Witch Undercover Page 6

  Did the hunters catch him visiting my dad? Is that why he disappeared?

  The elves’ king lived inside a giant hollow tree with sprawling roots extending across the forest floor. In the surrounding bushes stood countless elves dressed in green and brown, wielding sharpened branches like spears. They knew who I was by now, so they let me pass without a fuss. As I did so, I snapped my fingers to undo my glamour, bringing out my wings.

  Not that it made it any easier to get into the elves’ tunnel, which was built for people a foot shorter than me. As usual, I had to walk at a crouch through the narrow passageway until it widened into a cave.

  Inside, the elf king sat in the centre on a tree stump carved into the likeness of a throne. He wore clothes patterned with gold leaves and a crown on his head. I bent into an awkward bow, conscious of the mud on my knees from crawling in the tunnel.

  “Blair Wilkes,” said the elf king. “It has been some time since we last spoke.”

  “It has.” The king might look human, but he wasn’t, and was quick to take offence. I had to tread with caution if I wanted to gain the answers I needed. “Is there a reason you wanted to speak with me?”

  “A human was found wandering around under the effects of a spell,” he said. “That human is still here in Fairy Falls.”

  “Yes,” I said. “He is, but we can’t let him leave until we find out how to undo the spell he’s under. We don’t want any other normals to end up affected, too.”

  “Yes, we must maintain our secrecy,” said the elf king. “That is why you must investigate the goblin market and find the person who is enacting trickery on humans.”

  My mouth parted in surprise. “I was at the market yesterday and I tried asking questions, but nobody there knew how the human came to be under a spell. They weren’t lying, either.”

  The elf king looked down at me with an unreadable expression on his pointed face. “The goblins are well practised in the act of deceit, and if they are bewitching humans without consequence, it will spell bad news for all of our kind.”

  “I know, but I didn’t find any conclusive evidence that they might be responsible,” I said. “Madame Grey has taken on responsibility for the normal as long as he’s in the hospital, but until the spell wears off, we can only guess how he ended up in that state.”

  “Precisely why you must take it upon yourself to learn the source of the trickery,” he said firmly. “You have your feet in two worlds, which gives you a unique insight.”

  “Um, I wouldn’t say it does,” I said. “The fairies at the market weren’t all that keen to speak to me. They saw me as a human.”

  “They did,” he said, “which is why you must convince them otherwise.”

  I frowned. “You mean go in as a fairy.”

  Maybe that’s why they’d been so disdainful towards me. I’d been wearing my glamour while I’d spoken to them and they’d seen me as an outsider. But would that really change if I got out my wings?

  “Exactly,” said the elf king.

  I wasn’t convinced. Fairy or human, I was still a newbie to that side of the magical world, and if someone at the market had bewitched that poor human, it seemed unlikely that the fairies would tell tales on one another to a stranger.

  On the other hand, if I showed them I wanted to learn more about the fairies, perhaps I’d have a better shot at finding answers about the Pixie-Glass.

  “Even if I did that, the laws of Fairy Falls don’t cover the market,” I said. “It sounds like Steve doesn’t want to know. So even if I managed to find who did it, I wouldn’t be able to hand them over to the authorities.”

  I debated asking him if he’d sent one of his people to snoop around as the goblins had claimed, but that probably wasn’t a wise idea.

  “Yes, the laws of the market are self-contained,” he growled. “However, someone lured the human into the market to begin with, and that is grounds for punishment with the weight of the magical laws.”

  “So I have to find who invited him in? As opposed to who gave him the drink?”

  That seemed a tall order. There’d been dozens of people at the market, and they probably attracted a new crowd every day.

  “It should not be difficult,” said Bramble. “The goblins are known for their trickery and cannot resist bragging of their accomplishments to one another.”

  “I heard elves and goblins aren’t traditionally the best of friends,” I said. “Um, not that I’m accusing you of anything, but there’s an elf in the hospital called Thistle who’s a known troublemaker. He’s the one who sent me to the market, and the other day, he was nearly arrested for exposing our world to normals. Doesn’t that make him likely to be responsible for tricking a normal?”

  “I know of that elf,” said Bramble. “A fool, but not one who intends harm.”

  I had my doubts, but it was possible that the elves knew perfectly well that he was more likely to be the culprit and were too stubborn to admit it. Then again, the goblins hadn’t exactly seemed concerned about the consequences for anyone who ended up drinking their magical brews.

  “Might he have brought the goblin brew with him into the town?” I pressed. “He might have given it to the human himself without him ever having to enter the market.”

  “Whether he did or not, you are to find answers, Blair Wilkes,” said the elf king. “I must stress that this is not just important for all of us, but for the sake of your people, too.”

  “You mean…” I faltered. “You think people might blame the fairies?”

  The slight problem with that was that I was the only fairy in town. Aside from Buck, but he didn’t live in Fairy Falls, and besides, few people knew what he was. He hadn’t interacted with the fairies at the market either. But then, not much was at stake for him. He’d never met his fairy parent, let alone communicated with them behind bars like I had.

  “They might blame all of us, Blair,” he said. “Many do not trust the fae, with good reason.”

  I thought back to the kindly fairy man I’d met. He hadn’t seemed as unfriendly as the two women had, but could I really tell anything from one interaction? “All right, I’ll go back to the market and ask around. And… can I ask you a question?”

  “A favour, Blair Wilkes?” asked the elf king.

  “Not a favour,” I said. “I just wondered—have you ever heard of a Pixie-Glass?”

  His expression was blank. “I’ve heard the word, yes, but I have never encountered such a thing.”

  True. If the elves hadn’t heard of it, it might be a fairy-only thing. Or as rare as the fairies at the market claimed. Just my luck for my dad to send me after something impossible to find.

  A rush of reckless daring seized me. “My dad mentioned it, so I wondered if he might have said anything while he was here in the forest.”

  Years back, my dad had spent time here among the elf king’s domain. That was the reason the elves had contacted me to start with, though our weird mutual understanding had evolved over time.

  “No,” said the elf king. “He didn’t. Is that all, Blair Wilkes?”

  “Just one more question.” I drew in a breath. “Did you know the hunters recruited fairies?”

  The elven king gave me an appraising look. “What gives you that impression?”

  “I met one.” I tried to ignore the way my heart kicked against my ribs. While the elves weren’t as fond of spreading gossip as, say, the witches or the werewolves, speaking the truth seemed to make the Inquisitor’s presence feel closer than before. “A hunter. He was personally recruited.”

  “We have heard… rumours,” said the king, with a glance at Bramble. “Rumours of the dangerous individual who leads the hunters. We have never met this man, but he is no friend to us.”

  Considering you helped my dad… I guess not. Not that they’d really known what they were getting themselves into at the time. One winter, several years ago, my dad had appeared in the woods and found himself trespassing on the elves’ territory. He’d
begged them for shelter, as he was fleeing for his life, and they’d let him stay, not knowing who it was he fled from.

  Now, I was almost certain that the fairies he’d been fleeing and the hunters who’d caught and jailed him had been one and the same.

  “I don’t understand,” I murmured, half to myself. “Why would fairies hunt other paranormals?”

  “Who can say?” said Bramble. “You’ll have to ask another fairy, one who’s lived in their realm. We do things differently here.”

  No kidding. Despite all the answers the elves had given me, I remained as much in the dark about the fairies as ever. But I hadn’t given up on the market yet. Maybe I did need to go in there as a fairy, and convince the others that I belonged among them, if I wanted the truth.

  I left the forest to find a message from Nathan saying he’d found my note and left for work, so I headed back home instead. I walked into the flat to find Alissa had made us both coffee, which was welcome after trekking in the forest in the cold. Sky, in typical cat fashion, had already wandered back here from Nathan’s house and stolen my place on the sofa.

  I went to change into my work clothes before joining Alissa in the living room.

  “The elves?” she said. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Let me guess… they want a favour from you.”

  “You’ve got it.” I picked up my coffee mug, savouring the warmth. “The elves want me to find the person responsible for giving the goblin brew to that normal. They hinted that the fairies in general might take the blame otherwise. So I have to go back to the market and snoop around as a fairy rather than a witch this time.”

  I’d told Alissa about yesterday’s events before I’d gone to meet Nathan at the pub, and she’d listened with wide eyes as I recounted my misadventures at the market. I’d hesitated before telling her about the two fairies I’d run into, a fresh wave of shame washing over me at the memory. Nathan had been kind about it, but neither he nor Alissa could fully understand the nature of my relationship to the fairies. I didn’t understand it myself, most of the time.

  “When the market arrives in Fairy Falls, it’ll be easier to figure out who’s likely to have made trouble,” Alissa said. “Did anyone strike you as acting suspiciously?”

  “The goblins.” I took a long sip of coffee. “But then again, the elves and goblins are rivals, so it’s entirely possible the elves are trying to get the goblins into trouble. I think Thistle looks more guilty than they do, to be honest. How is he, anyway?”

  “Stubbornly denying knowing Riff at all,” she said. “Personally, I can’t wait for him to be discharged, but no doubt he’ll go running back to the market as soon as it reaches Fairy Falls and end up half-drowned in the lake or something.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me,” I said. “So—is Riff still staying in the town hospital?”

  “We don’t have a choice but to keep him here until he can tell us who he is and where he came from.” Her gaze dropped. “It’s not ideal, but right now, he’s the only person who might be able to help us prevent whoever brought him here from targeting other normals. These things are rarely a one-off.”

  “It’s got to be more than goblin brew,” I said. “If it’s lasted this long. And if someone lured him into the market on purpose, perhaps they might do it again.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “The security team should be able to prevent any more incidents once the market reaches town, though. My grandmother will keep an eye out for trouble, but she always has her hands full at this time of year.”

  “I’ll be at work when the market shows up.” Then again, Veronica seemed keen for us to recruit local businesses to get involved in the market. And they’d need help setting everything up when they arrived in town. Maybe I could convince her to get Dritch & Co involved, too. It had to be worth a try, right?

  Once I had a spare moment at work, I knocked on Veronica’s office door.

  “Come in!” she said in a singsong voice. She was in a good mood. That should make her easier to convince, I hoped.

  I entered her office and had to screw up my eyes against the explosion of bright lights. Disco balls floated on the ceiling, at least five of them, each in a different neon shade. Veronica’s office changed décor depending on her mood, and right now, I guessed she was either bored or happy. Given the way she swivelled on her rotating chair, I’d guess the former.

  She spun to face me. “Something you wanted to ask me, Blair?”

  “Yeah.” I kept my eyes on her face to avoid half-blinding myself. “I know we’ve asked a bunch of local businesses to join the market when it arrives in town, but I wondered how the owners of the market would feel about some of us helping them set up. They’ve travelled a long way, so I think they’d appreciate it.”

  “Some of us?” she said. “Who?”

  “Uh. Me.” I tripped over my words. “I wanted to volunteer to help out. I thought it’d give a great first impression of Fairy Falls, and we might be able to get them interested in hiring us in the future.”

  My speech had sounded better in my head, but I’d said the magic words. Veronica beamed. “Yes, that’s an excellent idea. I’ll make a couple of calls. Blair, you should let the others know. I’m sure my daughter would love to help, too.”

  “Uh, I haven’t talked to Bethan about it—"

  “You can take business cards with you and hand them out,” she went on. “I’ll ask Lizzie to print more fliers, and we’ll set up a proper stall for Dritch & Co. I’m sure the others won’t mind giving you a hand, too.”

  Uh-oh. Bethan and the others wouldn’t be thrilled at me volunteering them for extra work. “We don’t all have to,” I said quickly. “I just had an idea about helping out, but—”

  “Opportunities like this don’t come along every day, Blair.” She rotated on her swivel chair and rose to her feet. “Tell the others, won’t you? I’ll be right behind you.”

  What have I got myself into?

  “You did what?” asked Bethan.

  “We’ll be helping set up the market tomorrow,” said Veronica, clapping her hands at us and making the printer let out a squawk of alarm. “I thought it would be good for the town’s reputation. Blair, thank you for suggesting it.”

  Everyone looked at me, and a flush crept up my neck. Veronica, meanwhile, walked around the office giving orders to the others. “So, we’ll need fifty business cards… make it a hundred. No, five hundred.”

  Lizzie blinked at the boss. “Are you expecting that many people to be interested in hiring us? Don’t forget everyone in town already knows who we are.”

  “Because we’re notorious,” Rob put in cheerfully.

  “And it’s time to capitalise on that reputation,” the boss said, sailing out of the office and letting the door swing shut behind her.

  “Blair.” Bethan’s brow pinched. “What in the world did you do?”

  “I volunteered to help with setting up the market,” I said guiltily. “I didn’t realise she’d rope the whole office into turning it into a marketing opportunity.”

  “Why?” she asked. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a break from sitting in a stuffy office all day, but it’s freezing out there.”

  “I’ll make hot cocoa for all of us,” said Rob, ever the optimist. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Uh-huh.” Lizzie switched on the printer. “If you think standing outside in the rain handing out fliers is fun.”

  “The others at the market might give us freebies for helping out,” said Rob. “I’m told goblin brew rivals werewolf cocktails for potency. Want to try it, Blair?”

  “No thanks.” I shuddered. “Didn’t you hear about the normal who wandered into Fairy Falls the other day? We think he ended up under the influence of something he got at the market. Madame Grey does, anyway.”

  “So you’re volunteering us to play detective?” said Bethan.

  “I volunteered myself,” I said. “I shouldn’t have said anything, but I couldn’t think of a better idea to get behind t
he scenes at the market and find out who might want to trick an unsuspecting human into falling under their spell.”

  Bethan arched a brow. “You didn’t expect my mother to run away with your idea? It’ll be lucky if she doesn’t have us standing out there dressed as Dritch & Co’s mascots.”

  6

  By the end of the workday, my second thoughts about my plan had become third and fourth thoughts, and I was starting to wish I’d just opted to visit the market after work tomorrow instead.

  After I left work, I headed to the hospital on the way to my magic lesson. Despite the elf king’s insistence that the goblins had something to hide, I was inclined to believe Thistle was far from innocent in our visitor’s plight. Alissa wouldn’t be working today, but the elf would be even harder to get hold of once he’d been discharged, so I had to waylay him before then.

  I pushed open the doors and entered the hospital lobby, finding it empty. Maybe I should have waited until after my magic lesson instead.

  “Hello,” said a voice, causing me to jump violently. Old Ava poked her head out from behind a potted plant. The old seer hadn’t dropped her habit of being unpredictable, it seemed.

  “Uh… hi,” I said. “Are you supposed to be out of your room?”

  Based on past experience, I’d say no. The elderly witch sidled into view, her purple wig in disarray and her wand tucked behind her ear. The wand was only a prop, not a real wand—which, given her tendency to threaten to hex the hospital staff on a regular basis, was probably for the best.