The Screaming Stone: The Otherworld Series Book 2 Read Online Free

The humans in the room seemed more than a little angry at the High King’s opinion of their race.  Duncan sat up a little straighter in his chair as he eagerly awaited the Son of Lir’s response.  Duncan was all too aware of the Sidhe’s preconceived notions that humans were at worst an inferior race and at best a group of spoiled children naively believing the world belonged only to them.  Although the Seelie at times favored or even assisted mankind they still thought themselves the superior beings.  Duncan watched bemused as even Finn seemed to abandon his king leaving him open to an assault by the hostile humans in the room.  Then Manny did the one thing Duncan did not expect; he apologized.
    “At one time yes,” Manny replied honestly.  “You have to understand the Sidhe, the sons and daughters of Danu were beaten by your ancestors.”
    No one moved as Manny began his roundabout way of explaining the feeling of almost every Seelie and Duncan quickly realized that his last chance at convincing Annie to give up her fight to defend and assist the Sidhe had come and gone.  When no one spoke, Manny sensing his opportunity to make a great inspiring speech quickly continued.
    “At first I was the biggest and loudest champion of separation from the natural world.  We had been beaten, soundly I might add, by beings with little to no magick and an abundance of brute strength.”  He pause for the dramatic effect and flair that he was known for as he let his newly imparted knowledge sink into the human audience he currently held captive.
    When Robert looked as though he were about to interject Manny held up a hand pleading silently for the chance to continue to plead his case; and surprisingly, Robert willingly complied.  Manny, shockingly, bowed his head in quiet thanks and Duncan sunk into his chair completely willing to sulk in defeat.
    “My fake, yet real photo of Nestor was to prove the point once and for all that humans could not and would not ever except something more ancient and more powerful than their own race.  All too quickly the belief spread.  People believed in an Ancient, even though honestly he’s been asleep for more centuries than I care to count,” Manny admitted as he finished up his short story.
    With a handful of sentences; and without ever really saying “sorry”, Manny convinced every human in the room to side with the Sidhe.  They all suddenly believed that they were equal to the power of the Sidhe.  They believed that the Sidhe had need of them.  They all thought wrong.  The Sidhe were a proud and stubborn race and would never accept humans as their equals.  Of course Manny had left out all of this.  He left out all of the really good and interesting facts but Duncan knew that anything he said now would only make him seem like a petty nay-sayer to the frightened but determined Derby Nine.
    Duncan had very little hope that tonight’s group meeting would vary much from the previous two.  In fact he had considered not attending at all, but because of his earlier encounter with Robert he could not take the chance that he would be pushed further to the outside.  He had already excluded himself enough and allowed the very charismatic High King Manny to take his spot as the one the group looked up too.  It wasn’t jealousy, it was self-preservation.  He had fought amongst these extraordinary humans and Fae; he would not be so easily supplanted by a royal who rode in too late to make a real difference.
     
     
     

     
     
     
    After dinner everyone gathered in Annie’s living room.  The atmosphere was particularly light this evening as for the first time Rian’s medical status was listed as completely recovered.  The diminutive Brownie sat proudly next to Annie showing her his newly crafted scabbard that had been created out of scraps of leather, metal and wood that Griffin had laying around the shop for Annie’s old enchanted letter opener.  Even Duncan’s seemingly