To Catch a Queen by Shanna Swendson

taught women to carry their keys in self-defense classes. He took a step toward the fairy, easing his hand out of his pocket but keeping the nails hidden.
    “Your kind isn’t welcome,” another fairy said. “You’ll suffer most of all when the Hunt rides.”
    Michael wished he knew more about this Hunt because as it was, his response was limited to “will not.” Instead, he smiled enigmatically and said, “Are you so sure about that? How do you know where you’ll end up when you face the Hunt?”
    The fairy took the bait and moved toward Michael, his fists raised. Michael struck first, driving an iron nail into the flesh of the fairy’s upper arm. He was surprised by how easily it went in. He released the nail as the fairy howled in pain, then whipped around to lash at the fairy coming at him from the side. He scraped that one along the jaw and continued the swing to hit a third, driving that nail in.
    The screams of pain made his hair stand on end. They were clearly inhuman and spoke to some primitive part of him that wanted nothing more than to run, but he stood his ground. The fairies’ screams were soon not the only sounds. Beau barked and snarled, and Mrs. Smith lunged at the attackers with her torch.
    Like most bullies, these fairies were quick to flee when their targets fought back and did damage. Soon, Michael, Mrs. Smith, Beau, and the unconscious woman were alone again. Mrs. Smith turned to Michael. “Well done. I see you know a thing or two. Do you always carry iron?”
    “These days? Yeah.”
    “Keep it up. Now we’d better all get out of here in case those yahoos come back with friends. Get her into the cart for me.”
    Lifting the sleeping woman from the ground was more difficult than catching her after a faint had been. He’d finished physical therapy, but he still needed a little time in the gym. He got the woman settled onto the piles of blankets and pillows inside the cart in a way that didn’t look too uncomfortable. Mrs. Smith blew out her torch with an impressive gust of breath, put it in the cart’s child seat, then picked up the blanket from the ground and draped it over the woman. As she tucked in the corners, she said, “What hunt were you talking about?”
    “They were chanting about some Wild Hunt that’s apparently going to ride again and make us all afraid.”
    She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “You understood that? You really have been touched. And good timing, too. If the Hunt’s going to ride again, we’ll need all the help we can get. Most everyone these days will have no idea what to do.”
    “ I don’t know what to do,” Michael said.
    “You know about iron, which is more than most. If the Hunt’s free to ride, that means things might be getting ugly in the Realm. You’ll need to get your wife back, pronto. There’s a market tomorrow night at Bethesda Terrace. You’ll find what you need there, maybe even a way into the Realm. Good luck. You’ll need it.” Before he could ask any questions, she trundled the cart away, walking like she didn’t have the weight of an entire person in there.
    “Okay, that was odd,” Michael remarked to Beau, who snorted in what sounded like agreement. “I wonder if she’s right.” The hope welling in his heart was almost overwhelming. For the first time in seven years, he had an actual plan.

 
Seven
     
    The Theater District
    10:30 p.m.
     
    Every time Emily stepped on the stage, she feared she’d lose her mojo. Acting and singing were largely about feeling, so how could she do either properly when she was so numb? She wasn’t sure she could go on living this way. Throughout the evening show, she found herself wishing she’d told Sophie everything and asked for her help.
    And then she’d sing one of her numbers and be met with roars of applause. That reminded her she now had the power to hold an audience’s hearts in her hand, to make them feel whatever she wanted them to feel. She could make them laugh or cry,