handle Iain but it would be nice to have back up. “Yes, I saw you at the pub last night with the nightshade fairy.”
“Ah, yes, that little thing.” He checked his nails and then buffed them on his sleeve. “I can’t really tell you anything, Quinn.”
“What’s Fionuir up to?”
“I don’t know. You know I’m not part of the court. I’m not privy to her plans.”
“Why does she use you to make contact with the fairies?”
“I am, shall we say neutral? I perform a service for her and she lets me stay that way.”
“I need to stop her. It isn’t going to be good in the long run. You know someone will have to pay for all these deaths”
“Perhaps.” He rose. “Quinn, this isn’t going to work out for you if you keep going. Just a friendly warning.”
“If I don’t, it won’t work out for anyone.” I felt like I was the only one who could see how badly this would end for us Real folk. We call ourselves that but the humans are more real than we are and they were increasing in number while we were diminishing.
Iain sighed. “Leave it Quinn. You won’t be able to stop her. If she wants to pull power she will. If you try to interfere it will indeed end with someone dying. I like you, Quinn. Don’t be a fool.”
“I can’t help it. I remember the last time we ignored the humans. You should too. You loved Belinda.”
“Don’t bring her into this.” Iain spat the words. Even after all this time, the death of his vampire lover stung. “I can’t help you.”
He spun and faded into the shadows.
Olan practiced flying all the way home. It took a half hour to make it back and when we got there, I saw someone standing in the shadows beside the door; about three feet tall and skinny, probably a fairy.
“Olan, get up on the roof.” I shrugged him off my shoulder. “Leave the fairy to me.”
He landed on the roof of the porch and settled down as I made it to the first step.
The fairy rushed toward me and I put my hands out to stop him. A nettle fairy can attack with a tiny prick of poison that will fell you in a few seconds. It doesn’t kill, but it can leave you paralyzed for months.
“Stay there and tell me what you want.” I figured I knew but didn’t want to jump to conclusions.
“I want you to stop bothering the Sidhe. We need babies, and that is the only way.” The fairy trembled, his green skin flashing dark then pale with emotion. “Please. Stop.”
I was getting tired of pointing out the long term problem with that plan. Knowing fairies didn’t think in the long term didn’t stop me from hoping they would get it. I told him what would happen.
“Quinn Larson. You are wise but you don’t have any solution to our problem.”
I heard Olan grumbling from the roof.
“What is your name?” It couldn’t hurt to try to make a connection.
“Stern Greenway, I am prince of the nettles. I have to protect my people. If we don’t breed we will die out. There are precious few of us now. Where will we be in a year?”
“Fionuir has caused your problem. Did you know that?”
“It doesn’t matter who or what caused it, the Sidhe have the cure. We will do as they ask.”
“It’s not a cure. I’m pretty sure that you’ll need to go to them again for the next baby.”
“So, we have enough poison to kill as many humans as it will take.”
“And will you teach your children to kill?”
“We have started already.”
Olan squawked. I cut my eyes to the roof. I could see his beak and eyes popping over the gutter.
“That’s a lot of humans, they’ll notice,” I said to Stern.
Stern threw his arms out. “So we deal with that when it happens.”
“Why did you come to me?” I knew by the way he hopped from foot to foot that he had something else to say. “Why now? I haven’t been able to do anything to stop you.”
“We didn’t take the Sidhe up on the offer right away. We didn’t think it was necessary. We have times when we have few babies and times when we have many.” He took a deep breath and I could see he was making up his mind. “But, we were worried. So, I went to see the old lady.”
The old lady was something of an oracle. No one had actually seen her in centuries. She usually talked through an intermediary. “What did she say?”
“She said that you would stop the Sidhe but the cost would be heavy. She meant the fairies would die out.” Tears started to fall. “If the fairies go, what will happen to the world?”
“It might mean something else.” I didn’t trust anything the old lady said. Like most oracles, she gave such open answers everyone interpreted it their own way. “She could mean the cost would be for me, or for the humans, or for Fionuir.”
“No, it must be us, we asked the question. Why would she tell us about the cost if it had nothing to do with us?”
Olan landed in front of Stern. “You stupid fairy.” I heard a power I didn’t know he had roar from his beak. “Killing humans will be your ruin. If they don’t retaliate, I will.” Stern bent backward as though caught in gale.
“But…” Stern didn’t manage another syllable.
“If you bring the attention of other beings that protect the humans, you will be crushed. Did you not think?”
I didn’t move; getting between Olan and Stern was a bad idea and I have strong survival skills. But, I could talk. “Olan, settle down. They are just trying to survive.”
Stern looked at me then stepped back, trembling. Olan turned to me; I saw thunder and lightning in his eye. As soon as Olan turned, Stern leapt over the railing and disappearing into the dark.
“Damn you wizard,” he spat. “Now he’s gone.”
“Yes, and that’s the best way for this to end. He is just one fairy. We need to stop this at the source.”
Chapter Ten
Olan flapped back up to the roof. I figured he was going to simmer for a while. If I was right, I would much rather he do it on the roof than in my workshop.
“Well, goodnight.” I pulled my keys out and flicked off the protection spells. As I opened the door, something rushed past me. It wasn’t Olan, too tall, and pink for that.
I stood in the doorway and looked around. “I did not invite you. Step out from where you are and explain yourself.”
Nothing happened. My spells should have stopped anyone entering without permission, failing that it should have compelled the intruder to the center of the room. This was not exactly impossible, but it meant there were only a few Folk it could be. To avoid the spells, my intruder must have been here before. When I invite people, it’s for the one visit unless I expressly state it. Olan was a permanent guest so he could come and go as long as I don’t physically lock the door because he can’t manage to open it.
The other way for someone to be able to enter was if they left enough of their possessions behind them. I was very careful about checking to make sure my few visitors didn’t leave any articles of clothing or belongings. But, it seems I missed one.
“Okay, come out and we can talk.” I saw a blur out of the corner of my eye and spun, casting a protection spell as I did. A rose fairy smashed against the spell and bounced back, dropping a knife in the process.
“Wizard,” she spat, picking up the knife. “Drop the spell and fight me fairly.”
There was no such thing as fair fighting with fairies. When they decided to kill you they didn’t play fair, they played for keeps. I threw a confinement spell around her. Step one was to make sure she couldn’t get back in. “Princess Elizabeth, what did you leave here?” She didn’t speak but I noticed her glance toward a box on my kitchen counter. I tipped the box and found a golden ring in the bottom. “That’s the last time I invite you to my party.” I opened the door and tossed the ring into the yard.
