19. Living Green
Chapter 19
Living Green
Liliana watched, all eight eyes open. She saw the Green that swirled around her knees spread out from her prince’s boots, just beneath the surface of the ground like streams flowing from a spring.
The forest stirred. All around them, trees swayed on a day with no wind. Outcroppings of rock shifted and gained human shapes. In one spot the earth itself heaved into a mound that grew arms and a head and opened its eyes. The water of the creek flowed backward. It lifted into the graceful shape of a woman. A small fish swam down her leg from her midsection and vanished in the rest of the creek.
With her fourth eyes, Liliana saw the green man who had been sleeping in a small hickory grove a quarter mile away. His bushy-bearded face lit up with joy as the sapling whose roots he slept on stretched and yawned. The sapling became a little girl, perhaps eight or nine. Nearby another hickory creaked as it arched and shook its limbs into arms. Its many twigs took shape as a wild cloud of hair down to a lady’s barky knees. The green man shifted from human form to a thick old hickory demi-form to embrace the lady. The little girl climbed them both so she could sit on what must be her mother’s shoulder.
As the Green flow of power gushed further, a hillside moved, lifting a hoary head. It turned a face like a crude sculpture of stone and dirt with bushes in place of eyebrows. It didn’t stand, thank goodness. The boulders rolling off its shoulders might have crushed someone.
Some distance away a far larger hillside opened a single eye to regard them.
Liliana swallowed. That single eye was easily larger than her house. She glanced at Alexander, Detective Jackson, and John Runningwolf. They hadn’t noticed the giant eye. They were too busy nervously eying the closer creatures surrounding them; huge tree spirits, rock trolls, and some creatures she had no name for like the earth man.
Not all of them were as joyous as the Green man and his family. Many looked angry at being disturbed. They faced the little group with clenched fists of wood or stone.
The majestic ancient cypress growing beside the stream bared white spikes of teeth even as a face formed in the craggy bark above the fissure in the trunk. The treeman creaked as he painfully wrenched his knees up out of the mud. He shifted form, shrinking into a tall, muscular man with dusky-skin and untamed long black hair wearing only an old-fashioned pair of pants made of homespun cloth. A horrible inflamed, half-healed wound, still dripping blood down his flanks formed where the crack in the old cypress’ trunk had been. Mud covered his pants legs. His now human teeth were bared in a snarl as he faced the double line of Other soldiers with their modern rifles and their camouflage uniforms.
The man who had been the cypress lifted a hand. The trees surrounding the little group, the ones that had not awakened to more humanoid forms, bent their branches in hooks that reached toward them with sharp, grabbing branches. The man’s hand bent in tense claws as if he would rip them apart from several feet away.
Alexander’s polished black statue face showed no fear on the surface, but his aura changed to sickly green as the world came to life, and the life showed overwhelmingly hostile intentions.
Liliana knew that if Alexander couldn’t control this angry Fae mob, no one could. She had no doubt her own aura would be flashing with acid green if any of the many species of Fae had the right kind of vision to see it.
John’s voice rang out. “Rear rank, about FACE. SET squad, Ready ARMS.”
The back line of soldiers neatly turned in place so half the soldiers watched their backs. All the soldiers shifted their weapons from leaning casually on their shoulders to up in their hands, ready to be aimed.
The soldiers in the front line shifted to aim at the half-dressed wounded man who seemed to be turning the trees of the forest into weapons against them.
“Flash protection position.” Siobhan’s high voice pierced the angry rumbling and the waving rustle of leaves that wasn’t caused by wind.
Behind Liliana and beside her everyone clenched their eyes shut, faced the ground, and with weapons in the crooks of their elbows, plugged their ears with their fingers.
Siobhan primed her small machine gun like a pump shotgun, yelled, “Flash out,” and fired.
Liliana hastily copied everyone else, including Alexander. She closed all her eyes, plugged her ears and bent her head down just before Siobhan pulled the trigger. Around her, even Detective Jackson, who probably didn’t know why she was doing it, copied the action.
It surprised Liliana that this time the precautions were more effective. Apparently, the stun grenade had less of an impact in an open forest than a tile-floored restaurant.
She looked up right afterward to see what effect Siobhan’s weapon had on the dangerous cypress Fae.
The man with the nasty wounds screamed. The stun grenade probably went off right in front of him. He put his arms over his face, staggered, and fell to his knees.
Around them, the trees stopped trying to attack them. Some of the humanoid creatures shook their heads or put their hands over their ears, some fell off their feet, or roots, or whatever. The more sensitive the Fae’s ears and eyes, and the closer they were to the explosion, the more intense the effects. But many of the Fae, especially those in stone forms, just looked angrier. Rock trolls took grinding steps toward them with clenched fists.
The hill giant shook its great head, showering the surrounding area with dirt and stones.
The giant eye on the hill that nearly qualified as a mountain blinked.
“Hold fire!” Lt. Runningwolf shouted, the sound booming to be heard over ringing ears.
There weren’t many weapons useful against such large stone creatures as the rock trolls. Nothing short of mining explosives would bother the hill giant. Never mind whatever that was in the massive hillside behind it. The trolls didn’t have any clear weak points either, like Spearfinger had. If it came to a fight, as well-trained and well-armed as they were, the SET squad might take some of the Fae with them, but they would most likely all die.
The best option is for this not to become a battle.
That wasn’t what they came for, in any case.
Liliana reached out for Alexander’s long stone fingers. “You are part of the land that nurtured their rest, my prince. Speak and the people of the land will listen.”
His hand briefly squeezed hers, but he didn’t look at her. Instead, a single command rang out, echoing through the ground at her feet like a minor earthquake as he said, “STOP.”
All around them, the stone, earth, water, and plant beings that had started to look like an angry mob, froze.
“BE AT PEACE.”
The creatures blinked stone or bark or dirt or liquid eyes. Their fists unclenched. They looked around them as if waking from a dream.
A demi-crabapple tree, clenched her twiggy fists again. She stepped toward them. She said something in a language Liliana didn’t know.
Behind her, she could see with her second eyes, as the front row of soldiers shifted their aim to point at the brightly blooming sentient tree that stood quivering with acid green fear and determination in her aura.
Doctor Nudd stood on Alexander’s other side, still in human form. “Gaelic, my liege,” he said softly. “She says she is seelie. She asks if her and her kin can leave, or if you intend to kill them. She’ll fight if she has to.”
Alexander nodded, but instead of having Nudd translate for him, he spoke to his Guardian. “Siobhan, tell her that her people are welcome to stay, just as all the unseelie are. They can go back to sleep, leave, or join the modern world. They will have to accept an unseelie land-ruler, but this is not an unseelie court. This land draws no lines of blood between night and day. This isn’t Europe.”
Seelie flower-sprite Siobhan spoke in her high-pitched voice in a lilting, musically accented version of the same language the blooming tree had used. When the tree-woman said something short and probably rude in a grumbling, skeptical voice, Siobhan put a hand to her own chest, then gestured to Pete.
The red-headed man shifted larger and broader his muzzle and tall ears pushing out, showing his red-furred demi-wolf form.
The flowering tree woman put her hand over her mouth as she recognized the red wolf’s race.
“I told her, highness.” Siobhan spoke to Alexander in English loud enough for everyone to hear. “When she called me a liar, I told her I was a seelie sprite and Pete was a Celtic wolf, and we were both a respected part of your court.”
“The lesser one is joking, surely.” A tall, slender pine goblin spoke up in clear French. “Your choice, of course, if you choose not to obliterate them, but surely you don’t allow Seelie scum in your court.”
Alexander answered in the same language. “Siobhan is a court Guardian.” His stone nostrils flared. A small red coal of anger lit the center of his deep green eyes. “You will speak to her with respect if you intend to remain in my lands.”
The pine goblin laughed. “That little weed? A Guardian?” He laughed harder, slapping his woody thigh.
Alexander’s face didn’t change, except possibly to become more grim.
Siobhan’s expression twisted like she’d eaten something sour. “Can I kill him, highness?” she asked Alexander in French. She pumped the lower part of her weapon, just as she had before firing the stun grenade. “Make an example of one, and the others will fall in line.”
Liliana cocked her head to one side, confused. The stun grenades were not lethal, and Alexander had not given Siobhan permission to use more deadly grenades as far as Liliana knew.
She looked at Siobhan with all eyes open.
Oh. The threat is a lie.
Alexander’s black stone lips twitched at the corner in amusement. “It would be effective, no doubt, Guardian, but would not convey our desire for peaceful coexistence.” He held up a hand. “Do not blow the pine goblin into splinters for his insolence.”
“Mmmph. Yes, sir.” Siobhan lowered the muzzle of her gun reluctantly.
The pine goblin looked nervously at the weapon. He glanced at the ancient native man of power who was still on his knees shaking his head and blinking watering eyes repeatedly, likely unable to hear any of their conversation.
“You should probably apologize to my Guardian,” Alexander said, mildly. “She has been known to take retribution for slights out in blood. Unofficially, of course.”
The tall pine looked like he’d swallowed a bug. “My apologies, of course, Guardian.” The words sounded like they were drug out of him painfully.
Siobhan glared at him. “Accepted.” She spoke with the same reluctance.
“Green man, I would speak with you.” Alexander pointed at the elder hickory, even though he had just arrived with his family and was at the far back edge of the crowd.
His wife made a sound of distress. She reached for him with clinging twigs as he pulled away. He straightened, shifted to his smaller human form, and walked to stand in front of Siobhan who did not allow the man any closer to Alexander.
He dropped to one knee, trembling. “My liege.” He spoke in an accented English that sounded like it came straight from England. The words and the gesture both acknowledged Alexander as ruler.
“You are the Green man of this forest. All can feel the richness of Green in it. But the land that feeds it is mine. I will not tolerate murder of seelie, unseelie, or beast-kin on this land without cause, nor especially of Normals. They do not understand their transgressions. You have slain them when their only crime was ignorance.”
The old man with his bushy beard in faded clothes from a previous century swallowed and nodded. “I was confused and afraid, but those are not good reasons to kill the innocent. I submit to your punishment.” He bowed his head, putting one hand on the ground as if he expected to be beheaded.
Much to Liliana’s surprise, Detective Jackson stepped forward. “I represent the human law here, which you broke.”
There was a murmur among those watching as they realized a Normal human stood among the Fae prince’s court.
The old man sat back on his heels. He looked up at the petite policewoman.
“You murdered four people. Why?”
“I was just…” He swallowed. “They cut limbs from green trees. I’d forgotten which ones were my wife and daughter. I thought they hurt my little girl.” The shaggy-bearded man blinked and tears fell. “She and her mother nearly died of the influenza. I brought them here to heal. The Green was fading everywhere, but this place still had some power. I used my magic to pull as much of the Green as I could, but no matter what I did, it wasn’t strong enough to do anything but keep them alive in tree form. Only in the last decade has it started to help them heal again. They were nearly well. To survive so much, then be cut down by some insensitive idiot. I just …” He shook his head and tears fell again. “I wasn’t really in my right mind at that point. When I saw that soldier cut a sapling that might have been my little girl, I just… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Detective Jackson sighed and rubbed her temples. “Do you intend to continue killing campers or anyone else?”
“No, ma’am. I know they didn’t deserve what I did.” He looked to Alexander. “Please, just take care of my family, sire. They were not in any way responsible.”
Detective Jackson looked up at Alexander, who gestured to her that the decision was hers. “Well, it’s not like I could drag you into a court of law.” She nodded. “All right. Protecting your child is a hard thing to argue with. As far as the press and my bosses are concerned, the bear did it.” She glared down at the weeping old hickory. “I’ll let it go. But if anyone in this forest gets so much as a scratch from now on, I’ll know who to blame and where to find you.”
The old man looked up at her with dawning wonder, then looked up at Alexander.
He gave a confirming nod. “Detective Jackson represents the human law in this place. If she forgives your actions, then I do as well.”
The man’s beard was split by a brilliant smile. “Thank you, ma’am. Thank you, sire. I swear, this will be the safest forest for miles around.”
As the Green man joined his relieved family, Alexander addressed the now quiescent crowd.
“If you wish to leave this realm, I will not stop you. If you wish to remain, you will swear allegiance to me. After that, you may sleep again or wake as you choose. If you wish to rejoin mortal society, we will arrange for you to be taught and given what is necessary to pass as a Normal from this time.”
He repeated the English statement in all his languages. Liliana repeated it in the two she knew that he didn’t. Nudd repeated it in Gaelic and another tongue she didn’t recognize. John repeated it in two more languages she didn’t know.
Alexander’s voice deepened again until it vibrated through the earth. “I RULE HERE NOW. IS THAT CLEAR?”
Everyone nodded and the old-world Fae lined up to swear fealty. The hill giant nodded, huge stone eyes focused on Alexander. “I SWEAR.” The giant’s voice rumbled like an avalanche, then it laid back down. As its eyes closed, it lost its human face, becoming nothing more than a hill again.
On the cliff face behind the giant, Liliana was relieved to see that great eye close and vanish as if it had never been. She wasn’t sure Alexander or anyone else saw it.
The ancient cypress man on his knees with the horrific wounds shuddered. He looked up at Alexander, face filled with rage and sorrow, eyes full of impotent tears. His hearing was probably still damaged, and his sight limited to only the edges around big blotches of white, but the language of the earth was one all Fae heard and understood.
There were a lot of Fae who had moved to surround the cypress Fae. The ones in human form all had the facial features of native Americans.
The ancient cypress growled a few soft syllables that Liliana didn’t know. His shoulders sagged in a defeated shrug. He seemed unable to hear anything but the words Alexander spoke through the Green.
“ Nvwadohiyada ,” John Runningwolf said to him and to the dark-haired people around him who still had angry or wary faces. “Peace to you.”
Those among the crowd reacted to John when he said that one word. The woman in the creek was among them. She stepped onto shore, taking a human shape in a blue and green dress with a bell-shaped skirt and corset forming a V at her waist. Shiny black hair was parted in a perfect line with little twisted buns over each ear framing a broad face with native American features. The other native Fae moved to stand with the woman who stood straight-backed and chin high. In oddly accented, but clear, crisp English, she said, “We will not leave this land, no matter who rules. Many of us hid in our other forms when they told us we must go. We will fight to stay.”
Alexander shook his head. “I’m not asking anyone to leave. That was a long time ago. If you wish to join society again, my people will help you make new homes here. I only ask that you obey modern law.” He gestured at Detective Jackson. “Find your place in Normal society or continue your sleep here. As you choose.”
The woman nodded to Alexander, then to John with a look of relief. “ Dudanilvtsv . Agreed.”
She turned to speak to the other native Fae rapidly in a language Liliana didn’t know.
Alexander looked at John for a translation.
He shrugged. “I only know a few words of old Cherokee Tsalagi.”
Alexander raised a stone eyebrow. “I suspect it would be a good idea to learn more.”
“Yes, sir. There’s some basics on line, I think.” John pointed at the cypress Fae still on his knees, tears streaming from his eyes . “I know some of the old plains Indian trade hand language, too?” He made it a question to Alexander.
“Do what you can.” Alexander nodded permission for him to leave his post.
John turned behind him. “SET squad is yours, Corporal. Absolutely no firing unless one of us is directly attacked or the Colonel orders it.”
A young fox-kin with three tails stepped forward. “Yes, sir.”
Lieutenant Runningwolf slung his weapon over his shoulder by its carry strap, shifted to his less intimidating human form, and walked toward the man who had been a great spreading cypress by the creek with scars that looked like lightning strikes.
The rest of the non-native Fae stood peacefully in a line in front of the prince under Siobhan’s, Pete’s, and Detective Jackson’s watchful eyes.
Liliana wanted to go to the cypress man. His anguish tore at her heart. Defeat and hopelessness saturated every line of his body and his aura. “He needs healing,” she said softly, touching Doctor Nudd’s hand. “And not just of the body.”
After getting a nod of permission from Alexander, Doctor Nudd joined John. “Perhaps I can be of assistance?”
John nodded. “He sure looks like he could use a doctor.”
Carefully, and slowly, hands out, they approached the wounded native cypress Fae.
Liliana couldn’t help. She had to watch with her first and third eyes the line of Fae approaching her prince. Each dropped to a knee or some semblance of a knee, and stated what they wanted to do, whether sleep again or join society, stay or leave. If they intended to stay, Alexander asked for an oath of fealty to himself, and an oath to follow the modern laws of the land, both Normal and Other. The second oath he required the Fae to swear to Detective Jackson, as a representative of the human law, much to her surprise. And theirs.
Liliana’s third eyes let her spot honesty or deception, which she murmured to Alexander so he would know the true depth of emotion of those who swore loyalty to him.
With her fourth eyes, she watched John and Doctor Nudd slowly approach the cypress Fae, yearning to help him herself. The power and pain that radiated from him was compelling and heart breaking.
The man watched them warily, still blinking with tears still flowing, but his eyes now tracked the big custom automatic weapon John carried.
“Hang up a sec, Doc.” John lifted the carry strap slowly over his head and deliberately laid the weapon on the ground in front of the ancient Fae.
“ Nvwadohiyada .” John repeated the word he’d said before. “Peace. We don’t have to fight.” He held up his empty hands.
The native cypress Fae shook his head slightly. He pointed to his ear. Blood trickled down the side of his neck.
John winced in sympathy. “He took that flashbang right in the face.”
“I can help.” Nudd held out a hand toward the man’s face. “If you will permit me?” He eased carefully closer, making sure the man saw every movement. He gave him every opportunity to avoid his touch.
The cypress Fae clenched his jaw. His body tensed as if expecting some sort of attack, but he let Nudd touch the side of his face.
The old oak goblin closed his eyes. His healing magic flowed like water freed from a dam. Green light gushed from his fingertips and washed over the cypress Fae. The glow didn’t just soak into his ears, but flowed over his whole body, suffusing him in healing light so bright it lit the entire clearing, outshining the sun in broad daylight.
The rest of the awakened creatures gasped in awe, both native and immigrant.
The ancient Fae stiffened for a moment, then sagged, eyes drooping with deep relief. He murmured something in a language Liliana didn’t understand, then blinked. “Doctor.” He spoke in accented English. He raised a filthy hand that shook to touch the gnarled hand on the side of his head. He squeezed Nudd’s hand, a look of gratitude on his face. “The pain is … gone now. I hear and see clearly again.” He touched his chest and belly where not even scars remained of the horrible gaping wounds he’d had before.
Nudd looked at his own hand with astonishment. His gift had never manifested so powerfully.
“Sorry about the stun grenade,” John said.
The cypress man’s eyebrows scrunched for a moment, then cleared. “The weapon of light and sound.”
John nodded.
“I would have killed you all if the tiny warrior hadn’t used it.”
John grinned. “Well, then maybe not that sorry.”
The old Fae huffed, not quite a laugh. He wiped tears from his cheeks. His face showed no lines. He had to be centuries old, but he looked no older than a man in his early thirties. He looked at John Runningwolf for a moment. “You are Sioux?”
John nodded. “Lakota.”
“Why do you serve a white man?”
John’s grin widened. “The Colonel’s a long way from white, even in human form.”
“His power feels like the people from across the sea.”
Nudd explained. “His mother is a powerful Fae queen in Europe, but his father’s ancestors were Normals brought here against their will. No part of him is an invader or conqueror to this place. His father, grandfather, and great grandfather were all born within a hundred miles of where we stand. His ancestors lived by coaxing food from the earth with their hands. This land chose him.”
The cypress Fae closed his eyes as if what Nudd said caused him physical pain. “Four generations. So long.” He opened his eyes and his face was angry again. “And where are the principle people? Where are the people who were here for dozens of generations before that?”
John shrugged. “My girlfriend in college was Eastern Cherokee. She grew up near Maggie Valley.”
The old Fae gave a puzzled look.
“In the mountains, to the northwest about, um, about two- or three-days’ ride on horseback. I think. Pretty area.”
“Did they fight the ones who wanted to take our homes?”
“Eh, not really, no. The ones who didn’t go on the forced march mostly hid. Some of us Sioux fought, but all the wars all the tribes fought against the Europeans are over now, and um...” John rubbed the velvet short hair on the back of his neck. “We lost.”
The snarl appeared on the cypress Fae’s face for a moment, but then he sagged. “Lost. Long ago. While I slept and heard only the wind and the song of the brook. While I waited to die or for healing that didn’t come.”
“Yeah. Pretty much.” John gave him a sad look. “Things were bad for the Cherokee for a while. They got scattered all over. A lot of people died about two hundred years ago. About the time you went to sleep, I’d guess.”
“There was a village near here. Farms, homes. A young woman showed me newspapers. After just a little bit of practice, I could read them.”
John grinned. “Yeah, that was pretty cool. The Cherokee Phoenix. They still publish, although it’s in English these days.”
The man’s shoulders sagged again.
John shrugged. “The world changed. Not much point in being angry about what happened two hundred years ago. It eats you up inside, without bothering the people who did it in the slightest since they’re mostly long dead.”
“Two hundred years ago.” The cypress Fae closed his eyes again.
“Why did you sleep so long?”
“I was dying in body, tired in spirit. Bleeding inside and out. I thought to sleep forever here.”
John looked around the glade with the brook, the view of the hills, the fresh, alive feeling that indicated strong Green in the area. He nodded. “Not a bad place for that. If you want, you can go right back to sleep. No one’s stopping you.”
The man looked up at the sky. He let the dappled sun shine on his face and took a deep breath. “I am alive.” He nodded to Doctor Nudd. “Thanks to a healer of the people who invaded, I am hale. I have slept enough.”
Liliana’s attention was drawn back to her third vision, which she had focused on the line of people waiting to speak to Alexander. She saw a flare of orange rage as the pine-goblin who sneered at Siobhan earlier came close. Outwardly, he seemed as respectful as the others.
The spider seer stepped past the petite native wild hydrangea sprite swearing a heartfelt oath to the new land ruler, as if merely walking along the line. Her footsteps were as silent as she could make them. She stopped directly behind the goblin.
When the goblin stepped forward for his turn, he dropped to his knees with a flare of triumph and rage. He bared yellow spikey teeth at Siobhan where she stood in front of Alexander’s knees. As he touched the ground with his hand, Liliana felt the roots of the many trees move under the earth. Ignoring the sudden tight grip on her ankle, she popped out her arm blade and cut off the arm/branch that touched the earth just above what passed for an elbow.
The pine goblin had only a moment to look startled at his forearm and hand laying on the grass. Around them, the roots that had shot out of the ground now waved aimlessly. The barrel of Siobhan’s automatic weapon came up to his forehead and fired.
The muffled brrrdddttt of automatic weapon fire exploded his head in sap and bark and splinters. It left no doubt that Siobhan’s ammunition was effective against Fae.
Alexander smiled dangerously showing silver needle teeth, lifted his own hand, and the roots that had been trying to grab him and everyone near him, switched their target. The roots pulled the pine goblin’s still twitching corpse rapidly under the earth which moved out of the way to make space.
Liliana saw no sign even of fatigue in her prince as he gestured to smooth the ground again. Within moments, the area was covered with bright grass and wildflowers, as if the pine goblin had never been. The Green in this area channeled through her prince made them all strong.
He looked up at the rest of the waiting Fae, those who had sworn to him and those who hadn’t yet. They all showed signs of shock, some with the beginnings of fear, some with anger. “In case anyone else intends to use this chance to get close to me and cause harm, you should know that my consort sees into your souls and knows your true intent.”
Liliana tensed for a moment as she knew everyone would be staring at her now. But it was a tactic. Like when she stared down every lion who might have called challenge. She could not show fear or nerves. This was a form of combat.
She turned to face the crowd, threw back her hair with all eyes wide, and bared her fangs at them all.
Everyone, even the rock trolls cringed when her eightfold gaze fell on them.
It was weird to discover that as much as she hated being stared at, nearly everyone else there showed deep unease when she stared back at them with all her eyes unashamedly open. A heady feeling filled her. For once other people could be made uncomfortable by HER stare.
While Liliana swept her stare across the crowd, fangs bared and arm blades out, Siobhan popped out the magazine from her Kel-Tec and pulled a new one out of a pocket of her baggy pants.
The Fae, led by the pretty little hydrangea sprite, all started kneeling where they stood, showing respect, or possibly just fear, not just to Alexander, but to Liliana.
None showed anything in their auras that Liliana could identify as hostility or challenge. Not after the pine goblin’s very sudden death.
“Like I said, make an example of one.” Siobhan popped the new magazine into place, ready to fire again.
“Mmm.” Alexander sighed. “I’d hoped to avoid that, but I can’t argue that you were not correct.”
When Liliana’s many-eyed stare fell on the native cypress Fae, he looked back with admiration in his aura and a nod of respect. “The consort of the man you serve.” He spoke to John and pointed at Liliana with his chin. “That one who sees souls and severs limbs. Also, your tiny Guardian, the one who chose to use a weapon that did no lasting harm to stop me, rather than the one that explodes heads. They are like yunwi tsunsdi .”
Nudd looked confused.
“Little people,” John explained. “Invisible nature spirits. Kind of badass. A few let me see them up in the mountains. Just show them proper respect and you’ll be okay. Usually.”
“I suspect people frequently underestimate such small warriors.” The cypress Fae had an odd smile on his face as he looked at Liliana.
She nodded back to him, a half bow.
Nudd grinned. “People always underestimate Siobhan and Liliana.”
John grinned. “Siobhan is the sprite. She made all our weapons and she kept me from getting knifed in the back at a bar.” John pointed. “That’s Liliana. She killed the biggest werelion I’ve ever seen. Sliced his head right off with one of those blades on her arms.”
Nudd added, “Siobhan saved my life once when the local king of the lion-kin pride tried to kill me. She fought him to a standstill one on one, sword to sword. Liliana saved all of us from getting blown up and burned alive shortly after that.”
“Those are tales I would like to hear,” the cypress Fae said with the beginning of a tired smile. He got to his feet. He stood straight with a look of wonder as he moved without pain, tall, slender body whole and unmarked. The smile faded. “I see that Elohi loves the beautiful man of shimmering black stone. Her spirit flows strong through him and answers his call. But I cannot swear to obey a foreign chief. Especially when I know so little about him.”
“Let’s talk to Colonel Bennet about that.” John shrugged. “I suspect the two of you can work something out. What’s your name?”
“I am Agasga.”
“Lieutenant John Runningwolf. This is Doctor Nudd.”
Agasga nodded to the craggy man who appeared to be centuries older than him. “I am in your debt.” He touched his unmarked chest and abdomen gingerly. “I did not think to live to see another day. You have given me a new century.”
Doctor Nudd didn’t know if the native Fae used the same system of barter, favor for favor that the European Fae did, but Agasga had acknowledged a debt. “I would ask a favor of you in return. Let the old enmity go. Live in the modern peace.”
“That is not so easy a favor to grant.” His eyes were dark pits for a moment, looking back into another time. “You don’t know what I have seen.” Then he sighed. “But I will try.”
“You can stay with me while you get adapted to the modern era. I have plenty of room.” Nudd held his hands up. “If you wish, of course.”
“You offer me your home when your people’s ancestors took mine.” The cypress Fae huffed a small chuckle that didn’t seem like he thought anything was funny. “The world has greatly changed while I slept.”
Liliana smiled, admiring Agasga’s resilience to so quickly accept the changes in the world. Not to mention his rather magnificent, lithe build and the firm squares in his healed belly. Sharp cheekbones and a prominent nose might have made him look severe, but his eyes were large with thick lashes that almost looked feminine.
Even this ancient wounded warrior would live in the modern peace Alexander offered. Pride swelled in her chest as she looked up at her obsidian prince.
Alexander accepted pledges of fealty and obedience to a rule of law and all around her, the many kinds of people calmed. Some even smiled. There was a feeling of hope for a better future. Alexander was going to be a great king.
If she could keep him from being murdered.