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oft spot too, so she couldn't blame the Ice Warden.
Amber and Izban disappeared into the other room, and Macey hoped they'd talk about their feelings for each other. Even she could feel the sexual tension between them, and she wasn't an incubus like Jared.
"If I was polite, I'd leave too, but I'm not," Aunt Nessie cackled. "Sit down, boys, and let me find out if you're good enough for my favourite niece."
Macey cringed. This was going to be terrible. Nessie was not known for someone who minced her words. And even though she was not the monster everyone thought her to be, she could have a nasty verbal bite.
Luch was rubbing her tiny hands in anticipation of the coming interrogation. That's what it was going to be, Macey was sure of it. Her aunt was going to make sure they were worthy of her niece.
They all sat down around the table and Nessie waved to the bartender to get them some drinks. Five glasses of ale arrived a moment later; it was as if the landlord had already prepared them in advance.
"Now tell me, boys, who of you is the strongest?" Aunt Nessie grinned widely, while Macey wanted to sink into the ground. Luckily, her men were taking it in their stride.
"I usually win in arm wrestling," Cam said cheerily, knowing exactly what he was evading the older kelpie's question. "But we're all pretty well matched."
Nessie smiled patiently. "And what are your weaknesses?"
"Water." Flint cringed, but then hurried to add, "Not Macey, though."
Jared chuckled. "I'm an incubus, I think you can imagine what my greatest weakness is."
Cam was frowning, obviously trying to come up with a good answer. "Boredom," he said eventually. "It's like a windless place, no movement, no energy."
"Good answers," Nessie admitted. "But if you're all so strong and wise, why didn't you rescue my niece?" Her expression turned serious. "Why did she have to escape herself rather than be freed by the three of you?"
"Auntie, I'm not a damsel in distress," Macey protested. "I didn't need rescuing."
Nessie looked at her with a piercing glance. "Can you honestly tell me that your imprisonment did not hurt you? That it would have been less painful if you'd been rescued earlier?"
Macey averted her gaze, unable to lie to her aunt. She was right. It had been a terrible experience. She could feel the scars inside of her, waiting to burst open in a quiet moment. She was going to have to work through all that happened. But not now. She had work to do. They all had. She just hoped that Amber could leave the past few months behind as well. The beithir had been in captivity for far longer than she had, and she was surprised at how well Amber was taking it all. Too well, almost. The big crash was going to be terrible, if it happened.
"We were searching for her," Cam said quietly. "But Izban's tracking spell didn't work, so we had nothing to go on. We tried all sorts of things. Izban stayed behind to research spells, but the three of us travelled on the Staran, asking them to bring us to Macey. They never did. So, we asked around."
"We went back to the fir na ghorma," Flint continues their story. "And to Malan, of course, and even to the sìth. But they were hesitant to talk to us, being men and all."
"Wait, what?" Macey asked in confusion. She didn't quite see the logic behind that statement.
"The sìth are matriarchal," Jared explained. "Their women are the ones in power, and men are commodities at best. So, three men wandering into their queendom to ask for help didn't go down well. They did make a few comments about the Staran though, as if they know something. We should definitely go there again, but this time, with you and Amber. They're more likely to talk to you."
"Sounds like a plan," Macey agreed, glad that they had a new lead. If the Staran were no longer letting people travel as before, time was running out for all of them. They needed to find a solution, fast.
"I hate saying this, but you should also talk to the selkies," Nessie said with a grimace. "I've heard rumours that they've started coming on land more and more because they're having trouble at sea. Maybe that's something to do with the same mess you're trying to fix."
Macey shuddered. She really didn't feel like talking to a selkie, or several at that. She'd never met one in person, but with all she'd heard about them, she didn't want to. They were the ones spreading bad rumours about kelpies, and after meeting Mhara, it seemed the same was true for the ceasg.
All in all, visiting the sìth sounded a lot better than going to the selkies. Macey knew it wasn't very grown up to do the easy option first, but she felt like she deserved it after being imprisoned by the Voice. The universe had a lot to make up for.
"I've been wondering," Nessie suddenly said. "When you take your men to bed, do you take all of them at the same time?"
"Auntie!" Macey called out, mortified. "That's none of your business."
The old kelpie chuckled. "Indulge me, darling."
"No way."
Luckily, Amber and Izban chose that moment to come back, walking hand in hand. Macey smiled in relief. It looked as if they'd had a proper chat. And judging from Amber's red lips, they maybe did even more than just talk.
Good. Now they had a couple and a quad in their Wardens relationship. Where did the seventh Warden fit in though? Macey didn't really feel like adding another person to her strange harem. Three men were enough work. She knew that they were all aching to spend some time with her, and so was she. Not just all three of them together, but some one-on-one time with each of them. But there was likely not going to be a chance for it in quite a while.
