Night of the Dark Horse (An Allegra Fairweather Mystery) (14 page)

“Please tell me we will not be attacked by flying monkeys.”

“There are no monkeys in the Land of the Fae.”

Phew!

The unicorns were waiting nearby. Soon we were mounted and on our way. The End of The Road was as far removed from FAB’s aunt’s cottage as you could get. And not just in distance. A garden, if you could call bare dirt and leafless trees a garden, surrounded the storm-gray walls of a large house that was partly in ruins. The windows were narrow and thick with grime. The door knocker was so tarnished, it was impossible to guess the original metal. After knocking once, I couldn’t resist wiping my hand on my trousers.

“It is not locked.” FAB pushed open the door. We were making our way across the dim foyer when a voice called, “What do you want, dear ones?”

It came from a figure slowly descending the stairs. He had an untrimmed beard and gray hair that swept past his shoulders. At first glance, he reminded me of the wizard who had eluded me at the conference, but as the Fae came closer I saw he and the wizard were nothing alike. The wizard’s eyes had been shaded by suffering, but his back had been unbowed. Whatever had happened in his life, he’d sucked it up. Dealt with it. Unlike this Fae, who was so deep in despair, it was no surprise he at first failed to notice I was human.

“Rynar Levara?” I asked.

“Indeed, dear one.” Levara looked me over and asked my business. He blinked suddenly. “You are human.”

“Last time I looked.”

Confused, he passed a trembling hand over his eyes. “Have the humans taken control? Have the days of the Fae come to an end?”

FAB put a hand on the old Fae’s arm. “No, dear one. This human is not the first of many. The Land of the Fae will soon be sealed against the outside again.”

“But,” I couldn’t resist adding, “I will leave much more quickly if you answer a few questions.”

He passed a weary hand over his eyes. “What does an old Fae know but how to pass into the west?”

“You know what happened to Sharina?”

At the mention of her name he staggered and clutched his chest. FAB caught him before he fell. The old Fae sank onto the bottom stair. FAB shot me a cautionary glance and said in English, “A bit of tact would be helpful.”

“Of course.”

I sat beside Rynar on the worn stair carpet. Taking FAB’s advice, I channeled my inner good cop. “I understand your pain and I am sorry for your loss.” Rynar bowed his head, accepting my condolences. Okay, enough with the good cop. Time was not on my side. “I have a job to do in the human world. Sharina is the key. I must know why she was banished.”

He fixed his faded eyes on me. “You
must
know? What gives you the right to demand my secrets?”

“People’s lives are at risk.”

“Human lives.”

“That is correct.”

FAB jumped in, smoothing troubled waters again. “Allegra does not mean to be rude. She is human. You know how they can be.”

“I am surprised you are helping her,” said Rynar.

“There is a debt to be repaid.” But FAB stopped short of saying what it was.

Rynar locked eyes with me again. “How can I trust a human after what happened to Sharina?”

“What
did
happen to her?” I asked, so gently my good cop would’ve been proud. “Why was she banished?”

He jerked upright. “I never said she was banished.”

“You did not need to. I saw her grave. In the human world.”

“Her grave was unmarked.”

“Not anymore. It has a headstone now.”

He seemed surprised. “Lorcan must have arranged it.”

I guessed he must be Sharina’s son, but I wanted that confirmed. “Who is Lorcan?”

“It matters not.”

Actually it mattered quite a lot, but leaving Lorcan aside for the moment, I asked, “When did Sharina leave Fairyland?”

“Ten years, two months, three days, five hours.”

Okay, I got it. I didn’t need to hear the minutes, seconds and nanoseconds.

“You obviously loved her very much.”

“Of course. She was my daughter.”

“It must have been horrible for you, when she was banished.” Rynar shot to his feet, paced back and forth. His ashen face suddenly suffused with blood and rage. Fearing he’d have a heart attack before he gave me the vital information, I said, “Calm down,” and only succeeded in throwing oil on his fire.

“Calm down,” he spat. “Calm down. How can I be calm when my girl was banished for the love of a human?”

So far as I knew, loving a human wouldn’t be punishable by banishment. It wasn’t forbidden—unlike with angels and their morsubs—for a pureblood Fae to make love with a human. I tried to think outside the box. Loving a human could lead to other things, especially if two Fae had fallen in love with the same human. Had jealousy resulted in Sharina murdering another fairy?

I asked, “Did Sharina kill her rival?”

He threw back his shoulders and thundered. “My girl would never kill another.”

“Then why—?”

“Because she bore her human lover a child.”

“She was banished for having a baby?”

“Allegra,” whispered FAB, “for a pureblood to produce anything other than a pureblood child is a grievous matter. Too many half-breed children weaken the energy of the Fae world. Just as you weaken it by your presence here.”

“The sooner I get answers to my questions the sooner I will leave.”

Rynar slumped forward, his head in his hands. He shoulders shook with soft sobs. FAB was the one who explained, “Sharina would not have been banished simply for bearing a half-human child. The usual practice in such cases is for the human parent to raise the child in the human world.”

I began to see where this was leading. “The father abandoned her and the child.”

Rynar raised his head and wiped his eyes on the edge of his long shirt. “She searched for her lover far and wide. Then she learned he had gone across the sea where she could not follow. She returned to the Fae realm remaining with us until the child was delivered by...” He shot FAB a glance. “...by a good-hearted midwife.

“The child could not remain in our land. Sharina was ordered to remove him. The consequence of disobeying was death. We begged her to put him with a human family, but she refused. His father had abandoned him and she was determined not to do likewise. She did not understand that her death would also be abandonment. She took him into the human world and stayed with him there.

“Her mother and I visited as often as we could. The magic border was always broken in one place or another. Our dear girl aged rapidly in the human world. Many times we pleaded with her to return and regain her health. Eventually, knowing her survival depended on it, she did as we asked. My wife stayed in the human world, caring for Lorcan, while I brought Sharina back to the Land of the Fae. She should have healed quickly, but she had been in the human world too long. The damage was too great. When there was no chance to save her, I brought her back to the human world to see Lorcan before she passed.

“Afterwards my wife and I searched for Lorcan’s father, but the Fae cannot travel far from this land. We never had high hopes of finding him. Eventually we had little choice, but to foster Lorcan with a human family. They were good people, for humans, but Lorcan was miserable. Things might have been different if he had not inherited some of Sharina’s magic. We did our best to continue the training she had begun, but our visits, of necessity, were short. We were not young and entering the human world took a huge toll. It eventually took my dear wife’s life.” More tears trickled down his cheeks. “We did not realize how deeply disturbed Lorcan had become until he ran away.”

“When was that?”

“A little less than a human year ago.”

Right about the time the pooka had started terrorizing Dingaleen. “Was Lorcan able to shapeshift?”

“That was his special gift.”

There was one more thing I had to ask Rynar, and it was vitally important if I were going to change this kid’s future. “What was the name of Lorcan’s father?”

“Harrison.” The name had my belly flipping out of control.

Remember the man I’d chased at the Witches’ and Wizards’ conference, the man I’d failed to find? The man I thought I knew. The witches had told me his name was Harrison. But was he the same Harrison who had fathered Lorcan?

Nah, too big a coincidence. Or was it?

“What was Harrison’s surname?”

Rynar was silent for so long I wanted to shake him and scream at him to answer. At last he said, “I never knew.”

My disappointment mingled with an odd kind of relief. I felt weak and lightheaded. I was even forced to grab the banister until my dizziness faded.

Suddenly Rynar said, “I have remembered something.”

I clutched the banister tighter.

Rynar said, “Harrison was a wizard.”

Chapter Thirteen

As we left Rynar’s rundown home, FAB said, “I trust the information you obtained will be helpful.”

“I have my fingers crossed.”

Of course, convincing Harrison to take responsibility for a kid who was—let’s face it—largely out of control wouldn’t be easy. Especially since the Harrison I knew wasn’t exactly best friends with responsibility.

“You seem troubled, dear one,” said FAB. “Have I not provided you with what you needed?”

“Indeed, you have done your task exceedingly well.”

“Then what is the reason for your distress? Let me guess. You wish to be reunited with your angelic companion.”

Well
,
duh
. Although the truth was I hadn’t been thinking about Casper at that precise moment. And anyway, “How do you know about Casper?” I was pretty sure I hadn’t mentioned there was an angel loose in Fairyland.

“I have my ways.” And clearly he wasn’t going to share.

“Do you know where he is?

FAB nodded. “But I must warn you, he is far away.”

“No problem.” I’d go to the ends of the earth for Casper. Without complaint. Okay, maybe I’d bitch a bit, but I wouldn’t bitch about traveling across Fairyland. Well, except for the fact that I’d just eaten my last energy bar. And let’s not mention my nagging thirst. Under the circumstances it was just cruel for FAB to stop at a fairy bower that just happened to boast a bubbling fountain.

My mouth had never felt so dry. I watched FAB take a long drink. Fat drops dribbled from his chin and onto the grass at his feet. He noticed me watching and offered politely, “The water is delicious. Drink, please.”

“Seriously? You want to poison me?”

He clapped a hand over his mouth. “Forgive me, dear one, I was being hospitable. I did not think—please accept my apologies.”

“Of course.”

As though trying to make amends, he said, “Come. We will find your friend,” and summoned the unicorns.

We rode for what seemed like hours. And hours. And hours. That wasn’t an exact estimate, since my watch still wasn’t working. At long last, FAB reined in his mount and pointed up ahead.

Casper was sprawled on an emerald green mound beneath a tree covered in blossoms. White petals rained down on him like snow. I dismounted and ran to him. Had he reached the River of Dreams and bathed already? Was this a sleep of healing?

He lay on the ground, one arm flung out, leg bent at an awkward angle. I knelt beside him and touched his cheek expecting it to be warm, but it was ice cold. He seemed diminished, fragile and pale. I knew he hadn’t found the river. I gathered him into my arms, rubbing his hands, cradling his head against my shoulder, trying to push some warmth into him.

I sensed FAB moving to stand beside me. I thought he might offer help until he said, “I must leave you, dear one. I have risked much to help you, and my debt is paid.”

“Before you go...” I didn’t look at him, didn’t stop working to revive Casper. “...can I borrow your unicorns?”

“My profuse apologies, dear one, but the unicorns will only carry you if you are accompanied by Fae.”

“Then come with us.”

“My debt to you is already paid.”

“Please?”

“I am very sorry, dear one—”

“Casper’s ill. I have to get him to the River of Dreams.” I wanted to shake FAB until he agreed to help us, but the Fae could be notoriously stubborn. Attempting to change his mind would only waste more time. If only I had another wish to use as a bribe. I did the next best thing. “Give me directions to the river.”

He nodded. “Go to the west. You will reach it eventually.”

“That’s it? Something more precise would be really helpful.”

But he was no longer feeling helpful. “Allow me to wish you good luck with your quest.”

I heard him whistle to the unicorns, and then all my attention returned to Casper. Was this how our relationship ended? In a Fae wood? In the middle of a case? Without a kiss goodbye? Oh sure, I could’ve pressed my lips to his then and there. But what was the point? I might as well have kissed a marble statue.

Why was he still here? Why hadn’t the Powers-That-Be taken him to his well-earned retirement? Was the magic of Fairyland anchoring him to this world? Masking him from the Powers-That-Be? Was Casper actually dead? Not human-dead, but angel-dead?

Tears dribbled from my eyes and splashed down onto his cheeks. “Fuck you, Casper,” I whispered. “Fuck you for dying and leaving me.”

I heard a swift intake of breath, saw Casper’s chest move. My heart soared. But he didn’t wake up.
Come
on
,
Casper
.
Wake
up
.
Tell
me
to
stop
being
a
baby
. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t will life into him.

The Fae energy that had kept me going suddenly ebbed. I was so tired. I no longer cared that it was dangerous for humans to sleep in Fairyland. That you could fall asleep and wake up a thousand years later. I was so, so tired. I’d just rest my eyes. That wouldn’t hurt would it? I shifted my position until my back rested against the trunk of the blossom tree. Mmm...so nice to rest. My mind wandered, as it does when you’re on the edge of sleep.

I thought of Dad out on the Nullabor Plain. Had he been alone? Had there been a woman cradling him in her arms? What was I thinking? Dad had been married then. Well, technically he was
still
married to Mom.
She
was the bigamist.

What
happened
to
you
,
Dad
?
Why
didn’t
you
come
back
? Okay, I got that he might not have wanted to return to Mom. With adult eyes, I could see they’d been ill-suited. Mom was much happier with my stepfather, Steven, but why hadn’t Dad come back to me? And yeah, to Lily. I guess she missed him too, even if she did like our stepfather a whole lot better than I did.

Was that the moment I slipped from wakefulness into sleep? The next thing I remembered was someone saying, “Wake up,” and shaking me.

“Piss off,” I muttered, reaching out to silence my alarm clock.

“Allegra, wake up.” A gentle hand slapped my cheek.

I drew back my fist and opened my eyes. At first all I could do was stare at the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Sure, Casper was hollow-cheeked. Sure, his eyes boasted dark circles and his body would no longer be welcome in a Mr. Universe contest. But he was alive and currently, albeit inexplicably, trying to disentangle himself from my arms.

“You came back to me.”

He looked at the sky as though he expected the Powers-That-Be to swoop at any moment. But nothing disastrous happened. There was no deep Charlton Heston voice booming,
You’ve
messed
up
,
Casper
.
Prepare
for
retirement
.

“I never left,” he said. “I was just resting.”

“It’s not a good idea to rest in Fairyland. You might never wake up. Can you walk?”

“Of course. No problem.”

Brave words that didn’t quite match the reality. Even with the aid of his walking stick Casper shuffled along. I positively bounced beside him. The healing energy of Fairyland had kicked in again. I had strength to spare, which was just as well because Casper was struggling with each step. When he couldn’t go on, I lifted him in my arms.

I walked all the next day and on through the night carrying him all the way. Sure, I took breaks—sometimes very long breaks. More than once Casper had to pull me back from the brink of sleep.

After a while he stopped complaining about the indignity of being carried by his morsub. We both knew how much weight he’d lost since entering Fairyland. We both knew, although neither of us mentioned it, that he was looking more and more like the ninety pound weakling of legend. But he was my ninety pound weakling. If anyone tried to kick sand in his face, I’d hurt them.

On the third day, I started hallucinating. It began with a vision of Santa Claus, whom I’d helped with a problem a few Christmases ago. Now, Santa gave me a silver-wrapped gift tied with a red ribbon. “Don’t open it until Christmas,” he said. Then he climbed on Rudolf and rode away to the sound of sleigh bells even though there was no sleigh in sight. When Santa disappeared, another man approached from a different direction.

Handsome, strong, around forty and in the prime of life. He was quite close before I saw the cleft in his chin. When I was a kid, I used to press that cleft as though it was a button. “Dad.” I had imagined that if I ever saw him again, I’d rush right into his arms, but I didn’t “Where have you been?” I asked. Should I have said,
I’m
so
happy
to
see
you
? Or,
I
love
you
? I felt both those things but the burning question in my mind was, “Why didn’t you come home?”

“I couldn’t,” he said.

“Come on, Dad, you’ve gotta give me more than that. I’ve been waiting for your return since I was fifteen. “

“I wanted to come home. I wanted to see my Little Leggy again.”

“Little Leggy? You stopped calling me than when I was twelve.”

He smiled. “Only because you begged me to stop.”

“You bet I did.” The nickname had made me sound like kid, which is not good when you’re breathing down the neck of adolescence.

Dad went on, “I know I’ve been away a long time, but I never stopped thinking of my girls and wishing I was with my Lily and Leggy.”

“Why didn’t you come back?”

“It wasn’t possible.”

“You could’ve called.”

“It wasn’t possible.”

“Bullshit. Everyone has a phone.”

“Unless it’s been stolen.”

“Right, like you can’t buy a new phone in Australia.”

“You can’t if you’re in the middle of the desert.”

“Reality check, Dad. You can’t survive in the desert for years. Not alone. I know how harsh it is. What really happened? Why were you gone so long?”

I heard movement behind me and glanced around to see that Casper had gotten to his feet. “Who are you talking to?” he asked.

“Dad,” I said, reaching for Casper’s hand and dragging him forward. “It’s about time you two met.” Although Casper had been with me since I was six years old, he’d never formally met Dad.

Casper said, “Allegra, he’s not real.”

“Sure he is.” But I felt compelled to take a closer look at Dad.

Handsome, fit, about forty. He looked just as he had the last time I’d seen him right before he boarded the plane to Sydney. Oh right. I got it. He wouldn’t look like that now. He’d be in his fifties. He’d have more wrinkles and perhaps a touch of gray at his temples. I stepped up to him and touched his cheek. His image rippled like suddenly disturbed water then split apart leaving nothing but air.

A ball of tears stuck in my throat. I swallowed them down. Hard.

Casper said, “I’m sorry.”

“We’ve rested too long.” I scooped Casper into my arms.

“There’s no need for that,” he protested. “I can walk for a while.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

He didn’t raise the subject again.

I walked on—
Go
west
,
young
woman
—until the setting sun bloodied the sky above a grove of trees.

Casper stirred in my arms and said, “Do you hear that?”

I stopped to listen. “All I can hear is the wind in the trees, which is kind of weird since the leaves aren’t moving.”

“It’s not the wind,” said Casper. “Sounds like rushing water to me.”

“I don’t see any river.”

“It must be on the other side of the trees.”

I carried him down a cute fairy path, past artistically gnarled trunks, beneath leaves in every imaginable shade of green. When we reached the other side of the wood, the gentle Fae countryside changed dramatically. Instead of lush landscape that hinted at good rainfall and gentle sun, we were faced with scorched earth and a dried up riverbed.

“Where’s the fricking water?” I demanded.

“Maybe the River of Dreams is supposed to be dry.”

“That’s stupid. It’s a river. Besides, I can hear it. Unless... Do you think it’s invisible?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

I had another more disturbing thought. “Maybe it’s not there at all.”

“You trust Dermot, right?”

“Yes, but his information about the river was fourth hand. Even he said it was a long shot.” My stomach clenched. I couldn’t bear to think this was a sham. Had we fallen for the cruelest con of all time?

“Put me down,” said Casper.

At first he was unsteady on his feet, and used my shoulder for balance, but soon he was able to rely on his cane again. He inched toward the cracked, dried mud of the riverbed. When I started to follow he said, “No, stay there. It might be dangerous.”

“And yet you’re prepared to bathe,” I said.

“Is there any choice? If I don’t...” he glanced skyward.

“I’m coming in with you.”

“No you’re not.” His voice had never been so forceful.

“Still trying to protect me?”

“It’s my job. Promise you won’t follow me. I mean it, Allegra.” His eyes met mine.

I was struck all over again by their amazing colors of brown and green and amber that reminded me so much of a sun-dappled forest. For a moment I couldn’t speak. “Is this goodbye? You said you’d say goodbye to me before you left forever.”

“The truth is,” he said, “I don’t know what comes next. For you or me.”

Then he added, very low, as though hoping the Powers-That-Be wouldn’t overhear, “You’re my favorite morsub. No, my favorite woman. Of all time.” And he’d met a lot of women in the past two thousand years.

My eyes filled with tears. By the time I’d blinked them away Casper had shuffled onto the riverbed.

“Casper, wait—I haven’t said goodbye. I haven’t told you how much you mean to me. I haven’t said, I lo—” But it was too late.