Modern Magick

Alchemy and Argent: 9

It really wasn't plain, at least not to my eye. I stared and stared at Jay, and saw the same features as ever. The same human features. They were good, no doubt about that: finely etched, sculpted cheekbones, strong jaw, all the hallmarks of what might be considered solid good looks.

But he was human. Not a hint of a fae glamour about him; none of the unusual tints or beautiful, slightly alien cast to the features that might mark him as part fae. None of the things that had stood out so clearly in Cicily Werewode's portrait.

But the Lorekeeper disagreed. 'You haven't the eyes,' he said to me, not unkindly. 'It's clear enough to me. And to Her Majesty, no doubt.'

'Jay?' I squeaked.

He flashed me a tight, unamused smile. 'Can we talk about it later?'

I folded my arms, and stared him down. No, later wasn't going to be good enough. I'd brought a part-Yllanfalen associate into the middle of an Yllanfalen kingdom, and I had no idea what the political ramifications of that were likely to be. Was he a descendant of someone from Aylligranir? If so, the connection might not precisely please the people here. Was he descended from a scion of a rival kingdom, with whom relations were strained? That could be even worse.

Either way, we'd put ourselves in a difficult position. Rudeness didn't begin to cover it; and what if the queen had seen it as an attempt to manipulate or influence her?

Jay needed to tell me stuff like this. Yes, it was personal, but the strictly personal could sometimes have a serious impact upon the professional. And like it or not, I was at present responsible for him.

He rubbed at the back of his neck, not looking at me. He was deeply embarrassed by it, and I wasn't sure why. For all my annoyance, there was nothing actually shameful about his ancestry, and in his case it had clearly benefited him. He'd inherited some part of the legendary Yllanfalen talent for magick-wreathed music.

'My grandmother,' he said shortly. 'Had an — unsanctioned relationship with one of the Yllanfalen. My father was the result.'

He said no more.

That would've been around the 1950s, I thought, or thereabouts. "Unsanctioned" could mean a lot of things, but all of them bad; had it caused a family scandal? Was that why Jay was ashamed of it?

'Do you know who it was?' I said.

He shook his head.

That explained why Jay's mother might have hoped he'd be admitted to music school, though not why he'd been denied. Apparently blood links to the Yllanfalen didn't necessarily count for much with them, either.

I felt a little bad for putting Jay on the spot like that, and offered him an apologetic smile. It was inconvenient — from a professional point of view — that the family didn't know who his ancestor was; it meant I had no means with which to navigate the tricky political waters. Then again, it meant the Yllanfalen might not know, either, which eliminated most of the problems I'd been worried about.

'It may be possible to find out,' said Hylldirion, watching Jay. 'Would you like to know?'

'No,' said Jay shortly, and added, 'Thank you.'

Time to change the subject.

'Anyway,' I said breezily. 'We came to consult you on two primary points, Lorekeeper, if we may.'

Hylldirion sat down again, wheezing softly. He waved a hand, gesturing us to take chairs at will. 'I hope you have brought me an intriguing problem,' he remarked. 'It is a long time since I had a really new idea to dig into.'