I veered to the right, down a slope between the mounds and the forest. In this section of the property the trees made a ninety-degree turn, creating a squarish plot. The uneven land was dotted with lichen-splotched rocks and a handful of circles where the soil had been turned in preparation for planting more fruit trees.
“The portal is there,” said Wes, pointing to one of the largest and oldest of the Pearmains’ apples trees, trunk bent and twisting, near a corner of one the rectangular mounds.
At the tree’s base, I could see an area filled in with pebbles.
“And the underland is over there.” He waved toward the distant line of cedar, fir, and Arbutus trees, where the property line ended and the ground went from farmland to foothill. I made out a grape arbor, dense with vines and leaves, perhaps fifty feet in length.
“Calli, gather round.” Wes continued to hold the role of commander. “Hyslop, Peasgood, Néne, and Sil. The four of you position yourselves close to the portal tree. Place your luggage at your feet and be ready to play your roles the moment your parents arrive: you are shocked that your escape has been thwarted.”
Four heads nodded. The Fae sisters primped and preened and made minor adjustments to their boyfriends’ attire. They had gone to some effort to dress as though they really were intent on eloping, adding to the surreal quality of the evening.
“Guards, glamour yourselves as farmhands, as discussed.”
The eight Fae, long-handled rakes and hoes in their hands, nodded and dispersed.
“Calliope, our ultimate goal, once they are here, is to grab your sons. Until the action starts, I think you should stay back toward the tree line, maybe over there.” Wes pointed to his right.
A sharp yip sounded from the path we’d walked. Trotting into view, tail up, was a large wolf with patches of light and dark cinnamon brown fur. He stopped yards from any of us, lifted his nose, and sniffed.
I’d forgotten I had asked Jack for help. My knees went weak with relief.
“Wes!” I yelled, waving my arm. “That’s my friend, Jack. The police officer.”
Wes jogged to the wolf and went to one knee. Jack lowered his head, yipped again when Wes finished, and loped in my direction. He slowed, planted all four paws, and shook his head and shoulders. The movement traveled down the imposing animal’s spine to its tail.
Keeping an eye on the portal tree, I crouched. Jack took a tentative step forward, and I opened my arms. I hadn’t felt Tanner’s fur when he was in his wolf form, except for a brief, reassuring touch, and curiosity won out over propriety. Jack nuzzled the side of my neck and licked my cheek.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulder area and slid my fingers through his coat. The primal sensation of fur on skin allowed me to drop out of my head and into my body. “Thank you for coming. I feel better with you here.”
Jack stayed at my side as I made my way to the wooded area indicated by Wes.
Settling next to me in the clump of salal, the wolf grazed his muzzle along my jaw just as the portal burped out a traveler. Jack gave a low growl, the fur along his spine rising, his hindquarters pressed against my side.
Wavering next to the ancient apple tree was a slightly hunched woman, covered in a ratty blanket. The unexpected traveler tossed a small object on the ground and unwrapped herself. As she let go of the blanket its four corners snapped out. The rectangle floated toward the ground and settled on the uncut grasses beyond the tree’s drip line.
Another elongated patch of light wavered near the trunk, and a second traveler emerged, his broad shoulders draped in a cape.
Maritza Brodeur and Alabastair Nekrosine.
“Peasgood? Hyslop?” she said. “What are you two doing here?” The animated fabric followed Maritza as she minced across the uneven land to where the foursome clustered, circled by their luggage.
Bas opened his hand, fingertips down. Portal stones, that’s what they were dropping.
He pivoted in a circle, the bottom of his cape flaring, and stared into the woods. When the necromancer locked gazes with me, his face registered quizzical at first then understanding. He made a rough shape with his arms before pointing a finger straight at me. Even from afar, I could read what he was mouthing.
Bear.
I had begun to feel Bear’s presence as Jack and I settled in near the salal. The berries were a natural attractant to my ursine protector. Or maybe it was my fear, rising in anticipation of Meribah’s arrival. Bas stayed another few seconds, his distant presence oddly comforting, then joined Maritza. They stood side by side, blocking my view of the much shorter Hyslop, his brother, and their girlfriends.
Bas leaned to the side and spoke to Maritza. She turned on her heel, ran her gaze along the wooded border of the property where our band of Magicals had hidden themselves, and waved. She then hooked her free arm through Bas’s offered elbow, waved the fuzzy rectangle in my direction, and led Bas toward the underland.
A necromancer and a witch specializing in rituals of death were removing themselves from the immediate vicinity of the coming confrontation. That was…encouraging. And while Maritza and Bas looked like a couple out for a stroll, their appearance could not have been entirely accidental.
I returned to staring at the old tree, willing the distorted S of its trunk and the umbrella of its branches to send out a handful of Fae. The waiting was hard to manage, even as Maritza’s discarded blanket arrived at the edge of the bushes, hesitated, and fluttered up and over the salal before rustling the bushes behind me.
Bear’s massive presence draped across my back and sides. I shivered and stuck out my arm to pat the air. The
