The Wraith and the Rose

by C. J. Brightley

  Dear Lady Hathaway,

  I will be honored to attend you and your daughter Wednesday at 2:00 pm. Please be assured that there is no one of higher importance in my schedule than your daughter, and my staff and I are delighted at the prospect of designing something to her, and your, satisfaction.

  Most sincerely,

  Mrs. Collingwood

  “Well, that seems to brook no argument,” her mother said with misgiving in her voice.

  Lily said confidently, “We won’t use them if it’s too expensive. I’ll tell them, if you don’t want to.”

  “You shouldn’t have to do that,” said Lady Hathaway. “I suppose there’s no harm in receiving them. Perhaps they are more reasonable than I fear.”

  Lily thought privately they were likely even more horrifyingly expensive than either she or her mother imagined, but did not say so. They could always refuse to continue with the arrangement after the consultation.

  Chapter 17

  Thrilling Heroics

  The message Theo received from Cedar the next morning indicated that the most recently stolen children were held in two different locations, both within Lord Willowvale’s estate just east of the palace.

  Theo examined the map he was making of the palace and its surrounding grounds, as well as the larger map of the Fair Lands. The palace itself was a rambling structure of at least one hundred rooms. Theo had not had opportunity to explore it thoroughly yet, but had come to the tentative conclusion that although the hallways sometimes shifted and rearranged themselves, the ground floor probably stayed upon the ground and the second floor stayed atop it; the east wing stayed generally to the east and the west wing generally stayed to the west.

  Cedar had enclosed a sketched floor plan of Lord Willowvale’s estate, caveated with a note saying that he had not been inside in several years and did not know how much the hallways might have moved, or if they did at all.

  Theo blew out his breath and compared the map of the general area to Cedar’s drawing of Lord Willowvale’s estate and the tentatively sketched outlines of the edges of the king’s magic that surrounded the palace.

  He made his plan, then went to the east wing of the house to let Sir Theodore and Lady Overton know he was departing.

  “Mother, Father, I’m leaving with Fen and Juniper for the Fair Lands. If you have any binding magic available, I would be most grateful if I might have it.”

  His mother looked at him doubtfully but handed over the little amount she had. Juniper would have been able to see it, but Theo couldn’t. The young fairy had described it once as a sort of neatly folded crimson thread, although somehow it felt crimson rather than appeared crimson. “Is it always crimson?” Theo had asked with interest.

  “I think so. I haven’t felt any other sort of binding magic, anyway.”

  Now his mother said, “What are you doing with the magic, Theo?”

  “I really don’t think you will be happier knowing, Mother.” He leaned down to where she sat with a book open in her lap and kissed her cheek. “Please trust me.”

  “Will you try to be at least a little bit safe, please?” She held his gaze.

  “I will not do anything unnecessarily foolish,” he promised with a smile.

  “Be careful, son,” said Sir Theodore, pressing his scrap of magic into his son’s hand.

  “Someday!” said Theo cheerfully.

  “Godspeed.”

  Theo bowed to both his parents, watched them bid the young fairy farewell with admonitions to be safe, retrieved his sword and one for Juniper, and then strode quickly to the stable with Juniper following on his heels, already glamoured to appear human. He saddled his horse and helped Juniper saddle a well-behaved gray mare. Then they hurried to the Selby estate only a few miles away. A footman ushered him in to see his friend, who was in his personal study.

  Lord Fenton Selby stood to greet him. “Good morning.” He gave Juniper a half-bow, which the young fairy returned more deeply.

  “Are you free for a trip?”

  “Now?”

  “Yes.”

  Lord Selby blinked. “All right.”

  “I suggest a sword this time,” said Theo.

  Lord Selby belted his sword on without a word and followed them out to the front door of his manor.

  “I’ve gotten a better feel for the openings around our estate, and I can get us much closer to home now.” Theo turned them back toward the Overton estate, striding across the hillside in a direct path rather than on the road. “In another week or so, I believe I should be able to pinpoint the location well enough to arrive back in my own garden. But for now, I think the closest easy opening I can find is about half a mile east of here. We might as well walk, if you don’t mind.”

  As they walked, he explained the plan. “I’ll open a doorway as close as I can to Lord Willowvale’s front door. We should be so close to the palace that it would be much harder to open from the Fair side, so I’ll leave you, Juniper, there, to keep it open so I don’t have to open it again. Once it’s open, you shouldn’t have any trouble from the inhabitants of the veil. If you do, just let it close and I’ll open it again if I must.

  “Lord Selby, you and I will open a new door, where Lord Mosswing will meet us. He will have Fair attire for us, as well as some colored powders for our hair and skin. We will don our disguises, such as they are, and will approach the estate from this direction. You will be as close as possible to the door, so you might be visible. I will enter, find the children, and bring them to you. I expect there will be some difficulty, so after I have delivered the children to you, I will likely need to create a diversion. Take the children to Juniper and wait. I will join you. If the pursuit gets too close, retreat into the veil; Juniper knows how to close the doorway behind you. If you have to retreat into the veil, just stay where you are and I will find you.”

  A moment later, Theo stopped just before they reached a little copse of aspen and maples. “This is a good place. Are you ready?”

  Juniper nodded.

  “Before we set off, I do have one thing to say, Theo,” said Lord Selby.

  Theo smiled encouragingly. “Yes?”

  “I really did not think you were this serious about Miss Hathaway.” Lord Selby bowed.

  Theo winced. “Thank you. I am sorry, my friend. I was a little abrupt that night.”

  Lord Selby smiled tolerantly. “I’ve never seen you so entranced. I couldn’t be irritated because I was too amused.”

  “Truly?” Theo looked at his friend more seriously. “I do mean it when I say I’m sorry. It was rude of me. I meant to be charming and instead it was probably boorish.”

  “Well, I won’t pretend I didn’t envy you the admiring looks I saw her cast your direction. But please accept my sincere congratulations. You deserve the happiness I see in you, and I think she might actually be kind enough to deserve you, too.” He looked down. “I do hope you will speak well of me to the next delightful young lady with kind eyes, though.”

  Theo said quietly, “I will not be able to prevent myself from the highest compliments. Thank you.”

  Lord Selby flushed. “Well, let’s get on with the heroics, then. Is there really nothing else you want me to do other than wait outside?”

  “Lord Mosswing believes the children are held in two different rooms within the estate. It will be challenging enough to find them. By the time I get to you, there may be more than enough opposition for the both of us to have the opportunity for heroics. I am glad to have you.”

  Theo led them unerringly through the veil, although they were plagued by a shadow that followed them at a distance for nearly ten minutes, growling at intervals.

  “What is that?” asked Lord Selby eventually, with a hint of concern in his voice.

  “Last time I heard a growl like that, it was… I’m not exactly sure. Something like a bear, perhaps, but not made of flesh and fur. The brief glimpse I got of it looked like thread or ropes knotted in interesting ways.”
/>   “Did you kill it?” Juniper asked in awe.

  “No, I had children with me and didn’t want to fight. I left the veil when it got too close. We explored some distant part of the Fair Lands for a while, until I hoped it had left or we were far enough from it for safety.”

  The growl sounded closer.

  “Will we do the same this time?” Juniper asked.

  Theo stopped to listen, pulling the others closer to him. It was challenging at the best of times to navigate in the veil, and the sound echoed and carried most strangely. Theo had privately suspected that not only did the tunnels themselves shift and turn when one wasn’t looking, but that the inhabitants themselves were more nearly part of the veil itself than animals.

  In a low voice, he said, “We’re almost there. Keep hold of my jacket, if you please. Lord Selby, if you would be so kind as to take the rear position with drawn sword, we’ll put Juniper between us.”

  Stout-hearted Lord Selby agreed. Careful with the swords in the darkness, they arranged themselves so that Juniper held their sleeve or coat tail with one hand and the two young human men brandished their swords.

  The wall of the veil now felt like damp, crumbling bricks covered in an odd, trailing lichen. As Theo trailed his hand along it, waiting for the magic to feel just right, he wore an unconscious grimace at the clammy fibers that clung to his hand.

  “Here,” he said at last.

  Just as he began to press his magic into the wall, Lord Selby let out a startled gasp and began to thrash.

  Theo let go of the wall and brought a burst of light to his fingertips. Juniper cried out in fright when he saw the monster.

  Lord Selby stabbed and thrashed with his sword but could not reach the body of the monster. The hulking figure remained out of reach but had sent rope-like tentacles forward from its mouth, or what Theo thought of as its mouth. The largest of these had wrapped around Lord Selby’s throat.

  “Watch your sword!” cried Theo. He lunged around Juniper and attacked the monster himself.

  Lord Selby gave one last futile effort to cut the tentacle and then dropped the point of his sword. Juniper joined Theo as he stabbed at the base of the tentacle choking Lord Selby.

  The monster abruptly dropped his victim and retreated into the darkness.

  Theo hauled Lord Selby to his feet and opened the door, ushered Juniper out first, tumbled out with Lord Selby, and then whirled to stick the point of his sword into the gap as the door nearly closed with a snap. He pulled it back open and pressed a little of his magic into it, checking the corridor in the veil for threats before looking around.

  Lord Selby put his hands on his knees and wheezed.

  “Sit down, Fenton,” Theo said. “You’re all right.” He kept a watchful eye on the bushes around them. They had emerged quite close to the east wall of Lord Willowvale’s manor house, and though he did not hear any voices, there was no guarantee that they were alone.

  Lord Selby shook his head, too proud and stubborn to fall to his knees, but still seeing far too many stars to risk standing upright yet.

  Juniper said encouragingly, “That was horrifying. Have you been in the veil often, sir? That’s courageous.”

  Lord Selby shook his head again and rasped, “Third time. Theo’s barking mad if he does this every week.”

  The young fairy stifled a laugh. “Here is your sword, sir.” Lord Selby had dropped it as Theo pulled him out of the veil, and the fairy carefully picked it up by the leather-wrapped hilt and handed it back to the young man.

  Lord Selby managed, “You don’t get enough credit, Theo.”

  Theo blew out his breath. “I’m sorry. It’s always dangerous, but I hate that it seems to target you more than most. The veil has only tried to kill me two or three times.”

  Lord Selby gave an almost inaudible groan. “It’s because I’m so lucky. You should bring me as a distraction more often and you’d get off without a scratch every time.”

  Theo frowned at him. “Don’t say that, or I won’t bring you back at all. You know it grieves me.”

  Lord Selby straightened slowly, rubbing at his throat and wincing. “It was a joke, albeit a bad one. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  Theo looked at him doubtfully. “If you’re not ready, we can wait a little longer. Lord Willowvale is supposed to be in the human world until at least tomorrow.”

  “I remember what air feels like now. Do we leave Juniper here?” Lord Selby rolled his neck, then his shoulders, adjusted his jacket, and took a deep breath. He smiled at the fairy. “You, my young friend, were wonderfully brave. I owe you a debt as well. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, my lord.” Juniper flushed and ducked his head.

  The Wraith looked around and said, “Yes, we’ll leave you here, Juniper. If anyone gets too close and you need to escape, go into the veil. I’ll find you as soon as I can. Lord Selby and the children will attempt to meet you here.” Theo looked toward Lord Selby. “If the door is closed, just keep going away from Willowvale’s estate and any sound of pursuit. I believe I will be able to open a door near you once I’m in the veil myself. I’ll make a distraction if necessary and follow you as I may.”

  Juniper and Lord Selby nodded.

  Theo drew most of the borrowed binding magic from his fingertips and pressed it to the ground. It sank in without a sign, but Theo felt the vague tug and warmth somewhere near his heart before it faded. The remaining whisper twinged uncomfortably, then the sensation faded. “They won’t pinpoint that, will they, Juniper?”

  “No.”

  Theo led Lord Selby back into the veil. “Hold my jacket, if you please. I’ll keep my sword ready. You may wish to do the same.”

  Only two minutes later, Theo opened another door to the Fair Lands and stepped out with Lord Selby on his heels.

  “Good morning, Lord Mosswing,” he greeted his Fair ally.

  “Good morning, Theo, Lord Selby,” Lord Cedar Mosswing replied. “It is good to see you again.” The fairy bowed politely.

  “Likewise.” Lord Selby bowed in return. “Please call me Fenton. I think we’re united in purpose enough to be called friends, even if it has been far too long since we’ve been on the same side of the veil.”

  Cedar nodded soberly. “Thank you. I am honored. Please do likewise.”

  “What do you have for us?” prompted Theo.

  Cedar knelt and rummaged in a sack on the ground. He pulled out two jackets and two pairs of trousers. One set was a brilliant yellow and orange, while the other was a muted teal with magenta piping and golden embroidery across the shoulders.

  Fenton looked at them with ill-concealed dismay. “How are we to remain unnoticed in those?”

  Theo said confidently. “You will remain unnoticed in the teal. I will be bright as a beacon if I need to draw them away from you. The Fair Court adores color, and if we wore our fashionable human attire, we’d draw all the wrong sorts of attention, like a dead nettle in a bouquet of roses. We must be vivid to blend in.”

  The young men turned away from each other and pulled on the Fair trousers. There was a silky shirt with a green and blue pattern on it for Fenton and a fuchsia shirt with silver embroidery for Theo. They buttoned the Fair shirts on over their more subdued white human shirts. Theo transferred a steel key from his own trouser pocket to the orange ones he was now wearing.

  Fenton pulled on his borrowed jacket and looked down at himself in horror, then covered his mouth to stop a burst of laughter at Theo’s appearance.

  “This is the most appalling thing I have ever seen in my entire life,” he muttered. “Those colors with your red hair are a deeply lamentable combination, Theo.”

  Theo shrugged. “Indeed. However, I console myself with the knowledge that the one person whose opinion of my looks I truly crave is not here to laugh at me.” He swept his gaze up and down his friend. “Your hair is dark enough it would be difficult to change, but we can make it harder for anyone to identify your face, if they se
e you again, with the aid of these colored powders.”

  With a clinical attention to detail, he instructed Fenton to put bright blue powder under his eyes in a dramatic sweep back to his temples.

  “What is this for?” the young lord said with grave misgiving. “It won’t hide my eyes or my face.”

  “No, but it draws attention away from what you really look like, and that’s enough for now.”

  Theo applied a bright orange powder to his own face in a similar pattern. He rubbed a little yellow powder along his hairline and the hollows of his cheeks.

  Cedar shot an amused glance at Fenton when the latter shook his head at Theo’s expression of satisfaction.

  “How do I look, Cedar?” Theo asked seriously.

  “Not like yourself.”

  “That will do. Cedar, would it be possible to glamour some sort of distraction on the opposite side of the manor? I’d like to pass as few people as possible on the way in.”

  “Yes, but at least some of them will be able to identify it as my magic if it lasts more than a few seconds.”

  Theo blew out a thoughtful breath. “What about some sort of fascinating creature, a griffin or the white stag they so seek, flying through the garden in plain sight and disappearing just around the corner? The magic would disappear quickly but it would draw people to it, I should hope.”

  Cedar nodded. “All right. You shall have a white stag running from there toward the palace.” He pointed.

  “Excellent,” Theo said to Fenton. “Come on.”

  They managed to avoid nearly everyone on their way to the wide door of the manor house. When they had almost reached the door, from the corner of his eye, Theo saw the white flash of the promised stag sail away over a hedge, and a burst of excited chatter arose behind them.

  Fenton leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as if he were bored. Theo slipped inside the unlocked door and tried to get his bearings.