its remnants. When he stood up, I could see that the front of his tunic, all the way through two layers of under-shirts, had been blasted apart to expose the pale golden skin underneath. The clothing was ruined, scorched, but his body seemed untouched.
“Sir Hugh stood in front of Taranis at the end,” Frost said. “He took the brunt of the blow meant for Abeloec.”
“What am I to say to that?” I asked, and my voice sounded completely normal. The very normality of it was almost shocking. A little voice in my own head thought, how can I sound so calm? Training? Shock?
“If Sir Hugh were not one of the elder sidhe, you could thank him for risking himself to save our warriors,” Frost said.
I looked up at the tall man beside me. I stared all the way up to those gray eyes and found that they reflected a bare tree in a winter landscape, like a tiny snow globe caught in his eyes. Only his own magic or anxiety would fill his eyes with that image. Always before it had dizzied me to stare into Frost’s eyes when they filled with that other place. Today, it seemed cool, calming. Today, he had the icy strength of winter in his eyes. A coldness that protected you, kept your emotions from eating you alive. I understood in that moment part of what had let Frost survive the queen’s petty torments. He had embraced the coldness inside.
I touched his arm, and the world was a little steadier. There was something moving in the landscape of his eyes; something white, and horned. I had a glimpse of a white stag before Frost bent to kiss me. It was a chaste kiss, but that one gentle touch let me know that he understood what the calmness cost me. That kiss let me know that he understood what Doyle meant to me, and what he meant to me, and what he did not.
I turned back to the mirror with Frost’s hand in mine.
Sir Hugh said, “I saw a vision in the sunlight, a white stag. It walked ghostlike just behind the two of you.”
“How long has it been since you saw such a vision?” Frost asked.
Hugh blinked black eyes at me, but there were orange sparks and swirls in that blackness, like the ashes of a fire long banked. “A long time.”
“You don’t seem surprised at your vision, Sir Hugh,” I said.
“There are swans in the lake near the Seelie mound. Swans with gold chains around their necks. They flew above us for the first time ever in this country, the night of your battle with the wild hunt.”
Rhys’s voice came casually from behind us. “Have a care what you say, Hugh. We have lawyers present.” Rhys came to stand on my other side, but made no move to take my other hand.
“Yes, our king has chosen a most regrettable moment to show this side of himself.”
“Regrettable moment,” I said, and didn’t try to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “Such mild words for what has just happened.”
“I cannot afford anything but mild words, Princess,” Hugh said.
“This insult to us cannot go unanswered,” I said, voice still calm.
“If I were speaking to the Queen of Air and Darkness, I would worry about a war, or perhaps a personal challenge between monarchs. But I have heard that Princess Meredith NicEssus is a more temperate creature than her aunt, or even her uncle.”
“A temperate creature?” I said.
“Temperate woman, then,” Hugh said, and gave another low bow. “No insult was meant in my choice of words, Princess. I beg you not to take offense.”
“I will do my best not to take offense, except where it is given,” I said.
Hugh stood, and his handsome face, with its small neat beard and mustache, fought to not look worried. Hugh had been a god of fire once, and that was not a temperate creature. Many of the elemental deities seemed to take on the aspects of their elements. I had seen that intimately with Mistral, once a god of storms.
“And I,” Hugh said, “will endeavor not to give offense.”
Nelson’s voice came from behind us. “How can you be so calm? Didn’t you see what just
“Sir Hugh stood in front of Taranis at the end,” Frost said. “He took the brunt of the blow meant for Abeloec.”
“What am I to say to that?” I asked, and my voice sounded completely normal. The very normality of it was almost shocking. A little voice in my own head thought, how can I sound so calm? Training? Shock?
“If Sir Hugh were not one of the elder sidhe, you could thank him for risking himself to save our warriors,” Frost said.
I looked up at the tall man beside me. I stared all the way up to those gray eyes and found that they reflected a bare tree in a winter landscape, like a tiny snow globe caught in his eyes. Only his own magic or anxiety would fill his eyes with that image. Always before it had dizzied me to stare into Frost’s eyes when they filled with that other place. Today, it seemed cool, calming. Today, he had the icy strength of winter in his eyes. A coldness that protected you, kept your emotions from eating you alive. I understood in that moment part of what had let Frost survive the queen’s petty torments. He had embraced the coldness inside.
I touched his arm, and the world was a little steadier. There was something moving in the landscape of his eyes; something white, and horned. I had a glimpse of a white stag before Frost bent to kiss me. It was a chaste kiss, but that one gentle touch let me know that he understood what the calmness cost me. That kiss let me know that he understood what Doyle meant to me, and what he meant to me, and what he did not.
I turned back to the mirror with Frost’s hand in mine.
Sir Hugh said, “I saw a vision in the sunlight, a white stag. It walked ghostlike just behind the two of you.”
“How long has it been since you saw such a vision?” Frost asked.
Hugh blinked black eyes at me, but there were orange sparks and swirls in that blackness, like the ashes of a fire long banked. “A long time.”
“You don’t seem surprised at your vision, Sir Hugh,” I said.
“There are swans in the lake near the Seelie mound. Swans with gold chains around their necks. They flew above us for the first time ever in this country, the night of your battle with the wild hunt.”
Rhys’s voice came casually from behind us. “Have a care what you say, Hugh. We have lawyers present.” Rhys came to stand on my other side, but made no move to take my other hand.
“Yes, our king has chosen a most regrettable moment to show this side of himself.”
“Regrettable moment,” I said, and didn’t try to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “Such mild words for what has just happened.”
“I cannot afford anything but mild words, Princess,” Hugh said.
“This insult to us cannot go unanswered,” I said, voice still calm.
“If I were speaking to the Queen of Air and Darkness, I would worry about a war, or perhaps a personal challenge between monarchs. But I have heard that Princess Meredith NicEssus is a more temperate creature than her aunt, or even her uncle.”
“A temperate creature?” I said.
“Temperate woman, then,” Hugh said, and gave another low bow. “No insult was meant in my choice of words, Princess. I beg you not to take offense.”
“I will do my best not to take offense, except where it is given,” I said.
Hugh stood, and his handsome face, with its small neat beard and mustache, fought to not look worried. Hugh had been a god of fire once, and that was not a temperate creature. Many of the elemental deities seemed to take on the aspects of their elements. I had seen that intimately with Mistral, once a god of storms.
“And I,” Hugh said, “will endeavor not to give offense.”
Nelson’s voice came from behind us. “How can you be so calm? Didn’t you see what just
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