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Greetings, Wardens. The man on Macey’s left said. She wasn’t sure how she knew that it was him speaking, but it was something almost instinctual that let her know.
“And to yourself, your Majesty,” she replied sweetly, glad now that her father had enjoyed trotting her out to engage with the visiting dignitaries. It had given her a whole host of potential conversation topics as well as the ability to feign interest in anyone and anything. Though she was genuinely intrigued by who the na fir ghorma were exactly, and what they wanted.
My son says that you were travelling on the Staran.
“Yes,” she replied, glancing quickly at Cam who was sat several places down. Hopefully, he’d come and rescue her from a conversation about something she was clueless on.
How?
Well, that wasn’t what she’d expected. Then again, when she’d left the house the other day she hadn’t exactly expected to be kidnapped for a reason that even escaped her kidnappers, or end up at the bottom of the sea with a bunch of blue humanoid fish people claiming to be kelpies. She snorted before catching herself. Here wasn’t the place to be having uncharitable thoughts about her hosts. If they could speak into her mind, then what if they could read it too. She pushed the thought aside. There was no way that she could entertain that, otherwise they’d know what she’d been thinking about Cam and Flint doing to her later. Though maybe Flint and Cam themselves knowing wouldn’t be a bad thing. Maybe they’d whisk her off from here and play out the fantasy in her head instantly.
“Cam?” she asked, not as quietly as she’d intended. But at least it got his attention. He made his way over and placed his hands on her shoulders, giving her a strength she didn’t know she needed.
“Yes, Macey?” he returned softly.
“His Majesty is asking me about the Staran.” She hoped that Cam would be able to answer more. And that the King, if that’s who he truly was, would ask the questions directly to him.
“How may I help?”
How do you travel the Staran?
“It’s something myself and my companion have always been able to do,” Cam said, gesturing to Flint as he did so. “We discovered it quite by accident I’m afraid.”
That shouldn’t be possible.
“I believe you’re correct, and yet here we are.” She felt rather than saw him shrug, and lifted one of her hands to place it gently on his, offering him the support that he may or may not need, but that she was there to give regardless.
Only our people can.
Was it her, or did the King sound slightly disbelieving? Like he didn’t think they were telling the truth.
“I find that unlikely, your majesty. There are too many races in the world for you to be the only ones who can travel the Staran, even if you didn’t have proof that’s not the case standing right in front of you. I can assure you that myself and Flint are perfectly capable of travelling through them, and bringing other people with us if we so choose. That’s how Jared and Macey got here, in case you’re wondering.” Cam didn’t sound happy at all, and Macey longed to do more to back him up, but didn’t know how without making matters worse. After all, she knew even less than the King did about the Staran.
The King’s eyes were even more bulging now and his big mouth was opening and closing rapidly. He was not impressed, not at all.
The Staran were made for us.
That peaked her interest. “Who made it for you?”
The Sìth. We made a bargain with them and in return we got the Staran. We are a people of the sea, yet we need to travel to other places occasionally, faster than we could swim. It’s our lifeline, and now it’s malfunctioning. Are you sure this is not your fault?
The accusation was clear to see in his face. Macey was glad it wasn’t directed at her - but at the same time, she was angry at her mens’ behalf.
“How long ago did they build it for you?” she asked, having a slight suspicion. If what she’d heard about the Sìth was correct, this might be a slight disaster. They were the Scottish fae, kin to the Sidhe in Ireland. And mostly, they were trouble.
Seventy years ago when my grandfather struck the deal with them.
Cam sighed, having come to the same conclusion as Macey.
“I’ve been travelling the Staran for centuries. They didn’t build them for you. All they did was give you access to it. You’ve been tricked, your Majesty.”
The King rose to his feet, roaring his displeasure. For a species not using their mouths to talk, he certainly had a very loud voice. Their vocal chords seemed to be intact.
Cam squeezed Macey’s hand reassuringly and she frowned. Did he think she was scared of the merman? She’d met a lot of scarier creatures, that was for sure. One of them being her Aunt Nessie.
&
nbsp; The thing with scary people is that once she got to know them, she could see behind the façade. Most of them were more scared of themselves than scared of her. All they do is project their own fear to the outside world.
