guarded the portal and Finvarra had relied on the stones. But he was supposed to guard the stones, and he had not.
Taking all this under consideration Stiles asked. ‘Could someone open the portal from this side, get past the stones I mean?’
Finvarra had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘But why would they?’ he said.
‘So they could then?’ said Tamar pouncing on his uncertainty.
‘Well, yes all right , I suppose so. But …’
‘One of yours?’ asked Stiles.
‘Oh, but … they wouldn’t. They wouldn’t .’ Finvarra insisted.
‘No, probably not,’ agreed Stiles. ‘After all, if they were going to do it, why wait all this time?’
‘What does she want with Denny?’ asked Tamar abruptly.
‘Denny?’ Finvarra looked blank for a moment and then he said. ‘You mean the other one, the blond haired one with the injury? She took him?’
‘Yes.’
Finvarra shook his head. ‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ he said. ‘She’s at it again.’
‘What?’
‘She’s going to marry him.’
‘ Denny ?’ spluttered Stiles in disbelief.
‘But she’s married already, isn’t she?’ said Tamar. ‘I thought there was a king somewhere, isn’t there?’
Finvarra shrugged as if this was irrelevant.
‘ Denny ?’ repeated Stiles. ‘I mean, no offence to the guy, but why him ? I don’t get it.’
‘I do,’ said Tamar. ‘After all, I want to marry him.’
‘Yes but that’s different. I mean why not pick a king or a president or something.’
‘ I didn’t.’
‘Yes but she could have picked anyone – someone with power and influence.’
Tamar cocked her head on one side. ‘What’s your point?’ she asked.
‘Ah, yes. I see what you mean.’
‘How do we stop her?’ asked Tamar, getting back to the point.
Finvarra looked puzzled. ‘Stop her?’
‘Ah!’
‘Listen,’ said Stiles, ‘what I don’t understand is why aren’t you … I mean, why weren’t you …? Oh, damn!
‘What we mean is, how are you involved in all this? How can you have known her for a thousand years? Aren’t you human?’ Tamar translated kindly.
‘It’s a long story,’ said Finvarra. Then he caught sight of Tamar’s expression. ‘Suppose I tell you all about it?’ he added hastily.
* * *
‘Feeling any more amenable?’
Denny managed to raise his head with difficulty, and gave the Faerie Queen a sour look. ‘Hardly,’ he told her. ‘You know torture isn’t usually considered the best way to make friends and influence people.’ He reconsidered this statement and added. ‘Well make friends anyway.’
The Queen gave a silvery, tinkly laugh that made shivers run down Denny’s spine. ‘But what choice do I have?’ she said.’ Your mind is closed. It would have been so much easier the other way.’
‘But not as much fun,’ said Denny, astutely.
‘I like talking to you,’ she confided. ‘We think alike.’
‘I’m sorry you think so,’ he told her. ‘That was sarcasm in case you didn’t realise.’
But Queen Onagh had not heard of sarcasm, so she chose to ignore this remark.
‘My last husband wasn’t like you at all,’ she said.
‘Is he dead?’ asked Denny, slightly fearfully. He could easily imagine this creature killing a dozen husbands if she took it into her head.
‘Dead? No,’ she said. ‘He’s around somewhere. Hatching plots, I’ll be bound. He betrayed me, you know.’ She clenched her fists and bit her lips until the blood came. ‘Betrayed me … to witches !’
Denny closed his eyes. ‘Tell me more,’ he thought fervently. ‘Tell me everything .’
* * *
‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ said Finvarra. ‘I’m not on your side or anything. I mean I’m not human after all. Not exactly, I just rule them. ’
‘The gypsies?’ asked Stiles.
Finvarra nodded. ‘For several generations now. They are the natural enemies of the Sidhe,’ he added. ‘It seemed a
Taking all this under consideration Stiles asked. ‘Could someone open the portal from this side, get past the stones I mean?’
Finvarra had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘But why would they?’ he said.
‘So they could then?’ said Tamar pouncing on his uncertainty.
‘Well, yes all right , I suppose so. But …’
‘One of yours?’ asked Stiles.
‘Oh, but … they wouldn’t. They wouldn’t .’ Finvarra insisted.
‘No, probably not,’ agreed Stiles. ‘After all, if they were going to do it, why wait all this time?’
‘What does she want with Denny?’ asked Tamar abruptly.
‘Denny?’ Finvarra looked blank for a moment and then he said. ‘You mean the other one, the blond haired one with the injury? She took him?’
‘Yes.’
Finvarra shook his head. ‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ he said. ‘She’s at it again.’
‘What?’
‘She’s going to marry him.’
‘ Denny ?’ spluttered Stiles in disbelief.
‘But she’s married already, isn’t she?’ said Tamar. ‘I thought there was a king somewhere, isn’t there?’
Finvarra shrugged as if this was irrelevant.
‘ Denny ?’ repeated Stiles. ‘I mean, no offence to the guy, but why him ? I don’t get it.’
‘I do,’ said Tamar. ‘After all, I want to marry him.’
‘Yes but that’s different. I mean why not pick a king or a president or something.’
‘ I didn’t.’
‘Yes but she could have picked anyone – someone with power and influence.’
Tamar cocked her head on one side. ‘What’s your point?’ she asked.
‘Ah, yes. I see what you mean.’
‘How do we stop her?’ asked Tamar, getting back to the point.
Finvarra looked puzzled. ‘Stop her?’
‘Ah!’
‘Listen,’ said Stiles, ‘what I don’t understand is why aren’t you … I mean, why weren’t you …? Oh, damn!
‘What we mean is, how are you involved in all this? How can you have known her for a thousand years? Aren’t you human?’ Tamar translated kindly.
‘It’s a long story,’ said Finvarra. Then he caught sight of Tamar’s expression. ‘Suppose I tell you all about it?’ he added hastily.
* * *
‘Feeling any more amenable?’
Denny managed to raise his head with difficulty, and gave the Faerie Queen a sour look. ‘Hardly,’ he told her. ‘You know torture isn’t usually considered the best way to make friends and influence people.’ He reconsidered this statement and added. ‘Well make friends anyway.’
The Queen gave a silvery, tinkly laugh that made shivers run down Denny’s spine. ‘But what choice do I have?’ she said.’ Your mind is closed. It would have been so much easier the other way.’
‘But not as much fun,’ said Denny, astutely.
‘I like talking to you,’ she confided. ‘We think alike.’
‘I’m sorry you think so,’ he told her. ‘That was sarcasm in case you didn’t realise.’
But Queen Onagh had not heard of sarcasm, so she chose to ignore this remark.
‘My last husband wasn’t like you at all,’ she said.
‘Is he dead?’ asked Denny, slightly fearfully. He could easily imagine this creature killing a dozen husbands if she took it into her head.
‘Dead? No,’ she said. ‘He’s around somewhere. Hatching plots, I’ll be bound. He betrayed me, you know.’ She clenched her fists and bit her lips until the blood came. ‘Betrayed me … to witches !’
Denny closed his eyes. ‘Tell me more,’ he thought fervently. ‘Tell me everything .’
* * *
‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ said Finvarra. ‘I’m not on your side or anything. I mean I’m not human after all. Not exactly, I just rule them. ’
‘The gypsies?’ asked Stiles.
Finvarra nodded. ‘For several generations now. They are the natural enemies of the Sidhe,’ he added. ‘It seemed a
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