by Kimbra Swain
“For your information, it was one drunk mistake,” I said. Actually, I wasn’t completely drunk, but it made for a good excuse as to why I refused to go out with him again.
“It may have been for you, but I think he’s still sweet on you,” Jeremiah said. He had a good sense of humor, but I intended to avoid the topic of Dylan Riggs as long as I could. Jeremiah teased me like a pesky uncle. I distinctly got the feeling that Jeremiah meant more than he said when mentioning Dylan, but I let it go.
“That’s enough of that. Why are you here? Surely you know I didn’t have anything to do with those missing kid,” I said.
“You mean you didn’t eat them,” Jeremiah replied.
“Fairies do not eat children. We only kidnap them,” I said. Finally, Levi’s eyes shot up to mine. “Well, he does have ears. Hello, Levi Rearden, welcome to my home. I offer you food, drink and rest. If there is anything else you require, it will be provided to you with no strings attached.”
He stared at me for a moment, then looked at Jeremiah.
“Son, that’s a right offer of hospitality. I suggest you take it,” he told the boy.
“Thank you, ma’am. Your hospitality is appreciated and accepted,” he said returning his gaze to the window. I’m not sure brooding covered what this kid was projecting. It was more like wallowing in mud. Or deep shit.
Hospitality is a tenet held through the ages that offered travelers a respite without obligation to the home owner. Without it, I could level any number of curses on both of them which would be all kinds of fun, but my cursing days were long gone. Except for the vulgarities of my language which I had no plans of cleaning up anytime soon. Of course, Jeremiah had my promise of hospitality for a long time. Levi would fall under that prior agreement because he was Jeremiah’s apprentice. However, I wanted to offer it to Levi as well. I wasn’t sure what kind of predicament he was in, but if I could help, I would, because I was a sap for a sob story.
“Very kind of you, Grace,” Jeremiah said, as I took a seat in my recliner.
“No problem. What brings you out this way?” I asked.
“Well, Levi is getting started later than normal in his training. He’s had some magical experience, but found himself in a bad situation,” Jeremiah said.
“If it was a good situation, you wouldn’t be here,” I retorted.
“True enough. Levi’s power is in elemental magic like yours. He’s from Dublin,” Jeremiah said.
“Ireland?”
“No, Texas,” Levi responded without looking at us. It sounded like he got that response quite often. Touchy.
“Why is a Texas boy being taught by an Alabama Sanhedrin?” I asked.
“He was on the run when I found him. His girlfriend is a Cane Creek Creole Priestess,” Jeremiah said.
Yep, deep shit. “Nope. No way. No how,” I said without letting him finish emphatically pointing toward the door. “You get your behinds out of my trailer and back down the road. I don’t play with voodoo witches.”
“Well, that’s the thing, Grace. She needs to be handled, and the boy shouldn’t be involved. So, either you take care of her, or watch over him for me while I do it,” Jeremiah explained.
“Nope. I do not want to be involved,” I said.
“Grace Ann Bryant, you owe me,” Jeremiah said.
“I thought we were friends?” I replied.
“We are, and that’s why I’m asking you. I can’t leave him with anyone else,” he said.
“What you mean is you can’t leave him with any of your fellow judges. What did he do?” I asked. “No, don’t you answer that, old man. Levi, what did you do?”
His face grew dark, refusing to answer. Jeremiah opened his mouth to speak, but I put up my finger to him. He clamped his mouth shut.
I got up from my chair and sat down on the wooden coffee table in front of Levi, so he couldn’t ignore me. Most men couldn’t ignore me at all, but he seemed to be successfully doing it. I decided to press him.
“Levi, you are a grown man. Jeremiah is going to stop calling you boy, and so am I. But to earn a little respect around here, you are going to have speak up, and act like a man,” I said.
His jaw flexed under his skin, and he sighed deeply. You see, Levi was a Texan, and no Texan likes to be called anything except a mature man. I appealed to his testosterone in a different way. He couldn’t help but answer me now. “Lisette and I, along with some of her coven, summoned a demon. Only I didn’t know it was a demon, and I didn’t know they had to have my magic to do it,” he admitted.
I leaned back on the table looking at Jeremiah who flicked his wrist at me giving me permission to proceed with my methods. An evil grin crossed my face as I decided to lay it out flat for Levi Rearden, just in case he didn’t realize how deep in shit he was. I’d say he was in clear up to his neck.
“The demon follows you,” I said.
Finally, he made solid eye contact with me. “He does?” he asked, his eyes filled with fear.
“Yes, he does, because that’s what happens when you summon demons. He’s tied to you, Levi. I hope she was worth being condemned to hell. She good in bed?” I prodded him.
“That’s none of your business,” he growled.
“Sweetheart, if I’m going to kill her or babysit you, it’s my damn business,” I said. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know. I lost her in Baton Rouge, and a Sanhedrin friend of mine in Texas told me to contact Jeremiah when I got to Alabama,” he said burying his face in his hands. They were worn and calloused indicating that he knew all about hard work. He was too young to be tied up in this kind of mess, and unlike most of my kind, I had some compassion for the young man.
“Which do you prefer, Jeremiah?” I asked.
“I’ll take the girl,” he said.
“You sure, because you are going to run off and kill his girlfriend. Doesn’t really start the apprenticeship on the right foot,” I said.
“I know, but it has to be done. He knows that,” Jeremiah said.
“I don’t know that at all. There has to be a way to save her,” he said.
Poor kid. “Summoning demons is beyond normal witch practices, Levi. Most witches, pagans and druids stick to minor magic work. The Sanhedrin are on a whole different level, and I rank above that, but you won’t catch me summoning a demon, ever!” I explained.
“I love her,” he muttered.
“Oh, you don’t say! Good thing you are young. You’ll get over it,” I said.
He stood up abruptly, storming out of the door. “That was heartless, Grace. He does love her,” Jeremiah said.
“He’s too young to know what love is. She was a good lay, and he found her intriguing. At least, she didn’t put a spell on him, so we know his affections are genuine. But that ain’t love,” I said.
“Really? What is love, Grace? You an expert on that?” Jeremiah shot at me.
“Look, old man, you can take your trouble and go for all I care. He can stay here if you want, but you might want to reconsider your role in his life after you hunt down and murder the love of his life,” I suggested.
“The judges want him dead,” he said.
“Oh hell, Jerry! You sure know how to get a girl to do what you want,” I said.
“I won’t ask for anything else for another year,” he said. Jeremiah and I had an agreement. Generally, fairies weren’t allowed to reside in the real world for a long period of time, but I had no choice. I was an Otherworld exile.
When I was younger, I had no desire to follow in my father and mother’s footsteps. They were royalty, but I enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air of the human realm as well as the company of mortal men. Sneaking out of the Otherworld became my favorite pastime, but when they caught me the last time, the high council banished me from the Otherworld. It was essentially a death sentence, but I found a way to survive.
I traveled around Europe like a gypsy for a while, then migrated to the new world hoping to find a new home. The natives her
e were terrified of me, and the Europeans who moved in weren’t tolerant either. I moved from town to town as I was discovered by Sanhedrin operatives who continuously hunted me. Eventually I settled in the south with my double wide trailer. When things got tough, I would pack up and move.
When I met Jeremiah, he was in a bind with a couple of trolls. I helped him out, and he said if I helped him occasionally, I could settle in his territory. He drew up a contract of the things I could and couldn’t do, but after being on the road so much, I didn’t mind the restrictions. It was a nice idea to settle down. Lately though, I’d gotten tired of Shady Grove. I would need to move on to something new. People start to notice when you don’t age like everyone else.
Jeremiah and I worked well together, but this was different from his normal request. Most of the tasks I completed for him were with the blessing of his local council, however if they wanted Levi Rearden dead, then he was asking me to do this as a friend, and not for the Sanhedrin.
“I was considering moving anyway,” I said. “He can stay, but if you get into trouble with this witch, you call me. Okay?”
“I can handle it,” he assured me.
“Why don’t y’all stay for dinner? Oh hell, there’s the Sheriff. Be right back,” I said, scooting out the front door.
