Free Of Gods and Fae by Tom Keller

ways."
    "Well, that was subtle," Diantha whispered in my
ear.
    I gave her a little poke and then followed everyone into the
house.
    "So do you have a plan?" Siegfried asked as he and
Gerda sat down at the table.
    "A semblance of one," I answered, pouring another
cup. I filled a carafe and grabbed some mugs and took them to the table. "Since
I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do, I'm gonna have to wing it some.
But I would like to take a little time and get a feel for the place, as well as
the Fae that live there, before I announce myself."
    "Gerda, are you familiar with the normal process of
succession?" Siegfried asked, turning to his companion, his features
turning thoughtful.
    "Among these Dryad specifically? No." She paused
and poured herself a cup of coffee. "I have never heard of a male leader
of the Dryad. The Dryad use the right of primogeniture. That is, first born to
first born. It has always been from mother to daughter, or even further down
the line, depending on the life of the inheritor, but always to a female of the
line.
    "To be honest, that is why I asked to accompany you.
Most successions among these branches of the Fae are quite elaborate affairs
and yours would be unique. They occur so infrequently, unless, of course,
caused by war, but such has not happened since The Fall ."
    "Well, I'm not sure what we can expect, although I am
family. Truth is, at best, I'm the black sheep, so don’t expect an elaborate
affair."
    "A black sheep…?" Gerda asked, looking confused.
    "An idiom," Siegfried said. "One the humans
use to describe a, let us say… disreputable… member of the family."
    Diantha stifled a laugh.
    "Oh, I believe I understand," Gerda said with a
smile. "An interesting description." She paused and glanced at
Siegfried, who gave an almost imperceptible nod, before she continued. "Would
you like me to tell you what I believe you should do?"
    This was a set up if I ever heard one, but, hey, these folks
were as close to advisors as I'd ever get. "Yes, I think I would."
    She stood up and removed her cloak. I could see that her
hair reached down to the small of her back and was bound in a leather tie. She
carried a sword and dagger and who knows what else in the slightly bulging
pouches along the sides of her leather bodice.
    "From what I have been told by Siegfried, we go to the
Fae land that is yours by birthright. Yet you have been denied your heritage
due to the laws set down by your ancestors. As such, you must take possession
as if won in battle. Announce your birthright and offer challenge to those that
would deny it. Kill those that challenge you openly, this is the way of the
Gods."
    "I was kind of hoping to be a little more subtle, at
least at the start. But trust me, my grandmother was banished and gave up her
magic because of me, so I can’t believe it will be simple. But I promised
Meredith that I wouldn’t start a war," I said, eyeing Siegfried. "So
we'll just have to hope it doesn't come to that. Still, it's only going to be
us. I'm not taking an army in, although I do have a few aces up my sleeve."
I reached down and pulled my sword out, still minimized in its hilt, and laid
it on the table. "But I think we can handle whatever comes up."
    "It is true then," Gerda said, her eyes resting on
the hilt. "You carry the sword of Zeus."
    "I do, but I would still prefer not to have to use it
on kin."
    "Noble," Siegfried said, jumping into the
conversation. "Then we will hope it will not come to that. Tell me, what
do you think your aunt will do?"
    "I'm not sure. She was friendly enough when she came to
meet me. She's always treated me like family, or at least human family, so I'm
thinking that she'll accept me. I hope so anyway. I'd like to leave her in
charge if I can.
    "Actually, I'm more worried about Marissa's followers
or sympathizers. Like the recent attack, I can't believe she didn’t have a part
in the decision to remove me, or at least help in planting the seed." I
poured myself