Page 62 of Twisting Twilight (Homesteader Hearth Witch #9)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

“Well, now that that’s settled”—Flora brushed her hands clean of imaginary dirt—“it’s time we were on our way. Bye now!”

Callan flung up his hand and the portal guard leveled their shining spears. “If you think exposing my wife’s traitorous attendant in any way grants you leniency for what you have done?—”

“What have we done, my lord?” I asked, hands on my hips. “The Blight is still contained. Your land is safe, my quest is done, no harm, no foul. We just want to go home.”

“You were forbidden to go there!”

“Do you always do what you’re told? I thought second sons weren’t supposed to challenge their older brothers over their inheritance.”

Callan reddened. “That’s different . Ossian broke his solemn oath to this court and stole my mate?—”

“And Ossian stole me,” I spat. “You risked everything for Shannon. Why can’t I do the same for the ones I love?”

“I wasn’t jeopardizing the lives of thousands of people!”

“No, you let Ossian do that for you when you banished him to my realm! Which he’s still doing!”

The high lord ground his teeth. “The curse should’ve ended him.”

“Shoulda, woulda, coulda, but didn’t. The lives he’s ruined since are on you. ”

“They are mortal lives, what do I care?”

And there it was, that high fae superiority. That elitism. That utter disregard to anything weaker than them. They understood only one thing: power. And where they stood in its hierarchy.

The magic oak tree threatened to turn very dark and very pointy as my hands balled into fists. “Get ready to run,” I warned Sawyer.

Thistle picked up on the change in Sawyer’s posture immediately, and shortly thereafter, Shari. Daphne, ever aware of her ward, noticed something amiss and nudged Flora. Emmett and Cody were old, but they weren’t blind, and the two men tensed in preparation.

“Acushla,” Shannon murmured. Her brows were knitted together in disappointment, and she gave a subtle shake of her head in reproach. “You don’t believe that. I know you don’t.”

So there were still fae with hearts in their breasts in Elfame. I still had an ally in the Court of Beasts. From the disgusted look on the Green Mother’s face, it seemed she shared Shannon’s sentiments as well. Mortals had worth to them. To Ruben, too. And Kian.

Callan’s glare only intensified, either from shame or pride, I couldn’t tell. “You survived the Blight, witch. You and your friends and that junior scholar will remain here and tell us exactly?—”

“No.” The time for talking, for tolerating this hubristic stubbornness, was over. I had tried to respect his authority as a guest in his realm, to treat with patience and humility, but I would not submit any longer.

The high lord grabbed the hilt of his sword. “You?—”

“And I know you’re not talking about detaining my niece in addition to my court’s most promising junior scholar, Beastmaster,” the Green Mother interrupted sweetly. “I am his patron, after all.”

“I-I am?” Kian asked. “Y-you are?”

“Yes, I fully expect you to attend me after earning your master’s robes. We have much to do, you and I.”

Beaming, Kian straightened to his full height and tugged the collar of his overcoat. Fiachna fluffed out as well, preening. “Yes, my lady. We certainly do.”

“Enough,” Callan snapped. His sword was drawn now, and he lowered this gleaming point at me. “You will?—”

I turned to Shannon, and Callan sputtered as I blatantly ignored him. “We have a bargain, my lady.”

Shannon glanced once at her mate, then stepped forward and rested her hand on my shoulder. “We do.”

“Shannon!” Callan shouted.

The high lady removed her bow from her back. “She is willing to give me what I need, husband. I’m going.”

“Soldiers!” The high lord whistled sharply next and the lesídhe closed ranks with a thunderous noise like falling trees.

To everyone’s surprise, Fionn voice rang loud and clear in the second of silence that followed. “Portal guard, stand down.”

With no hesitation whatsoever, the portal guard obeyed. Eleven spearheads swept towards the sky and stayed there. Battle leathers creaked and midnight-colored cloaks rustled as eleven fae relaxed out of their fighting stances.

“Captain,” Callan seethed.

“You are my lord, but I am Erusian first, a Son of Eru. It is why you chose me above all others to protect this portal against the Banished One’s return.

Why you allowed me to choose my fellow Erusians to fill this guard.

We are responsible not just for this portal, but the whole of Elfame.

And respectfully, you did not see what I saw in the Court of Shoals.

Eru does not find the witch’s presence here offensive, so neither should we.

Let the goddess decide their fate.” He swept his hand to the portal.

“If they can pay the price, let them go.”

When the high lord didn’t readily agree, the captain nudged, “Surely a high lord of Elfame will accept Elfame’s decision.”

A murmur of agreement rippled through the assembled fae. Elfame, when it chose to speak to its subjects, superseded any high lord or lady’s command.

“Erusians,” the high lord muttered. But he, too, had professed great reverence for the divine embodiment of these immortal lands. He waved us off to the portal. “Fine. If you can pay the price, you are free to go.”

Cody took one step towards the portal and stopped. “You’re not gonna try something shady like your brother and stab us in the back are you?”

Callan shook from the insult of being likened to Ossian and thrust his finger at the portal. “ Go .”

The lesídhe and portal guard parted and the Redbudians hurried towards the glowing archway.

Kian and the Green Mother were quick to follow.

This close, the portal’s glow seemed to dim and all its details sharpened: silver filigree as delicate as finely blown glass, a door of opaque, shimmering opal.

We huddled close together as I produced the filigree key; a silver keyhole appeared in the center of the opal door.

I paused. There was no way of knowing what would be awaiting us on the other side. Magic hunters? Mallaithe?

“Ready?” I asked them. “I’ll go first.”

Shannon snatched my elbow and yanked me back. “I wouldn’t advise it.”

I pulled free of her sharply, sick and tired of fae telling me what I could and couldn’t do, even if they were my allies. “If anyone’s going to be the canary in the coal mine, it’s me.”

“This portal isn’t like any other,” she quickly explained. “It is rooted into Elfame itself. Its price will be steep. If you go first, the others will most likely be trapped here. If you go first and are met with opposition on the other side, you might not come back, either.”

“Then you go first,” Flora piped up. “Big strong high fae female like yourself with a badass bow should be no problem for whatever nasty could be waiting on the others side.”

“My deal is with Misty Fields,” the high lady said, “and I go only after she has.”

“ If she does,” Callan interjected.

We all ignored him.

“Hmph,” the garden gnome said. “I see how it is.”

If the portal was so exacting, maybe there was another way. “How did you travel to our world before?” I asked. “Like that time when you saved Quills?”

“Yes, wife, how did you do it?” Callan said pointedly. “The portals were all closed.”

She wet her lips, considering. “I used the Old Paths of the Tuatha. The hawthorn trees.”

“You did what ?”

Judging by Callan’s reddening face, what Shannon had done was exceptionally dangerous.

Shannon gave her husband a scathing look. “I used the ones that have twin trees in the mortal realm—I’m not a moron.”

“But how did you know they had twins in the first place?”

“Can you discuss this later?” I interrupted. “I’m on a deadline here. Can we use it or not?”

She shook her head. “This portal here is a fixed line in the In-Between. The hawthorn trees are… flexible, even with a twin. None of you are skilled in the way of navigating its streams, and you could end up somewhere else, some time else. If you are wary of what awaits you on the other side, you could always send the faelene first.”

Thistle hissed and plunked her fanny down next to Sawyer, entwining her tail with his. And he wasn’t going anywhere without me, so…

“Should we draw straws?” Daphne asked.

“Certainly not.” Emmett linked his arm with Cody’s. “The gentlemen will go first.”

“We’ll do what ?” Cody immediately wiggled like a fish to extract himself, but Emmett’s arm kept him hooked. “This is just like the sword thing!”

Ignoring him, Emmett gave Kian a stern but affectionate look. “You remember what we taught you, son.”

The junior scholar nodded quickly. “Yes, sir. And—” The words thank you stuck in the fae’s throat. “I’m forever grateful,” he said in a rush and smiled at his success.

“Leave off!” Cody hollered, continuing to smack at Emmett’s meaty hand.

“Pipe down,” Flora said. “ I’ll go first. I wasn’t turned into a honey badger for nothing, you know.” She raised a glowing fist and her thorn sword. “Let’s do this.”

“Just like an Ironweed,” the Green Mother said proudly.

There was a spring in her step as Flora marched up to the shimmering opal door. But she was mistaken; she wasn’t going in alone.

“Everybody form a line and hold hands,” I ordered. We’d come in together on Daphne’s back, and while we had no white mare to ride this time, we would be leaving together regardless. “Hold each other tight.”

I helped assemble them: Flora was cradled in one of Daphne’s arms, clutching her braid, Daphne held Shari’s hand, then Emmett, then Cody. After withdrawing the last of my bleached tourmalines from my bra pocket, I handed it to Flora. “Do not drop this,” I said firmly.

Perhaps magic would be needed to pay part of the price if Elfame judged and did not find us wholly worthy. I would supplement from my own core with whatever else was required.

There was a flapping of wings—Thistle rising with Sawyer in her paws.

She deposited him onto my shoulder, and he scooted down into the hood of my cloak and hooked his front claws into the tough fabric at the nape of my neck.

There was no room for the faelene to join him there, so she took his customary position upon my shoulder, coiled her tail around my neck, and shielded him with her wing.

“Ready,” she said in that beguiling sweet voice of hers.

Callan and Shannon shuddered.

“You get used to it,” Kian said, folding his arms over his chest and looking supremely pleased with himself.

I took hold of Cody’s boney hand and gave it a squeeze. He didn’t look back at me, his eyes fixed on the portal, at his home beyond, at the boy he still hoped was alive, but his fingers tightened fiercely in reply.

Suddenly balking, I faced the Green Mother. Great-Great-Great— There were too many to say. Greatest -Aunt Briony. “I’m sorry we didn’t?—”

She shook her head, long brown hair sweeping across her shoulders. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes but her full lips parted into a genuine smile. “This is not forever, Niece. It is only for a time.”

Bonny chirped a bright farewell.

“ Don’t you dare die before you fulfill your end of our bargain, witch, ” Rhydian said directly into my mind, and I tried not to wince at the weight of his words. He added a snort for good measure. “I’ll be calling upon you.”

“Can’t wait,” Sawyer growled.

“Goodbye, my lord,” I told Callan. He just rolled his eyes.

Flora thrust her fist with the bleached tourmaline out in front of her, and we entered the portal.