With a curse, I stomped through the warded gates to evanesce. My mother was so feckin’ paranoid someone would try and break into her fortress that she continually strengthened the feckin’ things. No one was foolish enough to challenge her for her throne. And who would want it, anyway? Having to live in this cursed place, being responsible for guarding the Forest morning, noon, and night. It sounded like hell to me.
Not that my opinion mattered. As the Queen’s only offspring, inheriting this vile place was my birthright. One I hoped to never claim.
With a burst of magic, I found myself standing amid emerald-green fields, the salty perfume of a summer’s breeze replacing rancid death. Sea birds cawed above, dancing to the sound of the waves beyond.
The gray stones of my father Prince Midir’s castle stood like a fortress against the backdrop of a crystal-clear sky.I marched toward the gates, the tightness in my chest loosening with each step. None of the people leaving waved at me. In the courtyard, two women with children tugging at their skirts stopped their conversation to whisper as I passed. The only person who smiled was the merrow sunning herself on the edge of the fountain, the scales of her green tail glittering. I made my way around the back, past the gardens and the dungeon entrance to a small stone staircase.
The kitchens always smelled like fresh pastries and sugar. The very same as the plump woman with curly gray hair springing from beneath a white mop cap, bobbling from the stove to the fireplace. When she heard me, she whirled. Her dark blue skirts were dusted with floury handprints. “Little Rían. Yer early!” Eava flicked her wrist, replacing the half-iced chocolate cake on the table with a suspiciously upturned wooden crate. “How’s my birthday boy?”
“Miserable.”
She evanesced to my side, catching my face in between her hands. “What’s wrong?”
Sighing, I sank onto one of the high stools. “Besides being the spawn of a murderous witch?”
“What’d she do now?” Eava sighed.
“Doesn’t matter.” What was the point in dwelling on it when I couldn’t change it? “Where’s Tadhg?”
“He and Ruairi are around here somewhere.”
Ruairi was Tadhg’s new best mate. Ever since he’d come along, he’d stolen all of Tadhg’s attention. I didn’t see what was so great about him. He was just a feckin’ pooka. Sure, he could shapeshift into different animals, but so could I, and Tadhg had never been impressed.
“Don’t you worry.” Eava gave my shoulder a pat, cursing and cleaning the flour she’d left behind. “Tadhg will be here as soon as he smells what I’ve baked. Not that he’ll be getting any before yer party.”
“I’m afraid there won’t be a party. Mother has requested I dine with her this evening.”
Eava’s wispy gray eyebrows slammed down over her black eyes. “That selfish old crow. I really ought to—”
I used my magic to catch her next words before she could say them. There was no telling which servants in this castle had ties to the Queen. While everyone on either side of the border feared her, many of the Danú revered her as some sort of goddess, keeping them safe from the terrible, terrible humans.
Sure, some of the humans were terrible, but some of them were good too. Like Leesha and her family, guardians of the border portal near the Forest.
Tadhg appeared in the doorway, nose lifted toward the beamed ceiling, his unkempt dark hair curling around his pointed ears. “Do I smell cake?”A fork appeared in his hand.
“‘Tis fer yer brother.” Eava whapped him on the knuckles, stealing the shifted fork.
Tadhg evanesced around her, removing the crate concealing my cake with a flourish.
Eava shifted a wooden spoon and lifted it above her head. “Don’t you dare—”
Tadhg’s green eyes glittered when he grinned at me. “Rían doesn’t mind, do you, Rían?” Eava paused mid-swipe, looking to me for confirmation. “This is considered dessert, is it not?”
Why the hell had I thought it was a good idea to bet my brother I could best him in a race to the shore? My foolishness had cost me my portion of dessert for six months.
“It’s fine, Eava.”
Another fork appeared in Tadhg’s hand, and he threw himself onto the stool next to me. My heart sank as I watched that fork sink into the three layers of cake and frosting before disappearing into my brother’s gawping mouth.
Eava’s spoon rattled on the table. She glowered at Tadhg until he sighed.
A white plate appeared next to him, and he slopped a bit onto the plate before pushing it toward me. “Here. Don’t say I never gave you anything for your birthday.”
Feck it anyway. I didn’t want to dine with my mother. I wanted to stay here with Leesha and Tadhg and Eava. I checked the time on Eava’s clock beside a basket of dirty potatoes. “Can you collect her early?” I asked, determined to salvage a bit of this day. If Tadhg retrieved Leesha now, we could have a bit of a party before I had to return to the Forest.
“Why?” Tadhg asked around a bite of cake, crumbs spilling all over the table.
Eava smacked him in the side of the head.