“It was only when Daniel was sent to Iraq that the answers he was seeking about both Drake and that mysterious common ancestor of most Casters literally fell into his hands.”
“That Iraqi woman, Mrs. Al Farhan?” That was the Frau.
I nodded. “He had no idea that two great mysteries he was trying to puzzle out were actually related, literally. But once Mrs. Al Farhan came under his control, and once she offered up her knowledge of Drake in an attempt to gain her freedom, Daniel couldn’t resist...taking it from her in some very unpleasnat ways.”
Cerrydwen’s eyes narrowed as she broke into the narrative. “You mean he raped that poor woman in just about every way that can be done.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, he raped her...brutally raped her...in a number of ways, all of which are now resting in my memories. Once he learned that she had the Talent that she did, and that she had the chance to use the Talent on Drake, his greed to know more and more became unquenchable.”
Ravyn piped in now. “That’s still no excuse for what he did to her!”
I held up my hands. “True. Trust me, I am offering up no excuses for that wretched excuse of a man. But, because of what he did, I have a much fuller understanding of Drake’s history and just how great this challenge is going to be. I have pieced together a good portion of his history now between Mrs. Al Farhan, Daniel’s memories, Ma Grendel’s memories and Drake’s own statements to me over time. It makes for a Hell of story, one I’m not sure I entirely believe, but one that I need to tell you all so that you can see what exactly it is that we are facing. I will also then tie it in to what Daniel then learned of the genetic question he had been pursuing.
“Drake was born between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago in the ancient city-state of Ur, one of the first great cities to rise in Mesopotamia, the place we now know of as Iraq. His mother was a powerful society woman who was also a secret priestess of Tiamat, the great She-Dragon of middle eastern mythology. Her Order was actually forbidden by the ruling powers in the city, since Tiamat was seen as a powerful evil force and as representing primal chaos.
“His mother, however, was in no real danger due to her membership in that Order because she was the mistress of one of the most powerful men in the city, the King’s most trusted general and advisor- a man who went by the name of Dracaar. This would have made Drake a very powerful man in his own right, except that things are even stranger than that. It turns out that his father was no mere human. His father was a being of the same ilk as Ma Grendel...one of a number of such beings who have taken on human guises over the years and even mated with humans.”
The Frau furrowed her brow, parsed her lips and spoke up. “A creature of Ma Grendel’s strength would have been seen pretty much as a god at that time.”
“Indeed. From those memories of hers that I still have, Ma Grendel herself has been worshipped in many societies as a powerful goddess and feared in even more as a demoness. Those memories also show that her exploits have become the basis for a number of myths and legends. We even continue to refer to her even now by a name that one of her children acquired through the legend of Beowulf.”
It was the Professor’s turn to scratch his head and chime in. “So, you’re saying that Drake’s father was a god-like creature similar in power to that of this Ma Grendel you fought in New York. Wouldn’t that make Drake a demi-god of sorts? That might explain why he appears to be almost unkillable.”
“Yes and no. When Mrs. Al Farhan touched Drake, she absorbed much of this early history from him, but she also learned that his apparent immortality is something that he acquired only when he learned how to utilize the Talent that he actually had. You see, his father actually considered Drake a failure because he didn’t seem to have any of the magickal talents that most children of such unions had. He sent the young Drake away from Ur to serve in the army as a foot soldier since he didn’t have the apparent talent to become anything more useful.
“But it was in the course of that life as a soldier that Drake discovered his Talent. He had a unique ability to control his body, even down to a cellular level. Utilizing that Talent to its fullest extent however, came with a terrible price...”
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
Conclave...Part 5
I stopped speaking for a moment, taking time to look at each of my companions before dropping the bombshell that was about to come out. Each of them was clearly absorbed in what I had been saying, but they all seemed to sense that a change was coming as well.
I leaned forward a little bit, looking down at the floor before continuing. “Daniel Bernstein had the goods on Drake, right down to a genetic profile of the man that identified a very scary fact, one that may impact each of you. Mrs. Al Farhan is not the only known relative of Drake.”
Ravyn piped in. “What? Who else is related to that abominable man?”
“Well, darling, you are almost definitely related to him, probably less distantly than most other Casters, given how strong your talent is.”
“You can’t be serious! Can you?”
I held up my hands at sounds of derision and anger that everyone was starting to make. “Unfortunately, I am. But let me explain a little bit.”
They all settled back, most with looks of confusion or doubt clearly expressed on their faces.
“Daniel was first and foremost, a first class geneticist. He actually had a number of different specialties for a man his age, but his true love of science fell in the field of genetics. He was doing a lot of work for Drake under the guise of the Omega Project. He had several teams of people out there gathering genetic samples from several sources.
“First, he had a team that was offering free genetic screenings for young women and couples looking to have children, ostensibly screening for various diseases and carrier genes that might cause problems. They provided some of that information to those potential parents, but they retained a great deal more for Daniel’s secret library.
“A second team was out doing research using various media sources to gather signs of what might be considered ‘magickal incidents’ and tracking down the names of the people involved. Then using the resources of the Bureau and operating under the auspices of certain shady provisions of the Patriot Act, they set about obtaining genetic samples from any available source. These ranged from taking samples that folks gave up voluntarily to their doctors, such as when they had blood tests done to even using sneak and peek searches of the homes of people who were gone at the time so that they could collect hair follicles from hair brushes or even tooth brushes.
“Finally, other teams were out infiltrating known groups of Casters, such as this one, using every possible way to collect further genetic samples, up to and including arranging the snatching of folks off the street, drugging them into unconsciousness, and taking samples before releasing them in out of the way locations.”
Cerrydwen interjected this time, with more than a little sarcasm dripping from her voice. “So, how does this relate to Drake being my long lost great, great grandfather?”
“I’m getting to it. Anyway, as he began to analyze his data, he began to notice certain common markers that almost every tested Caster shared to one degree or another, something that pointed to a common ancestor, even among seemingly disparate cultural and ethnic groups.
“Daniel had had a suspicion that Drake was hiding something for a long time. He had noted how Drake never actually ate a meal in his presence, and never seemed to drink anything other than occasional sips of water over the course of their many years of working together. He suspected that Drake was a Caster of some sort as well, but whenever he tried to broach the subject, Drake just smiled, shrugged and usually ignored answering the question altogether. When he did offer an answer, it was more in the form of a question-’Have you ever seen me use magick?’ or ‘Why would you think that, Bernstein?’
To be continued...
I leaned forward a little bit, looking down at the floor before continuing. “Daniel Bernstein had the goods on Drake, right down to a genetic profile of the man that identified a very scary fact, one that may impact each of you. Mrs. Al Farhan is not the only known relative of Drake.”
Ravyn piped in. “What? Who else is related to that abominable man?”
“Well, darling, you are almost definitely related to him, probably less distantly than most other Casters, given how strong your talent is.”
“You can’t be serious! Can you?”
I held up my hands at sounds of derision and anger that everyone was starting to make. “Unfortunately, I am. But let me explain a little bit.”
They all settled back, most with looks of confusion or doubt clearly expressed on their faces.
“Daniel was first and foremost, a first class geneticist. He actually had a number of different specialties for a man his age, but his true love of science fell in the field of genetics. He was doing a lot of work for Drake under the guise of the Omega Project. He had several teams of people out there gathering genetic samples from several sources.
“First, he had a team that was offering free genetic screenings for young women and couples looking to have children, ostensibly screening for various diseases and carrier genes that might cause problems. They provided some of that information to those potential parents, but they retained a great deal more for Daniel’s secret library.
“A second team was out doing research using various media sources to gather signs of what might be considered ‘magickal incidents’ and tracking down the names of the people involved. Then using the resources of the Bureau and operating under the auspices of certain shady provisions of the Patriot Act, they set about obtaining genetic samples from any available source. These ranged from taking samples that folks gave up voluntarily to their doctors, such as when they had blood tests done to even using sneak and peek searches of the homes of people who were gone at the time so that they could collect hair follicles from hair brushes or even tooth brushes.
“Finally, other teams were out infiltrating known groups of Casters, such as this one, using every possible way to collect further genetic samples, up to and including arranging the snatching of folks off the street, drugging them into unconsciousness, and taking samples before releasing them in out of the way locations.”
Cerrydwen interjected this time, with more than a little sarcasm dripping from her voice. “So, how does this relate to Drake being my long lost great, great grandfather?”
“I’m getting to it. Anyway, as he began to analyze his data, he began to notice certain common markers that almost every tested Caster shared to one degree or another, something that pointed to a common ancestor, even among seemingly disparate cultural and ethnic groups.
“Daniel had had a suspicion that Drake was hiding something for a long time. He had noted how Drake never actually ate a meal in his presence, and never seemed to drink anything other than occasional sips of water over the course of their many years of working together. He suspected that Drake was a Caster of some sort as well, but whenever he tried to broach the subject, Drake just smiled, shrugged and usually ignored answering the question altogether. When he did offer an answer, it was more in the form of a question-’Have you ever seen me use magick?’ or ‘Why would you think that, Bernstein?’
To be continued...
Monday, March 20, 2006
Conclave...Part 4
Despite the lighthearted banter and joking as the Frau continued to remove fragments of Drake’s sword from my body, I could see the obvious concern on the faces of my companions. The news that Drake had acquired at least some of my mastery over Shadow was more than a little disconcerting to everyone present.
Using more of her unsurpassed seamstress skills than her Healing talents, the Frau quickly patched up my gut innards, using copious amounts of thick, sinew-like fishing line that Jim had had sitting in his garage. Finally, she closed up the leather like flesh of my stomach using big, looping stitches to close the jagged wound.
As she was finishing her work, my consciousness sunk inwards, as I set in motion my own internal mechanisms for patching things up. It was no longer a process that happened automatically, but one that now took a great deal of concentration and energy.
The Frau tut-tutted again as she pulled away from me, her hands a mess of sticky, presumably stinky goo. The others avoided her with wrinkled noses and mutters as she toddled off to go wash up.
I sat up slowly, rolling my left shoulder and stretching that arm out gingerly, making a fist and opening the hand back up carefully. I was glad to see that the paralysis was only temporary.
I stood up from the floor where I had been laying on an old, now ruined blanket and moved over to an empty stool. Herne quickly bent down and rolled it up in to a sodden, soiled taco and removed it, showing little reaction to what had to be a nasty job.
Frau came back in the room and moved to her own comfortable chair, signalling the others to take their own places around the circle.
Jim had grabbed a laptop and a pile of file folders, notes and loose papers from his den and brought the whole mess to his seat, next to an already cluttered table. In one practiced motion, he swept the stack of newspapersd and magazines from the table and sat down with a grunt.
Ravyn had taken the time to clean the smoke, dirt and blood from her face and arms. She had also found, much to my disappointment, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to replace her rather distracting Faire costume. She was now sitting directly across from me in the semi-circle arrangement, too tired to be her normal bouncy self. Her eyes, however, burned with an intensity that indicated that she was fully prepared to say her piece when given the chance.
Cerrydwen hovered near the outer edge of the group, not sitting so much as she was leaning against a sturdy book case. She was her normal brooding self, intent on watching everything and everyone at the same time. She made no secret of the fact that with one bounding step she could be up the stairs and on her way to Alexa’s room, should the need arise.
Herne, in the meantime, had slipped back into the room without anyone really noticing him and was seated next to the Frau. He had one of his long hunting knives out and was calmly inspecting the blade for any sign of a blemish.
The dusty duffle bag and the two archaic cannisters sat in the middle of the gathering.
Once I noticed that everyone was in place, I began a dry, mechanical re-telling of my journeys since I had left for the Tree, starting with the meeting of Alexa’s mother there and ending up with battle with Drake.
Ravyn piped in here and there when I left out an embarassing detail or two.
Once I finished with that generic tale of just the events as they happened, it was time to get down to the nitty gritty details of some of the secrets I had learned when I finally unlocked the walls around Daniel’s memories...
To be continued...
Using more of her unsurpassed seamstress skills than her Healing talents, the Frau quickly patched up my gut innards, using copious amounts of thick, sinew-like fishing line that Jim had had sitting in his garage. Finally, she closed up the leather like flesh of my stomach using big, looping stitches to close the jagged wound.
As she was finishing her work, my consciousness sunk inwards, as I set in motion my own internal mechanisms for patching things up. It was no longer a process that happened automatically, but one that now took a great deal of concentration and energy.
The Frau tut-tutted again as she pulled away from me, her hands a mess of sticky, presumably stinky goo. The others avoided her with wrinkled noses and mutters as she toddled off to go wash up.
I sat up slowly, rolling my left shoulder and stretching that arm out gingerly, making a fist and opening the hand back up carefully. I was glad to see that the paralysis was only temporary.
I stood up from the floor where I had been laying on an old, now ruined blanket and moved over to an empty stool. Herne quickly bent down and rolled it up in to a sodden, soiled taco and removed it, showing little reaction to what had to be a nasty job.
Frau came back in the room and moved to her own comfortable chair, signalling the others to take their own places around the circle.
Jim had grabbed a laptop and a pile of file folders, notes and loose papers from his den and brought the whole mess to his seat, next to an already cluttered table. In one practiced motion, he swept the stack of newspapersd and magazines from the table and sat down with a grunt.
Ravyn had taken the time to clean the smoke, dirt and blood from her face and arms. She had also found, much to my disappointment, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to replace her rather distracting Faire costume. She was now sitting directly across from me in the semi-circle arrangement, too tired to be her normal bouncy self. Her eyes, however, burned with an intensity that indicated that she was fully prepared to say her piece when given the chance.
Cerrydwen hovered near the outer edge of the group, not sitting so much as she was leaning against a sturdy book case. She was her normal brooding self, intent on watching everything and everyone at the same time. She made no secret of the fact that with one bounding step she could be up the stairs and on her way to Alexa’s room, should the need arise.
Herne, in the meantime, had slipped back into the room without anyone really noticing him and was seated next to the Frau. He had one of his long hunting knives out and was calmly inspecting the blade for any sign of a blemish.
The dusty duffle bag and the two archaic cannisters sat in the middle of the gathering.
Once I noticed that everyone was in place, I began a dry, mechanical re-telling of my journeys since I had left for the Tree, starting with the meeting of Alexa’s mother there and ending up with battle with Drake.
Ravyn piped in here and there when I left out an embarassing detail or two.
Once I finished with that generic tale of just the events as they happened, it was time to get down to the nitty gritty details of some of the secrets I had learned when I finally unlocked the walls around Daniel’s memories...
To be continued...
Conclave...Part 3
The journey from the Faire to the Professor’s home was done in multiple stages, but it took place so quickly, it was almost a blur.
First, we landed at the stone circle outside of the community home near Chicago. I was barely standing at that point, finding it hard to maintain my own balance. I was still leaning on Ravyn, who was grunting under the combined strain of supporting my weight and managing the complexc task of making sure we arrived safely.
“Hey, I have rather fond memories of this place.”
“Keep it up, buster, and you’ll be crawling your way home!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
We hurriedly stumbled into the house, gathered up the duffle bag full of cash, and made our way to the basement without much notice. We stepped into a dark room, where we hoped that my own powers over the Shadow were put to the test.
Luckily, Drake hadn’t been able to drain those abilities from me completely before Herlinda had stopped him, so I was able to muster enough strength to take us to the place where I had hidden the cannisters and then take us to Jim’s place before collapsing.
I regained cosnciousness to find the Frau tut-tutting over me as she was pulling the broken pieces of Drake’s blade from my gut, all the while listening to Ravyn’s tale of the events at the Faire.
Jim, Cerrydwen, and Herne were all there listening in as well, all of them were also watching Frau’s less than delicate surgery on my gut with keen interest.
When she noticed that I had come around again, Frau chuckled and added a little humor to the event, “Ah yes, it looks like our patient has rejoined us in the Land of the Living. You let me know if any of this hurts now, OK?”
“Very funny, Frau. How bad is the damage?”
“Oh, he cut into you pretty deep there, Rusty, but I really have no idea how much of this stuff in here is essential to your functioning. You are, however, the first patient I’ve worked on who didn’t need any anesthetic.”
Jim’s face hovered into view, looking more than a little green. His nose was also scrunched up. “Rusty, do you really think it was a good idea to go confront Drake without letting us know what was going on? You have other responsibilities now, you can’t just go galivanting off without a plan.”
“Hey, I had a plan...it just didn’t work as well I thought it would. Besides, I asked Ravyn to go along!”
Ravyn’s smoke smudged face quickly poked into my view. She was wagging her finger in that way of hers. “It was all your idea, bub. I went along to save your bacon, as usual. Don’t even try to say that I sanctioned this adventure of yours!”
To be continued...
First, we landed at the stone circle outside of the community home near Chicago. I was barely standing at that point, finding it hard to maintain my own balance. I was still leaning on Ravyn, who was grunting under the combined strain of supporting my weight and managing the complexc task of making sure we arrived safely.
“Hey, I have rather fond memories of this place.”
“Keep it up, buster, and you’ll be crawling your way home!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
We hurriedly stumbled into the house, gathered up the duffle bag full of cash, and made our way to the basement without much notice. We stepped into a dark room, where we hoped that my own powers over the Shadow were put to the test.
Luckily, Drake hadn’t been able to drain those abilities from me completely before Herlinda had stopped him, so I was able to muster enough strength to take us to the place where I had hidden the cannisters and then take us to Jim’s place before collapsing.
I regained cosnciousness to find the Frau tut-tutting over me as she was pulling the broken pieces of Drake’s blade from my gut, all the while listening to Ravyn’s tale of the events at the Faire.
Jim, Cerrydwen, and Herne were all there listening in as well, all of them were also watching Frau’s less than delicate surgery on my gut with keen interest.
When she noticed that I had come around again, Frau chuckled and added a little humor to the event, “Ah yes, it looks like our patient has rejoined us in the Land of the Living. You let me know if any of this hurts now, OK?”
“Very funny, Frau. How bad is the damage?”
“Oh, he cut into you pretty deep there, Rusty, but I really have no idea how much of this stuff in here is essential to your functioning. You are, however, the first patient I’ve worked on who didn’t need any anesthetic.”
Jim’s face hovered into view, looking more than a little green. His nose was also scrunched up. “Rusty, do you really think it was a good idea to go confront Drake without letting us know what was going on? You have other responsibilities now, you can’t just go galivanting off without a plan.”
“Hey, I had a plan...it just didn’t work as well I thought it would. Besides, I asked Ravyn to go along!”
Ravyn’s smoke smudged face quickly poked into my view. She was wagging her finger in that way of hers. “It was all your idea, bub. I went along to save your bacon, as usual. Don’t even try to say that I sanctioned this adventure of yours!”
To be continued...
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Showdown at the OK Corral...Epilogue
The following passages are excerpts from an article I found on the ‘Showdown Incident’ from the September 12, 2005 MichiWire News Service:
HOLLY-A spokeswoman for the Michigan Renaissance Festival released a statement this morning denying responsibility for a particularly dangerous pyrotechnic display that took place yesterday afternoon. The statement reads in part: “The Michigan Renaissance Festival takes great pride in offering great family entertainment in a safe atmosphere. Management of the Festival did not plan for, nor participate in any way in the dangerous pyrotechnic display that took place on Sunday, September 11, 2006. The actors in that event were not employees of the Festival, nor were their actions in any way sanctioned by the Festival.” The statement did not elaborate on the incidnet itself, however dozens of eyewitnesses reported watching what they believed was a sanctioned performance when two men apparently began to duel near the jousting field of the event.
The duel, however, began only after the actors managed to create the illusion of a large black dragon. Spectators report that this illusory dragon was defeated in battle by a great bird of fire, presumably the legendary Phoenix. While the mythical creatures were illusory, the unknown band of actors did employ prodigious amounts of pyrotechnic fireworks that led to a number of the participants, as well as three bystanders, being injured in the display.
The Holly Fire Department was called upon to put out the fires caused by the incident. Holly Fire Chief Jack Denson provided the following brief statement when asked by this reporter: “People really should learn to respect the danger that such powerful fireworks pose to innocent bystanders. I really hope that the lawmakers in Lansing will rise to the occasion and will make it harder for people to get ahold of these things.” He also reported that nearly a dozen of the alleged perpetrators were transported to the University of Michigan Burn Center in Ann Arbor for treatment for injuries that ranged from 2nd degree burns and broken bones to in one case a man suffering 3rd degree burns over 40% of his body. Those suspects not still at the Burn Center as of this morning are undxergoing questioning by detectives of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. The investigating deputies have also recovered several clues from the scene and are running forensic tests on those items, including the remains of what appears to be two of the swords involved in the duel. Deputies refused to disclose the details of the other items recovered, indicating that the investigation remained open. Several of the main actors in the stunt appear to have left the scene prior the arrival of the authorities and remain at large.
The injuries to the three bystanders were all minor, including cuts and abrasions with some minor first degree burns.
Witnesses relate that damages to the Festival itself are minor, comprising solely of a destroyed fence around the jousting arena and several small trees. The Festival spokeswoman indicated that all damages would be repaired this week and that the Festival would be open for business as usual for next weekend. She did indicate that festival-goers will have to submit to additional searches at the entrance when the Festival reopens, but that such searches would result in increased security for the benefit of all participants. She also related that the ban on customers bringing their own weapons such as swords and knives, will be strictly enforced.
Despite the out of control fireworks, most eyewitnesses claimed that the stunt was the best event of the day, one woman exclaimed, “It was like being there in the middle of movie like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, that was so cool. I can’t wait to see what happens next week!”
HOLLY-A spokeswoman for the Michigan Renaissance Festival released a statement this morning denying responsibility for a particularly dangerous pyrotechnic display that took place yesterday afternoon. The statement reads in part: “The Michigan Renaissance Festival takes great pride in offering great family entertainment in a safe atmosphere. Management of the Festival did not plan for, nor participate in any way in the dangerous pyrotechnic display that took place on Sunday, September 11, 2006. The actors in that event were not employees of the Festival, nor were their actions in any way sanctioned by the Festival.” The statement did not elaborate on the incidnet itself, however dozens of eyewitnesses reported watching what they believed was a sanctioned performance when two men apparently began to duel near the jousting field of the event.
The duel, however, began only after the actors managed to create the illusion of a large black dragon. Spectators report that this illusory dragon was defeated in battle by a great bird of fire, presumably the legendary Phoenix. While the mythical creatures were illusory, the unknown band of actors did employ prodigious amounts of pyrotechnic fireworks that led to a number of the participants, as well as three bystanders, being injured in the display.
The Holly Fire Department was called upon to put out the fires caused by the incident. Holly Fire Chief Jack Denson provided the following brief statement when asked by this reporter: “People really should learn to respect the danger that such powerful fireworks pose to innocent bystanders. I really hope that the lawmakers in Lansing will rise to the occasion and will make it harder for people to get ahold of these things.” He also reported that nearly a dozen of the alleged perpetrators were transported to the University of Michigan Burn Center in Ann Arbor for treatment for injuries that ranged from 2nd degree burns and broken bones to in one case a man suffering 3rd degree burns over 40% of his body. Those suspects not still at the Burn Center as of this morning are undxergoing questioning by detectives of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. The investigating deputies have also recovered several clues from the scene and are running forensic tests on those items, including the remains of what appears to be two of the swords involved in the duel. Deputies refused to disclose the details of the other items recovered, indicating that the investigation remained open. Several of the main actors in the stunt appear to have left the scene prior the arrival of the authorities and remain at large.
The injuries to the three bystanders were all minor, including cuts and abrasions with some minor first degree burns.
Witnesses relate that damages to the Festival itself are minor, comprising solely of a destroyed fence around the jousting arena and several small trees. The Festival spokeswoman indicated that all damages would be repaired this week and that the Festival would be open for business as usual for next weekend. She did indicate that festival-goers will have to submit to additional searches at the entrance when the Festival reopens, but that such searches would result in increased security for the benefit of all participants. She also related that the ban on customers bringing their own weapons such as swords and knives, will be strictly enforced.
Despite the out of control fireworks, most eyewitnesses claimed that the stunt was the best event of the day, one woman exclaimed, “It was like being there in the middle of movie like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, that was so cool. I can’t wait to see what happens next week!”
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Showdown at the OK Corral...Finale
By 2:30 we were on our third circuit of the fair grounds. Between us, we identified at least twenty possible goons in waiting, often hanging around in pairs. Since it was a Sunday, and they were apparently trying to blend in the general population of tourists, the chosen style of dress was pure goon casual--polo shirts, khaki colored pants and loafers--while they ‘concealed’ their weapons within the ubiquitous rip-away type fanny packs so common with law enforcement types.
There were also several Casters in the crowd, although neither Ravyn or I recognized any of them either from the ORC’s or from previous encounters with Drake’s henchmen, so it was impossible to tell if they were here on Drake’s behalf or just enjoying the festival itself. Until one or more of them showed themselves as a threat, we decided to leave those folks out of the equation.
As the sun moved closer to it’s 3 o’clock position, we parted company as we left a small jewelry shop and took different routes to head towards the jousting field. Sauntering through the still vibrant crowds as they streamed away from a just completed jousting match, I noticed a few of the goon contingents subtly shifting into positions around the emptying area.
A single dark figure stood near the wood fence separating the main thoroughfare from the field where the jousters had so recently been demonstrating their skills. His back was to me, as leaned with his arms crossed on the top bar of the fence, his left foot propped up on a bale of hay, completely at leisure, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing Drake again actually sent a shiver through my Spirit. This was the first time we had come face to face since we had battled in the Everglades. His pale skin contrasted all the more with his black shirt and pants. His dark hair was slicked back into a small pony tail, the first time I can remember seeing him with longer hair.
As interesting as it was to see Drake again, however, something drew my eyes even more than he did, something that emanated a sense of Power unlike anything I had only ever felt with Witchbane Blades. Leaning up against the fence next to him was a tall, thick cane that was topped with a dragon’s head. The shaft of the cane was made of some strange, light absorbing material that was not quite wood and not quite stone, but something unbelievably ancient nonetheless. The dragon’s head at the top of the cane was made of ethereal silver metal that reflected light. The eyes of the dragon were rubies that shone with a fire all their own. Just below the dragon’s head the mounting brace could easily have doubled as a...hilt....as I looked at it, I could just sense that the shaft was actually a sheath for a blade of some sort.
Determined not to show any hesitation that might be construed as fear, I sauntered up to the fence next to him, leaning my own considerable weight on it.
We sat there for several moments watching the stablehands take care of the horses at the far end of the field, neither of us willing to break the uneasy silence.
“You understand, Bones, that I will have what is rightfully mine, don’t you?”
“Why are they so important to you, Drake?”
“That’s none of your business. The only thing you need to know is that they belong to me and that I will stop at nothing to get them back.”
“Funny, they were fairly easy to acquire, are you telling me that Daniel truly had you over the barrel over these things?”
“Bernstein was a close associate of mine, Bones. We worked together for a number of years. I never saw the hidden strength he had developed until it was too late. Your reckless and needless assault on my organization ruined a number of plans. Surely you didn’t drag me to this pageant of fools to trade banter with me. What do you want for the cannisters?”
“I’m not entirely sure that I will give them up to you yet, Drake. First of all, I’m not giving you a God-damned thing until I know what it is. Second, I have very little faith that you will actually live up to any agreement we make in regards to these items. If I give them to you, what will keep you to your word? Finally, as you can probably tell, I’ve changed a lot since our last meeting, but one thing hasn’t changed, and that is my burning desire to destroy you.”
“If you wish to slay me so badly, why are you waiting? You and I are both here, just the two of us. If you think you are ready, you will not get another chance so easily.”
“Well, I’d rather not risk hurting any innocents, and besides, as long as I have your precious containers, I know you’ll come to me whenever I desire.”
He looked over at me for the first time. His soulless eyes burrowing deep into my own. “Bones, don’t be such a fool. This is your last chance to agree to turn over to me what is mine, or I will unleash a terrible war upon you and all that you hold dear that will leave everything and everyone you have ever loved in smoking ruins. So I ask you one last time, what do you want for these containers?”
A shadow fell over us as his words finished. I didn’t think much of it at first, until I felt a strange tingling deep inside, like a part of me recognized something was coming...
“RUSTY!!! WATCH OUT!!!”
With Ravyn’s shout, and the excited screams of dozens of nearby folks, I swung around just in time to see that shadow coalesce into a tall dragon like form that towered over us, it’s black scales solidifying into a glistening black metal as I looked on stunned. Drake was no longer next to me, but had somehow slipped behind the 30’ long, 15’ tall creature.
It’s head was nearly as large as I was, its mouth was agape, it’s ivory colored fangs dripping a liquid that left smoking holes in everything that it dripped on.
Time slowed in those fleeting few moments...I was fumbling to draw Herlinda and Diego from their sheaths...I saw Ravyn throwing a bolt of fire that easily outdid anything else I had ever seen her throw right at the back of the beast’s head, but even that fire seemed to move in slow motion...As the fire was lancing out towards the creature, a stream of it’s thick acid was heading towards me...People all around were screaming in fear and panic while two dozen goons were moving in towards us, many towards Ravyn, now revealed...A piercing cry from above told me that Betsy was entering the fray...
In the instant before the stream of acid reached me, I instinctively grabbed Shadow and wrapped myself in its cocoon, transporting myself to a position right behind the smiling Drake.
Both blades came free just as I emerged from the Shadow, Diego practically dancing in my fingers for a chance to get at the man responsible for his centuries of imprisonment...
The blast of intense fire struck the dragon in the head, sending the beast reeling forward and roaring in pain as it crashed writhing and twitching into the now smoking remains of the fence...
Drake had sensed my move and was whirling even as I was trying to plunge both blades into his back, in one practiced motion, he parried both blades with that cane he had been carrying, sending me staggering past as he drew the blade portion in his second movement, leaving him holding the wicked looking, razor thin blade in one hand, the solid black sheath in another...
As I regained my balance and swung around to face my arch nemesis, I had one quick glance of Ravyn raising a ring of fire around her as a half dozen burly goons tried to close in on her. They leaped back with cries of pain...
Drake took that opportunity to feint with the blade and lash out with the sheath in an attempt to knock Herlinda from my left hand. The crushing blow would have shattered the bones of a normal person, but it only pushed that hand down momentarily. It was almost enough for him to slip his blade into my chest. He was as lightning fast as I remembered, but this time, Diego was faster, as he crashed the blade away with a ringing parry...
We circled after that exchange, giving me a ringside seat to witness a blazing phoenix crash down on the head of the dragon as it tried to rise, Betsy’s talons, beak and blazing feathers creating a flurry of attacks that the still dazed dragon was unable to stop...
Drake launched another flurry of blows with his blade and sheath, each of which was just barely parried or dodged as I struggled to counter his greater skill, reach and speed...
We continued to circle, with him pushing the fight onto me. My glances of Ravyn, the dragon and and the phoenix, the goons, and the growing crowd of wildly cheering Faire-goers were getting fewer and fewer as I spent more and more energy trying to defend myself by the determined blows of Drake...
I did manage to see Ravyn get saved by ‘Bob’ as he crashed into a particularly large goon who had come up from behind her as she faced down two others. His dive into the poor bastards’ gut was strong enough to lift him off of his feet and throw him past the row of spectators that had formed around that fray...
Drake seemed to get both faster and stronger as the fight went on. He was smiling the entire time, though he remained blissfully silent as he obviously enjoyed watching me struggle to fend of his blows. Luckily, I wasn’t going to tire either.
Diego hated to be forced into defense. He tried to guide my hand into lashing out at Drake, but Drake was too fast, batting aside the thrusts with ease with his longer, more agile blade.
Drake smiled as we exchanged another series of blows. “Ah yes, I remember these blades. They served their purpose, but I have a better weapon now.”
I barely turned his latest thrust, but used my momentum to spin and land what felt like a glancing blow with Herlinda’s hilt on Drake’s head...he stumbled, off balance for the first time in my memory...I continued my spin, bringing Diego down for a killing thrust, only to be deflected by a wild bat with the sheath as Drake tumbled into a better defensive position.
I was shocked to see blood trickling down Drake’s high cheek bone. It was my turn to smile. “You’re getting cocky Drake, these blades remember you as well, they are sworn to take but one more soul with them...yours!”
Seeking to press an advantage, I waded in on the attack. Another flurry of blows, this time with Drake backing down, circling to his left...
A flash of flame signalled the end of the struggle between legendary creatures as Betsy rose in triumphant flame crowing her victory, though not without cost as large portions of her feather plume and one taloned foot were missing, victims of the acid of the dragon...
Drake brushed the trickle of blood from his cheek with the back of his sheath hand, glanced at the blood smear and smiled up at me. “I’m impressed Bones, it has been many decades since I’ve seen my own blood. You have grown in ways I could not have imagined even a year ago. But you still have much to learn.”
With that he began a swirling, darting series of attacks that pushed me back. I was whacked several times by the sheath before I could see the pattern of his attack, but just as I shifted to adjust to that pattern, the blade became harder to see until his flurry of attacks ended with his blade thrusting into my gut, sinking a third of the way up my gut...
Lancing, shooting, wracking pain laced through my very being, pain like I hadn’t felt since the merge with the remnants of Ma Grendel. For the briefest of moments, the whispers deep inside me shrieked in glee and in release before I felt a sucking sensation through the wound and into the blade.
I looked up to see Ravyn’s flames dying down as she had driven back the last of Drake’s goon squad, her face bloodied and bruised, her eyes flashing anger and then concern as she saw what was happening to me.
“Rusty!!!”
I stood there for the briefest of moments, unable to free myself from the blade as the darkness inside seemed to stream down the blade and into Drake. Drake’s smile grew colder, more evil, as he appeared to drink in my very essence...
Herlinda stirred in my hand, driving me to strike down at the base of Drake’s blade with her own blade. The force of the blow as the longer, slimmer blade was trapped by my own body and the armor that I wore caused both blades to shatter, creating a blast of released energies that threw both Drake and I backwards ten feet each onto our backs...
The crowd gasped, then roared at the sheer spectacle of the battle. Somehow, they must have felt that the legendary beasts, the blasts of flame and acid, the epic battle of magickal blades and undead beings was a grand show put on for their benefit, a spectacle that surpassed any other show at the Faire.
Weakened by the loss of Spirit from that damnable blade of Drake’s and the loss of Herlinda, I struggled to sit back up. When I finally did, I saw Drake rise, dust himself off, and start to come toawrds me again, his tattered and blood drenched sword arm dangling uselessly at his side...
I managed to stagger back to my feet, Diego still in my other hand. The arm and hand that had held Herlinda also hung limp at my side. I could sense more than feel the gaping wound in my gut where the blade had exploded...
Ravyn was half running, half limping as she was forcing her way through the larger crowd around us...
Drake stopped three paces away, looked contempuously at the now useless sheath in his good arm, discarded it, then looked up at me, grinning strangely. “We are more alike than you will ever know, Rusty. We shall meet again soon to continue this discussion, but first I must test these new talents you have bequeathed to me...” His cackling laughter faded as he drew the Shadow about himself and disappeared...
“Holy fucking shit...” was all I managed to say as Ravyn stumbled over to me, her face mirroring my concern.
Ravyn reached into a pouch at her belt and pulled out a small ruby. “Let’s get out of here.” She crushed the stone and we disappeared in a flash of fire.
There were also several Casters in the crowd, although neither Ravyn or I recognized any of them either from the ORC’s or from previous encounters with Drake’s henchmen, so it was impossible to tell if they were here on Drake’s behalf or just enjoying the festival itself. Until one or more of them showed themselves as a threat, we decided to leave those folks out of the equation.
As the sun moved closer to it’s 3 o’clock position, we parted company as we left a small jewelry shop and took different routes to head towards the jousting field. Sauntering through the still vibrant crowds as they streamed away from a just completed jousting match, I noticed a few of the goon contingents subtly shifting into positions around the emptying area.
A single dark figure stood near the wood fence separating the main thoroughfare from the field where the jousters had so recently been demonstrating their skills. His back was to me, as leaned with his arms crossed on the top bar of the fence, his left foot propped up on a bale of hay, completely at leisure, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing Drake again actually sent a shiver through my Spirit. This was the first time we had come face to face since we had battled in the Everglades. His pale skin contrasted all the more with his black shirt and pants. His dark hair was slicked back into a small pony tail, the first time I can remember seeing him with longer hair.
As interesting as it was to see Drake again, however, something drew my eyes even more than he did, something that emanated a sense of Power unlike anything I had only ever felt with Witchbane Blades. Leaning up against the fence next to him was a tall, thick cane that was topped with a dragon’s head. The shaft of the cane was made of some strange, light absorbing material that was not quite wood and not quite stone, but something unbelievably ancient nonetheless. The dragon’s head at the top of the cane was made of ethereal silver metal that reflected light. The eyes of the dragon were rubies that shone with a fire all their own. Just below the dragon’s head the mounting brace could easily have doubled as a...hilt....as I looked at it, I could just sense that the shaft was actually a sheath for a blade of some sort.
Determined not to show any hesitation that might be construed as fear, I sauntered up to the fence next to him, leaning my own considerable weight on it.
We sat there for several moments watching the stablehands take care of the horses at the far end of the field, neither of us willing to break the uneasy silence.
“You understand, Bones, that I will have what is rightfully mine, don’t you?”
“Why are they so important to you, Drake?”
“That’s none of your business. The only thing you need to know is that they belong to me and that I will stop at nothing to get them back.”
“Funny, they were fairly easy to acquire, are you telling me that Daniel truly had you over the barrel over these things?”
“Bernstein was a close associate of mine, Bones. We worked together for a number of years. I never saw the hidden strength he had developed until it was too late. Your reckless and needless assault on my organization ruined a number of plans. Surely you didn’t drag me to this pageant of fools to trade banter with me. What do you want for the cannisters?”
“I’m not entirely sure that I will give them up to you yet, Drake. First of all, I’m not giving you a God-damned thing until I know what it is. Second, I have very little faith that you will actually live up to any agreement we make in regards to these items. If I give them to you, what will keep you to your word? Finally, as you can probably tell, I’ve changed a lot since our last meeting, but one thing hasn’t changed, and that is my burning desire to destroy you.”
“If you wish to slay me so badly, why are you waiting? You and I are both here, just the two of us. If you think you are ready, you will not get another chance so easily.”
“Well, I’d rather not risk hurting any innocents, and besides, as long as I have your precious containers, I know you’ll come to me whenever I desire.”
He looked over at me for the first time. His soulless eyes burrowing deep into my own. “Bones, don’t be such a fool. This is your last chance to agree to turn over to me what is mine, or I will unleash a terrible war upon you and all that you hold dear that will leave everything and everyone you have ever loved in smoking ruins. So I ask you one last time, what do you want for these containers?”
A shadow fell over us as his words finished. I didn’t think much of it at first, until I felt a strange tingling deep inside, like a part of me recognized something was coming...
“RUSTY!!! WATCH OUT!!!”
With Ravyn’s shout, and the excited screams of dozens of nearby folks, I swung around just in time to see that shadow coalesce into a tall dragon like form that towered over us, it’s black scales solidifying into a glistening black metal as I looked on stunned. Drake was no longer next to me, but had somehow slipped behind the 30’ long, 15’ tall creature.
It’s head was nearly as large as I was, its mouth was agape, it’s ivory colored fangs dripping a liquid that left smoking holes in everything that it dripped on.
Time slowed in those fleeting few moments...I was fumbling to draw Herlinda and Diego from their sheaths...I saw Ravyn throwing a bolt of fire that easily outdid anything else I had ever seen her throw right at the back of the beast’s head, but even that fire seemed to move in slow motion...As the fire was lancing out towards the creature, a stream of it’s thick acid was heading towards me...People all around were screaming in fear and panic while two dozen goons were moving in towards us, many towards Ravyn, now revealed...A piercing cry from above told me that Betsy was entering the fray...
In the instant before the stream of acid reached me, I instinctively grabbed Shadow and wrapped myself in its cocoon, transporting myself to a position right behind the smiling Drake.
Both blades came free just as I emerged from the Shadow, Diego practically dancing in my fingers for a chance to get at the man responsible for his centuries of imprisonment...
The blast of intense fire struck the dragon in the head, sending the beast reeling forward and roaring in pain as it crashed writhing and twitching into the now smoking remains of the fence...
Drake had sensed my move and was whirling even as I was trying to plunge both blades into his back, in one practiced motion, he parried both blades with that cane he had been carrying, sending me staggering past as he drew the blade portion in his second movement, leaving him holding the wicked looking, razor thin blade in one hand, the solid black sheath in another...
As I regained my balance and swung around to face my arch nemesis, I had one quick glance of Ravyn raising a ring of fire around her as a half dozen burly goons tried to close in on her. They leaped back with cries of pain...
Drake took that opportunity to feint with the blade and lash out with the sheath in an attempt to knock Herlinda from my left hand. The crushing blow would have shattered the bones of a normal person, but it only pushed that hand down momentarily. It was almost enough for him to slip his blade into my chest. He was as lightning fast as I remembered, but this time, Diego was faster, as he crashed the blade away with a ringing parry...
We circled after that exchange, giving me a ringside seat to witness a blazing phoenix crash down on the head of the dragon as it tried to rise, Betsy’s talons, beak and blazing feathers creating a flurry of attacks that the still dazed dragon was unable to stop...
Drake launched another flurry of blows with his blade and sheath, each of which was just barely parried or dodged as I struggled to counter his greater skill, reach and speed...
We continued to circle, with him pushing the fight onto me. My glances of Ravyn, the dragon and and the phoenix, the goons, and the growing crowd of wildly cheering Faire-goers were getting fewer and fewer as I spent more and more energy trying to defend myself by the determined blows of Drake...
I did manage to see Ravyn get saved by ‘Bob’ as he crashed into a particularly large goon who had come up from behind her as she faced down two others. His dive into the poor bastards’ gut was strong enough to lift him off of his feet and throw him past the row of spectators that had formed around that fray...
Drake seemed to get both faster and stronger as the fight went on. He was smiling the entire time, though he remained blissfully silent as he obviously enjoyed watching me struggle to fend of his blows. Luckily, I wasn’t going to tire either.
Diego hated to be forced into defense. He tried to guide my hand into lashing out at Drake, but Drake was too fast, batting aside the thrusts with ease with his longer, more agile blade.
Drake smiled as we exchanged another series of blows. “Ah yes, I remember these blades. They served their purpose, but I have a better weapon now.”
I barely turned his latest thrust, but used my momentum to spin and land what felt like a glancing blow with Herlinda’s hilt on Drake’s head...he stumbled, off balance for the first time in my memory...I continued my spin, bringing Diego down for a killing thrust, only to be deflected by a wild bat with the sheath as Drake tumbled into a better defensive position.
I was shocked to see blood trickling down Drake’s high cheek bone. It was my turn to smile. “You’re getting cocky Drake, these blades remember you as well, they are sworn to take but one more soul with them...yours!”
Seeking to press an advantage, I waded in on the attack. Another flurry of blows, this time with Drake backing down, circling to his left...
A flash of flame signalled the end of the struggle between legendary creatures as Betsy rose in triumphant flame crowing her victory, though not without cost as large portions of her feather plume and one taloned foot were missing, victims of the acid of the dragon...
Drake brushed the trickle of blood from his cheek with the back of his sheath hand, glanced at the blood smear and smiled up at me. “I’m impressed Bones, it has been many decades since I’ve seen my own blood. You have grown in ways I could not have imagined even a year ago. But you still have much to learn.”
With that he began a swirling, darting series of attacks that pushed me back. I was whacked several times by the sheath before I could see the pattern of his attack, but just as I shifted to adjust to that pattern, the blade became harder to see until his flurry of attacks ended with his blade thrusting into my gut, sinking a third of the way up my gut...
Lancing, shooting, wracking pain laced through my very being, pain like I hadn’t felt since the merge with the remnants of Ma Grendel. For the briefest of moments, the whispers deep inside me shrieked in glee and in release before I felt a sucking sensation through the wound and into the blade.
I looked up to see Ravyn’s flames dying down as she had driven back the last of Drake’s goon squad, her face bloodied and bruised, her eyes flashing anger and then concern as she saw what was happening to me.
“Rusty!!!”
I stood there for the briefest of moments, unable to free myself from the blade as the darkness inside seemed to stream down the blade and into Drake. Drake’s smile grew colder, more evil, as he appeared to drink in my very essence...
Herlinda stirred in my hand, driving me to strike down at the base of Drake’s blade with her own blade. The force of the blow as the longer, slimmer blade was trapped by my own body and the armor that I wore caused both blades to shatter, creating a blast of released energies that threw both Drake and I backwards ten feet each onto our backs...
The crowd gasped, then roared at the sheer spectacle of the battle. Somehow, they must have felt that the legendary beasts, the blasts of flame and acid, the epic battle of magickal blades and undead beings was a grand show put on for their benefit, a spectacle that surpassed any other show at the Faire.
Weakened by the loss of Spirit from that damnable blade of Drake’s and the loss of Herlinda, I struggled to sit back up. When I finally did, I saw Drake rise, dust himself off, and start to come toawrds me again, his tattered and blood drenched sword arm dangling uselessly at his side...
I managed to stagger back to my feet, Diego still in my other hand. The arm and hand that had held Herlinda also hung limp at my side. I could sense more than feel the gaping wound in my gut where the blade had exploded...
Ravyn was half running, half limping as she was forcing her way through the larger crowd around us...
Drake stopped three paces away, looked contempuously at the now useless sheath in his good arm, discarded it, then looked up at me, grinning strangely. “We are more alike than you will ever know, Rusty. We shall meet again soon to continue this discussion, but first I must test these new talents you have bequeathed to me...” His cackling laughter faded as he drew the Shadow about himself and disappeared...
“Holy fucking shit...” was all I managed to say as Ravyn stumbled over to me, her face mirroring my concern.
Ravyn reached into a pouch at her belt and pulled out a small ruby. “Let’s get out of here.” She crushed the stone and we disappeared in a flash of fire.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Showdown at the OK Corral...Part 3
Dressed in Ravyn’s best attempt at a 2 hour Medieval-chic makeover, I felt like quite the Genghis Khan as I strode through the mid-September crowds near the entrance to the festival. as I stomped through the crowds glowering through my dark mask, I glimpsed flashes of Ravyn practically dancing among the throngs, sharing quick laughs and saucy smiles with the various male gawkers who enjoyed her low cut top and short, flouncy skirts.
She had chosen that outfit from among dozens of costumes she had at the community house precisely because it created such a contrast with the one she had chosen for me. When I commented that the outfit looked a little on the distracting side for the kind of meeting we were headed to, she flashed that devilish grin of her and retorted, “That’s why it’s such a good choice. Drake may not be so easily distracted, but the kind of men he employs are. If they are looking at my ‘assets’, they won’t consider me the threat that they ought to.”
“Well, I certainly won’t complain!”
She harrumphed a bit as she stepped behind the screen to change. I had shuffled off to make my own less spectacular transformation.
It was relatively easy for me to push my way through all of the people. One look at my menacing appearance first gave onlookers a pause, then caused them to stumble back a step as they took in the entire picture. I was taller than normal, between the tall, shiny black leather boots with a slight heel to them and black metal and leather helmet that came to a slight point. My long black cloak billowed out behind me in the breeze as I stalked through the grounds looking for any sign of Drake or his men. Over each shoulder, the hilts of Diego and Herlinda poked out from under the cloak, the leather straps that served as ‘peace bonds’ more for show than actually restraining me from drawing either blade. The studded leather breast plate and greaves added even more to my already formidable bulk. I clanked and creaked as I moved. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about getting overheated or about sweating inside this get-up, and I was very glad to not have to smell the sweat of all of the previous wearers mixing with my own odors...there are advantages to being dead after all! The only way I knew it smelled was by watching Ravyns nose crinkle as she had set it out for me. All in all, I went from being a rough looking character to being a pure medieval badass.
Ravyn, on the other hand, had transformed from her normally modest and reserved looking self to a stunning vision in peasant wench-chic. From her gauzy white top that slipped off of shoulders, always seeming on the edge of revealing too much, to her short, layered skirts that came to just above her knees, her appearance just screamed ‘bawdy tavern-wench’.
So while we each drew attention as we walked about the festival leading up to our scheduled meeting with Drake, that attention actually worked to our advantage. Those men who didn’t back down from my menacing presence and challenging appraisal marked themselves as potential tough guys for further observation, while those men who didn’t trade flirty smiles with Ravyn were either also potential targets, or were just in view of jealous wives.
As we circled throughout the grounds of the Faire though, my mind was only half on the people around me. The rest of my consciousness was absorbed in playing out the phone conversation I had had with Drake to set this meeting up and how much things could go badly wrong with this whole encounter.
The conversation itself had been fairly short, but as always with Drake, had taken place on multiple levels, leaving so much open to speculation and interpretation:
The phone had only rung once before he answered, “Bernstein, you’d better have a good explanation for disappearing. You know you won’t be able to hide from me forever.” His voice was cold and hard, but with a slight edge of something else to it...desperation?
“Drake, Daniel’s a little busy at the moment, I thought I would speak to you on his behalf.”
There was just the smallest of pauses before he spoke again, with an almost imperceptible hitch to it. “Rusty, how nice of Bernstein to give you this number. What have you done to him?”
“I didn’t call you to talk about one of your former flunkies, Drake. We’ve got some things to discuss, face to face.”
I could almost sense his cold, evil smile through the phone. “You want to see me again. Ah, yes, I should like that very much. Shall we catch up on old times together? How’s your new daughter doing, by the way?”
“She’s one of the things we need to discuss, you bastard. But this time, I’m not the only one with family members to discuss.”
A longer pause this time. That smile was gone by the time he spoke again. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“Let’s just say that Daniel was playing some dangerous games of his own, one that I have ended prematurely. Those items he had been trying to blackmail you with are now solidly in my possession. I also rescued a relative of yours from a particularly nasty fate.”
“What have you done with those items?”
“I thought you would be more concerned about those than you would be about Zenni. She’ll be so very disappointed to hear that.”
His words were coming quickly now. “Bones, you have no idea what kind of danger you are putting those you love in by holding onto those containers. Are the seals still intact?!?!”
I couldn’t help but to pause a little in hearing his voice this strained. “Drake, somehow I don’t think you are all that concerned about my loved ones. I have the cannisters, they are still sealed-for the moment. We need to come to some form of...agreement...before I decide what to do with these things. So, we need to meet, face to face.”
“Will you be bringing the containers?”
“Sorry, but I’m no longer that naive. They are well guarded in a place I know you can’t reach, so if you ever want to see them again, you better be on your best damn behavior. Meet me this Sunday, at 3 PM at the Michigan Renaissance Festival near the jousting field. Just you and me, so keep your goons in check. Got it?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Oh, don’t even think of bringing El Diablito with you this time. The next time I see that little cripple, I’ll finish the job that was started in New Orleans.”
The phone went dead...
She had chosen that outfit from among dozens of costumes she had at the community house precisely because it created such a contrast with the one she had chosen for me. When I commented that the outfit looked a little on the distracting side for the kind of meeting we were headed to, she flashed that devilish grin of her and retorted, “That’s why it’s such a good choice. Drake may not be so easily distracted, but the kind of men he employs are. If they are looking at my ‘assets’, they won’t consider me the threat that they ought to.”
“Well, I certainly won’t complain!”
She harrumphed a bit as she stepped behind the screen to change. I had shuffled off to make my own less spectacular transformation.
It was relatively easy for me to push my way through all of the people. One look at my menacing appearance first gave onlookers a pause, then caused them to stumble back a step as they took in the entire picture. I was taller than normal, between the tall, shiny black leather boots with a slight heel to them and black metal and leather helmet that came to a slight point. My long black cloak billowed out behind me in the breeze as I stalked through the grounds looking for any sign of Drake or his men. Over each shoulder, the hilts of Diego and Herlinda poked out from under the cloak, the leather straps that served as ‘peace bonds’ more for show than actually restraining me from drawing either blade. The studded leather breast plate and greaves added even more to my already formidable bulk. I clanked and creaked as I moved. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about getting overheated or about sweating inside this get-up, and I was very glad to not have to smell the sweat of all of the previous wearers mixing with my own odors...there are advantages to being dead after all! The only way I knew it smelled was by watching Ravyns nose crinkle as she had set it out for me. All in all, I went from being a rough looking character to being a pure medieval badass.
Ravyn, on the other hand, had transformed from her normally modest and reserved looking self to a stunning vision in peasant wench-chic. From her gauzy white top that slipped off of shoulders, always seeming on the edge of revealing too much, to her short, layered skirts that came to just above her knees, her appearance just screamed ‘bawdy tavern-wench’.
So while we each drew attention as we walked about the festival leading up to our scheduled meeting with Drake, that attention actually worked to our advantage. Those men who didn’t back down from my menacing presence and challenging appraisal marked themselves as potential tough guys for further observation, while those men who didn’t trade flirty smiles with Ravyn were either also potential targets, or were just in view of jealous wives.
As we circled throughout the grounds of the Faire though, my mind was only half on the people around me. The rest of my consciousness was absorbed in playing out the phone conversation I had had with Drake to set this meeting up and how much things could go badly wrong with this whole encounter.
The conversation itself had been fairly short, but as always with Drake, had taken place on multiple levels, leaving so much open to speculation and interpretation:
The phone had only rung once before he answered, “Bernstein, you’d better have a good explanation for disappearing. You know you won’t be able to hide from me forever.” His voice was cold and hard, but with a slight edge of something else to it...desperation?
“Drake, Daniel’s a little busy at the moment, I thought I would speak to you on his behalf.”
There was just the smallest of pauses before he spoke again, with an almost imperceptible hitch to it. “Rusty, how nice of Bernstein to give you this number. What have you done to him?”
“I didn’t call you to talk about one of your former flunkies, Drake. We’ve got some things to discuss, face to face.”
I could almost sense his cold, evil smile through the phone. “You want to see me again. Ah, yes, I should like that very much. Shall we catch up on old times together? How’s your new daughter doing, by the way?”
“She’s one of the things we need to discuss, you bastard. But this time, I’m not the only one with family members to discuss.”
A longer pause this time. That smile was gone by the time he spoke again. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“Let’s just say that Daniel was playing some dangerous games of his own, one that I have ended prematurely. Those items he had been trying to blackmail you with are now solidly in my possession. I also rescued a relative of yours from a particularly nasty fate.”
“What have you done with those items?”
“I thought you would be more concerned about those than you would be about Zenni. She’ll be so very disappointed to hear that.”
His words were coming quickly now. “Bones, you have no idea what kind of danger you are putting those you love in by holding onto those containers. Are the seals still intact?!?!”
I couldn’t help but to pause a little in hearing his voice this strained. “Drake, somehow I don’t think you are all that concerned about my loved ones. I have the cannisters, they are still sealed-for the moment. We need to come to some form of...agreement...before I decide what to do with these things. So, we need to meet, face to face.”
“Will you be bringing the containers?”
“Sorry, but I’m no longer that naive. They are well guarded in a place I know you can’t reach, so if you ever want to see them again, you better be on your best damn behavior. Meet me this Sunday, at 3 PM at the Michigan Renaissance Festival near the jousting field. Just you and me, so keep your goons in check. Got it?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Oh, don’t even think of bringing El Diablito with you this time. The next time I see that little cripple, I’ll finish the job that was started in New Orleans.”
The phone went dead...
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Showdown at the OK Corral...Part 2
It is not an easy thing to try and find a place to meet one’s arch enemy. It has to be somewhere public enough that neither party can rig the situation very easily, but it can’t be so public that your meeting will draw unwanted attention. Of course, it doesn’t much help when you are trying to set up such a meeting between a Herman Muenster/Frankenstein zombie and a vampiric looking bastard who is at least four thousand years old and travels with an entourage of thugs and goons that even Dick Cheney would envy-- the task becomes nigh impossible to manage.
Luckily, there is one place where this kind of freak show meeting could take place and be public enough to serve our needs, but in reality go unnoticed by the surrounding people...the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly--taking place just about every weekend in August and September.
One disadvantage of this choice of meeting places was when Ravyn clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “Oh goody- I have just the costume for you!” Remembering the Keith Richard’s like get-up that she and the Frau had trundled me into on our way to Vegas, I was more than a little leery. Once I saw the outfit though, my fears were slightly allayed-it was mostly black studded leather armor and boots, with a barbarian looking helmet to cover my rather ghoulish appearance. One major advantage of this outfit was that I would be able to wear the Witchbane blades of Diego and Herlinda out in plain view-they just had to be peace bonded, or at least APPEAR to be peace-bonded...
Another advantage, at least in mind, was that if the shit hit the fan at this place and Ravyn had to start throwing Fire, it would look like some sort of planned event that would really wow the crowd. But, I was sure hoping things wouldn’t go that wrong in the first place.
Drake was surprisingly amenable to a meeting, letting me name the place, date and time for our encounter. I was able to reach him by drawing upon one of Daniel’s rather recent memories of when he had called Drake up to plead for his life.
With Ravyn easily agreeing to watch my back, and Drake easily agreeing to my choices for the time, date and place of the meeting, it actually started to look like a plan was about to fall into place...
But, as I learned in the military, even the best laid plans last only until the first shot is fired...then all Hell breaks loose...
Luckily, there is one place where this kind of freak show meeting could take place and be public enough to serve our needs, but in reality go unnoticed by the surrounding people...the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly--taking place just about every weekend in August and September.
One disadvantage of this choice of meeting places was when Ravyn clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “Oh goody- I have just the costume for you!” Remembering the Keith Richard’s like get-up that she and the Frau had trundled me into on our way to Vegas, I was more than a little leery. Once I saw the outfit though, my fears were slightly allayed-it was mostly black studded leather armor and boots, with a barbarian looking helmet to cover my rather ghoulish appearance. One major advantage of this outfit was that I would be able to wear the Witchbane blades of Diego and Herlinda out in plain view-they just had to be peace bonded, or at least APPEAR to be peace-bonded...
Another advantage, at least in mind, was that if the shit hit the fan at this place and Ravyn had to start throwing Fire, it would look like some sort of planned event that would really wow the crowd. But, I was sure hoping things wouldn’t go that wrong in the first place.
Drake was surprisingly amenable to a meeting, letting me name the place, date and time for our encounter. I was able to reach him by drawing upon one of Daniel’s rather recent memories of when he had called Drake up to plead for his life.
With Ravyn easily agreeing to watch my back, and Drake easily agreeing to my choices for the time, date and place of the meeting, it actually started to look like a plan was about to fall into place...
But, as I learned in the military, even the best laid plans last only until the first shot is fired...then all Hell breaks loose...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
