by Alicia Wolfe
As we flew into the center of the city, we began passing Fae castles perched on the tops of skyscrapers, bristling with towers, domes, and crenellations. My eyes drank them in despite myself. I saw one glittering like crystal in the rays of the morning sun, another sparkling like ruby. Another was black and spiked, while still another had ramparts that seemed covered in brilliant peacock feathers. I had always longed to visit one of those castles. Like a dream, they loomed majestically over the rest of the city. All knew that inside those walls, the real power of the world resided.
Ahead of us, the Palace drew nearer. Constructed of stone, it was covered in ivy that flowered all year long, and its lofty white towers soared high and seemingly weightless, as if defying all known laws of gravity. Its windows winked like icicles. Flying horses and car-steeds came and went from its balconied garages and stables, and Davril flew to the highest of these.
I couldn’t believe it. I was actually going into the Palace! For as long as the Fae had been around, I had dreamed of this moment, along with everybody else on the planet. Now here it was and I was in handcuffs. Shit.
Davril drove through the great hangar doors and set down in a huge chamber filled with activity and morning light. Fae of all kinds went about their business, their clothes flowing and colorful, their skin flush with health and power. Think the elves in Lord of the Rings. Only Davril was more Aragorn than Legolas. But with Legolas’s smooth skin and nimbleness.
Lady Kay pulled her wings in. Davril shut the engine down, climbed out, then opened the rear door.
“Come out,” he said, then stepped aside as a gentleman would when escorting a lady on a date, only I wasn’t a lady and he certainly wasn’t my date.
I sniffed, half tempted to stay in the car. It was certainly comfortable enough. I had a tough time believing the dank cell that awaited me would enfold me with soft, aromatic leather. But if I stayed, he would just have to drag me out, and I couldn’t handle more embarrassment today. Although part of me wouldn’t have minded the feel of his body pushing against me.
Grinding my teeth, I climbed out of the car and planted my feet for the first time in a Fae castle. Nearby, some Fae were feeding a row of lovely winged white horses, giving them each an apple. I admired the play of sunlight on the muscles and flowing manes of the steeds.
Davril surprised me. “The pegasi are beautiful, aren’t they?” he said.
I turned to find him watching me, not the horses. He didn’t look away when I caught him, but his face didn’t tell me anything, either.
I sniffed again. “They’re okay, I guess. Are we going to do this thing or what?”
The merest hint of amusement glimmered in his eyes. He grabbed my arm and propelled me through the hangar, and I narrowly avoided stepping right in a big steaming pile of pegasus shit. The animals were amazing, but man, their poo was stinky.
“Hey,” I told Davril. “Watch where you’re steering me, hotshot.”
“You’re the one who’s in a hurry.”
He guided me through a doorway and into the hallways of the palace proper. At first, I saw Fae coming and going in substantial numbers—the hangars were a hive of activity, apparently—but then the traffic dwindled and I focused on the intricate bas-reliefs and molding of the Palace. The walls were high and the stone fitted with such skill it almost looked all of a piece. At times, long, narrow windows poured sunlight into the halls or ivy could be seen curling along ornamental columns and fountains in the frequent courtyards. We passed through large open areas tangled with splendid vegetation, most of which I didn’t recognize. The plants must have been imported from the Fae Lands. Some boasted strange colors or gave off exotic scents.
Magic pulsed all around me, invisible wave after wave of it, and my head swam with the power of it all. I was almost floating. I wanted to ask Davril how he could stand it—it was just too much—but I refused to speak with him any more than necessary. He probably didn’t notice it, anyway. Being a Fae, he probably detected the absence of magic more than its presence. It was his natural element, after all.
Besides, I had other thoughts to occupy my attention. Ruby. Jason. A deadly creature on the loose. And here I was, possibly going to prison! I seethed with the injustice of it all. Well, sort of unjust. I had stolen the mirror and the antler. But still.
The halls grew grayer and grimmer in the direction we were going. We soon passed an official checkpoint of guards in uniforms, then moved into a darker, more depressing area of the palace.
“Shit,” I said. “The dungeon.”
He found a cell, unlocked it, and then opened the door for me. Once more it struck me how gallant he was acting. Shrugging, I stalked past him and into the cell.
“What about my—?” I started, but he was already ahead of me. With a wave of his finger, my cuffs unsnapped from about my wrists, then flew into his hands, where he clicked them into place on his belt.
He slammed the door.
I stared at him through the barred window. Suddenly, I felt very alone.
“What now?” I said.
“Not in such a hurry anymore?”
I glanced away but didn’t answer.
He sighed. “I’m sorry. That was callous. In any case, this is only a temporary holding cell. I will make my report to the Queen, and we will proceed from there.”
“I…”
His blue gaze speared me. “Yes?”
I forced myself to look him in the eyes. “What I said was the truth. I do help people. Well, we do. My sister Ruby and me. We steal things, sure, but only objects that bad people use against the helpless.”
“Who was the antler being used against?”
“I…well… That was an exception. A spur-of-the-moment thing. I thought, well, if that asshole needed it for something, then it couldn’t be a good thing, whatever it was. I mean, what he was using it for. Not the antler. The antler itself might be fine—good, bad, or neutral, I don’t know.” I cleared my throat. “Anyway. I just wanted you to know, for when you make your report to the Queen. I wasn’t in it for greed. I wasn’t hurting anyone. I was…”
“Helping?”
I felt my eyes start to sting. “Yes.” My voice came out thinner and more fragile than I’d expected, and I tried not to wince.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Davril regarding me strangely. I had the feeling he wanted to say something, maybe something kind, but if so, the mood passed. He bobbed his head and merely said, “I will put it in the report.”
With that, he spun on his heels and marched away. When the sound of his footsteps was gone, I examined the cell. It wasn’t quite as dark or dank as I had feared, but it was still dim. And small. I had never really appreciated how tiny a prison cell was before, but I could already feel claustrophobia setting in. I eyed the hard, narrow cot and shot the finger at the ceiling, as if the Fae Queen herself might be watching, magically peering through the stone, perhaps with the aid of a scrying mirror like the one I’d stolen last night.
“Screw you, Fae hag,” I said. “I know you could make these cells nicer if you wanted.”
But obviously, they didn’t want to. Because in their righteous minds, criminals deserved this fate.
The dam holding back my emotions broke, and I collapsed onto the cot in tears.
Chapter 7
I jerked up at the sound of banging on the bars.
A face peered down at me, stony and unreadable. It wasn’t Davril but another Fae, female, with auburn hair pulled back in an elaborate braid twined with tiny flowers, but her eyes were even flintier than Davril’s.
“So you’re the thief,” she said.
I’d been trying to rest on the cot, unsuccessfully, but now I stood up. “I prefer heroic rogue,” I said, straightening my back. “But yeah, that’s me. Care to teach me how you do that braid?”
She sniffed but didn’t reply. I heard locks popping and the door swung open. The Fae woman wore a suit of glinting armor, delicate-looking but surely harder than st
eel, and amazingly form-fitting and flexible, giving her full range of movement. This was another Fae Knight—Davril’s more aloof, lamer twin sister.
My tears had dried hours ago, and my rebellious nature had reasserted itself. “So I’m to be released and given the keys to the castle, is it?” I asked jauntily.
The she-knight held up a gleaming pair of handcuffs. “Do I need to put these on or will you come quietly?”
“I don’t know about quiet…”
She shook the cuffs meaningfully.
“Oh, very well,” I said. “But this better be good. I was just about to catch some Zs.”
“It will be good,” she said, but the way she said it didn’t make whatever “it” was sound very appealing. In fact, it made it sound rather sinister. “You’re to go before the Queen of the Fae herself, Lady Calista.”
I tried to suppress the flurry of panic that rose in me.
“A proper greeting, then,” I said. “About damned time. I don’t have all day, you know.”
I emerged from the cell, and she allowed me to walk beside her as we passed back through the halls I’d just come through hours ago. It must have taken that long for Davril to submit his report to the Queen and for it to be processed. Or maybe they’d just wanted my time in the cell to soften me up a bit. That was probably more likely. Well, screw that. I wasn’t going to be softened up for anything or anyone. If they wanted to chuck me in some dark hole, I sure as hell wouldn’t go quietly. I’d go kicking and screaming, and I’d escape the first chance I got. Or die trying.
That was the thought that had dried my tears, and it stoked a fire inside me now. It was the only fire that could be stoked inside me these days, after the arch-fiend Vincent Walsh had done what he had. I forced myself not to think about it.
The she-knight, whose name turned out to be Jessela, led me through enchanted halls and courtyards, and I attempted not to look impressed. There were some amazing sights to behold, for sure, but I could only focus on the meeting to come. The Fae Queen? Damn it all, just what had I gotten myself into?
Jessela ushered me down a huge hall lined with Fae soldiers in niches along either side. Each held wickedly sharp swords at their sides. At the head of the hall stood a grand, beautifully worked metal door, and at a wave of Jessela’s hand it swung open, revealing the awe-inspiring sight of the Throne Room. I gasped and took a step backward, and I only moved forward again when Jessela propelled me. She didn’t look sympathetic at all to the wonder I felt.
And it was wonder. Sunshine shone down from the glass dome above, glinting on the marble floors and on all the golden detailing on the walls and windows. Grand statues stood here and there, wonderfully worked figures of what were probably Fae legends—beautiful women (and men, too) in flowing garments and flowers in their hair … but often with weapons in their hands, too. Magic was baked into the great chamber. It simmered on the air and coursed along my arms as I stepped inside. Some of the statues moved, but that was only the beginning to the fantastic vision. Scented green water jetted high from numerous fountains or trickled down from the waterfalls that cascaded along the walls at intervals, the water coming from who knows where. Birds of brilliant and often shifting plumage flew over trees—yes, trees—that grew out of the marble floor, and from the thick limbs of these trees hung fruit of dizzying colors and scents. I had never seen their like before.
There was a whole forest, really, and grass, too. Beings that might be nymphs darted among the tree trunks, quick, lithe, and hard to see, and there were other shapes there, not all of them friendly-looking. An animal that looked like a huge, severely scowling owl perched on a hillock not far off, and a creature that resembled a horned tiger glided along at the base of the hill.
On the far side of the great chamber, a series of crystalline steps led up to a crystal dais upon which loomed a huge crystal throne that seemed like a snowflake exploding. The sun shone down from the dome overhead and made the whole thing sparkle like a dream, especially making the crown, armbands and other jewelry of its occupant gleam like stardust. The occupant of the throne had to be the Queen, of course, and she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, tall and long-limbed, with flowing golden hair, and she sat on the throne as if born to it, which I guess she was. She wasn’t cold like Jessela, but she wore an air of gravity and care about her that precluded much warmth and fun. She looked like a woman who had troubles—that was my take, anyway.
Jessela led me down the broad avenue that wound through the enchanted forest and finally to the base of the stairs leading up to the crystal throne. My heart slammed against my ribs, and I was breathing too fast. This was all too much for me, and I was reeling from sensory overload.
Then I received yet another shock. Standing right beside the throne was Davril Stormguard. He stood in his own gleaming, beautiful armor, with his sword visible at his hip, and he peered down at me with an expression I couldn’t read. Was he the Queen’s protector or something more? Maybe he was simply present to serve as a witness in my case.
“Welcome to my Court, Jade McClaren of the Highland McClarens,” said Queen Calista.
I blinked. “You know my family, ma’am? Er, Your Highness?”
“Your Grace,” Jessela hissed at me.
“Uh, Your Grace?” I said.
The Queen’s smile was small but real. “I do. There was a famous Highlander witch named Rose, if I recall.”
“That’s right, ma’am. The legend was passed down through my father’s family. My sister Ruby inherited that propensity. I received…another gift.”
The Queen’s nostrils flared, just slightly. “I smell it. You’re a shifter, aren’t you?”
“Yes…Your Grace.”
“Please, approach.”
When I stood stock-still, not knowing what to do, Jessela elbowed me toward the stairs. I almost stumbled on the first step but caught myself. I turned a nasty look on Jessela to see her smirking. Fuming, I faced forward again and ascended the crystal stairs, conscious of not just the Queen’s gaze but also Davril’s. In addition to the two of them, several other courtiers stood upon the dais, all dressed in shimmering, elegant, and very form-fitting finery. Some of it was obviously magical and changed color moment by moment.
As I drew closer to the throne, I was struck by the force of personality in Queen Calista’s gaze. Her eyes were the blue of plunging mountain rivers. She was not just beautiful but formidable, as well. As I ascended, she seemed to regard me with greater interest, and her nostrils quivered slightly as she breathed in my scent.
At last, I reached the dais and stood before the throne awkwardly, trying not to shuffle or, hell, pass out. My head still swam. Davril watched me, so I returned my gaze to him. He didn’t look away, but I could get no sense of his thoughts. He was as hard as the stone the castle was composed of. I had the impish urge to stick my tongue out at him, but I didn’t think the Queen would approve of that, and I (just barely) resisted.
I turned back to Calista to see her staring at me, surprise on her face.
Alarmed, I said, “Yes, Your Grace?”
She rose from her throne. As soon as she did, Davril and the others on the dais knelt. I realized I was supposed to kneel, too, and awkwardly managed it without falling on my ass. Why am I kneeling to her? I asked myself. She’s not MY queen! The Fae had great power, true, but they hadn’t taken the country over, at least not officially. It might not be long, though. The people wanted them in charge.
“Dear gods,” Calista said, approaching me, her face still full of amazement. I had a distressing notion why, too.
She knows, I thought. She’s smelled me and she knows.
Shit.
As if to confirm my suspicions, Calista said, “I haven’t encountered a dragon shifter in many years. Well…except for one.”
A muttering stirred among the gathered dignitaries, and I glanced around to see shock in their faces, even fear. Davril’s face turned even grimmer, the lines around his mouth hardening.
“My kind is rare,” I admitted. “At least here. I kind of thought they were more common in your world. The Fae Lands.”
She paced back and forth before me, stalking like a lioness. “How much do you know of the Fae Lands, Jade?”
“Very little, ma’am. I mean, Your Grace.” My mind spun. Just what the Sam Hell is this all about? Surely it wasn’t every criminal who was granted an audience with the Queen! There had to be something more at work here.
She stopped pacing and spun to face me. “Did you know that we didn’t leave the Fae Lands willingly?”
I opened and closed my mouth. “Then…why did you?”
She regarded me in silence for a long moment. “We were forced out.”
That sounded ominous. Suddenly, I realized I’d been right; there was something bigger at work here. Something huge.
“What could force the Fae out of the Fae Lands?”
“I will keep that under wraps for now. Tell me, when was the last time you shifted? I imagine it must be infrequent. It’s difficult to transform into a dragon in the middle of New York—at least without causing mass panic.” She sort of smiled, and I was relieved to feel some of the tension drain from the room. When I looked to Davril again, he had relaxed somewhat, though the other Fae still looked as if something had just walked across their graves. Maybe not walked—slithered. With slimy appendages flailing.
I lowered my eyes, grief and shame welling up in me at the Queen’s question. It was the same wound Ruby had picked at earlier, and it didn’t hurt any less now.
“I can no longer shift,” I said. “I was only a half-shifter. But that ability was stolen from me years ago.”
A puzzled divot appeared between Calista’s arresting blue eyes. “Stolen from you? Explain.”