Chapter 9

  Mind you, there wasn't all that much to be careful about. Apparently, whatever enchantments were etched into the chest's surface weren't having any effect on me at all. Having defeated their physical illusion either broke any hold the rest of the enchantments had on me, or they had been sufficiently cowed to leave me be.

  No, I didn't actually believe that. Not really. Even if some of Ken's discussion on the subject of magic as a broad topic did make it sound like magic was a living, sometimes intelligent thing. But then, I now lived in a mansion that was bigger on the inside and communicated with me through emotion from time to time. It wasn't that much of a stretch.

  I'd been right about it being a beautiful evening. It was just the right temperature, the sky was crystal clear and dotted with more stars than I'd ever seen in the city as twilight settled toward full night. Sparkle fluttered along just ahead of me, shedding her soft purple glow to drive back the shadows, Penny padded along beside me, and the woods on either side of the road were, in the immortal words of Robert Frost, lovely, dark and deep.

  We walked - well…flew, in Sparkle's case - in companionable silence, sharing a contentment among us the likes of which I couldn't remember ever having felt before. This was, I decided, the way life should be.

  Finally, though, we rounded the last gentle bend and the woods on our right felt away to reveal the grounds of Oakwood Hall. And there, ahead of us, picked out by the new lights on either side of the Hall's gates, stood a figure.

  Here we go again, I thought. "I'm getting a little tired of people just showing up at my gates unannounced. Sparkle, dial it back, please. Penny?"

  "On it," Penny replied, and as Sparkle's radiance dimmed and the shadows around us returned, Penny simply vanished. She reappeared a moment later, before I'd even had time to start walking, and looked up at me with a frown. "Sidhe," she said quietly. "Unarmed, for what that's worth."

  Sparkle flitted over, and the three of us were silent for a moment. "Well," I said finally, "he's undoubtedly spotted us standing here like fools already. We knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Hopefully first contact will be friendly. Come on."

  I started walking again, and my friends quickly caught up to me. Sparkle landed lightly on my right shoulder as Penny quietly asked, "Shall I disappear?"

  I shook my head. "No…I don't think there's any good reason to hide from this one, at least not right now. Better he should know you're here, and that I'm not alone."

  Penny made a sound of agreement.

  As we got closer, the figure resolved into a young man leaning against one of the gate posts, directly under the light. Where he couldn't possibly be missed, I thought, hoping that was a good sign. His skin was even more fair than my own, and he had fine, straight hair that looked like spun gold. It was styled - if you could call it that - in a bushy mess that made his head look rather like a dandelion gone to seed.

  His head turned as we approached, and his eyes were such a striking shade of amber that they almost seemed to glow as the light caught them. He wore a simple forest green tunic over brown hose and green shoes that flared to points above his heel. He looked like he'd escaped from a Renaissance faire.

  His ears, I saw, were pointed like a fantasy elf's.

  When we were within comfortable speaking distance, he pushed off the gate post and swept into a deep bow. "Lady Caitlyn Reid, Miss Sparkle, Miss Penumbra, it is my deepest pleasure to greet you on behalf of my Lord Oberon, Lord of the Seelie Court, King of Faerie. I am Puck."

  I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the unease created by him knowing not just my name, but also Sparkle's and Penny's. Then my brain caught up with what he'd said. "You're Puck? The Puck? From A Midsummer Night's Dream?"

  He laughed, and it was an absolutely delighted - and delightful - sound. "No, my lady, not at all. That was Robin Goodfellow, as devious a miscreant as ever there was. I am merely a Puck…the most recent as it were. One of Oberon's heralds. We carry his messages, announce his presence, and generally do for him whatever needs doing. But, for the sake of simplicity, you may call me Puck."

  Which meant it wasn't actually his name. Ken, Sparkle, and Penny had all impressed upon me the importance of speaking with great care when receiving - and especially when giving - names around the Sidhe. I had yet to see why specifically, and wasn't sure I wanted a practical lesson.

  The short and somewhat confusing version was that although Puck knew our names, since we hadn't given them to him ourselves, he couldn't use them against us in any way. Which was why he was apparently giving us what was either a title or inherited pseudonym rather than his actual name.

  I had a feeling that the functionality of names relative to the Sidhe and creatures of Faerie was going to be endlessly confusing.

  "I bring you greetings from Lord Oberon," he said, "He expresses his hope that his message finds you in both good spirits and good health." He glanced at the chest tucked under my left arm. "I see you've been busy this eve, though. Perhaps this is a bad time?"

  I shook my head. "Not at all," I said politely. "If Lord Oberon sent you with a message for me, I would be churlish indeed to send you away without receiving it."

  Puck beamed, and his teeth were unsettlingly straight, white, and even. Hollywood oral surgeons wished they could create a smile like that. "Wonderful! You are indeed most gracious." He bowed again, just as deeply, then said, "My Lord Oberon wishes to speak with you at your earliest availability on a matter of some benefit to you both. This evening, he says, is far too soon to be polite, but if tomorrow morning after the morning meal would be convenient, he would be pleased if you would receive him at your family's clearing in Faerie."

  Still short notice, but at least I'd have a chance to talk to Ken and Dara about it first. "Please convey my thanks to Lord Oberon for his gracious message, and inform him in return that tomorrow morning after the morning meal would be very convenient for me."

  "I will do so with pleasure, my lady," Puck said, then grinned. "If you'll take my entirely unsolicited and completely free-of-obligation advice, a simple setting of tea and sweets will do nicely to receive my Lord. And do be sure to ask him to accept your hospitality." He winked. "Following the rules of hospitality will keep everyone honest."

  Or at least reasonably so, I guessed, and decided I'd better have a talk with Ken, Sparkle, and Penny about the rules of hospitality. I could guess, based on certain medieval texts on codes of conduct, but I'd much rather know for sure.

  "I'll keep that in mind, Puck, and thank you for the free advice," I said, being sure to reaffirm that his advice had been freely given. Even my very earliest lessons about dealing with the Sidhe had emphasized not making deals with them or accepting gifts from them unless they were specifically given freely.

  "Then I'm away to deliver your response to my Lord. Good evening to you, Lady Reid, Miss Sparkle, Miss Penumbra." Puck flashed us one more quick grin and vanished without a sound.

  One moment there, then poof…gone. Minus the poof, and without the pop of in-rushing air that mortal wizards seemed to make.

  I really wanted to learn how to do that, but Ken said that teleportation - spatial manipulation spells in general, really - was still a ways off for me. Which was, I had to admit, probably for the best. Who knew what kind of damage I could do to myself with that kind of magic.

  I sighed. "All right, let's get inside before any other messengers arrive looking to talk to me. I've had my fill for this week."

  Once again, I found myself sitting at the kitchen table with Ken, Sparkle, and Penny, both of whom were in their human forms. This time, however, I had my elbows on the table and my head in my hands, and none of us were drinking anything.

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  "Well," Ken said, "while I'm sure you're stressed beyond all reason by the idea of meeting Oberon tomorrow morning, this first contact actually went very well. And it's not at all uncommon for heralds to recommend specifics for meeting with their lords, so Puck's doing that for free is pretty normal."

  "For a given value of normal," I said dryly.

  Sparkle giggled. "Caley, your sense of what's normal left the building months ago. Don't try to cling to it now."

  I lifted my head in time to see Penny giving Sparkle a surprised look, as she said. "You, Sparkle, show uncommon good sense for a pixie."

  Sparkle shrugged. "I've spent an uncommon amount of time around mortals."

  Ken coughed. "For a given value of mortals," he joked.

  "Touché," I said. "And you're right, Sparkle. What I really need to know is how to prepare for this. And what time 'after the morning meal' is."

  "Let's tackle the second part first," Ken said. "You'll find that in Faerie - especially among the High Sidhe - mortal time is looked down on. But there are a few times of day when they like doing business…Dawn and dusk, noon, and after breakfast and dinner are the most popular. Business after dinner usually involves an invitation to dine with them, which should always - always - be politely declined unless they specifically say they'll be serving mortal food."

  "Don't eat Faerie food," I said, making a mental note. "Will it put me to sleep for a hundred years, or leave me bound to them or permanently in their debt, or something?'

  Ken smiled. "Nothing like that, though that's what spread through the folklore. But not everything in Faerie is edible for humans…what looks like perfectly normal food might make you sick, or outright poison you. I'd guess that a thousand years ago, it was easier to tell superstitious people that the Sidhe can use food to enslave them or make them sleep forever, than to explain food poisoning."

  I snorted a little laugh. "I can believe that. Okay, so after the morning meal means…?"

  "Morning meal is usually eaten an hour after sunrise," Ken said. "So business done after the morning meal usually means about two hours after sunrise. This time of year, call it around eight o'clock in the morning. You'd best be prepared for his arrival ahead of that."

  "Okay, that makes sense," I said. "I can have the refrigerator provide tea service for two and a plate of little cakes." Thank goodness for my magic fridge. I'd seen many wonders since coming home, but the mundane practicality of that one piece of magic never ceased to amaze me.

  Ken gave me a thumbs-up. "Perfect. As to preparing for the meeting…I'd recommend semi-formal dress rather than casual, be polite and cautious, don't agree to any deals without asking for time to consider them carefully first." He frowned a little in thought. "At a guess, I'd say that Oberon will assume you've been well-trained to deal with Sidhe and will expect caution and careful consideration of any deals he might want to offer you…"

  Sparkle nodded. "When he had dealings with Chessie, he was always unfailingly polite and patient. Ken's right, he always expected her to ask for time to consider any deals he offered. And he expected me to be on her shoulder, whispering in her ear, so he won't be surprised if I'm there with you."

  I blew out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness for that. What about Penny?"

  Ken shrugged. "I doubt he'll object."

  "And letting him into the clearing?" I asked.

  "Perfectly safe, as long as he agrees to be your guest and abide by the laws of hospitality," Ken said firmly. "They're like a temporary peace treaty."

  "I think you need to explain that in greater detail," I said.

  "I can!" Sparkle said cheerfully. "If someone agrees to be your guest, they're putting themselves under your protection and agreeing to do no harm to you in return, for the duration of them being your guest."

  I tipped my head. "That…sounds like it covers an awful lot of ground."

  Sparkle nodded eagerly. "It really does. It's not just seeing to their comfort…if someone who's accepted your hospitality is attacked, it's your responsibility to protect them. And breaking the laws of hospitality isn't just rude, it's a loss of face."

  "It can even result in lost power," Ken added. "Someone who's violated the laws of hospitality will be seen as someone too untrustworthy to make deals with." He smiled lopsidedly. "Which is more damaging the further up the food chain you are."

  "Even among the ICOA wizards I observed," Penny threw in, "hospitality was sacrosanct. It was a way for two wizards who didn't like one another to meet and exchange information without having to automatically distrust everything the other said and did."

  "It's a big deal in the supernatural world," Ken said firmly. "So if he accepts, you can feel reasonably safe sitting and talking to him. He can, for example, eat your food without incurring obligation, because as his host you're required to provide. Just…like I said, don't accept any deals outright. And don't accept any gifts he might offer unless he specifically states they come without obligation. Such things aren't covered under the laws of hospitality."

  "Good advice no matter the time or place," Penny said softly.

  Sparkle nodded seriously in agreement.

  "And you should definitely get a good night's sleep first," Ken said.

  I sighed. "First, I need to find a place to put this thing," I patted the chest, which was sitting on the table between me and Ken.

  Ken made a thoughtful sound. "If you have no objection, I'll put it in the vault until you have time to examine it at length."

  "One of these days," I said teasingly, "you're going to have to show me this vault."

  "When you're ready," he said. "Which is not yet. There are a lot of things in there that you're not even prepared to see yet, let alone deal with safely."

  "All right," I said, fully prepared now to take his word for it. "You do that, I'll head off to bed. Sparkle? Penny?"

  "Bed," Penny said, rising and shifting back to her natural form, "sounds wonderful."

  "Agreed!" Sparkle said, shrinking back to fairy size.

  The next morning seemed to come far too soon. Determined to be as ready as I possibly could be, I was up before the sun. I had a light breakfast and went looking for some garden furniture that we could get out through my bedroom windows.

  In the end, there really wasn't any. The tall windows that were big enough for me to step through comfortably just weren't wide enough for anything we could find on short notice.

  So I took some inspiration from my fairies. A bit of careful scrounging just inside the edge of the woods turned up not one but three good tree stumps, which some quick work by an entire village of fairies - quite a sight to behold and shockingly industrious when mobilized - got back to the clearing.

  We placed them in a line about halfway between my bedroom windows and the edge of the clearing, and a quick bit of transfiguration magic by me produced what I felt was an attractive set of two chairs and a table. The table was small and round, just big enough for a tea service and a platter, and appeared to be growing directly out of the ground, made of tightly woven tree branches with a single central leg. The chairs looked much the same, but were cushioned with layers of leaves and weren't growing out of the ground, so they could be moved easily.

  I was a bit breathless when I finished crafting them with magic, but was also entirely satisfied with the results. It was worth it.

  Then I dashed back inside - the sun was rising - and took a quick shower. I dressed in a calf-length medium green pleated silk skirt, a short-sleeved cream-colored silk blouse, with matching cream-colored tights and a pair of green ballet flats. Once I was dressed, I sat down and let Ken do my hair back up into the princess bun I'd worn to the town meeting, put on my earrings, and checked the rest of my jewelry.

  After a moment's consideration, I asked Penny to go with Ken to the kitchen to collect appropriate refreshments - I was certain if I sent Sparkle they'd never make it back in one piece - and went back outside.

  To discover that the Fairies of the Hall had been hard at work since I'd dashed inside to get ready. Every building in the village had been decorated with garlands of woven oak and ivy, in addition to colorful bunting and streamers. Little paper lanterns were strung between the buildings, and every fairy seemed to be wearing their best little dresses and tunics.

  I guess they wanted to make a good impression too. And the strands of oak and ivy certainly made a statement about their allegiance.

  Spice and Shine came fluttering over as I took in the village, and they were a sight to behold as well. They were wearing matching outfits, sleek and tightly fitted little dresses that reminded me of a Chinese qipao: sleeveless, high-necked, slit almost to the hip on both sides and almost ankle length. Spice's was scarlet with silver trim, and Shine's was silver with red trim.

  It was kind of adorable.

  Curiously, neither dress was open-backed…yet their wings were out and continued to function normally. It made me wonder if the clothing had been made magically somehow…and if I could learn how.

  "Everything is in readiness, my lady!" Spice reported, curtsying.

  "I can see that!" I said, letting how impressed I was come through in my voice clearly. "The village looks wonderful, and so do both of you."

  "As your chief retainers," Spice said, "we should be introduced after Sparkle and Penny, who are your companions."

  Sparkle had mentioned the importance of introducing her and Penny specifically as my companions. It would give them standing almost equal to mine in Oberon's eyes, and emphasize their importance to me. That way, if I ever needed one of them to run a message or an errand to the Seelie Court, everyone would know they were protected by me. And my standing in the community would, apparently, keep them very safe indeed.

  "This has to do with previous Guardians of Oakwood Hall being popular as mediators and negotiators?" I asked.

  Spice nodded. "Yes, my lady. Your standing in the supernatural community becomes our standing. It's important that it be very clear that we stand with you."

  Shine made several gestures I couldn't interpret, and Spice nodded. "Shine says it's also important that Lord Oberon understand that we want to be your retainers. That you didn't do this to us by force or coercion. It'll make our service to you, and your calling us to your service, more…" She paused and looked at Shine, who rolled her eyes and gestured again. "It'll make it easier for him to accept our calling?" Spice finished, then shrugged a little as if to say she didn't completely understand either.

  I smiled. "Thank you both, especially you Shine. I'll be sure to introduce you both, so stay close when he arrives."

  Penny, in her human form, appeared at the open bedroom window and said, "Caley, would you help me with this?"

  Between the two of us, we managed to get the serving tray, tea service, and a plate of little iced cakes through the window and over to the little table without losing anything.

  Then I stood nervously by the table, watching the woods. Penny shifted back to her fox form and sat down beside me on my right, while Sparkle came to sit on my right shoulder. After a moment, Spice and Shine flew up on my left side and hovered there.

  Together, we waited and watched.