Return of the High Fae (Vegas Fae Story Book 1) (26 page)

Bearded, it reminded me of a statue of a Greek God, although
I had no idea which one it could be. Turning his head, his eyes rested on us,
and he began to laugh. Like THX in a movie theater, the walls seemed to
reverberate with the sound and the giant's hands came to rest on its hips as he
turned his attention in my direction.

"Well played, well played indeed," the creature
declared. Then it turned to Motgnir. "You have chosen well, Dwarf."

Not knowing exactly what the hell was going on, I started to
say something but Bernd put his hand on my shoulder. "Wait," he
whispered.

The creature bent down and placed his hand over Marissa. I
heard a gasp as she took in breath and her eyes opened. She looked aghast when
the creature picked her up.

I watched as she struggled, but the creature just seemed to
examine her.

"Let me down!" she exclaimed, beating at his giant
hand.

"I think not, little one. Too much like my other
offspring are you." he said, shaking his head. She continued to struggle
as he spoke. "You chose the dark path and have been beaten by the
light." Then he laughed again and walked a few steps, holding her up as he
continued to examine her. "Perhaps you can learn from your opponent. His
allies fought for him out of loyalty, not fear.

"No. No. I believe what you need most is time to think
about your failure. I will give you that which made me stronger. To Tartarus I
will send you," he said in a commanding voice and I saw a look of terror
come over her face. "If you escape, you may fight again. If not, well,
then perhaps you were not meant to have come this far."

Then a shimmering light surrounded her and with a bright
flash, she was gone.

"That's it?" I said out loud as she disappeared.

The creature turned his attention back to me.
"Disappointed? Today was not her day to die, young Fae. I would have done
the same for you, if it is any consolation."

"Then what was this all about?" I asked.

"A test," he answered. "And you have triumphed.
Olympus is awake and I have witnessed your return. Be content with that."

"Content!" I yelled back, as I stood up. "My
dog just got shot with an arrow. And what about Elithia, the Faerie?" I
yelled, pointing down at her broken body still lying on the floor. "Are
you gonna bring her back to life as well?"

"She is not my concern," he answered and as he
waved his hand, a throne rose from the floor. Sitting down upon it, he looked
back at me. "There are as many ways to die as jewels in my crown." He
pointed upward. The sky darkened as the clouds parted and the stars appeared. I
watched as several brightened, then faded to be replaced by blackness.
"Can you save them all?"

"I can try," I replied. I would have said more,
but once again Bernd stopped me. I guess that was wise since the giant was
three times my size, but still.

"Then perhaps next time it will be you who fails,"
the Giant said. He then turned to Motgnir. "Is it not enough that I have
thwarted Gaea and given him a godsend? Why must all my children's children be
so ungrateful?"

"He is still young and does not understand his role,
great Ouranos," Motgnir replied with quick bow of the head. "He still
has much to learn."

Oh shit, I thought to myself. Ouranos, also known as Uranus,
had been father of the Titans and husband of Gaea. This guy was as close to a
real God as they came. That's who I had been arguing with!

Motgnir then removed what looked like a short scepter from
beneath the Dais he had been standing behind. He held it outward toward Ouranos
with both hands. "He has triumphed, has he not?"

"Indeed he has," he answered, and then with a nod,
laughed and turned his head towards me. "You have indeed triumphed today,
my young Fae Lord. As you have proven yourself, I welcome your return. You have
earned the right to fulfill the prophecy, if you can. Consider my imprisonment
of your opponent my gift to you, a gift of time. Light you may be, but the
darkness will not be chained forever, even in Tartarus."

He stood and bowed his head at Motgnir. With a nod to me and
a wave of his hand, the temple vanished and we now stood back where we had
started: in my own backyard.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked.

Motgnir ignored my question. He held up what I thought had
been a scepter, but I now saw was the hilt of a sword. He pushed it into my
hand.

"Light has triumphed over dark and here is the prize:
the sword of Cronus, most powerful of the Titans. This is the same sword that
was carried by Zeus and prized by all the Gods. Wield it wisely. The prophecy
has been fulfilled. The High Fae have returned and the light is now a beacon
against the coming darkness," he answered.

"Well ain't that just dandy," I replied
sarcastically. Sorry, but I was pissed. "You don't think maybe a word or
two about what was going on might have been prudent? Maybe Elithia wouldn't be
dead and Charlie wouldn't have taken an arrow if we'd known what we were
getting into."

I waved the sword hilt; suddenly the sword itself emerged,
like some magic metal version of a light saber. Startled, I almost dropped it.
"And this... maybe a warning about what the damn thing does would have
been nice!" I put my arm down and watched as the sword retracted into the
hilt. I guess I should be more grateful. I mean, we had won and all, or at
least I think we did.

"You have been among the humans for far too long,"
he said. "Elithia died a noble death and will shine among the stars. As
for your hound," he continued, walking over to Charlie. "This I do in
answer."

He bent down and grabbed the big dog's leg with both hands.
Charlie's leg began to glow and when Motgnir stood back up, the leg was healed.
"Not since the Gods last walked this earth have I done such a thing. I
will not do so again. I have done what I must; the rest is up to you.

"As for you Robert, you have earned the sword, but the
war is not yet over. You have allies and weapons, but there is still much that
you must overcome." He walked back to the oak tree and turned to Bernd.
"I leave it to you to teach him further. I have fulfilled my pledge."

There was a flash and he was gone.

Siegfried and Diantha just stood there, but Delia threw down
her sword. "Fae, you have too many Gods and too many problems," she
said with a note of disgust as she looked over at Bernd. "Tell me the truth,
Dwarf. Does his promise of freedom still stand?"

"Robert has pledged it," he replied with a nod.

"What if the other had triumphed?" she asked, as
she fingered the string of her bow, her arrows still sheathed.

"Then it would have been short lived," he
answered.

"I thought as much," she commented, and then slung
the bow across her back. "I wish to take my leave for now. Siegfried, can
you return me to Danu's?"

"I can," he answered. "We have had enough
excitement for one evening. There is still much to discuss, but tomorrow is
another day." He bent down and patted Charlie, and Lucinda, who was now
back in cat form. "You both fought well."

Charlie gave him a few licks and Lucinda purred.

"Diantha, will you ride back with us?"

"I'll give her a ride," I answered, before she
could respond.

"That will be fine," she said.

"Before you go," Bernd chimed in. "You are
all owed an explanation. There is still much to explain, but this I will tell
you now: you have fought bravely, and because of your actions, the light has
prevailed. Although I had not foreseen Ouranos' additional gift of time, by his
imprisonment of Marissa, there is still danger. Confined in Tartarus she may
be, but the darkness has not been defeated. Her allies will not take kindly to
her confinement, temporary or not."

He walked up to each of us and took our hands (or paws) in
his, nodding in thanks as he did so. Then he turned to me.

"Prior to Apollo seizing the temple at Delphi, it
belonged to the Titans. These were the daughters of Gaea and Ouranos." He
looked over at Diantha for a moment before continuing. "When he slew the
Dragon that guarded it, the Oracle at Dodona foretold that, as punishment for
his heresy, Gaea had decreed that the Gods, whom she already saw had become
petty and corrupt, would consume themselves in darkness. This much, you can
see, has come true.

"As the story goes, one Fae, a Dryad, prayed to Gaea
for forgiveness, as the battles between the Gods threatened not just hers, but
all the races. Gaea is said to have appeared before her in a grove of oak, and
this particular Fae offered her life, if Gaea would only spare her people.

"Gaea, moved by this gesture, agreed, but told the
Dryad that, in time, she would see the High Fae return. But, when such time
arose, she warned, the Fae would have to make a choice—light or dark. Whichever
triumphed would decide their future."

"Why would she do that?" I asked. It didn't seem
to make sense.

"Who can know her mind?" he shrugged. "Gods
are fickle and their desires do not always coincide with those of their
creations. But I believe she offers us a choice. We have a chance to restore
the honor of the Fae. If we fail and the darkness prevails, then the dark Fae's
thirst for power will set fire to the human world, as sure as it burned those of
the Fae. Remember, she is a God and can always start over."

"Heaven or hell. Just dandy," I sighed.

"A human concept, but in this case, it may describe the
situation accurately. But enough for one night. We will talk more of this
tomorrow. Know that you have proven yourself and that the return of the High
Fae has stemmed the darkness, even if only for a short time. You should all get
some rest. You have earned it."

"Fine. I've had enough for today," I said in
reply. "Delia, will you join us tomorrow to discuss this further?"

"I will," she answered. "If you will still
meet with the Elder, as well as proclaim your intent to free us to the rest of
the Fae."

I nodded in the affirmative. Then we walked out to
Siegfried's SUV to say our goodbyes. Siegfried stopped in front of the driver's
door and clasped my hands.

"Thank you for everything, my friend," I said, and
hugged him.

"Thank you," he answered, removing his Fae sword
and putting it in the SUV. "Until tomorrow, then."

"Until tomorrow," I repeated, then walked around
the vehicle.

"Delia, thank you as well. I am sorry to have dragged
you into this, but I'm glad you were there. We wouldn't have made it without
your help."

"Then we are even," she replied as she got into
the passenger side. "We will talk again soon," she said, as she
pulled the door closed.

She hadn't sounded happy, but I probably wouldn't have
either, had the roles been reversed. At least she agreed to come back.
Siegfried started the Escalade and Diantha and I watched as he drove out.

Charlie and Lucinda had disappeared, so we walked back into
the house alone. Diantha sat down at the table and I started a pot of coffee.

"There is one more thing," Bernd said. He walked
over and placed a crystal bottle on the table in front of me. It was cloudy in
color, but I could tell it held 4 or 5 ounces of a thick, red liquid. The
stopper was sealed with what appeared to be wax. "You will need this if
you truly plan to free the Lilin."

"What is it?" I asked.

"When the Lilin surrendered to the Fae, Demeter collected
their tears." He picked up the bottle and swirled the contents as he held
them up in front of me.

"The Lilin cry tears of blood. This vessel contains one
tear from every Lilin that survived that day. Their oath to the Fae is bound by
the tears in this bottle. When opened by you at the right time, they will be
released from their bond." He handed me the bottle.

"Keep it safe, and tell no one you possess it, until
you are ready to use it. We will talk more of this," he said as he walked
toward the back door. Then he just vanished.

I stared at the bottle for a moment, then glanced at
Diantha. She didn’t say anything, so I went to my office and put the bottle in
the safe. Then I ran upstairs to put on a clean shirt.

Returning to the kitchen, I saw the coffee was done. I
grabbed a
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
mug and filled it. Taking a
sip, I leaned back against the counter and just looked at her. There was one
more thing that I had to do.

"Anything you want to add?" I asked, not
forgetting that Marissa had called her Apollo's whore.

"Well," she began. "He grew his balls
back."

I would have spilled my coffee if I wasn't so angry.

"She knew you," I countered, ignoring her
reference to Cronus cutting off Ouranos' testicles and scattering the bits in
the ocean.

She looked to one side, as if she was embarrassed. "I
didn't recognize her at first, but when I saw her face, it startled me. You're
right, I had met her before. But it's not what you think."

I didn't say a word for a moment or two. I just stood there,
sipping my coffee. "Convince me," I finally said.

She stood up and began to pace in front of the table,
pausing every now and then to see my reaction. "It was 40 or 50 years ago,
before I found the job in Pahrump. I was in Vegas working as a masseuse. Times
were different then, and it was still a small town. Nobody asked too many
questions. She showed up one day and confronted me in the parking lot of my
apartment. She knew who I was."

"What did she want?" I asked. I reached out with
my magic to look for deception.

"She was looking for Fae," she said, and then her
tone changed. "Fine. I knew she was evil and, no, it didn't matter. But
that doesn't mean I trusted her. She offered to return my beauty, but I could
tell she was lying. Anyway, I convinced her I was hiding and the last thing I
wanted to find was a Fae.

"She acted like she might believe me, but I didn't
stick around to find out. I'm not supposed to be able to die, but she
frightened me. I am no coward, but there are things worse than death. So I
disappeared for a while and wound up where you found me. I never saw her again
until today.

"For what it's worth, my Lord, I'd hear rumors now and
then, people disappearing, most likely Fae, from the descriptions. That's why I
was so nervous when you showed up." She sat back down. "That's all I
know. I stayed away from everyone until you came along. I hope that
helps."

I pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. Diantha's
information was disturbing. As best I could tell, she was being truthful. I
knew Diantha had her own agenda, but I think Marissa had frightened her. And
she was right; there were things worse than death. Besides, she saved our ass
back there and proven herself. No, something else was bothering me.

What had Marissa been doing in Vegas 40 or so years ago? Was
she looking for Fae in general or was she searching for a particular Fae? Had
she possibly been searching for me, or maybe my parents? Once again, I didn't
have enough information. But if she had had anything to do with my parents'
deaths, even Tartarus wasn't safe for her. I banged my mug on the table,
spilling coffee.

I didn't move as Diantha stood, fetched a towel and then
cleaned the spill without a word. Then I felt her warm hand caress my cheek.

"I am sorry to have disturbed you so, my Lord."

That got my attention. "No, I'm the one that should be
sorry, for doubting you," I said as I reached up and clasped her hand.
"You really came through tonight. If you hadn't shot her when you did it
could have been a lot different. I owe you one."

"Well then," she replied in a mischievous tone.
"In that case, I know just what you can do to thank me." She began to
unbutton her blouse. After a few buttons were loose she wrapped her arms around
my neck again.

"There is so much that we can do before tomorrow,"
she whispered as she kissed me.

To hell with it, I thought. It'd been a long day, and
worrying about things wasn't going to change the past, or the future.

"You're right," I said with a smile as I returned
her kiss.

Let's face it, what good is having an Oracle if you're not
going to heed her advice?

The End