layout as we made our entrance. The club was laid out in a circular, spiral pattern. I used the large bar, stocked with bottles of glowing liquids, to orient myself.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I strode through the crowd, holding my chin high. A sea of dancers parted to make way for the two royals and their human vassal. My shoulder blades itched, feeling the eyes of strangers at my back, but I continued on toward the velvet ropes I’d seen from above.
I flipped my hair over my shoulder and stole a quick glance at my companions. Ceff looked like a man in his element. We may not have been at sea, but Ceff was used to large, royal audiences. His role as kelpie king often meant lengthy negotiations with both enemy and allied faerie delegations and the mandatory attendance of fae social functions. Ceff moved through the crowd with the strength, grace, and confidence of a champion race horse.
Jinx matched Ceff’s posture though her eyes were wide and the knuckles of the hand holding the strap of her weapons bag were white. More than one fae leaned in closer for a better look or sniff, as if they were at a wine tasting and testing Jinx’s vintage. I don’t know how she tolerated the behavior.
If it had been me, I might have staked them all with iron. Thankfully, my princess status demanded space —either that or I still smelled of rotting ghoul guts. The crowd of fae continued to part before me, allowing me to move unhindered. A trickle of sweat ran down my back, but I took a calming breath and tried not to think of the potential threat of nightmare visions from so many immortals.
I managed to walk confidently across the room, but by the time we reached the roped off stairs my skin had begun to glow. If I’d been on the city streets, I’d have worried. But I was in a faerie club and had come out of the proverbial closet. For once, I didn’t care about my glowing skin. Let them stare.
I narrowed my eyes at the two bouncers guarding access to the upper level. A griffin stood to the right of the stairs and a boggart to my left, one light fae and one dark. I suppose in a club filled with both Seelie and Unseelie fae, it made sense to have both sides equally represented by security.
I addressed both of the bouncers, but since wisps are tied to the Unseelie court, I turned slightly toward the boggart. The creature was ugly, hairy, and smelly. Its hair was so greasy, you could use it to fuel a lamp for weeks, but I gave it my best smile.
“Ivy Granger, wisp princess, Ceffyl Dwr, kelpie king, and our human vassal to see Sir Torn,” I said.
The boggart raised his spear, but the griffin nodded and swept the rope aside. The boggart looked disappointed. I hadn’t made a friend there. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried smiling at the creature. I strode up the wide steps before the griffin could change his mind.
“Would you prefer I do the talking from now on?” Ceff asked.
“No,” I said.
Jinx giggled and Ceff shrugged. I turned left at the top of the stairs and started scanning the booths for cat sidhe, ignoring them both. I knew deep down that Ceff was more qualified to do the talking. He was handsome, charming, and skilled at negotiating with fae from both courts. But this was my gig. The parents of those children had come to me for help, not the kelpie king. It was my responsibility to bring them home.
Bodyguards watched us intently and fingered their weapons as we sauntered along the curved walkway, though so far none had impeded our circuit. I hoped to keep it that way. As much as I wanted to run from booth to booth yelling for Torn, an altercation would only delay us further. I kept my hands out where the guards could see them and didn’t make any quick, threatening motions.
We moved silently as we passed a trio of centaur guards, my boots sinking deeply into thick, spongy moss. Each section of the upper tier contained a magical microenvironment suited to the fae who were there for both business and pleasure. These microcosms spilled out onto the adjacent walkway, creating a number of potential hazards. So far we’d encountered flames, ooze, ice, and deadly looking insects, but not one cat—until now.
A small cat sidhe watched us from the shadow of a huge, elephant-ear shaped fern. The cat was taking a chance exploring outside cat sidhe territory, but you know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat.
“Cat sidhe at two o’clock,” I whispered.
Ceff nodded and Jinx gave me a thumbs up. I eased my way slowly toward the fern, pretending to admire the foliage. I didn’t want to scare the cat sidhe, or give his location away to the nearby guards.
“This fern is beautiful,” I said. “It looks just like an ear, but I’m actually searching for one that’s Torn.”
I flicked my eyes at the cat and winked. The cat sidhe blinked at me and tilted its head. Apparently, I had its attention.
“Ah, look, I found some Ivy,” I said.
There wasn’t any ivy in sight, but the centaur guards didn’t notice. With my hand shielded by my body, I pointed to myself when I said my name. Hopefully the cat sidhe could let Sir Torn know I was here. Or better yet, take me to him.
The cat sidhe’s body faded away replaced my flickering shadows. It stepped out from under the giant fern and trotted back the way we came. I narrowed my eyes at the shadow cat and sighed. I just hoped it wasn’t leading us on a wild goose, or cat, chase.
I turned and followed, though the cat sidhe was difficult to see even with my second sight. If I hadn’t already known it was there, it could have passed by unseen. I kept my eyes on the cat sidhe, careful not to lose its whereabouts.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about dangers underfoot. The cat always seemed to know the best path, and following in its footsteps took less time than our previous trip. Where a realm of ice overlapped with a slime coated cave, the cat sidhe turned left.
It padded over to a section of ice covered stone and winked out of sight. I gasped and hurried toward where it last stood. Ceff and Jinx followed, looking at me quizzically.
“It disappeared right here,” I said, pointing at a solid wall of stone.
“Dude, this isn’t a Heinlein novel, cats don’t walk through walls,” Jinx said.
“Maybe, in this case, they do,” Ceff said.
He ran his hands over ice and stone, reaching into every notch and crevice. After a moment he smiled, finding what he was searching for.
“There’s an opening here,” he said.
Ceff stepped to his left and…disappeared. My heart sped up and I reached for my knives, but before they hit my palms, Ceff had reappeared. He waved his arm into an invisible entrance, the limb seeming to vanish.
Ah, there was a gap in the overlapping stone leaving the illusion of a solid wall with an entrance large enough for us to walk through single file. I couldn’t see more than a foot inside, but I nodded. Cat sidhe are creatures of shadow and mystery. It made sense that the entrance to the club’s representation of their world would be dark and hidden.
Ceff ducked back inside, Jinx at his heels. The cat sidhe had passed through this entrance. Hopefully, Sir Torn would be on the other side. I took one last look at the club and turned to follow my friends through the nearly invisible door.
I just hoped the exit wasn’t as difficult to find.
Chapter 20
We slipped through the hidden doorway, leaving the ice behind. The cold of the frozen area of the club was replaced by warm, humid air as I stepped into the dark. Claws tapped on pavement and I tensed as shapes began to take form.
Fae blood gave both Ceff and me excellent night vision. Jinx wasn’t so lucky. I heard her voice whisper shakily.
“Ivy?” she asked. “Remember when we agreed not to have strangers over to the loft? Well, I think this is a good time to tell you about this guy I let sleep over a few nights ago. I know you’re always worried about visions, so you may not want to use your toothbrush.”
My leather gloves creaked as I curled my hands into tight fists. Was this some kind of evil twist on deathbed confessions? If it was, I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t have time for an argument, but when this was all over, Jinx and I were going to have a serious talk.
