“I already have a key,” she bit out through clenched teeth.
“Yeah, I very much doubt that.” His voice was flat again, his attention already pulled by something on the clipboard behind the counter.
She was out of politeness, out of subtlety. Sometimes one needed to show their hand, she thought. The massé was a flashier shot than one needed in a hustle, but it would get the job done.
“Winter’s Bone.”
When the man turned, his eyes had changed. Narrow slits, a feline watching her from a distance, disinterested no longer.
“Pye, I’m clocked out.” A beautiful young woman erupted from an unseen doorway. Sylvan, her dark brown skin making thegold markings on her forehead glow. “I’m grabbing lunch across the street; you want anything?”
The man shook his head silently, holding Silva’s eye. It was his turn not to blink.
“I’m good. Just lock the door, please.”
At that, the young woman hesitated, shrugging when the man nodded again. Silva heard the door being pulled shut behind her, and then the shop was silent.
“Andhowdid you come to acquire such a thing?” he asked her after a moment, as if they’d not been interrupted. His voice had changed as well. Deeper, slower, with a magnetic pull that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
“I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you’re assuming or implying.”
He spread his hands wide, a gesture of innocence. “I’m just wondering what a nice Karen elf lady is doing with an extremely rare and valuable bit of ephemera she clearly doesn’t understand. Illegal, too. Did I mention that? An extremelyillegal, rare and valuable bit of ephemera. That’s all. Because if you have the key, the door is inconsequential. Pick one. Or don’t; I wouldn’t if I were you. If your words are true, what you possess is not a toy. It’s not going to take you to some trading outpost. Winter’s Bone . . . that’s a front row seat. But the hard part is done. Onthisside, at least.”
Tears of anger were replaced by tears of frustration.
“Whatdoor?” Silva choked out again. “How am I supposed to open what I don’t know how to find?” This was hopeless.You’re not a warrior. You cry if you get a paper cut and throw tantrums when you don’t get your way. This is too big for you.
The man sighed again, once more leaning forward on the countertop.
“Okay, so . . . winter, right? You just need to open a door that leads to whatwinteris. What remains. Unlock the door to what remains. That’s it, I can’t give you more than that. I can’t be apart of whateverthisis,” he raised his hand, gesturing at Silva as if she were standing before him wearing a barrel with a goose on her head. “But again — that’s a dangerous choice. That’s the front door of the court.”
“Open the door that leads . . . to what remains. That’s it?”
He shrugged again. “Miss, I’m absolutely telling you that you shouldnotdo that. But yes. That’s it.”
“And a Wisp is . . .?”
He rolled his eyes, pulling his glasses off for a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose before replacing the heavy black frames. “The Wisps have passage. Their own passage. But like I said, it’s not as if folks who have an inside track to Faerie’s backyard are announcing that over Sunday dinner. You’re not going to find a Wisp. The doors . . . they’re not hard to find. They’re everywhere.”
“But why would they be —” Silva cut in, still not understanding any of what she’d been told.
“Because whywouldn’tthey be?” he interrupted in turn, his hands spreading expansively. “What would be the point in having just a few portals of entry? Do you know how inconvenient that would be? If you’re doing business down south and you have to schlep all the way back to some holler in the mountains just to get home?”
Portals themselves are common enough; they can be anything.She had read that online, one of the ramblings she had dismissed.Dismissed because you didn’t understand it. What else did they say that’s true?He must have seen the shocked confusion on her face, for instead of continuing, the man pulled off his glasses again, dragging a hand down his face.
“Miss, just . . .pleasedon’t do whatever it is you’re thinking about doing. I can’t imagine how you got mixed up in all this, but whoever sent you down this path is not your friend. Something’s going to eat you. You’re too naive for this. To be honest, I’msurprised something hasn’t eaten you already if this is the kind of shocked stupor you go wandering around in regularly. You’redefinitelygoing to get eaten over there. They have things that will actuallyeatyou, so, like . . . don’t.”
She nearly choked on her own still-teary laugh. “I don’t have a choice,” she whispered. “But I appreciate the warning. I think.” Silva swallowed hard, laying her hands down on the countertop to steady herself before continuing. “There are many doors of entry,” she said slowly, trying to make it all come together in her head, “but not many keys. Certain keys open specific doors? And there are doors . . . because they’re still here. They’ve nevernotbeen here.” Perhapshehadn’t been so unusual after all. “And just talking about this in the middle of the business day is a normal occurrence for you, so it’s not that unusual at all.”
“I assure you; this isnotan okay topic to be shooting the shit about on a random Tuesday,” he gritted out. “This should have been a private appointment. Now you’ve got my business closed in the middle of the day.”
“Well, it’s not like you had a line to get in, did you?” Silva snapped. She glared when he chuckled again.
“Anyway. Passage is granted to only a select few. The Wisps, as I mentioned. Sure, others have probably figured out a backdoor hack to do some trading. There’s always going to be someone willing to hold a door open if they get a cut of the bag, you know what I mean? But no,they’renot just walking down the street.” The man’s voice dropped again, all traces of sarcastic levity gone. “And if you think humans and otherkin have a hard time living with each other here, you havenoidea how much everyone on the Otherside hates everyone else there. This isunbelievablydangerous shit.” His voice remained serious as he clicked open his pen. “Please change your mind. But . . . regardless of what you decide, if you want to sell your key, whichyou should, before someone shanks you for it in your sleep, I’m willing to take it off your hands for a very fair price.”
Silva closed her eyes, dipping her head back, outrage nearly choking her. She felt light-headed, realizing she’d not yet eaten that day.You weren’t even supposed to be here. She was meant to be at home, had needed to throw a tantrum to get Tannar to agree to let her come, and she hadn’t even had a good reason.
It is fortuitous that this came into our possession so soon after your inquiry.Silva couldn’t help but feel that she was being directed, a marionette once more, back in her puppet play, but she had no idea who was controlling her strings.Fate. This is fate. Because you’re meant to be together. Fated mates.
