Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Absolutely nothing happened. I thought maybe Tess might be in the middle of the town square, being crowned queen or something, with the way everything was playing out these days, but there was no sign of the banshee.
Fae milled around the shops, dressed in a bright array of shimmering fabrics.
Some of the females wore dresses with swirly skirts, and others made do with sensible pants and leather moccasins.
The men dressed in more drab colors, earth tones in shades of brown and green. No one pretended not to be staring at us, but no one made a move to approach.
“Do they know who you are?” I whispered to Mom.
“Maybe, though it’s also likely they don’t. I do not travel outside my own realm much, unless it’s to see you.”
Her azure gaze swept the air, not lingering on anything until it settled on a nondescript house closer to the edge of the path, slightly offset by another, larger shop.
“I believe she’s in there, but we should look around first, pretend to be tourists so no one has the chance to warn the inhabitants of the house.”
I looked at Mom. “Why would we be worried about anyone warning her?”
“We have no idea who Tess might be with.”
That shut me up. Mom didn’t say Tess was in distress, but she didn’t look worried, and that made my nerves calm down a little. She pushed into a small shop. Instead of a bell over the door, a high tinkling charm went off close to the register.
A small man with grey hair and spectacles perched on the end of his nose greeted us. “Welcome to Penn’s,” he said in a surprisingly deep voice. “We have the finest selections of writing tools in the entire realm, all handmade in my workshop above the store.”
Moira’s eyes glowed as she took in the array of leatherbound journals, ink pens with elaborate feathers attached, hand carved pencils, and inks in a dazzling array of shades.
Mom wandered off, looking every inch the interested tourist, and I stood there for a beat too long looking like I’d left my wits back on the sidewalk.
Moira finally pulled me by the shirt. “Come,” she said a little too loudly. “Look at these gorgeous pens!”
I followed her dumbly. Moira gave me a withering look. “Are you alright?”
I blinked. “I’m fine.” But was I? Physically, I felt fine, but mentally I felt overwhelmed.
All of these other worlds had always been at my fingertips, and I’d missed out on knowing them due to…
many things. Being stubborn. Other people lying to me.
The period in my life where I’d stuck my head in the sand and refused to come out.
The people here were not exactly people, but they were my people. Weren’t they?
Moira gave me a sympathetic smile. “For me this is Disneyland, but for you…” Her voice trailed off. “You must have a lot of mixed feelings.”
I nodded. “I do. This is overwhelming.”
“Once we find Tess, we can leave if you want to.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or find a 24-hour fae rave and see where the night takes us.”
Her lighthearted words made me smile. “Maybe next time. But maybe we can have dinner here. See what the place looks like at nighttime. I think I can return us from anywhere, so it won’t cost any extra time to get home.”
“That would be nice.” She frowned and looked in her purse. “Shit. Does this place take regular money? All I have are Benjamins.”
Mom came up just then. “I’ll spot whatever you need. Shop owners love when people like us come in and spend.” She lowered her voice. “They’re more willing to share information, too, so spend away, little vampire.”
You didn’t need to tell Moira twice.
An hour and a half later, Moira looked like an American teenager at the mall, loaded with bags all up and down her arms. I was beginning to wonder if we’d need two trips to get everything home.
As amusing as that was, no one seemed off or jittery, and no one had mentioned a single thing about a banshee. That was unusual in itself because banshees were not common in this land, at least according to Mom.
“We’ll go up and knock on the door,” Mom said when we wandered out of the last shop. “I can’t imagine things will turn violent since they picked a house right in the middle of town.”
But Mom wore an odd expression.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s an odd choice for someone trying to hide, don’t you think?”
Sometimes hiding in plain sight is far more effective than making an effort to conceal yourself. But it was weird.
And too coincidental to be unrelated to Lugh’s arrival.
Moira shifted her bags with a grunt.
“You look like a pack mule,” I teased.
But Moira was beyond my teasing. She’d gone to retail heaven and was still walking amongst the fluffy clouds. “You cannot harsh my buzz. It is eternal.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “You should try the shopping in my realm.”
Moira blinked. “There’s shopping everywhere?” she wheezed.
“We hold jobs just like the humans do. Art and tradesmen are far more common than anything else. Our economy is self-sustaining, so no one ever wants for anything, but sometimes people want certain things they can’t afford on a universal income.
That’s where bartering and trading come in, or selling at the weekend markets. ”
We stopped in our tracks. “Wait. Everyone receives a base income that provides for…”
“Food and the use of a healer when necessary. Fae make their own dwellings. Magic is an integral part of our lives, and having someone else build your home could contaminate the energy inside, so we also provide funds to help with the cost of stone and wood, whatever they may need to build.”
“Aren’t you worried about people trying to scam the system?”
Mom’s laugh was deep and wicked. “Everyone knows not to cheat their ruler. Every dime is meticulously accounted for, and we verify everything before doling out funds. If we suspect someone is trying to cheat, we have our ways of curtailing such behavior and finding out the truth.”
Moira winced. “Not a fun way?”
“No,” Mom assured us. “We do not pay for clothing, though we do assist with fabric for those who make their own. The necessities only. Food, fresh water, things our citizens must have to survive.”
“Damn,” Moira said, eyeing my mother with a glimmer of respect in her eyes. “I’m surprised you don’t have humans beating down your doors.”
Mom grunted. “Humans quickly learned of the culinary habits of the fae. Many of our citizens like exotic meat.” She winked and jogged the few steps up to the door, leaving Moira and me speechless on the sidewalk.
The vampire leaned over. “Did your mom just say she eats people?”
I slowly shook my head. “Not directly.”
“Hmm. She’s super creepy sometimes.”
“Yep,” I agreed. “I won’t be getting my passport stamped for an extended visit anytime soon.”
The door opened. A familiar silvery head poked out and waved when she saw us. “Evie! Moira!”
Mom turned around, her eyes wide. Be careful, she mouthed.
Something was up.
We waved back and started down the sidewalk. “Be on your guard,” I said under my breath.
Tess looked well. Better than well, actually. Her hair was down and brushed to a silvery sheen. She wore makeup, blush, gloss and mascara, giving her face far more color than normal. Her eyes were bright and borderline feverish, and she watched us with an odd stare as we came up the steps.
Tess held open the door, and we brushed past her on our way inside. The house was small but clean, and the only magic I sensed was Tess’s.
Mom followed behind us.
“Would you like some tea?” Tess asked when she’d shut the door. “I have Earl Grey and Jasmine.”
“Please,” Moira said. Mom and I nodded.
Tess shooed us toward the living room. “Please sit! We can chat while I make your tea. It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you!”
Tess never spoke much. When she did speak, whatever she said was sure to be either morose or important. Her voice always had a tremulous warbling tone, none of it evident today.
Tess seemed…normal.
And that meant something had gone very wrong.
“We’ve been worried about you,” I started.
Tess filled a tea pot with water and lit the pilot light. She laughed merrily. “Worried? Why ever for?”
Moira and I gave each other a wtf look. “Because you left without telling anyone and didn’t even leave a note. We’ve been worried sick.”
Tess took four mugs down. “Left? What do you mean left? I haven’t left anywhere.”
“You missed work two days in a row,” Moira said. “Don’t you remember?”
Tess plunked tea bags into the mugs. “Work?” Her nose scrunched. “I haven’t worked at your shop in at least four years!”
Moira reached over and squeezed my knee. Mom gave me a warning look and shook her head once.
“Tess, dear,” she said, “would you like any help?”
“I got it.” She put everything on the tray and poured hot water over the mugs. Steam rose through the air, and Tess sighed. “I love the way tea smells.”
She carried everything over and sat down, adjusting her skirt over her knees.
“I’m so glad you came to visit me.” She passed the sugar bowl around along with a small silver spoon. “Now, tell me what you’ve been up to. I’ve missed you so much.”
Two hours later, we walked out without Tess, all of us confused as hell.
She waved goodbye from the door, promising she’d stop by for Christmas. When she finally shut the door, none of us moved.
“What in the actual hell is going on?” I seethed.
Mom gripped my elbow and pulled me forward. “We’ll talk when we’re out of this town. Not beforehand.”
Her steps were swift and sure, and I scrambled to keep up. Moira hurried behind.
“Once we get around that bend and out of everyone’s sight, we’ll leave. There’s a great place back home if you want to get dinner before you leave.”
I don’t think I’d ever sat down with my mother and intentionally shared a meal. We’d eaten together many times over the years, but it was a snack over tea or a bite on the way out the door. A meal might be a small thing, but it was a huge step in the right direction.
“I’d like that.”
Mom’s face lit up. She tugged me closer, enveloping me in her sweet, mysterious scent. “Thank you, Evie.”
I leaned against her.
“Dinner will give us plenty of time to discuss that faraway look you’ve had in your eyes when you think we’re not looking.”
Moira turned her head but not before I caught the smile on her face.
“It’s about that boy, isn’t it?” Mom demanded.
I groaned. Only an ancient and deadly immortal would call a Shifter Lord a boy.