Brother Mine...Part 3

“What the…?” Before I could complete that question I felt a surge of dark energy fueled by long-repressed rage and an aching hunger that threw me off balance. His offer triggered an unexpected resurgence from the residual consciousness of Ma Grendel and many of her less savory victims.

“Yeeessss…You are beginning to remember who and what you are, Master.” The creature leaned forward, bringing its cloaked head closer to loom over me, its own red eyes burning bright.

My vision blurred as I tried to regain my balance and strike at this thing with Excalibur. The sword became heavy and unwieldy though, straining my ability to keep it aloft, even with both hands grasping the hilt. Either the burden became too heavy, or the control over my hands became too weak, but the blade fell to the floor with a loud clang, dull and lifeless, no longer the glowing blade of vibrant energy that it had been not five minutes before.

“Take full control, Master. You are far too great to be ruled over by the weak spirit of a mere human. Rise up, restore yourself to your full glory!”

The creature inched ever closer as it wove the spell that seemed to be weakening my command over the darkness within my own body. I fell back against the still open door, trying every trick of Will that I had learned over the last year to regain even a modicum of control over the roiling forces of darkness and chaos that were striving with each other to take over my body.

Residual bits of Ma Grendel’s consciousness that I had sequestered far apart from each other began to coalesce back into a larger, more powerful and more willful entity as yet other remnants of other creatures began to reform themselves in order to strive for control over the newly available prize of my body.

I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the growing flames at the center of the Bane’s shadow enshrouded face, but no matter how bright those eyes became, nothing else of his face became visible.

I just barely noticed the thumping impact of my rear end hitting the ground. I had lost almost all control over the body that I was in.

The internal battle inside was now almost over, I felt Ma Grendel’s presence growing as she reabsorbed her many victims and took their power for herself. While still a mere shadow of what she had been when I had first battled her, I could tell that enough of her consciousness and her powers remained that she felt reborn, that she could regain all that was lost to her if she could only gain control over this body and sit on that foul throne.

Realizing that I could not now win against both the Bane and Ma Grendel’s resurgent shadow, I abandoned the fight over my body except for two areas. I focused instead on bringing my left hand up towards my chest. Slowly, in fits and starts, I was able to reach up and grab hold of the ring that dangled from the chain at my neck. Using the last ounce of strength I possessed, I did something I could never have before imagined doing.

“Drake,” I whispered, “I release you. Please help.”

I felt a cold, distant laugh. His voice was harsh. “So, Bones, you can’t handle a Bane? Why am I not surprised?”

I could only respond Spiritually, I no longer had control over any aspect of my body. “Drake, I can’t fight them both! I can’t let her loose again, not with this Bane helping her!”

His Spirit poured forth from the ring, overwhelming what little consciousness I still maintained as I felt myself being pushed into the ring he had just vacated.

“Now, my boy, you will experience what it is to feel completely helpless while someone else does what you are no longer capable of doing.”

Everything became dark and silent.

***

Oh, that was so painful. Bones has such a sappy writing style. Please don’t expect me to adapt to his style, I would rather present things in a more factual format. I don’t ‘feel’ things the way that poor sap did, so deal with it.

I must say though, I am very much enjoying this body of his. If he only realized how powerful he truly was, I would never have been given this opportunity to experience it.

So, you are probably wondering what happened on that ship?

Well, I will provide some details as to that soon. But I have a few more errands to run before I enlighten you folks. I have a few debts to repay.