The Prince of Two Tribes (6 page)

Tapping the centre of the block, he waited for the faint glow of the keyboard to appear and started to dial. “I’ll call Kim. She’s a pro with vegetation, isn’t she?”

“No!” said Greenleaf with uncharacteristic desperation creeping into his voice. “Not Ki-Mata! I’ll never hear the end of it!” Greenleaf and Ki-Mata had a rather adversarial relationship. Though both were participating in Brendan’s Faerie education, they often had differing opinions about what form that education should take. Ki-Mata would revel in Greenleaf’s predicament.

“I’d say you haven’t got much choice.” Brendan kicked one of the thick roots imprisoning Greenleaf. It didn’t budge.

“Very well,” Greenleaf sighed. “Call the she-devil.”

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” BLT crowed. “This is going to be good!”

Titi sneered.

²²
. Never count on a squirel or a raccoon to have your back. Anybody with a peanut or a crust of bread can distract them.

THE HOT POT

Brendan glumly took in the view out the window of Roncesvalles Avenue below. Pedestrians, shoulders hunched and umbrellas clenched, leaned into the wind that had blown up on the way to the café from the park.

Until a few weeks ago, Brendan would have been just as uncomfortable in the cold and wind as those unfortunate Humans. Since his initiation into the Faerie world, he found that the weather didn’t bother him anymore. His Faerie heritage was proof against most extremes of cold and heat. He found, instead, that he relished the coming of winter in a way he never had before. His senses were awakened to the subtlety of the natural world. He could smell the rain. He could hear the approach of the winter. He felt the ground settling and steeling itself against the encroaching frost. Brendan marvelled at the newfound depth of his perception. He found it confusing and exhilarating at the same time.

One hazardous element of the change was that he had to be on guard at all times around his family and friends. Already, he had slipped up on a couple of occasions, walking out the door wearing only a T-shirt on sub-zero mornings or making comments on the voice of the wind or the minute cries of dying leaves to Dmitri and Harold. The way he could hear these things was often quite distracting.

He was learning to filter them out when need be. They became like a background hum or white noise most of the time. If he did get lost in the world’s secret sounds, Kim was usually quick to kick him on the shin under the table or glare a warning at him. Brendan was aware, though, that he wouldn’t always have her there to catch him when he slipped up.

Thinking about Harold and Dmitri depressed Brendan. He missed the easy friendship they’d shared before he found out about his Faerie nature. Only a few short months ago, Brendan, Harold, and Dmitri had found one another on their first day at Robertson Davies Academy. As they skulked together through initiation week, hiding from the worst of the hazing, they formed a bond. They were the nerdiest of the nerds. Harold, overweight and sensitive, was a brilliant artist, rarely seen without a sketchpad under his arm and charcoal smudges on his fingers. Dmitri, small and cheery, was the object of many a bully’s attentions, with his strange accent and trusting nature. But together, they covered each other’s backs.

That’s what they used to be like. Now their relationship was strained. Brendan no longer had to wear braces or glasses, and his acne was largely gone.
²³
He was no longer clumsy, thanks to heightened Faerie awareness of the world around him. And along with the physical changes had come a change in their relationship. Brendan had to maintain a safe distance from his friends in order to keep his secret. Having a secret was lonely, and Brendan’s loneliness was even deeper because they had shared an adventure that Harold and Dmitri could no longer recall. Dmitri and especially Harold were wary of him in a way they’d never been before. Brendan had no idea what to do to alleviate the problem. He hoped their friendship would survive the strain.

Brendan felt himself sinking into self-pity. To distract himself, he looked around the café. Though he’d had weeks to get used to the idea, he was still shocked at how the Faerie world existed in the cracks of the Human world. The café they sat in was a good example. Before his awakening to his Faerie side, he’d walked by this corner many times. Where Roncesvalles split with Dundas Street West stood a bank building that was now occupied by a coffee chain. Brendan had shared a hot chocolate with his father a couple of months ago and never suspected that a café catering to Fair Folk existed on the same spot.

Kim had arrived at the park in good humour to find Greenleaf trapped in his wooden prison. After a few minutes spent savouring his predicament, she’d made the roots of the tree narrow slightly so that Greenleaf could wriggle out. Mission accomplished, the three of them had walked over to the café for a hot drink. But instead of stopping at the coffee bar, Kim and Greenleaf continued through to the hallway that led to the washrooms. Brendan was puzzled.

“Aren’t we going to have a drink?” Brendan asked.

“Yeah,” Kim said. She jerked a thumb at the ceiling. “Upstairs.”

“Upstairs?” Brendan hadn’t noticed any upper floor. He followed Greenleaf and Kim into the hallway. Brendan expected his friends to go to one of the restroom doors or the employees’ entrance. Instead, they walked directly into a blank wall between some stacked boxes of paper cups and vanished through the solid surface. Brendan stopped short.

“Hey!” The wall looked completely solid to him.

A young woman in a green apron came out of a door marked
EMPLOYEES ONLY
and found Brendan staring at the wall. “You looking for something?”

“Uh,” Brendan stammered. “I, uh . ” How could he explain?
My friends just disappeared through a wall.

Suddenly Kim’s head popped out of the solid surface. Waves spread out from her like ripples in a pool. “You coming?” Seeing the young woman, Kim smiled. “Hey, Cassie. What’s up?”

“Not much,” Cassie replied. She smiled at Brendan. “You must be Brendan.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, still a little confused. “You’re … one of us?”

Cassie winked and grinned. For an instant, Brendan glimpsed her true appearance, her dark hair sparkling with silver streaks and her golden eyes. The moment passed and Cassie returned to her glamour as a mousy-brown-haired Human woman. “First time at the Pot?”

“I guess so,” Brendan answered.

“Have the hot chocolate,” Cassie suggested. “And good luck with the Proving Challenges. I’m sure you’ll be awesome!”

Cassie turned before Brendan could answer and went back through the employees’ entrance. Brendan stood looking at the door. “Proving Challenges?” Brendan didn’t like the sound of that. “What’s she talking about? Proving what?”

Kim ignored his question. Grabbing his elbow, she pulled him through the wall.

He found himself at the bottom of a stairwell. Golden light shone down from above as he mounted the stairs. Lively conversation, laughter, and the hissing squeak of a milk steamer greeted his ears as he rose into a warm, airy room.

Brendan stood at the top of the stairs and looked around. Tall windows lined the walls, looking out over the street. Rain pattered on the skylights above, mixing with the mutter of conversation to create a pleasant buzz. Small, round tables were filled with Faerie patrons of every description. Here and there, Lesser Faeries flitted in the air, some delivering drinks or pastries, others merely visiting with friends. Behind the counter, its wood polished to a golden lustre, a male and a female Faerie worked swiftly, steaming milk, drawing espresso, plating delicious-looking cakes and pastries.

“Brendan!”

Kim and Greenleaf had found a table by the window and were waving him over. He wended his way through the small forest of tables. He was so distracted, gawking around the room, that he bumped into an old man.

“Excuse me,” the old man said. For an instant, Brendan’s eyes were gripped in the bluest, most intense gaze he’d ever encountered. The old man smiled.

“Forgive me, lad. I’m awfully clumsy.”

“No problem,” Brendan mumbled. He was about to apologize himself, but the man moved on. Brendan turned and watched him go to the stairs and disappear. He was struck by the sudden realization that he’d never seen an old Faerie before. He was about to go after the old man when Kim called again.

“Brendan? Come on!”

Brendan shook his head and went to the table.

“What’s the matter?” Greenleaf asked.

“Nothing.” Brendan shrugged. He was about to tell them about the old man, but something made him reluctant to mention him. He sat down, his mind’s eye still full of that blue stare that seemed to come from a million miles inside the old man’s head.

“Hey!” BLT’s head popped out of his breast pocket. She had taken shelter from the rain on the walk over and now looked about eagerly. “The Hot Pot? They have the best pastries here.” The Diminutive Faerie began to climb out of her perch.

“No way!” Brendan said. “You aren’t allowed any sugar.”

“Come on,” BLT pleaded. “Just a little bit. I need a pick-me-up.”

“Uh-uh! It’s for your own good. We’ll see if they have any fruit.”

BLT mimed barfing and dropped onto the tabletop. She began hunting for stray crumbs or grains of sugar.

Kim stood up. “What’ll ya have? My treat.”

“Café au lait,” Greenleaf said.

“Uh … ” Brendan shrugged. “Hot chocolate, I guess.”

“With plenty of whipped cream,” BLT chimed in.

Kim nodded and went to the counter to order.

“Sorry, Greenleaf,” Brendan said for the fortieth time since the incident at the park. “I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. I guess I didn’t really have control.”

Greenleaf waved away Brendan’s apology with an elegant hand as he removed his gloves. “Think nothing of it. I was trying to provoke a reaction from you and I did. You acted instinctively. I want you to remember how you felt in that moment because that is the place inside you that you need to tap into when using your new abilities.”

“Yeah, right!” Brendan snorted. “I don’t want trees crushing people all the time.”
Besides, I don’t want to be angry or afraid all the time.

“Don’t worry. Control comes with practice. I doubt that trees will attack very often.” Greenleaf laughed. “Seriously, though, I want you to try to access that place when you’re not in a stressful situation. You didn’t hurt me, but when your power comes from a place of strong emotion, you tend to lose control.”

Kim returned to the table and sat down. “Drinks will be here in a minute.” She smiled sweetly at Greenleaf. “You’re lucky I could bail you out.” Kim’s sardonic comment broke into Brendan’s reverie. She grinned and winked at Brendan. “I may not be there next time you get into trouble.”

“I’m eternally grateful, Ki-Mata. You, however, took your sweet time.” Greenleaf sniffed and plucked a dead leaf from his rumpled jacket, crinkling his nose. “This will never do.” He ran a hand over his jacket and the wrinkles disappeared completely, as though his palm were a steam iron.

“Please forgive me.” Kim grinned. “I got here as quickly as I could.” She started to giggle. “I’m just glad I got to witness the great Greenleaf in such a compromising position.”

“Very amusing it was, I’m sure.”

“Oh, it was. It truly was.”

“I’m so glad. However, I believe there is another aspect of this incident that is far more intriguing. Our plan to push Brendan out of his comfort zone has yielded some interesting results, more interesting than we could have imagined. It would seem that our Brendan has another Talent.”

“Yeah.” Kim raised an eyebrow. “Looks like you’ve got the same gift as me. Welcome to the Green Art Club, Brendan!” She punched him in the arm.

“Ow,” Brendan grunted. “That hurt.” Kim may have looked thin, but her willowy frame was strong as steel.

“Sorry.” Kim laughed. “You’re such a little girl!” Brendan immediately tried to return the punch but Kim swivelled her shoulders, making him swing wide. His arm followed through and swept BLT from the table.

“Waaaaa!”
the tiny Faerie cried as she tumbled backwards, flapping her wings furiously. Titi sat primly on Greenleaf’s shoulder, casting her eyes heavenward as she took in BLT’s antics.

“If I may interrupt your playtime, children,” Greenleaf said, shaking his head, “I don’t think what Brendan has manifested is the Green Art. From what he described feeling, I believe we may be seeing a different kind of Art altogether.”

“What do you mean?” Kim’s face became serious. She swung her brown eyes onto Brendan and looked at him with interest.

“Drinks coming through! Hot stuff!” a squeaky voice cried, breaking into the conversation. A fluttering gang of Lesser Faeries struggled to keep a tray of foamy beverages aloft and upright. Kim quickly reached up and grabbed the tray just as the tiny waiters were about to lose their grip. She lowered the tray to the tabletop, depositing the drinks in front of her friends. The Faeries waited for the empty tray and then streaked off across the room, back to the counter.

“Well?” Kim asked, sitting down and turning her attention to Brendan once again.

“Tell her what you told me, Brendan.”

“Yes! But first,” Kim said, smiling, “try the hot chocolate.”

Brendan took a sip to give himself a moment to collect his thoughts. He’d had hot chocolate before, but this was something else. Rich, creamy chocolate flooded his mouth, filling him with warmth, sending a rush of pleasure exploding through him and tingling down his throat. An instant later, his mind was filled with the most wonderful, comfortable contentment. His eyes went wide. The chocolate was satisfying not just to his taste buds but to his mood as well. He felt safe, happy, and secure. A gentle smile spread across his face.

“It’s awesome, eh?” Kim smiled back. “No one does hot drinks like the Hot Pot.”

“Can we get back to the subject at hand?” Greenleaf suggested. “Tell Kim what you experienced, Brendan.”

Brendan tried to settle his thoughts, feeling tempted to take another sip but resisting. Finally, he said, “I dunno. It’s hard to put into words. I was kind of desperate. I thought Greenleaf was Orcadia and I was gonna get fried, so I reached out with my mind for help. There weren’t any animals or birds close, none that I thought were big enough to help.” He paused, fidgeting with his spoon. He remembered the weight of the tree’s slumbering thoughts. “I tried harder. I reached out and sensed a mind, but it was slow and heavy like a sleeping … elephant or something.” He looked up and found Kim’s attention riveted on him.