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He walked towards the door and Claire stepped in his way. “Hold on. What do you know?” If they knew something about Champion of the Realm they needed to tell her. She folded her arms across her chest and stared them down when they didn’t speak.
“We… we need to get permission first,” Kieran finally said. Permission? From the Elders?
“And what makes you think Elder Milam will give it to you?” she asked, taking a guess about who they were talking about. Claire didn’t get the sense from their limited reaction with the Elders that they particularly liked Claire.
“We weren’t planning on asking Elder Milam but Elder Vali.”
“Who is Elder Vali?” There were only two women on the dais.
“She was the Elder on the far right.”
Claire bit her lip. That was the Elder who reminded Claire of Greta. She also seemed to be somewhat welcoming to Claire, or at least willing to give her a chance. Her cousins were caught between loyalty to the Fae and their small, blooming loyalty to Claire. She would just have to trust them and take the chance that Elder Vali might say yes.
“Okay,” she said, stepping aside. “But as soon as you have permission I expect you to tell us. I’ve lived in the darkness for too long on too many things,” she told them meaningfully, referencing the parts of her life she had told them over the last few days in between training sessions.
“Of course.” Kallan nodded seriously as he met Claire’s eyes with an even gaze.
Claire stepped aside and the group watched as they departed. What did they know?
* * *
The twins didn’t come backtill late that night. At breakfast the next morning, they were tight-lipped, only telling Claire that she and one other would be coming with them to visit someone but they couldn’t share any more details. The Triad was getting frustrated as Claire felt through their bonds and she couldn’t blame them. She quietly told her cousins that she and Desmond would be ready to go after breakfast.
After breakfast, Everett handed Puck to Claire, his smile tight. Malcolm was glaring at the twins and Claire fought the urge to roll her eyes. She had been frustrated last night, sure, but there were a lot of things that her cousins probably couldn’t tell her about the Fae until after the Traditio per the Elders request. At least until Claire proved herself trustworthy, and in the morning light of reason and logic, her frustration had faded.
Bethany caught her eye and Claire stifled laughter at Bethany’s exaggerated eye roll and mouthed, “Men.”
She kissed Everett and Malcolm on their cheeks and left out the door with Desmond and Puck. The twins had escaped out the door earlier, probably to escape the tension in the room. Kallan met her eyes cautiously when she stepped outside and she gave him a smile. The twins were in a tough position trying to teach Claire while not violating the Elders’ instructions. Claire wasn’t going to be mad at them for that.
Some of the tension bled out of the twins’ shoulders at her smile and Claire elbowed Desmond softly in the side until he looked down at her. She smiled and shook her head at him, silently telling him to let it go. His frown softened and he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Alright, little love, let’s go get some answers.”
They followed the twins around the five manor houses at the back of the village and towards the mountain side of the Fae lands. There were a few scattered smaller buildings around that couldn’t have been more than one room. Only one of them, closest to the base of the mountain, had smoke puffing out of the chimney. That was the one that Kallan and Kieran led them towards.
Kallan knocked on the door, rapping with his knuckles three times before stepping back to wait.
The man that opened the door looked…ancient. His skin was weathered with deep ridges like a river bank. His hands were weathered and freckled with dark spots from years in the sun. One hand gripped the edge of the door with a surprisingly firm grip as his weathered face peered out from the shadows behind the door. “What is it?” A gravelly voice like rocks tumbling down a mountainside grated from the shadows.
“Friednar,” Kallan dipped his head respectfully. “We have someone who needs to talk to you.”
Friednar’s gray eyes peered around the door at Claire and Desmond. Although most of his face was still in the shadows, the weight of his gaze felt like a physical weight on Claire’s shoulders. Like he was assessing her and trying to determine if she was worthy. It was unsettling.
Desmond’s hand squeezed hers tighter and she appreciated the comfort. She kept her spine straight and chin up, refusing to let herself bow. She was a Queen for the Realm’s sake. She could take an assessing look.
Friednar opened the door wider and disappeared out of view. That must have been the cue to enter as Kallan and Kieran stepped inside, holding the door open for Claire. Desmond placed a hand on her back and guided her into the small house.
The interior of the house was dark and it took Claire’s eyes a few moments to adjust back to the shadows.
Friednar had only three chairs at a small table in the middle of the hut. Desmond pulled one of them out for Claire while Friednar settled into the other, bones creaking. Desmond moved to stand behind Claire while Kallan settled into the other chair, the wood creaking ominously under the Fae warrior’s weight.
Friednar assessed Claire again once he was seated, looking her over and Claire took the time to assess him as well. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the light, Friednar’s features were easier to make out. Although he had the frail frame of age, Claire could still see the muscle definition in his lean frame and the way he carried himself. Silvery scars crossed over his skin speaking stories of battles fought long ago. This man was a warrior. Could he be a… Champion?
Claire opened her mouth to ask him that exact question when Friednar beat her to it.
“You’re a Champion,” he said simply.
Claire lifted her eyebrows. There was no question in his tone, only certainty. How was he able to tell?
“You have that same aura about you,” he said in response to her obvious surprise.“The same aura as my mother.”
