by Mary Karlik
Meaban rolled his eyes. “You really don’t understand the importance of the wand at all.”
Layla raised her chin. “Then enlighten me.”
And if things weren’t tense enough, Robbie shouted from near the curtains. “She’s frozen one of the humans.”
Layla looked at Robbie. “You’re siding with the wrong person.”
Meaban spoke to one of his men. “Bring the man.”
It took two Tridents to carry the thin man.
Meaban smiled. “Put him near the fairy.” The elves looked up at Robbie hovering close to the ceiling. “Not that fairy. The fuman.”
The elves placed the man near Layla and backed off.
Meaban pointed at her. “Restore him.” His emerald ring slipped sideways on the index finger aimed at her chest. He jerked his hand back and adjusted the ring before extending his arm again. There was something off about the preciseness of that ring adjustment. It was unnatural—even for an elf who’d painted himself gold.
If Layla had noticed, she hadn’t shown it. She’d been able to maintain a passive expression. “Why should I restore him?”
“There is a reason you froze him. I want to find out what it is.”
It was Layla’s turn to roll her eyes. “I froze him because he was trying to use me to get the wand. But if you want to question the traitor, then be my guest.” Layla cast the unfreeze spell at the man.
The man charged Layla, but Jack shoved him back.
The man swung his fist at Jack’s head. Jack ducked, and in the blink of an eye, the two were locked in a fight.
The crowd retreated to give them room.
Layla yelled to Finn, “Can you believe that dirty human?”
Confidence began to sneak its way into Ian. Layla had a plan. She was creating a diversion and hopefully an escape.
Fortunately, Finn picked up what she was doing and spat on the ground. “The species is a disgrace.”
Finn and Buzzard exchanged a look and in the next instant lunged at each other. The room broke out in an all-out brawl. The Tridents weren’t sure what to do. Most of them backed away to let everyone fight it out. The rest stood their ground and waited for orders.
Meaban sunk back in his chair. “What fun.”
Layla made her way to Ian. “When you’re ready to shift, I’ll raise the net.”
Ian slid his body close to the edge of the net and nodded.
She shot a blue streak at the metal, and the net lifted from the ground. Ian shifted and wiggled through.
Once he was free, Layla gave him a clothes glamour, fairy-sized, and flew to Finn. She landed on his arm just as he was about to throw a punch at Buzzard. “Time to go.”
Ian made his way to Jack. “Let’s get out of here.”
Finn, Jack, and Buzzard followed Ian and Layla toward the door.
Layla looked around the group. “Where are the fairies?”
Ian’s stomach clenched. “Hamish should have gotten them out. I think he has the wand, but I can’t be sure.” He reached for the door. “Either way, we have to get to him.”
A blood-curdling scream stilled the room.
All eyes shifted to the dais.
Meaban stood with a fairy clenched in his fist. Her white beads of magic mixed with her blood and dripped from the deep slash in her neck. Meaban drank it in. When the blood no longer ran freely, he tossed the fairy on the ground like a bone to a dog. “Help yourselves to what’s left.”
There was a mad scramble for the fairy. A human woman picked her up and sucked the remaining blood and magic from her neck.
Ian pulled the door open.
Meaban shot a spark of magic at the door, slamming it shut. He reached his hand out and another fairy shot to his palm. “One by one, I’ll drink their magic until I get my wand.”
Layla’s face paled, and Ian was afraid she might pass out. He reached an arm out to steady her, but she pushed him away.
Finn nocked his bow. “Looks like Hamish didn’t save the fairies after all.”
Layla turned to Meaban with her wings warrior-wide and her hands magic-battle ready. “I’ll take the fairies magic before I let you murder them.”
“And you think I’m evil? At least their pain is swift my way. You make them suffer.”
Layla didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. This was a stalemate. And the loser would be the fairies.
It was time to retreat and regroup. Ian turned to Jack and Finn. “Round up as many fairies as you can.” To Buzzard, he said, “Get Layla to the door. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
Ian shifted and shot fire across the ceiling. The room filled with smoke, and he continued to bellow fire.
Buzzard took off across the room. He grabbed Layla by the hand. “Come on, lass.”
Meaban shot a flow of magic at Buzzard’s neck. It wrapped around his throat like a noose. “Call your pet off.”
“Let him go.” Layla drew her arm back, ready to fling a spell.
“No.” Meaban raised Buzzard from the ground and tightened the magical noose. Buzzard kicked his feet as his eyes budged and his face turned purple.
Layla shot her blue flow at the noose, but it didn’t budge.
Jack and Finn were beneath Buzzard trying to lift him up to relieve the pressure from the noose, but it wasn’t helping.
Layla continued to shoot her magic at the rope that choked Buzzard.
Everybody was coughing through the smoke.
Ian lumbered toward the dais knocking elves and humans out of the way as he moved. He swung his head toward Meaban and opened his mouth to aim a streak of fire when Hamish appeared by his side.
The troll grabbed a hold of Ian’s wing. “Link up. Time to go.”
It took Ian a half second to realize what the troll was saying. But in that half second, everybody seemed to understand.
Ian swept Layla under his left wing, the elves and Jack under the other. Jack wrapped his arms around Buzzard’s legs.
As soon as they were set, the world spun. It was so fast and chaotic that Ian worried he wasn’t going to be able to maintain contact. When they stopped spinning, he shifted.
Theo stood in the middle of Hamish’s flat. “You made it back!”
Ian looked at Hamish. “Did you get the wand?”
Hamish smiled exposing all of his jagged teeth. “I did.” He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled it out.
Finn slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him off his feet. “Fantastic. Let’s get on with it.”
Ian took the wand from Hamish. “How did you manage this rescue?”
“I nicked the traveler coin as soon as I realized things were going south. I dropped it in my right pocket. When I landed, I went to work to find some magic to reset it to the auction. Your man Theo helped.”
Layla narrowed her eyes at Hamish. “What about the fairies? You were supposed to get them out.”
He dropped his gaze to the floor. “I got as many as I could.”
Layla looked around. “And, where are they?”
Hamish raised his eyes to hers. “Safe. You have to understand. I couldn’t bring them here. There wasn’t time. The coin had to be reset.”
Layla leaned over the troll. “Where did you get magic to reset the coin?”
“Human fellow. He came to me as soon as he saw me land. He has the fairies. I trust him. Theo knows him.”
Theo nodded. “It was the chief.”
“The chief? How did he know?” Ian looked between Hamish and Theo.
Theo pulled the headset off. “From what I could tell, he got intel from an elf. He went to Hamish as soon as he appeared in the Grass Market.”
Anxiety spread through Ian. “Let’s hope the chief is on our side. Otherwise, you handed over fairies for him to sell.”
Theo shook his head. “I don’t believe that. The chief was helping Hamish.”
Layla’s face was red and her lips white. “We have to get those fairies from the chief.”
Ian pointed t
o the telly screen. “It’s too dangerous. The Tridents are already searching the Magic Market.”
Layla closed her eyes for a few breaths. “Okay. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I know I can’t fight in this dress. Let’s get to your flat so I can change.”
Jack looked at Layla. “Hamish said the chief helped him set the coin. If Hamish gives you the spell, couldn’t you set it for Ian’s flat?”
The room grew quiet as realization began to take hold.
Ian dropped his gaze to Hamish. “You didn’t tell the chief how to set the coin, did you?”
“No. It doesn’t work that way.”
Layla’s face hardened. “You used fairy magic?”
Hamish turned away.
She stood in front of him. “Look at me and tell me that you didn’t use fairy magic to reset the coin.”
“You know I can’t do that, lass.” Hamish’s voice was barely above a whisper.
She whipped around to Ian. “Any questions now about where your chief’s loyalties lie?”
Buzzard snapped back. “Not for me. He did what had to be done to save us. To save you.”
Ian stood toe-to-toe with Layla. “You’re jumping to conclusions. We can’t go after the chief or the fairies just now. Let’s regroup, recharge and see what we can do with that wand.” He looked at Hamish. “You keep watch on that telly. Do you have a mobile?”
“Aye.” Hamish nodded.
Ian looked at Theo. “Give him my number.” He looked at the troll. “I want to know if you see the chief do anything with those fairies. Let’s go.”
When they stepped outside, a woman passing by squealed and backed away from Ian.
He turned to Layla. “Will you cover me please?”
She flung a magic spark at him and hurried down the lane toward the flat.
She was almost on a dead run when Ian caught up with her. “I know you’re upset. But running off isn’t going to help anything. Besides, we don’t know the full story.”
“We know that a fairy died, and your boss and that troll were involved. The chief has all those fairies. What if he sells them, Ian?”
“I’ve known the chief for a long time. I can’t believe he would have killed a fairy for magic.”
“You know the chief? This is the one who kept it from you that he could travel to the Magic Market.” She flailed her arms as she spoke. “Explain to me how he managed to get magic without killing.” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “We would have made our way out.”
“We were nowhere near making it out. And I think Hamish did what he thought best. He saved the wand.”
Layla slowed. “I’ll give him credit for the wand. But he murdered for magic.”
Ian wanted to remind her that she’d done the same when she killed the Harvester. She’d done it to save herself, to save him, to save all those fairies. Was that killing more justified than Hamish using fairy magic to save them from the auction? Where should the line be drawn?
They didn’t speak the rest of the way to the flat. As soon as they were inside, Layla ran to her room to change.
Ian grabbed a plaid and fixed a kilt.
They gathered in the car park near the flat. Ian handed Finn the wand. “You’re from the magic world. Do you know what to do?”
“It should be easy enough.” Finn held the wand toward the sky.
A white funnel formed. The tail dropped toward them, sucking them into the center.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Layla had assumed the wand would take them to the magic world. Instead, it dropped them atop a small island. It was turf-covered, flat, and high above the sea. Waves swelled and crashed against cliffs that made up the sides of the island. She dropped to her knees. “No. No. No.” Everything inside her squeezed.
“We’ll sort it out.” Ian stood a few meters from her, looking as lost and frustrated as she felt.
“Sort it how?” She bent over at the waist and covered her face with her hands. “This can’t be. Time is running out. They may already be dying.”
Finn wrapped his arm around her. “Deep breaths. Ian’s right. It must have brought us here for a reason. We just have to sort it.”
Layla nodded and stood. She sucked in a deep breath and choked down her frustration. They didn’t have time for her to fall apart. She pulled away from Finn and stiffened her wings. “What is this place?”
Buzzard looked over the cliff edge and back to Ian. “Staffa? The wand brought us to Staffa? Why here?”
Ian peeked over the edge, too. “There’s nothing on this island except Fingal’s Cave. Maybe that’s where we’re meant to go.”
Buzzard stepped back from the edge. “Well, it should have provided us a boat because we can’t go far inside without one.”
Layla watched a puffin land on the side of the cliff. “I can fly in. Give me the wand.”
Ian shook his head. “I don’t want you going alone. We don’t know what’s in that cave. We don’t even know if this version of the island is in our world, the magic world, or between the two. Where are the tourists? A couple of boats a day bring them here. There should be twenty or thirty people crawling around this wee island.”
Theo scanned the area. “I don’t think this is the between.”
Buzzard eyed him. “What makes you so sure? You were never actually in between.”
“No. But I studied it.” He tilted his head to the side as if he were reaching for a thought. “Did the light not seem quite right when you were there?”
“The market was bathed in a yellow light,” Layla answered.
“More than just the market. From where I watched, it was as if there was a haze over everything. It could have had something to do with the magic of the screen, but it was like everything was a bit murky.”
Finn nodded. “That was the first thing I noticed.”
Layla tried to remember. “The only thing I noticed was the yellow light. But it doesn’t really matter, does it? We need to figure out how to control the wand to open a portal and then we need to get those fairies home.”
Buzzard gave Layla one of his don’t-be-rash looks. “I agree. But it brought us here for a reason.”
“Obviously, there’s more to the story than we were told.” Layla saw Ian’s muscles tense as he spoke. He edged away from her, and she was sure the dragon-spirit was not playing nice. Just what they needed—another complication.
Jack spread his arms wide. “There’s nothing here but turf. The wand must want us in the cave, and the only way to find out what this is all about is to go there. We can’t get all the way inside by foot. Ian’s too large as a dragon to fly in. That leaves Layla as the obvious choice.”
“He’s right.” Layla looked at Ian. “The most logical scheme is for me to have a look around. I’ll just pop in and have a quick look. Just to see what’s in that cave.” She flicked her gaze to Buzzard. “Maybe I’m being careless by not spending an hour turning over every scenario first, but we don’t have time.”
Buzzard put his hands up with his palms out. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t say a word. I agree with you.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t expected that response and wasn’t sure what to do with it. She turned to Ian and crossed her arms. “Well?”
“There is a trail on the other side of the island.” He pointed across the turf. “It’s the one the tourists use. It’ll at least get us to the opening. You go ahead. We’ll go as far as we can on foot. Once we’re inside the cave, the currents won’t be so strong. We’ll swim the rest of the way.”
“Okay then.” Layla fairy-sized and took off in the direction Ian had pointed. Frustration filled her. This whole quest had been fraught with defeat and dead ends. It was like chasing will-o-wisps through the forest. Just about the time you thought you knew where you were going, it led you in another direction.
That’s what the wand was doing—leading them on a wild will-o-wisp chase. And her people could die because of it. The frustration settled into rage. Rage at what
? A wand? An object she couldn’t fight. At least with the harvester, she could battle it.
It was absurd, ridiculous, outrageous. Fury swirled in her until she could no longer hold it in. She let out a long, low growl straight from her gut. She yelled until her face hurt and her ears burned and her throat was raw.
She dipped over the cliff on the far side of the island, and a group of puffins fluttered away from her. She was glad. She didn’t want to be around normal creatures living their normal lives. She flew over the water, turned back to the island to look for the cave, and stopped. The rage inside her cooled slightly, enough for her to take in the beauty of what she saw.
Octagonal columns of stone held up the island. One pressed against the next like scaffolding for the dirt and turf.
The tourist path was made of the same octagonal stones. They looked like tree trunks that had been cut at different heights. There was a rope secured to the side of the path to aid the tourists on their trek.
Layla flew to the entrance, where water raged from the sea as it was forced between the narrow passage into the cave. The ceiling at the opening looked like theater curtains that had been drawn back at the sides. Only these curtains were made from the same octagonal stones.
At the water’s edge, the stone changed from black to an iridescent pink. As she flew through the cave, a breeze traveled with her, brushing against the stone like fingers on a harp. The sound was haunting and beautiful and made her breath stall and her heart speed.
When she reached the rear of the cave, she saw an iridescent pink shimmer along the wall much like the one at the opening. Only this shimmer wasn’t a product of nature. She felt magic emanating from it.
It was a glamour.
She shot an anti-glamour spell at the stone, and a dark passage was revealed beneath a low overhang.
Layla’s skin prickled with a rush of magic as soon as she crossed under the wall and into a small chamber. This had to be where the wand had meant for them to go.
She flew out and found Ian and the others making their way along the columns just inside the cave.
