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After a walk down a short hall he gasped as he took in the vastness of the space. They were… outside!
The sky above them was a crisp blue Stanley had never seen before. Birds chased each other and sang in the trees. The sun was just beginning its descent to Stanley’s right but its warm light filled the area ahead.
The air smelled wonderfully fresh and he picked up the delicate scent of the flowering bushes that encircled the round clearing they were approaching. Butterflies and bees flew from flower to flower. Behind the flowers the forest began.
“How?” Stanley gasped.
“It’s a form of illusion. A shared memory. I’ve been informed this is a present for you.” Walter said as he admired the flowers.
“For me?” he squeaked.
“This is a memory of the world as it was when you were born. It’s a present from Queen Mab.” he said with another of those Dragon smiles.
Stanley looked away from those teeth towards the people awaiting their approach. They were separated into two groups. The larger group on the right was made up of a variety of people. He saw a tall slim man in thick plastic rimmed glasses standing next to an older woman in a business suit. Next to them was a short but strong looking red bearded man with braids in his beard.
Stanley blinked in surprise as he recognized his beautiful brunette neighbor who was returning his surprised look. She looked away with a blush.
There was also a large blond man who Stanley thought looked like a male version of Sigrid. He glanced over at her and she smiled at him and shook her head slightly. She knew what he was seeing. He smiled in embarrassment.
Turning his eyes to the left his gaze was trapped by eyes so green and so deep he forgot to breathe. Marisa touched his arm, breaking the trance, and he took a deep gasping breath as Queen Mab turned her eyes aside with a pleased smile on her lips.
“Shall we get started?” Walter asked.
Detective Harmon cursed under his breath as he back tracked once more in the basement hallway. He’d lost sight of his target when they got into the elevator but he’d noted the floor they got off on and tracked them this far.
When he’d seen the big security agent stop the smaller man from escaping, he knew something was up. Something Mr. Garin wanted nothing to do with.
But now, he was lost.
He walked around a corner and almost bumped into a stunningly handsome man carrying a small cooler. The man looked at his frustrated expression and a wide smile appeared on his sensual lips.
“Lost?”
Harmon felt himself relaxing in that smile and struggled to maintain his caution.
“Just a little turned around.” He flashed his badge. “Detective Harmon, NYPD.”
The man’s smile just got wider though the look in his eye was a little manic.
“Well met detective! I’m Ulysses. I believe we were meant to meet here!”
Harmon stared at Ulysses in surprise.
“I can help you find who you are seeking and help you get the answers you are after,” Ulysses said with a grin.
“How do you know I’m looking for some-”
“Stanley Garin.”
The detective paused again and looked closer at the man.
“He’s at the center of everything. I’ve come to ask some questions of my own. Perhaps you will join me?” Ulysses asked and Harmon found himself nodding.
Ulysses set off down the hall in the direction Harmon had just come from but he rushed after the man.
As they reached the end Ulysses touched the wall and a door to a stairwell swung open. Ulysses looked back at him with an odd smile.
“You couldn’t see that, could you?”
Harmon shook his head.
Ulysses chuckled and descended with the detective following.
They reached another basement level and more hallways but Ulysses never slowed. Then he came to an abrupt stop as they reached yet another corner.
“The guard dogs aren’t going to appreciate seeing you down here so stay here until I deal with them,” the smiling man said quietly.
“Deal with them?” the detective asked.
He lifted the cooler. “Feed them something to help them sleep. Stay put!” Ulysses said as he strode around the corner boldly.
Detective Harmon heard some low murmuring and the air pressure changed in the hall as if a window had opened. Then came roaring and the sound of the cooler splintering.
Harmon peeked around the corner just as two large men slumped to the floor.
Ulysses gestured for him to hurry over but quietly.
Harmon did but looked at the men nervously as their mouths were smeared with blood. Inside the door drew his attention as there was a rippling curtain of… water? He had no time to investigate this as Ulysses grabbed his arm and dragged him inside, grinning merrily to himself.
Then they stepped… into the impossible.
The big blond man had a surprisingly high pitched voice. At Walter’s request, he began with introductions.
“My name is Isaac Nils. I’m the Minister of Diplomatic Affairs. I’ll be the arbitrator for tonight’s meeting. Firstly, it is my great honor to introduce her royal highness, Queen Mab, ruler of the Fae.”Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.
Everyone bowed towards the Queen but she only had eyes for Stanley and he was beginning to sweat. Isaac introduced the two Fae agents with the Queen but Stanley missed their names due to the roaring in his ears.
The arbitrator turned to introduce the Hidden Races Council members. The older woman in the tailored suit was Lise-Anne Hoek, Minister of Security. The tall, lanky man with the glasses was Clive Darrowess, Racial Affairs Minister. The man with the braided red beard was Rand von Deussel, Council Investigator in charge of the Eastern United States.
Michelle Beaumont was a historian working for the Council. Stanley immediately had a million questions for her. She knew stuff! Once more she blushed under his excited and pleased look.
“Mr. Zhou, I believe you mentioned you would like to make an opening remark?” Isaac said. Walter nodded and stepped forward to address the gathering.
“We are gathered here tonight to review a very delicate matter. Nothing less than the legal standing of an individual from a race long thought lost. In fact, we have learned that he is the only one of his kind. He came to the attention of the Fae council after a series of unfortunate miscommunications.”
Marisa had been trying to keep from looking at Stanley as even her muted seer sight was beginning to show her confusing and frightening flashes around him she couldn’t interpret.
While she’d averted her gaze from everyone on the way in, she looked sharply at Walter when he blatantly minimized the Fae’s horrid attacks. Her sight flared to full power as she peered at the small man and saw his aura was filled with darkness, fire and death at a scale unimagined! There was such a finality to the images and he lacked the layers of potential. He was on a single track and it only led to death. Her head spun from the horror. Sigrid managed to catch her as the strength in her legs gave out. Camila was immediately at her side.
As Stanley turned to face Marisa, Walter seized the opportunity. He looked to the Queen. She nodded and whispered a word of power. Almost imperceptibly, the grass under Stanley’s feet glowed as he was linked into the Fae’s Global Overlay spell.
Walter immediately stepped forward into the circle and gripped Stanley’s right hand as he bound his payload spell to the small man with a few brief utterances. His use of the reliquary when creating the spell ensured its potency and he still felt the extra strength of his link coursing through him. He smiled as he felt his magic sink into the Dragon bone ring Stanley wore. He released Stanley’s hand as the man snatched it back and shook it as if it stung. Walter hoped it did.
“What?” Stanley asked, having missed what Walter just said.
“You’ll be expected to switch to show the Council your true form,” he uttered.
Stanley looked at him in surprise then scowled. He was going to have to get naked before them? He angrily began taking off his clothes and tossing them aside as he looked back at Marisa who was only now opening her eyes from her faint.
Marisa felt the urge to vomit but pushed it down deep as she felt her mother and Sigrid supporting her. Their energy was in tune with hers and they gave her strength. She opened her eyes and saw Stanley standing before her pulling his pants off and shucking off his underwear. His back was to the Fae and the Council Ministers, the last group watching with shock. She looked back to Stanley as he reached for his ring and her seer sight flared once more.
Death. One path. Death.
Behind him, the spectre of death, unfurling Dragon wings and grinning madly.
“NOOOOO!!!” she screamed and tried to leap to her feet.
Space bent around Stanley and a Satyr stood in his place. Huge, powerful, and naked.
“NOOOOO!!!” Marisa wailed as she finally made it to her feet to fling herself against his chest. He wrapped his powerful arms around her and she dropped her glamor.
“What’s wrong?” he exclaimed.
“He cursed you! He’s stolen your life!” she cried against his shoulder.
“WHAT? WHO?”