Darkness & Light (War of the Fae: Book 3) (9 page)

Gregale reached my side and I leaned over to talk quietly in his ear.
 
“I hope a Reasoner is like a lawyer.”

Gregale looked at me quizzically, but I decided now was not the time to explain the concept or make the translation.

Dardennes cast a look out to the crowd, immediately quieting things down.

“Has the changeling been accused of violating any fae laws?” asked Gregale to the council.

“Not yet.
 
We were getting to that,” said the old man, sarcastically.

“Oh.
 
Please forgive me.
 
By all means, continue.”

“Why thank you, gray elf.
 
We appreciate your graciousness.”

Gregale’s face went a little red.
 
I’m not sure what the protocol was around here, but it looked like maybe Gregale had just put his foot in it.
 
Great.
 
My lawyer was
Vinny
in ‘My Cousin
Vinny
’.
 
I just hoped he could get the same ultimate results.

“The changeling Jayne has admitted to taking the jet to her hometown and bringing her friend Tony back with her to our compound.
 
He is a human boy who has previously declined the change.”

Gregale leaned over and whispered in my ear.
 
“So far, no
laws broken,
just bad choices.”

I rolled my eyes at him.
 
He sounded like my mom.

“The law is that no human shall be given a second chance to make the change once that opportunity has been declined.”

There were a few comments from the assembly that sounded like agreements.
 
I guess some of the fae really liked that rule.
 
Selfish bastards.

“May it please the council, the human Tony has not been changed, therefore, this law has not been broken.”

“Correct.
 
But we understand that Jayne intends to break this law,” challenged the councilman.

“Intent to do something is not a violation of the law, technically speaking, sir.”
 
Gregale cleared his throat, obviously not entirely comfortable with being confrontational.

I smiled.
 
Gregale was kicking ass.
 
I could tell the old fart on the council was getting pissed.
 
I leaned over and spoke quietly to Gregale.
 
“I want them to change the law.
 
I want Tony to be a changeling.”

Gregale leaned in to whisper a reply.
 
“There is very little chance of that happening.
 
That is a very old rule and has been on the books for hundreds of years.”

“Well, it’s time for a change.
 
We have a war coming.
 
Tony is a resource.
 
He’s either
ours or theirs
.
 
Ben has made it clear he wants Tony.
 
If we don’t have him with us, he will be against us.”
 
I put my hand on Gregale’s sleeve.
 
“And if he goes,
I
go.”

Gregale’s eyes opened wide in shock.
 
“You don’t mean that you would leave us?”

“Yes, I do mean that.
 
I’d go Dark Fae all the way and wear the damn t-shirt if it meant saving Tony’s life.
 
I can’t look out for him if he’s there and I’m here.
 
We stick together.
 
We’re a team.”

Gregale shook his head, looking at the floor.
 

I couldn’t tell from his expression if he was pissed or sad.
 
I was probably asking for the impossible, but I didn’t care.
 
This is how it was for me – black and white.
 
If they weren’t with me, they were against me – scary to think I was quoting Ben’s words now.
 
I’d made some friends here, that
was
true.
 
And I didn’t wish any of them ill will, and I’d never do anything to hurt any of them.
 
But, if I had to choose between them and Tony?
 
It would be Tony every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the council,” Gregale nodded to the council members and then turned and faced the assembled fae, “Ladies and gentlemen fae ... the changeling Jayne would like to put forth a petition – a petition to change the existing law as it relates to the humans agreeing to accept the change and become changelings.”

Everyone immediately began talking, some of them pretty loudly, out in the assembly.
 
I noticed several council members leaning left or right to confer with their neighbors.

“What does she propose, exactly?” asked Dardennes.
 
He was watching me closely, his expression giving nothing away.

Gregale leaned over to me.
 
“I think it’s best that you do the talking on this one.”

I cleared my throat and began, nervously, still holding onto Tony’s hand while facing the council.
 
“It’s true that Tony has once decided not to become a changeling.
 
He was then erased and sent home.
 
But after he was sent home, he was contacted and befriended by a powerful Dark Fae by the name of Ben.
 
I knew there was something wrong, so I went back for him.
 
Even though only a month had gone by, this fae had already exerted a lot of influence over Tony.
 
Ben and I faced off, and Tony agreed to come with me.”
 
I turned to face the assembly.
 
“You have to let him make the change.
 
If he leaves here, Ben will take him over to the Dark Fae.
 
He’ll be lost to me forever.”
 
My voice caught on the last word.
 
I couldn’t help it.
 
The idea of losing Tony?
 
Too much.

An older woman on the council spoke up.
 
“We have all lost loved ones to the Dark Fae.
 
We cannot save them if that is the choice they make.”

“But this isn’t his choice!” I argued back.
 
“He’s choosing the Light Fae as his family!
 
But we’re denying him that choice.”

“He had his chance and he rejected us!” yelled someone from the crowd.
 
Some other fae cheered him on, obviously agreeing.

“He didn’t reject the Light Fae, you idiot – he rejected the fae in general.
 
He’s a pacifist.
 
He doesn’t like war.”

Gregale touched my arm and whispered loudly, “You may want to refrain from insulting those whose support you seek.”

I whispered back, “I feel like I’m talking to a bunch of children.”

“Be patient,” he counseled.
 
“The fae fear change.
 
It has caused many deaths in our world.”

I sighed, turning halfway so I faced both the council and the assembled fae.
 
“Listen, I’m sorry if I insulted you guys.
 
It’s just that you have to understand – Tony is my best friend.
 
He’s like a brother to me.
 
And like it or not, laws or not, he and I are going to be together.
 
He understands now that war is inevitable.
 
He has new information he didn’t have before.
 
He has decided to join us.”

The old man on the council stood up.
 
“You flout the laws of the Light Fae!
 
You stand here in front of our assembled body and tell us you intend to break our laws, and then expect no consequence?
 
You are a foolish changeling!”

“No!” I yelled back, turning to face the old man.
 
“I am not saying I’m going to break your stupid, antiquated, useless law!
 
I’m telling you that if you don’t change this law, I’m outta here!
 
You can take your stupid amulet,” I grabbed at the ring on my finger, pulling and tugging to get it off, “and shove it up your ass!”

I finally got the ring off and held it in front of me.
 
The crowd that had become very rowdy and vocal in their displeasure, dropped into dead silence when the ring suddenly began to glow.

I spoke as if nothing weird was going on, the green glow from my ring beaming up to hit the stone ceiling above us, bouncing off, and illuminating the entire room with a soft green light.
 
“You have the opportunity to welcome Tony into our Light Fae community.
 
To do this you must revise the law and allow him to accept the change, even though he declined it once.
 
Make no mistake.”
 
I ran my gaze over each of the council members and then back at the assembled fae, “if you keep the law as it is, I will leave this place and never come back.
 
I will gladly become one of the Dark Fae, if you show me today that they want Tony and me more than you do.”
 
I looked at them in disgust.
 
“I don’t stay where I’m not wanted.”

I turned and tossed the ring to the council, not caring who caught it, the glow immediately turning off as it left my hand.
 
Céline, the silver elf who was the first to train me and the one who initially interviewed me when I was still living a human life in Florida, reached up and caught it in mid-air.
 
She looked down at it with an expression of disbelief.
 

My finger felt light where the amulet had previously sat.
 
The ring was a heavy, pyramid-shaped crystal, set in sterling silver with gold prongs.
 
It was the amulet that had been used to change me from human to fae.
 
Everyone else had returned their amulets after speaking the words that started the transformation, but Dardennes had told me to keep mine.
 
I felt a little naked without it on.
 
I wondered if the ring was what kept me linked to my power, so I reached out tentatively to The Green to check.
 
I was relieved to find its welcoming hum still waiting for me – wanting to connect.
 
I didn’t indulge myself though, because I had a grand exit to make.

“Come on, Tony.
 
Let’s blow this friggin’
popsicle
stand.”
 
I started to walk towards the aisle, pulling him after me.

“Wait!” yelled Dardennes, shouting to be heard over the ruckus created by a roomful of pissed off fae.

I stopped and Tony ran into me.
 
He whispered his apologies and backed up.
 
I could sense Chase behind us too.
 
I was relieved to know that Dardennes wasn’t going to just let me walk off alone with Tony dragging behind me.
 
I turned to look at the council again.

“Jayne,” he started, smiling patiently at me, “I don’t think you realize what you are asking of this council.”
 
Several heads on the council started nodding.

“Oh, no,” I said loudly, “believe me I do.
 
I’m asking them to get off their crusty
asses
and wake up to what’s going on outside these walls.
 
But I can see they’re too stuck in the past – too busy ignoring the obvious signs around them.
 
That’s fine ... whatever.
 
I’ll go somewhere where my talents and contributions will be appreciated.”

That one really got them going, especially the old fart who was so critical of me.
 
“She has absolutely
no
respect for this council or the Light Fae.
 
Let her leave!”

“No!” came a voice from the back of the room.

I watched, stunned, as Jared came striding purposefully up the center aisle.

“You cannot let her leave.
 
She is a valuable asset that we need on our side.”

“Jared!
 
What are you saying?” asked the old man, taken aback, speaking as if he’d been betrayed.
 
Clearly, he was not happy with Jared getting involved.

“I’m saying that I’ve been out on the front lines, recruiting for the Light Fae, gathering candidates for the change.
 
And I’ve seen first hand that the Dark Fae
are
very busy doing the same thing.
 
But they aren’t being so selective and they’re building their forces a lot faster than we are.
 
We need everyone we can get – so to let someone of Jayne’s ... talents ... go?
 
That would be a big mistake in my opinion.
 
A mistake that would ultimately hurt us all.”

“I agree,” said Gregale, speaking up to be heard.
 
“In fact, all of the gray elves agree.
 
We have very limited resources.
 
Although at first against the idea of changelings being involved in our efforts to combat the Dark Fae and their ever persistent attempts to force their agenda on our human friends, we have since come to change our minds on that score, in no small part because of the things Jayne has shown us that she and her friends are capable of.
 
Without them, we would be missing a significant and vital portion of our arsenal.”