CHAPTER 65

Along the edges of the stones, several instruments hovered in the air, playing themselves. The dancing fae wore dark clothing with gold accents, and their skin was supernaturally pale. As they laughed and twirled, Beth noticed that a few of them didn't even touch the ground.

The music quieted down when they drew close, and the party goers all turned to look at them with curiosity.

"Excuse me, but we are trying to get to the court of the faerie queen." Beth hastily tucked a few strands of loose hair behind her ears, and smoothed out her blouse with her hands. "Do you suppose you could give us directions?"

One of the fae grinned, revealing a set of dagger-sharp teeth that reminded her eerily of Oliver. The others followed suit, and the music played a little bit longer.

"We would be happy to give you directions," a man wearing a cloak told them. "But let's wait until this song is over."

The other fae nodded enthusiastically, and the music's volume increased and their dancing resumed. Beth let out a sigh and tapped her foot to the beat of the music. What would it hurt to wait for just one song?

A stiff hand clamped down on her shoulder, and she realized that she was now standing in-between the boulders. Mike pulled her back, and she tried to yank herself free.

"What the fuck is your problem?" she asked, unable to pull herself from his grasp. "We're just waiting for the song to be over!"

Mike wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. Beth let out a shriek of rage and tried to swing herself down. The music, for whatever reason, was playing even louder than before.

He only made it a few steps before Beth was able to slide free, her skirt hiking up around her thighs.

"You're being such an ass," she told him, determined to get back and watch the dancers some more. He got in front of her again, and she tried to push him away. The dancers were holding their hands out to her, their faces just begging her to join in. If she didn't reach them in time, the song would be over, and she would miss her chance to join in the festivities.

A large vial spun through the air, scattering metallic glitter across the blanket of food and clattering to the ground. The fae fell to their hands and knees to eagerly pick up the bits of glitter that Mike had thrown, and the musical instruments stopped playing.

"Finally!" Mike grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the faerie people, who hadn't yet noticed that they were leaving.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"They've been playing that song forever, couldn't you tell? I was trying to get your attention, but you couldn't hear me." He was moving at a quick pace, pausing long enough to throw something that looked like a rock. "That won't keep them long, so we need to hurry."

"We were only there for a minute..."

"More like ten. I don't think their magic affects me like it does you, but here." He held something out, and she took it. It was a small set of earplugs. "If they start playing that music again, shove those into your ears. We were warned about faerie music, but I figured it was safe. That was stupid of me."

Beth's cheeks burned, and she put the plugs in her messenger bag. She should have known better as well, and they were almost to the trees when she heard shrill cries behind them.

"Quick!" Mike pulled her behind a clump of rocks and they hunched down together. They watched through a gap in the rocks as the fae rose into the air on black wings and circled over the depression. They formed into a search pattern, and one of them fell from the sky, screeching like a hawk.

"What did they find?" Beth whispered.

He smirked. "I threw a large, shiny arrowhead in a different direction. They were bound to see it."

Sure enough, the flock of faeries hovered overhead until they were rejoined by their missing member. They flew away along the hillside, their shrill laughs carrying across the green expanse.

"Oy. Ye stirred up the unseelie, that you did."

Beth spun around to see a little man about a foot tall with a long beard standing on a tree stump covered in mushrooms. He regarded them with deep set eyes buried beneath a mountain of facial hair that hung to his knees.

"Are you a gnome?" she asked.

"Aye. And ye must be the humans that's got everyone in a fit." The creature took a long pull on his pipe, then blew out a plume of yellow smoke. "Yer lucky ye didn't fall in with that lot. They be particularly cruel."

"We're trying to get to—" Beth began.

"The queen? Aye. But the queen is not real eager to see yer faces, I can tells ye that." He hopped off his stump and walked toward Mike. "So yer the man that stole our dear Cecilia's heart."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Aye." He puffed off his pipe. This time, green smoke came from it.

"Great! We came to rescue her. Can you tell us how to get to the queen's court?"

"Nay." The gnome stuck the pipe back in his mouth and sucked. He blew a ring of red smoke this time that lingered in the air.

"Why not?" Beth demanded.

"Order of the queen. This whole area was reorganized for yer arrival, it was. They chased away the locals and brought in some real nasties. I dinna really care for it. Not at all, not at all."

"So, you can't tell us because the queen told you not to?"

"Aye. Faerie law. The queen informed her subjects that none of us were to give aid or direction to any humans or creatures that accompany this man."

"That's bullshit." Mike scowled at the little gnome.

"Aye." The gnome blew a green ring this time. "A creature like me would be happy to help if he could offer it. I have no quarrels with humans, particularly those who smell strongly of the tribes."

"The tribes?"