CHAPTER 172

Not wanting to dawdle any longer, Mike grabbed the door by the edge and pulled it open. The stream of fae that came out passed around him, and he fought the tide of creatures to walk into the golden light. Once properly inside the door, he had to close his eyes and was unable to see. The resistance of the fae vanished and he opened his eyes to find himself stumbling down a cobblestone path that looked very familiar.

It was the outside of the Queen's Court. Though it looked the same as before, it was empty now, and he was shocked at how his footfalls echoed throughout the abandoned city. Was everyone gone on account of Samhain, or was it something far more sinister? Not wanting to take any chances, he paused long enough to drink a little bit of water and then broke into a jog, heading straight toward where he had last seen Cecilia.

There was nobody to stop him when he reached the bridge onto the faerie island, but he stopped when he saw that it was empty. Chagrined, he wondered if the queen had somehow reneged on their bargain and moved her entire court. He strode across the bridge with determination and felt the air ripple around him like water.

Though the court stayed empty, Cecilia's cage appeared, and she sat on the swing with her back to him. He took another step forward and cast his eyes about. Seeing no signs of resistance, he walked up to the cage until he was next to the bars.

"Cecilia?" he asked.

When she turned to face him, her hair hung in the air as if it was floating in water. The gossamer strands of hair fell in slow motion to reveal her face, and he noticed that the red streak in her hair was more pronounced than ever. There was a look of disbelief on her face, and she pressed herself into the bars. Her bare skin sizzled on contact, but she seemed oblivious to it.

"A mhuirnín, 'tis really you!" She reached through the bars and touched his face, and he took her hand in his. A spark passed between them, and for a moment, her white eyes flashed a brilliant green. He slid his arms through the bars and held her tight, then pushed her away when she let out a gasp of pain.

"Stand back," he told her, then looked at the door of the cage. It didn't seem to have a lock, but if he needed to rip the world apart to get it open, that's what he intended to do.

"You shouldn'a come," Cecilia groaned. "It's all been a trap. I tried to warn you through your dreams."

"Yeah, well I've always been bad at following directions."

"A contagious inclination, based on your presence." The voice behind him froze him on the spot, and he turned to see that the faerie queen stood on the bridge behind him in her full glory, wings extended out, and a swirling, glittery aura around her entire body. She scrutinized the golden chalice she held in her hands and then poured out the wine with a scowl. "I didn't expect to see you, Caretaker, and now I've been put off my drink. You were never supposed to survive the trip through the Underworld."

"So you're surprised to see me, then?" He grinned smugly.

"Indeed." There was a fire in her eyes as the magical aura around her intensified. "It looks like I'm going to have to deal with you myself."

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Kisa stayed out of sight as she followed the man in the hoodie.

She had been up on the roof watching the trick-or-treaters and hoping to maybe scare Tink when she came home when the man in the hoodie had shown up to talk to Beth. The conversation had struck her as odd, not so much because the guy was clearly a creep, but mostly because Beth hadn't seemed to notice the shadow figure that practically hung off his shoulders.

You can see it, can't you? He's made her into one of his whores, he's turned her brilliant mind into little more than a sexual pawn. She even dresses like a whore for him, like a witch, or even a priestess for his cult. You must get her out of there if you wish to save her. When the shadow spoke, it sent a chill down Kisa's spine, but Beth never reacted.

"Please, Beth." Marco took a step back when the shadow pulled too hard on his shoulder. "This place does things to you. You haven't been the same since you left, don't you see that? He even has you dressing up for him, now. I get that you don't see it, you're on the inside looking out, you're caught up in all of this, but please, if you'll just come with me, I can explain everything."

Kisa never even heard Beth's reply, because the shadow was now shouting over her.

She is lost! the shadow cried. This is not something you can do on your own. I warned you this would happen! She pulls away from her own kind, from your attempts to save her! What more proof do you need?

When the conversation ended, Marco stormed off, and Kisa followed. There was something familiar about the shadow, and she watched it flit in and out of existence as Marco walked beneath the bright street lamps of the neighborhood. Occasionally he would stop and look back, but Kisa could feel the darkness as it wrapped around her, could easily walk between people or in front of them without being noticed at all. She was little more than a touch of the breeze, or a whisper on the wind as far as anyone else was concerned, and she followed Marco for over a mile before he got into a car and slammed the door shut.

From outside, she heard him arguing with the shadow. She crouched and slid beneath the car, hoping he wouldn't start it up and peel rubber to leave. Nearly an hour passed as she listened to Marco yell, and the shadow's voice went back and forth between cajoling, pleading, and outright anger.

The conversation had dimmed, and she tilted her head, eager to hear anything of use. Alarms were blaring in her head now, and she fought the urge to run, pinned in place only by her own curiosity and fear of being spotted.

The car went silent except for a litany of whispers from the shadow, which was finally punctuated by two words that Kisa heard with no problem at all.

"I accept," said Marco.