new to the Summerlands, still so dazed by the wonders of Faerie that I hadn’t started looking for the dangers—crawling out from underneath the branches.
“See?” said Karen. “You already knew.”
“I . . . I don’t remember this.”
“You do now.” I felt her hand on my arm, as light as the flower petals still drifting in the air around us. “It’s time to wake up, Auntie Birdie.”
So I did.
Late afternoon sun streamed through the bedroom window, hitting me full in the face. I opened my eyes, trying to blink with disorientation and squint against the glare at the same time. Not a good combination. One of the cats was curled on the middle of my chest, purring contentedly.
Sunlight. I’d closed my eyes for just a few minutes before falling into Karen’s dreamscape, and that was about an hour before dawn. Just a few—
“Crap!” I sat bolt upright, sending the cat—Cagney—tumbling to the bed.
“Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty,” said May. I turned toward the sound of her voice. She was standing in the doorway with a coffee mug in one hand, watching me. “Welcome to the land of the living.”
“What time is it?” I demanded, raking my hair back with both hands. It was tangled into hopeless knots, matted stiff with sea salt. Crossing the city on a yarrow broom probably hadn’t helped. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”
“You didn’t tell me to,” she replied, matter-of-factly. Expression turning solemn, she continued, “Also, you didn’t twitch when I opened your curtains half an hour ago, so I figured you needed the sleep. It’s almost sunset. Marcia’s been calling every two hours. Everything’s pretty much the way it was last night. No change in Lily’s condition.”
“She filled you in?” I let my hands drop to my lap.
May nodded. “Yeah. Now get up, get something into your stomach, and get dressed before we’re late.”
“Late? For what?” Cagney had recovered from her graceless tumble, and strolled down the bed to smack her sister awake. Lacey responded by biting her in the face. I sympathized.
“I repeat, it’s almost sunset. On the first of May. That means what?”
“Oh, no.” I groaned, falling back on the bed. “May, I can’t. Karen was in my head last night. She showed me this fucked-up . . . I don’t know if it was a memory or what, but it had Mom in it, and Oleander. I need to call and find out what the hell she was getting at.”
“Cry me a river. The Torquills expect you to attend the Beltane Ball, and you’re attending. You can explain the situation when we get there.”
“I hate you sometimes.”
“That’s fine. We’re still going.”
The Beltane Ball at Shadowed Hills has been one of the Duchy’s biggest social events for centuries. It’s a night of dancing, drinking, and welcoming the summer. In short, May’s sort of party. My sort of party involves less of a crowd, and a lot more physical violence. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“It’s not,” she agreed. “But you can’t become Countess of Goldengreen, run out of the Queen’s Court like your ass is on fire, and then miss the social event of the season. Not if you want to keep the Queen from figuring something’s up.”
“Fuck,” I said, staring up at the ceiling.
“Basically.” I heard her sip her coffee. “You okay?”
I laughed bitterly. “I’m peachy.”
“There’s the manic-depressive sweetheart we all know and love. Get up. You’ll feel better after you’ve had a shower.”
“Look, can’t you just call Sylvester and tell him I’m not coming?” I threw an arm over my face to block the light. “Tell him I’m busy saving the world. Better yet, how about you just be me for the night? You look the part.”
“Uh, one, no way. Two, I look like you, the jig would be up the minute I opened my mouth.” She walked over and kicked the bed. “Get up before I get the ice water. You’re trying to wallow in your misery, and I’m not putting up with it.”
I moved my arm, glaring at her. “I hate you.”
“I know. Now come on. We’ll go to the Ball, and you can meet my date.”
That was news. I sat up, blinking. “You have a date?”
“I do. See, unlike some people, I know a good thing when I see it.”
“I’m going to leave that alone,” I said, and sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed. My skirt snarled around me, hampering my movement. “I’m up. See? I’m up.”
“Good girl. Just for that, you can have a