Dance By Midnight (17 page)

The door closed behind us with a heavy thud. When we turned to look—no door.

"That's worrisome," I said.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Mike moved in front of Sam and I and brushed the butterflies off.

That's when they started biting. Little fuckers had big teeth! We batted at them, keeping them away from our faces and took off through the garden. It wasn't at all like Hob's garden…in fact…it looked a lot like Mike's garden behind his townhouse. When I tried to avoid going further into the garden, the butterflies came at me with teeth. They did the same with Mike and Sam. As long as we stayed on a path leading into the garden's center—they flew along side us and didn't bite.

We heard the murmuring of voices before we saw anyone. The focal point of the garden was a large shallow marble pool filled with water. In the center sat an empty pedestal. As we passed through a rose trimmed archway the garden abruptly filled with people of all sizes and shapes. Or they looked like people. Actually…they looked like people would in the court of King Louis XIV. Lots of gold trim on waistcoats, collars and sleeves, large poofy skirts, powdered white wigs and loads of makeup. As the butterflies herded us closer to the pond I saw lilies in an assortment of colors floating in the water and I could make out multi-colored Koi as well.

"Ah…the entertainment is here!" A woman's voice rang clear over the murmuring.

We turned to see a rather short woman dressed in red silks descend a marble staircase from a marble balcony. The guests parted quickly to allow her to pass through to us. We stood by the pond, with Mike to my right and Sam to my left. Was this…Maab?

"Welcome, welcome…" She gushed as she curtsied in front of us. "I am Queen Maab, ruler of the Obsidian Court. Oh…he sent me a variety this time! How wonderful! A tall handsome human, and a Sentinel!" Her eyes cut to me and narrowed. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you are. But you do smell…familiar."

Maab couldn't have been over sixteen years old. On the outside. I wasn't stupid enough to think this is what she
really
looked like. If there was one thing I was getting used to it was not trusting what I saw. Though she moved and squealed like an adolescent girl, I felt her power and I recognized her voice as the one that'd been controlling the Brendi changeling. Should it worry me that she didn't recognize me?

"My Queen." A tall man in a black and gold costume stepped closer. "Are you sure these are the ones Hob told you about?"

Hob?

We all glanced at each other. Hob? Had Hob betrayed us?

"Well of course they are. Just as he described, though this one," she said and reached out between Sam and Mike to grab for me. "Is a bit different."

Sam brought the hilt of her knife up and into the elbow of Maab. I know what it's like to bang my elbow so when Maab jerked her arm back I was pretty sure it hurt, and she was about to do really bad things to Sam.

"Your highness," I said and stepped forward to make sure she didn't keep Sam on her radar. "I'm not sure what Hob told you about us, but we wanted an audience with you because we found something we learned belongs to you."

Her attention snapped from Sam to me and her frown righted itself in record speed. "Oh? You have something of mine? How can I be sure you didn't steal it?"

"I give you my word." Yeah, it sounded lame but I accented it with a really deep bow. We needed to get Brendi and get the hell out of there now.

"Well…that's got to be the most respect any human thing has ever shown me. Better than the rot that showed up here today." She glanced around, indicating her guests. "So," she said and clasped her hands in front of her. "What is it you're sure you didn't take?"

I stepped in front of Sam just to make sure she stayed invisible as Mike came forward.

Maab's smile widened as she looked up at him. "Did you steal it?"

"No Queen Maab." He went down on one knee so he was eye-level with her. When he pulled the mantle from his back pocket, a hush fell over the crowd. Everyone hovered over us, looking down at the delicate fabric in his hand. I just hoped the thing didn't pick that moment to vanish.

Maab's expression wasn't close to readable. Her eyes focused on the mantle for several seconds before she looked up. "Where…did you get this?"

"From a man in my world. He said he took it from you to protect the world. I wish to trade this for the return of my daughter."

Her eyes narrowed on Mike's face. "Your daughter?"

"Brendi Ross. Your changeling took her and murdered her mother. I would like to trade this for her."

A murmur rose in the crowd as everyone gathered close to watch.

Maab plastered the smile back on her face. "My dear boy, you've braved a great deal to return this to me. But how do I tell you were not the one to take it?"

"I am a mortal in his late twenties, Queen Maab." He took in a deep breath. "The man I took it from said he took this centuries ago."

"I see."

One sullen looking woman with a large mole over her lip waved a fan in her face. "I can see we're not going to have any entertainment tonight."

Maab shot her a narrowed glance and the fan turned into feathers, and then a bird that pecked at the woman's face. The other guests stepped back and no one else commented.

I felt Sam's fingers against mine and I glanced back at her. I believed she was feeling the same apprehension I was. And the same fear things were going to go south, regardless of Thomas's assurances. I was busy thinking up ways to get out of there. If Hob really had betrayed us, then going back to that Cairn would be a trap.

"You are right, dear boy. You are but a man, and the Sentinel with you with the defiant hand is even younger. But this…one…" She reached out to take the mantle but Mike pulled it away.

"My daughter, Queen Maab. And then we shall trouble you no more."

"Indeed." She pursed her lips. Her brows arched. "Ah…she is a Sentinel."

Yep. South. I just heard the bombs drop. Sam pulled my finger to keep me still.

"Yes Queen Maab."

Maab narrowed her eyes until they were slits. The sky overhead darkened. "I now realize who your companion is, mortal. And why he angers me." She smiled, and I didn't like the look of it. "Are you quite sure the only thing you wish to trade for is your daughter?"

Before Mike could answer, I felt Sam's hand jerk away from me. The crowd made an "awwww" sound as I turned to see why she pulled back. But what I saw nearly drove me to my knees.

Sam wasn't with me anymore. In fact…Sam wasn't even human. A statue now stood on the pedestal, a perfectly carved replica of Samantha in her boots, skirt, and knife. Her face looked up at the sky as water poured from her upturned hand.

"Sam!" Mike yelled out as he pulled the mantle away and stood next to me. I risked a second to touch her.

But she wasn't flesh anymore. And this wasn't a replica. Samantha had been transformed into cold marble.

THE OATH

"You bitch!" Mike pulled his gun in a flash and aimed it at Queen Maab, the barrel centimeters from her nose. "You make her right."

"Is that your trade, mortal? You want the life of your girlfriend for returning to me what is rightfully mine?" She straightened her back and as she crossed her arms over her chest. She grew in size until she was taller than any of her guests. "Is that your trade?"

Mike glanced over at Sam. "You never intended to keep a promise, did you? You are indeed the Mad Queen. A liar and a thief."

"Me? A thief?"

"You stole what wasn't yours, Maab. My daughter was never yours to take. Just like this mantle was never yours."

Maab leaned forward. "She was a Sentinel. And I claim Sentinels." She pointed at Sam. "I claim her! And that mantle is mine!"

"You can't have her. Where is my daughter?"

"Is that your trade? To see where she is and not have her back?" Maab's gaze flickered over to the Sam statue. "Or do you want to rescue your friend before the transformation is final and she dies?"

"How do I know they're both alive?" Mike removed the safety. "You give me Brendi or I will put a hole through your skull."

When Maab looked back to Mike, her gaze slid to me. "Really, mortal? You'll shoot me?"

I knew something was coming before she did it. I just didn't know what. Hob had said not to use the book, but how in the hell else were we going to get out of this? It was pretty damn obvious Maab wasn't going to keep any kind of deal offered and the guests looked as if they were just there for the entertainment. When she pointed at me I ducked and rolled into the crowd. Whatever she fired hit the edge of the fountain and a few of the guests, who immediately turned to stone.

Shit!

"Queen Maab! What are you doing?" Her guests called out. "It is a fair trade!"

"I do what I want!" Maab screamed as she pointed at me again and again I ducked away from her—just not fast enough. Something struck my shoe and my foot and ankle went numb. It gave way under me and I landed behind a woman with an incredibly huge skirt.

I heard Mike's gun go off and then a hush. Mike knelt over me. "You okay?"

"I can't feel…" I had to re-evaluate. "I can't feel my leg."

"That's because it's stone," he said as he tried to help me up.

The woman whose skirt I hid behind grabbed Mike's shoulder. He started to bring the gun up to fire at her but she pushed it down and whispered. "If you haven't eaten or drank anything here, her magic cannot harm you for long. Your friend will revert back to herself in a few seconds, but you've got to leave!"

I stared at her face. She sounded and looked so…familiar. I noticed the fur on her dress. At her neckline and then at her wrists. Wolf fur.

A pendant at her neck moved in the subdued light. A silver disk with the carving of a gnarled tree, a flame and a howling wolf. I recognized the image—but from where?

"Dags—" Mike said as he supported me.

"Did you shoot her?" I asked as I looked away from her to Mike.

"Right between the eyes. It won't keep her down but it'll keep her—"

A scream pierced the conversation and guests scattered to the farthest ends of the garden. That left me and Mike facing a very pissed off Queen Maab with a bleeding bullet hole through her forehead. Blood black as tar streamed to either side of her nose like war paint. Her skin bleached white and her hair turned black. And oh God she was tall.

A familiar tingling started behind at my back, between my shoulder blades. I held onto Mike and tried to remain standing, but my good knee buckled as I lost control of it and Mike had to fully support my weight as well as hold his gun steady on Maab.

"Dags….I'm losing you."

And he was. I lost all feeling from the waist down and now it was working up over my stomach and my lungs—

I gasped. No! I couldn't breathe and tried to hold onto Mike. He looked from me to Maab and back and finally leaned over enough for me to roll into the ground, gasping like a fish out of water.

"Are you sure your trade is for your daughter?" She mocked him and laughed as she took a rumbling step closer. "Maybe you should choose between saving your friends?"

"Make a wish for the mantle," said a crow as it landed on the top of a woman's tall wig. "Fair trade, make a wish!"

"Shut up, Puck!" She pointed at the bird and something black shot from her finger. The crow avoided the hit and disappeared.

All the guests were nodding in agreement.

Mike leveled the gun at Maab again. "I know that bullet hurts. And I've got plenty more. Now, you can hand me over my daughter and return my friends to normal, or I can start shooting you and your guests."

What guests remained yelled and started running about.

Maab laughed. "Give me my mantle or I'll kill them both!"

The crow returned. "Liar! Liar! Maab's on fire!" Puck called out again and took off.

Mike aimed at her face. "He's right. You're a liar and you'll never have this mantle."

"Enough!" She charged at Mike, but something struck her from the left side and knocked her several feet into a line of guests. Mike and I both looked over to see the upper part of Sam's body moving from the fountain, but she was still stone from there down. Apparently she'd fired off some kind of magic whammy at the raving bitch of a queen.

"Sam!" Mike started toward her.

"Dags!" she screamed. "Use the damned book!"

I wanted to call out and remind her that Hob said not to—but then Hob had betrayed us. And I knew she was thinking the same thing. It was a bitch to concentrate on the book when I couldn't breathe. But it didn't seem to matter as the images came fast and I was knocked out of the driver's seat once again.

The stone spell was vanishing for me same as it was for Sam. Air rushed into my lungs as I bounced onto my still numb feet. A flaming black sword sprang from my left hand and I grabbed it in both as I took a ready stance facing Queen Maab as she got back to her feet.

"You!" Recognition raged behind her eyes and she produced a sword to match my own. "I know you know. You destroyed my Cairn."

"
You
destroyed your Cairn, you dumb-ass." I heard myself say. I actually forced an attack with a hacking slash. Maab defended with a strong parry and then tried to undercut with a turn. But whomever was driving my body knew what they were doing and managed to twist in a way I couldn't have as I jumped over the swinging blade and hacked at the side of Maab's neck.