female spellcasters closed in to surround Escalla and her friends. Tielle’s fingers gleamed as the light fell ona tiny silver ring shaped like a spider. “Oh, you’ll like it. Mummy and Daddyhave you foremost on their minds… as always.”
Escalla sniffed at her sister and looked scathingly at the faerie warriors.
“I’m soooo intrigued.” Escalla shrugged. “Nice ring, by theway.”
Tielle raised a mocking smile and used her other hand to indicate a line of stepping stones that stretched into the distance. “Getmoving. They’re waiting.”
At least a dozen faeries served as escorts. Escalla scowled. On a good day, she could cream almost anyone in the clan, but with her spells depleted from three combats in a single day, she no longer stood a chance. Whatever happened, Jus and Polk would catch most of the damage. Seething with hate, Escalla tried to crush the helpless feeling of being dragged back into Daddy’s house as she flew out over the lake.
“Come on, guys. Let’s get this done.”
The Justicar shrugged his armor into place then strode forward on his strangely quiet boots. Behind him, Polk refused to move. Instead, the teamster turned to Escalla with a vacuous smile.
“My dear, I really don’t think this is any business formortals.”
Escalla planted her fists on her hips. “What?”
“Why, I think I’ll wait here. Thank you, Escalla. Gosh, butthe weather is nice!”
Turning her dire gaze upon the faeries, Escalla snarled. “Ohha ha ha. You blitzed an idiot with a charm spell.”
Something flickered in the air. A charm spell shot from a faerie toward the Justicar and shattered on the shield thrown up by the man’smagic ring. Cinders hissed, Jus jerked his head around, and the hell hound’s redeyes focused on an invisible shape lurking behind a tree.
Escalla threw up a hand and shoved a single spell toward the hidden faerie. A reeking cloud enveloped the culprit, sending him reeling and retching off into the bushes. Escalla watched the faerie go, unshipped her ice wand, and noisily pumped the activation slide. “What did I tell you about myfriends? Try it again, and I’ll get nasty!”
Grinning happily, Cinders wagged his tail.
“Not yet!” Escalla looked at the stepping stones. “Cinders,some of the stepping stones are illusions. Just keep your eyes open.”
Looking bored with it all, Tielle hovered over the surface of the lake and said, “None of them are illusions. We have better things to do withour time.”
“Good. Then let the Justicar carry you and hold you tight.”
Tielle looked annoyed. She made a pass with her hand, and half of the stepping stones disappeared, leaving only blank water in their place. Escalla flew out to lead the way, hovering protectively close to the Justicar.
“Polk, come on. Follow me.”
“Why yes. What a lovely suggestion!” Polk beamed vacuously,his voice vapid and formal. “May I just say how pert you look today?”
“Polk, spell or no spell, nobody ever uses
Jus jumped and strode awkwardly from stepping stone to stepping stone, his heavy bulk strangely graceful, his armor and sword quiet through long habit of stealth. Polk bumbled along in his wake, leaving his mule staring forlornly after them. Escalla flew along in silence, flanked by a dozen faeries and refusing to so much as even glance at her sister.
In the deep waters of the lake fish swam-giant cuttlefish andlittle stingrays, all faeries shapeshifted into animal form. In the trees overhead, animals watched the travelers, each creature showing intelligent faerie eyes. Watched from a dozen directions, Jus, Polk, and Escalla made their way across the lake toward a giant garden that glimmered with bright flowers.
At the shore stood a circular grove of gnarled, ancient fruit trees. Escalla jerked her thumb at the fruit trees as Jus passed them by.
“Plane trees.”
The Justicar turned. “Plain trees?”
“No, plane trees-like a tree of the various planes ofexistence.” Escalla shrugged. “That grove leads off to other planes-primalenergy, negative energy, fire, water, that sort of thing. You need a key taken from the plane you’re heading to-amazingly useless.”
The garden made a ring of light about a faerie palace, an airy thing all made from pearl-gray wood. A long path led toward the palace doors. Beside the path, a lawn hosted a dainty party attended by a dozen faerie folk. The faeries mingled, gossiped, and intrigued. Fawn and satyr servitors poured drinks, while animated plants played music upon lutes. A bevy of female orcs knelt servilely about a faerie lord who was wreathed in fiery robes. All conversation stopped, and all eyes turned as Escalla marched out from the trees.
A faun approached and bowed, ushering Escalla along the path. Escalla waited for Jus and Polk, keeping them at her side. Surrounded by guards and stared at by faeries and servants alike, the three companions walked slowly through the party and headed for the palace doors.
The silence was nerve wracking and irritating. Whirling, Escalla turned to face her peers.
“Yes, it’s me! I’m back! You all seen enough? And you? Andyou?” The girl pivoted in mid air, tugging her skirt tight.
Escalla sped forward in anger, shoving past two beautifully liveried centaurs and throwing open the palace doors. A vast hall stretched before her, a place of moving murals and carpets that shifted shape and form. A hundred faeries lined the way, most of them dressed in brilliant, alien finery. There were guards dressed in bright red mail and faerie dragons fluttering through the rafters eating flower arrangements. Escalla took one look at the crowds and sagged back toward the ground.
“Oh
Tielle whirred forward to whisper to a scowling major domo. Faerie maids in exotic fashions eyed Jus and whispered sourly behind their fans.
Escalla pulled in close to the ranger and whispered quickly in his ear, “This is not Clan Nightshade! This is way more than ClanNightshade!” The girl suddenly spied a slim, hypochondriacal faerie surroundedby rings of courtiers. “Oh futz. It’s the Erlking!”
Jus pulled at his nose and asked, “The who?”
“Oberon! Hen-pecked consort to the queen bitch herself!”Escalla quickly looked for avenues of escape. “I think this
Turning, Jus regarded his friend. “Escalla, just what exactlydid you do when you left here?”
Escalla managed to look both annoyed and evasive all at once. “Well I
Jus regarded her with leveled brows. “You stole daddy’swallet and ran away from home?”
“There was more to it than that! You had to be there!”
Polk beamed good will at the whole universe. “Why, it seemsto be a splendid place! Why ever did you leave?”
Cinders flattened his ears, scowling at the fripperies and gave a growl.
Escalla applauded. “Thank you, pooch! Polk, we’ll have alittle shared lesson on mind/body phenomenology later on, if we’re all alive.”
“But it’s so pretty!”
Escalla glared. “Polk, say, ‘I am an idiot.’”
“I am an idiot.”
“Great! Now shut up and enjoy your charm spell before I makeyou take off your pants!”
Jus looked disapprovingly about the room. It was pure luxury and opulence, and much of it pure illusion designed to stroke the senses. Dour and spartan, Jus was the antithesis of the entire faerie way of life. Faeries kept well away, staring at the mortals as though they carried a disease.
