As Lie The Dead by Kelly Meding

tall, leggy wannabe model unnoticeable. Likewise, Jaron had the build of a pro wrestler, which amused me since sprites (in their true form, anyway) look decidedly female. And were the height of your average human toddler.
    I’d seen their avatars twice in my life; if they were here, then something big was up.
    The fifth person was a stranger. He was sitting with his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankle. He had a narrow build, salted black hair, a long and narrow face not unlike a horse, and he wore a dark blue suit, sans tie. He looked like an off-duty cop.
    “I shouldn’t have doubted you, Evangeline,”Amalie said. The voice was of the sprite I’d met yesterday, royal and small, unbecoming the larger body from which it came. “You succeeded in protecting First Break.”
    Behind us, Kismet closed the door. She circled to stand nearby, her expression guarded.
    “I don’t like to lose,” I said.
    “No one does,” Amalie said. “But often with success comes compromise.”
    I blinked, unsure of her last statement. I glanced at Kismet, whose attention was on the far wall. Tybalt and Felix were also looking elsewhere. The trio across from me seemed, for an instant, like a firing squad. “We stopped Tovin and contained the Tainted One.” A tiny splash of panic hit me. “It didn’t get loose, did it?”
    “No, it did not. We are creating a new containment spell to strengthen the old. The Tainted is not why we are here.”
    Okay, I felt a little better. “Then what’s there to compromise on? Who gets credit for it?”
    Amalie shook her head in measured sweeps. “No, your victory against Tovin is not in question, nor is the deficit you created in the ranks of the half-Bloods and goblins. Rest assured of that.”
    Rest was all I wanted to do, only no one was letting me. I reached desperately for another explanation. “The goblins are rioting? Calling for my head because of Kelsa?”
    I swore Amalie almost smiled. “Rumor has it they are decidedly upset at the loss of one of their Queens, but no. They are not an immediate threat.”
    Not yet, right?
“Okay, so what the hell are we doing here?”
    “Another matter has been brought to the attention of the Fey Council, via the Assembly of Clan Elders.”
    Clan Elders meant the weres. I gazed at the stranger, every instinct suddenly rising to the defensive. I sensed an ambush. The man was far too calm and self-assured for it to be anything else.
    “This is about the Owlkins, isn’t it?” Wyatt asked. He stepped forward, immediately on my right. To my left, Kismet shifted, fists clenching by her sides. Her Hunters remained stiff, watchful.
    “Yes,” Amalie said.
    “Who are you?” I asked the stranger.
    He tilted his head, regarding me briefly before answering. “My name is Michael Jenner. I speak for the Assembly of Clan Elders, as I also speak for those unable to speak for themselves. Silenced voices who demand justice.”
    My eyes narrowed as my heart sped up half a beat. So much for my promise to Phineas. “If you wanted me, why not come and get me? Why drag my ass down here?”
    “We don’t want you,” Jenner said.
    I frowned. “Then who—?”
    “They want Rufus,” Wyatt said.
    My stomach twisted. Kismet made a soft, strangled sound in her throat—the only confirmation I needed. “Fuck that,” I snapped. “Why?”
    Jenner stood, drawing his lean frame to six feet, all sinewed muscle and strength under that suit. “Rufus St. James led the Triad raid that resulted in thenear-total annihilation of one of our Clans,” he said. He could have been ordering a cheeseburger for all the emotion in his voice.
    “He was following orders,” Wyatt said, voice low. Entering danger zone. “You want to hold someone responsible, get their asses down here.”
    “And risk exposing our allies among your kind?” Amalie said. “Your superiors hide their identities for a reason, Wyatt Truman. Secrecy is necessary for our continued