Deaglan's Deception

by Belinda M Gordon

  I fast-forwarded through the rest of the evening, slowing down again for the moments leading up to the attack. Nothing unusual had happened during my performance, other than the hooded figure in the shadows. I had already told Shamus about him. Was he the shooter?

  "What was the Leprechaun doing there in the first place?" I wondered aloud. A Leprechaun in an all Sidhe audience was strange. "I thought he might be looking for me, however now that I think about it, his expression didn't change at all as I approached him. I would have expected a look of expectation or eagerness if that were truly why he'd come. Perhaps he wasn't the Leprechaun from the shop."

  "And if that's true, why are there so many of the tradesmen in town?" Shamus added.

  He stood straighter and ran his hand over his head to flatten his hair when Alexander and Matt emerged from the woods. They walked with shoulders hunched and feet dragging. I could tell the second Alexander spotted me: he smiled, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly as his tense muscles relaxed. The two men had a brief conversation before splitting off in different directions, Matt heading toward the guesthouse—to get some sleep, I hoped.

  Alexander walked toward us, his haggard expression telling me that the morning hadn't gone well. I handed him a thermal travel mug filled with coffee as he sat down next to me. He eagerly took a gulp.

  "Thank you, this is just what I needed," he said. He took another mouthful before relaxing into the glider. "Do you know anyone named Ronan?"

  "Several people. Can you give me something else to go on?"

  "He has buzzed green hair; retired from the King's Guard."

  "Aye, I know him. He served my grandfather and then my uncle, briefly. He has a brisk personality."

  Shamus scoffed. "Aye, he's a hard man to like. But he served the king with loyalty and bravery."

  "Did you see him in the camp last night? Did you notice him at all, maybe while you were singing?" I closed my eyes and replayed the scene in my mind yet again.

  "No, I didn't." Alexander nodded thoughtfully as he sipped his coffee.

  "Do you think he could glamour a crossbow?" he asked. I pulled my knees up and turned facing him, scrutinizing his expression for a hint of his thoughts.

  "Xander, are you suggesting that one of the King's Guard tried to kill me?" Outrage filled my chest; this would be a special type of betrayal, not only of my family and me but also of all the Sidhe who looked to the prophecy of the King's Jewel for salvation.

  "I find that hard to believe," Shamus said. We sat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts, until Shamus spoke again. "But only a fool would believe it was impossible. We must consider the situation from every angle."

  Alexander put the mug on the ground and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

  "I don't know what to think. At this point I'm not even certain Tressa was the target." I waited for him to explain, sensing that there was something he was reluctant to say.

  "Tressa, I'm sorry to tell you this… the Leprechaun is dead. He may have been the shooter's target all along."

  A sharp stab of shock and sadness hit me. What could this poor man have done to be hunted down like that?

  Alexander lay down with his head in my lap and his knees curled over the arm of the glider to 'rest for a minute' and immediately fell asleep. His breathing was slow and even. I brushed his hair off his face and saw that he had a scratch on his cheek, right above the scar that ran along his jawline—probably the result of a twig or thorn as he traipsed through the woods. I kissed my first two fingers and lay them on top of the cut. The mark disappeared with the barest push of my essence.

  Three Pixies tumbled out of the maple tree. They righted themselves and pushed off the ground, flapping their dragonfly wings and hovering around my head.

  "Tressie, Tressie, Tressie," they sang in chorus. I put a finger to my mouth and pointed to the sleeping man in my lap. Though they kept chattering, they at least lowered their voices to a whisper.

  "You okay?"

  "How could they?"

  "Not right. Wedding soon!"

  "It's okay, wee ones, we weren't hurt. Don't worry about the wedding. Nothing will stop that."

  "Want them go away!" Peter stomped his foot, putting himself off balance when he hit nothing but air.

  "Didn't bring friends for us to play with," Kerry added to the list of complaints.

  They each kissed my cheek, tickling me with their wings, before turning to leave. Kerry's comment triggered a thought I had been searching for: the thing that had been missing from the story circle.

  "Brenna, wait!" I called. "Stay with me a minute, please."

  She spun in the air and flew to stand on Alexander's forehead. She grinned up at me with her toddler-like face. I shook my head. Brenna took a certain pleasure in antagonizing my fiancé. In his sleep, he reached up and swatted her away like a fly.

  "Mean Pretty Boy," she pouted as she flew up to my shoulder.

  "Brenna, you have to stop calling him that," I told her, just as I had the last twenty times she'd said it. "Listen—one of the elders had a story circle to entertain the children last night, but there weren't any Pixies."

  Pixies and the Sidhe were close to each other. Every Sidhe had a Pixie, at least in the Seelie Court, and the two of them went through life together. Pixies grew to be adults, but they kept their childlike appearance and played like small children all their lives. They loved stories; typically Pixies sat on the children's shoulders during story circles, or perhaps on their knees if they sat cross-legged. Last night there had been no Pixies at all.

  "So?" Brenna asked as she lay across my shoulder.

  "Don't you think that's odd? Didn't the Sidhe bring their Pixies?"

  "Nope. No extra Pixies on Ridge." She put her hands behind her head and began swinging a leg. Her lackadaisical attitude frustrated me. I shook my shoulder, causing her to roll off. She quickly caught herself, flapping her wings to stop her fall and hovering in front of my nose, tiny fists on her hips. "Why so mean?"

  "I'm sorry, Brenna, but this may be important. Why didn't anyone bring their Pixies?"

  "Not important," she said with a pout. She blew out a resigned huff of air. "Might draw bad attention."

  "They thought the Pixies would draw attention?" I laughed, incredulous. Considering how conspicuous the camp had become and that humans can't normally see Pixies, the reason struck me as funny.

  "Easier to see in large numbers," Brenna said as if reading my mind. "Could raise questions." I had to admit, she had a point. Pixies have a translucent quality, and humans' inability to see them had as much to do with that as with their glamour. Large numbers could lessen the effect of the translucence. Allison's remark about an enchanted forest echoed in my ears. Perhaps leaving them behind had been wise.

  Evidently our discussion was over. Brenna flew down and landed on Alexander's nose, pushed off again, and flew to join the other Pixies. Alexander opened his eyes and looked up at me.

  "Damn Pixie," he grumbled.

  "Let's get you into bed. You'll sleep better there anyway."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "Can I try this on?" Sophia asked, pulling an emerald green wrap from my drawer. Tiny rhinestones sewn into the fabric sparkled as she shook the cloth out. She had already put on a pair of my shoes, which were twice the size of her feet, and a long silver chain accented with aquamarine and blue topaz stones.

  "'May I,'" I corrected her. "Aye, a leanbh," I said as I scanned my closet for something to wear.

  "Wear the blue dress with the flowing skirt," Keelin suggested from where she lay stretched across my bed.

  "No, wear the red one with the bow. It suits the occasion better," Rosheen countered. I shook my head, wondering if it was possible for my cousins to agree on anything. Picking either of their choices would only cause drama, so I settled on a green dress that matched my eyes instead. I held it up in front of me before making my final decision.

  "I don't think I've ever gotten this dressed up
just to go to JR's," I said as I slipped into the garment.

  "You cut the number of pre-wedding parties down to almost nothing. This is the last one, so we're going to shine!" Rosheen said.

  "Xander won't let us go out of town. We're lucky he's letting us go as far as JR's after last night!" Both sisters made a similar face of disgust; they hadn't taken it well when we vetoed some of their parties.

  "He's just worried about our safety," I said. Evidently there was something they could agree on. I slipped on a bracelet made with green bloodstones to anchor my glamour; it had the added advantage of giving energy to the wearer. I suspected I would need all the help I could get keeping up with my cousins.

  I waved Rosheen out of my dressing chair so I could fix my hair and makeup. She had pulled her shiny electric blue hair up into a high ponytail and didn't need any makeup to look stunning.

  She took a minute to help Sophia arrange the wrap like a dress around her little body, knotting it behind her neck before climbing up on the bed next to Keelin. I ran a brush through my long curly hair, debating what to do with it for the evening.

  "I found out something interesting when I spoke to the trees last night," Keelin said suddenly.

  "Oh?" I asked. I looked at her through the mirror as I set the brush down, deciding to leave my hair loose.

  "One of the Treefolk is living in the woods."

  "A Treefolk? Here?" That was interesting. I hadn't ever heard of one living in the Human World. "What did they tell you about him? Did you talk to him?"

  "Well that's the thing—he hasn't spoken a word to anyone. They don't know anything about him, nor do they know why he's here or how long he's staying."

  "Maybe this new tree speaks a different language. Do the trees speak to you in English?" Sophia asked, digging through my drawer for something to add to her ensemble.

  "They don't actually use words, Sweetie. It's more intuitive than that. They show me pictures or symbols. I feel what they're feeling. It's an internal thing, not a spoken language."

  Sophia shut the drawer without pulling anything new out of it. She climbed onto the bed between the twins.

  "What's a Treefolk, anyway?"

  "They're a type of fae that resemble trees. They live amongst regular trees, and they walk so slowly that no one sees them move. I've always heard that they can talk to those like me who understand the trees. Otherwise, we don't know much about them.

  "Some say it's a spirit that inhabits a tree. Others say that the Treefolk have a relationship with the divine, like the Angels." Sophia jumped off the bed, her face glowing with excitement.

  "Angels like me?" she asked, twirling around and making her scarf-dress billow. Keelin smiled at her with adoration.

  "You are our angel, sweetie. But this time I meant the Angels in heaven."

  I finished my makeup and stood to go.

  "Maybe someday we'll get to meet this Treefolk, Sophia. Then you can ask him all about himself. However, for now it's time for bed."

  "There was one other thing," Keelin said as she stood and straightened her clothes. "The trees said another fae, one they didn't have a name for, had visited the woods recently."

  "An Unseelie? You waited to mention that until now?"

  "They didn't say it was an Unseelie," she said defensively. "They sensed an unfamiliar presence. It could be any type of fae."

  We came downstairs to find Shamus standing at the door, looking much more like himself in his traditional black butler suit and his hair heavily gelled and slicked back.

  "The men grew tired of waiting for you ladies. They left word for you to meet them at JR's," he said with a sour expression, leaving no doubt that he disapproved of their lack of manners.

  "It's okay, Shamus. We'll travel faster without them," I said.

  Matt and Alexander leaving without us sounded more unchivalrous than it was, considering all we had to do was take a few steps, let the wind pick us up, and flit within seconds to the alley behind the bar.

  We held the door open for a family coming out of the restaurant. Noise burst from inside; JR's was alive with activity. Servers hustled from table to table, and a group of businessmen in suits huddled at the bar, drinking and laughing in loud voices.

  Steamtown was setting up their instruments on the small stage as the dinner crowd finished their meals. Rosheen lit up when she recognized our favorite local band.

  "The music will be good tonight!"

  "Listen, please don't ask me to get up and sing," I said, giving both twins a stern look. "After last night's fiasco, I'd rather not be in the spotlight." Keelin raised an eyebrow and smirked.

  "You mean other than being the bride at her engagement party?"

  "Aye, other than that," I grinned.

  The hostess greeted us with a smile.

  "The Danann sisters, right?" she asked, looking down at her reservation book. "You reserved the side room for tonight."

  "Is that Holly by the bar?" Rosheen whispered, grabbing my arm.

  "A few of your guests are already here. Follow me, please." We were regulars at JR's, and none of us needed help to find our way. Nevertheless, the twins dutifully followed the hostess while I slipped away to the bar.

  Holly sat alone, shoulders slumped, with a cocktail in front of her. I was used to her having a beer or two with friends, but I had never seen her drink like this. I slid onto the stool next to her and she slowly turned her head toward me.

  "What's going on, Pix?"

  "I'm celebrating," she said, though everything about her suggested otherwise. She lifted her glass in a mock salute. "My divorce is final today. Hooray."

  "Oh, Pix, I'm sorry."

  "I can't believe I wasted so many years with that man. And what do I have to show for it? My sister is dead and I'm a divorcee at twenty-five. Not exactly how I pictured my life."

  "You have Trayce," I said, using a bit of my Sidhe voice to sooth her. Water filled her eyes and threatened to spill over.

  "You're right. Trayce is worth every bruise, every cut, every trip to the hospital."

  "Don't sit here drinking alone, Pix. Come, be with your friends."

  "This party here is for the end of a marriage," she said, taking another sip of her drink. "Doesn't seem right bringing my party to yours."

  "Then don't think of it as a wedding party. Think of it as celebrating love. We all love you, and Trayce loves you. One day you will find your Anam Cara."

  We crossed through the dining room to join our friends. I grabbed Holly's hand and held onto it to steady her after she wobbled a few times along the way. We both brightened when we saw who the early arrivals were.

  Alexander was handing Matt's sister, Kendra, a glass of white wine. They were chatting about their daughters, who had become good friends. Matt stood talking with Tom Lynch, who looked less intimidating out of uniform. I sat Holly down at one of the tables.

  "Have you eaten today?" I asked. She shook her head as she grabbed a handful of pretzels from a basket on the table. "You stay here. I'll get some food."

  Matt called to me as I headed toward the spread of hot and cold appetizers.

  "Is Holly okay?" he asked in an undertone when I drew close.

  "She's been drinking on an empty stomach. I was just going to make a plate for her."

  "Tressa, thanks for taking care of that noise problem," Tom said. "Again, I'm sorry I had to say anything in the first place, but the resorts carry a lot of weight around here."

  "What's this about?" Matt asked, looking back and forth at us.

  "We got a few complaints about the loud music coming from the estate, which I tried to ignore. But one resort complained that Tressa needs a hospitality license because of the number of visitors. You must have a big family, Tressa."

  I smiled, mimicking my grandmother's genteel, all-is-well-in-the-kingdom expression. Inside, relief spread through me that the trees had succeeded in muffling the noise. The last thing we needed was to find out our neighbors had heard the screams f
rom the night before.

  "Did the complaint come from the Pocono Peak Resort?" Matt asked, an edge creeping into his voice.

  "How did you know?"

  "Lucky guess." Matt clamped his lips together as if holding back an ill-advised comment. Two of Alexander's co-workers and their wives arrived at the entrance to the party. Matt forced a smile as he noticed them. "Tressa, I'll get the food for Holly. You should go mingle with your guests."

  The room was crowded with friends before long, and the music blared too loud to have a conversation. Alexander and I hugged each other as we watched our guests having a fun time dancing.

  Rachel and Ricky Singer danced together with the practiced coordination born of their many years of marriage. Kendra and Tom were on their feet as well, each partnering with another local guest. The twins seemed to dance with everyone as they moved around the dance floor. The only people not dancing were Holly and Matt.

  "Let's get those two up," Alexander said.

  I grabbed Matt's hand and pulled him to his feet, overriding his protests. I led him to the dance floor, with Alexander and Holly right behind us.

  "Has she had more to drink?" I shouted into Matt's ear as Alexander saved Holly from falling after a bad stumble.

  "She insisted on having a beer," he yelled back, shrugging as if to say it was out of his control. I groaned. Now she was mixing her alcohol. Holly wasn't that type of drinker. Fortunately, the song ended before she could hurt herself trying to dance. The band switched to a slow, romantic tune.

  "I'm going to need my fiancée for this one," Alexander said as he gave Holly's hand to Matt.

  My heart thumped as he pulled me toward him with a mischievous glint in his eye. He lowered his head to mine and kissed me until I thought I would stop breathing, the party guests hooting and hollering their approval.

  He raised my hand and twirled me, catching me on my way back around and dropping me into a dip. He grinned as the crowd applauded. I wrapped my arms around his neck when he pulled me up and felt his arms encircle my waist. The other guests returned to their own dancing.