I stood up from leaning on the ledge and turned to face this creature full on. I wanted to be ready for anything at this point. I certainly had no reason to trust him. "So what are you offering?"
The Slayer remained in place, looking out towards the ruined hulk of old Tiger Stadium.
"Let's start with what we want, first."
I nodded. "OK, I'll bite. So what do you want?"
"It is simple, really. We want the one you call El Diablito."
I laughed. "I thought you guys were working with him. What has your little Axis of Evil suffered a little schism?"
The Slayer didn't seem to find any humor in my joke. "If you want your daughter, the one you call Alexa and her mother returned to you without any lasting harm done to them, you might take this discussion a little more seriously."
The prospect of getting Alexa and Naomi back brought my thoughts right into focus. "OK, you have my attention now. How do I know that you have Alexa and Naomi and that you will make good on your promises?"
Now he stood up and faced me in return. "If you agree to this bargain, we will immediately cease all hostilities against you and your allies and I will bring the one you call Naomi to you in your latest hiding spot unharmed. She will be able to relate to you and the others what has happened to them and that this offer is serious. In direct exchange for this gesture, you will return with me and begin the hunt for our mutual enemy."
I had to admit that there was a certain charm in the idea...you know, 'The enemy of my enemy is an ally' sort of thing.
I nodded. "I will have to discuss this with the others."
He smiled. "That would be rather unusual of you, human."
I tensed as he reached inside of his jacket pocket but relaxed when he pulled out what appeared to be a cell phone. He tossed it in my direction. I caught it.
"Call 'Home' when you are ready to strike the deal." With that I saw him pull the Shadow about him like a cloak and disappear into the bitterly cold, dark air.
Showing posts with label Naomi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naomi. Show all posts
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Sole Asylum...Part 2
The goodbyes between the group heading towards Herne’s Lodge and those of us heading east towards Detroit looked like they were going to be short and sweet. Ravyn took the longest with Cerrydwen, taking the opportunity to give her a list of all of the folks from the Coop that she wanted Cerrydwen to check with Herne about.
I gave Naomi a quick hug and then picked up Alexa to give one as well.
She looked directly into my eyes as I did so, her expression suddenly very serious. “Daddy?”
“Yes, Darling?”
She brought her small brown hands up to rest on each of my cheeks. The tone of her voice changed from her normal high-pitch to the deeper, huskier voice that came when her older self spoke.
“The storm clouds of change, turmoil, conflict are gathering. I want you to know that there is no way to stop the coming storm, the winds must blow, the waters must rise, and the blood of many will be shed. My vision cannot penetrate through the fog of war that obscures the coming time of trouble, but I have a feeling that this will be the last time that we will be together for quite some time. Do not worry for me, Father, or for Mother. Others are watching over us as well. What will be, will be.”
“But, why…”
She moved her left hand from my right cheek to hush me by putting her finger gently to my lips.
“I cannot tarry long, so please listen to me now. You all will be sorely tested by both the enemies that you know and those that are not yet revealed to you.” She removed the hand from my mouth to touch my chest. “You will need to use all of the gifts of this body that you inhabit if you hope to prevail, but it is your humanity that will be your greatest asset. Follow the heart that yet beats within your Spirit and we will meet again. Don’t forget who you are, or your cause will be lost.”
She bent forward and kissed me and motioned for me to put her down, which I did. She walked over to stand in front of Ravyn, who knelt down to be on the same level.
Alexa reached out and took Ravyn’s left hand into both of her own. “Mistress Fyre, I have learned so much from you. Thank you.”
Ravyn’s breath caught in her chest, she looked like she was about to cry, as if she sensed the words that were coming next. “Oh, Alexa…”
Alexa reached up and touched Ravyn’s lips as she did mine. “Know that the Powers have smiled on this second life that you have been given. You are more than worthy of this honor. Betsy will come again in your dreams, if you allow her to. I cannot say for sure that we will meet again in this life because the gift that you have received obscures you from all future visions. I do not know what this means, but I don’t believe that you can be seen by any of your enemies in this way either. I know that you will use this knowledge and this extra time that you have been given wisely and that you will continue to give more of yourself than anyone could ever rightfully ask of you. I hope to feel your warm embrace again.” With that, Alexa grabbed the stunned Ravyn in a crushing bear hug that ended with a kiss on Ravyn’s forehead.
Alexa then moved to stand before Jim, who also knelt down to hear what she had to say. Even on his knees though, he towered over her diminutive frame. She reached up on her tip toes to take the well worn cap from his head, revealing a mass of tousled hair in the process.
“Uncle Jim, I will never forget the tenderness of your embrace when I was brought to you by Father from that terrible storm.”
“But you were just a baby…”
She smiled as she placed the cap on her own head and took his right hand in her left hand. Her tiny hand was dwarfed by his. “That love for others is what will sustain you through this storm. Please know that the work that you do, the knowledge that you impart on others, and the love that you freely give, all matter. Without these things, the world would be a much poorer place. Everything you have done, and will do, helps to lay the foundation for a better, more peaceful world.” She reached up and embraced him before planting a big, wet kiss on his cheek.
Jim’s cap still on her head, she moved to stand in front of the Frau. “Grandmother Bear, I am honored that you allowed me to ride on your shoulders all those nights when others thought we slept soundly. The lessons that you taught me under stars will be with me forever, and will guide all that I seek to accomplish.”
The Frau looked over to Naomi sheepishly, before chuckling and bending down to take Alexa into a bear hug. “I had as much fun as you did, Child.”
Alexa smiled. “Your quiet strength and your boundless patience will be of more use than your still sharp claws in the coming battles. Your healing skills will be in great demand, use them well and generously and the rewards will be greater than you can imagine.” With those final words, Alexa planted a kiss on the Frau’s puckered lips before disengaging and bouncing over to Naomi’s waiting arms.
She pulled Jim’s cap off of her head and waved it to us as her normal voice returned. “Bye, bye everyone! I love you!”
Grim faced, Cerrydwen joined Naomi and Alexa in the engraved pentagram on the floor of the main room and activated the Transit Point. With a bright flash of white light, they were gone.
The rest of us stood in silence as each of us contemplated the words of a powerful young girl who was wise beyond all human comprehension.
I gave Naomi a quick hug and then picked up Alexa to give one as well.
She looked directly into my eyes as I did so, her expression suddenly very serious. “Daddy?”
“Yes, Darling?”
She brought her small brown hands up to rest on each of my cheeks. The tone of her voice changed from her normal high-pitch to the deeper, huskier voice that came when her older self spoke.
“The storm clouds of change, turmoil, conflict are gathering. I want you to know that there is no way to stop the coming storm, the winds must blow, the waters must rise, and the blood of many will be shed. My vision cannot penetrate through the fog of war that obscures the coming time of trouble, but I have a feeling that this will be the last time that we will be together for quite some time. Do not worry for me, Father, or for Mother. Others are watching over us as well. What will be, will be.”
“But, why…”
She moved her left hand from my right cheek to hush me by putting her finger gently to my lips.
“I cannot tarry long, so please listen to me now. You all will be sorely tested by both the enemies that you know and those that are not yet revealed to you.” She removed the hand from my mouth to touch my chest. “You will need to use all of the gifts of this body that you inhabit if you hope to prevail, but it is your humanity that will be your greatest asset. Follow the heart that yet beats within your Spirit and we will meet again. Don’t forget who you are, or your cause will be lost.”
She bent forward and kissed me and motioned for me to put her down, which I did. She walked over to stand in front of Ravyn, who knelt down to be on the same level.
Alexa reached out and took Ravyn’s left hand into both of her own. “Mistress Fyre, I have learned so much from you. Thank you.”
Ravyn’s breath caught in her chest, she looked like she was about to cry, as if she sensed the words that were coming next. “Oh, Alexa…”
Alexa reached up and touched Ravyn’s lips as she did mine. “Know that the Powers have smiled on this second life that you have been given. You are more than worthy of this honor. Betsy will come again in your dreams, if you allow her to. I cannot say for sure that we will meet again in this life because the gift that you have received obscures you from all future visions. I do not know what this means, but I don’t believe that you can be seen by any of your enemies in this way either. I know that you will use this knowledge and this extra time that you have been given wisely and that you will continue to give more of yourself than anyone could ever rightfully ask of you. I hope to feel your warm embrace again.” With that, Alexa grabbed the stunned Ravyn in a crushing bear hug that ended with a kiss on Ravyn’s forehead.
Alexa then moved to stand before Jim, who also knelt down to hear what she had to say. Even on his knees though, he towered over her diminutive frame. She reached up on her tip toes to take the well worn cap from his head, revealing a mass of tousled hair in the process.
“Uncle Jim, I will never forget the tenderness of your embrace when I was brought to you by Father from that terrible storm.”
“But you were just a baby…”
She smiled as she placed the cap on her own head and took his right hand in her left hand. Her tiny hand was dwarfed by his. “That love for others is what will sustain you through this storm. Please know that the work that you do, the knowledge that you impart on others, and the love that you freely give, all matter. Without these things, the world would be a much poorer place. Everything you have done, and will do, helps to lay the foundation for a better, more peaceful world.” She reached up and embraced him before planting a big, wet kiss on his cheek.
Jim’s cap still on her head, she moved to stand in front of the Frau. “Grandmother Bear, I am honored that you allowed me to ride on your shoulders all those nights when others thought we slept soundly. The lessons that you taught me under stars will be with me forever, and will guide all that I seek to accomplish.”
The Frau looked over to Naomi sheepishly, before chuckling and bending down to take Alexa into a bear hug. “I had as much fun as you did, Child.”
Alexa smiled. “Your quiet strength and your boundless patience will be of more use than your still sharp claws in the coming battles. Your healing skills will be in great demand, use them well and generously and the rewards will be greater than you can imagine.” With those final words, Alexa planted a kiss on the Frau’s puckered lips before disengaging and bouncing over to Naomi’s waiting arms.
She pulled Jim’s cap off of her head and waved it to us as her normal voice returned. “Bye, bye everyone! I love you!”
Grim faced, Cerrydwen joined Naomi and Alexa in the engraved pentagram on the floor of the main room and activated the Transit Point. With a bright flash of white light, they were gone.
The rest of us stood in silence as each of us contemplated the words of a powerful young girl who was wise beyond all human comprehension.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Sole Asylum...Part 1
After some deliberation it was decided that our side trip to check out the stash left behind by Drake would come after we set up a base of operations at the Asylum.
While Naomi, Alexa, and Cerrydwen packed up for their journey through the Transit Point to Herne’s Lodge, Ravyn grabbed me by the shoulders. “I need some decent clothing, Zombie. This simply will not do.”
I nodded. “OK. What do you want me to do about it?”
She smiled. “You’re taking me shopping.”
I glanced down at my watch. “There’s not much open at this hour. It’s still too early for anything except those 24 hour supermarkets.”
Her grin was positively wicked. “That’s why I need you. Jim’s told me about a group of very high end boutiques in New York that is wholly owned by the Mercury Unlimited Group. This shopping trip is going to be courtesy of Dick Arnold and friends.”
“But why would they open just for us?”
She reached up and slapped her palm on my forehead. “You can be so dense. If I was going to wait for them to open for business, I’d ask Jim to go along so that he could pay. I need you to get me in and out without setting off any fire alarms. You can also carry a lot more than he can!”
The light switch in my head flipped on. “Oh. I get it, now. You know I spent most of my arresting petty criminals. Now I get to play one.”
She stood there watching me impatiently. “Well, what are you waiting for, let’s get going before they open up!”
I sighed and summoned the Shadow to take us to the Big Apple for our illicit shopping trip.
We returned less than an hour later, my arms loaded down with several bags containing most of Ravyn’s new stylish wardrobe.
Ravyn bounced off with a couple of smaller bags in hand in to change from her borrowed sweatpants and t-shirt into her chosen outfit as I took the rest of the bags to Jim’s truck.
Jim just shook his head as he surveyed the bags that I packed into the cargo area of the truck. “I don’t even want to know how much all of this would have cost.”
I shook my head. “Let’s just say that we can now add Grand Larceny and Breaking and Entering onto our RAP sheets.”
“Well, at least she’ll be well dressed for her mug shot.”
“I’ll say. Just wait until you see some of the things she got.”
I noted that a brief, wistful look flashed across his face before his serious demeanor returned as he coughed out his response. “Well, I’m sure it was all quite necessary.”
While Naomi, Alexa, and Cerrydwen packed up for their journey through the Transit Point to Herne’s Lodge, Ravyn grabbed me by the shoulders. “I need some decent clothing, Zombie. This simply will not do.”
I nodded. “OK. What do you want me to do about it?”
She smiled. “You’re taking me shopping.”
I glanced down at my watch. “There’s not much open at this hour. It’s still too early for anything except those 24 hour supermarkets.”
Her grin was positively wicked. “That’s why I need you. Jim’s told me about a group of very high end boutiques in New York that is wholly owned by the Mercury Unlimited Group. This shopping trip is going to be courtesy of Dick Arnold and friends.”
“But why would they open just for us?”
She reached up and slapped her palm on my forehead. “You can be so dense. If I was going to wait for them to open for business, I’d ask Jim to go along so that he could pay. I need you to get me in and out without setting off any fire alarms. You can also carry a lot more than he can!”
The light switch in my head flipped on. “Oh. I get it, now. You know I spent most of my arresting petty criminals. Now I get to play one.”
She stood there watching me impatiently. “Well, what are you waiting for, let’s get going before they open up!”
I sighed and summoned the Shadow to take us to the Big Apple for our illicit shopping trip.
We returned less than an hour later, my arms loaded down with several bags containing most of Ravyn’s new stylish wardrobe.
Ravyn bounced off with a couple of smaller bags in hand in to change from her borrowed sweatpants and t-shirt into her chosen outfit as I took the rest of the bags to Jim’s truck.
Jim just shook his head as he surveyed the bags that I packed into the cargo area of the truck. “I don’t even want to know how much all of this would have cost.”
I shook my head. “Let’s just say that we can now add Grand Larceny and Breaking and Entering onto our RAP sheets.”
“Well, at least she’ll be well dressed for her mug shot.”
“I’ll say. Just wait until you see some of the things she got.”
I noted that a brief, wistful look flashed across his face before his serious demeanor returned as he coughed out his response. “Well, I’m sure it was all quite necessary.”
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Playing Hardball...Part 3
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.”
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.”
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.”
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…
Friday, June 29, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 5
Ravyn turned to me, her rage burning brighter in her eyes than in her still flaming fist. “Rusty, take these two to Cerrydwen and come back as soon as you can.” She glanced back at Naomi, “You remember the emergency password don’t you, darling?”
Naomi nodded. “I do.”
“Good. When you get to Cerrydwen’s place, make sure you tell Rusty what they are, OK?”
Naomi nodded again as she stood up with Alexa before grabbing a small bag that she had managed to pack. “I’m ready.”
I turned back to Ravyn. “Are you going to be alright?”
She shrugged. “I’ll be alright so long as I know that these two are safe. If you hurry back, you can help me to save as many of the others as possible.” She glanced back down the hall before looking at me again. “Get these two to safety. We can’t let Alexa fall into the arms of these monsters.”
“I’ll be back.”
A tear rolled down Ravyn’s cheek as she turned away and stalked off to do battle. “Good.”
I sheathed Excalibur and picked up the rucksack that I had dropped earlier. I reached my left hand out toward Naomi. “Come on. Let’s get you two to Cerrydwen.”
As she and Alexa drew near, I focused my Will and summoned the Shadow.
Nothing happened.
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
I waved my free hand to silence the questions and tried again, this time though, I reached as deep inside of myself as possible, summoning all of Will. I would not, could not, be denied.
Except that I was. Again, nothing happened.
“What the fu…dge?” I looked at Naomi. “I think something is blocking me from calling the Shadow.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How can they do that?”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew…”
I was interrupted by an ear-piercing, unearthly scream of rage of fear that was itself interrupted by an explosion that rocked the foundations of the house. I held on to Naomi tightly as the floor buckled and lurched beneath us. For the briefest of moments there was a dead kind of silence, but that was soon shattered by the sounds of other battles being fought elsewhere in the house.
Once things stopped shaking, I slammed the door to the room shut and ran over to the shattered window to get a view of what was happening out there.
At first, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, which was strange in itself. Sensing that all was not as it seemed, I shifted my sight into the Shadowland. That’s when everything became a hell of a lot clearer and I became a hell of a lot more concerned.
In the Shadowland, I could see the ring of man-sized figures that stood stock still, arms extended towards each of their neighbors. Extending between them was a web of crackling energy that seemed to form a dome over the entire Phoenix Coop. I had no idea who or what these creatures were and how they were doing it, but they seemed to have created some kind of bubble that was meant to keep anyone from leaving the place, especially through the Shadowland…
Naomi nodded. “I do.”
“Good. When you get to Cerrydwen’s place, make sure you tell Rusty what they are, OK?”
Naomi nodded again as she stood up with Alexa before grabbing a small bag that she had managed to pack. “I’m ready.”
I turned back to Ravyn. “Are you going to be alright?”
She shrugged. “I’ll be alright so long as I know that these two are safe. If you hurry back, you can help me to save as many of the others as possible.” She glanced back down the hall before looking at me again. “Get these two to safety. We can’t let Alexa fall into the arms of these monsters.”
“I’ll be back.”
A tear rolled down Ravyn’s cheek as she turned away and stalked off to do battle. “Good.”
I sheathed Excalibur and picked up the rucksack that I had dropped earlier. I reached my left hand out toward Naomi. “Come on. Let’s get you two to Cerrydwen.”
As she and Alexa drew near, I focused my Will and summoned the Shadow.
Nothing happened.
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
I waved my free hand to silence the questions and tried again, this time though, I reached as deep inside of myself as possible, summoning all of Will. I would not, could not, be denied.
Except that I was. Again, nothing happened.
“What the fu…dge?” I looked at Naomi. “I think something is blocking me from calling the Shadow.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How can they do that?”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew…”
I was interrupted by an ear-piercing, unearthly scream of rage of fear that was itself interrupted by an explosion that rocked the foundations of the house. I held on to Naomi tightly as the floor buckled and lurched beneath us. For the briefest of moments there was a dead kind of silence, but that was soon shattered by the sounds of other battles being fought elsewhere in the house.
Once things stopped shaking, I slammed the door to the room shut and ran over to the shattered window to get a view of what was happening out there.
At first, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, which was strange in itself. Sensing that all was not as it seemed, I shifted my sight into the Shadowland. That’s when everything became a hell of a lot clearer and I became a hell of a lot more concerned.
In the Shadowland, I could see the ring of man-sized figures that stood stock still, arms extended towards each of their neighbors. Extending between them was a web of crackling energy that seemed to form a dome over the entire Phoenix Coop. I had no idea who or what these creatures were and how they were doing it, but they seemed to have created some kind of bubble that was meant to keep anyone from leaving the place, especially through the Shadowland…
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 4
I hefted the black rucksack over my left shoulder and drew Excalibur from its sheath. I then stepped into the hall, glancing back long enough to shout out to Ravyn. “Let’s get Naomi and move to the rally point!”
Clutching Alexa in her left arm and raising her now flaming right hand to shoulder height in front of her, she nodded, her jaw set in grim determination.
Most of the noise was coming from the first floor. It was an eclectic mix of screams, grunts, breaking glass and other clashing sounds. As I pushed past a door on my right to get towards Naomi’s room, the door was wrenched off its hinges by an implosion of some sort. I glanced back to see Ravyn staggered towards the gaping maw that was now the portal before she steadied herself and sent a bolt of a flame towards a target that I was too far away to see. The stream of curses that flew from her lips was only slightly less caustic than the flame bolt that she had hurled.
I stopped to see if she needed any help, but turned back around to press forward again when she waved me off with a resigned sigh. “Keep going. There’s no one to save in there.”
As I came to Naomi’s door, I paused long enough to hear the sounds of struggle coming from inside. I glanced back to Ravyn. “Trouble.” I took one half step back and kicked the door handle with my left boot and used the moment of coming down to slam my shoulder into it, splintering it into flying wooden shards.
I shrugged off the rucksack as I turned to face whatever it was that Naomi was struggling with, only find myself facing two identically dressed Naomi’s locked in a violent embrace that was causing them to crash into the battered furniture of the small room.
“Shit!”
The Naomi’s separated as I stood there cursing. The Naomi closest to me turned and moved towards me. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here Rusty! This creature came in took my shape! Kill it!”
The other Naomi sank back against the battered desk. She looked up at me and asked a simple question. “Is Alexa safe?”
The first Naomi turned her back to me, continuing to point at the second, shouting at me to kill the intruder, but it was too late.
I lashed out with Excalibur using all of my strength. The blade lashed out blindingly fast and sliced into the neck of the unsuspecting Doppelganger.
The head of the creature went spinning as a fountain of greenish black ichor leaped into the air, spraying all over me and the rucksack as the body collapsed in a heap next to me.
Naomi’s shoulders slumped. She was clearly exhausted from her struggle with the creature. She perked up though as Ravyn pushed into the room behind me, the wriggling Alexa still held to her left hip. “Alexa!”
“Mama!” Alexa slipped from Ravyn’s grasp and bounded over to her mother in three running steps, somehow avoiding all of the pooling ichor as she did so.
Naomi held our daughter tight for a single quiet moment before the reality of the situation caused Ravyn to clear her throat.
“We need to move. Others haven’t been as lucky as you, darling.”
Clutching Alexa in her left arm and raising her now flaming right hand to shoulder height in front of her, she nodded, her jaw set in grim determination.
Most of the noise was coming from the first floor. It was an eclectic mix of screams, grunts, breaking glass and other clashing sounds. As I pushed past a door on my right to get towards Naomi’s room, the door was wrenched off its hinges by an implosion of some sort. I glanced back to see Ravyn staggered towards the gaping maw that was now the portal before she steadied herself and sent a bolt of a flame towards a target that I was too far away to see. The stream of curses that flew from her lips was only slightly less caustic than the flame bolt that she had hurled.
I stopped to see if she needed any help, but turned back around to press forward again when she waved me off with a resigned sigh. “Keep going. There’s no one to save in there.”
As I came to Naomi’s door, I paused long enough to hear the sounds of struggle coming from inside. I glanced back to Ravyn. “Trouble.” I took one half step back and kicked the door handle with my left boot and used the moment of coming down to slam my shoulder into it, splintering it into flying wooden shards.
I shrugged off the rucksack as I turned to face whatever it was that Naomi was struggling with, only find myself facing two identically dressed Naomi’s locked in a violent embrace that was causing them to crash into the battered furniture of the small room.
“Shit!”
The Naomi’s separated as I stood there cursing. The Naomi closest to me turned and moved towards me. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here Rusty! This creature came in took my shape! Kill it!”
The other Naomi sank back against the battered desk. She looked up at me and asked a simple question. “Is Alexa safe?”
The first Naomi turned her back to me, continuing to point at the second, shouting at me to kill the intruder, but it was too late.
I lashed out with Excalibur using all of my strength. The blade lashed out blindingly fast and sliced into the neck of the unsuspecting Doppelganger.
The head of the creature went spinning as a fountain of greenish black ichor leaped into the air, spraying all over me and the rucksack as the body collapsed in a heap next to me.
Naomi’s shoulders slumped. She was clearly exhausted from her struggle with the creature. She perked up though as Ravyn pushed into the room behind me, the wriggling Alexa still held to her left hip. “Alexa!”
“Mama!” Alexa slipped from Ravyn’s grasp and bounded over to her mother in three running steps, somehow avoiding all of the pooling ichor as she did so.
Naomi held our daughter tight for a single quiet moment before the reality of the situation caused Ravyn to clear her throat.
“We need to move. Others haven’t been as lucky as you, darling.”
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 3
“Yes, Sweetie, you’ll get a chance to ride on Betsy.” Ravyn looked up from Alexa to the disheveled Naomi. “Go get the things you’ll need for the next day or so. We need to get you two to the safe house. Don’t worry about getting dressed, there’s a full wardrobe for you there. I’ll watch her until you get ready.”
Naomi nodded glumly and shuffled off back towards her room.
Alexa bounded into Ravyn’s outstretched arms with a giggle and a flop of the raggedy stuffed bear.
I shifted my balance and spoke up. “What do you need me to do?”
Ravyn hugged Alexa, inhaling deeply of her essence before responding. “Stick by close by me until we see the girls off. We don’t know what we are facing just yet, and I want to make sure Alexa is safe.”
She sat back down at her desk and reached out to the business phone. She punched a couple of buttons, activating the intercom for the Coop. Her voice came through loud and clear over the hidden speakers in every room of the large house. “Attention this is a Code 3 emergency. Secure all doors and windows. Rally point is the Library in zero-five minutes. I repeat, this is a Code 3 emergency, rally to the Library in 5 minutes. This is not a drill people.”
I arched my brown and nodded. “I’m impressed.”
She shot me a sarcastic look. “Hey there, some of us actually make contingency plans for when things to go wrong instead of winging it.” She stood back up and pointed to behind the door. “Grab the bag behind that door, would ya?”
I turned, moved the door enough to see the black rucksack that I had never noticed before and reached for it, just in time to hear the glass breaking in several places around the house and the screams of shock and fear that accompanied those sounds…
Alexa’s voice cut through the other sounds. “They’re here!”
Ravyn’s curses were far more colorful and imaginative than mine were…
Naomi nodded glumly and shuffled off back towards her room.
Alexa bounded into Ravyn’s outstretched arms with a giggle and a flop of the raggedy stuffed bear.
I shifted my balance and spoke up. “What do you need me to do?”
Ravyn hugged Alexa, inhaling deeply of her essence before responding. “Stick by close by me until we see the girls off. We don’t know what we are facing just yet, and I want to make sure Alexa is safe.”
She sat back down at her desk and reached out to the business phone. She punched a couple of buttons, activating the intercom for the Coop. Her voice came through loud and clear over the hidden speakers in every room of the large house. “Attention this is a Code 3 emergency. Secure all doors and windows. Rally point is the Library in zero-five minutes. I repeat, this is a Code 3 emergency, rally to the Library in 5 minutes. This is not a drill people.”
I arched my brown and nodded. “I’m impressed.”
She shot me a sarcastic look. “Hey there, some of us actually make contingency plans for when things to go wrong instead of winging it.” She stood back up and pointed to behind the door. “Grab the bag behind that door, would ya?”
I turned, moved the door enough to see the black rucksack that I had never noticed before and reached for it, just in time to hear the glass breaking in several places around the house and the screams of shock and fear that accompanied those sounds…
Alexa’s voice cut through the other sounds. “They’re here!”
Ravyn’s curses were far more colorful and imaginative than mine were…
Monday, June 18, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 2
The reunion of mother and daughter was all tears and hugs from mom and giggling laughter and ticklish hugs from daughter. Alexa had come alive as we neared Naomi’s room and erupted from my arms with bubbly exclamation of “Mama!” as she bounded towards the huddled, still sleepy form of Naomi.
Naomi gave me a teary-eyed glare over Alexa’s pig tails.
I held up my hands as I backed out of the room. “I’m back in control, Naomi. I’m sorry!”
Between my protestations and Alexa’s energetic, giggling hugs, her glare softened. She nodded before hugging her daughter back.
Ravyn touched my shoulder. “Let’s leave them alone, they’ll need to get some rest.”
I followed her back out into the hall and towards the small office that she kept at the Coop.
“So did you receive that package from Drake?”
Ravyn nodded as she settled behind her desk and pulled out a large yellow and red DHL box that rattled as she moved it. “Yes. I haven’t seen keys like this since I was a child.” She reached in and pulled out a large ring of skeleton keys, each one slightly different than the others.
I shook my head. “You wouldn’t believe where this stuff is hidden…”
“The Angel-people are coming.”
We both turned to look down at the small, figure of Alexa standing in her nightgown and bunny slippers, a teddy bear dangling from her left hand.
Ravyn was the first to recover. “What was that, Sweetheart?”
“The Angel-people are coming, soon.”
Naomi padded in behind Alexa, her hair unkempt and her face stained with tears. “She keeps repeating this phrase. She also insisted on coming and telling you herself. She refused to go to bed.”
“Auntie Ravyn, the Angel-people are coming. Can I ride on Betsy?”
I leaned forward. “Alexa, do you mean that the An’girasii are coming here soon?”
She nodded.
“How soon are they coming?”
“They are almost here. We need to go bye-bye. Can I ride on Betsy?”
Naomi gave me a teary-eyed glare over Alexa’s pig tails.
I held up my hands as I backed out of the room. “I’m back in control, Naomi. I’m sorry!”
Between my protestations and Alexa’s energetic, giggling hugs, her glare softened. She nodded before hugging her daughter back.
Ravyn touched my shoulder. “Let’s leave them alone, they’ll need to get some rest.”
I followed her back out into the hall and towards the small office that she kept at the Coop.
“So did you receive that package from Drake?”
Ravyn nodded as she settled behind her desk and pulled out a large yellow and red DHL box that rattled as she moved it. “Yes. I haven’t seen keys like this since I was a child.” She reached in and pulled out a large ring of skeleton keys, each one slightly different than the others.
I shook my head. “You wouldn’t believe where this stuff is hidden…”
“The Angel-people are coming.”
We both turned to look down at the small, figure of Alexa standing in her nightgown and bunny slippers, a teddy bear dangling from her left hand.
Ravyn was the first to recover. “What was that, Sweetheart?”
“The Angel-people are coming, soon.”
Naomi padded in behind Alexa, her hair unkempt and her face stained with tears. “She keeps repeating this phrase. She also insisted on coming and telling you herself. She refused to go to bed.”
“Auntie Ravyn, the Angel-people are coming. Can I ride on Betsy?”
I leaned forward. “Alexa, do you mean that the An’girasii are coming here soon?”
She nodded.
“How soon are they coming?”
“They are almost here. We need to go bye-bye. Can I ride on Betsy?”
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 1
I emerged from the Shadow and stepped into the library at the Coop with Alexa cradled in my arms, dead-to-the-world asleep.
I was met by the stern glare of Ravyn, her right hand held high with a ball of red and orange fire swirling around her clenched fist. “Is that you, Rusty?”
Hugging Alexa close to my chest, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s me, finally.”
“Sorry, but I need to be sure you are who you appear to be, Rusty. Look directly into my eyes.”
I looked up from the cherubic brown face of Alexa to meet Ravyn’s steely gaze. “Drake’s gone for good now. He had his little chat with Alexa.”
Ravyn’s face softened as she realized that I was telling the truth. “Thank the Goddess, it is you!” The fireball surrounding her fist died with a fizzle as she brought it down, still smoking, and moved to take Alexa from my arms.
“How long has it been since he took control?” I let my arms fall to the side as Alexa settled into her arms and nuzzled up against her neck, still asleep.
Ravyn shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it must be close to two months now.” She shifted Alexa into her left arm, brushing back Alexa’s dark, curly bangs from her forehead. “Naomi is going to be so relieved to know that she’s back safe and sound. What did Drake do with her and why did he have to take her like he did?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Is Naomi OK?”
She nodded. “Yes, she’s been beside herself for days now, but she wasn’t harmed.”
“Good. Drake didn’t let me know what he was doing all of the time, so I’m not sure what happened when he came for Alexa, but he did let me experience his passing when he took her to the Tree.” I shook my head. “That was the weirdest thing to watch Drake bow down before my toddler of a daughter and pay his respects to her. It got even weirder when she acknowledged his respect and spoke to him in that same voice that she used back at Yule.”
“What did she say to him?”
“They spoke together for quite a while, but the main thing was that she thanked him for his service and then forgave him for everything that he had done to harm others.”
Ravyn looked incredulous. “She thanked Drake for his service? And she forgave him?”
I nodded. “Yep, and that’s what took the longest. He had left me in my body by that time and stood before her in pure Spirit form, looking almost exactly as he had when he was alive. She reached up with her little hands to his head bowed head and whispered name after name after name of all of the people that he hurt or killed throughout his miserable, long assed life and with each name, he became just a tiny bit lighter, more translucent. It must have taken days.”
She looked down into Alexa’s face before looking back up at me. “That must have been thousands of names…how did she know them all?”
“I have no idea. But I can tell you that it was a fucking who’s who of world history, that’s for sure. You have no idea how much of the history that we learn about in school was influenced by the people that Drake screwed with or outright killed.”
“I think I can believe it after all of the stuff he used your body to get stirred up. Rusty, you are not going to be able to show your face in public for quite some time—I’ve lost count of the number of different law enforcement agencies that have contacted me looking for you. I even had to send away the FBI students away from here after Agent Wilson called and told me that you had been declared a fugitive from justice and that you had made the Most Wanted list for a string of murders!”
“Shit! He let me see some of that stuff, but obviously not everything! He told me that he was taking down servants of the An’girasii.”
She pursed her lips and clucked her tongue. “That may well be what he was doing, but he has landed you in a lot of hot water in the process. Did you know that he took Dick Arnold?”
I stepped back at that. “No, I had no idea.”
She shook her head this time. “Well, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but not before we get this little girl back to her mot
I was met by the stern glare of Ravyn, her right hand held high with a ball of red and orange fire swirling around her clenched fist. “Is that you, Rusty?”
Hugging Alexa close to my chest, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s me, finally.”
“Sorry, but I need to be sure you are who you appear to be, Rusty. Look directly into my eyes.”
I looked up from the cherubic brown face of Alexa to meet Ravyn’s steely gaze. “Drake’s gone for good now. He had his little chat with Alexa.”
Ravyn’s face softened as she realized that I was telling the truth. “Thank the Goddess, it is you!” The fireball surrounding her fist died with a fizzle as she brought it down, still smoking, and moved to take Alexa from my arms.
“How long has it been since he took control?” I let my arms fall to the side as Alexa settled into her arms and nuzzled up against her neck, still asleep.
Ravyn shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it must be close to two months now.” She shifted Alexa into her left arm, brushing back Alexa’s dark, curly bangs from her forehead. “Naomi is going to be so relieved to know that she’s back safe and sound. What did Drake do with her and why did he have to take her like he did?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Is Naomi OK?”
She nodded. “Yes, she’s been beside herself for days now, but she wasn’t harmed.”
“Good. Drake didn’t let me know what he was doing all of the time, so I’m not sure what happened when he came for Alexa, but he did let me experience his passing when he took her to the Tree.” I shook my head. “That was the weirdest thing to watch Drake bow down before my toddler of a daughter and pay his respects to her. It got even weirder when she acknowledged his respect and spoke to him in that same voice that she used back at Yule.”
“What did she say to him?”
“They spoke together for quite a while, but the main thing was that she thanked him for his service and then forgave him for everything that he had done to harm others.”
Ravyn looked incredulous. “She thanked Drake for his service? And she forgave him?”
I nodded. “Yep, and that’s what took the longest. He had left me in my body by that time and stood before her in pure Spirit form, looking almost exactly as he had when he was alive. She reached up with her little hands to his head bowed head and whispered name after name after name of all of the people that he hurt or killed throughout his miserable, long assed life and with each name, he became just a tiny bit lighter, more translucent. It must have taken days.”
She looked down into Alexa’s face before looking back up at me. “That must have been thousands of names…how did she know them all?”
“I have no idea. But I can tell you that it was a fucking who’s who of world history, that’s for sure. You have no idea how much of the history that we learn about in school was influenced by the people that Drake screwed with or outright killed.”
“I think I can believe it after all of the stuff he used your body to get stirred up. Rusty, you are not going to be able to show your face in public for quite some time—I’ve lost count of the number of different law enforcement agencies that have contacted me looking for you. I even had to send away the FBI students away from here after Agent Wilson called and told me that you had been declared a fugitive from justice and that you had made the Most Wanted list for a string of murders!”
“Shit! He let me see some of that stuff, but obviously not everything! He told me that he was taking down servants of the An’girasii.”
She pursed her lips and clucked her tongue. “That may well be what he was doing, but he has landed you in a lot of hot water in the process. Did you know that he took Dick Arnold?”
I stepped back at that. “No, I had no idea.”
She shook her head this time. “Well, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but not before we get this little girl back to her mot
Monday, October 16, 2006
A Blast from the Past...Part 1
The council ended without much further serious discussion. Naomi’s bombshell visions that had been provided by the peacefully sleeping child in her arms certainly sobered up the discussion. She consented to a meeting between Alexa and the ring that held Drake’s Spirit form, if I chose to go ahead with the rest of the deal.
As Alexa stirred in her arms, Naomi looked around the table before standing up slowly. “I need to get back before she wakes up, please excuse me.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries and a smattering of kisses on Alexa’s forehead, Naomi took her leave.
Naomi’s name was fading above her now closed door before anyone moved or spoke again.
Jim sat forward, poured himself another mug of Diet Pepsi from the magickal pitcher before he broke the silence. “Rusty, there’s something else we need to discuss, since you’ve dragged me here.”
“What’s that Jim?”
“I came across a couple of news items of interest when I was reading through some back issues of the Wall Street Primer that had piled up on my table. The first story was actually the more recent story, one that I at first glanced through in passing, but came back to in more detail and more interest after the second story really caught my attention.”
“Oh? So what were these stories about?”
He took a long swig from his mug, draining it and setting it aside as he created to room to be more demonstrative with his hands. “Well, the second story was an anouncement by one Dick Arnold, the former CEO of VortiCorp, about a new company that he has formed with a number of silent partners.”
“Dick Arnold? I thought he had fled the country when we messed up the financials for VortiCorp?”
Jim nodded. “He did. That’s what this announcement newsworthy. It appears that VortiCorp had a number of offshore subsidiaries in the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, and the Caymen Islands. This story was a puff publicity piece that was attempting to rehabillitate his image by blaming the financial problems of his original company on the ‘unethical and illegal activities of certain highly trusted employees’ and to trumpet his return with a newly formed holding corporation called the Mercury-Unlimited Group.” Jim sighed as he refilled and drained his mug again. “That article didn’t go into much detail about what businesses this new hoilding corporation was getting into, other than its ‘highly diversified investment portfolio,’ but the second article provided some ominous clues.”
Ravyn cocked her head and pursed her lips before speaking. “Mercury. That’s an interesting choice. There’s implied ties to business and commerce, which is probably the obvious refernce they are going for, but there could be a lot of magickal meaning hidden in that name. Mercury has a lot of associations with magick in modern occultism, especially the rulership over magick.”
The Frau chuckled, looked up from her second dissected grapefruit and spoke up. “Yes, Mercury also played a role in guiding the spirits of the dead. I don’t think this was a random choice at all, especially from what we know that VortiCorp was trying to do before.”
Cerrydwen nodded. “I agree. This name was not chosen by random. So what did the other article say?”
As Alexa stirred in her arms, Naomi looked around the table before standing up slowly. “I need to get back before she wakes up, please excuse me.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries and a smattering of kisses on Alexa’s forehead, Naomi took her leave.
Naomi’s name was fading above her now closed door before anyone moved or spoke again.
Jim sat forward, poured himself another mug of Diet Pepsi from the magickal pitcher before he broke the silence. “Rusty, there’s something else we need to discuss, since you’ve dragged me here.”
“What’s that Jim?”
“I came across a couple of news items of interest when I was reading through some back issues of the Wall Street Primer that had piled up on my table. The first story was actually the more recent story, one that I at first glanced through in passing, but came back to in more detail and more interest after the second story really caught my attention.”
“Oh? So what were these stories about?”
He took a long swig from his mug, draining it and setting it aside as he created to room to be more demonstrative with his hands. “Well, the second story was an anouncement by one Dick Arnold, the former CEO of VortiCorp, about a new company that he has formed with a number of silent partners.”
“Dick Arnold? I thought he had fled the country when we messed up the financials for VortiCorp?”
Jim nodded. “He did. That’s what this announcement newsworthy. It appears that VortiCorp had a number of offshore subsidiaries in the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, and the Caymen Islands. This story was a puff publicity piece that was attempting to rehabillitate his image by blaming the financial problems of his original company on the ‘unethical and illegal activities of certain highly trusted employees’ and to trumpet his return with a newly formed holding corporation called the Mercury-Unlimited Group.” Jim sighed as he refilled and drained his mug again. “That article didn’t go into much detail about what businesses this new hoilding corporation was getting into, other than its ‘highly diversified investment portfolio,’ but the second article provided some ominous clues.”
Ravyn cocked her head and pursed her lips before speaking. “Mercury. That’s an interesting choice. There’s implied ties to business and commerce, which is probably the obvious refernce they are going for, but there could be a lot of magickal meaning hidden in that name. Mercury has a lot of associations with magick in modern occultism, especially the rulership over magick.”
The Frau chuckled, looked up from her second dissected grapefruit and spoke up. “Yes, Mercury also played a role in guiding the spirits of the dead. I don’t think this was a random choice at all, especially from what we know that VortiCorp was trying to do before.”
Cerrydwen nodded. “I agree. This name was not chosen by random. So what did the other article say?”
Monday, October 09, 2006
The Shadow Council...Conclusion
Luckily, Jim had been on the ball, recognizing the changes in Naomi as she went under her trance. He had pulled out a small pad of paper and taken down the verses for us to analyze in more detail. He read them back to us.
“Wow, I said all of that? I’ve never heard any of those lines before.” She looked down at the sleeping toddler (Alexa was now nearly 15 months old) and back up at us again. “I never did finish what I was going to tell you about what I saw when I was dead.”
Ravyn nodded. “We’d certainly like to hear about what you saw.”
Naomi cleared her throat and began her story again. “As I was saying before I got so rudely interrupted, I went down the steps in that funky smelling cave at the base of Rusty’s tree and came to the reflecting pool. I bent down to look into the pool and I saw all sorts of images moving around in the pool, there were so many and they were moving so fast at first, that I couldn’t make any sense out of what I was seeing.”
Jim was leaning forward over the table, bent over his notebook, scribbling notes, but he glanced up long enough to throw out a question. “Do you remember anything of those early images?”
Naomi paused, concentrated and nodded. “Yes. I remember seeing lots of images of war. Tanks, planes, soldiers fighting other soldiers. Soldiers shooting women and children. Lots of bombs. Missiles striking cities.” She stopped, her voice catching as she realized what she was remembering and what she was saying. A tear trickled down her cheek. “I...I...I saw so many people dying. Dying from war. Dying from disease and starvation. It looked like the end of the world. One of the last of the flashing images that I saw was a bunch of nuclear bombs going off, each over a different city, just like we saw in all of those crazy movies ten or fifteen years ago.”
Jim, furiously scribbling, glanced up again as he asked another question in a calm, clinical voice. “Did the visions stop there?”
Naomi shook her, her eyes now full of tears. “No.” She sobbed before continuing. “The images stopped flashing, but a new image came up. It was the image of a beautiful face. I know it was Alexa’s, all grown up. Her eyes were so big and sad. She looked right at me and spoke to me.”
The Frau’s face was beaming as she interjected. “What did she say to you?”
Naomi looked down at the angelic face of our sleeping child and brushed a small dark curl from her forehead before looking up again. “She said, ‘Mother, what you’ve just seen is the most likely future. It is a view of a day that will dawn all too soon, unless we do everything in our power to change it.’ I was crying then, just like I’m crying now, I tried to tell her that I was dead, that I wouldn’t be able to change anything about it, but she kept speaking. ‘Mother, soon, you will wake up, and when the time is right, you will remember what I am saying to you now. Know this, that there is a chance, however small that chance might be, for that future to be averted. But for that to happen, you must not yield to the normal maternal instincts to shield me from all possible harm or dangers. As I grow up, I must see and experience everything that I can of the human condition. I must know both Good and Evil and everything in between if my Dance is to have the power to change this future towards which we hurtle even now.’”
The silence in that room could not have been deeper when she finished speaking. Each of us sat there absorbing the words of the blissfully sleeping child who had not yet spoken her own first word.
I was the first one to break that sacred silence. “Well, I guess Drake gets his deal then. You can’t get much more evil than that bastard was and still be human.”
“Wow, I said all of that? I’ve never heard any of those lines before.” She looked down at the sleeping toddler (Alexa was now nearly 15 months old) and back up at us again. “I never did finish what I was going to tell you about what I saw when I was dead.”
Ravyn nodded. “We’d certainly like to hear about what you saw.”
Naomi cleared her throat and began her story again. “As I was saying before I got so rudely interrupted, I went down the steps in that funky smelling cave at the base of Rusty’s tree and came to the reflecting pool. I bent down to look into the pool and I saw all sorts of images moving around in the pool, there were so many and they were moving so fast at first, that I couldn’t make any sense out of what I was seeing.”
Jim was leaning forward over the table, bent over his notebook, scribbling notes, but he glanced up long enough to throw out a question. “Do you remember anything of those early images?”
Naomi paused, concentrated and nodded. “Yes. I remember seeing lots of images of war. Tanks, planes, soldiers fighting other soldiers. Soldiers shooting women and children. Lots of bombs. Missiles striking cities.” She stopped, her voice catching as she realized what she was remembering and what she was saying. A tear trickled down her cheek. “I...I...I saw so many people dying. Dying from war. Dying from disease and starvation. It looked like the end of the world. One of the last of the flashing images that I saw was a bunch of nuclear bombs going off, each over a different city, just like we saw in all of those crazy movies ten or fifteen years ago.”
Jim, furiously scribbling, glanced up again as he asked another question in a calm, clinical voice. “Did the visions stop there?”
Naomi shook her, her eyes now full of tears. “No.” She sobbed before continuing. “The images stopped flashing, but a new image came up. It was the image of a beautiful face. I know it was Alexa’s, all grown up. Her eyes were so big and sad. She looked right at me and spoke to me.”
The Frau’s face was beaming as she interjected. “What did she say to you?”
Naomi looked down at the angelic face of our sleeping child and brushed a small dark curl from her forehead before looking up again. “She said, ‘Mother, what you’ve just seen is the most likely future. It is a view of a day that will dawn all too soon, unless we do everything in our power to change it.’ I was crying then, just like I’m crying now, I tried to tell her that I was dead, that I wouldn’t be able to change anything about it, but she kept speaking. ‘Mother, soon, you will wake up, and when the time is right, you will remember what I am saying to you now. Know this, that there is a chance, however small that chance might be, for that future to be averted. But for that to happen, you must not yield to the normal maternal instincts to shield me from all possible harm or dangers. As I grow up, I must see and experience everything that I can of the human condition. I must know both Good and Evil and everything in between if my Dance is to have the power to change this future towards which we hurtle even now.’”
The silence in that room could not have been deeper when she finished speaking. Each of us sat there absorbing the words of the blissfully sleeping child who had not yet spoken her own first word.
I was the first one to break that sacred silence. “Well, I guess Drake gets his deal then. You can’t get much more evil than that bastard was and still be human.”
The Shadow Council...Part 4
Naomi arrived with shortly afterwards, baby Alexa held in her arms. She looked more than a little nervous as she walked up to the table as we all watched. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes and no, dear.” The Frau was the first to reply. “Rusty was simply discussing whether or not our dearly departed friend Drake should have an opportunity to meet your precious Alexa. I reminded him, however, that there are some things where one must consult with the mother of a child prior to deciding.”
Naomi gave me a hard stare as she clutched Alexa closer to her bosom. The defiance in her eyes gave her answer without a single word being uttered.
I held up my hand. “Wait a minute. I never said I had agreed to anything yet, I was simply bringing the matter up for discussion. But, Naomi, since you are here, let me tell you the whole story.” I glanced sideways at the Frau. I saw her little sly smirk.
Naomi’s body language only softened slightly once she heard the entire proposition and was caught up on the discussion to date. Her words, however, shocked all of us.
“I think that this is an offer that we will have to take at some point.”
Everyone’s eyes opened wide, a few mouths dropped open.
She rocked the peacefully sleeping Alexa ever so gently, glanced down at her beautfiul face and then looked each of us in the eye before continuing on.
“In the time that I was...gone...I spent some time at the Tree that Rusty planted. It...spoke...to me. It told me to go down into the cave within its roots and that I should look into the reflecting pool within. When I did that, I saw so many things! The Tree told me that Alexa is more special than I could ever imagine. I saw and heard things I could not believe, that I didn’t want to believe were even possible...”
As she spoke, Naomi’s eyes glazed over, the pupils rolling up towards her forehead until only the whites of her showed. Her voice took on a huskier quality as she continued to speak.
“Amidst Despair and Discord, the Daughter of Death has come!
From Darkness she was born, Descendant of Slaves now seeming free.
Conceived from Greed and Deceit, the Daughter of Death has come!
Through her Dance and her Deeds, Empires fall and the Mighty flee.
“Stricken by Faith and Terror, the Daughter of Death has come!
To War turns the Old Guard, proclaiming loudly the false Victory.
Whilst Wind tears and Waters roar, the Daughter of Death has come!
Tho’ Fire and Shadow may strive, Hope or Peace has no guarantee.
“Riven by Doubt and Fear, the Daughter of Death has come!
Final Victory within his grasp, the Undying Hunter fails in Conceit.
As the Elder Scions gather in Malice, the Daughter of Death has come!
The Hunt begins anew, can the Unliving restore Hope to Humanity?”
Naomi sagged, her head slumping down to rest on Alexa before she came out of her trance. She sat up straight and shook her head. “I don’t know what just came over me.”
Ravyn and I looked at each other. I managed to spit out the words that she was thinking as well. “I’ve heard the first two verses before, T’tubah recited them in a very similar trance state in New Orleans, just before we rescued Alexa.” I left it unsaid that we also failed to save Naomi, who was killed by a very nasty troll-like creature just as we arrived.
Naomi looked curious as we spoke. “What verses?”
“Yes and no, dear.” The Frau was the first to reply. “Rusty was simply discussing whether or not our dearly departed friend Drake should have an opportunity to meet your precious Alexa. I reminded him, however, that there are some things where one must consult with the mother of a child prior to deciding.”
Naomi gave me a hard stare as she clutched Alexa closer to her bosom. The defiance in her eyes gave her answer without a single word being uttered.
I held up my hand. “Wait a minute. I never said I had agreed to anything yet, I was simply bringing the matter up for discussion. But, Naomi, since you are here, let me tell you the whole story.” I glanced sideways at the Frau. I saw her little sly smirk.
Naomi’s body language only softened slightly once she heard the entire proposition and was caught up on the discussion to date. Her words, however, shocked all of us.
“I think that this is an offer that we will have to take at some point.”
Everyone’s eyes opened wide, a few mouths dropped open.
She rocked the peacefully sleeping Alexa ever so gently, glanced down at her beautfiul face and then looked each of us in the eye before continuing on.
“In the time that I was...gone...I spent some time at the Tree that Rusty planted. It...spoke...to me. It told me to go down into the cave within its roots and that I should look into the reflecting pool within. When I did that, I saw so many things! The Tree told me that Alexa is more special than I could ever imagine. I saw and heard things I could not believe, that I didn’t want to believe were even possible...”
As she spoke, Naomi’s eyes glazed over, the pupils rolling up towards her forehead until only the whites of her showed. Her voice took on a huskier quality as she continued to speak.
“Amidst Despair and Discord, the Daughter of Death has come!
From Darkness she was born, Descendant of Slaves now seeming free.
Conceived from Greed and Deceit, the Daughter of Death has come!
Through her Dance and her Deeds, Empires fall and the Mighty flee.
“Stricken by Faith and Terror, the Daughter of Death has come!
To War turns the Old Guard, proclaiming loudly the false Victory.
Whilst Wind tears and Waters roar, the Daughter of Death has come!
Tho’ Fire and Shadow may strive, Hope or Peace has no guarantee.
“Riven by Doubt and Fear, the Daughter of Death has come!
Final Victory within his grasp, the Undying Hunter fails in Conceit.
As the Elder Scions gather in Malice, the Daughter of Death has come!
The Hunt begins anew, can the Unliving restore Hope to Humanity?”
Naomi sagged, her head slumping down to rest on Alexa before she came out of her trance. She sat up straight and shook her head. “I don’t know what just came over me.”
Ravyn and I looked at each other. I managed to spit out the words that she was thinking as well. “I’ve heard the first two verses before, T’tubah recited them in a very similar trance state in New Orleans, just before we rescued Alexa.” I left it unsaid that we also failed to save Naomi, who was killed by a very nasty troll-like creature just as we arrived.
Naomi looked curious as we spoke. “What verses?”
Sunday, October 01, 2006
The Shadow Council...Part 3
Without further delay, I laid out the deal that Drake was offering.
Even as I was finishing, Ravyn and Cerrydwen were protesting. “Oh no!” “You can’t let him get near Alexa!”
Both the Frau and Jim had remained silent, the Frau looking unperturbed as she used a dagger-like knife to cut open a giant grapefruit from the ever-full fruit bowl, while Jim sat back stroking his chin in a contemplative manner.
I held up my hands in mock surrender to the previously sparring sisters-in-magick, as I sat back in my chair. “Hey, I didn’t agree to the deal yet! In fact, it’s been almost a week since he proprosed it.”
Ravyn look exasperated. “A whole week! Why didn’t you just reject his deal and be done with him?”
Cerrydwen nodded in agreement to Ravyn’s words. “Indeed, I doubt that Drake would have the discipline to maintain his silence if you rejected his ‘deal.’ You would have seen this by now if you had rejected the proprosal outright.”
I nodded. “My first reaction was to refuse the deal, I even told him that seeing Alexa was the dealbreaker, but he insisted.” I looked over to Ravyn. “I thought better of giving a definitive answer of ‘no’, just in case he wasn’t bluffing. I didn’t want to cut off an avenue to information we might need, just in case.”
Jim dropped his hand from his chin and sat up straight. “Let’s look at each element of this deal and see how feasible it all is. First, he wants you to open up your blog, which has previously been your own personal domain to tell his story to us, and to the world. Are you willing to conside that request?”
I looked from person to person around the table before responding. “I don’t have any real problem with part of the deal, I suppose.”
Jim took the pitcher form the center of the table and poured more Diet Pepsi into his cup, marvelling at the magick of the pitcher, able to pour any liquid the holder desired. “Is there any way to take this thing back home? It would save me a mint!” He put the pitcher down and looked up at me. “Have you considered how ponderous this request might be? This guy has been supposedly been around for five thousand years, and appears to have been involved in many historical periods. That part of the deal alone could take years to complete, and you could very lose the readers of your blog. That is, unless they are particularly interested in Drake’s history, told from his side.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
He nodded. “You need to. If this is something you are going to consider, I recommend that you negotiate on that one a bit, make sure you limit the posts on his life to perhaps once a week.”
“Good idea.”
After he drained his cup, Jim sat back. “Now, item two. He wants you to agree to take up this struggle against Drakaar and his fellow demi-godlike beings since he can’t continue that struggle himself. While on the face of it, this seems like a foregone conclusion, it is still a serious issue. You don’t know how many of these other beings are out there, or what their individual motivations may be. Even if Drake tells you his perspective on these beings, we will need to independently verify his story and come to our own conclusions about whether they are truly the threat to humanity that Drake is stating that they are. He does have a rather spotty record with the truth, as I recall.”
I couldn’t argue that point. “Yes. He finds ways to twist the truth worse than any president ever did. I also had a concern about these other beings, besides Drakaar. I felt what he was like, so I’m pretty confident we’re going to face off against him. But the rest of his brethren? That I don’t know just yet.”
“So, I would recommend that you try to negotiate further on this part of the deal as well. Either limit your agreement to tracking down and facing off against Drakaar and any allies that help him, or ask for names that we can do further independent research on before agreeing fully to this item. That leaves us with the final condition of the deal. The meeting with Alexa.”
The Frau looked up from her half eaten grapefruit at the mention of Alexa’s name. “Well, I don’t think we have all of the interested parties here to discuss this last point.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She looked from Jim to me and then over at Cerrydwen and Ravyn. “Clearly, the only person who really answer this point is Alexa’s mother, Naomi.”
Even as I was finishing, Ravyn and Cerrydwen were protesting. “Oh no!” “You can’t let him get near Alexa!”
Both the Frau and Jim had remained silent, the Frau looking unperturbed as she used a dagger-like knife to cut open a giant grapefruit from the ever-full fruit bowl, while Jim sat back stroking his chin in a contemplative manner.
I held up my hands in mock surrender to the previously sparring sisters-in-magick, as I sat back in my chair. “Hey, I didn’t agree to the deal yet! In fact, it’s been almost a week since he proprosed it.”
Ravyn look exasperated. “A whole week! Why didn’t you just reject his deal and be done with him?”
Cerrydwen nodded in agreement to Ravyn’s words. “Indeed, I doubt that Drake would have the discipline to maintain his silence if you rejected his ‘deal.’ You would have seen this by now if you had rejected the proprosal outright.”
I nodded. “My first reaction was to refuse the deal, I even told him that seeing Alexa was the dealbreaker, but he insisted.” I looked over to Ravyn. “I thought better of giving a definitive answer of ‘no’, just in case he wasn’t bluffing. I didn’t want to cut off an avenue to information we might need, just in case.”
Jim dropped his hand from his chin and sat up straight. “Let’s look at each element of this deal and see how feasible it all is. First, he wants you to open up your blog, which has previously been your own personal domain to tell his story to us, and to the world. Are you willing to conside that request?”
I looked from person to person around the table before responding. “I don’t have any real problem with part of the deal, I suppose.”
Jim took the pitcher form the center of the table and poured more Diet Pepsi into his cup, marvelling at the magick of the pitcher, able to pour any liquid the holder desired. “Is there any way to take this thing back home? It would save me a mint!” He put the pitcher down and looked up at me. “Have you considered how ponderous this request might be? This guy has been supposedly been around for five thousand years, and appears to have been involved in many historical periods. That part of the deal alone could take years to complete, and you could very lose the readers of your blog. That is, unless they are particularly interested in Drake’s history, told from his side.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
He nodded. “You need to. If this is something you are going to consider, I recommend that you negotiate on that one a bit, make sure you limit the posts on his life to perhaps once a week.”
“Good idea.”
After he drained his cup, Jim sat back. “Now, item two. He wants you to agree to take up this struggle against Drakaar and his fellow demi-godlike beings since he can’t continue that struggle himself. While on the face of it, this seems like a foregone conclusion, it is still a serious issue. You don’t know how many of these other beings are out there, or what their individual motivations may be. Even if Drake tells you his perspective on these beings, we will need to independently verify his story and come to our own conclusions about whether they are truly the threat to humanity that Drake is stating that they are. He does have a rather spotty record with the truth, as I recall.”
I couldn’t argue that point. “Yes. He finds ways to twist the truth worse than any president ever did. I also had a concern about these other beings, besides Drakaar. I felt what he was like, so I’m pretty confident we’re going to face off against him. But the rest of his brethren? That I don’t know just yet.”
“So, I would recommend that you try to negotiate further on this part of the deal as well. Either limit your agreement to tracking down and facing off against Drakaar and any allies that help him, or ask for names that we can do further independent research on before agreeing fully to this item. That leaves us with the final condition of the deal. The meeting with Alexa.”
The Frau looked up from her half eaten grapefruit at the mention of Alexa’s name. “Well, I don’t think we have all of the interested parties here to discuss this last point.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She looked from Jim to me and then over at Cerrydwen and Ravyn. “Clearly, the only person who really answer this point is Alexa’s mother, Naomi.”
Sunday, August 27, 2006
It was the best of times...
Despite the looming uncertainties about what exactly Draakar was, and what he intended to do with Drake’s body, the first few months after Drake’s defeat were great.
Zenny Al Farhan, Naomi and Alexa all returned with Ravyn to the Phoenix Coop, where both Zenny and Naomi began their first lessons in becoming full-fledged Casters in their own right.
Alexa was quickly adopted by all of the other residents of the co-op and named ‘Princess of the Coop’. She essentially had the run of the place, even Ravyn deferred to the Princess, especially when she flashed that toothless smile of hers.
Ravyn did manage to put both Zenny and Naomi to work in running the Coop itself, allowing her to spend more time instructing and playing with Alexa than she had before. She had also ‘convinced’ the Professor that all of her new students should receive scholarships, sponsored by the ORC, Inc. treasury.
The Professor continued his research and studies, both of the data taken from Bernstein’s computer files, and of the portion of stolen VortiCorp files that we had recovered in Miami when we broke up Drake’s organization.
Cerrydwen and the Frau returned to their secretive ways, although they too made frequent visits to the Coop to check in on the Princess and the rest of the crew there.
Herne and Moira returned to their Colorado home, although they were beginning to make grumbling noises about moving to somewhere more ‘natural.’ Herne kept hinting that Alaska was his choice destination for early retirement. Somehow, the thought of him loose in the primeval forests of Alaska seemed just about right.
I had to return to work, pulling several small, but still significant assignments over the months that all involved travel to some extent. The Bureau was learning to appreciate the value of an agent that didn’t need sleep or food, and who they didn’t have to worry about getting hurt. Some of the cases that I was involved with were interesting enough to write about, but I felt that owed you, my gentle readers the full effort of getting the main story of Drake’s downfall down. I will write about some of these cases as time permits, but I will not let them get in the way of any of the more important stories that I have to tell.
I did find time to return on an almost weekly basis to visit the Coop to check in on Jasmine (my oldest daughter-who was also studying under Ravyn) and Alexa. I also made some time to take Kenny to a few Detroit Tigers baseball games this summer, it was nice to bond with my son while watching the first winning Tigers team in his living memory.
There were two unresolved issues that took some dealing with during the last few months.
The first of these issues, was the new sword that I now had the burden of carrying. Excalibur was a blade of legendary powers, but it had a stubborn streak that was as wide as it’s reputation was large. The blade simply wouldn’t allow me leave it anywhere I chose to, it wanted to be borne as the legendary weapon it knew that it was. The problem with carrying such a weapon around, of course, was that I was already conspicuous enough as a walking corpse. Add three feet of gleaming, sharp steel, and you have one truly noticeable oddity.
The solution to this dilemma was provided by the Merlin. After a couple of weeks of tinkering, he was able to devise a special sheath that actually shifted the blade into the Shadowland, yet still allow me to carry it around. Thus the blade was always handy, in both the Shadow and in the physical world, should I need to to retrieve it.
The second issue would not be so easily resolved. That will be the subject of next couple of posts...
Zenny Al Farhan, Naomi and Alexa all returned with Ravyn to the Phoenix Coop, where both Zenny and Naomi began their first lessons in becoming full-fledged Casters in their own right.
Alexa was quickly adopted by all of the other residents of the co-op and named ‘Princess of the Coop’. She essentially had the run of the place, even Ravyn deferred to the Princess, especially when she flashed that toothless smile of hers.
Ravyn did manage to put both Zenny and Naomi to work in running the Coop itself, allowing her to spend more time instructing and playing with Alexa than she had before. She had also ‘convinced’ the Professor that all of her new students should receive scholarships, sponsored by the ORC, Inc. treasury.
The Professor continued his research and studies, both of the data taken from Bernstein’s computer files, and of the portion of stolen VortiCorp files that we had recovered in Miami when we broke up Drake’s organization.
Cerrydwen and the Frau returned to their secretive ways, although they too made frequent visits to the Coop to check in on the Princess and the rest of the crew there.
Herne and Moira returned to their Colorado home, although they were beginning to make grumbling noises about moving to somewhere more ‘natural.’ Herne kept hinting that Alaska was his choice destination for early retirement. Somehow, the thought of him loose in the primeval forests of Alaska seemed just about right.
I had to return to work, pulling several small, but still significant assignments over the months that all involved travel to some extent. The Bureau was learning to appreciate the value of an agent that didn’t need sleep or food, and who they didn’t have to worry about getting hurt. Some of the cases that I was involved with were interesting enough to write about, but I felt that owed you, my gentle readers the full effort of getting the main story of Drake’s downfall down. I will write about some of these cases as time permits, but I will not let them get in the way of any of the more important stories that I have to tell.
I did find time to return on an almost weekly basis to visit the Coop to check in on Jasmine (my oldest daughter-who was also studying under Ravyn) and Alexa. I also made some time to take Kenny to a few Detroit Tigers baseball games this summer, it was nice to bond with my son while watching the first winning Tigers team in his living memory.
There were two unresolved issues that took some dealing with during the last few months.
The first of these issues, was the new sword that I now had the burden of carrying. Excalibur was a blade of legendary powers, but it had a stubborn streak that was as wide as it’s reputation was large. The blade simply wouldn’t allow me leave it anywhere I chose to, it wanted to be borne as the legendary weapon it knew that it was. The problem with carrying such a weapon around, of course, was that I was already conspicuous enough as a walking corpse. Add three feet of gleaming, sharp steel, and you have one truly noticeable oddity.
The solution to this dilemma was provided by the Merlin. After a couple of weeks of tinkering, he was able to devise a special sheath that actually shifted the blade into the Shadowland, yet still allow me to carry it around. Thus the blade was always handy, in both the Shadow and in the physical world, should I need to to retrieve it.
The second issue would not be so easily resolved. That will be the subject of next couple of posts...
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Wrapping Up...Part 3
The Frau leaned forward, patted Ravyn on the shoulder and spoke up. “Ravyn, my dear, we all know how you feel aabout such things. Don’t you worry none, Jim will return your sample to you. Meanwhile, some of the rest of us are more curious.
“But, beyond that, we’ve got some other things to discuss at the moment.” She looked around at everyone, gaining their attnetion as she did so. “I was there when this Dracaar fellow took over Drake’s body and transformed it in no time flat into the spitting image of a powerful, dynamic man who could easily gain influence over any number of people through his looks and magnetism. This Dracaar was a pwerful warrior and leader in his native time, someone who Drake considered dangerous enough to risk own life to stop from being released. We can’t dismiss the threat this being may pose. He also took the still sealed urn of his consort away with him.”
Cerrydwen stepped forward from the shadows and spoke up as well. “Yes, this Dracaar could be an even tougher foe than Drake, if he, or we, choose to become foes. But first, I think we need to learn more about him and what his intentions are before we declare him a foe. We also have to be careful, we don’t know if this man has acquired any of Drake’s memories, or will have access to any of Drake’s secret network of servants, allies and resources.”
Herne sat forward and pitched in his offer of assistance. “I think I can do a little grunt work here and see about locating this guy. Moira and I don’t mind the opportunity to do a little travelling, now that we won’t be babysitting, and I think I’ve got an idea of how to track this guy. It sounds like he’s not the most subtle of operators, he’ll leave some bright, glowing magickal fingerprints wherever he goes, at least until he realizes that others can track him by those markers. We’ll make regular reports back to Jim here once we find something.”
“That sounds good.” I offerred. “I can also use the resources of the Bureau, put out some feelers within the government to be on watch for this guy. If I get any leads, I’ll let you guys know.”
Naomi, looking a little frustrated and desperate almost whispered. “This is all well and good, everyone. But what about me and Alexa here? I got no one in New Orleans now with Mama gone.”
Ravyn stopped her pacing and knelt down next to Naomi, gave her a gentle hug. “I’ve got a place you can come to, darling. It’ll be perfect for you for as long as you want to stay. There’s plenty of room, lots of help is available for raising Alexa, and you’ll be able to learn to harness your own natural abilities. I can see the potential in you to be great even now!”
Naomi’s spirit seemed to be lifted with the immediate offer of a place to stay. “Thank you.”
“Speaking of that,” I said. “I don’t want Daniel Bernstein to be around Naomi or the baby. Ravyn, he’s still with the students there, isn’t he?”
Ravyn nodded.
“I’ve got some unfinished business with him anyway. I’ll be taking him away and dealing with him.”
Jim looked thoughtful. “What are you going to do with him, Rusty?”
Cerrydwen emerged from her comfortable shadows again. “Rusty and I will be seeing what we can do about having him face the karmic consequences of his own actions in all of this. He has much to account for.”
Jim asked, “Can he be truly be held accountable for actions he has no memory of committing?”
Cerrydwen’s face grew dark. “Oh, I think he’ll have enough memories of the incidents before we finish with him.”
“But, beyond that, we’ve got some other things to discuss at the moment.” She looked around at everyone, gaining their attnetion as she did so. “I was there when this Dracaar fellow took over Drake’s body and transformed it in no time flat into the spitting image of a powerful, dynamic man who could easily gain influence over any number of people through his looks and magnetism. This Dracaar was a pwerful warrior and leader in his native time, someone who Drake considered dangerous enough to risk own life to stop from being released. We can’t dismiss the threat this being may pose. He also took the still sealed urn of his consort away with him.”
Cerrydwen stepped forward from the shadows and spoke up as well. “Yes, this Dracaar could be an even tougher foe than Drake, if he, or we, choose to become foes. But first, I think we need to learn more about him and what his intentions are before we declare him a foe. We also have to be careful, we don’t know if this man has acquired any of Drake’s memories, or will have access to any of Drake’s secret network of servants, allies and resources.”
Herne sat forward and pitched in his offer of assistance. “I think I can do a little grunt work here and see about locating this guy. Moira and I don’t mind the opportunity to do a little travelling, now that we won’t be babysitting, and I think I’ve got an idea of how to track this guy. It sounds like he’s not the most subtle of operators, he’ll leave some bright, glowing magickal fingerprints wherever he goes, at least until he realizes that others can track him by those markers. We’ll make regular reports back to Jim here once we find something.”
“That sounds good.” I offerred. “I can also use the resources of the Bureau, put out some feelers within the government to be on watch for this guy. If I get any leads, I’ll let you guys know.”
Naomi, looking a little frustrated and desperate almost whispered. “This is all well and good, everyone. But what about me and Alexa here? I got no one in New Orleans now with Mama gone.”
Ravyn stopped her pacing and knelt down next to Naomi, gave her a gentle hug. “I’ve got a place you can come to, darling. It’ll be perfect for you for as long as you want to stay. There’s plenty of room, lots of help is available for raising Alexa, and you’ll be able to learn to harness your own natural abilities. I can see the potential in you to be great even now!”
Naomi’s spirit seemed to be lifted with the immediate offer of a place to stay. “Thank you.”
“Speaking of that,” I said. “I don’t want Daniel Bernstein to be around Naomi or the baby. Ravyn, he’s still with the students there, isn’t he?”
Ravyn nodded.
“I’ve got some unfinished business with him anyway. I’ll be taking him away and dealing with him.”
Jim looked thoughtful. “What are you going to do with him, Rusty?”
Cerrydwen emerged from her comfortable shadows again. “Rusty and I will be seeing what we can do about having him face the karmic consequences of his own actions in all of this. He has much to account for.”
Jim asked, “Can he be truly be held accountable for actions he has no memory of committing?”
Cerrydwen’s face grew dark. “Oh, I think he’ll have enough memories of the incidents before we finish with him.”
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