I decided that last part was a figment of my delirium. Grimalkin slipped away before I could ask him anything else, leaving me confused and disoriented. Waving away a swarm of wasps that circled my head, I stumbled after him.
A vine reached up and snagged my foot. I fell, bursting through the ground, to land on a bed of yellow flowers. They turned their tiny faces to me and screamed, filling the air with pollen. I sat up and found myself in a moonlit grove, the ground carpeted with flowers. Trees danced, rocks laughed at me, and tiny lights zipped through the air.
My limbs were numb, and I was suddenly very tired. Blackness crawled on the edge of my vision. I lay back against a tree and watched the lights swarm through the air. Vaguely, some part of me realized Id stopped breathing, but the rest of me didnt really care.
A strand of moonlight broke away from the trees and glided toward me. I watched without interest, knowing it was a hallucination. As it got closer, it shimmered and changed shape, sometimes resembling a deer, sometimes a goat or a pony. A horn of light grew from its head, as it regarded me with ancient golden eyes.
Hello, Meghan Chase.
Hello, I replied, though my lips didnt move and I had no breath to speak. Am I dead?
Not quite. The moonlight creature laughed softly, shaking its mane. It is not your destiny to die here, princess.
Oh. I pondered that, my thoughts swirling muzzily in my head. How do you know who I am?
The creature snorted, swishing a lionlike tail. Those of us who watch the sky have seen your coming for a long time, Meghan Chase. Catalysts always burn brightly, and your light shines unlike any Ive seen before. Now, the only question remaining is, what path will you take, and how will you choose to rule?
I dont understand.
You arent supposed to. The moonlight creature stepped forward and breathed. Silver air washed over me, and my eyelids fluttered shut. Now, sleep, my princess. Your father awaits you. And tell Grimalkin that I choose to help, not as a favor, but for reasons of my own. The next time he calls on me will be the last.
I didnt want to sleep. Questions swirled to mind, buzzing and insistent. I opened my mouth to ask about my father, but the creatures horn touched my chest, sending a rush of heat through my body. I gasped and opened my eyes.
I didnt want to sleep. Questions swirled to mind, buzzing and insistent. I opened my mouth to ask about my father, but the creatures horn touched my chest, sending a rush of heat through my body. I gasped and opened my eyes.
The moonlit grove had disappeared. A meadow surrounded me, tall grasses waving in the wind, a faint pink glow lighting the horizon. The last traces of a weird dream fluttered across my mind: moving trees, talking deer, a creature made of frost and moonlight. I wondered what was real, and what had just been the effects of the delirium. I felt fine nowbetter than fine. Some of it must have been real.
Then the grass rustled, as if something crept up behind me.
I whipped around and saw my backpack sitting a few feet away, bright orange against the green. Snatching it up, I pulled it open. The food was gone, of course, as were the flashlight and the aspirin, but my extra clothes were there, crumpled into a ball and sopping wet.
Confused, I stared at the pack. What could have brought it here all the way from the goblins camp? I didnt think Grimalkin would have gone back for it, especially since that would have meant crossing the river again. But, here was my packmoldy and wet, but still here. At least the clothes would dry.
And then I remembered something else. Something that made me wince.
Unzipping the side pouch, I pulled out my dripping, water-logged iPod.
Dammit. I sighed, looking it over. The screen was blurry and warped, totally ruined, a years savings down the drain. I shook it and heard water sloshing inside. Not good. Just to be sure, I plugged in the headphones and turned it on. Nothing. Not even a buzz. It was well and truly dead.
Sadly, I replaced it in the pocket and zipped it back up. So much for listening to Aerosmith in Faeryland. I was about to go looking for Grimalkin when a giggle overhead made me glance up.
Something crouched in the branches. Something small and misshapen, watching me with glowing green eyes. I saw the outline of a sinewy body, long thin arms, and goblinlike ears. Only it wasnt a goblin. It was too small for that, and more disturbing, it seemed intelligent.
The monster saw me watching it and offered a slow smile. Its teeth, pointed and razor sharp, glimmered with neon-blue fire, just before it vanished. And I dont mean it scuttled off or faded away like a ghost. It blipped out of sight, like the image on a computer screen.
Like that thing I saw in the computer lab.
Definitely time to go.
I found Grimalkin sunning himself on a rock, eyes shut, purring deep in his throat. He cracked open a lazy eye as I came rushing up.
Were leaving, I told him, shrugging into my backpack. Youre going to take me to Puck, Im going to rescue Ethan, and were going home. And if I never see another goblin, nixie, cait sith or whatever, itll be too soon.
Grimalkin yawned. Infuriatingly, he took his sweet time getting up, stretching, yawning, scratching his ears, making sure every hair was in place. I stood, nearly dancing with impatience, wanting to grab him by the scruff of the neck, though I knew Id probably be shredded for it.
Arcadia, the Summer Court, is close, Grimalkin said as he finally deemed himself ready to start. Remember, you owe me a small debt when we find your Puck. He leaped from the rock to the ground, looking back at me solemnly. I will claim my price as soon as we find him. Dont forget.
We walked for hours, through a forest that seemed to be constantly closing in on us. In the corners of my eyes, branches, leaves, even tree trunks moved and shifted, reaching out for me. Sometimes Id pass a tree or bush, only to see the same one farther down the path. Laughter echoed from the canopy overhead, and strange lights winked and bobbed in the distance. Once, a fox peeked at us from beneath a fallen log, a human skull perched on its head. None of this bothered Grimalkin, who trotted down the forest trail with his tail up, never looking back to see if I followed.
Night had descended, and the enormous blue moon was high overhead, when Grimalkin stopped, flattening his ears. With a hiss, he slipped off the trail and vanished into a patch of ferns. Startled, I looked up to see a pair of riders approaching, glowing bright in the darkness. Their mounts were gray and silver, and the hooves didnt touch the ground as they broke into a canter, straight for me.
I stood my ground as they approached. There was no use trying to outrun hunters on horseback. As they got closer, I saw the riders: tall and elegant, with sharp features and coppery hair tied into a tail. They wore silver mail that flashed in the moonlight, and carried long, thin blades at their sides.
The horses surrounded me, snorting steam, their breath hanging in the air like clouds. Atop their mounts, the knights glared down with unnatural beauty, their features too fine and delicate to be real. Are you Meghan Chase? one of them asked, his voice high and clear like a flute. His eyes flashed, the color of the summer sky.
I swallowed. Yes.
You will come with us. His Majesty King Oberon, Lord of the Summer Court, has sent for you.
CHAPTER NINE
In the Seelie Court
I rode in front of an elven knight, who had one arm wrapped securely around my waist while the other held the reins. Grimalkin dozed in my lap, a warm, heavy weight, and refused to talk to me. The knights wouldnt answer any of my questions, either: where we were going, if they knew Puck, or why King Oberon wanted me. I didnt even know if I was a prisoner or a guest of these people, though I supposed I would find out soon enough. The horses flew over the forest floor, and I saw up ahead that the trees were beginning to thin.
We broke through the tree line, and ahead of us rose an enormous mound. It towered above us in ancient, grassy splendor, the pinnacle seeming to brush the sky. Thorny trees and brambles grew everywhere, especially near the top, so the whole thing resembled a large bearded head. Around it grew a hedge bristling with thorns, some longer than my arm. The knights spurred their horses toward the thickest part of the hedge. I wasnt surprised when the brambles parted for them, forming an arch that they rode beneath, before settling back with a loud crunching sound.
I was surprised when the horses rode straight at the side of the hill without slowing, and I clutched Grimalkin tightly, making him growl in protest. The mound neither opened up nor moved aside in any way; we rode into the hill and through, sending a shiver all the way down my spine to my toes.
Blinking, I gazed around at total chaos.
A massive courtyard stretched before me, a great circular platform of ivory pillars, marble statues, and flowering trees. Fountains hurled geysers of water into the air, multicolored lights danced over the pools, and flowers in the full spectrum of the rainbow bloomed everywhere. Strains of music reached my ears, a combination of harps and drums, strings and flutes, bells and whistles, somehow lively and melancholy at the same time. It brought tears to my eyes, and suddenly all I wanted to do was slide off the horse and dance until the music consumed me and I was lost in it. Thankfully, Grimalkin muttered something like Get hold of yourself and dug his claws into my wrist, snapping me out of it.
Faeries were everywhere, sitting on the marble steps or benches, dancing together in small groups, or just wandering around. My eyes could not take it in fast enough. A man with a bare chest and shaggy legs ending in hooves winked at me from the shade of a bush. A willowy girl with green-tinted skin stepped out of a tree, scolding a child hanging from the branches. The boy stuck out his tongue, flicked his squirrel tail, and darted higher into the foliage.
Faeries were everywhere, sitting on the marble steps or benches, dancing together in small groups, or just wandering around. My eyes could not take it in fast enough. A man with a bare chest and shaggy legs ending in hooves winked at me from the shade of a bush. A willowy girl with green-tinted skin stepped out of a tree, scolding a child hanging from the branches. The boy stuck out his tongue, flicked his squirrel tail, and darted higher into the foliage.