by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
From behind Dardennes stepped the vampire guy we had seen attacking Chase. He gave a little curtsy before stepping into the background again.
" ... the daemons ... "
Jared nodded his head at me only.
Dardennes gestured above his head. "And the orcs ... I believe you've met them as well. They're ... a little different ... but obviously not human." He gave us a weak smile, and some of us couldn't help but return it. Mine was of the bitter variety. Yeah, we fucking met the orcs. One of your little dwarf friends did too, much to his regret.
Tony kicked my seat.
I turned around and gave him my mean look.
His return expression said, 'Give the guy some slack.'
I thought, 'Fuck that!' as hard as I could back at him and stuck out my tongue.
He rolled his eyes at me.
"Don't forget the old hag posing as Samantha," I said resentfully. She was the first being I'd ever killed and I was still pissed they had pushed me into that.
"Yes, she was one of our witches - an unfortunate end, but our colleagues know the risks of participating in the tests. But we will get to that later. For now, let us continue with our history ... Céline?"
Céline stepped forward and picked up where Dardennes had left off. "You may be wondering how the fae came to have these supernatural abilities and the humans did not. Well, actually, if you believe this is the case, then you are of course forgiven for it, but you are wrong. You see, many humans do have these abilities, but they are too closed off from the source of their power to ever put their abilities into practice. There are some humans who have no abilities, that is true; but you would probably be surprised to know how many do. How can that be? Well, it is simple: Many of the humans who inhabit this planet actually have abilities like this because they are part fae. Let me ask you ... have you ever experienced a feeling of déjà vu? Have you ever had a dream about something, only to have it or some version of it come true? Have you ever seen someone you thought you knew from somewhere else? Do you ever meet someone and for some reason, get very bad vibes telling you to stay away from them? Do you ever have dreams where you fly above the trees or breathe underwater? Did you ever go somewhere new and feel as if you'd been there before? And finally, have you ever felt that you were special, but misunderstood - on the outside looking in? All of these are manifestations of fae ancestry."
We looked at each other. Even Chase swung around to look at me. I wondered if talking to trees meant something. Apparently my friends thought it did.
"Over the years, many fae have lost their connection to the magic that links them to their abilities." She looked around at our faces. "I see that several of you doubt the concept of magic."
She was including me in this observation, because her explanation was entering the 'too-far fetched to be believable' zone. Actually, we had passed that zone a loooong time ago, but I had to draw the line somewhere. Apparently, I drew it at the word 'magic'.
"Humans call sleight of hand and illusion magic. This is a misnomer. Magic is not a trick or something that fools your eyes. Magic is an energy present here on this planet and out in the universe. It is the energy that binds all of us together and to other living things - and even to things that are not living or that are only in a partially living state."
"The fae have a natural ability to tap into this magic without effort. It is, practically speaking, an automatic, involuntary connection that they use without thinking. The magic provides the energy for them to express and use their natural abilities - or as you would call them, their 'supernatural' abilities."
She stepped closer to our table, looking at each of us in turn. "Our species has a division in it, one that has existed for as long as our recorded history goes back. Each of the fae is on one side or the other of this division. There are the Light and the Dark; so we say there are 'Light Fae' and 'Dark Fae'. Some races of fae as a whole tend to belong to one division over the other - for example, the wraithes. They, almost to the wraithe, belong on the Dark Fae side. There have been some Light Fae wraithes, but it is rare. Sprites, on the other hand, usually tend to be Light Fae. Again, there are some exceptions, but they are rare. Finally, there are fae that equally go to the Light or the Dark. For example, there is nearly a perfect division of numbers for the witches - half of them are Light Fae and half are Dark."
"Some, or I should say, many, of the fae actually survive off of humans in one way or another. Some need human energy, some need human blood, and some, human meat. The main difference between the Light Fae and the Dark Fae is that they have opposing opinions about what our role among humans should be and how humans should be treated. The Light Fae believe that our survival depends on anonymity, not revealing our existence, and protecting our own kind, as well as protecting the humans from destruction by fae-kind."
She saw our looks of disgust and quickly responded. "Don't get the wrong idea here - we're not talking about the stuff of horror movies. The Light Fae value human life. They don't take human lives to satisfy their cravings or even their needs."
"Now, the Dark Fae believe that the fae are superior to humans, and as such, believe the ultimate goal for all fae should be to take over leadership of the world and essentially 'come out of the closet', as they say. They don't agree that to maintain the safety of our races we should live in anonymity and in harmony with the humans, with the humans remaining ignorant to our existence. If the Dark Fae were to have their way, humans would eventually be enslaved to them, and used for whatever they could give to the fae - including energy, blood, and meat."
I looked at my friends' faces and they mirrored the revulsion I felt. Humans as sources of meat? Disgusting. I thought about the dwarf in the orc camp.
"Apparently, the orcs don't just like to eat human meat," I said.
Céline sighed. "Yes, this is true. There are some ... creatures ... that have turned to eating their own kind; just as there are some humans on the planet who practice cannibalism."
Dardennes took over the history lesson. "We have reached a critical period in the history of the fae. Our numbers have dwindled, particularly in the Light Fae division. All of the fae you see here today are members of the Light Fae."
That little nugget made me feel a little bit better. I could see on Finn's face he felt the same. I looked at Jared and he met my stare, not looking away. He was proud of who he was, that much was clear.
"The Dark Fae are willing to use certain, shall we say, unsavory methods to maintain their numbers. Since we, on the other hand, have such high regard for our fellow species - the humans - we cannot do these things; it is against our moral code. Therefore, we had to devise other methods to find and recruit members of our species, that is to say, humans who may not know that they, in fact, are members of our species. Certain individuals of our kind are suited for identifying and recruiting possible candidates." At this he gestured to Jared who nodded back and then looked over at us.
Chase turned around in his chair again, first looking at me and then at the others. Tony was nodding his head in comprehension, along with Spike.
Finn and I looked at each other with questions written all over our faces. What exactly does this have to do with us?
"We have found the best way to identify those with fae blood in their veins is to test for fae abilities in controlled studies ... tests such as the one you have passed - with flying colors I might add." He held up each of our flags.
Oh, the irony.
"Based on your performance over the past three days, you have been identified as very likely having fae blood and therefore, fae abilities."
Whaaaat?
Spike raised his hand.
Dardennes smiled. "Spike?"
"Yeah, uh, so what you're saying is that I ... all of us ... are fae?"
"Not exactly. What I'm saying is that it is likely that you have fae blood somewhere in your ancestry."
"So, how do you know for sure?"
"We won't know unless you choose to p
articipate in the next step."
Here it comes - I knew it wasn't going to be this easy.
"So ... what's the next step?"
"Once all of you know the story, know what you could be participating in, you will be given a choice. We have in our possession certain ... amulets ... imbued with qualities that will essentially awaken or charge your fae blood and race-specific abilities. If you choose to use the amulet, and you are of the fae, it will bring about your change. You will become a 'Changeling'. Should you choose not to awaken your fae blood, you will be given the money you have earned and sent back to Miami, or wherever you'd like us to take you."
"So, what's the catch?" I asked.
"There is no catch."
"So, you'll just tell us your big secret, we say 'no thanks', and then you just let us go? How do you know we won't tell anyone?"
"Ah, yes, I did actually leave out one piece of information. Thank you, Jayne, for your question. Should you choose not to awaken your fae blood and realize your particular fae race, your memory of this test and everything I just told you will be erased by one of our colleagues who has that supernatural ability."
Finn cleared his throat and sat up a little. "Excuse me, Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but I need to ask: What's in it for us if we decide to do this thing - I mean, not get erased?"
"Another good question," Dardennes answered. "First, you will become what you truly are, the best possible version of yourself. Depending on which race of fae you are - and again we don't guarantee that you are fae, just that it is likely - you will have supernatural abilities beyond those which you could scarcely imagine or ever experience without your fae blood being charged by our amulets. The things you saw in the forest done by our colleagues are but a fraction of what is possible for many of you."
Céline stepped forward. "You will join our community which is vast and varied. We are in every state in the United States of America and every country in Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Orient, among other places. You will never again feel alone or lost or wonder what your purpose is. We all live and work together as a team. You will have a job, a place to live, and a family."
Niles stepped forward. "Many of you will also be trained to help us in our efforts to build our Light Fae forces and defend our way of life against the Dark Fae when necessary."
Spike spoke up again. "Do we get to choose which race we belong to?"
"No," answered Dardennes. "You have the blood of a certain race in your veins. The amulet merely wakes it up. We can try to guess what your race is by your current human qualities, but we are not always correct - and frankly, some of our races have died out over the years and occasionally we are confronted with a race we've never seen before ... one that hasn't walked the Earth in thousands of years. It's not often that this happens, but we have reason to believe it could happen with one of you." With this he looked pointedly at me. So did everyone else at the table.
Great. I'm a freak in the human world, and I'm probably a freak in the fae world too.
Tony reached over and squeezed my shoulder. Chase nodded at me supportively. Spike flashed me his trademark smile. For sure he was going to be an incubus. There was no getting around those teeth.
Finn was all business. "I think I'd like to discuss this with my friends before I make any kinda decision."
"Me too. And by 'friends', I also mean our friend Becky," I added.
"Fair enough," said Dardennes. "We will leave you to your discussion. In the meantime, food will be delivered and we invite you to relax and enjoy your meal while you talk."
"Ivar wasn't the chef, was he? 'Cause I'm not a big fan of his drinks," I said sarcastically.
Dardennes laughed. Céline and Ivar smiled. "No, Ivar was not the chef. One of our Green Elves was, and I think you will find they have a particularly supernatural skill when it comes to the manipulation of herbs and spices. It will be a vegetarian meal, but I'm sure you will find it more than satisfying."
I was so hungry at this point I would have happily eaten a dried pig's ear.
A door on the other side of the chamber opened and fae started walking in, carrying trays of food, dishes and utensils. Within ten minutes we all had plates loaded with food in front of us and ice-cold glasses of soda - and for Finn, a beer. He got a huge smile on his face when one of the dwarves put it down in front of him.
"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout."
I got an ice-cold soda, which was a little freaky, since I didn't remember telling anyone that was what I wanted. They must have a friggin mind reader in their group. That should provide some interesting entertainment, especially with this bunch.
Dardennes and his colleagues left, as did the servers and others who had put together our meal. We ate in silence for a few minutes, all of us too famished to talk. And I was also too hungry to worry about the food being poisoned. If they wanted to kill me at this point, well they could just go for it.
The door from the corridor opened and Becky stepped in. We all jumped up from the table and rushed over to hug her. She found herself nearly tackled to the floor in our enthusiasm.
"Wow, guys, I missed you too." Her face was all flushed and she was smiling.
Everyone but me went back to their seats. I just couldn't stop looking at her. "Becky ... I ... ," I couldn't get the rest of it out. I was choking up, tears gathering in my eyes.
Becky grabbed me in a super tight hug. "Shhh, I'm fine. I'm totally fine. I didn't die. I just ... had a little swim, that's all."
I laughed and cried at the same time. "I should have helped you. That watery bitch shouldn't have been able to get you. It's my fault."
Becky laughed, pulling me away from her so she could look at me. "It's a good thing I went into that water. I found my fae blood there. I discovered my true race. I'm happy, Jayne. If you hadn't made the choices you made, I may not be here right now. Those awful orcs might have gotten me ... or any number of other things."
"Really?" I said, wiping the tears off my face and the snot from under my nose.
"Yes, really. I'm totally serious."
"So what are you then? A vampire?"
Becky laughed. "No, silly. I'm a water sprite!" Her face broke out in a glorious grin that lit up the whole room.
"I guess I'm not surprised."
"I'm just glad I'm not a fire sprite. That water would have been a big problem for me."
I looked at her aghast, wondering how close I'd come to destroying her fae race thing or whatever.
"Kidding! I'm joking! Just relax, I'm fine, Jayne, geez. Lighten up."
I shook my head, going back to the table. "Fucking fairies."
Everyone laughed, even Chase. I punched him in the arm as I sat down.
"Becky, have a seat. We need to figure this out and since you're already in with those guys, maybe you can help shed some light on this thing," said Finn.
Becky sat down. "Okay, so what do you want to know?"
"First of all," I said, "what is this amulet thing?"
"Well, in my case it was a necklace. I put it on, and then after a few seconds, my fae blood kinda just woke up and I became a Changeling."
"What's the difference between a Changeling and a fae?" asked Tony.
"There is no difference. A Changeling is a fae - just one that's been awakened by the power in an amulet. The really old fae never lost touch with their heritage, so they never needed it."
"I thought a Changeling was something else - like when a fairy stole a baby or something, putting a fairy baby in its place."
"Yeah, a mix up in terminology or some of our history bleeding into the history of humans. In the old days, people used to have babies sometimes that cried all the time and made the moms crazy - so they'd say the baby was not really human, that a fairy had traded babies with them in the night. So they'd leave their baby outside for the fairies to get it, when instead it was probably a wolf or something that took the baby. Maybe some fae did come by and take the baby - or
ate it - I don't know. I get stories from them, explanations, but I haven't asked about much more than that. As far as I know, the fae never put their babies in human baby cribs and stole the human one. What would be the point? It would be like a human putting their baby with a group of monkeys to raise."
Tony shrugged. I guess the explanation was good enough for him, although I couldn't help but be a little offended at being compared to a monkey. I didn't really care about the terminology though. I wanted to get to the good stuff.
"If we choose to be erased, how much of our memory gets taken away?" I looked at Tony. "There are many parts of my life I want to remember."
"I didn't have that done, obviously, but my understanding is you will be erased up to the point immediately prior to learning about the meeting at the hotel."
"Is the change painful?" This question came from Spike.
"No. It tingled, but it didn't hurt."
"Did you know how to use your abilities right away, or do you have to be trained?"
"Some are there right away and some need practice. I think it depends on your race. The witches need to learn spells and stuff. Some races are pretty powerful and need to learn how to control it."
"What kind of abilities does a water sprite have?" asked Finn, smiling.
Becky disappeared. She was there one second and the next, she was gone.
"This for one."
Finn jumped out of his seat, eyes like saucers on his face. "Holy shit, girl, you just scared the bejesus outta me!"
Becky giggled, now standing next to Finn's chair.
Spike was pointing at the door and then at Finn and then back at the door again. "You just ... you just ... "
"Yeah, I just kinda disappeared and then reappeared. Like teleporting."
"What's that got to do with water?" asked Tony, my little scientist.
"The air around us is what percentage water?" she asked, a little sass in her tone.
Tony nodded in appreciation, smiling. "Ah-haaaa, I see ... "
"Will they tell us what race they think we are before we become Changelings, if that's what we decide to do?"
"Yes; they've already discussed it." She looked a little anxiously over at me.