Seanan McGuire - Ashes of Honor

“Wow,” I said. “That’s basically the cherry on top of this week’s sundae of suck. Got any more good news for us?”

“Duchess Riordan has recently withdrawn the majority of her forces from our border,” said April.

I paused, trying to catch up with her change of subjects. “What does that have to do with anything?” I asked finally.

“It changes the status quo. Changes, while interesting, often have negative consequences.” April vanished again, reappearing next to Li Qin. She grabbed a towel of her own and dropped to her knees. “Riordan has never, in my records, committed to a troop movement of this size without royal orders or intent to commit invasion.”

“…Huh.” I refilled my coffee cup, using the action to buy me a few seconds to think.

Tamed Lightning is a relatively new County; April is only its second regent. It was formed by taking unclaimed land from between two Duchies, Shadowed Hills and Dreamer’s Glass. Sylvester, who ruled Shadowed Hills, didn’t mind. Treasa Riordan, the Duchess of Dreamer’s Glass, minded a lot. She didn’t approve of anything that encroached on her borders, or made her plans for long-term expansion more difficult. She was paranoid, greedy, and aggressive toward her neighbors—in short, a classic Daoine Sidhe regent. There’s a reason they hold so many fiefdoms. They’re good at it, sure. But they’re also willing to step in and take what they want, when they want it, without caring who gets hurt in the process.

To illustrate my point: January O’Leary died partly because she was blind to what was going on in her own fiefdom and partly because she knew that if she took herself out of harm’s way, Riordan would steal her lands. Walk away for a minute, walk away forever. April was right. There was no way Riordan would be moving her people without a good reason.

“April,” I said, slowly. “Do you think you could take a charm to Dreamer’s Glass for me? I don’t need you to find Chelsea, but I need to know if it changes colors.”

“I am sorry, but I cannot.” She straightened and tossed her tea-soaked towel onto the counter, where it landed with a splat. “Riordan has warded the boundaries of her land against me. I can enter only when I am physically transported, and once inside, I cannot return to my primary server through normal means. I dislike travel on her land for that precise reason.”

“That, and the part where she’d hold you hostage if she thought she could get away with it.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We need to get into that Duchy.”

“Perhaps I can help with that,” said Li Qin. “I am still afforded certain privileges there, much as it pains Riordan to extend them to me.”

“Why?” asked Quentin. “I mean why privileges, not why is Riordan a pissy bitch. I mean, we knew that part. She’s a pissy bitch because she’s a pissy bitch.”

“The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club,” I muttered.

Li Qin smiled sadly. “I am the widow of the former regent of Tamed Lightning. By tradition, all neighboring fiefdoms owe me seven years of hospitality, should I choose to claim it. That includes Dreamer’s Glass.”

Quentin frowned. “But I thought January was the only—ow!” He turned to frown at me. “Why did you kick me?”

“Because otherwise you would have eaten your own foot,” I said. I turned back to Li Qin. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“You said that already,” she said, not unkindly. “Still, I would be glad to accompany you to Riordan’s Court, if you think it would assist.”

“I do.” I topped off my coffee before I stood. “April, can you do me a favor and watch for signs of someone you don’t know teleporting into Tamed Lightning? Her magic smells like sycamore smoke and calla lilies. It’s pretty distinct.”

“I can,” she said. “What shall I do if I am able to locate her?”

“Try to intercept her, if you can. See if you can convince her to stop running.” I wasn’t sure Chelsea was capable of stopping. Still. If April could manage it—if she could match her jump for jump, at least within the range of the ALH servers that allowed the cyber-Dryad to take solid form—it would be a huge step toward ending all of this.

“Understood,” said April.

“I need to get my purse and some slightly less insulting clothes,” said Li Qin. “Can you wait here for me?”

“Unless Chelsea appears in the cafeteria, we’ve got nowhere else to go,” I said. I paused. “Besides, there’s a phone call I should make.”

Quentin gave me a curious look. “Who?”

I unzipped the top pocket on my leather jacket and extracted my cell phone. “I need to let Tybalt know what’s going on,” I replied.

“I will keep Quentin entertained until your return,” said April. Knowing her, that could take the form of anything from math problems to violent video games. Knowing Quentin, he could take it. I nodded to her and walked out of the cafeteria a few steps behind Li Qin.

Once we were out in the hall, she turned left, vanishing. I walked over to the far wall and leaned against it. The Court of Cats doesn’t have telephone service, and reaching their King can require some pretty circuitous tactics. Flipping my phone open, I dialed the house.

The phone rang three times before a sweet female voice said, “Hello?”

“Hey, Jazz.” May’s girlfriend, Jasmine—Jazz for short—is a Raven-maid, a diurnal skinshifter. Unlike the rest of us, she doesn’t get cranky when she’s forced to stay awake past dawn. “I need you to do me a favor.”

Her tone shifted, becoming all business. “Sure, Toby,” she said. “What do you need?”

“I need to get a message to Tybalt. Can you flap over to Golden Gate Park for me?”

“Of course.”

“Great. Tell him we followed Chelsea’s trail to Fremont but lost track of her before we got here. Quentin and I are heading into Dreamer’s Glass. Riordan has been behaving oddly, and I want to find out whether that’s due to her having something to hide, as opposed to her usual bat-shit crazy. I think I’m going to need backup. I bet he’d like some things to hit.”

There was a pause before Jazz said, “Are you actually asking for backup?”

“I just said that, didn’t I?”

“Oh, thank Oberon. I’ll tell him. Where should he meet you?”

I decided to leave that one alone. “Tell him to head for the main building at ALH Computing. I’m pretty sure he can’t get in via the Shadow Roads, but he’s been here before—he should know where to come out. I’ll tell Countess O’Leary that he’s coming. She’ll know when we’ve been gone for long enough to need someone to extract us.”

Was I being paranoid in assuming there was a chance Riordan was going to try to detain us against our will? Yeah, probably. That didn’t mean I wasn’t also right.

“I will,” said Jazz firmly. “Open roads and kind skies, Toby.”

“Open roads,” I said, and hung up.

Quentin and April were sitting at the table when I returned to the cafeteria. He was busy shoving sandwiches into his mouth as if he had no idea where his next meal was going to be coming from. She wasn’t eating; instead, she was solemnly explaining the plot of a movie that sounded like the sort of thing May likes to watch on Saturday nights when there’s nothing better for her to do. Giant mutant fruit bats featured heavily.

Both of them turned when I stepped into the room. Quentin swallowed, not bothering to chew, before asking, “Did you get through?”

“Jazz is taking him a message and letting him know we may need backup. If all goes well, we won’t wind up stranded in Dreamer’s Glass while Chelsea brings the world down around our ears.”