"It's not what you think," I heard in the distant background.

"He's one of us. . ."

"He won't hurt you. . ."

I finally relented and Van Orden plopped me back in my seat. Despite the words of reassurance around me, I couldn't take my attention away from the fairy, who in my mind, would always be the enemy. "Ironic you're putting out fires these days!" I spat. "Isn't it, you cold-blooded killer?"

"Thank you all for coming today," the fake fireman said, unmoved by my outburst and astoundingly pleasant, like he actually gave a shit. "For those of you who don't know. . ." He pointed his cold eyes right at me. "My name is Peter. And I'd like to welcome the one and only Prince Rigel Kincaid from Polaris to our table." All eyes turned to me and I sunk further in my chair. "We all have questions for him. I know I do. But first I'd like for us all to commend him for his bravery and valor."

Everyone in the room began clapping. And I did nothing to deserve it. I almost believed it was a trick. They were trying to boost my ego so my fall to ruin would be even deeper and more irrevocable. Andromeda would want it that way. My pain would please her, but my humiliation would make her wet between the legs.

"Please, stop," I said, and the clapping tapered off. Everyone was silent, watching me, perhaps waiting for me to say something noble and princely. "I did what I could to escape. I was lucky. That's all."

"How did you do it . . . escape from her?" Ari asked, her face sparkling with awe.

"She underestimated me."

"But the magic of her kind is indomitable!" Jay added.

I shrugged, and the questions and comments kept coming. "And then you killed the king. Is that right?" some unnamed cynic in the back asked, and I could tell the inquisition was about to get ugly.

"Yes, but that was an accident."

"So how does it feel to be the most hated fairy in fairydom?"

I didn't answer.

Sheila, the cop lady, then cleared her throat like a man. "I've heard you've been dubbed 'The King of the Unworthy.'"

I checked my wristwatch, trying to keep my cool. "Is that what they call me these days? I like it. It has a nice ring to it."

"All you did was make them angry," she continued. "Now they're everywhere. In our villages, towns, churches, and in our schools, looking for the mark on our children! And what they're really after is you."

The dark witch in the corner suddenly exploded from her chair, face ablaze with animosity, and surprisingly it wasn't directed at me. "Back off, all of you! The kid's a fucking hero! There's one less Sauvageau in the world because of him, and that makes this world a better place!"

I think my mouth gaped open. I wasn't expecting that, not from Angela "the witch." Not from anyone. And the crowd was quiet after that. We all looked down in shame, even me. I was buckling so easily, letting the tough questions get to me, and answering them with sarcasm. They had every right to hate me. If Andromeda's soldiers were out there looking for me, which I'm sure they were, then I had made all of their lives harder.

"Is there anything you can tell us about Pyxis?" Peter, the alleged bad-guy-turned-good asked, breaking the unproductive silence. "What are we up against?"

"Can't you tell us? Haven't you been there?"

"No, not exactly. I was young. They pulled me from the Yukon a few years early. Said I showed promise. I made it as far as the Gray Coat barracks, but never earned access to the caves. I had to prove my loyalty first.

"It was a brutal head game—torture, brainwashing, you name it. Most of us believed we were worthless without them. And I played their game. I seemed immune to pain and they liked that. I never snapped, not when they expected. I nearly passed the test, earned my place in the Gray Legion. But I was a mistake. And very angry. And one day, my Crown Champion Commander flew within reach after I had just transformed. I grabbed him out of nowhere and bit his head off. Then I spit his gore into the snow. I think his name was Chevalier. . . ."

When he paused there, I suppressed a smile. The sheer lunacy of his deed almost made me laugh. Besides the Sauvageaus, the Chevaliers were the most powerful family in Pyxis. If power was measured by wealth alone, the Chevaliers would have surpassed the crown family. In other words, Peter, the ex-Gray Coat was almost as doomed as I was if he was ever discovered.

"Has anyone else been there?" I asked. There were a few blank stares and a bunch of grim headshakes.

"No, but we've heard that Modifiers live in Pyxis," one of the triplets said. "If this is true, what does she want from us? Why can't we live in peace?"

"What do they want?" I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. "That's a tough one. I think it all comes down to this . . . absolute power. Yes, there are Modifiers in Pyxis, and some can lead uninterrupted lives as long as they follow the rules. But, in the eyes of a Sauvageau, there are three acceptable kinds of Modifiers—Gray Coats, those who can pay their exorbitant taxes, and those who are dead.

"All of us sitting here would fall into category three, right? And if you still have a clan, if you have strength in numbers, have magic, treasure, knowledge, whatever, that they don't have, you'll be at the top of their hit list. And they'll kill any Modifiers they come across while hunting those bigger fish.

"So now, maybe your next question is, 'What can we do about it?' That's tough to answer too. It leads us back to Peter's question, 'What are we up against?' The Pyxis Royal Army is led by their Crown Champions. 'Royal' fairies, as they say, since they have wings and a superiority complex. I'd guess their numbers are in the thousands. Then they're breeding Gray Coats around the clock like cattle. Who could know how many are out there? Quietly. In the cracks. Searching for us. Waiting. And they can blend into the human world like we can and they've been trained from birth to hunt and kill.

"We may never have an army the size of Andromeda's, but if we want to lead normal lives, we'd have to, at the very least, set up a network. We could recruit those we know, find others, and establish some kind of correspondence to warn each other if problems arise. Maybe something like that is already in place."

I looked over at Van Orden and he nodded. "We're working on it."

"Great. That's a start. And then. . . ?" I shrugged and looked around the room for any comments.

I was glad Jay was the first to shift forward in his seat. "This might sound crazy, but do you think we could destroy them somehow from the inside? You said there are Modifiers living in Pyxis. Maybe they could help us."

"That's not a bad idea, in theory, but it's almost impossible to get in and out of the caves, especially without wings. If someone were to get in, I do know someone, a Royal fairy actually. His father is a retired Crown Champion, high-ranking even. His name is Perseus Labelle. He's one of the reasons I'm alive today. They know the 'high end' of that abysmal hole in the ground better than anyone. And oddly enough, they don't buy into it, and no one is the wiser . . . yet, as far as I know.

"I obviously can't go back there and plan anything, but if we could recruit someone else? Peter, do you still have your old uniform?"

"No, I destroyed it."

"Hmmm. That's unfortunate. It would have been a way in. Plus, I always wanted to take a look at it. Gray Coats. . ." I began to inform the rest of the room. "Everything they wear or carry transforms in size with their host, weapons included. It's a pretty nifty trick if you ask me, one that would be useful to master. I know I'm not the only one who's been caught naked and in a bind on more than one occasion." I got a few chuckles for that, demonstrating to me that they've all been there and done that too. "Well, anyway, we could still find a way inside Pyxis without it. Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it," Sheila chimed in without hesitation. "I've done undercover work."

"If you can do meek and innocent, they'd never suspect. But be extremely careful. If they link the Labelle's to me in any way, they will kill their own."

After a tentative plan was set in motion, the fire bell went off. Peter rose to say goodnight. And I stood when he came over to me. I finally had the courage to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry about your family. Your father was a good king, powerful and wise. We were all shocked to hear of Polaris's fall."

He held out his hand to me and I shook it. "It wasn't any more your fault than mine," I admitted. If Peter abandoned his post as a teenager, then it was a long time ago, maybe even before I was born.

And that was it, our reluctant but necessary truce. He left after that and everyone else began to rise and filter out of the room as well.

On my way to the door, I was greeted with a few thank-yous, good lucks, and I'm sorrys, and then I made my way over to Van Orden. He slapped me on the shoulder in an unexpected show of affection. "There may be hope for you yet, boy."

"Thanks," I said with a chuckle. "And hey, a little warning would have been nice."

"I didn't think you'd come if you knew about Peter. He's one of those fairies you have to see to believe."

"You're probably right."

"Scott," I heard from behind. I turned around and saw Jay, Ari, and the triplets staring at me expectantly. "Did you ever hear about the South Pacific?" Jay went on. "There are supposedly fairies there that can both fly and modify. Wouldn't it be great if they were on our side?"

"Urban legend, my friend, but I like the way you dream big."

~~~

Beatles. Come Together (1969).

I'm a huge Beatles fan, but it was a challenge to find the right song/right chapter until now! Thank you Pandora for the reminder!

John Lennon described the lyrics for Come Together  as "Gobbledygook." Despite very specific and personal references to the real world circa 1969, I thought it worked for a band of fairy rebels coming together for the first time, both recognizing and respecting the potential of the new kid in town.

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/oolpPmuK2I8