Homelands Pt. 09 Ch. 06

"They'll not disappoint," the Queen of Faerie said.

Daphne looked Cahill over. Then did the same for Arawn and Oberon. Then nodded. "Not in the best shape, but I suppose I can overlook that. I'll be seeing them like this most of the time anyway."

Titania smiled. "Of course."

After longing desperately to escape for so long he almost forgot the meaning of the words, Cahill suddenly had no desire to leave Titania's grove. None whatsoever.

#

"I don't know why I listened to you," her sister said.

Liadan sighed. It was not the first time Macha had complained about how hard their life here in the Hinterlands was. As if whatever lurked in the woods, forever remaining just out of view, was anymore more than vaguely creepy. It hadn't hurt anyone, after all. Just spooked them a little. What they'd left behind was a thousand times worse.

She slipped down off the boulder and tossed her camera at Macha. "Snap some pictures for me, will you? It'll take your mind off things."

Her sister stared at the object in her hands as though it were anathema to her being. "Do you even know anything about this place?" the blonde eventually asked, after recovering the power of speech. That was a problem she often had, of late.

Liadan didn't get it. So far as she was concerned, this place was paradise. Uninhabited by any other immortals, wild, pristine, and beautiful. What more could they ask for?

Oh, right. No Titania.

Check.

"When was the last time you had to wait for hours to see Duncan?" she asked.

Macha didn't reply. Because what could she say? Without their mother and her Wild Hunt to lure the boy around, her son had no reason to leave his mother's side. The only time he didn't hover behind her like a fucking shadow was when she'd fucked him within an inch of his life and left him passed out in their bed. Which was where he was now. She had a beautiful baby boy, another child growing in her womb, and a strong son who seemed to think his life would end if he ever stopped pleasing his mother.

Whereas Liadan had all of no one to warm her bed. No one to help her raise the three young children Arawn had given her.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Her niece, Teagan, was more than happy to help take care of the little ones. And Kearney was sometimes willing to help with the loneliness. He was no Arawn or Cahill, but better that than nothing.

Still. If anyone had a reason to complain, it sure wasn't Macha.

"What's out there?" her sister asked, not for the first time.

"I don't know," she replied, also not for the first time.

Macha frowned. "And you're okay with that?"

She'd have liked to yank some of that blonde hair out at the root. But she tried a different approach. She took one of her sister's hands in hers, gave it a firm squeeze, and sent some energy rippling through the woman's body. Soothing her. Not quite exciting her, but nudging her towards that end of things.

"What I'm okay with is having control over my own life," she said.

"I don't mind giving up a little control," Macha replied. "What I want is to feel safe."

"Do you miss the Hunt?" Liadan asked by way of response, perhaps unfairly. But not too unfairly. "The unpredictable mood swings? Never knowing when you'd next get to be the scapegoat for something one of her subjects did to piss her off?"

Of course she didn't. She could wear an impassive mask all she wanted. Hold her tongue. Liadan knew her sister was every bit as happy to be free of their mother as she was. How could she not be? It was one thing to talk of surrendering autonomy in exchange for security, but how long had it been since their mother had provided that?

"All I know is that whatever's out there, it scares me," Macha said. "Maybe we're better off than we were. I shouldn't have suggested otherwise. But I'm still scared."

Liadan sighed. "We'll deal with it. Whatever it is."

"Promise?" Macha asked.

That took her aback. She didn't always argue with her sister. Sometimes, they joked around. Or made love. But she certainly wasn't used to being asked to reassure Macha, who'd dwelt in Faerie far longer than Liadan, that everything would be okay. She did realize that she was the older sister, didn't she? Shouldn't she be telling Liadan not to worry?

Nonetheless, she said, "I promise." Then kissed her sister tenderly.

Only after Macha left her alone in the deep woods did Liadan begin to wonder how she'd keep that promise. Because whatever was out there, it was far older than their mother.