Carnal Magic: The Wraith Accords, Book 1 (19 page)

“Prince Oisin.” Aed’s reply held no hint of surprise or accusation.

Isabel cursed herself for not remembering to tell Aed what Jeimtin had said—that one of the princes had been looking for a human servant and had asked other fairies about Isabel’s movements last time she’d been in the castle.

Isabel considered shouting a warning to Aed but doubted he needed it.

There was the sound of a key in a lock.

Oisin cursed, the light shifting as he put his torch in a bracket. “Do not tell them I’m here.”

A door opened and the corridor outside the cell was filled with even more light. Footsteps pounded over stone.

“Aed, how dare you trespass in the private rooms of my house?” Fionnin’s voice was tight with anger—or was it fear?

“I am here to protect the Tuatha de Danaan, as is the duty of the Fianna.”

“Nothing here concerns the Fianna.”

“Your servant is a changeling human.” Aed’s accusation hung in the air, the weight of his words causing the tension to thicken like mist turned to dense fog.

“Do not be foolish.” Fionnin’s words were flat. “There are no changelings.”

Isabel carefully laid Edith down and crept toward the door so she could peek out the window. Aed’s back was to her, his sword drawn. Fionnin stood in the open doorway to the left. Four solders wearing armor stamped with the seal of Munster faced Aed. Their helmets rendered them anonymous. Oisin was nowhere in sight.

Fionnin gestured with the orb of light he held in his palm. “Leave here, Aed mac Goll. It is only in memory of your father, a great warrior, that I do not kill you for trespassing.”

“I will not leave without the changeling.”

Fionnin laughed. “There is no changeling.”

“The servant you have locked up in this cell is not Tuath, she is not
aos sí
. She is human, a changeling taken when she was already grown. The humans even have a record of her disappearance.”

Fionnin eyes narrowed, but he did not reply.

Aed raised his sword just enough to make the threat clear. “But the true crime is that you cast out one of our people. One goes, another comes. That is the way of the changeling. Who did you send to suffer and die among the humans?”

Fionnin dropped his gaze, and for a moment he looked old. “You are too young, you are all too young, to know what we suffered.”

Isabel had the feeling that she was seeing the real Fionnin for the first time—a man who seemed old and weary, but still strong. Aed sensed the change too, his sword dipping.

“Enough, Fionnin.”

All heads swiveled to the stairs and the new speaker. Prince Cairbe seemed to glow with power. Aed had said he was not strong enough to lead the Tuatha de Danaan as High King, but seeing him now Isabel couldn’t believe that. He wore simple dark trousers and a pale green tunic. A gold cloak hung from his shoulders. He had no weapons, and his only adornment was a circlet of gold that sat low on his brow.

“Prince Cairbe.” Aed nodded. “I am here to free the changeling human woman who has been kept as a servant by the High House of Munster.”

Cairbe’s shoulders dropped. “It is true then, Fionnin?”

The old man shook his head. “You think you’ve learned your parents’ secrets, but you know nothing, boy.”

Isabel inched the cell door open and slipped out to stand at Aed’s side. Cairbe stiffened and Fionnin’s lip curled.

“Prince Cairbe.” Isabel made a show of sheathing her dagger between her breasts.

“Lady Isabel.”

“I still demand that that
thing
pay for killing my servant.” Fionnin was back to being petulant.

Isabel had a vivid fantasy about leaping over the guards and ripping out his throat. She smiled. “Let’s not play games, Lord Fionnin. It’s beneath us. We all know I didn’t kill anyone, at least not in the past few days. The real question has always been why the prince was willing to risk the Accords in order to appease you.”

She scanned the hall, looking for Oisin, but wherever he’d gone he wasn’t visible.

“Lady Isabel, I was only following our laws…” Cairbe’s bullshit explanation petered off, as if he were too tired to keep up the charade.

No one spoke, and as the silence built, the impossibility of the situation became all the more apparent. Fionnin wanted the existence of the changeling kept secret. Aed wanted to see justice done and to find the Tuatha de Danaan changeling. Edith wanted to be free. Cairbe wanted to keep Fionnin happy, meaning he too might want the changeling kept secret. Oisin wanted something but wasn’t ready to reveal what it was.

And Isabel wanted to keep both the Vampire and Aed safe.

If a fight broke out, she and Aed would lose. They could take out the soldiers, but Cairbe had unknown powers, and Fionnin must be strong if he were head of such a powerful house. Now was not the time for battle. Now was the time for negotiation and lying.

Isabel’s specialties.

“Your Highness.” She smiled gently at Cairbe. “I don’t care what you’ve done or are doing with humans. What I care about is that this issue seems to be of more importance to you than the Wraith Accords.”

Cairbe inclined his head. “I assure you the treaty with the Vampire is of great importance.”

“That is good to hear. I doubted it for a moment.”

Cairbe squared his shoulders. “I have the utmost respect for you, Lady Isabel.”

“But Lord Fionnin does not.” She turned to face the old man. “You want to see me suffer because I insulted your daughter.”

“I want you punished for killing my servant.”

“We both know I did not do that. You pose a problem, Fionnin. Your pettiness should be inconsequential, except for some reason the prince, rather than punishing you for having a changeling, is protecting you and your secret.”

There was a flicker of fear in Fionnin’s eyes. “The prince knows who is a friend to the royal family.”

Cairbe sighed. “Fionnin, I understand you’re angry with Lady Isabel, but you must rescind your accusation. I’ve already told you that I will marry Deocha.”

Isabel and Aed exchanged a glance. As Aed had predicted, Fionnin had used his leverage to force a marriage between Cairbe and Deocha.

“Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, Your Highness,” Isabel said smoothly.

“Thank you, Lady Isabel.” Cairbe bit off each word.

“The issue of the changeling human must be addressed.” Aed brought them all back to the issue at hand.

“The changeling will die and we will not speak of it.” Fionnin shrugged. “In a show of good faith, I will grant my prince’s request and forgive the vampire for killing my servant.”

“Our laws were broken.” Aed looked at Cairbe. “Lord Fionnin and any who knew of the changeling must be brought before a council. We must find the Tuath who was cast into the human realm, and we must make reparations to the human woman Edith.” He was unwavering in his understanding of what should and must happen.

Isabel hoped he would understand when she made sure that didn’t come to pass. If Aed had his way and the changeling’s existence were made public, chaos would consume Tara, potentially causing the cracks in the power structure here to widen to fissures. It was in the best interest of the Vampire that nothing change, and so Isabel would make sure nothing did change.

“Aed…” Cairbe’s jaw clenched. He was trapped, desperate for a way out of this seemingly impossible situation. Maybe Aed was right. Cairbe, for all his power, did not have the skill to rule.

“I see a way for all of us to have our needs met.” Isabel smiled at the group.

Fionnin snorted. “I want nothing from you, vampire.”

Isabel ignored him. “Prince Cairbe—you will assure me that the Wraith Accords remain one of the highest priorities of the High King and that from here on any vampire in Fae will have the personal protection of the royal house. In exchange, Aed will confess to killing the servant. As punishment, you will assign him to be a representative of the Tuatha de among the Vampire.”

Aed shifted away from her, clearly shocked by her words. Isabel willed him to trust her.

“Fionnin will have a scapegoat for the servant he himself had killed, and since he has already arranged for his daughter’s marriage to you, he should be well satisfied.” Isabel glared at the old man, daring him to disagree. “With Aed gone, there will be no one to speak about what has happened here.” Isabel gestured around the dungeon.

Cairbe met her gaze. “And what of the changeling?”

“I will take her to the human realm.”

“You can’t,” Fionnin cut in. “She must remain here.”

Isabel considered everything she’d learned, then took a risk. “You have nothing to fear. The Tuath you sent to the human realm when you took Edith Jameson is dead.”

The only sound was the pulse of air as breaths were exhaled. Finally Fionnin scoffed. “The vampire lies. I would know if she were dead.”

“Are you sure?” Isabel asked innocently.

She’d hoped to trick Fionnin into revealing something about the Tuatha de changeling’s identity or why they’d chosen Edith, but she would not have done it if she’d known what would happen next.

“Of course I would know. I am the one who helped—” Fionnin’s words cut off mid-syllable. His mouth was still open when a line of amber light appeared around his throat.

“No!” Cairbe shoved passed everyone, grabbing Fionnin. “Tell me! Who is it? Who did it?”

Fionnin was clawing at his throat while the circle of light darkened to a pulsing, burnt amber color. Cairbe supported Fionnin as he dropped to the ground.

The light winked out and Fionnin of Munster lay dead.

Isabel clutched Aed’s arm, scanning for the threat. “Where did it come from?”

“A curse.” Aed spoke quietly, as if afraid to name what they’d just seen. “Fionnin must have been under a curse of silence to make sure he never told the secret. He was about to violate that promise and so the curse made sure he kept his silence.”

Cairbe leapt to his feet. “I should have known the old bastard was playing me. Of course there was a silence curse.” Cairbe waved his hand at the four guards, who were staring at their fallen master. “Take him. Put him in his bed. He died in his sleep. You remember none of this.”

They nodded in sync, then lifted and carried Fionnin away.

Cairbe faced Isabel. “I am sorry, Lady Isabel. I behaved poorly toward you and would not have done so if I hadn’t needed information Fionnin had. I assure you I will do anything necessary to make sure the Wraith Accords are maintained. I would not really have let him punish you.”

“You played with dangerous odds. Another vampire might have taken offense, and we would now be at war. I hope you will honor your promise to protect any Vampire who come to Fae.”

Cairbe paled, but merely nodded in acknowledgement of her statements and agreement to keep his pledge. “Is the Tuath changeling truly dead?

“Yes,” Isabel lied. “But Edith cannot return to the human realm. Too much has changed. The life she knew there is gone. It would not be fair to her to send her back.”

“The Fianna will protect her,” Aed said. “But this crime cannot be kept silent.”

“Aed, I respect you, but this must remain a secret.” Cairbe fiddled with the circlet across his brow, rubbing his fingers along the edge. “There are forces at play that even I do not understand.”

“My duty is to the Tuatha de Danaan, not you.” Aed’s words were matter of fact, but Isabel tensed at the look that came over Cairbe’s face.

“I am your prince.”

“You are my prince only so long as you serve the Tuatha de Danaan.”

Cairbe’s fists glowed. “Do not make me hurt you, Aed.”

Isabel raised a hand. “Boys, let’s not fight. We can all get what we want.”

“I’m afraid that is not possible, Isabel.” Aed’s resolve was clear.

“Trust me. Aed, take the changeling woman to your Hall of Allen. Have the Fianna hide her. You want to protect her, yes?”

“She deserves protection.”

“Then you will keep her secret. Telling everyone about her would put her in grave danger. Fionnin is not the one who took her—or at least he didn’t act alone. Edith won’t be safe until we find the real culprit.”

Aed frowned, but nodded. “I had not thought of that. Very well, I will keep her existence a secret until the one who broke our laws can be brought to justice.”

“That’s perfect. And Cairbe—I think the Tuatha de Danaan should have a representative housed in Bucharest. If you were to give Aed that post, then he would be safely away from Tara and wouldn’t be able to accidentally let something slip.”

Cairbe nodded. “That is a good solution.”

“You’re trying to silence me.” Aed glared at Cairbe.

“Yes, my love. He is. And you’re going to let him.” Exasperated with Aed, Isabel spoke before thinking.

“Love?” Cairbe looked between them, then raised a brow.

Isabel cursed herself for revealing anything and backpedaled. She cocked one brow and let her lips curl just a bit. “I would consider it a great favor if you were to give me this one.” Isabel stroked Aed’s breastplate possessively. “I’ve found that you Tuatha de have exceptional stamina.” She hoped Cairbe would think their relationship was merely sexual—that she was using Aed, which seemed to be acceptable among the Tuatha de.

Cairbe smiled slightly. “I regret that we did not have time together, lady.”

“I’m sure that time will come, Your Highness.”

Aed stepped away from her, and for one terrible moment Isabel was sure that Aed didn’t understand that it was a game. But his hand brushed her ass, out of Cairbe’s sight, and Isabel relaxed.

“I will take the changeling to the Hill of Allen, then return to await my orders.” Aed ducked into the cell. Light flared.

Curious, Isabel peeked into the now-empty room. “He can do that too?”

Cairbe snorted. “That is what you wish to talk about? The ability to move about with only a thought? After all that has happened?”

Isabel shrugged one shoulder. “As long as the interests of the Vampire are safe, I don’t care what games you all wish to play with one another.”

Cairbe’s shoulders sagged a little in relief, as Isabel had hoped they would.

“It’s good to know we can still surprise you.” Cairbe cleared his throat. “Many of the Tuatha de can move from place to place using only their will.” He held out his arm. “And I watched you turn into a bird.”