Ghost Light

“That, my dear, is a closely guarded secret,” she said.  “I suggest you try your contacts in the fae community if you wish to discover the gate’s location in the mortal world.”

I sighed and sagged in the chair, letting my head hang down.  Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.  Nothing was ever simple when it came to the fae.

“Okay thanks, I’ll ask around,” I said.

I wrapped the box in the plastic bag and tucked it into a zippered jacket pocket.  I took a deep breath and pushed myself to my feet.  It was time to probe my fae allies for information, and I knew right where to start.  I strode toward the exit, books moving out of my path.  Navigating the office was much easier with Kaye’s magic at hand.  I turned to wave goodbye and the witch raised a tattooed hand.

“A word of advice?” she asked.  “Use caution when making your inquiries.  Divulging the location of the gates to the wrong person, such as a human friend and business partner, could be construed as treason, and the very existence of the keys is a closely guarded secret.  If you manage to locate someone willing to talk, keep in mind that the key in your possession is extremely valuable.  There are some, mortals and fae, unscrupulous enough to kill for access to Faerie.”

Great, just my luck.  I’d have to keep the key secret from Jinx, or risk being labeled a traitor.  That was just what I needed, another reason for the faerie courts to order my execution.

As if lying to my best friend wasn’t bad enough, I might get myself into hot water trying to learn the location of the door to Faerie.  If I mentioned that I had my own key to the wrong person, I was as good as dead.  There was nothing like carrying around an artifact that could fetch big bucks on the black market to encourage a knife in the back.  I might as well paint my enemies a target.

My footsteps as I stomped out of the office were matched by the chiming of a clock.  A chill ran up my spine; the sound reminded me of church bells tolling the dead.

Chapter 32

I was halfway up Joysen Hill when I realized I’d forgotten to ask Kaye about the name Inari.  I scrubbed a gloved hand over my face and sighed.  It looked like I had another question for Torn.  I hoped the cat sidhe was holding court in the alley beside Club Nexus.  I wasn’t in the mood for a scavenger hunt.

I spied a window display showing off a huge jar of honey at a local tea shop and pulled up short.  I hadn’t yet thanked Marvin for saving my hide back at the cemetery and I owed the kid a bridgewarming gift.

I ducked inside the shop and haggled over the honey.  The shop clerk had been surprised when I pointed to the massive jar on display, but when I flashed a handful of money I’d made on the recent missing persons case, she was happy to oblige.  She even gift wrapped it for me.

The honey was heavy, but I found a renewed bounce in my step as I headed down the side street to Marvin’s new digs.  This was one errand I didn’t dread.  In fact, I couldn’t wait to see the kid’s face when he unwrapped the one-hundred and sixty ounce container.

I grinned and started my descent down the scree covered embankment in pursuit of my troll friend.  I didn’t have far to search.  Marvin stood beside his new home, washing clothes downstream from the bridge.  I made plenty of noise as I scrambled down that last yard of loose stones.  Marvin turned to me and smiled wide.

“Poison Ivy,” he said.  Marvin hung the wet clothing over a rope he’d tied to the bridge and wiped his hands down the front of his pants.  “You feeling better?”

“Yes, good as new,” I said.  “I’m alive, thanks to you.  I don’t know when you started following us, but your idea to throw an entire pixie nest at The Piper really saved the day.  I owe you one.”

After leaving Marvin’s that night, I’d felt like someone had been watching us.  I’d assumed it was a cat sidhe, or maybe one of the vamps, curious about why I smelled like the inside of a ghoul.  Instead, our tail had been a teenaged troll with a killer throwing arm.  He’d chucked the pixie grenade that downed The Piper long enough for me to disrupt the Dance Macabre and free the children.

“Aw, was nothing,” he said.

The kid blushed and crossed one leg behind the other.  I wanted to reach out and give him a hug, but settled for pulling the gift out of the shopping bag.

“Here,” I said.  “I promised you a proper housewarming gift the next time I stopped by.”

Marvin’s face lit up and he forgot all about his embarrassment.  I watched him tear away wrapping paper with large hands.  His smile grew when he saw what was inside.

“Thank you, Ivy,” he said.

I beamed back at Marvin, glad he liked the gift.  As an orphaned bridge troll, I didn’t think the kid got many presents.  I’d have to stop by again soon with some of his favorite candy.

“Just don’t eat it all in one sitting,” I said.