The Fae's Amulet

by J F Posthumus

  You’d die blissfully, but that was rather stupid.

  An eerie, unearthly green rose from the rune and spiraled upward into a funnel before twisting and turning into a sharpened spear. It hovered above the map, circling Waynesboro before exploding into tiny pieces.

  The force rattled everything in the basement, and I felt the floor vibrate beneath me.

  The roar of the explosion lasted longer than the gale force wind. Once both ended, the Magick sank into the floor as though it were water feeding a desert.

  As I stepped out of my circle, the last vestiges of Magick attached themselves to the map and sparked to life. Between one breath and the next, the map became a flash fireball and turned into nothing more than ash.

  I stared at the small pile of ash before turning my full attention to Maekyl.

  Maekyl was staring hard at where the rune and map had been. I could hear him grinding his teeth. His red eyes glowed brilliantly with unbridled fury. This was the first time I had ever seen him so furious.

  Out of pure curiosity, I did the one thing I very rarely did. I opened myself up using the Third Eye.

  The Third Eye is not something a novice practitioner can or should use. It allows anyone who is Magickally gifted to see Truly, meaning you can see the true forms of everything. When you use the Third Eye you see not only a person’s aura, but anything they may be hiding.

  If I used it on Dante, I would see his true demonic form. If I used it on Jen, I would see her as the elf she truly was.

  If anyone had anything Magickally hidden, I would see it.

  It didn’t just show living beings and creatures. It revealed blood splatters and ghosts, spirits and elementals, Hellish creatures and heavenly bodies. You saw everything. You couldn’t walk around with it open without going insane. Or, in this era, from walking into traffic because you are trying to avoid everything that you see but is not truly there. If you’re easily frightened, you’d be curled into a fetal ball from the horrors only you could see.

  Every time I used it, it gave me a headache.

  Now, though, I was beyond curious as to what Maekyl truly looked like.

  The undead, captured dragon leiche was enormous. There were glowing golden chains wrapped around him, tying him to the skull.

  His black skin was ripped and shredded in places, ruined by the blade that had ultimately killed him. The undead dragon paced around the area where I’d drawn the rune, his lips curled back in a fierce snarl.

  He threw his head back and roared. Acid burst from his mouth, splashing against the ceiling before raining down. Flinching, I stepped back and covered my ears to help dull the thunderous sound only I could hear.

  Maekyl’s head swung towards me, his ruby red eyes burning against the roughened black skin of his face.

  “Xantos,” he snarled, acid dripping from his mouth. His teeth snapped together, and I could easily envision him snapping anyone who dared his wrath into bloody, mangled pieces. “He did this!”

  “Did what?” I asked cautiously. It was easy to forget he couldn’t actually harm me.

  Maekyl snarled again and snorted puffs of acidic vapor.

  “That interfering, traitorous dark elf Magicked the amulet after we created it! He ensured it would never be found using Magick, including our spell!”

  “Woah! Wait a minute. ‘Our’ spell? That spell was one you and Xantos created?” I demanded, meeting the eyes of the undead dragon’s ghostly, chain-wrapped form. Eyes narrowing, I asked, “Exactly what is that tome, Maekyl? How much of it did you and he create?”

  “I’ll answer those questions later, youngling,” Maekyl growled. “For now, we need to figure out what to do. The grimoire the demon possessed is in the hands of whoever stole the amulet. If you’re fortunate, you will find them before they can open the door and allow whatever deity they desire to enter our world. If you are less fortunate, you’d best pray the door remains open, so you can send the god or goddess back. Otherwise, Hell will seem a paradise compared to what will come.”

  That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

  “So, let me be certain I have this right. You and Xantos plucked Amon’s eyes from his head and made them into an amulet. A single eye.” Maekyl nodded, still pacing around the room. I continued, trying to hide my exasperation. “Xantos then made it impervious to detection by Magick. He also created a tome that accompanies that amulet and many other artifacts, with your help, I’m sure.”

  “So far, that is accurate,” Maekyl stated.

  “Does he know that you have the tome you gave me?” I asked a bit snippily.

  Maekyl snorted and glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. “What do you think, Catherine?”

  I wasn’t certain what to think. I was preparing to close the Third Eye when I found Maekyl suddenly in front of me, his snout to my nose.

  It wasn’t a pleasant thing, I assure you. There is nothing that compares to the stench of an undead dragon. The odor of decaying flesh and rotting blood mixed with the acridness of the dragon’s breath weapon was enough to make most beings vomit.

  I, however, am a necromancer who has not only done a bit of grave robbing, but has been around every type of rotting body, including drowning victims. Many of them were my victims.

  I didn’t budge as Maekyl inhaled deeply. He snorted once and stalked away.

  “You’ll need to get your leather jacket. It’s entirely wrong for this weather, at least during the day, but it will be easier to bind protective spells to,” Maekyl snapped. He unfurled his wings and flicked them before curling them against his back again. “I’ll have to figure out the proper way to thank Xantos once all this is finished.”

  “Right,” I said, sliding slowly towards the stairs. I blinked twice, closing the Third Eye, and wondered what in all the Hells was going on with Maekyl. “I’ll be back shortly. Anything else I should collect?”

  Maekyl’s essence swirled angrily around his skull. “Not yet.” He gnashed his teeth together as he added, “And, Catherine? Don’t dawdle. Sterling may return sooner than either of us expect.”

  Nodding, I dashed up the stairs to collect the jacket. I’d badger Maekyl about answers later, when he wasn’t in such a mood.

  * * *

  Maekyl’s mood hadn’t mellowed by the time I left to meet Clair at Fellhaven.

  I had, thankfully, remembered to message while Maekyl and Sterling reminisced about old times.

  Since it was to be a girls’ night out with the potential arrival of a pissed off deity, I did what every good former reigning queen of death did. I dressed up.

  Hair and makeup done, I put on a little black dress with a flowing skirt and stylish black ankle boots that allowed me to run. I put on a pearl necklace and earrings and a leather jacket that would be way too damned hot until the sun set, then I grabbed my keys and left for Fellhaven.

  The parking lot was a little over half full when I arrived, so I parked in the “special” area, partly because it was safer and would make a quick departure easier, but mostly just because I could.

  As was my habit, I arrived before Clair. True to Jen’s word, the table closest to the stage was empty despite the full room. The hostess smiled brilliantly as I entered, but it was Jen who greeted me first.

  “As promised,” Jen said as she walked me to the table. I could just make out the outline of her new dagger under her fitted jacket. “Would you like a menu now, or do you want to wait for your table mate?”

  “We’ll start with a sampler plate,” I said with a grin. “And I’ll take a sweet tea, for now.”

  Jen lifted a brow. “Still no luck locating the missing items?”

  “We found, and retrieved, Althea, and she’s currently in a healing sleep. But there is no way to find the amulet or tome Magickally.”

  “Damn.” Jen shook her head. “That’s rough.”

  “No kidding. I’m just hoping the amulet can be found before it’s used.”

  “Just keep the trouble out of here,” Jen sa
id. She set two menus on the table. “I’ll let the Beast know you’re here.” Winking and smirking, she turned and sauntered off.

  I grabbed a menu and hid my blush behind it.

  Not a minute later, a male voice asked, “Okay, what did Mom say to you?”

  I peeked over the top of the menu and found Jen and Mark’s second-born son standing in front of me with a glass of sweet tea. He was in his early teens and all awkward arms and legs. I suspected he’d turn into a rather handsome young man once he was out of the awkward-teen stage.

  “Just teasing me about the Beast,” I said with a chuckle. “I see your parents have put you to work. Is your sister also working tonight?”

  Alfred nodded vigorously, making his honey-colored mop of hair flop. “Yeah, she’s in the kitchen with Dad, doing prep.”

  “Are your two younger siblings at your grandparents tonight?” I asked, glad for the distraction.

  Jen and Mark had a total of five children. I didn’t know how they’d managed to have so many kids, but they did. The youngest, who were too little to work in the restaurant, were adorable rug rats, and the older ones weren’t your typical pain-in-the-ass brats, though I suspected Mark and Jen would say they could be, given the right circumstances.

  “Out with Dad’s parents, this time,” Alfred confirmed, smiling crookedly, his blue eyes sparkling. “They’re probably telling Nena what they want for Christmas while Grandda hides the credit cards.”

  He smiled broadly when I laughed, then added, “Is there anything else you need, Miss Cat? Mom will get after me if I fraternize with the customers for too long.”

  “She knows you’ll charm too many of them,” I replied. “It’s in your nature, but I don’t want to get you in trouble. I hear you are quite adept at doing that on your own.”

  Rolling his eyes, he answered, “Yeah, I am,” before waving and heading back to the kitchen.

  I watched him disappear behind the double doors and shook my head. He was going to be another heartbreaker and troublemaker. Jen and Mark still had the rest of his high school and college years to survive, before going through all of it again with their daughter, and eventually the two younger boys who were shaping up to be much like their siblings. I was glad I wasn’t a parent. There was too much to worry about for my taste.

  “A bit young for you, isn’t he?” a low voice said from my right.

  I turned and found myself staring slack-jawed at the man standing in the shadows. He wore a leather duster that melted into the dark corner, as though it were part shadow. Of course, from the way it shifted as he stepped into the light, I suspected there was a good bit of shadow Magick woven into it. His features were sharp and pronounced. He was lean with elfin ears, except for the rounded tips.

  His piercing blue eyes twinkled with laughter. The thin lips below his decidedly Jewish nose curved up into a smile. He looked as though he would be the perfect bad guy, complete with dark, well kempt hair.

  As he turned his face into the light, I saw a layer of scars on his skin. He didn’t look like the nightmare-invading guy who wears a fedora and favors striped sweaters. He looked like someone who survived the worst the world has to offer, many times, and still walked out of the debris under his own power.

  “Uncle Tony?” I asked. His smile grew as I shoved the chair back and held my arms open for a hug. “It has been a very long time.”

  “Not so long that you didn’t recognize me,” he countered, but I knew his eyes well and saw the laughter in them.

  He gave me a firm embrace and insisted I sit before he took the other chair. Uncle Tony was many, many things, but foremost, he was an Old World gentleman.

  “My dearest uncle,” I said warmly, sliding my hands into his like a giddy child. “Please, humor this young girl and tell me why in all the Heavens and Hells did you send me that very human and very bratty Debbie Ann? Surely it wasn’t to entice me back into my old ways.”

  “I thought you could use the laugh, or at least a blood sacrifice,” Tony said casually, although his eyes were fixed on me.

  “Well, if she hadn’t been pregnant, I would have been more tempted,” I admitted, giving his hands a squeeze. “It was rather funny watching her storm off after I told her she’d have to participate in an orgy.”

  Tony’s stoic and imposing demeanor broke as he threw back his head and cackled.

  “I would have enjoyed seeing that,” he finally said. He leaned back against the back of his chair and smiled. “Are you sure you aren’t dabbling in the old ways? Your aura is different.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, curious.

  “You’re using more energy and holding less in check,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “It’s as if you are letting new fires burn within you. We can’t have the new without the old, can we?”

  “I may have used a few spells from a certain tome from a certain time,” I hedged, knowing I sounded like a young child who was trying to keep from admitting they’d done something they weren’t supposed to do.

  Tony nodded, then leaned toward me. “That’s some of it. You have a new lover, don’t you? He’s got you thinking in different ways, doesn’t he?”

  I could feel my face burning as I averted my gaze.

  “There is someone new, someone far better than my last. I don’t know if he’s making me think in different ways, but he’s definitely reminded me of what living is like.” Trying to compose myself, or maybe to stop losing ground in our conversation, I blurted, “How do you know I’m seeing a man? A woman could just as easily spark my imagination and passion.”

  Tony’s smile returned. He sat back and spread his arms, palms out.

  “I like to gamble a little, and fifty-fifty odds are as close to a sure thing as I will trust,” Tony replied. “Mostly I wanted to see your reaction if I suggested a new lover.”

  “I guess I forgot about your constant curiosity,” I said with a shrug. “Are you going to be in the area for a while? Maybe long enough to come for a visit?”

  Yes, I was willing to invite this vampire into my house. Considering he had been a frequent guest in my father’s house and was welcome in my mother’s realm, I certainly wasn’t going to refuse him entrance. He had given me piggyback rides and danced with me as a little girl. He could be scary, but so could I.

  Besides, he was my adopted uncle and one of my father’s best friends. He wouldn’t harm me, any more than I’d harm him.

  “I’ve made arrangements to stay in this area for a little while,” he assured me.

  Jen came to the table with my sampler platter. She put it on the table a little closer to me, rather than in the middle. With a smile and a cool stare, she looked at Tony.

  He looked up and gave her tight smile.

  “I do love the house Bloody Mary, but I’ve eaten recently. Thank you,” Tony said.

  Jen nodded and said, “Good to see you again.”

  “And you, as well,” he replied.

  Jen looked at me and said, “If you want anything else, just signal me or one of the servers.”

  While she moved past us, I looked at Tony.

  “You know the owners? I didn’t think you came around that often.”

  “We were introduced by her mate,” Tony explained, but his tone was less formal as he talked to me. “He and I worked together, briefly, in another lifetime. They were witnesses to my transformation.”

  I stared at him for a few moments. “I didn’t realize they were that old.” That put a new spin on things. It also showed how little attention I’d paid to things around me these past decades. “Perhaps you and Papa can join me and my lover for dinner before you leave.”

  I’d have to figure out what Sterling was sometime soon. It sounded weird simply calling him my lover.

  Behind Tony, I noticed the hostess walking toward us with Clair in tow. Ah, well. I knew she was going to show up soon. Pulling a business card from my purse, I used a touch of Magick to scribble my personal cell number on the back of it. I slid the
card across the table to him.

  “Stay in touch, Uncle,” I said.

  “I’m sorry, am I interrupting?” Clair asked as my godfather smoothly palmed the card.

  “Not at all,” Tony said to Clair. He winked at me. “I will see you soon, my dear.”

  Standing, he leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Straightening, Tony nodded to Clair, who took a step back. “Enjoy your evening, ladies.”

  With barely a whisper of sound, he left our table and vanished into the crowded room.

  “Wow. He’s not someone I’d want to meet in a dark alley,” Clair said, smoothing her dress as she settled into the chair Tony had vacated.

  Like me, Clair had chosen to dress up for our night out. She had chosen a lovely summer dress that was brightly colored. The dress highlighted her best features and emphasized her curves, and the heels she wore added a few inches to her height.

  She really was a beautiful woman, inside and out.

  I laughed and slid the sampler platter toward her. “He’s a family friend. I’ve known him since I was a little girl.”

  “An old family friend, then,” Clair murmured before popping a cheese-covered tater tot into her mouth.

  A waitress set a glass of water in front of Clair. “Anything I can get you ladies?”

  “Who’s the bartender tonight?” Clair asked.

  “Curt, though Dre is supposed to pitch in since there’s a band. That is, if we can pull him away from tinkering with the lights and P.A. system.” she replied cheerfully.

  “Please ask Curt to surprise me with something yummy,” Clair replied.

  “Sure thing,” the girl said. She looked at me expectantly.

  “I’m good for now,” I said.

  The waitress nodded and hurried off.

  Once we were alone, Clair leaned over the table toward me.

  “Okay, give. You have the look of a woman who just discovered how amazing carnal pleasures can be,” she said in a low voice. “Who is he, and does he have a brother? Or cousin? Or someone he can send my way?”