Return of the High Fae Page 27

  I waved the sword hilt; suddenly the sword itself emerged like some magic metal version of a light saber. Startled, I almost dropped it. "And this...maybe a warning about what the damn thing does would have been nice!" I put my arm down and watched as the sword retracted into the hilt. I guess I should be more grateful, I mean, we had won and all, or at least I think we did.

  "You have been among the humans for far too long," he said. "Elithia died a noble death and will shine among the stars. As for your hound," he continued, walking over to Charlie, "this I do in answer."

  He bent down and grabbed the big dog's leg between both hands. Charlie's leg began to glow and when Motgnir stood back up, the leg was healed. "Not since the Gods last walked this earth have I done such a thing. I will not do so again. I have done what I must; the rest is up to you.

  "As for you Robert, you have earned the sword, but the war is not yet over. You have allies and weapons but there is still much that you must overcome." He walked back to the oak tree and turned to Bernd. "I leave it to you to teach them further, I have fulfilled my pledge."

  There was a flash and he was gone.

  Siegfried and Diantha just stood there but Delia threw down her sword. "Fae, you have too many Gods and too many problems," she said with a note of disgust as she looked over at Bernd. "Tell me the truth, Dwarf, does his promise of freedom still stand?"

  "Robert has pledged it," he replied with a nod.

  "What if the other had triumphed?" she asked as she fingered the string of her bow, her arrows still sheathed.

  "Then it would have been short lived," he answered.

  "I thought as much," she commented and then slung the bow across her back. "I wish to take my leave for now. Siegfried, can you return me to Danu's?"

  "I can," he answered. "We have had enough excitement for one evening. There is still much to discuss but tomorrow is another day." He bent down and patted Charlie and Lucinda, who was by now back in cat form. "You both fought well."

  Charlie gave him a few licks and Lucinda purred as he straightened back up.

  "Diantha, will you ride back with us?"

  "I'll give her a ride," I answered before she could respond.

  "That will be fine," she said.

  "Before you go," Bernd chimed in. "You are all owed an explanation. There is still much to explain, but this I will tell you now: You have fought bravely, and because of your actions the light has prevailed. Although I had not foreseen Ouranos' additional gift of time by his imprisonment of Marissa, there is still danger. She may be imprisoned but the darkness has not been defeated. Her allies will not take kindly to her confinement, temporary or not."

  He walked up to each of us and took our hands (or paws) in his, nodding in thanks as he did so. Then he turned to me.

  "Prior to Apollo seizing the temple at Delphi, it belonged to the Titans. These were the daughters of Gaea and Ouranos." He looked over at Diantha for a moment before continuing. "When he slew the dragon that guarded it, the Oracle at Dodona foretold that as punishment for his heresy, Gaea had decreed that the Gods, whom she already saw had become petty and corrupted, would consume themselves in darkness. This much you can see has come true.

  "As the story goes, one Fae, a Dryad, prayed to Gaea for forgiveness as the battles between the Gods threatened not just hers, but all the races. Gaea is said to have appeared before her in a grove of oak, and this particular Fae offered her life if Gaea would only spare her people.

  "Gaea, moved by this gesture, told this Dryad that, in time, she would see that the High Fae return. But, when such time arose, she warned, the Fae would have to make a choice—light or dark. Whichever triumphed would decide their future."

  "Why would she do that?" I asked. It didn't seem to make sense.

  "Who can know her mind?" he shrugged. "Gods are fickle and their desires do not always coincide with those of their creations. But I believe she offers us a choice, a chance to restore the honor of the Fae, or, if we fail and the darkness prevails, then the dark Fae's thirst for power will set fire to the human world as sure as it burns those of the Fae. Remember, she is a God and can always start over."

  "Heaven or hell. Just dandy," I sighed.

  "A human concept, but in this case it may describe the situation accurately. But enough for one night, we will talk more of this tomorrow. Know that you have proven yourself and that the return of the High Fae has stemmed the darkness, if even for only a short time. You should all get some rest, you have earned it."

  "Fine, I've had enough for today," I said in reply. "Delia, will you join us tomorrow to discuss this further?"

  "I will," she answered, "if you will still meet with the Elder as well as proclaim our freedom to the rest of the Fae."

  I nodded in the affirmative and then we stood up and walked out to Siegfried's SUV to say our goodbyes. Siegfried stopped in front of the driver's door and clasped my hands.

  "Thank you for everything, my friend," I said, and then hugged him.

  "Thank you," he answered, removing his Fae sword and putting it into the SUV. "Until tomorrow, then."

  "Until tomorrow," I repeated and then walked around the vehicle.

  "Delia, thank you as well. I am sorry to have dragged you into this but I'm glad you were there. We wouldn't have made it without your help."

  "Then we are even," she replied as she got into the passenger side. "We will talk more soon," she said as she pulled the door closed.

  She hadn't sounded happy but I probably wouldn't have been either had the roles been reversed. At least she had agreed to come back. Siegfried started the Escalade and Diantha and I watched as he drove out towards the street.

  Charlie and Lucinda had disappeared so we walked back into the house alone. Diantha sat down at the table and I started a pot of coffee.

  "There is one more thing," Bernd said as he walked over and placed a crystal bottle on the table in front of me. It was cloudy in color but I could tell it held 4 or 5 ounces of a thick, red liquid. The stopper was sealed with wax. "You will need this if you truly plan to free the Lilin."

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "When the Lilin surrendered to the Fae their oath was bound by the blood of their tears." He picked up the bottle and swirled the contents as he held them up in front of me. "Their tears are tears of blood, you see. This vessel contains one tear from every Lilin that survived that day, their oath, bound by the tears in this bottle. When opened by you, they will be released from their bond." Then he handed me the bottle.

  "Keep it safe until you are ready to use it. We will talk more of this," he said as he walked towards the back door. Then he just vanished.

  I stared at the bottle for a moment and then glanced at Diantha. She didn’t say anything so I went into my office and put the bottle into the safe.

  Returning to the kitchen I saw that the coffee was done. I reached into the cabinet and pulled out a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy mug with an emblazoned number 42 on it and filled it. Taking a sip I leaned back against the counter and just looked at her. There was one more thing that I had to do.

  "Anything you want to add?" I asked, not forgetting that Marissa had called her Apollo's whore.

  "Well," she began, "he grew his balls back."

  I would have spilled my coffee if I wasn't so angry.

  "She knew you," I countered, ignoring her reference to Cronus cutting off Ouranos' testicles and scattering the bits in the ocean.

  She looked to one side as if she was embarrassed. "I didn't recognize her at first, but when I saw her face it startled me. You're right, I had met her before. But it's not what you think."

  I didn't say a word for a moment or two. I just stood there, sipping my coffee. "Convince me," I finally said.

  She stood up and began to pace in front of the table, pausing every now and then to see my reaction. "It was 40 or 50 years ago, before I found the job in Pahrump. I was in Vegas working as a masseuse. Times were different then, and it was still a small town, nobod
y asked too many questions. She showed up one day and confronted me in the parking lot of my apartment. She knew who I was."

  "What did she want?" I asked as I reached out with my magic to look for deception.

  "She was looking for Fae," she said, and then her tone changed. "Fine, I knew she was evil and, no, it didn't matter, but that doesn't mean I trusted her. She offered to return my beauty but I could tell it was a lie. Anyway, I convinced her I was hiding and the last thing I wanted to find was a Fae.

  "She acted like she might believe me but I didn't stick around to find out. I'm not supposed to be able to die, but she frightened me. I am no coward but there are things worse than death. So I disappeared for a while and then wound up where you found me. I never saw her again until today."

  "For what it's worth, my Lord, I'd hear rumors now and then, people disappearing, most likely Fae from their descriptions. That's why I was so nervous when you showed up." She sat back down. "That's all I know. I stayed away from everyone until you came along. I hope that helps."

  I pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. Diantha's information was disturbing. As best I could tell she was being truthful. I knew Diantha had her own agenda, but I think Marissa had frightened her. And she was right; there were things worse than death. Besides, she saved our ass back there and had proven herself. No, something else was bothering me.

  What had Marissa been doing in Vegas 40 or so years ago? Was she looking for Fae in general or was she searching for a particular Fae? Had she possibly been searching for me, or maybe my parents? Once again I didn't have enough information. But if she had had anything to do with my parent's death, even Tartarus wasn't safe for her. I banged my cup on the table, spilling coffee.

  I didn't move as Diantha stood and fetched a towel and then cleaned the spill without a word. Then I felt her warm hand caress my cheek.

  "I am sorry to have disturbed you so, my Lord."

  That got my attention. "No, I'm the one that should be sorry, for doubting you," I said as I reached up and clasped her hand. "You really came through tonight. If you hadn't shot her when you did it could have been a lot different, I owe you one."

  "Well then," she replied in a mischievous tone. "In that case I know just what you can do to thank me." She began to unbutton her blouse. After a few buttons were loose she wrapped her arms around my neck again. "There is so much that we can do before tomorrow," she whispered as she kissed me.

  To hell with it, I thought. It'd been a long day, and worrying about things wasn't going to change the past, or the future.

  "You're right," I said with a smile as I returned her kiss.

  Let's face it, what good is being with an Oracle if you're not going to heed her advice?

  The End

  About the Author

  Tom Keller is a retired cop and former computer forensic expert who's also spent time as a Federal Public Defender investigator. Back in the early days he was a busboy, a cook, and a shoe and real estate salesman. He's taught courses at the local Community College as well as lectured to others in his field on a variety of topics. These days he works as a P.I. in Las Vegas, Nevada. A place he's called home for over 40 years.

  He had a website design business back in the days when you still accessed the Internet by modem. He's sold model airplanes and electronics on the web and eBay. He even had his own TV show for a season or two (okay, it was really low budget, better call it no budget, and it was on UHF for those of you that remember those kinds of things. But, hey, it did snag a 2.0 share one episode). He collects toy space guns, lunch boxes, and coffee cups among other memorabilia. If he had a personal card it’d probably say something like ‘specialist in generalities,’ or as his brother would say, polymath.

  Tom is still married to his college sweetheart and spends his free time with his family and spare time writing. Return of the High Fae is his first book in the Vegas Fae series. His second book, Of Gods and Fae, is currently available on Amazon.

  Social Media:

  http://www.facebook.com/tomsbooks

  http://twitter.com/Dryadsgarden

  Email:

  tom@tomsbooks.com

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  About the Author

  Table of Contents