Cornbread & Crossroads

by Bella Falls

  “And the fact that your sister might be comin’ to collect the price so soon after Leonora got what she wanted,” Lucky said, stroking his short beard in thought. “Is it because she didn’t pay attention to the words of the deal itself? She got what she wanted but forgot to specify for how long it would last?”

  Nick snorted. “My sister is shrewd when it comes to her business but absolutely heartless when it comes to playing with her prey. Her favorite thing to do is to trick her target into agreeing to much less than she or he’d hoped for.”

  Flint, who’d been silent the entire time since we’d sat down, leaned forward so he could see Nick at the far end of the table. “I’ve been thinking about those jars of yours. You say you did this thinking you’d found a handy loophole.”

  “It means that with no formal contract, they don’t technically belong to me or my family, so I can give them back if that’s your concern,” Nick said.

  Flint maintained his steady tone despite his cheeks reddening. “My concern is this. Cheating always has a consequence, and I’m wondering who will ultimately pay the price when the bill comes due?”

  The muscles in Nick’s jaw twitched. “I’ve said I would stand for my crimes when this is all done.”

  “And I’m glad you’ve come to that decision on your own, but I’m afraid that’s not enough,” I challenged. “If you want to pay us back, you need to actively help us come up with a way to beat your sister. Make sure that she fixes what’s broken here in Honeysuckle and ensure that she’ll never return.”

  “Don’t say we’re broken,” Gossamer pouted as she floated close to her husband. “We may be a little dinged up, but we’re not broken yet.”

  I loved my fairy friend for her eternal pink-colored optimism. Shooting her a quick wink, I tried to rally my troop. “Come on. Someone’s got to have an idea of what we can do.”

  “How can this Lorelei get inside Honeysuckle if your aunt closed the barrier? If there’s a way in, I want to know how to find it right now,” Mason demanded through the mirror I’d propped up between the salt and pepper shakers. “I’m sitting in my car about one hundred feet from where the guardhouse should be.”

  I adjusted the position of the mirror so Nick could respond to the detective. The demon sighed. “The power that Charli’s aunt received was due to the contract. That makes my sister, and me by proxy, exempt to anything Leonora tries to protect herself.” His exhausted tone annoyed Dash, who stood right behind him. The shifter emitted one low growl, and the demon sat up straighter in his chair.

  “Maybe I can stop her before she enters,” Mason suggested.

  “By yourself?” I screeched. “I don’t think so.”

  Nick shook his head even though the detective couldn’t see him. “If she saw you waiting to stop her, she’d find another way in. No one can avoid paying what is owed once their contract has been fulfilled. Crossroads demon magic, I guess.”

  Juniper’s wings fluttered in agitation, blue-green dust falling from them. “Excuse me,” she squeaked. When all eyes turned to her, she shuddered under so much scrutiny. With a hard swallow, she attempted to speak again. “But I’ve been thinking over what Nick said about Fenwen and Sassy. How his special skills didn’t work on them quite right.”

  “Yes, if I were so inclined to keep my position with the family business, I would report back to my father that the fae don’t succumb easily, if at all.” Nick smiled for the first time. “You’re thinking about using fae magic against Lorelei.”

  “W-w-ell,” Juniper stuttered. “There’s a lot of us here now. Fairy, pixie, brownie, gnome…we could all come together to try and defeat her. Although I haven’t thought of a way how yet.”

  “Commanding an army would require a strong leader,” Lady Eveline remarked.

  Lucky plucked at the label on his beer bottle, listening but refusing to meet my gaze. “If only we had someone with battle experience here who could lead,” I said, hoping to encourage the leprechaun to speak up.

  “But there’s no one here who’s lived that kind of life,” Gossamer exclaimed. “And most of us are too small to do much damage.”

  Horatio harrumphed from his space in the corner. “Pardon me, Mrs. Hollyspring, but have you not heard Will’s indubitable line from his most excellent play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which he penned, ‘And though she be but little, she is fierce’?”

  “I can try to be,” Juniper whispered to her gigantic boyfriend with a shy grin.

  The lights came back on again, as if approving of the diminutive fairy’s statement.

  The troll winked at his girl. “You already are.”

  “A leader of your kind already exists,” Lady Eveline spoke up. “Every single one of you follows Lucky.”

  “That’s true,” agreed Flint. “You’re a natural leader.”

  I cast a sideways glance at Dash, who knew the leprechaun’s true name and history. Only Nana and the two of us knew that when we were around Lucky, we were in the presence of royalty. And even though I wished he would step forward, I would never out him. He kept his secret for his own reasons.

  “The nature of the fae is not the only thing that stood up to my powers,” Nick said, staring at me with great curiosity. “There’s something about Charli that makes her different. I couldn’t access your soul at all.”

  “And I’ll be arresting you the second I can get into Honeysuckle for even trying,” Mason threatened in his authoritative tone.

  “Not to be indelicate, but what’s so special about Charli?” Flint asked.

  Not taking any offense to the gnome’s question, I thought about what might make me different. “I’m adopted?”

  “So, maybe you have some fae blood in you that you don’t know about,” Nick posited.

  Matt spoke up beside me, “She has a pretty rare magical talent for tracking things down.”

  “But I’m ultimately still just an ordinary witch,” I countered.

  Dash grunted, “I’ll bet it’s the curse.”

  “What curse?” Nick asked, looking wide-eyed at me like I had sprung a second head.

  My brother explained, “Long story, but Charli accidentally picked up a death curse. It almost killed her.”

  I smacked his arm. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here. And as you can see, I cured the curse because I’m still alive and kicking.”

  “And annoying,” Matt added, smacking me back.

  Nick tapped his finger against his top lip. “It’s possible that the curse itself protected you from my magic.”

  “Like a soul shield,” I said.

  “Or scar tissue,” Dash added. He touched one of the lines on his face. “Once it builds up, it changes what’s left. You’re still you, but a little different.”

  “So, does that guarantee that Lorelei wouldn’t be able to do anything against me?” I asked Nick.

  The demon considered my question for a long moment until Dash nudged his back. “The truth is, I don’t know for sure. It’s possible, but since I’m newer to the family business, I don’t know all of her tricks yet. She keeps her playbook close to her chest.”

  “You’re all missing the bigger picture,” Mason accused through the reflective surface of Nana’s handheld mirror. “You’ve been dancing around the solution the whole time. You’ve talked of cheating, of her having a playbook…don’t you see that it’s all a game?”

  Nick brightened at the end of the table. “He’s right. My sister loves her job because it isn’t work to her. It’s a game she loves to play over and over again. She’ll do anything to win.”

  “So, that just makes her an even more dangerous opponent,” Lady Eveline concluded.

  “Then we’ll have to play smarter,” Mason said. “Do something that she’s not expecting.”

  My mind wouldn’t let go of the three words that Nana had said to Nick. If I added them to the message, she’d drilled into me before waking me up with a slap, then the one who had to play the game against Lorelei became
clearer.

  “I know how we’re going to beat her,” I declared.

  Nick shook his head in disbelief. “How?”

  “By making her think we’re playing her game her way. Get her to make a deal with us,” I said, excitement coursing through me.

  “That’s pretty risky,” Flint said, “considering the price she requires.”

  I tried to think like Nick’s sister would. She already had one fulfilled contract to collect on, but she wanted the souls of everyone in town. If Nick was telling the truth, then she didn’t know about the fae’s resistance to her demon powers. When she found out she didn’t get what she’d wanted, what would be her next move? If we wanted to win, we had to match her play by play.

  “Trick her into accepting less,” I muttered under my breath.

  “What did you say?” Mason asked from the mirror.

  I held up a finger to vocalize my thoughts. “Our goal is for Nick’s sister to leave Honeysuckle for good with all of our souls intact. In order to make sure she does just that, we need to sweeten the pot. Offer her something so sweet, she won’t hesitate to agree.”

  “What could possibly be more enticing than a supernatural town’s worth of souls?” Nick asked.

  I gripped the table to steady myself. “Me.”

  The room exploded into chaos as everyone protested and complained at the same time. I glanced at Nick and watched him ponder my idea. Dash glared at me from behind the demon’s chair, his eyes glowing an intense yellow.

  “Absolutely not!” Mason shouted. “You are not offering yourself up for bait.”

  For the first time since our vacation together, I was glad the detective wasn’t in the room. “You and I both know that my tracking powers are incredibly valuable. I don’t think she could resist having them at her beck and call if I offered them to her in trade.”

  “For what?” Mason asked. “What’s as valuable as you and your soul?”

  “Everyone else’s in Honeysuckle,” I replied.

  After an awkward silence, Flint cleared his throat. “It is a very generous offer, make no mistake, but I agree. It’s too costly a price to gamble with.”

  “But I wouldn’t actually be risking anything. Nick said he couldn’t touch my soul. If she can’t get to it, then the contract would be null and void, wouldn’t it?” I looked to Nick for confirmation.

  “Maybe,” he conceded. “But Lorelei was raised in the family business, unlike me. Her powers might be stronger than I imagine, which puts you at greater risk.”

  Lucky rose from his chair and paced behind the others. “There’s something from me past that may get ye what ye want in order to trick the she-devil. That is, if you still want to try your gambit.”

  “Tell me,” I insisted.

  “Back in my time in the old country, a fae couple could address the royal court and entreat their king to bind them together,” the leprechaun explained.

  Horatio raised his massive mitt in the air. “I could not but help overhearing young Bennett and his betrothed Lily as they were talking about their upcoming nuptials. They spoke with great enthusiasm about their binding ceremony and their wedding.”

  Lucky cranked his neck enough to look up at the troll towering over him. “I am not talkin’ about marriage. To be bound to someone like that would tether the two together in more ways than words and promises. It was, in effect, a bindin’ of two souls together.”

  “Then that’s what we should do,” I exclaimed.

  “Whoa!” Mason shouted through his mirror. “Before you agree to anything, you need to get all the facts. I’m betting it’s not that simple.”

  The leprechaun nodded. “You make a fine detective, sir,” he remarked to Mason. “For here be the warnin’s that any couple would be given. What may bring joy at first blush may bring pain and cause sorrow in the end. What one experiences, the other will endure. The fate of one will be the same for the other, for what’s bound together may not be easily broken.”

  “Does it have to be a romantic couple?” Matt asked. “Or could it be friends or close relatives?”

  Lucky considered his questions with care. “For most, it was partners who wanted a deeper commitment. But during times of battle, there would be warriors who would be bound together in order to fight in tandem and become a fearsome force. T’would need a strong personal bond, one that is built from genuine feelings.”

  “That is truly frightening,” Lady Eveline admitted. “In my long years, I have never encountered any being, human or otherwise, that I would chain my own fate to.”

  Gossamer flapped her wings, and a bloom of pink powder drifted over the table. “And we have no one here to perform the ceremony even if you wanted to try a binding like this, Charli.”

  Holding my breath, I waited for the leprechaun to make his choice. Lucky gripped the back of his chair. “Yes, we do, or my name isn’t Fergus mac Róich, son of King Fergus mac Léti, ruler of the southern half of Ulster, wielder of the great sword Caladbolg.”

  The room grew quiet except for our collective gasps and silent awe. Flint leaped out of his chair while Gossamer and Juniper hovered close. All three bowed to the leprechaun.

  Lucky grimaced. “Now, now, none of that bowin’ and scrapin’. In the end, I’m still just a humble owner of a bar in a small town. But if ye need me to perform the ceremony, then the option stands.”

  Matt nudged my shoulder with his. “Why are you not more surprised?”

  “Because I already knew,” I admitted with a smug smile. “And I was keeping a promise.”

  My brother pouted a bit. “I guess I can understand that. Although I still think you’re a brat for not telling me,” he added under his breath.

  “So, now that you have the option, I’m curious who you might choose,” Nick said, a little too amused by my predicament.

  “Who says it has to be her?” Mason complained. “It could be any one of you.”

  I wished with all my might that Nana was here so she could tell me what to do. Except, she had already. In my dream and with her words to Nick, she had given me cryptic clues to follow. Placing my hand across my stomach, I did as Nana said and listened to my instincts.

  A sense of calmness settled over me. “It has to be me. Trust me on this.”

  “I’ll do it,” my brother volunteered. “She may be a pain in my behind, but she’s my pain in my behind.” He ruffled my hair. “I think I could handle being bound to her.”

  I knocked his hand off of me. “Uh-uh. No way. First, TJ would kill me, and she’s a lot scarier than she lets on. Second, you have Junior to think about. I won’t have you tying yourself to me and risking your future with my niece.”

  “Her name is Rayline—”

  “And third,” I cut him off, “if it means we’d have to know how each other feels or what the other one experiences, then I have zero desire to be bound to my older brother.”

  I stuck my tongue out in disgust and earned a round of chuckles and light laughter. The moment of levity gave me a second to think about my choices. “What about Mason? Could you do what you need to do through the mirror?”

  Lucky shook his head. “Although I’ve never tried it, I think it best to perform the ceremony in person to be sure it takes.”

  I glanced around the faces watching me with curious scrutiny. Only one person in the room fit the requirements, but I didn’t have the heart to say his name out loud.

  “It’s okay,” Mason said. “I know who it has to be.”

  Lucky clapped his hands together. “Then if ye have made your choice, we should get started. But after we eat somethin’.” He rubbed his little pot belly. “I’ll be needin’ the fuel to build up my energy.”

  Matt stood up and stretched. “If y’all will join me in the kitchen, you can help us get through some of the casseroles in the fridge. There’s heapin’ plenty to choose from.” He waited for everyone to file out of the room except Dash and the leprechaun.

  Lucky stopped at the doorway. “Oh,
and since the secrets out, I’ve decided to embrace my past. I’ll rally all of the fae of Honeysuckle, and we shall be there in whatever capacity you require in order to battle this she-devil.”

  Giddy with his choice to reclaim his rightful role he gave up long ago, I stood and offered my best curtsy. “Thank you, your majesty.”

  The leprechaun dismissed my salutation of respect with a wave of his hand, although pink flooded his cheeks. He left my brother and me alone.

  Matt squeezed my shoulder. “I’m just in there if you need me.” He left to go sort out food for our guests.

  Dash made his way over to me but kept a little distance as he faced the mirror. “I’m sorry that it’s me and not you.”

  Mason snorted. “Me, too, if I’m being honest.”

  “I don’t see any other way,” I said, fingering the pendant he gave me. “Not if we want to make sure Nick’s sister doesn’t win.” The lights went off again. “And I don’t think we have time to figure something else out.”

  “Dash,” Mason called out.

  The shifter leaned forward. “Yes.”

  “Swear to me with everything you have that you will keep Charli safe at all costs,” the detective insisted.

  Dash’s eyes glowed when he made his vow. “Even if the binding to come didn’t mean that ending my life might mean losing her, too, I would sacrifice it all to keep her safe.”

  Mason glared at the shifter through the reflective surface. “And I will do everything in power to hold you to your promise.”

  “I’m not finished,” Dash said. “Although I hope it doesn’t need to be said, I also swear that I will honor her relationship with you.”

  “Thank you,” Mason said, his left brow rising in surprise.

  My heart thundered in my chest as I listened to the two men make pledges for my life. It didn’t feel right for them to be the only ones who reassured each other. They both needed to know my absolute intentions for my decision.

  “And I promise,” I said, looking between the two of them, “that as soon as the purpose of this binding is over, I will do everything I can to make sure to break it.” With the hard stuff out of the way, I couldn’t help but smile.