Return of the High Fae (Vegas Fae Story Book 1) (24 page)

I opened the sliding glass door and looked out into the
yard. Charlie and Lucy were there with another Dwarf and what could only be a
Faerie. She appeared to be the size of a bird and cast a golden light. I could
feel their presence, but I couldn't tell much else because they were still in
the grass next to the trees, and even with her glow, they remained mostly in
shadow.

Charlie left them and ran up to me, broadcasting that they
were friends. Of course I didn't have to be a Fae to figure that out, but it
never hurt to hear it from him. He was, after all, a watchdog, and as Bernd had
confirmed, guardian of my lands.

As she stepped on the patio—I could tell it was a she now—I
watched as she grew to normal size. She was, of course, totally naked.
Instantly, I stepped out and pulled a pool towel from a cabinet, wrapping it
around her to cover her.

"Thank you, my Lord. I am Elithia," she said as
she wrapped it around her shoulders.

Even with that, she still revealed way too much. I guess I
should be getting used to it by now, but at least it was less distracting with
the towel. She was, as was all too common with the Fae, beautiful. She stepped
through the patio door and I turned to see who else was here.

He had to be the oldest looking creature I had ever seen,
real or imagined. He was a Dwarf, like Bernd, only shorter. His face was like
carved stone, weathered and aged, but also like Bernd, his eyes sparkled.
Dressed in hues of brown and gray, he stepped onto the patio and stopped,
watching me for a moment. Lucy appeared at his leg. He looked down at her.

"So this is the one, is it?" he asked the cat. He
must have been powerful, or at least had different magic, because I couldn't
hear her response. "Hmm, that remains to be seen," he said, then
walked past me into the house.

"What was that about?" I asked, but she didn't
reply. Cats, go figure.

Charlie was the last one through the door, but I still did a
quick scan of the yard just to make sure. Not seeing, or sensing, anyone else,
I closed the patio door and stepped back into the kitchen.

I stifled a laugh. Siegfried was, once again, shocked, or I
should I say awed, as a second Dwarf now stood before him. As for Diantha, she
covered it well, but I caught the look before she had a chance to avert her
face. Like I said, she was good, but it didn't take a Fae to smell the whiff of
discomfort about her. I wondered what that was about.

"Motgnir," Bernd said, walking up as I came back
in. "We welcome you."

The other Dwarf nodded and removed the pack from his
shoulders, placing it next to him on the floor. Lucy immediately walked over to
it and sat down.

I was a little surprised to see Charlie, who was actually
taller than Motgnir, walk over and nudge him in the chest. It seemed he already
knew him and when the Dwarf reached up and petted him, I knew, once again, that
I didn’t have the complete picture. Hell, I'd gotten Charlie as a pup, and yet
he seemed to know more Fae than I did. Bernd must have noticed my confusion.

"Do not be surprised," he said. "You are not
the only descendant of highborn. Artemis herself received her hunting dogs from
Pan. This one is of a noble line.

Ok, so now he tells me that Charlie is descended from Fae
breeders. Who knew?

"You are sure of this?" Motgnir asked Bernd.

"Indeed. Maria's spell hid him well, but he has
acknowledged his lineage," Bernd answered.

"These are the witnesses?" he asked, pointing to
Siegfried and Diantha.

Bernd nodded in agreement.

He turned to them. "You have heard his
declaration?"

"Yes, Fader," Siegfried replied as he stood up.
Diantha just bowed her head.

"Then we will begin," Motgnir said, as he picked
up his pack. Then he turned to me. "Your claim is recognized," he
said, as he motioned to Elithia who immediately walked into the bedroom.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Elithia is a healer. She will see to your
charge," he replied. He walked over to Bernd and the two of them relocated
to the living room, I assumed, to talk.

I left Siegfried and Diantha still seated at the table and
went into the bedroom to see what was going on. As I stepped through the door,
I saw the Faerie leaning over, her back toward me, her hands clasping Delia's
face. She turned, looked at me, and removed them, stepping back. Seeing that
she was still wearing only the towel I had given her, I pulled open the closet,
removed an old robe and handed it to her.

"Is it your blood she has been given?" she asked,
as she put it on.

"Yes," I replied, nodding my head. "How is
she?"

"See for yourself."

I could now see that Delia's eyes were opening.

"What happened? Where am I?" she asked, groggily.
She started to sit up but couldn't quite make it.

"Sorry, dizzy. What's wrong with me?"

Elithia placed her hand on Delia's arm. "You have
received the blood of a Fae Lord. It has quickened your healing. No Lilin has
received such a gift in millennia. It is very potent and its effect can be
overwhelming. Care must be taken. Rest a while and the feeling will pass."

Delia pushed her head up. "A Fae Lord? What kind of
trick is this?"

"There is no trick," Elithia said, placing a
pillow under her head. "Please rest now."

Delia threw her head back and laughed. "A Fae Lord's
blood would be a death sentence, if any still lived. And you, are we not
enemies? Why does a Fae healer tend to me? Does not her oath forbid it?"
she asked with a mocking tone.

Elithia looked up at me and then returned her gaze to Delia.
"It is not my place to question the will of my Lord. Is it not enough to
know that you were injured in battle with his enemies and have been healed at
his direction?"

"I have never known the Fae to be so
compassionate," she answered, curtly.

So I guess saving someone from Mages and Demons doesn't
count much these days, I thought to myself. It was going to be tough to erase
the sins of the past. I decided to go and ask Siegfried about her clothes.

He headed out to his SUV to retrieve them as I sat down next
to Diantha.

"Are you all right?" I asked. "You don't seem
too thrilled with the company."

She stifled a grin. "I do not trust the Dwarves,"
she said. "And you should not either." She glanced over at the two
and placed a finger to her lips.

I peered over at Bernd and Motgnir, now speaking in hushed
voices in the other room.

"We can discuss it later," I said. "But for
now, I'm kind of committed."

"As you say, my Lord, but take care," she replied,
a look of concern on her face.

I thought about saying more, but Siegfried returned with the
clothes he had secured for Delia. He held the bag out to me and I squeezed
Diantha's hand before taking it and returning to the bedroom.

This time, Delia was sitting up and talking loudly. Elithia
looked frustrated. "... I don't care! Do you realize the position I've
been put in? ... and Fae blood? Just who is this Fae Lord?"

Elithia looked up as I entered the room. "Perhaps it
would be better to hear it from him," she answered, as she stepped away
from the bed.

Delia turned to see who she was talking about.
"You!" she cried out. "Bjartr was right. I would have healed
fine on my own! What game are you playing?"

"I'll take it from here," I said to Elithia.
"Oh, look upstairs in the middle bedroom. You should find some of my
daughter's clothes there. They might be more comfortable than just a
robe."

She bowed her head and left the room.

"Just a thought," I said as I walked up to Delia
and placed the bag of clothes on the bed. "I figured you could use these.
I didn't think anything here would fit, so I had Siegfried bring some clothes
from your place."

She looked even more shocked. "What have you dragged me
into? I should have fled and left you to fend for yourself." Her head
drooped and I saw tears well up in her eyes.

"But you didn't," I replied. "That's got to
count for something."

"At what cost, you fool? Do you not remember the words?
I do, and they burn in my mind."

"Lay down your arms, life I will grant you, but
expect not kindness. Where Fae be, you must flee and to taste of ichor is
forbidden. Where three or more gather, except to hear my words, I will call
down my wrath. One in ten may bear life. This I offer, but no more, and death
to any that violate this decree. Bound by the blood of your tears it shall be."

"I know them, Fae, and by saving me you have sentenced
me to death and placed my kind in jeopardy."

Ouch, Bernd hadn't mentioned that part. Before I could say
anything in response, she grabbed the bag I had brought in and looked inside.

"I am well enough to get dressed," she said and I
turned away to give her some privacy. A moment later I heard her behind me.
"So, who's this supposed Fae Lord that you work for?"

"That would be me," I said, turning around to face
her.

This time she was actually speechless for a moment.
"You? What kind of Fae Lord are you?" she finally inquired.

I was just about to answer when I heard Bernd's voice
instead.

"He would be the Fae Lord that saved your life,"
Bernd said, as he entered the room.

Like the others had, she fell to her knees. "Father
Swart Elf, I meant no disrespect. It was just that..."

He interrupted her. "It was just that you believed him
to be as the other Fae you have met, or at least most of them. There is no
shame in this," Bernd said, taking her hands and helping her up.
"Particularly in light of past experience."

"Then why, Father? I admit I thought he meant to trick
me. But what has changed? Why does this Fae act as he does?" she asked,
looking over at me, the confusion still evident on her face. "He violates
his own God's words with such deeds. It would be better I die than the war
begin again. Surely you know this."

Bernd walked back over to me. "That would be
true," he replied. "If before you stood any other." He grabbed
my arm. "Allow me to introduce to you, Robert, High Fae and Demeter's
heir." Then Bernd winked at me and left the room.

Once again, she was speechless, but I knew it wouldn't last.

"It was said the High Fae were no more. Why all the
deception?" she asked, recovering. She stood there with her arms crossed;
not in a defiant posture, more like a
'what the hell is going on?'
kind.
"Tell me, please, what is this about? Why does a High Fae go against his
own kind's words? What do you want from the Lilin? I ask you again, what has
changed?"

I walked over to the bed and sat down. How do I answer?
"Well, it's kind of complicated," I finally said. "And that's a
lot of questions."

"Everything with the Fae is complicated," she
stated in response.

Screw it. Maybe I better keep it simple. "Look. It's
like this. As far as I'm concerned, the Lilin are free. I guess I've got to
make it official; but for my part, I do not hold you to, what did you call
them, Demeter's words? I had hoped we'd become allies rather than enemies, but
there are no strings attached, ok?"

She just stared at me for a moment before responding.
"Just like that?"

"Pretty much," I answered. "Yep."

"Then why the deception, and why me? Why didn't you
just go to the Elder?"

"The Lilin have an Elder that's in charge?" I
asked.

"Yes! Why don't you know this? Just what kind of High
Fae are you that you know so little about us, yet say you will set us
free?"

Damn! Another "what are you" question. I hate
those.

This was getting too complicated, I shook my head.
"Look. That's too much to get into right now, so here's the deal, I don't
think you or your people, the Lilin, or whatever you call yourselves, should be
slaves, or be treated that way anymore. Hell, I think that's true for everyone,
if you must know. Why I feel that way doesn't really matter. Besides, you
jumped in when the Mages attacked. I appreciate that, so I'm responding in
kind. As for your Council, I've never heard of them and I'd prefer to deal with
you. Fair?"

Once again she didn't answer right away. "You are the
strangest Fae I have ever met," she finally said, in an astonished voice.

"I get that a lot," I murmured. "So do we
have a deal?"

"Were it not for the Swart Elf, I would think this a
Fae trick. But if you speak true, then I do not know how to thank you. And yes,
I will convey your words to my Elder and my people."

"We must go," Bernd interrupted. He motioned to
Delia. "Are you are well enough? It would be best if you came with
us."

"As you wish, Father. This one's blood has healed my
wounds. Where are we going?" she asked, bowing to the dwarf.

Bernd let out a laugh. "Why, to witness the return of
the High Fae, of course. Come, come, you are needed." With that, he waved
with his hands and Delia and I followed him into the kitchen where the others
were waiting.

"This is your wish, then?" Motgnir asked me, as
Delia and I entered the room.

I assumed he meant my position on the Lilin.

"It is," I answered.

He turned to Delia. "And what say you, Lilin?"

She paused as she looked at the second Dwarf. "If this
is true, then I will gladly bring him to the Elder," she answered.

"You must speak for your kind. Do you accept this Fae's
words?" Motgnir asked, his hands on his hips.

As he spoke, Bernd walked up to her and took her hand.

"Fate has placed you here, Delia. Do not be afraid to
seize an opportunity when it presents itself. Besides, were it not for you,
none of this would have occurred," he said.

I could tell she was surprised at that and wanted to ask
more, but Motgnir interrupted.

"You must decide," he said.

I saw Bernd squeeze her hand.

Delia looked over at the other Dwarf and shrugged.
"Agreed, then," she replied.

The Dwarf then raised his hand. "Then we will
begin," he declared and walked into the backyard.

"We must go with Motgnir," Bernd said as he
motioned for us to follow the other Dwarf.

Siegfried, Diantha and Elithia headed for the door, with
Charlie and Lucy right behind them.

"What are we doing?" I asked Bernd, as they headed
for the backyard.

"What must be done," he answered.

That sounded ominous, but then he laughed and I saw a
twinkle in his eyes. What the hell, I thought to myself, and then followed him
into the yard, Delia at my side.

I caught up with Siegfried and gave him a nudge. "You
ok?"

"It is much to take in. Dwarves are sacred to my line,
and to meet two...," he said, stumbling over his words.

Diantha just rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about it. I kinda know how you feel,"
I said to him as we reached the oak tree in the yard.

Motgnir stood in front of it, watching me and waiting.
Elithia, stood by him. The rest of us stopped in front of him. He took a moment
and watched us, then raised his arm and touched the tree. Then we were
somewhere else.

This was nothing like my first trip with Meredith. Bolts of
electricity were shooting through my body. I felt weak at the knees and had to
bend over. It passed quickly, but if I ever had any doubt as to what, or who, I
had become, I certainly didn't anymore. Every fiber in my body sang. What a
rush that had been!

I looked down and saw that I was once again in my Fae
persona. Relieved, I also saw that I was still wearing clothes. What was
different about this trip? Still bent over, I looked around the room we had
appeared in.

I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. Maybe it
was the dust, or the gloom, but wherever we were was old, and smelled like it
as well. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. We were in some kind of
amphitheater. No, that's not quite right, maybe a temple.

I didn't sense anyone else, besides us. But I saw something
that caused me to do a double take. I could see Charlie next to Bernd and next
to him was what had to be a panther. Was that Lucy? Damn, maybe I should start
calling her Lucinda again.

The floor was littered with stones, as if the place was
slowly falling apart. In the center was a raised pool, now empty and in pieces.
Off to one side stood what must have been a dais. I looked around to see more.
The sides were raised and the open ceiling was supported by columns, with seats
carved into the stone between them. I counted twelve. One was more ornate than
the rest.

The ceiling was open to the sky and I could see it was
cloudy. Although to be truthful, I'd never seen clouds like that before. They
swirled around like a maelstrom. I turned back toward the larger seat. Was that
a throne? No, it couldn't be. Wait, was this Olympus?

It must be, or at least once was. There was something else.
The magic, it was different here. More powerful, yes, but almost as if it was
distant, muted. I could barely sense our group. I knew they were here, but it
was as if there was a veil between us. That was strange, it reminded me of some
kind of privacy curtain out of a sci-fi story.

"Are you all right?" Siegfried asked.

I straightened up and then did another double take;
Siegfried had changed as well. "Yeah, fine. I was caught me off guard for
a moment," I replied. It was the same Siegfried, of course. He just looked
a little younger, and stronger, for that matter.

He tapped my shoulder, then pointed at Motgnir and Bernd,
who had moved over to the dais. "They appear to have forgotten us for the
moment."

I looked to where he was pointing: the two Dwarves deep in
discussion.

Diantha and Delia were still next to me, looking confused. I
turned to them. "You ok?" I asked.

"I have never been to any of the Fae lands before, but
this is not what I expected," Delia replied. "This is...
disconcerting. I am not sure what to think. Where are we?"

Shaking her head, Diantha answered for me. "Olympus;
this was Olympus," she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement and noticed
that Elithia was moving about near the top of the temple. I watched as she went
out through an opening, and since we appeared to have been forgotten for the
moment, decided to follow her.

"Let's take a look around," I said, cutting
between two of the stone chairs to follow her. When I reached the top, I saw
that the opening led outside.

As I started to step through, Diantha grabbed my arm.
"Be careful, my Lord, there is something strange about this place,"
she whispered.

"We'll be ok," I replied and stepped out into the
open.

I thought the temple would have been the tallest thing here,
but it wasn't. We appeared to be on a mountain and the temple itself rested on
the side of a peak. Although it was now only a trickle, a waterfall fell to a
pool below me; a meadow with grass and trees surrounding it. Nothing was in
bloom and the temperature was brisk. It was as if winter had clothed itself
upon the mountaintop and just settled in.

Elithia had stopped at the far edge of the meadow. I
couldn't see if there was anything past her, since the peak we were on was in
the clouds. Which, if this was indeed Olympus, made sense.

It must have been beautiful once, I thought to myself, as I
walked down toward the pool and meadow, stopping on an overhang just above
them. Maybe it could be so once again if these weird clouds were burned away by
the sun.

"What has happened here?" Delia asked as she and
Siegfried walked up behind me.

"Age, disorder, it doesn't seem like anyone has been
here for years," I answered. "The place seems stuck in winter."

"Chaos," I heard Bernd say from behind us.
"Not winter. We are surrounded by Chaos. The magic has fled this place and
great void beckons."

I hadn't even heard him approach. "I thought the
universe was supposed to have been sprung from Chaos, not return," I
commented, wondering if I remembered my Greek mythology correctly

"From whence they came all things return," he
answered, in typical Bernd form.

"So what are we doing now?" I asked.

"I must apologize," he said. "It has been
millennia since this place was last inhabited and much of its power has been
lost, or at best, hidden. It will take us time to get things in order."

"What are you trying to get in order?" I asked.

"You will see shortly," Bernd replied, then turned
and went back to the temple.

"Dwarves," I muttered. What the hell had I gotten
myself into, I asked myself for the thousandth time.

"Do not worry," Siegfried said as he clasped my
shoulder.

Oh well, I was committed anyway.

"Come on," I said to the rest. "Let's go see
what Elithia is doing." I stepped down and walked around the front of the
pool fed by the waterfall. This still looked nice, but it was cold from the
mist off the falls.

Crossing the meadow, I approached the Faerie, who now sat on
a berm and was looking down at something. As I stepped up to get a better look,
she heard me and flipped around. Seeing it was me, she ran towards us. I barely
had time to be surprised when I felt her quivering arms around me. Then I felt
her tears. She was crying.

Any other time, I suppose, having a gorgeous woman throw
herself at you, Faerie or not, would have to a good thing; but this wasn't one
of those times. To say she was upset didn't even come close. I tried to comfort
her as best I could, while still inching forward to see why she was so
distraught. She let go of me and slowly turned when what was in front of us
came into view.

I heard a gasp from either Diantha or Delia and it took me a
moment to understand what I was seeing. At first, the field of rocks and
unknown artifacts I was looking down on seemed like something out of a twisted
artist's idea of a field that needed some serious plowing. All of a sudden,
what I was seeing registered and I understood her distress. I'd heard of the
wars between the Fae, but never thought I'd witness them.

Displayed before us were fields of the dead. Fae and other
creatures still laying where they had fallen so long ago. There were no victors
here; just withered skin and old bones, calcified and weathered, many still in
armor and holding their weapons where they had fallen. They should have turned
to dust by now. Why this place had frozen them in time for us to find I cannot
even begin to understand, yet here they were.

I'm not an archeologist, but I was a cop, so there's no
surprise in how they died. They died fighting, to a man, Faerie, or Beast. What
I couldn't explain was the condition they were in. This had to have happened
thousands of years ago, and yet they had been preserved in some bizarre way. It
must be the magic, I thought to myself, as I bent down to examine one such
mound.

"Incredible," Siegfried commented as we stared
down at the remains. "They should be dust by now."

"Yes they should," I replied, looking closer.

"What happened here?" Delia asked.

"This was where Loki's armies battled Zeus for control
of Olympus," answered Elithia. "It is said that here was the final
battle before the Gods faded."

"Faded?" Delia enquired.

"It was
The Fall
," Siegfried added.
"The Gods battled one another for dominion and in the end faded from the
Earth. Some say it was Gaea's punishment for squandering their power."

Delia shook her head and looked at me. "Fae," she
said with a tone of disgust.

"This was a long time ago. Don't judge me by what
happened here," I said, trying to look closer. "Besides, your history
is savage as well.

"Perhaps," she said. "But at least we didn't
battle one another on such a large scale." Her point made, she turned and
walked away from the field.

I went back to my examination. I could tell this one had
been some kind of Fae warrior. Although his skin was shrunken and clung to the
bone, it had obviously been a human-shaped individual. There was a helmet the
color of dull gold on his head and he wore armor of the same metal. His sword
was still in what was left of his hand, and I could tell that the blade had
seen much use, even in its worn and weather-beaten condition.

Next to him was a fossilized horse-shaped creature, and upon
closer examination, I saw the remains of a horn type protuberance on its head.
This must have been a unicorn. I couldn't believe it—they were real!

Something drew me back to the warrior. As I wondered who he
had been, it was almost like I could feel the rush of battle. The air seemed to
thicken as I stared at him, wondering who or what had killed him. I don't know
what came over me, but I reached out toward him and placed my hand on what was
left of his face.

There was a sound of thunder. For a moment, I thought I was
losing it, as images and scenes of battle rushed through my head. It only
lasted for an instant, but it felt like someone had pulled all the energy out
of me.

I saw a flash, and the next thing I knew, both Siegfried and
I were thrown onto our backs. I looked over to where the warrior had been and
was almost blinded by lightning flashing down on the spot. The clouds above
swirled faster, as the ground blazed with the strikes. Suddenly, there was a
flash of pure flame and with a loud crack, the clouds cleared and the maelstrom
dissipated.

"What the...," was all I could say. I glanced over
at the others.

"Unbelievable," Siegfried commented as he brushed
dust off his shirt.

"Well that should convince them," Diantha said
with a laugh, as she got up from the ground a few feet from me. "Look at
what your magic has done."

I started to say something, then everything began to change.
There was a rumble and the earth moved. I watched as the dead Fae warrior began
to crumble and sink into the ground. The process continued outward, touching each
mound as it progressed. It was like what had happened to Diantha. Whatever had
frozen this place in time was receding. Olympus was being reborn.

We watched in wonder as the effect spread outward, the
mounds disappeared and grass returned. Trees and shrubs appeared, as if seen
through a time lapse video and I felt the sun on my skin. Within moments, the
mounds were gone. Surprisingly, a few weapons remained, including the sword of
the Fae I had touched.

"What just happened?" Delia asked as she stood up.

"I believe he did," answered Siegfried, pointing
at me.

"Do you see now, my Lord?" Diantha pronounced as
she swept her arms around. "Who but a God could do such a thing?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions," I answered,
thinking she was going to be the death of me. I was going to reply, when it hit
me. The air was no longer as heavy and my senses were less muted; what I sensed
now was evil. It was the same feeling I'd had before the battle at Danu's.