Return of the High Fae (Vegas Fae Story Book 1) (21 page)

King of the Faeries? Yeah right!

Once in in my car I started driving with no destination in
mind. I often do this when I need to think. Actually, it's one of the few times
I talk to myself, and answer back. It's a technique I've used to work out
problems; that, or maybe I really am crazy. Werewolves, Faeries, Lil, Norse
legends—how does someone deal with all this? I drove in silence for a while,
then the answer came.

I am such an idiot! I was letting all the unknown stuff get
to me way too easy. I mean, what would I do if I needed to know the answer to
something else? Duh! I've been doing investigations for thirty years, for God's
sake. Maybe it was time to do just that. But where to start?

Then I smiled as a snatch of a ditty I'd heard recently came
to mind. "Little Lilly needs my Willy." Well, you have to start
somewhere, so I turned my car back toward downtown and headed for Danu's.

I pulled around the corner from the old fire station and
parked my car. Walking toward Danu's, I once again felt goose bumps. I stopped
and looked around, but there was—nothing. Not satisfied, I closed my eyes and
tried to reach out with my new found magic.

Still nothing. Ok, maybe there was something; only the
things you find normally in any downtown area at night. I didn't sense anything
suspicious, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling. I wasn't sure if there was
nothing there, or if I just wasn't doing something right. Hoping it was just
the result of a rough day, I walked the rest of the way to Danu's and went
inside.

The place looked the same as it had the last two times I'd
been here. It was quiet. There was one table occupied with an older couple and
one guy sat at the far end of the bar. When I walked in I saw Bart at the bar.
Delia wasn't in sight. He didn't look happy to see me, but I walked to the bar
and sat down anyway. I waited while he spoke with the other patron at the bar,
who was cashing out to leave.

As he got up and headed for the door, Bart walked over to
me; stopping at the tap to pour a beer. He placed it in front of me.

"Listen, I don't want any problems with the other
Fae," he said. "I don't know what you're up to, but I have tried hard
to make a place for her kind here." He gestured toward a door at the far
end of the room.

I took a long swallow and put the mug down. Interesting.
Based on what Bernd had told me, and from what Bart was projecting, my guess
was that he must be an Elf. "It's Bart, right?"

He didn’t say anything.

"Look, I'm not here to cause you, or her, any grief,
and quite frankly, the disagreements between her kind and the Fae don't
interest me." So I was being less than truthful. "I'm just here to
have a beer." Ok, actually I was a liar. So sue me.

Bart gave me one of those 'yeah, right' looks. "As you
wish. However, I do not want a repeat of last time."

"About that. Since we're just talking here; I know what
I did to piss him off, but what do you have against the Weres?" I asked,
and took another drink.

Bart leaned over the bar toward me as he wiped mugs with a
towel. "I have no quarrel with any of the races, but that cannot be said
for individuals. That one is evil."

I looked back at him, incredulously. "Evil. If he's so
evil, then why are you upset with me? Hell, I agree with you," I said,
before I took another swig from my mug.

"That one knew he was not welcome here. Your incident
with Delia must have set him off. He is seldom so bold. Threatening his pup was
not wise."

I started to laugh, but caught myself. "Yeah, well, as
I recall, he didn't fare so well."

He put down the mug he was wiping and looked at me like I
was some kind of idiot. "Weres travel in packs. I would prefer not to have
the local pack causing me, or her, problems. Make an enemy of one and you often
make an enemy of them all," he explained.

I held my mug up near my eyes, swirling what was left in the
glass. "I don't think that will be a problem," I commented, putting
down the almost empty mug. I was going to say more, but Delia chose that moment
to come out from the back.

She didn't seem to see me. Instead she walked toward the
couple who was still seated. She spoke to them for a moment. I could see they
were settling their tab. As they got up she picked up their empty glasses and
walked to the other side of the bar, where the gate was. I watched them amble
to the door. Then, without warning, my magic kicked in.

Bart started to pick up my mug, but I reached out and
grabbed his hand. "Hold on a moment," I said, sensing something. Then
I almost gagged as the feeling washed over me. Looking over at the door, I knew
something was coming, and it was evil, pure evil. I looked up at Bart. "Do
either of you have a weapon?" I asked

He was clearly startled, I wasn't sure if it was because of
the question, or if it was the fact that I was pulling my gun.

"What are you doing?" he asked, then his face
twisted and he jumped up. "What the..., Delia, behind the bar, MOVE!"

He raced around the bar area toward her and pulled her back.
I saw them leap over the bar just as several figures burst through the front
door.

I don't know who or what the two folks that waved goodbye
were, but they never made it to the door. There was a burst of light and they
were down before I could take cover. The Mage who had taken them out was
standing over them, a wand in his hand. I recognized him immediately. He was
the one that got away. There were at least two others behind him. Call it
instinct, call it rage, but I owed this guy.

Pulling my gun out the rest of the way out, I came off the
barstool firing. As he went down, I started running to get to better cover. I
heard a yell from one of them as he went down and before I could get off
another shot, I was hit with a burst of magic. Unfortunately, this one was much
stronger than last time and I went tumbling across the room, my gun flying.

I wound up on the other side of the bar, feeling like
someone had taken a two by four to me. The parts that didn't hurt were numb.
Magic was pouring through me and I wasn't seeing things clearly. Was this some
kind of spell?

I crawled closer to the bar and pulled the seax, shaking my
head to clear it. I looked around the bar to see where the other attackers were
and saw Bart and Delia fighting them. They were both holding swords. Bart was
close in, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Although the Mage had a
knife, Bart's movements were preventing him from fully utilizing the sword, or
his wand.

As for Delia, whatever she was fighting had a sword as well.
I couldn't seem to focus on her opponent, but he was big. They were slashing
and cutting at one another faster than I could keep track of.

Making sure my legs worked, I tried to decide who to help
first. I looked around, but my gun was nowhere to be found. Figuring Delia's
opponent was bigger and his attack more ferocious, I ran her way.

Before I went two steps, I saw Bart fall, which gave the
Mage the advantage. Pivoting, I yelled and caught the Mage's attention.
Forgetting about Bart, he turned his wand toward me. This time I was ready.
Summoning every bit of power I had, I raised my hand just as he fired.

Without even thinking about it, I projected a wall of power
that blocked his magic. Running toward him, I saw the confusion on his face
just as I tackled him. We went down and before he could get either his wand or
the knife back up, I buried the seax in his chest. I saw the surprise on his
face as he realized what I'd done.

"You are no half breed...," he croaked, and then
he was silent.

I expected to be assailed with information when his blood
spilled over me, like the other times but there was—nothing. His blood was like
an empty jar. I could feel that it once held something, but whatever it was
long gone. I wondered what that meant. Then there was a terrifying howl.

Rolling off him and pulling the seax out, I turned to the
noise and saw the thing that Delia had been fighting. It was standing over her,
its head up, staring at me and growling. As I got to my feet, it started to
come into focus. It was now holding its sword pointed down at Delia's still
body. It looked like a man; a really big man.

I did a quick scan and saw Bart. He was still on the floor.
He was bleeding, but at least he was breathing. Turning back to the now human
looking creature, I took an offensive stance and started to move toward it.

"Stop, or this one dies!" it said, holding the sword
menacingly close to Delia's throat.

"Let her go!" I yelled back. Now that it was in
focus, I thought I knew what it was. It may be in human form, but it was a
Demon.

"I think not," the creature responded, bending
lower and inching his sword closer to her neck.

"Your friends are dead," I said, angrily.
"Let her go and maybe I'll let you live."

The Demon looked up at me and snarled. "So sayeth one
of the mighty Fae," he replied.

I was weighing my options when I heard a noise behind me. I
took a quick glance and saw that Bart was getting to his feet.

"Wait," the Elf said to the Demon. "He that
bound you was killed by this Fae. You are now free. Let the girl live. She is
nothing to you."

"I will not trade one master for another," he
said, now raising and pointing his sword at me. "His kind cannot be
trusted."

I may not know a lot about this whole Fae thing, but it
didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. The Mage I killed had
summoned this Demon. These Mages must have been working for another Fae. I
needed to know who, and why they were killing people. I decided to follow the
Elf's lead.

"What is your name, Demon?" I asked as I lowered
my seax.

"I am Usag, son of Asug, Prince," he answered,
snarling.

"Well, Usag, son of Asug," I said, cleaning the
blood off my seax by wiping it on my pants. "I do not want to fight you.
Free the girl and return to your home."

"Why do you care for this creature?" Usag asked,
his blade again at Delia's throat. "Your kind has shown nothing but
disdain for these outcasts."

Ok, now I was getting irritated. It's bad enough when you
have to hear what elitists your people are from fancy lawyers, but from a
Demon? Give me a break!

"Usag," I said, standing straight and sheathing my
blade. I concentrated as Bernd had shown me and my appearance changed into the
Fae version of myself. "My name is Robert Hoskins. I don't know what it's
gonna take to convince you, but I will tell you this. I am the son of the
Dryad, Gabriele, daughter of Maria, eldest of her clan and a High Fae. I can't
change the past but I tell you here and now – My quarrel is not with you, but
with those that would make us enemies."

Usag looked up and laughed. A sheet of flame poured over him
and when it was gone he was no longer in the guise of a human. He was huge and
looked exactly like you would expect a Demon to look like. His skin was almost
reptilian, with a dark, leathery consistency. He turned his head toward me and
unfurled his wings, his eyes burning like tiny flames. "Very good, Fae. As
strange as you may be; you no longer hide. Nor will I."

Damn, he was big!

"Let the girl go, Usag, and return to your home,"
I said again.

"Tell me first, High Fae," he asked, stringing out
the words as if mocking me, his sword circling over Delia. "What is she to
you? She is closer to my kind than yours. I was not aware that the Lilin were
special to you, except perhaps to kill."

I wasn't sure what he wanted to hear. I mean, he looked as
evil as they come and my first thought was that I had made a mistake in
sheathing my seax. I could try to use magic, but I was still new at this and
was afraid he would harm her further before I could strike. Then I remembered
what Siegfried had told me about some Demons just wanting to be left alone. I
didn't want to show any weakness, but I figured it was worth a try.

"It is enough to know that she is special to me, Demon,
and I would not have her harmed if I can prevent it," I answered, not
using his name. "But I promise you this, if you hurt her, I will kill
you."

Then he did something that surprised me.

"Well said," he replied, sheathing his blade and
taking several steps back.

I stood there and watched him for a moment, in case it was a
trap.

"Perhaps I will trust you, Robert of the High Fae, at
least for now. I return her to you. I wish only to be gone from this realm. She
fought well, but this battle was not mine to begin with."

He took a few more steps back and I ran over to her,
kneeling and taking her head in my hands. She was badly injured and extremely
pale. I saw there were several deep cuts on her chest and sides, and she was
bleeding heavily. At that moment, Bart appeared at my side.

"Watch the Demon; I will see what can be done," he
said, and began checking her wounds.

I gently laid her head down, stood up and approached Usag,
who eyed me warily. "Thank you," I said. "Do you have a way
home?"

"Yes," he answered. "The portal calls to me
even as we speak."

"Before you go. The one that summoned you," I
inquired, pointing to the Mage I had killed. "Do you know his
master?"

Usag looked over at the dead Mage and growled. "He was
of the High, as you are, but I did not see him; only felt his presence as that
one said the words," he said as he pointed to the dead Mage.

He closed his wings against his back and started to glow.
"I thought the High gone. They will not trap me again. Now that I know the
portal is still open I can protect my clan from it. But we are only one clan.
Others may still come."

"When I defeat him, I will find a way to help," I
replied. Then I stepped back as the glow intensified. He was trying to say
more, but I couldn't hear the words. Then, with a crackle in the air, he was
gone.

I was left to ponder what that meant for me; another High
Fae. This was bad, but as before, I didn't have time to think about it.

Bart was kneeling next to Delia and called out to me.
"She is gravely wounded."

"What else can we do?" I asked, looking down at
her still form.

"There is nothing that we can do. She must rest,"
he answered. "The Lilin inside will heal her if it can. She is too weak to
feed and it may be days before we know if she will live. Your friend Siegfried
is on his way," he said as he stood up. He threw a cell phone on a nearby
table. "These two will have friends. We must find a place to keep her
safe."

"It's my fault this happened," I said, bending
down next to her after picking up my gun, which had been knocked across the
room. "I'll take her to my place. She will be safe there."