“Not so fast.” Annwynn said. She lifted a wand and emitted a stream of water that splashed against Finvorra’s legs. It hardened to a pool of ice, rooting him where he stood.
“Aaargh.” Finvorra strained against the icy trap.
“Queen Corrigan gave ye a direct order to cease yer violence and ye have disobeyed her command.”
“And I ain’t touched the changeling since then. Ye have no –”
“Silence. The Queen has authorized me to punish ye for yer insubordination.” She glided gracefully toward her victim, then slowly circled him, drawing out his impending doom. “Perhaps I should throw ye to the sluaghs.” Her voice was angelic and a slight smile hovered in the corners of her lips.
“No!” Finvorra wildly thrashed his torso, lost his balance, and his ass crashed to the ground, legs still imprisoned under the ice.
Skye almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“No? Mayhap that is a bit harsh. How about ye are never able to drink alcohol again?” Dimples appeared in Annwynn’s cheeks. “No drinks or drugs for ye. A lifetime sentence of sobriety. How does that –”
“Can you decide his punishment later?” Skye asked, exasperated. “We have to save Kheelan.”
Violet eyes bore into her. Skye could never be sure what lay behind them. Annwynn appeared equal parts cunning and kindness. Skye suspected Annwynn assessed her in a sly way. Though mesmerizingly beautiful and charming, she had to be careful around this fairy. There was a quality about Annwynn that was definitely not human – a hint of amoral selfishness like one might find in an undomesticated animal.
“Ye needn’t worry about Kheelan.”
Skye blinked in surprise. “He’s okay? Have you seen him?”
“He’s perfectly safe within our magical fold.”
Magically trapped was more like it. Instead of relief, Annwynn’s words chilled Skye. “I want to see him.”
“That’s why I’m here. To bring you to him.”
“How did he escape from the sluaghs? I thought they were the big, bad, unstoppable Dark Fae.”
“We’ve been watching ye all night. When the sluagh captured Kheelan, we were able to set some of their very own brethren against them as a distraction.”
Skye remembered the second swarm of sluaghs coming to battle, the loud screeching, fallen feathers and blood from the sky.
“That was you?”
“Not just me.” Annwynn said with false modesty. “I had a large role in it of course, but it was the Seelie fairies working together that started the fight. In their bloodlust, the sluaghs forgot all about Kheelan. As the beast loosened his talons to attack another, Kheelan fell.”
Skye lifted a hand to her chest in fear.
“Not to worry. I caught him myself before he hit ground.”
Kheelan was safe. The adrenaline of fear and worry lifted and exhaustion took its place. Skye went to the sofa to rest her wobbly knees. She sunk her head in her hands and took long, shuddering breaths.
“Say, now that we know the changeling’s okay, how about loosening me bonds?” Finvorra pleaded.
Skye’s head snapped up. “No —”
“— Certainly not,” Annwynn said with a regal lift of her chin.
A beat of silence and then, “please,” came a very un-Finvorran-ish croak.
“Yer fate is not mine to decide. If it were up to me, ye would spend the next century as a toad.”
Finvorra gave up the meek approach and bellowed. “Unhand me forthwith, ye dunderheaded, crabbitty ole –”
“Silence.” Annwynn clapped her hands three times and two fairies floated through the front door.
Skye put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Probably not a good idea to insult the Fae. Even if they looked like the leprechauns on a box of Lucky Charms cereal.
“Ye summoned?” asked one of them.
“Escort Finvorra to Queen Corrigan.”
“Ach, with pleasure.” They both smirked and rubbed their tiny, green hands.
“But . . .” Skye said. She hesitated. These fairies were so small Finvorra would make fairy dust of them the minute he was out of Annwynn’s sight. She tried to think of a way to say it without bruising their pride.
Annwynn turned where the new arrivals couldn’t see her face and blinked one violet eye at Skye. “There are no better fairies than these two for the task. Allow me to introduce Hefeydd and Ealdun.”
“I be Hefeydd,” said one, his comical smile endearing.
“And I be Ealdun,” said the other. “Kheelan’s friends from when he be jest a little tyke.”
Skye couldn’t tell one green face from the other.
Hefeydd puffed out a stumpy chest. “Annwynn trusts us like no other. We be the strongest green caps in the realm.”
Finvorra snorted. “Strong me bahooky,” he muttered.
“There be ladies present,” said Ealdun, frowning in disapproval.