Start | LoTW Chapter Thirteen| Index | LoTW Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Check out the first Sunday Blog in which I talk about where I’m at with life and writing.  While topics will vary it is going to be a regular thing.

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“Do you want to come to the wake tonight, Dave?”? Tanya asked as Kate drove her, David and Anna back from Keran’s. “It’s a special one for Uncle Mark’s supernatural friends and family but you fit that definition now.”?

“It’s at Morna’s Bar, isn’t it?”? Kate said. “Even if he doesn’t stay for the wake you should probably introduce David to Morna. Her Queen will want to know about him.”?

“I’ve never heard of Morna’s Bar,”? David said. “Where is it?”?

“You wouldn’t have,”? Kate said. “It’s only in the Mists, looks like an abandoned building in the normal world. She’s set up the door to act as a portal that only admits supernaturals or trusted humans with special invites.”?

“Like Aunt Sue,”? Tanya said. “We thought she should be there so we got her one.”?

“Yes, Mum should,”? David agreed. “And why should I be introduced to Morna?”?

“Morna is the unseelie queen’s personal ambassador to both us and the Court of Seasons,”? Kate said. “That’s the dark aspect of the Court of Mists which is the main court in Scotland. They claim to be the oldest of all the courts as well though the Court of Seasons disputes that.”?

“Okay, I’ll go then.”? David considered that and his eyes widened. “Oh! Are all the courts are divided between light and dark types?”?

“In Britain and much of Europe, yes.”? Kate glanced at him in the rear view mirror. “Well except for the Elemental Courts. The supernatural manifests differently in other parts of the world. Don’t ask Liam about that unless you want your ear bent for hours about his theory that human culture shapes the supernatural around it.”?

David tilted his head. “That make sense but in that case why aren’t the Mistwalker Courts democratic now?”?

Kate gave a shout of laughter. “I wish. Monarchy is so outdated. But no, Liam thinks supernaturals are shaped by the surrounding society at the time their kind first appeared not as an ongoing thing. The Courts may have got their current names in the middle ages but they came into existence on the cusp of the bronze and iron ages.”?

“I see,”? David said. “How many courts are there?”?

“Oh loads, all the strongest Supernatural Windows in Europe have at least one attached to them.”? Kate said. “But the Troll Court in Northern Europe and the Elemental Courts in the Mediterranean are the only other really large ones. Once all the courts were geographically distinct but the need to be around the Windows has mixed us all up together. It gets a bit awkward when a rank potential is born a long way from the court’s base, like I was. There were others, if I hadn’t ended up here as a refugee one of them would have been Day King or Queen instead.”? She drew up outside Michael’s farm. “Do you mind if I come with you to the Wake? I didn’t know your relative but I do need to speak with Morna. If the Court of Seasons do attack us we’ll need allies.”?

“Of course,”? Tanya said. “You’ll be welcome.”?

 

***

 

Even having been told that Morna’s bar was in the mists David eyed the derelict building dubiously when they approached it. It was a partially collapsed and burned out shell of a warehouse that didn’t even have a roof.

“Here? Really?”? he asked. “I mean I know you said it was in the Mists but I can’t see it.”?

“Yes, here,”? Kate said. “Morna is gifted with reinforced glamours that defeat even the sight. You’ll see.”? As she guided him and Anna towards the doorway he saw Tanya and Daniel go in ahead of them and vanish. As they passed through it everything took on a warm glow and they found themselves standing in an intact building which had been converted into a luxurious wine bar. Kate grinned at David and Anna’s surprise. “Told you–“? she paused as the woman who was talking quietly with his mother turned and stared at David before striding towards them. “Ah! She’s spotted you.”?

As she came up to them Morna turned out to be a tall, slender woman with raven dark hair and storm grey eyes. Aside from the fact that her hair and clothes seemed to constantly move as if stirred by a breeze her only obviously non-human feature was the faintest hint of points on her ears and even those would pass without her needing to use glamour. Unless she was glamoured of course, if she could hide a building she could likely hide herself too.

“So the Rebel Court has been telling the truth all this time.”? Perhaps unsurprisingly she had slight Scottish accent. “That is troubling.”? She scowled for a moment before continuing. “And where are my manners. I am Morna, welcome to my home. I’m aware of the situation with the Summer Warrior wanting you dead. My Queen wanted us to keep out of it if possible but now I see why I will have to speak with her again. But tonight is not a night to speak of such troublesome things. Tonight is a night to remember your father without worrying. You’re safe here. Not even Gwendolen would dare my bar since it is also the embassy and she while she wouldn’t care about the political repercussions the curse it would bring on her head would trouble her.”? She took his hands. “I liked your father. He had a great many friends here.”? She looked at Tanya. “Do you know who killed him yet? Half of the supernatural population of Haventon would like to have words with him.

 

***

 

The rest of his father’s Wake had been surprisingly normal considering that the guests weren’t human but by the time they got back to Michael’s farm he was starting to feel the edges of a hunger normal food wouldn’t touch. When he commented on it Michael immediately fetched a bottle of bloodwine and a glass.

“This should help until we can teach you how to feed ethically,”? he said. “I’ve known other Baobhan and it works for them.”?

“Thanks,”? David said but he didn’t pour a glass for himself. Instead he just sat there and stared at it. He couldn’t bring himself to try it yet even though he knew he had to.

He was still staring at it when Leisa arrived back just before dawn. She looked terrible. Her skin was pallid in that disturbing way that told David she was hungry. He immediately pushed the bottle of bloodwine and unused glass at her.

“Thanks,”? she said. “But why do you have this?”?

“Oh… um…”?

“He’s a Baobhan Sith,”? Michael said.

“Oh!”? Leisa’s eyebrows shot up but to her credit she didn’t laugh at him. “Are you okay?”? She eyed the unopened bottle and hummed sympathetically. “No you aren’t, are you?”? She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a second glass. “Are you hungry yet?”?

“A little,”? he admitted after a moment. “That’s why Michael gave it to me. But…”?

“But you don’t want to?”? She gave him another sympathetic smile as she poured two glasses and pushed one back to him. “But I’ve seen what happens when mistwalkers don’t feed and it isn’t pretty, not for them and not for the people around them.”?

“So people keep telling me,”? he said. “It’s just…”?

“I know, but if you want to avoid hurting people you can’t afford not to drink it. You’ll run out of self-control in the end.”? She took a sip of her own glass.

David stared at the glass for a few moments more then steeled himself and took a sip. He expected it to taste metallic like when he’d had a mouthful of his own blood from a cut lip after falling during PE as a kid. It didn’t, instead it was the sweetest and lightest thing he’d ever tasted and he downed the rest of the glass in short order before staring at it. “Wow!”?

That did make Leisa chuckle. “Oh heavens! If you react like that to bloodwine I dread to think how you’ll react when you get a taste of the real stuff. Still hungry?”?

David considered and then shook his head. “No, it was only faint and it’s gone. But I can’t live on this stuff, can I?”?

“Probably not,”? she said. “But it will help. I’ll introduce you to some of my friends tonight.”? She looked over at Michael. “So has anything else happened? How’s Laurel?”?

“Laurel is the same.”? Michael gave a heavy sigh. “Kate’s bringing her herald over tomorrow because he’s an expert on elfshot. She also had to save David and the others from the Wild Hunt.”?

“What? Why?”? Leisa said. “Doesn’t the Wild Hunt only attack mistwalker criminals?”?

“The Summer Warrior set them on us,”? David said. “Fortunately Queen Katrazyna was able to call them off. The Huntsman is okay when he’s not trying to kill us. He was able to tell us why she wants me dead as well.”? He gave a wry snort. “My family aren’t happy about it because apparently it means we may have to talk to this Maelin guy.”?

“Hmm? Are you going to explain.”?

David took a breath before blurting. “I’m potentially the Winter Warrior and apparently Maelin has some sword I need.”?

Leisa’s eyebrows shot up. “I see. That is a tricky problem.”? She shook her head. “And not one I have any suggestions about. How’s Laurel?”?

“The same.”? Michael sighed. “Do you want to see her before the sun rises and sends her to sleep?”?

“Of course,”? she said. “I want to see how she’s bearing up.”?

David hesitated before following them to the guest room. He’d liked Laurel when he met her at Leisa’s party and found he was worried about how she was coping as well.

Laurel was propped up in her bed watching television and even though the rest of her was paralysed she managed a smile when they came in.

“How are you doing?”? Leisa asked.

Okay, it’s nice to have company, but I hope you can fix this soon. I really don’t want to be like this forever… especially not since it could really be forever.

“We have a lead on the person responsible,”? Leisa said. “I’m going to chase it up before I sleep. Hopefully we’ll know who they are soo–“? She broke off at the sound of clattering from outside and rushed to the window. There was an unusually large tabby cat with vivid green eyes on windowsill, the sound had been it knocking a plant pot off. It stared at them for a long moment before leaping down and disappearing into the darkness. Leisa looked around at Michael. “Was that what I think it was?”?

“If you’re thinking it was a werecat then yes, you’re right,”? Michael replied. “I wonder what it was doing here?”?

 

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A/N: Check out the first Sunday Blog in which I talk about where I’m at with life and writing.  While topics will vary it is going to be a regular thing.

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