in the past?” Molly asked.
Glira looked at me. “You should ask Tess. I can feel the power of her thoughts as I speak, and I am sorry I was ill-mannered toward her. She will be a great ally for you in the Courts.”
Molly smiled and looked at me with that same forbearing expression she had used when talking Glira into telling her story. “So, Tess, why have the numbers of the Sidhe dwindled?”
I took a breath, ignoring the sting of her condescension. “If I’ve heard Glira correctly,” I said, giving a little nod of courtesy to the glow, “she made it sound as if staying in the mortal world hurts faeries, or weakens them. ‘All those years in the mortal world with the cold metal,’ is what she said. So if man-made things hurt faeries, then it would stand to reason that as we expand and industrialize, it would affect the population of the Sidhe, if they’re affected just as the trooping faeries are.”
I looked to Glira for validation of my statement. She flew a lap around the stone circle and spiraled upwards in pleasure.
“Very good,” she said. “If only you were so quick to think, Molly.”
“I can…I mean, I’ve always been able to solve puzzles,” I said. “It’s easy for me to hold all the pieces together in my head and see what fits.”
Molly nudged me with her elbow. “Well, at least I know you’ll be good for something,” she said with a wicked glint in her eye.
“Good,” Glira repeated. “May I have the chocolate now?”
“Of course,” Molly said. She reached into the circle and politely unwrapped the Hershey’s Kiss, smoothing out the foil into a flat square and placing the chocolate back into the ring. Then she turned away and whispered to me, “It’s not polite to watch them eat.”
“Oh.” I diverted my gaze. “Right. I need an etiquette course or something.”
Molly chuckled softly. “I don’t know anything about etiquette with the Greater Fae. The Sidhe have their own set of rules.”
After a few moments, Glira said, “Thank you for your courtesy.”
Apparently that meant she was done eating her chocolate, because Molly turned back to the little stone circle. Glira had eaten about a third of the chocolate and had neatly cut the rest into little blocks. She was in the process of wrapping the little blocks in a package with the silver foil.
“I have a question, if you would be willing to answer it,” I said.
Glira paused in wrapping up the chocolate. “I suppose this is more than enough reward for another question.”
“What are the weaknesses of the Sidhe? How can they be hurt?”
The quivering slivers of light that were Glira’s wings stilled. “Oh, you do not want to anger the Sidhe.”
“We need to know,” I said. “ I need to know. You want me to be able to protect Molly, right?”
Glira paced around her bundle of chocolate. “I do not know whether I should tell mortals the weaknesses of the Sidhe. I am not bound by their laws, but it would not go well for me if they find out.”
“Well,” I said firmly, “they won’t find out.”
Glira made a sound that sounded like wind rustling through green leaves—what probably passed for her sigh. “I do not know why I trust you so, Tess,” she said. “There is something…different…about you than other mortals I have met. So I shall tell you. Listen well. I will not repeat myself for even the trees can hear if they desire.”
“All right,” I nodded. “I’m listening.”
“What they lack is what hurts the Sidhe most,” Glira said. Then she picked up her bundle of chocolate and hovered at the edge of the circle. “Now, Molly, please release me.”
“What? Wait. That doesn’t tell us what hurts the Sidhe,” I said.
“Such is the way of the faeries, Tess,” Glira said, “and it would stand you well to learn it now. We do not answer all questions as plainly as you would like.”
“I don’t think you answered it at all,” I said in irritation.
Molly reached forward and
Glira looked at me. “You should ask Tess. I can feel the power of her thoughts as I speak, and I am sorry I was ill-mannered toward her. She will be a great ally for you in the Courts.”
Molly smiled and looked at me with that same forbearing expression she had used when talking Glira into telling her story. “So, Tess, why have the numbers of the Sidhe dwindled?”
I took a breath, ignoring the sting of her condescension. “If I’ve heard Glira correctly,” I said, giving a little nod of courtesy to the glow, “she made it sound as if staying in the mortal world hurts faeries, or weakens them. ‘All those years in the mortal world with the cold metal,’ is what she said. So if man-made things hurt faeries, then it would stand to reason that as we expand and industrialize, it would affect the population of the Sidhe, if they’re affected just as the trooping faeries are.”
I looked to Glira for validation of my statement. She flew a lap around the stone circle and spiraled upwards in pleasure.
“Very good,” she said. “If only you were so quick to think, Molly.”
“I can…I mean, I’ve always been able to solve puzzles,” I said. “It’s easy for me to hold all the pieces together in my head and see what fits.”
Molly nudged me with her elbow. “Well, at least I know you’ll be good for something,” she said with a wicked glint in her eye.
“Good,” Glira repeated. “May I have the chocolate now?”
“Of course,” Molly said. She reached into the circle and politely unwrapped the Hershey’s Kiss, smoothing out the foil into a flat square and placing the chocolate back into the ring. Then she turned away and whispered to me, “It’s not polite to watch them eat.”
“Oh.” I diverted my gaze. “Right. I need an etiquette course or something.”
Molly chuckled softly. “I don’t know anything about etiquette with the Greater Fae. The Sidhe have their own set of rules.”
After a few moments, Glira said, “Thank you for your courtesy.”
Apparently that meant she was done eating her chocolate, because Molly turned back to the little stone circle. Glira had eaten about a third of the chocolate and had neatly cut the rest into little blocks. She was in the process of wrapping the little blocks in a package with the silver foil.
“I have a question, if you would be willing to answer it,” I said.
Glira paused in wrapping up the chocolate. “I suppose this is more than enough reward for another question.”
“What are the weaknesses of the Sidhe? How can they be hurt?”
The quivering slivers of light that were Glira’s wings stilled. “Oh, you do not want to anger the Sidhe.”
“We need to know,” I said. “ I need to know. You want me to be able to protect Molly, right?”
Glira paced around her bundle of chocolate. “I do not know whether I should tell mortals the weaknesses of the Sidhe. I am not bound by their laws, but it would not go well for me if they find out.”
“Well,” I said firmly, “they won’t find out.”
Glira made a sound that sounded like wind rustling through green leaves—what probably passed for her sigh. “I do not know why I trust you so, Tess,” she said. “There is something…different…about you than other mortals I have met. So I shall tell you. Listen well. I will not repeat myself for even the trees can hear if they desire.”
“All right,” I nodded. “I’m listening.”
“What they lack is what hurts the Sidhe most,” Glira said. Then she picked up her bundle of chocolate and hovered at the edge of the circle. “Now, Molly, please release me.”
“What? Wait. That doesn’t tell us what hurts the Sidhe,” I said.
“Such is the way of the faeries, Tess,” Glira said, “and it would stand you well to learn it now. We do not answer all questions as plainly as you would like.”
“I don’t think you answered it at all,” I said in irritation.
Molly reached forward and
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