“Like I said, she’s a quick study. You don’t get to rule an empire for thousands of years by being stupid.” Baba watched with a certain detachment as the queen dispatched a dozen heavily armed guards to escort the three unhappy couples to fetch the children.
“When I was here before and mentioned in court that I thought Maya was giving the children to powerful members of the kingdom, I noticed a few suspiciously guilty looks and twitchy eyes. Since I had no way to prove that any of those people were involved, I didn’t say anything at the time. But I signaled to the queen about the couple I was most sure of, and the rest assumed she would be able to pick them out next, and simply gave themselves away.” She squeezed his hand. “Thank goodness, since I didn’t have a Plan B. Unless you count ‘knocking heads together until someone confesses’ a plan.”
Liam gazed at her in amazement and something that looked frighteningly like awe. “Remind me never to play poker with you,” he said. And kissed her lightly on the lips, despite the glowering looks they were getting from most of the remaining members of the court.
Baba’s chuckle was interrupted by a flurry of movement and twittering voices as the guards returned, herding Maya’s partners in crime and three small children. The oldest, a girl of about seven, carried the youngest, a boy who couldn’t have been much more than two. The youngsters looked dazed and confused, except one small pig-tailed girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and a stubborn chin.
“Sheriff Mac!” she yelled, as she caught a glimpse of Liam, and ran across the floor to be scooped up into his arms.
“Mary Elizabeth!” Liam said. “Boy, is your mama going to be happy to see you!” Baba thought she saw tears shimmering in his eyes.
Baba seemed to be having some kind of problem with her eyes as well. Some kind of exotic dander from one of the queen’s menagerie, no doubt. But the soon-to-be-ex-parents were in much worse shape. One slender, fantastically beautiful woman with long pink hair and a flowing dress made up of gauzy sky-blue silks and twinkling star-studded organdy was on her knees in front of the royal couple, begging pitifully to be allowed to keep the child she’d been hiding in a secret underground lair filled with toys and candy.
The child in question huddled with the other kids near Liam and Baba, too stunned and confused to do more than stand in silent unity with those they recognized as humans.
The queen shook her head, a hint of pity amid the frigid harshness of her gaze. “I cannot reward behavior that could have destroyed the entire Otherworld. The rule against stealing Human children exists for a reason. It was that act which caused us to be hunted and reviled in the mundane world, forcing us to leave behind all our sacred spaces there and retreat to the safety of this realm, only to return now and then on those days, like the summer solstice and All Hallows Eve, when our power is strong.”
“But the Humans no longer even believe we exist,” another man protested. “They will not hunt what they do not acknowledge as real!”
“Will they not?” the king interjected, gesturing at Liam and Baba. “Will they not move mountains to track down and retrieve that which belongs to them? I say that evidence to the contrary stands before you now. The queen is right. There can be no condoning an action that puts us all at risk. And certainly no rewarding it.”
The pink-haired woman staggered to her feet, holding on to her mate as she swung around to search out the child that had been so briefly hers. “But, Majesty, everyone knows that Humans do not value their children as we do ours. And they have so many, and we have so few. How can it be wrong to take one or two for our own?”
Liam took a halting step forward, hampered by Petey’s limpet grip on one leg, still holding Mary Elizabeth in his arms. Baba’s heart swelled with pride as he stood in front of the court and spoke out in a strong voice.
“You’re not completely wrong,” he said. “There are some humans who treat their children badly. But most of them love their children more than life itself, and would do anything for them.” He pointed his chin at Mary Elizabeth, since both his hands were full. “This little girl’s mother went so far as to seek out the Baba Yaga for help, no matter what the cost. All these children have parents at home who have been suffering agonies of sorrow, fear, and loss since they were stolen. They are not prizes to be argued over. They are loved and treasured, and Baba and I are taking them home where they belong.”
The queen nodded sadly. “Well said, mortal. And so it will be. The rule will be obeyed and all those who are foolhardy enough to break it shall be punished most severely.”
She reached out one pale, long-fingered hand to stroke Mary Elizabeth’s hair. “It is a pity, though. They are so lovely, and they bring such youthful joy to this ancient world.”