Fantasyland: Broken Dove Part 66

She heard his boots, looked his way and greeted, "Hey, honey."

Even as fury and fear still smoldered in his chest, at her greeting, Apollo nearly smiled.

However, he did not.

This was because she turned instantly back to Frey and opened her mouth.

But Frey got there first.

"You will not enter."

Apollo stopped close behind Maddie but had no chance to speak.

"Finnie's in there," she returned heatedly. "I saw her when you opened the door."

"My Finnie is an unusual woman and princess of this realm," Frey retorted.

"Well, I'm an unusual woman too. Seeing as she's of my people, we're the same kind of unusual and it was me and my girls"-she jerked her thumb at herself with each stressed word then threw out an arm-"who were out there with those things."

Apollo felt his jaw grow tight at a reminder of the danger Madeleine had been in.

But Frey was not swayed "What you would see in there is not for women's eyes."

"Huh," Maddie huffed in disgust, and at that noise, Apollo lost his disquiet and rage at the events of earlier that night and again almost smiled. "I've seen Lo slit a man's throat, gut another one, slice another one in the neck and cut off a man's hand." She twisted her neck and looked up at him. "What other carnage have you wrought in front of me, sweetheart?"

At that, there was no hope of stopping it, he smiled down at her.

"Lo, this is your decision," Frey stated and Apollo looked to him.

"Let her enter."

He felt Maddie relax in front of him.

Frey nodded and turned instantly to the door he was blocking, opened it and moved inside.

He left it open and Maddie began to move there but he caught her arm and turned her to him.

"Apollo-" she started impatiently.

"One moment, my dove," he interrupted her gently. "Before you enter that room, you must be warned. You have seen Laures at work but you were in no state to let it register and he had just gotten started. Oleg, Frey's man, is also skilled at extracting information. He does not relish using these skills, but he has them. What you may see in that room may be difficult to witness no matter the..." he paused, "carnage you've already beheld."

Boots were sounding down the hall but he didn't look, nor did Madeleine.

Instead, she a.s.sured him, "I'll be fine, honey."

"If you wish to leave. You go. But you do not go alone. I or one of my men goes with you and takes you immediately to the witch."

"They have a witch in there," she told him. "I saw her too."

"Regardless, do as I say. Understood?"

She held his eyes as he felt others join them and he only looked to them when she nodded.

Alek and Hans had arrived.

"They have them?" Hans asked.

"All of them," Apollo answered. "Save Franka. She's staying at a cottage not far from here. They're collecting her. "

Hans jerked up his chin.

"The children?" Apollo asked.

"Quincy and Balthazar play guard. Calder has sent a witch as well."

This time, Apollo jerked up his chin.

Hans looked to Maddie. "Word on Loretta?"

"She's fine, Hans," Maddie said quietly. "St.i.tched up and now resting."

With mild surprise, Apollo watched a cloud shadow Hans's face before he moved into the room. And this cloud formed even as the news he received about Loretta was good.

Alek had already gone in.

Apollo took Maddie's hand and led her in.

When they entered, he saw Eirik and Calder nose-to-nose. He also saw Valeria standing to the side, watching in a detached way, arms crossed on her chest. And last he saw Kristian squatting in a corner, head down between his knees, the fingers of both hands shoved in his hair.

Kristian. Clearly the weak link.

Apollo cast his eyes further through the room and saw Frey and his own men standing about, as well as Garik. Finnie was standing in the shadows resting one shoulder against the stone. Her booted feet were crossed at the ankle, her arms crossed on her chest, eyes to Calder and Eirik.

When they entered, she looked over her shoulder, caught Apollo's eyes, then hers moved to Madeleine, down to their clasped hands and back to Apollo whereupon she winked.

He again felt his lips twitch.

Then his attention was taken by the action.

"Three witches I paid a fortune to watch over my wife, my unborn child, and my home and you connive to tear that protection away?" Calder clipped into his father's face.

Clearly, the interrogation had advanced during his absence. No one knew about the conspiracy.

Except the conspirators.

Apollo knew, however, that Frey had warned his brother and Calder had taken precautions. This was the reason why Apollo felt safe bringing the children and Maddie to Brunksar.

In his fury, Calder had obviously informed the occupants of this room who previously might not have known.

Unless they did.

Something they would soon find out.

"I've done no such thing," Eirik returned.

Calder's eyes sliced to the witch who was standing shoulders against the stone wall, eyes to the action.

"Indeed, as I reported, the enchantments we cast were broken," she stated.

Calder looked back at his father.

"Explain that," he demanded.

"I'd hardly connive to put my own son and unborn grandson in jeopardy," Eirik returned.

"Just to say, she carries a daughter," the witch put in.

"Your further input is hardly welcome," Eirik bit out.

Maddie leaned into him and whispered in his ear, "Cool that Melba and Calder are expecting a daughter."

Apollo shook his head while tipping his chin to look down at her and lifted a hand to press his finger to her lips.

She rolled her eyes.

He felt his mouth quirk as he looked back to Eirik and Calder, dropped his finger from her lips but lifted the hand he was holding and folded it into his chest, drawing her nearer.

"You fail to grasp your position here, father," Frey noted and Eirik looked to him.

"I fail to do so because it's beyond unseemly to escort the Head of a House to his own dungeons," Eirik shot back.

Calder's back shot straight and his face turned cold.

"I will repeat, you fail to grasp your position here, father, and it would appear you do it in more ways than one for you have not been Head of this House for some time," Frey returned.

"Can I ask at this point," Valeria cut in in a bored voice, "if someone will bring me a chair? I've been dancing all night and my feet are killing me."

"Holy cow." Apollo heard Maddie breathe in disgusted shock and he squeezed her hand but did not take his eyes from the players on the stage.

"It would seem, mother, that you too are uncomprehending of what is transpiring in this room," Frey noted.

"We have been informed of what occurred this night and really." She shook her head in mild rebuke. "My dear son, you know my husband, nor I, would conspire with malevolent forces to bring down the powers that be on two continents. Not with a son who is The Frey and The Drakkar. A son married to the Winter Princess and a grandson who inherits the crown to this realm, a realm that is vast in size now that it's rightfully reunified."

"Too true," Frey allowed and his eyes dropped to his mother's throat. "Though I must take this moment to compliment you on the ice diamond you wear."

Apollo watched Valeria pale as her hand started to snake up to her throat but she wisely thought better of bringing more attention to the stone at her throat, an extortionately costly one.

"But I must admit confusion," Frey continued. "Seeing as in his last message to me, Calder explained he had to curtail your allowance, along with father's, as your spending was unduly extravagant and it was threatening the livelihood of every member of the House of Drakkar. Can I take it that jewel is an indication of what my brother was referring to?"

Valeria lifted her chin but her face briefly exposed a crack in her bravado that Apollo knew Frey would detect. "Your father purchased this stone for me before Calder a.s.sumed Head of the House."

"How odd, considering the condition of the Drakkar House's finances were in disarray prior to Calder a.s.suming Head," Frey shot back instantly. "So, although Calder's revitalization of Drakkar family funds has been dramatic, my father would have had less resources when he was Head to provide you such a gift. Or perhaps gifts such as these were the reason the Drakkar a.s.sets were in such disarray."

Eirik had turned to his wife and Apollo saw his eyes narrowed on the diamond at her throat.

"That is not a gift from me," he told her. Then he looked to Frey and repeated, "That is not a gift from me. She got that elsewhere. She's addicted to her fripperies and finds her ways to get them. But it is most definitely not a gift from me."

Frey didn't take his eyes from his mother. "Perhaps you'd like some time to formulate another lie. You've five seconds." Only then did he move his eyes to his father. "Even as she stands there, lying when treason is in question, it warms the heart how swiftly my sire so staunchly champions the woman who birthed me."

"As you say, treason is in question," Eirik returned, puffing out his chest.

"Yes, indeed," Frey replied. "And on behalf of my wife, this realm's princess, I thank you for your swift incrimination, no matter if only implied, of your own wife for our country of ice."

Eirik's face suffused red just as there was movement at the door and everyone turned to see Draven and Thad bringing Franka in.

Her eyes instantly scanned the room and stopped on Frey.

"We must stop meeting like this," she remarked cattily, a derisive smile on her face.

"Yes, Franka," Frey said low, his voice ominous. "We must."

It was almost imperceptible but Apollo caught it.

She swallowed.

Missing this, Eirik demanded of his wife, "Who bought you that jewel?"

"It was you," she returned, her voice cold, her eyes level, but she couldn't completely mask her fear.

"I believe I would remember buying you an ice diamond of that size," Eirik returned.

"I've been dragged from my bed, and the company in it, to witness a domestic?" Franka asked, performing the remarkable feat of sounding both astonished and bored.

"I advise you keep quiet," Calder clipped at her.

"If I do, then how would you all know that Valeria has long since tired of her husband's wandering eye, and c.o.c.k, and for years has been bedding Malcolm Turnish, a wealthy merchant who could afford dozens of those diamonds, and Korwahkian emeralds, sapphires, rubies." Franka threw out a hand. "I could go on. He would actually wed her, if she would sever ties with Eirik and allow it. However, it's unlikely some of her acquaintances would invite her to their gales if she was on the arm of just a merchant. And we all know Valeria likes to dance."

She looked to Valeria and continued, what seemed genuinely.

"I'm sorry to tell tales of your wifely betrayal, darling, but I actually like Malcolm, regardless of his profession, and have desired for some time for you to be kept in the style to which you should be accustomed without needing to beg. Not to mention the not insignificant bonus of having a man known to be much endowed in a variety of ways."

Franka barely finished her words before Eirik roared, "You betray me?" and he made a move toward his wife.

He didn't get very far. Garik moved in and detained him.

Eirik struggled infuriatedly, though futilely, against his son's hold while Valeria studied her husband like he was a specimen tacked to a board.

"I have not entertained you in my bed in fifteen years, husband. And I only took you before to get my sons and, after I had them, as duty to our marriage," she explained casually, as if she was informing him of the menu she'd chosen for the week.