******
As commanded, the clan arrived at Finn’s glittering new restaurant on time and were ushered into private dining room number one. They were brought their drinks and all manner of hors d’oeuvres. Two members of the family were missing, but one was about to arrive. Finn came in wearing his chef’s whites, as he was personally cooking their meal. Scanning the room, he asked, “Where’s Faith?”
“She’s not feeling well,” Ed said.
Finn was not at all happy. This was in his mind pretty much a command performance, and Buidseach rarely got sick. Still, he didn’t say anything more about it. Instead, he handed out their menu cards.
“This looks wonderful. Aren’t you going to eat with us?” Duncan asked.
“I am. Just have to get everything ready first.”
Finn left and closed the door behind him.
“I’m going to the restroom,” Duncan said and walked over to the door. When he went to open it, it seemed to be stuck. “Oh,” he said, “Finn won’t be happy if there’s something wrong with the door.”
Waving his hand to open it, Padraig was more than a little shocked when nothing happened.
“Losing your touch?” Duncan said.
He tried a spell of his own, and, once again, nothing happened.
“I wonder if Finn, made the place magic proof,” Beth said.
“Why would he do that?” Ted asked.
“I don’t know,” Padraig answered, but if he did hex it, it was a piss poor idea.”
Ed stood to take control of the situation. He wasn’t magic, but he was young and fit. Figuring that a little old-fashioned muscle was in order he got up, but as fast as he stood, sank back into his chair. “We’ve got a problem,” Padraig said. And looking around, saw his family losing consciousness. We’ve been hexed,” were the last words Padraig uttered before he passed out. The strongest in the room were the familiars. Beth, Ed, and Duncan each waved their arms, immediately rendering themselves naked, and transformed. Duncan knew that if the room was hexed, there would likely be some sign, so with the might of his back pushed the long, wooden table up on one end and against the wall, then, with the help of Beth rolled the rug back. The unconscious family members fell off their chairs but were unharmed. The was no evidence of any hex markings on the floor or furnishings. Ed knocked the art off the walls. Still nothing. Then, he looked at the wallpaper. There were small bulges in each of the four corners by the ceiling. Ed jumped up and tore one out. Beth and Duncan followed and between them managed to pull all four cursed objects off the walls but were unable to destroy them before they passed out themselves. As they passed out, they returned to human form.
Faith had been sleeping but awoke with a fright. Her spirit was immediately with her family. Horrified by what she saw, Faith was, at first, baffled. Then she saw the hex symbols on the floor. Unfortunately, she had no physical form to break them. She did, however, see that Finn wasn’t in the room and went to find him. He was in the kitchen, about to dispatch their servers when her spirit suddenly stood before him.
Before he could speak, she said, “The dining room’s hexed, and everyone’s dying.”
******
Across town, Olivia faced the impending consequence of her actions, and she was not at peace. She’d never felt a scintilla of remorse when she plied her trade, taking jewels and money from the worlds ultra-rich. In addition to the obvious reward of ‘collecting’ the exquisite jewelry, Olivia felt at her most powerful as she manipulated both man and machine. Tonight, however, she felt powerless. For the first time in her life, she’d allowed herself to be used as a pawn, and looking at her reflection in the mirror of her vanity, Olivia wasn’t having it. Grabbing her keys, Olivia ran out the door and sped across town. It took only moments for her to arrive at Finley’s. She jumped out of her car, and as the valet approached her, Olivia, threw him her keys.
Walking past the host station and several parties waiting to be seated, Olivia walked to the private dining room, where she found several waiters trying to break into the locked door. Putting them into a light trance, they slid to the floor. Reversing the spell she’d used to lock it, Olivia opened the door.
The scene she saw before her was devastating, five bodies were lying near death around the room. She took note that three of them were naked, which, she assumed, rightly, meant that they were familiars.
She also saw Faith standing helplessly over her family, and was perplexed, but time was of the essence, so ignoring the mysterious spirit Olivia sprang into action. She performed an incantation to break the spell on the objects that she had placed in the four corners of the room. Just as she completed her reversal, Finn and Elise materialized.
He looked at her with question in his eyes, not knowing whether to eliminate her on the spot, or thank her.
“There’s no time for that,” Olivia said as she began a healing spell.
Not trusting her, Finn pushed her out of the way.
He and Elise took their spirit form and sprayed the room with Divine light. This brought all of the Buidseach back, but Ted remained motionless on the floor.
Beth looked at her husband and said one word, “Who?”
Olivia had gotten up and said, “If you all get out of my fucking way, I can bring him back.”
Beth held her husband against her naked breast as Olivia completed reversing her spell.
As a surge of energy passed through him, Ted opened his eyes and said, “Never a dull moment with you lot, I’ll say that.”
Beth laughed and cried at the same moment but then looked up and again asked, “Who?”
“Me,” Olivia said.
Beth immediately took her form as a lioness and leaped toward Olivia.
Finn and Elise stood in front of her. They formed a Divine wall that even Beth could not penetrate. She tried and tried again until at least a modicum of her rage was spent.
Returning to her human form, Beth said, “You can’t protect her forever.”
“I did hex the room. I own that, and there’s no excuse. But I came here tonight because I did not do it of my own volition.”
She proceeded to explain her family’s connection to An Dubh, and her own rejection of them.
“Look, I’ve never killed anyone, and, thank God, I didn’t tonight. All I want to do is go back to my life and be left alone. I could have let you die, and have been done with it, but I just couldn’t let that happen. And, Finn, for what it’s worth I really like you. We were becoming friends, and I don’t have a lot of those. I don’t know if that’s salvageable, but if you don’t kill me, maybe, in time …”
Elise walked over to her and placed her hands on either side of Olivia’s face wanting to read her, but said, “You’re cloaked.”
“Erebus?” Padraig asked.
“No,” Elise answered, “She’s been cloaked by The Divine.”
“That can’t be,” Finn said.
“He likes me,” Olivia said her face softening. “I’m not perfect, but I’m not evil.”
“You need to uncloak,” Padraig said.
Olivia didn’t respond.
“What’s your hesitation?” Padraig asked.
“I need protection from my family. That’s why I was cloaked. They want me to join them, and I plan to disappear so that can’t happen.”
“We’ll help you with that,” Padraig said.
Olivia said a small prayer, and they saw the divine light leave her body. Elise read deep into Olivia’s soul. She saw her as flawed, but not evil. And, interestingly, not afraid. Olivia had made peace with the possibility of death and preferred that to actually killing innocent people.
“It’s spotted,” she said, “but in kind of a good way. There’s a lot of mischief. She breaks human rules, but no malice. It would be wrong to kill her, and I like her. Let her go in peace.”
“We can’t let her know about us,” Finn said.
“No,” Elise said to Olivia, “with your family, such as they are, that would be too dan
gerous. She put her hands back on Olivia and erased the memory of their actions. Instead, implanting the memory that Olivia had saved everyone with her reversal. Then placing her in a very slight trance, Elise said, “you are forgiven, and you are Finn’s friend.”
“Speaking for me now,” Finn said.
“Problem?”
“No. Just commenting.”
“She’s all right,” Elise said. “And if you don’t trust her, there’s always the old saying, ‘keep your enemies closer.’
“No. I trust you. If you say this was a one-off, I believe it,” Beth said.
Finn walked over to Beth, gave her a hug and said, “You might want to put some clothes on.”
She couldn’t help but laugh as she said, “yeah, right.”
Beth’s statement aside, Elise knew that she was not entirely happy and said, “Beth, let go of the familiar and forgive. I know your soul. You are kind and forgiving. Don’t let that die.”
“I understand,” Beth said, now wearing her husband’s jacket. “She’s really not a killer.”
“No. What she did was eating her alive. That’s why she came to save you all. Braden’s the one you have to deal with.”
Duncan was using the table cloth to cover himself, and he said, “Finn, do you think that you could find me some clothes?”
“Right,” Finn said and retrieved some of his whites for Ed, Duncan and himself. Beth transported home, got dressed, and quickly returned.
“Once again, good to have a god around isn’t it,” Finn said to his father.
“Once again, you’re full of yourself,” Padraig, who had remained seated on the floor said, but, as he got up, he stumbled.
Finn grabbed him and held him up, and with tears in his eyes asked, “Are you all right?”
“I am, son. Just a little woozy,” Padraig said.
Finn picked a chair up off the floor so that his father could sit down.
“I’m going now,” Faith said.
“How did you know?” Ed asked his disembodied girlfriend.
“I’d had a bad feeling all day, but it wasn’t specific. When you all went down, I woke up like a shot.”
Before he’d summoned Elise, Finn had put his whole restaurant in stasis, and anyone who’d entered afterward had immediately fallen under his spell. The situation under control, Finn stepped outside the dining room to release them and had to smile at the scene. The people were frozen in time, and their silence was deafening.
“Et reditus release,” Finn said as the hum of conversation, sounds of the servers, and the clinking of glassware began once again.
Then returning to his family, Finn asked Olivia, “So where’s Braden?”
“I don’t have a clue. I’ve only spoken to him on the phone, and he said that he wouldn’t make himself known until this was over. I could call him and say you’re all dead. What do you think?”
“Let’s make it look good,” Ed said, calling his partner and asking him to have several patrol cars, and uniformed police show up at Finley’s.
“Just tell them it’s a sting,” Ed said.
Without question or hesitation, Paul saw to Ed’s request. Their captain gave his two star detectives significant leeway so, within the hour, siren’s cars and a near company of officers arrived outside of Finley’s.
While Olivia made the call to Braden, Finn calmed any jittery customers by saying that a major celebrity was about to drop by.
“Braden, it’s done.”
“No, really? I can hardly believe it,” Braden said.
Olivia stepped outside and streamed the extraordinary spectacle of law enforcement for him.
“Holy crap. We’ve ended the Ferguson’s. We’re finally free,” Braden said.
“I guess.”
“Don’t you get it. You can steal the crown jewels if you want to,” Braden said.
“I don’t want those old things, and I didn’t want to do this, but it’s done.”
“Come on. Let me buy you a drink,” Braden
Now, if this hadn’t been a sting, Olivia would never have agreed, not trusting for a moment that Braden wouldn’t eliminate her, as well. Since, however, she would not be the one showing up, Olivia said, “Alright, where?”
“Your place.”
“No. I only invite my friends into my home.”
“Let’s meet at the Tinsley’s. You know where that is?” Braden said.
“Sure, it’s just down the street. I’ll be right over.”
Olivia told Finn where Braden would be.
“You need me there?” she asked.
Finn said no that he’d take it from there.
“All right, I’ll stay here with your family until you get back,” Olivia said.
******
Braden Druce had lived a carefree life and would never have taken on the mantle of An Dubh’s leader had his brother not been killed. Now, however, he was feeling drunk with power. Fully confident that he could do anything he wanted without consequence. And, he thought his first act of power would be to have sex with Olivia, whether she liked it or not. He waited with his eye on the entrance for the object of his desire to walk through it. Braden’s face fell as he saw Finn walk through, instead. He knew that he’d been defeated and that there was nowhere to run. So, he offered a weak smile, remained seated, and drinking his whiskey. Finn sat down and joined him. To everyone else in the restaurant, it just looked like two friends meeting at a bar.
“How?” Braden asked.
Finn didn’t answer.
“So, what now?”
“Let’s take a walk.”
Braden took a sip of his drink and followed behind.
“You could let me go,” Braden said.
“You tried to kill my entire family,” Finn said.
“You killed my brother.”
“Who tried to kill my entire family as well as hundreds of others.”
“Fair point,” Braden said. “But, still, what gives you the right.”
“I’m not just protecting us. The daoine have no way to defend themselves from you. I have to keep them safe.”
Finn had actually only killed in battle. This was the first time he’d been called to end someone’s life on of his own, in cold blood, and he was sad. He did, however, know what had to be done and was about to take Braden’s life, when Elise appeared.
“You go inside,” she said to Finn.
“No. I’m staying.
She nodded and said, “Braden, you’ll be coming with me. You’ll be in a place where your soul can heal.”
As she raised her hands, Braden’s soul floated from his body, which collapsed on the ground.
Finn knelt down and, with a touch, turned Braden’s flesh into sparks of colored light that drifted away.
Elise smiled at Finn and then turned to escort Braden into the other realm. Before they left, Braden said, “This is for the best.”
Finn nodded, and Elise disappeared with her charge.
******
By the time Finn returned to Finley’s, Ed had dismissed the police, and everything had returned to normal. Finn walked in and with a broad smile announced. “Sorry folks, we were stood up. I guess our famous mystery guest got a better offer.”
His announcement was met with a few groans and a bit of laughter.
Faith had gone home to her physical being and the rest of the family, along with Olivia, was waiting for him in the dining room.
“The carpet and the furniture seem in good shape, but that wallpaper,” Ed said. “That’s a total loss.”
“That, my boy,” Padraig said, “is what magic is for.” With that, and the words, “Reparare et reponere,” the wallpaper was back in pristine condition.
“Thanks, Dad,” Finn said.
He was happy to have things in order, but his father could tell that his mood was, at best, subdued.
“I shouldn’t have let you do that,” Padraig said, thinking that eliminating Braden was weighing heavily on his son.
“I actually didn’t, Elise handled it. And she took him to the afterlife. “Oh, and before he left, Braden said that it was for the best, so I guess there’s some hope for him.”
“I want to know more about Elise,” Padraig said in all seriousness.
This was no idle curiosity. Finn may have been a man in his early thirties, but Padraig would always be his father, and he wanted to meet his girlfriend, such as she was.
“She rarely visits Earth. It’s a choice for us. You can stay in this realm or move to the higher plane. I like it here, so I stayed,” he said looking directly at his father.
“Well, I want to meet her.”
The assembled group watched as Finn stepped into the other realm, as easily as if he were stepping into the hallway. It took several minutes for him to return, and the group had been all but silent during his absence.
When the veil opened, once again, and Finn returned with his beloved, he made all the introductions, ending with, “And this is my father, Padraig.”
“I’m well aware,” Elise said and walked over to where he was seated.
She put her hand on Padraig’s arm and revealed her soul to him. From what Finn had told her, Elise understood that Padraig was, like any parent, concerned about his son.
“Aye,” Padraig said, “you’ll do.”
Finn was pleased.
“Will you stay for a while?” Padraig asked.
“No, I belong in the other realm,” Elise said.
With that, Elise looked adoringly at Finn and stepped back through the veil.
“She’s a fine girl,” Padraig said as if he’d known her all her life.
Ed shook his head.
“What?” Duncan asked.
“You all know this is nuts, don’t you?”
“We’re magic, and this is all a part of that. Get used to it,” Duncan said.
“And that’s nuts,” Ed said undeterred.
“Well, nuts or not, I have a question,” Padraig said, “Where was she during the Battle of Unst? It’s good she helped you the other day, but we really could have used her last summer.”
The Power of Faith: Science Fiction Faith Ferguson Series Book 3 Page 29