Night and Fae, page 17
part #5 of Vegas Fae Series
"I understand that your quests for the Goddess must remain confidential. But can we assume, at least for the moment, that you have no other such activities planned," Meredith asked, not fooled by my lack of information when it came to Gaea. "At least those that could potentially affect us here." She had been angry that I had gone to Apex without backup, as well as not letting them know in advance. High Fae, or not, I could still be killed.
"Without getting into details," I responded. "Most of my… quests… as you call them, have been out in the open. But to answer your question, I have nothing else planned at the moment."
"Good," she said. "We have enough to deal with without a God running rampant through the city. While I understand why you must sometime commit such acts, that does not make it any easier on our position here."
"I totally agree," I replied. "I'm sorry for any grief my actions may have caused."
"Do not be silly, Robert," she said. "There is no reason to be sorry. We are as concerned about you as anything else. Even if you are a God, you are not invincible, and we are all in this together."
"Thanks," I said. "But can we downplay the God part?"
"Like that's going to happen," Michael said, chuckling. "This from the guy that just inherited the Underworld."
"Indeed," Siegfried agreed. "But let us move on. The renegade Goblins and their human Wizards are still out there. Has there been any word from the Dwarf on what is happening on that front?"
"Not that I'm aware of," I replied. "I know he's gathering supporters, including two Weredragons that just went over. Diantha was doing something for him, but she hasn’t returned, so I haven't heard anything new."
"I can answer that," Nikki said, leaning in over the table. "Bernd is still gathering his forces, waiting for Grerin to make his move. The Weredragons are being used for surveillance, and Diantha has been coordinating some of the movement between here and Fae. While Grerin has pulled back to Dwarfheim since my encounter with his emissary, there is still movement in and out of their lands. Bernd does not yet have the resources to take the offensive."
"We know there's movement between the Dwarf lands and here," Jay added. "We've recovered several more swords during arrests of Goblins and minor Mages and Wizards. They've mostly been small time criminal acts, but the EAB is taking them seriously. Unfortunately, those we capture alive know very little. If I was guessing, it seems like harassing actions just to keep us busy. So far, there's no way of knowing what else they have planned."
"What of the other Demons?" Siegfried asked.
"I think we may have a little help from them on that front," Jay said, glancing over at me. "I've been in contact with their leaders and they're no happier about it than we are. They've taken out a few of the rogues as well."
"Marissa's going to be a problem, too," I said. "I'm sure she'll be gunning for me again, and there's no question her followers are working with the renegade Goblins. Jay, something Browne said has me wondering. What's the EAB's position on Marissa?"
"As of yet, there isn’t one," he replied. "Sorry Dad, I meant to mention it earlier, but since she's been locked away, we don’t really have much on her at the moment. I discussed this with Agent Browne the other day. All the recent activity has been with Stockton's followers. We haven't been able to connect her to anything directly. Stockton, the Wizard that actually planted the portal device and summoned the Demons, is dead. Everything related to that case just points to him trying to rescue her. We can't link her to the others, and since she wasn't in one of our jails, we can’t exactly charge her with escape, either."
"I figured that after what he said," I replied. Unfortunately, magic world or not, the EAB acted on a lot of human principles. Without some direct evidence, there wasn't much they could do. At least not yet.
"Then we are back to the status quo," Meredith said. "At least as far as our activities go. We must continue to support Bernd's Dwarves, of course. Losing a war on that front would leave us all too vulnerable. Robert, what do you expect from Marissa?"
"I honestly don’t know," I admitted. "But I can't believe she'd just go away since I was the one that got her locked up in Tartarus."
"With our help," added Siegfried. "I doubt you will be the only target."
"Good point," I said.
"We've already increased security here," Michael said. "I hate to be reactive, but until we get some better intel, that's about all we can do."
"One more thing," I said. "I know you don’t seem that surprised at this Underworld thing. But I'm not sure of what reaction the other Fae may have, at least initially. I think it'd be best if I removed myself from the Dryad side for now. Nikki is the lawful Queen and there's no reason she can’t assume that role here."
"You realize that that will change nothing," Meredith said. "You are still the most powerful Fae in the area, especially now. Nothing you can do will change that."
"True," I agreed. "But there is still a rift between the Fae and Demons. Even if Hades' Underworld kingdom is not the same as the Demon realms, others may not see it that way. I'd like to keep Nikki and Jay at least one step removed from that. At least for appearance sake."
"As you wish," Meredith replied.
"You know we can take the heat, Dad," Nikki said. "But I can understand your position."
"It won’t make a difference with the EAB," Jay added. "I'm already committed to keeping the two sides separate."
Like that's gonna happen, I thought to myself. There was no doubt in my mind that the EAB would use Jay to get closer to me if they needed something. Especially now that I had just upped the magic game a few notches. But he knew that as well, and we both knew it was just politics.
We continued on with some housekeeping issues, including a discussion of the Knights. I had to leave out the part about Rael's Demons taking one down, but the issue was still worth bringing up, as no one here expected them to just go away. The meeting broke up and both kids headed out. I had a quick conversation with Meredith and Siegfried about their new business relationship with the Lilin, and then Michael joined me as I headed back out to my car.
"That went well," he said as we made it to the elevator. "You looked a little worried when you first came in."
"Yeah, maybe a bit," I said. "I guess I didn’t need to be, but this God of the Underworld thing is just a little too close to the Demon realm to make me comfortable sometimes."
"I understand," Michael said. "But remember, we've got Demons on the payroll, just like the EAB does. Although I can’t wait to hear what Zeke will say about it."
Zeke, also known as Ezekiel, was an Archangel that was known to visit the Earth from time to time. He made it a habit to monitor what happened here with the magical world and had even assisted us in fighting the bad guys on more than one occasion.
"Now that should be interesting."
"By the way," Michael said as we stepped out into the parking lot. "You still owe me a trip to Hades, or at least something from down there as a souvenir."
"The place needs a little sprucing up before that happens," I replied with a laugh. "You won’t believe how much of a mess it is down there. But I'll see what I can do." I already had something in mind in that regard, and I doubted Michael would be disappointed.
"See that you do," he said, then patted me on the back and headed for his car.
I had one more thing I needed to do before I headed home for the day. Picking up my phone I dialed Walter.
"Mr. Ferrer," I said when he answered. "Are you busy at the moment?"
"When you call me mister, I get worried," he said, then laughed. "What can I do for you, Robert?"
"I'm just leaving the Neptune and wondered if you had time to talk. Can you meet me at Danu's in a half an hour?"
"Make it 45 minutes," he replied. "I'm still working. It'll take me a few minutes to clean up my desk and get to my car."
"See you then," I said as I disconnected. I took Dean Martin to Industrial and then hung a left on Wyoming, before turning into one of the old Downtown districts near what was once Fire Station #4. Nestled next to it was Danu's. A place that I'd never known existed until all this magic stuff had started.
There were other Fae bars in town, but none were like Danu's, at least not to me. This one was run by an Elf. Bjartr was his name, and it had been the first Fae establishment I'd ever visited. I'd saved a Lilin by the name of Delia that worked here from a couple of punk Werewolves down the street. We'd even had a thing going for a while. These days she was Ella's right hand gal.
I parked my car on the street and headed for the door below the wooden sign that marked the place. A sign that could only be seen if you were part of the magical world. Carved into the wood was the name painted in white, Danu's, and above it, a hand carved and painted caricature of a female holding a sword while sitting on a crescent moon that shone over a sea. The place was mostly empty so I took a seat at the heavy wooden bar to wait for Walter.
"Ah, Robert," Bjartr said, coming in from the back. He poured some ale into a mug and slid it down the counter at me. "Back from your new domain so soon?"
"So much for keeping anything a secret,"
"Your secret is safe with me," he replied. "Or would be if such a thing were possible. Such magic leaves its own path, and others will notice the change."
"Tell me something I don't know," I said. "But I'll deal with it as I always do."
"Of that I have no doubt," he said with a smile.
"Have you seen Ella?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, I met with her last night, and Lucius as well. He has asked to be reunited with the Lilin, Ella has granted his wish."
"Yeah, he told me that he was going to do that," I said, taking another drink. I had planned on asking him about the Dragons, but Walter chose that moment to arrive. Ordering an ale for him, I winked at Bjartr and then led Walter to a table closer to the back, so we could talk in private.
"I brought you this," I said as I sat down. I laid the short sword I'd found on the human I'd killed at Apex on the table in front of him. "Look familiar?"
"Dwarf made, like the others," he said. There was a gleam in his eyes as he examined it. "As I said before, whoever is bringing these in is being extremely careful. None of my contacts have heard anything about them yet."
"That one's yours," I said as he tried to hand it back.
"Thank you," he said, pulling it back and placing it on his lap. "Most generous. I promise to keep it safe."
"I'm sure you will," I said. "But that's not what I called you for. Tell me, what is it exactly that you do? For the resort I mean."
"What do I do?" he repeated. "You mean as far as employment is concerned?"
I nodded in the affirmative.
"On paper, I'm the VP of Corporate Projects and Engineering," he replied. "In reality, I do a bit more. Why?"
"You once told me that you enjoyed being a blacksmith. I was wondering if you'd ever considered going back to it?"
"Times have changed too much," he said, laughing. "Sure, I still dabble in it a bit, but there isn’t enough real work out there to make it profitable. Not for me anyway. Like I told you before, I don’t have the skills of some of my brethren."
"Could you learn?"
"It's not just learning, it's the magic. Earth fire just doesn't contain enough of it," he replied. "Of course, if you can transport me to Vulcan's forge or Mt. Olympus, then I can probably beat anything made here. But other than that, I doubt it would make much of a difference. What’s this about anyway?"
"I'm looking for… I guess you would call it a project manager," I said. "There's nothing left on Olympus. But I do have a place in mind. You wouldn’t even have to quit your day job. This one's in… well… let's just say it's in a part of Fae. The forge is being built as we speak. Sound like something you'd be interested in?"
The look on his face was priceless when he saw that I was serious.
"You're not kidding, are you?" he said after a moment.
"Not at all," I replied. "Let me tell you what I have in mind."
Two hours later, Walter was walking out the door, and I had a new manager for my project with the Cyclopes. Things were starting to fall into place.
"Thanks Bart," I said as I threw some bills on the bar.
"I do not understand why you insist on paying when you own part of this establishment," he said with a smile, then scooped them up and rang up the tab.
He was right, I did own part of Danu's. I'd invested in it as part of my plan to help out the Lilin. Before they were freed, this was one of the few places, other than the Neptune, that they got a fair shake at. You could thank the Elves for that. They didn’t care what you were. They took it upon themselves to watch over all the different races. Still, I'd never felt like an owner. It was, after all, Fae money that I'd used. I considered myself more of a caretaker than anything else.
"Gotta keep the books straight," I said in reply.
"Of course," he said, nodding, then looked toward the door. "I see you have decided to bring in a son of Vulcanus. Bernd thought that you might."
"Did he now?" I replied. "Which brings up the question. I thought you guys didn’t like to get involved in such things. When I saw the Weredragons…"
"We do not always get what we want!" Bjartr retorted. "As you well know. But we will not stand by and let the Dwarf King return things to the old ways. We have come too far for that. You are correct. We do not like conflict, but that does not mean we will not fight to end it." He straightened up and laid his towel down on the bar. "My apologies. I did not mean to reply so harshly. Let us talk of more pleasant things. Perhaps the worst will not come to pass."
Wow, that was the first time I'd ever seen the Elf angry. It was true, for the most part Elves were pacifists. But I'd seen this one pick up a sword and fight alongside of me when we were attacked by Mages and Demons. They were an ancient race. Gentle creatures for the most part, content to nurture those that they had decided to help. But like I said, I’d seen him fight, and I wouldn’t want to be on the opposing side when they decided that it was time to join the war.
Chapter 16
Not again, I thought to myself as I walked toward my car. I caught the first whiff of evil as soon as I stepped out of the door. I'd been ambushed a few times when I'd visited Danu's, and it looked like it was going to be another one of those days. It really wasn't surprising. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that this is one of the few places in town that cater to the Fae but, because of its very nature, it was open to almost anyone from the magical realms. It wasn't like they had guards surrounding the place. Well, I hope they were enjoying the hunt, because it was about to go very badly for them.
Someone was playing hardball, but then again, so was I. I snatched the Fae arrow that came at me out of the air, twirled and sent it back toward the alley where the assailant had come out of. I heard a grunt and the whoosh of air as he exhaled for the last time as the arrow hit its mark. Someone advanced from the other side of the building and I turned to face him, sword in hand. This one was clumsy, and I barely had to move to block his attack. He fell to the ground as my sword thrust pierced his heart. As fast as it had started, it was over, or so I thought. Something else filled the air now. The smell of disease and pestilence.
It came out of the alley as a swarm of flies and insects that slowly formed into a caricature of a man. This one was much more defined than the one I'd fought at Apex. Mimicking the human form, the head was made of flies. Roaches crawled in and out of its sightless eyes and flaring nostrils as a swirling hole took shape on the face. A mouth appeared and began to speak in a croaking bark.
"Well. Played," it said, sounding as if it was having difficulty speaking the words.
Well played? I thought to myself. What the hell kind of Demon says well played?
It began to laugh and then its shape began to swell. A moment later, the swarm swirled down upon the body at my feet. I took a step back as the buzzing sound intensified. Seconds later, the swarm reformed and the body was gone.
"Goblin," the Demon said, the face reappearing briefly before the flies and insects began to move faster. As they sped up, the form became larger. In a moment, I was staring at the figure of a human male. Mid 30's or so, with dark hair and hollow eyes. He wore a light grey suit with matching shirt and tie. His shoes, made of some fine leather, were grey as well. He raised his hand to his face and sniffed his finger, then placed it in his mouth.
"Not very tasty," he said, making a face. He licked his lips as he spoke, then looked me up and down as pulled out his kerchief and wiped his hand. "You are not what I expected."
"I get that a lot," I replied. He hadn’t attacked, so I willed away my sword. "You didn't send them?"
"They were already here when I arrived, if you must know," he said, not taking his eyes off of me. "Friends of the Necromancer, unless I miss my mark. But they have a new master, or at least so I've been told. The old one rots in an EAB cell. Your work, I believe. No longer my concern."
"Then why are you here?" I asked, not knowing where this was going. Oh, I knew who he was. The flies were a dead give-away. Then I remembered what Rael had said… about the Demons I'd cast out. Oh great! Just what I need. A frigging turf war with one of the Devil's Princes, and I thought the day was going to end well.
"I thought Hades had returned," the Demon replied, putting the cloth back in his suit pocket. "Yet I find you here in his stead. We had a deal, he and I. Does it still stand?"
"Hmm…" I replied. It was best not to show weakness so I patted my pockets as if looking for something, then shrugged. "Don’t remember seeing anything about any deal. What were the specifics?"
