Night of the Dark Horse (An Allegra Fairweather Mystery)

by Janni Nell

  In Fairyland there were no long twilights so I didn’t have long to wait until full dark. Of course, there was the tiny problem of the moon, but even at its full, the blue light was subtle. I took the added precaution of waiting until the lights within the palace started to go out. Then I hid my backpack near the bank of the moat, stripped off my cloak and shoes, and tucked the hem of my floaty dress into my underwear. The weather was always balmy in Fairyland and the water of the moat was equally pleasant.

  I breast stroked slowly across the moat, careful not to splash and attract attention. At last I scrambled up the bank. Pulling the hem of my dress out of my underwear, I let it fall wetly around my legs. It dried fast and was hardly damp at all by the time I’d crossed the grass and reached the nearest door into the palace.

  The door opened into a kind of storage room. Amongst the boxes and barrels, were racks of cloaks and uniforms bearing the Levara crest. Talk about getting lucky. If I didn’t know better I’d think I had a guardian angel looking out for me. Although Casper was in no condition to look after anyone but himself. Unless...surely he hadn’t found the River of Dreams already.

  “Casper, are you there?” I hardly expected an answer, so I wasn’t disappointed when my words echoed hollowly off the walls.

  Okay, time to grab a disguise. Ignoring the servants’ uniforms—didn’t want anyone asking why I wasn’t cleaning or anything—I put a cloak on over my dress. I left the storage room, which opened onto a corridor, and walked along, head bowed, hoping I wouldn’t meet anyone.

  Although I’d taken the precaution of covering my hair with the hood, there was little I could do about my humanness, which a fairy would sense if I got too close.

  When I reached a staircase—the kind of narrow backstairs servants would use—I went up. The royal apartments were bound to be above ground level. As I progressed down another corridor, I listened at closed doors hoping for a clue to the occupants. From one came the low murmur of male voices—plotting a coup? From behind another closed door, came the sound of slaps, skin against skin—fifty shades of Fae? At the third door I heard humming, soft and feminine. I couldn’t hear any voices speaking within so I figured the occupant was alone. I went in. Quickly. Locking the door behind me.

  A female Fae sat at a bureau. She turned to me, open mouthed, a silver brush in her hand, blond hair cascading to her waist. Her discarded dress had been tossed onto a chair, and she wore a satin nightie that would’ve been right at home in a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. Her gold sandals had been kicked off and lay on the white rug. If I wasn’t mistaken, those shoes were Padraig’s work.

  “Princess Perfecta?”

  “You are not Fae.” Her pretty cheeks flushed as her mouth opened in a scream. I rushed across the room. She threw her brush at me. I deflected it and caught hold of her, covering her mouth with my hand.

  “Do not even think about biting me,” I said in formal Fae. I jammed my other arm against her throat. She wriggled, but I was bigger and stronger. The Fae aren’t great at hand-to-hand combat. Not even with magic. Unless they have time to create a barrier or ward. Princess Perfecta’d had no time to protect herself. Too bad.

  “I do not want to hurt you,” I said. “All I want is information about Sharina Levara.”

  When there was no reaction, I said, “I am not going to uncover your mouth. You will have to answer by nodding or shaking your head.” Still no response. I tightened my grip on her throat. “Do you know why Sharina Levara was banished?”

  She shook her head.

  I said, “You know nothing? I do not believe you. She was a member of the royal family. And banishment is not very common.”

  Princess Perfecta shrugged and tried to speak. This was getting me nowhere.

  “Very well, I will remove my hand,” I said, making sure to keep my other arm pressed against her throat. “Scream and I will hurt you.”

  She was smart enough not to scream. In a bored voice, she said, “We do not waste our time becoming acquainted with minor members of the royal family.”

  Was she telling the truth? I could just about believe she hadn’t known Sharina personally, but... “You must’ve heard of her. She was a murderer.”

  Her silvery eyebrows rose in two perfect arches. “As far as I recall, and my memory is excellent, no member of the Levara family has ever been accused of murder, let alone convicted.”

  “Sharina was banished from Fairyland,” I said. “I want to know why.”

  “And I want to shag Prince Lightwing, dear one.” She made the endearment sound like an insult. “But it is not going to happen. He is in love with Prince Farrin.”

  There was a noise outside the door. Oh crap, I thought, right before the door burst open and four silver-uniformed guards rushed in. They grabbed my arms and hauled me off Princess Perfecta, who got to her feet wearing a self-satisfied smile.

  “Humans are so stupid,” she said. “Did you really think I would not summon the guards?” Telepathy was a bitch.

  The guards closed around and marched me out of the princess’ room. We proceeded down the corridor that led to the stairs. One of the guards was in front of me, one behind, one to my left and another to my right.

  Left Guard said, “Indeed, I hope our prisoner likes cold, damp places.”

  What? He didn’t know I understood Fae? Maybe he did know and was trying to scare me. Bring it on, tough guy.

  Right Guard chuckled and shot a glance at Leftie. “I hope she likes the smell of piss.”

  “And maggoty food.”

  “Indeed, dear ones,” said Front Guard, “but she will only reside in the dungeon for the hours of darkness. At first light she will be taken to the border.”

  It was no less than I’d expected.

  As we approached the servants’ stairs at the end of the corridor, Leftie wondered, “How did she get past the border?”

  “Have you not heard?” said Rightie. “There is a gaping hole. Even now, workers are beginning the task of repairing it. The border will be completely sealed after the prisoner is expelled.”

  “Why did she enter our world?” asked Front Guard to no one in particular.

  Rightie shrugged. “Why do humans do anything?”

  “A dare?” suggested Leftie. “She seemed intent on stealing Princess Perfecta’s silver brush. Perhaps to show her human friends as proof she infiltrated the palace.”

  Interesting that although Princess Perfecta had telepathically summoned the guards, she hadn’t told them I wanted information. I guessed that Fae telepathy only went as far as notifying the guards she was in danger.

  Leftie shot me a glance. “It is lucky for the prisoner that she will not be charged with stealing under Fae Law, or she might spend much longer in the dungeon.”

  Well, sorry to spoil the party, tough guys, but I don’t intend spending any time in the dungeon. And I certainly didn’t intend to be expelled from Fairyland before I’d gotten the information I came for, or made sure Casper got out with me.

  We reached the stairs and started down. I waited until we were halfway to the bottom before I “tripped,” falling and taking all four guards with me. It hurt like hell, but it worked. Ignoring the pain of a hundred bruises, I left the guards struggling to disentangle themselves, jumped to my feet and dashed to the storeroom. The grass outside was cool beneath my bare feet. I did a running jump into the moat and started to swim, no longer caring how much I splashed. I had reached the other side before the guards entered the water and came after me.

  Trouble was, they were really fast swimmers. I barely had time to pull on my shoes before they were scrambling up the side of the moat. I grabbed my backpack and took off into the warren of streets near the palace. I didn’t know where I was going, but I went there fast, twisting and turning, remaining just out of reach of the guards. They ran as fast as they swam. It was only a matter of time before they caught me. I was wondering how difficult it was to escape from a fairy dungeon when I rounded a corner and bumped into s
omeone. He grabbed my arm, yanking me down the narrowest of lanes, through a doorway, across a courtyard and into the kitchen of a private house. He shoved me into the pantry and said, “Be quiet.” In English.

  It was quite dark in the pantry meaning my other senses were heightened. The room was filled with delicious aromas that were even more tantalizing to someone whose current diet consisted of energy bars and water. Too bad fairy food was poisonous to humans. I found myself wishing it wasn’t so. My hand strayed to the pebble in my pocket. Lovely smooth round pebble that could fill my stomach with wonderful food if only I’d speak the wish.

  What was I thinking? I yanked my hand from my pocket and the temptation of wasting my last wish.

  Outside the pantry everything went quiet for about a minute then someone started hammering on a nearby door. I heard footsteps and voices speaking too low for me to understand. More footsteps walked right past the pantry. My rescuer? A guard? I held my breath, expecting the pantry door to be yanked open at any second. I froze, unwilling to move a muscle and give my presence away. At last the footsteps retreated. I quietly exhaled.

  There was movement outside the pantry and the door opened. The sudden brightness made me squint. “The guards are gone,” my rescuer said.

  “Thank you for not giving me away,” I said in formal Fae. “It was lucky they did not search the house.”

  “They would never do that. They would find it inconceivable that a Fae would hide a human.”

  “Grateful thanks. I owe you much.” Then, totally looking a gift horse in the mouth, I asked, “Why did you hide me?”

  “Do you not recognize me, dear one?”

  I took a closer look at this tall and quite splendid member of the male Fae population. Nope, I didn’t remember meeting him and I would have, believe me.

  Noticing my confusion, he said, “Dingaleen, dear one. We met in a garden beside a wishing well.”

  “You are the fairy at the bottom of the garden?” Once again I ran my eyes over his body paying particular attention to the slim but muscular chest. He’d give Casper a run for his money in a wet T-shirt contest “Fairyland has done wonders for you.”

  His smile was serene. “I owe you a great deal, dear one, for reminding me it was time to return home.”

  “I was happy to help.” Then, “How did you know I was here? How did you know I was in trouble?”

  “I saw the guards chasing you. But we do not have time for this now. We must get you out of the city.” He insisted I change my dress and cloak for one of his own outfits. “You are tall enough to pass as a male, so long as your face is hidden.” When I was dressed in the long, loose shirt and trousers, he added a gray cloak and pulled the hood low over my face. “Keep your head down and do not speak until we reach the countryside.”

  Our journey through the city streets took longer than it should have. More than once we had to change direction to avoid the patrols, which were searching for me. Luckily my Fae companion had an instinct for when they would appear. Without him I’d have ended up back in the dungeon.

  When we reached open country, he led me away from the road into a grove of trees.

  “Now,” he said, seating himself on a fallen log. “Why have you come to the Land of the Fae?

  “It is a long story.”

  “I have all day to listen.”

  As succinctly as possible I told him about the pooka, the fairy grave in the wood, and my encounter with Princess Perfecta.

  His eyebrows shot upward. “You actually broke into the palace and attempted to question Princess Perfecta?”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  “I applaud your courage, dear one, but you are aiming too high.”

  “Can you tell me why Sharina Levara was banished?”

  His smooth brow crinkled. “I have heard nothing of this banishment.”

  “Seriously? Not even a rumor?”

  “Is this a recent event?”

  “I do not know. The grave is new, but the banishment may have occurred long ago.”

  “Perhaps at a time when I was not resident in the Land of the Fae. Have you forgotten where you found me? I had been in that garden for ten of your human years.”

  “Would there be public records of a banishment? You could look it up for me.”

  He shook his head. “Banishments are not proclaimed far and wide. They are shameful things. No family, not even the most humble, would want their shame known. The royal family has the power and money to conceal such information.”

  “Looks as though I am back to—” I wasn’t sure how to translate “square one” but my companion understood.

  “This is not so. I owe you a great debt of gratitude. Without your—forgive me—nosiness I would have died in the garden. I will help you to discover why Sharina Levara was banished. But if you ever speak of my involvement I will hunt you down and kill you.”

  “Apparently we have a few rogue genes in common.”

  The fairy smiled and didn’t deny it. “I know someone,” he said. “A midwife. For many years she delivered all the royal babies. She followed their lives, even the most minor of them. She will remember Sharina. She will know what happened.”

  “Does she live around here?”

  “She has retired and lives far from the city. It would be quickest to fly, but of course, humans cannot. Do you ride?”

  “I have been on a horse,” I said, thinking of my encounter with the pooka and hoping this wasn’t going to be a repeat performance.

  “But you are not a horsewoman,” he guessed correctly. “Do not worry, dear one, you do not need skill to ride unicorns.” He whistled softly. I heard the thump of cantering hoofs.

  The unicorns were pure white with a silver horn in the center of each forehead. Long manes rippled as though caught in a perpetual breeze. Their eyes, which were blue as a Hawaiian sky, regarded me with the kindness of a devoted granny. Unlike the Fae, they didn’t seem to mind that a human being had entered Fairyland. One even knelt so I could scramble onto its back. I’d have felt more comfortable in a saddle, but my companion assured me they never threw their riders, which was a refreshing change.

  “If we are going to work together,” I said to my companion, “I should probably know your name.”

  “It will be safer for both of us if you do not.”

  I decided to call him FAB, at least to myself, which was short—alright, very short—for fairy at the bottom of the garden.

  The unicorns galloped like the wind. Actually, I think they galloped on the wind. The sensation of riding them was a bit like flying Air Casper. Except the unicorns stayed much closer to the ground. We travelled over impossibly green fields beneath a cloudless sky until we reached a cute cottage with red brick walls and creamy shutters. Nearby a doe and her baby watched us dismount. The baby even trotted over to be petted, blinking at me with wide brown eyes before trotting away with his mom.

  “Come on,” said FAB, leading me down a path lined with huge sunflowers. They didn’t burst into song, but I think one of them winked at me.

  The cottage door opened to reveal a very ancient fairy. Not that she was as wrinkled and stooped as the Fae became in the human world, but her eyes were tired as though she had seen too much even in Fairyland.

  She glared at FAB. “Why have you brought a human here?”

  “There is a debt to be repaid,” FAB answered.

  “I am indebted to this girl?” She perused me with suspicious eyes.

  “Not you, Aunt. Me.”

  Had I understood correctly? This woman was his aunt? Well, it made sense. FAB wouldn’t have brought me here unless a) his aunt could help, b) he was pretty sure she wouldn’t gossip about my visit.

  She folded her arms and scowled. “I suppose you must come in.”

  “Thank you, dear Aunt.”

  “This way,” she said leading us through a dwelling that was totally at odds with the cozy-cottage exterior. Inside was an ultra-modern space of mansion p
roportions. She took us to her enormous back patio, which overlooked a glass-smooth lake. For a long time all I could do was stare at the rainbows spanning and reflecting in the water.

  FAB whispered, “Close your mouth and sit down, dear one.” As I settled into a seriously comfortable chair, FAB’s aunt, who refused to give her name, produced a tray of drinks including a frothy, yellowy piña colada. I longed to check whether it tasted as delicious as it looked, but of course I couldn’t. Didn’t she know a Fae drink would poison me?

  When I declined the drink, the aunt put her tray of refreshments onto a table as though to taunt me.

  FAB said, “Dear Aunt, Allegra is searching for a fairy named Sharina Levara.”

  His aunt’s hands clenched, but her serene expression didn’t change. “I do not know anyone by that name.”

  “You must,” I protested. “She was a member of the royal family. You were their midwife.”

  Her eyes glittered with venom. “Are you accusing me of speaking untrue?”

  FAB intervened. “Of course she is not, dear Aunt. Allegra means no offense. She is human and therefore impatient. She does not understand that you need time to think and consider your answer.” He shot me a warning glance. We waited for his aunt to reply. When she didn’t, FAB said, “Your answer means a great deal to me. My honor and the repayment of my debt to Allegra are at stake.”

  The Aunt studied her perfectly-manicured-but-never-visited-a-day-spa-in-her-life hands. Finally she said, “Sharina was a nice girl. Loving and devoted. Two very admirable qualities that, ironically, led to her tragedy.”

  She paused, for so long I couldn’t resist prompting, “And?”