Pixie-Led (Book 2 in the Twilight Court Series)

by Amy Sumida

  “It's not so bad,” Chad said.

  “It is,” I disagreed. “Cailleach isn't here. That's bad.”

  “But he is,” Tiernan waved to the human man who sat calmly at Cailleach's kitchen table. He was drinking a cup of coffee and patiently waiting for us to work out our issues.

  He had introduced himself as Mr. Wayne Anderson, a representative of ACF, the Alaska Conservation Foundation. He went on to inform us that he was there under the impression that he was meeting with a representative of Gentry Technologies; my father's company. Miss Callie Bower (we assumed he meant Cailleach Bheur) had set the meeting up for him. She had given him a box which he was supposed to hold onto until we agreed to help his foundation.

  “I just don't get it,” I frowned at Mr. Anderson.

  “Cailleach... I mean Callie,” Chad corrected. “Is magic-” he stopped and glanced at Mr. Anderson before correcting himself once more. “Is very connected to wildlife. Birds, fish, wolves, boars, trees, and especially bodies of water. It makes sense that she would want to help a conservation group protect all of those things.”

  “Sure, I'm all for saving the environment,” I was still staring at Mr. Anderson and I think he was starting to feel uncomfortable. “But why is she doing this?”

  “She must have left a clue to her next location in the box,” Tiernan stated the obvious. “And she figured she could get something out of you and have a little fun.”

  “But why is she giving us these clues to begin with?” I frowned. “It doesn't make any sense.”

  “Perhaps she was taken against her will?” Chad offered.

  “And met with this guy during her abduction?” I looked over at Chad, “to leave us a clue?”

  “Hmm, perhaps not,” Chad conceded.

  “She's a hag,” Tiernan shrugged. “Who knows why they do the things they do?”

  “Now, I really must protest the insult you're offering Ms. Bower,” Mr. Anderson stood up and put his coffee down. “She is a lovely young woman and could in no way be considered a hag.”

  “A lovely young woman?” I lifted my brows at Tiernan.

  “She can shapeshift into a maiden form,” he whispered to me.

  “Ah, alright then, Mr. Anderson,” I intoned like Mr. Smith of the Matrix... but no one got the reference. “Sit down please and tell me exactly what you're after.”

  “Well, Ms.?” He sat and settled himself.

  “Sloane,” I said automatically. I couldn't exactly tell this guy I was Princess Seren Firethorn of the Twilight Court. He'd think I was a lunatic. “My father owns Gentry Tech.”

  “Ms. Sloane,” the man nodded. “Callie wanted me to show you these reports, to illuminate you on what is transpiring in Bristol Bay.”

  “Bristol Bay?” I lifted a brow.

  “Bristol Bay is a habitat to the largest remaining salmon population on earth,” Chad went serious and took a seat at the table. “I've heard about the proposed mine. Is that what this is about?”

  “Yes,” the man leaned forward. “The Pebble Mine would gouge a crater two miles wide and over two-thousand feet deep in the land near Bristol Bay but that isn't the worst of it. In order to run the mine, they'd need to divert water from nearby streams and rivers to their facility. On top of that, there would be billions of tons of mine waste which would be dumped into man made lakes, created by flooding ten acres of land behind six-hundred feet high dams. Chemicals, including sulfur, would be dumped into these lakes... which are in an active earthquake zone. Can you imagine the damage this could do to the ecosystem? One big quake and all of that would leak into the surrounding areas.”

  “That's awful,” I whispered.

  “It could be catastrophic since it's not just the fish who would be affected,” Mr. Anderson's eyes went bright with his passion for the cause. “The whole area depends upon the salmon. The native tribes need the fish to make a living while the native bears need the fish to just plain live. Then there's the Mulchatna Caribou herd... over 120,000 animals, which roams there. Wolves, moose, waterfowl, and raptors depend on the health of the region. We can't let them mine there.” He slammed his hand onto the table, sloshing the coffee in his cup, and then took a deep breath and calmed himself. “My coalition provides funds for scientific research, public outreach, and legal support.”

  “You want money?” Tiernan looked surprised.

  “No, he wants research,” I said with sudden understanding.

  “Yes,” Mr. Anderson sighed. “Gentry Technologies has one of the best labs in the country but all of their research is in-house. They refuse to work with us or anyone else for that matter. I thought that if I could show you how important this research was, how many lives it could save, then perhaps you'd reconsider.”

  “How much research are we talking about?” I asked as I thought of the multiple labs in Gentry. I didn't have the authority to offer this man anything but I knew a guy who did and he happened to want me to be happy. I was pretty sure I could get Keir to sign off on this.

  “Well, that's up for discussion,” the man's eyes went wide and hopeful. “I have a contract here for two studies we need done. If you would agree to these first, perhaps you'll see what kind of a difference you can make and keep helping us.”

  “You got a pen?” I asked and the man began to cry. “Whoa, easy now,” I held out a hand to him.

  “I'm so sorry!” He swiped at his eyes. “This is very personal for me. I'm from Naknet and I'm married to a Yup'ik Eskimo. Saving Bristol Bay means saving our community and my family. So thank you, Ms. Sloane. Thank you very much,” he handed me a pen and a small wood box.

  “You're welcome,” I looked over the contract and then signed. “I'll need a copy of that for my father.”

  “Of course,” Mr. Anderson pulled a copy of the contract out of a briefcase by his feet. “Here it is. Thank you again. My people will be in touch. I'll leave you to your prize,” he nodded to the box and then gathered up his things. Briefcase in one hand and coffee cup in the other, Mr. Anderson hummed his way out of the hag's home.

  “I believe that was the right decision,” Chad said gravely.

  “Open the box, Seren,” Tiernan, who had been guarding the door the entire time, came over to the table and took a seat.

  The box looked like a piece of seamless wood with a little brass plate on the top.

  “How exactly do I do that?” I asked.

  “Touch the metal,” Chad pointed to the brass.

  “Alright,” I shrugged and touched the cool plate.

  The lid popped open silently. Inside the box, I found a postcard with a picture of a beach on it. The sun was setting over shimmering water and a palm tree bent into view at one edge. The words; Aloha from Hawaii, spread across the scene. I turned it over and read; Who's your daddy?

  “Be careful what you wish for,” I muttered.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Ewan Sloane is an Extinguisher,” Tiernan said as we hastened back to the fairy mound. “He'll be fine.”

  “I don't believe it's Cailleach's intention to harm Mr. Sloane,” Chad was navigating the wet streets carefully and the slow pace was driving me a little insane.

  “We can't know that for sure,” I growled. “My dad may be in danger and I need to get to him as quickly as possible.”

  “Dad?” Chad glanced at me in the rearview mirror of his Lexus. I was sitting in the back because I was just too damn fidgety for the front at the moment.

  “Princess Seren was raised by a human who she believed to be her father, up until quite recently, when the truth was made known to her,” Tiernan explained for me. “The human man is Ewan Sloane and he has not taken the news of Seren's true parentage well.”

  “Oh, how disconcerting,” Chad sympathized.

  “You could say that,” I muttered.

  “We need to get back to Twilight and inform King Keir of the business you've conducted in his name before we do anything else,” Tiernan tried for reason but I wasn't in a reasonable
frame of mind.

  “I don't have time for that,” I snapped. “I need to get to Hawaii and I need to get there right now.”

  “It would be faster for you to take a flight from Juneau to Honolulu,” Chad offered. “Rather than doubling back through the UK to take the rath there. Two days in Fairy versus about nine hours here.”

  “The UK?” I blinked at him. “You mean the Unseelie Kingdom?”

  “That's right,” Chad nodded. “Sorry, did I confuse you? Obviously I don't mean England,” he chuckled.

  “No, I like it, in fact, I'm gonna use it. UK, SK, TK, they're all work for me. Also, that's a good idea,” then I frowned. “Except I didn't bring a lot of money with me. I don't think we can afford to take a flight.”

  “I have your father's credit card,” Tiernan pulled a human-made wallet from his jeans and slipped out a black American Express card.

  “My dad gave you his Black American Express?” I snatched the card from Tiernan. “Do you know what we could buy with this thing?” I tapped the thick metal card against his leather seat.

  “Tickets to Hawaii?” He offered blandly.

  “Anything, Tiernan,” I laughed. “We could buy a plane if we wanted to. There's no limit on these cards.”

  “Alright,” he frowned at me, clearly confused. “Would you prefer to buy a plane?”

  “No, that's not the point,” I shook my head. “Never mind. Chad, could you just drop us somewhere we can get a cab?”

  “Don't be silly,” Chad huffed. “I haven't had so much fun in years. I'll take you to the airport myself. It's not all that far anyway.”

  “Sweet,” I gave him a wide grin. “Thank you.”

  “I wonder why he gave you the card instead of me?” I mused to Tiernan.

  “He probably thought you'd lose it,” Tiernan grimaced.

  “Yeah alright,” I agreed and handed the card back to Tiernan.

  “I'd be happy to scry for King Keir and let him know about the research contract if you wish,” Chad offered.

  “As tempting as that is,” I sighed. “I think I'd better tell him myself that I misrepresented his company and signed a contract that I'm not authorized to sign.”

  “Do you think he'll still honor it?” Chad looked concerned.

  “King Keir will honor any bond his daughter makes,” Tiernan said confidently.

  Yeah, I was pretty sure that Keir would too. Which only made me feel worse about not consulting him. Well, it wasn't like I could pick up a phone and call him and it wasn't like this was the first time I'd gone behind his back. Yeah that second one wasn't really a good excuse, was it?

  And now, there I was, running off to save the human Keir resented for having the joy (Keir's word not mine) of raising me. The human who disavowed any relationship to me and told me in no uncertain terms that he wasn't my father, nor did he want to be.

  But sometimes it isn't about the feelings a person has for you, it's about the feelings you have for them. I still loved Ewan, I still thought of him as my dad, and I wasn't about to let the Blue Hag have him.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Plane rides are grueling for me. I hate being trapped in a metal tube hurling itself through the air. It wasn't that I was afraid of the plane crashing, I just hated being cooped up with no escape. Plane rides are a form of self-imposed prison. Add worry for Ewan to the mix and it became prison and torture. At least we'd flown first class so I wasn't being physically tortured by cramped seats.

  Nine hours and seven minutes later, we were trudging out of the Honolulu International Airport, the sound of cars zipping by competing with the screams of unhappy children who had just endured airplane jail. I winced and started wandering over to a cement ledge to sit down but Tiernan took my arm and motioned to the curb, where a sleek black sports car was idling.

  I'd completely forgotten that Tiernan had made a call from the Juneau Airport before we left. The Wild Hunt kept cars in every major city around the world, expressly for their hunters to use. In fact, I'd seen this particular car before.

  “Isn't that the same car you drove to my house the first time we met?” I asked him.

  “That's it,” he nodded. “We only have two vehicles in Hawaii and one is for the monitor's personal use.”

  “The monitor?” I asked as Tiernan opened the door for me.

  “That would be me,” the driver got out of the car and came around the front to hand Tiernan the keys.

  He was kind of short, just coming to Tiernan's shoulder, and was wearing a baseball cap with No Fear written across the front. Dark eyes peered at me from under the cap's brim and a row of perfect, white teeth gleamed against his coffee colored skin as he flashed me a smile.

  “This is Horacio,” Tiernan said. “Horacio, this is Her Royal Highness, Seren Firethorn of the Twilight Court.”

  “It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” Horacio bowed.

  “Nice to meet you too,” I nodded to him. “Where are you going? Don't we need to drop you somewhere?”

  “Nah, I'll take da bus back to my house,” he slipped into a slight local accent. “No worries. Not like I get a lot for do.” He waved and sauntered off to the bus stop.

  “He's taken to the local culture,” I observed as I got into the passenger seat. “At least the dialect.”

  “He's a duende from Portugal,” Tiernan was already in the driver's seat and ready to go. “He fits right in here.”

  “Yeah, here they call Portuguese people; Pordagee,” I watched the duende in my side mirror. He was talking to some teenagers, pointing off like he was directing them somewhere. “He's going to get those kids lost, isn't he?”

  “Well, it's kind of his thing; duendes like getting children lost. At least he doesn't kill them,” Tiernan sighed as he pulled out into traffic. “For the most part, he's harmless to humans.”

  “Yeah, unless they break the law,” I huffed.

  “Which happens a lot less than fairies breaking the law,” Tiernan gave me a stern look.

  “Only because humans don't believe in fairies anymore,” I reminded him. “Yet some still accidentally trespass or offend the fey. I don't know if I agree with them being held accountable to laws that they don't know about anymore.”

  “And whose fault is that?” He lifted a brow and sped up, getting onto the highway.

  “What's that supposed to mean?” I gripped the door handle automatically. Tiernan always drove like a bank robber leaving the scene.

  “The Human Council let people forget us,” Tiernan grimaced. “They chose to turn us into a myth, thinking that humans would be safer not knowing we exist. But that doesn't negate the laws we both agreed on. It wouldn't be fair to make the fey adhere to the old truce while the humans got to do whatever they pleased.”

  “No, I guess it wouldn't,” I grudgingly agreed. “Most of the human leaders know about the fey. If they don't know when they're appointed, they're told soon after that.”

  “So should we hold only human leaders accountable for what their ignorant civilians do?” Tiernan asked reasonably.

  “I don't know,” I frowned. “No, I guess not.”

  “And you reacted in a completely different way when you heard about fairies who weren't bound by the truce,” he noted.

  “What do you mean?” I frowned at him.

  “Well, instead of being concerned for fairies who, if noticed, might be extinguished under laws they haven't agreed to, you wanted to draw attention to them so that they would most definitely be hunted,” Tiernan pointed out angrily. “You keep talking about being fair because you're both a fairy and a human but when it comes down to it, you tend to side with the humans.”

  “I've already said that I'd overreacted,” I huffed. “I don't want to draw attention to them... and I don't want to side with anyone. I'm trying my best to be neutral. You need to understand that I've spent most of my life as a human and an Extinguisher. It's going to take some time to adjust my way of thinking.”

  “I know
it's going to take time and I'm trying to help you with this adjustment by showing you that there are two sides to every issue,” Tiernan exhaled roughly. “Truce is always a fragile thing. I understand your concern for ignorant humans but the laws we uphold involve things that decent people wouldn't do, knowingly or not. So if a human breaks one, he generally deserves what he gets.”

  “What about the laws regarding the treatment of the land around raths?” I lifted a brow.

  “We own all the land around the raths now,” Tiernan frowned at me.

  “Teenagers have been known to trespass,” I persisted.

  “We wouldn't hunt a bunch of kids for trespassing, Seren. The Council does consider intent when issuing a warrant,” Tiernan scowled.” Look, this way has worked for a very long time. It's best to leave things as they are.”

  “But what if I'm not meant to leave things as they are?” I thought again about Danu's words to me.

  She'd mentioned that she wanted me to bring peace to her realm but she'd said nothing about the Human Realm. I'd always assumed it was her intention for me to make peace between the humans and the fey, as well as between the kingdoms of Fairy. I'd assumed it partially because Keir had. Why else would a half-human fairy be made a princess and an ambassador? It had to be her intent, hadn't it? I just didn't know anymore. Ever since she'd told me to try and understand my Uncle Uisdean, I'd been confused by Danu.

  “Seren?” Tiernan's voice held a note of concern.

  “I was just thinking over what Danu said to me,” I admitted. “I've been assuming that she wanted me to bring peace not only to Fairy but between Fairy and the Human Realm.”

  “I agree with that,” Tiernan nodded. “It seems like a reasonable conclusion.”

  “But she didn't say that to me,” I turned toward him anxiously. “When she spoke to me through the water, she never mentioned the Human Realm at all.”

  “Seren,” Tiernan chuckled. “She has no power over the Human Realm. This is her brother's domain, remember?”

  “Oh,” I sat back and processed that. “So you think she wants peace between the realms but can't talk about it?”