Airily Read online

  Embarrassed by her sister’s forgiveness, she wanted to get away. Airily spooned a few slices of pickled cherry into a

  salvaged plastic lid and headed for the attic.

  She landed in the corner of Burn’s box. The crow was sleeping, but she’d shifted in the night. The towel curled around her like a blanket.

  “Burn, wake up.” Airily shook the crow’s arm.

  Black Burn’s eyes snapped open and she convulsed with fright, throwing off the blanket. “What? What?”

  “Sorry.” Airily hadn’t meant to scare Burn. “I brought you breakfast.”

  “Oh.” Burn glared through narrowed eyes. “And what do you little seedeaters have to offer me?”

  “Pickled cherries. But if they aren’t up to your standards, you don’t have to eat anything,” Airily teased. If Black Burn’s attitude was back, she must be feeling better.

  “I suppose that’ll have to do,” Burn said. “So, where’s Jay? If I recall, I was helped by a human and Jay was panicking.”

  “Poppa went to see Owlby, to tell him about the cat fae that attacked you. He wants to gather the older fae and see if they’ll help us get rid of it.”

  Black Burn snorted and stuffed a cherry slice in her mouth. “Good luck to him. Grandpa Coyote can’t stay awake long enough to say, ‘Hello!’”

  “His granddaughter might help us. If the cat fae is

  powerful enough, it could be a threat to us all.”

  A shadow crossed Burn’s face.

  “What?” Airily asked.

  “What, what?” Burn shook out her feathers.

  “You didn’t tell us everything, did you?”

  “You’re such paranoid little things.”

  “So, you have no idea why that monster attacked you and followed you to our House?”

  The crow’s black eyes widened. “It followed me?”

  “You warned me it was coming. Don’t you remember?” Airily wondered how badly Burn had hit her head when she crashed.

  “And you’re sure it was there? Did you see it?”

  “No,” Airily said. “I saw the tall grass moving, and

  everything went silent.”

  “When is Jay getting back?” Burn asked.

  “Tonight,” Airily said. “He left before dawn.”

  Burn stuffed all the cherries into her mouth. “Got

  anything else to eat?”

  “Burn, what aren’t you telling me?” Airily pursed her lips, frustrated by the crow’s evasiveness.

  “Keep watch over the yard today. The roof would be

  easiest.”

  “Just tell me, Burn!” Airily shouted. “Why are you acting like this? What do you know?” She threw the dish, and it made a satisfying clatter as it hit the attic floor.

  “Should you have made that much noise?” Burn arched an eyebrow.

  Airily gasped. She’d been so angry she’d forgotten where she was. “Hide.”

  She flew to the secret entrance hidden just above the

  window frame. Her claws caught the wooden ledge as she entered the walls. No matter what she did, it was always wrong. She should go to Twilla’s voluntarily and see if her Aunt could drill the stupid out of her. Airily kept the door cracked open and peered out. Burn did as she was told and pulled the towels over her head.

  From the attic stairwell came a quiet shuffle—the careful tread of someone trying not to make much noise. Airily held her breath.

  Josh slipped in the room, shutting the attic door behind him. He looked as though he'd just gotten out of bed; his tight, curly hair was flattened on one side. He wore a rumpled pair of shorts with constellations printed on them. His ragged tank top read Nerds Rule!

  “Airily?” he whispered. “Miss Crow?”

  Burn threw the towel off her head and smoothed her

  tangled hair.

  “What was that noise, you guys?” Josh walked over to the storage bins surrounding Burn.

  Airily emerged from her hiding place and landed a few feet from Josh. “Me.”

  “I’ve been a model patient,” Burn said with a sniff.

  “Just keep it down. My parents get up early, even on weekends.”

  “I’m sorry,” Airily said softly.

  “It’s okay. They’ll just think it was me.”

  “I guess I should introduce you two. Josh, this is Black Burn, a crow fairy. Burn, this is Josh, the human.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve never been introduced like that

  before.”

  Burn stood up and flapped a few times, testing her wings. Then she flew out of bed and landed near him.

  “Pleased to meet you, Josh,” Burn said.

  “So, what happened yesterday?” Josh asked her.

  “I was attacked by some kind of cat fae.”

  “No way! More fairies? How many of you are there?”

  “A few,” Burn said evasively. “But not as many as there used to be.”

  “Not much on straight answers, are you?” Josh glanced from Burn to Airily.

  “With good reason,” Airily said.

  “We don’t want to end up stuffed and mounted in some museum,” Burn said.

  “Tell me about the cat fairy. Was it cute?” Josh pressed.

  “It certainly wasn’t. Its body was cloaked in writhing black shadows, and all I could see was its face and ears. It had a sharp face, hairless and wrinkled, with gold hoops in its pointy bat-like ears.” Burn hooked her fingers into claws and slashed the air.

  Burn offered up more details than she had last night, and Airily listened carefully. The tricky crow could be making it all up to impress Josh, or she might be telling the truth. Airily would tell Poppa everything when he got home that night.

  Josh rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That sounds Egyptian. I've seen statues of Bast, a cat goddess with earrings. I could do some research for you.”

  “You can? Will it help?” Airily asked.

  “It can’t hurt,” Josh said. “Research is my thing.”

  Burn bobbed her head, “Thank you. You’re one of the better humans I’ve met in a long time.”

  Josh grinned and tried to fix his hair. “Well, thanks. I’ll go look some stuff up on the internet. You guys keep quiet, okay?”

  “I certainly will.” Burn glanced sideways at Airily.

  “Of course,” Airily said, glaring back at Burn.

  “Great,” Josh said. “I’ll be back with some food and water soon.”

  “That would be most welcome,” Burn smiled.

  “No problem.”

  Josh shut the door. Airily wished she could lock it from the inside in case she slipped again, and his parents came to investigate.

  “I should go make sure Flup doesn’t eat the whole jar of cherries before Witter gets up. I’ll be back for more answers later. Maybe Josh will find something, or you'll remember more.”

  “I’m bound by a clan oath. I can’t tell you what’s going on until you come to certain conclusions on your own,” Burn said. “It shouldn’t be too hard to uncover.”

  “Well, great.” Airily threw her hands up.

  “If Jay made it to Owlby’s, he might already know enough,” Burn said.

  “Owlby knows what’s going on?”

  “He doesn’t know he knows.”

  “Burn, this is important. You almost died!” Airily stamped her foot.

  “Just tell Jay to come see me when he gets back.”

  For the rest of the day, Airily tried to keep busy and not think about whether Poppa was alright. Once in a while, bad thoughts snuck up on her—Poppa, another corpse in the woods; Poppa, killed by crotchety old Grandpa Coyote; Poppa, never coming home again. Just like Momma.

  Airily did her best to shake off the worry, but it made her short-tempered and forgetful. At lunchtime, she burned a pot when she let all the water boil out. She yelled at Witter so much that he locked himself in his room and refused to help with c
hores. Fluppence was smart enough to stay quiet and read her book.

  Evening came and Airily made a dinner of overly-roasted sunflower seeds and dandelion soup. They ate in silence. Witter sulked over his food with a disapproving look.

  Murmurs drifted from below. Josh and Burn were talking, but Airily couldn’t make out the words. They seemed to be getting along well—maybe too well. Her grip tightened around her spoon. She should’ve warned Josh about Burn’s tricky nature. Why should she care? If Josh made a promise to Burn, it was no concern of Airily’s.

  A burst of laughter came from below and was quickly

  stifled. Surprised by the noise, Airily dropped her spoon into her soup.

  “Why don’t you just go play with your human?” Witter asked. “You obviously want to, never mind the danger. Or us.”

  “Can you stop complaining for five minutes?” Airily shot back.

  Witter’s lower lip quivered but he didn’t cry. Instead, he jumped up on the bench and stood taller than Airily.

  “No. You put us all in danger, and you never even

  apologized. Now Poppa’s gone and it’s all your fault. It’s

  always your fault!” Witter shouted.

  Airily’s mouth fell open. He was half right. She’d

  apologized to Fluppence, but not to him. She was tired of his accusations and crying fits. He acted as if he were the only one who was afraid and worried. But he wasn’t.

  “Josh has been nothing but helpful, unlike you. All you’ve done is cry for Poppa the entire time.”

  “I have not,” he said. He glared back at her. “At least I care what happens to us.”

  “How do I not care? Most of the food we have, I

  collected!” Airily gestured at the table. “And sure, maybe I was seen, but Josh has done more for us in two days than you have since Momma died.”

  Witter went rigid. His face turned white, just like Poppa’s when he was really angry. He climbed off the bench slowly and walked to his room.

  A disappointed tsk came from Fluppence. Airily looked at her sister, who peered over the edge of Josh’s book about TVs.

  “What?” Airily crossed her arms.

  Fluppence was quiet. Witter’s sobs seeped through the walls.

  “He started it,” Airily said.

  Fluppence looked evenly at Airily, then shook her head and went back to reading.

  “I’m going down to the attic.” Airily spun around, putting Fluppence’s disapproving silence behind her. “Maybe

  someone around here has been useful and learned

  something.”

  With that last dig hanging in the air, Airily left.

  Josh sat cross-legged on the wood floor, and Burn perched on the box beside him. They both watched the screen balanced in Josh’s lap.

  Airily landed next to Burn. “Hey, have you found

  anything yet?”

  “Evening,” Burn said. She gestured at the computer. “This thing is amazing. I got to watch a movie on it.”

  “Poppa’s risking his life, and you’re watching movies?” Airily asked, disgusted. She eyed the piles of empty food wrappers. Burn was basking in luxury while she’d had

  another horrible day.

  “Movie. Only one,” Burn said. “Don’t worry. Josh was serious about the research thing.”

  “I just wish I’d had time to go to the university library. They have better books. But I think I identified your cat fairy.” Josh pointed to the screen. There was a picture of a cat dressed in old fashioned clothes, a ruffled collar, and thigh-high boots. The cat stood like a human and brandished a sword in one hand.

  Josh pointed at the caption. “I think we’re dealing with a cait sidhe,” Josh said. “It’s Gaelic. Cait means cat and sidhe,” he pronounced it like she, “is an Irish name for fairy folk. Lore says the cait sidhe were witches that could turn into a cat nine times. My guess is that people confused a fairy for a witch. But there's also the story of Puss in Boots, who could be

  considered a fairy.”

  “If you're right, then it wasn't just any fairy,” Burn added. “Sidhe are what the most powerful of the Old-World nobility called themselves. I'm sure that's what it was. There's no such thing as witches.”

  “Wow!” Josh laughed. “At least I'm right about

  something.”

  “Nobility? Like kings and queens?” Airily asked, ignoring him.

  “Not exactly. More like an Old-Word upper class. The strongest fae ruled over the others,” Josh explained. “Though Shakespeare cites King Oberon and Queen Titania—”

  “Just get to the good stuff,” Burn cut him off.

  Josh sighed and pushed his glasses up. “Fine. According to my research, there are two fairy courts: light and dark, good and evil, Seelie and Unseelie,” Josh said. “Although, it seems like fairies from both sides killed humans all the time.”

  “Could we be facing something as powerful as nobility?” Airily asked.

  Burn scowled thoughtfully. “I don’t think so, but that thing was no lightweight.”

  “What happens if we get rid of this cat fae, and it has a boss?” Airily thought of Poppa out in the woods alone.

  Burn winced. “We run for the hills is what.”

  “Does that seem likely?” Josh pushed his glasses up his nose. “It could be working independently. We should worry about what’s already here,” Josh said. “You told me there isn’t really magic here. We can take on one cat, can’t we?”

  “But this cait sidhe came through the gates. It has to be powerful right?” Airily looked at Burn.

  “Of course it is,” said a chirpy voice from above.

  All three of them looked up to find Fluppence perched on the window frame.

  “Another fairy?” Josh exclaimed.

  “Fluppence! How dare you show yourself to a human. What are you thinking?” Airily wanted to shout, but her voice had fallen short.

  “She’s so cute,” Josh said. “Is she your sister?”

  “My dead sister once Poppa comes home.”

  “You have a dad?”

  Airily groaned and sat on the cardboard, head in hands. She might as well tell Josh every fae secret she knew since she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Leave it to Flup to blab

  everything.

  “Are you alright?” Josh asked.

  “No. I’m the biggest idiot in the whole world,” Airily said. Her cheeks burned with shame.

  “Don't say that,” Josh told her.

  “You don’t even—” she sputtered. “You aren’t supposed to know about any of us! I couldn’t even keep my family a secret for more than two days.”

  “You guys need me,” Fluppence said. “I’ve read every book in Owlby’s library. I know a lot more about fairies than you do.”

  Fluppence dove off the window frame and joined them, just out of Airily’s reach. “For starters, we’ll need iron.”

  “Everyone knows that,” Airily said.

  “You can confuse the old ones by turning your clothes. Did you know that?” Fluppence asked.

  “Turning your clothes?” Airily was in no mood for a

  lecture from her little sister and was trying to think of a

  punishment she could exact before Poppa got home.

  “Turn your clothes inside out and backward,” Fluppence said.

  Josh tapped on the keyboard, keys clicking quickly. “She’s right,” he said. “I found a site on repelling evil fairies.”

  “I told you,” Fluppence said. “Never tell your true name to an Unseelie fae. If you think one is present, don’t use names at all.”

  “Wait.” A thought struck Airily cold. “What are you

  supposed to do if they know where you live?”

  Fluppence’s know-it-all face clouded over. “Oh. Yeah, that’s bad.”

  “Burn led the cait sidhe right to our House,” Airily said.

  Three sets of eyes all squared on the
crow.

  Burn crossed her arms. “Not on purpose! I was running for my life!”

  “It can’t get in… can it?” Josh asked.

  “We should fairy-proof the House,” Fluppence said. “Just in case.”

  “How do we do that?” he asked.

  “We need iron. Nails and horseshoes are traditional,” Fluppence said.

  “There are iron nails in the basement,” Airily said. “The ones Poppa uses for our walkways.”

  “Walkways?” Josh looked around as if expecting to see one.

  “Didn’t you know? These little feathered rats live in your walls and steal your stuff,” Burn said.

  Josh chuckled. “That’s so cool.”

  “If we fairy-proof the House then what happens to us?” Airily asked Fluppence, who, unexpectedly, had become the one with answers.

  “We’ve never had trouble with iron before,” she said.

  “Your magic is too weak to react with iron,” Black Burn said. “It’ll be a problem for me, but Josh can let me in and out.”

  Fluppence nodded. “If he doesn’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind.” Josh grinned.

  “You seem awfully happy to wait on Burn,” Airily said, suspicious of his mirth.

  “Are you kidding? This is a way better summer vacation than I thought it’d be,” he told her.

  Burn shook her head, and Fluppence just sighed. Airily wondered if Josh understood how deadly serious the situation was. But then, how could he? Two days ago, he thought

  fairies were fiction and didn’t really believe in magic.

  “Come on, we need to start now,” Airily said. “Josh, can you get the nails from the basement? They’re in a big red

  coffee can.”

  “Sure thing.”

  When Josh came back with the rusted nails, Burn and Fluppence instructed him to place the nails end to end

  forming an unbroken line on all the windowsills. He argued that the nails couldn’t possibly keep anything out unless they nailed the frames shut. Despite his doubts, he went along and carefully placed his share of the nails.

  Fluppence and Airily each took a bundle of nails and laid them across every entrance they could. Holding that much iron made Airily’s arms tingle as though pins and needles jabbed her skin. If it was unpleasant for her to hold them, the old cait sidhe shouldn’t be able to cross.