“Well, show me how. I’m ready.” I flexed both hands and held them over the tear.
“I’m not sure how, yet.” His voice sounded strained. “I’ve already tried my usual spells, but the tear resisted them. Something is actively keeping it open—” He shook his head. “I think they got their hands on that dragon scale after all. It’s drawing on the power of the Guardian to stay open.”
I brightened up. “Then the Guardian can close it, right?”
He gestured to the opening. “Why don’t you go ask her yourself?”
I clutched the necklace at my throat nervously. “Um, okay. You’ll go with me, right?”
“If you want.” He reached out and took my hand.
I took a deep breath and moved closer. We wouldn’t be able to go through side-by-side, but I gripped his hand tightly to be sure that he would stay with me. He ducked his head, preparing to go through the low opening. Then I held up my other hand to guard my face and stepped forward.
25
Forbidden Fruit
Rosmerta
I was looking for my girls, but I wandered into a memory.
One moment I was walking through the forest, clutching the dowsing rod before me, and then the next I’d stepped into a grand ballroom at the Faerie Castle. But it wasn’t the modern ballroom as it looked today. Wispy cloth was draped on the walls with waterfalls of pearl ropes, ostentatious chandeliers and candelabras filled the room with hundreds of candles, and a DJ turntable blended classical strings with New Wave beats. The people looked like they’d stepped straight of a music video, with teased, feathered hair on both the men and women, garishly bright colors in their clothes and make-up, and every woman seemed to have shoulder pads, huge puffed sleeves, or a combination of both. Either the castle was having a retro 80s night, or I was back in the past.
I looked down at myself and saw my own clothes had changed to match the night: a red ball gown with a dramatic, low neckline that went down almost to my navel. I reached up to touch my hair, stiff with hairspray, and realized that I was wearing red satin gloves to match. There was a mask on my face, blocking my peripheral vision.
With a shock, I recognized what night this was. When I first moved to Madrone, I used to visit Doe’s Rest Castle on rare occasions for the entertainment, although I no longer felt enamored of the Faerie Court. After Rosamunde was born, I stayed home with her and gave up partying, but I was getting bored as a stay-at-home mother. By the time she was three, my husband Samuel had started up a father-daughter movie night tradition to give me time off: he watched her at home, and I got to go out and relive the glamour of the magikin community.
But I didn’t have a lot of friends in the local Court, so I dressed up for these parties to hang around as a wallflower. Until the night of the masquerade ball, when Sir Allen sought me out.
He wore the green and gold of Count Duncan’s personal guard, and a mask made out of oak leaves, which didn’t hide his striking faeriekin features. He introduced himself to me with a bow and asked me to dance. I was flattered and happy to accept.
He led me through several songs with the practiced poise of an experienced dancer, making small talk and joking until I laughed. I enjoyed being with him, but I was on my guard. I’d been charmed by faeriekin before, and I didn’t want to repeat my mistakes.
But then, during a lull, Sir Allen invited me outside to get some fresh air in the garden. I was wary, but the cool air was inviting, so I accepted. I’d decided that I would insist on staying in the well-lit, central area where we wouldn’t be alone.
Outside, he bent and whispered in my ear, “It’s always summer here. Don’t you miss the winter?”
I stepped back from him in surprise. It was a code phrase for the Unseelie—an old one, recalling the days when the Seelie Court ruled during the spring and summer, and the Unseelie took their place in fall and winter. I hadn’t heard it in years. Sure, I stuck with people on the fringes of the Court rather than those who were happy with the current state of affairs, but I hadn’t been very political since my youth. “What do you want from me?” I demanded.
Allen caught my hand as I tried to move away from him. “Don’t be frightened,” he said with a smile. “I’m not trying to recruit you. I thought you might like to know you have a friend here.”
I looked around nervously to see if anyone was close enough to overhear us, and then I turned and pulled him to a more secluded area of the gardens. I pulled off my mask and frowned up at him. “I don’t get involved in that stuff anymore,” I insisted. “I have a family now. I can’t get involved in anything dangerous.”
Allen took off his own mask, revealing his lovely face. I could cut myself on those cheekbones. “I’m just looking for a friend,” he repeated. “A sympathetic ear. Is there something wrong with that?”
I relaxed a little and shook my head. “No, I guess not.” I peeked back around a branch at the flock of bedazzled partygoers with a wistful sigh. “I feel on the outside here, too. Does no one here go against the status quo?”
Allen let out a bitter laugh. “No one who wants to keep their place in the mortal realm. I take it you’ve not heard about the Golden Forest’s sordid past.”
I poked up in surprise. The area had always seemed so peaceful and quiet, and with the large numbers of magikin, it was practically a haven—at least for Seelie types. I’d never heard of or suspected anything darker under the surface. “Will you tell me about it?” I asked, stepping closer.
Allen smiled. “I’d be happy to.” He copied my move of looking around for eavesdroppers. “But not here. Somewhere more private. Could you meet me tomorrow during the day?”
I did a quick mental check of the family schedule. Samuel had a shift at the hospital, so he’d be gone all day. I’d have to take Rosamunde with me. “As long as it’s nowhere dangerous for my daughter,” I said carefully.
“Oh, nothing dangerous at all,” Allen promised. He gave me directions to one of the local state parks. “There’s an old fire road past there that leads to Byrnes Camp, but I’ll show you the way. Just meet me at the entrance, say, around noon?”
I agreed. I’d never heard of Byrnes Camp back then. I had no idea how important it would turn out to be, or how close I would get to Allen.
When I stepped away from him, the memory faded away again, and I was alone in the forest. Somewhere along the way, I’d lost my dowsing rod. I turned back to the sound of the stream and forced myself to keep moving.
26
Find Daddy
Akasha
I flew as fast as I could manage down the mountain. Everything looked so different from the air, it was hard to pick out landmarks and figure out which way I was going. How did Mom and Rosa manage to do this on their brooms all of the time?
Finally I spotted the highway, a narrow two-lane road winding through the trees, and flew lower so that I could follow it. Here, at least, I could recognize things that I knew from riding in the car, and there were occasional signs that pointed me in the right direction. I followed the ones that pointed to San Andreas, still several miles away.
No one was following me anymore—I kept checking over my shoulder and listening for sounds of pursuit, but Morrigan and the other Unseelie must have given up on me. I could breathe a little easier now. I knew once I made it to Dad, he would find a way to protect me, and then I could just hide somewhere until this whole mess blew over.
I was getting close to the city when I reached the edge of the circle of magic. There was sunlight on my face when I crossed the barrier, and everything was white with snow, blinding me with cold brilliance. And my wings were starting to fail me.
I just managed to land gently on the side of the road before whatever magic had helped me fly dissipated and my wings disappeared. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered, suddenly freezing in the cold. I’d lost my jacket hours or even days ago—how much time had passed since I’d opened the gate?
I thought through the timeline. If we’d attacked the castle at
midnight on Wednesday, then it must be Thursday morning by now, unless I’d lost another day in there somewhere. A whole day without sleeping or eating anything. That couldn’t be healthy. But first I had to make it out of this cold.
I’d landed just where the road from the castle met Highway 4. San Andreas was still over a mile north of me. I hoped that I would make it there in the cold with no real protection.
Already weakened, I stumbled along in the heavy snow piled on the side of the highway. After flying so effortlessly, it felt so weird to be slogging along on the ground, and my feet seemed to weigh more with every step that I took. I was lucky to still be wearing the boots that I put on the day when I left Tom and Frank’s house, but walking through the drifts was getting snow inside of my shoes, and before long my feet were just as cold and wet as the rest of me.
And I was so thirsty. Finally I touched the snow, which burned my bare hands, and dug out the cleanest chunk that I could find. I put it in my mouth and sucked on it for the moisture. It made me feel even colder, but that tiny bit of liquid ran down my parched throat and made me feel a little better.
I stubbed my toe on a marker half-buried in the snow. I blinked at the black numerals and realized that I’d only gone a quarter of a mile. I had four times as far still to go. Tears of frustration and exhaustion filled my eyes. I didn’t think I was going to make it.
I strained and tried to make my wings come back, hoping that I could fly again. Why wasn’t it working now? Was I just too tired? Or was my magic only strong enough to fly in the Otherworld? I remembered Allen, my biological father, unable to fly at all, only drift down to the ground. If I got my magic from him and his was weak, then maybe I wasn’t much of a faeriekin. But I’d had wings for a time when he hadn’t. Could my magic be a little stronger than his? How was that possible, unless Mom had some kind of Fae blood? But if her family disapproved of magic, I didn’t think they were anything but human.
I shook my head at my own foolishness. For my entire life, I’d wanted nothing but to stay far away from magic. I saw the way that Rosa and Mom used it recklessly, as if they could solve any problem or indulge any whim with a spell. But now I wanted nothing more than to be able to do the same thing: call up a spell or a broom or something that would carry me to Dad. Samuel, I corrected myself mentally. He wasn’t my real dad.
But right now Samuel was the person I needed. I had no idea where he was, but I hoped during the current crisis that I could find him at the hospital where he worked, taking care of people, or at least the hospital could help me contact him. He would never be anywhere without his pager and phone to let the hospital call him in case of an emergency. I could only hope that a plea from his non-biological daughter would be enough of an emergency to call him.
Then I heard the roar of an engine in my ears. I turned around, almost afraid that I’d imagined it. No, there was a car coming toward me along the highway. It was going fast and in a moment it would be pass by me.
I got as close to the edge of the road as I dared and waved both hands above my head, jumping and shouting. “Help! Please help me!”
The driver saw me and braked slowly on the icy road, coming to a stop at the curve ahead of me. He rolled down the window and stuck his head out, just a normal middle-aged man, and looked back at me. “Are you human?” he asked nervously.
I ran up to the window and spread my poor shivering hands. “Please, sir, can you just drive me into the city? I’ve been trapped in that—that craziness in Madrone—” I stopped, not sure what other people would be calling it. “I need to go to the hospital. My dad works there.”
Up close, his eyes narrowed at me. “You don’t look quite human. I’m sorry, kid, but I heard there’s all kinds of monsters coming out right now and attacking people. I don’t want any trouble.” He started to roll the window up again.
I put my hands on the top of the window, frantic to stop him. “No, please, I promise I’m not a monster! I won’t attack you. It’s an emergency. I’ll freeze to death out here.”
The man frowned, but he stopped rolling up the window. Then finally he shook his head and punched the door locks.
“I can’t leave a kid out here to freeze,” he said sadly. “You get in the back, though.”
I smiled at him gratefully and hurried to open the back door. Warm air enveloped me as I climbed in, trying to shake off the snow from my boots as I did so. “Sorry I’m getting your floor wet,” I said. “I really appreciate this, though. The hospital’s not far. If you just get me there, they can page my dad. He’s a doctor.”
The man looked at me through his rear mirror, then finished closing the window and started driving again.
A thought flickered through my mind, a reminder from my mother not to talk to strangers or get into cars with them, but I was too tired and relieved to worry right now. I leaned back against the seat with a sigh.
For the first time since opening the gate, something finally went right for me, because the man in the car didn’t do anything creepy. Within minutes he pulled up in front of Mark Twain St. Joseph’s Hospital, and even insisted on coming inside with me to make sure that I found my dad. He looked really guilty for hesitating to give me the ride.
The county hospital was crowded and chaotic, with people spilling out of the clinic and emergency room into the main lobby. Every single one of the tacky chairs in the waiting room was full, and more people sat on the floor or leaned against the wall, wherever they could find space. Most of them just looked dazed and confused, without serious injuries—the man’s rumors of widespread monster attacks seemed to be greatly exaggerated. But I still had to push my way forward to the front desk.
The receptionist barely glanced up at me. “If you have a critical emergency, go straight to the ER,” he droned as if he’d already said the same thing a hundred times. “If you’re stranded, City Hall is handling shelter assignments, if they have any spare beds left. Otherwise take a number, the wait is over two hours.”
I shook my head and leaned forward eagerly. The last time I’d been in the hospital, just months before, I’d had to strain on tiptoes just to see over the tall desk; now I was tall enough to reach over and wave my hand to get the receptionist’s attention. “I need you to page Dr. Alda. I’m his daughter and I need to speak with him.”
The receptionist just rolled his eyes. “Hon, all of the doctors are busy right now. I can’t get one of them to drop everything just for you. And don’t think this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this story, because I get your family drama in here all the time.” He looked past me to the man who’d picked me up by the highway. “Take a number, sir, and we’ll call you in a few hours.”
The man pushed closer to the counter. “I found this little girl walking along the side of the highway and she needs to see her dad. Page the doctor now.”
The receptionist held up a finger. “You’re both gonna have to wait.” He picked up a microphone off the desk. “Calling number 143.”
An old woman lurched to her feet and started heading for the counter, waving a slip of paper in the air. “Yes, 143! That’s me!”
The man stood closer to me, helping me block off the counter from the old woman. “I’m not going anywhere until you call my dad! Just tell him that I’m here and it’s an emergency!”
The receptionist sighed dramatically and picked up the phone. “Hey, can you tell me if Dr. Alda is available? Some girl claiming to be his daughter is causing a scene in the lobby.” He listened for a moment, then looked up at me with raised eyebrows. “Yeah, I’ll tell her to hang on.”
He hung up the phone and nodded at me. “Your dad will be down in a few minutes. Go take a seat.” He beckoned to the old woman waiting impatiently behind us.
I stepped away from the counter, letting the number-waving patient through, and looked around the room again. Well, there was nowhere to sit down. I’d have to go stand somewhere, but hopefully it wouldn’t be long.
I went to go hover near the elevato
rs and the man followed me. I looked back over my shoulder and gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks, but I think I’ll be fine now. My dad will be right down.”
He looked around the crowded waiting room. “Um, okay, if you’re sure.”
I thanked him a final time and managed to convince him to leave. I didn’t need Samuel to come down and wonder who I was hanging around with, or have to admit that I’d accepted a ride from a stranger. There was already enough that I would have to explain.
It took more than a few minutes, but finally the elevator doors opened and Samuel stepped out, wearing scrubs instead of his usual work outfit and slumped over, with bags under his eyes. But his jaw dropped when he saw me and he rushed forward, picking me up in a bear hug.
“Akasha!” He put me down and looked me over. “I thought it was your sister finally showing up! My gosh, you’ve grown since—” His voice broke, and he just hugged me again tightly. “We were so worried. I’m so glad that you’re safe.”
My eyes filled with tears as I hugged him back. “I missed you too, Daddy. I’m sorry that I left.”
He pulled me over to one side of the room and began looking me over more closely. “You look like you’ve been out in the cold, but you don’t have a coat? Let me see.”
He did the doctor once-over, flashing a little light into my eyes, checking my vitals, looking at my hands and forcing me to take off my boots and wet socks to examine my toes. “Everything checks out okay, but you look tired. What’s been going on?”
“You look tired too,” I said with a shaky laugh. “I don’t think I’ve slept in the last twenty-four hours, or eaten anything. Do you have some food? But we also have to talk.”
“Sure, we can go to the cafeteria.” Samuel gave me hospital slippers to wear, stuffing my wet boots and socks into a plastic bag, then guided me to the hospital’s run-down cafeteria.
Fae of Calaveras Trilogy Box Set Page 67
