him a little half smile.
“You were amazing,” she said, barely audible over the din of the crowd. “Everybody’s talking about you.”
Brendan nodded. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, “Thanks.”
“For what?” Kim asked.
“For the Dawn Flight. For showing me that there’s a good side to all this weird stuff. For being here.” He took her hand and squeezed it.
Kim blushed and shrugged, saying gruffly, “Yeah, well. That’s cool.”
Brendan looked into her brown eyes and smiled. Here in the middle of this hurricane of Faerie insanity, he was at peace.
Suddenly there was a cry from the doorway. The music staggered to a stop as Lugh pushed his way into the pub, scattering the dancers and opening a circle in their midst. He dragged two figures, one in each huge hand, and threw them to the ground. Close on his heels came little Maya, giggling like a demented child, pushing a boy in front of her.
“Look what we found,” she crowed.
“Interlopers,” Lugh growled. “They were trespassing on the Gathering.”
A fierce cry rose from the Faeries. Brendan was off his stool in a flash and pushing through the crowd, Kim hot on his heels.
Brendan’s stomach dropped away when he saw who knelt on the floor at Lugh’s feet. Harold, Dmitri, and Chester Dallaire blinked in terror at the sea of hostile faces. Their hands were tied behind their backs, but otherwise they seemed to be all right.
“What are you doing here?” Kim demanded before Brendan could find any words.
“We were worried about Brendan,” Dmitri answered.
“You are in mucho trouble, you idiots,” Kim groaned.
“We all know the penalty for trespassing on the Gathering.” Pukh’s clear voice brought a hushed silence to the room.
“Oh brother,” Kim moaned softly. “Here it comes.”
“People of the Moon!” Pukh cried theatrically. He stepped into the circle with his henchmen and addressed the crowd. “The Pact is clear. Our Gatherings are sacrosanct. Intruders are punished. Humans are not welcome here.”
“These three meant no harm.” Brendan stepped into the ring and faced Pukh.
“Three?” Pukh said with an ingenuous look of surprise. “You are mistaken. There are four prisoners.” This last he called over his shoulder.
Lugh pushed through the crowd and returned, dragging a reluctant Delia by the elbow. His sister had been bound and gagged. She struggled like a wildcat, but the tall Faerie’s grip was firm.
Brendan’s face was a picture of shock and dismay. Lugh pushed Delia to the ground and took a place beside Pukh, his cold eyes glittering in the firelight.
“We all know the penalty,” Pukh said with a savage smile. “They must die.”
RESPONSIBILITY
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Harold squeaked. “Let’s not jump right to ‘They must die!’ I mean, that’s a little over the top, isn’t it?”
Brendan couldn’t believe his ears. “Are you kidding me? Die? Isn’t that a bit extreme? And why are they bound? Untie them right now.”
“Our Laws are strict,” Ariel interjected. “The People of Metal are not permitted to attend our Gatherings.”
“Well, your little Gathering will end on a down note. Killing people’s a thing you just don’t do at parties.”
“This is not a joke, Brendan,” Pukh said. “These people must be dealt with according to our rules. They must be executed.”
“That’s barbaric! Can’t we just Compel them to forget?” Brendan suggested. “I did it before.”
“Is that what happened?” Harold demanded. “You made us forget that day? I knew it!”
Lugh lashed out with the toe of his boot, catching Harold in the ribs and knocking him to the floor. Brendan stepped between Lugh and the prisoners. He glared steadily into the pale, dead eyes of the tall Faerie and said with as much steadiness as he could muster, “You kick him again, I’ll snap your foot off and feed it to you, you creep.”
Lugh’s eyes widened slightly, then a slow smile spread across his pale, cadaverous face. “I await your pleasure, young Princeling.”
Kim stepped up, reaching for her stick. “We’ll give you a two-for-one deal.”
BLT fluttered down to Brendan’s shoulder, her fists cocked. “With a little extra.”
Ariel was about to shout for order, but Pukh refused to yield the spotlight.
“Such solidarity! Touching.” Pukh raised a hand and Lugh, with great effort, forced himself to step back. The Lord of Tir na nOg stepped into the centre of the room. Every eye followed him. “Fair Folk,” he said, addressing the Faeries crowding in around the prisoners. “This is an important moment. Our sacred Laws have been breached. These intruders show us that Humans have no respect for the Pact. Indeed, they have forgotten all about the bargain they made in the distant past. They keep the Pact only by accident, out of ignorance of our existence. The truth is, only we keep the Pact. We live on the fringes of the Earth, in the cracks, and try desperately to avoid the heavy, clumsy tread of the People of Metal. They take more and more, squeezing the life out of the Earth, choking her without remorse. We have imprisoned ourselves within the Pact.” There were murmurs of agreement from some of the gathered Faeries. Brendan looked to Merddyn and saw that the old man was merely watching Pukh, silently gauging the crowd’s reaction to his words.
Pukh waved a graceful hand at the four Humans huddled together on the floor. “These Humans must be punished. We must send a message. We have to begin clawing back what is ours.” The murmurs became more pronounced.
“They didn’t know what they were doing,” Brendan cried.
“Ignorance is nothing to be proud of,” Pukh scoffed. “But of course, you would take their side. You have a weakness for these creatures. You were raised by them, after all.”
“What a total wad,” Harold breathed.
“They aren’t creatures,” Brendan grated. “They are my friends and family.”
“I’ve read stories of children raised by apes and wolves.” Pukh laughed. “Very amusing. I suppose your case is similar.”
Brendan was furious. “If you dare to call my parents animals one more time I’ll make you sorry.”
“Will you, little man?” Pukh’s dark eyes were deadly calm. “Will you?”
Looking into that Ancient face, Brendan saw the dark, capricious, and cruel spirit that inhabited the space behind Pukh’s eyes. He saw the bitterness and the hatred that coiled there behind a facade of sardonic humour and elegance. He saw the power waiting to be unfurled, and his heart quailed.
“Humans!” Pukh mercifully turned his dark face back to the Faeries in the room. “They cannot be trusted. They are killing the Earth! They will be the death of us all.”
Some of the Faeries clapped and cheered, but many were silent, uneasy.
Brendan opened his mouth to speak, but Merddyn’s voice intruded. “There is a greater question we are overlooking.”
Everyone looked to Merddyn, who was sitting on a stool at the bar enjoying a small glass of wine. “How did they get here? The Wards and glamours surrounding the island discouraged all the other Humans, and yet these four are here. How is that possible?”
Brendan frowned. It was true. He looked at his friends and his sister huddled in a group on the floor. Delia was trying to work her mouth free of her cloth gag. Brendan went to her and pulled it from her mouth.
“I’LL KILL YOU, YOU FREAK!” Delia shouted. Maya, the object of Delia’s wrath, merely giggled and danced
