The Shadow Council...Part 1

That silence lasted over a month. It only ended when I called out to him, ready to offer an answer to his demands.

Before I sought him out though, I reached out to my those whose advice I trusted, asking them to get together for a chance to discuss a serious matter. The meeting place itself was more than a little unusal in the fact that it took place in the Shadowlands.

This was made possible through a set special magickal keys that had been presented to us by the Merlin. Each of these seven obsidian black skeleton keys allowed their bearers to send their Spirit form to special hexagonal room (the Merlin had kept the eighth such key for himself) within the Shadowland that the Merlin had created and that was not associated with any ‘real wolrd’ place. Whenever one of the key bearers slipped rom their body and entered that room, they could ‘call’ out to one (or more) of the other bearers and ask them to join them for a meeting.

I had taken one of the keys, while Ravyn had divided the others up as follows: One for herself, one each for Cerrydwen and the Frau, one for Naomi, one for Herne. The final key had been forced into the hands of a rather shocked and dubious looking Jim.

“Why would I need one of these things?” He had asked when Ravyn handed the last one to him.

She had patted him on the arm and smiled that mischievious grin of hers. “Because, Dear, we need you. Besides, we may need to get ahold of you in a hurry, or you may have to contact one of us, and this is the best way to do that.”

He had looked less than reassured. “But how do I even use this thing? I don’t know how to get around in the Shadowland. Shouldn’t you give this to someone who can actually use it?”

“Relax, Jim.” She had reached up and planted a peck on his blushing cheek as her hand closed his over the string holding the shimmering key. “I’ll show you everything you need to know in order to use it. If I can use it, you can use it, whether or not you are a Caster. The Merlin knows what he is doing with his Crafting. He told me that it is perfectly safe and easy even for non-Casters to use.”

Since that time, none of us had had any occasion to use the keys yet, other than the lessons that Ravyn had provided Jim with.

I settled down into a chair, pulled the key out, grasped it in my hand, and pictured the portal into the room. I projected placing the key into the wooden door bound by silvered steel and turned the large black handle to the right.

I found myself standing for the first time in a medium-sized stone chamber with eight walls. In the center of each wall was a similar door to the one I had just entered. In the very center of the room was a large wooden table that mirroed the shape of the room. Each spot of the table’s edge was occupied by a massive, throne-like chair. Each place was set with a silver plate and chalice, while the center of the table was occupied by a bowl of fresh fruit and a pair of pitchers.

I glanced down at my form, noticing that I was not in my usual Spirit form that I used in the Shadowland, but was instead in a form that mirrored my normal body in real life, except for the fact that I seemed to be flesh and blood. I could feel the cool, moist air of this place on my face. I could flex my muscles and feel the blood pumping through them.

I moved to my assigned place at the table, pulled the massive chair back easily, and sat down.

I closed my eyes and called out the names of those that I wanted to come join me in this impromptu council. “Ravyn Fyre. Frau. Cerrydwen. Jim.”

The Bernstein Tribunal...Part 2

With very little ceremony, the Merlin wandered over to his throne and sat down, motioning for the slight figure of Zenny Al Farhan to sit to his right.

She complied, although with far less enthusiasm than the Merlin showed, keeping her eyes cast downwards, her mouth set in a tight, thin line.

The Merlin looked up from her as she settled into her chair, his eyes boring into the confused face of Daniel Bernstein. “You sir, are to sit here at my left, as the accused in these proceedings.”

Daniel looked shaken, no one had bothered to explain what was going on to him. “What am I accused of? I don’t remember anything, I’ve been told my memories have been stolen, so how can I answer any charges brought up against me?”

“All good points, son, points that will be raised in your defense, I am quite sure. But before that can happen, you will have to take your seat so that I can open this Tribunal.”

“Tribunal? I’ve never heard about those in school! This doesn’t look like any courtroom I’ve seen on TV. I don’t like the looks of this.” He turned around and looked at me, bewildered. “Mr. Bones, sir, I really want to go back home now. I”ve got a lot of work to do back at the co-op.”

I turned him around, perhaps a little forcefully and shoved him n the direction of the chair. “This is more important than any of that work. Take your seat.”

He stumbled forward as I shoved him, but soon came to stop and looked askance at Ravyn. “Ms. Fyre, can’t I go back home now? I don’t want to do this! I know you’ve told me I did some terrible things, and I’m sorry, I truly am! But I am a different person now. I wouldn’t hurt anybody! Please!?!”

Ravyn’s face tightened. She looked straight at Daniel and replied, “Daniel, this is important. We can’t go back until this is done, so go sit down.”

Cerrydwen’s face was even darker than usual as she watched this exchange. She started moving towards Daniel. “I recommend that you take this opportunity, Bernstein. It is more than I would offer the likes of you.”

Daniel shrank back from Cerrydwen’s dark visage, fear expanding his eyes beyond their normal limits. “Please, Ms. Cerrydwen, I didn’t mean to upset you!”

Apparently fearing what she would do, the Professor stepped forward quickly between Cerrydwen and Daniel and grabbed his shoulder. He began guiding the trembling man to the chair.

Daniel was verging on tears as Jim escorted him past Mrs. Al Farhan towards his own seat on the other side of the Merlin.

Everything stopped and each of us fell silent when one quiet word passed frm the lips of the woman who had been most victimized by Daniel.

“Stop.”

All eyes, including Daniel’s, shifted to her.

She got up from her seat with a grim, determined look about her as she came to stand directly in front of Daniel. Despite his being about a foot taller and far heavier than she was, he seemed to shrink back from this small, pained looking woman.

Jim held him firmly in place as she moved even closer, one trembling, bare hand moving up towards his face.

Both of them visibly flinched as her hand came into contact with the side of his face.

The silence was near total as we all watched this take place.

Her eyes were closed in hard concentration. The strain of whatever was taking place between the two of them was obviously taking its toll on her as her face became first a mask of barely controlled rage, then shifted to an expression of pure pain, and then finally settled into a look of deep sorrow and sadness.

His eyes had closed shortly after she had touched him, but opened shortly afterwards in what can only be described as unseeing shock. His mouth fell open and he began gasping and gulping for air simultaneously.

Jim, looking rather unsure of himself and more than a little uncomfortable about how the situation had developed, simply stood there, keeping Daniel upright as whatever was passing between victim and perpetrator ran its course.

Just as Zenny's expression began to show sadness, Daniel jerked back violently, howling in pain and despair. He moved with such strength and speed that even Jim couldn’t keep hold of him any longer as Daniel lunged away, collapsed on the ground and began retching. By the third time through, he was wracked with convulsions of the dry heaves. He curled up in a fetal position, covered in his own vomit and wailed wordlessly.

Zenny, in the meantime, had collapsed down to her knees, her eyes still closed, her breath coming in ragged bursts as she did so.

Ravyn, Cerrydwen and the Frau all began moving forward simultaneously to help the seemingly frail woman. But before any of them could reach her, she had collected herself, opened her eyes, and stood back up.

She reached up with the hand that she used to touch Daniel and in one violent gesture, removed her hijab, revealing her long, raven black hair and fully showing her almond shaped eyes and tan complexion.

The Merlin cackled from his throne. “See, I knew you had it in you, child. Oh, but you’ll be a damn fine Caster!”

Daniel’s sobs were beginning to subside, but he showed no indication of being able to get up anytime soon.

I stepped forward. “What did you do to him?”

She looked back at me with an air of defiance. “I simply shared with him what it felt like to be victimized. He now knows what I went through, the pain and shame that I felt, the losses I have endured because of him, and despair that I felt when my world was destroyed a second time by his hired killers and thugs.”

Cerrydwen nodded her agreement. “Well done. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

Ravyn seconded that feeling. “You go girl. That’ll teach him.”

The Frau also added her own observation. “It’s too bad every rapist and murderer can’t receive the same treatment, then such crimes would surely subside.”

I looked up from the still convulsing body of Daniel up to Jim. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess this part of the Tribunal is over. But what do we do with him now?”

We all looked back and forth to each other, then back to Zenny, who now had a peaceful aura for the first time since I had met her. She looked back at us and shrugged her shoulders. “I have no further business with this man. His fate is his own, as far as I am concerned. I will not have anything further to do with him.” With that, she turned and walked away, passing through the ivy covered passageway before anyone could say anything to her.

Jim sighed. “Well, we still have to decide what to do with the man. Can we really set him free without his memories or any resources to make a life for himself? On the other hand, what authority do we have to do anything else with him?”

The Merlin, still cackling to himself, spoke up. “Leave him here with me. I could use a helper here in my gardens. I will also help him to heal from his own traumas and put his mind to its proper use again. He will be no further danger to any of you or the ones you love, that I can guarantee. It is time for Zenni to move on anyway. She is ready to take the next path in her own journeys.”

No one could find any objection with his suggestion, so it was decided to leave the nearly unconscious man where he was.

As we were preparing to leave, Mrs. Al Farhan returned to join us. She was no longer wearing the dark abaya and hijab, but was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, her long dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail. She was carrying a stuffed orange backpack. Her hands were bare.

As she noted our puzzled looks, she smiled softly. “I am leaving that old world behind me. Please call me Zenny from now on.” She looked directly up at me. “Rusty, you are no Shaitan, but for that I am grateful. The Merlin has told me much about you and your group. Do any of you mind if I join with you for now? I have so much to learn, I want to help in any way that I can.”

The Frau was the first to speak up. “Of course my dear, we’d be glad to have you.” With that she swept up the smaller woman in a fierce bear hug. “Besides, it mught just be that we are all one big family!”

A chorus of agreement was heard from everyone as they all welcomed her into our group.

The journey back to Ravyn’s co-op was quiet and quick, ending with all of those who went, except Zenni was with us and Daniel was not.

As soon as the transit was completed, the gals all erupted in conversation about seemingly a dozen subjects all at once.

Jim and I stood off to one side.

I looked at him and shook my head. “Hard to believe all of this can happen in such a short time.”

He nodded. “Yup, about as likely as the Tiger’s turning things around next season and becoming the best team in all of baseball. Pretty damn unlikely.”

The Bernstein Tribunal...Part 1

After a few days of intense deliberations, debate and arguments, it was finally agreed that Daniel Bernstein would receive the benefit of a trial...of sorts.

Not sure of wher to hold our little affair, I reached out to the Merlin, who agreed to host the event and to serve as the judge for the event. By the following week, we made the journey to the Merlin’s home using the circle of standing stones at Ravyn chapterhouse as our jump off point.

We were a motley assortment, as usual. Ravyn demanded to come, since she had had to house and care for the currnet, injured version of Daniel Bernstein. Cerrydwen demanded the role of the prosecutor. The Professor had volunteered for the role of Bernstein’s defense attorney. I had to go, since I possessed all of Daniel’s memories of the incident, as well as his warped mental justifications for his actions at the time. The Frau muscled her way into the proceedings, pretty much on the basis of being the ‘court recorder’, but it was obvious that she was going to attend in any event, whether there was a role for her or not. Last, but certainly not least, was Daniel himself, who was pretty well healed from his broken jaw by now, but was still pretty dazed and confused about his whole situation.

When we arrived, we found ourselves in a smaller side cavern of the Merlin’s home. This one was about the size of large, two story home. The walls of this fantastic place were lined with glowing crystals and multi-colored veins of various precious metals when they weren’t covered in soft, green vines of ivy.

The floor of this cavern was lined with soft sand that easily deep enough to bury a body in, but was anchored by the numerous small shrubs and berry bushes the grew at almost random throughout the room. In the centor of the room, a large, makeshift court room was dominating everything else.

A massive stone throne that seemed to have erupted from the floor of the cavern was clearly the judge’s seat. On either side of that throne were smaller, far less ornate chairs, which were, as we later learned designated for Bernstein and for Mrs. Al Farhan--who had been recperating with the Merlin during this time.

Arrayed in from of these three chairs were a series of stone benches that provided more than enough seating space for the rest of us. There were no tables.

Moments after our arrival, as we were still standing in a rough circle admiring this magickal place, two figures entered the cavern from a side passage that had been obscured by the hanging ivy. First came the Merlin, shrouded as always in his dirty white robes and long, tangled mess of a beard. His equally long and messy hair was only partially contained by the worn looking baseball cap with the logo of the Washington Wizards on it.

Right behind the Melin was the even smaller and slighter figure of Zenny Al Farhan. She was shrouded in a dark robe called an abaya, while her downcast head was covered in a black hijab.

“Ah, yes.” Exclaimed the Merlin. “It’s time to begin our Tribunal. If you will all take your places, we can begin without further ado.”

(To be continued and resolved in a post later tonight.)

Heading Home

The journey back to the Professor’s home was the polar opposite of the journey northward. The sun was bright, the mood was joyful, and everyone was talkative. I heard more laughter and saw more smiles in that trip back than in my entire (un)life to date.

Something about the transition from the island to the shore really drove home the reality of the changes that had just taken place, the sheer miracle of having a young woman’s life restored against all logic.

It was a pure joy to watch Naomi take in every sight, sound and smell with a vigor and an enthusiasm that echoed my own deepest desires. The momentary pangs of wistful regrets that I felt quickly dissipated as I watched a young woman in the full flower of her youthful life, knowing that she would now have an opportunity to be a mom to her only child.

I drove again, which gave me a chance to be lost in my own thoughts and to listen in on the conversations that Cerrydwen and the Frau engaged Naomi in.

Before we’d even hit the Mackinac Bridge, they’d already drawn more information out of her about her own childhood in New Orleans and the story of her getting caught up in Drake’s breeding program.

By the time we had crossed that massive bridge, Naomi was laughing and telling stories about all of the weird things that happened throughout her life, stories that revealed that she had some sort of raw, untapped skills that might make her a powerful Caster in her own right, if she only learned how to harness them.

Cerrydwen looked back from the front passenger seat to the Frau, gave her a knowing wink, and then turned back to Naomi. “Child, what you have been describing are the hallmark signs of a true Caster maturing. We have someone who will make a fine teacher, someone who will be able to teach you to find and master all of your previously hidden talents. She also happens to be babysitting your daughter Alexa at the moment.”

The Frau piped in, “Ravyn would make an excellent instructor, and I think she’ll love the idea of a young baby around as well. She was sold on Alexa the moment she saw her.”

It was my turn to pitch in. “I agree. But I am going to have to do something with Daniel. I don’t want to leave him hanging around Naomi and the baby.”

Cerrydwen looked over at me sternly. “And just what are you planning to do with him?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure yet. But there is one more great injustice that must be addressed before I can really look to the future.”

Cerrydwen’s eyes narrowed. “The Iraqi woman?”

I nodded.

“Where is she now?”

“She is with the Merlin. I took her there to give her a chance to heal and get her bearings back, and to keep her safe from Drake.”

She nodded. “Yes, the crimes she suffered should be addressed and there is one man who must face them. I can help.”

I glanced at her briefly, before returning my eyes to the road. “How’s that?”

I felt more than I saw her dark grin. “You hold the memories of what he did to her. I am fairly certain that I can restore enough of them to him so that he will know who he was, and what crimes he committed. He doesn’t deserve to enjoy the blissful ignorance that he now enjoys.”

I shook my head. “You are one evil woman. I am glad you are on my side.”

“You should be.”

With that all too serious reminder, the conversation among the women began again as if I weren’t even there, something I rather enjoyed.