Bo made sure she waited until Trick shut the door firmly. She held out Tamsin's lock of hair in her palm in front of him. He glanced up and plucked it up.
"Is this your way of telling me I should get a hair transplant?"
"It's Tamsin's."
"She gave it to you?"
"It fell out. What's happening to her?"
"I'm not sure exactly,"
Trick walked over to his extensive book shelf and dragged out a large, gold-leafed volume.
"Valkyries.. According to legend a young Valkyrie, Elsie and a warrior, Elrik fell in love. Elsie knew the eldest Valkyrie, Freyja would take him away to the afterlife. Freyja was furious at Elsie for consorting with a human and disobeying her role as a Valkyrie. She cursed Elsie, making her weaker each time she saw the human. Elsie rebelled and forged a powerful magic sword that would defeat all his enemies. Freyja captured her and imprisoned her with the warrior's enemy's camp. Elsie's act of rebellion made her gravely ill and too weak to break out of her chains but the sword made Elrik invincible. It was said that the sword was so magnificent it could fight on it's own,"
"Wait- fight on it's own? What do you mean like hands off-parallel park assist?" Bo asked, quizzical. Trick raised his brow.
"-Except way more epic, of course." She quickly finished.
"Yes, it could do and become whatever he needed on the battlefield because he had a truly worthy, noble cause behind it. He fought for his country but moreover he fought for love."
Bo felt a chill shoot down her spine. She hardly dared to breathe.
"By the time Elrik arrived, Elsie was gone. Without her, he stabbed himself with the sword. Freyja ripped the sword from his body and destroyed it."
"I thought the sword was indestructible?" Bo asked.
"Unfortunately this doesn't tell us how she did it. It isn't recorded in any of these books but the sword is a dagger now and still very powerful. Freyja thought she destroyed it all. But there was one shard left in the human's body. Years passed and Elsie was finally released, so she dug him up to give him a "Proper burial" and found the shard. No one knows where the dagger is now but if it was ever found.. it would be like a key to the fae world. It is the single most powerful weapon known to fae. From then on, if Valkyries strayed from duty or used their powers outside the battlefield, they paid dearly." Trick explained.
Bo had the dagger tucked in shoulder. She almost took it out to show Trick but decided against it. He shut the book and looked down at the blond strands.
"Whatever Tamsin's up to, she's putting herself at risk." He said gravely.
Bo sat in stunned silence. Trick handed Bo back the hair and Bo furrowed her brow in question.
"Why-"
"Valkyrie hair is extremely precious. It bestows luck. That's why I thought she gave it to you."
—-
"What do you know about the Sword of Elsie?"
Tamsin's blood ran cold. She almost jumped out of her seat but kept up her icy glare at the Morrigan.
"Why couldn't you just google it? What do you want with it?"
"Careful, Darling. You know what happens to Valkyries when they displease their elders. When He comes knocking for the succubus, power resides with the one who holds the one weapon that could destroy him."
"You don't strike me as a warrior."
Evony laughed and Tamsin's face drained of colour.
"No, I don't intend to use it. I will roll out the red carpet and keep the sword well away from him so he can have the succubus without all that fuss. The sword was in my possession until someone took it and caused quite the kerfuffle on my night watch guard dogs at the docks. The idiots can't remember anything. Their attacker was most definitely Fae."
Evony motioned with her hand and in walked the brutish humans Tamsin had beaten to a pulp that night at the shipping dock. Tamsin was barely breathing. Her ears felt hot and she had to keep reminding herself not to clench her teeth or let anything slip that would give away how much she wanted to run away.
"And who else would you give it to, but the Succubitch."
Tamsin kept the fixed grin on her face to cover her terror. There was no escaping Evony's compound now. Tamsin wanted to cut her in half but she knew her Valkyrie powers had no effect on the Morrigan.
"Don't tell me you like her..My my my, you DO like her." Evony chuckled.
"Oh honey, you could do so much better! A pretty little thing like you shouldn't get mixed up in all that."She continued.
"Thank you, Dr. Phil. Are you trying to impress me with your grade school level knowledge of geometry? It's not working. " Tamsin quipped, racking her brain with an exit strategy. Evony cackled.
"Seize her."
Evony's goons advanced. Tamsin clocked one of them with a single straight punch and caught the other with a jab to the throat. Guards flooded in to the room and her face darkened. After at least twenty of them were twitching on the ground, she was exhausted and staggered to the door. Three more advanced had finally clamped chains around Tamsin's wrists.
"We're going to get you comfortable. Don't worry we'll be in familiar surroundings! Tell the Succubitch to meet you at your apartment and make sure she brings the dagger." Evony walked closer to Tamsin until she stood over her. She slipped her hand in to Tamsin's jacket pocket and took her phone.
"You're going to call her here. Don't do anything stupid, it's really not in your best interest. Be happy I didn't cuff you with your hands behind your back. I like seeing those strong arms. You look sexy in cuffs, Detective. It's too bad I can't.. punish you yet." Evony gloated.
"Trust me, when I get out of these you're the first one I'll punish." Tamsin spat, sardonically.
—-
Bo mindlessly played with the flame in the glass candle on the table as she waited for Lauren to come home. She glanced around at her handy work. The dishes were covered to keep in the heat, the table was set perfectly. She checked her phone for the hundredth time. No messages. She put it down again and glanced again at the door.
As she looked away from her phone, it buzzed in her hand and shocked her. It was Tamsin calling. Bo almost answered it but decided against it and put it down. Lauren walked in and Bo jumped up excitedly, knocking her knee in to the table. Mother fucker.
"You're home! I couldn't get us reservations tonight but I got the next best thing.. I ordered in," Bo said, hugging her girlfriend.
"I'm sorry about earlier." she continued, as she handed Lauren a glass of wine.
"I can see how she would be a suitable candidate. She's fae and most importantly doesn't have feelings for you. She was just a feed right?" Lauren asked.
Bo put the wine down and took Lauren's hand.
"Answer the question, Bo."
"There's nothing going on between Tamsin and I. Her chi is.. I don't know what it is about it but it stays the hunger for much longer than usual fae chi." Bo answered.
—
"What the hell is wrong with people these days and not answering their phones?" Evony impatiently tapped at the phone.
"She has a life, you know." Tamsin remarked.
"Mmm not much longer if I have my way. You'll have to text her. And by "You" I mean fabulous, ME. What? Come now you know she's a danger to us all. You were the first to volunteer to bring her down! She must be really fantastic in bed to make you her bitch." Evony gleefully mused.
"Go fuck yourself, Evony. God knows no one else will."
—
Lauren nodded, and took a sip of wine. Bo's phone buzzed loudly but Bo ignored it.
"Nothing is happening with Tamsin and I."
"Good, that's what she said too."
"You spoke with her?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You two spend a lot of time together. You're always going off to fight some battle and she's there beside you. And then I find her at your house..and I didn't know what to think. I just wanted to-"
"to tell her to back off?"
"… In a word, Yes."
"Lauren, I want to be with you. I love you. I'm sorry I haven't been around lately and I'll do anything to make it up to you." Bo smiled adoringly at Lauren.
Lauren grasped Bo's hand with hers and squeezed. Bo's phone buzzed again. Tamsin again. She never called her several times in a row.
"Just answer it," said, irritated. Lauren furrowed her lip and shook her head.
Bo motioned to turn off the phone but the screen blinked,
NEED TO SEE YOU NOW, BO.
MY PLACE. BRING SWORD.
Bo recoiled in her seat. Tamsin never wrote texts in incomplete sentences and rarely called her "Bo".
"Something wrong?" Lauren asked.
"Tamsin…Someone has her."