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Swallowing Darkness :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 176 из 242What would his life have been like in the Unseelie Court with you as queen?"
I thought about what he'd said. "I don't know what the Unseelie will be like after I'm on the throne. There are nights when I think I'll never live to see the throne."
Doyle hugged me one-armed; Rhys squeezed my hands. "We'll keep you safe, Merry," Rhys said.
"It is our job," Doyle said, with his mouth against my hair.
"Yes, but now my bodyguards are precious to me, and injury to you is like a wound to my heart."
"It is the downside to dating your bodyguards," Rhys said.
I nodded, settling against the solid, muscled warmth of Doyle, and drew Rhys in closer. I wrapped them around me like a second cloak. "Cel has been requesting that you be sent to the Unseelie Court for your own safety," Rhys said, his breath warm on my cheek.
"What does the queen want me to do?" I asked.
"I haven't been inside the court, Merry. Galen and I took Hettie back to her inn. But as we rode toward it, other sidhe and lesser fey joined us. They followed behind us, singing and dancing, and the white light of the horses flowed across all of them."
"It was a faerie radhe," Doyle said, and his voice held wonderment.
"Yes," Rhys said.
I pushed them both away enough so I could study their faces. "I know what a faerie radhe is — when the sidhe used to go riding across the land. Other sidhe would join with their horses and hounds, and lesser fey would be drawn to it, to march with us. Even humans could be drawn into it sometimes."
"Yes," Doyle said.
"But there has never been a faerie radhe on American soil," Rhys said. "We lost our horses and our ability to call the folk to us."
He laid his lips against my temple, almost a kiss, but not quite. "We rode along the highway, and cars passed us. People took pictures with their cell phones, and they're already up on the Internet. We made the news."
"Is that good or bad?" I asked, leaning in against him. Doyle moved with me so that I was still held securely by both. Touching was a way of feeling better, and the metal we rode in could not have felt good to them.
"The Seelie who joined us are eager for you to bring them into their power."
"We had Seelie who were forced to join the wild hunt, too," I said.
"The old powers return," Doyle said.
"Every brownie on American soil came out to receive Hettie. They took her from us, and keened for her."
"I should have been there," I said.
Rhys hugged me close. "Your aunt Meg asked where you were.
I thought about what he'd said. "I don't know what the Unseelie will be like after I'm on the throne. There are nights when I think I'll never live to see the throne."
Doyle hugged me one-armed; Rhys squeezed my hands. "We'll keep you safe, Merry," Rhys said.
"It is our job," Doyle said, with his mouth against my hair.
"Yes, but now my bodyguards are precious to me, and injury to you is like a wound to my heart."
"It is the downside to dating your bodyguards," Rhys said.
I nodded, settling against the solid, muscled warmth of Doyle, and drew Rhys in closer. I wrapped them around me like a second cloak. "Cel has been requesting that you be sent to the Unseelie Court for your own safety," Rhys said, his breath warm on my cheek.
"What does the queen want me to do?" I asked.
"I haven't been inside the court, Merry. Galen and I took Hettie back to her inn. But as we rode toward it, other sidhe and lesser fey joined us. They followed behind us, singing and dancing, and the white light of the horses flowed across all of them."
"It was a faerie radhe," Doyle said, and his voice held wonderment.
"Yes," Rhys said.
I pushed them both away enough so I could study their faces. "I know what a faerie radhe is — when the sidhe used to go riding across the land. Other sidhe would join with their horses and hounds, and lesser fey would be drawn to it, to march with us. Even humans could be drawn into it sometimes."
"Yes," Doyle said.
"But there has never been a faerie radhe on American soil," Rhys said. "We lost our horses and our ability to call the folk to us."
He laid his lips against my temple, almost a kiss, but not quite. "We rode along the highway, and cars passed us. People took pictures with their cell phones, and they're already up on the Internet. We made the news."
"Is that good or bad?" I asked, leaning in against him. Doyle moved with me so that I was still held securely by both. Touching was a way of feeling better, and the metal we rode in could not have felt good to them.
"The Seelie who joined us are eager for you to bring them into their power."
"We had Seelie who were forced to join the wild hunt, too," I said.
"The old powers return," Doyle said.
"Every brownie on American soil came out to receive Hettie. They took her from us, and keened for her."
"I should have been there," I said.
Rhys hugged me close. "Your aunt Meg asked where you were.