Harvest Moon, Part 9

I stabbed him in the back. It was actually rather easy, I still had the knife and he had his back to me. He was in his human form, weak and frail. The knife went cleanly through his skin, I made sure that I wasn’t hitting anything vital. I just needed him to bleed.

Adolf turned around, a look of genuine surprise upon his face, “wha, what are you doing? The duel has ended.”

“Has it?” I asked, reaching over his shoulder to pull the knife from his back. Pale blood dripped from the floor to the tip. I cleaned it off as best I could, while staying hunched over. Keeping my belly hidden.

“You were wounded, I felt it,” he insisted, taking a step towards me.

“You were indeed greatly wounded, Elroy Reardon,” said Titannia as she descended her lofty position down to the dance floor.

“I was wounded, but I did not bleed,” I kept the ruined costume tight to my abdomen.

“Impossible.”

Murmurs rose from the crowd, soon they all were shouting agreements while Adolf and Titannia paced around me.

“Show us, then," he added a growl to the command.

More cries for a reveal. I guess, it was false hope that made me think they’d go off my word. Either I reveal now, and suffer for it later. Or I hide the facts beneath the outfit, suffer even more gravely this very instant. I didn’t like this information getting this far out, but I took that risk when I made the challenge to first blood.

I straightened my back and held my head high, pulling away what I kept hidden.

True, they all saw four great marks carved into my flesh. But the sight of what fell from it caused quite a gasp. Tufts of cotton puffed out from beneath the skin, it tumbled and rolled into little balls as it hit the floor softly. Titannia nearly broke her teeth grinding them.

Adolf laughed, it was less intimidating this time, “you’ve still lost look there, you’re bleeding right now.”

“True, but I don’t bleed blood. And the duel was to fist blood, I have spilled none.” I said through my teeth.

“What?” Adolf reered back, “why that’s not what the ruling means.”

“But it is what the ruling says, and it doesn’t matter what the heart of the matter is,” I began to collect myself, when I got back to my clothes I’d be able to patch up the wounds with some needle and thread I keep around. “Isn’t that right, Lady Titannia?”

All eyes fell upon the Queen of the Earth Court. Her knuckles cracked audibly as she drew fists. Then took a deep breath and relaxed, lifting her chin above my head when she spoke down, “truly, by the laws of the contest the winner is Elroy Reardon,” the last word drew a snarl in her lips, “fetch.”

Some of the crowd cheered, or that’s what I took it as. They didn’t all strictly have mouths, sometimes it’s hard to tell what noises they were making.

“There’s more,” I said before Adolf and Titannia could slink back behind the Court, for now I had their ears. “The contract for the Dietrich children is void.”

“Under what grounds?” The wolf growled and advanced towards me, though a hand stopped him in his tracks. Titannia rose above him and moved forward.

“You can prove this how?” she asked.

I unrolled the piece of parchment, and pointed straight to the bottom, “this was signed by Mrs. Dietrich.”

“Exactly,” Adolf cried from behind. “the mother of the children, she may make such agreements.”

“Not if she’s dead,” I eyed Adolf.

“No, the young woman-”

“That was his fiancé,” I should have known. Dietrich wasn’t the kind of man who could sign away his children. Even if he were getting a pair of shiny new models in return. Women are dangerous, and it's not just the Fae.

Titannia’s glare snapped to Adolf as the wolf began to shrink and stammer his voice, “we were running out of time. And her demands, they’re so precise.”

“You knew,” she said, slowly prowling towards him. “you knew and still you bring this dishonor into my Court?”

Just as with the fight, now more and more the crowd was moving away.

“Please, my lady,”

“You may no longer speak to me in such terms, thrice you have proven yourself unworthy of my love. Thrice, you have brought shame upon this Court.” her voice grew deeper, trailed from the very stone floor gaining further depth with each word and moment.

“Please-”

“Be gone!” she shouted, and the stone opened like a great maw. Anyone who has seen a rockslide, knows that earth could move fast and in the blink of an eye Adolf was devoured. He was not dead. She still would not openly slay another in front of her Court. But, either way his fate couldn’t have been a pretty one.

The audience remained silent, not wishing to draw her attention. At this point, I could care less. I was untouchable for the moment, and I had to press that advantage.

“Jacob and Margret were taken in no trade. And with no Rite of Claim. By those laws, they are free to leave.”

“Such is the law Elroy Reardon,” her voice made my body tremble. “Should you find them, you and they are free to leave.”

“Should I find them?”

“The laws state we can not hold them. However, they do not state we need assist you in their removal,” her eyes gleamed.

“And you won’t tell me where I can find them.”

She was beside me, I hadn’t even seen her move. It was as though she simply moved through the stone to arrive in a second. It stopped my breath when all of a sudden she was leaning in for a whisper, “no, I hold no oath to you. No contract.  I could tell you, but you and I both know the price is more than you can bare. Fetch.”



"One last thing Mr. Reardon," she spoke her voice becoming more seductive, the echo dying slowly. "The Lady of the Harvest determines our take on this final day. You doom far more lives than two children. You should learn to see a good deal when one is before you."
I chose my words carefully, “go screw.” And made my way toward the crowd, Titannia may not be offering but there was one Sidhe in this Court who had an oath to me. And despite her best efforts, I held up my end of the bargain.



Paths were cleared for me, the iron knife still in my hand. At some point, Titannia had called for the festivities to return. The band struck a few chords and before you knew it, the party was back in swing.

There was a feeling I couldn’t shake as I moved through the crowds, eyes. Someone was watching following. I took my time, weaving this way and that hoping to shake the feeling. But always, I was watched. Tailed. Most likely, more than one. If I had to guess, Adolf’s cronies. They couldn’t do a thing to me here, but once outside…

 I found Corrigan at the corner of two buffet tables. She applauded me lightly with gloved hands, fingertips on the palm. She had to take care not to spill the flute glass of mead she held. Her face was glowing with adoration.

“Hail to the returning champion, well done Elroy.” she took a long sip of mead from her glass. “Well done. That Adolf was such a bother. Did he even offer to share a little of the honor of the children with me? No, but I suppose it best I don't have that sinking ship around my neck."

I swatted the damn thing out of her hand, “nice try. Now I’ve had enough of your games. You’re going to tell what else you know. Now.”

Her lips curled, “are you going to threaten me with the knife?”

“I don’t have to. Our agreement still stands.”

“Well, you’re just no fun.” She rolled her head languidly to rest her chin in the palm of her hand, pouting slightly. “Our night is only half over you know, you haven't fully lived up to your end. So, how about I make you a deal?”



Her smile was all teeth, she took a big heaving sigh. Accentuating her figure among everything else.

“No more deals.”

“Oh, but you want to hear this one, my dear Elroy.” she put a hand beneath my chin and lifted my head. I made sure to keep my eyes out of hers. “This one is a simple choice. To end this night early, I’ll give you one of two pieces of information. Either I can tell you where you would find the Dietrich children.”

“Whatever gets me to the children first.”

She released my chin and held up a patient finger, “wait to hear both choices first.” She pursed her lips, “now I can tell you where you would find the Dietrich children. Or, I can give you what your heart truly desires.”

If I had a heart, it skipped a beat.

“I can tell you, who makes a fetch of cotton.”