Page 15 of Tasteful Anarchy and Tangled Auras
Bryn grins. “What could go wrong? You’re brilliant and beautiful and in line to the throne of the Green Court. They’ll love you.”
“Maybe that’s what I’m worried about,” I mutter. I think I hear him snort as he walks towards the wall. “Are you sure this will work with just my basic call mirror? It’s a multi-way call across several magical barriers in both directions. Normally we’d need clearance from the Guard to drop the heaviest shields to get a call like this across.”
Bryn smirks. “Well, as it happens, Priestess, mirror magic is my speciality.”
“How special are you?”
“You’re hilarious. If I wanted to, I could bring them all through this mirror to have this meeting in person, if you’d prefer that?”
I swallow. That’s pretty Goddess-damn special.
He pulls the cloak off the mirror. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be for this stupid bullshit,” I mutter to myself, but I’m sure this time he huffs indignantly. He touches the large mirror, and his eyes close briefly. The largest red cap I’ve ever seen in my life appears on a quarter of the mirror. His cap looks like it has been dipped in fresh blood recently. I swallow. He’s eyeing me in a way that leaves me decidedly nervous. I’m not sure if he wants to eat me or if he wants toeatme, but I dislike both options.
Bryn’s eyes flick closed again, and this time a kelpie appears. I stifle a gasp. I know him! At least, I think I do. If thatisFilib, I rarely saw him in his more “human” form, as the kelpie on the mirror is in. And I doubt he’d remember me; he spent most of his time in the river, traveling past our borders, causing havoc.
I spent a fair bit of time in the city of Glario, in the aughts especially. A large city, and wealthy, it is where most of the kelpies and selkies live. Kelpies and selkies are descended from a common ancestor; they often live, work, and play together. Glario is built right over a widened section of the Murimont River with several vast bridges connecting both shores, keeping any individuals that preferred water happy. It also has a thriving financial district and club scene.
A final close of Bryn’s eyes, and the last active segment of the mirror fills with an alp-luachra. It’s in its amphibian form. Its long body is glistening and wet-looking, and the skin is a bright orange color shifting to a white shade on its wide head. The mirror it is using is obviously small, no larger than a jar lid, and what is visible in the background makes it seem as if its home is inside a log or tree. Having never met an alp-luachra, I survey it in a detached way and decide it’s a female. This biologic study is obviously a stress response on my part. The joint-eater blinksher huge eyes placidly, looking straight at me. I wonder absently if she is going to do one of those lick-her-own-eyeball moves.
Bryn leaves the mirror and walks across the room to sit next to me. I widen my eyes at him, trying to communicate while he is blocking their view of me. What the actual ever-lovingfuckdid I just get myself into. These creatures make nymphs look like lapdogs. The ones that need sweaters and to be carried around in purses.
Bryn smiles languidly and folds smoothly into the chair next to me. He then addresses the mirror. “Priestess Adelaide ferch Aidan, in line to the throne of the Green Court, meet Jack Red, warlord of the red caps, Filib of the Eichsons, and Sciemle, mother of all alp-luachra and leader of the small Fae.”
“Little female,” Jack Red says. The red cap’s voice is like stone on stone. “Is our captain keeping you busy?” I flick my eyes to Bryn. Captain? He’s theircaptain? He’s neglected to mention that. And they know we’re supposed to be fucking?
I smoothly paste on a smile and bring a little heat to my eyes, “Yes, very busy. And exhausted.”
Jack laughs in an unkind way.
Filib the kelpie is staring at me intently. “Priestess,” he begins, “we need your aid for—”
“Enough, Filib,” says the joint-eater. I’m not sure what I expected a salamander to sound like, but she nails it. Kind of lispy like a snake might, but obviously used to others doing what she says. “She is a lover of humans. I’m unconvinced about her.”
Bryn speaks finally and his voice is cold, serious. “She’s trustworthy. We have plenty in our ranks who roam the human world, and plenty who aim for more incremental change. Neither thing disallows them.”
They start arguing now as I sit silently. My ears start ringing. I am so fucked here. I cannot see a path through this that isn’t coated in blood. Some of those paths includemyblood. Thegroup’s goals aren’t wrong, but if the kelpie who likes to drown humans is theleastextreme of the three leaders, there is no way I can convince them to let me lead by example if I take the throne; dismantling the system of indentured servitude at the Green Court, and other changes. Bryn had more or less said as much, but I hadn’t believed him. Maybe if he told me a damnedjoint-eaterwas their CEO, I might have had a clue.
“Enough.” My voice is quiet but filled with command. I must be channeling Grandmother. Their bickering cuts off. “What do I need to do to be deemed trustworthy?”
“Depends on the level of trust, tiny female,” rumbles the red cap.
I lean towards the mirror, “Inner circle level of trust.” I see Bryn’s hand twitch. Oh, sonowhe thinks this is a bad idea? Too late for that.
I didn’t realize salamanders could smile, but Sciemle does. It’s disturbing but I refuse to break her glare. Whatever is going through her little mind is not good. She looks like the terrifying orange cousin to that insurance gecko. “I would like you to act as High Priestess for a male of my choosing,” she hisses.
Bryn opens his mouth and I can feel his anger, but it isnothingto my reaction to his assumption that he can answer for me. He gasps, feeling my rage. I sure as fuck hope he didn’t open the mirror to emotions, because if so, that creepy red cap has a huge erection, and the kelpie...well, their horse penii are terrifying even when not hard. I speak before Bryn can. “Done.”
Sciemle grins. “Excellent, Priestess. I will let you know the time and place. Expect it to be traditional,” and she blanks her mirror. Both the males remaining give me a hard look before touching their own mirrors. Both, I expect, wondering if they will be the leader Sciemle chooses.
Bryn turns to me but I don’t let him speak. “Hmm, haven’t worked on your shields, I see. You should probably do that.”
I’m still angry with him trying to speak for me. I see his gorgeous honey-and-fire eyes close as he struggles for control. Unfortunately for me, my panties are soaked, both from his anger and from my own emotions being so off-kilter. Not to mention my current lack of sex.
I can see his hard-on through his pants. I lick my lips and try to get a grip on myself. But my self-control, not strong in the best of times, shatters and I stand and straddle his lap. He groans as he feels me press against him, his hands grabbing my hips instinctively.
“Priestess...,” but he trails off as I kiss up his neck. My hand goes to his belt, but his hand grabs mine. “Adelaide. Are you trying to climb on my cock because you need release, or are you trying to wrap me around your finger?”
