Earth Child (Romance Novels of The Fae Realm) by Rosemary Green Page A

morning” I smiled slipping my arms around his neck for a brief hug.
                “Good morning Mother Alexa.”
                “Do we have to be so formal?  It’s weird to hear you call me that.”
                “As you wish,” he bowed slightly, “however, in public I must address you formally.  If I were to be casual it would be seen as a sign of disrespect.”
                “I understand.  So what are you doing here?”
                “I have been assigned as your ceffyl gard.  I am here to escort you to the Terra Council chambers.”
                “What happened to Thorn?”
                “Thorn is a herald, not a ceffyl gard.”
                “Okay.  What is a ceffyl gard?”
                “I am a member of the royal guard.  It is my job to protect you.  With my life if necessary.”
                “Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” I teased, “Can you help me find some shoes?”
                “Shoes aren’t in the wardrobe, but in the trunk at the foot of your bed” he indicated with his hand, lifting the lid off a deep cedar trunk.
                I spent a few minutes trying on and discarding several subsequent pairs until finally deciding on a pair of soft leather ankle boots.  Slipping them on I stood and indicated that we should go.  As we stepped into the hallway I turned to Cerus and started asking more questions.
                “So when can I go home?”
                “You are home.”
                “When can I go back to the human realm?  They’ve had to notice that I’m gone by now.”
                “That is up to the Terra Council.”
                “Why?  I thought I was in charge?”
                “Technically you are, but even though they’ve accepted you for who you are I don’t think any real progress has been made and I’m sure that they will have more questions for you today.”
                “About what?  Up until four weeks ago I didn’t have any idea the Fae existed, let alone that I was one.”
                “Well I’m sure we’ll find out.”  We had reached the council room.  The council members were already seated and as one they stood, turned to me and bowed their heads.  I suddenly felt out of place and slightly under-dressed. 
            “Hail Mother Alexa!” Zephrya greeted.  Seven voices echoed her greeting.
            “Good morning everyone,” I replied taking my seat on the throne.  They remained standing, looking at me expectantly.  I looked at Cerus who motioned for everyone to be seated.  “Please be seated,” I mumbled.
                “The first order of business today will be the fortifications along the eastern perimeter…” began Zephyra.
                For several hours the council droned on about several mundane, albeit important orders of business. I zoned out and contemplated falling asleep.  Poor Cerus.  He had been standing slightly behind me the entire time.  Taking a moment to look at each of the council members around me I caught the Summer Fae in the middle of a huge yawn.  I’m sure there was a process involved, but I was done waiting for them to get to the point.  I had questions, they were going to give me some answers.
                “Can I say something?” I interrupted Zephyra.  The Summer Fae perked up immediately.  “First, I’d like to know who each of you are.  Then I’d like to know why you need me here.  If you’re going to talk about fortifications and fields then I can go back to the human realm, finish high school and stick to my plan.”  I held my breath for several moments.  There were several uncomfortable glances exchanged across the room.
                “But, why would you want to go back