Moon Spun

by Marilee Brothers

  “Ari doesn’t want Delphine to cry. Stop now, please.” The pixie touched down on Delphine’s shoulder. Maddie zipped over to the toddler who clapped his hands and laughed out loud. The crowd murmured its approval.

  Right on cue, my stomach growled ferociously. I pulled a bottle of water from the pouch, popped the lid and drank a few gulps. No way would I eat granola bars in front of Melia’s starving people. I pulled them out and handed them to Delphine.

  “It’s not much, but they’re made of oats and nuts. I want you to have them.”

  Delphine shook her head. “No, you eat them. ‘Tis not safe for you to eat the food here.”

  “Not hungry.” I placed the three granola bars in her hand. Once again, tears sprung to her eyes. I had to fight back my own tears when she carefully divided the granola bars into tiny bites to make sure everyone got a taste. I thought about the refrigerator in our trailer. Faye and I were far from rich, 365

  but we always had plenty to eat.

  “Let us thank the Princess Avalon for her generosity,” Delphine said. Each one of the forest faeries took my hand, touched it to their foreheads and murmured, “Many thanks, Princess Avalon.”

  It was hard to believe such a simple gesture—giving the folk a miniscule bite of oats and nuts—

  would lead to such an outpouring of thanks. With each gentle touch, I felt something pass between us, as if their blood spoke to mine. Maybe the faery part of me, lying dormant all these years, had sparked to life. The reason didn’t matter. When I saw the gratitude in the hollow eyes of Melia’s folk, when I realized how they’d sacrificed for their children, I was filled with a resolve so powerful, it swept through my body like wildfire. I would do everything I could to free my new friends or die trying.

  Several hours passed. Of course, we were on faery time, so it may have been two days. We clustered close to the fireplace, and I filled them in on Melia’s plan. I left out a few things, like Melia’s belief I could save everyone’s butt by using the moonstone.

  “What of Hawk?” Delphine asked. “What role does he play?”

  “I’m here because of your son.” I described how he’d come to the mortal world as Ryker Matheson, an emissary from Melia. I didn’t tell her about his recent injury and the dark queen’s offer of coddling and cosseting.

  Delphine swelled with pride. “Hawk was ever one of Phaedra’s favorites. His charm comes from his father.”

  “Oh yes, the Love Talker,” I said.

  Her eyes went all dreamy and she sighed.

  Finally, one of the little girls asked the question I’d been dreading. “Exactly how will Melia free us?”

  I sounded like a sleazy politician when I said, “She’s meeting with Phaedra to work out the details of your release.” Truth be known, the two were probably pulling out each others’ hair. The girl narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Before she could question me further, the littlest faery toddled up to me and patted his chubby hands on my knees. When I looked him over, my mouth fell open. This kid was no faery. His skin had no trace of green. He had rosy cheeks and silky black hair. His eyes were of the palest shade of blue. Exactly like . . .

  “Chadwicke,” a woman called. “Don’t bother the Princess Avalon.”

  Chadwicke? Chad? No way! Chad Hostetler was ten years old. This little guy couldn’t have been more than two. Okay, I was no expert, but wouldn’t the mortal child be the same age as Chad, the changeling?

  I plucked at Delphine’s sleeve and whispered, “I need to ask you something, away from the others.”

  We stepped away from the fireplace. Delphine said, “What troubles you, Avalon? “

  “Chadwicke. He’s mortal.”

  Delphine smiled. “Ah, I wondered if you would notice.”

  Since it would be rude to say, “You’re green and he isn’t,” I said, “In Boundland, I take care of a ten-year-old boy. His name is Chad who claims he’s a changeling.”

  Delphine’s eyes lit up and she gasped. “He is alive?”

  I shook my head. “We can’t be talking about the same kid. Like I said, my Chad is ten. ”

  Delphine took my hand and looked into my eyes. “In Boundless, we love babies and keep them 366

  that way as long as possible.”

  “So, it’s the whole faery time versus mortal time thing.”

  “Exactly.”

  Ryker’s plan to exchange the two just got trashed. “Why was my Chad left in Boundland?”

  Delphine pulled me farther away from the others and lowered her voice. “It’s a sad story,” she began. ““Eve was seduced by a pooka named Nuggle. It was a mixed marriage. When the baby was born, he was undersized and sickly. While Eve slept, Nuggle took the fae child to Boundland and stole a human baby. Eve never forgave him.”

  “Did Nuggle have wings?” So far, I hadn’t seen a single forest faery with wings.

  “Oh my, yes,” Delphine said. “Large, frilly wings.”

  “What happened to Nuggle?”

  Delphine sighed. “He flew away when he fell into disfavor with Eve.”

  My gaze swept over the faeries huddled together in front of the fire. So far, I’d seen a number of different folk caring for Chadwicke. I was beginning to get a bad feeling. “Which one is Eve?”

  Delphine’s eyes welled with tears. “Eve was the first to die. She gave her food to the child.”

  I glanced over at the healthy little boy, squealing joyfully as he watched the pixies’ antics. What would happen to him when the faery folk who took turns caring for him, were dead of starvation?

  I had to do something. Melia claimed I could summon Luminata if we needed her. It was time to find out.

  367

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Delphine went back to the fire. Clutching the moonstone, I stepped into the shadows, trying to decide what to do next. With a little help from my friends, I’d learned three of the moonstone’s secrets. But could I summon Luminata, aka The Good Mother? It was trial and error time. Scary, considering I didn’t have a clue how the moonstone’s other settings functioned. For all I knew, one wrong move might turn us all into cockroaches.

  Courage, Avalon. I gulped and turned the moonstone four clicks, the next setting after the one I used to stop time . Slammed by a wave of dizziness, I leaned against the wall to keep from falling down. When my vision cleared, I looked around for Luminata. No such luck. The forest faeries were still huddled in front of the fire. The pixies, thrilled to be out of my pouch, were zipping around and basking in all the attention.

  “Excuse me, miss!”

  The voice was deep and resonant, as if the speaker might be the host of a TV game show. I pushed away from the wall and looked around.

  “Up here.” The voice came from above me.

  I looked up. A ginormous black spider with fuzzy legs like a tarantula was dangling from the ceiling, just inches from my face.

  I leapt sideways and screeched, “Ohmygod, itsa, itsa . . . ” When I was finally able to speak, I pointed at the thing and stuttered, “Humongous spider! It-it was right over my head. It-it almost bit me. It . . . ”

  The entire crowd burst out laughing, slapping their knees and poking each other with bony elbows like I was the funniest stand-up comedian ever.

  When Delphine sobered up, she said, “Are you talking about Argyle?”

  Confused, I swiveled my head back and forth between Delphine and the spider. I pointed at the arachnid. “Is that Argyle?”

  She nodded. “You needn’t fear Argyle. He tells us what’s going on outside the kitchen.”

  I crept closer to Delphine, all the while keeping my eye on Argyle. Ari and Maddie, alarmed by my outburst, flew to my shoulder. Ari patted my cheek to get my attention.

  “Will Argyle eat Ari and Maddie?”

  I glanced nervously at the spider busily rappelling up a single silken strand to the ceiling. I hoped he would stay there.

  Delphine said, “No, little one. Argyle will not harm you. Moths are his favorite
meal. I believe he has a large number stashed away.”

  Still nervous, Maddie grabbed her sister’s hand. “We’ll be over here.” They pushed off my shoulder and zipped over to the children.

  I’d just begun to breathe a little easier when Argyle dropped down directly in front of my eyes. I jerked backward but managed to disguise my startled squeak as a hiccup. Delphine held out her hand. Argyle settled into her palm and reared back like he was sitting down. He waved his two front legs in my direction. Delphine said,

  “Argyle, meet the Princess Avalon. She came to free us.”

  And a big help I am, locked away in the kitchen. Ashamed by my squeamishness, I steeled my nerves and stepped closer. As I did so, a tiny head slowly emerged from the spider’s body. Astonished, I realized the spider had a face, complete with bright blue eyes and a big, fang-filled smile. 368

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said in his unlikely baritone.

  “Likewise,” I said and burst into hysterical laughter. When I was able to speak, I gasped, “Too funny . . . can’t believe I’m talking to a spider . . . a spider with a face.”

  Argyle waited politely until I got myself under control. “I believe I have an idea that will help you.”

  “I’m all ears,” I said and then added, “Of course, you’re all legs!” Off I went again, laughing heartily at my own joke. I sobered quickly when I saw the forest faeries exchanging puzzled looks.

  “Sorry,” I told the spider. “This is all a little strange for me. You see, I’m a . . . ”

  Swear to God, every living creature leaned toward me, breathlessly waiting to hear how I would define myself. Funny thing was, I didn’t know what I was. Finally, I just shrugged. “Never mind. What’s your plan?”

  Argyle folded his fuzzy front legs. “I have the run of the place because I can squeeze through chinks in the walls. Most recently, I was in Phaedra’s chambers. She has locked Melia in the guest quarters and refuses to talk to her. At the moment, Phaedra is cosseting the Love Talker, who sustained a large bump on his head during the fracas in the great hall.”

  Delphine inhaled sharply. “What fracas? My son is injured?”

  I gave Delphine the shortened version of the bogey/pixie/moon missile incident. Argyle added, “Hawk has come to his senses and is chafing under Phaedra’s ablutions.

  ”

  I gave a snort of disgust. “If Phaedra won’t talk to Melia, what can we do?”

  Argyle rested his chin upon his folded legs. “The Princess Oleander, unlike her mother, has a kind heart. She is most fond of pixies. If you allow me to take your pixies to Oleander, I’m quite sure she will listen to them,”

  “And then what? Can she talk her mother into releasing Melia’s people?”

  “Probably not.” Argyle blinked up at me. “But, I do believe she will unlock the door to the kitchen. Then, you can figure out a way to make it happen.”

  I thought about it for maybe two seconds, before nodding in agreement. What other choice did I have? I had no clue how to summon Luminata. Once free, Melia and I could join forces. With a little luck, we’d find a way to bust her people out of Creep City.

  Convincing the pixies to trust Argyle was a different story. After Maddie’s near death experience, the two were perfectly happy to hang out in the kitchen with their new friends. In the end, it was Argyle who won them over.

  “I need somebody with tiny little fingers to scratch my belly,” he announced. He rolled over onto his back, his eight legs splayed open and relaxed. “Do I have any pixie volunteers?”

  “Me! Me!” Maddie said, hovering over the spider. She dove down and gave Argyle a tentative poke before darting away.

  Argyle flashed a big, toothy grin, flipped onto his feet and began to dance to the spider music playing in his head. Swaying and shuffling to and fro, he reared back to stand on his back legs while waving his other six legs rhythmically in the air. He glided backward, sliding his feet across the table in slow moonwalk. For his grand finale, he spun on his back. An astonished Maddie clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled. Ari threw back her head and laughed out loud. She flew over to Argyle and touched down next to his head. “Ari wants to tickle Argyle.”

  “Be my guest,” the spider said.

  After a few encore performances, the pixies would have followed Argyle to the end of Boundless and back. Still, when I saw the Maddie and Ari disappear through a small opening where the ceiling met the wall, I felt like I was sending them to their deaths. The Unseelie Court was filled with nasty pixy-eating creatures, many of whom lurked, unseen, in dark corners. 369

  Like an anxious mother, I called, “Be careful! Remember to look both above and below.”

  Maddie poked her head back through the opening. “You already said it about a million times. We got it.”

  I smiled. Not long ago, I’d said the exact same thing to Faye.

  An hour passed and then another. I began to pace. Horrible images filled my head. What if someone had squished Argyle? What if the bogey I’d conked with the moon missile spotted the pixies and wanted revenge? Geez, if I spent much more time in Boundless, I’d have wrinkles and gray hair from worrying.

  Finally, the sound of a key turning in the lock. Afraid to breath, we stared at the door. It opened a crack and the pixies zipped in, looking none the worse for wear. Huge collective sigh of relief. They landed on my outstretched hand. Maddie raised her arms over her head in triumph. “We’re back! And look who we brought!”

  Princess Oleander, holding a giant key ring in her trembling hand, slipped through the door and closed it behind her. Her face was pale. Beads of perspiration dotted her forehead. After a few nervous glances around the kitchen, she stepped over to join us. I had the distinct impression this was Oleander’s first kitchen experience.

  I looked around for Argyle. “Where’s the bug?”

  “Up here,” came the unmistakable voice from directly overhead. “And, if I may be so bold, spiders are not insects. We belong to the arachnida classification, if you please..”

  After I apologized to Argyle, I spoke to Oleander, “Are you going to help us?”

  Oleander took a deep breath and her words poured out like a royal proclamation. “The pixies informed me of your dilemma. As a princess of the Unseelie Court, I am permitted to make my own decisions, providing my mother does not find out,” she said. “So, at great risk to myself, I took two goblets of sangria into my mother’s chamber. I told her I had prepared a sleeping potion to alleviate Hawk’s suffering. Then, quite cleverly, I gave the goblet containing the sleeping potion to my mother and the untainted wine to Hawk. After my mother fell into a deep slumber, I relieved her of her keys. The door is now unlocked. After you leave, I will lock it and quickly return the keys before she awakens.”

  She looked around as if she expected us to burst into applause. Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure if the words “after you leave” referred only to me or to all the folk in the kitchen. I didn’t ask for clarification.

  “Grab the kids!” I yelled. “We’re so outta here.”

  Poor Oleander almost got trampled in the rush for the door. I was the last one to step into the corridor and was relieved to see Ryker there, wrapped in his mother’s embrace. Oleander locked the kitchen door. I touched her arm. “Thank you so much. If and when I meet up with Luminata, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

  Oleander gave me a regal nod. Before she slipped away, she cast several flirtatious glances toward Ryker who, in his usual clueless fashion, completely ignored her and stared intently at me. After she disappeared into the dim corridor, I said, “So, Ryker, Oleander’s hot for your bod. Or, didn’t you notice?”

  He frowned. “Hot for my bod? What do you mean?”

  I waggled my eyebrows. “She wants you, big boy. Hey, you’re looking for a mate. She’d be perfect. She even has wings.”

  Ryker glared at me. “You are yanking my chain again, are you not, Avalon?”

  I grinned and gestured at the f
orest faeries lined up against the walls of the stone corridor. “What are we going to do with this bunch? Is the drawbridge up or down?”

  370

  “They pulled it up after you and Melia crossed.”

  “What about Uncle Davey? Can he swim them across?”

  Ryker stroked his chin. “It is possible. But, first, I must hide them. When the next meal time rolls around, the folk will be missed, so whatever we do, it must be fast.”

  “Speaking of Melia. Is she still locked in the guest quarters?”

  Ryker looked puzzled. “Guest quarters?” he repeated, scratching his head.

  “Yeah, two faeries who looked like goats, marched her away. Don’t you remember?”

  “I remember very little of what happened in the great hall. I woke up in Phaedra’s chamber. When I left with Oleander, Melia was nowhere to be seen. Maddie! Ari!” he called. “Have you seen Melia?”

  Ari flew to my finger. “Ari did not see Melia anywhere. Not upstairs, not in scary place where they eat pixies.”

  Maddie fluttered in and took hold of her sister’s hand. “We’ll go look for her.”

  “No,” I said. “We’ll go look for her together and Hawk will find a hiding place for the others.”

  Ari put her hands on her hips and glared. “What about Argyle?”

  I looked around for the spider who, thank you, God, was nowhere in sight. “Argyle is tired from all that dancing. He probably wants to eat some moths and take a nap.”

  After Ryker and I agreed on a meeting place, he led the forest faeries away from the kitchen. The pixies and I struck out in the opposite direction. Before we reached the stairs leading to the ground floor, I heard the ominous sound of toadling feet marching in precision, the sound of their big flapping feet growing louder by the second. I found a dark place beyond the glow of the candles and shrank back against the wall. The pixies clung to my hair. I hoped and prayed Ryker would hear the toadlings before it was too late.

  371

  Chapter Thirty