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Black Frost

Page 12

by John Conroe


  “So what is a Major Gift?” Mom asked.

  “Eirwen is a strong user of glamour, able to completely change her appearance or hide a small army from view. My sister can communicate with and inspire obedience in almost any individual animal, so much so that Summer’s Hunters won’t bring their familiars near her for fear of corruption. She has a second major Gift for combat. Mother, Queen Morrigan, has the Gift of Command. If she orders you to do something you would find yourself doing it, unless you were one of the very few who can resist. Queen Zinna has the Gift of Change, able to mold and form the very life code of living things.

  “DNA? She can change DNA?” I asked.

  “If D-N-A is the code that each organism carries inside it than yes.”

  “What is this crap about a gift for combat?” my father asked.

  “You have it..to a degree. So does Ian. My sister has it in spades. It is difficult to explain, but it is a kind of synthesis of the senses and reflexes that allows the gifted to make more of the right moves and choices in combat. To see openings in an opponent’s defenses, to change from attack to defense and back to attack in the same motion. To sense attacks from behind, to know at an instinctive level how to defeat an enemy.”

  “Humpfff!” was my Father’s only reply. Not quite ready to buy into it fully, he was still not scoffing either. In fact, my pragmatic father was handling this entire situation much better than I would have thought possible. My thoughts must have reflected on my face as he raised one eyebrow at me.

  “What?” he demanded.

  “I’m wondering how you are dealing with all this?” I said.

  He shrugged, looked a little uncomfortable, then came to some kind of decision.

  “I’ve seen things, Ian. During my career, I’ve been all over the world and been in all kinds of situations. Some things defy explanation. We tried to question a person of interest in Louisiana once. The locals feared him, claiming he was a voodoo practitioner. When we caught up with him in an old warehouse, he gave us the slip, disappearing from a locked room. And as we chased him through that building, things happened. Doors slammed shut on us, boxes and crates suddenly fell in front of us, and objects were thrown at us by no one,” he said. “I try to live in the black and white, concrete world, but I’ve seen a bit of the gray. This, though, takes it to a new level.”

  “Greer, how come Summer didn’t swarm us with Hunters at the farm house?” I asked.

  “This machine of yours, the thing in Switzerland, it opened most of the pathways to this world, all at once. The queens covered all of them, making this the largest Gathering we’ve ever had. They sent the bulk of their resources to the bigger, better known sites,” he said.

  “But they sent their best teams here? To this backwater site?”

  “The queens are sisters, and the ability to glimpse the future runs in their bloodline. Both must have felt a strong pull to this location. Mother wouldn’t have sent her Black Frost otherwise.”

  “I thought your weapons were called Black Frost blades?” I asked, confused.

  “Mother refers to Neeve as her Black Frost….her killing frost.”

  “Oh!” was my only comeback.

  My father had perked up at the mention of weapons so I asked Greer to show him the blade. The lanky elf held up his right arm and pulled back the sleeve of dragonskin to reveal the siooc dubhh sginna wrapped around his wrist. It flowed into his palm, moving slowly this time so I could see more of its action. There were two small dots of blue blood on the underside of his wrist.

  “What are those from?” I asked.

  “The weapon is a living creature, made with my own D-N-A as you call it. It needs my blood to stay alive, thus it is always bonded to me.”

  “How can it cut so easily through flesh?” I asked. Dad was enthralled, watching as the Frost blade formed from a spear to a knife to a sword to a club with first multiple spikes, then one big spike.

  “It changes the structure of its parts…its makeup,” he said.

  “Molecules?” Ashley threw in.

  “Maybe that’s the word. They change their mole-e-cules to something similar to gemstones, at least on the outer edge,” he said, holding up the Frost blade, which reformed, lengthening into a long thin blade.

  Turning the newly formed sword blade sharp side up, he pointed at the gleaming edge. “The siooc dubhh sginna shapes itself to its Guardian’s will. With practice it becomes second nature for me to have it form its blade edge to less than razor thin.”

  He flicked the midnight black sword at the dead, dried stalk of a plant in Mom’s flower bed. The plant hardly moved as the tough fibrous stem was cut, the dead blossom taking a second to fall as if it was the last one to be informed of the cut.

  Dad picked up the cut blossom and looked at the stem, whistling in appreciation at the smoothly shorn stub. Then he glanced at me. “Tough to get close to a fighter with something like this,” he noted, one eyebrow arched.

  “I think the answer is that you don’t!” I said, patting the rifle slung across my back.

  He snorted and nodded his head in agreement.

  A sudden whirring filled the air and Pancho’s second in command was back, hovering in front of Ashley, then moving toward Greer. With an oddly formal gesture of his hands Greer somehow pulled a cold blue orb from the puck’s chest. Immediately the glowing ball of light began to pulse in time to a female voice speaking Elfish that emitted from its center.

  The puck flew back to his place by Pancho and Ashley rewarded the tired flier with one of the last pieces of cookie dough she had been holding in reserve.

  “Neeve agrees to a meeting to discuss the situation, she suggests the flat space outside of your local education building,” Greer translated.

  “The school sports fields?” I asked. He started to nod but was interrupted by the second puck flying in.

  This one produced a greenish orb before claiming his sugary reward from Ashley.

  “Eirwen also agrees and suggests the same place, although she specifies the field with the metal cages at each end, far away from the amphitheater.”

  ‘That sounds like the soccer field and the amphitheater would be the football field,” Dad said. “What about terms of safety?”

  “They both agree on their honor that Ian will be safe,” Greer.

  “And that means what to me?” Dad asked, scornfully.

  Greer looked offended. “Honor holds meaning on my world, even if it has been lost here,” he said angrily.

  “Listen, I believe you,” I said hurriedly. “Let’s plan this out!”

  Chapter 15

  The princesses had both agreed to meet in thirty minutes time. We were ready in fifteen, hoping to arrive a few minutes early to scout. While we were getting prepped, Greer’s animal partner, Coel arrived.

  Our first warning was both Max and Charm going crazy barking at the back edge of Dad’s property. There is a little strip of trees separating his land from the guy behind him and both dogs were focused on those trees.

  “It’s Coel. You’ll want to maybe put them inside so he doesn’t kill them,” Greer said in a matter of fact tone.

  Dad and I exchanged glances. Charm was no pushover at sixty pounds and Max was a solid hundred pounds of highly trained Doberman. Nonetheless, we corralled both canines and got them inside with Ashley and my mother.

  Greer nodded in approval then waved one hand toward the trees. A pale bulk emerged, plodding toward us with a rolling gait. Three feet high at its heavy shoulders, it was all white except for a band of black across its face. Something about that distinctive walk triggered a sense of recognition in me. I had seen it’s like or close to it, before. It closed rapidly to twenty feet or so, its black eyes focused on my father and I like prey. The white fur was long and thick, the body heavily muscled, four limbs each ending in long curved claws. Then it struck me…Coel looked like a giant, white wolverine, one that weighted about three hundred pounds. His five-gallon head was sweeping back an
d forth, snuffling the ground, but his black eyes stayed locked on us. Surprisingly quiet, he was almost at our feet before I heard him, even then it was a soft snort, rather than any footfall or rustle of the dead, frozen grass.

  Greer was wearing a fond grin as the black faced monster loomed in front of us. His thick back was as high as a picnic table, his body about five feet long if you ignored the bushy tail. A musky odor rolled off him, strong but not overpowering.

  “This is Coel – I raised him from a cub,” Greer said, squatting in front of the beast. He waved me over, but it took a second for my feet to get the instructions to move. Hesitantly, I stepped toward Greer, who was ruffling the thick white fur. The coal black masked swiveled up to stare at me as I approached.

  Have you ever stared into the eyes of a predator? At the zoo, have you stopped and made direct eye contact with any of the big cats, bears or wolves? Have you been privileged enough to see a coyote, bobcat or mountain lion in the wild and meet their gaze?

  Suddenly, you realize that you’re not always the top of the food chain, and in fact, maybe you never were. It’s a shock to the psyche, the kind that spears straight through your digestive tract to weaken your bowels.

  Coel’s gaze was direct, unworried and confident, and perhaps a bit hungry as well. I stopped and squatted next to Greer, keeping the thin elf between me and the loveseat-sized carnivore. Coel had found the spot where Mom’s pot roast had met its demise, tiny shreds of fat and meat the only evidence. He licked the ground in a few choice places than lifted his head to regard me like maybe I would be next. Greer laughed to himself.

  “He’s a wolverine,” I said, nervously.

  “I am not familiar with that word, but his ancestors once roamed this world. His species is one of a handful that was able to find their way to Fairie and thrive there. Of course, he is much changed from the ancestor species.”

  “Hey Dad, wanna meet Coel?” I asked.

  My father had one hand on his gun and now he raised his left palm out toward us. “No thanks, I’m good!”

  “He looks pretty hungry,” I noted.

  “Coel is always ready for a meal, but he found a deer carcass by the road on his way here. It had apparently been struck by a vehicle.”

  “Ah, roadkill…good stuff,” I said.

  Greer looked at me sideways, a slight grin in place. Then he grabbed the big toothy head in both palms and swiveled it to make direct eye-to-eye contact. After a moment of staring he let go and stood up.

  “He will head over now, to scout the meeting site,” Greer said. “You may bring weapons but only you may come. Everyone else must stay here. We leave shortly.”

  We all spun around at the sound of the back door slamming open, me just in time to catch my sobbing daughter. Both Dad and I spun back to the giant white wolverine to see how he was going to react, my father almost drawing his .45 while my hand sought the grip of my Sig-Sauer. Oddly, the ghostly monster sniffed the air in Ashley’s direction, shuffled from side to side in obvious anxiety, then backed up four or five feet. Satisfied, if somewhat puzzled by Coel’s behavior, I looked back at my daughter.

  “Ash, what’s the matter?” I asked. My mother appeared in the open door way, her expression dismayed at losing Ashley out the door. Mom heard my question and gave me look that said ‘what do you think is wrong, dummy?’

  A tear-streaked face looked up at me and I read her fear. As much as I was worried about losing her to the interplanetary fairies, she was worried that I wasn’t coming back.

  “Sweetheart, I’ll be fine! Right Greer? You said I had safe conduct for this meeting, right?”

  Greer looked perplexed, completely unable to fathom Ashley’s behavior.

  “Yes…yes, Ashley, your Father’s safety is guaranteed by the laws of my people. Neither Eirwen or Neeve will hurt or detain him,” he said, his tone odd. Wiping her tears on my shirt, Ash turned her head to look at him. “You promise?”

  Puzzled, he nonetheless nodded. “On my honor!”

  Her sadness suddenly flashed to anger. “You better take care of my daddy!” she shouted at him, stepping forward and jabbing her finger in his direction furiously.

  The confused elf stepped back, the toothy monster behind him flattening itself to the ground as a sudden cold wind blew from behind us and ruffled Coel’s fur and Ashley’s hair.

  “See! The princesses have agreed to a peaceful meeting. But honey, I have to go, to negotiate your safety. But I’ll be back in short order, ‘kay?” I told her.

  She bit her lip and then ducked back into my arms, burying her face in my sweatshirt. I patted her back and hugged her tight while my heart wound tight in my chest.

  Ashley hadn’t called me daddy in years, not since her mother had been killed. I had been so worried about her safety I had forgotten that she would worry about mine. Greer was completely confused, but my Father’s eyes told me he understood completely and I had a sudden eureka moment. My father must have felt the same way I was feeling now, all those years he headed off to face drug dealers and gangs.

  I held her tight for a moment more, then kissed the top of her head and moved her into the protective shadow of her grandfather. Mom rushed over to gather Ashley in her embrace and I backed toward the car. Greer moved with me, his animal partner loping into the night in the direction of the school.

  As I pulled out, I noticed the pixy-like pucks darting around my parents house and it struck me that I had completely ignored them for the last fifteen minutes or so. Amazing what you can become used to.

  ***

  My heart was in my throat as I drove the familiar roads that would bring us to the school complex. My chest felt hollow and I was more alone than I have ever been in my life. Beside me, Greer was tapping his fingers on his leg, looking out the window of the Toyota in obvious thought about something. After a moment he spoke.

  “Your daughter was very upset,” he noted. I glanced at him sideways, wondering if I had gotten stuck with the slowest elf on the block.

  “Well yeah! She lost her mother two years ago, now aliens from another planet want to abduct her and her only surviving parent is leaving to face them. She’s scared as hell!”

  “But she, herself, is not facing the danger?” he asked, confused.

  “She’s not scared for herself, she’s scared for me and of losing me, which I guess is being scared for herself, in a way,” I said. “Haven’t you ever been afraid for your sister or your mother?”

  He turned my way, glacier blue eyes gleaming and shook his head. “No. We are different. Apparently much more different than I thought,” he said with a note of wonder. “Your people have always been more closely tied to each other than mine. We don’t have those same feelings of protectiveness that you do. We are more….independent. Each plots their own life’s path. Sometimes there is mutual support, but sometimes we conflict.”

  “Well, that certainly happens to us as well. But it usually occurs among truly dysfunctional families, ones that are so screwed up that there is little love. But among most normal families, members will fight and die to protect each other,” I said, glancing sideways at him.

  His eyes widened in disbelief.

  “Are you telling me that your mother, the Queen, wouldn’t put herself in danger to save you?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “That’s not our way – that’s just not how we are. Mother is fond of me and Neeve, but not to the point of self sacrifice. What of your parents?” he asked.

  “What of them? Both would do whatever they had to for Ashley or myself. If you doubt me, just try and break into that house back there. My old man would waste you in a New York second!”

  He sat back, clearly troubled.

  “Oh, before I forget. If you hold steel in your hand, either hand, while facing the Heirs, it should prevent their glamour from effecting you. Eirwen is particularly tricky with illusion. They will try to sway you, distract you and avoid telling you what you want to know.”

  “What about
lying? The legends all say that the Fey, or whatever your people are, cannot lie. Is that true?”

  “It is more that we do not lie, not that we can’t. We may not have the closeness that your people have, but we have more honor. Only the lowest toodar would ever lie, but, that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to avoid telling you what you want to know. You must be very careful in how you phrase questions, you mustn’t lie yourself, and you must never, never thank one of us!”

  “Why not?” I asked, even as I remembered hearing some legend that you should never thank the Fey.

  “Because it is an admission of debt, and my people will always capitalize on a debt, and it will never be to your benefit.”

  We were pulling into the school complex at this point and I turned my attention to our surroundings. In Groton Falls, the high school and middle schools are combined into one sprawling complex. The athletic fields are mainly located behind the buildings, so I turned down the side access road and followed it to the parking lot.

  “What do I expect? From your sister and cousin?” I asked, suddenly aware that I’d never really formulated a plan. Busy night, I guess.

  “Hmm, winter is in ascendance and summer is waning so that’ll be important,” he said thoughtfully.

  “Ahh, what?” I asked.

  “Our Courts are tied to the two seasons we represent, spiritually and actually. Our world has the same seasons as this one and our nations reflect that. The White or Winter Court occupies the Northern hemisphere of the planet, Summer occupies the tropical middle latitudes, there is nothing at the Southern pole but ice, which mother chooses not to rule. As the seasons change so do the powers of the respective courts. As winter approaches here, so it does on Fairie, and my mother’s power grows. As spring begins to change to summer, my aunt’s power takes a greater role. The winter solstice marks the height of Morrigan’s power, the summer solstice, the height of Zinnia’s.”

 

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