by Shona Husk
“Are you sure the Mayor is dead?”
“No.” But she had no doubt that Kaid would make sure it would happen. Henry had given the order and since Henry had Kaid’s bridle, Kaid had no choice but to obey or die trying. She hoped Kaid wasn’t dead. For all that he was strange, and ate the occasional human, he wasn’t evil. Like Henry he chose the scum that preyed on other humans—it was almost a community service they were performing.
Now she was defending them instead of scorning them.
If she looked in the mirror, would she even recognize herself?
Dylis was silent for a moment and Darah thought the connection had faded, then the Hunter spoke. “I think it’s time I talked to him.”
She’d known that would be the case. “Just talk?”
“He is a darkling with an army of Greys.”
“They aren’t fighting or causing trouble.” They weren’t behaving the way people in Annwyn expected Greys to behave—maybe that was part of the problem.
“Yet. He isn’t like us.”
But the Greys were. They had once been Court fairies. Marlis had been no different to Darah once. But if she said anymore in his defense the Hunter would start to suspect where her loyalties lay.
“What would you like me to do?” She managed to inject some enthusiasm into her voice even though she didn’t feel it. Would she ever feel anything good again? Right now it didn’t seem possible.
“Stay, keep an eye on things. They have accepted you. Let’s see what happens next.”
Darah heard the slyness in the words and shivered. “What are you going to do?”
But the line went dead. The Hunter didn’t owe her any answers. However once Darah was on the Council she’d make sure Henry was left alone. Yes. That was what she’d do. It was the best thing she could for Henry. Gain her place and then make sure he was allowed to continue.
It was dusk when Henry called the bicycle cab driver who was fast becoming his personal driver. Marlis had decided to use what was left of her strength on being visible one last time.
The driver did a very good job of not looking horrified at her gaunt frame and sickly pallor. But it was also clear he thought her plague infected.
“My sister has cancer. She wanted to spend her last night under the stars not in hospital.” It was a lie, but the only one a human would understand. Humans aged, they didn’t waste away while still looking youthful. The white lie seemed to calm the man and he murmured sympathies and actually offered Marlis his hand to help her in.
She was, as always, gracious and smiling, but Henry could see the toll it was taking. She wouldn’t last the whole night. He wanted to run away and pretend that it wasn’t happening, but he knew he’d regret not being here more, maybe not at first but in a few years…or decades.
All the Greys around would face this moment. Not even a fairy could outrun death forever. Not even him.
When they reached the cluster of houses the driver stopped. He didn’t ask why here, maybe he thought that Marlis had lived here before getting sick. Henry helped her out, then realized she’d never make the short walk up the driveway and through the gate. He slung the bag with the wine and blanket over his shoulder and then picked her up.
“Shall I wait, sir?”
“No. Thank you.” He’d stay with her and then walk home.
He took her out the back, there were a few kids playing daring each other to touch the cows who were obviously still strange and wondrous beasts. “Are you sure you want to be here?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
He set her down and spread out the blanket before helping her sit. An adult came out to see why he was back. And Henry told the same lie, this time it didn’t come so easily. He had a hard time speaking past the swelling in his throat.
After that they were left alone. As night settled in the children went inside. The stars came out. Since the plagues there was less light pollution so they were clearer than they’d been in decades. He remembered gaslights and nights where the stars were like diamonds.
Marlis leaned against him. Without talking he opened the bottle of sparkling wine and poured her a glass. Her hand shook as she held it.
“What’s it like to face death every year, Henry? How do you do it?”
“I’ve never known any different.” He sighed. “It’s scary and exhilarating and I hate it. I hate what I have to do. I talk myself into it and I talk myself out of it. I try to justify my life and why I should live.” None of the seeds had sprouted yet. Was this small garden worth another year—how much work did he need to do to justify everything he had done?
“You deserve to live. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
With the Mayor removed, he should be feeling happier. Things would start moving, instead he felt as though he was losing and everything was sliding through his fingers. “She’s going to report me.”
“You knew she would.” She placed her hand on his leg, but there was nothing behind the gesture except the simple need to be touched. He covered her hand with his.
He’d suspected Darah from the moment she’d walked into his casino, but he’d been unable to resist her lure. She had her hooks in deep and he didn’t want to pull them out as that would hurt more.
After a while Marlis spoke again. “Do you love her?”
“No.” How could he when he knew what she was and what she’d do? But he knew he could. It would be easy to let himself believe that she would want someone like him. There was only one thing he could give her that she couldn’t get at Court, and she saw love as weakness.
Maybe Annwyn wouldn’t care in which case he was worrying about nothing. On the other hand…he shrugged off the morbid thought. He had other things to think about. Tomorrow was Peri’s birthday and he had to acquire a soul, a human, for her.
Tomorrow there would be no Marlis.
He wasn’t even sure he’d ever loved her. Loved what they had had. The time they’d spent together and the way she had joined his cause decades later. Maybe he wasn’t capable of love because he was part fairy. In which case he had nothing to offer Darah.
“Any regrets?” He sipped the sparkling wine. The night was quiet except for the hum of insects around them and the barking of dogs in the distance.
“Never have regrets, Henry. They are a waste of time. I won some games and I lost others, but I had fun either way. What more could I hope for?”
He didn’t know. If his life were to end on his next birthday he knew he wouldn’t be as calm as Marlis. There was still too much that he wanted to do. “Have you sat watch before?”
“I have in Annwyn and here. I have fought in the funeral games.” Her voice was barely audible now. More like a soft rustle of grass that he had to strain to hear. Her glass was almost empty.
“What do I do after?” He’d never watched the passing of a fairy. There must be a protocol or words to be said.
“Just let the ground take me. By dawn I will be gone. Part of your garden.” She smiled. “My last contribution.”
“You won’t be forgotten.” He’d never forget her. Some people were like that. They left an imprint that never quite faded.
Even if it hadn’t been love between them it had been more than sex and more than friendship. There had been a deeper understanding than any of that. A couple of heartbeats later he realized that she had stopped breathing.
He forced himself to take a breath and then another. That was it. No true goodbye, but then there never had been. Marlis was gone from his life…and this time she wouldn’t be back.
It was just him and the shell of what had been one of the smartest, bravest women he’d ever known. He wiped away the tears, but someone needed to mourn her. Annwyn had forgotten about her, humans didn’t know her. It didn’t seem right that he should just pack up and go home. So he laid her on the grass like she’d asked. He poured the rest of the wine onto the ground as some kind of offering.
In Annwyn she’d been a Court fairy. She’d have had funera
l games. A battle to mark her passing. Here the best she had was him. He sniffed and sat back down. He’d be lucky if anyone noticed when he died.
As the night cooled he wrapped the blanket around himself. When he glanced at her, she was barely visible. A shadow that was melting into the night.
The gate creaked and a white dog with red tipped ears walked through, followed by a woman dressed in mortal clothes. A silver sword hung at her side.
“You are the darkling using the name of Henry Saint?” The fairy woman said. Her blond hair was almost white in the moonlight.
So it was done. Darah had made her report and Annwyn had sent the Hunter after him. He sighed, but stood and bowed to honor her presence. The dog sniffed and whined at Marlis’s body before lying it’s head on its paws. At least the dog knew how he felt.
“I am.” There was no point in denying the obvious.
“Will you come with me of your own accord?” Her hand rested on the pommel of her sword. Casual threat or a reminder of who he was talking to?
“Can I finish mourning?” He could fight and give Marlis the battle she deserved, but he doubted she’d approve as that would make things worse for him. How much worse could things get?
He didn’t really want that question answered.
And Peri. Who would help her? “I need to see my friends.”
She shook her head. “You are to leave with me and come to Annwyn.”
“A child will die.”
“You would save a darkling child, but kill a changeling in cold blood?”
“It wasn’t like that.” At least in the dark the Hunter wouldn’t see the red around his eyes. He had to pull himself together if he was going to go to Annwyn. “Let me say goodbye.”
“She’s gone. She no longer cares.”
“I care.” He turned; nothing remained of Marlis at all. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath. The air tore at his lungs. He slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and left it on the blanket. Kaid would work out what had happened.
And Darah? No doubt she was already safe and back in Annwyn. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to look at her without it feeling like she was running a knife over his throat. That quite possibly would’ve been kinder.
Henry took several deep breaths and walked toward the Hunter. He was taller than the Lady of the Hunt, but he’d never be faster than her hunting dogs. No, he wouldn’t run. He’d face Annwyn and the King as he’d done everything in his life. With a smile and a couple of dice in his pocket and prayer that when he cast the dice they’d fall in his favor.
Although perhaps this time his luck had run out.
Chapter 16
Fairy horses—ones that hadn’t ever tasted human flesh—were as white as moonlight and just as graceful. As much as he didn’t like horses he could appreciate them, preferably from a distance. Unfortunately he had to ride one in to Annwyn. That the Hunter had insisted on cuffing him—like he’d never picked his way out of cuffs before—was disappointing.
Was there no trust? What had Darah said? Thinking about her hurt. Everything hurt.
He didn’t want to be going to Annwyn at all as he wasn’t sure he’d ever be coming back. That odd feeling vibrating in his ribs was true panic. Not the panic that came with every birthday, that was mild and tinged with guilt and a hunger he couldn’t quite explain.
This was honest to God panic that made him want to tug on the reins and ride as far and as fast as he could. Fairy horses knew how to move. Unfortunately they also obeyed the Hunter.
Chin up. Don’t let them see your fear. He could almost hear Marlis whispering in his ear. He’d never hear her again. He wished he hadn’t tipped the wine into the ground and that he’d finished the bottle. But being drunk around fairies on their home turf wasn’t smart. He had to be smart to get out of this.
He wanted to curse Darah for her loyalty to the King, but couldn’t. He only wished he could inspire that kind of loyalty in people. That they’d betray their lover before him. Then he caught the thought and squashed it. No, he didn’t want to be that person. The Mayor was like that. He’d rather people were with him because they saw value in what he was doing, not blind faith.
Which raised the question. What kind of King was Felan?
Felan wouldn’t be the first King he’d met, although the others had been mortal. Maybe this was for the best, as he could point out what exactly had happened in the mortal world while the fairies had squabbled over who would rule.
They stopped in front of a church. This was the third one. Apparently some of the churches were no longer in use and thus the doorway that should’ve existed between life and death had vanished. Cemeteries were where the veil was thinnest, man-made doorways to Annwyn. That shiver like cobweb on his skin he’d always felt when passing through the gate of a cemetery was him actually being aware of the veil even though he couldn’t pass through it the way a fairy could. Another reminder that he was the son of a Grey and technically banished from Annwyn.
Perhaps the Hunter wouldn’t be able to take him across?
Hope flared briefly and was then crushed as the Hunter led the horses across the veil it seemed that even his black darkling blood wasn’t enough to stop her from taking to Annwyn.
Damn it. He’d thought Greys couldn’t enter Annwyn.
No deals. No gambling here. He reminded himself.
It would be nice to play just once in gaming halls of Annwyn. However he knew he’d lose and he had nothing he wanted to risk.
The air shimmered and a breeze traced over his skin. The dark cemetery vanished and was replaced by a field dotted with bright blades of grass. People were playing boules on the lawn. Their clothes were a rainbow of colors and more human in appearance than he’d expected. Jeans decorated in swirls and flowers and sparkling gems. Shirts with lace cuffs that were from a time long past. It was as if two worlds had collided and meshed. There were women still in gowns, and men in breeches. It was bizarre.
The people, fairies—as they were too pretty to be anything else—stopped to look as he and the Hunter rode by. It was impossible for him to conceal the silver cuffs. So he just looked straight ahead and pretended not to be dazzled. That took all of his skill.
The castle was something else and he almost gasped in awe.
It wasn’t stone like he was used to seeing. This one was made entirely of trees. Trees that had grown together to form the vast structure. He tilted his head to be able to see the tops of the branches. While many branches were bare, there were pale leaves on the tips as if spring was just arriving. From all accounts it had been arriving for over a year. Even he knew that time moved differently here than it did across the veil.
He swallowed. Had they noticed he was gone yet?
How long would he waste here?
Who would look after his casino, the Greys, Peri and Kaid?
And Darah? Was she here or there?
Just thinking about her was like rubbing himself with sandpaper and then bathing in vinegar. Falling for the spy was a stupid mistake. He’d thought he was old enough and smart enough to be immune, but in the end he was just as vulnerable as any man. That didn’t bode well for his time in Annwyn.
The Hunter slid off her horse. He followed suit, although not as gracefully because his hands were cuffed.
“Do I get to meet the King now?” He’d rather get this done and get home, or not. Waiting around for something to happen had never been his strong suit.
“You get to wait until he is ready to see you.” She led him into the castle which seemed more like a maze as after a few turns he was lost.
The castle was strangely silent, except for the soft rustling of leaves. They passed no one in the hallways. The place seemed to be deserted. She led him up a staircase made of branches, it kept going up and then above the branches that formed the roof. Were they going to stick him up here and forget about him? He knew how the tower of London worked. Lock’em up and throw away the key. What would happen on his birthday?
&nbs
p; “I’m not that keen on heights…perhaps there’s something lower down?” He smiled.
The Hunter didn’t. “All the cells are up here, away from Court life, yet close enough that you are reminded of what you are missing.”
He had no idea what he was missing down there only what he was missing across the veil. If he got free would he be able to cross back on his own? And what? Keep running for the rest of his life? The Hunter would come after him with her dogs. The hounds never missed their quarry. He suspected this new Hunter wouldn’t be careless with her charges and let them escape.
The Hunter opened a door that looked as though it was a spider web made out of silver. For all he knew they did have giant spiders that spun silver here. The cold in his stomach grew. The idea that there were giant spiders here wasn’t comforting and he peered inside the cell cautiously.
While this wasn’t his first time in jail—and it probably wouldn’t be his last—it was generally never a pleasant experience. This cell appeared to be quite clean and he didn’t have to share with anyone—both of which were a plus.
The cell was empty except for a few brightly colored cushions and an equally bright blanket. There was no furniture except what the branches seem to have formed. As prisons went it was definitely the strangest one, and also the most comfortable. That didn’t mean he’d get a fair trial.
“What happens after this?”
“You wait. We collect information.”
“Didn’t Darah give you that? Isn’t that why you arrested me?” He had the pleasure of the Hunter almost looking surprised. Almost, she was far too fairy to ever let surprise fully form on her face.
Uptight, bunch of pokerfaced, pretty people.
“Yes Darah informed on you. You knew she was.” The look in the Hunter’s eyes would’ve made most men run for cover. He wasn’t most men.
