Ghost Light

My heart raced as I scanned the room.  Yes, there were tentacles and other bizarre appendages waving around the dance floor.  Faeries of every size, shape, and court were gyrating to the music.  In a booth along the wall, I spied a vampire and a succubus in flagrante delicto.  Apparently, they were feeding off each other in their own unique ways.  I blushed and looked away.  What the hell was I thinking agreeing to bring Jinx to this place?

I rubbed my arm where a silver and iron throwing knife was sheathed beneath my jacket.  My weapons may not be on display, but that didn’t mean I’d come unarmed.  I wore a layer of silk underwear as a base layer to prevent unwanted visions.  Over these I’d strapped my throwing knives and wore jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, and my leather jacket.  My jacket was filled with anti-fae charms.  More than a dozen slender wooden stakes were tucked into my belt and I had a dagger in each boot.

I’d tied my hair into a knot at the base of my neck where it hid my backup vial of iron shavings and a set of iron-tipped, wooden hair sticks that would double as stakes.  Any fae unlucky enough to be pierced by the hair sticks would get a whopping case of iron poisoning.  Overkill?  Perhaps, but I wasn’t taking any chances.  Jinx wanted a good time and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let some supernatural creep stand in her way.

I continued my scan of the room, reaching out with my newly heightened senses.  An itch started between my shoulder blades and I turned to see the Green Lady.  She smiled and whispered in the ear of her drinking companion.  I swallowed hard and turned away.  I owed the glaistig two wishes of her choosing.  One of these days she’d come to collect.

The Green Lady wasn’t the only familiar face in the crowd.  The bar was the least crowded area in the lower section of Nexus, so I made my way to the smooth curve of black stone.  The stone was polished to a high shine and reflected the backlit bottles and jars that lined the shelves behind the barkeeper.  I surveyed the path to the bar and recognized the scarred face and tattered ears of Torn leaning against a tall round table.

Torn was chatting up a scantily clad sylph.  As Jinx and I made our way to the bar, Torn lifted his eyes from the sylph’s chest and winked.  I narrowed my eyes and checked my weapons.  I wasn’t feeling overly loquacious toward the cat sidhe at the moment.  I had questions that needed answers, namely where I could find the mysterious Inari, but I was still annoyed with my new ally.  I jerked my head in a curt nod and kept moving.

As we passed, other fae smiled, nodded, bowed, or raised their glass in salute.  I forced a smile and nodded to each in turn.  Out on the street it was easy to forget I was royalty, but here at Nexus my status as princess was both known and acknowledged.

“Dude, you’re like a total celebrity,” Jinx said.

Yeah, too bad that attention could get me killed.  So far the fae we encountered were polite, but I knew better than to let my guard down.  I kept my eyes open, shoulders loose, and gloved hands ready.

I wasn’t naïve enough to believe my status as wisp princess didn’t come without its dangers.  Fae, especially those of the Unseelie court to which I owed allegiance, never tired of political power plays.  There could be hundreds in this very crowd who wished to usurp my throne.  I took a steadying breath against the tightness in my chest, eyes flicking from face to face.  Any one of these people could be a potential assassin.

“I think I need a drink,” I said.

I guided Jinx to a cluster of empty stools at the end of the bar and put my back to the wall.  I caught the bartender’s eye and waved him over to take our orders.  I wanted to make sure that the bartender was clear that my human vassal was not to receive any faerie wine.  I let the bartender see my weapons and slipped him a fifty to guarantee he got the message.

The bartender returned with our drinks and I smiled at the pints of ale.  No faerie wine in sight.  Maybe this could be a fun night after all.  We’d closed a difficult case, earning the respect and gratitude of dozens of faerie parents.  I’d also made a breakthrough with my mother and got a lead that may help me locate my father.  We did have a lot to celebrate.

For the first time since we’d entered Club Nexus, I allowed myself to relax.  I was good at multitasking, and in our current location by the bar, the music wasn’t even that loud.  It was a nice, quiet place to kick back with a drink and people watch.  I could keep an eye out for Jinx and have a bit of fun.  What could possibly go wrong?

I shouldn’t have asked.  I only looked away from the room long enough to place my order with the bartender, but that was all the time it took for the demon to slide in beside Jinx.

I smelled sulphur and reached for my blades.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Forneus said.  He smiled and slid his arm around Jinx.  “Buy you a drink?”

So much for a nice, relaxing evening.