Moon Spun (22 page)

I caught up with Melia and whispered, “What’s that thing behind us?”

After a quick glance, Melia said, “Blurker.”

I checked the pouch to make sure Ari was tucked safely inside before whispering, “As in ‘the pixie-eating blurker?’”

Melia nodded without further explanation. Consequently, I had no idea if there was a single blurker responsible for wiping out Ari’s family or a whole butt load of them.

Truthfully, I was a little ticked off at Melia and Ryker.

I hissed at Melia’s back. “Why didn’t you tell me this place is so gross?”

She turned her head slightly. “You wouldn’t have come.” I had to bite my lip to keep from saying something disrespectful to my grandmother.

The toadlings marched us through a gate in the interior wall, across a cobblestone courtyard to a long flight of stone stairs leading downward. The steep stone stairway was so narrow we had to form a single-file line. It had no hand railing, and the stones beneath our feet were slippery. One misstep and we’d all go down like dominos.

The thought of landing on one of the repulsive toadlings was enough to make me tread carefully.

358

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we stood before double wooden doors. One of the guards croaked out a command, and the doors swung open, releasing a cacophony of strange sounds and a rush of musty-smelling air. For the smell factor alone, the Unseelie Court topped my list of Places To Never Go Again.

The toadling escorted us through the doors. I tried not to scream as the doors slammed shut behind us. We stood in the center aisle of a high-ceilinged, cavernous room filled with long wooden tables and benches. Dozens of flickering torches bathed the room in dim, yellow light. Waving roots with grasping fingers dangled from the ceiling. It was then I realized we were beneath a giant mound of earth. Subterranean. I shivered again. Moss crawled over the walls. The benches overflowed with an assortment of fae creatures, some who looked human, others who appeared to be the result of science experiments gone horribly wrong. All of them were staring at us in eerie silence. Fighting the panic welling up in my chest, I sucked in air and stepped close to Melia. She took my hand and squeezed. “Courage, Avalon, courage,”

she murmured.

Courage was hard to come by, especially with the denizens of the castle creeping closer to get a better look at us, no doubt sizing us up for the cooking pot.

“Fee lions behind you,” Melia hissed.

I swiveled my head just in time to see a pair of cat-like creatures crouched and ready to spring. No larger than a foot high, they had the wings of a bat, the speckled limbs of a toad and broad faces with beady black eyes. When I stared them down, they snarled and snapped their sharp yellow teeth.

“Jitter! Jabber!” A woman’s voice called out. “Behave yourselves.”

Reluctantly, I tore my gaze away from the dark faeries, hoping lack of eye contact wouldn’t encourage them to draw closer. At the front of the room, a woman, dressed in a blood-red gown, stood upon a raised platform. Ryker was on her left, a young woman with light-brown hair to her right.

“Melia.” The woman’s voice was high-pitched, yet strident. “Come to me at once. You’d best bring your granddaughter with you, in case Jitter and Jabber require a snack.” She laughed heartily at her own joke. Personally, I saw nothing funny in the remark.

Melia turned to me and whispered, “Are you ready to meet the dark queen?”

I gulped loudly and squeezed her hand. “I was born ready.”

359

Chapter Twenty Seven

I threw back my shoulders and walked proudly down the center aisle next to my grandmother. She didn’t seem nervous at all. Whenever a dark faery crept close to her, she fixed it with a stern look and said, “Shoo,” like she was talking to a bug. Immediately, the creature would flit away. As for me, I could scarcely bear to look any place but straight ahead. The one time I dared to look elsewhere, I saw a creature with a misshapen head and jagged teeth ripping the flesh off an entire sheep leg. Wool and all. Blood dripped off the creature’s chin as it watched me pass. I gagged; totally grateful I hadn’t eaten recently.

Before we reached Phaedra, Melia whispered, “It would be a good idea not to look directly into the Dark Queen’s eyes.”

Oh great, another bit of information she’d overlooked, no doubt with life–or-death implications.

“Why?” I hissed back at her.

“Must you always ask why? Just do as I say.”

Grumbling under my breath, I fixed my gaze on Ryker, who was trying not to smile as his gaze skimmed over my apple-infused outfit. In response, I jammed the apple crown on my head and stuck my nose in the air.

I took Melia’s advice and used only quick, sidelong glances to study Phaedra. A tall, thin woman with blue skin, she wore a crown of dead leaves. Her straight black hair was streaked with royal blue highlights. As we approached, she held out her arms to Melia, who stopped just out of reach. Phaedra said, “Sister, it’s been too long. Will you not allow me to hug you?”

Melia did not mince words. “We are not sisters, as well you know. And, why should I embrace the one who enslaved my people?”

Okay, so much for diplomacy. Ryker rolled his eyes in disbelief, as if to say , not part of the plan. Phaedra waved her hands and glared. “How dare you accuse me thusly? You abandoned your folk. I have cared for them all these years, while you engaged in unholy union with a mortal! You should be grateful to me.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off Phaedra’s fluttering fingernails. Pale blue, they extended over the end of her fingers and curved into sharp talons. With one swipe, she might easily scoop out an eyeball.

“If you care for them so much, you would set them free,” Melia said. I risked a glance at Phaedra’s face. With a sly smile, she said, “But sister, I have only their welfare at heart. Chances are, you would abandon them again.”

Melia’s face flushed to a deep forest green. “Never!” she exclaimed. Melia peered around the great hall. “If you are so devoted, why have I seen neither hide nor hair of my folk since we arrived?

my folk since we arrived?

For all I know, they may be dead.”

Score one for Melia. Phaedra stretched out her neck and hissed, “Out of concern for their well being, I ordered my guards to lock them in the kitchen. During the Lammas revels, the Unseelie Court is not safe for forest faeries and their offspring.”

Melia put her hands on her hips and smirked. “Are you saying the Dark Queen cannot control her own faeries? Perhaps you should return my folk to me for protection.” She paused and stroked her chin. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and beguiling. “When we take our rightful place in the Seelie Court, I would be in a position to plead your cause.” She bobbed her head toward the young woman beside Phaedra. “Your ambition for your daughter is common knowledge.”

360

Phaedra turned toward her daughter. As she did so, she exposed her hollow back and dark-blue, leathery wings. She held out a hand to the young woman, who stepped forward. “May I present my daughter, the Princess Oleander?”

Melia hadn’t warned me against looking in Oleander’s eyes, so I checked her out. Despite the hollow back and wings she’d inherited from her mother, she was quite pretty, with wavy brown hair, dark blue eyes and pale, blue skin. She dropped a little curtsy and smiled sweetly. Not to be outdone, Melia grabbed my arm and pushed me forward. “And, may I present my granddaughter, Princess Avalon. Perhaps you’ve heard of her.”

No curtsy from me. I ducked my chin and said, “Pleased to meet you.”

Because I wasn’t looking at her face, I had no way to anticipate Phaedra’s next move. She reached out and grabbed my chin, forcing my head back. In a whispery voice, she said, “Why do you not look in my eyes, Princess Avalon? Are you afraid?”

“Of course not,” I lied. Thankfully, Ryker chose that moment to intervene. He moved next to me, threw an arm around my shoulder and pulled me from Phaedra’s grasp.

“My queen,” he said.

“Avalon is from Boundland. She does not meet your eyes out of respect. Isn’t that right, Avalon?”

He gave me a little squeeze of encouragement. I nodded in agreement, keeping my gaze on the floor.

“Well!” Phaedra huffed. “In the Unseelie Court, it is a sign of disrespect not to look in the queen’s eyes. Please do so at once.”

Okay, rock and hard place. Look or don’t look. Before I could decide I felt Phaedra’s talons scrape lightly across my cheek. I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

“Sweet child,” Phaedra crooned. “Those of mixed blood are always welcome in my court.”

Her voice was low and seductive, lulling me into sweet compliance. Just as I raised my eyes to look, I heard the distinctive whirr of pixie wings, and Maddie lit on the end of my nose. She put her hands on her hips and whispered, “Don’t do it.”

Phaedra’s hand left my cheek, and she made a vicious swipe for the pixie. With a high-pitched giggle, Maddie darted out of harm’s way and flew toward the ceiling.

Higher and higher she flew, all of her attention focused on the scene below.

“Maddie!” I screamed. “Watch out!”

Too late! One of the dangling roots swung over next to her and clamped its long, pale fingers around her tiny body. Within seconds, the dark fae set up such a clamor, all I could do was look around in confusion. Grunts and squeals. Waving limbs. Open mouths. Finally, realization slammed into me and I screamed to Ryker, “They want Maddie. Do something!”

Ryker’s face was grim and pale beneath his tan. He jumped into the melee, extending an arm and yelling, “Me! Me!” One of larger dark fae picked Ryker up and threw him over a table. Melia screamed at Phaedra, “Release my pixie at once.”

Unconcerned, Phaedra shrugged. “Out of my hands. Dark fae are terribly fond of pixies.”

Melia drew her sword fern and pointed it at Phaedra. “Do it now!”

Phaedra gave the sword a disdainful look and laughed. Princess Oleander plucked at Phaedra’s sleeve, her blue eyes brimming with tears. “Please, Mother.”

The sound of Ari’s high-pitched squeal split the air. “My Maddie! My Maddie. Eeeeee!”

I ran down the aisle, pushing my way through clusters of repulsive fae. Maybe I could jump high enough to grab the pixie before she fell into an open mouth. I jockeyed for position under the spectral hand as it swung back and forth over the clamoring crowd. Finally, it stopped over a tall creature with swooping, winged eyebrows and two rows of sharp, pointy teeth. (A bogey, I would find out later.)

361

The hand didn’t just drop Maddie into the bogey’s clutches. It threw her like a fast ball. The poor little pixie didn’t have a chance. As she tumbled downward, she made a desperate effort to orient herself. Her wings fluttered frantically, but it was too late. The bogey stretched out an arm and snatched her out of the air. He smacked his lips in anticipation, holding Maddie aloft for the others to admire. Maddie was making pitiful keening sounds, echoed by her sister in my pouch. The bogey lifted his free hand toward Maddie’s wings.

Now, Allie, now! I touched a moon missile to the moonstone still tucked under my shirt, took aim at the bogey’s leering face and fired. It barely nicked his chin, whizzing by without making direct contact. The bogey rubbed his chin and swiveled his head, trying to get a bead on the offender. Still clutching Maddie in his talons, his malevolent black gaze settled on me. I grabbed another moon missile out of the pouch.

The bogey stepped closer, peeled back his lips and flashed jagged, green-tinged fangs. I yanked the moonstone out of my shirt and touched the smaller stone to its surface. Taking aim at the bogey’s forehead, I wound up and threw the tiny stone as hard as I could.

The missile sizzled through the air and struck the bogey squarely between the eyes and disappeared without leaving a mark. With a bellow of rage, he crumpled to the floor. Maddie scrambled from his limp fingers and flew to me. I snatched her out of the air and tucked the trembling pixie inside the pouch next to her sister. Even though their shrill and joyous reunion made my ears hurt, I didn’t mind.

Phaedra waved her arms and shouted, “Guards!”

Within seconds, I was surrounded by toadlings, their spears aimed at my body. I didn’t have to look into Phaedra’s eyes to figure out she was in a towering rage.

“You dare to come into my court and kill one of my folk?”

“It was trying to eat my friend.”

Silence fell over the Unseelie Court as each and every fae creature eagerly followed our conversation. They were probably hoping I was the next course.

Phaedra turned to Melia. “Your granddaughter cast her spell with great accuracy. Her magic is strong.” She paused and gave Melia a sly smile. “But, tell me, why did you not save the pixie?” She paused and waved her hand. “Never mind. I already know. Over the years, your magic has weakened. It is of no use to you in the Unseelie Court which is why you brought your granddaughter along to fight your battles. But tell me, dear sister, how do you intend to compensate me for the death of my bogey?”

With a loud groan, the bogey sat up and rubbed his head.

“Oops, Mr. Bogey isn’t dead after all,” I said.

Melia reached over the guards and cupped my face in her palms. She looked deeply into my eyes.

“Your spell must have worn off, Avalon.” She emphasized the word spell. It was then I realized Phaedra hadn’t seen the stone flying through the air. She’d seen the movement of my arm and thought I’d disabled the bogey by casting a spell.

I nodded. “Yes, I need to work on that spell. It should last longer.”

Melia stepped away from the guards and turned to Phaedra. “To answer your question, I allowed Avalon to cast the spell. It is good practice for her.” She looked around the room. “However, your folk injured my Love Talker. What do you intend to do about that?”

Ryker! The last I’d seen of him, he was flying through the air. I peeked over the toadlings’ heads and spotted him, wobbly as a newborn colt, staggering drunkenly toward the raised platform.

“My queens,” he slurred. “I am fine.” With that, his knees buckled and he plopped down on the stone floor.