"That sounds perfect," he said. He picked up a piece of beef tenderloin pizza and took a bite. "This is amazing."
"I'm glad you like it," I said. I took a sip of my wine, then set it down. We had important information to discuss, and I wanted to be completely sober when we did it. I wanted my mind to be completely clear as we had this discussion. "Bran, I need to ask you more questions. We have a lot to talk about."
"Of course," he said. He set down the little remaining portion of his pizza slice and leaned forward, his gray eyes fixed on mine. "And we need to discuss what happened to make this meeting so urgent."
"I was wondering if you could tell me more about goblins," I said. "And magic. And what Franklin and Eldora have been trying to do to me."
"Well, I can show you how to block magic from affecting you. It seems you already did it somewhat." He looked at me with his head cocked, and there was a flare of rage in his eyes, so powerful I leaned forward and touched his hand. He turned his over and enveloped my fingers in his. They were warm and dry. No sweaty palms for this gorgeous goblin.
"What is it?" I sipped my wine with my other hand, enjoying the feel of Bran stroking the back of my knuckles.
His gray eyes flashed as he studied me. "I see the remnants. Someone tried to spell you today?" His nostrils flared, and his grip on my hand tightened.
"Yes," I said, feeling a little shaky. I'd been trying not to think about it, but now that he asked, the fear was back. As if it had ever left. "Eldora called me to her office, tried to put a spell on me, to get me to tell her all about you and your friends. I basically had to fake it, twist the truth till it screamed, then pretend I had another headache. I told her the matchmaking stuff, that we went to the same agency, got matched, and all that. And said that Reynard had some paperwork for you. That's why he stopped by. No real names given,"
On the fly, I decided not to mention she’d also tried to sabotage any chance we might have for a relationship.
"Did she believe you?"
"I think so. I mean, she left after that." I shuddered. "She settled me in to rest for my headache and then I snuck out. I had to get out of there. I don't think I can face them again without ripping them a new one and offering lemon juice to help them clean up."
Bran leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his thick hair. "I'm sorry, Andromeda. I wish I could be there with you all the time, but I can't. I have to take care of both my friends and my people."
"I know," I said. "And I understand, truly." I picked up a perfect cube of gruyere and took a bite, enjoying the bite of the cheese, then set it back down. I'd lost my appetite. "So, can you really teach me how to block magic? Now that I can feel my magic?"
"Actually, I think you must've done it subconsciously today." He kept looking at me, but I soon realized he was looking... around me? Through me?
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
His mouth lifted in a crooked smile. "Examining the remnants of the spell. I can see her magical signature as clear as the nose on your face." He shuddered and focused on me again. "What's left looks tattered. I'll assume Eldora and Franklin can't see magic the way I can. Not even all goblins can, though it tends to be a goblin gift."
Interesting. There was so much to learn. "If everyone on Earth, uh Gaius, is denying magic, then surely none of us can see it? Though, Eldora. And Franklin."
He smiled at my mention of his name for this planet. "I'd assume the same. People certainly are good at avoiding what they don't want to see. What did you do today when she attempted to spell you?"
"Now that I can feel the magic, I grabbed it and wrapped it around me like a..." I searched for the word. "I guess like thin film all over me? But if I want to call it something, maybe I should think of it as a blanket. Or like a shawl."
His face brightened. "That's excellent! You're a natural. That's exactly what you need to do. It's probably good you didn't know, because if you only did one thin layer, she likely didn't feel the block. Doing more would be noticeable. If you're ever in a more direct, attack type situation, keep grabbing your magic and adding layers of it on. Every layer gives you more protection."
He nodded encouragingly. "Also, if you can feel the magic, make yours curve around you like a dome. That will make it act like a kind of deflector so that the spells move around you rather than hitting you head on."
I beamed at him, already imagining how I could do that. It was entirely possible, now that I’d figured out how to manipulate the magic around me. I was happy with that thought, but then sobered as I thought about what else I wanted to ask. "Bran, you said that some of your friends are in danger, and you asked for my help. What can I do? You need their reputations repaired?"
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's more complicated than that, Andromeda. It's the reputation of our entire species. And of the other peoples banished to Dream." He selected a black olive and took a bite. After a moment, he swallowed and looked at me. "When you think about Fae, what comes to mind?"
An elf running lightly over a plain sprang to mind. Movies and television series with lots of eye candy and CGI. "Um, mostly stuff from movies. Beautiful, tricky. Swathed in mystery."
"But do you get a good or bad feeling about them?"
I shrugged. "A little of both, I guess. They seem dangerous, though I suppose they feel overallgood."
"That's the opposite of the reaction we get from humans when the word ‘goblin’ is mentioned. They imagine us as horrible monsters, and they don't know what to think. There's never a good response to a goblin. In all the mythology and lore, goblins are horrible, disfigured, despicable creatures to be feared and killed."
I winced. "That's harsh."
Remembering a recent trilogy of movies and how nasty the creatures called goblins in them were, he had a point.
"Yes, it is. And it's why we're in danger. If humans ever find out about us, they would come for us. They would try to kill us all, because they think we would try to kill and eat them."
