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.In a lot of places Underhill, it was safest to look likeexactly what you were.Kory mounted Mach Five and took up the reins.Grooms rushed to open the stable doors, and the twoof them rode out.The park was lit with the silvery unchanging light of Underhill.The air smelled of roses and apricots, andthe world was filled with the singing of birds.In the middle distance, Beth could see another party, muchlarger than their own, lords and ladies out for a morning of hunting.Beth had never been to the edge of the parklands that made up Elfhame Misthold or rather, she had,but the magic had simply brought her back to the far side of the park, as if the whole place weresomehow built on a Moebius strip, which for all she knew, it was.But today they were going through aGate that would lead them into the world beyond.Every Gate was essentially the same, Kory had told her, just as the essential magic of all the LandsUnderhill was the same.Most Gates could be set to take their user to any of six pre-set destinations.Some could be set to open only to the proper code, others operated by anyone.You had to traveloverland, hopscotching among friendly or neutral Gates, until you got to where you were going.Most ofthem led in and out of neutral or unclaimed territory; you couldn t just ride through a Gate and findyourself in the middle of somebody s living room.The Gate that led into someone s personal domain wasusually well-guarded or well-defended or both and whoever was behind it would have a lot ofwarning that you were coming.The Gate that led out of Elfhame Misthold was a golden archway some long ago elfmage s pun on theGolden Gate, since Misthold s anchoring Nexus was in the San Francisco Bay Area with an ornatedesign covering every inch of its surface.The space in the center of the archway shimmered faintly, like acurtain of gold chains.Two Sidhe in full armor stood before it.Once upon a time Beth had beensurprised that with magic available for the asking, the Folk performed so many mundane tasks forthemselves, like guarding doors and sweeping out stables, but at heart the Sidhe were warriors whoknew that someday they might be called upon to fight.There were hames as decadent and luxurious asshe could possibly imagine, and even hames where all the work was done by human changelings, butMisthold wasn t one of them.Age and power seemed to radiate from the Misthold Gate.One of the knights saluted as they drew near. Fair morrow, Lord Korendil, Mistress Beth, he greeted them formally. Fair morrow, Sir Vinimene.My lady and I ride upon quest, at my lord Arvindel s good pleasure, Koryanswered, equally formally. Quest well and come home safe, Vinimene answered.He stepped back, and Beth and Kory rodethrough.She d gone through Gates a lot of times, traveling between Earth and Underhill, but they d alwaysseemed to go from outdoors to indoors, or the other way around, and her mind had accepted thechange.Here, it was as if the whole world vanished in an eyeblink.The flare of brightsunlight -sunlight? caught her by surprise, and she swayed in the saddle just a little. Beth? I m okay.Just wasn t ready for it.Kind of weird, isn t it? I remember being just as surprised the first time I saw a movie, Kory said fondly. But what s with the sun? Beth asked, squinting up at it. We aren t back on Earth, are we? The landscape resembled the park they d just left a little raggeder around the edges, the colors lessbright, but still beautiful.She glanced over her shoulder.The Gate on this side was also golden, butsmaller and plainer.It, too, was guarded by a set of armored knights. Perhaps in a land much closer to it than Underhill, Kory said, considering. Or perhaps it is merelythere for decoration.Either way, we will not be here long. Lead on, Kemosabe. After riding for several hours, through a succession of Gates that led through some eye-poppingly strangeplaces, Kory called a halt. We are here. He pointed.It s the Faire! The old Faire the one they bulldozed!For a moment Beth s heart leapt with a pang that was not only homesickness, but nostalgia.The bestparts of her young life had been spent at the Faire.But when she looked again, she realized it wasn t her Faire.There was a scatter of brightly-colored tentsand garlanded booths, and banners belled in the soft noontime breeze.But the longer she stared, the lessit looked like the SoCal Faire, until she couldn t figure out how she d ever confused the two. It s magic, isn t it? she asked. I mean, even more than usual. Yes. Kory didn t seem completely happy about it. But we will take no harm here.Should a warriormeet his worst enemy at the Goblin Market, he must smile and pass him by.No weapon may be drawnin anger here, no power summoned to bind or harm a foe.Here is the place where all worlds meet.Evenyours. I guess that s why it all looks so familiar, Beth joked, trying to conceal her unease. Do not trust it, Kory said. The Goblin Market is. He seemed to be at a loss for words. It is aneutral place.In the human expression, proceed at your own risk. If you come here, they feel you haveaccepted the risk. Gotcha, Beth said. Lead on. She forced a smile, feigning a confidence she did not feel.They entered the Market between two black-and-white striped posts about eighteen feet tall andslender and straight as teenaged telephone poles.Kory turned Mach Five sharply left, riding along theedge of the fair until he reached what was obviously a parking lot of sorts.There were lines of hitchingposts right out of the Old West, but the things hitched to them were anything but ordinary.There were horses, both in the usual range of colors and in all the colors of the rainbow.Some sherecognized as elvensteeds, others were ordinary horses, and some of them were neither one, butsomething else entirely in a horse s shape.But that wasn t the extent of the livestock.There were giantostriches.Bridled lizards that hissed and snapped as the two of them passed.Even a hippogriff halfhorse, half eagle.Motorcycles.Bicycles.Hovercraft that looked like they d been assembled by a mad Victorian inventor.A genuine antique Model A flivver painted a glaring yellow.A classic VW Beetle with an iridescent paintjob.It flashed its headlights at them, but Beth was already staring past it, at a brass bed with ornatebed-knobs, complete down to the patchwork quilt and lace-trimmed pillows, that hovered several inchesoff the ground. I guess people come here from all over, Beth said in a strained voice
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