Page 104 of Realm of Nightmares
“What was it like?” he asked, keeping his voice hushed. “When you lost Darina?”
Even in the pitch of night, there was no mistaking the bunching of Lir’s shoulders or the way his jaw locked into place. Tension seeped from him, a strain brought on by a devastating loss. The kind that was never forgotten. His knuckles whitened around the slim bars.
“A grief unlike anything I’ve ever known.”
Tiernan had known Lir for many years. They’d grown up together within the walls of the Summer Court. Lir’s father was Tiernan’s father’s commander, and his mother was an extraordinarily gifted musician. When she sang, her voice was otherworldly, filled with a quality unlike anything anyone had ever heard.Her magic was her music.
Lir had also found hissirraat a young age. Darina was a beautiful fae whose magic varied in the many uses of botany. She could make flowers bloom and trees blossom. In the growing season, any garden she tended proved fruitful and bountiful. Lir proposed to her in the summer and the Evernight War arrived in the fall. His father fought bravely but died in battle, and his mother was found slain in her bed. And Darina, well, Lir never spoke of how she died, only that he’d been there to witness it.
He hadn’t been able to save her.
"You’ll know.” Lir’s voice was soft, and Tiernan faced him. “If she was lost to you, you would know.” Lir reached out, tapped lightly on Tiernan’s heart. “The Strand…it snaps. Breaks. It feels like your soul is dying, like your heart will never beat again. There’s a gaping chasm that remains, like your very being has been carved out, as though you will never again be truly whole. As long as you never feel that, she lives.”
Lir swallowed, unable to meet Tiernan’s gaze. He tapped his fingers repetitiously along the gilded rail.
Tiernan glanced over at his friend once more. “There’s more on your mind, Commander.”
The barest of smiles was reflected at him. “Much like my High King, my thoughts are never quiet.”
“Speak freely, Lir.”
“There’s been a recent influx of trooping fae, my lord.”
Tiernan arched a brow in question. The arrival of trooping fae had been the least of his guesses as to what bothered his commander. “What sort of trooping fae?”
“The harmless kind, at least from the information Merrick and his scouts have been able to gather. They appear to be a band of traveling entertainers just passing through.” Lir gestured to the east, toward the mountains bordering Autumn. “They’ve set up a few tents along the outskirts of Niahvess, close to where the Spring fae were originally located after they fled Parisa.”
Well, a group of performers was far better than a group of wild fae. Perhaps their arrival would help lift the spirits of his citizens. He’d lost track of the number of nights it had been since the liveliness of Niahvess had vanished.
“Speaking of the Spring fae,” Tiernan paused, hoping for a favorable report, “how are they settling in?”
“They’ve moved from their makeshift camp into Niahvess, finding apartments and townhomes within the city limits. Many of them have found work or are starting their own storefronts to create a new life here.” Lir pointed out over the rooftops, toward the Market District.
It would be good for the Spring fae to have a legitimate place to call home until Maeve’s Court was built. As the thought of hissirraentered his mind, another troubling matter rose to the surface.
“Has Balor returned?”
Lir’s dark brows lifted. “Returned? I was unaware he ever left.”
“He did,” Tiernan confirmed, shoving back from the railing. “He followed Aran and me to Maghmell. Balor was the only reason we made it out of the Kethwyn Woods alive.”
At that snippet of information, Lir’s silver gaze narrowed. “My lord?”
“The Fury arrived not a moment too soon.” Tiernan shook his head, remembering his most recent brush with death. “The cursedfaolanoverwhelmed us. Without Balor, Aran and I would be dead.”
Lir’s mouth pressed into a thin line, considering. He shifted his weight, rolling his shoulders. “There has been no sign of Balor, my lord. Tethra and Dian came to the palace the other day requesting an update regarding Maeve. I gave them what information I could. They were neither pleased nor cross, but I’d assumed Balor stayed behind to protect the borders.”
Another set of footfalls approached, featherlight and full of stealth.Merrick.
Tiernan glanced over at his hunter. “Can’t sleep?”
“Sleep is for the weak.” Merrick raked a hand through his silver hair, except now one slight streak of vibrant pink fell in his face. “Besides, if I’d gone to bed, I would’ve missed Brynn and Aeralie lugging a drunken Saoirse back home.”
“How drunk?” Lir asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“Eh, she was wobbly and singing some tune about sailors.” Merrick clamped Lir’s shoulder, gave him a reassuring shake. “Have no fear, she’s tucked into bed and Brynn is staying the night with her.”
Tiernan chuckled, imagining an intoxicated Saoirse was likely even more feisty than a sober one. “Is that for Casimir’s safety or her own?”
