How does one summon a faerie? Whenever Riley had encountered them before, they'd just...been there. Like the proverbial bad penny, they showed up, without being called or summoned or even invited. She was relatively certain that there was some way to summon a faerie; after all, John Takamatsu had done it, in Central Park of all places, two summers ago. So...what could Riley glean from John's success and from her own experiences with the Fae? Unfortunately, not much. She figured that a pastoral setting would be best ? the Southern Glen, for example. But would she need some sort of magical ability? She hoped not. Just the very thought of magic made her hair stand on end and her mouth taste like ashes. An offering of some kind? A bribe? Milk and honey? Wasn't that mentioned in the old Irish folktales of which her Grannie O'Rourke had been so fond?
Frustrated and annoyed by her inability to figure this out ? and heartsick over the loss of the one man who, she knew beyond a shadow of doubt, could successfully summon up a Fae ? she paced the length of Twin Oak's living room over and over again, raking her hands through her hair and certainly wearing a groove in the oaken floor. She clutched at the tiny glass phial that hanged from its delicate golden chain around her neck. She and David called it the Faerie Bat Signal. It was a gift from the Seelie Queen, Titania. It was a get out of jail free card of sorts: Riley had only to smash the glass and a Faerie warrior would appear, ready to help her out of whatever jam she'd gotten herself into. But it only worked once and after that, she lost its protection. She wasn't sure she wanted to use it if she wasn't actually in danger of losing her life.
Did she know anyone else who could summon the fae? Aurelia, maybe? Mesteno? Did she know any fae? Well, there were two half-fae in her acquaintance ? Salvador Delahada and Aoife Duggan. Her lip curled slightly at the thought of those two and she shook her head. No, she wasn't desperate enough to seek their advice, and she'd already bothered Aurelia and Mesteno quite enough lately. She was on her own with this one.
She altered her course through the living room and headed into the kitchen. She grabbed a hand-thrown ceramic bowl and a few persimmons, and put them on the kitchen counter. Then she opened the fridge and dragged out the pint of cream she'd purchased on the way home from her ballet classes that morning. A squeezy bear of honey and the cream were added to the rest of the stuff on the counter and she tipped her head to the side, chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip as she looked over her bribes. She chuckled at a sudden thought ? if the fae never showed up, she'd have a yummy snack.
Dressing quickly in khaki corduroys, a melon-coloured shirt and her favourite white cardigan, she pulled on brown Dr Martens, and then went into the kitchen carrying a small bag and a blanket. She dumped the cream, fruit, honey and the bowl into the bag, settled the blanket on the top of everything, and wrote David a quick note, telling him what she was doing and where. Then she slipped on gloves and wrapped a scarf snugly around her neck and headed out of the house. It was deceptively sunny outside. Sun usually meant warmth, but not today. The thermometer with the cheerful cardinal that hung in front of Twin Oak's big picture window said it was seven degrees. Seven frickin' degrees! ?We'd better be going to Bora Bora or something,? she said, thinking about the Mystery Honeymoon Place.
Setting off at a quick jog, the bag banging lightly against her hip, she headed south through the city. In practically no time at all, she arrived at the edge of the Glen. Nostrils flaring, scenting the wind, she headed towards her favourite clearing and spread the blanket out on one of the large, flat, sun-warmed rocks. Then she set the persimmons in the bowl and drizzled them with honey before placing the bowl and the open bottle of cream down at the base of the rock. Climbing up onto the blanket-covered rock, she sat in the full lotus position and wracked her brain for something appropriate to say. The first thing that sprang to mind was Oberon's description of Titania's bower to Puck, from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Feeling horribly self-conscious, she cleared her throat and recited:
?I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight.?
It wasn't quite a summons and the flowers mentioned in the passage weren't blooming in frozen, hateful January, but Riley hoped it would be good enough. She sat quietly then, eyes and nose and ears straining to catch the sign of a faerie approaching.
After half an hour of nothing, Riley grew impatient and frustrated. Maybe waiting quietly wasn't the trick; maybe the trick was to be a little more proactive about things. She frowned softly and cleared her throat once more, calling out tentatively, ?Titania, Queen of the Summer Court. I...uh... It's me, Riley Brighid O'Rourke. I... I need to speak to you.? She felt like an idiot, talking to nothing, but she held the hope that a Seelie would answer her summons.
Frustrated and annoyed by her inability to figure this out ? and heartsick over the loss of the one man who, she knew beyond a shadow of doubt, could successfully summon up a Fae ? she paced the length of Twin Oak's living room over and over again, raking her hands through her hair and certainly wearing a groove in the oaken floor. She clutched at the tiny glass phial that hanged from its delicate golden chain around her neck. She and David called it the Faerie Bat Signal. It was a gift from the Seelie Queen, Titania. It was a get out of jail free card of sorts: Riley had only to smash the glass and a Faerie warrior would appear, ready to help her out of whatever jam she'd gotten herself into. But it only worked once and after that, she lost its protection. She wasn't sure she wanted to use it if she wasn't actually in danger of losing her life.
Did she know anyone else who could summon the fae? Aurelia, maybe? Mesteno? Did she know any fae? Well, there were two half-fae in her acquaintance ? Salvador Delahada and Aoife Duggan. Her lip curled slightly at the thought of those two and she shook her head. No, she wasn't desperate enough to seek their advice, and she'd already bothered Aurelia and Mesteno quite enough lately. She was on her own with this one.
She altered her course through the living room and headed into the kitchen. She grabbed a hand-thrown ceramic bowl and a few persimmons, and put them on the kitchen counter. Then she opened the fridge and dragged out the pint of cream she'd purchased on the way home from her ballet classes that morning. A squeezy bear of honey and the cream were added to the rest of the stuff on the counter and she tipped her head to the side, chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip as she looked over her bribes. She chuckled at a sudden thought ? if the fae never showed up, she'd have a yummy snack.
Dressing quickly in khaki corduroys, a melon-coloured shirt and her favourite white cardigan, she pulled on brown Dr Martens, and then went into the kitchen carrying a small bag and a blanket. She dumped the cream, fruit, honey and the bowl into the bag, settled the blanket on the top of everything, and wrote David a quick note, telling him what she was doing and where. Then she slipped on gloves and wrapped a scarf snugly around her neck and headed out of the house. It was deceptively sunny outside. Sun usually meant warmth, but not today. The thermometer with the cheerful cardinal that hung in front of Twin Oak's big picture window said it was seven degrees. Seven frickin' degrees! ?We'd better be going to Bora Bora or something,? she said, thinking about the Mystery Honeymoon Place.
Setting off at a quick jog, the bag banging lightly against her hip, she headed south through the city. In practically no time at all, she arrived at the edge of the Glen. Nostrils flaring, scenting the wind, she headed towards her favourite clearing and spread the blanket out on one of the large, flat, sun-warmed rocks. Then she set the persimmons in the bowl and drizzled them with honey before placing the bowl and the open bottle of cream down at the base of the rock. Climbing up onto the blanket-covered rock, she sat in the full lotus position and wracked her brain for something appropriate to say. The first thing that sprang to mind was Oberon's description of Titania's bower to Puck, from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Feeling horribly self-conscious, she cleared her throat and recited:
?I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight.?
It wasn't quite a summons and the flowers mentioned in the passage weren't blooming in frozen, hateful January, but Riley hoped it would be good enough. She sat quietly then, eyes and nose and ears straining to catch the sign of a faerie approaching.
After half an hour of nothing, Riley grew impatient and frustrated. Maybe waiting quietly wasn't the trick; maybe the trick was to be a little more proactive about things. She frowned softly and cleared her throat once more, calling out tentatively, ?Titania, Queen of the Summer Court. I...uh... It's me, Riley Brighid O'Rourke. I... I need to speak to you.? She felt like an idiot, talking to nothing, but she held the hope that a Seelie would answer her summons.