Thaumatology 11 - For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll Read online

  ‘House Silvershield brokered the marriage,’ Ishifa said, ‘so they are probably safe. There are several Unseelie families who would like to see it fail, however. The Darksuns have murdered a number of prominent Unseelie which has made them unpopular in some circles. However, they hold blackmail material on enough of them that the risk is diminished. The Wildhorn family are probably the worst threat, though also the most disorganised.’

  ‘I’m amazed they still survive,’ Twill interrupted. ‘They’re old-style Sidhe. They don’t have a true stronghold, just encampments they move around the mountains between the North and South Lands. Most of them can’t write! They like chaos, long-term planning is not their strong point, but they are very good at stalking, hunting, and killing, and their chaos makes them unpredictable.’

  ‘There are none of them on the guest list, but they could crash the party. There’s also House Araket. You won’t know them, Mistress, they were formed out of the union of the Sheeran and Toberian families about fifty years ago.’

  ‘Those I know,’ Twill commented. ‘The Sheerans cut themselves a territory in the south by wiping out the clans in their neighbouring territories, and the Toberians traffic with demons.’

  Ishifa gave a little nod. ‘They fought each other to a standstill over some patch of swamp and finally decided that working together would be better. They have been pretty open in saying that the joining of the two families in this way is a blatant attempt to bring the Unseelie fae under the full control of the Seelie.’

  ‘They’re right,’ Twill said. Ishifa let out a little gasp, though Ceri could not tell if it was outrage or surprise. ‘The Unseelie haven’t had a real ruling family in… four centuries? Their infighting stops them organising effectively and the Seelie have held sway here ever since Oberon slew Sreng at the Fifth Battle of High Glenn. The reason the Unseelie moved quickly to take Ireland and Scandinavia after the Shattering was a desire to carve out lands for themselves free of Seelie influence.’

  ‘Any of these Araket people on the guest list?’ Ceri asked. Ishifa nodded. ‘So we could have demons to deal with. You’ve got bad fae, and wild fae, and fae who just don’t like your family after you. Oh, and the royal family isn’t entirely pleased. Is it too late to decline the invitation?’ She grinned as she said it and the sound of wind chimes filled the air as Twill laughed.

  ‘Well,’ Twill replied, ‘with a sorceress, a half-demon, and a werewolf guarding me, I think they’ll attack Joshia instead.’

  ‘Quite possibly,’ Ishifa stated. ‘I heard his eldest brother, Briarin, is upset that he’s not the one getting married and would happily see Joshia dead. Briarin is one of Joshia’s bearers.’

  ‘You may not end up getting married anyway, Twill,’ Michael rumbled.

  Twill sat back and sighed. ‘I don’t believe my luck is anything like that good at the moment, dear.’

  ~~~

  A lunchtime discussion of the actual ceremony involved in the wedding was interrupted by the arrival of a fairy through the little door in the eaves. This one looked young, with brown skin, purple hair, and wings very like Twill’s. She flew in with a slightly hesitant motion, though she was trying her best to look confident and a little imperious.

  Twill looked up at her and smiled. ‘Good afternoon, Linida. What does Mother want?’

  The girl flew closer to the chairs where the group were eating fruit and cheese accompanied by a pleasant red wine. ‘She wants to know whether you want your stuff for the festival brought over here.’ Linida’s eyes darted about, taking in the larger people while trying to look like she was uninterested.

  ‘And you wanted to meet our guests?’ Twill suggested. The fairy’s cheeks coloured, but Twill continued before she could deny anything. ‘This is Linida, my youngest sister. Linida, this is Ceridwyn Brent, Lily Carpenter, and Michael.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you, I’m sure,’ Linida said.

  ‘Linida was twelve when I left,’ Twill went on. ‘She barely remembered me. She was such a cute little thing back then, but she’s grown into a perfect example of a Wintergreen princess.’

  Ceri raised an eyebrow at Twill, who was sitting on the arm of the loveseat beside Lily. There had been more than a hint of sarcasm in the statement, but Linida apparently thought it was a huge compliment. ‘Pleased to meet you, Linida.’

  ‘She’s still cute,’ Lily said, a smile playing over her lips. Linida’s cheeks went redder.

  Michael said, ‘Hello, ma’am,’ which brought on wider eyes; the young fae was not used to being treated with any respect, it seemed.

  ‘How many brothers and sisters do you have, Twill?’ Ceri asked. Linida frowned, probably at the use of the name.

  ‘Two brothers, seven sisters. Father wanted more sons, but Mother said ten children was quite enough.’ There was a slight pause and then, ‘Which is why Linida is my youngest full sister. I believe I have around twenty half-siblings that Father keeps an eye on in case he needs an extra heir. Currently unacknowledged, of course.’

  ‘Gloriandel!’ Linida squeaked.

  ‘Don’t be such a prude, Linida. Everyone knows Father has been sowing his seed in any furrow he can find.’

  ‘We don’t talk about that kind of thing in front of strangers,’ Linida admonished.

  ‘They aren’t strangers, Linida. I know them better than I know you. I’ll come over to the house with Ishifa to get ready. There’s no need to have things brought over.’

  ‘I’ll go with you,’ Ceri said. ‘If we’re supposed to be guarding you, we should take it seriously.’

  Slightly higher-pitched wind chimes sounded as Linida laughed. ‘That… wouldn’t work. You wouldn’t fit, and we can all fly so there are no stairs.’

  Ceri smiled at her. ‘That won’t be a problem.’ Linida looked confused for a second, but then pulled herself up straight and nodded before flying out through the eaves. ‘What about these celebrations tonight, Twill?’ Ceri asked. ‘What’s going to happen?’

  ‘It’s primarily a fire and fertility festival,’ Twill replied. She picked up a tiny tankard of wine and took a sip. ‘The start of Spring, traditional time for new lambs, that kind of thing. There will be a feast in the Great Hall, with a huge fire burning in the hearth. Lots of eating and drinking.’ She frowned. ‘Be careful, there’s likely to be some fae wine doing the rounds. Ishifa will be on hand to check my food and drink for poison.’ She favoured the younger fairy with a smile. ‘Sometime around midnight that will start to break up, which is generally when the fertility aspect gets going. I thought we could just escape the crowd and come back here. Orgy optional.’ Her wind chime laugh sounded through the room. Ishifa went scarlet.

  ~~~

  A commotion outside brought them all to the window of the little suite in time to see Ophelia walking out into the main courtyard in front of the castle to greet the new arrivals. The Unseelie had changed clothes and was now in a pair of very tight britches, high-heeled boots, and a red corset with lace around the bottom. Far more fitting for the setting than the jeans and T-shirt she had initially arrived in.

  ‘That will be the Darksuns,’ Twill said, her voice sounding resigned.

  Two large carriages pulled by four horses in ornately decorated harnesses had pulled up. Each carriage bore an emblem on the side; a gold disk with black, stylised flames coming from it. Ceri figured that was the family crest, or something similar. Four Sidhe guards in black leather armour climbed out, followed by a small horde of sprites. They all appeared to be pale skinned from what Ceri could see. An examination of their wings would have to wait until they were a lot closer.

  ‘Can you see Joshia?’ Lily asked.

  ‘My eyes aren’t that good, Lily. Besides, I only met him once and that was over a century ago. The couple talking to Ophelia will be Narada and Qualika, his parents, so… I suspect the one hanging just behind them is likely Joshia.’

  ‘He doesn’t exactly look happy to be here,’ Michael commented. ‘Maybe he’s changed his m
ind about the free fairy sex.’

  ‘Possible,’ Twill acknowledged. ‘Not that it would matter. He’s getting married whether he wants to or not, just as I am.’ She turned, heading back into the room. ‘We’ll let them get settled, then we’ll go over and get ready for the party.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ Ceri replied, turning away herself. Lily followed her, Michael staying at the window to watch for things getting quiet.

  ‘I don’t understand though,’ Ishifa said as Ceri returned to her chair. ‘Linida was right, you’ll never fit in the rooms over there, never mind getting through the corridors.’

  ‘Oh, I’m very flexible,’ Ceri replied. ‘Extremely flexible when I need to be.’

  ~~~

  ‘You didn’t need to undress to do this,’ Twill commented from Ceri’s shoulder. They were walking across the courtyard to the main hall, Ishifa flying along beside them.

  ‘You’re not wearing anything,’ Ceri pointed out. ‘I doubt anyone else will be upstairs.’

  ‘Yes, but you’re a human, not a fairy.’

  ‘When in Rome, do as the Roman fairies do.’ Twill’s laughter drew the attention of the two guards standing beside the open door. They looked perplexed as a naked human with a fairy on her shoulder and another flying after walked past them into the hall.

  It really was quite a Great Hall. Not, perhaps, as high as some Ceri had seen, but big with three long, dark, polished wood tables running down it to a forth table which was presumably the High Table. To their right was a massive fireplace, currently unlit but stacked with enough wood to build a bonfire. The walls were white marble, and the ceiling was held up with four huge pillars carved to resemble tree trunks.

  ‘Head straight through to the back,’ Twill instructed, and they walked on through to one of two huge doors which led onto a corridor behind the hall. The fairy pointed upward as soon as they were through the door. ‘Up there.’ “Up there” was a hole in the ceiling about six inches in diameter.

  ‘Right,’ Ceri said. ‘You’d better move.’ Twill lifted smoothly off Ceri’s shoulder as she started drawing on her power. Spells were easier here; the world had a higher magic level than Earth, not massively higher, but enough that it was easier to twist reality a little. Or a lot. Ceri formed the spell in her head, funnelled power through it, and let it go. The world around her began growing, though it was really that she was shrinking. Ishifa let out a little gleeful gasp as Ceri got smaller until, a few seconds later, she was the same height as they were. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling, summoned the power for a second spell, and floated smoothly upward.

  ‘She did say she was flexible,’ Twill pointed out to her maid as she flitted upward, getting ahead of Ceri to lead the way.

  ‘Very flexible,’ Ishifa agreed, bringing up the rear.

  The castle above was something of a warren. The entrance hole, which could be sealed with a huge, bronze gate, led onto a hallway from which corridors went off in six directions. Twill headed off down the one to the east and then it was a matter of taking upward flights, more corridors, up again, along again, until Ceri was entirely lost and glad she was likely to never have to find her way through it again. Her dragon pendant would have allowed her to remember the route, but she had had to leave that behind; only her ankle chain and bracelet, both cursed to remain attached no matter what, would shrink with her.

  Ceri got some distinctly odd looks from the servants in the corridors. She was clearly not a fairy, and there she was, four and a half inches high and walking down the corridors of the castle with Mistress Gloriandel, quite naked and unconcerned. Linida spotted them as she walked down a cross-corridor and her eyes practically bulged out of her head. They seemed to be going a long way up, and the last section was vertically upward into one of the towers. There was a small landing and a door, and then they were in Twill’s rooms.

  It was very spacious, for someone barely a hand-width high. The bedroom was large, with a window overlooking the estate which had a seat under it. The bed itself was a four-poster; not as big as the old cot Twill slept in in High Towers, but quite big enough. There were also several chairs, and a chaise longe. All the furniture appeared to have been made by a craftsman of considerable skill, probably just the one since the style was consistent throughout. There was a bathroom much like the one in the guest suite, just more opulent, and a walk-in wardrobe the relative size of Ceri’s bedroom. There were not many clothes in it, but then Twill had not been there for years and rarely wore clothes anyway. The room did have a dressing table, however, and a huge number of bottles and jars which Ceri took to be make-up.

  ‘Nice place,’ Ceri commented.

  ‘I prefer my attic,’ Twill replied. She glanced at Ishifa. ‘Let’s get on with this. I’d like to be out of here before…’

  ‘Gloriandel, dear?’ The voice came from outside the room just before the door opened and a fairy Ceri did not recognise walked in. She was not tall, even for a fairy, and clearly older than any of the others Ceri had met, but you could barely tell. She had a shapely figure, a little larger in the hips than Twill, and with a tiny bit more sag in her breasts. The most telling thing was the slightly faded blue of her wings and the hint of grey in her long, dark blue hair. ‘Linida said you were here and… oh!’ She came to a stop, blinking in surprise as she actually took in the fact that the woman immediately in front of her did not have wings.

  ‘Mother,’ Twill said, and it was clear to Ceri that she was trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice, ‘I’d like to introduce you to Ceridwyn Brent. Ceri, this is Aderiel Wintergreen, my mother.’

  ‘Welcome to my home, Ceridwyn Brent,’ Aderiel said, smiling happily, if a little vacantly. Despite not having her pendant, Ceri saw the hardness in the woman’s eyes. She was trying to play the happy mother of the bride, the simple hostess, and she was standing there calculating.

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.’ Probably better to show some deference, even if Ceri’s first thought was to turn the woman into a flatworm.

  ‘That’s a very clever piece of magic. It was my understanding that humans had not mastered such spells.’

  ‘Ceri is not exactly a typical human, Mother,’ Twill pointed out.

  ‘Ah yes, you’re a sorceress, aren’t you? Some dragon blood involved in your heritage?’

  Ceri smiled. ‘Brenin and Brenhines, and through Brenin’s line to Gorefguhadget. Some of the most powerful practitioners ever, yes. I’m heir to the power of the White City and the Overlordship of Demons. But mostly I had a very good education in thaumatology. I’m a very good scientist.’

  The information about Gorefguhadget caught the elder fairy by surprise, but she masked it pretty quickly; Ceri was impressed. ‘Well… I’m sure you have preparations to make for this evening. I’m glad to see my daughter is in such good hands.’ She turned, heading back through the door, and Ceri turned back to Twill, still smiling.

  ‘That,’ Twill said, ‘was mean. She thinks she has the Morrigan or something in the wedding party.’

  Ceri’s smile turned into a smirk. ‘Between me, Lil, and Michael, we could probably stop an army. She has a right to be scared. I scare me at times.’

  Twill laughed and turned to the little dressing room-come-wardrobe. ‘Come, Ishifa, let’s get this over with. You know, Ceri, the fact that Gorefguhadget was actually a dragon is going to go through the gossip chain like wildfire.’ She walked into the little room, stopping in the middle with a sigh while Ishifa went to the table to get a book, a brush, and a pot of something.

  ‘Yes, the legendary Overlord of All Demons was not even a demon,’ Ceri said, stopping in the doorway, perplexed. ‘What exactly is it you’re doing?’

  ‘It’s a fertility festival, dear. Fairies don’t wear clothes, there are traditional designs to be painted onto the skin.’

  ‘I don’t have to do that, do I?’

  ‘It’s a fairy custom. Sprites don’t even do it.’ Ishifa had found the page she wanted and w
as already starting to paint white leaf patterns down Twill’s arms.

  ‘You realise Lil is going to want that as soon as she sees you, right?’

  ‘I had taken that into account, yes. You’ll be wearing your costume for the wedding. It was chosen to suit your body style and bearing. You’re playing a seductress-witch archetype. It’s a sort of tabard style gown in black with red leaf patterns woven into the fabric. Quite beautiful.’

  Ceri grimaced. ‘I saw it. I’ll be practically naked.’

  ‘Says the girl standing there naked.’

  Ishafa had started on the other arm. ‘Do you mind if I ask what your tattoo signifies, Mistress Brent?’

  Unconsciously, Ceri reached to the back of her right hip where the roughly circular image of a dragon curled nose to tail was printed under her skin. ‘It’s not a tattoo. It’s… It was the emblem of my draconic ancestors. It kind of formed itself after I came into my power. Apparently it was there when I was a child too. My parents hid it with the rest of my magic. I’m not exactly sure what it signifies. Maybe just who I am. And please don’t call me that, you’re not my servant.’

  Ishifa gave her a quick smile. ‘It’s pretty.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Ceri was still not sure about having the thing there, but she had to admit there were worse looking tattoos about.

  It took about thirty minutes before Ishifa was happy with her artwork and Twill was starting to get too irritated to continue. By that time Ceri had got the general idea behind the design. There was a generally decorative leaf design down Twill’s arms and the sides of her legs, and across her back. The white fronds and outlines were filled in with gold. At the front the pattern was decorative, but more… symbolic. Leaves swirled around her breasts, highlighting her nipples. More leaves cascaded down over her torso making a beeline down to point at the other primary erogenous zone.

  ‘So,’ Ceri said when Ishifa was finished, ‘the basic idea is “here it is, boys, come get it.”’