She lashed out with a booted foot and the tray clanged off the far wall. Stew oozed down the wall to puddle on the floor amid broken crockery.
"Now, that is no way to treat an offer of hospitality."
Ankou was watching her through the bars on the door. Star tossed her hair out of her face and glared at him.
"You want to offer me hospitality, Ankou? Then show me where the front door is."
He laughed. “I'm no fool, girl. You were promised to me a long time ago and there is nothing that could make me let you go now."
"And what possible purpose could you have for the youngest, weakest daughter of a woman who only craves power?” Star crossed her arms and met his gaze in blatant challenge. “You can't use me against her since she doesn't give a crap about what happens to any of us. I don't have any power that you could possibly use. Just what is the point in all this, Ankou? I'd really like to know."
"Perhaps I will barter you off to Anwyn,” he goaded. “These past few years, Arawn's heir has proved himself less than could be wished for. Perhaps the Horned King would like to breed a new heir—on a Sidhe Princess, no less."
And Ankou would do it, too. Star listened to the echoes of his footsteps fade as he left her alone with her thoughts. She sank down on the bed, her heart pounding a familiar rhythm of fear.
Arawn was the Horned King of Anwyn, the Dell of the Dead. It was a place where those who were not quite alive moved through time in a world of gray shadows. Only Arawn had the power to create life there. The unfortunate women who had borne his children did so at the cost of their own lives. But he could have but one heir. As a child, Star had heard whispers that the Horned King ate his offspring that he found weak or unworthy. If his new heir was a disappointment, he would likely wind up on Arawn's table with an apple in his mouth.
Ankou could barter her to Arawn. While she couldn't be forced to bear his child, it would only take a matter of months in Anwyn to kill her. The magic there was too different from the Fae Realms. She would be drained to a ragged husk like a fly in a spider's web.
Star stared at the door. She had to get out of here. She had to escape and she had to do it soon.
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Chapter Seventeen
Three days passed with excruciating slowness. Star could feel the pulse of the stars as they rose and set. It was a relief when she woke to feel the glimmering as the first sliver of the new moon crested the horizon. No one spoke to her and even Ankou seemed to be avoiding her. Or maybe he was just waiting for her to eat something. If so much as a crumb passed her lips, she would be bound to this court until the next season's dawning.
Smashing trays of food was great sport, she discovered. She could toss the whole tray or do it a single dish at a time. There was the over the shoulder chunk, the between the knees toss and the underhand bocce throw. She was beginning to enjoy the sound of breaking plates and the clang of the tray as it struck stone. At least, it broke the tedium.
The water closet had become her best friend. She was learning to control her anger until her skin shimmered like spider silk or focus her rage until she glowed. She still wasn't sure what good it would do her, but it, too, relieved the boredom. But living in the bathroom was not much fun and she was forced out from time to time to check on the status of her incarceration.
She was surprised, then, when she left the water closet one evening, to find a Spriggan perched on her bed, waiting for her.
He was thin and gangly, all arms, legs and clever fingers. The point of his gray, woolen cap flopped loosely over one beady eye, the green tassel dangling to his knees. He grinned when he saw her, showing teeth that had been filed to a point. Bigger than imps and not as vicious, Spriggans tended to be thieves, quick and furtive. What he wanted with her, she didn't know.
"You're taller than I thought you'd be.” He grinned. His speech was sharp and quick. “A pretty little sparkly."
Star rolled her eyes. “Compliments will get you nowhere. You're messing up my covers."
He jerked erect and immediately began smoothing the faint wrinkles in her blankets. Star eyed him warily. If Greeks bearing gifts were a bad thing, Spriggans bent on charm were worse. The only two things she knew for certain were that he wanted something from her and that she couldn't trust a word that came out of his mouth. Finally, he decided he was finished and plopped himself back down on the rumpled mess of her bed.
He smiled, showing his teeth. “Lady Luck, you like me."
Star eyed him narrowly. He thought she was Stella? Still, she might be able to use this. Tucking her thumbs in her back pockets, she tilted her head.
"What's your name?"
"Garnish."
"Like parsley?” Star almost laughed at his peeved expression.
"Like lovely embellishments,” he grumbled and then brightened. “But you like me, Lucky Star. You have always smiled on poor Garnish."
"I don't feel much like smiling on anyone right now, Garnish.” Star hooked the chair with her toe and straddled it. “What exactly do you think I can do for you stuck in this cell?"
Garnish didn't seem to notice her candor. He continued to smile at her ingratiatingly, his sharp teeth gleaming in the red glow of the walls. It was hardly a reassuring picture.
"Lady Luck, you are my goddess,” he gushed. “My heart. My only reason for living."
Star waited. She could out wait him since she really had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. The lack of options made patience so much easier. Eventually he would get around to telling her what he wanted. She rested her chin on the back of the chair and eyed him thoughtfully.
He might come to her shoulder if they were standing. Maybe. She wasn't foolish enough to think that thin meant weak in his case. He would be strong and quick. She couldn't overpower him but he didn't appear to be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
"Your beauty shines like the darkness. Your kindness is legendary. I know that you will bless your best and most faithful follower."
He had gotten in here somehow. She doubted the Minotaurs had simply stepped aside and let him in. But how was she going to get him to tell her how he did it and know for certain that he wasn't lying through his pointy teeth? That was going to take some careful handling.
"Being stuck in here doesn't exactly make me feel particularly kind or put me in a blessing sort of mood."
"Maybe you're just peckish.” He lit up hopefully. “I could get you something to eat."
Star stared pointedly at the pile of food and broken crockery in the corner. Flies buzzed around the mess that was starting to smell. “I don't think so, Garnish, but thank you for the thought."
The Spriggan almost swooned with ecstasy. “Lady Luck thanked me! Oh, joy of nights!"
Star rolled her eyes. “Garnish, just what is it that you want from me? If you ask, I might be able to do it, but if you don't ask, we won't know, will we?"
It was with obvious effort that the Spriggan controlled himself, folding his hands in his lap and keeping his teeth hidden. His tassel quivered with the struggle it took for him to remain still. It was troubling to think of all that energy focused on hunting her down and killing her.
"You are the Lucky Lady,” he began, more tentatively this time. “You smile on those who follow your path."
"And you have.” It was an easy guess since thieves relied on luck as much as they relied on good planning and light fingers.
"Yes.” Garnish looked dejected for a moment. “But Purloin is declared the best among us. He doesn't even say your name with reverence, Lucky one."
In an adolescent, immature sort of way it was starting to make sense. It was a game of one-upmanship. In all likelihood, Garnish had never been particularly devoted to Lady Luck, either. It was a matter now of who got on her good side first. Stella would either have been rolling on the floor, convulsed with hilarity or she would have stolen their luck just for bothering her. It was hard to tell with her, which it would have been. It depended o
n her mood at the moment, which was subject to change without notice.
"You're going to have to be more specific than that."
Garnish's lips twisted as he thought hard. “I am fast, Lady, and a fine thief. But Purloin says nasty things that the others believe. I want that to change."
Which translated as he was a lousy thief and didn't like being told so.
"But what would it take for such a lovely and gracious lady to smile on Garnish?” He grinned again showing those pointed teeth.
"The key to the front door would be nice,” Star suggested sarcastically.
Garnish lost his grin and swallowed heavily. His squinty eyes were wide in his thin face as he stared at her. Finally, he gave a slow bob of his head.
"As the lovely lady wishes,” he whispered.
He was gone. Star blinked at the now empty bed. The rumpled covers still showed the indentation of his skinny butt. But Garnish was gone. She had been joking, but she had the odd feeling that he didn't know that.
Ankou was going to kill him.
A low mooing outside of her door shattered that thought. Star rose to peer between the bars. Across the main yard, a Minatuara was making cow eyes at Star's guards. The bulls were blowing and snorting, eyeing the female's impressive udders with interest. Beyond them, in the dark recesses of a far passage, Star thought she saw Garnish dart between a pair of Naga who hissed at him in irritation.
Even if the creepy little Spriggan did get her the key to the front gates, how in the world was she going to get out of this cell? The Minotaurs had set up camp in the hallway outside her door. There were bales of hay, sacks of oats and even a salt lick. They were in for the long haul.
Star sighed and retreated to the bed. Her stomach rumbled in a halfhearted reminder that she hadn't eaten in three days. Water was safe but that wasn't what she could call filling. She'd kill for a hamburger and a double mocha latte right about now. She shoved the thought away before it could make her stomach hurt worse than it already did.
Somewhere in the sky far above her, the moon slipped out of hiding, and the first stars were beginning to gleam. In the north, clouds were gathering. There was storm brewing. She sat still, casting her mind beyond the walls of her prison to track the moon as it rose in its endless arc. The door was cracked and another tray slid inside. Star ignored it.
Time dragged on. Star was lightly dozing when the harsh throat clearing roused her. She cracked a lid to see Garnish sitting in her chair, glaring at her. He looked a bit pale, she thought as she sat up. Could be the ghastly lighting, though.
"You promise I will be luckiest and best, yes?” Garnish's eyes flickered to the door and then back to her. He was definitely nervous, more so than his natural state could account for.
"Is that what you really wish? To be the luckiest? Not the fastest and the best?"
He eyed her suspiciously. “Lucky is best. Isn't it?"
"Is it? Even lucky people have bad luck. Fast and good is forever. With skill you make your own luck.” She waited. She could feel the debate raging inside of him as his wants warred with his wishes.
"I want to be fast, good and lucky,” he said quickly. “I want to never get caught."
He was making that particular wish so strong it made her back teeth ache.
"Garnish? What did you do?"
He held out a small, golden key. It caught the red light, casting it back as bright sparkles that danced on the walls. Garnish's wish rose higher. Star could feel a migraine coming on. She let the magic trickle out of her, a pale light that encompassed the Spriggan for a moment before sinking into his skin. He shivered.
"You'll never get caught for thievery,” she promised gravely. “May I have the key now?"
"It won't do you any good,” he argued, eyeing the key warily. “You can't use it stuck in here."
"That's my problem, now isn't it? Maybe I just like keys.” Star kept her voice even. “We had a deal, Garnish. I've kept my part of the bargain, now you have to keep yours."
"How do I know that you kept your side?” He turned suspicious eyes on her.
"Ankou's not down here ripping your arms off, now is he?” She smiled slowly, her eyes narrow. “I can change that if you want to break our bargain."
"No, no.” Garnish threw the key at her. Star caught it and tucked it in her pocket. “Lucky Lady has smiled on me. I am blessed.” He slid from the chair and eyed her as if judging the distance from her to the door.
"If this key comes up missing, Garnish, I will know precisely where to look. I will tell Ankou who stole the key from him faster than you can say Jack Flash. Do we understand one another?"
"Yes, lady.” With a quick, feral grin, Garnish vanished.
Star eyed the spot where he had been. Handy trick, that. Now if only she could learn to do the poofing act, she'd have it made. All she could do is...
Star rose, staring at the chair. She couldn't poof herself like that but she could do other things. She glanced at the door. The Minotaurs were elbowing one another, eyeing the cow across the way, egging each other into making the first move. If they had heard her talking with Garnish, they didn't show it. The cow was posing for them, her moos low and sultry. It was only a matter of time before discipline broke down under the hormonal strain.
Males. It was so nice to know that she could count on them to be just that.
Star retreated. Keeping her eyes on the Minotaurs, she backed away from the door until her shoulders hit the wall behind her. If she could do this on a busy New York street without anyone noticing, she could do it here. But she couldn't do it through her half-formed barriers.
It was hard to think past the hurt of betrayal but the shields Centauri had taught her were looking better by the moment. They would allow her full access to her magic while keeping her hidden. She had to trust that he had been telling her the truth when he had said that Ankou couldn't sense her through them. Steeling herself for discovery, Star raised the shields the way that he had taught her and let down her barriers. She waited. There was no reaction from the Minotaurs. Or, rather, no reaction that had anything to do with her. Their bellows of arousal echoed off of stone, harsh and grating in her ears. She winced away from the sound.
Closing her eyes, Star tried to concentrate. The sounds of humanity, however, were not as intrusive as the sound of Minotaurs in rut. It was far easier to ignore a sports car with a mega-speaker system than the sound of bulls butting heads over a female on a sexual rampage. Still, Star tried to block them out. The sounds merged with the feel of the stone behind her and the gleam of the stars overhead and, with a push, she was through.
The silence flowed over her in a welcome wave. Star had to steady herself against the wall. She had done it. There was no sign that anyone had seen what she had done. There were no sounds of alarm or pursuit.
Star let her anger touch a glow to her skin and the hallway grew clearer. While she couldn't work with stone, she could the air. She could sense the pockets of air that were tunnels and rooms. Following the ones leading upward, she began to work her way toward freedom.
The dark was oppressive but Star quelled her instinctive need for light. The faint glow of her skin lit the floor enough to keep her from stumbling over anything or anyone but it wasn't bright enough to draw any unwanted attention—she hoped. It was slow going but she didn't want to rush ahead blindly and get herself caught for her stupidity.
There was the occasional door or alcove but most were empty and filled with dust. Two held sleeping men, changelings most likely, and, in one, a short stub of a candle that had been left burning. She crept past the sleepers and ignored the candle. If she could smell the melting wax and the wisps of smoke from the wick, the Unseelie could, too.
She walked for what seemed like hours though time was hard to tell in the dark. Hallways merged, the floor now rising steeper under her feet. A slither of skin over stone rasped across her ears and Star stopped in her tracks. The sound came again and a faint hiss of breath. A Naga was co
ming down the corridor toward her.
Star pressed back against the wall, panic closing her throat. She couldn't hold onto her anger through her fear and the glow around her faded. She closed her eyes. There were no doors in this section, no alcoves for her to hide in. And the passage was narrow. How was she going to get out of this one?
In the silence, she could hear each hissing breath, each rippling flex of scaled skin as the Naga moved closer. She could hear the flick of the forked tongue as it tasted the air. Flick. Slither. Flick. Slither. Star frowned. The Naga tasted her way down the hall. Couldn't she see?
As the faint, red glow of the walls slid over the serpentine form of the Naga, Star got her first good look at the creature. Her hair hung in lank, tangles that made dreadlocks look like smooth and shining tresses. Her naked torso undulated with each slithering move along the hall. Star covered her mouth, smothering a gasp. The Naga's face was a mass of scars, one eye completely gone and the other a white and useless orb. Having obviously been broken a few times, her nose slanted off to the side over a mouth that had been twisted down by a long scar that wound the length of her face.
Flick. The Naga's tongue flicked out, tasting the air around her. Slither. With an undulating motion, the muscles of the snake body moved her further along the passage and closer to Star. There was less than a foot of space on either side of her.
Star slid down the wall, keeping her feet as close to her body as possible. If that Naga got a taste of her presence, her body odor or the scent of her fear, she would be torn to pieces in seconds. With her shields held firm, Star reached into the magic within her. Around her, the air thickened. Abruptly, she was overwhelmed by the smell of her own body and the stale smell of the air. Pressing her face into her knees, she kept her breathing shallow, forcing the air around her to remain motionless. She could not allow even the tiniest particle of her scent to escape.
She had a serious case of gym socks going on. Star wrinkled her nose at the smell but held onto the thought as a bit of normalcy in all this craziness.
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