Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:07:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Gay Writer <gaywriter72@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Druid Chapter 10

The following is a complete work of fiction.  Any resemblance to
characters and real life persons is completely coincidental.  Please do
not copy or distribute this story without the author's permission.
Author reserves all rights to this story.

Disclaimer:

The following story contains violence and erotic homosexual situations
and content.  If it is illegal for you to read this, please leave now.
If after reading this disclaimer, you find yourself surprised by the
content, you should be slapped.



Chapter 10

Dark Horizon



The rising sun blazed against the back of my eyelids and the chill of the
autumn morning made me want to dig deeper into the warmth of Bry's body.
The frost filled air caused an involuntary shudder in my chest as I yawned.

I pulled Bry's arm around me and tried to squirm deeper into the covers to
hide the small bits of flesh that were exposed to the cold during my
night's slumber.  He let out a gasp as I twisted around and buried my face
into his warm chest.  The tip of my nose felt like ice, and I tried to hide
from the frigid air and memories that threatened to tear me permanently
from my sleep.

"Morning Ty."  Bry's fingers trailed through my tangled hair, pulling
against the night's work of knots and pillow-made curls.

I responded with a grunt.

"Rise and shine beautiful; we have to pack."  I wanted to cry.  That piece
of spoken reality destroyed any illusions I had of sleeping later into the
day.

Sliding up the length of his chest in a stretch, I looked higher and found
his loving deep green eyes staring back at me.  I couldn't help but smile,
and trailed my fingertips along the curve of his jaw.  It tapered to his
chin but promised a prominent square line in adulthood.  He was beautiful,
even now, with his crazy mess of blond hair and warm emerald eyes.  Dusting
the line of his jaw with my lips, I kissed him gently on the parcel of skin
beside his ear.

Sitting up, I let my head hang and breathed a heavy sigh as the blue
comforter gathered at my hips.  I was happy with my wraith-like body and
took a moment to admire my narrow waist.  I'm not packed with muscle, but
my work around the house, and my diet, keep me lean.

I needed a shower and a hot cup of coffee.  Shadow kicked her legs out and
I felt the sharp ends of her toenails graze my back.  Our movement woke her
and she didn't seem any happier at finding the dawn than I was.

The last remnants of my morning 'tension' withered as I threw back the
covers and let the cool air assault my flesh.  I crawled out of bed and
heard Bry follow.  The crunch and creak of bed springs told me I wouldn't
spend my morning misery alone.  I liked the cold weather when I slept.  The
brisk air would make me burrow so deep into the covers I might never see
daylight, but I always rose with the sun.  Climbing out into the crisp
surroundings, however, was another thing.  Fall mornings in Illinois are
not your friend.

It was November; the smell of earth, dried leaves, almost sausage, and
coffee filled the air.  'Thank the gods, they were already up.'  A smile
spread across my cheeks with the thought.  The uncles had already started
breakfast.

We shambled, zombie-like, down the hall to the bathroom.  I turned the
shower knob labeled 'H' as far as it would go, and gave the 'C' a barely
perceptible nudge.  The hot spray of water gradually changed the bathroom
into a mist-filled sauna.  We stepped beneath the raining torrent of heat
and came to life under the cascade of steamy rivers flowing down our skin.

My mind told me we were clean, but my body seemed to have other ideas.
Bry's rigid manhood mirrored my own as we slowly pressed against each other
in a lingering kiss.  Our hips ground together in a slow rhythm as our
mouths danced against each other.  At one point I thought I might
suffocate, but let my worries go as a strange burning sensation erupted
along the skin of my neck beneath my ears.  My lungs filled with a fresh
breath of humid air. I ran my hands along the silk-like skin of his back
and pulled him into me even tighter.  Our frenzied embrace continued until
release.  I felt him shudder against me as we spilled new warmth between
us.

At that moment, I felt my heart open and touch his.  The rhythmic beating
in our chests filled my ears as our souls joined.  We were one being,
complete, and I knew we were now in another place.  The sweet smell of
lilac filled the air and I felt the blaze of heat from the sun shining
overhead.

"You lost the bet!"  Doris' voice echoed in the wind.  It was something
spoken from far away, but found me as if the words had been whispered into
my ear.

"Later, my love." Galen's voice resonated with the same hollow echo.

I reared back as if stung by a bee, and marveled at our surroundings.  Bry
and I stood in a field of waist high grass that swayed in a gentle breeze.
Looking out, it reminded me of the ocean.  The lazy plants bent away from
the warm breath of wind like currents of water.  It was a landscape of
rolling green lit by the blazing warmth of the sun.  We stood atop a hill,
across from Galen and Doris.  The wind pulled my shoulder length brown hair
behind me and the feathery touch tickled my back, as the earth seemed to
breathe in and out.

'Doris!"  I couldn't contain the joy in my voice, and didn't want to.

Blue light trailed along the edges of her petite form.  Her fiery red hair
and piercing green eyes were the same as when she and Galen had battled.  I
don't know why, but seeing her comforted me.  I missed her.  They both
continued on, and it put my mind at ease.

Galen stood beside Doris in a different but equally bright white light.  He
was as young as I remembered seeing him, and he was smiling.  I can't
remember seeing him do that before and it warmed my heart.  They were
together at last.

Their forms seemed to wink out of sight and draw closer.  They were
crossing the distance between us without taking steps.  It wasn't the
covert movement of rooting.  They simply shifted as we watched them blink
in and out of sight, drawing closer and closer.  Soon they stood before us.
Their forms were a strange contrast to what I had become accustomed to in
the past.  There were no illusions.

"We come with a warning and a gift."  Galen's voice echoed across the
landscape as if bouncing back from the sky itself.

Galen and Doris clasped hands.  Together they reached out with open palms
toward us.  A small white sphere emerged above their fingertips and
lingered in the air.

"Your time is short young druids.  This will speed you along your way."
Doris spoke the words in a sure and level voice as the balls of light shot
forward and into our chests.  A gust of wind buffeted our bodies, as the
spheres seemed to grow and merge with our souls.

"I'm sorry to pass this burden on to you."  Galen looked to Bry and
continued, "But, if you cannot dissuade Asher from his search for his
brother Lucif, you must destroy him.  You cannot risk the balance."

"WHAT!?"  Even with our new abilities, I didn't believe we could destroy
Slegna.

It had never been attempted and I wasn't about to try.  Even with our
recently acquired knowledge and abilities I knew it was an unthinkable act.
Who in their right mind would ever consider killing the oldest of things?
That is what and who Asher and Lucif are.  They are Slegna: beings beyond
time.

"You have a destiny, and there is a price to pay if you invoke free will.
Choose wisely."  Their forms wavered before us and a white blast of light
pushed us back to our reality beneath the less than warm spray in the
shower.

The water heater failed in its task to keep up with the demand, and we now
stood shivering in the tepid spray.  I reached down and gave the knobs a
few quick turns to staunch the flow.

"We can't kill him Bry."  I stepped out onto the cold tile floor and
steadied myself by grabbing the towel holder.

"You can't... but I can."  Bry stepped out behind me and held my shoulder
for balance.

The low hollow tone of his voice made me pause, and I turned my head to
look at him.  His ominous words worried me.  I had seen his darker side
once before.  It was after I fought the bullies during my brief stint in
'public' school.  He absolutely reveled in their defeat and there had been
an almost sinister glint in his eyes.  The expression on his face now, was
the same as it was then.  A dark, resolute wave of emotion pulsed through
him and subsided.

"By the way, you might want to lose the gills."  I jumped hearing the
words.

I was lost in thought and his statement startled me.  He turned to look at
me and a grin dimpled his cheeks.  My sweet Bry emerged as if someone had
flicked a switch in his mind.

"We'll talk about it later.  How about some breakfast?"  I wanted
desperately to change the topic.

"Gills?"  It took a moment for what he said to register in my mind.

Standing in front of the fogged mirror, I ran my palm over the glass to get
a better view of myself.  My dark brown, almost black eyes stared back at
me.  Normally, my mess of wavy coffee brown hair would be my first concern.
I spent many mornings staring at the thin line of my nose above my square
jaw and imagined how I might change it.  I suppose it is a person's nature
to pick out flaws that do, or do not, exist in our own appearance.  Today
something new stole my focus.

I brought my hand back and trailed my fingertips along the delicate ruffles
of skin.  There were five slits of flesh, like open wounds, on either side
of my neck.  They flared and relaxed with each breath I took.  Well... now
I knew what caused that burning sensation while we kissed.  My awe quickly
turned to worry, and I felt a lump begin to form in my throat.  Bry
chuckled as he watched my terror unfold.

I calmed myself with a deep breath.  'No longer required.' I thought the
words and my worry faded as the slits sealed.  Pink lines were all that
remained, and they quickly returned to the natural tan color of my skin.

Bry gave me a quick peck on the cheek and chuckled.  "I would have told you
sooner, but we were kind of interrupted."

I wanted to protest, but couldn't fight the growing smile on my face.  It
wasn't his fault I had become part fish.  I suppose I should have been a
little less zealous during our embrace.

After we finished toweling ourselves dry, we skittered down the cool
hallway.  Finally in our bedroom, I shut the door quickly as though it
might give us some higher degree of warmth.  'Our bedroom' The thought made
me pause.  Everything was moving so quickly.  'We' and 'Our' had replaced
'Me' and 'Mine', but I couldn't remember exactly when it had happened.  It
felt natural, but the realization was a bit unsettling.  He had slipped
into my heart, and my world, and was now a part of me.  I felt a strange
and petty emotion flood my chest.  I suppose it is silly, but in some
strange way I mourned for the loss of things that were only mine.  The
emotion was short lived as I watched the one I loved..

Bry shivered as he hunched over the drawers, rifling for clothes.  His legs
were pressed together and his arms clung to his sides, giving an image of
some frenzied ancient T-Rex.  Every few seconds I'd fail in my attempts to
stifle giggles as he slung a sweatshirt or other piece of clothing
backward, without care of where it fell.  He was getting clothing for both
of us instead of just covering himself to escape the cold.  He thought of
me before himself and it warmed my heart.

My giddy thoughts were pushed away by worry.  Bry was such a polar being
that his mood shifts frightened me.  He went from darkness to light at a
moment's notice.  We'd have to discuss it later.

Bry finally finished slinging clothes this way and that, and began to
dress.  Taking his queue I began to dress as well.  More necessity than
ritual, I pulled on socks and underwear first, and then the bulkier stuff.
In the summer I went without underclothes.  During the autumn months every
layer was necessary to protect my nether regions from the cold.

I moved to the door and rested my hand on the knob.  Turning, I found deep
teal eyes staring back at me.  I had heard of people whose eyes changed
color, but had never actually seen it first hand.  His eyes seemed to shift
from the greyest tint of jade to the exotic depth of emerald and sometimes
the oceanic blue-green that stared back at me now.

"Hey.  Promise me something okay?"  Bry stood looking at me as though I had
just grown a second head.

"Sure, anything."  His eyes lifted and he tilted his head forward as if
bearing down and preparing himself for something ridiculous.

"Promise we will take time to talk before we go to meet Asher."  I felt
worry furrow my brows as I asked.

Bry's shoulders lifted and fell with a shrug as he smiled.  "Okay."  It
wasn't a flippant reply, but one more of confusion.  He didn't have the
burden of my concern, and I suppose the request seemed a bit odd.

"Thanks Bry."  I twisted the doorknob and walked into the hallway.

"C'mon Shadow."  I slapped my leg to get her attention and to let her know
I meant 'Now'.  We spoke with as much body language as we did words.  She
knew me and my ways as well as I knew hers.

The three of us tromped down the stairs like a herd of elephants.  Our
heavy footfalls echoed along the stairwell and announced our impending
arrival, like a stampede.  I went straight for the side door as Bry
squeezed into the chair between the wall and the kitchen table.  I pushed
against the frosted glass of the screen door and let Shadow out to go about
her morning business.  She would scratch when she was finished.  Giving the
yard and sky one last glance, I turned and walked back into the kitchen.
There were no threats that I could sense.  She would be safe for the time
being.  I didn't close the heavy wooden door and left the storm door as the
only barrier against the cold of morning.  I wanted as little as possible
blocking my path should Shadow need me.  I was going to miss her and hoped
that we wouldn't be away from home for long.

I sat down at the table across from Bry and we began loading our plates.
The clink of metal against glass filled the air as we skewered our
breakfast of choice.  The coffee was already poured and sat steaming only
inches away.  This was definitely a special morning.  Normally, I was
elated with the simple fact that the coffee was brewing.  To have it
already poured was just over and beyond.  Something wasn't quite right.

I chewed tough crisps of almost bacon while studying the design on the ugly
yellow and brown tablecloth beneath my plate.  Paisley could keep a mind
busy, but not enough to deter my thoughts from our recent visitors or the
pre-poured coffee I sipped.

I heard the scrape of Shadow's nails against the door and left my place at
the table.  The scratch of metal seemed to catch Mark and Kent's attention
as I stood.  They looked up from their plates, and then quickly down again,
and continued to fiddled with their food.  I let Shadow in the door and
then put her breakfast on the floor.  She ate leisurely as I ran my fingers
through her grey curls.  Giving her one last quick scratch, I went back to
my chair and stood against its back.

"Okay you two, what's up?"  I wasn't in the mood for more mystery and I
couldn't help the angry tone of my voice.

A strange burst of air erupted from Kent as he coughed and hacked.  He had
nearly choked on his latest mouthful of bacon.

"Nothing.  Why do you ask?"  Mark's voice wavered and was less than
convincing.

Tapping my foot, I shifted my eyes to Kent and then back to Mark.
"Bullshit."

My one word reply drew everyone's attention as I watched Mark's eyes widen.
He sighed in defeat and looked to Kent.  Finding no help there, he released
another deep tension filled breath.

"You're going to be leaving us for the first time, and we're worried about
you two.  It won't be the same as when you went to school.  We could keep
an eye on you then."  His uneven voice did little to hide his concern.

Mark's forehead was creased with worry and his eyebrows furrowed together
above his hazel eyes.  His short-cropped blond hair seemed to lighten as I
noted the beginnings of grey at his temples.

"We'll miss you too, Uncle Mark.  We're not going to be gone forever.
We'll be fine."  I smiled, hoping that the words might comfort him.

"We'll take care of each other.  Please don't worry."  Bry reached out and
gave Mark's shoulder a light squeeze.

I walked around the table and gave Mark a hug from behind and felt a small
shudder roll through him.  Kent had that 'What?  No hug for me?' look, so I
walked over and gave him a squeeze and a peck on his forehead.

"Let's finish breakfast before you two have us locked in a dungeon for our
own protection."  I watched Mark's face change expression as his mind
wrapped around the idea.  There was a subtle tug on his heart as I pulled
the chair back and sat down.

"Don't even think about it."  I chuckled and snatched the last remaining
piece of 'almost bacon' from my plate.

After finishing our breakfast, we made short work of the morning dishes.
My mind wandered as I watched the small flecks of dust float in the
sunlight.  They hovered lazily in the sun's rays shining through our
kitchen window.  Kent cleared his throat, pulling me back to reality, and I
turned to see what he wanted.  It was a familiar sound that meant you were
to give him your undivided attention.

"Ty, Bry, come sit, and bring the coffee pot.  We have a few things to
discuss."  Kent's voice was steady and held a serious tone.

Bry rounded the table and squeezed into what was now his spot between the
table and the wall.  I filled our cups and sat the coffee pot back onto the
burner on the counter.  Adding a couple of spoonfuls of sugar, I brought
the spoon with me as I rested my cup on the ugly paisley tablecloth and sat
down at the table.

"You know we are well off and money is of no concern to us.  Our family's
investments during the past few generations have been more than fruitful.
We will need to book you both a flight to Orlando, and get you each a debit
card from the bank."  A smile crept across his face as he watched the
realization of what he said sink into my mind.

"How'd you know we were going to Florida?" Bry apparently found the meaning
in his words before I did.

"It's been your every thought since you came crashing down the stairs.
'Asher and Florida' We weren't prying, it's just that you were thinking it
so loud we couldn't help but hear."  Mark grinned and took a sip of his
coffee.

"We won't be booking a flight.  We'll blink there.  I'd rather not leave a
paper trail for anyone to follow."  It was my turn to grin as Mark and Kent
were left wondering.

Mark leaned forward and squinted his eyes.  "You'll 'blink' there?"  The
tone of his voice told me he expected an explanation.

"It's a different form of travel, but we'll need to practice before we go.
I don't want to accidentally emerge in a wall or something worse.  Galen
and Doris gave us the knowledge and ability."  That we gained the ability
after our coupling in the shower, was a tidbit of information I thought
they could do without.

The impromptu visit was special, though not exactly timely, and I didn't
know if the uncles would understand.  We were linked with Doris and Galen
in a way that I didn't understand myself, and I didn't want to offer
details about something I couldn't explain.

"At dusk, we'll need to cast 'The Call'."  My eyes rested on Kent as shock
raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, we know there are quite a few things you neglected to explain to us,
but they are not what's important now.  We're running out of time."  The
surprise on Kent's face melted into one of worry as he looked away from me
and now focused on Mark.

"I'm so sorry.  We had hoped the old legends were only stories.  I..."
Mark's shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh.

"It's alright Uncle Mark.  You meant the best."  Bry's dimpled smile chased
away some of the oppressive gloom that slithered about the room.

A gnawing at the back of my mind made me pause and twist in my chair as if
expecting to find something or someone behind me.  There was still hope,
although the ominous feeling seemed to grow and press against me like ants
crawling along my skin.  Our dark mood was neither natural nor accidental.

"Shit!"  My chair slammed against the floor as I jumped to my feet.

"Extrak^Â!"  With my arms raised, I pushed the light of my soul outward in
all directions.

A blinding white flash burst from my chest and an anguished cry echoed
through the room from some far away place.  It was much closer than that
however.  The question now, was how long had it had hidden in the shadows?
I could only assume the worst.

---

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