Midwinter

Satterly stopped her. "It's okay, Evelyn. I knew there was nothing you could do. I just need to know. Did Leila make it?"

Evelyn looked at him sadly; he'd never known, for all this time. "Yes!" she cried. "Oh, yes! I visited your sister after you were… you know. She was devastated, of course, but little Leila is just fine. I don't think she remembers a thing."

"Thank God," said Satterly, his shoulders slumping in relief. "Oh, thank God!"

Looking over his shoulder, she noticed the woman and three children standing behind him. "My, you've been busy," she said, eyeing the children.

Satterly looked around and smiled wanly. "Very funny. Can we come in? I need to talk to you."

"Of course! What a silly question. Come in, come in." She pointed to the garden gate, where a strong Fae man stood with a sour expression. "Is your bodyguard coming, too?"

Satterly looked back. "Mauritane? I think it's best if he wait out there."

"If you say so." She blinked. "Come on upstairs. You can talk to me while I help the kids get ready. We can probably find some snacks for these three."

Evelyn knelt and looked at the girls. They were Fae children, dressed in rags, undernourished. "And what are your names?"

"I'm Rachel," said the tallest of the three. "And that's jasmine and that's Polly."

Evelyn stood. "Human names," she said sadly. She let them all in and shut the door.

"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," said Satterly. The woman still hadn't said anything. "This is Linda," he added.

Evelyn shook the woman's hand; she muttered a quiet hello.

They went upstairs. The kids, both human and changeling Fae, were in various stages of morning readiness. Some were still in bed, some were wrestling on the floor. The oldest children sat in the southern window seat reading books. The Fae children tended to be more sluggish in the morning; since they outnumbered the humans nearly two to one, the humans tended to rise early to have some time to themselves.

"Leala," Evelyn said, calling over one of the older Fae girls who was mostly awake. "Please take these darlings and get them something to eat, would you?"

"Yes, Miss Evelyn," said Leala, curtsying. "Come, we've got some wonderful peonies left over."

The girl named Rachel looked at the human woman for permission, but the woman was staring into space and didn't acknowledge her. Hesitantly, she followed Leala, as did the other girls.

"Brian, come over here," Evelyn said. "Tell me what's going on. How did you get here? I thought you were in prison for life."

"Here's the Reader's Digest version," said Satterly, scratching the three-day beard growth on his cheek. "I was in for life. But I got out in order to go on a kind of secret mission. I can't really talk about it. If we're successful, then we get pardoned. Or so they say, anyway. I don't even really know what the mission is."

"But it has something to do with this woman and her kids?"

Satterly sighed. "No, we picked them up along the way. They don't have anywhere to go, and I thought maybe you could help them."

Evelyn laughed. "What do you think this is, a boarding house?"

"Could you please just do it? For me?"

Evelyn blew out a puff of air. "I don't know, Brian. I suppose, for a little bit. The kids aren't a problem, but we'll have to find a place for your friend Linda. But I'm afraid I've got some bad news for her."

Satterly half smiled. "What's going on with them? They act Fae; they even look Fae."

"Were they born in Faerie?" she asked.

Satterly nodded. "I think so, yes."

"Human children born here are a very special case. It's happened before, and your friend isn't going to like what I tell her." She sighed, chuffing the hair out of her face with a heavy breath. "They can never go to our world, Brian. It would be dangerous… for everyone."

Evelyn and Satterly stared at each other. "How's she going to react when I tell her that?" Evelyn asked.

"I don't know. She was here with some people who had come to Faerie through a shifting place. She doesn't really know what's going on."

"I'll take care of her for you. I suppose that's the least I can do. But what about you?"

"I have to go with that guy, Mauritane."

"On your mission."

"Exactly. "

"I see. Will you come back?"

"I don't know." Satterly frowned. "If I survive, I think so."

"You think so. Well, I suppose that's something."

The inn was smoky and dark; it smelled of urine and cheap wine. A pair of musicians leaned in the corner, banging out sounds that were barely musical but created enough noise to mask conversation. Mauritane and Raieve shared a bench across a worn table from Satterly and Silverdun.

"We meet Kallmer in the Rye Grove in two hours," said Mauritane. "We don't know what to expect, save that we are expected. I have never trusted Kallmer, though."

"And we know nothing of his orders," said Raieve.

Silverdun shook his head. "The Chamberlain's letter implied that he would be the source of whatever item we are to ferry to the City Emerald."