Sean Cullen - The Prince of Neither Here Nor There

“He also exhibited control over a flock of sparrows. It was quite amazing,” Kim added. “He’s full of surprises, is our Breandan.”

“Most of us exhibit one Gift, Breandan,” Ariel explained. “You are displaying a most amazing variety. Compulsion and Communion with Beasts are two very different disciplines of the Art. There are others. Leonard is a shape-shifter. Saskia is a Warp Warrior. 74 Perhaps you will exhibit more talents?”

Everyone looked at him appraisingly. Even Deirdre ceased her attempts at speech. Blushing, he said, “I just want to go back to my family and my life.”

Deirdre and Ariel exchanged a look. Kim just studied the tabletop, tracing the grain of the wood with her fingertip.

Og had been hovering nearby. “I don’t think ye’ve understood what ye’ve heard, me lad. What’s learnt can’t be unlearnt. There ain’t no going back. You are what you are, my son. You aren’t Human and you never were.” Brendan looked at him in disbelief. Og shrugged. “You can no more go back to being Human than I could turn into a fish and swim away. We are what we are. And you, my son, are a Faerie.” He took a slug of his beer and belched profoundly. “Simple as that.”

Brendan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Is he right?”

Ariel smiled sadly. “I’m afraid so. But it isn’t such a terrible thing. Being a Faerie is a great gift.”

Never go back? Never? He felt hollowed out. All the running, all the terror and revelations of the past hours crushed down on his shoulders like a heavy weight.

“Breandan.” Ariel’s voice roused him from his stupor. “I know this is hard for you. None of us wished it to be this way. Know first and foremost, you are welcome among us. You are not alone.”

Brendan looked up into the pale face of Ariel and saw sympathy in the ancient eyes. He looked at Kim and saw her familiar half smile. Deirdre was silent, of course, but her eyes held his. He turned his gaze upon the gathered patrons of the Swan of Liir and felt their anticipation, as though this was a moment they had been waiting for, something they never dreamed would happen. He sighed and swallowed hard around a lump in his throat.

“How do I undo the… Compulsion- Thingy?” He jerked his head toward Deirdre.

“A Compulsion is a sincere wish given force,” Ariel said. “To remove it, an equally sincere wish is required.”

Brendan frowned. He looked at Deirdre and thought for a moment. She is my mother’s sister. She is one of the few true flesh and blood family members I have in the world. I wish I could ask her about my mother. I wish… “What was my mother like?” he said.

Deirdre shuddered and breathed deeply. She smiled and spoke. “She was half of my heart. She was beautiful. You remind me of her. I’m sorry I removed the Ward but I was just so happy to find you. Don’t think ill of me. I acted out of love.” Deirdre’s eyes were shining with tears. “You have her smile.”

Brendan knew she meant what she said. He felt the truth in her voice. “I’m sorry I told you to shut up.”

Deirdre laughed, and it was a sound that lifted his heart despite his sadness. “No harm done, darling boy.” She reached out and ran the back of her fingers over his cheek, and he felt tears smart once again in his eyes. “Who knows?” Deirdre said, her eyes shining. “Perhaps you have the talents of a Weaver, too, like me. Or maybe you will be a Healer, like your mother.”

He thought again of his Human mother at home, probably worried sick about him. He had always felt awkward and clumsy. He had never had any great talent. His father had tried to teach him music. His mother had introduced him to art. He had never been able to give them the satisfaction of being adept at either. Now he knew that he hadn’t really belonged there, and the pain of it was deep. Now he had found his people.

But was that really true? Surely, whomever you love is your family. He shouldn’t have to choose. These people may have a claim on him, but his mother and father had been there for his whole life. They had loved him and cared for him when he was sick, and taught him to be the person he was. He made a decision then and there: whatever happened, he would never leave them behind.

He squared his shoulders. “Now what? What’s next? I can’t stay here and hide from Orcadia forever. Tell me what I have to do.”

The Faeries at the table seemed to release a collective sigh of relief.

“I think you’re making a wise choice.” Deirdre smiled gently, grasping Brendan’s hand. “And we all know it is a difficult one.”

“So what do I have to do?” Brendan asked.

“The first thing is to get your wild talents under control.” Ariel stood. “You must be initiated.”

“Initiated?” Brendan balked. “Is this gonna hurt or what?”

Ariel laughed and so did many of those watching. “Not at all. Usually, it happens long before a Faerie reaches your age. There is no pain.” He extended his hand. “I will need the amulet, however.”

Brendan looked at him blankly. “What amulet?”

“When a Faerie child is born, his parents place a portion of their essence into a token of some kind. The token is then kept close until the child comes of age, when it is integrated into the essence of the child. Thus we ensure continuity from generation to generation. The child knows the parents on a deeper level and becomes fully awake to the world. In your case, the Artificers forged an amulet. It carried the spark of both Briach Morn and Bir-Gidha.”

“It is all that is left of my sister. Now it will become part of you,” Deirdre said softly.

“I don’t have an amulet,” Brendan said.

“It was wrought of gold, inset with gem stones. Inscribed with your name in the Ancient tongue: Breandan,” Ariel said.

“I’ve never had anything like that.”

Ariel sat back down. “This is not ideal.”

Deirdre gripped Brendan’s arm. “You’re sure? Think hard now. Your Human parents never mentioned anything like it?”

Brendan shook his head. “Nope.”

“Great!” Kim threw her hands up. “He lost it.”

“I didn’t lose it! I never had it!”

“He couldn’t lose it,” Ariel said. “It’s linked to him. It could only be stolen and then only by someone of the Blood.”

“Hold it.” Brendan held up his hands. “I don’t get it. Why do I need this thing? Can’t I just get initiated or whatever without it?’

“No.” Deirdre shook her head. “Not possible.”

“You need the token before you can become fully fledged,” Ariel said. “Until you find it, you will be vulnerable to anyone who chooses to strike you down. You will never be safe until you have it back.”

“Whoo-hoo!” Og shouted, raising his glass. “A Quest!”

The crowd raised their glasses and cheered. Something in their tone made Brendan’s heart sink.

“Oh no,” he groaned.

Kim smirked. “Oh no is right.”

74 Warp Warriors are a bizarre phenomenon. They are formidable with weapons and have the added bonus of being able to teleport minute distances. These tiny spatial shifts make them very difficult to strike. Many Human legends of invincible heroes were based on the exploits of Faerie Warp Warriors: Achilles, Beowulf, and Lancelot are typical examples. Many modern Warp Warriors end up pursuing careers in professional sports.

Ha! You thought that the whole story would wrap up at the Swan, didn’t you! Fools! Burned you! There is at least another third of the story to go!

I mean, honestly! You are holding the book in your hands. There is still a wad of pages ahead of you. Did you think they were just blank pages put there to deceive you? That would be a horrible waste of paper, and I am anything if not conscious of environmental issues.