Night of the Dark Horse (An Allegra Fairweather Mystery) (13 page)

What was I thinking? I yanked my hand from my pocket and the temptation of wasting my last wish.

Outside the pantry everything went quiet for about a minute then someone started hammering on a nearby door. I heard footsteps and voices speaking too low for me to understand. More footsteps walked right past the pantry. My rescuer? A guard? I held my breath, expecting the pantry door to be yanked open at any second. I froze, unwilling to move a muscle and give my presence away. At last the footsteps retreated. I quietly exhaled.

There was movement outside the pantry and the door opened. The sudden brightness made me squint. “The guards are gone,” my rescuer said.

“Thank you for not giving me away,” I said in formal Fae. “It was lucky they did not search the house.”

“They would never do that. They would find it inconceivable that a Fae would hide a human.”

“Grateful thanks. I owe you much.” Then, totally looking a gift horse in the mouth, I asked, “Why did you hide me?”

“Do you not recognize me, dear one?”

I took a closer look at this tall and quite splendid member of the male Fae population. Nope, I didn’t remember meeting him and I would have, believe me.

Noticing my confusion, he said, “Dingaleen, dear one. We met in a garden beside a wishing well.”

“You are the fairy at the bottom of the garden?” Once again I ran my eyes over his body paying particular attention to the slim but muscular chest. He’d give Casper a run for his money in a wet T-shirt contest “Fairyland has done wonders for you.”

His smile was serene. “I owe you a great deal, dear one, for reminding me it was time to return home.”

“I was happy to help.” Then, “How did you know I was here? How did you know I was in trouble?”

“I saw the guards chasing you. But we do not have time for this now. We must get you out of the city.” He insisted I change my dress and cloak for one of his own outfits. “You are tall enough to pass as a male, so long as your face is hidden.” When I was dressed in the long, loose shirt and trousers, he added a gray cloak and pulled the hood low over my face. “Keep your head down and do not speak until we reach the countryside.”

Our journey through the city streets took longer than it should have. More than once we had to change direction to avoid the patrols, which were searching for me. Luckily my Fae companion had an instinct for when they would appear. Without him I’d have ended up back in the dungeon.

When we reached open country, he led me away from the road into a grove of trees.

“Now,” he said, seating himself on a fallen log. “Why have you come to the Land of the Fae?

“It is a long story.”

“I have all day to listen.”

As succinctly as possible I told him about the pooka, the fairy grave in the wood, and my encounter with Princess Perfecta.

His eyebrows shot upward. “You actually broke into the palace and attempted to question Princess Perfecta?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“I applaud your courage, dear one, but you are aiming too high.”

“Can you tell me why Sharina Levara was banished?”

His smooth brow crinkled. “I have heard nothing of this banishment.”

“Seriously? Not even a rumor?”

“Is this a recent event?”

“I do not know. The grave is new, but the banishment may have occurred long ago.”

“Perhaps at a time when I was not resident in the Land of the Fae. Have you forgotten where you found me? I had been in that garden for ten of your human years.”

“Would there be public records of a banishment? You could look it up for me.”

He shook his head. “Banishments are not proclaimed far and wide. They are shameful things. No family, not even the most humble, would want their shame known. The royal family has the power and money to conceal such information.”

“Looks as though I am back to—” I wasn’t sure how to translate “square one” but my companion understood.

“This is not so. I owe you a great debt of gratitude. Without your—forgive me—nosiness I would have died in the garden. I will help you to discover why Sharina Levara was banished. But if you ever speak of my involvement I will hunt you down and kill you.”

“Apparently we have a few rogue genes in common.”

The fairy smiled and didn’t deny it. “I know someone,” he said. “A midwife. For many years she delivered all the royal babies. She followed their lives, even the most minor of them. She will remember Sharina. She will know what happened.”

“Does she live around here?”

“She has retired and lives far from the city. It would be quickest to fly, but of course, humans cannot. Do you ride?”

“I have been on a horse,” I said, thinking of my encounter with the pooka and hoping this wasn’t going to be a repeat performance.

“But you are not a horsewoman,” he guessed correctly. “Do not worry, dear one, you do not need skill to ride unicorns.” He whistled softly. I heard the thump of cantering hoofs.

The unicorns were pure white with a silver horn in the center of each forehead. Long manes rippled as though caught in a perpetual breeze. Their eyes, which were blue as a Hawaiian sky, regarded me with the kindness of a devoted granny. Unlike the Fae, they didn’t seem to mind that a human being had entered Fairyland. One even knelt so I could scramble onto its back. I’d have felt more comfortable in a saddle, but my companion assured me they never threw their riders, which was a refreshing change.

“If we are going to work together,” I said to my companion, “I should probably know your name.”

“It will be safer for both of us if you do not.”

I decided to call him FAB, at least to myself, which was short—alright, very short—for
fairy
at
the
bottom
of
the
garden
.

The unicorns galloped like the wind. Actually, I think they galloped on the wind. The sensation of riding them was a bit like flying Air Casper. Except the unicorns stayed much closer to the ground. We travelled over impossibly green fields beneath a cloudless sky until we reached a cute cottage with red brick walls and creamy shutters. Nearby a doe and her baby watched us dismount. The baby even trotted over to be petted, blinking at me with wide brown eyes before trotting away with his mom.

“Come on,” said FAB, leading me down a path lined with huge sunflowers. They didn’t burst into song, but I think one of them winked at me.

The cottage door opened to reveal a very ancient fairy. Not that she was as wrinkled and stooped as the Fae became in the human world, but her eyes were tired as though she had seen too much even in Fairyland.

She glared at FAB. “Why have you brought a human here?”

“There is a debt to be repaid,” FAB answered.

“
I
am indebted to this girl?” She perused me with suspicious eyes.

“Not you, Aunt. Me.”

Had I understood correctly? This woman was his aunt? Well, it made sense. FAB wouldn’t have brought me here unless a) his aunt could help, b) he was pretty sure she wouldn’t gossip about my visit.

She folded her arms and scowled. “I suppose you must come in.”

“Thank you, dear Aunt.”

“This way,” she said leading us through a dwelling that was totally at odds with the cozy-cottage exterior. Inside was an ultra-modern space of mansion proportions. She took us to her enormous back patio, which overlooked a glass-smooth lake. For a long time all I could do was stare at the rainbows spanning and reflecting in the water.

FAB whispered, “Close your mouth and sit down, dear one.” As I settled into a seriously comfortable chair, FAB’s aunt, who refused to give her name, produced a tray of drinks including a frothy, yellowy piña colada. I longed to check whether it tasted as delicious as it looked, but of course I couldn’t. Didn’t she know a Fae drink would poison me?

When I declined the drink, the aunt put her tray of refreshments onto a table as though to taunt me.

FAB said, “Dear Aunt, Allegra is searching for a fairy named Sharina Levara.”

His aunt’s hands clenched, but her serene expression didn’t change. “I do not know anyone by that name.”

“You must,” I protested. “She was a member of the royal family. You were their midwife.”

Her eyes glittered with venom. “Are you accusing me of speaking untrue?”

FAB intervened. “Of course she is not, dear Aunt. Allegra means no offense. She is human and therefore impatient. She does not understand that you need time to think and consider your answer.” He shot me a warning glance. We waited for his aunt to reply. When she didn’t, FAB said, “Your answer means a great deal to
me
. My honor and the repayment of my debt to Allegra are at stake.”

The Aunt studied her perfectly-manicured-but-never-visited-a-day-spa-in-her-life hands. Finally she said, “Sharina was a nice girl. Loving and devoted. Two very admirable qualities that, ironically, led to her tragedy.”

She paused, for so long I couldn’t resist prompting, “And?”

“Have you never learned to hold your tongue, girl?”

“Nope.”

The Aunt gave FAB a long-suffering expression.
What
did
I
do
to
deserve
this
?

FAB said, “Anything you can tell Allegra would be deeply appreciated.”

“A midwife learns many secrets from her clients,” said the aunt. “A
good
midwife keeps them to herself.”

“I thought you were retired,” I said.

She snapped, “I gave up my job, not my integrity.”

I pressed on. “Why was Sharina banished?”

“Who told you she was banished?”

“I saw her grave marker.” Better not mention digging up her body. “She is buried outside the Land of the Fae.”

FAB’s aunt sighed and muttered, “Silly girl.”

“Who? Sharina?” Surely she couldn’t be talking about me.

“Yes. Sharina. I am sorry she died, but once she went to the human world it was inevitable.”

“Why was she banished?” I persisted.

“That is not for me to say. I’ve told you enough. Be on your way.” She waved a dismissive hand, folded her arms and turned away from me.

FAB said, “I owe this human my life, dear Aunt.”

“And I thank her for that, dear nephew. But the debt is not mine. You must find another way to pay.”

“How about giving me a name.” I suggested. “Sharina must have parents, siblings. Just one name. It is not too much to ask.”

FAB’s Aunt turned away and stared at the lake, ignoring me. I really hated to give up without getting what I’d come for. Maybe begging would help. “Please, I—”

“Will someone instruct that girl on how to hold her tongue?” Since there was no one else around, I guessed she meant FAB. “And get her out of my sight.”

But I couldn’t leave without giving it one last shot. “I do not expect you to give me the information for free. There must be something I can give you in return.”

A greedy gleam lit her eyes. Ah, now I was getting somewhere. I asked, “What do you want?”

“You humans make the best chocolate. I have not had any in years.”

Gee, if only I’d thought to pack a block. Did I have time to leave Fairyland, run to the nearest store and be back before the Fae closed the rip in the border? Nope, didn’t think so.

“I would love to give you what you want, but...”

She pointed to my pocket, the one where I’d safely stowed my last wish-pebble, and said, “You have had dealings with a leprechaun and you have a wish to spare.”

“I thought pureblood Fae could make their own wishes.”

“We cannot wish for things from the human world. Usually we do not want them, but the Fae have little talent for making chocolate. I prefer dark. And plenty of it.”

I hesitated. I so did not want to use this wish. My last wish. My last chance for a kiss from Casper.

I faced FAB’s aunt. “I would very much like to give you all the chocolate you could eat, but I have only one wish left.”

“One wish is enough.”

“Yes, I know that, but...” Throwing myself on her mercy, I went on, “I was hoping to use the wish for—there is someone—I love him. We have never kissed. I long to feel his lips on mine.”

FAB’s aunt nodded. “I understand the trials of young love. So painful.” Her sympathy seemed sincere, but she was hard-hearted to the core. “The choice is yours. A kiss or information.”

I leaned toward FAB and whispered, “Is there any other way? Do you have any other aunts who might have known Sharina?”

“I am very afraid not, dear one.”

There is usually more than one way to solve any given problem, but how long would it take me to find another solution to this one? Time was of the essence. Not just to solve the case, but somewhere in Fairyland Casper was struggling to reach the River of Dreams. Without my help he might not make it, and I couldn’t kiss him if he wasn’t around, could I? My fingers touched the pebble. I said goodbye to my last chance of a kiss from Casper. When I spoke the wish, the pebble disappeared and FAB’s aunt was literally up to her ears in packets of dark chocolate.

She ripped one open “You have made an old Fae very happy.”

“Now it is your turn to make a young investigator happy.”

Her mouth was so full of chocolate, I struggled to understand what she said, “Rynar Levara.”

“And he is—?”

“Sharina’s father.”

“His address?”

FAB’s aunt licked her chocolaty lips. “The End of the Road.”

“That is not an address,” I snorted.

FAB grabbed my arm and started pulling me away. “Thank you, dear Aunt. We are most grateful.” Keeping a tight hold of my arm, he guided me through the cottage and down the path between the rows of maniacally grinning sunflowers.

“Why did you let your aunt get away with that? The End of the Road. Which fricking road would that be?”

“It is part of the Fae world. In the Far Corner to be precise.”

“So we are going to The End of The Road in the Far Corner.”

“That is correct, dear one.”

“Well, at least it is not the Yellow Brick Road.”

He turned to me in surprise. “Part of the road is constructed of yellow bricks. How did you know?”