Keys and Curses (Shadow Book 2) by Nina Smith

is it pointless?”
    “Because they’re Freakin Fairies,” Ishtar said. “Stupid creatures. They’ll just go and get themselves kidnapped again. Besides, I’d never live it down.”
    Flower gritted her teeth. She could have had the fairy arrested on the strength of all this years ago, if she’d thought for a moment she was a serious threat. “And how long have you been trying to kill the king now?”
    “Twenty-five years.” Ishtar sounded quite proud of the fact. “Last I heard we’re number two on the Guild’s most wanted list.”
    “Well I wouldn’t know, that was never my department.” Curiosity overtook her. “Who’s number one?”
    “Right now?” Ishtar chuckled. “You are. Why do you think I let you both live? Having you two running around will keep the Moon Troopers off my back for a while.”
     

     
    Flower lay sleepless on the cold stone cave floor for the rest of the night. She didn’t want to think about being number one on the Guild’s most wanted list, so she thought about fairies instead, and how irritating they could be.
    If only they’d try to get along with each other. Really, if the clans would just cooperate, they had so much to gain. The Bloody Fairies for example, instead of losing their homes and villages because they spent so much time picking fights and going to war, could protect the other clans. They could have been defending the Freakin Fairy villages while the Freakin Fairies went about making them all shiny things from quicksilver. And the Bloomin Fairies, who loved to grow food and farm, could feed the lot of them while the others saw to their protection and provided them with resources. The Blasted Fairies she wasn’t so sure about. Nobody’d even seen one in decades, if indeed they were anything more than an urban legend.
    She sighed. It would never happen. They’d all continue on their own obstinate path and either starve or get killed clan by clan. If she’d known it was going to be like this, she’d never have agreed to make fairy welfare her life’s work. It was a thankless job at best.
    She barely noticed when dawn came, but the fairies all rose, packed up and headed out, silent and busy as ants.
    Ishtar hoisted a pack over her shoulder and eyed Flower. “Goodbye, Muse.”
    “You’re leaving us here?” Flower stretched her aching muscles and dusted cave sand from her tunic.
    “We’re certainly not letting a pair of oversized Freakin Fairies tag along,” Ishtar said. “Besides, your friend over there is too much of a liability. He could break out and start attacking us anytime.” She followed her band toward the cave mouth.
    “You’re really leaving us to rescue the Freakin Fairies on our own?” Flower called after her.
    Ishtar turned back. “Look,” she said. “We can’t help you with that. But I know who would.”
    “Who?”
    “He’s a forest person. His name’s Fitz Falls.”
    “Where do we find him?” Flower began to feel more positive. A lead. Something solid to follow up, she was good at that kind of thing.
    “We saw him about two days ago, heading into Bloomin Fairy country. Crazy fool’s probably got cauliflowers growing out of his ears by now.”
    “Thank you.” Flower went back to wake Nikifor.
    “Just one thing.” Ishtar came back to her. “You’re pretty hopelessly loyal to that king of yours, and you know I’m going to kill him. Are you going to do anything stupid like try and stop me?”
    Flower looked into the hardened, battle-scarred face and gave her a tired smile. “If you tried to kill my king and I was there, I would stand between you and die for him. But I don’t think you’re going to find him before I do. Not after twenty-five years of searching.”
    Ishtar scowled. “Good luck with Curse-Boy.” She left the cave.
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    “I’d like to know just exactly how we got to be at the top of the Guild’s most wanted list,” Flower said.
    The reply tumbled from his mouth at