The Prince of Two Tribes mp-2

by Sean Cullen

  BOUNDARIES

  Greenleaf’s English class was on the top floor of the school overlooking the park. Greenleaf stood at the windows watching the birds chase each other through the grey sky. Snowflakes were falling, large and soft, swirling against the panes of glass. Brendan entered the room with Charlie in tow and closed the door.

  “I smell gravy,” Greenleaf said without turning around.

  “And fries,” Charlie said cheerily. “Want some?”

  “No food allowed in the classrooms.” Kim’s voice was flat and brittle as a pane of glass. She sat on a desk at the back of the room, glaring at Charlie.

  “Really? I’m new here. I don’t know the rules.”

  Kim launched herself to her feet and marched up to Charlie, snarling, “Obviously not. You have no business being here. Brendan is my responsibility. I’m his guardian.”

  “He’s also my responsibility,” Greenleaf pointed out, his voice calm and even as always. “Let’s not be angry, Ki-Mata. We have only one chance to make a first impression.”

  Kim whirled on Greenleaf. “She’s made a pretty bad first impression on me! She approached Brendan on her own without permission. No one’s supposed to butt in on his education.”

  “Education?” Charlie laughed, tipping her empty french-fry container into the wastepaper basket and licking her fingers. “Is that what you call it? He can barely use any of his powers. Last night I had to show him what he was capable of. You’ve had plenty of time to do the same and you haven’t.”

  Brendan didn’t like Charlie’s tone. Kim and Greenleaf had been doing their best. He was the problem.

  “Who exactly do you think you are?” Kim snapped. “There are rules for a reason!”

  “Yeah, well, I hate to break it to you, Kim,” Brendan interjected. “But Charlie doesn’t seem to be too big on following rules. And I didn’t ask her to show up. She just did.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me and tell me?” Kim demanded.

  “I tried to this morning but you gave me the cold shoulder. Anyway, who says you can pick who I hang out with? I’m getting sick of it.”

  “It’s for your own good,” Kim retorted.

  “Not that it’s doing much good,” Charlie quipped, sitting on Greenleaf’s desk.

  “You stick a sock in it,” Kim snarled at Charlie.

  “Or what?” Charlie laughed.

  “Or else,” Kim replied, reaching back and hauling the field hockey stick out of her backpack, “I’ll stick a sock in it for you!”

  Charlie responded by crouching on the desktop. Her tattoos writhed and the shadowy shape of the she-bear flickered around her human form. Brendan was seriously concerned that they were going to throw down.

  Greenleaf quashed any hope of a rumble with one word. “STOP!” His voice was surprisingly powerful in the confined space of the classroom. Pencils rattled in a cup on the desktop. The two girls froze. “You will stop this instant. You forget yourself, Ki-Mata. Set an example of control and self-possession for your student.”

  Kim relaxed with a visible effort, lowering her stick. Charlie stuck out her tongue.

  “Charles!” Greenleaf said darkly. “Behave yourself. Ki-Mata does have authority here. She is Brendan’s appointed guardian.”

  Charlie tossed her head and studied her nails. “Fine. If you say so, Greenleaf. Just remember, you asked me to come here.”

  Kim whirled on Greenleaf, her mouth hanging open in surprise. “You! You asked her to come here?” Fury turned her voice into a rasp.

  “You?” Brendan repeated. He was angry, too. “What’s the big idea?”

  Greenleaf heaved a heavy sigh. He ignored Brendan and addressed Kim’s wounded pride. “Ki-Mata, we needed help. The kind of help that only Charles could give us.”

  “What kind of help could she possibly give us?” Kim demanded. “Some backwoods lutin?”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Charlie smiled, leaning against the desk.

  “That’s jealousy talking, Ki-Mata. You know we have to help Brendan at all costs, even if that means a bruised ego. And Charles has a special past. She was raised in a Human family. She knows things about Brendan’s situation that may help him make a breakthrough,” Greenleaf said evenly. “You have to admit, we’ve been less than successful.”

  Kim’s shoulders bunched with repressed fury, but she managed to hold back her anger. “Why wasn’t I consulted?”

  “I had no time,” Greenleaf answered. “I consulted with Ariel and detailed the trouble we were having. On his own authority as the Eldest in the region he called Charlie’s teacher.”

  Kim simmered in silence, her eyes narrowed in mistrust of Charlie. Charlie, for her part, took Kim’s hostility in stride. Brendan supposed that the threat of being burned at the stake made most other forms of disapproval pale by comparison. Then his mind hooked on something that Greenleaf had said. “Charlie’s teacher? Who’s that?”

  “You’ll see soon enough,” Charlie said, leaving him hanging. She addressed Greenleaf. “He made a breakthrough last night, I think.”

  “What kind of breakthrough?” Kim demanded. She was intrigued in spite of her annoyance.

  “With a little prompting from me, he was able to enter and maintain a warp state on his own. He outran me.” She arched an eyebrow in Brendan’s direction. “Almost! And I watched him leap over a police car.^ 41 Has he ever shown you ability like that?”

  Kim glared at Charlie but didn’t speak. Instead, she jammed her stick back into her backpack and sat down with a snort of disgust.

  “Hey,” Brendan said, breaking the angry silence, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I don’t mean to interrupt yet another discussion where you talk about me like I’m not even here, but… I thought I’d laid down some rules of my own. No one was supposed to come into contact with my family without my permission.”

  “I realize we bent the rules a little bit… ” Greenleaf admitted.

  “Yeah, I’d say so. And if anybody has a right to be angry,” Brendan said, aiming a pointed look at Kim, “I’d say that would be me.”

  Greenleaf sighed another world-weary sigh. He took a moment to gather himself, plucking a bit of lint from his otherwise immaculate green vest. Finally, he sat in the chair behind his desk. “Brendan, we didn’t tell you everything about the ceremony.”

  “Oh really? What an unbelievable surprise!”

  “No need to be so dramatic, Brendan,” Greenleaf sniffed. “It’s only a little bit dangerous.”

  “Oh great!” Brendan slumped down in a chair. “Here we go! More horrible things I didn’t know about. Awesome! Kill me now and get it over with.”

  Greenleaf chuckled. “Death is not to be feared, Brendan. It is a natural transition from one state of being to another. However, there are… ”

  “Don’t tell me! Don’t tell me!” Brendan interrupted. “There are worse things than death and they could happen to me if I don’t pass some weird tests devised by weird Faerie weirdos that I don’t know?”

  “Am I that predictable?” Greenleaf laughed. “You seem to have a grasp of the situation. The Proving is only a part of the ceremony. Once you complete the Proving and survive, you must submit to be chosen by a Clan. Clan membership is very important, Brendan. As soon as you are chosen, you have the protection of that Clan and access to all of its resources. You gain powerful allies. To be without a Clan is to be truly alone in the world, which is not only sad but can be very dangerous.”

  “Can’t I be a free agent? Neutral or something?” Brendan demanded.

  “It’s very rare,” Kim said with a frown. “Only the most powerful can survive outside of a Clan.”

  “Won’t I just join your Clan?” Brendan asked Greenleaf.

  “Clan has very little to do with family,” Greenleaf explained. “Though Og and I are brothers, we are in different Clans. The Clan system is a sort of support network. In Ancient times, the Clans were constantly feuding and fighting. Fair Folk banded into Clans f
or safety and to pool resources. Now we don’t fight anymore… “

  “Much!” Charlie interjected.

  “Much,” Greenleaf agreed ruefully. “But being part of a Clan is important because it provides support and protection from the Dark Ones, the rogues who seek out the weakest and turn them to the Darkness. Being outside of the Clans means that Dark Faeries like Orcadia will prey upon you with impunity. You’ll be on your own. Even if we chose to break the Law and try to help you, we wouldn’t be able to guarantee your safety or your family’s-there aren’t enough of us.”

  “Fine,” Brendan said, exasperated. “Another reason I have to pass these tests. So can anyone just tell me what they’re going to be? Shouldn’t I be studying them to make sure I pass?”

  “I wish things were so easy.” Greenleaf shook his head regretfully. “The highest-ranking Faeries present choose the tests. No one knows what they will be until the ritual begins. That makes preparation incredibly difficult.”

  “Great.” Brendan threw up his hands. “Do I at least get to know who the judges will be, or is that a big secret, too?”

  “No, the judges are no secret.” Greenleaf smiled.

  “I assume Ariel will be a judge, since he’s the head honcho around here?”

  “Ariel is the head of his Clan. But he is acting as the chairman, so he’s neutral. But Kitsune Kai from Japan will be there. It’s a great honour to have her as a judge. She is a strange one and quite… eccentric. Her test will be a bit odd, no doubt. You’ll have to be on your toes. Happily, my sister will be a judge, too.”

  “Aunt Deirdre is the head of a Clan?” Brendan asked, amazed. He had no idea she was old enough to be considered a Clan leader. She hardly seemed older than his Human mother, but Faeries’ looks were very deceiving. Charlie had lived for centuries and still appeared to be a teenage girl. The same went for Kim.

  “Indeed. She was born only eight minutes before me.” Greenleaf grinned. “We’re twins. A very rare occurrence among our kind.”

  Kim piped up, “The last judge is a big deal. Pukh himself will be there. He calls himself the King of Tir na nOg, the Everlasting Lands.”

  “Never heard of it. Sounds like a Japanese cartoon.”

  Charlie burst out laughing. “Oh, Brendan, you are a real treat. Japanese cartoon. Ha! That’s good.” She continued to laugh despite glares from Kim and Greenleaf. She wiped her eyes with the hem of her T-shirt. “Sorry. That’s just funny.”

  “Tir na nOg is a stronghold of Faeries who wish to follow the Old Ways,” Greenleaf explained. “Pukh was one of the Dark Faeries who lost the battle of the Final Alliance between Humans and Faeries. He chose to lead his followers into a sanctuary outside the realm of Humans. The Faeries of Tir na nOg rarely venture outside their kingdom, but Pukh put his name forward as one of your judges. This is a great honour, Brendan.”

  “Lucky me! He sounds like a really great guy,” Brendan said glumly. “I guess I should be flattered?”

  “I don’t know.” Kim shook her head. “I’d be suspicious. Who knows what he really wants. Maybe he just wants to get a look at you. Or maybe he has something else in mind.”

  “He won’t make it easy, will he?” Brendan said.

  No one said anything. Finally, Charlie smiled a lopsided smile. “Don’t count on it.”

  Brendan felt his heart fall into his shoes.

  Outside Greenleaf’s classroom, Harold and Dmitri strained to hear the conversation on the other side of the door. For some reason, though the door wasn’t particularly thick, they couldn’t make out a single intelligible word.

  “What are they saying?” Dmitri whispered.

  “What, have I got better ears than you? You tell me.” Harold’s round face was red and sweaty from the effort of squatting out of sight beneath the window, although he found maintaining his awkward position easier than he might have a few weeks before. He was eating less since he’d found this new obsession with Brendan. “It’s weird. They’ve been in there for half the lunch hour. What could they be talking about?”

  “Beat me,” Dmitri whispered.

  “Beats me. It’s beats me, you goof.” Harold had less patience with Dmitri’s English slang vocabulary than Brendan did.

  “Sorry.” Dmitri shrugged. “What do we do now?”

  “I don’t know. We gotta find out what Brendan’s been up to. And this super-babe cousin of his shows up outta nowhere? Did you see the way Kim reacted when she saw Charlie? She was really angry.”

  “Yes,” Dmitri agreed. “There’s more to this than greets the eye!”

  “Meets the eye! MEETS! OW!” Harold cried out as what felt like a vise gripped his ear and hauled him to his feet. It wasn’t a vise but a vice-principal. Harold and Dmitri had been so occupied with their eavesdropping that they’d failed to detect Ms. Abernathy’s stealthy approach. She clamped Dmitri’s ear in her other pincer and pulled him up, too.

  “A little birdie told me you were lurking around up here,” Ms. Abernathy snapped. “The upper halls are off limits during lunch hour.”

  “Yeah… uh… we… ”

  “No excuses. We are going to the office and you’ll be assigned punishment duties. I think a couple of hours after school scrubbing the floors in the boys’ washrooms should teach you some respect for the rules.”

  “We were just trying to… ” Harold stammered. “I mean, Mr. Greenleaf asked us to… ”

  “What? Polish his keyhole with your ears?” she sneered. “You’re coming with me.”

  Harold and Dmitri groaned as she dragged them away. Chester was careful to stay in the shadows of an alcove as they passed. Satisfied that the eavesdroppers were taken care of, he sidled away, whistling.

  Inside the classroom, Mr. Greenleaf’s head turned as he heard the commotion. “We had some eavesdroppers, but thanks to my glamour and the trusty Ms. Abernathy, they’ve been dealt with.” He turned to Brendan. “We have explained what’s coming as best we can. I don’t want to frighten you, but you need to be prepared for the tests ahead. Ki-Mata… ” He addressed the sullen Faerie who sat with arms crossed at one of the desks. “I know you are upset. But I’ve done this for Brendan’s benefit. I hope you can forgive me and learn to get along with Charlie. You are more alike than you know.” Both girls snorted at that but didn’t speak. “All right. We’ve talked enough. The bell will ring soon and I have my lesson to prepare. I’ll see you tonight at the Swan.”

  Kim, Brendan, and Charlie stood up and headed for the door.

  “Oh, and Charlie?”

  Charlie turned.

  “Try not to do anything too outrageous, please?”

  “Me?” She grinned. “Never.”

  ^ 41 I once leapt over a police car. It belonged to my nephew, who is three.

  THE CIRCLE

  The winter solstice, the time when the sun was farthest away from Toronto’s latitude, would fall on December twenty first, a Friday. That Friday would therefore be the shortest day of the year. It might also be the last day Brendan ever saw. Everything else seemed insignificant beside the Challenges. Brendan had four days until the Proving ceremony, and he was completely terrified.

  According to Greenleaf and Kim, strong Wards, Compulsions, and glamours were being woven to keep the Human residents of Toronto away from the Island of the Ward. Weather glamours would freeze the lake to discourage travel, and the ferries would cease to run. Island residents would be convinced that they should spend the weekend away or ensconced in their homes.

  Brendan couldn’t imagine the power required to work such a massive glamour. But he could easily imagine the worst coming to pass in the days ahead. In the four days he had left, he had to prepare for any possible test the judges might throw at him. And do his social studies project, although the wrath of Mrs. Scott, his teacher, paled in comparison to a fate worse than death. Brendan couldn’t believe how much his perspective had changed over the last few weeks. Before then he’d had a healthy fear of his high school teachers. Now he was stan
ding across the sparring circle from Saskia, part-time bartender and full-time Warp Warrior, who was getting ready to hand him yet another beating as part of his training.

  “This is completely hopeless!”

  “Naw, it ain’t, lad! Ye were better tha’ time,” Og urged him. “Ye almost touched her once.”

  “I missed by a mile,” Brendan grumbled.

  “Och, aye. But still, it was closer than last time!” Og sat at the bar of the Swan of Liir, swigging from a mug of brown ale the size of Brendan’s entire head. Despite the glass’s size, his gnarled fist hefted it with ease. “Ye can’t give up.” He burped.

  “Nope!” BLT cried, waving a tiny fist. She sat on the lip of a glass of diet cola, her feet dangling down and her free hand clinging to a drinking straw. “You show her who’s boss!”

  Brendan was still gasping for breath after the last round. They’d been at it for an hour now, and he didn’t feel that he’d improved at all. His T-shirt was soaked with sweat and his hair plastered down. Saskia looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed, fresh as a daisy.

  “You think too much, Brendan,” the Faerie said. “Your thoughts slow you down. Clear your mind and react, only react.”

  Easy for you to say. Brendan tried to free his mind of all stray thoughts. The fact that he had an audience didn’t help. Kim and Greenleaf stood at the railing on the balcony above, witnessing his humiliation.

  Kim had been very cold to him when he’d arrived at the Swan. She was still angry about yielding her authority to Charlie.

  “Where’s What’s-Her-Face?” she’d sneered when he had come in the door for his training session with Saskia.

  “You mean Charlie?”

  “Who else would I mean? Or do you have another girl I don’t know about?” At that, Kim had spun away and left him speechless.

  As for Charlie, she had declined when he’d asked her to come along to the Swan.