The scruffy blond boy shook his head. “Give her a break.” He spoke with a strong Northern accent.
Rowan shot him a grateful look. “It’s not like that. I… I found him.”
There was a shift in the barn at this information, and a few low murmurs from everyone except Tino. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t reacted.
“I got into the fairy realm,” Rowan continued, and Tanya could see her struggling to keep her composure. “I went to the courts and bargained for his return. They set me a task.”
“What kind of task?” Tino asked.
“There was a bracelet. A charm bracelet, based on the thirteen treasures. They split the charms up and hid them in our world. I had to find them all.” She gestured to Tanya and Fabian. “With their help, I did. But the whole thing was a setup. I found out that James isn’t really my brother… he’s my cousin. The woman I grew up believing to be my aunt is really my mother. And James didn’t even recognize me. He was happy where he was, with a fey family who had lost their own son, who loved him. James was a replacement. So… I left him there.” She paused as Tino’s lips pressed into a disapproving line, yet he remained silent. “Afterward, I was given a chance… a chance of a new life off the streets, with a family that understood me. A family that had already helped. So I grabbed it. That’s why I didn’t answer your messages, and why I’ve avoided you.”
“So what’s changed?” Tino asked. “Why did you suddenly decide to come tonight?”
“Because I owe it to you—and to myself—to tell the truth. I don’t want to be part of this anymore. I want… I want out.”
Whispers and gasps rippled around the stone building. Again, Tino did not react.
“I heard something about a girl who’d humiliated the Unseelie leader a few months back,” he murmured. “Not a widely known story, but one that was doing the rounds nonetheless, and gathering momentum. Only ever spoken about in trusted company, of course. And when I heard it, well, I wondered…” He smiled. “It was you, wasn’t it? You stirred up quite a storm, so to speak. The worst winter on record, according to the mortal news reports, for six decades. Snow, hail, and floods all the way up until the Seelie Court resumed power in May.”
“I heard that story,” said Victor. “That was her?”
“She obviously drew attention to herself,” said a new voice from the other side of the building. The boy with untidy black hair rose to his feet. So far, he’d sat silently in the corner and not said a word. He wore trousers of burgundy and black, patterned with horizontal stripes. They were too short for him, giving the impression that he’d had a growth spurt and shot up unexpectedly. He looked older than the scruffy boy and Rowan; probably about sixteen or seventeen. He had a sly manner that Tanya immediately disliked.
“You think the winter king will have forgotten her?” the boy continued. “If she wants to leave, then let her. It’s more dangerous to keep her in. For all we know she could have led them straight to us.”
“I agree with Crooks,” Suki said. “We should let her go—find someone to replace her.”
Tino shook his head, frowning. “That’s not how it works. We all take risks, and we all pose a threat. Any one of us could end up in a situation that compromises our safety. We don’t abandon each other. We stick together.”
“Crooks and Suki are probably right,” Rowan protested. “I’ve already crossed the courts once—”
“You’d love it to be that simple, wouldn’t you?” Tino retorted, his eyes flashing. “Sorry, but it’s not going to be. Your search may have ended, Red, but there are others that are ongoing.”
“The changelings,” Tanya whispered, finally getting it. “These are her contacts—the people who make the switches.”
Fabian gulped.
“I know that,” hissed Rowan. “I did my bit, remember? Risked my neck for months on end, just like we all did. I knew those children were nothing to do with me, yet still I helped. Took on a few of the jobs no one else wanted too, if I remember right!”
“Exactly,” Tino snapped. “And ask yourself why that is.” He stopped suddenly, as if keeping himself in check. An awkward silence filled the building.
Suki was the one to break it. “So why is it, exactly?”
Rowan and Tino glared at each other, neither saying a word. But Tanya had a sudden inkling of what had been coming next, and why Tino had cut off what he was about to say.
It was because Rowan was the best. Out of them all, she was—or had been—the best at what she did. But even though Tino didn’t want to say it in front of the others, it was clear they already knew it. As Tanya glanced from one face to the next, she saw the recognition of Rowan’s talent there in all of them, whether through jealousy, resentment, admiration, or acceptance. Whatever the others felt, Tino didn’t want to let Rowan go.
And he wasn’t going to release her without a fight.
There were two new arrivals following Rowan and Tino’s heated exchange. They were an elderly, red-faced man, oddly named Nosebag, and a wiry black woman with a shaved head and a thin, twisted leg. She moved slowly, and with the aid of a stick. Apart from her face, every inch of flesh on show was heavily tattooed. It soon became apparent that she was mute, for she communicated in simple gestures, and any questions directed her way were phrased to require a nod, shrug, or shake of the head by way of answer.
“Who’s she?” Fabian asked, nodding toward the woman.
“We call her Fix,” said Rowan. “She had polio as a child, in case you’re wondering.”
The small building felt crowded now, with eleven people jammed inside it. Yet still Tino waited. Evidently, more were expected. The night was ticking away, and soon the group broke into small huddles.
Rowan stood protectively by Tanya and Fabian. They were joined by Sparrow. Suki and Crooks stood on the far side, making no attempt to hide that their conversation was about Tanya and Fabian.
Tino, Nosebag, Victor, Samson, and Fix stood talking quietly together, their eyes occasionally straying to the two intruders.
“Do you think they’re going to let us go?” Tanya asked. “What are they going to do with us?”
“I don’t know,” Rowan muttered. “You’ve caused a lot of trouble by coming here tonight. You shouldn’t have followed me.”
“And you should have told us what was going on,” Fabian retorted. “Then we wouldn’t have needed to follow you.”
“It would have helped if you’d stayed out of it,” said Rowan. “The less you know, the better for everyone.” She looked at Sparrow. “Who are we waiting for now? I just want to get this over with.”
“Let’s see,” said Sparrow, glancing about. “Dawn’s still not here. Neither are Peg, Merchant, or Cobbler. I think Tino’s getting worried.”
Tino’s eyes were fixed on the door and his foot was tapping a little jig. “We’ll give them another ten minutes,” he said. “Then we’ll have to start without them. Something must have cropped up for the four of them to miss this.”
“And we still need to decide what to do with them,” said Suki, nodding to Tanya and Fabian.
Tanya felt her stomach twist into knots. She wished Sparrow would leave them and stand with one of the other groups so she and Fabian could talk to Rowan properly, but she guessed he had been given some unspoken instruction to remain in earshot of them.
“Red,” she whispered. “What do you think they’re going to do with us? And how… how did that girl, Suki, know we were outside? I heard her say something as they came over to our hiding place. She said, ‘I sense it.’ ”
“And something else,” Fabian put in. “She knew Oberon was about to attack, just before he did. How did she know that?”
Rowan glanced at Sparrow worriedly before answering.
“She just… Suki knows things. Before they happen.”
“You mean she’s psychic?” Tanya asked.
“Yes.”
“So she knows when children have been stolen and replaced by fairies?” Tanya
asked. “Is that it?”
“Sometimes,” said Rowan shortly. “Among other things. Stop asking questions.”
“You didn’t answer our question about what they’re going to do with us,” Fabian persisted.
Rowan looked at Sparrow again. “You’ve probably got a better idea than I do—you’ve been… involved for longer.”
Sparrow nodded, his hair flopping over his face.
“He’ll let them go. But maybe not tonight—”
“What? I can’t go back without them!” Rowan hissed. “He’s got to let them go.”
“He will,” Sparrow repeated. “But he’s not going to risk them talking about what—and who—they’ve seen tonight, now is he?”
“What’s he talking about, Red?” Fabian asked fearfully. “We won’t say anything to anyone, you know that! Tell them we can keep a secret!”
“It’s not as simple as that,” said Sparrow. “You might not mean to tell no one else what you’ve seen, like. But if the wrong person was to find you… knew you’d been with us…” He left the sentence hanging.
“If someone… made us talk, you mean,” said Tanya in a small voice.
“Exactly,” said Sparrow. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.”
“But we don’t know anything, not really,” said Fabian.
“What you do know is too much,” Sparrow replied. “And it can’t be risked. My guess is that Tino’ll see to it that you can’t remember nothing.”
“He’ll wipe our memories?” Tanya asked.
“Just the memory of us, I meant,” Sparrow said quickly.
“He’s not doing anything with my memories,” said Fabian. “I’ll fight anyone who tries!”
“Calm down,” said Rowan. “I’ll talk to him. Just give me a minute. I need to figure out what I can say that’ll persuade him to let you go.” She raised her hands to her temples. “And to let me go.”
“Then you’ve got a job on your hands,” said Sparrow. He lowered his voice. “I can understand, though, even if they can’t. Most of us, well, we ain’t got nothing to go back to, or to change for. But you—you’ve been given a second chance.” He gave a slow, sad smile, revealing his chipped tooth and the dimple in his cheek. “I was angry with you at first. I felt like you’d deserted us. But now, I don’t blame you for wanting to take that chance.”
Tanya rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them. The night had grown colder, and now her breath was clouding the air. Through the gap in the roof she saw bright stars peppering the sky. The heat from the long walk had left her limbs. Now they just felt sore and achy, and she knew Fabian must feel the same.
Nosebag shuffled over, eyeing her sympathetically. “Cold, are ye?” he said.
Tanya nodded. The old man reached into the pockets of his overcoat and removed a cloth bag tied with string. Shaking it open, he offered it to her. “Just the thing for it,” he said.
Tanya looked at Rowan for reassurance.
“It’s all right,” she said. “You can trust Nosebag.”
Tanya reached into the bag and her fingers found something small and rough. She pulled it out. “What is it?”
Nosebag chuckled and offered the bag to Fabian. “Get it down ye—it’ll put some fire in ye belly!”
“It’s ginger,” Fabian whispered as Nosebag walked away. “Raw ginger. You need to peel off the skin, and then you can eat it.”
The smell of the ginger was warming in itself, but when Tanya nibbled a piece her eyes watered. Fire was certainly a good description. In a minute or so a blazing, delicious heat spread from her mouth to her tummy, and her mouth tingled with the spicy flavor.
“Here,” said Rowan, throwing the fox-skin coat around Tanya’s shoulders. “You get under it as well, Fabian, if you’re cold.”
Fabian obliged, huddling close to Tanya beneath the fox fur and coughing a little from the strength of the ginger.
“That’s an unusual coat,” said Suki, her eyes narrowed. The other Coven members turned to look.
“What is that thing?” Sparrow said in disgust. “It’s hideous—the poor foxes.” He reached out and gingerly touched one of the fox ears above Tanya’s face. Looking past him she saw that the coat had drawn curious glances from a few of the others too.
“I know,” Rowan answered. “You’re right, it is gruesome. But I—”
“Then why wear it?” Suki said cattily.
Tino came closer, his eyes lingering on the coat with interest.
“Because… it’s not just a coat,” said Rowan.
Tino’s eyes glinted. “Show us.”
Rowan held out her hand without enthusiasm, and Tanya and Fabian slid out of the coat and passed it to her. With a practiced touch, she flicked it around her shoulders and hooked the clasp.
There was a unanimous intake of breath as the transformation took place. Rowan pranced about, weaving around people’s legs, her fox senses heightened once more. Oberon gave a little whine as she approached, then, catching her scent, he relaxed and allowed his tail to thump.
Tino’s mouth was still open as Rowan threw the coat off and resumed her true form again. She made to pass it back to Tanya and Fabian, but Tino reached for it.
“Where did you get this?” he asked, running his hands over the fur. “This level of glamour—it’s not easy to come by.”
“There was a cottage… in the fairy realm,” Rowan said. “It belonged to a woman known as the Hedgewitch. When I went into the fairy realm to look for James, she captured me. Threw me in her cellar and kept me prisoner. I didn’t know what she wanted from me at first… but there were two others being held prisoner too. One of them… well, he told me she was a glamour-maker. Not only that, but that she sold dark magic, and curses too.”
She paused and swallowed. She had not wanted to dredge this up, even though she’d known it was inevitable. The entire group was silent, waiting for her to continue.
“Go on,” said Suki.
“She was an old woman when she first got me into the cottage. But then she pulled something out of her hair—another strand of hair that she’d tied into her own, looped with trinkets and charms. As soon as she took it out, she changed into someone else. The old woman was one of her captives—she’d been using her as a disguise. That’s how she fooled her victims.
“She changed her disguises regularly. I don’t know why—maybe they only lasted for a short time, or maybe she just did it to throw off anyone or anything that suspected her. That’s what she wanted me for. Her new disguise. She was going to make a glamour… pretend to be me, so she could fool people.”
“So the coat was one of her creations?” Tino asked.
Rowan nodded. “There were animal skins everywhere. Hanging from the rafters. Some were dry. Others were still… fresh. Dripping with blood. The whole place smelled of death. There were animals in cages all around the cottage. Before I escaped I set them free.”
“So how did you escape?” Crooks asked with interest, if not concern.
“She took some of my hair and a few drops of blood and started to chant. She was working some kind of spell. But what she didn’t know, what she couldn’t have known, is that she couldn’t harm me with her magic. No one can.”
Suki cocked a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “That’s a bold statement, isn’t it?”
“It’s the truth,” Rowan said simply. “The reason I can’t be harmed by evil magic is because my name protects me. My name is Rowan.” She paused for a moment, scanning their faces. Tino’s smile was calculating. Suki scowled and averted her gaze. Apart from Sparrow, who had known her real name after seeing a missing persons picture in a newspaper when they first met, she had never told any of the Coven her real name, and she did not know their true names either. It was safer that way. And judging from the reactions in the room, Sparrow had kept her secret.
“When the Hedgewitch tried to use her magic to harm me, it backfired,” Rowan continued. “She’d started to look like me… but the change killed her
, right in front of my eyes. I didn’t know it was my name protecting me then, didn’t know what had made it happen. But the witch made it clear that she thought I’d poisoned her somehow. After that, we ransacked the cottage and got back our belongings. That’s when I saw the coat. I didn’t realize what it did until I tried it on—it was the only one there that was enchanted. We knew then that she must have made it for someone, someone coming to collect it. We left pretty quickly after that and made our way to the courts.”
“We?” Tino asked. “You and the two other prisoners?”
Rowan’s eyes dropped to the ground. “No. I only left with one of the other prisoners.” She nodded at Fabian. “His father.”
“What happened to the other one?” said Samson.
Rowan cleared her throat. “We—” She stopped and corrected herself. “I left him there. In the cellar.”
“You didn’t help him?” Suki asked incredulously. “Why not?”
“I found out that he was there the night my bro—the night James was taken. He watched it happen and did nothing. I wanted to punish him. So I made sure he couldn’t leave,” Rowan said. Her face started to tingle with heat. She couldn’t work out whether it was shame or anger. Maybe it was both. “I found the key that would free him. I threw it away. For all I know, he’s still there.”
The stunned silence that followed was broken by a low whistle from Samson.
“That’s cold,” he said. “You’re cold, Red.”
“She’s brilliant,” Tino said, laughing harshly.
“I’m not proud of what I did,” Rowan muttered, unable to meet anyone’s eyes now. “If I could go back and change it—”
“You’d do the exact same thing,” Tino cut in. “You had your chance against one of the very people who’d wronged you, and you took it. You had your revenge. How many of us can say the same?” He grinned triumphantly. “There’s no shame in it. This is another victory for the Coven and a lesson to those in the changeling trade that for every child they take, they’ll pay the price. You see, this is exactly why we need you, Rowan. Why I can’t let you go. Your ruthlessness is one of our biggest assets. And that coat—it’s going to be one of our most valuable tools of the trade—”