lot of pizza the past couple of years, Harry," Toot said, with a swallow. He didnt look away from the box in my hands.
"Hey, you gave me a hand when I needed it," I said. "Its only fair, right?"
"Only fair?" Toot spat, outraged. "Its its its pizza, Harry."
"Im wanting some more work done," I said. "I need information."
"And youre paying in pizza?" Toot asked, his tone hopeful.
"Yes," I said.
"Wah-hoo!" Toot shouted and buzzed into the air in an excited spiral. The other faeries followed him with similar carols of happiness, and the blur of colors was dizzying.
"Give us the pizza!" Toot shouted.
"Pizza, pizza, pizza!" the other faeries shrilled.
"First," I said, "I want some questions answered."
"Right, right, right!" Toot screamed. "Ask already!"
"I need to talk to the Winter Lady," I said. "Where can I find her, Toot?"
Toot tore at his lavender hair. "Is that all you need to know? Down in the city! Down where the shops are underground, and the sidewalks."
I frowned. "In the commuter tunnels?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Back in the part the mortals cant see, you can find your way into Undertown. The Cold Lady came to Undertown. Her court is in Undertown."
"What?" I sputtered. "Since when?"
Toot whirled around in impatient loops in the air. "Since the last autumn!"
I scratched at my hair. It made sense, I supposed. Last autumn, a vengeful vampire and her allies had stirred up all sorts of supernatural mischief, creating turbulence in the border between the real world and the Nevernever, the world of spirit. Shortly after, the war between the wizards and the vampires had begun.
Those events had probably attracted the attention of all sorts of things.
I shook my head. "And what about the Summer Lady? Is she in town?"
Toot put his fists on his hips. "Well, obviously, Harry. If Winter came here, Summer had to come too, didnt it?"
"Obviously," I said, feeling a little slow on the uptake. Man, was I off my game. "Where can I find her?"
"Shes on top of one of those big buildings."
I sighed. "Toot, this is Chicago. There are a lot of big buildings."
Toot blinked at me, then frowned for a minute before brightening. "Its the one with the pizza shop right by it."
My head hurt some more. "Tell you what. How about you guide me to it?"
Toot thrust out his little chin and scowled. "And miss pizza? No way."
I gritted my teeth. "Then get me someone else to guide me. Youve got to know someone."
Toot scrunched up his face. He tugged at one earlobe, but it evidently didnt help him remember, because he had to rub one foot against the opposite calf and spin around in vacant circles for ten whole seconds before he whirled back to face me, the nimbus of light around him brightening. "Aha!" he sang. "Yes! I can give you a guide!" He jabbed a finger at me. "But only if thats all the questions, Harry. Pizza, pizza, pizza!"
"Guide first," I insisted. "Then pizza."
Toot shook his arms and legs as though he would fly apart. "Yes, yes, yes!"
"Done," I said. I opened the pizza box and set it on top of a discarded crate nearby. Then I stepped over to the circle, leaned down, and with a smudge of my hand and an effort of will broke it, freeing the energies inside.
The faeries chorused several pitches and variants of "Yahoo!" and streaked past me so quickly that they left a cone of wild air behind them, tossing my unruly hair and scattering lighter pieces of garbage around the alley. They tore into the pizza with much the same gusto theyd used on the one piece earlier, but there was enough of it now to keep them from mangling it in mere seconds.
Toot zipped over to hover in front of my face and held out his little palm. A moment later, something that looked like an errant spark from a campfire whirled down and lighted on his palm. Toot said something in a language I couldnt understand, and the tiny light pulsed and flickered as though in response.
"Right," Toot said, nodding to the light. I peered more closely at it, and could just barely make out a tiny, tiny form inside, no larger than an ant. Another faerie. The light pulsed and flickered, and Toot nodded to it before turning to me.
"Harry Dresden," Toot-toot said, holding out his palm, "this is Elidee. Shes going to pay me back a favor and guide you to the Winter Lady and then to the Summer Lady.