Faery Worlds - Six Complete Novels (59 page)

Tony reached over and squeezed my shoulder. Chase nodded at me supportively. Spike flashed me his trademark smile. For sure he was going to be an incubus. There was no getting around those teeth.

Finn was all business. "I think I'd like to discuss this with my friends before I make any kinda decision."

"Me too. And by 'friends', I also mean our friend Becky," I added.

"Fair enough," said Dardennes. "We will leave you to your discussion. In the meantime, food will be delivered and we invite you to relax and enjoy your meal while you talk."

"Ivar wasn't the chef, was he? 'Cause I'm not a big fan of his drinks," I said sarcastically.

Dardennes laughed. Céline and Ivar smiled. "No, Ivar was not the chef. One of our Green Elves was, and I think you will find they have a particularly supernatural skill when it comes to the manipulation of herbs and spices. It will be a vegetarian meal, but I'm sure you will find it more than satisfying."

I was so hungry at this point I would have happily eaten a dried pig's ear.

A door on the other side of the chamber opened and fae started walking in, carrying trays of food, dishes and utensils. Within ten minutes we all had plates loaded with food in front of us and ice-cold glasses of soda - and for Finn, a beer. He got a huge smile on his face when one of the dwarves put it down in front of him.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout."

I got an ice-cold soda, which was a little freaky, since I didn't remember telling anyone that was what I wanted. They must have a friggin mind reader in their group.
That should provide some interesting entertainment, especially with this bunch.

Dardennes and his colleagues left, as did the servers and others who had put together our meal. We ate in silence for a few minutes, all of us too famished to talk. And I was also too hungry to worry about the food being poisoned. If they wanted to kill me at this point, well they could just go for it.

The door from the corridor opened and Becky stepped in. We all jumped up from the table and rushed over to hug her. She found herself nearly tackled to the floor in our enthusiasm.

"Wow, guys, I missed you too." Her face was all flushed and she was smiling.

Everyone but me went back to their seats. I just couldn't stop looking at her. "Becky ... I ... ," I couldn't get the rest of it out. I was choking up, tears gathering in my eyes.

Becky grabbed me in a super tight hug. "Shhh, I'm fine. I'm totally fine. I didn't die. I just ... had a little swim, that's all."

I laughed and cried at the same time. "I should have helped you. That watery bitch shouldn't have been able to get you. It's my fault."

Becky laughed, pulling me away from her so she could look at me. "It's a
good
thing I went into that water. I found my fae blood there. I discovered my true race. I'm happy, Jayne. If you hadn't made the choices you made, I may not be here right now. Those awful orcs might have gotten me ... or any number of other things."

"Really?" I said, wiping the tears off my face and the snot from under my nose.

"Yes, really. I'm totally serious."

"So what are you then? A vampire?"

Becky laughed. "No, silly. I'm a water sprite!" Her face broke out in a glorious grin that lit up the whole room.

"I guess I'm not surprised."

"I'm just glad I'm not a fire sprite. That water would have been a big problem for me."

I looked at her aghast, wondering how close I'd come to destroying her fae race thing or whatever.

"Kidding! I'm joking! Just relax, I'm fine, Jayne, geez. Lighten up."

I shook my head, going back to the table. "Fucking fairies."

Everyone laughed, even Chase. I punched him in the arm as I sat down.

"Becky, have a seat. We need to figure this out and since you're already in with those guys, maybe you can help shed some light on this thing," said Finn.

Becky sat down. "Okay, so what do you want to know?"

"First of all," I said, "what is this amulet thing?"

"Well, in my case it was a necklace. I put it on, and then after a few seconds, my fae blood kinda just woke up and I became a Changeling."

"What's the difference between a Changeling and a fae?" asked Tony.

"There is no difference. A Changeling is a fae - just one that's been awakened by the power in an amulet. The really old fae never lost touch with their heritage, so they never needed it."

"I thought a Changeling was something else - like when a fairy stole a baby or something, putting a fairy baby in its place."

"Yeah, a mix up in terminology or some of our history bleeding into the history of humans. In the old days, people used to have babies sometimes that cried all the time and made the moms crazy - so they'd say the baby was not really human, that a fairy had traded babies with them in the night. So they'd leave their baby outside for the fairies to get it, when instead it was probably a wolf or something that took the baby. Maybe some fae did come by and take the baby - or ate it - I don't know. I get stories from them, explanations, but I haven't asked about much more than that. As far as I know, the fae never put their babies in human baby cribs and stole the human one. What would be the point? It would be like a human putting their baby with a group of monkeys to raise."

Tony shrugged. I guess the explanation was good enough for him, although I couldn't help but be a little offended at being compared to a monkey. I didn't really care about the terminology though. I wanted to get to the good stuff.

"If we choose to be erased, how much of our memory gets taken away?" I looked at Tony. "There are many parts of my life I want to remember."

"I didn't have that done, obviously, but my understanding is you will be erased up to the point immediately prior to learning about the meeting at the hotel."

"Is the change painful?" This question came from Spike.

"No. It tingled, but it didn't hurt."

"Did you know how to use your abilities right away, or do you have to be trained?"

"Some are there right away and some need practice. I think it depends on your race. The witches need to learn spells and stuff. Some races are pretty powerful and need to learn how to control it."

"What kind of abilities does a water sprite have?" asked Finn, smiling.

Becky disappeared. She was there one second and the next, she was gone.

"This for one."

Finn jumped out of his seat, eyes like saucers on his face. "Holy shit, girl, you just scared the bejesus outta me!"

Becky giggled, now standing next to Finn's chair.

Spike was pointing at the door and then at Finn and then back at the door again. "You just ... you just ... "

"Yeah, I just kinda disappeared and then reappeared. Like teleporting."

"What's that got to do with water?" asked Tony, my little scientist.

"The air around us is
what
percentage water?" she asked, a little sass in her tone.

Tony nodded in appreciation, smiling. "Ah-haaaa, I see ... "

"Will they tell us what race they think we are before we become Changelings, if that's what we decide to do?"

"Yes; they've already discussed it." She looked a little anxiously over at me.

"Do you know what they said?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Yes, they have included me in all their meetings and gatherings since I became a Changeling."

"Instant trust, eh?" I asked, not sure I believed it.

"Yes. Jayne they were not kidding when they said you instantly become a part of the community. I'm part of a very big, very close, very special family as a water sprite. The sirens and the water sprites are kinda related - like cousins I guess you could say. The Lady in the Lake is really actually very nice. You just have to get to know her. I really hope all of you decide to join too so you can see what I mean."

"So, what's the deal with Jared?" I asked.

Now that everyone finally agreed with me about our traitor friend, they listened intently for her answer.

"Jared is a daemon - not 'demon'. That's a different thing altogether. His race, the daemon, are warrior guardians. He also has a talent for hunting down and finding fae. He goes to cities around the world and finds recruits, bringing them back here for the test."

She twisted her hands nervously. "I know you guys are mad at him; but please, don't be. He's a super nice guy. He has a really important job and he takes it very seriously. He would never hurt anyone on purpose. He's trying to save his people. He wants you all to help. They could be your people too."

The room got quiet. All of our questions had been answered, or we didn't want to hear any more answers to our questions; I wasn't sure which it was.

Finn banged his hand down on the table. "Well, I don't know 'bout you guys, but I'm in. I got nothin' better goin' on in Florida. My family's gone, 'cept for my grandma, and she's gettin' pretty old. My dad's in prison, my ma's dead. I ain't got no brothers or sisters. I don't know what I'll become with this change, but anything's gotta be better'n being a starvin' runaway."

Finn looked at Spike. "What about you, man?"

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "I'm gonna do it, too. Life on the street's not bad, but I like the idea of being a part of something bigger. In Miami I was a part of ... I don't know ... the music scene ... a group of runaways. No offense to you guys, I love you all, but this feels like an opportunity I shouldn't pass up. I want to be the best Spike I can be. Huh ... kinda sounds like a military recruitment slogan." He smiled at me, then looked over at Chase. "What about you, Chase? You gonna join the fae army? Be all you can be?"

Chase looked at each of us slowly, then frowned, nodding his head. "Yep."

We all laughed. Leave it to Chase to bring us all back to what was real. It was a simple yes or no question.
Do we want to be something else?

Becky was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "What about you, Jayne? Are you gonna do it?"

I'd been hemming and hawing in my mind since the moment we were told we could choose to change who we are. I had tried to deny it to myself during the test. I had tried to deny it at the door of the obelisk. I had even tried to deny it in this room. But the truth was, my fondest desire was to be extraordinary. I didn't want to be the old Jayne anymore - the one who sat in high school History waiting for life to happen ... the one who feared men coming into her room at night ... the one who looked at amazing things and could only wonder what they might mean. I wanted to be special. I wanted to be more.

"I'm doing it. I just hope I don't turn into an orc."

Everyone laughed.

"I don't think you have to worry about that," said Becky, smiling.

"What about you, Tones, you in?"

I felt certain he was going to do it, only asking him as a formality. We were a team. We did everything together. Tony was my right hand man and my best friend. My brother from another mother.

"Well, I've thought about it, and believe me, it's definitely the opportunity of a lifetime; but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no. I'm not going to be a Changeling. I'm just going to be Tony. I'm going to go home."

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elle Casey
is an American writer who lives in Southern France with her husband, three kids, Hercules the wonder poodle, and Monie the bouvier. In her spare time she writes women's fiction and young adult novels (you can find her Women's Fiction work under the pen name
Kat Lee
.)

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OTHER BOOKS by ELLE CASEY

War of the Fae: Book One, The Changelings

War of the Fae: Book Two, Call to Arms

War of the Fae: Book Three, Darkness & Light

War of the Fae: Book Four, New World Order

Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 1, After the Fall

Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 2, Between the Realms

Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 3, Portal Guardians

Duality 1 (Melancholia)

Duality 2 (Euphoria)

Apocalypsis: Book 1, Kahayatle

Apocalypsis: Book 2, Warpaint

Apocalypsis: Book 3, Exodus

Apocalypsis: Book 4, Haven

My Vampire Summer

My Vampire Fall (Coming Soon)