***
"Pandimora! Damn it!" Drew yelled. But only the hills and distant mountains heard him as he landed on his feet in the road. He caught his balance before he fell to the snowy ground, then turned full circle on his heel. He looked through the blowing snow. He was back at Dell's Bridge and his truck was gone.
"No!" He turned around, cupping his eyes to protect them from the snow. "No! My truck -- could anything else be messed up tonight?" It was approximately ten miles back to town and with the new interstate, traffic through this area was pretty sparse.
Drew looked at his watch, something he hadn't thought to do once while in that other place. Six o'clock. The evening air was crisp and cold. Barely twenty four hours had passed since Pandimora fell into the road in front of him, but he felt as if his entire life and everything he thought he'd known about the world had spun a dizzying three-hundred-and-sixty degrees. Faeries, leprechauns and elves. Holy crap, how could he reconcile their existence in his mind?
And Pandimora. He took a deep breath. Yes, Pandimora. Just thinking about her made his adrenalin speed up. Sweet, strong, with hair as red as fire. She and Irfin were from a world as far removed from his own as could be, but what else might be hidden he didn't know about? And now he would freeze to death if he didn't start hoofing it back to town.
Drew looked at his cell phone again, then shoved it back into his pocket. It appeared to be dead. He began walking. He hadn't gone a hundred yards when he knew this would be a grueling walk.
His T-shirt was poor protection against the flurries and cold of the impending night. No doubt his heavy jacket was back in the sanctuary somewhere. He had a small pen light, but who knew how long that would last? Just as that thought crossed his mind, the sky fully clouded over and snow began to fall even faster.
He eyed the black clouds moving in over the mountains and began jogging up the middle of the road. If he was lucky, he'd make it to town in a few hours, an hour and a half if he really pushed it.
He'd only jogged a few miles when he heard an approaching vehicle. The snow coating his shoulders had also found its way down his neck and he'd been trying to ignore the chill of his wet cotton T-shirt.
The car slowed and he turned to see a small Smart car, green with black trim. It pulled up beside him and the darkened passenger window moved down.
"Like a lift?" asked a familiar voice.
Drew looked inside the open window. "Yes!" he said with relief. He reached for the handle and opened the door, then got inside and pulled the door closed. "Am I glad to see you, Irfin."
Irfin frowned, his thick brows rising. In the dim interior of the car his brows and hair actually looked darker. "Sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else. Glad to give you a ride though." Irfin reached forward and turned the heat dial all the way up.
"You don't know me?" Drew asked sarcastically, which earned him a look of surprise. He put his head back against the head rest. "Never mind. Thanks for stopping. Nice car," he added with a short laugh. "I bet it's great on gas."
"It gets me where I need to go," Irfin said, eyeing him warily.
"You look like him," Drew muttered. "Except for the hair." He shook his head, feeling exhausted as the sudden heat of the car enveloped him. "I just spent all night hanging out with you and Pandimora."
"Sorry, I don't know you," the man who looked and sounded like Irfin said, peering through the windshield as the flakes increased in intensity.
Drew stared at him. "Aren't you a sorcerer?"
The man smiled. "I was a magician once in a magic show. What are you doing walking in the middle of nowhere with a storm brewing?"
"Long story." Drew settled back against the surprisingly comfortable seat. He wondered where Pandimora might be right now.
"You look a bit glum," said the man.
Drew looked over at him. This was his opportunity to find out more about Irfin, if he was Irfin. "I've just been thrown out by a woman who thinks she doesn't need my help."
"Women can be independent creatures," observed the other man.
"Tell me about it." Drew said. "That sounds like the voice of experience. You married?"
The other man's face softened for a moment. "Many years. Sometimes though, no matter how long you've been together, it's still not enough." He shot Drew a glance. "You?"
Drew looked out the snow covered window. "No."
"Sorry to hear that. It must be lonely without a mate," the man observed.
Drew made a non-committal sound. Life with Deborah had been unpredictable. Part of him felt guilty that he didn't miss it. "When we get to town you can just drop me off anywhere." He pulled out his phone. He needed to get it charged so he could see if Sara was able to take over his meeting with Mary Palmer. He frowned at the phone. It wasn't dead after all. "The date's messed up on my phone." He set the date back. "Never had that happen before."
"Time moves in crazy fashion, don't you think?" the Irfin look-alike said, his voice almost whimsical. "Everything in life is marked by minutes and hours of the day."
"What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't."
He waited expectantly, but the man offered nothing further. "Do you have a brother named Irfin?"
The man shook his head. "No."
They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they finally rode into town, they passed the sheriff's office, the windows surprisingly dark. The car slowed, then pulled to the curb. Across the street were his investigative offices.
"How did you know where to stop?" Drew asked, looking at the man.
"You said the middle of town."
Drew hadn't said any such thing, but could see he wasn't getting anything out of him. "Thanks again. I really appreciate the ride, Irfin."
"Glad I came along."
Drew opened his door. As he was climbing out, his knee hit the glove compartment and the small compartment door popped open. Inside were half a dozen various colored yo-yo's. He looked up at the driver but the car was already moving ahead, the door closing on its own.
Drew hunched his shoulders as the cold flakes drifted down his neck again, staring after the car. Its rear lights faded into the snowy night. Why had Irfin denied knowing him? Was he protecting himself? Drew gave up trying to figure things out right now. At least he'd been saved from a freezing walk.
First thing in the morning he needed to find out if his truck had been towed to the impound lot. You'd think they'd have cut him some slack before towing it. It's not like that highway was busy, especially this time of year. And anyone in town would have known it was his vehicle. If nothing else the registration in the glove box would give them a clue. He supposed with the storm, everything was closed except for emergencies. It certainly didn't warrant an emergency call to get the sheriff out of bed tonight.
He stood looking up and down the quiet street, and as he did so a familiar itch tickled the back of his neck. He'd done enough surveillance himself to know when he was under observation, but the street was empty even of cars. Drew stared at the front of his brick faced office as he crossed the street. Everything looked the same but something felt off.
Drew grabbed the spare key in a magnetic box under the mailbox and let himself inside the heavy glass security door of the professional office building.
He stomped his feet on the large mat, then strode down the short hallway to his office, flipping on the hallway light. He paused a moment in disbelief. The glass display case on the wall was broken, glass everywhere. "Not my swords!" He'd collected ancient weaponry the last eight years. Most of his collection was at his house, but he'd displayed two ancient swords here in the office. "I don't believe this!" One of the Celtic swords was missing. The two had been a set and now one was gone.
More than annoyed, Drew knew there was a small chance of getting it back. Stuff like that could disappear underground and never resurface in his lifetime. He'd still file a report, but he wasn't holding out much hope. Drew studied the break and the way the glass still rested on t
he wood above the bottom sword. Even the wood had been damaged, as if someone had punched or used a blunt object to break the case open.
Drew strode to his desk, reaching the phone and hitting speed dial for his answering service. He was surprised to find six new messages. Usually his business partner Sara retrieved messages when he was out of the office and he did the same for her. Drew plugged his cell into its charger, sitting on the edge of the large wooden desk. He looked back at the hallway, at the empty space where his sword should have been.
"Drew," his brother Grey's voice came across the line, "Work called to tell me they towed your truck. I've left messages all over -- where are you? Mom and Dad are worried. Give me a call and tell me what's going on."
"Are you serious?" he muttered. "I've been gone twenty hours."
The next message was his mother's voice. Her voice was calm but he could hear the underlying concern. She asked him to call right away. There was another call from the dispatcher at the sheriff's department who had towed his truck and one from his partner Sara. She sounded out of breath and just briefly said she was sorry for spending so much time away from the office but she'd meet up with him tomorrow to discuss their cases. "Good idea," he said to himself. Sara had been spending a lot of time volunteering at the sheriff's department. He'd wanted to talk to her about it because a few of their cases were falling behind schedule. The last call was again from his brother.
"The world's gone crazy," he muttered, disconnecting his brother's call. "You'd think I was gone missing."
He pulled his wet shirt over his head and froze as the muted glow from the streetlights shining into the office window showed someone standing in the shadows across the room. It's times like this he wished he still carried a pistol.
The air in his office suddenly became oppressive, hitting Drew in the chest. Dropping his soggy shirt, he tried to find the wall switch behind him.
"Who's there?" he said warily.
"Where is Pandimora?"
Tension squeezed through Drew, even while the pressure increased in his chest. Was he suffering a heart attack? "I don't know."
"I believe you do know. She is ill and needs attention."
"This is my place and I want you to leave."
He was suddenly propelled backward, along the wall, through the doorway and into the hall, his boots barely touching the wood floor. Drew's back hit the wood paneling with a thud, rattling the broken display rack on the wall above him. He closed his eyes a moment and gritted his teeth, hoping the remaining sword didn't come down and lop off his head.
"Where is she?" the voice boomed all around him, but he still couldn't see anyone.
"I don't know."
"Such loyalty to a faerie you just met. Is she worth your human life?" The voice deepened and Drew suppressed a sense of foreboding. Reaching up, he fumbled with the rack and closed his hand around the remaining Celtic sword. He pulled it down, gripped the double-swirled hilt with both hands, and took a wide stance, swinging the thick sword in a wide arc. He hit something soft and an electric current traveled into his hands, up his arms and into his chest. He dropped the blade and it clattered to the floor. He weaved on his feet, suddenly disoriented.
"Do not meddle in what you don't understand." The voice sounded distorted and further away.
Drew couldn't answer. He had trouble breathing with the weight in his chest and a terrible dizziness in his head. He dropped to one knee.
Vaguely, he was aware of a cold draft. The outer door, which should have automatically locked when he came in earlier, was open. He struggled back to his feet.
"Drew?"
Drew leaned against the wall and looked over his shoulder, adrenaline starting to pump. "Irfin!"
The little man hurried to him. He now wore a puffy black winter jacket, and looked all but lost inside the material.
Drew regained his feet, his hand on the wall for balance, then he turned on the overhead lights, having no trouble now finding the switch. He blinked in the stark brightness and looked around.
"What are you looking for?" Irfin asked, clearly puzzled.
Drew shot him a look. "The elder was here."
Irfin's eyes widened with alarm. "What are you talking about?"
"He was here. And why are you back?" he said. "You give me a ride and pretend not to know me." Drew dropped into a plush hallway chair. He put his head back against the wall, waiting for his heart to stop racing.
"I've known you since I met you, Drew." Irfin's glance settled on the sword on the floor. He went down on one knee. "This is surely a prize," he said, reverently touching the sword with its nicked blade. "And you've drawn blood."
Drew looked down. "Not mine, his." He had the satisfaction of seeing the color leave Irfin's face.
"Oh, now he will be angry, very angry. Not good," Irfin said heavily. "Tell me everything that happened."
Drew did so. "When I swung the blade, it felt like it slowed down as it went through something. Everything around me seemed to shift and I got a God almighty shock through the metal so I dropped it. The pain in my chest felt like I was having a heart attack."
Irfin rubbed his short beard, the scratching sound of the coarse hair amplified to Drew's ears. "If you managed to penetrate his energy, he may have suffered a loss of resonance -- rather strange since he'd know the earth realm is of a heavier density and to avoid contact with you." His glance settled once more on the sword and his eyes narrowed. "This Celtic sword was once a prized possession taken into battle. The true answer to its power may lie in its ancient origins." He traced a finger over the triskele swirls on the hilt. "The bronze may have acted as a conductor and allowed an exchange of energy." Irfin looked at him, then down at his feet. "You're lucky you had on rubber-soled boots."
"I feel lucky to be alive," Drew muttered. "So in future don't get into his aura. Could I have wounded him enough to incapacitate him?" he asked hopefully.
Irfin snorted, rolling his eyes. "Hardly." But watching him, Drew thought he detected a hint of uncertainty. "It was a momentary aberration," Irfin said dismissively. "He will be on guard next time."
Drew groaned. "Next time? If he's so powerful, how did I catch him unawares?"
Irfin shrugged. "Perhaps he underestimated you or perhaps there is a residue of power left in this blade. Or maybe it was merely luck. After all, you're only human."
"You know Irfin, your sense of humor sucks."
Irfin peered closely at the double-swirled hilt, then placed the sword on a small side table. "I have a small device that will boost any protection this sword already gives. It may fit nicely between the swirls of the hilt. I'll see to it," he added.
"I should get it to a lab for testing," Drew muttered, staring at the splotches of blood along the blade.
Irfin drew out a white handkerchief and calmly wiped the blade. "You can have it tested all you like. It will yield only limited answers." He calmly refolded the handkerchief and placed it back in his pants pocket.
Drew rolled his head back on his neck to ease some of the tension in his shoulders. He was starting to feel normal again, thank God. "So why don't you save me time and tell me what the test results will show since you're just destroyed the evidence?"
"There will be traces of human DNA with some anomalies. Data may well indicate a hybrid species; males of an unknown hominid species crossing with female Homo sapiens."
"Human females mixing with non-human males?"
"Simply put, yes. Somewhere along time."
"So does this go back to stories of human infants being switched with faerie infants?"
Irfin sighed. "In your medieval times and before, yes, this happened upon occasion when an infusion of new blood was needed by the fae. It was all by prior arrangement. It's not like there were stolen children."
Drew stared at Irfin, incredulous. "Well, that's a different take. How was it arranged?"
"In the dreaming state."
"Sounds sketchy. All kinds of weird stuff happens in dr
eams."
"Dreaming is where humans are allowed to lift out of their heavy earth body and visit other worlds. Switching infants in present times is forbidden."
"As far as you know," Drew said grimly.
"It is forbidden," Irfin said emphatically, his green eyes flashing. "It is stepping beyond the bounds of today's rules of the fae. We are more in tune with these times. Just as you progress, so do we."
"Well, I'm going to reserve judgment on babies being switched, especially since you mentioned Pandimora's brother Kirklas may have been part human."
"Look at it this way, Drew. That was a long time ago. No doubt Declan pulled him from a miserable existence."
"Yeah, and now he's missing," Drew said.
Irfin sighed. "Point taken."
"Well, with elders having secret agendas, it makes me wonder what else could be going on that no one knows about. Maybe child snatching is still prevalent."
Irfin shook his head. "No. All faeries would know if something like that was happening."
Drew felt tired right out. That interaction really knocked him for a loop. "Hang on a minute. Let me get a dry shirt in my office." Drew walked back into his office, stretching gingerly. His back felt a bit achy from being slammed into the wood. He leaned down and opened the bottom drawer of his desk, pulling out a neatly folded, long-sleeved t-shirt. As he pulled it over his head he noticed a manila envelope on his desk. The return address was Mary Palmer. He opened the envelope and shook the contents onto his desk. He stared down at a picture, then pushed it aside to look at the one underneath.
"So faeries would know if there was child switching going on," Drew murmured. He closed the envelope and carried it to the door. He looked at Irfin. "That's comforting to know -- Rick."
The man's eyes barely flickered.
Drew stared at him hard. "That is your name, right? Rick Palmer, married to Mary Palmer."
For once the other man wasn't cracking jokes.
"Rick -- Irfin, which is it?" Drew asked, pulling out a glossy five-by-six picture and holding it up. "I knew you looked different in the car, though it was hard to tell with the lighting that you had gray hair. Suitable, I guess, if you're married to an eighty-something-year-old human you'd want to look the part. Being a sorcerer, the transformation probably isn't hard to pull off. You lied about who you are. What else have you lied about?"
"Mary knows me as Rick," the other man acknowledged.
"Does she know you're a leprechaun and that you're immortal?"
He nodded.
Drew frowned, letting the picture drop back onto the desk. "Then why would she hire me to find you?"
Irfin sighed. "If you've met with my Mary, then you know she is very ill. We've been together a long time, Mary and I. She's the reason I got involved in the healing sanctuary."
Drew snapped his fingers. "You were trying to make her better, stop her aging. Maybe you even hoped for immortality for her," he said.
Irfin nodded, his eyes immeasurably sad. "Yes. Long ago when the illness first came upon her, I took her to the sanctuary and it helped to some degree, but not as I had hoped. Sometimes that happens."
"So why hire me at a substantial fee to track you down? It sounds like all she wants is for you to come home."
"You're right, but while there's hope for her to be cured and reverse her aging, I can't do that. I have to try and finish what I've started, though at times I've been tempted to give it all up."
"What is it you're involved in?" Drew asked. But now Irfin remained stubbornly silent. When it became clear he wasn't saying anything more, Drew tried another tack. "Are you in league with the elder?"
"There are some things a human wouldn't understand. I have to do what I have to do and that's all I can say." Abruptly, he thrust his hand toward Drew. In his palm was a silver disc about the size of a pocket watch. "This is experimental and may offer you limited protection. Pandimora has a similar device."
Drew didn't take it. "How did the elder find me?"
Irfin shrugged. "Traces of your body chemistry no doubt intermixed with Pandimora's faerie scent from the moment you touched her. It would be easy enough to find you."
"Or someone tipped him off." Drew stared at Irfin. "The game is set in your world's favor and humans are shoved around like chess pieces."
"You have more power than you think. Look how you pierced the elder's aura. I am amazed you were able to do so. I imagine he is also."
Drew watched as the man adjusted tiny knobs on the side of the silver device. The silver casing had gold discs inside a domed glass which continuously rotated and moved across each other. The discs themselves were etched with blue increments.
Drew looked at it warily. "What do I have to know about this?"
"Nothing. There," Irfin said with satisfaction. "I've calibrated it to your denser specs."
Gingerly, Drew accepted the device, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. It was heavier than it looked.
"It will help."
"That remains to be seen," Drew muttered, unconvinced.
"If humans were more open to innovation, your world would be more advanced when it comes to the use of energy." Irfin moved to the front window and stared out onto the street. "You know he'll be back, right?"
"It did occur to me," Drew said. "So did you send him here?"
Irfin stared at him in surprise. "No."
"Why should I believe you? I think you're hiding something."
"We all hide things," Irfin acknowledged. "Even you, Drew."
"Me?" Drew shrugged, dropping the device in his pocket. "I'm an open book."
"More like a book with pages torn out."
"Funny."
"Like many humans, you avoid the issues of your own life. Have you ever dealt with your wife's untimely death?"
Drew tensed.
"Humans can have gigantic egos." Irfin put up a hand. "Now I'm not saying that's the case in your life, but really, when is a human ever responsible for someone else's actions and thoughts?"
"You don't know anything about it," Drew said irritably. "Mind your own business."
Irfin continued anyway. "Let me just say the fae see events and even emotions in black and white. We don't get as heavily involved in that aspect of life as do humans. A situation is what it is. If we don't like it, we move on and around it."
"Pandimora's not like that, otherwise she wouldn't be hurt and searching for her family."
"That's because she's part human."
"What's your point?"
"You're only responsible for your own self and your own life."
"I get it," Drew snapped. "But as you said, you see it in black and white. Until I'm able to do that, I'll go on as before."
"Stuck."
"Listen, you're avoiding the issue. Are you hiding something that might in turn harm Pandimora?"
"Don't worry about Pandimora now. You're out of her life," Irfin said. "Your interactions were nothing more than a dream." He lifted a brow. "Unless you're wanting more? I wouldn't recommend it, faerie and human. Many times it ends up badly."
"And you would know," Drew growled, annoyed by Irfin's interference. "Are you feeding Lukais information that may harm Pandimora?"
"No."
"But you have an association with him."
"None of that concerns you."
"I think it all spills over," Drew said. He stared at the dark street outside and the storm that raged. Where was Pandimora?
"It is unfortunate you have been involved in this business of faeries," Irfin mused. "However, with your background, I think you are better prepared than most."
"With humans, maybe. I'm not so sure about your world."
"You have a built-in preparedness for dangerous situations. It's quite interesting. Human coincidence never ceases to amaze me."
"How do you know this isn't all planned?" The notion had occurred to Drew on his walk back from Dell's Bridge. "Maybe we're all being manipulated. Even you."
Ir
fin dismissed that with a shake of his head. "In the world of the fae we create absolute outcomes. It's humans who convolute time and circumstance, making end results unpredictable."
"So you're saying everything that's happened since I met Pandimora last night is all a coincidence?"
Irfin grinned. "Seven days have passed here since you entered the healing sanctuary."
Drew felt pole axed. "No wonder my family has been frantic to reach me."
"For human convenience, time was adopted by your race aeons ago and perceived as a linear line of events, and therefore it moves faster here than in the world of the fae. In the reality of the universe, all time happens simultaneously."
"If that were true, Pandimora would have already reached a conclusion about her family and what occurred in Aisywel. She wouldn't have to go searching for clues."
"True."
"So why let her go through with all this?"
"Because each entity, whether human, fae or otherwise, has to see and understand the end result of their endeavors for their own satisfaction. Even for the fae, things can sometimes remain murky and out of sight. Pandimora must experience and feel the outcome of her own investigation."
"Is the elder hunting Pandimora to keep her safe or does he plan to harm her?"
"The truth of that will come," Irfin said evasively.
"That's it?" Drew asked, disgruntled with such an insufficient answer.
"Pandimora is well aware of the risk in pursuing the truth. There will be no swaying her until she finds her family and the truth about what happened in Aisywel."
"Why come here tonight?"
"When I wound back time I realized I gave you a ride into town when Pandimora kicked you out of the healing sanctuary. I could not let us part on such terms."
"She didn't kick me out."
"You're not there with her." Irfin smirked.
"What do you mean you wound back time?"
"When I gave you a ride, I hadn't met you yet."
"We met at the sanctuary!"
Irfin shook his head. "Before I entered the healing sanctuary I wound back my earth watch to account for the time differences between the two realms. I knew if I did not move back time I would be late for an appointment tomorrow, which is actually today. However, I overcompensated and moved time back too much."
Drew just stared at him. "That's confusing and makes no sense."
"I'm explaining why I did not recognize you when I offered you a ride."
"Where is Pandimora now?"
Irfin fidgeted with a small sundial on Drew's desk. Finally, Irfin looked up and said almost defensively, "I gave her a protection device and she left. However, I am concerned for her safety."
"Why didn't you stop her?" Drew demanded.
"She is an adult faerie and in case you didn't notice, quite strong in her opinions. Anyway, leprechauns are not welcome where she went."
"Where did she go?"
"Isidghe."
"Where is that?"
Irfin scratched his head. "Isidghe is generally a temporary dwelling in mossy cracks in rocks and tree roots." His piercing eyes met Drew's. "It's a realm just above the dark creatures. She went to the land of the goblins."
"Goblins. You're serious?" Fear for Pandimora raced through Drew. "Why goblins?"
"Despite their trouble-making reputation, goblins have useful skills. Long ago they learned how to shift matter. They are the only species of the fae who don't use portals. She hopes they will help her gain undetected access to Aisywel."
"Shift matter. Is that like teleporting? Like something out of Star Trek?"
Irfin nodded. "In a way, but without the modern technology."