Of Gods and Fae (21 page)

"Whatever you do," she said. "Do not enter
the water. You are not immune from its effects as I am." Then she crossed
the bank and took a few steps into the river. I watched as she removed what
looked like a large goatskin carrier and bent down to fill it.

"Got it," I replied, painfully aware that my boots
were sunk in three inches of slimy mud. Since I hadn’t forgotten who I was, I
was guessing that that didn’t count.

By the time she had it filled we had another small group of
wanderers closing in on us. Like most of the things I'd encountered lately they
weren't too smart. Unfortunately, they were still between us and the way back.

"I can bring the boat here and we can sail it to the
Acheron if you can hold them off for a little while," she said. "It
is risky but I do not trust these things to not be dangerous."

"Shouldn’t be a problem," I replied. I grabbed my
sword in a two handed stance and started swinging, the blade shining with blue
fire as heads began to roll. Like I said, they weren't too bright. They didn’t
even try to avoid my blade. I wasn't even sure what they could do to us if one
did grab hold but better safe than sorry. After a few minutes, I was standing
knee deep in body parts and this group wasn't an issue anymore. I turned to see
what progress she'd made.

She was ankle deep in the water, arms outstretched with a
faint glow surrounding her. Against the twilight it was almost angelic. Like I
said, almost. When I turned back I saw another group coming our way. Taking the
offensive I slogged across the muddy field and started batting heads. When this
group was down I stood back and since there were no more coming our way, made
my way back to the shore. Moments later, she returned to the bank and I saw the
boat appear out of the mist.

"Nice job," I said as I leapt onto the bow.

"You as well," she replied as she pushed the boat
into the river and joined me.

"Not exactly a visual I'd care to remember," I
said, sheathing my sword. "Why didn’t we just sail here in the first
place?"

"I felt it was too dangerous. If for any reason the
spell failed the boat would lose form and we'd be in the river. Should you
ingest even a drop of this water, you might forget all that you are," she
answered as she threw me a blanket. "Cover yourself and stay in the center
of the boat, avoid any water that comes in. Although as a Nereid I am immune, I
cannot say the same for a Dryad, God or not. I am leading us out of here as
fast as I dare."

I could feel the boat change direction several times over
the next fifteen minutes or so before she told me it was safe.

"I see we're still in one piece. Where are we
now?"

"Still in the Stygian marshes, the River of Woe is just
ahead. We must cross there by the gate."

"The gate? I thought we were staying away from
Hades."

"I said we wouldn’t pass through it," she replied.
"We seek the Mnemosyne springs and the pool of the Titan by the same name.
In all this dreadful place, there we will find beauty and I can rest for a
time. Now be quiet, keeping this vessel in form has been much harder on me than
I expected and I must concentrate the rest of the way."

"Yes Ma'am," I replied with a salute, then sank
back into the cushions to wait it out.

I must have dozed off again as I realized she was calling my
name. Standing, I saw her point and looking that way I saw a great cave that
appeared in the mists like a giant mouth swallowing the waters it reached out
from the shore. Something about it was mesmerizing and it was a moment before I
realized that Meredith was shaking me.

"It calls you, does it?" she asked.

"I don’t know if calls is the right word, but there's
definitely something about it."

"I forget sometimes that you are a God and are not
bound by the same rules I am," she said, the boat now moving toward the
shore on the far side of the cave. "Perhaps you could enter and yet
return."

"I'm not really keen on finding out," I replied, feeling
a sudden shiver down my spine. Suddenly, the deck beneath my feet disappeared
and the next thing I knew I was waist deep in water.

"You ok?" I asked Meredith as I pulled her head
out from beneath the river.

"I'll live," she said groggily. "This journey
has taken more out of me than I thought. My apologies."

She stood and began to sway so I picked her up and carried
her to the shore.

"Where to now?" I asked when she was able to stand
on her own.

"The spring flows into Hades. We must climb to the top
to find its source."

"Ok," I replied, sarcastically, looking at the lichen
covered rocks and boulders we were going to have to navigate through to get there.
"Let's get it over with then."

Leading the way we began to climb the side of the cave. It
was slow going and handholds were sometimes hard to find. The rocks were wet
and slippery as well. Meredith was pretty tired at the end but eventually we
made it. When I scrambled over the top I grabbed her hand and pulled her the
rest of the way.

"Ah, now I see," I said looking at the shimmering
veil of magic that stood in front of us.

"You can see it?" she asked in astonishment.

"Sure, don’t you? Come on," I said as I led her
over the magical threshold and into the bright sunlight. In front of me was a
small pond fed by spring water that bubbled out of the rocks ever so slowly.
The area was much smaller than the one I had visited in my own lands, but
seeing this was scooped out of a pocket in the Underworld, I guess it was
supposed to be like this. Still, I'm not sure how a Titan ever fit in the
place. It wasn't much bigger than your average back yard and you know how small
they can be these days.

"Actually, no, I can’t. I just knew that it was here,"
she replied. "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Well," I said. "To me it looks like a
shimmering, glowing veil of starlight. Not against a night sky, mind you, but
almost like the stars were just barely bright enough to be seen in the day.
They twinkle and glow as I move my eyes over them."

"I'd like to see that sometime. It must be beautiful,"
she replied, now sitting down on the grass that grew around the pool. "I
cannot see the veil; I just feel the water's presence. It pulls me toward it
when I seek it out." Then she lay back. "I should rest a bit. Then we
can collect the water and return home."

"Let me try something," I said, as I laid down
beside her "Give me your hand."

She put out her hand and I took it. Using the same magic I
had used with Delia, I let the magic flow through me and into her, allowing her
to see the veil as if through my eyes. Suddenly she smiled a wide grin.

"It's beautiful," she said. "And here I
thought you didn't like to do magic."

"It's not that," I said letting go of her hand
after a moment or two. "It's just that I don't always know what I'm
doing."

"What do you mean?" she asked, now turning towards
me and lifting her head, resting it on her hand.

"What you just said, you feel the water's presence. I
guess that's what doing magic is like for you. I mean, it's just something you
do, right?"

"I suppose."

"Well, I still have to think about it," I
continued. "Oh sure, it’s easier since those Dwarves started playing with
my head. But I didn't grow up with it. I have to think about it to make it work.
Except, of course, when my subconscious takes over. Like when I'm threatened or
fighting. Then the magic seems to remember what to do on its own. Although the
Dwarves did say it would all come back to me in time."

"What about what you just did?" she asked.

"That? That one was easy. I do that one at home and
have used it several times. Mostly though I feel like the
Six Million Dollar
Man
without an instruction manual," I said, turning to face her.

"Who?"

"You know…
We can rebuild him… We have the
technology
?" I said. How could she not know who Steve Austin was? "Never
mind, old 80s TV show. The point is you all were born with it. I was fiftyish
before all this happened and it's like being back in grade school. Oh, I know
the instructions are in there. I just have to figure out where they are, I
guess," I said as I laid my head back down on the soft grass.

"So if it is within you," she reiterated.
"Then you just need to remember it, like your subconscious does. Is that
what you are saying?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"Then I have an idea," she said, leaning over and
kissing me. "Take your clothes off."

"Excuse me," I retorted.

"Not that," she exclaimed as she started
stripping. "Although we'll have time for that later. Just take them
off."

"Ok," I said, not clear where she was going with
this. I barely had my pants off before she was dragging me across the small ribbon
of sand and into the pool.

"Don’t you see? It's like a memory! One you just need
to remember!" she exclaimed, her fatigue forgotten. "This is the
source of the Mnemosyne. The pool of the Titan herself. If I'm right, you will
not be immune to its power and it will help you remember the magic as
well."

Before I knew it we were in the pool and she was laughing as
she cupped her hands and filled them with water.

"Drink," she said, lifting them to my lips.

So I did, the cool water running down my throat. Then I started
to remember things. This time it wasn't with the shock and rush of images that
flooded me when the Dwarves had done their magic. No, it was just there. For
the first time since all this happened I actually knew who and what I was. Then
I started laughing.

"What's so funny," she asked. "Did it not
work?"

"No," I replied, moving closer to her. "It
worked. It's just that the first thing I remembered was where I put a 20.00
bill I stuck in the brim of my hat some 10 odd years ago."

"I don’t understand," she replied. "What
about the magic?"

"Oh, yeah… that, too, and I'm not even angry or
threatened," I said as I turned and reached up to the bank to where I'd
left my sword. I raised it straight up in the air. Blue fire formed just above
the hilt and then shot straight up to the heavens.

"What did you just do?" she asked, a surprised
look on her face.

"Just a little announcement. Something like 'Robert was
here' for all to see."

"Was that wise?"

"Seemed like a good idea a second ago. At least it's
not some lame excuse for Zombies like those creatures we had to get through.
Besides, I'm not hiding from anybody. If I'm lucky it could be seen in Tartarus.
That ought to give Marissa a thrill."

"That it would," she responded.

"Well, now that that's done, what do you think about
your earlier observation about there being time for that later," I asked as
I pulled her closer and cupped her breasts.

She led me out of the pool without saying a word and kissed
me as she pushed me down onto the cool grass. When we were finished she fell
asleep in my arms.

After she awoke we got dressed and she filled the other
goatskin with water directly from the spring. When she was done she wanted to go
back down and create another boat for the journey back.

"What if I called Sendy instead?" I asked.
"She could return us one at a time to your office. It'd be quicker."

"That would be nice," she replied. "It is
exhausting to maintain that level of magic for so long, especially here in the
Underworld."

"Alright then"

"Wait," she said before I could summon her.
"Before we go I wish to tell you something."

"What's that?"

"I like you Robert," she said.

"I like you, too," I answered.

"I just want you to know that while there can never be
anything formal between us, I have enjoyed the times we spend in the Fae realms
together."

"As have I," I replied, not too sure where she was
going with this.

"Perhaps I am saying this wrong, but I wanted you to
know that when we return I will once again, be Meredith, the Matriarch of the
Milagre's, and not the Fae you know here."

"I think I understand," I replied.

"Good," she said, kissing me again. "But if
we should ever come back…. Well, summon your Aurae, if we do travel to the Fae
realms together again we will just have to see what happens."

I was still chuckling when Sendy appeared.

For the first time since all this Fae crap happened to me I
was actually feeling pretty good about things, myself included. Oh sure, there
were still Fae trying to kill me, but that was no big deal. The last few
attempts were half ass at best and would have almost been funny if they weren't
actual serious. I wasn't sure if it was because Marissa was in Tartarus or
what, but let's face it, if not her, then her subordinates were either amateurs
themselves, or at best, surrounded by them.

Of course, they had called me a half breed, so maybe it was
just because they underestimated what I really was. Not that they had any
reason to think I was anything else, yet. But they'd find that out soon enough,
especially since Eddy Milagre had finished whatever potions he'd been working
on and we were ready to see just what was hidden in their magic hidey hole.

As I pulled into the abandoned lumberyard off of Sahara and
Sandhill, I saw several Escalades and the like parked just inside the gate in
the back. I headed towards them, parking next to Siegfried who was pulling some
gear from the back of his SUV. I saw Delia and Lucius walk up and Siegfried
handed her a bow, quiver, and sword.

"Looks like the gang's all here," I remarked as
Siegfried buckled his own sword on.

"Just waiting on a few more," he responded.

Lucius was all decked out in Roman armor from the waist up.
Below, he wore some type of heavy leather pants. Michael and most of
Siegfried's team were dressed all in black, carrying both swords or bows, as
well as MP4's and other modern weapons. There were several dressed in what I
considered Fae armor. Pants and vests of some type of leather, as Delia was
wearing and armed with swords. I had already switched to my Fae persona as
Siegfried and his folks had done and wore the armor Meredith had given me.
Charlie, of course, was at my side. I'd tried to get him to stay home but he
wasn't having anything to do with that. All in all we looked like the SWAT team
that time forgot. Fortunately, looks can be deceiving.

A moment later I was bathed in headlights as a white van
pulled in and shot through the lot, parking beside us. The back opened and
Martin Chibeaux and several others climbed out and joined us. The Weres had
arrived as well.

Michael came up and stood next to Siegfried, as Malcolm,
who'd arrived with Sendy, spread out a map on the asphalt. We all joined in to
see what he had.

"Ok," Mal began, pointing at the map. "Some
of you have seen this but for those that haven't the flood channels are a
quarter mile down Sandhill and to the South. There's a metal bridge you can
cross here that leads right up to the boundary of the area. That's probably the
easiest way in. It's only paved a portion of the way but there's a path that
leads right to it. The county planted some big trees along the path and there's
a patch of overgrown scrub that you can use for concealment just before the
bridge. Oh, and there's one more thing I should probably mention."

"What's that," I asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if it matters but this area is
supposed to be haunted. I don’t know if it's part of this spell, or what."

"Haunted?" I repeated, then looked around. There
were several chuckles but it was Michael who spoke up first.

"Ghosts are no problem," he replied. "We deal
with them all the time. And, no, they wouldn't be part of the spell. Ghosts are
merely souls who have lost their way. They would not be working for the enemy."

"Ok," I said. Nice to know… I guess. "Just
out of curiosity, what kind of ghosts are we talking about?"

"There's supposed to be some old lady that chases you
down the dirt roads and then just some rumors of a guy and a gal moaning down
in the tunnels."

I looked over at Michael.

"Like I said," he affirmed. "Not an issue. Zeke'll
take care of them if they become a nuisance." He pointed to a handsome
black guy that had arrived with Siegfried's hotel team.

Zeke gave a head nod and I turned back to Mal.

"That's it," he said, now standing up.

"I will lead with Robert behind me. The rest of my
people and the Lilin single file after that," Siegfried said.
"Martin, if your people would guard the rear and flank us, I think we're
good as to position."

"Not a problem," Martin answered. Gesturing to his
group they moved to the back of his van and started getting undressed. It
caught me off guard for a moment but then I remembered that they were
Werewolves. It's got to be hell on your wardrobe to shift fully clothed.

"Mal's going to stay here and watch the vehicles and
other equipment," I added. "Sendy, do a quiet flyby and tell me
what's out there. But don’t get too close."

She popped out of sight and I looked over at Siegfried.

"What about the potion Eddy made up?"

"Ah," he replied, walking to the back of his SUV.
"I have that here." He reached in and pulled out a large squirt gun.
The kind that holds several quarts of water and handed it to me.

"A Soak-Em-Up 10,000?" I asked, reading the label
on the side.

"Believe it or not, yes," he answered with a
laugh. "We fill them with holy water for use against Ghosts back on the
property. But this will work here just as well. Mr. Milagre says that once you
have identified the doorway you need to spray it fully with the potion before
you open it for entry. Then, you must keep the doorway open till we pass
through. The waters should counter any of the magic of forgetfulness. Of all of
us, he believes only you will be able to access the door."

"I guess I can do that, then," I replied, feeling
just a bit silly. At least I was able to strap the squirt gun on my shoulder
without snickering.

"I also have several on my team with medical training.
Meredith has provided them with a small amount of the water from the Mnemosyne
should it be needed."

"Smart," I replied. "I have the Fae healer,
Elithia, at my place as well." At that moment Sendy reappeared.

"There is some sort of encampment at the entrance to
the land," she replied, pointing to a spot on the map. "A tent and
two male humans, although they are clearly endowed with some form of dark
magic. I could sense it. They are a ways in from the bridge next to the path,"
she reported.

"Probably disguised as vagrants," Malcolm added.
"I saw several when I walked through here before."

"We could send two of the Weres in," Siegfried
said.

"We can do that," Martin replied. "But I
can’t guarantee they won’t get an alarm out. Even as quiet as we can be they
may see or hear us as we cross the metal bridge and we cannot jump it for the
same reason."

"I will take care of them," Delia said.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, feminine wiles and all that," she
said, taking off her jacket and opening a few buttons on her corset. "I
think I can keep their mind off any alarm."

"Works for me," I replied. "OK, stay up front
with Siegfried and me and we'll stop at the scrub brush just this side of the
bridge. You can go ahead from there. Charlie, stay at my side. As for the rest
of you. Just a heads up. Siegfried may have briefed you in our past dealings
with these Mages but here's what I know. In addition to Mages and their wands we've
also encountered sown men. Spartoi, they're called. They're kind of a
caricature of a person that pop up from enchanted Dragon's teeth. Not too
bright but they're armed and damn hard to kill with anything short of a magic
sword. If you come across them, decapitate them and cut off their limbs, I can
finish them later."

"I can kill them as well," Zeke said, speaking up.

I glanced over at him and watched as a burning sword
appeared in his right hand.

"He's an Angel," Michael said, leaning over to
whisper in my ear.

Now I realized what made the glimpse of his wings I'd seen
earlier look strange, they really did have feathers. First Ghosts, and now
Angels. I really needed to find that
Fae for Dummies
book now more than
ever!

"OK," I said, nodding at Zeke. "They're also
fond of conjuring up Demons. I've encountered two. One was a regular Demon and
the other was a Fire Demon. I can’t speak for the Fire Demon but the other had
been summoned and bewitched. Once I killed the Mage that brought him here he
was released from the spell and stopped fighting. So use caution but don't get
yourself killed trying to be too nice.

"There may also be a Dragon. She's possibly a Were as
well. Leave her to me. She's probably going to be collared so if we can release
her that would be preferable to killing her. But we'll do what we have to if
need be. Any questions?"

"If there is a Weredragon, I would see her freed as
well," Martin said in a disgusted tone just before he and his crew
shifted. "We can guess she has not been treated kindly if they have
harvested her teeth for such magic."

No one else spoke up so I nodded to Siegfried.

We started off through the lot with him in the lead, The
Weres brought up the rear with two breaking off and coming up each side of us. As
we marched down the roadway I had a feeling of déjà vu. It's not what you might
think. It's just that it reminded me of back when I had been working in
Narcotics and we were going to hit a dope house with a search warrant. There
were a lot of similarities here, albeit I can't recall ever doing so dressed
like Robin Hood.

We'd stage at a nearby location, usually the back of a strip
shopping mall. Everyone would put on their gear, flak vests, helmets, badges
around their neck, and then we'd jump into a few cars and head for the target.
Just down the street from the place everyone would get out and form up. Door
banger in the lead, supervisor in the rear, then quickstep on single file to
the house and after a knock, down went the door and in we came, guns drawn.

I was interrupted in my musings when Charlie turned around
and went to the rear of the column, just at where the roadway had ended and we'd
started down the packed earth path. Siegfried signaled everyone to stop and I
looked behind to see what was up. I'll be damned. There really was a ghost out
here. It looked like a woman, as Mal had reported.  She was translucent and had
a faint glow, some type of greenish yellow that reminded me of… well, let's
just say it wasn't pleasant.

She was stopped a few yards behind Charlie, gesturing
wildly. We couldn’t understand the words but it sure seemed like she was trying
to get our attention. I saw Michael give a nod to Zeke who stepped out of the
line and walked back to her. As he got closer, his wings appeared, and then he
stepped right up to her. She continued to flail her harms around for a second
and then dropped to her knees. Zeke grabbed her by the chin and just stood
there for a moment before turning around and marching back to our line. He
spoke briefly with one of the other's on his team who then handed him something
before walking back to her.

"What’s going on?" I asked Michael, who was just
behind me in line.

"Holy water," he replied. "He's going to
release her."

"I'm not sure what you mean," I replied.

"Very few Ghosts are wicked. Most are just souls that
got trapped here after death," he explained. "Usually it's because
their deaths were violent or meaningless. They get so lost in the moment that
they miss their opportunity to pass on. That's what we get in the hotel a lot.
Folks that died after a drinking and gambling binge, maybe a heart attack with
a prostitute, that kind of thing. Dying in a hotel room can be chaotic to the
soul. They forget where they are and it's easy for them to get confused.

"Zeke is going to douse her with holy water and help
her move forward. That's probably what she's been trying to get across, she was
lost and just needed help. Any human seeing her wouldn't understand what she
was doing."

"So what happens if a ghost doesn't want to pass
on?" I asked, amazed that this kind of thing was actually real. Which
probably makes no sense at all since here I was in my Fae persona dressed like
a Merman warlord surrounded by Vampires, Werewolves, and other Fae. Ok, so the
Lilin aren’t exactly Vampires, but you get my point.

"That’s what his sword is for," Michael replied.

By now, Zeke was finished with whatever he was doing and I
watched as he stepped back and she began to glow with a white light. She rose
up into the air a few feet and then, without a sound, the light shrank into
itself and she disappeared.

"Let's move on," Siegfried said as Charlie ran
back to my side.

We continued down the dirt path another eighth of a mile or
so and stopped again where the brush hid us near the bridge. We knelt as he
nodded at Delia.

She stood and looked around for a moment, then picking up an
unbroken bottle laying among the assorted bits of trash, she sauntered across
the bridge, bottle in hand and humming a tune. Staggering now and then to
appear tipsy.

I watched as she crossed the bridge and continued walking
down the path where a tent was laid out. I could also see the shimmering magic
that covered the field. The tent was just outside the field and nearby I could
see a portion of the magic that glowed slightly off kilter. That had to be the
door. There was no way to get to it without passing the tent.

As Delia got closer two figures emerged and closed in on
her. I could hear her laughing as they approached. She put her arms around both
and faster than I could have thought possible, leaned in toward each figures'
neck. Before they could react they were down. She turned and waved and then
dragged both into the tent they had come out of.

Siegfried was already up and I grabbed the squirt gun as we
moved forward toward the field. I took the lead and when I reached the portion
that I could tell was the doorway, began squirting water at it. The shimmer
subsided as Milagre's potion was applied and when it was gone, I signaled to
the others and took up a position inside the now open doorway. I waited as each
team member entered. I would follow after Delia and Charlie passed through.
Calling Sendy, I sent her in, telling her what I was going to need her to do
and to try and stay safe in the meantime. Then I stepped into the field, the doorway
collapsing behind me.