Return of the High Fae (Vegas Fae Story Book 1) (2 page)

"Meredith, my dear, thank you for coming," he
said, taking her hand. "You have been informed as to what
transpired?"

Informed? Transpired? They were a little too formal for my
taste; especially since two people were dead. Granted, they were bad guys, but
they made it sound like it was a regular occurrence for them.

"I have already been working on it," she answered,
closing the door and walking over to him. "I was with Siegfried's people
when I was asked to come down." She gave Milagre a hug and then turned
toward me. "So this is the gentleman who came to your rescue. I must thank
you. Edward is very special to me. I would have been very upset if he'd been
hurt," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"Just doing my duty, ma'am," I said as I stood up
to shake her hand. She gave me a hug instead. "Fortunately, I was able to
help."

"Please sit young man. I am sure you are still tired
from the incident," she said in a pleasant voice, as we sat down on the
couch. "Edward, I am guessing that you feel there is still something
missing and you'd like me to talk to our new friend?"

Milagre went back over to his chair and sat down.
"Please," he agreed, with a wave of his hand toward us. "We were
just getting ready to have that discussion."

I thought to myself that the office must have been bugged,
because Meredith obviously knew beforehand what Milagre wanted. Well, at least
I had graduated from a guest to a friend. I think that was a good thing.

She turned to me and took my hands in hers. "Mr.
Hoskins, will you humor me a moment?"

"Umm, ok, sure. Why not?" I turned toward her as
she grasped my hands. This was not at all what I had expected.

"Edward, I sense no deception. Hmm, interesting."
She looked at Milagre. "I must ask you not to interfere."

Well, that was a weird thing to say. What the hell was going
on? Maybe I was still unconscious and this was just a dream.

"Mr. Hoskins is it? May I call you by your first
name?"

I nodded my head. "Sure. It's Robert." This was
surreal. I'd gone from being a trespasser and knocked out, to a guest, and now
we were friends on a first name basis.

"Robert it is then. Thank you. Tell me, Robert, do you
believe in the supernatural world?"

"Supernatural? Like Witches and Vampires? What are you
talking about?" That one came out of left field. Just where was this
going?

"Yes, and myths," she answered.

At this point I figured I was dreaming, or maybe these folks
were just plain loony. But Eddy Milagre was real and had a lot of juice in
town. Still, I couldn't resist. "Myths, like in Faeries? Well, my
grandmother told me Faeries were real, and she would never lie," I
answered with a laugh. Ok, so I was being a little sarcastic, but things were
definitely not right.

"Ahem, yes, humor," Meredith rebuked gently.
"What if she was telling you the truth after all? What if such things do
exist? What would you think then?"

"To be honest, I'd probably think I was still out of it
on this couch. What are you saying?"

"Just bear with me for a moment, Robert."

She pointed at Milagre. "You have heard of Mr. Milagre
before tonight, is that not so?"

"Of course. Who hasn't?"

"So you know that Edward has been involved in the
casino business for many years?"

"I'd heard that."

"What you may not have heard is what, exactly Edward
does. Edward uses his supernatural abilities to make sure this casino keeps as
much of the money as possible."

"Ok, how does he do that?" I asked, playing along.

"There are many ways. Spells, incantations, alchemy,
and the use of symbols and images of various deities that are enchanted."

I couldn't believe it. She was serious.

"No one is hurt. They merely want to play, but in the
long run, they lose. It's very simple; the idea anyway. The actual application
is very complex. There are few that rival Edward in the use of such
magic."

"Ok, this is interesting. I'm not saying I believe any
of this, but what's that got to do with what happened tonight?" I was
really starting to get anxious now. This was getting crazier by the minute.

"As for tonight, it appears that you killed two Mages
before they could kill Edward. That is why he asked you what you are. To be
perfectly honest, any normal human would be dead. So I am here to determine why
you are not."

I would have thought she was crazy; but something about her
convinced me she believed what she was saying. What the hell, I'll play along.
What choice do I have? "Ok, let's just assume that's true. I'm not dead,
at least as far as I can tell. So what happened?"

Meredith looked over at Siegfried, who was standing by the
door. I hadn't heard him come back into the office. "Siegfried, have they
finished with Robert's gun?

"Yes. I have the report here," he replied, handing
some paperwork to her.

Meredith looked down at the paper for a moment and then
looked back to me. "Robert, where did you get the weapon you used
tonight?"

"It was a gift. It's a Walther PPK manufactured in the
early '30s. It belonged to my uncle from Germany who was in the military and
then later, the State Police. Why?"

"This is an unusual weapon," she said, turning the
pages to a picture of my gun. "What does this oak leaf symbolize?"

I'll admit it; I was getting interested now, although I was
still not a believer. "That's my mother's family crest. The inscription
below reads
Beschützer der Eiche
in German." I was describing the
etching on the grip. It meant "Protector of the Oak."

"Ah, the oak," Meredith said as she turned to
Milagre. "Edward, I believe you will find this interesting." She
looked back at me. "And your uncle, why did he bequeath it to you?"

"My mother's family estate is in the middle of a grove
of hundreds, maybe thousands, of trees. That's where the crest comes from. My
aunt told me he wanted me to have it; since I was a police officer as he had
been. She came to the States after he passed and brought it to me." I
wasn't sure why I was going into such detail. There were few people I had
shared this story with and although things were really strange; for some
reason, I felt myself getting comfortable with this woman.

"The cartridges? She gave you those as well?"

"They came with the gun. I had to promise her that I
would use only them when I carried it, although I could use any other to
practice. I had them checked just to be safe. The examiner indicated they were
a mixture of common metals; some expensive, some not, but nothing
illegal."

"I would not call them common. As a matter of fact,
this weapon is enchanted. The cartridges are made of minerals that are used in
magic. That is why the Mages were killed. Their spells were useless."

"Ok. So you're telling me I have a magic gun." I
hoped I hadn't sounded too sarcastic.

"Don't sound so surprised. A gun is a weapon, just like
a sword or dagger, or even a wand. This one was crafted by experts." She
grasped my hands again. "I sense no deception in you. How is it you do not
know this?" She moved her hands up to my face. "Look at me,
Robert." She gazed into my eyes as she held my face.

I wasn't sure how long we sat there like that. Hell, maybe
she was trying to hypnotize me. Then suddenly she let go.

She stood up and looked at Milagre. "The magic is old. Like
nothing I have seen here in the new world. As I would have expected, it is not
of ours. I sense the wood, not the sea, and the oak confirms it. Strange to
find it in a male of that line, but the Dryad were always unpredictable."
She looked back down at me for a moment, and then returned her gaze to Milagre.

"There has been a spell placed on him that protects
him. One I cannot break or see clearly through, but it is no longer as solid as
it once was. Perhaps the spell was damaged during the attack by the Mage.
Although it could not kill him, it affected his shield of protection. Edward,
we must take care." She walked over to the bar and poured herself a drink.

Milagre looked deep in thought and was still as a statue.

Had she hypnotized me? I was still groggy, so I reached down
and took another drink. "What, exactly, just happened?"

"You are protected by a very potent spell. I can only
tell you that it was, and still is, protecting you. It appears to have
prevented you from using any of your supernatural abilities and has also
prevented others from harming you with theirs. It may also have suppressed your
memory. The only other thing I can tell you is that whoever crafted it was very
powerful. I doubt there are many left in the world that have such ability. Be
that as it may, the Mage you confronted was powerful as well. His attack has
damaged the spell."

Milagre became agitated. "Can you remember anything
about this? When it happened? Who placed it on you?"

"Whoa," I said. "Give me a minute." I
leaned back and rubbed my face. I was still groggy, and these folks were
absolutely out of it. Protection spells? Dryads? What the hell was going on?
This was not what I expected from a casino owner and ex-mobster. Was everyone
here crazy?

I quickly decided I would have to play along. Crazy or not;
they still had my gun and I'd seen what Siegfried's people had carried.
Besides, this was Eddy Milagre for God's sake. This guy had a reputation that
made Hollywood movies read like kid's books. I was going to have to be careful
if I didn't want to end up on a slab like the other two.

Meredith jumped in. "Edward, do not push too hard. The
enchantment is strong. The little power that the attack has allowed to escape
will take time for him to understand."

I thought Milagre was going to have a coronary, but he
quickly regained his composure. "You're right. I am sorry. Perhaps it
would be better to discuss other issues first. Mr. Hoskins, let me introduce my
head of corporate security, Siegfried Dorvaror." He gestured toward the tall
man with the military bearing.

"Siegfried, what have you learned about tonight's
incident?"

Siegfried took a few steps toward us and responded.
"Based on our analysis, the three Mages entered the garage via the
employee entrance on the ground floor. They then made their way to the
executive level. Two guards were immobilized in the process and a spell was
used to deceive the monitors. We do not know how they gained access to the
employee area as of yet."

He paused a moment to see if any questions were going to be
asked. When no one said anything, he continued. "Surveillance picked them
up as soon as you exited the elevator, but my team, already enroute, failed to
reach you in time."

"That much is obvious," Milagre remarked, a slight
frown on his face. Siegfried's face remained blank.

"Mr. Hoskins' vehicle was noted, of course, but had the
proper credentials to enter the lot. It is unusual that surveillance did not
pick him up as he entered, but the spell he is under may account for it. As to
the three, they were cloaked, but surveillance was able to pick them up just
moments before the attack. We responded as quickly as possible. Mr. Hoskins'
prior actions were not noted by my team, so he was taken into custody upon our
arrival. We were not informed that he had assisted you until after we
immobilized him."

He looked over at me. "My apology for the harsh
treatment. Our concern was for Mr. Milagre."

"Noted. I would have done the same." Yeah right,
but what else could I say? At least they hadn't shot me.

"The two dead Mages have not been identified,"
Siegfried continued. "They may be followers of Circe, as they carried a
similar mark. That clan is known to seek dark magic and what we have pieced
together about them indicates they are well versed. As to the third Mage, we
are still searching for him. I will inform you when he is captured and have the
team report to you when they return."

"Circe, that would seem to make sense. They do want it
all for themselves. But still, this is brazen; even for them. Meredith, your
thoughts?" he asked, looking as if he had just swallowed something
distasteful.

"Her followers are indeed becoming bold if they attempt
such actions in our own territory." She responded, a look of unease on her
face. "Notify me immediately when you have discovered any further
information. Edward, please take care of our guest." She turned and walked
toward the door.

She started to exit, but turned back, looking directly at
me. "I look forward to discussing this further. I would be curious to hear
how your gift emerges, but now is not the time."

"Whoa," I said, looking over at Milagre.
"What about the fact that I shot two guys? How do we explain this? What
about the bodies... I mean... what are the cops going to think?"

"Don't worry about the police, Mr. Hoskins. Siegfried,
explain it to him," he replied, stifling a laugh.

"Mr. Hoskins," he said, handing me a small USB
thumb drive. "This contains a copy of the surveillance tapes that did
record the attackers. Also within it is the complete log and images of the
attackers, as well as their weapons." Then he pulled a small baggie out of
his coat and gave it to me as well. "These are the fragments from your
weapon. I will return your Walther to you before you leave the property. I
should also mention that you may only view the contents once. After that it
will be erased. Be sure to study it carefully and commit it to memory. As to
the bodies, it is as if they never existed."

Erased. Never existed. Ok, you ever hear of computer
forensics, tough guy? Wait a minute; did he say the bodies never existed?
"I'm not sure I understand."

Milagre looked over at me and smiled. "We have lived
side by side with mortal men for a very long time. There is no evidence of
anything you saw today, except what is in your hands, and that will not last.
We follow our own ways and, with very few exceptions, make every effort not to
let the mortal world know what we are."