The Rebel Queen (Outlaw 1)

“The bag of holding isn’t one hundred percent foolproof,” my father mused. “But since he hasn’t found a way to close the doors to the Heaven plane yet, we have to assume he doesn’t have the objects he needs.”

“I remember his office had a lot of books about the Heaven plane.” Lee pushed his empty plate back. It was mere seconds before one of the trolls whisked it away. “I particularly remember one was called Closing the Veil. I think he’s been planning this for a long time, and that was why he was examining Gladys. Given that Gladys is an ancient sword forged on one of the Heavenly planes, it could be helpful in whatever magic he’s going to use to try to close the doors.”

I remembered that day well. Lee and I had stolen the grimoire and Gladys by using the Mantle of Arthur—an invisibility cloak that had once helped Daniel flee the old Council. It had been one of Lee’s favorite forbidden toys. That had been the day I’d realized how much Lee wanted to be in this world and how far he felt from it. “Have you kept up with your Latin?”

A smile split his handsome face. “Studui dura per annos. I’m fluent in Latin, ancient Greek, Aramaic, and Sanskrit. I’m good with modern and ancient Hebrew as well. And fuck the Seelie Fae, but I speak Gaelic better than most of them do.”

“Of course you do.” Daniel was studying Lee carefully. “You pick up languages quickly?”

“I don’t know how,” Rhys said with a huff. “He’s got a thick skull for everything else, but he’s better than all of us with languages. He was fluent in Icelandic a couple of months after we got here. Lee likes to study as long as it has something to do with the supernatural world. He spends a lot of time with the academics.”

“I bet he does.” Daniel said the words in that “I know something you don’t know” way of his. “Have you figured out how bad it will get if the doors to the Heaven plane close? It’s not like we’re bombarded with angels.”

Oh, how quickly he forgot. “Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not here. If the doors close, guardian angels cannot watch their charges. Or they’ll be stuck here, and we don’t know what that will do to their powers. We also have to consider that the dead who should ascend to Heaven will be stuck here, too. Like my dad.”

“I’m not stuck, darling,” my father corrected. “I see the door. It’s there for me. I didn’t exactly refuse it, merely told the angel who invited me through that I had work to do. She warned me about becoming sluagh, but with Shy’s help, I managed to avoid that fate. The door is ready when I finish my work here.”

“The door to Heaven?” Dev had a brow raised.

The softest look came over Shy’s face. “Yeah, I was surprised, too. Turns out the old guy isn’t as harsh as we make him out to be. Turns out we don’t have to forgive ourselves to earn his.” He seemed to shake off the emotion. “But my work isn’t done, and if Myrddin gets his way, that door will close. It will close to all who die. We will be stuck here, and bitterness and anger and confusion will turn the dead into sluagh. Millions of sluagh.”

A shudder went through my Fae husband. “That will change the plane.”

“A few million demons won’t help.” Daniel sat back. “So while I’m playing king and possibly bait to draw Myrddin away from the Council building, I assume my wife is coming out of retirement.”

I wouldn’t stop looking for a way to fix things, but I did have a job to do, and I would need some help. “Lee is the only one who can see the grimoire when it’s outside the bag of holding. I’m going to need him. Please tell me you stole the Mantle of Arthur.”

Lee shrugged as though that was a forgone conclusion. “I was told I could bring one toy. It was my favorite. Cool. Me and Mom and Grandad. The band is back together.”

And we would be playing one last gig.

Chapter Eight

I watched out the window at the bonfire going on in the distance. I didn’t question the magic that gave this place under the mountain a night sky and allowed the fires to warm us without choking every creature with smoke. The Fae had some strong magic, and it was enhanced by being here in the land the Huldrefólk had called home for thousands of years. The mountain itself was magic. It was the birthplace of elves and trolls and brownies, one of the strongest Fae places on the Earth plane.

I had to pray it stayed that way now that we were here.