Page 19 of Redemption (Deliverance Duet #2)

Chapter Eighteen

Iris

T he inn looks just as I remember it, its cheery little chimney puffing out clouds of white smoke as the smell of hot food greets us. Was it really only this morning that we stopped here to freshen up and get the horses? It feels like a lifetime has passed since then.

Ciaran, Blaise, and I have been travelling for a couple of hours now and need to stop for the night. The two of them could probably continue, but I’m merely human and need a break. Our mounts have remained with us, but Blaise’s borrowed horse cannot keep up with their supernatural speeds, slowing our progress.

Ciaran enters the inn to arrange rooms for us, and my bond strains a little, needing to complete our connection. Once we’re fully bonded, I’ll be able to feel him better to know if he’s in danger or needs help. After discovering what happened to Alaric, I’ve realised how much I rely on the bonds to assure myself.

Closing my eyes, I take several breaths and gather my thoughts, focusing on the here and now. As I open them once more, I find the two mounts watching me expectantly. Unable to stop my smile, I reach out and stroke their noses, the velvety softness a comforting sensation. Stepping back, I jerk my head towards the stable, gesturing for them to follow me. Unlike other horses, I don’t have to guide them, as they already know what I want them to do. Blaise’s gaze burns into my back, watching me with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable. He seems to think I’m about to fall apart at any moment and has no idea how to handle the fallout. I would challenge him on it, but I’m not sure how I’m going to react, walking a very fine line between coping and breaking down.

Following the horses, I step into the stall with them and begin removing the saddles and brushing them down. They share the same stall, so it’s easy enough for me to do, making sure they have fresh feed and water. The repetitive motion of brushing their coats is soothing, allowing me to switch off and focus on the job. Blaise is in the adjacent stall, and I can hear him moving around, taking care of his own mount.

We’ve not spoken since he told me that Alaric was dying, and I know he has a lot to say. Blaise is not one to mince his words, and he will say exactly what’s on his mind, so him holding back is unusual. Sooner or later, he’ll break his silence and tell me whatever’s bothering him.

Lowering the brush, I smile up at Estrella, pressing my forehead against hers, her horsy scent a comfort.

“Iris, are you okay?”

Lifting my head, I look at the open stall door and find Blaise hovering there. He’s finally decided to speak. I’ve never seen him look so dishevelled before. The dark circles under his eyes tell me he’s had a difficult journey, something the two of us have shared. Really, I should be asking him if he’s okay, as I’ve had two of my mates to support me while he’s been through all of this alone.

The whole interaction with Queen Sola has completely shaken me. Threats to my life are nothing new, but to have her on her knees before me and looking at me in reverence is odd to me. I’m so disturbed by it that I’ve not spoken a word since we left the ruins of the Unseelie Court.

Releasing a sigh, I straighten and turn to face him. “I’m as alright as I can be for the situation.”

I know that’s not really answering his question, but without delving into my twisted mess of emotions, this is the best he’s going to get. My coping strategy is to push my emotions down far enough that I can function and then revisit them when I’m in a safe place to do so. Breaking down in the middle of a forest filled with deadly fae isn’t going to do anyone any good. I just hope this is enough of an answer to tide Blaise over until we can get to Alaric and save him.

“That’s not an answer.” Anger flares in his eyes as he grips either side of the stall door, blocking my exit. “You died. You were separated from Alaric, and then you were mated to a god. A fucking god, Iris.” His lips pull back into a snarl, showing me his sharp teeth, but his anger isn’t really aimed at me.

He’s been trying to keep everything together for Alaric. Leaving his best friend must have been one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do, and all of that fear and frustration is coming out now—I just happen to be the first person he’s been able to talk to about it. Hearing him list everything from an outside point of view also helps me see how messed up everything has been. I always knew I was safe with Nyx, but no one else knew that. They had no idea what was going on. The world thought I was dead, but Alaric and Ciaran knew better.

“I have no idea how much time you spent with Ciaran and his twisted court, but they aren’t good folk to be around—”

This is where I have to step in. I know the two courts hate each other, but so far the Unseelie Court has only tried to help me—bar the water wraith, but Blaise doesn’t need to know about that.

I take a step towards him. “They have been nothing but—”

“I know, I know,” he grouches, pushing away from the doorway with annoyance. “There’s clearly more going on here. You wouldn’t be mated to the heir of the court if he was as evil as the stories say.”

My bond with Ciaran isn’t complete yet, but that’s another piece of information Blaise doesn’t need to know right now. The fact that he’s even willing to look past Ciaran being Unseelie is a step in the right direction and brings me hope that the two courts might one day be able to reconcile.

I watch him pace the length of the stable, his agitation and nervous energy putting me on edge. There’s something I desperately need to know, but I’ve been postponing asking as I’m terrified of the answer.

“How is Alaric? Be straight with me.” My voice cracks, and that’s before I even know anything. What am I going to be like when I know the truth?

Blaise comes to a stop, his face dropping and eyes glazing over. “I’ve never even thought about changing allegiance before, but seeing how his own father has treated him made me seriously consider it.” Lifting his head, he finally meets my eyes. “He ordered your death, knowing what it would do to Alaric. Death or madness were the only options, and honestly, seeing him now, death would have been a kindness.”

His words strike me like physical blows. Poor Alaric. He’s been suffering so badly that even his closest friend is saying death would have been a better option. My breaths become painful, my chest constricting as my mind spirals. Adrenaline floods my body with the need to be doing something . Rushing to the stall door, I grab Blaise’s arm tightly. “We shouldn’t be stopping. We need to get to him. Now.”

The look he gives me is sympathetic but realistic. “This isn’t going to be easy, Iris. You need to make sure you’re at full strength.”

“I’ll be fine—”

“No,” he interrupts, his expression firm. “You’ve already been through enough to wipe you out. You can’t help Alaric if you’re exhausted.”

I know he’s right, but it still hurts that we’re being delayed because of me. Everything Blaise has told me painted a picture that is so much worse than even my worst nightmares could have dreamed up. The ache inside me is only a fraction of what Alaric will be experiencing, and he doesn’t have other mates to help take the strain like I do.

A shadow appears in the doorway of the stables, and Blaise and I look up. His reaction is fast, ready to attack should he need to—after all, he is in enemy territory. My reaction is far calmer in comparison. I know who it is thanks to our bond alerting me to his presence. Ciaran pauses in the entrance, running his eyes over me, searching for the cause of my turmoil. Eyes narrowing, he glances over to Blaise accusingly. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything to the other male, as this would just make everything that much harder.

“I have arranged two rooms for us. We should get inside and away from prying eyes. Seelie are not welcome here, and it won’t take anyone long to figure out who he is.”

His tone makes it perfectly clear that he agrees with the consensus of the rest of the Unseelie and Blaise is not welcome here. I can foresee this being an issue going forward, but we don’t have time to deal with it now as his comment raises an important concern.

I step towards my mate. “Is Blaise safe here?”

Blaise snorts behind me, clearly insulted at the implication. “I can look after myself, Iris.”

I spin around and pin him with a look. “You are my friend,” I tell him firmly, leaving no room for argument. “I want to make sure you’re not going to be harmed here.”

I don’t know what he was expecting me to say, but he’s clearly taken aback by the force of my conviction. Struck dumb, he says nothing, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. The emotion in his eyes is almost too much for me, bringing up my own overwhelming feelings, and I need to look away before I start crying.

“No one will touch him,” Ciaran assures me, watching the two of us closely. “Even if they figure out who he is, they wouldn’t dare, as I made it clear he’s here with us.”

As the heir to the Unseelie Court, Ciaran is the second most powerful fae in their territory. To harm someone under his care would be a death sentence to anyone involved. For him to extend this protection over Blaise means more than I can put into words.

Some of the tension I’ve been carrying eases. He hates Blaise, not only for being Seelie, but because of who he is to the Seelie crown. He did this for me, even if it affects how his people view him.

Stepping up to him, I place a hand on his chest and smile up at him. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, mate.” The corner of his mouth flicks up into a half smile, and his eyes flash with his usual cheeky attitude that I’ve not seen from him since we arrived at the Unseelie Court. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up.”

I make sure that the stall door to our mounts is left open. They are horses of legend, they shouldn’t be locked up. If they want to move on, then they should be allowed to do so. Should they want to assist us on our journey, then they’ll still be here come morning.

Without any further instruction, we leave the stable and cross the road to the inn. The bar is busy, and although the noise dims a little as we enter, it soon returns to its full volume, most of the fae paying us little attention. I raise a hand in greeting to Ene, the innkeeper, getting a slow nod of her head in acknowledgement. After hurrying up the stairs, we are greeted by an empty corridor lined with doors.

Ciaran leads the way, pausing when he reaches the final two doors at the end of the hallway. They are opposite one another, and as we approach, he holds out his hand, a silver key hanging from a loop on his finger. “That’s your room.” He gestures to Blaise, handing him the key. Nodding towards the other door, he smiles slightly as he presents the key. “We’re in here.”

We’re sharing a room then. I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s my mate, so it’s expected that we would stay in the same room. There’s strength in numbers too, and I know he wants to keep an eye on me to make sure I’m safe.

Taking the key from him, I roll my eyes and unlock the door. It’s much like the room I borrowed to change in when we came through this morning, only slightly larger. Neutral coloured furnishings and drapes give the room a clean but functional feel, and there are no personal touches to be seen. There’s a small bathroom attached to the room, meaning we won’t have to leave to clean up.

Taking in the rest of the room, I notice that there’s only one bed. I raise my eyebrows at Ciaran, gesturing towards the bed. “Where are you sleeping?”

It’s presumptuous of him to assume that he’ll be sharing a bed with me, but it’s also something I’d expect from him. We’re mates, so we should at least be in the same room for protection. At least, that’s what I tell myself. I’m not about to admit that I want to be wrapped around him in that bed tonight, needing to feel him.

He grins slowly, most likely hearing my speeding heart and scenting my arousal. I’m teasing, and he knows it. I have no objections to sharing a bed with him.

Someone clears their throat, bringing us both crashing back to reality. Spinning to the open door, I see Blaise hovering in the doorway looking more awkward than I’ve ever seen him, clearly waiting for permission to enter. “We need to talk about what happened.”

Waving him in, I sit down on the edge of the bed, my cheeks pink from being caught flirting with his enemy. Kicking off my shoes, I sigh in relief, my poor aching feet freed from the borrowed boots.

Ciaran leans against the wall beside the window, his arms crossed over his chest as he silently watches the fae enter the room. Blaise moves around as though he’s expecting an ambush, waiting for a trap to spring. I understand his hesitation, but does he really think I’m going to let anything happen to him? Although I try my best not to, I feel a little offended.

Finally, Blaise perches on the edge of the sofa opposite the bed, looking at anything but Ciaran and me. He appears both wary and restless simultaneously, which I didn’t even think was possible. I’m waiting for him to speak. He was the one who wanted to discuss everything after all, but an awkward silence hangs over us.

Fine, I guess I have to take this into my own hands. “Okay. What happened at the ruins?”

My question breaks the tension, and Ciaran shifts his weight so he’s sitting on the window ledge. He looks exhausted, rubbing at his temples.

“What you experienced is a rare phenomenon that occurs with fae who are unable to control their magic. Only the strongest fae are at risk,” he begins, dropping his hands onto his lap as he meets my gaze. “The fade is a place between realms, not in life or in death. We start training those with magic as soon as they show signs of it, but sometimes when a particularly strong fae begins to manifest their powers, they can lose control and get sucked into the fade.”

Ignoring the fact that I’m a human and this is something that happens to the fae, I try to keep up with the concept of a place between realms. Blinking rapidly, I shake my head, a growing sense of fear gripping me tightly. “They just vanish?”

Ciaran’s expression tells me everything I need to know before he even opens his mouth to speak. “No, their bodies stay behind in a permanent stasis, while their minds are trapped in the fade.”

Horror causes my stomach to drop like a lead weight, my body covered in chills. “What becomes of their bodies?”

“I don’t know what they do here. In the Seelie city, we have a sanctuary for them where they are cared for in hopes that one day they will return,” Blaise says, his expression solemn. “So far, none of them have ever awoken.”

Is this what would have happened to me if Blaise hadn’t been there to help me? That’s a terrifying thought. Could it happen again? What would happen to my mates if I slipped into the fade? I need to learn to master whatever powers I have in order to make sure that doesn’t occur. The two males are silent as they let me absorb this.

“What caused it? Why now?” A pressure has been building up inside me ever since I was brought back from the death realm, but I assumed it was due to the circumstances or a side effect of being reborn.

Ciaran makes a noise of dissatisfaction, rubbing his chest as the bond tightens around us. “We think hearing that Alaric was dying made your powers surge to the surface. We’ve never seen anything like it before, and we didn’t know your magic would manifest this way, so we weren’t prepared.”

Blaise hums in agreement, pulling a face at whatever he’s about to say. “I hate to agree with an Unseelie, but usually the fae show signs before this happens. Everything is so different with you.”

Of course it is, I’m not like them. We can’t dance around the subject any longer. Pushing up from the bed, I gesture to myself and my very human body. “Yes, I’m not fae.”

“No, you’re not,” Ciaran agrees, clearly not put off by my snarky tone. “You’re not a typical human either though.” Moving away from the window, he comes to my side, brushing his fingers along my cheek. “Humans don’t have magic. You have been blessed. You are something other. Something miraculous.”

He looks at me like I’m his miracle, his tone hushed and full of awe. What did I do to earn this sort of devotion? I always thought being different from my human counterparts was a negative thing, keeping me separated from them. Ciaran makes me feel like it’s actually the opposite, like my differences should be celebrated.

His words trigger something in the back of my mind, and it only takes a second for it to click. “What Queen Sola said before we left the court…” I trail off, not knowing how to describe the strange scene. I’m still not sure what happened or caused her to kneel at my feet. “Why does she think I’m a goddess?”

Ciaran huffs out a breath and sits on the edge of the bed, pulling me down beside him. “This conversation requires us to sit down.” He smirks, pulling me in close, and I’m pretty sure he’s just using this as an excuse to get close to me.

“Do you remember when I told you about the twin goddesses who created the fated mounts—one light and the other dark?” Pausing, he waits for me to nod in agreement. “Well, the goddesses vanished over a thousand years ago, the only trace of them their mounts, until they eventually disappeared too. Stories have been passed around that the goddesses would one day return and restore peace and magic to all fae, and that a great wrong would be righted.”

A great wrong would be righted. My body reacts to those words, tingling all over. I freeze, fearing that this is my power flaring into life again, but the feeling quickly passes. Pushing away my initial reaction, I think on those words again. My chest warms, and I get the feeling that there is power behind what he said. Is this confirmation that what he’s saying is true, or am I jumping ahead?

“We have the same legend, but they have only ever been thought of as stories. There isn’t really any truth behind them, is there?” Blaise counters with a frown, leaning forward with his intrigue.

Tilting my head to one side, I look between the two fae, trying to grasp what they are saying. “Queen Sola thinks I’m one of these sisters? That I’m a goddess?” I laugh incredulously at the idea, but then I slowly cut off as I take in their expressions. They seem to actually be considering it. “You don’t believe that too, do you?”

“You have to admit that there are a lot of similarities.” Ciaran grips my chin and turns it so I’m looking his way, giving him my full attention. “You are mated to the heirs of both courts and a god, the fated mounts returned, you are the one from the prophecy who will free us, and you wear human form yet you have the magic of the fae.” The awe has returned to his expression, and it makes me uncomfortable.

“There is more to it than that, Iris,” Blaise adds. “You have the magic of life. You can heal and create life when there was nothing but ruin before. That is bigger than the power the fae possess.”

The fact that they are both agreeing with each other is disturbing, and so far my questions haven’t provided answers, only more questions. Even now, the two of them are staring at me, waiting expectantly for me to say something. Am I supposed to magically know what to do now that I know I have special powers? I feel no more prepared than I did before. In fact, all of this has only made me feel the opposite. I’m not a fae with new magic, and I’m most certainly not a goddess. I’m a human, and I feel completely lost.

“Just say for a moment that I believe you,” I begin, my tone making it clear I think the opposite. “What does any of this mean for my human sister? Are you saying she’s a goddess too?”

She’s never shown signs of anything magical, disgusted by anything remotely different to the norm. We never got on particularly well, and in part, that was because of how I didn’t fit in with the other villagers. She thought I did it on purpose and was trying to get her ostracised. That was never the case, I just had no interest in village life. How would she cope with finding out she possessed magic?

A lump forms in the back of my throat, and I shake my head like I can remove the thought from my mind. This just brings me back to their belief that I could be their missing goddess. Do I really possess the magic of life? Sure, I healed Blaise before, but I know the fae can heal to a certain extent, so that’s nothing special. When it comes to plants, that is more difficult to explain as flowers do seem to appear around me in the fae lands, yet I just thought this had something to do with the magic in the ground. The plants that broke through the ruins were already there. I didn’t create that life, I just fed it my power.

Ciaran is shaking his head, and I have to bring myself back to the present. “It doesn’t always work that way with magic. I only ever sensed magic on you, never your sister. If you are a goddess reborn, then you could choose any form.”

This is ridiculous. They can’t truly believe I’m anything other than human. Sure, I have some otherworldly powers, but I have human parents and a sister, so that has to count for something. Even if I’m just the chosen one, then why was I the one picked for the role? Surging up from the bed, I start to pace the space, not wanting their touch at the moment.

“Then why me, and why now?” I ask, needing answers that neither of them have. “If I’m a goddess, wouldn’t I know it?” I sound desperate, but at this point, each answer I’m given only confuses me further and opens up a whole host of other questions.

“This is new territory for us, Iris,” Ciaran comments, following each of my movements with a close eye. He’s on edge, perched on the bed as though he’s going to jump up at any moment, and I don’t think he realised his slip of the tongue. Us. He just grouped himself with a Seelie fae in the same sentence without recoiling in horror. Perhaps there is hope for the two courts to reconcile after all.

Blaise is frowning deeply, tugging on his beard. “Whatever happens, we need to get Alaric back, ideally without causing an outright war.”

Yes, Alaric needs to be our focus. I can worry about what-ifs and what I am when all of my mates are safe. While part of me wants to go charging into the Seelie Court and take Alaric back, I could never have it on my conscience if I were the reason for bloodshed. We need to get in and out without being caught.

The question is, how do you sneak a prince out of his kingdom without being seen?