Return of the High Fae (Vegas Fae Story Book 1) (13 page)

"Excellent. Well done, Robert," he murmured.

The flame went out and I lowered the scepter. Then I
remembered something he said. "Wait a minute. I thought this would only
work for the one who leads. Isn't that what you said? So how can I make it
work?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then answered.
"Many things can alter such a claim. But the simplest explanation is often
the case. Do you recall where you believed the creature's line to be
from?"

"Yeah, like I said before, somewhere in France.
Why?"

"The wood is oak, as is your line. Those same forests
were home to this Were's line," he answered, acting as if that would
explain it.

"So, what does that mean to me?"

"Did you not listen to what Cacilia said?" he
asked, looking irritated. "Maria was eldest, leader of the Dryads. You are
of her line."

"I heard her say eldest but she never said she was the
leader. How does that help me? I'm a male, remember? That seemed to be the big
deal breaker for Cacilia."

"Pfaa!" he groaned, looking flustered. "I had
hoped to teach you slowly; when you were more prepared." He walked
directly in front of me and pointed his finger at my face. "Hear this,
Robert. You are descended from the first born. Male or female; it matters not.
You are the rightful heir. The magic knows this even if others do not wish to
acknowledge it! The Dryad are Fae and the forest is their domain. The creatures
within owe them their allegiance. That scepter was given to them by your line.
You are Fae! Do you understand now?"

Wonderful. I'd had a nice, fairly normal life, good job,
money in the bank, and then,
wham
, everything changes. Oh sure. It
sounds great, but I'm getting too old to watch my back for every Tom, Dick, or
Fae upstart that wants to take me out. Oh yeah, I need that like a hole in the
head. "Yeah, I get it. I'm some bastard King of the Faeries." Now I
was gonna have to watch my back for real. I stood up and began pacing around
him.

"The timing sucks Bernd. Why did this have to happen
now? I'm pushing 50 and my knees are shot. I sometimes need glasses to read and
I sure as hell can't kick butt and take names like I could 20 years ago."

"Stop thinking like a mortal," he said, as he
struck me lightly on the leg.

What felt like an electric jolt passed through me. I started
to say something, but then noticed my hands. They were changing color and the
skin had tightened up. I grabbed my face and it didn't feel right. Even my hair
was longer. No, not longer, but there was more of it. The rest of me felt
different, too. Stronger, wait a minute... not just stronger, younger! What the
hell! I ran back to the house and into the bathroom.

Facing me in the mirror was a younger version of myself. I
looked 25 years old! Young, virile, with a full head of black hair. Ok, ok, I
wasn't bald or anything, but I had definitely receded a bit and had a lot of
gray showing. I stretched my arms and legs and felt the difference the years
had made.

Bernd walked up behind me. He didn't look angry anymore.
"This is your true self, when seen as a Fae."

"Holy shit," was all I could say. "What am I
going to tell my kids?"

"You need tell them nothing," he answered.
"Do you remember what you looked like before?"

"Of course I do," I said, feeling my face. I was
still in shock.

"Then remember," he said, taking my hand and
pointing the other toward the mirror.

I stood there and thought about it. As I watched, my old
face started to appear. Slowly, like I was watching a movie. In a moment, I
looked as I did before. But there was a difference. I still felt like I was in
my twenties.

"While you are in the mortal world it would be best if
you appear as you do now," he said, letting go of my hand. "I hope it
is enough that you now know your true self as a Fae."

I rubbed my now receding hair line and laughed. "I
think I like the other me better."

But I was used to the old me and so was everyone else.
Changing back and forth could be confusing. Bernd was right, better to look
like this for now. Could other Fae like Milagre and Meredith do this? It made
me wonder what they would look like.

Bernd chuckled as well. "Perhaps, but it would give you
away to more than just other Fae. We must not let that happen just yet. Danger
still haunts you and there is much you need learn."

Great, more danger, I thought to myself. "Bernd, why do
I still feel younger?"

"Your grandmother's spell made you appear to age as a
mortal would. While you may not live forever, it would take much more than a
mere 50 years for a Fae to begin showing the signs of aging that a mortal would
during the same time. Your strength has returned as well. It was the spell that
made you feel mortal."

"Is there more?" I asked, waiting for another ball
to drop.

"More," he answered. "There is always
more."

I followed him into the kitchen and we sat down at the
table.

"I was not trying to deceive you, Robert, but I hoped
that I could teach you properly. So much in such a short time must appear as
quite a burden and there is much I do not yet know. The Mages attack on you and
the fights with the Werewolves have made that burden even more difficult. Your
powers are just making themselves known. It will take time to learn."

"It's certainly been a whirlwind," I commented.
"So what now? What's my next move?"

"That, my young Fae, is up to you. I have opened the
gap and you have taken the first step. But only you can decide your future.
Fate has offered you a new beginning. But there is danger. You must be
cautious. Reveal not your true self unless absolutely necessary. It will take
time for the magic to develop to its true potential."

"No, Bernd. I mean what now? Do I have to do anything
about this heir thing? I'm not sure about Cacilia. What if I don't want to be
the leader of the Dryads? Do I have to watch my back every second?" I had
more questions, but that would do for a start.

"What do you want to do?" he asked as he stood
there watching me.

"I have no clue," I admitted. "Just a week or
so ago I thought life was pretty good. Now, sure it sounds great, but I don't
know anything about magic. I never asked for any of this. What do the rest of
my, family, I guess we should call them, think? Are they going to be happy
about this?"

"I will handle the others, for now," he answered.
"There will be a reckoning, but it need not be today. As to the magic, it
is part of you. The magic will follow its true path and that path is through
you. Do not fear. I will guide you. As to the rest, there is time to decide.
There is still much I must learn before I can counsel you."

"What do you have to learn?" I asked,
incredulously.

"It is too soon to know what you have become. But we
will see how you progress. I can say no more."

This was too much to think about in one sitting. I wasn't
really happy about the "for now" or "I can say no more"
part either. But what could I do? "Fine, we'll figure it out."

A smile appeared on his face. "Indeed! Now, it is late,
you should rest." He stood up and headed toward the patio door.

I had a million questions, but there were a few things I
still wasn't clear on and now was as good a time as any. "Wait, can you
answer something else for me?" I asked before he could leave.

"Yes?"

"What's the deal with the Lil? I know what Siegfried
told me, but you never answered my question earlier. Is there something
significant there?"

"Ah, the Lilin, or the Lil, as they are often called.
Tell me. Why does this one interest you?" he asked as he walked back to
the table.

Well," I stuttered. "I don't know." Ok, that
wasn't very truthful. "Look, there was just something about her. To be
honest, I'd like to get to know her better, but she seems to think I'm trying
to set her up or something."

"Another long story," he said as he hopped up on
the stool next to me, his legs dangling above the floor. He made a motion with
his hand and a pipe appeared.

I watched as he put it in his mouth. Puffs of smoke began to
drift lazily up around his head.

"It is rather curious that out of all the people you
could come to the aid of, this one was a Lilin."

"Why is that?"

"The Lilin and the Fae are ancient enemies. For
centuries they battled one another. Near the end the Fae triumphed. There were
very few Lilin that remained at the end of the last battle. Those few remaining
sued for peace with the Fae. They would have been destroyed but the Elves
intervened. Elves have always worshipped life, you see. Even so, many argued
against it. One Fae lord held back. She was swayed by the Elves, and agreed to
accept their surrender under terms. As she was one of the most powerful, and
therefore very influential, the others followed her decree.

"In exchange for their surrender, and their oath, the
Lilin were bound by her words. They were allowed to live, but little else. They
were banished from the lands of the Fae and forbidden regular contact. Many
fled to foreign lands. Many others became what could be called the servant
class. Their ability to convert others was also limited.

"After
The Fall
the Lilin scattered and even
today are still shunned by many of the Fae. It is said that the Elves still
watch over them. That is why she fears you. The pact that was made still binds
them. She fears that you wish to trap her and by doing so rekindle the last
war."

"Ok, but what does that have to do with me
personally?"

"It was Demeter that decreed their fate. She was the
Fae Lord who accepted surrender. Therefore, my young Robert, you are the only
one that can change that fate, as you are her royal heir," he answered
with a grin.

"You're shitting me! Oh, she's gonna love me now,"
I groaned.

I thought about that for a second. If I held the key to
their future, I could change the rules. But what about the original reasons
behind the war? Would I be reopening the floodgates if I did that? I just
didn't have enough information to know what to do. When it rains it pours.
"Bernd, isn't this a bit too much of a coincidence? Everything I do keeps
being linked back to the old Gods."

"As I said, the world turns. Never let it be said that
Fate is not endowed with a sense of humor. And do not forget the scepter. You
must decide if the true owner is worthy to have it returned."

Oh great, my first duty of office.

"I must go; we will talk more another time." He
paused for a moment near the doorway. "Do you have a sword?"

"What... a sword? No, I don't have a sword!" I
answered, sputtering. "Who keeps a sword these days?"

"Hmm, can you wield one?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"You are Fae; magic is not your only weapon. Even you
are not invincible. A good blade stops both fang and claw. Perhaps I can find
one for you." Then he went through the door and was gone.

Just great, I thought to myself as I locked the back door. I
should have known there was a reason my grandmother made me take fencing
lessons all those years ago. I grabbed the scepter and put it into my
briefcase. Shit. Now I had to find a way to deal with the Werewolves without
getting killed.

It was getting late, but wouldn't you know it, there was
still one thing I had to do. I grabbed my keys and drove to Wal-Mart for cat
food and a litter box.

After my conversation with Bernd I thought about staying in
bed all day but I knew that wouldn't accomplish anything. Besides, I actually
had something to look forward to, with both my kids coming over for dinner. So
I headed downstairs to start the coffee, jumped in the shower and got dressed.

Filling a black
Battlestar Galactica, the original series
,
mug, I grabbed the paper and went out back to enjoy the morning sun. Charlie
was lazing on the lawn, but there was no sign of Lucinda. If I remembered
correctly, cats slept a lot during the day. I was sure she'd pop up when I
least expected it, especially since she had come from Bernd.

I had a million things going through my mind, so it was hard
to concentrate on the paper. I was getting something new thrown at me almost
every day. I was hoping to keep my kids away from it, but this murder and
Milagre's attack would probably make that impossible. Even if I hoped that
wasn't the case, I knew it was going to come up sooner or later, but I just
wasn't ready to give the King of the Faeries announcement just yet. The last
thing I needed right now was too much time to think. So I went back in the
house, cleaned up my mess, and headed down to the office to find something to
do for the next few hours.

I wasn't at the office long before O'Malley called me back.
He said he had an hour or so to kill before the autopsy (yep, that's what he said,
pun intended) so he was calling in my offer for a cup of coffee. He asked me to
meet him at a popular cop breakfast spot, called Mary's Diner, on Decatur. I
hopped in my car and jumped on the freeway. He was already there when I
arrived.

Mary's is an old restaurant that's been around since the
'60s. The décor probably hasn't changed much since then, either. The walls are
filled with knickknacks and old photos of Vegas in its heyday. Advertisements
of popular shows adorn the walls. Sure, they're a tad yellowed, but the place
is always clean and the food's good. The coffee isn't bad either. I came in
through the back door and met Ray, already in a booth with a steaming cup in
front of him.

"Hey partner," he called out, shaking his head
from side to side as I sat down. "I've got Hoskins' coming outta my ass
this week with that boy of yours coming in today. The kids tell you what was
going on?"

"Nikki mentioned the electrocution when I called her,
but that was it. All I know is what you told me and what was in the
paper," I replied as the waitress came over. Technically that was true. I
didn't have any proof that Milagre's incident was connected.

She poured me some coffee. Ray looked deep in thought.

"I guess they got a string of these working in the
Southwest," he said. "Of course, I haven't heard about them until
now. That doesn't make me very happy." He drained his cup and motioned to
the waitress for another. "Listen, the autopsy's in an hour. I want you to
tell your boy that I'm gonna be pissed if they try and cut me out of this. This
asshole's mine and I'm not gonna stand for any Fed jurisdiction crap."

Ah, so that's really why he wanted to meet. He doesn't like
others getting in the way of his investigations. Fortunately, I knew how to
handle that one. Now he was gonna owe me a favor and with the sudden
complications in my life that was probably a good thing. I pulled out my cell
phone and dialed Jay's number.

"What's up Dad? I just pulled into the
courthouse," he said when he answered.

"I'm sitting here having a cup with Ray. He says he's
gonna see you at the autopsy."

"Yeah, we're supposed to meet in an hour."

"He wants to know if you're gonna pull any
jurisdictional crap." I glanced over at Ray as I said it. He just gave me
a dirty look.

"Let me speak to him."

I handed Ray my cellphone.

They talked for a minute or two before he handed it back.

"Still there?" I asked when I put the phone to my
ear.

"Yeah," he chortled. "You'd think he knew me
better than that."

"Well, sometimes, it just makes you feel better to hear
it."

"I guess. Hey, I gotta get inside. See you tonight, all
right?"

"Sure," I answered before he disconnected.

"You happy?" I asked.

"You know how the Feds are. At least I can talk to
Jay," he answered.

"So what's the deal here anyway?" I asked, hoping
he would share information.

He looked around the restaurant, not wanting to be
overheard. Fortunately, the place was pretty empty with the breakfast rush
over. At first he said nothing. Then, as if deciding it was safe, he answered.

"Rob, you know me. I've been a cop for over 30 years,
but I've never seen anything like this. Shootings. Stabbings. Hell, I've seen
people killed with almost any weapon or household item you can imagine. But
this one is different. Someone's got something new, and it ain't pretty. I want
this bastard, Rob."

"I thought it was supposed to be lightning, or maybe an
electrical accident," I commented, remembering what Nikki had told me.

"Yeah, well, those wounds were too precise to be
anything but deliberate. I'm telling you, someone's developed something
new." He leaned closer to me over the table. "Rob, I shit you not.
This guy looked like someone shot him with a friggin ray gun right out of Star
Wars."

He straightened up and picked up his cup. "Of course,
nobody wants to say that, so it's an industrial accident or lightning... my
ass. I just hope the autopsy gives us something. They're supposed to have
copies of the other ones as well."

"That is weird, Ray. Come on man, there's got to be a
logical explanation." I could have asked if he'd checked to see if any
dark Wizards could be behind it but I just didn't see where that would help.

Then he said something that surprised me.

"Well, I guess my grandmother could have been right.
That Dullahan do walk the Earth and shoot fire from their necks," he said,
falling quiet for a long moment, as if gauging my reaction.

When I didn't say anything, he continued.

"Hell, that's as good an explanation as any I've got.
Anyway, I've got to be going," he said as he drained his cup, winking.
"I have a few stops to make on my way. Oh, and thanks for calling Jay. I
owe you one. Let me know if you hear anything," he added as he stood up.

"You got it, Ray. Be careful, okay?" I said.

He just nodded as he walked toward the door.

Hell, what was that about? He was closer than he thought.
There was no Irish demon stalking Fae, but that made about as much sense as
dark mages shooting magic wands. Who were these guys? What had Milagre said?
Something about trying very hard to make sure the two worlds didn't meet.
Obviously, not everyone followed that rule. I pondered that for a moment,
wondering if O'Malley's comments meant more than they seemed.

I didn't like this. First, I didn't have enough information
about the other victims, or even the Mages for that matter. Of course, at this
point I doubted anybody else did, either. Second, the victims had to be Fae, or
some other kind of supernatural beings. Now that I was part of that world, it
was something I needed to learn more about. It didn’t help that I'd already
gotten myself in the mix by defending Milagre and taking out two of the bad
guys. Third, both my kids, and even Ray, were more involved than I liked. Way
too involved. How do I protect them? Could I protect them? I didn't have a
clue. Well, never let it be said I ran from a fight. I'd just have to play the
hand I was dealt. I'd think of something. I finished my coffee and left the
restaurant.

I decided to stop by Mal's on the way back to my office.

He was puttering behind a computer when I walked in. He
looked up at me and frowned.

"Where in the hell did you get this shit?" he
asked as he stood up.

"Like I said, a client," I answered, knowing that
wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Did you find something?"

"Did I find something?" Mal answered, walking to
another computer. "It's what I didn't find. Nothing you gave me makes any
sense. The CD is written to but blank. The memory stick is burned out in a way
that makes absolutely no sense. And the drive? Well, the drive is fried in ways
that I would have told you were impossible, if I hadn't seen it myself."
He turned the monitor so I could see the screen.

On it was the image of a disc platter - part of a
disassembled hard drive where information was stored. I could see what appeared
to be damage on its surface. "That's unusual," I said, pointing to
the platter's picture.

"Unusual? That's not unusual. It's, it's, hell, I don't
know what it is!" he answered, looking frustrated.

"What exactly have you found?"

"OK, look here." He pointed to the damaged section
of the drive as he clicked a few keys and magnified the image. "These
areas are totally obliterated. I found these blank sections all over the drive.
There's no magnetic material on them. No magnetic properties left on the
surface, well, at least as far as I can tell. Whatever was written on them is
gone and it can't be recovered. They're not just wiped, Rob. Something
systematically erased those areas, but left other parts intact." He stood
and picked up a piece of the hard drive case that I had given him. "It's
like something went over every bit of this drive and removed data, at the bit
level. The microscopic level, Rob, and there's roughly 100 gigabits per square
inch here. I don't know anything that can do that."

"Do you have any theories?"

"Yeah. Nanobots, if they existed," he answered,
shaking his head. "No, I don't have any clue. But whatever did it... I
want one! Can you tell me where you got this from yet?"

"Not yet. Can you hold out for a few more days?" I
asked, waiting to see if he was going to punch me. I could see it was driving
him crazy, that he couldn't figure it out, but he would probably slug me if I
told him the truth.

"You're gonna be the death of me, you know that?"
he said, pulling out a chair and straddling it. "Rob, this isn't just a
new program, damn it! This is way beyond anything I've seen before. Where the
hell did you get this? Can't you tell me anything?"

"I got the stick from a client, but he isn't the
computer type," I answered, knowing I had to tell him something.
"I've gotta meet him again, so let me see what I can dig up. But we have
to keep this quiet, ok?"

"Quiet. Yeah, no problem. Why would I tell someone
about it? I don't want men in black suits kicking my door down at 3:00
a.m.," he answered as he stood up. "Damn, Rob, this is hot
stuff." Then he twirled and looked at me, a nervous expression on his
face. "Rob, I need to know... do I have to worry about men in black suits?
Not that I care, mind you, but it pays to be prepared just in case they might
be coming."

"Relax, Mal. No one knows I brought it to you. Hell, no
one even knows I have it except one person and he's my client. He's not gonna
say anything as long as it doesn't get out."

Ok, so it was only partially the truth, but I had to have
Mal keep a lid on it and I certainly couldn't tell him everything. Although if
bad shit kept happening, I was gonna need friends like him on my side. Still,
he didn't look satisfied. I thought he was going to lecture me some more, but
then he picked up the hard drive parts and walked over to where I knew he kept
his safe.

"I'm putting this shit in the safe and wiping my drives
for now. But I still want some answers."

"All right, I gotta get to the office." I walked
toward the door. "I'll find out what I can for you." I had no idea
what I was going to tell him down the road. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot,
how's the database coming?"

Mal had been slowly buying up public data from various
governmental agencies as part of a plan to sell information online. Tax data,
revenue sources, all public data that could be sold to real estate agents,
mailing companies, salesmen and the like, who needed that sort of data as part
of their business operations.

"Why, you making a mailing list?" he asked,
sarcastically, as he closed the safe door. He was upset with me but what could
I do?

"Nah, just trying to find someone," I replied.
"I'm hoping they made some tax payments or maybe got a license or
permit."

He pulled a card out of the pocket of his shirt and wrote
something down. "Here," he responded, handing me the card. "It's
not public yet but that'll get you in. It'll be slow until I index it all, but
you can enter your queries and it'll email you when it's done."

"Thanks."

****

My office was quiet when I got there. Hailey was on the
phone, so I grabbed a cup of coffee and just nodded a hello. I went through my
inbox as the desktop booted up, then checked my email.

Once that was done, I accessed Mal's database web page and
entered in queries for a Deborah Medea. Just to play it safe I added the
Diantha and Kent names. It was a longshot, but it was worth a try. The database
contained records from several Nevada counties, including Clark and Washoe and
their surrounding areas. It would perform a search anywhere within a hundred
miles or so of Las Vegas and Reno. After that, I closed my computer down and
left the office.