by Perry, D. R.
She was an odd little thing, all pale skin like her dad with that orange hair. Something about her birdlike build reminded me of Olivia, but that made no sense at all, considering her parentage. I glanced at Olivia. Her skin was the same color as the kid’s, her hair almost light enough for her to be a Sidhe changeling. But changelings couldn’t be shifters. My whiskers twinged.
“Well, still.” I shrugged. “Anyway, it’s possible is all I’m saying. Also, she could give him the rank of prince, which would let him challenge either monarch. But she wouldn’t go and do something that risky.”
“But both of those scenarios are possible,” said Gemma. “It’s healthy to worry about either happening.”
“Listen here,” The Admiral put his hands on his hips, looming so large that he dwarfed just about everything else in the small cabin. “You kids have done this on your own long enough. This Hopewell rascal’s got more power than everyone in your pack combined and decades more experience to boot. Even Duke Ismail hasn’t got as many active years under his belt. You need bigger guns on your side of this battle, or you’ll get yourselves sunk.”
“That’s true.” Olivia gave me a sidelong glance. “And I’ve said as much over and over. But you’ll have to take that up with Josh. He calls those shots because he’s the Alpha.”
“I don’t need permission from a half-grown puppy.” Admiral Tolland’s chest puffed up like a toad’s. If toads were the size of professional wrestlers and had tusks, the resemblance would be perfect. “It’s time Hopewell’s elders and betters began applying boot to bottom, and I aim to do just that.”
“That’s true.” Gemma smiled. “I think it’s time you Tinfoil Hat folks had some allies to help you flank and corner this Extramagus.”
“I couldn’t have put that better myself.” The voice was way too recently familiar.
“Oh, no.” I shook my head, not wanting to turn around and confirm the source of the voice behind me. “Not my disappearing-reappearing-godmother again.”
“Hello, Tony.” Kiki stepped lightly across the floor, nimbly dodging blades that flowered from the cuffs of Admiral Tolland’s sleeves and a shot from Gemma’s pistol. “I’d apologize for making myself scarce earlier, but I’m not sorry. And I wouldn’t be here now if you’d gotten more of a move on earlier.”
She stopped next to Olivia. “Oh, you’re just perfect. I mean that with absolute sincerity. I haven’t seen such a brilliant owlish specimen since—” She chuckled. “Tch. I’ve gotten ahead of myself again, and we don’t have time. Or you don’t. You’ll be late to meet the king if you don’t set sail in the next five minutes.”
“Hoist sail, and set course to the Midnight Cape.” Gemma clapped her hands, and I heard the slapping of invisible webbed feet. She locked eyes with her grandfather. “One of us should be up there to supervise, or those sea nymphs will sail us to the other end of the map from where we need to be just for kicks.”
“Aye.” Admiral Tolland set the kid on his shoulders. “Come along, Hope.”
I watched them go. When I turned around to see what else Kiki might have wanted, she was in the middle of swiping one of the kid’s drawings from a footlocker.
“Wow, your godmother’s a real piece of work, Tony,” said Gemma. “I mean, who steals stuff from kids?”
“Ladies, apparently. Kitsune get bored in the Under, I guess.”
“Okay. This is officially the third strangest day of my entire life.” Gemma strode to the door and shut it with a decisive clomp. “None of you are going anywhere until you give me the whole story of how you got in the Under and how you all managed to be in half-shifted forms.”
“It’s a long stor—”
“No time to expl—”
Gemma clapped her hands again, cutting us both off. “You’ve got twenty minutes. Spill it or walk the plank. Legal Owl can start, and I’ll hear from Hinky cat-man after that. Extinct nobility brings up the rear.”
Olivia and I sang like freaking canaries. My godmother, not so much.
Chapter Eleven
Olivia
I told Gemma everything I knew, which didn’t seem like much. A few times, I caught glimpses of Tony from the corner of my eye. His face alternated between a strained sort of pallor and crimson with eyes unable to rise above floor view level. When I finished, I’d intended to focus on his story, try to absorb everything he said. His godmother had other plans.
“So, you’re the Ga— Um.” The lady cleared her throat. “The gal Tony adores.”
“I’d hardly say that Miss—” I turned my head in her direction, craning it in a more unnatural way than was strictly necessary. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced.”
“It’s Kiki, no need for a Lady or a Miss.” Her smile reminded me of Josh Dennison’s. Canine for sure.
“Thanks, Kiki.” I grinned back at her, trying to remind myself not to let my guard down around this mysterious woman. But I failed at not staring, knowing that the scarf on her head concealed fox ears. I couldn’t help myself, had to ask without actually phrasing a question. “So, you’re partially shifted, too.”
“It’s not her turn to talk.” Gemma stepped up beside the Kitsune, tapping one booted foot on the floor. “But I have to admit, the fact that you literally popped in and haven’t popped out again has me curious. So I’m changing up the order for now. Tell us why you’re here, Kiki.”
“Oh, for the same reason most of us are here, of course.” The left corner of her mouth tilted up. “Our parents got together at some point, we were born. And then, we got some trinkets that made us special. Well, more so than the usual Extrahuman at any rate.”
“Trinkets?” Tony’s eyebrows tried to meet his hairline. “I don’t remember getting anything like that.”
“Well, you wouldn’t.” Kiki’s grin showed too many teeth for a genuine smile. Her ears drooped a bit, something I’d seen before on dismayed wolf shifters. “I was there when you got yours, Tony. And you, Olivia.”
“Don’t tell me I’m part of the trinket club, too.” Gemma put her hands on her hips.
“Nope.” Kiki shook her head. “But I am.” She pulled the sash from around her waist, revealing all of her tails. “Of course, I got mine ages before either of you.”
“You’ll tell us how people get these trinkets,” said Gemma. “Now.”
“The person who gets one must have compatible magical potential.” Kiki gazed at Tony. “You can’t become a magical cat shifter unless you’re already going to be a cat shifter, for example.”
“There must be more to it than that.” I scratched my head.
“Yes.” Kiki shut her eyes, squeezing the lids together tightly like a child afraid of the dark. “The person must be born in the Under. And finally, the original bearer must have the trinket cut off or out of their body before a new person can get it.”
“Hoo, boy.” I watched Kiki’s tails waving from behind her in counterpoint, unable to tell whether there were eight or nine of them now. Insight struck me like a splash of cold water. “That’s got something to do with why Tony ended up in the Under.”
“Also with why the king picked you for a Quest, Olivia.” Gemma pointed at my wings. “He must have known you’d be like this when you came here.”
“That makes sense.” I nodded. “I’d have been pretty useless at apprehending a fugitive as a little owl.”
“We still don’t know who he means.” Gemma caught my eye, then jerked her chin at Kiki.
“No.” Tony shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “I ain’t handing my godmother over to nobody. I’d be dead for good if it weren’t for her.”
“Well, I’d be surprised by that.” Kiki tittered from behind her fingers. “The Goblin King’s seen me before at his court, and he’s never acted as though I shouldn’t be there. I didn’t get the title of lady from a Crackerjack box.”
“Masked balls don’t count, Kiki.” Gemma waggled one pink, sparkly fingernail at the Kitsun
e.
“That’s not all I’ve been to, you know.” Kiki winked. She belonged in a Lewis Carrol novel, and I wasn’t sure whether or not that meant I liked her.
“‘I do live in a topsy-turvy world,’” I quoted.
“Yes!” Kiki tapped the end of her nose with one finger. “‘It seems I have to do something wrong first, in order to learn from that what not to do!’”
“She knows Alice in Wonderland,” Tony ticked off each title on one hand as he spoke. “Tolkien, and fortune cookies, but jack and squat about anything important.”
“That’s not the way nice young men are supposed to speak to their godmother,” said Kiki, “but I suppose nice is different from good, so you’re not exactly one of those.”
“Stop deflecting and finish your story, Kitsune.” Gemma’s hand hovered over the butt of her pistol.
“Oh, very well.” Kiki raised an eyebrow at Gemma. “I’m not the one who derailed us, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m sure you’d like to know the reason I’ve been here in the Under all this time in the first place.”
“Everyone does.” I nodded.
“It’s far more complicated than I can explain for now.” Kiki sighed and shook her head. “I’ve been reclaiming some items of extreme importance for the continuation of my species.”
“So, you’re stealing?” Gemma’s hand dropped closer to her weapon.
“Reclaiming.” Bushy red-orange and white tails peeked out again from under Kiki’s sash. “No creature has any real use for Kitsune tails except for my kin and me.”
“You don’t have any kin,” said Tony. “Well, not technically, because we’re not related.”
“Wrong on the former and right on the latter.” Kiki reached under the scarf on her head to scratch an ear. “Too itchy. Ugh.”
“Wait!” I clapped my hands to match the ideas going off like fireworks in my brain. “The tails are trinkets, like the ones you say Tony and I have!”
“In a sense, although they are different in some intricate ways I don’t have time to mention.” Kiki grinned. “You grew up much sharper than your parents were, Olivia.”
“This is the second time someone’s mentioned my birth parents as though they’re dead.” I shivered. “It’s giving me the creeps.”
“I’m sorry.” Kiki closed her eyes. “It’s not my place to talk about that.”
I stood blinking at the Kitsune, wondering what her words and change of mood might mean. There weren’t any more fireworks left in the night sky of my head, the space too clouded with the smoky aftermath of implications about magical shifters.
Something warm and soft brushed against my hand, then curled around my wrist. I looked down to see a dark-furred appendage twining around my arm and then my hand. Tony had his back to me, his body obscuring half of mine from the others in a posture I recognized as protective. I blinked one last time, then sighed, trying to contain the combination of bewilderment and hope racing through my veins. Tony Gitano was holding my hand.
“Look, I still need to hear from Tony, anyway.” Gemma cleared her throat. “About how he’s still alive.”
But as it turned out, that tale wasn’t Tony’s to tell.
Tony
“You know, that’s something I’d like to hear more about, too.” I tried not to hiss after completing the sentence. That sort of thing came with a tail gesture I didn’t want to make. My tail was happy right where it was on Olivia’s wrist, thank you very much. “Kiki was with me when I woke up in the woods between the beach and a Gnomehill. I still don’t know how I got there.”
“Hmm,” said Gemma. “I bet it’s because she said she didn’t have time to tell you or something like that.”
“Exactamundo.” I nodded. “So, spill the beans, Godmother.”
“I arranged for that.” Kiki laced her hands together in front of her, the balls of her thumbs pressed together like they were praying even if she wasn’t. “A Gnome named Gee owed me a favor, and they paid it by getting you out of the morgue and into the Under. I gave them a Foxfire-infused trinket to help him cover his tracks.”
“But Gee-Nome was with Bianca.” Olivia gave my godmother the stink-eye. “She confirmed the alibi and everything.”
“You forgetting something important about Gnomes, Olivia.” I sighed. “They bend time. It’s plausible.”
“I'm glad you feel that way because it’s the only thing I can tell you.” Kiki nodded.
“But wait.” I flicked my ears, annoyed at myself for being a moron. “Vanishing works on any living creature to transport them anywhere, but it only gets a dead one to either the place they died or where they were born.”
“So that’s got to be what happened.” Kiki looked me right in the eye. “You died in Olneyville, and that's not where you ended up.”
“Hoo, boy!” Olivia shook my tail off her hand, then smacked her forehead. “So Hope was right. Maybe you really are a Kells Cat, Tony. I knew it. Professor Watkins mentioned that you were born in the Under. Some other shifter, too.”
Kiki put her hands over her mouth and let out a cough that sounded like a word.
“Say that again.”
“I said, ‘you.’” My godmother couldn’t meet Olivia’s eyes. “This is your birthplace, too.” She yelped, then pressed her palms to her temples. “I can’t tell you any more. I already said it’s not my place.”
“Oh.” Gemma peered at Kiki’s grimacing face. “She’s under a ban to prevent her from talking about it or something. Powerful stuff.” Gemma didn’t say what we all knew. A ban that strong was more than a Gnome could cook up.
“Yes.” She nodded. “I couldn’t have my mind wiped, not with the reclaiming I still needed to do. A ban was the only other option.”
“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Gemma held up one fist, raising a finger for each item on her list. “Tony actually died. He’s a magic shifter because of some kind of trinket. Olivia’s also a magic trinket creature. They were both born in the Under. Kiki is here to collect tails. Tell me if I’m missing anything.”
“I believe that’s it, Captain Tolland.” Kiki nodded. The twinkle had come back to her eyes. I wrinkled my nose at the feeling of relief that rode in with it.
“But I bet you can’t tell us anything useful, like exactly what kinds of magical shifters we are.” I chewed my lower lip, wishing I dared ask my godmother a direct question.
“Hmm.” Her smile showed more teeth than I’d have thought possible. “No, I can't confirm or deny any guesses made earlier. All I can say is that you are a special sort, Tony, and Olivia, extraordinarily so.”
“Flattery doesn’t work on me.” I caught Olivia’s skeptical stare from the corner of my eye.
“That’s good because it shouldn’t.” Kiki nodded. “I want you to be on your worst behavior but best judgment while you’re here, and also immediately after you get out of the Faerie realm.”
“This from the woman who lectured me on manners earlier today.” I rolled my eyes.
“Yes.” She clapped her hands. “This is the king’s demesne. It’s contradictory by nature and dangerous if you don’t pay attention. Unexpected elements show up as a matter of course. Olivia, you must put your foot down when instinct tells you to. It's the only way to complete the Quest His Majesty's put you on. I’ve got some advice for you too, Tony.”
“Lay it on me.”
“You’ve got a chance to claw some of your lives back if you play to your greatest strength,” she said, “but it’s slim. You’ll need help. And you ought to try.” Kiki looked from Olivia to Gemma and back. She put one hand on the side of her mouth and lowered her voice. “He’s only got one left right now.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes. “Awesome.” I turned my head to look at Gemma and Olivia. “Thanks for telling everyone in the universe.” I flapped a hand to the side to emphasize my sarcasm. “What am I supposed to do about it, anyway?”
But Kiki had vanished. The footlocker stood open.
“Great.” I stood midway between Olivia and Gemma, hands on my hips. “Exactly what I need. A disappearing-reappearing light-fingered godmother.”
“We’ve got enough to do without worrying about Kiki.” Gemma strode toward the cabin’s door. “It’s almost time to dock and drop anchor.”
“Well, color me worried.” I sighed. “Kitsunes aren’t supposed to be able to vanish themselves. Kiki had help. This time, it definitely couldn’t have been Gee-Nome, who’s recuperating in the Gnomehill. I wonder if Kiki’s agenda really is just chasing tails.”
“Protecting you, maybe?” Olivia shrugged. “I mean, she’s your godmother, so she must have been important to your mom, right?”
“Dunno. I don’t remember meeting anyone like her.” I shook my head, absolutely stumped. “Besides, she told me she’s been in the Under for ages. Then again, I was born here, so…” I shrugged.
“That’s a mystery for now, then.” Gemma pushed the door open. “I bet the king knows something.”
“Yeah.” Olivia stood up, then headed for the door. “We don’t want to keep Ron waiting.”
“Wow.” Gemma stood there, blinking. “Olivia Adler’s moving up in the Extrahuman world.”
“He told me to call him that because of the whole Quest thing.” She shrugged, passing Gemma as she went out the door. “Nothing else to it besides that.”
“Better not be.” My words came out more like a growl than anything else. I fought the urge to cover my mouth. After that, I bit my lip to keep from screaming in frustration. I’d hesitated with Olivia, made her wait because everything was so dangerous. And now the Goblin King himself wanted to put the moves on her? I couldn’t blame him, but it made my blood boil all the same.
“Down, boy.” Gemma snorted. “That’s not what I meant.” I heard the door close behind us and then Gemma strode forward, passing me and then Olivia. After that, she turned around and walked backward. “Look, you’re obviously some kind of faerie creature, judging by the whole three questions business we went through earlier.”