Chapter 20

  I adjusted the magnifying glasses I was wearing and squinted at the rune array that was engraved on the aurite strand of my mom's failed staff. "Ken, what do you think of this deal Oberon offered me?"

  Ken, hovering just behind my left shoulder as I worked, asked, "Is that what's had you stewing since you got up? You were so distracted during your fencing practice this morning I scored on you a half-dozen times without you even noticing. And your magic practice before lunch was…well, let's just say I've never seen a force spell do that before."

  I huffed a little laugh without taking my eyes off the staff. "Yeah, sorry about that."

  "No lasting damage was done," Ken said. "I can understand why this might be looming in the back of your mind, but what has caused it to devour most of your attention today?"

  "Yesterday's incident in Faerie…" I trailed off for a moment before continuing. "It kind of hammered home that it's not the von Einhardt's of the world I need to worry about fighting, at least not normally. Even without the fairies coming to my defense, I probably could've handled those two idiots…"

  "Perhaps," Ken said. Then added, "No, I'll upgrade that to quite likely. They may have been training longer than you, but they seemed hideously inexperienced, and that lightning bolt the blond cast was a fraction of what you're capable of and not as well focused. I think you would have been fine, especially with Sparkle and Penny there to help."

  "Be that as it may," I said, "it really brought home that there are going to be other people - and other beings - out there who'll want to hurt me…and want to hurt my new friends."

  I pushed the magnifying glasses up onto my forehead before looking up at Ken. "I have a responsibility to those fairies…and gnomes, and brownies, and…all of them. And if they hadn't been prepared to stand up for me, I might've blown it."

  Ken smiled a little. "Yes, you do. And yes, you might've. But you didn't, and you won't. But I am glad to hear you taking this responsibility seriously. Which brings me back around to your original question. Where to begin…"

  "Well," I said, pulling the glasses back down and returning my attention to the piece of the staff I'd been copying runes from, "for starters, is his really offer on the level?"

  Sparkle, sitting on a shelf of tools above me, sucked in a little breath. "Oooh, don't say that anywhere anyone else might hear it, Caley."

  I glanced up at her, looking over the lenses of the glasses. "Oh?"

  "Oberon's word is law," Penny said from somewhere behind me. "He wouldn't have made the offer if he didn't mean to follow through on it."

  "Which doesn't mean he won't do his level best to come out on top of any deal you make with him," Sparkle added quickly. "It's like…after her parents died, Mistress Chessie read One Thousand and One Nights to me. She said her mother had been reading it to her, and never got to finish it. Some of the stories in it were about being careful what you wished for."

  "The Jinn are notorious for twisting wishes and interpreting them in the worst possible ways," Ken agreed. "They're profoundly dangerous to deal with, and the Sidhe are a close second for similar reasons."

  I shifted uneasily, my stomach roiling a bit, but didn't take my eyes off the runes and kept transcribing them onto a long strip of parchment. "So…is it worth it to even entertain it? Or would I be better off politely refusing?"

  Ken sighed heavily. "For once, Caley, I honestly don't know how to advise you. Making a deal with Oberon could go several ways, with outcomes ranging from extremely beneficial to profoundly dangerous, depending on what you ask for in return."

  "If you do decide to go ahead with it," Penny said gravely, "you should definitely have a boon ready to ask for in return immediately.

  "Not asking for a boon right away would leave Oberon in debt to you," Sparkle said with obvious anxiety. "He wouldn't leave you alone for a minute."

  "And," Penny added, "it sounded like he considered this to be a very great favor indeed. He understood the gravity of asking for access to the library of your ancestral home, and meant to repay you in kind. I definitely wouldn't recommend simply trying to discharge the boon with something frivolous. Whatever you ask for in return should be meaningful."

  "Presumably," Ken interjected, "he'll let you know if you ask for too much while you're negotiating with him."

  "And just as importantly," Sparkle said, "you'll need to be really, really careful how you ask for your boon."

  Penny made a sound of agreement. "I saw a couple of deals with the Sidhe go very bad while I was under von Einhardt's control," she said softly. "Including…"

  She stopped, and when I glanced over at her, saw that she was biting her lower lip. After a moment, she sighed gustily. "I'm sorry, Caley. Von Einhardt is dead, and I'm free of his control, but the oaths he bound me with are still oaths sworn, and breaking them could be very bad for me."

  "That's all right, Penny," I said softly. "I expected there'd be things you couldn't talk about. Don't worry about it."

  She relaxed, her expression easing. "Thank you."

  Sparkle practically started bouncing where she sat. "This is so exciting and nerve-wracking all at once! Caley, this is a chance to make a big, positive splash in the supernatural community. If you do this right, you'll be letting everyone out there know that you're perfectly capable of playing on the same level as the Lord of the Seelie Court!"

  Ken sighed. "She's not wrong. Getting this right, if the boon is big enough, would let the rest of the supernatural community know you're not someone to toy with lightly."

  I pursed my lips. "We already talked with the others about this. Maybe I should bring D.T. in…get a fully mortal viewpoint…"

  Thoughts of Dejah Thoris Burroughs were a pleasant distraction, both from the stressful conversation and from the mind-numbing task of copying the rune arrays from my mother's staff. I hadn't seen her since getting the gnomes in town squared away…had it really only been two days?…and was considering calling her to arrange another date with her. The first had gone swimmingly, after all.

  Something casual this time. Dressing up a little had been fun, but I was curious about the way she'd been eyeing my legs in my hastily assembled shorts and leggings outfit. She'd said she'd really liked the style, which I found quite comfortable, so I was interested in trying it out again on her to see what her reaction was.

  I wanted her to be attracted to me. I wanted to be attractive to her.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Oh, this was so weird. This was not me. I was an intellectual, not interested in men or women in any significant way. Practically asexual. But here I was, not only attracted to another woman but going out on dates with her and changing my personal style to attract her…

  Wait a second.

  I stopped and frowned at the sequence of runes I'd just finished writing down. "This can't be right." I double-checked what I'd just copied off of the aurite staff section. "No, I copied it correctly. Ken, take a look at this."

  "What's that?" he asked. I felt him lean over my shoulder, making the right side of my back and shoulder tingle just a little.

  I pointed to the set of runes I'd just copied down. "This, right here. This is supposed to be an array for channeling and redirecting of energy, isn't it?"

  Ken studied it silently for a moment. "Yes, but…that's not…" His insubstantial hand came past my head and traced the runes on the strip of parchment. Then he slid to my left and leaned in, peering closely at the segment of staff I'd been copying from. "That can't be right."

  I shifted a little to make a bit more room for him. "I didn't think so."

  He straightened and stared off into space for a moment, then looked at me. "Your mother made a dreadful mistake here."

  I found myself smiling a little. "She inscribed an array for grounding energy, not channeling it."

  "They are extremely similar," Ken said, nodding slowly. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose. "A single rune difference between them, and the runes are nearly identical…” He shook his head. "At this size, you can barely see the difference without magnifying glasses. And your mother -"

  "Was easily distracted, a bit scatterbrained, and not terrific at the studious parts of the work," I said, smiling a bit more. "At least, by all accounts."

  Ken stared at me. "What were you thinking about while you copied that down?"

  I told him, feeling my cheeks heating up.

  He started laughing. Almost doubling over with the force of it, in fact, even though he didn't have to breathe. Above me, Sparkle startled giggling, and even Penny was chuckling softly.

  I waited patiently for them to get themselves back under control.

  When Ken did, he wiped ectoplasmic tears from his cheeks. "Oh, that's priceless. Of course you had to be distracted to spot the mistake she made. It's perfectly logical in precisely the sort of perverse way that only makes sense when dealing with magic."

  "So that's the mistake that made her staff fail?" I asked hopefully.

  Ken nodded. "At least one of them, and a fairly major one. Of course the belt couldn't turn back into a staff when she channeled power through it…it was just grounding out." He shook his head. "It's so simple. But," he said firmly, "you need to finish copying out the arrays, in case she made any other similar mistakes."

  He tapped the strip of parchment. "Mark this, we'll come back to it. The good news is, this is a comparatively easy mistake to fix. And with that in mind, it would surprise me if this was the only one, so keep looking. In fact, let's talk as you work. The distraction might help you stumble across other problems."

  "That makes no sense," I said, marking the section of parchment with a red pen and a small sticky note. Then I turned my attention back to the staff and pulled my magnifying glasses back into place.

  "Magic has its own rules," Ken said thoughtfully, "but it's also very fluid and prone to being more than a bit weird. It's one of those things you just have to accept, and which generations of spellcasters have studied to no avail. Be that as it may, I approve of you wanting to involve Ms. Burroughs in your discussions. While she is unquestionably enamored of the strangeness of your life, she is also a deeply level-headed person, and we could definitely use a level-headed opinion."

  The phone chose that moment to ring, making all of us jump a little, even Ken. I looked at the caller ID and smiled. "Well, speak of the devil." I reached over and pressed the speakerphone button. "Hello, Dejah Thoris," I said, hearing the warmth in my own voice. "You have an audience…you're on speaker, and Ken, Sparkle, and Penny are all with me."

  "You know," D.T. said, "My full name sounds absolutely delightful coming from you. Hi Ken, Sparkle, Penny."

  There was a brief hash of friendly greetings from my companions.

  "To what do we owe the pleasure of this call?" I asked.

  "George Roberts just called me," D.T. replied, sounding both anxious and excited. "His thirteenth scarecrow went missing from his field this afternoon."

  I set aside my pen, took off my magnifying glasses, and rose. "I'll get my things and head your way. Do you want to meet at his farm, or…?"

  "Come to the station and we'll drive out there together," she said. "Let's do this right."

  "We'll be there as soon as possible."

  It promised to be a cool evening, so I swung by my bedroom and - both out of practicality and an impish urge - changed into a pair of black leggings, short denim shorts, and a cream-colored long-sleeved Henley shirt. I pushed the sleeves up to my elbows, figuring I could pull them down if I got chilly, and paused, looking at my shoes.

  I was going to be on a farm. Possibly tromping through field and who knew what.

  I put on my Doc Martens. I figured they could take it better than my trainers.

  Then I grabbed my waxed canvas shoulder bag, collected Sparkle and Penny, and headed for town, wishing I had more in the way of magical gear to bring with me.

  I parked my car along the curb in front of the Oakwood police house, just behind D.T.'s cruiser, and climbed out just as she was emerging and locking the door behind her. She was in her full police kit, including her tactical vest. With, I noted, a TASER I'd never seen her carry before in a cross-draw holster on the left front of the vest.

  "Can you drive in all of that?" I asked teasingly.

  "Funny," she said, walking toward her cruiser. "Are those legs registered? They're awfully distracting."

  I followed her, heading around the passenger side. "I may have recalled you saying something about liking this outfit when I wore something similar the other day."

  She looked across the top of the car at me. "You wore that for me?"

  "Well…it's a surprisingly comfortable combination," I said. "And practical. But yes."

  "I'm flattered," she said, smiling. "And pleased. Sparkle and Penny with you, I assume?"

  "You assume correctly," I said.

  "Should we not be going?" Penny's voice drifted out of the shadows in the cruiser's back seat. "Work now, flirt later."

  "Always practical, that one," D.T. observed as we climbed in on opposite sides of the cruiser.

  As we drove out of town, I said, "This is my first time in a police car."

  D.T. smiled. "Does it live up to your expectations?"

  I shrugged a little. "I'm not really sure what I expected."

  Sparkle popped off the Master Key and landed on the dashboard. "Can we turn the lights on?"

  "Nope," D.T. said with a smile.

  "Aww." Sparkle plopped down and pouted.

  It was a short drive to George Roberts' dairy farm, and almost before we'd left town we were pulling into his long, hard-packed dirt drive and parking in front of his home. It was a somewhat rambling, two story farmhouse, with extensions added on by generations of Roberts family members and a wide, wraparound porch. It was in need of a fresh coat of paint, but the stone and plank walls looked like they could stand forever.

  As we climbed out of the car, George himself emerged from the house and strode toward us. "I'm so glad you're here…" He stopped and stared when Sparkle buzzed out and landed on my shoulder, followed by Penny hopping trotting around to sit beside me, sniffing the air. "Oh my god."

  I chuckled. "Sorry. I figured with weirdness already occurring here, you might as well get to know my friends. George Roberts, allow me to introduce Sparkle and Penny."

  "I have your milk with cookies every morning for breakfast!" Sparkle said happily.

  "She does," I confirmed.

  "Too many cookies," Penny muttered, still sniffing the air. When I glanced down at her, I saw that she was frowning.

  "Something?" I asked.

  She nodded. "Something. But I'm not sure what. There are too many scents, but some of them are definitely…Other."

  "Wow," George said softly. Then he gave himself a little shake. "Sparkle, Penny, it's very nice to meet you. Caley, Sergeant, thank you so much for coming out. What can I do to help?"

  D.T. and I exchanged a look, then she said, "George, I think it would be best if you went back inside and buttoned up the house," she started toward him, stretching out one arm to usher him back inside. "You can show me your gun license at the same time."

  He let her guide him. I watched them walk back to the house for a minute before turning toward the fields beyond. "Out there, I think," I said, sensing a strange energy in the air. It pulled at me, wanting me to go that way. "I feel something."

  Sparkle lifted off my shoulder, nodding. "I feel it too. I think something wants us here."

  "I smell old things," Penny said, shifting to stay beside me. "Old things, and something else…something wrong."

  I glanced at the sky, then pulled out my phone and checked it. "We're only twenty minutes or so from sunset. I expect whatever's coming will happen after dark."

  D.T. rejoined us a couple of minutes later. "He's locking up and closing shutters and blinds," she said. "I figured that was safest."

  I nodded absently, shivering a little and hugging myself in spite of it being a pleasant evening. "There's a lot of energy in the air," I said softly. "Penny says she smells something wrong. And Sparkle and I feel something tugging us toward the nearest field behind the house."

  "That's not ominous at all," D.T. said warily. "What do we do?"

  "Spring the trap?" I asked, trying to be light-hearted.

  "Okay, Obi-Wan," she said dryly. "Seriously, what do we do?"

  I took a deep breath and let it out. "We go see what's out there in the field," I said softly. "And hope it's not hostile."

  The Oakwood Hall Bestiary, in-character entries about the creatures, entities, and other beings Caley (and, eventually, some of her ancestors) have encountered! The first of those, coming very soon, will be Caley's notes on fairies.