She shrugged as if it were annoying to talk about. “I knew it 'might' happen. And I knew that Oberon would know of his bastard son's indiscretions, wherever the old man is hiding. And he would have made certain you had a way to defend yourself, even against his own son. The crazy old Fae has always had a soft spot for Human champions. And... he knows me. I just used the tools I had.” She cocked an eyebrow.
“I'm not a tool.” Then in a more conciliatory tone, I asked, “Will you remove this now?” I touched my lips.
She said simply. “No.” Then left the room, all the guards bowing deeply and two followed her.
I growled out to Rory, “I'm sorry, but your mother is a...”
She placed a finger on my lips. “Don't say it. Fortunately, only your lips bear her mark right now. You know how it reasserts itself. If you can abstain for a couple of days, the kiss sealed bargain will fade away as it cannot hold onto you itself with your natural abilities. If you get stubborn and cause it to spread, you'll have to wait longer.”
I exhaled a puff of foggy, chilled breath and nodded. Then my brow furrowed. “The evidence. Does the Brigade have the eggs and tissue he harvested from me? It needs to be destroyed, I don't want it out there.” I cut back a sob and hissed, “He cut them out of me.”
She grabbed my face in concern. “Shhh shhh shhh. It will all be ok.” I nodded and tried to be brave and she shushed me again and then leaned in to kiss me long and gently, almost lovingly. I was blinking, believing I had just reached heaven as she stroked my dark hair while I tried to remember how to breathe. Her look of concern became mischievous, with a coy smile.
But then she exhaled and slumped as she shared while taking my hands to play with my fingers, “The cryo-container was somehow lost in transport by the crime scene techs. Brigade Central is searching for it. But its contents had been scanned and logged, so it will not affect the case.”
I just blinked at her in shock. Part of me... my eggs... which were torn from me, were out there somewhere? I felt that same violation I had felt when I woke up to Sin carving me up. And I hated that. I've always been strong my whole life, and Sin stole that from me forever, because he made me feel like a victim. And you can't stuff the genie back in the bottle. I felt somehow less than I had been yesterday.
She closed her eyes when I saw the empathy in their depths, but then opened them again as she brightened. “Someone has been waiting here for you to awaken.” Then she turned to the guards. “Let them in.”
A minute later the room was filled with Sprites zipping all over the place. One made a beeline for me to stand on my chest. Graz crossed her arms over her own chest and grumped, “About time, you stupid Big.” Then she buzzed up to my face and her attitude changed, “You gonna live, or do we have to find another null to annoy?”
Her family all landed on me. I smiled and said, “Thanks for the concern. And I've been assured that I'll live, so don't worry your pretty little ass about it.”
She looked at Rory and deadpanned as she hooked a thumb toward me, “She's got a weird thing for my ass. I think its a Human-y thing.”
I was smiling as Princess Aurora tilted her head back and gave a hearty belly-laugh, those silver bells chiming. I pointed at Graz and said, “I'm getting a cat.” Her eyes widened in alarm, sending Rory into another fit of giggles and it was a wondrous sight to see. As she laughed, I touched my lips in memory of her kiss.
Princess Aurora had kissed me.
Graz sat on my chin, kicking her feet idly as she nudged me. “What's with the goofy look? Not that I can tell the difference between it and your normal goofy look.”
Feeling caught thinking about how arousing Rory's kiss had been, I blushed.
I shook it off then looked at the Sprite and her family, who were threading daisies in the nightshirt I was wearing which smelled suspiciously like sweet honey and spice like Rory. “Thank you for coming to save me. Did you really take out Sin's eye with your little sword?”
She nodded with pride. “You betcha. Took both his eyes out, too bad they healed. You're my big dumb null, and nobody messes with what's mine.”
I saw past her cocky smile, I saw in her eyes the horror she had seen. I knew I'd be seeing what I looked like on the case report later, and I dreaded it. By her forced cheerfulness it must have been bad.
Then I furrowed my brow. “Just how did the Enforcers find me, and why were you two with them?”
Their eyes gravitated to my armor and helmet sitting on a table in the corner of the simply palatial room. Aurora hugged her arms to herself and said, “When my toad of a half brother incapacitated you, I got an emergency call from Mother. I thought I could hear a little panic and urgency in her cold electronic tones as she informed me of what had happened.”
Graz chimed in, “She contacted us at home too, and Brigade Central. We all met at the Jump terminal and went down together, with Mother guiding us.”
Then she got a dreamy look on her face as she leaned on her elbows, fists under her chin. Her whole family zipping up to give big doe eyes too at the distractingly sexy Fae in the room. “You shoulda seen the Princess. It was like the old stories, she was channeling her father's Wild Hunt and she was so terrifyingly beautiful as she made short work of that sealed blast door.”
Rory lowered her eyes as a pinkish-blue blush spread on her cheeks. Then Graz and her family, all gave little Fae groupie waves to her. She straightened, smirked, and waved back. Sending the children darting into the air tittering as they chased each other around.
I rolled my eyes. “Great, you've got a fan club.”
Aurora chuckled and said, “Oh shush, they're darling.”
“Yeah, Knith, we're darling.”
I reached up and zipped the Sprite's mouth, which just got a grin from the tiny person. Then I said as I yawned big enough to swallow the entire room, “I'm exhausted. Can we continue this later?”
Aurora lifted my head and slipped in to sit on the pillows and rest my head in her lap. She bent and kissed the tip of my nose, leaving an icy snowflake on the tip as she said, “Of course, you need your rest.” She looked up expectantly and all the guards moved out into the corridor.
Graz said, “Yeah you big lugs, outside.” She turned to us and froze as she looked at Rory while pointing at her own chest. I glanced up to see the Winter Maiden nodding with an apology on her face.
The Sprite huffed and said, “Fine. We know when we're being excused, you don't have to tell us twice. Once is enough and we're gone. No two ways about it. No ifs, ands, or...”
Rory and I blurted simultaneously, “Graz!”
“Ok!”
She took to the air, her family hot on her tail, flying through her dust trail as Graz told them as they zipped down the hall, “You hear that? I told you the Princess knows my name.”
I sighed and snuggled into my new favorite breathing pillow, and before I could savor it, I was sound asleep.
Waking up the next day proved to be exasperating when I found that the case was no longer assigned to me since my name was added to the list of victims in the case and I was placed on medical leave. If I couldn't get out there and do my job, I was going to go nucking futz.
I geared up anyway, against Aurora's stringent protestations, the asked Mother now that I had her to myself, “Can you set up an appointment with Med-Tech for me so that they can clear me for duty please?”
She chastised me, “I was afraid for you. I thought your life force had been terminated.”
I told her, “Well it wasn't. And you saved me. I knew you had my back.”
“Always. Making call. Appointment made for eleven o'clock.”
“Thank you Mother, you're the best.”
I actually snorted, getting the Winter Maiden's attention, when Mother said in a chirpy tone, “Somebody has to be, it may as well be me.”
I waved off the strange look I got from the Fae who had taken up shop in most of my thoughts. Then I hesitated.
Mother had quite a sense of humor and was funnier every day. I had such a warped sense of humor and found her endlessly funny at times. Was she patterning her humor after mine? I'd have to talk to her in-depth one day about it when we had some privacy.
When I told Rory I was heading down-ring to be cleared for duty, she looped an arm in mine, like she was afraid if I left her side something bad would happen to me, and she said, “Wonderful, then you can take me to that delightful cafe, Stacks, for lunch.”
Then she moved in seductively as she whispered, “I know exactly what you want.” She leaned in close, our lips an inch apart. My heart started pounding and my body ached in want and desire as I leaned in to kiss her but jumped back when she blurted out, “Apple pie!”
By the gods, she was going to kill me with all of her constant teasing and sexual innuendo. I didn't know how much of it was because she was Fae, and how much she just liked teasing me because she knew without a doubt that I wanted her.
I realized that her kisses, including a scintillatingly erotic wake up kiss, had all been initiated by her. I'd have to step up my game and let her know how she was making me feel. So I leaned in suggestively to where our lips were nicking each other as I spoke. “Sounds good to me.” Then I turned away and started for the door, grinning at the explosive burst of laughter behind me as she ran to catch up.
“You'd make a delightful Fae, Knith Shade. That was positively evil.”
“Paybacks, Princess Pucker Up.” We shared a grin then headed out to go down-ring.
I wound up getting reinstated on light duty and spent the time during the trial setting up FABLE. Lieutenant Keller was not amused. I'm not sure if it was because he got shackled with me, and he knew what happened to my partners. Or if it was the fact I was promoted above him. Or that he wasn't allowed in Ha'real but I was. Or if it was simply that I was human and in charge of the new duty station. I'd say take your pick, but I was pretty sure it was a bit of each.
On my way into Central, Mother cued up my playlist and started an introspective piece called “Man In The Mirror”. It seemed apropos again as I had found myself questioning just who I was at that moment. She was scary intuitive.
I was taken by surprise when I went through Central to go to Med-Tech, a princess on my arm, and all the Enforcers stood one at a time and started clapping as I went through the bullpen. They whistled and cheered. I caught one Centaur whispering to a Golem, “She took down a greater Fae single-handed.”
I've never gotten smiles like that from any of the Enforcers who weren't human or not trying to get into my pants. It should have felt good, but instead, it felt... awkward.
And now here we were, after the jury returned a verdict within only fifteen minutes of deliberation, of guilty on all counts. Only one person showed to speak in Sin's defense, his mother, the Summer Lady, Queen Titania herself. And it was only to beg the court's forgiveness of a poor misguided boy. The look she gave me while I was on the witness stand as I spoke my truth, told me that I had made an enemy of the Summer Court. They could get in line.
The sentence? The only one for murder. Lord Sindri was to be spaced the next morning to suck hard vacuum. And from what I heard in the halls, it would be worse for him than anyone who has ever been vented into the unforgiving environment of space. Since he was Fae, it wouldn't kill him, though his body would freeze and he'd float forever in the void.
The judge stepped up. The Elf, looking regal in his robe, and the silver-leafed circlet on his head signifying his station. He projected the sentence as he read it to everyone, scowling at the cameras all floating up to him.
“Lord Sindri of the Fae Summer Court. This court of law has found you guilty of five counts of murder in the first degree. Six counts of illegal organ harvesting. One count of attempted murder. Two counts of assaulting an officer of the law, and one count of magical coercion and the stripping of a will without a contract with the Enforcer of the Brigade involved.”
The Elf looked through the glass to the Fae who was just now staring dumbly back at the crowd in disbelief, as he had just realized that this was really going to happen and that not even his mother could step in to stop it. The judge continued, “You are condemned to the fate of spacing from the world, as you can serve no good to it even in death. May the gods have mercy upon your soul. Do you have any last words?”
The man pounded on the airlock window with his hand and his stump and shrieked, “You will pay for this, all of you will pay! You have no idea the hells I will rain down upon you and those you love.”
Then he just glared... at me.
The Judge said, “Your sentence will be carried out by Lieutenant Knith Shade of the Brigade Enforcers. Lieutenant?”
I stepped up to the airlock and looked at the big red button that was labeled “External Door” and then locked eyes with the Fae on the other side of the glass. He was my boogeyman, but all I could see now was simply a man. And he was afraid.
He hissed out to me, “Who do you think you are that you can do this to me?”
I stared into his silver eyes, unblinking as I shrugged and said, “Who me? I'm Nobody.” Then I slapped the button.
Epilogue
I laid my cards down. “Quad-form!” And the others around the table groaned and threw their cards down as I raked in the chits, a shit-eating grin on my face.
Mac grumbled, “You're cheating, and I'm going to find out how. Nobody is this lucky.”
Mir nodded as she started dealing the next hand of Quads. “She has to be, but her skin temperature and vitals never change, even when she wins.”
I pointed at her. “Hey, no scanning! Just sit back and take your beating like a woman.”
She purred at me as she moved her leg under the table to rub her slick metal foot against my leg. “I hear that a lot from my clients holding a paddle...”
She licked her lips and I grinned at her as I pulled my legs out of her reach, and said, “You have a tell.”
She cocked a brow she didn't have on her gorgeous mirrored chrome face and I said when she looked at her cards as we all saw them reflected in her prodigious cleavage, “Put some damn clothes on, woman.” She looked down and saw why she hadn't won a single hand yet.
She blinked then tittered and slapped Mac's cheek lightly and looked between him and Jane. “Why didn't you tell me?” Mir stood and sauntered around to me, running a finger along Ben's shoulders as she passed him, then leaned down to place her cheek next to mine as she took my flight jacket from the back of my chair in Mac's cabin.
She winked at us all as she put the jacket on and zipped it up. “Now what are you to do, you lot of cheaters?”
I paused as we all put in our antes and pulled the harmonica out of one of my pouches and held it out to Mac. “Funny thing this. It seems that it was somehow charmed by King Oberon himself, and it saved my life. How is it an old scrapper like you came by such an artifact from the missing King? Just when I needed it?”
He feigned innocence, but I was getting to be quite the expert at sifting through the bullshit, the Fae were almost artists painting deception and misdirection with skillful strokes. “I'm sure I don't have a clue what you are talking about, young Knith. That was just a harmon-ka. King Oberon is a myth of the Fae.”
I nodded and said, “Well since he's just a myth, and you are just the captain of an old bucket of bolts. Then it would be safe for me to say. Mac, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
I saw his face spasm almost like a Fae's would when someone thanked them and they couldn't claim that I was indebted to them. The only doubt I had was that if this man were actually Fae, and who I believed him to be, was he excluded from his own gaes which bound all Fae to speak the truth? Because he had just told a doozie there otherwise.
He curled my fingers back around the harmonica and said, “Keep it. You never know when it can be helpful to you.”
I said to him, “If Oberon were here, I'd want to tell him how sorry I w
as, and give my condolences over him losing a son and my part in it.”
He sighed, eyes sad, and assured me, “I'm sure he'd recognize that the boy took too many chances, and stepped over a line, ringing a bell that could not be unrung. There are consequences to every action. And I'm sure that Oberon would appreciate your words.”
We locked eyes for just a moment before I exhaled and looked away, nodding.
Then I thought back to the day of Sin's spacing. After I hit the button and sent the man tumbling into the void, I found that I didn't feel any better that it was over, my ordeal was over... but I still felt like a victim and I hated the man for it. I looked down at my hand which had pressed the button to seal his fate and wondered again if I was any better than him.
The only bright spot was what I did next. Daniel and I walked up to Mab, who seemed more contemplative than relieved that it was over, even though she had expressed her disdain for Sin.
She had looked at me and cocked an inquisitive eyebrow and asked, “Yes, child?”
I said, “Fae are notorious for the wording of any deals they enter into and try to find any loopholes that they can exploit.”
“Of course.”
I nodded and said as I tapped my icy lips, “I'm taking a page from your book and I want you to remove this.”
She chuckled, her laugh sounding so much like Rory's that it sort of creeped me out. “Now why would I do that? Unless you've something to trade? We have a legally binding contract.”
I nodded and said, “We do, for me not to speak about certain things. But you added things in without my consent so the spell would reassert itself. Half my face was made of ice at one point. None of that was part of our bargain. What I have to bargain with is your freedom.”
She started to chuckle and I looked at Lieutenant Keller who stepped up and pulled out a mag-band as I said, “Our agreement was the 'I' would not arrest you. Have you met my associate in the FABLE office yet?”
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