Ghost Light

Chapter 6

The door snicked shut behind me, closing out the night and sealing me in. I paused and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark. The Emporium was black as the inside of a closed coffin, but I was able to make out the clutter of obstacles in my path. My fae heritage had recently endowed me with exceptional night vision.

It was a good thing, since Kaye’s shop was nearly impossible to navigate even in daylight. Without night vision I’d likely end up tripped by a witch’s broom, tangled in imitation spider’s web, and my head wedged inside a cauldron filled with plastic vampire teeth. Not my idea of a fun way to spend the night. And make no mistake; Kaye would leave me there until Arachne rescued me in the morning. She’d think it was a hoot.

I scowled at the tangle of foam reaper scythes, plastic skeletons, monster masks, and herb displays crowding my path. The Burning Times had left its mark on those with magical talent. Some witches hid their home high upon a cliff or within a tunnel of thick briars. Kaye chose to live in the back of her shop, a location just as insurmountable especially to anyone, or anything, she wanted to keep away.

And to those of us she deemed welcome visitors? We had to be careful where we stepped or risk breaking our necks. Even the welcome mat was unwelcoming with its message, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

I wiped my boots on the mat and stomped deeper into the shop.

I found Kaye in her spell kitchen, alone. She stood, fully dressed, eyes bright, holding a book under her arm and a mug of something steaming in her hands. She looked completely awake, which didn’t seem quite fair. I felt like something the cat sidhe dragged in, half dead and nibbled around the edges.

“Where’s Hob?” I asked.

I glanced around the kitchen, eyes searching for the small brownie, but he was nowhere to be seen. Of course, the little imp was adept at hiding. Hob loved ambushing unwary visitors. I hoped he wasn’t offended by the late hour of my visit. Hob’s pranks were legendary.

“Asleep, below the hearth,” she said softly. “Let’s leave him be, for now.”

I nodded, pulling a small gift for Hob from my pocket. I tiptoed to the hearth and set the shiny package on the mantel where he would see it later. Brownies expected an offering for entry into their territory. I wouldn’t risk Hob’s ire by visiting without leaving a gift.

The hearth area was quiet. Hob may be sleeping quietly below the hearthstone, but where were Marvin’s snores? I searched the floor, but we seemed to be missing one large bridge troll.

“And Marvin?” I asked.

Hob, and Kaye, had been letting the orphaned troll crash here until he’d recovered from his injuries. Though Marvin’s face seemed to have healed, I suspected the kid had emotional scars that ran deeper. Those wounds would take longer to heal.

“Trying out a newly vacated bridge,” she said.

She said the news as if it was nothing, but an unoccupied bridge meant Marvin could be getting new digs. I pressed a hand to my stomach where a pang of pain gnawed deep in my gut. I knew the kid needed his own place eventually, but hoped he wasn’t rushing into things too soon. The streets were a hard place to live on your own, and…I wasn’t ready to see him go.

I felt my mouth go dry and cleared my throat.

“In Harborsmouth?” I asked.

“Yes, dear,” she said. “Don’t worry about the lad. He’s just around the corner along Myrtle Street where a footpath crosses the old stream bed. He’ll be fine.”

I shrugged, looking away.

“Who said I was worried?” I said.

“Nobody, dear,” she said.

I glanced up to see her eyes twinkling. Caught in her gaze, I shifted from foot to foot wondering where to begin.

“Jinx went shopping today,” I said. I let out a heavy sigh. “Which means I had to go shopping too.”

“Why would you…?” she asked.

“She went shopping on Joysen Hill,” I said.

“Oh, well then,” she said. Kaye harrumphed and shook her head. “I don’t see why you like the foolish, clumsy girl so much anyway. She’s likely to get you into trouble.”

“Is that prescience or just your dislike for her?” I asked.

“It doesn’t take a toss of the bones to know the girl’s trouble,” she said. “But I’m guessing you didn’t come knocking at my door, rousing me from my bed, to talk about roommate troubles.”

Kaye didn’t look like she’d tumbled from her bed, but I grit my teeth and kept the thought to myself. Starting things off with an argument wouldn’t get me answers. In fact, it wouldn’t be good for my health. Whether or not Kaye had been asleep, I was calling on her at an inconsiderate hour. Her wry amusement could easily turn to annoyance if I didn’t pick my words carefully.

“I have questions,” I said.

Kaye sighed and tossed a hand in the air. She waddled over to a wood table and dropped onto a long bench to hunch over her mug.

“Questions, questions, questions,” she muttered. “Go on then, ask away before I change my mind.”

I remained standing and focused on the mug in Kaye’s wrinkled, tattooed hands. It was easier than meeting her eyes.

“I need to find a cat sidhe,” I said. “I’m hoping you can help me find him.”

“The streets are crawling with faerie cats,” she said. “I’ll need more to go on, but why would you want to find a cat sidhe? Start at the beginning, girl.”

I told Kaye about sighting Melusine, the lamia’s apparent anger, my descent into traffic, Melusine’s sudden disappearance, my glowing skin, the crowd of bystanders, the human cop, and the appearance of the cat sidhe.

“I started to glow out on a public street today with a crowd of people, and a cop, watching,” I said. I wet my lips and met Kaye’s eyes. “I didn’t even realize that I was doing it. I need to learn how to control my wisp abilities.”

“And you think this cat sidhe can help you with that?” she asked.

“So far, we’ve had no leads in locating my real father, but the cat was aware of who and what I am,” I said. “He knew I was both fae and a princess. That’s more than I knew up until this year. So I want to know who he is and what else he knows about my past.” I clenched my fists, the leather creaking loudly as I squeezed. “If he has information about my deadbeat father, I need to talk to him. I have to learn how to create a glamour, and control my wisp powers, before one of the faerie courts decides I’m a threat to their secret. They won’t hesitate to kill me or, worse, send me to live in the Green Lady’s realm.”

I shuddered while imagining what it would be like having humans gawk at me all day, a carnival freak for their petty amusement. The Green Lady provided asylum to those fae who could not conjure a glamour to hide their true forms, but the price was eternal servitude. Working forever as an indentured freak in her carnival was not the future I wanted. It didn’t feel like a future at all.

But if the fae courts discovered I was an unglamoured faerie living amongst humans, the alternative was death.

“Yes, this does seem serious,” she said. Kaye stared at me over her mug, the steam giving her face an eerie cast. “Looks like I won’t have to turn you into a frog for interrupting my sleep after all.”

I was pretty sure that Kaye was yanking my chain. There was that twinkle in her eyes again. But the sorry fact was that she could have me eating flies faster than I could run out the door. I swallowed hard.

“So you’ll help me find this cat sidhe?” I asked.

“Yes, but I’ll need a more detailed description,” she said. “As I’ve said, there are many of the cat faeries in Harborsmouth.”

I described the cat sidhe, from his torn ear and scarred face to his shadow-winking tail. Kaye closed her eyes and nodded as I spoke. Would she be able to identify the faerie cat? I felt foolish in hindsight for not asking his name. I stared down at my boots and clenched my fists. Not asking the cat sidhe’s name was a rookie mistake. A good detective relies on information, no matter how small. I should have asked, but I was too distracted by the disappearance of Ceffyl’s ex.

Kaye opened her eyes and smiled.

“Few cat sidhe can speak telepathically to a human,” she said.

Kaye placed a finger alongside her nose and winked, but I had no idea what she was getting at. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot against the kitchen floor. Why did faeries and witches take so long to get to the point?

“But I’m half wisp,” I said.

“Yes, but most cat sidhe cannot speak to any fae outside their own race,” she said. “Only those in the top echelons of the cat sidhe hierarchy have the ability. Even fewer have the ability to shapeshift into human form.”

“But he was in cat form the entire time,” I said. I shook my head. “How would I know if he can shift or not?”

“Yes, I get ahead of myself,” she said, waving a hand. “You said the cat sidhe spoke telepathically, had a scar above his left eye, and his right ear was a lump of scar tissue where it had been torn from his head.”

I nodded.

“That would be Torn,” she said.

“Torn?” I asked.

“Sir Torn, Lord of the Harborsmouth cat sidhe,” she said.

Oh. I’d held a faerie lord in my arms—and insulted him. I swallowed hard, not so sure I wanted to find him now after all. But, of course, I didn’t have much choice. I had to learn if he knew where my father was.

“Where can I find this Sir Torn?” I asked.

“The Lord of Cats can be found holding court at Club Nexus,” she said.

“Club Nexus?” I asked. “In Harborsmouth? Never heard of it.” Which was weird since I knew the city well and I’d never heard Jinx, who had a fondness for nightclubs, mention a club by that name either.

“Yes, Club Nexus is in Harborsmouth, but it’s not surprising that you haven’t heard of it,” she said. “It is a very secretive club. It is glamoured against prying eyes and only allows entry to a small number of humans. And until recently, you were more human than fae.”

“So, this Club Nexus is a fae meeting place?” I asked.

“Yes and no,” she said. “Nexus is not exclusive to the fae folk. It is a meeting place for all magical creatures. All of those who wish to see and be seen. Nexus is a place of power and so it draws those with power.”

“Are you saying this place is some kind of black hole for supernaturals?” I asked.

Kaye nodded.

“There are forces in this world which act upon us, pulling and pushing,” she said.

“Like gravity?” I asked.

“Yes, like gravity or your black hole,” she said. “These forces hold sway over all things, but there are some which have more influence over magic than the mundane. Ley lines are such a force. These lines of power run over this world, like a grid, and where these lines intersect great or terrible things may happen. And so there have always been those of us who try to protect these places of power, to maintain a balance.”

“And Club Nexus is a place of power?” I asked.

“All of Harborsmouth is such a place, a rare convergence of great power, where three ley lines intersect,” she said. “Club Nexus is a crossroads, sitting on the very point at which the lines meet.”

“Drawing every magical race to it, like pixies to salt,” I said.

Details clicked into place. Things I’d never been able to understand, until now. Like why Harborsmouth attracted so many fae, both Seelie and Unseelie, and why the vamps had made this a settlement so many years ago.

“Yes,” she said, lips lifting in a grin. “Like pixies to salt.”

I had a lot to think about, and questions raced through my head, but now was not the time. I had to focus on the problems at hand.

“How do I get inside?” I asked. “Will I even be able to find this place?”

“Your second sight should cut through the glamour the fae folk use to keep curious humans away, and I can give you a map of its location,” she said. “For most humans and lesser fae entry to Nexus is by invitation only, but if you are truly the daughter of Will-o’-the-Wisp, king of the wisps, then you may enter at will. But make certain that entering Club Nexus is worth risking your anonymity. Until now, your true identity has been known to very few. Entering Nexus will change everything. By using your birthright to gain entrance, you formally announce your existence to the fae community.”

Crap. I rubbed the back of my neck, leather gloves cool against hot skin.

“Like a coming out party?” I asked. I tried to make the comment sound light and humorous, but it came out in a choked squeak.

“Precisely,” she said. “You will lose what remaining anonymity you have. Your royal status will be known to all local fae. With that status comes grave danger and responsibility.”

“Peachy,” I said.

I let out a long sigh. The storybooks had it wrong. Being a faerie princess was not what it was cracked up to be.

“Think it over before making a decision,” she said. “You have gone this long without the knowledge of your father’s whereabouts. A few more days will not hurt.”

Yeah, a few more days wouldn’t hurt, so long as I didn’t start glowing around humans. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about finding my father, or the perils of becoming a princess. I’d be dead.

“Right, thanks,” I said. “I’ll sleep on it.”

I took a step toward the door and swayed. I put a hand to my forehead and took a shaky breath. I was burning up, the heat evident even through my glove. The joys of keeping covered up, even while inside a warm kitchen. I pulled back my sleeve to examine my skin, but, thank Oberon, it wasn’t glowing. Nothing a cold shower and good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix.

“Oh, and Ivy,” she said. I sighed. I’d nearly made it out of the kitchen. “Be wary of Melusine. The former kelpie queen is dangerous. But if you must face her, keep in mind that her serpent half is capable of regeneration.”

Regeneration? Good to know.

“Cut off her tail and it grows back again?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

If anyone knew how to take down a lamia, it was Kaye. Not only did she have the largest library on magical creatures, she’d also been an accomplished Hunter. I filed the information away for later.

“Thanks for the tip,” I said.

“Safe travels, dear,” she said.

“Safe travels,” I said.