Read Online Faerie Wars 03 - Ruler of the Realm by Herbie Brennan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Herbie Brennan
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deliver a message to your sister.'
It occurred to Pyrgus that his sister might be wondering where he'd got to. The longer he stayed with Lord Hairstreak the more worried she was likely to get.
Worried and irritated. He could live with worried, which was fun when it came to your sister. But she could get very stroppy when she was irritated.
'What's the message?' he asked brusquely.
'That the Faeries of the Nightside wish to negotiate,' Hairstreak said.
'Negotiate what?' Blue asked.
'A new relationship,' Pyrgus said.
Sixteen
Henry opened his eyes to find he was back on the road.
It wasn't dark any longer, it was full daylight. He looked around, wondering how that had happened. The last thing he remembered, he'd been walking home late at night after spending time with Charlie. He'd stepped on to the verge to let a car go past and suddenly the car headlights blended into daylight. Which didn't seem possible, yet here he was.
But where was here?
He looked around again. The road he was on seemed way out in the country. It meandered through a patchwork of small fields that didn't look at all familiar.
The sun was shining.
How did he get here? Clearly he'd walked all the way past the turning to his home and out into the country. The spooky thing - the frightening thing if he was honest - was that he'd forgotten everything between the car approaching and now. That couldn't be good. That had to be brain damage or something. Maybe the car hit him.
Henry stopped and cautiously felt himself all over. Nothing seemed to be broken and there was no sign of blood. All the same, a really bad jolt could affect your memory. He was fairly sure he'd heard about boxers going a bit funny after they'd been battered around the head. They got punchy and talked to themselves and probably couldn't remember things.
The problem was he didn't hurt. Not about the head and not anywhere. The side of his nose was a bit itchy, but that wasn't something you'd get from a car knocking you down and mangling your head.
Where was he anyway? There was a wall coming up and a sign that said Stud Farm. There were stud farms in the district, but none of them particularly close to where he lived. When he walked past his turning, he'd obviously kept walking. And walking. And walking ...
It was peculiar his legs didn't hurt. He'd been walking all night.
The fear Henry felt sank to the level of a background ache. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know how he'd got here. Without very much emotion he realised he was going batty. He had to be going batty. First he saw fairies, then he got lost.
He turned round and started to walk back in what he hoped was the direction of home.
Seventeen
'What sort of new relationship?' asked Mr Fogarty suspiciously.
Blue looked at Pyrgus who said, 'Lord Hairstreak thinks it would be in everybody's interests if the Faeries of the Night and the Faeries of the Light signed a non-aggression treaty.'
Everyone in the room looked at each other. Most showed shock, with a liberal sprinkling of disbelief. After a moment ...
'On what terms?' asked General Vanelke.
Pyrgus still wasn't sure how he felt about any of this. He mistrusted his uncle almost as much as Blue did, and the ease with which Hairstreak had snatched him left him more shaken than he was admitting. He shrugged.
'Basically each side agrees not to go to war with the other. If there are disputes, we settle them by negotiation or arbitration. He says the details can be worked out later, but if we agree the principle now it could open up a whole new era of cooperation that would benefit both sides and put our historic disagreements behind us. His words. More or less exactly.'
Fogarty said, 'Do you believe him?'
Tricky question. Nobody in their right mind would trust Lord Hairstreak further than a perin's spit. But at the same time he'd seemed genuine. Pyrgus shrugged again.
'I tell the tale as told to me.'
'What's your opinion,
It occurred to Pyrgus that his sister might be wondering where he'd got to. The longer he stayed with Lord Hairstreak the more worried she was likely to get.
Worried and irritated. He could live with worried, which was fun when it came to your sister. But she could get very stroppy when she was irritated.
'What's the message?' he asked brusquely.
'That the Faeries of the Nightside wish to negotiate,' Hairstreak said.
'Negotiate what?' Blue asked.
'A new relationship,' Pyrgus said.
Sixteen
Henry opened his eyes to find he was back on the road.
It wasn't dark any longer, it was full daylight. He looked around, wondering how that had happened. The last thing he remembered, he'd been walking home late at night after spending time with Charlie. He'd stepped on to the verge to let a car go past and suddenly the car headlights blended into daylight. Which didn't seem possible, yet here he was.
But where was here?
He looked around again. The road he was on seemed way out in the country. It meandered through a patchwork of small fields that didn't look at all familiar.
The sun was shining.
How did he get here? Clearly he'd walked all the way past the turning to his home and out into the country. The spooky thing - the frightening thing if he was honest - was that he'd forgotten everything between the car approaching and now. That couldn't be good. That had to be brain damage or something. Maybe the car hit him.
Henry stopped and cautiously felt himself all over. Nothing seemed to be broken and there was no sign of blood. All the same, a really bad jolt could affect your memory. He was fairly sure he'd heard about boxers going a bit funny after they'd been battered around the head. They got punchy and talked to themselves and probably couldn't remember things.
The problem was he didn't hurt. Not about the head and not anywhere. The side of his nose was a bit itchy, but that wasn't something you'd get from a car knocking you down and mangling your head.
Where was he anyway? There was a wall coming up and a sign that said Stud Farm. There were stud farms in the district, but none of them particularly close to where he lived. When he walked past his turning, he'd obviously kept walking. And walking. And walking ...
It was peculiar his legs didn't hurt. He'd been walking all night.
The fear Henry felt sank to the level of a background ache. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know how he'd got here. Without very much emotion he realised he was going batty. He had to be going batty. First he saw fairies, then he got lost.
He turned round and started to walk back in what he hoped was the direction of home.
Seventeen
'What sort of new relationship?' asked Mr Fogarty suspiciously.
Blue looked at Pyrgus who said, 'Lord Hairstreak thinks it would be in everybody's interests if the Faeries of the Night and the Faeries of the Light signed a non-aggression treaty.'
Everyone in the room looked at each other. Most showed shock, with a liberal sprinkling of disbelief. After a moment ...
'On what terms?' asked General Vanelke.
Pyrgus still wasn't sure how he felt about any of this. He mistrusted his uncle almost as much as Blue did, and the ease with which Hairstreak had snatched him left him more shaken than he was admitting. He shrugged.
'Basically each side agrees not to go to war with the other. If there are disputes, we settle them by negotiation or arbitration. He says the details can be worked out later, but if we agree the principle now it could open up a whole new era of cooperation that would benefit both sides and put our historic disagreements behind us. His words. More or less exactly.'
Fogarty said, 'Do you believe him?'
Tricky question. Nobody in their right mind would trust Lord Hairstreak further than a perin's spit. But at the same time he'd seemed genuine. Pyrgus shrugged again.
'I tell the tale as told to me.'
'What's your opinion,
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