“So, you called her?” Aidan asked me, incredulous.

 

“I didn’t feel like fighting you. You aren’t worth it.”
The Lady laughed. “Come home, Aidan. I can think of plenty of things that are more fun than…this.” She waggled dismissive fingers at the town.

 

None of the desultory looking people seemed to be watching, other than a kid on a swing, back, forth, back, forth.

 

Something about her was bothering me. She was, well, creepy. I narrowed my eyes and murmured to Kanesha. “See the kid?”

 

“What about her?”

 

“Don’t think she’s a kid.”

 

The Lady apparently heard us – pointed Sidhe ears and all – and turned towards the girl. “You too.”
The girl sighed and hopped off the swing. “Oh, come on. You never let us have any fun.”

 

“You need to grow up first.”

 

It couldn’t be this easy. Or maybe it could. I was abruptly glad I’d made her promise to return us safely, or I figured she’d be tempted to leave us here to walk back.

 

Then again, from the look on Kanesha’s face, I had a feeling she’d prefer that as a course of action.

 

I mounted. “So…”

 

“So, the horses will take you back to your vehicle. They know what they will get from me if they do anything else. I will deal with my children.”

 

“And these people?”

 

“Not my concern, but the spell should wear off in a matter of hours.”

 

I nodded, turning my horse back towards the highway. Of course, I had a feeling it was the one really in charge.

 

Although, it wasn’t as ugly a thing as I’d thought at first. It had its own…charm. As long as you didn’t think too much about the fangs.

 

“That was too easy.”

 

“I want to know what happened in Faerie while we weren’t looking,” Kanesha noted. “And I’d love to fly on the wall of her sending them back to their rooms.”

 

“So would I, but I don’t think we’re welcome. She didn’t really need us.”

 

“Maybe she planned on threatening more along the lines of setting us on them.”

 

I nodded to her, letting the horse take its own pace and route. I’d definitely rather have Asgardian horses. But, well, these weren’t bad.

 

Except for the fangs. “Be careful when we dismount,” I added. “She only promised to return us and our gear unharmed. Which means…”

 

“They can take a chunk out of us once we’ve been returned. Got it.”

 

I actually unhooked my sword and held it in my left hand as we rode, so I could dismount and get clear quickly. Kanesha did the same thing.

 

We made it back to our car only to find that somebody else was already there.