The Dark Witch and the Elemental

by Tabitha Scott

  “I know, we need a game. Truth or shots. Either give the truth or take a vodka shot.”

  Jimmy is smiling at me. “I’m glad you’ve suggested vodka, Amura. Whiskey is only meant to be sipped. Shania, if you could provide us with two lines of vodka shots, I’d be much obliged to you, lass.”

  I’m good at drinking games, plus I’ve got the oil lining my stomach. I should be able to loosen Jimmy’s tongue just enough to get the information I want about Bríghe.

  “How many each?” Shania asks.

  Jimmy eyes me off. “Four.”

  “Six,” I correct him.

  A look passes between the young barmaid and Jimmy, but he just shrugs. She shrugs back and goes to get the drinks.

  I crack my knuckles and uncrick my neck. This is going to be fun. I wonder if I’ve ever drunk Jimmy under the table before? Perhaps it’s another lost memory.

  In short order, Shania brings back a tray and lines up two rows of shots, one for Jimmy, one for me. Then she hangs there hoping to watch the fun, but Jimmy gives her the heave with a look. Too right, the truths we’re going to be saying aren’t for other ears.

  “Now about the Guinness Brewery…”

  “Jimmy,” I interrupt, “where are your manners? You should always allow a lady to go first.”

  “Aye, tis true,” he smirks. “Well then. You ask first, Amura.”

  “How old are you?”

  “I truly don’t know, very old.”

  “That’s a shot then, either truth or shot. ‘I don’t know’, means you don’t know the truth. Take a shot,” I insist. I really just want to get the alcohol flowing with this one. I knew he wouldn’t be able to answer.

  Jimmy looks at me sideways. “Your rules.” He downs a shot and slams the glass back on the table. I think he knows he could have pushed the point that ‘I don’t know’ was the truth, but he’s being gentlemanly enough not to – as I was counting on.

  “My turn now, Lassie. How old be you?”

  Why the sly bugger! Did I just mis-think something about him being a gentleman? I down a shot without even speaking. Not that I know my age anyway, but it’s the thought that counts, you should never ask a girl her age.

  “Why are you guys protecting Dublin?”

  Jimmy doesn’t answer, he just downs another shot. Bastard.

  “What are you doing in Dublin?”

  “Why Jimmie, we’re here to see you.” That’s the truth. Jimmy’s eyes widen with that one. He’s one up on me.

  “My turn,” I continue. “Does Shania know you’re her father?” I don’t think he’ll answer, I think he’ll just take the shot. And… he does. That’s two up on me.

  “Does your mother know you’re here?”

  Like really? Is there any reason I shouldn’t tell him this? I think not.

  “No.”

  “Are you guys afraid of elementals in general, or one in particular?” I ask.

  Jimmy’s jaw drops. Again, I don’t think he’ll answer. I think I’m going to be three up!

  But Jimmy scowls at me. “You seem to know more than I would have given you credit for. One in particular,” he answers, “but I fancy you already knew the answer to that one.”

  I wink at him.

  “You knew about the elemental, didn’t you, Amura?” He’s just asking to confirm his suspicion. I take a shot, just to keep Jimmy unbalanced. His head wobbles a bit, but it’s my turn.

  “What are the Dublin dark witches to you?”

  Jimmy takes another shot.

  “What are your plans for the Guinness Brewery?”

  I take a shot.

  “Why is one dark witch not aging?” I go straight for the jugular.

  Jimmy takes another shot. How many is that? He has five empty shot glasses in front of him, and he’s sipping on his whiskey again?

  “Why is a dark witch trying to get me drunk?”

  Hmm, I could lie, but I seem to remember that not being a very good option with Seelies. I take a shot instead.

  Just at that moment Shania skirts by on her way to serve another table. She’s humming something, an old tune, one I remember from the 1970s, it’s an Eagle Rock tune, young people from this age aren’t going to know Eagle Rock.

  “Are you keeping Shania young?”

  Jimmy takes another shot, but that one just gives the answer away. Shania is older than she seems. His turn, Jimmy regards me while swirling his whiskey.

  “It seems we’re reaching an impasse,” Jimmy comments, as he sips on his whiskey again. Like really. “Let’s clear the air here, Lassie, one truth for one truth?”

  He’s had six shot glasses of vodka, and isn’t looking any of the worse for wear. He’s even sipping on that bloody whiskey again. Oh crap! Seelies can’t get drunk! I remember that now. How many shots have I had, I’m already feeling a little light headed, the oil is wearing off.

  “Two for two.” I one up him.

  He nods. “Me first, since it be my turn anyways. Are you planning to spike the Guinness vats?”

  “Yes,” I answer. “But not while the agreement is in place.” There, that’s a truthful answer for him, I can’t go against the agreement made with Áine, and he seems to be relaxing a little at my answer. My turn, again.

  “Which Faerie is Bríghe’s parent?” I mean, I think I’ve figured this out. It’s obvious to me that Jimmy is helping Shania live as long as possible. It makes sense that Bríghe’s longevity is down to something similar.

  “Now, Lassie, we don’t want to go down that rabbit hole, do we?”

  I narrow my eyes at Jimmy. “It was a bargain made. Truth for truth.”

  He sighs. He’s caught and he knows it, for Seelies a bargain is unbreakable, “Bríghe is the daughter of the Unseelie King.”

  What, I hadn’t seen that one coming. My jaw drops open this time.

  “What?” Gil asks for me.

  Chapter 21: Truth for truth

  Jimmy just shrugs. “My turn. Who is the elemental to you?”

  A slight breeze crosses me, and my mind drifts as the alcohol begins to take effect. For a second or so everything slows down, my eyes turn to the glass window and an open door at the front of the pub where the cool air has chilled me. In that briefest of seconds, I see a figure washing across the doorway, she hesitates, and then, as I blink, she disappears.

  “We’re related,” I answer. Had I imagined it? No, I’m sure I hadn’t. She had been there for the briefest of moments. Watching. The face I saw was my own, only maybe a little wilder than even I am. So we are identical.

  “What do you know about her?” That’s my question. What does Jimmy know about my sister?

  He doesn’t shrug at me this time. He sits up and pays me a great deal of attention.

  “You’re related, you say?”

  I expect my face looks rather stony. “That’s another question, Jimmy. That wasn’t part of the deal.”

  He sighs, and takes a sip of his whiskey before continuing. “She’s powerful. We haven’t seen one like her for thousands of years. She’s been around for a long time, but had been dormant until a few decades ago. Then she caused a series of storms that raged across Ireland and Europe, first she diverted a hurricane here and caused massive flooding, then about a month later she caused what is known as the Great Storm of 1987.”

  “I remember that one,” I say. “Millions of trees were knocked down.”

  “That’s right,” Jimmy confirms. “There was an awful lot of magiks being used in the city about then, most of them dark. We know she sleeps near here, so we try to keep all magiks to a minimum, but especially dark magiks, those are what seem to have disturbed her.”

  Hmm, Jimmy doesn’t know the half of it. I think Pulania was right, it was my magiks in particular that awoke her. I remember the flooding in Dublin when I was here in the eighties. I had been checking off some particular evil doing for my monthly list, and had spun plenty of dark magiks.

  Something else occurs to me. “You should have
told Pulania about Bríghe. You’ve stood by and let the daughter of someone who wants Susan dead, and the world destroyed, walk right into our inner circle.”

  “I did tell Pulania.”

  “Huh?” My head starts back.

  “Pulania knows, I told her. I thought she should know.”

  “Here Lass, you look a little flushed, have a drink of this water,” he continues.

  Jimmy hands me one of the complimentary glasses that Shania had left on the table. I take a sip, gathering my thoughts.

  “Pulania knows?” I repeat. That can’t be right. I start to get up from the table. The shots I’ve had are making the whole process a little ungainly. It wasn’t that many really, and I’d had the oil, why do I feel myself falling to the floor…

  ***

  When I come to, I’m not where I was. I’m in a field somewhere, the sun is shining, it’s warm and a bit bloody bright. Gil is there, and for a second, I think there’s another person. Ficketty feck, it’s me! Where’s Jimmy? But then, my vision goes bleary again, and a hand brings a cloth to my forehead. It’s Shania.

  “Are you pregnant? You shouldn’t be drinking like that if you are, you know.”

  How does she know I’m pregnant? It’ll be a long time before I show. Her hand is on my stomach, and she’s Fae. Ah, she can feel the child.

  “Tadpole is invincible.” My words are slurred when I hear them. What’s happened to me? I’m a better drinker than this, does pregnancy really affect you this way?

  “Maybe, but his mother doesn’t seem to be,” Shania comments.

  “Her mother,” I mutter. That elicits a smile from my nurse.

  A few hands help me up. Then I’m taken up a narrow flight of stairs to one of the small guest rooms above the pub, and placed on a bed.

  “Where’s Jimmy? I have to go see Pulania.”

  “I’m here, Amura.” His hand comes to my shoulder. “But you’re not going anywhere, Lass. You rest here now. Tomorrow, when we take the Unseelie King for the meeting, you can come along then.”

  Oh, shit. I think he’s right, I feel like crap, I really just want to put my head down and sleep. Why is that though? I’m hardier than this. The last thought that comes to mind, just before I slip into a deep sleep, is a question: why did Jimmy spike my water?

  Chapter 22: Wallflowers

  When I wake up, my mouth is dry as. Someone has been thoughtful enough to leave a glass of water on the night stand though, or were they? Hmm, Jimmy what did you do to me? I lift the glass up to my eyes, staring at it to judge its clarity. I sniff it, no strange smells. I weave some magiks to check for any drugs I can’t detect normally. It looks good, I take a tentative sip. Tastes okay, I down the rest.

  I think it’s morning, yep, that’s what my phone tells me. Curled up at the end of the bed is a small black cat. It’s Gil. She’s still asleep. I could throw a pillow at her to wake her up. I think I will.

  “Don’t do it, let her sleep.” Master sits down beside me on the bed, giving me a peck on the cheek. “How do you feel?”

  “Not too crap, considering.”

  “Good.”

  He’s just sitting there. Why is he here? He knows what happened, he always knows. “Ah, you’re here to comfort me in the aftermath. Are you?”

  “Your accent is slipping.” He’s not smiling, I was wrong, there’s something else he’s here for. What could it be? It must be something to do with the immediate future.

  “I was thinking of killing Jimmy.”

  “I’m sure he wouldn’t take it personally,” Master replies. “He’d be rebirthed by morning and would probably bear you no ill will.”

  He’s still not smiling. He’s right about Jimmy though, Jimmy is immortal, I can kill him, but he would be reborn by morning. There’s no point to it, really. Hmm, what else is happening today?

  “Oh, the Unseelie King!” I exclaim.

  Master smiles. Bingo! Okay, now what about him?

  “Hmm, I feel like killing him, but the same thing applies, doesn’t it? He can’t die.” Master winks at me. “Unless of course I slit him open with my obsidian dagger.” Master seems a little nonplussed by that suggestion. “Oh, he’s being taken to Pulania’s, and that dark bitch, Bríghe, is there. It’s Bríghe I need to kill, isn’t it?”

  Master sighs. “All this talk of killing, is there any good reason to kill anyone?”

  I cock my head to the side and am about to answer, yes, of course, but then I remember whom I’m speaking to… an angel. He has no objective view on this subject, there’s no point in maintaining this stream of conversation… but it’s probably still a hint.

  “Sooo, I shouldn’t kill anyone?” I squeak.

  Master beams, at me. Ha! Okay, I shouldn’t kill anyone. Now we’re getting somewhere.

  “Not even Bríghe, huh. Okay, Mr. Master, is there any more?” I’m getting good at these angel speak games, or non-speak games as this one seems to be. We wait for a few moments more without either of us saying anything, he’s not leaving so I assume there is something more.

  “Hmm, what else? What else? What else?” I repeat. He can’t tell me, it’s an angel thing, but I can guess and then he can react to that. “Oh, I should go back and talk to Pulania about this Bríghe thing, shouldn’t I?”

  He stiffens.

  “Oh, so I shouldn’t?”

  He smiles. Okay, got that then.

  “I’ll go back with Jimmy, instead?” I’m eyeing Master sideways.

  He smiles again. I smile in return, this is a good game, it’s got real life and everything.

  “Hum, I’ll go back with Jimmy and create a whole lot of havoc when we get there. I’ll really tell Pulania off, get Susan out of there. Head for the hills, while the Unseelie hordes take over the place, and…”

  Master is pursing his lips, is he trying not to laugh at me? Humph. “Right, no rescue attempts, I take it?”

  He winks again.

  An idea comes to mind. “Hey, maybe I should just go and visit Grandma? She could probably tell me exactly what’s going on and what I should do.”

  “She wouldn’t, you know.” Master replies. “She doesn’t break her own rules.”

  “Oh, he speaks! But that’s disappointing. I mean that she wouldn’t tell me; not that you speak.”

  “Me like speakin’, it good,” Master answers, in his best, not so good, caveman voice. He has a crooked smile on his face. I just roll my eyes. I mean, how corny can you get.

  “So, I should just go to this little prisoner transfer and do nothing, I take it. Just be a wallflower, or something?”

  Master is smiling at me.

  “What? But I was kidding?” I mean, I was! This is a bit startling, I mean, really?

  “I think I’ll go now.” Master gets up from the bed.

  “Bastard, I mean. You bastard.” I really do mean it. “What? You just come here, and…” He leans down and his lips press into mine. It’s a lingering kiss, and pretty soon we’re both lying on the bed, our bodies moulding to each other’s shape.

  “Ahem. Ahh, cat in the room. You’re not alone.” It’s Gil. It’s so easy to forget she’s there when she’s a cat.

  “Oh shite,” I whisper as Master and I break apart.

  “I have to go anyway, angel duties,” Master whispers back. “Later,” he winks. Then he’s gone.

  “Oh, Gil. It was good of you to sit with me, but I wish you hadn’t been here.” I flop back on the bed.

  “Sorry,” Gil sits beside me, having transformed from her cat form. “Another awkward moment.”

  “Comes with the territory, I suppose.”

  “So, what’s on the agenda?” Gil asks. “Oh, wallflower stuff.”

  “Yeah, though I could go for some breakfast first.”

  Chapter 23: Arawan

  We’re having breakfast at the bar. They do a good English breakfast here, considering it’s Ireland. Shania is serving us.

  I’m thinking… I can get back at the father through the
daughter, if I really want to. The problem being that Shania is Fae and probably has some powers of her own.

  “Do you really want to do this?” Gil asks when Shania moves away to clear a just vacated table, Gil can sense where my thoughts are going.

  “Hmm, I’m thinking… yes. Jimmy spiked my water the other day, that’s why I was out overnight. I need revenge.”

  “Wallflowers, remember?” Gil asks.

  “Grrr, yeah, there’s that,” I spit. I look over at Shania, she’s coming back.

  “How’s the breakfast?” she asks.

  “Fine,” I answer. “Though it’s very English, do you do something more Irish?”

  “Ooo, we tend to be international, it be more to the liking of our patrons, what very few spend the night, that is.”

  “Yes, I didn’t really expect to be here. But it is a good breakfast. Do you get many international visitors?” I ask.

  “From Canada, America, Australia and Europe. They come from all over, really. I often wish I could go to visit some of those far off places,” Shania sighs.

  I’m surprised by what she just said. “Haven’t you ever travelled to America or anywhere? Air flights are pretty cheap.”

  “Alas, no. You being Fae, you might understand, I cannot leave Dublin.” She holds up her left hand, and the tip of her index finger is noticeably withered – aged. “I tried once, I just tested the city boundary, mind. I can see a bluish veil as I near it, when I pushed my finger through that veil, this was the result. I have the finger of an old woman as a reminder to me. If I leave, my youth would be gone, and perhaps, I may even die. Nay, I can never leave Dublin.”

  “What magiks have been spun that the boundary is so important?” Gil asks.

  “Oh, the Faerie peoples have their ways. My Da has made it so that I may live here for a good long while, but his magiks have their limits.”

  Ahh, so she does know that Jimmy is her dad. That’s one question easily answered. And… I think I know of a good way to get back at Jimmy now.

  “If he accompanies you, could you go elsewhere?” I ask.

  “Perhaps I could. I have never considered such.”