Chapter 11: Chapter eleven

Soft fur caressed my palms as I cradled the Peryton’s head, gazing up into the doe’s eyes. Our figures were cast in silvery light, the angle I stood at making it appear as though the moon were held between the antlers of the elegant Peyton.

“Beautiful!” Kelly Anne praised. The pretty brunette held a lacquered box, with a cylindrical lens on front, a mirrored screen on the back, and buttons on top. The camera emitted a soft clicking as the woman moved around us, capturing the scene from different angles.

Formerly a news station weather girl, the quarter Aos Sí woman knew a lot about the media industry, and had been a fount of knowledge when it came to how I should go about managing my public image.

When the sound of clicking came to a halt, I released my hold on the Peryton and Helma stepped forwards with a tidbit of fresh meat to reward Valgerðr for her participation in the photoshoot.

“These are amazing,” Kelly Anne said, holding out the camera with a beaming smile.

I glanced down at the mirror display on the back of the camera, it was indeed a beautiful image. “I am grateful to have such a talented photographer.”

Cheeks flushed, the brunette ducked her head, handing the camera to a waiting Maitane. “I’ve always wanted to use a Mægic Obscura, it’s not something I could ever afford to purchase this side of the veil.”

I smiled, inclining my head. Priced at two hundred golden suns for a basic model, the Mægic Obscura wasn’t a device someone living in the human realm could easily afford. The ratio of Níu Heimar coinage to humans was steep, partly due to use of precious metals, and the mægen infused into each coin during the minting process.

Each kingdom minted their coins differently, however they all follow a standard weight for copper, silver, gold, and platinum for their coins. This allowed the coinage to be used in any kingdom, regardless of its origin. There was a check system used for high value transactions, though physical coinage remained the favored form of currency.

“I don’t think that will be an issue,” I said, gesturing to Mai who offered the quarter Aos Sí woman a silvery coin with hole in the center, and a pair of antlers curling around the edges. “Payment for your services, and the books you acquired for me.”

Kelly Anne gasped, her eyes so wide it was almost comical. “Is- is that a platinum crown?”

“Platinum moon,” I corrected as she took the coin. “The Fae use crowns, whilst the Álfar use celestial bodies.”

“This is too much,” she whispered, though her fingers remained tightly clenched around the coin.

Paying her a platinum moon for a day spent talking, and taking pictures was indeed excessive. A typical wage for a low ranking royal servant was a hundred gold suns a month, if converted at the current rate to human currency that equated to ten thousand dollars.

In a single day, Kelly Anne had earned the equivalent of ten months worth of wages.

“Loyalty, and service are rewarded.” I answered, watching for her reaction as I spoke the next part. “I hope you will continue to serve, and aid me with public relations where the enclave is concerned.”

Understanding lit in the woman’s brown eyes, and she nodded, putting the coin away.

I watched Kelly Anne leave, silently hoping that investing in her services would pay off in the end. This morning I had received an influx of transfer requests from enclave members wishing to leave. Over half the residents of the New York enclave wished to depart, the few who aided in the daily operations of the enclave among them.

“What’s next,” I asked with a weary look at elderly Húsvættir.

Despite it being early in the night, I felt exhausted. The few hours of sleep I managed to sneak in between meeting with the newly arrived Skutilsveinr to receive their oaths, and the various minor issues that cropped up throughout the day weren’t nearly enough.

Mai’s lips thinned into a grim line. “Stallari Vasilii has reported that the removal of the Herborg’s armaments has been completed, the Seelie knights have departed.”

The disarmament of the Herborg had been a condition of High King Locryn, who had agreed to allow the airship to remain in New York for the duration of my two month residence. In addition to disarming the Herborg, the Seelie high king ordered the removal of the massive artificial mægen cores which powered the vessel. This left the Herborg as little more than an un-moveable shell until the cores were put back.

One the upside, my Skutilsveinr no longer needed to camp in tents. The Herborg would now serve as a temporary barrack, and I also acquired an additional fifty Dökkálfar to protect the enclave from the now stranded airship crew.

“Good.” I nodded, glancing to Helma who stood with her Peryton. “Are preparations for the hunt finished?”

She inclined her head. “Stallari Nyx, and Stallari Mojmír are reviewing the information received from the scouts in order to select the best entry points.”

The mention of the two stallari brought to mind another stallari of my hirð, the deceased Hannis who ordered the Herborg into Manna-heim. Stallari Hannis had been one of the two commanders in charge of the Skjald-borg regiments, with Stallari Mojmír being the other.

My fourth Stallari, Ankica, led the Riddari and was the only remaining commander in Svartálfaheimr with Hannis’s death. I had spoken with the woman briefly this morning as she called to report two Skutilsveinr of the Skjald-borg were apprehended attempting to flee during the investigations.

After speaking with Stallari Ankica, I decided that the promotion of new Stallari would wait until my return, and gave temporary command of the Skjald-borg to her. This was in addition to the Skutilsveinr from the Skjöldr who did not travel to Manna-heim, along with those of the Riddari. It was a lot for one person, but Helma and Nyx both spoke highly of the woman, who had previously served in the first Riddari of my faðir.

That three traitors had been located in the regiment of outer knights was concerning, and it made me look closer at the Skjald-borg serving under Stallari Mojmír. Each gave their oaths without falter, but I could see the news of the betrayal affected them. Those who were already with me looked at the newcomers with suspicion, and they returned the looks with their own.

Together with Mai, I walked to the training area followed by Helma, and the Skutilsveinr who were currently on duty as my escort. The Skutilsveinr of the Skjöldr rotated every six hours, allowing those who guarded me ample time to rest, and train between their shifts.

Much to my annoyance the light bulbs I destroyed in the training area the previous night had been replaced, however only the lights at one end of the field were lit up. The guardians stood clustered beneath the lights, a handful of Skutilsveinr, and the newly arrived Kertilsveinr among them.

The Kertilsveinr would be paired up with the guardians for training, and would be patrolling alongside them in order to allow the squires to learn more about the human realm. It would be good for them, and hopefully the guardians would feel more comfortable with the squires who were less intimidating than the Skutilsveinr.

Finding Nyx, and Mojmír with Guardian Monroe, I spent several minutes listening to their plans for the hunt. The temporary guardian captain had some reluctance regarding the hunt; she seemed to be under the impression that capturing and relocating the goblins was a viable option. It was certainly possible, but the Seelie high king wouldn’t be happy if I were to dump several hundred goblins on his doorstep.

“You’re all speaking as though they’re animals to be culled, but they’re sentient beings.” Monroe said with a shake of her head.

“I will not debate with you over this,” I said, cutting off her continued protests. “I understand humans have certain feelings about hunting, and speciesism, however those matters are not for discussion today. Please consider the humans who are being snatched off the streets every day to feed the hordes of goblins. I have seen the reports, there are dozens of humans reported missing every day, with the numbers steadily increasing over the past three months. This is not something that can be dealt with humanely.”

The guardian looked ready to continue protesting, but after a quick glance around at the Skutilsveinr who occupied the training field she remained silent.

Her protests only highlighted the fact she wasn’t suited to be a permanent replacement for the previous captain of the guardian force, but at the moment she was the only choice.

Refocusing my attention on the two Stallari, I gestured to the ship visible in the distance. “Include the crew from the Herborg in the plans for the hunt, and offer Styrimaðr Vasilii the honored position of leading the hunt. I think it is best for a commanding officer to go with the Kertilsveinr, and Garmr to ensure no issues arise.”

Nyx nodded. “A few scuffles have occurred today, and as such half a dozen Skutilsveinr will be going down with the Kertilsveinr to oversee things. I shall inform Styrimaðr Vasilii that he is to be charged with leading the hunt.”

I arched a brow. “Anything I need to be aware of?”

The mauve eyed woman hesitated. “The Skutilsveinr decided to use their free time to explore the park, and were confronted by a group of guardians who were patrolling the area. There was a minor physical altercation.”

“Injuries?”

“The guardians were tended to by a Læknir.”

It wasn’t surprising the guardians needed to be seen by a healer, I would be more surprised if that hadn’t. I glanced at the section of the field the guardians occupied. The majority of their number had already submitted requests for transfer to a new enclave, with most selecting one of the other Seelie-ruled cities in America.

“Inform the guardians that all transfer requests have been forwarded to their desired cities, and are pending approval from the lords of each. Those who are pending transfer are permitted to take leave in order to pack, and prepare for their departure.” I said, directing my attention to Guardian Monroe.

The temporary captain nodded, the wrinkles on her face deepening as she rubbed a hand across the back of her neck with a weary sigh. “I’ve spoken with those who put in the requests to convince them to stay, but-”

I held up a hand to stop her. “We already have several hundred requests for transfer into the enclave. Those who depart will be replaced.”

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Once word reached the other enclaves that New York was under the direct rule of a royal, requests for transfer to the enclave came flooding in. So far I had looked at only a handful of the requests, noting that most gave only vague reasons as to why they wished to transfer. Only one request I saw had been honest, and wrote the reason for transfer was because they wanted to join the enclave ruled by the Dökkálfar Smártungl.

That transfer was the first, and only request I had accepted so far. Anastasija Kvesić’s profile showed her heritage as a Glaistig, and a quarter Dökkálfar father. The photos in the profile were of a beautiful woman, wearing a long flowing dress, leaving me with questions as to what physical traits she may have inherited from her mother.

The Glaistig were a chimeric race of Unseelie fae. They were a female only race, and with lower bodies resembling that of a goat, it was easy to make comparisons to the Satyrs who were their Seelie counterparts. The main difference between the two, aside from the obvious gender difference, was that Satyr’s were herbivorous, whilst the Glaistig were carnivorous. In truth, the two were a singular race divided. The two often came together to breed, with male offspring left for the fathers to raise, and the females their mothers.

After instructing Nyx, and Mojmír to send for me once the preparations for the hunt were finished, I returned to the enclave.

Lady Isabel joined our group as we entered the castle, following me into the dining hall where preparations for a post hunt feast were being made. The Herborg brought with it a full crew, and taking advantage of that I requisitioned some of the cooks from the air ship's galley to prepare meals in the enclave.

The dining hall had undergone quite a few changes throughout the day, with silver, and purple banners now draped over the walls. Tables once more filled the hall, the red tinged wood polished until it gleamed beneath the light of the chandeliers. Chair’s which were once upholstered in a lush green were now a deep shade of purple, and the gaudy gold fixtures were replaced with silver.

Behind the high table, a wide banner with my personal crest embroidered on it hung from the ceiling, curtaining off the rear of the dais from the rest of the room. Positioned against the far wall was a chaise, with a small table and a scrying mirror.

The mirror was not the ornate version that once more occupied my private rooms, but the gaudy monstrosity from the rooms of the previous lord. It was one of two mirrors left behind in the enclave, with the second located in the lord's office. This particular mirror was the least hideous of the two, and contained the connection information for the mirrors owned by the lords of the other enclave’s in Manna-heim.

As I approached the curtain Sorcha’s voice rang out from the other side, and I came to stop, listening as the Pixie spoke to an agitated sounding male.

“The Smártungl is currently not available, if you leave a message she will get back to you at her earliest convenience.” Sorcha said, her voice cheery despite the angry tone of the caller.

The blustering continued, and Sorcha spoke again, cutting the man off. “As you have elected not to leave a message I shall now end the call, farewell.”

A soft giggle sounded as the sound of angry shouting was cut short, and I pushed aside the curtain to see a grinning Sorcha hovering in front of the mirror.

“My moon,” she greeted happily as she dipped into a curtsy midair.

“Enjoying yourself?” I asked as I took a seat on the chaise.

Copper eyes filled with glee, the Pixie glanced at the blank mirror. “Immensely.”

“Which lord was it?” The various rulers of the Manna-heim enclaves had been calling all day, with Sorcha, and Maitane taking it in turns to baby-sit the mirror.

“Not a lord,” Sorcha’s lips curled into a sneer. “A secretary wishing to pass on an invitation to dine with his lord, he demanded to pass the invitation personally to her highness the nineteenth princess of the Seelie high court.”

I stiffened, my hand freezing in midair as I reached to take a goblet offered by Mai. “A Seelie enclave?”

The Pixie shook her head. “Dvergr.”

Mouth pressed into a hard line, I took the goblet from Mai, taking a sip of the chilled mead before speaking. “Have you heard back from the new broadcast?”

Sorcha blinked, appearing momentarily confused by the change in subject before she nodded. “They were elated, and welcome the chance to interview you. They’ve agreed to the list of questions, and we can contact them to arrange a time whenever you are ready.”

I nodded. Kelly Anne had advised not to let the interviewers have free reign when it came to the questions asked, but to have a prearranged agreement regarding what could be asked.

“You intend to ignore the insult given by the Dvergr, niece?” Lady Isabel asked, arching a slender red brow.

“Prinzessa Rheie is behind it,” I sighed, waving a hand dismissively. That enclave’s lord, and the secretary were little more than pawns in the Prinzessa’s game. I knew her well enough to know that Rheie was mocking me over the new title, and giving a not so subtle reminder that I hadn’t called her. “I will address that matter with her directly.”

Knowing Rheie, if I called now she would be conveniently unavailable.

Lady Isabel made a soft disapproving sound. “Elayna, they insult you! You should-”

“When are you returning to court?” I interrupted, giving her a look of bored impassivity. “Surely you have duties to attend.”

She smiled, her expression full of tender warmth. “The high queen has graciously permitted me to remain at your side. My duties as ambassador are important, but you are my niece. A niece who recently lost her mother, and-”

“And what? The high queen felt that placing a paltry replica of my móðir at my side would be comforting to me?”

Her lips parted, a soft breath stuttering past them as emerald eyes widened. The previous warmth in her expression fled, replaced with a cold courtiers mask. “I see you’ve inherited my sister’s cruel tongue.”

“I see you’re still the queen's obedient little rose.” I mocked, tracing my thumb over the engravings on the side of the goblet I held. “I’ve no interest in games with you, aunt. Let us be open with our wants.”

The corners of her mouth turned down, and she gave a slight inclination of her head. “You have shown favor to the Seelie high king, yet ignore High Queen Ulloriaq.”

It was as athair said, favor one, and the others will feel slighted. “You claim I show no favor, yet I carry with me the queen's favor every day.” Reaching to the blade strapped to my thigh, I tapped the purple gemstone on the hilt. “Or does your queen forget this gift?”

The core embedded in the dagger once belonged to a lover the high queen sent to my bed. A lover who fell into the plots of Jarlkona Norell, and tried to bury the dagger I now carried into my heart. That night I carved out his heart with the dagger he attempted to assassinate me with, and had his core processed into the magic artifact that adorned its hilt.

We stared at each other in silence, emerald green gazing into winter blue. After what felt like an eternity, Lady Isabel lowered her gaze, and dipped into a low curtsy.

“It is the will of the high queen that I coax you into accepting a concubine from our court, and garner a promise that you accept none from the Seelie.”

The muscles in my jaw flexed, clenched as I visually struggled to control my anger. “If I refuse?”

“Elayna,” Isabel sighed. “You are my sister's child, I do not wish you ill intent, nor does my queen. She merely wishes to show the other kingdoms the strength of our alliance with the Dökkálfar.”

“Is the Unseelie blood which runs through my veins not enough?” I said through gritted teeth. “Does your queen seek to dilute our royal line until there is no Dökkálfar blood left? What next? Shall we bend our knee to her, and submit our kingdom to the high queens rule as the fae do?”

The goblet left my hand, flying through the air to land at the Aos sí women’s feet where its contents splattered the hem of her gown. Lady Isabel remained unshaken, her expression held in its perfect mask.

“Your queen will see a half Unseelie Ríkrtungl ascend the throne of the Dökkálfar, that is favor enough.” I flicked my wrist, gesturing to the curtain which separated the sitting area from the main hall. “Return to Svartálfaheimr and your duties as ambassador, you have overstayed your welcome in my halls.”

Lady Isabel brushed aside the curtain, her stride unhurried as she left the hall.

I sighed, my fingers tracing over the purple core as I thought back on the conversation I had with my aunt the previous night. Thanks to our little argument, rumors of discord between myself, and the Unseelie high queen would soon spread throughout court.

My ties to the Unseelie were a point of contention amongst the Dökkálfar nobility. If I continued to maintain closeness with the Unseelie high court, it would only increase the difficulties I faced in ascending the throne.

When the balance of power stabilized, we could have a harmonious alliance once more, but for now it was best we maintained a guise of conflict.

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