Fairy Lies (9 page)

Lamia Lynn glanced down at her shoulder and laughed. “You mutht feel better now! You thpit up all over uth both. Come along, my darling. We need to get cleaned up. I’ll be right back,” she said, turning to Jak. “Pleathe, make yourthelf comfortable.”

Left by himself, Jak’s gaze wandered around the cavernous room that somehow had a cozy feel to it. The crystal jars dotted the walls in a flowing, swirling pattern, both lighting the room and decorating it. Long, low cushions covered with brightly colored fabric made of woven grass lined the floor by the walls, perfect for reclining lamias. Tables of various heights were set around the room, some holding quill pens and parchment, others supporting stacks of books, some of which looked familiar. He wondered if the lamias ever went through the gates to the human world.

Jak yawned, worn out from a very long day. He took a seat by a table covered with books and picked up one at random. While thumbing through the book, his eyes closed and his head lolled back. Only a few minutes after sitting down, Jak was snoring.

It seemed only moments later that Jak woke to a raccoon goblin shaking him so hard that his head thumped against the wall behind him and the book he’d been holding slipped to the floor. Annoyed, he sat up and pushed away his old school friend’s fur-covered hand.

“We found him!” Herbert announced. “He knew all about it.”

Tobi hopped up onto the seat beside Jak. “I’m surprised to see you here, Jak! I’ve heard that the gates are acting all squirrelly—opening for a little while, then closing so fast hardly anyone knew they were open at all. Seems just about nobody’s coming through lately. But that’s enough about you. I’ve been busy since you left, Jak. I’m in the information business now. After Titania made me spy on you, she decided that I was pretty useful and had me keep an eye on some other people, too. I got real good at it, so now I have a network set up all over the place. I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“He means he has lots of relatives scattered around,” said Herbert. “They can’t stand living close to each other, so they live all over the place.”

“Huh,” grunted Tobi. “Anyway, I’ve been cultivating my connections lately.”

“He visited his grandmother and saw his cousins and made up with his brother Yardley, whom he had a big fight with a few years ago,” Herbert explained. “He told us about it on our way here.”

“My relatives aren’t my only informants! I have others . . . ,” Tobi said, glancing around the cave as if he expected to see one.

“So what have you heard about Tamisin?” Jak asked.

“I was just getting to that,” said Tobi. “She’s here, all right, although she’s not
here
, if you know what I mean. Mountain Ash took Tamisin to Oberon’s court. Rumor has it that the fairy king thinks she’s his daughter. Titania thinks Oberon did it just to get at her, so she’s madder than I’ve ever seen her. Last I heard she was preparing her troops to head to the shore of the Southern Sea where the fairy king’s court has been living.”

“I need to get to Tamisin as soon as I can,” said Jak.

“I’ll go with you, ole buddy,” Tobi announced. “Two heads are better than one. Unless you’re a troll, and then they’re half as good as one.”

“We can take you part of the way,” offered Lamia Lou. “Can’t we, Thweetie?”

“Of course we can, Sugar Lips,” said Herbert.

“How far is it from here?” asked Jak.

“Jutht a minute,” Lamia Lou said. “I can thow you.” She left the room and was soon back holding a piece of
yellowed parchment. “Here we go. Thith map uthed to belong to my grandmother, but thingth can’t have changed much. Thith ith where we are,” she said, pointing to the large green spot on the map labeled Sograssy Sea. “And thith ith where Oberon’th court ith.” Her finger traced the uneven outline of a section marked “Oberon’s Forest” just above the wavery lines of the ocean.

“What’s that?” Jak asked, pointing to a line that ran from one side of the map to the other.

“That’th the Great Ditch. Herbert and I can take you that far, but after that you’ll be on your own.”

Herbert nodded. “The ditch has really steep sides, and I can’t climb. The Roaring River is at the bottom of the ditch, and Lamia Lou can’t swim.”

“I can climb and swim!” Tobi declared. “Don’t worry, Jak. I’ll stick with you. I always do!”

Jak glanced down at his little friend and sighed. He remembered all the times he’d counted on Tobi and the little goblin had run off. He wasn’t so sure how much help Tobi would be.

“Onthe we leave the Thograthy Thea, we have to make a choith,” said Lamia Lou, tapping the map with her finger. “Dragon Territory is full of dragonth, tho no one goeth that way. Rockth are alwayth crathing down from the Trembling Peakth, tho that way ith too dangerouth, too. I thuggetht we go through the Griffin Hunting Groundth. Griffinth are afraid of lamiath; we thould be thafe there.”

“What about after we cross the ditch?” asked Jak. “You won’t be with me then.”

“You’ll have to choothe between Troll Woodth, Thphinx Alley, or the Land of Forgetfulneth.”

“Troll Woods are full of trolls so stupid that they’re really dangerous,” said Tobi. “And no one knows what a sphinx will do. It’s impossible to tell what they’re thinking. I vote we go through the Land of Forgetfulness. I’ve heard that you’ll forget where you’re going unless you write it down, but if you do, it’s the safest route to take. Here, take a pencil and a piece of parchment.” The little goblin scurried across the room and took what he needed from a table.

“Then that’s how we’ll go. Thanks for all your help,” Jak said, turning from Lamia Lou to Herbert.

“Any time, ole buddy,” said Tobi. “Any time at all.”

Chapter 7

Dasras was off on another mission for Oberon when Malcolm brought Tamisin her new shoes. Tamisin was surprised that he had finished them so quickly. She picked them up to examine them, half expecting hurried and shoddy work. But although they looked as delicate as newly opened rosebuds, Tamisin was delighted to see that they were sturdy and well made.

“So are you just going to stare at them like some gapjawed fish or are you going to try them on and see how they fit?” asked the brownie.

“Do you talk to all fairies that way, or just me?” Tamisin asked as she sat down and pulled on one of the slippers.

Malcolm grunted. “I don’t generally talk to fairies.”

Tamisin glanced at him, expecting to see a smirk on his face, but he looked as if he was serious. “Why not?”

“Because I can’t stand ’em. Most fairies are either conceited idiots or just plain idiots. But if you ever tell anyone that I said that, I’ll deny it with my last dying breath.”

“And I’m not an idiot?” Tamisin asked as she wrapped the vinelike laces around her leg.

“Not as bad as most,” he replied. “You’re different.”

“I know. It’s my big feet, isn’t it?”

The brownie snorted. Tamisin had a feeling it was the closest he ever came to laughing. “It’s not the size of your feet I’m talking about. It’s the size of your heart. I think you have one, and I can’t say that about most fairies. There’s something else about you, though. I’m trying to figure out what it is.”

A shadow fell over Tamisin and she glanced up. It was Irinia, and she looked as surprised to see Malcolm as Tamisin had been. “What are you doing here?” the woman asked the brownie.

Tamisin held up the shoe she had yet to put on. “He brought my new shoes. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“They’re lovely, Your Highness,” said Irinia, looking even more surprised.

Grumbling to himself, Malcolm stomped off, leaving Tamisin and one of Irinia’s faces staring after him. “What an odd little man,” said Tamisin. “He says the strangest things.”

“Malcolm talked to you and he wasn’t insulting?” Irinia asked.

Tamisin nodded.

“This is a first. I’ve never known him to leave the other side of the briar hedge, let alone hold a conversation with someone. He must really like you.”

“Please sit down,” said Tamisin, patting the ground
beside her. “I’d enjoy your company. And you don’t need to call me Your Highness.”

Irinia took a seat on the grass beside Tamisin, sighing as she sat down. “It feels good to get off my feet. I was due a break, so I thought I’d come see you and ask if you have everything you need. I know fairies aren’t very good about that kind of thing; they rarely think of anyone but themselves. Do you need anything?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Tamisin told her. “Dasras has been taking care of me.”

“What do you think of our blue boy?”

“He’s very nice,” Tamisin replied, not sure how much she should say. She’d had conflicting feelings about Dasras all day, although she wasn’t sure why. Then Tamisin thought of a question she’d been dying to ask someone. “I thought Dasras was a fairy, but he said he isn’t. What is he then? I mean, he’s blue, so he can’t be a regular human.”

“I’ve heard that he’s the son of a demigod. Oberon adopted Dasras when the boy was little.”

“So I heard. If he’s the son of a demigod, does Dasras have any special abilities?”

“None that I know of. He thinks he has a way with girls, but he really doesn’t. Listen, before I go back to work, there’s something I wanted to tell you. Doing the kind of work I do, I hear a lot. Fairies tend to take the nymphs and me for granted and sometimes forget we’re there. Anyway, be careful. Most fairies can’t be trusted at the best of times,
and you’ve had enemies since the moment word got out that you existed. The fairies at Oberon’s court are very competitive. Because you’re his daughter, he’s bound to give you the attention they’ve been fighting over for years, and you won’t have to do anything to get it but be yourself.”

“Why are you telling me this? You really don’t know me.”

Irinia shrugged. “You remind me of my nieces. My twin sister married a human. They live in a place called New Jersey. I’ve been to visit them a few times, and I’m crazy about the kids.”

“You mean your sister is able to pass as a regular human?”

Irinia snorted. “Are you kidding me? It’s so easy! Look . . .” Turning around so her back was toward Tamisin, the woman squeezed her eyes shut, ran her fingers through her hair, and pulled it over the face on the back of her head. “A lot of my people go to the human world. We’re big fans of ice cream and television, and most of my family loves the Yankees. You know how people say someone has eyes in the back of their head? You’d be surprised how often it’s true! Anyway, I’ve got to go, but remember what I told you. Be careful!”

Irinia stood and was about to leave when Tamisin spoke up. “There is one thing: I was wondering when I’d be able to see my father again. Dasras said Oberon would send for me when he wants to see me. Should I wait for a messenger, or should I just go see him on my own?”

“If I were you, and it was my father,” said Irinia, “I’d go see him regardless of what anyone told me. But fairies are different, so . . .”

“Thanks,” Tamisin said, getting to her feet. “I think I’ll do just that. Do you know where I would find him at this time of day?”

“Probably in the glade where you first saw him. He’d be listening to petitioners right about now.”

Tamisin enjoyed her walk through the woods, even if she was by herself. She hadn’t wanted to come to the fairies’ world, but now that she was back, she was excited to see what each new day brought. Oberon was her father, which meant that she was a full-blooded fairy, and it was here, in the land of the fey, that she should feel most at home. Smiling, she hugged herself from sheer happiness, delighted that she finally knew where she belonged.