The entity spoke. “We are fae.” Its voice was accompanied by a gentle hum and a flickering of the light behind the visor of its helmet.

  Phea and Falia merely nodded to Kate and got to work.

  Kate responded to the fae. “Greetings. I assume you are here for a reason?”

  “Yes.”

  “I will guide you to one of our conference rooms and await the arrival of the High Inquisitor who is authorized to talk to you.”

  “Good.”

  “You understand that we have to take certain precautions? Your own warnings about yourself were quite clear that you are a danger to humans, and this is a pce frequented by them.”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, then follow me.”

  Kate led the mysterious and strange fae into the first conference room and sat down across from it at the table. It did not sit down, instead it spoke. Again, its voice was accompanied by a hum.

  “Your presence has been requested. Remain with us while negotiations with the High Inquisitor commence.” The voice was remarkably calming and almost reassuring. Kate didn’t like that.

  “Okay, sure.”

  After another prolonged moment of silence, Azazel arrived together with four of the other inquisitors. Death, War, Famine and Pestilence immediately took up guarding positions around the room.

  “Kate, hi. Sariel has secured the library, Apollyon will join us here shortly. The others are on high alert. Thanks for contacting us immediately.”

  “Of course. Falia and Phea?”

  “Helping Sariel.”

  “Good, thank you.”

  “You can leave this to us now.”

  Kate shook her head. “The fae have requested my presence during this, I would rather not disappoint.”

  Azazel turned to the fae. “You did request her here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay then. Let’s get this going then. I don’t know your opinion on pleasantries, but you caused quite the ruckus. Your people’s warnings have been heeded and we have prepared for your arrival accordingly.”

  “Good.” It paused. “We have not come in malice.”

  “Alright, that’s good. Why are you here then?”

  “You have removed the needles.”

  “Okay, before we get to that, do you have a name?”

  “We are fae.”

  “Yes, we know. But the fae we are talking to... do you have a name for that specific fae.”

  “We are all fae.”

  “Alright… You aren’t happy we removed the needles, right?”

  “Incorrect.”

  “I did not expect that. So, what do we do with the needles now? I was prepared to return them to you.”

  “The needles are yours. Do with them as you will.”

  “Why are you here then?”

  “To express gratitude. To request.”

  “May I?” Kate looked at Azazel.

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  “I’m not quite sure I understand. You made the needles, why are you happy they’re gone?”

  “The needles served their purpose.” The slit on the visor narrowed. “The needles are symbols of failure.”

  “Failure?”

  “Our failure.” The slit widened again. “You may learn from them. Learn from us.” The fae turned its helmet to look down at the table where it created a book from thin air.

  “A book?”

  “Yes.”

  “About your failure, right?”

  “Yes. Learn.”

  “Thank you.”

  The fae did not respond but looked at Kate for a few moments.

  Azazel spoke up again. “You said something about a request.”

  “Yes.”

  “What do you request?”

  “Communication.”

  “We would be open for that, yes. How do you propose we keep communicating? We can’t access your realm.”

  “Ambassadors in this realm. Create a pce to speak and we will come.”

  “That we can do. But what about humanity? They will eventually learn about our dealings here.”

  The hum was longer before the voice set in this time. “Humanity is irrelevant.”

  “Respectfully, I disagree.”

  “They are a dying people. You are unwilling to save them.”

  Azazel look down and sighed. “I know what you are saying and I hate that you are right.”

  Kate shook her head. “Why not save them yourself? This is your world too and all you did was leave humanity to cause a mess. We tried our hand at guiding them, isn’t it your turn now?”

  Azazel stared at her friend. “Kate?!”

  “My questions stand.”

  The fae narrowed its visor and took a moment to answer. When it did, the visor widened again. “Knowledge of our history is in your hands. We are incapable of doing what you ask of us.”

  “Did you even try?”

  “Yes. We failed.”

  “That’s all I wanted to know, thank you. Az?”

  Azazel sighed again. Before she could say anything, Apollyon entered the room.

  “Apologies for my teness. What did I miss?”

  “Kate just asked the most complicated question ever, but I suppose we will deal with that another day. The fae are here not to take the needles back but to leave them with us and they want to establish contact with us through some form of ambassador in this world. We were also gifted this tome of their history.”

  “I see.” She turned to the fae. “I have questions, will you answer them?”

  The fae looked at Apollyon. “Yes.”

  “Good. Azazel, may I?”

  The High Inquisitor simply nodded.

  “Alright then. Your warnings describe you as a massive danger to humans and mortals of any kind. What danger do you pose?”

  “Many have no patience for inexperience.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  The fae took a moment to look at the old devil. “We would be feared. They will end each other because of us. You know you pose the same danger.”

  “We do, yes. You want to leave the needles with us but only ever came here after they were removed. I can’t help but to see a connection there.”

  “The answers have been provided.”

  “In the book?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright. I will take a look at it before we meet again. Who knows what other questions come up.”

  Azazel nodded in agreement. “We should reconvene once we have worked through the tome you provided.”

  “Yes.” The fae lowered its head in agreement.

  “Is there any way we can tell you when we are ready to talk more?”

  “Instructions have been given.”

  “In the book?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright. That will be it then for today. Thank you for coming here and talking to us.”

  “There is a question.”

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  “Do you have knowledge of the one who does not exist in worlds?”

  “Jolene? Yes.”

  “We will reconvene soon.” The fae simply left, vanishing as it existed the room.

  The three demons looked at each other in general confusion. Kate spoke first.

  “That was totally not what I expected.”

  “Calling it a surprise would be an understatement.” Apollyon sat down.

  “So, what now?”

  “I suggest we read what the fae gave us. Maybe that will answer a few questions.”

  Azazel got up. “I trust you two to do that for now. I will go over it ter, but I need to make sure this pce is no longer in lockdown and people can go back to their lives.”

  “Of course. Kate, shall we begin?”

  Kate nodded.

  A few hours ter, Kate closed the tome again. “I feel like I am reading too much into this.”

  Apollyon raised an eyebrow. “There is much between the lines here, anything in specific?”

  “Yes… no? I don’t know. Just… I am reading this right that the fae anticipated an asteroid hitting earth, I guess the one that killed the dinosaurs? That would make sense timewise. So, they withdrew into a pocket of space they made to hide. The needles were left behind because the suits they use to enter this world again provide the same function, being able to use magic. That’s also why the needles worked for humans.”

  “Yes, and they left the needles behind because their new realm was designed to allow them to use magic without the need for those devices.”

  “Then why do they care that we take them? The fae said that they were thankful and that they considered the needles a failure on their part.”

  “I guess that has something to do with the reason they made the needles in the first pce.”

  “I’m going to just wildly theorize here, I might be totally wrong. The way we were asked about Jolene and the fae leaving so quickly without saying anything afterwards makes me think that they found out about magic, the ability to shape reality, after finding out about Jolene. Maybe they intended to copy her power over reality and built the needles to facilitate that. Maybe that led to disaster?”

  “Possible. If they have left the needles for a potential new species, which turned out to be humanity, why not intervene sooner?”

  “They said they tried to save humanity from itself but failed.”

  “Hm. I have a specution as well. It is merely based on a feeling, but…” Apollyon hesitated. “It feels wrong to me to say that the angels and the sorcerer king used the needles to imprison Lilith simply because it was convenient. I get the feeling they knew more than we did.”

  “I don’t like where that thought is going. And I like it even less that I agree with you.”