by Tom Keller
"I am," I replied. "Where is she, by the way? I haven't heard from her in a while."
The question unnerved him. It was a moment before he replied.
"She is… in custody, in a manner of speaking, for violating our laws."
"What do you mean, in custody?" I asked, angrily. "What law?"
"Why Demeter's law, of course. She admitted to drinking the blood of a Fae. That is forbidden," he answered. "She is sentenced to death. But that is not why I am here… "
"I don't care why you're here," I said, standing. This was not the way I wanted to start negotiations with the Lilin, but Delia was special to me. Not to mention that without her help I wouldn't have defeated Marissa in our first battle. So doing what I had tried hard to prevent so many times already, I let the anger take over and the magic flow, bad idea or not. I reached over the desk and grabbed him by the neck.
"What is your true name and how did you become of the Lilin" I asked, already having changed to my Fae persona as the power coursed through me. It took everything I had to stay in some semblance of control, or for that matter, not to crush him between my fingers.
"Lucius Camillus, once Senior Centurion in the army of Rome," he sputtered. "Died in battle, 280 B.C. saved by Aelia and Palagues of Tarentum, after the battle of Heraclea."
"Then listen well, Lucius Camillus, progeny of Aelia and Palagues, for I truly am the heir of Demeter. You will have Delia released and brought to me or all my prior promises of freedom for the Lilin are forfeit and there will be war between our kind. Once she is released we will talk more. Unless you wish to die a second time, you will do this, now." As the words came out a cloud of green magic began flowing between us. As I said the word now it surged into him and I let go, his body plopping back into the chair he had been sitting in.
Shit, I didn't expected that. I had to get a handle on this magic stuff before I killed somebody by mistake. I probably should have just sent Sendy to fetch her but that might have been too much like an act of war. No, some things are better handled diplomatically. Even if by the point of a sword.
Before I could do anything else the phone rang and I saw that it was Hailey on the intercom. "Everything alright in there?" she asked as I picked up the receiver. "Thought I heard something fall."
"Dropped the phone book and knocked some stuff over, Hail," I replied, watching Lucius as he started to come to. "Sorry about that." I put the phone down as she acknowledged, knowing that she'd want a better explanation later.
As he regained his senses, I saw him reach into his pocket and pull out a cell phone. It was already vibrating.
"I'll give you some privacy," I said, changing back to my human form. I grabbed my cup and walked around my desk to the door as I slowly regained control.
"What the hell's going on?" Hailey asked as I stepped into the kitchen.
"Damndest thing," I replied, filling a cup with water. "Guy started to faint and knocked half the shit off my desk," I answered. "He's ok now but needs some water."
"Bullshit…" she murmured, giving me one of those looks.
I grinned and headed back to my office. Once inside I gave my guest the water and sat back down. He moved the phone from his ear.
"It will be as you say, Lord. She will be returned to you," he said shakily, taking a sip. He was scared now and I'm guessing I'd just shot my chance at a peaceful solution to the problem of the Lilin. Oh well, I'd just have to see if I could fix that.
"Oh just cut the Lord shit. Will you?" I snapped back. "Tell me, if I am the heir and I gave her the blood then why would anyone think she should be punished?"
"It is Demeter's words that we must abide. Let me repeat them," he answered back, now with a tinge of anger in his voice.
"Lay down your arms, life I will grant you, but expect not kindness. Where Fae be, you must flee and to taste of ichor is forbidden. Where three or more gather, except to hear my words, I will call down my wrath. One in ten may bear life. This I offer, but no more, and death to any that violate this decree. Bound by the blood of your tears it shall be," he recited.
"Come on," I declared. "Sure, I know the words, but half of them are meaningless now anyway." He looked shocked, so I continued.
"Where three or more gather… great idea in theory. Not so workable when everyone's carrying an iPhone or has access to a computer. I guess she'd never thought of virtual meetings, had she?" I said, waving my own iPhone in front of him. "And Demeter's wrath? Where is it? I'm guessing this is the first time in a helluva lot of years anyone got any feedback from her line, and that's only because you pissed me off. As to fleeing from the Fae… how the hell do you work at a non-human bar that serves them if you have to flee every time someone comes through the door? Oh, wait… must be the serve angle, cute."
"Even if you are her heir, it is still a decree we must follow, be it eroded over time or not. It still stands," he countered.
"Yeah. Fine, maybe you're right. Then let's move on then, shall we. Here's what we're gonna do. We're just gonna start over. You understand?" I asked and continued before he could answer. "First, I apologize for the outburst. Just don’t give me any of this Lord crap. Call me Robert. Got it?"
He started to say something, but then clamped his mouth.
"Next, where is Delia and how soon can you get her here," I continued.
"I do not know where she is. I was told that she will be here tomorrow."
"Perfect, and I expect her to be unharmed." I took out a business card and wrote down my home address. Then I handed it to him. "I want her delivered there. Have whoever's bringing her call me at least an hour before they arrive."
"It will be as you say, Lo… Robert," he said, catching the glare of my anger as he started to say Lord.
"Fine, next then, I want you to listen, and I mean this. I want nothing from you. I have already ordered the Fae under my rule to have no part in taking advantage of any Lilin. That doesn't mean they won't defend themselves if provoked, not that that should happen. But no harm will come to the Lilin by the hands of the Dryad. Now I can't control every damn Fae out there. Hell, there's some I know that won't listen. But this bullshit has got to end and I will do everything in my power to do so. Do you understand?"
"The decree cannot be lifted," he said, having gained back some of his composure. "Except with the Tears of Blood and none of the Elders will meet with you if you possessed it. Besides, it is lost. Better it should stay so."
"Why? Suppose I did find it," I said, not willing to admit I knew where it was. "There is no other way to remove the spell."
"Then you know that the same ceremony could just as easily enslave us forever," he countered, his resolve definitely back. "You obviously know our history with the Fae. How could we ever trust you, especially after your little demonstration?"
Damn Romans! But he did have a point.
"Let me remind you, Centurion," I said, hoping to use his prior rank to my advantage. "You were the ones that were going to kill her, not me. I can’t allow that."
"A fact that I find curious," he admitted. "Why? Since we were defeated we have been nothing to the Fae. Even Demeter, who some of us worshipped, treated us as beasts. What has suddenly changed? Why is this Delia so important to you?"
I leaned back in my chair and placed my hands behind my head and sighed. You just can't get around history. Whether it was that of the Fae and Lilin, or just me and Delia. I doubted I could give him an answer he would accept or one that someone wouldn’t try to use against me. Hmmm, I wondered if I could use his Roman legionnaire background to my advantage? It was worth a try so I removed my sword from its hiding place on my back and showed him the hilt.
"Do you know what this is, Centurion?" I asked, twirling it in my hand.
"The hilt of a sword," he replied. "What of it?"
"Not just any sword," I said, and then I willed the blade to extend as I stood. Arcs of blue fire swirled up and down the blade as I held it for him to admire. "This is the sword of Cronus, son o
f Ouranos and the most powerful of the Titans. This is the same sword that was carried by Zeus and prized by all the Gods. Do you know how I got this?" I asked, doubting that he had heard the full story. For a moment, I didn’t think he was going to answer, mesmerized by the blade as he was.
"The blade of Zeus! Never did I imagine to see it in person," he finally answered, almost jumping out of the chair. "For a moment, I could almost wish for my days in the legion. But what has this to do with us?"
"It is a long story. But suffice it to say that I won this blade at the very gates of Olympus after defeating my enemy there," I replied. "Delia was one of my companions on that journey. I would not have been victorious without her."
"A Fae in battle with a Lilin at his side? That is a tale I could scarcely believe when I first heard it," he asserted. "Yet here is the sword offered as proof."
"But that is only part of the reason, Lucius Camillus. Believe me or not I will tell you the same thing I have told hundreds of other Fae," I said, sitting back down. "I am not of the old Gods nor do I wish to take the same path as they did. Go back to your Elders or whatever you call the rulers of your kind. Tell them I wish them no harm and I would see them free. Set up a meeting and I will attend, they have nothing to fear. I swear it."
"I could almost believe you," he finally admitted. "Especially since the spell that was upon us has changed. But tell me Robert, why? It has been many an age since the wars between our races. Why would you care what happens to us?"
"I simply don't believe in slavery," I said, soberly. "Be it forced though violence or magic, it is wrong. Every being has the right to choose his own destiny. Is that simple enough for you?" Not exactly something a Roman would necessarily understand, but it is what it is.
"You are not what I expected," he responded.
"Yeah, I get that a lot," I said as he stood.
"I will report what you have said here," he said as he walked to the door. "But I doubt it will matter." Well, at least he was honest.
"My door is always open," I said in reply, and walked him out of the building.
"Well, he certainly didn’t look that sick to me," Hailey quipped as I came back into the office. "What was that all about?"
"Oh, just another walk-in," I answered, heading back to my office.
"Smells like bullshit to me," Hailey countered. Being from Texas she could be sweet as pie, but she could also make a truck driver blush when she felt like it. "What are you up to now?"
"I swear, Hail, he's just another nut case."
"Yeah," she responded. "Your clientele has been getting mighty strange there, Robert Hoskins. I sure hope you know what you're doing. Ever since that Milagre escapade things have been getting a little weird around here."
"Yeah, I should have stuck with the poorer clients," I said, knowing that that probably wouldn’t comfort her but might at least get a chuckle. But what was I gonna say? She was like a mother hen sometime but I just didn’t have the energy to argue with her today. "I need to get some paperwork done. I'll talk to you after a while," I said as I walked into my office and shut the door.
I was worried about Delia. But there was little I could do about it at the moment. Short of starting a real war I'd just have to wait and see what tomorrow was gonna bring. Still, I could think of a few things, one of which was to call for Sendy.
"You rang," she said with a smile as she appeared.
"Do you think you can find a Lilin?" I asked.
"Fae and humans are easy," she answered, the smile fading. "Lilin are not of my domain so much more difficult. Can you give me any place to start?"
"No, not really. Just that wherever she is they can have her here by tomorrow."
"That is not much that will be helpful."
"Well, just do what you can? I'll call for you if I get any more information." Then I told her everything I knew about Delia. I pulled out a map and showed her some places to check. LA, Phoenix, Reno, including a stop by where she worked in case that would help. It was the best I could come up with.
"It will be so," she answered, then disappeared.
I dove into my inbox and spent the next few hours just doing PI work. There was nothing else I could think of to do until this afternoon, not with the Lilin probably all freaked out by now. Instead I lost myself in the work. Locates, backgrounds, answering mail, that kind of thing. As much as my life had changed I still had to keep the office going. If for no reason other than appearances. Besides, I liked what I did and I wasn't gonna let the Fae world change that. Not if I could help it.
By the early afternoon my inbox was finally empty. Shutting down the computer, I walked out to say goodbye to Hailey and then jumped in my car for a trip to Danu's. It was time to see if I could find out anything else that was going on with the Lilin.
Danu's was a bar that catered to Fae. I doubt any normal humans could even find it. They'd have to be a Witch or Warlock, or something to that effect, as it was shrouded by magic. It was located between the old Las Vegas Fire Station #4 and a machine shop in the industrial side of downtown. I pulled around the corner, parked my car and walked up to the place.
The front was just an antechamber with a heavy door. There was a wooden sign hanging outside like an old English Pub. Carved into the wood was the name, Danu's, and above it, a caricature of a female holding a sword while sitting on a crescent moon that shone over a sea.
I opened the heavy wooden door and walked into the small hallway. There was another set of doors about 5 feet into the place. Once inside, the place looked like an old English Pub. All wood and brick with a fireplace in the far corner that had lion's feet legs and a hardwood mantle. The hearth was raised and made of an antique brick. The bar was U shaped and looked like it came out of a museum. The stools and tables were of heavy wood and all appeared hand crafted. It was definitely unique. It was also quiet.
There was one person behind the bar and as I entered, she took one look at me, eyes widening and ran into the back. A short time later, Bjartr walked out. He took a look at me and started shaking his head. Bjartr was an Elf. Now don’t think of them as Elves out of storybooks, instead, think Old Norse. As best I could figure it, Elves had taken it upon themselves to keep watch over the other magical races.
Bjartr was to the Lilin, at least those here in the Vegas area, as Handion had been to the Dryad. Some kind of advisor and friend. I'd originally heard that they were mostly pacifists but I'd seen him take up a blade when I'd fought a Demon at this very spot. Needless to say, he hadn’t been very happy with me then, either.
"Haven't you done enough for one day?" he asked. "That show of force with the Lilin has them all running for cover. Just what was that all about anyway?"
"Where's Delia," I asked as I sat down at the bar in front of him. "Answer me that first,"
"Off to speak with the Elders. I expect her back anytime."
"Then you don't know."
"Know what?"
"Her… Elders, as you call them, have sentenced her to death," I answered in a sarcastic tone.
"What?" He put down the glass he had been cleaning since he came out of the back. "Where did you hear this?" he demanded.
"A Lilin paid me a visit today and dropped that tidbit. Sorry I got angry but I couldn’t let that happen…."
"I see," he returned. "Still, you may have made things much worse resorting to that level of magic."
"Much worse?" I countered. "They're lucky that's all I did." I was starting to get angry, but then I caught myself. Maybe I could have handled it differently. I was risking a lot for just one Lilin, even if it was Delia. "Maybe I was a bit hasty," I said. "But to be honest, I just lost it when he told me. They were going to kill her Bjartr, I had to save her."
He eyed me strangely for a moment, like he was not sure of whether he was mad at me or grateful. Then he relaxed. "I understand," he finally said. "I care for her as well. But what you have done is fraught with danger. I should have foreseen this."
"Hey, don't
beat yourself up about it. I'm some friggin' High Fae and I didn’t know. I'm just lucky that that Lilin stopped by or we'd be talking about her in the past tense."
"Who was it that you heard this from?" he asked after a moment.
"Some former Roman Centurion. Lucius Camillus, he said his true name was. Do you know him?"
"I know of him," he replied. "Did he give you any other information?
"Only that she would be delivered to me tomorrow. He couldn’t, or wouldn’t, say where she was being held."
"That would be Reno," he muttered to himself. "They will be driving then. I would like to be there when she arrives. Is that acceptable?"
Damn, a place to start. I should have thought of contacting him sooner. "They're supposed to call me an hour out. Anything I should be worried about? I did tell them that she had better not be harmed."
"It is difficult to say," he said. "If they follow the old ways she will not have fed and will be weak."
"I'll have a Fae healer standing by," I said. If that was true than something else must have happened to her as well. Like the classic Vampire bullshit, the Lilin did drink blood, but they didn’t need it every day. When they did more often it was usually to heal themselves. I was not pleased with the thought of what they could have done to her.
"That would be wise." Then he scribbled a number on a card. "Will you call me?"
"Better yet, I will have Sendy notify you when she arrives," I replied, taking the card.
"Ah, the Aurae, convenient," he answered.
"Good enough then. So now that that is out of the way. Do you think that you could introduce me to the other Lilin in the back? I'd hate to think that they're all gonna be afraid of me forever." I saw the faintest hint of a grin on his face.
"Rayna," he called out. The door to the back behind the bar cracked open and a frightened face peeked out. "You can come out now, he will not harm you."
The door slowly opened the rest of the way and a small form stepped out. She was blonde and looked all of twenty. I had no idea how long ago she'd been changed so there was no way to know how old she really was. She walked hesitantly toward Bjartr, hiding behind him as she reached us.