Page 24 of Broken Veil
Naida looked at Carys with a smile. “Your men were both right, and they were both wrong. Lachlan is not wrong to try to negotiate and make peace with the high fae. That has been the policy of my own people for as long as I can remember.”
The ellyllon of Cymru were what the high fae considered “wild fae.” They didn’t recognize a king or a queen, neither human nor magical. They were connected to the earth and rarely left the place where they were born. Naida was most definitely an exception among her people.
“That said, Duncan was right too. They do think they’re better than everyone else,” Naida said. “They consider me inferior, and they would never accept me as a consort to their king. The moment Dru accepted that crown, I knew any hope of a future with him was gone.”
The ellyllon were simple fae and decidedly nonpolitical. Shorter than the tall children of the Tuatha Dé Danann, they usually had curly hair and darker skin. Carys hadn’t ever been to Temris, but if the high fae she’d seen in Anglia were any indication, Naida would not blend in.
“So stick with me.” Carys bumped her shoulder against Naida’s. “You’re our friend, and we’re not going to let a jumped-up bartender from Scone push you around.”
Naida threw her head back and laughed. It was far better than the morose expression she was wearing before, so Carys didn’t care if both Lachlan and their unicorn escort looked at Naida with slight disapproval.
Moments after they entered the outskirts of the city, the day was dawning and the citizens of Temris began to wake.
It was far more diverse than Carys had anticipated from her previous interactions with the high fae of Briton. There were short, dwarflike fae and stocky creatures that looked like trolls. There were tiny sprites flying around and putting out the streetlamps still burning from their night watch.
And yes, there were tall, beautiful, otherworldly creatures who looked like supermodels from a fantasy convention. There was very little metal other than hints of gold or silver. Carys saw no weapons and nothing that looked like it was smuggled from the Brightlands.
“I’m guessing no grey market for Brightlands stuff around here,” Laura said.
Duncan let out a low grumble. “That means no coffee.”
“But we’re not staying long,” Carys said. “Remember? We’ll survive without coffee for a few hours.”
“At least our bodies think it’s nighttime,” Laura said.
“Speak for yourself.” Duncan pointed at the sky. “My brain may know it’s night in England, but my eyes say it’s dawn. I know which one my stomach is going to listen to.”
As if on cue, Carys’s stomach rumbled.
A second later, Duncan was shoving a bag of trail mix into her hands. “Eat.”
Carys smiled at him and lifted on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I love you.”
Duncan’s cheeks grew ruddy, and Carys tried not to notice when Lachlan lost a step on the path.
Nêrys.
“Cadell is here.” She smiled. “Perfect timing.”
No fire,she said to him in her mind,but you can yell a little bit. Circle the city. Make a show.
Carys stuffed the trail mix in her pocket and jogged up to Naida. “Cadell is here.”
The ellyllon looked confused. “Okay.”
“Hey.” She took Naida’s hand. “Duncan told me something when I first came here that I think you need to remember.”
“What’s that?”
Carys looked up when the first thunderous roar sounded from behind a grey bank of clouds. “In the Shadowlands, nobody messes with Cymru.”
Cadell burst through the clouds, his emerald-green wings spread wide as he soared into the valley of Temris. He banked to the right and followed the hills surrounding the city before he let out another roar, sending residents running back to their houses as they gasped and cried out.
“Remember that.” Carys squeezed Naida’s hand. “No one messes with Cymru or her people.”
Naida smiled. “Because we have dragons?”
“That’s right.” Carys nodded. “Because we have fucking dragons.”
