That’s when I realise I’ve called Blizzard to a halt without thinking, allowing Rose to look her fill.
“There’s a legend,” I add, “That a huge sea monster was sighted in the middle of the lake during the Beltaine celebrations over a thousand years ago. The Queen of Winter was so concerned that she sent Prince Cedwyn—as he was then—to bargain with no less than seven different kelpies to ensure that there was no threat to the court hiding under the water.”
Lore chuckles. “I was there. It was some off-realm shifter idiot high on fae-dust.”
Sometimes I forget how old the redcap is. His immaturity belies his three-thousand years.
“Off-realm shifter?” Rose sounds distracted, but her curiosity is definitely piqued.
Titania begins to explain, but she’s cut off by a loud shout as Lore urges Wraith into the water with a splash.
“Whoopeee! Last one in’s as fucked as Drystan wishes he was!”
It takes me a second to process the insult. “We do not have time for this!” I snarl at him. “Stop messing around.”
But Rose is already slipping from my saddle, heading for the water with a delighted laugh. Even the second Nicnevin begins to follow, stopping at the edge of the water to watch on in amusement.
“She needs this,” Bree says, urging his cat-sìth into Blizzard’s path and preventing me from calling a stop to their shenanigans. “I understand your urgency, but if you turn this pilgrimage into a death march, she’ll hate us by the end. Let her see that there are parts of her queendom worth fighting for.”
There’s wisdom in the púca’s words, as much as I hate to admit it. Rose has barely experienced the tiniest part of her realm—much like the other Nicnevins, who were raised in the temples.
For the first time, I consider the possibility that the tradition of the pilgrimage might not just be to raise the morale of the common folk. Could it be that whichever Nicnevin started it simply wished to see the realm she’d been sheltered from for the first twenty-five years of her life?
I dare a glance at Rose, only to frown in disapproval. Perhaps it was stupid of me to assume she’d stick to paddling like a sensible person.
“She’s getting soaked.”
She’s already up to her hips, splashing around with the barghest as Lore transforms his cap into a shark fin and wears it on his back to scare her. Her aura catches in every droplet of water, casting rainbows through my vision.
A second later, Jaro’s wolf joins in, leaping in and tackling the redcap before he can swim too close.
“We have spare clothes for her.” Bree pauses. “And the view isn’t bad.”
That’s not something I ever thought I’d hear him say. I raise a brow at him, letting him see my disbelief.
“I can’t fear her,” Bree reminds me. “And… I’d have to be blind not to desire her. It gives me hope.”
“Do you still plan to use Kitarni’s potion?”
The last time we spoke about him attending Rose’s fever, he asked us to lock him away and break his bones. At least the high priestess’s solution would spare him that.
He doesn’t answer me.
“You need to talk to her about it,” I prompt.
“I know.”
“She will—”
“If she wants me there, I’ll be there.” His tone is sharp, but the words are quiet. “I—I only ask that… if I should…”
Because it’s also one of my fears, I understand.
“You would never hurt her.”
“Just because I cannot fearherdoesn’t prevent me from fearing the act, and I don’t know what I would do—”
“Take the potion.”
