CHAPTER 59

She walked out into the front yard and wandered into the garden, moving through the maze with ease. If she closed her eyes, she could picture it down to the inch. Many restless nights had been spent wandering it, and it was properly mapped out in her mind.

"The house seems busy today." Sulyvahn was sitting on the sundial with a faint smile on his face.

"Oh. Hi." She tilted her head. "Should you really be doing that?"

"Doing what?" A look of concern crossed his face.

"Sitting on the sundial."

"I... don't see why not." He hopped down and inspected it. "It doesn't seem cracked or anything."

"Never mind." She remembered how abrupt she had been with him yesterday morning, and wondered if it was too late to get a fresh start and be friendly to the newcomer. "Sorry about yesterday. I was in a hurry."

"Hmm? Oh, right." He laughed. "I'm used to it. People usually run and scream when they see me coming, so I hardly noticed."

"Why do they run and scream?"

"It's my job. Hunting down the departed." He squinted one eye. "Ya look different today. Something's changed."

She nodded. "I think something has. I couldn't tell you what though, so feel free to enlighten me."

"That's the queer bit. I can't quite figure it out myself, but I get a feelin' off of ya." He looked over Dana's shoulder at the small shed Tink was finishing up. The rats were already inside, the sounds of their teeth chewing into wood carrying across the yard. "As for that, I've already heard. Sounds like Mike is planning to go see Her Majesty."

"Who did you hear that from?"

"It isn't exactly a secret. They were all out here this morning chattin' about it." He grabbed Dana's wrist and pulled her toward him. "Beggin' yer pardon, but if you've any sway with the man, ye should beg him not to go."

Her first impulse was to pull away from the dullahan, but his dark eyes somehow conveyed sincerity. His lips were pulled into a tight frown, and he looked past her at the shed.

"I mean it. If he goes over there, he may never come back."

"You seem adamant against him going."

"I'll let you in on a little secret." He lowered his voice. "The fae realm is boring. Has been for many of your years now. It's complicated, but something happened a ways back that caused the queen to forbid the fae from interacting with humans outside o' the old contracts. She dinna want my kind and your kind mixing, you see."

"What happened?"

"I canna say."

Dana rolled her eyes.

"No, really. Like, I can't speak the words at all. She forbade us from speaking of it, and when the queen forbids something, we canna do it, even if we want ta."

"Are you afraid of her?"

"No more than a child fears its mother, but she has her own ways, she does pity those who incur the wrath of the queen." He shivered. "Would ye at least be talkin' to him?"

"No." She curled up one side of her lips into a grin. "When Mike decides he is doing something, it's no different than when the queen forbids it."

Sulyvahn laughed, a sound that was a cross between a bark and the cawing of a crow. "Well now, an unstoppable force versus an immovable object. I wonder who will win?"

She looked across the yard. Tink was inspecting the outer perimeter of the shed, and a few centaurs had come over to help her. Reggie was staring into the open door of the shed and reading off of a sheet of paper.

"I guess we will have to find out."

She left him there, in the garden, and wandered up to the porch. The debris in the yard had been cleared away, and Cecilia's swing had been moved to the far side of the door, away from the damaged porch. She took a seat and watched the world pass by, wondering what her place in it should be. She wondered about the sudden urge to self-reflect, and if it was somehow related to yesterday.

The hours crept by, and when it was dark, she could hear the others eating dinner inside. Out in the yard, a few centaurs were doing some final maintenance on the grounds before clearing out for the night, and Sulyvahn kept them company, his dark form wandering among the shrubs.

Hours after the sun had set, she was startled from her thoughts by a commotion inside the house. Mike came outside, reset the sundial, and ran back in without another word. Curious, she followed him in to see the others were standing in the living room waiting for him. He was wearing a sports coat with a button down shirt and fresh-pressed slacks. Even though his tie was crooked, Dana had to admit that he cut a striking figure. Tink, Yuki and Sofia stood nearby, and Reggie watched from the stairs while sitting next to Jenny.

"Special occasion?" she asked.

"You can say that." He checked his pockets, which were filled with an assortment of odd items and a couple sheets of paper. "Hoping to gain an audience with the queen. Gotta dress for the occasion."

"Well, you look nice. What's all that stuff?" She gestured at his pockets.

"Um, well..." He looked up at Sofia. "Have you ever watched any of the James Bond spy movies?"

She nodded. "My dad was a fan, so I watched them. Loved all the gadgets that Q built for him. It was my favorite part of each movie."

"Okay, well, these are faerie-realm-specific gadgets." He opened his hand to reveal a bunch of shiny buttons. "Nothing dangerous to the fae themselves, but there are other creatures that live there that may cause problems, so it should be okay."

"Mike." She moved close to him, her eyes on his. "You do realize that you're holding a handful of buttons and calling them spy gadgets. Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Smaller fae are distracted by shiny objects," Sofia explained. "We went with buttons instead of coins to avoid taking iron into their realm."

"Still, though... buttons." Maybe Sulyvahn was right, but she had no idea what to say to him to talk him out of it. "What else do you have in there?"