Part 23 (1/2)
”For what?”
”We're off to see the queen,” Salaca said as he reached for Keelie's upper arm. Before she had a chance to shrug away, Fala snapped his fingers.
Keelie suddenly found herself back at the Quicksilver Faire, with Fala and Salaca at her side.
”Why did we have to tramp up the hill and through the door the first time, if this is so much faster?” she asked.
Fala shrugged. ”It's fae magic. Elves who travel here must use the long way.”
Gone were the crowds and music. The empty streets were silent, lined with shuttered shops that were eerie and bereft of life.
Keelie wondered if Maemtri was still here. She was an ally who straddled the different realms of Fairy. Or Keelie hoped she was an ally-you could never tell with fairies. It was one of the rules she'd forgotten.
Knot popped in beside her.
”You can teleport, too? This is so unfair.”
”Meow secret.”
She wasn't going to argue with him. She was glad he was here.
In the center of the faire, the vortex light pulsed and rotated. One thing Keelie had learned lately was that she hated traveling through vortexes or whoos.h.i.+ng places. The elven and human parts of her wanted to keep her feet on the ground, and to stay in a place where time progressed forward one minute at a time.
”Knot, go to the Timekeeper and get us a reprieve. I need half an hour. I sure don't want to go back and find out a week has pa.s.sed and the world has ended.”
Knot blinked at her. ”Meow can do that.”
Fala put a hand in the small of her back and urged her forward toward the vortex. Keelie didn't struggle; she was eager to speak to Queen Vania. Without the crowds to impede them, they were soon facing the vortex.
”Before we go, can you tell me what you know about Linsa?” .
A look of sadness pa.s.sed between the two fairies. ”She was the queen's younger sister, and she made unfortunate decisions,” Fala replied.
”She loved Herne,” Keelie said.
”Yes, a mistake we have learned you're repeating,” Salaca said disapprovingly. ”The queen is angry you went to Under-the-Hill.”
”Enough time for talk. It's time to jump.” Fala motioned toward the vortex.
Keelie closed her eyes and leaped.
She landed facedown on the cold marble floor of the castle's Great Hall.
”Bring her to my chamber.” The queen's voice echoed around the room. Keelie levered herself up, but she didn't see Vania sitting on her throne chair.
Fala and Salaca escorted Keelie to the queen's tower chamber. This was the same room in which Keelie had observed the rifts in the atmosphere and in the crust of the Earth.
Fala handed the sketch to the queen, and she unrolled it.
”How did you like your tour of Under-the-Hill?” The queen's eyes were on the drawing.
”It was very interesting,” Keelie answered. She hoped Herne wouldn't get mad at Queen Vania seeing her sketches and notes, although since he hung around up here in disguise she shouldn't be too worried. She had a feeling that the queen had never been to Under-the-Hill. Not her kind of place.
Keelie wasn't as frightened as she had been earlier, but the discussion she was about to have with the queen was going to be extremely uncomfortable, and possibly dangerous. She also remembered that this was the fairy who had turned her grandmother into a brownie because she'd fallen in love with a human.
Salaca handed the queen the book on dragon magic.
She turned the pages, not really looking at them. ”Accepting courting gifts from Herne. He can be quite charming. My sister found him so, and it was the death of her. Did you know he tried to convince her to come after my throne?”
”I heard that they were in love.”
”Love. That is an emotion for humans and maybe some elves, but since fae runs through your veins, I give you the same warning I gave to her, and may you make better use of it. Herne is evil, and he will use you to meet whatever goal he has in mind. He wanted my throne for himself, uniting Under-the-Hill and the High Court.”
”He loved Linsa,” Keelie said. ”And I think he is quite content with his realm.”
Vania turned away, and then whirled around. ”She said the same thing, but he killed her. Who do you think is behind the rift? It is his goblins draining the magic.”
”Who told you this?” Keelie asked.
”His jester told me. That Peascod.”
”It wasn't Herne who killed Linsa. It was Peascod.”
”Do you have proof?”
”He told me when he tried to kill me. He said he sacrificed Linsa so that her blood would open the rift for his master. But his master is not Herne.”
”He lied to you because he was my spy in Herne's court.” Vania paled as she spoke.
Keelie stared disbelievingly at the queen. ”He was your spy?”
”Yes, and he is loyal to me.” Vania bridged the distance between them until she was almost nose-to-nose with Keelie. ”You believed Peascod when he told you he killed Linsa.”
”You believed Peascod when he told you Linsa was plotting with Herne to take over your throne. He's poisoned your mind. Turned you against your own sister.” Keelie could see a flash of doubt pa.s.s through the queen's eyes.
”How do you know he's telling you the truth?” Vania demanded.
”Because I'm not important to Peascod. I'm in his way. He doesn't need to lie to me, so as he kills me, telling me he killed Linsa gives him immense pleasure. Finally, he can tell someone, show how clever he is. Whereas with you, if he can manipulate your feelings with lies, he will.”
”Why would Peascod kill my sister?”
”Linsa had discovered Peascod was involved with the goblins, and that they were serving another master. He was betraying Herne. Peascod has been playing both you and Herne. It's kept you divided, so he could go about collecting the magic for whomever he's serving.”
”It can't be.”
”It's true, and now you have to join forces with Herne, the elves, and the dwarves to stop the rift. We both saw the crack in Gaia's dome.”
Vania pulled up the image of the Earth. ”I don't know if I can do that.” She paced.
”Linsa would tell you to do so. From what everyone has told me about her, she was a kind fairy.”