Twist of Fae (Vegas Fae Stories Book 3)

by Tom Keller

  "These lands were once ruled by a Dryad named Erato. Her kind, too, served Demeter. She was also once the oracle of Pan; until his death, that is. She later married a King named Arcas in the human realm, and bore him three sons. Arcas later perished, and Zeus, grieving his loss, placed him in the heavens for all to remember. After his death, and once her sons had reached manhood, she returned here to her birthplace, to live among those of her kind," I heard Leukos say as I stared at the ruins.

  "Okay," I replied. "But what’s that got to do with me?"

  He didn’t answer, but Althaea continued the story.

  "During The Fall, when the battle between the Gods first threatened these lands, The Dwarf King Grerin offered aid to Erato, and for a time, the land was safe. Then one evening, Grerin appeared in her chambers and let it be known that he had yearned for her for some time. But Erato rebuffed his advances. She told him that her love for her dead husband, whom she believed looked down upon her from the heavens each night, was such that she could never love another."

  "This angered the Dwarf King, who stormed off without reply. The next morning, the Dwarves that guarded these lands had disappeared and Erato was nowhere to be found. Not long after, the battles between the Gods reached these lands, and soon after that, the kingdom fell; leaving only these ruins to serve as testament to those that once thrived here. One day, even they will turn to dust, as will the memories of those that once dwelled here."

  I was beginning to wonder what the hell the point of this was, other than to tell me that these Dwarves weren't the good guys. My dad had mentioned feeling manipulated in some of his dealings with other beings, and I wondered if that was what was happening to me now. I could live with that. I had to deal with egotistical cops all day. Especially when working the field. I can't tell you how many times someone told me to impound something that had absolutely no value as evidence. But woe be it that a lowly CSI tells some detective that. But they'd learned. At least now they brought coffee when they had stupid requests. Of course, from everything I'd heard, these creatures were supposed to be above all that, but who really knows?

  "I appreciate the story. I really do," I said, the heat now making me uncomfortable. "But my dad already told me that these Dwarves were assholes. So unless you have something else to show me, we might as well head back."

  "Perhaps it would be best if she explained the rest," Althaea said, with a quick upturn of her nose to indicate the area behind me.

  "She?" I asked, turning. I was suddenly pushed forward and almost stumbled down a staircase of roughhewn stone steps that I knew hadn't been there a moment ago. It was dark and dusty, and it looked like the entrance to an old chamber that, until recently, and I'm talking like seconds ago, had been covered and blocked for ages.

  I turned to look back, and the two flying horses just stood there, nodding their heads. Feeling a bit like Alice, I nevertheless started down, wondering all the way if a white rabbit was waiting for me at the bottom. It wasn't. Instead, I found myself staring straight down a long dark hallway. I was lucky if I could see a whole twenty feet into it, but I went ahead and walked as far as I dared, not wanting to lose the light of the entrance that was now behind me.

  I stood there for a moment, letting my eyes get used to the darkness. At least it was cooler down here, I thought to myself. Then I squinted, seeing what seemed to be a small sliver of light just visible ahead. Figuring I was already committed, I walked further down, my feet crunching on small pebbles. I hoped that there wasn't anything larger, because I couldn’t see a damn thing on the floor. After a few minutes, I was convinced there was something on the other end, because the light grew stronger. Beginning to jog, I hurried down the tunnel to see what was at the other end.

  It was either that or go back, something I was hesitant to do, since I'd already come all this way. I eventually came upon what looked like an ordinary doorway. There was even an old, rotting, wooden door, half hanging from the hinges. What it was doing here was beyond me. I thought I heard a soft brushing noise from within, so I cautiously stepped inside. What the…?

  "Good, you're here," the woman said, stopping her sweeping when she saw me come through the doorway. "I'll never understand why humans use these things." Then she leaned against the broom and wiped her brow with a handkerchief she pulled from a pocket. "Sorry about the clutter. Kids, you know, always making a mess of things, even when they're supposedly all grown up."

  She looked to be in her mid-thirties. She had black hair with curls that stuck out of a bandanna she wore like a scarf. She was wearing blue jean overalls and black converse tennis shoes, and I wondered again if I hadn't gone crazy.

  "I think I might be in the wrong place," I said, half stuttering the words. I might have just stepped into a fantasy novel but this was the weirdest thing yet.

  "Nope," the woman said. "This is where you're supposed to be."

  I turned as she said that, but the way was blocked. Flipping around again, I hugged the wall where the doorway had been just moments ago. "…and you would be?"

  "Call me Gaea," she replied, her lips slowly forming into a smile.

  "Gaea," I repeated. I don’t know what I'd been expecting but it certainly wasn't this. "Gaea?" I said again, this time as a question. "Earth Goddess. Mother to the Gods. Are you saying that you're that Gaea?"

  "That would be me," she replied.

  "I'm sorry," I said as I stepped away from the wall, my head shaking in disbelief. "It's just that… and not that I haven't already been having a strange day, but… and please, pardon me for saying this, but you just don't look like that Gaea."

  "Of course," she said, letting out a long sigh.

  As she sighed she twirled her fingers and then, once again, I was somewhere else. This time it was a temple, but not the crumbled ruin I'd just seen. This one was new. Flowers hung from the rafters and vines twisted down from the top of the columns. Her statue stood at the entrance and she now sat on a golden throne.

  "I…am…Gaea!" she said in a loud voice, standing and pointing her finger at me as lightning flashed and thunder shook the ground. This time, she was dressed in a Greek inspired, white gown, with gold thread and a belt with some type of golden grain woven throughout it. Her long, curly hair, reaching almost to her waist, flowed down her back. "Kneel before me and hear my words!"

  I just stood there, dumbfounded.

  After half a minute her eyes rolled and she twirled her finger again.

  This time I almost jumped as I found myself seated in a comfortable chair. Sitting at what looked like a kitchen table, directly across from her.

  This time, she was conservatively dressed in a purple outfit with thin tufts of lace on the collar and sleeves. Her hair was pulled up in a twist-and-tuck bun, with braids above the ears. She held a small pitcher in one hand. "Milk?" she asked.

  "Pardon me?" I replied, still somewhat in a daze.

  "Do you like milk with your tea?" she asked, this time pointing at the flowered china teacup in front of her.

  "Sure," I answered. "I guess so."

  She poured some milk into the cup and set it down before picking up a teapot and pouring in the tea. Then she pushed it towards me, along with a bowl of sugar cubes.

  "I blame it on videogames and TV," she said, placing another teacup in front of her and pouring some for herself. She lifted the cup to her mouth and took a sip before continuing. "I mean, just look at you. If I'd have transported you to that temple in the old days, you would have prostrated yourself in front of me, begging my forgiveness. Even if you didn’t know what you'd done or why you were there."

  "Excuse me?" I asked, not having a clue as to what the spectacle I'd just witnessed was all about.

  "See what I mean," she said, throwing a hand over her shoulder and rolling her eyes again. "Oh, how the times have changed. Never mind. But yes, I am that Gaea." She picked up her cup again and drank some more. As she set it down, she leaned forward on the table. "I didn’t think your father was ever going
to let you in on his little secret. But you're here now, and that is the important thing. Now, I think it's time you and I had a little chat."

  Chapter 17

  JAY

  "Have you gone absolutely crazy?" I asked when Nikki told me what she had in mind. "This is Dad we're talking about." The fact that she'd pulled me away from that red haired Fae, Lynley, so abruptly hadn’t done anything for my mood. But she was spewing nonsense now. At least we were alone, standing on a small wooden dock, that lead out over the stream that bordered the inn.

  "Don’t you think I know that," she replied. "But everything she said made sense. Even you know that something weird is going on back home. Why else would an agency like that EAB have such a big office there… or be sending agents to all those autopsies if it wasn't?"

  "I'm not disputing that Nik. But how do you know she's really who she says she is?"

  "If that wasn't her, then how could I do this?" she asked, as she walked to the end of the dock. She held out her hand, and her fingers began to glow. Reaching down, she rubbed them on one of the old wooden planks. Suddenly, it came to life. Roots and tendrils shot out, and limbs sprouted. Then leaves appeared as the wood began to regenerate.

  I was speechless for a moment. "She taught you that?" I asked.

  "She didn’t teach me anything," she said. "But she opened up something in my mind. Something that made the magic work as if I was born to it." Then she held out her palm again, and this time, a spark appeared. It began to grow, and soon doubled, then tripled in size. "She told me how to do it for you, too. Sorry, little bro, but this is gonna hurt like a son of a bitch." Then she lifted her palm to her mouth and blew the glowing thing right at me.

  I tried to scream but no sound would come out of my mouth. I had never felt pain like that in my life! I dropped to my knees and grabbed my head in agony. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. Nikki reached down and helped me up, the memory of the pain already fading away.

  "What the hell did you just do?" I asked.

  "Just trust me. Now look over there, across the water." Then she spun me around and pointed to a spot on the other bank. "What do you see?"

  I did as she asked. It was dark, but in a blink, everything changed. There was a tint of red, but I could see clearly across the bank and into the trees. Not exactly like daylight, more like night vision, or infrared, but I'll be damned if I couldn't see everything.

  "How is this possible?" I asked, amazed at what my eyes were seeing, as well as the feel of the magic growing stronger within me.

  "I did what she told me to do," Nikki said. "Same as she did for me. She said it would open up the magic and it does. I know how to make it work now, and I know all about this place, even everyone's name. It's almost like we grew up here."

  "Can you do it for anyone else?" I asked, trying to make sense of the, what almost felt like new memories, popping into my head.

  "No, she said it was just for you. I couldn’t do it for anyone else, even if I wanted to. But don’t you see? It makes sense now, doesn't it?"

  I hoped it wasn't what she had just done to me that made me feel this way, but I had to admit that she might be right. If it was the magic in Vegas that had drawn the Fae there, then it only made sense that other beings might be drawn toward it as well. Then there were the Dwarves. That could potentially be a lot to deal with, and I could see where being distracted could become a problem. Still, it was ballsy, but in the long run, she was right. It would be better for Dad.

  "Okay, Nikki," I replied, looking her straight in the eye. "Run it by me one more time."

  Chapter 18

  ROBERT

  There's something about a large dog licking your face that makes you instantly awake. I pushed Charlie aside and realized I was still lying next to the tree in the field. I must have fallen asleep after Nikki left. Squinting, I saw that several Fae were already out and about watching the sun as it rose in the heavens.

  "Good, you're up," Jay said from behind me.

  I turned to see him walking up from the direction of the inn.

  "I am, thanks to Charlie." I replied, as the big dog grinned. I stretched my arms and back before standing. "Have I missed anything?"

  "Sendy came back an hour ago and said that the Dwarves were halfway here. Cacilia is going to send several of her Fae warriors to meet them at the border when they get closer. When they get here they are going to escort them to the temple."

  "Hope you don’t mind, but we told her not to wake you at the time. Handion said you'd probably want to freshen up and have breakfast by now and I figured I might as well see if you were up. I was sure you wouldn't want to sleep out here all day."

  "You were right," I said, standing up and stretching. "Where's Nikki?"

  "She's still inside," he replied. "Come on. We wanted to talk to you about a few things before the day gets busy."

  "Ok," I said and followed him back to the inn.

  "Have you given any more thought to what you intend to do about the Dwarves?" Nikki asked as Jay and I sat down at the table.

  "Don’t worry, I'll try not to do anything too stupid, if that's why you're asking."

  Handion arrived at that moment to bring me a plate. Then he sat down next to us.

  "I am concerned," he said.

  "About what?" I asked.

  "I did not wish to say too much before," he said, glancing to ensure that no one else was within range of his voice. "But I have just spoken with a few of my kin in the surrounding lands. Grerin is avoiding us. The Elves, I mean, and this distresses me. His recent actions have convinced some of us, not all, of course, but some of us believe that he may be using the search for Valen as an excuse."

  "An excuse?" I asked. "But for what?"

  "Do not misinterpret what I say. He definitely wants to capture Valen, of that there can be no doubt. But by reaching out to the Fae kingdoms he can also assess their strengths and weaknesses. It is said he has already promised some of the Fae gifts for their assistance. Weapons and articles blessed with magic as have not been seen since before The Fall. He gathers allies as he does so, as well as identifies enemies."

  "That isn’t good," Jay said, stating the obvious. I saw him glance at Nikki, some unspoken message between them.

  "What do you recommend?" I asked, wondering what that had been about.

  "It is not my place to tell you how to run your kingdom and any decision is yours to make," he replied. "Cacilia is a good steward and has done well with her people. But she remembers only how it was. As do, apparently, the Dwarves. But I would not see the Fae return to the old ways where such gifts were fought over by the Gods. Many Fae will want such power. Especially those with lesser magic. That I fear, is what the Dwarf King counts on."

  "You think he wants to take the place of the old Gods? Maybe using the prophesy and his gifts as an excuse to gather Fae under his rule to combat what he sees as the High Fae evil?" I asked, remembering some of what Alf had reported.

  "That is one way to see it, and his timing supports it," he replied.

  "Indeed it does," I said. "And here I thought that the Elves didn’t like to get involved in politics."

  "Many of us do not, but times are changing," he said as he got up. "Perhaps it is time that even we must see things differently."

  "Perhaps, indeed," I said with a grin.

  "Sneaky little bastards, aren't they?" Nikki said after he left.

  "Well, they have had thousands of years to put something together," I replied. Shaking my head at the vision in my mind of a mad king wringing his hands as he sits in a dark room on his throne planning his future conquests. "But let's hope they haven’t had too much success yet. At least they couldn’t have been doing this for too long or we'd of heard about it sooner. I'll have to check with the Milagres and see what they know when we get back."

  "Like I said before, so much for my vision of the world of a Fairy Princess." She drank the last of her cup and put her napkin down on the table. "All this,
and they still want more. Almost like home, isn't it?"

  "Yeah," I granted. "Just about. Although it doesn't have to be this way."

  "No, it doesn't," she agreed. "What do you think Jay?"

  "Handion makes a good point," he replied. "They could be trying to play us. All the Fae, I mean. It'll be interesting to see what approach they take. What do you think, Dad?"

  "I wouldn't doubt it," I said. "But we're not gonna find out any more till they get here."

  "That's true, Dad," Nikki said. "So to change the subject. What happens next? I mean after this Dwarves deal is over and we go back to the real world."

  "It's like I said before, Nik. Some of it is out of our hands and the rest just depends on what you decide to do down the road. Jay's going to be tied up with whatever new assignment they come up with for him. Although, to be honest, since most of the stuff I've heard of seems close to Vegas, I wouldn’t doubt we'll be seeing more of him."

  "I think you're right, Dad," Jay said. "We didn’t get the full tour, but there's a lot of space at that compound they brought us to out by Nellis, and I can’t believe they made it that big without a good reason."

  "What about you, Dad?" Nikki asked. "Are you happy with the way things are going?"

  "Happy?" I asked. "I'm not quite sure what you mean."

  "This King of the Fae stuff," she replied. "Are you happy in that position?"

  "That's an interesting question, Nik," I answered. "But if you think I'm gonna try and convince you to do something before you're ready, or even at all, you can forget it."

  "That's not what I meant," she said. "I'm just curious if you like it, that's all."