“And when they saw that the others create wealth and luxury on a previously unknown scale, they passed down a single law to which everyone must abide. Leave them be, live in the shadows and don't disturb them in their blissful ignorance.”

- A memory of the Old Ones.

***Carinthia***

***Sely***

I don't feel well. He is gone and I don't feel well at all. Damn him! I walk up and down the entrance hall, not caring that it makes the others nervous. Everyone is gathered here to discuss our next steps. And most important, what to do about Magnus's disappearance.

“Stop pacing in circles, Sely. It's as if you are some kind of dog without its master.” Annia reprimands me in a slightly annoyed manner. Due to Magnus's order, she wasn't able to explore the city with our mother. That made her a little angry.

I don't stop walking. “I can't! He left me behind! I told him that doing something like that will have consequences. Are you sure that the other supernaturals don't know where he is, Fiacre? What about Eva? She went against his orders before,” I ask.

Fiacre shakes her head, her mobile phone in her hand. “Either they don't know, or they don't want to tell.”

I approach Kath, who is holding onto Fiacre's blue dress. “You are absolutely sure that he just said to stay put? He didn't mention where he went?”

The little one shakes her head. “No. The evil man just jumped up, screamed at me to tell everyone to stay in the reality marble, and left.”

I seriously hope she doesn't make it a habit to call Magnus an evil man. Well, he is... in a certain sense. But he is also a really nice guy... towards a few selected people. It seems like he can be called neither good nor evil.

Tina plays with her hair. “Does he disappear often? It's not good for a clan-head to run off without telling anyone where he is going.”

Fiacre shrugs. “How should I know? It's not like we were that close during the recent years. It only changed because Sely showed up, which I am thankful for.”

Oilell nods. “Master often disappears for days without telling me anything. Mostly to hunt those who violate his territory. He is like a big cat in that aspect. It's really hard to plan for anything without knowing when he comes back.”

Annia rolls her eyes and returns her attention to her tablet. It's a Samsung. The latest, extra large version. I point at the device and ask, “Where did you get that?”

A guilty expression appears on her face. “I borrowed it from Magnus?”

Oilell huffs. “Just tell the truth. You took one of Master's credit cards and bought it. But don't worry. He has more than enough money and never checks his accounts. That's my job. And it's not like he wouldn't have given you an allowance for your own use. Just ask him.”

Annia cringes. “I never got something of my own at the compound.”

Then Mom does something that totally freaks me out. She hugs my little sister to give her comfort. “From now on you can buy everything you want to. And if Magnus doesn't give you what you want, then ask me. I've spent a few thousand years collecting treasures.”

I shake my head and try to concentrate on something else. This new version of Cecilia is totally unfamiliar to me. That's when the door to the reality marble flies open and Magnus strolls into the room.

First I want to scream at him, but then I squeal in horror when I realize the state he is in. There are bloodstains all over him and the chest area of his clothes is torn. Shredded armour is visible beneath the cloth. It looks as if he took a force spell with nothing more than his body. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing. Just went out to blow off some steam. I had a run in with a few trolls. Don't worry.” He clutches a bloody pullover to his chest. It's buttoned up as a makeshift bag and full enough to burst.

Liar! “Trolls wouldn't do that to you! I've seen you fight.”

He purses his lips. “There were at least fifty of them!”

“What's that?” I step closer and grab the bloody makeshift bag to find out what he is hiding. He doesn't let go and the damaged fabric tears. Five heads spill out and I jump back to avoid the bloody mess.

“The carpet!” Oilell goes into hyper-drive. She disappears and reappears again in a rubbersuit with cleaning utensils and a trash bag in her hands. “The carpet is Kashmir! If I am not fast the blood will never go out.”

One of the heads stopped directly in front of Fiacre and Kath. The child's eyes are wide and round like golf balls. Fiacre quickly covers her eyes, even if it's a little too late. “I think you are too young to see that.”

I jump forward and grab Magnus at his cloak, shaking him while channelling all the bad feelings into anger. “Why did you go out to fight invaders on your own!? I thought I made it clear that you won't do such dangerous things without me! I worried myself sick about you.”

“Ow! Ow! Steady! My ribs were recently cracked. They are healed, but it still hurts. Don't break them again.” He grabs my arms.

I clench my teeth and pull him close to look directly into his eyes. “If you pull that stunt again, consider us divorced. I won't lose you because some idiot gets a lucky shot and I wasn't there.”

He smiles, trying to play down the situation. “They were just five. Nothing special. I've dealt with such groups many times in my hundred years of protecting this territory.”

Tina tilts her head and pulls at her lower lip. She studies the head of a woman with red hair and freckles on her face. If it wasn't for the paleness of death, she would've been beautiful to behold.

“I think I know that one.” She flicks her fingers and points at the head. “Isn't that Marlene Baucheaux? The Invisible? She is notorious for her ability to channel several spells at once. Her trademark is to stay completely undetected while she attacks the enemy with powerful force magic.”

Magnus sneers. “She wasn't that great once her power stone ran out of energy. At first she got me real good, but a lot of power means nothing without the brains to use it effectively.”

I let go of him. “What happened?”

He pulls out a big piece of obsidian with fine runes inscribed on it. The power stone is clearly empty now, but I can still feel the residual magic of a strong charge.

“They tried to create a fortified camp. At the same time they had that redhead using her invisibility to hide and wait. I had the bad luck of jumping directly onto her hiding spot. It was a trap for anyone who tried to stop their attempt at creating a bridgehead.”

I cross my arms in front of my chest and glare at him. “So?”

He doesn't get it. “What?”

“Have you learned not to do something like this alone? There are three other people who could've helped you.” He opens his mouth to refuse, but I anticipate what he wants to say. I poke his chest, causing him to flinch. “Those shredded clothes don't look like an easy fight to me. She tore through your shields and got you good.” What would I've done if I had lost him? We didn't have enough time together.

Annia raises her tablet. “Hey guys! Stop lamenting over the past and look at this! This is big!” She points at the tablet and raises the volume so that everyone can hear what the reporter in the news is saying.

“...all over the world. These fae, or faires, claim that they've been protecting humanity from the shadows for thousands of years. According to them, the humans were left deliberately in the dark about all the supernatural beings which are surrounding them...”

The picture switches to the face of a gorgeous female fae. “Our rulers debated long and hard about the pros and cons of hiding the supernatural community from the world. We fae have to admit that we aren't innocent in hiding our existence for thousands of years. But ultimately even our leaders had to admit that humanity's unawareness of the supernatural isn't in its best interest. That's an injustice which we fae cannot accept. We are extremely righteous people and decided that we cannot live with a secret like that any longer. The humans must know what hideous creatures stalk the night. They must be allowed to protect themselves. As you can only protect yourself against something that you are aware of...”

“Holy shit! That means outright war once the supernatural community gets over the shock.” Magnus steps closer to the tablet and tilts his head, inspecting the device. “Hmm... I don't remember having bought that model. I had it on my shopping list though.”

“Ahahaha... I might have borrowed a little money to buy the premium edition...” Annia admits grudgingly.

Cecilia steps in. “Yes! She needs an allowance while she is under your roof. Or did you think that she is okay with staying in her same old clothes forever?”

Magnus scratches his cheek, thinking. “I don't really have a clue what a young woman needs. Is ten thousand per month enough? Just tell Oilell what you need and you will get it.”

I stammer, “Just for what would she need ten thousand per month? She isn't the top manager of a big company.” I don't even have a stable income. I just took what Oilell gave me. Suddenly I realize that I am depending on Magnus's wealth.

Magnus makes a dismissive gesture. “I just thought that she would always need the newest computers due to her hobby and line of education.”

“That's enough for a small server farm.” Annia whispers as if saying the words loud would cause her wet dream to pop like a bubble. “My very own server farm.”

“Whatever. As my wife you also need some money of your own. What about twenty thousand?”

I don't even know what to do with that much money! I stole a bag of Gavin's stash when we escaped, but ever since we met Magnus I had no reason to touch it. “Thanks? But don't think that you can worm your way out of our argument by being generous!”

Tina starts screaming. “Just shut up! The fae are making a big move and you guys don't even care? Who knows what other lies they told the humans! We are on the brink of another supernatural war!”

“I wouldn't say that we are on the brink. The fae already fired the first shot,” Magnus corrects her.

They continue bickering, but I don't listen. I was up and on my feet for the entire day, worrying about Magnus. Suddenly, I feel dizzy and start swaying. What's happening to me? “Guys?”

Nobody listens to me, so I stagger sideways as the world tilts in my view. I force my muscles to stay still and clench my teeth together. Then I go to my knees and bend forward, retching. I spill my entire breakfast onto the ground before I can even think about running to the bathroom.

“Gyarrrr! The carpet!” Oilell is suddenly at my side, scrubbing the carpet with a wet towel. It might be a lost cause by now.

Magnus is at my side, a horrified expression on his face. “Are you alright? Did the fae invent some horrifying virus to attack with biological weapons?”

Tina's eyes widen and she takes a step back. “I wouldn't put that past them.”

Oilell stops her hopeless attempt at saving the carpet. Then she is suddenly at my waist, her ear pressed to my belly. “Oh, that's not a sickness. I can feel it through my bond with the house of Bathomeus. There is a new family member on the way.”

What!? I retch and try my best to hit the brownie with the remaining food. But Oilell is much too fast for me. She is up and gone in an instant.

Annia's face twitches. “I am an aunt? I am too young for that!”

“I am a grandma!” Cecilia claps her hands in joy. She turns to Tina. “Isn't that wonderful? It was such a good idea to come here.”

Tina rubs her temples with both hands. “Nonononono... this isn't happening. I am not related to these nutcases. Have to focus on the fae.”

“Who gives a friggin' shit about the fae! We can commit genocide on them when there is time. I am going to be a father!” Magnus lets go of me to take some strange victory pose, but immediately cringes and puts his arms around his chest. “Maybe not that healed.”

And then it sinks in. “I am going to be a mother?” How is this possible? I thought that I would die childless. My whole body starts shaking. Whether in excitement, joy, or shock, I don't know.

Oilell returns to the entrance hall, pushing some creaky, old wheelchair. “Please sit down, Mistress. We don't want you to overexert yourself.”

I am not sick and I am certainly not an invalid! My last piece of self-control snaps and I get to my feet, growling. I grab the wheelchair and try to hit Oilell with it, trashing the chair on the ground. The brownie once again proves her nimbleness, barely avoiding all my attempts at hitting her.

“Master! Stop her!”

He shakes his head. “No. Her eyes are red. You really ticked her off. Just take it like a good, little brownie.”

“This is why the others don't work for Old Ones! Mom always told me that you aren't worth the trouble. Why didn't I listen to her.” Oilell evades once more. “She is damaging the entrance hall! We still need it for the feast and the ceremony!”

“I already had her take the ritual to join the clan. There is no need for big ceremonies.”

Oilell squeals as I almost get her. “That old, barbaric ritual!? No, you didn't. That's where Oink went!”

“Told you that he was a walking corpse on four feet.”