Operation Barghest - Part Nine (Conclusion)
Previously - Dr. Telford and Rebecca face off against Sir William and his dark project.
The clicking of the mechanical device behind him was a distraction he could have done without, but she needed her proof. First, there was the smell of fresh cool air, the kind found just after a spring rain. Next, his hair was ruffled by a breeze. Finally, the warm light of a sun, even if it wasn’t their own, lightened the room, and in the archway, he could just make out a lush valley.
“We need to go, Rebecca. I cannot hold this open for long.”
The camera clicked twice more.
“Make haste, Ms. Brenner.”
She moved past him and stopped. “Just walk through it?”
“Yes. Quickly, please.” He put his wand away, holding the portal open with his will. He was glad to see her move into the light. Sadly, he looked around at the cages. Now that he could see their inhabitants and having faced the Barghest, he could tell there was no saving them. The dark magic used to twist them to the will of their new masters had taken something from them.
He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, stainless steel lighter. Moving quickly, he stood just at the edge of where his reality ended. “Sorry about this, William, my boy.” He struck the lighter and it flared to life easily. With a hard toss, he flung it at the stiff body of the facility’s commander. Under ordinary circumstances, it might have gone out. The case cracked on impact, and the fluid inside made the fire spread quickly. Soon, the man’s body was engulfed in flame. The release of energies as the enchanted wood caught fire began a chain reaction he knew would soon become explosive.
He fell backwards through the portal and let himself land on the soft grass at Rebecca’s feet. Whether he was there for a minute or an hour, he couldn’t say. Eventually, he felt rejuvenated enough to stand. He joined the young reporter in looking at the land around them.
“Where is this?”
He couldn’t blame her for being enraptured. The land of the Fae was a beautiful place indeed. “It goes by a lot of names; Álfheimr, the Otherworld, the Sidhe.”
“Seriously? You couldn’t have just taken us back outside?”
He chuckled. “No, ‘Thank you for bringing me out safely.’?”
She had the courtesy to blush and the vigor to laugh her musical laugh. “I’m thankful, of course. But aren’t we in danger here?”
He shrugged. “Less danger than we were in back there. I’ll get you home again once I’ve rested. Moving from one world to the next takes energy.” He gestured to the grass. “Have a seat. We’ll tarry here a while.”
She looked at him and started. “What happened to you? You’ve changed.”
He looked down at his hands. The coarse hair on their backs was now black, and some of the wrinkles had vanished. He cupped his cheeks and discovered they, too, along with the skin around his eyes, were that of a much younger man. “I haven’t been back here in hund... In a long time. I appear now, as I did then.”
He looked from his hands back to her. A flood of emotion filled his soul. Where there had only been the distant care of a teacher for his student, there was now a blossoming of true affection; the impetuous love of a youth. More than his age had been removed. A piece of his soul was restored to him.
“Are you surprised, Wizard?” A commanding voice rang through the air from behind him.
He started to turn and rise, reaching for his wand, but was kept on one knee by the sheer force of personality that confronted him. “Lord Oberon.” He bowed his head.
“Rise, humans.”
At his command, both Douglas and Rebecca stood. There was a willowy, dark-haired man in shining sapphire armor, seemingly cut and fit from the brilliant gemstones. “Thank you, my Lord.” He was relieved when Rebecca said nothing. Better to remain silent than to speak and risk offending these creatures on their turf. “I admit to being surprised, yes. Pleasantly, I might add.”
“Welcome back to Our kingdom. We know something of what has brought you here, but would you care to enlighten us further?”
Douglas pulled the silver coin from a pocket. When Marie had given it to him, he had hoped it was important. Now that he touched it and concentrated, he knew that it was a way of passing stored information, more compact than a scroll. “I think you will find, my liege, that this contains information valuable to your cause.”
It floated out of his hand and into the sapphire-plated hand of Oberon. “You have done us a favor, even if it was a painful one for us.” Smooth features revealed little emotion, certainly no pain. He was beautiful in an inhuman way. “We don’t wish to lose valuable allies.” His dower face became more elfin, a gleam coming to his eye. “But this could increase opportunities for some of my kin to revisit old grounds denied them by our agreement.”
Douglas would enjoy seeing an increased Fae presence in England. He, for one, had missed them. “It was both an honor and a hardship, my Lord. I am your humble servant.”
“Let it never be said we do not live up to our end of bargains. We gave you time and wisdom in the human way, and you gave up to us a piece of yourself and the promise of a boon. When you arrived in our lands, we gained the knowledge that your people broke their word with us and you freed our subjects from bondage. Your action is deserving of us returning the part of what you call a soul and your youth.”
“Begging your pardon, my Lord. Just so your servant understands, our bargain is now complete?”
“Yes. You owe us nothing. We saw the day would come when you would be of use to us, but only as you are now. It was to our advantage, and we thank you for your service.”
Douglas smiled. He didn’t mind being used. It was the way of things with the Court. You got nothing for free, and what you did get was usually to their advantage, not yours. “Thank you, my Lord. May we go now?”
“With our blessing and one final word of caution. You must stay on the Borderlands, if you wish to retain that which your people call a life.” There was a small amount of disdain in the King’s voice. “Return to your world at your peril.”
Douglas’ heart sank in his chest. “If I return, my body will be the age it truly is?”
Oberon nodded. “Yes. Our magic cannot sustain you once you leave. You will die within the briefest span of time, perhaps hours. You know enough of our magics and your own to know I speak the truth. There is relative safety if you remain in the worlds between.”
Douglas thought for a moment. The Borderlands, or Shadowlands as they were also known, would be a fine place to spend what days he had left. He would likely age normally from now on and could live for what would seem like fifty years or more. Those places were not dissimilar from the fantasy lands of children’s tales and could be pleasant enough. He could leave the land of the Fae behind him and would want to as they were no place a human should stay for long if they wanted to live. But it would mean leaving...
And arm went through his. “Would I be able to go back to my world and return to these Borderlands?” Rebecca spoke to both Oberon and Douglas.
“This one’s knowledge of magic is great enough to grant you passage. Or I could...” The Fae King smiled.
“No. No, your Majesty, thank you.” He looked to Rebecca. “I can get you there and back again. Why?”
She smiled up at him. “I need to get this proof back to the people, but I have a feeling I’d learn so much if I could be with you.” She laid a hand on his chest. “I’ve seen how you look at me, and I think I feel the same way about you. And I’m not sure I’d want to live in a Kingdom where the royalty would...”
Douglas cut her off before she disparaged royals unsafely. “Yes, my dear. You get your camera back to the people, and I will ensure that you come back to me. It would be my pleasure to show you what joys and adventures the Borderlands possess.”
He looked back at Oberon. “My thanks again, my Lord. You have been more than generous to me and my lady. We will leave your lands, and as always, I am at your service.” He bowed deeply and, to his relief, Rebecca curtsied.
“We will remember your offer.” The King smiled, his teeth those of a predator.
Douglas could have kicked himself for the open-endedness of the promise. He should know better. Oberon wasn’t evil, but neither was he precisely good. In that way, he was no different from men, just far more powerful than most. “Yes, my Lord.”
With a wink and a nod, the King vanished.
Rebecca spun in front of him. “That was really King Oberon?”
“Yes, my dear, it was. And now it appears I’ll owe him yet another favor. Are you sure you wish to work by my side?”
She smiled. “Let’s see. Stay alone in a world about to enter into a bloody and perilous war with an evil dictator, or stay with a man I care about in a world where everything is unknown and could be just as deadly.”
She stood on her toes and kissed him briefly. “I choose the latter.”
With a smile and a flourish, he released her hand and retrieved his wand. “Very well, my dear, you can’t say you weren’t warned.” Together, the pair walked through an archway and into thin air.
