Laddin didn’t wait for the fairies to answer. “Because everything we think creates their world, which—I guess—bleeds over into our world. The demon originally came from a short story that the locals told. That’s how we know how to kill it. Because Josh read the story and told us.”
Laddin looked back at Josh, but it was Wiz who caught his attention. The man quietly pulled out a gun from a tiny pocket on his dog tags. The guy was naked and the pocket was about the size of a quarter, but he pulled out a pistol anyway and showed it to Laddin before hiding it behind his back. It was the way the townspeople had killed the demon in the short story—a special bullet, right between the eyes.
Then Laddin looked back at Bruce, who was still sorting through how the fairies worked. “They take our thoughts and create things in Earth Fairyland.”
“Which sometimes bleeds over into our world. That’s how they created a moon that was powerful enough to affect the werewolves in our world.”
Bruce rubbed a tired hand over his jaw. “I hated fairy tales growing up.”
That wasn’t the point. Laddin focused again on the fairies. “So the demon is in your Fairyland—Earth Fairyland. We know he’s very big, but we still want you to take us to him.”
“No.” Again, both fairies spoke at once.
“Why not?” This time, Laddin and Bruce spoke at once, which was weird and kind of cool.
“Because,” Erin said as she pointed at the two men. “You cannot go there.”
“He must come here,” Feta finished as he pointed at the ground.
Laddin looked at Bruce, who nodded. “Then bring him here.”
“No!” Erin cried out. “You will make him bigger, and he is big enough.”
“We won’t make him bigger.”
“Promise?” Feta asked.
“No!” That answer came from at least three people behind them. Laddin had no idea who, but he didn’t need the reminder that promises were never easy with fairies.
“I promise that we don’t want to make him bigger.”
Erin wrinkled her nose. “That is not a promise, that is a wish. You don’t wish him bigger, but he is getting huge anyway!”
Feta nodded. “Huger than huge.”
“The hugest!”
Laddin interrupted before they got distracted again. “What if we made him smaller?”
Bruce leaned in. “What if we made him go away completely?”
Erin folded her arms in an angry pout. “All you do is make him bigger!”
Laddin looked at Bruce. “That’s because we keep thinking of him. All of us do. We keep thinking and worrying, then the media spins story after story—”
“And he gets bigger,” Bruce muttered. “But if we get him here….” His gaze hopped back to Wiz, the implication clear. If they got him back here, then Wiz could shoot the thing between the eyes. Problem solved.
Erin shook her head, her frown clear beneath her flower hat. “I willnotbring him here. I will not bring him anywhere near you!”
“I will,” Feta said, his voice smug. “I will bring him right here if you take me to Fairyland.” He grinned as he lifted his head. “I want to be even bigger!”
Bruce sighed. “I told you. I can’t take you to Fairy Fairyland. Only Bitt—” He abruptly changed his word, presumably because he didn’t want to say Bitterroot’s name out loud. “Only the fairy prince can do that, and he’s already said no.”
Feta folded his arms and lifted his chin in defiance. “And I told you, Smoked Gouda has said you will.”
“Then bring the demon,” Bruce said. “If Smoked Gouda is right, I will get you to Fairy Fairyland afterward.”
Feta appeared to think about that. That had to be hard to do given that his brain was probably made up of mold.
