Not My Fae, page 1
part #8 of Vegas Fae Stories Series
Not my Fae
A Vegas Fae Story
By
Tom Keller
Also by Tom Keller
The Vegas Fae Stories
Return of the High Fae
Of Gods and Fae
Twist of Fae
Not Just Another Fae
Night and Fae
Jewel of the Fae
Once a Fae
Heirs of the Vegas Fae
Fae: Generations
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved.
Book Cover design by Elizabeth Mackey
Kindle Edition © 2019 Tom Keller
Las Vegas, NV USA
The Vegas Fae Stories and its books, characters and story are copyright © 2012 - 2019 Tom Keller
Acknowledgements
As usual, I'd like to thank everyone that helped make this book possible, especially my wife, Karen. Without her help, this book would never have been written. A big thanks to all the folks that visited my Facebook page and especially to the members of the Vegas Fae Fans page.
I'd also like to thank you, the reader. Without you, Robert would never be able to continue his adventures, and where would the fun be in that?
A special thanks to all those fans that liked my author page and kept those comments coming in. Knowing that you are out there really made a difference in getting the manuscript finished and the book published. As always, any grammar errors are completely my fault.
Dedication
Dedicated to Colin Jay Keller
Not my Fae
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
The End
A Note from the Author
About the Author
Books by Tom Keller
Chapter 1
"How in the hell did you find me?" I asked, pushing the big dog's head away. "Wait, you don’t have to answer that. I'm just glad you're here."
"I told you I would always find you," the big dog replied. He lifted his muzzle and sniffed, then scanned the chapel with his eyes, finally coming to rest on the statue of Gaea that filled the area above the dais. "Since when does Gaea's image reside in temples? What is this place?"
"Let's just say we aren’t in Vegas anymore," I said, standing up. "At least not the same one you just came from. This is somewhere else."
"I do not understand," Charlie replied. "What mischief has Gaea wrought upon us this time?"
"It's a long story," I said, patting the big dog's head. "But the worst part is that she's stranded me here without any powers. I'm not a Fae anymore."
"Show me," he said, thumping my chest with his nose three times. "The magic is strong in this place. Why would Gaea do such a thing? What quest of hers can you fulfill without powers?" He pulled back and stared as I slowly lifted the supple Fae armor I'd been wearing and bared my chest.
"I haven't quite figured that out yet," I said, rubbing my hand over my heart, the skin where Hade's key had once burned brightly was now unblemished. "Hell, I don’t even know what the rules are in this place. I showed up here as a Lieutenant on the Police Department in my old office. Only things are different and it's not just the promotion. The way I see it, I probably shouldn’t even be able to understand you, yet I do. There's a lot of other things that don’t fit. We'll just have to play it by ear until something comes along that we can make sense of."
"This is madness," he replied, then began to growl as the door to the sanctuary creaked open.
"You won't get any argument from me there," I said, turning my head to look back as Ligia walked into the chapel. I quickly pulled down my armor and turned back to Charlie. "It's the High Priestess. For now, just keep a low profile and follow my lead. She knows I am on a quest for Gaea, but that's all she knows. I'll explain the rest later." Before he could respond, I stood up and walked to the end of the pew and then stepped into the aisle.
"Lieutenant," Ligia said as she saw me. "Maia has done what she can for your friend. Her wounds are healed but she is still weak."
The friend in question was a Colonel Livia Camillus, a member of the Vatican Security Service on assignment here in Vegas to provide security for the Cardinal sent here to head a secret meeting between the Church and representatives from Hell. Unfortunately, her abilities to accomplish that mission had been curtailed due to the constraints she was under by the Federal Agency overseeing the meeting. That was why she'd been with me. We'd been cut out as well. So I'd had to take matters into my own hands She'd been injured when we captured the sniper that the Feds had missed some 50 yards out the back door of the house the Fallen Angel that had set the whole thing up was staying. That same sniper belonged to an ancient order of Knights that was opposed to that sort of thing. Needless to say, since neither one of us could afford to be seen having been involved, I'd had to improvise to attend to her injuries. Which explained why I was here at the Church of Gaea instead of at a local hospital.
"Is there someone with you?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry," I said, motioning to the big dog. He came out from behind the pews and walked up beside me.
"This is Char… I mean Karalos. He's a… well… call him a friend of the family."
"Well met, Priestess," Charlie said, bowing his head as he spoke.
"Well met indeed, Lord Karalos," she said, a brief look of surprise on her face before she caught herself. Then she gestured toward the doorway. "You are most welcome here. Come, Lieutenant, I will take you to her."
Charlie gave a quick snort at the Lord reference, then trotted behind me as we followed the Priestess out of the chapel and into the room where I'd left Livia in the Healer's care. As we reached the doorway, I gave Charlie a cue to wait and then I walked into the room. Livia was sitting on the table speaking to Maia, the Healer. She looked haggard and her skin was pale, but at least she was awake and talking. She glanced up as I entered the room.
"Robert?" she asked. "The mission? It was successful?"
"It was," I replied. "The Knight is safely tucked away and no one is the wiser. Although I think I'd have preferred it better if you would have refrained from trying to become a martyr."
"Oh," she replied, rubbing her side where a faint scar could be seen above her hip. "My apologies. Her knife slipped between the armor. I didn’t think it was that bad. I was wrong. Thank you for seeking medical attention for me. This is the first time I've been to a Healer. It was quite the experience."
"I bet it was. The important thing is that you made it," I replied, then looked up at the Healer. "She safe to move?"
"Yes," she replied. "Although I would caution her to try and get some rest when possible. Magic can do many things but only her body can finish the healing process."
"I understand," I said, turning toward the doorway. "Let me grab you a change of clothes from the Jeep and then we can get you out of here." I walked out the door and motioned for Charlie to follow, leading him across the grass and into the parking lot where I'd parked the Willy's Jeep.
"These scents are familiar," Charlie said as I opened the rear hatch. He put his paws on the back of the Willy's and began to sniff the compartment. "Yet they should not be." He jumped down and lifted his nose, sniffing the air. "The magic is much stronger here. What have you not told me?"
"Like I said," I replied, opening the duffel and pulling out Livia's clothes. "It's a long story. This is a different world, but then again, there are similarities. For one thing, people from the past keep popping up."
"Such as the Knight we captured near Rael's," Charlie said. "I recognize her scent in this vehicle. Is she part of the mission the other spoke of?"
"She is," I replied, closing the hatch. "I'm not sure who the exact target was this time but she was set up at Rael's again. As you can guess, it didn’t go as well. We stumbled through it, but without you at my side… well, let's just say I'm glad you're here now." I knelt down beside him and patted his back. "Look, this place is crazy. Unlike back home, magic is everywhere and everyone here knows about it. But that's just part of it. You're gonna see a lot of people we know, only you can’t assume they're our friends. There's just too much to explain all at once. Let's get her out of here and then hopefully we'll have some time to talk."
"As you wish," he said as I started to get up, then stopped as I heard sirens coming down the road. A moment later four plain cars running code 3 with lights and sirens passed us heading toward downtown on Charleston.
"Trouble?" Charlie asked, seeing my reaction to the vehicles.
"Feds," I said as they faded from view. "This place's version of the EAB. Not quite as sophisticated as back home but there's the fact that I might have rubbed their noses in it a bit when we snatched the Knight. Of course, they don't know it was me, but it would probably be best if they don’t see the two of us together. With them still out and about it's going to make getting Livia to the downtown Neptune w
I went back to the Willy's and tried to call Mal on the radio, figuring he could take her for me, but there was no answer. Which meant he was probably still at the jail dealing with our errant Knight. I looked over at Charlie. "Come on. Let's get back to the others while I try to figure something else out."
"What of Sendy?" he asked, meaning the sky Fae back in my own world.
"You need to remember what I told you about this place. I'm not a Fae Lord or a God here," I replied. "Hell, from what the High Priestess called you, you've got a better chance of reaching her than I do. But it doesn’t really matter. I've yet to see any of the Aurea here anyway."
"I do not like this world," Charlie grumbled.
"Yeah… well… I'm not exactly thrilled with it either," I replied.
The Healer was already gone by the time we returned. I handed Livia her clothes and told her about the increased EAB activity, then waited outside for her to change. Stepping over to where the High Priestess was standing, I noticed Charlie gazing over the grounds.
"There are Hamadryad here," Charlie said a moment later. "Are there Hamadryad at this downtown Neptune you spoke of?"
"Yeah," I replied. "As a matter of fact, there are." I turned to Ligia. "What about that? Can you take Livia home via the trees? It would be a lot less risky for her than traveling with me."
"I am sorry, Lieutenant," she said. "The Hamadryad do not allow humans to travel within the trees. It is not their way."
"What is this foolishness?" Charlie asked, growling. "Are you not the leader here? Since when do the Dryad refuse a request from their K…"
I stepped between them and knelt down in front of Charlie. "What did I say? Ixnay on the ingkay," I whispered before turning back to Ligia. "Sorry about that. Allies," I said, finishing the sentence before he could say any more. "Allies, he meant Allies."
"Did he?" she replied. "Well then Karalos, while I am indeed a Dryad and the High Priestess here, I have no control over that realm. I do not know how they deal with such things in your lands but only the Lady of the Wood has the authority to allow such a thing here."
"Then I will speak to her myself," he growled, trotting off toward the grove before I could stop him.
"He's not really used to anyone telling him no," I said as Charlie stopped in front of one of the oak trees. A moment later, a Hamadryad appeared. After a short discussion, he followed her into the tree and was gone. It seems like I wasn't the only one different here. Not that Charlie couldn’t handle his own affairs but back home he probably would have checked with me first before trotting off to talk to a Fae leader. Something about the magic here must have changed him.
"Apparently not," she replied. "Then again, he is an Arcadian Fae of an ancient royal line, such beings seldom do." Then she looked directly into my eyes. "Although he does not seem to have that same problem with you. Why is that Lieutenant?"
"Long story," I replied, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. I should have figured that having Charlie here was going to open up a whole new set of problems. "What can I say? He and my grandmother were close. Used to see him a lot when I was little. Nowadays he only shows up when I'm in trouble."
"Strange that I have not heard of this before then," she remarked. "As trouble seems to follow you wherever you go."
"I can’t argue with you there. But in his defense, Charlie likes to keep a low profile," I replied, realizing I'd have to be careful where he was concerned. "Well, at least usually."
Livia took that moment to come out of the room.
"Are you ready to take me back?" she asked as she joined us next to one of the Temple columns.
"Gonna be a few," I replied. "With the Feds still active I'm a little concerned about being seen together. We're looking at other options now."
"What other options?" Livia asked.
"That kind," I replied and pointed to the grove. A golden light had appeared as Charlie emerged from the tree.
"Is that the same one?" she asked. "The one from the portrait? I thought he was your grandmother's dog."
"Yep, that's him," I replied as he ran toward us. It was the easiest way to answer. "But he isn’t just anyone's dog. He's something special. Come on, I'll introduce you… or not."
"You are the one that must be taken to the Neptune?" Charlie asked, ignoring me as he walked up to Livia.
"Yes," she said, glancing over at us.
"Come then," he said. "We must go now."
"What?" she asked, pointing to the tree as her eyes widened. "Through there? I've never…"
"Few of your kind have," Charlie agreed. "But this is the quickest way and the Hamadryad have agreed to take you with escort. We must hurry. Come." He turned and trotted down the steps toward the trees, stopping and looking back as he reached the grass.
"Go on," I said, prodding her along. "He's right. It is the safest way. It'll be fine, trust me. Besides, think of the stories you can tell your grandchildren. I'll get the rest of your things to you later when it's safe to meet."
She continued down the steps and followed Charlie to the tree, stopping and staring as the golden glow brightened.
"Hey," I yelled. "Try to remember that it'd be best if no one sees a human coming out of a tree!"
He looked at me and I could have sworn he rolled his eyes, then he pushed her forward with his nose. She disappeared and he followed her in.
"I would not have thought that possible," the High Priestess said when they were gone.
"He can be quite persuasive," I replied.
"Of that I have no doubt," she said. "Still, I cannot help but believe there is more to it than that. Perhaps, one day, Lieutenant, you will tell me what it is."
"As soon as I figure it out myself," I said as she turned to leave. "Hey! I almost forgot. Thank you for the help."
"It is the least we can do for a Hero of Gaea," she said, then paused. "Tell me, Lieutenant, what of the Knight? What will you do with her?"
"What do you mean?"
"You let her live," she said. "I am curious to know why. I cannot believe it was from some perverted sense of justice, not when you acted without official support."
"Justice?" I replied, shaking my head. "No, I don’t think so. I just didn’t see the need to kill her if it could be avoided."
"I wonder," she began. "Had your roles been reversed, would she have done the same thing?"
I started to answer, then stopped. I had to think about that one for a moment. Oh, sure, they would have been happy to kill me back in my own world. I'd seen my name on one of their hit lists. But in that world I was a Fae. Hell, I'd been the God of Hades. That was probably as close to a Demon one could get without actually being one in their eyes. But here I was human. Of course, they might consider me a traitor since I worked with the Fae, but then again, with the size of this Robert's body count, I might get a bye on that one. Especially since it was Demons that had put a price on his head. That was probably a badge of honor as far as the Knights were concerned. But why was the Priestess bringing this up now? Had I missed something?
"It's hard to say," I replied. "But probably not, especially if I was in her way. But why does it matter? Aren't they as much your enemy as Rael's?"
"It is true that the Knights are deeply suspicious of any magical creature," she said. "But since they have never threatened the Temple of Gaea, I can hardly call them my enemy. I have met with their representatives before. It is possible that you do not know them as well as you think you do."
"Maybe not," I agreed. "But what's your point?"
"You told me earlier that you did not know if your action's tonight were part of your quest," she replied. "I cannot say if that is true or not. We are all interconnected, Lieutenant. Perhaps there is more here than you realize." With that said she turned and walked away.
This is such bullshit, I thought to myself as I heard her say the words we are all interconnected. Gaea had said the same thing not less than an hour before. Well, there's a clue if I ever heard one. But where the hell did the Knight fit in? Was this about her or the entire order? Shit! Now I was gonna have to figure out what to do with her. Dealing with Gaea here was as big a pain in the ass as back home. Then I sat down on the steps and waited for Charlie to return.
