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“It’s possible she had to wait for an opening in her daughter’s schedule. It’s also possible Wendy had a negative reaction to the news.”
“Who would react negatively to learning they are one of the fae?”
I smiled. “It isn’t as simple as that. She’s learning her whole life has been a lie. It’s pretty heavy stuff. It wouldn’t surprise me if it takes a week to hear from her.”
Sian’s face hardened. “A week is too long.”
“I’m sorry, but we have to exercise patience, or we risk chasing her away. That isn’t the outcome you want.”
“No, it is not.” Sian joined me at the table. “When did you discover your life was a lie?”
“Excuse me?”
“You spoke with authority on the subject. I imagine there is deception in your past.”
“That’s just how she speaks,” Nana Pratt interrupted. “It’s her tone.”
I glared at the ghost over Sian’s shoulder. Now seemed like the right time to broach the subject of Sian’s health. I didn’t feel right breaking the news to him; I only wanted to set him on the path to enlightenment.
“While we’re on the subject of deception, I learned something from Sarah that I think you should know.”
Sian perked up. “My sister is not musically inclined? I suspected that would be the case. Not all fae are.”
“I wish it was as simple as that.” I inhaled deeply. “The good news is a human child wasn’t sacrificed because there was no swap. Your mother sold your sister in exchange for an elixir, one that would prolong your father’s life.”
Sian blinked. “My father only recently fell ill. My sister was brought here eighteen years ago.”
“No, Sian. Your father was ill for a long time and would’ve died much sooner without the elixir.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It’s a sickness that only affects the male line.”
Sian turned away, digesting the news. “My mother always puts a drop of the same liquid in my morning drink that she gave to my father. She said it was a nutritional supplement.” His hand moved to rest on his chest. “Am I ill as well?”
“I think that’s a question for your mother.”
He gazed at me through pained eyes. “She sacrificed my sister so that my father and I could live. I do not understand. Why could she not purchase the elixir through other means? Why her own child?”
“I suspect the person she bargained with would only accept a fae child as payment.”
“Why would Sarah Peele insist on a fae child?”
“It was her brother who made the arrangements. It’s a long story. His intentions weren’t good, and Sarah decided not to hand over the child. She faked a pregnancy and raised Wendy as her own, so that her brother wouldn’t try to take the child later.”
My arms began to tingle. The sensation was neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Neutral. I walked to the front door to glimpse my visitor.
A woman charged across the bridge, appearing decidedly unneutral. Her hands were balled into fists, and she looked “fit to be tied” as my grandmother would’ve said. Blades of grass seemed to wither around her as she marched toward the front porch.
“Who in the hell is that?” I asked.
Sian’s face turned a shade paler than the wilted blades of grass. “Oh, no. That is my mother.”
“Your dying mother?” His assessment of his mother seemed a little skewed. From where I stood, Sian’s mom looked capable of strangling a kraken with her bare hands.
Mama Fae spotted her son through the window. “Sian Rowan Blevins! You come out here this instant.”
I looked at Sian. “Do you need backup?”
Shaking his head, Sian stepped onto the porch. “How did you find me?”
“I tracked your phone. It took me a couple days, plus a payment to that pest Mauricio to track your phone beyond Faerie borders, but I managed it.” Her expression was nothing short of triumphant. Her gaze skated to me. “And who is this?”
