WOLVERINE'S WORLD - THE DEMON
We were back inside the fort's guest barracks. The roughly re-built bunks that Benjamin had thrown together were still present, and somebody had cleared away the debris from Anna and Emma's confrontation. I felt a twinge of guilt - according to custom and tradition, I was still responsible for settling those damages.
All around us, the camp was stirring. The army was like a great beast, shaking itself into activity after waking from a restless slumber. Shea had issued orders that we would march in the morning. Some free-lance Blood - eager for battle - were already moving north. They would join the even more hot-headed warriors who'd were currently clashing with the dark-elves.
The remaining warriors were organized around their lords, holders, pack-masters, and other natural leaders. They were more willing to accept orders and would form the truly deadly part of our force. The bloodthirsty hot-heads could trouble and disrupt our foes, but the disciplined warriors were the only ones who had the ability to truly destroy the enemy.
"Where's Rahne?" Emma asked.
"She's out looking for David," I answered.
Emma frowned.
"Leave them be," Anna spoke up quietly. Then she took my hand and began leading me to the back room. Emma followed us.
"What do you two have in mind?" I asked suspiciously.
"There's something we have to do," Anna replied with a grin.
"But we've been too busy until now," Emma added. Her smile was less wild than Anna's.
The door to the small room closed behind us.
Anna kissed me first. Then Emma.
Well after midnight, Anna carefully crawled out of our bed, grabbed her guitar case, and slipped out of the room.
Within a moment or two, I could hear her picking out a tune as she began to sing softly to herself. She was sitting at the far end of the barracks.
That wasn't unusual. Anna was an intermittent sleeper and playing a song or two always helped her relax.
That particular tune was an old one that was a favorite of Anna's. It was about playing cards and it considered the eternal question of knowing when to hold or fold - and how that related to more vital life decisions.
"She's actually very good," Emma whispered to me. She was curled up by my side.
"You're referring to her music?" I chuckled.
Emma poked me in the side. "She's multi-talented, but I was actually talking about her ability with a guitar."
I reached over and cracked the door open a little wider. Emma's hearing was not as good as mine.
Holding each other, we listened to Anna play. Her next song was another very old one. It was about a preternaturally powerful and dangerous old man who lived down a nearby road. There's an ongoing argument as to whether the old man the song refers to the Old One, Odin, the Lord of North and South, or perhaps some other, unknown figure of legend. I've always leaned towards the latter theory.
"What are the other's doing?" I asked.
Emma stared up at the ceiling and considered my question for a few seconds.
"David and Rahne are together."
"Do I want to know the details?"
"No. No, you don't. However, they aren't doing anything that violates the limits you've placed upon them. David won't defy you and Rahne won't do anything to disappoint you."
I decided to let that go.
"Benjamin and Faye are with a unit of Wall-crawler volunteers," Emma continued, "it turns out that Ben is a reserve sergeant in the Spider Legion. There were some objections to Faye's presence. Faye beat up the chief objector and told the rest that she wouldn't let herself to be separated from her man. The spiders have decided to let her be."
I grunted approvingly.
"Olivia is at the shrine to Lady Ororo," Emma added regretfully. "She's been praying and meditating for some time now. She's very uncertain about what she did during our fight with Laufey and the Destroyer."
I considered that. "She'll have to work that out on her own, but I'm grateful for what Olivia did. It would have been a disaster if she hadn't called upon her Asgardian ancestry."
"Olivia's always been bad about bending rules," Emma said with a helpless and exasperated shrug.
"You don't seem to have that problem," I observed.
Emma stared at the ceiling for a while before responding. "We're different people. She's a warrior-priestess. I'm a trickster-priestess. She enforces the ancient traditions for the good of all. I violate them for the good of all."
I could hear deep regret in Emma's voice. She and Olivia had once been in love. Then the divergent paths of their responsibilities separated them. That was not a parting I'd wish on anyone - especially given the admiration I felt for both women.
Emma resumed. "Your friend Shea is awake and alone. He's consulting maps, reading reconnaissance reports, and praying to the Old One for wisdom."
"As well he might. How about Dugan?"
"In bed with two wives and a girlfriend. They're on their third bottle of whiskey. He plans to get up soon and start getting the various lords and holder moving."
"Whiskey..." I said thoughtfully, "I knew we were missing something. Can you find Daken?"
Emma nodded. "Miles north of here. Right now, he's leading a night-raid on a group of dark-elf skirmishers. His mind is a twisted and angry thing, filled with hatred, grievances, and a desire for power. He's ambitious and dangerous, James. I suggest you kill him at the first opportunity."
"I'll take that under advisement. How about Dare?"
A smile appeared on Emma's face. "She's with the combined troops of Alban and Cats Kill. Right now she's smoothing over some ruffled feathers between Lord Alban and Lord Cats Kill. She's pretty determined to make them into a unified army."
"She won't be able to do that," I observed, "but knowing Dare, she'll do a fine job of making sure that the troops of Alban and Cats Kill are pointed towards the enemy."
Emma just smiled in response.
"How about Rose? Can you find her?" I asked.
Emma nodded. "She's in the area, but in disguise. She's trying to decide if she should approach you. She's not sure if she fits into your life any longer."
That left me silent for a time. It was inevitable that your children grow up, but it was still a hard thing to experience.
Reaching over the bed, I grabbed my trousers from the floor. Standing up, I began putting them on.
"Where are you going?" Emma asked guardedly.
"To see a mage."
Anna gave me a disapproving look as I walked down the barracks bay towards her. She was sitting in the darkness next to the front door. The door was open and a cool breeze was playing over her bare body. Unless you counted the guitar resting in her lap, all she was wearing was a pair of well-worn sandals.
"What are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.
"I have an idea, but I need to talk to Cyrus," I responded as I finished buttoning my shirt.
"Planning some deviltry?" she guessed.
I nodded and then leaned over and kissed Anna on the top of her head.
"Come back soon, I'm not done with you yet," she said with a sly smile.
"Perhaps you and Emma should get some sleep," I suggested.
"Perhaps," she said noncommittally.
Anna was singing again as I walked away. This time it was a song about ghostly cowherds riding across the sky as they chased demon cattle. She seemed to be in the mood for the classics.
There were a pair of Strange's acolytes - combat mages from the look of them - guarding Cyrus' residence. However, they let me pass without a word.
On the other claw, it took some doing to get Cyrus' diminutive servant to let me see him. She eventually relented.
Cyrus looked exhausted. He'd spent the last few days being the eyes and ears of the Captain all along our frontier with the dark-elves. He was obviously using magics to keep himself awake and aware. That could be dangerous in the long run.
I explained to him what I wanted.
Cyrus considered my words and saw the value in them.
"It can be done," he said.
Back at the barracks, Anna, Emma, and I managed a few hours of sleep. Then we greeted the dawn vigorously. There was going to be a battle. That morning might be the last time we were together, so we made the most of it.
We were more-or-less done when there was a firm knock on the door to our tiny room. There were three people on the other side of the door, but I only knew the scent of two of them. The third scent was quite strange.
Outside of the barracks, there was the awesome rumble, shouted orders, and yelled cadence counts of an army on the move. Most of the Blood were already gone, slipped away before dawn. The Captain's troops and his Scatter allies were finally marching.
Anna and Emma were peacefully cuddled together under the blanket - as lovely a sight as any man could ask for - as I put on my pants and opened the door.
Rahne was waiting on the other side. She resolutely refused to look at the bed as she kept her eyes on me. Behind Rahne, Olivia and a lean and ragged-looking figure were standing next to each other. Olivia looked much improved, apparently she'd managed another trip to a healer-mage.
All the man-like creature was wearing was a torn and filthy pair of denim pants. Its exposed skin was covered with the scars that came from claws, weapons, and a well-applied whip. It had dark-red hair and brown eyes. While its lantern-jawed face was empty of any trace of emotion, you could see a very different kind of emptiness in its eyes.
On its forehead, just above its right eye, the skin had been rubbed clean, and a tattoo of a silver-gray, bulky, and man-like figure had been recently applied. Whoever the artist had been, they had talent. With just a few lines and strokes of color, they'd created a very good representation of the Destroyer. And I could sense the magic emanating from it.
There was a massive iron collar around the creature's neck and its hands were manacled before its body. A chain that Olivia was tightly holding led to a roughly welded link on its collar. In her other hand, Olivia was clutching her hammer-polearm. Her eyes were locked on the creature at the other end of the leash.
At first glance, you might think the creature was nothing than a pitiful and abused Folk vassal, but I could smell the difference. It had once - so long ago - been human, but now it smelled of flame and hatred.
I ignored that. That was how it should be.
By then, Anna and Emma were wide awake. Anna was sitting up in our bed and her eyes were wide as she reflexively clutching the blanket to herself. Emma had automatically, unthinkingly, moved so that she was shielding Anna with her own body.
"One of Cyrus' sorcerers found us on the way here," Rahne said nervously, her eyes flickering between me and the chained figure. "He said we should give... this... to you."
I couldn't help but smile. Really, Ancient Strange's people had outdone themselves. I'd expected something bizarre and perhaps dangerous, but this was well beyond anything I'd anticipated. Maybe my mad plan would work after all.
I nodded and held out my hand. Olivia handed the chain-leash over to me with a barely hidden sigh of relief. Then she stepped to the side - away from our captive, but still watching him closely. Her weapon was ready.
"Hello, James. It's been a while," the creature said to me.
"What name are you using this century?" I asked our wretched 'prisoner'.
A smile crossed the creature's face - its teeth were jagged and broken.
"Just call me Blaze," it said. Its voice was low and harsh. There something taunting in his words, as if something in them had a hidden meaning.
"Are you ready to become the Destroyer?" I asked it.
"Will we serve vengeance?" it asked as it cocked its head to the side. It was still smiling.
"Yes," I answered without hesitation.
Its smile became wider.
"Welcome home, James," it told me. "Welcome home."