Slamming (Through Time 3)

She jumped and clapped like a child and Pestale watching this was pleased. He had always cared about Morrigu and was happy to see her quietly enjoying herself.

Pestale’s voice was sharp as he directed an irritated glance at Graely, “Where have you been?”

“Shifting about from city to city,” Graely shrugged, “Why?”

“Because your job is to assist us,” Pestale snapped.

“From what I saw it would not have helped and I wanted to do something else,” Graely said, unafraid of his brother’s wrath.

Pestale frowned, “Why were you going from city to city?”

Graely quietly replied, “I wanted to observe humans of all sorts.” “When we were here in the Human Realm last time, there was no opportunity. Our brother was killed because of Gaiscioch’s obsession to rule and your desire to do nothing but help him do so.” A glint of anger lit his face. “I believe that we should simply enjoy our lives here.”

Hordly frowned, “Idiot! How can we do that when all the Seelie want to send us back to the Dark Realm?”

“Perhaps they would not, if they knew we meant no harm,” Graely said hopefully.

Pestale scoffed. “Perhaps you are nothing but a dreamer. You have always been a dreamer. I suppose that is why our father preferred you over us.”

“I may be a dreamer, but our father always would have put you first had you not…” he stopped himself and shrugged. “No point opening old wounds.”

Pestale’s face clouded over and then he said, “So, you suggest a compromise with the Seelie?”

Graely’s eyes blinked and held a look of disbelief, “You would consider it?”

“No, but it wouldn’t hurt to use it as a ploy,” Pestale answered and grinned as Hordly laughed out loud.

Graely turned away and moved towards the window.

Pestale sighed. He didn’t know why it was that he held Graely with such affection. He shouldn’t, because his father had ended by choosing Graely as his favorite, and yet something about this brother always made him retrospect. He didn’t have time for that now.

“I have a plan,” Pestale said quietly.

Hordly grinned and slapped Pestale’s naked tattooed back “My brother, of course you do.”

Morrigu looked nervous as she started off, saying over her shoulder, “I am going to return to my human. I promised him we could take a walk in the gardens.” She flitted off and out the door.

Pestale frowned for a moment over Morrigu and then put it out of his mind. She was another of his secret weaknesses. He cared a great deal about her and about her needs. He could of course, throw her to the lions if he absolutely had to, but he hoped it would never come to that.

Silence filled the room for a long moment as Pestale pondered. Hordly threw down a shot of vodka and announced that it was his favorite human drink.

Pestale was concerned about Graely. Would he betray them in the end? He wasn’t sure what Graely was doing or why, but perhaps he was merely curious about the humans. That, he could allow as acceptable. “I have been in human terms, multi-tasking.” He grinned, suddenly pleased with himself. “What I need do next is visit the Realm our father created so long ago. When I was still in his good graces, he told me about it and trusted me with a great deal. It is the Realm where the last of the Gorka still lives.”

Astonishment covered both Hordly and Graely’s faces as they stopped what they were doing to stare at him.

“Father created Gorkum to hold the monster away,” Graely said. “What are you planning Pestale?”

“I have Father’s pendant. He had a habit of leaving things about our castle when he first brought Crystal to the Dark Realm and created her retreat. He forgot about Gorka and the pendant, but I did not.”

“There is another word humans use; awesome. This is awesome!” said Hordly as he frowned. “Can you control the beast? Father said that even the Seelie fear them.”

“Yes. This pendant can either control or kill it,” Pestale answered thoughtfully. “I have yet to learn the knack of that though.”

“You don’t know how to use all of its powers?” Graely asked “And yet you are going to try?”

“I am going to try, but not here, brother…there…in its dimension. I will draw on the pendant’s power bit by bit. I don’t want to kill the beast, for it is the last of its kind. Father killed its

mate when he misused the pendant all those eons ago.”