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over the emotions churning inside of him.  Betrayed by the one Fae he was absolutely sure he could trust.  His sword, Answerer, remained quiet and still.  Duncan did not need the sword to tell him that Fiona would speak nothing but the truth.  She had no reason to lie.  But Duncan wanted, no needed this to be a lie.  He could not bear to think about the consequences this would have not only to himself but to the rest of the Otherworld.  If the King, the Son of Lir, had stolen the life spark it would split the Seelie court in two destroying it from the inside out; and Duncan would lose a trusted friend and supporter.
    “Ye sure it were the Son of Lir?”  Knackers asked astonished, his tail swishing behind him in agitation.
    “Aye,” Fiona replied firmly.
    “But why?” Knackers asked Duncan, scratching his sooty whiskers in confusion.
    The pieces were moving around the chessboard now.  He could guess at the two players.  He could see how they might move against each other; but the game was still too new to see who would win.  Too much still remained hidden.  As much as Duncan did and did not want to believe that the Son of Lir would kidnap his own daughter he had to be prepared for any and all options.
    “But why?” Knackers repeated.  “T’were him who built the veil,” Knackers reminded him.
    Duncan shrugged his shoulders, “And the queen’s to maintain,” was his only reply.
    Fiona stood quietly by watching them debate her information.  Duncan could tell she was quickly becoming just as upset as they were.  The ramifications of her information could have the potential to start a war among the Seelie, weakening the court even more than it already was at the moment.  Chaos seemed to be a very real possibility.”
    “If what yer debating is true then why take away ‘er ability to maintain the veil?” Fiona asked clearly puzzled.
    “In order to punish the Queen, or the Fae?  I have no answers, but I do intend to ask him,” Duncan said ominously.
    “Ye plan on goin’ ta ask him then?” Knackers exclaimed wide-eyed with shock.
    “No,” Duncan replied with a shake of his head.  “He will show himself soon enough.  Then I will ask him at the point of his own sword.”  Duncan tightened his grip on the sword that the king had given him as a gift and a tool to find his daughter.  He wondered silently if the king had anticipated how far Duncan was willing to go to get to the bottom of life spark’s disappearance.  If the Son of Lir was responsible for her kidnapping, Duncan had no problem separating the king’s head from his shoulders.
    He tried not to let such dark thoughts corrupt his mind.  He needed a clear head if he were to get back what was stolen from him.  Revenge could corrupt and darken even the brightest soul.  He could not allow himself to become tainted with the dark emotion; at least not yet.
    He looked down at his two small companions and allowed a smile to overtake his face.  “We have more important matters to attend to tonight, and I will need help.”
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
    Chapter Five
    Duncan’s Introduction to Court
     
     
                  There was nothing like having your house cleansed; not cleaned but cleansed.  It was something, the only thing actually, Annie allowed her witchy friends to do for her.  Annie watched her petite friend Kat take a deep cleansing breath, hold it, and slowly let it out.  One crystal blue eye popped open and stared back at her.
                  “Don’t say it,” Kat warned.
                  Kat’s eye snapped shut as she inhaled deeply again.  She raised her hands palms up towards the ceiling held her breath for exactly four seconds than pushed her hands down as if pushing something heavy down through the floor as she slowly exhaled.
                  “This house is clean,” Annie said with a giggle.
                  Both of Kat’s eyes flew open and