Secret Worlds (129 page)

She kicked around some pebbles lying in her path. In the gray and brown colored landscape, a spot of color rolled an inch from her left shoe. She automatically bent to pick it up, examining the muddy orange. A chip of carnelian. Skye palmed it between her hands, willing its fire energy to give her a flash of courage and wisdom. A word leapt into her mind:

Finvorra.

He might be her last chance since he was her only earthly link to Kheelan. If Finvorra was a Guardian, then by goddess he could act like one. For humans, ‘guardian’ meant a protector but in the fairy world maybe it meant to guard one from escape. Kheelan told her he tried to run away once when he was eighteen and the fairies tracked him down. If the Fae had a magical human GPS locator, they could use it again.

Skye limped the two blocks to her apartment without encountering more bad Fae. With luck, they were semi-nocturnal beings with diminished power in sunlight. She rounded the corner and saw her apartment. Fae or no Fae, she would grab her spare set of keys and hightail it to Finvorra’s place.

Skye drove out there with her mind racing as fast as her car. If she got pulled over she’d resort to something desperate like flying. Bet that was something no know-it-all veteran cop had seen before. She giggled, deciding she must be officially losing it.

Just as she feared she might be lost in the boondocks, Skye spotted the small cottage at the edge of the woods and raced up the dirt driveway, bringing the Mustang to a sudden stop right at the front porch. She didn’t bother knocking when she twisted the doorknob and found it unlocked.

A stale odor of whiskey pervaded the darkness. Skye flipped on lights and surveyed the kitchen.

“Anyone home?” she yelled.

Loud snoring sounded from the den. Skye ran toward it, determined to do whatever she needed to find Kheelan. Even if that meant smacking down a lecherous Finvorra.

He was sprawled in a recliner, a deluxe bag of chips on his pot belly and crumbs in his beard. His right hand flopped to one side, almost touching a bottle of whiskey set on the floor. One sock was off, exposing crooked toes and narrow feet.

Same as Claribel. Shapeshifting to human form was not a perfected transformation for any fairy.

Skye grabbed the bag of chips and crumpled it in his face. “Hey, you! Kheelan’s missing. Get up.”

Finvorra rolled to his side.

“I said,
get up
, and do your job for once.” Skye flung the contents of the half empty bottle of whiskey in his face.

That got his attention.

He bolted out of the chair, fist raised.

“Kheelan’s missing. You have to find him,” she said, taking a few steps out of striking range.

His bloodshot eyes narrowed. “Why are ye hollerin’ and carrying on?”

“Kheelan’s gone. This huge bird, some kind of Unseelie fairy, grabbed Kheelan in his claws and took off with him.”

Finvorra’s fist lowered and fear flashed in his eyes. “That be the sluagh then. He’s done fer now.”

“You have to help him – you’re his Guardian.”

“I ain’t getting nowhere near no sluagh. Now get out of me house afore you wake me friends.”

Skye grabbed his stained t-shirt and raised her voice. “Help him. Don’t you know anything? He’s supposed to take me to the celestial stone. I’m the one in your legend that’s going to help you in the fight with the Unseelies.”

Finvorra shoved her. Hard. Skye landed in a heap on the floor and clutched his pants leg. “Please,” she begged. Her voice choked with frustration. “Please . . . got to . . . please.”

“Get out woman.” One fist closed over her right forearm, clamping on the flesh as deep as a bulldog’s bite. She was being dragged to the door.

“I dunna think ye should be doin’ the lassie that a way,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Three men entered the den, each in various states of undress. They all looked to be awakened from a major drinking binge.

“It’s the changeling’s woman,” Finvorra said. “A right nuisance she is. Claims she’s
The One
who’s came to save us all from the Dark Fae.”

Skye appealed to their audience. “It’s true. I swear it. Get Annwyn here, she’ll tell you.”

“No need to be draggin’ that bitch into this business,” Finvorra said.

“Well now, Fin, let’s think about this a wee minute.” One of the strangers, sporting a long, ZZ Top kind of beard, stepped forward. “What if she be tellin’ the truth? Couldna hurt to have Annwyn take a look, just to be on the safe side, ya ken.”

Finvorra’s scowl deepened. “Don’t ye be tellin me what to do in me own house or ye ken get –”

The sudden, sweet scent of lilies of the valley stopped the bickering. Annwyn emerged from the shadows in a swirl of opalescent pastels. Her raspberry wings opened and shut once before feathering out like a peacock fan as she settled in their presence.

“Unhand the human,” she commanded.

“Ye have no business giving me orders.” Finvorra said. He let go of Skye’s arm even as he spoke the belligerent words. “I’ll not stand for ye interfering in me affairs like ye did last time with Kheelan. I’m his Guardian and I can do as I see fit.” He edged toward the door.

Skye scrambled up from the floor. “Deal with him later. We’ve got to find Kheelan. The sluaghs have him.”

“Sluaghs?” said one of Finvorra’s friends in a horrified whisper. The three guests looked at each other uneasily.

The ZZ top bearded one turned to Annwynn. “We’ll be taking our leave now. We told Fin to leave the lassie alone. Didna we?” he asked his companions. They both nodded energetically. “We be biddin’ ye good day.” They all gave a submissive nod to Annwyn before making a mad scramble to open a window and fly out.

It would have been funny, if she hadn’t been so scared.

Finvorra decided to make his escape too and bolted to the door.

“Not so fast.” Annwynn said. She lifted a wand and emitted a stream of water that splashed against Finvorra’s legs. It hardened to a pool of ice, rooting him where he stood.

“Aaargh.” Finvorra strained against the icy trap.

“Queen Corrigan gave ye a direct order to cease yer violence and ye have disobeyed her command.”

“And I ain’t touched the changeling since then. Ye have no –”

“Silence. The Queen has authorized me to punish ye for yer insubordination.” She glided gracefully toward her victim, then slowly circled him, drawing out his impending doom. “Perhaps I should throw ye to the sluaghs.” Her voice was angelic and a slight smile hovered in the corners of her lips.

“No!” Finvorra wildly thrashed his torso, lost his balance, and his ass crashed to the ground, legs still imprisoned under the ice.

Skye almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“No? Mayhap that is a bit harsh. How about ye are never able to drink alcohol again?” Dimples appeared in Annwynn’s cheeks. “No drinks or drugs for ye. A lifetime sentence of sobriety. How does that –”

“Can you decide his punishment later?” Skye asked, exasperated. “We have to save Kheelan.”

Violet eyes bore into her. Skye could never be sure what lay behind them. Annwynn appeared equal parts cunning and kindness. Skye suspected Annwynn assessed her in a sly way. Though mesmerizingly beautiful and charming, she had to be careful around this fairy. There was a quality about Annwynn that was definitely not human – a hint of amoral selfishness like one might find in an undomesticated animal.

“Ye needn’t worry about Kheelan.”

Skye blinked in surprise. “He’s okay? Have you seen him?”

“He’s perfectly safe within our magical fold.”

Magically trapped was more like it. Instead of relief, Annwynn’s words chilled Skye. “I want to see him.”

“That’s why I’m here. To bring you to him.”

“How did he escape from the sluaghs? I thought they were the big, bad, unstoppable Dark Fae.”

“We’ve been watching ye all night. When the sluagh captured Kheelan, we were able to set some of their very own brethren against them as a distraction.”

Skye remembered the second swarm of sluaghs coming to battle, the loud screeching, fallen feathers and blood from the sky.

“That was you?”

“Not just me.” Annwynn said with false modesty. “I had a large role in it of course, but it was the Seelie fairies working together that started the fight. In their bloodlust, the sluaghs forgot all about Kheelan. As the beast loosened his talons to attack another, Kheelan fell.”

Skye lifted a hand to her chest in fear.

“Not to worry. I caught him myself before he hit ground.”

Kheelan was safe. The adrenaline of fear and worry lifted and exhaustion took its place. Skye went to the sofa to rest her wobbly knees. She sunk her head in her hands and took long, shuddering breaths.

“Say, now that we know the changeling’s okay, how about loosening me bonds?” Finvorra pleaded.

Skye’s head snapped up. “No —”

“— Certainly not,” Annwynn said with a regal lift of her chin.

A beat of silence and then, “please,” came a very un-Finvorran-ish croak.

“Yer fate is not mine to decide. If it were up to me, ye would spend the next century as a toad.”

Finvorra gave up the meek approach and bellowed. “Unhand me forthwith, ye dunderheaded, crabbitty ole –”

“Silence.” Annwynn clapped her hands three times and two fairies floated through the front door.

Skye put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Probably not a good idea to insult the Fae. Even if they looked like the leprechauns on a box of Lucky Charms cereal.

“Ye summoned?” asked one of them.

“Escort Finvorra to Queen Corrigan.”

“Ach, with pleasure.” They both smirked and rubbed their tiny, green hands.

“But . . .” Skye said. She hesitated. These fairies were so small Finvorra would make fairy dust of them the minute he was out of Annwynn’s sight. She tried to think of a way to say it without bruising their pride.

Annwynn turned where the new arrivals couldn’t see her face and blinked one violet eye at Skye. “There are no better fairies than these two for the task. Allow me to introduce Hefeydd and Ealdun.”

“I be Hefeydd,” said one, his comical smile endearing.

“And I be Ealdun,” said the other. “Kheelan’s friends from when he be jest a little tyke.”

Skye couldn’t tell one green face from the other.

Hefeydd puffed out a stumpy chest. “Annwynn trusts us like no other. We be the strongest green caps in the realm.”

Finvorra snorted. “Strong me bahooky,” he muttered.

“There be ladies present,” said Ealdun, frowning in disapproval.

“Be along with ye now.” Annwynn made a whooshing motion with her hands. “Skye and I must prepare for the crystal ceremony tonight.”

“The one I’m supposed to activate for your Seelie Court?” Skye’s heart stammered as the enormity of the task sank in. What if she couldn’t do it? She might be as much a failure at being a fairy as she was at being a witch. After all, she was only, as Claribel put it, a half breed kind of thing.

Stop it
. She had escaped from Claribel, called on strengths she didn’t know were there. She could do it again.

Annwynn gave a sly smile, as if she read Skye’s thoughts. “It must take place before midnight this eve. If not, the opportunity will have been lost to us forever. We cannot allow that to happen.”

Despite the self-pep talk, the fairy’s words made her scalp prickle in alarm. If she didn’t come through . . . it could be very bad for her and Kheelan. Fatal even.

“By yer leave,” said one of the little fairies, doffing a pointy green hat in their direction. His twin did the same. “Don’t ye worry.”

Annwynn lifted her wand and the block of ice at Finvorra’s feet melted to a puddle on the hardwood floor.

Skye watched, amazed, as Finvorra meekly submitted to the creatures and left without a parting shot. “He’ll run for it as soon as he’s out of your sight.”

Annwynn’s laugh tinkled like a delicate crystal chime. “I discreetly zapped Finvorra with a teeny obedience spell. He’ll give them no trouble.”

“So you don’t entirely trust the strength and cleverness of your guards.”

“The male of any species has their precious pride, ye ken.”

“Yeah, I ken.”

They exchanged understanding smiles.

“And now it be time to prepare ye for yer evening’s work.”

Skye’s smile slipped. “First, prove to me Kheelan is really okay. I won’t agree to help until I see he’s safe.”

“Suspicious aren’t ye?” Annwynn cocked her head to the side, considering. As if coming to a decision, she nodded and pulled out a glass vial from the pocket of her gown and dabbed her fingertips with the contents. “Close yer eyes.”

Skye shut them and Annwyn touched each lid with a frosty finger. Her lids tingled and warmed while the darkness behind them transformed to a vision of Kheelan, standing alone under a tall tree. “He
is
alive,” she gasped. “He’s really alive.”

“Now back to business. Open yer eyes.” Annwynn placed ice-cold hands on Skye’s shoulders and guided her to a mirror hanging above the fireplace. “Behold yer reflection. I can’t have The One arrive at the celestial crystal ceremony looking a fright.”

Skye winced. Talk about a bad hair day. And her clothes were tattered and smeared with dirt, cobwebs and sluagh blood. Her makeup-less face was pale, the freckles popping out like globs of cinnamon sprinkles. Her two-day old wings drooped unevenly and were badly singed along the edges. “I could use a good clean-up,” she conceded.

Annwynn ran cool fingers through the red and purple tangles of Skye’s hair. “First, I’ll take care of yer wounds and then we’ll do a makeover, fairy style.”

“Promise you won’t make me look anything like Claribel.”

“More like Adorabelle. And afterwards ye shall have a nice supper and rest to get yer strength back for tonight.”

Skye went into the first bathroom and screwed up her face in disgust. Clumps of what appeared to be shaved toe hair lay in heaps on the floor like dead rats. Even worse, the stench of alcohol and vomit made it hard to breathe.

“Wrong room.” Annwynn pointed her wand to a door at the end of the hall. Relieved, Skye entered the sparse but mercifully clean bathroom.

And enjoyed the most aromatic, relaxing bath of her life. The steamy bathroom was a jumble of floral and herbal scents. She savored their notes like a gourmet meal. Annwynn brought in homemade concoctions for soap, shampoo and conditioner that were out-of-this-world amazing. She had never felt so clean and pampered.