Dark Revel

by E. A. Copen

  I sighed and went to unlock and open the door.

  As expected, Paula waved my note in front of my face. “Court treasury?”

  “I’m going to pay you back,” I promised. “I needed it to get a ride down to the Quarter.”

  She crossed her arms. “You can’t just take money because you feel like it. That’s called stealing, and stealing from a fae is a bad idea. You’re lucky I like you.”

  “Guess I’m also lucky you’re in my court now.” I smiled.

  Paula scowled. “Don’t you try that with me. That’s a technicality. Don’t take money out of my safe again or I swear I’ll make you pay me back with interest.”

  The bathroom door opened just then, and Noelle stepped out, pulling on one of the glittering white heels she’d bought. Paula leaned to the side to glance at her and froze in place. “Laz, what is that doing in there?”

  “That prefers to be called Noelle,” said the Winter Knight, flashing a vicious smile. “Or Dame Islan if you want to be formal. I am the Winter Knight after all.”

  Paula looked at me, eyebrows drawn together. “What are you doing with her?”

  I opened my mouth to answer but Noelle cut me off, wrapping her arms around mine.

  “I’m helping him rescue his daughter.” The words dripped from her mouth like venom.

  Paula frowned but didn’t say anything, not until after Noelle planted a kiss on my cheek and sashayed away. Then she leaned in and whispered, “I hope you know what you’re doing with her. Winter isn’t known for their trustworthiness.”

  I shrugged on my jacket. “We have a mutually beneficial deal. I know what I’m doing, Paula. I think.” I draped the tie around my neck and pinched it with two fingers. An infusion of magic and it tied itself just as Adelard promised. “I’m sorry about the twenty, Paula. I’ll pay you back. I promise.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I worry about you sometimes, Laz. I shouldn’t. But sometimes I wonder how you’ve managed to survive this long with all the stupid things you do.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  She cleared her throat. “It’d be social suicide for you to show up to the ball in a cab. Never mind what they’d do to the cab driver that found the place.” Paula pushed the door open and stepped aside, gesturing for me to step outside.

  I did and peered over the railing to the parking lot below where a purple, horse-drawn carriage waited. The horses had on headbands with colored feathers and someone had painted them with stripes to look like gold and green zebras.

  “What’s this?” I turned back to Paula.

  She shrugged. “Can’t have the newest contender for power in New Orleans show up looking like a ragamuffin to a party in his backyard, can I?”

  “Paula, I’m already in your debt.”

  “You don’t owe me for this. Think of it as me making sure this brand-new court I just joined doesn’t have an idiot in charge.”

  “Court of Miracles.”

  “Excuse me?” She crossed her arms.

  “It’s called the Court of Miracles, Paula.” I turned to adjust the tie slightly in the mirror by the door. It didn’t do any good. The tie just went right back the way it was supposed to. Damn thing. This was why I didn’t like pre-enchanted items. You couldn’t customize them.

  “Is that after the peasant slums in Paris or the Disney film with the hunchback?” Paula asked.

  I shrugged. “Either.” Before I turned back, I glanced at Noelle putting on a diamond necklace with a big, blue topaz. I hoped she’d wait until after we were in the clear to make her move. The last thing I needed was for security to go nuts before I got Remy out. “Paula, if this goes sideways and I don’t make it back...”

  “For the last time, Lazarus, I don’t want your comic book collection.”

  “What? No.” I turned my back to Noelle. “It’s about Remy. If I fail this, I figure I’ll be dead. That means no one will be left to look after her. If I don’t come back, you gotta look out for her however you can. Promise me.”

  Her face softened. She uncrossed her arms and nodded. “I give you my word. But I won’t need to keep it, will I? You’re coming back. You always come back.”

  I put my hand on her shoulder and tried to offer a strained smile. This time, I wasn’t so sure I would.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Horse drawn carriages are slow, but people move out of their way more often than they did cars. They must’ve found the painted white horses intimidating, or maybe they thought we were somebody special if we could afford a private carriage. They weren’t cheap, especially during Mardi Gras. The crowds in the Quarter parted for our carriage. People stopped dancing, chatting, and drinking to turn and stare.

  Noelle leaned forward and waved as if she were some sort of princess.

  One of the guys in the crowd cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Show me your boobs!”

  “Humans.” Noelle sat back, her face twisted in disgust. “I’ll be glad when I can get back to Faerie and stay there.”

  “We’re not all bad.” I adjusted my mask. “You caught us on a bad day.”

  The carriage went all the way up St. Peter to Jackson Square and turned north to go down Royal Street. The whole place was packed with people in costume dancing, shouting, and having a good time. A jazz band played on the corner while people tossed everything from beads to dollar bills their way.

  Our driver pulled the carriage to a stop in front of a New Orleans landmark known as The Court of Two Sisters. Originally built in the seventeen hundreds, the building was once part of a place known as Governor’s Row. Everybody from Louisiana governors to President Zachary Taylor had lived there. In the twenties, it was a speakeasy. Eventually, the place got turned into an upscale restaurant where rich people held weddings. Two Sisters had the city’s largest courtyard and about a hundred legends connected to it, including stories about the infamous Marie Laveau who lived only a few blocks away. People figured she did voodoo there. Queen Isabella of Spain also supposedly blessed the doorway. Some said none other than Jean Lafitte had killed three men in one night in separate duels under a willow that had since been destroyed. If there was a place in New Orleans with a magical history, Two Sisters was it.

  The sidewalk in front of Two Sisters was the only empty space on the street. A couple of dark suit guys with broad shoulders and mean jaws had the area roped off.

  Our carriage driver hopped down and placed a small set of stairs in front of the carriage exit. I got out first and helped Noelle down. It felt like every head in the alley turned to watch the pretty blonde in the sparkling white dress step down from the carriage. She smiled at her adoring crowd while I reached back in to grab the metal staff Beth had left for me. I had no doubt they’d confiscate it at the door, but I wasn’t about to leave it behind and walk into a place crawling with people who wanted to kill me.

  With Noelle on my arm, I approached the roped off area.

  “Invite,” demanded one of the suits.

  Noelle flashed a dazzling smile, waved her hand, and produced two envelopes that she handed off to the suit.

  He slid a meaty thumb under the seal and opened them, checking them over before handing them off to the other guy and glaring at me. “Please check all your iron, sir.”

  I wiggled the staff in my hand. “This is my badge of office. You wouldn’t ask Titania to surrender her crown, would you?”

  “Titania wouldn’t bring an iron crown. Now surrender your iron or get back in the carriage, sir.”

  I huffed a big sigh and handed it over.

  He unclipped the rope and stepped aside. “Enjoy your evening.”

  The room on the other side of the doorway was a dazzlingly bight room with pristine white carpets, white walls, and a splash of decorative color on the walls. A tiny little bar to the right held trays and trays of appetizers. Waitresses in shimmering cocktail dresses moved through the crowd with trays of drinks while soft rock played over the speakers. People in fancy dress
es stood in small groups everywhere, chatting and sipping their drinks.

  Noelle grabbed two chalices from the closest tray and passed one to me.

  I frowned into the cup. “No thanks. I know better than to eat or drink anything at a fae party.”

  “At least hold the cup,” she whispered. “You look weird without it.”

  “We need to find Remy. Where would she be? You think Titania has her on site?”

  She shrugged one bare shoulder. “If she’s anywhere, I imagine she’s upstairs and under guard. Good luck.” She stepped away.

  “Hey!” I grabbed her arm before she could disappear into the crowd. “Where are you going?”

  “I’ve fulfilled my end of the deal. I got you inside. Now you’re on your own.” Noelle jerked her arm away, gave me one last glare and slid into the crowd.

  I glanced around. She’d said upstairs, but I didn’t see any stairs. They must’ve been tucked into a corner somewhere. The only choice I had was to walk around and try to find a way upstairs. A waitress came by with another tray. I slid my untouched drink onto the platter and worked my way through the room.

  The closer I got to the rear of the room, the more the atmosphere changed. A set of double doors with heavy curtains waited on the other side guarded by more suits. Any place that was guarded was highly suspect. You didn’t guard something that you weren’t worried about someone taking.

  “Hiya, fellas,” I said, walking up to the guards.

  They scowled at me. “Back off. No one’s allowed in the Royal Court until the ceremony.”

  I tried for my best smile. “I see you don’t recognize me. You must be new. See, I’m the Pale Horseman. You ever hear about what happened to Nyx? How about Kellas? See, they got in my way. Tried to step between me and people I cared about. I wouldn’t advise it.”

  The biggest of the suits stepped away from the door. He towered over me by at least a foot and had enough muscle on him he could’ve broken my spine over his knee. I looked up at him and had to force myself not to shrink back a step.

  “Stand down, Snapdragon.” William, the Summer Knight, stepped out from behind a wall, his hand on the sword at his hip. A bright green cape hung from his shoulders, but other than the sword he didn’t look dressed to fight. He’d put on a suit complete with a flower in the lapel. “Mr. Kerrigan isn’t stupid enough to do anything here, are you, Mr. Kerrigan?”

  “Of course not,” I said, still staring at the suit. I waited for him to step back into place before moving to meet William. “Good to see you’re not dead. We should talk.”

  He gestured back the way he’d come. I followed him around the wall to where a wide set of carpeted stairs waited. The muted party in the front room was still visible from where we were through a set of indoor windows.

  “Whatever you think you’re here to do, Lazarus,” said the Summer Knight, “I can’t allow you in to see Queen Titania and Princess Remy.”

  “Titania is the monster here, not me. She kidnapped my daughter.”

  “Her granddaughter,” he corrected, “and the way she tells it, you were the one that took her out of Faerie without her permission. She’s fae, Lazarus. We can’t be away from Faerie for too long or we lose that connection. This world is dangerous for her. Even you can see that.”

  “And life as a potential weapon under Titania’s thumb is any better?” I gestured back toward the restricted area. “Remy deserves to be able to make that choice. Not me. Not Titania. Remy.”

  He sighed and deflated. “I agree with you in principle, Horseman.”

  “Then why not help me?”

  William sank to the stairs. “I am the Summer Knight. Titania’s servant. I cannot betray her trust. Why do you think I insisted on Foxglove’s appointment as Remy’s guardian? I knew he would look after her, even when I could not.”

  “Come on, man.” I shook my head. “You were willing to fight me before. You were gung-ho about helping Remy when I showed up in Faerie.”

  “This is different. If forced to choose between Titania and Remy, I must choose my queen. There is no other option.”

  I sat down next to him and folded my hands. “I don’t want to have to fight you.”

  “Nor I you. But I will if it’s required of me. I cannot assist you, not when I’ve been expressly ordered not to.”

  That was it then. I’d made it inside, but I was on my own. “Can you at least tell me when Titania is planning to present her to the rest of the fae? That’s just a scheduling thing. You can answer that, right?”

  “At ten,” William said after careful consideration. “And I suppose I might also let slip that the princess is accepting audiences with potential suitors prior to that hour. Each court can present one eligible suitor. If you wanted to see her prior to the presentation, that may be the only way. However, you’d be under guard, and only someone belonging to a court would be permitted. Unless you wanted to swear fealty to one of the fae courts—which would undoubtedly upset the balance—it’s not going to happen.”

  Guards I could deal with. Maybe if I could get in the room with Remy, I could take out the guards and get her out of there. Without my staff, it wouldn’t be easy but it was a better option than waiting to make my move in front of everyone.

  “Lazarus, please just leave. This isn’t something you can win.”

  I stood and patted William on the shoulder. “Thanks for the tip. Say, have you seen Sir Foxglove around anywhere?”

  “NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT.” Foxglove refused to meet my eyes.

  I’d found him in the courtyard shortly after leaving William’s side. The party out there was way less contained than the one going on in the front room. Speakers pumped out loud music from a live rock band while people danced, laughed, and chatted. In one area all the way to the right in the courtyard, a group of people spun in a continuous circle, their dance never ending, not even when the music stopped. There was something mesmerizing about their dance that made it hard to look away.

  I shifted so my back was to them. “Come on, Foxglove. It’s my only shot.”

  He scowled. “If I go in there with you, you’ll blow my cover. I’ll have to declare for everyone that I’ve abandoned Summer to join your silly court of morons.”

  “Court of Miracles,” I corrected.

  “Whatever!” He threw up his arms. “It could get me killed!”

  “You saying my little girl’s not good enough to risk your life over? Then maybe you aren’t good enough.”

  “I told you it’s not like that!” He ground his teeth.

  “You did say you’d do anything to protect her.” I poked him in the chest. He wasn’t the least bit spongy. “This is your chance to prove it. I’m asking you. Don’t make me tell you.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said turning away. “I don’t rank high enough. They’d never let me through. I’m nobody. They’ll only be letting princes and royalty in to see her.”

  “How about I make you somebody? How’d you like to be a courtly knight?”

  He rubbed his temples. “I’ve brought this on myself, haven’t I? This is what happens when you give morons power. They turn it into a joke.”

  “I’m not joking.” I crossed my arms and shifted closer. The music had suddenly gotten louder. “I’m taking this very seriously. My daughter’s life is on the line and so is mine. I wouldn’t risk yours if I wasn’t sure we could win this. But I need you in this. You can’t defy your queen and then hide. That’s cowardice. I don’t have room for cowards at my side, and neither will Remy.”

  He lifted his face from his hand and gave me an icy glare. “Are you certain?”

  I put my arm around his shoulders and led him through the crowded courtyard toward the gate that led out back. “You’re a certified badass. I’m the Pale Horseman and we’re going to rescue a princess from an evil queen. This is the kind of shit legends are made of, Foxglove. They’ll write songs about you.”

  We reached the gate, which was locked. I looked around f
or security. There were a few guards, but they were busy dealing with someone who’d gotten too close to the circle of dancers, hauling him back toward the exit from the courtyard. They were too distracted to notice as I lifted the latch and pulled Foxglove through.

  Dumpsters lined the alley. Street lights danced in puddles of rancid water around them. Every step sent plastic beads crunching underfoot. Trash blew around in the light wind.

  Foxglove frowned at the filthy alley. “Not exactly how I imagined this would be.”

  “Open your mind a little. Magic has all kinds of possibilities, not all of them clean and pretty.” I kicked away a wad of fast food wrappers. “Um, so how exactly do I do this?”

  “Well, usually the queen has a sword and dubs the knight in a traditional ceremony.”

  I didn’t have a sword, and I’d left my staff with the guards. I looked around and spotted a plastic scepter leaning against the dumpster. It was no sword, but it’d do.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Foxglove said as I retrieved it.

  “Hey, I work with what I’ve got. All I can do is play the hand I’m dealt.” I waved the plastic scepter. “We doing this or not?”

  Foxglove sighed and slowly sank to his knees in front of me. “That’s quickly becoming the hallmark of your court, Lazarus.”

  “I don’t call it the Court of Miracles for nothing.” I tapped his shoulder with the scepter. “I dub thee Sir Foxglove!”

  “Not like that, you idiot.” He pushed it away. “You have to take my oath first. I, Sir Ethan Foxglove—”

  “Wait, Foxglove is your last name?”

  “Did you think it was my only name? It’s my family name, yes. Can I continue?”

  I nodded.

  He sighed and started again. “I, Sir Ethan Foxglove, swear fealty to the Court of Miracles and swear to be a good and true knight, to always protect the interests and monarchs of this court, and present myself with nothing but the utmost conduct. I shall be a shield to the weak, foremost in battle, obedient to my court and liege lord, courteous always, a champion for all that is right and good. So swear I, Sir Ethan Foxglove.”