Of Gods and Fae (14 page)

"Let me remind you, Centurion," I said, hoping to
use his prior rank to my advantage. "You were the ones that were going to
kill her, not me. I can’t allow that."

"A fact that I find curious," he admitted.
"Why? Since we were defeated we have been nothing to the Fae. Even
Demeter, who some of us worshipped, treated us as beasts. What has suddenly
changed? Why is this Delia so important to you?"

I leaned back in my chair and placed my hands behind my head
and sighed. You just can't get around history. Whether it was that of the Fae
and Lilin, or just me and Delia. I doubted I could give him an answer he would
accept or one that someone wouldn’t try to use against me. Hmmm, I wondered if
I could use his Roman legionnaire background to my advantage? It was worth a
try so I removed my sword from its hiding place on my back and showed him the
hilt.

"Do you know what this is, Centurion?" I asked,
twirling it in my hand.

"The hilt of a sword," he replied. "What of
it?"

"Not just any sword," I said, and then I willed
the blade to extend as I stood. Arcs of blue fire swirled up and down the blade
as I held it for him to admire. "This is the sword of Cronus, son of
Ouranos and the most powerful of the Titans. This is the same sword that was
carried by Zeus and prized by all the Gods. Do you know how I got this?" I
asked, doubting that he had heard the full story. For a moment, I didn’t think
he was going to answer, mesmerized by the blade as he was.

"The blade of Zeus! Never did I imagine to see it in
person," he finally answered, almost jumping out of the chair. "For a
moment, I could almost wish for my days in the legion. But what has this to do
with us?"

"It is a long story. But suffice it to say that I won
this blade at the very gates of Olympus after defeating my enemy there," I
replied. "Delia was one of my companions on that journey. I would not have
been victorious without her."

"A Fae in battle with a Lilin at his side? That is a
tale I could scarcely believe when I first heard it," he asserted.
"Yet here is the sword offered as proof."

"But that is only part of the reason, Lucius Camillus.
Believe me or not I will tell you the same thing I have told hundreds of other
Fae," I said, sitting back down. "I am not of the old Gods nor do I
wish to take the same path as they did. Go back to your Elders or whatever you
call the rulers of your kind. Tell them I wish them no harm and I would see
them free. Set up a meeting and I will attend, they have nothing to fear. I
swear it."

"I could almost believe you," he finally admitted.
"Especially since the spell that was upon us has changed. But tell me
Robert, why? It has been many an age since the wars between our races. Why
would you care what happens to us?"

"I simply don't believe in slavery," I said,
soberly. "Be it forced though violence or magic, it is wrong. Every being
has the right to choose his own destiny. Is that simple enough for you?"
Not exactly something a Roman would necessarily understand, but it is what it
is.

"You are not what I expected," he responded.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," I said as he stood.

"I will report what you have said here," he said
as he walked to the door. "But I doubt it will matter." Well, at
least he was honest.

"My door is always open," I said in reply, and
walked him out of the building.

"Well, he certainly didn’t look that sick to me,"
Hailey quipped as I came back into the office. "What was that all
about?"

"Oh, just another walk-in," I answered, heading
back to my office.

"Smells like bullshit to me," Hailey countered.
Being from Texas she could be sweet as pie, but she could also make a truck
driver blush when she felt like it. "What are you up to now?"

"I swear, Hail, he's just another nut case."

"Yeah," she responded. "Your clientele has
been getting mighty strange there, Robert Hoskins. I sure hope you know what
you're doing. Ever since that Milagre escapade things have been getting a little
weird around here."

"Yeah, I should have stuck with the poorer clients,"
I said, knowing that that probably wouldn’t comfort her but might at least get
a chuckle. But what was I gonna say? She was like a mother hen sometime but I
just didn’t have the energy to argue with her today. "I need to get some
paperwork done. I'll talk to you after a while," I said as I walked into
my office and shut the door.

I was worried about Delia. But there was little I could do
about it at the moment. Short of starting a real war I'd just have to wait and
see what tomorrow was gonna bring. Still, I could think of a few things, one of
which was to call for Sendy.

"You rang," she said with a smile as she appeared.

"Do you think you can find a Lilin?" I asked.

"Fae and humans are easy," she answered, the smile
fading. "Lilin are not of my domain so much more difficult. Can you give
me any place to start?"

"No, not really. Just that wherever she is they can
have her here by tomorrow."

"That is not much that will be helpful."

"Well, just do what you can? I'll call for you if I get
any more information." Then I told her everything I knew about Delia. I
pulled out a map and showed her some places to check. LA, Phoenix, Reno,
including a stop by where she worked in case that would help. It was the best I
could come up with.

"It will be so," she answered, then disappeared.

I dove into my inbox and spent the next few hours just doing
PI work. There was nothing else I could think of to do until this afternoon,
not with the Lilin probably all freaked out by now. Instead I lost myself in
the work. Locates, backgrounds, answering mail, that kind of thing. As much as
my life had changed I still had to keep the office going. If for no reason
other than appearances. Besides, I liked what I did and I wasn't gonna let the
Fae world change that. Not if I could help it.

By the early afternoon my inbox was finally empty. Shutting
down the computer, I walked out to say goodbye to Hailey and then jumped in my
car for a trip to Danu's. It was time to see if I could find out anything else
that was going on with the Lilin.

Danu's was a bar that catered to Fae. I doubt any normal
humans could even find it. They'd have to be a Witch or Warlock, or something
to that effect, as it was shrouded by magic. It was located between the old Las
Vegas Fire Station #4 and a machine shop in the industrial side of downtown. I
pulled around the corner, parked my car and walked up to the place.

The front was just an antechamber with a heavy door. There
was a wooden sign hanging outside like an old English Pub. Carved into the wood
was the name, Danu's, and above it, a caricature of a female holding a sword
while sitting on a crescent moon that shone over a sea.

I opened the heavy wooden door and walked into the small hallway.
There was another set of doors about 5 feet into the place. Once inside, the
place looked like an old English Pub. All wood and brick with a fireplace in
the far corner that had lion's feet legs and a hardwood mantle. The hearth was
raised and made of an antique brick. The bar was U shaped and looked like it
came out of a museum. The stools and tables were of heavy wood and all appeared
hand crafted. It was definitely unique. It was also quiet.

There was one person behind the bar and as I entered, she
took one look at me, eyes widening and ran into the back. A short time later, Bjartr
walked out. He took a look at me and started shaking his head. Bjartr was an
Elf. Now don’t think of them as Elves out of storybooks, instead, think Old
Norse. As best I could figure it, Elves had taken it upon themselves to keep
watch over the other magical races.

Bjartr was to the Lilin, at least those here in the Vegas
area, as Handion had been to the Dryad. Some kind of advisor and friend. I'd originally
heard that they were mostly pacifists but I'd seen him take up a blade when I'd
fought a Demon at this very spot. Needless to say, he hadn’t been very happy
with me then, either.

"Haven't you done enough for one day?" he asked.
"That show of force with the Lilin has them all running for cover. Just
what was that all about anyway?"

"Where's Delia," I asked as I sat down at the bar
in front of him. "Answer me that first,"

"Off to speak with the Elders. I expect her back
anytime."

"Then you don't know."

"Know what?"

"Her… Elders, as you call them, have sentenced her to
death," I answered in a sarcastic tone.

"What?" He put down the glass he had been cleaning
since he came out of the back. "Where did you hear this?" he
demanded.

"A Lilin paid me a visit today and dropped that tidbit.
Sorry I got angry but I couldn’t let that happen…."

"I see," he returned. "Still, you may have
made things much worse resorting to that level of magic."

"Much worse?" I countered. "They're lucky that's
all I did." I was starting to get angry, but then I caught myself. Maybe I
could have handled it differently. I was risking a lot for just one Lilin, even
if it was Delia.  "Maybe I was a bit hasty," I said. "But to be
honest, I just lost it when he told me. They were going to kill her Bjartr, I
had to save her."

He eyed me strangely for a moment, like he was not sure of
whether he was mad at me or grateful. Then he relaxed. "I
understand," he finally said. "I care for her as well. But what you
have done is fraught with danger. I should have foreseen this."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. I'm some
friggin' High Fae and I didn’t know. I'm just lucky that that Lilin stopped by
or we'd be talking about her in the past tense."

"Who was it that you heard this from?" he asked
after a moment.

"Some former Roman Centurion. Lucius Camillus, he said
his true name was. Do you know him?"

"I know of him," he replied. "Did he give you
any other information?

"Only that she would be delivered to me tomorrow. He
couldn’t, or wouldn’t, say where she was being held."

"That would be Reno," he muttered to himself.
"They will be driving then. I would like to be there when she arrives. Is
that acceptable?"

Damn, a place to start. I should have thought of contacting
him sooner. "They're supposed to call me an hour out. Anything I should be
worried about? I did tell them that she had better not be harmed."

"It is difficult to say," he said. "If they
follow the old ways she will not have fed and will be weak."

"I'll have a Fae healer standing by," I said. If
that was true than something else must have happened to her as well. Like the
classic Vampire bullshit, the Lilin did drink blood, but they didn’t need it
every day. When they did more often it was usually to heal themselves. I was
not pleased with the thought of what they could have done to her.

"That would be wise." Then he scribbled a number
on a card. "Will you call me?"

"Better yet, I will have Sendy notify you when she
arrives," I replied, taking the card.

"Ah, the Aurae, convenient," he answered.

"Good enough then. So now that that is out of the way.
Do you think that you could introduce me to the other Lilin in the back? I'd
hate to think that they're all gonna be afraid of me forever." I saw the
faintest hint of a grin on his face.

"Rayna," he called out. The door to the back
behind the bar cracked open and a frightened face peeked out. "You can come
out now, he will not harm you."

The door slowly opened the rest of the way and a small form
stepped out. She was blonde and looked all of twenty. I had no idea how long
ago she'd been changed so there was no way to know how old she really was. She
walked hesitantly toward Bjartr, hiding behind him as she reached us.

"Rayna, may I introduce you to Robert Hoskins, heir of
Demeter. You need not fear him."

Her eyes widened again and she tightened her grip on his
waist as she stared at me.

"A pleasure to meet you, Rayna of the Lilin." I
said in as nice a voice as I could muster. Then I held out my hand.

She stared at it for a moment and then after a nudge from the
Elf, she slowly reached out and took it, then immediately let go.

"Maybe you can convince her that my bark is worse than
my bite," I said to Bjartr. Then I stood up from my chair and turned to
her. "Perhaps one day you will see that I mean you no harm. I am not the
boogeyman you all seem to think I am." With that said I headed out the
doorway towards my car. There was nothing else I could accomplish here.

Pulling over just down the block I sent out a call and Sendy
reappeared in the passenger's seat.

"You have something more," she asked as she pulled
on a shirt she had gotten from the glove box. I had gotten used to her appearing
nude for the most part but it wouldn’t do for a passerby to see a young girl
naked in my car, especially down here.

"She's coming from Reno, probably by car or truck. It's
a seven to eight hour drive so it's hard to tell if they've already left. They'll
almost have to take US 95 if they come straight down. But they could come by
any route." I pulled out my phone and showed her a map view of the
highways that one could travel between Vegas and Reno. Shit, sometimes I forget
how big Nevada really is.

"I will do what I can," she said and then she
disappeared, the shirt fluttering and falling to the seat.

"Any luck," I asked, as Sendy appeared in my
kitchen a few hours later.

"Nothing yet," she answered. "The area is
huge and I have never searched for the Lilin before so it is somewhat difficult
to know what to look for."

"Perhaps just a hint of magic, very small, and possibly
darker than normal. That should do it, I think," a voice from behind me
said.

"I thought they weren't magical beings, not in the Fae
sense," I replied, turning to see that it was Bernd, the Dwarf, who had
spoken. About time he showed up.

"Indeed they are not," he revealed. "But the
decree is. So you must seek to sense that slight magic that binds them."

"Ah, of course," Sendy said as her eyes lit up.
"I will return," and then she disappeared.

"What took you so long? It's been weeks since I
returned from Fae," I asked him.

"I have plenty of other things to do than just watch
over you," he replied. "But your outburst was felt even in far off
realms. I thought it best to return to see what you were up to. What caused you
to use such magic?"

I told him that story about my meeting with the Roman Lilin
and what he had told me of Delia. When I was done he plopped down on a chair
and his pipe appeared.

"What's done is done," he finally said, smoke
rings blowing over the table. "Let us hope you have not frightened them
too badly. But then again, this may prove useful."

"Well, if it was anyone but Delia, I probably wouldn’t
have lost my temper." I said, sitting down across from him. "But
useful? How?"

"Now that you have identified yourself, rather badly if
I must say so, the Lilin will be cautious around you. Assuming any will get
close at all," he said. "But, if Sendy is successful, perhaps she can
lead you to one of the Elders. If you can locate them then you can release the
spell."

"So is that what all this is about," I demanded
harshly. "Releasing the Lilin? What are you not telling me this time?"
I was beginning to feel manipulated again.

"Of course it's not just about the Lilin," he
countered. "But it is an important part. Even you have said so, or have
you changed your mind on the subject?"

"No, no, you know my feelings on that." I said,
softening. "But why is it so important to you?"

"Balance," he finally said, his pipe smoke forming
a cloud above his head. "Even before
The Fall,
things had not been
right with the Fae. Warring amongst themselves, hiding in their forests and
seas as fewer and fewer were born each year. Even here on this plane, the Fae fight
for what, human crumbs? What use is gold to one who can do magic? Yes, such is
the way of many things. But must it be? Not all agree with me but I see the
problem as one of balance."

"Balance? What, like karma or something?"

"Exactly," he exclaimed. "The darkness and
light must be balanced so that harmony can return. I believe that to be what Gaea's
prophesy is truly about."

"That makes no sense," I said. "Gaea is
supposed to be a God, right? I mean 'Mother of Earth,' and all that. Why
doesn’t she just fix it whichever way she wants it? She certainly doesn't need
us to do that."

He got up from his chair and paced a bit before replying.
"Perhaps she believes in what the humans call free will. But more likely
she is waiting to see who will win. You, or Marissa."

"But why?"

"You said so yourself," he answered. "She is
a God. It may be as simple as waiting to see which of her children is more
deserving. Not putting one above the other, at least so far as she is not
threatened by either of you. Her history is clear on that matter and violent
where unfaithful family is concerned. But if you succeed, balance will be
restored. If not, then darkness will reign. One can never be sure where she is
concerned. But remember, she did prophesize your birth to your grandmother and so
saved her lands. I cannot believe that all this is just for sport."

"Still makes no sense," I said, shaking my head. "If
I win there is still gonna be evil. If I lose there will probably still be some
goodness in the world, although probably suppressed. It's just crazy. But why
the Lilin? What's the nexus there?"

"Because," he pointed out. "Before the Fae
battled against the Lilin they were still pure of heart. At least for the most
part. It was not until the High Fae defeated the Lilin that they changed.
Leading humans astray and warring amongst themselves. Remember, the war was won
and many more Lilin were killed before Demeter offered them her decree. The
choice was slavery or genocide, neither of which is truly a palatable solution."

"So," I replied. "You think that by restoring
the Lilin and erasing the spell, the Fae will be what? Saved?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Oh, not all at once. But
I do believe that Demeter's decree and subsequent treatment of the surviving
Lilin in some way brought the first hint of evil to the Fae. If nothing else it
will be a start," he answered. "Then, who knows? Perhaps the sins of
the past will begin to heal. And if I am wrong, well, either way the Fae and
the Lilin will still be better off."

He'd never really talked to me this way before. Almost like
an equal, I mean. Still didn’t make a lot of sense, but then again, damn near nothing
does when so called Gods are involved. But at least I had some insight on what
motivated him, and that was making me curious to what else I was missing. The
Dwarves were supposed to be more like counsellors than active participants. And
yet all three dwarves I'd met, Motgnir, when I'd fought Marissa, Valen, when
the spell on me was removed, and Bernd all seemed to be working toward some
same goal. At least so it seemed. Maybe balance was what they really wanted. If
true, apparently I was the key. Not necessarily a pleasant thought. But as to
what it all meant, well, that remained to be seen. Just another thing to deal
with, I guess. Damn, that list was getting long!

"We shall see, shall we not?" he said, putting his
pipe away. "Now I must return, for there is still much work to be
done."

"I thought you'd be staying for a while," I said.
"At least long enough to see if Delia is ok."

"I will return when I can. Lucinda can always find me
if I am needed," he said, eyeing the cat on the sofa.

How long had she been here?

"That's what you said last ti…" I responded, but
he was gone. I looked over at Lucinda but she just leapt off the couch and
headed for the doggie door. Friggin Dwarves! Just once I'd like to get a few complete
answers out of one of them.

****

I was awakened by a nude Sendy shaking me. Not necessarily a
bad thing but I hadn’t slept well so it took me a moment to realize what she
was saying.

"I found them, I found them."

"Great, that's great… Uh, can you put some clothes on
and give me a second to wake up?

"Oh," she replied, somewhat embarrassed.
"Certainly, my Lord. It was just that I'd never searched for Lilin before
and after what Father Dwarf said it was so easy…"

"Ok, ok, I got it." I said, sitting up in bed as
she pulled a shirt on.

"So where are they?"

"About two or three hours out at the speed they travel,"
she answered. "I found them at a place called Crystal Wash, under a copse
of trees. Very strange, the sign says it is an ET Highway rest area. What does
that mean? Oh, and she was moved from one vehicle to another."

"Crystal Wash… ET Highway? Why would they come that
way?" I said out loud. I knew the area she was talking about. It was a few
miles above Alamo, two hours or so north of Vegas. But it was a strange route
to take from Reno. I would guess that would add at least 100 miles to their
journey although it would definitely be a less obvious way to go.

"I cannot say," she replied, thinking I was asking
her.

"Oh, sorry. What do you mean she was moved?"

"I first located two Lilin in a vehicle shaped like a
box moving south. Then they met a male in one like yours, with four doors,
under the trees at this ET Highway area."

"A boxy vehicle. You mean a van?" I asked,
fumbling for my phone to search for an image of one.

"Yes, exactly," she replied, pointing to the image
on my smartphone's screen. "Anyway, they stopped and met. They argued for
a moment and then the male went to the back of the… van… and then carried the
other Lilin to his vehicle and left."

"Carried? Was she injured? What were they arguing
about?" If they had hurt her there was going to be hell to pay.

"She appeared to be sleeping but I know little of a
Lilin's needs. As to the argument, the male was angry that they had called him
there and said that he had already done all that was asked. I believe he is
afraid of you my Lord, for he mentioned of being in fear of the Heir's wrath
again."

Hmm, it must be the Roman, I thought. "Very good,
Sendy." I said. "Now I have just a few more tasks for you." I
told her what I needed her to do and then got up to start the coffee. I had a
reception party to plan.

****

Bjartr and I were talking when the car arrived. It was an
older, four door Lincoln. Jet black and still nice looking even if it had probably
seen better days. I buzzed them in and we went outside. Charlie beat us to the
car and indicated that Delia was in the back. She looked asleep. Bjartr pulled
open the door and picked her up, carrying her inside to Elithia, the Fae healer
that I had summoned. Lucius started to leave but I stopped him.

"Why don’t you join us," I said, leaning into the
driver window before he could put the car in gear.

"I don’t think that's necessary," he replied.

"I insist," I said, opening the door for him as he
put it in park. "And best leave your sword where it sits," I told him,
eyeing the hilt sticking out from the passenger side. He didn’t look happy,
then again, why should he? Of course I had to believe that whatever they had
done to Delia hadn’t involved him. But by the look on his face, and the way
he'd eyed his sword, I doubted he knew that. That was ok. I had other plans in
mind for the former Centurion. So, I turned and headed for the front door which
was still open. Charlie stayed back just to make sure he didn’t change his
mind.

"The kitchen's this way," I said to Lucius as he
came in through the doorway. I shut the door behind him, Charlie already
leading the way. "Have a seat. The coffee's hot," I said, gesturing
to the carafe on the table. "I'll just be a minute."

I walked into the downstairs bedroom where Bjartr had taken
Delia. Elithia, the Fae healer I had summoned had tended her wounds the last
time she'd been injured, after the battle with the Demon. As before, she was
bent over the bed, her hands clasping Delia's face as I came in.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Drugged," Elithia answered, looking up. "It
will take a moment for the magic to cleanse her system. Then we will see if she
requires more."

"How bad is it? Does she need my blood?"

"Perhaps later. Best to let the magic work first before
feeding her. It will not take long. Whatever they gave her seems to have only affected
the Lilin organism inside. Other than that she appears unharmed, only asleep. I
can give her some of my blood when awakens."

"Ok, let me know if you need anything else, then. Bjartr,
you ok?"

"I am fine," he replied. "I will stay here. It
may help to have a friendly face in the room when Elithia's work is finished."

"As you wish. I'm gonna have a friendly chat with
Lucius then." I started to head back to the kitchen but stopped at the
doorway and turned to the healer. "Will it help to know what they gave
her?"

"Not for the magic to work," she replied.
"But if he knows I would be interested."

"Good enough," I said, and went back into the
kitchen to talk to my other guest.

"Well, will your Elders meet with me?" I asked as
I sat down across from him and poured myself some coffee.

"They will not," he answered. "It is no
secret that many would wish the decree gone. But as you yourself noted, with
much of the magic that hampered our daily lives supposedly already lifted, they
feel that the risk does not outweigh the benefits of further action. Especially
in light of the potential damage that could be done should you not be as
trustworthy as you make yourself out to be."

"I see," I replied. "That's a shame. By the
way, do you know what Delia was given? The healer believes she was drugged."

"It is a draught known only to the Elders. I do not
know the ingredients," he replied, shifting uncomfortably. "What do
you plan to do with me?"

"With you? Nothing. Why? Did you think I was going to
play some wrath of God crap and strike you down," I said with a laugh.
"Please, I just wanted to talk." I had noticed that he was constantly
scanning the house. Looking at both Charlie and me and keeping an eye on
potential exits.

"This is not what I expected of you," he finally
said, still looking around the kitchen.

"What, me or the house?" I asked, gesturing with
my hand around the room. "What'd you imagine, a palace?"

"It is so… human," he said, drawing out the word.
"And you do not act like a Lord of the Fae. Except, possibly, when
angered."

"Oh, I'm still angry, just not at you." I said
with a smile. "But seriously, I really would like to end the obligations
that the decree places on you. I wish you could believe that."

"Even if I did, what then? I cannot believe the others
would support your decision, High Fae or not. Your line does not encompass all
of the Fae. Believe me, I was once a Centurion in the legions of Rome. If the
decree is lifted what is to prevent us from rising against those that oppressed
us? That is what our slaves once did. Then where would you be?"

"They fought for freedom, whereas you would already be
free. It is not a worthwhile comparison. But if that is what you would do then
I would have no choice but to fight back." I answered. "But at least
you would die free."