Allegiance, page 11
She looked at me, one eyebrow raised. ‘You got a problem with that?’
I shrugged. ‘Why would I?’
‘Good.’ She went back to her reflection. ‘Cos you have no idea what it’s like living with red hair.’
‘But you’ve got gorgeous hair!’ She gave me a look and I hurried on. ‘So… who’s this guy anyway?’
She tilted her head in the direction of the living room. ‘Did they send you in?’
‘No.’
Eventually she said, ‘He’s no one you know—name’s Matt.’
‘Boyfriend?’
She began combing the dye through her curls. ‘Yeah but if you tell Mum and Dad, I’ll deny it.’
A lump rose in my throat as memories of Jason and how easily he’d taken advantage of her returned.
‘Be careful, okay?’
She frowned. ‘Do I look like I can’t take care of myself?’
Yes. ‘Ash.’
She stopped combing and turned to me. ‘What?’
I would have given her a hug but there was no way I could get any closer to that hair dye. ‘I’m worried about you.’
She returned to the mirror. ‘It’s not fair they won’t let me go to the party tonight. You get to do whatever you want while I have to stay here and rot.’ Her voice was hard and tight. She wrapped her hair in a towel and shut the door.
I left my family feeling like I’d let them down somehow—the unhappy sensation followed me all the way to the Kingdom of Telophy. Jack’s reaction when we arrived, however, soon gave me something else to focus on. Leif must have pictured the castle grounds when we left Constantine, because when we tumbled from the sunbeams we landed beneath a huge old tree, its gnarled limbs spreading low and far and filled with tiny birds rustling their minty feathers and gold wings as they hopped from branch to branch singing to each other. Jack’s jaw dropped as he took it all in. He wandered amongst the flowers—some shaped like bells and so yellow-gold it was as if they were formed from tiny drops of sun, others layered with deep crimson petals, the fragrance in their silver centres so intoxicating, to inhale them was to be plunged into dreaming. He ran his fingers over blossom-pink blooms causing their tiny petals to shake free and float up around us like snowflakes, and as he followed them up to the sky his eyes grew wide. Soaring above us were the towers and turrets of the castle—smooth as glass and shining like moonstones in the sunlight. I laughed and grabbed his hand, running with him along the stream that ran through the garden leading up to the main entrance, and when the double doors swung open for us Jack gasped before going silent. And with him to one side of me and Leif to the other, I took everything in as if I was seeing it for the first time: the frescoes of faeries dancing in circles on the ceilings, the rich dark wood furniture polished smooth and intricately engraved with swirls and curlicues, the sunstone chandeliers dripping with crystals—several times Jack had me fly up and empty them of sun before lighting them again. Leif led us through as quickly as Jack would allow and when we reached the balcony of the great hall, my betrothed clutched my hand and took Jack under his free arm. Then we opened our wings and went into the air. We flew just above the forest, Jack laughing and kicking at the treetops. After a while we sailed down through the branches, landing on the balcony of a little treehouse, almost invisible in the dense foliage. Leif knocked on the door.
‘How do you know this is the right place?’ I asked. ‘They all look so alike.’
‘My father showed me, he knows the home of every one of his subjects.’
‘Showed you how?’
‘Like putting a picture in my mind,’ he said, knocking again.
‘I don’t think there’s anyone home,’ Jack said.
I looked at him and grinned. ‘Keen observation, Jackie.’
Jack shook his head. ‘Such a smartarse.’
‘Coming from you!’
Leif left us to our banter and flew to a nearby balcony, knocking on the door.
‘About last night,’ Jack murmured as soon as Leif was gone.
‘Quiet,’ I said, sealing his lips with my fingers.
He moved my hand away and whispered, ‘It was nice—I just wanted you to know.’
My eyes fell to my feet. Guilt tore a hole in my heart, threatening to rip it in two. How could I feel so much for Jack when I felt so much for Leif? Words tumbled in my head—it was nice, Jack, I miss us already, I’ll never forget—but I didn’t speak any of them. Even if I could have found my voice, they’d only make a messy situation worse.
When I looked up again, Jack was watching me. After a moment he smiled and said, ‘You’ve gotta love how these people live. Their environmental footprint must be almost non-existent.’
‘Completely non-existent,’ I said, happy to go along with the subject change.
The door Leif stood before opened. Through the leaves I watched a girl jumping up and down, squealing. Her mother appeared beside her and much hand kissing and curtsying followed. I dragged my eyes from the sight and said, ‘I don’t know how I’m ever going to get used to Leif’s celebrity. I mean, he’s not even a king yet.’
‘I’m sure you’ll cope, the dude’s yours after all.’
I shook my head. ‘No he’s not. Fae royalty belong to the people.’
Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘Would you swap him for anyone else?’
‘Jack—’
‘So quit complaining,’ he interrupted. ‘You’ve got the love of your life.’
‘You’ll find yours too,’ I said, hearing the frustration in his voice.
He watched me for a minute and I knew he was deciding whether to say something about us or let the subject slip away.
‘Well, until then I’ll let myself be comforted by all the others.’ He looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows. ‘There’s quite a few here I wouldn’t mind getting started with.’
I smiled, recalling the castle maids smiling and dropping curtsies in his direction when they caught him staring. ‘You’re terrible, Jack.’
‘Horrible,’ he agreed.
Leif returned to us a moment later. ‘The family are down by the river Avena.’
‘I’m starting to feel like a piece of baggage,’ Jack complained as we flew off over the forest.
After a minute or so a vast river came into view, sparkles dancing on the surface of the rolling water. As we flew close I could see children playing at the edge, tiny limbs splashing as those sitting on the bank watched on. A boy played the flute nearby, the melody twisting into the sky as his friends sang and danced along, twirling and spinning around each other, diving close to tug a strand of his hair or drop a kiss on his cheek. Amongst the trees faeries chased each other, their laughter ringing out as their wings twinkled colour through the branches. And well away from them, others shot arrows into the trunk of a tree, hollering their encouragement and congratulations when they hit their mark. As we began our descent a cry went up. ‘The Prince, the Prince is come!’ By the time we alighted, they were rushing to meet us from every direction, gasping over the splendour of Leif’s brilliant white wings, exclaiming at the magnificence of him, bowing, curtsying, many falling to their knees.
And of course every female was sighing and smiling and looking longingly at Leif’s hands. No, not every female, I realised—one stood back. She was breathtaking, and Jack—I saw when I turned to see if he’d noticed her—could hardly breathe. She had golden brown skin, a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and sun blonde hair cascading down her back in untamed ringlets. She wasn’t bothered about Leif because she was too busy returning Jack’s stare. But why wouldn’t she? I doubted she’d ever seen another human before, let alone one as cute as Jack.
I shifted my attention back to Leif. He was holding out his hand for the obligatory kisses and every female was either pressing close or taking her turn. I had a horrible, twisting feeling inside and didn’t know which had been the greater cause—Jack and the human girl or Leif and the faeries.
After a short while, and to a chorus of disappointed sighs, Leif withdrew his hand and said, ‘We have come to speak with Armand and Maia.’
A man came forward and all but one of the women drew back.
‘Leave us now,’ Leif said to the rest of the group, softening his words with a smile. Immediately everyone began to release their wings and fly away. One of the boys took the human girl with him. It seemed second nature—he simply lifted her into his arms and flew off with the others. She didn’t make a sound, just continued to watch Jack, clutching the boy’s shoulders and pulling herself higher so she could peer around his beating wings. Jack watched her right back.
‘Hypnotised much?’ I asked my friend.
When he could no longer see her, Jack turned to me and grinned.
‘We bring news,’ Leif said to the two remaining faeries. ‘But first I would like to introduce you to my betrothed, Marla, and our human friend Jack.’
I liked the way he said that—our human friend. I liked the way he included himself in the friendship, especially after what he’d put up with—what he was still putting up with, really. I smiled at him and he smiled back, warm enough to melt butter.
Maia and Armand curtsied and bowed in my direction, and made all the appropriate comments upon meeting the betrothed of the young prince. Leif eventually interrupted them and told them of my meeting with Arelle, explaining that he would be going to America in an attempt to locate their daughter. Armand thanked us both, his face alight, while Maia clung to her husband’s arm, hope sparkling in her eyes.
When we arrived back at the castle, Leif left Jack and me by the lake and went to see his father. I watched my friend as we relaxed in the sun. He smiled dreamily at the wisps of white floating across the lavender sky, knees bent and hands linked behind his head. ‘Ah, Marla, did you see her? Ameyah.’
‘I have eyes, Jack.’
‘You’re jealous,’ he said, smiling wide in my direction.
I groaned. ‘Do you have to enjoy it so much?’
He laughed softly. ‘You want me to pine for you forever?’
‘Maybe for more than a few days.’
Jack reached across and, stroking the side of my face with the backs of his fingers, quietly said, ‘Tell me there’s a point, sweetheart, and I’ll forget I ever laid eyes on her.’
I frowned and blushed all at the same time. ‘Jack…’ I started, but couldn’t continue.
After a pause he said, ‘Hmm, that’s what I thought.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next day, I returned with Leif and Jack to the home in the treetops Ameyah shared with her Fae parents. Armand answered the door, Maia standing beside him. Leif told them he was about to go to Earth to search for their daughter, but that he’d brought me and Jack to meet Ameyah so that she might learn about the human world. After telling us his daughter was down by the rock-pool with friends and offering to take us there, Armand said, ‘Highness, we—that is Maia and I—have been wondering, will our king insist upon Ameyah’s return to the human world now this discovery has been made?’
Gently, Leif said, ‘It was to happen regardless—you know this, Armand.’
A sob escaped Maia’s throat. ‘But how will we part with her? Ameyah is our daughter, born of our flesh or not.’
I watched Leif place a hand on Maia’s arm, my heart aching for her and Armand. And then a rush of cold went through me as a horrible thought occurred to me—is this how my parents feel about my coming to Faera?
‘The king will allow you to visit her,’ Leif said, recalling my attention and prompting a private vow—as far as I could help it, I would never miss one of the Sundays Dad had insisted on.
‘But she will not want to go,’ Maia cried, her eyes filling with tears. ‘And why should she? Earth is a terrible place!’
Maia’s face relaxed and I knew that Leif had calmed her. Armand led her to the table and sat her down before quietly telling us, ‘I will take you to my daughter.’
Armand led us through the forest until we reached a rock-pool where a group of girls cavorted. Jack became immediately hypnotised by the sight, barely noticing when Leif left us to go in search of the Fae changeling.
Ameyah looked up at the sound of her father calling, and when she came out of the water wearing nothing but the bottom half of a bikini, I heard Jack inhale. Droplets of water sparkled on her brown skin like tiny jewels, and as I watched Jack admire her, a feeling of loss sank into me. I wondered if my feelings for Jack would ever return to friendship.
‘Have your parents told you we might have discovered your human family?’ I asked after her father had left.
‘They have,’ she answered, her eyes fixed on Jack.
‘We don’t know much about them, but we do know you have three older siblings—two sisters and a brother. They—’
‘I do not care to know,’ she interrupted, her brow creasing into a frown.
‘But King Telophy wishes us to tell you.’
‘I know what King Telophy wishes,’ she said, dragging her eyes from Jack to look at me. ‘He wishes to send me to the human world, but I do not wish to go.’ Her sweet little face was rebellious. This was going to be more difficult than I thought.
‘We’ve only come to talk with you, Ameyah, not take you there. And Leif thought you might like to meet another human.’
‘Well, Prince Leif is wrong,’ she said. But the way her eyes were glued to Jack again made her a liar.
‘You might like me if you got to know me,’ Jack said with his most winning smile.
‘Indeed I will not like you if your intention is to take me to the human world.’ She finished with a huffing noise and tipped her freckle-sprinkled nose to the sky as she crossed her arms.
Jack’s lips curved into a grin as he held his hands up in surrender. ‘Hey, that’s got nothing to do with me.’
‘Well then,’ she said, returning her eyes to him, ‘you may speak if you wish it, but know this, I would not leave my home for anything. I will run away before I allow the king to send me to the human world.’
Jack’s grin grew impossibly wide. ‘At least let me know when you’re leaving so I can go with you.’
I looked at him. ‘There’s no mystery about you Jack.’
‘Mystery’s overrated,’ Jack said, shooting me a grin before turning back to Ameyah. ‘So what can I tell you about my world?’
‘I do not care to know a thing, Jack. But if it pleases you to speak of it, I will listen.’
Jack told her all about life in the human world. The way he described it made it sound much more appealing than it actually was. Then again, Ameyah wouldn’t have my health issues. ‘Have I tempted you at all?’ he asked her when he’d finished.
‘Perhaps a little,’ Ameyah admitted. Then she stood and glanced in the direction of her friends before inviting us to swim with her.
By the time Leif returned to the little treehouse, shadows hung over the mountains and the sun had turned the sky every shade of orange and pink. Before he’d even opened his mouth, the expression on his face told me he’d found Claudette. He made the announcement slowly, first gathering the family around the table. Maia cried out when she heard the news, clutching Armand’s bicep. He turned into her with a sob, dropping his face to her hair. Ameyah watched on, her eyes flicking between them, expression giving nothing away. I felt sad for her. Not only would King Telophy force her to go to Earth but she could only feel that she was about to be replaced. Leif didn’t go into details about the meeting, but later over dinner with his parents he explained that it had been a success, that while Claudette’s human parents had needed quite a bit of his soothing influence to come to terms with the situation, the girl herself was more than keen to see Faera. Afterwards as I walked with him to his room, Leif said, ‘I am taking you to meet Claudette in the morning.’
I looked up and caught his eyes. ‘How come?’
‘Would you not like to?’
I shrugged. ‘I guess.’
Leif smiled and squeezed my hand. ‘You will be glad of the meeting.’
‘Why?’ I asked as we arrived outside his bedroom.
Leif stopped and turned in the doorway. ‘She is like you, is she not? Raised in the human world?’
‘That hardly makes her like me.’
He smiled and pulled me into a hug, dropping a kiss to my lips before telling me goodnight.
‘I can’t come in?’
‘There is nothing I want more, but if you come to my room, you will come to my bed. And if you come to my bed, I will not sleep—and I need to sleep. My father will have me up again in a few hours to guard the night and in the morning I wish to leave early.’
I frowned. ‘Why so keen?’
‘You’ll see,’ he said as he nudged me out the door.
‘Hey!’
‘I will make it up to you,’ he told me with another kiss. ‘Tomorrow, if I can convince my father to spare me, we will spend the night in the human world. I have already arranged a hotel room in the event he gives his consent… I feel like celebrating.’
‘What will we celebrate?’
‘Your choice.’
‘Being together again?’
‘If you wish,’ he agreed with a smile.
I left him to sleep and went to hang out with Jack.
The room was perfect: crisp white linen, red roses and golden lighting. There were heart-shaped chocolates on the pillows and an ice bucket holding a bottle of something beside the bed. I couldn’t have any of it, but I didn’t care—I was alone with Leif and that’s all that mattered. I would’ve been just as happy in a cave. I made for the enormous bed and jumped into the middle, holding my arms wide. Leif came into them and gathered me against him. ‘They gave us the honeymoon suite,’ he said, then frowning, added, ‘I’m not sure what that means.’
‘It’s meant for newlyweds. When humans get married they take a romantic holiday together called a honeymoon.’
