The Quicksilver Faire (29 page)

Keelie laughed. "And you're half-dressed, Lord Sean o' the Wood."

"You've seen me like this before, in the smithy." Sean's hand rested on her backside.

"Yeah, well, we weren't alone there."

The door opened and Knot and Coyote marched into the room. Knot's cat jaw dropped, and Coyote snickered.

"I think our moment is over," Sean said.

Knot glared at Sean, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.

"You're right," Keelie said. She leaned close to him. "But we can meet later."

"We will." Sean kissed her lightly on the lips. Knot fell over onto his side and placed his paws over his eyes.

Sean shrugged into his shirt. "I'll go and help Bromliel. The goblins could still be in the area, and we're trying to pick up their trail."

Keelie nodded. "I think I'm going to work on some notes. I want to write it all down while it's fresh in my mind. Dad wants to know more about the Under-the-Hill forest."

Sitting down at the motel-room desk, Keelie drew a sketch of the forest and made notes on the page about the differences in the trees in the grove. She sketched the mountain, too. Ermentrude had said that somewhere underneath the mountain was a volcanic pool that was bubbling through the rift. Perhaps the way the Under-the-Hill trees gathered energy to live was widening the rift.

Or not.

Earth magic, quicksilver, and fairy magic ... all were used in the areas where goblins had been seen. Keelie couldn't see how the dots connected, but it was there. She leaned her head into her hand.

Peascod had killed Linsa when she'd discovered he was forming a goblin army. Vania needed to know the truth about her sister's death. If the truth was revealed, then maybe Herne and Vania would work together to help seal the rift. Not that Vania would believe them. They needed to capture Peascod and force him to tell Vania what he had done. Keelie sighed, frustrated.

Knot rubbed against her legs, warm and furry. She reached down to rub his head, but he swatted at her. She pushed him away with her foot and he purred, an old game of theirs.

Keelie looked at her drawing again. She didn't have all the pieces to the puzzle, but maybe others had some answers. It was time for everyone to put their cards on the table.

That evening, Elia and Ermentrude brought their suppers to Keelie's room-cold sandwiches and warm cola. Miszrial, on guard duty, joined them, oblivious to the "go away" vibes the others were sending her.

Keelie ate the unappetizing meal with them, thinking that it still was better than the twigs-and-mushroom steak the Grey Mantle elves had served.

"I still find it strange that humans could use magic," Elia said. "At the Ren Faires, humans think that every trick is magic. Are you sure they were actually accessing the rift?"

"You saw what was going on in Big Nugget before the goblins came." Keelie took another eye-watering sip of cola. "Kids floating through the air, people with wings. We didn't get to stick around to see it all, but it was the real thing."

"Dariel said the spirit world's gate might come down, too." Elia shuddered.

Ermentrude nodded. "I'm afraid it's true. When the rift first opened, I had the ghost of a dwarf take up residence in one of my treasure chests. Claimed the gold was his. He's still there. Sings all the time. Drives me crazy."

"So you knew there was going to be a problem with the dead, and you didn't tell me." Keelie stared wide-eyed at Ermentrude. "Everyone's keeping information to themselves around here."

"I didn't know if it was the one ghost or if we were going to have a problem with a crop of them." The dragon woman smiled. "I really could use a smoke, but I'm not going to light up around Preggers. If you ladies will excuse me, I'll be right back."

Once Ermentrude left, Miszrial turned to Keelie. "I can talk to the other elves and try and convince them to listen to you, but Terciel has convinced the others that you're behind the problems, especially after Herne's proclamation that you are his consort."

"Herne is still part of the solution. I need for you to convince them of that, and to meet with the fairies and the dwarves. I've been looking at everything I've learned so far"-she gestured toward her notes-"and there are a lot of holes in the story."

"You ask for a lot, Keliel Heartwood." Miszrial glared.

"We're all united by one common purpose: to seal the rift," Keelie said.

"Except Herne has goblins in his realm," Miszrial said. "How can I guarantee my people you're not bringing them to attack us? Terciel is not the only one to question your alliance with the Green Man, and the fact that you're part fairy yourself."

Keelie felt insulted. "I was asked here for that very reason. And if I was allied with goblins, then we wouldn't be sitting here."

"Yes," Elia said. "The Grey Mantle elves were the ones who sent for us, so I suggest you tell the Council that the fairies, the dwarves, and whatever else needs to show up is coming, and they should get over their snitty attitudes and work for the common good."

Pregnancy had turned Elia into a warrior elf.

Miszrial's eyebrows rose. "I will go and talk to my people, and I will contact you as to their decision."

A weak answer, but it was a start. Keelie nodded and watched Elia walk the elf woman the short distance to the door, then close it behind her.

Two cats had jumped inside while the door was open and now twined around Elia's legs, rubbing their heads against her.

"Why are you attracting all these animals?" Keelie asked.

"Yeow child calls them," Knot said.

Elia looked horrified and shrank against the mildewed wall, warrior elf no more. "I'm going to find Dariel. Maybe he can make sense of this."

Keelie looked up from the drawing on the table. "Don't go alone."

"The guards are right outside. One of them will walk with me." Elia slipped out quickly, as if she couldn't wait to get away from Knot's explanation.

Moments later, the door banged open and Fala and Salaca entered. The cats hissed and scooted out the door.

"Hello, Keliel." Fala picked up the dragon magic book and thumbed through it. Salaca skipped the greeting and was scanning the map on the table.

"Nice manners," Keelie said, outraged as well as shocked to see them. She stormed over. "How dare you go through my stuffy'

"Dragon magic?" Fala held up the book. "Expanding 11 your repertoire.

"Where were the court fae when we were fighting the goblins?" Keelie demanded. "The dwarves and elves joined together with Herne's forces-but we could have used you." She struggled to keep a calm voice. She wanted to scream at them.

"This is very interesting. Look, Fala." Salaca tossed Keelie's drawing of the Under-the-Hill grove to him.

Catching the sketch with one hand, Fala laughed. "Our Keliel has been a busy girl indeed. Hanging out with dragons. Visiting Under-the-Hill. Who is collecting this information?"

"I'm trying to solve the problem of the rift," Keelie said. Fala whistled. "Trees that use the magic of crystals. This is very new indeed, even for Fairy. Makes you wonder what Herne is really up to."

Keelie reached for her sketch, but Fala turned away, keeping it out of her grasp "No. no. Queen Vania wants to see this." He rolled her sketch up like it was a parchment.

"Are you ready?"

"For what?"

"We're off to see the queen," Salaca said as he reached for Keelie's upper arm. Before she had a chance to shrug away, Fala snapped his fingers.

Keelie suddenly found herself back at the Quicksilver Faire, with Fala and Salaca at her side.

"Why did we have to tramp up the hill and through the door the first time, if this is so much faster?" she asked.

Fala shrugged. "It's fae magic. Elves who travel here must use the long way."

Gone were the crowds and music. The empty streets were silent, lined with shuttered shops that were eerie and bereft of life.

Keelie wondered if Maemtri was still here. She was an ally who straddled the different realms of Fairy. Or Keelie hoped she was an ally-you could never tell with fairies. It was one of the rules she'd forgotten.

Knot popped in beside her.

"You can teleport, too? This is so unfair."

"Meow secret."

She wasn't going to argue with him. She was glad he was here.

In the center of the faire, the vortex light pulsed and rotated. One thing Keelie had learned lately was that she hated traveling through vortexes or whooshing places. The elven and human parts of her wanted to keep her feet on the ground, and to stay in a place where time progressed forward one minute at a time.

"Knot, go to the Timekeeper and get us a reprieve. I need half an hour. I sure don't want to go back and find out a week has passed and the world has ended."

Knot blinked at her. "Meow can do that."

Fala put a hand in the small of her back and urged her forward toward the vortex. Keelie didn't struggle; she was eager to speak to Queen Vania. Without the crowds to impede them, they were soon facing the vortex.

"Before we go, can you tell me what you know about Linsa?" .

A look of sadness passed between the two fairies. "She was the queen's younger sister, and she made unfortunate decisions," Fala replied.

"She loved Herne," Keelie said.

"Yes, a mistake we have learned you're repeating," Salaca said disapprovingly. "The queen is angry you went to Under-the-Hill."

"Enough time for talk. It's time to jump." Fala motioned toward the vortex.

Keelie closed her eyes and leaped.

She landed facedown on the cold marble floor of the castle's Great Hall.

"Bring her to my chamber." The queen's voice echoed around the room. Keelie levered herself up, but she didn't see Vania sitting on her throne chair.

Fala and Salaca escorted Keelie to the queen's tower chamber. This was the same room in which Keelie had observed the rifts in the atmosphere and in the crust of the Earth.

Fala handed the sketch to the queen, and she unrolled it.

"How did you like your tour of Under-the-Hill?" The queen's eyes were on the drawing.

"It was very interesting," Keelie answered. She hoped Herne wouldn't get mad at Queen Vania seeing her sketches and notes, although since he hung around up here in disguise she shouldn't be too worried. She had a feeling that the queen had never been to Under-the-Hill. Not her kind of place.

Keelie wasn't as frightened as she had been earlier, but the discussion she was about to have with the queen was going to be extremely uncomfortable, and possibly dangerous. She also remembered that this was the fairy who had turned her grandmother into a brownie because she'd fallen in love with a human.

Salaca handed the queen the book on dragon magic.

She turned the pages, not really looking at them. "Accepting courting gifts from Herne. He can be quite charming. My sister found him so, and it was the death of her. Did you know he tried to convince her to come after my throne?"

"I heard that they were in love."

"Love. That is an emotion for humans and maybe some elves, but since fae runs through your veins, I give you the same warning I gave to her, and may you make better use of it. Herne is evil, and he will use you to meet whatever goal he has in mind. He wanted my throne for himself, uniting Under-the-Hill and the High Court."

"He loved Linsa," Keelie said. "And I think he is quite content with his realm."

Vania turned away, and then whirled around. "She said the same thing, but he killed her. Who do you think is behind the rift? It is his goblins draining the magic."

"Who told you this?" Keelie asked.

"His jester told me. That Peascod."

"It wasn't Herne who killed Linsa. It was Peascod."

"Do you have proof?"

"He told me when he tried to kill me. He said he sacrificed Linsa so that her blood would open the rift for his master. But his master is not Herne."

"He lied to you because he was my spy in Herne's court." Vania paled as she spoke.

Keelie stared disbelievingly at the queen. "He was your spy?"

"Yes, and he is loyal to me." Vania bridged the distance between them until she was almost nose-to-nose with Keelie. "You believed Peascod when he told you he killed Linsa."

"You believed Peascod when he told you Linsa was plotting with Herne to take over your throne. He's poisoned your mind. Turned you against your own sister." Keelie could see a flash of doubt pass through the queen's eyes.

"How do you know he's telling you the truth?" Vania demanded.

"Because I'm not important to Peascod. I'm in his way. He doesn't need to lie to me, so as he kills me, telling me he killed Linsa gives him immense pleasure. Finally, he can tell someone, show how clever he is. Whereas with you, if he can manipulate your feelings with lies, he will."

"Why would Peascod kill my sister?"

"Linsa had discovered Peascod was involved with the goblins, and that they were serving another master. He was betraying Herne. Peascod has been playing both you and Herne. It's kept you divided, so he could go about collecting the magic for whomever he's serving."

"It can't be."

"It's true, and now you have to join forces with Herne, the elves, and the dwarves to stop the rift. We both saw the crack in Gaia's dome."