Page 97 of Broken Veil
They must have been too far away from the house. Even with the Morrígan’s magic causing chaos in the Brightlands, Carys’s connection with Cadell only extended so far.
She and Laura, Duncan, Lachlan, and Naida had parked themselves behind a hedge that bordered the apiary and were waiting to see what happened when the world went quiet.
Naida sighed. “I love the sound of sleeping bees. So restful.”
“Okay, so the pictures of bees that fall asleep in flowers that you see online,” Laura said. “The ones with their little fuzzy butts sticking out. Are those real?”
“Oh yes.” Naida smiled. “Some pixies keep bumblebees like a sort of pet, not that they are tame. But they are lovely flying companions.”
For some reason it made sense that fae would like bees.
“What do you think is bothering the hives?” Carys asked Naida.
“My first guess would be imps,” she offered. “I sense multiple gates in this forest, and if imps have found a way through one of them, they will do nothing but cause trouble for anything and anyone they come across.”
“I remember.” Duncan rubbed his neck where he still bore tiny teeth marks from the imps in the forest behind his house.
As the night grew darker and stars appeared in the sky, the forest came alive.
Far from the quiet place that Carys had been expecting, Wyre Forest at night teemed with activity. Carys heard foxes yell and owls hoot. She could hear bats in the distance, sweeping over the neighboring fields as they hunted for insects.
Duncan walked to a lookout position closer to the hives, with Laura circling the other direction. Lachlan remained alert, his eyes fixed on the wooden boxes in the distance, and Carys watched him.
“You are worried about him,” Naida said quietly. “Worried about his mental state now that he knows his wife exists in Annwn.”
“Yes,” Carys whispered. “He thought she was dead. Gone. He grieved for her.” She pointed at her own chest. “He even moved on in a way.”
“Do you wonder if he really moved on or if he just transferred his love for Seren to you?”
It was a fair, if piercing, question.
“You know, when we were together, I used to worry about that. Even before I knew about the Shadowlands,” Carys said. “I worried Lachlan was just missing his wife and wanted someone to love.” Carys turned to Naida. “But I do think he loved me. So maybe it doesn’t matter.”
Naida frowned a little bit. “Maybe love is like faith. It only needs an object for its energy to focus on. If one god is lost, another one will do.”
“Do you really believe that? That you could fall in love with anyone if you just focused?”
Carys hated that idea. Not that she was overly romantic about destiny or anything, but she didn’t just decide to love Duncan. If anything, she kind of fought against it.
“I don’t know,” Naida said. “I never wanted to love Dru, but I did anyway. Maybe his love was so overwhelming I just gave in.”
Carys didn’t know where Naida’s head was at, but she had a feeling that the melancholy expression she’d been wearing since Scotland had at least a little bit to do with a certain wolf missing from the party.
“I hear something,” Lachlan said. “Coming from the east.” He pursed his lips and hooted like an owl.
“Give me directions,” Carys whispered. “East means nothing to me here.”
“That way.” Lachlan jabbed his finger toward the right.
Carys held up a hand and signaled to Laura on the other side of the apiary.
Laura nodded and started tiptoeing back.
By the time Laura got back to their first position, Duncan had also returned, his long strides surprisingly quiet in the forest. “I heard something. Did you?”
Lachlan drew his short sword. “Yes, if you’ll…”
“Of course.” Duncan lifted a cricket bat he’d grabbed from Jibril’s house as Lachlan crept from the bushes and went to explore.
