Fairy War

Chapter 13

"He can't be serious!" Crystal shouted angrily. "How could he turn the entire human population against you?"

"I'm afraid I can understand," Neszra replied. "It is not entirely dissimilar to how the British responded when they found out about the Sidhe colonies in Ireland. Humans have a tendency to fear what they don't understand, and discovering there are armies of creatures who have hidden themselves all across the world is unlikely to elicit a positive response from many of your kin."

"There has to be a way we can stop this before the problem escalates," Nara said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "We can't be completely powerless, surely?"

"I might have a way," I said, finally breaking my silence. "My uncle – my father's brother – is a politician, and the Prime Minister's closest confidante. If we could get to him before it's too late he may be able to, at the very least, get us an audience with the Prime Minister. We'd have a chance then to plead our case."

"I'm not sure how clever an idea that would be," Naarin said reluctantly, "but at this point I suspect my sister is the best one to ask about diplomatic choices. Nareena?"

"I'm glad you're listening to my advice for once in your life, brother," Nareena said with a gentle chuckle. "My plan is this: Neszra, Finarae, I advise you return to your peoples and warn them about what's happened. We may have to take precautions to ensure the fairy colonies aren't overrun by surprise attacks. As for Clint's suggestion, as risky as it may be, I feel it is a risk worth taking." She stood up from her seat. "Nightshade and I will accompany you, me to act as an envoy and Nightshade in the event of anything going wrong. And this is non-negotiable," she said, raising a hand before Naarin could protest.

"I'm coming too," Niana said. "I've always wanted to explore the human world. Besides, I'll have to meet Clint's family eventually; you've already met mine," she added, smiling at me.

"You're enjoying making him feel uncomfortable, aren't you?" Nareena asked, a smirk playing across her lips. "I know how stubborn you are, so I won't bother arguing with you. Clint, tell us where we're going and I can teleport us there instantly."

Once we'd picked up a few supplies and got ourselves ready we stood together and linked hands, a brief flash of white light heralding our arrival at a small townhouse in the middle of a thankfully quiet road. We hurried to the gate, pushing it open, and I was pleased to note my uncle's dog was nowhere nearby – I doubted he'd react well to my new friends.

"I still don't understand why we didn't just teleport directly inside," Niana said as we approached the door. "It would've saved us some time and effort."

"More likely it would've received an angry reaction," I said, taking a deep breath in an attempt to compose myself. "How would you like it if a group of people – most of whom you didn't know – suddenly materialised in the middle of your home?" This response seemed to embarrass her enough that she offered no further comment.

Reaching out, I knocked gently on the door, and seconds later I heard the sound of someone walking up the hallway. The next moment the door opened to reveal a tall, middle-aged man in a shirt and trousers, his red tie half-done around his neck. "Uncle Nick, it's Clint," I said, trying to keep my voice level, "I'm sorry I didn't ring ahead but I didn't expect to come until a short time ago."

"You don't need to explain to me, Clint," my uncle said, drawing me into a hug and holding me for a moment. "After your father's body was found I feared the worst about you and..." He trailed off as he saw the upset in my eyes. "Oh Clint," he added, looking behind me to the others, "you'd better come in."