Innocent Darkness

by Suzanne Lazear

“Are you questioning me, huntsman?” Queen Tiana pet the toy as if it were real, its tail wagging in reply.

  “Of course not, your majesty.” He turned towards the window. The wild hunt disappeared from view. How long before they found Noli? Would she run?

  “Good.” She flounced out the door.

  Perhaps he should he have told the queen about Noli’s necklace and his theories.

  No. Queen Tiana could discover it herself.

  Right now he needed some good opium and a soft woman. Yes, that sounded like the just the thing after a day like this—and he knew the perfect place.

  “Is that the palace, Fionn?” Noli asked as the hunt flew over the Otherworld.

  “Yes, that’s our destination.”

  The structure looming before them reminded her of a photograph she’d seen once of a castle in Europe, only a hundred times more beautiful. Even in the lightless night it gleamed. The whole thing looked as if dipped in brass. Tall spires reminding her of clock hands rose into the skies. A moat surrounded it. It reminded her a bit of a fairytale. Yes, Noli was trapped in a gruesome, twisted fairytale like something out of Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson. She hoped she fared better than the heroines in some of those stories.

  The wild hunt landed in a large courtyard and Fionn disembarked from the horse, helping her down. “Come along.”

  He started off in one direction, the two giant dogs following. Noli followed, wishing she wore a gown. Even in the Otherworld it probably was considered improper to meet a queen while dressed in only your undergarments.

  Even so, Noli needed to make the best impression possible. This woman had the power to send her back home— to Los Angeles, to her mama, to V.

  She followed as Fionn left the grassy courtyard and turned down a hall, which led to a doorway. The large and airy room had high gilded ceilings decorated with murals grander than pictures of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and giant marble columns rivaling those she’d seen in V’s books. Different colors of marble formed intricate patterns on the floor. Some walls held giant mosaics; velvet curtains and ornate tapestries covered others. Strange sculptures sat on marble pedestals. A dais held a plush purple and gold throne with spires radiating out of it, like the sun, or a clock gone mad. Behind it stood a mosaic with five circles, each a different color, in a pattern reminding her of a flower. The whole room was breathtaking and gaudy all at the same time.

  Footsteps echoed in the chamber and she looked toward the far end of the room. A tall, blonde, and regal woman entered. Her top was as tight fitting—and revealing—as a corset, glittering as if made of pink diamonds. The back of the skirt became a swirl of ruffles sewn vertically down the skirt, ending in a swath reminding Noli of a mermaid’s tail. It was beautiful, though scandalous, revealing that much skin this time of day. Yes, this must be the high queen.

  Fionn bowed as the queen approached them, staying hunched over. Noli stood there, eyeing her curiously. Only when the queen stood in front of them did she curtsey. Not knowing how much to curtsey, she simply curtseyed as deeply as she could, then stood.

  “I didn’t tell you to rise.” The queen’s voice sharpened. “But I suppose you come from that barbaric new country that doesn’t need monarchs?”

  “Yes, your majesty. I beg your pardon.” America wasn’t new. It was well over a century.

  “You are the mortal Kevighn found, Magnolia?” She looked Noli up and down, eyebrows rising.

  Noli’s cheeks blazed. “Yes, your majesty. I’m Magnolia Braddock of Los Angeles.”

  “I am Tiana, high queen of the Otherworld. Welcome to my palace.” The ethereally statuesque woman drew herself up, saying this with the utmost authority. “Fionn, you may rise. I appreciate you bringing her to me. You are dismissed.”

  “As you wish, your majesty.” He bowed, winked at Noli, and went out the door they came through. They weren’t alone. Noli spied stalwart guards in purple and gold livery. Nasty curved swords hung from their belts.

  The queen might be beautiful, but she didn’t seem warm in the slightest. No, this woman could rival the Snow Queen. She held some sort of mechanical puppy in her arms. Noli itched to see how it worked.

  Eyes like emeralds bore into Noli as the queen looked her up and down. It wasn’t unlike the look Mr. Darrow often gave her and V when they got into mischief.

  “Is this the latest fashion in the mortal realm?” Her lips contorted into a cross between a smirk and a sneer.

  “Um, no, your majesty.” Cheeks burning, Noli bobbed again, remembering Alice’s encounters with the Queen of Hearts when in Wonderland. Curtsey while you’re thinking…

  The queen’s elaborate coiffure sparkled with what looked like tiny diamonds and she wore an elaborate gold crown with clock hand like spires tooled with the same five-ring symbol hanging on the tapestry behind the throne. The necklace around her neck resembled a golden snowflake, the stone in the center a translucent gold, like a clear, polished piece of amber.

  “I see. Do you normally run about in your undergarments?”

  “Um, no, your majesty.” Noli traced her toe along the inlaid marble floor, trying to avoid eye contact, humiliation saturating her entire being. “I … I didn’t have time to grab my dress before I fled.” What must the queen think of her?

  “I see.” Her expression became something nearly kind, but didn’t reach those hard green eyes. “Why don’t you come with me? I’ll find something for you to wear, we’ll have some tea, and you can tell me all about it. Don’t fret, you’re safe now.” She smiled again, but it seemed rehearsed.

  The queen walked towards the far side of the hall, where she’d entered. When she noticed Noli still stood there, she stopped. “Come along.”

  Not knowing what else to do, Noli followed.

  “Much better, don’t you think? Turn.” The high queen eyed her, nodding in what Noli hoped was satisfaction. She tired of trying on ensembles. Currently, she modeled the fourth.

  Dutifully, she turned, having mastered this long ago. Her mother often had her try on half-made dresses so she’d have an idea of how things might look. The pale pink silk dress rustled softly. Its construction reminded her a bit of a nightdress, as did the chocolate brown ruffles at the cuffs and hem. The one-piece garment got its shape from the brown underbust corset with pink piping worn atop the dress, like a bodice. The idea of wearing a corset on the outside of one’s clothing seemed so … strange.

  “Much better.” The queen clasped her hands together in delight, still clutching the small mechanical dog, whose tail wagged.

  Personally, Noli liked the green dress she’d tried on previously, though apparently the queen wasn’t fond of the color green. “I’m glad you approve, your majesty.”

  “That necklace doesn’t go with the neckline, as striking as it is. Why don’t we find you another?” She seemed insincere when she said that, stroking the dog’s head.

  “Why do you and Kevighn want me to remove it? Is it really an amulet to protect me from faeries?” Why did V have such a trinket? He did collect odd things—like pens.

  The queen’s laughter reminded her of champagne bubbles popping in a glass. “Perhaps it’s an amulet against the likes of Kevighn, but I’m the high queen.” She shrugged as if she found the notion utterly and totally ludicrous. “If you wish to look like some country bumpkin, I suppose it’s your prerogative.”

  “How does the dog work? Is he mechanical or steam powered?” She drew close but didn’t touch it. It was small, like a puppy and made entirely of metal. The dog’s tongue lolled as its eyes focused on Noli. Eerie.

  “It’s she charming? I call her LuLu.” The dog’s ears moved. “She’s made entirely of clockwork. She winds up through her tail.” Her voice rose in pitch and grew excited like a little girl, cheeks flushing.

  Noli smiled back, taking in the marvelous toy. Did it walk? “It’s wondrous.”

  “Now, come along.” The queen and her dog left the room. It was a command, not a request a
nd she scurried after her to keep up. Come along seemed to be her favorite phrase and always sounded a bit condescending. Kevighn never made her feel like a mere mortal.

  Unfortunately, Kevighn proved liar extraordinaire.

  The queen led her to a sumptuous parlor. The splendor of the ornate furniture, the art on the walls, and the chandelier of colored glass made the parlor of her mother’s house seem like a hovel. It also made her miss home even more. This was her one chance to convince the queen to send her back to Los Angeles. She’d need to be articulate, concise, and most of all, polite.

  Taking a deep breath, she composed her argument in her mind.

  “You look deep in thought.” The queen’s voice roused her from her musing. “Please have a seat; you must be hungry and tired.” She gestured to a little table set for two next to a roaring fire that just happened to be purple. LuLu walked to a little purple cushion next to the fire, laid down, and went to sleep.

  The tiredness from when Noli had initially fled crept back into her bones. The back of her head thudded. Reaching up, she massaged it. That would teach her to not accept strong drink from fast-talking rogues.

  A man in a purple uniform, much different from the guards constantly trailing the queen, sat the queen at the well-appointed little table, then held the other chair out for Noli. Nodding her head in acknowledgement, like her mother did back when they’d gone to fine establishments, she allowed him to seat her in the cream and gilt chair.

  The man disappeared, replaced by a maid who silently poured the tea. Parched, Noli took a sip from the elaborately painted cup so delicate she could see light through it. Remembering Kevighn’s words, hesitated before taking one of colorful little cakes on an elegant tiered tray, even though her stomach rumbled. Did it matter if she took one or not?

  “Try one, they are quite splendid.” The queen pushed the plate towards Noli. Everything about her seemed elegant and noble in a way even the Bostonian blue bloods failed to match.

  “I … I’m not hungry, your majesty.” Her stomach rumbled, betraying her.

  The queen’s lips pursed. “Do you think I would allow anything to happen to you?”

  “Kevighn explained that you consider those like me … special.” She busied herself by adding honey to her teacup.

  “Indeed.” The queen took a sip of tea, pinky up. “You practically glow.”

  “Do I? Why?”

  “Not everyone can sense it, you know.”

  This woman seemed so young in many ways but old in others. Kevighn made it seem as if they aged differently than mortals. “But what is it?”

  “I do not know the whys and wherefores, it simply is. Some mortals have it, most do not.” Her expression changed as she attempted to become sisterly. “Your own people may not understand you. Traditionally they don’t— especially the women. The men don’t fare much better, most only realizing their genius after their deaths—sad, really.”

  Noli could think of several artists and writers that described. “The Spark is real?”

  “The Spark is real, Magnolia.”

  Noli took a dainty bite of a pink and green cake. Those looked familiar. She stiffened. Was that how the hunt found her, why they went after her in the first place?

  “He’s here, isn’t he?” If she saw him again, she’d smack the lying cad.

  “Not right now. You’re safe. He won’t harm you; I’ll make sure of it. If you don’t wish for him to return, I simply won’t allow it.” Queen Tiana held out her dainty, pale hands in an empty gesture. “After all, I am queen.”

  Noli’s brow furrowed. “Kevighn says he finds things for you. If you have the wild hunt, why do you need him?”

  Something flickered in her eyes. “My, you are a clever one, aren’t you? Kevighn handles more delicate affairs; after all, I could hardly send the wild hunt into the mortal realm, now, could I?”

  Something about her tone, her face made something click in Noli’s mind. Her heart sank and her hands shook, making the tea in the cup slosh over the sides onto the white brocade tablecloth. “Kevighn was looking for me … why?”

  “Not for you, specifically. But a girl with the Spark, yes. As I told you, we value your kind here. We find those who are unloved and unappreciated and bring them here— not unlike the stories you mortals tell about our people.”

  “You really steal children and leave changelings who waste away and die in their place?” Noli looked at the queen in horror. Right now did some simulacrum lie in her cot at Findlay, doing her chores and lessons, pretending to be her?

  The queen laughed in a way that made Noli feel utterly and totally stupid, as she waved her hands in amusement. “No, no. I said not unlike, not that they were completely accurate.”

  “I’m not unhappy—or unloved, your majesty. I never wished to leave the mortal realm, only that dreadful school. What I would like most is to go home to my mother in Los Angeles. Please, your majesty, I beg of you, send me home. I simply wish to go home.” She tried to keep her words from sounding like a wail—or a whine.

  “There, there dear.” The queen patted her arm. “But didn’t your parents scold you, not understand, try to make you into something you’re not?”

  Right now she’d give anything to hear her mother yell Magnolia Montgomery Braddock, get down here right now.

  “My mother did, sometimes. But only because she loved me, because she wanted to do right by our family.” “No one will scold you here. We’ll encourage you, help your talents grow.”

  The queen didn’t seem to understand. Noli tried again, the urgency of the matter building inside her. “She’s all the family I have left. I miss her.”

  “Now, now, you should be happy here. What can I do to make you happy?” Sitting back, she looked at Noli expectantly. “Would you like to see our gardens? Kevighn said you adore gardens. Perhaps you’d like to meet some of our young people? A young woman like you needs friends. Since you seem intrigued by my Lulu would you like to see my mechanical menagerie?”

  A mechanical menagerie tempted, but she needed to stay focused. “While I do appreciate your hospitality, the only thing I need to be happy is a one-way passage to Los Angeles. Anyplace in Los Angeles will do.”

  “You should word your requests carefully here,” the queen warned. “At this moment, it does not please me to send you back.”

  She nearly dropped her teacup into her lap. “But you must.”

  Queen Tiana bristled, eyes narrowing. “I’m queen; I don’t have to do anything anyone asks—especially a slip of a mortal girl.”

  “But you’re the only one who can send me home,” Noli pleaded.

  A pained sigh escaped the queen’s lips. She folded her hand on the table. “I had hoped to acquaint you with this place better before I broached the subject, but you give me no choice.”

  Heart pounding, fear crept through Noli, freezing her to the chair. “Am I really stuck here, like Kevighn told me?”

  “Kevighn is untrustworthy and a liar,” she waved her hands as if dismissing the idea he might be anything but. “I tolerate him because he’s good at finding things. You see, I need your assistance on an imminent matter.”

  Cocking her head, Noli blinked at the preposterous notion. “Me? What could I possibly do to help you?”

  “Oh, you have no idea of what you are capable of. Really, the fate of the Otherworld lies in your hands.” The queen’s grin reminded Noli of a tiger at the zoo.

  A plan formed in Noli’s mind and she tried to phrase her words carefully. “That sounds very important. If I agree to help you, will you send me back to Los Angeles in a timely manner when I’m finished? I don’t wish to be gone long—a few weeks at most.”

  She didn’t want to return to find everyone she knew and loved to be long dead.

  A satisfied look crossed the queen’s face as she steepled her hands. “Magnolia, darling, you are correct; it’s an imperative matter. If you agree to help me, every whim and desire shall be yours.”

 
Twenty Three

  A Rescue, of Sorts

  Steven trudged through the Otherworld, using his sigil as a compass, trying to find Noli. The Otherworld, being made of magic, wasn’t precisely linear. Gates generally provided the quickest way to get from one place to another, but even then it became a complex dance. More than once he backtracked, going to a different destination than the one he’d originally thought he needed.

  As he made his way through the wildwood, he became surer of where Noli dwelled. The presence of the wild hunt made sense. She’d sent it after Noli. Unfortunate. He really had hoped to avoid the high queen. In the eyes of his people he was still a child, so she couldn’t do anything that would prevent him from reclaiming his kingdom. Yet.

  It still dredged up memories better off forgotten. She may even be expecting him. Kevighn Silver might not recognize the house the sigil represented, but Queen Tiana would.

  The magic shifted around him, tightening and loosening. Like the previous times, he couldn’t tell what the shift meant—only that she hadn’t been bound.

  What would he do once he found her? If he took the intended sacrifice from the land, even if she hadn’t been bound, he’d be responsible for replacing it. Nevertheless, first, he’d rescue Noli, then figure out everything else. Perhaps Noli would have an idea.

  A shudder ran through him as he passed the Lake of Sorrows setting ever fiber of his being on edge. Something seemed amiss with the magic there, as if it were broken. Soon after, he spied the bridge marking the division between the outermost regions of the high palace and the wildwood. The sigil pointed him directly towards the palace. Steven sighed in resignation. He hadn’t imagined his return to the Otherworld would be like this.

  This wasn’t for his family honor. This was for Noli. Taking a deep breath, he staved off memories of this place, of his mother. Then, he crossed the bridge into the territory of the high queen.

  Kevighn got halfway to San Francisco when he decided that opium and soft women could wait. The high queen wanted him out of the way, but he cared too much about Noli to throw her to the hounds.