Chapter 52
*I nearly forgot: 1 Otherworld day = 1 Earth week
They'd decided to place Blair in the cell they'd put Bo in when she'd gone crazy on Kitsune Kenzi. It had been a week since the incident and the tough brunette had been in and out of consciousness countless times. The wolf's bane had helped to calm the transformation but not enough to stop its progression.
"I hope she doesn't kick our arses when she gets better." Kieran frowned in worry as he saw the woman he'd come to love as a sister so long ago warring with her own DNA.
Donovan let a soft chuckle escape him, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. He was glad someone was being a little more optimistic about the situation. He hadn't seen his wife for days and Trick had been running Kieran and him into the ground, sending them to every inhabited or uninhabited parts of the world and then some looking for ingredients to save his granddaughter.
"How's she doing?" Tamsin's voice came from the cellar's doorway. She look significantly better than she did before, but the Incubi noticed the new bruises and scrapes, as well as a small pack that looked fuller than it did before she'd left on her own journey to help the brunette. Seems like the Valkyrie may have brought back something useful.
"Same." Was Kieran's standard answer as he took a seat at the small table. "Find anything useful?"
"You bet your sweet Scottish ass I did." Tamsin's face broke out into a cocky smile. She walked to the table and started taking out the contents of her pack. "I had Kenzi call the SuccuSquad and Trick. They should be here soon."
"What the hell's this?" Kieran picked up a slim vial filled with a semi-flourescent, cloudy liquid. It was quickly, but carefully snatched from the curious brunette by a glaring Tamsin.
"Don't touch any of this shit. Especially this." She placed the vial down gently on the table in a place where it would not roll off. "I didn't get almost eaten to get that for your sex-addled self to break."
"Ye coulda said 'don't touch' before settin' them out in front of us?"
"Have you no impulsive control? Never mind. Forgot I was talking to a dick with legs."
"Hey!" Both men glared indignantly at the unaffected blonde.
"Get over yourselves. There's not much that separates you from frat boys."
"Whatever." Donovan gritted out, done with being insulted and wanting to get down to business. "Why is that particular item valuable to Blair?"
"Ever heard of a big, nasty snake called Jormungand?" Tamsin cocked a perfect brow.
"The Midgard Serpent of your people's legends." Donovan stated.
"Well, I paid a trip to the old Asgard homestead and, well, let's say Jormie's sleeping it off right now. Bonus – it's one of the main ingredients for the poison. Or so that Huldra told me before I ended her. Also," Tamsin picked up a tuft of black fur from the small pile of items, "she had this on her. I believe this is what they used to put a twist on that rather nasty cocktail running through Blair's system. Any Norse Fae worth their weight in gold knows Freyja has her paws in the arcane. A Huldra can walk in Jormungand's territory without him getting all fangy, and into many other nasty UnderFae territories. And there's something else." Tamsin paused when she saw the others entering the room.
"What?" Trick rushed over, wanting to know what Tamsin had been talking to the boys about and why there was a plethora of odd items on his poker table. He'd been chin deep in his books and scrolls for days now and Kenzi's unwarranted yelling for him to come out of the shire finally shook him from the tome tomb he'd buried himself in.
"The Huldra told me Freyja contacted her on the Morrigan's behalf." Tamsin finished. She briefly thought it was a bad idea to say that much about what she'd learned, but they'd just accuse her of being with the enemy. Again. Tamsin thought she already had enough of getting her ass whooped for a few centuries.
"Did she say anything else? Anything about the antidote?" Trick asked. Tamsin handed him the vial of Jormungand's venom and the tuft of fur. Trick had initially just sent the Valkyrie off to find the Huldra when she remembered more of what Freyja had discussed. He hadn't expected to find her back this soon. Hoorah for small miracles.
"This tuft of fur is the secret ingredient. She wouldn't tell me what Fae it was from, but I'm suggesting it's whatever she's half of." Tamsin said as she pointed a thumb to the sleeping brunette in the cage and watched the small old man examine the fur.
"There's not much here to work with, so we'll have to be very careful in how much we use. We might have to use different methods to find the right balance for the antidote." Trick turned back to the others. "We've got most of the ingredients here. Do you think you could go with Moira and Lorna to find the rest? They should be back within the hour."
Tamsin gave a big sigh and rolled her eyes but nodded. "What the hell. All that fresh air seems to be doing me some good." The Valkyrie grabbed her now empty pack. "Let's get this over with and get Le Femme Furry back to her non-canid self."
* LOST * GIRL *
"Well, shit." Evony huffed as she got a text from one of her guards telling her that the Huldra she'd hired to create the potion was found dead in her hut. So much for getting those other potions going for the remaining Sisters Succubi.
"A problem?" Freyja asked as she walked beside the brunette, already having taken care of the reborn Valkyrie from earlier.
"One of those bitches sent someone to take out that Huldra." Evony threw her phone into her purse with a pout.
"Not many can walk within their territory and make it out sane, let alone alive." Freyja had a sneaking suspicion a certain Valkyrie had something to do with the current events. "I will speak with Angus about it as soon as we arrive."
"See that you do." Their driver announced that they were arriving at the meeting place. "Any word from Wino?" Evony asked, referring to Dionysus.
"Yes. To say he's pissed would be an understatement. Apparently, he hadn't wanted his Maenads killed in our little trap. He says he wants compensation." Freyja rolled her eyes, long ago tired of the constant bitching of the drunkard Fae.
"I'll have my guards find him suitable replacements." A muffled voice sounded from the now stopped car. Evony smiled as her window slid down to reveal a more modern-dressed Angus Og. He was wearing a stylish forest green suite with his hair neatly slicked back and shining in the streetlights.
Angus smiled at the two women and opened their doors for them, extending a gloved hand to the Morrigan and then Freyja as he helped them out of the vehicle.
"So you've managed to cripple her second-in-command, I see. Very well done, ladies." Angus complimented as the three walked to an old abandoned warehouse just off the road where their ride began pulling away, a gateway into the Otherworld residing inside. He pulled the door open and allowed them to walk through, instantly transporting them to just outside his great hall doors.
"Our other guest of honor will arrive shortly." He said as he swung the doors open to the sounds of music and boisterous talking as the other guests mingled.
* LOST * GIRL *
The feeling of the old pair of hand-stitched leather pants and crimson twill bodice brought some emotional oddness to Brynna as she peered at her reflection in the polished oval of silver. She had to look away from herself, realizing her father had exacted another cut to her psyche. She looked like she had in the days when she ruled over the Dark Fae as the Morrigan.
She'd thought she'd buried most of that version of herself decades ago...
Apparently, not.
Still feeling uneasy about her own reflection, she was grateful when Abheill knocked and then peered into the room, asking if she could be of assistance. Brynna asked of she could tie up her laces in the back, as her ribs and shoulders still pained her. The impromptu feeding had given her a good portion of her strength back, but still left her weak. It was how her father had controlled her for so many years as he groomed her to be a 'true leader' of their people.
Once Abheill had her laced up, they headed to the main room. Bran was leaning against banister of the staircase, drink in hand and chatting up a brunette, but Brynna couldn't see her face.
Bran noticed them and smiled smugly. "Ah, red is such a lovely color on you. Really brings out your bloodthirstiness when you slaughtered my best generals." he allowed his smile to grow as he saw his sister's glare at the comment.
Before Brynna could say something back, the brunette her brother had been speaking to turned to look at her.
"Well, if it isn't the guest of honor." Evony smiled as if she were seeing an old friend; she was smiling at the enraged look on the blonde's face.
Brynna tried to lunge forward to attack the Morrigan, only to have the two giants grab her and hold her back.
"Calm yourself." Angus appeared with Freyja and Dionysus at his sides, all dressed for the party. Dionysus, being a Fae of excess, had on a burgundy suit with a green smoking jacket. Gold rings with jewels encrusted in them were on nearly every finger on his hands. He also looked like he was already three sheets to the wind if the saucy smile on his face told anything. Freyja was dressed in an elegant evening gown the color of glaciers with Brisinga Men, her most valuable possession, hanging from her neck to nestle in her cleavage. Her hair flowed like liquid gold down to her lower back. She looked a far cry from the rough biker chick persona she usually put on display. She almost looked as she did back in the days of the Viking raiders.
"Oh sure. Yeah, I'll get right on that." Brynna rolled her eyes, her shoulders aching because of the stupid giants pulling them back unnecessarily.
"Now, Brynna, I think maybe an early gift would help you settle." Evony smiled as she came toward the blonde, warily avoiding her legs. In her hand was a small, rectangular box of black satin with a ribbon the color of crimson tying it together.
"You give no gifts, Evony. Ever. Only insanity and pain." Brynna growled, trying to push herself as far away as she could from the leannan-sidhe.
"Bingo!" Evony untied the ribbon and opened the box, revealing a necklace of small stones, all had some kind of runic writing on it. Whatever it was gave off an aura of something Brynna didn't want to mess with, let alone wear.
"The hell's that?" she asked, staring at the malignant piece of jewelry.
"A special present from Hel. Much like a Koushang, it keeps you from feeding, but it has a few extra features I'd like you experience firsthand." Evony held it carefully, making sure she didn't touch the stones hanging heavy in the middle of the leather thong.
"No!" Brynna tried fighting out of the giants' grasps but she was still too weak.
"Hold the bitch still!" Evony was being too impatient for her revenge.
"I'd watch what you say to my daughter, Marquise." Angus Og stepped forward, glowering and staring her down until she reigned herself in. She took a few breaths before finally being able to secure the necklace.
Pain like molten lava rushed through her body, devouring her nerves in agony. Brynna could only gasp loudly before screaming. The giants were now the only things keeping her upright. Her legs felt like they were being shot full of lightning bolts.
"What is this?!" Brynna gritted out through the pain. Her stomach was beginning to feel the effects from the immense pain, flipping around like a fish out of water. It felt like she was burning from the inside out.
"Think of it as a Fae shock collar." Evony said before taking out a small, key-chain sized object and pressed a button. The pain stopped immediate and Brynna almost felt like weeping from the relief, but hell if she was going to let Evony enjoy that. "I've given it a more modern upgrade."
"The string is made of the hair of the tortured of Niflheim and the runes were carved with a tooth from my brother, Fenrir." Hel appeared from out of nowhere, dressed in a full length black mourning dress with a dark veil to hide her face.
"You've cursed me." Brynna fought to say the words, now completely drained. Her vision began to dim before finally she slipped into unconsciousness, the giants dragging her back to her room.
* LOST * GIRL *
"Can you please tell her to settle down in there? She's been moving that blanket around for hours!" Kenzi was exasperated to say the least at Blair's earliest behaviors. She'd whined in the cage, the poison progressing her development to the point human speech wasn't possible.
And now she was turning circles and moving around a thick comforter on a mattress that she now slept on out int the living room. The sound of the springs of the mattress were starting to get the small Russian woman.
"She'll be done when she finds her spot." Dyson said, sitting in an old chair, keeping Kenzi company and also being the only one who could translate Blair even a little bit.
"C'mon! You're a Fae Caesar Milan! Tell her to quit!" Kenzi's loudness caught Blair's attention, her tufted half-human ears twitched at her angry tone. She hobbled over to Kenzi much like an ape and tugged on her sleeve, whining to get her attention.
"She wants to know why we're yelling?" Dyson ignored Kenzi and stretched his hand out to Blair. She sniffed it before sitting beside Dyson, looking at him. He made a few yips and barks and Blair cocked her hand before responding to whatever he had told her.
"Because I think that mattress by now has seen more movement than Bo's and I can't take it." Kenzi crossed her arms and Blair picked up on the body language. She still confused Kenzi for Carmin still, and no one could quite tell if Blair responded to Kenzi or to who she though Kenzi was.
The werewolf woman walked over to her makeshift bed and pulled the cover from the mattress, moving toward the fireplace and plopping the comforter down. She stretched out on it and began napping as soon as her head went down.
Kenzi mouthed a silent thank you before Dyson and herself heard a small explosion. An acrid smell began wafting through the room coming from Trick's lair, and the duo went to see of the old Fae was alright and hadn't accidentally blown himself up.
"Ugh! That smells as bad as a high-school locker room." Kenzi pinched her nose and fanned away the offending odor.
"How do you think it smells to me?" Dyson muffled through his vest and shirt.
As the smoke began to clear, Trick was smiling and holding a vial, his eyes showing his tiredness. "At least this time the smell is worth it. I believe I've finally found the Goldilocks ratio." He'd tried as many different combinations and mixtures. This potion was the last chance they had of getting Blair back to normal. Trick had the others try to search for any of Blair's father's pack, sense his species tended to keep everything in the family and thus be a match for Blair if they'd run out. No such luck; Tamsin had found the small pack slaughtered and skinned. Trick had to believe this would cure her.
* LOST * GIRL *
When in the beginning of a guerrilla attack, it was never good to hear the words 'we've got a problem.' Bo realized this when Shona showed up by her side and spoke those same words.
"What's the problem?" Bo whispered as she kept her eyes on the guards at the bottom, waiting for the call to attack and slip into the fortress. She had the cloak around her shoulders, ready to pull its hood over her head, become invisible, and get her sisters out of that place.
"We're gonna have to speed this up, exponentially. I've already informed Cian and Caoimhe that we may be moving early." An odd tone enter the druidess' voice, and when Bo turned to look at her, she could barely hold in the shocked gasp.
Around Shona's neck was the beginning of a red band, like someone had placed a red-hot collar to her throat. It was blistered slightly and as they spoke Bo could see it slowly spreading.
"What is up with your neck?"
"It began not long after Lauren and I set up the last explosives. She can't find a logical reason for it, but she definitely knows it is a burn. And a magical one at that." Shona flinched as the burn began to grow, encompassing the whole front part of her throat now.
"Is it connected to Brynna? You two got that kinda connection going on."
"Yes." Shona paused. "I thought I heard her screaming just before this appeared. I think Angus has done something to her. I can't feel her aura like I always do. I believe he might already know we're here."
"Then we're Ramboing this thing. Can you signal Lauren to begin the explosions?"
"All I got to do is whistle."
"Then let's get medieval on some Fae asses."
