Lost and Found: A Tale of the Tylwyth Teg

Chapter 24 - Fowl Play

I awoke, not surprisingly, to the delicious smell of Anne's baking. Combine the freshly ground hazelnut coffee with Cranberry Cinnamon Spice muffins and you've got a mood boost that will last the entire day. Annie gave a basketful of mini-muffins to Abe, who happily distributed them to our growing Teg Sanctuary and battalion.

The sound of wings drew our attention to the drawing room, as Annika the Alkonost flew into the room. She transformed becoming fully human, wearing a feather blouse and pants. "I not show like this much. Better others think I mostly bird, yes? Easy fool hunters."

"Have a muffin, Annika," replied my amazing partner, "I can't imagine what your life is like, running from hunters who would..." She paused.

"Shoot me, put head on wall? Is life, yes. Bad life? No, others have worse. These..." and she indicated the muffins with her elegant hands.

"Muffins. I like to bake. It makes me happy." Anne began washing the dishes and humming to herself.

"Muv-vins? They very good. Thank you." I poured her a glass of apple juice, which she sipped daintily at. "I heard talk of Mab. I knew her, once."

"Yeah, I think none of these things would be happening now if Mab hadn't corrupted Gwyneth in the womb, made her steal Gwyn's share of Auberon's power. She was..."

"...very angry at Auberon. Always, he lie and he cheat. From beginning he cheat, and still in charge of Teg. Mab get, how you say? Short log of the end?"

"Short end of the stick!" Anne replied, stifling a chuckle.

"I will not forgive her for trying to kill Anne!" I snarled.

"Not Mab!" Annika screeched. "Gwyneth! It was Auberon's get with human woman. Mab dying. We all dying, the Teg, the Sidhe. Lady Lils, Mab can only have child with Auberon. No one else. Auberon must die, then live again. Gwyneth can't be queen, can't be king. Prince Gwyn, king should be."

It was at that moment that something nagged at me. Sticks, cheating, queens and kings, climate change...and a loud bang shook me out of my reverie as Anne dropped a serving tray into the sink. She was staring out of the window into the back yard.

"The Cat who plays, the Satyr's Eyes..." she muttered. "Lils, did you have someone deliver a garden statue that you'd bought in town but didn't tell me about?"

"No, why?" I tried to pick up the threads of my previous thoughts, but they'd slipped away. And Annie sounded spooked.

"Because there's one out there now, and Edgar is perched on its head."

Annika transformed and flew to join Edgar, and the two were obviously communicating. After 3 or 4 minutes, the crow took flight.

Anne was about to look closer, when Annika flew at her, driving her away. "Walk behind him, and tie towel on eyes. He cursed. Eyes can too, so, no look!" We looked at each other, and then at poor Bran Buynite, turned to stone decades ago. His satyr transformation must have terrified him, but from Bertha's Diary's account, he'd found his courage that night in confronting Gwyneth.

"How did he get here?" I asked Annika, who shook her head. Gwyn and Alwyn appeared from the highest door on the Staircase, the latter leapt down, and the former spread his fairy wings and flew to face their friend.

Anne and I bowed, to which Gwyn said 'Pfft!'

"We're going to need cockatrice tears," Alwyn said.

"The Crow left to search," noted Annika.

"What I want to know," I asked, "Is how he got here? I've seen this statue...him, I mean, in town, and I think near a forest trail. Why does it...he keep moving?"

"I have an idea," Anne said proudly, "With your highness' permission?"

"Granted," smiled Gwyn, "but you needn't have asked. You and Lils have earned the right to speak your mind whenever you see fit."

"He'd been hit with the first spell only moments before the second. His mind was still dealing with his physical change, and when he began to petrify, Bertha pushed him into the portal. I don't think he knew what was happening, and that few seconds of mental blankness allowed him to become stone while still partly in the portal. The portal keeps wanting to rid itself of him, trying to deposit him in different locations near where it's anchored, but eventually he snaps back into it."

She was grinning, and I had to admit, she'd tied that one up very neatly. Even I could see her logic.

"It could also be my sister's doing," remarked Gwyn, "dangling a helpless ally in front of us, teasing us to come get him – a trap she knows we'd fall for. My mother doesn't know that Bran has been found."

"Oh, tell her, please," pleaded Anne, "It would be good news, and lift her heart."

"If Gwyneth is behind this, doing that would let my sister also know that he's been found," said Gwyn, "and I think that's information we should hold off revealing until the time is right. Otherwise, his life would be in grave danger, as Gwyneth hates anyone who manages to escape her."

The Crow announced his return with a long series of caws. "A cabal of cockatrices is near the Bluff trail in the West Fiscalini Ranch preserves. When we're ready, he'll lead us to them," reported Alwyn.

I ask, "And just how do we get cockatrices to cry? Do we have to hurt them?" I'm not terribly fond of chickens...uh, reptilian chickens, and I've never heard of a chicken weeping." Or a cockatrice either, for that matter.

"Oh, we hurt them, all right. The best tears are won by the most awful pun." Gwyn's eyes twinkled. "I suggest you leave the pun-making to me."

Anne immediately began packing a basket of baked goods and dried fruits and was in the process of putting on a sweater when I stopped her. "Oh no, you don't! You stay here and reconnoiter with Fay's son at the Fire Department and ask about those animal attacks. See if they have any photos! And..."

"Lils..." she started.

I continued, "Buy some more goat guts from Mr. Maddox, and stop by 'Charmed I'm Sure' to ask Fay when rehearsals..."

"LILS!" Annie reached her hand out, unbalancing me and causing me to fall into a chair. "I'm going with Gwyn, and that's that!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but one look from her shut me up. "While you've been out all this time, I've been indoors cleaning up after and feeding – not to mention tending to and entertaining – a small army of fantastical creatures. I need some fresh air." She brushed away a strand of my hair that has a mind of its own and kissed me gently.

When Anne makes up her mind, there's no changing it. I speak from years of experience, believe me.

"You go do those errands in town and leave the house in Abe's capable hands. We have a dragon to watch over the house. Now, where are all those Ray-Ban sunglasses we keep meaning to donate somewhere but never do? I have an idea they might prove useful."