December 1069

The Leanansidhe paused and looked at me. "A deal," she said slowly.

"Three questions regarding my history," I continued.

Her expression and posture somehow grew even more still. "With what conditions, wizard?" she asked.

"A few," I replied. "Do you want to hear me out, or do you want to try the circle again? I wouldn't recommend the latter, since if you haven't felt it already there's iron in there."

"Not true iron," she said. "Simply the product of your mind."

"Still hurts."

She inclined her head slightly and pulled her hand back, the lightning fading. "You have earned yourself a stay of interest. Pray you do not lose it."

I nodded courteously at her. "Now that the business that saw me use the Ways is done, it has occurred to me that, perhaps, I applied more force than necessary in convincing you to let me pass you by. So, considering the date, in the spirit of Christmas and reparations, I would like to offer you a deal."

"Your pleasantries and formality are pleasing, wizard, but my leg yet pains me," she said warningly.

"The short summary of the deal, with further details and context to be discussed if you're interested, is that you would get three questions. If you use one to ask me something, I reply. No lying, no wordplay, no half-truths. Just a straight response."

"And you think that is enough to earn you forgiveness for your insult?" she asked.

"Maybe," I said. "In exchange, I would get three vetoes, three questions I can decline to answer. If I veto a question, you can ask another; you don't lose one. The arrangement ends when you run out of questions or I run out of vetoes."

"And what is stopping you from simply vetoing all of my questions?" she asked, fashioning a chair of ice within the circle and sitting down.

"Do I take that as a sign of interest?" I asked.

"Yes, yes," she said, waving dismissively.

"I would ask that the proportion of questions I've answered be valued as weregild towards putting this incident behind us. So, if I veto all your questions, we're back at square one."

"And if I tire of this arrangement?"

I shrugged. "Use up my vetoes. I'm sure you can think of questions I wouldn't ever answer."

"Hmm. And is that the extent of the deal?"

I snorted. "Of course not. We're still negotiating." I spread my palms towards her. "Do you have any concerns on your end?"

"How would the nature of these questions be determined?" she asked.

"Formally. You can decide on the wording, but I have to know what it is and it should be clear to me. Something like 'my first question is' would be appropriate."

"And any other questions I have?"

"I answer them like I'd normally answer them. Like a cagey squirrel."

The Leanansidhe smiled faintly. "And are these my questions alone?"

"If you want to get input or advice, you're free to," I replied.

The Leanansidhe's smile widened. "Ah, now I see. You seek to tempt me with my queen's interest in you."

I shrugged. "Is it working?"

She folded her hands in her lap. "Perhaps. How will you use your vetoes?"

"However I want," I replied. "But in the interests of cordiality, questions that try and encompass a broad array of topics or touch on parts of my past I don't wish to share would likely be vetoed."

"That seems to leave me at a disadvantage, does it not? How would I know what you do not wish to share before I ask?"

"You're getting three questions and three straight answers from me. That's a lot and you know it. Moreover, the vetoes themselves also tell you something."

The Leanansidhe nodded slightly. "I have no more questions I wish to ask."

"Because you want to see if I forget a loophole," I said dryly. "First, while this deal is on, the grudge is held in abeyance. You don't get to attack me and ask your three questions. You don't get to send or use others to coerce me in any way either. Other incidents could come up and be resolved separately, but this one stays between us and only us while this arrangement stands."

She kept smiling.

"Second, you can't sell the arrangement or debt on. You can make bargains contingent on my answers if you wish, but I'm only answering your questions. That also means no proxies. You want an answer, you show up in person."

"Acceptable," she said.

I thought over what I'd said so far and wondered if I'd forgotten anything. "And third, in the event I use the Ways again, I will employ iron. If you come against me and get burned again, you have only yourself to blame."

"You would try to pass off fault in such a fashion?" she asked, brow slightly furrowed.

"I'm giving you fair warning. At this point, it's your choice whether you want to be shot full of iron, not mine."

"Hmph. How presumptuous."

"Do you want the questions or not?" I asked.

She steepled her fingers together. "I am tempted to simply sunder your circle and tear the answers from you."

"You can try," I said, doing my best to keep my voice level. "But whether you succeed, whether you get anything out of me, that's a gamble. I'm offering a surefire thing."

The Leanansidhe was silent for a minute, long enough for me to start getting antsy. But I didn't stop focusing on the circle at any point; if I had, she would've seized on it.

Finally, she said, "You will know my questions by the following preface: 'tell me, wizard.'"

"Does that mean you accept the deal?" I asked.

"I do," she said.

Nothing seemed to happen. There was no sensation, no shift, no feeling. Yet despite that, I knew the deal was on.

"Will you lower the circle now, wizard?"

"No, I don't think so," I said. "I don't want you deciding to use up all my vetoes right away."

The Leanansidhe smirked. "Do you not trust me to keep to our arrangement?"

"I think I know the exit clauses I included," I replied. "Do you have a question now, or should I send you on your way?"

"Don't rush me," she chided. "You wouldn't want to earn my ire again so soon, would you?"

I took a deep breath and shut up.

The Leanansidhe hemmed and hawed for the next few minutes, crossing and uncrossing her legs, moving her arms, shifting her dress in ways that highlighted different parts of her body. All distractions that I ignored. Or tried to, at least. She showed a lot of leg.

Curiously, at least outwardly, her left leg seemed completely fine. Whether that was a result of glamour or healing I couldn't tell. Or, well, I could, but I had no desire to use the Sight right then.

"Tell me, wizard," she finally said. "However did you come to rest upon the fair isle of Avalon?"

I couldn't completely fight down my smirk. "I... have absolutely no idea," I said slowly.

The Leanansidhe stilled and looked at me, her catlike eyes seeming to drill through me. A few seconds later, her gaze shifted to the boundaries of the circle. A good thirty seconds passed, and neither my will nor power wavered. I didn't break my word, after all; I really had no idea. I knew of the events and some of the circumstances leading up to my... call it transmigration, but she hadn't asked about those, and I didn't see how any of them were connected with me ending up on Avalon.

Finally, she leaned back in her seat and folded her hands together. "Interesting," she said. "You truly do not know."

I nodded.

"Then you must have been mortally wounded," she mused.

I controlled my expression and didn't rise to the obvious bait. "Is that another question?" I asked calmly.

"Hmm… no, I think not," she said. "Congratulations, wizard. You have surprised me twice over. Take comfort in that. It will not happen again."

"Sure," I drawled. Personally I thought it was closer to three times, including my escape from Avalon, but pressing that point right now would probably wipe away the little goodwill I'd managed to accumulate. "If that is all, good lady?"

"It is. Farewell, Harry Dresden. Know that I will not be so lenient the next time you encounter me upon the Ways." Then her chair folded and collapsed in on itself, taking her with it.

I waited half a minute, carefully peering over my circle to make sure she wasn't hiding there under a glamour or veil, and once I'd satisfied myself that I was alone in my mind, I let the image dissolve and settled down to nap.