by Anthea Sharp
Whatever had been shot, whatever was looking at him, it wasn’t his brother.
Tam scrambled back, reaching for his sword, but he’d left it outside in his mad dash to take care of his brother. Or rather, the creature he’d thought was his brother.
“What are you?” he asked. “And where’s my brother?”
The thing smiled, showing sharp teeth. Its body shuddered, growing simultaneously squatter and bonier until a hideous fey creature lay on the couch.
“Not an easy one to fool, are you?” he said. “Tricksy is as tricksy does. Time spent in the Realm makes humans too clever by far.”
Tam glared at the creature, his panic pivoting over to hot anger. “You’re a faerie. One of those replacement things.”
He remembered reading about them in Jennet’s old book of tales and ballads. Human children were taken, stolen away by the faeries, and something else left in their place.
“A changeling,” the creature said.
“Where’s my brother?” Tam glanced around the single room, as if the Bug had been overlooked.
But he knew Peter wasn’t there. And the thing that had taken his place appeared less like a human child by the second—his face growing wizened and dark, his pale eyes bulging.
The changeling gave him a sharp-toothed grin. “Your brother is a guest in the Realm.”
“Give him back!” Tam raised a clenched fist.
“Ah, ah.” The changeling held up his hand, the nails long and clawed. “No harm done to me, none will be visited on your brother.”
Damn it. The faeries always had a loophole.
“What do I have to do to get him returned? Safe and whole,” Tam added. You had to be ultra-specific when dealing with the fey folk.
The changeling clambered to the back of the couch, and perched there like a flightless gargoyle. “Feed me.”
“Will that return my brother?”
“No.” The creature leered at him. “But it will keep him from starving.”
“Where’s my mom?” Tam asked, though he had the sinking feeling he knew the answer.
“Your brother was left unattended. A perfect invitation to the faeries. An unwanted child is always welcome in the Realm.”
“He’s wanted! Why did you take him?”
Another wave of anger sizzled through Tam’s veins. He wished he could take the creature and fling it into the street for the drifters, or poison it. But he had to keep it safe, for the Bug’s sake. At least, until he could get into Feyland and rescue his little brother.
The changeling narrowed its ugly eyes. “Those who rule the Realm require you to cease meddling in their affairs. In a fortnight, your brother will be returned to you, unharmed—if you do not stand in their way.”
Meaning, if he and Jennet did nothing to stop Feyland’s release. Which was out of the question, since clearly the fey folk had every intention of entering the mortal world through the game.
But letting the Bug remain a prisoner in the Realm wasn’t an option, either.
“Fine,” Tam said. “I’ll get you something to eat.”
As he rummaged in the kitchen alcove, his mind worked furiously. His heart was screaming at him to save his little brother, but he couldn’t go charging into the Realm by himself. Jennet would come with him, no question. And this was important enough he’d swallow his pride and ask Lassiter for help, too.
In a twisted sort of way, he was relieved that Mom was gone, despite his anger. It would kill her to see her beloved younger son replaced by a hideous creature with bulging eyes and pointed teeth.
“Here,” he said, handing the creature a plate of leftover synthi-meat, some stale crackers fished out of the trash behind the big grocery, and a mug of water.
The changeling wrinkled his nose, but grabbed the plate and gulped the food down in three bites. It guzzled the water, then slid off the couch and began to make a nest out of the Bug’s blankets.
“Where is my brother being held?” Tam asked, though he was pretty sure he knew.
“I serve the queen,” the changeling said, scowling. “Now go away and leave me in peace. I will answer no more of your pestiferous questions.”
He burrowed into the rumpled mess of blankets until only the top of his head was visible. If Tam didn’t know better, he’d think it was his brother in there—similar size and shape, even a close approximation of the hair.
No way was he letting the changeling go to school in the Bug’s place. He shuddered at the thought. The faerie would have to stay here while Tam was gone—and who knew what kind of trouble it would get up to. Apprehension trickled down his back.
Even though Jennet’s dad had forbidden him to contact Jennet, he had to let her know about this dire turn of events. He fished his messager out of his backpack, and locked himself in the tiny bathroom.
Bug taken by faeries, he wrote. Meet me early tomorrow.
He waited five minutes, but there was no reply. Reception in the Exe was spotty, even though the buried cable of the ’net, the backbone of the country’s tech, ran right under Crestview—which explained why VirtuMax had parked company headquarters there.
Nothing like delivering evil fairies direct and high-speed to people’s homes worldwide.
Tam powered off his messager and cracked open the bathroom door. The lump of blankets on the couch didn’t move, but no way was he sleeping with that creature next to him. He’d grab his bag and crash out in his mom’s room.
What if the faeries had nabbed her, too? He didn’t trust the changeling. Faeries were slippery when it came to telling the truth.
Moving quietly, Tam slipped into the bedroom. The open closet held most of Mom’s clothes—but her yellow winter coat was missing, and her favorite scarf. He went to the dresser and opened the battered blue jewelry box. The cheap bracelets and plastic necklaces winked up at him. He ignored them and hooked his fingers into the catches of the secret compartment, then lifted the bottom of the box out. The few bills he’d left that morning had disappeared. Nothing but faded velvet stared up at him.
He let out a long breath.
His mom was truly gone. Not into the Realm of Faerie, like his missing brother, but into the dangerous world surrounding the Exe.
Tam wrapped his arms around his ribs, trying to hold in the fear and sorrow.
At least he still had Jennet.
Jennet stuffed her gloved hands into her pockets and paced the sidewalk in front of Crestview High. Grey light seeped from the eastern sky, but the rising sun was too weak to penetrate the thick winter clouds crouching on the horizon.
Her path took her near the black grav-car where her chauffeur, George, waited patiently. He lowered the tinted window and gave her a concerned look.
She’d lied to the house manager and Dad, told them she had an early make-up class, but she couldn’t lie to George. On the ride down from The View, she’d confided she was going to meet Tam. His only response had been a quiet grunt.
But Tam wasn’t there.
“Miss Carter,” George said, “wouldn’t you rather wait in the car?”
“If Tam doesn’t show up soon, I will.”
She walked to the corner again, cold air stinging her cheeks, and peered up the street. There he was! Relief eased her breath at the sight of Tam’s familiar figure trudging through the dawn. She gave George a quick wave, then ran down the sidewalk toward Tam. When she was a few steps away he opened his arms, and she fetched up against his chest with a solid thump. His lean, strong arms closed around her, and she held him tightly in return.
“My mom’s gone again,” he said, an edge of bleakness in his voice. “And the faeries took the Bug. Came into the Exe in broad daylight, and left a changeling in his place.”
“I got your message.” She stepped back and stared into his troubled green eyes. “We’ll get the Bug back. I was up all night, thinking about this. I’m pretty sure they’ll take your brother to the Dark Queen’s court.”
“They did.” His tone was hollow,
with the same fear that echoed inside her. “Sneak me into your house, after school. We can go in-game on your FullD equip and get him out.”
Her heart ached at what she had to say next. “Tam—we can’t.”
He grabbed her shoulders. “You said you’d help me.”
“If we rescue the Bug now, he’ll still be in danger. They could swipe him again, behind our backs.”
“One of us would be with him, twenty-four-seven. I’ll skip school, and—”
“What about the beta testing? The questions if people find out your mom has disappeared again? I know it’s hard, Tam, but we have to leave him in the Realm for now. They’ll keep him safe.” She hoped.
“Just abandon my brother to the Unseelie Court?” His voice cracked at the end of the question.
She took his hands in hers. “Thomas is there. Didn’t he look out for you when you were a prisoner in the Dark Court? And there’s always Puck.”
“Like he would keep anyone out of trouble.”
“The Elder Fey are supposed to restore the balance. That means getting your brother back, too.” She squeezed his fingers. “Our priority is to wake the Elder Fey. Once we do, everything will work out.”
“Dammit, I want my brother home now.” Tam’s shoulders slumped, and he stared at the ground. “The changeling told me if I kept him healthy, the Bug would be treated well—at least by the standards of the fey folk. Not that I trust the faeries.”
“So, we have a little time.”
“Less than two weeks,” Tam said. “The faeries want to make sure Feyland launches. They’re holding my brother hostage to make sure we don’t do anything to stop the game.”
It was a brilliant piece of evil. Tam couldn’t make the choice to sacrifice his little brother, even for the good of all humanity. Or if he did, it would haunt him forever, make him a walking ghost. Either way, he’d suffer.
No question the Dark Queen was behind this. She had a far bigger score to settle with Tam and Jennet than the Bright King did—and she was ruthless.
“All right,” Jennet said, trying to sound calm. “Next time we’re in-game, we’ll finish up in the Twilight Kingdom. I bet the queen doesn’t even know we’re trying to wake the Elder Fey.”
Tam lifted his head, his expression shadowed. “Jennet, we can’t do this by ourselves.”
Fear, metallic and sharp, filled her mouth. “We’ll figure it out, Tam. We always do.”
Though this time, the odds were more impossible than ever.
At lunch, Marny set her tray down beside them, then took one look at Tam’s face.
“Ok, spill it,” she said.
Jennet shot her a half-smile, glad there was one other person they could talk to. Not that Marny could do anything to help, other than lend one of her broad, sympathetic shoulders.
Marny listened, her dark eyes narrowed. She nodded when Tam told her his mom had taken off again, and her eyes widened as he explained about his little brother being stolen by the Dark Court.
“So the faeries stole your brother, but left a substitute in his place?” she asked.
Tam nodded, misery clear in the set of his mouth.
“I want to meet him. It. Whatever.”
“What?”
“Look.” She spread her hands wide. “You two have to deal with things in-game. The last thing you need to worry about is some freaky fairy dude pretending to be Tam’s little brother. Even though I don’t sim, I can help with this.”
“She’s right,” Jennet said. The knot of tension behind her ribs loosened a tiny bit. “We can’t deal with the changeling, and beta testing, and the Twilight Kingdom—not all of it.”
“At least your mom’s not around,” Marny said. “Crappy that she’s gone, but the timing is decent. Considering. And this way, if she comes home and you guys are, um, unavailable, I can run interference.”
“Ok.” Tam swiped a hand through his hair, letting it fall back into his face. His eyes were smudged with exhaustion. “You can come over after school today and meet the changeling. Provided it’s still there.”
“It will be.” Jennet rubbed at the scar on her palm. “From what I remember, changelings have to stay close to home. Their pretend home, I mean. I’ll read up and let you know what else I find out.”
“Good,” Marny said. “This should be interesting.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM
Tam waited for Marny outside school. He’d already waved goodbye to Jennet as George drove her away. She wanted to come along, he could see it in her eyes, but it wasn’t worth the chance of trouble. Bending the rules was one thing, but they couldn’t risk Tam getting kicked off the beta team—not with so much at stake.
A bright red grav-car swerved around the corner and shot down the street, leaving grit swirling in its wake. Lassiter. It hadn’t taken him long to talk his mom into restoring the privileges he’d lost as a result of tangling with fey magic. Tam rubbed his face and frowned.
So far, nobody suspected the “technical glitch” during the last beta session had been something more. But Lassiter had been in the Realm, all the way to the Bright Court. He’d be the first to notice something was going on.
Question was, would he keep quiet about it?
The last students exited the battered metal doors of Crestview High, Marny among them. She joined Tam on the sidewalk.
“Ready?” she asked.
“You sure about this?”
“Hell, yeah.” She smiled at him. “I’m tired of you and Fancy-girl having all the adventures.”
“Adventure isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Especially where the Realm of Faerie is concerned.”
Mary shrugged. “It’s a change of pace. Come on.”
She started down the sidewalk, and Tam lengthened his stride. Marny was tall, in addition to being solidly built. She could pin the changeling down with one hand if she had to—which was part of why he felt somewhat okay with this plan.
When they reached Stark Way, the pot-holed street marking the beginning of the Exe, Marny hung back. She knew enough to let Tam lead from there. Despite her bulk, she followed agilely through the stinking and trash-heaped alleys. Oily puddles reflected an equally filmy sky.
This time of year held less danger from the roaming gangs, but he and Marny were in Jackal territory. Tam stayed alert, listening for the crazed, cackling laugh that was the gangs’ signal to attack. Things stayed quiet, though, all the way to his place. The smoke-drifters down the block were holed up in their dilapidated building, no doubt dreaming weird, disjointed dreams filled with otherworldly creatures.
“Watch the steps,” Tam said, pulling out his keys.
“Right.” Her voice subdued, Marny stayed behind him.
Their footsteps creaked on the stairs, and he glimpsed a shadow behind the wire-webbed windows. Breath catching in his throat, he unlocked the multiple deadbolts and pushed the door open. It was quiet inside. Too quiet. He held up his palm, signaling Marny to wait.
One step inside. Another. The back of his neck prickled and Tam wished he had his sword.
“Hiiiyyaaa!” a voice screeched.
A figure launched itself from the top of the bookshelf, right at Tam. He caught a glimpse of gleaming eyes in a wizened face, sharp teeth bared, before the changeling landed on him like some kind of rabid animal.
“Hey!” Tam cried. “Get off.”
Heart thumping double-time, he tried to shake the creature loose, but it clung to his shoulders with sharp-clawed hands, pulling at his hair.
“Gotcha!” the changeling said, screeching with laughter.
That laughter ended in a squawk as Marny swiped the creature off Tam. It hit the floor and glared up at both of them.
“Nice,” Marny said, her tone dry.
“What is this?” the changeling hissed. “Another human to see me? Sheer folly.”
Tam turned and shut the door, snicking the locks home. “What was that about, jumping on me?”
He resisted
the urge to kick the changeling. Someone, somewhere, was keeping track, and he didn’t want to put the Bug in danger. Though he didn’t mind the force Marny had used to dislodge the thing.
“Tee-hee. ’Twas all a bit of fun. Surprised you, did I?” The changeling grinned up at him and leaped to its feet. “Now feed me.”
“Quite a houseguest you have there,” Marny said. “As annoying as your little brother is, I prefer the Bug to this.”
“What you think matters little to me,” the changeling said.
Marny rolled her eyes at Tam and followed him into the kitchen. He flipped the electric kettle on to boil, then rummaged around in the cupboards. Not much to eat, beyond dried noodle packets and a couple of protein bars.
“Here,” he said, flipping a bar through the air to the changeling.
The creature caught it and held it up to the light. “What is this item?”
“Food,” Tam said, then shook his head as the changeling bit into the wrapped protein bar.
“Feh.” The creature spit on the floor. “Mortal sustenance used to taste much better.”
“You don’t eat the wrapper,” Marny said. “Peel it, like this.”
She grabbed a bar from Tam and tore off the shiny plastic wrapping. The changeling watched her, then stripped off the wrapper and popped the whole bar into his mouth.
“Still tasteless,” he said, wrinkling his already-wrinkled face into a sour expression.
“At least we agree on that,” Marny said, handing her unwrapped bar to Tam.
“What?” he said. “You don’t like synthesized nut-flavored protein bars?”
She curled her mouth. “I prefer my uncle Zeg’s cookies.”
“Me too, but I don’t have any of those lying around. Tea?”
“Yeah—mint if you’ve got it.”
Tam pulled out two mugs, then ate the protein bar, trying to ignore the dry non-flavor.
“So,” Marny said to the changeling, “what’s your name?”
“Are you trying to trick me, mortal?” His gleaming eyes narrowed.
Her eyebrows rose. “As in…?”
