The Ephemeral Bride

The Deal-Hope

We woke up Zahra before going to the Bar. She drowsily agreed to come with us, and we walked eight blocks to get there.

The night was warm, and I was sweating under my bomber jacket. I was unsure of whether Teague would even be at the Bar, but I hoped beyond belief that he was. I didn't know what we'd do when we saw him, or what might happen afterwards. All I knew was that Cordelia was walking as if she were on a mission.

The Bar was nearly deserted, and the bartender was stunned to see me there. He asked me, "You got some fairy blood in you, kid?"

"Something like that," I said

He frowned at my vague answer, "Your friend is in the back alley, he seemed disappointed when I told him the news. He said he was going to take a breather, maybe he'll be glad to see you."

I thank him, and suddenly feel bad for never asking for his name after all these weeks. I make a note to do it later, as I lead my friends to the back alley.

Teague was there, as promised. He looked annoyed, and his hair was a bit mussed. He sported yet another tropical shirt (this one was blue with white hibiscus), and he seemed to be showing off a new pair of crocs.

"Hey," I said.

He looked at me, surprised, "You're awake? The man said-"

I cut him off, "It's a long story, but it didn't affect me. Don't worry about it. I need your help."

At this point, I wasn't even sure what sort of help I needed from him. Hopefully he could convince Cordelia that her whole idea of a daring rescue was a bad one, and that we should just wait this out until we had more information.

"My help? Surely someone as cautious as you would not like to make a deal," Teague said.

I sighed, "First, introductions. Teague, these are my friends, Z and Cordy. Guys, this is Teague, I hang out with him here most nights when I'm bored."

Teague looked at my friends as if he hadn't noticed them before, "Oh, half-breeds. A selkie and an elf," He looked at Zahra, "who's your elf parent, perhaps I know them."

Cordelia frowned, "We're not here for small talk. I need to find a way to get to the Other Side."

"Don't be crazy! Even if you got there, what would you do?" I cried.

"I'd figure something out," Cordelia said, indignantly.

"I don't know, Cordy. If we're going to go, we should at least have a plan of action." Zahra suggested.

"If we do go, maybe we could ask Zahra's dad for help, he helped us last time," Cordelia pointed out.

Zahra shook her head, "That doesn't sound like a good idea. He's already helped us before, if we ask for more help, he'll probably ask for something in return this time."

That was true. When Zahra accidentally turned Taylor into a dog, Zahra had to ask Orin how to turn her back. That memory was vague and hazy, because I had been hammered the entire time. It was the only time I'd ever been to the Other Side, and I still had no idea how we got there.

"Well, I don't care. It's our best bet, and I'm not just going to sit around and do nothing," Cordelia looked pointedly at me.

"We don't even know if she's on the Other Side! You would make a bargain with Orin, and for nothing. We need more information," I insisted.

"No, we need to take action!" Cordelia said furiously.

"Hello, I'm still here," Teague waved his hand for our attention, "What's going on?"