When Something Fae Comes This Way
Note: This story occurs after episode 103 "O Kappa, My Kappa"
In the dead of night, in a junkyard on the edge of the city, a very tall, regal figure waits. A pick-up truck enters the yard and comes to a stop in front of the figure. Two young-looking men get out, one blonde, the other brunet.
"We found three more bodies," says David, the brunet, who had been driving. The blonde, Estorwine, walks back to the bed and removes the tarp covering the bodies hastily dumped in. From the shadows exits the tall figure, revealing a man of preternatural beauty: flowing hair like feathery onyx, skin like bronzed chestnut, and evergreen eyes with a hint of luminescence.
"May these be the ones who shall end our hunt," he says as he views the bodies. His companions nod solemnly as he bends over to sniff each corpse in turn. All the victims are male Fae, and all have the same sickly gray skin and emaciated bodies with faces contorted by an unspeakable hunger. His sniffing comes to a stop over a red-head whose neck he touches, causing an odd, swirling band of dead flesh to glow as if on fire. He straightens. "At last, we have found Dalhru Dau the Blood-slayer." The two men grin, eager to renew the hunt.
In the morning, however, police detectives Santiago and Dyson aren't so happy when they get the call that another pile of Fae bodies needs cleaning up. Santiago rubs his face tiredly after examining the victims and walks over to where Dyson is talking to the manager of the junkyard.
"Thanks, Mr. Barnes. Call me if you come across anything else," he says, smiling pleasantly-a smile which vaporizes when he sees the look on Santiago's face.
"The same deal as the last twelve," the siren says worriedly when Dyson reaches him, "killed by who knows what and dumped here by who knows why."
"The Ash is going to rip our balls out through our throats if we don't find this Fae-killer," says the wolf-shifter, worn out by the mess of the whole thing.
"I know, man; the natives are on the verge of getting out their pitch-forks and torches over this. Have you caught a whiff of anything new?"
"No," says Dyson, leading the way back to the car, "it's the same three people: one human, the others not."
"And why's it only the males that get relocated?" asks Santiago as Dyson starts the engine and pulls back out onto the main road to downtown.
"I don't know," he says, "maybe it's some kind of territorial thing- whatever's hunting us down, there's more than one of them."
"Have you talked to Bo yet? Maybe we need someone on the outside to crack the case," suggests Santiago.
"No. This is too dangerous even for her."
"...so, what you wanna do?"
"Same thing as before," sighs Dyson pessimistically, "send the bodies to Dr. Lewis and maybe she'll find something this time."
Meanwhile, Bo and Kenzi were having a stress-free morning. Kenzi enters the house, carrying a bag of groceries, obviously excited about something, just as Bo ends a call in the kitchen, where she's been snacking on cereal.
Kenzi dumps the bags onto the kitchen counter and bursts out, "While I was at the store I heard another pile of bodies was found, and that the murders are being investigated by Dyson and Santiago-so that means it's another Fae killing, right?"
"Most likely," says Bo, frowning slightly at hearing Dyson's name.
"Was that wolf boy who just called, asking you to get in on the action?"
"No, it was the sister of one of the victims who doesn't think the police are getting anywhere, and is hoping someone a little outside the law can find some clues."
"Awright!" exclaims Kenzi, making finger pistols with both hands and shoving them into imaginary holsters on her hips. "Ready to kick butt when you are!"
"You'll have to wait until lunchtime when the client's shift ends."
"No prob," Kenzi whips out her cell phone, "I'll spend the time calling some friends, see if they can find some dirt."
Later that morning, Dyson gets a call from Dr. Lewis, saying she may have found something. He shoves the file he's been looking at into his desk and calls to Santiago, who's been reading through more files, and they head out.
At Dr. Lewis' laboratory they find her arranging a magnifying lens over the neck of the red-headed victim, identified as Bart Mello.
"What have you got?" asks Santiago.
"Scar tissue," says the doctor, gesturing to the detectives to look through the lens.
"Do these scars spell out the murderer's name?" asks Dyson as he squints through the lens.
"Unfortunately no, but they're unlike anything I've seen before," says Lewis. Dyson's eyes widen when he gets a good view of the marks.
"Look at this," he says, motioning to his partner, "does this look like a pattern to you?" Santiago takes his turn squinting through the lens.
"Are those...swirls?"
"They are," affirms Dr. Lewis, leading them to her computer, "I scanned the markings to get a better look and this is what showed up," she taps a button to bring up an image of a strip of intricate, interlocking swirls.
"It's beautiful," says Dyson, "but what made them?"
"Something like a branding iron is the only thing I can think of-but one perfectly shaped to fit his neck, the depth of the scars is exactly the same all around." Santiago suddenly becomes very thoughtful, muttering under his breath.
"Outside of this, he died the same way?" asks Dyson, rubbing his chin.
"Correct; a combination of dehydration, starvation, withdrawal from an unknown drug, and intense sexual arousal all within a day of last being seen alive." They suddenly become aware of Santiago's humming and glance at him curiously.
"What's that tune?" asks Lewis.
Slightly embarrassed, he answers, "It's a spooky nursery rhyme my great-grandmother used to sing to me, about a monster even the Fae must fear." Dyson looks at the cadaver significantly.
"Maybe your granny is right."
Bo and Kenzi are having a late lunch at a cafe with their new client-Marianne Silvanus, sister of the deceased Sylvester. Marianne sips at her coffee, it's obvious she spent most of the night crying.
"It's centered around the pub," she says.
"The Dal Riata?" asks Bo.
"Yes. On the night my brother disappeared he called me from there-he was drunk, but he said he found a 'tall, pretty guy' who would give him a ride home..." her eyes become watery and she grips her cup in both hands, trying to maintain her composure.
"And there were others who were last seen at the pub?" asks Bo while Kenzi munches on her sandwich.
"My neighbor's best friend. They were having a girls' night out. Susie-her neighbor-left early and the next day the cops called her wondering when she saw her last."
"Looks like we'll be going to the pub tonight," says Bo, taking notes," find anything on your end Kenzi?"
"I don't know about tall dudes, but one of my pals found a homeless family who vacated an alley after seeing a super tall woman in a fancy green dress breathing fire while taking a leak on a street corner." They look at her in surprise.
"That's weird even by Fae standards," says Marianne.
"Okay," says Bo, taking more notes, "fire-breathing pee lady then the pub."
Back at the police department, Santiago and Dyson have been spending the remainder of the work day making more calls and searching the web for anything remotely resembling the design on the red-head's neck. All the while, the siren has been humming that same nursery tune off and on, gradually driving Dyson to distraction. Looking at the clock and seeing their shift nearing its end, the wolf-shifter sighs in relief and turns his computer off.
"Well, the closest thing I can find to the scars is Celtic artwork," he says.
"And the vic's friends say he never mentioned getting any kind of tattooing...dang! I wish I could remember the words to that rhyme, it's driving me crazy!" says Santiago.
"You're going crazy?! If you hum that tune one more time I'll go crazy and shove your head down a toilet!" responds Dyson half in jest.
"Whoa there, pardner! No need for that yet! How about we head to the Dal- seems to be the only lead we have, and maybe Trick can give us some info on that scar pattern."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Bo and Kenzi arrive at the pub a little earlier than the detectives, the human complaining about the progress of their investigations into the Pee Lady.
"It's like literally the only fire-breathing thing out there is dragons-hey! I got it! Could she be a dragon-shifter, like Dyson's a wolf-shifter? Maybe there're shifters for every animal."
"I honestly have no idea," says Bo as she gets their drinks and looks around for a place where they can breathe without inhaling somebody's hair. The place is packed to the max with an anxious community trying to drown its fears. Squeezing through the crowd they spy an oddly empty table occupied by a handsome blonde man-Estorwine. Kenzi not-so-politely shoves her way to him, Bo bee-lining in her wake.
"Mind if we join ya?" Kenzi asks, sitting down.
"Not at all," he says with a smile while looking up at the two women.
At that moment Dyson and Santiago enter, but the two duos don't notice each other in the press of bodies. Leaning against the bar they order a bottle to share.
"Find the Fae-killer yet?" asks Trick cheerfully.
"Not yet," says Dyson as Santiago gulps his first shot. He starts refilling his glass when he suddenly stiffens and spills some of the beer as he plunks bottle and glass down.
"I finally remembered the words to that rhyme!"
Dyson groans softly, rubbing his eyes resignedly, "Alright, let's hear it."
"Gancanuck gancanuck calls you in the night,
with one soft word binds you to his might.
Upon your neck he burns his fiery brand
to yearn for his bite."
"My grandmother sang that to me also," says Trick, who had been listening, "it's a thousand years old, recorded by a human monk named, uh, Estorwine. Only two stanzas survive."
"And where did he hear it from?" asks Dyson.
"He got it from a Fae child who was the only survivor...," Trick's eyes widen as he realizes something, "the only survivor of a Fae massacre in Ireland."
"That's exactly what's been happening-a massacre," says Santiago.
"Is there anyway to learn if the first killings now happened on the anniversary of this massacre?" asks Dyson.
"I believe it's in one of my books, give me a minute," and he goes into the basement.
"'Upon your neck he'll burn his fiery brand'," muses Santiago," think it might be a reference to the scars on that red-head?"
"That's a bit of a stretch. What might be more useful is knowing what a gancanuck is."
"It's just a bogeyman to scare Fae children into going to bed early," answers Santiago as Trick returns to the bar, flipping through a dusty book.
"Yep," he says, reading a paragraph," both murder sprees began on the same day." The detectives exchange a look.
"What ever happened to that monk?" asks Santiago.
"Legend says he was so holy he was able to redeem the soul of a fallen angel and god blessed him with immortality as a reward."
"If only we were that lucky," says Dyson.
"You said there's another stanza to that rhyme-do you know what it is?" asks Santiago.
"Yeah, it goes: gancanuck gancanuck
his needs become your life,
but fear not my lil' tyke,
all you have to do to
remove his pow'r from you
is have him speak the four dulikes."
"What's a dulike?" asks Dyson.
"No one knows; it's not a word from any known human or Fae language."
"'His needs become your life, to yearn for his bite'...Dr. Lewis said all the victims had withdrawal symptoms. Maybe the way this creature feeds is addictive to its prey," suggests Santiago.
"Makes sense, but do we want to go to the Ash with 'a mythical bogeyman did it'?" replies Dyson.
"Your right," Santiago admits," too bad that Estorwine guy ain't still around to tell us what's going on."
Meanwhile, Bo and Kenzi have been having a nice conversation with their new acquaintance.
"I've just realized," says Bo, "you haven't said what your name is yet."
"Oh, sorry, it's Estorwine," says the blonde man. Kenzi scrunches up her face.
"What planet did that come from?"
"It's an old Saxon name," he says, his voice having a faint, Dutch-like accent, "and if you can pardon me for asking, you are human, are you not?"
"Do you have a problem with that?" asks Bo defensively.
"Oh, no; I'm human myself. It's just rare to see such a bond between our species," he explains, looking at Bo.
"I was raised by humans, so I feel more comfortable around them," she explains in kind.
"So, you must 'belong' to a Fae in order to get in here-anyone we know?" asks Kenzi.
"An incubus named David."
"Is that the male version of a succubus?" asks Bo.
"It is."
"ohmygod!" says Kenzi, bouncing in her chair, "he could teach you how to control your hunger!" A movement catches Estorwine's eye and he looks past Kenzi, where a tall man has suddenly raised his head above the crowd, turning round, looking at Bo intensely. He has long hair the color of drying blood, skin like alabaster, and copper-colored eyes that glint with metallic sheen.
Blood-slayer, Estorwine realizes.
"Would David mind if I wanted to talk?" asks Bo.
"He would be delighted-he's home tonight, why not we go and join him?"
"Go for it!" says Kenzi, "I can work on the case while you're gone."
"We can go in my truck," chimes Estorwine, glancing at Blood-slayer again. Convinced, Bo tosses Kenzi the car keys, then she and Estorwine head for the exit. Blood-slayer begins following the minute their backs are turned to him, accidentally bumping Kenzi in his haste.
"Watch it, jerk!" she says, looking up at him, "ran out of lipstick, did we?" she asks mockingly, noticing three black spots on his lower lip. He ignores her and continues on.
As Esotorwine and Bo make their way to the door the former gets his phone out and calls David, who is actually waiting in a car a block away with their dark leader.
"Are you sure the queen's here?" asks David, behind the wheel, Kin-vengeance reclining on the backseat.
"Riga has relain her scent throughout the city. She has not yet found a mate." The incubus shakes his head in disbelief.
"I still can't believe your species can only have sex once a millennium." The other shrugs.
"Such is our biology...but why is the blood-slayer still here? He's taking a great risk wandering Riga's breeding grounds."
"Maybe it's because she's here," suggest David, "you said she has the power to remove curses."
"But also little tolerance for those cursed with blood-slaying."
After a pause, David asks, "If Estorwine is killed, will you die?" -genuinely concerned. Kin-vengeance reaches around the seat to give David's arm a comforting squeeze.
"The severing of our bond would weaken me profoundly, but your species abilities can sustain me." The incubus places his hand over the other's, and they share an affectionate smile. Just then, David's phone rings.
"It's him," he says, touching the answer button. "You found a what?" he asks, not sure he heard right.
"An untrained succubus," repeats Estorwine, pushing open the door, "I'm bringing her to you," he looks behind him and sees Blood-slayer following, "he's here," and ends the call.
"Who's here?" asks Bo, stepping out with him.
"Run," he says, continuing to walk.
"Why?" she asks, confused.
"The Fae killer's coming for you. Run!" But before Bo can react she hears a spectral voice call her name, and a dreamy look fills her eyes. Estorwine turns, reaching behind his back and under his jacket,
pulling out a short sword with a blade that looks like it's made of diamond. By the time he lunges at the blood-slayer he has spoken another word "iv" mine, his breath turning into a gold mist as he exerts his will over his victim, a fiery band of intricate swirls blossoming on her neck.
Estorwine swings, but the blood-slayer darts to the side, grabbing the immortal monk's wrist and shoving the blade into his neck. As he falls to the pavement a distant scream can be heard on the wind, and the blood-slayer grins with cruel satisfaction. Seeing that Bo is backing away he speaks another command "ohd" come. The marks on her neck brighten slightly, and she follows him, looking confused at her inability to run away.
Inside the bar a sudden commotion arises at the entrance.
"The treaty has been broken!" someone yells.
"It's the Fae killer! He's here!" another screams, and everyone begins to jostle each other in a panic towards the back exit. Dyson and Santiago jump from their stools and shove their way to the front. Kenzi sees them go past and squeezes her way after them, worried that Bo might be the center of the chaos. Finally getting outside they come upon the body of Estorwine, the sword still sticking out of his neck.
"The Fae-killer didn't do this," Santiago says as Dyson kneels to sniff the body.
"No, but this is the human who's been relocating his victims."
"Maybe you were right this morning when you said it could be a territorial thing," just then Kenzi comes out, followed by Trick, wanting to know what's going on.
"Oh, no! Estorwine!" she cries. The three men stare at her.
"What?" asks Dyson.
"He said his name was Estorwine."
"Two men with the same name who just happen to show up during a Fae massacre is no coincidence," says Trick, "this was the monk from the legend."
"Where's Bo?" asks Kenzi, looking around frantically, "This is all my fault, I shouldn't have told her to go meet that guy." Dyson sniffs around again, wandering off towards a vacant parking space.
"She went with another non-human and left in a car," he says, walking back over.
"We gotta save her!" says Kenzi, grabbing Dyson's arm.
"We will, but first we need to find out who took her and where."
"So what do we got?" says Santiago, looking at the corpse.
"For one thing," says Trick, examining the sword carefully, "this sword was made with powerful magic, designed so that only someone with a certain quality of character can wield it." He unzips the corpse's jacket, revealing a leather strap across its chest, and feels under the back. "He's wearing a sheath."
"Killed with his own magic sword. That sucks," comments Santiago.
"He's a hunter," says Dyson, pacing thoughtfully, "that's why he's been taking the bodies-to examine them for clues-"
"-that led him here, like us," finishes Santiago.
"I know who the killer is!" says Kenzi, "He almost knocked me over when Bo left: real tall, gorgeous, red hair, creepy eyes, and three black spots on his lips."
"That general description applies to about five newcomers to the pub, men and women," says Trick.
"Maybe gancanucks do exist," says Dyson. They suddenly hear the screeching of car-tires as a vehicle rounds a corner at break neck speed and heads toward the pub's parking lot.
"Get inside!" orders Dyson, "I don't like the looks of this." Running in to the now vacant pub, they keep the door ajar to see what happens. Sure enough, the car comes to a screeching halt next to the corpse and two men get out-one a bit too tall and beautiful. This latter slumps to his knees weeping, the other also looks saddened by Estorwine's death, and takes a moment to kiss the body's head before holding his companion.
"We need to stay focused until Blood-slayer is dead," he says.
"You're right," he responds, wiping his eyes, "check him for evidence."
A breeze wafts their scent to Dyson, "And those are the other two who've been moving our victims."
"So, they're also looking for the dude who took Bo?" asks Kenzi.
"Looks like it," says Santiago.
"Maybe we should join forces then!" She bolts out the door, deftly wiggling free as they try to grab her. David pulls his gun from his belt and moves between her and his companion as she approaches.
"Whoa there, buddy! Just a friendly local here!" She walks around him towards Kin-vengeance, still kneeling on the ground, David following her movement, allowing the others to come out of the pub, and Dyson to come up behind him, his gun also drawn.
"Do not harm him, wolf-shifter," says the gancanuck threateningly, rising.
"Been awhile since I did it doggy style," says David, looking over his shoulder.
"You're not my type," growls Dyson, pressing his gun into David's hair.
"May I remind you that this is still neutral territory," says Trick, trying to diffuse the nascent violence.
"It's alright, David; you may abide by the laws of your people," says Kin-vengeance. The guns are put away.
"You're the incubus that Estorwine belonged to," says Kenzi to David.
"He didn't; that was just a cover," corrects the gancanuck.
"Anyway, the guy that killed your buddy also took my friend so you gotta help us save her," explains Kenzi.
"That is none of our concern," says Kin-vengeance.
"But he'll kill her!" protests Kenzi.
"Actually, he won't," says David, "gancanucks can only feed on the same gender."
"So why would he take a succubus then?" asks Dyson.
"I'm telling you, he's going for the queen," David says to Kin-vengeance.
"An untrained succubus would be quite the delicacy..." the gancanuck muses.
"So you're gonna help us save Bo?" asks Kenzi.
"Regardless of what your friend is, she is still not our concern," says Kin-vengeance.
"How about I make it your concern?" Kenzi impulsively plucks the sword from Estorwine's neck and points it at Kin-vengeance's chest.
"Guess the sword isn't magical after all," says Santiago.
"Oh, it is," counters David, "only someone whose need for justice is pure can touch it." The gancanuck gazes into Kenzi's eyes searchingly, then glances down at Estorwine, his eyes watering.
"For this human, I shall do what I can to save your friend," he says, looking at the other three.
"Alright," says Dyson, "Trick, you stay here, call Dr. Lewis and have her take care of the body; we'll go get Bo."
"Come," says David, "we'll use our car."
"Where we going?" asks Santiago as they pile in.
"To the forest," says Kin-vengeance," that is where our queen has set up court." David takes the wheel, Santiago shotgun, Dyson and Kin-vengeance in the backseat with Kenzi in Dyson's lap.
"Don't get any ideas, dog boy," she says, poking him in the chest.
"Don't worry," he says, grinning, then, to Kin-vengeance, "okay, time for some answers: who are you, and what's going on?"
"We call ourselves Darsiariu, the Speakers, for the power of our voices to bless, curse, and compel. Your friend has been taken by Dalhru Dau, the Slayer of Blood."
"Sounds like a nasty dude," says Santiago.
"A madman who killed his sister after she rebuffed his advances, but not before she cursed him and spoke upon me the blessing Nasperin i Liad, Vengeance of Kin," he opens his shirt, showing red symbols upon his sternum, "I and Estorwine have been hunting him for a thousand years."
"You were the demon he saved," says Dyson.
"He was only the second human in history to become a Nakru Midep Nad singer of the fifth string, one capable of making my species feel love. To kill one such as he is...an abomination."
"None of which explains why your kind are killing the Fae," Dyson points out.
"For food," says David, "they're our natural predators; feeding on our need for survival-thirst, hunger, reproduction."
"Buy why now?" asks Dyson again.
"When our queen comes into heat, she picks an area where Fae have become too numerous, that we may restore the balance while she seeks a mate," explains Kin-vengeance.
"I'm all for living in harmony with nature, but the humans are starting to notice, and if they figure out what's going on, we're all dead," says Dyson. David comes to a stop on the side of the road, next to another car.
"We'll have to go on foot from here; you can tell Riga your woes when we reach her," David says, and they all get out of the car and enter the forest.
Up ahead Bo follows Blood-slayer, the band on her neck still glowing as he has to continuously exert his will over her.
"Where are we going?" she asks, just to have something of her own free will to do.
"To see my queen, who will gladly give me the time to escape my hunter in exchange for a tasty morsel like you."
"All this just so that she can kill me like the others?" Blood-slayer stops, Bo halting simultaneously. He snickers, sending a chill down her spine.
"Oh, she won't kill you," he says, turning to look at her, "she'll do something much worse," he sniffs the air and grins, "she's here," and heads off to the right, leading Bo to a clearing beneath the moon where there's a boulder roughly chair-shaped. Before this stands the tallest woman she has ever seen. Her skin long turned a shade paler than onyx, her brown hair pulled into a bun, wearing a strapless, sleeveless green dress of satin, and barefoot. Her serene expression sours when she notices the three spots on Blood-slayer's lip.
"What business does a speaker of three thulika lies have with a queen?" she asks, her every breath a golden vapor, so great is her power.
"Ariga, please accept this offering of an untrained succubus," Blood-slayer says, kneeling. A gleam of predatory pleasure enters the queen's eyes as she circles round Bo, sniffing at her in such a suggestive manner that she cringes in disgust.
"And what would you want in exchange for this giros supply of meat?" she asks.
"Only that I be allowed sanctuary from my hunter."
"So small a price for something so rare," says the queen as she walks back toward her throne, "it has been six hundred years since last I found a succubus such as you," she motions to something behind the seat, whispering. Bo stares in horror as something that had once been a woman (but now a shriveled mummy), crawls out, shrieking in a papery rasp as it reaches for Riga, "and I must say, the old one is getting a little worn out."
Dyson brings the group to a halt, "Did you hear that?" he asks, sniffing the air.
"What?" asks Santiago.
"It sounded like a scream; Bo's scent goes that way!" Dyson begins to run but Kin-vengeance grabs his shoulder.
"Our queen is there as well. We must approach respectfully or she will kill us all with one breath." Dyson rolls his shoulder away from the gancanuck's touch, slowing his pace. In the clearing of Riga's makeshift court they come upon the image of Bo, eyes flaming blue, whining and moaning while clawing the queen's leg, the male gancanuck from the pub watching. Riga laughs like ice falling from an iceberg, basking in her new giros' hunger.
Blood-slayer turns at the sound of their approach, almost jumping out of his socks when he sees Kin-vengeance. Riga looks up and David motions everyone to kneel. She walks over, raising an eyebrow at the odd group, leaving Bo to squirm in mindless hunger.
"What have you to do here?" she asks.
"Ariga," responds Kin-vengeance, removing his shirt, "we come seeking justice."
"He who was saved by the drowning wasp that stung Estorwine! Your presence honors me; of what is this justice you desire?"
"My queen, you have been deceived by this man, who is Dalhru Dau, and who also murdered Estorwine this night." Riga shrieks in disbelief and rage, echoing through the forest, her breath turning into black, writhing tentacles. Stomping to her thrown, she sits, gradually regaining her composure.
"I would kill this fiend myself if I had not already given him my mantle of protection, and so cannot harm him while he remains in my court." Kenzi, who had been watching Bo with increasing horror and anger as she crawled, zombie-like, towards Riga's feet, suddenly darts in front of the throne, exclaiming, "But I can!" swishing the sword through the air. The others jump after her, trying to pull her back, but the queen had already risen to circle round the much smaller woman.
"The blade of righteousness, what cause do you champion?"
"Bo's," pointing at her, "this douche," nodding at Blood-slayer, "kidnapped her, and I'm going to free her." The queen looks daggers at her trickster, then grows thoughtful. Walking to Dyson she asks:
"What do you seek from me?"
"I also want Bo released."
"And you?" to Santiago.
"That you move your hunting grounds elsewhere and prey upon us more discreetly. Humans have become much more observant and if they discover our kind it would be the doom of all of us."
"This is very wise," she turns to David, "what of you?" He glances at Kin-vengeance a moment, then quickly away. She follows his gaze and grins knowingly.
"How sweet," she returns to her throne, "all your boons shall be granted if you can defeat Dalhru Dau and if the sword-maiden can answer my question correctly."
"Oookay, what ya wanna know?" pipes Kenzi.
"Do you love her? Irvalhk riug speak truth." This last was a susurrating echo, causing Kenzi to jerk as the command took her over.
"Yes, she's the sister I always wanted." Riga nods in approval, and looks over the two Fae present disapointedly.
"The bond between predator and prey is sacred, too many of the Fae have forgotten this," turning back to Kenzi, "you may now fight to the death."
"My queen," interjected Kin-vengeance, "May I take the maiden's place, as my grievance is the older?"
"This is fair. Give me the sword, little one," Kenzi hands it over, a doubting look on her face, and goes to stand next to Dyson and Santiago. Riga gestures for Kin-vengeance and Blood-slayer to come forward. Standing between them, she cuts both their arms and presses their wounds together, saying "irvalhk thalh ranu dau" speak death on this blood, causing golden designs to form over their arms.
"What is she doing?" whispers Santiago.
"Giving them the ability to perform death curses," explains David.
"So if Kin-vengeance gets first shot the duel's over?" asks Kenzi.
"Hmm...depends on the strength of the curse, the emotion put into it." During this time Blood-slayer had pulled his shirt off, revealing black symbols on his abdomen from his sister's curse. Seating herself upon her throne, resting the sword on her lap, and shoving away the hungry, grabby Bo, the queen gestures to Kin-vengeance to proceed.
Giving Blood-slayer a fierce look, he speaks in a susurrating black vapor "Athalhru Nakru Midep Nad!" o slayer of the singer of the fifth string. His foe sinks to his knees, screaming as black symbols are burnt onto his chest. He spends a minute doubled over on his elbows, grunting in pain, then looks up, his eyes seeming to glow with madness, and speaks his counterattack, "Metrugim!" feel spite.
Kin-vengeance is surrounded by a red mist as his capillaries explode, black symbols spreading all over his body. He falls over backward, choking on his blood, his comrades shocked by the violence of the curse. With great difficulty he looks at David, staring at him in despair and grief, as Blood-slayer chuckles in preliminary triumph. A resolve enters Kin-vengeance's eyes, and he manages to get an elbow underneath him. Spitting blood, his breath turns golden as he gasps, "Rimeduk i dinak a lodeth."
know the song and choose. Both Riga and David stare in disbelief as the blessing reaches its conclusion.
"It's not possible...," whispers David.
"What did he say?" asks Dyson.
"He's given him the ability to feel love." Upon Blood-slayer's face forms an indecipherable, bug-eyed grimace as golden symbols spread down the left side of his chest. Muscles quivering from the strain, eyes rolling wildly, he finally screams, "Gan!" no, and his body crumbles into smoldering ash, a black spot appearing on his upper lip before his face disintegrates.
"Wow," says Kenzi, "what happened?"
"He denied the fact that Kin-vengeance had given him the blessing, speaking the fourth lie that killed him," explains David. The queen rises and touches Bo, sending a golden glow over her that ends her hunger. She almost sobs in relief as Kenzi runs to her; Santiago and Dyson also rush over to help her stand, while David stares down at Kin-vengeance, who has passed out from the ordeal.
Riga kneels beside the victor, touching his chest while whispering to him. A golden glow heals his wounds and leaves a band of glowing symbols on his forehead. "My king," she says as he awakens. To the group of Fae and human behind her she says, "Leave now, for what will transpire you will not survive," she takes David's hand, "your wish shall be granted."
"You better run, guys-earthquakes have been known to happen when the royal couple mates," says David. The group obediently starts running in the direction of the road.
"What's that?" asks Bo when they're nearly there. They all notice the woods becoming brighter, and looking back, they see a light spreading towards them.
"We gotta go!" shouts Dyson, and they sprint the remaining distance. Reaching David's car Dyson punches the hood, growling, "David still has the keys!"
"The other guy left them!" says Bo, jumping into Blood-slayer's car and revving the engine, the rest clamoring in as she makes a squealing u-turn for town. Kenzi looks out the back window, seeing the light towering over the tree tops. Suddenly it explodes outwards. Santiago shoves Kenzi down onto the seat, covering her just before the windows implode; Bo, shielding her face, swerves chaotically, Dyson grabbing the wheel to keep the vehicle from rolling off the road. The light vanishes almost instantly. Blinking the spots from her eyes, Bo regains control of the car and they make it safely back home.
The next morning Bo and Kenzi go to Kin-vengeance's motel room, hoping to find David. After an hour of trying to track him down Bo sits on the hood of her car in defeat. "Nothing," she says dejectedly, "and Santiago says his and Kin-vengeance's cellphones are out of service...I was so close to learning about my powers!" Kenzi plunks down next to her and gives her a sisterly squeeze.
"I'm sure they'll be back after the honeymoon."
Bo smiles at that. "I bet you're right...wanna get pizza?"
"Yesss!" cries Kenzi, jumping up and bouncing around...and they head off to the nearest pizza parlor.
Origins: I had been reading the Dresden Files, which portrays a fantasy world in which all magical creatures can be found in Chicago, while at the same time being interested in Eireannach folklore, where I discovered the Gean Canach: a being of ill-omen stalking lonely roads, and all humans who were seduced by him would meet their end. That was the perfect creature to put in a modern setting. I was playing with the idea of how to get that to work when I started watching Lost Girl-and it all suddenly fit: if the Fae were the natural predators of humans, then Fae must've natural predators of their own. Estorwine was was inspired by the 7th century Northumbrian saint Eosterwine (I was studying medieval martyrologies at the time.)
Language: The language of the gancanucks is an artificial one I invented based on Cymraeg; I was studying the language at the time and just felt that its rhythm perfectly fitted the personality, the psyche of the gancanucks. "Dulike" is the same word as "thulik," but pronounced with a Fae accent and its meaning forgotten with time.
Notes on the species: The biology of the gancanucks is like bees: only the queen and her chosen can reproduce. Males will fight each other for her favor, or woo her with gifts; while females (including her own daughters) will try to kill her and take her place. Gancanucks live a lot longer than Fae, and their existence predates that of humans. The queen gives birth to an incredible number of children and requires several female servants to help raise them-usually women who abstained from the spree of assassination attempts. In gancanuck mysticism, emotions are associated with musical notes and keys; the "fifth" of these is considered the most powerful-the sound of love, an emotion the species sorely lacks. However, this degree of emotionlessness makes them hypersensitive to truth and beauty that they can literally die from lying and betraying their honor too often. Outside of that they're quite solitary.
Background on Kin-vengeance, Estorwine, and David: Estorwine, after being ordained an abbot, moved to Eire and founded an abbey to minister to the local tribes of Connacht.. At this time Kin-vengeance (not his name then) was a heartless predator who feasted on humans just for the joy of watching them suffer. Disguising himself as a pilgrim, he entered the abbey, thinking the monks would make easy targets when he noticed Estorwine at a rain basin. He watched as the abbot pulled a drowning wasp from the barrel and held it to the sun so its wings would dry out. All the while the insect stung him viciously- but never did he flinch, gazing at the animal with a serene tenderness. In that moment Kin-vengeance understood what love was, and by an unknown mystical force, their souls were joined as one, granting true immortality. They remained at the abbey, during which time the gancanuck breeding season came, which nearly wiped out a Fae clan. It was during this season that Kin-vengeance came upon Blood-slayer's dying sister and was tasked with avenging her. This was also around the time that Estorwine's lack of aging became noticeable, and they took up the nomad's life.
In the wilderness of eastern Europe they came upon the orphaned David, living half-wild. Their kindness convinced the youth to join them and eventually he fell in love with them-Kin-vengeance more so; but because of the gancanuck's bond with the monk, he could never return the young incubus' affections fully. Eventually David asked to be bound to Kin-vengeance's will, granting him the ability to feed on him (though again, due to the mystical bond, he no longer needed to feed), as the closest way he could consumate his love. The gancanuck was happy to do this...but deep down, in his heart, David wished they could truly be one.