The four of them hugged.
“We’re with you till the very end,” Shadow said.
“I love you,” Wraith said. “All of you.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dante sighed. “So, is he dead?”
Faolan shook his head. “I don’t think so. The tracking spell didn’t fail right away. It started, then hit a wall. I think he crossed into the Tír.”
Dante looked at a TV displaying the latest breaking news, then to the door leading to the underground room. “We’ll deal with him later; we have more pressing issues just now.”
“Yes, you do,” Caitlin said.
Dante and Faolan turned to look at her.
“We need to talk,” Caitlin said to Dante, then turned to Faolan. “Could you give us a minute?”
Faolan looked to Dante, who nodded.
“I’ll go check in on the Fian and Elaine,” Faolan said, bowing to Caitlin before leaving to join the two women at the bar.
Dante looked to the TV, to the continuing snippets of videos that witnesses were sending to the news stations. The videos were all short. Most of the devices had been destroyed, and only fragments of video could be recovered. Thankfully, those that had been were jumpy and of poor quality—but every time he saw an elf, goblin, satyr, or other fae appearing without glamour, Dante felt it like a physical blow.
“What happens now?” Caitlin asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Dante turned to her. “I’m sorry, what?”
Caitlin looked at him, her look one of hardened determination. It was the same look he’d seen when she’d decided to go into Tír na nÓg and rescue Fiona.
“I asked what happens now.”
Dante shook his head. “Honestly, I have no idea.” He looked at the marshals around the room, then up at the stairs that led to the room full of changeling and wizard children.
“I’ve never seen you like this,” Caitlin said, stroking his arm.
Dante put his hand over hers. “It’s never been like this. We’ve never really had to hide; the glamour did most of the work.” He looked at the TV again where they’d frozen a video that clearly showed the glowing eyes of a dryad running in a panic. “Now there’s Twitter and YouTube, and phones capable of recording HD video in every pocket.”
Caitlin followed his gaze. “You know, generally speaking, mortals don’t like our views of the world challenged. We’ll do some pretty remarkable things to keep that worldview intact. I see it in the hospital all the time. As a species, we have a remarkable gift for denial and self-delusion.”
“The world might not have a choice anymore,” Wraith said from the doorway.
Dante and Caitlin both turned.
Then Dante blinked, his mouth fell open, and time stopped.
Wraith stood just in front of three kids. One was a small, mousy girl, probably a tinker kobold, or gremlin, changeling. She had one arm and hand entwined with a tall, thin boy who was just as clearly a coblynau, a Welsh mountain fae, changeling. The third was a Native American girl who could only be Ciye’s daughter, his dead daughter. Despite all this, it was Wraith who made Dante’s blood run cold. Her eyes had a burning blue fire behind them, and the mathematical equations on her hands, arms, and neck could no longer be confused for tattoos. They pulsed with blue light just under the surface, and there were more of them. He could feel the magic coursing through and around her. If Edward and other mortal wizards were like candles, she was a supermassive star. No, she wasn’t a Taleth-Sidhe. She had the power of one, but she wasn’t born to handle it.
“That power is going to destroy you,” he said too quiet for anyone to hear.
The room was silent, and everyone was staring at Wraith. Looking from one face to another, she was inundated with all the details their quantum information held: how long they’d lived, what they’d seen, who they’d loved, everything that made them, well, them. It was staggering, and she was fighting to keep from passing out. Her brain couldn’t process all the information. Even the number of particles was beyond the scope of most to grasp. She could see the position, direction, and speed—in flagrant opposition to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle—of each one and how it translated into history and personality.
She gritted her teeth, pushing aside the flood of information that threatened to drown her. It was like having the entire population of a million earths screaming at her at the same time.
Wraith drew long, slow breaths, wrestling back the power and flow of information. “I don’t have much time,” she said between breaths, “but—”
“Your father thinks you’re dead,” Dante said to Shadow.
Wraith turned to look at her friend, who winced.
“I am,” Shadow said after a long moment.
“There isn’t time to explain it,” Wraith said. “And I’m not sure I could put it in terms you’d understand.”
“What did you mean when you said the world might not have a choice?” asked Caitlin.
Wraith looked at her and in a moment knew her. Her life, so much shorter than the elf’s, was still overwhelming, but Wraith could see pieces. There was loss, the kind Wraith knew all too well, and something deeper—
“Are you okay?” Caitlin asked.
Wraith shook her head and looked away. “No, I’m not, but there isn’t time for that either.” She looked back to the room, trying not to focus on anyone. “What I meant was that when the streets of every city are filled with kids who can throw fire, teleport, change shape, or any number of other things, it’s hard to deny or delude away.”
“Touché,” Dante said. “But you forgot about the fae that don’t have a glamour anymore.”
Wraith narrowed her eyes and looked from Dante to the other elves, including a blonde named Elaine. Only she and Dante were missing the equation all the others had, a slender lie that wove through their information. That’s when Wraith remembered the market, and realized she stripped away their glamour and probably countless others’ as well.
She drew a breath, intending to focus on building the equation to restore the glamour—and it was already done for every single fae affected, everywhere, before her breath was complete.
Dante shivered, looked around then back at Wraith.
Several hands moved to guns.
Wraith clenched her hands into fists, biting back her impatience. “You shouldn’t bother,” she said to the room. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. I could remove you all from existence before you even finished the thought to shoot me.”
“Actually,” Dante said. “I do know what you’re capable of. And I think I know what they did to you.”
Wraith glared at him. “You think you know what the Order did to me?” She motioned to her friends. “To them and countless others?”
“No,” Dante said. “I can’t even begin to understand what you all must have been put through. But I know the Theurgic Order did those gruesome things hoping to make you into a—”
“A Taleth-Sidhe?” Wraith shook her head. “Even they don’t know how well they succeeded. I may not be a true Taleth-Sidhe, but I won’t be the twisted abomination they hoped for either.”
There was an exchange of nervous and skeptical looks
Wraith fought back more tears. “I’m not going to hurt anyone,” she said, her heart breaking at the fear she saw in everyone’s eyes.
“Um,” SK said in a whisper. “Isn’t that kind of exactly what we plan to do?”
“Halt dein Mund, Dummkopfe,” Fritz said in a hard whisper, followed by a smack to the back of SK’s head.
“Not anyone here,” Wraith said. She focused on Siobhan, who was just outside Wraith’s peripheral vision, lifting her shotgun casually. Wraith sighed and reached out into the room, twisting the relevant information. A large collection of bullets and shells of every size appeared in thin a
ir and fell to the floor ten feet away from her.
“There, now you can put the guns away,” Wraith said. “They’re all empty.”
“Um, did I miss something?” A bespectacled man asked as he descended the stairs and looked around. When he saw Wraith, he stopped and his eyes went wide.
Wraith looked away as Edward’s information—she knew him now from that information—threatened to overwhelm her.
“You’re going after them,” Dante said.
Wraith didn’t look at him. “You bet I am. It’s time for the monster to return to its creator.”
“Do you know where they are?” Dante asked.
“No,” Wraith admitted. “But I won’t find them standing here.” She looked at Caitlin. “I just wanted to make sure Sprout and Con are going to be okay.”
“The boy, Con, has a broken arm,” Caitlin said.
Edward nodded. “I was able to set it. Sprout and he were both banged up, but nothing serious.” He smiled at Wraith, a genuine smile filled with genuine kindness. “They’ll be okay.”
Wraith turned to Dante. “You’ll look after them, right?”
“I will,” Dante said.
“Thank you,” Wraith whispered.
“Actually, there is something else,” Edward said. “Sprout had something in her hand. She dropped it when she fell asleep.”
Wraith had been intentionally keeping her distance from everyone, so when Edward took a step forward, she took one back.
“Sorry,” he said and held out his hand. “I know it’s magic, but I don’t know how.”
Wraith’s eyes went wide, and before she was aware she was doing it, the battered quarter had vanished from Edward’s hand and appeared in her own. She smiled fiercely when she saw the equations crisscrossing the quarter’s surface like streets in a miniature city.
“Thank you,” she said to Edward, who was staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.
“Um, sure,” he said. “Say, how did—”
“Not now, Eddy,” Caitlin said.
Wraith turned to her friends, all of whom were smiling.
“Awesome, let’s go kick some ass,” SK said.
“I’d like to come with you,” Dante said. “If you’ll permit it.”
“Regent, no!” Faolan said.
“Aye, and me as well,” Siobhan said.
“Not without me,” Elaine said.
“I appreciate the gesture,” Wraith said. “But—”
“May I explain why?” Dante said, his tone polite but firm.
Wraith was about to say there was no point, but something in his tone kept her silent and made her nod.
“Thank you,” Dante said and bowed slightly. “For too long the court has ignored those who most need our help and protection.” He looked to Faolan. “One may even have actively helped those who would use the lost and forgotten for truly vile purposes.” He turned back to Wraith. “I want to set things right, or at least try.”
“I—” Wraith started to say.
Dante went to one knee and bowed his head. Every elf, with the exception of Elaine, did the same. “On behalf of the Rogue Court of the fae and the Cruinnigh of the five houses, I offer our humblest and most sincere apologies,” he said. “Give me the chance to restore the honor of my court.”
Wraith was struck speechless. Who were these people? No one was like this! She turned to her friends.
“Say yes,” SK said in a loud whisper. “They have lots of guns.”
“You’ll need to let them have the bullets back,” Shadow said through a smile.
“Can we trust them?” Wraith asked in a whisper.
“By my name, I swear it,” Dante said.
Wraith turned and studied Dante for a long time. The story that was written onto his quanta began flooding into her again. She struggled to push it aside, fighting through the memories that ran through her mind like a runaway train. He was sincere, she knew that much.
She closed her eyes, fighting back the information overload and spoke with effort. “Thank you, Regent Shaleez-Naran.”
Dante’s head snapped up and he looked at her with wide eyes. “How . . . ?”
Everyone in the room, including Edward and Caitlin, stared in shock.
The flow stopped and Wraith’s mind was back to the here and now. She drew in a deep breath and shook her head, realizing she’d just used his true name, pulled from the torrent of information. “I’m sorry. There’s just so much, too much.” She tapped at her forehead. “Things are getting jumbled in here. It’s hard for me to know what’s now, and what was. Or even what’s mine.”
Dante rose, as did the other elves. “I, um, understand.” He glanced around the room, his gaze lingering on Edward and Caitlin.
“You should let me go in your stead,” Faolan said to Dante.
“No,” Dante said, turning to Faolan. “I need you to stay here and try to sort this mess out.” Dante glanced at Caitlin, and Edward then continued in a whisper. “And keep them safe. I’ve worked too hard to ensure they have a normal mortal life.”
“If you leave it to me,” Faolan said. “I’m going to evacuate as many as I can to other cities. Staying here isn’t the smart choice.”
“I defer to your judgment, Magister,” Dante said. “Just be sure to let me know where to find you.”
“Aye, and what about us, then?” Siobhan said.
Wraith looked at Shadow, unsure.
“When the cause is just,” Shadow said, “the just will flock to the cause.”
“And, just cause,” SK said.
Fritz rolled her eyes. “Meine Liebe, you really need to learn when to stop talking.”
Wraith turned back to the room, briefly glancing down at the quarter. “Okay—” She opened her hand and looked at the quarter again. She looked at Edward. “Did you say Sprout was holding this?”
Edward nodded.
Why did Sprout have a coin? Wraith wondered. It was possible the little girl had picked it up as a keepsake, but that just didn’t seem right. Then she smiled and squeezed the quarter tight.
“They gave it to her,” Wraith said.
Her friends exchanged a glance, clearly not following.
“That’s why Geek and Ovation charged the snatchers! They each took one of the other coins, knowing if they got taken that I could find them!” She turned to Dante. “I want to see her before we go.”
Chapter Thirty
When Wraith stepped into the room with SK, Fritz, and Shadow in tow, the fifties looked up at them and went silent. No one moved for a long second. Then the whispers began; first one, then more. Some of the kids pointed at Shadow and her friends, muttering something about them being the ones who rescued them.
Wraith ignored them, her eyes locked on Con and Sprout. Con was sleeping on a couch, sitting up with one arm in a pale greenish cast, not quite fiberglass but similar. Sprout was curled up next to him, nuzzled close. Wraith walked over to them.
Everyone moved as far away from her as they could.
Wraith knelt down and gently brushed Sprout’s hair from her face. “I’ll get them back, I promise.”
No one said anything.
She looked at Con and smiled. “That was really smart, dividing the coins up,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. She leaned forward and kissed Con’s cheek, then Sprout’s forehead. “Thank you for taking me in, for being so kind to me. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this. I know it’s my fault. But I’ll make it right. I’ll use the coins to find Geek and Ovation, and I’ll make the Order pay for what they did”—she glanced around the room at the scared kids, then to her friends—“to all of us.”
“We’ll make sure they’re safe,” Caitlin said. “You get your friends back.”
Wraith smiled and nodded at Caitlin. Then she l
ooked at Dante. “It’s time to go.”
Everyone nodded.
Wraith turned back, knelt down, and softly kissed Sprout’s forehead again.
“I’ll be back,” Wraith said.
A tear broke loose when Sprout made a soft sound of contentment and smiled. Wraith stood, wiped her eyes, then turned around and led the way back downstairs.
The pile of ammunition was collected, and now four marshals stood ready, as did Elaine and Siobhan. Wraith noticed in the corner of her eye how Edward went to Caitlin, who was carrying a little girl that could only be her daughter, and pulled them close. Wraith felt a twinge of envy at the little girl, being in a place surrounded by love. But it was quickly replaced by a comforting feeling. There was still love, kindness, and caring in the world. All was not darkness and pain.
“So, what’s the plan, Stretch?” Shadow asked.
Wraith opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She hadn’t realized until that moment that she didn’t have a plan, or anything even resembling one. She just shrugged.
“I sort of figured we were going to free the kids and put down those robed bastards,” SK said.
Wraith exchanged glances with Shadow, who shrugged.
“I guess that’s our plan,” Wraith said.
Wraith noticed the uncertain looks the elves and Siobhan gave Dante. “You can change your mind,” she said to him. “You’ve made up for—”
“With all due respect,” Dante said. “I haven’t.” He turned to his cadre. “None of you have to come.”
Siobhan answered by racking a shell into her shotgun.
Elaine rolled her eyes. “You’ve been watching too many movies.”
The marshals just stood at attention.
Dante turned back to Wraith and gave a slight bow. “You lead the way.”
Wraith nodded. “Step close, you don’t want to be caught on the edges of the striding.” She wasn’t sure, but she thought Dante shuddered a little.
When the group had gathered close, Wraith ran her thumb over the quarter, following the entangled threads of information to the dime. She felt it instantly, a comforting weight on the end of a long strand of information. She drew in a breath, letting the power build inside her. It rose, slow and deliberate, easy to manage. Unable to resist, she clicked the heels of her glittering ruby red Doc Martens three times, and the world spun around them.
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