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“There is no king. Just us chickens.”
Puck laughed gaily, as if I’d made an excellent joke. “Do you know what you’re doing, powerful sorceress Gwynn?”
“Absolutely not.” I grinned at him. “I figured I’d wing it.”
*
Blackbird sent herlove to Walter, but elected to stay behind and mind the lodge for Frank until she heard from him and Fergus. I wasn’t surprised by her choice. And it amused me that she’d found her role so easily, even in my more mundane world, always the one to keep things running smoothly.
I chickened out and sent my mother an email, amazed that my Gmail account still worked. The password was easy to recall—too easy, really—“Isabel,” my treasured cat. Lousy encryption. Perfect reminder.
Keeping it brief, I told her that I’d traveled overseas and that it was impossible to explain—ha to that!—but that I was well and in love. And that she had a granddaughter. I also said I’d be in touch, that we’d visit. I made a wish that it would come true.
We wrapped up the baby and Blackbird assured me that she’d explain to Frank why I’d had to take his things. He’d consider it a fair trade, she thought, for us sealing up the gate and saving this place that was sacred to so many.
“I don’t know that I know how to close it,” I told her as she folded up my Anne Taylor dress, as she’d done for me before, so long ago.
“If you know how to open, then you know how to close.”
“A nifty saying that ultimately means nothing.”
She winked at me and handed me a bag with my dress, shoes and things for the baby. “You’ll figure it out. You always do.”
Puck took us on the snowmobile, much more slowly after I thumped him over the head and told him I’d turn him into a pink chipmunk if he made me drop the baby. The Black Dog romped alongside, big as a pony, but otherwise like any other dog.
I couldn’t contemplate that Rogue wouldn’t come back from it.
He had to.
We left the snowmobile in the parking lot and walked the reverse path to the aspen grove. I superstitiously almost insisted that we take the long way around, circumnavigating the sunny side first, but practically it wasn’t good for the baby to be out in the cold longer than necessary.
Maybe I could make a list of motherly habits and start practicing.
Meanwhile I worked out my wish, aligning the components like an integral equation. Each piece needed to work in sequence and, if one bit failed, it couldn’t jeopardize the others. Simple, precise and with all variables eliminated, that I could foresee. An elegant design, even. One, two, three.
So much rode on this.
Puck held the baby while I found the totem tree and got the things ready and the Dog sniffed around, flushing out a squirrel. I wasn’t sure how to manage them all at once. “Can you…” I started to ask Puck, then hesitated, worrying about the potential bad juju. Fuck it—I couldn’t do it all myself. “Can you carry my daughter through?”
“Of course.” Puck bounced her in his arms and made silly noises, sprinkling her face with kisses. “I love to carry the babies. She looks just like you did.”
“Really?” That gave me pause. “Except for the eyes, which are all Rogue.”
“True. Perhaps the next one will have your green.”
“Save your curses, imp,” I growled at him and he giggled. “Rogue!” I called the Dog, feeling silly, but what else could I call him? The Dog bounded up and I held up the handle of the bag of things. He took it in his mouth, clamping gently with those white fangs that had carried our daughter miraculously without harm. I cut the hair, bloodied it and tucked the knife away. Putting a hand on the Dog, I gestured at Puck to come close. Then I looped the hair over the tree limb and executed my wish.
Chapter 32
Once Upon a Time
‡
Understanding why I was drawn into all of this may change nothing, but it’s good toknow.
~Big Book of Fairyland, “Rules ofMagic”
Iawoke onsoft grass.
