Wander The Night, page 4
“What is this?” he whispers. He speaks in Elvish, but at least he’s smart enough to know not to let himself be overheard by others in line.
“It’s like a play, but there’s no stage. English, remember?”
He nods as though he’s still confused by the idea.
When we reach the ticket booth, I pull a few leaves out of my pocket. The man takes them through the window without question and hands back two stubs. I nod—no thank you’s—and usher Kavi inside through the entrance doors.
“I know I’m not exactly an expert on the human world,” Kavi starts, using the correct language now, “but did you just—”
“Yes, I did,” I interrupt. “Hush, before you get us caught and thrown out.”
It’s not a big secret that fey pay for things in the human world with glamoured money. By the time the bills and coins turn back into leaves and acorns, we’re long gone.
When the movie starts, Kavi’s face lights up in wonder as the screen flashes with motion. “Is this magic?”
“Technology,” I say.
His eyes never leave the screen. “I like it.”
I can’t tell you what happens in the movie, but I can describe every emotion that crosses that face beside me. Maybe it is magic.
After the movie, we walk the downtown area, window shopping and adjusting the storefront displays with a touch of glamour that will vanish in twenty-four hours. Then I take Kavi to the library. It’s closed, but I can pick locks and pretend the iron doesn’t singe my fingers. He spends hours going through nonfiction books and settles comfortably with an encyclopedia set. Faerie doesn’t offer much information about humans, and even so, the only books Kavi has access to are the ones I’ve slipped in for him. When he was little, I taught him to read, as well as speak, Elvish, English, and a touch of Gaelic. I picked them and others up from various travels around the human world, and fey have nothing but time. I spent quite a bit of my youth easily bored. I opt for skimming a few graphic novels while Kavi asks rhetorical questions about various facts he’s discovered.
After the library, we find a twenty-four-hour convenience store and buy a pint of ice cream to eat with throw-away spoons on the sidewalk outside the store.
“We’d better get started back.”
The sun is starting to rise.
Kavi sighs. “Yeah, probably.” His disappointment is heavy in the air.
“Hey. We’ll come back soon, okay?” I say, smiling.
He looks at me and nods. “Okay.” He pauses and bites his bottom lip. “Tomorrow?”
Laughing, I stand up and stretch. “I’ll see what I can arrange.”
We ditch the empty ice cream container in the trash can on the curb, and I let our glamoured disguises fall away as we leave the lights of the store. We head back through town and cross through the park and into the sparse woods. We step into the ring of mushrooms as the last shadows of night give way to late morning sun.
SCENE 4
When Kavi and I arrive back at the Hill’s hidden door, sunlight filters through the leaves overhead, and birdsong skirts along the breeze. Kavi has begun a yawning fit beside me. I’ve kept him up far later than he’s used to.
I lead him along the tunnel and toward his room. The halls are quiet, guards in scant numbers. We reach Kavi’s room without issue. I open the door and herd him inside. Nothing seems to have been touched since I was last here. Kavi shuffles toward his bed and flops onto it face first before doing a weird shimmy in an assumed attempt to get under the covers without using his hands.
“For magic’s sake,” I mutter to myself. This kid. “Stop that.”
I intervene, forcing him to sit up and remove his livery’s outer jacket and his boots. I ruffle his hair and, since my hand is already there, push him back down to the pillow. He gives a tired, muffled chuckle.
“Stay here until I come for you tomorrow, okay?”
He hums an affirmative into his pillow, but I can’t tell whether he processes what I’m saying. I smile down at him and pull the covers over him before slipping back into the hall and closing the door behind me.
I head toward Oberon’s room to give him a quick report. All good. No arson committed. Going to bed. Rinse and repeat tonight. The fleeting thought of which of his rooms to check crosses my mind, but I’ll figure it out when I get there.
I follow the hallway to the kitchens as two figures emerge from inside. At first, I think them two serving girls, dressed in white shifts and either checking on a last chore or nabbing a bedtime snack. With a second thought, however, I realize who they are, one holding two bottles of wine and the other with something wrapped in cheesecloth.
With a startle that briefly halts my pulse, I drop to one knee in front of Titania and Mab. “My lady Titania. My lady Mab.” I catch my mistake only after it has left my mouth and correct myself with haste. “Your Majesty,” I say to Mab before she angers at my use of the Green title directed at her. “My apologies. I wasn’t aware at first of who you were.”
“Well, well,” Mab purrs. “We are not the only ones prowling the halls at such an hour. And what would you be up to, little bird?”
“I—”
“Stand up,” she says in a voice sweet like poisoned honey.
I stand but keep my eyes lowered. “I was on my way to my lord Oberon, Your Majesty.”
“Such a good little pet.”
She runs a finger along the line of my jaw, and I can’t repress a shudder. Mab smiles, black eyes gleaming as she basks in my discomfort.
“Sister,” Titania says, touching one hand to Mab’s arm. “Surely we have better things to do with ourselves than antagonize the help.”
Mab lets her fingers fall away, and I dare an upward glance. Is Titania asking Mab to leave me alone? No, she wouldn’t risk her sister’s wrath to do such a thing.
Mab raises a red brow. “Don’t tell me you’ve grown fond of this one?”
Titania gives a trilling laugh, but it sounds forced to my ears. “You must be joking! I merely don’t wish to waste my morning with you on meaninglessness, sister.”
Mab glows with satisfaction. “Very well, then.” She gives me a final look. “As you were, little bird.”
Casting my gaze again to the floor, I sketch a formal bow, saying nothing. Mab chuckles lightly, and I stay still until their feet move away. Desperate to still my stuttering heart, I lean back against the wall and slide down until I’m sitting on the floor. I tip my head back and listen to see if I can still hear footsteps. Oberon can wait until this evening. I’m not taking the risk of Titania and Mab being in the same room as him right now. I’ve been close enough to Mab today to last for several decades.
Unfortunately, my room is in the same direction, and I can’t find it in me to dare walk after them right now, not when my heart feels ready to explode. So I sit, and I wait, and I think, despite my best efforts not to, about my stay in the Grey Court.
A memory sneaks in anyway, centuries past but made fresh with fear.
I was lying in a cell with a dirt floor, shirtless and barefoot, and though I was cold, I didn't wish for more clothing. Just the thought of the touch of fabric caused the welts across my back to sting. Mab hadn’t put them there, but they were from her all the same. Every task she assigned me was paired with reinforcement. Even when I did something right, my mouth usually ruined the effect. I had been with her for only three days, but I had earned ten burned and blistered stripes to show for it, left by an enchanted human wielding a thin iron rod to be used at Mab’s discretion. Which basically meant anytime I failed to meet her expectations, which was a lot.
As I lay curled on my side, exhausted but unable to sleep, I felt a soft, warm breeze across my skin and was instantly alert. Where I was sure nothing had been before, a pale blue face became visible in the dim light.
“Does the queen require me already?” I asked, but the visitor shook their head.
“I don’t come from the queen.”
They said nothing else, and curiosity forced my tongue. “Why are you here then? Who are you?”
“A fellow bird in a cage,” they said, “far from its flock.”
Something passed between us then, the strange and unspoken beginnings of a bond, borne of knowing neither of us controlled our fate.
They held out a large strip of aloe leaf. “I thought you might welcome a kindness for a change.”
I couldn’t turn them down. Theirs were the only kindnesses I would receive in Mab’s court.
By the time I come back to myself, I’m sure I’ve waited more than long enough for Mab and Titania to vanish, but I’m cautious all the same as I trail my way down the hall to my room. I reach my destination without crossing paths with anyone except a single guard, who is either bored or sleepy enough to pay me little attention beyond a cursory nod. I slip into my room and close the door with a relieved exhale.
I take a short moment to ready myself for bed and then crawl beneath the covers.
Sleep is slow in coming. Instead, I stare at the inside of my eyelids, trying to blur out memories.
Eventually, though, sleep does come, and when I wake once more in the evening, Mab is still within the Hill. This time, I’m resolved to take Kavi to a different human city, one larger and more favorable to nightlife than the one before. I’m resolved to take him to Las Vegas, where I can prove to myself that some gambles can be won if you know what you’re getting into.
Kavi is slightly overwhelmed by it. I glamour both of us to look human but fail to think about age requirements, which gets us questioned when we enter. It’s amusing considering we’re both much older than we look, but I respond by flashing a ridiculous wad of glamoured cash that lets us into the rich kids’ table without another question. I hate to enchant anyone needlessly.
We start with roulette. Kavi has no idea what any of these games are, but he understands the concept of gambling and chance. Faerie has its own array of vices, after all. Out of ten rounds, I see to it, with a small nudge of magical will upon the white ball, that Kavi wins seven of those.
Meanwhile, cocktail waiters bring around free drinks until Kavi’s face is flushed, and my head buzzes pleasantly. Then I let Kavi lose a few rounds of blackjack before I start in on the real tricks.
I excuse myself from the table and return invisible to the human eye, though still quite visible to the fey eye. And half-fey eye, for that matter. I raise a finger to my lips for Kavi to remain silent and circle the table to view the other players’ cards. Careful not to let a duplicate come into anyone else’s hand, I shift Kavi’s hand to better cards.
He has a terrible poker face, but the other players find it hard to call him on cheating when it’s so clear his hands haven’t left the tabletop. I advise him not to bet too much on the last round and leave him to lose on his own. I return in my visible disguise to collect him and his handful of chips.
“What are we going to do with all this money?” Kavi asks on our way to the cashier’s counter.
“We,” I say, “are going to share the wealth.”
The cashier hands over the winnings in crisp, unglamoured American bills.
“That’s real?” Kavi asks under his breath.
“Mm-hm.”
I guide him into the bathroom, where we’re able to disappear quite literally as I drop our disguises and ensure we’re invisible. I pass Kavi a handful of bills and gesture for him to follow me back out onto the casino floor. We blow through the money within an hour, but we don’t play a single card game or slot machine. Instead, we leave random, anonymous tips to worn-out-looking waiters and gamblers who seem down on their luck.
The last hundred I tuck into the back pocket of a poker dealer setting up her table after a break. Whether she feels it happen or there’s some other reason, she whirls around in my direction. I expect her to gaze around and then shrug off the feeling, but she doesn’t. She locks eyes with me.
We stare at each other until Kavi breaks the silence. “Does this normally happen?” he whispers.
The girl pulls the bill from her pocket, glances at it, and then meets my eyes again. “Is this real?” she asks in a low voice.
I answer her with a smile and a finger to my lips. Then I tug Kavi’s sleeve, and we leave her and the casino behind.
“Do you do that often?” Kavi asks, once we’re back on our side of the realms.
“I used to.”
Goodfellow is not the only famous Robin. I’m quite skilled in archery too. I’ll leave you to make the connection.
“I need to hear this story.”
I glance at him from the corner of my eye. “Maybe one day, you’ll hear more stories than just that.”
SCENE 5
A Green Court soldier is waiting outside the hidden entrance to the Hill when Kavi and I return, both of us slightly tipsy and his pockets jingling with several poker chips. The guard’s placement is unusual, which does nothing to calm the nerves that start vibrating throughout me with wild anxiety.
The soldier shoots a pointed glance at Kavi before handing me a sealed letter. “From the king,” is all he says. Then he shifts away and takes up a stance beside the entrance like he’s guarding it.
I open the letter, written in flowing Elvish script.
Robin—
Come straight to my rooms when you arrive. Speak to no one. Bring the boy.
I can only hope this has nothing to do with Mab.
I grab Kavi’s wrist and pull him with me into the Hill. I don’t give him time to question me.
“Okay. I don’t know what happened while we were gone, but we’re going to see Oberon and find out.” I glance back at him as I pull him along through the halls. “Just stay quiet until I tell you otherwise.” I let go of his wrist and trust him to follow regardless.
The hallways are bustling, but it’s not with revelers. There are soldiers and guards and servants everywhere. When I reach Oberon’s doors, the two guards stationed outside, dressed in the green and gold of the court livery, pull them open without a word.
Any hope I had of something not being wrong is diminishing by the second.
I step inside, and the doors are closed behind me. I turn to make sure Kavi is still here. He looks terrified. I can hardly blame him.
Oberon is sitting at his desk, seemingly oblivious, his head resting in his hands.
“My lord?” I call, voice soft with anticipation.
He startles and then flings a hand out a second later. The static film of glamour rends the air, a faint scent of lightning, sharp then gone, and I throw my hands up in reflex. He wasn’t aiming for me. I turn. Kavi is asleep, still standing by the door. I’m not sure what my face says when I turn back to Oberon, but he spreads his hands in a placating manner.
“Worry not. He’s fine,” he says. “But I cannot have him hearing our conversation.”
“Not to overstep any boundaries here, but why did you have me bring him if you didn’t want him here?”
That sounds a little harsher than I intend, but he doesn’t scold me. He just gives me a look I can’t quite decipher.
“I cannot promise he would be safe otherwise.”
“What?” I shake my head, confused. “What happened?”
Oberon sighs. “Titania knows. And Mab does as well.” He stands and starts to pace. “They’ve taken the baby and returned to the Grey Court.”
I’ve never seen him this nervous before. I’ve never really seen him nervous at all. He’s not making sense. “I don’t follow. Titania and Mab know what?”
He stills and looks me in the eye. Desperation washes over me before he ever says it. “They know about Kavi.”
My heart drops to hear it out loud. No one was around when we spoke of this. Did someone overhear our conversation? It could have been some tiny creature we failed to notice. A few seconds pass before I can form words.
“Cobweb,” I say, and Oberon gives me a puzzled look. “Cobweb could have overheard us. He was lurking in the hall the morning of Mab’s arrival.”
Oberon shakes his head. “It matters not how they know. The problem remains unchanged.”
I hate to ask, but I need to know. “What are they going to do?”
“They’ve yet to make any demands,” he says.
We both know they will. Slighted faeries will always demand recompense from the guilty party. It’s how we work. Even if it takes centuries, the fey are not prone to letting grudges go unchecked. It’s possible Mab will declare war on her sister’s behalf. Titania can demand that Kavi be executed and that Oberon watch, but honestly, I don’t think she’s that cruel. Her sister, on the other hand... Now that another heir is known, legitimacy aside, there is little chance this will end well.
“When did they find out?”
“I’m not certain. Possibly in the early hours of the morning. I could hear voices in Titania’s room before I went to bed in my own. They left soon after dusk,” he says.
They’ve been gone long enough that it would be a challenge to try to catch up to them now. Everyone under the Mound will be calling for blood when they learn of this.
“What do you need of me?” I ask.
Oberon’s face softens into something close to a smile. “And here I rely on you yet again to save me from my own mistakes.”
A breath of a laugh escapes me. “I’m sure I owe you at least a hundred times over by now.”
“Hm. Doubtless, I’m sure,” he says. “I need you to take him away. Hide him in one of your safest places, and then return here. He will be safer if he’s away from court.”
I nod sharply, a plan already forming. I know of a place, of someone who owes me a favor.
“Be careful. Mab no doubt will have placed obstacles by now.”
“Of course.”
He raises a hand to Kavi, glamour in the air, and then pauses. “Is it wrong that, regardless of my transgressions with Titania, I cannot find it in myself to regret him?”
He’s not allowed to show it—love can be easily used as a weapon in the courts—but I know he cares for Kavi. He wouldn’t have fought so hard for him and assigned him to me all those years ago otherwise. But then I’m not sure he knows how to show it.
