It is a sad, sad day indeed when I am made to feel incompetent by the likes of Ishmael, and yet, that is precisely what happened...though I doubt he even perceived this. In truth, the day was going fairly well. I was in the city meeting with one of the chief justices on a matter of suspected arson, when I received a trump call.
I excused myself a moment and answered to find that it was Ishmael, who wished to meet with me to discuss a problem he had. I agreed to meet him for lunch, and returned to my office, where the justice and I achieved some consensus on how to fairly investigate the charges being levelled against M.
Lunch with Ishmael was, predictably, tiresome. He wanted to know how to keep faeries out of his home. At first I wondered if he suspected Maddy of some infidelity, but it turned out that she had made some pact with a faerie named Carridis, who I determined to be Unseelie from his description. The faerie performed some action for Maddy, in return for her silence, but she broke that vow on the night of Nicholas' coronation. In a drugged stupor, she feverishly recalled the events...with Ishmael listening on. Though she lacked intent, I doubt the faeries will pardon her.
I suggested he mix cold iron with paint and give his house a fresh coat of paint. It seemed an impractical solution, to be fair, but my intent wasn't to set him on a path to solve the problem. Learning what I had, it occurred to me that the matter might be solved by making some judicious inquiries on my own. To be blunt, I offered this solution to Ishmael because I knew it would keep him busy, and thus out of my hair, long enough for me to deal with the matter personally. He of course made me agree to not to take any actions...demanded that I not ask Jack to do anything in this affair. I agreed. It was never my intent to ask Jack to do anything. But the information I would glean from him would enable me to do what was needed.
Ishmael left lunch early, and my parting words were that he ought to consult with Ariana, who has far more experience with matters concerning faeries than I. Perhaps she might know some ward or other to keep this dark faerie at bay.
After he left, I immediately summoned Jack. The necklace proved a bit tricky to activate at first. Neither words, nor magic, nor exposure to the elements triggered it. I thought for a moment on his pre-adolescent humor, and put the necklace around my throat, gently setting the stone to rest between my breasts. He appeared instantly. Surprised by my invitation, and by my offer of desert, he was reluctant to eat until I promised that I had not poisoned the food. As if I would poison a man at my own dinner table...how gauche.
We chatted on small matters, and I was relieved to hear that he and Alexandra had achieved some understanding, and that things were going well for them both. I broached the topic of Carridis, taking care not to mention Ishmael or Maddy, and he claimed not to know the faerie. A common name, he said, and so I resolved to leave it at that. Let him think on it a while longer, and return with an answer more liking to my ears.
We were finishing up our ice cream when Ishmael trumped again, announcing to me that Maddy had been kidnapped and that they were about to head to the Realm of Faerie to rescue her. Clearly he desired my aid. I asked him to give me a moment; that I'd be along shortly. He appeared annoyed that I didn't come immediately, but then again, Ishmael has always had abominable table manners.
I gave my regrets to Jack, and explained that my assistance was needed...and told him that I might have need to call on him again soon, for it had occurred to me that we might not be able to rescue Maddy at all. And so he left...and I left to see Ishmael.
When I arrived, he and Ariana were busy arguing on how to manage the rescue. We went around for a while, until I suggested that we enlist my sister's aid. Alexandra, after all, would be able to take us to Faerie easily. She knew the Tween more than most. And so we went to prevail upon my sister, who insisted on bringing a picnic basket. Ever the practical one, my sister. In truth, I don't doubt that we could get there without her. Ariana probably knows the trick of it. But were trouble to arise...well...Jack could hardly allow his beloved wife to come to harm.
The trip to Faerie was singularly disturbing...a path forming from mist...I clung to Alexandra...not wanting to fall to the wayside and be lost forever in that infinite greyness that stretches between our realm and theirs.
And then we arrived...amidst trees and fragrant grasses...a meadow...and in the distance, hills...a castle. We talked a moment of strategy, only to see a small calvary headed our way. Our entrance had been noticed; such is typical of my luck. The men who arrived were courteous, and offered us mounts to take us to the castle. We complied with grace, or in Ishmael's case, with a slight pout. Along the way, my sister explained certain facts about these realms. We were not to eat nor drink, nor take anything whilst we remained here, else we might be trapped for good. I'm glad I had lunch before I left. Judging from the rumbling of Ishmael's stomach, he had displayed no such good sense.
It occurs to me that Alexandra displays more wit than any notice on first glance. She knew the dangers, and acted accordingly. I worried a moment of Maddy, and whether or not she had been told these things.
Arriving at the castle, we were ushered to the throne room, where I kept quite silent. Trump didn't work in Faerie, nor Pattern, nor the art of Conjuring, which left me quite powerless. Better to follow my mother's example: observe, analyze, and act quietly. The woman seemed vaguely familiar, but then again, most faeries look alike. Ariana seemed to notice something , too, and had that pinched look of someone trying to puzzle out something beyond her mental capacity. Or perhaps she was just trying to keep her mouth shut.
We were escorted to Maddy, who was quite hungry by this point, while Ishmael was left to discuss terms of payment for Maddy's freedom. Eventually something was worked out, and we took Maddy to her husband. He bid us take her home and said that he would be along after he had settled matters here. I did not choose to pry further. Ever the gracious one, Alexandra was kind enough to leave him the picnic basket.
We returned home, and I went back about my business, my yearning for drama snuffed prematurely. Journeying to Faerie, I had anticipated all manner of treachery. It was, after all, the Unseelie Court. Would it be riddles? Combat? Spellcraft? But, no...nothing was asked of me...and I proved fairly useless in the end. How annoying.