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Everyone was being polite to her. She knew that had it not been for the fact that she was a Sluagh, that Deimne who was one of their admired and respected heroes, the Daoine Fae would have snickered and called her a ‘Faeling’ because of her human mother. However, her mother had been a powerful Fios, as was she. Yes, the Daoine allowed that Frankie was one of them because of her da, but also because of her part in the ‘war’.
She knew that was really what had won her a place in their esteem. Thus, they seemed more than pleased to have their favored prince pay her court, and very happy to have her at their table. Well, she had a news flash, she thought, for them. She wasn’t happy about it at all.
She was sure she didn’t belong with them, in spite of the fact that her father was Daoine. If it had not been for her da, she knew, she would be so gone.
Worley touched her arm and she was forced to turn and give him some attention as he said, “You actually met Pestale, didn’t you—six years ago?”
All at once, she got a wave of darkness from this prince. It shot through him and slammed into her head. What the hell? What was that?
And then, it happened.
Agonizing pain shot through her, and made her double over and hold her stomach. Everything went black. She couldn’t see anything, couldn’t feel anything but pain. From a distance, she could hear her father’s voice, calling her name.
She looked up at him, horrified that this was happening with all his friends staring at her. Against her will a scream tortured its way out of her mouth, and she saw Prince Worley’s face swim before her eyes.
Was it real—or was he part of her…darkness. She was swept into a whirling tornado of black goo of reaching tentacles and spidery webs. She flayed her arms in an effort to brace her fall. It was real, so real, and the pain tore through her gut with acute precision, but she stopped the screams and held onto to them. All at once, she realized, the hurting she was experiencing, was not her own, but another’s.
Her vision was using her as an empath and this was something that was going to happen soon…very soon.
Someone was going to be in grave physical danger. Someone she knew, someone she cared about would be close to death. She heard her father’s concerned voice calling her name, calling her back and she reached for him, felt his grip as he yanked her back to reality.
These visions of horror were coming at her too often, too soon, one after another, and she knew in her heart, there could only be one meaning.
Matters would be dire in the very near future.
Prince Worley’s voice was near, too near and she had the odd impulse to flinch away from him as he said, “Frankie dear, Frankie, what is it?”
Her father’s voice sounded stern, “Do not concern yourselves. My daughter is gifted with the ‘sight’ and I must get her home to rest. Do not worry. She will be fine.”
She felt a little trickle of a smile. Her da could be as haughty and curt as any of the Daoine Royals. She felt him scoop her up and shift.
Chapter Five
“HORDLY, WE NEED to coat this with one final dipping to complete the spell and bind the formula to the Golden Wiele. Do you have the ingredients prepared?” Pestale asked as he unfolded the darkly glittering net. It had once been gold, and had belonged to the Dark King. Pestale smiled as he thought of his father’s carelessness with his possessions.
“No, it is still fermenting, but I have attached all the needles, every move she makes will make dozens of needles prick her skin and dislodge more venom into her system.”
“When will it be ready?” Pestale asked impatiently.
“A few more days—no more than a week, then it will be ready. You know, it just might kill her.” Hordly pulled at his lower lip. “That won’t serve, at least not if it kills her too quickly.”
“It won’t kill her, it will only keep her weak and delusional,” Pestale sneered. “After all, she has evolved even beyond her Fae powers. Killing her won’t be as easy as killing a Seelie, even a Royal Seelie. She is powerful, but not as smart as she thinks she is. She will never see it coming.”
“This potion you have designed,” Hordly pulled his full sensual bottom lip and paced, aware that Pestale watched him, as he waited for the next question.
Hordly stopped and said, “Brother, there are times, when I look into it, deep into the vat and I feel uneasy. It could harm us to breathe in the vapor.” Hordly said obviously troubled.
Pestale laughed, “There is nothing about that which is odd. Don’t breathe it in. You know you just have to shut down when the vapor rises. We have to be careful with handling it, and all will go as I planned. That is why I have Sventer and his warriors in charge of filling the syringes and the needles. They are not as easily affected by the poison and are immune to the iron powder. But, I have seen that even they must take some precautions when the vapor rises from your mixture” Pestale smiled and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “We have been through a great deal over the eons, you and I. In the end, it will all fade away with the pleasure the future will bring us.”
“I don’t trust the Blue Demons.”
“We should not and won’t trust them, merely use them until they can be used no more,” Pestale responded thoughtfully.
“If he discovers us, he will end it all and he will kill us…” Hordly offered on a worried sigh. “But it is worth it, isn’t it. He won’t know it was us, will he? He will think it is the humans. When we finally kill her, and he is lost, he will forget about us as he slaughters the humans, and destroys their world. He will do his worst and then just maybe he will disintegrate.”
“There is no maybe. Without Crystal, he will finish himself in one great blast. It will be the most wonderful sight, will it not? We will finally have everything we want, and our revenge,” Pestale said softly. He stared at the altered Fae netting, the Trackers gold net—The Golden Wiele, and played with the ring on his finger, saying quietly. “He gave me the ring all those thousands of years ago when he first brought Crystal to the Retreat. He purposely infused it with his essence, in the hope that I would become more like him. He told me to wear it always, and I have, but his great hopes that some of what he was would seep into me over time have been for naught.” Pestale laughed harshly and then sneered. “How dare he hope for such a thing—how dare he!” He paused and brought himself under control, a smirk lifted his lip before he added, “But in the end, you know, Hordly, some of our father has, in fact, invaded my mind and my powers. Some of his essence did seep through my flesh, and into my blood—the worst part of him, his darkness. He was always more than a little dark, even when he was King of the Seelie Fae, even when he was consort to the good Seelie Queen Bridget. Why else would he have allowed her to be killed? Remorse afterwards, well, I don’t think that makes him better than us, do you?”
Hordly laughed, “I don’t care what it makes him. The difference between us, Pestale, is you care too much. I don’t give a damn about our father’s opinion. We are what he left us to become. I want, I need, and that is the long and the short of it.” He shrugged. “The Shapeshifter females have sufficed to fulfill some of those needs. When I want it rougher, I take a Blue Demon female. They offer some sexual comfort, but they are nothing compared with the passion of a human female. I want to return to the Human Realm and take those lusty human beauties, and perhaps this time, I won’t turn my Lianhan on full force and allow them to live as long as they please me.”
