Chalice of Life

by R. A. Rock

  “Probably,” Doyle agreed.

  “Now what’s this about the Faeries being back?”

  Tess fluttered over to where Finn was standing on a flower-shaped light fixture. They stood on the stem part, which came out of the wall horizontally and then curved upward with a flower-shaped glass lampshade that covered the bulb inside. They were far enough that Ethan and Doyle couldn’t see them behind the lampshade. But close enough to hear what they were saying.

  “He’s been with those women all night?” Tessa said, outraged.

  “Looks like it,” Finn said, disgusted.

  “It’s like he completely forgot about us.”

  “I think he actually did, Tessa, as soon as he walked out the door,” Finn said. “He’s incredibly selfish. I told you to read that article. It was a mistake to come here. We’ll have to find some other way to get our memories back.”

  “I thought he had something important to do. Instead, he’s been…”

  “Fucking,” Finn supplied with a smile, in spite of his aggravation. “Love these Earthly curse words.”

  “Fucking,” Tessa repeated. “He’s been fucking those two women.” She held up two fingers to emphasize her point. “He was doing that when there were people who needed his help. What a bastard.”

  “I agree,” Finn said. “But what do we do now? He knows we’re here and—”

  “Faeries,” Ethan called loudly, walking down the hall. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

  “Damn it,” Finn said. “What should we do? He has powers, you know. Maybe he can find us.”

  “Let’s turn big and make one last appeal," Tess said.

  Finn gave her an incredulous look. “An appeal to what? His goodness?” His voice oozed with sarcasm.

  “Faeries, you interrupted my morning with a very pretty woman who wanted to do very dirty things with me. I highly suggest you come out and talk before I actually get annoyed.”

  Finn and Tessa exchanged a worried glance.

  “Look, either we leave now or we talk to him,” Tessa said. “Do you want to wonder forever if we might have convinced him if we had only tried?”

  “Fine,” Finn said, a disapproving look on his face. He flew down to the floor several feet in front of Ethan and changed to his large form. A moment later, Tessa appeared beside him.

  “There you are,” Ethan said, his anger simmering under the surface of a polite smile. He crossed his arms over his muscular chest, which Tessa could see because the bath robe was gaping at the top. “Now, how about you two tell me why you’ve come back to my house uninvited and distracted my staff from their duties. For hours.”

  Tessa refused to let him make her feel like she was a child being yelled at by her father. She was not a child. Far from it. And he was definitely nothing like her father. Her father was a good man, with integrity and kindness and a good heart. He was the kind of man who always did the right thing. And Ethan was nothing like him.

  She stepped forward, a menacing expression on her face. “First of all, you never really even heard us out. Second of all, you are the only person we know to turn to here on the Earthly Realm. Third…” She ran out of reasons he should help them. “Third, why are you being such an asshole?”

  Ethan stared at her. “You asked for my help and it’s my choice whether I help or refuse to help,” he said, as if his logic was obvious. “I refuse. That’s my choice.”

  “Come on, Tessa,” Finn said, grabbing her forearm. “It’s no use talking to him.”

  “No,” Tessa said, shaking off his hand. She was really pissed now. And she stepped closer to Ethan, looking up at him, furious. “You refuse? You refuse people who have no other person who can help them? Who does that? What kind of selfish bastard are you?”

  Ethan blinked at her, but she wasn’t done.

  “What kind of person goes off and has sex instead of helping someone in need?”

  “I don’t have to help people,” Ethan reiterated. “It’s my choice.”

  “Of course it’s your choice whether you help or not,” Tessa said, unable to believe this guy. “But why are you choosing not to? Do you really not care about anyone except yourself? About anything except what you want?”

  Ethan stared at her in consternation. “Who are you to talk to me this way?” he said, his face confused and annoyed. “Some random Faerie with no memories? Who do you think you are?”

  “Look, we’ll get out of here,” Finn said, his voice disillusioned. “Clearly, you’re not the person to help us.”

  “What?” Tessa said, spinning on her heel to face Finn. “What are we going to do then?”

  “I don’t know,” Finn said, his face a mask of anger. “But I don’t want to take any help from him. I know that.”

  “Good,” Ethan said, his face once more satisfied. “Doyle will show you out.”

  Tessa turned back to face him. She shook her head a little, her expression turning to one of bewildered disappointment.

  “No wonder she left you,” Tessa spat at him.

  “What?” Ethan said, his face irritated. “Who?”

  “The woman who did a number on you and left you like this.”

  He scowled.

  “You are the most selfish person I have ever met. From what I can tell, all you do is think of yourself and what you want. You don’t care about anyone else.”

  “That’s not true,” he said, insulted. “I care.”

  She seemed to have struck a nerve and Ethan was upset about what she had said.

  “Oh yeah, I can tell,” Tessa said, sarcastic. “You should hang a sign out front.” She indicated the direction of the front door with a lift of her chin.

  “Hero for hire,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re just a pillar of integrity, buddy.”

  She began walking toward the stairs and patted him condescendingly on the shoulder as she passed him. Finn followed.

  Ethan turned away to go down the hall. Finn sighed in frustration, then he got a determined look on his face.

  “Last try,” Finn said with a glance at Tess. She supposed he was going to make one more effort to get him to help them. Tessa thought it was a waste of time but she didn’t stop him.

  “Hey,” Finn called to Ethan’s back. “Come on, man. At least direct us to someone who could help us get our memories back.”

  Ethan stopped. He pivoted to face them again. With a glance of annoyance at Doyle, he finally relented.

  “I might know a guy,” he said reluctantly.

  “What’s his name?” Tessa said, her jaw tight. She didn’t want any help from him anymore but she couldn’t turn him down either. He was their only chance. “Where can we find him?”

  Ethan went on speaking to Finn as if she hadn’t said anything.

  “But if I take you to meet him, then you leave me alone. Deal? No more birds in my house while I’m entertaining.”

  “Sure,” Finn said, not happy. “No problem.”

  “Whatever.” Tessa nodded, also not happy.

  She was super pissed that Ethan was such a selfish bastard. How could someone be like this? She ignored the disappointed feeling in her guts, focusing on her anger instead. She didn’t care if he wasn’t who she’d hoped he would be. What did that matter? She didn’t even know this Ethan. And he was clearly an asshole.

  “The guy’s name is Ignis,” Ethan said, his face resentful that they had forced him into this position. “He’s a mage—an old friend. And I’m pretty sure he should be able to uncover your memories. I’ll take you to meet him tonight.”

  Chapter 6

  As Doyle turned the vehicle down Vermont Avenue, also known in L.A. as Death Alley, Ethan felt an unfamiliar tension in his body. It wasn’t fear of death, since he couldn’t die, not ever, for any reason. He was truly immortal and didn’t have to worry about that sort of thing.

  But he was concerned about the Fae he had with him. They were only functionally immortal, which meant that if unharmed they could live nearly f
orever. But they could be killed under the right circumstances.

  And the nightclub they were going to often had exactly those sorts of circumstances. Well, not the interior of the nightclub. That was neutral ground. But once they stepped back out the door, they were fair game for any nasty creature that wanted to follow them. And the last thing he needed was to have these Faeries’ deaths on his hands. That would look really good for his image if it got out to the press.

  Ethan peered out the window into the darkness, wishing he were anywhere but here. He usually found the quiet of the electric car a nice break from the noise of a regular car and the city around him. But tonight, it seemed unnerving.

  “Where are we going?” the man called Finn said, startling Ethan. He seemed tough, which Ethan felt was good, considering where they were going. But he also didn’t have his memories, so that would restrict what he could do if they ran into trouble.

  “A nightclub.” His answer was short and to the point. It probably irritated the woman called Tessa because she made an annoyed sound. He hoped it had bothered her, anyway.

  Because she was impossible.

  No doubt helpless.

  Her fragile loveliness and the haze of Light Magic that she was projecting would make her prey for a dozen different paranormal creatures. The man didn’t have as much magic coming off of him for some reason that Ethan couldn’t figure out and honestly didn’t care to know.

  Ethan was aware that Fae were magic. And when they were in Esper, that was not particularly obvious because there was so much magic around them. But when Faeries came to Earth, they almost seemed to glow—not visually—but to those who could see it, there was a radiance about them. Pure magic. And Tessa was giving it off to a ridiculous degree. There was no way all the scum that frequented this place wouldn’t pick up on it.

  He would have to protect her when they got inside because Ethan was pretty sure that she couldn’t fight. Well, other than arguing. So far, it seemed she was no good for anything, other than judging him and pissing him off.

  But whatever. He didn’t care.

  All he had to do was get them to the meeting he had arranged with Ignis and he was out. Back to his music. The up close and personal tour he and Doyle had planned was coming up soon. Hopefully, it would counteract the bad press he had gotten lately that was threatening to tank his career.

  Bad press was really an understatement, actually.

  Had there been hot models? Yes. Had there been a hot tub. Yes. Did things get hot? Yes. Were there paparazzi there to capture some of the moments he hadn’t wanted captured? Yes. Had that been good for his public image and his career? No. Most decidedly no.

  He could not let his career go down in flames.

  If he did, it would be a long time before it would be safe to build another one. It might even take a century for people to forget him. And he couldn’t wait a century.

  There was nothing else he cared about but his music.

  And he wouldn’t lose it.

  Especially not for a couple of suspicious characters like these two.

  “This street looks extremely… dodgy,” Tessa said, using the word they had batted about earlier. She and Finn exchanged amused smiles.

  “It certainly is,” Ethan confirmed, and he had never been further from a smile. “But stick with me and you’ll be safe.”

  Tessa snorted, which Ethan thought was rude. He was offering her protection and she was laughing?

  “I don’t remember exactly who I am but that statement seems ridiculous to me. I have a feeling I can take care of myself.”

  “Right,” Ethan said, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Look, Faerie, we obviously have gotten off on the wrong foot and I don’t want to help you and you don’t want me to help you. But I’ve agreed to introduce you to this mage, so until that’s done, we are on the same team. That means I make sure you’re safe till I hand you off. Then I go back to my house and I take some selfies and I get my career back on track.”

  Ethan turned forward again. Tessa made a disgusted sound.

  “What?” he said, twisting around again.

  “Your career? That’s more important than anything else, right?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “I’m just glad I don’t have such a shallow life.”

  Ethan narrowed his eyes at her. Who was she to insult him? Again.

  “You don’t even remember your life. You may be shallower than me.” He faced forward again, feeling satisfied that he had put her in her place.

  Then he heard her mutter.

  “I’m not sure that’s possible.”

  “What?” he snapped.

  “Tessa…” Finn said her name like a warning and she glanced at Finn, who frowned at her. Then she pressed her lips together as if she was holding back what she wanted to say.

  “Nothing,” was all she responded.

  “Good.” Ethan took a moment to compose himself. He wouldn’t let this little Faerie upset him.

  “So in this establishment, there is every kind of paranormal creature inside and most of them are not the nice ones,” he began his lecture again. “If they decide they want you for any of their nefarious purposes, they will track you once you leave and hunt you down. My job is keeping you safe once we’re inside. After that, you’re on your own.”

  “Understood,” Tessa said. “But why would this mage want to meet here if there’s so many dangerous creatures?”

  “The place has one advantage that he probably wants,” Ethan said, feeling a mild stab of guilt that he hadn’t told them the whole story about his rocky relationship with his old friend.

  “And what’s that?” Finn pinned him with a glare in the rearview mirror.

  “No killing. No magical nonsense. None of that is allowed in there. It’s neutral ground.”

  Neither Fae said anything. But what they didn’t say was quite eloquent.

  “What exactly is he expecting you to do?” Tessa finally spoke, sounding more curious than afraid.

  Ethan lifted one shoulder and dropped it.

  “Not sure. But I’ll be happy for us to have that protection, too. He’s a smart, wily mage. In fact, he’s probably the most powerful mage on Earth, since most other mages haven’t mastered how to perform magic here because it’s far different and more difficult than in Esper.”

  “Why did he learn it?” Tessa said, clearly interested.

  “Because he lives here. He has for hundreds of years now.”

  “Hm.” She thought about that. “What, is he exiled or something?”

  Ethan’s eyes bulged. Then he took a calming breath, pressed his hands against his thighs, and smoothed the material, though his mind barely registered the expensive fabric so occupied was it with other thoughts.

  “That is certainly not the only reason a mage would choose to live here but it’s his story to tell not mine. If you want to know, you can ask him. Once we’ve concluded our business, of course.”

  “Fair enough,” Tessa said.

  “So when we go in, stay close to me. Don’t wander off. Don’t drink anything.”

  “We’re going to a nightclub but we can’t drink anything?” Finn said, incredulous.

  “Well, you can if you want to come out of there and promptly forget everything that happened.”

  “What?” Finn’s eyebrows drew together.

  “They put something in the drinks to make people more docile and forgetful. Helps keep the rowdies in check.”

  “Smart,” Tess commented. “It feels like something I might do.”

  “Sure, Stars,” Ethan said, refraining from shaking his head.

  “You don’t think so?” she asked, her hackles up again.

  “I think that back home, you probably have three wardrobes full of gowns, enough embroidery to choke a dragon, and a vast skillset of country dances. Drugging unruly criminals is probably not your thing.”

  Tessa’s body was tight with her irritation but she kept her tone civil. “Maybe. I gu
ess we’ll see when this Ignis gets our memories back.”

  “There’s no guarantee that he’ll agree to do it,” Ethan warned them once again. “He’s just the one person I think that is best equipped to help you. I didn’t say he would.”

  “We get it, Ethan.” Finn scowled out the window.

  Ethan wondered how many times he had mentioned it already. He felt it was important that they understand that, seeing as he was not at all sure what Ignis’s reaction would be. Ethan had arranged the meeting under a false name. Otherwise, he thought the mage wouldn’t even come.

  He and Ignis hadn’t seen each other in years.

  And they had not parted on the best of terms.

  Plus, things had happened in Ethan’s absence that might have increased his ire. It was highly unlikely Ignis would do him the favor of helping these two Faeries, but he had to try. Especially since introducing them would get them out of his hair. What happened after that was their problem.

  The car pulled up to a forgettable building and the three hopped out, their shoes loud on the quiet street. Doyle would drive around safer streets but he would stay close enough that he could be here in less than five minutes. Ethan had no desire to park in this neighborhood. No doubt, he would come out to find nothing but the chassis left of his car, the rest stripped down and stolen to sell the parts.

  The silence outside the nightclub was the hostile kind, as though something was listening and it didn’t like what it heard.

  Ethan suddenly had second thoughts as he spotted part of a word scraped crookedly into the paint, “Sty”. There was a splotch of red next to the word as if the vandal had been punished—violently—before he could finish.

  Ethan swallowed hard. He couldn’t die but there were worse things than death. And all of them were served at the nightclub they were going to. He was a tough immortal man and he was not afraid. But even he didn’t want to mess with the owner of the club. Ethan hoped that he wasn’t here tonight.

  What had he been thinking, coming here with these people he didn’t even know? The only thing Ethan could think of was that he honestly wanted closure with Ignis. No other reason was worth coming to this place. A small part of him whispered that he actually wanted to help the Fae, like the hero he had once been. But Ethan ruthlessly squashed that side. No way. His hero days were over.