Jim tossed his mangled, misshapen cap on the couch and stalked off towards the front door mumbling something unintelligible.
Everyone else began to mill around, gathering items that they might need and packing them into bags.
The slamming front door told us that Jim was back, a small black briefcase in hand. He moved to the bar counter between the kitchen and common room and opened the case to reveal a computer of some sort.
I moved to get a better look. “What’s this all about?”
He glanced sideways at me before pressing a button that began firing up the thing. “I need to make the alert goes out to all ORC facilities and independent operators out there. This computer represents the merging of magick and technology that we have been able to come up with. It has the capability to uplink to the net in a way that can’t be tracked or traced by anything the government has. I don’t want anyone else caught by surprise.”
The inside of the case was completely taken up by this computer. He had opened it like a laptop computer, and while the keyboard looked a little clumsier than those of modern computers, the screen looked completely normal. It didn’t look particularly ‘magickal’. I said as much.
He grunted. “We designed it to look as normal as possible to outsiders. It’s not the equipment on the outside that makes it special. It’s the power source and connections to the net that make this thing special. Well, the software is unique. We couldn’t exactly ask Bill Gates to come up with an operating system for this thing.”
I watched as the screen booted up in a flash of colors and 3-D graphics. “Who did all of this?”
“It was a group effort. The software was designed by one of our closest friends from the San Diego Circle, Alana Danae, she’s both a Shaman and computer whiz. I’m really hoping that she was able to make it out alive from that attack out there, we’re going to need her talents.”
Once the computer finished booting up, I watched as Jim’s hand flew over the keyboard and mouse as he toggled open a number of different applications, sent dozens of messages. After the messages had gone out, he surfed among several different bank accounts. He cursed violently as some of the sites appeared to be blocked, but for those that he could get in, he logged into each one, made several lightning quick moves and logged out of each them quicker than I could even note which banks or brokerages they belonged to. He was closing the machine down within minutes.
As he closed the shell of the briefcase, clicking it into place, he looked up again at me. “It looks like some government agency has already identified some of our accounts and has placed blocks on them.” He shook his head. “We are under a coordinated, full fledged attack. These guys are playing hardball with us.”
Ravyn moved in between us, grabbed each of us in one arm looked up at Jim. “Well, as I understand it, it takes two teams to play any game with a ball. We need to gather ourselves, figure out exactly who is attacking and why, and hit back with everything that we can. I know there’s one particular Bane out there that I want a rematch with!”
Jim nodded. “I’ve sent out a request for an emergency Convocation of the Clans to take place at the Asylum once everyone has safely seen their people to safety. We need to know who’s already been attacked, what resources we’ll have available to us, and to come up with a battle plan before this situation gets any worse.”
Cerrydwen came up. “Did you say that the Convocation is taking place at the Asylum?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head and raised her left hand for emphasis. “You can count me out. I’m not setting foot in that cursed place.”
Ravyn cocked her head. “Why? What’s wrong with the place?”
The Frau chuckled as she waded into the conversation. “The Asylum is in the basement of an old mental institution just outside of Detroit. It sits on a large, abandoned campus that affords us a lot more privacy because it is rumored to be haunted.”
Cerrydwen shuddered. “It’s not a rumor. That place is awash in tortured Spirits and echoes with their pained cries. I could feel the terror of that place just be driving by it. I won’t be going there with you.”
The Frau patted her on the shoulder. “That’s OK, Dear. I’m sure Herne could use some help getting everyone off to the safe houses. Besides, I don’t think Naomi and Alexa should go to the Asylum. It is not a pleasant place.”
Jim nodded. “That’s probably for the best then. Frau, Ravyn, Rusty and I will be heading to the Asylum-we can get there by driving in less than hour-and set up for the Convocation. Cerrydwen, Naomi and Alexa will use the Transit Point and head out to the Lodge and then off to whichever safe house Herne feels is the safest.”
I remembered something that had almost gotten lost in all of the excitement. “Hey, we might want to make a side trip, if we can. Drake gave me the location to his store of weapons and items.” I looked over at Jim. “And, with that computer, I think you’ll be able to access the accounts he gave me the passwords to. I seriously doubt that anyone has been able to put any blocks on those funds.”
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Playing Hardball...Part 2
I turned to face the Frau. “OK, we’ve seen what’s happened at the Coop. What else is going on?”
Frau scrunched up her face as she moved to take a seat on a comfortable looking sofa and waved for the rest of us to do the same. “You all might as well sit down. Things have gone from bad to worse in a hurry.”
Cerrydwen emerged from the kitchen to place a steaming platter of eggs, sausages and toast on the counter that separated the kitchen from the immense common room. “If anyone’s hungry, come and get it while it is still hot.”
Ravyn rushed to the bar stool nearest the food and began piling a plate high with servings of everything. She waved at the Frau to begin speaking. “Don’t wait on me. I’ve never been so hungry in my life. I’m listening!”
The Frau nodded, setting her cane to the side as Alexa came bouncing up into her lap with an energetic giggle.
“Herne did note that everyone that Ravyn and Betsy had sent out there had arrived safely, but the news was certainly not all good.” Her glasses slid down towards the end of her nose as she spoke. “He has already received a second group of refugees from the San Diego Circle and has heard reports of an attack on the Salem House in Boston, but he hasn’t been able to reach Tessa or any of the other principles of Salem House.”
Jim gave a low whistle and took off his hat in frustration. “That means that three of our largest teaching facilities have been hit on the same night!”
Ravyn looked up from her plate, her mouth half full of food. “No wonder he mentioned the Railroad.”
The Frau nodded. “Yes, he has activated the Railroad and has been sending out the refugees first.”
I looked around, everyone else seemed to know what the Hell the ‘Railroad’ was, so I had to ask. “What is this Railroad business and what does it have to do with these attacks?”
Jim stood up. He began twisting and wrenching his baseball cap in his large hands as he began to explain. “The Railroad is one of major contingency plans. It was actually something we came up with when we were dealing with Drake and his minions, when we thought that we might be pitted against the FBI and other federal agencies in trying to help you in those early days. It is based on the Underground Railroad that helped freed slaves escape the South before and during the Civil War. It is a way of moving our people around without too much notice.”
“I guessed as much, but where are these folks going and how are they getting there?”
He shuffled his feet and twisted his cap even tighter in his hands. “We have a network of transit points that link each major ORC facility to few select safe houses scattered around the country that are known only to select principals in each facility. It was one of those transit points that Ravyn activated to get most of the folks from the Coop to Herne’s Lodge in the Rockies.”
Frau cleared her throat. “Yes, as well as the dozen or so from San Diego. The Lodge is one of our primary rally points, but Herne is concerned of the possibility that it has been compromised as well. That was why he activating the Railroad to move out most of the refugees to even safer locations until we can get our bearings and come up with an appropriate response.”
Ravyn bounced up from her stool now that her plate was empty and stalked over to me. She stood facing me, hands on her hips. “I know one thing that we’re going to be doing! Bane hunting! I…”
My Bureau issued cell phone chose that moment to erupt in music, silencing Ravyn in mid-sentence. With more than a little trepidation, I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. I didn’t recognize the number, so I flipped the phone open. “Bones here.”
Agent Jennifer Wilson’s voice hissed through the crackling static of the ear piece, but she was clearly trying to mask it. “Damn it, don’t use any names. It’s about time you I found you. Look, I can’t talk long. The Bureau is shutting us down.”
“What? Why?”
“I just received a summons from very high in the Bureau. All work in our unit is to cease immediately and all agents and assets are to report for reassignment immediately. The scuttlebutt is also that you’ve been compromised and have gone rogue, but I don’t believe it. There is an all point’s bulletin out for you to be taken into custody by any means necessary. That’s why I had to use this disposable phone to call you. I recommend that you dump this phone immediately when we terminate this call and get rid of any other Bureau issued items that might be traceable.”
“Damn! What about you?”
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. Oh, two more quick things. First, that body that I was examining disappeared along with all of my notes and computer files, but I can tell you that I think they have an aversion to silver, the purer the silver the better. Second, your friend in DC, the one named after the African tribe, has been taken very ill and has been quarantined for the last week. No one except his doctor and the guards that have been assigned to his room is being allowed to see him for any reason.”
“Jesus…”
“I have to go. Remember, ditch your phone immediately and get away from wherever you are. There are serious resources being dedicated to finding you right now and they don’t have good intentions.”
The phone went silent and the squealed in protest as I crushed it in my hand.
I looked up in the questioning, concerned faces of my compatriots. “Well, it looks like we just moved from the frying pan to the fire. We need to pack up as quickly as possible and get the heck out of here, pronto.”
(To be continued…)
Frau scrunched up her face as she moved to take a seat on a comfortable looking sofa and waved for the rest of us to do the same. “You all might as well sit down. Things have gone from bad to worse in a hurry.”
Cerrydwen emerged from the kitchen to place a steaming platter of eggs, sausages and toast on the counter that separated the kitchen from the immense common room. “If anyone’s hungry, come and get it while it is still hot.”
Ravyn rushed to the bar stool nearest the food and began piling a plate high with servings of everything. She waved at the Frau to begin speaking. “Don’t wait on me. I’ve never been so hungry in my life. I’m listening!”
The Frau nodded, setting her cane to the side as Alexa came bouncing up into her lap with an energetic giggle.
“Herne did note that everyone that Ravyn and Betsy had sent out there had arrived safely, but the news was certainly not all good.” Her glasses slid down towards the end of her nose as she spoke. “He has already received a second group of refugees from the San Diego Circle and has heard reports of an attack on the Salem House in Boston, but he hasn’t been able to reach Tessa or any of the other principles of Salem House.”
Jim gave a low whistle and took off his hat in frustration. “That means that three of our largest teaching facilities have been hit on the same night!”
Ravyn looked up from her plate, her mouth half full of food. “No wonder he mentioned the Railroad.”
The Frau nodded. “Yes, he has activated the Railroad and has been sending out the refugees first.”
I looked around, everyone else seemed to know what the Hell the ‘Railroad’ was, so I had to ask. “What is this Railroad business and what does it have to do with these attacks?”
Jim stood up. He began twisting and wrenching his baseball cap in his large hands as he began to explain. “The Railroad is one of major contingency plans. It was actually something we came up with when we were dealing with Drake and his minions, when we thought that we might be pitted against the FBI and other federal agencies in trying to help you in those early days. It is based on the Underground Railroad that helped freed slaves escape the South before and during the Civil War. It is a way of moving our people around without too much notice.”
“I guessed as much, but where are these folks going and how are they getting there?”
He shuffled his feet and twisted his cap even tighter in his hands. “We have a network of transit points that link each major ORC facility to few select safe houses scattered around the country that are known only to select principals in each facility. It was one of those transit points that Ravyn activated to get most of the folks from the Coop to Herne’s Lodge in the Rockies.”
Frau cleared her throat. “Yes, as well as the dozen or so from San Diego. The Lodge is one of our primary rally points, but Herne is concerned of the possibility that it has been compromised as well. That was why he activating the Railroad to move out most of the refugees to even safer locations until we can get our bearings and come up with an appropriate response.”
Ravyn bounced up from her stool now that her plate was empty and stalked over to me. She stood facing me, hands on her hips. “I know one thing that we’re going to be doing! Bane hunting! I…”
My Bureau issued cell phone chose that moment to erupt in music, silencing Ravyn in mid-sentence. With more than a little trepidation, I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. I didn’t recognize the number, so I flipped the phone open. “Bones here.”
Agent Jennifer Wilson’s voice hissed through the crackling static of the ear piece, but she was clearly trying to mask it. “Damn it, don’t use any names. It’s about time you I found you. Look, I can’t talk long. The Bureau is shutting us down.”
“What? Why?”
“I just received a summons from very high in the Bureau. All work in our unit is to cease immediately and all agents and assets are to report for reassignment immediately. The scuttlebutt is also that you’ve been compromised and have gone rogue, but I don’t believe it. There is an all point’s bulletin out for you to be taken into custody by any means necessary. That’s why I had to use this disposable phone to call you. I recommend that you dump this phone immediately when we terminate this call and get rid of any other Bureau issued items that might be traceable.”
“Damn! What about you?”
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. Oh, two more quick things. First, that body that I was examining disappeared along with all of my notes and computer files, but I can tell you that I think they have an aversion to silver, the purer the silver the better. Second, your friend in DC, the one named after the African tribe, has been taken very ill and has been quarantined for the last week. No one except his doctor and the guards that have been assigned to his room is being allowed to see him for any reason.”
“Jesus…”
“I have to go. Remember, ditch your phone immediately and get away from wherever you are. There are serious resources being dedicated to finding you right now and they don’t have good intentions.”
The phone went silent and the squealed in protest as I crushed it in my hand.
I looked up in the questioning, concerned faces of my compatriots. “Well, it looks like we just moved from the frying pan to the fire. We need to pack up as quickly as possible and get the heck out of here, pronto.”
(To be continued…)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Playing Hardball...Part 1
After an impromptu and emotional celebration, we returned to the house to find the phone ringing.
The Frau picked up the cordless phone while simultaneously offering instructions. “Naomi, you’re closest to Ravyn’s size, can you get some clothes for poor Ravyn? Rusty can you take care of this table? Cerry, would you be a dear and start some breakfast going?” After about the tenth ring, she fumbled with the buttons on the phone and answered that. “Hello?”
Her face lit up as she heard the voice on the other end of the line.
“Oh, Herne, I’m so glad you called. Ravyn’s back with us now!”
There was a pause as she listened to him respond. His voice was almost audible over the handset, but I couldn’t quite make out the words.
“What? Oh dear! Yes, by all means, activate the Railroad. I’ll let everyone here know about your concerns and start the ball rolling on our end.”
Jim’s face tightened considerably at the mention of ‘railroad’, he stood still as he tred to catch whatever was being said by Herne.
She paused again as he spoke for quite some time.
“Yes, we’ll turn it on now. Yes, we’ll notify the families. You guys take care. Let us know when everyone is safe!”
Frau’s demeanor had changed considerably by the time she punched the button to hang up the phone. She looked she wanted to slam the phone down, but thought better of it at the last moment. Instead, she turned to me. “Rusty, will you turn the television on to the Wolf Network News channel please.” Her teeth visibly grated as she spat those words out.
I nodded and went looking for the remote control. The WNN was not the first choice of anyone here, as it clearly had a hard line conservative bent to its coverage. By the time I found the remote, everyone had come back into the main room, gathering about the TV.
Ravyn was now wearing a pair of loose grey sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt that was clearly two sizes too large for her as she carried the bubbly Alexa in her arms. Naomi followed right behind.
The TV flickered on and we could immediately see why the Frau wanted to watch this channel. The screen was split into two main images and scrolling news banner beneath. The words ‘Breaking News’ were emblazoned across the top of both images. The screen on the right must showing earlier footage of the Coop lit up at night by the blazing fire that we had just barely escaped from. The left side of the screen was of a reporter talking with the smoldering ruins of the Coop as the backdrop.
The scrolling ‘news’ that rolled beneath the footage was supposedly encapsulating the highlights of the coverage to date. Just the first few snippets of it were enough to get Ravyn to gasp and Jim to clench his hands in anger.
“BIZZARE FIRE AT COLLEGE TOWN OCCULT HOUSE IN CHICAGO SUBURBS.”
“POLICE SUSPECT POSSIBLE SUICIDE PACT AMONG STRANGE CULT MEMBERS.”
“20 BODIES DISCOVERED IN OCCULT HOUSE FIRE NEAR CHICAGO.”
“NEIGHBORS CLAIM RESIDENTS OF OCCULT HOUSE WERE SATAN WORSHIPPERS AND THAT HOUSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN YEARS AGO.”
The reporter’s voice came across in response to a question from the studio. “Yes, Bill, I just finished speaking with a spokesperson for the East Napierville Fire Department and he has confirmed that fire appears to be very suspicious in nature and that they believe that accelerants were used, leading them to believe that the occupants of the house set it on fire themselves.”
The screen flashed over to a studio where a heavy set, balding man sat at an anchor desk and asked another question of the reporter. “Sam, I’ve seen some reports here that this house may have been used by a Satanic cult of some sort, can you give us any more information on that?”
The screen flipped back to the reporter, who listened to the question in his earpiece, nodding eagerly as the question ended. “Indeed, I can Bill. According to several neighbors that I spoke with, including one that we’ll roll the tape on here in a moment, this house was run by a wild woman known only as Ravyn Fyre. All of the witnesses agreed that this Ravyn Fyre was a well known witch and coven leader for a bizarre group that called themselves Trolls or Goblins, or some other name like that. She apparently used this house as a recruiting center and for strange night time rituals that often involved large fires and animal sacrifices. Let’s roll the tape of this interview.”
The screen flickered to show an older woman who looked an awful lot like Evelyn Olsen, a kindly neighbor that Ravyn had shared many a meal with over the years, but her mannerisms were not quite right. “Oh yes, I’ve always known that the people in this house weren’t to be trusted. When I tried to report on them though, they threatened me to keep me quiet. Ravyn Fyre even threatened to make my precious kitties disappear if I reported her to the authorities.”
The mike in front of the woman moved as the reporter asked another question. “Mrs. Olsen, do you think that the folks in this house were involved with occult activity in any way?”
She nodded vigorously. “Oh yes. I can’t remember all of the times I saw those young people dressed in strange robes-or even in nothing at all-dancing around fires at night.” She visibly shuddered. “I pray for the souls of those poor folk in the fire, I’m afraid that they will be heading in the wrong direction, if you know what I mean.”
The Frau snorted at that last statement before she spoke. “Rusty, turn that off. I’ve seen enough.”
(To be continued…)
The Frau picked up the cordless phone while simultaneously offering instructions. “Naomi, you’re closest to Ravyn’s size, can you get some clothes for poor Ravyn? Rusty can you take care of this table? Cerry, would you be a dear and start some breakfast going?” After about the tenth ring, she fumbled with the buttons on the phone and answered that. “Hello?”
Her face lit up as she heard the voice on the other end of the line.
“Oh, Herne, I’m so glad you called. Ravyn’s back with us now!”
There was a pause as she listened to him respond. His voice was almost audible over the handset, but I couldn’t quite make out the words.
“What? Oh dear! Yes, by all means, activate the Railroad. I’ll let everyone here know about your concerns and start the ball rolling on our end.”
Jim’s face tightened considerably at the mention of ‘railroad’, he stood still as he tred to catch whatever was being said by Herne.
She paused again as he spoke for quite some time.
“Yes, we’ll turn it on now. Yes, we’ll notify the families. You guys take care. Let us know when everyone is safe!”
Frau’s demeanor had changed considerably by the time she punched the button to hang up the phone. She looked she wanted to slam the phone down, but thought better of it at the last moment. Instead, she turned to me. “Rusty, will you turn the television on to the Wolf Network News channel please.” Her teeth visibly grated as she spat those words out.
I nodded and went looking for the remote control. The WNN was not the first choice of anyone here, as it clearly had a hard line conservative bent to its coverage. By the time I found the remote, everyone had come back into the main room, gathering about the TV.
Ravyn was now wearing a pair of loose grey sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt that was clearly two sizes too large for her as she carried the bubbly Alexa in her arms. Naomi followed right behind.
The TV flickered on and we could immediately see why the Frau wanted to watch this channel. The screen was split into two main images and scrolling news banner beneath. The words ‘Breaking News’ were emblazoned across the top of both images. The screen on the right must showing earlier footage of the Coop lit up at night by the blazing fire that we had just barely escaped from. The left side of the screen was of a reporter talking with the smoldering ruins of the Coop as the backdrop.
The scrolling ‘news’ that rolled beneath the footage was supposedly encapsulating the highlights of the coverage to date. Just the first few snippets of it were enough to get Ravyn to gasp and Jim to clench his hands in anger.
“BIZZARE FIRE AT COLLEGE TOWN OCCULT HOUSE IN CHICAGO SUBURBS.”
“POLICE SUSPECT POSSIBLE SUICIDE PACT AMONG STRANGE CULT MEMBERS.”
“20 BODIES DISCOVERED IN OCCULT HOUSE FIRE NEAR CHICAGO.”
“NEIGHBORS CLAIM RESIDENTS OF OCCULT HOUSE WERE SATAN WORSHIPPERS AND THAT HOUSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN YEARS AGO.”
The reporter’s voice came across in response to a question from the studio. “Yes, Bill, I just finished speaking with a spokesperson for the East Napierville Fire Department and he has confirmed that fire appears to be very suspicious in nature and that they believe that accelerants were used, leading them to believe that the occupants of the house set it on fire themselves.”
The screen flashed over to a studio where a heavy set, balding man sat at an anchor desk and asked another question of the reporter. “Sam, I’ve seen some reports here that this house may have been used by a Satanic cult of some sort, can you give us any more information on that?”
The screen flipped back to the reporter, who listened to the question in his earpiece, nodding eagerly as the question ended. “Indeed, I can Bill. According to several neighbors that I spoke with, including one that we’ll roll the tape on here in a moment, this house was run by a wild woman known only as Ravyn Fyre. All of the witnesses agreed that this Ravyn Fyre was a well known witch and coven leader for a bizarre group that called themselves Trolls or Goblins, or some other name like that. She apparently used this house as a recruiting center and for strange night time rituals that often involved large fires and animal sacrifices. Let’s roll the tape of this interview.”
The screen flickered to show an older woman who looked an awful lot like Evelyn Olsen, a kindly neighbor that Ravyn had shared many a meal with over the years, but her mannerisms were not quite right. “Oh yes, I’ve always known that the people in this house weren’t to be trusted. When I tried to report on them though, they threatened me to keep me quiet. Ravyn Fyre even threatened to make my precious kitties disappear if I reported her to the authorities.”
The mike in front of the woman moved as the reporter asked another question. “Mrs. Olsen, do you think that the folks in this house were involved with occult activity in any way?”
She nodded vigorously. “Oh yes. I can’t remember all of the times I saw those young people dressed in strange robes-or even in nothing at all-dancing around fires at night.” She visibly shuddered. “I pray for the souls of those poor folk in the fire, I’m afraid that they will be heading in the wrong direction, if you know what I mean.”
The Frau snorted at that last statement before she spoke. “Rusty, turn that off. I’ve seen enough.”
(To be continued…)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Phoenix Rising...Part 3
I carried Ravyn’s body out to the clearing in the back of the house. The path to the clearing was barely visible through the thick undergrowth, but it was marked by small Celtic designs painted on tree trunks at eye level.
Once in the clearing, I set her body down in a nice grassy spot and set to building a pyre in the stone circle in the middle of the clearing out of the firewood that was stacked and ready to use nearby.
Jim, Naomi, and Cerrydwen joined in with the building of the pyre, each of them remaining silent as we worked.
The Frau brought a red gallon can of gasoline, which she set down in the grass near the stacked cords of firewood.
Alexa was kneeling in the grass next to Ravyn’s body, her small hands touching Ravyn’s forehead in a loving manner as she whispered unheard words to her.
Once the pyre was built, I moved to go get Ravyn’s body.
Alexa looked up at me as I approached. Her hands were now clasped around a small, brilliantly red, oval object that rested in her lap. Wet tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m going to miss her, Daddy.”
“Alexa, we’ll all miss Lady Fyre. She was a really special person who was very much loved.”
Alexa shook her head vehemently, her hair bouncing as she did so. “No, Daddy, I’m not talking about Lady Fyre. She’ll be here as soon as we’re done.”
The Frau and the others had gathered around us now, listening to this very special child as she spoke.
“Then who are you talking about, Alexa?”
Her shoulders bounced up and down as she was wracked with sobbing tears as she held up the small, egg-shaped object in her two tiny hands. “Betsy! I’m going to miss Betsy so much!”
Naomi squatted down next to her daughter. “But Betsy is already gone. We all wish she could come back too, but we’ve got to help Lady Fyre right now. Are you sure this is going to bring Lady Fyre back to us?”
Alexa nodded, at first too broken up to speak. But she calmed down and looked up into each of our faces before finally speaking. As she spoke, she placed the red egg onto Ravyn’s chest and then gently brought up each of Ravyn’s hands over the egg to make it secure. As she spoke, we could clearly hear a more mature version of Alexa speaking, like she had on previous occasions.
“Lady Ravyn gave me this egg that Betsy had created and asked me to keep it safe. She told me that if something really bad were to happen to someone I love and they died, that I could place the egg with the body into a really big fire on the same day that the person died and that the person would be allowed to come back. But she also told me that if something happened to Betsy, that the egg could be used to bring her back, but it could only work once. If the egg were used to bring Betsy back, it would take 1 year and 1 day for her to make another. So I can’t bring both Ravyn and Betsy back with the same egg. If I used the egg to bring Betsy back, she wouldn’t be able to help Ravyn in time.”
She looked down at Ravyn’s peacefully composed face after she had finished placing Ravyn’s hands onto the egg before looking back up at us. Her eyes reflected the maturity that had come over her voice.
“I know that Betsy would want me to bring Ravyn back over her. That is why I mourn the loss of Betsy. She is a creature from a different place, a creature that I will no longer be able to communicate with once this egg is gone, and that is a terrible loss. I also mourn for Ravyn, for I know that she loves Betsy and that she will be heartbroken at the loss of her friend, her companion. Right now, they are both together, spending their last moments in union with one another as they soar with the stars. Once the fire is started, they will be torn from each other, never to be together again in this lifetime. Ravyn wants to be back among us, but she is also saddened by the thought of losing one of her dearest friends.”
She stood up and looked directly into my eyes.
“Father, we must act soon. If we wait much longer, the pain of her loss may be too much for her to overcome. Please bring Ravyn to the pyre and start the fire.”
With those words, Alexa turned and walked towards where the pyre had been built, stopping just beyond the stone circle and waiting for us to join her.
I looked to the others gathered around Ravyn’s body.
Jim nodded silently, his jaw set in determination. Cerrydwen nodded as well, tears streaking down her face in empathy at the loss that Ravyn was about to experience. The Frau cleared her throat and motioned with the cane that I should do as instructed. Naomi was watching her daughter with a look that spoke of awe and deep, motherly love.
I reached down and slid my hands under Ravyn’s body, careful not to disturb her now clasped hands. I picked her up and followed Alexa toward the pyre.
I stepped inside the stone circle and placed her body gently onto the pyre.
Jim stood next to me, holding the can of gasoline. By the look on his face, he was struggling with the idea of dousing the pyre with the gas. His hands trembled as he struggled with the cap on the can.
I reached out and took the can from him. “I’ll do it.”
He nodded and stepped back to join the others outside of the circle.
I emptied the can on the wood all around her body, saving just enough to douse the sheet that covered her entire body, except for her head and arms.
The Frau hobbled forward, a box of fireplace matches in her hand.
I took them from her and motioned for her to step back. Once she was safely back with the others, each of them holding the hands of two others, I pulled a single long match from the box and struck it and tossed it onto the wood next to her head.
There a tremendous FOOM as the gas saturated wood exploded in orange flames that mushroomed up towards the sky. Had I been living, I’m sure that I would have been in pain from the contact burns, but instead, I just calmly stepped back, noting that my leather jacket was smoking.
As we watched the flames calm down, we gasped to see that Ravyn’s body seemed oddly unarmed by the inferno that raged all around and even under her. Her hands, however, began to glow with an incandescent red light that grew brighter and brighter as we watched.
Slowly, the fire began to take its toll, at first on the sheet that covered her body, and then on her hair and skin, which blackened. Everyone but me sobbed as her body was simultaneously consumed by the fire and lit by the glow of the egg that was soon only covered by ashes.
Finally, her body was no longer solid enough to support the brightly glowing egg, and it fell down through the remains of her torso and into the burning embers beneath. For the briefest of moments, the glow of the egg disappeared completely. I felt a flash of despair that the magick had failed.
Just then, there was another brilliant explosion of energy that rose from the remains of the funeral pyre and formed itself into a giant Phoenix form. The Phoenix looked down at us with its defiant gaze and opened its beak. A piercing, keening cry came forth as the Phoenix began to dissipate. Half of its energy seemed to tear off and float upwards, soaring back towards the unseen stars, while the bottom half of the form collapsed in on itself and took the form of a naked woman.
Ravyn Fyre stood before us with her arms raised to the sky, crying out in pain at the loss of the union between soul mates before crumpling to the ground, her body giving off tendrils of smoke as she sobbed.
Jim was the first to reach her side, laying his own jacket across her bare shoulders as he knelt beside her.
Alexa was the second one there. As Jim helped Ravyn sit up, Alexa jumped into arms and gave her a great big bear hug as she sobbed. “I’ll miss her too, Lady Fyre!”
Once in the clearing, I set her body down in a nice grassy spot and set to building a pyre in the stone circle in the middle of the clearing out of the firewood that was stacked and ready to use nearby.
Jim, Naomi, and Cerrydwen joined in with the building of the pyre, each of them remaining silent as we worked.
The Frau brought a red gallon can of gasoline, which she set down in the grass near the stacked cords of firewood.
Alexa was kneeling in the grass next to Ravyn’s body, her small hands touching Ravyn’s forehead in a loving manner as she whispered unheard words to her.
Once the pyre was built, I moved to go get Ravyn’s body.
Alexa looked up at me as I approached. Her hands were now clasped around a small, brilliantly red, oval object that rested in her lap. Wet tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m going to miss her, Daddy.”
“Alexa, we’ll all miss Lady Fyre. She was a really special person who was very much loved.”
Alexa shook her head vehemently, her hair bouncing as she did so. “No, Daddy, I’m not talking about Lady Fyre. She’ll be here as soon as we’re done.”
The Frau and the others had gathered around us now, listening to this very special child as she spoke.
“Then who are you talking about, Alexa?”
Her shoulders bounced up and down as she was wracked with sobbing tears as she held up the small, egg-shaped object in her two tiny hands. “Betsy! I’m going to miss Betsy so much!”
Naomi squatted down next to her daughter. “But Betsy is already gone. We all wish she could come back too, but we’ve got to help Lady Fyre right now. Are you sure this is going to bring Lady Fyre back to us?”
Alexa nodded, at first too broken up to speak. But she calmed down and looked up into each of our faces before finally speaking. As she spoke, she placed the red egg onto Ravyn’s chest and then gently brought up each of Ravyn’s hands over the egg to make it secure. As she spoke, we could clearly hear a more mature version of Alexa speaking, like she had on previous occasions.
“Lady Ravyn gave me this egg that Betsy had created and asked me to keep it safe. She told me that if something really bad were to happen to someone I love and they died, that I could place the egg with the body into a really big fire on the same day that the person died and that the person would be allowed to come back. But she also told me that if something happened to Betsy, that the egg could be used to bring her back, but it could only work once. If the egg were used to bring Betsy back, it would take 1 year and 1 day for her to make another. So I can’t bring both Ravyn and Betsy back with the same egg. If I used the egg to bring Betsy back, she wouldn’t be able to help Ravyn in time.”
She looked down at Ravyn’s peacefully composed face after she had finished placing Ravyn’s hands onto the egg before looking back up at us. Her eyes reflected the maturity that had come over her voice.
“I know that Betsy would want me to bring Ravyn back over her. That is why I mourn the loss of Betsy. She is a creature from a different place, a creature that I will no longer be able to communicate with once this egg is gone, and that is a terrible loss. I also mourn for Ravyn, for I know that she loves Betsy and that she will be heartbroken at the loss of her friend, her companion. Right now, they are both together, spending their last moments in union with one another as they soar with the stars. Once the fire is started, they will be torn from each other, never to be together again in this lifetime. Ravyn wants to be back among us, but she is also saddened by the thought of losing one of her dearest friends.”
She stood up and looked directly into my eyes.
“Father, we must act soon. If we wait much longer, the pain of her loss may be too much for her to overcome. Please bring Ravyn to the pyre and start the fire.”
With those words, Alexa turned and walked towards where the pyre had been built, stopping just beyond the stone circle and waiting for us to join her.
I looked to the others gathered around Ravyn’s body.
Jim nodded silently, his jaw set in determination. Cerrydwen nodded as well, tears streaking down her face in empathy at the loss that Ravyn was about to experience. The Frau cleared her throat and motioned with the cane that I should do as instructed. Naomi was watching her daughter with a look that spoke of awe and deep, motherly love.
I reached down and slid my hands under Ravyn’s body, careful not to disturb her now clasped hands. I picked her up and followed Alexa toward the pyre.
I stepped inside the stone circle and placed her body gently onto the pyre.
Jim stood next to me, holding the can of gasoline. By the look on his face, he was struggling with the idea of dousing the pyre with the gas. His hands trembled as he struggled with the cap on the can.
I reached out and took the can from him. “I’ll do it.”
He nodded and stepped back to join the others outside of the circle.
I emptied the can on the wood all around her body, saving just enough to douse the sheet that covered her entire body, except for her head and arms.
The Frau hobbled forward, a box of fireplace matches in her hand.
I took them from her and motioned for her to step back. Once she was safely back with the others, each of them holding the hands of two others, I pulled a single long match from the box and struck it and tossed it onto the wood next to her head.
There a tremendous FOOM as the gas saturated wood exploded in orange flames that mushroomed up towards the sky. Had I been living, I’m sure that I would have been in pain from the contact burns, but instead, I just calmly stepped back, noting that my leather jacket was smoking.
As we watched the flames calm down, we gasped to see that Ravyn’s body seemed oddly unarmed by the inferno that raged all around and even under her. Her hands, however, began to glow with an incandescent red light that grew brighter and brighter as we watched.
Slowly, the fire began to take its toll, at first on the sheet that covered her body, and then on her hair and skin, which blackened. Everyone but me sobbed as her body was simultaneously consumed by the fire and lit by the glow of the egg that was soon only covered by ashes.
Finally, her body was no longer solid enough to support the brightly glowing egg, and it fell down through the remains of her torso and into the burning embers beneath. For the briefest of moments, the glow of the egg disappeared completely. I felt a flash of despair that the magick had failed.
Just then, there was another brilliant explosion of energy that rose from the remains of the funeral pyre and formed itself into a giant Phoenix form. The Phoenix looked down at us with its defiant gaze and opened its beak. A piercing, keening cry came forth as the Phoenix began to dissipate. Half of its energy seemed to tear off and float upwards, soaring back towards the unseen stars, while the bottom half of the form collapsed in on itself and took the form of a naked woman.
Ravyn Fyre stood before us with her arms raised to the sky, crying out in pain at the loss of the union between soul mates before crumpling to the ground, her body giving off tendrils of smoke as she sobbed.
Jim was the first to reach her side, laying his own jacket across her bare shoulders as he knelt beside her.
Alexa was the second one there. As Jim helped Ravyn sit up, Alexa jumped into arms and gave her a great big bear hug as she sobbed. “I’ll miss her too, Lady Fyre!”
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Phoenix Rising...Part 2
The Frau joined Naomi in collecting the various bottles from Alexa. “Honey, why do you think that Lady Fyre needs to have a really big fire?”
Alexa threw up her now empty arms in exasperation. “I already told Daddy, because she told me so!”
“When was that, Sweetie?”
“She keeps telling me. I asked her if she was sure, because I know its wrong to play with fire, but she says ‘yes’ and we need to make it really soon.”
Naomi leaned down and picked Alexa up. “Did Lady Fyre say why we need the fire?”
Alexa nodded solemnly.
“Will you tell us?”
“Only if you promise to help me.”
Naomi rolled her eyes and looked at each of us in turn before turning her attention back to Alexa. “Alexa, we promise to help you to help Lady Fyre.”
“Lady Fyre says that we have to build a really big, really hot fire around her body. She also says that is really important to do as it soon as possible or she won’t be able to come back at all.” Tears began streaming down Alexa’s face. “I want to help bring Lady Fyre back.”
Naomi smothered her daughter in hugs and kisses, patting down her now wild hair with her spare hand. “Don’t worry, Alexa, we’ll help you to bring her back. Let’s get you something to eat while these others discuss how we’re going to do that, OK?”
The sniffling Alexa looked around at each of us, as if she were recording our nods as promises of support in her great quest. “OK, Mama.”
After they had left the room, I turned to face the Frau and Cerrydwen. “She wants us to build a funeral pyre and place Ravyn’s body in it? Can we even do that?”
The Frau shifted her weight and moved to sit down on one of the comfortable couches. She was looking at the seemingly sleeping face of Ravyn as she spoke. “If there is a chance that doing so might actually bring her back to us in some fashion, then yes, I think we have to try.”
Cerrydwen nodded. “Remember, her totem is the Phoenix and the Phoenix traditionally rises from its own ashes.”
Jim moved closer to Ravyn’s body. He reached down and brushed a stray strand of her hair from her face before looking up. “Can it really work?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “The Lady of the Lake brought back Naomi to us without even the benefit of having her body.” I moved closer to the table holding Ravyn’s body. Just as I got there, a stray thought occurred to me. “Hey, wait a minute! When I took Ravyn to the Lady of the Lake, she refused to help, but she did say something that I didn’t understand until just now—‘Return to your world and perform your rituals of loss and mourning. Only there will you find the solace you so desperately seek.’”
The Frau nodded, her eyes closed in contemplation. “Yes, that could be an obscure way of saying that the answer to our problem lies with a ritual of loss and mourning.”
Cerrydwen came up behind Jim and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “And given the nature of Ravyn’s powers, it would make sense to have her cremated as part of our ritual of mourning.”
“Yeah, but isn’t that illegal? We can’t just burn her body in broad daylight and expect no legal problems to come from it!”
Everyone turned to look at me, their incredulity showing on their faces.
“What? I am an FBI agent, you know. I figured I at least needed to make a pretense of worrying about the law!” I threw up my hands. “Ah, screw it! We have to try it. I can’t see Ravyn’s Spirit form around here, but I get the sense that Alexa really is able to talk to her, even now.”
Pointing towards the back of the house with her cane, the Frau stood back up. “Rusty, Jim, we have a very large pit out back, situated in a clearing about a hundred yards back in the woods. There are several cords of firewood already chopped back there. Rusty, if you can take Ravyn back there, the rest of us will bring the materials for the ceremony. Let’s get started.”
Alexa threw up her now empty arms in exasperation. “I already told Daddy, because she told me so!”
“When was that, Sweetie?”
“She keeps telling me. I asked her if she was sure, because I know its wrong to play with fire, but she says ‘yes’ and we need to make it really soon.”
Naomi leaned down and picked Alexa up. “Did Lady Fyre say why we need the fire?”
Alexa nodded solemnly.
“Will you tell us?”
“Only if you promise to help me.”
Naomi rolled her eyes and looked at each of us in turn before turning her attention back to Alexa. “Alexa, we promise to help you to help Lady Fyre.”
“Lady Fyre says that we have to build a really big, really hot fire around her body. She also says that is really important to do as it soon as possible or she won’t be able to come back at all.” Tears began streaming down Alexa’s face. “I want to help bring Lady Fyre back.”
Naomi smothered her daughter in hugs and kisses, patting down her now wild hair with her spare hand. “Don’t worry, Alexa, we’ll help you to bring her back. Let’s get you something to eat while these others discuss how we’re going to do that, OK?”
The sniffling Alexa looked around at each of us, as if she were recording our nods as promises of support in her great quest. “OK, Mama.”
After they had left the room, I turned to face the Frau and Cerrydwen. “She wants us to build a funeral pyre and place Ravyn’s body in it? Can we even do that?”
The Frau shifted her weight and moved to sit down on one of the comfortable couches. She was looking at the seemingly sleeping face of Ravyn as she spoke. “If there is a chance that doing so might actually bring her back to us in some fashion, then yes, I think we have to try.”
Cerrydwen nodded. “Remember, her totem is the Phoenix and the Phoenix traditionally rises from its own ashes.”
Jim moved closer to Ravyn’s body. He reached down and brushed a stray strand of her hair from her face before looking up. “Can it really work?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “The Lady of the Lake brought back Naomi to us without even the benefit of having her body.” I moved closer to the table holding Ravyn’s body. Just as I got there, a stray thought occurred to me. “Hey, wait a minute! When I took Ravyn to the Lady of the Lake, she refused to help, but she did say something that I didn’t understand until just now—‘Return to your world and perform your rituals of loss and mourning. Only there will you find the solace you so desperately seek.’”
The Frau nodded, her eyes closed in contemplation. “Yes, that could be an obscure way of saying that the answer to our problem lies with a ritual of loss and mourning.”
Cerrydwen came up behind Jim and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “And given the nature of Ravyn’s powers, it would make sense to have her cremated as part of our ritual of mourning.”
“Yeah, but isn’t that illegal? We can’t just burn her body in broad daylight and expect no legal problems to come from it!”
Everyone turned to look at me, their incredulity showing on their faces.
“What? I am an FBI agent, you know. I figured I at least needed to make a pretense of worrying about the law!” I threw up my hands. “Ah, screw it! We have to try it. I can’t see Ravyn’s Spirit form around here, but I get the sense that Alexa really is able to talk to her, even now.”
Pointing towards the back of the house with her cane, the Frau stood back up. “Rusty, Jim, we have a very large pit out back, situated in a clearing about a hundred yards back in the woods. There are several cords of firewood already chopped back there. Rusty, if you can take Ravyn back there, the rest of us will bring the materials for the ceremony. Let’s get started.”
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Phoenix Rising...Part 1
I emerged from the Shadow just outside of the small, cozy home that Cerrydwen and the Frau shared. The house itself was a single story affair that looked pretty rustic from the road, but that façade was by design. It looked like nothing more than nice country ranch home nestled into the backwoods country of the middle of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
The night was almost done, with a light glow illuminating the eastern horizon as night gave way to the dawn of a new day. I could make out Jim’s truck in the parking lot. He must have gotten word of the attack. His own home was less than half an hour away.
I was not looking forward to having to pass on Ravyn’s cryptic last words to him. I had no idea what question it was that Ravyn had answered and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know. I had to admit to being more than a little jealous of the relationship that had appeared to blossom between them in the last year or so. My jealousy, however, was now tempered by the guilt and sorrow I felt at not returning in time to save her.
With a heavy heart and a sense of failure, I approached the door.
It opened before I was able to reach up and knock. The Frau clucked her tongue and whisked us inside so quickly that I didn’t even note the others gathered about the door until I was already inside.
“Oh dear, it looks as bad as I had feared.” She bustled through the gathered crowd, creating a path for me to follow. “Please bring her this way, Rusty.”
Cerrydwen followed closely behind me, her face a mask of concern and barely contained rage. “Who did this to her?”
Before I could answer, I was escorted by the Frau into a rather large, comfortably appointed living room with a humungous fireplace. With practiced ease, the Frau began barking directions out to everyone around her, but they were given in such a way as to instill willing obedience and a desire to help in all who heard them.
“Cerry, be a dear and get the healing mat and the massage table from the other room, would you?”
“Naomi, would you please get some fresh sheets from the linen closet in the hall?”
“Jim, could you please fill a basin with some warm water and bring me the disinfectant soap from the bathroom closet?”
“Alexa, could you please pick up your toys and put them away?”
As if the whole scene had been coordinated in advance, the Frau soon had me placing Ravyn’s ravaged body on the newly erected table for her examination. She was a whirlwind of action, carefully stripping the burned and torn clothing from her body, quickly cleansing the worst of the soot and dirt from her wounds, and then covering her with clean sheets.
Jim, Naomi, Cerrydwen all hovered nearby, instantly responding to any and all requests that the Frau made, each absorbing the shock of seeing Ravyn stricken in this manner in their own way.
Cerrydwen remained largely silent, her face a mask of intense agony, her eyes burning brighter than I could ever recall. Her movements were quick and choppy, as if she could barely control the rage that filled her.
Naomi was clearly shaken and seemed to almost be in shock at seeing the woman who had served as mentor and instructor laid low. Her face reflected the pain she felt, but also the uncertainty at having her whole upset yet again.
Jim moved slowly and deliberately whenever he was asked to help out in some way, as if he needed to be sure that he remained in control of his body. His jaw was clenched and his lips set into a determined frown as he opened and closed his fists whenever his hands weren’t otherwise occupied. More than once, I saw his hand slip down to Ravyn’s right hand to give a quick, hopeful squeeze to her fingers.
Alexa toddled about the room, just out of everyone’s way as they bustled back and forth. She seemed almost oblivious to the emergency taking place in the room, piling up wooden blocks and tinker toys into an impressive pile in front of me.
“Daddy, can you help me?”
Relieved to have a chance to turn my eyes away from the treatment table, I looked down at my smiling child and her rather large pile of wooden toys strewn in front of me. “What do you want help with, darling?”
“I need more! This is all I have.”
“What do you mean? It looks like you can build quite a big toy out of these.” I sat down on an ottoman that I hadn’t noticed before and scooted closer to the pile. “What do you want to build?”
She looked at me with her big brown eyes and smiled. “We need to build something really big for Lady Fyre. She needs us.”
I couldn’t help the sudden feeling of loss and pain that welled up within me at seeing the innocent hope in the eyes of my daughter. I reached out and pulled her into a big hug. “I’ll help you build something for Lady Fyre, darling. But we can’t do it in here, OK? They need all of the room they can get to try and help Lady Fyre out.”
“Oh, I know we can’t build it in here, daddy. I need your help taking these outside. We need to build a really big thing outside for Lady Fyre. We need to use as many sticks as possible. She really needs us to do it as quickly as possible!”
I was puzzled by her words, so I pulled back, leaving a hand on each of her shoulders and looked at her in the face. “How do you know what Lady Fyre needs, darling?”
She returned my gaze steadily. “She told me so.”
I was distracted briefly Alexa as I heard loud sobbing coming from Naomi. I looked up to see the Frau turn and face me, shaking her head, tears streaming down her face. Jim and Cerrydwen were locked in a sobbing hug, trying to give solace to each other.
The Frau spoke first. “She’s gone. There’s no power that I know of that can bring her Spirit back or restore this body. I’m sorry, Rusty. She was just too far gone.”
I nodded, knowing deep in my own non-existent heart that Ravyn had died. I had witnessed her passing on the dark precipice. “I thought so. I saw her Spirit form leave her body and depart as it if were pulled from the place. I tried to get the Lady of the Lake to bring her back, but she refused.”
Alexa broke free of my hold and walked off, humming to herself as she headed towards the kitchen.
I looked up at all of their tear-stained faces, seeing them mourn in ways that I no longer could. I felt hollow and empty inside.
I stood up, stepped over the pile of wooden toys and made my way to the table where Ravyn lay in now peaceful looking repose. Even dead, her face was a beautiful mask of dignity and determination. Her eyes were closed, but I could still picture them, vibrantly green and incredibly intense. Her dark red hair had been combed and lay fanned out above her head. The sheet covered her naked form up to her neck. It was very easy to imagine her laying in a spa, waiting for a massage.
I saw Jim across the table from me, looking down at Ravyn’s face. This seemed to be the moment to give her last words to him.
“Jim?”
He looked up at me slowly. His face was streaked with tears. “Yeah?”
“Ravyn did ask me to tell you something before she passed away.”
His reddened eyes narrowed, a lump seemed to form in his throat as he tried to gulp air before speaking. “Oh?”
I nodded, glanced back down at her face and then back up at his before I answered. “She said to tell you that her answer was ‘Yes’.”
His face changed, took on a more peaceful look at hearing that. He reached up with the back of his left hand and wiped away the wetness on his cheeks.
Somewhat relieved by his response, I took the chance to ask the question that had been burning in my own mind since I heard her last words. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to know what the question was.”
Before he could respond, Alexa barged into the room making all sorts of noise as she banged into furniture on her way towards us, her arms full of every bottle of cooking oil and flammable chemical in the Frau’s kitchen.
We all turned to look at this explosive mixture, but it was the Frau who got out the first questions Alexa.
“Alexa, where did you get all of that stuff and why are you bringing it in here?”
Naomi was already moving towards her daughter, reaching out to take some of the bottles from her.
Alexa stopped and looked up at all of us, clearly exasperated. “Lady Fyre needs a really, really big fire. Daddy won’t help, so it looks like I’m going to have to do it myself.”
The night was almost done, with a light glow illuminating the eastern horizon as night gave way to the dawn of a new day. I could make out Jim’s truck in the parking lot. He must have gotten word of the attack. His own home was less than half an hour away.
I was not looking forward to having to pass on Ravyn’s cryptic last words to him. I had no idea what question it was that Ravyn had answered and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know. I had to admit to being more than a little jealous of the relationship that had appeared to blossom between them in the last year or so. My jealousy, however, was now tempered by the guilt and sorrow I felt at not returning in time to save her.
With a heavy heart and a sense of failure, I approached the door.
It opened before I was able to reach up and knock. The Frau clucked her tongue and whisked us inside so quickly that I didn’t even note the others gathered about the door until I was already inside.
“Oh dear, it looks as bad as I had feared.” She bustled through the gathered crowd, creating a path for me to follow. “Please bring her this way, Rusty.”
Cerrydwen followed closely behind me, her face a mask of concern and barely contained rage. “Who did this to her?”
Before I could answer, I was escorted by the Frau into a rather large, comfortably appointed living room with a humungous fireplace. With practiced ease, the Frau began barking directions out to everyone around her, but they were given in such a way as to instill willing obedience and a desire to help in all who heard them.
“Cerry, be a dear and get the healing mat and the massage table from the other room, would you?”
“Naomi, would you please get some fresh sheets from the linen closet in the hall?”
“Jim, could you please fill a basin with some warm water and bring me the disinfectant soap from the bathroom closet?”
“Alexa, could you please pick up your toys and put them away?”
As if the whole scene had been coordinated in advance, the Frau soon had me placing Ravyn’s ravaged body on the newly erected table for her examination. She was a whirlwind of action, carefully stripping the burned and torn clothing from her body, quickly cleansing the worst of the soot and dirt from her wounds, and then covering her with clean sheets.
Jim, Naomi, Cerrydwen all hovered nearby, instantly responding to any and all requests that the Frau made, each absorbing the shock of seeing Ravyn stricken in this manner in their own way.
Cerrydwen remained largely silent, her face a mask of intense agony, her eyes burning brighter than I could ever recall. Her movements were quick and choppy, as if she could barely control the rage that filled her.
Naomi was clearly shaken and seemed to almost be in shock at seeing the woman who had served as mentor and instructor laid low. Her face reflected the pain she felt, but also the uncertainty at having her whole upset yet again.
Jim moved slowly and deliberately whenever he was asked to help out in some way, as if he needed to be sure that he remained in control of his body. His jaw was clenched and his lips set into a determined frown as he opened and closed his fists whenever his hands weren’t otherwise occupied. More than once, I saw his hand slip down to Ravyn’s right hand to give a quick, hopeful squeeze to her fingers.
Alexa toddled about the room, just out of everyone’s way as they bustled back and forth. She seemed almost oblivious to the emergency taking place in the room, piling up wooden blocks and tinker toys into an impressive pile in front of me.
“Daddy, can you help me?”
Relieved to have a chance to turn my eyes away from the treatment table, I looked down at my smiling child and her rather large pile of wooden toys strewn in front of me. “What do you want help with, darling?”
“I need more! This is all I have.”
“What do you mean? It looks like you can build quite a big toy out of these.” I sat down on an ottoman that I hadn’t noticed before and scooted closer to the pile. “What do you want to build?”
She looked at me with her big brown eyes and smiled. “We need to build something really big for Lady Fyre. She needs us.”
I couldn’t help the sudden feeling of loss and pain that welled up within me at seeing the innocent hope in the eyes of my daughter. I reached out and pulled her into a big hug. “I’ll help you build something for Lady Fyre, darling. But we can’t do it in here, OK? They need all of the room they can get to try and help Lady Fyre out.”
“Oh, I know we can’t build it in here, daddy. I need your help taking these outside. We need to build a really big thing outside for Lady Fyre. We need to use as many sticks as possible. She really needs us to do it as quickly as possible!”
I was puzzled by her words, so I pulled back, leaving a hand on each of her shoulders and looked at her in the face. “How do you know what Lady Fyre needs, darling?”
She returned my gaze steadily. “She told me so.”
I was distracted briefly Alexa as I heard loud sobbing coming from Naomi. I looked up to see the Frau turn and face me, shaking her head, tears streaming down her face. Jim and Cerrydwen were locked in a sobbing hug, trying to give solace to each other.
The Frau spoke first. “She’s gone. There’s no power that I know of that can bring her Spirit back or restore this body. I’m sorry, Rusty. She was just too far gone.”
I nodded, knowing deep in my own non-existent heart that Ravyn had died. I had witnessed her passing on the dark precipice. “I thought so. I saw her Spirit form leave her body and depart as it if were pulled from the place. I tried to get the Lady of the Lake to bring her back, but she refused.”
Alexa broke free of my hold and walked off, humming to herself as she headed towards the kitchen.
I looked up at all of their tear-stained faces, seeing them mourn in ways that I no longer could. I felt hollow and empty inside.
I stood up, stepped over the pile of wooden toys and made my way to the table where Ravyn lay in now peaceful looking repose. Even dead, her face was a beautiful mask of dignity and determination. Her eyes were closed, but I could still picture them, vibrantly green and incredibly intense. Her dark red hair had been combed and lay fanned out above her head. The sheet covered her naked form up to her neck. It was very easy to imagine her laying in a spa, waiting for a massage.
I saw Jim across the table from me, looking down at Ravyn’s face. This seemed to be the moment to give her last words to him.
“Jim?”
He looked up at me slowly. His face was streaked with tears. “Yeah?”
“Ravyn did ask me to tell you something before she passed away.”
His reddened eyes narrowed, a lump seemed to form in his throat as he tried to gulp air before speaking. “Oh?”
I nodded, glanced back down at her face and then back up at his before I answered. “She said to tell you that her answer was ‘Yes’.”
His face changed, took on a more peaceful look at hearing that. He reached up with the back of his left hand and wiped away the wetness on his cheeks.
Somewhat relieved by his response, I took the chance to ask the question that had been burning in my own mind since I heard her last words. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to know what the question was.”
Before he could respond, Alexa barged into the room making all sorts of noise as she banged into furniture on her way towards us, her arms full of every bottle of cooking oil and flammable chemical in the Frau’s kitchen.
We all turned to look at this explosive mixture, but it was the Frau who got out the first questions Alexa.
“Alexa, where did you get all of that stuff and why are you bringing it in here?”
Naomi was already moving towards her daughter, reaching out to take some of the bottles from her.
Alexa stopped and looked up at all of us, clearly exasperated. “Lady Fyre needs a really, really big fire. Daddy won’t help, so it looks like I’m going to have to do it myself.”
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Desperate Gambit
I emerged from the Shadow to find myself standing in the shallow water of hidden lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I had been once before with Cerrydwen and the Frau. I had Ravyn’s body cradled in my arms.
It was a desperate plan that was unlikely to succeed, but it was something I felt that I had to try. I hoped that the Lady of the Lake would bring Ravyn back to life the same way that she brought back Naomi.
The water lapped quietly around my boots as I set my shoulders and began to take the last few steps toward the shore.
I had tried to step through the Shadow directly onto the island itself, up by the stone altar where Cerrydwen had worked from the last time that I was here, but I had the hardest time even finding this place. It was almost as if the Lady had raised a barrier against anyone coming onto her island through that means.
As I tried to get closer to the island, a stream of the will-o-wisps streamed up from the water and began dancing directly in my way. I stepped to the left, but was stonewalled again as they shifted to block my way.
Finally, I got frustrated and tried to push my way past them. “Dammit, get out of my way! I have to see the Lady.”
At that last word, the wisps stopped their dancing and joined together. Hundreds of them took on the rough outline of a feminine form. Before I could move or say anything, the Lady spoke to me in a distant, dream-like voice.
“You have not been invited here, nor have you asked permission to come to my sacred space. You come bearing weapons and the body of a comrade. Why are you here?”
“Lady, please, I need your help. This is Ravyn Fyre. She was slain tonight by a Bane. Please, please bring her back!”
She looked at me with her eyes, formed out of the brightest of the wisps. The wisps that formed her mouth moved as she spoke, but like a badly dubbed foreign film, they didn’t seem to form the same words that she spoke in mind.
“You presume much. I do not meddle in the affairs of humans. There is always much sorrow and loss in your world.”
“I saw you bring back Naomi! Can’t you help Ravyn?”
She shook her head as she responded. “I cannot help this one.”
I took a step forward, unwilling to give up so easily. I held out Ravyn’s body in my arms for her to see. “Why not? You brought back Naomi without her body!”
The form glided back as I moved forward, keeping an even distance between us. She began to turn away, but stopped, looked back over her shoulder and spoke once again. “You demand for that which can only be given. Return to your world and perform your rituals of loss and mourning. Only there will you find the solace you so desperately seek.”
As her form began to dissolve into the hundreds of individual wisps again, I tried one last time. “I don’t want solace, dammit, I want Ravyn back!”
But my objections did not sway her or the wisps. They resumed their blocking dance as I stood there frustrated and angry.
It was a desperate plan that was unlikely to succeed, but it was something I felt that I had to try. I hoped that the Lady of the Lake would bring Ravyn back to life the same way that she brought back Naomi.
The water lapped quietly around my boots as I set my shoulders and began to take the last few steps toward the shore.
I had tried to step through the Shadow directly onto the island itself, up by the stone altar where Cerrydwen had worked from the last time that I was here, but I had the hardest time even finding this place. It was almost as if the Lady had raised a barrier against anyone coming onto her island through that means.
As I tried to get closer to the island, a stream of the will-o-wisps streamed up from the water and began dancing directly in my way. I stepped to the left, but was stonewalled again as they shifted to block my way.
Finally, I got frustrated and tried to push my way past them. “Dammit, get out of my way! I have to see the Lady.”
At that last word, the wisps stopped their dancing and joined together. Hundreds of them took on the rough outline of a feminine form. Before I could move or say anything, the Lady spoke to me in a distant, dream-like voice.
“You have not been invited here, nor have you asked permission to come to my sacred space. You come bearing weapons and the body of a comrade. Why are you here?”
“Lady, please, I need your help. This is Ravyn Fyre. She was slain tonight by a Bane. Please, please bring her back!”
She looked at me with her eyes, formed out of the brightest of the wisps. The wisps that formed her mouth moved as she spoke, but like a badly dubbed foreign film, they didn’t seem to form the same words that she spoke in mind.
“You presume much. I do not meddle in the affairs of humans. There is always much sorrow and loss in your world.”
“I saw you bring back Naomi! Can’t you help Ravyn?”
She shook her head as she responded. “I cannot help this one.”
I took a step forward, unwilling to give up so easily. I held out Ravyn’s body in my arms for her to see. “Why not? You brought back Naomi without her body!”
The form glided back as I moved forward, keeping an even distance between us. She began to turn away, but stopped, looked back over her shoulder and spoke once again. “You demand for that which can only be given. Return to your world and perform your rituals of loss and mourning. Only there will you find the solace you so desperately seek.”
As her form began to dissolve into the hundreds of individual wisps again, I tried one last time. “I don’t want solace, dammit, I want Ravyn back!”
But my objections did not sway her or the wisps. They resumed their blocking dance as I stood there frustrated and angry.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Phoenix Down
The scene I returned to was vastly different than the scene that I had left.
I emerged from the Shadow directly across the street form the Coop compound, just on the chance that a trap had been laid by the Dream Weavers. But there was no sign of them.
Instead I saw the flashing lights and heard the idling motors of several fire engines. Emergency personnel crowded the streets as firemen moved to hook up hoses, police officers were keeping the growing crowds of spectators back, and camera men moved to get clearer shots of the orange flames that were so greedily consuming the Phoenix Coop.
I didn’t see anybody I recognized from the Coop in the gathered crowds or being assisted in any way by emergency response crews, so I summoned the Shadow before I was noticed and slipped back into the Shadowland.
The normally dull and silent landscape of the Shadowland was a kaleidoscope of clashing colors formed by crowds of people, the chaos of the battle that had just been fought, and the physical destruction of the Coop itself by the fire. Instead of trying to slip through the crowds, I allowed myself to float over it, passing above the commotion below and through the perimeter of the Coop grounds.
The massive energy of the fires raging through the Coop made it difficult to sense anything else coming from inside, but I had the nagging sensation that Ravyn was still inside and in need of my help. I sped up.
On a hunch, I slipped around the back of the house and landed near the now gaping hole that led into the library. The fire raged all around, but I was able to pass through it unfazed, as the vast majority of the damaging energies were limited to the primary world. The afterimages that I saw here were the shadowy essence of the fire itself.
I pushed through the blaze and into the library, looking for any clues to the whereabouts of Ravyn, Katherine, Zenny Al Farhan, or any of the students of the Coop.
The floor of the library was normally crowded with tables and chairs and several comfy sofas for the small group of students who used the place for their studies, but it was quite evident that a battle of some sort had taken place here. Bits and pieces of the tables lay scattered about and the sofas had been pushed back and overturned. I stepped over one to come into a space that looked like it had been the epicenter of some sort of blast.
The haze cast by the raging fires in the real world obscured almost everything, but something moved, catching my eye.
I pushed forward. I was glad to not have to worry about getting toasted, but I was also worried as to what I might find.
I was right to be concerned.
Stepping over another overturned couch and over the debris of another table, I came to the center of the room and saw two figures.
The one laying still on the ground with her Spirit form growing dimmer by the second was obviously Ravyn. The second figure was leaning over her, face down toward her neck. It was a Bane. As her Spirit dimmed, his grew stronger, darker, and more vibrant.
I drew Excalibur and stepped from the Shadowland into the blazing heat of the real world as if it were one easy action.
If the noise of blaze was any indication, we were standing in the middle of a raging inferno. I had to yell to make myself heard, although I think the creature sensed my arrival more than he heard what I had to say to him. “Get off her, asshole!”
The creature rose to its full stature, which was considerable, although it was shorter and stockier than the form Anthraximander had used. Its face may once have been human, but it was extremely hard to see any resemblance. His skin was as black as ebony, so dark and shiny that it reflected the light of the raging fires around us. He had two horns sprouting from his forehead, which swept up and curled back so that the ends pointed backwards over his head. He had a snout that protruded from his face like that of a bat, but with much sharper and longer teeth than any bat I had ever seen. Blood dripped from his mouth. Enormous black wings were fold on its back, each tipped with a wicked looking claw. He had two enormously muscled arms tipped with large ebony claws.
The creature looked at me with feral yellow eyes and flicked a forked, snake-like tongue across its fangs.
It said something in response to me, but his words were lost in the loud crash as supporting beams of the second floor came crashing down behind me.
For once, I decided to take Drake’s advice and just attacked. I didn’t really care to engage in conversation with this thing.
I leaped forward, holding Excalibur back as I did until the last moment, figuring it would lash out with one of its huge claws.
It didn’t disappoint. As it swung up one arm to toss me aside, I brought the blade down in a huge overhand slicing motion right at the wrist joint, hoping to use my momentum and the power of the blade to sever the wrist.
It almost worked.
The blade smashed into his hand, driving it down easier than I expected, but the blade didn’t really penetrate his exoskeleton-like skin. That was a first.
I did, however, manage to exert more force than he expected me to, pushing him backwards. Luckily, he was large enough that his step back was big enough to avoid crushing Ravyn’s skull.
Despite my surprise at Excalibur not being able to penetrate his skin on that first blow, I rained down a series of blows. Each one making solid contact, each one bouncing off of the hard skin of his arms or legs, but each impact driving him backwards away from Ravyn.
It didn’t take long however, before he was able to deflect a blow with a blow of his own. That stopped the momentum of my attack and threw me into a defensive posture as he spread his wings and took a more aggressive posture, ready to attack.
Excalibur was no longer glowing like it normally did during confrontations with creatures of this ilk. For some reason, it no longer seemed interested in the battle, which was another first for me.
The creature seemed to sense the changing dynamics of the situation and licked its lips as it roared and pounced towards me.
Keeping in mind that Ravyn was laying on the ground behind me, I used every ounce of concentration that I possessed to land right next to her, shielding her body with mine and calling the Shadow to slip both of us through the Shadowland and to a world before the creature landed on us.
I half expected the creature to follow us into the Shadow, but was relieved to find just the two of us laying on the rocky precipice that I brought Bernstein to once before. I shuddered at the fact that my subconscious had decided to bring us to this place.
I laid Excalibur to the side, just in case the Bane decided to show up later, and looked down at the battered and bloody form of Ravyn Fyre.
She lay there almost completely still, barely breathing. Her face was blacked by soot and bruised, as if the creature had bashed her in the side of the face. Blood trickled from the gash that ran along her cheek and down the left side of her neck. Her clothing lay in smoking tatters loosely around her, revealing more bloody wounds and blackened skin. Her left arm splayed out at an odd angle that indicated that it was definitely broken in more than one place.
I had no idea how, but she still lived.
I reached down to touch her face. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, darling. I’m going to get you to someone who can help you.”
Remarkably, she stirred at my touch, calling out a name softly. “Jim?”
“It’s Rusty.” I had to keep my face close to hers in order to hear her.
She seemed to nod, it was almost imperceptible.
“Where are the others? Do I need to go back in there?”
She licked her cracked, blackened lips and seemed to shake her head slightly. “They’re gone.”
“Where to?”
She swallowed, it was painful to watch her do it, but I could tell she wanted to respond, so I waited. “Safe. I sent them away.” Her body shuddered as she heaved with pain, gasping for more breath. “Betsy gave herself up to make it happen.”
I could see that she was using vital energy to speak, using her nearly indomitable Will to keep her body conscious and functioning in the face of tremendous pain and physical trauma. Looking at her Spirit form, I could see that it was dangerously diminished, as if her very Spirit had been drained by that creature and her exertions.
“Hush now. I need to get you to the Frau and Cerrydwen. You are in dire need of medical attention.”
Her Spirit seemed to flicker briefly as she exerted herself one more time to speak. “Tell Jim that my answer is…yes.” The last word came out in a sigh as her body went limp.
I panicked as I saw her Spirit form separate from her physical form. I called out to her. “Ravyn, don’t you leave me! Your time is not up yet, dammit!”
She looked at me, at her body laying beside me, in a distant, dreamy manner. She smiled and waved as her Spirit form dimmed and then disappeared without saying anything, pulled by some unknown force from this dreary place.
I was left cradling her broken, battered body wishing for all the world that I could shed the tears and release the emotion that I was feeling at that moment…
I emerged from the Shadow directly across the street form the Coop compound, just on the chance that a trap had been laid by the Dream Weavers. But there was no sign of them.
Instead I saw the flashing lights and heard the idling motors of several fire engines. Emergency personnel crowded the streets as firemen moved to hook up hoses, police officers were keeping the growing crowds of spectators back, and camera men moved to get clearer shots of the orange flames that were so greedily consuming the Phoenix Coop.
I didn’t see anybody I recognized from the Coop in the gathered crowds or being assisted in any way by emergency response crews, so I summoned the Shadow before I was noticed and slipped back into the Shadowland.
The normally dull and silent landscape of the Shadowland was a kaleidoscope of clashing colors formed by crowds of people, the chaos of the battle that had just been fought, and the physical destruction of the Coop itself by the fire. Instead of trying to slip through the crowds, I allowed myself to float over it, passing above the commotion below and through the perimeter of the Coop grounds.
The massive energy of the fires raging through the Coop made it difficult to sense anything else coming from inside, but I had the nagging sensation that Ravyn was still inside and in need of my help. I sped up.
On a hunch, I slipped around the back of the house and landed near the now gaping hole that led into the library. The fire raged all around, but I was able to pass through it unfazed, as the vast majority of the damaging energies were limited to the primary world. The afterimages that I saw here were the shadowy essence of the fire itself.
I pushed through the blaze and into the library, looking for any clues to the whereabouts of Ravyn, Katherine, Zenny Al Farhan, or any of the students of the Coop.
The floor of the library was normally crowded with tables and chairs and several comfy sofas for the small group of students who used the place for their studies, but it was quite evident that a battle of some sort had taken place here. Bits and pieces of the tables lay scattered about and the sofas had been pushed back and overturned. I stepped over one to come into a space that looked like it had been the epicenter of some sort of blast.
The haze cast by the raging fires in the real world obscured almost everything, but something moved, catching my eye.
I pushed forward. I was glad to not have to worry about getting toasted, but I was also worried as to what I might find.
I was right to be concerned.
Stepping over another overturned couch and over the debris of another table, I came to the center of the room and saw two figures.
The one laying still on the ground with her Spirit form growing dimmer by the second was obviously Ravyn. The second figure was leaning over her, face down toward her neck. It was a Bane. As her Spirit dimmed, his grew stronger, darker, and more vibrant.
I drew Excalibur and stepped from the Shadowland into the blazing heat of the real world as if it were one easy action.
If the noise of blaze was any indication, we were standing in the middle of a raging inferno. I had to yell to make myself heard, although I think the creature sensed my arrival more than he heard what I had to say to him. “Get off her, asshole!”
The creature rose to its full stature, which was considerable, although it was shorter and stockier than the form Anthraximander had used. Its face may once have been human, but it was extremely hard to see any resemblance. His skin was as black as ebony, so dark and shiny that it reflected the light of the raging fires around us. He had two horns sprouting from his forehead, which swept up and curled back so that the ends pointed backwards over his head. He had a snout that protruded from his face like that of a bat, but with much sharper and longer teeth than any bat I had ever seen. Blood dripped from his mouth. Enormous black wings were fold on its back, each tipped with a wicked looking claw. He had two enormously muscled arms tipped with large ebony claws.
The creature looked at me with feral yellow eyes and flicked a forked, snake-like tongue across its fangs.
It said something in response to me, but his words were lost in the loud crash as supporting beams of the second floor came crashing down behind me.
For once, I decided to take Drake’s advice and just attacked. I didn’t really care to engage in conversation with this thing.
I leaped forward, holding Excalibur back as I did until the last moment, figuring it would lash out with one of its huge claws.
It didn’t disappoint. As it swung up one arm to toss me aside, I brought the blade down in a huge overhand slicing motion right at the wrist joint, hoping to use my momentum and the power of the blade to sever the wrist.
It almost worked.
The blade smashed into his hand, driving it down easier than I expected, but the blade didn’t really penetrate his exoskeleton-like skin. That was a first.
I did, however, manage to exert more force than he expected me to, pushing him backwards. Luckily, he was large enough that his step back was big enough to avoid crushing Ravyn’s skull.
Despite my surprise at Excalibur not being able to penetrate his skin on that first blow, I rained down a series of blows. Each one making solid contact, each one bouncing off of the hard skin of his arms or legs, but each impact driving him backwards away from Ravyn.
It didn’t take long however, before he was able to deflect a blow with a blow of his own. That stopped the momentum of my attack and threw me into a defensive posture as he spread his wings and took a more aggressive posture, ready to attack.
Excalibur was no longer glowing like it normally did during confrontations with creatures of this ilk. For some reason, it no longer seemed interested in the battle, which was another first for me.
The creature seemed to sense the changing dynamics of the situation and licked its lips as it roared and pounced towards me.
Keeping in mind that Ravyn was laying on the ground behind me, I used every ounce of concentration that I possessed to land right next to her, shielding her body with mine and calling the Shadow to slip both of us through the Shadowland and to a world before the creature landed on us.
I half expected the creature to follow us into the Shadow, but was relieved to find just the two of us laying on the rocky precipice that I brought Bernstein to once before. I shuddered at the fact that my subconscious had decided to bring us to this place.
I laid Excalibur to the side, just in case the Bane decided to show up later, and looked down at the battered and bloody form of Ravyn Fyre.
She lay there almost completely still, barely breathing. Her face was blacked by soot and bruised, as if the creature had bashed her in the side of the face. Blood trickled from the gash that ran along her cheek and down the left side of her neck. Her clothing lay in smoking tatters loosely around her, revealing more bloody wounds and blackened skin. Her left arm splayed out at an odd angle that indicated that it was definitely broken in more than one place.
I had no idea how, but she still lived.
I reached down to touch her face. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, darling. I’m going to get you to someone who can help you.”
Remarkably, she stirred at my touch, calling out a name softly. “Jim?”
“It’s Rusty.” I had to keep my face close to hers in order to hear her.
She seemed to nod, it was almost imperceptible.
“Where are the others? Do I need to go back in there?”
She licked her cracked, blackened lips and seemed to shake her head slightly. “They’re gone.”
“Where to?”
She swallowed, it was painful to watch her do it, but I could tell she wanted to respond, so I waited. “Safe. I sent them away.” Her body shuddered as she heaved with pain, gasping for more breath. “Betsy gave herself up to make it happen.”
I could see that she was using vital energy to speak, using her nearly indomitable Will to keep her body conscious and functioning in the face of tremendous pain and physical trauma. Looking at her Spirit form, I could see that it was dangerously diminished, as if her very Spirit had been drained by that creature and her exertions.
“Hush now. I need to get you to the Frau and Cerrydwen. You are in dire need of medical attention.”
Her Spirit seemed to flicker briefly as she exerted herself one more time to speak. “Tell Jim that my answer is…yes.” The last word came out in a sigh as her body went limp.
I panicked as I saw her Spirit form separate from her physical form. I called out to her. “Ravyn, don’t you leave me! Your time is not up yet, dammit!”
She looked at me, at her body laying beside me, in a distant, dreamy manner. She smiled and waved as her Spirit form dimmed and then disappeared without saying anything, pulled by some unknown force from this dreary place.
I was left cradling her broken, battered body wishing for all the world that I could shed the tears and release the emotion that I was feeling at that moment…
Friday, July 06, 2007
Hell's Bells...Finale
I turned to Naomi. “We can’t leave until I do something about those creatures out there that are preventing us from leaving. Will you be OK here for a moment?”
She glanced out the window behind me and shook her head. “No, we’re coming with you.”
“What are talking about? It is quite a drop from here!”
Naomi reached out and touched my shoulder. “We’ll make it down there, you just worry about yourself.”
Alexa perked up as she looked from me to her mother. “Are we going to fly again, Mama?”
Naomi nodded and put both arms around Alexa again before smiling down at her daughter. “Yes, dear, we’re going to fly again, but not too much this time, OK?”
Alexa bobbed her head and pumped her tiny fist. “Yay!”
Naomi shifted her gaze back to me. “Go now, we’ll follow behind you at a safe distance.”
I shook my head and decided to trust her judgment. I knew that she would never do anything that she would endanger Alexa.
Using my gloved hands, I cleared all of the sharp shards of glass from the opening of the window, pulling the curtains off the wall in the process. Once it was clear, I stepped up onto the windowsill, hunching my shoulders down to fit into the square opening, if barely.
Another violent explosion rocked the house as I prepared to jump by glancing to the ground beneath me. Unearthly screams of pain and terror accompanied the blast, giving me the impetus I needed to get going. I pushed myself forward, kicking out with my legs in an attempt to land standing up.
It worked, almost.
I landed on my backside with a tremendous thud in one of Ravyn’s favorite flower beds. I let go of the rucksack that had unbalanced my fall and started scrambling up to my feet amid of a shower of dirt and ruined petals. My actions became more urgent as I noticed two wolf-like shadows emerge from the bushes near where I had seen the line of figures holding up the shield in the Shadowland. It was all I could do to get Excalibur out and my feet set before they were upon me.
Apparently, the blade decided that these creatures, were worthy of taking on and guided my hand as I lashed out at the first of the attacking beasts. I felt the blade sink into it, but its weight bore the blade downward as the second beast launched itself into my chest, knocking back to the ground.
The creature snarled and snapped at my face, held back only by my left hand on its throat. I tried to wrest Excalibur from the first creature’s chest, but I lacked the leverage to yank it free while lying on my back, pinned down by the second.
I was just about to give up on pulling the sword free and taking the thing on with my hands when the creature, much to our mutual surprise, began to float above me, its paws flailing helplessly in an attempt to regain traction.
Naomi’s voice rang out from the shadows to my left, obviously straining with effort. “Now, Rusty! I can’t hold it for long, it’s too heavy!”
Using only my left hand, I heaved upwards and yanked at Excalibur with my right. The blade slipped free and slashed upwards across the throat of the still struggling second creature. Its lifeless body fell to the ground as I stood up.
Naomi stepped from the shadows, pale and sweaty with exhaustion, Alexa standing beside her.
Alexa was straining against Naomi’s hand, reaching toward the first dead creature. “Poor wolfies!”
“Hush, girl. These aren’t real wolves.” Naomi pulled her back gently.
“Follow me.” I waved at them to get behind me. “We need to get to the perimeter so I can get you guys to safety.”
I reached down and grabbed the rucksack with my left hand and brandished the glowing blade of Excalibur with my right as I began moving towards where I had seen the figures standing in the Shadowland.
Nothing else moved to attack us as we moved forward, so I was able to take a glance back towards the Coop. The building behind us was glowing orange from the flames that were now eating at the place from several locations inside. Smoke billowed upwards, disappearing in the night sky.
I wondered how this could be happening without any response from the Fire Department, but I had to push that thought away as we approached the perimeter. I felt, more than saw, the field of energy that had been set up by the man-sized creatures that I had seen earlier. There was no sign of them with my normal sight, so I shifted my vision to the Shadowland.
As my vision shifted, I found myself staring in the vacant, nearly lifeless eyes of a pale, naked creature that stood, unmoving, spread-eagle. Its long, thin arms stretched outward towards the outstretched arms of others just like it.
Looking into its face, I now recognized them for what they were…Drake had called these creatures Dream Weavers. They were another servant race of the An’girasii. They worked in groups of thirteen, using their powers from the Shadowland to create powerful, complex illusions in the ‘real’ world.
They apparently also had the ability to shut off my access to the Shadowland.
I lashed out with Excalibur towards the Dream Weaver immediately in front of me.
There was a tremendous amount of resistance, as if the illusory shield created by the Weavers was resisting the power of the blade. Sparks of magickal energy erupted as the blade fought its way through the shield and into abdomen of the Weaver.
The shower of sparks turned into an eruption of energy that must have flashed into the real world as well. The entire illusion that had been created by the Weavers crumbled in an explosion of energy that threw me back into normal vision again.
Alexa called out in appreciate surprise. “Oooh, fireworks!”
I sheathed Excalibur in one motion and reached out to Naomi. “Hold on! This is going to be rough!”
I called the Shadow and stepped from this former place of safety to another, Naomi and Alexa in tow…
She glanced out the window behind me and shook her head. “No, we’re coming with you.”
“What are talking about? It is quite a drop from here!”
Naomi reached out and touched my shoulder. “We’ll make it down there, you just worry about yourself.”
Alexa perked up as she looked from me to her mother. “Are we going to fly again, Mama?”
Naomi nodded and put both arms around Alexa again before smiling down at her daughter. “Yes, dear, we’re going to fly again, but not too much this time, OK?”
Alexa bobbed her head and pumped her tiny fist. “Yay!”
Naomi shifted her gaze back to me. “Go now, we’ll follow behind you at a safe distance.”
I shook my head and decided to trust her judgment. I knew that she would never do anything that she would endanger Alexa.
Using my gloved hands, I cleared all of the sharp shards of glass from the opening of the window, pulling the curtains off the wall in the process. Once it was clear, I stepped up onto the windowsill, hunching my shoulders down to fit into the square opening, if barely.
Another violent explosion rocked the house as I prepared to jump by glancing to the ground beneath me. Unearthly screams of pain and terror accompanied the blast, giving me the impetus I needed to get going. I pushed myself forward, kicking out with my legs in an attempt to land standing up.
It worked, almost.
I landed on my backside with a tremendous thud in one of Ravyn’s favorite flower beds. I let go of the rucksack that had unbalanced my fall and started scrambling up to my feet amid of a shower of dirt and ruined petals. My actions became more urgent as I noticed two wolf-like shadows emerge from the bushes near where I had seen the line of figures holding up the shield in the Shadowland. It was all I could do to get Excalibur out and my feet set before they were upon me.
Apparently, the blade decided that these creatures, were worthy of taking on and guided my hand as I lashed out at the first of the attacking beasts. I felt the blade sink into it, but its weight bore the blade downward as the second beast launched itself into my chest, knocking back to the ground.
The creature snarled and snapped at my face, held back only by my left hand on its throat. I tried to wrest Excalibur from the first creature’s chest, but I lacked the leverage to yank it free while lying on my back, pinned down by the second.
I was just about to give up on pulling the sword free and taking the thing on with my hands when the creature, much to our mutual surprise, began to float above me, its paws flailing helplessly in an attempt to regain traction.
Naomi’s voice rang out from the shadows to my left, obviously straining with effort. “Now, Rusty! I can’t hold it for long, it’s too heavy!”
Using only my left hand, I heaved upwards and yanked at Excalibur with my right. The blade slipped free and slashed upwards across the throat of the still struggling second creature. Its lifeless body fell to the ground as I stood up.
Naomi stepped from the shadows, pale and sweaty with exhaustion, Alexa standing beside her.
Alexa was straining against Naomi’s hand, reaching toward the first dead creature. “Poor wolfies!”
“Hush, girl. These aren’t real wolves.” Naomi pulled her back gently.
“Follow me.” I waved at them to get behind me. “We need to get to the perimeter so I can get you guys to safety.”
I reached down and grabbed the rucksack with my left hand and brandished the glowing blade of Excalibur with my right as I began moving towards where I had seen the figures standing in the Shadowland.
Nothing else moved to attack us as we moved forward, so I was able to take a glance back towards the Coop. The building behind us was glowing orange from the flames that were now eating at the place from several locations inside. Smoke billowed upwards, disappearing in the night sky.
I wondered how this could be happening without any response from the Fire Department, but I had to push that thought away as we approached the perimeter. I felt, more than saw, the field of energy that had been set up by the man-sized creatures that I had seen earlier. There was no sign of them with my normal sight, so I shifted my vision to the Shadowland.
As my vision shifted, I found myself staring in the vacant, nearly lifeless eyes of a pale, naked creature that stood, unmoving, spread-eagle. Its long, thin arms stretched outward towards the outstretched arms of others just like it.
Looking into its face, I now recognized them for what they were…Drake had called these creatures Dream Weavers. They were another servant race of the An’girasii. They worked in groups of thirteen, using their powers from the Shadowland to create powerful, complex illusions in the ‘real’ world.
They apparently also had the ability to shut off my access to the Shadowland.
I lashed out with Excalibur towards the Dream Weaver immediately in front of me.
There was a tremendous amount of resistance, as if the illusory shield created by the Weavers was resisting the power of the blade. Sparks of magickal energy erupted as the blade fought its way through the shield and into abdomen of the Weaver.
The shower of sparks turned into an eruption of energy that must have flashed into the real world as well. The entire illusion that had been created by the Weavers crumbled in an explosion of energy that threw me back into normal vision again.
Alexa called out in appreciate surprise. “Oooh, fireworks!”
I sheathed Excalibur in one motion and reached out to Naomi. “Hold on! This is going to be rough!”
I called the Shadow and stepped from this former place of safety to another, Naomi and Alexa in tow…
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