Chapter Four
AN: All these views and reviews have made me so happy! For this chapter I'm borrowing an OC from one of my other Lost Girl stories 'cause apparently I'm allowed to do that.
To the reviewer hey there: Haaa, sorry, your Google and my Google must clash or something. Maybe if you had a pen name I could message you the link. :) Kidding; I'll post a link in my profile or something.
Tamsin got to the Dal a few hours before everyone else was supposed to, grabbing two pints and a corner booth. She didn't have to wait long before her friend arrived, and the Valkyrie knew she was there long before she saw her. Nearby Fae moved aside with wary glances over their shoulders and the ripple continued in Tamsin's direction until the cause stood before the Valkyrie with her hands on her hips.
Tamsin smirked and spread her hands. "And lo, the empath parted the crowd as Moses parted the sea."
"And yet she still can't get any reaction from the blonde bitch." The other Fae regarded the Valkyrie with a deep brown gaze before sliding onto the opposite bench. "Good to see you, Tamsin."
"You, too, Kayleigh," the Valkyrie replied, and the two reached across the table to clasp hands.
The empath leaned back and put her hands behind her head, letting her long brown curls cascade over her shoulders. "Beer?" she questioned in surprise as she looked at Tamsin's choice of drink. "Wow, something must really be wrong."
"Eh," the Valkyrie shrugged. "It's too early for vodka."
"Who are you and what have you done with Tamsin?" The blonde rolled her eyes, making the empath chuckle. "But in as much seriousness as I can muster, what's up? It's been awhile."
Tamsin shrugged again. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your mom, that's all."
Kayleigh gave her a skeptical look. "Uh, you knew my mom longer than I've been alive; you probably know a shit ton more than I ever will, no matter how many stories you tell me."
"Yeah, but we kind of lost touch before she met Elisedd. I mean, I heard about him, and I heard she had you, but the most contact we ever had after that was waving to each other across that World War I battlefield."
"Wait, so you want to know about her married life? Seriously?"
"I just want to know what Alexandra was like around you and Elisedd," Tamsin replied defensively. "That's all."
Kayleigh canted her head to the side, and Tamsin knew she was actively sensing her emotions. After a moment, a look of triumphant realization and amusement crossed the empath's face. "Ohhhh, I see what this is about now." She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "You want to know if my mother Fell." When Tamsin didn't respond, Kayleigh chuckled. "Not all Valkyries who get married Fall, you know. Falling is rare and Rising is even rarer for a lot of good reasons."
"Yeah, yeah, I know the lore and shit." Tamsin waved dismissively. "Alexandra just doesn't seem like the Falling type."
"You wouldn't want to know this for any personal reasons, would you?" Kayleigh smirked.
"And what would make you think that?" Tamsin challenged.
It was the empath's turn to roll her eyes. "Bitch, please. Your worry is emanating so far from your body that I almost tripped over it when I went to sit down. You can't hide shit from me, Tam."
Tamsin sighed and hung her head, and Kayleigh could feel the weight of her weariness and guilt. Studying her for a long moment, Kayleigh sat back and picked up her pint, draining the contents in one long swig. "Yeah, Tam, Mom Fell," she replied quietly as she stood up. "But she also Rose." Tamsin snapped her head up and gazed at her friend in astonishment. Kayleigh met her stare as she took a few steps backward before turning and leaving the Dal, her passage once again parting the crowd of Fae.
Tamsin watched her go before looking down at her beer as if the bottom of the glass held all the answers she was seeking. If Kayleigh was right, then there was still hope…barely.
…
Bo and Kenzi entered the Dal to find Tamsin lounging at the bar, well into the vodka. "Already? Really?" the succubus protested.
"It's never too early for vodka, succubabe."
"Amen, Lil' T!" Kenzi agreed, high-fiving the woman. "Share me some of the good stuff." Tamsin obliged with a smile, and the two women clinked their glasses together before downing the shots.
"If you keep that up you'll have me cleaned out by the end of the night," Trick sighed. "Now come on – we have work to do."
Bo followed her grandfather eagerly, but Tamsin took her time sliding off the barstool. She'd barely taken half a step before she doubled over gasping, pressing a hand to her chest. The succubus didn't notice, but Kenzi was immediately at her side. "Whoa, Tam-Tam, you ok? What's wrong?"
The Valkyrie regained her composure, but not before Kenzi saw the anguished look on her face as she glanced at the stairwell leading to Trick's Lair. "I'm fine, short-stack," she managed. She squared her shoulders and followed the other Fae. "Just a cramp." The human watched her with suspicion, anything but convinced, before sighing and following as well.
Bo smiled at Tamsin when she appeared in Trick's Lair, but Tamsin didn't look at her, instead picking a book from the enormous pile the Blood King had set aside and finding a corner to sit in. Hurt, the succubus looked to Kenzi for some sort of answer, but the human could only shrug. Shaking her feelings aside, Bo turned to Trick and asked, "Where are the others?"
"Dyson and Hale are looking through the Light Archives and the Morrigan and Lauren are searching the Dark Archives."
Bo looked up from the book she had been examining. "Lauren?" she asked, anger edging her voice with steel. Tamsin wanted so desperately to reach out and comfort the succubus, but Kenzi was closer, rubbing Bo's shoulder and giving her a sad smile. Bo's responding smile was weak and resigned, fading before it could truly form.
"This is everything I could find with reference to the Tuatha," Trick continued obliviously, gesturing to the pile of books. "I used to have more, but so much was lost and divided during the Fae War that my records are incomplete. The Tuatha are old – very old, and very powerful."
"That's such a comforting thing to know, Trickster," Kenzi commented with dripping sarcasm and an irritated expression. He gave her a stern look in response.
"We need to know what we're up against, Kenzi. I'd rather know the worst than be taken by surprise."
Tamsin, meanwhile, had used the conversational distraction to peruse the contents of Trick's shelf. A small, familiar-looking tome caught her eye and further examination revealed a Norse rune on the front cover. Glancing at the others to make sure she was unobserved, Tamsin slipped the book into the inside pocket of her leather jacket, and it was just thin enough to leave no indication of its presence. Sauntering back to her chosen corner of the room, the Valkyrie retook her position on the floor and began to read. The others followed her example, Kenzi and Bo doing so with long-suffering sighs.
Kenzi opened her book and groaned. "Triiiiiick, this one's all in gibberish!" she whined.
Trick craned his neck to see what she was looking at. "That's because you're holding a copy of the Táin Bó Cuailnge," he replied. "And it's not gibberish, it's Irish."
"Switch?" she pleaded. Trick couldn't help but give her an affectionate smile as they traded books.
"Shame you can't read Irish, short-stack," Tamsin commented. "The Táin is pretty epic."
"Cliff Notes version?"
"It translates to The Cattle Raid of Cooley. That may sound boring, but some pretty awesome battles went down then, many involving Cú Chulainn."
"Cuckoo who?"
Tamsin sighed, even as she grinned at the human. "Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster. One of the finest warriors ever to have lived. When he finally fell in battle he tied himself to a rock so he could die on his feet. Every Valkyrie around wanted to be the one to claim that man's soul, me included. He went to Tír na nÓg, though."
"And that would be…?"
"The Land of Eternal Youth. There are a lot of places warriors can go when they die, and that happens to be the Irish one. Valhalla is Norse, but you don't have to be Nordic for your soul to be taken there."
Kenzi clapped her hands over her ears. "Enough! Too confusing!"
Tamsin chuckled. "Not my fault your human brain is too tiny to handle it."
"If there was something I could throw at you, it would be thrown," Kenzi snarked at her, which only made the Valkyrie laugh more.
"Found something!" Bo called. "I mean, I think I found something…"
Kenzi scooched over on the couch while Trick and Tamsin got up to look, Tamsin against her better judgment. "That's the genealogy of the Tuatha," Trick identified, examining the complicated web of names.
"Could one of them be the Wanderer?" Bo asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
"It's possible, I suppose," Trick admitted.
"Uh, problem: it looks like they all died thousands of years ago," Kenzi pointed out, indicating the notes beside each name.
"That's not going to matter if he's coming from the Otherworld," Tamsin replied. "That said, living beings are usually closer to the veil than dead ones, so it's more likely that the Wanderer is one of the ancient sídhe."
"We hope," Trick added darkly.
"But if the sídhe are the ones closer to the veil then how was Mór Ríoghan able to send scald crows after the Morrigan and me?" Bo asked.
Trick looked up sharply. "You've seen a scald crow?" When the succubus nodded and told him about the previous night, her grandfather let out an anxious sigh. "It's not safe for you to be at your house anymore."
"It was never safe to be at that house," Tamsin commented.
"Can't argue with that," Bo agreed.
"Bo, you're going to have to find another place to stay," her grandfather finished.
"She and Kenzi can stay with me," Tamsin offered. As long as Kenzi was around, the Valkyrie would be fine.
"Tam-Tam, I love you dearly, but I am not sleeping on your couch," Kenzi cut in. "I'll see if I can stay at Hale's."
Tamsin's heart dropped. It would look too suspicious if she rescinded her offer now, and Bo was looking at her with an expression of thankful hope. The Valkyrie sighed, once again unable to deny the succubus anything.
"Come on, you two – let's get you packed."
…
"Tamsin, could you help me with something?" Kenzi's voice floated down the stairs. The Valkyrie looked towards the ceiling and sighed. She'd been pacing the living room for a good fifteen minutes, fiddling with the hilt of the sword at her hip as she so often did when there was something on her mind. "Pleeeeeeease?" came the human's voice.
"Keep your pants on, short-stack, I'll be right up." Trudging up the stairs to where Kenzi slept, she found herself standing in an empty room. "…Kenzi?"
The door slammed shut behind her and Tamsin whirled around to see the human leaning against it, blocking her escape route. "Talk," she ordered, folding her arms over her chest.
Tamsin shifted uncomfortably. "About what?"
Kenzi gave her a look that was both affectionate and scathing. "You know very well what, missy. You've been avoiding Bo, that so wasn't a cramp you had at the bar, and don't think I didn't see you take that book from Trick's shelf."
The Valkyrie blinked in surprise. "How…?"
"Nicking things is my thing, Lil' T," the Russian girl replied. "Now spill." When Tamsin said nothing, Kenzi's expression softened. Walking forward and taking the Valkyrie's hands, she continued, "You know you can tell me anything, right? Tell Mama Kenzi what's wrong."
Defeated, Tamsin sighed. "It's a long, complicated story, momz."
Glossary:
(taken from more college notes and the book Legendary Ireland, by Eithne Massey)
Táin Bó Cuailnge: If I recall correctly, pronounced "TAWN bo COOL-a-nuh." Translates to "The Cattle Raid of Cooley." Part of the Ulster Cycle, which is the second of four cycles used to divide Irish mythology. One of the prominent characters in the Táin is...
Cú Chulainn: Pronounced "koo KULL-an." Warrior known as the Hound of Ulster. He really did tie himself to a rock as he was dying so he could die on his feet. It's said that it was a few days after his death before any crow would come near him because no one was convinced he was dead.
Tír na nÓg: Pronounced "TEER na nohg" (long "o"). "Land of Eternal Youth"/"Land of the Young"/"Land of Youth" etc. As far as I know, warriors don't actually go there when they die; I took a few liberties for purposes of the story.
The family tree of the Tuatha can be found on Wikipedia.