by Amy Sumida
“He's right, Your Highness,” Gradh said gently. “Surely someone would have told us if Aideen was missing or hurt. Your father is dating her mother, remember? We would know.”
I wiped the tears away and stood, taking deep breaths as I went. Killian stood with me; his hand on my arm as he stared at me in concern. I couldn't speak, but I nodded. Now was not the time to lose my shit. But I took the bundle of branches and tucked them tenderly into my coat's inner pocket.
“Take the smaller items and photograph everything else,” I said. “We'll return with a bigger team to clear this out later. Extinguisher Sloane, grab the shop owner. Killian, you get that son of a bitch over there.”
We all leapt into action. I helped take pictures of the macabre merchandise with Lara, while Edgar and Killian carried the sorcerers to the back of the shop. Cyrus laid a supportive hand on my shoulder before he started snatching up everything he could find that was small enough to stick in a leather satchel he took from behind the counter. Within minutes, we were ready to move out.
Chapter Sixteen
Five extinguishers, a fairy hunter, nine fairy knights, and two fairy royals rushing through the Underground carrying two flash-frozen men, was not something that could go unnoticed. Most fairies flung themselves out of our way, some going as far as to run in the opposite direction. But not all.
“Those are some interesting souvenirs,” a little green spriggan said as he stepped into our path with a troop of trolls looming behind him.
“This will not end well for you,” Cyrus said with calm menace.
The spriggan started laughing, and as he laughed, he inflated. Like one of those clown balloons, the guy went from thin, rubbery limbs to a bulging body that looked ready to be popped. He towered over us by the time he was finished; easily ten feet tall, bigger even than the trolls. The trolls smiled at this display, cracking their knuckles in the standard villain way as they leered at us.
It was my turn to laugh. Everyone stopped and stared at me as I chortled on and on.
“What's wrong with her?” The spriggan's voice had inflated too and was much deeper.
“She's crazy,” one of the trolls proclaimed.
“No.” I stopped laughing suddenly. “All of you fuckers are crazy if you think you can stop me from leaving with our prisoners.”
“Ambassador, we've heard of you,” the spriggan said. “We know you can do some bad shit. But, lady, you're in the fucking Underground now; you're surrounded by bad shit, and we're the ones who shat it out. You feel me?”
“That's disgusting,” I said dryly. “Use a damn bathroom; this place is filthy enough as it is.”
“Oh!” The spriggan chuckled. “She's got jokes. Miss Hoity Toity Halfling has jokes.”
“I do.” I nodded. “I'm looking at one right now.”
The spriggan stopped laughing.
“What I don't have, is time for your bullshit.” I lifted my hand and blew lavender dust in the spriggan's face.
It wasn't to star-cross him; I didn't have time to deal with that either. This was dream dust, and the spriggan crashed backward into his troll buddies as he fell asleep. The trolls stumbled under the impact, and as they faltered, the rest of my team attacked.
The sorcerers were set down and iron weapons were pulled from their sheaths. Killian the Cuisinart yanked his swords out to begin slicing and dicing. The fairies on our side steered clear of my fiance as they did their own share of bloodletting. Flashes of magic exploded, glistening off steel blades. Things were going well for us. I was about to surround a troll with some fiery vines when a horrid screeching filled the air, and we all dropped to our knees. I covered my ears, trying to block out the dagger-like screams of a bean-sidhe.
She was standing off to the side of the battle. The bean-sidhe was almost ethereal looking; with long, pale hair that floated about her and moonlight skin that seemed to glow. She was dressed in silk; layers of light fabric that rose with the level of her voice. Her arms were spread wide, her head thrown back, but then she suddenly lifted her face and speared me with her stare. I narrowed my eyes at her and stood. I wasn't about to let some screeching stop me. The bean-sidhe's eyes widened in fear as I lifted my hands toward her.
“Run!” The bean-sidhe shouted to the trolls.
The trolls had probably never run from anything in all of their lives, but they took one look at our team and decided that today might be a good day to try something new. They grabbed their fallen buddies and took off, leaving the spriggan snoring in the dirt. The bean-sidhe narrowed her eyes at me and then screeched her way down an alley.
As the sound faded, we collected our ice-cold sorcerers and did our own bit of running.
Chapter Seventeen
Ned and his people were anxiously waiting for us at the mall. I took one look at them and realized that we'd need more vehicles to transport them. But it would take at least an hour to get SUVs out from Boise, and I didn't want to stand around waiting while my prisoners defrosted. So, I called us some ubers.
“You're not an average fairy queen, are you, Your Majesty?” Ned chuckled as he climbed into a minivan.
“Not even close,” I confirmed as I slid the door shut.
We sent them to the Boise Council House and then headed out after them. As soon as I was seated in our SUV, I pulled out my cell phone and called Gentry Tech. The main operator transferred me to Aideen's line, and the phone rang fifteen times before someone answered. It wasn't Aideen.
“Where is she?” I demanded.
“Excuse me?” The woman who answered the phone asked with irritation.
“This is Princess Seren Firethorn, who am I speaking to?”
“Oh! Your Highness, I'm so sorry. Um, this is—”
“Never mind,” I cut her off. “I don't give a shit who you are; where is Aideen?”
“She's not here, Your Highness,” the woman stammered. “She hasn't come in today.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“No, I—”
I disconnected the call and pulled out my scry phone.
“Aideen Evergreen,” I said to the phone.
The translucent crystal clouded and a light chiming sounded as it tried to reach Aideen. On and on it chimed, until I finally gave up. I tapped the crystal and called for my father. My free hand clenched into a fist as I waited for him to answer: one chime, two... three. Finally, King Keir's face filled the slice of quartz.
“Seren.” Keir smiled warmly. “Are you all right? How did the mission go?”
“I'm fine, and the mission went well,” I said hurriedly. “But I'll tell you about it later, Dad. Right now, I need you to find something out for me as fast as you can.”
“What do you need to know?” He went serious.
“If Aideen is alive,” I could barely choke out the words.
“Aideen?” Keir asked in shock. “Dear Danu! I'll scry you back in a few minutes.”
Keir's face faded away. I gripped the phone anxiously, my heel thrumming the floor of the SUV as I waited.
“She's fine, Seren,” Killian said. “I know she is.”
I swallowed convulsively as my hand trailed to my coat's inner pocket, and I stroked the dead branches. Please don't let my friend be dead too. I knew Danu couldn't hear me in the Human Realm, so I prayed to Anu. He never spoke back—that was sort of his schtick—but I knew that he listened. So, I prayed.
Then my scry phone chimed. My stomach clenched as I swiped my finger over the polished surface, and my father's face came into view—his grim face.
“No,” I whispered, tears springing to my eyes.
“She's alive, Seren,” he said immediately.
I took in a shaking breath of relief, my heart beating even faster before it realized things weren't so bad, and it started to settle down.
“But she was attacked yesterday,” Keir went on.
“What?” I growled.
“I've just spoken to her mother,” he explained. “Eibhleann says that Aidee
n had gone to do some shopping before she went home yesterday, and a redcap grabbed her off the sidewalk. He drug her into an alley, but she was able to scream for help. Some humans came to investigate, and the redcap made a run for it. As he ran, he tore a lock of her branches from her.”
“Then these are her branches,” I whispered.
“You have Aideen's branches?” My father gaped at me. “How?”
“They were in the shop we just raided.”
“From San Francisco to Idaho?” My father shook his head. “That makes no sense.”
“Idaho is the only underground with sorcerer shops.” I shrugged. “Dad, is she all right?”
“She's healing,” he said softly. “Her tree is helping, but she won't leave it or even her bed. Aideen was having a panic attack when you scried, and Eibhleann refused to leave her daughter's side to answer. She wanted me to apologize to you.”
“It's fine; I understand,” I said. “I'm just glad that Aideen's alive. How were you able to reach her?”
“I gave Eibhleann one of those scry phones. She fetched it after Aideen settled.” Keir grinned. “Raza is proving himself to be an invaluable member of our family.”
“I'll have to express my thanks to him later,” I murmured.
“Seren,” Keir said. “The redcap wasn't the only one who came away from that altercation with a prize. Aideen was able to grab his cap.”
“No fucking way.” I started to smile. “That kick-ass dryad. Good for her.”
“Yes, but you're missing the point,” he said sternly. “I'm sending someone from Gentry to pick up the cap. I want you to head to Gentry and use the cap to track that filth who attacked our girl.”
I started to smile wider.
“And you kill him slowly, Seren,” my father growled.
“I'll do more than that, Dad. I'm going to take that bastard's head and leave it in Barra's bed. How's that for a fucking trophy?”
“Nice,” Killian murmured. “Very Godfather.”
“I'd prefer it if you just added Barra's head to the collection,” Keir said maliciously.
“A collection of heads,” I whispered as an image of the sorcerer's shop came to mind. “No; I can't do it.”
“What?” My father snarled.
“Dad, I don't want to be like them,” I said softly. “How can I be an ambassador—preaching peace—as I collect the heads of my enemies like some crazed warlord?”
“You don't carry the heads with you,” he said simply.
“What the fuck does that mean?” I huffed.
“It means that even good people should be allowed to seek vengeance when they are wronged,” my father declared. “They are more deserving of it than anyone else. And just because you commit a violent act, it doesn't change you into something evil. You are fighting for peace, and a fight—by its very definition—is violent. If you refuse to take a soldier's stand, then you are not fighting; you are only preaching. And no one will follow a preacher into battle, Daughter. Our people need a general; they need a warrior queen, even in the Human Realm. Now, stop letting whatever you saw affect you, and be that queen. Make me proud and get Aideen her vengeance.”
“I love you, Dad,” I whispered with a smile.
“I love you too, Seren.” He touched the crystal fondly, and his face faded away.
“Feeling better, Warrior Queen?” Killian asked me.
“A little.”
My conversation with my father had bolstered me and reminded me of who I was and what I needed to accomplish. But I was still worried. Someone had gone into my town and tried to take Aideen. The more I thought about it, the more it agitated me. The other victims we knew about had been fairies who were in the lower social classes of the undergrounds, not someone like Aideen. She had a prominent job with a company owned by a fairy king—a fairy king from Fairy. Why would someone risk taking her? She would have been missed, and, at the very least, she would have been avenged.
I blinked. Something was off. Redcaps never lost their caps—they couldn't very well be redcaps without them. The blood-soaked headgear was their most treasured possession. It was akin to Aideen running off with the guy's dick; the thing was practically attached to a redcap's head. So, how had she—a delicate dryad—got her hands on the priceless possession of one of the fiercest fairies around?
I pulled out my cell phone to call Daxon but ended up just staring at it.
“You thinking about calling Daxon?” Killian asked.
“I told him that I would.”
“But you don't want to tell him about the redcap,” Killian surmised.
“I don't know.” I shook my head. “First Sileas escapes and now this. I don't like it, Kill.”
“Call him, but don't tell him about the redcap,” he suggested. “Let's check it out first.”
“You're right,” I agreed as I dialed Daxon's number. “I can always tell him about it later.”
“Thank the Goddess,” was how Daxon answered the phone. “You made it out.”
“I did,” I said. “We had to deal with some of Barra's thugs, but we're all safe.”
“Good,” he said sincerely. “Thank you for calling me to let me know. I have faith in you, Seren, but I was worried.”
“You're right; that underground is nothing like yours,” I skirted around his concern. “I thought the conditions in LA were bad, but it was disgusting below Meridian.”
“I know.” Dax sighed. “And I'm sorry you had to see that. Maybe now you'll understand that I've made great efforts to keeping my underground safer than others.”
“I do,” I said. “And you've made great efforts to be with me as well. I'm both aware and appreciative, Daxon.”
He was silent a moment before he awkwardly said, “Thank you, Seren; that's nice to hear.”
“I'll talk to you later, okay?”
“I'll look forward to it.” He hung up.
I put my phone away and focused on our current situation. Things would just have to be weird between Daxon and me for now. I settled my stare on the ubers, driving right in front of us. I felt responsible for those fairies I'd brought above ground, and I wouldn't be happy until they were safe.
“Relax, Twilight,” Killian said as he kept pace with the uber. “Aideen is alive, we've got the sorcerers and the evidence, and Ned is going to testify against Barra. It's going to be all right.”
“It won't be all right until I stop this, Kill.” I stared pensively out the window. There was one more thing bothering me.
“Fuck,” Killian swore and shook his head. “Tell me that you don't feel responsible for this.”
“For what?” I asked absently.
“This!” He waved a hand back at the frozen prisoners. “This isn't your fault, Seren.”
“I was the one who pushed Daxon into going legit,” I murmured. “And Daxon's decrees were what set this whole thing into motion.”
“Your Majesty,” Cyrus—who had decided to squish in with us because we were transporting his prisoners—spoke up, “Barra was heading down this path already. Your influence on King Daxon may have sped things up, but I believe that's a good thing.”
“How so?” I asked.
“You saw the state of things there,” Cyrus said, “and I have a feeling that you are the one who can correct those conditions. Without these incidents—as horrible as they are—those fairies would continue to live like that. No one would have cared to make a difference, Queen Seren. No one with your kind of power, at least. I believe things are playing out just as our Goddess intended them to.”
I gaped at Cyrus while Killian chuckled.
“He's got Danu pegged all right,” Killian said. “Sneaky fabulous; that's our goddess.”
I transferred my shocked look to Killian.
“Oh, come on, Twilight,” Killian huffed. “You know I'm on Team Danu now. She brought us together for a reason, just as she did with you and Dax the Blue... oh, I like that one. I'm going to have to remember it for the next time I see hi
m. Dax the Blue.” Killian laughed. “It makes him sound like a Viking. A fairy Viking!” Killian's laugh turned into a chortle.
“He has an interesting sense of humor,” Cyrus noted.
“That was a diplomatic way of calling you an idiot,” Torquil said dryly to Killian.
“Haha,” Killian huffed. “You're just jealous because I didn't call you a fairy Viking.”
“Yes; I'm sure that's it,” Torquil drawled with an eye roll.
Chapter Eighteen
“Head Councilman Teagan,” I said as I shook the councilman's hand. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Of course, Ambassador,” Teagan said. “Thank you for your assistance.”
We had made it to Boise without trouble. Ned and his fairies had been given temporary lodgings—sanctuary, really—and were relaxing in their rooms while I spoke with the Head Councilman. The Extinguisher Team was standing aside with my Guard, ready to report their version of events after I gave mine. I was seated at a long, rectangular table with Killian, Councilman Jeremy Teagan, and a few more of his fellow council members. Cyrus was guarding his prisoners in the holding cells below the Council House. After they were done defrosting, and I had a chance to question them, he'd be taking them to a hunter house nearby.
The Fey technically had only one Council House on Earth; the High Council House in Ireland. But there were little outposts everywhere. Large cities had homes for hunters to use, and every rath was guarded by a fairy: a rath lord. These places were like fairy embassies on Earth; they weren't actual pieces of Fairy—like the fairy rings are—but in matters of diplomacy they were nearly as good. What I'm trying to say is that once Cyrus had the sorcerers at the hunter house, they were lost to the Human Council.
“Before we get into what happened today,” I said. “Did you find those informants?”
“I'm sorry, Ambassador,” Teagan said with regret. “They have crawled back into the holes they slithered out of. But we do have Barra's home under surveillance, and we have alerted all of the rath lords in Idaho to be on the lookout for him. He won't get away.”
