Twelve Days of Faery by W. R. Gingell Read Free Book Online Page B

the issue of Doors between here and Faery.”
    “Did you find any useful ones?”
    “Not useful so much as interesting,” said Althea thoughtfully. “You won’t like it, I’m afraid.”
    “Won’t like what?”
    “There are quite a few Doors through to Faery around the castle. At least one for every girl that was injured or killed or taken. Someone has been opening them quite regularly. The ones I found are mostly dormant or dead by now, but a few are still active, and even the dead and dormant ones weaken the barriers between here and there.”
    Markon’s breath hissed between his teeth. “You mean eventually fae could come through uninvited?”
    “Yes. Whoever is bringing fae through and attacking these girls doesn’t understand the danger of what they’re doing.”
    “Where were the Doors?” asked Markon. It occurred to him that very few people in the court had access to all of the castle; similarly, the servants were contained in their paths of back stairs and serviced rooms, each set occupying its own orbit. The position of the Doors might prove useful in determining to which particular set of people the perpetrator belonged.
    Althea gave him a sharp, considering look. “That’s a very good question,” she said. “I’ll look more particularly this afternoon to be sure. Most of them seem to be in the middle of the castle: guest rooms and unused galleries in the courtiers’ apartments. Some of them are on back stairways that are mostly for the servants, and there are even two in the courtyards. None outside the castle as far as I’ve been able to tell.”
    “Then it’s almost certainly a daily occupant of the castle itself,” said Markon, a little bitterly. Oddly enough, he would rather have thought that Wyndsor was responsible.
    Althea nodded. “Perhaps I can narrow it down to servant or courtier by this afternoon. Regardless–”
    “You’re going into Faery.”
    “I think it’s best. I can only narrow it down so far from this side. Courtier or servant, there are hundreds to choose between.”
    “Don’t forget–”
    “I won’t leave you behind,” said Althea in a friendly fashion. “But I’ll have to find a viable Door first: I’d rather not open another if I can avoid it, and we’ll be taking fae magic through with us as it is. No need to complicate matters more than we have to. Simple is best when it comes to fae magic.”
    “Why will we be taking fae magic through with us?”
    “I’d like to find the fae that the different spells belong to. If I can scrape together enough from one of the girls, I should be able to take us exactly where we need to go.”
    “Do we really want to find the sort of fae who can simultaneously burn someone from the inside and freeze them from the outside?”
    “That’s what I’m for,” said Althea, a rather formidable look sitting oddly on her pointed little face. “I’m as dangerous as most of the fae over there.”
     
                  Markon was dragged from deep, restful slumber some time after midnight. Someone was prodding his shoulder with irritating regularity, and their persistence was quickly driving away his ability to sleep. Snarling, Markon sat up in bed to find that Althea was sitting beside him.
    “How did you get in here?” he groaned.
    “I am very good at what I do,” Althea said primly. “Are you ready?”
    “Ready for what?”
    “I’ve found us a live Door into Faery.”

Day Five
     
                  “We’re going now?”
    “Of course. I’ll wait outside.”
    Markon almost flopped back onto his pillows and went to sleep again. Fortunately, it occurred to him just in time that Althea would only go without him if he did so, and with further mutterings he dragged himself out of bed and into yesterday’s clothes again.
    By the time he was dressed Markon’s sluggish thoughts had begun to work a little less sluggishly, and once outside his suite he was able to ask quite intelligently if Althea