The Quicksilver Faire (26 page)

Keelie watched as Dad and Uncle Dariel exchanged glances. Perhaps she could lighten the mood in the room. "It's extremely inconvenient to have a god fall in love with you.

Crickets chirped, the only sound other than the dwarves singing, "In the dark moon of the night..."

Dad lifted his head toward the ceiling, as if it might open wide and Sylvus himself would descend and offer advice. "This is serious, Keliel. You didn't see the way he looked at you.

"How did he look at me?"

Dad's eartips flushed bright pink, which was a nicer shade than the beet red on his face. "It was enough for Terciel to accuse you of favoring the forest god."

"Are you on their side? Do you agree with Terciel that I'm conspiring to bring about the downfall of the elves because of my fae blood?" She glared at Dad.

He threw his hands up. "I didn't say I agreed with Terciel. Didn't you see Uncle Dariel hold me back from punching the arrogant elf when he accused you of being a mongrel?"

Keelie had to repress a smile. Dad had come to her defense, and it had made her feel wanted and loved when he threatened to put a balding charm on Terciel.

"You're my daughter, and I don't want anyone or anything harming you. That includes a forest god who wants to claim you." Dad's voice rose again. His eartips now matched the rest of his face. Keelie wondered if he was yelling so that Herne, wherever he was, could hear him.

Elia moved the pillow over her head in an attempt to block out the conversation.

"What happened in Under-the-Hill?" Dad stared at Keelie. His once-livid face was a dark gray, as if asking the question had drained all of the blood out of him.

"My virtue is still intact, if that is what you're wondering," she reassured him.

Dad sighed. "Good." Uncle Dariel looked away, and Elia lowered the pillow.

Keelie didn't know if she wanted Elia to hear all of this, but she didn't have a choice. They were holed up in the motel whether they liked it or not, and she had to make Dad understand they all had to work together.

"There's a lot more going on than goblins going to war and trying to collect more magic," Keelie said.

"I know the wild magic is caused by a rift in the Earth," Dad said. "What else do you know?"

"There's also a crack in Gaia's Dome, and the Earth's atmosphere is at risk. If we don't find a way to repair it-"

"Then the Earth will burn up," Elia interrupted in a soft voice, embracing her rounded belly. Her eyes were wide with horror. "Dariel." She reached out her hand to him, and he sat down on the bed beside her and held her.

Dad's gray face became even more so, and his green eyes clouded with understanding. "Norzan didn't mention this to me. The High Court was supposed to keep him informed as to what was happening."

"Vania refuses to talk to the elves." Keelie shrugged. "I don't think most of the fae know what she's up to."

"That doesn't surprise me. I don't trust Vania." Dad looked grimmer.

"That's why I went to Under-the-Hill with Herne. After Vania proved that she wanted me to mend the rift alone, I thought that Herne was the second most powerful being and we had to get him on our side. He wanted me to see where the dark fae live." Keelie hoped her words reassured Dad.

Instead, Dad grabbed her arm and pulled her into the corner. Keelie saw Elia's wide, curious eyes on them.

"Herne is a powerful being," he said, his voice low. "He's a nature god. If he wants you, then I'm powerless against him, even in his weakened state. You should not have gone with him. What promises have you made him?" His face was lined with worry.

"I haven't made any promises. Give me a break, Dad, I'm sixteen." Keelie thought of the intoxicating feelings she experienced whenever Herne was near. Darn him for doing this to her. Dad didn't know just how dangerously attractive the Green Man was, but she still had to find a way to smooth things over. "Anyway, when I was there with him, I found out some things about Grandma Jo. She was pureblood fae."

"Pureblood?" Dad echoed, surprised.

"There's more," Keelie said quickly. "Queen Vania turned her into a brownie, cursing her for a love affair she had with a mortal man. My grandfather."

A frown creased Dad's forehead. "Before your mother was born?"

Keelie nodded.

"That means that Katy was-that you are-"

"Dark fae. It's why I can go Under-the-Hill." Keelie didn't add how at home she felt there. "Herne told me that my dark fae side is strong enough, along with my elven blood, to make me not human. I'll have the lifespan of an elf or greater."

Dad didn't seem overjoyed. "Your mother never told me all this. If the elves discover it, they may consider you more dark fae than elf. It won't help matters."

Grandmother Keliatiel knew. Keelie didn't say the words aloud, but it looked like Grandmother had kept the secret well. Was this the reason why Mom had left Dad and the Dread Forest all those years ago? Had she feared her dark fae blood would be revealed? If so, she'd had nothing to fear.

Keelie jumped up. "I thought you'd be happy, Dad. I won't live just eighty years. We'll have more time together."

"I never doubted it." He said the words as if he really believed them.

Keelie was astonished. "You've never said that before."

"We'll talk about that later. One thing at a time, Keelie." Dad sighed heavily and sat down on the bed. "Norzan insisted you were the one to help. Mother convinced me you could handle yourself among the fae, after the superb way you managed the situation in the redwoods."

"Grandmother said that?" Keelie was pleased. A com pliment from her rigid elven grandmother was high praise indeed, and rarely given.

"I wasn't going to let you come here, but she convinced me, along with Dariel." He scowled at his younger brother.

Dariel shrugged. "We all trust Norzan." Keelie caught the implication that Dad had agreed with Norzan, also.

"Elia wanted to visit her family, and with Sean and Knot along to protect you, I thought you would be safe. Dariel thought Elia would be safe with her clan."

"My clan did not welcome me. I felt unloved and dismissed." Elia blinked several times. "They didn't even celebrate the hope of the child."

Dad nodded. "We didn't expect the hostility and anger toward you both or we wouldn't have sent you into such an uncomfortable situation, much less such a dangerous one."

"Dad, I don't think anyone knew about the rift other than Vania. What I don't understand is how Peascod and the goblins have been able to collect the wild magic to make themselves stronger."

The dwarves' singing had stopped. Silence filtered through the motel walls, punctuated with an occasional "huzzah." Uncle Dariel and Elia walked over to the door, where he embraced her.

"Get some sleep. We have much to discuss in the morning. Sean's jousters and the dwarves will take turns keeping watch for goblins and Herne, so you'll be safe. Dariel and I must go speak with Terciel and King Gneiss about our next strategic move against the goblins."

Elia walked over to the bed, pulled back the covers, and slipped in.

Dad kissed Keelie's cheek and held her close for a moment. "I won't let anything happen to you Keelie. You are my life."

Tears pricked her eyes. "I love you too, Dad." She closed the door after him and turned to Coyote and Knot, who seemed to be asleep on the floor. "I know you guys are faking it. Get up. We need to talk."

"Will you shut up?" Elia said. "I'm trying to get some sleep."

Coyote's ears pricked up. "First talk to Herne. He's waiting for you outside."

Elia levered up on her elbows. "Not him again."

Keelie whirled and ran to the window. Sure enough, the forest god was outside. He waved.

"What nerve! After what he did to us. We're stuck in this fleabag motel and he's out there laughing." Keelie frowned at the horned Green Man.

"Gotta admit, it was pretty funny," Coyote's black lips curled up in amusement.

"Well, I'm not going out to talk to him. The guards will probably see him and kick him out anyway," Keelie said. As if the guards could even touch him.

"You're delusional." Coyote threw his head back and howled in glee.

Herne must have heard, because he grinned at her.

"Shut up. You'll bring the guards over here."

"So go talk to him. What can it hurt?" Coyote's tongue lolled.

"Zeke will kill her. That's what it's going to hurt," Elia said. "Don't take advice from an ugly dog."

"I'm not a dog." Coyote narrowed his eyes.

What could it hurt? Herne could whisk her off to Underthe-Hill again, that's what. "You're supposed to be protecting me," Keelie accused Coyote. "Whose side are you on?"

Knot opened one eye. "Yeow's the trickster."

"See, even the cat agrees with me," Elia said.

"Yeah, I'm getting that." Keelie glared at Coyote. She turned to look back out the window and stifled a shriek. Herne's face was pressed up to the glass. She turned around to tell Elia, but the elf girl was suddenly asleep.

Keelie yanked the door open. Her elven guard lay on the ground, snoring, his eyes wide open.

"That's just wrong. What did you do to him?" she asked.

"Sweet dreams," Herne said, with a wave of his hand.

"Get in here before anyone sees."

Herne shook his head. "You come out. These buildings are full of iron."

Keelie rolled her eyes and stepped outside. She turned to look back. "Stay in there and don't make any noise."

Coyote looked at her innocently. "Who, me? She's making enough noise for all three of us." He motioned with his paw at Elia.

Knot closed his eyes, but she knew he was the biggest faker. She stepped outside and closed the door gently behind her.

Herne offered her a plastic bottle full of soda.

"This isn't some fairy trick, is it?"

"No, it came from that machine over there. It's human food, though it doesn't seem to have any food in it."

"Why are you here?" Keelie pulled the top off the soda, heard the fizz, and took a sip.

"I came to show you something." Herne called a goblin to him, one of the little ones she'd seen all over Underthe-Hill. Keelie backed up, ready to jump back through the motel room door.

"Stop, it's safe. He's mine, look."

The goblin came up and squatted at Herne's feet, putting its spidery arms around the forest god's booted leg. His skin looked chitinous, a shiny black that glowed in the slanting arctic sun. His round, protruding eyes looked up at her.

"I thought Peascod controlled the goblins. Did you kill Peascod?"

"No. I'm not sure where the accursed fool went, but I discovered that when he's not around, his influence fades, and the goblins look to me. At least they still band together. It's easier to control them that way, when I can."

"Permanently? What happens if he comes back?"

Herne shrugged. "I don't understand the power Peascod has over the wild magic. But I don't think he's working alone."

"I still can't figure out how you lost control," Keelie said. "I mean, you're a god, right?"

Herne's expression turned stoney. "I was."

"What's the difference between a god and a fairy?"

"Power. Much of my power came from my worshipers, although most of it comes from nature itself. Few practice the old ways." He seemed reluctant to say the words.

"Don't look at me. I'm not a worshiping kind of girl."

Herne met her eyes. "I could make you."

Keelie shivered, sure that he could. She wondered how many other gods there were. Eager to look away from Herne, she glanced down at the little goblin. He was hideous, but seemed content to sit there. The little fellow looked up at Keelie and his eyes zoomed to her soda. He licked his lips.

Keelie offered it to him, careful to keep her hands away from his sharp talons. He snatched the bottle, ripped it in two and poured the liquid out, then calmly chomped down on it.

Keelie stared. "Do they all do that?"

"Table manners are not part of goblin life."

"No, I mean eat plastic."

Herne looked at the little creature. "I suppose. They eat all kinds of garbage."

She remembered how clean Big Nugget had been. No wonder. And of course, that's why cities were full of goblins. They ate garbage. Plastic. The idea excited her-a recycling solution. Although if the cities were full of goblins, you sure couldn't tell the difference.

"I have to go to bed," she said to Herne. "Thanks for coming by. I'm glad the goblins seem to be yours once more."

He bowed. "I'll see you soon. This alliance idea is so amusing.

"No more mention of consorts, okay?"

Herne's eyes flashed. "Oh, yes." Keelie felt that tingle again and stepped back.

"Don't fight it, Keelie. You are dark fae, and your blood sings to me."

She stood tall. "I'm also part elven and part human, and you have no sway over those."

Herne grinned again. "So you think." He bowed, and vanished.

Her elf guard moaned from the ground. She needed to go inside before he saw her out here or he would tell Dad. She put a hand on the doorknob, and the trees moved with a breeze that spoke to her in Herne's voice. I do love a challenge.

Two hours later, as Keelie tried to read the dragon magic book, her eyes closed. She swore she smelled the familiar scent of Ermentrude's charcoal cigarettes and the purring of Knot as he snuggled up against her.

She felt as if she were falling, and then she landed in a valley tucked between snow-capped mountains. The air was crystal clear and the grass was soft beneath her feet. Sunlight shone on her shoulders, warm on her skin. Knot played among the red and blue flowers. In the spring-green grass, Coyote rolled on his back with his legs up in the air.

It all seemed so real. It had to be. Keelie wished Sean were here with her. It would be a calm, serene place for her to pour her heart out to him, and he'd understand.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?"

At the sound of the voice, Keelie almost fell over. She didn't turn around. She didn't want to look for fear the speaker wouldn't be there.

"We're here, Keliel," Grandmother Josephine said.