by J B Forest
Seth motioned for Zehn to join the group and relayed the last minute details to the lieutenant. Zehn and his men joined the minions in the first group as did Toran and Malik. Seth pulled Rahim to the side and whispered, “It will be your responsibility to invoke the spell since I will be in the second circle. It may be too risky if I assist you while in the circle.”
Rahim nodded, “You have a point. I will cast the circles sequentially and invoke the spell on each circle. There should barely be any delay transporting the two groups through the rift.”
“Very well,” responded Seth. “We will be able to communicate through the scribing mirror however, I think that we should minimize the use. We are not sure how much activity can be traced by others through the astral plane. I will contact you once we have arrived, but then I will use the mirror only in case of an emergency.” Seth clasped Rahim on the shoulder and squeezed it once then left to join the second group.
Rahim was a bit nervous but his excitement at the opportunity to take charge overcame his anxiety. This was his time to shine, all eyes were on him. He nodded to Mogran and received an approving nod and then nodded to the two group leaders. He made sure that everyone was ready. The minions were standing in a state of semi-consciousness as the effects of the draught took hold. The draught did not put them to sleep completely but rather placed them in a semi-conscious state.
He took a deep breath and cast a circle around the first group and then the second. He lit the candles in the sconces along the walls of the large room with a thought and proceeded to invoke the spell. He could feel the power of the spell as the distortion took hold. As the first group disappeared he felt a tremor which dissipated as quickly as it emerged. Seconds later the second group followed suit and he felt a similar short lived vibration. The vibrations were what concerned the mages most but he hoped that they went unnoticed outside the Unseelie domain. He turned and looked at Mogran. The transport appeared to be a success, Mogran looked pleased. His tenure as senior mage was beginning on a positive note. He saw no need to bother the Master with the worrisome detail of the minor vibrations.
Mogran could not contain his pleasure at the success of this event. His smiled a wicked smile and beckoned Rahim to accompany him to his quarters to celebrate and await confirmation from Seth that all went well on the other end.
Chapter 8 – Fae Dominion – Seelie Domain
Tristen stopped dead in his tracks. Something was amiss; he could feel it in his bones. He was sure that moments ago he felt a tremor in the astral plane. He ran his fingers through his wavy dark hair that he let grow long enough to hang down his back – much longer those most of the Seelie Court and walked back to his quarters. He was unlike most on the Court in many ways. He was viewed as a rebel by some and the spoiled brother of the Queen by others. Tristen did not put much value in what others thought and said about him behind his back. He had strong opinions and supported his sister fully; however, he was not afraid to tell her when she was wrong.
The Court proceedings of the morning were extremely tedious for Tristen. Dealing with the mundane affairs of various Fae merchants and landowners was not his idea of how to best spend his time. As a member of the Court, it was his duty to participate as part of the Queen’s weekly audience with the populace during times of peace. Too bad they were not at war with anyone, Elves, Unseelie, or even lesser demons to break the monotony. Better yet, a brief trip to the human world would offer the kind of excitement that made Tristen feel alive. Alas, the races were at peace and the Fae were banned from traveling through the astral plane so ‘playing’ with the humans was off limits.
He wondered why he thought of the humans just then, he had not thought of them in ions. Especially since the Elves banned the Fae from traveling in the astral plane and established a reinforced boundary around the Fae Dominion. He stopped again, the feeling brought on by that tremor felt a bit too familiar. He was certain that no one in the Seelie Domain would dare break the ban and enter the astral plane. His sister ruled the Fae Dominion with passion; she was just and fair but firm. The Fae loved their Queen but they feared her wrath if the rules were broken. “No”, Tristen thought to himself, “no one in the Seelie Domain would dare to disobey his sister’s law.” But there were those who did not accept her authority, many who lived in the Unseelie Domain. He turned to head towards the Queen’s quarters, if something was amiss and the Unseelie were behind it, there could be dire consequences across the entire Fae Dominion. He needed to discuss this with his sister immediately.
Tristen quickened his pace causing a few heads to turn in his haste. But, he was accustomed to turning a few heads in the Seelie Court. Ionoe, the Queen, planned to depart for a trip to the Old Palace to visit the Fae elders shortly after the end of her audience. Tristen hoped that he would catch her before she left. The visit to the Old Palace was a tradition that Ionoe began when she ascended to the Seelie throne two centuries before. The Old Palace was the home of Fae elders, including the former Seelie King and Queen. The Seelie monarchs ruled for a millennium, after that time, they abdicated to their oldest living heir. Former rulers retired to the Old Palace which was geographically removed from the capital city to avoid any potential for power struggles. The tradition initiated by Ionoe, was one of many signs of her strength as a ruler. Some of her predecessors always felt intimidated by the elders and were glad to have them so far removed. Ionoe on the other hand, established a festival at the Old Palace which celebrated the reign of all the elders in residence so that the Seelie population never forgot their history.
Tristen was younger than his sister and had no chance of ruling as King. But he was comfortable in his position as Crown Prince and Counsel to the Queen. The two were close in their youth and always worked together to support their father’s reign. When the time came for his father to abdicate, he fully supported his sister’s ascendancy and stood by her side ever since. Ionoe never married, although she had many consorts through the years and one was even recognized as King. That occurred very early in Ionoe’s reign and it turned out to be a major catastrophe. Fortunately, the situation was not made worse by a marriage.
His sister fell in love with an Unseelie Prince which at the time was not unusual. During those days Seelie and Unseelie were all subject to rule of the Fae Royal Court. Unseelie royals were often members of the court. The schism between the Seelie and Unseelie domains occurred during this blissful time for Ionoe. When the Unseelie princes severed ties with the Royal Court and declared war in an attempted coup, the King sided with them.
Ionoe and her followers, led by Tristen crushed the rebellion quickly. However, irreparable damage was done to the relationship between Seelie and Unseelie. The vast majority of Unseelie were banished to the desolate environs of the Unseelie Domain. Life was extremely difficult for those who remained in the Seelie Domain and they eventually migrated away as well. Since that time, no other consort has held the title of King. Tristen never wavered in his support for his sister and has served unofficially as confidant and publicly as Counsel to the Queen.
The guards posted at Ionoe’s quarters came sharply to attention as Tristen approached the doors. “I need to see the Queen immediately. Let me by,” he shouted to the guards.
“But sir, the Queen requested that she not be disturbed as she prepared for her trip,” replied one of the guards who was clearly distressed at his dilemma. Incurring the Queen’s wrath was dangerous, but inciting the wrath of the Crown Prince was even more dangerous.
Tristen solved the guard’s problem by pounding loudly on the door and shouting, “Ionoe, I need to speak with you on urgent business and I do not want to hear that these poor guards suffered for my barging in on you!” Before entering her quarters, he turned and gave the guards a mock salute.
“Sister, where are you? We need to speak now, we may have a crisis on our hands and we cannot afford to waste a minute!”
Ionoe emerged from her dressing room having changed out of the formal robes she wor
e during her audiences with the populace into more comfortable travel attire. “Brother, what are you so worked up about? Just a few minutes ago, you could barely keep your eyes open,” asked Ionoe.
“Did you feel the tremor shortly after you recessed the audience?”
“Tremor? What do you mean tremor?”
“I was walking back to my quarters when I felt a tremor that stopped me in my tracks. At first I thought I was just exhausted from sitting through your exciting audience.”
Ionoe threw a shoe at her brother with that comment and started to speak but Tristen held up a hand for her to wait.
“Sorry, but this is serious. I started thinking about what could cause such a tremor and knew in my bones that something or someone just caused a major rift in the astral plane,” he stopped to grab a goblet on wine on Ionoe’s table. After a large gulp he continued, “I know that no one in the Seelie Domain would dare break through the boundary established by Elves causing a rift in the plane. Especially not one large enough to cause the kind of tremor I felt. There is only one place where such a rift could have originated.”
“The Unseelie Domain,” whispered Ionoe as she sank onto her bed. “Tristen do you think this is true, I barely felt anything and if you had not mentioned it just now, I would have thought nothing of it, it was such a minor distortion,” she said.
“I believe that I am much more sensitive to shifts in the astral plane than others because I traveled freely through it in my youth. My body must be attuned to the disturbances,” he replied.
“Do not remind me of your past transgressions, brother. Your actions all those centuries ago nearly caused our father to lose the throne,” chided Ionoe.
“That is ancient history, what just happened is serious. Lone Fae may breach the boundary from time to time without being noticed, but what I felt was a major rift as though an army passed through.”
“If this is the case, I must convene my Council immediately. We need to find out who is causing the rift and stop them, but at the same time we need to decide how to approach the Elves and let them know that there is a problem. The last thing I want is a war with the Elves for something that we did not cause.”
“I think that you and I should develop a strategy before we call in the Council. It will go much better with them if we already have a plan of action outlined than if we go in empty handed. Nothing ever comes of such meetings, besides the two brightest minds in the Fae Dominion are here in this room,” smiled Tristen as he ducked out of the way of a punch that he knew was coming from his sister.
“Well it seems as though my trip to the Old Palace must be postponed. I was looking forward to seeing Mother and Father. Wait here while I inform the guards. I will have them bring up something for us to eat.”
“Do not forget about something to drink as well, this decanter is almost empty,” Tristen added as he turned his empty goblet upside down for emphasis.
While Ionoe informed her guards of the change in plans and had a courier sent to the Old Palace to inform her parents of the change, Tristen cleared off the large table that she used as a dumping ground for just about everything. They would need space to work out a plan and his sister’s favorite table had the best surface for their work.
When she saw what he was doing, Ionoe whistled loudly and shouted, “What are you doing with my papers? Those are important.”
“This is the biggest junk pile in the Seelie Domain and you know it,” replied Tristen. “You never let anyone clear it off or even straighten anything and I suspect you have forgotten most of what is on here. Besides we need the space to work out a strategy.”
She shrugged she shoulders and sighed. Tristen had a point, she probably had forgotten most of what was on the table, but she was sure that if she went through everything she could find what she needed. Now everything was piled on the floor. She had to admit that the table really was the best place for them to work out a strategy.
Although Fae are not known for their affectionate character traits, she really loved her brother and valued his counsel more than anyone else. If he thought something was seriously wrong in the Fae Dominion then she believed him completely. She just hoped that they would be able to develop a plan to avert catastrophe.
“So, what is our first step, stopping the Unseelie or approaching the Elves?”
“Neither task will be pleasant,” responded Tristen. “If my suspicions are correct, the Unseelie breached the boundary and traveled through a rift in the astral plane into the human realm. There could be any number of Unseelie behind such an act but I suspect that Mogran is at the center of this plot.”
“Why would he send an army to the human world? How can the humans help him obtain what he thinks he is entitled to, namely the Seelie throne?”
“No one but Mogran and some of the other twisted Unseelie can understand the way he thinks Sister. You can be sure that he has planned this for some time and whatever use he has for the humans, it will not be good for the rest of the worlds in Inner Space.”
“As I see this, we will need to develop three different plans. One – go into the Unseelie Domain and try to stop Mogran from doing any more damage, two – arrange to send an envoy to the Elven Realm, and three – go to the human world to stop whatever madness Mogran or the other Unseelies have concocted and try to prevent it from causing too much damage.”
“We will need to tread very carefully with your third area. First, we are not supposed to be able to break the boundary established by the Elves to travel into the human world. If we send a large contingent looking for Mogran’s people, things could go very badly with the Elves and the other worlds as well.
“You are right, Tristen. You and I and our old mentor who is safely tucked away in the Old Palace are the only ones who know how the breach the boundary and reach the human world. I know that from time to time some Fae have been able to get into the astral plane, but to my knowledge no Seelie has ventured into the human world since your escapades all those centuries ago.”
“I think we should keep that knowledge to ourselves. We will have to work that angle alone and solicit your Council’s assistance in the other areas.”
“The more I think about this problem, the more I think that the Council’s help will be limited to dealing with Mogran and his cohorts in the Unseelie Domain. Dealing with the Elves can be very sensitive and I do not know if I trust anyone else to handle those interactions. I am not sure that even you could manage that without flaring tempers dear brother.”
“Perhaps you are correct, you have much more patience that I have and those Elves can definitely try anyone’s patience during the best of times.”
“The first thing we can do is call my Council together and give them an outline of the problem. We can have them develop a plan to go into the Unseelie Domain to deal with Mogran. I will tell them that I will personally contact the Elves and solicit their assistance to deal with the invasion into the human world.”
“I may have a way to deal with the problem in the human world and contact the Elves without causing too much consternation. We know that they will be hesitant to believe that we had no hand in this if you contact them directly with this type of problem. I have heard that their realm is divided and the Grand Council no longer has the power that it once held.”
“So what is your suggestion?” asked Ionoe. Something in Tristen’s voice put her on guard; she had a sinking feeling that she would not like what her brother had to say.
“You are not going to like it,” he replied. She remained silent to hear what Tristen had in mind.
“I propose to contact my children,” he paused for effect and saw confusion in his sister’s expression. “I will venture into the human world and find those of my bloodline and solicit their assistance with both the Elves and the problem with Mogran’s troops. The trick is to travel far enough through the line to find someone who can be both effective in convincing the Elves not destroy us and solicit their assistance to stop the invasion
of the human world.”
“That is a pretty daunting task for a Fae much less a human.”
“Ah, but this human has Fae blood, my Fae blood. I am known for my persuasive talents. Obtaining assistance from someone of my own bloodline should be simple.”
“Even so, how persuasive will this person be in convincing the Elves to help us? They are a stubborn lot!”
The two discussed the details of contacting the Elves through one of Tristen’s descendants and the best point in time to venture. They agreed that the 21st century in the human world would be sufficiently advanced both technologically and ideologically to solicit someone from that era. They worked through the night on the specifics of how to get Tristen’s descendant to meet the Elves in such a manner that would lend legitimacy to their cause. By dawn the next morning, they had a working plan.
Chapter 9 – Present Day – Southwest Louisiana
Taylor and her parents spent the next two hours chatting with her grandfather, reminiscing about old times, and bringing him up to date on family activities. They were all delighted that he was having a ‘good’ day and could understand and enjoy their time together. She noticed that her grandfather became very engaged when she informed him of her recent relocation to the area. He seemed almost excited to find that she was so close after living so far away for such a long time. He even made jokes about the fact that she was able to actually ‘earn a living’ as he put it telling old folk tales to grown people.