Queen of the Fae: Book Two in the Fae Unbound Series (Fae Unbound Teen Young Adult Fantasy Series) (11 page)

"You're a gruagach. You’re bound to me and to my house forever. You’ll always come when I call."

"As you say, mistress. I will. Why do you need this information about Thomas, then?"

"I went to look for Myrddin, but it was Thomas I found, and he seemed to be waiting for me."

"Well...Faolan had a talent for sensing magic even though he kept his own hidden from the kirk. He had a way of knowing where a creature was and what it was doing. It's how he tracked your Myrddin on the trails at Dunipace so easily even though Myrddin was always warded when he traveled.

"But why would he greet me with open palms, ready to take my hands? He tried to destroy the fae. T‘was all I could do not to pull the air from his body and strike him from the face of the earth."

"That wouldn't be the wisest choice, if you're trying to pass as young Lizbet. I think I'd recommend against it. Plus...that James, I've heard he has great plans for the lad. I think he'd miss him, so you might not want to go rockin' that boat if you don't have to. Anyway, Thomas has no interest in harming the fae."

Morgan felt strange, then. Woozy, a sensation she could never remember having. Fae don't get light-headed. And yet she was. How very strange. And then she lost consciousness.

Lizbet was disoriented. As she opened her eyes, she felt damp grass beneath her, and she looked up to see the moon and stars above instead of the ceiling of her room.

"Mistress?" she heard someone say, and then Eamon was bending over her, "What's happened? Are you alright, then?"

"Eamon? Where am I? And how did I get here? Why aren't I at home in my room?"

"Och...Lizbet, now that's quite a good question...sleep flyin', do ye think?"

"What? Really?" Lizbet sat up, looked down at the gown she was wearing, and back up at the gruagach. "And sleep dressing, too? Last thing I remember, I was in bed in my pajamas and thinking happy thoughts about having James home."

"I'd say it's quite a mystery, then. I heard a bit of a noise, and there you were. Why don't we get you home, and you can worry about how all of this happened tomorrow."

Lizbet looked down at the gruagach whose golden eyes were wide with innocence, an expression she recognized well as the face he wore whenever he was holding something back from her. He knew more than he was saying, but she also knew he wasn't going to tell, and he wasn't going to argue. It was more than infuriating.

Whatever. He did that sometimes, and it usually all worked out for the best. She didn't have to like it, but she trusted him with her life, and while he often did things his own way, he had never once betrayed her. She started walking, and the gruagach fell in beside her.

Tanji opened the car door and leaned in, moving to set her purse on the passenger's seat when she saw that Eamon was already there, his small feet up on the dashboard, neatly folded at the ankles, stretched out with the seat reclined, his hands behind his outsized head as a pillow. He was snoring quietly.

"Little dude, what are you doing in here?"

Eamon woke and was immediately focused. "I need to chat with you, lassie. There are all manner of strange things happening with Lizbet and her brother."

"Okay, but talk while I drive, 'cause I can't be late for school today. I have a massive French test."

"Okay, right...so, yesterday, the fae Morgan was standin' there talking to me when she collapsed all of a sudden. When she woke up, it was Lizbet lyin' there in the field with no memory of how she'd gotten there. I couldn't say anything because Morgan would hear, and I don't want her to know that I've been serving two mistresses."

"Well...what did Lizbet think happened?"

"I might have suggested sleep-flyin’ as a possible explanation."

"Really? I’m sure she went right along with that."

"It was the only thing that came to mind. She may even have been confused enough to believe it."

"None of this sounds right to me. How is it that Lizzie hasn't got a clue the fae is taking her over and running around with her body without her knowledge?"

"I don't know, lass, but I can't be the one clueing her in...if Morgan knows that I'm watchin' out for the lass, I'll have no way of knowing anything from now on. If she thinks she can trust me, I’ll still have an eye on her and be able to report back if I find something that can help Lizbet. But you’ll have to keep from her what I’ve told you."

"Yeah, well...guess it's me who has to break through all that denial. But she just isn't listening."

"Then you've got to find a way to make her listen. She's fighting back in there, I’m sure of it. It's how she pushed the fae out last night, not even aware of it, and ended up in that field, but she needs to figure out how to take control all the time. I get the heebie-jeebies thinking about what Morgan has been doin' flyin' around with the young lass's body every night."

"Don't even go there..." Tanji shuddered.

"And that Thomas...he knew Morgan was coming, he was waitin' for her to visit next door."

"What does Thomas have to do with it?" 

"Morgan told me she'd flown to the window next door in hopes of catching a glimpse of Myrddin, but what she found instead was Thomas waitin' there as though he'd been expecting her. She also said he seemed mighty glad to see her."

"Seriously? Well, I could keep an eye on him, ‘cause I don't mind." Tanji smiled.

"You're not thinking about Thomas as a romantic partner are you? I don't think that's a good idea, lass. I don't trust him."

"James seems to, and he's been with him for the past month."

"I haven't talked to James about him yet, but I'm telling you to be wary. In every life I've known him, he's sneaky and clever about getting his way without anyone knowin' what he's done. I don't need to have to be worrying about you as well as Lizbet."

"You want me to keep an eye on him or not? I'll put on my big girl pants and try to control myself," Tanji said as she pulled the car into the school parking lot and waved to a group of friends as she drove by them. "You know, it doesn't really help my reputation to be driving around with a gruagach riding shotgun. Most people get your kind confused with gnomes."

"Aye, that's because, like gnomes, those people also have brains the size of walnuts."

Tanji laughed as she maneuvered the car into a parking lot. "I knew that would get you. You need to learn to chill, little dude."

"And as to the gnomes...the Moore's gnomes don't need ceramics anymore. They've adopted Bobby as their god; I heard them saying it, and that definitely will not be good for the lad. They have a tendency to make sure their gods never go too far from the burrow. While they followed him last time, I worry about what might happen if they decide he shouldn't be doing that kind of travelin'."

"You know, I heard them saying 'king' about him when he stopped Morgan from hurting the gnomes, and it didn't occur to me that what they were really saying was 'god', since it's the same word for both in gnomish. I thought they were just talking about playing king of the hill. Could it really be a problem?"

"Aye, it could. So, I'll not be spending quite so much time with the herd. Bobby and I are about to become even better acquainted."

Lizbet had been tired all day from her midnight walkabout, but when she woke up on a bench in the locker room after school, she was sure she hadn't been so tired that she'd just fallen asleep. She looked at her watch, and it was too late for track practice now, even though she was dressed out for it. The girls would be re-entering the locker room soon.
What in the world is going on?

As the team made their way back inside, the coach called out to her, "Moore, my office. Now."

Lizbet walked into the coach's office, and coach closed the door behind her. "What were you thinking out there?"

"Huh?"

"Don't. Just don't...you said you wanted to be able to compete, and then you grab the baton and fly it to the next runner? I thought you were serious about wanting to be a part of the team, but I guess you really pulled wool over on me this time. You disrupted my practice with that stunt, and I won't have my practices disrupted."

"But...I didn't even make it to practice, coach. I fell asleep in the locker room and didn't wake up until the team came back in."

"So you're telling me it was the other team member with wings who flew your leg of the race? You had your chance. You blew it. You're off the team, Moore. Don't come around looking for sympathy again, because I'm not buying it next time."

Lizbet stood up, fighting the urge to cry. The last thing she remembered before track practice was leaving her Physics class and turning down the hall toward the gym, and then she'd woken up face down on a bench. That was it. That was all she remembered. A big chunk of time was missing, and she had no idea where it had gone.

She went back to the locker room and changed out of her gear, packing it all up in her backpack because she wouldn't need to keep anything in a locker anymore. The rest of the girls had already taken off, and she was alone. She let one tear slide down her cheek before she dried her eyes on her shirtsleeve and headed into the empty hall. She was never going to be normal again if she didn't start facing what she'd been denying—she hadn't been alone in her body for a long time, but she now knew for certain there was one extra version of Morgan in there who had no interest in playing nice.

When she got to the front of school to get her bike, she'd never been so glad to see Tanji sitting out front in her car, waiting. The trunk popped open, and Tanji called out the open window, "Stow the bike, girl. You and I need to talk."

"So...I know you don't want to hear this, but girl...you're living one mucked-up life. Jenna sent me a video of you flying around the track. What is going on?"

"Well, it isn't sleep-flying like Eamon was dumb enough to suggest to me the other day...Tanji, I finally have to admit it, I think you've been right all along—I've got a fae inside me who wants to wreck my life. And I was ignoring it because I was trying so hard to pretend that everything would just go back to normal. Like I
could
be normal after everything that's happened. Maybe the wings should have tipped me off, right?"

"Hey, they say admitting you've got a problem is the first step to recovery. So, where do we find a 12 Step Fae-Possessed Anonymous Program? This is exactly what we needed to have a serious talk about. Because I had a visit from Morgan two nights ago, and she tried to convince me she was you. She tried to get her hands on my book."

"Why didn’t you tell me that right away? Not that I could have done anything about it, I guess. I think the best person to talk to would be James. Not James exactly, but Myrrdin's memories. He might know something that could help."

"Yeah? But he didn't get the magic with his memories, did he?"

"No, he didn't, but he still knows more about magic than any of us. Langoureth and Morgan mostly know about healing, but Myrddin...he didn't focus on just that aspect. He explored all kinds of magic. Maybe he knows something that can get this fae out of me because none of my past-life ladies are coming up with anything."

"It's worth a try." Tanji turned her head to look out the back window as she backed out of the spot, "I hope he's got some food. And I hope that dishy Thomas is there."

"Tanji...don’t even think about it."

"Okay, I'll keep my hands out of the cookie jar. I promise." Tanji made a serious face but she could only hold it for a few seconds before she broke out in a grin.

James opened the door when Lizbet knocked. He smiled and leaned into her for a hug, which she happily returned, basking in the contact. If only she could just stand here forever. James said, "I wasn't expecting you."

"Yep. I wasn't expecting to stop by, either. I would have called, but it's kind of...well, stuff is happening, and I can’t deal. I need your help. Or really, Myrddin's help." Lizbet shot a quick look over James’s shoulder to where Thomas sat, grinding herbs in a blue ceramic mortar at the tiny kitchen table. 

"Come on, enough of the hugs, big bro, we can't stand out here all night!" Tanji giggled behind her.

Lizbet looked at Thomas again, and said, "James, maybe we could take a walk. It's...personal. And I’m sure Tanji would love to talk healing and herbs with Thomas, if he's okay with it."

Thomas nodded, "I'm replacing some of the potions I had to leave behind in England. I’m always happy to talk magic."

Tanji slid past Lizbet and walked into the apartment toward the kitchen, "You got anything for keeping pixies away? I tried my hand at a ward, but it only lasted for an hour or two and then, wham! We had pixie city all over again. My dad really needs something more effective. You don't want those things around your pets or your kids. They have a really nasty bite."

Thomas's expression brightened. "I might have just the thing." He picked up a notebook, flipped through it, put it down, and then picked up another. "Yes. This might do. I wonder if I have all of the ingredients..." He walked a few feet to the small kitchen and motioned Tanji toward the full length cabinet, "...forage in there for fennel, if you could. And is there a jar of beetle parts?"

James and Lizbet were still standing in the doorway, but Lizbet tugged gently at his hand as she started walking down the stairs. "I think we can probably leave the kids alone without them getting into too much trouble."

James followed Lizbet down the stairs, his fingers woven together with hers as they held hands. They walked in silence to Lizbet's front yard where they sat down on the garden swing that overlooked the flower beds. Lizbet pulled her feet up and sat cross-legged while James rocked the swing gently, his long legs firmly planted on the ground.

Lizbet seemed hesitant to begin. "So...here's the thing. You know how everybody expected me to have Morgan's magic and memories, and that never really happened except for these freaking wings?"