“Yes, you open the gates and call for sanctuary. You allow the other Castes to see and grieve for Synthia and the Blood King will call for blood, be assured of it. You’ll call for the final rites, and in doing so, you’ll have the Elite Guard come in to carry her away, but as they do, Synthia will follow them in to show her new status. Also, your people need to know she stands beside you, and that together you are united. They will also know that she will no longer feed from you, but you’ll feed from a Goddess, one who stands beside you and is yours alone. Your handmaidens and I will watch over the children while the preparations are made. Synthia will be prepared, and then we will proceed. You two need to ‘talk’ first, as I can see the beast pacing inside of you, Ryder. He’s anxious to get to his mate,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“No,” I said as I turned to face Danu. “We won’t win them over that way. We let the babies win them over, and we don’t have to tell everyone exactly what happened. We can show them a united front and I can speak to my father so that he can see for himself what’s going on. I’m here, and very much alive. The rest of the Fae probably felt a shift in power, but they don’t know why. If we tell them what I am, we lose the advantage we have against the Mages. You’ve made it clear that I’m to be a secret weapon that the Mages won’t see coming, so we follow through with that. Lasair is a different matter though, and Madisyn as well. We need these people on our side to fight the Mages and I just don’t think a complicated ceremony will send the message we want. Danu, burn the body. We don’t need it and it’s probably better to get rid of it rather than having someone discovers it and starts some sort of stupid conspiracy theory that will tear these people apart with speculation. The Fae are already on edge, let’s not give them fuel to light a fire.”
“Synthia,” she said softly.
“These are going to be our people, and they don’t need a big elaborate show to get the point across. I’ve been studying my Fae history and politics with Dristan pretty well and I know that the presentation of newly born children for monarchs can be a call for sanctuary as well. I say we show them our little miracles, and then we ask them for their help. We win them over by being honest and being fair. I’ve seen how the Fae behave, and from what you have told me, I don’t think my role will be like any of the other Fae Heir, Queen or whatever you want to call it has experienced before, I want to be someone they love and trust. I want them to love my beast for the same reasons I do, because he’s brutally honest and he does the tough stuff, and not because he’s the strongest, but because it’s what’s right for his people. How long do you think it will take for those who are coming to help us raise enough support so we can bring them to the Tree and give you the power needed for the blessing?” I gave Danu and Ryder a worried look and sighed. “I just need my children blessed and accepted by this world, and then hopefully everything else will fall into place.”
Danu pressed her lips together tightly and looked at me with a faraway look in her eyes before she exhaled. “They will have to meet us at the Tree in no more than two weeks. Any longer and the results could be dire. I will start the preparations on my side, and do what I can to strengthen myself—and the land—for the blessing. I am here for you, daughter; you need only call for me. If anything goes wrong with the children, I need to know. I won’t be in the dark where they are concerned, not as I was with you,” she said softly.
I swallowed hard at her unspoken words and warning, and nodded in acknowledgment. “I understand. Thank you, for saving me. Can you please get rid of the body while I go and ‘talk’ to my King? Oh, and one more thing,” I said as I leveled her with an uncertainty in my heart.
“Yes?” she asked.
“If I am like you now, what does that mean for us?” I asked as I tightened my hold on Ryder’s hand. “Can we still be together?”
“Of course, Synthia,” she said with a soft smile. “I knew you wouldn’t stay away from him even if the Gods had decreed it. By being together and bringing forth life, you had bound your selves together before your rebirth. That’s something not even the Gods would mess with. Love has its own rules. Ryder is immortal, so you don’t have to worry about outliving him either. Now, I need to go get rid of the body.”
I stood up and moved to hug her, and whispered against her ear. “Thank you, mother,” I said as I kissed her cheek and watched as she looked at me uncomfortably. I was willing to bet that she didn’t get affection very often. That was about to change now that she had grandchildren. I would make sure of it.
~~*
With the babies securely tucked in their cribs and being watched over by Keeley and Meriel, we stepped into Ryder’s adjoining room and it was awkwardly silent between the two of us. I watched as he walked to the bed, and sat down on it. His body language was stiff, and when he finally looked up at me, his expression was unreadable.