Dad said nothing, just sort of balked as Rock turned and headed back to the woods, seeming to disappear out of sight.
Cass tried to tug from Mom’s grip, but she held tight. “I need to go to him!”
“There’s no time,” Mom said.
I turned Cassidy to me and hugged her. Mom let her go and I felt Cass’s arms grip around me for dear life. She let out a sob.
“Nothing will happen to him. Or you. This is going to work. Everyone will be okay.”
Please let us all be okay.
What if the Summer King didn’t care what shenanigans his daughter was up to? The whole plan could backfire if he was offended that we tried to make a fool of the princess. So much could go wrong. I lay my head on her shoulder and rubbed her back, taking as much comfort from the embrace as I was giving.
Someone rubbed my shoulder, and then a finger was under my chin, lifting my face. Mom. She gripped both of our shoulders tenderly.
“Cassidy, please take Robyn to the room and help her get ready while we finish preparing out here.”
Cass gave a final glance toward the forest before swallowing hard and nodding.
McKale reached out for me and I wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing in the scent of his skin and hair. I didn’t want to let him go.
“I’ll see ye soon,” he whispered, holding me tighter.
“Yes. Good luck,” I told him.
We pulled away and gave each other one last peck before I left for my room with Cassidy. I really wasn’t feeling well, but I had to be strong.
Pulling the gorgeous dress over my head lightened my mood a fraction. The silk was so smooth. Mom joined us, and she and Cassidy fastened tiny clasps and buttons up my back, then stepped away and “Ooooed.”
Leilah and Rachelle showed up with a basket of flowers and hairpins. Together the four of them brushed, tweaked and twirled. I was a little worried for a second. I didn’t want to be transformed into a giant flower-head, but Cassidy wouldn’t let me walk out of the room looking bad. When they finished and Cass handed me the mirror, I smiled. It was pretty. They’d twisted strands of hair from my temples and hooked them together in the back. Flowers lined the twists of hair, looking like a peasant’s crown, and waves of brown tumbled around my forehead and neck.
“Áillidh.” Leilah surveyed me with her hands on her hips. “Beautiful. McKale will surely be thanking his lucky stars he gets to bind with ye twice!”
“I love it,” I told them. “Thank you. And thank you for last night, Leilah.”
She shrugged it off and waved a hand, smiling. “Not at all, love. It’s me who should be thanking you fer bringin’ a bit o’ romance and hope back into the village.”
Rachelle covered her mouth and giggled.
Cassidy crouched in front of me and pinched my cheekbones to get a natural blush going. “Now all you need’s a little make-up and you’ll be set,” she said.
Before she could stand again I grabbed her wrist and looked in her eyes. “I was wrong about Rock,” I whispered. “He does care.” Her eyes watered and she nodded. The two of them were quite a pair. A mess, for sure, but his willingness to sacrifice himself went a long way toward scratching out those bygone mistakes in my eyes.
I reached for my make-up bag and got started, making quick work of it while Cassidy changed into a summer dress.
“It’s time,” Mom said when I finished. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I stood up. “I’m ready.”
“Yeah, let’s get this bee-otch!” my sister exclaimed. Mom glared at her. “Sorry,” Cass muttered.
I wished I could share Cassidy’s confident zeal for what was to come.
Our timing was impeccable because at that moment a draft of powerful magic shook the room. I rubbed the bare skin of my arms. All eyes went round, and Rachelle covered her mouth with a tremor.
“The Summer King,” Leilah whispered, a look of terror on her face.
Cassidy grabbed my hand and I grabbed Mom’s with my other one. We couldn’t avoid this forever. Time to go. We all nodded at one another, and then filed out into the warm, overcast afternoon.
As we entered the clearing a wave of heat like sunshine warmed my skin, though the sun hid behind clouds. The Leprechauns were all gathered, standing in silence and watching as a procession of Faeries glided up from the field. There were at least ten of them, forming a semicircle around a taller male who seemed to shine. The heat, I realized, was emanating off him. His hair was golden platinum, like his daughter’s, but unlike the other men he did not wear it down. His was pulled back at the nape of his neck and tied with twine, which accentuated his metallic crown, interwoven with vines and leaves. He was draped in a silky robe the color of a blue summer sky.