Night of the Dark Horse (An Allegra Fairweather Mystery) (12 page)

“It’s next week, right?”

She repeated the date, time and location.

“I’ll be there,” I said, hoping I wasn’t telling the worst lie of my life. Who knew how long I’d be in Fairyland.

Ronan drove west until Casper and I agreed it was time for us to get out and walk.

When we climbed out of the car, there was a needlessly sentimental moment, where Ronan pointed to his healed knee, teared up and enveloped me in a big hug.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” he said.

“Hey, don’t mention it.” I gave his back a comforting pat. “Aren’t you going to wish us luck?”

“Luck,” said Ronan.

With only one wish-pebble left, I was going to need it.

Chapter Eleven

From our position on the ridge bordering Fairyland, it looked like any other mist-shrouded valley. My belly tingled with excitement at the prospect of entering Fairyland for the first time. What lay beneath the mist? Was it magical and wonderful? Stark and terrible? Would I find the answers I sought? Well, not if I stayed there looking down at the fricking place.

I turned to Casper, who had a kind of faraway look in his eyes. “You ready for this?”

He nodded. A quick jerk of the chin as though he was a warrior again and preparing for the battle for his life.

“Okay, soldier, let’s move it out.”

We followed Dermot’s directions, and came to a jagged fissure in the ridge. I peered down into a well of shadowy grays and browns, sharp-edged rocks, and ledges hardly big enough for a handhold, let alone my size ten feet.

“Dermot said we have to go all the way to the bottom to find the way in,” I murmured without enthusiasm.

Casper grunted, “Uh-huh.”

“Is that all you’ve got to say?”

“Uh-huh.”

I glanced at him, a snarky retort on my tongue, but the words were never spoken. He looked so tired—weary beyond belief. How could I ask him to make the treacherous journey across Fairyland? I should let him go to Heaven. He belonged there. He’d earned it.

“This is too hard for you,” I said. “If you want to retire now. I’ll—”
Cry
forever
.
Never
love
again
.
Jump
off
the
ridge
and
follow
you
to
Heaven
. When I spoke it was from the heart. “I want you to know, I’m okay with that.”

“And I’m okay if you’d rather have another guardian angel.”

“Of course I don’t want another angel. I’m trying to be noble here.”

He flopped onto a nearby rock and laughed softly. “Don’t be noble, it doesn’t suit you.”

“Thanks very much.”

“Just be who you are. The snarky, blunt Allegra is the one I—”

“The one you what?”

“The one I want...for my morsub.”

We both knew that wasn’t what he’d been going to say.

“That’s settled, then. Good to know we’re on the same page.” I peered into the deep darkness of the fissure. “We’re going down.”

We got half way without mishap, then I slipped on some mossy rocks. Casper grabbed hold of me but he was too weak to keep us both upright. We overbalanced sliding down, bumping on dirt and rocks before coming to rest at the bottom in a tumble of arms and legs. My elbows were grazed and my head was covered in rapidly swelling lumps.

“Fuck,” I said loudly.

“Hush,” Casper said. “The Fae might hear you.”

I folded my lips around another curse. Were we that close to the rip in the border? Well, yeah, since my toe was itching as though a thousand mosquitoes had stopped to feed. I felt a thin stream of invisible magic spilling into our world. The magic wrapped around me. My grazed elbows stopped stinging. The bumps on my head shrank beneath my questing fingertips. Even the bruises from Colum’s sucker punch stopped aching.

“This is amazing. Do you feel the magic, Casper?”

He was doubled over puking as though he had a serious hangover.

“Come here,” I said. “There’s a stream of magic. It’ll make you feel better.”

“No, it’s the Fae magic that’s making me sick. It doesn’t agree with angels.”

I reached for his hand, which was so big and broad it made mine look like a child’s. “This is your last chance to change your mind about entering Fairyland.”

He touched my lips with his fingertips. “I’m coming with you.”

“Then we’d better get changed.” I unpacked the Fae-type clothes I’d borrowed from Siobhan. I changed into the flowing pale blue dress and white hooded cloak. The dress was a bit short and the matching ballet pumps squashed my toes, but from a distance, with the hood covering my red hair, I could probably pass as Fae. Casper looked pretty good in his own outfit of loose trousers, long flowing shirt and hooded cloak. Even if he was too tall and broad to pass for Fae.

I couldn’t see the rip in the border, but I found it by following the stream of magic. I kept a tight hold on Casper’s hand, leading him forward. Moving through the rip in the border was like floating, like drifting between clouds of the softest cotton wool. My body bubbled with energy.

“This is amazing.” I turned to check on Casper.

His hand clenched mine in a death grip. His agonized expression knifed my heart.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s like squeezing through barbed wire,” he gasped.

We were already in the middle. Going back would be as painful for him as going forward.

“You can do it,” I urged. “Only a little farther.”

I could already feel the cotton wool softness parting and opening as I left the border behind. I pulled Casper after me, hoping it was like ripping off a Band-Aid—the quicker the better. He tumbled into Fairyland and fell to his knees. Pain had drained the color from his cheeks. I knelt beside him, my arm around his shoulders.

“I’m okay,” he said bravely. “I can do this.”

“Sure you can.” Oh crap, I hoped so.

When he had recovered a little, I helped him to his feet, easily supporting him with one hand while I grabbed his cane with the other. Had Casper suddenly lost weight? Or had my own strength mysteriously increased? Testing my theory, I bent down and lifted a nearby boulder. I didn’t even break a sweat. Just call me Super Allegra.

I was brought back to reality pretty quickly when Casper tried to walk. Even with the help of his cane, he struggled to take a single step.

He sighed and passed a hand over his forehead. “I’m no longer able to move fast. It will be best if I don’t come with you to interview Sharina’s family.”

“Assuming I can even find her family. Anyway, the case comes second. Top priority is getting you to the River of Dreams.” We had entered Fairyland at the eastern border, which was closest to Dingaleen. Dermot had said the river was in the west. I figured if we walked in that direction, we’d get there eventually. I mean it was a river, and they’re usually quite large. I tried not to think about the probability that there was more than one river in Fairyland.

Casper said, “It will take me weeks to cross Fairyland.”

“Not if you fly.”

“I’ve been having trouble flying.”

“Give it a try. What have you got to lose?”

Remembering he was no longer comfortable with me watching his wings emerge, I turned away. He grunted softly, like someone lifting weights. Then he stifled a cry of pure pain. I whipped around. He was doubled over, flinching as though knives were stabbing his shoulders.

“I can’t,” he panted. “My wings won’t...”

I reached out but stopped short of touching his poor shoulders. Forcing a smile, I said, “Guess we’ll have to walk. Nothing like a stroll through Fairyland. Oh, wait—I’ve got a better idea. I’ll carry you. No point wasting all this superhuman strength.” I lifted him off his feet.

“Put me down.”

“Not gonna happen. Now, which way is west?”

“Allegra, I’m serious. Look!” He pointed south.

At first I couldn’t see what he was so excited about. I even suspected he might be trying to trick me into putting him down.

“Can you see it?” he asked.

“There’s really something there?”

“Take a look.”

Okay, my curiosity was piqued. I put him down. Squinting into the sunlight, I made out a group of spires in the distance. There were too many for just one building and they came in lots of pastel colors. Creams, blues, greens, yellows. In the center of all those other colors was a group of pale pink spires.

“A palace?” I wondered. “Surrounded by a city?”

“There’s only one way to find out. This is where we part—temporarily, I hope.”

“No. First we go to the river. Together. Then we’ll check out the city.”

“And waste valuable time?” he said. “Your job is to stop the pooka, not babysit me.”

“You don’t have the strength to reach the river on your own. You need me.”

“I’ll manage.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but someone had to face up to the facts. “You can barely stand without the cane. The river could be miles away. I’m coming with you.”

He slowly shook his head. “Your first duty is not to me, but to the people of Dingaleen. The pooka will call others to ride. More people will be hurt unless you stop him.”

“You’re more important than—”

“Don’t say it.”

I wanted to tell him he was more important than all of them put together, but an angel would always opt for the greater good. Arguing would only put off the inevitable. “I hate it when you play dirty.”

“So we’re finally on the same page? You won’t try to follow me?”

“No, you’ve made your point.”

“Good.” He tried to hide his fatigue, but it was evident in his dark-circled eyes and gaunt cheeks.

I couldn’t help murmuring, “How will you manage?” I hadn’t meant him to hear, but he did.

“One step at a time. I’ll rest when I need to. Go on, Allegra. Go. Finish your investigation. Once the Fae realize we’re here, they’ll expel us. You don’t have much time.”

“This would be a whole lot easier if I had the address of Sharina’s family.”

“They’re the royal family, for heaven’s sake. Go to the city. Look for a palace,” Casper said. “Then follow your toe.”

“Hello, we’re in Fairyland, this whole place is saturated with the paranormal. My toe hasn’t stopped itching since we got here.” Totally working overtime, unlike my watch, which had stopped the moment we entered and was still flashing the same digital time. Nothing was normal in this place. We’d have to reinvent ourselves just to survive.

“How will I find you again?” I asked.

“I’ll find you. I always do.”

When I hesitated—only because I didn’t want to leave him—he gave me a gentle shove toward the distant spires. “Go on. Go.”

“Okay, no need to get pushy. I’m going.”

I didn’t look back. If I had my heart would have broken.
We’ll
meet
again
,
Casper
.
I
swear
it
.

Chapter Twelve

Although I had taken the precaution of wearing the floaty fairy-style dress and cloak, up close no one would mistake me for Fae. My bone structure could never be called delicate. Ditto for my facial features. Still, from a distance, with the hood pulled low, I figured I’d pass. Not that I had much chance to test my theory, since the road I travelled was deserted. Where were all the Fae? Maybe they had congregated in the place with the spires. Funny how those spires didn’t seem to be getting any closer even though I’d been walking toward them for—I glanced at my watch. Oops, totally forgot it had stopped working. There was no way of telling how long I’d been in Fairyland. Time, along with everything else, was different here.

From this side of the border, the valley wasn’t mist-shrouded. The sun shone brightly from a baby blue sky. Even the ridges that enclosed the valley had lost their rough and craggy appearance. They were now emerald green and plump like fat pillows. I had started to jog, passing some seriously picturesque shrubbery along the roadside, when I heard voices coming from around a bend in the road. I barely had time to hide behind the shrubs before a group of Fae came into view.

There were four of them. Two male and two female, who, like all the purebloods, were slender with delicate, beautiful faces. They appeared to be young couples. The males strode out in front, while the females dawdled behind, giggling together.

By their conversation, I guessed they had recently come from the place they called the City of Kings.

My city of spires?

“And did you see Princess Perfecta’s shoes?” one of the females was saying.

“Only designed and made by Padraig O’Shaunnessy,” added her friend.

“Indeed, dear one, I wish I could get a pair by Padraig. Did you know he has a waiting list years long?”

“For commoners like us, but obviously not for princesses.”

One of the males said to the other. What is it with females and shoes? You do not need more than two pair. One for outside, one for inside. I do not replace mine until they wear out. My shoemaker might not be as fancy as the great Padraig, but he is quick and cheap and his work is the best a leprechaun can provide.”

The female said to her friend, “His shoes might be made to last, but they have no style.”

“I heard that, dear one.” He laughed. “You will pay for that later.”

“You will have to catch me first.” She giggled, and took off down the road. Literally took off, spreading her gossamer wings and flying away over the hills. The others took off after her, their laughter filling the air. Clearly Fairyland was the happiest of happy places.

I waited until they were out of sight before I emerged from the shrubs. Although my heart was still thumping from almost being discovered, I had learned that Princess Perfecta was in the City of Kings. Hopefully the rest of the Levara family lived there too.

Once again, I picked up speed. Jogging soon became running. Running changed to something I’d never experienced before. My new superhuman strength kicked in and the miles flew beneath my feet. Even so, fairy distances were deceptive. It took way longer than I’d expected to reach the city. On the outskirts, I slowed, pulling my hood low over my head. I tried to shrink into my cloak, making myself appear smaller. Just in case the illusion wasn’t as effective as I’d hoped, I kept away from the main streets, making my way down narrow lanes and alleys toward the pink spires.

As I’d suspected, those glistening elegant spires—think Disney and then some—belonged to a palace. Wanda would have loved the look. Me? I was having trouble keeping my lunch down. If you can count an energy bar and a few sips of water as lunch.

The palace boasted a sparkling moat and a white drawbridge, which had been let down to admit traffic. Two silver-uniformed guards stood on either side of the open portcullis checking the Fae who had business within. I got the impression the whole drawbridge and moat thing was decorative rather than defensive. The only threat the Fae faced was humans entering Fairyland and diluting their magic, which meant that I couldn’t simply stroll up and ask for an audience with a member of the Levara family. My disguise wasn’t that good. I’d be spotted and chucked out of Fairyland quicker than you could say
human
intruder
. The situation called for subtlety, which, it has to be said, was
not
one of my strengths. I briefly considered spending my last wish to enter the palace, but, even assuming Padraig’s wishes worked in Fairyland, using it would be a waste. There must be a back way into the palace, a trades-fairy entrance so to speak.

Keeping close to the city buildings with their shadows and niches, I worked my way around the palace. Just as I’d suspected, there was a back door. Several, in fact. They opened onto a swath of pristine grass, which was nice for the palace employees, but didn’t help me since there was no direct drawbridge access. Anyone entering the castle had to present themselves to the guards near the portcullis. The only way to avoid the guards was to swim the moat and sneak in behind them. Not in broad daylight, obviously, but the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.

In Fairyland there were no long twilights so I didn’t have long to wait until full dark. Of course, there was the tiny problem of the moon, but even at its full, the blue light was subtle. I took the added precaution of waiting until the lights within the palace started to go out. Then I hid my backpack near the bank of the moat, stripped off my cloak and shoes, and tucked the hem of my floaty dress into my underwear. The weather was always balmy in Fairyland and the water of the moat was equally pleasant.

I breast stroked slowly across the moat, careful not to splash and attract attention. At last I scrambled up the bank. Pulling the hem of my dress out of my underwear, I let it fall wetly around my legs. It dried fast and was hardly damp at all by the time I’d crossed the grass and reached the nearest door into the palace.

The door opened into a kind of storage room. Amongst the boxes and barrels, were racks of cloaks and uniforms bearing the Levara crest. Talk about getting lucky. If I didn’t know better I’d think I had a guardian angel looking out for me. Although Casper was in no condition to look after anyone but himself. Unless...surely he hadn’t found the River of Dreams already.

“Casper, are you there?” I hardly expected an answer, so I wasn’t disappointed when my words echoed hollowly off the walls.

Okay, time to grab a disguise. Ignoring the servants’ uniforms—didn’t want anyone asking why I wasn’t cleaning or anything—I put a cloak on over my dress. I left the storage room, which opened onto a corridor, and walked along, head bowed, hoping I wouldn’t meet anyone.

Although I’d taken the precaution of covering my hair with the hood, there was little I could do about my humanness, which a fairy would sense if I got too close.

When I reached a staircase—the kind of narrow backstairs servants would use—I went up. The royal apartments were bound to be above ground level. As I progressed down another corridor, I listened at closed doors hoping for a clue to the occupants. From one came the low murmur of male voices—plotting a coup? From behind another closed door, came the sound of slaps, skin against skin—fifty shades of Fae? At the third door I heard humming, soft and feminine. I couldn’t hear any voices speaking within so I figured the occupant was alone. I went in. Quickly. Locking the door behind me.

A female Fae sat at a bureau. She turned to me, open mouthed, a silver brush in her hand, blond hair cascading to her waist. Her discarded dress had been tossed onto a chair, and she wore a satin nightie that would’ve been right at home in a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. Her gold sandals had been kicked off and lay on the white rug. If I wasn’t mistaken, those shoes were Padraig’s work.

“Princess Perfecta?”

“You are not Fae.” Her pretty cheeks flushed as her mouth opened in a scream. I rushed across the room. She threw her brush at me. I deflected it and caught hold of her, covering her mouth with my hand.

“Do not even think about biting me,” I said in formal Fae. I jammed my other arm against her throat. She wriggled, but I was bigger and stronger. The Fae aren’t great at hand-to-hand combat. Not even with magic. Unless they have time to create a barrier or ward. Princess Perfecta’d had no time to protect herself. Too bad.

“I do not want to hurt you,” I said. “All I want is information about Sharina Levara.”

When there was no reaction, I said, “I am not going to uncover your mouth. You will have to answer by nodding or shaking your head.” Still no response. I tightened my grip on her throat. “Do you know why Sharina Levara was banished?”

She shook her head.

I said, “You know nothing? I do not believe you. She was a member of the royal family. And banishment is not very common.”

Princess Perfecta shrugged and tried to speak. This was getting me nowhere.

“Very well, I will remove my hand,” I said, making sure to keep my other arm pressed against her throat. “Scream and I will hurt you.”

She was smart enough not to scream. In a bored voice, she said, “We do not waste our time becoming acquainted with minor members of the royal family.”

Was she telling the truth? I could just about believe she hadn’t known Sharina personally, but... “You must’ve heard of her. She was a murderer.”

Her silvery eyebrows rose in two perfect arches. “As far as I recall, and my memory is excellent, no member of the Levara family has ever been accused of murder, let alone convicted.”

“Sharina was banished from Fairyland,” I said. “I want to know why.”

“And I want to shag Prince Lightwing, dear one.” She made the endearment sound like an insult. “But it is not going to happen. He is in love with Prince Farrin.”

There was a noise outside the door. Oh crap, I thought, right before the door burst open and four silver-uniformed guards rushed in. They grabbed my arms and hauled me off Princess Perfecta, who got to her feet wearing a self-satisfied smile.

“Humans are so stupid,” she said. “Did you really think I would not summon the guards?” Telepathy was a bitch.

The guards closed around and marched me out of the princess’ room. We proceeded down the corridor that led to the stairs. One of the guards was in front of me, one behind, one to my left and another to my right.

Left Guard said, “Indeed, I hope our prisoner likes cold, damp places.”

What? He didn’t know I understood Fae? Maybe he did know and was trying to scare me.
Bring
it
on
,
tough
guy
.

Right Guard chuckled and shot a glance at Leftie. “I hope she likes the smell of piss.”

“And maggoty food.”

“Indeed, dear ones,” said Front Guard, “but she will only reside in the dungeon for the hours of darkness. At first light she will be taken to the border.”

It was no less than I’d expected.

As we approached the servants’ stairs at the end of the corridor, Leftie wondered, “How did she get past the border?”

“Have you not heard?” said Rightie. “There is a gaping hole. Even now, workers are beginning the task of repairing it. The border will be completely sealed after the prisoner is expelled.”

“Why did she enter our world?” asked Front Guard to no one in particular.

Rightie shrugged. “Why do humans do anything?”

“A dare?” suggested Leftie. “She seemed intent on stealing Princess Perfecta’s silver brush. Perhaps to show her human friends as proof she infiltrated the palace.”

Interesting that although Princess Perfecta had telepathically summoned the guards, she hadn’t told them I wanted information. I guessed that Fae telepathy only went as far as notifying the guards she was in danger.

Leftie shot me a glance. “It is lucky for the prisoner that she will not be charged with stealing under Fae Law, or she might spend much longer in the dungeon.”

Well
,
sorry
to
spoil
the
party
,
tough
guys
,
but
I
don’t
intend
spending
any
time
in
the
dungeon
. And I certainly didn’t intend to be expelled from Fairyland before I’d gotten the information I came for, or made sure Casper got out with me.

We reached the stairs and started down. I waited until we were halfway to the bottom before I “tripped,” falling and taking all four guards with me. It hurt like hell, but it worked. Ignoring the pain of a hundred bruises, I left the guards struggling to disentangle themselves, jumped to my feet and dashed to the storeroom. The grass outside was cool beneath my bare feet. I did a running jump into the moat and started to swim, no longer caring how much I splashed. I had reached the other side before the guards entered the water and came after me.

Trouble was, they were really fast swimmers. I barely had time to pull on my shoes before they were scrambling up the side of the moat. I grabbed my backpack and took off into the warren of streets near the palace. I didn’t know where I was going, but I went there fast, twisting and turning, remaining just out of reach of the guards. They ran as fast as they swam. It was only a matter of time before they caught me. I was wondering how difficult it was to escape from a fairy dungeon when I rounded a corner and bumped into someone. He grabbed my arm, yanking me down the narrowest of lanes, through a doorway, across a courtyard and into the kitchen of a private house. He shoved me into the pantry and said, “Be quiet.” In English.

It was quite dark in the pantry meaning my other senses were heightened. The room was filled with delicious aromas that were even more tantalizing to someone whose current diet consisted of energy bars and water. Too bad fairy food was poisonous to humans. I found myself wishing it wasn’t so. My hand strayed to the pebble in my pocket. Lovely smooth round pebble that could fill my stomach with wonderful food if only I’d speak the wish.