Beyond the Gateway (Cranksepticeye)

Thirty

Herne wore a deep-green sleeveless tunic that fell in folds to the floor and was held together over his bare, muscled chest with a heavy gold chain. His breeches were of dark leather, with ragged unfinished hems over bare feet. His wrists were circled with thick gold cuffs, and around his throat he wore a heavy gold torc. His dark hair was swept back, and on either side of his head a pair of stag antlers arched from an elaborate headdress that circled his brow. His eyes blazed like a fire in a hearth as he welcomed them.
Ethan couldn't keep from gazing at the shining boy at his side as he dipped gracefully in a how of respect. Together they walked into Herne's Tavern.
Ethan took the Hunter aside and spoke to him in low tones, informing him of his companion's true identity, as he watched Jack out of the corner of his eye. Jack's eyes tracked through the room, following the people - the normal-looking people - that drifted all around them. Th were insubstantial, almost shadows - ladies with handbags and high heels, men in suits and ties, they ate and talked at tables that were stimultaneously plainly occupied by leaf-winged Fae and silvery-skinned selkie girls with big dark eyes, among others of the Fair Folk in all their infinate variety.
"Are they really here?" Jack whispered, indicating a shadowy young couple - tourists from the look of them.
"Almost," Ethan said. "Or, rather, we are almost there. Here's Tavern and the Tavern in Central Park exist side by side, occupying virtually the same space, just in slightly different worlds."
"Are we in the Otherworld?"
"No. This is a place apart from any other realm. A kind of safe haven created by Herne where the Lost Fae - the ones who have crossed over and the ones like Tim who were trapped or chose to stay when the Gates were shut - can gather without fear. It is still in the park but it is, well, sort of sacred ground, I guess you could call it. Sanctuary."
"He means the Jade can not touch us here," said an ethereal girl who appeared suddenly at Ethan's elbow. She had skin the color of new leaves, and in her fist she carried a slender bow. "They can not kill us here."
"Now, Carys." Herne's voice was gently chiding. He came and stood behind them. "I would not have you show disrespect to our guests."
"None offered, my lord," she said, but Ethan could see that it was plain in what regard the huntress Fae held the Jade.
"And none taken," Jack said firmly, stepping up beside him and placing a hand on Ethan's elbow. "I understand that Ethan's isn't exactly the most popular profession among your people. I also understand that he wouldn't be what he is if he hadn't been stolen from his world by your people in the first place. By doing his job, he saved my life, and probably the lives of others, from a creature I beleive you call a Black Shuck."
Cary's eyes went a bit wide, and Herne's brow clouded with an impressive frown. "The shuck have come through the Gate?" he asked.
Ethan cleared his throat. "Just the one, lord, as far as I could tell."
"A harbinger," the Hunter muttered.
"I hope not. The Jade are trying to keep it that way. But Auberon does seem to think that someone - perhaps Queen Mabh herself - is trying to wake your former companions, my lord."
"For what purpose?"
Ethan's gaze drifted to where Jack stood by his side. "The shuck was tracking Jack. I beleive he is the one being hunted."
"Then he is in great danger," Herne said. "And he is not the only one. The Wild Hunt will not be sated with a single quarry. This man's world - and the man himself - are in terrible peril."
"Which is why I brought him here."
"I will see to his safety, then, personally."
"Thank you, my lord."
Herne gestured them farther into the Tavern. Music wound around them as Ethan and Jack walked out to the courtyard where high, thin clouds stretched across the sky like torn lace curtains. Jack gasped as he realized that the faerie lights in the trees were actually Faerie lights in the trees: thousands of tiny winged beings flitting to and fro among the branches.
"It won't be long now until I have to go and return Lucky to Queen Mabh," Ethan said. "But I want to show you around a bit first. You needn't worry - you're under Herne's protection here. He knows who you are and he is the most powerful guardian I can think of to trust you to. And this place should keep you safe."
"Even from something like the Hunt?"
"Don't worry about that."
"That was not answering my question. That was avoiding my question."
"I know." Ethan grinned, ignoring the look Jack shot at him. "Come on. Let me show you around the place."yo
Over in the corner where, in the mortal realm, the King Kong topiary stood, a massive leafy creature crouched. Vines and vegetation clung to the giant, twisting in the green ivy of his beard, sprouting like bunches of marsh grass on his huge mossy head and shoulders.
"The Greenman," Ethan said reverently. "He is an ancient spirit, older than all of this. The Greenman has been in the worlds longer than even the Fair Folk. He is the soul of the natural world. He also likes a good whiskey now and then." Ethan whispered, "Herne has an excellent cellar, I hear."
The Greenman winked at Jack and raised an enormous erthen mug, and Ethan watched, grinning, as Jack smiled and shyly waved the fingers of one hand at the leafy old god in return. They continued past him, toward where the splashy music of a fountain entwined with the sounds of tinkling laughter. They saw a flash of a long rainbow-silver fish tail.
"Was that a mermaid?" Jack asked, moving toward the stone rim of the pool.
Ethan put a hand on his arm. "The Water Folk are . . . tricky. Dangerously unpredictable."
"I think I saw one," Jack murmured. "A mermaid, I mean. The night I rescued Lucky from the Lake."
"That was a siren," Ethan said, trying hard to keep the bitterness from his voice. "Her name is Heather. She saved your life."
"I should meet her then," Jack said. "Thank her."
"You should stay as far away from her as you possibly can," he said, and pulled Jack away from the fountain.
The approached a band of Faerie musicians, and Ethan smiled as Jack swayed gracefully to the unearthly music. His Firecracker. He was painfully aware that Jack would not in all likelihood remain "his" for very much longer. Not if he decided to accept his true identity. "Take up the mantle of a Faerie prince," as he'd said earlier , in the carriage. It was a choice that bore consequences that remained veiled to Ethan. He made up his mind. Whatever path Jack ultimately chose to walk, and whether he would take that journey with Jack, he certainly wasn't about to waste the time they could share together.
He turned to Jack suddenly and held out his hand.
Surprised, Jack glanced down at his outstretched palm and back up at his face. Ethan knew clearly that he would do anything, give anything, just to be able to make those beautiful eyes sparkle. He swept Jack in a low, courtly bow and gazed up at him. Jack smiled down at him.
"Will you dance with me, Jack?"
Ethan's heart swelled as Jack gave him his hand.