Page 19 of Kiss of Fire

Raya was startled.

“Wow. You look great. I would have said fifty, sixty tops.”

The Gatekeeper laughed out loud.

“Oh, I like you. You’ve definitely got Aelah’s tongue.”

“So what happened to her? Why did she abandon me? Do you know?”

Magda’s face grew serious. She took one of Raya’s hands in hers.

“I can’t say why she left Nush’aldaam or why she gave you away. But whatever her reasons, she did it because she loved you, child. Do not doubt that.”

“What about my father? Who was he?”

Magda took a deep puff on her pipe.

“Aelah was exploring on this side of the Gate. She always was inquisitive. And she became trapped in a hunter’s snare. When the hunter came along and saw what he’d caught, he fell in love with her at once. And Aelah, well, she was a passionate one. Never really cared much for the rules. One thing led to another and next thing you know,youwere on the way.”

“Did she get in trouble for becoming pregnant by a human?”

Magda snorted.

“No. Fae are always dallying with humans. Notorious for it. Anyway, no-one would have dared say anything. The Vulcani are among the most respected fae in Nush’aldaam and Aelah was their leader. Fae have a complicated hierarchy. There are several different clans, some have leaders, some don’t. But they all answer to the Fae King. That’s Aelfric. And he’s the one you want to watch out for because…”

“Magda!”

The roar thundered through the hut, causing pictures to fall off walls and glasses to shatter in the dresser. The fire guttered and blew out. Raya threw her hands over her ears, her bones throbbing with the intensity of his voice.

Shadows boiled into the room and Shadeed appeared among them, his wings flared, so wide they touched the walls on either side.

Even the normally unflappable Gatekeeper went pale.

“My Lord, I humbly apologise.” For once there was no sarcasm in her tone. “I overstepped. Forgive me.”

His eyes blazed blue.

“Remember your place, Gatekeeper.”

“I beg leniency, my Lord. I am deeply sorry.”

“Leave her alone.” Raya jumped up, bristling with indignation. “She was only answering my questions. There’s no need to bully her.”

“Do not presume to tell me how to speak to my people.” His voice dropped to a snarl. “We have business, you and I. You have laid out your conditions for an alliance. I accept.”

Conditions? Raya thought back to their last conversation. Scratch that, their last shouting match. After he’d… she put that bit out of her mind, and recalled what she’d told him.I want to find my mother.

“You’ll help me find Aelah?”

“Not so fast. There is the small matter of whether the Vulcani will accept you as one of theirs. And right now, there is not one shred of evidence that you share your mother’s power.”

“Of course there isn’t. I’ve told you, I don’thaveany power.”

“That remains to be seen. But I cannot take you through the Gate until we ascertain what exactly you can do. We must test you.”

The gleam in his eyes made her nervous.

“I promise you I have absolutely no special qualities at all. Unless you count beingreallygood at stabbing people with biros.”

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