Midnight Moon (The Unbidden Magic Series)

by Marilee Brothers

  At first, I was aware of nothing but the drum beat of my panicky heart banging against my chest. But then, my brain registered something different, a low, pulsating clicking sound, keeping perfect rhythm with my pounding heart. The clicking grew so loud I had to clap my hands over my ears. Memories of a nature show featuring crocodiles and the sound made by their razor-sharp teeth clacking together appeared in my mind. Had I escaped from the cistern only to be gobbled up by a crocodile?

  Shaking with dread, I lifted my gaze from the mud. No crocodiles. Something far stranger. The waving purple grass now had fingers. Hundreds of fingers snapping together in time with my beating heart. Part of me was relieved. The other part was grossed out. Grass with fingers? Snapping fingers?

  My leg muscles were screaming in agony.

  “No!” I screamed. “I will not die facedown in pink mud.”

  The fingers froze in mid-click. Each finger rotated first to the left and then to the right as if it was checking with its neighbor before they, as one, pointed at the ground.

  Oh great. Were the fingers evil entities, encouraging me to kill myself? Or, did they have something else in mind? It really didn’t matter, because at that precise moment, my legs buckled. I used my last bit of energy to flop backward, not facedown, hoping to delay my eventual death by pink mud.

  Before I could say goodbye to my loved ones, the pink mud turned into a slippery downhill track. Holy Mother! Feet first, flat on my back I began shooting down the track like an Olympic competitor in the luge. The track twisted to the left, then the right. I gathered speed until I hit the end, shaped like an upturned spout. Shrieking with terror, I shot out of the spout into the sky, arms and legs flailing wildly.

  Oh, Allie, this isn’t good. I braced myself for a bone-breaking, possibly fatal landing. But all at once, the rainbow-colored lake appeared beneath me. I squeezed my eyes shut, splashed down in the water and sank like a stone. I opened one eye and spotted, you guessed it, more bones. Gasping under water is a very bad idea. I found out the hard way. Frantic to clear my lungs, I pushed off the bottom and paddled to the surface, coughing and sputtering.

  I’d barely started to dog-paddle to the shore when I felt something bump against my feet. Oh my God, was this the end? Was I about to be eaten by some hideous lake faery? But wait. The bump became a solid mass rising up beneath me. Before I could let out a scream of horror, I was only knee-deep in water and astride the back of a huge, horse-like creature. No way! Could it be . . . ?

  “Uncle Davey?” I asked, hoping and praying I was right.

  The creature turned his head and snorted. “Of course, it’s me. Any other kelpie would have eaten you immediately.”

  I gripped his slimy, green mane as he clomped out of the lake onto dry land. I’d met Uncle Davey on a previous trip to Boundless. In fact, I’d helped rescue him from certain death. Probably why he was helping me now.

  I squeezed the water from my dripping hair and tucked it behind my ears. “Well, thanks for not eating me. Where are you taking me?”

  “To Luminata’s court. Where else?”

  “Luminata,” I repeated through gritted teeth. As my fear dissipated, my anger grew. “First she orders me to Boundless. When I don’t show up—and really, you can’t blame me for being cautious—she takes the moonstone, knowing full well I’d come after it.” I was breathing hard, my voice shrill with outrage. “Geez, it’s a miracle I’m still alive. That thing in the cistern? I thought he was going to kill me for sure.”

  Another derisive snort from the kelpie. “Are you talking about Clyde? If not for Clyde, you wouldn’t be in Boundless.”

  “But what about all those poor people stuck in the pink mud, not to mention the bones at the bottom of the lake. That could have been me.”

  “Clyde doesn’t care for the bones. He spits them out.”

  I gulped and suppressed a shiver. “Why does Luminata make it so hard?”

  “Why do you think, mortal? If it were easy, we’d be overrun with undesirables.”

  “You call me mortal,” I said. “Yet you know I’m half fae.”

  “Which is why you’re not moldering in the muck.”

  “But when I came here with Ryker, we just popped right into Boundless. No sweat. So, was this like a test?”

  “Yes, a test. Now, kindly stop yammering. You’re giving me a headache.”

  With that, Uncle Davey kicked it into high gear, and it was all I could do to keep from sliding off his mossy back.

  As we galloped through Boundless, I thought about the “test” I’d been through. If I didn’t pop back out of the cistern in the next few days, my mother would come looking for me. Could she handle it? Much of the time, Faye acted like a blond airhead. But on the plus side, she was tougher than she looked. She could probably handle Clyde with one hand tied behind her back. Still, I hoped she wouldn’t be put to the test.

  A shimmer of light appeared on the horizon, growing in size and brilliance as we drew closer. Ignoring the ban on speaking aloud, I leaned forward and whispered into Uncle Davey’s right ear. “Is that the Seelie Court up ahead?”

  His ear twitched in irritation. “Yes, it is the Seelie Court.”

  Though I didn’t think it possible, the kelpie picked up even more speed, kicking up a hot wind that stung my eyes and blew my hair straight back. I wrapped my arms around Uncle Davey’s neck, squinched my eyes shut and laid my head against his mane, practically gagging at the musty smell. But what’s a bad smell compared to hitting the ground at warp speed and breaking every bone in your body?

  The kelpie stopped on a dime. I slid off his back and landed inside a giant flower. The petals began to close around me.

  A woman’s voice rang out. “Kelpie! I ordered you to bring Princess Avalon to me. This . . . this creature is most certainly not Princess Avalon.”

  I slapped at the petals that seemed intent on squeezing the life out of me. “Stop it! Let me go.”

  “Lily!” The woman’s voice again. “Release.”

  I tumbled from the flower. My body was now coated with pink mud, kelpie slime and yellow pollen. I sneezed violently. When I opened my eyes, Luminata stood over me, surveying my body with a look of disgust. I caught a fleeting glimpse of the moonstone beneath the shifting gossamer scarves that served as her gown and breathed a sigh of relief. The niggling thought worrying my mind—that Luminata didn’t have the moonstone and I’d made the trip for nothing—vanished.

  A familiar male voice came from behind her. “She does have the look of Avalon, my lady. Perhaps she’s just a bit disheveled from her recent journey.”

  I struggled to my feet. “Geez, ya think?”

  Ryker appeared and checked me out, his hawk-like eyes taking in every detail. I did the same to him. His clothing was like nothing I’d seen in the mortal world. Ice-blue and embellished with an ornate gold-embroidered pattern, the sleeveless, one-piece outfit clung to his muscular body like a second skin.

  “So, Ryker,” I said. “Is this the faery version of a muscle shirt and jeans? Looks like you’ve stepped up a notch in Boundless.”

  Luminata folded her arms and frowned. “What think you, Hawk? Is it Avalon?”

  Ryker grinned at me and told Luminata, “The very same, my lady. Surely you remember her love of sarcasm.”

  Something was very wrong. Wasn’t Luminata the all-powerful queen of the Seelie Court? Why did she need Ryker to identify me? Did I look that bad?

  Luminata thanked the kelpie and dismissed him. He nodded and turned to leave.

  “Thanks for the lift, Uncle Davey,” I said.

  Before he clomped away, he looked down at me over his large Roman nose and said, “I have paid my debt.”

  Luminata clapped her hands to get my attention. “You must bathe. Hawk, see to it.”

  “What? Just point me to the shower. I don’t need Ryker’s help.”

  But Luminata ignored me and floated away without answering. Ryker reached me in one long step, spun me around and lif
ted me by the waistband of my jeans. After a couple of warm-up swings, he let go, and once again, I was airborne.

  “Hey! Not all faeries have wings,” I squawked, right before splashing down in a bubbling pool the color of morning glories. I sank below the surface, reveling in the warm, fragrant water. I opened my eyes, looking for bones. No bones, just swirls of multi-colored grime billowing from my body. I surfaced and floated on my back, scrubbing and rinsing my hair. This was heaven. I wanted to stay here forever.

  Wait a minute. I was a little too comfortable. Things are not as they seem in Boundless, Allie. Kizzy’s voice. I needed to get out of the seductive, crystal-blue water. And fast. I flopped onto my stomach and began to dog-paddle to the edge of the pool.

  “Throw me your clothes,” Ryker ordered.

  “Dream on,” I said.

  “I have a garment for you. You can’t appear in court dripping like a wet dog.”

  Still treading water, I turned 360 degrees and scanned my surroundings. I saw no building grand enough for a queen’s court. In fact, I saw nothing resembling a building. Just cobblestone paths meandering through a grassy meadow dotted with clumps of trees and winding streams.

  “What court?” I said.

  Ryker pointed over my head. “That one.”

  I laid back in the water and sculled with my hands, gasping in surprise when a humongous transparent bubble appeared directly over me. Remember when you were a little kid and blew bubbles through the wire wand? Now, imagine the biggest bubble you ever blew in your entire life and multiply it by thousands. By millions. Then, picture it floating in the air above you, complete with throne, a queen and an assortment of faery courtesans. That’s what I was seeing. Stunned, I could barely manage to paddle to shore.

  Once there, I tried to climb out.

  Ryker pushed me back in. “Clothes off,” he said.

  “No.”

  “Do you want the moonstone?”

  Off came the clothes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I can’t wear this! I can’t even figure out how to put it on,” I told Ryker’s back.

  “Perhaps I can assist you.” He started to turn around.

  “Stop right there, Mister.”

  He copped a little peek even though he’d promised not to. “It’s a very fine gown, befitting your status in the Seelie Court. I thought you would be pleased, Avalon.”

  “If I was a teenage hooker, I’d probably love it.”

  “Who is this hooker person you speak of? What does she hook? Fish?”

  “Never mind,” I said, cursing under my breath.

  I stepped into the ridiculous dress feet first and looped the turquoise puffy sleeves over my shoulders. The red ruffled underskirt hit me mid-thigh. The outer skirt, made of mustard-yellow silk, was shorter still and festooned with red bows. The part covering my upper body—I think it’s called a bodice—was bright blue, with red laces that had to be cinched up like a corset to keep the whole thing from falling off. Thank God, I’d managed to hang on to my panties. Soggy panties are better than none at all. At least my bare butt wouldn’t be hanging out.

  “Okay, I’m ready.”

  Ryker turned, scanned my body and gave me a thumbs-up. “As they say in Boundland, you look hot.”

  I pressed my lips together to hold back another caustic remark.

  “Put these on and I’ll take you to Luminata,” he ordered, handing me a red bow, presumably for my hair, and a pair of black shoes with four-inch heels and ankle straps.

  I undid the bow and tied the red ribbon around my ponytail. Nix on the shoes. I darted around Ryker and grabbed my wet sneakers. “I’m wearing these.”

  Ryker frowned his disapproval. “It ruins the look.”

  “Good,” I said, slipping into my shoes. “Now, how do we get into the bubble?”

  He took my hand, pointed at the bubble, and in the next moment, we were inside.

  “Holy crap!” I said. “That was fast.”

  The words flew out of my mouth, amplified as if I’d spoken into a microphone. Shocked, I clapped a hand over my mouth in embarrassment as every occupant of the court, including Luminata, stopped talking and stared at me.

  Ryker sketched a bow. “My queen, the Princess Avalon.”

  Luminata rose from her throne and extended her arms. “Ah, yes. So she is. Please attend me, Princess Avalon.”

  Attend her? What did that mean? Was I supposed to do something special like brush her hair or wash her feet? I looked up at Ryker, who was standing at attention, his gaze fixed on Luminata. I reached over and pinched his arm. He flinched but didn’t even glance my way.

  I whispered, “Ryker, what am I supposed to do?”

  “Go to her.”

  “By the way,” I whispered. “Where the hell is Sammie?”

  Ryker mouthed, “Later.”

  We stood at the back of a cavernous room. Luminata’s throne was on a raised platform at the front of the room. Unlike the horror show that was the Unseelie Court, Luminata’s faeries were the most beautiful creatures I’d ever seen. Some with wings, some without, they wore garments in every color of the rainbow, as well as colors I’d never seen in the mortal world. I wanted to rip into Ryker for my flashy hooker dress, but decided against it. I might need his help later.

  I scanned the crowd, looking for Melia, my forest faery grandmother and her folk. Melia was nowhere to be seen. Neither were any of the faeries I’d met in my previous trip to Boundless. Ryker and Luminata were the only familiar faces.

  The room was utterly silent until I began the long walk to Luminata’s throne. And then, oh my God! Remember the wet sneakers? With each step I took, they made a hideously loud fart sound. Honk, blat, honk, blat. I marched straight ahead, looking neither right nor left, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I was actually relieved when the assembled faeries began laughing. At first it was a solitary tee-hee. But, it quickly grew to a deafening chorus of guffaws, chortles and belly laughs. I forced a smile, thankful their laughter drowned out the sound of my flatulent shoes.

  I’d almost reached the raised platform when Luminata nodded to a pint-sized elf dressed in green velvet. He moved to the top of the stairs, a rolled-up parchment in his hand. He cleared his throat and, much to my surprise, spoke in a deep, radio-announcer voice. “Your attention please, Princess Avalon. Since this is your first official visit, you must read the Royal Code of the Seelie Court and agree to honor it.”

  I nodded. What else could I do? I sincerely hoped the Royal Code didn’t include bizarre rituals like kissing frogs or taking communal baths. Or wearing a dress that made me look like a slutty Snow White.

  With the flick of his wrist, the elf unrolled the parchment. I now understood why he stood on the top step. The Royal Code was way longer than his body was tall. It rolled down the steps until it covered my toes.

  At the top of the paper were the four laws of the Seelie Court, written in huge letters using an old style font with fanciful embellishments and curlicues.

  Death before dishonor.

  Love conquers all. Love is the perfect expression of the soul.

  Beauty is life. All fae must be beautiful.

  Always collect or repay a debt.

  I quickly scanned the additional material written below the four laws. It said stuff like “All fae in the Seelie Court must be of aristocratic blood.” “The queen of the Seelie Court, the final arbitrator of all faery quarrels, will dispense justice accordingly.” “Rivalry between cliques and factions will be dealt with promptly.” “Though gossip is inevitable, it must be based on fact.”

  I sincerely hoped I wasn’t asking for all kinds of faery trouble when I raised my right hand and declared, “I agree to honor the Royal Code of the Seelie Court.” I hoped honoring it wasn’t the same as living it.

  The elf’s fingers moved like tiny pistons as he re-rolled the parchment and stepped aside. He bowed and announced, “Queen Luminata, may I present Princess Avalon.”

/>   Luminata said, “Thank you, Ollie,” and floated down the stairs to embrace me. I felt the pressure and presence of the moonstone caught between our bodies. When Luminata released me, I reached out to touch it. She backed away and shook her finger at me. “Afraid not, my dear. We have things to discuss first.”

  She took my hand and led me up the stairs. Behind the throne was a curtained wall. She swept the curtains to one side, and in the next instant, we were standing in the middle of a lush walled garden with cascading purple flowers and tinkling fountains. Tiny turquoise birds lined the bare branches of a gnarled tree growing sideways instead of skyward.

  Totally disoriented, I looked around and gasped in surprise. “What happened to the big bubble?”

  “Never mind,” Luminata said, dragging me to a wrought iron bench.

  She pushed me onto the bench and stared down at me. “Dear Avalon. It is time.”

  Her words made me wary. “Time for what?”

  Her lips curled into a cold smile. She reached down and stroked my cheek. “It’s time for you to stay in Boundless. I have much to teach you.”

  “No!” The word sprang from my mouth before I could stop it. I stood and pointed to the crescent moon on my palm. “This is your mark. You promised me eight years before I had to return.”

  Luminata’s eyes flashed in anger. “But that was before.”

  “Before what?”

  “Please. Do not tell me you’ve forgotten the Trimark who was trying to slit your throat.”

  I bit my lip in frustration. “Of course I remember. But that doesn’t mean you can break your word.”

  Luminata said, “Oh, really? Did you or did you not just read and agree to follow the laws of the Seelie Court?”

  “Yes, I agreed, but . . .”

  “Then, pray tell, what is the fourth law?”