by Elle Casey
“Who gave it to me?” I asked no one in particular.
“The council,” said Tim. “This is how it’s done. There’s no formal ceremony or presentation. The cloak is delivered and you choose to wear it or not.”
“What if I want to give it to someone else? Like Tony, for instance.”
Tim shook his head. “Nope. Can’t. The cloak won’t go on him.”
I wasn’t sure if I believed him. I looked at Felicia. “Turn around.”
“What?” she asked, confused.
“Turn around. I want to test it.” I held up the cloak as if to put it over her shoulders.
Her face blanched. “No way. Huh-uh,” she said, her hands up as she backed away. “I don’t want that kind of bad juju on me.”
“I’ll do it,” said Theresa, her head held high in challenge.
“No, Theresa!” said Felicia, anxiety tainting her voice. “You shouldn’t!”
She shrugged. “What’s the harm? It’s just a cloak.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” warned Tim, flying backwards until he was almost against the far wall.
I held it up, now at Theresa. “I’m game if you’re game.”
She walked over and turned around, back to me. “Go for it. Cloak me.”
I put it over her shoulders, wondering how I was going to secure it there, but I was stopped by the shrill scream that came bursting out of Theresa’s mouth.
“Gaaahhhh!!! Get it off meeee!!!!”
I jerked it away, noticing immediately the smell of something awful and a wisp of smoke rising up from her back. I glanced down in frightened awe at the cloak still in my hands. It was fine, not a mark on it. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head when I looked up and saw Theresa’s back, obviously the place where the awful smell and smoke had come from – her tunic had burn marks on it and her exposed skin was fiery red and smoking.
Felicia grabbed her sister by the shoulders, forcing Theresa to look into her eyes. “Take some from me. Now!”
“I can’t, I can’t,” said Theresa, desperation strangling up her voice.
“Do it! Or I’ll force it into you!”
I watched mystified as Theresa stopped struggling and then stared intently at her sister, who stared back just as keenly. A wisp of glowing energy came out of Felicia’s eyes and entered Theresa’s open mouth. Theresa closed her eyes and mouth, inhaling deeply and then exhaling slowly.
I saw a movement at her back and watched in amazement as the wounds began to heal themselves. I knew that fae could heal quickly from injuires, but this was something else.
“Whoa,” I said, without thinking. “What was that all about?”
Felicia dropped her hands from her sister’s arms. “That was all about my sister doing something stupid – something she knew she shouldn’t have done – and having to take some of my energy to heal herself.” She gave her sister one last hard look before she turned away and began to gather up her styling products, putting them into the duffle bag on the floor under the nearby sink.
Theresa turned to look at me, shame on her face. “Felicia’s right. I knew better.”
“Then why’d you do it?” Something on her face made me ask the question.
Theresa looked like she was going to refuse to answer.
“Tell me, Theresa. Stop messing around. I’m getting crankier by the second here, not to mention freaked out.”
She walked over to the sink to help her sister gather their things. “I did it to show you.” She began throwing things haphazardly into the bag.
“Show me what? That you’re an idiot?”
She shot me the evil eye and then went back to her task. “No, dummy. I did it to show you that the cloak belongs to you – and it’s no small thing, to be given something like that.” She stopped and looked me in the eye, leaning against the sink as she waved flat iron in my face. “Ninety-nine point nine percent of fae go through their entire lives never even able to dream of that kind of honor. And you know how long we live.” She wrapped the cord around the now-cooled appliance as she continued to lecture me. “If you walk away from this, it would be an insult to all of us ... and an insult to the sacrifices many fae have made for you.”
Ooof. Talk about a gut punch. This chick wasn’t holding anything back. “Dammit, Theresa. That’s playing dirty.”
She shrugged. “Call it whatever you want. It’s the truth. It’s not just my truth either. That’s how everyone here is going to see it.”
Felicia added, “You can choose not to wear that cloak. That’s your right. But it’s important for you to know what you’d be giving up and what message you’d be sending, that’s all. It’s a big deal. You shouldn’t take this lightly.”
“Can I tell them I’ll think about it?”
Felicia just shrugged at me.
I scowled at them. “I think it’s kind of bullshit, really, that they send this to me and don’t give me some sort of warning – and then expect me to make this life-altering decision on the fly like this.”
Tim flew down to join the conversation. “They don’t have time to let you get all girly and indecisive about it. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going on around us. Our council needs you. We all do. It’s time for you to pixie up, Jayne.”
I looked at him, unable to keep the worry from my eyes. “What if I’m not strong enough to pixie up?”
“You are. Trust me,” said Tim. “I don’t hang out with wussies.”
I smiled, looking at the girls and then Tim. “Neither do I. I only hang out with bad asses.”
They all grinned back at me. “That’s the spirit,” said Theresa moving to punch me on the arm, but then wincing at the pain it brought her back. “Shit. I need to go get another shirt. I’ll be back in a flash.”
The next thing I knew the bathroom door was banging shut behind her. I never even saw her move. Five seconds later the door flew open and she was standing there in front of me again, sliding her old tunic off and the new one on.
“Damn, I wish I could do that,” I said shaking my head.
“You probably can,” said Felicia, zipping up her now full bag and throwing it over her shoulder. “You have all kinds of untapped potential.” She gestured towards the door. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Put the damn cloak on, would ya?” said Theresa as she moved towards the hallway. “Don’t make us beg. It’s rude.”
I held the cloak out in front of me, examining it. I wished I had more time to think about it. I was feeling pressured. But as I watched my friends walk out the door with their bag of tricks, followed by Tim practicing his midair barrel rolls, I thought about what they had said. I had been complaining about the council since first becoming aware of their influence on our lives. They were resistant to change. They refused to see reason. They were old and out of touch. Maybe what they needed was a shot in the arm – some new blood to shake things up a little. I looked down at the cloak and then at myself in the mirror, realizing I was about to make a life-altering decision while standing in the bathroom, next to a toilet. How totally typical of me. I smiled. What the hell. Might as well go down swinging.
I held the cloak out in front of me and let its full length fall to the floor. I found the shoulder parts and grabbed them with one arm crossed over the other, so I could twist it around to land on my back. Before I could do it, though, the door to the bathroom opened and Céline stepped in.
“Oh good,” she said, relieved, “I caught you just in time.”
I stood there with the cloak dangling awkwardly from my hands. “Just in time for what?”
“Just in time for me to help you,” she said, smiling warmly. “Please ... ,” she said as she walked up to me with her hands held out, “ ... allow me.”
I held the cloak out towards her, confused as to what she wanted.
She took it from me and then gestured with her head. “Turn around.”
I turned so my back was to her.
She stepped towards me and
I looked in the mirror to see her reflected image. She was right behind me, the cloak in her hands. She had tears in her eyes.
“What’s going on, Céline? Is this like a death cloak or something? Are you crying because I’m about to go up in smoke?”
She choked and laughed at the same time, her eyes bulging a little at the unexpected words. “Death cloak? What are you ... ? Oh, Jayne. You never cease to make me laugh.” She threw the cloak over her arm and then faced the mirror, looking at our reflections. “Why on earth would you think we wish you harm? After everything that you’ve done? After everything that has happened?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Because I’ve been causing trouble since I got here?”
Céline smiled for a moment and then got serious. “You have ... shaken things up a bit, that is certain. But more than that, you have united us. You have reminded us who we are and who we are supposed to be. Fierce. Strong. Loyal. Dedicated to our purpose here.” She put her hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “We are proud of you. And we need you to take a bigger part in our world now. That is why the cloak is here. It is a gift of the council. We ask that you accept it and not question our motivations or our judgment. This decision was not made lightly. It’s the first time in over two hundred years that we have bestowed this honor upon someone. Jared was the last. And there is no one more deserving right now than you. There are things coming for you ... for us. You will be better prepared to deal with them as a council member.”
“Are you talking about me getting lost ... in my elements?”
“That and more. Much more. Now come on. Our family is waiting.”
She pulled the cloak off her arm and once again held it up at my back. I looked at her one more time in the mirror and said, “If I live to regret this, you’ll be the first one I come for.”
She smiled. “I hope so.”
And then she laid the cloak over my shoulders.
Chapter 26
I secured the edges of the cloak at my neck with the silver clasps there for that purpose. I could barely feel the weight of it, but I could sense the slight disturbance in the air that it caused, as I turned and it shifted around by my legs. I glanced down and saw that the colors were turbulent, in a lazy sort of way, shifting from blue to green and then back again. I looked up in the mirror on my way out of the bathroom and noticed that my new crazy eye color matched the cloak perfectly, the twins’ hair creation making me look almost royal.
“It’s nice,” I said.
“It’s lovely. As I knew it would be,” said Céline.
“Thanks,” I said, nervously, realizing I had to wear this thing soon in front of a few hundred fae, some of whom would be seeing me for the first time, having just arrived from different parts of North America and Europe. I was afraid my reputation would precede me and loud booing would ensue.
“You go get your friends. I’ll meet you in the assembly hall.” She squeezed my hand on her way out and then stopped. “Oh. And don’t forget. You sit in the front with me now.”
Tim was out in the hallway and caught the last comment made by Céline. He waited until she was a few steps down the corridor before he began shouting.
“Woo hoo! I’ve made it to the big leagues! I’m gonna be sitting at the head table!”
I laughed at him, silently thanking the universe that I had a pixie friend who automatically bestowed any honor given to me upon himself. I sure as hell didn’t want to be up there by myself, the only fae under two hundred and fifty years old. I wondered if I could wrangle a tiny cloak out of Netter for Tim ... and another super fancy gray one for Tony.
I threw the door to my room open and said from the hallway. “Come on out and get a good look. First one’s free.”
Everyone stood up and came out, all of them admiring my new duds. Tony came out last, taking my hand in his. “You look awesome,” he said, smiling at me warmly.
“Thanks. I want you to wear one too.”
“I’m happy doing what I’m doing – working with the gray elves. I’ll support you any way you need, you know that.”
“I know.” I squeezed his hand and let it go, adjusting the edges of the cloak in front of me.
I saw the twins staring at Spike and noticed that he kept catching them at it; but it was almost as if he was purposely looking away, trying to ignore them.
“You guys go on ahead. I want to talk to Spike for a second.”
Everyone moved out into the corridor and started making their way to the assembly hall. Spike stopped in front of me, taking my hands in his.
“What’s up, beautiful? Wanna make out?” He beamed his impossibly sexy smile at me, making me blush a little.
“No,” I said, taking my hands back and pushing him gently on the chest to keep him at arm’s length. “I need to talk to you about the twins.”
Spike’s face colored a bit, which is saying a lot because he’s usually so pale. He actually looked like the human Spike for a second, making me slightly wistful for the time when I had no idea what fae were and didn’t have to wear a magical cloak around my shoulders while I hobnobbed with thousand-year-olds.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about them. They’re cute and all, but you’re the girl for me.” He took a step towards me.
I stepped back, keeping the distance between us. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. I’m ... uh ... not so sure that this us thing is such a good idea.”
He looked at me, confused. “What do you mean?”
I sighed. Why does this have to be so difficult? “What I mean is, I don’t like you in that way. I like you as a friend ... just a friend.”
Spike frowned. “Are you ... breaking up with me?”
“I don’t know. Is it possible to break up with someone you never actually dated?”
He half-smiled, humorlessly. “I don’t know. Probably not. So you’re telling me ... that you don’t want to hang out with me anymore?”
“No, stupid. I’m saying, go be with the twins. Suck their energy or whatever. Roll around naked in the woods or whatever it is you guys do for fun. I’m not going to be jealous or even care. In fact, it would make me happy.”
His eyebrows raised up an inch, a happy look starting to bloom across his face. “How so?”
I frowned at him and smacked him on the chest. “Don’t go getting all kinky on me. I’m just saying they’re nice girls and they both like you, and I’m ... spoken for. At least I think I am. So go ahead and hook them up with a little Spike action, would you? I think we’re all in a little bit of danger here with them not having a boyfriend.” I stepped closer and looked him in the eyes, all serious now. “But be careful. They’re powerful. Don’t get ... hurt.”
Spike grabbed me in a bear hug, groaning in what I hoped was happiness. “Jayne, you are an amazing person, you know that?”
I rolled my eyes, my arms pinned to my side in Spike’s enthusiastic thank you. “So I’ve been told. Can we go now?”
Spike released me and stepped back. “Of course, yeah. Sorry. So ... ,” he rubbed his hands together, “ ... off to the assembly?” His voice trailed off as he stared down the hall, following the receding forms of his future new girlfriends.
“Go. Do your super speedy-quick thing. Introduce yourself. Tell them I gave you my blessing.”
He leaned in and gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek and then saluted, smiling his trademark sexy smile at me. “Yes, Ma’am!” And then he was gone in a blur, leaving me to follow at normal speed.
I admit to dragging my feet a little bit, in no big hurry to join the throngs of fae who would be whispering about me before I even got there. Tim waited for me outside the door, determined to be with me as I entered the room. He began coaching me as soon as he saw me walk up. I ignored the stares of the fae who were going into the hall in front of me, some of them being so blatant as to walk backwards as they stared at me, talking to their friends.
“Okay, now when you go in there, hold your head up. Don’t tak
e any crap from anyone, Jayne. You are the woman. You are a beast. You are a dragon slaying, demon killing ... ”
I cut him off. “Thanks, Tim, but I’m not so sure that’s going to help.”
Tim put his finger to his mouth as I paused in the doorway. “Hmmmm ... well, what can I say then? How about – go in there and zap ‘em if they piss you off. That’s what I’d do. Is that better?” He flew over to land on my shoulder, using his wings to stay upright instead of grabbing my hair, which was a welcome change. It was much less irritating to hear an occasional buzzing than to have to suffer a thousand small hair pulls in a day.
“Okay, yeah, that works. Check. I have your permission to zap anyone who pisses me off. I should last about ... oh ... ten seconds, max.” I walked into the room, taking the side aisle to get to the front of the room. I tried to be all sneaky about it, but as soon as I started moving, the cloak started swirling its colors all around, making it impossible for me to fly under the radar. I was so visually noisy, I was like a circus clown. I couldn’t have been more obvious if I had been wearing polka dots, big floppy shoes, and a giant red nose.
The casual conversations around me switched to furiously whispered commentary, none of which I was able to catch on my way to the front. I decided to follow Tim’s first round of advice and started chanting to myself in my head, I am the woman. I am a beast. I am a dragon slayer. I wished Tim were in my head so he could hear me.
No sooner had I thought that when I heard him saying, “You are the beast master, Jayne! Dragon slaying, bad ass Blackthorn, baby! Zap ‘em!”
I smiled. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t care what these fae thought of me. I was in the damn cloak and it was now an official part of my wardrobe. I just hoped I didn’t have to wear it all the time. It was going to get in the way of my moves the way it swirled around all the time.
I caught Dardennes’ eye as I mounted the three stairs to reach the dais where the head table rested. There was an open seat now in between Céline and the crusty man-witch who had never seemed to like me much. The old dude didn’t smile at me as I approached, but he didn’t scowl either, so I took that as a plus.