Deadlocked

This conviction could not have popped into my head at a more inconvenient moment.

“You’re looking at me strangely,” Nial said. “What’s wrong, dearest one?”

“In the time he’s spent here,” I said, “my great-uncle has been kind, hardworking, and smart. The only thing that’s been wrong with Dermot is a bit of mental fragility, a direct result of being made crazy for years. So, why’d you do that? ‘He defied me’ isn’t real y an answer.”

“You haven’t got the right to question me,” Nial said, in his most royal voice. “I am the only living prince of Faery.”

“I don’t know why that means I can’t ask you questions. I’m an American,” I said, standing tal .

The beautiful eyes examined me coldly. “I love you,” he said very unlovingly, “but you’re presuming too much.”

“If you love me, or even if you just respect me a little, you need to answer my question. I love Dermot, too.”

Claude was standing absolutely stil , doing a great imitation of Switzerland. I knew he wasn’t going to chime in on my side or Dermot’s side or even Nial ’s side. To Claude, the only side was his.

“You al ied yourself with the water fairies,” Nial said to Dermot.

“After you cursed me,” Dermot protested, looking up at his father briefly.

“You helped them kil Sookie’s father,” Nial said. “Your nephew.”

“I did not,” Dermot said quietly. “And I’m not mistaken in this. Even Sookie believes this, and she lets me stay here.”

“You weren’t in your right mind. I know you would never do that if you hadn’t been cursed,” I said.

“You see her kindness, and yet you have none for me,” Dermot told Nial . “Why did you curse me? Why?” He was looking directly at his father, his distress written al over his face.

“But I didn’t,” Nial said. He sounded genuinely surprised. Final y, he was addressing Dermot directly. “I wouldn’t addle the brains of my own son, half-human or not.”

“Claude told me it was you who bespel ed me.” Dermot looked at Claude, who was stil waiting to see which way the frog would jump.

“Claude,” Nial said, the power in his voice making my head pound, “who told you this?”

“It’s common knowledge among the fae,” Claude said. He’d been preparing himself for this, was braced to make his answer.

“According to whom?” Nial was not going to give up.

“Murry told me this.”

“Murry told you I had cursed my son? Murry, the friend of my enemy Breandan?” Nial ’s elegant face was incredulous.

The Murry I killed with Gran’s trowel? I thought, but I knew it was better not to interrupt.

“Murry told me this before he switched his al egiance,” Claude said defensively.

“And who had told Murry?” Nial said, an edge of exasperation in his voice.

“I don’t know.” Claude shrugged. “He sounded so certain, I never questioned him.”

“Claude, come with me,” Nial said, after a moment’s fraught silence. “We wil talk to your father and to the rest of our people. We’l discover who spread this rumor about me. And we’l know who actual y cursed Dermot, made him behave so.”

I would have thought Claude would be ecstatic, since he’d been ready to return to Faery ever since entrance had been denied him. But he looked absolutely vexed, just for a moment.

“What about Dermot?” I asked.

“It’s too dangerous for him now,” Nial said. “The one who cursed him may be waiting to take further action against him. I’l take Claude with me …

and, Claude, if you cause any trouble with your human ways …”

“I understand. Dermot, wil you take over at the club until I return?”

“I wil ,” said Dermot, but he looked so dazed by the sudden turn of events that I wasn’t sure he knew what he was saying.

Nial bent to kiss me on the mouth, and the subtle smel of fairy fil ed my nose. Then he and Claude flowed out the back door and into the woods.

“Walked” is simply too jerky a word to describe their progress.

Dermot and I were left alone in my shabby living room. To my consternation, my great-uncle (who looked a tiny bit younger than me) began to weep. His knees crumpled, his whole body shook, and he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.

I covered the few feet between us and sank to the floor beside him. I put my arm around him and said, “I sure didn’t expect any of that.” I surprised a laugh out of him. He hiccupped, raising reddened eyes to meet mine. I stretched my free arm to reach the box of tissues on the table by the recliner. I extracted one and used it to pat Dermot’s wet cheeks.

“I can’t believe you’re being so nice to me,” he said. “It’s seemed incredible to me from the beginning,