Page 142 of The Shadow Path
More murmuring as the mood lightened a little bit.
“Together” —Harold motioned to Dru, who stood in dark regalia to his right— “Prince Diarmuid, the wolf clans, and the dragons of Cymru found every missing child.”
Finally a scattered cheer rippled thought the crowd. And if anyone noticed that the unicorns were absent from the retrieval efforts, they didn’t mention it.
Harold kept his voice even and firm. “Everymissing child that was taken by the fae has been returned to their family.”
The crowd clapped louder, and a bit of the dark cloud that hung over the city seemed to lift.
Harold looked to his left where a rocky-faced troll and a bent-over brownie with silver-grey hair had joined him.
“The magical population of London has put their powerful wards over our homes and our schools,” he said. “Brownies and hobs have protected our children and our elders. Trolls have kept our markets alive and helped our farmers fight the plagues that the high fae have sent to weaken us.”
Cheering died down, and the crowd began to mutter again.
Harold shouted, “But we expected nothing less!”
The crowd went silent.
Carys heard Cadell in her mind.The king is a better orator than his father.
“We expected nothing less,” Harold continued, “because while I may be king of thehumansof London” —his voice rose— “every sprite or fae, every troll, gnome, hob, or mermin who lives in this place is part of my city.Ourcity. Our home!”
The crowd let out a hearty cheer, and red-striped flags waved.
“We are London,” Harold said simply. “I am your king. Our allies are with us. We will not bow to fear.”
The cheering grew louder, and Carys heard some horns blowing in the distance.
“We willnotbe intimidated.” Harold—spectacles sitting on the bridge of his nose—seemed to grow taller. His face glowed with purpose. “We did not ask for this fight,” he said. “We want only to live in peace, trade with our neighbors, and raise our children.”
Carys felt the energy of the crowd gather and coalesce around the field of soldiers who were standing in formation between the king and the river.
“But we will defend our home from any who attack it!”
Horns blasted, and the formations of soldiers clapped their bronze swords against their shields.
“We will defend our farms and our markets,” Harold shouted. “We will defend our rivers and valleys.”
Carys saw some of the trolls and magical creatures in the crowd nod in approval.
“We will not uproot our trees or dig up our barrows.”
Sprites flipped and turned overhead, zipping through the crowd and leaving trails of gold and silver in their wake.
“We are London,” Harold said. “We are Anglia. What we have built here is worth defending.” Horns blasting. Roaring cheers rising from the crowds. “And I will defend it.”
Carys stoodat the front of one of the river barges as it moved upriver, the flat-bottomed boats propelled by magic and unseen creatures that had answered to Dru when he called.
Dru glanced at Carys, then overhead. “You’re not flying with your dragon?”
She and Lachlan stood on Dru’s right with Winnie on his left. “Despite my complete ignorance of most politics, I am currently the top-ranked Cymric official in Anglia.”
“Really?” Winnie leaned forward. “Where is Anwyn?”
“Flying to Saris Plain with Demelza.”
“And Dylan?”
