The Torn Wing

by Kiki Hamilton

  A snarl came from the corner and Tiki clenched the knife tighter, bracing herself for an attack. A wavering impression of Larkin emerged in the dark shadows. Her faint image came into focus and then dissolved again into a thousand pieces before she shifted into view again, closer to Tiki. This time she looked as Tiki remembered. Her blond hair was long and tangled. She looked windblown as though she’d just stepped out of the storm that had buffeted London the last few days. Or perhaps, Tiki thought, she was the storm. She pointed the knife at the faerie.

  “Where’s Toots? Did you take him now?”

  Larkin laughed under her breath. “So brave,” she said in a mocking tone. “I have no idea what a Toots might be.” Thin straps stretched over the creamy skin of her shoulders and held a green dress that draped in simple lines down to her ankles, revealing bare feet. Even in the dim light she shone with a delicate beauty that was mesmerizing.

  “His name is Thomas. He’s a young boy who lives with me.” Tiki readjusted her grip on the knife and raised her voice. “He’s part of my family and he went missing yesterday—just about the time Isabelle Cavendish visited. Do you know where he is?”

  “I will never know what William sees in you.” The faerie said, raking Tiki from head to toe with a scathing gaze. “So disgustingly sentimental about mortals.”

  “How ironic,” Tiki said, “coming from you. But you didn’t answer my question.”

  Larkin contemplated Tiki with narrowed eyes. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, little orphan girl? Let me tell you this— you’re going to be in the battle of your life. I’ll make the offer again: If you help me—I’ll help you.”

  The muffled noises of the railway station rumbled in the distance as though in another world. In the abandoned clockmaker’s shop, Larkin’s words pulled at Tiki like a web tightening around her.

  The faerie’s lips pressed into a thin line. “But you’ve got to make your mind up soon, or there won’t be anything left to save. We’ve got to reclaim the Seelie throne before the Beltane feast on May first or we’ll never get Donegal out of the Palace of Mirrors.” Then Larkin shimmered out of view.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tiki was exhausted by the time they returned home. Between her concern for Toots and Larkin’s unexpected appearance, her head felt like it was ready to explode.

  As they walked in the front door, a familiar voice drifted from the other room. Tiki and Fiona looked at each other in surprise.

  “Is that—” They hurried to the kitchen to find Toots sitting on a stool near a large wooden table with Clara. Mrs. Bosworth stood at a nearby counter. He was waving his hands about the bright orange locks of his head, talking as fast as he could, telling a story that had his audience enraptured.

  “Toots!” Tiki cried. “You’re home!”

  At the sound of her voice, Toots paused and glanced over his shoulder. Tiki and Fiona both rushed to hug the boy.

  “I was so worried about you,” Tiki whispered in his ear, trying not to cry. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, Teek.” He wiggled out of her grasp, his face lit up with excitement. “I’m fine. I thought I was only gone a coupl’a hours, but they’re telling me I’ve been gone for two days.” His voice held a note of wonder.

  Tiki held Toots at arm’s length, her hands braced on his shoulders as she searched his face. “Where were you?”

  “I don’ know exactly, but I had the time of my life!” He laughed with glee. “There was a whole field of horses—” his eyes were round with wonder— “their manes sparkled and glittered like the stars and they ran so fast their feet didn’t touch the ground. An’ Teek—I rode one! You should have seen me. She was beautiful— white as snow—and her mane and tail swept the ground they were so long! It was like we were flyin’.”

  He spoke so fast Tiki had a hard time following what he was saying. “Her mane was braided with bells that jingled as we rode an’ I swear the bridle—that’s the part that goes in their mouth—was made of pure gold and sparkled like it was covered with the Crown jewels.”

  Toots grinned and cast a quick glance over at Mrs. Bosworth as he spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “I thought about trying to nick it and bring it home but I wasn’t sure how to get it out of the horse’s mouth.” His eyes got wide. “Have you ever seen the size of their teeth?”

  “That’s wonderful, Toots, but where were you?” Tiki asked again.

  The little boy sobered then, a guilty expression twisting his features. “I don’t know exactly. But it was sunny and there was lots of green grass for the horses an’—”

  Now Tiki wasn’t smiling. “Who took you there, Toots?”

  “Dain brought him home.” Clara spoke up. She stood on one side of Toots, clutching Doggie to her chest and listening with an enraptured expression. She wore a little blue dress with shoulder straps over a white blouse. “An’ I got to see him too.”

  At Tiki’s questioning look Mrs. Bosworth shook her head. “I didn’t see nothin’—not the horse nor the chap who brought ‘im home.” She stood at the counter, her large hips wrapped in her familiar white apron, kneading bread dough. “But I knew he’d come back sooner or later. Off on a lark, just like I said.”

  “Tell her, Toots.” Clara fisted her little fingers and planted a hand on each hip. “I’m not making it up. Dain was here and I got to see the pretty horse too. Just like Toots said. She was all white and grand with red ribbons in her mane—just like the horse that Tam Lin rides in the story you tell us, Teek.” Her young voice had a stubborn ring to it.

  “It’s fine, I believe you, Clara,” Tiki said. “The important thing is that Toots is home safe.” Her brows pulled down in a frown. “But who is Dain?”

  “Why, he’s the boy who comes ‘round sometimes,” Clara replied innocently. “Haven’t you seen him, Teek? He’s tall with blond hair. He’s a friendly sort. Doggie likes him.”

  Tiki returned her focus to Toots. “What about a blond girl? Did you see anyone like that? Her name’s Larkin?”

  Toots’s freckled brow wrinkled with thought. “Nope, I didn’t see any girls, Teek.”

  Clara lifted her head from petting Doggie, her little voice sweet and pure. “I can call Larkin if you want to talk to her.”

  Tiki and Fiona swung their heads to look at the child. Tiki had never openly discussed the time Larkin had stolen the little girl for fear of upsetting Clara.

  “What do you mean, you can call her?” Fiona asked.

  Clara shrugged as she tightened two swatches of fabric around Doggie’s neck. “Larkin told me she would come if I ever needed her. Alls I ‘ave to do is call her.” The little four-year-old held her stuffed animal out as she ran around the table. “Look, Doggie can fly because I made her some wings.”

  Tiki was suddenly alert. “Why would you ever need Larkin?” Her voice sounded shriller than she intended.

  “Oh, you know—” Clara slowed to a stop, letting Doggie land on the corner of the table near Tiki. “She said to call if I was ever lonely or scared or—” the little girl’s lips quirked in a smile— “if I wanted to hear a faerie tale.” She shot a quick glance at Tiki out of the corner of her eyes to check her reaction.

  “That’s very funny, Miss Clara Marie.” Tiki reached out to tweak the little girl’s nose.

  Clara giggled. “I’m tellin’ the truth.”

  “Clara,” Fiona said with a doubting snort, “how exactly, would you call Larkin here?”

  The little girl twisted the wings she’d put around Doggie, the shiny fabric sparkling in the lamplight. “She told me all I ‘ad to do was whisper her name and ask ‘er to come to me.”

  Fiona raised her eyebrows. “You think if you say ‘Larkin, come to me’, she’ll magically appear?”

  Tiki smiled at the little girl. “Maybe that was one of her faerie tales.”

  Clara giggled again and smoothed the worn fabric on the top of Doggie’s head. “That’s not ‘er name, silly.”

  Tiki tensed. �
�What do you mean?”

  “Well,” Clara said slowly, “that’s not ‘er real name.”

  “Larkin told you her real name?” Fiona’s voice was hushed with disbelief. To know a faerie’s name was to possess the faerie. It wasn’t possible Larkin would have revealed her true name to a child.

  For a moment Clara looked uncertain. “Yes. But she told me to never tell anyone.” Her blond curls swayed as a coy smile lit her face. “But I trust you.” She stretched her small arms wide and whispered softly in a sing-song voice, “A’ine Fiachna Eri—”

  “STOP.” Tiki pressed her fingers against Clara’s lips. She leaned toward the little girl and said, “We don’t want Larkin here right now.” Tiki didn’t know whether to believe the little girl’s claims or not, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. “And I don’t want you to ever call her unless you talk to me first, all right?”

  “All right, Teek,” Clara said, looking crestfallen as she sat down in a vacant chair. “I just thought since you were talking about ‘er an’ all…”

  “Yes, thank you, that was very helpful of you. Now—” Tiki motioned toward the door, “let’s go read a story about—” she paused and her eyes fell on Fiona— “a handsome prince. Anything but a faerie tale,” she muttered under her breath.

  IT WAS LATER, after supper, that Tiki questioned Toots further. They were ensconced in the parlor, the fire crackling cheerfully from the grate. Rieker still hadn’t returned. Tiki had lit all the lamps to chase the shadows from the corners of the room. Shamus was asleep in an armchair, his open mouth emitting soft snores.

  “Toots, who was it that you went away with?” Tiki asked. No one had actually said the word “faerie” yet.

  Toots shrugged. He was on his stomach on the floor playing checkers with Fiona. “Just one ’a the blokes I play stickball with. He asked if I wanted to ride a horse.”

  “Then what happened?” Tiki sat in a chair before the fire, alternating between trying to make sense of all she’d learned and trying not to think about any of it.

  Toots lifted his head. “Well…. that part was a bit strange. One minute we were standing on the street and the next we were in a big meadow with the horses.”

  He turned round green eyes toward Tiki. The freckles splattered across his nose stood out brightly against his pale skin. “I don’t know how we got there. Didn’t really look like any of the parks around here.” He shrugged, his skinny shoulders lifting the thin material of his shirt. “But it was sunny and warm, and they let me pet the horses.”

  His brows knotted in confusion. “It’s a bit hard to keep it all straight now. But after awhile this Dain chap came by and asked me if I wanted to ride. He let me ride behind him on the great white horse and we rode like the wind.”

  “Is that when he brought you back here?”

  Toots grinned from ear to ear. “Eventually.”

  “I told you it was Dain.” Clara chimed in from where she was threading a string through two pieces of shiny fabric. “He talked to me when he brought Toots home.”

  “Nobody talked to me,” Fiona snapped. “Or took me to ride a horse—” she glared at Toots— “that could fly.” She moved a red checker piece with a grumpy look on her face.

  “There,” Clara said with satisfaction. “My faerie wings are ready now.” In one deft movement she swung the string over her head and positioned the shiny fabric over her back. “Tiki, watch me fly,” she cried as she held her arms out from her sides and ran around the room.

  “Clara, watch it! You’re going to bust our game up.” Toots waved the little girl out of the way as she neared their spot on the floor.

  “No I won’t,” Clara said. “I’ll fly right over the top of you.”

  “Clara—stop!” Fi said.

  Tiki sensed disaster as the little girl headed straight for the older children.

  “Clara, come back towards me, so I can see your beautiful wings shining as you fly,” Tiki called. With a mischievous grin the little girl banked her arms at the last minute and made a sweeping turn and headed back toward Tiki.

  “Toots and Fi saw me because I had my glamour on,” Clara whispered as she came closer to Tiki. “I let them see me.”

  Tiki thought she was going to faint. “Your what?” she exclaimed.

  “Shhh.” Clara put a finger to her lips and frowned at Tiki. “You don’t want to make people supicous.”

  Tiki drew a deep breath. “Do you mean suspicious?”

  Clara brightened. “Yes, that’s what I said.”

  “Did you hear that word somewhere?”

  “Oh yes, Dain told me.”

  “I see.” Tiki wasn’t sure what to think about the little girl’s shocking comment. “It seems Dain told you lots of things. Did he tell you about glamours?”

  Clara nodded with a proud smile. “Yes, when he was explainin’ how Toots can see those boys ‘e plays stickball with.” She placed a small hand on Tiki’s knee and looked up at her with innocent blue eyes. “He said it’s just like playin’ dress-up.” She giggled. “An’ sometimes, he said even grow’in ups play.”

  Tiki’s stomach heaved. How could one of those horrible creatures have been talking to Clara and she hadn’t known? She lifted the little girl up onto her lap. Clara turned sideways and snuggled close as Tiki wrapped her arms around the child. Tiki’s heart pounded as she forced the words out of her mouth.

  “What else did you talk about?”

  “Oh, he asked me about Rieker.”

  Tiki inhaled sharply. “He did?”

  “Um-hmm. He called him William, though. Wanted to know if he was ‘round often.” Clara looked up at Tiki, her blond waves falling back, her little face glowing. “I tol’ ‘im you were best mates.” She grinned, clearly pleased with herself.

  Tiki kissed the little girl’s forehead and ran her hand over her silky hair. “If you see Dain again, you need to come find me, all right?”

  “All right, Teek.”

  “And don’t tell him anything else about Rieker. Let’s keep it our secret.”

  “I can keep a secret,” Clara said in her sweet, innocent voice.

  “Good girl,” Tiki whispered. Another faerie too close to them. What did this one want? Was he after the ring? A spy for Donegal? Working with Larkin? There was no way to know for sure. Toots had returned home safe this time, but what about the next? And the next after that?

  Tiki closed her eyes and fought the urge to squeeze Clara as tight as she could. She would do anything to keep Rieker, Clara and her family safe. Anything.

  LATER THAT NIGHT Tiki lay in bed and stared into the darkness while Larkin’s words replayed over and over in her mind: I suppose that makes me your aunt. Soon there won’t be anything left to save. You’re Finn MacLochlan’s daughter. She shivered with a chill no blanket could ever warm. To think she might be related to that creature— Tiki couldn’t finish the thought. She punched her pillow and rolled on her side, trying to ignore the worry that had become her constant companion. Rieker still hadn’t returned.

  Chapter Twelve

  Tiki slept in the next morning. She’d laid awake deep into the night thinking about all that she’d learned and what it meant for the future. She awoke to the sound of Clara’s giggles in the hallway. Tinkly notes of laughter were punctuated by loud shush’s from Toots, followed by more giggles.

  She smiled as she listened to the merriment coming through the door. Her smile faded though, as she thought again of Larkin, of the secrets she’d revealed. What was the truth? Tiki didn’t want to admit it, but the faerie had even made her doubt Rieker. They’d barely had time to discuss Larkin’s visit before Rieker had disappeared himself.

  Tiki’s idea that she could just avoid the fey had faded. It seemed apparent now that she was part of whatever grander scheme Larkin had devised. Unable to stay still, Tiki shoved the blankets aside and sat up. If Rieker was right and understanding the meaning of her birthmark would give her some ability to protect her family, then that
was what she needed to know.

  As soon as she moved, the door to her bedroom swung open. Clara and Toots came scurrying in, making her suspect they’d been watching through the crack, waiting for her to get up.

  “Tiki,” Clara called. She clutched Doggie in one hand. “Yer finally up. We’ve been waiting forever.”

  “Yeah Teek.” Toots hair was brushed back and his face as clean as she’d ever seen it, making Tiki wonder if Mrs. Bosworth had taken a scrub brush to him. “We thought you might be dead.”

  “Alive and well, as you can see.” Tiki sat back on the bed and patted the covers for them to join her. With giggles of glee Clara and Toots bounded onto the mattress next to her. “What is so important you need to wake me from my beauty sleep?” She squinted toward the door. “And where is Fiona?”

  “Fiona’s got a gent’man caller,” Clara whispered in a hurried rush. “That’s what we’ve been waitin’ to tell you.”

  Tiki’s mouth dropped open. “A what?”

  “He’s a very ‘andsome young man,” Clara said in a voice that was a spot-on imitation of Mrs. Bosworth. “He even brought her a rose.”

  Tiki looked at Toots. “What do you know about this?”

  Toots shrugged, his overly-innocent expression making him look guilty. “His name’s Johnny. He’s a bloke I know from Charing Cross.” He held out his hands to Tiki. “But I swear I don’t know how he met Fi, or how he found out where we live.”

  TIKI WALKED DOWN the stairs with an uneasiness churning in her chest. Where could Fiona have met a young gentleman? She straightened her back as she entered the small parlor, not sure what to expect.

  Fiona was seated in a chair by the fire. Her pale skin glowed with a faint blush and even from the doorway Tiki could see how her eyes sparkled. She was wearing a dress of pale blue that was a lovely contrast to her creamy skin. These last few months had transformed the young girl. A boy’s back was to the door, a mop of tousled dark hair crowning his head. At the sound of Tiki’s arrival he jumped to his feet and turned toward her.