Earthbound

  I held his gaze and saw the gentle understanding there, and for once, I felt like we had someone in our corner. “Thank you for that. We can use a friend.”

  “You have that in me.” And with that, Trenyth escorted us to the portals. “Do you have any last questions?”

  I glanced at Menolly, and then Delilah. They shook their heads. I turned back to the elfin advisor. “I guess not. That’s about it.”

  “Then, safe journeys. May the coming year go smoothly and without any problem. Blessings, girls. I doubt we’ll have much cause to talk, but if you need me, I’m here.” And with that, he motioned to the portal.

  I eyed the flickering lights of the vortex. I had never been through a portal, though rumor had it the process didn’t hurt. From what we were told, it was more along the lines of being torn in half and then slammed back together. How that couldn’t hurt, I didn’t know, but I was about to find out.

  I glanced back at my sisters. “You guys ready?”

  “Let’s get this show on the road,” Menolly said.

  Delilah turned back to wave at our father, then nodded.

  I sucked in a deep breath and turned to the portal. “Okay, then. Here goes nothing. I guess we should look at this as one big long vacation. After all, how much trouble can we get into over there?” And with that, I stepped through the portal.

  Chapter 2

  I squinted as I tried to place where we were. We were in a dark room with no windows, although a glaring light flickered from the ceiling, bright enough to blind me. It wasn’t a candle, or magic. Then my wits came back to me as the vertigo began to vanish.

  That’s right, we had just gone through a portal. Which meant we were in the basement of the Wayfarer, and the glaring light was a form of human magic—technology. Electricity. We had been warned that it worked very much like lightning. Humans generated it via vast machines, and were able to control it to fuel their lives. I shaded my eyes as I stumbled to the side. My body still tingled, as though every single cell had gone flying out into the universe and then had been snapped back, slamming into place again.

  “You must be the D’Artigo sisters. Welcome to Seattle. Welcome to Earthside.” The voice was coming from somewhere beyond the glare of light, cloaked in the shadows.

  As my eyes adjusted, I began to make out figures, and then with a final blink, I could see around me. The room was piled high around the edges with boxes and crates. To my left, behind the portal, a hall extended to the right. Big basement, for sure.

  A man—human I assumed—stood in front of the portal. He was next to an elfin woman and a very short giant. Giants, be they vertically challenged or not, usually were on the scary side. But we had been briefed before we left that Jocko would be meeting us, and that he was an OIA agent. He posed as the bartender of the Wayfarer Bar and Grill. The OIA didn’t want the general populace over Earthside knowing they had a military presence, so they found cover jobs for us.

  And my guess was the man standing next to him was Chase Johnson. Who the woman was, I had no clue. I stepped forward and held out my hand.

  “Camille te Maria reporting for duty.” I paused, then added, “Over here, I’ll be known as Camille D’Artigo. These are my sisters, Delilah and Menolly.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Delilah and Menolly had made it through okay. They, too, were shading their eyes, but otherwise looked fine. Delilah had a skittish look on her face and I stifled a groan. Please, please don’t let her go changing into her tabby form and racing off. The last thing I wanted to do was play chase-the-kitty. But she seemed to be holding it together.

  “You doing okay?” I said softly.

  She nodded. “Yeah, I’m too curious about what’s going on to shift, I think.”

  The man stepped forward and took my hand. His skin was rough, as though he used his hands a lot. He had an olive complexion and dark, wavy hair, and the suit he wore appeared to be a tailored weave.

  “Chase Johnson, detective for the FH-CSI—the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigations unit. Welcome to Earthside, girls.” His gaze lingered on me, running up and down my body to settle on my boobs. Immediately, I had his number. I had been the recipient of that once over far too many times.

  “Jocko here.” The giant held out his hand and I stared at it for a moment. Giants often didn’t think about their strength when interacting with others, and I’d seen way too many well-intentioned handshakes end up with way too many broken fingers. But Jocko’s touch was light and gentle as he took my hand in his.

  “How do you do? So you own the Wayfarer? Menolly will be your new bartender.” I waggled my finger at Menolly and she grudgingly stepped around me to the left, gazing at the giant with suspicion.

  “Menolly, welcome.” Jocko nodded to her but didn’t attempt to shake her hand. Smart of him, I thought, given her hair-trigger temper.

  “Hi.” She glanced around the room. “So, this is the basement of the bar? Looks like it needs a thorough spring cleaning.”

  Jocko blushed. “I don’t get much time to mess with it. Maybe you can help.”

  “I’d be glad to. Can’t stand clutter,” she said. “Do you keep a guard on the portal?”

  “Yes, at all times.” Jocko motioned to a nearby desk. “We do our best to keep anybody out of here who isn’t authorized, because of the portal. We log all transfers in the journal over there, on the computer. I’ll have Tavah show you how to use it.”

  Computers. During the past month, we had memorized a large vocabulary of Earthside terminology, including the names of most of the devices humans had come to rely on. We were told that part of our job would be to gain a working knowledge of most of them, in order to further a smooth integration into society. The learning curve was bound to be steep and quick, and I suddenly realized that it would be a job in itself.

  “So, what do we do first?” Delilah asked, shyly moving to stand by my right. “Where are we staying tonight? And who are you?” She turned to the elfin woman.

  The elf was slight, with pale gold hair pulled back in a bun and had a gracious air about her. “I’m Sharah, originally from Elqaneve. I’m one of the medical techs at the FH-CSI. The unit also serves as a hospital and healing station for the OW Fae who’ve come over Earthside to visit.”

  “OW?” Then I stopped. Of course, Otherworld. We would have to get used to the jargon used here.

  “I asked Chase if I could come with him to welcome you to our side of the pond, so to speak,” she said.

  I wasn’t sure what it was, but I had the feeling we would be seeing more of her.

  “I suppose…Delilah’s right. What do we do next? Is there someplace we need to check in? We weren’t given detailed instructions before we left. In fact Trenyth, the elfin advisor to the Queen, was the one who saw us off.” I didn’t add that the OIA seem to have washed their hands of us as much as possible. Ever since we had been reassigned, training and preparation had been mostly from what the elves could teach us.

  Jocko grunted. “Welcome to the club. Get used to the fact that that the OIA doesn’t pay much attention to those of us who are over here Earthside. I don’t mean to insult you, but between you, me, and the wall, welcome to the reject pond.”

  Giants weren’t very tactful. Their knowledge and skill with diplomacy ranked up there with a vampire’s ability to stand out in the sun. But all pussyfooting aside, Jocko was right. We had hit the bottom of the heap when we had been reassigned. I assumed our father knew it too, but was too embarrassed to mention it.

  Chase glanced from us, to Jocko, and then back again. “I suppose we need to get you settled in. If they haven’t assigned you to a temporary place to stay, we’ll find you one.”

  Feeling a wash of exhaustion—the portal had been an energy drain that I hadn’t expected—I let out a grateful sigh. “Thank you. We have the money to buy a house, but we can’t do that tonight.” My voice trailed off and I had the sudden wish that our mother could b
e here to show us her world. She had wanted us to see her home, that much I remembered.

  “Someday, I’ll sneak you Earthside so you can see where I grew up,” she used to say when we were little. She taught us how to speak English, and she trained us in the cultural references she knew. Some of them were outdated, but over the past month, Trenyth had trained us diligently in what he could.

  Our mother had died when I was around seven years old — in approximately 1952 by Earthside count. As half Fae, my sisters and I would live far longer than humans and when we reached a certain point in our lives, we would be given the opportunity to take the Nectar of Life. But mother was human, and she had fallen from a horse and broken her neck. I had seen her soul statue shatter and was the first to realize that she was dead.

  “Agent Kuusi will be helping you find a house—she couldn’t be here tonight, but she’ll meet you tomorrow. But for tonight, it’s probably better if Menolly sleeps in the safe room here.” Chase turned to Jocko. “That would be all right, wouldn’t it?”

  “Safe room?” Menolly perked up.

  Jocko nodded. He led us around the portal, turning down the hallway to the right. Stopping in front of the first door, which had a metallic sheen to it, he said, “This room was added into the wayfarer when the OIA bought the building. It’s magic proof, and strong enough to hold a demon. You can’t transport to the Ionyc Sea from inside and you can’t use a cell phone. In fact, the entire building could crumble to the ground and the safe room would still be standing. It was created in case we have to corral any wayward visitors from Otherworld.”

  “Can it be locked from inside?” I asked.

  “Yes, but only if you know about the hidden mechanism. We obviously don’t show unwelcome visitors that aspect. But it allows us to bar it from inside, so the room can also be used as a panic room. Menolly will be safe from the sunlight, as well as from self-appointed vampire hunters.” He snorted, rolling his eyes.

  “Seriously? Vampire hunters?” She gave him a long look.

  Chase answered her. “There was a television show a few years ago. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was extremely popular, and actually quite cute. But the main character was a vampire hunter, and vampires became big business. Then, once the vampires came out of the closet, a number of self-appointed vampire hunters decided to reenact the show they loved so much.”

  I groaned. “I’ll bet that’s led to a lot of unnecessary bloodshed, especially if these so-called vampire hunters are kids.”

  “Mostly teens, yes, who think it’s all fun and games to go hunting a vampire, until they realize they’re not as strong or clever as most of the bloodsuckers.” Chase suddenly stopped. “I apologize. I’m not used to interacting with vampires who are on our side of the law.”

  “Not a problem,” Menolly said, though she looked anything but pleased.

  “So, it’s bad enough when the teens go off half-cocked. They do get themselves hurt. But, and here’s where you’ll have to be careful, not all of them are teens. There’s a small but vocal minority of people—human—who don’t like it that the Fae, Weres, and others Supes have come out of the closet. There are some very vocal hate groups who would love to see all of you slaughtered. And they incite violence. We try to quash their activities, but unless somebody’s breaking the law, it’s difficult. And right now, it’s not against the law to kill a vampire.”

  “Wonderful, just wonderful. I can see it’s going to be a field day living here.” Menolly let out a little growl.

  “It’s not illegal to kill a vampire in Y’Eírialiastar either,” I reminded her.

  “True enough.” She turned back to Jocko. “Let’s see this safe room.”

  Jocko opened the door. There was a cot against one wall with a blanket folded on it. A table and chairs sat on the other side of the room, along with what I recognized as a toilet and sink. Several books sat on the table and I wandered in, picking one of them up. I loved books. My mother had taught me to read English. I also knew Kathar—the language among the Fae, Melosealfôr — a rare form of Crypto language, as well as Calouk—the common tongue used in every city in Y’Eírialiastar.

  I glanced at the book, running my hand along the glossy picture of some sort of ship against a background of stars. Paper here was a lot smoother to the feel than back at home. My cover job was to pose as a bookstore owner, and I suddenly felt giddy. If my days were going to be spent among stacks of books, rather than fighting and chasing down criminals, maybe being stuck Earthside wouldn’t be a bad run after all.

  I replaced the book on the table and turned Menolly. “Will this work?”

  She nodded. “Kind of like the safe room at home, although it’s magic proof as well. I don’t mind staying here for a day or two until we find a place. That reminds me, how long till sunrise?”

  “It’s the same over here as it is in Otherworld,” Jocko said. He glanced at a bracelet on his arm. “It’s three AM right now, which means you have about four hours to sunrise.”

  “Are you wearing a clock?” I cocked my head to get a better look. Mother had owned a clock. Father had brought it home to her from one of his Earthside missions, after she told him it would make her feel at home.

  “I suppose so, only when you wear it on your body, it’s called a watch.” Jocko held out his arms so we could see. The metal bracelet expanded around his wrist. In the center, was a round clock face, only the time showed in digits rather than two pointers circling the hours.

  “I don’t want to go too far out tonight, until we get the lay of the city. We don’t want to chance Menolly getting caught out in the sun. So why don’t you show us the bar?” I didn’t want any chance of anybody on getting lost.

  “Follow me, then.” Jocko let the way toward the stairs, as we headed into our new lives.

  Chapter 3

  The next morning, Delilah and I woke after a short sleep. Chase had taken us to a nearby inn—or rather, hotel, after Menolly was safely locked in for the night.

  We spent the first hour watching television, which left me jarred and Delilah unnaturally fixated. I found it confusing, but Delilah took to it like a fish to water. In fact, I finally had to order her to turn it off so we could get some sleep. The noise of the traffic grated on my nerves, but I had to hand it to Earthside when it came to the blankets and bed. The mattresses were soft, the sheets smooth against my skin, and having heat that didn’t require stoking a fire? Priceless.

  Chase picked us up from the hotel and drove us to breakfast. The car had terrified me the night before, but in daylight, it was even worse, watching all the other drivers coming toward us and not being able to believe they wouldn’t accidentally cross the white line and run right into us. But we made it to the restaurant safely, where Iris was waiting.

  The house sprite stood around four-one, if that, and was absolutely gorgeous. Her hair was long, caught up in an intricate bun that spiraled up on her head and then hung down in a ponytail from the center. She was wearing a pair of navy pants and a pretty V-neck top. Her eyes were the clearest blue I had ever seen.

  “Iris, I want you to meet the D’Artigo sisters. Well, two of them. Meet Camille and Delilah. Menolly is the vampire and she’s asleep right now.” A faint shudder in Chase’s voice told me that he was afraid of Menolly. I dreaded to think of the mileage she was going to pull out of that little fact. And she would notice his fear.

  “Hi, welcome to Earthside. I work for the OIA. Chase has assigned me to help you out. Camille, I’ll be helping you in the bookstore, as well. But I’m here to answer questions and to help familiarize you with the city.” Her voice was soft, but the resonance behind it hinted at a great wealth of power behind it.

  “So, you’re an Earthside house sprite?” Delilah slid into the booth, staring around with curiosity. “There are so many people over here compared to home. Even though our cities are crowded, it doesn’t feel anything like this.”

  “You’ll find that less so in sm
aller towns, but yes, Seattle is big. Not as big or crowded as some of our cities, though.” Iris brushed a stray hair away from her face. “To answer your question, Camille, yes, I’m Earthside Fae, but I’ve been over to Otherworld a number of times. I was recruited by the OIA about four years ago. I was among the first of the Fae to come out over here, and I oversaw the opening of the Wayfarer portal. Lately, I haven’t been doing much for the agency, though.” Her voice was tinged with the faintest disapproval.

  “As I said last night, Iris will be helping you house-hunt. When Trenyth asked me who I thought would be best, I figured that since she’s a house sprite, Iris was the obvious choice.” Chase looked extremely pleased with himself.

  Just then the waitress arrived with menus. I scanned the choices, confused by some of the descriptions but one of the words rang a bell. Mother had mentioned loving waffles.

  “I’d like to try a waffle.” I handed the menu back to the waitress.

  “What would you like to drink?” She waited, pencil poised over her pad.

  Chase let out a soft laugh. “Bring her a double shot mocha.”

  I arched my eyebrows. “What’s that?”

  “Coffee. If you want to survive over here, you need to learn to drink coffee.”

  I figured that if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have to drink it. “All right.”

  Delilah wanted steak and eggs, along with a big glass of milk. Chase ordered pancakes and sausage, and Iris asked for an omelet.

  As we waited for our food, I stared out the window. The cars were bumper-to-bumper out on the road. So many people, going so many places.

  Iris cleared her throat. “It’s going to take you some time to get used to things, but I promise, it won’t feel so alien after a while. You’ll be surprised how quickly you adapt.” Her voice was soothing, and I relaxed as I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.