It was midnight when I received the
call. Albert was on the line. It wasn't often we spoke. Mostly he concerned
himself with my father. I figured that
it was the damn time change. My family's
running ground was Paris. I had had a bit of a falling out and had moved to the
States after university.
"Paul, I know you won't want to,
but we need you back here."
"Why?"
"It's complicated but the short of
it is that your father is in the hospital."
In that instant I knew that I would go,
but still I didn't want to. I left to
get free of all the weirdness. I grew up
around it. The old man was some big wig among the strange, I didn't understand
it nor can I explain it now.
When I was 15 years old I was nearly
mugged by a werewolf only to mention my last name and have him go running into
the alleyway. When I was 7 I was nearly
poisoned by fae fruit. I just wanted to
quit all that. Don't get me wrong the
strange is here, but they don't know me. To them I'm just another mundane and
that's the way I want to keep it.
I've just been running into the wild
things by accident though. What I know
about that world is only the tip of the iceberg. Running through my mind that day was the fact
that beyond the looking glass there are more things than are in my philosophy.
If he was hurt there is no telling how it happened. It could have been food
poisoning or the wrath of some angry god.
"I think it would be easier to
explain the rest when you get here. But with him laid up the world's gone wrong."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jetlagged
and hungry I found my way off the plane.
Albert was waiting, just as I remember, tall and slim with a shaved head
and thin glasses.
"First thing first let me take you to
him. I didn't want to get into the particulars on the phone, but he's unconscious.
Been so for the last 24 hours. He's
stable. We don't think he'll keel over anytime soon, but that's part of the
problem. How much do you know of what your father is?"
"Oh I don't know ."
"He's not exactly human nor am I.
Strictly speaking neither are you. How
should I explain it. Okay. In the early days the wild things were wild. I mean
really wild. They roamed the countryside doing as they pleased. Then man grew strong. Before the mundanes were divided and weak,
one warlord fighting for dominion over all the rest. It didn't happen all at
once but one by one the wild lands became less so. The odd had more to worry
about than one strong man and twenty of his friends with pointy metal
sticks. The strongest of the sentient fae
gathered to figure out a course of action. It was decided to grant one mortal
power over us. To keep the peace and keep the secrets. That guy was your
ancestor. Who passed the duty on to his son and so on and so on until your father.
This coma puts us in a fix. Nobody knows what has or should happen now. "
"And what do you think?"
"I have no clue. But due to some
promises I made a while ago I felt honor bound to tell you at least that much.
In all honesty I'm hoping everyone else will sort it out so I won't have to get
involved."
"So why are you?"
"Our world works on one and only
one principle. After that all bets are off. We, all of us are held accountable
to Alec Huonson."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When
we entered the hospital there were already several people in my Father's room. Some I knew. Most I didn't but among them I did
recognize Meridian. Meridian was dad's best friend and he helped raise me.
"We know the why, but we don't
know the who, how, or when." Merry said with a grim face.
"His job, our job, was to police
the big uglies. Mostly we let them do what they will and only got involved with
the big stuff, the occasional plot to overthrow the mundane, civil wars amongst
the unnaturals, someone threatening to blow the whole damn charade. There are a
lot of them that want to go back to the days when they roamed free.
"The sons of Huon earned a lot of enemies.
Your dad is mostly immortal, hard though not impossible to kill. Even if he
wasn't most know that doing so is stupid. The moment he dies someone else
becomes champion of your house. Probably
someone bound by blood and duty to avenge his death. Thus the coma.
"The whole system is held together
by ancient spells, and nobody predicted this scenario. Back when they were
first cast, people who got into this situation mostly croaked. Before you left your dad was planning on
passing the duty on over to you. I have a letter he wrote to you a while back
in case he passed, but even if his status wasn't so up in the air things have
changed. If he died would you do this?
"When you left the old man sent
the word. Let you go. He always wanted it to be your choice. I always told him
what a risk that was. This job needs to be done. He didn't exactly have a plan
for his end of days. Why would he? Like I said it's not exactly easy for him to
die. We always figured it would be his choice when to go just like it was his
father before him. You were too young to
remember the days when you grandfather got tired of the fight.
"I wasn't around in the old days
but I heard the stories of terror and chaos. And it wasn't just among the mundanes
either. The strong prayed on the weak. The odd isn't exactly unified. It's all
just everything that was deemed humanity can't handle. They'll war and feast
upon one another if left to it. Hell, some are so removed from man that it's
easier to kill them on sight rather than try to reason or negotiate with them,
especially the bastards who did this. I have far worse fates in mind for them
than the reaper himself could cook up.
"But that's not the point. The
point is nobody knows who is supposed to do the job, or how anymore. All of
your father's predecessor's had their own way of doing things. Some were just lone hunters. Others crowned
themselves king overlords of the all that was strange. Others were liaisons
between us and the mundane. So much of
it was just a fluke of who was in charge. And since we don't know who is in
charge right now things are in the air.
"Things
are still somewhat under control. There are rumors and whispers in the wind.
But nobody really knows about this. But that doesn't answer the question on
everybody's tongue What happens now?
"I
ran from this."
"And
run again you can. Sprint to the farthest corner of the earth. But before you
do I ask that you at least read Alec's letter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meridian
drove a jeep down a dirt trail through the Ardennes, speaking of about the how
he was planning the search.
"We've
been thinking about how to go about finding out who did it." said Merry.
Among the strange there are seers, beings that are privy to privileged
information. We were hoping you would come along with us to talk to The Three.
They have a certain allegiance to your father and we're hoping it might extend
to you.
"The
Three?"
"Among
the legends they're sometimes called gods and sometimes witches, but in truth
they are unique. There is nothing else like them so we just call them The
Three. They are the most powerful among the beings that divine truth."
Albert clarified. "I can't go with
you. Me and them have some old grudges
and I don't think my presence will be of any help to you. But I can offer some
advice. As Merry knows your father classified the odd into five categories
based on their relationship to the mundane. The Three, depending on your luck
and their whim, fell into categories three or four. Three means they have no
allusions of being a part of humanity, but they understand human concepts and
morality. Four means they're still sentient, but too alien for any interaction
with them to be meaningful. My point is that they may help you, they may toy
with you, they may even attempt to do you harm?
Meridian stopped
the car and started unpacking.
"This
is as far as we go by car. We've never really figured out where they live apart
from in these woods. Generally if they want to find you they will. It takes a
lot of effort to speak with them, but I think it will be worth it. Our best
chance is to wonder around in the forest hoping they get curious. Don't worry I
tagged the car so after it's all done we'll be able to find our way back but
we're going on a bit of a camping trip. Maybe it will give you some time to get
your head straight after seeing your dad like that, I know I could use
it."
Around
dusk we started to make camp, not far from a river. Merry had said that he
would take first watch, and allow me to get some much needed rest.
That
night I dreamed I was thirsty, I walked in the woods for hours but unusually I
found no water. No rivers, or ponds. I finally came upon a clearing at which
there was a well. Pulling a bucket from the well there were three women, each
of them surprisingly tall, also each of differing ages. One was seemed like an
old, woman, the second a young girl barley out of grade school and the third in
the peak of her life.
The
two younger ones seemed annoyed as though they had been taken from something
else they would rather be doing but the eldest spoke to me.
"Long
ago we decided not to intervene in fate. There are times where we have
regretted that decision. After much
deliberation we have decided to compromise. We will not directly intervene in
the coming events, but we will tell you some of what is to come. We cannot change what is to come and have seen
that to even tell you changes very little. He who guards you may think this an
ordinary plot, but be aware that this affair will change our world. Oberon's oath
has not served all of us. Your father in
particular had a penchant for interfering. As Meridian has told you plots to break the
oath are common. There are many paths and whether this plot succeeds or fails
we can not say for certain for in truth it is not our concern, what we have
seen is not the shattering of Oberon's oath but a shattering of a different
sort. Soon Huon's Son, the mundanes will know. They will know of the dark
things that hunt them. They will know of the what they can not unknow, and our
ways, your ways and their ways shall be forever changed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clasping
my mouth Meridian kicked me awake. He nodded his head towards the trees and
unclasped his holster.
"We
didn't expect to see you Merry." A voice said in my mind.
Merridian
shot into the darkness
"Only
my friends can call me that and you are no friend, lycanthrope." Not, taking
his eyes of the tree line he said, "I forgot tonight was the full
moon."
"Indeed
you did."
"You
know who I am. You know who I serve. You know that even if I am devoured, my
master will hunt you and your pack to a man. You think I am the prey here you
are wrong! And despite your pride my master is a better hunter than either of
us."
"Maybe,
but you do have it coming."
There
was a howl and then we saw them, two black wolves charging us. Meridian fired
hitting one of the wolves, but terror had over taken me and I ran.
"Damn
it. That's the worst thing you could have done." Meridian said as he
chased after me
We
heard another howl and suddenly three wolves were coming at us from the left.
We swiftly swerved narrowly avoiding them.
It
continued that way howling and more wolves, for what seemed like hours. As we
were running Meridian said, I can't do this forever. I want to make a stand,
but my first duty is to protect you. I
nodded.
What
happened next is difficult to describe, it happened so quickly. A large gray
wolf with one eye charged into the Meridian fired, but was out of bullets. Then
a smaller wolf that looked almost reddish attacked it. The gray wolf was
larger, but because of its eye it was at an obvious disadvantage to the much
swifter red wolf. The red wolf managed bit
into the left leg of the gray, snarling as it's teeth entered flesh.
"Andre,
what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Just
hunting some foxes, Annabelle."
"Right."
"Merry,
excuse me it is the only name I know of yours and I have more important things
to worry about. Why are you in my woods?
"I
needed some information and this seemed like the best place to get it."
"From
one of mine?"
"No,
I was here on an unrelated matter when your wolves attacked me."
"Andre?"
"He
is one of Huonson's men. In fact it was he who took my eye."
"Huonson,
huh."
"Maybe
I should have let him have you, but the night is young and I want a simple hunt
right now. I am not in the mood for a beast that bites back."
The
wolves retreated into the forest. "Werewolves?" I said.
"Yep.
Andre still has no goddamned impulse control."
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