Beneath A Fairy Moon

Disclaimers:  I don’t own the recognizable characters from Forever
Knight, which was created by James Parriott and is currently owned by
Sony Pictures. Any original characters in this fic are mine.  Please
don’t use them without permission.

This fic takes place immediately following the episode “Last Knight”
and contains Last Knight spoilers.  This is not a crossover, only the
product of my own overactive imagination (with the exception of the
Forever Knight characters, of course).  It takes place within an
alternate universe.

Permission is granted to archive.  Special thanks to Dave & Cousin
Jarvinia for beta reading.

* * * * *

As LaCroix raised the wooden stake about to become the instrument of
Nicholas’ destruction, Natalie sat up abruptly and screamed, “No!” 
In a single fluid motion, she stood up, grabbed the stake from
LaCroix, and plunged it into his heart.  She hissed, displaying
gleaming ivory fangs and eyes as silver as the fencing foil Nick kept
near the fireplace.

The Roman vampire staggered briefly, then looked at Nick through
crimson eyes. “Nicholas, do something about this!”

“Why should I?” he replied.  “You made me believe Nat was dead, when
in reality she had been brought across.  I nearly didn’t give her the
chance to survive because of you.”

LaCroix gasped again, clearly in agony.  He tore the stake from his
chest, but the splinters of wood that remained dug into his heart. 
“Nicholas, I implore you, help me!”

He snarled, “Go to Hell!”

The defeated General replied, “I’ll see you there,” as his body
disintegrated into ashes.

There were a few moments of silence as they watched.   “He’s gone,”
Nat said. “He’s actually gone.  I can’t believe it, Nick.”  The look
of concern on his face prompted her to say, “Don’t worry.  You
brought me across.  I’ll be all right.  We’ll both be all right now
that LaCroix is finally dead.”

“Yeah, but your eyes…”

“What about them?”

“They’re silver.  That’s not normal for a vampire.”

Nat’s eyes widened as her fangs receded, but they retained their
silver color. Nick watched her with growing concern.  “What?” she
asked.

“Your eyes aren’t going back to their old color right away.  It
might be just temporary.  I’m not sure.  I’ve never seen anything
like this happen before.” He realized that soon, she would be very
hungry.  “Come on.  Let’s get you something to eat.  I have some
supplies in the fridge.”

She took a step forward.  Suddenly the room shimmered, changing as
she moved. In an instant, she found herself in the kitchen.

“Natalie?  Where are you?”  If  the rise in his voice was any
indication of his emotional state, he was nearly frantic with worry.

“I’m here, Nick,” she called.  “You’ll have to teach me how to
control that vampire speed.  That’s amazing.”

He shook his head.  “You literally disappeared, Nat.”

She gaped at him.  “That’s impossible.  It goes against all the laws
of physics.”

He chuckled.  “And flying doesn’t?”

“Okay, you’ve got a point,” she conceded.  “But what happened?”

“I don’t know.  I’ll try to find out.  You should have some of
this.”  He poured some donated blood into a wine glass.  “There’s
more in the fridge. Don’t go anywhere.  I’m going to make some phone
calls.  If the doorbell rings, don’t open it, especially if it’s a
mortal.  Come and get me instead.”

She nodded.

He went into the other room, picked up the phone, and dialed.  On
the other end, Aristotle answered.  “Hello?”

“It’s me.”

“Knight?  What is it?”  In the background, the sound of him typing
away could be heard.

Nick quickly briefed him on what had just happened and added,
“Anything you could find out about Natalie’s condition would be most
helpful.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Aristotle promised.  “In the meantime, you
both should get some rest.”

“I’m definitely planning on it,” he replied.  “Thanks.”

In the kitchen, Natalie sipped from her glass of blood wine.  She
was beginning to feel afraid.  If she wasn’t a normal vampire, what
was she?  Nick didn’t seem to have any idea what was happening to
her.  If her eyes remained silver permanently, what hope did she have
of having any kind of life?  Wearing sunglasses all the time was not
her idea of normal.  Perhaps she could get colored contact lenses,
but wouldn’t her eyes still look a bit odd? Hopefully, whoever Nick
talked to would, at least, have an idea.

He returned from the den and kissed her on the forehead.  “I called
Aristotle. He said he’ll do his best to research your condition. 
Hey, your eyes are back to normal.”

Natalie breathed a sigh of relief.  “I was getting kind of worried
there,” she admitted.  “So you really don’t know anything about this?”

“Honestly, Nat, I’ve never heard of this happening.  Whatever it is,
it’s probably very rare.  You should get some rest.”

She nodded.  “That sounds like a good idea.”

As Natalie curled up on the couch, Isabelle watched from the mantle
on the fireplace.  She was a tiny creature, no larger than an acorn,
with hair as fair as the summer sun and wings that shimmered in the
dim light.  She wore a gown made of the finest spider silk, and no
shoes because she didn’t need them. To date, Nick had never noticed
her.  Vampires, though more graceful than humans, were often as
shortsighted as most mortals.  Their other senses were very good, but
most vampires still didn’t see things that were right under their
noses.

Isabelle had been assigned to the dwelling as punishment, for she
had once fallen in love with a vampire, an unforgivable sin among her
kind.  Fairies could change shape into human form at will and shrink
to the size of an acorn, also their natural form, in the blink of an
eye.  Nicolas de Brabant intrigued her.  The arrogance of most
vampires disgusted her, but this one was unique for his remorse and
compassion.  He had made his beautiful companion into a fledgling,
and she displayed some rare qualities.

If Isabelle recalled her vampire lore correctly, Natalie was
extremely gifted. How the vampire community reacted could be a cause
for concern.  The fairy fluttered up to one of the ventilation cracks
and vanished.  Her queen would be interested in this development, and
might reward her for bringing the news.

* * * * *

A figure wearing a dark, hooded jacket stepped off an airplane and
entered Toronto’s airport.  He glanced around momentarily.  Man oh
man, it was good to be home again.  It had been far too long.  The
sweet smell of freshly-baked doughnuts wafted through the air.  He
stopped at the concession stand long enough to buy a bag of doughnut
holes, then headed outside and found the nearest taxi.

“Where to?” the taxi driver asked, turning around.

“Uh…” the passenger blanked for a minute.  It seemed that his
recently-regained memory was failing him again.  He remembered some
details about his life, like the fact that he was a police officer
and worked at the 96th precinct, and that he was married.  But he
couldn’t remember other things like his name, whether he had any
kids, or where he lived in Toronto.

He had vague memories of being in a classic ’62 Cadillac with
another man who was tall and blond…his partner, maybe.  There wasn’t
much of his life that he remembered, but it was odd what details he
could recall.  What bothered him was the gap between his last
memories.  He’d woken up several weeks ago in an alley in New York
city, wondering what in the blazes he was doing there when there was
a bomber to catch.  Then he’d seen the date on a newspaper and
realized that there were many months missing from his memory.  What
had happened during that time?  He didn’t know, but he was determined
to find out.

“Take me to the police station,” he finally said.  “The 96th
precinct.”

“Do you have an address?”

“No, sorry.”

The taxi driver nodded and radioed back to the office for an
address.  They found it within two minutes.  Then he pulled away from
the curb.  His passenger glanced out the window, hoping to catch a
glimpse of something familiar besides the skyline, but didn’t
recognize any of the surroundings until they approached the precinct.

“Thanks,” the hooded man said and paid the driver in cash.

“Want me to wait?” the driver asked.

“Nah.  Go on.”

“All right.”

Captain Reese looked up from his desk as the hooded man walked in. 
There was something vaguely familiar about him, but the captain
couldn’t put his finger on it.  “Can I help you?” Reese asked.

“Maybe.”  The man pulled back his hood.  “I was hoping you knew my
name.”

Color drained from Reese’s face as he realized he was looking at the
ghost of Knight’s dead partner.  “You’re supposed to be dead.  The
plane went down with you on it.  Your remains were identified.  What
the hell happened?”

“I wish I could remember.  What’s my name?”

“Don Schanke,” he replied.  “My God.  I can’t believe this is
happening.” Then, suddenly Reese chuckled.  “I wish I could see the
look on Myra’s face when she finds out you’re alive.”

“Myra?”

“Your wife.”

Don fingered his wedding ring.  “Has she remarried?”

“No.  Why don’t you have a seat?  I’ll get you some coffee.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Don sat down.  It was definitely good to be back, even if he was
still a little fuzzy on the details.




* * * * *

Part 2

Nick fumbled for the phone as it rang. Still hazy from the remnants
of a dream, it took him a moment to recognize his captain’s voice on
the other end. “Yeah?”

“Knight, are you awake?” Reese asked.

“I am now.  What’s up?”

“You’re not going to believe this.  I nearly had a heart attack
myself when I saw him walk in here.  He’s no more dead than you or I.”

That point was debatable, Nick thought.  “Who?” he asked.

“Your partner, Don Schanke.”

He nearly dropped the phone, cursing under his breath in French as
he did so. Had he actually heard Reese correctly?  Surely that was
impossible.  Don Schanke had been a mortal.  Unless he’d been brought
across at the last minute before boarding the plane or something,
there was no way he could have survived.

After all, Nick had found his body…or had he?  Much of the body had
been burned.  They’d done DNA tests to be certain, but as he
recalled, it had been 78% positive.  Still, that was enough of a
match to ID him, since Schanke had been spotted boarding the plane. 
Nick wondered how reliable the witnesses’ information had been. 
Could the dead passenger have been a look-alike?

“Sorry, Cap,” Nick apologized a moment later.  “But you can’t be
serious. How could Schanke have survived?  The only way he could have
made it is if he hadn’t boarded the plane in the first place.  You
saw the wreck as well as I did.”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.  I can’t explain it
either, Nick, but he’s sitting right in front of me.”

“How?”

“He doesn’t know.  The last thing he remembers is arriving at the
airport to catch the plane that blew up.”

“Listen to me, Captain.  This is very important.  Is there anything
unusual about him?  Anything at all?”

“Other than the fact that he’s alive and has amnesia, no.”

“Can I talk to him?”

“Sure.”  Nick heard a brief rustling as the phone was transferred.

“Hello.”

He was stunned.  It was certainly Schanke’s voice on the other end. 
“I don’t believe it.  Is that really you?”

“That’s what I’ve been told.”

“You have no idea who I am, do you?”

“Well, I vaguely remember riding in a ’62 Cadillac with a tall guy
who had blond hair and was allergic to sunlight.”  That last detail
had just popped into Schanke’s head.  Hearing Knight’s voice must
have jogged his memory. “Was that you?”

“Yeah,” Nick replied.  “Yeah, that was me, Schank.  Do you remember
anything else?”

“No, but I’m sure it’ll come back to me in time.  Your voice is
starting to sound familiar, though.  Man oh man, it’s great to be
back.”

“What happened?  Do you remember anything?”

“The last thing I recall is going after the bomber.  Was he ever
caught?”

“Oh, yeah.  He’s behind bars as we speak.  He definitely led us on a
wild chase, though.”

“That’s good to know.”

It was a relief to hear Schanke’s voice after all this time. 
However, Nick couldn’t help but wonder why now?  What had happened? 
There was a mystery that needed solving.

“Okay, Schanke.  Take care.”

Nick hung up and went upstairs to check on Natalie.  She had already
fallen fast asleep.

”Sleep well, my love,” he whispered.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, in the fairy queen’s throne room, Isabelle curtsied
before Queen Jasmine, who looked mildly bored.  She was
extraordinarily beautiful, even for a fairy.  Long raven-black waves
of hair framed a face with ivory skin and violet eyes.

“State the reason for thy presence,” the queen ordered.  “We are
short on patience, as thou knowest.”

“My queen, I am grateful for your time.  My news is most urgent. 
Nicolas de Brabant has made his companion, Natalie, into a fledgling.
She displays the rarest of vampiric talents, which has not been seen
in over a millennia, and she also shows great potential.  He has also
destroyed his sire, LaCroix.”

“As expected,” Queen Jasmine replied.  “We shall ignore thy
offensive use of human slang for now.  We acknowledge the importance
of this information. Continue to watch the vampires.  Let us know if
anything of importance occurs.”

Isabelle curtsied.  “As you wish, my queen.”

* * * * *

Natalie awoke shortly after sunset.  As she opened her eyes, she
felt an immense hunger.  Was this what it was like to be a vampire? 
Always hungry for blood?  She couldn’t help but feel remorse, if that
hunger was what Nick felt constantly.  No wonder he had been unable
to give up blood, despite her previous insistence that it was bad for
him.  Perhaps vampirism had a metaphysical cause, as well as
physical.  That might explain some things, such as why vampires could
fly.

She got up and reached for her jeans and shirt, which Nick had
folded up and placed on the dresser.  The clothes rubbed like
sandpaper against her newly-sensitive skin.  She was definitely going
shopping as soon as she could. No wonder Nick wore so many silk
shirts.

She found him downstairs, sipping a glass of cow’s blood and staring
at the fire.  Natalie’s first instinct was to run because fire was
bad, very bad, and it could kill her.  It could kill them both.  In
the firelight, her eyes suddenly shifted to silver.  “Nick…”

“It’s all right,” he replied, noticing her reaction.  “It’s just
your survival instincts kicking in.  That’s very natural.”

She nodded, allowing her common sense and reason to battle the fight-
or-flight reflex.  “Is it always going to be like this?”

“At first.  As you age, you’ll learn how to control your instincts. 
Captain Reese called while you were asleep.  You may want to sit down
for this.”

She sat slowly, wincing as the jeans chafed her skin.  “What is it?”

He took a deep breath.  “Schanke’s alive, Nat.  He has amnesia, but
he is alive.  I talked to him on the phone.”

Nothing could have prepared her for this.  Stunned, she gaped at
Nick for a few moments.  “That’s impossible,” Natalie finally
answered, finding her voice. “Nick, you know that’s impossible. 
Unless…”

“He came to the police station in the daylight.  He can’t be a
vampire.  I don’t know what happened to him, but I swear I’ll get to
the bottom of it. I owe him that much.”

She nodded.  “I’m hungry, Nick.”

“I know.”  He picked up the bottle of cow’s blood that he had put on
the end table next to the couch and poured her a glass, which he’d
set out because he had expected her to be hungry.  “Drink.”

Nat took a sip and grimaced at the incredibly bland taste. 
Strangely, it reminded her of eating grass, though she had never
eaten grass before.

“You’ll get used to it,” Nick noted.

* * * * *

>From her fireplace perch, Isabelle watched.  This was an intriguing
development.  The fairy had been in Nick’s loft for some time.  She
had seen his sorrow when he thought he’d lost Schanke before.  How
could his body have been misidentified?  Perhaps there were other
powers at work here.

A spell could easily have disguised the body long enough for it to
be identified falsely.  Surely no fairy would have anything to do
with such a spell, as it would likely bring serious harm upon their
kin.  The dwarves usually stuck to their metalworking and wanted
nothing to do with the goings-on of mortals and vampires.  But gnomes
were the tricksters and pranksters of the fairy realm.  Perhaps they
had something to do with it.  Until she had proof, however, Isabelle
could not make any accusations.  She would simply have to watch until
she learned more.




* * * * *

Part 3

It had been a long day for Don Schanke.  He’d arranged to have a
meeting with his wife and daughter.  They had talked for hours at the
precinct.  He hated to see the ecstatic look on Jenny’s face to be
replaced by dismay when he had to tell her that he didn’t recognize
her.  But, as he’d added, it might have been because she’d grown so
much.  He and Myra had to explain all about amnesia to Jenny when he
got home later.

Since it was likely that Schanke’s memory would come back if he was
in familiar surroundings, the police had accepted him back.  Nick
Knight had just lost Tracy Vetter, his partner.  However, Knight was
willing to take Schanke as a partner again.  Don hoped to regain his
memories as a result.

That evening, Nick walked into the bullpen to find Schanke chatting
amiably with other cops and enjoying doughnuts that someone had
brought in.  He felt a slight pang of jealousy, for as a vampire, he
couldn’t enjoy the camaraderie in the same manner.  Nick would always
feel the hunger within.  It was like a serpent coiled in the shadows,
ready to strike.  He hoped that Natalie would be able to deal with it
better than he had in the past.

“Hey, Schanke,” Nick said.

Don turned around.  “Do I know you?”

“Nick Knight, homicide.”

“So you’re my former partner, the one with the ’62 Caddy?”

Nick nodded.  “That’s me.”

They shook hands.  “You’re also allergic to sunlight and garlic,
right?” Don asked.

“Yeah,” he answered.

Schanke chuckled.  “Are you sure you’re not a vampire?  Just
kidding,” he added when he saw Nick’s stone-faced expression.  “It’s
all coming back to me now.”

“Great.  Do you remember anything about what happened the night of
the plane crash?”

Don shook his head.  “Nope.  That’s still a blank.”

“Ok.  Uh, what do you say we go for a ride and cruise around town
for a bit? Maybe seeing some familiar sights will help.”

“Yeah, that’s probably not a bad idea.”

“Knight,” Captain Reese said, coming out of his office, “I need to
speak to you.”

“I’ll see you in a bit,” he said to Schanke, then followed the
captain. “What is this about?”

Joe sighed.  This wasn’t going to be easy.  It never was.  “I’ve got
some bad news.  Commissioner Vetter is not happy about recent events,
as you can imagine.  He’s calling for a full investigation into what
happened to Tracy. The folks from Internal Affairs are going to be
breathing down our necks for the next few days.  I’m placing you on
desk duty until this is over and done with.  We all know it wasn’t
your fault, but the commissioner wants to find out exactly what
happened.  So, I need you to take it easy for a while.”

“I understand.”

“This would be the perfect time for you to find out what happened to
Don Schanke.  See if you can get him to remember anything, even the
smallest details, of the night that plane went down.”

“You got it, Captain.”

Reese turned to leave, but then thought of something else.  “Oh, and
let Natalie know we’re all pulling for her to get better.”

“I will.”

Nick left the captain’s office and found Don munching on a doughnut.
“Ready to head out for a while?”  he asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Schanke answered.  “I gotta tell you, Knight, this is
starting to look familiar.  But it’s like there’s something else
niggling at the back of my mind, but it won’t come loose.  I get the
feeling that maybe if I leave it alone, it might work itself free
after a bit, but prying at it won’t do any good.  You know what I
mean?”

“Well, I had amnesia once for a short time,” he replied.  “Maybe
you’ll be able to remember after a while.”

“I hope so.”

* * * * *

In the Caddy driving around town, Don tried to picture himself as a
detective, doing things that cops did.  But he didn’t get very far
that way.  It wasn’t good enough to imagine being himself.  He had to
remember.  Nick pulled over in a dark section of town about a block
away from the Raven.

“Anything look familiar?”

Schanke shook his head.  “No.”

“Look at me,” Nick said, capturing his heartbeat.

Unable to do anything else, Don turned around in his seat.  “What
are you doing?”

“Helping you remember.  Listen to me.  Think back to the night of
the plane crash.  You’re about to get on the plane with Captain
Cohen.  What do you see?”

Fully hypnotized now, Schanke replied, “I’m watching the captain as
she boards the plane.  I take a step towards the ramp.”

“What happens next?”

“I see something out of the corner of my eye, like a flash of light
or a sparkle.  It’s only there for a second, and then it’s gone. 
Then I’m smelling perfume or something and feeling really light-
headed.”

So someone had gassed him?  Well, that explained a few things, Nick
thought. “Keep going.  What happens next?”

“I fall asleep.  Next thing I know, I’m in an alley in New York,
wearing beat-up old clothes and sleeping in a cardboard box.”

Interesting, Nick mused.  Someone had gone to all the trouble to
kidnap him, possibly to take him out of the way, and then leave him
stranded with no memory.  Could it have been a vampire, one of the
Enforcers thinking Schanke was getting too close to the truth?  He
didn’t know.

“When I say awake, you will be completely alert.  You will remember
all the details about yourself and the people you know, and you will
not forget them again.”  He took a deep breath.  “Awake.”  The
hypnotic tone of Nick’s voice filled the air.

Don snapped out of it.  “Wow.  That was amazing!  Wait a second…does
this have anything to do with you being able to fly?  I remember you
told me to forget about it and to wash the Caddy.  Can you believe
it?  Man oh man, Knight! Where’d you learn all that?  Vampire
school?”  Schanke chuckled, but then caught his breath as he realized
what he’d said.  “Uh…wait…forget I said that. I don’t know that
you’re a vampire.  I don’t believe in vampires. Um…don’t bite me? 
Okay?  Please?”

Nick sighed, realizing that he had made a terrible mistake in
allowing Schanke to remember everything he’d known.  The intention
was to cure his amnesia, but the poorly worded hypnotic suggestion
had been taken literally, of course. “Schanke, I don’t bite.”

Don gaped at him for a moment.   “You really are a vampire, aren’t
you?”

Nick let out a huge sigh of frustration.  “Yeah.  Now that you
remember everything you’ve ever known, do you remember who kidnapped 
you?”

“I don’t know.  I never saw them, I swear!”

“Great.  Just great.”

There was something in Schanke’s statement made under hypnosis that
was very odd.  Why would he have seen a flash of light out of the
corner of his eye for only a second?  Perhaps it was light from a
belt buckle or something similar? Maybe there was something after
all.  But what?  Something niggled at the back of Nick’s mind, and he
realized that he understood what Don had been talking about after all.

Schanke was growing more nervous by the second.  Would he become the
vampire equivalent of fast food?  No, his gut instinct silently
assured him.  There was no reason to not trust Nick.  His partner, a
vampire, had saved his life on more than one occasion.  Maybe this
was why Nick hadn’t told him.  Partners had to trust each other, no
matter what.

Nick started the ignition.  “Come on,” he said.  “Let’s head
back...unless you’d rather take a cab than ride with me.”

“No, I’m fine.  I trust you.”

Nick looked at him.  “You’re sure?”

Schanke nodded.  “I won’t tell a soul, Knight.  Not on my life.”

“Good, because I’m not the one you need to worry about.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?  There are other vampires around
here?” Don asked as the Caddy pulled away from the curb.

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“How old are you?”

“Older than you think.  I was born in the 12th century.”

Schanke’s jaw dropped.  “That’s uh…” he did a quick calculation,
“that’s 800 years ago!”

“Yeah,” Nick acknowledged.

“What’s your real name?  Where are you from?  I’m guessing somewhere
in, ah, Europe?  What the heck did people do in the 12th century,
anyway?”

“They lived just like people do now, but without all the gadgets and
gizmos and stuff.  Some things never change.”  He proceeded to answer
Schanke’s questions. “I’m from the region of Brabant, which is now
located in Belgium.  My real name is Nicolas de Brabant.  I fought in
the Crusades in the 13th century. I’ve fought in other wars since
then, but my true battle is with myself.”

Don was silent for a while, contemplating this information.  “You
were a knight…an honest-to-God medieval knight.”

Nick nodded.

“And now you’re a homicide detective.  I guess it makes sense, in a
bizarre sort of way.  You seem like the kind of guy who wants to do
the right thing, to keep the peace and help people out.”

“Don’t forget, Schanke.  I’m not human.  I was once, but I’m not
anymore.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Don said, thinking back over the past few
years, in the memories that had just been dredged up.  “I think you
are human, but you just don’t want to accept it.”

“Schanke, I can fly.  Sunlight makes me implode.  I drink
blood…cow’s blood, but it’s still blood.  I can move faster than the
mortal eye can see.  I’m ten times stronger than a normal man.  I
have fangs and my eyes can glow in the dark.  You still think I’m
human?”

“Maybe not at first glance, but inside, you’re a lot more human than
some of the bad guys we’ve put behind bars.”

That was an incredible thought.  Could he dare to believe it?  Nick
didn’t know.  In any case, he figured that going back to the police
station was probably a good idea.  As the Caddy made a left turn,
neither of its passengers glimpsed the tiny winged figure that was
following them.




* * * * *

Part 4

Nick and Schanke returned to the station to find someone from
Internal Affairs waiting for them.  It was a long interview and an
even longer evening. Schanke had to pretend he still had amnesia, but
that a few things were coming back. If it became known that he had
regained his full memory, there would be a lot of questions as to
how, and the last thing Nick wanted was the Enforcers --the vampires
who enforced the Code, which included not telling humans about
vampires, among other things -- on his case.

Meanwhile, Natalie was bored.  She put an old movie into Nick’s VCR
and poured herself a glass of cow’s blood.  About halfway into it,
she found herself feeling drowsy.  It wasn’t that the movie was dull,
but rather that as a fledgling, her body was still going through some
physical changes to adapt to her new situation, thus requiring more
energy than usual.

As she began to drift off, Natalie thought she saw a glimpse of
something moving on Nick’s fireplace mantle.

“Probably just a spider,” she told herself.

But there it was again!  She opened her eyes and followed the
flicker of movement, and to her astonishment, saw a tiny female
hiding among Nick’s antiques that were no doubt older than her
grandmother, Nana, would be if she were still living.

Isabelle gasped.  Natalie had seen her!  The fairy glanced around
and, seeing a hiding spot, ducked behind a picture frame that held a
photo of Nick and Schanke, taken when they’d won the “Partners of the
Month” award.

Natalie got up off the leather sofa.  “Are you still there?” she
asked softly, trying to catch a glimpse of the mysterious being. 
“It’s all right, I won’t hurt you.  Really.” She couldn’t help but
wonder if the whole thing had been a figment of her imagination, but
then Isabelle shyly crawled out from behind the frame.  Natalie
gasped.  “A fairy!  Please tell me I’m not dreaming.”

“You are not dreaming,” Isabelle replied and introduced herself,
since not doing so would be most impolite.  “I am Isabelle of
Elfhame, known by mortals as the fairy realm.”  She blushed. “You
were not supposed to see me.  I must have underestimated your senses.”

“Tell me, what are you doing here?”

“We, the fairies, take an interest in mortal affairs from time to
time, particularly if they affect our own kind.”

“Do you also take an interest in the affairs of vampires?”

Isabelle nodded.  “Sometimes.  Nicolas de Brabant is most
intriguing.  You see…” she lowered her voice, as if someone might be
listening in, “I have reason to suspect his mortal friend, Don
Schanke, was kidnapped by gnomes. I cannot fathom their purposes, but
they are the most devious creatures of all the fairy races.”

Nat was surprised.  “You mean, he was kidnapped before the plane
crash several months ago?  I suppose that would explain it, but how
do you disguise a dead body?  The test results from the autopsy
proved that the DNA was his.  And yet, he’s alive now.”

“That could have been done with an illusion,” Isabelle replied.

“An illusion?  You mean a magic spell?”  It was hard enough to
believe in the existence of fairies, but now she was expected to
believe in magic as well?

“Yes.  Though no fairy or elf would have done it, since it would
have brought ill to us all. The dwarves and goblins don’t care about
mortals, or any outsiders, for that matter.  Therefore, it had to be
a gnome!  They delight in playing tricks and pranks of all sorts, and
don’t care about any harm that might come to them as a result.”

Natalie pinched herself, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. 
“Assuming that this will turn out not to be a dream, what do you want
me to do?”

“Therein lies the problem,” Isabelle admitted.  “We must find the
culprit. A crime such as kidnapping a human is intolerable to
fairies, not to mention the disgrace of disguising someone else’s
body with magic is most offensive.”

“Ok, how do we do that?”

“I have an idea, but I want to explain it to both of you at the same
time.”

“Nick comes home from work just before dawn,” Nat replied.

The fairy nodded.  “I shall wait.  I cannot stay long after sunrise,
for I must sleep then.  We have one thing in common, Natalie. 
Sunlight is intolerable to most of my kind.  It turns our flesh to
stone.”

“Fine.  I’m exhausted,” Nat replied, yawning.  “I must sleep.”

“You are newly brought across,” Isabelle remarked.  “You need rest. 
I will awaken you when Nick comes.”

Natalie dozed off in front of the TV.

* * * * *

Nick came home just before sunrise to find Nat sleeping on the
couch.  It was a welcome sight, compared to sitting in front of the
Internal Affairs investigator for a three-hour grueling interview. 
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something nearby.  Turning around,
he saw a tiny winged figure. He gaped in astonishment.

“Who and what are you, and why are you here?”

Isabelle introduced herself and fluttered over to the sofa,
whispering something into Natalie’s ear.  The fledgling sat up.

“Nick, I just had the most wonderful dream…Isabelle?”

”Yes, it is I, and no, you’re not dreaming.  Listen closely, both of
you.  I believe it was no human or vampire who kidnapped Don Schanke.
There is a way to find the culprit.”

“What?  How?” Nick asked.

“The path to the dwarven kingdom lies through the sewers.  There you
will find a dwarf named Shale Copperstone.  He keeps in regular
contact with the gnomes because they provide him with certain
supplies for his metalworking.  The route to the gnome kingdom is
hidden, and they set many traps for unwary outsiders, so you will
need a guide to get there.”

“Gnomes and dwarves?”  Nick said incredulously.  “I’m sorry, but how
do you expect us to believe all this?  How do we know you’re not a
hallucination of some sort?”

“When you were mortal, did you believe such things as vampires
existed?” Isabelle replied.

“No.”  He sighed.  “You have a point.”

“Go down to the sewers,” Isabelle replied.  “You will know when you
find what you’re looking for.  I’m sorry, but it is sunrise.  I must
go now.”  With that, she vanished.

“What do you think?” Nick asked Nat, who was staring wide-eyed at
the space where Isabelle had been.

“Perhaps we both drank a little bad blood last night and had a mass
hallucination?  I don’t know, Nick.  If vampires are real, who’s to
say that fairies aren’t?”

He nodded.  “I think we should go, but we’ll rest first.  We won’t
be able to leave until after sunset, anyway.  I’ll call in sick
later.”

“Don’t you think you should talk to Schanke?”

“He’s had enough of a shock…oh, that’s right, I haven’t told you. 
He knows about us.”

“About vampires?  I thought he had amnesia.”

“He did.  He doesn’t anymore.”  Quickly, Nick related the events of
that night to her.

“You whammied Schanke to get him to remember who he is, but now he
remembers too much?  Oh, Nick.  What about the Enforcers?” Natalie
asked.

“We’ll deal with them later.  Right now, we need to deal with this. 
Okay?”

She nodded.

“Go and rest now.”  He kissed her on the forehead.  “I plan to get
some sleep, myself.”

* * * * *

Part 5a

It was just after sunset when Nick and Natalie headed into the
sewers.  They were cold and dark, but the vampires could easily see
without the need for flashlights, and the cold didn’t bother them. 
The stench was just barely tolerable.

“Do you see anything that looks like a secret entrance?” Nat asked.

“No.  We’ll have to keep looking,” Nick answered.

A few minutes later, the tunnel split off in opposite directions.

“Should we go right or left?” she wondered aloud.

“Doesn’t matter to me.”

She looked in both directions.  Darkness filled the tunnel on both
ends. Neither vampire could hear anything except the sound of water
flowing past them.  As Nat took a step towards the left tunnel, the
image of lightning flashed in her mind.  She gasped and took another
step, but was temporarily blinded by the sight of lightning again. 
“No!”

“Are you okay?” Nick asked, concerned.  “What is it?”

“I can’t explain it,” she admitted.  “I think someone’s warning us
to stay away.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw lightning flash, but it was in my head.  I’m getting the
definite impression that someone or something doesn’t want us to go
that way.”

Nick looked at her.  “Why?”

“I don’t know, and to tell you the truth, I don’t really care to. 
If something can do that, then I don’t want to know what it is.”

“All right, we’ll go the other way.  Nat, are you sure you’re all
right?”

She nodded.  “I’ll be fine, Nick.  Let’s go.”

They went down the tunnel.  Several hours passed as the vampires
roamed through the sewers.  It was approximately 11:00 PM when they
sat down for a short rest. As Natalie took a drink of cow’s blood
from one of the bottles she had brought along, Nick glimpsed
something that he might not have seen if he hadn’t taken the time to
sit down.

There was a faint gray outline around part of the wall across from
them.  It barely contrasted with the rest of the wall and thus would
have escaped notice from mortal eyes, but was visible to a vampire. 
Nick’s eyes glowed yellow as he discerned its shape.

“What is it?” Natalie asked.

“Look over there,” he replied.  “That has to be what we’re looking
for.”

She did.  “That can’t be it.  It’s too small.  How are we supposed
to fit through there?”

He shrugged.  “Crawl, I guess.”

Nat sighed.  “Do we have a choice?”

Nick didn’t answer.  Instead, he stood up and pushed on the wall. 
As he did, cracks of light appeared through the gray outline. 
Natalie got up and pushed on the wall as well.  Finally, the bricks
gave way and crumbled, revealing a very surprised dwarven sentry. 
The vampires’ expressions changed to shock and then astonishment.

“No!” Granite exclaimed, brandishing an axe that was nearly as big
as he was. The stocky dwarf was nearly four feet tall.  He ducked
through the hole in the wall as he stepped into the sewers.  “I’m
sorry, but your kind isn’t welcome here.  Go away.”

“Wait,” Nick replied.  “We’ve been sent by the fairy Isabelle.”

“A fairy sent you?  Impossible.  Everyone knows that fairies hate
vampires, and for good reason.  You’re far too meddlesome for your
own good,” Granite responded.

“How else do you think we found your secret entrance?” Nick replied.

“By accident?  I don’t know, and I don’t care.  Go away!”

“We’re not like other vampires,” Nick insisted.  “At least give us a
chance.”

“Hmmph,” the dwarf snorted.  “I’ll believe it when I see it.  What
is your reason for coming here, vampire?”  Granite practically spat
the final word and glared at Nick.

“We need to speak with Shale Copperstone.”

The dwarf laughed.  “Fat chance of that happening.  You’d best come
back in a century; you’ll have better chance of meeting him then.”

“Why is that?” Natalie inquired.

“Because of the wedding!  Shale’s sister, Emerald, is marrying the
king’s son, Logan, in thirty years.  He’s working on his wedding
gift, which by tradition has to be a battle-axe worthy of the king’s
armory.  But word has it that his supplies are running low and he may
have to journey into the realm of the goblins to stock up.  That
could take weeks, and it’ll take him years to finish crafting the
weapon.”

The vampires exchanged glances.  “What if we volunteered to help
bring back the supplies?”  Natalie inquired.

“You wouldn’t stand a chance in the goblin kingdom, not without a
guide. They’ve got tricks and traps to skewer vampires as well as
anyone else.”

“If we talked to Shale, do you think he might come with us?”

Granite looked at Natalie.  “You’re persistent, aren’t you?  Very
well. I’ll let you enter, but you will both be on your best behavior
and you’ll be under strict watch.  Don’t try any funny stuff.  We
dwarves are just as good with crossbows as we are with axes.”

“We won’t,” Nick promised.

The vampires entered, ducking through the hole.  Granite led them
through the tunnel, which was perfectly sized for a dwarf, but rather
awkward for them. The tunnel ended abruptly after several dozen feet.
They found themselves in a large cavern, lit by oil lamps that the
dwarven miners carried.  The light reflecting from various crystal
formations created a spectacular effect. Even Nick gaped for a few
moments, marveling at it all. The miners did their best to ignore the
visitors, but a few returned the stare.

“Try not to gawk too much.  It makes you look stupid,” Granite
suggested. “Come on, I’ll take you to my cousin.”

“Your cousin?” Natalie asked.

“Aye, Shale’s my cousin.  Dwarf mines are more than just mines to
us. They’re also our homes.  You’re the first outsiders to have
visited the city of Vulcanis in over five centuries.  This way.”

“Why is it no one else has ever found this place?” Nick asked. 
“You’d think the sound would carry.”

“Ah, but that’s the beauty of dwarven engineering.  The walls are
solid rock, and the areas which border on human territory are
reinforced with magic to hide them.  It’s a wonder you were able to
see through the illusions at all.”

“Yeah, well, we’re not exactly human.”

“True,” Granite agreed.  “But not even the carouches living in the
sewers have discovered us yet.  They’re probably too focused on
finding juicy rats to munch on.  Well, let’s go.”




* * * * *

Part 5b

It took them nearly half an hour to reach the lift that would take
them down to the area where the living quarters were.  Dwarven
mothers quickly pulled their children aside as the strangers came
through.  One little girl, with blonde hair in braids and blue eyes,
looked up and smiled at Nat.  “You have pretty eyes.  I thought
vampires were supposed to be ugly.”

The child’s mother looked at her daughter sternly.  “How many times
do I have to tell you?  Don’t talk to strangers, especially…” and she
used a dwarven word that neither Nick nor Natalie could understand,
but it was obviously not worth repeating.

“It’s okay,” Nat said.  “We’re not here to hurt you.”

“I know,” the girl said.  “I see things, sometimes, in my dreams.  I
saw you and Nicolas” -- she pronounced it the French way -- “fighting
a bad man.  He was using magic.”

“Magic?” Natalie looked at Nick.

“Could be a wizard or something, I suppose.  Anything is possible.”

“He’s not a wizard.  Wizards are good.  Sorcerers are bad,” the
child insisted. “I think this bad man was a sorcerer.  He wanted to
use you for something, but you wouldn’t let him.  But the only way to
defeat him is with the raven. Use the raven.”

“Okay,” he replied.  “Thanks for letting us know.”

The little girl nodded, ducked behind her mother’s skirts, and was
promptly hustled back inside, away from the strangers.

“That was definitely interesting,” Natalie said.  “What do you think
it means?”

“I think we’ll know when we need to, and not before.”

“You’re probably right.”

They followed Granite to the home of Shale Copperstone.  Dwarven
homes were carved into the earth itself.  They were caves, but the
dwarves had amenities such as running water, heat, and electrical
generators.  They weren’t primitive by any means.  As far as the
vampires could tell, the dwarves were at least as advanced as humans
in terms of engineering, if not more so, since dwarves had been
around longer.

There was a laptop on a table with blueprints spread out around it. 
A dwarf with flame-red hair and a long scraggly beard hunched over
the computer.  He kept mumbling in his own language and rubbing his
eyes as if he was tired.

“Shale?  There are some visitors who’ve come all the way from the
surface to see you.”

“Go away.  I’m too busy doing inventory.”

Granite sighed.  “Well, you heard him.  I’m sorry it turned out this
way, but it’s probably best if you go.”

“Wait,” Nick said.  “Let me talk to him.”

The guard nodded.  “Good luck.”

Nick approached the dwarf.  “I hear you’re short on supplies and
need to acquire some more.”

The dwarf looked up in shock.  “You’re still here?”  He sighed. 
“Aye, I need supplies.  What is it to you?”

“Well, it just so happens that my companion and I need to go to the
gnome kingdom to find out what happened to a friend of ours.  We
could come with you.”

“What sort of friend would this be?” Shale asked.

“He’s human and he’s a very good friend.  He was abducted several
months ago. We thought he was dead, but it turns out he’s not.  We
need to find out who used magic to disguise the body that we thought
was his, and who the body really belonged to.”

The dwarf looked disgusted.  “Why would anyone use an illusion to
disguise the body of a mere human and abduct him?”

“I don’t know.  That’s what we need to find out.”

“All right.  You’ve gotten me curious.  If someone from the fairy
realms used magic for such a dishonorable deed, we must find out who
it was.  They need to answer for their crime.  Have a seat.  I’ll
gather the supplies I need, and then we can leave.  Granite, you’re
welcome to come along.”

The guard shook his head.  “I have to get back to my post. 
Tumblestone’s covering for me.  You know him, he’s always nodding
off.”

“Fine.  Go.  I’ll see you later.”

The guard nodded and left.  Nick and Nat sat in silence as Shale
bustled about, gathering many things and putting them into a leather
backpack.  Finally, he picked up an axe.  Its blade had a bluish
sheen under the light.

“This is Nightbane.  It was handed down to me from my father, who
got it from his, and so on.  I’m not entering the goblin lands
without it.  You never know what you’ll run into there.”

He set the axe down and swung his backpack over his shoulders. 
Nightbane gleamed as Shale picked it up again.

“How far is it?” Natalie asked.

“That depends on where we end up going,” Shale replied.  “This way.”

The vampires followed, wondering where the road would take them.




* * * * *

Part 6

Back at the precinct, Don Schanke wondered why Nick had called in
sick.  It didn’t make sense.  He was a vampire, and vampires didn’t
get sick.  Schanke dialed the number at the loft and got the
answering machine, telling him that Nick Knight was either sleeping
or incommunicado.  Schanke couldn’t think of a reason unless Knight
was spending quality time with Natalie, which was certainly possible,
though he wouldn’t have called in sick.  At least, the Nick he knew
wouldn’t have done that -- he’d simply have asked for the time off.
Something had happened.

”Nick’s a big boy.  He can take care of himself,” Don muttered under
his breath, and started in on a stack of files that were given to him
so that he could catch up.

But the more he thought about it, the more he wondered what was
going on. Finally, overcome with curiosity, Schanke stood up and put
on his coat. Eight hundred year old vampire or not, Knight owed him
an explanation.  He headed to the loft.

* * * * *

Isabelle was relaxing on the armrest of Nick’s black leather sofa
when Schanke came in.  She awoke startled and nearly panicked, then
quickly fluttered to the fireplace mantle.

Don blinked, having seen something out of the corner of his eye but
not knowing what it was.

“Nick?  Natalie?  Anyone home?”

He glanced around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.  It had been
months since he was last here.  Don saw the antiques on the fireplace
mantle.  He realized some of them were probably older than they
looked, given how old Knight was.

“Man oh man, there are sure a lot of antiques around here.”

The fencing foil over by the fireplace caught his eye.  Just for
fun, he picked it up and stabbed an imaginary opponent.  Suddenly,
there was a flash of something nearby.  Schanke turned around.

“What the…who’s there?”  But there was no response.  “It was
probably just a fly or something,” Don muttered.  “I guess I could
just wait here until Knight gets back.”

Sitting down on the sofa, he searched for the remote control and
found it. There was an American football game on one of the sports
channels.  It shouldn’t be too long until the vampire arrived,
Schanke figured.   If anything, he would have to return by sunrise.

* * * * *

Nick, Natalie, and Shale Copperstone were traveling on a long dirt
path. They had followed a tunnel leading out of the Dwarven city and
further into the fairy realm.  The sky was a skein of indigo and
violet silk dusted with stars. A full moon provided silvery light. 
Rocky mountains towered above them, shrouding the land in gray
shadows.  It was strangely silent.  For a long time, the only sound
was their footsteps.

“The moon is beautiful,” Natalie finally remarked.

Her eyes were glowing silver in the moonlight, but she didn’t appear
to be aware of it.  Nick looked at Nat with mixed feelings.  She was
certainly beautiful; there was no question about that.  But Nick
worried that there might be some harm to her from whatever it was
that made her so different.  If anything bad happened to her because
of it, he would be at fault for bringing her across in the first
place.

“We’re not in Toronto anymore, are we?” she asked.

“No.  You are in the fairy realm.  Few humans have found this place,
and even fewer have survived to return to their own lands.  There’s
an ancient saying: beneath a fairy moon, anything can happen.  You
should be on your guard.”

They traveled for several miles underneath the starry sky,
encountering nothing of significance until they reached the first
gnome outpost.  The gnomes were of short stature.  Their bodies were
not as ugly or misshapen as one might expect based on fairy tales,
but rather they were smaller, thinner, and paler versions of the
dwarves.  The gnome guards wielded silver daggers with emeralds in
the hilts, which seemed to glow with inner fire beneath the moonlight.

The gnomes spoke in English, although their understanding of the
language was poor since they didn’t have much contact with humans.

“Where come you from?  Where go you to?  Why come dark ones into our
realm?”

Shale stepped forward.  “I come from Vulcanis to trade for
metalworking supplies.  These two have come to aid me.  They do not
seek to do you harm.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few
copper coins, the traditional cost of doing business when dealing
with gnomes, especially guards.

The gnome grunted.  “If you are not correct about the dark ones,
eager will we be to spill your blood.  Go south.  The village by
Darkwood Forest lies that way.  You will find a blacksmith there.  No
doubt, he will be willing to trade for good copper.”

The dwarf nodded.  “Much obliged.  Thank you.”

Natalie’s eyes turned silver as she glanced at the emeralds on the
daggers. “They’re beautiful.”

“Watch your tongue, Dark One,” the nearest gnome sneered.  “They be
ours, not your own.”

Hurt, Natalie shook her head.  “I know that.  It was just an
observation.  I don’t wish to steal them.”

“Dark ones with silver eyes are rare like emeralds.  Perhaps we
could try to take this one.  Our chieftain would be pleased,” one
gnome remarked.

“You fool,” his companion growled.  “You don’t want to mess with
dark ones. I’ve seen what they can do.”

“Vampires have been here before?” Nick wondered aloud.  “When?”

“Centuries ago, there was one ancient of your kind here.  My
grandfather told me about him.  His name was Lucien, like the light --
but dark he was instead.”

This information was indeed new.  LaCroix had never told Nick of his
incursion into the fairy realms.  What had come of it?  Intrigued,
Nick asked, “What was he doing here?”

“Looking for his love.”

“Love?”

“Yes.  His love was lost, and he came here to find it, but left the
fairy lands empty both of hand and heart.”

Nick looked at the dwarf.  “Did you know about this?”

Shale shook his head negatively.  “‘Tis the first time I’ve heard
such tales. Do you know this Lucien?”

The vampires exchanged glances.  “I don’t know,” Nick replied.  “I
don’t think so.”  He sensed that giving too much information away now
would not be a good plan.

“We should get moving,” the dwarf declared.  “After all, we have a
long journey ahead of us.”

They continued south down the long road that lay ahead of them.




* * * * *

Part 7

Several days had passed since Nick had called in sick.  Schanke had
gone to the loft to see if his partner was there.  He’d also been to
Natalie’s place. Despite his efforts, neither of the vampires were
anywhere to be found.  The thought crossed his mind that they had
gone to someplace remote and private so they could have a romantic
getaway.  But wouldn’t they have called, if for no other reason than
to check in so it wouldn’t look too odd?  He couldn’t put his finger
on it, but something didn’t seem right.

A silver moon hung in the sky, full and round and bright.  There was
something about the moon.  Schanke gazed at it for a moment as he
stood in the street below Nick’s loft.  Just then, he heard something
in the alley behind him. Don turned around, peering into the
darkness.  Then he heard the sound of someone mumbling under his
breath.  “Hey!  Who’s there?”

The mumbling stopped in mid-sentence.  “No one,” came the reply from
a voice sounding as dry and cracked as the paint on the apartment
building next to him. But there was an odd sound to it as well,
almost like the hypnotic tone Schanke now associated with vampires. 
“I’m nobody.  Go away.  Leave me alone.”

“Hey, come out where I can see you.”

There was a muffled sigh and then a flash of searing light that
should have blinded the detective.  In the brilliantly lit alley,
Schanke could see a shadowy figure of someone much smaller than
himself, no taller than a child, but a man from the sound of his
voice.

Suddenly, Don felt a tingle dance upon his spine, and then a
shimmering light surrounded him.

“What the…” he wondered aloud.  “How’d you do that?”

“That’s your shield, not mine!” the mysterious figure exclaimed,
pointing a gnarled, twisted finger at him.  “You humans aren’t
supposed to be able to do that in this realm.  This changes
everything!”

“Wait a minute, if I’m human and you’re not, then what are you?”

“Mind your own business!”

The mysterious stranger mumbled something and a glowing doorway
appeared at the end of the alley.  Then he stepped through the portal
and vanished along with it.

Schanke ran into the alley and glanced around.  It was as if there
had been no one there to begin with.  Feeling very confused and
frustrated, he headed up the stairs to the only place he could get
some answers.  Isabelle flew away from Nick’s window, having
witnessed the entire scene.

“Anyone home?”  Schanke called, entering the loft.  When there was
no reply, he added, “Where the hell are you when I need you, Nick?
You’re the only one who probably has any clue as to what just
happened out there.”

“Actually, he is not the only one,” Isabelle said.

Don looked around.  “Who’s there?”

“You might want to sit down first,” the fairy advised him.

“No.  Just tell me who you are.”

“All right.”  She fluttered into view and perched on Nick’s coffee
table next to the remote control for the window blinds.  “My name is
Isabelle.  And yes, I am just as real as you are.”

Schanke’s jaw dropped.  It took him several moments to remember to
close his mouth as he gaped at her, completely flabbergasted, for
what he was seeing could not possibly be real.  Vampires were one
thing, but this was completely and totally unreal.  “You’re a fairy?”
he finally asked.  “This can’t be happening.”

“I’m afraid it is.”

“Okay, right, and I’m Count Dracula.”  That was a bad example,
Schanke thought, but it had just popped into his head.  “You’re
really real?”

“Yes.”

“Man oh man oh man, I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that souvlaki
earlier.” He sat down on the leather sofa and looked at the fairy
again.  Her hair was golden, she wore a white dress made of silk, and
she actually had wings. “Okay, assuming you’re real, do you have any
idea what just happened to me?”

“I have a theory.”

“Which is?”

“It was no human or vampire who kidnapped you and made your loved
ones believe that you were dead.”

“Don’t tell me, I can guess…was it aliens?”

Isabelle sighed.  “No.  I think it was a gnome, and he may have been
working for the one you met tonight.”

“That guy was a gnome?”

“Precisely.  He was also a powerful sorcerer, apparently.”

“Okay.  Let me get this straight.  Not only are fairies and vampires
real, but gnomes are real too?” Schanke asked.

“Yes,” the fairy replied.

“What else don’t I know about?”

“There are many creatures walking this earth and the realms beyond
human ken that your people have only begun to dream of.”

“Okay, so why would a gnome want to kidnap me?”

“That is what I hope your friends, Nick and Natalie, will be able to
find out.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“Oh, yes.  They are in the fairy realm as we speak, searching for
clues as to who your abductor may be.  There is something else that
happened tonight that you should know about.”

“Which is?”

“When the gnome attempted to cast a spell to blind you, did you not
see the effects of magic around you?”

“Uh, you mean all that light?” he asked.

“Exactly,” the fairy answered.  “Whatever spell was used in your
abduction must have had side effects.  The more powerful magic gets,
the more unpredictable it becomes.  I believe you have what we call
an affinity for the moon.”

“What?”  He looked startled.  “I’m not a werewolf, am I?  Please
tell me that I’m not going to get all furry now.”

“No,” the fairy replied and giggled.  Her laughter was like wind
chimes. “No, you are not a werewolf.  You were able to use your newly-
acquired talents to create a shield of moonlight, though.  You only
need to learn how to control the ability.”

“Okay.”  Schanke sighed.  “So how do I find Nick and Natalie?”

The fairy’s eyebrows raised.  “You should wait for them.  The fairy
realms are too dangerous for a mortal to visit alone.”

“You could take me there,” he suggested.

“It would be much better for you to wait here,” she argued. 
“Besides, I can show you how to use your talents if you let me.”

“All right,” he agreed.




* * * * *

Part 8

In the fairy realm, Nick, Natalie, and Shale arrived at the gnome
village called Evernight.  The blacksmith was taller-than-average and
more solidly built than most of the villagers.  His muscles bulged as
he lifted a huge hammer, brought it down, and struck hot steel with
it.  Glowing orange sparks flew in all directions.  After several
more such blows, he set the hammer down.

 “Good evening.  Shale, it’s been a few months.  Glad you could make
it.”

Then he noticed that Nick and Natalie were vampires.  Gnomes, like
most fairy folk, had an innate sense for magic.  Vampires were no
exception, and they registered strongly on the gnomes’ mental radar
because of their dark nature --hence, why the gnomes referred to them
as dark ones.

“Dark ones, here?”  Joram mopped his sweaty forehead with the sleeve
of his work shirt and nervously glanced around.  “What can I, er, do
for you?”

“I’m here for my usual supplies,” Shale said.  “These two have
proven themselves to be trustworthy so far.  They seek information.”

“The supplies are an easy matter.  The information depends on what
you seek.”

Nick told him of the fairy Isabelle and what she suspected about a
gnome being responsible for Schanke’s abduction.  He also told Joram
about the use of magic to disguise the body so they would all believe
that Schanke was dead.  “Any information you can give us would help,”
the vampire finished.

Joram scratched his beard.  “Hmm…sounds like it may be the work of a
powerful sorcerer.  Most don’t bother themselves with human affairs. 
However, to the east lies a tower where a sorcerer lives.  His
servant girl is a human. Poor thing, she’s been there so long that
she doesn’t even remember who she was.”

“Who was she?” Natalie asked, curious.

“Local legend has it that she was the true love of a dark one named
Lucien…or at least, he thought she was his true love.  Fairies are
known to change places with human children, and in some cases, to
assume their identity for the child’s natural life span.  When that
is over, the fairy returns to their home and reports everything he or
she has learned to the fairy queen.  It has been rumored that
Lucien’s true love was a changeling.  Anyway, he came to the fairy
realms searching for her, but he never found what he was looking for.
When he left, he was a bitter man.”

Nick’s face was very pale.  How could this be?  Fleur, his Fleur,
had died centuries ago.  How could she be locked up in a sorcerer’s
tower in this fairy tale land?  If his Fleur was not who he thought
she was, who had she been?

His entire world had just been inverted.  He did not understand how
LaCroix could have kept this from him when they had shared blood, but
his sire admittedly hadn’t trained him in everything.  Perhaps there
was a way to keep secrets from blood.  No doubt, this sorcerer had
something to do with Schanke’s disappearance as well.

“Are you all right?” Natalie asked, realizing what this information
could do to him.  “Nick?”

“I’m fine,” he replied a bit more sharply than he’d intended.  To
the gnome, he said, “Thank you, Joram.  I owe you a great debt for
your aid.  I will try to repay you, if I can.”

“You know this Lucien, don’t you?” Shale asked.

“As it turns out,” Nick answered, “I didn’t know him as well as I
thought. But he is no longer alive, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Lucien was your sire, wasn’t he?” the dwarf inquired.

“Yes.”

“And you have something to do with this woman he loved, I’m
guessing,” Shale replied.

Nick nodded.  “She was my mortal sister.  But if the girl I knew was
a fairy, who was she?”

“It is possible you knew your sister,” Joram said.  “The switch may
have taken place when she was a small child.  It usually happens
shortly after birth, but that isn’t always the case.  If Fleur is
here, there’s a chance she could be alive.”

“Even after all these years?” Nick wondered aloud.

“Time passes differently for mortals here, particularly where magic
is concerned.  If that sorcerer is involved, your sister may very
well be enslaved to him,” the blacksmith answered.

“I have to find her.  I have to find Fleur.”

Natalie touched his shoulder gently.  “We will find her together,
Nick.” Her icy fingers touched his cold skin.  Somehow they both felt
the warmth -- not physical warmth, but emotional warmth.

He gazed into her eyes.  “Yes.  We’ll discover what happened to
Fleur.  If she’s alive, we’ll bring her home, where she belongs.”

“And we’ll find out what happened to Schanke, too.”

“Definitely,” he agreed.




* * * * *

Part 9

The sorcerer’s tower loomed over the forest, casting a long, dark,
and twisted shadow across the land.  But the most unusual aspect of
it, other than the tower itself, was the large wooden door covered
with strange carvings.  They resembled a child’s random markings at
first glance, until an observer looked much closer and realized they
had been deliberately made to form a pattern.

High inside the tower, a beautiful woman brought a tray holding
cheese, fruit, bread, and a glass of water to a pale gnome wearing a
dark robe.  He was hunched over a parchment at a wooden table.  A
silver candle flickered in the darkness, illuminating a purple quill
pen and a bottle of ink nearby.

“Mordan,” she whispered, “I’ve brought your meal.”  She spoke in
gnomish. She had learned many languages in the fairy realm.

The gnome looked up.  “Hssss!  Why do you bother me, human?  Just
leave the tray on my table and go.”

It would be a very short time before Mordan’s plans were put into
motion. He had foreseen this day centuries ago, when the Dark One
named Lucien approached him with the sad tale of his beloved Fleur. 
Mordan had found the girl years before by accident and had put her to
work.  Because Lucien never came to the sorcerer’s tower, he never
knew Fleur had been there all along.

Everything Mordan was working for would finally come to pass, and
now this human servant was interrupting his thoughts and his careful
planning.  Her role was an intricate part of his plan.  She was the
lure, and didn’t even know it.

“Yes, Master.”  She set the tray down and turned to leave, but
Mordan’s icy fingers grabbed her hand.

“Since you’re here, perhaps you could stay awhile to keep me company.”

Centuries of abuse, pain, and suffering showed as the young woman’s
face contorted into fear.  “I…I’d rather not.”  Quickly, she came up
with an excuse. “The kitchen needs to be cleaned.  Just an hour ago,
the house elf made some mischief.  I have to clean up his mess.”

Grimmir, a mischievous elf who lived in the tower and was Mordan’s
servant as well, had spilled some milk not long ago, but she’d wiped
it up.  Fleur’s lie still convinced Mordan.  Perhaps he didn’t think
she had the ability to lie anymore.  If so, he was wrong.

He nodded and released her from his cold grasp.  “Some other time,
perhaps.”

She nodded.  “Perhaps.”

Once down the stairs, Fleur heaved a sigh of relief.  She could
hardly believe that she’d ever been free, but she had vague memories
of early childhood, spent with a brother whose hair was as golden as
the sun and who had an uncanny way of getting into trouble. 
Suddenly, there were voices outside.  It had been so long since she’d
been able to talk to anyone.  She peered out the window.

Beneath the sapphire sky, which was lightly dusted with stars, stood
a dwarf and two strangers who looked human, but appeared as pale as
fairy wings. Fleur hurried to the door, hoping to get there before it
woke up.  Otherwise, the strangers were in for a surprise.

“It’s certainly tall,” Natalie remarked.  “What are those strange
carvings on the door?”

Nick shrugged.  “This is my first time here, too.  I know as much as
you do.”

“That’s probably a spell of protection,” Shale replied.  “We should
use caution.”

They approached the door cautiously.  Nick was about to knock on it,
when the door suddenly came to life.  Carved eyes, a nose, and a
mouth sprouted out of the wood.  The eyes were rather close together.
The nose was somewhat pointed. Creases in the wood resembled skin
wrinkles.  The face resembled that of an older gnome.

“Hello.  Is there something I can help you with?”

Natalie gasped.  Nick looked taken aback as well.  “Uh, we’re here
to, ah, see the owner of this place.  Is, uh, is he at home?” the
vampire stammered in a very ungraceful manner.

The door creaked open, revealing Fleur.  She spoke in English,
having realized that most of the strangers were from the human realm.
“My master is busy, but I’m sure he won’t mind seeing you.  We don’t
get many visitors these days. Sorry about the door.  Enchantments can
be very disconcerting if you’re not used to them.”

Between encountering the talking door and recognizing the woman as
Fleur, Nick was stunned speechless.  He gaped at her.  A thousand
words fluttered through his mind like ravens, but none of them
sounded right.

“What is the matter?” Fleur asked.  “Do you need healing?”

Nick blinked.  Through all the centuries of darkness, his heart and
soul had remained largely intact because of his identity.  But now he
questioned his childhood memories.  If his sister wasn’t who he
thought she was, then who was he?  Did he need healing?  The answer
was a resounding yes, but Nick couldn’t heal until he dealt with his
questions.  “Fleur?”

She stared at him in amazement.  “How do you know my name?”

“You don’t remember, do you?”  He gazed at her sadly.  “I’m your
brother.”

Her amazement gave way to joy as recognition dawned.  “Nicolas?” 
She reached up and touched his arm.  “It is you!  How can this be?”

The vampires stepped over the door’s threshold, entering the tower. 
Nick reached out to give Fleur a hug.  Brother and sister embraced
for the first time in over 700 years.  Suddenly, Fleur’s hand brushed
across his.  “You have grown so much that I scarcely recognize you. 
What year is it in the human realm?  And how did you find your way
here?”

Nick was about to reply, but the door slammed shut.

“Door!”  Fleur exclaimed.  “What are you doing?”

“I am under orders from our master not to let anyone leave here.”

“No door tells me what to do,” Shale grumbled.  He lifted Nightbane
over his shoulder and brought the axe down.  It glowed bright blue as
it hit solid wood. The dwarf stared at the spot that he’d struck. 
Despite his best effort, the door remained undamaged.  “That’s
impossible!”

The door laughed, but this time it spoke with Mordan’s voice. 
“Foolish dwarf. Nothing is impossible!”

“There must be another way out of here,” the dwarf said, glancing
around.

“The windows,” Natalie exclaimed.  She took a step towards one, but
suddenly found herself in pain as a curare-tainted dart pricked her
skin.  “No!”

Mordan himself stepped out of the shadows where he had been lurking,
and laughed as she fell to the ground.  He held another poisoned
dart, which he aimed at Nick as the vampire rushed to attack him with
bared fangs.  As Fleur screamed, Shale stepped in front of her
protectively, holding up Nightbane, which was glowing brightly by now.

The dart which Mordan was holding flew through the air, striking
Nick in the shoulder and piercing his silk shirt.  Reeling from the
poison, Nick found himself slipping into unconsciousness.  “Natalie,”
he said hoarsely.  Then the shroud of darkness embraced him as the
sorcerer’s evil laughter filled the air.




* * * * *

Part 10

Schanke had been practicing his new abilities with Isabelle for
several nights now.  It was now the sixth night since Nick and
Natalie had disappeared into the fairy realm.  He had to remember
that Nick was an 800-year old vampire who had fought in the Crusades,
and could take care of himself and Natalie just fine.  Still, Don
couldn’t help but wonder.

Captain Reese was starting to question his excuse that Nick and
Natalie had taken a well-deserved vacation over the weekend and just
had forgotten to check in.  It was Monday, and they still hadn’t
shown up.  Rumors were spreading like wildfire.

Schanke had even started a rumor of his own, just to perpetuate the
idea that the two vampires were on a romantic holiday.

Isabelle chose this evening to appear in her human form.  She was
tall and slender with long, dark blond hair and blue eyes.  Her
facial features were also different.  If she hadn’t transformed in
front of him, Don wouldn’t have recognized her.

“Wow.  You can do that?” he asked.

“Yes.  I’ve been teaching you to use your moon shield against magic.
Now it’s time that you learned how to use it against physical
attacks, as well.”

He nodded.  The moon was shining brightly this evening.  Luminous
rays of silver moonlight gleamed through the window as though they
were glowing ribbons scattered across the floor of Nick’s loft.  As
Schanke got into a defensive stance, Isabelle struck.  He’d learned
that fairies were not as fragile or defenseless as they looked.  They
had their own form of martial arts, which relied upon speed and
dexterity.

As Schanke called upon the moonlight and shielded himself with it, a
shadow fell across the room, but not blocking the moon.  As a result,
the fairy’s fist hit the magical shield and was stopped by the
silvery light.  There was an audible female gasp, though not from
Isabelle.

A look of complete and utter surprise was very clear on Janette’s
face as she walked into the loft.  “Fleur?  How is this possible?”

The fairy’s cheeks turned crimson as she blushed.  “It is a very
long story.”

Janette’s gaze turned towards Schanke.  “What are you doing here? 
Where is Nicolas?”

He turned around and recognized the beautiful, dark-haired woman
standing in the shadows as Janette from the Raven.  “I don’t know
where Nick is,” he answered.

She stepped into the moonlight.  “Don’t lie to me.  I know something
has happened to Nick.  Has he been killed?”

“Not as far as I know.”  Schanke felt a tingling at the back of his
neck. This woman was dangerous.  He didn’t know how, but he could
sense the darkness inside of her.  “You’re one of them, aren’t you? 
You’re a vampire.”

She frowned.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Now who’s lying?”

Her eyes widened as she realized Schanke knew the truth about
vampires.  The tone of Janette’s voice grew dangerously cold.  “Where
is Nicolas?  Do not play games with me.”

“You won’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

“I’m waiting,” Janette replied.

The absence of the bond between Janette and Nick had brought her to
the loft, the last place she thought she’d ever visit again.  But she
had to know if Nick was all right, if LaCroix had killed him during
an intense argument, or if the Enforcers had finally grown weary of
his offenses.  And how was Fleur here? Could this woman simply be a
doppelganger of some kind?  Either way, Janette had to know what had
happened to Nick, and if this woman had anything to do with it.

“I am not Fleur,” Isabelle said, “but I took her place for a while.”

“Took her place?  What does that mean?”

She blushed again.  “My people have a tradition of studying humans. 
In order to fully immerse ourselves into human culture, we take their
places.  The children who we trade places with grow up in the fairy
realms.  When they return as an adult, they don’t remember a thing
except in their dreams, and go on with their lives.  It’s our way of
gaining information we might otherwise never get.  I was tricked,
though.”

“By whom?” Janette asked.

“I don’t know.  But when I saw a young girl centuries ago, it was as
if something took control of my heart and my mind.  I could not help
but wish to be her.  And so, one night when Fleur de Brabant was
sleeping, I traded places with her.  My own queen had told me that
the girl would be safe, or so I thought.  She must have had other
plans, for Fleur never returned to the human realms.  I lived her
life, even pretending to die of old age.  In reality, I was quite
young.  Fairies live for hundreds of years.”

“What about Lucien?”

“The vampire?  I fell in love with him for a time.  It was as if we
were destined to be together.  But then Nicholas prevented Lucien
from drinking my blood, which was a very good thing, because then the
charade would have been discovered.  Fairy blood can have strange
side effects on vampires.  Lucien hypnotized me to forget about what
I had seen, as he would have done with any mortal.”

“What happened then?” Schanke asked.

“Lucien’s hypnosis must have affected me, because my love for him
did lessen somewhat.  It was as if my heart had not been my own.  But
when I returned home after my seemingly natural death, my queen was
extremely displeased with me for falling in love with a vampire.  It
was my punishment to watch over Nick from that day forward, knowing
that I could never speak to Lucien or show myself to him again.  He
would always be there because Nicholas was his favorite son.”

Don shook his head.  “Sounds more to me like LaCroix hated him. 
Nick killed him because he tried to kill Natalie, you know.”

“He did?” Janette asked.  “That must be why I no longer feel his
presence. But if Nicolas is in the fairy realms, and still alive, why
can’t I feel him?”

“The fairy realms remain separate from the human realms, though they
are inexplicably tied together,” Isabelle explained.  “There are
several entrances to the fairy realms, but they are well-guarded. 
When did you stop feeling Nick’s presence, Janette?”

“Tonight.”

“Only tonight?”

“Yes.  Our bond had been growing fainter and fainter, and then I
suddenly stopped sensing him completely a few hours ago.”

“I did not know vampires could sense one another in the different
realms,” Isabelle admitted.  “Perhaps he is simply asleep.”

“Or unconscious,” Schanke suggested.  “Don’t you think we should
find him? It has been a few days.”

“Time flows differently in the fairy realm.  I’m sure that Nick is
fine.”

“No.”  Janette shook her head.  “If he was, I’d sense it.  Detective
Schanke is right.  We should look for Nicolas.  Isn’t there anything
you can do, Fleur, or whoever you are?”

“My name is Isabelle, and there is a scrying spell I can try.  All I
need is a bowl of water and moonlight.”

After finding a bowl in Nick’s kitchen and filling it with water,
Isabelle set it by the window so that it caught the moon’s silver
rays.  She began to chant softly in her language.  As the water
glowed with magic, an image appeared on the liquid’s surface.  It
showed Nick, Natalie, a woman who could have been Isabelle’s
identical twin except for having disheveled hair and wearing a ragged
dress, and a dwarf with flame-red hair.  They were all in a cage, and
none of them were awake.

“I knew it,” the vampire exclaimed.  “We need to find them
immediately. Isabelle, take us to the fairy realms, now.”

She blanched, thinking of the punishment she would likely receive as
a result. “I…I can’t do that.”

“Nicolas needs your help.”

“So do Natalie and Fleur, if that is the real Fleur,” Schanke
replied. “Without your help, they could die.”  He looked at Janette. 
“Vampires can die, right?”

“Yes,” she replied.  “Isabelle, if you want to make up for what you
did to Fleur and to Lucien and Nick, you will take us there.”

The fairy looked at the floor as tears streamed from her eyes.  “All
right. But my queen won’t be pleased.  I can’t guarantee that she
won’t take out her wrath on you, as well as me.”

“We’ll deal with her later if we have to,” Schanke said.  “But we
need to help them now, Isabelle.  Please help us.”

The fairy nodded.  “Stand back.”  She took a deep breath and began
to chant. As she did, a magical portal appeared, shimmering in the
moonlight.  “When you step through that, you will be in the fairy
realms.”

Schanke nodded and stepped forward, only to be engulfed by the light.

Janette looked at the fairy.  “Thank you, Isabelle.”

“You’re quite welcome.  Please hurry.  I’ll be right behind you.”

The vampire stepped through the portal and the fairy followed
immediately after her.




* * * * *

Part 11

Isabelle’s portal opened directly into the room where Nick, Natalie,
Fleur, and Shale were imprisoned.  Don was the first to step out of
the shimmering portal. Janette and a woman who looked amazingly like
Fleur followed him.  Fleur’s twin transformed into her fairy shape as
the portal vanished.  Natalie’s eyelids fluttered open at the sound
of the rescuers approaching.

“Are you all right?” Schanke asked, seeing Natalie.

“Can’t…move,” she whispered with a strained voice.

“Curare?” Janette guessed correctly.  If her senses were correct,
Natalie was a vampire now.   “Well, I am glad to see that Nicolas has
finally brought you across.  Now, let’s see about getting you out of
here.”  As she reached toward the lock to break it, the prisoner’s
eyes widened in fear.  Janette’s hand froze.

“Don’t touch that,” Isabelle exclaimed.  “It’s magically sealed.  We
have to find a way to break the spell.  Only then will we be able to
open the lock.”

*I’m so close.  Power is within my grasp.  With Natalie’s blood
within my reach, I can’t fail.  Soon I’ll cast the spell, and all I
desire will be mine.*

The thought wasn’t Natalie’s, but she heard it inside her head,
nonetheless. It sounded like the sorcerer.  Her eyes snapped open. 
“It’s me,” she said incredulously as the shock appeared on her face. 
The effects of the curare were finally starting to wear off.  “Mordan
wants me,” she said.  “I heard his thoughts somehow.  It’s my blood
he needs.”

“Strange,” Isabelle said.  “I’ve never heard of a vampire gnome
before.  I thought the condition only affected humans.”

Natalie shook her head negatively.  “He’s not a vampire.  He needs
my blood for some sort of spell.”  She wanted to stand up, but Nick
was unconscious and lying on top of her legs.  “Mordan must have the
key to the cage.  He’ll need it to get me out of here so he can kill
me.”

Janette nodded.  “That makes sense.  All right, let’s go find Mordan.”

Cackling laughter filled the room.  “Looking for me?  I assure you,
you’ve found much more than you deserve to.  Meddling fools!  You’re
going to pay for your insolence!”

Don remembered the encounter in the alley below Nick’s loft, just a
few nights ago.  Was this the same man?  If so, surely there was a
way to defeat him. Then a single thread of moonlight shone through a
crevice in the ceiling above them.  He chose the opportunity to
summon the moon shield at the same moment Mordan began to chant.  An
arrow as black as midnight appeared in midair and flew in his
direction, only to be absorbed by shimmering moonlight.

Janette stared at him for a moment.  “More special effects,
Detective?”

“Yeah, something like that.”  He looked slightly sheepish.

The vampire followed the sound of Mordan’s heartbeat and flew up to
where he was hiding.

“This is not your fight, Janette.  Leave now,” he said.

“How do you know my name?” she asked.

“I have been watching Nicolas for a very long time, longer than you
can imagine.  The fairy queen and I both have a stake in this, if
you’ll pardon my pun.  You see, Queen Jasmine wants power as much as
I do.  Being extremely generous, I have agreed not to destroy her
realm when I seize control of this one.  I will even allow her to
pretend to rule as long as she defers to me, but I won’t allow you to
meddle in my plans any longer.”

“Why Natalie?  What is so special about her blood?  And what is your
interest in Nicolas?” Janette asked.

“My dear, you really don’t know, do you?  Your precious Nicolas was
never completely human to begin with.  Somewhere in his ancestry was
a fairy. Though the bloodline was diluted over time, there was just
enough fairy blood flowing through his veins to make it count.  When
Lucien brought him across, Queen Jasmine and I thought he knew.  But
alas, the General really had no idea of just how special Nicolas
really was.  His blood held the key.”

“The key to what?”  Janette asked.

“I knew that when Nicolas brought another mortal across, there was a
small chance that his dormant potential would be passed along as
well.  In the time I’ve been watching him, no one but Natalie has
shown that potential.  Her blood is what I need to complete the spell
to gain control over the moon.  When I complete the spell, the fairy
moon will be mine alone.  No one else will be able to see it, let
alone use it for their magic.”

Janette hissed and bared her fangs.  Her eyes glowed crimson as she
furiously lunged toward Mordan, knocking him down.  “Liar!  Nicolas
is no more a fairy than I am!”

“You’re wrong,” the gnome gasped.

Angrily, the vampire picked him up and threw him into a nearby wall.
Then she noticed that he wore  a key on a chain around his neck and
she grabbed it. Janette flew down and was about to try the key in the
lock when a sizzling bolt of lighting whizzed past her and struck the
wall.  She turned to see Mordan standing above her with a determined
look.

“You won’t defeat me that easily,” he threatened.

The past replayed itself in Natalie’s mind.  She heard the voice of
the young girl she’d met briefly in the dwarven city, Vulcanis. Only
the raven could defeat the sorcerer.  What did that mean?  Glancing
around the room, Nat saw nothing whatsoever that resembled a raven.

As more sparks flew, Schanke stood protectively in front of Janette
and Isabelle, who had transformed into Fleur’s form.  The detective’s
magical moon shield glowed brightly, absorbing the electricity. 
“Yeah?  Well, I hope that wasn’t your best shot.”

Janette used the distraction to her advantage and opened the lock. 
She stepped inside and helped Nick scramble to his feet.

“Nicolas?”  Fleur asked as she came to.

He looked at her with concern.  “Yes?”

She touched his cheek.  “You’re so cold.  What have you become?”

“I’ll explain later.  We have to get out of here.”

“The raven,” Natalie whispered.  “We have to find the raven.”

“What?” Nick looked at her, thinking she meant the nightclub.  “The
Raven is far away from here, Nat.  We’re not in Toronto anymore.”

She shook her head.  “Not that Raven, Nick.  We need to find the
raven that the little girl was talking about.”

“I have no idea what that might be.  How do you know it wasn’t just
a child’s nightmare?”

How, indeed? “Call it women’s intuition or whatever the hell you
want, but whatever that raven is, it’s the only way to destroy him.”

He nodded as another searing bolt of lightning struck Schanke’s moon
shield and was consumed by it.

“Knight, I can’t keep this up forever,” Don remarked as beads of
sweat appeared on his forehead. “It’s time to say hasta la bye bye
and get the hell outta here.”

“Right,” Nick agreed.  He glanced around, looking for an escape
route.  But when they did get out, they would have to contend with an
enchanted door that was as stubborn as LaCroix.  There had to be
another way.



* * * * *

Part 12

Natalie gasped as pain pierced her head like a dagger.  In her
mind’s eye, she saw a raven in clear detail.  There was no time to
think.  She had to act. She concentrated as much as she could, which
was extremely difficult considering that she was having a migraine at
the same time.

Her eyes flashed silver steel as a raven appeared from out of
nowhere.  This was no ordinary raven, however.  Its wings were
shimmering violet, glittering like the dust of gems, and its eyes
were silver.  Natalie pointed at Mordan and the apparition flew
toward him.

“What is that?” Janette demanded. “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” Natalie answered truthfully through clenched teeth. 
Through the pain, it was nearly impossible for her to keep the
vampire under control.

Nick wrapped his arms around her when he saw the first sign of her
gleaming white fangs, concerned that she would go after Fleur or
Schanke.  “Nat, you have to control it!”

“I can’t,” she screamed.

The spectral raven’s cry slashed through the air.  Mordan was
obviously having a difficult time fighting it.  He summoned another
dark arrow, but the raven dodged it.  The magical arrow hit the
ceiling.  “Blast you!”

The raven chose to take a chance and strike.  As the sorcerer
shouted in rage, Natalie’s vision went entirely black.  She fainted.

Nick caught her gently.  “Nat, don’t leave me now.  Come on.”

Fleur watched in amazement.  Natalie and Nicolas were vampires. 
That much was clear to her.  How he’d managed to fight the darkness
inside himself was beyond her.  There was good in him.  Otherwise, he
wouldn’t have come all this way to find her.

“Blood and ashes,” Shale muttered as he came to.  He glanced around.
“Don’t tell me I missed everything.”

The raven vanished.  Mordan had drawn his last breath, so it wasn’t
needed any longer.

Natalie moaned.

“It’s all right, my love,” Nick muttered.  “You did it.  Everything
will be all right now.”

Slowly, she sat up and groaned.  “Ouch.  I feel like I have the
mother of all hangovers.”

Schanke’s moon shield dissipated.  “Tell me about it.  Oh, man.  I
could really use some souvlaki right about now.”

“I’m so hungry,” Nat whispered as her white fangs gleamed in the
light.

Nick chuckled softly.  “I’m not surprised, my dear.  Fleur, um...you
might want to close your eyes.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because Nat needs to feed from me,” he explained.  “Why don’t you
go and see if the spell on the door was broken?”

“All right.”  She turned to go.

“I’ll go with her just to make sure it’s safe,” Schanke replied.  He
hurried to catch up.

Shale shrugged.  “I guess I might as well go with them.  Never know
what you might run into in a place like this.”  The dwarf followed
Schanke.

“I don’t know how you did that,” Nick told Natalie, “but that was
impressive.” He kissed her on the forehead.

“Nick, what am I?”

“A vampire,” he replied.

“Yes, but have there ever been any other vampires with silver eyes
before? Has anyone else been able to do what I did tonight?”  She
looked at him seriously. “What am I?”

“Nicolas is part fairy,” Janette replied.  “That is what Mordan said.”

Nat’s eyes widened.  “And you didn’t know?” she asked.

He shook his head.  “I don’t have any special powers.”

“They are dormant within you, Nicolas.  Perhaps there will come a
time when your gifts awaken.  Until then, you will have to teach
Natalie how to survive,” Janette said.

He nodded and bared his wrist.  “Come on, Nat.”

Natalie drank deeply.  She’d tasted his blood before on the night
he’d accidentally brought her across.  It had been refreshing to
learn that he loved her.  Now there were no more secrets between
them.  His blood spoke of desire and passion to her.

Nick helped her to her feet when she was finished.  “Let’s go,” he
said.

They found the others upstairs.  Isabelle summoned a portal,
returning Shale to Vulcanis.  Before he left, the dwarf looked at
Nick and Natalie.  “You are the first vampires to have gained my
respect.  For that, I will speak to the king about allowing you to
return whenever you wish.  It is a high honor to be able to visit
Vulcanis.  Few are allowed to return.”

“Thank you,” Nick responded.  “We’re grateful.”

Shale stepped through the portal and vanished.

“Myra’s probably worried sick.  She’s probably getting ready to
lecture me right now.  How am I going to explain all this magic mumbo-
jumbo to her, when I can’t even tell her about vampires or fairies?”

“She loves you, Schank,” Nick replied.  “Use your best judgment. 
You’ll think of something to say.”

“Yeah.  I’m sure you’re right.” Don took a deep breath as Isabelle
brought another magic gateway into existence.

“This leads to Nick’s loft,” the fairy explained.  “If you’re ready
to go, we should go now.”

After they had all stepped through it, Isabelle transformed into her
human form.  “I’m sorry,” she told Fleur.

“For what?”

“I pretended to be you all those years ago.”

The real Fleur shook her head.  “It wasn’t your fault.  Mordan was
controlling you.  I regret my time with him, but not the time I spent
in your land. It’s a beautiful place.  I’ll keep it in my heart
always.”

“Thank you.” Isabelle looked around.  “I’m sorry too, Nick.  I
wasn’t able to tell you about myself until now.”

“It’s all right.  You didn’t have a choice.  I understand that.” 
The vampire smiled.  “You’re always welcome here, Isabelle.  You know
that.”

The fairy smiled as she transformed back into her natural form.  Her
wings shimmered in the light.  “I will always think of you fondly. 
But I must go. My queen  is calling me home, and I dare not disobey.”

“Good luck.  If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

Isabelle nodded, and then flew off, vanishing into the shadows. 
There was a long silence.

“Nicolas?” Fleur asked.

“Yes?”

“I should not impose on you, and I know that you are very different
from the brother I once knew, but...”

“She could stay at my old place for now,” Natalie said.  “Sid’s
still there. He could use some company besides Grace coming by to
feed him.”

Nick nodded.  “You can sleep here tonight.  Tomorrow, we’ll get you
moved in. I’ll show you the city.”

“Fine.  I just have one more question.”

“Yes?”

“What year is it?”

He blinked in surprise.  “Um...”

“It is not the 12th century anymore, is it?  I barely recognize
anything here. What is that thing?” She gestured towards the
television.

Nick and Natalie exchanged glances.

“No, it’s not the past.  You’re right.” Nick took a deep breath. 
“Fleur, it’s been nearly 800 years since you left.”

She gasped.  “That long?”

He nodded sadly. “It’s 1994.”

Fleur looked around with awe.  “I have always wondered what it would
be like in the future, and now, here I am.  I’m afraid, Nicolas. 
What will I do?”

“You’ll adapt, as I have.  I know you will.”

Natalie realized that she, too, would adapt to the strange gifts she
had been given as a result of becoming a vampire.  The alternative
was not something she wanted to think about.  Whatever the future
held, she knew they would discover it together.  Whatever challenges
fate threw into their path, whether they were magical or not, she and
Nick would overcome them together.

Beneath a fairy moon, anything was possible.  The silver moon shone
brightly through the window, illuminating the darkness below and
opening up a world of possibilities.

* * * * *

The End

Author’s note:  I plan on doing a sequel eventually, assuming that
real life allows me the time to write.

=====
Emily M. Hanson
Homepage - http://www.starbase-eprime.us
Web Log - http://www.emilymhanson.com
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