"What happened to the other two?" William asked, frowning. He glanced at Tamara. "There were seven. What of the two you carried with you out of the hollow in that tree?"
"I've already returned them home," she replied.
Amidst the frustrated grumblings of protest against those "damnable changeling babies," Wild Edric's men began drifting back toward the woods, leaving only the Princess Godda's ladies-in-waiting for Tamara and William to deal with.
"Well, Ladies, I hope you have something to say for yourselves about all this business."
The Faerie woman with the auburn mane stepped forward and laid a bejeweled hand on William's shoulder. "Kind, young master, we ladies of the wood were only acting at the behest of our beloved sister. We meant no harm." She wrapped a strand of crimson hair around her finger, fetchingly.
"Of course, of course I can see how family affection would cloud-"
