“I think someone is planning to usurp my claim to Washington,” Dorios stated flatly. “Two of my most valuable people have already been murdered.”

Dean was quickly realizing whatever this man really was that he did not mince words. His actions up to this point had been almost lackadaisical until they sat down to talk business. Dean saw the mans face change from being friendly to that of strictly being business.

“Can you tell us who they were?” Aggie asked. A notepad and pen had magically appeared in his hands and he was poised to take fastidious notes.

“Druid Brother and his unnamed apprentice,” Doris said.

“Who would kill a Druid Brother?” Aggie asked rhetorically.

“That I don’t know, she was universally liked from what I knew and after her death, her apprentice went into solitaire prayer to take up her mantle,” Dorios said.

“The Druid Brother was a girl?” Dean asked confused.

“Member of the Brotherhood of Druids go by Druid Brother after spending years as a nameless apprentice,” Aggie began to lecture.

“They are also pacifists and generally respected as arbiters in the supernatural world,” Dorios added on. “Which is why I called you. We found evidence of fay magic around their bodies.”

“That is interesting,” Aggie replied as he took another sip of his poop coffee.

“Why is it interesting?” Dean asked. He had started reading primers on fay culture and history and their dealings with mortals.

“The fay founded the Brotherhood of Druids with children they stole and trained. Every druid can directly trace their lineage back to those children and a patron fay of the high courts,” Aggie said.

“The fay thinks of the druids as a kind of grandchild,” Dorios said. “Why doesn’t this kid know this Aggie,” Dorios asked.

“He has only been with me for a few months,” Aggie told Dorios. “He slipped through the cracks. His mother was mortal and his father is unknown for now.”

“I know who my dad is,” Dean said indignantly.

“I mean we haven’t found much on your dad to trace back your magic lineage,” Aggie said correcting himself.

Dean missed it but Dorios and Aggie shared a knowing look.

“The Fay are big on family and lineage so the fact that their magic was found around the two says a lot,” Dorios stated. “We tracked their magic to the underground near here but it ended when they moved into the Grimmlands.”

“What do you need us to do?” Aggie asked.

“I need you to find me the guilty parties but let me deal with them,” Dorios said with a little venom. “I can’t allow an attack on mine go unanswered less I will be seen weak and vulnerable.”

“Why don’t you investigate it then?” Dean asked.

As soon as he asked that he realized that he may have overstepped. He could feel Aggie tense up as he asked that question.

Dorios stared at Dean, a vein throbbing in his forehead. Dean stared at that vein watching it pulse faster and faster, his own heartbeat hammering in his chest. The memory of Dorios’s aura was still fresh and powerful in his mind. He could feel death breathing down his back as the reptile part of his brain screamed to escape. His vision became pinpricks as his senses expanded looking for any weapons to fight back with.

The nails in his pockets were burning embers in his mind’s eye as physically vibrated with his fear. Nails all around him started to show their presence to him as he felt them begin to struggle against their prisons. Wood beams began to groan. The drywall cracking as the nails pushed free.

Then a hand clasped his shoulder and all feeling of fear were washed away by a psychic presence calmed him. Dean suddenly felt exhausted as if he just ran a marathon, his heart still jackhammering in his chest. Just barely cognizant of his head resting on the table they sat at.

“Interesting power he has, but he should be careful in the presence of fay if he is that easy to goad,” Dorios said.

“We are working on it. He usually has better control than that but your presence is so much stronger than anything I could ever do,” Aggie replied.

As Dean sat there with his head on the table, he thought of the training he did with Aggie. How Aggie had explained that his power was closely tied to everything he had experience in life given force. His very essence was actually moving the nails and that could be attributed to almost anything. His soul, chi, psychic powers, or as was most commonly referred to as magic.

And as he thought about his reaction to whatever Dorios had done to him he couldn’t but help but think of his birthday all those years ago. How helpless he felt when that monster took his friend and then tried to take him. How the very air around the creature seemed to crackle with power as it loomed over him ready to devour him as it did Bo.

Dorios had that same domineering presence but he felt more controlled and dangerous. Dean finally began to understand all the warnings Aggie had given him. These being he would be dealing with could probably crush him with a mere thought. The thought of always kowtowing really bothered him though. If these creatures were so powerful but petty, were they really that strong?

That thought galvanized Dean’s spirit and he had to say something to Dorios. Or he would always feel weak and scared in his presence.

Sitting up straight in the booth Dean bowed his head and said, “I apologize for my uncouth words Dorios.” But he then looked up and stared Dorios straight in the eye, “But I will not be intimidated by anything to the point of mindless obedience. Don’t think I will ever be culled.”

With that Dorios turned red and erupted in laughter. His hand slamming the table so hard it threatened to spill their drinks. Aggie quickly scooped up his coffee making a quite indignant and cat like hissing noise.

“Good. Good my boy,” Dorios managed to choke out between body shaking laughter.

Dean couldn’t help but smile in self satisfaction at Dorios reaction. But without even looking he could feel Aggie's disapproval. He could only hope that whatever Dorios was that he wouldn’t hold a grudge.

As Dorios reigned in his mirth he couldn’t help but smile at Dean as he said, “After I have my vengeance on whoever attacked my people. I will help with your control issues and maybe help you stay alive a little longer than you should.”

Dean couldn’t tell if there was a threat hidden behind a thin veil or if Dorios was being honest with helping him. He could only pray that Dorios’s smile was genuine as was the offer.

“Thanks but I think Aggie is a little annoyed with me right now,” Dean said.

“I think he is annoyed with both of us,” Dorios said. “Probably talked about how you should be a model of rectitude.”

“He should act with some integrity and décor,” Aggie said haughtily. “Just because you are not so enamored with yourself that others won’t be so forgiving,” Aggie continued.

Dorios nodded his head in agreement with that adding, “Wise words I wish I was given when I was young.”

Dean felt as if there was a story behind that statement and wanted to know more. Dorios didn’t look that old but he knew Aggie was at least 800 years old by his own admittance. So how old could Dorios be?

Before Dean could ask, Dorios motioned to the man behind the counter to come forth.

“Santiago here will lead you to where we tracked the assailant,” Dorios said as Santiago walked up holding a manilla folder. “Everything we know has been compiled for you but it's not much. Druid Brother and nameless were my main mages and without them, my hedge mages weren’t as useful.”

Aggie took the manilla folder from Santiago shoving it into his suit jacket.

“I’m sure that whatever they found will be useful but I would like to see the sites they were murdered before tainting my views,” Aggie said.

“Of course you would Holmes,” Dorios said with a smirk.

“You won’t ever let that go will you,” Aggie said with a sigh.

“Never,” Dorios replied barely holding back laughter.

Dean sat there wanting to hear more about Aggie's past. Dorios would be a veritable treasure trove of stories he assumed.

As if reading Dean’s mind Aggie said, “Stories you will never share with my apprentice unless you want me to share yours, DORIOS.” Aggie emphasized Dorios’s name as if that would be a clue.

Dorios just leaned back and said, “You figured that one out did you?”

“Yes and more. We all like to keep our histories secret, don’t we?” Aggie said.

“We do,” Dorios replied. “And if you will excuse me, my break is over.”

Dorios stood and walked back as people started to walk in. Dean sat there perplexed about what type of man would work at Starbucks while being so powerful that he controlled a whole state.

“You shouldn’t think too hard about Dorios and his proclivities,” Aggie said. “He has lived longer than even some gods and still managed to keep a semblance of his humanity. He is a strange one.”

“How old is he then,” Dean asked interestedly.

“That is something he will tell you in his own time. Particularly if you figure out some of his histories without him having to share it,” Aggie told Dean. “When being become as old as us our stories begin to shape us more than we shape our stories.”

“What does that mean,” Dean asked.

“It means this conversation is over,” Aggie said.

With that Aggie ushered Dean out of the booth so they could begin Dorios’s request.