Not My Fae, page 14
part #8 of Vegas Fae Stories Series
"You sure?" he said, looking surprised. "That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction of your caper. I can head out there if you think it's that important."
"No," I said, stopping in the doorway. "I'm working on a few projects that involve the Lilin. Nothing earth-shattering but I want to check it out myself. Nothing's going to happen on the church caper till tomorrow at the earliest. Since I'm going back out early in the morning all I had planned was paperwork and then early to bed. It'll be a nice diversion. Besides, if they need me bad enough they can send a chopper. The Neptune has one on standby. Of course, they'll have to catch me first. No way I'm flying in one of those things."
"If you say so," he said, following me out. "But take some extra water just in case. It'll be hot out there."
Not a bad idea, I thought as I picked up a case of 12 bottles from our supply room. With the current attitude toward the Lilin, there was no telling how long they'd be sitting out there before I could get there. I dropped it in the back seat and then drove to the turnoff, making the right and heading north onto the I-15. I contacted Shirl Ann on the radio, telling her I was on my way and that I would meet her there in an hour or so. I flipped the switch that turned on the redheads and siren, then punched it till I hit a cool 120 mph. The Omega I was driving may not have the advanced computer technology incorporated in the engines of the cars outside Nevada had, but neither had the ones when I first learned to drive. The feeling of power when I pressed the accelerator and felt the roar of the big V-8 engine was music to my ears just the same. There was nothing that could compare to it.
I killed the siren as I got off on the 170, slowing down as I approached town. I spied the two troopers parked behind the white panel van on a dirt road pull out. I turned off and parked behind them and got out to see what they had. After a few minutes of discussion, Shirl Ann arrived, and I told the Troopers we'd handle it from here. Walking over to the sweat-drenched girls, we switched cuffs and then waited for the Troopers so leave. I directed Shirl Ann to check out the Van while I walked them to the front of my car. Really Gaea? I thought as I took the cuffs back off. Why was I not surprised that I'd seen one of these Lilin before?
"I'd hate to have to kill you," I said, walking around the car and grabbing a few bottles of water from the back seat. "So please don’t try to run." I set the bottles in front of them. "Here, drink this. It's only water but you look like you might need it."
There was a moment's hesitation as both girls looked at each other. Then they reached over and took the offered bottles, gulping them down as Shirl Ann came up to join me.
"You took the cuffs off?" she asked as she walked up with a square box in her hands.
"Yeah," I said, taking her arm and leading her to the rear of the car. "They aren't gonna do anything stupid. You able to tell what they're smuggling?"
"Yes sir, " Shirl Ann replied, handing me the box. "It's food. The van's crammed full of assorted meal box spells. There's also a couple of coolers with blood tubes the Troopers missed. I haven't inventoried it all, but what's interesting is that there's nothing gourmet here. Meat and vegetables, breads, fruit packs, the kind of stuff your mother would have wanted you to eat. Oh… sorry, LT, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded."
"That's okay," I said, turning it over in my hands. "I know what you meant."
This box was small, maybe six inches by six inches. I reached in and pulled out an apple. I knew if I reached into the empty container again I'd grab another one. Depending on the spell crafted, there could be at least half a dozen in there, maybe more before it wore off.
Depending on the size of the box, they might contain anything from more apples to a full weeks course of meals. The fact that Shirl Ann had said there was nothing gourmet here was the kicker. People would spend real money to get their hands on a box of expensive steaks or lobster that would last a week and didn’t need to be refrigerated. Which is why even magical foodstuffs were carefully controlled for export, lest the big food companies took umbrage.
What we had here was basic food to feed a family in need. Nothing fancy, but enough to keep a small army's stomachs full for a while, even more for a small village. It made sense when you took the blood vials into account. While the Lilin within subsisted on blood and passed on its power to the host in exchange, the body still needed other nutrition to stay healthy.
"All right then. Double-check it and make sure there's nothing dangerous. I want to know if there's anything back there that can be remotely considered Black Magic."
"Do you want me to neutralize the spells?" she asked.
"Not yet," I replied, handing her back the box. "Let's see what else they're carrying first."
Standing in front of the car were the two Lilin. One, the fair-skinned one I knew as Kitlyn. The other, this one dark-skinned, had to be her friend Angela. At least if things went as they had before. A quick peek at the two driver's licenses I'd been given by the Troopers confirmed it.
"So," I said, tossing the two licenses on the hood. "You two starting a food truck business or what?"
Neither replied.
"I'm not going to ask you again."
"We were just going for a drive," Kitlyn said after a moment. "Whatever's back there was already inside when we borrowed the van."
"Shut up," Angela whispered, kicking at her partner. "I told you not to say anything. Don’t you know who that is?"
"Then we're already screwed, aren't we?" Kitlyn whispered back.
"I'm standing right here," I said, putting my hands on my hips and staring at the two of them. "Besides, you two have been together, what? 300 years. Is that any way to talk to your partner?"
"How could you possibly know that?" Angela asked just as Shirl Ann called out to me.
"Hold that thought," I said, and then walked over to meet her.
"Nothing dangerous here, LT," she said when I reached the van. "Just foodstuffs and the blood. There's a box cutter in the cab. But that's it as far as anything that could be used as a weapon goes."
"Refresh my memory," I said, opening the driver's door and taking a peek inside. "What's the penalty for transporting this much out of the state without the proper permits?"
"Based on the quantity," she replied, raising her eyebrows and shrugging. "It's still a felony for trafficking in unregulated magical implements. If they get stopped at a Border Enforcement checkpoint they'll seize everything and charge them accordingly. First offense is usually probation. But to be honest, all we normally do with stuff like this is release the spells and write them a misdemeanor ticket for illegal possession based on circumstances. As long as they aren’t moving Black Magic or big-ticket items it's just not worth the time to book them. Unless, of course, they pissed us off. Then it'd be a different story."
"Where's the closest Border Enforcement checkpoint? It's gotta be just up the way, right?"
"Arizona line is on the other side of Mesquite," she replied, pointing down the road. "But from here? They could split it up in either of the towns and take it out by back road. It's a known smuggler's route but there's no way to catch them all. Besides, it's just food. I doubt the Mages that patrol the border would get too worked up over it. They're looking for Black Magic, not stuff to feed someone's family. How do you want me to handle it?"
"Leave everything as it is," I said, pulling the keys out of the ignition. "We'll let them go this time."
"You sure?" she asked as I closed the door. There was a tiny hint of surprise in her voice.
"Yeah," I said, already heading back to my car. "I'm not taking food off someone's table. You can go ahead and clear the call. Just log it as an assist with no details. I'll handle it from here."
"Whatever you say, LT," she replied, then walked back in the direction of her own vehicle.
"What am I gonna do with you two?" I asked as they watched Shirl Ann get into her car. "I suppose you know that transporting that stuff is a felony."
"Oh shit," Kitlyn said as she saw Shirl Ann pull away. "He's going to kill us!"
"Stop it," Angela said. "If he wanted to kill us we'd already be dead. He wants something else."
"Very astute of you," I replied, tossing the keys and a pair of handcuffs on the hood next to their licenses. "How'd you guess?"
"You don’t remember me do you?" Angela asked, rubbing at her neck. "I was there when you cut the collars off us. What do you want Lieutenant? Just don’t ask us to betray those that helped us gather this food. We'll gladly take a fall to protect that secret."
"I'm sorry I didn’t recognize you from that day, Miss Angela," I said, wondering what the odds of a twofer were. As much as Gaea's games were a pain the ass, this one, at least, might actually work out to my benefit. "Things got a little busy that night as I recall. But don't worry. I don’t really care where this stuff came from and I'd never ask you to betray Bjarter anyway. No one's taking that kind of fall today. But what I do need is to return a favor and that's where you two come in."
"How are we supposed to do that Lieutenant?" Angela asked, not even flinching when I mentioned the Elf from Danu's.
"Do you read the newspaper, Miss Angela?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked, sounding surprised at the question.
"The editor of the Las Vegas Age wants to talk to a Lilin," I said, leaning closer. "Her names Michelle Brickey. I owe her a favor. Agree to call and meet with her and I'll let you go on your merry way."
"You want us to talk to a reporter?" Kitlyn asked, jumping into the conversation.
"That's the plan," I replied, picking up the handcuffs and twirling them in my fingers. "She just wants to talk to a Lilin, probably to do a story on your plight. All you need to do is agree to listen to what she wants. How far it goes from there is up to you but I'm guessing she'd be a good contact. For what it's worth, she knows how to keep a secret and can be trusted to do so with you. Hell, she probably won't even tell me about it."
"Then how will you know if we do?" Angela asked.
"Oh, she'll definitely tell me if you don't," I said with a grin. "Choice is yours."
"And if we refuse?" Angela asked, crossing her arms. "Then we get arrested and you destroy our stuff, right?"
"Yeah," I said, nodding my head. "The problem with that is that it would mean I'd have to look closer at illegal activity on this part of the border. That would be bad. At the moment I'm not that concerned, but if that happens I'd probably have to reevaluate my position entirely. I'd most likely be forced to order a clampdown on these back road border crossings, maybe even add a squad of Mages and Warriors out here just to keep things from getting out of hand. I don’t think that would be to your benefit and I'm betting that whoever's waiting for that load you're carrying would probably feel the same. Of course, if you agree and don’t follow through, then I'll have to hunt you down myself. I shouldn't have to tell you that would be even worse."
"We agree to your terms, Lieutenant," Angela said, abruptly. "I will contact this Brickey woman at the Age myself."
"Wonderful," I said, then reached down and picked up the keys from the hood and tossed them to her. "Have a nice day."
"That's it?" Kitlyn asked as Angela turned and walked back to the van. "You're really letting us go?"
"I really am, Miss Kitlyn," I said, then handed her the two licenses. "Here, you'll probably need these."
"Thank you," she said, stuttering, then followed Angela, looking back a few times as if to make sure I was really letting them go.
"Hey, Kitty," I said, when she was about halfway to the van.
She turned and looked back again, twisting her head to the side at my use of her nickname.
"Take care of yourself," I said, and then got into the car, closing the door before she could reply.
Chapter 13
It was after 6:00 p.m. by the time I made it back to town. A few minutes later, I was pulling past the guard gate and into my neighborhood. As I turned the corner onto my street, I saw her civilian model Omega parked in the driveway. I pulled in next to it. I hadn't expected Diantha to be back so soon. She had a twice nightly show at the Neptune and only had one day off a week. As the Oracle of Delphi, she was the only person from this world who knew who I really was. She was also the only other person that could lift the wards that protected the house. Charlie, of course, could do it, but that went without saying.
She'd offered to do some research into her earlier visions to see if anything about what I was doing here could have been foretold by her in the past. An easy thing to miss as many of her private visions were unclear. That would have been a simple thing if all her predictions were known to the public, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. While the outside world had a complete database of any oracular statements made public, those that she'd made privately were known only to her. I walked through the house and spied the open back door. Heading through it, I saw Diantha lounging in the shade of one of the tall trees that bordered the back fence.
"Millions of dollars of hotel luxury and you decide to spend your evening off here in my backyard," I said out loud, walking through the yard toward her. "I don’t even have a pool."
"Sometimes I miss the simple things in life the most," she said, moving her legs to the side of the lounge chair and motioning for me to sit down.
"Why do I think there's a but at the end of that sentence," I replied, sitting down beside her.
"Only if you're referring to that swill you call alcohol I saw the last time I was here." She reached down and pulled out a glass and handed it to me before retrieving a bottle of wine from an ice bucket and filled it. "Here, try this."
"Very nice," I said, after taking a sip.
"The truth is that this reminds me of where I grew up," she said, tipping her own glass toward me. "Before I was chosen as the Oracle. Oh, not the desert. But here, in your backyard. My parents had a farmstead outside the walls at Delphi. It was small, maybe five hectares or so. They grew olives mostly. I used to sit in the shade of the trees on a hot day, running my fingers through grass such as this. Of course, the yard was much smaller, but I remember the earthy smell of the lawn and the scent of the olives in the air."
"I seem to recall them having real grass at the Neptune," I said, wondering what she was getting at.
"Not like this," she said, reaching down and pulling out a clump, dirt still clinging to the roots. She lifted it to her nose and took a deep breath. "There's comes from Fae. This has the scent of Mother Earth. There is a difference."
"I'm going to have to take your word on that," I said, taking another sip of the wine. "Now, why are you really here?"
"There are such few pleasures in my world these days," she said, gently placing the plug of grass back and running her hand over it. "I am sorry that this one is not to your liking. But are you not happy to see me? I thought we were close in your world."
"Diantha," I said, placing my hand on her leg. "I am happy to see you. If there is one person that I miss more than anyone else from my world, that person is you. Next to Charlie, you were my closest friend."
"You speak in riddles," she said, putting down her glass. "How can you miss her more than anyone if another is your closest friend?"
"That's because Charlie's not a person," I said, chuckling. "He's my dog."
"You never mentioned that you had a dog," she said, sitting up.
"That’s because he wasn't here the last time you came by," I said, looking over at her. "Besides, he's not just a dog. He's a Fae Lord, an Arcadian, one of those descended from the hounds of Artemis. He's over at the Golf Resort as we speak."
"Do you mean to say that he has followed you here?" she said, getting to her feet. "How is that possible?"
"I guess Gaea found out that he was as big of a pain in the ass as I am," I replied, standing up. "She sent him here a few days ago. Why?"
"Come inside," she said, taking me by the hand. "There is something you must see."
She led me into the kitchen and then stopped, putting down her glass and opening a scroll that was laying on the counter.
"This is actually the reason I came," she said, sweeping her hands over the parchment. "I dreamt of you last night. You sat on Demeter's stone throne in a circle of tall oaks. There was a crown of fire on your head and a sword of blue flame in your hand. A young girl sat on your lap. Sylvana, Queen of the Dryad, stood at your left and I stood at your right. You spoke with me but I could not understand the words. Strange, I know, since Sylvana rules from Demeter's vault beneath the ground while the throne sits unclaimed and here we have but barely met. Stranger still since no male has ever ruled that realm. But when I awoke I recalled a vision from some 50 years past. It is a prophecy unclaimed. The kind that comes to me in the night. For some reason the dream made me think of it. At first, I thought the hound below might mean Cerberus, he that guarded the gates of Hades. But now that you say your hound is here, perhaps my dream means that this prophecy was indeed intended for you."
I looked down at the scroll and read what she'd written there so long ago. I was keenly aware that I'd never mentioned what I was back home. All I'd said was that I was a Dryad and Gaea's Hero. I'd never mentioned being a King or the God of Hades.
In the land where the King is not the King, these words shall find purpose. When the hound above seeks the hound below, troubles overlooked arise in the night. In craftiness, they come when least expected. Seek not your past reflection in the waters, the Gods cast no shadow here.
"You may be right," I said, trying to make sense out of it. "Charlie did just request a meeting with one of Satan's daughter's Hellhounds. But even if I am the King that is not the King, at least according to your dream… I have no idea what the rest means. Hell, they come when least expected is a daily occurrence around here and I can't even begin to know which troubles I've overlooked. I guess past reflections could mean the world where I'm from, there have been a lot of similarities. But if I'm not supposed to look to the past for trouble ahead then what am I supposed to do? You say you had this vision fifty years ago?"
