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We settled him in with a cup of tea and dessert--cookies--which he politely munched on, though I had the feeling they weren't to his liking at al .
"How's Her Majesty doing?" I asked to make conversation.
"Queen Asteria is in good health. She's . . ." he paused, then let out a long sigh, as if he'd been about to say something.
"What is it?" I pushed. Camil e sat up, eyeing him cautiously. She glanced over at me and gave a slight shake of the head.
"Nothing. Nothing--just not al plans are going as hoped. But leave it be. I can say no more on the subject." He took a sip of his tea and stared into the steaming cup, once again quiet.
Ten minutes passed, and the back door opened, Menol y leading Wilbur into the room. The guy looked like a front man for ZZ Top, with a streaming beard, long ratty hair pul ed back in a ponytail, and shades on even though the light was long gone. He was big and burly, dressed like a mountain man, but there was a tingle about him that signaled magic. Magic and an overdose of testosterone.
"Now that you're home, I'd like to talk to the three of you alone, please. Then I'l be off. This wil just take a few minutes." Trenyth motioned to Smoky and the rest, including Iris. "Please, give us some privacy." The elf's presence was commanding enough that everyone automatical y vacated the kitchen.
We waited. Obviously, this was big, or he would have talked to us in front of the others. Final y, after an uncomfortable pause, he pinched the bridge of his nose and winced.
"I hate this." He looked up at us, a stricken expression crossing his face. "I've come to know and respect you girls over the past year. I like the three of you. Please know that. I real y do. And that makes this even harder."
Uh-oh. Any announcement starting out with I hate this couldn't be good. "What's up?" I said quietly.
He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, then pul ed a parchment scrol out of his pocket and showed us the seal. Queen Tanaquar. Shit. But why was the elfin ambassador delivering one of the Fae Queen's official documents?
Breaking the seal, he unrol ed it and cleared his throat.
"I, Trenyth Vesalya, ambassador for the Queen of Elqaneve--Her Highness Asteria--have been dutiful y entrusted by the Crown to deliver an official notice from Queen Tanaquar, friend and al y of the Elfin Throne."
We remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"Her Majesty, Queen Tanaquar, sends a royal decree to Camil e Sepharial te Maria, also known as Camil e D'Artigo, daughter of Ambassador Sephreh ob Tanu. She shal hold fast to the terms of this decree."
He paused.
I sat up straight. This was targeted directly at Camil e, not at al of us, but that didn't make me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel worse. We handled things better as a team. We were unbreakable together, or at least pretty damned intimidating.
Camil e, pale and looking terribly vulnerable, forced herself to lean forward. "Please, continue. Just . . . get it over with. Whatever it is."
Trenyth did something I'd never seen him do before. He reached out and took her hand in his, then lifted it to his lips and softly pressed a kiss against her skin. "Very wel , my lady."
As she slowly withdrew her hand, he unrol ed the scrol again.
"Camil e te Maria, be it known that if you go forward with your intentions to pledge yourself to the Court of Aeval, the Queen of Darkness, you shal be ostracized from Y'Elestrial, considered pariah unless you recant your change in al egiance. You are to continue in your position of OIA agent inasmuch as the task at hand relates to the spirit seals only.
"Unless this ban is lifted, you may never again set foot within the city limits of Y'Elestrial, nor within the home of Sephreh ob Tanu. You wil report to Delilah and Menol y D'Artigo, and they wil report to the OIA headquarters. You wil fol ow al orders precisely. You may not contact any member of the Court and Crown on your own, including Sephreh ob Tanu. Nor wil the Court and Crown contact you except through an emissary. As a punishment for turning your back on your al egiance, you no longer exist in the Court's eyes."
He put down the parchment and looked at Camil e. "And I've one other message, my dear. Again . . . I am so, so sorry. Your father asked me to give you this." He handed her an envelope.
Shaking, she took it. After a moment, she ripped it open and pul ed out the single sheet of paper and scanned it.
"Oh!" With a little cry, she dropped it, her hand flying to press against her lips. She was trying not to cry, trying to be strong, but the tears slowly spil ed over.
I picked up the paper and read aloud:
"Camil e. I'm sorry to have to do this, but duty has always come first with me, and I thought you fol owed in my foot-steps. Apparently I was wrong. If you align yourself with Aeval, you are no longer my daughter. I wil disown you. Choose wisely. Your future within the family depends on your actions. You have already proven your lack of loyalty to the Court and Crown by even contemplating such a move. Stay wel . I wil always love you, but I cannot be your father if you persist in this."
Crumpling the page, I knelt by her side, and she threw herself into my arms, sobbing, as I patted her back.
"Motherfucking peons!" Menol y pounded the table. "I knew better than to trust his conciliatory tone. So you're good enough to find the spirit seals but not good enough to set foot in town? Fuck the bitch and her Court. Tanaquar's likely little better than Lethesanar, and that was to be expected. But after al Camil e has done for this family, for Father, to see him treat her like this. I disown him!"
Trenyth stared at us for a moment, then stood and slowly disengaged Camil e from my arms. He turned her to face him, holding her firmly by the shoulders, chucking her chin when she tried to evade his gaze.
