I was sitting and writing code on the balcony above the main entrance so I could see if my friends arrived early when Frog summoned me. “Joshua, Frog calling.”
“I hear you, Frog.”
“We are lying low and arranging things this full moon. We are certain that King Surmium knows part of what is going on. We don’t want to confront him, but be careful what you say in front of Harvey. We suspect he may be leaking information. Don’t worry, we don’t suspect you. King Surmium knows things you couldn’t have found out. A lot of things have been a little too easy and too convenient. Be careful, it look like you are no longer just a key part in gaining more freedom in Fairy and you may be a pawn in a game none of us know.”
I said, “I am keeping secrets as best I can. That’s about all I can say.”
Frog said, “Yea, since our hand is mostly revealed, if you have to talk, go ahead. We may get some information that way.”
I replied, “If I do get information that way, I won’t be able to share it. But I will still owe you and try to arrange for you to have access to more Fairylands. I have some dried sprouts that will give access to a Fairyland used by wizards to fight. Not that I think it is all that appealing a Fairyland or safe.”
Frog said, “Let me check with Snake. Hold on. Okay, bring me through. I’ll take the sprouts and Snake will summon me back.”
I said, “You do know, I hope, that some Fairy kings can detect changes in mass in their Fairylands even when they are really small changes.”
Frog said, “Bring me though.”
I turned into me with the sprouts and brought him through. Here in Real he was a very small tree frog. Not as large and imposing as he was in Fairy.
He spit out a small pebble. “Ballast to try and make the change less obvious. Now let’s have those sprouts.”
He said, “Snake, I’ll have the sprouts in my mouth in a moment so wait ten seconds and bring me home.”
I put the dried sprouts in his mouth and he closed it. Then he disappeared.
Olive sat beside me, took a sprout and put it in her mouth. “Who were you talking to?”
I asked her, “Can you keep a secret?”
She laughed. “Since your friends are coming soon and it’s just before the weekend, we are going to keep it more sedate. As cover, why don’t you come and be teaching a class when they arrive?”
I asked, “What sort of class?”
Olive said, “You have barely practiced your French, so let me gift it again and you can go teach that. Wait, better yet, let Josephine gift you. She knows all the rude words and the grammar.”
#
In a classroom filled with mostly girls and a mix of ages that already knew French or had been just gifted to where they already knew French, I was fake teaching an advanced class in conversational French, but correcting grammar on a chalkboard.
Even the youngest girl in the class was twenty years older than I was and she didn’t appear the youngest. So their debate over French cussing vs Spanish cussing was teaching me things I had never known. It was getting well out of my range with Russian and Yiddish being added when there was a knock on the door.
Renate in human form opened the door. My lawyer friends had arrived. As we planned I dismissed the class and the “children,” ran out of the classroom.
I wasn’t sure how much any of them had heard, but Davis had a look on his face like he might have recognized some of the words. After showing them the mansion, we went to the cottage. Sandwiches, and fruit where on the table. It seemed the House Fairies were planning on remaining hidden while my friends were here.
I showed them their rooms before we gathered in the library. Each of them had come up with their own modifications for their own corporations under the set of shells we were going to create. They were good, but they never intended to go full out crooked. The Maw had taught me top end devious. I started to give input several times and remained quiet. I didn’t know how to explain this without sounding as horrible as The Maw was.
I was about to give some input when Eloise in horse form appeared in the window and started gesturing with her head. Jen got up to look and now everyone was looking. I ran out. Eloise kneeled so I got on. She looked back and the group of lawyers were following.
Eloise said to me. “Use Fairy speech so they can’t hear you. Keep your friends out of the buildings. The Death Watch has issued warning.”
I asked, “Like Star Wars or the first official tartan?”
Eloise started a slow walk leading my friends down the road, “The first tartan was the Black Watch, and the Death Watch is a loose organization of Fairies that watches the activities of the Deaths during the full moon. Four of them are on the highway near us.”
I asked, “Shouldn’t we keep my friends inside then?”
Eloise shook her head and her main danced. “We may have to take everything to Fairy. The Deaths would come after us for certain if we took five mortals from Real. We thought having a few mortals here might make the Deaths decide we are too much trouble. Now we aren’t so sure.”
As we got to the main road to the manor Four men on motorcycles drove past.
Eloise said, “If it gets bad, have your friends go to their cars. You can get their stuff to them, hopefully.”
I took out my cell phone. “I’m calling 911.”
Eloise said, “Don’t, that’s the worst offense. They have contacts with the cops anyway.”
A motorcyclist came back and stopped by the entrance. He pulled back the dark face of his helmet and touched the side of his nose before pointing at me. He made a terse smile at my friends who had just caught up with Eloise and me. Then as the other three motorcyclists rode past he revved his bike and took off after them.
I leaned forward and whispered. “Why are you in horse form?”
Eloise said, “As horses and chickens we don’t smell as strong of magic. We have pulled back all the Fairylands and the powerful have retreated.”
I slid off of Eloise’s back as Lawrence came up beside me. “What was that about?”
Eloise said to me. “Tell them it was a bike gang that causes trouble from time to time.”
I said, “That was a bike gang. I think they call themselves, ‘The Deaths.’ They cause trouble around here from time to time.”
Jenn asked, “Are the girls safe?”
Eloise said, “Tell them the girls have a safe place but we will be moving them shortly because of the bike gang.”
Greg asked, “Have you called the police?”
I said, “Small town, they are tight with the cops. We have a safe place for the girls, but we are going to be moving things shortly. So it won’t be a problem.”
Jason said, “I thought this place was too good to be true. Sorry, Joshua, but it all seemed too nice. Like a Fairytale.”
As we walked back to the cottage, Lawrence and Davis fell behind and they were talking.
When we got to the cottage, Lawrence stopped by the cars. “We have to think about Jenn, Josh. I think we should head home while we still have daylight.”
#
I stood and waved as they drove off.
Eloise and I walked back to the cottage where five chickens were waiting.
Jody wiped her beak on the ground. “Most of the flock have fled to Fairy. Some chickens are more chicken than others.”
#
As I combed Randal, he caught me up on the plans.
“We thought having mortals here would give us protection, but now it looks like it might be endangering mortals. So we are going to have to move operations to another country until things calm down here. The North American Deaths have always been unpredictable. If we have to shut things down before all of the trucks come in, try to find warehouses to store things in.”
After I finished combing Randal, he went back down the tunnel and Jack came up.
I said, “Jack, I can open a temporary gateway to your Fairyland so any shipments that come after everyone flees, can still get to you.”
Jack said, “If we flee, you need to flee faster. Go to ground. Forget the truck deliveries. Don’t worry about any of the grain, flour or malt. Don’t worry about the equipment. Maybe we tried too much too fast. How are things on your end?”
I kept combing Jack. “My lawyer friends have put together a corporation for me and I suspect they are making corporate plans without me. I got them started on it, but I think I am out of the loop now. My employer has been asking the sort of question you would ask if you were trying to have another programmer remake all your software and move the data base. I think they will try and maintain a relationship just to buy my future silence. So I am a free agent now and I think your the best friend I have.
“I have been looking at the raw data and trying to organize it. I’m not sure how all of the new results got entered so quickly.”
Jack held a hoof up to show me it needed cleaning. “The Professor is half machine and was able to set up a modem to download his observations. His memory is flawless so most of the data was put in that way. For the rest, the chickens are experts at hunting and pecking.”
I started cleaning Jacks hooves. “When the laptops come in, I will put the data on them and hand them over. It could take years for me to analyze it and even figure out how to analyze a lot of it. I am intrigued by the patterns, but I can’t really make any shape of them.”
Harvey walked up while I was talking. “Your friends are gone and you don’t have any deliveries coming till Saturday. Let’s not waste the full moon. Right now there are wizards dueling and plotting. We need you to start finding them.”
Jack asked, “Do you really think Josh is ready to Face wizards in a duel?”
Harvey whipped his tail. “He can concede and gift them with a language. He doesn’t have to win. All he has to do is find the oath stone, and break it.”
Jack asked, “Don’t they guard those things?”
Harvey got up. “Coddling Josh isn’t training him.”
Jack said, “After you groom, Renate and Eloise, let’s go for a ride. We can get groceries and take a break in my Fairyland.”
#
We were resting and playing guitar on the balcony in front of Jacks cabin when Jack stopped playing. “How much do you know about King Surmium?”
I said, “You know I won’t reveal any secrets.”
“No, Josh and I respect that, but do you really know what he is planning?”
I shrugged. “If I have to answer, let’s change the subject.”
“Alright, I have a gateway to my Fairyland and it is well hidden and I can use it. But I can’t figure it out. The maker of it said he knew of six individuals who could sneak past it, but he also set up this world to expel people who were here without my express permission.”
I looked up at the sky. “That’s all Fairy king stuff. I may or may not even be a peer, whatever that means.”
Jack said, “I got some data on that. There are royals, peers, gentry, and commoners. Among commoners you could be free, a surf or a slave. So there are divisions in all of that. Gentry are Fairies that can do magic and would be expected to help defend the realm. Royals are those who can do all the complex spells, make stuff and they could have their arm cut off, cauterize the wound by spell and keep fighting. The peers are dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons.
“Dukes are the scary ones. As far as I can tell marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons are in order, expected to be able to beat the next one down in a fair fight with consistency. But there are full kings that wouldn’t win vs a viscount, so it’s odd. From what I have seen, I think I would beat a viscount so I am probably earl grade with enough grit and ability to be a Fairy king. You can gift so that puts you at least at baron by most descriptions, but there are esquires among the gentry that can gift. At the very least you a member of the gentry.
“Wizards all say they are Fairy kings, but very few would qualify by ability or aptitude. They are all gentry level, but I wouldn’t even say half are peers. They say they are kings because they can make gateways, but the gateways they use are different and easier. The real gateways are major works of magic and you have to stay focused for a long time to manage casting one. An hour if you are fast. And even then there are Earls that can make gateways. The spells are more secret than impossible to throw.”
I didn’t tell him I had gotten making gateways down to twenty minutes. I had been gifted with a lot of the things that Jack did and I couldn’t use the gifts so I wasn’t sure what my rank would end up.
I started playing the guitar again. Fairy seemed unfair to me. Class systems and all.
I asked, “You can manage iron, right?”
Jack nodded. “A knife to the heart is still deadly, but yes, I can handle it and the iron work you see on the cabin I did on a forge from scrap metal. The chickens can handle iron too. Hard to do lab work with an allergy like that. Both Queen Cypsela, and King Surmium have Fairies that can heal so they can mend gossamer infections and eventually replace gossamer with real matter. That’s another odd one. Most healers are gentry despite having abilities that would make them Dukes. I think to be a Duke or Duchess being willing to kill is part of it. A lot of Fairies can do basic healing, but the real healers are rare and the ones cold enough to kill are even more rare. I don’t think the healers generally gift that stuff to folk with cold hearts.”
I remained silent. Jack had just revealed to me who King Surmium’s spy was. What he had not revealed was why Snake was Surmium’s spy and why Surmium trusted him.
I looked down at my guitar. “I was just thinking, you play a wide range of instruments. If I came up with a list, you could pick from them and I would be happy to obtain them for you. I figure I owe you.”
Jack said, “I was a band director. We do a lot of instrument repair. I taught you to use a lathe. A lot of instruments are shaped with that sort of thing. Not only do I have all the band instruments, I made most of them.
“Next time you visit, I’ll take you down to see.”
#
We had spent three more weeks in Fairy and we still got back on the same afternoon the Deaths had ridden in and broken up the party. I had a day and a half that I figured I might as well try to at least find some wizards in.
#
This time I was able to identify poison ivy. The fence I crawled through was covered with it and it was a wonder I wasn’t worse infected. I went to the gate and crossed out of the corn field there. Then I walked to town. I was in Daemon form, hoping a wizard would recognize me and give me a ride. No such luck. I had to walk the whole way. I stopped at the cafe.
The waitress smiled and came over. “Long time, Captain Dreamcakes. Your usual?”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
I nodded, not knowing what my usual was. It was a steak and two eggs with toast. While I was eating a couple came in and sat across from me. The man said, “It’s been a while, someone inquired about you.”
I didn’t know who these two were so I nodded and stayed quiet.
The lady said, “We found out your first name. “Lithos. Suits you. Do you need a ride to the lodge?”
I nodded. “Who was looking for me?”
Lady said, “Nicely dressed like you. Accepted a challenge. I didn’t know our lodge had an agreement with a club.” She turned to the man. “Ralf, what was the name of the club?”
Ralf said, “The Fallen Sand.” The man beat Wayne so he was pretty strong. He left after the gifting so none of us got to talk with him. Liv, tell him about Journo!”
Liv said, “We always figured he had a thing for you the way he watched you all the time. I understand, You have that whole silent but sexy thing down. He kept coming up with reasons to challenge you. You kept beating him, probably with the same choke hold you used on me. I stayed mad for a couple of months, but we always figured Journo must have liked it.
“Anyway Journo was in line to get awarded ‘most victories,’ but right after he beat Hems in a public battle, he stopped coming. But here’s the big thing. Even dead he’s a liar. Manson summoned him and Journo said he killed you.”
#
It was a good thing I got a ride. I would have never found the lodge on my own. The lodge consisted of three buildings. Two looked like nice dorms and the third looked like an old style mansion. Past the large parking lot the road continued to a pair of metal barns.
Liv turned in her seat and said, “They put up a second barn so we have two private arenas. I still prefer the one at the old cement factory but for a while it was looking like we were getting big enough to need all three.”
Ralf pulled in to a parking spot. “Yea, but the Fearsome Three keep ‘accidentally,’ killing people. We tried to outlaw attacks with a proven history of high deaths, but that fell through and now enough of those who were for the move are dead, so it’ll never pass. I keep telling people, the real answer is to take on one of the Fearsome three and eliminate them. I have an open challenge on all of them, but so far they have managed to avoid a situation where I can force a challenge.”
#
Inside the mansion we sat in at a table with four other wizards. A man in a serving uniform and white gloves came and put a tray with a small stack of letters in front of me before putting a tray with a larger stack in front of Ralf.
Ralf said, “Tea, bring a pot. Anyone else want tea?”
Liv said, “Bottle of club soda.”
The man in the serving uniform looked at me. I said, Bottle of club soda.”
While we waited I looked through the envelopes. The first one was a bill from the lodge. The second one was a more urgent bill from the lodge with late fees. With two years and late fees they wanted in excess of twenty thousand from me.
The third one had a card inside the envelope that said, “Samuel Withers, Esq. The Fallen Sands. On the back was a scribbled note in tiny handwriting. “Lithos, Summon me. We quite honestly need you for playing Whist. Without you, they are all playing Boston and I abhor Boston. Not the town, I still love the town, but the Game, that I truly despise. Even though you mop the table soundly when you play, Whist is just not Whist without you at the table. Your earnest friend, Sam.”
The bill said it could be paid in gold so I took out a small bag with a hundred ducats in it and put it on the tray. Since the membership dues gave me room and board, I decided it might be simpler than getting an apartment. I could probably remove a few ducats but since I was not having to convert it, I was going to come out better than I had done an exchange or at least without as much trouble gone through.
The attendant came out again with a small stack of trays and started placing them in front of the people at our table. He picked up my tray but didn’t give me one from his stack.
Liv said, “Seriously, Medon or should we call you Lithos, no one is going to challenge you if they can challenge someone else. You just came back after nearly two years, being choked out before a spell can even be cast gets kind of old and all anyone gets from you is some weird Mesopotamian language no one speaks.”
A fellow across the table said, “Are you trying to get Medon to challenge you?”
Liv looked at me. “No, my neck hurt for a week after he grappled me.
I looked around wondering how to find my room without giving away my lack of knowledge.
The attendant came over. “Is there something you need sir?”
I said, “Sadly I lost my gear a while back and I may need help getting into my room.”
He did a short bow. “Follow me sir.”
I followed him and he went to a counter and said, “Medon is in need of a concierge.” He turned to me. “Excuse me sir.”
The man behind the counter went to an open doorway. “Dana, Medon needs a concierge.”
Dana came out. “What can I provide?”
#
At my room he unlocked the door and let me in. He opened the tool box he was carrying and knelt in front of the door. “I should have a new key for you shortly. We replaced the locks last year but since you were not here, we were waiting for you before we made the change. There won’t be a charge for new keys.”
I walked in wondering if I was being too quiet and rude or if this is how Medon acted. I didn’t know how Lithos Medon talked, so I figured I would be in trouble anyway. I looked around. There were two changes of clothing. It felt like Medon kept the room but never stayed here. I went back to the door and the concierge was struggling with it.
“Pardon sir, it seems this replacement is flawed. It looks like they tried to use it and put it back in the box when they were replacing the other locks. Sorry sir. I should not bother you with this.”
I said, “No hurry since I am probably leaving shortly.”
The concierge said, “Wonderful. I will get maintenance to fix it and we will get the key to you next time you come.”
#
I stepped outside and took a trail that lead out to the nearby woods. Hidden but not too hidden I created a gateway and stepped through.
#
Onion was waiting for me. “Good to see you, Josh. Is this gateway what I think it is?”
I nodded. “I have no clue when the wizards will find it. It is hidden well enough for someone to think it is hidden well, but I would spot it if I was in the woods near it.”
Onion said, “Perfect. We have a network of gateways to wonderful places in Europe and now a gateway that the wizards will find. I find, that despite giving you the fabulous gift of gateways, I am back in debt to you.”
I asked, “This is odd to put so much effort into a task, what is your plan?”
Onion said, “More of an experiment really. If several groups of wizards find this, I am wondering if they will fight over it or learn to cooperate. I suspect they will set traps and do all sorts of dastardly things. We are making a precious thing that they will, in the end probably destroy.”
I shook my head. “There has to be more to this. You will end up loosing this Fairyland and it has real mass and it is quite charming.”
Onion was quite for a bit. “When you go for deep sea fish, you put a bit of fish on a hook, expecting to lose it. You are not giving it away. This is bait for a very large fish.”
I went to the spot marked for the next gateway to Real and started casting this side of the spell. Now that I had put so much time into this network of gateways and I had not yet explored the places it lead, I wanted to keep it for myself, but I had no way to protect it or keep it safe. It was a wonderful thing that needed to be shared, but anyone I shared it with would be endangered or would end up destroying it.
I wanted to teach Agnes how to use it, but then she might feel the need to protect it and it would end up endangering her.
#
I took a gateway to Edinburgh, Scotland. The full moon was visible. I made my way to a bench and used the light on my cell phone to read the card I had gotten. Then I debated how to summon Samuel Withers, Esq. I didn’t identify with the names Medon or Lithos, and while I wanted to find things out, if Sam was an innocent, I didn’t want to involve him. He found Lithos’ lodge so he was probably a wizard. I decided to be silly. There was a chatty nature to the note on the back of the card so it almost seemed in kind.
“Mr. Bear wearing the Face of Lithos does summon Samuel Withers, Esquire of the Fallen Sands and hopes this is not a bad time.”
Samuel answered. “Oh, Mr. Bear is it. Good timing, but you missed supper. No fruit cup for you. Show me where you are Mr. Bear.”
I let him view the place and me. “I know that place, are you really in Edinburg? How fabulous. Oh, goodness it must be near midnight there. Well, Jeeves can summon me back so bring me there.”
I brought him to me. He was a large charismatic fellow with a broad grin and a wild bush of dark red hair. He sat at the end of the bench and looked at me. “Well that is something. You really are not yourself these days.”
He kept glancing at me puzzled. “You have Lithos’ lovely face and it is clear his form entire. Yet you are and are not him. What mad experiment did my lovely Lithos do?”
I said, “I turned into him.”
Samuel toddled his head in a gesture that made me think he avoided women as much as I did but for different reasons. “Well, that much is obvious, but what did Lithos do?”
I said, “He died.”
Samuel said, “Well then, I am pleased ever so much to have met you, but I am duty bound to avenge his death. It’s just proper form you know. No real offense.”
I said, “His killer is dead.”
Samuel said, “Well then, I suppose I am not duty bound to get all sweaty this night and I owe you for your honest delivery of sad tidings. Can I call you Lithos?”
I nodded.
“Well then Lithos how did you become my darling Lithos?”
I turned into myself with the diary and set it on the bench. I turned back into Lithos.
Samuel said, “Well, that is a turn. You know it is quite impossible for a mortal to turn into a Daemon.”
I shrugged. Samuel smiled. “Unless he really does turn into a Daemon I suppose. Do you have his memories? How did you ever become poor Lithos?”
I gestured to the diary. He picked it up.
I realized that if he read it to the end, I just revealed that Queen Cypsela probably killed Journo. Since Samuel wanted to avenge Lithos, he might feel gratitude to Cypsela but I may have revealed more than I should have.
Samuel glanced up at me and then flipped to the last entry. “Oh, you wanted to protect Queen Cypsela. Don’t worry, I would die for her considering. Are you in love with her?”
“Well that’s a complex flash of emotion. So come out with it, how did you become Lithos?”
“I went to his grave. He had been dug up but I found a jawbone and used it.”
Samuel looked at me for a while. “Well you wear it well. Do you have his memories?”
I gestured no.
He rolled his eyes. “How much do you know about Daemons?”
I shrugged. “Strong, tough, fast, able to read emotions.”
He said, “Well I don’t know. This is like you are a reverse avatar. A mortal in a gods body. If you stay him long you might start becoming him. Do you dream?”
I said, “I haven’t slept in the form. I have done a lot of work in it. Mostly moving stuff. Are Daemons allergic to poison ivy?”
“Mild reaction at the worst. Well by all I can figure, unless a bunch of you mortals start taking the form of Daemons, and apart from you, I am quite certain it is impossible but then Fairies have always been impossible, you are now Lithos of Medon or Lithos Medon now days. You know a lot of Fairies?”
I nodded.
He continued, “Well, this is awkward. I am one of your plus six, so I really do need to be your friend.”
I asked, “What is my plus six?”
Samuel said, “Well every truly wealthy and powerful Daemon, in the old days was expected to have a group of Daemons to accompany him. When The Dark Sands first formed, you, I mean Lithos had just been cast out of Whites and Brooks and Boodles were new clubs and you didn’t feel inclined to join either. The last thing you wanted to do was manage a club and at the time you were studying human wizards, so you provided materials, funds and pulled strings so one of the first gentleman's clubs for wizards was established.
You and several others were made eternal members and you of course had to have your entourage as members too, so as one of, well not you, but Lithos, this is ever so confusing you know, I have eternal membership as long as you don’t throw me to the side. I really don’t want to have to come up with the fees so, I really will be your dear friend if you let me stay. I think Lithos would like that, and I think, he would want me to support you as well since you will of course naturally become him.
“Form does dictate function and that body was crafted to be who poor Lithos was so inevitably, you will become him, as you abandon, that charming but clearly, mere human body of yours.”
I asked, “So the club is the Dark Sands?”
“No, when the great America wizard, Whipple, was offered membership in the Dark Sands, he paid with a gateway to Boston where we built a house called the Grey Sands. After the great fire in London we never rebuilt the club in London and instead just put up a pub to house the gateway. Before he died, Whipple made another gateway in Chicago and we opened the White Sands.
But then the fire in Chicago destroyed it. We were ready when the Boston Fire broke out the next year and moved the club to Fairy. So we have gateways in London, Chicago and Boston, but it is really in a Fairyland. We call it the Fallen Sands now.”
He looked over at me. “It seems so strange explaining all of this to you. I need to call your other hangers on. I mean, Lithos.”
Tears started welling in Samuel's eyes. “It’s like you lost all your memories. Three thousand years gone. I mean, I barely held on when Rattles died. But your Lithos, I mean. Well, can we just pretend you are Lithos since you are bound to become him.”
He started crying. I turned into my copy of Lithos that was carrying a stack of towels and handed him one before changing back.
He gave me the diary back. “Put it away, I can’t read that awful man’s words. I changed into me, took the book and changed back into the version of Lithos that summoned Samuel.
He was blowing his nose and crying into the towel. I put my arm around him.
He sobbed, “You always take care of me. We need to call the rest of your entourage.”
I asked, “All six?”
He cried more. “No, just two more. You only had four and Rattles died. You just kept two for guests. Always thinking of others. Can you summon Dantin and Dalan, I don’t think I can manage it.”
It was night, in Edinburgh. I was sitting with my arm around a huge red haired man who was crying into a towel. He wanted me to summon two Daemons that as likely as not would try to kill me. I hadn’t thought this through at all.
I summoned Dantin and set it up for him to see us. “Datin companion of Samuel Withers and Lithos Medon, the man who would be Lithos summons thee.”
He asked, “What’s wrong with Samuel?”
I said, “He lost a friend. It’s complicated. Look, I’m not Lithos, I just turned into him.”
Datin asked, “Oh, gods, is Lithos dead?”
I said, “Yes, and his killer is dead.”
Dantin shouted, “You were right Dalan, Lithos died.” In a lower voice he said, “Dalan had a dream where Lithos said goodbye. Can you bring Sam to us. He won’t be of any use for a while.”
I brought Sam with me through the summons and two men, helped me get Sam to the couch.
After going through the entire explanation again, Dantin, said, “Well, first off we are going to have to teach you how to play Whist.
#
In a nicely lit room with dark wood inlay in large wooden tiles a server brought me a vanilla phosphate light on syrup and an assortment of small triangular sandwiches. After he left I took my cards from where I was holding them against my chest and decided to risk playing a low trump. Dantin played his jack to trump mine and Sam played his king taking the trick. I lay down my cards. “The rest of the tricks are all mine, I am afraid.”
Sam smiled.
Dalan said, “Good lord how we missed you.”
I asked, “Since all this food, I assume is imported from Real, how do we get everything past the Deaths?”
Dalan got up and walked to another table. Can we borrow the Bradster?”
A lanky man got up. “Consider me borrowed. What can I do for you?”
Dalan led him to our table and gestured for him to sit.
“Our Lithos died and forgot everything. Fortunately a wizard managed to transform into him using a Jawbone so we have him back. So Bradster, he wants to know how we get past the Deaths.”
Bradster smiled. “You crazy Daemons. Always another surprise. We are grandfathered don’t you know. We helped form the Deaths and originally half the members were from the club. More of a duty than a job.”
He spoke louder so the other tables would hear. “Sad with the plague and all that most of them retired ages ago and refuse to help.”
A man at another table raised his glass. “To retirement!”
Several other men raised their glasses. I raised mine with them.
Bradster asked, “So Daemons can let mortals turn into them when they need replacing?”
I shrugged. Everyone seemed to be convinced I was Lithos or would be soon.
Bradster raised his glass, “To the poor mortal who sacrificed everything to bring back our poor Lithos.”
Sam said, “He can still be the human so I expect the human to have a longer life than he would have had otherwise.”
Everyone nodded like that was entirely sensible.
#
Queen Cypsela, and King Surmium were in the gazebo when I went to the Fairyland to take the gateway back to the estate.
I offered Queen Cypsela the diary. “Here, Olive, I made a mistake and revealed that you took care of Journo.”
She said, “Keep it. I would rather get credit where credit is due and I doubt anyone will be showing up to avenge Journo.”
I turned to Surmium, “I was set to the task of turning into a Daemon and I am assured by Daemons that humans can’t turn into Daemons.”
King Surmium said, “The transformation spell you were given is quite a bit updated from the one most folk are using. Originally Daemons, jealous of their form incorporated a sort of ward to keep mortals in their place. Your version is kind of a prototype. I am trying to get an upgraded sort of gateway for you, but it may take a while. Did you do any dueling?”
“No, not yet. I played Whist. Made friends with some Daemons, got into a wizard gentleman's club and a wizard country club.”
Olive leaned forward. “What gentleman’s club?”
I handed her a card that read, “ Lithos Medon, The Fallen Sands.”
Olive leaned back. “Onion, your schemes must be favored by the heavens. As long as he can keep pulling of this identity, we have the closest thing to carte blanc possible.”
King Surmium asked, “Tell me, what did we catch?”
Olive said, “This may be too dangerous if his comrades find out he is impersonating their leader, Joshua is going to have to go into hiding and never come back out.”
King Surmium tried to grab the card and Olive danced back.
He looked at me, “Come on, Who are you impersonating?”
I said, “My comrades assure me that I am not impersonating him. I am him but with the memories of a mortal and three thousand years of history gone.”
King Surmium asked, “Who is it?”
Olive handed him the card.
He looked at it puzzled. “Well I have heard a mention of the Fallen Sands as one of the more elite clubs. You might meet someone important there. I also knew that your Daemon form went by Medon but someone please explain why this is amazing.”
Olive winked at me. “Lithos practically created the Fallen Sands. The Fallen Sands practically created the North American Deaths. They don’t just look the other way when a member of the Fallen Sands is involved. They look at the Fallen Sands to see what they should even look at.”
I said, “I am assured it isn’t quite like that, but the couple of Deaths I met seem quite a bit different from the four that rode in on motorcycles.”
King Surmium said, “You know the worst thing about getting a pawn through all the enemies ranks?”
I shook my head.
Surmium smiled, “As your pawn advances you get more and more protective of it, but once it gets to the other side of the board, you become scared to let it even get close to danger.
“Olive, we need to ramp up our training.”
Olive said, “He still seems to be quite giftable, but his activation of things is spotty. I almost think he needs a paranormal psychologist but I don’t think there are any I would trust.”
#
In the Fallen Sands, Dalan, Dantin, Sam and I were playing Wist while talking in a language that was probably entirely lost in the human world. The culture had used another language for writing and records so it was probably unrecorded.
Since the club was mostly empty, Bradster came over with another Death and sat with us.
In English, the new fellow asked, “Do they speak English?”
Sam said, “Our poor friend Lithos lost all of his memories, so we are teaching him all the lost languages so maybe he can put himself back together. I can gift you so you can join us, but we need to practice it, even ourselves so it doesn’t become lost.”
Bradster and the new guy leaned their heads in for gifting.
Bradster said, “Almost like when Lithos used to hold the magical research gatherings. I guess all of that is gone now.”
I asked, “Did I do magical research?”
The new guy frowned.
Bradster said, “Well all wizards dabble in it, but it’s mostly law of this and law of that sort of stuff. You know, Bonewitz, Steiner and the like. Interesting stuff but, well, you know. Not to offend you but it ends up being philosophy, ethics or religion.”
The new guy said, “We got a scary one going on though. We plan to clean them out at the peak of the next full moon. Fairies buying lab equipment. Not even worried if it’s steel. They got a corporation that goes in so many circles our diviners get mad if we even bring it up.
Realizing they were talking about my estate, I stayed quiet. Dalan, Dantin, and Sam all looked at me and then looked back at Bradster’s guest.
Dalan asked, “What sort of trouble would that be?”
Bradster said, “Fairies studying disease is a sure warning of trouble. Physics is in ways even more scary. What if they actually learn something?”
Bradster’s guest said, “We are tempted to stop research by humans in Real. The nuclear bomb was bad enough, but what happens if they can turn mass to energy and energy to mass with ease? We aren’t involved, but there is a group that makes sure fusion research stays twenty years from success.”
Bradster said, “We investigated that group, since they were getting funding from the petroleum industry, but the practitioners involved are just manipulating things and not revealing magic to mortals. In any case, We absolutely can’t allow Fairies to collect scientific equipment. What if they did learn something? Thing are bad enough without having to deal with new technology from that side of things.”
Sam smiled at me and sighed. “Just when I fear it may be centuries before we have Lithos recovered, he shows flashes of his old brilliance.”
Dalan nudged him. “He definitely has his old skills at Whist.”