by ERIN BEDFORD
Coby let out a chuckle.
“What?” I jerked my eyes to his laughing face.
“If a pair of brownie balls are enough to embarrass you, you are going to be permanently red.” His eyes rolled over to me with a charming wink. “Not that I’m complaining. I think red would look rather good on you. I just wonder how far down your blush goes.” His eyes dipped down to my neckline.
I’d almost forgotten the dress I’d been put in had an almost obscene neckline. I was tempted to cover my chest but had a feeling that if I did, it would only encourage him more.
“I cannot help that you Fae are such wild creatures. At home, well, we have many rules on what one can and cannot wear in public,” I explained to him, watching the walls as we moved past.
“And what happens if you broke those rules?”
I opened my mouth to answer and then snapped it shut, my brows drawing together. “Well, I’m not sure. I suppose your reputation could be ruined, depending on what you were wearing. Public nudity is certainly against the law. You could end up in jail.”
“For showing what you were born with?” Coby gaped and then snorted. “It doesn’t sound like a place I’d like to go. I need a bit of public nudity every once in a while. It keeps things lively.”
I giggled.
“What? Do you think I’m kidding?” Coby arched a brow. “I’m a tailor. Believe me, I would love to not have to make clothing all day.”
“Then why don’t you do something else, if you don’t like your job?”
Coby shrugged. “It’s a family business, and there aren’t many jobs for ones such as us. Not unless we wanted to royal consorts, and believe me, many might lead you to think they want to bed the queen, but no sane person would.”
“Is she that hideous?”
Before Coby could answer, we turned and moved through an opening which led to a large open garden. Several dozen Fae in all manner of dress stood in a crowd around something going on further into the garden. I couldn’t see Carban just yet and figured he was in the center with the main attraction, the queen no doubt.
Coby stopped us on the stairs leading into the garden. “Listen, all joking aside, the Queen might seem like a kind person, but it would be a lie. Do not let the smiling faces fool you. She’s been known to get rid of those who cross her, and she won’t think twice about killing a human. So, stay close to us, and don’t tell her your name.”
I tried to ask him what my name mattered, but he took my arm and dragged me into the garden. I searched for the red roses from my dream but didn’t see any. My shoulders sagged. The queen couldn’t really be that bad if she wasn’t the mad Queen of Hearts from my dreams. That woman was a nightmare.
We pushed through the crowd and entered the circular opening. In the center, my eyes immediately found Carban standing off to the side, a mallet in his hand and a pinched expression on his face. Near him stood a handsome man with blonde hair and pale blue eyes, clothed in a white suite. His presence and posture announced his importance, but the golden crown on his head claimed him as king.
The king seemed nice enough. He held a mallet as well and watched with adoration in his eyes as a beautiful woman in a white gown swung her mallet at a ball. The ball shot across the green grass and through a series of hoops. Unlike any game of croquet I’d seen before, the ball changed its path mid-shot and headed for another set of hoops. When it seemed like her ball would miss some of them, the hoops, which seemed to be made of plant roots, suddenly disappeared into the ground and shot back up in front of the ball until the ball finally bounced off a tall stick at the end of the field.
A round of applause followed by a small curtsy by the woman told me this was some good thing. This must be the queen. Her eyes shone with sparkles, a pale blue compared to the king’s ocean colored eyes. Her white hair was braided and hung down her back, decorated by gemstones arranged in the shape of snowflakes. The golden crown on her head was much smaller than the king’s, barely visible, but it wasn’t like she needed it. Anyone could see that this graceful and stunning woman couldn’t be anyone other than the queen.
“Come now, Tweedle,” the queen’s voice, a melodic sound, sang out, waving her mallet in Carban’s direction. “It’s your turn.”
“As you will, Your Majesty.” Carban gave a slight bow and then his eyes went down to the ball on the ground, a grimace his face.
I could see Carban’s ball better than the queen’s and realized with a gasp of horror that the ball wasn’t just a ball at all. Inside of a clear sphere stood a wooden stick creature with large black eyes and bony wings. It screamed and cursed as Carban hit the ball, sending it across the field. This time, the ball did nothing to help Carban make his points. If anything, the little creature inside was trying to make him miss, as well as the root hoops which disappeared just as Carban was about to make them.
“That’s too bad. Your turn, darling,” the queen cooed at her king who took his turn. He didn’t do as bad as Carban, but with a twist of his wrist, he made sure that he did make a few hoops, if not as many as the queen.
“Cheating bastards,” Coby muttered beside me. “I don’t even see the point of the game if you’re going to make sure you win.”
“Oh, but that’s the point, dear Tweedle.” The crowd went deadly still as the queen’s gaze zeroed in on Coby and me. “I never play a game if I don’t know I will already win. If I did, I wouldn’t be queen.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Coby quickly dropped to one knee, bowing his head to the queen. “I meant no offense.”
“Of course, you did.” The queen let out a girlish laugh, making Coby tense on the ground. “But do not worry. I do not plan to take your heads today. I have a job for you two.” She gestured her mallet at Carban and Coby but then stopped at me. Her elegant brows furrowed, and her lips pursed into a thin line. “I don’t think I know you.”
Coby pinched my ankle, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out.
“I’m Ally, Your Majesty.” When the queen kept staring at me as if she expected more, I added, “I’m an apprentice to the Tweedles. I’m going to be a seamstress.”
“Oh, all right.” The queen’s gaze moved from me, seemingly bored with my presence already. She turned from us and lined up her shot once more, but this time, she kept speaking. “As you know the wedding is in a few days, I need you two to help with the preparations. Nothing can go wrong. Everything is riding on this wedding being a smashing success.”
She hit her ball with a harder than needed whack which sent it spiraling into the air. Instead of going over the hedge wall, it stopped abruptly and flew back to the ground, finding its home through a series of hoops before once more hitting the stick.
Spinning around to face the twins, her icy blue eyes narrowed, “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Carban brought a fist to his chest and bowed slightly. “We will do our utmost to ensure the princess has no problems with her wardrobe.”
“And anything else she might need,” the queen snapped. “My cousin has decided to trim her garden recently, and my spies have yet to have a chance to regrow. You will be my new eyes and ears.” She paused for a moment, waiting for the twins to consent. When they did so, she gestured her mallet toward me. “Take her with you. You never know when you need a slip of a girl to hide in the background.”
My teeth ground together at her description of me. Why, I never! Slip of a girl, indeed. Despite my outrage, I knew better than to call her out. This was a queen, and if I wanted to keep my head firmly planted on my shoulders, I would keep my mouth shut.
The twins answered with a mutual, “Of course, Your Majesty,” and then tried to usher us out of the garden, but the queen’s voice stopped us.
“And Tweedles?” She gave us an icy grin. “If anything goes wrong, I will personally see to it that you never see this side of the Underground ever again.”
HAPPY TO BE OUT of the queen’s eye but not s
ure where exactly we were going, I allowed the twins to escort me from the palace. I trailed after them as we walked through the courtyard. They had their heads close together and were whispering to each other.
“Pardon me,” I pushed myself between them, my hands on my hips, “but could one of you tell me what is going on here?”
“We’re going to a wedding,” Coby said.
“It should be a great affair,” Carban added, adjusting his vest.
Coby snorted. “That’s if the groom behaves and the bride doesn’t lose her head.”
I pursed my lips, intrigued. “So, we’re just going to help the bride get ready for her wedding? That’s all?”
The twins exchanged a look and then Coby threw an arm around my shoulders. “You don’t understand how important this wedding is to the Fae. The Seelie Princess and the Unseelie Prince are to be wed and join our two sides together forever.”
“Harmoniously,” Carban added.
“Erroneously,” Coby countered. Carban was about to argue but then clipped his mouth shut with a nod.
“So, what are the issues?” I glanced between the two as we stopped before a door standing in the middle of the courtyard.
Coby smirked and looped his arms around my waist, drawing me close. “The issue, my dear, is that plenty of people would love our kingdoms to unite but there are—”
“—plenty who would want to see it fail,” Carban cut him off.
“Yes,” Coby growled, glaring at his brother for his interruption. “One of those people—”
“A thing, really. I wouldn’t consider what’s left of them to be a person.” Carban picked at his teeth, but then stopped and arched a brow at Coby. “What?”
“Are you done? I’m trying to tell this story. You already got to kiss her. At least, allow me this one pleasure. Unless…” Coby grinned down at me. “Have you changed your mind and would like to make it even? Then we can both tell you the rest.”
My hands sat on his chest, and I was tempted. Ooh, I was aching for it. If Coby kissed anyway like his brother, then I knew I would enjoy it. However, I’d been just shy of giving it all away in that bathroom, and now, knowing I wasn’t dreaming, I wasn’t sure my mother would quite approve.
“No, thank you. A kiss under duress is one thing. I do not think I’d be able to explain to my fiancé why I was kissing you as well.” I pressed away from Coby, removing myself from temptation.
“Oh, but I thought you were dreaming? Isn’t that what you said?” Coby flashed me a wicked grin. “Why tell your fiancé anything at all?”
I shook my head, smiling back despite myself. “If I was dreaming, I’d have woken up by now. There are too many factors stating that this is in fact really happening, and if that is so, I am deeply in trouble.”
“Is that so?” Carban asked.
“Because,” I scoffed, “I ran away from my fiancé mid-wedding. I don’t know what it’s like here, but that is a serious offense back home, one that my mother will never let me live down. To add to that, my fiancé would never take me back.” Not that I wanted him back after what I heard.
“No, I’ve already ruined myself and will probably end up sent to some nunnery or worse the asylum.” I sighed a bit dejectedly.
“Then all the more reason to just give in.” Coby cupped my cheek and ran his tongue along his lower lip. “If all is already lost, then what’s there left to lose?”
“Just tell me.”
“What a pity.” Coby pouted but then recovered in an instance. “Perhaps another time.”
“Whatever makes you happy,” I countered with a cheeky grin and then pushed by him to the door. “Where are we going?”
Carban moved to the door as well and placed a hand on the door knob. “To the Unseelie Court. That’s where the wedding will be held, so that is where we must go.”
“And we only have to go through here?” I pointed at the large white door, much like the one I’d come through the first time. It gave me pause. A nagging feeling made me stick my hand in the pocket of my dress and finger the key I had stolen from Gripe and Type. “Uh, this wouldn’t happen to go to the Between, would it?”
Carban’s brows shot up. “Why, yes. Have you been?”
“Of course, she’s been.” Coby smacked his brother on the back of the head, earning him a glower. “How else would she get here?”
Chewing on my bottom lip, I stepped away from the door. “Is there no other way to the Unseelie Court?”
The twins stopped arguing for a moment to look at me, and then Carban answered, “Yes, but it would take days rather than minutes to get there.”
“It’s more dangerous as well.”
I avoided their curious gazes while I tried to think of an explanation. “I… I want to see Wonderland. I mean, the Underground. I don’t remember most of it. I’d thought I’d been dreaming it all up until now. I’d like to see what is different from I remember.”
The twins did their silent stare of communication before Carban nodded. “Very well. We have time before the wedding. However, you have to do what we say. Stay at our sides at all time. Understood?”
I eagerly bobbed my head.
“In any case,” Coby’s eyes crinkled at the corners and he wagged his eyebrows at me, “it will give me more chances to convince you to kiss me.”
Letting out a grateful sigh, I released the key and brushed my hair behind my ear. “You are wasting your breath.”
Coby tweaked my nose and winked. “Not a waste, if I win.” He took a hold of my elbow and led me around the courtyard away from the door and to the archway guarded by two golden soldiers. Carban trailed after us, a pensive expression on his face. When the guards glanced our way, the twins merely inclined their heads, and the warriors let us be on our way.
Outside of the courtyard lay a dark and creepy set of woods. You couldn’t see the ground because of the rolling fog. It stopped a few feet from the edge of the woods and seemed unable to go any further. Besides the ominous feeling, the wood gave off the sounds from inside that weren’t any better. Manic laughter mixed with animals sounds, owls hooting, and wolves howling made my skin prickle and hair stand on end.
“We have to go in there?” I gulped, having second thoughts. The two-headed bird couldn’t be worse than this. If I apologized, maybe they would forgive me and not bite my head off.
“I told you it was a dangerous trip,” Coby said into my ear, closer than before which caused me to jump in place. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go the short way around?”
I shook my head profusely. “No, no. This is fine. It’ll be fine.” I didn’t know if I was trying to convince them or me.
"Alright, enough chit chat." Carban ran a hand through his hair, trying to rearrange it, but it simply settled back where it was before. "The queen will be expecting us to report back to her before long. I don't know about you, but I prefer my head where it is." He pushed away from us and headed toward the fog-covered woods.
"Hold on, Carban," Coby reached a hand out toward him and then paused and grabbed my hand, jerking me to his side. "Stay beside me and do not let go of my hand."
I nodded dumbly, more than happy to stay with him. Who knew what lay in the woods ahead of us?
We caught up to Carban who didn't give us a second thought. The twins didn't hold hands, not like how Coby had instructed me to. For a moment, I thought it might all be to reassure me, but then a loud growl rumbled through the trees, shocking birds from their nests and the ever-present laughter to cease briefly.
I clutched Coby's arm, my face pressed into his flexing bicep. The scent of his skin filled my nose, and for a moment, I forgot about my fear and a throbbing ache filled me.
"Oh," I breathed out, earning me a look from the owner of the arm.
"I wouldn't sniff me too much, Ally dear." He gently moved my face from his arm. "Humans aren't meant to be with us for too long. We've been known to be addicting."
I blinked rapidly and shook my head, breathing
in and out to get rid of his scent from my nostrils. When I could finally think for myself once more, annoyance pinched my face. "Thank you for waiting until now to tell me."
Coby winked. "I could have used it to my advantage and gotten that kiss I've been wanting, but I didn't."
Rolling my eyes, I pursed my lips. "How gentlemanly of you."
"Quiet." Carban held a hand up, stopping us in our tracks. He turned his head this way and that, listening. When there was not a follow-up to the growl, he lowered his hand. "Come along. Let's get through here before whoever that was decided we would be good to have for lunch."
We continued through the woods, our steps a bit quicker than before. The ground beneath our shoes squished unpleasantly which made me grimace. I was glad for the fog, hiding what I might be stepping on. It wasn't surprising when the trees around us transformed into large mushrooms.
"Those weren't here before," Carban murmured, giving his brother a worried glance before moving more cautiously.
I stared up at the multicolored mushrooms surrounding us. Some were large as trees, others small as a child. They stood silently watching us as we moved through their little village. The fog had left us at the trees and I could now see the bright green grass beneath my feet. I didn't know why they were so upset about the mushrooms. I'd much rather be there than back in the woods. At least, it smelled better.
Opening my mouth to ask as much, a coughing fit came over me. Blue smoke wafted through the area and filled the air with clouds of it. The twins weren't bothered by the smoke. In fact, the appearance of it seemed to relax them. Coby even released my hand.
"You'd think he'd be a bit subtler," Carban groused, his eyes moving around the mushrooms. "Wouldn't it have been easier to send a message then uproot the whole fucking village?"