The Prince of Neither Here Nor There

by Sean Cullen

  Deirdre D’Anaan’s face went rigid. She tried to open her mouth, but it was as though her lips were glued shut. Her eyes went wide. Her face flushed with fury. Fith, sitting on her shoulder, mirrored her distress and anger. He opened his mouth and keened loudly.

  73 Indeed, as explained earlier, Ward’s Island is not an island at all but only a part of Centre Island. This is not the only weird thing about the Toronto Islands. The Centre Island Amusement Park is not even on Centre Island but on Middle Island. Again, Islanders are odd people.

  A QUEST

  “Did I do that?” Brendan whispered in astonishment.

  The crowd erupted in astonished chatter. Voices shouted out, “He Compelled her! The Great Deirdre D’Anaan.”

  “How is it possible?”

  “He hasn’t been initiated. How could he place a Compulsion on her?”

  Ariel seemed as amazed as the rest. “It would appear that you have your father’s temper as well as his power. You have Compelled her to silence.”

  Kim crowed with laughter. “Oh, that is just beautiful! I never thought I’d see the day. The Great Deirdre D’Anaan unable to say a word. So sweet!”

  Deirdre glared at Kim.

  “I did that?”

  “Yes, Breandan,” Ariel said sternly. “And it is no small thing. You must understand that you have great power. You must be careful.”

  “I didn’t mean to do it,” Brendan cried. “I was … I dunno. I was angry.”

  Kim laughed again. “Honestly? I’ve wanted her to shut up for about a hundred years or so.” Deirdre greeted Kim’s comment with a hiss through gritted teeth that was echoed by a hiss from Fith. Kim ignored Deirdre and went on. “He’s been doing this all day. He sent a Human packing at the school this morning, and he almost did the same with Orcadia in the Undertown.”

  Ariel’s eyebrows went up in mild surprise. Brendan got the impression that little ever surprised the thin Faerie. “You are manifesting many abilities. This is fascinating and dangerous. Obviously, your blood is strong.”

  “He also exhibited control over a flock of sparrows. It was quite amazing,” Kim added. “He’s full of surprises, is our Breandan.”

  “Most of us exhibit one Gift, Breandan,” Ariel explained. “You are displaying a most amazing variety. Compulsion and Communion with Beasts are two very different disciplines of the Art. There are others. Leonard is a shape-shifter. Saskia is a Warp Warrior.74 Perhaps you will exhibit more talents?”

  Everyone looked at him appraisingly. Even Deirdre ceased her attempts at speech. Blushing, he said, “I just want to go back to my family and my life.”

  Deirdre and Ariel exchanged a look. Kim just studied the tabletop, tracing the grain of the wood with her fingertip.

  Og had been hovering nearby. “I don’t think ye’ve understood what ye’ve heard, me lad. What’s learnt can’t be unlearnt. There ain’t no going back. You are what you are, my son. You aren’t Human and you never were.” Brendan looked at him in disbelief. Og shrugged. “You can no more go back to being Human than I could turn into a fish and swim away. We are what we are. And you, my son, are a Faerie.” He took a slug of his beer and belched profoundly. “Simple as that.”

  Brendan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Is he right?”

  Ariel smiled sadly. “I’m afraid so. But it isn’t such a terrible thing. Being a Faerie is a great gift.”

  Never go back? Never? He felt hollowed out. All the running, all the terror and revelations of the past hours crushed down on his shoulders like a heavy weight.

  “Breandan.” Ariel’s voice roused him from his stupor. “I know this is hard for you. None of us wished it to be this way. Know first and foremost, you are welcome among us. You are not alone.”

  Brendan looked up into the pale face of Ariel and saw sympathy in the ancient eyes. He looked at Kim and saw her familiar half smile. Deirdre was silent, of course, but her eyes held his. He turned his gaze upon the gathered patrons of the Swan of Liir and felt their anticipation, as though this was a moment they had been waiting for, something they never dreamed would happen. He sighed and swallowed hard around a lump in his throat.

  “How do I undo the ... Compulsion- Thingy?” He jerked his head toward Deirdre.

  “A Compulsion is a sincere wish given force,” Ariel said. “To remove it, an equally sincere wish is required.”

  Brendan frowned. He looked at Deirdre and thought for a moment. She is my mother’s sister. She is one of the few true flesh and blood family members I have in the world. I wish I could ask her about my mother. I wish … “What was my mother like?” he said.

  Deirdre shuddered and breathed deeply. She smiled and spoke. “She was half of my heart. She was beautiful. You remind me of her. I’m sorry I removed the Ward but I was just so happy to find you. Don’t think ill of me. I acted out of love.” Deirdre’s eyes were shining with tears. “You have her smile.”

  Brendan knew she meant what she said. He felt the truth in her voice. “I’m sorry I told you to shut up.”

  Deirdre laughed, and it was a sound that lifted his heart despite his sadness. “No harm done, darling boy.” She reached out and ran the back of her fingers over his cheek, and he felt tears smart once again in his eyes. “Who knows?” Deirdre said, her eyes shining. “Perhaps you have the talents of a Weaver, too, like me. Or maybe you will be a Healer, like your mother.”

  He thought again of his Human mother at home, probably worried sick about him. He had always felt awkward and clumsy. He had never had any great talent. His father had tried to teach him music. His mother had introduced him to art. He had never been able to give them the satisfaction of being adept at either. Now he knew that he hadn’t really belonged there, and the pain of it was deep. Now he had found his people.

  But was that really true? Surely, whomever you love is your family. He shouldn’t have to choose. These people may have a claim on him, but his mother and father had been there for his whole life. They had loved him and cared for him when he was sick, and taught him to be the person he was. He made a decision then and there: whatever happened, he would never leave them behind.

  He squared his shoulders. “Now what? What’s next? I can’t stay here and hide from Orcadia forever. Tell me what I have to do.”

  The Faeries at the table seemed to release a collective sigh of relief.

  “I think you’re making a wise choice.” Deirdre smiled gently, grasping Brendan’s hand. “And we all know it is a difficult one.”

  “So what do I have to do?” Brendan asked.

  “The first thing is to get your wild talents under control.” Ariel stood. “You must be initiated.”

  “Initiated?” Brendan balked. “Is this gonna hurt or what?”

  Ariel laughed and so did many of those watching. “Not at all. Usually, it happens long before a Faerie reaches your age. There is no pain.” He extended his hand. “I will need the amulet, however.”

  Brendan looked at him blankly. “What amulet?”

  “When a Faerie child is born, his parents place a portion of their essence into a token of some kind. The token is then kept close until the child comes of age, when it is integrated into the essence of the child. Thus we ensure continuity from generation to generation. The child knows the parents on a deeper level and becomes fully awake to the world. In your case, the Artificers forged an amulet. It carried the spark of both Briach Morn and Bir-Gidha.”

  “It is all that is left of my sister. Now it will become part of you,” Deirdre said softly.

  “I don’t have an amulet,” Brendan said.

  “It was wrought of gold, inset with gem stones. Inscribed with your name in the Ancient tongue: Breandan,” Ariel said.

  “I’ve never had anything like that.”

  Ariel sat back down. “This is not ideal.”

  Deirdre gripped Brendan’s arm. “You’re sure? Think hard now. Your Human parents never mentioned anything like it?”

  Brendan shook his head
. “Nope.”

  “Great!” Kim threw her hands up. “He lost it.”

  “I didn’t lose it! I never had it!”

  “He couldn’t lose it,” Ariel said. “It’s linked to him. It could only be stolen and then only by someone of the Blood.”

  “Hold it.” Brendan held up his hands. “I don’t get it. Why do I need this thing? Can’t I just get initiated or whatever without it?’

  “No.” Deirdre shook her head. “Not possible.”

  “You need the token before you can become fully fledged,” Ariel said. “Until you find it, you will be vulnerable to anyone who chooses to strike you down. You will never be safe until you have it back.”

  “Whoo-hoo!” Og shouted, raising his glass. “A Quest!”

  The crowd raised their glasses and cheered. Something in their tone made Brendan’s heart sink.

  “Oh no,” he groaned.

  Kim smirked. “Oh no is right.”

  74 Warp Warriors are a bizarre phenomenon. They are formidable with weapons and have the added bonus of being able to teleport minute distances. These tiny spatial shifts make them very difficult to strike. Many Human legends of invincible heroes were based on the exploits of Faerie Warp Warriors: Achilles, Beowulf, and Lancelot are typical examples. Many modern Warp Warriors end up pursuing careers in professional sports.

  PART 3

  The Quest

  Yet Another Note from the Narrator

  Ha! You thought that the whole story would wrap up at the Swan, didn’t you! Fools! Burned you! There is at least another third of the story to go!

  I mean, honestly! You are holding the book in your hands. There is still a wad of pages ahead of you. Did you think they were just blank pages put there to deceive you? That would be a horrible waste of paper, and I am anything if not conscious of environmental issues.

  Or did you think I’d merely doodled little pictures on all the remaining pages? Certainly, my doodling is renowned in World Doodling Circles. In fact, I was once torn between pursuing a career in doodling and being a narrator, but in the end, I decided that the world would be a darker place without me to narrate the important stories.

  So, no doodles. Just more story. Brendan has already gone through a great deal of struggle, but there is always more struggling to do. Life is worthless without struggle. Struggling is also a good source of cardiovascular exercise. I struggle three times a week and I’m as fit as a horse. Well, not a horse. Perhaps a small shaggy pony. But I’m fit and that’s the important thing.

  Without further ado, let us get on with the story.

  ALLIES

  “A Quest!” Og had cried, delighted. Something about his giddy exclamation had filled Brendan with dread. He looked to Ariel for an explanation.

  The ancient Faerie seemed uncomfortable for the first time since their conversation had begun. He pursed his lips and sighed. “Oh, dear.”

  “Oh, dear what?” Brendan demanded. “What, oh dear? What does he mean, ‘a quest’?”

  “You have lost your token. You must find it or forever be banished from the presence of the Fair Folk,” Ariel explained.

  “Lost it?” Brendan said, incredulous. “I’ve never even seen it before. How could I have lost it? How am I supposed to find this thing? I don’t even know what it looks like!”

  “When you were taken and hidden among the People of Metal, your father would have given you the amulet. No one could have taken it from you unless they were Faerie.”

  “Again,” Brendan said through gritted teeth. “Anyone could have taken it. I was a baby. A Faerie could have easily taken it. How could I stop them?”

  “No Faerie could have found you. You were under a Ward,” Ariel insisted. “A powerful glamour forged by one of the strongest of our kind shielded you from Faerie eyes. Now that the Ward is removed, your true nature will be revealed to Humans. Perhaps more dangerous is that you will be visible to Orcadia and those who follow her. You will be vulnerable until you find your token and undergo the initiation.”

  “Who could expect me to be able to hold onto an amulet?” Brendan was totally exasperated. “I was an infant! Anybody could have taken it from me. Haven’t you ever heard the expression ‘Easy as taking candy from a baby’? Well, just substitute amulet for candy and you see my point.”

  “If it were just any amulet, I would agree,” Ariel said. “However, this amulet had its own Wards as well, attuned to you. It would be invisible to Human eyes. Only another Faerie could have removed it from you and to do so would bring dire punishment, should the theft be discovered.”

  “So some other Faerie took it. Maybe they destroyed it.”

  “If they had,” Og interjected, “you would be dead.”

  Kim nodded soberly. “Og is right. It contained an essential part of you within it. If it were broken or destroyed, you would perish.”

  Brendan felt a chill pass over his heart. “I hope it’s a sturdy, high-quality item,” he said in a dry tone that hid his anxiety.

  “Of course it is,” Og declared. He thumped his chest and burped loudly. “Made it myself, didn’t I?”

  Brendan didn’t find the declaration reassuring. “So what do I do now?”

  “Now you must find the amulet,” Ariel said simply, leaning back in his chair.

  “It sounds like an impossible task,” Brendan said. “How can I possibly succeed?”

  Ariel’s face became deathly still. “You must. If you don’t, you will have no protection. Orcadia and her ilk will find you and either destroy you or turn you to their dark purposes. Your Human family will be endangered. You will have nowhere to hide. Without being fully initiated and integrated to your Faerie powers, you will be a danger to all those around you. You will have no control.” He shook his head sadly. “It pains me to cast you out once again when we have only just found you, but this is our Law. We must follow the Law or we are doomed.”

  Brendan looked at his face and saw that there would be no change of heart. He looked to Kim, and she shook her head. “Can’t you help me? At least tell me where to start?”

  “Ain’t done,” Og said, staring at the glass held between his scarred hands, unable to meet Brendan’s gaze. “No one in this room can help ye, son. Ye have to do it all on yer own. It’s the rules!”

  “But we have to help him,” Deirdre said suddenly. “He has no idea what to do. He’s a special case. Not just because of who he is but because of his circumstances. He is ignorant through no fault of his own.”

  “Deirdre, no,” Ariel said firmly.

  “You can’t send him out there alone,” Deirdre insisted.

  “No!” Ariel thundered. The entire room fell silent, and even Deirdre seemed cowed. For an instant all the lights dimmed, and Brendan saw a shadow in Ariel’s eyes, a hint of the power that lurked beneath his gentle exterior. “He must follow his Quest and retrieve his token. Alone! That is the Law!”

  No one spoke. Brendan saw how Ariel commanded them all with the force of his personality. He could easily imagine Ariel in ancient Greece striking fear and awe into the hearts of his worshippers.

  Brendan looked around at the Faeries gathered there, the people he had never imagined existing before today, and felt despair. He suddenly didn’t want to lose them. “This isn’t fair! You pulled me out of my Human life, and now you’re kicking me back out into the street?” He looked at Kim beseechingly. “You can’t do this!”

  “I’m sorry, Breandan,” she said softly. “I can’t help you any more. I’m bound by the Law as much as you are.”

  Brendan looked at her, this girl he’d never truly known. He saw how much this was hurting her, too. “Okay. I understand.”

  “I’m sorry . . .” she said miserably.

  “S’okay.” Brendan hung his head. He didn’t want to whine. His dad had always told him that life wasn’t fair. You had to do your best with what life gave you. He would succeed or fail, but he would do his best. “That name they call you . . .”

  “Ki-Mata.�
��

  Brendan stood up from the table. “I think I’ll call you Kim, if you don’t mind. It suits you.”

  “You and you alone may call me that,” she said. “Be careful, Brendan.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll do my best. Thanks for watching out for me at school. You were a good friend. I just wanted you to know that in case I never get back here.”

  She smiled but said no more. Og’s hand fell on his shoulder. Brendan looked up into the beefy, red face. “Here, son. Take this.” He held a ham and cheese sandwich in his hand. Mustard dripped over his knuckles.

  Brendan looked critically at the offering. “Is it a magical sandwich?”

  “Sadly, no,” Og admitted, laughing. “Delicious but not magical.”

  “No gifts,” Ariel said.

  “It ain’t a gift! It’s provisions. He’s hardly had nothing to eat, Ariel. You won’t begrudge him a morsel for the road?”

  Ariel pursed his lips. “Hmmm. All right. I will allow it. Now, Brendan, you must be gone. Return with the amulet and the doors of the Swan will be open to you. Good luck.”

  Brendan took the sandwich. “Thanks, Og.”

  “Uncle Og! And enjoy the sandwich!” He winked a great blue eye and clapped Brendan on the back. “Just be careful where you bite,” he said cryptically.

  So Brendan walked slowly across the room toward the door. Faeries called out to him as he wove his way through the crowd, patting his back, wishing him luck. He came to the door and found Leonard standing there, massive arms crossed over his huge chest. There was a slight gust of wind and then Saskia appeared by Leonard’s side.

  “You be careful, mon,” Leonard rumbled. “It be a dangerous world out there!” Saskia smiled at him but said nothing.

  Brendan smiled weakly. Leonard pushed the door open to reveal the rainy green. “You come back soon. We’ll be waitin’ for ya.”