Chapter Ten
I chewed my thumbnail all the way back to the house on Snapdragon Drive. My knee bounced, foot tapping a frantic rhythm against the floorboard. I knew I was a nervous wreck.
“Hey, it’s going to be all right,” Owen said quietly.
“I know.” I didn’t.
“You should let me tend those scrapes.”
“They’re fine. I’m fine.”
My thoughts spun in tight, panicked circles. Had Tani had anything to do with Alice’s death? Why lie about the potion? Why give me a conjuring spell instead of something to seal the supernatural superhighway? And if the fairy queen had meant to summon someone else, who?
I would know soon enough.
Owen parked in the drive. I was out of the truck before he killed the engine. As soon as my feet hit the pathway, a loud crash sounded from somewhere inside the house.
We both bolted for the door.
I burst through first and skidded to a halt. Owen ran smack into my back, making me stumble a few steps into the wrecked living room.
The Red Queen was crouched behind one sofa.
Tani—a life-sized Tani—hid behind the other.
They were popping up to hurl things at each other.
Breakable things. Lamps. Vases. A ceramic rooster I was pretty sure had belonged to Alice since the seventies.
Shattered glass glittered across the hardwood like deadly confetti.
At least they’d spared the family photos on the mantel.
“What on earth is going on in here?”
“Uh oh. Mom’s home,” Tani muttered.
She straightened and smoothed her hands down her pants. Then she spotted Owen and lit up like Christmas.
“Oh. Ohhhh. He’s even cuter full-size. I should be big more often.”
She started to saunter toward him, but I threw out a hand.
“Stay where you are. I want an explanation.”
Now that Tani was roughly my height, I finally got a good, full look at the fairy queen.
She was unfairly gorgeous—more ethereal supermodel than woodland sprite—with pale gold hair, bright blue eyes, and delicate pointed ears.
She still wore her tunic and vest, soft brown pants tucked into shiny black boots.
More “Robin Hood’s hot lieutenant” than sparkly pixie.
“She started it,” Tani said, pointing accusingly at the Red Queen.
“I most certainly did not,” the queen sniffed.
“I don’t care who started it,” I snapped. “Someone is going to clean up this mess.”
Willow meowed from the staircase, then hopped down and twined around my legs as if in agreement.
“Well it won’t be me,” the Red Queen declared. She folded her arms across her bodice and turned away, chin tipped high. “I am a queen.”
“You,” I said, stabbing a finger in her direction. “I told you to stay in your room.”
“Like a commoner? I think not. Queens do not languish in guest chambers.”
“And she was hungry,” Tani added. “I caught her rummaging through the fridge. And she can’t cook.”
“Maybe I should get the broom,” Owen suggested, edging toward the kitchen—probably trying to stay out of the blast radius.
No way. I latched onto his hand, keeping him beside me. I was not being left alone between two supernatural monarchs.
“She doesn’t belong here, Piper,” Tani insisted.
“I belong here far more than you do, fairy,” the Red Queen shot back.
“And you,” I whirled on Tani, temper finally snapping. “She’s here because of you. You gave me the conjuring potion, not the one to close the portal.”
Tani at least had the decency to look guilty. “Oops?”
“No oops.” My voice went sharp. “Why did you do it?”
“Yes,” the Red Queen said. “Why did you?”
“Stay out of this, Red.”
Tani glared at the queen, then turned back to me. “I didn’t mean to. I thought it was something else.”
“Like what?”
“Like… it was an accident, okay?” Tani waved a hand, irritation sparking in her eyes.
I didn’t buy that for a second. “You are going to explain everything. Right now. Why is the Red Queen here and why is Oberon trapped in another realm?”
Tani’s eyes widened, then narrowed into slits. She swung her gaze toward the queen. “You told her.”
Red said nothing, gave Tani a frosty look.
“Okay, clearly I’m not getting anywhere with both of you in the room,” I said. “Red—bedroom. Now. I want to talk to Tani alone.”
When the queen didn’t budge, I looked at Owen. “Would you mind?”
“Of course,” he said, stepping aside and gesturing toward the stairs.
The Red Queen sniffed, scooped up her skirts, and swept toward the hallway with as much dignity as one could muster after a lamp-throwing brawl. Willow trotted after them like a furry little guard.
I waited until they were out of sight before turning back to Tani.
“Explain.”
Tani flopped onto the sofa, sprawled out like she owned the place. One leg hooked over the arm, boots dangling. Very un-queenly. Very Tani. She blew out a breath.
“It wasn’t supposed to conjure her. It was supposed to conjure Oberon.”
Finally. Something honest.
I folded my arms. “Go on.”
“We thought we’d cracked it,” Tani said, tapping a finger against her chin. “Alice and I spent weeks working the recipe. Alice was going to open the breach at the hickory tree, I’d go in, yank him out, close it again. Clean, simple, no demons invited.”
“And?”
“And I think I messed up the formula.” She winced. “Somewhere.”
“Oh, you think?” I glared. “And the potion to close the portal? The actual gate-ward? We made several last night. Was that one of them?”
“That was the first one you made.” Tani gave me a sheepish little smile. “I lied. I told you it was wrong so you’d make the conjuring spell. And it didn’t work. I failed again.”
My stomach pitched. “Where is he?” At Tani’s blank look, I added, “Oberon.”
“Stuck,” Tani said quietly. “In another realm that’s…
not exactly friendly. We traced the ley line pattern, we thought we’d mapped the Crossroads right.
This town brushes up against too many paths, and…
” She sighed. “We miscalculated. I’ve been waiting for Alice to come back so we could try again.
She was supposed to crack the gate for me. ” Her mouth tightened. “She never did.”
At least that cleared Tani as the killer. Probably. But it still didn’t answer the question of the treasures—or why Alice had kept so many secrets.
“What about the Fae treasures?” I asked.
Tani cut me a sharp glance. “What did Red tell you?”
“Not much,” I lied, choosing my words carefully. “That they were stolen.”
“Ha.” Tani snorted. “Of course she did. They weren’t stolen. I brought them here myself. Alice is keeping them safe in this realm until I can get Oberon out. Red always thinks everything is about her.” She made a face. “Wonderland gossip is the worst.”
“So you know exactly where the treasures are?” I pressed.
“Sure. Somewhere in this town.” She waved a hand. “Alice didn’t tell me the details. That way, if anyone tried to pry it out of my head, they’d hit a dead end. But I know they’re close. I can feel them tugging on the ley lines.”
My mind flashed to the sword in the crate. The ruby slippers. The way Dougal had said Hickory Hollow sat where paths overlapped. Crossroads. Ley lines. Other realms brushing too close.
“And you need them to rescue the king,” I said.
“That much is true,” Tani said. “The Sword of Light cuts through bonds that shouldn’t exist. The Club of Dagda breaks doors that shouldn’t stay closed. The Spear of Lugh finds what’s lost. They’re useless to mortals, but in Faery?” She whistled low. “Game-changers.”
“So why does Red think they were stolen?”
“Because Red thinks everything that’s not under her heel has been stolen from her,” Tani said primly.
“She lives in Wonderland. The name alone should tell you she’s not exactly plugged into reality.
” She straightened and pinned me with her bright blue stare.
“The real question is are you going to help me?”
“I have other more pressing matters,” I said. “Like closing the portal before anything else crawls through. I need the gate potion. And I need to figure out who killed Alice.”
“You’re not going to figure that out overnight.”
“I know. But I have to try.”
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Owen reappeared.
“Her majesty is sleeping,” he said.
Tani snorted. “Must be nice. Some of us have to do all the real work.”
“Did you find anything out?” he asked me.
“Yes,” I said, already heading toward the basement door. “Tani brought the relics with her. Alice was safeguarding them. I’ll explain everything on the way, but right now I want the right potion and I want to get back to the trees before the ley breach gets worse.”
Owen fell into step beside me. Tani trailed after us.
“I’m coming with you this time,” Tani announced.
“No. You’re staying here.” I halted and gave her the best intimidating stare I could muster.
“You’re not the boss of me,” Tani said breezily. “I’ll meet you there.”
Before I could object, the fairy queen vanished in a puff of pink dust.
I sighed. “Of course she will.”
“Fairies,” Owen said. “Zero respect for road trips.”
I pushed open the basement door. “She told me she gave the treasures to Alice for safekeeping,” I said as we descended the stairs. “She needs them to get Oberon out. Red’s version is… not accurate.”
“You think Tani’s telling the truth?” he asked.
“Yes. Or as much of it as she ever tells.” I stopped halfway down and turned to face him, closer than I’d intended. “Owen, what was my aunt into?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “My dad didn’t know the whole story. He knew she was binding something nasty under that tree. It seems like she trusted you to finish what she started.”
“Great. No pressure or anything.” I exhaled. “Will you take me back to the woods?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’m not letting you walk into a demon-infested Crossroads alone.”
I grabbed the correct potion from Alice’s neatly labeled shelves, tucked it securely into my pocket, and we headed for his car.