“What do you think of Kat’s story?” Roy asked me once we were out ot the room. “Do you believe her?” “Yes.” I didn’t want to, but I knew it was true. “Just like that? A few moments ago, you declared her your mortal enemy.” “Neither of us is mortal,” I reminded him. “Where can we talk in private?” He led me to an interrogation room and turned off the camera. “What is it?” “Please don’t tell anyone this. I’ve managed to keep it from everyone, and I want it to stay that way.” “What?” “Elves can’t lie. Did you ever notice how I don’t say my ‘name is Sean’? It’s always ‘Call me Sean’ or ‘Others call me Sean.’ I can’t say it because it’s not true. That’s not to say we can’t skirt the truth or be misleading, but if we say something plainly and directly, it’s the truth.” “So Kat is an assassin, or was, but not the one to kill your aunt?” “Apparently. Puck believed it was her. I don’t know where he got the idea.” “Puck, like in ‘A Mid Summer’s Night’s Dream?’” “The one and only. Puck was a child when his mother was brutally killed, and he was the one to find her. That was no easier on an elf than on a human. After his mother’s death, Puck had many problems. Our grandparents took him in, but he wanted to stay with his dad. Our grandparents wouldn’t even let him see him. Puck took to sneaking off. When they found out, they took measures to block him from going to Unseelie lands. He started opening passages to the human world and returning to Underhill to get past the blocks. He wasn’t very subtle, and word of him got around. He ended up exposed to the things our grandparents were trying to protect him from. “Puck and I were close, so I often had to go get him from human lands as well as Unseelie ones. He’d get distracted and forget to come back. He felt safer as a child. Most people treat children well. He was a shapeshifter, so he stayed as a child. The more vulnerable he felt, the younger he became. I never knew if I was looking for a child of six or a young man. Most times, he seemed about ten. Fortunately, he always went by Robin Goodfellow while he was here so I could ask around.” “Why did he think Kat killed his mom?” “I don’t know. He never said. Puck wasn’t the most stable person. Maybe he dreamt it, or he overheard someone speculating and assumed it was so.” There was a knock on the door, and the chief entered. “I’m told Katrine is your cousin. Maybe she’ll listen to you.” “She’s not my cousin. She’s my cousin’s half-sister,” I told him. “But you know her. Can you talk to her?” “I can. Why?” “She won’t go to the hospital. She claimed she was fine at the scene, but she was locked up for days. All that iron had to have had an effect on her. And she hadn’t been fed well.” “I doubt she’ll listen to me.” “Yeah, they don’t get along. He threatened to turn her over to the army,” Roy added. “Sean, that’s not your call.” “I didn’t do it. She’s Unseelie. She can’t be trusted.” “Wouldn’t your cousin be half Unseelie?” Roy asked. “Keep him out of this. I’ll talk to her, but I make no promises.” “Roy, go with him and keep the peace,” The chief insisted. Roy frowned. “Gee, thanks.” “And Sean, none of your weapons in there. I know you’ve been using them lately and not just for opening lunches.” “Only defensively. And I haven’t hurt anyone,” I claimed. “Well, do not use them tonight. Do you hear me?” “Yes, sir. May I have my armor if she summons a weapon?” That caused the chief to pause. “Do you think she will?” “I don’t think she’s strong enough, or she would have used one on Cobra.” “If she attacks you, you may have your armor.” Roy followed me back to the conference room. “The chief asked me to talk you into going to the hospital,” I told Kat. Roy snorted. “Oh, that’s convincing.” We ignored him. “No.” I switched to Elvish for privacy. “You’ve been captive for days, exposed to large amounts of iron the whole time. You should get checked out. The local hospital knows how to treat elves. They have non-iron instruments.” “If I go, they’ll know there’s more than one of us. Even if they don’t assume I’m evil because I’m Unseelie, they’ll see us together as a threat. You and I would make a formidable team against them, but we could also make more elves. I know there’s no way it would happen, but they don’t know that.” “They know I’m sterile. I can’t have kids. I told you that.” “You did. I forgot. I’m still not going to the hospital. I’ll be fine in a few days.” “They don’t understand immortality,” I conceded. “But the iron will hinder your recovery. Can I heal you? For Puck?” “Don’t try anything.” “I won’t.” I reached for her, and Roy tensed. “Sean.” I remembered he hadn’t understood our conversation. “It’s okay,” I said in English. “I’m not going to hurt her.” “You go by Sean?” Kat asked. “They gave me that name. Let me focus.” I did what I could to help speed her recovery. I can’t truly heal someone. All I can do is enhance and speed up someone’s own healing and make it more efficient. If it’s something a body has a chance of doing on its own, I can help it along. I can heal a cut. I can’t regrow a severed arm. “You still need to take it easy for a few days. And no magic until then, not even your glamour.” “No glamour? You’re kidding. Look at me.” “Do you want me to take you Underhill?” I offered. She hesitated. “No. I’d create someone I don’t want to see, or recreate that dungeon with my nightmares. I understood that one. After I’d escaped my imprisonment by the Unseelie, I’d had to leave Underhill until my nightmares stopped. I kept creating my captors. “I’ll take you back to your place,” I offered. “Your van isn’t here.” “How did you know I drove a van?” Roy laughed. “Are you kidding? He’s been worrying about you for days. He tried to file a missing person’s report and had someone drive by your house. He even drove around the parking lots for the train station and bus station to make sure you weren’t stuffed in your van someplace.” Kat raised an eyebrow. “You did that?” “When a friend goes missing, you look for them.” “Of course, you thought I was human. You were looking for Froggy.” “I still would have looked for you had I known what you were. Froggy was a friend. I hope she’ll continue to be one.” I could extend an olive branch. “Well, I’m not leaving the art lounge.” “Nor am I. At worst, it can be a neutral ground. Let me take you home.” “If you don’t go, the chief will make you go to the hospital,” Roy warned. Reluctantly, Kat agreed. As we left, I saw Marcus glaring. He’d be less than thrilled there was another elf. I slipped my arm around Kat. Let him think what he wanted. She put her arm around me too. Maybe she was weaker than I realized. I gave her my number and told her not to hesitate to call if she had any more trouble. She was right. We would make a formidable team. And Roy was right. I should give her a chance.