Stinking Beauty

by Elizabeth A Reeves

  I agreed vehemently with that assessment. I was just surprised that my rule-following cousin felt the same way.

  “The twins were going to meet me at the Keep,” I said, not mentioning that their house was visiting mine. I figured that would be too much to try to explain. “Why don’t you come, and we’ll work out a plan altogether.”

  Gloriana's eyes shone. “Excellent! Then we can go any rescue Talia tonight!”

  I thought my cousin was being a little too optimistic, but I found that her attitude was rubbing off on me. As we climbed into her open carriage behind her winged greyhounds, I found myself smiling.

  The twins were standing in the front courtyard of the Keep when we arrived. At first, I couldn’t see their house, but a tingle in the Magic and a short of shimmer towards the back of the Keep told me where it was hiding. I liked the idea of a cloaked house. If I could cloak my house, it would make the dragons that much safer. I would have to ask the twins about that feature. Maybe, once their house was done talking to mine, it would know how to cloak itself on its own.

  Maybe the idea of a sentient or semi-sentient house should have been alarming, but I was already used to having a relationship with Magic that bordered that same line.

  Flit flew acrobatically in our direction. He had decided to spend the morning with the twins in the Keep, no doubt to keep them from stumbling upon the dragons living there the way I had.

  Though from the curious look Astraea was giving me, I wondered if they hadn’t somehow learned about the dragons in my “basement”.

  “Oh, my, they are stunning, aren’t they?” Gloriana whispered, clutching my arm as we approached the twins.

  I realized that my cousin had never seen the twins without their cloaks. Why would she? I was the only one who had been thrown into such strange circumstances it would have been unavoidable.

  I found myself eying Dallan as we approached. I knew that he hated being on display to strangers, but he appeared as cool and collected as ever. I wondered how he would respond to my cousin. She was spectacularly beautiful and knew it, though she didn’t use that knowledge and turn it into vanity. It was more of a kind of confidence.

  I had a brief uncomfortable moment, wondering how Dallan would care to look at me when someone like Gloriana was about, then I chided myself for being so jealous. If he was truly interested in me, I told myself, seeing a beautiful fairy wouldn’t change that. If his interest was shallow, however, this would show him for what he truly was. It wasn’t a test… More like a mirror. Gloriana and I had gaged creatures in the past based on how they reacted to her. It was always interesting to see what sort of person would faun all over her, and which ones would try to own her.

  Dallan, as far as I could tell, was oblivious to Gloriana’s beauty. He couldn’t be unless he was blind, but that’s how he appeared.

  I tried not to be too happy about that.

  “Everything is set and finalized,” I announced as we drew close enough that I wouldn’t have to shout. “Apparently, the scroll we found was a spare. Brunhild had already registered her intentions. I have the deed now.” I held up the heavy scroll.

  Astraea mimed applause.

  “Gloriana believes that we should investigate Nynorsk without the blessing of the Council,” I said without preamble.

  Gloriana nodded her head. “I have Godmothered there,” she said confidently. “I have some contacts inside the castle. We should be able to see if anything is known there without much difficulty. I can get you into the castle, and the guards and servants all recognize me and will talk to me. I know they will.”

  “Servants tend to know everything that happens in a kingdom,” Astraea mused, nodding with approval. “I do believe that this is an excellent plant. How convenient to discover that your cousin is already familiar with Nynorsk.”

  “Very convenient,” Dallan said, his face and tone giving nothing of his thoughts away.

  “Almost like Magic,” Gloriana breathed with a laugh, wiggling her fingers as if they were sparkling.

  I laughed. “Of course, Magic wants us to set things to rights. There’s no such thing as coincidence!”

  “If you have paper, I can draw you what I know of the layout of the castle in Nynorsk,” Gloriana suggested. “I’ve only been inside maybe a dozen times, but I think I remember enough to be useful.”

  I nodded. “The library is this way.”

  Gloriana was suitably impressed by the grandeur of Brunhild’s… well, my library now. She stared opened-mouthed at the map and the way the ceiling rose like the shell of an egg around us.

  “I might just have to find an excuse to move in with you,” Gloriana teased. “Who knew such architecture genius was hiding here in the deep woods!” She shook her head. “It’s marvelous. I wish I had taken the effort to know Brunhild better. Obviously, she was keeping secrets.”

  “I believe the Keep is in the proper hands now,” Dallan said in his low voice. His eyes were on the book in his hands. He was leaning against a bookshelf in what should have been a casual pose, but I could see the tension in him.

  How had I grown to be able to see these things in such a small amount of time? How was it that I could read him so well?

  Gloriana laughed. “I agree! I do! Grace has the exact right personality for this place. And she won’t mind being in the middle of nowhere, will you?”

  I laughed. “No, not at all. I spent enough time in cities to get over my need for constant noise and interruption. You, on the other hand, would languish away without fairies all around you.”

  “And humans to give Blessings to,” Gloriana agreed. She spotted a stack of paper on the desk underneath the map. “Ah, perfect! I will do my best to remember the layout of the castle. It is such a dark country, and always cold. I wish I had never set eyes on it.”

  She set to work.

  I watched her with some surprise. I had never heard her complain about any of her assignments. She was always the kind of fairy that said that the greater the challenge, the more satisfying the work was. Her voice had been so vehement when she said that she wished she had never seen Nynorsk. It was out of character for her.

  How much time had we spent together over the last two centuries? I mused. Just a few hours, really, scattered over the years. It was almost always Gloriana who had initiated contact. I felt horrible about that. I would have to be better and keeping in contact with those members of my family I could tolerate.

  “What’s that face for?” Astraea elbowed me gently, her voice low so as not to disturb Gloriana's drawing.

  “I’m a terrible cousin,” I said mournfully. “I just realized how little effort I put into spending time with people I actually like. I’m horrible.”

  Astraea laughed softly. “Well, my brother and I are not much better, are we? How many social events do you think the pair of us are invited to attend?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never seen you at the ones I’ve been forced into appearing.”

  “Exactly.” Astraea gave a decisive nod. “We are feared, and most fairies tend to ignore the things that frighten them.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “That doesn’t sound very intelligent.”

  Astraea raised both of her eyebrows. “Of course, not! But how many fairies are out there who display any sort of intelligence?”

  “I’m not a good judge,” I reminded her. “I have a bad attitude where most fairies are concerned.”

  Astraea chuckled, but left me to wander through the shelves. I could tell whenever she reached a new aisle because the fairy lights would light up a whole new section of the room.

  I marveled again at the sheer size of the library. I had a hunch I could explore it for my remaining mobile centuries and never discover all its secrets.

  It was an exciting idea. One could never be truly bored with that many books on hand.

  Flit was performing acrobatics in the dome above the library. I noticed, after a while, that he had been joined by one of his brothers or sist
ers, the dark black miniature dragon I had met briefly when I had stumbled upon the dragon area of the Keep. I watched the two of them, tumbling and diving, spinning together like dancers at an aerial ball.

  “Finished,” Gloriana announced. She wrinkled her nose and the paper in her hand. “Incomplete, I’m afraid, but I know where all the doors are located. It’s easier when two-thirds of the castle was built up against a mountain.” She frowned. “I don’t know if there are any secret passages into the stone, of course. I only know a few of the secret doorways, the kind a Fairy Godmother would use, you know.”

  “You’ve done wonderfully,” I assured her, taking the page by the corners so as not to smudge the ink.

  I was not surprised to find my cousin had drawn a clear and detailed map, including many internal rooms as well as marking all the entrances and exits. I wondered briefly if I would be able to do the same for the family complex I had lived in for the first two centuries of my life, but I doubted it.

  “Excellent,” Astraea said, taking the map from me and studying it. I hadn’t even heard her approaching. “We should eat and dress warmly in dark clothing. It always seems the best plan to dress in dark clothing when one is attempting to be covert.”

  “Indeed,” Dallan agreed. He hadn’t been speaking much, but I could feel him watching. I missed hearing his thoughts. Gloriana was proving herself invaluable for this exploration, but the price seemed to be Dallan’s involvement.

  It was too bad, since all three of the people with me in this room were some of my favorite beings. I had known Gloriana most of my life and I had only met the twins a few days ago, but they all felt right to me. I would never want to have to choose between them.

  I’d probably have to choose Gloriana because of family loyalty… and I had known her longer.

  Astraea pulled her Magical food basket from the unknown and spread out a feast for us to share. I hadn’t actually found the Keep’s kitchens yet, something I would have to rectify once we had found Talia and returned her to her family.

  Gloriana, used to being the center of attention and fully practiced in the art of conversation, kept us occupied and laughing while we ate. She was witty and clever and knew how to present herself in the best light. Even when her stories veered into our childhoods, I couldn’t be mad with her.

  “Oh, Glory was always getting into scrapes,” Gloriana said with a laugh, tilting back her long neck in a practiced pose. I knew it was practiced because I had seen her practicing it when we were younger. If I had had a swanlike neck, I might have tried the same gesture. As it was, I would probably pull a muscle. “It seems someone was always yelling at her. Do you remember the mess when you brought those baby griffins home?”

  I winced. “My parents were not pleased.”

  “Well, they were not house-trained in the least,” Gloriana said, wrinkling her nose adorably. “And they were just learning how to fly, so it was an utter disaster! I swear Grace cried for a month when her father sent them away.”

  I wanted to crawl under the table. I had cried for nearly a month, but it wasn’t because my father had sent them away. I had discovered that he had sold them to the kind of shop that used rare animal parts for some of the darker spells certain kinds of fairies used. He’d traded them in exchange for some dragon scales and feathers from an adult griffin. Part of me still hadn’t forgiven him.

  Magic, always sensing my mood, tightened around. I could feel it grow warm in response to my rage. I dragged in a deep breath and forced myself to think about beautiful things, like the way the tiny dragons had danced in the dome above the library, all glitter and grace.

  The space around my fingers flickered for just an instant with tiny blue flames, but they subsided as I continued breathing and concentrating on the better parts of life. I pictured walking in the woods, and the scent of a winged horse after a long gallop… the way the ocean sighed restlessly as it reached across sandy beaches.

  The tight, hot feeling eased and disappeared.

  I looked up to find my three companions staring at me.

  “I apologize,” I said, reaching for another roll. “I just needed a moment.”

  Gloriana would have said something if the twins hadn’t been there. I could tell it in her expression. Dallan’s eyes also said that he resented that Gloriana’s presence kept him from being blunt.

  They didn’t trust each other. That was fine. They would learn if they only had the chance to spend more time together.

  “Time to go,” Astraea announced. “We should take Brunhild’s carriage. It’s darker and less easy to recognize.”

  I stared at her. “Brunhild has a carriage?”

  Astraea laughed. “It’s a good thing that this place is Magically maintained because her creatures would have died if left to your care.”

  I felt immediately guilty.

  “I’m sorry, that came out wrong,” Astraea said contritely. “You’ve just been busy. There’s more work here than any one person could ever do, that’s why Brunhild used so much Magic.”

  “Shouldn’t her spells have died with her?” Gloriana asked.

  I shook my head. “No, not with Brunhild. She imbued items with Magic instead of casting spells. Everything she enchanted will last practically forever.”

  “Clever,” Dallan commented.

  I nodded in agreement. “So, what, exactly is Brunhild’s team?”

  Astraea grinned. “You’re just going to love this.”

  The creatures that we found in the stables were unlike any other creature I had ever seen. They were a combination of some strange, skeletal, draft-type horse, but with scales and claws instead of hooves and enormous dragon-like wings. The skin of their coats seemed to expose every one of the bones of their skeletons. Their eyes gleamed red as they stamped towards me on their strange feet. There was something horrifyingly graceful about them. Instead of flowing tails, they had long, strong dragon tails. They tossed back their thick manes and screamed. The sound was like that of a great cat or a banshee.

  Chills erupted down my spine.

  “Longma,” Astraea announced with delight. “From the plaques inside the stables, these four are Ludos, Pragma, Storge, and Agape. They’re just the cream on the top of the wild assortment Brunhild has hiding in her stables.”

  “Creatures of love,” I said with delight. “Should we harness them, or would it be better to ride?”

  “We’re going to need a carriage if we find Talia,” Gloriana said quickly. I could see by the way she was eying the longma that they frightened her. “Especially if she is pregnant.”

  I nodded in agreement. Dallan and Astraea helped me harness the longma. Despite their dangerous appearances, I found all four of them to be sweet. They particularly loved being scratched behind the ears and under the chin, where the scale armor gave way to a more horse-like coat. Like most fairy harnesses, the longma did not us bits or reins. The harness itself could be removed at need by a tug by the longma on a particular strap.

  I pulled my wand out of the convenient pocket in my skirt and focused on where we needed to go. The tip of my wand lit up and silver light surrounded the longma, before settling in around them.

  “I think that worked,” I said uneasily. I’d never liked working Magic in front of an audience. It always made me feel like a disaster, even when the spells went right.

  “It looked perfect,” Gloriana said, reassuringly. “Don’t worry, if it didn’t work, one of us can always do it again.”

  Dallan muttered something under his breath. He held the door of the carriage open for my cousin.

  “Thank you,” she chirped, lifting her skirts to climb inside. I followed her, then the twins joined us.

  After a moment longer, the carriage began to move. Shortly after, we could feel the wheels leave the ground as the longma took to the sky.

  Even though we were possibly heading into dangerous territory, and we were walking the line between lawful or not, my mind kept drifting back to the longma. I ha
d never even heard of a creature like them in my entire life. They had been so strange and so elegant… I wondered what a longma foal would look like. Would it be born, or would it hatch from an egg, like a dragon?

  “Grace,” Dallan said.

  I lifted my head, suddenly aware that they had been talking and I had failed to respond. “I apologize,” I said, a blush climbing up my face. “I’m afraid I wasn’t attending. What did I miss?”

  “We will stop near an inn that I have visited in the past,” Gloriana said, pointing to her map. “There’s a space there that joins the woods that is the best place to hide the carriage while we fly the short distance to the castle ourselves.”

  I waited for someone to realize the obvious thing.

  “Someone will have to carry me,” I said when it appeared no one else was going to reach that conclusion.

  “I will,” Gloriana and Dallan spoke at the same time.

  “Well, that makes the choice obvious,” Astraea said, leaning back in her seat with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I will carry her myself.”

  Dallan and Gloriana glared at each other and then at Astraea, but she was unconcerned by their glowering faces.

  “You’re popular tonight,” she teased in my ear. “I don’t think your cousin and my brother are meant to be friends.”

  I frowned at the thought. “Why not?”

  Astraea laughed. “Isn’t it obvious? They’re jealous of each other. Gloriana is jealous that you are both giving your attention to someone else and getting attention when she’s the one used to being in the spotlight. And he’s jealous that she’s here, taking up time that he wanted to spend with you… Alone with you.” She winked.

  I flushed.

  “You’re teasing me,” I accused her.

  She shrugged. “A bit. It’s just so fun to tease you. You get all flustered and red.”

  I scowled at her but she just laughed.

  “Can we just focus?” I asked, thumping my hand against the edge of the map we were looking at. “This is serious! There’s a chance that Talia might be around here somewhere. If that’s the case…”

  “If that’s the case, we will rescue her,” Dallan said reasonably. He pulled the hood of his cape back up to hide his face. “Don’t worry so much, Grace. We have Magic on our side.”