MA- CotST Part 3

The Case of the Stolen Time

By: Agent-Di

Part Three

So with the mood much more somber, the five fey snuck away to the mines and followed the winding tunnels up to the surface.  Soon pitch blackness gave way to blinding light.  When their eyes were able to adjust, the hills of Ireland appeared; a rolling blanket of green stretched out as far as the eye could see.

"Ahh," Fin sighed in contentment, "smell that fresh air an' feel that warm summer breeze."

The others inhaled the pleasant aroma too and took a moment to bask in the sun.  The shady realm of Sidhe was so dank and dreary that it was easy to forget that a world so bright and rich in beauty was right above them.  Here birds chirped, winds blew, and a sky—a real sky—of endless blue welcomed them like an old friend at a long journey's end.

Quinn took notice of how high the sun had climbed and groaned. "Uh…guys?  Don't forget we're short on time here.  It's almost noon already and we still don't have the watch."

And with that, the tranquil mood was shattered and everyone grudgingly left the entrance of the cave—which seemed to magically shift into a grassy hillside behind them—to finish retracing the Trio's footsteps from the day before.

When leaving Sidhe, one generally finds himself in the middle of a vast countryside.  In one direction, not far away, lies a human village.  Though it hasn't exactly remained untouched by the modern world, the village itself has been around for ages and still possesses a certain rustic charm.  In the opposite direction stands a forest, and while not without its hidden dangers, it was still much brighter and far more inviting than the one down below.  

"This way," Finian motioned for the rest of the group to follow him into the forest, "tis the only other place we went."

"Tsch, figures." Larch sneered. "The lot o' ye lazin' about in the sun while the rest o' us were hard at work below."

"Get o'er yerself Larchy.  Stirrin' potions for Morgy hardly counts as honest work.  Ye'd be better off pickin' mushrooms with the gnomes."

"Speaking of mushrooms," Deirdre pointed ahead.  They'd been walking through the woods for a while now and had come across a clearing where several mushrooms had sprouted up to form a circle.

"Aw perfect," Fin spat sarcastically, "back here again."

Shifting so he could see around the elf up front, Quinn lowered his ears and grimaced at the fungi. "Ugh, the faerie ring."

Deirdre was the only one who didn't seem to mind the situation.  The smile she wore was genuine, if not the slightest bit taunting. "Gee Fin, I wonder if we'll see your sis-"

"Don't," the lep whirled around and covered her mouth with both hands, "even kid about that lass!  I had a downright humiliatin' experience with that fae yesterday an' I don't intend to repeat it!"

"Sounds like someone's still peeved about his trip upstream," an amused voice broke in.

A chorus of giggles erupted around them, causing the Trio to jump.  Larch crossed his arms in aggravation while Fin groaned miserably.  Deirdre stood off to the side, sporting a wry grin.

The faint rustling of leaves was heard before a teal-haired, blue and green clad figure dropped down from the branches overhead and landed at the freckled lep's feet.

"Well well," the newcomer slowly stood to full height—nearly eye-to-eye with Fin—and smirked, "back again?  It's not like you to visit so often, little brother."

Her words had the desired effect.  Fin instantly tensed, his face flushing about as red as his vision. "Now see here Azzy!  We didn't come to chat.  We're here to find me watch!"

The faerie remained unfazed by his outburst and simply tilted her head to the side. "That flashy little trinket you always carry?  You do realize what'll happen when daddy dearest gets word, right?"

Green eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

"Nice going Fin!" Quinn hissed.

"Yeah," Galvin shoved him from behind, "now she's gonna rat us out for sure!"

"Oh relax, I won't tell," the faerie waved her hand dismissively.

Finian stared at her hopefully. "Y-ye won't?"

"Of course not," she replied. "I'll even help you look."

"You will?" Galvin and Quinn sputtered in unison.

"Yep," the faerie nodded, then leaned in and fixed her 'brother' with a crafty grin, "so long as someone asks me nicely."

Said leprechaun's eyes narrowed instantly in response. "Shoulda known it was too good to be true."

"Never trust a fae," Larch muttered.

Azalea clasped her hands behind her back and looked expectantly at Fin. "So, what's it gonna be bro?  If you admit you need my help, my pals and I can comb the forest in one sweep…or you can spend all day poking around for something you're not likely to find."

"An' just what makes ye think ye'll have better luck?" he demanded.

"Trust me," she boasted, "if it's here, we'll find it.  You leps aren't the only ones with an eye for treasure."

"Just do it Fin," the imp whined. "I'm sick of looking for your dumb watch."

"Yeah," Galvin agreed, "let's just get this over with."

After straining to keep his composure the lep finally relented.  Standing rigidly with his fists clenched at his sides he hissed through his teeth, "All right Azzy, I give.  Just…help us out, oka-GYAH!!"

"That's my baby bro!" the fae smirked triumphantly as she trapped Fin in a headlock and ruffled his hair.  

"Not the hair!"

Jumping into the air she brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled.  A flurry of colorful orbs flew into the clearing; inside each was the vague outline of a faerie.  Azalea gave a quick explanation to her companions before they set off, leaving Fin and the others behind to wait for their return.

"Azzy" was a sisterly figure to the snooty lep and had been a close family friend since the days before Morgan took over (which was rather taboo where faes and leps were concerned).  She presently served as one of the guards for a small group of Sidhe faeries who had relocated to the forest above, protecting her new home from mortals and immortals alike.  To Finian's chagrin, she still managed to keep tabs on him whenever he ventured topside.

While Fin fixed his hair and brooded over having to ask a faerie for help, everyone else tried various means to keep themselves occupied.  Larch had produced a block of wood from under his oversized top hat and started whittling away.  Galvin was spreading birdseed along the rim of the faerie ring (something he knew would tick off the fae).  Quinn busied himself by picking at loose threads on his shirt and Deirdre had taken to fiddling with the silver comb that hung from the ribbon around her neck.

Just when it seemed like they'd all go mad from boredom, the buzzing of wings reached their ears.  The five fey perked up as the faeries came back in sight with Azalea leading the way in her smaller form.  

Unfortunately, they returned with bad news.  Despite searching high and low, they were still left empty handed.  Larch was instantly suspicious about the results and didn't hesitate to voice his doubts.

"See here Faerie, this little stunt o' yers has gone on long enough!  Tis no secret yer kind have an affinity for trickin' folks, an' yer certainly not above targetin' a lep!"

The rest of the group (except Finian) shrank into a tighter ball as the faeries surrounding them bristled with anger.  Wings flapped furiously from where the faeries sat perched on tree branches, shrubs, and the occasional mushroom or rock.  

Springing back to full height Azalea took a threatening step closer to the audacious lep. "You're accusing me of stealing now?  That's a crummy way to show your gratitude.  Before you go pointing the finger at someone else, maybe you ought to consider your own reputation, Clurichaun."

Fin actually managed to smirk at that.  Azalea was a pain-and-a-half most times, but she was also far too loyal to the McQuoids to be pegged as a suspect.  If she said it wasn't there, then he'd take her word for it.  Larch on the other hand…

"She does bring up a good point," he sniffed snobbishly. "For all we know ye've got it stashed in yer tower."

"Well…" Galvin held his hands out casually, "since we're already above ground, we may as well swing by the place and look around."

"What?!  No!" the carrot top objected. "That's our home yer talkin' about an' I won't have ye puttin' yer grubby mitts on our stuff!"

Ignoring Larch's protests Fin waved to his "sister" and started walking back out of the forest.  The tower wasn't far from where they were and by his calculations they had just enough time before his shift started to do a quick search.  Maybe just the threat of snooping around Larch's home, going through all his precious things, would be enough to make him fork over the watch.

"You can't be serious," even Deirdre was starting to get angry now.  She and Larch did share the tower after all. "Fin, he didn't take it!  You've got no right to go barging into our house!"

"An' he had no business stealin' me family heirloom," the lep countered snootily. "Besides, it shouldn't matter if we take a quick look around—unless he's got somethin' to hide."

Grabbing a fistful of fabric, Larch jerked Fin back by his collar and snarled. "I've had it up to here with yer accusations Finny.  Deird an' me won't be humorin' ye any longer.  Now if the three o' ye aren't back in Sidhe within the next five minutes, I'll personally see to it that Morgy finds out about yer unauthorized trips above ground!"

Green eyes narrowed on the carrot top scornfully. "Figures ye'd stoop to blackmail.  But have it yer way Larchy, we're goin'—for now."

To Be Continued...