Page 72 of Obsidian Prince

The tall pine looked like he’d swallowed a bug. “My apologies, of course, Guardian.” The words sounded like they were drug out of him painfully.

Siobhan glared at him. “Accepted.” She spoke with the same reluctance.

“Green man, I would speak with you.” Alexander pointed at the elder hickory, even though he had just arrived with his family and was at the far back edge of the crowd.

His wife made a sound of distress. She reached for him with clinging twigs as he pulled away. He straightened, shifted to his smaller human form, and walked to stand in front of Siobhan who did not allow the man any closer to Alexander.

He dropped to one knee, trembling. “My liege.” He spoke in an accented English that sounded like it came straight from England. The words and the gesture both acknowledged Alexander as ruler.

“You are the Green man of this forest. All can feel the richness of Green in it. But the land that feeds it is mine. I will not tolerate murder of seelie, unseelie, or beast-kin on this land without cause, nor especially of Normals. They do not understand their transgressions. You have slain them when their only crime was ignorance.”

The old man with his bushy beard in faded clothes from a previous century swallowed and nodded. “I was confused and afraid, but those are not good reasons to kill the innocent. I submit to your punishment.” He bowed his head, putting one hand on the ground as if he expected to be beheaded.

Much to Liliana’s surprise, Detective Jackson stepped forward. “I represent the human law here, which you broke.”

There was a murmur among those watching as they realized a Normal human stood among the Fae prince’s court.

The old man sat back on his heels. He looked up at the petite policewoman.

“You murdered four people. Why?”

“I was just…” He swallowed. “They cut limbs from green trees. I’d forgotten which ones were my wife and daughter. I thought they hurt my little girl.” The shaggy-bearded man blinked and tears fell. “She and her mother nearly died of the influenza. I brought them here to heal. The Green was fading everywhere, but this place still had some power. I used my magic to pull as much of the Green as I could, but no matter what I did, it wasn’t strong enough to do anything but keep them alive in tree form. Only in the last decade has it started to help them heal again. They were nearly well. To survive so much, then be cut down by some insensitive idiot. I just …” He shook his head and tears fell again. “I wasn’t really in my right mind at that point. When I saw that soldier cut a sapling that might have been my little girl, I just… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Detective Jackson sighed and rubbed her temples. “Do you intend to continue killing campers or anyone else?”

“No, ma’am. I know they didn’t deserve what I did.” He looked to Alexander. “Please, just take care of my family, sire. They were not in any way responsible.”

Detective Jackson looked up at Alexander, who gestured to her that the decision was hers. “Well, it’s not like I could drag you into a court of law.” She nodded. “All right. Protecting your child is a hard thing to argue with. As far as the press and my bosses are concerned, the bear did it.” She glared down at the weeping old hickory. “I’ll let it go. But if anyone in this forest gets so much as a scratch from now on, I’ll know who to blame and where to find you.”

The old man looked up at her with dawning wonder, then looked up at Alexander.

He gave a confirming nod. “Detective Jackson represents the human law in this place. If she forgives your actions, then I do as well.”

The man’s beard was split by a brilliant smile. “Thank you, ma’am. Thank you, sire. I swear, this will be the safest forest for miles around.”

As the Green man joined his relieved family, Alexander addressed the now quiescent crowd.

“If you wish to leave this realm, I will not stop you. If you wish to remain, you will swear allegiance to me. After that, you may sleep again or wake as you choose. If you wish to rejoin mortal society, we will arrange for you to be taught and given what is necessary to pass as a Normal from this time.”

He repeated the English statement in all his languages. Liliana repeated it in the two she knew that he didn’t. Nudd repeated it in Gaelic and another tongue she didn’t recognize. John repeated it in two more languages she didn’t know.

Alexander’s voice deepened again until it vibrated through the earth. “I RULE HERE NOW. IS THAT CLEAR?”

Everyone nodded and the old-world Fae lined up to swear fealty. The hill giant nodded, huge stone eyes focused on Alexander. “I SWEAR.” The giant’s voice rumbled like an avalanche, then it laid back down. As its eyes closed, it lost its human face, becoming nothing more than a hill again.

On the cliff face behind the giant, Liliana was relieved to see that great eye close and vanish as if it had never been. She wasn’t sure Alexander or anyone else saw it.

The ancient cypress man on his knees with the horrific wounds shuddered. He looked up at Alexander, face filled with rage and sorrow, eyes full of impotent tears. His hearing was probably still damaged, and his sight limited to only the edges around big blotches of white, but the language of the earth was one all Fae heard and understood.

There were a lot of Fae who had moved to surround the cypress Fae. The ones in human form all had the facial features of native Americans.

The ancient cypress growled a few soft syllables that Liliana didn’t know. His shoulders sagged in a defeated shrug. He seemed unable to hear anything but the words Alexander spoke through the Green.

“Nvwadohiyada,” John Runningwolf said to him and to the dark-haired people around him who still had angry or wary faces. “Peace to you.”

Those among the crowd reacted to John when he said that one word. The woman in the creek was among them. She stepped onto shore, taking a human shape in a blue and green dress with a bell-shaped skirt and corset forming a V at her waist. Shiny black hair was parted in a perfect line with little twisted buns over each ear framing a broad face with native American features. The other native Fae moved to stand with the woman who stood straight-backed and chin high. In oddly accented, but clear, crisp English, she said, “We will not leave this land, no matter who rules. Many of us hid in our other forms when they told us we must go. We will fight to stay.”

Alexander shook his head. “I’m not asking anyone to leave. That was a long time ago. If you wish to join society again, my people will help you make new homes here. I only ask that you obey modern law.” He gestured at Detective Jackson. “Find your place in Normal society or continue your sleep here. As you choose.”

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