Chapter 33

A woman's curse

Owen's POV

My phone rang; I stood up and answered it.

"Did you get the iron weapons? You've been gone all day." Mister Xanatos asked.

"No, sir. The safe is still locked. She must have enchanted it while I was busy. There several dead ends and, noisemakers to impede my progress." I rubbed my chest.

The last 'noisemaker' had been an infrasonic frequency at, I would assume, around 177 decibels. What she had basically done was forcing my lungs to expand and contract to the sound blast. Any higher and I wouldn't be conscious.

"I've tried every method I could, but it won't, won't open." I stuttered.

"Owen, are you ok?" He frowned.

"I'll be okay soon." I reassured.

"What did she do?" Mister Xanatos narrowed his eyes.

"Infrasound. Undetectable by the human ear. Most people or Children would have stopped or been caught by now." I explained, pausing to breathe deeper.

"Why can't you just sniff the code out or get it from the safe's memory?" He asked.

"What you're thinking of is psychometry, an ability we are weak at. Her office is filled with her magic. It would be easier to tell you what she hasn't touched. Talia purposefully smashed all the buttons and keeps them pristine so I couldn't tell which combination is the code. And our senses are dampened due the iron plates surrounding the room." I said.

I had, not for the last time, cursed my daughter's ingenuity. She was doing things that no Child should be able to-

My stomach gurgling, I dug through my pockets, trying to find any unopened package left. Opening Alexander's cheese crackers, I ate them quicker than a mortal could. The gnawing hunger was still there.

"Did you check the bottom of the bag?" Mister Xanatos asked.

"No…" I dug around and found a Xanatos Enterprises laser cutter. "I have it now."

"You might want to keep it low so you don't destroy her birth certificate." He advised.

"Yes, sir. I'll come back in an hour. Whether or not I get it open." I hung up.

I took my tie off and adjusted the protective mask. Hoping that we could withstand whatever was next.

Owen's POV End

Elisa's POV

I walked into the Pool Hall and saw Dad off to the side. We ordered our drinks and took them to the same table we had our conversation about Derek leaving the force. I watched the pool players for a moment.

"Glad you could make it; I know you've been busy with work." Dad sipped his whiskey.

"Good old Captain Chavez made me take the evening off. She's starting to suspect something's up again. I think I've aged her 50 years." I took a cookie and snapped it in half.

"Elisa…" He frowned.

"I can't, he'll hurt her. You've never seen Thailog, I really hope you never do, he's capital E evil. That bastard was last thing Talia needed. I never should let her stay with them." I bit one half.

"Didn't you try to report Xanatos?" He asked.

"Yeah, but it marked as unfounded and expunged due to 'circumstantial evidence.' The child services worker thought it was just Talia having mild anterograde amnesia on top of her retrograde amnesia. It's just, how callous they all were to her while saying that they were a family. It makes me so angry." I sighed.

"I know. But she got away from them, remember?" Dad said.

I looked at him. What I remembered as the past was different than what everyone else knew as truth. "It shouldn't have come to that."

"No, it shouldn't have." He agreed. I drank and decided to get something more soothing after this cup.

Elisa's POV End

Thailog's POV

"Sevarius, would it be possible for Talia to carry gargoyle hybrid?" I hummed.

The thought had been in my head for awhile. She was a Halfling. Out of curiosity, I had an ultrasound done on Talia. She was fertile, but even that was an oddity. What we had thought were cysts, upon closer inspection, I decided were actually clusters of immature primordial follicles, the thing that made human eggs.

After consulting the Illuminati's library, my conclusion was that this was not a normal occurrence in female Halflings. Although, the section on Halflings, especially female ones, was very small. Halflings had the weaknesses of "mortals" but their Fae side normally made up for it. However, if iron or sometimes other known charms depending on where or who the Halfling was born to hurt them, their magic was useless. They would have to depend on their mortal half to heal them.

Puck had ties farms and nature. Robin Goodfellow, his alter ego, was intricately tied to spring. Renewal, rebirth. The fact that Talia had lived this long didn't surprise me. If any Fae was going to cheat death, it'd be an embodiment of rebirth.

But it also meant she could be domesticated. Her father was a house sprite, a Hobgoblin. If she was given something to care for, care about- I was well aware of how badly it could go. They, Owen and Puck, were fiercely defensive of the Xanatoses and their home.

My lip twitched. Talia was doomed by her heritage. But the way we had things now was not good for her blood. Which meant it was not good for me…

"Thailog?" Sevarius asked, irritated.

"Yes?" I growled.

"By 'carry gargoyle hybrid', do you mean…" He frowned.

"I mean half her, half gargoyle clone. She would destroy everything if I tried." I told him, not knowing what I had truly meant by everything. The building, Manhattan?

"Well, her genetic mutation is very flexible, but gargoyles and humans are two separate species…" He paused.

It was at times like this I was tempted to tell him the truth, but then I remember he would just want to dissect every last magical creature he could lure out.

"I wouldn't worry about that, doc. The worst that will happen is that your experiment fails and you have to do the old way." Shari walked in. I raised my brow.

"I suppose, but ovarian hyperstimulation can turn into ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome if not monitored properly." He frowned as my tail snapped. "I'm a geneticist. Not a fertility specialist."

"Perhaps later when I'm immortal. For now, work on decoding her DNA." I waved him off.

He left and Shari looked at me. "Why is she different?"

"I don't know what you mean." I said.

"Halflings are low on the Third Race hierarchy, being half mortal. I've seen other halflings. They aren't as strong as her. They don't rot when they touch iron. Why is Talia different?" She asked bluntly.

"What do you know of the Third Race?" I posed.

"All beings and objects of 'fairy tales' are real or have existed. There is a king and queen. Oberon and Titania. They are forbidden directly interfering in the affairs of mortals. Despite that, they do so using loopholes in the law.

There are categories each Child fits into. The ones that we know exist are: Power, Death, Fate, Grace, Fury, Guides, Tricksters, Fertility, and Nature. There are subcategories and overlap, of course, but Illuminati have decided to archive them as they become known." She said in the practiced tone of a storyteller.

I nodded. "Her father manipulated the odds in her favor. Although, I don't know how much of it he intended."

"Her father… Which is Child is he?" Shari frowned.

"One of the last four." I caped my wings and went to Talia's cell.

I opened the door. She glanced at me through oil heavy hair. It had only been a few days since her last bath. Her green eyes were dim and dull, having lost the fire of determination weeks ago. She was still gaged, although a small one. The gag I had before was stretching her jaw which her magic tried to heal. I had to keep her as healthy as possible so her magic wouldn't be focused on one spot.

I studied her. Sevarius' tests had revealed that her mother was almost entirely Cambodian. The other bit was Chinese. I looked up the news article of Talia's home burning down to see what her mother looked like as Xanatos' programming neglected to mention anything. Her name was Kravann, Ann for English speakers. I discovered her maiden name was Dul. Her family had fled from Khmer Rouge as they were teachers. Her parents had died of malaria and Kravann was sent to America.

What intrigued me was how different Talia looked from her. Talia was tawny tan with a pink undertone. Her mother was deep amber with a honey complexion, not to mention straight haired and brown eyed. It must be Puck's genetics…

"Sevarius has gotten much farther on your DNA now that he's refined his focus on the differences between you and Owen." I told her.

She didn't meet my eyes. I knew that if I forced her to, she'd just (try to) attack or overwhelm me with her magic. Mortals had to watch Tricksters because they could vanish when we blinked. I knew she was bound, but it never hurt to be careful.

"Do try to eat more. I know you're getting upset easier than before, but force feeding, inducing a coma is always an option." I smiled, touching her chin with my tail. "Shari knows you're special. She doesn't know how, but she won't get your secrets, little fountain."

She shuddered.

"I suppose that's a good answer as any." I left.

Thailog's POV End

Kai's POV

I stretched, hopping out of my den. I climbed up to the wall and into the tunnels. My nose twitched as I crawled through the tunnels, smelling Mistress's scent. It was sorta soapy, but hers. I followed it and hopped down into Alexander's den. His den smelt of his magic, though it had been only been few hours since he had returned. Summer warmed castle stone, human, and Avalon. The walls were medium green. I ignored the piles of stuff, jumping onto the bed.

There was a pile of pillows. I sniffed them and gently moved them to other side. Mistress's thing was under them. I found a… toy. It was kinda fox shaped, but the limbs were spaced more like a bear's. The fox, Peaches, was steeped in Mistress's magic despite not being around her for a few months. She liked Peaches very much.

I picked it up and climbed up wall. It squished against the wall. Peaches was too big to fit in the tunnel. I focused my magic and got it to fit. I went to Mistress's den and placed her beloved fox on her bed, tucking it under the blankets.

Then I followed my prince's scent. I realized we were in the gargoyles' part of the castle. Alexander was sitting with Hudson, watching something. I realized that they were going to watch it for awhile and looked around.

Angela and Broadway were cleaning up. Katana and Nashville were folding paper. Bronx was lying next to the vent with Fu dog. Goliath was discussing something with Elisa and Brooklyn. Lexington was interacting with his laptop, pressing the buttons on the thing under the screen.

I noticed a weird device next to it. It was long and rectangle. And it also had a bunch of things that looked like that thing Lexington was wearing on his head, but smaller and sleeker. I climbed down and sniffed the device. I think they separate from the machine they were on. I found an opening and wiggled my way inside.

It took me a minute to get comfortable. Someone picked up the thing I was in and put next to their ear. I yelped in surprise and jumped out.

"Ow; someone left it a little loud." Brooklyn fiddled with it and turned the volume down.

"Angela, Broadway, when you finish with the dishes, patrol the south side." Goliath told them.

"Yes, Father." Angela answered.

I climbed up the wall as they flew off. What was patrol? Were they trying to find Mistress too? I started going back to my den when I heard my Creator. I followed his voice. He was in his office with Fox. Fox was Alexander's and Mistress' mother. Mistress was adopted by Creator. Then Creator mated with Fox and Alexander was made.

"Did Owen get the iron weapons?" Fox asked.

"No, even Puck had a hard time getting into it. Owen said the safe was enchanted in several different, rotating layers. If you got passed one, another would block you. He also said the laser cutter broke itself when he tried to use it." Creator said.

I whimpered. The iron weapons needed to go away for Mistress's safety. But Mistress's father had already tried and he was stronger than me. Maybe she didn't know that she didn't have to keep them anymore. I would protect her from the bad Children and mortals.

"Maybe this is a Coldstone kind of problem." She said.

"He and Coldfire have Avalon sorcery animating them. They're technically like your mother's mirror. Fox, about your plan, if Thailog thinks you're coming after him, Talia's fucked. You've seen Owen try to gorge himself because she's starving." He said.

"You and I both know she's in the Nightstone building. There's nowhere else he can contain her so completely." Fox told him.

"Why not use the spy? Stealing information is what they do." He asked.

"This is a twofold mission. Getting the real blueprints and gaining Demona's trust. Or at the very least, getting her to pull away from Thailog." She looked at him.

"If you haven't gotten the blueprints by the time the gargoyles stop searching the warehouses, have some of my squad attack so you can." Creator walked to her and held her by the waist.

"Of course, David." She mushed her face to his.

Creator reciprocated. They became relaxed as it continued. Fox was trying to find Mistress too. That was good. I went back to my den because it was getting close to knowledge time.

Kai's POV End

Third Person

Grandmother felt the summons before she actually comprehended them. Their lord wanted them to gather in the Great Hall. She finished wrapping the wood nymph's arm; she should have been more subtle in her attempts to rid her tree of Anansi, and started off to the Great Hall.

Children were filing in from every part of the island. Their queen and lord were on her throne and the Weird Sisters were in front of them. Luna was ascendant. Everyone finally gathered.

"I have been told you have had a vision. Is that not correct?" Lord Oberon asked.

"Yes, my lord, I had vision of the princess's destiny." Luna coated the word with honey, but that did not hide renewed and deepening hatred. The undertone wasn't missed by the queen nor anyone else truly listening.

Raven and Coyote were paying attention now. Talia was a mystery to our people. She was involved with Puck's banishment, but no one knew what exactly had happened or had ever seen her after the Gathering started. It's not uncommon for a Child's descendants to be unmentioned. But Tricksters were prideful of their kin. They loved teaching their children, a competition between the others to see whose was better.

A large mirror was summoned. Luna and her sisters focused their magic on it and the vision played. I frowned as the princess was represented as a black, green-eyed robin. Though it wasn't inaccurate, their human heritage was also part of their astral form. Halflings weren't different colored versions of their parents' symbol. Maybe if Puck had allowed himself be her father in the beginning, then she would look like him…

Many shuddered when she screeched. The tricksters huddled together. They were young when Mab ruled. She did not understand their purpose. And more than once had tried to wipe them out. But Oberon had found amusement in them and they had been allowed to live. Only the most malicious and power hungry of the Third Race had sided with crazed queen.

The next part of the vision played. Many women and a fox surrounded her… She would have mortal wives. The descendant of Titania would not to be confused with the prince as he smelt strongly of metal. The princess calmed.

Then, the chirps of chicks filled the air. Then they started to come faster. Grow louder, as the princess took flight, until the noise became an alien roar. But it had meaning. Momma. Their 'Momma' silenced their cries as she returned, bringing more chicks with her. The flock descended.

Natsilane had said humans used metal to replace hips and such. Where could she fly off to that her children could not follow? And how did she bring more chicks back? Perhaps the area outside of Avalon was supposed represent a small portion of Earth…

The mirror went blank. Everyone began murmuring. Lord Oberon realized they would not quiet on their own. "Silence."

"My lord, Luna's vision is of my granddaughter. Does she not deserve to know her destiny?" My queen asked bittersweetly.

Grandmother furrowed her brow. What was she asking? The princess was, was missing. She had gone missing months after Alexander was born. Many of Titania's court had been sent out to find her adopted grandchild. It had been years since her father seen her. We had tried everything we could think of to get Talia to answer us. Desperately trying to trigger her magic when we realized she didn't want to be found. Titania was asking if she could leave for an extended period of time.

"Her destiny is an important but simple one. She will learn of it in due time." He told his wife.

"Yes, my lord." She bowed her head.

The court was dismissed and Grandmother telepathically told another healer she was going to meditate. She walked down the mountainous path and past the royal apple orchard. She walked through the old-growth forest, a soft summer breeze flowing. Mice, chipmunks scurried from fern to snag. Songbirds sat in the high branches. Following a worn but hidden path, Grandmother entered the glade. The glade wasn't a secret, but few knew how to get to it. It had a small steam running through it. Salamanders darted as her calloused feet stirred up the water.

Grandmother sat on a sun speckled spot of grass. She remembered when she had first visited the future princess. Talia had been hungry and Puck hadn't answered her cries. Grandmother fed the young babe and sang her to sleep. She kept an eye on the girl since she had caught Puck's attention the longest of his mortal 'chicks.' He normally left when they were nearing puberty, being too old to play with him, especially in modern times.

At the edge of her mind, the memories of rancid decay and how often she had to rotate Talia's joints to ease the stiffness and muscle atrophy. How neither of them noticed Talia's straight hair had turned wavy and eyes green until it was too late to correct. She carefully allowed them to enter her thoughts. Acknowledging them, but not engaging any further.

She focused next on when she was healing Talia. How she regained her color, how her heartbeat strengthened, and began healing, even just a slight bit, on her own. How Puck cried when he realized his daughter would live.

Her breathing slowed to a crawl. Minutes passed as she centered herself. The trees swayed back and forth. The grass stirred. The animals quieted, knowing better than to disturb a concentrating Child.

The scent of lilacs, apple spice, and Avalon filled her senses. There was a bit of rain soaked earth and stone mixed with leather as well. A robin appeared. Its head divided by the facial markings of a fox. Feet molded to fit its shape but unmistakably talons. The bird fluttered its wings. A rainbow sheen crossed its black feathers.

Grandmother opened her eyes. Before she could frown, she saw another woman.

She was wearing a bright blue sampot hol and a white chang pong for modesty, long strips of dark olive brown skin showing. Gold necklaces and bracelets adored her, a jeweled headband framing her black, knee length hair. Her enstatite brown eyes were narrow with a negative mixture of emotions.

"Where is my daughter?" Nān Ganhān, Lady Earth, asked.

Third Person End