Chapter Forty-Two

Organ Donor

Vince

“How the fuck did I never know that the crossing to Otherworld is in Tirnal Park?” I grumbled as we climbed out of my car early Thursday morning.

The small parking lot for visitors to Tirnal Park was empty except for us. Mist was still swirling low over the grass, between the trees, and suddenly I could see how this place could contain an entrance to Otherworld. It looked like somewhere ancient fae would have hidden, the trees old and towering, the mist almost purplish-blue in the weak morning light.

“I was taught that the fae who crossed over here were the first to start the settlement that became this city,” Crossbody told me, shivering as he pulled his coat on and walked around the car to pop the trunk. “Which attracted other supernaturals and, of course, humans. But I’m not sure how true it is. We fae like to write our own history a lot of the time.”

“Huh.” I looked around as I helped him heave our suitcase out of the trunk. “So this is where you snuck over to when you were younger?”

“Yes. The first time, I just watched people in the park. There was a young human couple having a moonlight picnic. He proposed to her.” He smiled a little, then shrugged. “The next time, I ventured further. Onto the streets.”

We were on the northernmost edge of the city, very close to the district with a lot of supernatural-run businesses, like Gargy’s and Fauntastic Foods. It made sense now that I knew the Otherworld crossing was here. This was probably where the original settlement had been located.

I took the suitcase from Crossbody and stepped closer, slipping my arm under his coat to stroke his side. “How are you feeling?”

Neither of us had slept well last night. When I’d eventually dozed off, an hour or so after him, I’d woken up a short while later to find him downstairs in the kitchen making cannoli. We’d left them in a container on my uncle’s front porch on our way here.

He gave me a tiny smile and struggled to answer for a second, then admitted, “Afraid.”

“You’ll be fine.” I leaned in to kiss him, tasting the toothpaste on his breath and feeling the cold tip of his nose against my cheek. “I’ll be there.”

“Yes.” He blew out an unsteady breath and kissed my cheek, then stepped back and gestured at the open park gate.

We’d decided to head to the palace today instead of Friday, in an attempt to catch Queen Galantha off guard a little. She was probably expecting Crossbody to show up at the last minute, knowing how much he didn’t want to go back.

Plus, this way, we’d definitely be there when Freddie kicked off the plan tomorrow.

“I downloaded a few movies on my phone in case we want to watch something tonight,” I said as we started walking through the still and silent park, not another soul in sight. Freddie had told me that I wouldn’t get any signal at all in Otherworld, which made sense.

Of course, that also meant there was no way for us to contact each other once I’d crossed over. But I trusted him. He wasn’t going to be late. Freddie was never late.

Crossbody smiled at me, his breath puffing out in little clouds of steam in the chilly early morning air. “Thank you.”

I’d also secretly packed a few other things, but I wasn’t going to tell him about them until later. I was pretty sure he’d need to have his mind taken off what was going to happen tomorrow.

We followed the path for a while, the gritty rumble of the suitcase wheels rolling over the ground sounding overly loud. Then Crossbody led us onto the grass, toward the tree line of the forest that stretched away from the city.

“So how come humans never manage to stumble on the crossing and end up in Otherworld?” I asked, keeping my voice hushed even though no one else was around.

“They do sometimes. Rarely. But the other side is heavily guarded.”

“So that’s why I need the passport?” I asked wryly. “What happens to them? The humans who accidentally cross over?”

Crossbody’s shoulders hunched. “It’s not very pleasant. They’re knocked out and force-fed a potion that makes them unable to speak about what they saw or try and reach Otherworld again.”

“Right. Sounds very fae.”

He nodded. “I think it gives them an overwhelming sense of dread if they get anywhere near the crossing. Makes them want to flee immediately. I don’t know if it extends across the whole park.”

“Like panic in the woods.”

He glanced over at me, brows twitching in confusion.

“This phenomenon.” I explained shortly with a wave of my hand, because it wasn’t important. “Just where people suddenly get really scared if they’re in a forest. Could explain it.”

“Maybe. Or that could be because humans are so disconnected from nature now.”

I looked over at him. “Your garden looked really nice. When I walked through it to, uh, kind of break into your house.”

He huffed in amusement. “Thank you. It comforts me.”

“Bet it took a lot of time and hard work, huh?” I asked, trying not to get too angry about his mother threatening to take it all away from him. Everything he’d built for himself here.

“Yes.” After a pause, he sheepishly added, “And money. Plants are very expensive here, which is strange to me.”

I chuckled. “I don’t have enough patience to keep a plant alive and healthy.”

We stepped past the tree line, and I picked up the suitcase so it wasn’t bumping over the forest floor. Crossbody inhaled deeply, and I could sense him trying to relax, but his frame was growing stiffer and stiffer with every step we took.

Transferring the suitcase to my other hand, I reached out and twined my fingers through his, giving him a gentle squeeze. He clung on tightly, leading me with unwavering steps through the forest, knowing exactly where we had to go.

Fifteen minutes later, somewhere deep in the woods and far from any trails, we emerged into a small glade. I felt the pressure in the air change, making me shiver even though I was warm from the walk. The sun wasn’t high enough to breach the canopy around us yet, but the morning dew on the grass and leaves glittered. There was a ring of mushrooms in the dead centre of the clearing, and in front of us, two trees formed a natural archway, their branches seeming to reach for each other. But between them hung a tangle of thick thorns, almost like a net. Or a barrier.

We’d heard the morning song of birds the entire way here, but now it was dead silent. I couldn’t even hear the rustling of leaves anymore, and it felt like there was slight pressure on my eardrums.

Crossbody turned to face me, his skin ashen with dread now.

“There will be guards on the other side. As soon as we go through.”

I nodded, reaching into my coat pocket for my supernatural passport and giving him a reassuring grin. “I’m ready. Will we end up in your mom’s queendom? Like, will we step through and be in the Spring… court place?”

“No. It’s more like…” He thought for a moment. “A train station, where you change to continue your journey.”

“Right, okay.” I felt a little better, being able to picture something roughly in my head. “So… if there are guards, how come you were able to keep sneaking out?”

“They’re not the guards of any court, so they had no idea I was sneaking over against my mother’s wishes.” He shrugged a little. “They just knew I was a royal fae, so they let me through without question. None of the court monarchs have any power over the crossings, so she couldn’t make them stop me.”

“I see.” I gripped the suitcase handle tighter. “Well, I’m ready when you are.”

His gaze grew fearful as he glanced over at that natural archway with its thorn barrier, so I stepped closer and cupped his chin to turn his head back to me.

“This’ll be over soon,” I murmured, leaning up to kiss him. “And I’ll be with you. Okay?”

He nodded, clutching the front of my shirt under my coat. His throat bobbed, mouth opening and closing a few times before he rasped, “Vince, I…”

I waited for him to keep speaking, but after a few seconds he let go and stepped back, squaring his shoulders and giving me a nod.

“I’m ready. We should shift now, so we don’t get mistaken for humans.”

“Okay.” I wondered what he’d been about to say, realising my heart was beating a little faster, but not from nerves about crossing over to Otherworld. From something else.

I shifted into my usual form at the same time he did, his huge wings appearing and flexing a few times, like they wanted to stretch out. Taking my hand, Crossbody led me to the ring of mushrooms. We stepped carefully over them and stopped in the centre.

For what felt like at least a minute, nothing happened. Then the thorny growth ahead of us began to slowly retract, creeping back and wrapping itself around the two trees. As it went, it looked like it was pulling fine gossamer threads of spiderweb with it, shimmering strands clinging to each tiny thorn and stretching wider, weaving themselves together until the archway was filled with an opalescent haze.

“We won’t have long to walk through when we leave the ring.” Crossbody’s voice was husky with nerves. “About ten seconds at the most.”

I nodded, gripping his hand tighter. As one, we stepped out of the ring and walked swiftly across the rest of the clearing. I felt Crossbody hesitate when we were just a few feet from the archway, so I squeezed his hand hard and pulled him through myself.

It felt like cool mist was settling heavily on my skin. Like I’d just unknowingly walked through cobwebs. For a split second I felt weightless, and couldn’t feel Crossbody’s hand in mine, which made me start to panic until we were suddenly stepping onto solid ground again and I felt his palm, now damp with sweat, clutched tightly in mine.

I reluctantly dropped his hand—because I was pretty sure butlers weren’t supposed to hold hands with their employers, unless rich people got up to stuff I didn’t know about—and looked around.

It was nothing like a train station.

We were in another clearing, this one far larger, and the trees surrounding us, stretching far into the distance in every direction, looked kind of weird. Their leaves were silvery, and fat apples in all different colours—blood red, off-white, vibrant green and pale pink—hung from their branches.

Within the clearing, four crumbling stone archways were spaced evenly apart ahead of us. The one furthest on the left had a cherry blossom tree growing over it, sprinkling the ground with a constant supply of pink petals despite the tiny, whole flowers still covering every inch of it. Climbing roses and clematis were wrapped around the archway, twining together in an explosion of peach and pale purple.

The one next to it was shaded by a tree dripping with golden-yellow flowers, with what I thought were passionflowers climbing up the archway, the white and blue blooms almost alien-looking.

Further to the right, the tree growing over this archway was dropping golden-brown leaves, creating a blanket of them on the ground. Like the cherry blossom though, its branches were still full.

Lastly, to the far right, the final archway sat beneath a completely bare tree that looked long dead. There seemed to be frost on the stone, making it glitter, before I noticed that there were actually icicles hanging down. It was weird as fuck to see all the seasons at once, somehow coexisting in the same space at the same time.

Two guards stood on either side of each archway, all of them wearing lightweight armour made of brown leather.

And all of them had swords.

Actual swords. Hanging from their hips and sticking up behind their backs. A tiny part of me wondered if there was any way I’d be able to steal one on our way back, just so I could say I owned a real sword.

There were some fae in the clearing, lingering between the archways and conversing. They looked so different from the fae in the human world. Their features were sharper, wings larger, and they were dressed in old-fashioned clothing—long, sweeping gowns and formal tunics like the one Crossbody was wearing.

I’d told him how handsome he looked when he’d put it on this morning, because his expression had been wildly uncomfortable. He did look handsome, more regal than I’d ever seen him before. The tunic was a delicate golden-tan colour that matched his hair perfectly, embroidered with sprays of flowers in pale pink and white. The matching pants were slim-legged, and his boots were made of soft leather.

I glanced over, about to ask him how he was feeling, when another guard suddenly appeared right in front of us with a very bored expression.

“Welcome to Otherworld Crossing two-two-seven, home of Otherworld’s largest mushroom tea shop,” he said in a voice that told me he’d already said it many, many times. Then he held out a hand. “Passports.”

“Otherworld’s largest what?” I asked curiously as Crossbody handed his passport over. It was kind of weird to hear this archaic-looking fae ask for something so mundane and modern, but I supposed, even here, they had to keep up with the times to some degree.

The guard gave me a blank look and jerked his chin to the left. I glanced over and saw a gigantic mushroom that had a window carved into its stalk. A fae was standing inside it, handing a steaming wooden cup to a customer.

“Wait, so is the mushroom the biggest in Otherworld or is the tea shop the biggest?” I asked. “Or is it the biggest tea shop located inside a mushroom—”

“Yes,” the guard said flatly, which didn’t really answer my question. Still looking completely uninterested, he flipped open Crossbody’s passport and scanned it, before his spine suddenly snapped straight.

“Prince Elvis,” he said in surprise. I had to purse my lips to hold in a tiny snort. “Welcome back.”

Crossbody raised his chin, and I could see that cold, aloof mask settling over him. For once, I was glad for it.

He gestured at me carelessly. “This is my butler. He’s coming to the palace with me.”

“Alright.” The guard cast me a wary look. “Protocol states that he still needs—”

“I have my passport,” I said smoothly, holding it out. “And my work permit papers.” Thanks to Freddie.

The guard took the bundle and opened my passport to give it a quick look, then scanned the papers.

“A ghoul,” he said, making Crossbody stiffen beside me. But then the guard’s brows rose as he glanced up at me. “And an organ donor. Nice. Are any of those available now?”

I stared at him. “What?”

“Any of those organs up for grabs now?” he asked again, which did not make me feel any better. “A tonsil? Maybe a lung? Ooh, or a kidney. I haven’t had a good kidney in ages—”

“My butler’s organs are not available for consumption,” Crossbody interrupted coldly, making all the blood drain from my face.

Consumption? The fuck?

The guard pouted a little but nodded and handed my papers back. “Thought I’d ask. I’ll escort you to the Spring Crossing.”

Despite being mostly distracted by the fact that a fae guard had just asked if I’d be willing to give him any of my organs for him to eat, I was a little shocked that it had been so easy for me to cross over. I’d been expecting some kind of pushback, but I supposed these guards didn’t have to care about the reasons why folk were travelling through as long as they had the right paperwork. Seemed like some things were the same wherever you went.

Well, except I’d never knowingly met a cannibalistic guard in the human world before.

“What… um, the fuck was that about?” I muttered to Crossbody as we followed the guard toward the archway with the cherry blossom tree. As we got closer, I could see that there was a rose-gold gate within it, the metal twisted into flowering vines.

“Some fae still follow the old traditions,” he murmured back.

“And the old traditions include eating ghoul organs?” I hissed in mild panic.

“Human, normally, but it’s not considered cannibalism if it’s not a fae, so those who practise it don’t really care what the being is. And there is powerful magic in consuming an organ given willingly by another living creature.” Crossbody gave me a tentative smile. “It’s a compliment, really.”

“Uh…” I shot the guard a wary look. “’Kay. I’m… flattered?”

“Prince Elvis of the Spring Court and his butler,” the guard told the two standing by the archway. They both bowed before stepping inward to unlock the gate and open it.

I almost reached over to grab Crossbody’s hand again, nerves suddenly flooding my belly as I stared at the blurry wall of pink and blue and lilac within the archway. I was about to meet Crossbody’s mother. A fae queen. The person who’d treated him like shit his whole life. Who’d called him nothing but her property to control however she wanted.

I wasn’t nervous because the thought of meeting her intimidated me. I was nervous because I knew I’d want to punch her in the face the moment I saw her, and that probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do.

“Ready?” Crossbody murmured to me, but he was the one who’d gone pale with dread. Who looked like he wanted to turn around and sprint away. Who suddenly looked so vulnerable that my throat closed up, and all I wanted to do was take this stress away from him.

“Yes.” I gave him a tiny smile of encouragement, then, remembering the guards, I tacked on, “Sir.”

That made Crossbody blink in surprise and smile back at me. Gripping the handle of our suitcase, I waited for him to step through the archway, then followed.

Time to meet the queen.