“You don’t want to know what’s in the food. Just eat it and don’t think, it’s better that way.” Shade took another bite of her chilidog and stifled a laugh, hoping she wouldn’t choke on her food.
“That was amazing! What are we doing next, Shade?”
She had to admit, his enthusiasm was rubbing off on her. She wished it’d rub off on Dylan, too. His glum demeanor was such a downer.
“I don’t know. Maybe hit up some museums? Lots to do downtown. I think I just want to walk and see what comes up.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“We have to return to the Scren soon, remember? Assemble the troops? You’re going to be prisoner at the Unseelie palace again. Doesn’t that worry you?” Dylan dropped his napkin on the table, slipped some leaves from his fake wallet onto the table and flicked his fingers over them. They immediately turned into twenty-dollar bills. “Let’s go.”
“I’m quite aware of the situation, Dylan. I said give me a bit, and I’ll jump right onto the sinking boat in no time, all right?” Shade gritted her teeth and slid out of the booth, ready to leave the gloomy Teleen behind. At least Nautilus was game for sightseeing for a few hours before returning to the dreary world of Faerie. Why couldn’t he just let go for a bit?
“Okay.” Dylan backed off, realizing he was starting to grate on everyone’s nerves and decided to keep quiet and alert for any danger. “So where to?”
Shade shrugged until she came up to a poster of a frequently visited spot in Chicago. “Here.” She pointed to the picture of a large, mirrored-looking, deformed sphere. “Millennium Park. I’ve always wanted to visit it.”
Nautilus agreed, and they headed off in the direction the poster had pointed them. Dylan followed closely behind. His senses were buzzing, and he could’ve sworn they were being watched. Whatever or whomever it was, they didn’t want to be seen, at least, not yet.
He pondered warning Shade, but didn’t want to ruin her little outing. He understood that she needed to loosen up, but this wasn’t the way to do it. Portland was one thing, but they were closer to Unseelie territory here, and the exiles would not be happy to have a Seelie Faerie queen prancing about the city.
Hopefully, their presence would be tolerated long enough to enjoy the city.
“WHAT’S THE POINT of this thing?” Dylan eyed the huge mirrored monstrosity that scores of people were taking pictures of and posing in front of as if was the next best thing to Elvis. Frankly, he wasn’t impressed but smiled every time Shade asked him to take her picture. She’d bought a disposable camera at one of the stands nearby and was making terribly funny faces as he snapped away.
“Nautilus, take a picture of me and Dylan.” Shade plopped the camera into the merman’s hand and ran over to hang on to Dylan. He blushed pink at her affections. It felt good, but here in public, he felt naked as she kissed his cheek.
“Wait… how do I use this thing?” Nautilus flipped it the wrong way and flashed himself in the eyes, almost dropping the camera.
“Oh dear.” Shade jogged over to him and held it for him to grab the right way. Throwing short, quick instructions to him, she pranced back to Dylan and resumed her kiss on his cheek. “Okay, we’re ready!” she hollered. Dylan winced at her voice right in his ear, but he liked her lips on him and her arms squeezing him tight.
The flash finally clicked, and Nautilus handed it to not to Shade, but to Dylan.
“My turn.” He winked and pulled her toward the monstrosity again.
“Um… okay.” Shade blushed and tried to stand not too close to him, but he insisted on tossing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her snug against his side. “Say cheese!” He flashed his brilliant smile for the camera as Dylan grumbled and took the picture, hurrying back to Shade before Nautilus asked for one with a kiss.
He was ready to lose the merman. The sooner they got rid of him, the better.
“Thanks, hun.” Shade fluttered her eyelids and threw him a whimsical smile. “Now isn’t this fun?”
Dylan pulled his face into a grin, forcing it. “Sure is.”
“Come on, the museum isn’t far.”
“Best day ever, no?” Nautilus punched Dylan on the shoulder, a little bit harder than necessary. He glared at the merman and hoped he could find a way to mortify the guy. He was trying to steal Shade away from him. From the moment they’d met, he’d known that was his agenda. Why the hell would he volunteer to accompany them in the first place, if not to win Shade’s heart?
Well, that’s just too bad, she’s taken, he thought. He wasn’t worried that Shade would actually leave him for the fishtailed man, it just annoyed him to death that the guy could even think he could achieve that. Just go ahead and try it.
Walking into the museum after faking the bills to pay to get in, the trio floated from room to room, studying the beautiful paintings, artwork and sculptures and read every little info plaque they could find. The day wore on slowly, but the brilliant art was effective at taking away the stress of their mission.
Still, Dylan couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
As he lagged behind a bit, he stopped before a painting of a faery. It caught his eye because no human had painted this particular artwork. It’d been done by a faery. The signature on the bottom right was all too familiar, and a violent memory hit him with a tumultuous force. He ran right up to Nautilus and Shade, furiously tapping them on the shoulders.
“Ow. What’s that for?” Shade rubbed her sore shoulder and glared at Dylan, but her frown faded as she noticed the panic in his face. “What is it, Dylan?”
“We have to go… now.”
“But why?”
“Ferdinand.”
At the name, Nautilus paled. Dylan kept flicking his eyes around. They were not safe here, and they had to leave now.
“Who’s that?”
Nautilus took Shade by the arm and tugged her toward the exit. “You don’t want to know.”
“I have a weird feeling we’re being followed,” Dylan whispered as he pulled out his sword but kept it hidden under his glamour. No one noticed the three as they slipped out silently and turned the corner into an alley, where they cloaked themselves further to appear as though they’d vanished.
They waited, watching people hurry by, oblivious to them hiding there. After several minutes, Shade straightened, annoyed that they had interrupted her day of relaxation.
“What the hell, Dylan? Who is Ferdinand? I follow you without questioning anything you ask me to do. I trust you like that, so I think I deserve an explanation.” She waited patiently, hoping whatever he had to say wouldn’t be too bad.
“He’s an exile, but he’s been out here so long, he’s turned into a kind of psycho leader of some weird gang that deals in stuff.”
“What does he deal?”
Dylan gulped, wishing he hadn’t heard of the wretched faery. “He kidnaps humans and trades them with faery duplicates. They are animated dolls glamoured to appear just like their human counterparts. They walk and talk just like they should and usually don’t ever get discovered until they either disappear into thin air or a family member realizes they aren’t the true person, and the spell breaks.”
“Oh, okay. So like the story of faery baby snatchers who put little classic changeling babies into the cribs, right?” Shade inquired.
“Yes, but he doesn’t deal with babies. He takes bigger kids and adults alike.”
“Is that why he got exiled?”
Dylan shook his head, sweat building on his brow. “No, he was exiled for siphoning power off of faeries.”
Shade’s eyes grew wider, her stomach lurching at the thought. “He’s a power vampire.”
Dylan nodded. “We have to go. If he knows we’re here, he’ll send his minions after us. He hunted the Teleen to near extinction because our power is immune to iron, which he needed to deal in the city. He’s highly sensitive to iron.”
“Crap, let’s go.”
Before she could even pluc
k the summoning orb from her pocket, they were surrounded by exiled goblins, faeries and trolls.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Chapter Nine
The Siphon Lord
“WHAT DO WE have here? Teleen and… not sure what else you are.” One goblin wrinkled his snout at Nautilus, sniffing but not quite sure what he was smelling. “Doesn’t matter.” He stepped up to Shade and frowned, eyeing her up and down as if their vanishing spell had no effect on his eyesight. “Oh, a pretty one. M’Lord will be pleased. Take all three.” He waved his comrades over, and they disarmed Dylan almost immediately, already so close to him he didn’t have time to swing the sword. They began cackling together, amused by them as they clamped shackles to their wrists.
“Get off me!” Shade yelled at the faery tugging at her arm to pull her along. He frowned and flicked his eyes to the short, squat goblin, whom was surely their leader.
“Shut it, pretty. M’Lord don’t want the females ’urt. Don’t make me put you out, I don’t want to have to do the ’splaining about that.” He snorted and trotted ahead while the others dug their daggers into Dylan’s and Nautilus’s backs. They had no option but to follow, out into the open air and into full sight of the normal humans.
But they were already cloaked. The goblin waved a diamond-tipped staff before exiting the alley, and the group disappeared from any human eyes. Shade gulped and wondered if hollering out to the normals would do any good. She flicked her eyes toward Dylan, who gave her a subtle shake of his head before looking forward.
Damn. What now?
Whoever this Ferdinand was, she was desperate to not meet him.
SHADE EYED THE dilapidated building that appeared to be this elusive Ferdinand’s fortress. It was nothing but an abandoned apartment building in several stages of decay. The outside was strung up with vines and moss growing on the sunless side of it. Bricks were missing in several areas, and many of the windows were shattered or bricked over. It looked desolate, and Shade could feel that it was protected by a spell designed to repel humans. It tickled her senses as they passed through the front door, dressed up in boards and bars. It opened to a tap from the goblin’s staff, creaking open into a dark hole.
Shade gulped, afraid that if they stepped into the dank darkness, they’d never come out ever again.
No, I can’t think that way. I have to think of a way out. I have to get back home.
She still had her orb. They hadn’t stripped them of their things, except for the visible weapons. Maybe she could find a way to summon Camulus without them knowing.
“Move it, pretty,” the faery man behind her snarled. She sighed. Of course her perfectly relaxing day had gone down the chutes. Nothing like getting captured while on the way to save the world, she thought.
Down the hall and up several flights of stairs, they arrived at one of the top floors. The lights flickered on and off down the dirtiest hallway Shade had ever seen. Trash littered the corners and stuck to the graffiti-marked walls. They marched through the filth until they came to the second to the last door on the left. Across the front, someone had painted, in awkward stick letters:
The Siphon Lord
Ferdinand
Great, a self-proclaimed, exiled king. Just what we needed, thought Shade.
The diamond-tipped staff tapped three times against the door, sending the locks on the other side whirling. They clicked, tapped and fluttered until the door finally swung open, and they were led inside.
This room wasn’t dirty. In fact, it was immaculate, with red Persian carpets and sheer curtains draped along the sides and over every entryway. Lush couches lined the walls, and intricately carved wooden tables with swirling gold inlay made it look like a fortuneteller or gypsy lived there, not some strange exiled Lord.
Nautilus whistled as he glanced around. “Nice digs.”
The troll behind him moved forward, raised his club and brought it down onto Nautilus’s head. He tried to dodge it, but wasn’t fast enough.
Thwack!
Nautilus crumbled to the floor, knocked out cold.
“No!” Shade attempted to reach him, but the faery stopped her. He glared at her with reddened eyes, looking very human instead of like the usually bug-eyed faeries Shade had encountered. This one had his wings tucked tightly against his back. In fact, they looked withered, as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and hacked away at the thin membranes, leaving the crooked, veined structures behind to lie useless against his back.
The faery was also bleeding from his nose. A small trickle of blood dripped down, catching on his lips. He licked at it before he wiped it carelessly away.
Iron poisoning, Shade thought. This one was not having fun in the city.
“Now, now, no hurting the merchandise,” echoed a voice from behind one of the sheer curtains. Shade and Dylan turned to face the figure as it emerged from a hallway behind the curtain.
Shade’s jaw dropped, staring at the one of the most handsome faeries she’d ever seen.
Ferdinand walked toward them, a gait so sleek, he appeared to be hovering. Long, dark red hair draped his shoulders and spilled down to his waist. Half of it was pulled away from his face, where his large, luminous green eyes shined back at her. A pale complexion topped it all off. He apparently didn’t venture out much, if at all.
There was no sign of iron poisoning in him. He looked like a vision of health and vibrancy. Stanis, the exiled faery she had met in New York, had looked near death from iron poisoning, but not this one. Something was up, and Shade was going to find out what.
“M’Lord, I’ve brought two Teleen and one pretty lady for trade. We need more medicine for the iron sickness. Declan’s in a bad way, need some stronger magic this time. It’s sticking to us.” The goblin obviously viewed the other two oafs as his friends and needed this “medicine” badly. Shade wondered what exactly could cure the iron sickness in faeries.
“I’ll decide how much you get when I evaluate the merchandise,” Ferdinand snapped. He approached Dylan first and narrowed his eyes as he examined him without touching. Shade realized he must have been using some kind of telepathic energy, because after a moment, he stepped back and grinned widely. “Full Teleen, with a touch of something more. Excellent.”
Shade was next, and she swallowed the drying knot in her throat. It wasn’t that he was scary, but the magic radiating from him tickled her senses and made her blush. Why was he so alluring? It had to be a spell of some sort. She shook her head in the hopes of breaking the enchantment. It was no use. Now with him in her face, she was practically entranced.
“This one is… different. Where did you say you found them?”
“Inside the museum. I sniffed them out on the L train and followed them a while around town,” the goblin stated, sounding proud of catching a good bounty. It made Shade sick.
“Interesting.” Ferdinand stepped closer, almost bumping noses with Shade. He smelled of sweet honeysuckle and musk, and her senses sighed in admiration.
Oh gosh, no, Shade, wake up! Lana’s voice echoed in her head, but it was muffled and far away. Nonetheless, it was enough to shake the enchantment off, and Shade managed a contorted look of disgust as she felt his invisible tentacles caressing her aura to feel out her magic.
Stop.
Ferdinand stepped back, a bewildered look in his eyes. “What did you say?”
Shade stood there, confused. You heard me? “I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes, I heard you.” The green-eyed faery stepped another foot back and studied her more intensely, wary and suspicious.
“Who are you?”
“Shade.”
Ferdinand shook his head, as though he wasn’t convinced.
“No. Who are you, really? Someone sent you here.”
It was Shade’s turn to shake her head, oblivious to his meaning.
“Let us go. You don’t want to mess with us,” Dylan muttered. The troll kicked at the back of his knees, sending him down hard. He
turned toward his attacker, throwing the most malicious glare at him.
“I’m just Shade.” None of your business, psycho!
Ferdinand laughed, amused as he made his way to one of the couches and plopped down into one. “Please, sit. I get tired much too fast lately.”
His bounty hunters shoved at them both, dragging Dylan to the couch and slamming him down into one.
“Nice service you got here,” Shade grumbled, staring him down.
“Impossible to keep good service around here.” He waved his minions forward and tossed a large sack to the goblin. Then, they quickly backed away and shuffled up against the wall to wait for dismissal.
“I find bribery to be quite useful here in the human world. You can bribe the skin off a mother’s back if you pay enough.” His face scowled at the thought, as though it disgusted him. “Now, tell me who you really are, or I will begin siphoning each one of your friend’s magic until they are left old and withered, with no chance of recovery.”
“Is that what you sell here? Other people’s magic?” Shade hissed. Oh, he was as alluring as a skunk now. She furrowed her brow at him.
He laughed at her grimace and continued as if it didn’t bother him whatsoever. “Precisely. Teleen power is very desirable. It shields one against the iron sickness more thoroughly than any potion I can make. Consider these three infidels. They work for me for medication so they can keep their powers within the city limits. Without me, they would weaken to the point of being unable to glamourize themselves in the streets, and they would starve. Exile is no pretty flower, my precious Shade.”
His eyes darkened, turning a sickly pea green. “None of us choose exile. Without magic, we cannot recharge without taking it from somewhere. In the Land of Faerie, we can siphon endless magic. But there is none here.”
“That’s why you kidnap others.”
He smirked, his eyes brightening to the brilliant green they were before. “Yes, my dear Shade. Aren’t you just so bright.” His sarcasm bit into her, and she felt sad for him. Not because she liked him, but because they definitely were suffering here, banned from their precious Faerie.