Night and fae, p.3
Night and Fae, page 3
part #5 of Vegas Fae Series
"Did you bring the sword?" she asked, ignoring my question. She set her wineglass on a table.
To the point after all. I removed it from my pocket and handed it to her. She took it and extended the blade, examining it before handing it back.
"I have seen this type of weapon before."
"What can you tell me about it?"
"In a moment," she said, picking up her wine glass. "First, tell me who you took it from."
I gave her the nickel version of tonight's events. Up to and including handing over the still living Goblin to Al.
"Unfortunate that you had to kill him," she said. "Al tells me the other one knows nothing of any value."
"That much I already knew," I replied. I drained the rest of my glass and set it down next to hers.
"So do you like it?"
"Like what?" I asked, thrown off a bit by the sudden change of topic again.
"The painting, of course," she replied, walking back to the mantle.
"It's very nice," I said, holding out the hilt. "Can we get back on track here? Do you know where this came from?"
"Come with me," she said, walking back toward the kitchen.
I put my glass on the table then followed her to a set of French doors, which she opened. She stopped in the doorway and waited for me to catch up. "The answer is yes," she said, whispering in my ear. "To both questions." Then she spun around and led me into the yard.
Looking through the doorway, the yard looked like any other you'd find up here: pool, spa, and desert landscaping with a few patches of well-manicured lawn. There was even a casita. But when I stepped into the back, I crossed the magic veil that hid what was really there.
It was hot. Not middle of the desert, dry hot, either. Here it was humid, and the garden that I'd just walked into was as impressive as anything I'd ever seen. Lit by bright moonlight, the pool was now a lagoon, with water falling from a small pond that used to be the spa. As to the rest of the yard, I should have been envious. It was a tropical setting like something you'd see in a travel magazine. Almost as if someone had dropped a piece of Jamaica, or some other Caribbean country, right smack dab in the middle of the desert. This was different, I had to admit.
"Not what you expected?" she asked, standing a few yards from me next to some trees and ferns that blocked whatever was behind them.
"I'm not sure what I expected," I admitted. "To be honest, I don’t even know why I'm here, or why you suddenly agreed to see me."
"Show me your true self," she said, ignoring my questions again.
I switched to my Fae persona as she pulled off her shirt. Unbuttoning her jeans, she slipped through the foliage into whatever was beyond.
What the…? I said to myself as I scrambled to follow. I didn’t know what her game was but suddenly I wasn't interested in playing by her rules anymore. This just wasn't getting anywhere useful. I was just about to say something that would probably earn me a slap in the face as I started to follow her between the foliage. Here was another veil of magic, but this one was different. Like walking against a wind, it got stronger the more I pushed forward. Then suddenly, it was gone and just when I thought I was in, I hit a wall. Only it wasn’t a wall, it was her.
Gone was her human persona. In its place stood the most powerful looking Demon I had ever come across. Wait. I briefly recalled that spider like creature in Hades we'd avoided at Cronus' tower. From Charlie's description, it had probably been pretty damn powerful. But since I hadn’t actually seen it myself, I guess it didn’t count.
The Demon had her face. But that's about where the similarities ended. Now she was at least 15 feet tall. Colored in hues of brown, silver, and red, her huge wings spread outward, blocking everything behind from view. They were black as night, and made of feathers, unlike the rest of her, which was covered in small scales down to her cloven hooves. Her horns were smaller than I would have expected. Almost dainty for a being her size. Sprouting up from above her pointed ears, they were ringed and twisted upwards, before pointing back behind her head.
"Not what you expected?" she asked, for the second time.
"Not really. But if it's any consolation, I think I like you better this way," I replied. "Especially the wings." If she was trying to intimidate me, it wasn't going to work. It was my turn. "And you should know that I caught a Knight not far from here earlier tonight. She was stalking this place. She's not going to cause you any more problems but I'm guessing that someone knows that you live here."
Her eyes blazed red for a moment and her wings flared. "Which Order?"
"Brothers and Sisters of the Sword."
"A nuisance," she said, as if we were talking about a pest. "You killed her, I hope."
"Sorry. I couldn’t do that," I admitted. "She was a Null. She's safely tucked away for now, but I'm going to have to turn her over to the EAB soon."
"Samson will love that," she said with what looked like a disapproving frown. He was the head of the EAB and a descendant of a Fallen Angel himself. "A Null, was she? They are becoming resourceful. I will have to take that into account and update security. Thank you for telling me."
"No problem," I replied, thinking that she took that rather well, especially for a Demon.
She began to laugh. "Perhaps some of the rumors about you are true after all." It was deep, rumbling laugh, not one you'd want to hear if you were alone and in the dark.
"Can we dispense with the theatrics now?" I asked, wondering which rumors she was referring to. I also wondered about her lack of concern over the Knight, but then I thought of my own reaction to folks that wanted me dead. I guess it's just the price we pay for what we are. I switched back to my human persona.
She placed her clawed hands on her hips and stared at me for a moment. Then she shrank down before my eyes, returning to the persona of the woman she had been before. Now naked, she shrugged, then raised a hand and turned, pointing to a small open area that was behind her. Fire burned in a stone pit that was shaped like a pentagram.
I stepped around her and looked to where she was pointing. Next to the fire pit were two tall poles. On both, a body was impaled.
"You taking lessons from Vlad?" I asked, stepping closer to see who they were. Both held Goblins, their blue skin pale from the blood loss. One had a sword similar to the one I had taken earlier buried in his gut. There was no doubt that she'd done this while he was still alive, his face still hideously contorted from the agony at the moment of death.
"Who do you think taught him?" she replied, walking up beside me. She pointed to the Goblins. "These two were street creatures. I'm sure you are familiar with the type. They prey on the weak, those that use drugs or too much alcohol. They got ambitious and were going to rob the Goblin bar. Not a wise decision. Both carried human weapons, but that one also carried a sword like the one you showed me. They were also better versed in magic than many of their kind. The sword bearer claimed it was given to him by a Mage, one who also taught him the spells."
"Did you get a name?"
"He did not know it. If he had, he would have told me." She tilted her had back as a slight smile formed on her lips. "I was very thorough. Nor could he offer any worthwhile description. Their meetings were held in secret, mostly in abandoned places throughout the city. The Mage was hooded and always careful, contacting him with little notice and telling him where to be. He was offered power and weapons in exchange for future services. Like a fool, he accepted." She walked to the other side of the pit.
"I believe you will find this one interesting as well," she continued, pointing to a body lying on the grass. It was human. He appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed like the others in jeans and a hoodie. It didn’t take an ex-cop to tell how he died, the gunshot wounds to his chest were obvious.
"Nice shooting," I said as I kneeled over him. What the hell was a human doing with Goblins?
"That would be Al's bouncer," she replied. "He surprised them in the alley and they attacked him."
"The Goblins were working with a human." It was a statement, not a question. "What did they say about him?"
"Only that they'd met him through the Mage," she said as she knelt beside me. "They swore that the human did not know what they were, but they were lying. Such carelessness, by itself, warranted their deaths, and they knew it. Personally, I think he may have introduced them."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because he was carrying one of these." She bent down and picked something up, tossing it over to me as she stood. "I believe you've seen one before. He tried to summon someone when they were discovered… or perhaps he was trying to escape. Either way, he was killed when it began to shimmer."
Fast thinking, I thought to myself, as I looked at the remains of the cellphone. It had burned from the inside out. Oh, great, that's all I needed. I wondered if Mal, my friend and computer expert, as well as Sendy's human boyfriend, or even the EAB had had any more luck figuring out how they worked.
She waved her hand and the three figures burst into flames.
I put my arm up to shade my face, the heat so intense that, within moments, nothing remained but a small pile of ashes. So much for evidence. Not that I really cared since I had the phone, although I would have liked to have examined the other sword.
Turning, she led me back through the gateway and toward the house, picking up her clothes on the way. After a brief stop back in the kitchen for the wine and glasses, she led me to the small pool that fed into the lagoon below, and then lay her clothes down beside it.
"It is time we talked," she said as she stepped into the steaming water. "But I've had a long day and I need the heat. So you can join me, or if you prefer, stay out there and sweat. It's up to you." She sighed and then slid down into the water, letting it cover her completely.
Whatever happened to having a conversation at the table? Unfortunately, she had a point. Fae, or not, I was already sweating and I could feel the back of my shirt clinging to my skin from the oppressive humidity. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the steaming pool. Damn! You could cook a meal with water this hot!
"I thought you Demons liked dry heat!" I said when she resurfaced, thinking I might have been better off sweating. "But I'm in, so talk. What have you learned?"
"Nothing else of any value from these two. But I will tell you that I have come across blades like this before. They are Dwarf made and unlike those that they would carry. Clearly then, they were forged for the other races."
"I was afraid of that," I admitted. I didn't know a lot about Dwarf weapons, but from what little Bernd had mentioned, I did know that Dwarves used tactics similar to those of the old Roman Legions. Shields and short swords, as well as battle hammers.
"Were you?" she asked, sounding almost surprised. She reached up and behind the rocks and pulled out the bottle of wine she'd brought from the house. Filling two glasses, she held one out to me. "The Dwarves have long stayed hidden. Perhaps you can explain why their weapons are suddenly appearing again."
"Why ask me? I wasn’t even sure where it came from until just now." I took the wineglass, taking a drink before setting it down. I hadn’t expected the Dwarves to make a move so soon, especially here.
"Come now," she said. "It is no secret that your kind seek out such things. I have not forgotten your last war. If the Dwarves are forging such weapons again, then surely the Fae are involved, and since you are… What do they call you? A High Fae? Who else would I ask?"
"… and Demons are all nuns," I replied. "But if you must know, the Dwarves are in a war of their own. The fact that they're seeking allies here doesn’t surprise me, but blaming me isn’t going to solve the problem."
Okay, so I was stretching the truth. I really hadn’t expected the Dwarves to risk the can of shit that would open if they started to meddle with things here in the human world. But it did make me wonder. Were they aware of Bernd's return? I'd have to see what I could find out when this little chat was over.
"Perhaps not," she said, the smile still on her face from the Demons are all nuns remark. "I'll admit that you have played fair with the Goblins, and I have not overlooked your actions with the Lilin."
"I'm curious. Why should you care about that?" I asked. "Why is a Demon like you suddenly getting involved with the Goblins? Not to sound like an ass, but I didn’t figure you for someone who'd want to get involved in such things. Soul collector, maybe, but not an arbitrator or advisor."
"I do not harvest Souls," she said, sarcastically, and then pushed herself up and sat down on the edge of the stone, dangling her feet in the steaming water. She smirked. "Although I do admit to trading one or two to those of my kind that do, on occasion."
"That still doesn't answer my question," I said, grateful for the excuse to get out myself.
"Nor have you answered mine," she said. "But if you must know, they contacted me, as did some of the other…" She waved her glass in the air. "Creatures of the dark, if you will. There is much tension between the Fae and our kind. Some felt they needed someone to intervene. As it turns out, it is not that different from my work in the human world."
All I knew about her position in this world was that she was some kind of consultant. But I had to admit it made sense. Except for those that worked for the government, the so called dark creatures seldom got the respect they wanted from the Fae. Not to mention the fact that they were never consulted when things happened. I had been willing to try and change that but it's hard to break through so many years of hatred and distrust. Where Al had agreed to at least meet with me over issues, my messages to Rael had gone unanswered. Yet here I was.
"I seem to recall reaching out to you before."
"Which is why I asked to meet with you tonight. I have decided to accept your offer." She stood up and retrieved her clothes, whatever moisture still left on her skin turning to steam. After we got dressed and went back inside, we talked more, discussing the Dwarves interference as a start. I told her about the feud between the two factions, as well as my standard version of why I'd become involved in all this, including some of my conflict with Marissa, my enemy, the dark High Fae. She in turn, told me a little about her own history. Turns out that Siegfried was right, Demons and Fae might not be that different after all.
"One more thing," she said as we wrapped things up. "Knights notwithstanding, I would prefer that no one knew we were communicating, at least for now, and that you keep my human identity secret."
"I can agree to that in part. But when it comes to dealing with the EAB, I can’t promise you that I can always do that. As to your human identity, I don’t even know what name you go by, so that shouldn't be a problem." I already knew I had to turn the Null over to the EAB, and there was going to be no way to avoid telling them where I'd captured her.
"Samson can be trusted, at least as far as my identity is concerned. But as to the others, I must insist you keep our association secret. Al, of course, is an exception. It is hard enough to keep my human life separate from this one, as you have found out on your own."
"I can do that, but you need to know that my EAB contact is my son. I would prefer not to change that."
"I have met him," she said, watching my reaction. "From the look on your face I can see that you were not aware of that fact. As such, I will not object to you sharing that information with him."
"Agreed," I said with a chuckle, and then we talked some more. Later, I realized that she never did tell me what name she went by in the human world.
Chapter 4
I hung up the phone as the gate opened and pulled into the driveway. I'd been talking with Jay. He was living in town now, staying with Nikki until he could find a place. I told him what had happened and he arranged for someone to come and pick up the Knight we had captured, figuring I'd have a little time to talk to her before they could get here. Not my original plan, but for some reason I decided to play this one by the rules. Besides, it wasn't like she was really the enemy.
She'd have taken a holy oath to be what she was. I'm not necessarily a religious person, at least not the organized kind. But since I was stuck in a world where I knew Demons and Angels were real, I also knew that what she had been doing was right… from her point of view.
"Where'd you put her?" I asked Lucius. He was standing in the hallway next to the kitchen as I walked into the house.
"She's out back," he replied. "Sitting by the pool… and before you get huffy, I had to knock her on her ass a few times before she became sensible. She finally gave me her word that she wouldn't try to escape. As a Centurion, that was good enough for me. Of course, Charlie is keeping an eye on her as well."
"Going soft on me?"
"No. But this one is an honorable foe. Spunky, too. I would have loved to spar with her, but I couldn’t tell her about my past. I separated out some of the nastier items in her bag. Specifically, those that would pose a danger to your kind. What do you plan to do with her?"
"EAB's on their way. Nothing I could do about that. She's a Null."
"Really?" he said. "I've heard of them. Didn’t seem any different to me, but then again, why would she?"
I walked out into the backyard and onto the patio to find her sitting in a chair next to the pool. Without the extra padding of her Ghillie suit, she looked even younger. Early 20's, tops, with long blonde hair, braided at the back. Charlie was nearby, standing guard. She heard me as I opened the door and looked up.
"You!" she said, jumping up from the chair. She clenched up like she was going to spring at me, then thought better of it. Instead she spat on the ground and then sat back down. She crossed her arms and glared at me. "Where are my things?"
"Put away," I replied. "I'm afraid your rifle is damaged."
"And my kit?"
"Safe." I said. "Less the items that could cause anyone harm. What is your name? Mine is Robert, by the way."
"Belina," she said.
"Named after the Saint?"
"What is this place," she asked, a moment later, ignoring the question. She got up and walked to the other side of the pool, staring at the trees that bordered the yard. Reaching out and touching one of them before turning back to me. "Something prevents me from crossing. Is this magic? Are you a Sorcerer in league with the Demon?"
