Stinky slammed the door closed behind me as I scanned the cracked sidewalks for possible threats. Since it was now past twilight, I hustled back to The Emporium. I may have survived the vampires, but there were other things that hunt the shadow darkened streets of The Hill.
A wailing cry rose from an alley to my right, raising gooseflesh along my arms and sending a chill down my spine. It wasn’t a cat out prowling for a good time.
I turned left and walked quickly, keeping my eye on the shadows and a hand in my pocket. A lighter may not work against all monsters, but they didn’t know what I was toting.
*****
I made it to The Emporium unmolested, but exhausted. I could feel eyes on me the entire walk from the vamp mansion to Kaye’s shop. I circled the block twice, hoping to lose my tail, before slipping inside.
The vampires knew that I was working with Kaye, but I didn’t like the idea of leading monsters to her doorstep. Not that she couldn’t handle a few baddies. Heck she could do that in her sleep, but we didn’t have time for the cloak and dagger games vamps are so fond of.
When I arrived in Kaye’s kitchen, Hob was sitting astride the pot hook above the hearth telling Marvin a story. The young troll was listening with rapt attention as Hob told the tale of an epic fairy battle. The brownie was waving his arms and Marvin whooped with delight.
I smiled at my two friends and went to sit with Kaye. She looked tired, her olive skin taking on a grayish cast and new creases lining her face, as she watched Hob and Marvin at the hearth.
“They have no idea the wickedness of battle,” Kaye said. “I would spare them if I could, but war leaves no innocents.”
“They’re not fighting!” I said.
“It is their city just as much as it is ours,” she said. “They have a right to defend their home.”
It was naïve of me, but I hadn’t considered Hob or Marvin joining the fight against the each uisge. I knew that I had to be there. I could sometimes see things that others could not and I had taken on the job, after all. Kaye would be there as well, using her magic to defend the city. It was what she swore to do as a young woman. A few wrinkles hadn’t changed that. But Hob, Marvin, maybe even Jinx? That terrified me worse than anything.
“Can we give them something to do here then?” I asked, lowering my voice.
“Of course, I’m not daft,” she said. “I have already requested their help in preparing certain spell ingredients. They’ll be working in my garden, inside the courtyard walls, safe as houses. But if the each uisge break through our defenses at the waterfront and make it into the city, then they will get their chance to fight.”
I couldn’t let that happen. I’d rather die first.
“Is there anything else that I can do?” I asked. “Anyone else I can ask to fight with us?”
Kaye sat in silence, tapping a finger against her bottom lip, deep in thought.
“There is one place we haven’t gone for help,” she said. “I had hoped to find other allies, but we’ve run out of time. To be honest, they’re sitting right on top of a ticking bomb. Even if they do not aid us in this battle, The Green Lady and her people deserve to know the danger circling beneath their home.”
“Who is this Green Lady and where can I find her?” I asked.
“The glaistig, a powerful faerie known to her people as The Green Lady, rules over the misfits and wanderers of the carnival,” she said.
“The amusement park down at the pier?” I asked.
“Yes, the carnival has long been home to trooping faeries,” she said. “And the circus sideshows that grew up around carnivals are home to many of the more unusual fae. Though rare, there are some faeries unable to create a glamour to protect their appearance from mortal eyes. Some of these poor creatures have found a home in the sideshow tents.”
“Of course, flaunting their true forms would not have been tolerated by the courts,” she said. “Revealing the secrets of faerie society is punishable by death, but the glaistig intervened. Rumor has it that she is just as old and powerful as Oberon himself. Whether that is true or not, the faerie king and queens agreed to let the glaistig rule over any fae who call the carnival their home.”
Huh, that gave a whole new meaning to running off to join the circus.
“And she’s here, in Harborsmouth?” I asked.
“She arrived last year, I have no idea why, but yes,” she said. “The Green Lady resides here with her people. If you wish to save your friends, then I suggest you pay her a visit.”
“How will I know where to find her?” I asked.
“You haven’t been to the carnival in the past year, have you?” she asked.
“No, I hate crowds,” I said.
My voice came out sounding angry, but it was true. Crowds were potentially painful and to be avoided whenever possible. There were too many chances for unwanted visions, and embarrassment, in crowded places. I would never pay the cost of an admission ticket for the experience.
“The Green Lady is part of the sideshow,” she said. “You can’t miss her tent. It’s the one covered in a large painting of a woman with green skin, golden hair, and the legs of a goat.”
Green skin and the legs of a goat? Great, just great.
“Anything I should know before I pay her a visit?” I asked.
Like if she breathes fire or eats humans for breakfast…
“The glaistig is very powerful,” she said. “Never forget that. She is also very fond and protective of her people.”
“But she makes money off of their misery, doesn’t she?” I said.
“Don’t ever say that where the glaistig, or her people, can hear,” she said. “Most carnival fae credit The Green Lady with giving them a home when no other doors were open to them. She protects and provides for her people. If they must endure a bit of staring in return, what is the harm in it?”
It rang of exploitation, but Kaye was right. Who was I to judge how a powerful faerie ruled her people?
“Okay, anything else?” I asked.
“She dislikes any human who uses magic,” Kaye said. “And absolutely detests hunters. As you can imagine, there have been more than a few misunderstandings between her people and mine over the years.”
Well, now I knew why Kaye wasn’t volunteering to go with me. I never realized how many enemies she had in this town, though it made sense. She had joined forces with hunters to protect our city. Hunters often kill in the course of doing their job. Their targets may be monsters, but that doesn’t mean they don’t leave behind families and friends of their own. Friends and families have a tendency to hold a grudge when you kill someone they love.
No, I couldn’t ask Kaye to join me. I also didn’t dare ask Hob or Marvin to come along. It was dangerous for fae to enter another’s domain without permission and technically The Green Lady and her people had been granted the carnival grounds as part of their kingdom. I couldn’t risk the possibility of having their presence anger the glaistig and put our mission on bad footing.
I even considered calling Jinx. My roommate had dated a guy a few years ago who worked at the carnival. Unlike me, she’d know her way around. Jinx loved the chaos of lights, sounds, and people at the amusement park. She’d think this trip was a freaking blast.
I went as far as pulling my phone from my pocket, but with a heavy sigh shoved it back in my jeans. My friend may be able to charm her ex into helping us gain entrance to the glaistig and could probably navigate the carnival chaos with her eyes closed, but she was only human. Jinx didn’t have any magic powers or superhuman strength. That was fine when wielding a reception phone and appointment book, she was damn good at that, but the amusement park sat like a beast sprawling along the waterfront and pier. Those waters were filled with each uisge and the pier was ground zero.
As much as I could use the company, Kaye, Marvin, Hob, and Jinx wouldn’t be going with me. I would be visiting the carnival alone.
Chapter 18
I grudgingly paid the exor
bitant ticket fee and used my hips to push through the squeaky turnstile. Hundreds of kids and their families touched those metal bars each day. There was no way in hell that I’d touch any part of it with bare skin. With my luck, I would probably get whammied with a vision and a nasty case of the flu. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Glowering to keep passersby from edging too close, I continued to follow the press of bodies until I reached a hub where different pathways branched off delivering patrons to a multitude of attractions. I had to wait for a family of five to move out of the way before reading the signs posted on a weather beaten directory board. Red arrows pointed to rides, games of chance, and the video arcade.
Not surprisingly, there wasn’t an arrow indicating deadly each uisge, but I kept their close proximity in mind. My stomach churned as I looked down at the wood planks beneath my feet, imagining the bloodthirsty fae circling in the dark waters below.
Finally, I found directions to the circus sideshow. According to the sign, The Green Lady was located past a row of concessions. I followed the smell of grease, fried dough, and cotton candy.
The concession booths were busy. Lines of people waited for their heart attack in a basket or tooth decay on a stick. I lost ten minutes trying to dodge hungry tourists and parents who looked ready to drop from exhaustion. I checked my watch again. It was nearly midnight. Shouldn’t these families be home, and their kids in bed?
I finally made it past the line of food vendors and followed an arrow pointing to my right. The sideshow tents were down a narrow plank path which had been dusted with wood shavings once upon a time.
The first attraction was a fortune teller. The flaps of her colorful tent were open wide and she sat huddled over a large, glowing crystal ball. Swaddled in layers of glittering scarves, skirts, and head kerchief she resembled Kaye. The woman looked up, meeting my gaze, and I was suddenly sure that she was nothing like my witchy friend. No, this fortune teller wasn’t even human.
Kaye had prepared me for the fact that many fae would be residing within the tent city of the carnival, but the woman was still startling. Her disconcerting eyes were many faceted, like an insect, and each orb seemed to move independent of one another. One glittering eye continued to watch me while the other looked for potential customers walking up the path.
I hurried on, keeping watch for the painted tent featuring The Green Lady. I didn’t have to travel far. Looming at the center of a ring of low tents and colorful caravan wagons towered a large green tent just as Kaye described. A folding sign announced evening show times at six, eight, and ten o’clock. Hopefully the glaistig would still be in her tent.
When I tried to approach The Green Lady’s pavilion though, I found myself veering to the left and circling the tent until I ended up where I began. Well that was frustrating. I didn’t have time for games. The glaistig was obviously using a “keep away” spell to deter unwanted visitors. I could understand wanting one’s privacy, especially when you were subjected to slack-jaw humans gawking at you three shows per day, but I needed to speak to the faerie now. Not willing to wait for an invitation, I looked around for any carnival fae who may know how to gain access to their queen.
I struck off toward a tent advertising a vaudeville variety show. A slender male faerie with fair hair stood beside the tent playing a stringed instrument while a voluptuous female succubus in burlesque costume danced hypnotically to the music. Passersby swayed to the entrancing show.
I waved to the musician letting him know I’d like a moment of his time and flashed a few bills. The faerie smiled greedily and gestured to his partner. The succubus dancer bent low, giving me a wink and a long look at her cavernous cleavage. I could feel my face burn with embarrassment. Mab’s bones; maybe flashing money to get their attention wasn’t the best idea. I was now almost certain that the two were running a little prostitution side act—and they thought I was their next mark.
The song came to an end and the humans were ushered inside the tent, gladly paying the extra admittance fee. They probably didn’t even know what show was playing inside. The faerie and succubus had made the small crowd of humans so open to suggestion that they’d probably walk off the docks and into the harbor if asked. Glad of the charms hanging around my neck and in my pockets, I smiled and asked if the glaistig was available.
The succubus looked disappointed. She pushed her large, bee-stung lips into an exaggerated pout. Well, she could sulk all she wanted, but I wasn’t touching her with a ten foot pole.
Succubi were the offspring of faeries and demons and had appetites that would make both parents proud. A succubus feeds on sexual energy and emotions. Dining on the feelings of her risqué burlesque show audience would keep this one alive, but succubi and incubi, their male counterparts, were known for being insatiable. To touch them often meant death, and that was without the unwanted visions. Horrific visions would be my own special psychometry bonus prize at the bottom of that Cracker Jack box.
I bit my lip and focused on the faerie bard. I’d pay the two for information. That was all.
“Her Ladyship usually rests after her last show, but she may be ready to accept a visitor by this hour,” the musician said, scrutinizing me from head to toe. “Is she expecting you?”
“No, I don’t have an appointment, but it’s urgent,” I said. “I believe that you are all in danger. The Green Lady needs to know.”
The succubus whispered something in his ear and he nodded.
“Right,” he said. “Our Lady thought someone would come. She told Delilah to keep an eye out for strangers with a keen interest in the center tent.”
The succubus, Delilah, made a purring sound in the affirmative.
“Follow me,” he said, waving me forward.
The tent decorated with a painting of The Green Lady stood behind me and I stopped in my tracks. Should I follow this faerie into the darkness, away from curious eyes, or run toward the tent shouting for the glaistig. After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to follow the musician and continued forward. Delilah brought up the rear, which seemed fitting since hers was fully exposed.
The back alleys of the carnival were a maze of rope, canvas, tools, carts, and machinery. It was obvious that any non-carnie outsider would be lost as soon as they stepped off the marked pathways.
We nodded to off-duty faeries who sat smoking, drinking, and playing games on upended buckets and overturned crates. Creatures of every shape and size could be found in these secret avenues that ran behind the main tents, but I was the only human in sight. I hadn’t seen another non-fae since leaving the sawdust covered path by the vaudeville tent.
A small part of me held out hope that I might bump into Jinx’s ex. It would be nice to see a familiar face, even if that face was covered in tattoos, piercings, and attached to a well-muscled body. Brice hadn’t been my favorite of Jinx’s long line of boyfriends, but he wasn’t the worst either. He was just a compulsive flirt with an overgrown sense of self-worth. Heck, that described nearly every guy Jinx dated.
Too bad he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe the faeries had a spell that kept humans from bothering them here. With a mental shrug, I continued on. I was a big girl. I could do this on my own. So why was my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest?
Stepping gingerly over a griffin’s tail, I followed the faerie bard around the corner. I continued to watch the dog-sized creature, who looked bored with his chess game. He was resting his eagle head on a cat’s paw attached to a furry body that resembled a lion—except for the large, feathered wings sprouting from his back. Fascinated with the griffin, I nearly stumbled into the bard who was kneeling just beyond the corner, head bowed, before a petite woman dressed in a long green dress and cloak.
The Green Lady was surprisingly tiny, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t formidable. Even the smallest pixie can bring a man to his knees in seconds. Remembering my own run-in with a pixie hive, I lowered my eyes and gave a slight nod of my head as a show of respect.
“Rise
,” The Green Lady said, gesturing with one slender hand. “Who is this you have brought to shed light on my grove?”
“She was asking questions and said she had urgent business with you, My Ladyship,” the bard said.
“You have done well,” The Green Lady said. “Now go and enjoy a wine cask with Delilah for your troubles.”
Obviously dismissed, the bard took the succubus by the hand and left the way we had come. Delilah licked her lips suggestively and gave me a wink as they left. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the glaistig.
“Please don’t be offended by their bad manners,” The Green Lady said. "They are like naughty children.” She smiled proudly as she watched them go. “Now, who are you and why are you here?”
A faerie who gets quickly and directly to the point? Now that was refreshing. As if reading my thoughts, the glaistig answered.
“Yes, I do not have time for games,” she said. “I am spread too thinly as it is. I rule over every carnival, fairground, and amusement park on this green planet and my presence is often required at each of my kingdoms simultaneously.”
She waved a hand at herself and suddenly her small size made sense. The glaistig had literally split her own body into tiny shards to rule over her people who were sprinkled over the world. She must truly have a mother’s love for the carnival fae to be willing to weaken her body that way, putting herself at such risk.
I couldn’t see Mab, Oberon, or Titania doing the same. They would never expose themselves to that kind of danger. No, they’d rather hide safely away in the shadows.
“I promise, I’m not here to waste your time,” I said. “My name is Ivy Granger. A pack of each uisge recently came to Harborsmouth, kidnapped and stole the bridle of the local kelpie king, and killed numerous humans. I was hired by the kelpies to help find and retrieve their lost bridle. During my investigation to find their property, I learned of the kidnapping of Ceffyl Dŵr. I also believe that the each uisge are preparing to attack the city.”