I thought about the wasted cheese and bacon fries sitting forlorn but not forgotten on the pub table. Just one more thing the leprechaun owed me for. Sooner or later, I was going to get payment.
We pulled into the driveway right behind the Jeep and all piled out. I was halfway expecting the little bugger to try something, but so far he was keeping his word. When he broke it, I'd be there.
Rose opened the front door and we all settled in the living room. If we sat at the table, it would mean MacDougal would have to use Coyote's purple chair, and that could lead to bad things happening. So we gathered around the fireplace in the living room.
The night being on the cold side, Jed spent a few minutes bringing in wood to stock Rose's indoor woodpile and then building a fire. Surprisingly, we were all pretty quiet while we waited for him to finish. I'm not sure why Rose, Lily, and MacDougal weren't talking, but I wasn't opening my mouth unless I had to. I really didn't want things to go south because I couldn't keep my feelings to myself. And I'm pretty vocal about saying what's on my mind.
Reb and Maggie sacked out on the yellow rug, to make the most of the extra heat from the new fire. Maybe I should fur out? Then I couldn't say something stupid. Jed would probably want me around in skin form, though, so I was just going to have to tough it out. I mean how hard could it be to be pleasant to the enemy for a single evening?
Once Jed rejoined us, Rose cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. Geesh, it wasn't like we were all making a racket or anything. Still, it made a statement. We were ready to begin negotiations.
"I think it would be best if both parties laid out their wants right from the start," Rose said. "Mr. MacDougal, why don't you start."
"Sure and I'd be happy to. I'd like to be set free to go me own way with no harm done in any way to me person."
"Sounds straightforward enough," Rose said. "Now for ours. We require two things from you."
Require not want. I liked the sound of that. I knew what was coming now. We had discussed this beforehand.
"The first is the complete and accurate answer to a question of our choosing." She paused. I could almost see the brain wheels spinning. "We will alert you to our choice question before asking it. All other questions are not part of this bargain."
I was so glad she was our negotiator.
MacDougal considered this and then nodded. "Done."
"The second requirement is your immediate return to Faerie, with no stops or tricks between now and the time you cross the Faerie border. As an extension of this, you are to remain in Faerie, never to cause trouble in our world again."
This gave the leprechaun pause. "I'm afraid it is not in me power to grant the second wish."
"It isn't a wish. It is a requirement," I said. Rose gave me a hard look. I sat back. "I thought that was already established."
The leprechaun gave me a smug look, obviously thinking he had an ally in Rose. "It can't be a requirement if I'm not able to do it." He looked at Rose with a much more respectful expression. "Ye see, I'm under orders of Queen Titania, Ruler of the Seelie Court. Her orders take precedence over all negotiations I may make. Anytime I am ordered to come to your world on a quest for me queen, come I must." He shrugged. "Completely out of me hands."
"That's bogus! What good is all of this if we can't get rid of the little bugger?"
Oh goody, Coyote had joined the negotiations.
Chapter 6
"COYOTE," ROSE SAID. "You didn't enter as a friend. You are to knock at the door and be granted entrance by a member of the household."
"You are worried about house rules, while you entertain a demon of the Faerie realm in your home?"
"The faerie entered this house as a guest, albeit a captive one." Rose was standing firm on this one. She must have been taking cues from Jed on how to deal with the Trickster. MacDougal's huge grin didn't help matters, though.
"Aarrgh!" Coyote popped out, to be followed by a knocking on the front door.
"Lily dear, will you please go and let Roy in?" Rose asked.
Lily grinned. "Sure thing, Gran." She got up and let him in.
For his part, Coyote acted like nothing had happened.
"The whole point in working together on this was to catch the little cretin and send him back where he belongs. If he won't agree to go, I say we kill him."
MacDougal jumped to his feet. "Kill me and me queen'll send two to replace me. Ye'll never win. And if ye did, she'd send four more. Me queen will avenge me death."
"No one is dying in my house. Not today," Rose said. "So calm down, both of you, and try to act like guests at a negotiation. Which, by the way, you are."
A sullen MacDougal sat back down in his plush upholstered chair by the fire. As Rose and Lily were occupying the other two easy chairs, and Jed and I had claimed the couch, Coyote brought his purple chair in from the kitchen and set it at the end of the couch. He sat down, arms folded in front of him.
"All right, now let’s try this again," Rose said. "Mr. MacDougal..."
"Please, dear lady," MacDougal cut in. "Call me Mac. It's not sporting to be so formal among friends."
Only Jed's quick jab in my side stopped me from snorting. Luckily, Roy snorted enough for the both of us. Good, I had a spokesperson. Well, a spokes-coyote anyway.
"Fine. Mac, if you can't meet our second requirement, just what can you offer on that count?"
"Ah, negotiations begin." He considered for a minute. Then he grimaced. "If forced, I could agree to not use faerie glamor or illusion in your realm. Without it, me ability to create trickery and mayhem is sadly greatly diminished."
"Not enough," Roy said. "I want him gone. Even Rose says we can't trust a faerie."
"If they give their word, they are beholden to it," Rose said. "But I'd like to hear more about this quest your queen has you on. Why would Titania have you come to our world and play pranks on us?" She scratched her arm. "I must admit I don't see any way that giving a pack of Benandanti poison ivy would further any quest the queen may ask of you."
"Unless the queen is just a vindictive bitch," I said. "Respectfully submitted, of course."
"Actually," Macdougal said, "she can be. However, your pack has done nothing to draw her ire as of yet."
"Then why are we all itching?" Rose asked.
MacDougal sat back and crossed his arms in a mirror image, although a much shorter one, of Coyote. "Ask the Trickster there. I'd not have messed with your pack had he not ridiculed the Faerie race in such a way. Have ye noticed the mural on the bridge out of town?"
Rose nodded. "It was the summer art project of a local college. I think it turned out very well."
"Have ye noticed it recently?" MacDougal asked.
Rose glared at Coyote. "What did you do, Roy?"
"I made some minor additions to the painting. Greatly improved it, if I say so myself."
"He painted me folk being stepped on and acting in unseemly manners."
Roy grinned. "And it will last a long, long time. The Bernese mountain dog's fur will be long grown back and still, my beautiful masterpiece will remain. In other words: I win."
"This isn't working," Rose said. "Let's get back to business, shall we? What exactly is your royal quest, Mac?"
"Alas, the queen doesna make an insignificant member of her court such as me privy to the reasons for her whims and pleasures. Me orders were to come to your fair town and embattle the Coyote in a war of trickery."
Rose frowned. "To what end?"
MacDougal shrugged. "Again, I was not advised of the queen's reasoning, nor the end result she desired."
"Okay then, for how long?" Rose asked. "Surely there was an end date?"
"Aye, the date of me capture."
"So you are done with the queen's request, and can go home, right?" Jed asked. "Seeing as how we captured you fair and square."
"That you did. And yes, homeward bound me be as soon as me freedom you give me."
"Maybe I'm confused," I said. "But I though
t you said you couldn't go home because you were under orders of the queen."
"Go home me can. Staying home, however, is at the whim and pleasure of Queen Titania. Thus me problem with the wording of your request...or requirement as it were."
"I see your dilemma," Rose said. "I don't see how we can demand you disregard a direct order of your royal court."
"May I suggest a compromised wording?" Jed asked. Rose nodded. "How about we change our request to this: your immediate return to Faerie, with no stops or tricks between now and the time you cross the Faerie border. And your agreement to stay out of our realm unless at the direct order of the head of a royal court, in point of fact, your king or queen?" He looked at Rose. "Would that cover it?"
"Not well enough for me. It still gives the little demon an out to come back any time he pleases," said Coyote.
"No," Rose said. "He can only come back when the queen pleases." She thought a moment and then nodded. "It isn't perfect, but I suppose it will have to do."
"Done," said MacDougal. "I'll agree to your terms in payment for me freedom and safe passage to the Faerie gate." He glared at Coyote. "I don't trust that one to keep his word."
Coyote put his hand to his heart. "Ouch, that really hurt." It might have been a little more convincing if he hadn't had his middle finger extended at the time.
"I still canna believe ye caught me with that lucky charm trap," MacDougal said, ruefully. "And here when I saw the trap, I thought sure I had outsmarted ye and could make me get away. Do ye mind me asking what tripped me up?"
"Your scent," Taz said. "When you struck up the conversation at the bar, I got a good whiff of you. I didn't recognize the scent as faerie, but when I described it to Rose, she did."
He looked confused for a moment, but then his brow cleared. "Ye were wearing one of the four-leaf clovers, weren't ye?"
I nodded.
"So much for me glamor covered scent, then. It won't work past the lucky charm's defenses."
Lily giggled. "Lucky charms. They're magically delicious."
I groaned, although one of us was bound to say it sooner or later.
"You eat four-leaf clovers?" MacDougal asked, his eyes wide.
"No, it's a breakfast cereal. Lucky Charms,” answered Lily. “The name of the cereal is Lucky Charms. The television commercial shows these kids catching this leprechaun over and over again because he can't resist the taste of the cereal. Because it's magically delicious."
"Is it too late to change me demands...or rather wants?" MacDougal asked.
"You want to try them, don't you?" Lily asked, grinning.
MacDougal beamed back at her. "That I do, lass. Lucky charms that ye can eat for food? What leprechaun could resist? Though I'm sure we could be sneakier than to get caught every time. It's quite an accomplished thief me am." He said it proudly. "I'd have gotten clean away if'n not for your blasted lucky charms."
We all giggled at that, which confused MacDougal again. Rose had to explain the joke too. It took a trip to the grocery store, but we discovered that for once, there was truth in advertising.
MacDougal loved them.
BY THE TIME MACDOUGAL had eaten his third bowl of cereal, Rose was begging to call it a night.
"I'm afraid I'm too tired to be at my sharpest," she said. "And one always wants to be at the top of their game when dealing with faeries. Besides, we need time to word the question to be sure we get an answer we can use."
I can't say it made me happy, but in the end, I agreed. Rose had a roll-away bed in the basement, and as luck would have it her basement had no exit other than through the hallway to the main living area. No windows or outside doors.
MacDougal looked around his temporary guest quarters. "If'n I didn't know we had agreed to terms already, I'd say ye didn't trust me far."
"With all due respect, MacDougal, we don't," I said. "Jed and I will be spending the night on the fold-out couch within sight of the basement door, and Rebel and Maggie will be right there by the fire. And just so you know, Rebel is a very light sleeper."
MacDougal glanced at Rebel, who in turn grinned and even managed a bit of slathering. Show off.
Rose and Lily passed out blankets and pillows and we all went to our respective beds. All in all the couch wasn't a bad bed. But I don't think I would have rested well even if it had been as soft as a cloud. Tomorrow, Creator willing, I would learn the truth about what happened to my sister. And if she were still alive, I'd learn where to find her.
And heaven help whoever had her.
Chapter 7
JED WAS SNORING SOFTLY, but I was still wide awake when the basement door slowly opened. I tensed but waited. Nothing more. No leprechaun. The clover was still firmly attached to my shoulder, so I would see him if he came out. After five minutes, still no leprechaun.
Curious now, I got up and walked over to the door. A wolf is a silent stalker and luckily that is one trait I get to keep even in skin form.
I peered around the open door to find MacDougal lying on his side on the top step, with his blanket and pillow. The steps weren't all that wide, even for a little man. He just couldn't have been comfortable.
"Is the roll away bed that uncomfortable?" I asked.
He gazed up at me sheepishly. "A creature of nature me be. ‘Tis unnatural to sleep with the earth covering all me sides." He shivered. "Like restin' in a grave. An open grave, but a grave none the less."
Funny thing was, I agreed with him. I'd always felt the same way about basements myself. Guess I was a creature of nature too. I motioned for him to get up.
MacDougal sighed. "I suppose it's back to the dungeon with a locked door this time." He gathered his blanket and pillow and started back down the stairs. I followed him.
We walked to his bed, and I looked at it. It was a small twin size and the mattress was made like a futon one, rather thin and easy to take off.
"You grab one end of the mattress, and I'll grab the other. It shouldn't be too hard to get it up the stairs." I said, lifting up my end.
MacDougal's face lit up. "Ye mean it? You'll let me sleep upstairs?"
I nodded. "We'll put the mattress right outside the basement door. Where Reb and I can still keep an eye on you."
He grinned. "Fair enough, lass."
Once the mattress was safely up the stairs and the makeshift bed made, Rebel came over to make sure everything was okay. Jed was still sleeping. A light sleeper he isn't. I envy him that sometimes. I reassured Reb, and he rejoined Maggie by the dying fire.
MacDougal watched him go. "He's a loyal mate that one. Sticking close to his lady's side."
"He's a loyal friend too," I said. It had been just Reb and me for years until last fall when Jed and Maggie had come into our lives. As proof of a benevolent Creator, He sent us both the loves of our lives in one package deal.
MacDougal's gaze went longingly to the kitchen. Rose kept a night light burning there to help nighttime visitors make the occasional kitchen run.
I had to smile. "You want another bowl, don't you?" I whispered.
He nodded.
We made our way to the kitchen, and I poured two bowls. After all, I hadn't got to finish my fries and I was feeling a little snacky myself. Using the last of the milk, I made a note to make an early morning grocery run.
We ate as silently as we could, MacDougal savoring every bite.
"It's missing these I'll be, back in Faerie," he said.
I could relate to missing a good food. Rabbit used to be my favorite meal of all time. Right up to the minute Lily had wered into a bunny. I could never look at a rabbit the same way now. It would be like eating a friend. Which was so sad, in so many ways.
"Well," I said. "You can always get a few boxes when you visit on a Royal errand."
"There's always that, I suppose. But they come few and far between, the royal quests. ‘Tis not often the queen has time for a lowly little leprechaun."
"So, you're not the queen's favorite?"
He laughe
d. It was light and tinkling and reminded me of Christmas jingle bells.
"Ah, Tazlyn lass, I'm beginning to like you, I am. Me, a favorite of Titania. Oh, that is a good one."
The weird thing was, even after all we'd been through, I was beginning to like him too.
I MUST HAVE FINALLY dozed off because I was definitely asleep when Jed whispered in my ear.
"Why is the leprechaun sleeping by the basement door?"
Not bothering to open my eyes, I snuggled back into him. "He got claustrophobic in the underground dungeon so I helped him move upstairs."
Jed leaned over me and sniffed. "Is that Lucky Charms on your breath?"
I yawned and opened one eye. "So? We had a midnight snack."
Just about the time I was going to ask for a bit more sleep time, Rose peeped around the corner. "Did I hear movement in here?" she asked softly.
"Yup," said Jed. "Morning calls." He kissed me on the cheek and threw the covers off me. He can be a cruel, cruel man when he wants to be.
We had slept in our clothes, so there wasn't anything to shock anybody. Unless they had a wrinkle paranoia. I scratched a couple of latent itches and made for the bathroom. Jed should have gone while he had the chance. Rose only had the one.
I was nice and only did the essentials of morningdom before relinquishing the facilities to the next in line. When I came out, I passed Jed.
"I have to run to the store for some milk and breakfast food. Want anything special?" I asked.
"I want bacon, but I'll settle for pancakes or better yet, cinnamon rolls," he answered. Rose and Lily had strict no meat rules for their house. Luckily, they weren't vegans so we could still have things like milk, eggs, and cheese.
"You got 'em." I called into the kitchen as I gathered my purse and keys. "I'm going to the store to pick up the fixings for pancakes and cinnamon rolls, you need anything else Rose?"
Sister's Keepers Page 4