IT WAS TOO late in the day to call on Leo at Buckingham Palace and retrieve Johnny so they agreed to spend the night in Charing Cross. Dain and Rieker went out to scout for wood to light the box stove, Larkin muttered something about an ‘errand’ and Tiki was left by herself.
The whistles and gasps of the trains as they came and left the station were a familiar backdrop and Tiki had the oddest sense that she’d gone back in time. Any moment Toots and Shamus would come through the back door or push the plank aside that hung on a nail and tell her what they’d nicked today. Fiona and Clara could be out in the station looking for anything edible that might have been dropped or thrown away. She hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be hungry all the time and afraid—afraid of being caught and sent to a workhouse; afraid of starving to death; afraid that they would be separated somehow…
THIRTY MINUTES LATER Tiki pushed her way into Mr. Potts’ bookstore, the bell above the door giving a familiar jingle.
“Hallo Mr. Potts,” she called out, peering down one aisle then another, looking for the old man. She found him toward the back of the store, shelving a stack of books.
“Mr. Potts?”
“Eh?” He startled when she called his name. “Sorry, Miss. Didn’t ‘ear yer come in.” He squinted at her through the shadows between the stacks. “Is that yer, Tiki? By golly, it is. You look different again.” He set the books down and pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket to wipe his nose. “Must be growin’ up, I guess.” He went past her down the aisle. “Come up front wit’ me so I can see yer pretty face.”
Tiki obediently followed the old man, noting how thin he had become, his baggy trousers held up by a belt pulled tight.
“How have you been?” she asked as they returned to the front of the store where the light was much better.
“Busy. Yer know—people comin’, people goin’.” He gave her a wobbly smile and smoothed what little hair he had on his head with a gnarled hand. “What ‘ave yer been readin’ lately? Yer haven’t borrowed a book in a long time.”
“I haven’t had a lot of time to read, but I will again soon. What do you recommend?”
He reached for a book that was sitting on the corner of his desk, brushing aside papers that were haphazardly stacked on top. He ran his fingers over the green hardback cover. “I set this aside for yer—what with the way yer and the young’un’s love faerie stories.” He peered at her from under his bushy grey eyebrows. “Those faeries can be a nasty lot too—thought maybe yer should be aware of their dark side—so yer don’t end up like my poor Bridgit.”
Tiki’s heart sank. Poor Mr. Potts missed his daughter so terribly. How she wished she could help him get over the pain of his loss from when the girl had disappeared in Hyde Park during a terrible storm.
“What’s the book about?” she asked gently.
“It’s a poem actually, by an English bloke named John Keats. Called La Belle Dame sans Merci—The Beautiful Lady without Mercy—about a faerie called a leanan sidhe.” He shook the book at her. “Beautiful but vicious, that one.”
“How’s that?” Tiki asked curiously. “I didn’t know you read poetry.”
“I’m a bookseller. It’s my job to know all kinds of books.” He waggled a crooked finger at her. “The poem tells of a lady so beautiful men are mesmerized by ‘er. They willingly trade their lives for the inspiration ‘er beauty gives ‘em. And then she destroys ‘em.” He stared hard into Tiki’s eyes. “Because as beautiful as she is—it’s her nature to destroy.”
Tiki tried to mask her surprise at his insightfulness. In some ways, it sounded like he was describing Larkin. She reached for the book and opened the pages. Out loud she began to read:
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.
I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.
I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
She paused at the words ‘faery’s child’. When had Mr. Potts learned so much about faeries?
Tiki resumed reading:
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
An image of Larkin’s exquisite face and blue-green eyes filled her vision.
“Now, now,” Mr. Potts made a shooing motion with his hands. “Yer take that wit’ yer and read it all.”
Tiki smiled at the old man. “You seem awfully worried about faeries for someone who lives in the City. Don’t they live out in the country somewhere, like Cauterhaugh Wood where Tam Lin had his adventure?”
“Yer laugh, young lady, but Dickey’s brother-in-law works up Bucking’am, yer know, and he’s heard the whispers that the Royals have some goin’-on’s wit’ the faerie folk.”
Tiki sobered. “What sort of ‘goin’-on’s’?”
He lowered his voice to a gruff whisper. “Somethun’ bout a stolen ring and a war. He heard enough to scare ‘im into believin’.” Mr. Potts nodded at the book Tiki held. “The poets and storytellers been writin’ ‘bout them for hundreds of years now. Who are we to say they don’t exist? Somethun’ took my Bridgit away that day and my best guess is it were the faeries.”
Chapter Twenty-One
It was Tiki and Rieker who went to Buckingham Palace the next day to retrieve Johnny. At Rieker’s suggestion, Leo invited them for tea giving Tiki the opportunity to visit with Fiona, Toots and Clara.
“Teek, we’re havin’ so much fun stayin’ with Leo,” Clara bubbled, her eyes dancing with excitement. “We get to play in the park behind the palace and feed the ducks and there are swans—some are white and some are black—”
“—And I’ve been learning how to train Molly, one of the dogs,” Toots exclaimed. “They’ve even let me help brush down the horses!”
“It seems you lot have been busy.” Tiki smiled. It was reassuring to see the children safe and happy, though Fiona looked half-sick with worry. “Perhaps you’ll have enough skills to get a job when you come home.”
“If it’s workin’ with the animals, I wouldn’t mind a’tall,” Toots said with a wide grin. “James told me I’m a natural.”
“AND HOW HAVE your travels been?” Leo asked Tiki. “Safe, I presume?”
“Safe enough,” Tiki said. “And enlightening, thanks to the gift you sent with Dain. Thank you.”
Leo’s eyes lit up. “It was helpful, then? You’ve unlocked its secrets?”
“Rather the other way around,” Tiki said with a smile. “The mirror provided an essential bit of information that allowed us to solve some unanswered questions.”
“Really? You were able to figure out its purpose. I knew it was meant for you.” Leo was like a puppy wagging its tail. “Are you better able to protect yourselves?”
“There’s more work to be done, but we’re on the right track.”
Leo’s shoulders sagged ever so slightly, as if the air had been let out of a balloon. “I so hoped that you’d conquered whoever threatens you there—that you’d be able to return home again soon.”
“We’ll be back, Leo, don’t you worry about that.” Rieker said, giving Tiki a meaningful look. “Just not quite yet.”
TIKI PULLED FIONA aside as they made ready to leave. “You do know where we’re taking him?” she asked gently.
Fiona nodded, her angular face drawn. She didn’t look like she’d been eating either. “It seems the only way to save him.” A light flared in her eyes and she clutched at Tiki’s arm. “Can I go too? I could care for him there.”
Tiki slowly shook her head. “No, Fi. You’d be putting yourself at risk. Before, Larkin wa
s careful that you were only provided with mortal food and drink, but that can’t be done forever and right now Larkin is too distracted with other matters to care for you. Let us take him and get him well. After that, we’ll figure out what to do.”
THEY ARRIVED AT the Plain of Sunlight with Johnny just as the sun was setting behind Wydryn Tor. They stood before the stone entry to the Seelie headquarters and gazed toward the border.
“If you ever question why we’re doing this—” Larkin pointed to the grisly silhouettes in the distance— “look at those dead bodies impaled on stakes. Donegal has no respect for any of us. He wants to eradicate those who resist him. He will continue to murder until there are no Seelies left. It is only about power for him.”
Tiki stood next to Rieker who cradled the wraith-thin Johnny in his arms. The muscles in Rieker’s jaw flexed as he gazed at the view before them and he cursed under his breath before he ducked his head to follow Larkin through the stone entry into the Seelie headquarters.
Tiki remained alone on the Plain. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the seemingly endless row of staked bodies that circled her like some ungodly chain of prison bars. A cool wind whistled across the valley and raised the flesh on her arms as if Death had blown his cruel breath in her direction. Tiki shivered and turned to follow the others. It didn’t seem possible they could survive the Winter King’s relentless pursuit.
THEY DELIVERED JOHNNY to a nurse and Larkin called for Toran as soon as they reached the gathering area. “What have you learned of the Fool?” she demanded. But the guard had no further information on the Jester.
“No one knows where he’s being held. The last anyone saw of him was when Donegal had him arrested.”
“And where was that?”
“In the Great Hall at the Palace. Olcán said the Jester was entertaining Donegal and his guests, levitating a great ball of white light, when something went wrong and somehow the Winter King was burned.”
“On purpose, I’ll bet,” Dain whispered.
Tiki peered at him out of the corners of her eyes. “What?”
Larkin shushed them. “And then what happened?”
“Olcán said Donegal went crazy. Ordered the Jester stripped and flogged on the spot. But when the guards pulled the shirt from his back and were tying the Jester’s wrists to a wooden pole that lay across his shoulders, the Winter King started choking. Told them to stop and ordered Sullivan and Cruinn to take the Jester away.”
“Are you sure it was Sullivan and Cruinn?” Larkin asked.
Toran nodded. “That’s what Olcán said. And that’s the last anyone saw of the man. The next day Donegal announced the Jester was a traitor and that he was going to feed him to the hounds at the full moon.”
“WE’LL GO TO the White Tower first,” Larkin said as they stood in a small antechamber off the gathering room. It reminded Tiki of the room where she’d shed the glamour she’d unconsciously worn since being left in London as a baby. In a strange reversal of that moment her current appearance looked dramatically different than the beauty revealed that day. Larkin had taken charge of their glamours, explaining that she knew best which types of creatures wouldn’t draw unwanted attention in the UnSeelie Court.
She had glamoured Tiki to look like a small UnSeelie male. Her nose was large, with a substantial hook to the bridge and white hair was held back by a band behind her neck. Her eyes were black rather than vibrant green and her shoulders bore a slight hunch, as though she hid something within the folds of her worn jacket. She’d gone from strikingly beautiful to hideous. Dain looked like her older brother and Rieker had metamorphosed from a handsome young aristocrat into a rail-thin man with a pock-marked face. His greasy, black hair was tied behind his head and reached his shoulders. In some ways, he looked like an eerie, younger shadow of Donegal.
“You look dangerous,” Tiki said to him as she searched his face for a familiar feature.
“I feel dangerous,” Rieker said. “I’m ready to fight this battle.”
THE RIDE FROM the Plain of Sunlight to the northern part of the Wychwood where the White Tower lay hidden behind a glamour was uneventful. Larkin was surprisingly reclusive during the trip, keeping her distance as they rode, unwilling to answer any additional questions.
The air became bitterly cold the further north they went and ice coated the trees as they turned on the trail that led to the overlook. A mist threaded its fingers through the trees as if to grab them as they rode by.
“I swear it burns when I breathe,” Tiki choked as she fought another coughing spasm. “And that smell—”
“It’s smoke. There’s a fire burning nearby,” Larkin said.
“Here.” Dain rode close to Tiki and handed her a section of grey cloth that looked like it had been torn from his shirt. “Tie this around your nose and mouth—it should help filter some of the smoke.”
Tiki nodded gratefully as she accepted his offering. “Thank you. I thought I’d finally gotten rid of this cough until we started this trip. Maybe it’s my new nose.” She pointed at her glamoured beak of a nose and smiled, revealing shark-like teeth. Then she coughed again and focused on the task of folding the fabric. Once she had the material in a triangle shape she tied it over her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.
“You look wicked—” Dain teased, pulling back on the reins to keep his horse side by side with hers as Larkin and Rieker rode ahead— “like a goblin highwayman.”
Tiki laughed. “Would I steal your blood or your gold?”
“I’d be happy if you wanted either.”
“You’d give up so easily? What happened to the brave knight of Court I’ve come to know?”
“You bewitch me m’lady—”
“Be quiet back there and stop your nonsense.” Larkin muttered in their direction. “We don’t need to let the entire Wychwood know of our presence.”
Tiki and Dain smiled at each other but they remained silent as they continued to ride north through the smoky forest.
LARKIN AND RIEKER had already stopped on the overlook when Tiki pulled up next to them. It was hard to read their expressions given the glamours they wore, but even so, she wondered at the grimness of their features as she reached the crest of the rocky outlook. Unsure of what to expect, she gazed out over the panorama. Where before the water had reflected the verdant trees that ringed the lake and the gathering of buildings at the far end with an almost mirror-like image—now there was nothing to reflect except smoking ruins. The entire north end of the lake had been burned to ash. Funnels of smoke rose into the air from the blackened and charred stumps of the devastated forest. Every tree and bush had been eradicated in a fire that had swept through the area.
“What happened?” Tiki cried.
“It appears to be part of the fire the Winter King used to oust the hobgoblins,” Larkin said.
Dain pulled up next to Tiki and let out a snort of disgust. “Only Donegal would destroy the forest that sustains our world.”
“I don’t see how anything could survive that.” Tiki whispered. “Do you think the White Tower is still there?”
“No,” Larkin said flatly. “A glamour cannot be sustained through a fire like that. We can only pray that Fial didn’t perish along with the forest.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Their ride back through the Wychwood to the Palace of Mirrors passed far too quickly for Tiki’s liking. The sun had barely reached its zenith in a hazy, smoke-filled sky the next day when they arrived at the base of the Tor.
They were still hidden among the trees when Larkin pulled to a stop. “We’ll need to release the horses here. We can’t be seen riding up to the Palace.”
“Is Donegal here?” Dain asked as they dismounted.
“Yes.” Larkin’s response was terse. “Word is that Donegal has remained at the Palace since the capture of the Jester. He’s probably afraid to leave. Fial knows far too much magic and too many of his secrets to be left at the mercy of the guards.
Tiki
gave Larkin a sidelong glance. The glamour with which Larkin had chosen to disguise herself had been a startling choice. Tiki couldn’t decide if the mercurial faerie looked more like a witch or a dryad. Her fingers were extended and knobby, like long skinny branches, and her eyes were little more than dark hollows in her face, eerily similar to a knot hole in a tree trunk. But her nose was long and hooked like a witch’s and rust-colored hair, the color of dead leaves, hung long down her back, a distinct departure from Larkin’s normal silky blond strands.
She reminded Tiki of the Elder Dryad, the volatile creature she’d bargained with that day in the Wychwood when she had been so desperate to find where Donegal’s men had taken Rieker.
“If Donegal is here, what will you do?” Rieker asked as he climbed down from his horse. “Surely you don’t mean to just walk into Court.”
“Actually, I do,” Larkin said with typical fearlessness. “Donegal captured the Jester here at the Palace and I don’t think he would take the risk of transporting him to the Plain of Starlight. Fial is too clever not to escape and Donegal knows it.” Her voice dropped. “I think the Jester is here, hidden somewhere in the Palace.”
“But won’t the guards want to know who we are?” Dain asked, motioning to Tiki and Rieker.
Larkin let out a dark laugh. “What makes you think Donegal and the UnSeelie Court don’t know who we are?”
Tiki jerked her horse’s head and the beast let out a sharp whinny in protest. “Explain yourself.”
The Faerie Queen (The Faerie Ring #4) Page 10
