Semper Fidelis Book 2 of The Carpenter Blueprints

by Thomas A

When the wizard's away the apprentice must pay. The world and all major characters remain the property of Jim Butcher. Reviews appreciated.

6. Chapter 6

Semper Fidelis

Chapter 6

Crossing over into the Nevernever is not particularly easy even at the weaker places between worls, but then again Elaine was the one required to cast the spell while I merely had to hang on and enjoy the ride so to speak. Thankfully Elaine said I was correct in my assumption that the museum's Fairy Castle was indeed a crossover point to the Nevernever. She even complimented my on my ability to sense such subtle things as far as magic was concerned. I did not explain that this was my specialty because the less she knew about my power, or lack thereof, the better I was in dealing with her on a near equal basis. And truth be told I just did not trust her.

As soon as we stepped through her portal she created we found ourselves in the lands of Summer based upon how green and blooming everything appeared to be compared to the November in Chicago we had just left. Where our luck failed us is in the fact that we had not appeared in the immediate area of the court itself, nor was this gathering place readily apparent in any direction around the horizon which we could see.

"So what now?" I asked since I figured if Elaine was Summer's emissary then the responsibility rested with her to get us to where we needed to go. "Do we wander in any particular direction?"

"No we wait here for a moment and send a text message." Elaine explained unclasping the butterfly pin from her cloak and whispering loud enough for me to hear.

"Tell the court that the emissaries have arrived." She said and the broach transformed into a regular, not metallic, living version of the creature in her palm. Knowing the speed of such things I considered sitting down if this was to be our messenger since I figured we were in for a significant wait. But the magical creature surprised me and shot up from her palm like a bottle rocket, circled me three times coming closer each time almost to the point I wanted to swat it like an annoying horsefly, and then sped off toward the nearest range of hills leaving a rainbow hue behind it that slowly faded after a few seconds.

"Mark that direction in your mind and this location where we stand in your heart." Elaine said looking around and obviously trying to do so herself. "We will follow the butterfly's direction until our escorts and transportation arrive, but we need to make sure we return here to this exact location so we know how to get back home.

Picture the cleanest national park you have ever heard of. Okay now take that one step farther and picture that someone or something comes by every night and cleans up even the natural refuse like leaves or dandelion spores also. I had watched too many Disney movies growing up so the idea of some talking squirrels in janitor clothes seemed the most probable explanation to me at that moment.

What it meant is that this part of Summer's lands looked pretty much like every other part of Summer's lands to me. I looked around but there were no even a discarded tree branches or some visible stones to pile up or anything else to use as a marker. I even tried to scuff the ground with my shoe but the grass was too well grown in. The turf was a golfer's dream. I wondered how much Tiger Woods would pay to use this on a golf course and save on grounds keeping. Okay then I guess we just have to play Anti-Smokey in this otherwise pristine environment.

"Fuego!" I said shooting a small ball of flame at the ground and watching the grass char in a one foot circle or so.

"No!" Elaine warned me just a moment too late.

"Don't worry, I'm going to put it out." I said using my sneakers to tap out the fire before it got too big. That was really not a worry because everything was green and alive not dried out and dead like fires tended to prefer. I guess Elaine is just one of those tree hugger types. Made sense, Harry said she had been living in California.

"No, I was just going to tell you not to waste your magic." Elaine said and then pointed to the spot.

Not seconds after I lifted my foot away new green shoots were already growing into the charred area and sprouting to bring forth even more greenery. In less than a minute while I watched in awe the fire damaged area I had wrought was no longer different compared to the surrounding grasses.

"See." She said with a hint of a smile.

"Well that sucks!" I said. "How are we supposed to mark this location then?" I asked.

"You sensed the crossing point from the other side. Can't you do the same from this side?" She asked me and it was obvious from her own look that she could not.

Of course she would not understand that the difference between our world and the Nevernever is that everything over here is magical so it is easy to sense it from the other side. It is sort of like sitting in a quiet room and hearing soft music playing from beyond the closed door. But being in the Nevernever is like being at a nightclub with a live rock band and trying to hear if the room next door is quiet. You have to almost put your ear on the door and even then you are not likely to hear silence compared to the background noise all around you. Well live and learn I guess.

"I only felt the portal on the other side when I got close to it." I said somewhat truthfully. "This whole place looks the same to me. I could wander one hill over and walk right by it." I explained.

"Then we have to just count on our memories or someone from the court to guide us back." Elaine said with a resigned sense of inevitability before she turned and started to walk off following the butterfly of Summer's last course. I had heard about such a creature before from Harry's story of coming to rescue me so I understood it was much more than it seemed. In fact, upon remembering that, and of course assuming the balance between Summer and Winter, I reached a moment of sudden inspiration. Before Elaine could tell me to stop I pulled the Winter's Emissary icicle pin from my own coat and stabbed it into the ground.

The effect was instantaneous and if the power of Summer was impressive in its restoring of the burned area back to its natural beauty, then the power displayed by Winter turning the land brown and killing the grass outward was even more so. In merely two breaths the now dying area pushed out to a two foot in radius from the pulsating icicle. I yanked it out quickly before I did too much more damage and was satisfied to see that Summer's grasses and sprouts trying to restore the area would wither as they pushed into the edges of the dead circle that the icicle had made. It took a few seconds but finally the two areas seemed to achieve a new sense of equilibrium leaving this black scar on the land visible from any of the surrounding hills.

"What have you done?" Elaine asked with eyes wide in panic having turned to look back toward me.

"Marked our escape route." I said.

"But you have used the power of Winter!" She said stating the obvious as I clipped the icon pack on my coat.

"If I'm the Emissary of Winter just what do you expect me to use?" I said seeing no issue though the panic of a more powerful wizard made me wonder if perhaps I had made a tactical error of judgment. But no one in Summer Court was going to respect the emissary of their enemy if I showed fear or regret so I shrugged it off and began walking up the same hill and passed Elaine without giving her a second look.

I heard her whisper. "Yeah I think putting some distance between here and us as quickly as possible is a pretty good idea." She caught up to me in only a few steps and while I was just a tad taller the pace she maintained made me stride quickly to keep up with her.

There really is no way to measure time very well in the Summer parts of Nevernever, at least none that were readily apparent to me though I suspect Harry knows one or two. Elaine probably did as well but I was not about to ask and show my own ignorance. Worse still I feared if I did ask it would turn out to be a simple answer I had overlooked and this would make me look even more foolish and inexperienced. I justified this by assuming that in the end it really did not matter as it's is not like even if I had somewhere to be or even if I did that I had the means to get there on my own at the moment. So I kept walking and said nothing about it.

So instead of time I measured the number of hills we climbed and was on the upslope of number eight when Elaine reached out a hand in a silent universal signal for us to stop. I did so at once and began to feel the thrumming in the Earth that she had obviously already sensed. As I caught my breath I could feel these rhythmic pulses getting stronger with every passing moment. Obviously whoever or whatever was making the ground shake was getting closer and doing so rather quickly.

I looked to Elaine and noticed that she appeared tense. This was likely because she did not know what it was that was coming our way, and without her butterfly pin that defined her status the new visitor crossing our path might mistake us for something foreign and dangerous, due to the pin I was wearing, or merely just a quick, convenient snack. Neither of those two options appealed to me at the moment.

I thought maybe it was smarter for the two of us to race up to the top of the hill we were climbing because I knew someone had told me high ground was always advantageous in a battle, but Elaine had me stop. "Prepare a shield or an attack and wait for my signal." She ordered and while I might have normally bristled over her assuming authority I figured she had more experience than me with things here in the Nevernever so who was I to argue about what was likely a smart plan. I also noted her tone sounded a lot like Harry's and made me wonder if that was a result of their training together.

A burst of rainbow light flashed over the top of the hill like a gunshot and struck Elaine in the chest but without causing her to move as much as a step backwards or even lean in response. When the dazzle cleared I looked closer I noted that her butterfly token had returned and I was thankful for it. Perhaps the badge would be enough of a symbol of Summer's power to give whatever was coming our way in a hurry to pause for a moment and reconsider any hostile thoughts it may be having. From the way the ground trembled under my feet it was obviously something pretty big and heavy.

Or for that matter two somethings it turned out.

The first looked initially like Fabio or another of those Harlequin romance novel cover models with the bursting pectorals and the wild mane of unruly hair to his bare shoulders that spoke here was a man not meant to be tamed except perhaps by the love of a good woman. When the rest of him from the chest down became visible mere seconds later and turned out to be the body of a horse, okay make that stallion, I knew for certain that his 'good woman' was going to have to be very open minded as well. This being my first centaur I had seen outside some Greek vases I'd have to say he certainly fit the dominant masculine stereotype to a tee.

"Cheiron!" Elaine nearly squealed in joy obviously recognizing the great centaur who reined in immediately and smiled slightly at seeing her as well. They obviously were more friends than acquaintances.

"Queen's Emissary." He said bending his front two knees and bowing his head in respect before rising up again fully and meeting her look. I am tall for a woman and I barely reached his lower chest. "My heart is filled with sunlight to see you again though I regret such cold, dark times brewing serve as the cause for this reunion." Okay, I learned very quickly that centaurs are really into the whole formal speech thing. Not the type to say 'Hey Elaine, long time no see' I guess. I also caught the not so subtle references to Winter he made in his speech. Then again I guess for Summer Court if you stubbed your toes you found a way to blame Winter for it.

"Time is of the essence my lady." He said bowing once more in respect and to indicate he was obviously under strict orders. "I was sent to serve as your escort and transport Summer Emissary."

"And am I doth... ith… perchance… oh the heck with it, what am I supposed to do walk?" I asked drawing the attention of both of them from their obvious happy reunion to my own lack of transportation.

Cheiron looked closely at me, noting my white, some might say snow-colored, hair and of course the Winter icicle pin on my coat and through a determined act of will forced all natural hostile emotions from his face. Of course I could still sense them emanating from the very pores of his body toward me. I tried to ignore his reaction as well and play my assigned role as a diplomat, realizing how far out of my skill set this task was. How the heck do I let myself get caught up in these things?

"Winter Emissary you own ride approaches." Cheiron said to me with a much stiffer and not nearly as elegant bow, while also shaking of his head. "I would never have believed such an honor would be offered to one aligned to the Unseelie's kind but as we live we see all sorts of incredible things." He said then added an apparent afterthought for further effect or as a subtle challenge. "That is right up until we die."

"What do you mean such an honor?" Elaine asked but her question was answered not by Cheiron but instead by the arrival of the second something I had mentioned.

When I said my hair is white this is a false reflection of the true color when compared to the coat of this new arrival. Its body was so pure in color that it glowed and I could not long stare at this without my eyes beginning to tear up. Like Cheiron it too rode upon four legs but had no human aspects to it. Instead its defining feature was a long, gleaming, golden eighteen inch solitary horn that rose from between its eyes and left no doubt as to its identity so there was no need to even say it aloud.

"A unicorn?" Elaine cried out in obvious bewilderment. Ok let me amend my previous statement to say I saw no need to say its identity aloud. Obvious Elaine likes to state the obvious.

"How is that possible?" She asked looking first to Cheiron. "The rule for binding such a creature is sacrosanct. To try means death of either the rider or the animal. No one may ride a unicorn except a woman pure of…" She suddenly stopped and looked right at me.

"Molly are you a virgin?" She asked.

Okay I did not need a mirror to tell me that the sudden warmth I was feeling on my face meant that my blushing was deep and fiery and left little room for doubt even though I sputtered a response anyway. "I am not sure how that is relevant to our mission." I said trying to distract away from this conversation. Why it was that everyone who had even a touch of magic that I met kept focusing on this one specific aspect of my life was becoming more than I cared to deal with.

"But the way you…" She said looking at me with an obvious preconceived judgment before finally stopping in midsentence said it all. It is so annoying that just because I wear black a lot, have just a couple piercings, and a few tattoos, and therefore serve as the visual opposite of what a 'good girl' supposedly is this somehow meant that I was obviously promiscuous. Jenny Mercer is a perfect example of looking like a good girl and you certainly do not want to hear the rumors they say about her! The fact that some are from me overhearing my own brother talking to his friends and also knowing the penances he was assigned nearly every week by Father Forthill seemed to me to lend evidence to their accuracy. But of course no one thinks ill of her!

"Look I am not going to discuss…" I began to say but was interrupted by the centaur.

"It could merely be she has not found a stallion capable of breaking her to his will and taking her." He said relatively calmly to Elaine with looking at me and obviously also had no concern that I was standing right here being discussed in the third person. "I have been less than impressed with the males of your species I have encountered as they all seem small and scrawny compared to even the smallest of the centaur foals. In our herds they would be chased off and not allowed to breed for fear of weakening the herd's strength. I do not understand why most of your humans are not gelded so only the biggest and strongest are allowed to breed."

"Cheiron size is not everything when picking a breeding partner." Elaine said continuing the conversation while I was trying to not be noticed and seriously considering calling up a veil. As far as I was concerned this could not get any worse.

"That sounds like a favored response from a loyal mate that secretly is embarrassed when her weaker stallion faces a greater." Cheiron replied. "It does honor to your loyalty to your herd but even you must admit that you secretly long for the greater male to claim you as his own." Yeah for those who may not understand it, the whole 'sensitive guy' movement of the 1980s has not reached the Nevernever centaur population yet.

The bold and obviously unabashed male turned back in my direction. "Young filly, settle this dispute among old friends." He said drawing me back into the conversation. "Rate my stallion qualities and tell us both whether your honest desire would instead be to claim a lesser specimen to breed with and keep your stable warm."

Yeah this so was past what was shown on Animal Planet and from the stance that Cheiron adjusted to once he had me looking at his flank there was little doubt in what I was being asked to judge. Thankfully Elaine came to our rescue at that time with just a hint of a smile at seeing my obvious distress and now fully understanding my situation.

"Cheiron, perhaps another time." She said stroking his arm. "Queen Tatania calls to us and we dare not tarry."

His eyes opened wider. "You are correct Emissary." He said. "Please excuse my distraction we must depart at once!"

Without so much as a 'by your leave' Cheiron slipped behind me and slid his hands under my arms. I had a quick second of panic hoping he had indeed put our previous subject aside as he lifted me from the ground before swinging me up onto the back, sidesaddle no less, of the unicorn who merely looked back patiently as I was deposited on its back.

You may have noticed by my earlier description of the creature that I had not mentioned anything about a saddle or bridle or any means to actually stay on top of the horse-like creature. Furthermore sitting sidesaddle seemed a recipe for falling off after the first two steps. I did get of sense of the power and confidence of the creature however and the fact that my feet swung nearly four feet off the ground as well.

"Hey how am I expected to hold on and not fall riding like this?" I asked my companions as Cheiron bent down a bit again and Elaine slipped onto his back in a more traditional rider's pose except for wrapping her arms around his chest.

"I shall not let you fall Emissary." A soft and unexpected female voice spoke in my mind as the unicorn turned again to look at me over one shoulder and I noticed for the first time the creature had pink eyes. "Sitting like your companion might damage your virtue but I shall not allow you to fall. You may even find the ride oddly enjoyable." She gave me a wink. No really, the horse winked at me like a conspiring sister or something.

"Oh I did not think that you had probably never ridden before." Elaine said. "Maybe we should…"

"No I got this." I said. "The unicorn…"

"YOU MUST NOT TELL THEM I CAN SPEAK!" The female voice spoke once more in my mind both fearful and pleading. "Centaurs think us mere animals for breeding, not knowing we are smarter than their kind. And if a wizard were to understand we knew your language then they might try to seduce us through their magic words. And if one of my kind allows one less than pure to ride upon us then we suffer the Night Mare fate. Please say nothing to them I beg of thee."

"Nightmare?" I asked her in my mind.

"No Night Mare." She corrected. "If one without virtue rides upon us the stain turns our coats black and we are condemned to carry those dreams you speak of as nightmares to the mortals of your world. You call them nightmares because of the ancient association with the fallen of my kind." Her story certainly explained the commonality of the two words.

"Molly?" Elaine asked looking at me. "Are you okay?"

I turned to look at Elaine and I smiled to radiate confidence in her general direction. "Yeah I had a whole Little Engine that Could moment." I lied. "I had to convince myself I can do this. So what are we waiting for?"

Elaine shrugged and turned back to Cheiron. "Take us to the Queen." She said and he was off from a walk to full out gallop in just a few steps leaving us behind.

"Thank you for that service Molly." The unicorn said as it began to walk as well and I started to get accustomed to its pace as she slowly sped up. Her motions created an odd sort of pleasurable vibration between us as she moved but it also seemed to link us stronger in thoughts. Each time my body shifted a bit, so too did the unicorn to keep me perfectly balanced without a chance of slipping from her back.

"Do you have a name?" I asked in my mind once I got used to the fact that we were running so fast that the ground around us was flashing by in a blur. I found it easier to just close my eyes, enjoy the rhythmic sensation, and not worry about the fact that if I did fall off I was going to break neck not just my 'virtue.'

"I do indeed." She said. "Among my kind I am called 'Nectar of the Buzzing Ones." She said.

Maybe it was the fact that this was a telepathic conversation but her description made me instantly understand what she was talking about even if her words did not. "Oh… you mean Honey." I said with a warm smile that radiated all though me and my thoughts.

"Honey…yes... that sounds lovely. Thank you." She said. "If I am not being rude, you are far different from what I was led to believe about those aligned with the Unseelie. You do not seem to have their temperament toward violence and domination."

"It is my master Harry who has alignment with Winter, and even that is only a reluctant one." I explained. "He was unavailable so I took this task upon myself in his absence."

Honey nearly staggered. "You would align yourself to Winter out of love for your master?" She asked me with obvious incredulity in her telepathic voice. I guess love and Winter did not easily coexist in her mind.

"Not sure I'd say love, or at least I'd clarify the type of love." I said back. In truth what I felt for Harry was really confusing to me so it was not something I wanted to sort out in my head while riding at breakneck speed on the back of a unicorn.

"Of course, you would not be able to ride me if it were that kind of love." Honey teased.

I blushed in my mind, which until that point I did not know I could do. "No, what I'm trying to say is when I needed Harry he came to the Nevernever and even trashed Mab's castle to save me. It seems like I owed him a favor or two for doing that so I accepted this charge for him."

"You master is the Wizard Harry Dresden?" She asked me again in seeming shock and awe.

"Yep, it's Harry." I answered. "Let me guess, you know him?" Everyone seems to know Harry. Not bad for starting out as a small advertisement in the Chicago yellow pages.

"All of Summer has heard of the one who dared to use our power in the Heart of Winter." She said with shock. I could literally feel the wheels of her mind spinning at this new revelation.

"Molly you know that there are rules in making deals between our kind and yours, correct?" Honey said hesitantly.

"Sure." I replied. "Harry told me never accept anything from the Faerie as it places us under obligation." I explained. "That is except if we have negotiated a price for service in advance."

"Exactly so." She agreed and I could sense with my eyes closed she even nodded. "I wish to provide you information, in part as an honor to your master for the blow he struck but also in part because I fear you shall require it. But to do so and not raise a debt between us I must balance the scale. If you promise to answer a question for me I shall give you information you will require." She said and as this conversation was taking place in her mind I had the sense there was no hidden deception only that she was bound by the very rules of protocol that she claimed to be.

"Okay. Providing the question is nothing granting power over me such as asking my truename." I replied.

"I agree to those terms." She said and drew a mental breath to prepare for our conversation to come. "Since few beyond our kind know we can understand the languages of those around us, no one takes caution to avoid our hearing. In this way we learn of things that only those in the highest regard of the court, those like Cheiron, are told about." She explained and this of course made sense to me.

It also made me realize things were probably worse than I had been led to believe, though I doubted Elaine knew more than what she had told me so far since she was hardly a member of the Summer Court. Something big was happening and since I paid for it I might as well get my information. "Okay, so what do you need to tell me?"

"The Emissaries have been called because Summer seeks justification to strike before Winter can unleash a blow upon us at the height of their power." Honey explained not only confirming what Elaine had already told me but doing so in a way that emotionally indicated that yes things were even worse than I had imagined when I accepted this mission.

"The new Lady Summer and Summer Knight lie near death and none of the Court believes they shall recover." Honey explained making me open my eyes in shock. I knew both of these two were friends of Harry's which made this whole mission even more personal to him and therefore made it even more important to me.

"It must have been something pretty big to lay out two of the most powerful beings in the Summer Court." I said. "That can hardly have been subtle."

"That is what Abagalesidhe and most of the Court believes as well which is why they push for war." Honey replied. "But Queen Tatania remembers she was manipulated into the last war by the former Summer Lady Aurora so fears a repeat of this. But she also cannot ignore that in less than a month's time Winter will be at the height of their power and with two of the strongest members of her court laid low, the forces of the Unseelie will destroy us. In fact, many of our traditional and most loyal allies among the Wildfae have already gone into hiding. It is suspected that with this subtle shift of power they have somehow learned of events and gone over to Winter's Court to be on the winning side of the coming war."

Well that's not good. Summer has lost not only two of its most capable generals but a significant portion of their most promising armies had also fled to their opponents. No wonder there were those in the Summer Court demanding an immediate war. If this process of swapping allegiances continued and went unchecked by the time of winter solstice Mab's forces would not even need to fight. They could just stroll on it and take the keys to the front door. This really was a Harry situation and not a Molly situation.

"Do you have any idea who is behind this?" I asked. "Could it be an insider working to set you off to war again like Lady Aurora and the Winter Knight attempted?"

"All the court assumes that only Mab has the power and cunning to take down two of Summer's most powerful. Maeve lacks the subtlety for such a blow or the ability to hide it." Honey replied. "Lady Tatania, especially after that event with Aurora, would have sensed if someone wielding Summer's power had struck such a blow against the new Lady and Knight. You are here to serve as an irrefutable demonstration that Winter's power, and therefore Mab, was behind this action so the Summer Queen will agree to immediate war."

Okay this is really getting over my head. I was merely supposed to bear witness now I'm being told that the decision to go to war or not, which of course meant a potential ice age back on Earth, rested on my shoulders? I was way in over my head, and while Uriel may have suggested this was something I was capable of dealing with, I have a feeling he had mistaken me for some other perky wizard apprentice who actually had the power of the Merlin at her disposal, not some minor sensitive magic-based girl just out of her teens.

"Thank you Honey." I said as I really did not know what else to say after all of this.

"You are welcome Emissary of Winter." She replied. "Take from my mane a single strand of hair and tie it upon your ring finger. If you have need of me, and of course remain chaste at the time, break the strand and wherever you are in the Nevernever I will come to your aid."

I started to do as she requested and then realized this was another gift and that if I accepted I would be under obligation. "What about a service for a service?" I asked her.

"The question I am to ask you means more to me and has been important for far longer than what I have provided you thus far. In fact you would likely learn it all on your own soon. I merely have allowed you time to better prepare." She explained. "In my own heart this second service will balance the scales between us." She said.

I nodded and did as she asked while she continued to eat up the distance toward our eventual destination. I could see Cheiron and Elaine still many yards ahead and that Honey seemed to be keeping the distance between us on purpose though I could sense had she the mind to she would easily pass the centaur. But they were so wrapped up in their own conversation that I turned back to Honey.

"Okay what is your question?" I said hoping it was not something highly technical or require some demonstration of magic because I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed at the moment.

"As you know, very few of your kind are allowed to ride us and therefore speak to us." She said as way of an introduction. "And even more so it has been many of your lifetimes since the last of us allowed a human rider so our sources of information are both limited and dated."

Yeah she was really trying to place a lot of qualifiers on whatever the question was that was coming. "Yeah, okay…so what is your question?" I asked again.

"I know you do not have firsthand experience, but you have friends I assume." She paused and then finally just blurted it out. "What is it like to be able to face your partner when you mate?"

It took all of Honey's ability to keep me from falling off her back in total shock.

We arrived at the Summer Court's palace and I could sense that like Arctis Tor had been to Mab, this was the center of Queen Tatania's power as well. This power seemed to thrum in the very air around me full of life and light. But as a mage attuned to emotions I also felt the subtle tension, fear, and anger that was centered here as well; a trinity of emotions that when combined never led anywhere good in my opinion.

I slipped off of Honey's back and she smiled and winked at me before galloping off. If I had found her initial question awkward that was nothing compared to the follow up expansions for clarification and ones of actually describing what I had heard of certain techniques that left me both flushed and dazed. In the end to fully uphold my part of the bargain we agreed that I would get a subscription to Cosmopolitan and leave it at Harry's place and she would arrange for faeries to deliver it to her so she could stay up to date on the latest trends. It was without a doubt one of the most disturbing conversations I've ever had.

Elaine slipped off Cheiron's back as well and stood beside me as the big centaur watched Honey run away. He seemed to sniff the air and hold a look of regret as she ran off even faster than we had gotten here. "I scent she had come into season. Tis a pity she chose to ride off. I would like to have added her to my herd." He said without caring who heard. I could tell from his voice and the uncomfortable shifting he was doing just what 'season' he was speaking of and before I was forced to make the judgment he had asked of me earlier I whisked Elaine away by the arm and headed toward the troop of Summer's soldiers, elven types by their look, coming toward us.

"Welcome to Summer Court emissaries." The leader of the squad said to us with a perfunctory bow. "If you will follow me I will take you straight to the Queen." The request to follow was pretty much a misnomer if you consider the ten soldiers with him suddenly shifted ranks to surround us on all sides as we were led into the castle. I did note those closest to me kept their hands on their weapons but this was not so for those on Elaine's side. I chose to take this as a compliment.

While a vine encrusted castle seemed natural for this environment, it was not until we got closer that I saw the vines were the actual wall and that no stones existed behind them for these to cling to. In fact the entire castle was made from living plants and it had no ceilings anywhere to obstruct the sun's light. I suspect this was as 'green' a house as possible.

We were led directly through the central courtyard where more troops of elven soldiers practiced with weapons and by the serious looks upon their faces I could tell they expected to be using these skills in the coming days. The scowls in my direction were just barely deflected enough to meet the standards of decorum.

The troop stooped outside a pair of towering doors made from hedges. The leader of the troop looked to Elaine and myself begrudgingly before speaking. "By the Queen's orders only those of the High Court and ones who are directly summoned by the Queen or her Warlord, such as yourselves, may now enter the throne room." The troop stepped to the side, half to each wall and turned their backs toward the hedge so not to inadvertently see into the room when the doors opened. The commander placed his hand upon the hedge, whispered a word of magic, and as the plants began to untangle for him he too spun around so he would not be looking in.

When the passage in through the hedge opened wide enough for us to pass, Elaine and I tromped through. I let her go first since I did not want anyone inside seeing the emissary of their enemy first. Hopefully Elaine's presence would keep in check any blasts of magic someone might desire to fire in my general direction.

There were only five of the members of the High Summer Court within the spacious room that served as the center of Queen Tatania's power. It was easily an acre in size and tables had been laid out in areas to the left and the right to support a banquet that appeared to have never taken place. The central area down which we walked toward the queen who sat awaiting us on her thrown was likely to have been where dances of celebration took place. Therefore the somberness of the scene combined with this sullenness of the attendees washed over me and made me uneasy.

As we approached the only standing male, a rather regal looking elf of ancient stature called forth "The Emissaries of Summer and Winter Courts" in a voice loud enough to have carried to all parts of the room had the banquet been taking place. I guess some people just took their job very seriously. After his announcement though, he seemed to pay us no further mind. It was two of the others who held our attention.

Other than the herald and of course the Summer Queen, the Summer Lady and Knight lay in near repose within two glass biers to the right of the raised throne. Only by close examination could one see that their chests still rose slightly though in seeming strain as well. As Honey had said, they were not dead yet, but their time was likely running out.

The last member of the High Court I took to be the current Warlord from the way the troop commander had described events, but suddenly did not know if that term was correct for a female in the post. Was there such a thing as a Warlady? I figure I would stick with warlord and be corrected at the proper time and place later.

Elaine came up and bowed to one knee before the queen and I took that as a good idea and did the same feeling a wave of sudden confusion and anger aimed in my direction.

"This is not Harry Dresden!" The warlord screeched and suddenly I found the tip of a lance aimed inches from the center of my eyes. It was hard not to notice that besides its rather obvious razor sharp point, the tip crackled and sparked with magical electricity. Tearing my eyes away from that and looking along the length to the holder did not make me feel any safer as seething hatred boiled in the grey storming eyes beneath the helmet and focused solely right at me.

"Be at ease Abagalesidhe." Queen Tatania ordered. "Let our own emissary explain the Agent of Winter she has brought to our court and then we can decide if her death is warranted."

Oh great it was up to Elaine to keep me from death row. Maybe I should have been a little nicer to her. Yeah, and I guess that whole sword thing to the side of her head I should have apologized for before now. I mean it can't really hurt too much right? Isn't the rule the bigger the bruise the less that you feel it? I mean she should not even know that one is there.

"Queen Tatania I perform this service for you in the name of debt owed to your handmaiden." Elaine said ensuring her dealings with the Faerie Court were understood up front to be a defined service and not a freebie. "As your messenger directed I sought out the Winter Emissary but found he was not in residence."

"So you brought this practitioner of evil who seeks to catch Mab's favor by performing a service for which she was not requested?" Abagale charged while looking upon me with disgust. The sparks on the end of her lance grew even larger and more frightening. "We should kill her outright for daring to consider an alliance with our enemies."

"No my lady there is more you should consider." Elaine contradicted her pseudo godmother drawing her wrath-filled glare unto herself. "Molly is the apprentice to the true Winter Emissary and has agreed to take upon herself his burden for this day in an effort to ferret out the truth of these events. Your missive said that you required a mortal emissary from the Unseelie and that time was of the essence if war was to be avoided. Molly represents the only option to meet these dual needs unless you turn from this course or wish to delay actions further until we can locate Harry Dresden."

That was a very effective counterpoint that Elaine laid before the queen. If the Summer Court decided to reject me, or even kill me, then whatever justice and justification they sought to prove in this war would not exist. Those of the Wildfae who might be swayed by a persuasive argument of self-defense could now remain neutral or at worst join Winter's forces saying that Summer's actions were the ones that were out of line.

On the other hand if Summer dared to wait in order to find Harry to get him to perform in this role then that additional delay would mean less time to rally the forces to their banner if their assumptions of Winter's involvement eventually proved to be true. That delay would likely still hand Mab a victory if she were indeed behind these events.

It was obvious from the silence that the Queen and her handmaiden had come to the same conclusion quickly as well. No one said that the Fae were stupid. For his part the herald merely recorded these events and declined to speak or show any emotion that might offer which way his thought lay on this issue.

"What then is the option you offer Emissary?" Queen Tatania asked Elaine.

"My Queen, if you choose to recognize Molly as a rightful heir to Harry in this action and honor her authority just as the Lady and Knight of Summer act in your stead then you will have shown a willingness to seek justice." Elaine explained while we all listened to her logic. "If we find evidence of Winter's influence in these events then those who sit on the sidelines will look favorably upon our claim. Also, if Mab chooses to deny Molly this role, again it will look to others as if Winter seeks to deceive." She continued obviously having worked this all out herself beforehand.

"In essence my queen you lose nothing by accepting Molly's authority and gain everything if Mab refuses to do the same." No lose situations appeal to everyone including immortals and I could see the logic of the proposition brought a smile to the face of Queen Tatania. Abagale, however, kept her scowl in place, making her a seemingly perfect warlord.

"You have a delightfully devious mind Elaine." Queen Tatania complimented her. "It is a pity you have no Fae blood in you for you would make an excellent choice for the Lady of Summer if I must fill the position soon again as it appears I likely will." Abagalesidhe grimaced at this apparent compliment. It was obvious she did not hold mortals in an equally high regard as did her queen.

"I learned from your Court's teachings my lady." Elaine bowed. "Your compliment is appreciated but I believe you handmaiden to be far more deserving of this honor than one such as I. And since I have no Fae blood, she is twice the better choice."

"I suspect you are correct." Queen Tatania replied. "But remember that the role of Summer Knight had no such requirement. In fact it is a role traditionally offered to a mortal to act as our agent. And unfortunately it too seems to be a position soon to become vacant once more."

"From the wording of your summons I suspect that all is not yet lost. Let us focus our efforts there first and speak of the future when it is better understood." Elaine said obviously not wanting to discuss this more as it would forever solidify her servitude to the Summer Court.

Queen Tatania smiled as if she knew exactly what Elaine was thinking, which I had no doubt she did, and then nodded. "Of course you are correct my dear. Please Emissaries follow me." She said and walked from her throne, not to the glass biers but instead to a table right near the throne that was laid out with a partially finished meal.

I gave Abagalesidhe a pleading look and an 'uum' to remind her the queen had directed me to follow. It took strong will for her to pull the lance point away from my face before allowing me to proceed and following closely in my wake. I could sense from her emotions without even having to look back that the tip was pointed now at my spine right around the area of my heart. I just hoped she did not have any trouble braking while holding the stupid thing or I was about to become a big kabob.

"As you are no doubt aware it takes great force or great treachery to bring down a Queen or a Knight of the Sidhe." Queen Tatania explained. "As a tribute to the pair for the assistance they have performed for me since assuming their offices I ordered a banquet and festival prepared in their honor. I even ordered delicacies from the mortal world where they lived for so long brought here to be prepared by a mortal chef in my employ for their enjoyment."

"As you may know the two share a closer bond than any Knight and Lady before them and so this dinner was accepted as a romantic interlude in preparation for the true festival to be held starting today." Queen Tatania continued. "We gave them their privacy but found early this morning that they both lay slumped near death, their magic the only thing keeping them alive from whatever struck them down. And I can feel that even this is slowly draining away. They have a few days at most before they will die. And when they do there must be war!"

I had no doubt that the Queen spoke the truth. Either Summer would attack for vengeance, or Winter sensing or having caused the weakness would do so. Either way many would die and the turmoil would spill over into my own world as well. "What exactly are your expecting of us?" I asked sensing that time was indeed pressing.

Queen Tatania looked at me perhaps not please to have been interrupted but at least acknowledging the need for haste.

"As I said only great force or great treachery could take down a pair from my court so efficiently. As you can see there is no sign of force." I admitted that appeared true for none of the thin stemmed glasses on the table had even fallen over nor had a drop of wine or morsel of food dropped off a plate. I knew Harry could throw down some pretty powerful magic if he needed to, but there is no way he could do so without some of it leaking out and at least messing up the table cloth.

"So you suspect treachery." I interrupted again. "Perhaps poison?" I asked.

"I see you have an understanding of the tools of the Unseelie." Abagale said from behind me in mockery and disgust. "Perhaps you are more of a perfect agent for them than you first appeared."

"Actually I read a lot of Edgar Allen Poe and Sherlock Holmes." I said in response without looking her way.

"Indeed Winter Emissary." Queen Tatania interrupted and reclaimed her position with a flash in her eyes warning us both to stop taunting each other. If the time came to kill I had no doubt she would let Abagale skewer me but for now I was still useful.

"You are partially correct." The Queen said to me. "Poison would perhaps disable these pair since they had been born only partial-sidhe rather than fully of the blood. No mortal toxin or venom could do this to a true Seelie." She seemed confident in this assessment.

"The other more likely possibility is that they digested something infused with the power of Winter and it is slowly killing them from the inside." She explained. I thought about what I had done with my token to the grassy area and how it had turned things black. If such a battle were taking place within the bodies of the pair of High Sidhe then I could believe they were likely to die as well.

"What do you expect from us my Queen?" Elaine asked acknowledging her allegiance in this matter.

Queen Tatania looked at her. "We need the pair of you to test these theories and determine if either of these is true. If they are…" She left the words hang there but left little doubt in my own mind.

"How do we detect for poison?" I asked thinking that Butters would be a big help right now. That is if Crystal had not inadvertently killed him by now. The thought brought an odd smile to my face.

"Does the idea of poison make you so joyful creature of Winter?" Abagale asked me catching my smile and misinterpreting it. She glared at me and I knew my own explanations would not make things any better.

"Molly have you ever tested something for magical residue?" Elaine asked me in order to get us out of this awkward situation.

"Sure." I replied.

"Well it is like that only instead of feeling for the warm trickle of magic you have to feel instead for something dark, cold, and deadly." She explained. "I will try first but regardless of whether I sense something or not, you will have to cast the spell as well. We both must come to agreement if our judgment is to be considered lawful as true emissaries of our respective courts."

I merely nodded at this and watched as Elaine gathered magic from the world around us, sort of like gathering liquid while treading water, and then cast the spell upon the entire table like she was laying a thin sheet over the entire meal. Having sensitivity to magic and now seeing how she had done a spell that was very similar to one I myself had cast before I had no problem replicating the process, though my own sheet had a few wrinkles in it compared to hers. It did not matter for it still covered the entire table.

Those spells completed and having made our evaluation we both looked to each other and nodded we had our answers. "My Queen I did not sense any poisons." Elaine said.

"And agent of Winter?" She asked. "What say you?"

"Me either." I said honestly.

"Then the power of Winter must be in the very food." Abagale swore. "Let us perform the second test and prove or disprove it." She looked at me with an odd look of satisfaction on her face.

"What second test?" Elaine asked. "Are we to sense the meal for magic as well?"

"That won't work." I interrupted. "This whole place radiates magic. There is no way one could tell if the food was the source or the surrounding area just leaked into it." I explained.

"You are very wise for one so young." Queen Tatania complimented me and seemed to be reevaluating her estimation of my worth. "As you are correct there can be only one way to find the truth. You must each eat from the foods collected here. Agent of Winter if Unseelie magic is indeed involved then the token you wear will protect you. My own emissary however has no such protections and will likely be struck down just as the Lady and Knight were." She explained.

"Wait a minute." I said in shock. "You would poison your own emissary to prove treachery?"

"There is no other way and still maintain the balance between the courts." The queen replied. "I must make the same offer or those who judge my actions may find justice was not served."

"Then I won't do it." I said. "I will not put Elaine's life in danger just to prove a point."

"The choice is not yours to make." Tatania countered. "She owes debt to the court and I can so order her to do this whether you eat of it or not. She may still die. You holding back your own action merely makes her sacrifice for naught. If you truly want to find justice you will eat for only through this can we expose the truth of what has taken place."

Damn, okay so I really did not have a choice. The only thing I had to bargain with was withholding my own action which placed the results in doubt. That hardly was much but all I had. Surprisingly the answer to my dilemma came from an unsuspected quarter.

"My Queen if the Winter Emissary would allow we could substitute another of our kind in place of the Emissary." Abagalesidhe spoke up. "If Winter magic is indeed involved we would still prove this and meet the Winter Agent's request while protecting our own valuable resource." Yeah but what about the poor stiff selected as food tester I thought to myself.

"Herald, what say you?" The queen asked.

"If the Winter Agent agrees to the change then the balance remains." He said without pause.

"I still won't do it." I said defiantly.

"It is now your choice child." Abagaleside said sweetly dripping with undisguised malice. "We will command one or the other to eat the food. If you do not agree to the deal you offered then it shall be your friend Elaine who shall be forced to eat. If you do we shall select one from our dungeons who has violated laws to do so in her place. That should appeal to your sense of misplaced justice."

I also realized that if Elaine was the one to eat and it did take her down, I was not only trapped in the Nevernever, but I was an agent of Winter caught in the very heart of Summer's power. This was not the best place for a perky wizard apprentice to be. That reality pretty much made my decision up for me before I spent any more time on it.

"You have a deal." I said in resignation.

Queen Tatania looked to the hedge wall through which we had come though and it opened once more at her unspoken command. I could sense her magic of course and I suddenly got a mere hint of how truly powerful she was. "Bring Colineus from the prisons here to me." She commanded and without looking back I watched the troop of guards immediately march off to obey her orders.

This issue still disturbed me though and I had to try and appease my conscience. "Queen Tatania, may I know this one's crimes so in my heart I will not feel like I have condemned an innocent."

"Is that truly so important to you?" She asked shocked.

"It is."

She nodded her head once more evaluating me again. "Colineus was caught sneaking weapons from your world, I believe you call them 'arms of fire,' into our own." She replied. "Not only would these upset the very balance of power, but they were made from iron as the base metal which is death to our kind. His punishment was to be a rather horrible execution from the Summer Knight acting as my agent in this. It seems what you have offered him is at worst a much easier final moment. In fact you have even granted him a last meal as well."

"If he survives will you set him free?" I asked.

"Do not push me child." Queen Tatania responded. "My tolerance of you has its limits."

Colineus was tossed gracelessly through the hedge after a few minutes and I could see his half goat body, he was a satyr by definition, looked like he had been subject to tortures during his imprisonment was well. His shackles made anything but six inch steps impossible and Abagale's lance was enough of a motivator to bring him to the table. Up close I could see the tortures inflicted upon him here even more intense. The most disturbing being how his tongue had been sliced neatly right down the middle.

"Agent of Winter if you will proceed." The queen requested and I turned to look more closely at the banquet table lain out before me. It was a full seven course meal of earthly delicacies and I could see why they would be such a treat for the former half-sidhe.

A fancy meal is known as going from soup, the first course, to nuts, the final course. Of course there were some basic variations on this theme but generally the whole meal had been placed here before me. It had started with a broccoli and cheese soup, a little thicker than normal because it had been allowed to grow cold, and then an appetizer of some kind of pate which I was not thrilled with but choked down on a cracker anyway. The main course was fruit and vegetables, since the Seelie did not eat meat I learned; ripe cantaloupe, more broccoli, and parsley potatoes. Dessert was vine ripened strawberries in a thick black molasses that was so sweet I expected my teeth to fall out of my mouth. And finally, in substitution for the nuts, likely due to the time of season back in Chicago, the final item was salted and fried pumpkin seeds which I always loved.

I ate from each course and true to the claim I felt no ill effect, well with the exception of the pate which as I said I am no fan of. Satisfied that I had done my duty Abagale prodded the satyr forward to follow my path as well so there would be no variation. I suspect the poor creature had been starved so he took to the food like, well like a billy goat. By the end there was nothing left on the table though he was obviously looking and hoping for more.

"It appears you were incorrect." I said with just a hint of smugness in my voice.

Of course it was while those words were hanging in the air that the satyr gave out a choked bleat and fell to the ground holding his throat. By the time Elaine and I reached him he was unconscious and barely breathing also. Well I called that one wrong it seems.

"You knew this ahead of time. How did you know?" I said turning to Abagale who had undoubtedly saved Elaine's life by her quick thinking.

"Because child I was the first to question the cook." She said. "Unfortunately he was more fragile than I realized. You mortals are always that way and I often forget that. But after his death I searched his body and found this." She said pulling forth and object from under her armor and holding it out for me to see. It was an icicle that looked exactly like the once pinned to my own chest.

I did not know what to say but Abagale took that need away from me. "The pathways to Winter are from this moment closed by order of the Warlord of Summer." Abagale spoke aloud to no one present in particular and I sensed from the magic in her words everyone in the lands of Summer had heard this proclamation.

She turned to look at Elaine and I. "In accordance with the Accords you will be provided transportation back to your arrival point and allowed to depart. War is coming Agent of Winter. You would be well advised to stay clear of these events." She said making her threat well understood.

Elaine merely bowed and pulled me down as well to tell me that speaking further would only get us in trouble. I took her advice for once and bit back my own reply. We beat a hasty retreat and almost made it to the hedge path when her voice called out after us.

"It seems I have saved your life again Elaine." Abagalesidhe spoke. "This time I judge a single future service is all you must pay me for the privilege of extending your existence."

Elaine said nothing but hurried on through with me in tow. But even silent I could still feel the overwhelming despair wracking her body.