Death Rite Genie: An Urban Fantasy Folly

by AE McKenna

  The pixies bobbed closer to her. She turned her face to them. Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth. They floated around her head, pixie dust shimmering in her hair. She was more enchanting at that moment than I’d ever seen her before. I snapped a photo of her. The pixies flew away and she watched them go.

  “I didn’t know fairies were real,” she breathed.

  “They’re pixies.” I stopped beside her. “The wild ones are attracted to emotions. Yours must’ve delighted them for them to do that.”

  She gasped softly, her eyes lifting to the leaves and branches above us. “I loved it.”

  Her hand brushed mine and I took it, sliding my fingers between hers as we walked along the boardwalk, across a creek, and up the wishing stairs. I was enjoying this more than I should. Watching her experience something new was like a flower blooming before my eyes. I knew she’d been sheltered, and the small trip she’d taken over the summer was hardly a drop in the bucket. I was glad I could be here with her, even if we were searching for a magical artifact to turn over to a fae who was holding a few djinnis hostage. She could have a moment and still save the day.

  “A fairy glade!” Luce squeezed my hand before letting go, jogging to it.

  The fairy glade was a small enclosure of vines, shrubs, and late-flowering bushes. She didn’t read the signs and hunched lower to fit inside.

  “Luce,” I called after her. We really needed to focus on finding the piece of the Blarney, but I couldn’t make myself stop her. “Wait for me.”

  She halted at the opening, grabbed both my hands, and backed in, grinning at me. “Ooo, this is a secluded place. Wanna make out?” Her face and ears turned bright red.

  Yes, I did. Chuckling, I closed the distance between us and stepped on a heartnut.

  A portal opened beneath our feet, and we plummeted into the Faelands.

  Chapter 13

  I dropped and rolled onto the hard ground, bumping into Mal. My head pounded, my ears were stuffed, and I felt like I could vomit at any moment.

  “We have got to stop falling through things.” Mal groaned and sat up. “Are you hurt?”

  I rolled onto my back and blinked open my eyes. “I don’t think so. Are we back in the Faelands?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know which court we’re in.”

  I sat up and tried to see where we’d landed. It was dark. But my vision was slowly adjusting. I could make out darker shadows on shadows, and it smelled musty and hot, like an attic in the summer. At least I wasn’t freezing. I pulled off my damp sweatshirt and stored it, then checked my phone. The battery icon flashed and it powered off. Crap! Shifting the messenger bag forward, I reached in and stored my phone in my bottle to charge. Ugh. Diane had leaked a salt grinder and my favorite measuring cups. Maybe I needed a smaller bag.

  “Can you see anything?” I asked.

  “Not well. I don’t want to use my flashlight and alert people we’re here. Just in case.”

  “Good point.”

  I patted around me. We had landed on cold tile and I was certain I’d leave this room covered in bruises. I swept my hands farther from me, searching for objects, but all I found was dust. I slowly climbed to my feet and, holding my arms out in front of me, I walked forward.

  I smacked my shins against a low table. “Son of a bitch.”

  “What’s wrong?” Mal asked.

  “Oh, someone’s just leaving things in the middle of a dark room, like we can see.” I was cranky. I hadn’t slept in a while, nor had I eaten. Sure, I’d had some cheese, but I didn’t finish the brick—that was something you do in private, not in front of the guy you’re in like with. Once I could fart in front of him without dying of embarrassment, I’d consider eating a whole brick of cheese with him. If we ever got out of here.

  He shuffled around, smacking into things as well. He sighed. “It’s a huge room.”

  I was seeing the dark outlines of shadows more distinctly, but that was about it. “If I have to guess, this is a sitting room.”

  “I agree.” He was closer than he’d been a moment ago.

  I yelped and clapped a hand over my chest. “Don’t sneak up on me in the dark.”

  “I finally blended in to you?” His voice sounded strange. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

  “No. It’s dark as hell in here and you walk like a ninja.”

  His hand skimmed from my wrist to my shoulder and squeezed. “Okay. Let’s feel around the walls for a door or windows.”

  I had goosebumps, and it wasn’t from the spooky room we’d fallen into. Things between Mal and me were shifting, or at least they felt that way. Maybe I was prone to wishful thinking, but lately the looks in his eyes were… They gave me butterflies and made me smile. Made me want something friends didn’t do. Shuffling my feet and keeping my arms in front of me, I gently bumped into a wall.

  It was a smooth wall. Maybe wallpapered, maybe not. I really couldn’t tell aside from the cobwebs clinging to my fingers. I really hoped the cobwebs weren’t an indicator of a giant spider. I had a deadline to save my grandma; I could only take so much shit in one day.

  Pounding footsteps from a marching band reverberated outside the room. I hurried away from the wall and stumbled to the center of the room—smacking my shins on the low table again.

  A door that wasn’t there a moment ago cracked open, letting in a blinding wedge of bright light. I lifted my hand, trying to shade my face so I could see.

  Two people barged in, pointing sticks at us, and shouted in music. At least, it sounded like music. Their words were lilting and lyrical.

  Mal sidestepped in front of me, holding his hands up, and responded in the same language. I wasn’t surprised; he’d mentioned before he’d spent his childhood in the Faelands. Then he looked over his shoulder at me, and whispered, “We’re trespassing.”

  No shit.

  The door opened wider, more guards spilling inside and bathing the room in light. We were in a dust-covered sitting room with sheets over settees and shin-splintering coffee tables. The guards wore silvery armor from the tip of their winged helmets down to their ass-kicking boots, and they leveled spears at us. If I had to guess, the spears were tipped in gold. I fingered my lucky clover pendant and inched closer to Mal.

  They sang at us again. Two men walked farther into the room and flanked us.

  “They’re escorting us to their liege,” Mal whispered.

  I mimicked his lead and lifted my hands in surrender, sucking in my stomach as I walked by half a dozen gold-tipped spears and men’s faces cast in shadow. We followed them down a well-lit hallway wide enough for a real marching band. Elegant sidebars topped with vases stuffed with exotic flowers I’d never seen before lined a gleaming travertine marble floor. Vibrant threads of color wove tapestries of angels, demons, the odd orgy, and landscapes which lined blue-tinted ceramic walls.

  A pair of guards in the same armor had their spears crossed in front of two-story double doors. When we approached, they pulled them apart and opened the doors. Music wafted from inside and a tropical breeze carried the smell of fragrant flowers, grass, and fruit. My mouth watered, and my stomach complained about only having cheese.

  Men, women, and other creatures I didn’t recognize were dressed up like a 17th century masquerade. Some of them had tails, others had deer legs, and quite a few had horns. They wore masks ranging from plague doctors to beasts, and they danced a strange waltz between hors d’oeuvres and a fountain that tossed glittery liquid into crystal flutes. A guard nudged me, and I realized Mal had walked forward again. I hurried to keep up, my heart jackhammering in my stuffed ears. Crap. I’d swallowed the gum Mal had given me at the castle.

  The music stopped as they escorted us toward a dais. The revelers watched us. Some tittered and whispered to their companions, others outright sneered. The guards in front of us stomped to a stop, smacked the butt of their spears on the glorious marble floor, and stepped aside to reveal Mal and me.

  A woma
n sat on a throne.

  No. She wasn’t simply a woman. She was a goddess in repose. She’d pinned platinum hair behind sharply tapered ears into a half updo that cascaded over her bare shoulder in shiny curls. Her amethyst eyes were acutely upturned, like Mal’s, and her straight, delicate nose sat over plump lips the color of cherries. The finest silk made up her sapphire chiton, and she filled it out well. Very well. I rarely resented other women for their appearances—we’re all beautiful—but this woman was so picturesque, she was hard to behold with anything but envy. Maybe if I looked like her, Mal wouldn’t have placed me in the friend zone.

  She spoke. I thought the guards were speaking in music. I was wrong; they had sounded like screeching gears. Her voice was something only angels should hear. It curled and swayed around me, something always described in Mom’s smut books, but in reality, it was heartbreakingly beautiful.

  Mal responded in the same language, and I wished I knew what they were saying. Even if the Faelands supported technology, I doubted I could have used a translation app to understand them. I gaped further at the tiled cathedral ceilings, the candle chandeliers, and floating lights. Were those pixies up there?

  Mal glanced at me. “We’re in the Summer Court, specifically Clio—”

  The goddess interrupted him, leaning forward and her brow crinkling slightly. Mal replied. I felt awful for making her frown.

  “I see,” the goddess said in a lyrical voice. “Djinni children aren’t as well educated as they should be in preparation for their betters.”

  The revelers snickered and my face flamed. I felt ridiculous in my hiking boots and honeybee T-shirt. I probably had cheese on my face and cobwebs in my hair, too. I lowered my head, unable to meet her gaze.

  “Why did you break into my estate and ruin my celebration?” she asked.

  “It wasn’t intentional, my lady,” Mal said. “We were in the Iron Realm, unaware there was a faery portal in the area.”

  “Where were you?”

  “Blarney Castle, in Ireland.”

  A beatific smile curled her cherry-red lips, and the goddess reclined on her throne. “I’m well familiar with Blarney. Why doesn’t your companion look at me, djinni?”

  I swallowed and lifted my head, staring at her hair. For some reason I couldn’t say, I didn’t want to meet her eyes.

  “You’re so young.” She took my measure and found me lacking. “Is this the first time you’ve encountered a supreme being as myself?”

  I shook my head. “But I haven’t had much contact with any of you.” Mal nudged me, and I hastily added, “My lady.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “You stink of iron.”

  “I’m sorry.” I wiped my hands on my jeans.

  “Why were you at Blarney Castle? It has become overrun with humans. It holds no magic for us any longer.”

  Mal straightened his shoulders. “We were sent there to—”

  “I want the girl to answer.”

  “We—” I cleared the gunk from my throat. “We were sent there to find a piece of the Blarney.”

  It was like a vacuum had sucked up all the sound. The partygoers hushed. The blinking lights above stilled. And the goddess’s brows lifted an inch.

  “Do you know who I am?” she asked.

  From the frantic glances Mal shot me, I could guess I was digging myself into a deep hole. I had to figure this out on my own. And be polite. “No ma’am, er, my lady.”

  “Your companion explained you were raised in the Iron Realm your entire life, unaware of your heritage until recently. I suppose I shouldn’t charge you for your ignorance. I am Cliodhna, head of this ménage in the Summer Court.” A sly smile curled one corner of her mouth. “And patron saint of County Cork, or least, that’s what my pet Cormac once told me.”

  “Oh!” I brightened, finally feeling this was going in our direction again. “You were mentioned when we were told about the piece of the Blarney. We need to collect it, or part of it. I’m not exactly sure what it is.”

  “Who told you this, girl?”

  I peeked at Mal. He was still as a statue except for the pulsing muscle in his jaw.

  “It was S-Sythradiafol?” Oh, god. Not only did I ask if that was who told me to find the Blarney Stone, but I wasn’t even sure if I pronounced her name correctly.

  Cliodhna’s lips pulled back, showing off her perfect teeth, and a mien of hatred fell over her face like a veil. She was no longer a relaxing goddess, but a malevolent woman seeking to sate her appetite for blood. My knees trembled and my stomach turned watery. I took a long breath to calm my nerves. It didn’t work.

  “Sythradiafol wants a piece of the Blarney and sent you to collect?” Cliodhna asked.

  I glanced at Mal. He deliberately moved.

  “And this invisible djinni!” Cliodhna spat. “Did she think you could steal from me even if he can disappear before my eyes? Oh, she is wrong. So remarkably wrong.”

  “I’m sorry, my lady,” I whispered. Would it be too much if I got to my knees? I didn’t want to, but I also wanted to make her smile again. “She… she’s holding my grandmother hostage. She took my mother’s bottle and won’t give it back until she has a piece of the Blarney.” I swallowed, unable to keep the pleading from my voice. “My mother is hurt. She needs her bottle. And I need to save my grandmother. I only have three days.”

  Cliodhna’s purple eyes widened. She considered her guests, then looked back at us. She drummed her fingers on the armrests of her chair, then straightened her shoulders. “Trespassing, whether or not unknowingly, for family is not as uncommon as many think. But it isn’t easily forgiven, as everyone thinks it should be, and that will not be the case here. I will allow you a piece of the Blarney. There is a price, and you must pay the price.”

  Cold sweat slicked down my back, my knees trembled, and I shuffled closer to Mal.

  “Oh, don’t look as if I’ll feed you to monsters.” She lifted her hands, palms up. “This is the Summer Court. That only happens when you fail. Here, we give you choices of how to pay. Favors, promises, memories… contests.”

  My teeth began chattering and I clenched my jaw.

  “You have two options, child of Iron and Gold. You and your companion partake in The Taming—”

  Mal gasped.

  “Or you each give me the memory of your fathers’ love.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath. Forget Dad’s love? The times we laughed, hugged, watched movies, sang karaoke, when he held me while I cried—teaching me to drive because Mom was a maniac… she wanted me to give all that up? And Mal… He was white as a sheet, and when he met my eyes, his were so wide they were bulging.

  I grasped his hands but I rolled my lips tight, unsure what to ask or say. I didn’t even know what The Taming was, but he’d gasped like it was a death sentence.

  “Malware,” Cliodhna purred, “I’ll allow you to educate your child-friend on her choices. Do not take too long, or the offer will be rescinded.”

  “Luce,” he whispered, “have you ever heard of the Wild Hunt?”

  “The big ride on Halloween?” I whispered.

  “Yes. They chase down humans and take them into the Faelands where they’re hunted, captured again, and mutated into riders or dogs.”

  “Dogs?” I squeaked.

  “If they can’t ride, they will become Dandy Dogs—they immobilize the prey. The Taming is for the riders they’ve made from those humans to turn them into huntsmen for the Wild Hunt. If they don’t make the cut, they’ll kill them.”

  “That’s awful. They can’t…” I lost my voice under the laughter spreading through the revelers. Mal’s grim expression was a warning, one that I couldn’t ignore. Do not censure the fae for their traditions. I wasn’t prepared for any such contest, a murder race, so the only choice was giving up a memory, and that idea was nearly as appalling.

  I could barely catch my breath. “What happens if she takes our fathers’ love?”

  “You’ll believe he never loved you, maybe
forget him altogether. If he taught you anything important, you’ll lose it.”

  “I’ll forget how to drive?” That wasn’t what I was really worried about, but the memories. I was a daddy’s girl. I’d lose him twice.

  He nodded.

  “And you?”

  “Pops is human and my sole connection to my human family.” His voice cracked on the last word, and a deep crease formed between his brows.

  He’d lose his entire family, hell, probably even his humanity, and become someone like these fae or even some djinni I met on Realty Lane.

  “Let’s do the murder race,” I said under my breath.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times and he took a shaky breath. “One or both of us could die or become mutated.”

  “I’m not letting you lose Pops,” I growled.

  He stared at me, and his trembling fingers brushed my cheek. “Lucy Avalon, I—”

  “Well?” Cliodhna called, twirling silvery hair around her finger. “Have you decided yet?”

  I straightened my spine and stepped around Mal. “We’ll do The Taming.”

  “Very well.” She laughed. “The Taming is within a month. You may remain as a guest until then.”

  My stomach dropped. “Wait! I only have three days to return with the piece of the Blarney or Sythradiafol will kill my grandmother.”

  “You mentioned that. How close are you to your grandmother, child?”

  Frost swirled beneath my ribs. “Not very close, but closer than we were a year ago. We’re—we’re starting to find common ground.” I blinked my stinging eyes. “Family’s complicated, you know?”

  Cliodhna considered me again. Minutes ticked by in silence as she tapped her plump lower lip, her eyes sliding over her guests. “I will sanction this small exception. How fortuitous for you that a few huntsmen guard my grounds.” She clapped her hands twice. “We’ll have a little chase tomorrow night.”