Page 19 of Throne of Dreams
ChapterSeven
As much as Maeve wanted to go to the library, she wanted to hear what Merrick had to say first. The four of them walked onto the balcony where they usually dined, and Brynn waved her hand across a table. Bowls of fruit and little sandwiches appeared, along with a carafe of sparkling white wine.
Lir poured her a glass and Merrick downed his in three gulps.
“Kells is a shit show. I mean, Saoirse is holding everything together, but the city is in ruins.” Merrick poured himself another glassful of the sparkling beverage. “The city center is gone. It’s in ruins. The dock has fallen into the sea. The shops have been abandoned, the homes are crumbling and in disrepair. Everything is covered in overgrowth and rot.”
Maeve swallowed. Paled.
“Mer.” Brynn smacked him on his arm and jerked her head in Maeve’s direction. “A little compassion, please.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, Maeve.” He reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I know that was your home once, too.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Maeve took a hasty sip of the bubbly liquid, and it burned down the back of her throat. She rolled the stem of the glass back and forth between her fingers. “Please continue.”
“Anyway.” He spared a glance at Brynn, whose eyes shifted from a sympathetic gold to a warning red and continued. “The damage to the city itself…I think it’s irreparable. The Scathing reached as far as the Moors. Carman’s fortress still stands on the Cliffs of Morrigan, but the servants cleared out long ago, so much of it is deteriorating. The entire city seemed barren.”
Lir sat up straighter, then leaned forward and asked, “Is Saoirse there all by herself?”
Merrick shook his head. “No. Some of Carman’s soldiers remained behind. At least the ones who thought their former queen was unhinged for wanting to bring her three sons back from the dead.” His vivid eyes locked onto Maeve. “A few of them still think you should be queen.”
“No.” Maeve stared into the golden bubbles dancing in her glass. She could never.
Her allegiance to Kells died when she killed Carman, when the soldiers she trained alongside so easily turned on her. It made no difference to them if their queen was a wicked sorceress, and why would it? Kells was thriving on the outside, at least until the dark fae attacked. But the inside was rotten. Cruel and cold. So no, she would never rule Kells. If she did, she’d have a target on her back her entire life. She would know no rest.
“When I return to Kells, it will be to bring Saoirse back here and to get rid of the Scathing. So if the people want to return, they can, while being afforded the chance to rebuild.”
Brynn kept her heart-shaped face impassive. “And who will rule them?”
“They can elect someone.” Maeve rubbed her lips together and took another small drink. “Kells never belonged to Carman; it was the home of a human king first.” The one Casimir killed. Along with her mother, Fianna. “She invaded and made it her own. Granted, it was prosperous beneath her rule for a while, but the people of the land should be the ones to choose who governs them.”
“Another human monarch might invade,” Merrick quipped.
Maeve lifted one shoulder, then let it fall. “They usually do.”
Whatever happened to Kells after the Scathing would be for the mortals to decide. She was no longer one of them; they would never accept her. As long as Saoirse wasn’t there to suffer the downfall, she told herself she didn’t care if the human lands survived or not. It was a lie, but the people she once thought to rule would disown her. They feared the fae, thought them monsters, and would see her no differently, no matter how much it pained her.
Lir propped his elbows on the table and steepled his hands. “What of Tethra, Balor, and Dian?”
The Furies. The brothers she brought back from the dead. Her firstcreation. At the mere thought of it, frozen fingers of unease slid down her spine, and she shivered.
“Nothing yet.” Merrick leaned back in his chair, tucking his hands behind his head. “There’s a rumor they may have fled to the Moors. But no one has seen them since the night of Carman’s death.”
The Moors. Maeve had almost forgotten the Scathing had spread all the way to her favorite place. “How are the Moors?”
Merrick nodded. “They’re failing. Parts remain alive, but much was lost to the Scathing. A pity really, it was a beautiful place. Did a bit of exploring while I was there.” He sent her a pointed look. “Were you aware there’s a hidden lake?”
“Yes.” Maeve smiled, thinking of the lake that was once all hers. “That’s where I found my Aurastone.”
“Really?” Brynn’s eyes widened, shading to a deep evergreen. “How interesting.”
Maeve was going to let the comment slide, but then she saw the warning look Lir sent Brynn. “What do you mean, interesting?”
“Oh, um, it’s nothing.” Brynn waved off her question and took to inspecting one of her daggers, its blade glinting gold in the morning light. “I just thought it was an interesting way to find a dagger. You know, at the bottom of a lake. It’s curious, is all.”
“Is it?” Maeve knew whatever Brynn was going to say next was something she wasn’t supposed to say. “How did the High King find the Astralstone?”
Lir cut in. “You’ll have to ask him.”
