Page 26 of A Beastly Court

Ossian’s hand tightening down on my arm shattered my focus, bringing me back to the physical world. He brushed away a brown lock that had fallen free of my braid. “You needn’t fear the bear, love, not when I’m with you.”

And I didn’t, but it wasn’t because of him.

While my fear of the bear was manageable in the fae king’s presence, when I touched Sawyer, I only experienced uneasiness. There was a calmness radiating from where my fingertips touched the top of his head, a reassurance I felt in the marrow of my bones. My stomach still cartwheeled like a tumbleweed, but the urge to bolt and soil myself while bolting was gone. In fact, I found myself fully capable of walking into that great hall and finding my seat at the table unassisted—so long as I continued to touch the tabby cat.

Obviously I was beside myself with delight and curiosity and a whole host of other endorphin-inducing emotions at this discovery, the root of which I could never share with Ossian. So I kept my mouth shut about that and flashed him a smile to assuage his suspicions, knowing I’d already taken too long to respond to him.

“I know.” I wormed my free hand into the crook of his elbow. “I know I’m safe with you. Can we eat? I’m starving.”

He seemed genuinely pleased at my response, so much so that the bemused and crooked smile on his face lingered when he reached up and touched the gemstone necklace. Immediately after, as if to mask the movement, he swept his hand to the great hall, simultaneously gesturing me inside and lifting the copper shield around the bear to dull his roars.

“Shall we?” he quipped, striding forward and pulling me along.

“You needn’t do that,” I told him, jerking my chin at the shielded grizzly. “You can release the spell.”

The fae king stopped and turned fully to face me, his jewel-green eyes hawkishly bright. “Can I?”

I couldn’t test the extent of my bond to Sawyer without a little stress, now could I?

“I’m safe with you,” I repeated. “Though, I suppose if he gets all loud again you can put up the shield. Hard to enjoy your breakfast when you’re getting hollered at.”

Now it was me who pulled him forward towards the table. The fae king followed, touching his necklace once more with a look of satisfaction on his face. He seemed actually happy today, as if a weight had been lifted from him. By the Green Mother, had he finally done it?

“Have you found the summoning grounds for the portal?” I asked excitedly, dropping down into my seat.

The fae king actually stumbled over himself as he moved to push my chair in. I hastily yanked the foraging bag onto my lap before there would be no room for it otherwise. If Sawyer hissed as he got squished, the squeak of the chair over the stone floor muffled the sound.

“What makes you ask that?” he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

Had I misread him? “You just look so pleased today. Like something you did is finally paying off. I just thought…”

Seating himself, he covered my hand with his, giving it a squeeze. His skin radiated more of that golden aura. In his corner, the bear grumbled. “I am pleased, Meadow, just not for the reasons you think. But in regards to the summoning grounds, I think I’ve actually made a breakthrough.”

At that moment, Mrs. Bilberry and her bell appeared, and all conversation ceased while the badger and her parade of woodchucks—plus the two Labrador retrievers—served us breakfast.

“Game hens?” Ossian asked as Mrs. Bilberry tonged one onto my plate. It was plump and juicy and still steaming from the oven. “You never eat game hens for breakfast.” There was a good deal more of my regular fare on the plate—eggy avocado toast, toast smeared with apple butter, fruit salad.

“Busy day in the courtyard,” I replied, shoveling food into my mouth. “It’s cold and this girl needs fuel.”

“And you remember that you’re supposed to drain the plants fully and I’ll get you more tomorrow, right?” he asked, voice stern. The golden haze emanating from him dimmed. “We’re running out of time, Meadow.”

My fingers paused as they pulled off a steaming piece of dark thigh meat from the game hen. On my lap, shrouded by the shadow of the table, Sawyer wormed his entire head free of the foraging bag and opened a salivating mouth. He pressed his paw against my thigh, claws digging through the wool and into my skin in order to crane his head back even further. At his claws’ touch, my memory blurred. Two narratives were at war in my mind, each trying to tell the same story.

I was in the courtyard, Ossian opening the door to release me for the day. Then the memory distorted as Ossian either lifted me up and twirled me around, exuberant at my progress, or he became incensed and snatched me, clamping a hand smothered in white powder over my face.

“Meadow?”

At his touch, I panicked. I released the thoughts and covered for myself by dropping the piece of meat with a little cry, pretending to be scalded. Sawyer snatched it up faster than a snake robbing a bird’s nest for eggs.

“Oh, I’m so sorry—”

“Just leave it,” Ossian said. “The dogs will get it later. Meadow, did you hear me?”

“Yes.” I went for a bite of my apple-butter toast. The familiar monotony of chewing helped calm my nerves. I’d never had competing narratives of the same memory before. Curse that maelstrom! I focused on what I knew to be true: “You want me to drain the plants. We’ll get new plants tomorrow. That’s going to take me all day, you know. Can you make sure I’m not disturbed?”

He smiled down at me and reached to caress my cheek with the back of his hand. The shadow of his arm crossed over Sawyer’s striped face, and he scooched back as far as he could go back under the table without pushing the bag off my knees. “Of course,” Ossian assured. “I’ll make sure Mrs. Bilberry sends you in there with another picnic basket. Ah, now don’t forget to drink your tonic.”

Nodding, I dutifully picked up the goblet of fizzy red liquid and took a large swallow. As it was customarily sour, I’d learned that about three big gulps would drain the goblet before my brain could revolt against the assault on my tastebuds.