Chapter Nine
7:30pm
Val went straight to Chakira after he fled the compound. She let him in, and he made a beeline for the living room. Chakira came in from shutting the front door, and handed him a glass of water. Without saying anything, she sat down in a chair across from Val. He looked positively sick.
"Are you ok?"
"You know Morgead?"
"Yea. What about him."
"Gabriel and Mandy are Morgead."
"What?!" Chakira exclaimed.
"When Gabriel Kiernan and Mandy Francisco put themselves together, they become Morgead."
Chakira shivered involuntarily. "Weird."
"So what do we do?" Val asked. "Launch a full-scale attack on Morgead and his team, or sit like ducks?"
There was silence in the room. "I know this may seem a little standoffish, but I think I should talk to Morgead before we go marching off to any wars."
"What do you mean?" Val questioned.
"I mean that I think sometimes wars can be prevented if the leaders of the different factions are willing to talk things over first."
"Are you willing to talk to the Prince of Darkness, the Father of Lies himself?"
Chakira shrugged. "If he'll see me."
Sunset, Monday, May 12
Less than a day later, a helicopter with one of Morgead's emissaries in it came to pick Chakira up. Val and Chakira stayed together and talked, before she boarded. She didn't feel like doing anything else. Just to be close to Val, made Chakira feel good. As if there was some unexplainable bond between the two of them.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Val asked, one last time.
"Positive." Chakira replied easily.
"If you think it's for the best."
Just then, the emissary motioned Chakira to come on. Out of the blue, Chakira hugged Val.
"Merry Meet and Merry Part until we Merry Meet again." She said, looking into his endless black eyes.
With those final words, Chakira turned and ran to the waiting helicopter. She looked so young, so innocent, in her gray, black and white camo outfit; her long blond hair flying behind her in two braided pigtails. Chakira got in first, followed by the emissary, who shut the door behind them. The rotors, which never had stopped when helecopter landed, suddenly sped up for takeoff.
Val shaded his eyes as he watched the copter rise into the sunset- painted, New York skyline. There went a brave Witch, into a strange new territory. Once the copter was out of sight, Val turned and left the rooftop.
When Chakira arrived at the compound, Gabriel received her warmly. He seemed to not care who she was, or why she had come to talk to him. They met in the Commune, and exchanged pleasantries. At the time Chakira was seated comfortably, Gabriel walked over to the bar.
"Miss Fairchild...May I call you Sarah? Or would you prefer Sarah- Sinead?"
Sarah turned to look at him, and shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy, Mr. Kiernan."
"Please, call me Gabriel."
"If you wish." She said politely.
"Can I get you something to drink, Sarah?"
"A fuzzy navel wine cooler would be nice, if you have one."
"As a matter of fact, I do." He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "So, what is it that you want to know about our operation?"
While Gabriel brought the drinks over, Sarah asked a few questions. He answered them as best he could (trying not to reveal anything), always remaining polite to her; as if she were a colleague and not an enemy at all. Unbeknownst to Sarah, Gabriel slipped something into her drink. A little thing, really. Easily made by either side of this battle. The love powder soon took effect.
It started as thinly veiled flirting on Sarah's part. Pretending to be intrigued, Gabriel flirted back. It kept going on for a bit. Then, the flirts became more obvious, so Gabriel turned up his flirting as well. Sarah brashly kept flirting, when the heat had been turned up on Gabriel's part, and didn't flinch for a second. The whole event ended as a luscious lip-lock session between the two of them.
Finally, Gabriel broke away. "I get the feeling you like me."
Sarah smiled cheekily. "Maybe I do."
"I think you really like me." Gabriel said, tickling her.
Sarah fell back into his arms, laughing. "I don't like you. I love you!"
This resulted in more kissing. It was like they were made for each other. Nevertheless, they were not. A Witch and a Satanist...Two totally different knots on the counting rope. A strange counting rope, that. Finally, heedless of his master's passionate kissing, a servant started up the CD player in the back of the room.
"Shall we dance?" asked Gabriel, rising from the couch and offering Sarah his hand.
"I think we shall." Sarah replied, accepting the outstretched hand.
The two of them danced for quite a while, heedless of the time and the evening, which was stretched before them. They danced to Enya's A Day Without Rain, Lonestar's Amazed and rounded out the evening with Nena's Let Me Be Your Pirate. When the last song finally ended, Sarah did not want to go...And Gabriel did not want to let her. When a servant bearing a long, black velvet cloak for Sarah came, Gabriel waved him aside.
"Before you go, there's one thing I have to know." Gabriel said in Irish.
Sarah, who had been crossing the room to receive the cloak, turned around. He had addressed her in her native language. The soft tone spoke volumes of what he did not. Sarah returned to the couch were Gabriel sat once more. Her eyes met his, Irish words readied on her tounge for a reply.
"What would that be?" she asked.
"Will you marry me?"
Sarah had thought about it. The potion, actually meant to last longer than it did, had worn off during their dances. Now, the love that suffused her body was pure and genuine. But still, she was unsure. This was a big step. A nasty step, considering it was a Witch marrying a Satanist.
"As much as I love you, you're too old." Sarah's Irish words softly consoled.
"I can fix that. Close your eyes."
Sarah did as she was told, still holding his hands. There was silence in the room, but Sarah couldn't sense any changes. Expect for the fact that Gabriel's hand seemed to have gotten warmer...But she had attributed that to the two of them holding hands.
"Open them." Gabriel said in Gaelic.
Obediently, Sarah opened her eyes. When she saw who was holding her hands, she almost fell off the couch. It wasn't Gabriel. It was far beyond Gabriel, and far beyond what she had ever expected.
A young man now sat next to her, holding her hands. He had short, somewhat curly brown hair, and brown eyes. His soft features were nothing, compared to Gabriel's real features, which were hardened and wrinkled by age. Sarah smiled, somewhat in disbelief.
"That's amazing," she breathed in return Gaelic.
"Whenever someone sees you and I together, this is who they'll see. Even the most devoted and evil-hearted Satanist will not be able to see beyond this. You'll always see me."
Right now, all Sarah could see was Gabriel had changed to. "Wow."
"Will you marry me?" Gabriel repeated again, still speaking Gaelic.
"Yes. I will marry you."
7:30pm
Val went straight to Chakira after he fled the compound. She let him in, and he made a beeline for the living room. Chakira came in from shutting the front door, and handed him a glass of water. Without saying anything, she sat down in a chair across from Val. He looked positively sick.
"Are you ok?"
"You know Morgead?"
"Yea. What about him."
"Gabriel and Mandy are Morgead."
"What?!" Chakira exclaimed.
"When Gabriel Kiernan and Mandy Francisco put themselves together, they become Morgead."
Chakira shivered involuntarily. "Weird."
"So what do we do?" Val asked. "Launch a full-scale attack on Morgead and his team, or sit like ducks?"
There was silence in the room. "I know this may seem a little standoffish, but I think I should talk to Morgead before we go marching off to any wars."
"What do you mean?" Val questioned.
"I mean that I think sometimes wars can be prevented if the leaders of the different factions are willing to talk things over first."
"Are you willing to talk to the Prince of Darkness, the Father of Lies himself?"
Chakira shrugged. "If he'll see me."
Sunset, Monday, May 12
Less than a day later, a helicopter with one of Morgead's emissaries in it came to pick Chakira up. Val and Chakira stayed together and talked, before she boarded. She didn't feel like doing anything else. Just to be close to Val, made Chakira feel good. As if there was some unexplainable bond between the two of them.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Val asked, one last time.
"Positive." Chakira replied easily.
"If you think it's for the best."
Just then, the emissary motioned Chakira to come on. Out of the blue, Chakira hugged Val.
"Merry Meet and Merry Part until we Merry Meet again." She said, looking into his endless black eyes.
With those final words, Chakira turned and ran to the waiting helicopter. She looked so young, so innocent, in her gray, black and white camo outfit; her long blond hair flying behind her in two braided pigtails. Chakira got in first, followed by the emissary, who shut the door behind them. The rotors, which never had stopped when helecopter landed, suddenly sped up for takeoff.
Val shaded his eyes as he watched the copter rise into the sunset- painted, New York skyline. There went a brave Witch, into a strange new territory. Once the copter was out of sight, Val turned and left the rooftop.
When Chakira arrived at the compound, Gabriel received her warmly. He seemed to not care who she was, or why she had come to talk to him. They met in the Commune, and exchanged pleasantries. At the time Chakira was seated comfortably, Gabriel walked over to the bar.
"Miss Fairchild...May I call you Sarah? Or would you prefer Sarah- Sinead?"
Sarah turned to look at him, and shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy, Mr. Kiernan."
"Please, call me Gabriel."
"If you wish." She said politely.
"Can I get you something to drink, Sarah?"
"A fuzzy navel wine cooler would be nice, if you have one."
"As a matter of fact, I do." He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "So, what is it that you want to know about our operation?"
While Gabriel brought the drinks over, Sarah asked a few questions. He answered them as best he could (trying not to reveal anything), always remaining polite to her; as if she were a colleague and not an enemy at all. Unbeknownst to Sarah, Gabriel slipped something into her drink. A little thing, really. Easily made by either side of this battle. The love powder soon took effect.
It started as thinly veiled flirting on Sarah's part. Pretending to be intrigued, Gabriel flirted back. It kept going on for a bit. Then, the flirts became more obvious, so Gabriel turned up his flirting as well. Sarah brashly kept flirting, when the heat had been turned up on Gabriel's part, and didn't flinch for a second. The whole event ended as a luscious lip-lock session between the two of them.
Finally, Gabriel broke away. "I get the feeling you like me."
Sarah smiled cheekily. "Maybe I do."
"I think you really like me." Gabriel said, tickling her.
Sarah fell back into his arms, laughing. "I don't like you. I love you!"
This resulted in more kissing. It was like they were made for each other. Nevertheless, they were not. A Witch and a Satanist...Two totally different knots on the counting rope. A strange counting rope, that. Finally, heedless of his master's passionate kissing, a servant started up the CD player in the back of the room.
"Shall we dance?" asked Gabriel, rising from the couch and offering Sarah his hand.
"I think we shall." Sarah replied, accepting the outstretched hand.
The two of them danced for quite a while, heedless of the time and the evening, which was stretched before them. They danced to Enya's A Day Without Rain, Lonestar's Amazed and rounded out the evening with Nena's Let Me Be Your Pirate. When the last song finally ended, Sarah did not want to go...And Gabriel did not want to let her. When a servant bearing a long, black velvet cloak for Sarah came, Gabriel waved him aside.
"Before you go, there's one thing I have to know." Gabriel said in Irish.
Sarah, who had been crossing the room to receive the cloak, turned around. He had addressed her in her native language. The soft tone spoke volumes of what he did not. Sarah returned to the couch were Gabriel sat once more. Her eyes met his, Irish words readied on her tounge for a reply.
"What would that be?" she asked.
"Will you marry me?"
Sarah had thought about it. The potion, actually meant to last longer than it did, had worn off during their dances. Now, the love that suffused her body was pure and genuine. But still, she was unsure. This was a big step. A nasty step, considering it was a Witch marrying a Satanist.
"As much as I love you, you're too old." Sarah's Irish words softly consoled.
"I can fix that. Close your eyes."
Sarah did as she was told, still holding his hands. There was silence in the room, but Sarah couldn't sense any changes. Expect for the fact that Gabriel's hand seemed to have gotten warmer...But she had attributed that to the two of them holding hands.
"Open them." Gabriel said in Gaelic.
Obediently, Sarah opened her eyes. When she saw who was holding her hands, she almost fell off the couch. It wasn't Gabriel. It was far beyond Gabriel, and far beyond what she had ever expected.
A young man now sat next to her, holding her hands. He had short, somewhat curly brown hair, and brown eyes. His soft features were nothing, compared to Gabriel's real features, which were hardened and wrinkled by age. Sarah smiled, somewhat in disbelief.
"That's amazing," she breathed in return Gaelic.
"Whenever someone sees you and I together, this is who they'll see. Even the most devoted and evil-hearted Satanist will not be able to see beyond this. You'll always see me."
Right now, all Sarah could see was Gabriel had changed to. "Wow."
"Will you marry me?" Gabriel repeated again, still speaking Gaelic.
"Yes. I will marry you."