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Trinity
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"You are Trinity?"
"As in, the Trinity?" The two men before me were speaking as if I was some kind of legend.
"I didn't know that I was so famous among the Fae. That is, unless there is another person that I don't know about who lives here within the Fae realm and they're also named Trinity."
"No, to my knowledge there is only one Fae named Trinity.." Sterling, who was now able to sit up and support his own body since he was healed, answered me with a serious expression.
"The only Trinity that has ever come to the land of the Fae is the Queen's niece, Valerian's descendant. Is that who you are?" Alloy asked me with wonder in his voice.
"Well, I see that my reputation has preceded me." I laughed a little at his words. "I am indeed that Trinity."
"So, you are a Queen?"
"Queen of the shifters and the magic users?" These men, when one of them wasn't dying, seemed to be in perfect unison with each other.
"That I am."
"And you have been personally blessed by two of the celestials?" Sterling was acting like someone meeting a celebrity that they admired.
"Three actually." I smiled at him and pulled the collar of my shirt down just a little bit. "Last Yule celebration, I was blessed by Danu."
When the men in front of me saw the mark, and heard the name of their goddess, it was like they had been struck in the face. The shock that was written on their faces and the trembling in their eyes only got worse.
"Danu?"
"The mother Goddess?"
"How can that be?"
"Why would she bless someone aside from Queen Gloriana?" That little exchange started with Sterling, and the two of them alternated until they had said what they needed to.
"Well, I was summoned by Danu and asked to protect Aunt Glory and Athair mòr, that is the simplest way to explain it." I never let the smile slip from my face as I spoke to them. I wanted to let them know that I was not an enemy.
"Protect Gloriana?" Sterling sounded shocked. "Is she in danger as well? Is what happening in the city going to get her hurt?" I saw pain in his eyes as he thought about that.
"No, she cannot be in danger. She is powerful, what could possibly get to her?" Alloy sounded like he didn't quite believe his own words.
"That is what I am trying to find out."
I know that the firm look I gave them when I answered made them think that I suspected them. I could tell they thought they were in trouble because of the reactions they had to those words and that firm look of mine.
"N..no. We didn't do it." Alloy stammered.
"We're innocent." Sterling added.
"You cannot think that we would ever hurt Gloriana or Valerian. They are our friends."
"I know they are." I nodded at them, trying to let them know that I understood.
"Then why? Why are you here for us?" Alloy was getting angry again, just like he had been earlier. I could tell that anger was his response when he was afraid of something.
"I am not here for you." I tried to assure him.
"Yeah, right. You came here to either kill us or arrest us." He was backing away from me, then, trying to drag Sterling who was quite a bit taller than him. He was trying to get the two of them away from me.
"I assure you that I am not here for that." I stood and looked at the two of them, they had fear in their eyes. They knew that I was powerful, nearly as powerful as the Fae Queen herself. They knew that they would most likely die if it came to a true fight between us.
"I don't believe you. You're on the same side as Hibiscus."
"Calm down, Alloy." Sterling tried to sooth the man. "We do not know that she is here for that reason."
"How can she not be. She came from the city after all."
"I assure you that I am in no way on the same side as Hibiscus. However, I seem to be the only person investigating this crime who doesn't believe that Hibiscus was just an innocent bystander. I believe there is more that she is not telling us."
"Y..you truly are not siding with her?" Alloy paused in his struggle to pull the larger man away.
"No, I am not siding with her. Actually, I want to use the two of you to help me prove that she is guilty. I know that she has a bigger part in all of this than she is letting on.
"If that is the case, then Alloy and I are with you. I wish to let everyone know what it was that she did to me. She nearly killed me, while wielding my own sword against me no less."
"She will pay, won't she?" Alloy didn't quite believe me yet.
"She most definitely will." I nodded at him and smirked as I thought about proving that she was behind all of this.
"Then we will come with you."
Now, instead of trying to pull Sterling away, Alloy was helping him to his feet so that he could stand. I saw that Sterling was around maybe five feet ten inches tall, somewhere in that range, while Alloy was maybe five foot seven inches tall. The difference wasn't as big as I initially thought it was. However, Sterling was a little more masculine with more muscle definition, which made him seem a lot bigger than the thin and slight Alloy.
"We will come with you if it means that we can tell everyone that Hibiscus lied and tried to kill us." Sterling wrapped his arm around Alloy's shoulders and held the smaller man against his side.
"That is good. I believe that we should get back as soon as we can. Something tells me that there is danger awaiting Aunt Glory and Athair mòr in the city. I need to hurry and finish this mission as soon as possible."
"Then, let us go."
Together, the three of us walked toward the edge of the clearing and back toward the shed that I had come in through.