Of Gods and Fae

by Tom Keller

  "What the hell was that thing? Some kind of Ifrit?" I asked, stopping in front of him.

  "Ifrit? No, I do not think so. Rather some spawn of Flereous, a fire Demon from Hell," he replied.

  "You mean like the real Hell? I thought they just lived in the Underworld," I countered.

  "Some indeed do," he answered. "It is difficult to be sure with this one. Nonetheless, it is foolish to enslave true Demons. They are dangerous to control and once summoned by dark magic can hardly be trusted. It would turn against its master as soon as the spell weakened. It takes a powerful Mage to summon one such as this. The enemy does not appear to be too careful in the enchantments it weaves."

  "No shit," I said, realizing again how little I really knew. I suppose it would have been better to kill him but this was just as effective. I'd fought a Demon once before. He had also been under some spell cast to bring him forth from the Underworld. When I killed the Mage that had summoned that one, the spell vanished. Demons, it turns out, aren't necessarily evil. That one had still been tough as nails, but I'd been able to reason with him once the spell was lifted and we'd came to an understanding. But who had summoned this one? Certainly not the hag. No, Cacilia would have noticed that kind of magic here, or at least she should have. This battle had been won but the war was far from over, I thought to myself as I stepped back onto the dais.

  "I see you were victorious, my Lord," Sendy said, as she stepped out of the portal with my aunt.

  "Well, we won, but I'm not sure I'd call it a victory." I turned to look over the Temple floor. Several Fae were having their wounds attended and several more would never rise again. "Who was that?" I asked Cacilia as she walked towards me.

  "Her name was Zenia. She was a spell caster but I've never seen this side of her," she said as she stood over the body.

  "What's a spell caster doing here?"

  "Not all Fae are as adept in magic as others. She sold her spells to those that could not perform the magic themselves. But always simple things, never evil, until now. How could I have missed this side of her?"

  I knelt down by the body just in time to see the amulet she had reached for turn to smoke. Damn, I thought to myself, I should have looked at that sooner.

  "What was that?" Cacilia asked.

  "Some kind of portal device." I answered.

  "You've seen these before?"

  "Yes, on two other Spartoi we met in the woods before we made it to the Temple."

  "In my woods before you arrived? But I sensed nothing." Cacilia contended.

  "None the less, they were here. As was she." Diantha responded.

  "I'm sorry this happened," I said, standing to face Cacilia. "I am not a dark Fae but it appears the darkness followed me here anyway."

  "It is not your fault," another voice said.

  I turned to see Handion, the Elf, astride the Pterippus, Althaea. He dismounted and walked over to us.

  "They would have come eventually," he said. "If not today, then tomorrow. It is the dark Fae's desire to rule all things. Do not be sorry for that which you cannot change. Instead, focus on that you can."

  Boy did that sound familiar.

  "I could have used you a little while ago," I commented.

  "This was your battle, my friend. Besides, you seem to have done just fine," he answered, gesturing at the dead hag.

  I'd heard that before, too

  "Perhaps, but at what cost?" I replied, looking back over to the dead and wounded. As I did so I noticed that many of the Dryad were now returning to the Temple floor, others were tending to the injured or removing those that hadn't survived. Whether drawn by the battle's end or the appearance of Althaea, I once again felt them as they streamed in around us.

  "It is time for the King to address his subjects," Handion said.

  As I stepped toward the front of the dais I looked out. Dryads and Hamadryads and assorted other creatures had filled the floor area. The glow of the Hamadryads magic wisps like strands of golden fog drifting among the Fae. I turned to my aunt.

  "Don't look at me," Cacilia exclaimed. "Now is the time to win their hearts, if you can."

  Oh, great, speech time. Here goes nothing.

  "Good Fae of the Dryad and others," I began. "It was once prophesized that the High Fae would return and, once again, darkness would enter our lands. Because of this, some time ago a decision was made. That decision led to me leaving this world and the banishment of Maria, then eldest among you. We now live in an age where that prophesy has been fulfilled. Once again, death and war have returned. While I am not the dark Fae that prophesy heralded, darkness has followed me to this land and today we have seen the result. For that I am truly sorry. But as Handion, an Elf you know well has said to me, I say now to you. The darkness was coming whether I was here or not. If not today, then tomorrow.

  "So what is left? Let me tell you. Today, I asked Cacilia, eldest among you to recognize my right of succession as High Fae of the Dryad and she has agreed that my claim is just. Yet I also know that no male has ever sat on Demeter's throne." I stopped and walked to the stone throne in the center of the dais. There was a hush as the Fae watching waited to see what I would do. I circled the throne, an idea already in my mind, even if I didn’t like it.

  "I will not break that tradition," I proclaimed and walked back to the edge of the dais. There was talking and mumbling now amongst those that gathered before me. "Instead I offer you this. As High Fae of the Dryad I will take my place as leader among you, as is my right. But I ask Cacilia to remain as steward here in the Fae realm, should she be content to do so, until the next female of our line is ready. I have a daughter that can make that claim in time." I turned to face my aunt. "Cacilia, do you agree to my terms?"

  "I do," she said after a moment. It was clear that this was not what she had expected.

  I hadn't wanted to throw my kids to the wolves like this but with Handion's revelation that the spell that protected and suppressed my powers was gone would also allow the magic to flow to my son and daughter made the issue moot. I was gonna have to bring them in on this. I just hoped I had a little while to figure out before I had to do so. I walked over to Althaea, the Pterippus, who had been watching on the dais, she bowed as I joined her. Hey, it never hurt to have someone, or something, famous as a backup.

  Then I once again spoke to the Fae gathered around me, telling them the story of the dark High Fae Marissa, and how, after our battle, she had been sentenced to Tartarus. When I was done, I raised the sword that Cronus had given me as proof of my tale, then retracted the blade and put it away.

  "There is only one thing left. I must ask something of you," I said to the crowd. "Do you agree to my terms and will you recognize my claim as rightful heir to Demeter's throne?" There was a deep silence as the crowd digested what I had just asked. Then, a few rows back from the front of the crowded dais, a young looking female Fae stepped forward.

  "If all this is true and you are rightful heir, then you are our God," she said in a nervous voice as she kneeled. "Why do you ask this of us when we must obey?" As she said this the other Fae realized the truth of her words and started to kneel as well.

  "Wait," I yelled and then jumped off the dais and walked towards her, the crowd parting as I passed. "Rise Aglaia," I said, using magic to recognize her name. I knelt down and helped her to her feet. "As I have told many in my journey to this point I will say to you now, I do not seek to be worshipped." Then I turned back to the crowd.

  "Rise, all of you. For I am not of the old Gods," I said as I stood and addressed them again. "Nor will I follow their ways. If you do not accept me then of what value to you am I?" I walked back to the dais. "Only together can we stay safe and defeat the darkness when it returns. Will you join me? Will you accept my right to be here among you?"

  It was quiet at first, as if they were all trying to decide. Then Aglaia stepped forward again.

  "I will recognize you as King and rightful successor," she said, then kneeled down again
and the crowd followed suit. Oh well, I tried.

  "Thank you for the honor," I said, bowing to them. "Hamadryads," I continued," I return control of the trees to you. Those that you see fit may enter the realm and I task you with guarding the way against those that would do us harm. And now, Sophie," I said, spying her near the front of the crowd. "I task you and your kin as guardians of this realm. Protect our Fae from any that enter to do harm."

  "I will," she said as she bowed her head in acknowledgement.

  Handion slapped me on the back and returned to Althaea and mounted the wing horse. A few seconds later they rose above the crowd and flew away as Cacilia stepped up to me.

  "Well, it appears Maria was right after all," she said, then bowed to me before addressing the crowd. "Gentle Fae," she began. "Much has happened today in our realm. Let us now attend to our wounded and prepare rights for those that have fallen. The King and I will be available to any that require us. For now, honor our fallen."

  Slowly the crowd began to disperse. Unanswered question left for another time.

  I spent the next few days discussing the future with Cacilia as well as seeing to the many Fae that had it turned it did have questions. Assuring them all that nothing much would change, except to be more mindful of the enemy, things slowly calmed down. As to my aunt and I, well, we came to a pretty good agreement. I'd keep her advised of anything that would affect the Fae here and she'd maintain the status quo. I'd already sent Sendy back to the human world and I eventually found myself back at the Wayward Elf with the rest of my original companions. All of us ready for the trip home.

  "Overall I think things went rather well," Siegfried commented as he hoisted his beer.

  "Interesting, to say the least," replied Gerda. "Although I could have done without the arrow." She rubbed her leg where an arrow from an enemy bow had pierced her armor, now fully healed by Fae magic. "I have, at least, chronicled what occurred and you will go down in the annals as one of the new generation of Gods. Even if you did not actually take the throne," she added with a grin.

  "Please," I responded. "No more God talk. Diantha is still pissed at me."

  "That's only because you could have had it all," Diantha quipped as she sat down.

  "What more do I need?" I asked. "I am King. Hell, I even have control of the Dryads coffers. I couldn’t spend that much gold if I wanted to."

  As part of being heir to Demeter I had access to, among other things, all her assets. A princely sum more than equal to several governments' net worth, I'd imagine. Not that I planned to abuse it. It was earmarked now for all the Fae in this land. I was going to have to get Cornwall involved to help me manage it. But that's what attorneys are for, even Fae attorneys. If it wasn't for the fact that Handion and the water Fae had expected me some 20 years earlier I would have almost been happy.

  "How many times do I have to tell you?" she stated. "It's not about the money."

  "I know, I know…" I answered. "But I'm not willing to go the route of the Gods of Olympus with my followers groveling at my feet. Besides, we know how well that worked out for the last bunch."

  Gerda and Siegfried laughed as she just harrumphed in reply. We'd been down this road before. But that’s what happens when you're dealing with a 3000 year old Greek Oracle that used to be Apollo's mistress. How do you win an argument with someone like that? Luckily, I was saved from trying by the arrival of Handion.

  "So, my good friends, your work here is done and you are ready to return to the human world." He stated as he sat down to join us. He put down a tray of filled mugs and two bowls for the dogs on the table. "But first, a final toast," he added as he passed the mugs around and lowered the bowls for Charlie and Sophie. "To the return of the High Fae," he said with a wink and a nod in my direction.

  Chapter 10

  There was absolutely nothing Fae related on my calendar today, I thought to myself as I got dressed. It's about time! I'd spent almost two weeks dealing with the Milagres and other local Fae leaders assuring everyone that I was not interested in taking over. Sheesh, I've probably got more enemies these days than ever before, and that doesn't even include Marissa and her minions. So much for the line it's good to be king! Well, they'd just have to deal with it. Hopefully I'd assured everyone that the status quo was a good thing. I'd also worked out the Fae money thing, delegating most of it to Gerald Cornwall, the Fae attorney.

  Of course I still had more things to do. I was still concerned about that 20 years late thing Handion and Cyrene had hit me with. And I did want to ask Bernd about Valen. I hadn't heard from him since I'd returned. I needed to ask Lucinda about that again. It wasn't like him to be away so long. But who knew what he had going. Still it was another thing to worry about.

  Then there were the kids. Well, adult kids anyway. JT was an agent for Homeland Security in LA and Nicky was a CSI at Vegas PD. Both were smart and at the top of their game. I'd talked to them several times since I'd come back from Fae, trying to find out if anything had changed. So far it seemed like nothing had happened. But I knew it was just a matter of time before the magic started to make itself known. I probably wasn’t being fair to them by avoiding the issue, especially since I'd promised the Dryad my female heir would eventually take the throne. But I just wasn't ready to deal with it yet. Stupid, I know, but what can I say.

  I went downstairs to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinet for a coffee cup. I settled on an old favorite, it simply said, out of the frying pan and into the fire. I filled it as I realized that was exactly the situation I found myself in. So be it. Like I said before, at least my calendar was clear.

  Oh sure, I was still gonna go to the office. Had to keep up appearances and all that. But as to the Fae, things were quiet. Sendy was hanging out with Malcolm; they had a thing going. Who was I to complain? Diantha was keeping herself busy with work at the Neptune, although personally I think she was still pissed that I hadn’t wanted to take over the world. Gerda had gone back to wherever she was from and Siegfried was back working for Meredith and Eddie Milagre at the Neptune as well. All in all I might have my first quiet day in weeks, but I doubted it was going to last. Still, it was something to hope for.

  After reading the paper (I'd missed absolutely nothing of interest), I threw the ball with Charlie for a bit, finished my coffee, set the pot for next time and headed downtown to the office.

  My office was located just off of the downtown area alongside attorneys and various other businesses related to the legal field. Actually, I rented some space from an old friend named Hailey that I'd first met when I was still a young cop. She owned a legal services business. Paralegal work, document filing, subpoena services, that kind of stuff. It was a small business and although she did have a staff, she also acted as the receptionist and answered the phones. She also worried about me.

  Hailey was at her usual spot behind the counter and she heard me come in through the back door. "Robert, is that you?" she yelled as I came through the hallway.

  Grabbing a Hailey's Legal Services cup I poured myself some coffee in the kitchen and then leaned against the service window. "As if you didn't know," I answered.

  Hailey had no idea about the Fae world but had an uncanny ability to read people, and that included me. Although she had no idea what I had become she had noticed that things had changed, especially in my business dealings. Since all this magic crap had started I'd seen a definite change in my client list. It wasn't just the fact that higher level clients like the Milagres and other bigwigs in the Vegas scene had started calling, it was also a few of the walk in's.

  "A mother always knows," she quipped. "Which reminds me," she continued, swiveling her chair in my direction. "A strange fellow has been by a couple times to see you. He never waits and wouldn't give me a name. But he said he'd be back today. What are you up to this time?"

  "If by 'up to,' you mean trying to earn a living, then yes, that's what I'm doing. But I have no idea who that would be. What did he look like?" I asked.<
br />
  She reached over to her desk and grabbed her coffee cup. "Be a good dear and fill this will you?"

  I took her cup, rinsed it, and poured her a fresh one as she watched.

  "Well, he looks like that fellow there," she finally answered, pointing through the front window at a 30 something, dark complected man in a brown suit. He looked like any number of people that could be seen walking to and from court in the area. Well, maybe his shoes were a little worn and his suit had seen better days, but hey, that really wasn't that unusual, either.

  "Something weird about him though," she commented as he turned and walked up to the entrance. "Those eyes," she said. "They're old… real old." Then she gave a visible shiver. "You be careful, you hear."

  "Always," I answered as the front door opened and he stepped inside.

  "Would you be Mr. Hoskins?" he asked.

  "That I would, and you are?" I replied, holding out my hand. He hesitated a moment, then shook it, his grip firm. I could feel a sense of nervousness about him.

  "Luke Camillo. I was wondering if you had a moment to talk," he said, then glanced around. "In private."

  "Absolutely," I replied. "Follow me." I led him down the hallway to my office. Once inside I offered him a seat before sitting myself. "Now, how can I be of service to the Lilin?" I asked, having sensed immediately what he was. So much for a regular day.

  "Actually, I came to see if the rumors were true," he answered.

  "And which rumors would those be?" I inquired, already guessing at the answer.

  "It is said that an heir of Demeter has returned. Is it true? Are you what Delia claims you to be?"

  Delia was also a Lilin. She was, in fact, the first Lilin I'd ever met, having rescued her from a couple of paw happy Werewolf types. On more than one occasion I'd had to give her blood to either save her or boost her strength. Truth was I had hoped there might even be something between us but that flame seemed to have quickly dampened after the last battle we'd been in.