Chatoyant College Book 9: Sundered

Chapter 123: Bargain

"You cannot stop me," said Mardalan, pursing her lips at Corrie.

Corrie shook her head quickly. "I wouldn't dream of even trying. But I have an idea that might be more interesting."

"All right, go ahead," said Mardalan, waving a hand at her.

Corrie pointed at Siffyd and Feloc in their cage. "Make them be the musicians. That's a pretty good punishment for them, isn't it? They'll have to sit there every night, watching the rest of you have fun, but without being able to join in the fun themselves. And you don't even have to let them out of the cage. There's room in there for instruments if they are small ones."

Mardalan turned to look at the cage. "I do find that interesting. But how would they learn to make pleasing music? I doubt either of them is bright enough to have learned it already."

"We could find them human teachers." Corrie's heart was pounding. She couldn't volunteer Annie, but she could at least offer to find someone. "It would be a little bit complicated, but there might be some music teachers on campus who are faeries or who know about faeries, and could teach them. If not, there might be students, or we could work out a system so that they would meet at a certain place at a certain time and you could put a glamour on them beforehand, and a geas, something to keep them in one place without the cage."

Mardalan turned back and peered at Corrie with narrowed eyes. "You would offer this freely?"

Corrie shook her head. "In exchange for letting me and my friends go—I mean all of us, including Ever. She has to be free. And you have to make a promise you can't break that none of us would be harmed. Or any of the other humans on campus, for that matter. No kidnapping."

Mardalan towered over them, some strange trick she had that didn't seem to have anything to do with glamour—or if it did, it wasn't directed against them, because Corrie's bracelet didn't break it. "You doubt my word?"

Corrie crossed her arms over her chest and refused to back away or show how frightened she was. "I don't know how much you value it. I know humans and faeries are different. I'm not willing to assume I know anything about faeries unless I see it proven."

Mardalan laughed suddenly, her mirth seeming to bounce off the walls of the illusory hall and echo all around them—until Corrie realized that the other faeries had begun to laugh as well, filling the room with laughter. Mardalan returned to her normal size and smiled. "You make a good bargain, human. Very well. I will let you and your friends go in exchange for two solemn promises." She lifted one long, white finger. "The first, that you will do all that is within your power and that of your professor Lal to find suitable musician teachers for Feloc and Siffyd." She lifted another finger. "And the second, that except as it pertains to the music practice, you humans and your human-sympathizing friends will never set foot in our land again."

"Sounds fair to me," said Corrie.

"What about the north part of campus, where Tom lives?" Dawn broke in. "How do we know which land is yours and which isn't?"

"From the border of my sister's clearing to the human road," said Mardalan, waving her hand in a sweeping gesture. "Those are my lands. Simple enough, I hope. Now, your promises."

"I promise," said Corrie. "Do you want me to do anything special? I don't know of any magic that will force me to keep my promise." She hoped no one would have to drip blood on her head.

"I have witnessed it, as has Derwen, and if we need it, Feloc and Siffyd," said Mardalan. She gestured to the other humans. "Your promises."

They promised, as did Ever. "Return tomorrow night to report on your progress in finding a music teacher," said Mardalan. "Bring Lal if you or she wishes. She can witness your promises as well." She turned. "Now get out of my sight."

"No," said Edie. "Not yet."

Corrie grabbed her arm. "Let's get out of here before she changes her mind," she hissed. She did not want to piss Mardalan off any more, and if Edie asked about Leila, that was probably what was going to happen.

"No!" said Edie. "This isn't the only problem that needs fixing."

"What do you want, little part-faerie, my sister's plaything?" asked Mardalan without turning toward them again. She sounded bored. "If you're worried that I want to keep you, don't. You were only a means to lure my sister to me, and not only did it not work, I understand now that it was ill-advised."

"That's not it," said Edie fiercely. She pulled her arm away from Corrie and stepped closer to Mardalan. "But what did you do to her?"