective, no doubt, Guardian, but would not convey our desire for peaceful coexistence.” He held up a hand. “Do not blow the pine goblin into splinters for his insolence.”
“Mmmph. Yes, sir.” Siobhan lowered the muzzle of her gun reluctantly.
The pine goblin looked nervously at the weapon. He glanced at the ancient native man of power who was still on his knees shaking his head and blinking watering eyes repeatedly, likely unable to hear any of their conversation.
“You should probably apologize to my Guardian,” Alexander said, mildly. “She has been known to take retribution for slights out in blood. Unofficially, of course.”