Through Time-Frankie (2 page)

Jazz plopped down on the soft turf and patted a spot beside herself, “Come on baby, sit with me.”

Frankie sat down beside Jazz, tucking her wings in further, and they playfully knocked shoulders. “Right then, Jazz, have at me.”

“Is that what you think I want to do?” Jazz shook her head. “Nope, not doing that. You are grown, well, maybe not quite, because eighteen doesn’t really cut it in the world of experience,” Jazz smiled at her.

“So what are ye telling me then, is when I have more experience I will cut out m’friends, because m’loved ones tell me to?” She shook her head. “It isn’t going to happen. And Jazz, when it comes to experience, ye can’t say I haven’t had m’share.”

“Instead of fresh, that sounds so cute with your Irish lilt,” Jazz said trying to lighten the moment. “No, that isn’t what I was going to tell you. In fact, I don’t want to tell you a thing. I want to ask you a question.”

“Fair enough,” Frankie agreed.

“When Graely visits with you…
what do you feel?”

Frankie eyed her beloved Jazz and sighed, “In a word,
free.
” She laughed at Jazz’s expression and hugged her fiercely. “Oh, don’t look like that. Let me see if I can explain meself. I should have said, outside the family, I never am, ye know, free as a human…with humans, that is. I can’t be meself. And on Tir, and Daoine, I haven’t quite found a good fit. I’ve come to maturity in human years, not quite in Fae years and well--it is what it is. But with Graely, outside the family, outside m’friends, I can be meself. I can jest let go and be meself.”

Jazz considered this, and Frankie watched as Jazz played with a strand of her long blonde hair.

Frankie waited and it was a long moment before Jazz finally turned to her. She was full of understanding in her unmuted aqua lit iridescent eyes, for she too, was now all Fae. “Do you have…well, are you attracted to him? He is very handsome, and I could see that a young woman would find him well, no denying that he is
definitely hot.”

Frankie put up a hand, “Stop that, Jazz. I’m not ready for this, because I don’t want to lie to ye. I love ye, Jazz, and I can’t tell ye what I don’t know for sure. Aye then, he is—well he fills m’eyes he does, with his dark broody expressions, and his amber lit dark eyes and his…well, aye, so he is, attractive, as ye say.”

“Are you, I mean…well,” Jazz seemed to stumble over the next question.   “Getting in too deep?”

“No, I haven’t gotten in too deep with anyone yet Jazz. But if ye are asking if I think about it? Well… if ye want the truth, I will tell ye, but for yer ears
only
. Not Trevor’s, not m’da’s.  Don’t be going and pillow talking with Trevor about what I tell ye now.”

Jazz crossed her heart, “No, this is girl talk, not meant to be repeated.”

Frankie hugged her, “I know ye, and I know ye can only hold it from Trevor a short while. But, I will tell ye this, if I think about it, romance that is, I think it would be exciting to have Graely look at me like that,
but he doesn’t
. He never once treated me as anything but a child. Not even a friend, really, but a child. It is most insulting now that I am a woman. Now more than ever, he treats me like a kid that he must forever protect.”

“Good, that raises my opinion of him a notch, which by the way, has never been that of Trevor’s or your father’s. I have seen Graely do…an exceptional thing during the war, and I can’t forget that or refuse to credit him for it.”

“Then, is it yer blessing I have, Jazz?”

“
Not quite going that far
. Come on, your da and Trevor are waiting for us back at the cottage. Then, we are going to go to Loch Ness and take a boat ride and look for Nessie. We actually know she is down there, don’t we?”

Frankie laughed, donned her human Glamour and brushed off the grass from her jeans, “Don’t we ever! I took a swim with her last night when you were all so busy making plans for today!”

Chapter Two

BRIGHT RED AND yellow flashed by in a graceful movement and landed in a palm tree. It squawked loudly breaking the silence of the new dawn, as the first of two suns emerged from their sleep.

An elk as large as an elephant jumped into a rushing river, as the lush vegetation on the other side gave promise of a sweet breakfast.

However, everything in Conglam was as it should be.

Conglam was wild, lush and tropical, as colorful as anything in Faery, but a universe away and apart. Its inhabitants were an odd assortment of various species, many of whom had left their own worlds and cultures to start another, in this welcoming realm.

Shapeshifters, magical beings, from a world known as the Realm of the Wolves, a dimension in which they found they did not fit in for one reason or another had come to Conglam. They each wanted to stand out. Wanting and needing its own pack and its own alpha mates to guide them. There they found harmony and peace. This morning all but one was happily going about their morning rituals.

These Shapeshifters were content. They loved Conglam even more than they had loved their native world. They tilled the land as farmers, mixing vegetables in their raw meat diet. They catered to the part of them that had always been human, yes, born wolf shifter but able to shift into human whenever it suited them. 

The Shapeshifters had brought with them many of their own native plants and animals, and all had adapted and thrived. Theirs was a peaceful existence.

All but one was sweetly content.
Darmon wanted more.

He looked into the pond at the edge of his feet and his reflection rippled back at him.

He should have started his own pack a long time ago. He knew he was overdue to be his own pack leader, and then her image came to his mind. He needed a mate and there was only one, just one that he wanted.

He had been of age for some years, and his alpha parents had been nagging him ceaselessly to choose a mate. But an alpha wolf’s mate was not someone he could just choose. It had to be right. It had to be a bonding of physical, mental and magical.

He hadn’t found that with any other. He didn’t care that she had already given herself to another, and that other, was the Dark Prince, Pestale. He didn’t care because he knew
Eslym
was the only one for him!

* * *

On the other side of the jungle, the Blue Demons had established their colony a thousand years ago. They were as a rule, sullen types. They had been unhappy with their lot in their own world, and came to Conglam all those centuries ago, looking for something more.

They loved the track of land they took as their own. They had no opposition, and were content. They were meat eaters, but at times, they needed more than the blood they got from the raw meat, and would suck a live animal dry.

However, they kept to themselves and did not mingle with the Shapeshifters as a rule. They had thrived and their colony had grown over the centuries. They lived in harmony with the land and their neighbors—except for one Blue Demon who found he could not take direction from the leader of their large, very large colony.

Sventer was an alpha Demon, and broke away from the main colony to start his own branch. He was a desirable catch, and his family had always told him that he was meant to lead. He was well past the age of reticence. It was time he took a mate. He saw her and knew she must be his. She however, had not shown an interest in him. He wanted her with every beat in his ill formed heart. She was nearly all he could think about,
Eslym.

Even so, she was young, so young, and he had patiently waited and bided his time…

Until—Pestale! How he hated the Dark Prince. How it galled him to have to take orders from him in the pact they had formed, but it was the only way he might get Eslym for himself.

* * *

The war with Pestale should have ended with his and his brother’s destruction. The Seelie Fae had called for his death.

The Dark King should have allowed his wicked sons to be put to death for the mass murders of humans, in Ireland and Scotland.

However, the Dark King was loathe to destroy them. They were his creations, and he found he simply could not erase them or allow them to be killed by the Seelie Fae. He had turned to his beloved, his Crystal and she offered a solution.

With Crystal guiding him and because of her quiet wisdom, Pestale and Hordly were not left to rot in the Dark Realm. They were allowed to take some of their belongings and were transported to Conglam and given another chance to redeem themselves.

His consort, Crystal had convinced the Dark King that both Pestale and Hordly had never really had the opportunity to grow and develop into decent beings in the Dark Realm, where they had only abominations to watch, where they had been left without guidance, without help. He was above feeling guilt, but he felt pity wave through him.

If returned there, she argued, history would repeat itself. She convinced the Dark King that what his sons needed was a fresh start.

The Dark King had evolved beyond his physical form, and beyond the mundane matters of Fae and Man. Crystal always had a hold on his finer side, a side that
felt,
a part of him that was hers alone and could forever be drawn into her needs and wishes.

As he deposited his two wicked sons in Conglam, he recalled the immense damage these two had wrought in the human world, and with a blink, he removed many of their powers. He left them just enough magic to survive. He left them with orders to study, to remember their faults and move past them. He left them on their own for in truth, while he could not destroy them, neither could he abide to look at what was inside of them.

For six long years after they had been left to their own devices in Conglam, the Dark Prince Pestale and his brother Hordly had been living, existing, thriving and plotting in the innocent world of Conglam.

Hence. Pestale was ready to destroy his father, and take the human world for his own.

His plan, he knew would work and so he set in motion the first of the steps he had designed.  

Chapter Three

“DA,” FRANKIE ROLLED her eyes. “I said I would go with ye, didn’t I? So then, I will shift with ye to Daoine, and I will dine with ye and yer friends, but I’ll not let that awful Worley of Westley make eyes at me all night, so don’t be sitting
him near me.”

“He is a very pleasant young Daoine Prince,” Deimne said, displaying much shock at his daughter’s attitude. “Do you not find him attractive?”

“Noa, I don’t find him attractive and he irritates me as well with his forever preening,” Frankie said. “
Da,
ye have to let these things happen on their own.” She waved him out of her room, “Now shoo! If ye want me to get dressed and be on time for this dinner thing with yer friends, ye best leave me to m’self.”

“Yes, but…” her father frowned. “We need to talk about Worley. He wants to court you and has asked me for permission.”

Frankie knew she must have looked as horrified as she felt, because her father’s wings shifted at his back before he got them under control and she saw his look of surprise. For a moment, she couldn’t speak as she tried to get control of what she was going to say.

He hurriedly interjected before she could speak, “Frankie, my daughter…do you dislike him so very much?”

“
What I dislike
, is the fact that ye must have known this when ye accepted to dine this evening and were going to leave me unaware of the situation. Did ye never think to tell me?
What I dislike
is the fact, that I am being bartered like so much property, and I will not have it, Da.
I will not!
So, let us make it clear, I don’t want him to court me, and
I
don’t give him permission to do so. If ye still want me to dine with ye tonight I will, but only as long as ye know, I’ll not have it.”

“Frankie, it is customary for Daoine Royals to formally apply for the hand of a young…for…” He stopped himself for he could see that Frankie was not concerned with what was customary or not.

“Da, I love ye with all m’heart, but I’ve told ye and I’ll not tell ye again, I won’t have it or him.” She eyed him questioningly, “Do ye still wish me to accompany ye tonight?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” his mouth stayed open a bit as though he were about to say something else. However, he must have thought better of it and kept quiet as Frankie took him in hand and gently pushed him toward the open door of her bedroom.

“Off with ye, Da, ye are the best of all good fathers, but now, I need some time to dress,” she raised her brows.

Deimne found himself shuffled out of her room. He stood at her closed door a moment before he sensed someone at his back and turned.

Jazz was smiling at him, her arms crossed against her midriff, with an
I told you so
glance.

He made a strange sound and stomped down the hall of the charming Highland cottage, saying that he would wait for his daughter outdoors! Jazz looked after him, at his tucked in wings and held back a laugh, before she turned back to Frankie’s door and knocked.

“I told ye, Da,
not now!”

“It’s me, Frankie,” Jazz said.

“Oh, aye then, come in,” Frankie said opening the door. She looked hard at Jazz before she pulled her inside the room and shut the door. “
Did ye know
? Did ye know he was planning to let that oaf of a prince court me?”

“I did, and he promised he would tell you before you left with him this evening,” Jazz said on a repressed smile. “Come on Frankie, he means well.”

“Does he now? He thinks he can decide who I should want to be with? And then, Jazz, have ye
seen this?
He actually wants me to wear it…” She shook a pale blue dress at Jazz and her expression was one of horror. “And I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but Jazz, I’m eighteen and
this
…this is a little girl’s dress.”

Jazz blinked and all at once a lovely cream colored organza cocktail dress appeared laid out on Frankie’s bed. “What about this one?” Jazz said with a wave of her hand. “I bought it for you when I went to town with Trevor earlier.”

Frankie went to the bed and picked it up with a soft gasp, “Oh, `tis lovely…” she rushed over to her closet door and opened it to gaze at the dress held against herself to in the long mirror hanging on the door, and said, “And I have just the shoes.”

“Blink everything on, sweetie, and let’s have a look,” Jazz said as she brushed her yellow bangs away from her eyes.

Frankie suddenly went stiff.  She doubled over clutching the dress in her tight fists.

Jazz was on the spot, holding her, “What is it, Frankie—
what?”

Frankie couldn’t speak, but she dropped the cocktail dress and held onto Jazz as her body began to shake and tremble. She would have collapsed to the floor had Jazz not held her up and maneuvered her to a nearby chair, where Jazz bent in on her knees and held Frankie steady.

Frankie struggled with herself until she got control and looked into Jazz’s eyes. “It is Pestale! Jazz, I saw something horrible. It…it hasn’t happened yet, but it will,
it will
.” She knew she sounded frantic, because it was how she felt. It was going to happen all over again. Pestale would come and kill and maim and they would see death everywhere.

Life, all life would be in jeopardy.

She stared at Jazz, “I saw him…in a long dark room and he was laughing. Jazz, he is at it again. He hasn’t given up as we thought. I could sense it all, but I couldn’t see anything else. I couldn’t see what he was doing…but he was grinning and he is more wicked minded than ever.”

“Frankie, you know your visions aren’t always accurate. Sometimes they are just possibilities and fate comes along and changes it all.”

“I know, I know, but this…Jazz, it was a flash of darkness and I heard a voice I have never heard before.”

“A voice?” Jazz looked concerned.

Frankie’s eyes widened as she spoke, “The most powerful inhuman, otherworldly voice. It seemed to soak up all the air and boomed over all the land…”

“Male?”

“Very, yet oddly so and it echoed in upon itself. I could hear it in my head and in my ears,” Frankie nodded vigorously. “He kept saying, darkness, darkness, darkness. Just that and nothing else.”

Jazz looked thoughtful but simply hugged and reassured her. “Okay, we know now we have to be on the alert. If your vision is correct and Pestale is planning something, we will get word to the Queen and perhaps she can get word to Crystal.  But not tonight!” Jazz smiled at her. “Blink on the dress sweetie, let’s have a look.”

Frankie did just that as she did a little twirl, “Oh, Jazz…ye think of everything. I love ye.”

Jazz held her a moment and said, as she set her apart, “You beauty you!”  She sighed, “You have so much ahead of you, Frankie, but now what you have to do, is go downstairs to your da, and give him a little spin so he can see that his lovely daughter is quite a grown up lady, then go and have a good time.” Jazz beamed as she moved to the door and opened it wide. “I know you think your da is throwing this prince at you, and you are not interested, but no one is forcing you into anything. Just go and do the polite thing. Find a way to enjoy yourself and make your father smile. In the end, you will only date the
guys
…” Jazz leaned into her. “You noted that was plural?” She laughed and did not wait for a response, “
the guys,
you personally find suitable. Right?”

Frankie hugged her fiercely and repeated, “I love ye, Jazmine Decker.”

“Aye,
as do I
,” said Trevor who stepped inside and hugged his mate and gave Frankie a grin with an accompanying soft whistle. “Our girl is quite the beauty, eh Jazmine Decker? She will break hearts, won’t she?”

“Oh, I hope not,” Frankie said, her smile vanishing ludicrously.

Trevor and Jazz laughed in unison, “It is just a saying, meaning, all eyes will be on you.” Jazz said and pushed her toward the door. “Now, go on…your da is waiting.”

“Is he? Well then, there is just one thing I need to do…just to let off some steam, Jazz m’darlin’,” Frankie said with a mischievous laugh.

A moment later, outside and invisible to all but other Fae, dressed to the nines, Frankie spread her wings and took flight.

* * *

Graely wished he couldn’t feel his brothers pulling at him. He shouldn’t care about them—they were evil and would never be anything else. They didn’t have the right ingredients to make them anything else.

That part of their brain that should have grown compassion, the ability to feel remorse, the ability to be selfless had never developed and was too shriveled to develop now.

Yet, they were always there trying to yank him back into their circle. He felt it now, strongly and the urge to go to them was strong. Pestale called his name.  Crystal had taken measures to keep him away from Conglam, but he had found a spell that let him through the wards.

Even with universes between them, he could feel the horror that made them what they were as it flitted through the old bond they once had.

He had never been quite like them, but he had done many things, awful things that made him unworthy of
her
smile.

His job, the job he had given himself as her protector was all that mattered to him. It gave him purpose, it promised redemption, and he wanted redemption, he wanted to be worthy of her.

She was so much more than any of them knew.

She was vital to their survival, but they didn’t know that, nor did they care. Her care givers simply loved her.

He had never known such affection, such open love. He knew it now, because he felt it for her. Every inch of his being moved and breathed for Frankie.

He would never declare himself. How could he?

He was content to watch over her, make certain she was safe, happy and ready to take on the wonders of her majority and enjoy her life. That was what she deserved—everything, she deserved everything good.

Pestale worried him. He had sensed on his last visit that something was dangerously brewing in Pestale’s quarter. It was no longer just in Pestale’s mind, but becoming a reality, a separate entity that had taken on life. Pestale had been careful not to disclose anything to him, but had questioned his loyalty instead.  

During that last visit, he felt as though they would suck all the better things out of his life. He had been relieved when the wards pulled him back as they always did.

When he was with Frankie…was the only time he felt alive, truly alive.

Frankie gave him the oxygen he breathed. What she loved, he must love and protect. What she needed, he would move through pain and sacrifice to achieve for her.
Why?
Why no longer mattered.

It was unconditional—what he felt was totally pure.  He wanted nothing in return, but the freedom to watch over her.

Something more horrible than the last war was coming.

Something unthinkable was about to go down, and he would protect her with his last breath.
She came before him. She was all that mattered,
and that feeling left him wildly deliriously content.

From the moment he had first seen her as a ragged child, standing alone with so much power, more power than he had ever thought a child could wield. He had known what his job would be, to shield and protect the child called Frankie.

Now, more than ever, he knew what he had known then, that eventually he would be called upon to do just that.

Evil was upon them.

He was forever battling against the dark in himself. He wasn’t certain he could keep it under control for an eternity. But when he looked at Frankie he knew, absolutely, that he would control it and find a way to keep her safe, for a weapon was on the rise. He felt it and knew it was coming.

That was all he knew.

It was the beat that drummed out in his head.

It was the certainty that Pestale and Hordly would strike from within and that all the Human Realm would quake beneath the enormity of what they would soon face.

He would go to them, as he had over the past years, under the guise of brotherhood. Ancient Danu magic soared through him and it was different than Pestale’s Unseelie magic for it was Seelie magic.

His deep dark secret was that he was so much more Seelie than his brothers knew. It was time he went to them now. He could feel danger reaching its tentacles toward the Human Realm and knew those tentacles would thrash at his Frankie.

Who would have thought that a slip of a girl would be the one thing standing between the horror of annihilation and safe ground?

He didn’t need a portal to make his way to Conglam. Seelie magic allowed him to shift anywhere he chose, and thus he shifted and found Pestale within his war chamber.

Pestale looked up and smiled, “Graely,
good,
you can help us while you are here.”

“Help you?” Graely was ever cautious with Pestale. He was never able to fathom his elder brother’s way of thinking.

“Yes, we need you to tell us what you know about Dublin’s underground. Have you any information about it?”

“Dublin? Underground? Why? Why would I know anything of the catacombs beneath Dublin?” Graely asked feeling physically sick inside. He knew now beyond any doubt, that Pestale had formulated an ‘attack plan’. He took a step away and stood near the large panoramic window with his hands folded in each other at his back and tried to appear only mildly curious. “Why, are you interested?” He turned back to face his brother.