CHAPTER 60

"Ah, well, a few different things. Oh, and some snacks. Apparently we shouldn't eat anything while we're there, just in case."

"Buttons. And snacks." She shook her head. "I hope Beth is better prepared than you are."

"Always am." Beth's voice came from up the stairs, followed by her footsteps. Everyone looked up the stairs as Beth descended. She wore a red blazer over a white blouse with a matching red skirt, and her hair was pulled up into a bun. She carried a messenger bag slung over one shoulder. "I've got everything I need, anyway."

"Okay, so I think we're ready." Mike clapped his hands together and looked at the others.

"Almost," Beth said when she got to the bottom of the stairs. She adjusted the collar of Mike's dress shirt and then re-tied his tie for him. "There. Now you look like you're ready to meet the queen."

His face turned red, and Beth ran her hand down his tie, pressing it flat against his chest. "Do you have everything?"

"I do," he replied.

"I really think I should be going with you," Yuki said, scowling at both of them.

"I would love to have you with me, but we want to be a non-threat. Just me and my attorney." He flashed Beth a smile.

"And Tink!" the goblin piped up.

"Not Tink." He patted her on the head. "I need all of you here to watch the house. I just reset the dial, but you will all need to keep an eye out for me, okay?"

Tink rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch, her face stuck in a frown.

"Oh, and Dana... you good?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm in good shape for a few days now, thank you."

His cheeks turned red again, and he looked at Reggie. "Okay, I think we're ready."

"Follow me, Caretaker." Reggie took them outside where a small shed had been built in the front yard. Sulyvahn was waiting for them, leaning against the frame of the shed and shaking his head.

"Is there a problem?" Mike asked.

"This is a terrible idea. The queen is..." The dullahan sighed. "I can't stop ye. Friendly advice is all."

"You could just lead us there."

"Nope. Worse idea. Anyone showing up in your company is in for a world of hurt. Mark my words." Sulyvahn stepped away from the shed. "Yer welcome to yer fate, let no man stand in your way." He threw Dana a knowing wink, and she thought back on his words.

"On that, we see eye to eye." Mike looked at the others. "We will be back as soon as possible. We know that time can be weird in there, but based on Ratu's calculations, the faerie realm should be close to synced up with ours. Every hour here will be three in there, so I'm hoping we will be back by tomorrow night."

Hugs were quickly exchanged, and then Mike opened the door to the shed. Inside, a portal had been opened in the wall. Through it she could see a starlit sky and a mossy forest with large rocks scattered about. A cold breeze came through the portal and washed over the front yard.

Mike chuckled and looked at Beth. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in action. Ever try a case for before royalty?"

"There's a first time for everything. But if this works, it's going on my resume. And I'm increasing my f*e." Beth winked, then stepped through the portal. Mike followed, and everyone watched as they walked through the forest on the other side, using their phones as flashlights.

"Yer friends are bitin' off more than they can chew," Sulyvahn said, shaking his head. "The queen, she will not be amused."

Dana looked at him, then over her shoulder. Abella clung to the roof of the porch, her tail curled up on the shingles behind her. Tink sat on the front step of the porch next to Yuki, both of them scowling. In the window, Jenny had pressed herself against the glass.

"In my opinion, if something happens to them, it's your queen who should be careful." Dana turned her attention back to the shed. Reggie had closed the door, the cold breeze vanishing.

"You be thinkin' the two of them a match for the queen?" Sulyvahn's voice was laced with disbelief.

"Not at all, actually." She nodded her head at the others. "It's them she needs to worry about. Them... and me." A smile crossed her face. "And the centaurs, too. Everybody would go to Hell and back for Mike."

Sulyvahn bowed his head. "I judge the man, but maybe it's the company he keeps that should impress me."

"Now you're getting it. I—"

A loud blast of thunder shook the front yard, and the others stepped off the porch, eyes to the sky. A second blast came, followed by a third, but the sky was clear in every direction. Abella's head was clutched tightly in her hands as she protected her ears, and the Jabberwock lifted its head, sniffing the air.

"It's coming from there!" Yuki pointed at the shed. A bright light had filled the shed, increasing in intensity until the whole building glowed like a lightbulb. The kitsune summoned a wall of frost which the others took cover behind.

"What the hell is that?" Dana asked, looking to Sulyvahn. His dark eyes were on the ominous light, his mouth hanging open.

"That... that's the queen's magic!" He bolted, running for cover around the side of the house. Dana wondered if she should follow suit when the front door of the shed blew apart, light spilling across the yard. A figure sailed through the air and crashed into the bushes beneath the porch.

"Husband!" Tink was already running to Mike's side when another figure was launched from the shed, and Abella leapt into the air from the roof, catching Beth in her talons and then landing safely in the yard. The whole shed began to vibrate, the wood shaking itself apart as an electrical field radiated outward. Dana's hair stood on end, and her whole body now crackled with her movements. The whole yard was buzzing with electric streamers forming along the edges of the house.