Sun Broken (The Wild Hunt #11) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,83

there were definitely family issues at play here.

The road to Issaquah was packed, I-405 was a tangle of cars, but we made it through after passing several accidents. I remembered that there was a Mariners game today over in Seattle, and southbound to I-90 was a mess with people heading across the bridge to the stadium.

Once we cleared I-90, we continued until the exit to Issaquah. Issaquah was a smallish city, but it ran right into Renton and Redmond, and like all the bedroom communities on the Eastside, it was an unending stretch of city interspersed with large patches of trees and greenery. It was kind of an old-fashioned town with a rustic feel downtown, but beneath that studied rustic demeanor lie the heart of a trendy hipster community.

Gatsby Jones lived up in the Issaquah Highlands, on Harrison Drive NE. His house was a small ranch on a large lot, in sharp contradiction to the McMansions that crowded together on a sprawling development.

We pulled into the driveway, and I saw the requisite twin oaks in the backyard. Actually, a portal could be between other trees than oak trees, but they were the most common. As we tumbled out of Herne’s car, a sturdy man about five-five stepped out onto the porch of the house. It was neatly kept, small but tidy, and it looked as though he had put a lot of work into the upkeep. The yard was meticulous, which surprised me given he was half dwarf. Dwarves weren’t known for their gardening skills.

Herne strode forward, holding out his hand. “Gatsby, I presume?”

“Aye, that’s my name. Quest said you’d be on the way. I’ve got the portal ready for you. You’ll come out in the yard of the portal keepers who own the lot next to the trailhead. They keep watch over it year-round. They’ll have a vehicle gassed up and ready to go for you.”

He didn’t ask what we wanted, but that was no surprise. The portal keepers were there to serve, not to enquire beyond making sure of who was using the portal.

“Thank you kindly,” Herne said. “We appreciate this. What are the names of your friends who will be waiting for us?”

“Niles and Leila Greentree. They’re part of the Elemental Fae—forest dryads.”

“I thought that dryads couldn’t touch any form of metal, at least not easily,” I said. I held up my hand. “Ember Kearney, at your service.”

Gatsby grinned as he shook my hand with a firm, seasoned grip. “Nay, lass. I can tell why you might think that, but you’re water Fae yourself, at least part of you. I can smell the ocean on you. You should know more about the Elemental Fae.”

I shrugged, blushing. “Let’s just say I’m not up on all of my kin.”

“Well then, you have a thing or two to learn. Anyway, they’ll have whatever equipment they could pull together. I see you’ve brought some of your own.”

Viktor had been unloading the car, and I turned to see a pile of gear on the ground. Viktor began hoisting packs over his shoulder, and he handed me Serafina, my bow, and quiver of arrows, and my sword. I slung my bow and quiver over my shoulder and fastened the sheath for my sword around my waist on my belt. Herne fastened his sword around his waist, and he slung his own bow over his shoulder. Morgana and Merlin held out their hands and staves appeared, shimmering into their palms. Kipa picked up a large hammer from the pile and tested it against a rock, cracking it with one solid blow. He closed his eyes, and suddenly four wolves appeared, massive creatures that padded over to his side.

“You look ready to me,” Gatsby said. “I wish you luck on your quest. I’ll be here when you return and I’ll take care of your car until then. You’d better keep the key, but if you have a spare one I can move it into the garage.”

Herne unfastened a spare key from his keychain and tossed it to the half dwarf. “Thank you, Gatsby. We’re ready.”

I glanced overhead. “What time is it, before we go?”

“It’s going on two, Ms. Kearney.” And with that Gatsby held his hands out to the trees and between the oaks a large vortex appeared, crackling with brilliant blue energy. It sizzled and sputtered around us, and if I hadn’t known what to expect I would have been afraid that I would be electrocuted. Instead, though, I had become an old hand