Earth Queen tried to draw away her attention away. I would have been content to speak to Arach all night but the more Aalish interrupted Meara, the more Meara seemed disinclined to tolerate her.
So there was one more reason for Aalish to hate me.
The pixies had packed quickly and returned to the hall with the speed of the desperate. There were lots of little bags and even a few tiny carts filled with belongings. There were a few children too, more than I'd seen at first, one was still a babe in arms. It reminded me of the scene in Fiddler on the Roof, when the Jews are driven out of town and they pull their little carts sadly away. Except this exodus was happy or at least hopeful.
When the excruciatingly long meal was finally over, I called Fearghal over and instructed him to gather the carts carefully and help the pixies to our carriage. The pixies had gaped at me then. They'd evidently expected to have to walk the entire way to the Fire Kingdom. That they not only expected to have to walk but were more than willing to, showed me just how badly they'd been treated. I can't even imagine how long it would have taken them, or what kind of obstacles they would have been up against, like carnivorous animals and plants. I doubt that they all would have made it, and yet they hadn't asked for help or further consideration.
In that moment, I became theirs, lost to the courage, perseverance, and strength of the pixies. My heart claimed them and I vowed to myself that their life would become better by leaps and bounds among the fire fey.
We'd piled into the carriage, Arach and I on one side and all the pixies on the other. Their belongings were on the floor of the carriage, carefully stowed by the red caps, and the pixies themselves were huddled together, looking both excited and scared.
“ It's going to be alright,” I assured them. “No one in Fire will harm you, you are fire fey now.”
“ Thank you, my Queen,” Artair was still the spokesman. “We will make do, my people are just concerned over what the Fire Kingdom itself will hold for us.”
“ Your cousins, the fire pixies,” Arach took over for me, “do well in the Fire Kingdom even though, as you know, they are not completely immune to fire. We will take the proper measures to ensure your safety. The fire pixies live in the forest in front of Castle Aithinne but they also roam freely in the castle. You can either settle in with them or you can have your own quarters within the castle. Castle Aithinne is made from the mountain and you may feel more at home inside its walls.”
“ I think you're right, my King,” Artair glanced at the others and they all nodded to him. “A room within the castle would suit us nicely and then we wouldn't have to impose on our cousins. I think we can make do with one chamber.”
“ I'll give you a large one,” Arach nodded, “but if you require more space, simply ask. We have numerous empty rooms and giving you a few is no hardship.”
“ My King,” Artair bowed, “my Queen. We cannot thank you enough. We have felt separate from the fey for so long. To be given such a welcome is too much to hope for.”
“ I think the House of Earth will come to regret their treatment of you,” I observed. “Every fey is important and has something to offer their House. If you weren't, Faerie wouldn't have created you. For example, our pixies train with the red caps and goblins now. They've been on two Hunts already.”
“ The Wild Hunt?” Artair paled. “They're allowed to go? What use can they possibly be to the Host?”
“ I don't know if you know this but three of our pixies were killed recently.” I frowned, thinking back to the sight of the tiny corpses.
“ No, we didn't.”
“ The fire pixies asked to help us hunt the murderer,” Arach continued for me with pride in his voice. I think the little ones had impressed him even more than they had me. “They deserved their vengeance as much as I did, and so I let them
So there was one more reason for Aalish to hate me.
The pixies had packed quickly and returned to the hall with the speed of the desperate. There were lots of little bags and even a few tiny carts filled with belongings. There were a few children too, more than I'd seen at first, one was still a babe in arms. It reminded me of the scene in Fiddler on the Roof, when the Jews are driven out of town and they pull their little carts sadly away. Except this exodus was happy or at least hopeful.
When the excruciatingly long meal was finally over, I called Fearghal over and instructed him to gather the carts carefully and help the pixies to our carriage. The pixies had gaped at me then. They'd evidently expected to have to walk the entire way to the Fire Kingdom. That they not only expected to have to walk but were more than willing to, showed me just how badly they'd been treated. I can't even imagine how long it would have taken them, or what kind of obstacles they would have been up against, like carnivorous animals and plants. I doubt that they all would have made it, and yet they hadn't asked for help or further consideration.
In that moment, I became theirs, lost to the courage, perseverance, and strength of the pixies. My heart claimed them and I vowed to myself that their life would become better by leaps and bounds among the fire fey.
We'd piled into the carriage, Arach and I on one side and all the pixies on the other. Their belongings were on the floor of the carriage, carefully stowed by the red caps, and the pixies themselves were huddled together, looking both excited and scared.
“ It's going to be alright,” I assured them. “No one in Fire will harm you, you are fire fey now.”
“ Thank you, my Queen,” Artair was still the spokesman. “We will make do, my people are just concerned over what the Fire Kingdom itself will hold for us.”
“ Your cousins, the fire pixies,” Arach took over for me, “do well in the Fire Kingdom even though, as you know, they are not completely immune to fire. We will take the proper measures to ensure your safety. The fire pixies live in the forest in front of Castle Aithinne but they also roam freely in the castle. You can either settle in with them or you can have your own quarters within the castle. Castle Aithinne is made from the mountain and you may feel more at home inside its walls.”
“ I think you're right, my King,” Artair glanced at the others and they all nodded to him. “A room within the castle would suit us nicely and then we wouldn't have to impose on our cousins. I think we can make do with one chamber.”
“ I'll give you a large one,” Arach nodded, “but if you require more space, simply ask. We have numerous empty rooms and giving you a few is no hardship.”
“ My King,” Artair bowed, “my Queen. We cannot thank you enough. We have felt separate from the fey for so long. To be given such a welcome is too much to hope for.”
“ I think the House of Earth will come to regret their treatment of you,” I observed. “Every fey is important and has something to offer their House. If you weren't, Faerie wouldn't have created you. For example, our pixies train with the red caps and goblins now. They've been on two Hunts already.”
“ The Wild Hunt?” Artair paled. “They're allowed to go? What use can they possibly be to the Host?”
“ I don't know if you know this but three of our pixies were killed recently.” I frowned, thinking back to the sight of the tiny corpses.
“ No, we didn't.”
“ The fire pixies asked to help us hunt the murderer,” Arach continued for me with pride in his voice. I think the little ones had impressed him even more than they had me. “They deserved their vengeance as much as I did, and so I let them
Similar Books
