I gathered from everyone’s reaction and the ‘special meeting’ that my amulet didn’t quite produce the result they had expected. I suppose for now I’ll be a big changeling mystery. I hoped it was a good thing. Ah, well ... I had no one to blame but myself. I had wished to be extraordinary. And my mother always told me to be careful what I wished for ...
Chapter 2
We followed Dardennes out of the sitting room and into the hallway. He led us farther down the corridor, eventually arriving at another door where he again knocked three times to enter. The door opened and all of us followed him in.
Inside the room there was a wide, long, wood table, with many people already seated around it. Several more were standing behind the chairs that surrounded the table. Some I recognized as fae I’d seen in the forest, others I didn’t know at all.
As soon as everyone saw Dardennes enter, the talking stopped and the fae took their seats. There were four empty places at the far side of the table, next to Becky. She was smiling and gesturing for us to join her.
Dardennes began speaking immediately. “Dear Friends and members of the council, thank you for coming. First, I want to introduce you to our newest changelings. I believe we have their races sorted out, for the most part anyway, so I ask those of you with a new changeling here of your race, please see to it that they are taken care of after the meeting. I expect you will get them settled in and prepared for their training, scheduled to begin tomorrow. We have no time to waste.”
I noticed some heads nodding in agreement around the table. Everyone looked very serious. I looked at Becky to my left and she was all business too. It was weird seeing her look that way. I was used to seeing her with that silly smile perpetually plastered on her face.
“First, I’d like to introduce Spike.” He nodded in our direction. Spike stood up for a second, waving to the group.
“I believe Spike is a member of the incubus race. Valentine, I expect you will see to Spike’s needs?”
Man, did I call that one, or did I call that one? No way Spike was anything but a life-sucking incubus with that set of teeth and sexy smile of his.
The extremely effeminate incubus who had attacked Chase in the forest during our fae test, stood up. He looked Spike up and down, giving him a big, toothy smile and a flirtatious wink. “You better believe it, Anton.”
Dardennes rolled his eyes a little and sighed. “Thank you, Valentine. I know we can always count on your enthusiastic participation in the training.”
Valentine preened for a couple seconds and then sat, suddenly distracted from the meeting by his manicure. He held his hands out at arms length across the table, as he examined his cuticles from a distance.
Spike looked a little nervous, and I didn’t blame him one bit. That Valentine was creepy. It wasn’t his gayness – it was his teeth and his eyes. I felt like prey whenever he looked at me, and I don’t like feeling like that. Although to be Spike’s prey ... now, that might not be such a bad thing ...
“Next, I’d like to introduce you to Chase.”
Chase stood and nodded his head at the group.
“I first thought Chase was going to be a member of the ogres, like Ivar, but now I’m thinking daemon. You’re a bit on the large side, Chase, but let’s see what they think.” Dardennes turned his attentions to the fae on his right. “Jared? I will leave you to take care of him. You let me know if I need to transfer him over to Ivar.”
Jared nodded his head once to Dardennes and once to Chase. Chase nodded back and sat down, saying nothing as usual.
I wondered what a daemon was exactly. At first I thought Dardennes had said ‘demon’, but it sounded more like ‘daymon’. Hopefully it was something not like a demon. Chase didn’t seem like he could be something evil like that, so I decided not to worry ... for now anyway.
“Finn is next. There is no question; he is a member of the green elves.”
The look on Finn’s face said it all. He looked at me, mouthing the words, ‘What the hell?’
I got the definite impression he was not happy about being an elf. I’m sure he was thinking of Keebler cookies and the little elf tree house. Poor guy. But lately I’d come to realize that elves were a pretty tough bunch. They’d saved my ass at least twice so far, and so had Finn actually. No wonder they were so certain he was an elf.
He stood slowly, a slightly disgruntled look on his face.
If Dardennes noticed any unhappiness there, he ignored it. “Ash, will you take care of Finn for us?”
A thin man wearing the camouflage clothes of the green elves, the group that had battled the orcs as I stood at the entrance of the fourth waypoint, stood to acknowledge his charge. He tipped his head to Finn and sat down. Finn nodded one time back and sat down too, looking less than thrilled.
“Last, but not least, we have Jayne.” He paused, waiting for me to stand.
I stood up in front of my chair and looked around the table at the fae looking back at me. I couldn’t read any of their faces. I would not want to play poker with any of these guys, that’s for sure.
“As you may have noticed, Jayne continues to wear her amulet. This will be the case until further notice.”
The fae around the table stared at my ring and then leaned towards one another whispering, some of them gesturing towards my hand. The murmuring around the table grew gradually louder. Dardennes held up his hands to quiet them down.
“Céline and I have discussed Jayne’s abilities and performance during the test, and we believe it is possible that Jayne is ... an elemental.”
The talking and arguing erupted almost immediately. I looked at their faces as they alternatively gawked at me and then at Dardennes. Some of them looked really happy, genuinely excited; that made me feel awesome. Then there were some that looked downright pissed; that didn’t give me such a warm and fuzzy feeling. The talking and gesturing started again.
“Please, everyone, let’s just relax and not get too excited. This has not been confirmed. As you know, we have not had an elemental among us for over three hundred years. And if she is an elemental, we do not yet know the extent of her connection to the elements – although we are quite certain her strongest link is to Earth. We have reason to believe she may also be linked to Water, but that has yet to be fully tested.”
All I could think about when he said that thing about the water was the Lady of the Lake, otherwise affectionately known to me as the bitch in the water, the water whore, and the one who must die for killing my friend Becky. Of course, since Becky had lived, that last nickname probably wasn’t going to stick.
“Jared, we will need to find a daemon for Jayne, as soon as possible. I expect I can leave that for you to manage?”
“Yes, Anton, I will see to it.”
He didn’t sound all that happy about his new job. Oh well ... sucks to be Jared. I still hadn’t forgiven him for his deceit during the test in the forest. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to trust him again. I wondered what Dardennes meant though about finding me a daemon. I knew Jared was one, and now I guess Chase was probably one. Now I remembered someone mentioning they were warrior guardians or something. That made no sense to me. I wasn’t a warrior – the farthest thing from it, actually. Sure, I had killed an orc and maimed a couple of others. And I might have caused a few orcs to turn on each other, indirectly. And, oh yeah, I might have killed a hag. But still, I was no warrior. I think it would be more appropriate to call me, based on how those kills actually went down, a ‘lucky klutz’, rather than a warrior. If Tony were here right now, he’d be laughing about the absurdity of all of this.
Thinking about Tony made me instantly sad. Man, he wasn’t even gone from this place yet and I was already missing him. It was going to be a long few weeks. That’s how long I was giving this thing before I went back home. I hadn’t told anyone that yet, though.
Dardennes continued. “As you know, we welcomed Becky into our midst the other day,” he paused to smile at Becky and she returned
the recognition with a thousand-watt smile of her own. It was nearly impossible to get this girl – or fae I guess I should call her now – down. She said the water sprites are a non-violent race. That was probably a good thing because if all of ‘em were as tiny as she is, they wouldn’t be able to do much anyway. Maybe mess up a bad guy’s hair or something, but that’s about it. I was thinking about her teleporting skills though, and it came to me that they might come in handy for spying on bad guys or for sending and receiving messages if there were no phones or people didn’t want to use them for security reasons. I guess even the peaceful fae could be part of an army. That was a depressing thought, actually. I didn’t like war or the need for armies. I’m not so naive to think that armies aren’t necessary or anything – I just wished they weren’t.
“Becky has begun her training and we have been informed that she is doing well. For those of you who have been assisting her in this endeavor, we thank you.” He nodded his head to a smallish looking guy sitting next to Becky. He smiled back. I guess all sprites are smilers.
“Just so all of you know, we had one other potential changeling, Tony, but he chose to be erased. That operation is currently being conducted. He should be delivered back home within the next twelve hours. We are truly sorry that he did not wish to join us. I believe he could have had extraordinary capabilities as a fae and it is unfortunate that we have lost him. And as you all know, once a candidate has refused the amulet, he or she is forever barred from the Change.”
I saw a few heads go down in what looked like sadness. Why are they sad about someone they don’t even know? If anyone had a reason to be sad it was me. And I was, but I understood his decision. It didn’t stop me from wishing things were different though. I wondered when I would be able to call or email him. It had better be soon or I was going to be cutting this little visit seriously short.
“Changelings, should you have any questions about your training, I urge you to discuss them with members of your race. They will be managing not only your training but your integration into your race and the fae as a whole.”
“Now, moving on to other pressing matters ... as you all know, the orcs that were imprisoned in what had become known as the Dark Forest have been released. The good news is that the Dark Forest is green again.”
Dardennes paused as happy faces exchanged smiles and some cheers rang out.
“Yes this was a very, very good thing. The bad news, though, is that after their release, we engaged an army of these newly released orcs, numbering around one hundred and fifty or so, and we lost several good fae in the battle.”
All the heads around the table went down. I looked to my left and right, and my friends were putting their heads down too. It was only natural to show respect for the dead, but I felt especially bad knowing it was me who had released those bastards who killed the fae. The guilt was burning in my chest and my ears were hot with shame.
“Our sympathies go out to the mates of the fallen. But let us not forget the importance and value that having our forest free of these Dark Fae Underworld beasts holds for all of us who are members of the Light Fae.”
The same heads that had been bowed were now nodding in agreement – every single one of them. Some of the fae had tears in their eyes, but it was clear – the release of the orcs from the trees was considered by all to be a good thing. I still felt awful about the fae who had paid the ultimate price of their lives though. I wasn’t sure if I could be that unselfish, to fight for such an intangible cause. And I’m not sure if I would feel the same as the fae around the table seemed to if I were in their position. Could I forgive another being who was responsible for the death of someone I loved in exchange for the greening up of some trees? I don’t think so. The forest must be pretty important to these fae. I could appreciate the fact that they weren’t regular trees. I mean, they practically talked. But still ...
“Unfortunately, we do not have as many sources of information on the activities of the Dark Fae as we would like; however, we do know that they are recruiting for their races, just as we are for ours. Their methods, of course, are different.”
At this there was some grumbling. One of the dwarves started thrusting his hand out as he talked to Valentine, the incubus. I could tell he was angry.
Dardennes held his hands up for silence. “I know some of you think that we should consider using some of these same methods, but the council elders do not agree. Forcing the change by hijacking the candidates is no way to treat humans, and it is no way to inspire loyalty. We must have our changelings come to us of their own free will and make the decision to accept their fate without any supernatural influence.”
The angry dwarf spoke up. “We have no reports that any changelings of the Dark Fae have regretted being forced into the Change.”
“That may be true, but that doesn’t mean this regret doesn’t exist.”
I couldn’t help it; I’m never one to keep my opinion to myself. My father had always said one day it would really get me in trouble. I raised my hand.
“Jayne, you have something to add?”
“Yes, I do.” I looked around the table at all the fae watching me intently and I tried not to choke on my nervousness. “If my friend Tony were here, he’d probably try to stop me, but he’s not, so here are my thoughts: when I was brought here or recruited or whatever, it was kind of under false pretenses. Once I was in the forest I felt like I’d been tricked. Drugging me on the airplane definitely felt like a hijacking, as you put it. But ultimately, the choice was mine, and I made it freely. I think if you had forced me into it, I’d be sitting here thinking about how I was going to get you back – get my revenge. And believe me, I can hold a grudge.”
As I began talking, I noticed Dardennes’ normally serene face darkening. But by the end of my speech he was nodding, no longer angry. I looked over at the dwarf. He was also nodding his head, slowly, frowning, looking at the others around him for their reactions. Nearly everyone at the table was nodding too. It was like a room full of bobble heads.
The dwarf spoke up. “The changeling shows reason. The dwarves support the decision of the council elders.”
Dardennes nodded slightly. “Thank you.”
I tried not to feel awesome about fully-grown fae thinking I had something of value to say, but it was impossible. The smile was going to stay on my face all night, I was pretty sure.
“So, the last piece of information we have to share with you is that we have cause to believe the Dark Fae have an elemental among them now as well.”
And then my smile disappeared, just like that.
The room erupted in gasps, loud talking, whispers, and frantic movements. I took it this news wasn’t the good kind. He said there was an elemental. That’s what he said I probably was. That means there’s another fae like me over on the Dark Fae side. I wondered what she was like. Was she put through a test like I was? Or did they hijack her somehow? And what exactly is a hijacking, anyway? There were too many friggin’ questions and not enough answers in this damn place.
The werewolf guy spoke up first. “This elemental has an affinity for what elements?”
“So far all we’ve been able to determine is that it is likely fire.”
More yelling and agitation arose from the group around the table. Chase, Finn, Spike, Becky and I looked around at the chaos and then at each other. I’m sure I had the same expression on my face that the others had on theirs. What the hell?
The happy little guy who was in charge of Becky’s training said, “I suggest, based on this information, that our first order of business should be to determine if the changeling Jayne does have an affinity to Water.”
“Here, here!” said the angry dwarf.
“Those in favor?” asked Dardennes.
All the non-changeling hands around the table went up, without hesitation.
Dardennes looked at Céline; she shrugged her shoulders slowly, elegantly even.
“It is agreed then. Tomorrow, the
new changeling Jayne shall go with Becky to the sprite training grounds to determine if she has an affinity to Water. After that, she will go with the silver elves to train. Céline will be your contact, Jayne.”
Céline smiled and looked at me. I guess that meant Céline was one of these silver elves, whatever that meant. It was a good descriptive name for them though. She and Dardennes both had a lot of gray or silver stuff going on – their eyes, hair, even their clothes. I knew that a green elf spent a lot of time playing Robin Hood in the Green Forest. I wondered what the silver elves did. Hang out in the snow maybe? They could totally blend.
My thoughts were interrupted by Dardennes adjourning the meeting. “Thank you friends. Until we meet again ... ”
Everyone stood, some of them remaining by their chairs to talk, others leaving the room immediately. I joined my friends in a corner of the room. I wasn’t sure where we were supposed to go from here.
“So, what did you guys think?” asked Becky. “I told you they would include you right away.”
“The meeting was cool, I guess.” Spike snuck a glance over at Valentine who was engaged in a heated discussion with the dwarf. “Not real sure how crazy I am to be working with the guy who nearly killed Chase.” He looked up at our big daemon friend.
Chase shrugged his shoulders. “He didn’t succeed.” Apparently as far as Chase was concerned, Valentine was forgiven.
Spike gave a wavering grin. “Do you think all incubus – incubi – are as ... flamboyant as that Valentine guy?”
I laughed. “Obviously not, since you’re one.”
Becky smiled too. “Don’t worry. There are as many personality types in fae as there are in humans. Valentine is totally over the top, but he’s not bad. He scares me a little but I think it’s just his natural magnetism. You have it too, Spike.”