Land of Drunken Pharaohs: A GameLit Urban Fantasy (High Table Hijinks Book 3) Read online

  Chapter Two

  I stood outside the High Table for a few minutes before Luca, decidedly human-looking, and Connell walked down the sidewalk from the direction of the parking lot.

  Connell was the same scruffy-haired boy with almost golden-toned skin that I had just rescued a few days ago from the Seelie court drug cartel in the making. Maybe I would pay clan Moira a visit as the Huntsman and see what the young master had to say for his actions?

  “Marcus.” Luca had eschewed his battle leathers for that of a motorcyclist and carried himself as such. I couldn’t find any discernible weapons on his wiry frame, but that didn’t mean much. I’d seen the Fae fight; he was capable, and I was damned sure he could hide a weapon in his leather jacket if he wished to.

  “Luca.” I stared him down, and then offered my hand with a sincere, “Thank you for this.”

  “It was as much his idea as it was mine, believe me.” His smile was genuine and the mirth in his gaze and tone was believable. He turned his gaze down to Connell as we shook hands, “Connell, I have to supervise this visit merely to assuage your mother’s guilt and conscience. I want you to have fun with your father and even if it is only for a little while, know that I won’t be upset by anything said. You know the rules as well as I.”

  That brought a slight frown to my face as I glanced from him to the boy. “Rules?”

  Connell nodded stoically. “There are things we aren’t supposed to say concerning matters of… court.”

  Luca smiled proudly at the boy and ruffled his hair. “Well said, my boy. Well said.”

  A pang of jealous rage reared its head when I heard Luca call my son that, but Galaxy’s voice quelled it. He helped raise him, and he’s here with Connell now offering an olive branch. Take it, Marcus. Don’t let your human pride get in the way of a relationship with your son.

  I took a slightly stifled and stilted breath and blew it out carefully. Thank you.

  Luca caught the sound of that and tilted his head, then must have realized that something was off, but kept it to himself. “Lunch?”

  I nodded and moved us toward the diner that Uncle Yen had taken me to when I first returned to Ohio. Though the walk there was short, Connell told me all about his soccer stats for the team he played for. Luca grumped that they didn’t keep score—which made me and Connell both laugh—but that the team was doing much better after the new leg drills that the coach was implementing.

  We sat down and ordered some burgers and in addition I ordered all of us milkshakes, which excited Connell to no end. Luca spoke up then, “Connell, I know you love them, but why is it such a mainstay in the hum—American diet?”

  I blinked at him and frowned, leaning forward. “Have you never had a milkshake?”

  The elven prince seemed embarrassed, and I nearly fell out of my seat laughing at that. After I calmed down a little, he spoke again in a low tone, “I’m hundreds of years old and drinking the milk of another seems base. I know that it’s meant to be healthy, but I just never had an interest.”

  I shook my head and chuckled again before saying, “These aren’t healthy, my friend; they’re delicious. That’s the reason.”

  The burgers came a few minutes later and with them the milkshakes. They were like you would see in the movies, glass cups and all, topped with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

  Connell and I waited to enjoy ours in favor of watching Luca tentatively put the straw to his lips as he had his first taste of the concoction. He blinked and his cheeks reddened slightly as he took another sip.

  Connell and I shared a look and I offered him my fist. He grinned and bumped it with his own before both of us joined in.

  We made short work of the meal and spoke for a brief time until Connell had to get up to use the restroom. This time, Galaxy separated herself from me and padded into his shadow to join him on the way so that she could keep tabs on him for me.

  Once he was out of earshot, Luca spoke with his head dipping closer to the table. “How’s the hunting?”

  I paused and leaned back from him but kept my voice just as soft. “It hasn’t happened yet, but we have plans as I mentioned over the phone.”

  “Do you mean any harm to the Unseelie?” He asked the question with no preamble and to be honest, it caught me by surprise.

  I shook my head and he frowned. “Is something wrong, Luca?”

  “Several Fae have defected from the Unseelie Court, disappearing from Grestal and the human realm, and the neutral Fae are in an uproar over something that makes no sense.” He sat back and frowned even more before he gathered control over his bearing. “At first, I had thought that they had a way to sense that the Hunt had reformed and risen again, but now that I know that you haven’t been interfering, this is cause for great concern.”

  “Is Connell in danger?” I leaned forward without thinking about it, the shadows in the room deepening with my concern. I blinked as he stared at me in fascinated horror and I asked, “Is it the eyes?”

  He nodded and I took a long moment to pull myself together. “Sorry.”

  “Do not apologize for being concerned with your son’s safety.” He offered me a sympathetic smile. “I know I would be. No, he’s not in any danger and I know that should I call on you, you would come running to aid in protecting him.”

  He closed his own eyes and shook his head. “We will have to investigate further and look into things that are just rumors so far.”

  “Are the Seelie moving against you?” He grimaced and shrugged. “Is that an ‘I don’t know’ shrug or an ‘I couldn’t say even if I knew’ shrug?”

  The war between both factions of the Fae still confused me. I’d had Galaxy teach me a bit more from the meager bit that I knew, but all I could really reliably come up with was that they had never gotten along, and if one could end the other, there would be a serious power shift.

  “A little of both, I think?” He chuckled and shook his head. “I am glad that you seem to be picking up on our ways a little from your interactions with us.”

  “How’s Aeslyn?” My sudden question threw him off a bit and I held up a hand. “I know you’re married, and as much as it may sound like I’m lying, I am so over that. I could never think about her the same way after what she did, not even now.”

  Do not forget that there are two women pining after and already sharing you, Marcus, Galaxy chided playfully, but there was another undertone there that said more than it didn’t. If I found another woman, she would flay me. It was a tad concerning that she was listening in to my conversation instead of watching my son, and as soon as I thought that she cleared her throat. Sorry.

  “I’m pretty full up on my dance card to boot,” I added before he spoke which made him snort.

  He just raised a hand and smirked. “She will likely ask after you when I get home with Connell. All I will say is that it took some doing to get her to agree to this and I have earned many an ear chewing.” He stared at me for a moment longer, then offered, “Otherwise she is well. And what your friend Arden told you is true—she gave up much to ensure that your child was well taken care of and protected. Much more than most Fae women would ever allow.”

  “Like what?” He shook his head and I pressed, “What, another thing you can’t talk about?”

  He fixed me with a glare that I hadn’t expected and answered softly, but sternly, “No. One that I will not talk about because the sacrifices she made were not mine to dictate, nor any of your business unless she chooses to tell you. Though she is her own being and Fae—powerful in her own right and a fierce warrior—she is also the mother of your child and must have earned some inkling of respect from you. At least allow her that much.”

  I opened and closed my mouth, then opened it again, and just snapped it shut. He was right and, as much as it pissed me off to think about, Connell was a great kid even without having known me. He was smart, strong, happy, and curious. Everything I wished he could have been with me.

  Did I have a right to be angry and bitter? Yeah. Hell yeah. But at the end of the day, she had given something to ensure he was allowed a childhood and safety.

  “I mean to begin teaching him how to fight soon.” I turned my gaze back to him and he smiled. “I remember our conversation concerning the matter. I will not be cruel to the boy, but he will learn hard lessons.”

  I nodded and he smiled wider. “I would like for you to take part in some of these lessons, if you are capable and available.”

  I nodded again and muttered, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “I would not ask you to skip your mission in Cairo.” He lifted his milkshake to his lips and licked some of the cream off the top, grimacing. “Oh, that is delicious. What is this again?”

  “Whipped cream.” I found myself smiling at that as Connell rejoined us. “Hey buddy. Everything okay in there?”

  “Yup!” He beamed at me and Luca. He nodded to Luca. “You have whipped cream on your nose.”

  The prince’s eyes widened and he lifted a napkin to his nose and wiped as the boy laughed. “Thank you. Why didn’t you tell me, Marcus?”

  I winked at him and glanced pointedly to my son. “I wanted him to see it too. Not everyday someone older than you messes up.”

  Luca rolled his eyes and we all laughed together. After a long silent moment, I stared at Connell. “I know things are weird right now, and I have to go away again for a little bit, but I want you to know that I am always here for you. If you need me, all you have to do is call me. Okay?”

  Connell nodded, his hair shaking with his head, then he tilted his head to the side as his eyes flashed at me weirdly. “Why do you have a dragon standing behind you and a cat on your shoulder?”

  My eyes widened as I whipped my head around hard enough
that my neck adjusted and ached almost immediately. Mako rumbled within me, my forearm itching where he nestled in waiting and Galaxy watched in fascination from within me.

  I turned to stare at him and Luca turned a slightly shocked gaze toward me. “What is the meaning of this, Conellar?”

  “You can’t see them?” Connell turned his head toward his stepfather and blinked again. “You’re wearing your crown and the mantle of your station right now, as well.”

  Luca’s eyes widened and he grabbed my arm. “We need to get him to safety.”

  “What’s going on?” I hissed as I pulled cash from my wallet and slid it onto the table with a tip that was likely too large.

  Luca grabbed Connell into his arms as if he weighed next to nothing, holding him to his chest as he started toward the door.

  I followed closely behind them as Luca looked around the street, then toward me. “We need somewhere safe; can you guide us?”

  I knew he knew ways to get into the gym and that he was concerned for Connell, so I just nodded and sprinted across the street to the hidden entrance to the gym that the High Table staff used.

  The gym was filled with oni and shifters lifting and working out. All of them heard me come in and when Luca came in, they sprang to their feet. One of them called to me, “Bubba Marcus, what’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know,” I shouted back and looked to Luca. “What do you need?”

  “Space.” He continued down the hall in front of us and found a sparring room that was empty and pulled me inside with him. “Hold him.”

  He shoved the boy into my arms and shouted, “The Court will cover the cost of repairs if there are any needed after this, but I need you to trust me.”

  He whispered something and the room’s temperature dropped and ice began to form as someone I didn’t recognize walked into the room. It was a woman who could have been a female Luca, but she was more ethereal and covered in frost. A man stepped through the air after her and he towered over all of us. He barely looked like an elf at all.

  “Mother, Father, Conellar is awakening.” Luca looked calm but there was a tightness to his voice that sounded like he was barely holding it together.

  “What does that mean?” I asked over the din of the whipping wind that rolled through the room.

  They ignored me and the woman muttered, “This room isn’t cold enough.”

  “Luca!” I snarled and the man turned toward me, looking like he wanted to punch me. “If you need the cold, I can help, but I need to know what’s going on.”

  He looked to his parents and they nodded, his father speaking in a language I couldn’t comprehend, then the words shifted and I could understand him. “…Memorial the Unseelie awaken to their various gifts in a rush of heat and power. The cold is to help regulate his temperature so that he does not hurt himself or others. As a halfblood, we are not certain as to what that will mean for him. If we do not cool this room more, he may die.”

  His little body blushed red and I looked to Luca. “Take him.”

  “We don’t have time for this, Marcus. I have to find a way to—”

  I snarled and barked, “Take him, goddamnit!”

  His mother appeared beside me and took my son as Luca’s father trundled closer with his son as if they were going to try to control me.

  I closed my eyes and summoned my will. “Galaxy, you give me everything we’ve fucking got.”

  Bonds are opened wide. Pull, but be cautious of pulling too hard. Her voice could have very well been a whisper over the rush of blood in my ears.

  My son was probably dying because of his heritage and there was little I could do but this.

  “Raaaaaaaaarrrrrgh!” With all the fury in my body I cast Hoarfrost and willed the room around me to freeze. Ice splintered the air, the scent in the room changing to the harsh cold of winter in the span of a heartbeat. My mana depleted, rose as I took from Cassia, then Arden, then Merlin, and finally Amabala as I continued to pour everything into my mission.

  Within a moment, I dropped to my knees, spent and barely able to keep my eyes open. Warmth ran from my nose to my lips and over them as I watched the queen holding my son. Luca’s eyes were wide on me, his face in my vision as I tried to get him to worry about Connell.

  “Connell,” I managed as I fell forward and into darkness.

  Chapter Three

  I woke up immediately in the space inside my being which Galaxy called my mana sea. It was empty but slowly refilling. For as vast as the space felt, the pace it took felt slow, but droplets were coming to fill it bit by bit.

  Quite the feat of strength, little cousin. A voice that sounded somewhat familiar rang out around me from nowhere and everywhere at once.

  “Who are you?” I looked around and found nothing.

  Everything you once were and could become again, the voice said sweetly, sounding like a whispering breeze over my shoulder. You are so much more than a mere host to some goddess… we can show you the way.

  “I don’t need some stranger telling me what to do, thank you.” I folded my arms over my chest and glared into the darkness.

  Cute, coming from someone who relies on the enemy for power, the voice jeered and left.

  I blinked and the light that filtered into my eyes stung slightly, but I appeared to be back on the floor in the gym. Kenshi’s face drifted into view and then back out. “Bubba awake, Prince Luca.”

  I sat up slowly and grunted, “Connell?”

  Luca held out a hand and put it onto my chest. “He is alright, you helped him get through it.”

  I blinked and looked around, finding him about ten feet from me with the doctor checking his vitals. I noticed that his ears were darker and came to a point.

  “What happened?” I grumbled and turned to push myself to my feet. My mana was only in the single digits but it was there, at least, and not rising. I guessed that whatever had visited me had something to do with my ability to gather mana to myself? My stomach gurgled, and I almost thought it could have been tied to me not taking care of my body so soon after a massive use of power. But I wasn’t sure.

  “Well, you passed out and then his body began the awakening,” Luca explained as he rose from his crouch. “Like all children of halfblood descent, there’s a chance they will become full-blooded elves, but with him he seems to have awakened his elf blood, and something else.”

  Connell opened his eyes and from here I could see that they weren’t the same brown that I knew, but instead a vibrant and startling orange with an eerie glow to them. He turned his head and glanced at me, smiling. “I still see the kitty cat and the dragon.”

  Everyone in the room looked at the boy as if he was seeing things, but for me this was a real concern. How could he see them? Galaxy, come out as a cat, please?

  Once everyone else leaves the room, I will. She watched my son curiously from within me and asked, Do you know what could possibly be going on?

  Can you read my memories from just before I woke up? She shook her head and I frowned. I don’t think I’m entirely human myself.

  She stared at me from inside and I just continued to move toward my son as best I could. “Doc, he alright?”

  The doctor nodded, his eyes focusing on me. “He is, but how are you?”

  “I’m fine.” I grunted and looked around at all the shifters and Kenshi. “If any of you are in here after I get done counting down from ten, you’re going to meet Mako, my mount.”

  Kenshi seemed fine with it and the doctor did too, but that was only until Luca started to go for Connell and I put out a hand to stop him. “Eight… seven…”

  The other shifters hightailed it out of the room and even Kenshi moved toward the door until I finally said, “One. Mako.”

  A flex of my will sent a shiver into the air and the drake burst forth from where he had been as a tattoo on my forearm. He grunted and huffed at the air, much too large for the room to fit comfortably, which he let me know with a deep growl that made Luca and the other Fae’s eyes widen.

  “Is this what you saw, buddy?” I was calm in my question, but inside I was in turmoil as Galaxy stepped from my neck onto my shoulder in her cat form as Connell nodded.