Of Gods and Fae (16 page)

"I'm not judging," I replied. "I'm sure she
was very persuasive, as you already said."

"Yeah, well, what's done is done."

"Not to be a jerk, but tell me, why would your people
make something like that?" I asked, trying not to sound judgmental. But it
had to be asked.

"You're a Dryad, right?" he said, more as a
statement of fact than a question. "Do you have a garden?"

"Yeah, I do, why?"

"Because that's what you Dryads do," he replied,
shaking his head. "You like the woods and the plants, right? You make them
grow. That's the focal point of your magic. Well, we make things with fire.
Hephaestus and Vulcanus made weapons for the Gods. It's the same as you. Sure, our
focal point is fire and we do make weapons, but it's more than that. It's the making
of the thing that excites us." He took a long drink before continuing.
"Turning the metals and alloys into something altogether new. I'm good
with a forge; I can make a decent sword. But I'm still not as good as some of
the others. Weapon making is an art but weaving the magic into the process is what
we do. Fortunately, some of my relatives are still pretty good at it. Of course
that's not all they do. They don’t just make Fae weapons. I have one relative
that makes handmade swords and medieval weapons for movies. You can even see
some of them on
YouTube
if you want."

Well that made sense, I guess.

"So back to these collars. Can they be removed?" I
asked after a moment.

"Not easily. Best way is to kill the Fae that controls
them. That always works with any kind of binding spell. But in this case, your
sword would do it."

"My sword?"

"Cronus' blade would cleave them like butter," he
said almost excitedly. "When I saw you unsheathe that at Milagre's I knew immediately
what it was. Not even Vulcanus could make a blade like that. Once cut through
the spell would be lifted."

"Could another sword do it?"

"Sure, one of the old swords forged by Hephaestus or
Vulcanus would probably work, but I doubt any are still around. The Gods kept
pretty good tabs on those, at least those with that much power. I haven't heard
of any that survived
The Fall
. Some of the lesser weapons made for the
Fae are still floating around out there, but with those you'd need time. Not
enough magic in them to cut through these kind of links quickly. I doubt
anything made today would have the power. Like I said, it's old world magic, first
forged by a God for other Gods."

He took another few bites of his burger as I digested what
he'd told me. The battles with the Spartoi certainly indicated that she'd found
her Dragon and her followers must still have it hidden. But where was it? Could
she still control it now that she was in Tartarus?

"By the way," I asked. "Did you ever see her
Dragon, or any Dragon here? Shape shifter or other?"

"I never saw a live one. But I always had my
suspicions."

"Really? Why?"

"Roxie's and the El Rancho," he replied. "Lot
of Fae hung out in those places and both were hotter than normal fires. Kinda
makes you wonder. But I don’t really know."

I'd mentioned Roxie's before, but that wasn't the only
brothel in Vegas history that burned down mysteriously in an extremely hot fire.
 So it was hard to say since the mob did own this town in those days. The
C-Bar-C brothel on Paradise Road had gone up in flame some 10 years earlier. The
El Rancho hotel on the Las Vegas Strip burned down in 1960. The fire on that
one had been so hot it melted a bunch of silver coins into a lump. The place had
been totally consumed in just two hours. It did make you wonder.

There wasn't a lot more to discuss on the issue. It didn’t
seem like he knew anything else about Dragons specifically that could help and
his information certainly wasn't recent. Although it did appear to confirm that
Marissa had been looking for one here, shape shifter or not. He did bring to my
attention that he could supply Fae weapons manufactured by his relatives. Maybe
not as good as the old days but they'd kill faster than any human weapon, just
the same. A point that was worth remembering, even if it was somewhat gruesome.
Still, more questions than answers but at least the lunch had been good.

I probably should have gone right back to work (the human
kind), but all this Dragon talk had me going. It's been a couple weeks since I
returned from Fae and it'd been awful quiet. I'd certainly expected something; at
least an attack against me. Perhaps my change in status had put a scare into
them, but probably not. Instead, based on the few attacks that had happened,
both here and in Fae, I had to think that Marissa's sentencing to Tartarus had
put a gap in their leadership and planning.

Nonetheless, the Lilin thing and Marissas follower's attacks
had me watching the rear view mirror all the time these days. Not to mention I
was now responsible for a lot of Fae just on my own. But I wasn't going to live
in fear or get too hung up about it. Hopefully something would pop up that
would allow me to go on the offensive for a change. I was just gonna have to
wait and see if this Dragon thing was worth pursuing.

I'd planned on going to the office. I still had regular P.I.
work that needed to be done. Instead, I found myself in the old downtown
district. What the hell, maybe I'd make a stop at Danu's. Just to see how Delia
and Lucius were doing, of course. Hey, maybe Bjartr or one of them knew
something about Dragons.

I pulled into a parking place around the corner. I liked to
do that because of the way the bar just appeared as you came up to it. I was
still pretty new to all this magic stuff so the effect was pretty remarkable. 
As I crossed the threshold of the magic border the place just appeared. I
stopped in front for a moment to look around. It was early afternoon but, as
usual, this part of old downtown looked deserted. I'm sure that was a
consideration when they decided where to put the place. I wasn't sure who, or
how, they'd built it. All I really heard was that it was Elves. I know Bjartr
ran the business now but I didn't think he'd been here long enough to have
built the place.

I pulled open the wooden doors and went inside. It was
quiet. Just a few groups of various Fae at tables finishing up lunch. They
served a rustic menu and I knew some of the locals liked to come by to be
reminded of home. Although the décor was somewhat fancier, it did kind of
remind me of Handion's place, the
Wayward Elf,
in my part of Fae. All
wood and old world décor. It made me laugh, the Elves and bar thing.

I walked up to the counter and took a seat. A moment later
Delia came out of the back. She glanced at me and then grabbed a mug and filled
it with ale, setting it down in front of me before leaning over the bar.

"So, my new benefactor," she said, curtly. "I
hear I have you to thank for my new salary. I hope you don't think that gets
you something special."

Oh, great… I was never going to get on her good side, was I?
I was kind of hoping Bjartr would have kept my investment in the bar quiet. So
much for that.

"Don't get the wrong idea," I countered.
"I've got a lot of Fae to look after so I'm only making sure that they
continue to have a place to go."

"And my raise is what, just a coincidence?"

"Nope, think of it more as, I don’t know,
reparations," I said as I took a drink. "I'm just trying to level the
playing field now that you guys have a little more freedom. Besides, Bjartr has
the final say on how it's distributed, not me."

"Just kidding," she said with a laugh. "He
told me all about it."

"He did?" I said, thinking I'd just dodged a
bullet where she was concerned.

"He had to," she replied. "He made me part
owner."

"Did he indeed?" I said, taking another long drink
of my ale. I hadn't known that was in his plans.

"Yep. I think it was his way of trying to make me feel
better about this whole shunning thing. Since I don’t seem to have any Lilin
friends anymore, I think he thought that this would keep me busy."

"And does it?" I asked.

"Oh sure," she answered, wiping the counter with a
rag. "Keeps me a lot busier than before and since it is neutral territory,
as an owner, anyone that comes into the place has to at least tell me what they
want, even a Lil."

"Got it, I think."

"Hey, they aren’t deep conversations, trust me. But any
Lilin that come in does have to talk to me, if for no other reason than to
place an order. Some kind of Elf magic makes it easier, I guess. That or he
worked out some kind of compromise with the Elders. I wouldn't put that past
him either. Whatever the case, at least I don’t feel left out. Of course I
don’t work the same shift as Rayna, but it's not like we have to talk if I come
in to handle an order or something. Besides, Bjartr's here a lot as well."

"Interesting." Leave it to an Elf to find a way
around anything that causes grief to one of their charges.

"So, can I get you anything else?" she asked.

I was just about to answer when she was called to one of the
tables.

"Hold that thought," she said as she went to see
what they wanted.

I watched as she dropped off a check and received money in
payment. Only fair, I guess. When I'd gone to Fae we'd paid with a hunted boar,
here in the human world, cash was still king. She rang it up in an antique
looking register and then dropped off the change before returning to the bar.

"So did you need a refill?"

"No, I'm good," I replied, draining my glass.
"Actually, I wanted to see Bjartr."

"And here I thought you just came in to see me,"
she said, leaning over the bar and staring right into my eyes. I was painfully
aware of the cleavage she was showing.

"Well, to be truthful, I was hoping you'd be here,"
I admitted. "But I wasn't sure where we stood these days. I seem to have
caused you a lot of trouble."

"That you have," she replied. "But I'll let
you make it up to me, over dinner."

"Done, when would you like to go?"

"How about this weekend?"

"I can do that," I answered, surprised at this
sudden change of events. I was just about to ask her why when the Elf returned.

"You're back," Delia said as he walked over to the
bar. "Robert was just asking about you."

"Was he?" Bjartr said. "What can I do for you,
Robert? Business issues?"

"Nope," I replied. "We're all set
there." I glanced around the room. There were still a few Fae at tables,
all ones I'd seen before, but they were engrossed in their own conversations so
I figured it would be safe to talk. "What do you know about Dragons?"

"Now that's a strange question, even coming from
you," Bjartr responded. "Are you speaking in general, or is there
something specific you wish to know."

"Specifically, as it turns out. It appears that the
other High Fae was searching for one back in the '50s. I'm just trying to
confirm it."

"That was before my time here," he replied.

"Mine as well," said Delia.

"What about recently?  Did you ever hear of any Dragons
around, or maybe Dragon shifters?"

"Let's discuss this a little more privately," Bjartr
suddenly said. A look of concern in his eyes. "Delia, will you watch the
bar for a moment?"

"Sure," she said as Bjartr walked over to the bar
entrance and lifted a portion of the counter to let me in.

I followed him into the back and he led me to a small
office. I took a seat in a leather chair across from his desk. He sat down and
looked at me, curiously.

"Now, why did you ask about Dragon shifters?"

"I'm chasing rumors," I said in reply. "One
was supposed to have been in the area around the same time that Marissa was
here in the '50s. For what it's worth she seems to have been searching for a
way to capture one. I think she may have it." I went on to explain the
appearance of the Spartoi in my Fae lands and even the battle with the fire
Demon.

"This is disturbing," he said. "Dragon Were's
are rare and none would willingly align themselves with such an evil power. But
if killed, their bodies could still be the source of much dangerous
magic."

"I don't think it's dead," I said, and then I told
him the story of the collars. I did not, of course, reveal where I'd heard it.
That got him pretty fired up, excuse the pun.

"Slave collars!" he exclaimed. "None have
been heard of since
The Fall
. Who could make such an evil thing anymore?
Where did you get this information?"

"That I can’t say," I responded. "But I do
believe it is good info. As to the maker, he's dead."

"Good riddance to him then," he replied.

I hadn't expected that from an Elf.

"Give me moment," he said, now agitated. Then he
disappeared.

I hadn't known he could do that either. When he didn't come
right back I gave it a few minutes and then walked back out to the bar area to
Delia.

"Where is Bjartr?" she asked.

"Disappeared," I answered. "I don’t think he
liked what I told him."

"What do you mean, disappeared?"

"I mean as in, poof, just disappeared into thin air,"
I answered. "Does he do that often?"

"No. He must be very concerned then," she said. "I
haven’t seen him do that in a long time. He seldom uses such magic. All we can
do is wait."

We didn't wait long. Just a few minutes later Bjartr was
back and leading another Elf through the door into the bar area. He was similar
in build to Bjartr, if not a tad taller, and clad in dark leather clothing.

"Ah, Robert, there you are," he said, spying me
back on my barstool. "Come, come, this is Edan, one of my kin from Europe.
He must hear what you have told me."

"So you are the High Fae of the Dryad," he said,
walking up to the counter. "I had heard of your return. Although now Bjartr
tells me that you may also have information that I have been seeking as
well."