Twilight Siege

10

The detective sat at the head of the table, and when I stepped into view, she rose with a knowing grin. “Thank you for joining us, Rebecca. Why don’t you come in so we can shut the door and have some privacy while we talk.” I nodded numbly and did as she suggested, too dumbfounded to argue. Fergus knew about the Fae, and so had the detective who interviewed me after being attacked outside of the Huntsman. A nasty Shadow Fae called a Draug had cornered us and attempted to steal my necklace. Before Lochlan intervened, the creature had broken Ashley’s arm and we had to go to the hospital. While we were there the police had been alerted to the situation and I was called in to give a statement. The detective had sounded suspicious during our exchange, but I never dreamed it was because she knew the Fae were real. I sat at the table opposite her and looked around at the other faces. Fergus wore a wry grin but the features of the other man sitting next to him were considerably more stern. Recognition tugged at my mind but I couldn’t place where I might have seen him. The Cat look-a-like had a single brow arched and the other woman, who was unfamiliar to me, offered a small smile. Clearing my throat, I addressed the group. “Thank you for meeting with me.” “You know Fergus, and myself, this is Cat’s mother, Colleen. You may recognize Niall Burke, he’s one of the anchors on the local news, and this is Deirdre Collins, she’s a doctor at the local hospital.” I met eyes with each as we were introduced. “I know you’ve been asking how we can see the Fae, and we’ve decided to offer you some information, but know that we expect some information in return.” She looked at me expectantly. “Yes, I’m more than happy to tell you what I know. There’s a lot going on and I think we all need allies.” “You are not wrong. Our group consists of many individuals who are the modern-day descendants of the druids.” I had suspected as much. It wasn’t like there were a ton of secret magicusing groups in the history of Ireland. What confused me was why if legends of them were so prevalent, did they feel the need to stay hidden? I had an array of questions, but I kept them to myself for the moment and let her continue. “Many centuries ago, our ancestors were taken to Faery to serve as the queen’s handmaids because she didn’t trust the Fae in her court. Human women posed little risk as they didn’t stand to prosper from her death, and over time, a close relationship developed between her and the women. Over the many years they were together she taught them the use of magic through runes and spells and the group became like family. “However, when humans grew more advanced and began to conquer vast areas, warring with one another over land and titles, the queen made the decision to withdraw the Fae from Earth and return to Faery. She sent her handmaids back to Earth, and not long after, they were sought out and slaughtered like animals by the Wild Hunt.” She paused, her expression fierce. These people may not have known their ancestors personally, but it was clear that the stories and lessons had lived on in a way that was real to them. “Of the small group of women, very few survived. Those who did taught their children what they had learned, and each generation after continued to pass on the knowledge of the Fae and their magic.” “Why were the queen’s handmaidens killed? If she wanted them killed why not just kill them in Faery?” I asked in confusion. “We only know what we were taught, that the queen wanted no knowledge of the Fae to exist on Earth. She ordered the Hunt to kill us, and that is why to this day our secrecy is our number one priority.” I rubbed my arms to ease the prickle of goose bumps from her chilling tone. I wanted to assure them that Lochlan and the others were not a threat to them, but I had no grounds for such an assertion. The Hunt had not threatened me, but that very well could have been because I was no longer fully human. I was a loophole in the queen’s mandate that no humans know about the Fae. Would Cat and the others be in danger if the Hunt found out about their knowledge? When I met the queen, she didn’t act bothered by the existence of rumors of their past. However, that was incongruous with what the detective was telling me, but it wasn’t the time to argue with them. “I promise you that I’ll keep your secret and that I won’t endanger you.” I looked at each of their grave expressions with conviction. “Rebecca, Maura has told you about our background, but now we need to know how you can see the Fae.” Cat’s mom spoke up, a hint of pleading in her tone. I nodded and my hand involuntarily came up to touch my necklace for reassurance. “When I was a child, my parents brought me to Ireland on a vacation. I was given this necklace while we were there and it gives me the power to see the Fae. I didn’t know that it had that ability until I came here because there aren’t Fae where I’m from in the States.” Their obvious fear of the Fae meant even if I had wanted to, I wasn’t going to share that I was becoming Fae. I didn’t know these people enough to trust that they wouldn’t kill me for their own protection. The stern-looking TV anchorman, Niall, spoke up. “How do you know the necklace is what gives you that ability?” “It’s kind of a long story, but essentially the necklace is spelled to keep me from wanting to take it off. The thought of removing it has always been almost physically painful, which I realize now was abnormal. The next big clue was a Shadow Draug trying to steal the necklace from me. That helped confirm that there was more to the necklace than being a simple piece of jewelry.” The anchorman continued what felt more like an interrogation than a discussion when he was in charge. “Who gave you the necklace and why?” “Merlin gave me the necklace, but I don’t know exactly why. I know that there’s a rumor that war is coming. That there have been portals opened to let Unseelie and Shadow Fae onto Earth and the Hunt has been attempting to figure out who’s behind it. I also know that I’m supposed to play some role in stopping the war.” My eyes landed on Fergus as I thought about how my choices had been taken from me, and my stomach started to churn. “Why I was chosen is a question I’ve asked myself every day since arriving in Belfast. Each day I find more ways that my life has been mapped out for me or toyed with in some way. Now that I sit here with you all, I find it interesting that I happened to end up working for a druid. I couldn’t believe my luck when you gave me this job, but now I have to wonder, was there any luck involved?” He gave me a tight smile and his eyes were apologetic. “Rebecca, I would have wanted you working for the museum regardless of how we crossed paths. However—”