Of Gods and Fae (7 page)

The first thing I noticed when we entered the Fae lands was
the smell. Fresh and clean, not polluted with the trappings of the modern
world. Then I was suddenly overcome by an overload of sensations as the magic
took over. It was if the entire world was flooding in. Like the first time it
happened, I could feel everything and even sense the emotions of those around
me. Then I could feel the Fae, the Hamadryads and Dryads of this world, as well
as others. I tried to hold back but felt myself being sucked in. I fell to my
knees as I tried to slow the sudden input of information. Suddenly, I felt
Siegfried grab me and Charlie's tongue on my face, then with a slap I slowly
came to my senses.

"You must force the magic back," he yelled. "Do
not let yourself be drawn in, look at me!"

I focused on his voice and slowly pulled back. It seemed to
take forever but I was finally able to focus on Siegfried. I slowly processed
what was happening.

"Meredith told me this might occur. I should have
warned you," he said, pulling me to my feet. "I did not think it
would happen so quickly."

"What just happened?" I asked, trying to shake the
cobwebs from my head. "What did she warn you about?"

"She told me that when you touched the water of her
home you could feel the Nereid in the sea," he answered as he took me by
my shoulders. "I have heard of this. It is said that when one goes into
battle with the Gods, their emotions flow into you and strengthen your own."

"Are you saying I can control them?

"No, not control exactly, at least not that I have
heard. But it is said that in battle a God can bolster their subject's
confidence and strengthen their blood lust. Meredith feared that if you became
too connected then the more powerful Fae of this realm may feel your presence
and know that you have come," he replied. "Again, my apologies. She
did not indicate that it could occur by merely stepping into these lands."

"Well, it was definitely a rush. But next time give me
a heads up on things like that," I finally said. I tried to calm myself as
I fought to contain the magic. Unlike the first few times when it had literally
taken me over, I had since learned to focus it a bit and could control it after
a fashion. Well, at least for the most part.

"Did she tell you anything else?" I asked,
wondering once again what surprises were still in store as my hidden past
caught up with me.

"Yes, it may be best that you refrain from using any
magic until we reach the Temple," he said cautiously. "Without full
control it could happen again."

The problem wasn't the magic exactly, it was using it. I
just couldn't control it sometimes. It’s been said that it takes 10,000 hours
of practice to become an expert at something. I was lucky if I'd had 40 real
hours at the magic game. Unfortunately, events were out of my control and the opportunity
to practice was just a hazy dream. As crazy as all this Fae and Demon stuff
must sound like, for me it was the real thing. I paused and looked to see that
everyone was still staring at me.

"I'm fine, really," I said as I reached down and
patted Charlie. Then I noticed the latest addition to our group. She looked
like a medium sized Border Collie, jet black except for a small patch of pure
white at her chest and on the tips of her hind paws.

"You must be Sophie," I said, kneeling down closer
to her level.

"That I am," she replied in that strange way I
could understand and converse with animals. It was easier to understand here.
Just as it had seemed when I travelled to Olympus and conversed with Charlie
during the battle.

"You must not linger here too long," I heard
another voice say.

Turning, I saw another Hamadryad next to the tall oak we had
emerged from. She appeared older looking than Aeva, maybe in her mid-teens. She
was also dressed in a similar garment of white and connected to the tree by
wisps of magic.

"I am Elon," she said with a bow. "All has
been prepared and we will watch for your return. But you must be on your way
soon. The path is not far from here and it is often journeyed by others. Sophie
has brought clothing so you may travel the realm."

"Thank you," I replied as Siegfried handed me and
Diantha the garments that had been brought for us.

"Before I go, I would meet the Aurea that travels with
you."

I gave a nod and Sendy materialized, still in her small Faerie
form. She flew toward the Hamadryad and landed on her outstretched arm.

"Hail sister, well met," Elon said. "It has
been many ages since I gazed upon the face of the wind. May the breezes always
carry you in the light of the sun."

"Thank you, sister of the wood," I heard her
reply. "May the sun shine upon you and may your roots grow deep and never
thirst."

"What's that about," I asked as Sendy flew back to
my shoulder. Elon was already disappearing and I watched as the tendrils of
magic flowed back into the tree.

"We have always been close to the trees," she
replied. "They call to us as our winds and breezes move the clouds and
bring the sun and the rain. She was merely being polite."

"Oh, that was nice," was all I could think of to
say. "Anyway, why don't you go ahead and scout a bit. Let me know if
anything looks strange or you get any word from the Hamadryad. I'll call you if
I need you."

"As you command."

I felt a slight breeze as her wings took her into the air.
While invisible to the others I could see her wake as she flew upwards and was
then lost to my sight as she flew between the trees.

I took a moment to compose myself and then started dressing.
As I put on the clothes Sophie had given me I began to feel like someone making
a movie. I was now dressed in woodland garb that would fit right in any Peter
Jackson film. As a matter of fact, I could think of an Elf or two that might
have used the same tailor. What the hell, I had to assume that she knew the
current fashion trends around here.

I reached up and ran my fingers through my now full head of
hair. It took me a second before I realized I was already in my Fae persona. No
longer a 50 year old male, I now looked 25 or so, and had taken on a Fae
appearance. Glancing around, I saw that Siegfried and Gerda looked younger as
well. Diantha appeared the same, but I had expected that. Her youthful looks
were already influenced by the magic of the jewel she carried around her neck.

"Alright then, where are we heading?" I asked,
looking to Sophie for an answer.

"We go to the
Wayward Elf
. It is not far from
here and there you will not appear out of place," she replied. Damn, it
was almost like talking to another person. I wonder if Charlie would sound that
good.

"
Wayward Elf
! Many travelers will be there and
Handion is known as a good friend." Charlie said, answering my question
for me.

"Whoa, hold on. Another friend?" I asked the large
dog as he started to trot toward the path.

"Friend of my sire."

"Your sire?"

"This is not just your home," Charlie said. "It
is mine as well. I will know friends, as well as enemies."

He started for the path once again and the rest of us
followed. I remembered then that Bernd had told me that Charlie came from a
line of hunting dogs first bred by the God Pan and later gifted to Artemis.
Since I'd gotten Charlie as a pup it was something that never seemed to
register. But I did have to admit that he'd been right so far, and when you
think about it, how often are dogs wrong about that kind of thing.

"Do not worry, my friend," Siegfried said, putting
his arm on my shoulder. "Trust the hounds. They know this place well."

"So it appears," I answered. "But what's an
Elf doing here? And the
Wayward Elf
… well, it sounds too much like
something out of Tolkien. That's not exactly what I expected."

"There will be others beside the Dryad here, as in most
Fae realms. Remember, we are travelers as they once were. As for Elves, they
watch over us in their own way, as such, they are usually found in a meeting
house or tavern. Who knows what the name signifies. Perhaps we will find out."

"I guess," I replied. "Hey, Sophie, what do
you call this place?"

"Where we are going? As I said, the
Wayward Elf
.
It is a way stop and a place of refuge. Food and drink is to be had there."
She had stopped and was looking back at me.

"No, no, I mean this place. This land that the Dryad
dwell in, what do you call this?"

It's amazing what emotions a dog's face can convey. It was
clear to me that she thought I'd just asked a really dumb question. It took a
moment, but she responded.

"This land? We call it Fae, what else?"

The path was just that, a hard packed dirt path that led
through the forest. It was about 8 feet wide and covered in leaves and dead
vegetation that made it feel like carpet. In some places, deep, dark, earth
showed through, but I could feel that some form of magic kept the path clear so
that nothing grew that could cause one to stumble.

As to the forest, it wasn't dark and gloomy, it was
magnificent. The trees were tall and came in many varieties, not just oak. The
sunlight filtered through the trees allowing a not too dim light and you could
see between the trunks for quite a distance. I also heard water running from
streams or maybe a small river. It was peaceful and I felt like I belonged.

Just moments before stepping onto the path Sophie stopped
and turned to face us.

"This is the path between worlds. The
Wayward Elf
is but a short journey. Here we must hunt as it is not proper to enter without
an offering. "

"An offering?" I repeated.

"An excellent point, Sophie," Siegfried said, and
then he bent down to retrieve something out of his pack. "It is only good
manners to bring something to the table." He pulled out a bow and strung
it.

"Isn’t that…" I started to say.

"Yes, one of the Fae bows Delia brought back from
Olympus. I took the liberty of having extra arrows made. They are not as powerful
as true Fae arrows but they will suffice."

I saw then that Gerda had a bow as well.

"What should we hunt?" she asked.

"There is boar not far from here," Charlie said. "And
stag to the left."

"I think I want boar," Siegfried said with a smile.
"Lead on, then." Before I could say a word he and Gerda took off into
the forest after Charlie.

I guess he really is a Fae hunting dog, I thought to myself
as I sat back against a tree, deciding to just enjoy the scenery for a while. Eventually
I turned to Sophie.

"By the way, anything else I should know about?"

"No, a boar will suffice."

Well, that was helpful.

"There is one thing," Delia interjected, turning
to the dog. "When names are used, call him Rupertos. It is best we refrain
from using his true name for now."

"As you say," she replied.

Great, we’ve barely started, my dog's off hunting with one
of my best friends and now I get to be called Rupertos. I still thought that it
sounded too British. Who ever said that it was good to be the king? Wait a
minute, the path between worlds?

"Sophie, you called this the path between worlds, why?"

"This is the traveler's road," she answered. "It
runs along the outskirts of Demeter's city, none without reason may enter any
closer. The trees will not allow it."

I stood up and walked to the path, looking down both ways
before turning back to them.

"Just how much travel is there between the worlds?"
I asked, walking back to where the two were waiting and sitting back down.

"Enough, as Elon said. This is the only road that leads
between the worlds that the Dryad allow others to pass through. So it has been
in all my time."

"So there may be other ways into Fae?"

"That I cannot say. It is said that once all the worlds
were open but now this is the only road that the trees allow outsiders passage."

"Interesting," I said thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?" Diantha asked.

"Just something my aunt told me, about distancing
themselves from the others."

"I don't understand."

"It probably doesn't matter," I answered. "But
if this is the only way in and out for outsiders, then it must be well guarded,
or at least watched. I just hope the Hamadryad are the only guardians. Sophie,"
I said, turning toward the dog. "Are there any warriors in Fae? Any that
travel or guard the path?"

"The Dryad are not weak. There are indeed warrior Fae,
but there is no need for them here. The tree's guard well enough and no
traveler that I have heard of has ever entered the city intending harm, if
that's what you ask." She trotted up to me and sat down. "Charlie and
I have already discussed this. This is Fae, a world of magic, and it knows who
belongs here. Have no fear."

"I hope you're right," I murmured.  It wasn't that
I was necessarily afraid. I mean, hey, we could hold our own against almost
anything. I was more concerned that my being here would be discovered too
early. I needed to make it to the Temple without interference. Maybe I should
have gone straight there, but it just didn’t seem right, I had to know a little
about the place I was laying claim to. Descendant or not, it just seemed like
the right thing to do.

There was a rustling at the edge of the clearing, Siegfried
and Gerda had returned. As he exited between the trees I saw that he carried a
large, dressed boar, draped over his shoulder as if it was no heavier than a
backpack. He was smiling as he threw it down before us.

"The hunting is incredible here," he said with a
huge smile. "Of course, Charlie should be credited, for he led it right to
us."

The big dog took that moment to arrive, landing halfway into
the clearing as he appeared from out of the trees.

"Too long it has been," he barked, then ambled up
to me and lay down at my feet. "Good hunting with friend's Siegfried and
Gerda."

"So, shall we depart?" Siegfried asked as he knelt
down to pat the big dog's head.

"Sure," I answered, standing back up. I sent a
mental image to Sendy and a moment later she appeared at my shoulder. "Anything
out of the ordinary?"

"No, all is quiet. The road is barely travelled for
many leagues," she replied. "There are some houses and inns, a few
Fae out around them, but nothing out of place."

"Okay, we're heading towards a place called the
Wayward
Elf
. Keep watch and let me know if anything comes up."

She nodded and flew off.

Siegfried had returned the boar to his shoulder as we began
walking, following Sophie as she stepped onto the path. I told Siegfried and
Gerda what Sendy had told me and then expressed my concerns about no one else
guarding the way, magic or not.

We hadn’t gone far before Sophie motioned us off the main
path and down another that led to the
Wayward Elf
. I let the others pass
as I stood on the main trail for a moment before following. I was probably
being over cautious, I mean we really hadn’t been here that long. But it seemed
to me that for a path so well-travelled, it was awful empty.

I didn't really know what I expected but the place reminded
me of some type of building right out of medieval England. It was tall, with a
circular tower structure to one side and a 3 or 4 story building on the other.
It was constructed primarily of brick and stone with an archway in the center.
Above that was a wood sided area with two large bay windows. Instead of a
hanging sign, the words
The Wayward Elf
were inlaid in silver metal on
polished wood above the archway. As we passed through the arch we entered a
courtyard compete with stables to the rear and I spied a few cows and chickens
in the field behind. A barn stood there as well. Unlike its 16
^th
century counterpart, the place was extremely clean and smelled of fresh cut
grass.

"Allow me," I heard Siegfried say as he opened one
of the large wooden doors and gestured for Diantha and Gerda to go in. The rest
of us followed behind them.

We entered a large room with walls of brick and wood. A
fireplace with stone mantle took up one wall. It was lit but I couldn’t see any
wood burning. Of course, it must use magic, I thought to myself. The bar ran
the length of another. Wooden tables and chairs of some hand crafted hardwood
were set out throughout the room.

Sophie bounded up to the bar and barked as a tall blonde Fae
with Elven features came up behind the bar top.

"Well, well, Sophie, what have we here?" the Elf
asked as he leaned over the bar to see her.

"I bring friends, travelers in need of rest and
libation," she answered as Charlie strode over. The large dog's head almost
resting on the bar as he looked the Elf over.

"Friends, eh…," the Elf replied as he looked first
at Charlie and then at us. "I am Handion and I welcome you. Is that for
me?" he asked Siegfried as he watched him place the boar down at the table
in front of him.

"Truly," Siegfried replied. "What kind of
guests would we be if we came empty handed?"

"What kind, indeed," he answered before shouting
out. "Karl!"

From behind the bar another Fae appeared.

"Karl, our guests have brought us a gift. See to it, please."

The other Fae, much younger looking with long dark hair,
nodded and went around the bar and picked up the boar as if it weighed nothing
and then immediately carried it back through the opening where he had come
from.

"Sit, please," Handion said, gesturing to a table
near the bar. "It is still early and other guests have not arrived. I have
ale and wine aplenty and you look as if you might be hungry. I will have food
brought out."

Moments later another Elf came out from the back. This one a
woman, blonde and almost as tall as Handion. She was the first female Elf I'd
seen.

"Lotte, guests have arrived and their table is empty,"
he said.

"That will soon be remedied," she replied and then
disappeared. Moments later she returned with a serving tray.

Handion took it and set down cups and glasses, along with two
pitchers and a bottle of wine on the table in front of us. Returning to the bar
he fetched two large bowls and placed them down for the dogs.

"Fresh milk for your furred companions," he said,
rubbing Sophie's head before returning to our table.

"So, my friends," he said, filling mugs from the
pitcher. Taking one for himself he raised it, tilting it toward Siegfried. "I
bid you welcome. It has been many ages since travelers from the North have visited.
Pray, tell me, how goes it in the nine worlds?"

"Thank you for your hospitality. I am Siegfried and
this is Gerda. Our companions, Rupertos and Diantha, and the hounds Charlie and
Sophie you have already met. There is little to tell, all was quiet when I left
Jotunheim as a youth. I have called Midguard my home for many years. Now, my
friends and I travel the different realms, yet perhaps one day we will return."

"Midguard?" the Elf said, suddenly looking around
the room to make sure we were still alone. "Perhaps it would be best not
to mention that too loudly."

"Why?" Siegfried asked, a look of feigned concern
on his face. "I had not heard that travel from that world was forbidden
here."

"Forbidden? No, not forbidden," Handion replied. "But
frowned upon, certainly. The Dryad here are a reserved clan and travel to
Midguard is… discouraged." He began to say more but the front door opened
and another group of travelers entered the room. "We will talk more of
this later," he said, rising to greet them.

I was about to ask Siegfried what he thought, but Lotte took
that moment to arrive at the table, and with her, a tray of meats, cheeses and
breads. Just the aroma of the fresh food got my stomach rumbling. With too many
ears now in the room, I decided to let my stomach do the talking and picked up
a loaf of steaming bread, breaking off a piece and handing the rest to Diantha.
If I learned nothing else for a while I was content knowing that the food and
drink, at least, were delicious.

As the place began to fill with travelers I encouraged the
others to mingle and listen. After a while I stood up and stretched, telling Diantha
that I needed a walk after such a meal. Going outside I milled around the front
a bit before walking out to the field behind the stable where, after feeling confident
I wasn't followed, I summoned Sendy. As before, she appeared at my shoulder within
seconds. Making sure once more that we weren't being watched, I removed a
bundle from my cloak.

"I brought food," I said, sitting down on the
grass. I unwrapped the bread and cheeses I had slipped off the plate earlier
and offered it to her, along with the half bottle of wine.

"Thank you, I am famished," she said growing back
to normal size. She didn’t fully reappear, but she could plainly be seen now,
even if partially transparent. She was learning.

"So what's it look like?"

"Quiet," she answered. "There are more
travelers now, but there is little movement between the outskirts here and the
city." She paused a moment to take a few bites. "The land along the
path is similar to this place. Forest dotted with houses and inns, a few
stables and the like, but little else. "

"Did you see any of it? The city I mean."

"Little, it is surrounded by great trees, many times
larger than those here. The forest is old, perhaps as old as the land itself. I
flew as high as possible. The Temple you seek lies almost in the center. There
is a clearing there and it sits on the land beside a swift running stream. As
for the Dryad themselves, their homes are built in the trees. I could see
bridges between individual trees and structures among the branches and around
the trunks. It is beautiful to behold, but watched, so I dared not go too
close."

"Watched, you mean guarded?"

"Not by warriors, although I do not doubt that they are
within. No, the magic comes from the trees themselves, as if each watches and
protects the Dryad that reside among them."

"Thank you," I said, thinking that if the trees
were the guardians I might have a chance to get in unseen. "One more
thing, how far is the Temple from here?"

"Five, maybe six leagues, although the forest that
holds the city begins in about four."

"Ok, see if you can find some less travelled paths
leading into the old forest, then stay close, I can’t say when we’ll go in but
it may be sooner than I originally anticipated."