Chapter 16
At about the same time the cousins were having their lunch, another strange chat was being had less than half a mile away in Cora McCarthy's sitting room.
"And so, in all ways that I am aware of," Aldritch explained, "Jane would be safe on her bridge, the place she calls her 'play room'."
He, his daughter Cora, his grandchildren Kate and Jane, and the young Fair called Macklin sat in the cozy room, decorated with roosters and hens. lamps were turned on after the drapes were pulled for privacy. Aldritch glanced at each one in turn after offering some insights of fae-bridges.
The sisters, sharing the small couch, were visibly nervous but highly attentive; Cora appeared to be curious but confused, seemingly out of her depth; Macklin, who occasionally sipped tea from Cora's fine china cup, sat near Jane's side of the couch on a padded chair and kept an interested expression throughout their conversation.
After the sisters and the dark-haired Fair arrived, Cora offered everyone a seat, as well as tea and soda bread. For individual reasons, it was an unsettling gathering... except perhaps for Macklin, who kept gazing around the well-appointed room with open curiosity.
The talks between the five of them had begun with both Aldritch and Macklin speaking of an impending battle, although they had no idea when it might happen. To soothe the growing fears Macklin saw in the human women's auras, he explained that fae wars on Verden ground hardly ever affected the normal population. The extremely rare gifted or informed human might, however, be vulnerable simply because of their connection to the Lore. To clarify, Kate said that included all of the McCarthy's except for her da, Liam. It did, however, include Brody and his cousin, Simon. Aldritch confirmed her words.
Cora asked why they didn't know when this war might take place; she was puzzled by the fae's lack of planning. Her tall father sat somewhat comfortably in Liam's normally-oversized reading chair and explained. Most fae were creatures of whim and impulse, only seeing time as yet another element of life, and therefore given little or no consideration in most circumstances. To the folk of the Lore, time simply didn't matter in most cases. For many, ambition was just as much an abstract concept; most fae lived in the moment, and were content.
Some others, though, did on occasion maneuver and scheme for selfish or hedonistic pleasures, and this was one of those times. Cora still couldn't come to grips with the outlandish concept.
Fae gifts were then discussed. Kate wondered why they were all so radically different in each of the McCarthy grandchildren, and how gifts differed from a grace. When Macklin asked how she knew of fae-graces, she explained Brody's gifts and wondered if they correlated to the grantor of the grace, a troll named Ragnar.
Aldritch and Macklin shared a surprised look; it further explained the renowned warrior's presence in the area of late. Aldritch then gave his best guess for Kate's first question: no one really knew. It was a whim of the elements that they had gifts to begin with; how it might chaotically come to fruition possibly had to do with the personality or emotional needs of the individual human. As for graces, any proffered gifts were always those of the patron fae. Considering the strength a huge troll might possess, that made sense to Kate.
Just after that, Jane asked what something called the gift of the siren was; she'd been told she had it by Brody from the fae she thought was an ogre. Macklin said that it was a gift normally found with low-caste creatures called harpies; it was an ability of vocals, sometimes to cause harm, and other times to lull a victim into a temporary bliss. Both Cora and Kate saw how that made sense, knowing of Jane's beautiful singing voice.
Macklin went on to say that not much was known of the gift of the siren because not only were harpies foul creatures, but also because fae took no concern in science or documentation. It was yet another random aspect of the Lore, of life and dreams, that fae accepted without consideration; it simply "was".
They had eventually come to the current discussion of Jane's rather unique gift. Cora was initially worried about any adverse effects the ability might have on Jane over time. Her youngest daughter, who sounded more like a woman than a girl then, told her mother that she'd been employing her 'door' for nearly ten years without issue.
Macklin pointed out that knowledge of Jane's gift had gotten out, and now there was an issue, albeit an external one. Aldritch interjected, explaining how fae-portals worked, and that Jane could find sanctuary within her 'play room'; no one, human or fae, could enter as well without her consent and presence.
"You said in all of the ways that you were aware of," Kate wondered aloud to her enigmatic grandfather. "Is there some small nuance of portals you might be unfamiliar with? I mean no insult, but this could be very important - vitally so."
Both Kate and Macklin saw Aldritch's emotional colors darken. While Kate sank back into the cushions of the couch, Macklin moved forward to the edge of his seat to distract the elder dryad's glare from the woman.
"Lord of the Old Wood," he said genially to Aldritch, "she is only asking for Jane's sake. She seeks assurance that her sister, your granddaughter, will come to no harm in the events to come." Macklin then turned to Kate. "In having committed myself to Jane's welfare as well, I thank you for your concern that harm cannot find her... no matter whom it may offend."
"Your point is taken, young Fair," Aldritch with a deep tone, "but do not press your position with me." His eyes lingered on Macklin, and then scanned the others. "I have earned respect, whether you realize it or not. Dissent and doubt amongst my own human kin is not something I will allow." He fixed his gaze on Kate. "My words could have been heard with a twinge of doubt, but that doubt is yours, not mine. Under the conditions I have stated, Jane and all those she is able to welcome in will be safe from intrusion. Does that satisfy you now, Kate McCarthy?"
From the corner of the couch, Kate answered quietly, "Yes, sir."
Jane felt the heat of anger rising up her neck and flushing her cheeks. She had just watched the huge fae intimidate her sister - his own granddaughter - even after Macklin took up for her. In a matter of seconds, that arrogant alien brought Kate back to the shy, fragile girl she used to be.
It made Jane sick to see her sister revert to her formerly insecure self, but it also made her blood boil. Kate had just begun to bloom into a beautiful flower, becoming a woman that everyone else was happy to know; Jane was proud to claim Kate as her sister. But with only a few threatening words, while he sat in her da's chair like he was doing it a favor, that damned fae made her sister wilt again.
Without thought, Jane stood up and faced the big, weird-looking man who claimed to be her granda; the same fae that normally scared her merely with his presence. She pointed a finger at Aldritch and yelled, "How dare you bully my sister! She's looking out for me, another one of your supposed kin, and you get all bent like you got sand in your growler! You're not the fuckin' Pope, so get over yourself, ya fuckin' hardchaw! Do you think being some grand fae gives you the right to be a prick?! If this were my gaff, I'd toss you right the fuck out!"
Macklin took Jane by the shoulders and gently sat her back down. She crossed her arms and added with a snarl, "You're lucky Brody isn't here, sure. He'd puck you right in the gob for eatin' the head off Kate like that."
With a wild mix of emotions he was unaccustomed to, Aldritch simply sat there to internally debate his best course of action. The audacity of the human girl to deride an elder of the fae enraged him. That anger was tempered by the possibility that he had in fact overstepped some bounds of etiquette while a guest in that home. Aldritch felt sorely tempted to bestow a curse on the girl for her vicious tongue, but reminded himself that he was there to look after his kin, and perhaps mend some neglected bonds of blood.
He thought beforehand that something like this might happen, though; humans, even those of his line, were just too strange to for him to fully comprehend. Verden affairs were best left to sprites and brownies and such. He had contacted his half-breed daughter; perhaps it was
best to look after Cora and her children remotely until after Saraid's war party had come and gone.
Kate glanced around the room quickly, getting a brief look at everyone's nimbus. Her mam sat there with a stunned expression, shocked at Jane's words. Her colors were conflicted between wanting to appease her newly-found father, and defending Jane's heated reaction.
Aldritch, who hadn't destroyed them all as of yet, was a swirl of dark moods mixed with a slow influx of guilt, with a little grudging respect thrown in to his glittery pattern.
Jane's colors were a mix of fear, defiance, and hot anger; Kate felt lucky to have her for a sister.
Macklin's nimbus was one of an unexpected wary curiosity, emotions that didn't correlate with everyone else's current mood. Confused by the brown and murky turquoise patterns, she looked to study the handsome young fae's expression for a possible explanation. Kate saw that Macklin's head was turned toward the kitchen, in the back of the house.
Loud and angry barking suddenly came from the back lawn, getting everyone's attention. Macklin moved with inhuman speed and was at the sliding glass door before the McCarthy women could get to their feet. Aldritch waited until they jogged after the young Fair, and then hastily made a portal and stepped into it.
When the women came into the kitchen, Kate and Cora stopped short when they saw that Macklin somehow had a large spear in his hand as he stared out onto the back lawn. Jane stepped forward until she was just behind her dashing, sworn defender.
Kate and Cora saw Jane's body jerk with alarm when she followed Macklin's gaze. "Holy fuck, Macklin; what is that?" they heard her mutter.
Hand in hand, the other two women approached at an angle to see what was going on outside. All Cora saw were dormant plants, sunshine, and Mac's big dog standing in the middle of the lawn, growling at... nothing. Kate saw Mix, thankfully still in his shaggy Newfoundland form, focused on a vague sparkling that seemed about the size of a child. Before she could discern its colors, Kate then saw another nimbus come from behind the garage; by its size and the way it moved as if it had something in its right hand, she assumed it to be Aldritch.
"What's going on?" Cora asked of no one in particular.
Macklin turned to her. "Matron McCarthy, there is an unexpected visitor on your lawn; a messenger, I'd guess. My pet Mix is guarding him, and your sire is speaking with him presently. Still, I'd ask you to stay indoors as precaution."
Cora stared at Jane's long-haired suitor, then to the view of the lawn beyond him, and finally spun to peer back into the sitting room where her father had just been. Wild-eyed, she turned back to Kate with silent questions coming from her open, trembling mouth.
It hurt Kate to see her strong-willed mother reduced to a fearful, bewildered woman. Being told of fantastical people and events was one thing, but to witness them - like a man who moved like lightning, and her inhuman father who disappeared at will - was quite another. Kate turned her eyes away from that lost, haunted stare and instead looked at Jane, who was still gawking at the back lawn through the patio door. "What is it, Janie?" Kate asked quietly, "What do you see out there?"
Without turning away, Jane answered slowly. "It's a man, or at least I think it is... but it's also a bird. A bird-man, ugly, and twice the size of an owl, but looks more like a vulture. He's wearing clothes, red clothes... and he's handing something to Aldritch." She turned her head quickly to her sister with an excited look in her eyes. "Christ on a bike, Kate! This is so wild!"
Kate understood her adventurous sister's exuberance, but couldn't quite share the feeling. She was positive that her mam didn't.