THE QUESTERS, PART XXIV
As we knelt by the shore, Venom flowed out of my body and entered the brass and crystal cylinder that the Spider Temple uses to contain him. The Legionnaire who brought the cylinder to me was both a soldier and an acolyte of the First Spider. My aunt Gwen had sent her. I was grateful for her foresight since Venom and I were by then well sick of each other.
The last thing Venom mind-spoke to me was, *Let'sss not dooo thisss again. Evvver.*
*Agreed,* I said in return.
And then I was back to being myself again. Not 'we'. Not a confusing mix that was sometimes me, sometimes Venom, or sometimes something in between.
The Legionnaire bowed respectfully to me. Then, without words, she turned and left, the cylinder containing Venom was tucked into a shoulder pouch.
I wondered for a moment what she thought of me.
Nothing good, I suppose.
I'll say this for Venom: I was a wreck when the battle against Dracula finally ended. A fractured skull, concussion, internal bleeding, and a broken arm and jaw were among the list of injuries. Venom regenerated me back from the brink before he left our joining. I hurt like hell and was having trouble doing anything, but a Spider-Legion medic had looked me over and announced that I would probably survive and maybe wouldn't even be crippled for life. It was a rough kind of optimism, but by then I was willing to take whatever I could get.
Then Illyana arrived in one of her white teleportation circles with the Darkhold in her hands. She was accompanied by Sigmund and Blaze. After grimly nodding at us, she and her companions vanished inland. There was a final spell to be cast.
Blaze, however, did have something to say before he left.
"The king is dead. Long live the queen," he told Rahne. There was a sardonic expression on what passed for his face. Rahne didn't reply. I didn't know what that was about and really didn't feel like asking.
By then, the island was eerily peaceful. As near as we could tell, Dracula's servants - Hand and Vampire alike - had been destroyed. However, dozens of Spider-Warriors still roamed the island, warily searching for prey.
A few dozen slaves were sitting or laying together in a tight and frightened circle. Some were blank-faced, some were in tears, and some were barely conscious - having been almost drained-dry by their masters. A pair of Spider-Legion aid-givers were trying to help the most endangered prisoners, but there is only so much that even magic can do when the problem is catastrophic blood loss.
The idea that they were actually saved was apparently too much for many of the prisoners. Legionnaires had offered water and rations to the former-slaves but only a few of them were eating.
I remembered what Cali told me about being a prisoner on the mast-less ship and I wondered how many of the ex-prisoners really wanted to live.
Not far from where I knelt, Ed the Lockjaw was dozing on a patch of warm sand as he sniffed and snuffled his way through a restless dream. Every now and then his huge paws twitched as he whined. Given what we had just gone through, a nightmare seemed warranted.
Alexander sat down next to me and we silently shared his canteen. From where we sat, we could see the bodies of Beck, Smit, and Rose. They were wrapped in cloaks and there were at least twenty dead Spider-Legionnaires laid out along the shore with them. Every now and then a wave stronger than most would lap at them, causing their feet to drift slightly. Rahne was saying words - shifting from faith to faith - that were intended to help the dead on their journey to whatever lay beyond. The Spider warrior-acolyte who was carrying Venom joined Rahne and they began working together.
The thought occurred to me that just this morning, those Legionnaires didn't have a clue that they would be ordered to change the world... and would then pay the ultimate price for it.
I touched my amulet and said a prayer that had nothing to do with my great-grandfather. How long had it been since I'd last done that?
So this was a great victory but nobody was celebrating. But as I looked at all those bodies I had more regrets than I could voice. Yes, Dracula was an evil that needed to be destroyed. And, yes, there was no way that such a fight could be won without cost.
And yet...
"Do you feel it?" Alexander asked after a while.
I knew what he was talking about.
"There's something missing," I told him. "Something that's always been with us - in the background of our world. And now it's gone."
Alexander nodded. "It's sorta like if someone has been in pain for a long time. And then one day the pain is just gone and that feels funny."
That wasn't exactly an artful description, but then Alexander wasn't a Blood of words. I nodded in agreement.
After a few minutes, Lockheed finally dug himself out of what was left of a smoke-spewing tunnel and staggered over to us. He was in his smaller form and looked exhausted. Dropping next to Ed, he draped one of his wings over the Lockjaw. Ed didn't even stir as Lockheed began snoring.
"Rahne asked me if I would help her do grave-sex for Smit," Alexander announced suddenly. He seemed surprised by his own words.
I glanced at Alexander. He was expressionless as he stared out at the sea.
"Well?" I asked.
Then he looked back at me. Our eyes met. "I said yes," Alex replied.
"Are you surprised?" he then asked me.
I shook my head. "No. Smit fought with us. He helped kill Dracula. My brother, that sort of thing has meaning. Actually, I can't imagine you doing anything else."
A smile appeared on Alex's face. Then it vanished. "Some old-fashioned religious traditionalist I turned out to be! How will I explain this to my wife? And when I finally pass-on and face the Old One, what will he say to me?"
I chuckled. "I think Sooraya will understand. And I imagine the Old One will offer you a drink."
Faye was sitting next to Rose's corpse. She frowned suddenly, reached into the surf, and then pulled out a bottle. After examining it, she pulled loose the stopper, sniffed curiously, and then took a sip. That drink turned into a long pull. Afterward, Faye dribbled a few drops from the bottle onto Rose's pale lips and then leaned over and kissed her friend goodbye.
After that, Faye got to her feet and walked over to Alex and I. Holding the bottle out to us, she said, "Hey, you won't believe this, but..."
"We saw," I said as I took the bottle from Faye. Then I took a drink. It was an unsophisticated whiskey. Maybe a little harsh for my taste, but it warmed a coldness that was inside of me.
Faye went back to Rose.
I handed the bottle to Alex. He examined it quizzically for a moment, brushing some wet sand from the bottle's body. Then he also took a drink.
"Is this a sign?" Alex asked once he was done. He was back to looking at the bottle in his hands.
I shook my head. "I won't comment about such a thing with a Seeker standing just a few yards from us. But off-hand I think you're in the clear with the Old One."
Alex let out a grunt of acknowledgment. Then he put the bottle to his lips, tilted it up, and finished it.
Rahne tried to hold back tears as she watched the dead leave the island. Smit and Beck were hand-in-hand. Rose waved solemnly before she vanished. The anonymous victims of the vampires were silent and serious as they faded away.
"Milady?" the Spider-acolyte asked hesitantly. She was granting Rahne a title that Rahne didn't think was accurate.
Rahne glanced at the Spider. "My father once told me that the most important part of a quest was having the courage to start."
The Spider was obviously surprised. "It goes like this - 'To begin is the most important part of any quest and by far the most courageous.' An ancient Folk philosopher said that. His name was 'Plato' or 'Pluto', I think."
Rahne nodded and continued slowly. "Most of my questors didn't really know what they were getting into. I took them into a firestorm."
The Spider shook her head. "How many of them walked away when they realized where they were going?"
Rahne sighed. "None."
"I think that answers any doubts you might have, milady," the Spider added softly.
"Mistress?" a courtier said to the Queen. He could tell that something was bothering his mistress.
In the underground of the ancient, ruined, city of Shigo, the vampire who reigned as the Queen of the Vampires glanced at the courtier who'd spoken to her.
"What do you want?" she asked the courtier. The Queen looked distracted... and perhaps haunted.
The courtier hesitated before speaking. "Is something bothering you, Mistress?"
The Queen smiled. "The world's changing, Jason. Can't you feel it?"
The courtier considered the Queen's words, then shook his head. "No, mistress. Can I do anything to help?"
The Queen sighed. "No, Jason. Tell you what... go ahead and leave. I'll be fine. And... and thanks for your loyalty."
Obviously taken aback, Jason bowed and left the surprisingly small throne-room. The Queen shook her head as she watched him leave. As a rule, she didn't like her subjects, but Jason was something of an exception. It was a shame that his end was near.
Then the Queen closed her eyes. She could sense what was coming. Long ago, Illyana had made a promise to the Queen, and now it looked like she was delivering on it.
About time.
"Hey, kiddo," a familiar voice spoke up suddenly.
The Queen opened her eyes in surprise. She knew that voice...
There was an elderly but fit-looking Blood ranger standing in the middle of the room. It should have been impossible for an outsider to get that close. And the Queen definitely should have sensed his presence before he spoke.
"You?" the Queen gasped, her voice suddenly choked with emotion.
The old man slowly nodded his head. "It's good to see you again."
"How the hell..." the Queen asked.
"It turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks. But it's time to go, sweetie. You're finally gonna be free."
Wrapping a yellow cloak around her shoulders, the Queen got to her feet. She wasn't really frightened, but...
But even a vampire fears the final dark.
"Will you stay with me?" the Queen asked. She hoped she didn't sound frightened.
"Damn straight, pumpkin," the old man answered with the 'of course' smile that the Queen remembered so well. Then he held out a hand. The Queen took it in her own.
"What's it like outside?" the Queen asked after giving her friend's hand a squeeze.
"It's a bright and beautiful day," Logan replied. His smile had faded a bit.
But Jubilation just grinned and said, "Then let's go for a walk."
Together, hand-in-hand, they walked out into the sunlight.
Final Note
I'd like to apologize to my (surprisingly) loyal band of readers for the long gap before I finally finished the last three chapters of "The Questors". There are several reasons why that happened, but as the Army saying goes: "The maximum effective range of an excuse is zero." But if you want a little more in terms of explanation, you can put it down to work issues and writer's block.
In any case, if you stuck with me, I appreciate your patience. Thanks, and since so many of you are writers, I hope to hell you never find yourself in an equivalent situation.
Take care,
Alcimines
