Page 28 of The Filigree Key

Mutters and grumbles filled the great hall, and the Brothers who had stationed themselves at the entry shifted uneasily. The bluish-green fae markings on their skin began to writhe in anticipation of an attack.

Ossian’s voice resounded like thunder through the hall, quelling the dissent. “The Brotherhood has been doing everything—”

“The Brotherhood is a bunch of bullies!” Cody swung his tool belt at Alec. “And that witless wonder is the worst of them. If we ask for their help, they lock us up for being ‘public nuisances’ or ‘disturbing the peace.’ Our peace was disturbed long ago when our kin started getting snatched.”

Cody slapped his tool belt against the stone again, the leather snapping like a whip. “You’re the King of Beasts, aren’t you? Command that one—” He pointed to the grizzly chained in the corner and stopped short. Squinted. As if he realized there was something different about the bear. “Have that boy put his muscles to use and go hunt that hobgoblin down instead of just wallowing there,” he plowed ahead. “His upkeep is costing us taxpayers a fortune!”

“That’s a great idea!” a hog cried—Mr. Bensen.

“Free the bear!” an old border collie barked—Codrin Alder. The rest of his ranchers, border collies to a man, howled their agreement.

The beasts broke out into an auditory barrage of neighs, bellows, hoots, and chatters.

The blue flames jumped in the fireplace in a blaze of heat and light as Ossian erupted from his throne. According to the fae bargain, he couldn’t hurt my friends—Emmett and Cody—but he could signal his displeasure to the Brotherhood and let those tyrants do what they willed. And as for the rest of the dissenters . . ..

Emerald green vines erupted from my hands. They coiled around the trestle table and rotated it ninety degrees, effectively blockading the Stag Man and his two magic hunters away from the townsfolk. The vines vanished, and all that remained of my magic was a soft green glow radiating from my skin and eyes. I rose fluidly from my chair and crossed into the empty expanse that separated the two hostile parties.

With my back to the fae king, I raised my hands to the citizens of Redbud. “There is no need for the bear. And I must apologize to you, my friends. I am the reason why our great Cernunnos has been unable to devote his whole attention to bringing this criminal to justice. I was cursed, you see, and the fae king was devoted to helping me free myself.”

Trembling with effort I didn’t feel in the least, I thrust my hands down at the ground. The crowd gasped as pink clematis vines grew out from the cracks in the stone floor.

I let them ogle at the beautiful magic before making it disappear with a sweep of my hand. “But I am whole now, and Cernunnos can return his attention to what matters most—his court. I promise you the King of Beasts will do everything in his power to apprehend the criminal before leaving for Elfame. You know me, Meadow Hawthorne. You know you can trust me when I say this will happen. Now, go in peace, friends.”

My display and my speech concluded, I clasped my hands in front of my stomach and gave Emmett a pointed look.

The raccoon bobbed a hasty bow. “Many thanks, milady. Thank you for taking our concerns to heart.” Then he tugged on his best friend’s arm. “Come on.”

Cody lingered a beat, still staring at the bear chained in the corner. At his apprentice.

The beaver gave me a bewildered look before he let the raccoon drag him back a few steps. The dispersing crowd swallowed them up, hopefully before Ossian could note the carpenter’s strange behavior. Those at the side door quickly retreated, shutting the door as inconspicuously as possible.

The magic hunters posted at the double doors did the same when the last of the beasts were in the hallway. No sooner did the latches click into place did the trestle table screech back into its original position with a shove of copper-colored magic. No care had been taken to make sure the food and cutlery didn’t go scattering every which way like cockroaches, and my empty stomach protested at the sight of my mashed potatoes slung across the stone floor like spackle.

Ossian stomped down the dais and stopped a short distance away. He looked ready to throttle me, but instead he bellowed at the side door, “Get in here and clean this up!”

Mrs. Bilberry quickly appeared along with half the hobs and the two Lancaster brothers. The Labrador retrievers made quick work of lapping up all the spilled food from the floor. The woodchucks did the same with the food on the table, although they used dust pans and hand brooms and deposited the remains into a slop bucket for the bear. Mrs. Bilberry hurried after them with a mop and rag soaked in suds.

The Stag Man’s hand twitched as he fought his intrusive thoughts. He settled for clamping down on my shoulder, the one without the foraging bag strap slung across it. His fingers pinched, nails cutting. “You had no right to promise that on my behalf.”

I peeled his fingers off me, tossed his hand aside, and gave him what I hoped was a queenly arch to my eyebrow. “That’s an odd way to say ‘thank you.’ And why not? That hobgoblin is beneath you in skill and cunning, and yet it’s shocking how long he’s evaded capture.”

“My sole focus is helping you charge that key,” he growled, “not chasing a criminal across the countryside.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Charging the key will only require a fraction of actual input on your part, and I’ll be using the rest of the time to replenish my magic. No reason why you can’t be doing your kingly duty while I’m resting and bring Wystan to justice. The Green Mother forbid some of our current court come with us and pollute the Court of Beasts in Elfame saying you can’t finish a simple task.”

Ossian darted a glance at the woodchucks, then the dogs, then the badger, all of them busy cleaning away and yet listening to every word. He swallowed thickly, something like hate flickering in his eyes.

Like always, his expression smoothed into one of calm confidence. “A fine point, love.”

“You’ll catch him in no time,” I assured him, taking his hand and kissing the back of his knuckles.

It was a submissive gesture and one that seemed to soften him towards me, for his fingers caressed lightly against my cheek. I was just a tool to him, a means to an end, but one he had to keep appeased. For now. His abrupt change in demeanor proved he was just as committed to his charade as I was to mine.

“Well, big day tomorrow. I’m off to fuss with the sourdough starter and then go to sleep.” And maybe rustle up some leftovers since your little temper tantrum threw our dinner all over the ground. Aunt Peony would’ve strung him up by his thumbs on the trellis with the pole beans if he’d ever done something like that in her dining room.

The Stag Man’s hand twisted in mine, his fingers encircling my wrist. “You know, you needn’t stay alone in the east wing now.”

Ossian’s jewel-bright eyes gleamed, the thing trapped in the blue stone on his necklace swirled. Inside, there was a pull like the lust of the rubies, though this one tugged on the hollow piece of my heart. My skin crawled like it was infested with a thousand ladybugs—I would forever be tied to this monster through that stolen fated mate bond.