Queen of Night

3. Make A Wish

It was late the next afternoon when Iyan finally woke. Surprisingly, their room was clean. Asena's dirty clothing and sheets had been removed, the water basin was full, and a dinner tray was waiting for her.

Iyan sat up, her head throbbing. She drank some water from the cup on her tray and took a small bite of the sandwich. Presently, she heard muffled voices from the floor below.

"No, no one is going to talk to her today," Asena snapped.

"They need to know what she saw. It's possible we could use her knowledge to find the Faeries responsible for all of the disappearances." That was Sven.

"No. My sister was traumatized enough last night. First she saw a Faerie kidnap her only friend, then she was beaten by you!" Iyan guessed that meant that Derek was talking with them as well. "You won't speak to her today and that's final."

"Let me speak with her or I'll take my business elsewhere," Sven growled.

Iyan paused at that. Is he one of Asena's clients? Her lips curled in disgust.

"So do it. You're not speaking with my sister." A door slammed and the floor shook beneath her feet. Iyan took another sip of water and looked out the window. A few moments later, Asena entered the room. She locked the door behind her. "Stupid brutes. Who do they think they are?"

"They think they're our owners," Iyan replied.

"You're welcome." Asena shot her a dark look.

"Thank you." Iyan sighed. "I could've talked to them, though."

"Do you even have anything worth telling?"

She began to speak, then hesitated. "Not really. I didn't get a good look at the Faerie. I don't know if it was Day or Night, male or female..." Iyan trailed off, the memory resurfacing.

Asena came behind her and began to braid her hair. "I'm sorry about Lucille, but try not to think about it. There's nothing we can do now." Iyan shook her head, then yelped as her hair snagged on Asena's nails. "Stay still."

"I can't leave her to the Faerie's devices. Who knows what they'll do to her? There must be something I can do."

Asena yanked on her hair again. "Don't even think about it. What could you do against a Faerie? You don't even know where it took Lucille. Just...stay out of trouble this one time." She heaved a sigh and tied off Iyan's braid. "I'll be back this evening. Try to stay out of Derek's way and don't give him a reason to hit you."

"Does he ever need a reason?" Iyan gave her a wry smile. Asena returned it and ducked out of the room. She faced the window once more and began fiddling with her iron bracelet. "I may not know where exactly the Faerie took Lucille, but I know where they were headed." Her gaze found the edge of the Vetiti, gloomy even in the autumn daylight. "And I will not leave my friend to their mercy."

Iyan jumped to her feet and pulled a book out from beneath her bed. She began flipping through her mother's old spell book. Within seconds, she found the right page.

How To Trap A Faerie

Faeries are rarely susceptible to human magic of any kind, but there is one exception. Any spell containing iron can be used to nullify Faerie magic. To trap a Faerie, you need an iron infused Faerie Ring.

To construct the ring, you must first boil ten mushrooms in a pot with iron. (Shavings are preferred, but anything will work, even a nail.) Boil the mushrooms for three minutes, long enough to let the iron soak into them. Afterwards, remove them from the water and allow them to dry.