AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I let out a long sigh. "You're probably right. Would you like to come in while I make the call?" I motioned to the shop.
If unicorns could shrug, this one would have. "All right. You wouldn't happen to have anything to drink, would you? I'm thirsty, and there don't seem to be any public watering holes around."
"Sure, I can get you some water. I'm Camille, by the way. Camille D'Artigo. I'm from Otherworld." I unlocked the door and punched in the security code to turn off the alarm system that I'd just armed.
"That's rather obvious." The unicorn's words rippled with a droll tone, and I realized we weren't speaking English. We'd automatically switched over to Melosealfôr, a rare dialect of Crypto that all witches who were pledged to the Moon Mother learned during their training. "I know who you are. You stand out in the crowd, my lady. How do you do? I'm Feddrah-Dahns."
"Feddrah-Dahns, eh? You're from the Windwillow Valley then." Something about the name rang a bell, but I couldn't quite place it. I did know that every unicorn coming out of the Windwillow Valley assumed Dahns as their surname. The area was teeming with Cryptos, and there were rumors that huge herds of the horned beasts roamed the plains, nomads who migrated across the vast valley during the summer months.
"You know your geography, Camille D'Artigo."
"Yes, well… What about the pixie? Where did he go? I noticed pixie dust a little while ago."
"I hope he'll be all right. He retrieved something from the bugbear that belonged to me. Technically, he was simply reclaiming stolen property, but the bugbear and his accomplices apparently didn't see it that way." Feddrah-Dahns blinked those beautiful big eyes of his.
I grinned. "Thieves rarely understand the concept of ownership, be they bugbear or human." I opened the door as wide as I could. As the unicorn cautiously stepped over the doorstop, he bobbed his head, a curious glint in his eye. Life in Seattle might be gloomy and wet, but nobody could ever convince me it was boring.
Chapter Two
Before Chase and his team arrived, the wounded Fae managed to crawl off, leaving a trail of blood spatters that disappeared into the alley behind my building. I had glanced down the gloomy passage, but it was too dark to see to the end, and I had no inclination to wander down there by myself. Chase and his men could explore it if they wanted to.
I did, however, decide to drag the unconscious goblin inside, into the room next to my office. He stank, which was gross, and his clothes were greasy, which was even worse, but I finally wrangled him into the back where I hog-tied him with some strapping tape. He woke up and glared at me as I was wrapping the clear tape around his wrists and ankles.
I immediately slapped a piece of tape across his mouth before he was able to speak. Nasty looks wouldn't hurt me, but whatever came out of his mouth just might. Some goblins used magic. And they were all dirty, filthy little liars.
The bugbear, on the other hand—or what remained of him—could stay right where he was. Way too nasty. No way I was going to clean up a slick patch of roadkill, especially not while wearing velvet and lace.
Ten minutes later, Chase leaned against the counter, staring at the unicorn, while Sharah and Mallen scraped the bugbear off the road. I had to hand it to them. The two elves looked ready to gag, but they finished their job without complaint.
Feddrah-Dahns was busy drinking his water from a bucket I found in the back. Iris used it for cleaning, so I rinsed it out and filled it with fresh spring water from the water cooler. He looked about as contemplative as I'd seen a unicorn look. Not that I'd seen too many unicorns, even back in Otherworld. They usually preferred the company of their own kind.
A few of my regular customers who'd been passing by noticed the open shop door, and they wandered in to see if everything was okay. Eyes wide, they immediately glommed onto the horned beast, surrounding him as if he were some sort of god.
When I thought about it, in a way he was a god. Few unicorns had shown any interest in coming through the portals, and the Earthside species seldom showed themselves. Considering the wonder with which they were revered in human legend and mythology, it didn't surprise me that people immediately opened their hearts to him.
Henry Jeffries, one of my best customers, gently reached out to touch the wild mane that cascaded down the ridge of the unicorn's neck, a look of wonder rippling across his face. Feddrah-Dahns glanced at him, gently whinnying. Henry shuffled over to me and rubbed his hands across his eyes. He looked teary.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day. Do you think Mr. Beagle ever really met a unicorn?"
I frowned. It was unlikely that Peter S. Beagle had even believed in the creatures when he wrote The Last Unicorn, but then again, who knew? "I'm not sure, Henry. You never can tell." I flashed him a smile, and he mirrored it back to me, then returned to Feddrah-Dahns's side.
"Camille? Camille? Did you hear what I said?"
"Huh?" I turned around. Chase had been talking to me at the same time as Henry. "No, I'm sorry. What was it?"
He sighed. "This is the third report of Cryptos on the loose that I've had this morning."
Chase was suave. Less lecherous than when we'd first met, he was a damned good detective. I'd gone from disdaining the dude to actually liking him, as long as he kept his eyes off my butt and boobs. Oh, now and then his gaze still wandered into forbidden territory, and he still smelled like spicy beef tacos a good share of the time, but at least he was polite about the occasional peek show. And most importantly, the scent of cigarettes was long gone. My sister Delilah had him on the nicotine patch, and he was faring remarkably well. Of course, he had incentive; she refused to kiss him or touch him if he smoked.
"You make it sound like they got loose from the zoo." I sighed. "Chase, babe, you've got to get over the idea that two legs equals intelligence."
He snorted. "Don't give me grief, woman. You're from Otherworld, you're half-Fae. You've been here, what… a year now, isn't it? The portals have been open about four—maybe five years, right?"
I nodded. "That's about right."
"In that time, a number of Fae have crossed over to visit Earthside. And the Earthside Supes have come out of the closet. But we've never had a run on Cryptos before. Not that I can remember. Now, they're everywhere. Portland's reporting a significant increase in sightings, and they've been spotted all over western Washington. What do you think it means?"
