Excerpt: Life Among the Faire Folk

Party in the yard
Jae stared at her odd guests.
The gargoyle was sitting, all three feet of him, sprawled against the base of the tree, wings spread out behind him, while he drank out of a large bottle of what looked like rum.
Having seen the gargoyle all over the faire, Jae was sure this was the same one, but watching him move - and drink - was very confusing.
In a darker corner, something was sitting on the bench. She had no way to describe it except as big, and dark, with long fur that moved and shifted as if it was breezy in the yard. It had a large head, with what looked like curving black horns, and powerful arms with black hands that ended in claws. It was like something out of a horror movie, and it was handing a bottle to a red haired, bearded man she had seen on the grounds, dressed all in green, who talked with an Irish accent.
And the faery she’d seen in the jar at the Pickled Faeries display was standing next to the gargoyle: at about three and a half feet tall, he had a beard all the way down his chest and that acorn cap shaped hat, and big, round eyes.
For a moment conversation stopped, and then Morgan smiled at her.
“Grab a mug, m’dear, and come on out and drink w’ us for a while,” he slurred, tapping the little keg, “We’ve got some really hard cider.”
Jae opened the door cautiously. The gold, purple and green lights were not the lights strung in the trees, these were glowing balls about the size of the palm of your hand, that flitted around the yard, there looked to be about eight of them, and the centers of the light flickered and moved.
She let the door shut behind her and stood on the porch, taking it all in.
Raven nodded at her from across the little yard, then stood up.
“I should introduce you, I don’t think you’ve met all my fine friends,” he told her.
“Morgan you know,” he said, nodding towards the aqua man to her right, who was offering her a pewter mug of something he’d poured from the keg.
“And his cousin here, Soot.” Raven gave the gargoyle a look, “Mind your manners, and put your other self on.”
The gargoyle, who Jae suddenly realized was not only naked but very decidedly male, shook himself, and in a shimmer of beige and blue grew into the bulky blue skinned partner of Morgan’s, now wearing knee length breeches and a short vest. She quickly stopped staring at his pants, and looked up, only to find the fanged man smiling broadly at her.
Raven nodded to the little man, “This is our old friend, Acorntop, oh, he’s got other names, but unless you speak old Welsh, Acorn is much easier.”
“I think I’ve seen you around,” Jae told the man, and he just nodded seriously, then stuck his tongue out at her and laughed.
“And you’ve probably seen Padraig around,” Raven said.
Padraig, the man with the very red hair and green clothing gave Jae a formal bow, “Oh, aye,” he said, “For sure.”
Then Raven motioned to her, “Come on over, slowly now.” He met her a few steps off the porch and led her to the big black furred creature.
“And this is our friend Dark,” Raven said, putting a hand out to smooth the creature’s fur. Comparing the two in height, Jae realized the creature was about eight feet fall, and while he had a vaguely human shape, his legs ended in dark hooves, and he had furred, goat like ears on the sides of his furred face. His eyes were slit and cat like, and Raven took Jae’s hand and held it closer to the creature as if to let him smell her.
“Dark, this is our good friend Jae, should you happen to meet some time, alone, in the night.”
The creature fixed its inhuman gold eyes on her then nodded, slowly, and reached out a sharp claw to tilt up her chin to take a closer look.
Raven smiled.
“And of course my dear, uh, brother, Finn.” He turned back to the other man in the chair, towing Jae behind him.
She had finished off at least five beers by her own count and was tired, but somehow the man looked very familiar.
Finn stood, quickly, and offered her a courtly bow.
“You were quite right, Raven, very nice. Her eyes are almost exactly the same color and while her hair is a little darker, I think she could pass for a cousin at the least.”
Finn’s voice had a sort of accent, but it was more the way he used his words that reminded Jae of Raven. But somehow he came off less intimidating.
“So, Jaelynn Kramer, welcome to our little evening’s entertainment,” he told her, “I hope you don’t mind, it is your yard, but it’s private, and quiet and I had hoped you would show up.”
Raven smiled. “Now have a seat, and try some of this good cider,” he nodded towards the mug that Morgan offered, shooing one of the floating lighted globes when it got too close to his head. “How was your day?”