“Not everything,” I said, glancing out the window at the ruins of our once-beloved city. “Not for a while, anyway.”
“So what’s the plan?” Talia said. “There must be a way to fix all the damage Zane and his crew have done.”
I sighed. “The money Tas stole from the casino should go a long way towards that. Unfortunately, I’m not that good with numbers. We’re going to need somebody with an eye for details. What we need is a good mayor.”
It took Tas a moment to realize we were all staring at him. His eyes widened, and he took a step back with his hands in the air. “Whoa! No, Hank. Just no! I’m not that kinda guy. I am not a politician, I’m a-”
“Hacker?” I said. “I know, Tas. But the city needs someone like you. Someone who can get things moving in the right direction, start the rebuilding. Maybe even make things better than they were before.”
He blinked. “Better? How so?”
“Oh, I don’t know... maybe a better electrical grid, or an updated tram system. Or aquaponics... there’s a lot of stuff a guy could do.”
His eyes grew wider. “The mayor can do all that?”
“Sure,” I said. “The mayor sets policy for the entire city.”
“Of course, you’d have to get elected first,” Gen said skeptically.
“Not necessarily,” I said.
They all looked at me.
“The city has no government right now,” I said. “Even the police force has been disbanded. The only person with any jurisdictional powers right now is the-”
“Steward!” Butch said. “Yer a genius, Boss.”
I turned my attention back to Tas. “What do you say? I could appoint you provisional mayor to get things started. We’d have to arrange for an election pretty soon, maybe a year down the road, but in the meanwhile, you could do a whole lot of good.”
“Like building a new police department,” Gen said.
“Maybe.”
She narrowed her eyebrows. “Maybe what? We need to have a police force, Hank!”
“Maybe.”
She crossed her arms. “Do you honestly think that just because you’re Steward, you can overrule the police, that you can veto them out of existence?”
“No, but I sure as hell can decide who they’re going to be.”
She narrowed her eyebrows. “What are you saying?”
“We don’t need a police chief. The fae never had one before. A Steward is what we’ve always had. Law enforcement is the Steward’s responsibility, and it’s time I started living up to it. From now on, we’re going to be doing things a little differently.”
They were all staring, speechless. I wasn’t done: “In the meanwhile, I’m going to need some deputies. Maybe a couple of good detectives...” I glanced back and forth between her and Talia as I said this. “Any takers?”
Butch cleared his throat. “Actually, Boss, I’ve been meanin’ to talk to you about that. See, now that the kids are a little older, Talia and I have been talking-”
It was my turn to be shocked. “You want to go back to work?” I said.
“Well, I was going to ask for my old job, and Talia was maybe gonna rejoin the force. But now that the Steward and the police chief are gonna be the same person...” He glanced at his wife, looking a little uncomfortable. Talia leaned in, lowering her voice:
“What’s your policy on fraternization, Hank?”
I grinned. “I love it.”
“This all sounds great,” Gen said, “but we don’t even have a police department.”
“What’s left of the old one?”
Gen wrinkled up her nose. “Trust me, you don’t want to go there. The best thing for that place would be a bulldozer.”
I looked at Tas. “Well, how about it, Mayor?”
“Maybe tomorrow,” he said. “I need to get some rest, and you need a hospital.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “A few hours of sleep and I’ll be good as new.”
“Where you stayin’, Boss?” said Butch.
I frowned. “I don’t know... the jail’s just an empty cave right now. I don’t even have a blanket...”
“Stay with us,” Talia said, reaching out to touch my arm. “Butch and I would love to have you for a few weeks until you get back on your feet.”
“Right!” Butch said. “Absolutely.” They exchanged a meaningful glance that I didn’t quite understand. I assumed it meant they didn’t really want me there, at least not for too long. That was okay.
“Just a day or two,” I said. “It won’t take long to get a cot set up in the jail.”
“There’s really no hurry, Hank,” said Talia. “No hurry at all...”
The conversation turned to other matters after that. I had a lot of catching up to do, and they had many stories to tell. There was also the matter of closing down the casino and sending the rioters back home. When it was all said and done, it took a few hours to take care of it all.
When I finally got to Butch and Talia’s house in the Heights, it was the middle of the night and we all went straight to bed. I crashed on the couch. It wasn’t very comfortable. Their furnishings weren’t ogre-sized by any stretch of the imagination. Regardless, I was beat and dead-tired, and the moment my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. Even on that uncomfortable sofa, I slept like a baby.
I woke the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon. My stomach rumbled. I pushed upright, licking my dry lips. My back ached. My legs ached. Everything ached.
Butch appeared in the kitchen doorway. He was wearing an apron and carrying a steaming mug of coffee. He handed it to me. “Thanks,” I said. “Please tell me this is laced with aspirin.”
“Uh, I’ll get some.”
Talia called out that there was a bottle in the kitchen. I stretched, moaning as my bones popped. Butch gave me a concerned look. “You okay, Boss? We almost lost you again yesterday. How you feeling?”
“Like I fell off a building,” I grumbled. Butch laughed. I sipped the coffee. The warm liquid was like fire going down my throat, but it was good.
“Come on into the kitchen,” Butch said. “Grab a bite.”
I took another sip before I summoned the strength to follow him. Talia was at the stove, cooking hotcakes and bacon. When I appeared, she hurriedly cleaned away a few dirty dishes from the table to make a spot for me. “The kids already ate,” she apologized. “I told them to play in their room a while so they wouldn’t disturb you.”
“Thanks,” I said.
I settled into a chair and Butch handed me a plate loaded down with three pancakes and some scrambled eggs. Talia turned to drop some bacon on my plate. The instant I saw that food, I completely forgot my manners. I started shoveling it in, and they continued loading up my plate as fast as I could empty it. I was on my third plate before I slowed down enough to realize they were both staring at me.
“Sorry,” I said, a little embarrassed. “I haven’t eaten anything in a... a long, long time.”
“We know,” Talia said with a giggle. “I feel privileged, getting to serve the Steward his first real meal.”
I heard a noise in the doorway and we all glanced over to see Butch’s youngest daughter, Ginny standing there. She was about six years old -slightly more mature than a human at that age, but not nearly so much as an elf. By way of comparison, she was the equivalent a nine-year-old human. She looked adorable in her little brown dress, with her hair done up in pigtails. She was the spitting image of her mother, but had her dad’s big bones. I couldn’t help wondering which of them she’d take after when she grew up. Either way, she was beautiful. I told her so:
“Aren’t you pretty?” I said. “I can’t believe how big you are already.”
She batted her eyelashes and smiled. Talia told her to go back to her room. The smile vanished. “But Bella wants to see him,” Ginny said.
“Not right now,” Talia said. “I don’t think it’s a good time.” She exchanged a glance with Butch. He cleared his throat.
“Boss, there’s something Talia and I been meanin’ to tell ya.”
I frowned. “What? Something about work?”
“Err... not exactly.”
Butch’s daughter stepped into the room, and another little girl appeared behind her. She had long, dark green hair that hung in loose curls around her shoulders. She had chubby cheeks and dark green skin that was flawless and smooth in a way I had never seen. Her eyes were almond-shaped and deep, cobalt blue...
Siva’s eyes, I realized with a shock that ran through my entire body. Her mother’s eyes.
There was no denying it. Bella was tall for her age, but clearly only about five years old. A little less, actually. She had probably been born about four months after I died... I started to say something, but my voice caught in my throat. I glanced at Butch and Talia. She was smiling from ear to ear, but Butch wore a blank expression, like he was terrified of what I might say next. Butch coughed.
“Hank,” he said, “this is Isabella.”
Bella took a step into the room and stood there, staring at me. I rose to my feet, looking down at her, speechless. I glanced at Butch and Talia a second time. They hadn’t moved.
I must have seemed terrifying to this little child, a six-foot-six hulk frowning down at her, but her gaze was fearless. She stared up at me, her perfect little eyebrows scrunched together, her tiny little lower lip sticking out in a pout that broke my heart. Her lips parted.
“Are you my daddy?” Bella demanded. She glared at me with a look that said I’d better be careful how I answered her... real careful.
I tried to say something, but the words caught in my throat. “I’m, umm...” I glanced at Talia. Her eyes watered up, and Butch gave me an ever-so-slight nod. I licked my lips and felt a choking feeling in my chest. I cleared my throat.
“Yeah,” I said in a gravelly tone. “I guess I am.”
Bella took a step closer, still glaring at me, her little forehead scrunched up, eyebrows knotted. She stood straight as a board in front of me, her little fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. She opened her mouth and shouted, “If you’re my daddy, then PICK ME UP!”
My eyes widened. I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I could touch her without knocking her out cold. I glanced at Butch, and he shrugged. A voice in my head said, What are you thinking, moron? She’s an ogre, like you!
I cautiously reached out to touch Bella on the shoulder, just to be sure. The only reaction I noted was her rising temper. Bella wanted me to pick her up, now. So I did.
I lifted her in my arms, felt her warm little body against mine, and smelled her soft, clean hair. She pulled close, nuzzling into my neck, her tiny fingers squeezing the material of my lapels. My chest tightened in a way that felt like I couldn’t breathe. I had never held anyone in my arms like that before. I had never felt an embrace like that, so intimate, so unconditional... In all my life, no one had ever touched me like that.
I squeezed Bella tight, suddenly terrified that if I let her go, I might lose her. I glanced at Talia and saw tears streaming down her face. Butch wiped his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look tough. We all stayed like that for a minute, no one moving or speaking, no sound but complete silence. It took every ounce of strength I had not to sob like a little baby.
This, I realized, was the secret Siva had been protecting. This was what I had died for...
At last, Bella pulled away. She raised her head to look into my face. “I’m glad you’re home, daddy,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone that I found astonishing. “Do you know where my mommy is?”
I straightened a little and took a slow, deep breath. “I’m sorry,” I said in a quiet voice. “I don’t know... But I promise, we’re going to find her.”
Bella smiled and tucked herself back into my arms. I squeezed her tight against my chest, and I never let her go again.
Epilogue
Words can’t describe the changes that happen inside a man the first time he looks into his child’s eyes. It’s not just him that changes, it’s the whole world. From the moment I saw Bella, I knew that my life would never be the same. And I never saw it coming. One day I was hanging off the ledge of a building, the next I was a daddy. There wasn’t any adjustment period for me... no time to build a crib or start a trust fund, no time to think about my hopes and dreams for this tiny little person who would be completely dependent on me.
But that was okay, because Bella had her own ideas about all that. She knew exactly what I needed to do, and when I needed to do it, and she had no compunctions about instructing me in these matters. I have to admit, for a while there, I was completely at her mercy. I had no idea how to be a dad, but she knew exactly how to be my little girl.
You may have noticed that although Bella was already five years old, she was still very much a little girl. It turns out that she took after me in that aspect instead of Siva. It turns out Ogres age slowly, more like humans than elves or even dwarves. I hadn’t known this, because I had never seen a child of my race before. I’d never seen anyone of my race, until Bella. The nice thing about it was that I still had a few years to enjoy her childhood. I hadn’t missed it all, and I am grateful for that.
Speaking of Siva... Bella’s mother had abandoned her with Butch and Talia a year earlier. Perhaps I use the word “abandoned” unfairly. I later learned that Siva had raised our daughter for almost four years while I was gone. She had left her mansion and her old life behind, and had become a (more or less) regular working mom.
I also learned that the entire time, Siva had not only known I was coming back, she had been preparing for it. Even before I died, she had been studying my race, tracking down obscure texts and records from around the world. She had pieced together a lot of our history and other information -especially that information related to the spells involved in activating heartstones- and this was what eventually led her to the Preservation Society.
Of course, I also learned later that Gallan really did take away her powers, probably because he suspected what she was up to, and she didn’t get them back until he died. Gallan knew about Siva’s relationship with the Preservation Society and he suspected she knew something about me that he didn’t. He tried to join the society, but Fountaingrove rejected him. That was when Gallan went after Miley and Jacques. Unfortunately for him, they didn’t know any more about ogres than Gallan did. Only Siva knew the secret to our heartstones.
The spell meant to bring me back wasn’t a difficult spell, but it could only be done once. The reason for this was that it required an unusual amount of energy; so much that it would destroy a magic-user’s abilities. Lucky for me, it worked. Not so lucky for Siva.
In short, as soon as Siva got her powers back, she turned around and gave them up to save me. From the moment she put my heartstone in the ground, she was no longer a dark fae, or any other type of spell caster. She saved me at the expense of everything she was. She lost her powers forever, and she became just as mundane and mortal as I am.
After I died, Siva waited. She made plans, worked to set certain events in motion so that when I came back, I’d have what I needed to put things right. More importantly, she raised our daughter. She took menial jobs, worked her way up to bartending, and did it all honestly. The two of them lived humbly, and kept mostly to themselves.
Then, when Siva knew I was going to be coming back soon, she left Bella in good hands with Butch and Talia, and she went to work finalizing all of her plans. By the time I was back, Siva had left the country for parts unknown.
Two years passed after my resurrection, and I was beginning to think we might never see Siva again, that maybe she had died or she had abandoned us for good. I spent that time helping Tas and the others rebuild the undercity. There was a lot of work to do, but thankfully, we had many willing hands. We started with the infrastructure -tearing down or rebuilding the parts of town that Gallan had destroyed, building a new police department, and so on.
I was in charge of the
police department, of course. I wasn’t about to give that power up to anyone again. I restructured the force, basing it on a human sheriff’s department. Meanwhile, Tas got the city government working again and had so much fun with it that he didn’t just do all the things I’d suggested, he kept looking for new and exciting ways to make the city better. He upgraded the light rail system with faster tramcars and outfitted them with touch-screen computers and an A.I. interface. Thankfully, he made some modifications to the program before copying it from the computer in his truck.
Eighteen months after these events, Tas ran for mayor again. He ran unopposed, and held the position for decades thereafter. He was the most popular elected official in the history of the undercity. In fact, he had so much clout with the citizens, that even the Elders had to bow to his wishes from time to time.
Butch and Talia went to work for me, Talia as a detective and Butch as my restored deputy. Gen also retained her old position as a detective. Being the nice guy I am, I even offered a job to Snyvvle. He wasn’t interested. According to Sam, my absence in the P.I. business left a vacuum that he was more than happy to fill. It wasn’t long before he’d expanded his operation. He moved into a fancy office downtown and hired half a dozen trainee detectives and a couple of pretty young ladies to answer the phones and whatnot. (I didn’t ask what he meant by “whatnot” and I still don’t want to know, so don’t ask.)
It was about two years after meeting Bella that I located Siva. I won’t go into details about how or where I found her; suffice it to say that while she was gone, she had been busy. She begged me to forgive her. I did, of course, but I still had a lot of questions. That was when Siva told me she had discovered another spell, a different way to activate heartstones.
“It’s not easy,” she said, gazing up into my face, “But if we can find the spell components, we can bring your people back. Not just one or two of them Hank, but all of them. We can restore your race. You don’t have to be alone anymore!”
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