The Highway West Andrew 158
Chapter Five: The Gambit
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, was the epoch of belief, it was the season of light, it was the season of Darkness.
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Walking blind, clutching Marguerite's hand, it occurred to Ruthie that once she prayed to be tested in her faith. Like Mama always said, "Be careful what you wish for."
Standing before a huge steel enforced door at the end of the tunnel, Marguerite released both Cassie and Ruthie's hand. While Cassie and Ruthie were blinded by the darkness, Marguerite's eyes were in their natural environment. To her, the shadows and darkness were merely a different shade of color. Discovering a small piece of glass on the floor, Marguerite picked it up and examined it. The texture of the glass suggested that it was a special type of glass. She rolled the glass in her hand for a moment before she realized that it was a piece of a light bulb. Someone had purposely broken it to make the tunnel dark.
"What is it?" Ruthie asked.
Hearing Ruthie's Southern accent put a smirk on her lips. "A piece of the light bulb," she answered.
"I find it hard to believe that the owners would be so lax," Ruthie replied earnestly.
"It was done on purpose," Cassie snapped.
"Can you do anything special other than turn into a fly?" Marguerite asked Cassie.
"Marguerite!" Ruthie exclaimed, "She's been through a lot."
"I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it. I don't have time to be Mary Poppins from the South! Snap out of it, both of you!"
Cassie looked over to Marguerite. In the dark she was a vague, ominous shape. While she couldn't be certain, Cassie suspected that she was a vampire. If that was true, Marguerite had been blessed with what Cassie had wanted all of her life. Yet, Marguerite was a different cast of vampire than Cassie could understand. She understood the suave creature of the night from her horror novels, not a wild woman with deadly claws. "Cast illusions and. . . and. . . see things about people," she stuttered.
"Like what?" Marguerite asked.
"I know you're not h. . .h. . .human."
"Don't be afraid honey, we can help ya. Though we walk through the valley of evil, we shall not fear," Ruthie tried to soothe her.
"I may not be human, but I bet you're not either. We'll hash this out later. Right now we're gonna have to get through the crowd in there," Marguerite told Cassie. "Can you do it?"
Cassie wiped away a tear. "Yeah. Thrill me."
"Good. We need a place to regroup. Any suggestions?" the vampire asked.
"Someplace private," Ruthie answered.
"Duh!" Cassie taunted.
"Sounds like a plan," Marguerite said, ignoring Cassie.
Cassie closed her eyes and concentrated on her playmate illusion. It had taken her a few hours to decide to use this image. Part of her enjoyed the attention the men gave her, even though she knew it was the image and not her that excited them. However, wearing the image shamed a small hidden part of her soul. Diminutive sapphire lights sparkled around her body blinking Cassie out of existence, replacing her with the form of the wet dream given form. "Not bad, I can't even tell it's not real," Marguerite muttered.
The Viper Room embodied wealth, class, and high fashion; the Labyrinth was its polar opposite. A twisted twin dancing in the reflection of a sick mirror. A year after the Viper Room had already established its reputation, MacDuff opened the Labyrinth. Despite their close proximity, the Viper Room and the Labyrinth were worlds apart. Ruthie could see men and women dancing in a circle to a thrashing electric beat. Each would dance in a circle slamming into others. All of them screamed as though their life depended on it. A tall skinhead slipped during the dance, and his friends gave him no mercy. Several of them kicked him and a few elbowed his face. He emerged from the beating with a bloody smile on his face.
"O' Lord, what's this?" Ruthie exclaimed.
Marguerite could see Ruthie mouth words, but the screams combined with the music drowned out any other sounds.
"What? I can't hear you!" Marguerite yelled.
"What's this?!" Ruthie cried.
"You've never seen a mosh pit! What planet are you from?" Cassie asked.
The vampire answered for her innocent friend. "Alabama."
Marguerite surveyed the room for threats, acting on animal instinct. Full Metal Condom, an up and coming Thrash Ska band, played on the small stage at the east end of the large basement. On the opposite end, Marguerite noticed a large metal door, the normal entrance for the regular customers. While the Viper Room attracted the high society, the rich, and the beautiful, the Labyrinth attracted everyone in search of a thrill. Everyone from Bloodz, Cripz, skinheads, stoners, ravers and rogue college students mingled freely and wandered into the Maze.
The Maze connected the Labyrinth with a series of dark, barely lit rooms and tunnels that confused even the regular customers. Barker had told Cassie that the Labyrinth changed the Maze every few weeks so that the challenge would stay fresh. While an invitation was the only way to get into the Viper Room, courage was all you need in the Labyrinth.
Deciding to go into the Maze, Marguerite led Ruthie and Cassie through the mosh pit. A few punks decided to cop a free feel at Cassie's expense and discovered to their delight that she was naked under the cloak. Irritated, Marguerite's glowing scarlet eyes deterred any further attempts. Disappointed, the punks decided to them pass. Once through the mosh pit, they walked into the Maze.
The various paths twisted and turned like a three dimensional spider web. The darkness grew upon them. Passing by a frolicking fornicating set of leathermen, Marguerite lead the Fae and the Faithful to a dead end tunnel.
"Can you create the illusion of a wall?" Marguerite asked.
"Yeah," Cassie said.
Cassie's appearance returned to normal and her dress transformed to Kincaid's black cloak. A brick wall, much like the other walls in the Maze, appeared blocking the doorway.
"Now what?" Ruthie asked.
"Now you make the cloak look like a dress or something, while I go and get Dudley Do Right," the vampire told them.
"I don't even know your names," Cassie protested.
"Later we can go through the motions, Ruthie you two talk it out. If I don't come back soon, I want the two of you to get the Hell out of Dodge."
"We. . . Caliban and I came to find Sylvia," Cassie protested.
"Maybe you don't get it. If I don't come back, Sylvia is as good as dead," Marguerite barked.
Both Ruthie and Cassie began to cry. "Don't say that. God will work everything out," Ruthie said.
"Yeah, well He's been fucking up so far," Marguerite snapped as she walked through the wall and into the darkness.
Stepping into the Labyrinth, Elijah Kincaid saw thirty men and women engage in a massive battle. Frightened, Elijah twisted Ascalon into a defense position and waited. At first no one noticed him. Suddenly, one of the band members stopped, dropped his jaw, and pointed at Elijah Kincaid. The music stopped and everyone turned to see a man, completely dressed in black, holding a glowing broadsword. Among the modern punks, gang members, and other grunge followers, the Chiyanbara appeared to be a fallen gothic angel waiting for its prey.
Silence reigned. "Ya gonna pick your butt with that, or are ya gonna use it?" a skinhead asked.
Ignoring the braggart, Elijah scanned the crowd. He did not see Bucky or the women who were white pieces on the chess board. The one with the leather jacket and the claws could protect herself, the other two worried him.
"I am looking for three females that have passed by here," Elijah announced.
"Yer! Call the dating connection!" the British skinhead yelled.
A few of the others laughed. Elijah calmly walked over to the British Skinhead, and sheathed Ascalon. "As you would have heard me before if you had more brains than earwax, I am looking for three females that have passed through here from the Viper Room about three minutes ago," Elijah repeated himself.
"Ha! Ha! He's right you do have a lot of ear wax!" one of the American skinheads mocked the Brit.
"Ya bloody bastard!" the skinhead snarled as he pushed Elijah in the chest.
Glancing behind the British skinhead, Kincaid noticed three others preparing to enter the conflict. He smiled; now it would almost be a fair fight. Six moves and three bloody noses, a broken arm, three black eyes, and a shattered knee later, the British skinhead and his friends elected to tell Elijah where the others had gone to. "The bitches went into the Maze!"
"Where is the Maze?" Elijah asked.
"There! There!" one of his friends with a broken nose cried.
"Thank you for your time. This is for the hospital bill," Elijah explained as he dropped a wad of money.
Seeing everyone's eyes bulge at the sight of his money, Elijah threw another wad of cash to the lead singer for Full Metal Condom. "Please continue playing," Elijah instructed them as he began to walk through the mosh pit.
Everyone cleared a path for him.
"I hate Mazes!" Marguerite cursed.
While the darkness held no fear for the vampire, the twisting passages confused her. One place looked almost identical to the others. The air must be getting to her, she decided. Although vampires did not need to breathe, most did out of habit or to pass as a mortal. When she did breathe, she could smell the air and Marguerite did not enjoy discovering when someone didn't make it to the bathroom.
"Come to me, Princess."
Marguerite stopped. "Show yourself!"
"Come to me, Childe and everything will be okay," the voice told her.
Marguerite knew the voice, but she couldn't place it. All that she knew was that she wanted to find him. In the next room, Marguerite found him. Smiling, Murphy opened his arms to her.
"Nice try!" Marguerite snapped.
Although she tried to remain angry, glancing at his beautiful body softened her resolve. Instead of his trenchcoat he wore the night before, Murphy wore a thin leather loin cloth.
"You do not like me?" Murphy asked.
"What you really mean is am I enjoying you playing my emotions?" Marguerite countered trying to enforce her wall of anger.
"Play? I would never play with you," Murphy said with a sincere smile.
Marguerite had to admit that Murphy did look good. Good? Hell, Murphy was the epitome of male. His chiseled features looked as though he were an ancient Greek statue. "No, you'd just tear out my throat," Marguerite said.
"We both want the same thing, princess."
"You want to be taller too?" Marguerite asked.
"No, we both want love."
Intense memories of Sister Agatha pushing her in the tire swing pummeled her. Agatha's auburn hair glowed in the fading sun. Later that night when Marguerite knew that the boogieman was hiding under her bed and she slept with Agatha. Early in the morning, when Marguerite woke up, Agatha held her close.
Later, she remembered Brad holding her close in his Mustang. She remembered walking down the school halls holding hands with the son of the richest man in town. She remembered Brad proudly presenting her at the country club that she had worked at as a waitress the summer before. Afterwards, they went to the Hilton. For hours they kissed until the sun was about to rise. Brad never pushed her. That much she had to give him credit for. When she opened herself to him, it had been the first time since Agatha left that she let down her walls.
"Yes Childe, you need love too." Murphy said.
Pushing back the memories, Marguerite found herself in Murphy's arms. "Even the dead can feel passion," he told her.
Marguerite agreed. "Sylvia," she muttered.
"She will be okay, in fact she is in her bed now. Trust me," Murphy rocked her gently.
Marguerite slowly wrapped her arms around Murphy. She looked up and moved his sunglasses. His eyes glowed scarlet like hers. "What does it mean to fall in love, when we have eternity, Childe? I can show you," Murphy offered.
Marguerite couldn't remember why she resisted. Marguerite knew this was not her, but didn't care. She tried to remember why she had come here, but then remembered it was to see Murphy. "Yes," Marguerite told him.
"Close your eyes, little one," Murphy whispered as he rocked her.
Marguerite obeyed, fighting his commands. Once her eyes closed, she slumped down into his arms. Murphy held her, smiling his secret smile as she faded into the nothing.
Using a few hair pins and a safety pin from her purse, Ruthie managed to wrap the cloak around Cassie enough so that it covered what she termed the basic essentials. "Honey, you need to find a dress that's gonna shrink with ya. Its not decent to go out like this in public," Ruthie declared.
"Oh yeah, like that's going to happen!" Cassie snapped.
"Cassandra, I'm trying to help," Ruthie told her.
"I know. I know. I just hate waiting here. Who died and made Marguerite queen anyway? Wait! Don't answer that!"
"Lord knows I would not want to know," Ruthie agreed.
"You still believe in God? Even after all of this?" Cassie asked.
"Even more so. Its times like this when I believe the most," Ruthie explained.
"What about Marguerite? What does she believe in?"
"I don't think even she knows. What about you?"
"I never really liked going to church. Its all just a big show with uncomfortable seats. The lights dim. People sing and tell a few stories. And in the end, they pass around a plate and we pay for it. During the show, Johnny tells Sammy that he really likes Sally. The widow Jane looks for a new father for her children and the mothers compare dresses. Not my thing."
Ruthie sat silent for a moment. "Haven't you ever felt. . . a connection with God?" Ruthie asked.
"Once or twice, but never in a church," Cassie answered.
"If not the house of God, then where?"
"My friends and I like to walk around in St. Elmo's cemetery on Saturday nights."
"What? That's not decent!"
"Says the woman who walks around with vampires."
"We all live in glass houses. Sorry, graveyards have always chilled me straight to the bone."
"And vampires don't?"
"She may be a vampire, but she has the mark of God on her."
"A vampire? I thought you were one of those Fundamentalists that wave their arms and shout 'praise the Lord!'"
"I am a Fundamentalist. Mary Magdalane was a whore and yet she stood by Jesus, even when the Romans crucified him and the Disciples left him. Simon Peter denied the Lord three times, and he become the Rock of Christianity. Matthew was a tax collector. Peter, James, and John were fishermen. Jesus, Himself, was a carpenter. None of these jobs were something one aspired to in society. When I met Marguerite last night, I was worried. I can not deny her blood comes from Satan's heart, but her soul comes from God. She is here for one purpose to save a girl's life. Who am I to judge her? Only the Lord can do that."
Cassie stepped back a few feet. "You should have been a preacher," Cassie told her with a fake smile.
"We all do our part, even you."
"I wonder what's taking them so long?" asked the Fae.
"They could be lost. I'm surprised we found this dead end ourselves," Ruthie tried to offer an explanation.
"Maybe one of us should try to go find them."
"Marguerite said to stay here."
"She's a vampire not God. What if she's lost and can't find her way back? I can fly pretty fast. It might be a little dangerous but I think I can do it," Cassie said.
"Let's stay together, everything will work out. God will see to it."
"I don't have your faith," Cassie said as she changed to Fairy Form.
"God go with you," Ruthie whispered as Cassie flew through the illusionary wall.
As he entered the same passage for the third time, Elijah Kincaid decided that he hated Mazes. With the faint glow of Ascalon as his only source of light, Elijah slowly attempted to find the others. Stepping on a small piece of glass and crushing it, Elijah stopped. Although finding the glass in the dim light was slow, he eventually found a big enough piece to examine. Holding it close to the glow, Elijah could see that it was once part of a light bulb. Someone was breaking all of the light bulbs in the Maze. Someone, or something, in the Maze could see in the dark and was waiting for him.
As he entered the next passage, Elijah noticed a change in the stench. In the other passages, Elijah could smell garbage, human waste, and other putrid smells that almost forced him to regurgitate dinner. Much to his surprise, his nose detected carbon. Holding the sword closer to the walls, he noticed several burn marks on the brick wall covering the various graffiti. Touching the burn marks, Elijah was surprised to discover that the bricks were still warm.
Following the burn marks, Elijah crept down a slanting passage. Crunch! Again, Elijah stopped to see what he had stepped on. Searching with Ascalon, Elijah found a small white cylindrical object. Holding it close to the magical glow of his broadsword, Elijah discovered it was the finger bone of a human. Quickly, Elijah dropped it and wiped his hands. Horrified, he took a few steps and shivered. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the women. Someone had to warn them of their danger. But what if this finger belonged to one of them?
"'Welcome to my parlor', the spider said to the fly," a soft, sensual feline voice mewed.
Startled, Elijah held Ascalon in front of him, attempting to find the source of the voice.
"Would you like a light, my fly?" she asked.
"Help me! Help me!" a tiny, voice cried.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Elijah asked.
"Allow me to shed some light on the situation," the soft voice said. Elijah heard someone clap and then the lights flashed on. Blinking to adjust to the sudden light, Elijah noticed a tall woman standing in front of a web. Entangled in the web, Cassie Byron in Fairy Form fought to escape.
"Help me!" Cassie screamed in terror.
Focusing on the woman, Elijah's blood froze. Long, black hair lay draped over her shoulders. A sleek, red party dress clung tightly to her hourglass shaped body. Soft hazel eyes smiled at him. The bright light from the naked light bulb underscored her light black skin. "So this is the famous Elijah Kincaid. I was told you beat Morrison. Before I actually saw you, I was impressed. My name is Chandra and I'll accept your surrender at anytime."
"Let her go," Elijah ordered.
"Watch out, she's dangerous!" Cassie warned.
"Don't speak again, little one, or it shall be feeding time," the spider warned the fly.
"I am Chiyanbara, vampire. I have already killed one of your kind," Elijah boasted.
Chandra laughed. "A vampire? A vampire? Is that what you think I am?"
"If not then what are you?" Elijah asked.
"Spiders! Watch out for the spiders!" Cassie cried.
Chandra laughed again. "I will give you two choices, either surrender or the fly dies."
Elijah slowly started to manuever Ascalon into a striking position. "I am a Chiyanabara warrior. We bring light to the shadows where no else treads."
Again Chandra cackled. "Is that so? Would you like to see those shadows, boy? Would you like to taste the darkness?"
To Elijah's horror, Chandra began to change. Her skin darkened to a shade of black he had never seen before. Large gray bulges swelled from her skin. Cracks lined the thousands of gray silk egg sacks. Her flesh fed the fire. A billion diminutive velvety limbs pierced the skin. A galaxy of tiny spiders exploded from the shell.
"No! Get away!" Cassie cried.
A portion of the spiders armada frantically raced towards Elijah. His first impulse was to step on them, but then that would put Cassie in danger. A million tiny voices chimed together to compose Chandra's voice. "Even the brightest light casts shadows, Kincaid. Surrender or the fly dies."
A vampire or a werewolf, Kincaid could defeat. How could he kill the wave of spiders before they reached Cassie? He might as well stand before the ocean and attempt to stop it from crashing on the beach. Sheathing Ascalon, Elijah Kincaid bowed before the mass of spiders. "I surrender to you," he whispered. The words nearly choked him.
The spiders gathered from the corners of the room and merged, forming a humaniod shape. Chandra, mistress of spiders. "I'm afraid I didn't hear you, sweetmeat."
"I surrender to you," he said loudly, defiantly.
"Thank you. . .that was all that was needed."
His heart raced as though he were running a marathon. It was almost as though his heart could not beat fast enough to compete with his terror. Looking down at his hands, Elijah discovered he could see through them. He tried to touch the floor, but his hands faded through it. His eyes felt as though they were covered in fog. Before totally dissolving, Elijah could see the vague hazy figure Chandra reaching for Cassie. Elijah attempted to stop her, only to fade into the nothing.
Sitting in a corner of the Labyrinth, Ruthie clutched her bible tightly. In all of her life, she had never felt more alone. Every stray sound was manafied through her fear. Somehow, she knew she was alone. "Oh Lord, why am I going to do? How can I fight this evil?" she cried.
"You will fight this evil with courage. . .with love. . .and with faith," a voice told her.
"John? Iron John is that you?" she asked.
"It is me," Iron John answered.
"Can you help me?" Ruthie pleaded.
"Not in the way that you think. If I help you directly, everything that you've ever fought for will be lost. Do you understand?" he asked.
"Understand? I don't understand! Where are you?"
"I am in you," Iron John answered.
All her life, Ruthie had been the one that others protected. The baby of the family that her sister had to watch over. The wife whose husband had to balance the checkbook. The one that had to be sheltered from the world. Somehow, she always knew that someday she would have to weather the storm. Unlike others, she did not have that layer of immunity from the world. All that she had to protect herself was her faith. Ruthie hoped it was enough.
Ruthie decided to make her stand.
The fog faded. Elijah Kincaid quickly drew Ascalon. His vision cleared, Elijah found that he was not alone. In the center of the small white room, Marguerite and a balding wild man dressed like Colonial Harlan Sanders were playing cards while Caliban paced along side them.
"Okay Bucky, we'll play another hand, but no more wild cards!" Marguerite growled.
"You!" Elijah screamed.
Marguerite and Bucky looked at each other then turned towards Elijah. "You killed Tagami! Now you will die!" Elijah cried.
Both Marguerite and Bucky dropped their cards and scrambled to their feet. "Wait a second, Dudley Do Right and we can explain a few things," Marguerite told him.
Elijah ignored her. He swung his mystical broadsword in a kill strike towards Bucky's head. Instead of dodging back as Elijah expected, Bucky rushed forward evading the attack. As Elijah prepared for another strike, Marguerite pushed him from behind, knocking the Chiyanbara off balance and crashing to the floor.
"If you don't listen to me, I'm going to kick your ass!" Marguerite barked.
"Yeah!" Bucky agreed.
"You shut your ass too!" Marguerite barked.
Elijah rolled to his feet and held Ascalon down low. It would not hurt to listen to them. Besides, he might be able to maneuver into a striking position. "Talk."
"If I may be so bold, and if you are done fighting, I think I've figured it all out," Caliban informed them.
Bucky, Marguerite, and Elijah looked over at him, keeping watch over everyone else. "Okay Sherlock, spill it," Marguerite told him.
As Caliban opened his hideous mouth to respond, a naked full sized Cassie appeared on the other side of the room. "Gary!" she cried upon seeing Caliban.
She ran over to him, hugging him. After her short embrace with Caliban, she noticed Marguerite, Elijah, and Bucky. "Uh. . .hi," she greeted them.
Concerned, Cassie closed her eyes and focused on her dress. The illusionary black silk dress faded over her body. "So, what's the deal? Is this a party or something?" she asked, being careful to remain close to Caliban.
"Caliban was just about to give his theory of what the Hell is going on," Marguerite explained.
"To begin with, let's make certain everyone knows everyone. I am Caliban. This is Cassie. Cassie, this is Marguerite and Bucky. I assume this is Elijah Kincaid."
Elijah nodded his head which Caliban took as a sign to continue. "All of us are bound together. The exact mechanics of which I am uncertain. It would seem that a figure named Iron John, who is sometimes referred to as the Whispering Dude, informed each of us that we would find allies and that we should trust them. Bucky has informed us that MacDuff and Gideon are playing a game for control over Los Angeles," Caliban said.
"I have seen the game. They are playing a game of chess in which each of us represents a playing piece. Shortly before Caliban was attacked by the werewolf, Gideon moved his Black Queen against the White Bishop," Elijah added.
Caliban smiled, giving everyone except Bucky shivers.
"Yes. It would be logical to assume that all of us are on the same side, or we would not be put together. I believe that this room is a penalty box for the game. The white pieces are put here in the white penalty box," Caliban said.
"I guess that means we're the good guys," Cassie muttered.
"When I last saw the board, MacDuff only had a few pieces remaining. There should be more people here," Elijah argued.
"That may not be the case. At least part of MacDuff's pieces must have come from his organization, yes? We can assume that MacDuff is wise enough not to put us all in the same place," Caliban explained.
"Why not just kill us off and be done with it?" Marguerite asked.
"You miss the point of the game. Both want control. I would assume that all of the pieces survive, because the winner wants control over them," Caliban said.
"So. . .Morrison is. . ." Cassie muttered.
"Alive and well knowing his healing powers. At first, I could not understand why we were picked for this game. Other than Bucky, none of us involve ourselves in the nightlife. Or at the least, none of us has yet to involve ourselves in night life politics," said the Fallen.
"Last night Morrison said that you were going to help MacDuff, not that you have," Cassie recalled.
"Correct. So then we can assume that collectively we are going to do something that negatively effects Gideon,yes?"
"Twenty pieces of chicken! Twenty pieces of chicken!" Bucky cried while spinning in a circle.
"I have not forgotten you yet," Elijah barked, pointing Ascalon at Bucky.
"I have not forgotten you yet! I have not forgotten you yet!" Bucky mimicked Elijah sarcastically, "Can you not see? It all begins here! You are the Five. You are the ones that change everything."
"I only count four," Elijah said.
"One is missing. But soon, the Five will gather," Bucky insisted.
"Ruthie," Marguerite interjected.
"Correct! Give the leather lady a personality! You are the Five!"
"The five what?" Cassie asked, confused.
"You are the Five that become One," Bucky revealed.
"Again, you dodge around the question, you bulb-eyed baboon! The One what?" Caliban asked.
"The one that changes everything. Come on! Catch a clue! Get a grip!" Bucky whooped.
"He knows nothing," Elijah declared.
"Oh yes, I know the nothing, I know the nothing quite well," Bucky agreed.
"You talk in riddles and do not make sense," Caliban complained.
"Ah, my fine Fallen friend, I make sense if you listen. As our chubby cherub could tell you, I am an imp."
"What's an imp?" Marguerite asked, irritated.
"An imp is the result of a fairy mating with another fairy. A variable race of insane bastards, yes?"
"Isn't that how fairies are born?" Marguerite asked surprised.
"A fairy has to. . . .mate with a mortal to produce a fairy," Cassie answered, embarrassed.
"Okay, so you're an imp. What's the big deal?" Marguerite asked.
"Like the Zhongshan, imps pay close attention to the Dreamweb," Bucky answered.
"What is the Zhongshan?" Elijah asked.
"Marguerite would be best to answer that one, since she is one," Bucky said.
"I don't know what the Hell you're talking about," Marguerite replied, insulted Bucky might know more about her past than she did.
"Come now, your Lord was Zhongshan," Bucky chided her.
" I never knew my Lord," Marguerite insisted.
"Lord?" Cassie asked Caliban.
"The one that made her into a vampire," Caliban answered.
"What are the Zhongshan?" Elijah asked.
"Voodoo vampires from Heck! They live around New Orleans. The only way to tell them apart from normal vampires, normal being a relative term, is their symbol; the chicken foot," Bucky explained.
Angrily, Marguerite's eyes turned scarlet. "Murphy," she hissed.
Caliban nodded. "Yes, I know he is from New Orleans," he agreed.
"You seem to know a lot," Elijah said.
"Yes, I do," Caliban responded.
"Okay, I am going to say this as simple as I can. What the Hell is going on?" Marguerite asked.
"Because of the influence of the Shadow Lord, MacDuff and Gideon are fighting through this chess game. We are the Five, which has some sort of metaphysical significance. If we can determine what, we may be able to use it to our advantage," Caliban suggested.
"I know who MacDuff and Gideon are, but who is the Shadow Lord?" Elijah asked.
"He is a dark sorcerer of great power. I have heard rumors that he controls Gideon and is the reason that MacDuff and Gideon are fighting," Caliban explained.
"You know. . . I've heard that name before," Cassie interjected.
"From where?" Caliban asked.
"I can't quite put my finger on it," Cassie admitted.
"Now all we have to do is figure out what we're supposed to do," Marguerite muttered.
"I know what you are to do," Bucky revealed.
"Then tell us, or I'm going to let Kincaid have his way with you," Marguerite warned him.
"Oh please, my dream come true," Bucky mocked her.
Cassie looked over to Elijah. Although his cape and scarf were gone, his Chiyanbara uniform still looked menacing and she had to admit sexy. The bodysuit clung to his muscular body quite well. She wouldn't mind letting him have his way with her.
"Anyway, like I've been trying to tell you. My abilities have to do with the mind. I can make people do things with a thought," Bucky said.
"My brother's right, he can," Cassie agreed.
Dazed, Cassie blinked, shook her head and gave Bucky a dirty look. "Don't you ever touch my mind again, Bucky!" she shrieked.
"Wait! Why did you refer to Bucky as brother?" Caliban asked, concerned.
"He touched my mind," Cassie muttered.
"I believe what Mr. Top Candidate for Plastic Surgery is asking why I forced you to call me brother. The simple answer is that I am your brother. Half-brother if you want to be technical. Daddy Oberon and Mammy Titana got too lustful. Broke the rules. Of course, it was quite a scandal. But Daddy Oberon gave me the part of the fool. Hence, I play it well," said the imp.
"Your father is Oberon the king of fairies?" Elijah asked, awed.
"That's what Ariel told me last night," Cassie answered.
"Ariel? From the Tempest?" asked the Chiyanbara.
"Yes! Yes! I know this will be quite a shock to you, but a good number of the Fae are in Shakespeare plays. Even I'm in one," Bucky boasted.
"Not true! I have read, analyzed, and memorized every known Shakespeare play and Bucky is not mentioned once!" Elijah declared.
"It's true. Only Shakespeare used my given name," Bucky added.
"And what might that be?"
"Robin Goodfellow."
"The Puck," Elijah muttered.
"Else the Puck a lair call. So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends."
Elijah opened his mouth to speak, but could not find the words. Caliban decided to direct the conversation to the task at hand. "What are you trying to tell us, Bucky?"
"One of my gifts is to dream the future through the Dreamweb. A month ago, I dreamed of the Five and I knew it was the chance I've been waiting for. We walked down a long highway that twists like a snake. At the end of the road is salvation, the chance to leave the herd and become heroes. In the end, there was a dense fog and am the only one who seems to be able lead you across. Once across, we faced the giant armpit. To become the heroes, Elijah and I faced it and were smothered. It was then that we learned the secret to twenty pieces of chicken! It was then that we learn the secret recipe! Through this, one of us was reborn and the world we get reborn into is a world ready for heroes," orated the imp.
Silence dominated the room. Caliban and Cassie looked at each other with a mixture of awe, surprise, and fear. Elijah shook his head in frustration.
"I've had a dream. . .like that. Not in the way you describe it, but the same images," Marguerite admitted.
"Cassie and I also have had the same type of dreams," Caliban added.
"Do you think the dreams are right?" Cassie asked.
"I don't know," Marguerite answered.
"Why would you help us?" Elijah asked Bucky.
"Because helping you will take me to the one place I've tried to go all of my life," Bucky explained, sounding frighteningly sane.
"I don't get it," Cassie complained.
"Don't worry. Its not important right now. The only thing that matters at this point is winning the game," Bucky told her.
"If this is all a game, why have it at the Viper Room and what about the police?" Cassie asked.
"To begin with, MacDuff owns the police. As to why play in the Viper Room, it is obvious. It is the same reason he owns the building. He hates modern music to begin with, but he learned from the ancient kings of France," Caliban explained.
"I don't get it," Marguerite said.
"An ancient king of France built a palace. Back then, the king did not have much power. He had to fight with the noblemen. Once his palace was complete, the king invited the noblemen to stay with him. It became the place to visit in France. While there, the noblemen took turns backbiting and plotting against each other," said the Fallen.
"Brilliant! So he could manipulate the situation, he created a hatred between high class and low class and there by gain power for himself," added the Chiyanbara.
"Yea, and he gave the rebels someone to rebel against other than himself, and kept them in his back pocket. You know after we break out of here, this might even be relevant, but I want out now!" demanded the leather clad vampire, trying to bring everyone on track.
"We could break the walls down," Elijah suggested.
"That would not be a good idea," Bucky replied with a knowing smile.
"Nonsense," Elijah said.
Glancing around him, Elijah searched for a door or window, but could find nothing. "I tried to punch a hole in the wall, but as soon as I busted through, the wall sealed itself," Caliban revealed.
"I can take a look around with my Fairy Eyes," Cassie volunteered.
Excited to prove her worth, she opened her Fairy Eyes. Outside the walls, Cassie found chaos. Frightened, she tried to look past the chaos, but found herself trapped in a loop of self. Desperate, Cassie tried to return to the room, but lost her direction. It seemed as though she lost her body, even though she never left it. Worried, Caliban shook Cassie until the jolt of physical contact forced her to close her eyes.
"The Chaos! The Chaos!" she screamed.
The twelve gathered in the counsel chamber around the long, oak table. Confused, Cassie sat in her appointed location, next to Caliban. Glancing at her friend, the fairy could sense that he was different. Changed. Altered. "What? What's happening?" she asked.
Startled, Caliban turned slightly. "You were saying Cassandra?"
The humor was gone. Drained. His face was colder. Almost dead. Clutching her shoulder with one hand and motioning to the others with his bandaged stump, Caliban whispered harsh words. "Now is not the time for this!"
"What happened to your hand?" she cried.
Horrified, Cassie slid out of her chair away from Caliban. Backing into Marguerite, Cassie discovered that the vampire had gained thirty pounds, most of it concentrated in her belly. "Whoa! What the Hell happened to you?"
Concerned, Marguerite placed her hand on Cassie's shoulder. "I'm pregnant, remember? Kincaid and I had an accident."
"Okay, I'm in the twilight zone or something!"
Next to Caliban, Cassie discovered another familiar face. "Barker! What the Hell are you doing here? Where's Rice?"
The melancholy Goth frowned. "I am more than what you knew. Rice is safe for now."
A blond boy, perhaps sixteen, wearing a white tuxedo smiled. He carried a golden trumpet. "She's confused. Lost," he said sadly.
An old black woman with thick glasses frowned. "Her aura is out of rhythm with the current time-line, Gabriel. She is not the Cassie we know," she stated clinically.
"What's going on? Where's Bucky? Elijah? What happened to Ruthie?" Cassie cried.
A thin, balding man wearing an expensive Armani three piece suit raised his hand. "Bucky is dead. He died a year ago restoring the Dreamweb. My name is Remington. You haven't met me yet."
"I'm here, honey."
The sweet southern voice could only be Ruthie. Only it wasn't Ruthie. Not the Ruthie Jones who she left in the Maze. All the fear and the doubt and weakness were burned, purified, from her soul. She glowed, yet looked the same. She was human and not human. "What happened?"
A harsh man with a hideous scar on his cheek, wearing mirrored sunglasses flanked Ruthie as though he were her bodyguard. "Back behind me. She might not be safe now."
"Alexander! This is Cassie. She'd never hurt me," Ruthie protested.
A punk, with a green and red mohawk, wearing faded blue overalls laughed. "Yea! Cassie's one of us. Right Epiphany?"
A dark woman looked up from her laptop. "You wanna risk it, Newton?"
"Honey, listen to me. This is a glimpse of things to come. Remember as much as you can!" Ruthie told her.
"Where's Elijah?"
Marguerite frowned sadly at the albino cloak figure standing at the head of the table. "What happened to Elijah?"
Iron John, and Cassandra Byron, surveyed the burning of Fresno by the Sea. "Can I ask you a question?"
Iron John smiled. "You can always ask. You just might not get a fair answer."
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why go through all of this? Why all the suffering? The death of everyone I cared about. The horrible mistakes I made. Why isn't life fair?"
Iron John laughed. "Just one question, huh?"
"Don't laugh at me, please."
"I wasn't laughing at you. The only stupid question is the one unasked. The ones you have are important. For some, the only ones that matter. It's just that the answers won't make a whole lot of sense"
"Could you try?"
"The truth is that it's all part of being human. If you are going to be human, there's a lot of baggage you have to carry. Eyes. A heart. Love. Hate. The truth is that its those special moments of epiphany that make the rest matter."
"I take it we can't get out that way," Marguerite stated the obvious.
"Shut up!" Caliban barked.
Seeing the monstrous face of Caliban grow uglier from rage was enough to startle even Marguerite. "Close your eyes. It will be okay," Caliban whispered as he laid Cassie down in the corner.
"The game can still be won," Bucky announced.
"Do you know who is left?" Elijah asked.
"Ruthie Jones," Bucky answered.
"That's it?" Marguerite asked.
"That is it," Bucky answered.
"So what you're telling me is that my life depends on a prissy, Southern Baptist, Mary Poppins kicking Murphy and everyone else's butt?" Marguerite questioned sarcastically.
"Depressing, isn't it?" Bucky agreed.
Stumbling in the dark, Ruthie tried to find a source of light. Any light. "O' Lord give me light," she prayed.
A match struck the wall in front of her. As the match dimmed, she could see the outline of Murphy's face. "Ask and you shall receive Childe."
"Stay back," Ruthie muttered as she stumbled backwards.
"Please. We both know what you want," he said softly.
Ruthie, trying to maneuver away from Murphy, tripped dropping her purse and bible. She would have fallen had Murphy not grabbed her and pulled her close to his chest. She could feel the steel strength of his muscles. Casually, he wiped the dreadlocks out of his face. "We both want the same thing," Murphy crooned.
Intense memories of Bobby Washington flooded her mind. He was the first boy to ever kiss her. Daddy had been careful to not let boys around his little girl, but Bobby was okay because he was colored and the Gardener's son. Bobby lived down the road and sometimes helped out around the stables across the plantation. Once during a rain storm, Daddy and Momma were held up at town, and it was only Bobby and her in the stables. Although he acted calm, Ruthie felt Bobby shiver from the cold and fear of his desire. Trying to be a gentleman, he offered her his jacket and Ruthie knew she wanted to kiss him. The kiss had been awkward at first, but it seared her.
She had heard about love and other matters mostly through her mother's dime novels. Once she even found one of Daddy's magazines. All day she looked at the men and women, fascinated at how they kissed and connected their bodies.
Keith had been different. Ruthie had thought that he was a gentle and kind man. While courting, he never pushed her and was always polite. Once married, Keith changed. She remembered the fear when she walked into the motel on their wedding night. Part of her didn't want to give herself up. Keith seemed to understand. For hours they kissed. She loved to be in his arms.
Then Keith couldn't wait. He tore off her night shirt in a fit of passion and Ruthie loved it. It had been like a night from one of Momma's romance novels. Somehow deep inside, she could never allow herself to fully enjoy herself. It never seemed right. Although rough, Keith was wonderful at first.
As the months passed, Keith insisted upon experimenting. First, he put himself inside her mouth. She liked the feeling of being close to him. He tried kissing Ruthie all over, but she never felt clean. Then, came Sodomy. She knew God frowned upon Sodomy, but she couldn't say no to Keith. That was the problem.
It hurt worse than then her wedding night. Keith said it wouldn't hurt too bad. He lied. Even that didn't satisfy him.
One night after work, Keith walked in with a waitress with bright red hair. He said that the three of them were going to be close. That night, the three of them went to bed together. Horrified, Ruthie could never say no to Keith. As the waitress kissed her, she began to enjoy it. Together, the three writhed in pleasure. With this waitress, Ruthie felt her first orgasm.
That night left Keith unsatisfied. He always wanted more.
"We both want the same thing," Murphy repeated himself.
"Yes," Ruthie whispered.
Slowly she kissed his bare chest. Smiling, Murphy brought her face close to his. Her lips to his. "We all want love," he whispered.
Images of her wedding day flashed in Ruthie's mind. She remembered wearing that long white dress and walking down the aisle. She remembered when Keith decided violence could make him hard. She remembered that old church she found herself at late at night and the old black lady, Mamma Jenkins, that took her in. She remembered that night when she was alone. That was the first night she felt touched by God. That night she tasted love.
Murphy felt a hunger for her flesh like nothing else he had ever felt. Despite the myths, vampire love sex. Most vampires can not seem to get enough. Concentrating on his blood, Murphy increased the sensitivity of his body. Each touch would send shivers of pleasure. Already, Ruthie felt his erection. Murphy increased the nerves so that each touch would amplify the sensation a thousand times. "Who do you love, Childe?" Murphy asked.
Suddenly, Ruthie brought her knee up, smashing Murphy's groin. The pain knocked Murphy to the floor. Tears clouded her eyes. Murphy could feel himself fade into the nothing. Instinctively, he reached for her. "I love God," she muttered.
Searching in the darkness, Ruthie was able to find Murphy's matches. After striking a match, she used the light to find her bible and purse. Guided by faith as much as the matches, Ruthie navigated her way through the Maze into the Labyrinth.
She walked through the mosh pit surprised that none of them bothered her like the last time. The slam dancers, remembering Elijah Kincaid, decided to give her a safe passage. When she came to the door to the Viper Room, she discovered that it was locked.
She then decided to walk onto the stage. Seeing her, the band stopped their playing. "I need to ask a favor," she said.
The band members looked at each other. "Are you with that swordsman dude?" one of them asked.
"In a manner of speaking," Ruthie answered.
"Anything you damn well want," the lead singer told her remembering Elijah's large donation to their band.
"First, you can quit swearing," Ruthie said.
"Yes ma'am," he said.
"Second, I need to get upstairs as soon as possible," Ruthie told him.
"Can't you go out of the Labyrinth and go around upstairs?" he asked.
"That might take too long with the lines," Ruthie answered.
"Hold on, we'll see," the band leader said.
He walked over to the microphone. "Oy!" he screamed.
"This chick here is a friend of that sword dude with the big bank. She needs a favor and we're gonna give it too her. The people upstairs think that it's okay to come down but not up. We're gonna show them!" he bellowed.
The crowd roared an agreement. "All we need is someone to open the door," he bellowed into the microphone.
It took the crowd a little under a minute to dismantle the door. Ruthie walked into the Viper Room, with a small army following her. The punks growled at the yuppies and took over the dance floor. One extreme death metal fan mugged the DJ and began playing his favorite bands.
"Ya fool! Your Queen's destroying all that you've built!" Gideon barked.
"No. She is only changing it. Nothing more," MacDuff replied calmly.
"All that you have left is the Queen."
"Then take her, if you can," MacDuff challenged her.
Slowly, Gideon moved his Black Rook to take the White Queen. A flash of emerald engulfed both pieces. Gideon smiled at MacDuff, who simply shrugged. They would have to wait.
Hearing a stunned silence overtake the Viper Room, Ruthie turned to see Chandra. The regulars from the Labyrinth knew of her. Chandra hunted them in the Maze and the rules were simple. In the Maze you were hers to play with. She rarely actually killed someone. However, when she made an appearance outside the Maze, she hunted blood.
Seeing her army desert her, Ruthie held her bible close to her. Inside her pocket, she found her cross. This silver cross had been hers for years and yet it still shined as though it were new. Holding it in front of her, Ruthie attempted to ward off Chandra.
Chandra laughed.
"That is supposed to work on vampires, which I'm not."
Ruthie breathed easy for a moment. "Then what are you?" she asked.
"I'm glad you asked," she said.
Her skin turned black as hate. Giant hairy legs sprung from her sides. Her bottom half ballooned into a giant horse sized spider. Her top half remained human. A beautiful, yet hideously evil smile cracked her face revealing fangs.
"My Lord!" Ruthie cried.
"Your Lord has nothing to do with me," Chandra mocked her.
"In the name of Jesus, demon be gone!" Ruthie commanded.
In the beginning, it has been said, was the word. A surge of majestic awe washed over the room. A few of the remaining mortals thought they could hear angels singing; others swore they heard a loud golden trumpet. All of them witnessed the blue sparks erupt from the cross. A bolt of lighting leapt from the cross. It serged across the room, striking Chandra. The bolt of power scorched her flesh into ashes.
"Bastard! Ya lied! Ya didn't say she was a mage!"
"She's not," MacDuff replied.
Grimly, Gideon rose from the table. "If she's one of faith, then she gonna die!" he bellowed.
Gideon leapt from the second level, landing gracefully next to Ruthie. "Die!"
Frightened, Ruthie dropped her cross.
Moving closer to kill her, Gideon screamed as he found himself repelled by an invisible barrier. "You have broken our convent, Gideon! By all the rules that you created, all of my pieces return to the board and you lose yours," MacDuff proclaimed.
Looking up to MacDuff, Gideon screamed. "No!"
Behind Ruthie, Gideon sensed the penalty box bursting open, returning the players from the nothing. "Attention K-mart shoppers! We're back!" a voice proclaimed.
From the nothing, Bucky, Marguerite, Elijah Kincaid, Cassie, and Caliban returned. The Five united.
"The game is over, Gideon. Surrender," MacDuff told the cowboy vampire.
"The game is never over!"
Infuriated, Gideon turned his back to MacDuff charging Ruthie. Marguerite and Caliban sprinted forward to block his blows. Gideon pushed his ancient blood through his veins, giving him superhuman speed. His perceptions and reflexes matched the fly. In the space of second, he knocked Marguerite in the chin sending her across the room, hit Caliban three times, and telekinetically grabbed hold of Ruthie. Elijah Kincaid charged forward.
"Bow!" Gideon ordered Elijah.
Elijah looked like a startled deer caught in the headlights of a car then slowly he bowed. Cassie tried distracting Gideon by flying circles around him and creating mirror images of Ruthie. Gideon swatted her telekinetically and the illusions disappeared.
"Now my queen, you will die," Gideon whispered.
"Not yet, you still have one opponent," MacDuff declared.
Gideon looked up to see MacDuff float down from the second level. "So it has come to this," Gideon said.
"It should have been this way from the beginning, old friend."
Snarling, Gideon grappled MacDuff, attempting to get into a position to bite him. Gideon was almost twice as old as MacDuff. Once he claimed to have seen the crucifixion of Christ. For all of his power, Gideon was a planner not a warrior. MacDuff was the best of both worlds. Their nefarious battle extended on many planes. Physically, each of them grappled into a match of strength. In the Dreamweb, they fought a never ending battle for dominance. Magically, each tried to pierce the arcane protection of the other. As a result of the conflict, Gideon virtually ignored the others.
Bucky charged forward wildly, only to be shot down with a burst of flame. Cassie and Ruthie ran to Bucky to beat the fire out of him. Caliban extended his arm and released a bolt of fire. The flame bounced off of a telekinetic shield and for an instant flame danced around Gideon and MacDuff. Maneuvering behind the ancient vampires, Marguerite sliced into Gideon, ripping into his flesh. As the mexican vampire attempted to press her advantage, Gideon's wounds healed and she found herself pounded across the room.
Horrified, Kincaid found that he could not control his own body. Frantic, he tried to remember the Chiyanbara techniques that Tagami had taught him. Forcing his mind through mental excerises, he used his will to push through the mental domination of Gideon. Tagami had once told him that his will was strong as iron. As long as he used the Chiyanbara techniques to refresh his will, it would never rust.
Slowly, the Chiyanbara smiled and rose. The ancient vampire had lived two thousand years and still could not match the will of Elijah Kincaid. He silently stalked Gideon. Desperate, Caliban rushed forward, punching Gideon in the lower back. The force of the blow knocked both MacDuff and Gideon to the ground. Using the force of the blow, Gideon managed to roll on top of MacDuff, putting himself in a biting position. Noticing Caliban and Elijah advance, Gideon knew he could only strike at one.
While Gideon pummeled Caliban to the ground, Elijah acted. Using all of his Chiyanbara training, Elijah plunged Ascalon deep into Gideon's back. Surprisingly, the sword sizzled as though it had been set fire. Gideon shivered through the pain. Sizzling like bacon, Gideon howled. Smiling his secret smile, MacDuff bit into his ancient friend, his ancient enemy.
Gideon's ancient blood combined with his own, creating a new strain of the Blood with incredible power. MacDuff sensed his body absorb the power as his mind expanded. Their blood together created something neither could ever be. Promptly, MacDuff pushed Gideon off him, stood, and wiped the dirt from his kilt. He glanced up to see Bucky and the Five. "The game is over."
MacDuff glanced around. They were the only ones remaining in the Viper Room. "You still live, the game continues," Kincaid muttered.
Gideon wilted to ashes as the Five gathered. Kincaid maneuvered Ascalon into an offensive arc. Caliban and Marguerite flanked behind him. Cassie, in Fairy Form, sat perched on Caliban's shoulder. Ruthie, behind the others, flipped through her bible searching for the right words. Float above them, Bucky sat in the lotus position with a look of dark joy burned into his face.
MacDuff shrugged his shoulders. "Our time will come, but not now."
"There's no time like the present, homecheese," Marguerite sneered.
MacDuff laughed. "Ah, but there is Marguerite. There is indeed."
The pieces began to returned from the nothing to the board. Murphy, Morrison, and a host of Children of the Dark One assembled behind MacDuff. "This day I owe you five a great debt, leave in peace or pieces."
"Then return Sylvia to us and we will be on our way," Ruthie replied.
Rasing his eyebrow with interest, MacDuff nodded to Murphy. "If she wishes to leave she may."
"Where is she?" Marguerite asked.
"Murphy has already called for her."
Slowly sauntering down the stairs, Sylvia waved to her rescuers like a princess at a parade. There was something different about her that Ruthie just couldn't place. Although her appearance did not change in the slightest, her almond eyes looked as though she had aged twenty years instead of twenty hours. Like an actress in an old black and white glamour movie, she worked the room to her best advantage wearing a white silk dress that emphasized her feminine features. She wore her black hair long and straight.
"Are you okay, honey?" Ruthie asked.
"Of course Ruthie dear. Thanks for coming to get me," Sylvia replied with a smile. It was the fake smike of a serpent.
Marguerite growled. "You bastard, MacDuff! You didn't have to hurt her!"
"Do what?" Ruthie asked.
"I do not understand, you're friend is here," Elijah said, confused.
"They did it to her!" Marguerite howled.
Sylvia walked to Murphy, slipped her arm around his waist and grinned, revealing her fangs. "I'm afraid that the Childe begged me to Assimilate her and I just couldn't resist," Murphy taunted them.
"No," Cassie cried, partly jealous.
Marguerite's eyes turned scarlet as she stepped towards the darkness. Claws formed, prepared to rend flesh.
"Marguerite, we have to leave now! Otherwise, there'll be no one else to fight them," Elijah whispered to her.
Morrison growled at the Chiyanbara, craving a second battle, but MacDuff waved a hand. "You serve me, now. Remember that!" he commanded.
"This is not over," Elijah told the Scottish vampire.
"If it were, you would be dead. I think I shall plant you in my rose garden, it could use some fertilizer," MacDuff said casually.
Marguerite glanced at Caliban, who nodded. She grabbed onto Elijah's shoulder and dragged him back. "Save it, Dudley. There'll be another day," Marguerite whispered to him.
Ruthie walked forward without fear. "The Lord will not forget these acts of evil. Jesus haith said, 'Turn from sin, and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!' The end time is here, remember that! Turn or burn!"
Caliban whispered into Cassie's ear. "If I remember my fairy lore correctly, you can teleport us to Avalon. Is that right?" he asked.
YES.
"Tell the others, and do it when I signal," Caliban whispered.
I'M GOING TO TELEPORT US AWAY. BE READY!
"Know this MacDuff. I know you had Tagami killed. For that you will pay," Elijah told him.
"Really? And how are you going to do that?"
"We're going to kick your ass and make you like it," Marguerite growled.
"There will come a day, remember these words. In fact, you might see me faster than you think."
"No, you remember this. The night is no longer safe for your kind! Any of you!" the Chiyanbara declared.
Frustrated, Caliban nodded to Cassie. Cassie opened her Fairy Eyes and looked for the way to her ancestral home. Across time, space, and imagination, she could see Avalon, just like Ariel had shown her. Pulling the others into her soul, Cassie focused her body into a tight focused beam of emergy. Traveling by instinct, Cassie shot herself into the Dreamweb. Crossing the barrier, Cassie aimed towards the moon. To Avalon. A loving hand blocked them. A giant black hand deflected them into the Highway West.