Marny

by Anthea Sharp

  As soon as she was in her bedroom, Marny locked the door, turned on the bedside lamp, and pulled out her messager.

  :So? What’s going on?: Tam asked the instant she activated the group chat.

  :Wish I knew. It’s like the Realm, but not. Hard to explain.:

  :Are you in danger? Should we come?: Uncle Zeg asked.

  Marny thought for a minute. Although the forest inside Club Mysteria looked magical, she was pretty sure it didn’t lead directly into the Realm of Faerie. Despite trying for the better part of two hours, she hadn’t been able to go anywhere except around in circles. She’d walked past the same couple making out about seven times, and kept ending up where she’d started.

  That didn’t mean the forest was safe or that the fey folk couldn’t use it as a gateway, but wouldn’t the Elder Fey alert the Feyguard if they did?

  :I think the situation’s stable for now,: she wrote. :Have you guys gotten any warnings?:

  :No,: Jennet replied. :Dad says there hasn’t been any security breaks in terms of VirtuMax code. Spark and Aran haven’t checked in yet, though.:

  :They’re even farther away than you are,: Tam typed. :But they should be waking up soon. I have a message in to them.:

  :Do you want me to come to Newpoint?: Uncle Zeg asked.

  He was pretty much the only one who could. And Marny had to admit she’d like him there, but…

  :Isn’t Grandma Harmony arriving in two days?: Without proof of danger, Marny couldn’t haul her uncle a thousand miles away—not when he had more pressing family obligations. And a business to run, on top of that. :How about once she’s settled, you come. I can handle things until then.:

  :You sure?: her uncle typed, but she could tell he was relieved. Also, that he trusted her to fly into the wide world on her own, and handle whatever came up.

  :Yeah. For now, things seem okay. Tell Spark and Aran to message me if they know anything.:

  Having the Feyguard spread all over the world in different time zones was frustrating. On the other hand, it meant there was always a Feyguard awake somewhere. Not that it did Marny much good at the moment.

  She said good night to everyone, then turned off her messager and flopped back on her bed. The lamp cast a circle of light on the ceiling and she stared at it, trying to still her whirling thoughts.

  All she knew for sure was that Nyx Spenser was messing around in matters he didn’t understand. Even if the forest seemed benign at the moment, faeries were tricky creatures.

  With the rest of the Feyguard unable to come to Newpoint right away, it was up to her to keep an eye on things. She desperately hoped that all hell—or Faerie—wasn’t about to break loose.

  Perched on his golden throne, grasses glimmering beneath his feet, the Bright King watched as something pale approached his court. A creature the color of moonlight, its nine-pointed rack of antlers made of purest ivory. The White Stag.

  The gemmed trees twinkled more brightly as the stag passed, and the pixies chimed with laughter, swooping about the creature in a dizzying display.

  Satisfaction moved like a wave of deep amber through the king, and he leaned forward with a gesture of welcome.

  Long it had been since the stag had set foot in either court. Longer still since it had borne a human between the worlds on its broad back. But all of that was about to change…

  ***

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  June 27

  The next night, Marny Fanalua showed up again at Club Mysteria. Nyx nodded in satisfaction when she stepped through the door. Not that he’d been a hundred percent certain she’d come, but the odds had been high.

  She was wearing jeans and a purple top made out of some flowy material, and this time she didn’t have her glammed-out friend with her. When she went to the juice bar to order a drink, Nyx could tell that Emmie totally recognized her, but his sister stayed calm and professional. From the sharp look in Emmie’s eye as she set a dark blue concoction in front of Marny, though, he’d have to answer some questions from his inquisitive little sister later on.

  But first, he had questions of his own for Marny. She was a smart one, and he was looking forward to verbally sparring with her again—though not quite yet. He wanted to observe her in his club a little longer and see what she did.

  As she had the night before, she prowled the boundaries of the enchanted forest. She stepped in and out of the woods, her expression growing more thoughtful every time. Although the club was crowded, Nyx angled his way around people and never lost sight of her.

  Finally, she stood against the wall, arms folded, and watched as brightly dressed people flowed into the forest. The patrons of Club Mysteria exclaimed in wonder at the silver-leafed trees and soft mosses underfoot. Happy voices and laughter drifted between the pale trunks.

  It was the reaction he’d been looking forward to ever since he first got the idea to open the club, but he couldn’t fully enjoy it. Not with the distraction of a certain large-boned girl whose eyes were filled with suspicion.

  Marny Fanalua was a puzzle. One he was going to solve.

  Quiet as a shadow, Nyx moved to stand beside her. She smelled faintly of coconut and flowers.

  “You don’t like my forest?” he asked in a low voice.

  She didn’t jump, only turned her head like she’d been aware of him all along.

  “I’d like to know where it came from,” she said.

  “Trade secret.”

  Her gaze narrowed and she regarded him for a long moment. Not admiringly, not angrily, just with an assessing stare that made him uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to do with it. Flirting with her wasn’t going to work, which left confrontation.

  “I understand you’re from Crestview,” he said.

  That made her look away for a second, but not before he saw surprise flash across her expression.

  “So?” She shrugged.

  “So, you’re working for VirtuMax.”

  “Actually, no.” There was a touch of irritation in her voice. “Why does everyone assume that?”

  Good. Emotion was leverage he could use to crack her calm façade. He’d never met anyone so self-possessed. Even after he’d caught her snooping around last night, she hadn’t seemed frightened or intimidated by him. Annoying as that might be, he also admired it.

  “I know you’re working for Intertech,” he said. “So don’t bother trying to deny that one.”

  “I’m not a corporate minion, here to slap you with fines or sue you for infringement. Even if it’s warranted.” She glanced at the enchanted forest. The silver light illuminated the round curve of her cheek.

  “Why are you here, Marny Fanalua?” He moved to stand in front of her.

  She met his gaze, only having to tilt her chin up a fraction.

  “Because even if you deny it, I recognize your forest,” she said. “And you might be a badass, but you really have no idea what you’re messing around with.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me.”

  She looked over the crowded club, the strobing lights of the dance floor, the noisy juice bar.

  “Not here,” she said.

  From any other girl, he would have thought it was a ploy to get him alone. But Marny seemed impervious to the fact he was a Flail star and owner of the club, and that made him like her a bit better. She judged people on her own terms, which was refreshing. Though he still didn’t trust her.

  “All right.” He tilted his head, indicating she should follow him over to the bar.

  He strode to the side of the counter, and people nudged out of his way. Some of them knew who he was, and some of them simply responded to his air of assurance.

  “Hey, Emmie.” He caught his sister’s eye. “I’ll be in back for a bit. Buzz me if you need anything.”

  Emmie’s teal-colored eyebrows rose almost high enough to touch her bangs. She glanced from him to Marny, and he could see her matchmaker antennae unfurl.

  “What—”

  “Later. Hold the
fort.”

  “Mmkay.” Her tone told him there’d be no avoiding her interrogation after the club closed.

  He’d deal with that issue when it came. He could always tell her Marny was an inspector of some kind—which almost felt like the truth.

  “Come on.” He beckoned to Marny, felt her following as he cut across the corner of the dance floor.

  They ducked under the green swag of gauze, and Marny made a low sound of surprise when she saw the new door installed in the hallway.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Learned my lesson last night.”

  A flush of pink washed her brown cheeks—so faint he wouldn’t have seen it if he hadn’t been looking for a response. Good. She was embarrassed, either about spying, or about getting caught.

  He pressed his thumb to the keypad, and the door slid open.

  “I’d say welcome, but you’ve already seen the place.” He led her in and closed the door behind them.

  She glanced at the closed doors lining the hallway as they headed toward the kitchen. “Not much to see.”

  “If that’s an attempt to get me to open the other doors, it’s not going to work.”

  “I expect I’d find a sim system or two,” she said.

  He blinked, but really, it was a reasonable assumption to make.

  “Since I’m a gamer, I’d hope so.” He pulled out a chair for her at the small table. “Glass of water?”

  “Sure.” She sat, hands folded loosely on the table in front of her. “So, you’ve played Feyland.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  He set two glasses of water on the table, then snagged the other chair and sat across from her.

  “Who hasn’t played Feyland?” he said. “It’s only the biggest game release of the century.”

  She leaned forward. “Have you ever experienced anything strange while you played?”

  His heart clunked at the question, and he had to force himself to stay relaxed, legs outstretched, voice easy.

  “You mean like glitches? The game hasn’t bugged out on me, no.”

  While part of him wanted to answer her honestly, he had way too much on the line to just hand out information to anyone who asked.

  Her mouth twitched, but she didn’t come right out and accuse him of lying.

  “Are you sure they were only glitches?” she asked, her intense brown eyes focused on his face. “Because the forest out there suggests otherwise.”

  He took a sip of water, thinking how best to answer her.

  “Okay,” he finally said. “I admit I was inspired by the graphics in Feyland to create my installation. Are you here to sue me for trademark infringement?”

  “I wish,” she said. “I told you before, I’m not an employee of VirtuMax.”

  That was an interesting way to put it—and open to a bit of interpretation. She hadn’t denied any connection to the company, after all.

  “Then you’re Intertech’s mole.”

  “Nope.” She pushed her glass away, the water slapping up against the sides.

  “Why are you interested in my club? Seems to me it’s none of your business, since you’re so unaffiliated.”

  “I just think you need to be careful,” she said.

  “Of what?” He made an exaggerated show of peering down the hallway. “Thugs after me? The copyright police taking away the fruits of my labors?”

  “You have no imagination,” she said. “That forest isn’t safe.”

  “Come on. You’re telling me some scary creatures are lurking in the woods? The big bad wolf, ready to jump out and eat me? You have too much imagination, Marny Fanalua. Besides, I’ve seen you go in and out of my enchanted forest over a dozen times. You know it doesn’t go anywhere.”

  “You better hope it stays that way,” she said.

  “How about, instead of telling me you’re afraid of monsters, you go back to your comfy Intertech apartment and let me run my club the way I want.” It was cold, but her words had kindled a faint dread deep inside him.

  The last thing he needed was some meddlesome girl making him second-guess all his decisions about opening Club Mysteria. It was fine. He’d been in and out of the forest hundreds of times. Nothing creepy was going to come out of the woods. He didn’t know why Marny was trying to freak him out, but she had to have some ulterior motive.

  Her expression hardened. “If that’s how you want to play it, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She shoved her chair back and stood.

  “Right.” He rose to face her, once again surprised he didn’t have to look down to meet her gaze. “If it tweaks you so much, how about you just stay away. Permanently.”

  He didn’t have the time or energy to deal with her head games. Whatever she was after, she wasn’t going to get it.

  “Are you banning me from your club?” she asked.

  “Now that you mention it, yes.”

  He took her elbow to steer her back down the hall, but she neatly pivoted away from him.

  “You really are as dumb as you look,” she said, shaking her head.

  He didn’t expect the words to sting, but they did, like a small yet annoying insect. “What does that even mean?”

  “You handsome guys are so full of yourselves you can’t see what’s right in front of your faces. Expecting the world to fall at your knees, when it’s really just sharpening its knives.”

  “Wow, that’s grim.” He made a guess, the words out of his mouth before he could check himself. “So, you were dumped. I’m sorry—but coming into my club and throwing around crazy suspicions isn’t going to fix your broken heart.”

  “Ha. My heart has never been dented, let alone damaged.” Her words were fierce and sincere.

  “If you say so.” He motioned toward the door. “After you.”

  She turned on her heel and strode forward, hitting the hallway door button with a bit more force than necessary. As soon as it opened, she stalked into the club. He followed, fighting the urge to apologize. There was nothing to apologize for. The bass beat thumped in his chest, and the flashing lights on the dance floor seemed garish after the quiet kitchen.

  As Marny strode past the bar, Emmie looked up, her face full of questions. Nyx shook his head. He’d explain later. Though what was there to explain? A girl with tweaked theories and ties to big gaming corporations had been nosing around, and he threw her out. No big deal.

  Marny paused near the exit and turned to face him. At the door, his bouncer raised an eyebrow, and Nyx held up one hand. Everything was under control.

  “I hope you’re right, Nyx Spenser,” she said. “I really do. Otherwise, opening this club could be the biggest mistake of your life.”

  “Because terrible monsters are going to come rampaging out of the forest, eat up everyone on the dance floor, then take over the world.” It was a ridiculous notion.

  She frowned at him. “Find me when things start getting tweaked.”

  “Yeah, right. I’ll be sure to do that.” He folded his arms. “Goodbye, Marny Fanalua.”

  And good riddance.

  For a second more, she regarded him steadily. Then she gave a small shake of her head and took her leave. The open door let in the smell of exhaust and warm concrete.

  “Everything okay?” his bouncer asked, pulling the door shut behind her.

  “Sure. No problems.”

  Then why did the back of his neck prickle when he glanced at the glimmering forest?

  Marny was too mad to slow down and try to catch a cab. She leaned forward into the night, not quite running but moving fast, her shoes slapping the sidewalk. Ahead of her, the skyscrapers rose, bright beacons shedding so much human light they washed the stars to invisibility.

  Although she wanted to think Nyx Spenser was a stubborn idiot, she had to admit there was no reason he should believe her. If she hadn’t seen the fey folk with her own eyes, she wouldn’t believe herself, either.

  Damn, she hoped he was right—that the enchanted forest was safe, just a small enclosed myste
ry brought into the world. Because no matter how much he might deny it, or claim it was some kind of virtual installation, she knew the woods were directly out of the Realm of Faerie.

  But maybe unconnected.

  It was the maybe part she was worried about. She’d explored the forest, tried to trace the boundary, and ended up either going around in circles or stepping back into the warehouse. For now, it seemed Nyx was right. How long that would last, though… She shivered, despite the warm city air.

  “Hey, babe!” Two guys cruising by in a grav-car waved their drinks at her. “Come party with us.”

  Marny ignored them. After a few more catcalls and a burst of laughter, they drove away.

  She wasn’t nervous about being alone at night—at least not in that part of Newpoint. Because of her size, people generally didn’t bother her. Plus, she had her knife strapped to the side of her calf. Uncle Zeg had showed her how to aim for the vulnerable parts, but her blade offered more than just protection from humans.

  Faeries disliked being around cold iron, and the touch of it was severely painful to them. She’d put her knife to good use in the past, and with the enchanted forest currently growing in Club Mysteria, she might need it in the future, too.

  It was going to be harder to keep an eye on things now that the infuriating and stupidly handsome Nyx Spenser had banned her from his club.

  But since when did she let a little thing like that stop her?

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Nyx kept an eye on the enchanted forest the rest of the night, watching while club goers wove in and out of the trees. Everyone came back out just fine, and nothing freaky emerged.

  Still, when it was time to close he felt his shoulders relax a little. Stupid, to let Marny’s wild speculations catch hold of him.

  What if she’s right?

  He pushed the thought away and went to check in with Emmie at the juice bar.

  “Did you guys have a good night?” he asked, although he’d seen how busy she and Sula had been.

  “Great. A couple cute boys left us big tips.” She finished stacking up the glasses, then shot him a look. “You didn’t seem to be having much fun, though. What’s with the girl who keeps showing up?”