by K. C. Lannon
With his tail, hair, and ears all well-groomed, he had a rather pleasant appearance. And he was completely ignoring Deirdre, James, and Iain, his gaze fixed on Alvey, a stern frown on his face.
“Milady,” he said in a sharp, high voice. “Do you know what I am?”
“I surmise you are the thing that has been skulking around after me, hiding in the bushes?” she replied in a bored voice, clearly not at all impressed by the Phouka.
“I am a familiar of the Summer Court. And you”—he furrowed his furry eyebrows—“are very far from home. You know not what dangers or rules there are in these lands.”
“I can manage! I already have two humans and a faery helping me.” Alvey gestured to the three of them.
“The human military is present in these lands, close to the Forest Caves.”
Deirdre gasped in surprise, but Alvey just shrugged.
“They are no friends to the Summer Court,” the Phouka pressed.
“As I said, I can manage.”
The Phouka began to tap his foot impatiently. “It is unwise to be out here alone without any of your friends or family! Think of your mother and father. Once they discover you’ve left, especially by using stolen—”
“Borrowed!” Alvey cut in.
“…stolen transportation magic,” the Phouka continued deliberately, “which half elves should not be harnessing, your parents surely will be very concerned and the whole Court with them!”
“My mother and father are simply overprotective. I am fourteen! I am certainly old enough to run on a small errand by myself!”
“You should return immediately.”
At that Alvey folded her arms, sniffing, and said in a high, peeved voice, “Well, what do you intend to do about it? Will you go hither and thither, telling other familiars to make me go home? Hmm?”
The Phouka’s ears flattened briefly. “I urge you to go back immediately. At the very least, promise me you shall avoid the military at all cost.”
Alvey didn’t reply, folding her arms tighter.
“Why are they at the Forest Caves to begin with?” James asked in a hushed voice.
The Phouka completely ignored him, darting over to stand right in front of Alvey, repeating, “Promise me, in the name of the Summer Court. You will do all you can to avoid the human military!”
She sighed in exasperation and snapped, “Oh very well—I promise, I promise! Truly, just because I am young and a half elf does not mean I am a fool!”
Raising a skeptical eyebrow, the Phouka nodded to her, saying, “I shall take my leave then, milady. Please refrain from starting any more fires on my farm… or any other farms, for that matter.”
Alvey jerked her head at James. “’Twas his idea.”
James gaped. “I-it wasn’t! I just—”
But he was cut off by the Phouka darting away fast, back into the grasses, leaving small clouds of dust in his wake.
After a couple of silent seconds, Deirdre suddenly giggled. “That was really cute! He looked just like a red squirrel!”
“Phoukas come in many forms, some more ‘cute’ than others,” Alvey replied dryly, beginning to wheel herself along the road again. Deirdre hurried back over the fence to follow behind her.
“She’s right,” James said, nodding. “Usually they’re rabbits, but they’re also dogs or goblins or horses or even humans or—”
“What does it mean to be a familiar of the Summer Court?” Iain cut in, now back on the road as well.
“’Tis affiliated with them,” Alvey replied shortly, snapping the word “affiliated” like it was a swear word.
“So, it’s a servant?”
“Nay, ’tis just… I suppose you might say an ally. It and other familiars are independent, but they act in the Court’s interest when the need arises.”
“Are familiars common?” James asked. “Are all Phoukas familiars of the Summer Court? How many are there? Does the Winter Court have familiars too?”
Alvey groaned and threw her hands up in the air. “Questions, questions, questions! Is this all you humans do?”
“Alvey.” Deirdre walked in front of her again, making her stop. “Did you leave home without your parents’ permission?”
“Aye, but it matters little! I shall be back before they know I am gone.”
“Seriously? You’ve been gone for a whole night!”
“Spending a night out or even a few days at most isn’t that uncommon… in the city anyway,” Iain offered with a shrug.
Shaking her head, Alvey said, “The Summer Court is wide and vast, and ’tis common for faeries within it to go unaccounted for, for quite a while. My parents will not worry for at least five days.”
“Five days!” Deirdre nearly shrieked.
“Aye, that is what I just said,” the other girl replied thinly.
“You can’t be serious! Don’t they get worried?”
“Of course they do! Fie”—she flicked her hand dismissively—“they are overprotective! Other faery parents make no fuss unless their children are absent for at least fourteen days.”
“Fourteen days!” Deirdre and Iain both cried.
Alvey considered, then amended, “I suppose the king and queen might fuss if they do not hear of their son’s whereabouts for about ten days. They, like my parents, can be a bit protective.”
Deirdre was stuck staring at Alvey, trying to wrap her head around all this. When she had been responsible for girls, who were not even her sisters, she’d gotten concerned within hours of not seeing them. Being unconcerned for days at a time was beyond her comprehension.
Iain was similarly quiet, rubbing his forehead and scowling as though he had a headache.
James alone was unaffected, asking Alvey, “Are all faery parents like that? Or just the ones in the Summer Court?”
“Let’s take a break,” Iain said suddenly, pointing to a tree at the top of the nearest hill. “I’ll take point and find a place for lunch. James…” He nodded his head toward Alvey.
“Huh?”
“Give Alvey a hand?”
“Right!” He eagerly walked behind and began pushing her quickly, jerking the chair; when she yelped and protested, he slowed his pace and mumbled an apology.
At first Deirdre kept pace with the two of them, but as Iain walked farther and farther ahead, she began to feel restless. Although she felt a bit more comfortable about him and his company, she still didn’t like the idea of him going out of sight, without James to keep tabs on him.
Who knows if he’ll use that radio of his to contact someone?
She felt a bit guilty for thinking it, but she still outpaced James and Alvey, walking ahead to make sure she never quite lost sight of him.
Behind her, she caught parts of the conversation between James and Alvey; James was still pressing her with questions about faery parents.
Sighing, Deirdre hugged herself, thinking, I had no idea faery parents were so… different! What if my parents are like that too? I mean, I guess they will be since they’re faeries, and they might be in the Summer Court like Alvey’s parents. They… really don’t care much about their children, do they? Her lower lip trembled, and she folded her arms tighter. I don’t know about any of this anymore…
* * *
Frankly, Alvey had been getting a bit sick of Deirdre earlier, so she was at first glad when the human boy volunteered to push her chair. However, she soon began to suspect that she would be better off with Deirdre, as bossy and fussy as the strange faery was.
The human boy—Jade or Jay or whatever his name was—just didn’t shut up. And all his questions were about the most menial things.
Who gives one whit what faery parents are like? Alvey thought. They are dull, that’s what they are.
“…And that’s how most human parents usually respond to not, um, knowing where their children are in just one day or even a few hours,” the boy said, finishing his entirely unasked for explanation of human parents. “So that’s why it was surprisin
g to us that your parents aren’t worried at all by now. I mean, even my dad… He noticed if I wasn’t back home from school on time.”
“How fascinating,” was all she could manage.
“This isn’t your first time outside the Court though, right? You said you’d snuck out before.”
“Aye, ’tis true.”
“How did the faeries not notice you, with all their magic?”
Alvey grinned and leaned her head back in her chair. “Just because I am a half elf does not mean that I cannot outwit a full-blooded faery.”
“Okay, but how did you do it?” His puppylike voice was impatient. “Did you use a crystal to help you?”
“Nay. This time when I slipped out, it was still night. A great host of faeries were going out a-roving. As they were all quite occupied with a race with each other, seeing who could keep up best with the Summer Prince, they did not notice me… especially as I simply wheeled myself out, quite subtly.”
“Why didn’t you use a crystal though? Can’t magic make you hard to see, you know, like an invisible shawl or something like that?”
Alvey scoffed and gave a light laugh. “What a foolish plan that would be! The faeries would sense an odd, sudden spot of such magic, popping up without reason or warrant. Fie! Using magic would have gotten me detected.” She paused, then added, “I attempted using it in such a way before and just barely failed, getting caught, so I would know.”
“Why don’t the faeries let you leave?” The boy’s voice was pure curiosity, with no malice or ill will behind it—but for some reason it still aggravated her.
Sitting up straight like an upset bird puffing its feathers, Alvey snipped back, “Because my parents are fools who believe I cannot take care of myself! I am… fourteen and am mature and wise enough to manage on my own.”
The boy notably did not agree with her, instead asking, “You said you got out of the barrier once before now? Successfully?”
“Aye, I did.” She smirked. “I even got myself a steed, a white stag, who bore me hence along the Wild Hunt. Ha!” She clapped her hands. “Ah, we gave several little goblins a good chase before the stag trampled them.”
“So that’s real?” The boy’s voice pitched up to a squeak again, making her chuckle. He ignored her and pressed, “The Wild Hunt is real, like in all the legends? Don’t you die if you see it?”
Alvey shrugged. “Perhaps if you see the Winter Court on the hunt. I do not know how humans respond when seeing the Summer Court’s hunt.”
“B-but, so, who goes on it? Why did you get to go on it?”
“Didn’t I just say that I snuck out?” she snapped. “I was not allowed, but I went regardless! Most faeries of the Court, once at my level of maturity, go on the hunt. I simply had to go as well, whether my mother said I could or not!”
“So, you went recently? When? They were saying something about the hunt in the inn last night—”
“I… did not exactly go recently.” Alvey shifted in her chair. “I went a few years ago.”
“On the white stag? What did you all hunt? Did you only hunt goblins? Where did you go? Did you see any humans? Can humans join the hunt? What happened—”
“Just be quiet!” She slammed her hands on the wheels of her chair. “Fie, you’re impossible! How could a single being answer so many questions at once! Make up your mind!”
“I-I’m just curious.” There was a pout in his voice, and he began to push the chair a bit slower.
“That is no excuse for yammering a thousand questions at one time!”
After grunting in response, he went quiet for several moments, much longer than Alvey had expected.
When it began to get annoying and a bit boring, she lifted her chin and said gracefully, “Do you have any one question you would like an answer to?”
The boy at first did not reply, and she could hear him twisting his grip on the chair handles, fighting between his wounded pride and curiosity. But the latter won out and he asked, in a voice that was clearly trying not to be too eager, “Why didn’t you bring a steed this time, like that white stag?”
“I…” She bit her lip. “All the steeds in the realm are under strict orders to never bear me hence. Ever since that night.”
“Why? Did something happen?” He sucked in his breath, then said in a low voice, “I guess that was two more questions, wasn’t it?”
Alvey shrugged, though she began to twist her fingers uneasily. “It is a logical conclusion. I… On that night, this happened.” She gestured up to her sealed eyes.
“You lost your eyesight?”
“I lost my eyes. They were taken…” She gulped, then continued hurriedly, “they were taken by some cheating knave who tricked me. We never could find him. The filthy dastard.”
“Why did he take them? Was that magic too? Was it a faery—” The boy sucked in his breath sharply again, clearly realizing what he was doing.
Alvey just tossed her hair in reply, fiddling with her headband, contemplating ways to snap at and insult him if he pressed the issue any further.
Fie, I should not have said such a thing… especially to a human!
After clearing his throat, he said, “I’m sorry. About your eyes, I mean… I, um, can’t imagine what that’d be like.”
This gesture took her off guard, and for a moment Alvey sat there with her mouth open. “Nay, I suppose not… You do have your eyes.”
“Yeah… but, how can you tell? Since you can’t see…”
“You have a scent of confidence when you move. All seeing creatures have it. Those who cannot see often lack it.”
“I… I have a scent?” The boy then sniffed a few times, likely testing his clothing for any foul odors.
Letting out a light giggle, Alvey waved her hand magnanimously. “It matters little. After all, I am an extremely adaptable person, and I have mastered life without my eyes. And soon, as soon as I have gotten what I need from the Forest Caves, my parents must acknowledge my successes too. I left the realm on my own, I shall fetch what I need on my own, and I shall return, all on my own, without any aid from them or anyone else! They will have to acknowledge that I am no longer a child; I may be a half elf, but I can protect myself and make my own decisions.”
“Yeah! I know exactly what you mean.”
“Oh, you do?” Alvey highly doubted that.
“Well, I’ve been planning this trip for quite a while, and—” The boy stopped abruptly, then asked eagerly, “Are you looking for some sort of magical weapon?” The boy let out a small gasp. “Or maybe something that will let you use magic for yourself? Or maybe something that—”
Thankfully, Deirdre waved to the two of them and shouted, “Iain’s found somewhere to stop for lunch! Come on!” She pointed at a large tree at the top of the nearby hill, just alongside the road.
“Let us make haste, shall we?” Alvey leaned her head back so the boy could see her face and beamed a smile she knew was winning—even the Summer King found it charming.
And so the boy naturally agreed and began to quickly push her chair onward.
* * *
As they stopped for a break, Deirdre leaned her back against a tree, staring up at the cloudy sky, her head spinning. Alvey had also gone quiet, preoccupied with shuffling around the crystals in her small bag.
Behind the tree, Iain and James were chatting. She began listening as she heard the military mentioned.
“I don’t know if we should go to the Forest Caves,” Iain said. “It was a detour to begin with, and now—”
“But Alvey needs to go there,” James said, interrupting.
“…That’s why you want to go?”
“Yes. Well, I mean, um, if she wants to go, there must be something there that would be interesting for faeries, like some magic and stuff.” Iain sighed, and James continued hastily, “Also, maybe some of it will help us find Mum faster.”
“How will that help us find Mum faster?” Iain asked sharply.
“And I must g
o to the caves,” Alvey said suddenly, loud enough for everyone to hear her. “I thought I made that quite clear!”
Iain and James both peered around to look at her, seemingly realizing they were being overheard. “We’ll just be a bit longer,” Iain said. “Go ahead and pack up, yeah? Then we’ll leave.”
Afterward Iain and James moved a bit away; Deirdre briefly hesitated, then scrambled up the tree as quietly as she could, crawling carefully along the limbs so she was almost right above them.
Luckily, although the tree had several birds in it, rather than flying away they just ignored her and kept singing noisily, covering up the sounds of her climbing along. Birds and squirrels and other tree-dwelling creatures had always done this around her; for the first time, she realized it must be because she was a faery rather than because she was very quiet, as she’d always fancied.
As she looked down at the brothers huddled below, guilt gnawed at her, but she pushed it down for the moment. I still don’t know about Iain. Does he want to avoid the military by not going to the caves? Or is there another reason? I just don’t know…
Iain said, “Say we did take the time to get what Alvey needs from the caves—” When James inhaled excitedly, about to interrupt, Iain was quick to clarify, “If we go there… I remember hearing about the unit in this area. I thought that they had moved on a week or so ago, but I guess not—they’re led by Commander Walker.”
“Who?” James asked before Iain could continue.
“He and Philip were on good terms; he’s a reasonable man. If he’s here, then I have a chance to tell Commander Walker what Philip Prance told me. If there’s even a chance, I think I should take it.”
Deirdre frowned, biting her lip. Who is Philip Prance again? That name sounds familiar… Wasn’t he the guard who captured me? I remember… the people at the jail called him by that name… But what did he tell Iain? Iain hasn’t said anything about this before now… Why is it a secret?
“No.” James was shaking his head. “I-I don’t want anything to do with… the Iron Guard or any of that! It’s not like it will change anything.”
“It’ll help Walker and others in the military start to realize something is wrong, that Dad is…” He shook his head, trailing off.