by Tom Keller
"This will be difficult, my son." Her face became solemn and she grasped my hands again.
"As you know, Maria, your grandmother, loved you very much. It was her decision to place you under the spell that both protected you and hid your magical line. She did this willingly, although I can tell you now that it came at a great cost."
"I am not sure I understand," I said. "At what cost?"
Cacilia stood up, and turned away from me looking toward the oak tree. "Her immortality," was all she said.
"What!" I cried out. "What the...? Why would she do that?" I stood up and turned towards her. "That doesn't make any sense!"
It had been a crazy week but this was more than I could take. I still didn't understand half of what I'd stumbled into and all the explanations and magic stories in the universe didn't compare to the thought of losing my grandmother.
Charlie took that moment to go back into the house. He could tell I was upset and you know how dogs are. They think when you get angry that you're mad at them. I guess he calmed me down because his act of bowing down and slinking away made me stop and compose myself. It also made me realize that I had tears in my eyes.
Cacilia looked back at me. "Robert, I'm sorry. I know all of this is new to you, and in some ways, beyond comprehension. But be assured, what Maria did for you, she did willingly. Please sit," she said, gesturing back towards my chair.
"As I said before, we are daughters of the trees. Descended from the first nymphs to roam this world, we are of the world of the Fae. When I said immortality, I did not mean that we cannot die. Just that we seldom die naturally. We die in wars and from calamities. Some of us die if the tree that we are bound to dies, although sometimes we can live on if that happens. We can also be killed by another, which is why we are so careful. When Maria passed on to you that that was needed to shield you she passed on all her powers to close the circle. In doing so, she allowed herself to become mortal, doomed to die a natural death."
"But why would she have to do that? What could have made her do that, I mean I didn't even know about this until today. This doesn't make any sense at all."
"She had to do it, Robert, to protect you."
"But protect me from what?"
"Daughters of the trees, my dear Robert, daughters. Our power is passed from mother to daughter as was first decreed by Demeter herself. It was her will."
"So are you saying I should have been born a girl?" I was still confused. "I mean, don't the men in our family have any powers?"
"Not exactly, and yes, they have some. But the line that passes the purest blood must always be passed from firstborn to firstborn and that has always been female until you were born. It is not this way among all the clans, but it was in ours, until your mother changed all that."
"Okay, okay, so mom had a boy, I still don't know what the big deal is. What, am I tainted or something? How is that my fault? And what did she have to shield me from?"
"Tainted, an interesting word, but in truth, many did consider it an abomination. One that some argued could not be allowed to continue. So, simply put, it was felt by many that you should be put to death."
"Put to death! What the hell kind of people kill innocent children just for being born? Wait, forget I said that." I was learning fast that this world wasn't really much different than the one I was used to, so I told her so. "So in reality you, or I guess, we, are no different than anyone else, eh?"
"Again, yes and no," she replied. "You must understand that this was one of our highest laws. These laws have served us for thousands of years and in your case one that was broken by your mother, who did have a choice. When your mother decided to bear a male child she knew that she would have to break an oath that was given by the first born. She also knew that in doing so it would cost her all her powers in return. For only by sacrificing her powers to cause her child to be born a male was she able to do this. This she could only do if her love of your father was greater than her love for herself. It was only through the power your grandmother wielded that she was not put to death herself."
"This is friggin' nuts. What the hell kind of nightmare have I fallen into? Do I have to worry about being hunted by my family now that this has happened as well?"
"I do not believe so, your grandmother saw to that," she answered. "But I would still take care. I do not know what effect this incident has had. This was my fear when all this began. We did not know then, nor do we now, what will happen when a male is born pure blood of our kind. I believe Maria's spell, albeit damaged, will protect you from many of the effects, but it is still too early to judge," she said, sitting back down. "The magic of our kind comes from the earth itself and while many other lines have pure blood males, ours never has. But I will do all I can to help you."
"Okay, Cacilia," I said, looking over at her. "I need to know exactly what we are...what I am." I was trying to get a grasp on all of this, which was not coming easy.
"We are of the Fae, born when the Earth was made. Our line comes from the Hamadryads and the Dryads. We are the spirit of the trees themselves, born of the oak. We are not the only clan; there are families that descended from other trees, the birch, the poplar, the ash, as well as others. Some were born of the water and others the land itself. All Fae are spirits of the Earth, sky or water. In mortal mythology we were apart from the Gods, but that is not true. Although we sprang from the line of Titans, Demeter became mother to us. She was Goddess of Fertility and keeper of the Law as well as one of the twelve Olympians."
"Alright, so are you saying we're Gods?"
"The Gods are a mortal concept. We are what we are. Mortals descended from apes, isn't that what they say? We descended from the earth. It is our abilities that set us apart from mortals, that which they call magic."
Well at least I was getting some answers; even if I wasn't sure how accurate they were. "Ok, next question then. Why would my mother do that? Break the rules and have a boy I mean, especially if she knew the cost?"
A smile lit her face. "She did it for love," she answered back. "Your father wanted a male heir and it was the greatest thing she could give him. So, her love for him created you. You see we do not need to mate to create a child as the seed is already within us. But a male can only come if joined with seed of another, like your father. Your mother, well, as I said, she was deeply in love with him. Although I will admit that the union was frowned upon. She kept it hidden for a time, but she had her mother's, your grandmother's, blessings, so we did not interfere. Besides, we just assumed that she would follow tradition.
"When you were born, there was much apprehension and discussion, but on your grandmother's council, we waited. Then, when you turned seven the signs appeared and we knew something had to be done. Of course, that's when Maria stepped in and offered the solution. She was the eldest of us and the most powerful, so no one doubted her. Her enchantment was woven and you remained mortal, or at least so we thought at the time. But, all were satisfied, balance had been returned and that brought harmony."
"Looks to me like something went wrong," I said, wondering about the world I had entered and the cost my family had paid to keep me from it.
"Perhaps, but now I wonder, maybe she knew. Either way we would not have doubted her." She stood up and looked down at me again. "Whatever has been done in the past is done. We must deal with the present, and the future."
"I need to know, were one of you responsible for my parent's deaths?" I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the answer. They had died in a plane crash while on a weekend vacation trip. My father had been a pilot and it was not unusual for the two of them to fly somewhere in a small plane. They had even taken me along on several occasions when I was still a baby.
"It was not of our doing. There was nothing to indicate it was anything but an accident."
"Okay," I said, not quite believing her. "But where does this leave me, and what about the others? Seems to me that I might be right back where I started from."
"As I said, I do not believ
e so. Maria's pass to mortality has been made so the die has already been cast. I believe they will see this as I do. It is an unknown equation but the price has already been paid. I am more concerned with what will manifest itself now that the spell has been altered. I fear more the danger from others than that from within, especially after learning what has transpired."
Yeah, sure, why didn't I believe that? "What about my kids, are they going to start sensing something strange as well?"
"Jeremy and Nichole? But they are exceptionally bright already, are they not?" she said with a laugh. "I do not believe you have anything to fear. Although I am certain that they benefit from their heritage it would be unlikely that they would be affected by this. You would have known by now, I assure you."
I know every father says this, but it's true, my kids are bright. My son, Jeremy, he goes by Jay, is a Homeland Security agent in Los Angeles. He fast tracked to an anti-terrorism squad last year after a stint in the military. I already mentioned my daughter, Nikki. Both of them are well thought of at their respective agencies.
Well, at least something positive has already come from my so-called lineage. They both had successful careers ahead of them, and of course, I'm sure that their mother contributed as well. My ex, Lynn, was the CFO of a large technology firm in Los Angeles. She wasn't missing anything in the brains department either.
Before you ask, it was an amiable split. She accepted the offer in LA before I retired from the police department. We are actually still good friends and with one child in each of our respective cities we still see each other on a semi-regular basis.
"Robert, I must return. I know you have many questions and your powers are still uncertain. There is one who has offered to help. Bernd!"
"What's a Ber...," I started to ask, when suddenly something, or more accurately, someone, brushed my leg. I damn near hit my head on the patio ceiling coming out of the chair when the small, gnarled being appeared.
"Bernd is here," it...he said, turning to look up at me.
He was about two and half, maybe three feet tall. He was old, his skin was like aged leather but his blue eyes sparkled. He had a pointed white beard and he looked, well, he looked like a lawn gnome without the hat. Hell, he even wore blue pants.
"What the..." I gasped, looking down at the creature.
"I am sorry," Cacilia stated, "Perhaps I should have warned you." She looked down at the creature.
"Bernd, are you still willing to watch over him?"
"As I said Mistress, of course, of course, never fear. I will watch over the…," he stopped and looked back at me, "not so young master."
"Whoa, whoa." I said, looking at the two of them. Things were once again getting way too weird. "A Gnome? Who is this, what is he, and why do I need him?"
"Hrmph," was all the creature said, folding his hands across his chest and glaring at me.
"Robert, meet Bernd," she said. Then she turned to the creature. "Bernd, you remember Robert I believe."
The creature, Bernd, looked at me disapprovingly. "Aye, I remember when he was just a boy. Tall has he grown, but maybe not wiser, eh?"
"We've met?" I asked as I eyed Bernd.
"Bernd served your grandmother," Cacilia answered. "He was there when she placed the enchantment on you. He has counseled members of our family since time forgotten. As for what he is, he is a Zwerg, a Dwarf. Gnome may also be an appropriate name, although they do not call themselves that. I believe Dwarf is the better name. He has agreed to stay here and watch over you. He can also teach you many things."
Bernd seemed to relax, but then shook his head. "Well, I can try and teach him. Stubborn he appears, but we will see, we will see." He walked over to me, his head just above my knees and looked straight up at me.
"Do not be concerned. Bernd will keep you safe, if he can." He turned around and started walking through the yard. "I must look over the grounds."
With that, he was gone. I walked over and looked around the pool area but I couldn't see where he went. "Are you sure about this?" I asked her as I turned and walked back to the chairs.
"Of course, I cannot stay, and Bernd has agreed to watch over you. I am concerned about what will occur now that the enchantment has been altered and you have been involved with these others. Beside, your grandmother was Bernd's favorite and he has not been the same since she passed. You will be good for him as well. I must go. Come, walk with me," she said, leading me back towards the oak.
Charlie had joined us as well.
"I will return if I can. Take care, and trust Bernd."
Then she stepped toward the tree and raised her hand. I saw her place her palm on the trunk of the tree. There was another flash of golden light and she disappeared.
Charlie barked a few times. He must have been startled by the flash. But his tail started wagging so I figured he must be okay or maybe he was just happy she was gone. I started to turn back to go to the house when Bernd took that moment to reappear.
"Friend," Charlie said, his tail now wagging like crazy. He ran over to Bernd and started licking him. I thought Bernd was going to get knocked over but he just rubbed the dog's head as Charlie sat down.
"It has been a long day, Robert, and the grounds are safe. You must get some rest. We will talk again soon," he said. He patted Charlie's head and, without a sound or any warning, disappeared.
Charlie stood up and circled around where Bernd had been. I thought he was going to search for him but instead he just walked into the house.
Shaking my head I followed, heading straight to the bedroom. I was tired and had too many questions. At least some of what I'd heard matched what Siegfried had told me. It's screwy when you don't know who you can trust. It was still early but maybe what I really needed was a good night's sleep.
Chapter 9
The morning started off quiet. I sipped my coffee out of a Space 1999 cup and opened the paper. There was still no sign of the Dwarf, Bernd. Hell, maybe I dreamt my Aunt's visit.
Charlie was out in the yard. I'd only seen him for a minute when he decided I should get out of bed and feed him. With him around I don't know why I even bother to have an alarm clock. Then the phone rang.
"Robert, its Siegfried, have you seen today's paper?"
"I just brought it in, why, what's up?"
"I think you'll want to read the story on the front page of the local section. Read it and let me know when you're done."
I realized he was waiting for me to read it when the line didn't go dead. I opened the newspaper to the page and read the story:
Las Vegas – The badly burned body of a male was found earlier this week in Primm, Nevada, by a Las Vegas resident while motorcycling. Police stated that the unidentified male body was found in a ravine approximately two miles from the California border. Police believe the body had been in this location for at least a week. Detectives on the scene stated that they do not believe the man died at that location. A review of police radio logs indicated that electrocution was suspected.
The remains were removed to the Clark County Coroner's Office where an autopsy will be performed. Police declined to comment when asked if there was any connection to a similar electrocution incident outside of Baker last week.
In that case, police found the body of an unidentified male in a dry lake bed outside of Baker, California. A police spokesman stated that the body had been electrocuted, and placed in the desert by persons unknown. There is speculation that the man had been the victim of an unreported industrial accident and placed at the lake bed to avoid investigation by authorities.
"So I take it you think there is a connection with my incident at the hotel," I asked after reading the column.
"Yes, my sources in the California incident tell me that the coroner there described the body as if it had been hit by lightning numerous times. That's as close to the magic you witnessed as mortals would be able to describe." Siegfried hesitated for a moment.
"I believe it also means that they used magic to
torture him. The report indicates it took several strikes before he died."
I wondered if this was the same call my daughter had been on. It had to be. How many electrocutions could there be that warranted a direct call to the head of Homicide. "What about the Primm victim, any word?" I asked, shifting into detective mode.
"Nothing definitive but our sources on the local PD indicated similar wounds. If it is the same dark Mages, you may have saved Mr. Milagre from a similar fate."
I considered his words. I also wondered who his sources at Metro were. If it was true, then the reason for the attack had to be more than just a kidnapping. I was going to have to do some digging as well. "Siegfried, have you heard any reports from anywhere else?"
"Not as of yet, but my people are looking."
"Ok, so my intervention could have stopped or at least slowed them down."
"It would appear so," he replied. "But again, we just don't have enough information yet. I have increased the guards on Mr. Milagre and the property as well but I am concerned you may also be a target now. In my experience, those who practice dark magic are vengeful and do not take interference well. I know their magic did not have the same effect on you but there are many ways to kill."
"So I've heard," I said, trying to sound confident. "Let me know what else you hear. I may have some people I can call on this one. Thanks for the heads up. I'll be careful."
"I will. One more thing, Mr. Milagre has someone who is in need of your services. Would you be willing to meet with him tonight? I was told to tell you it would be worth your while."
"Sure, where and when?"
"There is a local bar that is frequented by our kind, Danu's, I will text you with directions."
It just figures, Danu's...shit. What was I gonna say, sorry, I beat up some Werewolves there, can we go somewhere else? "I know where it is."
"Do you?" He seemed startled but not surprised.
That was disconcerting. I wondered if he'd heard about the fight.
"Good, we will see you there at 8:00 p.m.," he said as he disconnected.