by Kimbra Swain
“I’m not as familiar with people around town, but Troy is an upstanding man,” Astor said. “I trust him with my life.”
“As do I,” I said.
“That’s four. How many do you want?” Astor asked.
“The number isn’t important,” I replied.
“Tennyson?” Levi asked tentatively. He didn’t know that Astor and I had already talked about Tennyson.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Really?” Finley asked.
“Blood oath,” I said. “It’s significant. Plus, I know now that his trip out of town is actually trying to get information out of the Winter Otherworld. Info about Brockton and Dylan. His influence is significant.”
“You can’t control him,” Finley said.
“As if I could control the lot of you. Well, maybe Levi,” I said with a smile. Levi grunted beside me. The truth was that he was probably the only one in the room I couldn’t control, but he was also the one in the room I knew I’d never have to control.
“Do I need to do that blood oath shit?” Finley asked.
“I think we share enough blood between us,” I said.
“Remy? Tabitha?” Finley suggested.
“No, I’m afraid Remy has too many connections outside of Shady Grove. I think in the end, he will run if it gets too hot here. I’d say Jenny, but I’m afraid the tensions between her and Tennyson are too high,” I said.
“Are you set with those we have then?” Finley asked.
“For now. There is no rule that I can’t bring someone else in whenever I get ready,” I said.
“So, what’s our job?” Finley asked.
“Information, for now. I need to know what kind of firepower we have. Who is capable of what? When Tennyson returns, I hope he has news from Winter,” I said.
“And the jar?” Finley asked. He was full of questions tonight.
“I have to keep moving forward. Tomorrow, I’m going to talk to Wendy and Fordele about ideas to remove this evil eye curse once and for all. The wandering fairies have knowledge that they don’t normally share. I’m hoping that they are open with me. I believe that Wendy knew the evil eye was in town because she was wearing the Hamsa necklace when I picked up Rufus,” I said.
“And I’m getting a new tattoo,” Levi added. “I want it done before this gets any more dangerous.”
“I’ll stay here with the children tomorrow. Troy is bringing Mark over. I can talk to him about the war council, if I may?” Astor asked.
“Of course,” I said. “It will take some time, but we will start making moves to take Winter back from Brockton.”
“Is that all?” Finley asked. He seemed very anxious to leave.
“No, all of that was secondary to my main purpose. From what I’ve gathered along with Levi, the way to change a human to a fairy has to do with two objects. One from Summer and one from Winter. Matthew Rayburn needs help. It is my intention to change him if needed. Tabitha is doing what she can, but the Druid was enthralled from the beginning with Robin. She abused his open heart and generous ways. I owe it to him to do what I can to save his life. I know that the two of you can help me with this. So, tell me what you know. Help me do this,” I said.
“Does this have anything to do with Winnie?” Finley asked.
“No, Finley. I do not intend to change my daughter. She is human. I love her for what she is. This is about Matthew and anyone else that might be affected by the subjects under my rule. I was given the impression that this was something I should know. However, it seems that I haven’t taken all of Father’s power. Or it hasn’t been given to me. Either way, this is important.”
“You need fruit from the tree,” Astor said immediately. Frank. To the point. He truly was the breath of fresh air I needed. He looked to Finley to tell me the rest which I really liked, too. He probably knew what the Winter object was, but he was going to give my brother a chance to speak. Astor felt like Finley still needed to prove himself to me.
Finley brushed his long white hair out of his face, then reached into his pocket. He tossed an object to me. A glass vial with a cork lid that was half -filled with a bright blue liquid. It was as cold as a cube of ice.
“That’s the other object,” he said. “As for the spell involved, I don’t think there is one. I think you give the person each item. They eat the fruit, and they drink the water. Permission from both sides.”
“Where is this from?” I asked holding the liquid to the light. It was the same color as my fairy eyes. Bright turquoise.
“I can’t believe you don’t remember. We got in trouble once for playing in it,” Finley said with a chuckle. The lines on his face relax as the memory flooded over him. “You were dying to see it, and contrary to what Father told me to do, I took you out to it. You, with all your curiosity, just had to stick your hand in it.”
“The fountain,” I said. “The one on the border with Summer.”
“Fountain?” Levi asked.
“On the border opposite of the tree, there is a fountain that sits half in Summer and half in Winter. The Winter side flows with water, but freezes in the base of the pool. The Summer side is warm and sparkling like an ocean. The water in the fountain is special like the fruit on the tree.”
“The tree is the Tree of Life,” Astor said. “Its fruit ensures everlasting life.”
“The fountain…” Finley started.
“Is the Fountain of Youth,” Levi said.
“Yes. To be a true fairy, you live forever, but you also are young for as long as you wish to be. The Fountain and the Tree fuel our lives. They make us fairy-kind. Damn. All of that came out of nowhere,” I said suddenly remembering everything about the fountain. Not that I had ever been told, but now the knowledge was there. I wondered what all I didn’t know that I actually knew.
“The knowledge is there, but you didn’t need it until now,” Levi suggested.
“Yes,” I said. “When I got in trouble for playing in the fountain, I had no idea why it was such a big deal. I see now.”
“When would you like me to go to the tree?” Astor asked.
“As soon as possible,” I replied.
He stood immediately and paced to the coat closet just inside the front door. Pulling out his sword, he stood at the ready to open a portal.
“You are going now?” Levi asked.
“What else am I going to do right now?” he asked.
“Sleep. Drink some more wine. Keep the kids in the morning so we can go to town,” Levi suggested.
“My Queen has given me a task. I shall fulfill it,” he said. Swinging the sword in a circle, a glittering portal opened with a rush of warm fresh air from Summer. “I shall return before dawn.”
The portal snapped closed after he stepped through.
“The two of you could take notes from my Knight. He seems to get it,” I teased Levi and Finley.
“Can I go?” Finley asked.
“How hard is it to get this now?” I asked holding up the vial. I loved the coolness in my hands. I supposed it was the part of me that craved a home that I never claimed.
“It’s on the border, but it’s guarded just like the tree is,” Finley said.
“Who guards it?” I asked.
“A friend of mine. He will let me get it whenever I need it,” Finley said.
A name popped into my head. “Connelly Reyes,” I said.
“How did you know?” Finley asked.
“Father’s knowledge, but he’s Astor’s best friend. He’s Tennyson’s son,” I said.
“Galahad,” Levi supplied.
“And he guards the Grail,” Finley finished the thought.
“If they used the relics of that age to build fairies then what else is out there?” I asked.
“More shit for Brockton to use against us,” Levi said.
After that, I didn’t say much more. Our meeting dispersed. Finley left to go and find Nelly. Her absence was bothering him whether he chose to admit it or not. It was more t
han just a possessive compulsion. He liked her. Might even love her, but I wasn’t sure. Levi and I sat on the couch quietly for a few minutes. When it became too awkward, he lifted my hand, kissed it on the back, and said, “Goodnight, Grace.”
I watched him gather the various drinking glasses and take them to the sink. He turned the lights off as I sat back in the darkness. It looked like I’d be spending another night on the couch. That was okay. I wasn’t ready for that lonely bed yet. One day I’d get up the courage to use it, but it wasn’t going to be tonight.
A brilliant white light filled the living room as Astor stepped back into the house from Summer. I bolted up on the couch because I had managed to fall asleep. However, I’d learned since Aydan was born that my sleep habits had changed. Not just the bed situation. When I slept, it was never deeply. It was almost a motherly instinct to sleep lightly listening for the sounds of my children. Astor’s entry started me, and suddenly I was in full battle mode with platinum hair, flaring tattoo, and turquoise eyes.
“I’d almost let you throw magic at me,” he grinned.
“Excuse me, Knight?” I said.
“You are gorgeous when you are ready to fight,” he said, handing me a basket of fruit. He held another bag which clinked when he moved.
“Wine?” I asked.
“Yes,” he smiled. His eyes seemed a little glossy in the darkness.
“Either you have already partaken or you have been crying,” I said.
“I had a few with my old men,” he said.
“You miss them?” I asked.
“I do, but I am where I am supposed to be,” he said as he produced a half-full wine bottle from the canvas bag over his shoulder. “Want some?”
“I think I will,” I said. He followed me to the kitchen where I found two wine glasses. He started to open a new bottle. “What are you doing?”
“I drank it straight out of this one,” he said.
“Savage. I thought you were a refined man,” I teased.
“Yes, well, I needed to relax. It seems that meeting you had put me into the thick of things, and I’ve been sitting back enjoying the good life. It was an illusion, and I’m glad it’s over,” he said, filling my glass with the fresh bottle. He then poured his open bottle into the other glass, holding it up to me. “Here’s to taking back the throne.”
I touched his glass lightly. “It’s not something I ever wanted, but it seems as though it is my duty.”
“The only thing you have to do by duty, Grace, is take care of your children. Everything else is a choice you make. No one is forcing you to do it. Isn’t it better to want it, than to not?” he asked.
“I suppose. I’ve been doing the not-queen thing for so long that I still have issues seeing myself as anything except the trailer park girl,” I said taking a sip of the decadent wine. It rolled across my tongue and down my throat. I moaned as it traveled deeper inside of me. I had tilted my head up and closed my eyes as I swallowed it down. The wine from the hacienda near the tree was the best damn wine I’d ever tasted.
When I opened my eyes, Astor stood completely still with his jaw hanging open. “Fuuuuuck,” he said. “With that, I’m going to bed.”
“Oh, geez, I’m sorry, Astor,” I said. Astor rarely cussed, but apparently I was profanity-worthy. Actually, knowing the knight’s affections, I was fuck-worthy, too. I needed to shut it down. Astor was inherently attractive. His goodness and good looks were a pairing rarely seen. However, my heart was with dust in a jar. Even if Dylan wasn’t part of my life in the future, there was an elephant lurking around the corner.
“Don’t be. That was, uh, yeah, goodnight, Grace,” he said finishing off his wine. He disappeared into the darkness of the house.
“You can come out now,” I said.
Levi emerged from the hallway. “Did you have to tease him like that?” Levi said.
“Have you had this wine?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s good, but that. Hell, I’m turned on and it wasn’t even for me,” Levi said.
“It wasn’t for anyone,” I protested. “It’s just damn good wine.”
“Oh, really? Well, please, drink some more. Don’t let me stop you,” he said folding his arms across his chest.
“Oh, please,” I said taking another sip. I had to force myself not to react.
“You are no fun,” he grinned.
“There isn’t much fun to be had,” I said.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said.
“I know you didn’t, but still,” I said.
“Come here,” he said. I walked over to him in the darkness. His hand found my neck at the base of my jaw. “One day we will laugh again, and we will mean it.” He reached for the empty glass, taking it from my hand.
“When?” I asked.
“Sooner than you think,” he replied. “Why don’t you sleep in my bed? I’ll take the couch. You need real rest. You look so tired.” He said pushing my hair away from my eyes.
“I am, but I feel like I can’t stop,” I replied.
“If you don’t rest, you will crash. You can’t do that, but you can sleep now while we are here to cover for mommy duties. Please let us, Grace,” he said. “If you go to war, real war, with Brockton, there won’t be many of these moments when you can let go. Trust us to cover for you.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” I replied.
“Maybe the day after that,” he said.
“Or next week. I get it,” I said.
“Then, go to bed,” he said. I heard the same statement in my head in his voice. He had said one thing out loud, and another in his head. Then, come to bed. He had done it on purpose, too. I saw the light in his eyes in the darkness. He knew better than to cross a line. It wasn’t a line I had made. It was one he had made for himself. One he had made for Dylan. He knew I wasn’t going to sleep in a bed, so he took my hand to escort me to the couch. I laid down, and he threw a blanket over me.
Instead of going back to his room, he produced the baby monitor from his pocket. He turned it on, then sat it on the coffee table. I heard the hinges of my recliner groan as he leaned back in it. It wasn’t long before his breaths stretched out into deep slumber. I didn’t sleep, but I did relax listening to him inhale and exhale. It had its own rhythm like a song. The monitor added the tiny sleeping sighs of Aydan upstairs in his crib. A lullaby of rest. It was a song I couldn’t sing. Not yet. Maybe not ever again.
Brittany leaned over Levi putting the finishing touches on his new tattoo. The guitar looked like it was embedded into his arm, tearing its way out. The neck of the guitar stretched down to the back of his wrist. The shading made the guitar look completely real. What would have been the sound hole was actually his old tattoo. The triquetra with the surrounding Celtic knotwork. My mind drifted back to him getting that first tattoo. Levi had almost passed out and I had given him a little bit of magic to make it through. Now he sat still and hadn’t broken a sweat.
He wore a sleeveless shirt that covered his torso and back, hiding the scars that I knew were there. He had pulled the shoulder of the shirt back so that Brittany could tattoo the base of the guitar around his shoulder. For that little bit of skin, I couldn’t see any scars. He looked me in the eye as I searched over his skin. When my eyes met his, I once again saw the pain and fear. He didn’t have to tell me, but he knew I wanted to know.
I decided that staring at Levi wasn’t the best thing for me at the moment, so I stood up to walk to the glass front of the tattoo shop. Across the parking lot, Mike’s Magic Vape glittered in the sun. I needed to talk to the Solomonar about the book. Plus, I wanted to see how many people were still buying the Penis Envy liquid that he had concocted to ward off the evil eye.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d stood there lost in my thoughts.
“All done,” Brittany announced, handing a mirror to Levi who used it to look at the back part of the guitar on his shoulder.
“What do you think?” he asked.
When I didn’t ans
wer, I heard him hand the mirror back to Brittany. He walked over to me to look out the window. He looked down at me. He wasn’t that much taller than me, but enough that he had to look down when standing close.
“Remember the last time we were here?” I asked.
“Yes, of course,” he said.
“He wasn’t here then either,” I said.
“Is your life defined by when Dylan was there or not?” Levi asked. I almost turned and slapped the shit out of him for saying such a thing, but when my eyes locked with his, I knew what he meant. When I allowed myself to focus on Dylan, I lost sight of the here and now. He touched my shoulder to turn me to face him. “You were right yesterday with your Father. You don’t need Astor or Dylan or me to do this. You never needed any of us. You can’t let Dylan’s absence redefine you. Besides, I hate to inform you, but you are stuck with me now.”
“I lost the receipt to return you,” I said.
“Jeremiah wouldn’t have taken me back,” he replied.
“No, he wouldn’t have,” I said thinking about the old Sanhedrin who was a sometimes friend and sometimes foe. I missed the old codger. He lied and manipulated, but he brought Levi to me. I believe that much of what he did was in my best interest and in the interest of his daughter, Riley. As a parent, I could understand that motivation. It made me wonder if my own notions about my children were somehow blind. Like my adamancy that Winnie remain human. For me, being fairy had always meant something corrupt, but the people of this town had shown me that like any other prejudice, you couldn’t judge the whole by a few. Luther was an Ifrit. Nothing more than a fallen angel or demon, but he was the kindest man I’d ever met. My mind wondered to what Winnie would be.
“Let’s see if it works,” Levi said as his hand drifted down to my wrist. Pulling power from my tattoo, I tilted my head back and sighed. It was better than Astor’s wine as the power rolled between us. Then I heard it. A buttery tone resonated around the room as the strings of the tattoo on Levi’s arm emitted the sound. I stared at it thinking it would move, but it didn’t. The sound flowed freely again from his arm, and he groaned. I jerked my hand away from his, cutting off the flow of power.
