Of Gods and Fae Read Online Free PDF

all. Oh, I knew of him before, but in
those days it was Meredith that was the better known Fae. But it was he that
first led the Fae to the casinos and realized we could harness the magic and
begin our return to these lands.
    "If the FBI hadn't come down on the mobsters so quickly
we would have infiltrated them all and owned this town, as the humans would say.
But as it was we were able to slowly take control of key businesses and cement
our place here. "Humans," he noted. "The right hand doesn't know
what the left hand is doing. So afraid the general populace will learn of us
that they do not even tell most of their own agents about us. As if we would
allow that to happen." He said with a laugh and then paused and took a sip
from his glass.
    "But back to the story at hand. I believe I first met
her sometime in the early '50s, must have been '52 or so. There are several
reasons that I can recall her so vividly. The first is because of what I later
found out, she was a Dryad. She was the first Dryad, hell, the only Dryad I'd
seen here outside of the old world until you came along. The second reason is
that, like you, I didn’t know she was a Fae at first, very unusual at the time.
But if she is a High Fae, then that would account for it."
    He got up from the couch and went over to Milagre's bar.
Pouring himself another drink he gestured to me, I shook my head.
    "So what else was special about her?" I asked,
hoping to learn something that might be useful. As I mentioned, Diantha had
told me that Marissa had been in Vegas sometime in the '60s or '70s, if
Cornwall was correct, she'd been here some 10 to 15 years earlier as well.
    "Well," he replied, returning to his spot on the
sofa. "As I said, I didn’t find out until later that she was a Fae. But
the rumor at the time was, that someone, and I now believe it to be her, was
searching for a Dragon, among other things."
    "A Dragon? Why would she be searching for a Dragon here?"
I asked skeptically.
    Cornwall stifled a laugh. "Come now, surely you know
the power a Dragon could wield. Alive they could be a powerful ally. Even if
dead there is much that can be utilized in magic. Take your friend, Diantha, what
would she be were it not for a Dragon? But why she was searching for one here I
cannot say. I am not aware of any ever leaving the old worlds. But, as I said,
the magic was growing here. Who knows what it could have attracted?"
    "I'm sorry," I replied. "It just caught me
off guard." Score another point for Cornwall. But what he was saying was
true. Diantha, the former Oracle of Delphi, owed her youth and beauty to a Dragon's
eye that had been gifted her by Apollo. Although she was now basically
immortal, she had been turned into an old woman when the jeweled eye was stolen
from her. It was I that restored her beauty when I returned it to her after
receiving it from an acquaintance of Milagre. That act had cemented her loyalty
to me.
    "Of course," he said, continuing. "I found all
this out later, but I was told that she had been staying at a rooming house in
the old Formyle area. Next to where Roxie's was before it was shut down. I
believe there was at least one rather large oak tree there, next to the poplars,
which would make sense for a Dryad. That is another interesting point, as I
heard about this at about the same time that the old brothel burned down.
Perhaps she found her Dragon after all."
    I knew the place he was talking about. It was a piece of old
Vegas history. Roxie's had been a rather infamous brothel that got shut down
after it had been raided by the Feds in around '54. The place where it had been
located was just a dirt lot bordered by the freeway and a motel these days, but
the rooming house was still there, as were many of the trees.
    "You said she was searching for a Dragon, among
other things . What else was she searching for?" I asked.
    He stood and looked down at me for a moment before replying.
"Why do you wish to free the Lilin," he asked.
    I shook my