Part 29 ^_^
There was an unearthly scream of pain and loss. Kurt hadn't heard the
like since Stefan fell. The light blinded and burned, then faded into
nothing.
His hands, still scrambling at the bathroom door's lock, finally
managed to open it.
"*Kurt*!" Amanda was with him. "Are you all right?"
Belatedly, he realised he could still move. Jimaine's spell had
misfired. "Ja. I don't know how, though."
Jimaine made another ugly noise.
Helpless to stop himself, Kurt looked.
To all intents and purposes, Jimaine looked like she was having a fit.
Only the occasional spark gave away the fact that that her spasms were
of mystical origin. It looked supremely uncomfortable.
"What *happened*?" he asked.
Amanda was looking at the mirrors. "She bound the darkest soul she
could see. And she could see herself..."
Kurt took off his overshirt and placed it under her head. "Just try to
relax, you can't fight it."
Jimaine came out with some sounds that could have been curses. Her
limbs still flailed about, jewellery chiming madly against the tiles.
Spittle frothed in her mouth.
Kurt carefully undid the top two buttons of her shirt and removed her
necklaces. "Shhh..." he soothed. "It's going to be all right, now. Try
to relax. I'll find help for you."
Amanda was looking completely croggled. "What? After all she did to
you? To *us*. Why?"
"I have to," said Kurt. "She's the sister of my brother."
"Ah," she nodded. "A Kurt thing."
More nearly-curses and thrashing. Her feet drummed at the floor like a
walking doll with an error. Her arms twisted and gyrated against an
invisible enemy.
The more Kurt soothed her, the worse she got.
"Ach... I think I'm making her mad. Liebe? Could you sit with her? I
need to find someone who can help."
They swapped positions and Kurt headed out, wondering who he could
consult. He didn't get far.
There was a familiar figure almost at the door. She was tall, well-
preserved to such an extent that she was ageless, and completely blind.
She wore the more subtle clothes of her trade, and kept a riot of
auburn hair in check with a simple bandana.
Kurt stopped in his tracks. "Margali," he whispered, then switched to
formal Rom. "[Mistress Sorceress, I did not harm your daughter. She fell
ill by her own hand. She needs you.]"
"I know, Kurti. That's why I came." As she passed by, she gently
siezed his arm. "Come. You must witness."
Kurt followed like a boy who'd been caught in an orchard.
Amanda looked up and swore she felt her heart stop. Now *this* was a
figure to inspire fear, and she had 'Mom' writ large all over her. "I've
been trying to calm her down," she said, getting her credentials
established in the first breath. "But the more I try to help her, the
more she fights and--"
"Enough. Margali sees all," said Margali. She left Kurt where he was
and, without any aid at all, strode to her daughter's side. "So,
wayward student. It is not enough that you learn the Way at the proper
pace, but you must also seek to leap ahead, to gain power at others'
expense. You poisoned your brother, who was together with you since your
heart began to beat. You corrupted an innocent soul with your misdeed.
You bound the unwilling to a promise you planned to break. You falsely
wear the Signs of a Graduate, when your tutoring is undone. You ensnared
the unwitting in a forbidden spell. You engendered lust where love would
have sufficed. And you sought to destroy a soul who had done no harm.
All for a step ahead in the Way."
_Woo._ Thought Amanda. Kurt had crossed the distance between them and
sat by her side. She was never gladder for his hand on hers.
"Tell me, daughter," said Margali. "Did you honestly think that I
wouldn't See your lies? That I would merely *let* you murder me? Or that
this plan, hatched in a madman's dying words - would *work*?"
Jimaine was frozen, staring in fear at her mother.
"I give you leave to speak, and tell the truth."
"Stefan was never wrong," said Jimaine. "He said Kurt was a demon. He
knew. He saw demons, and they were always evil people."
"Am I evil, daughter?"
"You held me *back*. You forced me to stay behind when I needed to run
ahead! Of *course* you're evil! Double-cursed maggot-bred bi--"
Margali waved a hand, and no more sense came from Jimaine's mouth. "I
see," she said. "When I met your father, even though I loved him, I knew
he would spawn a great threat to the world. I thought that suppressing
your demon half would help."
"Demon half?" whispered Amanda.
"Shh," said Kurt.
"I thought, when Stefan began to go mad, that he would be the one.
Then I had a vision. You used me as a bridge, trampled over me, to walk
ahead on the Way. And wherever you tread, you left a wake of
destruction. If I let you gain the power you sought, you would be the
end of the world. I also Saw that you would not learn - until your own
power struck you down." Margali soothed her daughter's hair. "I could
not, in all conscience, let that happen. I Saw, and still don't
understand, that your brother would help in your undoing... even though
he's dead."
"...demon," managed Jimaine. "You?"
"That is what my kind are called. There are very few of us left, for
obvious reasons... but I and my few kindred are no more evil than any
other child of God. It's the half-bloods, the ones with demon powers and
human lust, that are dangerous. I thought to save you by forcing your
human side. I was wrong." Margali turned her blind eyes to Kurt.
"Forgive me, junge. I must See the Truth, and for that, I need my
natural eyes."
Margali glowed from within, and stretched. When the glow faded, she
was - green. Her skin was emerald, her hair a rich jade, her eyes the
colour of new leaves. Even the ram's horns on her head were green, as
were the talons that tipped her fingers. She looked at Kurt and wept.
"Ah... still so young. And yet, so strong."
She wasn't looking at Kurt. She was looking *past* him. At someone
Amanda couldn't see.
"Oh, my son," whispered Margali. "Are either of my children to be
saved?" She listened to the silence, and slumped. "Danke. *Danke*..."
She sighed. "Good news, wayward daughter. You *can* be saved, in both
body *and* soul."
"...he--" Jimaine gasped. "...hecatae..."
"She has no patience for those without power," said Margali, slowly
reverting to her human shape. "There's only one God who forgives sinners
and failures, and you must turn to Him of your own will and ask it of
Him, first."
Kurt plucked his own cross from under his shirt and kissed it.
"...nnnnvf," said Jimaine.
"Willful to the last," Margali sighed. "Daughter, heed me. You're
suffering from your own spell, and in a moment, you will suffer the
backlash from the web of tangled enchantments you wove around that boy.
And just when you begin to become used to that pain, I will give you my
Sight, the True Sight, and you will see his soul as *I* have always seen
his soul. And if *that* will not make you repent, I face you to that
mirror and you will witness your own *stain*."
"Margali. Mercy, please," Kurt begged. "She's your *daughter*."
"Aye. And a threat to all living on this Earth if she's allowed to
walk the Way as she's chosen. I cannot let evil persist; especially if
its an evil that can be turned. I'm sorry, my boy, but mercy will not
help her." She touched a finger to Kurt's brow. "Blessing thrice
invoked, come forth and cut thy owner's bonds, free him that keeps thee
from the work of evil want."
Amanda swore she saw the imprint of a kiss under Margali's finger,
then there was a shattering sound, and Jimaine convulsed anew.
"Margali?" Kurt rubbed at the memory of her touch.
"A protection spell," said the Sorceress. "Woven when you were a babe
in arms. Your parents were very worried about people stealing you when
they were working. So I worked it so that all your Mama or Papa had to
do was kiss that spot, and you'd be safe from all malice."
Kurt smiled. "I'm never turning down another good-luck kiss again."
Amanda tentatively put up her hand. "Ma'am? Can you put me in on
that?"
"You're already there. When I wove the blessing, I said, 'from those
who love him true'," Margali smirked. "I'm not as hasty as *some* of my
students."
Jimaine started to weep.
"Daughter, do repent?"
"...he--" Jimaine gasped. "...he-- hecatae... help me..."
Margali sighed. "Thine eyes to mine. Mine eyes to thine. See the Truth
and know the Truth, then *learn* the Truth."
Jimaine blinked. Her eyes were occluded white, then leaf green, then
she shut them tight.
"Don't make me force you to look," said Margali.
Jimaine looked at Kurt, then wept. "Nein... Nein, it's not true..."
"What do you see?"
"He-- he... It *can't*..." She sobbed. "He's beautiful."
"Do you repent?"
"HECATAE!" Jimaine's voice was desperate, now. "Hecatae..."
"So it comes to this." Margali stood, and lifted her daughter from the
floor. "See for yourself what you've become."
Jimaine took one look at herself in the mirror and screamed.
There was an unearthly scream of pain and loss. Kurt hadn't heard the
like since Stefan fell. The light blinded and burned, then faded into
nothing.
His hands, still scrambling at the bathroom door's lock, finally
managed to open it.
"*Kurt*!" Amanda was with him. "Are you all right?"
Belatedly, he realised he could still move. Jimaine's spell had
misfired. "Ja. I don't know how, though."
Jimaine made another ugly noise.
Helpless to stop himself, Kurt looked.
To all intents and purposes, Jimaine looked like she was having a fit.
Only the occasional spark gave away the fact that that her spasms were
of mystical origin. It looked supremely uncomfortable.
"What *happened*?" he asked.
Amanda was looking at the mirrors. "She bound the darkest soul she
could see. And she could see herself..."
Kurt took off his overshirt and placed it under her head. "Just try to
relax, you can't fight it."
Jimaine came out with some sounds that could have been curses. Her
limbs still flailed about, jewellery chiming madly against the tiles.
Spittle frothed in her mouth.
Kurt carefully undid the top two buttons of her shirt and removed her
necklaces. "Shhh..." he soothed. "It's going to be all right, now. Try
to relax. I'll find help for you."
Amanda was looking completely croggled. "What? After all she did to
you? To *us*. Why?"
"I have to," said Kurt. "She's the sister of my brother."
"Ah," she nodded. "A Kurt thing."
More nearly-curses and thrashing. Her feet drummed at the floor like a
walking doll with an error. Her arms twisted and gyrated against an
invisible enemy.
The more Kurt soothed her, the worse she got.
"Ach... I think I'm making her mad. Liebe? Could you sit with her? I
need to find someone who can help."
They swapped positions and Kurt headed out, wondering who he could
consult. He didn't get far.
There was a familiar figure almost at the door. She was tall, well-
preserved to such an extent that she was ageless, and completely blind.
She wore the more subtle clothes of her trade, and kept a riot of
auburn hair in check with a simple bandana.
Kurt stopped in his tracks. "Margali," he whispered, then switched to
formal Rom. "[Mistress Sorceress, I did not harm your daughter. She fell
ill by her own hand. She needs you.]"
"I know, Kurti. That's why I came." As she passed by, she gently
siezed his arm. "Come. You must witness."
Kurt followed like a boy who'd been caught in an orchard.
Amanda looked up and swore she felt her heart stop. Now *this* was a
figure to inspire fear, and she had 'Mom' writ large all over her. "I've
been trying to calm her down," she said, getting her credentials
established in the first breath. "But the more I try to help her, the
more she fights and--"
"Enough. Margali sees all," said Margali. She left Kurt where he was
and, without any aid at all, strode to her daughter's side. "So,
wayward student. It is not enough that you learn the Way at the proper
pace, but you must also seek to leap ahead, to gain power at others'
expense. You poisoned your brother, who was together with you since your
heart began to beat. You corrupted an innocent soul with your misdeed.
You bound the unwilling to a promise you planned to break. You falsely
wear the Signs of a Graduate, when your tutoring is undone. You ensnared
the unwitting in a forbidden spell. You engendered lust where love would
have sufficed. And you sought to destroy a soul who had done no harm.
All for a step ahead in the Way."
_Woo._ Thought Amanda. Kurt had crossed the distance between them and
sat by her side. She was never gladder for his hand on hers.
"Tell me, daughter," said Margali. "Did you honestly think that I
wouldn't See your lies? That I would merely *let* you murder me? Or that
this plan, hatched in a madman's dying words - would *work*?"
Jimaine was frozen, staring in fear at her mother.
"I give you leave to speak, and tell the truth."
"Stefan was never wrong," said Jimaine. "He said Kurt was a demon. He
knew. He saw demons, and they were always evil people."
"Am I evil, daughter?"
"You held me *back*. You forced me to stay behind when I needed to run
ahead! Of *course* you're evil! Double-cursed maggot-bred bi--"
Margali waved a hand, and no more sense came from Jimaine's mouth. "I
see," she said. "When I met your father, even though I loved him, I knew
he would spawn a great threat to the world. I thought that suppressing
your demon half would help."
"Demon half?" whispered Amanda.
"Shh," said Kurt.
"I thought, when Stefan began to go mad, that he would be the one.
Then I had a vision. You used me as a bridge, trampled over me, to walk
ahead on the Way. And wherever you tread, you left a wake of
destruction. If I let you gain the power you sought, you would be the
end of the world. I also Saw that you would not learn - until your own
power struck you down." Margali soothed her daughter's hair. "I could
not, in all conscience, let that happen. I Saw, and still don't
understand, that your brother would help in your undoing... even though
he's dead."
"...demon," managed Jimaine. "You?"
"That is what my kind are called. There are very few of us left, for
obvious reasons... but I and my few kindred are no more evil than any
other child of God. It's the half-bloods, the ones with demon powers and
human lust, that are dangerous. I thought to save you by forcing your
human side. I was wrong." Margali turned her blind eyes to Kurt.
"Forgive me, junge. I must See the Truth, and for that, I need my
natural eyes."
Margali glowed from within, and stretched. When the glow faded, she
was - green. Her skin was emerald, her hair a rich jade, her eyes the
colour of new leaves. Even the ram's horns on her head were green, as
were the talons that tipped her fingers. She looked at Kurt and wept.
"Ah... still so young. And yet, so strong."
She wasn't looking at Kurt. She was looking *past* him. At someone
Amanda couldn't see.
"Oh, my son," whispered Margali. "Are either of my children to be
saved?" She listened to the silence, and slumped. "Danke. *Danke*..."
She sighed. "Good news, wayward daughter. You *can* be saved, in both
body *and* soul."
"...he--" Jimaine gasped. "...hecatae..."
"She has no patience for those without power," said Margali, slowly
reverting to her human shape. "There's only one God who forgives sinners
and failures, and you must turn to Him of your own will and ask it of
Him, first."
Kurt plucked his own cross from under his shirt and kissed it.
"...nnnnvf," said Jimaine.
"Willful to the last," Margali sighed. "Daughter, heed me. You're
suffering from your own spell, and in a moment, you will suffer the
backlash from the web of tangled enchantments you wove around that boy.
And just when you begin to become used to that pain, I will give you my
Sight, the True Sight, and you will see his soul as *I* have always seen
his soul. And if *that* will not make you repent, I face you to that
mirror and you will witness your own *stain*."
"Margali. Mercy, please," Kurt begged. "She's your *daughter*."
"Aye. And a threat to all living on this Earth if she's allowed to
walk the Way as she's chosen. I cannot let evil persist; especially if
its an evil that can be turned. I'm sorry, my boy, but mercy will not
help her." She touched a finger to Kurt's brow. "Blessing thrice
invoked, come forth and cut thy owner's bonds, free him that keeps thee
from the work of evil want."
Amanda swore she saw the imprint of a kiss under Margali's finger,
then there was a shattering sound, and Jimaine convulsed anew.
"Margali?" Kurt rubbed at the memory of her touch.
"A protection spell," said the Sorceress. "Woven when you were a babe
in arms. Your parents were very worried about people stealing you when
they were working. So I worked it so that all your Mama or Papa had to
do was kiss that spot, and you'd be safe from all malice."
Kurt smiled. "I'm never turning down another good-luck kiss again."
Amanda tentatively put up her hand. "Ma'am? Can you put me in on
that?"
"You're already there. When I wove the blessing, I said, 'from those
who love him true'," Margali smirked. "I'm not as hasty as *some* of my
students."
Jimaine started to weep.
"Daughter, do repent?"
"...he--" Jimaine gasped. "...he-- hecatae... help me..."
Margali sighed. "Thine eyes to mine. Mine eyes to thine. See the Truth
and know the Truth, then *learn* the Truth."
Jimaine blinked. Her eyes were occluded white, then leaf green, then
she shut them tight.
"Don't make me force you to look," said Margali.
Jimaine looked at Kurt, then wept. "Nein... Nein, it's not true..."
"What do you see?"
"He-- he... It *can't*..." She sobbed. "He's beautiful."
"Do you repent?"
"HECATAE!" Jimaine's voice was desperate, now. "Hecatae..."
"So it comes to this." Margali stood, and lifted her daughter from the
floor. "See for yourself what you've become."
Jimaine took one look at herself in the mirror and screamed.