Escalla looked slyly back across her shoulder. The gauze curtains twitched and parted as something invisible stole softly into the room behind her. BOOM!
Enid’s stun scroll, now framed and reversed with its backturned into a bad watercolor landscape, blasted magic downward as the spy crossed under it. A body jerked and thudded to the ground.
“Gotcha!”
Escalla laughed, jammed her gloves into the invisible spy’smouth, tied him up with stockings, and shoved him beneath a pile of Tarquil’slaundry in the far corner of the room.
Tarquil was still asleep, and Escalla had thirty seconds to spare. What girl could resist?
Escalla took position in the eye of the slowglass necklace and gave a little wave. Whispering to the necklace, she slapped herself upon the rear.
“Hey, Tarquil! Here we go. Look and weep into your damnedliquor!” Escalla made a face into the slowglass gem, gave a traditional signwith her finger, then threw her dandelion flower at her old mirror.
The mirror flashed, shimmered, and a new gate opened into another world. Escalla took a running dive at the mirror and disappeared, the gate closing an instant after she plunged through.
This was the route she had used for countless secret trips to the Flanaess in her teenage years-a route her mother had never been able to pindown. Escalla emerged half-clothed in a stream. It was pitch dark and cold as ice. The girl screeched, sending bubbles to the surface, then turned herself into a very long and wriggly eel.
A pipe still led down into old irrigation drains. The eel sped along the waterway, stopping only to snatch a copper coin from a pile hidden in a sunken flowerpot many years ago. The eel whirled, sped past a row of sunken archways, and reached a deep, dark pool inhabited by a giant pike. The pike made a lunge, but Escalla the eel sped nimbly away. An archway of fallen rock stood out in the filtered underwater light. The eel used its copper coin as a pass. The coin flashed and disappeared, the gateway opened, and the eel sped through-
To find itself falling freely through a forest sky.
The gate exited from the arches of an ancient aqueduct. Escalla’s body flashed as she shifted shape. An instant later a rather large andfluffy owl flapped its way into the cold night air.
To the south lay the seashore with its towns and boats and taverns-the world Escalla had spied upon as a little girl. To the north therelay nothing by the empty forest. With a smirk, the owl sped northward, scanning downward for a landmark it might recognize.
A road with big statue heads. Escalla swooped downward, lofted over a village scattered with giants’ bones, and saw a distant castlewith a teetering tower.
Light glimmered beneath her as she turned a victory roll above the castle courtyard. She changed into her normal form and streamed down to be caught in a pair of waiting arms.
Escalla felt herself crushed in a bear hug. Jus held her in silence with his face pressed into her hair. Escalla felt her ribs creak but clung to him with glad ferocity. Above her, Cinders’ white teeth gleamed, and his red eyes shone.
“Hey, pooch! I’m back.” Escalla managed to make herself somebreathing room in Jus’ grasp. “I’m back.”
Jus and Escalla stood clasped together for a long moment. Finally Escalla drew a breath and looked into the night.
Polk had warmed a blanket for her at the fire. The teamster swept it around her, grinning like a maniac, and puffed with pride-clearlygiving himself credit for having arranged the entire escape. Escalla opened her mouth to say hello and instead found Polk’s bottle jammed between her lips.
“Drink, girl! It’ll warm you! Good for the blood, theadventuring blood!” Polk pulled the bottle free as Escalla turned green andgasped for breath. “Amphisbanae double-snake’s head whiskey! That pixie bottleof yours is a gem!”
The faerie coughed as though trying to wrench her esophagus out of her throat. With tears in her eyes, she gave a thumbs up to Polk and Enid. Purring like a cage of satiated lions, Enid paced about in the background putting out fires and cleaning up the camp.
Jus handed Escalla her cherished leather clothes, her battle wand, and her books of spells.
“How long have we got?” he asked.
“Maybe an hour-until morning, tops.” The girl dressed swiftlyand efficiently, keeping one eye on the sky. “There’ll be faerie dragons, elfhounds, and faeries. Mother will probably summon eagles and stuff.”
“What do we do?”
“We head for a bolt hole and sit tight for a week.”
The group walked out of the castle and followed Escalla toward the old moat. The girl hummed happily, hugging her ice wand tight against her heart. Behind her Enid politely fluffed her wings.
“We’re terribly glad to have you back. How did the weddingpreparations go?”
“Oh, pretty good. Shame to miss it. They made a cake andeverything!” Escalla turned and eagerly waved her hands. “You should have seenthe dress! Pure white and bigger’n a landshark!”
Walking at Escalla’s side, Jus flicked her a glance brightwith secret delight. “A
Hovering indignantly, the girl bridled. “Hey! I’m entitled!”
Everyone turned to stare in amusement at Escalla, who instantly panicked as she felt her reputation fall to pieces.
“N-n-not to say that I’m not experienced!”
Jus’ teeth gleamed. “Yeah, how about with another person?”
“Keep it up, baldie!” The faerie had turned a shade ofscarlet. “Right now I’m thinking you’d look pretty good as a size eleven frog!”
Flying haughtily on her way, the faerie swept down to the castle moat, trying to ignore the amused looks from behind her. She tugged her clothing into place, sniffed importantly, and hovered beside the pond.
“If you people are
Cinders looked at her and sniggered happily.
“Cinders, I don’t think a hearth rug with teeth has any callto be mocking
Jus looked up at her and stroked his chin. “The faeries canfly, have magic faerie hounds, and use scrying spells. What’s the best way toevade them?”
“Dunno.” Escalla gave a happy shrug. “We’re lucky! They’llmiss us somehow. Don’t worry about it.” The girl snapped her fingers. “Trust me.I’m a faerie!”
Polk, Enid, Jus, and Cinders all simply looked at her. The Justicar sucked on a tooth and said, “Trust to luck? That’s your whole escapeplan?”
“Look. I just escaped from the whole Seelie Court! I can’t beexpected to handle everything!” The faerie waved her hands in indignation. “Someof the details I have to leave to
The Justicar looked at the forest and gave a tired sigh. “Areall your escapes like this?”
From a tree overhead, there came a sudden weary sigh. “Mostof them.”
Jus whirled, his hand on his sword.
Escalla’s father sat on a tree bough, looking old, tired, andglum.
Everyone stared up at the faerie lord. An uncomfortable silence reigned for long moments. Putting on her best innocent grin, Escalla gave him a timid little tinkle of a wave.
“Hello, Dad. Ah…” Escalla gave a hopeful little flip ofher antennae. “Why all the excitement in the forest?”
“My dear, I believe they have come to ask you why youmurdered Tarquil.” Lord Charn looked at his daughter and gave a heavy sigh.“This time you’ve really managed to outdo yourself.”
