Twist of Fae (4 page)

He just wagged his tail and followed the Faeries to the wall
where he stopped as they dropped down on the other side.

A moment later the Faeries were back in sight. I could see
that each Faerie held a rope of what looked like spider's silk, with the
struggling package dangling below. It was their captive, wrapped up tight.
Charlie followed them as they flew back to me with their prize and dropped it,
not too gently I might add, on the grass in front of me. The bag writhed as it
landed and I could hear what had to be moaning and angry yelling coming from
inside.

"So let's just see what we have here, shall we?" I
said as I picked it up and began to remove the sticky silk from what I hoped
was its head.

He was indeed some kind of Imp, or perhaps a Brownie. He was
also bright red, or at least his face was, but I wasn't sure if that was his
natural color or if he was just angry. And he was ugly as well, not the Fae
type I usually ran into. As I finally pulled the last piece of sticky silk off
of his mouth, his yells and curses became clear.

"Feckin' Faeries," he screamed as he tried to
shake the rest of the silk off of his face. "Let me go you wasters. If
you've damaged my wings…" He shook and struggled for a bit before finally
settling his eyes on me. "Unhand me you oaf," he continued. "Let
me go before I sour your beer and spoil your milk! I'll turn you …."

"Sour my beer? That’s disconcerting," I commented
as the Imp coughed and then sputtered some more incomprehensible words before
spitting out more silk. He continued spouting out expletives as I held him, his
face getting redder by the minute. Charlie took that moment to walk up and
sniff at him. The sight of the huge dog's head finally got his attention.

"Get that beast away from me!" he yelled as
Charlie started to growl.

His tail was wagging so I knew he was just playing, but it
had gotten the Imp's attention.

"Is he tasty?" the big dog turned to me and asked.

"Hmm. Doesn't look like more than a bite, or two, at
best," I answered.

"Tasty, tasty!" the Garden Faeries suddenly chimed
in. "He'd make a good bite!"

"Now, now, let's not be hasty," the Imp shouted,
his anger replaced by fear. "I was just startled. Yes, that's it! That and
the sunlight. You startled me. Joking I was, just joking!"

"A joke was it?" I replied. "But really? Sour
my beer?" I took that moment to reach out with a little magic. I couldn't
sense any evil about him, at least not directed at me. I did sense fear, which was
to be expected. Except he wasn't afraid for himself. No, it was for someone else.
Now that was interesting. Still, I had to play along for a little bit.

"As I said, I was startled," he continued.

"I'm sure you were," I agreed. "Now, perhaps
you could explain what you were doing in Mrs. Shaughnessy's yard?"

"Ah, yes," the Imp said, his accent changing.
"Rather a long story I'm afraid. I'm sure it would just bore you. Now, if
you could see your way to letting me go, I'll be off. Places to go, things to do,
as it were." He began to struggle again but there was no way out of the
woven silk bag he'd been bound in.

"I'm sure you'd like that. But I think not," I
replied. "Now, let's start over. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Just let me go. I have important things to do!"
he shouted.

"Just answer the questions."

We bantered about for a minute before he finally relented.

"You're not going to free me, are you?" he asked,
stating the obvious.

"No," I replied. "And I'm getting tired of your
bullshit. Now, either tell me what you're up to or I turn you over to the
Garden Faeries. Your choice."

"He's going to be so angry with me," the Imp
admitted with a sigh.

"Who's going to be so angry with you?" I asked, my
curiosity piqued.

"Bernd, who else?" he said after a moment. "I
seek Bernd of the Svartálfar. I was to meet him here two days ago but he did
not seek me out. Now, will you please let me go?"

Bernd? I hadn’t expected that as a response. Bernd was a
Dwarf. He'd been my mentor as well as my grandmother's but I hadn’t seen him in
a week. He'd left after I'd freed the Lilin. Off to see what the result would
be he'd said. I suddenly remembered that the Imp had been afraid for someone.
Could it be Bernd?

"Ugh, just a friend of the Dwarf," Fiora said with
a look of disgust. Then, as if he was of no longer of interest to her she waved
to the others and they flew away, leaving Charlie and me alone with him. Garden
Faeries, go figure.

"Why are you looking for Bernd?" I asked, now
somewhat concerned, but still cautious. "For that matter, why should I
believe you? You were sneaking about, after all."

"Oh for the love of…" he sputtered. "Faeries!"
Then he struggled for a moment before continuing. "Fine! He told me to
tell you that you have your grandmother's eyes. Satisfied? Now get me the hell out
of this feckin' ball of crap!"

My grandmother's eyes? Only other Fae had made that comment
and all of them had known Bernd. Since I had felt no malice towards me, I
decided to trust him, at least for the moment. It's not like he could leave.
No, the wards were attuned to me and nothing could get in or out unless I let
them. Just to be cautious, I told Charlie to go find Lucinda. Lucinda was my cat
and basically my liaison with the Dwarf. She'd know if he was an associate of
Bernd. At least I hoped she would.

He was struggling against the silk again and I had to laugh at
his expression when I pulled out my pocket knife. Then, with his eyes watching
every movement of the blade, I began to cut through the silk. When it was off,
he jumped up and began pulling the left over silk from his body. I looked him
over. He was small, no taller than a foot or so. His body was red, as was his
face, albeit a lighter shade. He was dressed only in a pair of mottled brown
pants that were cut just below the knees. His wings were bat like, unlike the other
Faeries, and he turned to watch as they unfurled from his body.

"Now, do you want to tell me what's ..." I started
to say before he began bawling again.

"What did I just say? Just look at that wing," he
yelled, pointing back at the tip of one. "Bent! I knew that would happen! Bloody
Faeries. Couldn’t just ask nicely. Oh, no! Had to tie me up right proper,
didn’t they? Just fabulous! I'll be flying in circles for a week."

I let him go on like that for a minute or so before I
cleared my throat to get his attention.

"If you're done, do you mind telling me who you are?"
I finally asked, his gaze settling back at me.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. Just a bit excited I
am," he said after brushing off more remnants of silk with his hands. He
paused for a moment. "Would you have something to drink around? I'm a bit
parched, I am."

"There's some beer in the fridge," I answered.

"Beer. Hmm," he replied. Then he held out his hand
and pinched his thumb and forefinger together. "Would you have something
just a wee bit stronger?"

"Follow me," I said as I walked back to the house
and through the back door into the kitchen. I looked back to see the diminutive
Imp attempting to fly straight, but the bent wing gave him a list. When he
reached the door he landed and continued to follow on foot before jumping up
onto one of the kitchen table chairs and then the table. I opened a cabinet,
pulled out a shot glass and a bottle of Middleton. Glancing back, I hefted the
glass.

The Imp stared at it for a moment and, once again, using his
fingers, this time indicating that the glass was too small. With a laugh I
pulled out a tumbler, poured out a hefty amount, then placed it in front of
him. He gulped it down in one long swig and then placed the glass down on the
table.

"Satisfied?" I asked before continuing. "Now,
perhaps we can start with your name."

"His name is Ataulf," a voice behind me said. It
was Lucinda. "And he should not be here."

"Yet here I am," he chimed in, lifting up the
glass. "Ataulf, at your service. But you can call me Alf." Then he tilted
it in my direction, indicating a refill.

"Alf, it is," I said, shaking my head as I
refilled his glass. Maybe after a few drinks under his belt I'd be able to figure
out what was going on.

"And just where else should I be?" he asked the
cat. "Bernd is late. Two days late, I might add. Where would you have me
go?"

"Anywhere but here," she replied, jumping on the
table. "But it matters not. As you can see, Bernd is not here."

"He must be warned," the Imp continued.

"He can take care of himself," Lucinda said.

They started to argue back and forth before I jumped in to
try and see what this was about.

"Enough!" I yelled. Then I turned to the Imp.
"What's this about needing to be warned," I asked.

"Bernd knows the dangers," Lucinda said,
apparently needing to get in the last word.

"I said, enough," I repeated, looking at her.
"King of the Faeries, remember?" I reminded her. "Now what the
hell is going on?"

Lucinda's tail swiped back and forth before she replied.

"Fine, tell him," she said, glaring at the Imp.

"Then again, she could be right," he said, taking
a drink from his refilled glass. "Perhaps I'm just overreacting. Yes, I'm
sure that's it. He's probably fine."

"Cut the crap," I said, grabbing a chair and
swinging it around to sit down. I faced them both. "I need to know what's
going on. Now, start from the beginning. What dangers does Bernd know about?"

"How much do you know about the Dwarves?" Alf
asked, after a quick glance over to Lucinda.

"Not much, to be honest," I answered.

"He knows Motgnir and Valen," Lucinda said.

"Ah, that makes it easier," he said, taking
another sip. "Then you know half the story."

"What story," I asked. "What am I missing now?"

"Well, since you must know the story to understand, I'll
try to make it brief," he answered, all traces of his accent gone.

He straightened up, and I had to laugh to myself as he
assumed the role of a lecturer.

"Perhaps you know this already but the Dwarves once
served the Gods. Many gifts did they bestow on them. But as each gift was
presented, conflict followed, for the Gods were vain and jealous of each
other's gifts. Not to mention thinking themselves better than all the others.
This made the Dwarves angry, as they were weary of serving such beings and
craved power themselves. So they retreated to their own kingdom, only
occasionally venturing out to see what was happening. As the God's conflicts
escalated, an argument ensued between two of the most powerful Dwarf lords, Valen
and Grerin."

"Grerin argued that they should bar the gates and leave
the Gods and lesser beings to their own devices until the conflict was over.
Valen, and a few of his kin, felt that they must stay and help those that could
not help themselves. To make a long story short, Grerin won out and the gates
were closed. All contact with the other Fae was forbidden and Valen and his kin
were left to their own fates. In turn, Valen's Dwarves did what they could,
helping the lesser Fae and others for as long as they were able."

He paused and took another drink.

"Well, after
The Fall
, and the turmoil among the
Fae that followed, little has been heard from Grerin and the other Dwarves.
That is, until rumors of the High Fae's return surfaced. Then for some reason he
lashed out at Valen. Ordering him and his kin to cease dealing with the Fae and
to return to give account of his doings. When he refused, they labeled him
outcast and ordered his arrest as well as that of his followers. Of course,
since they had abandoned the others, none acknowledged their claim, and Valen
and his kin had refuge in many of the Fae lands. But lately, Dwarves have been
seen outside of their kingdom. They search for Valen and the others, which
means Bernd as well. That's why I asked him to meet. So I could warn him."

The Fall
was the end of the Fae as we know them in
legends and myths. The High Fae, or the Gods as they came to be called, fought
amongst themselves until none were left. Kind of a Greek and Roman Fae version
of
Ragnarök
, although the Norse Gods seem to have suffered the same fate.
The Fae worlds have never been the same."

"Doesn’t make sense." I said. "Why would they
care?"

"Who knows with Dwarves," Alf said. "Fearful
of the power the High Fae may once again yield or perhaps, as Bernd believes, Grerin
has gone mad, locked in his city all these years, with too much time to think."

"And why would they be afraid of me?" I wondered
aloud. "I've done nothing to threaten the Dwarves."

"It matters not," Lucinda said. "It is the
power you could wield against them that they fear, and there is something else.
With the Gods gone and with the old magic they possess, Bernd believes Grerin wishes
to set himself up as a God himself, to ensure that others can never use their
power against him. A return of the High Fae would certainly not fit into his
plans."

"And he didn’t tell me this, why?" I asked her.

"He did not want you distracted," she answered.

"Distracted, eh? Well, that just figures. But I'm tired
of being distracted… by everyone."

"Bernd would not want you to be involved," said
Lucinda.

"Yeah, well, too bad," I replied. I was really tired
of everyone else doing what they thought was best for me. Truth was, I'd been
manipulated in a lot of ways since this High Fae thing started, and I was sick of
it. It was time to take charge of my life.

"Lucinda," I said. "When was the last time
you saw Bernd?"

"Not since the night you freed the Lilin," she
admitted. "He told me he would return when he could. That has always been
his way."