Lightly placing his hand between Eve’s shoulder blades, he steered her across the cobblestone street. The action seemed to be a normal courtesy any male would show the female he was escorting. No one noticed how Vandel wiped his palm on his pant leg roughly when he pulled his hand away.
As he suspected, he felt the pulsation of strong magic in the spot where all Sidhe and many other fey hid their wings. Eve’s were not yet mature, the magic did not reach the point where her skin would open like gills on a fish and release whatever terror or beauty lie beneath the flesh. Vandel sensed no darkness in the particular spot but the wings were in a constant state of evolution while developing.
Vandel decided if the girl did not reveal the bleak part of her nature to Eldon and the others before they reached the city of Trig Na nOg, he would speak to Eldon. Clearly, his captain was infatuated with the young girl. So much so, he had left his responsibilities as their leader to tend her in her sick bed and had almost gotten himself killed. If Eldon would not listen to reason, he would speak to Caleb. Caleb acted brashly from time to time but he would be the only one to turn to.
At last, the trio reached their destination. The small local diner was a spectacular sight. The place shined in fluorescent reds, pinks, and blues. The building itself was decorated in the black and white checker motif so popular with humans in the fifties. The neon lights spun in impossible loops around the top of the building to lead back to a sign that read, Mangiare ed Amare. A long line of on lookers stood outside, peering through the large front windows at the people inside.
“Do we need a reservation? Are we even going to be able to get in there?” Eve sounded absurdly human and both Faya and Vandel laughed aloud.
Jaryn and Daryn ran from their job of crowd control to escort Eve into the building. Jaryn overheard Eve’s concern and laughed heartily. “I don’t think getting in will be a problem considering Eldon has commandeered the diner and the women who own it decided to take the whole thing in good graces. Being smart businesswomen and grand chefs, they decided to turn the whole thing into a posh dinner with you as the guest of honor.”
Daryn chimed in, trying to look remorseful about his boss’ plague but the mirth in his eyes gave him away. “To Eldon’s dismay, he is trying to map out our journey to Trig Na nOg and approve the guest list. So with all due respect, Faire Eve, he asks you to hurry the heck up and get your scrawny butt in there. He needs to be rescued from the two dictators of the diner.”
Eve laughed until she could hardly catch her breath. The idea of the strong and capable Captain Eldon held captive by two domineering women armed with spatulas and spoons was positively delicious. While she laughed, Vandel noticed the darkness slipped away as if it were dirt washed down the drain. He had much to consider as the night wound on.
Faya left them at the door, promising to return with Elsie soon. Eldon gave orders for the healers to be present for the discussion later on. Vandel disappeared quickly to the back of the building to do whatever the strange young man did. Eve was left standing alone inside the restaurant, taking in the sights. The whole place was true to its design, right down to the sock hop music playing overhead.
Her body seemed to be healing with remarkable speed. Her leg and head hurt much less and her wrist no longer throbbed intensely. The scratches and cuts were almost completely gone. Her heart was the rawest part of her at the moment. She searched the room for the cause of the ache inside her chest.
13
She spotted him almost immediately. Eldon sat at a large corner booth, as if he were King Arthur at the head of the round table. The exception to the vision was the white leather seat resembling something out of the back of a ‘57 Chevrolet. Caleb gestured to a large map on the table while trying desperately to pay no attention to the two women standing beside the table looking out of place in their crisp uniforms and spotless white aprons. The entire scene seemed odd.
Eldon tried to stay their arguments when Eve approached and he looked at her gratefully. Turning Eve towards the two women, he said with obvious relief, “Madame Edesia and Madame Bibesia, I introduce to you, the soon to be crowned, Queen of Sidhe, the Mythical Majesty herself, Faire Eve.”
His bow was far more formal than the rough way he grabbed Eve by the arm and thrust her between him and the two women like a living shield. The women eyed Eve warily for a moment as if they were gauging whether or not the soldier was telling the truth. Eve lifted her chin a little and tried her best to look impressive despite her wounds, her clothing, and her fragile state of being.
As they studied her, Eve felt inclined to study them as well. The one Eldon indicated as Edesia, was only an inch or two taller than Eve but quite a bit heftier. Her bulbous breast, abdomen, and butt strained at the seams of her old-fashioned uniform. Bibesia was tall and lanky, reminding Eve of a ballet dancer. Her uniform fit her loosely in all the places Edesia’s didn’t. The women shared the same curling blonde hair and large blue eyes and both of their mouths were full and smiling.
Apparently, the women found what they were looking for in Eve. Without warning, they began fussing over her. Persistent, if not gentle, ushering brought Eve to a long table setting on a raised platform. A red tablecloth, several candelabras with white tapered candles, and settings made from bone china and pure gold gleamed along the top.
Holding her arm to frame the picture of the dining table as if she were a model on a game show, Edesia spoke first. “I hope the setting is to your liking, Faire Eve.”
Eve nodded with approval and the good manners her mother always insisted on helped her find her way. “Everything is so lovely. Where on earth did you find such beautiful dishes?”
The question was exactly the kind the women loved to answer the most. Trying to chime in all at once, the two women paused for a second. Edesia inclined her head towards Bibesia to signal the other woman should continue.
“We once hosted some of the greatest banquets known to either mortal or god but that was long ago, before the fall of Rome. We keep these things as mementos of our past and for the occasional celebration where we get to put them to use.
Edesia and Bibesia went on to explain they were demi-goddesses in their time. Edesia was the daughter of the Goddess of Food and Bibesia the daughter of the Goddess of Drink. Together they presided over thousands of elaborate banquets for deities as well as mortal Kings and Queens.
After time, new religions replaced old. The two sisters had traveled together throughout the different worlds, trying to find a place to call their own. They found themselves in Upper World in the mid 1980’s when the world of sock hops, family diners, and rock ‘n’ roll was the retro fad taking over the nation.
Edesia’s voice was high and girlish as she told Eve of their discovery. “We did not find it possible to operate an establishment in Upper World. My sister and I rely too heavily on our magical talents to live as mortals. We sought out a place where we could again feed the masses in style, without fear of unveiling what we are. At last a little imp showed us the way.”
Bibesia picked up the story as if she were the one telling it from the beginning. “The imp came to us, being drawn by our life force and strong magic as imps tend to do. He told us all about Evalon and the life we could have here. For a price, he would show us the way.”
Switching back and forth between the two every few sentences seemed to be the norm for the sisters because Edesia began again. “My dear sister and I were desperate for such a place. We had heard whispers of Evalon before and we asked the Imp what his price would be.”
“His price,” said Bibesia “was quite high, indeed. To his logic, we had more power than any two creatures needed. He would show us the way only if one of us gave him our power. He reasoned we only needed half of what we had so long as we planned to remain together.”
“I was infuriated but Bibesia has always had a wit and a way about her. Before I could banish the ugly little imp from our presence, she struck a bargain. She told the imp to return to us in
three days and we would have our decision, but either way, she would make a gift to the little man for his kindness.”
Bibesia smiled, “Well, my offer did its job. It made the greed in his eyes light up and he nearly rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He thought he had stumbled across two old and naive powers who he could swindle. He did not intend to show us the way. He meant to take one of our powers, attack the other, wrench their powers away as well, and then vanquish us to an arctic place with no escape.”
Edesia shook her head at the idea of the imp’s plan. “When the imp was gone, I railed at Bibesia for even considering the proposition but she only smiled. When she told me her plan, I nearly beat her for worrying me so. Instead, I hugged her. The imp had little knowledge of creatures outside of Evalon and did not realize my sister and I were neither magical humans nor fey. We are what some would call Earthly Immortals. Our powers come from the lineage of our fathers, the Great Roman Gods, but our mother’s blood binds us from retiring permanently to the heavens.”
Bibesia smiled in a smug way, “On the third day, I presented the imp with an amulet containing only a small piece of my power. He could not tell that he did not receive the full thing because his power was weak and his knowledge was tainted with greed. I explained to him, even though he could feel the great power, the amulet would only work once he showed us the gate to Evalon and I said the blessing. Thus, he had no choice but to alter his own plans and lead us to the gate to Evalon.”
“Keeping to my role, I ranted and raved the whole time and Bibesia tried constantly to console me over the loss of her own power. She even went as far as to claim that I was finally getting what I wanted. She openly accused me of always desiring the position of the most powerful sister. That shut me up and the evil imp almost vibrated with joy, thinking he had us right where he wanted us.”
Bibesia patted her sister’s arm before continuing the story. “When we reached the gate and I released the morsel of magic hidden in the stone of the amulet, the imp struck. Thinking me to be powerless, he went after Edesia first. The light show was quite impressive but Edesia only received something equal to the annoyance of a bee sting from his attack. While the imp stared in disbelief, I brought up my real powers from beneath the magical barrier I had created for the occasion. I rendered the useless little man unconscious with very little effort.”
Edesia took her turn once again. “We tied the little fiend up, and brought him through the gate with us. We had no idea traveling through a gate against your will would be so painful, but I daresay, neither of us cared much when the little thing screamed in agony. If I remember correctly, Bibesia actually giggled when he begged for mercy. We set out to Trig Na nOg quickly and asked for an audience with the Queen and King.”
Bibesia smiled at the memory of the Imps torture. “When we were immediately ushered in, we knew Corrigan had recognized us for what we were and we began to worry. Not many know of the existence of our kind and some are suicidal enough to think they can take our immortality and our power from us against our will. The King and Queen bade us welcome and granted us permission to wander Evalon at will if we promised to behave.”
“When Bibesia presented the imp to them, the King and Queen scowled in disapproval of his actions and gave us leave to do what we would with the bothersome schmuck. Your grandmother, Queen Mave, is such a wonderful tyrant when she wants to be and your grandfather is quite a cad when the time is right. We decided to give the imp the same fate he had in store for us. We banished him to the Arctic Outlands to either survive or perish. It made no matter to us.”
Together they looked solemn for a second and spoke simultaneously, “A pity what has happened to Mave and Midir. We do hope to see them returned to the way they were sometime soon.”
With a longing sigh, Bibesia finished the tale. “When the task at hand was complete, we shared our story with the Queen and King. To our delight, they enlisted us immediately to host a banquet in our own honor as the new Overseers of Royal Banquets and Parties. Employed part time at the castle and the rest of the time here in our quaint little town, my sister and I have lived happily ever since.”
While the two women told their story, Eve sat riveted. When the discussion turned to the guest list, the menu, and the seating arrangements for the banquet, her attention slipped. Only occasionally, did she let her eyes drift to where Eldon and his men sat plotting and discussing over a large map. She felt a stab of longing to be a part of the group and have Eldon laugh with her rather than at her. She let her mind drift back to the scene in the small room when she had awoken with his lips pressed to hers.
As she let the memory roll through her mind, the sisters studied her and spoke quietly to each other.
“Edesia, look how her eyes shine when she looks at him.” Bibesia gestured towards Eve with one of her waif like arms.
“Dear Bibesia, look how she smiles when she hears his laugh.” Edesia smiled and batted her eyes in imitation of a love struck Eve.
“Oh, don’t forget to notice, my dear Edesia, how she stares at him and seems oblivious of the rest of the world.” The women both laughed and Eve returned her attention to them.
“So you like the young warrior, do you?” Edesia asked with a wicked wink.
Eve started to protest but Bibesia immediately shushed her. “Now, don’t try to deny it. We have loved and been loved more times in our eternity than you will ever know, dear sweet queen.”
Eve blushed and ducked her head a little. Saving her from further questioning, Yath appeared by her side. He was dressed in a white button up shirt and black shining shoes that made his rawhide pants seem strange and out of place. His little mouth curved down in a ferocious frown and he looked very old instead of very young.
Eve eyed him questioningly for a moment and asked, “What has happened to you, Yath?”
Edesia supplied the answer. “The little sprout was working up to quite a temper when they wouldn’t let him go to you, so we bribed him to help out around here till you felt up to visitors. I’m afraid he may be a little upset because we have kept you from him so long.”
Eve wrapped her arms around Yath’s neck and hugged the child. “Oh Yath, you are such a dedicated warrior. What could they possibly bribe you with to get you into this outfit?”
Bibesia spoke for the boy. “We promised him if he wore the gear and helped us schlep the tables, we would allow him to sit on your left side for the banquet. He indicated he would prefer to sit on your right but we reserved that particular place for another.” The woman cast her eyes quickly toward Eldon and back again while whistling a nonchalant tune.
Eve blushed vigorously and Yath’s scowl deepened. The sisters only laughed and bustled toward the kitchen, claiming they had much to do before the celebration would begin. Yath sauntered off to finish his duties and left Eve sitting on her own in a chair next to the raised platform. Pondering over the events of the last several hours and feeling the wear and tear on her body even more keenly, she wished she could simply lie down.
She felt alone and frightened. She couldn’t even begin to think about what had happened in the alley. Pushing the incident to the side, she began to contemplate what had happened before they crossed into Shawd. Her memory was fuzzy and her body temperature seemed to chill as she tried to remember what she had seen in the forest.
She knew something had stood on the edge of the darkness. Something that feared the light but hated her so much that it made her heart stutter. The force of the revulsion had wrapped itself around her and plunged her into the cold unforgiving abyss. She could recall the nightmarish feeling but little more.
Each time she tried to press her memory closer to the monster, she felt as if ice trickled down her spine. The chill was too much to bear and she craved the nearness of others. She walked to the table where the men sat. The six of them, plus Yath, who had finished his duties for Edesia and Bibesia, sat around the booth talking in hushed voices and peering at the map still spread out across
the table.
Eldon sat in the middle of the group, as the captain should. Caleb sat to his right and looked up to catch her eye. Eve had learned most of what she knew about him from listening to the others. He was a famous rake among the Daoine. Quick tempered and hot-blooded, he had a tendency to get himself in trouble on and off the battlefield and in and out of women’s bedrooms. He barely kept himself and others out of any real danger. Each time he looked at Eve, she couldn’t help sense an underlying current of distaste even though he always spoke respectfully to her.
Vandel sat on Eldon's left. Obviously, Vandel was not as vital to the operation as Caleb, but Eldon seemed to like the boy in earnest. Eve learned Vandel was what they called a soldier by destiny. She only knew it meant he had a bad history and becoming one of the Daoine had saved him. She thought he was a nice person but he always seemed a little too on edge. He acted as if he expected something terrible to happen at any given moment.
Across from them sat Jaryn and Daryn, the twins. Both of them looked older than the others but Eve was learning you couldn’t judge age by appearance in Evalon. Fairies that spent more time in Upper World or merely choose to look their actual years, could age faster than others did. The twins were the comedic relief. They always had something witty or colorful to say or a prank for one of their fellow soldiers to fall victim to. Sometimes, their jokes got a little out of hand and Eldon had to call them down but it never seemed to bother them.
Next to the twins, Heron sat silently. He was a large man, even larger than Caleb. Thick tribal tattoos covered his shining baldhead from brow to the base of his skull. He never spoke and his bright hazel eyes seemed to see everything at once. Eve wasn’t sure if the man was a mute or a stoical and quiet person. He made her nervous most of the time, so she tended to keep her distance. In fact, it seemed only Eldon and the Twins ever conferred with Heron. Vandel and Caleb barely acknowledged his presence.
Faire Eve Page 14
