by brett hicks
“The second of those, mostly, but it is more than that. It is just distracting when his glamor keeps flickering off like it is.”
Sorcha’s expression crumpled into that of confusion.
“His glamor is fine; I cannot see a single seam in his illusion. I am a fae, all the fairy tribes are experts at the art of optical illusions.”
I felt like my face now matched hers, confused to the max.
“You’re telling me you don’t see that?!” I waved my hand towards Ernie and I watched as his glamor slid off again as my eyes fully connected with his body.
“You are telling me you can see his true form right now?” Sorcha inquired, and I nodded in confirmation without looking away from Ernie.
“Bugger-all, you need to keep that to yerself then lass!” Sorcha leaned in and hissed dramatically. I did not feel like she was threatening me, but Sorcha did seem concerned, like she expected this to be met with pitchforks and torches in the community.
“Wh-what?! It’s not like I am doing anything! What’s so wrong about having good sight?”
Sorcha tapped her lips with her finger casually, but I caught her meaning.
“We’ll discuss this later, but I swear to you, no one shall hear of this from me!” Sorcha said, making a vow which was not something a fae did lightly, even if she was not magically bound to her vows like the other court fae I knew to be.
“Sure, just keep me in suspense…” I muttered irritably. About this time, Jimmy came walking back, Ernie was following close behind him. His lush expression was directed at me. Ernie seemed to have a mild crush, but he was very subtle about it.
“Evening Lassies! What can I get fer ye? Lager, yeah? Rose wine fer you as usually milady?” He asked each of us, me first, then Sorcha. I noticed how he addressed her, like nobility. I was probably right about her being high born. Older immortals could behave in a very feudal manner, since most had once grown up in monarchies.
“Yes, for me. What about you, Avery?” Sorcha asked me, her tone now back to its normal mischievous and jovial setting. You would never know she had just been grim as hell, unless you were witness.
“Lager sounds grand, thanks.” I said, tucking the menu back into its little metal holder on the corner of the table.
“Give me a dark house ale, mate.”
Jimmy told Ernie, who bobbed his head deeply. I noticed that his behavior was even more acquiescent to Jimmy. I was seeing that I had landed myself right in the middle of power-players, without ever intending to do so. I felt like sulking and pondering what possible karmic retribution I was receiving now, by the eventual exposure I was facing with the sup community.
I was not ready to be out; I was not ready to walk amongst them openly. Regardless of how well I handled myself, I was truly terrified, of what might happen to me now that the world was about to know I went bump in the night!
“I’ll be right back with those.” Ernie said in a chirpy tone. He seemed to have a lot of extra bounce in his step tonight. I wondered if he found some more raw minerals in his most recent trek into the wilds. Like most of his kind, he was drawn to shiny objects. There is no coincidence that leprechauns are always depicted as having hidden pot of gold or jewels. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if they had invented the jewel refinement process to begin with! It is said that early humans first learned to lust and desire the glittering beauty of opulence from brushes with the fae and leprechauns.
“I’ll be right back, jax.” I said, and I was only slightly fibbing to my new friends. Sorcha seemed to be less than convinced, but I could honestly care less if she figured out my current game. I would have to gamble with my identity and my anonymity.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him from spiking yer pint, mate.” Sorcha said, and she winked playfully at me. Jimmy shot her a baleful and unamused look. I sniggered at her saucy and vividly creative sense of humor. What did it say about me, that I was paranoid to the limits, yet I trusted Sorcha completely? I believed her when she said she would guard my drink, because I felt connected to her, almost like a sibling.
I walked over to Ernie casually, and I firmly threw up the poker-faced expression. I needed info, and Ernie was likely one of the oldest sups in all of Dublin. It was a risk, but I needed to figure out what I was dealing with.
“Ah, young miss, did ye forget something? Come to amend your order?” Ernie asked, I shook my head in a wide no.
“I will hit the jax, can I meet you in your office after? I have a few questions about my investigation that I think it best we discuss privately.”
I said in a hushed tone, and Ernie looked at me with a new level of guardedness. He was even more unreadable than I was. As usual, his glamor seemed to flicker up and down to my eyes. Only I now knew that this was unique to me, and to whatever species I belonged.
“Very well, but try to keep your questions brief, detective. I am a businessman, and this is my prime hour of business.”
The leprechaun said in a lightly chastising tone. He sounded a little more like a grandfather in this moment, that coupled with his flashing glamor constantly dropping, was making my head hurt slightly. It was almost like an optical effect akin to strobe-lighting. It was painful to directly focus on him.
“Your time is valuable, and you pour a mean brew.” I said by way of thanks, refusing to in debt myself to the leprechaun too quickly. I had the distinctive feeling that Ernie would not allow me to leave his business without some form of debt hanging between us as it stood. I did not need to tack on more to this future debt.
He caught my carefully worded thank you, and I saw the high IQ spinning in his eyes. Ernie was almost certain I was not human, just because of that single side-step. A mortal would have just tossed out a sloppy thank you to the fair-folk with no thought for the potential consequences.
“Go and do whatever it is you lot do in there, then find me in my office.” Ernie said in a dismissive tone. He often spoke with the weight of a worldly sage. Even though he was often caught leering at breasts or hips, like any other male. I walked off to the jax as casually as possible. I was not a bad actress, considering I was a garda, and I was accustomed to certain elements doing a leger when I was spotted.
There was this small part of me that knew I could just let Sorcha ask Ernie questions, but no cop worth their salt could be satisfied with indirect questioning. I needed to fish for myself, because I felt like I might think to ask different questions than a fae. We seemed to have different perceptions, and therefore we also might come to slightly different conclusions. Sorcha was powerful, but I think my senses and my eyes might be more astute in some ways. Either that or I was just some magic detector. Sorcha appeared to be concerned with the level and scope of my ability to see into the hidden veil.
I went to the jax, and I washed my hands, slowly counting back from sixty in my head. I didn’t need Jimmy suspecting my behavior at the moment. One supernatural exposure at a time!
***
Ernie was waiting for me; his expression was just north of suspicious now.
“Well, ye have me a captive audience, detective garda, please ask yer questions.”
Ernie said, his suspicion was heady, but he was far south of upset. He was leerier than anything else, just a healthy level of suspicion. I cleared my throat, and I prowled closer to him, and I opened my smartphone.
I tapped through the menu and I opened to some crime scene photos I had saved from the time just after the crime. I held out the phone and handed it to Ernie, and I gave him a stern but cordial look.
“I need you to tell me anything you can about any sup that could kill this viciously in ten seconds or less, while leaving this much damage, and escape in what was described as a black cloud of smoke. Every eyewitness, sup or human all described the same thing, and I am certain some of them were shifters, so, what could deceive that many sups? And, where can I find it?”
I asked, and Ernie’s glamor dropped, I felt his magic filling the space between us. He was no magik
s slouch. He looked me over appraisingly, as if seeing me for the first time.
“Interesting, I had my doubts about your mortality, but it is still surprising hearing your words spoken aloud.”
Ernie said, and he studied the photos for a long silent moment.
“Nasty bit of business, this. Not exactly the bloke you want to find in the shadows. This has all the hallmarks of shadow magiks, dark powers practiced by something connected to night, connected to the powers of what you lot would refer to as “hell.”
He said, and he looked at me with a defiant flash in his eyes.
“Why should I aid ye for free detective? When you have wounded my honor by hiding ye self from me as you have? You want me to look like a dancing monkey to my patrons?”
He asked, his tone never faltering or raising. My instincts told me he was milking this exchange. He wanted to grab whatever debt her could from me now, because I had pretended to be human. This was typical fae bullshit, and one of the plethora of reasons I wanted to remain hidden from this world. I hated all the contrived rules of this world.
“Careful Ernie, you don’t want to overreach, do you? Or do you intend to lose me as a patron?”
I asked, the question lingering in the air for several long beats between us.
Sixteen:
The leprechaun scanned me from head-to-toe, as if looking on me for the first time. I felt magic swelling between us, but my senses told me this was defensive, more a preparation to counter any attack I might make against him.
“I am less than excited to be lied to, even if you are young. Didn’t your elders teach you not to hide yourself from the locals?”
Ernie said in a frustrated tone. I crossed my arms over my chest, and I played the painfully horrid card dealt me.
“No, my mom was killed before my eyes when I was thirteen and an evil spirit possessed my father. No one ever told me anything. I only just learned about this world in the past few years. Forgive me if I am less than amiable about exposing myself to a bunch of powerful immortals.”
Ernie seemed to sputter in place and a large chunk of the fight in his expression vacated at my summary of my shitty childhood. I loathed to play the dead mom card, but Ernie had vital information I needed. I knew that I was well beyond playing under the radar now. This killer was forcing me out into the open, lest I never discover the connections I needed to bring him to justice. As much as I loathe being outed now, and how much it also terrifies me. I will not hide and let more potential victims drop. Nor am I just going to let this bastard get away with this brutal murder.
“I see, that is terrible. That does not, however, completely exonerate you of your dishonesty.”
He said, his eyes never leaving mine. I could see no true malice, but there was the intellect of an ancient being working. He seemed to pivot, trying to keep the upper hand. Considering that I still needed his help, we both knew I was in a pinch.
“I’ve been protecting myself, and I won’t say sorry for that. I don’t have ages of practice and clout to hide behind, do I? Are you going to point me in the right direction or am I wasting both our time?”
Ernie shrugged slightly with his left shoulder.
“Shadowy magiks, and violence with a blade of some sort. I will tell you what I can, but I doubt you will find a smoking gun, as they say. However, I will not do this for free.”
Ernie took my right hand with his in a tight handshake and he gripped my hand tightly, refusing to free it as I tried to pull it back.
“Push out your magiks, I will know what you are. That will be the price for this information.”
I hesitated for a second, considering the ramifications, but ultimately, I decided that Ernie would likely not be out headhunting for stray sups. Even I knew leprechauns were more often protectors of the community. His anger at my subtility was mainly directed at himself, because he felt responsible for all the sups in his orbit. They were amazing illusionists, and as such, used their mists and glamors to help weave layers of fantasy between the sup community, and mortal eyes.
Humans seem to miss certain visible details of my world, but the leprechaun and fae are often responsible for the thick layers of foggy illusion shrouding sups from human eyes. Many times, throughout history humans have discovered the differences of their neighbors, only for pitchfork and torch baring mobs to emerge.
“What?!”
I asked in a mix of shock and dread. It might as well have been a request to allow him to see me fully nude! Sharing my magiks aura with anyone was such a private and deeply guarded secret of mine. Besides, I did not seem to have any people to watch my back, so it made me more uncomfortable when people knew I was different, and alone.
“You heard me, lass. Reveal yourself to me, and I will hold my tongue. Walk out of here now, and my first conversation will be with Jim.”
He said, and there was no malice to his tone, just a matter-of-face sternness. I forced all the emotion off my face, and I huffed a great puff from my lungs. I pulled deeply of my nerve and I centered myself. Then I forced out my magiks and focused just enough into my palm, so that Ernie could feel the zing of my power.
“Mother fecker!” Ernie exclaimed, and he looked up as if peering at the ghost of his long dead grandmum.
“What? Too much energy?”
I asked him in a friendly tone, hiding my confusion.
“No, not that, just caught me off guard with that signature. Blimey, how is it you survived this long? Thought your kind was fecking killed off ages ago!”
Ernie said in an animated tone that told me he was not winding me up or having fun of me.
“I’m not entirely sure I know what you mean. Do you know what I am? What species of sup I am?”
I asked him, barely able to push back the bulk of my excitement. I was practically salivating to hear this bit. I have spent the entirety of my teen and young adult life searching for fragments and cornels of answers to my hidden truth. Ernie stood before me and he held answers.
“Mayhap I do, but what’s in it fer me if I tell you? You were a little gobshite to hide from the local keeper of the tavern hearth. I am a sacred and revered figure, notice how all the factions are equally polite to me, lass? That is my due for hosting the neutrality of Dublin here, for maintaining the peace in the largest demilitarize zone in the world.”
Ernie said, and I slammed my free hand against the wall. I didn’t mean to crack one of the wood panels, but it snapped under the force of my rage. I was a small girl, but I was also something stronger than a human woman. I was not as strong as some large shifter males, but I could honestly hold my own in this world.
“Don’t fob me off! I have been protecting myself as I become a fucking adult! I am not sitting around figuring out ways to piss off the local bar man!”
I snarled at Ernie; my frustration was like a wave of energy all its own animal. I felt the tattoos on my arms, back and chest dancing along my skin, slithering with my mood. Ernie’s eyes seemed to be mesmerized by the visible ink dancing along my skin.
“Don’t recall seeing ink runes do that before. You are an interesting bird.” He said, and he seemed to think about his next sentence carefully.
“I will forgive thee, and I will tell you the name of your mother’s kind, if you catch this killer before they expose our world to the mortals any further. Not Jimmy, but ye must find him.”
I glared at him and I plainly put in, “Jimmy is my partner, and I have already frozen him out of my current investigation a bit too much.”
Mischief danced in the leprechaun’s eyes and I saw the gold swirls reaffirm themselves in his irises.
“Aye, and ye shall continue to make that bugger sweat himself, if you wish to hear your family species. I can tell you right now, none I can think of in Dublin will recognize your magiks. I am the only one who can help you in this matter.”
I deeply scowled at the tiny green man. I held back the string of curses I wanted to lose on him. My anger was bridled, barely, by the
desperate need to hear the truth of my birth. I needed to know what and who I was!
“Fine, but I will make you wish you were dead, if you hold back once I find this nutter!”
I said in a lethal tone, and the leprechaun puffed out his chest and made a sound of deep indignation.
“His word binds a leprechaun! We cannot tell lies, nor do we like the lies of those around us!”
He flashed me an acrid look, and I could guess the direction of that last volley. My inadvertent lies of need had pissed off the little man. I guess it was something one might not know to avoid, considering my ignorance to the ways and customs of the different sup species.
“As I said, I am not lying to you! I was merely trying to protect myself. If my kind is as rare as you say, then I had it right! I knew that I was different, so I hid myself! I will not apologize for this! I’m not a fobbing compulsive liar!”
I growled at the small green man. I gingerly pulled my hand free from his lingering grip, and I held my ground. The little man did not look like he was fearful for his life, but there was a certain level of guardedness in his posture. Whatever I was, he knew it to be strong, potentially lethal. He also seemed firm in his own centuries or millennia of survival.
“Very well, I shall allow for this argument. Just find the killer, detective. I will forgive and forget, yeah?”
He said, and I felt like this was as close to an olive branch as his male ego was allowing for in his situation. He still held the upper hand and the information I wanted about my supernatural clan. I have never been a petty girl, nor have my alpha-female instincts ever caused me to miss when desecration is the better part of valor. I knew that I could punch the green man out, but I also knew that accepting his route to peace was the quickest way to vital personal information. Part of me was burning mad that he was blackmailing me to do my job! I was a copper; I would never stop hunting a sick perp who eviscerates women!
“Agreed, I find the killer, and you will tell me everything you know about my people and our history as a species. Also, you will point me in the right direction to any literature or tomes that might exist that could help me further my education or my magiks.”
