and down and he’d started to pace.
“Shit.” His father abruptly switched back to English and stopped directly in front of Justin. “I’m sorry, son. That’s not exactly the way I would have wanted you to find out.”
“Yeah, well, there were extenuating circumstances.”
His dad frowned. “Oh? What the hell’s going on?”
“First explain to me about this whole god thing, Dad. I’m having a little trouble wrapping my head around that one. I mean, are you human? Am I human? Or something else entirely? Where do you come from?”
“That’s a question none of us can answer,” his father said. “We simply are.”
“But the folletti and the salbinelli and the Lucani ?” he pressed. “Where do they come from? Are we all related on a cellular level? How does it work?”
His dad’s expression turned rueful. “You always did want to know how things worked. Could never get you to stop asking questions as a child. Nearly drove your mother insane until you learned to read when you were five and we bought you that set of encyclopedias.
87
Stephanie Julian
“I can’t really tell you how it works because no one really knows. Not even me, son.
I may be a god but I still don’t have all the answers.
“What I can tell you is that there is magic in the world, magic that the Fata and the Enu can control to varying degrees. We know that Fata such as the folletti can mate with humans and produce children who either have wings or do not. Enu like the streghe , the Tuscan witches, and the versipelli can control the same powers of the earth as the Fata .”
His brain trying to cram in all the information, Justin held up his hand. “So the Enu and the Fata are the magical races of the world?”
Smiling, his dad shook his head. “Just as there are different varieties of humans, there are different varieties of magical beings. In Ireland, they have leprechauns.
They’re called lauru in Italy. The English have their fairies and we have folletti .
“The members of the pantheons are all different entities, though there are many similarities between them. Norse, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Hindi—” His father held up his hand before Justin could ask the question forming in his brain. “Don’t even go there, son. The Christians are a scary lot. Better to leave that question unanswered.”
His temples throbbing, Justin realized he was nearing info overload. “Ya know, I’m starting to think that old saying ‘Be careful what you wish for’ is right on the money.”
His dad shrugged. “Some of us believe that deities were born directly from the need for a higher power. That we’re created from the same earth, sky, water and air from which all else springs. Others just don’t care. Being a deity is good enough for them.”
Justin shook his head. “But people don’t worship them anymore.”
“There are still those who believe, son. And there are the magical races to protect.
We’re still needed, still of use.”
Okay, he could understand most of that. But now here came the sixty-thousand-dollar question. “So where does that leave me, Dad?”
“Human,” his dad said. “We’re not really sure how it works but because your mother is human, her genes supersede mine. Strange, huh? And when you were a baby, 88
Seduced by Magic
I was able to hide your magical genes, if you will. You’ll have extended life, possibly several hundred years. Your intelligence is higher than the average human genius. And you may have powers that haven’t manifested themselves yet.”
Well, that sounded interesting. “Like what?” Justin urged when his dad paused.
“My genes are in the mix, son, but they’re buried. Sometimes those latent abilities become viable. And sometimes they can be called forth. But that’s a dangerous path.
The transformation could kill you. I’ve lost children because of this, son, children who should have known better.”
His dad’s expression hardened and Justin saw pain in his
“Shit.” His father abruptly switched back to English and stopped directly in front of Justin. “I’m sorry, son. That’s not exactly the way I would have wanted you to find out.”
“Yeah, well, there were extenuating circumstances.”
His dad frowned. “Oh? What the hell’s going on?”
“First explain to me about this whole god thing, Dad. I’m having a little trouble wrapping my head around that one. I mean, are you human? Am I human? Or something else entirely? Where do you come from?”
“That’s a question none of us can answer,” his father said. “We simply are.”
“But the folletti and the salbinelli and the Lucani ?” he pressed. “Where do they come from? Are we all related on a cellular level? How does it work?”
His dad’s expression turned rueful. “You always did want to know how things worked. Could never get you to stop asking questions as a child. Nearly drove your mother insane until you learned to read when you were five and we bought you that set of encyclopedias.
87
Stephanie Julian
“I can’t really tell you how it works because no one really knows. Not even me, son.
I may be a god but I still don’t have all the answers.
“What I can tell you is that there is magic in the world, magic that the Fata and the Enu can control to varying degrees. We know that Fata such as the folletti can mate with humans and produce children who either have wings or do not. Enu like the streghe , the Tuscan witches, and the versipelli can control the same powers of the earth as the Fata .”
His brain trying to cram in all the information, Justin held up his hand. “So the Enu and the Fata are the magical races of the world?”
Smiling, his dad shook his head. “Just as there are different varieties of humans, there are different varieties of magical beings. In Ireland, they have leprechauns.
They’re called lauru in Italy. The English have their fairies and we have folletti .
“The members of the pantheons are all different entities, though there are many similarities between them. Norse, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Hindi—” His father held up his hand before Justin could ask the question forming in his brain. “Don’t even go there, son. The Christians are a scary lot. Better to leave that question unanswered.”
His temples throbbing, Justin realized he was nearing info overload. “Ya know, I’m starting to think that old saying ‘Be careful what you wish for’ is right on the money.”
His dad shrugged. “Some of us believe that deities were born directly from the need for a higher power. That we’re created from the same earth, sky, water and air from which all else springs. Others just don’t care. Being a deity is good enough for them.”
Justin shook his head. “But people don’t worship them anymore.”
“There are still those who believe, son. And there are the magical races to protect.
We’re still needed, still of use.”
Okay, he could understand most of that. But now here came the sixty-thousand-dollar question. “So where does that leave me, Dad?”
“Human,” his dad said. “We’re not really sure how it works but because your mother is human, her genes supersede mine. Strange, huh? And when you were a baby, 88
Seduced by Magic
I was able to hide your magical genes, if you will. You’ll have extended life, possibly several hundred years. Your intelligence is higher than the average human genius. And you may have powers that haven’t manifested themselves yet.”
Well, that sounded interesting. “Like what?” Justin urged when his dad paused.
“My genes are in the mix, son, but they’re buried. Sometimes those latent abilities become viable. And sometimes they can be called forth. But that’s a dangerous path.
The transformation could kill you. I’ve lost children because of this, son, children who should have known better.”
His dad’s expression hardened and Justin saw pain in his
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