Tamisin looked stricken. “You’re right,” she said. “I didn’t think of that. I’m so sorry that we never got to look around.”
“It’s all right,” said Jak. “We can do that another time.”
He had no intention of looking around anymore. He’d already seen enough. Flowers blooming out of season usually meant that fairies had been there, and with so many in one spot it probably meant that there was a Gate to the land of the fey somewhere in the meadow. The bird goblins must have moved a few flowers, luring Tamisin there so they could take advantage of the Gate and make her walk through. If he hadn’t found her when he had, she might very well have gone through the Gate without knowing it. True, he could take her through himself, but he had no idea where they might end up and who might be waiting for them. The Gate in his backyard led to somewhere familiar and safe, where the other goblins wouldn’t be ready for her. It was the only Gate he intended to use.
Since he had unknowingly shown Tamisin to the bird clan, he wasn’t about to compound his mistake by showing them where she lived, so he copied what he suspected Tamisin had done to Tobi and took her home the long way, stopping at the library long enough to walk through and out a back door. They were standing on her front porch when he finally asked her what he’d wanted to all along.
“I’m having a party at my house on Halloween. I’d like it if you could come.”
“That’s a school night, isn’t it?”
“I guess so,” said Jak. “Is that a problem?”
Tamisin glanced at the door to her house, then back at him. “My parents won’t like it, but I’ll come. Do you mind if I bring my friend Heather?”
“Not at all,” said Jak, wondering who else he should put on the guest list. He was about to leave when he remembered a paper in his pocket. “Here’s my phone number and address. It starts at seven-thirty.”
“I’ll be there,” she replied before slipping through her front door.
Jak spent the entire walk home puzzling over some things that were bothering him. There was too much about what his uncle wanted him to do that just didn’t make sense. He was convinced that Tamisin’s ability to see goblins wasn’t the reason Targin wanted her, despite what he’d said. Humans probably wouldn’t believe her if she told them what she’d seen, and even if they did, what could they do? And that story about the lightning … Jak hadn’t seen any sign that Tamisin was capable of controlling it. If Targin wanted her because of the lightning, he was going to be awfully disappointed. And if it wasn’t the reason, Jak couldn’t imagine what it might be.
And then there were the bird goblins. Tobi had said that they wanted her because they’d heard that Targin did. That goblin girl had acted as if it was a competition and whoever took Tamisin back had won something. But they might not even know about Tamisin’s supposed skill with the weather. Goblins were known for being vicious, especially when they were angry. If Tamisin couldn’t call lightning and the bird goblins found out that they’d gone to so much trouble to fetch a human whose only special talent was that she could see the fey, they were bound to take it out on her.
Although it hadn’t mattered to Jak before he met Tamisin, he was getting to know her now and didn’t like the idea of tricking her into going with him. Then again, if she couldn’t control the weather, there was no real reason to take her back. But he couldn’t leave her behind, knowing that the bird goblins were after her.
Chapter 15
After years of watching his uncle, Jak found he was good at delegating tasks. Gammi and Bert were already taking care of the food and decorations, so he asked Jeremy to arrange for the music and help him invite the guests.
The day before the party, Jeremy told Jak that a band led by a friend of his from another school would play at the party for free; it would be their first performance in front of a real audience and they liked the idea of working out the kinks before taking their act public. Jeremy assured Jak that he’d invited plenty of people and that his party was sure to be a success, but Jak didn’t care who was there as long as Tamisin was one of the guests.
Jak had made his decision—he’d have to take her back even if it was just so they could straighten out the mess with the other goblins. As the time for the party drew near, he became increasingly restless. It wasn’t the party itself that worried him, it was finally taking Tamisin on the long-awaited trip through the Gate.
On Halloween night, Jak put on his traveling clothes. He packed a knapsack with a few essentials, hoping that he could make whatever else they needed. Gammi and Bert would be going with him, just as they’d planned all along, and together the three of them would keep Tamisin safe should the bird goblins—or anyone else—come after her. By the time the first guests arrived, Jak felt better about the plan. He would take Tamisin to his uncle, convince Targin that she couldn’t control lightning, and get the bird clan to leave her alone.
Jeremy was the first to show up along with half a dozen of his football-playing buddies. Then the band arrived and everything was in turmoil as they set up their equipment in the living room. More guests came to the door and then, before Jak knew how it had happened, the house was full of people—yet Tamisin still wasn’t there.
Feeling crowded and uncomfortable, Jak went outside to get some fresh air. He was watching the neighborhood cats cross into his yard when a car pulled up beside the curb and Tamisin got out. Jak was so pleased to see her that he almost didn’t notice her friend or the boy who had been driving.
“Do you know my brother Kyle?” Tamisin asked.
“Hey, man,” said Kyle, extending his hand to Jak. “Great house.”
“Thanks,” said Jak. And then a boy came out the front door, saw Kyle, and clapped him on the shoulder, and the two disappeared inside.
Jak glanced at the girls’ costumes as he escorted them into the house. Tamisin’s black cat costume almost made her look like a cat goblin. “I like what you’re wearing,” he told Tamisin. “You, too,” he told Heather.
They were standing in the entrance hall when Gammi threw open the basement door and scurried up to Jak. Standing on tiptoe, she whispered in his ear, “We need to talk.” She’d already told him of her intention to stay in the basement with Bert while the party was going on, so he knew that whatever she had to say must be important.
Jak maneuvered Tamisin and Heather around so they were facing the other way. There was no telling what they would see through the open basement door, and the last thing he wanted to do was try to explain Bert. “Sorry,” he said, edging toward Gammi and the basement door. “I’ve got to look into this. I’ll be right back.”
Jak took the steps two at a time. It was dark in the basement; they could all see well without lights. Gammi and Bert were sitting in two reclining chairs. To his surprise Tobi was there as well. “There’s somethin’ goin’ on that I thought ya should know about,” said the little raccoon goblin. “There’s a rumor goin’ ’round ’bout a reward for a human girl with special talents. Now mind, they ain’t sayin’ her name, but I know as sure as nuts fall from a tree that they’re talkin’ ’bout Tamisin. I wanted to warn ya that ya might have yerselves some visitors—the kind no sane body wants to have. Give ya time to get prepared to do what-some-ever.”
“They’re coming here? How would they know—”
“Because they’re goblins, that’s how. They’ve been watching ya ever since ya got here. And most goblins are bad at keeping secrets ’cause they’re just too much fun to tell. Pretty soon what one knows, they all know. Say,” said the little goblin, perking his ears toward the ceiling. “What’s that I hear?”
Jak tilted his head to listen. At first all he could hear was the not-very-good music that Jeremy’s friends were playing. It was loud and repetitive and … Between one beat and the next there was a pause, and in that semi-silence Jak heard a sound that made the hair on the back of his neck rise and his fingers flex as if he had claws like Gammi’s. A strange goblin was cackling right here in Jak’s own house
.
Jak was up the stairs in two bounds with Bert shoving him from behind. They burst through the door into a scene straight from a nightmare. Goblins that he had never seen before were pouring from every room into the hall that led to the kitchen. A scream cut through their excited voices and they began to sing, covering the sound with their own. Jak knew beyond any question that Tamisin had been the one who screamed.
While the human partygoers watched as if the whole thing was being staged for their entertainment, Jak shoved past the last of the goblins into the kitchen, where they were streaming out the back door. There was no sign of Tamisin, but Heather’s pale face and look of horror told him all that he needed to know. “Oh, no you don’t!” he shouted. Whatever their reason for wanting her, Jak wasn’t going to let them get Tamisin.
One leap and Jak was on the kitchen table. Another leap and he landed on the back of a goblin with the body of a human and the eyes and snout of a hyena. The goblin went down as Jak ran out the door and into the dark beyond.
Lightning split the sky as thunder shook the ground. Some of the goblins shrieked and ran, but enough stayed clustered together that he couldn’t see the still-screaming Tamisin. They were halfway to the towering trees when they paused, and then they were moving again as lightning struck the ground nearby. The wind began to blow as a heavy rain pelted him, but Jak was close enough now that he could see her in the outline of the shimmering Gate.
The goblins were trying to push and drag her toward the trees when Jak pounced on the first one, knocking him out with a single blow. Frantic that they might be hurting her, Jak used everything he had learned from fighting Nihlo, and took on one goblin after another. Then Bert was there, adding his astounding strength to Jak’s until only one last goblin held Tamisin. Jak paused, confused. It was Nihlo with a sneer on his lips and a cast on his leg. Could his uncle have sent his son, thinking his nephew was a failure? Jak clenched his jaw when he saw that his cousin had his hand around Tamisin’s slender neck. Watching Jak’s face, Nihlo squeezed the girl’s throat until ruby droplets of blood beaded the tip of each claw.
Tamisin gasped and lightning struck, much closer now, deafening everyone who stood near. Jak could feel its power make his hair stand on end and his nostrils burn with the biting stench. Glancing at Tamisin’s face, he saw the plea for help in her eyes. He couldn’t let Nihlo have her, even if his cousin was just taking her to Targin.
Jak’s muscles tensed as he prepared to spring, but Nihlo saw and forced Tamisin’s head back as he dug his claws in deeper. Once again Bert arrived, and with a swipe of his meaty hand he knocked the cat goblin aside just as Jak leaped to snatch Tamisin away. The wet ground was slippery, and Jak skidded as he landed, catching part of the blow so that it spun him around. Instead of pulling Tamisin out of the way, he fell into her. As a bolt of lightning cracked the sky in two, they tumbled toward the trees and through the shimmering Gate to the land of the fey.
PART THREE
Chapter 16
Tamisin groaned and shut her eyes. She had to be dreaming; there was no way that she could be lying on the ground with the sun warming her back. The last thing she remembered was that creature … and Jak … and a storm that came out of nowhere.
A faint breeze carried the scent of pine, mingling it with the smell of damp soil. The sunlight glowed red beyond her closed eyelids. “Jak?” she said, and turned her head toward an answering groan. A figure dressed in black lay sprawled beside her. “Jak,” she said again. “Are you all right?”
Jak rolled over onto his back, moaning. “Fine,” he croaked. “How are you?”
“Okay, I guess,” Tamisin said, sitting up so she could look around. They were on a path of pine needles with towering pine trees growing on either side. A shimmering light danced between two of the trees only yards away. “If this is a dream, it’s so realistic! I can smell those pine trees. I can’t usually smell things in my dreams.”
“I’m afraid this isn’t a dream,” Jak said, wincing when he touched a fresh bruise on his cheek. “We must have crossed through the Gate during the fight, but something went wrong. This isn’t at all where we’re supposed to be.”
Tamisin drew her knees up to her chin and hugged them. “What Gate?” she asked. “Where were we supposed to be other than your backyard?”
Jak sighed and sat up to face her. “The Gate to the fey side that opened in my backyard. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t tripped we wouldn’t have come … here,” he said, looking around. “Maybe it was the lightning …”
“I don’t understand,” said Tamisin, her voice sounding thin and wavery. “What do you mean when you say ‘fey’?”
“The fey are fairies, goblins, nymphs, trolls … Beings who have magic. The land of the fey is where I’m from,” said Jak, getting to his feet and reaching down to help her up. “Don’t worry—it really isn’t that different from what you’re used to. The same laws of physics apply and everything. The only real difference is that magic still exists here, whereas it’s been a long time since it flourished in the human world.”
Tamisin let him take her hand in his and pull her to her feet, but when he began to walk she let go of him and said, “There’s never been magic …”
“Of course there has,” said Jak. “Back before the spell was cast, it was all one place. You don’t think the people in the old days were crazy, do you, making up stories about unicorns and dragons? Creatures like that were real. In fact, they are real, they just aren’t on your side anymore.”
“My side of what?” demanded Tamisin.
“Maybe I’m not explaining myself very well,” Jak said. “Let’s just say that once upon a time, the human world and the fey world were still one big happy place, only it wasn’t really happy. Humans were at a disadvantage, not having magic of their own. The most powerful magician had some of their blood in his veins, so he decided to protect humans by separating them from the magic users. He cast a spell that put up a wall, only it wasn’t really a wall, more of a divider that was thinner in some spots and thicker in others. Anyway, his spell was very strong, but it wasn’t perfect, and when he died, the thin spots began to fray. Those frayed places are what we call Gates. Humans and fey from either side can cross over when a Gate is open, only no one can really predict when that’ll be. Except for certain Halloweens, of course, when the magic on our side builds up so much that the Gates can’t help but open. But Gates never stay open for long. The spell is still strong enough that they heal themselves and close up again, usually after just a few hours.”
Tamisin asked, “How do you know all this?”
“I’m half goblin,” said Jak. “I meant to tell you, just not like this.”
“And on those Halloweens, do a lot of your people come through the Gates?” Tamisin asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
Jak nodded. “More then than at any other time. With so many Gates open, more magic comes through, so the fey can travel in your world for greater distances. The fey who visit through an ordinary Gate have to stay near that Gate or their magic fades. And there’s always the chance that the Gate will shut suddenly, leaving them stranded. A lot of humans have thought they’ve seen ghosts when it’s really just a fairy or a goblin who’s using weakened invisibility magic.”
Something howled in the woods nearby, making Jak reach for her hand again. “We need to go. There are creatures in these woods that we don’t want to meet.”
Tamisin stepped aside, avoiding his grasp. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because you saw the goblins, and I know you’ve seen fairies. That night after you danced at the school … They came because of you, didn’t they?”
“Those things at your house were goblins?”
Jak scowled, making his handsome face look fearsome. “I’m one of those things, as you put it. Or at least half of me is. I’m a halfling—half human, half goblin. You shouldn’t scoff at something you don’t understand. Back before the spell was cast, ancient Egyptians re
vered goblins. They even considered some of them to be gods. Hawk goblins, jackal goblins …”
The sound of singing came from deeper in the woods. It grew louder until they could make out the words.
Gore and guts and blood and bile
Served up on a platter,
Anything you think is vile,
That’s what makes us fatter.
We are hungry all the time
And looking for our meals.
We’ll think any food’s sublime
That talks or barks or squeals.
“We’ve got to go,” Jak said, taking Tamisin’s hand.
“These Gates … You said they go either way.”
“That’s right,” said Jak. “When a Gate is open, it works from either direction.”
“Then I want to go home,” Tamisin said, planting her feet.
Jak glanced back into the forest. “Didn’t you hear that? It was a troll-eating song. From the different voices singing it I’d say the troll has at least three heads. We need to go before it learns we’re here. I’ll take you home as soon as we clear up a few things.”
“Like what?” asked Tamisin.
Jak sighed. “I have to take you to my uncle. There are goblins after you and he’s the only one I know who can make them leave you alone. If I take you back before that, who knows what they’ll do to you. Listen, if you come with me now, I’ll answer all of your questions the first chance I get.”
“Fine,” said Tamisin. “But I consider this a promise.”
“You do that,” said Jak. “I’ll just add it to the long list of promises I’ve come to regret.” Trees at the edge of the path behind them began to shake, and a hairy creature with two long arms and four heads crashed through the underbrush. “Run!” Jak shouted, but Tamisin was already sprinting up the hill.
Tamisin could hear the troll running behind them, shouting with the voices of four men. The heads seemed to be arguing and the footsteps stopped after the second curve in the path. Even so, Tamisin kept going with Jak keeping pace at her side until the pine trees ended. They slowed to a walk then, but Jak kept them on the path as it wound between jagged boulders until they arrived at a large, flat-topped rock. Four paths converged at the rock, leading away in four different directions. Three of the paths led into various parts of the forest. The fourth ran along an exposed ridge, rising and falling like a dragon’s spine. As the day had grown uncomfortably hot, that path was the least appealing. “I’ve seen that ridge on a map before,” he said. “That’s the way we should go.”