Of Gods and Fae (5 page)

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Have you forgotten the words of Cacilia so soon? You
are still a male and some may still view your mother and grandmothers actions
as heresy. High Fae or not, you may be tested, and then you will have to prove
yourself. This is one journey I cannot go on to look after you."

"Yeah, something I forgot to mention," I said to
Mal. "The Dryad weren't too happy about me. It seems my mother broke some
rules having a boy." Then I turned my attention back to Bernd. "Figures,
so can I expect a challenge?"

"Perhaps, you must remember that Marissa is of the
Dryad as well and she has had many years to sew discontent. You will need to be
cautious," he said. (He seemed to say that a lot actually.) "Carry
your sword. Do not be afraid to use it if you must. Above all else remember
this, a Dryads magic is bound to the trees… you do not have that limitation yet
those same trees are bound to you."

Yeah, I thought to myself, nothing's ever easy. What else is
new?

"Ok then. Mal, how about you and Sendy head back to
your place? She's missing her sisters and maybe you can find some local story
or bit of history that might shed some light on their disappearance. She also
needs to understand how things work here in the human world. Maybe you can help
with that as well."

I went on to tell him the tale that I had been told by the
attorney, Gerald Cornwall. I asked him to research Dragons and any information
on missing persons that might be related to Marissa's doings. I knew it was a
tall order, but it would give him something to do until I could resolve this
issue with my aunt.

Luckily he was good with it all and we agreed to talk in the
next few days. Besides, I could see that Sendy liked being with Mal and I
didn't need her underfoot until I left. Especially since I could, after all,
summon her at any time. She being with Mal was as good an idea as any. Not to
mention that Mal could use some Faerie time now that Bernd had opened up that
side of him. I mean he did live alone… and Sendy was quite beautiful, even if
she did look a lot younger. But she was a helluva lot older than she looked so
he'd just have to get used to that, I had.

"Sendy, is that ok with you?"

"Oh, yes," she replied.

"Good, then help Mal in any way you can and I'll summon
you when I need you. It'll probably be soon," I replied.

With a few goodbyes, Sendy and Mal stood up. She took off
her shirt and her wings appeared. Taking his hand in hers, there was a barely
audible pop and they were gone. For all its headaches, magic definitely had its
uses.

"When do you plan to visit your lands?" Bernd
asked.

"I guess in the next day or so. Might as well get it
over with," I answered as Charlie bounded into the room and sided up next
to me.

"I will go as well," he barked.

"Like I wouldn’t take you," I said, rubbing his
head.

"You will need guide, Sophie will help," he said
as he sat down and scrunched his head into my hand.

"Ah yes, Sophie will do nicely," Bernd commented.

"Sophie, who's Sophie?" I asked.

"She is a hound like Charlie, although smaller,"
Bernd replied. "She is from your lands and knows them well, and she can be
trusted."

"Fine," I joked. "What's one more talking
animal? Alright then, how many others should I take?"

"You won’t need Lucinda, but if you wish to, how did
you say it… scope it out? A party of two to four will not seem suspicious.
Sendy should stay here unless you need to summon her, or at the very least stay
invisible. It would be unusual for an Aurae to be travelling among regular Fae,
especially a Dryad, as they have seldom been seen since
The Fall
. But it
will be good for you to have others with you to witness your actions when you
confront Cacilia."

We talked about what had to be done when I got there as well
as what I intended to look for before I entered the Temple of Demeter. The Temple
was the center point of the Dryad lands and it was there that I would have to announce
my presence and position as King (That just sounds so weird).

It wasn’t like I was preparing for a war, but I wasn't
naïve. I was certain that there were still some that would be opposed to my
plans, if not my very existence. I had already decided to let Cacilia remain in
charge of the Fae lands, under my authority, of course. But I still had to
decide who to take with me, and I wanted folks that could fight, if necessary.

"How about Siegfried and Diantha," I suggested.
"Or is she going to stand out too much being human and all?"

"Thanks to Apollo there is enough magic in her to pass
unnoticed. Sophie can arrange the proper attire."

"Good, I think an ally that can’t die will be useful,
should things turnout bad. I think I'll take Sendy as well, she can stay
invisible until I need her. It might be best to announce my presence to Cacilia
before actually taking the throne. It'll still be a surprise but it will sort
of show notice," I added. "Plus, if I need to bring in someone else
she can fetch them, I assume that what she did with Mal will work there as
well."

"Indeed it will," he agreed. "An interesting
idea and you are correct, Cacilia should at the very least be notified before
you enter the Temple of Demeter, even if only moments before. If for no other
reason than it is right and proper to do so."

"Alright then, it's settled. I'll let the others know
and make arrangements to do this in the next day or so," I said, getting
up to fill my cup. When it was full, I sat back down and looked over at Bernd.

"Now, what the hell is the deal with the
Tears of
Blood
?
Is there a reason you failed to mention what one can do with
such an object? Why'd you give them to me so soon? From what I've learned if
anyone finds out I actually do have them it could start a war."

"Did I not tell you to keep them safe?" Bernd
asked from behind his pipe.

"Yeah… but it would have been nice to know exactly what
you were giving me."

"Perhaps," he agreed. "But then I would not
have been able to see you find out for yourself."

"I should have known," I exclaimed. "Another
damn test. One of these days these tests of yours are gonna get me killed.
Fine… so at least tell me how I'm supposed to use them."

"You merely find one of the first born Lilin whose
blood is in the vial, and in their presence, release them from their vow as you
destroy the bottle. What could be simpler?" he asked with a grin.

"Sure, simple, and if I wanted to control them, what
would I do then?"

"The same, except that instead of destroying it, you
would bind them to your will in its presence with a magic spell, assuming you
knew how to cast it." He took a deep puff from his pipe and blew the smoke
out slowly.

"Oh, sure, that's simple enough," I contended. "Except
that the particular Lilin I was meeting would have to trust me enough to know
that I was going to free him or her and not be pulling a double-cross. No
problem, I'm sure they'll be lining up to see what I'll do, NOT!"

"I said it would be simple. I did not say it would be
easy," countered Bernd.

"I swear you're gonna be the death of me," I
stated. "I've got the power to create an army of Vampires sitting in my
safe in a damn leather bag. Okay, fine, I'll deal with it." Not like I had
much choice in the matter.

"I knew you would," he declared and then got off
the chair and walked towards the backyard. "I must go, Lucinda will find
me if I am needed." He stopped before reaching the door and turned back to
me. "There is one more thing," he added."

Sure, isn't there always?

"What's that?" I asked.

"You have the right of succession," he said.

"You told me that, what's the point?"

"Succession has always been matrilineal, passed from
female to female, but it is not written as such," he said. "Remember
that if you are challenged." Then he was through the doorway and was gone.

"Sure, bye, I'll call you if I need you," I sarcastically
replied as he disappeared. One more thing to remember.

I probably should have been nicer. I mean he was a Dwarf after
all. Most Fae call him Father and bow to him when he shows up. Hell, even the
Lilin act that way towards him. But super Fae or not he had been acting way too
weird lately for me to care. He used to spend a lot more time, I don’t know,
mentoring me, I guess. But lately he'd said less and less. Sometimes, hell,
most times, it feels like I'm just a pawn in some game I don't even know how to
play. Dwarves be damned! This Fae shit really was gonna kill me if I wasn't
careful.

"So, Charlie," I asked as he got up from the floor
to follow Bernd out. "When do I get to meet Sophie?"

"What is this place?" Diantha asked as I pulled
off Durango and into the Market Grille Cafe's parking lot. I parked and got out
of the car and went around to the passenger side.

"Greek food. Some of the best in town," I replied.
"I figure you deserve some normal food after all those meals at the
Neptune." Since Diantha had gone to work at the Neptune she'd been living
there as well. "Besides, I thought it might remind you of home. Everything's
delicious and the honey cakes are to die for, and the baklava…well, I bet it's
as good as your mother used to make.

"Hmm," she said as she took my hand. "I think
I'm becoming nervous already, and how do you know how well my mother cooked?"

"Just a guess," I said with a laugh. "No,
really, I just thought it'd be nice to get some good food and chat. Things have
been chaotic lately and I thought we could unwind. Besides, I owe you."

"So, this is like a date with a God. I think I like
that."

"Call it what you will, but enough of the God talk,"
I responded. We'd been through this before. She was never shy about promoting
me as her God. I think it was her way of thanking me for returning her necklace
and its powers, but then again, she could just like teasing me.

"I am but your humble servant," she joked as she
raced in front of me to open the door.

Dinner was nice. Diantha did indeed enjoy the food and I
even caught her stealing a few extra forkfuls of my honey cake, and that was
after the other full serving of desert she had already wolfed down. For a
moment I almost forgot what I needed to talk to her about. Almost.

Since we were in a booth and I already knew that there were
no other Fae in the place, hence, no one that could eavesdrop, I decided to
bring the subject up.

"Hey do you remember that item that Bernd gave me after
we got back from Olympus," I casually asked.

"Do you mean the Lilin's
Tears of Blood
, of
course I do. What about them?"

"We just need to make sure that they stay a secret. No
one, and I do mean
no one
, can know about them. Are you good with that?"
It caught me off guard when she started laughing.

"Do you think me the fool?" she asked, almost
spilling her wine. "We have enough enemies as it is. If word that the
Tears
had been found got out we would have half the Fae after us for their power. Not
to mention everyone else."

"No, I didn’t mean it like that," I replied. "I
just didn’t know that you knew." Truth was, I was dumbfounded. I had no
idea that she knew of their potential, more importantly, I didn't know why she
hadn't said anything. If there's one thing about Diantha that I thought I knew,
it was that she craved power.

"Hah, Apollo would have given his all for them, and
believe me he searched, as did the others." She drank the rest of her
glass and twisted it in her fingers. "Perhaps we should discuss this
elsewhere."

"You're right," I agreed. "Feel like coming
to my place?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied as she
put down the glass.

I paid the bill (with a nice tip), said thanks to the owner
on my way out, and then we got in the car and I drove home.

Charlie was already waiting when I pulled into the driveway.
I gotta figure out how he does that. Anyway, he ran right up to Diantha as she
got out of the car and began licking at her.

"Down, Charlie, down," she shrieked as she pushed
him off of her. Then she bent down and hugged him. "How are you, my friend?"

"Good, good," Charlie barked in return. "Happy
to see friend Diantha," he said, his tail wagging.

"Watch out with that thing, you lug, you're gonna hurt
somebody," I said with a laugh.  His tail should probably be classified as
a weapon. "Come on," I waved. "Let's go inside."

We headed straight for the kitchen and I started the coffee.
It was a nice blend that I'd picked up at a local café. Pulling out a
Dr.
Who
mug with the words
Exterminate! Exterminate! Destroy!
on it, I
motioned to Diantha. "Want some?"

"Ugh, I don’t know how you drink that swill," she
answered.

"Blasphemer," I replied in jest. "Tea then?"

"Please."

I started the kettle and then sat down beside her at the
table as Charlie lay down nearby. "Alright then, so tell me why you didn't
mention that you knew what Bernd gave me was?"

"You are a God, yet you do not always act like one.
Still, it is easy to forget," she said after a moment. "It did not
really make sense until you told the story of how you became aware of your
power. I just assumed you knew."

"I think I know you a bit Diantha. I find it curious
that you wouldn’t want to take advantage of that kind of power, no disrespect
intended. At least based on some of the ideas you've offered."

"Perhaps," she agreed. "But as I said, I am
no fool, nor would I use such a thing."

"Really," I asked. "And why not?

"I can’t believe you would ask me that!" she
scolded, giving me a look of disgust.

"Please, I'm not trying to be an ass, I just don’t
understand."

"Fine," she said angrily, holding up her index
finger. "First, after over a thousand years my life is actually nice for a
change. Sure, some Mages and Fae are trying to kill you. So what else is new?
There is always conflict. We can certainly deal with that. Second, as you have
said, it is better to have allies than slaves. What good can become of making
slaves of the Lilin? No, such power can only be used for evil."

"So you agree with my notion to free the Lilin?"

"In truth, I care not if they are free. But if that is
your wish, then so be it. I will assist you. But know this, it would be better
that the
Tears
be destroyed lest they fall into the wrong hands, that I
will say."

"A valid point," I agreed. "But I will not
let that happen. They will stay hidden until the last moment. That I promise.
Can you live with that?"

"If I must," she answered and nodded her head.

"Good," I said, and then got up to fix my coffee
and her tea. "Lady Grey alright?" I asked as I held up the box.

"That will be fine," she replied.

Taking the cups to the table I decided to change the topic.

"So, how do you feel about coming with me to the Fae
lands when I announce myself?"

"I would be honored. When do you plan to do so?"
she asked, dipping the tea bag.

"I need to talk to Siegfried, but hopefully tomorrow.
I'd like to scope the place out first, though. Maybe take some time getting the
lay of the land, if you know what I mean."

It seemed like I was rushing things but one thing to
remember is that time works differently in the Fae lands. We could be there for
what seemed like days but yet would only be hours here in the human world.
Well, at least that's how it worked in the Nereid realm, so I had to assume it
worked that way everywhere.

"You must speak to trees," Charlie said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking down at him.

"He's right," Diantha replied. "Once you
enter your world the trees will know. You must talk to the Hamadryad first so
they do not pass the word of your return too soon."

"They are friends, they will help," Charlie said
before Diantha could say more.

"Hamadryads? I mean, I know what they are, oh, I got
it." I said as it hit me. Hamadryads were the dryads of trees; as such
they were actually bound to a specific tree by magic. So, if they were the
spirits of the trees then they could probably talk to one another. But it
bothered me that Bernd hadn't mentioned them when we discussed this. Probably
another test, but it was still one more thing to add to my list. "Alright
then, so how do we contact one?" I asked, looking down at Charlie.

"Come," he answered, his tail wagging as he got
up.

We followed him into the backyard where he led us to the oak
tree we had used before to enter Olympus. It was dark but the moon was bright
and I could see the oak clearly in its light. These oaks, I had two, had been
given me by my aunt Cacilia, years before. Oaks were, at least for the Dryad,
and perhaps others, gateways to the Fae lands. Truth was, at least up to now I
had hesitated using them for travel because I didn’t quite know how they
worked. But I had known that none could use them to come here without
permission as Bernd had done something to prevent that. If what I thought we
were going to do was correct, then he must have talked to the spirits of the trees
as well.

As he approached it he started barking. Not the kind I was
used to, but not like a normal dog bark either. Although there were words in
it, it sounded more like a melody. Was he singing? That dog knew a ton of Fae
stuff. Thank goodness he was on my side, even if I did occasionally have to
wake up next to a stranger.

"You must convince her that you mean no harm,"
Diantha said. "And remember, she may not yet know what you truly are."

Within moments the tree began to glow. Seconds later something
began to appear. As it came into view I saw a small figure, like that of a
young girl. She was dressed in white and tendrils of magic floated between her
and the tree. When she was fully formed she turned to Charlie and smiled.

"Karalos, why have you roused me, is it not late?"
she asked. Turning, she seemed to notice us as if for the first time. "My
apologies, Lord and Lady. I am Aeva, of the Balanos. My thoughts were directed
outward and I did not realize that you were here. I thought it was just Karalos
coming to play, as he often does." As she spoke she stroked the huge dog's
head, who just sat there happily, his tongue rolling out of his mouth.

"Uh, no problem… Aeva, I'm Robert. Charlie, I mean
Karalos, believes that you may be able to assist me. Oh, and this is Diantha,
an Oracle of Delphi," I said.

"Ahh, I know of you," she answered, gesturing
toward Diantha. "It is said that Apollo spoke often of your beauty."

Diantha, saying nothing, nodded and smiled.

Turning back to me she continued. "Bernd has told me of
you Robert, and I have guarded this place from all others, less those that
Karalos admits. Although I confess to some confusion, for even the Lady of the
Wood must now ask permission, although she has not requested it. Now, how may I
be of service?"

"Well, Aeva, first let me thank you for all you have
done. It is good to know my home in this world is safe. But now I must travel
to the… my… Fae lands, and I do not want others to be aware of my presence, at
least not immediately. Can you help me?"

"Is it to be war again?" she asked with a look of
alarm.

"No, no, at least I certainly hope not," I
replied. "While I do wish to announce myself to my aunt, the Lady, there
may be those that may not welcome my presence. So I want to take… call it a
short survey… of the lands a bit, to see if I will be truly welcome. Do you
understand?"

"Take my hand," she said, reaching out to me. "I
must be sure."

I reached out and clasped her small hands. Immediately the
magic kicked in and I felt the magic of the trees flow through me. It was a
warm feeling, almost like coming home after being away. I could feel the
network of trees that stood both in and out of the Fae lands. I felt her
recognition of what I was as well and then she suddenly let go.

"My apologies, my Lord, I had heard rumors but Bernd
never told me who you were. I will, of course, do whatever you ask." Then
she knelt and bowed her head, as if waiting for me to release her. Oh, hell,
here we go again.

"Rise, Aeva of the Balanos. There is no need for such
decorum between us. I have come to you for assistance, nothing more." I
hated when I had to go formal, but what could I do? Most of the Fae really went
for that High Fae/God stuff and no matter what I said, it always seemed to go there.

"Fear not, spirit of the tree, he is not like Apollo,
or any of the God's before. Believe me, you will get used to it. I have,"
Diantha said, laughing. "He is the strangest God you will ever meet."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence, or whatever it
was," I retorted, looking back at Diantha disapprovingly. "But what
she says is true. I do not seek servants, only allies. So I ask again, will you
help me?"

I clasped her hands once again and helped her up to her
feet.

She stared at me blankly for a moment and I could see a glow
brighten between her and the oak.

"I find this strange as our lands are yours to command.
But if what the Lady says is true, and it must be, for no God I have heard of
would say such things. Whether asked or commanded, I will do as you wish,"
she finally answered. "But I must tell the other Hamadryad of you, and of
what you are, if I am to complete such a task."

"Will they keep this secret until I am ready to
announce myself?"

"They will, but they will also be frightened. We seldom
keep secrets amongst ourselves. We are still of the Dryad, as only our bond to
a specific tree separates us from the other Nymphs."

"Then let me tell you a tale, one that may explain my
actions," I finally replied. I asked her to sit and then I went on to tell
her of what I had learned about myself. Oh, I didn't get into everything, but I
did tell her of my grandmother's sacrifice to save me and the death of my
parents. I also told of her of my meeting with Cacilia and my battle with
Marissa, as well as the attacks on both myself and the other Fae.

"So you see," I said as the story ended. "I
wish not only to announce myself to the Dryad, but to warn them of the evil
that infects us. And while I do not think that Cacilia will challenge me, I do
not know if such evil has already made inroads among our kind. That is why I must
ask this of you."

"I had not heard this tale, only rumors of the High
Fae's return. Such sadness among us," she said as I finished. She stood up
and walked closer to the oak. "I will speak to the others. When do you
wish to go?"