Sons (Book 2)

by Scott V. Duff

  “Now if I could get two of you on each case acting as if you’re setting it down,” I asked them. They did it, but not together. It came out as an odd sort of clown act that didn’t quite work. The boxes were quite heavy now, too heavy for two brownies at a time to lift. “Let’s try it all together on three, just up and then back down. Okay, ready? One, two, three, up!” I shifted us, changing our positions relative to where the brownies were and where I wanted them to end up on the table. Considering how heavy the cases were now, I also took the precaution of reinforcing the table, too, forming a Stone shield box underneath.

  The illusion worked perfectly. The brownies appeared to be setting the two crates onto the tabletop just as I phased us into reality. Ellorn looked on, watching protectively over the pairs of them.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, our time is short,” I boomed through the tent as the brownies quickly uncrated the pots again. “Once again, my faery have provided me with wonderfully clever packaging and have very nearly outshined my gifts to the Queens. Please line up and remember that there are others that would like to see as well. We will be leaving here for the drive in no more than thirty minutes.”

  People lined up in front of us in such a huge rush that it reminded me of news footage of riots I’d seen recently. It mildly amused me as I reached around the pots and unlatched the fronts of both to reveal the diamonds inside. Then I tapped the rear panel of the Unseelie pot to grow that example of stonemasonry. The gasps and excitement from the wizards was worth it. Kieran walked up behind me to examine the stone flower closely.

  “Seth, this is beautiful craftsmanship!” he said quietly not taking his eyes off the flower. “It looks as though they used living models.”

  “We did, Lord Kieran,” Ellorn piped up, then answered another’s question with, “Yes, ma’am, that is a real diamond.”

  Shrank flew off Kieran’s shoulder, showing himself for the first time today, and flew circles around everything and everyone standing on the table, squealing greetings to the faery as he rounded them. He was hovering chest-high in front of Kieran in a flash.

  “Yes, Lord Kieran, there are several examples of all these flowers depicted both in the Palace and without, though I’ve never seen them in Faery itself,” he told Kieran, backing up Ellorn’s statement. “They’re mostly around the Palace gardens.”

  “They may have outdone you, Seth,” Kieran muttered. “I’m pretty sure most of those are extinct in Faery now.”

  Peter barked a laugh out, grinning. “You might want to take a closer look at the diamond before you say that, Kieran,” he said, then whispered more quietly, “He packed it full.”

  The confusion on his face made sense. Kieran hadn’t worked with the keys at all since he didn’t use one. Peter had seen into Dillon’s and we’d had to work on a method to activate it for him since he isn’t able to do it himself. Still, he knew the concept of what I did. I could see him pushing his consciousness onto the surface of the Queen’s lock and, much like my father’s oubliette, I’d done my work well—he wasn’t getting past it without breaking the diamond into thousands of pieces. I intervened and pushed the Queen’s personality aside for a moment, allowing him to see below the surface.

  Kieran’s jaw dropped as he took in the first scene, so I let him look and watched the brownies as the parade of people trooped by quickly. Ethan was curious and slipped in beside Kieran while the lock was down. As they tripped through several incarnations of Faery landscapes, I surveyed the front of the castle and the sun’s current level, estimating about forty minutes before nightfall.

  “Two-minute warning,” I called through the tent to the thirty-odd people still standing in line to get a chance to see my prizes up close. The line began moving faster as the rear started pushing impatiently at the front. I ignored the grousing as Kieran came out of his stupor.

  “Well, together they’re certainly damn clever gifts,” he said smiling. “And I think they’ll be received well. Damn fine job all around, little brother.”

  “As long as you’re not doing it to get laid by one of them, I’m happy,” Ethan chimed in, then laughed at my uncontrolled shudder at the unbidden memory of their seeking spells.

  “Our apologies, sir, but our time has been exceeded,” Ellorn said to the remainder of the line as the other four brownies replaced the front covers while I was distracted.

  “Thank you, Ellorn,” I said, tossing that memory aside as quickly as possible. “I believe we can get by for the next leg with just the dome over the flower to protect it from the wind, okay?” I touched the back panel on the stone flower’s pot to make the design refill from the top down and disappear from the black top. Once they had the clear dome settled, I wrapped all of us–brownies and brothers alike–in portals and moved us to the center of the circular drive.

  Gordon and his parents along with my parents stood on the center of the driveway. His people held the other wizards at bay up the hill a fair distance away. Without a word to each other, Kieran, Ethan, Peter, and I each faced a different direction and began searching the grounds again. I created a shelf of energy, painted a marbled veneer over it and slid the flowerpots on top. The brownies hopped up beside them, dangling their legs off the sides, waiting and watching.

  The wards buzzed three times loudly and Enid and my mother started up the steps to their places while the others started over to us. Martin appeared in the open doorway to the foyer and yelled out to everyone, “We’re ready whenever you are, Gordon!”

  “Go ahead and bring up the mains then, Martin!” Gordon yelled back. “Looks like about fifteen minutes before the sun starts to hit the horizon, Seth. Marty will have the Castle ready in a minute and we’ll be ready to go.”

  Guffawing, I said, “Yeah, and just won’t it be my luck to get stood up?”

  “I don’t see anything,” Ethan said, coming out of his stupor and shaking his head. “Are you grousing about not having a date for the prom? Ask Dillon; he’ll take you.”

  “Hey!” Peter cried, shaking off his searching, too.

  Kieran simply turned around and joined the conversation. “If they do not, then that makes them a lesser issue in our considerations. Frankly, we can use that right now, so here’s hoping.”

  “Yeah, like anything with him has been simple,” Ethan said sarcastically. He plopped back into the lawn chairs that Gordon setup. We followed suit as the castle front darkened more as the sun set behind it and cast pinks, purples, and reds into slightly cloudy sky. The power of the castle itself began a minor counterpoint ebb of color in yellow and gold from the ley lines as it halted their flows, capping their power for its use.

  Someone in the castle was singing lightly, just humming really. I caught the voice, though, and followed it through the wards. He wasn’t particularly a good singer or loud, but it followed the Castle up to full power as the sun told a glorious goodbye to today. It wasn’t until the end of the Old Irish folk song that I realized it was Marty who’d been humming the exciting tune and he’d timed it perfectly to hit the crescendo on last light.

  “What a show-off!” Gordon muttered cheerfully, clapping his father on the back while watching his little brother intently for signs of stress.

  “Seth! We have elves at the western gate!” Marty yelled from the Castle.

  “See? You didn’t get stood up,” Ethan said as we all headed for the steps.

  “Now he’ll obsess over the corsage,” Peter muttered as he hurried past us.

  “Okay, guys,” I said to the brownies. “Two more little hops and we’ll have you home again.” I moved Jimmy and the brownies to the foyer with me to a point that wasn’t in a direct line of sight to the outside. Marty skidded across the tiles to me excitedly.

  “Can I get a look? Gordon rushed me out just after you left and I have no idea what you’re giving them,” he asked eagerly as Dad and my brothers hustled in the front doors.

  “They’re coming a lot faster this time,” Dad said as they rushed in.


  “Sure, Marty, just don’t touch,” I said. “We don’t want any psychic residue that they can trace back to you or anything weird like that.” Then I rose up into the wards to view the elves’ progress. I should have just looked out the door.

  Marty might be standing in front of me looking at the pretty pots, but up in the wards he was quite actively working several different protocols and moving seamlessly between them. Gordon may have been right.

  Dad was. The elves were quite a lot faster this time. They were already waiting on the driveway, mostly exactly as the last time, but there were some notable differences. The lead elf was astride his magnificent and impossibly tall stallion with the chestnut coat and perfect starburst pattern on its forehead. The entire front line of elves matched perfectly, as if it had been carved in granite and simply dropped into place again a week later. They did stand as if carved in stone, not a muscle moving on either horse or rider.

  “Well, the comic books got them all wrong,” Jimmy said with a snort. He was leaning against the stairs and looking out the front doors at the elves. He’d pulled back his aura and now looked wholly human, his stick put away on his thigh. “I like ours better.” Ellorn glanced up to me, grinning.

  “There are some notable differences in the lineup from last time,” Marty said, centering his attention back onto the driveway. “One couple from each side has been replaced with another. Other than that, they feel exactly the same. The changes to the wards aren’t showing anything either. It looks clear.”

  “Thanks, Marty,” I told him, avoiding touching him. He was wired into a considerable load of power at the moment and while it might be interesting to see what would happen if we cross-wired each other, I don’t believe it would have been pleasant for either of us. “You’re doing a hell of a job! Jimmy, stay where you are and watch the boys for me. I’ll call when I’m ready for you.”

  The Castle was ablaze in human magic, strong and organized but stunted with emotion and personal energies. In the Castle, it formed a powerful gestalt that rose beyond its meager beginnings. The Cahills had something to be proud of here, but it was a maelstrom of energy. Added to that the major helping of wizards on the hillside all clutching at defensive spellwork.

  Then there were the faery, the Royalty of the Courts. They were old and powerful Fae. Their magic moved slowly but inexorably. They were a tidal wave waiting to happen. They didn’t have to start a resonance to create an earthquake. They were the earthquake. The only thing holding them back was the little white flag.

  Kieran was the calm in the storm around me. Those emerald eyes were as settling as the breeze through a forest. Nothing had perturbed him today as he watched over us diligently, almost paternally. Just seeing him standing there centered me enough to begin playing the game that seemed so out of character for me.

  “Time to get started, I suppose,” I said and started for the door. Once again, Dad and Peter fell in on my left and Kieran and Ethan, on my right. “No Wagner this time?”

  “I had a hard time hearing last time,” Marty called as we passed through the doors. Caused me to grin as I came out.

  I could swear it was like walking into an Edgar Allen Poe story, you know, “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Just the end of it, where all you hear is a heartbeat. Boom, Ba-boom. The Quiver moved to my shoulders at my call, and a simple brush of will against the green Bolts locked them onto the owner of that heartbeat. Avenour. I advanced to the third step down and stopped.

  Avenour slid off his huge stallion, keeping his standard held perfectly vertical just as before, and took the two steps to the moat.

  “We seek audience with the Daybreak, Liege-Killer and holder of the Fountain, High Lord of Faery, known commonly as Seth McClure, son of Robert and Olivia, and brother to Ehran, at the behest of Her Majesties, the Queens of Faery,” he said, in English in one long breath while bowing slowly at the waist until he was perpendicular to the ground. “We bid you greetings, Lord Daybreak.”

  “Greetings, Avenour,” I called, projecting my voice with a touch of Daybreak behind it. “And good evening as well to the other emissaries of the Sidhe.” Letting the undershirt glow as I lifted myself over the angry red, ley moat. His heart sped up again slightly as he stood and his eyes widened by a hair’s breadth.

  “I accept the flag of truce but please understand my host’s concerns and stay on this side of the moat,” I said. “There are things that don’t react well to the presence of the Fae that are better left untouched.”

  “As you wish, Lord Daybreak,” Avenour answered sweetly, bowing his head but keeping his eyes on me.

  “Also, there is an error in your greeting that I need to correct,” I said, and I thought without blaming him, but he looked stricken. With an amused tone, I hurriedly added, “It’s not your fault, Avenour. I haven’t been exactly forthcoming about my realm, not that I ever will be. And this is still very new to me.”

  “Of course, Lord Daybreak, I understand,” Avenour said, visibly relaxing, but it was an act. “What shall I correct for the records, High Lord?”

  “Two things. First, I do not hold the Fountain of the Heart of Faery any longer as it no longer exists,” I answered calmly. “And second, I am Lord of Gilán.”

  “That… is not possible,” Avenour stammered over the words.

  “We’ve said that a lot where Seth is concerned,” Ethan called over the crackling moat. “Hasn’t changed anything.”

  “Nor will it here,” I said, smiling at him. “I have enough to keep me busy without trying to convince Faery of Gilán’s existence. Shall we proceed?” I reached over the moat and brought everyone else over. “I believe that y’all know everyone here.”

  “Certainly, Lord,” Avenour agreed. “And we have had some substitutions, out of necessity. Certain members of our party of last week have been… punished for breaking the Queens’ truce.”

  “Can’t say I care too much for the choice of alternates,” I said coolly, glancing at each princess of the Courts in turn.

  “Nor I,” muttered Kieran.

  The Princesses stepped forward in a group with their mates, expecting to be presented first. The second couples from each side fell into line behind them in a near pyramid shape. The steeds backed away gracefully and stood attentively in the background, waiting. There was little question this time who was Seelie and who was Unseelie.

  “Lord Daybreak, if I may,” Avenour said. “I present the Princesses of the Courts of Faery. From the Unseelie Court, this is her Highness, Princess –” Avenour said a fifteen syllable Fae word, utterly unpronounceable by the human mouth. “…also known as Larana in the human world. With her husband, Lord –” Again, Avenour said a huge Fae word unspeakable without an oddly shaped mouth. “…also known as Laranis.”

  Laranis bowed a half-bow and the Winter Princess gave a quarter of a curtsey in her skin-tight black dress. I found it interesting that I could look at this couple and see that they were both sultry as hell but it didn’t touch me at all. The last time I’d seen her, it had affected me, but not this time. Looking at her, I felt like I was more looking at a fine painting.

  “And from the Seelie Court, her Highness, Princess –” Again Avenour went for a long Fae word, this one about twenty-two syllables. “…Commonly known as Leonette, and her husband, Prince –” This Prince may have been younger than the Princess as his name in Fae was only twelve syllables long. Not a given, but certainly a likelihood. “Currently known as Leod on your world.” They both gave the same bow and curtsey combination that Winter gave. Exactly the same, not a degree higher or lower.

  Then they spoke. It was uncanny that two such willful elves could do anything together, much less in unison, but they managed beautifully.

  “We bear greetings to you, Lord Daybreak,” they said, melodious, perfectly in tune. “In the names of the Queens of Faery and Sidhe, Lieges of the Shadow Lands, we congratulate you on your victory at the Rite of Ordeal and Challenge. While we do not know how you managed to take and ho
ld our brother’s Fountain, then take his mantle at his death, we will honor the ancient codes. We will allow the establishment of a realm within the Wyldes of Faery, under the same restrictions or even other arrangements could be made. They will be happy to discuss that with you at your convenience.

  “Further,” their voices dipped in tone, almost reaching the alto range, “we wish to apologize for our envoys disloyalty and disrespect to the truce. We owe you a debt of appreciation for not declaring war on us. With deep regret, we must also offer condolences. Since the binding cages were returned with the envoys, the faery that you tried to rescue would not have survived the night.

  “And finally, we wish to thank both you and your brother, Ehran, for returning the balance,” they chimed together, then fell into a deep curtsey. It was fairly shocking.

  “Thank you, ladies,” I said, turning up the power on the shirt to about a third of full. “That was quite a welcome. There are a few misconceptions in there and I’m not really sure how to handle them all. Suppose we just go in order, then.

  “I accept the welcome and congratulations from the Queens and from you and your husbands,” I said as pleasantly as possible. “And while I appreciate the offer of a realm within the Wyldes of Faery, I believe that Gilán is enough for me. It would be a considerable length of time before I outgrow it, I think, though at some time in the future, it might be nice to, perhaps, hunt for game to stock preserves and that sort of thing. Just an idea for the future.”

  I took a quick glance at the two other couples standing close by. They’d have to be lobotomized not to be paying attention to us. “As to the matter of breaking the truce,” I said, much more harshly and more brittle than I wanted, “I know the Queens are without complicity there.” Deep breath.