The moment Noreen walked through the doorway from Earth to the Fae Realm, she was hit with the epic destruction that hundreds of years of constant war between the Light and Dark had done to the planet. She was glad she had Cain’s hand because it was difficult to see with her own eyes what they had done to their home.
“Are you all right, lass?” he asked in a soft tone.
Noreen blinked back tears as she recalled how happy she’d been there. She had been very young, and her memories were colored by that fact, but she could still recall her mother in the kitchen baking, and her father telling one of his many corny jokes to get them to laugh. It was a good memory, which was probably why she’d held onto it.
“It’s … hard,” she finally said.
“Aye.”
She sniffed and looked around, trying to get her bearings. “I was young when we had to leave. I don’t even remember where our home was. But I did see a map of the Fae Realm once while in the Dark Palace.”
“I doona think it matters where we go,” Cain said. “We just need to find some shelter. We’ll want to remain close to the doorway in case we need to leave quickly.”
Noreen glanced at him, her lips twisting. “I’d vote for getting far away from it in case someone comes through. We don’t want them to find us.”
“I doona expect we’ll be out so they can find it. However, seeing who comes through, if anyone does, would be a boon for sure. Remember, we’ll only be here long enough for you to give me the information you have. Once I relay it to the other Kings, we’ll begin preparations for battle.”
She inwardly winced at the sight of the dead trees and plants all around her. There was nothing alive on the planet, except for them. “I’ll be here a lot longer since Moreann won’t stop looking for me until no more breath fills her lungs.”
“Sorry, lass. I did forget about that. I willna leave you alone. I’ll remain with you.”
Once more, the Dragon King surprised her. “Why would you do that? You could be captured. Besides, you should be with your brethren, strategizing.”
“I’ve given you my word.”
“You should think of yourself at times. Maybe that’s why your kind is in this predicament in the first place.”
The moment the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back. Yet, the apology wouldn’t come.
Cain didn’t look away from her. He drew in a deep breath and shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right. If we had been selfish, if we had slaughtered defenseless mortals, I wouldna be standing here willing to put myself between you and whoever shows up to kill you.”
“I shouldn’t have said that,” Noreen said, ashamed of herself. She looked away, wishing Cain had gotten angry. It would’ve been easier to bear if he had.
“You said what you felt.” He walked past her as if it were the end of the discussion.
There was more Noreen wanted to say, but maybe it was better to let it drop. Especially since she didn’t know how to fix things. All Cain had done was help her, and all she’d done was question and insult him at every turn. It was any wonder why he remained. Then again, she had the key to helping the Kings become victorious over the Others.
Or did she?
Noreen hurried to catch up with him. “Now that Moreann knows what I’ve done, any plans they’ve made will change.”
“I’ve already thought of that.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t. She’d been too intent on staying alive to think that far ahead. Obviously, she wasn’t very good at whatever it was she was trying to be at the moment.
Cain suddenly stopped and faced her. “Knowledge is power, lass. We need everything you can tell us about the Others. There will be something in there we can use to our advantage. The Others have come at us sideways for too long. It’s time we leveled the playing field.”
“I can do that.”
“You give me the information, and I’ll keep you safe. That’s the deal we’ve made. Right?”
She nodded because she knew he was irritated at her. When he’d been patient and kind, she had thrown that back in his face. Now, she deserved whatever it was he gave her.
“I have a bad habit of lashing out at people when my emotions are all jumbled. It was wrong, and I want you to know that I’m sorry.”
Cain gave a nod of his head and faced forward to continue walking.
Noreen wanted him to say something like he had earlier. To smile at her and call her lass and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But she had ruined that all on her own. With a sigh, she trailed slightly behind him.
There wasn’t much near the doorway. Only fragments of buildings remained. Even after so many thousands of years, the planet hadn’t recovered enough for new plant growth. That’s how much damage had been done.
Noreen might not have taken part in the war because she’d been young, but she still held a wealth of regret for it all. She believed that every Fae should come and see their old realm so perhaps they would never do such a thing again.
Her feet crunched on glass and other debris as they continued their journey. She didn’t know where they were going, and it didn’t matter because Cain was going where he wanted to go. And if she wanted to stay alive, she would go with him.
“It was a beautiful place once,” she told him as they walked through the remnants of a city. “Ireland reminds us of what this place once was. That’s why Usaeil and the old King of the Dark chose it as our home.”
“Chose it without bothering to ask the occupants of the realm,” Cain stated.
“Yet the Kings allowed us to stay, and gave us Ireland.”
“More mistakes we made, I presume.”
She shook her head and came even with him. “If you had refused us, we wouldn’t have had anywhere to go.”
“You would’ve found a place. Just as you found our realm.”
Noreen swallowed at the hard edge to his voice.
He glanced at her and said, “And we wouldna been involved in the Fae Wars or had to constantly battle the Dark, who kill mortals.”
At the mention of the Fae Wars, Noreen looked straight ahead. She tried not to think of that time since it was when she’d lost her parents. They had been the only two people in the entire universe who had loved her. They had encouraged her to be whoever she wanted to be, even if it wasn’t a Dark.
Since she hadn’t wanted to follow that path, she was glad to hear their thoughts. But everything had changed the day they were murdered.
“You can dish it out, but you can no’ take it, huh?” Cain retorted coldly.
“I don’t like talking about the Fae Wars.”
“Why is that?” he demanded.
She jerked her head to him and looked into his deep green eyes. “Because it was the day a Dragon King killed my parents.”
She lengthened her strides after delivering her declaration. If she thought he would apologize or say something, she was wrong. He remained silent—and behind her. Which suited Noreen just fine.
They walked for another thirty minutes before she felt a vibration beneath her feet.
“Did you feel that?” she asked Cain as she came to a stop.
He gave a nod as he came up beside her. “It came from up ahead.”