The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom

by Leah Cutter

  Of course, Robert never showed his face. Weasel was too smart for that. Chris sat in his booth, sweating against the plastic seat, planning his next move.

  Though the town had less than ten thousand people in it, it was a resort town, a vacation spot for people from the nearby cities. Close to one hundred motels dotted the beach and highways. Too many looked like dumps for Chris to pinpoint Robert’s location. He’d tried to find a betting parlor, sure that would be Robert’s second home, but his questions had been met with blank stares or referrals to the local casino. Wherever Robert fed his habit must be illegal, and Chris not only didn’t have those connections, he couldn’t fake them. It wasn’t the world a gentleman traveled in.

  A collection of rowdy kids spilled into the diner, disturbing Chris’ thoughts. They talked excitedly about their summer plans now that they were finally out of school.

  It slowly dawned on Chris that they were so excited because they’d gained their freedom just that day.

  Robert had lied. The last day of school was that day, not the day before.

  Chris threw a twenty on the table and ran out the door, ignoring the worker who called out about his bill. There was only one high school in town. These kids had cut their last class of the day. Chris had a chance to see Dale. If nothing else, he could follow his son’s bus, find out where Dale lived. So much for Robert.

  In the car, Chris took a minute to get the directions to the school on his phone. Unfortunately, they turned out to be wrong. When Chris turned onto the highway, he realized his mistake. The school had to be behind him. He cursed when he realized he’d followed the directions to the vocational school, not the high school.

  Chris checked the clock. Ten minutes. He could make it. He made a hard U-turn, the drivers behind him honking. Chris didn’t care. He was going to save his son.

  After Chris turned off the main highway, at the first stop sign, a car pulled in front of him, then crept along. Chris fumed. He didn’t see anyway around it. A gentleman always tried to be polite. The closer he drove to the other car, the slower it went.

  Eventually Chris recognized the faded foreign car in front of him.

  Robert.

  Disgusted, Chris roared around him. He’d get Robert later.

  However, the funny little man had done his job. The last of the school buses pulled away just as Chris drove up. Cursing, he pulled onto a side street and parked.

  Chris had to deal with Robert now. A gentleman didn’t let insults like that pass. He’d interfered with Chris’ family. Chris would have his revenge.

  ***

  Dale had every intention of meeting Queen Adele. The chance to work on fairy clockwork was too tempting. He wasn’t about to tell his sister that, though. Instead, Dale pretended to pay attention to the stuff on his desk, turning his head away from Nora so she wouldn’t see his smile. The scarf around his neck itched, but Dale didn’t dare take it off; his mom might knock on the door at any time to make sure they hadn’t killed each other or something.

  The next morning, Dale thought about dropping the act. However, before he’d even gotten out of bed, Nora had come barging into his room, saying, “You have to go talk with Queen Adele. You just have to help Kostya!”

  Dale turned over and hid his face with a pillow. “I wish he’d killed you in your sleep.” Then he yelped when Nora pulled the covers from his bed. He sat up and threw his pillow at her, hitting her soundly in the face. “Now get out.”

  “But—”

  “Out. Now.”

  Nora left, closing the door, and Dale fell back onto his bed with a sigh. He glanced at the clock on his dresser. He really did have to get up or Mom would throw a fit. He hoped this Queen Adele would understand he needed sleep and not try to see him early in the morning. That was the best thing about summer break as far as Dale was concerned: he’d get to sleep in every day.

  After Dale got dressed, Nora barged into his room again, making the same demands. He ignored her, refusing to answer any of her questions. He knew better than to give in. Nora was obsessed at this point. Even if he said he’d meet the queen, it wouldn’t shut his sister up. She’d then start in on endless possibilities of what the queen looked like, how she was different from the warriors, the different kinds of machinery in the kingdom they might want him to look at.

  On the bus ride to school, Nora sat beside him, whispering her arguments. Dale kept his lips pressed tightly together and his arms folded across his chest, refusing to even look at Nora.

  Nora also wanted to talk about magic and whether she should pursue it or not as well. Dale knew she would. She was too tempted not to. She just wanted to talk it to death before she admitted it, as always. He’d already stopped listening.

  Fortunately, Nora wasn’t in any of Dale’s classes and he avoided any of the spots in school where she might be lurking. The excitement of the last day of school mingled with the anticipation of meeting the Queen of the fairies—not that Dale would tell Nora that. His stomach had butterflies and Rich teased him about his constant smile, wanting to know if he’d found a girl to give a special goodbye to.

  On the bus ride home, Nora sat with two other girls, pointedly ignoring Dale. She got off at their stop before he did, and didn’t wait for him. By the time Dale reached the entrance of the trail leading to the abandoned cottage, Nora was nowhere to be seen.

  Dale paused for a moment, remembering how scared he’d been running away from the fairies. He couldn’t bring himself to walk back up that trail, no matter what type of clockwork lay at the other end.

  When Dale turned back to the road, a tiny woman stood there, maybe coming up to his stomach. She wore an old-fashioned black dress with a high collar and long sleeves. The skirt flowed down over the tops of her pointed boots. A jaunty hat perched on her head with a light, half-veil of black lace draped over her eyes.

  Though Dale had thought he’d been ready, the beauty and grace of the queen of the fairies took his breath away. He felt grubby in his sandals, shorts, and T-shirt. He found himself automatically bowing his head to her. “My Lady,” he said.

  The queen smiled at Dale. Her teeth didn’t have the jagged points of the warriors. “Master Tinker,” she said. Her tone reminded Dale of the tiny silver wind chimes his mom had in her office.

  “No,” Dale said, shaking his head. “Just a tinker. My name is Dale.”

  “Dale,” the queen purred. “Thank you for the gift of your name. You may call me Queen Adele.” She drew herself up straighter, gaining maybe a quarter inch of height. Then she unfolded her wings.

  Dale’s heart stuttered at the marvelous display of craftsmanship and magic. Brass gears, highlighted with blue phosphorus fairy magic, turned as her wings spread. One hitched briefly—possibly a tooth that needed smoothing. The ends were beautifully scalloped, like Nora’s knitted lace. Some of the framing parts were metal as well, gleaming in the sunlight.

  “Yes,” Queen Adele told Dale when he looked back at her. “We need your help.”

  Even if Dale had wanted to, he’d never have been able to say no to her, his queen.

  ***

  Nora couldn’t believe how pigheaded Dale was being. As Mom said, he’d cut off his own nose to spite his face. Nora stomped all the way home from the bus stop without him, walking particularly fast past the trail to the abandoned house. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened to Dale if Kostya hadn’t found her.

  Fairies made Nora queasy, even though she wanted Dale to help Kostya. They represented magic, which frightened her. Nora felt she stood on the border looking into a new world, and couldn’t make herself cross over.

  Mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Nora didn’t remember the doctor’s appointment until she looked at the kitchen board. Mom would be fine, Nora told herself. Dale was just a worrier.

  After marking herself home from school on the board, Nora went directly to her room. She knocked on the door and called out, “Kostya? It’s me. Nora.” She slowly opened the doo
r.

  The dwarf rose from his hiding place in the corner. “Welcome,” he said, as if she’d walked into his home, not hers.

  “How was your morning?” Nora asked, trying to be polite.

  “Peaceful,” Kostya said with a smile. “The quiet here is nice.”

  “Don’t expect it to continue,” Nora said sourly. “As soon as Dale gets home, he’ll probably blast that stuff he calls music since Mom’s not here.”

  Kostya shrugged.

  The silence built uncomfortably around them. “Are you hungry?” Nora finally asked.

  “No, I ate when your mother left.”

  “I’m going to grab something, okay?”

  “Please,” Kostya said, nodding and gesturing toward the door.

  Again, Nora shoved down on her frustration. This was her home. She shouldn’t feel as though she had to ask his permission.

  Without another word, Nora returned to the kitchen to forage for her lunch. Only when she’d put her sandwich on a plate and added chips did she realize that Dale still wasn’t home. She looked for him out the kitchen window. He wasn’t on the road.

  Excited, Nora returned to her room. “Dale didn’t follow me home from the bus stop. Do you think Queen Adele found him?”

  “Yes,” Kostya said gravely. “She wouldn’t wait.”

  Nora sat down on the floor with her sandwich. “Huh,” she said. She ate quietly, thinking. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Dale had just met his destiny, and that it was separate from hers.

  “Are you ready?” Kostya asked when Nora returned after putting her dishes away and marking Dale out on the board.

  “For what?” Nora asked. She didn’t want to be suspicious, but she couldn’t help herself. Maybe Dale was right to not trust the dwarf. Something about him unsettled Nora the longer they were together.

  “For your next lesson in magic.”

  Nora sighed. “It scares me,” she admitted.

  “What scares you? Exactly?”

  “The power,” Nora guessed.

  Kostya thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No. Power you understand. You create and destroy. It’s the change that bothers you. The transformation. One world to another.”

  “It’s too big,” Nora said. She knew her world, where the borders fell. Magic moved those edges. She didn’t like how open-ended everything was, or how alone it made her feel. Would she be able to have a family if she pursued magic? What friends could she have if she became a Maker? Who could she talk with, besides the dwarf and her brother? Magic would take over her life, she knew it; she could taste its hunger. She could find groups of other people to knit with. Where would she find a group to weave ropes together out of grass and set on fire?

  “What do you want to learn first?” Kostya asked. “To help make it seem smaller?”

  “To see the edges clearly,” Nora said suddenly. “You said the fairies were good at illusions, and that you were good at seeing through them. Teach me to do that. I want to see what’s real.”

  Kostya clucked his tongue. “Strong magic,” he said.

  Disappointment coursed through Nora. “Stronger than the ropes?”

  “Yes,” Kostya said, nodding solemnly. “That was making your own illusion. This is seeing through another’s. We must start small,” Kostya warned.

  “As long as we start,” Nora said.

  The dwarf thought for a moment. “Yes. We can do this.”

  “Good,” Nora said, crushing her doubt. Kostya wasn’t hiding anything from her. The magic probably was difficult. “Then let’s start.”

  ***

  Denise pulled into the driveway of the house, still furiously thinking. First, she’d have to print out a complete client list. She’d always resisted adding late fees when a client didn’t pay on time. Right now, she was willing to charge an extra one percent per day on every account over thirty days late.

  When Denise got out of the car and closed the door, the man she’d seen earlier walked up the driveway. He was short, maybe just an inch taller than her, with black accountant glasses.

  “Denise. Denise Murray,” he called, before she could turn away.

  Denise froze in her tracks. How did he know her married name? She turned, almost against her will.

  “How much would you pay to keep your family safe?” the man asked.

  “Excuse me? Are you threatening me?” Denise asked, outraged.

  The man sighed and shrank in on himself. “No, no. I don’t want to threaten you. It’s just—your husband paid me to find you.”

  “My ex-husband,” Denise corrected him automatically.

  “No.” The man regained some of his stature. “You never filed for divorce. Or a restraining order,” he accused her.

  Denise had all the papers in the top drawer of her desk. She’d justified not filing them because she didn’t want Chris to know where she was. Now, it might be too late.

  “Your husband, well, he isn’t the best man.”

  Denise laughed bitterly. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “He stiffed me,” the man said hurriedly. “And I have expenses, so I was wondering if you could, you know, help out.”

  “He knows where I am?”

  “No. Not yet.”

  Denise fixed him with her best “Mom” stare.

  “Not where you live,” the man amended after a few moments, withering under her gaze. “Not your address.”

  “But he knows this town,” Denise guessed.

  The man sighed. “He’s here,” he admitted.

  Denise turned, looking at the house. How long would it take her to grab the kids? At least the rest of the afternoon. Where would she go this time? How could she play for a new place?

  “Denise,” the man said, quietly calling her back. “He won’t find you here. Not for a while.”

  Denise took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. The man was right. If they stayed here, around the house, they wouldn’t have to leave right away.

  “So you don’t have any money,” the man ventured.

  Denise laughed again, hopeless and sad. “I have to have an operation by the end of the week and I don’t have a clue how I’m going to pay for it.”

  Old Eli’s truck pulled up to the house. The man started backing down the driveway. “Stay home. Use the grocery delivery service. Keep the kids close. And file for that divorce. I’ll keep him distracted. At least for a while.” He turned and got back into his car.

  “Who was that?” Eli asked as he sauntered up the driveway.

  “I don’t even know his name,” Denise admitted.

  “Are you all right?” Eli asked. “You don’t look so good.”

  “No, no, everything’s fine,” Denise said automatically.

  The old man tugged on his cap. “Maybe. Maybe not. You don’t look fine, though. You look pale.”

  Denise opened her mouth to protest again that she was fine, when she abruptly decided to hell with it. She was tired of always making excuses. “It’s my heart,” she said. “I need surgery. Soon.”

  “Want me to watch the kids for you?” Eli offered.

  “No...wait, are you sure?”

  The old man shrugged. “Sure. Could stay here or at my place.”

  “Thank you,” Denise said. The relief made her dizzy. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me. What a help that will be.”

  “Now, you don’t worry yourself about that anymore,” Eli assured her. “We can work this out.”

  “Thank you,” Denise said again. She considered asking him about breaking the lease, but decided she couldn’t. Not yet. She needed to get her affairs into order first. To get the money owed her.

  To file for a divorce.

  ***

  Dale followed Queen Adele down the grass trail without hesitation, his earlier fears vanquished. The queen—his queen—would protect him from the warriors.

  Queen Adele always flew a mere foot ahead of Dale so he had the chance to watch her wing
s. The craftsmanship amazed him. The gears tightened a spring with every down stroke, which was then released, powering the upstroke. He was sad that he wouldn’t meet the Master Tinker who had created such a marvel.

  They reached the end of the trail abruptly. Dale had been so fascinated with Queen Adele’s wings he’d barely noticed they’d been walking. The queen landed beside him, then turned a frowning look at the abandoned cottage.

  “What’s wrong?” Dale asked.

  Queen Adele shook her head. “I just despair, sometimes, at how messy this entrance has to be, so it doesn’t draw the wrong type of attention.”

  Dale nodded, pleased that his queen also found the lack of order disturbing. “How did the warriors find me?” he asked, remembering the last time he’d stood there, a shiver going down his back.

  Queen Adele took Dale’s hand and turned it over, looking at the palm. Her hand felt warm, soothing his unease. The mark from the machine had faded, barely noticeable. Still, the Queen found it easily, pointing to it. “How did the dwarf Kostya know where you’d gone?” she asked as she let go of his hand.

  Dale shrugged. “He just knew. He’s Nora’s friend, not mine,” he added hastily. He hated lying to his queen, and he didn’t want to help the dwarf, but he didn’t want to make Nora mad at him either for not following their plan.

  “Your sister should be careful,” the Queen warned. “He’s untrustworthy.”

  “I’ll tell her,” Dale said. “Though I doubt she’ll listen.” Nora had taken to Kostya like he was a homeless kitten.

  Queen Adele smiled at Dale. “There’s listening, and then there’s listening.” She scooped up a bit of sunlight and set it dancing above them. Then she gestured at the door. It swung open, revealing cool darkness. She sent the light ahead of them.

  “Is the door a test?” Dale asked, watching the turning gears as he crossed the threshold.

  “Yes. Not all can open it,” Queen Adele replied. “Your sister, for example, would have a problem if she tried alone.”

  That surprised Dale. Nora could do anything, even magic. Did that mean his talents were just as special?

  The Queen directed the little light up to the ceiling. Dale had remembered a squishy carpet and moldy smell, but neither of those remained. Old-fashioned wallpaper—red roses in tan columns—covered the walls, reminding him of nostalgic movies. No furniture took up any space, which made the room seem bigger, not empty. A white mantel filled most of one wall. The fireplace gaped dark and empty, as well as the space above it, where a mirror had once hung. Machines and parts lay scattered under the windows opposite the mantel, catching and holding Dale’s eye.