Once upon a time, a woman rushed into a police station in LA and began yelling about Fae using magic in the city.
"Yeah, yeah," I replied. It wasn't illegal. I worked at the front desk because I was one of the few police officers who could deal with Fae without pulling my gun. "Tell me something I haven't heard."
"They created a portal!"
That was serious. I reached under my desk and activated a screaming alarm that could have waked the dead but mostly warned everyone in the building about serious fae trouble within our district.
One of the first to emerge from the back offices was Detective Halfae, our half-fae consultant. He did not look happy, and his scowl darkened when he heard the problem.
"You might as well wait," he told the others as he magically changed clothing from his suit and tie to fae robes and cape. "It is about time they figured this out. If I turn to dust, you are on your own."
It wasn't entirely a joke.
I keyed off my position and followed him out of the building. None of the others moved to do so, even though there were rules about Hal leaving alone on duty. I didn't always take that rule seriously, but this was the sort of trouble where you didn't want to make a mistake, like leaving your best hope of survival without someone to watch his back.
Portals are dangerous. A single one could get out of control and suck up anything it can reach. I feared for the destruction of the city, if not the world.
We didn't need directions to the trouble. Aside from the shouts of excited Fae, there was a growing sound of thunder in the air. Pressure grew, and I almost stumbled before we came around the last corner.
I don't know how Hal knew I was failing. He spun, caught my arm, and pushed me against the wall of the nearest building. I caught my breath and nodded thanks.
"We have one more turn, and you stay at the corner, Falcon," he told me. "No arguments on this one. Whatever is going on, it is more dangerous than just the portal. Be ready for trouble."
I nodded. I would never argue with a fae anyway, but I appreciated Halfae's abilities.
Hal went around the corner. I inched closer and peeked around the side.
Portals come in different sizes, shapes, colors and powers. They would be helpful if they were stable and if anyone, Fae or otherwise, might control where they led.
What I saw was not promising. The portal was a beautiful circle of gold covered in glyphs. Looking down the street—well, it was already changing the world. Skyscrapers were now towering peaks of stone. A wide street turned into a stone-paved path.
The other side showed sharp-edged mountains and open grasslands, but there was an overlay of ghost buildings that belonged on this side.
Humans ran away in fear. Fae, on the other hand, gathered in groups and cheered. Hal marched straight toward the largest group of Fae, and I could tell he was unhappy.
"Are you crazy?" he demanded loud enough to shake the ground.
"We made it!" Janal shouted and all but danced. I had never seen him happy, and I didn't like it. "We found a nexus and can go home --"
"Then you had better go fast. I am going to close this portal down."
"You can't!" Janal shouted and then looked pensive. "You really can't. You are only half Fae."
"This is true. But all of you assumed the other half was human."
Janal looked confused and took a step back. A number of Fae were charging through the portal and down the trail on the far side. They didn't look back. Then, a few humans went as well. No one tried to stop them.
I was tempted to join them.
Janal finally took a step closer to Hal and looked into his face. "Tell me what you are."
"I'll do better than to say it. I'll show you."
And he changed -- taller, thinner, his hair longer and silver. When he glanced my way, he looked much as he had before, at least in his face. The bright smile he gave me was unexpected. It disappeared before he turned back to Janal. I crossed to stand by Hal, though. Fae and humans stared at him in shock.
"My father was one of the last of the Elder Race to stay behind and help the Fae settle into life without them. He fell in love with a fae woman, and they had a dozen children before they moved on to the new land with the rest of the Elder Race."
Janal stared. I was the one who spoke. "That means you are one of the Bridges, right?"
"Nice to know someone understands Fae Lore. Yes, I am one of the Twelve Bridges to help the Fae adapt or move on. So that is your choice, Jana. You and the others. Go to that new realm that harbors all the magic you could want, or stay here and continue living with magic and humans."
Janal didn't like humans much. He turned and sprinted to the portal, with most of the remaining Fae following him.
Once they were beyond the portal, Hal snapped his fingers, and the magic disappeared. Parts of the view wavered momentarily and then returned to a modern view of tall buildings and shop-lined streets.
I regretted it.
"I feared I would have to put up a neon sign saying 'Nexus Here' before they found it," Hal said. He changed back to normal, which was a bit better. "I'll give them a couple weeks and go check. They should have checked the new realm before rushing in. Want to come along? How do you feel about dragons?"
No comments:
Post a Comment