Wings of Shadow (The Underground Trilogy) (14 page)

Lord Killian removed a scroll from its gilded gold-leaf stand. He held the embossed handles as he unwound the parchment. “The treaty dictates that Fae from the Underground must not enter the boundaries of Solas. Unfortunately for you, the Speir Crann has grown in the years since this treaty was signed. While the tree used to be entirely contained within the village boundaries, the west-facing edge now protrudes over the boundary.”

“How long did it take to find that loophole?” Meghan muttered to Avery.

“But capturing and imprisoning a Light Fae? That is a clear violation of the treaty.” Avery glared at Lord Killian.

“My son, you are not imprisoned. I merely wanted to extend a dinner invitation to you, to have a chance to meet my second-born.”

“So, we can leave?” Meghan questioned. She did not trust him.

“Avery, you are free to leave. Although, I hope you will consider the dinner invitation. It has been a long time.”

“What about Meghan?”

“Well, that is a far more interesting question. After studying the treaty, I realized humans are not mentioned at any point. It solely covers Fae-to-Fae relations. I am within my rights to hold the human.”

Meghan trembled. Avery squeezed her hand.

“That cannot be right!” Avery reached for the treaty, unwound it, and appeared to carefully review each line.

Lord Killian took a long swallow from his glass. “You can blame your mother for the omission. I am sure you are aware of her prejudices against non-Fae. Her entire focus was, and has always been, on the village Fae.”

Avery threw the treaty to the floor. “I will not leave without her.”

“In that case, I suggest we sit down to dinner. My son, you are welcome to stay as an honored guest.” The corners of his mouth twitched in a half-smile. “Visitations are not outlawed by the treaty, as long as the other group is amenable to it and the Fae is of grown years.” He moved to the table and offered them chairs.

Avery fumed. Meghan had never seen him so agitated before. What if he said something to anger Lord Killian? She was at fault for his predicament. She needed to keep him safe.

Meghan pulled on Avery’s hand. “Why don’t we eat something? It’s been a while since our picnic.” Hopefully, the food was safe to eat.

She took his hand and gently guided him to the table. Meghan was careful to sit on the opposite side from Lord Killian. Avery pulled his chair close to hers.

“I would like to see my brother,” Avery said.

Lord Killian scowled. “Kiernan is indisposed at the moment. He will not join us tonight due to his impairment.”

Meghan’s stomach clenched. “What have you done to him?”

“My dear, I have not done anything to him. You had the opportunity to give him a great gift. You had a chance to offer all of the Fae an endowment of sorts, a continuance of the species, with the gift of your blood. But you chose selfishness and self-interest. What has become of Kiernan rests on you.”

Avery rose, picked up his glass, and threw it against the stone wall. Fragments flew, sprinkling the floor with sharp shards. “Let Meghan be!”

She took his hand to pull him back into his seat, but he resisted, glaring at his father across the table.

“It is unfortunate that you could not control your temper, my son. A threat to a Fae leader is in direct violation of the treaty. I am afraid that I must take proper safety precautions.”

Lord Killian rang a bell, and Shade and Chaos entered. After murmured instructions from Lord Killian, they seized Avery by his arms and dragged him from the room.

“Meg, I will come for you!” he called before the door slammed.

Meghan began to sob. It was bad enough she was imprisoned, but worrying about Avery’s safety, as well, was too much.

Lord Killian watched her from across the table. “I suggest that you visit Kiernan. You might find it enlightening to see what your resistance has done to him. I would hate to have the same thing happen to your other love interest.”

“I can see him?”

Lord Killian stood. “When Shade and Chaos return, they will take you to his… chambers.”

*

As Meghan entered the cell, she surveyed the dismal surroundings. Stark stone walls merged into a concrete floor, forming a prison which appeared as impenetrable as a fortress. The only exit was the heavy iron door. The cell was absent of windows, furnishings, and any other means of comfort. In the corner, Kiernan lay upon a thin dirty blanket.

Her heart contracted as she rushed to kneel by his side. Meghan didn’t need the weeks she spent training with the faerie healer to know Kiernan was very ill. He lay on the floor, barely moving, his pale blue eyes looking at her in surprise.

“Meghan.” His voice was half groan, half whisper. He lifted his neck and winced. “What are you doing here? Why did you come back?”

“Why are you sick? What’s wrong? And why are you locked up?” They had so many questions for each other.

Meghan placed her hand on his shoulder, slowly running her fingers down his arm. She noticed that his tattoos, which were normally vibrant and glistening, had dulled.

“Your tattoos…”

“My magic’s waning.”

Meghan looked at him, her face contorting.

“Father locked me up as a punishment for making decisions contrary to his orders,” he said. “But, I have made myself sick.”

Kiernan made himself sick? Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Why? How?”

He pulled himself into a seated position, slumped against the wall. “Do you remember that Fae are very sensitive to anything that doesn’t come from the Earth? That to live in the cities, with all of the metals, toxins, and chemicals, we need to alter ourselves so… so we aren’t poisoned.”

“Drinking blood for the immunity.” She remembered, with mild regret, how she had stormed off after their last conversation.

“Since I let you go, relinquishing my opportunity for life-long immunity, I needed much smaller daily… uh … drinks to tolerate the city toxins.” He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. “After visiting you, I made the decision to not… um… imbibe anymore.”

Meghan blushed. “You’re not drinking blood anymore? And it’s making you this sick?”

He nodded.

“I don’t understand. Why would you make yourself ill? Why not just drink from one of the party chicks who hang out in the Underground?” She couldn’t help but feel happy that he was not imbibing from the many girls she remembered from the dance floor.

It was Kiernan’s turn to blush. He fiddled with the blanket for a moment. “I could not stand to see the disgust on your face as we discussed the drainings.”

“Me? You’re making yourself sick for me?”

He strained to lift his head. Looking into Meghan’s eyes, he murmured, “Your conscience must have waltzed with mine. Besides, I need your respect if I’m going to properly court you.”

She still wasn’t used to the modern urban faerie speaking the language of another century. Even at his weakest, his charm was impossible to resist. Did Kiernan really say he intended to court her? Why did her heart start racing hearing those words?

Meghan realized that while he was being incredibly romantic, he also was making himself ill. “Kiernan, look at you! This isn’t working. You are so sick, and to lose your magic…”

“My plan was to leave the Underground, but Father discovered my… fast and locked me in this dungeon. He has no tolerance for dissent; his own son rebelling was inexcusable.”

She took his hand. They were all imprisoned: Kiernan, Avery, and herself. And what had happened to Wish?

“I fear for you.” Kiernan shuddered. “Father was furious I didn’t drain you the first time he ordered. You were brought back so I could be forced to follow his commands. I wish our paths had never crossed, for I can’t protect you.”

Meghan leaned against the cold stone of the wall, still holding his hand. Where on earth had her self-preservation skills gone? She was too calm. Maybe her composure came from trusting Kiernan. He didn’t want to hurt her and was as much a victim as she and Avery were.

“Where is a diabolical plan when we need one?” she asked.

“You have far too good a heart to create anything diabolical. If only caring and kindness could get us out of this mess.”

She caught her breath, an idea forming in her head. “You are brilliant!”

“How is that going to help us right now?”

Meghan looked down at her lap. She had a good idea, but how could she suggest it without spontaneously combusting in the heat of her embarrassment?

“I’m intrigued by what is making you blush this much,” Kiernan said.

Meghan studied a lengthy crack that ran along one wall, avoiding his gaze. “So, Lord Killian plans on forcing you to drain me.”

“I think so.” He couldn’t meet her eyes, either.

“Will being so weak make it harder to resist?” She slipped her hand into her pocket and rubbed the amulet.

He nodded. “I will fight, even if he kills me.”

She focused on her amulet and listened to her intuition. “Either way, one of us will get hurt badly. But, what if you had your strength and magic back?”

“I would have more self-control, and with my magic, we might escape.” He sighed. “But even if I changed my vow, Father has forbidden any access to blood. I won’t regain my strength before the coming-of-age ceremony.”

The draining ceremony… the thought made her brave enough to continue. The last time she was in the Underground, she had been a victim. She had been dragged back against her will, but perhaps she could take charge of something.

“I’m here,” she murmured, her face blushing again.

Kiernan’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Are you suggesting…?”

Meghan looked away, unable to meet his gaze. The heat radiated off her cheeks. She had never initiated anything like this. In high school, she couldn’t even start a conversation with a boy.

“If I give you my blood, you would begin to feel stronger. And then, you could help us escape,” Meghan said.

“It will take several days to regain my strength. There might not be enough time for me to heal before the ceremony.” Kiernan’s voice lowered. “And I cannot bear to hurt you again.”

Meghan shook her head, brushing aside his worries. She tried to quiet the butterflies in her stomach. “I want to do this. It hurts me to see you so ill. And it’s the best chance we have to escape.”

Kiernan gazed into her eyes. Finally, he nodded.

“We should hurry,” she whispered. “Shade and Chaos may come back soon.”

He turned and pried a large stone out of the wall. Reaching inside the hole, he withdrew his backpack. “Raine slipped this to me last week.” He searched through it until he found two objects: a pocketknife and an opaque blue jar.

Meghan could feel Kiernan’s arms encircling her, as he drew her closer to him. She was almost, just barely, sitting in his lap. Her back was pressed against his chest, with Kiernan’s arm holding her securely. She watched as he opened the knife, revealing a long silver blade.

Meghan trembled at the sight. Memories of her last trip to the Underground came rushing back. What was she thinking?

“Shh…. Please don’t be scared,” he whispered.

She took a breath and exhaled deeply. Repeating the breathing pattern, she rubbed her amulet. She could feel she was doing the right thing.

He placed a gentle kiss on the nape of her neck. “Try to relax,” he whispered. “I’m going to make a small cut now.”

Meghan stiffened as the cold metal of the knife touched the base of her neck. She froze as he made a small, careful cut, and then felt his mouth descend, licking the blood that oozed out. Meghan was surprised that after the initial few seconds of pain, she felt the stirrings of pleasure. Giving her blood was different when she had control, when she trusted him. Kiernan continued his careful conquest of her neck, sucking the small wound. After a few minutes, he sat back and reached for the bottle.

He placed a few drops of the ointment on his fingers and rubbed it into her wound. The smell of comfrey, calendula and aloe drifted up. He turned her around, so she was sitting completely in his lap. Hugging her, he whispered, “Thank you.”

Meghan looked down, letting her hair cover her face. She could still feel the warmth on her cheeks. But Kiernan looked better already.

The creaking of the large iron door interrupted his next words. Kiernan whipped the backpack and stone back in place. The blood seemed to be helping already; he was moving faster. Moments later, Chaos and Shade entered. She had no time to say goodbye as she was hurried from the room.

She trudged down the stone corridor, escorted by Chaos and Shade. The walk to her quarters was quiet, giving her time to contemplate all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. In one short day, she had gone from carefree picnicking at the Sky Tree to being captured and sent back to the Underground. Was helping Kiernan the right decision? She searched her soul and realized she trusted him. Yes, she felt sure that Kiernan wouldn’t purposefully hurt her, but his father was another story.

~ 13 ~