Eire of Mystery

by Gavin Green

  ***

  Throughout that brisk, damp Tuesday and early Wednesday in late November, Brody and Kate found themselves venturing out onto the property on numerous occasions to question Liadan further. The tiny fae had little patience just to stand and talk, so they assisted in minor chores while she answered their questions as best she could.

  Brody and Kate noticed that even while carrying on a conversation, Liadan worked extremely fast. When her speed was mentioned, she stated that she was moving at a snail's pace for their benefit. After a particular chore or two was completed, Brody and Kate would make an excuse to go inside for a while. They used those times alone with each other to ponder and discuss any new information.

  One thing the couple agreed upon was Liadan herself. Trying not to make light of it, and in no way meant as an insult or slight, but that tiny fae was the most human of all of the Other Crowd they'd met. As such, it was easy to relate and carry on dialogues, regardless that she was smaller than Brody's boot.

  Liadan seemed in no way intimidated by the vast difference in her comparative size, which led the couple to assume that she had capable defenses. Therefore, conversations flowed smoothly after any initial uneasiness. However, the chats were one-sided; Liadan had been around humans for centuries and so had only a few questions of her own. Brody and Kate didn't want to appear too overbearing with their inquiries, so they tried to mix in light banter when possible.

  By the time a new storm front had rolled in by midday Wednesday, many minor tasks that Brody might have overlooked were completed. Flagstones were laid at most gate passages, and the garden was in fine form. The roof was fixed, and choke-weeds were pulled. Advice was given for the best use of droppings, and dog hair was scattered along the border walls to deter foxes or vermin. Kate even had a handful of new recipes.

  Liadan remarked, after getting a hint of Brody and Kate's charitable hobbies, that they were tinkers in their own way. It was why brownies considered themselves the most contented and self-possessed race of the fae; a job well done was its own reward. Liadan further explained that, despite what the Christians said, pride in selflessness was a good thing… as long as you kept your mouth shut.

  Before the storm hit in full force, Liadan said that she enjoyed the company but would be moving on. She went on to ask if she might stop in on occasion; Kate assured her that she'd be welcome. The tiny fae apologized for not staying, but she was simply no longer needed there and felt the impulse to ply her skills elsewhere. Brody and Kate thanked her for the information, assistance, and advice, and then finally retreated indoors when the storm broke.

  As the couple sat in front of the crackling fireplace, both agreed that they were glad for Liadan's offer and help, but were also somewhat relieved to see her go as well. They had their home to themselves again, and with many questions answered.

  Even with all of Liadan's information, the fae were still creatures nearly beyond reasoning, and she couldn't even begin to explain the Lore without perplexing them. Still, many things were clear. Brody and Kate understood that there were many races of fae, and most were strong in specific abilities. Most of those abilities, or gifts, were within the realms of senses, emotion, or nature.

  In Kate's case, the rare occurrence of fae heritage was known to create unexpected gifts, although the indication of any paranormal ability was unusual. The age and power of the fae progenitor did, however, create variables to that circumstance. Dryads such as Aldritch, while quite powerful, weren't usually known to be gifted in sight as Kate was, thus proving the point.

  To explain Brody's gift of stone, Liadan said it was a troll gift, and rare even among them. She could only guess that he had that race's lineage, or that a grace had been laid upon him. When asked to explain, the brownie said that a grace was a bestowment of a fae's gifts on another for grand services rendered. Either Brody or one of his near ancestors had done a fae (a troll, almost certainly) a great boon. Despite whoever may have been graced in his recent line, in Brody it had come to fruition.

  Liadan only knew a few vague stories of noble trolls with that gift, and those tales were only related to combat only. Until Brody, she'd yet to see the gift of stone used for aesthetic purposes.

  Beyond what pertained to their personal situations, Brody and Kate were made aware of many other simple facts. Fae were not immortal, but their lifespan far surpassed that of humans. Time spent in the Verden, the human realm, affected that span adversely, but by choice.

  Fae subsisted partly on glamour, which was offered in the way of natural beauty, but could also be garnered more quickly from the hopes, dreams, aspirations, and even positive emotions of humans. The Lore itself was fed by those ethereal concepts. While fae 'harvested' glamour in the Verden, making their lives richer, their existence was made possible by the Lore; every fae would frequently return for a time.

  There was then the topic of bridges, which was no simple theory. To mentally grasp that, other factors had to be applied. Fae had three general stages of age; vernal, median, and elder. As fae aged, they grew in power; vernal were too young to create their own bridges to the Verden or places within the Lore. It took energy to create a temporary bridge, thus permanent passages had a great value that varied on where they led to. Fae used power gained from 'dream harvesting', in simple terms, to make those temporary or permanent bridges.

  Upon returning to the Lore, excesses of 'dream' would expand whatever holdings a fae may have earned. The larger the holdings in the Lore, the more natural power that fae had to draw from. Following that chain, with more power meant that more permanent bridges could be created to various Verden locations.

  Liadan had explained that challenge combats and allied skirmishes were fought over bridge rights, such was their value. While back in the human realm, many fae attempted to garner Verden land through various means to call as their own havens, sometimes even building constructs upon those lands. Energy was acquired through such claims, and it was common for those fae to create permanent bridges from the haven directly to their holdings in the Lore. With a haven in this realm, bridge creation took less energy and effort.

  In 'thin places', where the two realms were more closely aligned, harvesting was simpler and bridge creation was easier. Ballaghadaere and the surrounding area was one such 'thin place', which drew more fae to it.

  On simpler matters, Brody and Kate quickly caught on to certain aspects of fae in the Verden. Human food and drink were consumable, but only necessary if a fae hadn't harvested in some time. Then again, some fae found certain Verden food to be delectable. And, of course, most any low-caste had a penchant for sweets and dairy products.

  Only the slightest trickle of glamour was needed for the Other Crowd to remain unseen. A single manifestation into human form took only a minor effort. Alternate manifestations into other forms took practice and more energy, but it was possible for a fae to have many personifications. Some races, such as morphers, Drommen, and redcaps, had difficulty creating passable manifestations, so many didn't bother with the effort.

  Brody and Kate also learned about banishment and true death, and the single difference between the two. Any manner of mortal destruction to a fae in the Verden, which took considerable damage, would cause banishment; their body would quickly fade away and their essence would return to their holdings in the Lore. Until enough power was harnessed to open one of their bridge gates, if they had any, that fae was considered banished to its own holdings. Again, the strength of the Lore holdings determined the time needed to gather power, and thus the time exiled.

  The exception to the rule of banishment was iron. Should any hand-wrought iron item or weapon put down a fae, their true death would occur. Shaped iron in non-mechanized form was symbolic of the dawn of the age of industrialization, which weakened all fae's power in this realm. And to the fae, symbolism had great import.

  Liadan could only describe that era, and all time after, as the dimming of natural imagination. Fae were thereafter weake
r in the Verden because of iron; even simple contact with it caused injury. To her knowledge, hand-wrought iron was the only known bane of the Other Crowd.

  Considering the last day or two, Brody and Kate decided that they'd earned a night out of their own kitchen, especially before the big meal planned for the next evening. A meal at Doolin's was agreed upon, followed by a large bout of grocery shopping.

  To bring their minds back into the mundane, they heard one of their commercials on the radio in the car on the way to the village. The Rose Foundation-funded event for "a holiday helping hand" played out, which kept the couple riveted to every word said. The announcer was asking that listeners in need start putting their emails together for when the benefit would begin in just over two weeks. The couple drove through a torrential pour on their way home, both wide smiles on their tired faces.