"Kick-ass idea, Cord. Once Dani is done being all formal, I'll see if we can work that out. No wonder you're a super squire!" Meryn exclaimed.
Cord looked down at her. "Super squire?"
"Yeah, Sebastian said that you've been serving here so long that you've forgotten more recipes than he's learned."
"He's such a good lad. For that, I'll send him some fae honey as well," Cord said, looking pleased at the compliment.
"Any word about Pip's progress?" Aiden asked.
Meryn shook her head. "They must be busy getting him all used to the sky."
"What do you mean Meryn?" Aleksandra asked.
Meryn took a deep breath and launched into the story of how she met the twins and Pip and how they were her brothers now. When she explained how Pip had gotten frightened by the open sky, Izzy felt terrible for the poor little guy. "But Nigel and Neil are helping Sebastian and Magnus to get Pip ready, so they can catch up to us soon," Meryn explained. She rubbed her chest. "I miss them. Like a lot. This shit sucks."
The queen's expression was unreadable
. "And the animals who mistreated him?"
Meryn gave her a satisfied smirk. "Sebastian is handling it."
Izzy turned to Doran. "Speaking of assholes. What about Garrick? Please tell me he hasn't gotten away with what he's done."
Doran practically growled. "I pulled the whole colony onto the garden lawn and explained that the queen would not abide, nor tolerate the way the boys were treated. They were very contrite, though some were just more concerned about being caught." He turned to his sister-in-law. "You may have to issue a city-wide decree stating that although we as fae do not interfere with the running of the sprite colonies, they still need to follow our laws and guidelines and allowing their young to starve is unacceptable."
The queen nodded. "I will have Portia circulate an edict tomorrow, first thing."
"Why do they have separate colony hierarchies, don't they all report to you?" she asked.
The queen shook her head sadly. "When I created this pocket world, I asked the fae creatures of Earth if they wanted to join us. Some followed contingent on being able to keep their own species sovereignty. I am queen, but the only one who reports to me amongst the sprites, for example, are their chieftains. I cannot directly discipline one of their people."
"Sounds complicated," Meryn commented.
The queen sighed. "They did not want to trade one prison for another. Earth was becoming a dangerous place for magical creatures, but many stayed behind rather than be under my rule even in the slightest. I have heard nearly all that stayed behind have perished."
"Ultimately, I have the final say in matters, but their leaders still handle the day to day administration of their people."
Brennus grinned evilly. "I tend to encourage people to listen. It makes things run smoother."
Meryn stared. "That's right, you're the unit leader for the Tau Unit as well as Royal Consort."
Brennus looked from Meryn to Aiden. "Ari Lionhart tends to act in that capacity more than I do, to be honest."
"Lionhart? Rex's baby brother?" Meryn asked.
Aiden wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. "No, Meryn."
Meryn scrunched up her face. "No, Meryn. No, Meryn. No, Meryn," she repeated.
"Who's Rex?" Izzy asked.
Meryn fanned herself. "Awesome Elder with amazingly defined biceps. He's Ari and Declan's older brother and like a super politician. He came with us to visit his parents for a while."
"When do I meet him?" she asked Oron who was giving her an amused look. "Why do you need to meet the Elder?" he asked sensibly.
"Because as an Elder I bet he could explain your world from a unique perspective," Izzy answered.
Brennus chuckled. "She's got you there, son."