“How does asking politely in any kind of request actually make it polite?” I asked, out loud, without thinking first.

“I don’t know how to respond to that,” Trommel said.

“Regardless,” I said, not allowing Trommel to continue speaking, “in what way can I confirm my identity as I don’t really want to be here and I’m kind of tired of being yanked about and having things demanded of me.”

Faelix set down the scroll and flew in front of me, his eyes wide in shock. He was clearly asking, without saying anything, what I was thinking and why I would play along with whomever Trommel was, but I really was tired of things and as my goals, since escaping the faerie circle, were to get my powers back and get out of the forest and into he castle, being underground in an elemental demons grotto wasn’t what I really wanted to be doing.

Once again, there was some conversation on the other end of the connection and, again, Wass was reflecting whatever was happening on the other end through her movements and actions. As I watched her, I wondered how hard it would be to take over her basic cognitive functions and control her body, but quickly set the thought aside. I didn’t need to dig myself any deeper into the intrigues happening around me before I finished getting out of the forest and away from the forest creatures.

“We believe that if you touch your Standingwater the connection will either confirm or deny your ability to represent Queen Maeve.”

“Do you have any idea how long it took me to put this … this Standingwater into a magical cage? Now you want me to drop the cage and touch her?”

“We believe they are its,” Trommel said.

“Gender and identification is your big problem?” I asked.

“No. Not as such. Just, uhm, just touch the demon and we’ll be able to tell who you are in relation to Queen Maeve.”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “I have it on fairly good authority that my getting wet is a bad idea and insofar as that advice doesn’t change, I will have to pass on the opportunity to validate my existence to you. Either tell me what you want Queen Maeve to know or go away.”

At this point, I was getting annoyed at watching Wass move around in response to the other side of this little chat. Faelix had flown close to Wass but not close enough to touch her as my magical column was still in place. I considered dropping it long enough for Faelix to touch Wass and verify using his identity. After all, who better to talk to the Kenchin than the Queen’s son?

“Faelix, you’re up,” I said.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Faelix said. “Not with who you know who is.”

“It’s either that or … I don’t know what,” I said. “I specifically can’t get wet.”

“Who said you’d get wet?” He asked.

“Standingwater,” I said, pointing at Wass. “Literally a demon made of water.”

“Yeah, and when you touch people, being made of matter, do you leave the essence of you on them?”

“No.”

“Then touch the elemental demon and get this over with,” Faelix said. “Besides, Feir is a fire demon and you don’t think the Kenchin on the other end are being consumed by fire. Get your head together.”

Faelix was right, sort of, I didn’t really have my head together and that was a problem. Not a ‘the world is about to end, oh my god’ kind of right, but enough.

I reached over to Wass and touched her with a finger and in what was probably less time than I realized, which was in the milliseconds, Wass had verified my existence and relationship to Queen Maeve and while I knew, in that instant, that it wasn’t the most positive of relationships it was also enough to get Trommel talking.

“Okay. We don’t like the level of connection between you and the Queen, the connection is pretty solid if a step or so removed. What the Queen needs to know is that there are armies that have surrounded the Forest of Never. They’ve been there for generations, actually. We’ve received word that the general leadership of the combined armies has gotten word that the barrier between the outside world and the Forest of Never has gotten a smidge weaker and the Queen, Queen Maeve that is, should prepare for things to change.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“What does that even mean?” I asked Faelix, who shrugged in a way that not only suggested that he had no idea, but that he’d never had much of an idea about things like this even though he was really very intelligent and well-informed.

“Okay,” I said and turned back to Wass who was mirroring Trommel, and asked, “What does that even mean?”

Trommel, through Wass, said, “It means we can’t guarantee her protection when the barrier comes down and there is some pretty old grudges and pettiness out here and some people want to see the reign of Queen Maeve ended.”

“What about you?” I asked.

“What about me what?”

“Do you want to see her reign end?” I asked.

“Why would I be here sending the message if I wanted to see Queen Maeve dead?”

“No one said anything about death,” I said.

“What? Wait. Why would I be delivering a message for the Queen to be careful if I was in any way part of the plan to injure her?”

“That,” I said, “is a good question. I wonder why someone like you would be the one to communicate with someone who could communicate with Queen Maeve if you are also trying to see her reign come to an end?”

“You know this is crazy,” Faelix said.

I knew. I also knew that a Kenchin, while a very attractive human-rabbit hybrid of some kind, was also dedicated to what was best for the Kenchin and not for anyone else. Which, I will also admit, was a bit of a sketchy premise to be working under, but I’ve gotten results from worse premises.

“No one wants to see the Queen killed,” Trommel said.

“But she’s in danger,” I said.

“Yes.”

“And you don’t know who or why?” I asked.

“Of course we know who and why,” Trommel said. “The who are the elves and their faction. They why is a thousand year long war between the different species that has continued since the barrier was formed. It is expected, by the Queen’s own people, that the elves will take first action if given the opportunity.”

“See, was that so hard?” I asked.

“Who are you?” Trommel asked.

“Flora Rose,” I said. “Yes, that Flora Rose,” I lowered the timbre of my voice when I clarified which Flora Rose.

The implied holy shit was clear in Wass’s face as Trommel, on the other end, reacted. “You’re supposed to be trapped for at least ten thousand years,” he said. Now, to my absolutely delight, there was an undertone of fear in his voice. Which only mattered insofar as he, at least, knew who I was.

“How do we disconnect?” I asked, a sweet note to my tone.

“Don’t worry about it,” Trommel said and just as quickly Wass lost the distant looks on her face, regained control over her faculties, and I stepped away as quickly as I could in anticipation of her less than pleasant reaction.

“You’re Flora Rose,” Wass said and much like Trommel’s unspoken disbelief, Wass was suddenly acting very differently. It was almost as though my touching her to verify my relationship to the Queen was sufficient to verify the veracity of my identity.

“And that,” I said to Faelix, “is how you do it.”

“Do what?” Faelix asked.

“I’m not sure. How do we get the message to Queen Maeve if neither you nor I have any real incentive to actually see her?”

Faelix shrugged. “Maybe we find a beaver or a basilisk or someone else pleasant to speak with her,” he said.

“There are basilisks around here?” I asked, a bit surprised. The forest seemed like it was an unlikely place for a basilisk to set up shop let alone be available to speak to the Queen or have a family of other basilisks. I could go on.

Looking at Wass I asked, “How do we get out of your grotto?”

Wass waved a hand and the space that had grown started to contract. Faelix and I had to get closer to Wass so we didn’t become parts of the walls, and by the time the tunnel reappeared, I was standing nose-to-nose with Wass.

“No hard feelings?” She asked.

“None from me,” I said.

“That’s a relief,” Wass said.

“Why?”

“I’ve heard the stories,” she said. “I don’t need my innards turned into my outards.”

“You haven’t heard the stories,” I said and scooped up my satchel and looked at Faelix. “Ready?”

He gave me a nod and we left Wass behind. “Don’t be strangers,” she called after us. I rolled my eyes and waved a hand over my shoulder and then we were outside.

It was still dark. There were still stars in the sky. I could see the false dawn turning into actual dawn and as I extended myself to the cliffs that weren’t too far away in one direction and the caste, that I still couldn’t sense, in the other direction, I looked at Faelix.

“What’s next?” I asked.

“We wait for it to be light out,” he said.

“Should we find a less elemental demon inhabited place to wait or should we sit here and watch the water flow by?” I asked.

Faelix flew up and then over to a rock and landed on it. I sat down next to him and asked, “How much of what Trommel was saying is true?”

“Probably all of it,”: Faelix said. “The Kenchin are known for their loyalty issues, though – from what I’ve heard, that had become less of an issue a hundred or so years before the barrier went up. I’m surprised none of them were caught in the forest with us, but then they have a tendency to be one step ahead sometimes.”

“Should we be concerned about them betraying the Queen?” I asked.

Faelix shook his head no and I nodded mine.

“Well. I guess we should get some kind of a message to your mother,” I said and raised my hands, palms up, and formed a small bird and told the bird what to tell the Queen and then rewound and erased and gave a different message with Faelix’s input before tossing my magical messenger into the air and waving goodbye.

“If you knew you could do that,” Faelix said, “why did you ask me how we could get a message to the Queen?”