Airily Read online

  “Say something,” Burn hissed at Josh.

  Airily elbowed Josh, and he snapped out of his trance.

  “Y-yes, sir, your l-lordship,” Josh said, in a wooden tone.

  “As I recall, your kind doesn’t live long, do they?”

  “No, they don’t,” Burn said.

  “How long is long?” Josh mumbled.

  “I am as old as the forest and the rivers. I waited six

  hundred years to retrieve my property. Perhaps, I can wait a little longer. Time will take care of you, human.”

  “But you won’t kill us?” Burn asked.

  “Not so long as you,” –he pointed to Josh, “swear the torc is mine upon your death. I will wait no more than one

  hundred years.”

  Airily squeezed his hand and shook her head. “Don’t promise him anything, Josh.”

  Josh considered it. She could almost see him thinking, that curious light in his brown eyes. “But if I don't…” His whisper trailed off and he rubbed his nose, almost dislodging his glasses. “I can do this. Don’t worry. I can get the wording right.”

  “You better,” Burn hissed. “He could keep us here

  forever.”

  Josh craned his neck at Cearanwnn and said, “You’ll get your torc back after I’ve lived a long life and died of natural causes, after one hundred years, okay? So that means no death at the hands of a fairy, no murder, or murder made to look like an accident that you or any fairy is behind, your lordship, sir.”

  “The deal is–”

  “Wait,” Josh called. “And can you let us all go? Send us back to Earth a minute after we left?”

  “And Poppa, too?” Airily added in case the huge fae didn’t know he was there.

  “And Airily’s Poppa, too,” Josh repeated to the fae lord.

  A long pause met Josh’s last addition to the deal. Airily was afraid Lord Cearanwnn would simply stomp on them with one of his huge hooves.

  “Done,” the fae Lord’s voice rang in their heads.

  “And because I am merciful, Baron Cadan Powries will also be spared. He is yours now, human, and will serve you until your dying day.”

  Cadan perked up at this pronouncement. He stood up and bowed, lowering his front legs and touching his nose to the dirt. “Thank you, o’ kind and generous—”

  “Silence, Cadan,” Cearanwnn said. “A hundred years in exile is but the beginning of your punishment.”

  The sparsely furred cat flinched, and Airily felt the tiniest bit sorry for him. But mostly, it served him right.

  “Now, go.” He held up one mighty hand, and the smell of burning leaves grew stronger.

  Josh gasped as the bandages on his face fell off. The scratches Cadan had given him reopened, fresh blood trickling from the wounds. Three matching parallel cuts appeared on Cearanwnn’s chest; black blood flowed from the cuts in a thin stream. The bargain was sealed.

  “I shall see you soon, human.” Cearanwnn’s voice tolled like a bell, shaking the treetops.

  Grey-blue smoke billowed out of the ground before anyone could ask what the fae lord meant. Thin and misty at first, the smoke blanketed Airily, Josh, and Burn. Airily’s eyes stung. She tried to blink away the stinging sensation, but it didn’t help. The air became so thick with smoke that Airily lost sight of Burn and Josh, even though she still held their hands. The smell of burning leaves overwhelmed her. Burn let go of her hand and sneezed loudly. Airily’s nose itched, and she sneezed so hard her hand slipped from Josh’s grip. Airily grew lightheaded. Before she lost consciousness, the smoke was gone.

  The summer air was a burst of freshness and bright

  sunshine. The red light and twisted black trees were gone. Airily blinked at the familiar forest clearing, happy to see her home again.

  “We’re back,” she said and rubbed her stinging eyes.

  “And we have a new friend,” Burn said. Her voice oozed with sarcasm.

  Cadan skulked a few feet away, the housecat now huge.

  No! Disappointment roosted in Airily’s heart. She was back to being a tiny sparrow fairy.

  “Poppa? Where is he?” Airily glided into the air, glad to have her wings back at least. The birdcage was nowhere to be seen. Panic filled her. Surely the fae Lord had kept his word to Josh. She flew a circuit of the clearing, searching.

  Then she spotted him, lying in the grass at the edge of the clearing, cage gone. Relief poured over her like cool water. Poppa was there, just as Cearanwnn had promised.

  “Airily! Burn!” Fluppence and Witter burst out of the trees. “You came back!” They screamed, flying in joyous loop-the-loops around each other. They rushed at Airily

  before she could reach Poppa, but she didn’t mind. She’d never been so happy to see her little brother and sister.

  “You disappeared in a flash of light a minute ago,” Witter said, as he twirled around Airily.

  “We didn’t know what happened.” Fluppence zoomed in for a brief mid-air hug.

  Airily hugged her back, then grabbed Witter. Airily let him go when he wheezed. Only minutes ago, she thought she’d die and never see them again. But here they were, and for them, she’d only been gone a minute.

  “Where’s Poppa?” Witter asked.

  “Right there.” Airily pointed.

  Fluppence let out a cheer and dove for the ground.

  “Cadan—the cait sidhe—said he was just sleeping,” Airily said as she and Witter landed next to Fluppence and Poppa.

  “Are you sure he wasn't lying?” Witter asked.

  “He better not have.” Airily snarled. She examined Poppa who lay on his side, face pale, chest rising and falling. “Poppa?” She touched his shoulder and gently shook him. His cheeks were sallow. Every emotion seemed frozen inside her—fear, grief, joy. All she could do was wait to find out which would thaw first.

  Poppa groaned and blinked sleepily. “What?” he

  murmured. He sat up a second later as if shocked by an

  electric spark.

  “Airily?” Poppa looked around, confused. “Witter?

  Fluppence? Where am I?”

  Airily sobbed with relief and hugged Poppa as hard as she could. Fluppence and Witter joined in, and they both cried as well. This was one time she didn’t mind at all.

  Poppa didn’t complain as they squeezed him. He just threw his arms around them, managing to hug all three at once.

  “I thought you were dead.” Witter choked out the words between tears.

  “I didn’t,” Airily proclaimed.

  “I’m so glad you’re alright,” Fluppence cried.

  “I don’t know what happened,” Poppa said. “I can’t

  remember anything after leaving Owlby’s house.”

  “The cait sidhe caught you and put you in a cage,” Airily explained. She wiped her tears and beamed at Poppa, happy to see him again.

  “He did?” Poppa looked at Airily in wide-eyed wonder. Poppa reluctantly let her go. He ran a hand through his hair, propping up the spiky pompadour which had fallen flat. “How am I alive?”

  “I saved you.” Airily couldn’t keep the triumph out of her voice.

  A couple of coughs came from behind her. Airily turned to see Josh and Burn smiling at the family reunion.

  “Well, Burn and Josh saved you too.”

  They coughed again.

  “You wouldn’t be here without them,” Airily said. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”

  Poppa gently released Witter and Fluppence and stood up. “Thank you, Burn and Josh.” He bowed to each of them.

  Burn looked smug, and Josh looked proud. Airily guessed they had a right to both.

  “I owe you my life, which should make for an interesting story,” Poppa said. “I’ll repay you each, on my word.”

  “Don’t worry, Jay.” Burn grinned. “Airily’s already promised you’ll clean my house.”

  “Enough promises! I can’t take anymore,�
�� Josh said. “Oh, wait.” He turned toward a dejected-looking Cadan, sitting in the middle of the clearing with his head hung low.

  “One more promise,” Josh said. “Cadan, come here.” Josh waved the scrawny cat over. Cadan slunk to Josh’s side.

  “What now?” Cadan asked.

  “You have to swear an oath to never harm another living thing, person, or fairy ever again,” Josh said.

  “I can’t do that. I’ll starve to death. I’m a cat,” Cadan said.

  “No, you won’t. You’ll live with me, and you’ll get cat food.”

  “But what happens when I go back to Lord Cearanwnn? Killing is pretty much my job.”

  “Well, you need to rethink your job.” Josh snapped.

  Cadan’s big eyes got rounder and sadder, his large

  bat-like ears sagged. “Please, my liege will kill me if I’m of no more use to him.”

  Cadan managed to look so pathetic; Airily almost felt sorry for him.

  “And why should we care?” Burn asked.

  “That’s right,” Poppa said. “You would’ve left my

  children orphans.”

  Cadan growled low in his throat but said nothing; though he looked as though he wanted to murder Poppa and Burn.

  “You’re going to have to find a new way to be useful,” Josh said. “And you’ve got one hundred years to do it. Now, promise.”

  “I-promise-not-to-harm-another-living-thing-person-or-fairy-ever-again.” He spit the words out as fast as he could, forehead wrinkled in disgust.

  “Good,” Josh said and bent to pet the cat. Cadan dodged away and slunk back to the center of the clearing.

  With a groan of pain, Josh straightened up. “Now, does anyone know what broken ribs feel like?”

  EPILOGUE

  “Y

  ou risked a lot, which you shouldn’t have done,” Josh’s father said sternly. “What would’ve

  happened if you’d broken a rib, not just cracked one, falling out of that tree?”

  Josh’s mother put a hand on her husband’s knee. “It’s

  admirable you wanted to save the cat. But just because you rescued him, doesn’t mean you can keep him.”

  “This is a pure-bred Cornish Rex,” Josh’s dad said. “Cats like these don’t just get lost.”

  Airily and Poppa watched the scene from behind a cluster of family photographs on the living room mantle. Normally, they never would’ve come out during the day, but now the mantle was full of picture frames to hide behind. They had to see if Josh’s plan was going to work.

  Josh sat in one of the plush chairs. Airily caught sight of the white bandages wrapped around his chest where his tank top gaped. A fresh pang of guilt stung her. He was wounded because of her. She touched the purple bruise around her neck where Cadan almost choked her to death. She was grateful they’d all come through such an ordeal.

  Cadan sat on Josh’s lap, the perfect model of catdom. His huge eyes silently begged, claws sheathed. He purred like an engine, audible even from Airily’s vantage point.

  “I’ll look for his owner,” Josh said. “I can make posters and everything. But if no one turns up to claim him, can I keep him?”

  “Just don’t get your hopes up. He has a name tag,” his mother said.

  “He’s probably micro-chipped,” added Josh’s dad.

  “I know, but if we can’t find his owner, he’ll need a home,” Josh said.

  Airily glanced at Poppa, knowing they were both thinking the same thing. Josh’s parents were giving in. Airily knew better than anyone how useless it was to argue Josh’s logic.

  Cadan leaped off Josh’s lap and sauntered over to the couch. He rubbed against Josh’s father’s pant leg. Smiling, Josh’s father reached down to pet Cadan’s arched back.

  After coming back from The Fair Lands yesterday, the sparrow family, Josh, and Cadan had returned to the House. Josh had spun a story about rescuing Cadan from a tree,

  falling out of it, and asked if he could he go to the doctor, please. His parents shoved him in the car so quickly, they were gone before Airily and her family could get in their own front door.

  Airily spent a long, tearful, and blissful night telling Poppa the tale of his rescue. She tried to emphasize how helpful Josh had been so maybe Poppa would forget how

  angry he was that she’d been seen.

  Josh’s father rubbed Cadan behind the ear. “I think we could keep him.”

  Airily thought Cadan had gotten off pretty easily

  considering he’d been ready to kill them all, and nearly did. Now, here he was kissing up to Josh’s parents, getting petted and fawned over.

  Airily and her father slipped back through the secret hatch in the mantle.

  “I guess we’re stuck with him,” Airily whispered to Poppa once they were safely within the walls.

  “He can’t break his promise,” Poppa said, but the scowl on his face showed his distrust. “And don’t think any of this gets you off the hook.”

  “But, Poppa—”

  “No buts, Airily,” Poppa said. “You were only lucky Josh turned out to be a decent human being. Things could’ve ended very differently if he weren’t. I’m not about to reward you for luck.”

  If it weren’t for Josh’s help, Poppa would never have been rescued. Why was he so stubborn?

  “But,” Poppa added, “when you get back from Aunt Twilla’s, I’ll teach you everything I know about collecting in a human house.”

  “Really? No more squirrel feeders and garden duty?”

  Airily grinned.

  “You earned it and then some.” Poppa returned her smile. He put an arm around her shoulders, which was all they had room for inside the narrow walls.

  When he let her go, Airily puffed up her feathers. Pride shone in Poppa’s eyes, and the same feeling swelled inside her.

  She’d be a fully-fledged collector at last.

  The End

  About the Author

  Shay Emms writes, draws, paints, and then writes some more. She lives in Oregon which provides endless inspiration… if you count moss growing on trees as inspiration. Which she does. Her obsessions include birds, books, and talking mice stories.

  She’s a big fantasy geek and one day hopes to read all the books on her bookshelves. Shay loves anime, cartoons, manga, and fosters birds. Her natural habitat while writing is a coffee shop, and she can generally be found there with a mug of tea and her laptop.