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Palon’s eyes grew round and Keelin lifted a hand as if to stop us. Dagda merely watched. I sensed curiosity from him.
“Your Ma—uh, Chels—” He threw a cautious glance at Dagda and Keelin, but I stepped directly into his path, drawing his focus.
“Do it,” I said.
Palon turned toward the statue and slammed an open palm against the side of its head. It snapped right off, falling to the cobblestone. Palon stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the rest of the sculpture and, with the tightening of his arms, the statue, made of solid stone, cracked and fell in pieces to the ground.
I searched the garden. “Palon, go rip up that tree and throw it.” He moved, and I touched his arm. “Be careful not to hit anyone.”
He nodded, flicking a concerned glance toward the king, but went and did as I instructed. There was no strain in his movements as he picked up the oldest rooted tree as easy as lifting a newborn baby and chucked it across the compound, crashing it against the palace wall. The soldiers on duty along the wall shouted an alarm.
“Sorry!” I shouted. “Just me. A little demonstration.”
Inside, Macha and Badb watched warily.
That is what you have to deal with next time you step out of line, I thought to them.
Keelin was beside himself. “Do you have any idea how old that statue or that tree was?”
Dagda had a huge grin on his face. He understood exactly what I was doing.
“Now.” I turned to Palon. “I’d like to go to the library to study.”
As we walked to the library, leaving Dagda and Keelin to whatever their plans were for the day, I turned to Palon.
“I need to know that you will incapacitate me,” I said.
“Excuse me?” Palon asked, again surprised.
“Meaning I give you permission to do what you have to, to protect others from me. A broken leg, whatever is recoverable. This is why I chose you, Palon, to be my faerie knight… other than the fact that I trust you with my life, which I guess I should have mentioned first. If Badb or Macha try something, I need to know you’ll do what it takes to keep them in line.”
Palon’s black skin took on an ashen quality. “If I hurt you, the king will—”
“The king won’t do anything if he is dead. And I will never forgive you if you let me, or my sisters, hurt anyone else. Let me deal with the king,” I said.
“This isn’t like you.”
I thought about how Badb had lit us on fire because she knew Dagda would stop it. How far she was willing to go to achieve what she wanted. I needed Palon to be willing to go as far, or I and all those around me were vulnerable.
“I’m not saying to make me fall or anything. But keeping them from hurting others? You must do this.”
After another moment of walking up the staircase, we turned into a long hall. He nodded. “Okay.”
After the battle of the Fomori, Mina and I had remained in the human world. Palon and many other faeries who had fought with us, however, had chosen to leave the human realm and go to the Otherworld.
I took his arm. “I’m glad you’re here, Palon, and not just because of your strength. It's such a relief to talk to someone who uses contractions when they speak.” At Palon’s soft snort, I grinned, and continued. “What do you miss most about it? The human world?”
He pressed his lips, but then said, “Rocky Road ice cream.”
I gasped, scandalized. “They don’t have ice cream here?”
“They’ve got something similar, but most of the flavors are more fruity. It's just different.”
He shot me a sidelong glance. “You?”
“Oh god, everything. But probably… pants. Besides missing friends and family, I mean.” I loved the dresses Roisin dressed me in, and I was determined to try on every single one, but stylish pants just added to the comfort of life. I knew the women soldiers wore something like pants, but I didn’t think Morrigan owned a single pair.
Palon grunted. “We’re here.” He pulled open the door, and we stepped inside.
