"He can't be serious!" Crystal shouted angrily. "How could he turn the entire human population against you?"
"I'm afraid I can understand," Neszra replied. "It is not entirely dissimilar to how the British responded when they found out about the Sidhe colonies in Ireland. Humans have a tendency to fear what they don't understand, and discovering there are armies of creatures who have hidden themselves all across the world is unlikely to elicit a positive response from many of your kin."
"There has to be a way we can stop this before the problem escalates," Nara said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "We can't be completely powerless, surely?"
"I might have a way," I said, finally breaking my silence. "My uncle – my father's brother – is a politician, and the Prime Minister's closest confidante. If we could get to him before it's too late he may be able to, at the very least, get us an audience with the Prime Minister. We'd have a chance then to plead our case."
"I'm not sure how clever an idea that would be," Naarin said reluctantly, "but at this point I suspect my sister is the best one to ask about diplomatic choices. Nareena?"
"I'm glad you're listening to my advice for once in your life, brother," Nareena said with a gentle chuckle. "My plan is this: Neszra, Finarae, I advise you return to your peoples and warn them about what's happened. We may have to take precautions to ensure the fairy colonies aren't overrun by surprise attacks. As for Clint's suggestion, as risky as it may be, I feel it is a risk worth taking." She stood up from her seat. "Nightshade and I will accompany you, me to act as an envoy and Nightshade in the event of anything going wrong. And this is non-negotiable," she said, raising a hand before Naarin could protest.
"I'm coming too," Niana said. "I've always wanted to explore the human world. Besides, I'll have to meet Clint's family eventually; you've already met mine," she added, smiling at me.
"You're enjoying making him feel uncomfortable, aren't you?" Nareena asked, a smirk playing across her lips. "I know how stubborn you are, so I won't bother arguing with you. Clint, tell us where we're going and I can teleport us there instantly."
Once we'd picked up a few supplies and got ourselves ready we stood together and linked hands, a brief flash of white light heralding our arrival at a small townhouse in the middle of a thankfully quiet road. We hurried to the gate, pushing it open, and I was pleased to note my uncle's dog was nowhere nearby – I doubted he'd react well to my new friends.
"I still don't understand why we didn't just teleport directly inside," Niana said as we approached the door. "It would've saved us some time and effort."
"More likely it would've received an angry reaction," I said, taking a deep breath in an attempt to compose myself. "How would you like it if a group of people – most of whom you didn't know – suddenly materialised in the middle of your home?" This response seemed to embarrass her enough that she offered no further comment.
Reaching out, I knocked gently on the door, and seconds later I heard the sound of someone walking up the hallway. The next moment the door opened to reveal a tall, middle-aged man in a shirt and trousers, his red tie half-done around his neck. "Uncle Nick, it's Clint," I said, trying to keep my voice level, "I'm sorry I didn't ring ahead but I didn't expect to come until a short time ago."
"You don't need to explain to me, Clint," my uncle said, drawing me into a hug and holding me for a moment. "After your father's body was found I feared the worst about you and..." He trailed off as he saw the upset in my eyes. "Oh Clint," he added, looking behind me to the others, "you'd better come in."
We followed him into a spacious living room. It had minimal decoration, the main features being a large sofa in the centre of the room and a fireplace on the far side, the mantel of which was covered in pictures of my uncle's family. There were also a couple of bookcases, full of large, old-looking volumes.
"Are you going to introduce me to your friends or do I have to guess who they are?" he asked, gesturing at the sofa.
"I'm going to," I replied as I sat down, "but Uncle Nick, you're going to have to promise that you won't overreact."
"I've already been shocked profoundly in the last few days," he replied sadly. "I doubt there's anything you could show me that would even compare."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," I said with a sigh, relaxing enough so my wings became visible again. I was expecting a gasp of shock from my uncle, but he seemed more amused than shocked. "Uncle, are you okay?"
"You've seen something like this before, haven't you?" Nareena asked, looking between my uncle and me.
"I have indeed," Nick said, still studying my wings. "It's a story connected to my nephew, though he's never heard it, at least in part because I'd long since feared I'd imagined the whole thing."
"What happened?" I asked keenly.
"When I was younger I was a keen horse rider," Nick started explaining. "I used to ride my horse through Parkhurst Forest at least once a week, but one day – the day after my 19th birthday – there was an accident. I still don't know for certain what happened, but I got knocked out and when I woke up I found four small, winged figures sitting there, watching me intently. They told me that since I'd been hurt near to their Home Glade they would watch over me until my friend found me again. I assumed I was either delirious or suffering from concussion so I didn't question what I was seeing. One of them especially stood out to me, though: there was a female among them, the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. She stuck in my mind so much that while I was in hospital recovering I insisted on being given a piece of paper so I could draw her."
"What happened after that?" Niana asked.
"For a few years after it happened I continued to go back to the spot where I'd seen them," Nick replied, "but I never saw them again. At least, not for several years, until I got a rather unexpected surprise." He reached into a bookcase in one corner of the room, pulling out a sketchbook and handing it to me. "The sketch in the middle of the book... well, I think you'll recognise her."
"Who could possibly-" The words died on my lips as I saw a picture of my mother - though a much younger version – her wings even more magical-looking than when I'd seen them just hours before. "You knew she was a fairy? Were you never tempted to tell your brother?"
"It never crossed my mind," he replied. "I wouldn't have anyway, but on the night he 'introduced' us, she told me that for your father's sake he couldn't be made aware of who she was until she was sure his life wouldn't be at risk." He let out a sigh. "I never got a chance to tell her but the reason I so willingly agreed to her terms was because she was the first person I ever loved. It was the same reason I tried to find her again." He took the book from me, staring at the sketch for a moment before returning the book to its place on the shelf. "I'm guessing your friends here are also fairies?"
"They are," I said, relaxing inwardly. I thought I'd have to spend hours calming him down and convincing him of the truth. "This is Queen Nareena of the Shadow Glade, her sister Niana, and her bodyguard, Nightshade."
"It is a pleasure to meet you," my uncle said, bowing deeply in front of Nareena and then kissing her hand softly, which caused the Queen to blush deeply. "And, as much as I'd like to think you've brought a royal to my house for a social call, Clint, I'm guessing you've got a more important reason to be here?"
"Have you seen the news?" I asked, watching him closely to see how he might react.
"You mean the US President threatening to declare war on everyone's back gardens because of some old myths?" Nick replied, a short laugh dying on his lips when he realised how this would sound to his visitors. "Yeah, I heard about it. Are you going to tell me this announcement isn't what it seems?"
"We believe he's been deceived," Nareena replied. "There's a creature, who threatens both my kind and yours, who I believe is using an outbreak of war between us to stop either of us from interfering in his real plan. I'm here to stop this disaster before the damage becomes irreparable."
"Damnit," Nick said quietly. "The President is on his way here tonight; we're holding a state dinner, and no prizes for guessing what's going to be the main topic of conversation over the main course..."
"We have to get to the Prime Minister before he does," I replied. "There must be some way we can speak to him?"
"I can teleport us wherever you wish," Nareena said. "If I come with you I may be able to make the case more convincingly than two humans might be able to on their own."
"I suppose there's nothing to lose here," Nick said, picking up his mobile phone and dialling a number. "Scott? Hey, I don't suppose I can have a meeting with you if you have a free moment? Cool, I'll be with you shortly." He turned to Nareena. "How are you going to get there? I can't imagine you've visited 10 Downing Street before?"
"Luckily it's fairly simple," Nareena replied. "Just take my hand and imagine our destination – if you try not to imagine how the rest of it works, it's probably for the best."
The Prime Minister was sitting in his personal office, a box full of papers open in front of him. He was writing in a notepad, his right hand resting on his forehead as he attempted to concentrate.
At that moment a strange noise – like a loud bang – came from the room opposite him, and when his secretary ran into the room she suddenly froze in the doorway. He reached for his phone, only to hear a loud cough nearby.
"I wouldn't do that, Mr Prime Minister," Niana said, stepping into the room. "Time is frozen; there's no number you could dial that would elicit a response."
"My family," Scott said, his mind racing. "What have you done to them?" He looked at the others, relaxing slightly when he saw his good friend Nick.
"No one has been harmed," Nareena replied. "I have simply created a local area outside of the normal timestream. Once we leave, time will continue as if we were never here."
"And you trust them, Nick?" Scott asked, giving my uncle a suspicious glance.
"My nephew trusts them," my uncle replied, "and as far as I'm concerned, that's good enough for me."
"I suppose you have me in a position where I can hardly negotiate," Scott said, indicating the chairs on the opposite side of his desk. "What is so urgent that you have to stop time just to speak to me?" He raised his eyebrows, his eyes wide.
"We believe your American ally is being manipulated into making a fatal mistake," Nareena replied, getting straight to the point. "The war he wishes to declare on the fairies – on my kind – will not save humanity; it will merely accelerate your doom."
"What are you basing this on?" Nick asked, studying the Queen closely.
"The source of this information is a creature called Feth'rael," I said, speaking before Nareena had a chance to reply. "He wishes to distract you while he performs a dark ritual that will summon the legions of the underworld. It is only through the efforts of the Queen's brother and the sacrifice of my mother that it has been delayed for this long."
The Prime Minister was silent for a moment, looking at each of us in turn, before finally saying, "Were I to take this story as true, then surely the safest option would be to cancel the dinner and delay the President from coming here, while we make a clearer plan for confronting this problem?"
"I have no wish to speak for the Queen," my uncle replied before any of the fairies could say a word, "but the enemy doesn't know they're here; if we attempt to delay his arrival it may alert this Feth'rael creature that we've been tipped off about his real intentions."
"So what do you suggest we do instead?" the Prime Minister asked, looking at a loss.
"Invite us to the party," Nareena replied. "I promise we won't make a scene unless the enemy makes a move first, and anyway, since I doubt Feth'rael will come himself we may be able to identify the spy in the President's entourage."
"I'm not entirely comfortable with this," Scott said with a sigh, "but I've known Nick for too many years to simply ignore his advice. I'll make sure you're all on the guest list, and you can even go ahead and find some more suitable clothes," he added, gesturing vaguely at the rest of the house. "For some reason my family has more clothes than we know what to do with."
"Thank you very much, sir," Nareena said, standing up and curtsying. "I promise you won't regret this."
A few hours later I found myself walking down the steps of the large stately home the Prime Minister used for gatherings such as this, my uncle next to me and both of us dressed in freshly ironed tuxedos.
The two female fairies had gone off to their own room to prepare, while it had been agreed that Nightshade would go 'under cover' as one of the security team.
As we reached the bottom of the stairs I finally realised the sheer scale of the party we'd agreed to attend. Most of the front section of the house's ground floor was filled with guests, ranging from celebrities I vaguely recognised through to politicians, to the unmistakably gruff voice of the King (although I couldn't see him). From the other end of the house I could hear the noise of the staff in the kitchens, busy making meals for the large contingent of visitors.
"Just be yourself, Clint," Nick said, giving my suit one last inspection. "You and I have got the easiest jobs of our little plan; we're not trying to be anyone we're not." He shook his head. "I wouldn't want to have to lie all evening."
At that moment a soft cough behind him made him jump, and he turned to find Nareena standing behind him, grown to human size to make her presence less suspicious. She was dressed in a long white gown, with a pair of silver shoes just about visible beneath the hem, and her crown – disguised as a tiara – just visible under her fringe. "And there was me thinking you couldn't get any more beautiful, your highness," he said, bending down and kissing her hand.
"You old flatterer, you," she said, blushing bright red and seemingly admiring him herself. "I hear there's a dance going on in the ballroom, would you like to join me? I should warn you, though – I have little dancing experience." She laughed, though it was more like a girlish giggle.
"Well, my late wife used to joke I was better suited to being a dance teacher than a politician," my uncle said with a laugh. "I promise I'll go easy on you." And with that they vanished into the crowd, leaving me standing by myself.
"Well, at least my sister seems to have found someone at last," Niana said, lightly taking my hand and kissing my cheek to get my attention. She was dressed in a garment of a similar length to the one her sister wore, but this was a scarlet red, the same colour as her shoes. She let out a giggle at the confusion on my face. "Come on, Clint, haven't you noticed they haven't been able to take their eyes off each other since we first turned up at his house?" Just then, Nightshade – looking slightly uncomfortable in his tuxedo – appeared at our side. "How's a night not being the Queen's guard going for you?" Niana asked him.
"We have a problem," Nightshade growled under his breath. "The President should have been here an hour ago, but according to the head of security, they've not even offered a word of explanation for the delay."
"Maybe they've changed their minds about coming here," I said, eyeing up a nearby table filled with glasses of champagne and orange juice. "Anyone want a drink?" I asked, the only reply being a loud gasp from Niana. "What is it?" I exclaimed, following her line of sight.
The President had finally entered the building, and he was closely followed by a woman in a long gold dress that seemed to sparkle as if actual jewels had been sewn into it. A look of sheer terror was plastered across Niana's face.
"Nightshade, who is she?" I asked, guessing they'd both recognised her.
"It... it can't be," Nightshade stuttered, "Clint, that is Niana and Nareena's mother, Periarna, but... she's been dead five years; she simply cannot be here!"
"How's that possible?" I asked, watching the woman walk towards one of the dignitaries. I was in for my own shock, however, when I saw the tall, suited man who was also part of the entourage, and whose face Irecognised at exactly the same instant he saw me. "Dad?" I shouted. "What are you doing here?"