by Liz de Jager
I turn back to Aiden, who’s glaring at us.
‘You almost wolved out, Aide,’ I said. ‘Wouldn’t want that, right?’
‘Yeah, but I didn’t. Instead I’m the one who got mauled.’
‘Be glad it was Dante who distracted you and not me. I would’ve hit harder.’
‘Yeah, but would you have kissed me?’ he shoots back, looking annoyed.
‘I dunno. Would you have let me?’ The question comes out fast and without much thought. Aiden’s eyes go very wide and he shoots a look at Dante, who’s smiling quietly to himself, staring back with a raised eyebrow.
‘Oh, go ahead and answer,’ Dante says, waving a hand, his smile stretching wider. ‘I’m interested in hearing the answer too.’
‘You really are the worst, Kit,’ Aiden manages, avoiding Dante’s eyes completely. ‘I need coffee. Excuse me.’
He walks off and I turn to Dante. We got Aiden back but we didn’t do it in a good way. I can sense his confusion and turmoil at what Dante had done and it makes me feel bad. ‘Maybe you need to go and talk to him.’
‘Yeah.’ Dante pushes his fingers through his hair. ‘I think I just screwed that up. It was our first kiss.’
‘Go and make it up to him,’ I tell him. ‘I’m going upstairs to call my uncle.’
‘And sleep? How about some sleep.’
‘Yeah, I’ll give that a try too. I hear all the cool kids do it,’ I respond sarcastically. ‘See what happens.’
‘I don’t know how you guys survive on no sleep,’ he says, giving me a quick hug. ‘Go on. We’ll no doubt be fighting for our lives again in about two hours or something.’
I waggle my eyebrows at him and mouth, ‘or something’, while making kissing faces; he just shakes his head at me.
‘You are an actual eight-year-old sometimes. Go.’
I go.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Crow is seated against a large oak tree in the garden, his hands sunk deep into the grass. I only know he’s aware of me because the tall trees in the garden seem to sway towards me and I hear my name whispered on the air as the leaves rustle.
I inhale the scent of Crow’s magic and open my sight to it. The colours are all hues of green and it tints my vision. It reminds me of the magic that held the Manor safe, before Olga tore it down and destroyed the only real permanent home I’d ever known.
The magic in the garden feels thick, like tree sap, and I sense myself buzzing with it. Crow looks as if he’s completely under, swept away by the leyline that runs at the back of the Garrett house, through the carefully landscaped garden and disappearing towards Kensington and Hyde Park.
‘Why are you here?’ he asks me and his voice is so unexpected in the quiet of the garden that I jerk with surprise.
‘Ah,’ I breathe a little laugh to try to cover how much of a fright he gave me. ‘The question is, what are you doing here, Sir Crow?’
He opens his eyes and they glow a soft verdant green; even as I watch the colour fades and his eyes return to their normal grey colour.
‘You’re the one that fell into the songlines, Blackhart. You followed me here.’
Around me the trees sway and move and the familiar garden slowly recedes. Instead, I find I’m standing before the largest tree I’ve ever seen, not just in girth, but in height too. Above me is a thick canopy of branches and leaves that lets in hardly any light at all. Crow stands before me now and he watches me curiously.
‘How did you get here?’ he asks me and I shake my head because I have no idea at all.
‘Is this a dream?’ I ask.
‘No. You are awake.’
I look around and peer up into the recesses of the tree. ‘It’s like the world tree from mythology,’ I say. ‘May I touch it?’
In answer, Crow moves aside and I walk forwards, and after a moment’s hesitation I press my hand against the bark, lightly scraping my fingers against the rough texture.
‘She’s beautiful. How old is she?’
‘As old as time itself.’ Crow smiles then. ‘That is to say that she’s never told me. She’s quite private.’
I smile and duck my head, leaning against the tree completely. It feels good and I feel safe and calmer than I’ve felt in ages.
‘Why am I here, Crow?’ I ask. ‘And I really didn’t mean to come here. I don’t know how it happened.’
‘I’m not sure why …’
I have no idea where the bow comes from, but it’s unexpectedly in his hand, drawn and nocked in a move I’d have assumed was CGI if I wasn’t seeing it for real. I step away from him, giving him room to move. At the same time I cast around and pick out the barely audible noises of movement in the undergrowth. I lean down carefully and pull my knife from my boot just as Crow glances at me enquiringly and I give him a nod to let him know I’m ready.
‘It is not polite to sneak around my forest,’ he says, and his voice holds a mild reprimand. ‘These are dangerous times and you should show yourself now – before we decide to shoot first and ask questions later.’
There’s a snort of laughter as the Sidhe pushes through the undergrowth. She’s not very tall and she’s dressed in soft furs. Her hair is a rich auburn and her eyes are a wide moss green set in a neat kittenish face. She looks harmless, but the fact that Crow hasn’t put down his bow worries me a little.
‘Forester Crow, I mean neither of you harm.’ She inclines her head in greeting. ‘Lady Blackhart. My name is Yukiko.’ She pronounces it Yoo-kee-koo and it sounds musical and beautiful.
Crow lowers the bow after a few more seconds and it’s weird how it just goes away, but then he’s bowing and I’m a little shocked, because I’ve never seen him show deference to anyone before. His hand tugs mine. ‘Curtsy,’ he hisses at me from the corner of his mouth.
‘Why?’ I whisper back.
‘She’s a Japanese deity.’
My gaze goes back to the Sidhe, and although she seems pretty she’s not what I would call deity-like. I mean, although they aren’t deities as such, I’ve been face to face with Dina, Thorn’s mum, who’s the High Queen of Alba. Also, I’ve encountered Suola, the Queen of Air and Darkness and survived to tell the tale. This young Fae woman, who looks barely older than me, doesn’t strike me as someone to whom I needed to curtsy.
‘He’s right, Lady Blackhart. But as I am an intruder, and I worked magic to bring you both here, I do not expect you to show me deference.’
Crow straightens and if I didn’t know any better I’d say he looks annoyed.
‘If you would explain yourself, Lady Yukiko?’
‘I am here to ensure the safety of my nephew.’ We both just stare at her, then she makes an impatient gesture. ‘The boy. The changeling boy? You have him.’ She looks at me pointedly.
‘Dante! You’re talking about Dante?’ When she nods it’s my turn to look impatient. ‘Listen, we sent word ages ago that he wanted to meet his family. If you do represent them, why haven’t you made a move to come and find him? And what did you mean when you said you brought me here? How is that even possible? Crow?’
Yukiko has the grace to look abashed, but only slightly.
‘We have not been allowed to make contact. But we know he is safe. We watch from afar – know that, Lady Blackhart. But we are unable to claim him as one of ours. Not yet.’ She moves forward slowly and I’m struck by her grace. ‘As for bringing you here, a small cantrip only. You really should learn to protect yourselves better.’
‘What!’ I move towards her and impatiently shake off Crow’s restraining hand. ‘You realize that what you’ve done is illegal. But that’s beside the point. This is about Dante and I have to say this: what you’re doing is completely unfair, okay? He’s alone in this mess right now. His magic is growing. He has horns that he has to glamour away every day. And because of who his father is, he can’t show his face in the Otherwhere. If he did, someone might identify him to the High King, as the son of the man who tried to usurp his throne. He’s not doi
ng well. We’ve not heard from any of you and he’s already worried that you’ve rejected him before you’ve even met him. And now here you are talking to me instead of him.’ I point my finger and jab it a little in her direction. ‘That is not nice at all.’
Yukiko blinks a little at my outburst, but then starts laughing. It’s not an ugly laugh, as such, yet it annoys me.
‘It’s not funny,’ I say, grimly carrying on regardless, ‘and I’m being serious. Dante is so worried. Dammit, you guys have to do something.’
‘We have been,’ Yukiko says, trying to appease me. ‘I am so pleased he has you for a friend, Lady Blackhart. I do not think he can ask for a fiercer defender and for that we are truly grateful.’ She holds out her hand but I ignore the gesture. She drops it and continues smoothly, as if I’ve not offended her at all. ‘I wanted to meet you both to apologize for the delay in coming for him. There has been some infighting amongst the kami. But I volunteered to meet with you, to ask you to guard him a little while longer only. We are preparing a place for him.’
I glance helplessly at Crow because I have no idea what she’s talking about.
‘When you say “prepare a place for him”,’ Crow says cautiously, ‘what do you mean, exactly?’
Yukiko looks surprised. ‘Well, he is our crown prince.’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘Your what now?’ The words are out before I can stop them.
‘Eadric married my sister. She was next in line to become the ruler of our people, but she died within days of her son’s birth. While we were still mourning, Eadric stole the child. He hid him, fearing for his safety. It took us a very long time to find the boy. But soon he will return and rule our people, as is his birthright.’
Next to me Crow mutters ‘our people’ to himself and he sounds a little shocked. I feel like pushing him into the trees because what isn’t he telling me? I take a breath and frown at Yukiko. ‘Look, I’m not sure why you’re talking to me about this. If you can bring me here, then you can bring Dante here too. Dante needs to know he’s not been cast aside by his real family.’ Then, because it doesn’t look as if she understands, I continue. ‘Dante is going through hell. He discovered that he’s Fae over a month ago. He has no one to guide him, to teach him how to control his powers. He wouldn’t be safe here by himself. You need to sort yourselves out and come and fetch him, treat him like someone real. Don’t talk to him about birthright or destiny or being a crown prince. Talk to him about being family, about making him part of yours. And you need to do this sooner rather than later. We’ve already been attacked by Fae and they tried killing us both.’
‘We know of the attack.’
And the way she says this makes me practically blind with rage. She almost sounds bored, but then I notice how her hands tremble and I wonder what kind of strain she’s under. And what is the real reason that brought her here, to talk to me in Crow’s endless forest? ‘Yukiko, if Dante is so important to you and your people, you have to show that you claim him as family. If Eadric’s enemies are hunting him, then they need to know he’s not a wild Fae living by himself in the Frontier. It would mean open season on him. You know that.’
There’s a flash of anger in Yukiko’s green eyes now and the wind’s picked up a little, stirring the leaves.
‘I can’t,’ Yukiko says, her voice faint. ‘I’m just here to talk to you about protecting him.’
Crow closes his eyes in a way that makes me think he’s just done with all of this and, to be honest, so am I.
‘Look, Yukiko. Dante is my friend, a very good friend, and I will always watch out for him. You are the ones who need to get your house in order and fix this bloody mess his father made – by taking him away. Sooner, rather than later.’ She opens her mouth to speak but I hold up my hand. ‘I’m done. You brought me here against my will. I can judge you for breaking a ton of your laws and ours, but I won’t. Just send me back to the Garretts’ house where you found me. I’m busy and don’t have time for Fae dramatics.’
I glance at Crow, but he’s already moving towards me. By my side he sketches a polite, if stiff bow that holds nothing of the grace of his earlier abeyance towards Yukiko. She, in turn, looks very much as if she would like to punch us both. Then he turns to me and holds out his hand.
‘My lady, it would do me a great honour to escort you home.’
I blink rapidly and nod, giving him my hand. I let him lead me out of the clearing towards one of the larger trees and we step right into it. There’s a moment of disorientation and, like all the times before, a vivid sense of life and energy rushes through me. In Crow’s wake, I pass through what feels like a hundred clearings and trees, following a pattern only he can determine. What seems only moments later, but is in reality probably a lot longer, we walk out into the garden behind the Garrett mansion.
My stomach lurches and I have to inhale deeply to prevent myself from falling over. Crow peers back over his shoulder into the darkness behind us.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask him when I get my voice back.
‘I’m not sure. For a moment it felt as if we were being followed.’
I become aware of the knife I’m still holding and say, ‘It’s okay, I’ll protect you from wild things.’
He smiles then and shakes his head. ‘Do you ever not cause trouble when you’re in the Otherwhere, Lady Blackhart?’
‘Hey, I’m pretty sure that’s victim blaming. I never end up in the Otherwhere by choice. And that woman, that Yukiko, she used magic to kidnap me from the safety of the Garretts’ garden without even asking permission. She can be glad I didn’t punch her.’ Crow is laughing now and I scowl at him. ‘I totally could have beaten her up.’
‘I don’t doubt it, but I think you fundamentally missed who she is.’
‘Please enlighten me then, oh superior magical being.’
‘She is a nature spirit. She is what you might call an avatar of Gaia.’
I close one eye and stare blearily up at Crow. ‘She looked very real to me, very corporeal and not spirit-like at all.’
‘That is because she is as real as you. Or me. Her people, the kami, are difficult to describe. They are also what our friend Dante is … They are the nature gods and spirits that both humans and Fae have prayed to since even before the Elder Gods. It is they who make the crops grow, the rains fall, the winds that stir the trees, the clouds flow across the skies.’
‘No.’ I laugh a little. ‘Come on, Crow, that’s just … no. Remember science, okay? Magic, possibly, can do these things too, but people can’t. Come now, you sound …’
‘Like a creature from another world?’ Aiden supplies as he jogs down the back stairs towards us. ‘Kit? Forester! What are you doing here?’
They grip each other’s forearms in a manly greeting and I can practically hear them try to out-macho one another. Then Crow says, ‘Wolf,’ and Aiden says, ‘Crow’ – and they give one another a brief hard hug before separating.
‘I’ve brought the Blackhart home. She took an unexpected detour to the Otherwhere and found me.’
Aiden looks surprised at Crow’s words but then he lifts his head and stares into the garden intently. ‘Have you come alone?’
‘Why?’ I turn to follow his gaze, feeling that itch between my shoulder blades. The shadows in the garden feel thick and cloying.
‘It feels … like there’s someone else here.’ But he shakes his head after another searing look around the dark garden. ‘Maybe it’s just the magic dripping off you both. It almost always messes with my head. Never mind.’
‘Perhaps we can go inside?’ Crow suggests and I realize I’m shivering because it’s freezing out here. The temperature seems to have dropped another few degrees since I’d been taken.
With a regal nod, Aiden leads the way into the mansion and I attach myself to the nearest radiator like a limpet, clinging to it in an attempt to warm my cold fingers. Both Crow and Aiden stare at me curiously but continue into the lounge, where I hear
Dante greet Crow. I press my legs against the radiator and close my eyes. The Yukiko thing was weird. It felt off and strangely fake. I reacted really badly but, even so, she just stood there, barely spoke and let me rail at her. And then let me go.
I’m halfway down the passage to the lounge when the house shakes. I stand for a second, almost too surprised to move, but then I rush down the passage.
‘I promise you that’s not me,’ I shout as I hustle into the lounge. The house shudders again and there’s a groan from somewhere that sounds disturbingly familiar.
‘No …’ My gasp is barely audible but my mind flashes back to the memory of the Blackhart Mansion under attack by Istvan and his sorcerers. Ultimately Olga tore down the wardings and spells that kept the house safe and the house disappeared completely, as if it had never existed. ‘We have to go,’ I tell Aiden and there’s no way I can keep the panic out of my voice. ‘Get your stuff. Put on shoes.’ I’m running for the stairs and my room when it feels as if a giant hand’s taken hold of the house and shaken it. I give a startled yell and tumble forwards but Crow is there to prevent me from braining myself against the banister.
‘Where are your weapons?’ he asks us and I sprint up the stairs to my room. I pull on my jacket, grab my sword and cast a quick look around the room. My Blackhart antler lies on the bedside table so I grab that too and slip it around my neck. It settles beside the obsidian mirror Thorn gave me.
I hear Dante and Aiden in their rooms and beat them back down the stairs.
‘We have to get out of here,’ I shout at Crow, but he just shakes his head and his gaze moves to the stairs, where Dante and Aiden come clattering down in a rush of bristling weapons and coats. Aiden’s carrying a sword I only vaguely remember seeing him use before. Dante sword looks like a Japanese wakazashi, and the way he holds onto it tells me it’s a weapon he’s used before.
‘What do we do?’ Dante asks me. ‘Do we run or fight?’
‘Depends on who we’re fighting.’ Aiden heads for the lounge so he can peer onto the street. ‘Nothing … oh, here we go. Redcaps out front. At least fifteen of them. I count two Sidhe.’