" None of us are employees, either. "

Grimalkin snorted and shifted position on the couch. "Would you not need an ID card for that?" he said. "If the building is so well guarded, I doubt they let in common riffraff off the street."

,, Good. ,, She calmly folds her hands in front of her. Then her eyes turn hold and her voice echoes like in a cave or church.


When part of the ice,
Splits from the glacier,
The ocean rises.
When part of that ice,
turns to metal,
the ice itself will melt.
And when all that remains of this broken ice
is a jagged shard of metal,
summer and commonality will take on metal
and its flames will melt the metal.

"Wait, hold on." He wasn't exactly fond of this prophesy.

Her eyes return to normal. ,, What? ,,

" So then how are we going to get in? "

"Where's the part about being rich? And conquering everything?"




Leanansidhe smiled. "Think I might know someone who can get you in," she said, and snapped her fingers twice. "Skrae, darling," she called, "would you come here a moment? I need you to find something."

A piskie spiraled into view, gossamer wings buzzing. Three inches tall, he had indigo skin and dandelion hair, and wore nothing but a razor-toothed grin as he fluttered by. His eyes, enormous white orbs in his pointed face, regarded Lise curiously, until Leanansidhe clapped her hands.

,, Oh, there is. But thats for the iron queen. ,,

she stared down at the piskie, then looked up at Leanansidhe.

"Oh? Who's the lucky lady?"



"Skrae, pet, Im over here. Focus, darling." The piskie gave Lise a wink and a suggestive hip wiggle before turning his attention to Leanansidhe. "Good. Now, pay attention. I have a mission for you. I want you to find the streetrats. The half-phouka and the troll boy, I forget their names. Tell them to leave off the eggs for now, I have another job for them. Now go, darling. Buzz buzz." She fluttered her hand, and the piskie zipped away out of sight.