Read Faerie Magic for Free Online

but both half-faeries had disappeared.
    “Nice,” I said. “They’ll be pissed with you.”
    “They shouldn’t have left their gates unguarded.”
    Good point, and not my problem. Clearly, the only way to deal with my issues was to let the Mage Lord mow them out of the way. Which irritated the shit out of me. I was supposed to be an independent freelancer, not his lackey. How would we be able to get answers out of anyone now he’d decided to blow the doors open?
    I sucked it up and walked alongside him, following the path into half-faerie territory.
    The district looked different to last time, more like the world outside than its own private bubble of creepiness. Last time I’d been here, Summer magic had poured out of every corner, manifesting in eye-watering colours, smells and sounds. Now, though the sun shone, it seemed almost subdued, but not like Winter magic, either. Like a transition. Maybe they were preparing to switch over to Winter as the real-world seasons shifted. A chill lurked in the air, leaves turned brown and fell off trees, while flowers shed dead petals. The ground was a carpet of orange leaves, which stirred in a breeze I was pretty sure the Mage Lord’s presence had intensified.
    “Overkill on the special effects, much?” I muttered.
    Faeries hid in every corner and under every stone. Even at Vance’s side, the constant sense of being watched followed me around. The thick smell of decay filled the air. Dying flowers wilted in their flowerbeds, while every step stirred a fresh wave of leaves. I looked around, scanning the blocks of flats at the end. Nobody seemed to be around, but I didn’t know how far the territory extended.
    A rustling noise. Vance reacted so quickly I knew he’d been anticipating an attack. His blade appeared, slicing the air and knocking the attacker back several feet. The head of the mages really did have a flair for the dramatic.
    “I wouldn’t,” he said quietly.
    “Mage Lord!” gasped the half-faerie who’d appeared from thin air at our side. “I was told—an intruder—”
    Vance’s gaze swept over the frozen onlooker, as no fewer than five others appeared beside us. Must have hidden themselves using faerie glamour, which I hadn’t spotted. So much for having highly attuned faerie senses.
    “I’m here to see if you’ve managed to calm yourselves down after yesterday,” said Vance. “Considering the current state of things, I’d guess not. I’m told two of your people are dead?”
    What’s it to you? I read the question on every face, but nobody dared ask it aloud.
    “Three,” spat the half-faerie who’d attacked. “Including the killer. A second murder was just committed.”
    “The first faerie who died… who killed him? Was there anything odd?” I asked. There might not be a link between the two deaths, especially when the first killer was dead, but still.
    “The killer was a Summer half-faerie. He flew into a fit of rage over a minor disagreement and stabbed the other half-faerie to death.”
    “And that’s… out of character?” I managed to keep a straight face, with difficulty. I mean, I’d been grabbed, cursed at, bitten and kicked around by faeries on a daily basis since I came back from a stint in Faerie ten years ago. Violent seemed to be their default state.
    “We operate according to the same Laws as the Seelie and Unseelie Courts,” said the faerie guard from the gate, who’d also appeared from thin air at our side. “Nobody is allowed to harm or kill another faerie.” He gave the Mage Lord a cold look. “No one invited you inside.”
    “No,” said Vance, “but you clearly have problems within your ranks. With permission, I’d like to look at the bodies.”
    “They’re dead.” Even the half-faerie guard kept his distance from the Mage Lord. “Fine, but there’s nothing to learn. We already know the cause of death, and the motives. This is an isolated incident.”
    “And the second murder?” I asked.
    The