by Noree Cosper
“What are you talking about?” Colin did a double take as he stared at their arms. “That can’t be right.”
The hooded guard floated forward to peer at Colin’s tattoo. I inched closer for a look as well. While the tattoo on the satyr’s arm ticked down, Colin’s seemed glitched. It would tick down from eight to seven and then go back to eight. The hooded guard’s head snapped up and the eye holes of the mask actually narrowed.
“You are not Fae.” Its hissing voice elongated the words. “Witches trying to deceive us.”
“The hell I’m not. My dad is Rhydian. Ever heard of him? He runs the Pleasure Palace.” Colin paused with a wince. “Or ran it. Look, there has to be some explanation for this.”
“Is,” the Satyr said. “You try to trick with witch magic. Dumb idea.”
That was novel coming from a Fae that couldn’t even say a full sentence. Even so, a sense of dread picked at the back of my neck. Morphy was right. This wasn’t going to turn out well. I took a step forward and touched Colin’s arm.
“Look, this isn’t a problem,” I said. “We’ll just go through the witches’ entrance.”
“Too late,” the hooded figure said. “You were caught trying to impersonate Fae. You must be punished.”
Colin held up his hands. “This is all some sort of mistake. Can’t we work something out.”
“No mistake,” the satyr said. “Jail now.”
“You’re going to have to do something about this,” Morphy said.
I did a double take at him. Was he telling me to use my magic, in front of these Fae? I swallowed, trying to push down the heaviness in my chest.
“Look, I’ll prove it to you. How about a little Fae magic?” Colin pulled out a hand sized mirror from his bag and brought it up. “I’ll create an illusion.”
He touched the mirror and stared at it for a few moments. Nothing happened. His mouth gaped open and his brow furrowed.
The two guards shook their heads and step forward. The satyr stretched his neck to one side then the other and cracked his knuckles. His muscles rippled, shifting under his skin, and he grew until he was towering over us.
I stared up at the hulking creature. “Oh, this isn’t good at all.”
The hooded guard’s cloak fluttered as he floated higher up. Two clawed hands appeared from out of the folds and began to glow a sickly green light. Colin stepped between the satyr and me and pulled out a pistol.
“Really? You think that’s going to do anything?” I asked.
“I’m all for a better idea,” he said.
There had to be something. My gaze darted to the flickering light of the tunnel beyond the gate. It was a long shot, but better than nothing.
I gripped my amulet and took Colin’s hand. “So many miles to Babylon. But our heels are nimble and light. So, we will get there by magic-light.”
The world flashed dark and then bright yellow. I blinked at where we were standing inside the tunnel, near the flickering lantern. Up the path, the giant figure of the satyr looked around as if in surprise. Its roar echoed down the hall.
“I can’t believe that worked,” I said with a pant. “You’d think they’d have something to stop magic.”
“Their protections only stop witch magic. They assume Fae won’t waste magic to attack,” Morphy whispered before he lifted off my shoulder.
Colin tilted his head at me with raised eyebrows. “How did you do that?”
“I’ll explain later.” I nodded to the two guards that had turned in our direction. “We need to run, now.”
We ran down the dimly lit path. The two guards charged after us. When they got too close, I whispered the rhyme again and hopped us to the last lantern.
I gasped at the sprawling city the tunnel opened into. High-rise buildings were carved from the very rock then connected them to the floor and ceiling. Hundreds of shops and houses jutted up from between these towers. All of it glowed with an orange-yellow ambience. Colin gave an impressed whistle. The smell of a mineral-like smoke permeated the air, leaving a metallic aftertaste in my mouth.
The clopping of hooves behind me shook me from my amazement. I gripped Colin’s hand and rushed forward into the streets below. We darted past the black cars with the windows tinted so dark you couldn’t see inside and onto a street crowded with Fae. Still I could see the satyr’s head looming over everyone else as he hit the streets.
“You two keep running.” Morphy slowed his flight. “I’ll lead them a different direction.”
“But…” I said.
“Just go,” Morphy said.
I gulped and nodded. Morphy rose in the air when we met with a crowd of Fae on the corner of an intersection. He darted to the left, following with the crowd as they split from us. Colin pulled me to the right at the next turn. I let him take the lead now as my gaze drifted back to the direction where Morphy had disappeared. He was a little dragon. Those guards could pulverize him if they caught him. His death wouldn’t just weaken my life force because we were connected, it would break my heart as well.
I whispered a prayer for his safety under my breath as we continued to run, though I wasn’t sure who I was praying to. I just hoped the Crones could help us.
12
After what seemed like hours of running through thousands of twists and turns, Colin pulled me into a small alley. I rested my hips against the wall and my hands on my knees as I bent over, gasping in huge gulps of air. My stomach churned at the stench of death and old blood that wafted from a pile of something in the shadowy nook of the alley.
Colin leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Sweat beaded along his forehead and dripped from his temples. As gross as it may have seemed, with the both of us so covered in sweat, I wanted to pull him towards me and kiss him. What the hell was I thinking? The other night had just been a means to an end for both of us. Yet, here I was imagining his kisses and his hands on me when I should have been worried about Morphy and our current predicament.
Colin’s gaze locked with mine and I looked away, heat flooding my already flushed cheeks.
"What was with that spell?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" I stared down at the filth covered stone of the ground, not wanting to meet his eyes. How could I have been so stupid, so obvious?
"What you did back there. It wasn't like any witch spell I've seen before."
"What do you know about witch spells?"
He crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow at me. "Come on. I was raised by Mai and Lili. I grew up with a bunch of witches."
I tried to laugh it off. "Yeah. Don't tell me you actually paid attention."
He shrugged. "The spell felt Fae to me."
I started. "If I can perform Fae magic, I don't think I would be in this mess. Besides, what was up with them calling you a witch? What's wrong with your tattoo?"
The skin between his brow wrinkled as he stared down his arm. "I don't know. For some reason, I couldn't even call my magic over there."
"Well, try to do a spell now. We could always use something to disguise us. I'm sure those guards sent our description to the Prince of Darkness or his Captain of the Guard.”
He nodded and pulled me close, enough that his heat radiated through layers of fur and leather. His mouth hovered near mine and his warm breath caressed my skin. My heart sped up and my lips parted.
He pulled back, the creases in his brow deepening so much that they probably left indents in his skull. My heart dropped to my stomach and settled there like a heavy stone.
"It's no good," Colin said. "Not even a spark. What the hell is happening?"
I patted him on the shoulder and cleared my throat. "I'm sure we can find out what’s going on from the Crones."
"Yeah." His word came out in a sigh. “All this is going to cost us.”
"We need to figure out where they are first.”
"That's the easy part. We just have to ask someone." The ghost of a smile danced on his lips, though doubt stayed in
his eyes.
He took my hand, stepped out from the alley, and glanced around. His smile brightened as he nodded to a group of three Fae, all dressed in black leather. He sauntered towards them with his hands in his pockets. They glanced his direction, but their gazes lingered on me. One girl licked her lips and her eyes took on a glazed look. The hairs on the back of my neck stood as I glared back at her. Colin wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me to his side.
“Excuse me.” Colin’s voice dripped with charm. “I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the Crones?”
“What will you give us?” The girl continued to stare at me.
Colin glanced down at me and then back to her. “Sorry. The witch is special to me. She’s not for bargaining.”
A fluttering rose in my chest, but I shoved it down before it could bloom into anything more. This was all for show. If these Fae thought I didn’t belong to anyone, they would be on me within seconds. From what I’d heard, witches were less free here. After all, how many witches wanted to endure nightmares every night?
The girl let out a loud breath and looked to him. “What do you have then?”
He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Do you like sweets?”
“I’m more of a bitter girl,” she said.
“Not surprised,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What?” Her gaze snapped back to me.
“What kind of sweets?” one of the others, a guy, asked.
Colin leaned close to me. “Can you reach in my bag and grab an apple?”
Really? He wanted to waste food on these people. With a sigh, I did what he asked and handed it to him. Its redness appeared brighter in the orange glow of the light. The guy’s eyes widened and his lips smacked almost of their own accord as he reached for the apple. These Fae really didn’t get much grown food here.
Colin pulled it out his reach. “Directions first.”
The boy pointed to his left. “Two streets over. They run a tea room called The Crossroads.”
“Thanks.” Colin tossed him the apple and walked in the direction indicated with his arm still around me.
“A tea shop?”
Colin snorted. “What? You think Fae don’t like tea?”
“Never really thought about it,” I said.
Several minutes later we stood in front of a cottage sitting on the corner of an intersection of two three-lane roads. The rock high-rises dwarfed the one-story building. A wooden sign had the word Crossroads burnt into it.
I chuckled. “Well, that’s appropriate.”
He nodded. “Come on.”
A small set of chimes rang as we stepped in. We were greeted by a blast of warm air carrying the scent of ginger and chamomile. Three tables with three chairs each stood on the black and white checkered floor. Small candles flickered from chandeliers attached to the ceiling. A white counter decorated with a black lace doily blocked off the back part of the room and a door obscured with a dark curtain.
“This was not what I expected of Bedlam,” I said.
“Even ghouls and goblins like to kick back and relax,” Colin said. “Bedlam’s for Fae after all, not witches.”
“Indeed.” An old woman’s voice whipped out from behind the curtain. “Which is why this is a sight.”
I started and a chill raced down my back. Colin stood up straighter and raised his chin. Three women shuffled out from behind the curtain, each one taller than the last. They were dressed in black dresses and wrapped in shawls. Each wore a red, pillbox hat on her head.
I had to do a double take. If not for their pointed ears, I would not have guessed they were Fae, as they tended to take on appearances of youth and beauty. Wrinkles creased their faces and the skin sagged around their cheeks and necks. They stood in a row behind the counter with the tallest in the middle. These had to have been the Crones Morphy spoke of.
Colin cleared his throat, but I beat him to words first.
“What is a sight?” I asked.
“Why, two witches in our shop,” the shortest said from her place on the left. She was thin and birdlike, with a long, hooked nose.
“A sight, but not unexpected,” the one on the right said. She was thick in body with a face round like the moon.
“I’m not a witch.” Colin’s jaw clenched.
The middle Fae’s eyebrow, sharp enough to slice, rose. “Indeed? The words of the guards mean nothing to you, Colin son of Rhydian? Tell me, then. Who was your mother?”
“I…” Colin paused and glared at them. “She was killed. By Nimue.”
My mouth fell open before I could stop it as I stared at Colin with widening eyes. I’d suspected something had gone on between Rhydian and Nimue, but nothing to this extent. She never should have been able to get away with killing a Fae, which made the Crones’, and the guards’, claims more possible. Colin was like me, only with more Fae blood.
“That tells what happened to her,” the round-faced Crone said, “not who she was.”
“And I suppose you know?” Colin crossed his arms.
“We do,” the short one said. “We hear all.”
“We see all,” the round one said.
“We know all,” the tall one said. “And we will tell. For a price.”
“What kind of price?” Colin asked.
The candlelight reflected a gleam in the Crones’ eyes. I swallowed, trying to relieve the sudden dryness in my throat. They were going to want what all Fae asked for. For once, I was happy to have Nimue’s mark. They would have to ask for something else. However, I wasn’t going to start bargaining until we had what we wanted in the table.
“We have other questions, as well,” I said.
“We are aware.” The tall one turned to me with a smile stretched across her cracked lips. “You seek to remove Nimue’s mark.”
“To save your love,” the short one added.
“And your father,” the round one said to Colin.
“All this for one nightmare,” they said in unison.
Goosebumps rose across my arms and up my back. “That’s not going to work, with Nimue’s mark and all.”
The tall one sneered at me. “We do not ask you.”
The short one nodded to Colin. “We want his.”
“So fresh.” The round sucked air in between her teeth. “Untouched.”
Colin shook his head with his forehead bunched up. “But, how could this be possible?”
His wide eyes, slumped shoulders, and trembling chin caused my throat to ache. This must have been a shock to him. All his life he’d thought he was Fae. He’d lost his dad, his magic, and now he turned out to be a half-breed, like me. Well, not exactly. I was more witch than Fae, but close enough.
I put my hand on his arm and gave it a light squeeze. “If you’re half witch, you should be able to dream. You hadn’t noticed anything strange before?”
“His Fae side overshadowed his witch side,” the short one said.
“His father’s magic kept him strong,” the round one said.
“As is most cases with half-breeds.” The tall one gave me a knowing look.
My shoulders stiffened and alarm bells went off in my head. My mother’s warning of keeping my secret echoed in my head. Even if Colin was a half-breed, he had his father’s name to carry him. I had no one really.
I turned back to Colin. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. We’re not going to feed these Fae. We’ll find another way.”
“And waste how much time?” He swallowed and exhaled. “There probably isn’t another way.”
“There is always another way.” My fist clenched, bunching up his shirt. “What they do could kill you, or make you as good as dead. I don’t want that to happen to another person I—”
I broke off and bit my lip, spinning away. He turned me around and rested his hands on my shoulders.
“I’ll be fine. I’m still half Fae.” Colin took a deep breath, stood tall, and faced the Crones. “What do I need to do?”
The short one stepped forward and lifted the barrier of the counter that separated us from them. With a toothy grin, the tall one held open the curtain and beckoned into the darkness beyond.
13
After a moment’s hesitation Colin trudged past the counter with me following behind him. He stopped once he reached the doorway and turned around. I stopped short to keep from bumping into him.
He looked down at me with a small frown. "You don't have to go with me."
I stared up to him with my lips pressed together. "I'm not leaving them alone with you so they can feast."
“We are not Nimue," the tall one said.
"We only take a little," the short one said.
"Enough to sustain us," the round one said.
I shot them a glare. "But there are three of you and one of him. I'll be there to make sure you don't do anything."
Their cackles echoed through the tea shop. I guess they figured I wouldn't be much of a threat against three of them. Maybe not, but I would take one down with me and then there would be only two Crones.
"You sure you want to do this?" I asked Colin.
He nodded. "Let's get this over with."
He stepped through the doorway and I followed, leaving the Crones behind us. We stood cramped together in a narrow wooden hallway. Small black and white pictures of seascapes hung between stands holding glass figurines of dancing women. One lone door stood at the end of the hall. Colin took my hand, threading his fingers in mine, and walked toward the door. It swung open as we approached.
Inside, a gray divan stood on top of a round rug with an intricate pattern. In the corner sat a table set with a tea pot and five cups. High backed chairs with burgundy cushions surrounded it. The smell of chamomile and cinnamon hung heavy in the air. A small soft tick from the wall clock filled the room.
I cleared my throat. “I guess they were expecting us.”
“Indeed,” the gravelly voice of the tall one sounded behind me.
I jumped and spun. The Crones stood juxtaposed in the hallway. I blinked and shook my head. That couldn’t be possible. The hall couldn’t fit Colin and me side by side, much less the three of them.
