“And then what?” Graely was horrified.
“While you have been busy observing your precious humans, I constructed a tunnel large enough to hold the beast. It will be directly under us in an extension of the existing dungeon.” He was very pleased with himself. “I have thought of everything.”
“If you release it, Pestale,” Hordly’s concern was apparent, “will the pendant be able to get it back under control. We don’t want the damn thing to turn on us. Father said it eats Fae.”
“Aye, it will,” Pestale rubbed the pendant thoughtfully. “But first, let us see if I can subdue it and shift it below.”
“When do you plan to do this?” Graely asked.
“Now!” Pestale said and laughed as he shifted away.
Pestale knew his brothers did not know the coordinates to Gorkum and therefore could not follow. Graely would not be able to stop him.
Pestale had stolen those coordinates a long time ago when he had still been a welcome visitor at his father’s Retreat. Before he had tried to seduce his father’s consort, Crystal.
Pestale snapped that thought out of his mind. He didn’t want to think about that, or what followed—or his father’s eyes.
He opened his own eyes wide to look at the tropical jungle world his father, the Dark King had created!
~*~
Frankie watched her father. How wonderful that all her loved ones were together. She sighed as the party in the Queen’s chambers started to break up after Breslyn scooped up Ete and went off saying that his mate was tired. He had to see to her immediate comfort within their private retreat.
Queen Mab announced that she was returning to Daoine to confer with her lead warriors about their next move. Deimne looked at Frankie and asked, “If Jazmine Decker can spare you to me, I would very much like to take you to your home in Daoine and show you around. Would you like that?”
Frankie felt herself light up brighter than a room full of wax candles as she turned to Jazz and excitedly asked, “Do ye agree Jazz? I would like to visit with da.”
“Of course. It is a good thing. Trevor and I want you to have as many good things as you can get.”
The two shifted hand in hand and Frankie’s thoughts were too complex for her age. The life that had been thrown at her had taken over, and she knew she was maturing at a very rapid rate. She sighed, thinking her body would have to catch up one day soon if anyone was going to take her seriously.
They shifted onto the manicured lawns of Deimne’s estate and she stood for a moment staring.
“’Tis like a storybook castle,” she whispered. “Like one m’mum used to read to me.” This was her father’s home. This is what she might one day call home. It made her feel warm and gave her an immediate sense of belonging.
She looked up at the peaked turrets, arched windows, and the climbing roses that intermingled with some kind of lovely and flowered vine.
The landscaping around the castle was a collection of neatly spaced and clipped hedges, exotic blooms and a topiary of oddly shaped animals. No doubt the kind of animals that might have been found in Danu.
A lake that looked inviting, dominated the central theme of the grounds. Two black swans glided peacefully along the clear green water and a white peacock strutted on the nearby lawn. His tail spread out as he attempted to lure the hen marching in front of him to turn and look his way.
“Da!” Frankie said pointing to the enormous and brightly colored butterflies. “I have never seen anything like them…even in Tir.”
He smiled proudly, “Aye, daughter. This castle which we call the House of Shanok, has always belonged to a Sluagh. There never were many of us.” He looked into the sky. “Then our numbers were almost extinguished.”
“Why da, are ye the only one left?”
“We Sluagh were never royalty and yet revered by the Daoine for our unusual abilities and skills. I was betrothed to a lovely…” his voice trailed off for a moment as he got a faraway look in his iridescent eyes. “She was a daughter of the House of Espi Sluagh. It used to lie just over the hill from my home in Danu and…” he shook his head. “Too many of us had been killed off you see, fighting the Gorka. Because we are immortal, our ability to have offspring had dwindled.” He touched her face. “It took your lovely mother to save me and our kind.”
“But what is this thing…Gorka? What happened, da?”
“The Gorka on Danu had always been a problem and somehow their breeding abilities seemed to increase over time. Our skies were overrun with them. Their food of choice was Fae. We Sluagh took to the skies to fight them, but year after year we were defeated. That is what happened to us my child.”
“Oh da! How did ye survive?”
“Queen Mab. In truth I was nearly gone from my wounds, but she gave of her royal blood to save me.”
Frankie hugged him fiercely. “Oh da, I am so glad. I shall always love her for that.” She sighed as he took her hand and led her inside their castle and asked, “but da, are these things dragons? What happened to them? Did they die with Danu?”