The Earl's Childe by T. J. Wooldridge Page B

lives miserable. Jess had made a big deal about having Lily for the summer, and then ditched out a few days after Lily arrived to be in a movie in some foreign country. Also, she was talking about having rights to take Lily over Christmas break. Christmas was my dad’s favorite time of year. Yes, I was mad at him, but I knew it would break his heart to not have Lily home for Christmas.
    Ermie was staring at me with far more curiosity than I felt comfortable with. He didn’t ask, and I didn’t feel him prying.
    â€œFine,” I sighed. “But I can order you to not hurt anyone, ever!”
    Not even if you are under attack from…say…a monster of a daoine síth who would enjoy torturing you? Would you rather I not feel compelled to defend you and your family?
    I growled. “Fine. Fine! Okay, how about not actually killing any people? I mean…I know you have to kill, like, fish and stuff you eat. I get that. But no, like, people , like you or me… or things that think and talk. And definitely no hurting anyone in my family.” I glanced at Lily, who was looking at me out of the corner of her eye. “Absolutely anybody. Even if I don’t like them. Okay? Is that a doable order?”
    He tilted his head, then gave a belabored sigh. It is ‘doable.’ I think it is a foolish, childish order, but I shall do so . He paused. And I will not argue because you at least had the sense to recognize I was a ‘person’ without hesitation .
    I sighed as he dipped his head into the fish-filled trough, and then I proceeded to clean the buckets. Lily helped me, giving me a small smile. Rowan finished mucking (which I thoroughly appreciated!), and we headed back inside.
    I’d like to say that the rest of my night was uneventful.
    God, I so wanted—no, I needed! —the rest of my night to be uneventful!
    Such was not meant to be, though. And it wasn’t even faery-or monster-related. It was simple, horrible, human awfulness.

CHAPTER
    6
    Where I find out the worst situation…can get even worse. And I can’t do anything about it .
    I felt eyes on me as I arranged myself, now in pyjamas, on the bed with Old Benson Bear. Having declined to watch the recorded American Idol episode that Lily just had to see, I was by myself, hoping to escape my fears. Fears of ghosts (because the castle was haunted, too). Fears of what was going to happen, since we clearly weren’t getting any answer to Lord Cadmus and Lady Fana tonight. Fears about my dad’s sanity.
    Feeling as if I were being stared at was a weird, though not creepy, feeling that interrupted all my awful thoughts. But it was enough to make me jump a little, enough to lose my place in the book I wasn’t really reading. I looked up.
    Mum was leaning in my doorway, eyes puffy and rimmed with red, like she had been crying. Mum never let anyone see her cry. Well, hardly ever. She tried to hide it all the time. Her lips were pressed together.
    A million awful things flew through my head. Was she going to leave Dad? Was someone else hurt or missing? Had the faerie given her a message that we were going to be attacked?
    â€œWhat?” I squeaked out.
    Mum sucked in a sniffle and said, “You know how your dad and I made you promise to tell us right away whenever you found out about anything awful, no matter how upset we were or what kind of day we had?”
    I nodded. “What is it?”
    â€œCome with me. You need to see this.”
    I jumped out of bed, letting Old Benson and my book fall where they would, and ran to her side. She put her arm around me and led me to the family room, where Dad, Lily, and even Ginny and Anita were glued to the television screen, which showed pictures of grey streets with military cars and people running with guns.
    â€œâ€¦and Buckingham Palace has offered no comment on the rumor that Prince Christopher and Princess Maryan, along with their three children, were