“Yes, and that’s what is driving me crazy. It doesn’t add up. Hob supposedly smelled the smoke, and then saw the flames when he looked out of his shop. He rushed to your shop and saved the tree. Why save the goblin tree? Then, remember, I can’t detect his essence.”
Keelie shivered as the bell jangled on the table, untouched. She grabbed a tissue from the box that Sally kept for weepers and stuffed it into the bell. That should do it.
“I have a witness who saw him leaving the meadow at the same time he said he was in his mask shop.” Tendrils of smoke coiled from her ears and nostrils.
“What? It doesn’t make sense. Who was your witness?” Keelie asked. ‘“If it was Vangar… ” She still doubted the blacksmith’s credibility.
“It was, and yes, I believe him. And the bhata and the feithid daoine. They tried to tell you, but you were never alone.”
Keelie inhaled sharply. “Then what’s your plan?”
“You’re going to get a job at Hobknocker’s. Use the To See Truly spell on him. If he lets his guard down, you may be able to read him, see his true self.”
“Hey, I thought you said I was banned from working at the faire.”
“Things have changed. Desperate times call for desperate plans.” Finch tapped the tarot card with the red dragon and the cloaked girl facing down the dancing jester.
Keelie felt a tiny surge of hope. She wasn’t thrilled to be working next to Heartwood’s smoldering ruins, but she liked Hob. He’d saved the goblin tree, and she was sure there was a good explanation for Finch’s suspicions other than something magical. In the meantime, it would give her something to do other than mope around about Sean and mourn the loss of Heartwood. She would be able to do her own investigation into the fire.
“When would I start?” Keelie asked.
“I think now would be a good time,” Finch said as she held up the tarot card. “And you’ll need some garb.” Her eyes flicked down to Keelie’s outfit and she realized she’d been running in Raven’s PJ bottoms and Janice’s sweatshirt.
nine
“I do need garb. I need a toothbrush, too.” Keelie hadn’t anticipated working at Hobknocker’s today. She tried to keep up with Finch as they walked past Sir Davey’s Dragon Hoard shop. Rocks and shiny crystals glimmered from inside the window display.
They stopped at Galadriel’s Closet. Finch nodded to the proprietor, Mara, as Keelie gave her friend an enthusiastic hug. “Let the kid pick out something and charge it to the faire,” Finch announced. She looked at Keelie. “Choose an outfit for working at the shop. Nothing fancy.”
“Nothing fancy” described all the rental garb; these clothes were made to last a long time. Keelie picked out a drab, basic Ren Faire wench outfit: dingy white peasant top, stained flounced skirt, and corduroy vest that laced up the front.
Finch noticed her glum face and winked. “Consider it therapy. You know what they say about getting back into the saddle after you’ve fallen off a unicorn, oops, I mean a horse. This is preview day for faire folk family and friends, so it’s a perfect day to begin. No big crowds, but plenty of people in costume.”
The faire director stomped ahead on Ironmonger’s Way, her boots leaving huge prints in her wake. Keelie wouldn’t have been surprised to see claw impressions in the dirt.
“Your kindness and thoughtfulness overwhelm me,” she called as she ran after her. “Let me guess- Ermentrude never gave you sensitivity training, did she? And by the way, what am I supposed to do? Dust the creepy masks?”
The scent of herbal soaps and aromatherapy oil wafted from Janice’s herbal shop. Keelie longed to return to bed for a nap to soothe her aching muscles, but they kept moving.
“You’ll do whatever he needs you to do.” Finch cut her eyes over at Keelie.
All of the booth owners waved at Finch as she marched by their shops. Maybe they sensed, on a subconscious level, “here be dragon.” Or maybe her faire admin personae was scary enough.
The girls hired to be fairies were working on their costumes outside Betty’s Books and Baubles, cackling like hens laying eggs. Keelie recognized Marcia, Tracy, and Lily, now dressed as Shimmerlight the gold fairy, Lavender Lollipop the purple fairy, and Lily Limerton the green fairy.
Finch motioned for Keelie to stop. Keelie rolled her eyes. Why were they stopping here? The last thing Keelie wanted to do was eavesdrop on a bunch of fake fairies talking. She’d met the real deal at the High Court and was not impressed with imitations.
At least the bell the bhata had given her wouldn’t jangle again-it was still stuffed with tissue from Sally’s shop. She needed to get rid of the thing.
Finch elbowed Keelie and whispered, “Try the To See Truly spell on them.”
“Did you hear that the Equus Island guys aren’t letting people near the horses?” Shimmerlight sprinkled more glitter on her wings.
“They’ve always been snooty. Really cut, but not like Hob,” Lily added.
Keelie tilted her head fifteen degrees (or so she assumed), tapped into Earth magic, and focused on the light around Lily. “ Allow me to see truly,” she softly said.
She didn’t see anything around Lily, Tracy, or Marcia regarding their “intent.” This seeing truly spell didn’t work, and it would be the same with Hob.
Impatient to move on, Keelie tapped Finch on the shoulder. “Why are we here?”
“Listen,” Finch hissed softly.
Lily Limerton was sewing some jingly bells on her tulle skirt from a bowl next to her. Keelie had really come to dislike the sound of bells.
“Hob told everyone down at the Poacher’s Inn pub that Vangar is a suspect in the fire.” Shimmerlight grinned, then whispered, “He’s paying us to direct all the children to his shop. Isn’t that awesome?”
Lily Limerton squealed. “It’s our secret!” They made a silly show of shushing each other, fingers to lips.
Shimmerlight stood and held the blinged-out skirt up for the other fairy girls to see. “Is it sparkly enough?”
Lily Limerton and Lavender Lollipop both nodded.
Keelie looked away to keep from rolling her eyes. She watched Finch stride forward and smiled as the three fairies moved close together, almost into a huddle, to protect one another.
“Good morning, ladies,” Finch growled.
“Good morning, Madame Faire Director,” Shimmerlight said as her face burned tomato red.
“I hope you ladies will make sure the children attending the faire today, or any other faire day, have lovely dreams of gossamer wings and hummingbird happy thoughts. Make sure they see not only the masks at Hobknocker’s, but also all of our fine establishments here at the High Mountain Faire. Am I making myself perfectly clear, like the ringing of a crystal bell high above the mountains of Norway?”
What did Norway have to do with anything?
“Yes!” All three fairy girls drew together even more closely, as if they could sense they had angered the inner dragon of the faire director.
“I will not hear of any side deals with shop owners, or tales that my fairies have been bad. Right?”
All three girls nodded their heads simultaneously.
“Keelie has seen bad fairies. What happens to bad fairies?”
“They get turned into brownies,” Keelie said with a straight face. “Fairy servants who are all wrinkly and wear ugly clothes.”
The fairy girls’ eyes widened.
“What a horrible fate.” Finch was very nonchalant and uber cool, so unlike her usual self. “You ladies have a great day, and don’t forget what I said.”
“Yes ma’am,” they answered in unison.
Finch walked away, with Keelie keeping pace. She could only imagine the conversations that would circulate
