Slamming (Through Time 3)

Jazz thought possessively, not your Trevor. She said in spite of her sudden territorial flare, “—Princess Royce, I have heard a great deal about you.”

Royce laughed, “Oh my, I hope you won’t allow that to tarnish what you think of me.” She eyed Jazz sweetly and added, “I have heard a great deal about you as well. You know Fae like to gossip as much as humans do,” she giggled. “Though none would admit it and I did hear that Trevor had been swept away by a Fios human, but you are not human at all, are you? You must sit with me soon and tell me everything.” She turned to the hunk hovering at her back and said, “This is Chancemont.” It was obvious from the manner in which she held herself and the way she gazed at the Milesian that she was deeply in love with him.

“Aye,” Chancemont grinned and said with his thick Gaelic accent, “So then lass, I hear tell Trevor poisoned ye with his Fae blood?”

Jazz laughed and said, “Trevor saved my life with his Royal Fae blood.”

“That shouldna make ye beholding to him,” he teased. “I can find ye another if ye so choose. A right strong Milesian to while away yer…”

Trevor shoved Chancemont in the chest. They laughed and then gave one another a hearty hands to arms shake.

Jazz smiled to see such affection between Fae and Milesian. She had always been warned as a Fios that Fae could only befriend one another. It was so not true.

After the newcomers made the rounds and warm greetings had been exchanged, Chance’s father took Royce and his son aside. Jazz heard a word here and there and realized that Morgan was bringing them up to date.

It was festive in the Queen’s chambers and Jazz found herself smiling. In some ways they were not so very different than humans. There was such joy at the prospect of a baby on the way.

Aaibhe brought the attention back to herself for a moment and said quietly, “Now that we are all together, I must tell you what Queen Mab and I have discovered regarding the Twalla.”

The laughter died down as they turned and waited for Aaibhe to continue. With a heavy sigh she continued. “Queen Mab and I have looked into my Orb of Time and tried to locate where the Twalla may have gone. We are now certain that it must have come with us. With the Danu dust and everything that came from Danu after its destruction. We believe we will find Twalla where the Danu dust was most concentrated.”

Shee Willow stepped up and asked, “I don’t know if my Sounder will work to find anything other than Fae artifacts, but I would like to try, my Queen.”

The Queen tilted her head, “You may wish to start at Newgrange in Ireland.”

Chance grinned mischievously. “Well, as to that,” Chance chuckled, “Well we won the war with the Fae alright. But there was a time when the land around Newgrange was covered in Danu dust. We Milesians collected it and over time ingested it. We found our little community forever changed. It was most plentiful at Bru na Boinne, what they now call Newgrange. Bru na Boinne was larger then; all those centuries ago, say two hundred yards larger than what stands in the Human Realm today.” He paused for effect as he seemed to be enjoying the looks that came over the faces of the gathered Fae. He sighed dramatically and grinned, “Then some years after we won the war and the Fae scurried off to Faery…”

Breslyn took a step forward at that and said, “There you go Milesian, getting your dreams confused with facts. You did not even come close to winning the war. Out of the kindness of our essence we spared you more causalities and left it at that,” Breslyn’s grin was naughty, belying the tough words.

Chancemont laughed and Jazz found she liked him. He had a certain cavalier charm to him that was most infectious. Trevor, however, glared at her and whispered, “You can’t seem to take your eyes off him.”

“Aww baby, don’t be silly,” she answered and laughed as she touched his lips with hers and felt a thrill rush through her.

“As I was aboot to say, we moved a great deal of Newgrange leaving only a part of what it once was. We took the land and many of the Sarsen stones with us when we created Dravo.” He waited but the Fae in the room with him had been totally unaware of this and stared dumbfounded for a moment. He liked that and slapped his knee with a laugh, “Ye dinna know that. Ha.” He eyed Danté and then Trevor before turning to Queen Aaibhe, “It is there, I think we should begin searching for this Twalla ye speak of for I doona think it could be anywhere else.”

His disclosure had everyone chattering at the same time, but Aaibhe turned to Morgan LeBlanc and said, “What do you think?”

“This is your call, my love.”

She turned to Queen Mab. Her white gold lashes were shading her iridescent eyes, quietly she nodded and agreed.

Aaibhe said, “Then I agree with Chancemont. We will start there, in Dravo,”

“Good,” said Shayne Bantry who Jazz had been told was an immortal Druid, and Shee Willow’s mate. She had no idea what their story was, but it was a story she

meant to investigate at another time. “Let’s get going then.”

Aaibhe nodded once more, but said, “In a moment,” she said and turned. “You four, my Princess Royce and Chancemont, and Shee Willow and Shayne may leave shortly, but first let us spend a little time together. We must celebrate this momentous occasion. We as immortal Fae are not often favored with the ability to have children. Children of Fae unions are rare. It is with such happiness that I congratulate Ete, my cousin and Breslyn, my faithful prince.” She leaned her head back and added mischievously, “And I find myself in agreement with Breslyn, I think this baby is going to be a boy.”

Laughter and jesting broke out again.

After a time Queen Aaibhe presented each with a glass of heavily spiked Negus and said, “It is for moments like these that we fight and maintain life as we know it should be and as it will be again.”

Breslyn nudged his closest friend and beamed proudly, “Danté, I am going to be a father.”

“By Danu who will save spare us now?” Danté grinned broadly. “You have always been insufferable and now…?” he shook his head, “And I, I shall be the

baby’s athair baisti.”