He gave me an unfriendly look. I merely waited him out and he sighed.
“Once, when I was a young man, I met a woman named Ilis, who claimed to have touched the golden sword. At first, I didn’t take her seriously. Many had bragged about the same. However, she showed me the imprint on her palm, and I knew.
“The sword had known she wasn’t fated to wield it, you see, and the hilt had heated, burning through her skin. The sword’s hilt had been engraved with specific pictures and runes.”
“How do you know it was definitely the right sword?”
“The rune which had left its scar on her skin is only known to a small collective of people. The tengu have been sword wielders since long before your portals opened. Our history and knowledge are vast.”
“Will the sword burn my hand?” If so, I needed to make sure I was wearing gloves. My hands had to stay in good working shape to keep me alive.
“Only if you intend to wield it yourself.”
“Where can I find Ilis?”
“In the unseelie realm.”
I rubbed at my right temple, where a dull throb was announcing its presence. “I’m going to need better directions than that.”
The tengu closest to me shuffled impatiently and the leader shot him a look. All movement ceased.
“Take the portal that opens close to the unseelie king’s keep. There is a nearby town called Smolten. Once you arrive, look for a tavern called The Harpy’s Hell. Ask for a bartender named Dinbel. Give him a gold coin, and he will show you the internal portal.”
I held up a hand. “Hold on a second. The internal portal?”
The tengu smiled. “You didn’t think the portals only functioned between realms, did you?”
I sure did.
His smile widened. “Once through the internal portal, you will find the Swamp of Ilis. Follow the path from the portal, and you will find Ilis herself.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I handed over the blood and the tengu gave me a grave nod.
“I wish you as much luck as this spell will bring us.”
I had a feeling we were going to need it.
We made our way back out of the forest.
“You trust them not to hurt Gary?” Kyla asked.
“I texted Gary the wording of the geas before we walked through the portal. He was happy with it. Even if they were to risk the repercussions of attempting to get around it, I don’t think they would.”
“Why?”
I smiled. “Because Gary has allies. I’m one of them. And even if I end up dead, I have other measures in place to protect Gary and his kids. If the tengu want to trade with our world, pissing us off is the wrong way to get started.”
“You are a cunning ruler,” a deep voice said.
Kyla jumped about a foot in the air, shooting me a look that told me she hadn’t scented the approach. I pulled my Nim Cub as we both turned.
The man was seelie, with the refined features of the aristocracy. Weapons were strapped to his body, although he was dressed in little more than rags. His gaze scanned both of us, landing on my face.
“The creatures you killed have been targeting residents in this region for many months. I arrived last night, after a contact asked me to take care of the problem, only to find that two females had done it for me.”
Kyla bared her teeth. “Is the fact that we’re females relevant?”
