Chapter 43 Kieran
KIERAN
To: Julian Blackthorn, Master of Blackthorn Hall
From: The Court of Unseelie
Dear Brother,
It always brings a smile to my face to receive correspondence from Blackthorn Hall, and this occasion is no exception. Mark has communicated to me your question, and I am pleased to answer it, although the answer may not, I am afraid, please you overmuch.
As you know, the borders of Faerie are hazy and irregular, and no man can know how vast its acres, for it flows on to the north, south, east, and west without end.
And as you also know, such an expanse may contain within it unknown thousands of denizens, from the smallest sprite on its fairyfly mount, to the grandest ogre who ever ogred down ogre street MARK. STOP IT. Ahem.
My apologies. I stepped away from the composition of this epistle for only a moment and a certain fellow of both our acquaintance has made free with my pen.
As I was saying, Faerie is exceedingly expansive and its inhabitants without number, and so it is very unlikely I would have knowledge of a stray member of the Folk.
I say this not to scold you, only to lower your expectations, as your question is a bit like my asking you if you knew someone whose only commonality with you is that they also have lived in Los Angeles.
But as it happens, I have lowered your expectations only to make their fulfillment the more gratifying, for I do, in fact, know the phouka of whom you speak!
Or rather, I know of him. His name is Socks MacPherson (though very clearly that is not his True Name, for no loving mother of any faerie sort would name a child Socks) and he has some renown in the courts as a milliner.
He specializes in hats devised for those whose features may cause difficulty with a normal fit (e.g.
, horns, cat ears, bat ears, fox ears, hair made of snakes).
Alas, he is allegiant to the Seelie Court, as he holds a royal warrant to produce his wares for the Queen. Because of this, it would be impossible for me to seek out MacPherson for any business beyond the commissioning of a hat, and I do not need a hat, as they do not fit well over crowns.
That said, I believe I can still help you.
I will send word to my brother Adaon, and ask that he invite you to the Seelie Court for a friendly meeting.
There you will be able to meet with MacPherson himself.
I authorize you to offer him a gift which he doubtless accept in exchange for his assistance: one favor from the Unseelie King. (Me.)
I provide this assistance from the bottom of my heart, brother Julian.
But I would ask you for a small courtesy in return: that you tell me about your time in the Seelie Court, with all the detail that you think relevant or interesting.
I told Mark I would be asking you this, and he became cross with me and suggested I was attempting to make you my spy.
Let me be clear that I am in no way asking you to act on behalf of the Unseelie Court or to violate any confidences from your visit that you wish to keep.
I would, however, ask you to pay close attention to everything you see and hear, and provide an account to me, especially anything that the Court would prefer to hide.
As always, I remain your obedient servant. Glory to Kraig.
Kieran