by Anthea Sharp
“Next time, it will be fun. I promise.”
“There won’t be a next time.” Marny turned away from the sim-systems, and winced. “Ow. Do you have some kind of poisonous bugs in here, Roy?”
She pushed her sleeve up and looked at her arm.
“Let me see.” Roy hopped out of his sim chair then froze for a half-second.
Jennet sidled over. When she saw what they were looking at, her breath caught. There were five red marks on Marny’s skin - blisters from the chimera’s poison.
“Uh. Oh, those.” Roy’s voice had a sudden, scared edge. He gripped the side of the sim chair, so hard his knuckles were white.
Was he worried about Marny making the connection, or had he never seen an injury carry over from the game? Jennet bit her lip and studied him. That flash of fear across his face - she guessed he’d never been hurt in-game, whether through luck, or the Bright King’s protection. Which made sense, when she considered his insistence about how safe Feyland was.
“They kind of burn,” Marny said, raising her arm.
“Right - they burn.” Roy relaxed a fraction, and that spooky glow started in his eyes. “That’s because you spilled your mocha on yourself earlier. Don’t you remember?”
“I…” Marny looked up at him. The sharpness left her expression, and her eyes were going dreamy again.
“I bumped you, Marns, and your cup sloshed,” Roy said. “Come on, we’ll get the house to spit out some meds for you, and it’ll be fine.”
“Okay, Roy,” Marny said. The adoring look was firmly back on her face.
“Stop it!” Jennet set her hands to her hips. “Tell the truth, Roy - those marks are carryover, from the game. We both know it wasn’t the mocha.”
His lips twisted into a scowl. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. A computer game can’t affect the real world. You’re tweaked, Jennet. I’d say it’s time for you to go home.”
He strode to the glass panels and opened them with a wave of his hand. Marny just stood there, a blank look on her face.
“Come on, Marny,” Jennet said, ignoring Roy. “We need to get your arm fixed up. And then we’re both out of here.”
She’d get George to take Marny home. No way was she leaving her friend alone with Roy - not for another second.
“You like to spoil people’s fun, don’t you?” he said.
“Whatever. Where are your med supplies?”
“Follow me.” Roy pivoted and stalked down the hall.
Back in the sitting room, Jennet settled a too-quiet Marny on the couch. She could hardly wait to get her friend out of here - away from Roy’s creepy, toxic influence. The house delivered a medi-pack to the slot in the wall. Roy grabbed it and sat next to Marny.
“You’ll be fixed up in no time,” he said, dabbing plas-skin on her arm. “How’s that feel?”
“Great.” She smiled up at him.
Jennet stood behind one of the chairs, scraping her fingernails over the blue-velvet upholstery. Roy was lying to her. Could she force him to tell the truth, or was he lying to himself, too?
“Done yet?” she asked, stepping around the chair.
Marny had her eyes half-closed, as if she was falling asleep. Roy’s hands were wrapped around her bare forearm, above the blisters. His eyes were intent - and his hands were glowing.
“Hey!” Jennet rushed forward and shoved his shoulders, pushing him away from Marny.
The moment she touched him, a weird spark arced between them, like rogue static. He fell back on his elbows, letting go of Marny’s arm. Two glowing handprints were etched on her skin, fading even as Jennet watched.
“Whoa - feeling drastic?” Roy sat up and glared at her. “If you want to play nurse, just say so. Here.” He thrust the medi-pack at her.
“You were doing a lot more than that. Stay away from Marny.”
A sick shakiness rose up in her stomach. That had been the magic of Feyland - no question. Roy was harvesting people’s energy, just as she and Tam had suspected. She glanced at Marny, who still slumped against the cushions, looking half-asleep.
“Look, Roy,” she said. “Whatever the Bright King promised you, it’s not worth it. Mortals and fey magic don’t mix.” She locked eyes with him. “Admit it - you know as well as I do that the power of Feyland is real.”
He narrowed his gaze and stared back at her. Jennet wanted to punch him - but she also didn’t want to touch him again. What if any contact enabled him to do the energy-suck thing? She shivered.
“You’re one freaky girl,” he finally said, his voice flat. “I think you should leave now. And don’t bother coming back.”
“I’m not going anywhere without Marny.”
As if she’d heard her name. Marny moaned and sat up. “My head hurts.”
“Can you stand?” Jennet asked, turning to her and holding out one hand. “I’m taking you home.”
“You are?” Marny shot a confused look at Roy.
“Yes,” Jennet said. “Come on.”
Pointedly ignoring Roy, she helped Marny to her feet.
“Hey, Marns,” he said. “Go ahead and stay. We don’t need Jennet around - she was just leaving.”
“I…” Marny seemed dazed, like she wasn’t sure what to do.
Taking advantage of her confusion, Jennet linked arms with her friend and towed her to the hallway. They had to get out of there without Roy touching either of them. Almost running, she hauled Marny toward the front door. Roy stalked after them, his eyes furious. Would he think to tell the house to lock the door before they got there? Jennet’s heart pounded in her throat.
“Why the hurry?” Marny protested. “I want to talk to Roy.”
“Trust me,” Jennet said. “We have to leave. Now.”
They reached the entryway, and she scooped up her g-board, not pausing. The wide front doors swung open, as she’d hoped. Thank goodness for the Lassiter’s overprogrammed house-network.
“Go,” she said, pushing Marny out the door. “Head for the street.”
Jennet shot a look over her shoulder. Roy stood in the hall, arms folded. Maybe pursuing them was beneath him - or maybe he knew he’d be able to get Marny under his spell again, at school. Jennet swallowed back the sour taste of fear. She and Tam had to get the faerie ointment made, as soon as possible.
What then? a voice inside her whispered. Save Marny - and Roy still had the whole school to pick from, while the Bright King got stronger and stronger. How soon until he was powerful enough to reach between the realms without a human intermediary?
“We’re not done, Jennet Carter,” Roy called, his voice full of menace.
“I’m counting on it,” she said, trying to sound bold.
But inside, panic clawed at her ribs. They were running out of time, even faster than she’d expected.
She backed out the door, not wanting to take her eyes off Roy. When she got to the sidewalk, she hopped on her g-board and skimmed fast, not stopping until she reached Marny waiting by the gate.
“What is this?” Marny asked.
Jennet pressed her lips together. How much would her friend believe? She’d shoot for the truth, anyway.
“Roy was using magic on you.”
Marny gave a snort. “Right. I can’t believe I let you invite yourself along on my date - and then push me out of there before I could spend any quality time with Roy.”
She squared her shoulders, like she was going to march back into the Lassiter’s mansion.
“Wait! We had to get you out there because… of your allergy.”
Marny gave her a suspicious look. “I don’t have an allergy, fancy-girl. Though if I did, it would be to you.”
“Your arm - don’t you remember?”
If Marny didn’t believe her about Roy, she sure wouldn’t believe that her injuries came from a computer game. At least, not until the ointment had done its work.
Marny glanced down at her arm, her brows drawing together. “I thought… didn’t I burn myself?”<
br />
“On a mocha you’d mostly finished drinking? I don’t think so. Roy just told you that to make you stay. There’s something in his house that doesn’t agree with you.”
Like him.
“Come on,” Jennet continued, glancing up at the evening sky. “It’s getting late. I’ll have George drive you home.”
Too late to visit Tam - but she’d message him, ask him to meet her tomorrow before school. Reception in the Exe was spotty. She’d just have to hope her message got through.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - THE BRIGHT COURT
Tam stood on the sidewalk in front of Crestview High, waiting for Jennet. The early-morning clouds hung low, still shadowed with the memory of night. It was cold - a dry frigidity in the air that chafed his lungs. He shivered and shoved his hands in his pockets.
He’d only waited five minutes before her sleek black grav-car pulled up. The door slid open and Jennet hopped out, looking warm in a coat lined with fur. Probably real. He hunched his shoulders against the sharp chill.
She gestured to George, slung her bag over her shoulder, and hurried over to where he stood.
“Hi, Tam.” Her words left little puffs of white in their wake. “Glad you could meet me so early.”
“Yeah, well, Mom mostly takes care of the Bug now, so…” He shrugged, hiding the fact that he’d meet Jennet anywhere, anytime. “How’d it go, yesterday? You didn’t say much in your message.”
She pressed her lips together. “It was freaky - and frightening. I wanted to tell you in person.”
“Let’s get out of the wind.”
He jerked his head toward the side of the building. It wasn’t much cover, but at least they wouldn’t be quite as exposed. This was a somewhat decent neighborhood, but a lifetime of caution had kept him alive. So far.
Once they reached the shelter of the wall, Jennet described going in-game with Roy and Marny. She told him about killing the chimera, and the blisters on Marny’s arm that had carried over to the real world.
“And then…” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Then, Roy did something to Marny. Some kind of energy suck.”
“What - like he went vampire on her? Right there, with you watching?”
His throat went dry with fear. A deep, restless part of him wanted to grab Jennet and pull her into his arms. Hold her tight, keep her safe, no matter what.
“Yeah,” Jennet said, shivering. “He wrapped his hands around her arm and they started to glow. Marny slumped back with her eyes closed. It was like she wasn’t there.”
“Damn. That’s grim.” Tam turned one shoulder to the wall, blocking the worst of the wind from Jennet. “Did he do anything else? Chant or, I don’t know, say an incantation?”
“No. Just the touch. And his eyes were doing that freaky thing.”
“So - he’s pulling energy from people, just by touching them. First Keeli, now Marny. I wonder how much he needs. How much he can hold.”
“Maybe he stores it in a talisman of some kind,” Jennet said. “Like how the Dark Queen kept my energy in a glass sphere. I’ll have to go back over to his house and look.”
“No.” He reached out and caught her by the shoulder. “You’re not going to Lassiter’s, ever again.”
“Funny,” she gave him a crooked smile. “Roy said the same thing, after I accused him of using fey magic.”
“And did he admit it?”
She shook her head, the dawn light gleaming on her pale hair. “He acted as if I was insane, but he was lying. I could see it in his eyes. Tam, we have to get Marny away from him.”
“Of course. Today, we make the faerie ointment. I got the clover.” He patted his coat pocket.
“I bought the herbs and things, last night. So all we need now is grass from a faerie throne. I wonder what the Bright King’s throne looks like.”
“Me too.”
For a moment, he was caught up in memory - a clearing where grotesque and graceful figures danced around a strangely purple bonfire. On the far side stood a throne made of vines and shadows. And sitting upon that throne, the Dark Queen. Midnight stars were tangled in her black hair, her gossamer dress was made of stolen moonlight, and her fathomless eyes held secrets no mortal should know.
She smiled at him.
Tam’s breath left his lungs - but who needed breath when she was there? Shadowy promises brushed through him, tingling his senses, bright, winged sparks that flashed by like shooting stars.
“Tam?” Jennet’s voice pierced the vision, calling him back to the present. “Are you all right? Tam…” Her breath was warm against his cheek.
He blinked, to find her concerned eyes staring into his, her hand wrapped tightly around his arm. Behind her was only the dingy wall of Crestview High - no mysterious clearing, no bonfire with dancing fey folk. No Dark Queen. He exhaled, from lungs that felt too tight.
“I, um… yeah. Just thinking.”
Her brow still furrowed with worry, Jennet let go of his arm. He wished she hadn’t - her touch had been warm and solid, anchoring him. He glanced down, letting his hair fall across his face. Why was he suddenly thinking of the queen, when he had a perfect, human girl right in front him?
“How are we going to get the grass out of Feyland?” he asked, breaking the silence before it veered into awkward.
She frowned. “If Roy really does have a talisman from the Bright King, then it must be possible to move stuff from Feyland into the real world.”
“We’ve brought back plenty of injuries,” he said. “That has to count for something.”
The squeak of brakes interrupted him - the first of the buses arriving. In another few minutes, Crestview High would be full of talking, jostling students.
“Come on,” Jennet said. “We need to go back to my house, right now. Dad’s at work, and I don’t care if the staff says anything - as long as we get the ointment done.”
She headed toward the curb, where George still waited with the grav-car. Either she’d told him to stay, or he was keeping an eye on her.
“Are you sure?” He didn’t mind cutting school, but she could get in serious trouble.
“Yes. If everything goes right in-game, we can get back before school ends. Even if we can’t save everyone, we can at least save Marny.”
Tam paused beside the open car door. “Do you think we can make it all the way to the Bright Court?”
“We don’t have any other choice.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - THE BRIGHT COURT
Jennet selected her Kitsune character and gave the command to enter game. Urgency pulsing through her, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Take us to the Bright Court.
She and Tam had to get there - had to find the Bright King’s throne, and figure out how to harvest its grass. If it meant fighting the king himself… well, she was ready to do whatever it took.
The queasy sensation of entering the game twisted her stomach. When the feeling faded, she opened her eyes.
White-dotted scarlet mushrooms encircled her, and tall oak trees lifted high branches above. The air was quiet and warm. The path between the trees beckoned, and once again, she felt the tug of the Bright Court. Relief swept through her like a sudden gust of wind, making her sway in place.
A moment later, Tam appeared in the faerie-ring. He shot a quick glance around, his clear, green gaze coming to settle on her.
“Looks like we’re in the right place. Let’s go.”
She nodded, and together they stepped out of the ring and headed down the path. Emerald moss cushioned their footsteps as they wound between the trees. Ahead, vivid spots of color resolved to orange and blue-winged butterflies, flitting in and out of a shaft of sunlight.
“This is beautiful,” she said.
It reminded her of the first time she’d entered Feyland - a bright veil of magic stitching over the landscape, the smell of herbs sweet in the air, the chiming laughter of the pixies overhead. She sent a wary glance into the tree tops.
Tam looked up, too, at th
e glimmering silver flashes. “Didn’t you say the pixies attacked you, when you were playing with Roy?”
“Yeah. Kamikaze pixies - always a nice surprise.”
A grin flickered across his lips - the lighthearted side of Tam that she so rarely saw outside the game.
“I’ll hold them off with my shield if they attack,” he said. “They’ll just bounce off.”
It made an amusing picture, but… “I’d rather not test it out. It was kind of unnerving, having them diving at me that time.”
“They seem to be keeping their distance.” He looked up again. “Is it getting brighter?”
It was. The trunks of the trees glowed almost silver, and the beams of sunlight were a piercing white.
“Makes sense,” she said. “Remember, as we got closer to the Dark Court it got more and more midnight.”
“You think we’re near the Bright Court now, since it’s so light? But don’t we have a quest to do, first?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess we keep going forward, and see what happens.” Sort of like life, really.
The path widened, the moss now spangled with white flowers. It looked idyllic, but the back of her neck prickled.
Without warning, two gnarled brown creatures leaped out from behind the trees. Tam drew his sword and Jennet grabbed her bow off her back. Was the first fight upon them so quickly?
Rather than attacking, the figures, took up positions on either side of the path and blocked it with their crossed spears. Jennet let her arrow slide back down into the quiver, but she still kept her bow to hand.
“What business do you have with the Bright Court?” the taller one rasped, regarding them with bright, beady eyes.
Its fingers were long and twiggy, but it looked strong enough to use its sharp-pointed spear convincingly.
“We seek an audience with the Bright King,” Tam said. “Let us pass.”
“Mortals,” the second guard said. Its voice sounded like dry branches rubbing together - an odd contrast to the liquid birdsong filling the woods. “Give us a reason for it.”
She glanced at Tam, and he gave her a look that said it was up to her. All right then. She’d try to be as vague as possible. Somehow she didn’t think the fey-folk would be happy about their plan to take a bit of Feyland back into the real world. Even if it was only a handful of grass.
