I didn’t buy that for a second.“You are going to explain everything.Right now.Why is the Red Queen here and why is Oberon trapped in another realm?”
Tani’s eyes widened, then narrowed into slits.She swung her gaze toward the queen.“You told her.”
Red said nothing, gave Tani a frosty look.
“Okay, clearly I’m not getting anywhere with both of you in the room,” I said.“Red—bedroom.Now.I want to talk to Tani alone.”
When the queen didn’t budge, I looked at Owen.“Would you mind?”
“Of course,” he said, stepping aside and gesturing toward the stairs.
The Red Queen sniffed, scooped up her skirts, and swept toward the hallway with as much dignity as one could muster after a lamp-throwing brawl.Willow trotted after them like a furry little guard.
I waited until they were out of sight before turning back to Tani.
“Explain.”
Tani flopped onto the sofa, sprawled out like she owned the place.One leg hooked over the arm, boots dangling.Very un-queenly.Very Tani.She blew out a breath.
“It wasn’t supposed to conjure her.It was supposed to conjure Oberon.”
Finally.Something honest.
I folded my arms.“Go on.”
“We thought we’d cracked it,” Tani said, tapping a finger against her chin.“Alice and I spent weeks working the recipe.Alice was going to open the breach at the hickory tree, I’d go in, yank him out, close it again.Clean, simple, no demons invited.”
“And?”
“And I think I messed up the formula.”She winced.“Somewhere.”
“Oh, you think?”I glared.“And the potion to close the portal?The actual gate-ward?We made several last night.Was that one of them?”
“That was the first one you made.”Tani gave me a sheepish little smile.“I lied.I told you it was wrong so you’d make the conjuring spell.And it didn’t work.I failed again.”
My stomach pitched.“Where is he?”At Tani’s blank look, I added, “Oberon.”
“Stuck,” Tani said quietly.“In another realm that’s… not exactly friendly.We traced the ley line pattern, we thought we’d mapped the Crossroads right.This town brushes up against too many paths, and…” She sighed.“We miscalculated.I’ve been waiting for Alice to come back so we could try again.She was supposed to crack the gate for me.”Her mouth tightened.“She never did.”
At least that cleared Tani as the killer.Probably.But it still didn’t answer the question of the treasures—or why Alice had kept so many secrets.
“What about the Fae treasures?”I asked.
Tani cut me a sharp glance.“What did Red tell you?”
“Not much,” I lied, choosing my words carefully.“That they were stolen.”
“Ha.”Tani snorted.“Of course she did.They weren’t stolen.I brought them here myself.Alice is keeping them safe in this realm until I can get Oberon out.Red always thinks everything is about her.”She made a face.“Wonderland gossip is the worst.”
“So you know exactly where the treasures are?”I pressed.
“Sure.Somewhere in this town.”She waved a hand.“Alice didn’t tell me the details.That way, if anyone tried to pry it out of my head, they’d hit a dead end.But I know they’re close.I can feel them tugging on the ley lines.”
My mind flashed to the sword in the crate.The ruby slippers.The way Dougal had said Hickory Hollow sat where paths overlapped.Crossroads.Ley lines.Other realms brushing too close.
“And you need them to rescue the king,” I said.
“That much is true,” Tani said.“The Sword of Light cuts through bonds that shouldn’t exist.The Club of Dagda breaks doors that shouldn’t stay closed.The Spear of Lugh finds what’s lost.They’re useless to mortals, but in Faery?”She whistled low.“Game-changers.”
