by Brey Willows
Maggie told Kody what she’d been thinking, and about a possible solution to a problem that was less pressing but still important. Kody looked surprised at first, but then enthusiastically agreed with Maggie’s plan. She decided to deal with it in full once they’d finished with the dream seller.
They made their way to the club, where the dance beat was pulsing even outside. The bouncer waved them in, though he looked a little confused, and they headed straight to his office. Maggie pulled her hag stone from its pouch and kept the paintbrush ready. They stood beside the door, where fortunately there wasn’t a guard this time.
Maggie held up her finger to get Kody to wait. She could hear voices raised. The dream seller wasn’t alone, but if she got two people, she could always let one go if she had to. She saw Kody was listening too, and when she raised her eyebrows, Kody nodded.
“You shouldn’t have come. I told you I could handle things,” the dream seller said, his nasal voice shaky.
“And I told you that you don’t have the brains or authority to decide that.” A deeper voice, hauntingly familiar, answered. “If the spinner shows up again, I’ll take care of her. Being an assassin in this world is far more interesting than doing it in ours. If I’d had the tools I have now her parents would never have had a chance to hide her.”
Bile rose in the back of Maggie’s throat, and she had an idea who else was behind that door. She stared at Kody’s boots, forcing the panic back into the cave of her mind where it belonged. When she met Kody’s eyes, she saw her rage reflected there.
Kody counted down on her fingers and threw the door open on the count of three. She darted in ahead of Maggie and drew her sword. Maggie raised the hag stone and looked at the two occupants through it, quickly drawing the golden net around them without really stopping to see who they were. When the net was tight around the two struggling figures, she lowered the hag stone.
One was the dream seller, of that there was no question. The other she didn’t recognize, though she would have sworn he was human. She raised the hag stone and verified it. He had an ugly glow around him, like an illness, but he was definitely human. And his voice…
“Damn,” Kody said softly, staring at the pair.
“What is it?” Maggie asked, keeping the net closed without a problem.
“It’s the captain,” Brenda whispered from behind Maggie’s legs.
Maggie could feel Brenda’s fear and knew it was justified. She’d been there for many years of the purge. She’d seen his brutality firsthand. Deep down, Maggie had known exactly who it was when she’d heard him, but being face-to-face with him was a different kettle of ugly altogether. This was the man who had ordered her parents killed. This was the man who had ordered the child killed, the one that was supposed to have been her. She drew the net tighter and watched him grimace and struggle.
“Spinner, I didn’t want to. He made me do it!” The dream seller struggled in the net, his face twisted vermin-like with panic. “Please don’t cut my story!”
The captain of the Red Guard stared at her with open hatred. “You’re nothing, aos sí. Like your people. You don’t have it in you to do what needs to be done. If you did, none of this would have happened. But your people are weak, and now that the story chains are broken, now that people know they don’t have to live your way, you’ll never regain control. They’ll turn on you when they know you can’t protect them.” He sneered at her, his eyes cold, emotionless stones.
Kody’s hand on her arm made her focus on something other than her fury.
“Maggie, we’ve got them both. Let’s get them home,” Kody said.
“Brenda?” Maggie said without turning around.
“Yes?” Brenda moved out from behind Maggie but kept her eyes on the pair in front of them.
Maggie leaned in close so the others couldn’t hear her. “Two things. One, can you do that thing where you put them to sleep, like you did with Red Beard? And the second one, can you call a cab to take us back to the cottage?” Maggie didn’t want to take her attention from them for one second, and she wanted Kody’s hands free in case something went wrong.
Brenda moved cautiously around them and stuck her hand on the dream seller’s back, who fell silent instantly, slumping against the captain. She went to put her hand on the captain but he thrashed and growled at them.
“You have no idea what you’ve done, spinner. When I get free, I’ll finish what I started with your family.” His vitriol was thick and his intention couldn’t be doubted.
Maggie didn’t trust herself to respond, so she stayed silent and kept her concentration focused. Brenda grabbed his butt and he jumped, but then slumped forward over the dream seller.
Brenda moved away and wiped her hand on her skirt. “It’s like touching bog water. My power works best when they’re not expecting it, so it’s going to wear off faster because they knew I was here.”
Maggie assumed bog water wasn’t nice and left it at that. Brenda called a cab and asked that they be picked up in the alley behind the club.
“Now, how do we get them outside?” Kody looked around the office and then pulled the thick leather chair out from behind the desk. “How’s this?”
Together, she and Maggie toppled the two men into the chair, and Brenda stuffed their legs up so they didn’t drag. They looked like a grotesque human pretzel. Kody got behind the chair and pushed it from the office and out the back door, close by. Obviously, the dream seller knew he’d need a quick exit sometimes. Little did he know it would be used to take him back to where he came from. They rolled the chair into the alley, and when the cab pulled up, Blech jumped out of the backpack and onto the bumper, where he stuck his claw in the lock and popped the trunk open.
The driver got out, protesting about not getting involved in weird shit, but Brenda touched his leg and asked him to get back into the car and take them to the address she gave him. Kody dumped the two prisoners into the trunk and slammed it shut, then they all piled into the cab.
Though the driver looked a little confused, he chatted with Brenda in the front seat, and when they got out at the apartment and pulled their package from the trunk, Brenda paid him and suggested he forget about this particular pickup. They could hear him whistling as he drove off.
“Now what?” Brenda asked, with Blech peering out of the backpack.
“Let’s get them inside the building. Then you can wake them up.” Maggie took out her paintbrush. “I’m ready.”
Kody dragged them into the lobby, paying no attention to the way their limbs and heads occasionally bounced against the cement, and Maggie painted a cage that would move with them. She still held the net in place, but she wasn’t going to take a chance with them awake. She nodded at Brenda, who touched first the dream seller, and then the captain. They woke instantly and the dream seller whimpered and pleaded, while the captain just stared at them with fire in his eyes.
Maggie painted a rope around the cage bars and then drew it with her into the elevator, forcing them to move with it. Kody walked behind them to make sure they didn’t escape. Once they were all in the cottage, Maggie went straight to the back door and took them through. But this time, she had a specific area in mind, and when the door opened, it opened in front of the gates to the marketplace.
People stopped and stared and a crowd gathered quickly, the anticipation of seeing something dramatic drawing people out of the market.
Maggie waited, and her friends didn’t ask, seemingly knowing she had something in mind. Brenda set Blech on the ground, and he shimmered into Shamus. They stood beside Maggie, her guardians and friends. She was thankful for their presence, and because she knew they’d back her in what she was about to do.
Di, from the Key Keepers Inn, stood at the front of the crowd, her arms crossed and her expression almost one of boredom. But Maggie knew Di was just as curious as the rest. When enough people were there, Maggie raised her voice and the crowd went silent.
“This is the captain of the R
ed Guard. I’m sure most of you know who he is.” There was a hiss through the crowd, and Maggie didn’t miss the fear that slipped through his mask. “And this is the dream seller. Some of you may know him, and some of you may not. But he worked with the captain to carve away people’s power and give it to Koschei, who was responsible for the ruin of this world.” The hiss grew louder and some pieces of fruit were thrown at the pair.
The captain glared at Maggie. “Turn us over already, spinner. I’m tired of your voice.”
Maggie stepped close, too close for the crowd to hear what she was about to say. “You nearly wiped out a whole race of people. You brought death and destruction everywhere you went. Now you’re going to pay the price.” She watched the realization of what she was saying filter in.
“You’re a spinner. You have to do things a certain way. You have to show mercy.” His eyes were wide, the façade gone.
She chuckled, conscious she was about to say what seemed to be her new catchphrase. “I’m not that kind of spinner.” She raised her paintbrush and spoke so the crowd could hear her. “The rampage of terror and fear stops now. And anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to keep hurting people, to force exile, to kill, should remember this moment.”
Maggie flicked the paintbrush, knowing what she was doing was gruesome, but also that people didn’t always remember words. But they remembered what they felt when they saw something they wouldn’t forget. The captain gurgled, his eyes bulged, and he held his hands to his throat as he strangled to death. He dropped to his knees, clawing at his throat, before he fell facedown in the dirt, dead.
The crowd was silent for a moment, and then it erupted into cheers. Di’s arms were still crossed, and she looked at them expectantly. The dream seller was squealing, his rat face in full view. He pushed at the bars, struggled against the net.
Kody put her hand on Maggie’s shoulder. “I know you can do this, but people should see that we’re a team, and you’re not the only one they need to watch out for. I don’t want them thinking I’m just a pretty sidekick. If that’s okay with you.” Kody gave her a small, serious smile.
Maggie nodded, knowing that was true. She raised her voice again and the crowd went silent. “I’m a tale spinner, one of the last of the aos sí, and you know that means I’m with a shepherd. Some of you may remember Kody”—someone in the crowd wolf-whistled—“and she’ll be with me, helping put this world back to rights. You know what a shepherd’s role is, and I’m asking her, right now, to cut the story of this creature who has willfully caused so much hardship to so many people.”
The crowd gave a collective gasp. Kody stepped forward, raised her sword, and removed the dream seller’s head from his body. The cage kept it from falling, making it land awkwardly on his shoulder.
Kody stepped back, holding the sword at her side. Her expression showed she didn’t take pleasure in taking a life.
Maggie turned to the crowd. “We’re going to return this world to the beautiful, magical place it once was. If you want to speak to me personally, come to the shepherd’s hut in the Celtic sector. If you want help returning your story to the way it was, check with your local story keeper. If you don’t have one, let me know, and we’ll find one for you.” She stepped back toward the path leading to the cottage. “Please tell everyone you know.”
The crowd began to disperse, and Di came forward. The way she walked made Maggie wonder if even the air wanted to have sex with her.
“You may not look like much, spinner, but you’re something else.” She glanced at the bodies. “Nicely done. Want me to find some people to deal with that?”
Maggie nodded. “Your backhanded compliments are fun. Love them.” She sighed and rubbed at her eyes. “Yes, if you could help that would be great.”
Di laughed and pulled a little vial from her pocket. She pressed it into Kody’s hand and winked. “A congratulations gift. Use it wisely.” She turned and walked away, stopping to talk to several people who were waiting for her.
Maggie looked at the vial in Kody’s hand. “Do I want to know?”
Kody held it up and looked at it closely before she laughed. “You do. And I’ll show you later. For now, let’s go home.”
The four of them went into the cottage, and Maggie thought of where it belonged in New York. When she opened the back door, it was where it was supposed to be. “I really like this magic house.”
She turned to Brenda and Shamus. “I think now is the right time.” She looked at Kody, who nodded and took a seat at the breakfast bar.
Brenda looked at them suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
Maggie motioned to the couch, and Brenda and Shamus joined her. “I’ve been thinking, and I want to run something past you.”
Brenda laughed nervously. “I’m not going to be your sex slave. I know you think I’m hot, but I just can’t do it. You’re not my type.”
Maggie held Brenda’s hand, wanting to put her at ease. “Thanks for turning me down so gently.” She smiled and was glad to see Brenda smile back. “I want to know if you’ll be the new cottage keeper.”
Brenda stilled and stared at her. “What?”
“I took the cottage because that’s what had to happen. But I can’t be a spinner and a cottage keeper. I have to travel and help people, and I’m going to be insanely busy. But we need someone here who understands what’s happened, and someone we can trust completely to be sure the right people are coming and going.” She squeezed Brenda’s hand, worried that she looked stupefied. “And that would mean you get to stay in New York but come home any time you want. You can have both worlds. If you want them.”
Shamus licked his paw. “What about the book? The writer?”
Maggie took a deep breath. “I don’t know, honestly. It’s up to you if you want to look at the book to see what the writer has to say. Frankly, though, I don’t care what they have to say. I know this is the right decision, whether the writer thinks so or not. And I’m not going to change my plans or who I think would be perfect for this job based on someone I’ll never meet. The words will either be in the book or they won’t, but I don’t care either way.” She glanced to where the book sat on the countertop. “But if you want to read it to make sure, and you decide you don’t want to do it based on whatever is in it, that’s totally your choice.”
When Brenda finally moved, it was with total abandon. She threw herself at Maggie and squeezed her in a bear hug. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I’d love to. Are you sure?”
Maggie laughed and heard Kody chuckling behind her. “I’m absolutely sure.” She turned to Shamus. “And you, my noxious, beautiful, intelligent friend.” She scratched between his ears. “I’m wondering if you’ll continue to live with us at the shepherd’s hut, but be a go-between for us and Brenda, so we always know what’s going on here and she always knows what’s going on at home. No one should be out of the loop, and I don’t trust anyone else to make sure that information gets where it needs to go.”
He purred loudly, his big eyes blinking at her. She could swear they were wet.
“Yes. That will do.” Shamus shimmered and became Blech, and Maggie had a feeling it was because he didn’t want to show more emotion than necessary.
“You’re such a butthead.” She picked him up and he rested his head on her shoulder. She moved to Kody, who gave him a scratch as well, but then took him from Maggie’s arms and set him on the counter.
“Glad you’re both happy. But Shamus is going to have to stay here tonight. I want the house, and Maggie, all to myself when we get home.” Kody wrapped her arm around Maggie’s waist and gave her a bone-melting kiss.
Maggie made some noise in her throat she didn’t know she could make and pulled Kody to the door. “See you both tomorrow!” She heard Brenda laughing as the door closed behind them and they took the waiting cart back to their home.
Chapter Twenty-nine
The house was quiet, a sanctuary from the world of magic and politics and balance. Maggie breathed it
in and noticed the smell of dust was gone, replaced by light floral scents. Kody lit some candles and went to the fireplace, where she quickly built a fire. Maggie looked around and saw that the house was clean, all the furniture cleared of dustsheets. It had the sense of new life to it.
She stood there watching Kody build the fire and felt a little at a loss. She was tired and hungry, but her body and soul were craving something more. When Kody turned to her with desire flaming in her eyes, she knew what to do.
Kody opened her arms, and Maggie threw herself into them. Their mouths came together, and Maggie moaned at the heat between them and the rightness of how it felt to be in Kody’s arms. She leaned her head back and gave Kody access to her throat, where Kody’s lips blazed a trail of hot kisses and nips over her neck and shoulders. Maggie slid her hands up Kody’s shirt and felt the play of her hard muscles under her hands. When Kody’s hand slipped over Maggie’s breast and tugged at her nipple Maggie bucked against her and cried out.
Kody pulled away, breathing hard. “Bed?”
“Bed.” Maggie followed her up the stairs, her pulse and clit pounding in tandem. But as they passed Kody’s old room, she had a fleeting moment of doubt. She tugged on Kody’s hand to stop her. “Are you sure?” she asked when Kody turned around.
Kody looked confused for a moment, then looked at the door they were standing next to and understood. She pulled Maggie against her and gave her another hot, hard kiss. “The past is gone, and my future is in my arms. I’m sure.”
Maggie returned her kiss, pressing against her so hard they fell against the wall. They hardly moved apart as they stumbled their way to their room. Maggie had a fleeting thought of gratitude as she saw the beautifully made bed with thick pillows. She’d thank her gran in the morning.
