#69 – Norah Jansen “Follow”

Natalia watched Morath surreptitiously. For all that the queen seemed to have her family’s best interests at heart Natalia feared that if it came to a showdown between the Fae and her husband Morath might sacrifice them all for the greater good as she saw it. Natalia pondered. Should she stay here and wait for the Establishment to make their next move and hope that her husband would return or go back to the safety of their own home and wait there for Yoran to make his way back to them. Or maybe they needed to disappear as well, where no Fae could find them.

Marci & Bethany huddled together, still crying over their father’s disappearance. There would be no help from there. Natalia turned towards her eldest daughter. Sian was watching her and raised one eyebrow in query. Natalia inclined her head and signaled Sian to follow her.

The baby was clasped loosely to her chest as she tried to give an impression of nonchalance while walking away. She looked behind once to make sure Sian was following and when she saw her daughter’s distinctive hair bobbing and weaving through the crowds of milling Fae she carried on.

An oak tree stood on the banks of the little stream that ran through the settlement – wide as a house at the base there was plenty of room to hide from sight as Natalia waited for Sian to appear.

The girl strode past the tree without noticing Natalia but twirled around when her mother hissed her name.

“What is the matter? Why are you skulking around out here?”

Natalia took a deep breath and rearranged her son in her arms before she could summon the courage to say the words aloud.

“I don’t trust Morath.”