Twist of Fae (13 page)

I stepped forward and
eyed the messenger Dwarf.

"The King does not
agree, my Lady," he continued, ignoring me for the moment. "Nor does
he recognize his right to hold such a position. Such title among the Dryad has
always been held by the eldest daughter, as the old ways ascribe."

He looked directly at me
as he uttered the last, almost daring me to reply. Nikki started to inch
forward but I held her back, trying my hardest not to get too angry myself. Then
I saw Jay and a few others move in closer to the Dwarves. I was about to jump
in when Cacilia answered.

"Your words are offensive…"
she began to say.

Then the floor trembled
and Nikki stepped forward, red with anger. The Dwarves tried to stay on their
feet, as did the other Fae, and then I saw their warriors try and reach for
their weapons but the trembling made them unsteady. I didn't know how she was
doing it, Nikki that is, shaking the very ground we stood on. It had to be the
magic taking over.

I had told her about the
first time it happened to me, when I met Delia and fought the werewolves, and I
remembered what that rage was like when it had first overtaken me. I closed in,
hoping to get her to calm down before she got out of control.

As I grabbed on to her I felt
her power surge. More than I had generated that first time or even when I'd
battled the Demons here before. I didn't know what she'd become, but I was
suddenly very afraid. Then she turned to me.

"Don’t worry,
Daddio," she whispered, her eyes glowing with magic. Then her face
lightened and a mischievous grin appeared. "I've got this."

She jumped down from the dais
and into the crowd, her bow in her hand and arrows flying faster than I could
count. I started to go after her but Charlie stopped me. As the crowd parted, I
soon saw that she had fired an arrow at each Dwarf, expertly placing each one between
their feet.

"You little
shits," she said, anger in her voice.

One Dwarf behind Nain
began to pull his axe, and swift as lightning, her bow was up and an arrow
pierced his helmet.

"Anybody else?"
she asked, another already nocked and ready to fire.

"This is…" Nain
started to reply but was quickly shushed.

"Shut up!"
Nikki said, shouldering her bow. "Just who the hell do you think you
are?"

Cacilia hadn't moved, and
we watched spellbound as Nikki waved her right hand and the earth rumbled again
as small, thin roots shot up from the ground towards each Dwarf, relieving them
of their weapons and dragging them into the ground behind them before retreating
back from where they came.

Her eyes glowed and I
could see tendrils of magic forming around her, swirling and bursting back and
forth between the trees and ground. I'd never seen anything quite like it but
it reminded me of the night I'd freed the Lilin. Even so, I'd had the sword of
Zeus and a talisman from Demeter when that had occurred. Nikki was doing this
on her own.

"You think you can
just waltz in here, call us liars and disrespect my father… my family?"
she asked loudly, daring for Nain to reply. "On your knees!" There
was a sound of thunder and I felt my ears pop as the air shifted and the
Dwarves were forcibly pushed down to the ground. Once again, thin roots
appeared and this time they quickly wound their way around the Dwarves wrists
and ankles, securing them so they couldn't move. Then Nikki returned to the
dais and walked over to Demeter's throne. There was a hush among the Fae as she
stood there a moment, then making her decision, sat down.

Holy shit! I thought to
myself. What had she become?

"Where was your king
when the Gods fought and the heavens trembled and my people died with weapons
and magic forged by your kind? I'll tell you where he was. Trembling like the coward
he is while Valen and the others did what they could. Oh yes, master of nothing
but an empty hand, we remember too well. We also want Fae whole again, but not,
I think, the way your king would. At our expense while our backs bow under the
weight of his madness. No, I don't think so."

"This message I pass
to your king. Listen well for I will not repeat myself. Whether under my
father's rule or mine, your kind are banished from our woods forever under pain
of death. I offer sanctuary to any that you would prosecute, including Valen
and his kin, and woe be to you if I ever see you again."

"You cannot,"
Nain muttered, trying to wrestle free from the roots that held him down.
"Your magic is no match for our K…"

"Isn’t it?"
Nikki replied. She exploded from the throne and in a single leap stood before
him. Removing an arrow from her quiver she knelt down and forced it into the
Dwarf's mouth. "Here is my answer to your king. You can tell him what he
is up against yourself." Then she plunged her fist into the ground as magic
bolts surged and poured forth from her body. Then there was a loud pop and the
roots that once bound them fell to the ground, empty. The Dwarves they had held,
gone.

No one moved. Hell, I
don’t think anyone let out a breath. Then Jay walked up to where she was still
kneeling and grabbed an arm, helping her to stand. The magic had retreated and
she was just Nikki again, or at least that's how she looked.

"Wow," he said.
"That was impressive and the arrow was a nice touch."

"Yeah, saw it on a
TV show," she replied. "I thought it would make a good visual."

"Not as good as
making them disappear. Where'd you send them anyway?"

"Back to their Dark
Fields and their King," she said. "Or at least I think I did."

"You think you did?"
Jay asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you know this
was going to happen?" Cacilia asked me.

"I had no idea,"
I replied, still flabbergasted at all that I had just seen.

By this time Nikki had
realized that everyone was quiet and took a good look around. As her eyes
rested on the crowd a single Fae fell to one knee and bowed, then another, then
another and within a few seconds the rest followed suit. I saw a slight blush
as she turned to me and then, seeming to come to some decision, walked towards us
with Jay in tow.

"It appears that she
has made her choice after all," Cacilia pointed out as Nikki leapt back on
the dais and sat down on the throne. Jay, taking his place to the left of her,
stayed at her side.

"I guess she
has," I replied. I wasn't sure what, or even how, she'd done it. But I
walked over to where Nikki sat. Stepping in front of the throne and knowing
what I had to do, I knelt down on one knee.

Cacilia, still behind me,
did the same and then I presented Nikki with the hilt of my sword.

"Oh, please, Dad,"
she said in a slightly embarrassed tone. "Get up. You, too, Cacilia."

"Uh, okay Nikki...
but you do realize that by everything you've done and by sitting in that throne
you just became Queen."

She just smiled and then
stood and faced the crowd before her.

I helped Cacilia rise and
we stood to the right of the throne as Nikki began to address the Fae.

"My friends, no, my
family, please rise," she began. "Today we witnessed what happens
when those who would use lies and deceit to tempt us are unmasked. I'm sure
many of you may question why I would do such a thing and I will tell you. These
Dwarves spoke of a return to the old ways. But what old ways are they talking
about? My father told me that when the worlds were young all of us lived
together in peace. Humans, Fae, Elves and Dwarves, as well as the other
creatures that inhabited our worlds. If these were the old ways of which they
speak then I would be all for it. But, unfortunately, they are not."

"No, what these
Dwarves want is a return to the time when Gods ruled and the Fae were nothing
but servants and playthings for them to use as they wish. With the old Gods
gone, Grerin thinks he can assume their place and that we will meekly follow. Not
on my watch!"

"When I was a little
girl I wondered about others. Those that had more material things than we did
and those that held positions of power. I thought, like some of you may, that
they might be better than us. But then I asked my father and he told me
something that I never forgot. That, yes, they did have more than we did, that
was true. But they were not better than us. They, like all of us, put their
pants on one leg at a time." Then she chuckled.

"I'm sorry, it is
easy to forget that you may not know much about the human world. But it simply
means that while some may hold higher positions, or have greater wealth, within
us, where it matters, we are all the same."

"My father also told
me that what will keep us safe is our strength. Strength in magic. Do you
remember the last words Nain spoke? He began to say that their magic was
stronger than ours. But I showed him he was wrong. You may look at my father
and me, and say that that power must come from being a High Fae. But that alone
is not true. That strength comes from being a part of something greater than
ourselves. For that magic was not his, nor was it mine alone, it was ours. For
only through drawing from your strength could I do such a thing. I know you are
frightened by what has happened today, but there is no reason to be afraid. Together
we will weather any storm that others would bring to our realm."

As she finished the Fae
began to cheer and she stepped back down from the throne to mingle and speak with
the crowd, Jay following behind her. Then from above, the winged horse, Althaea
descended, landing on the dais next to us. From behind me, I saw Handion and
Sylvana approach. She was carrying a wrapped bundle and stopped at Althaea's
side, waiting.

"It appears that you
have lost the throne," Handion said as he slid up next to me.

"Yeah, well," I
said with a smile. "I was only holding it for her anyway and I think the
Dwarves will think twice before moving against us again. Wish I knew how she
did it, though. Although I guess I should be happy she didn't have to go
through what I did. But it almost seemed like she knew how to wield it all the
time."

"Indeed," he
agreed. "Perhaps when you opened her mind you did something more."

"Something
more?" I asked. "Like what?"

"Perhaps you gave
her a bit of yourself. Some of your power as it were, both to her and your
son."

"So, what? I turned
her into a High Fae… or is she something more?"

"I cannot say,"
Handion replied. "But she is certainly more than I expected."

"Boy, isn't that the
truth. Well, whatever she's become, I'm going to need your help," I said,
still trying to digest what I had seen and heard. "To guide Nikki, that
is. At least until we can find Bernd."

"You do not wish to
do so yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah, right,"
I said with a chuckle. "You should have seen me trying to teach her to
drive."

He looked at me with a
puzzled expression.

"Forget about it,"
I said, still smiling. "Yes, I can teach her some. But she'll need someone
like you to keep her on the straight and narrow. We're just too much alike for
some things."

"Perhaps," he
said. "But from what I have seen this morning I do not think that will be
a problem."

"What will happen
now?" Cacilia asked as she approached the two of us.

"I think we're about
to find out," I replied and pointed to Nikki, now back on the dais and walking
towards us.

"Sorry, Dad,"
she said as she walked up to me. "It was just something I had to do."

"Don't be
sorry," I replied. "But you are gonna have to tell me how you did
that some time. But you did good. So now what?"

"I have a few
ideas," Nikki replied.

"Good," I
quipped. "I could use a little vacation."

"Don't you wish,"
she said, then turned to address the Fae once again.

"You honor me with
your confidence and I thank you all for your encouragement and support,"
she began. "So there can be no doubt as to where we stand, my father shall
forever maintain his title of King and I name him Regent to manage our affairs
in the human world. Cacilia will continue as Steward of the realm and I task my
brother to help our realm stay secure. He in the human realm, and Sylvana and
the Hamadryad here. Along with those already in such a position, they will keep
us safe and secure." She looked directly at Sophie before turning back to
the audience. "But enough of ceremony. The past is the past and we will
not let it deter us from our future. Go, rejoice, for tomorrow is a new
day."

"You want to tell me
where all that came from," I asked a few minutes later as the Fae trickled
out of the Temple.

"Geez, Dad,"
she said with a laugh. "All those years of Star Wars and HBO and you have
to ask?"

"Cute," I
replied.

"I have something
for you," Sylvana said as she appeared from Althaea's side. She unwrapped
the package in her hand and placed it at Nikki's feet. Inside were a Fae sword
and another bow, this one with an ornate design. "These belonged to the
Goddess."

"What about my
brother?" Nikki asked.

"Do not worry, my
Queen. I have something for him as well," Sylvana replied with a nod.

Nikki picked up the sword
and examined it. It looked new, but that didn't surprise me with a Fae blade.
It was highly polished with the perfectly detailed image of a hand holding what
appeared to be an ear of some grain, probably wheat, on the pommel.

As she held it I had a
thought. Taking the sword from her, I took out my own again and handed it to
her by the hilt. This time she accepted it and the blade extended, the blue
flame travelling slowly up and down as she watched.

"Dad," she said
after a moment. "I can’t take this."

"Sure you can,"
I replied, slipping Demeter's sword into my belt. "You're the Queen now,
remember? Besides, it's easier to keep hidden than this thing. You're gonna need
that back in the human world. All you have to do is think of what you want and
the sword will obey."