Twist of Fae (Vegas Fae Stories Book 3)

by Tom Keller

  "Not a who," I explained. "A what. It's an inn. We can't show up empty handed so get going."

  "Come, let us begin," Charlie said to her. "I smell boar nearby and I feel the urge to hunt." With what seemed to be an almost reluctant shrug, Nikki followed him and I watched as Charlie led her deeper into the forest.

  Chapter 10

  NIKKI

  I thought I'd never be able to keep up with Charlie, but I was wrong. The run was almost effortless, at least compared to running back in the real world. It was almost like the air itself was different, filling my lungs with more than just oxygen. What am I saying? Everything is different!

  The whole thing had started like a dream. Talking birds, Dad's explanations, and then the Faerie with the wings. Even that weird little guy. What had Dad called him... an Imp? It's insane, and now I'd just stepped through a freakin' tree into a whole different world. And what a world it was!

  I watched as Charlie cut left and bounded onward, barking back at me to wait. I stopped and readied my bow. A minute later, I heard it coming through the brush. It was almost like I could feel them, Charlie and the boar I mean. They were close.

  Something tickled at the corner of my brain and I whirled around, my arrow nocked for whatever it was. A cloud of flying somethings scattered in all directions as I turned, and then Charlie came running up.

  "It's just the tree Faeries," I heard him say as he ran up to me, the boar now crashing through the woods away from me. "They wish to watch you hunt."

  I looked again, slowly pointing the bow toward the ground. Sure enough, as soon as the bow was no longer pointed in their direction, they began to appear. Small Faeries, like the ones I had seen at my dad's. I started to smile and they came closer. I could hear them whispering my name and the titles, lady, princess, and even queen.

  I dropped my arm, and they flew up to me, buzzing my head as the ones before had done. Suddenly they were all talking. I put out my hand and, one by one, they landed and bowed, before flying off again.

  "Let me begin again," Charlie said. "They will not get in the way this time." Then he ran off back into the woods, following the trail the boar had left.

  Then the Faeries backed off about ten feet, and they became silent. The only sound was a faint buzzing from their wings.

  Not too long later, there was a noise to my right and I heard Charlie call. I began to run and suddenly I felt it. The world became part of me, and I could almost see the boar as it ran, steam puffing from its nostrils as it jumped over branches, running full speed almost parallel to me. Then I caught sight of it and, still running, raised my bow, and let loose my arrow, and it was down.

  Charlie met me as I came upon it. My arrow had pierced its heart and it lay dead on the ground before me. I kneeled down and placed my hand on its snout. Although I was thrilled at the outcome of the hunt and the way it had made me feel. I felt a brief moment of sadness that I had taken a life. I said a word of thanks to the boar for the food it would bring to the table.

  "Do not be sad, my Lady," I heard Charlie say. "Your aim was true and it felt no pain. Others will live because of its sacrifice. Such is the way of things."

  I saw death every day in my day job, and every time I gazed upon it, the person was gone and only the body was left behind. But still, it was seldom from a life I had taken, even if this was an animal I'd killed for food. He was right. This life had not been taken for some stupid reason, such as drugs or money, or even as sport or entertainment, but for food and nourishment. That was something my dad had taught us when I was little girl.

  My dad wasn't what you'd call an avid hunter or fisherman. But now and then he'd go with friends, or on the odd occasion, take us with him. He'd taken my brother and me hunting and fishing on several occasions when we were young, and made us learn how to clean the fish and dress the kills. One thing he'd drummed into us was that we, as humans, were on the top of the food chain. But with that came a responsibility as well.

  He used to say that every life was precious, and even those we took, we only did so for food, or to protect ourselves or others. He also said a prayer every time he caught something, as I had just done. It was his way of saying thanks for providing food for the table. Like the animal had given its life so that we could live.

  Don’t get me wrong. My dad isn’t some kind of namby pamby liberal. I'd been there the time he'd come home after a police shoot-out that had ended in him taking down two of the bad guys during a botched robbery. I doubt he'd been too sorry that he'd done that at the time. But he had a weird way of looking at the world we lived in, and I think that's what I felt now. There was something about this place, and I was becoming more than just a part of it.

  My sentimental musings were soon forgotten as the tree Faeries caught up to us and started chattering. They were praising my skills in the hunt, and Charlie's as well. Suddenly the thrill of it all returned as the Faeries started talking about the meal and the celebration that was still to come.

  Then something they said clicked, and I wondered what else I'd missed.

  Chapter 11

  ROBERT

  After Sophie left I had a quick conversation with the Hamadryad, Aeva, about notifying me if any Dwarves crossed the border. By the time that was done, Jay had decided where to put the short sword and had come up behind me.

  "So are you going to tell me what the deal is with the EAB, Dad?" he asked. "You never quite finished the story."

  "I guess I didn’t," I agreed. "Apparently, they're part of Homeland Security."

  "Yeah, that much I already knew," he interrupted. "But what kind of deal did you get me involved in?"

  "Not really a deal, Jay," I answered back. "They merely agreed not to screw with you because of me or because of what we are. Although, I did get the impression that they already wanted you on their team. So don’t be surprised if you get an offer."

  "I don't want any charity," he said. "If they're only interested in me because of this Fae thing, they can forget it."

  "I don’t think that's the case," I said, quite proud of his attitude. "And it's nothing I did. Apparently you had already come to their attention because of your work. Samson said that you had already proven yourself and I don’t think he's the kind to bullshit."

  "What's he like?" he asked. "I heard some of the guys talking about him this morning. Even as strange as they are, they seemed almost… I don't know, afraid of him. What is he anyway?"

  "He's a Nephilim," I answered. "Part Angel, but the fallen kind. Seems quite powerful as well."

  "A Nephilim?" Jay repeated. "Aren’t they supposed to be bad guys?"

  "That's a myth. The short version is that they're descendants of the Angels known as the Fallen. They were kicked out of heaven for lusting after human women," I replied. "Anyway, just like you can’t blame me for what we are, you can’t really blame him for being descended from a fallen Angel. Besides, I didn’t get a hint of evil from him. No, I think he's just doing his job."

  "Jeez," he sighed. "You do know how crazy that sounds, don't you? I mean, this shit just gets weirder and weirder."

  "Pretty much," I said, slapping him on the back. "But you get used to it."

  He didn’t look convinced.

  Not too long after, Nikki came running through the forest with Charlie beside her as if they were racing. She still carried her bow and slid to a stop as she reached us.

  "Having fun?" I asked as she began to laugh.

  "Oh my God, Dad," she said. "It was amazing! Charlie led it right to me. And this bow is incredible. Downed it with the first shot and there's not even a peep sight. Jay, you should have seen it… damn I'm good!"

  "If you're so good, then where is it?" he asked with a big grin. "Sounds like bullshit to me."

  "Oh, you think so, do you? Well, you're gonna love this," she replied before pointing her bow in the direction she had come from.

  I looked the way she was pointing and, to my surprise, there was a boar floating towards us. Looking again
, I saw that it was being carried by a variety of Faeries and even a few Pixies. Behind them were more of the beings following along as in a procession, their small voices filling the air with an ever increasing chattering. As they got closer, they flew lower, before finally depositing the animal at our feet and flying back up, halting about 10 feet away.

  "Looks like you made a few friends," I observed.

  "They just started showing up as we were stalking the boar," she explained. "At first I thought, well, I don't know what I thought, but then I realized that they wanted to watch."

  "Told you," Charlie corrected as he sat down next to the boar.

  "Fine," she said as she gave him a dirty look. "Make that after Charlie told me they just wanted to watch." She walked closer to the flying group and raised her hands. The little beings started landing and then taking off from her fingers. She stood there for a moment as others buzzed her head before continuing. "Anyway, as soon as I brought the boar down they all started clapping and congratulating me. I've never felt anything like it." She turned and bowed to the Faeries and then walked back over to me.

  "They called me Lady, and Princess, a few even said I was their Queen," she said, directing the comment at Jay. Then she whispered in my ear. "What am I missing here, Dad?"

  "Like I said, it's a long story," I said as I walked over to the Faeries. "My friends, this boar needs to be taken to the Wayward Elf. Shall I have the Prince carry it or would you be so kind as to deliver it for us?"

  "We will take it, my Lord," one of the Faeries said. She was hovering in the front and I recalled that she had been one of the first to land on Nikki's hand. "We shall tell the Elf that it comes from the Queen and we will let it be known far and wide of her skills with the bow."

  "Thank you," I replied. "But if I may? Perhaps it would be best to call her the Princess. She has not yet taken the throne and we would not want the current Lady to be offended."

  The Faeries flew into a huddle and began to chatter. It was but a moment later that the one who had spoken returned to hover in front of my face before speaking again. "Wise is our King," she said. "We meant no offense. It shall be as you say" She bowed as she spoke and returned to the group. They all flew down and picked up the boar again and I let out a chuckle thinking about them telling the tale of the Princess's hunt when they arrived at the inn.

  "Let's go," I said, waving for the kids to follow. "I'll tell you more on the way there."

  "Whoa, whoa. Just a second there, Daddio," Nikki said, taking a stance with her hands on her hips. God, she looked just like her mother when she did that. Of course, I also winced when I heard it. I knew that tone and I figured she must have put two and two together and I had better have an explanation. "What did you mean I haven’t taken the throne yet?"

  "Well, it's like I was saying earlier," I began, walking back to her. "There's never been a male leader in the entire history of our line. Sure, there are in other lands, but not in ours. So when I claimed the title as heir to the throne, as was my right, not everybody was happy. As a matter of fact I had to fight for it."

  "Fight for it?" Jay asked. "Who did you have to fight?"

  "Another long story. But to keep it simple, let's just say that several of the local Fae weren't happy about my claim and since they had the support of the other High Fae, the whole thing turned into a big battle. Demons, warriors, and other nasty folks. Well, you get the idea. Anyway, when it was over, we won. So I claimed the title."

  "And I fit in this story where?" Nikki prodded, still giving me that look. "The Faeries seemed to think I was already their Queen and Aeva even asked if she could tell the others about me. I didn’t see you arguing the point. So spill it, what else haven't you told us?"

  "Well, you're the first female of our line since my mother so that makes you eligible for the throne. Because of that and since I was trying to soften the male part, I kinda mentioned that since you were my daughter, I was also saving it for you."

  "Saving it for me?" she probed. "It sounded like a lot more than just saving it for me!"

  "Come on, Dad, we need to know what's going on. You gotta quit holding back," Jay implored.

  "Holding back!" I said, returning to where they were stopped. "Oh, for God's sake! What do you want from me? I'm not holding back. There's simply too much to tell in one afternoon. Hell, there's probably too much to tell in a lifetime!"

  "I'm sorry, Dad," Jay replied. "And you're right, there is a lot to tell, but you need to tell us the rest now, especially where Nikki fits in."

  "He is right, Dad," she agreed. "I mean, come on! Two days ago I was a normal person handling a crime scene detail. Then I'm talking to birds and now I'm what? A friggin Faerie princess! I mean it's a nice forest and all," she added, waving her arms in demonstration. "But fighting battles with Demons and who the hell knows what else was not exactly what I had envisioned! I need to know the rest of the story."

  "You're right," I admitted. "You do." Damn, and here I thought I'd actually been doing pretty well at it up till now. But I had been holding back, if only just a little, so they had a valid point. But where to begin? I'd told them a lot already but there was no way to cover everything. "Alright guys… Let me see if I can explain this properly. Before I begin, we're all good about the magic part, right? I mean, here we are and you've seen the Faeries and animals that talk."

  "Yeah, we got that," Nikki agreed.

  "Ok. Good," I replied. "Then let me begin by bringing you up to speed, as it were. You need to know what we're dealing with here. Then I'll get to the part about us." I sat down in front of them, leaning against a tree and motioned for them to sit as well.

  "This place, this land I call Fae is connected to the human world. In the old days, before… oh, civilization as we know it, everyone played well together. Fae and humans, that is. Then things kind of went downhill. Eventually, humans started to worship the stronger Fae. Those are the High Fae that in mythology are called Gods. After a time, these Gods started getting uppity. Well, you've read some mythology, I'm sure. Here's an example; Zeus turns into a bird, flies down to earth and changes into the image of some guy so he can screw his wife. You get the picture. Anyway, as they got more out of control, they began to fight one another for power. That led up to The Fall. These High Fae, or Gods, if you still want to call them that, literally fought themselves out of existence."

  "Now what's important here is that these Gods had control over the Fae they led. And when I say control, I mean that literally. They could influence their followers, and in doing so, force them to fight. Not just by decree, but by magic. That’s the part you need to understand. But I'll get back to that in a minute so let's get up to the here and now."

  "The Fall decimated their numbers and the Fae here have been in hiding ever since. The High Fae are gone, right? But they can’t forget what happened. So it's a lot safer to just stay here in Fae and keep to themselves. Oh, sure, some Fae eventually did travel to back to the human worlds, but only the most adventurous, like the Milagres and the others who showed up in Vegas. But none of those are from our line of Fae."

  "What do you mean none of them are ours, Dad?" Jay asked. "You mean none of the Dryad here ever left?"

  "Exactly," I answered. "Our Fae, the Dryad, stayed put, at least until my grandmother left. The reason they did so was a prophesy foretold after Apollo killed the Dragon at Delphi. Apparently, by that time, Gaea, Goddess of the world and mother to all the Gods, could read the writing on the wall. You have to remember your mythology here. Gaea and Ouranos are the top of the line. Every Titan and God is descended from them. So when they started acting like idiots, this prophesy foretold that she would allow them to consume themselves into darkness."

  "Kinda cold isn't it?" Nikki commented.

  "Well, she did castrate her husband when he went after her first batch of kids, the Titans, and cast his parts into the ocean. So she is not exactly the kind of Goddess you want to piss off. But anyway, this prophesy would have wiped out all
the Fae as well. But one Dryad prayed to her and offered up her life to save her line. Anyway, for whatever reason, Gaea agreed to save the Fae. But another prophesy said that in doing so, she would see that the High Fae returned but when they did, there was a catch. All the Fae would also have to make a choice which to follow, good or evil. To make a long story short, the Fae that prayed to her was my grandmother, Maria. Then Gaea told her something else as well. That her daughter, my mother, would bear a male child. So that's where I come in."

  "So why is that such a big deal?" Jay asked. "I mean, I get it, there's never been a male leader. But so what?"

  "I'm getting there" I replied. "But the truth is, since Demeter herself sat on the throne there has never been a male born into that position. The Dryad have always been the daughters of the trees. Daughters being the operative word. Any male born from that pure bloodline was considered an abomination, not to mention most likely the evil one. So when I came along, I was the bad guy. What do you do with the bad guy, especially if you're aware of the prophesy? You get rid of him. That's why Maria did what she did. Which is a good thing for us or none of us would be here."

  "That’s still just wrong," Jay observed. "I mean the male thing."

  "Maybe," I agreed. "Remember, we're only talking about our line here and don’t forget the added concerns of the prophesy. They knew by Gaea's words that an evil High Fae would be born to the Dryad. Sure, some of the other Fae do have males as leaders, but they aren't Dryads so they weren't part of the prophesy. As to why female, that's just the way it is. But all you have to do is just look at your mythology again. Almost all the Nymphs and beings, except for half of the Gods and Titans, are female. The only time you ever hear about males, not counting the Elves and Dwarves, is if they're Satyrs, half goat, half man. So a male born to our line was, ipso facto… evil. Now, you don’t have to like their reaction, but I do want you to understand it, because that's where Nikki comes in."