“I have to stay within this court until then?” Kayla asked.
“You must not leave the Seelie Court unless I give my permission,” Ophira said. “You must not go looking for your father yourself, for these lands are too dangerous to venture on a solitary quest. And you cannot go back to the place you call home. You may do so once the end of the bargain is met. Any other questions?”
“What about the message to my family you promised me?”
The corner of Ophira’s mouth twitched. “I will take care of that,” she said. “One of my knights, in Glamor, shall pay a visit to your family.”
“Can’t I send a message myself?”
“I cannot risk you revealing our world to mortals who do not bear the Gift. You must not tell anyone you are here.”
Kayla fidgeted with her dad’s watch. “You’re sure you can find my father?”
“I believe that your father is not lost yet,” Ophira said with a smile that was almost too sweet. “Do you accept my bargain then?”
Looking straight at the queen, Kayla spoke before she could question her decision once more. “Yes, I accept.”
“Excellent.” Ophira rose, her wings fanning out behind her. “Fetch me Cassán,” she said to Fionn. He left and returned seconds later with a faerie man dressed in a brown robe, embroidered with golden swirls along the hem.
Ophira gestured to Kayla. “Would you come over here, then?”
Kayla moved to stand opposite the queen. All eyes in the room were resting on her and the queen as they both lifted their right hands. Kayla had to hold hers under Ophira’s so that their palms almost touched. Then, Cassán retrieved a thin rope from a pouch at his belt and wrapped it around their hands twice.
“It is almost done,” Ophira said.
Kayla glanced up at her youthful face. Not a single line or even the tiniest freckle disrupted her spotless white skin.
Cassán tied a knot into the rope, forcing their hands closer. Kayla’s palm was pressed against Ophira’s and her fingertips tingled. As Cassán murmured words unknown to Kayla, the rope tied around their hands quivered.
Kayla stared down as something pinched her palm and the rope burst into flames. She jerked back with a yelp, watching the charred remnants of the rope float to the ground.
“Your part is done now,” Ophira said and settled back on her throne, rubbing her palms together. “There is someone in my debt whom I have called for help. Fay will guide you to them. I trust her to keep said person’s whereabouts to herself and I trust you will keep them a secret too.”
“I’ll keep them a secret,” Kayla said, but she was barely listening. Her hands were shaking, and she saw something burned into the palm of her right hand. It was light red and had the shape of several lines tied to one knot.
She rubbed her palm against the fabric of her dress, but the mark remained.
Kayla met Fay’s gaze. The smile she offered Kayla faded, and when Fay bowed her head, Kayla thought she saw a flicker of worry cross her face.
Either Kayla was one step closer to finding her father—or she had made the biggest mistake of her life.
II
PART TWO
“Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren’t go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl’s feather!”
“The Fairies” - William Allingham
12
THE FAERIE CAT
The windows of the Citadel opened onto a stunning view of the court below and the endless blue sky above. It was almost too perfect, without a single cloud in sight.
Kayla’s palm still itched where the burn mark was and she rubbed it against her side. “Who is this person you’re taking me to?” she asked Fay.
“You’ll see.”
“Can’t you tell me?”
“I said you’ll see,” Fay sneered.
The sudden harshness in Fay’s voice caught Kayla off guard, and she stared at Fay as they stopped in front of a door on the second floor. “Wait out here,” Fay said and vanished into the room before Kayla could regain her composure. She returned after a minute, wearing a pair of shoes that looked nothing like the ones Kayla was used to; they were made from leaves. Fay was holding another pair toward Kayla.
“You will need these,” Fay said. “It’s not as clean where we’re going.”
“Which would be where?”
Fay shoved the shoes into Kayla’s hands before turning and walking away. Kayla slipped into the shoes, which were sturdier than she’d expected, and followed Fay down a flight of stairs.
“Did I do something wrong?” Kayla said, letting some of her frustration seep into her voice. “I did what you asked, didn’t I? You could at least look at me!”
Fay froze in her tracks and turned at Kayla with a frown. “I…” She raked a hand through her hair, sighing. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It was a long night. That’s all.” Her eyes darted away. “Now, come on. We have to go.”
“Fine.”
They left the Citadel and crossed the gardens, where flowers bloomed in vivid colors, stretching their heads toward the sun. At the end of the gravel path, under a tree with yellow blossoms, two figures were sitting on a wooden bench.
Fay walked straight up to the couple, who turned out to be her friends Nooa and Maeve. It surprised Kayla to see that Maeve no longer wore last night’s disgusted look on her face. A shimmer of excitement surrounded her, which Kayla felt was even more misplaced considering what had happened at the revel.
“Where are we heading?” Maeve asked.
“Are they coming with us?” Kayla spun at Fay. “I thought where we’re going is a secret.”
“We might need them,” Fay said, and Kayla saw a flash of silver disappear under the hem of Fay’s dress. Her dagger.
Maeve had dressed differently than last night, too. Her seaweed-green hair was pulled back into a tight braid, and instead of wearing a dress she was in a pair of woolen pants and a doublet. A strap was slung over her shoulder and Kayla could see the feathery ends of arrows. Maeve propped her webbed hands on her hips.
“I cannot believe you are taking a bow with you,” Nooa said. He wore pants and a doublet as well, but the only other accessory was a pretty flute hanging from a leather band around his neck. “Where did you even get that from?”
Maeve smirked. “I have my ways.”
“One of these days you will regret being so reckless,” Nooa said. His expression wavered between a frown and a smile.
Kayla looked from Nooa to Maeve. “Why are you bringing weapons?”
“None of your business,” Maeve said.
“Yes, it is. I’m trying to find my father and I don’t need your attitude for it.”
“Oh, spare me your whining!”
“Whining?”
“Stop it,” Fay said, taking a step between the two. “We’ve talked about this, Maeve.”
“I agreed to help,” Maeve said. “I never said I wouldn’t be annoyed by her human nonsense.”
Heat flushed into Kayla’s cheeks. “My—what?”
“She didn’t mean it like that,” Fay said. Maeve’s lips parted, but Fay silenced her friend with a cold stare. With an exasperated sigh, Maeve turned and stalked down a path, deeper into the garden. Fay, Kayla, and Nooa followed her.
“She will come around,” Nooa said.
Kayla watched Maeve stomp past patches of colorful flowers. “If she’s so annoyed with me, why bother helping?”
“Well, for one thing,” Nooa said, “Fay asked.” He grinned at his friend beside him and Fay returned the smile.
“That’s all?”
“No,” Nooa said. “Maeve likes to be needed, but she is denied to help in the way she wants to.”
“What would that be?”
“She wants to be a knight.”
In the distan
ce, Maeve vanished behind a group of trees.
“Why can’t she be one?” Kayla asked. “There are female knights, right?” She thought of the night before, the group of knights entering the hall in their shining golden armor. Not all of them had been men.
Nooa turned toward Kayla. “Yes, there are a few, but Maeve cannot take the knight’s vow because she is part merrow. Only pure-blooded Seelie faeries may become knights.”
“That’s not fair, is it?”
“‘The Queen is the Law, the Law is the Queen.’” Nooa said solemnly.
They’d arrived at a depression where a tall oak tree stood partly hidden in the Citadel’s shadow. Maeve was waiting beside it, impatiently tapping her right foot as the others approached.
“So where are we going?” Kayla asked again.
“Chicago!” Nooa exclaimed.
Kayla’s heart leaped. “We’re going back? But how? I thought I wasn’t allowed to.”
“You can go wherever the queen allows,” Fay said.
“What if my family sees me?” She could never lie to Theo or Abby. And she didn’t think she could leave them a second time.
“They won’t,” Fay said, and turned to face them all. “Before we leave, you all should know who we are about to meet. Her name is Dahlia and she’s a faerie cat. One of the few people among the Fair Folk who can tap into strong magic. We must all keep her whereabouts a secret or else she will be in grave danger.”
“Why?”
Kayla caught sight of the deadly glare Maeve shot her. She gritted her teeth to prevent herself from saying something she’d regret later.
“Most believe that faerie cats are extinct,” Fay said. “And it’s better that way. They have powers beyond our imagination. Powers that could destroy us. If some of the Fair Folk knew they were still alive…”
“And how is that woman—Dahlia, you said?—able to help me find my father?”
“Because,” Fay said, “she can look into your mind and see.”
“See what?”
“Everything. Who you are, your past, your present, your future. Memories you cherish, memories you’ve cast away. She can see all the relationships you’ve ever had and will have. All the people who ever mattered or will matter in your life. She can sense them.”
Kayla swallowed against the lump in her throat. “That sounds… dreadful,” she said. “To have someone poke around in your memories like that.”
Fay’s eyes darkened. “The hidden pieces of our mind are always the ones that hurt the most.” She stepped closer to the oak tree and reached out a hand to brush a finger against the lowest branch. The leaves shuddered and deep golden engravings appeared on the bark of the tree.
Kayla straightened up to examine the symbols: swirls, intertwined lines, spirals. None resembled actual words or recognizable symbols, yet it felt like looking at a long lost language. Her gaze lingered on a pattern that was at about the height of her waist: a set of three spirals connected in the middle. She traced its lines with a finger. It was carved in deep, deeper than the other engravings.
“What is that?”
Fay pulled at a chain around her neck, retrieving a pendant that had the same shape as the symbol, and Kayla watched as Fay pressed it into the engraving. With the ground vibrating under their feet, the ropes of vines and roots that enveloped the tree slithered aside, revealing the hollow inside. The morning sun struck the mouth of the tunnel, showing stone walls and packed earth leading straight ahead, into complete darkness.
“The Triskelion is the symbol of the three worlds,” Fay said, tucking the pendant away. “It opens up the Faery Path that allows you to move between the worlds: the mortal world, where humans live, and the otherworld, which our people call Tír na nÓg.”
“What about the third world?”
“Pray you never find out.” Fay gestured toward the entrance. “After you.”
The moment all of them were inside the tunnel, the door swung shut of its own accord, darkness enveloping them. A bright green light sprung to life above their heads and Fay reached up to pull down the lantern.
Fay shone the light down the tunnel. “We’ll have to walk awhile.”
“Then let’s get going,” Kayla said.
They walked without speaking, the passageway not even changing once but leading straight ahead. After some time, it was as though they weren’t moving at all. It was silent except for the occasional scuttling of unseen bugs and beetles.
Maeve and Nooa were walking behind Kayla and she knew they were watching her.
Kayla ignored them and glanced at Fay beside her, who carried the lantern with a stoic calmness. In the dim glow, Kayla noticed that while Fay was rather lithe, her arms were strong and slightly muscular. Back in the alley, when Fay had fought the boar, she spun and stabbed and slashed with ease. Fay was capable of more than it seemed at first sight. After all, Fay must have somehow gotten an unconscious Kayla through this never-ending Faery Path by herself. Kayla blushed at the idea of Fay carrying her. She hoped she hadn’t drooled or—
Fay came to a halt, the lantern swinging in her hand. “Whatever you do, do not follow it!”
“Follow what?” Kayla asked, staggering. A blue light had popped up in the distance, hovering in the air like a tiny ball of flame. It flickered but didn’t move. “What is it? It’s so… so…” She took a step toward it and was instantly pulled back.
“Do not follow it,” Fay hissed, her face inches from Kayla’s. “It’s a will-o’-the-wisp, a wild Faery Light, and it will lead you in the wrong direction, deeper into the Faery Path. And trust me, you will never return from there. No one has.”
Kayla wriggled her arm but she couldn’t get free from Fay’s grip. “But it looks so innocent,” she said. “I’m sure it won’t harm us.”
Nooa appeared at their side. “It is supposed to look like that,” he said. “The Faery Light ensures that only those who are worthy can travel between the worlds.”
Kayla gaped at the light as it bounced up and down. “It’s a ball of light. It can’t be that menacing.”
“If you don’t believe us,” Maeve said, “you’re welcome to follow it. I certainly won’t mind.”
Fay shot her friend a glare, then turned back to Kayla. “That’s not any light,” she said, gently. “And you should never trust it.”
They continued at a slower pace. Kayla kept gazing at the Faery Light, which was constantly a few feet ahead of them, flickering and bouncing, until the path parted again and it went the other way.
Kayla soon lost her bearings with all the twists and turns of the path. Maybe that was Fay’s intention, so that Kayla couldn’t remember the way back to Chicago. To her family.
Soon enough, they reached what seemed like a dead end, a wall of dirt and thick ropes of vines crisscrossing it. Fay and Maeve cut away the vines to uncover the keyhole, while Nooa stood beside them, humming a tune Kayla didn’t know.
Fay was about to press her Triskelion into the keyhole when she turned back to her friends. “Wait a second…” she said. “Are you two Glamored?”
“Ah, I forgot.” Maeve reached for a bracelet she wore on her right arm while Nooa touched his flute. They muttered under their breaths and then nodded at Fay.
Kayla stared at them. “What does a Glamor do again?”
“It hides us from mortal eyes,” Fay said.
“So you’re invisible now or what?
“Of course not,” Maeve said as if Kayla had asked whether the sky was blue.
“It changes our appearance,” Nooa said, winking at Kayla. “It is too bad you can see through it. I look fantastic now, you know.”
Maeve snorted. “Yeah, you do.” Nooa poked Maeve in her side and she squealed. She retaliated with a slap on his arm, but he only laughed.
“We should get going,” Fay said. Her lips were pulled into a crooked smile, as if she were holding back a laugh too. She pressed her pendant into the keyhole.
The door swung open to blinding after
noon light. A chilly wind welcomed them, the kind Kayla was so familiar with that she lifted her head and let it whip her hair around her face.
They were back in Millennium Park and Chicago’s skyline stretched out in front of them. Skyscrapers rose high into the sky, higher than the towers of the Citadel, their windows sparkling like a thousand suns. Tourists swarmed around the slick silver Bean, and the wind rattled the colorful banners that hung on poles.
Kayla stood still and closed her eyes for a moment. There was the sound of people chatting and of cars honking. The L thundered along the tracks just a block away from them. Somewhere close by, a street vendor was selling fresh popcorn, the salty smell wafting toward her.
But when Kayla opened her eyes again, she noticed all the things that had changed since she had left. Behind her, the trees—even the one that was the entry to the Faery Path—had changed colors. Their green leaves had turned into a blend of brown, orange, and yellow. And even though the sun was shining, the wind was too crisp for late September and people were wearing coats and jackets.
Kayla stumbled back a step. “No…” Not looking back at the others, she hurried across the Chase Promenade to the next newspaper stand. Her hands shook as she pulled out the paper on top—and stared. The date read:
October 31
She spun around, the paper rustling as she crushed it with her hands. The other three had caught up with her and Fay reached out for Kayla’s hands, but Kayla pulled them back.
“This!” Kayla forced the paper into Fay’s face. “This isn’t possible!”
“What’s wrong with her now?” Maeve said.
Kayla lowered the paper, pointing her finger at the date. “It says it’s the end of October,” she said. “That’s impossible. We left two days ago, September 25th.”
Fay was paler than usual. Nooa peered over Fay’s shoulder at the paper, then stared at Fay. Neither of them said anything.
“How can that be?” Kayla clasped a hand to her mouth. “My father… in one of his stories, a man went with the faeries and when he came back months later, he said he’d been away for ten years. Is that…” She swallowed, hugging the paper to her chest. “Is that true?”
Seelie Princess (The Crown of Tír na nÓg Book 1) Page 9