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  “Father.” She went down on one knee.

  “Rise, daughter. Elenora, you are so like your mother. I am Akin of the Veriman clan. This is my mother, Lidi, my sister, Imada, and my other sister, Feema. Ladies, this is my daughter, Elenora.”

  Elly felt the cold assessment of her female side of the family. “I am pleased to meet you all.”

  “Do you have the letter from the school?” Akin smiled.

  “Oh, of course.” She fished out the letter and handed it to him, watching as he cracked the scroll.

  His shoulders slumped in relief. “Master of nine instruments, fully versed in etiquette and your first performance in front of the king is later this evening. Excellent.”

  She nodded. “I have a few pieces selected, but of course, he can choose what he wishes.”

  Lidi looked at her in shock. “You are performing for the king? So soon?”

  “My instructor gauged me to be suitable for it, so she made the arrangements. This is my audition as his personal musician.” She was wary.

  Akin smiled and offered her his arm. “I will show you your quarters. Did they send you with appropriate clothing?”

  “Yes, Father. I am ready.”

  “You must have many questions.”

  “Not many. I have my mother’s journal. I knew that she didn’t tell you, that she didn’t want to tell you. But, she was alone in the world, and that makes me a little sad. I know she felt better toward the end of her pregnancy, but I wish she had survived it.”

  He nodded and brushed at a tear. “I returned to town two years later and found her grave. The local priest told me that the child had died with her. I am guessing that he lied.”

  “Pretty sure he did. He was not kind to her while she was alive, and he was probably worse once she was dead. It was just luck that I ended up at St. Agnes’. That was the work of the social worker who had spoken with my mother in hospital. She set things in motion before I was around.”

  “Your mother did not wish to raise you?”

  “She wasn’t ready for me. She was in her early twenties. She wanted to live life, not be a mother. Don’t get me wrong, she loved me, but she wanted to see me when I was grown, not be with me along the way.”

  He smiled. “Abigale loved her life. Our association was short, but we enjoyed each other.”

  Elly twisted her lips. “As I am living proof. So, Nidiada warned me that the king is moody.”

  “He is. There are still no candidates for a queen, and he is pressuring the seers to find someone on a weekly basis. You are going to be a new toy.”

  She nodded. “How long do I have to get ready to perform?”

  “Three hours. Your quarters are in the clan quarters on the far side of the compound. The days that you perform, you will prepare here at the court. Clothing will be provided to you so that you will match the theme of the day.”

  She nodded again. “Who is the current court musician?”

  “Adoree Veriman, your second cousin.”

  “Does she know I am here?”

  “No. You are a surprise to all outside our immediate family and the king.”

  “Oh. Goody.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “Not really. I am eager to play.” She surprised herself that she actually was.

  “Good. Let’s get you ready, and then, we wait for him to summon us.”

  “Sounds fair. Oh, and Father?”

  He jolted as if he wasn’t used to the sound. “Yes?”

  “Glad to finally meet you.” She squeezed his arm.

  He looked as if she had struck him on the head with a bat and a foolish grin spread across his features. “I am glad I finally got the nerve to say hello.”

  That was a confusing sentence, but they passed the guard into the court lodgings, and he searched her bags. He found a harp, a violin, a flute and an MP3 player. The fey grinned, nodded and sent her on her way.

  Her father had to wait outside the court on a chair as she walked into the audience chamber. She had her violin tuned and the flute ready in a bag at her waist.

  She walked through the crowd, weaving in and out of the assembled nobles, before positioning herself in front of the king. When his head turned toward her, she went into a deep curtsy.

  “Ah, the new minstrel. A master, I hear.” He chuckled.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “What do you have for me?”

  She remained in her curtsy, hours of practice paying off. “What are you in the mood for?”

  He cocked his head. “I have just gotten some good news, so something human.”

  “Would you like it as is, or may I rise?”

  The assembled courtiers gasped.

  The king laughed. “Rise and take a comfortable position.”

  She stood and lifted her violin to her shoulder, setting her chin in the rest. “Shall I begin?”

  He nodded, and she drew the bow across the strings in a jolting beginning to a power ballad that sent a ripple of silence through the chamber.

  When she was done, she paused and raised her brow. “Something more traditional?”

  He grinned. “No, continue with the human songs. I enjoy them.”

  Elly spent the next five years playing for the king and his visitors. She was witness to clan wars, weddings, council meetings and the visits from the envoys of the shifters.

  Raised primarily as a human, Elly had been shocked to find out that dragons, wolves, beavers and other mythical shapeshifting creatures all lived alongside humanity in human societies. She had kept her composure when the visitors made requests, and she played traditional selections on flute or violin. Now and then, she would be asked to work on the harp, but the king preferred that she be able to back against a wall for better acoustics.

  “Are you willing to do this?” The king asked her quietly. The room around them was full of pointed ears trying to hear what they were saying.

  Elly was tuning her violin, which was odd as she never did it in front of the king.

  “I am. Is there a reason not to go?”

  “There have been nightmares beating at our gates for the last five years. They will be able to find you.”

  She nodded. “I know. I can feel them, and I have been targeted before. They will torture me for a while, and then, their summoning will be over.”

  He sighed. “Do you know who called them?”

  “I have a good idea but no concrete proof. The persons involved have now changed social status.”

  He sighed again. “Your clan.”

  “Correct. I am a halfling no matter what my mastery of music says. I think I will enjoy the break from the court.”

  “You will be missed.”

  “You have the recordings, Your Majesty.”

  “Changing the crystals will not be the same as asking you to switch from human to fey classics.” He smiled slightly.

  “Yes, but knowing that you will hold auditions instead of just assigning the next free Veriman family member warms my heart.” She lifted her violin and played an old fey tune for the gathered exotic population. Shifters were mixing with the fey now, and their children were adorable. They were a bright spot in the king’s birthday party.

  Once she finished with the fey music, she turned to human-fey children and began to play human music to them and their parents. Their mothers swayed with the little ones in her arms, and the toddlers were holding onto their parents’ legs. She knelt and played, letting the little ones touch her violin and watching their eyes widen as they took in the correlation between the music and the carved wooden box.

  In a break from her normal patterns, she wandered around the rest of the gathering, looking at friends, strangers and all of those who were there to either celebrate or curry favour with the sovereign of the fey.

  Elly smiled. She was just there to play the music, so location was not her main concern. A shift to the Crossroads would be an inter
esting change of pace, and it might stop her kinsman from trying to kill her.

  Chapter Three

  Eric went over the numbers, and he couldn’t make them add up. The requests for nightmares were in, but the delivered dark dreams were down.

  “Kimmy, what the hell is going on here?”

  His sister walked over, and she pulled the ledger to her, turning it around. “There is a deficit. Some of these contracts were not honoured.”

  “Yes, but they are a little peculiar. They appear to all be directed at the same person.”

  Kimmy looked and nodded. “Yes. She must have done quite a bit of ill toward folk to have them wish this torment on her.”

  He took the ledger back and tapped the explanation segment of the page. “I thought so, too, but there is nothing here. It is blank.”

  “What?” she grabbed the book again and glared at the page. “That isn’t possible.”

  “Oh, it’s possible, but what worries me is that this woman is back on the schedule tonight, and fifty of our sisters are in line to torment her. She will go mad.”

  “Are you going to intervene?” Kimmy gave him a serious look.

  “I believe I have to. Do you have any information on the dreamer?”

  “She has just entered the Crossroads.” Kimmy checked the dark shadow in the map portion of the page.

  “Shit.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I will have to get clearance to get to her in time.”

  Kimmy lifted his phone and started dialling. “You had better get talking.”

  She held it out to him, and he could hear it ringing.

  Eric walked out of the portal and nodded to the guardians. “Hello.”

  The man who greeted him nodded and gave him a narrow-eyed look. “I didn’t think you were real.”

  Eric nodded. “I get that a lot. Our kind walk the winds of magic so regularly that we have been neglected as shifters.”

  “Right. Well, I am Tony, and my mate is Teal. The woman you mentioned is on loan to the Crossroads. She is providing entertainment for a few weeks, and the concert is going to be amazing. Are you sure that she is about to get bombarded by nightmares?”

  “I am sure. She will be trapped in a dimensional torment that allows no relief. I can get her and bring her out, but it is tricky as I can’t stop a nightmare in progress.”

  “Why can’t you stop them?”

  “Like other herd animals, I can warn them away or kick them when they are already there, but I can’t stop them throwing the dark energy.”

  “This is highly irregular, and we have seen some bizarre stuff in the last few years.” Tony ran his hand along his head.

  “Don’t worry. If I get to her before they do, I will be able to minimize the damage.” He sighed. “Once she is out of danger, I am out of your hair.”

  “Right. Right. Well, she is at the Axion, but you might not want to stay there.”

  “Guardian, I need to be where she is. My comfort doesn’t matter.”

  “Right. The Axion it is. Please, grab your bag and come with me. It is right this way.”

  Eric followed Tony out and into the street. Around him, couples and singles wandered around, all laughing and several had the obvious look of folk on holiday.

  “Why is this place so crowded?”

  Tony looked at him. “I thought you knew. The fey king’s master musician is playing tonight and for the rest of the week, and you are going to try and keep her alive.”

  Eric mentally cursed. “The fey king’s pet?”

  “His musician. Yes. Trust me, she is no one’s pet.”

  They continued the walk until they reached the obviously fey structure. The Axion was a standard fairy tale castle.

  Tony led him to the door, and it swung open in welcome.

  An elf with golden skin and silver hair stood in the entryway. “Tony, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “Drak, this is Eric, and he needs to be in a room as close to Elenora’s as is possible. She is in danger from his people, and he must be near her to prevent anything untoward from becoming permanent.”

  Drak looked at Eric, and he sized him up. “You are not a standard shifter.”

  “No, I am not. I am of the dream runners. We are shifters who walk between the physical and the dream realms.”

  The proprietor extended his hand, and Eric completed the clasp. The contact of fey and shifter flesh was filled with energy, and visible static ran up their forearms. The two men stared at each other, taking the measure of the other’s strengths and looking for weaknesses.

  When Tony cleared his throat, Eric released the other man’s arm.

  Drak inclined his head. “Please, come with me. We are fairly full, but I am sure I can locate you something close to Elly. Please come with me.”

  Eric followed the man up a sweeping stairwell. Most of the guests were fey, and he stuck out like a sore thumb. It didn’t matter; he had a job to do. He didn’t know what had caused the psychic interference with the musician, but he would do his best to minimize the effects.

  * * * *

  The amphitheatre was amazing. Elly sat on the edge of the stage, and she took out her flute. The few low tones she began with soared out to the seats in the side of the hill and rang in rich notes.

  She played a song that she had composed for the king’s bride when she was old enough to have an interest in music, and from there, she swung into a lullaby.

  The music came so easily there at the Crossroads that she was tempted to just keep playing, but that would be stupid. She needed all of her focus for the evening’s concert.

  “Well, that shows good acoustics anyway.” She tucked her flute back into its bag, walking away from her performance venue and heading to the café for a cup of coffee. She didn’t need to be nodding off before her first performance.

  The walk was nice. She was stifled at the palace, but it was the only safe place for her. This little jaunt to the Crossroads was going to be fun, but it was work for the king. It wasn’t something she was going to forget.

  The shifters were in their animal forms, bolting across the meadows, chasing each other and in general frolic mode. Elly imagined that they didn’t get much chance to just throw caution and social convention to the wind and behave like teenagers again.

  Elly’s personal rebellion was in the form of jeans and a t-shirt. She enjoyed the freedom of movement afforded by just wearing one layer. The court clothing was stifling for stuff that looked gauzy, wearing it and working all night was an exercise in endurance.

  Inside the café, she found a seat at a tiny table and asked for a coffee when the waitress stopped.

  The couples and singles in the room had a comfortable feeling of familiarity with the space. Elly enjoyed looking casually around the place while she tried to determine if the person she was looking at was fey or shifter. It was a fun game.

  A few of the men and women glanced her way, but she kept her hands around the coffee and thought about the order of the performance for the coming evening.

  “May I join you?”

  The deep voice rustled through her. She loved that tone. A few of the fey had a voice that reverberated in her bones, and the ones that did she stayed far away from.

  “Only if you are prepared to talk.” She smiled brightly and waved him to sit with her at the tiny table that looked child sized when he seated himself.

  She extended her hand. “I am Elly.”

  He blinked slowly and reached up to grip her fingers. “Eric. I am here for your safety.”

  She felt the jolt of shifter energy and something far stronger. When he released her hand, she wanted to grab his, to keep that power running through her.

  “Great. Wait. My safety? Who sent you?”

  Eric crossed his arms and leaned back; the chair he was on creaked under the weight of all that muscle. “I have been made aware of a danger to your sanity.”

  “Have you been
talking to the fey prime minister? He would insist I am a right nutter. His words, not mine.”

  Her new companion smiled, his teeth flashing white in his mahogany face. His dark mane of hair slid over his shoulders and gleamed against the matte black of his t-shirt. He was wearing black from head to toe and didn’t even have a wristband.

  “Hey, you don’t have a charm.”

  He smirked. “And you thought we had just met. Obviously, you know me.”

  She blushed. “That isn’t what I meant.”

  “I guessed as much, but you are in danger. There are nightmares coming for you.”

  Elly sighed, having it confirmed by a stranger was worse than the words from a friend. “I know.”

  That surprised him. “You do?”

  “I do. A few of my kinswomen are hostile toward me due to my blended nature. My court occupation makes it even worse. We are a family of musicians, and everybody wants to catch the ear of the king.”

  He frowned. “Wait, your family? You have done something horrible to your kin?”

  “Of course not. I don’t even know them. I was raised at boarding school and before that, an orphanage.” She wrinkled her nose. “The boarding school is where I met my first nightmare.”

  His eyes widened and then narrowed. “You have met them before?”

  “Just one. I was whimpering at shadows for weeks until an instructor figured out what had happened and tracked down the fey that had put the price on me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that new people in a social system make folk fear for their status. They lash out. I just had no idea that it was still going on with my new family members until I was asked to perform here.”

  “You came anyway? You left your safety and came here to perform for these idiots?”

  She laughed. “I came because I am out for the first time in five years. The nightmares will come, and I will scream and sob and live out all my terrors and then the morning will come, and I will get up and get back to work.”

  “It isn’t that simple. It isn’t just one nightmare coming for you.”