The fairy wasn’t even skeptical. “I’d imagine you can, although only as…no offense…muscle.”

 

“None taken. I don’t mind being muscle.” And if dwarven steel gave fairies pause, then, well. “Our swords…”

 

“Dwarven steel will not kill us, as cold iron can, but it causes more pain than most.”

 

I nodded. “Hence why he ran. And at the…” I grinned. “If he’s scared of us, we can use that. Chase him back into Faerie where you guys can deal with him?”

 

“We can only do so much. He is, as you guessed, of the Winter Court, and quite high in favor there. And he is controlling humans.”

 

“Is he using them to their lasting harm?” Kanesha asked, thoughtfully.

 

“Not yet, and he’s likely to be careful not to. He’s turned a nearby town into…I believe the word is…Pleasantville.”

 

I flinched. “Okay, and he’s claiming it’s all for their own good.”

 

“More claiming that he can…domesticate the humans so they cause no more trouble.”

 

“Well, I’m not about to go for this.” I grinned at Kanesha. “Besides, trouble is what makes humans fun.”

 

She mock-punched me.

 

“I see the two of you are not simply friends.” No judgment in her voice.

 

“Maybe,” Kanesha muses, “I could check out his Pleasantville.”

 

“And get brainwashed? No thanks.” I didn’t mind being muscle.

 

“Or we could just ride right into it and challenge him.”

 

I laughed. “You’re turning into a Valkyrie, with that suggestion.”

 

“There are worse things to turn into.”

 

The fairy cleared her throat. “Reversing the brainwashing is something we can do easily once he’s not actively powering it.”

 

“Do you want me to knock him out?” That would definitely count as muscle. “I wish I had a witch with me.”

 

“Eh, witches.” She smiled. “Knocking him out might work, temporarily, but he’d only start it up again.”

 

And I couldn’t kill him without cold iron. Not permanently. All I could do, apparently, was scare him and piss him off. I glanced at Kanesha.

 

“Could just stab him with a wrought iron fence.”

 

“Could. Although I’d imagine he’d have friends who’d come for some old-fashioned vengeance.”

 

“Could also…”

 

“Can’t talk to him. But maybe we, not being affiliated with either Court, could talk to his boss. Or worse, his mother.”

 

The fairy laughed. “Maybe you could at that!”

 

“Let’s try it. I mean, if we meet here, the only person in real danger is Kanesha, and she’s well protected.” I didn’t like the idea of talking to ranking Unseelie, but…