Cameron Haley - Mob rules

"Wait, Domino," Honey said. She hovered in front of me, blocking my way. "I don't want you to kill them."

"Why not? My outfit is at war, and they're enemy soldiers. You don't want them in your nest, and I can't think of anything else to do with them."

"I'm on your side, Domino, but they're still my people. Not exactly the same, I mean, but they're still fey folk. Anyway, they're not just soldiers, they're sidhe."

"She who?"

"Not she, sidhe. They're like the nobility. And I think they could be useful. The Seelie Court will want them back. You can hold them hostage."

I had to admit, it wasn't a bad idea. The two fairies didn't seem like a lot of leverage, but they gave me more than I'd have without them. Besides, it wasn't like Honey would have to share her nest with them. Her family-all twenty-seven of them-was busy building a new one in my office. I'd moved the laptop and Mr. Clean into my bedroom.

"Okay, they can live. But they have to stay in your nest. I don't have anywhere else to put them." I grabbed a beer from the fridge, returned the gun to the closet and retreated to the couch. Honey flew over and landed on the coffee table.

"We need to talk about what's going to happen next. We need to plan our next move."

"It's over," I said. "The good guys won. Papa Danwe is going to have a big fucking problem, but that's just a loose end. The changeling is dead and Rashan is safe. Your king's invasion has no chance with Rashan still in play. He knew that-that's why he had to take him out." I shook my head. "He had to have been planning this for more than twenty years. He planted the changeling on Rashan and then waited all this time to make his move."

"King Oberon is immortal, Domino. He takes a very, very long view of things. It's been more than five hundred years since fairies were able to dwell in Arcadia. What's another twenty?"

"Okay, but that brings up another question. Why here? I get why the Seelie Court wants back in. I get that they've been thinking about it for a long time. But why L.A.? Why Rashan's territory? Shouldn't they have their hearts set on Ireland or something?"

"We're drawn to the magic, Domino. The magic of that place was strong once, but now it's stronger here. And your boss controls more juice in L.A. than anyone else."

"It just seems like it would have been easier and safer for this Oberon to start small and work his way up. Why come straight for Rashan?"

"King Oberon can't start small. The Seelie Court needs a lot of juice just to survive in this world. The magic is like oxygen for us."

I nodded. I'd known that, and it was one of many little hints and clues that eventually came together in my subconscious and led me to the truth. The talk with Rashan had just confirmed my suspicions. Honey had filled in the details.

"Well, that's just it. The fey can't start with just a little magic, any more than you could make do with a little oxygen. They can only survive in a place that's filled with it. You said it yourself-your enemy had to be something that needed a lot more magic than a spirit would."

"Well, anyway, it's over now," I said. "Your King Oberon failed. His changeling is dead. Rashan is alive. I guess he'll just have to wait a little longer and try somewhere else."

"He won't stop, Domino. Killing Rashan would have made it a lot easier, but he's still coming. It takes a while for his plans to unfold, but once they do, he sees it through to the end. To tell you the truth, despite all his lore and wisdom, he's a lot like a little boy with a one-track mind."

"Then Rashan will crush him. Not only that, we'll rally all the outfits to our flag. Maybe not Papa Danwe-he probably can't come back to Jesus now, even if he wanted to. But all the others. We'll be unified. There will be no power vacuum for Oberon to move into. He's screwed."

"Don't underestimate him, Domino. Don't underestimate any of the fey. You've seen what I can do, and I'm among the least of my kind."

"I doubt that, Honey. Warrior-princess, remember? Anyway, I'm not underestimating anyone. I know it won't be easy. War never is. But it's a war we can win."

"So what will you do?"

"Right now, I've got to report in and get my marching orders."

I got on my cell and went into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I trusted Honey, but I still didn't feel comfortable talking business in front of someone who wasn't part of the outfit.

Rashan had been prepared for what had to happen by the time I left his house, and he listened to my report without emotion. That's pretty much the way he did everything.

"Honey is convinced King Oberon is still coming," I said when I'd finished.

"She's right. We might be able to defeat him, but he won't stop without a fight. It's not his way."

"We might be able to defeat him? Don't be so modest, boss. We just need to get you down to Crenshaw and you can open up a can of Sumerian whoop-ass on him."

Silence.

"Boss? You there? You can take this guy, right?"

"I'm here, Dominica. But I'm afraid I cannot participate in the coming battle."

"You got something more important to do?" Maybe Rashan had agreed not to use his magic against Oberon.

Rashan sighed. "You're aware of the effect juice has on sorcerers."

"Yeah, I guess. It gives you a buzz, maybe it's a little addictive."

"It's very addictive, and I've been using it for more than six thousand years. The addiction itself isn't the problem-it's the effect repeated use of magic has on the human mind."

"What effect is that?"

"It drives us mad. Sooner or later, it breaks whatever part of us is left that is still human. Surely you've seen hints of this in your own practice of the art."

Again, I recalled how I'd wigged out after trashing Terrence's gangbangers at the junkyard. I'd felt like a monster then, and I was feeling it now. I'd been at the edge of collapse after squeezing the changeling, but now I felt like I could do it all over again. Worse, I felt like I might want to.

"I guess I never thought about it much. You never really mentioned it would get worse."

"Now you know. It's no coincidence that there are so many legends of mad wizards in human folklore. In the mythology of every culture on Earth, secret and forbidden knowledge always has a price for the mortals who seek it. Dominica, I haven't cast more than one spell at a time in fifty years. I haven't used magic seriously, for an extended period of time, since the sixteenth century. If I start using it now, I will become as great a danger to this world as King Oberon."

"Well, ain't that a bitch." It was like finding out your role model, someone you idolized, was kind of a loser. I hadn't been this disappointed in someone since Michael Jordan tried to hit a curve ball.

"I didn't intend for you to find out like this. Things are moving faster than I anticipated. I'd hoped for more time to prepare you." He sighed again, and for the first time he sounded old and tired. "There is never enough time. One thing you learn after six thousand years-there's never enough time."

"What are you saying, boss?"

"You're ready, Dominica. You've proven that. You uncovered this plot. You revealed and defeated King Oberon's agent. You did that. I didn't lift a finger. I've been searching for someone who could lead us through the approaching storm for more than half a century. I finally found that person, in you."

"Just like that? I'm the new boss?"

"Don't be presumptuous. I'm not dead. As long as I'm alive, I remain the boss of this outfit. Your boss. And should you grow weary of that arrangement and begin to think ambitious thoughts, remember that I've survived for six millennia. I enjoy being alive. If forced to choose, you'll find I choose madness over death."

"Jesus, boss, I wasn't planning to rub you out. It's just…I'm not sure what to say. I'm not even sure I want this."