by J G Jerome
Faisal says, “I don’t know what to do, Jack. I have a friend that I don’t wish to be parted from. He’s human.”
I purse my lips as Faisal watches my reaction. “If he’s willing to leave with you, you could work for me. The Winter Court doesn’t stigmatize same-sex couples, but I don’t think they generally allow humans to live there. Ask one of the Ravens, Trina, or Queen Myra to be certain. I can ensure you have a place to live and security work - or other work if you have other skills. Same for your partner. I will have to manufacture ID for you in the US, but I’m willing to do that. Eileen might even be able to make it official. It will be less of an issue for the Turkish residence once we have it established. What do you think?”
Faisal responds, “We both are practicing Muslims.”
“I don’t care what faith you practice, so long as it doesn’t promote harming others. You will definitely find it easier to practice your faith and love each other working for me. The offer is there. Let me know what you want to do,” I tell him.
He nods, “I appreciate your offer, Jack. I will consult with Abdul and get back with you.”
“Okay,” I say. “I need to get the Djinn, the Seraglio, and the rest sorted.”
We head upstairs to the audience chamber of the Dread Lord.
30 - Next Steps
I find the two squads of Faerie knights along the perimeter. I don’t see any of the wolves in sight, and only the Goblins from the family. The Ravens are arrayed around a dais with a throne on it. I walk to Maddock and whisper into his ear, “Hey buddy, see if you can find a simple chair or stool or something. I’m not going to sit on that asshole’s throne.”
Maddock rumbles, “Right, boss.” He walks behind the throne and comes out with a stacking chair.
I take it from him and sit it in front of the dais facing the room. I sit down and look at the assembled remainder of the Dread Lord’s court. Nearly all of the ladies are dressed like harem slaves from 1001 Arabian Nights. The bell for the lift rings. Louis and Trinity are stationed on either side of the doors as they open. An Arabic-looking Sidhe male and two females walk out of the elevator and report to Trina.
Trina says, “Thank you, Karim.” She pats the male on the shoulder before he bows and moves to the back of the assembled Sidhe. Trina hugs one of the females. “Welcome to the family, Ilara. Quickly introduce me to your sister.”
Ilara pulls the other Sidhe women into their hug. “Sure, Trina. This is my younger sister, Armani. Armani, this is Princess Trina Laughlin.”
Armani’s eye’s bug, “You’re that Trina? Oh my! I’m honored to meet you, Princess.”
Trina shakes her head. “Not a princess, Beautiful. I’m Queen Myra’s wife and Jack’s Chief Concubine. I see my master looking at me impatiently. Let’s join the group.”
I cock an eyebrow at that last bit as my family chuckles. I thought I was smiling to see her charming the natives rather than ‘looking impatiently.’ At that time, the Queen of all Faerie walks through the portal followed by the rest of my family. Maddock runs out and hurries back in with a stack of chairs. Grace shakes her head and pats his arm with a smile.
Myra calls out softly, “Wives up front please.” She leads the way, and I stand to kiss my beautiful Queen. I offer her my chair, but she shakes her head. She releases me, and Kristina jumps into my arms and wraps her legs around me for her kiss. I’m sure her short skirt is flashing the audience, but I just can’t manage to care. Supreet is in her hybrid form, and she wraps all six arms around me for her kiss. Then Chelsea takes her place and leans in with a low growl of ‘mine’ before devouring my lips. Grace is gently affectionate in her kiss. L’liana follows Kristina’s example.
I sit back on the chair. Myra, Grace, and Kristina all touch my neck and shoulders.
“Hello everyone. I am Jack Jerome. I have titles that I suppose I should share with you. You have probably heard Farouk curse me because of my title of Green Lord.” That elicits a gasp from the assembled crowd. “I am also King of the Goblin people. Behind me is Myra Jerome, neé Moira ab Liam Mac Nessus, former Winter Lady, and now the Faerie Queen.”
I pause when I feel a hand leave my neck. When the hand returns, I continue. “Also behind me is Grace Jerome, Queen of the Goblin people...” I give a pause to allow Grace to wave to the crowd. “...and Kristina Jerome, neé Kristina Unterberg from the Miner Clan of the dwarves, Queen of my Hearth. Kristina runs the family.” Again I pause.
“The Dread Lord is dead. I know this may not be a cause for joy among you as he was the head of your family. I assure you that it is not a cause for joy among my family either. It is a cause for relief in my family knowing that all people now have an opportunity to flourish without his Dread hanging over us. It is also a source of regret for me personally in that I was not able to find a way to stop him without taking his life, as well as Yasmine’s and Hakim’s.”
I pause to let that sink in. “I have been taught that the Dread Lord is the opposite of myself. Whereas dread and fear were the source of his power, the source of my power is love. My powers are the powers of creation.” I see Abu leading Zana and Alia into the room. They stand a little apart from the crowd. “I killed many people before my powers came to me. I am quite sick of killing. As a result, I always attempt to find non-lethal ways to deal with enemies. Unfortunately the powers of Dread didn’t leave me much room. As a result, Hakim, Yasmine, Farouk, and one of the younger sons of this house now are all dead. Where is the young man’s mother?”
One of the Sidhe in costume speaks up. “I am Najila, and I am Mahmoud’s mother. My son was too much influenced by his father, but I loved him regardless,” she moans.
I get up and kneel before her. I pull her into a hug. “As you should. I regret there was no other way. I know Trina is haunted by the necessity of killing Mahmoud by my command. Thank you for getting the other mothers to help control the children so no more had to die.” I kiss her forehead and return to my seat.
I scan the room. There are thirteen Sidhe males that look like they are guards, five more dressed in business suits, nine human guards, sixteen Sidhe women - mostly in costume, sixteen children of various ages, and twenty-seven Djinn males. Remembering Abu’s briefing, four of the Sidhe women must be Verdic, but I’m at a loss as to which ones. I see one of the ladies smile at one of the Djinn and think, ‘Now I only need to figure out the other three.’
I ask the crowd, “Which of you ladies are the same race as Farouk?” They look confused. I try a different question. “Which of you ladies was fathered by Farouk?” The smiling woman, a dour matron off to the side, and two ladies that look like they are in their thirties raise their hands. “Have your abilities been activated?” The smiling woman nods, but the other three shake their heads.
The matron says, “If you will let me run away with these nomads, I will eat the flesh.”
I shrug, “It might be better if you haven’t. I don’t know. When men of Farouk’s lineage have bred Djinn women the results were not good. Either way, you get to choose. We will have to use flesh from one of the dead Sidhe, but there is plenty. The Djinn are dying out, so I am eager to introduce new blood into their gene pool. I call our race ‘Verdic.’ If any of you Verdic ladies wish to leave and start families with the Djinn, you have my blessings.”
The four women go to stand among the Djinn. I say, “Rest assured that I’m doing my part, too.” I look over at Zandra to see her smile brilliantly. “If you ladies can deliver daughters, then the unwed Djinn males can mate with them to create more diversity. To our Djinn friends, I will also work with the Elves to see if there is some way we can introduce more variety into your gene pool.” The Djinn all nod, and a few of them smile.
“My goal for the rest of you is to renovate the hotel, turn it into a 5-star property, and the proceeds from that will support the family that remain. I need confirmation from the Chamberlain that it’s possible.”
A young Sidhe male in a suit says, “Sadly, it is not possible
to consult with him as he was one of the rapists killed. I was his assistant, and I am a lawyer. Having read the deeds, I think the royal family will swoop in and take ownership. It’s not worth the effort.”
I nod. “Thank you for your honesty. We’ll explore other options. All of the children, I will foster personally. Your mothers are welcome to come with you as my guests. Based on what I have learned, the nanobots in your bloodstream are responsible for affecting your emotions and actions towards becoming a Dread Lord, or as the Djinn say - a ‘Grey breather.’ I think there is something faulty in the nanobots that we can correct, but I’m not certain. It may be a case of just not having a positive environment. My wife Lili is going to make that her priority. In the meantime, I will work with each of you and all of you collectively to give you a better male role model than Farouk did.”
A young man raises his hands. “How do we know the Lord is dead?”
I stand and remove the remains of my jacket and shirt to show the Living Shadows on my flesh.
“I am marked by his Dread Cloud. I took them and made them mine. I tried to exhaust his power, but he claimed he could create infinite amounts of Dread Cloud indefinitely.” A couple of the boys nod.
“That left me no choice but to remove his head and cut the remaining body in half. Even then his powers tried to rebuild his body. In the end, I had to pulverize his head and then separate his soul from the nanobots. After that, Yasmine’s spirit guided him into the afterlife. If one of you brave young men will volunteer to attack me with a Dread Cloud, I will demonstrate what I did. You will not be harmed as I am asking you to do this.” Two boys raise their hands. “Whichever is stronger.”
The older one shrugs and waves to the younger. He looks barely twelve.
The boy stands and says, “Lord, I am Sabah bin Farouk al-Jaber al-Sabah. I am the strongest that remains of my father’s children. My sister Melia is older, but nearly as strong.”
I nod as I remove the remnants of my coat and shirt. “Thank you for helping me Sabah. Please send a very large cloud to attack me.”
He does, and it’s as large as any of the clouds Farouk sent at me! Fortunately, I’ve had practice. I treat them the same as I have the others - wrap them in loving energy and invite them to take up residence around my right bicep rather than adding to what is on my left. I breathe deeply as they burn my flesh and then finally settle into a geometric tattoo around my bicep that is about two inches wide.
I say, “Sabah, that cloud was as big as any that your sire threw out in combat, and bigger than what Hakim used. You are very strong indeed. Now, see how big of a mark you left on my body?” I point to the tattoo on my right arm. “Compare that to my left side, and you’ll know how much of your sire’s cloud I absorbed.” That creates a lot of surprised looks. “Farouk hated everything I represented and viewed me as a minor obstacle to his grand plan. He discovered too late that love is a powerful force.”
I give them a moment to absorb that before pulling on the remnants of my shirt and coat.
“Sabah, Melia, all of you children and adolescents, I am now your foster father. You are not the first I fostered. I hope I will be a good father to you all,” I tell them sincerely.
Melia asks, “Who else did you foster?”
“Me!” exclaims Marigold with Acorn, Persimmon, and Periwinkle joining in shortly thereafter.
The Demi-fey fly up and crowd on my shoulders. Acorn says, “My father also tried to kill Lord Jack and Lady Trina. Jack has been like a father to us since. He has employed us all now. My older siblings had all left home prior to Father’s death, and they are all quite jealous of how Jack treats us. We are different than you are, but I am confident he will be a good father to you all.” He hugs my ear and flies to the back of the room to rest on Trina. The others follow his example and perch on Daphne, Solange, and Sowie.
I try to wrap up this initial address. “The remaining Sidhe are all welcome in the Winter Court. Queen Ariana has extended an invitation to you all. If you would prefer to go to the Summer Court, I’m sure Queen Titania and Lady Lindel would welcome you, too. In case you’re wanting to find a mate, the Summer Court is short of females. The Winter Court is short of males. No one will be telling you what to do. You will have to make choices.”
The Sidhe named Ilara says, “We are all from the Qamar Alsahra, or ‘Desert Moon,’ clan of the Sidhe. Farouk would swoop in to steal our daughters and impress our sons into his service. We used to be of the Winter Court, but broke off a couple of centuries ago when human population grew denser in the desert.”
Myra says, “It doesn’t matter. You may visit a court, join a court, or remain autonomous. Regardless, I would like to meet your clan and ensure we have good relations.”
I say, “I’m looking at building a residence in eastern Turkey, in the Armenian highlands. If your clan would wish to relocate, you would be welcome to join us there. Travel to either court will be possible from either of my residences.”
Najila asks, “Where is your other residence?”
I nod. “It’s in Arizona, in the United States. Construction finished this week. I had planned to be moving in today, but Eileen threw a spanner in those plans,” I say with a grin for future wife number seven. She laughs out loud, and the rest of the family join her. “I sized it for a family of twenty-eight. I’ve already outgrown it, so it will be tight.”
I look at Kristina. She says, “We’ll just have to repurpose some of the guest suites to housing for our larger family. Merrill also built a good number of apartments in the Sith. We can easily house one hundred; although, not everyone will have a separate apartment.”
I agree, “Sounds like a workable solution.” I stand and clap my hands. “Okay, that’s the formal presentation. I want to meet each of you, and then I’ll leave you to figure out what you want to do. After I meet everyone, I have some Orcs here doing clean-up that I would like to say hello to. If you’re leaving, pack up. We’re all going to be gone by four this afternoon.” I look to Trina. “We need to do a mind wipe on the construction workers.”
She smiles, “I already have the story worked out, Master.”
I send her smile back. “I’m lucky to have you, Pet.” Her smile gets brighter if that’s possible.
Then I make the rounds to greet everyone, so I can go home and start caring for my family and my businesses.
Epilogue
Two weeks later, I’m lying in bed with Myra watching the colors of sunset fade over Oak Creek while we enjoy our post-coital glow.
“A little introspection, my Beloved Husband?” She asks.
I nod quietly.
“A lot has happened since our wedding ceremony and honeymoon,” she murmurs.
“Um hm,” I respond.
As is often the case with wives, she is right.
We got everyone out of the hotel by three-thirty the afternoon I killed Farouk. Trina mind-wiped the construction crew, the human desk crew, and the housekeeping staff. The Orcs got all the mess cleaned up and skipped back through the portal with my blessing and commitment to visit the Orcan lands. Ilara and Armani packed up and came with us. They have been working with Kristina to ensure the concierge desks at our new house are manned properly since we arrived.
The bulk of the Sidhe women are here with their children. Interestingly, none of the Verdic women had allowed Farouk to impregnate them. Matun, the imprisoned boy, has been working with me to help the ‘Grey’ children to control their rages and to become more loving. L’liana took blood samples from all of the Verdic women and children to compare to mine, Sera’s and Selene’s. Matun is going to be a powerful force for good - he’s a sweet boy. Melia is very fond of him, and that may become quite a love story over time.
Abu went to Syria for the time being. He has been doing important work at his clinic, and he and his family seem happy. They’ll come out and look at the residence in the Armenian Highlands once it’s complete. I suspect he won’t join us. Neither of us wants to be remi
nded of our old war and the ghosts that still are too close after all this time. I understand that Alia has been calling Azeem every day since they got home. I suspect she won’t be happy until she has married him.
All of the remaining Sidhe returned to the Desert Moon clan with the exception of the assistant Chamberlain, Parvaz bin Kabr al Qamar Alsahra. He is now managing the hotel for the Kuwaiti Royal family. They seem happy with him, and he keeps me updated. He got their permission to take on an investor to renovate the hotel, so Megan and Gerry started working with him yesterday on the contract for investment from Green Field Capital Management. We will have a twenty percent share in the property, which is the maximum the Royal Family would allow. Myra went to visit the Desert Moon clan four days after our return. Yeshua and team came back with her. We expect the clan to join us once we are established in eastern Turkey.
The Verdic ladies have been causing quite a mess among the Djinn males. They are not willing to settle with any of them, but have been trying to sample them all instead. The Djinn women are horrified. I expect the Verdic ladies will settle down once they are pregnant, but maybe I’m overly optimistic. I’m hopeful they will birth viable Djinn babies. Zandra explained to the Djinn women that I would be coming to visit with a doctor every three months to artificially inseminate them. I also plan to rejuvenate the one that is past ‘birthing age.’ Our first visit is scheduled next week.
My family and I moved into our new house the day after we got back. Peg showed up with Trina’s ‘closet’ in tow. Peg, Arista, Arieste, Celeste, and Kristina have been busily getting the house in order. Kristina and Peg have become fast friends. Trina has been training the ‘concierge staff’ on security procedures with Ilara and Armani conducting the training on the hospitality functions. Faisal and Abdul arrived at our portal entrance about three days ago and have joined the concierge staff. Abdul had wanted to open a coffee shop in the souk of Kuwait City, but he claims he is satisfied running the coffee bar on the second floor and being able to live openly with the man he loves. We discussed that eventually we may have him run a coffee bar in the winery adjacent to the planned restaurant.
