Chapter 1
The Dal was as lively as ever, but no amount of whiskey and jig could drown out the loss of the tragic lovers, Kenzi and Hale. Theirs was a forbidden love, but it could not be helped. One could not help what the heart desired (nor could it be explained), and though they were long gone, the love that was shared between them still made an everlasting impression on the Fae community; both Light and Dark alike.
Trick sat at his desk in his den under the tavern, sifting furiously through a stack of ancient tomes while lost in his thoughts of "what-ifs" and of "what could have been", riddled with guilt.
He was the Blood King, after all. He was the sole architect of the Blood Laws—the laws which ended the Great War between the clans of the Light Fae and the Dark Fae and governed them—and he was feared and respected by many, but no amount of the knowledge he had acquired through his long years on the earthen plane could have prepared him for what had happened. He possessed immeasurable power, yet, he was powerless when it came to his granddaughter.
Tamsin, Dyson, and Lauren arrived at the Dal and made their way down the stairs to Trick's side.
"Any sign of improvement?" asked an anxious Trick.
"No luck." replied a frustrated Dyson.
"I'm so sorry, Trick. We tried. We all tried so hard…." pleaded Lauren.
Tamsin only looked down as a means to conceal her own hurt and disappointment for another mission failed. She could no longer bring herself to face the Blood King as the bringer of terrible news.
"I am the Blood King, yet, I cannot even protect my only granddaughter!" Trick clenched his fists so hard that they began to draw blood.
The trio remained silent. Then suddenly, Trick rose to his feet and flipped over his desk out of anger, resulting in books, papers, and various trinkets and gadgets to be spread all throughout the basement. Trick was just so exhausted, as were Tamsin, Dyson, and Lauren. All those sleepless nights spent searching for something that may not even exist.
Trick possessed all the knowledge of the world and the worlds beyond, old and new, within his library. Yet, even with that massive amount of knowledge within his grasp, he could not solve this dilemma. The four of them maintained a moment of silence to contemplate what would be their next move, or if there would even be one at all.
"The sky is blue? And roses are red? You've got to be kidding me!"
"What the hell?" Dyson exclaimed.
The group shifted their focus toward the staircase. What appeared to be an elderly woman with a long silver braid and dressed in rags slowly made her way down the stairs, one step at a time, and into the den.
"So what does it feel like to croak like a frog? Ribbit-ribbit."
Tamsin, Dyson, and Lauren only continued to stare at the old crone in utter shock. The ancient woman simply stared back with a smirk on her face and an odd glint in her eye. She actually had two different colored eyes. Her left eye was a dull brown while her right eye was a bright blue.
Trick remained quiet for a moment assessing the woman, until he finally broke the silence.
"This can't be good." Trick shook his head.
"Why not? What's going on, Trick? Who is this woman?" demanded Lauren.
"That's Cassandra. It's been said that she hasn't slept in over a thousand years, which is why anything she says may or may not make sense. But then it's also been said that her very presence signifies an omen of sorts. It could be good or it could be bad. There's really no way of knowing."
Cassandra abruptly set her sights on Dyson and ran up to him.
"Such a cute little puppy! Look at the way that he wags his tail! Come here, boy! Come here!"
Dyson snapped at the woman and was on the verge of transformation, until another woman swiftly appeared out of thin air, as if she was just dropped right in the middle of it all on cue, and pulled Cassandra by the collar of her shirt and back to her side.
This woman was much younger in appearance with long wavy auburn hair and bright green eyes. She was tall and extremely beautiful, which was quite a contrast from the much shorter and much older and much homely Cassandra.
"Cassandra, what did I tell you about straying away from me! Am I going to have to put you on a leash?"
Cassandra only looked up to the younger woman and gave her a toothless grin.
"Mmmm…I really do love chocolates! Let's see….ummm…cherries with sprinkles on top?"
"And who the hell are you?" Dyson grew ever the more irritated.
Tamsin and Lauren remained speechless and confused at the same time.
"X equals negative b plus or minus square root of b squared minus four a c all over two a!"
"Shhh, quiet, Cassandra. I know you're super excited too." the younger woman giggled.
"Fitzpatrick McCorrigan. It's been quite a while, old friend. Hades is wondering why you never come visit him anymore."
"I'm no friend of yours, Persephone. And as for Hades, you can tell him to shove it."
Persephone simply let out a smirk and a sigh.
"Hades sends his regards."
Trick continued to glare at her. It appeared that he had some kind of history with the King of the Underworld.
"Oh, and Hades also sends his apologies for not being able to make it out in person to tell you. He is quite the busy man. Running the Underworld is such hard work. So I chose myself to be the bearer of good news."
"Tell me what?" Trick sensed that whatever Persephone was going to tell him was not going to be "good news". The rest of the group was beginning to feel the elevating tension in the room and only grew more apprehensive.
"You've all been cordially invited to the wedding of the King of the Underworld, Hades and the Queen of the Dark, Ysabeau! Or more affectionately known to all those that know and love her as Bo!"