I ignored him. I’d buried the spirit trap, unable to bring myself to destroy another spirit so soon, not even one as damaged as Kaminari’s.
“Finn,” Reggie said, and gave a nod. “Seems things have settled down between the Silver and the Shadows.”
“I guess,” I replied, trying to act normal. Which made me self-conscious and certain that I was acting suspiciously. “But we, uh, still don’t know who’s playing them against each other.”
“Yeah. Well, just watch yourself. Whoever the puppet masters are, they may decide to come looking for the necromancer who threw a monkey wrench in their plans.”
I sighed. “I’m not sure I did much to upset their plans. I have a feeling the Silver and Shadows aren’t exactly going to hug and be friends.”
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, you did some good.” He slapped me on the back. “And did Zeke’s memory proud. And, let’s face it, your family name needed a bit of polishing.”
I gave him a weak smile. “Yeah.” I nodded to Zeke. “He looks good.”
Reggie looked toward Zeke, and his eyes teared up a bit as he said, “Yeah, he always did.” He cleared his throat. “I got a ton of paperwork to fill out on all your shenanigans, so I’ll be in touch.”
He left to rejoin the other enforcers.
Vincent strolled into the room, dressed in his official enforcer suit and tie. He stopped, and pulled a folded piece of parchment from inside his jacket as if to reassure himself it was there, then put it back away.
I moved to intercept him, but not before Pete and Vee spotted him as well.
“Hello, Knight-Lieutenant,” I said as Pete and Vee made their way toward us. “You didn’t seriously come here to demand Pete and Vee’s declaration of loyalty at her brother’s interment, did you?”
Vincent gave me his best stoic enforcer stare. All he lacked was mirrored shades. “They had three days to give an answer, and they did not. They chose to push this matter, not me. I tried to warn you, Gramaraye. Now they are to be declared rogue and there’s nothing you, or I, can do about it. The best I can do is wait to serve them their papers as they leave. Out of respect for Mister Wodenson.”
“You mean Enforcer Wodenson.”
Vincent waited just a beat before saying, “Of course.”
Pete and Vee arrived.
“Well, as it so happens, I have something for you,” I said, and produced my own piece of parchment. “Delivered just this morning by our friendly neighborhood gnomes.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed, and he made no move to take the parchment. “What is it?”
I smiled at Pete and Vee. “This officially declares my brother and Vee to be Vice-Archons of the Silver Court.”
“What?” Pete said, surprised. Vee’s eyes widened.
“Vice-Archons?” Vincent said, and took the parchment. He read over it. “The Archons haven’t used subordinates for hundreds of years.”
“What does this mean?” Pete asked, frowning.
“How did you do this?” Vee asked.
“Yeah, Gramaraye,” Vincent asked, looking up. “What did you have to promise the Fey for this? Or are you and that Fey in your head just working together now?”
“Nothing, and no. I’m still a loyal arcana, Knight-Lieutenant. But I did help to save the Silver Court and their brightbloods both—and helped the ARC, too, by the way—and so they saw fit to grant my request in return.”
*I still cannot believe Oshun agreed to your request, whatever small favor you had done us.*
Maybe your kin in the Silver Court are not as unreasonable as you think.
*Wait until you’ve lived with them a hundred years, then say that.*
Vincent’s mouth puckered to the side for a second, then he gave a slight shrug, and handed the parchment back to me. “They’ve declared their loyalty, and that’s what is important. Congratulations. Truly.” He turned to Vee. “And my condolences and respect for your brother.”
“Thanks,” Vee said, graciously.
“Have a cookie, they’re good,” Pete said, waving at the nearest food table.
“Excuse us,” Vee said. “I need to speak to the crowd now.”
“Please,” Vincent said, waving toward the stage.
I gave Vee a hug. “Don’t be nervous. You’ll do fine.”
“I know. I have Pete and Sarah to help me if I forget something.”
I patted Pete on the back, and he and Vee made their way up onto the stage.
“Everyone, a moment please,” Vee said, calling for the audience’s attention. “I wanted to thank you all for coming.” Her voice thickened, and Pete put a hand on her back as she continued. “And thank you for sharing your wonderful stories and thoughts about my brother. I think he’d say ‘I pity the fool who didn’t know me.’ And he’d be right to. In a few minutes, we’ll let people get up here and say any last—”
“Wait,” Pete said, and blushed.
“Pete?” Vee asked with a worried expression. “What is it?”
He glanced at me, and I gave him an encouraging nod, and then began making my way toward Dawn. Pete turned back to Vee. “I just, I wanted to ask you,” he said, and waved toward Zeke, “while we have both our families here, uh—”
Pete dropped to one knee, and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. Vee’s eyes went wide and her hand covered her mouth as Pete opened the box, his hands trembling. Even from here I could recognize the black-and-silver pattern of Mother’s engagement ring.
“I love you,” Pete said. “You’re the best girl—or, uh, woman—that I’ve ever met. Well, except my mother. And no offense, Sammy, or Mattie, or—not that you’re not as good as my mother, Vee, or uh—what I mean is, there’s no other woman I would want to paint with, or run on the beach with, or climb trees with, or, well, spend my life with, than you and—” He pushed the ring up toward Vee. “Will you marry me?”
Vee laughed, and tears ran down her face as she nodded vigorously. “Yes. Yes, of course, yes.”
Pete beamed, stood up, and lifted Vee in a passionate kiss.
The gathered crowd cheered. I reached Dawn. She smiled at me, and I kissed her, long and with all my heart behind it.
“I love you,” I said as we parted.
“I love you, too, you big dork,” she replied.
Then we both grinned up at Pete and Vee as they blushed and smiled ear-to-ear at the continued applause and congratulations of the crowd.
I felt like I’d cried a river in the last few days. I wished more of those tears had been happy tears, like the ones that flowed freely now. I wiped at my face with the handily provided handkerchief.
As I lowered it, words formed on the cloth.
With an uneasy feeling, I stretched out the handkerchief between my hands so the words could be read clearly.
You helped the feybloods and their masters. But war is coming, boy. Get wise and start fighting for your own people, or go down with the enemy. GG
Gavriel Gramaraye. My grandfather. Alive and still stalking me.
*Ah, bat’s breath.*
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RANDY HENDERSON is the grand prize winner of the Writers of the Future Award for 2014, a Clarion West graduate, and a member of SFWA and Codex. His fiction has appeared in Penumbra, Escape Pod, and Realms of Fantasy, and has been included in anthologies. Find him online at www.randy-henderson.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
TOR BOOKS BY RANDY HENDERSON
Finn Fancy Necromancy
Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
&n
bsp; Dedication
Acknowledgments
1: Once Bitten Twice Shy
2: Looking for a New Love
3: Don’t You Want Me, Baby
4: Wanted Dead or Alive
5: Sign O the Times
6: Every Rose Has Its Thorn
7: Didn’t We Almost Have It All
8: Notorious
9: Bad
10: New Sensation
11: The Way It Is
12: (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)
13: My Prerogative
14: Keep Your Hands to Yourself
15: If You Don’t Know Me by Now
16: Who’s That Girl
17: It Takes Two
18: Heart and Soul
19: I Know You Got Soul
20: Don’t Dream It’s Over
21: Miss You Much
22: Paradise City
23: Eternal Flame
24: Janie’s Got a Gun
25: I Won’t Back Down
26: The End of the Innocence
27: Devil Inside
28: Wild Thing
29: Giving You the Best That I Got
30: With or Without You
31: Lips Like Sugar
32: Sowing the Seeds of Love
33: Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
34: Back to Life
35: (I Just) Died in Your Arms
36: It’s the End of the World as We Know It
Epilogue
About the Author
Tor Books by Randy Henderson
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
BIGFOOTLOOSE AND FINN FANCY FREE
Copyright © 2016 by Randy Henderson
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Tomislav Tomic
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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ISBN 978-0-7653-7810-1 (hardcover)
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e-ISBN 9781466859142
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First Edition: February 2016
Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free Page 42