"You should not trust that masked ninny." King Gneiss" eyes were as hard as flint. "Always prancing and singing, but behind the jokes and juggling he is cruel. Tell him Maemtri, what he did to your cat."
Maemtri"s eyes filled with tears. "Poor Purrington. He was a trickster, too, but he didn"t deserve such a sad end."
Keelie"s heart clenched. She did not want to hear this story. "Peascod killed your cat?" She turned to Herne. "Didn"t you suspect? Haven"t you heard any stories about him?"
"The dark fae are full of trickiness and cruelty, but we don"t hurt each other much. And we have centuries to heal." Herne sighed. "Peascod is a traitor to me, but he seemed no different from some of my darker subjects, the ones who relish blood as much as laughter."
Keelie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You"re mad mostly because he"s tricked you." Typical.
Herne glowered at her. "Do not forget, sweeting, that you are here because you"ve involved me in your game. You don"t seem very grateful at the moment."
"If Peascod is behind the wild goblins" presence, where did he get such magic? It would take great power to hide it from you," King Gneiss said. "Perhaps as much as an origin"s point would muster."
"What"s an origin"s point?" Keelie asked.
"The vortex in Fairy is an origin"s point. A new one would be impossible to create without access to my library and books of magic. But Peascod had that access." Herne seemed to have grown taller.
"An origin"s point to Under-the-Hill," Maemtri said, voice squeaking. "He could control the magic coming to this realm. "
Peascod in control of the Under-the-Hill magic. Keelie had a sudden vision of everyone in Under-the-Hill bowing to Peascod"s warped ideas. Surprised, she realized that she was offended, and that her indignation arose from a feeling of kinship with the dark fae, one that she hadn"t been able to understand before. Now she had her answer. Their blood flowed through her veins, too, and explained why Underthe-Hill felt like home.
No one messed with her home. "How do we stop him?" she asked.
"We find him and destroy him." Herne clenched his fist. "Keelie, come with me back to Grey Mantle." He turned to King Gneiss. "I will send trolls to help you secure your borders against the goblins."
Keelie clutched her rose quartz. She wanted to be out of here before the trolls came.
Gneiss bowed his head and began to shrink until he was small enough to fit through the fireplace. "I shall return to my people and my mines. We"ll take care of the goblin nest we found, and await the trolls."
Herne had draped his cloak around his shoulders as the fireplace rocks reformed themselves into a solid wall. "Come with me, Keliel." He held out his hand. "Your work starts here."
"But I still have questions."
"Later. We have pressing work to do."
The tension in his voice told her how concerned he was. Maybe almost scared. She put her hand into his, surprised anew at the slight shock of his skin against hers. She really didn"t have a choice. It was the only way to stop Peascod.
The shop vanished and its animal noises and smells faded, turning to bright light and the putrid smell of garbage. Keelie blinked, clutching Herne"s hand. She didn"t like feeling vulnerable while her eyes adjusted and drew closer to Herne"s warmth, wondering where they were that smelled so foul.
Gradually, she saw a sooty brick wall and a big green industrial dumpster. Above the dumpster was a row of steel windows, the gla.s.s painted over from within. The sky above was pale blue. Keelie let go of Herne and took a step toward the dumpster, which had a sticker that read "Big Nugget Hauling."
"We"re in Big Nugget!"
Herne cursed. "This is not where I meant to take us."
"What is that smell? It"s not coming from the dumpster."
"Goblins. Keep your voice down." Herne walked quickly to the mouth of the alley and looked up and down the narrow street outside.
Keelie shrank back against the peeling paint on the old brick wall. She remembered the teeth on the goblins who had danced around the dark maypole.
She jumped as a loud clang came from the dumpster. But it wasn"t a goblin. Knot was glaring at her from the dumpster"s lid-he"d leaped onto it from the roof of the building. He hunched on the edge of the lid and hissed. "Yeow had me worried."
Keelie was glad to see him, but she didn"t want to show it. "Herne took me Under-the Hill. How did you know I"d be here?"
A bright light zoomed overhead, like a flicked match with a purpose. It turned and dive-bombed the cat like a tiny missile and he swatted at it, his brow furrowed in annoyance. "Pixies. Meow called in lots of favors to get them to look for yeow." He glared at her. "Yeow owes me for four days of swatting."
The pixies barely registered as Knot"s words sank in. "We"ve been gone four days?" Keelie whirled to face Herne. "Why didn"t you warn me?"
He shrugged. "Don"t complain, sweetheart. I wanted you to see Under-the-Hill and speak to Maemtri." He glanced back down the road to the left. His shoulders tensed. "We don"t have time to argue. The goblins will scent us soon."
"A month in Fairy, and now four days in Under-theHill. My dad must be frantic." Keelie glowered at Herne. "And I"m not your sweetheart."
He smiled mischievously, eyes twinkling. "Not yet."
Herne was so full of himself. Keelie knew she had to steel herself against his charms and stay focused on a resolution for the rift.
Knot jumped to the ground and stalked to the mouth of the alley. He looked where Herne had been looking. For a second he was very still, and then his ears flattened against his skull and the fur along his spine stood on end.
Keelie hurried to Knot"s side. The streets seemed to be deserted. "What do you see? Is Dad here yet?" Reminding Herne she had a father might deter the nature G.o.d.
"Your father is not here," Herne said. "I would"ve sensed his presence by now, as would the goblins."
"Can they sense me?" Keelie asked in a low whisper.
Herne shook his head. "You confuse them. We need to go."
"Why can"t you stop them?" Keelie wanted to know. He was the all-powerful Herne. "Can"t you control all goblins?"
"Someone else controls them, but I can try to sway them."
Keelie and Knot followed Herne, slinking from one doorway to the next on the street. She felt exposed, as if every goblin could see her, and her ears ached from listening for the jangling of the bells on Peascod"s jester hat.
Knot hurried at her side. "Yeow be careful."
"I really need to call Dad, but I left the phone with Sean. Is he nearby?" She looked at an empty playground across the street.
"Will you two keep quiet?" Herne said through gritted teeth. "Keelie, follow me closely. If goblins attack, go up. They"re afraid of heights."
They scooted from store front to store front, resting in the doorway of a crystal shop. Herne pointed out a steel ladder on the side of the building.
Keelie nodded, wishing she knew of a stone or crystal that served as goblin repellent. She was definitely going to be asking Sir Davey the next chance she got. If there was a next chance. She racked her brain, trying to remember the goblin charms from the Compendium.
She"d noticed some stray, scrubby prairie gra.s.s growing next to the wooden storefront, and it reminded her of the hay-fever charm, which she could strengthen by infusing it with Earth magic. It might give them some form of defense. While it wouldn"t repel the goblins, it would annoy them and maybe slow them down. She tugged and pulled the clump of gra.s.s up by the roots.
"What are you doing?" Herne asked, his brow creased with worry. "You"ll alert the goblins to our whereabouts if you use the magic."
Keelie thought she noticed beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "It"s Earth magic, and I need some way to fight them off," she told him, clutching the gra.s.s tighter in her hands. "You"re stronger, and you should be able to stop the goblins. I mean, they"re from Under-the-Hill, aren"t they? I don"t understand."
Herne lowered his face and studied the ground as if he sought the answer in the dirt. He looked at her. His expression serious. "Something is wresting my power from me. I am weak. Very weak."
"What? You"re a nature G.o.d. You can"t be weak. You"ve transported us from Under-the-Hill to here." Keelie refused to wrap her mind around the possibility that Herne couldn"t stop the goblins.
"I meant to take you to Grey Mantle. My magic hasn"t seemed as strong lately. I thought the grief I felt at Linsa"s death was the reason, but it wasn"t until we were in the alley near the maypole that I realized how frail I truly am. I have not felt this way in a millennium."
"How could you not know?" Keelie asked. "The dark fae depend on you for protection."
"I know. I must find a solution, and quickly-it seems the more wild magic escapes, the more fragile I become. I wonder if this is how humans feel." He opened and closed his hand in a fist, as if trying to find his lost strength.
Knot sniffed the air around him. "Meow goblins come."
Keelie"s back stiffened with fear as she gripped the green gra.s.s tighter. If she couldn"t pull on a thread of Earth magic, she would summon the trees to help her. She reached out to them, but something blocked her communication again; it was a stilted consciousness, dull and heavy. Dim-witted was the impression she received.
Herne turned around and stared at something farther down the street. "I think we should move on."
Keelie recoiled when she saw the goblin. He looked just like Tavyn did when he exposed his true nature, shedding the skin of the handsome elf he"d shown the world. Maybe Tavyn really was here with his kind.
The goblin carried a rusty and blood-stained battle ax. He stepped closer and sniffed the air, and his eyes widened when he caught the scent of prey. He knew she was here.
Knot puffed up, his fur maxed out, his claws exposed, ready to do battle.
Maybe Keelie was out of her element, but she couldn"t count on Herne to blast the goblin to pieces. She was going to have to go ninja and take it on herself. The goblin was as tall as she was, but she could grab his greasy dreadlocks and let Knot scratch him up. Knot lifted his head and nodded, understanding.
The goblin approached, raising his ax as if about to chop wood. Just as Keelie and Knot were about to charge the smelly creature, Herne"s hand shot past Keelie"s shoulder and snapped the goblin"s neck with a loud crack. Keelie shivered. The goblin"s eyes rolled up in his head and he flopped to the ground like a dead fish.
Herne collapsed against her. Keelie held him up, leaning against the building to support his weight. Despite the danger, she felt a special thrill being so close to him.
"We need help, Knot, but I think the best thing is to get Herne to a safe spot and then you can go. I"ll watch over him."
"Neow way. Goblin prophecy says you"re the target. Meow stay, yeow go to dragon and elves." Knot blinked up at the sky and a swarm of bright lights came down and landed all over Keelie"s arms and shoulders, like cordless Christmas lights. "Pixies will watch and tell."
The pixies suddenly shot up in a fireworks display and swarmed into a nearby tree. Some help they turned out to be.
"Knot, I don"t think that"s going to work."
The cat growled, and his tail twitched back and forth like a furry cord. He could"ve been sending the pixies a telepathic message.
They came back down, and with them a flurry of flying sticks. The bhata had come to Keelie"s aid. The tiny stick fairies gathered under Herne"s arm and lifted him from her.
Herne grimaced. "I really don"t think this is necessary."
"I don"t think you have much of a choice. They want to help you." Keelie felt a strong wave of magic flowing from the bhata to Herne, who was able to stumble down the street.
"I hope this doesn"t ruin the image you had of me as a charming, all-knowing being," he joked weakly.
"I don"t think you need to worry about me. It"s them." Keelie looked behind her. More goblins had come and were gathered around the dead one, licking their lips. The bhata swarmed over Keelie and a surge of strength flowed through her.
The little fae helped her while they helped Herne. They made their way to a pharmacy at a place where three roads intersected. Keelie propped Herne against the shop"s doorway. He leaned against the wooden frame, his face pale and his mouth drawn in a straight line as he fought off some pain.
"Knot, keep guard."
He saluted with his tail. "Meow."
Inside the pharmacy, Keelie saw a lunch counter with old doughnuts and pies under gla.s.s. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. She hadn"t eaten or slept in a long time; no wonder the fossilized treats were looking good.
A piercing shriek behind them signaled that the goblins were after them. Fear pulsed through Keelie"s heart, and she inhaled deeply to calm herself and salvage any remaining courage. They were doomed. There was nowhere to go.
"We"ll have to run." She turned to Herne.
He shook his head. "I"m too weak. The bhata can"t lend me their strength anymore."
More waves of power flowed from the bhata, and their berry eyes glowed with adoration. They smiled as Herne absorbed more from them. Then Keelie watched in horror as the stick creatures came apart, their twig-and-moss components bouncing to the ground.
"Can you summon the trees?" Herne whispered, hoa.r.s.ely. "I cannot." He was fading fast.
"I"ll try," Keelie said. But the trees gave no response.
"If I can get back to Under-the-Hill, I will be restored. You must mend the rift, Keelie, and cut off the goblins" source of power."
More shrieks and ululating cries, like claws on chalkboards, rent the air.
Knot jumped out and ran ahead, bottlebrush tail at full mast.
"I"ll help you walk." Keelie pulled Herne"s arm over her shoulder and stepped out of the doorway just as the gathering goblins ran toward them.
"Keelie, get out of the way!" Sean was standing in the street, sword drawn, with Sir Davey at his side holding a shorter but deadly looking blade. Both were in full armor, at the head of a group of armed elves and dwarves.
"We have to get Keelie and Herne to safety," Sean barked to Sir Davey.
Keelie reached down to grab more gra.s.s growing from a crack in the sidewalk. She gave it a mighty yank and then said the words that formed the hay-fever charm. The first goblin started to sneeze and veered away from her, followed by others. Sean had enough time to reach them, crowding them back into the doorway and protecting them as the two armies met with a clang of weapons and the screams of dying goblins.
Keelie reached for a rock and threw it, breaking the window of the pharmacy. A bhata climbed up onto her arm and touched her face. She felt warmth and energy flowing from the fae creature. With the extra magical boost, Keelie was able to haul Herne inside.
Sean followed. "What are you doing?"
"This is not necessary," Herne said. "Just leave me here, and I"ll be able to take on a hundred rogue goblins."
"You heard him." Sean motioned his head at Herne. "He can take on a hundred goblins."
"He"s been zapped by something and he doesn"t have any power," Keelie said.
Sean frowned at the horned man.
"You can"t keep a secret." Herne scowled at Keelie.
"Let"s head to the roof." Sean reached for Herne and pulled him over his shoulder. He climbed the stairs, the forest G.o.d"s antlers rattling as they sc.r.a.ped the wall. Keelie blocked the door with old furniture and then followed them.
The flat rooftop was a patchwork of shingles lined with roofing tar, surrounded by a low wall. From below came the clash of metal and the screams of the injured.