by Kimbra Swain
“Uncle Levi, will you stay with me forever?” she asked.
“Of course, Winnie. I’m not leaving you. Neither is your Momma,” Levi said.
“I miss Daddy, but he might not come back,” she said. “I’ll have to use my key to talk to him too.” She still wore the key given to her by the Yule Lads at Christmas. It was so she could talk to her real mother who died before Christmas.
“Winnie, sometimes people have to leave, and those of us who are still here have to make the best of what we have left. We remember them and love them though. I know for a fact that your Daddy loved you so much,” Levi said.
“I love him, too,” she said. “Night, Uncle Levi.”
“Goodnight, Princess,” he said, as he clicked off her lights.
I leaned on the wall in the hallway with tears rolling down my cheeks.
“You said loved. Not that he loves her. Is he dead, Levi?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Grace. That’s the God’s honest truth,” Levi said.
We stood in the hallway staring at each other. I needed something he couldn’t give, and he wanted something he couldn’t have. We were quite the pair. Slowly I walked back down the steps to the living room where I took my nightly spot on the couch. Levi stayed upstairs. I assumed he went to his own room. As I laid down, I heard Astor come in.
“Grace,” he said.
“I’m here,” I replied. He came over and sat on the edge of the couch next to me.
“I’m sorry I bailed on you,” he said.
“I won’t leave you here with them alone anymore,” I said.
“You need someone to look after them while you are out being a queen,” he said.
“I’m a mom first. When I decided to take back the Otherworld, I just assumed I could do it all. I know that I can’t, but there has to be a better way than this,” I said.
He looked down at my face. “Have you been crying?”
“Yeah. I’m fine though,” I said.
“If you would like to talk, I’m here,” he said.
“Thank you, Astor. I just need some rest,” I said.
“Levi is right,” he said quickly.
“He usually is,” I admitted.
“You should be sleeping in a bed,” he said.
“I’m fine,” I replied. He touched my cheek with his rough hand, giving me half a smile. His amber-colored eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. “There is something I want to ask you.”
“Anything,” he said.
“Do you think I should trust Tennyson?”
“He swore a blood oath. He will honor it,” Astor said. “He will honor it or I will kill him.”
Honor and loyalty were important to Astor, so I knew he wasn’t joking. “I killed Nelly today. She was trying to steal the book and the stones from the vault. She said that Brockton sent her, but that Tennyson and Jenny were helping them.”
“Nelly has never been known for her truthfulness. However, Tennyson and Jenny’s story is ripe with deception. Now they just deceive each other. Pretending to hate each other, when they are still very much in love. I didn’t approve of Tennyson’s actions in Camelot, but their love was genuine,” he said.
“Perhaps the redemption that Tennyson seeks isn’t from my father or me, but from her,” I suggested.
“Perhaps. But I think he lost himself somewhere along the way. There are those who say he never wanted to come to the Otherworld after Camelot fell, however, he wasn’t allowed. He was exiled much the same way we are now. Forever to live in the Vale of No Return,” he said.
“The Vale of No Return?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s what this place is,” he said.
“Shady Grove?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s a place for cursed fairies. Exiled fairies. The whole place is cursed,” he said.
“The Perilous Vale. I read about it in Taliesin’s stories. It’s in the songbook,” I said.
“Yes, created by Morgana, who became Rhiannon, my second mother in my second life,” he said. “If you die here, you can’t return through the tree. No reincarnation. No second or third chances.”
“My father died here and so did Jeremiah. They shoved him back through the portal, so he would die here,” I said.
“Whoever killed him insured that he wouldn’t return,” Astor said.
I sat up on the couch with my mind reeling from this information. My circle was connected to the tree. Shady Grove was the place where exiled fairies came to live their last lives. If I died here, there would be no second chance for me. Or Levi. Or Aydan. I climbed off the couch in a hurry and ran up the steps to Levi’s room. I tapped on the door.
“Come in,” he muttered. I opened the door as he rolled over in the bed to look at me. “What’s wrong?” He jumped up out of the bed, pulling power from the air around us.
“We have to go look at the songbook,” I said.
“Right now?” he asked.
“I’ll stay,” Astor said. He had followed me up the steps.
“I just told you that you didn’t have to stay with them anymore,” I replied.
“This is important. Go find out whatever you can. If the Evil Eye curse has fallen on the town, an escalation could wipe out every exile that lives here. None of them would ever return,” Astor said.
“What?” Levi asked.
“I’ll tell you when we get there,” I said walking over to him. “Skip to the vape shop.”
“Let me go first. You follow after a few seconds,” he said. He knew that Nelly had managed to get into the vault. He didn’t want me stepping into another break-in or an ambush.
“Okay,” I said. “Thank you, Astor.”
“At your service, My Queen,” he smiled.
I felt Levi wink out of the room. After five seconds, I followed him.
The vape shop was quiet and dark. We opened the door to the basement, and I followed Levi down the steps. The room illuminated as we passed through it to the portal into the vault. Levi motioned for me to stay, but I grabbed his arm urging him forward. He frowned, then stepped into the vault. The inside was untouched. The strings on his arm played the protection ward song, and I made my way to the book.
Flipping through the pages, I came to the first part I’d remembered reading about the Perilous Vale. “This is it,” I said, pointing it out to him.
He read the passage out loud.
“Thus, it was that the Knight of the Round Table, Ewain, son of Morgan, became the first to be banished to the Perilous Vale. He along with his wife, Laudine, and his Lion moved into that forbidden Wasteland. It was assumed that he was banished by the King because of his mother, but I knew Ewain was a favorite of the King. My gracious ruler once clarified the situation for me. He told me that one day, Ewain came to him offering him his life. King Arthur was astonished that his nephew would present himself for execution. When asked why he should be terminated, Ewain responded that he had no wish to taint the reputation of the King by his connection with his mother. The King admired his sacrifice but refused. Ewain insisted. Therefore, the King obliged by sending him to the Perilous Vale where he could watch over those who were placed there by banishment. Ewain left Camelot taking with him his wife and lion. His wife died giving birth to their daughter, Eleanor. Because she died within the Vale, she ceased to be. The Knight carried on with his lion and his daughter to oversee the Vale. I once traveled to the edge of the Vale to speak to those who lived there. Ewain stood proudly next to his lion with his daughter standing nearby. She was a beauty amongst the banished fair folk. I wished him well before returning to the King to inform him that his Knight lived well.”
“Eleanor? Oh! Ella,” Levi said. “The mayor is Ewain.”
“Yes, and Chaz’s last name is Leopold,” I said.
“What does it mean?” he asked.
“Bold lion,” I replied.
“Holy shit,” Levi said. “Why wouldn’t Astor mention the mayor?”
“Has he met the mayor?” I asked.
/> “Perhaps not. We should talk to him. See if he will tell us any details about Shady Grove since he was the first one here,” Levi said. “I don’t understand why he wouldn’t come forward in the first place. He’s your father’s knight.”
“He was banished here by my father, even if it was voluntary, I can’t expect him to trust me,” I said. “It’s not like I’ve been doing this very long, nor am I any good at it.”
“Grace, you are rolling with the punches. Who cares what anyone thinks or expects of you? I know that you are doing your best,” Levi said.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Still early. 2 am.”
“Yes, too early to disturb the mayor,” I replied. “Do you remember any other passages about the Vale in the books?”
“Yes, there is one other, but I don’t recall it being very informative,” Levi said as he turned the pages of the book to the other passage about the Vale. “Here it is.”
“Within the Vale, a fountain was found that had healing powers beyond what was known. A magic all its own. The fountain could reverse age. I had never seen anything like it. When it was discovered, the King decided to include it in his kingdom, but his sister refused. So, like the tree, the fountain was split between the kingdoms. The Vale contains a grave surrounded by a hedge that opens a passage between the Vale and Avalon, near the fountain. The grave of the great one, Merlin.”
“The portal to the Winter Otherworld at the hedge maze is Merlin’s grave. The portal to the Summer Otherworld at the church is what?” I asked.
“Dunno,” Levi said. “Merlin was banished?”
“He had some connections to the women who were associated with the lake. I can’t remember the tales, but I’m sure that he shacked up with at least one of them,” I said.
“Merlin shacking up,” Levi laughed.
“Shacking up and swappin’ gravy,” I said. “He did teach the women of the lake his magic.”
“It can definitely be magical,” Levi said.
“When did you become such a flirt?” I asked uneasily.
“I’ve always been a flirt. How did you think I got all these women?” Levi asked.
“You look good in a towel,” I said referring to the reason he caught my eye.
“Not all of them have seen me in a towel,” Levi replied.
“I haven’t seen you in one in a while,” I said. Then I remembered why I hadn’t seen him in a towel. His eye darkened, and he turned away from me. “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just playing along.”
“I’m going to call Tennyson,” he said ignoring me. He quickly walked out of the vault back to the vape shop. I closed the book, following him. I wanted to apologize, but I was afraid it would make it worse.
“Hey, it’s me,” Levi said. I could hear Tennyson’s smooth tones through the phone. Then Levi skipped outside of the shop. I followed again but didn’t speak.
“It’s time to come back. Whatever you’ve found is enough,” Levi said. Tennyson responded, and Levi continued in low tones. He wasn’t hiding from me, but he didn’t want Tennyson to know I was here. “We’ve found out things about Shady Grove, and we need answers. I figured you are the best guy for the job.”
I stood in the darkness listening to Levi talk to Tennyson. It was almost as if Tennyson worked for Levi, and not the other way around. Levi’s eyes connected to mine. The light there told me I’d hit the nail on the head. Tennyson was doing Levi’s bidding. How or why, I didn’t understand, but he was.
A loud door slamming from across the street caught our attention. Levi’s tattoo flared under his shirt, and he backed up to put himself between me and the noise. It came from the apartment building where he used to live. Loud voices drifted through the night. The female voice I recognized. It was Jenny.
“Hold on a minute,” Levi said to Tennyson, then took off sprinting toward the noise.
As we approached, Jenny and Malcolm were arguing. Malcolm screamed into Jenny’s face as she backed against the wall. Looking through my sight, the green haze swirled around them.
“You are nothing but a second-hand wench,” Malcolm yelled. “I should have known that you couldn’t stay with me.”
“I haven’t been with anyone else,” she protested. “You, on the other hand, partake of anyone willing.” I realized they were having the same argument that Bramble and Briar had earlier.
“That’s right. I’m an incubus. It’s what we do,” he said. “You are an adulteress, so don’t lecture me about fucking around!”
“The only reason why you can’t keep a woman is because of that shriveled member you call a dick,” Jenny screamed back at him.
Malcolm struck her across the face with a resounding snap, then latched his hands around her neck to choke her. Levi jumped him, but Malcolm scrambled away from him. As he backed away from Levi who was glowing with power, he turned to beg me for forgiveness, but it was too late.
I suppose Tennyson had heard the confrontation over the phone. Before Malcolm open his mouth, a tattooed fist cracked his jaw. The incubus slammed into the ground. There was no stopping the pounding, not that I wanted to. Men should never hit women. Period. Levi left Tennyson to his work and checked on Jenny. A large bruise was already forming across her cheek. Levi’s tattoo played a soothing tone, and he lifted his hand to her cheek.
“Remedy,” he said. The bruise disappeared, and he helped her to her feet.
“Lance, don’t kill ‘em,” she muttered. Tennyson ceased the pounding. His knuckles dripped with blood that flowed from Malcolm’s nose and mouth. Tennyson’s large body pinned the incubus to the ground beneath him. Malcolm’s head lolled back and forth, murmuring something that I couldn’t make out.
Moving closer to him, I was able to hear his cracking voice, “Mercy, my Queen. Please.”
“I owe you nothing. You enthralled one of my subjects. You attacked Jenny. You are lucky that you aren’t dead already,” I said.
A black car with tinted windows approached us. Stopping outside of the apartment building, two large brutes emerged. Stone and Bronx had arrived to retrieve their boss. Tennyson’s suited body loomed over Malcolm.
“Why do you want him to live?” Tennyson asked through gritted teeth. He wasn’t talking to me. He lifted his eyes to Jenny who stepped back at his hardened gaze.
“I didn’t want you to kill on my behalf,” she said. “Not for my sake.”
“My Queen, what is his punishment to be?” Tennyson asked.
“I give his life to you. Do with it as you wish,” I said, looking between him and Jenny. She didn’t love Malcolm. Her eyes fixed on Tennyson who drew a pistol from under his suit coat. He planted the silencer attached to the end of the black gun to Malcolm’s forehead.
“In the name of the Queen of the Exiles and the authority given to me under her realm, I execute your sentence,” Tennyson said, pulling the trigger. I closed my eyes refusing to look at what I had allowed. I knew that one day I would have to deal with Malcolm after what he had done to Kady because he wouldn’t stop with her. I remembered the day he came after me despite knowing my connection to Dylan. There were plenty of nefarious creatures in Shady Grove who held back their darker sides. Malcolm had never held back. I felt Levi wrap his arms around me from behind.
“It had to be done,” he said.
“I know, but that’s two within a short time. I’ll never get used to it,” I said.
“I’m glad you let him do it,” Levi said.
“The burden is the same,” I replied.
“Maybe, but you will share it with us,” Levi replied, squeezing me tightly.
“Take care of this mess,” Tennyson instructed the two men as he rose from the ground.
I freed my arm from Levi’s grasp and snapped. The body of Malcolm, the incubus, dissipated in a cloud of icy dust.
“Never mind,” Tennyson said. “Jenny, are you okay?”
“I don’t, um, yeah,” she said as she stared at him.
The conn
ection between them ignited in a gaze like I’d never seen before in my life. For years they had denied the true bond between them. Jenny married to my father, and Tennyson his most trusted knight separated themselves from their love. Now there was nothing between them. Tennyson’s reaction to Malcolm solidified any doubts that Jenny still had all of his love. Levi didn’t release his hold on me as we watched the two former lovers. As if their bodies were drawn to each other, Jenny stepped toward Tennyson and he moved toward her. Crashing together in a hungry kiss, I felt uncomfortable watching, but it was a legendary kiss. A story to be told.
“I’ve seen enough to tell it,” Levi said. Then he skipped back home.
The sudden loneliness I felt without Levi standing there with me made my heart ache, so I followed in an instant.
Standing in the living room of our home, I stared at my bard in the darkness. The sexual tension between Jenny and Tennyson had affected us. My body screamed for affection, and it was as if Levi could hear its call.
“Go to bed,” I rasped.
“Yeah,” he replied, then hurried up the stairs. I waited until his door closed before heaving a sigh of release. The tension slowly waned. Looking over to the crib, I realized it was empty. Reaching out with magic, I could feel Aydan sleeping upstairs in his bed. Winnie slept soundly as well. Levi remained tense behind his bedroom door, and my knight stood in the kitchen watching me in the darkness.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
I swallowed. “No. Malcolm is dead,” I said deflecting the real issue.
“About time,” he said. “Did you do it?”
“No, I allowed Tennyson to do it. Malcolm went after Jenny. It was partially the spell, but those two were a ticking time bomb,” I said.
“Then you didn’t allow Tennyson, you just gave him permission to do it immediately. Otherwise, he would have hunted him down himself. I can’t say that I blame him,” he said. “It should have been done after you learned about Kady.”