36. The Fellowship of the Sam

"Och, it's about time. No lollygagging. Let's go." Maggie, Dave's beautiful banshee girlfriend, was standing, arms crossed, expression annoyed. I hadn't seen her since she'd accused me of sleeping with Dave a few months ago. Pale Irish skin, long black hair, and big blue eyes, she'd been spitting mad and I'd been horribly confused. And terrified she'd let loose her banshee wail and crack the glass wall of The Slaughtered Lamb that held back tons of seawater. It had been a big misunderstanding, but I knew she'd felt guilty for the accusation afterward. It was probably why she was here today.

Chairs scraped against the slate tiles as Grim, the grumpy dwarf who'd been sitting on my last stool since my bookstore and bar had opened, and Liam, my kind selkie friend who was still recovering from his possession, stood.

"I don't understand. What are you all doing here?"

"As you said this evening"—Clive wrapped his arm around me—"you have fae friends. These three volunteered to go with you."

My eyes flooded. I wasn't alone.

"None of that!" Maggie shouted. "He's paying us, so keep the tears in check." She pointed to the huge, gnarled tree roots. "There's a pixie that wants to talk to you. Then we go."

I moved toward Martha's grave and saw Pippin standing on the topmost root. "Hello."

"I'mgoingwithyou."

As before, it took a moment for my mind to translate his fast, high-pitched words. "With me?"

"Oh, no you're bloody well not, pixie man. I won't have your chirpy little voice in my ears the whole way." Maggie glared at Pippin.

"Gofuckyourself,banshee."

"Well, this ought to be fun." As Grim and Liam looked rather miserable at the prospect of our journey, I added, "Regardless of what you promised Clive, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

Clive's arm tightened around my waist. "Yes they do."

"Wedon'tneedanyofthem.I'lltakeyou." Pippin hopped off the root and swaggered over to me.

Clive went down on one knee and looped the sword sheath around my waist and thigh, his hands lingering on my hips, not wanting this final task to be done. Reluctantly, he stood.

"Okay, so we're all clear. We're just going to tell the queen we're hunting down Leticia. We're trying to keep the fae safe and then we're out of there, right?"

At their nods, we all moved to the tavern entrance.

"The mirror's on the back wall," I said.

"We can feel it," Grim grumbled as he stomped through the doorway.

Clive held me back, pulling me into his arms. "I know you," he whispered in my ear. "When you're thinking about doing some horribly selfless thing, remember you have become necessary for my survival." Kissing my neck, he took my hand and led me toward the others who were gathered around the mirror.

"It's strong, isn't it? That pull?"

My four fae traveling companions all turned to me. "You feel it?" Liam asked.

"Of course."

He turned to Clive. "Do you feel it?"

Shaking his head, he said, "Nothing."

Liam's head tilted to the side as he studied me. "Odd."

Grim leaned over and picked up Pippin, letting him ride on his shoulder. They were the first to step into the mirror. The surface rippled, like a large stone had been dropped into a still lake. Maggie didn't give us a backward glance before she followed them in.

Liam paused. Eyes averted, he said, "We'll look after her." Then he, too, was through the portal.

"Looks like it's my turn through the looking glass."

"Just make sure you hurry home, Alice." Clive checked my backpack and sword again, reticent to say goodbye.

"I'll be back in no time." Please, let that be the truth. "We have a wedding to plan, after all. I'm sorry I'll miss the engagement party."

"Don't remind me," he groused. "You better go. Time is different in Faerie. They might already have been waiting a few days for you."

"Jeez, I hope not. Maggie already hates me."

"She doesn't hate you. She's afraid of leaving Dave, of not getting back. The same as we all are."

"Right." I kissed him with all I could muster and then stepped into the frame. "I love you!"

The words were echoing in my head as I looked around. Meadow. I was in a meadow blanketed with wildflowers: purples and blues and pinks and whites. Remembering, I spun around, looking for a way out and finding the massive trunk of an enormous tree. It was like the one on our side, the one they hollowed out for The Wicche Glass. Was this the backside of that same tree? Did it straddle the realms?

I pushed on the trunk, trying to find the portal, but only found bark.

"Isearchedthetree.Can'tfindawayback." Pippin sat on a high branch, watching me.

"It can be done, though. When that monster was beating the crap out of me, a warrior stepped through the mirror from this side and dragged the body back."

"Hmm." He popped up and raced around the tree again. "Don'tcallthemmonsters.Theyhatethat." Hopping over huge gnarled roots a minute later, he said, "Maybe.There'sasoftspotontheback.Can'tfigureouthowtopushthrough.MightneedagiftfromHerMagestytodoit."

"Where are the others?" The meadow, with a sparkling pond on the edge, was surrounded by deep, dark woods. Tiny, colorful creatures flitted over the water. "Are those fairies?"

Pippin followed my gaze. "Aye."

"The others?" This was idyllic, but we had a job to do.

"Searching.Noneofushaveusedthisentrance.They'retryingtofindwhichwaytothepalace." He tapped my ankle and pointed up. "CanI?"

"Oh, sure." I reached down to pick him up and he scrambled up my arm to sit on my shoulder. "Okay?"

"Aye."

"Couldn't we just ask the fairies which way to go?" I took one step into the meadow and Pippin yanked my earlobe. "Hey!"

"Watchwhereyou'restepping.Flowerfairiesareeverywhere.Yousquishone,andtherestwillhuntyoudown."

"Oh." I stepped back onto the moss at the base of the tree. "Will the others be back soon?"

"Theysetoutrightbeforeyousteppedthrough.Beaminute."

While we waited, I tried to find Clive in my mind, assure him I was all right. There was nothing. I was completely cut off from the dead. Mostly. There was something there, something I couldn't quite reach.

"Got it," Grim's deep, gravelly voice broke the silence. He pointed past the pond. "That way. Not too far."

A few minutes later, Liam and Maggie returned. Grim pointed and we headed out. I thought I was being careful where I stepped, but still Pippin pulled my ear every time I was about to step on a mushroom or a tree root. The others seemed to instinctively know where they could place their feet, so I followed in their footsteps and stopped getting my ear pulled.

The forest was thick in all directions. Lush and green. Trunks were festooned with flowering vines. They hung like garlands between trees. The forest floor was covered in moss, dotted with tiny white flowers.

The path turned and we were walking through a much darker, denser portion of the woods. An icy breeze was at my back, making me shiver. Breathing. I was hearing breathing and felt someone's eyes on me. When I turned my head, searching for the source, Pippin tugged my ear and quietly whispered, "Don'tlook."

A vine dropped from a branch above. I lifted my hand to brush it out of the way but received another tug. Understanding in that second that the vine would have snatched me away had I touched it, I ducked underneath and kept going. Pippin patted my shoulder.

My four companions and I were silent. We all felt the menace studying us, deciding, so we tried to do nothing to incite its ire. Thankfully, ten very tense minutes later, the path turned again and the dark presence weighing on us lifted.

Just to be safe, I waited a few more minutes before saying, "Thank you guys for coming. Without you, I'd still be in the meadow, getting pummeled by fairies for stepping on flowers."

Maggie forced a laugh, glancing uneasily around. "Those little hussies are right vicious."

Grim grunted at that.

When I got too distracted by the beauty around me, Pippin would flick my ear, reminding me to pay attention. We'd only walked a half mile or so when the light changed. The trees were farther apart. Dappled sunlight led the way out.

I'd started hearing the buzz of voices a while ago, but as we stepped out from the trees, I was hit with a dizzying array of creatures: all shapes, sizes, and colors. Although many had a humanoid form, certainly not all did. Some resembled nothing so much as a rhino or a gorilla. Fairies in an array of glittering colors flitted this way and that. Someone who looked very much like a horse trotted by, nodding to the vendors who called out to him.

Colorful pennants flapped in the breeze, leading the way to the white palace. Vendors had stalls along the sides of the dirt road: food, drinks, fabrics, jewelry, oils, herbs…I could have spent the afternoon exploring their goods, but there was no time. When I appeared a bit too interested in a jewelry stand, I was given an ear flick. Right. Focus.

Scanning the crowded, chaotic road ahead, I looked for my companions and realized I'd lost them. I was hurrying to catch up when a man stepped into my path. He was tall and quite thin, with a long face and razor-sharp cheekbones. Large black eyes and a bluish cast to his skin, he wore a black tunic and trousers with a complicated belt that held two daggers.

He looked me up and down hungrily, and I tasted bile at the back of my throat. "And who do we have here?"

Heart lodged in my throat, I searched for my companions again but couldn't find any of them. Stupid. I let Faerie cast its spell and distract me. "I come seeking an audience with the queen. I have a message from…the human realm."

He moved closer, inhaling my scent. "Why don't you give me the message then?"

I stepped back and tried to move around him, but no matter which way I went, he was right in front of me.

"Whydon'tyoufuckoff?" Pippin said, brandishing his tiny sword.

It was too fast. Even I could barely register the movement. I felt a breeze at my neck and then his dagger was back in his belt and Pippin was no longer on my shoulder. No! Frantic, I spun, looking for my pixie friend. Please, don't let him be dead.

Finally, I saw him on the top of a vendor's cart. He was holding his head, but he was alive. "Pippin, are you okay?" I tried to move forward, to get him back, when long, thin, steely arms slid around my waist.

A voice breathed at my ear, "You turn your back on me? That's going to cost you."

I froze, trembling, terrified.

His nose caressed my cheek. "I'll just have to think of a way for you to make it up to me."

The people around us showed no interest; indeed they were all looking away from us. When one of his long, bony hands slid between my legs, I couldn't think past never again. My claws shot out, thankfully proving I could shift in Faerie. I stabbed them over my head, where I knew his head to be, and then yanked him over my shoulder, slamming him to the ground. Silvery blood was already running down his face. He was reaching for both knives when I sliced my claws though his neck, sending his head spinning away.

Silence. Every fae creature had stopped what they were doing and was silently staring at the dead fae at my feet. Then their gazes fixed on me, wobbly, hyperventilating me. Fuuuuuuucccckkkk. One job. I had one job.

Marching feet were moving in my direction. I couldn't run. I had no idea where to go. Besides, I still needed to talk with the queen. And where were Grim, Liam, and Maggie? Had we been separated on purpose?

I plucked Pippin off the cart and moved toward the palace. The fae stared but got out of my way. "Maggie!" I ran through the tents and around vending carts, looking for my friends. "Grim! Liam!"

When I made it back to the main road, I didn't get more than a few steps before a wall of warriors was blocking me. The wall consisted of three warriors, but they were quite broad. The ones on each side had their swords drawn. The one in the middle had his arms crossed over his impressive chest, studying me.

"You have taken a life. Yours is now forfeit," he declared, voice hard and cold.

Clive was going to kill me. "I've come to deliver a message to the queen. That man laid hands on me first. I defended myself."

"That may be true. It may not. Regardless, you'll come with us now."

"But—"

Something sharp poked my back. I spun and found two more warriors with their swords drawn. Understanding I had no choice, I turned back, nodded, and followed the men, though I still scanned the crowd, looking for the others.

The men were stripped to the waist, with a leather bandoleer holding daggers looped across their muscular chests. At their waists were sheaths for swords, one on each side. The bottom halves of their bodies were clothed in breeches tucked into boots.

They marched me past a dizzying array of fae, all of whom had given up even the pretense of doing anything other than watching them escort me to the steps of the white marble palace. It had domes and turrets and was everything a fairy-tale castle should be.

The soldiers shoved me to my knees and then stepped back, ranging around me, ready to attack if I tried to escape. The one in charge unsheathed his sword and motioned to my hands. "How did you do that?"

Assuming he meant my claws, I said, "I'm a werewolf."

"Yes, I know. You shouldn't be able to shift in Faerie, though. How did you?" He didn't sound angry, more curious.

It hit me then. I knew that face. I'd been battered and bloody, looking up at him from the tavern floor. He was the one who'd stepped through the mirror in the Wicche Glass to drag the Orc who'd attacked me back into Faerie. How had he come through in the opposite direction?

"I'm the last descendent of the origin."

"Is that how you were able to survive against my soldier?"

Damn, if that monster was a soldier, I could only hope he didn't have a platoon at the ready. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Maggie, Grim, and Liam were being herded to the palace steps as well.

"Why did you send a soldier to kill me?"

"Not to kill you. Test you." He glanced at my friends before focusing on me once more. "What message do you have for my mistress Gloriana?"

I hesitated a moment, not knowing if I should tell anyone other than the queen herself or if that would add to my crimes against Faerie. When Pippin flicked me, I said, "There is a vampire in our realm who is killing the fae."

The change in the warrior was immediate. He'd been ridiculously scary before. In that instant, his expression turned fierce and unforgiving. Muscles taut and ready to spring, he leaned in, forcing me to cringe back as I stared up into his enraged face.

"Who is killing my people?" The question dripped from his lips, one poisoned word at a time.