Gaia walked into the Dal with a smile on her face, things were looking up now. She was closer to find her daughter and now she had a place to start. Edwick had mentioned that he had placed her daughter in the tomb of her last husband. It was risky for that, but he was right no one would dare enter the tomb. She saw Trick and Kenzi at the bar talking with two men that had badges, she could sense that they were both Fae. She noticed that Trick had seen her and was motioning her over towards them.
"Gaia, these are my friend Dyson and Hale, they are the ones I said worked in the Police Department." Trick introduced the two Fae.
"Good to meet you both again." Gaia replied remembering these were the two that had placed themselves in front of her when she first came looking for Kenzi.
"I have asked them to look discretely into Edwick's movements in the past centuries." Trick stated.
"Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate your help in this matter." Gaia stated honestly. As she heard the door of the Dal opening and seeing Bo enter the bar. As she moved towards the group, she noticed that there was a determination on her face that she had not seen before. "Are you okay childe?"
"Oh yeah, just ready to get to work. I can't just sit around I think, I need something to do or I will go stir crazy. Plus sooner we finish, the sooner I can stay with Lauren more." Bo stated as smile came to her face at just the thought of Lauren. "So where do you begin at?"
"If you will excuse us gentlemen," Gaia looked towards Dyson and Hale giving them a look that was pure dismissal. "I look forward to any information you can find."
"Of course, we need to get back to work anyway." Dyson answered, wanting to stay and find out what was truly going on but not even he was dumb enough to go against a Sister.
"Later," Hale spoke looking at the gathering. "Catch you later lil' mama. Stay out of trouble." Turning towards Kenzi.
As Dyson and Hale made their way out of the Dal. Gaia turned to go to the back offices giving the three remaining no choice but to follow. As they got comfortable, they all noticed that Gaia had closed her eyes and was speaking in a language none understand although Trick realized this was the same language she had spoken early that had bound his gifts. Taking a moment, Trick poured each of them a drink and placed the bottle on the table between them waiting on the Ancient to finish. After a few moments the Ancients stopped and sit down with them.
"Sorry about that, I had to contact an old acquaintance to see if he could come and see about your mother Bo. He has agreed to come and take a look, but I must warn you he can be difficult and quick to anger." Gaia turned to Bo, to let her know that she had not forgotten her mother's situation.
"Thank you, I will be on my best behavior...or at least I will try to be." Seeing the look on Trick's and Kenzi's faces, they knew her too well. She did not look for trouble, but did seem to find it more often that most.
"That would be wise, first I would like to thank you all for helping me find my daughter. What I say now must be kept between us. Once my daughter is known about, then she will be hunted by those that would use her for their own agendas.
"Of course Revered Elder." Trick replied, still feeling the guilt of almost breaking his oath earlier.
"You know it G, who am I going to tell. Everyone I know and like are here, except for Hale and D-man."
"I have already given you my Blood Oath, I can assure you I don't do that ever." Bo said nonchalantly. Seeing the look of shock on both Trick's and Kenzi's faces. "She helped my mom and healed Lauren a lot more than I could and the doctors at the compound.
"When I was sitting with my friend Edwick, he had one of those moments you mentioned Kenzi. He told me some things that might be able to help us. My daughter is here in this city, although she may not realize who she is."
"Really? That is great news, G." the Russian girl elated that she was able to help the Ancient even if it was indirectly. "Who is it?"
"I still don't know that, his memory faded just as quickly but he gave me some things that will help."
"What did he tell you Revered Mother." Trick asked knowing that this could be what they needed to find answers.
"When Edwick fled from the tunnels he was followed for months. He knew that they would eventually find him and he was desperate. So used his blood magic to hide my daughter away from her followers." the gasps from Trick and Kenzi both upon hearing of his blood magic use.
"What is blood magic?" Bo asked not understanding what the big deal is.
"Blood magic is a very powerful form of magic. Whatever is written in the blood and invoked comes to pass. There is nothing that can not be done against it, and it is final." Trick explained the basics of it, not mentioning that he had that ability. There were only himself and his grandfather that he had known with such a gift, to learn another had the gift was a surprise. "But it is something that should not be used if possible, it has consequences that far exceed the benefit I am afraid.
"Okay, so what happened then." Bo continued getting an idea of the seriousness of all this was.
"Using his magic he put her to sleep and put her in stasis and hid her with her father."
"So lets just ask her father then, if he hid her. Surely he would tell you." Again Bo asked.
"I am afraid that is impossible, he was murdered before I gave birth," holding her hand up when she saw that Bo was about to say something else. "Edwick placed her in his tomb to keep her safe. No one would go there, it would be too dangerous for that. So she would sleep un-aging until a protector came to keep her safe, Edwick imagined that only I would be able to protect her so sealed the tomb with his magic until it was time. But something must have happened, Edwick felt his magic disturbed at the tomb and when he went to investigate it he found it was opened and the child was gone."
"When did this happen?" Trick asked, thinking at least this way they could narrow it down.
"I am not sure, Edwick did not say." Gaia answered, just now realizing she should have asked that when Edwick was himself. "But he started to track her for years before he came to this city when he sensed her here."
"You said there was a consequence to using this blood magic stuff. What happened?" Bo asked softly not wanting to upset the Ancient. She noticed that Kenzi had moved her chair closer to the Ancient and had placed her arm around the Ancients shoulders.
"His memory and knowledge began to fade. If you had known Edwick when he was my traveling companion you would understand the cruelty of it. He was so knowledgeable about things and I loved his company on my travels. The things he could remember and learned so fast was amazing. And to see him now, a shell of what he was is heartbreaking to know he lost all of it to help me." Even Bo could pick up the heartbreak and despair on the Ancient. "And if that was not bad enough, when he put her to sleep her magical essence bled out and was placed in this crystal." As the elder lifted up the red crystal that glowed dimmer than it had before but still glowing brightly.
As the three others in the room, looked at the crystal. Each of the three were amazed that something so small could hold the very essence of a person. Trick was amazed he could feel the power coming off the crystal as if it sang to him. He was use to magic and knew what to feel and see with it. Kenzi could not contain herself, "Its beautiful, it kinda looks like a heart", watching as the glow pulsed as if it was a heartbeat. Bo could feel the power coming off it but she did not know how it was possible she could feel something from it. It had a glow around that she had seen before but could not place.
"If I can find her, I can give her back her essence. But first we need to find her." Gaia stated placing the crystal back in to pocket, she could feel the pulsing of her daughter's essence and drew comfort from it.
"So was there anything else that Edwick mentioned that might help?" Trick asked the question, still amazed at the magical essence he had felt it was strong not the strongest he had ever felt but strong none the less.
"When I asked what she was, he said that she was just like her father. And I am not sure how that is possible given the circumstances." Gaia was not sure that Edwick was right about this, but not wanting to leave anything to chance. After all her husband was not a Fae.
"Who was the father?" Bo asked, sensing that the Elder was reluctant to share that information for some reason and that worried her for some reason. "Anything may be difference in finding her."
"I know, it is just complicated. Her father was a man named Marcus Artious and..." Gaia was interrupted as Trick dropped the bottle he was holding as he had being refilling everyone's glasses. Looking at the way-keeper, she saw the look on his face and saw the disbelief and something else she couldn't place.
"What the hell, Trickster?" Kenzi asked as it was her glass being refilled when the bottle dropped in her lap spilling all over her legs. As she shot up grabbing a nearby towel to dry her legs off.
"I take it you have heard of him then." Gaia asked.
"Well some of us don't so please continue and no keeping secrets from those trying to help here." Bo stated, never hearing of this Marcus guy that had shaken up Trick and not wanting to be kept in the dark either. "I need to know everything if I am going to help you."
"I would not keep anything from you, childe." Gaia answered assuring the succubus she had no plans of keeping anything secret. "Marcus was a great leader of the Fae, he was well loved and considered a great warrior by both light and dark Fae alike. He helped anyone that needed it no matter the personal sacrifice that he suffered."
"So what side did he belong to then, Light or Dark?" intrigued that someone could be liked by both sides.
"Technically he was the Leader of the Light Fae in Northern most county in the Old Country. His official title was the Redwood, but later he was called the Mountain." Trick supplied the information, still a little shell shocked at this revelation. "The Dark Fae of the county addressed him as Beouwulf though as there leader."
"Whoa whoa he was leader of both light and Dark Fae how did that happen I thought once you joined a side you couldn't change?" Kenzi asked not believing that any fae could be the leader of one side then change sides to become the leader of the other. "How did he pull that off, cuz that is some serious shit."
"Yeah I am with Kenzi on that. Considering all the crap I took for not choosing a side, how does one go from leader of the light to leader of the dark or vice-versa?" Bo wondered just like her friend how that was done.
"I am sorry, you don't understand. He was the leader of the Light and the Dark at the same time, only for two hundred years no one knew that he was the leader of the both sides. He was able to lead both sides into thinking he was their leader. He kept the peace in that county like no other leader before or after him. When the elders of each side found out, they realized that it was the best thing that had happened for both sides since they both prospered and became stronger. They named him the Mountain and he stayed the leader of both factions until his murder by some underfae about three hundred and fifty years ago."
"Wow, that is just...wow," Kenzi states shocked at this information. "How was he able to pull that double agent job off?"
"That no one knows exactly," Trick supplied. "It is one of the great Fae mysteries that no one has ever figured out exactly. And one that I have personally tried to solve myself, with no luck at all."
"So what kind of Fae was he then." Bo asked getting a little impatient.
"Marcus was not Fae." Gaia supplied. Seeing the look of disbelief on all the faces in the room. "He was a Dragon."
"Excuse me? As in a big freaking lizard with wings and breathes fire...that kind of Dragon?" The Russian girl spurted out.
"Not exactly childe." Gaia answered. "Dragons are old, older than even Sisters. They were here when we Sisters were born, they come from a realm that is similar to a shifter's spirit realm. The look you are thinking is because they had the ability to create an illusion of something bigger than they themselves. But don't mistake what I am saying, they are powerful, very powerful. Even we Sisters stayed away from them when we could, and had an understanding between us to be civil." The Ancient explained, she avoided telling them that a few of her Sisters had met the Final Sleep from encounters with Dragons that did not go well. Better to avoid that information to all those concerned.
"Then for gods sake why marry one then?" Again Kenzi asked in her eagerness to help and not able to keep herself from asking.
"I met Marcus and well I found him interesting. Here was a man that wanted peace so bad he literally took on the job to rule two factions to stop them from fighting. And for a Dragon that is something when the two sides fighting were Fae. So after hanging around for a few decades, we got close and well coupled." Gaia answered, still having fond thoughts of Marcus.
"You said that your daughter couldn't be what Marcus was for for some reason. Why is that?" Bo asked catching the fact that even Gaia was surprised at that information.
"Because their ability to have children in this realm was lost to them many thousand years ago by a paranoid king who used his blood magic to seal their fate." Trick supplied the information, deciding to elaborate more he continued. "Once there was a King who befriended the Dragons and made alliances with them. But over the years, his advisers warned him about this group of beings who he thought were just a powerful clan of Fae. As his paranoia grew, he called upon his blood magic and made sure that they would never give rise to children. When they learned of this betrayal, they reacted violently and fatally. It is said almost three fourths of the Fae nations were destroyed, before the Dragons left to their own realms vowing to never return until everything was gone from the planet, Fae and human alike."
"But apparently some of them stayed or came back it would seem." Bo asked, realizing that there were same things out there that are a lot more powerful than those she had met already. "So what happened to this King?"
"He was killed by Lord of the Dragons himself before he left for his realm." Trick answered thinking of his grandfather's fate. He was just a lad when all this happened, but he still remembers his father telling him that his grandfather had went too far.
Gaia looked at the assembled friends and smiled, she found them group interesting and was happy that she had found people to help her. She had felt lost and alone in this strange new world that had changed so rapidly in the last three hundred years. And if it was true that her daughter was like her father then perhaps anything was possible.
"I am betting, that is not going to help us though. There is no way you can tell a Dragon until they tell you. They will look like whatever they want, and if this one has been asleep then she may not even now what she is without her essence." Trick continued, "Is there anything you could provide about your daughter?"
"She had a birthmark on her hip if that helps." Gaia answered remembering the small birthmark on her daughters front hip. She remembered because it had a very unique look. "It was in the shape of wings and..."
Bo spit out her drink that she had just taken a drink from, "a halo thingy". Bo could not believe that, there was no way possible. As she noticed all eyes look towards her, as she took another large drink to settle her nerves and disbelief.
"OMG you slept with her you Succu-sex machine." Kenzi blurted out, seeing the look on her best friends face. "So who is it?"
"Before I tell you, I need to make sure please so don't ask me that yet." Bo asked the Ancient as she looked at her with sincerity. "If I am wrong I don't want to give you false hope. Give me a few hours and I will tell you everything."
"I understand childe, and since I have your Blood Oath I will give you this time. But do not try anything deceitful, you would not like to see my fury."
"Its nothing like that, but if I am right it is going to be complicated enough better I be right about this before that happens." Bo tried to explain, knowing this was going to get messy and very complicated. "But first I need to go see Lauren and give her some chi, and then get this business taken care of."
"Very well childe, I hope your friend gets better." Gaia stated as she watched Bo get up and leave the room. There was something her new friend was keeping to herself, but living as long as herself she had a good sense of people.
_x_
The Ash walked down the aisle of the old medical building reading the latest updates on the wounded Elders and various other reports on the welfare of the County. He had made this trip many times over the last few days, on his way to see the human doctor. When he had found her, he was amazed at the brilliance of the human. And when her girlfriend had come down with the Fae virus he was more than willing to make a deal with the human to get her services. The doctor had bargained her freedom and services in exchange for the Fae resources to find another cure for her girlfriend, but now he was no longer able to fulfill his side of the bargain and the human was now free. And now this new information had come to his knowledge, that it was the Morrigan that had cursed the doctor's girlfriend in hopes of getting the doctor herself. He had suspected that was a possibility, but he had not known the Morrigan was even in the area when the doctor was there but it did explain why the good doctor had not found a cure yet. And now he had to decide what to with the human doctor who was no longer bound by their agreement. He had been told the doctor had been moved to a regular bed now, after her wounds had fully healed. He had wondered about this until one of the nurses had mentioned that she had seen the succubus and the Sister of Life at Lauren's bedside. He had assumed that the Sister had healed her. As he walked closer he was startled to see the doctor's hazel eyes looking back at him.
"I am glad to see you are alright, Sir." Lauren spoke softly her voice barely above a whisper from non-use. "I am sorry if I injured you in my tackling, I was never good at sports."
"No need for that, you saved me and for that I am in your debt. But we need to speak of some things, and some of them are not pleasant if you are up to it." The Ash dismissed the doctor's apology, he would never tell anyone this but he liked the doctor. As he took a seat next to the bed and took her hand in his own.
"Of course, I am not sure why but I feel better than I should." Lauren answered the confusion apparent in her voice. She really did not understand how she was not dead or burned. When she had woken up she saw the bed she was in and knew exactly what he was used for. But she did not know why she was in it or why she was in the old medical building. She remembered seeing a man come in, she remembered seeing the look on his face and the bomb strapped to himself, and she remembered jumping towards the Ash to knock him down hoping that the furniture in the room would give some protection, and she remembered feeling the heat on her back then nothing.
_xxx_
Author's brief note: It seemed strange to me that the Morrigan just happened to have the cursing nail. Now if I was going to curse someone I think I would make sure I kept the damn nail where no one could find it. Just seemed odd ...so I changed it...sue me. Well thanks for reading my story as always. And thanks for any review you might have, I enjoy seeing them whether good or bad. So again thank you for reading along. Enjoy.