Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 15:23:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Gay Writer <gaywriter72@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Druid - Chapter 15

Chapter 15
The Facets of Morality



	I focused on the borrowed memory of Asher's face, and held Bry's
hand, as we traveled through the space it took to get from our home in
Illinois to the streets of Orlando, Florida.  Blinking is a fabulous form
of travel, but a bit disorienting.  The world flashes by in a chaotic blur
of land and structures morphing the landscape like a swirl of drifting
sand.  I wasn't exactly sure we were where we wanted to be until I felt the
heat and damp air of night press against my skin.

      We were close, but far enough away to borrow the benefit of a dark
corner as we faded into existence in the shadows.  I could sense Asher a
few blocks away, and I suspected the distant beat of music would lead us to
him.

	"He's nearby."  Bry closed himself off.  His voice was without
emotion, and I couldn't sense anything from him.

	"We need to prepare before we enter the club.  Defensive spells
only, Bry.  I don't want to give Asher the wrong impression."  I glanced
over at Bry, and felt my brow furrow with worry.

	"Hey!  You listening to me?"  I placed my hand on his shoulder,
hoping to bring him back from whatever dark place that was stealing his
thoughts.

	"Huh?!"  Bry jumped as though he had been shocked, and stammered,
"Uh..  Yeah... I'm fine, sorry.  I was just preparing my spells."

	He turned his emerald eyes to the pavement below and I had to
wonder if there was more than that wandering about in his mind.  I eyed him
from head to tow.  Layer upon layer of magick covered and writhed just
above his skin.  He wasn't holding anything back.  Every spell I had ever
known, and a few that I didn't, swirled around him like a blanket of power.
'We are as ready as we are ever going to be,' I thought as I lifted Bry's
chin and gazed into his eyes.

	"Remember, we're on a mission of peace."  I knew I shouldn't have
to remind him but, for some reason, I felt compelled to say it.

	His expression softened and his dimples appeared as he grinned back
at me.  The Bry I loved was with me and I let out a tense breath I didn't
know I was holding.  It was dusk when we left, but the brief moments it
took for us to travel from Illinois to Florida were enough for the sun to
dip beyond the horizon.  The shadows of the alley were thick, black, and
tangible.  In the fields, and beneath the trees of home, there always
seemed to be some color in the moon light.  Even in the darkest corners,
the subtle grey-blue edges and surfaces came to life.  Too many buildings
and pollution made these shadows empty, and gave them a depth too great to
fathom.

	In place of clean air, scented with rich earth and wild flowers,
there was the metallic taint of automobile exhaust and an acrid filth that
rode the wind like a heavy blanket in the sultry night.  I found myself
struggling to breath, but finally settled myself, knowing that this was as
good as it was going to get.  We were in the city.  In this place even the
stars could not shine.  I knew that they were there, but the ambient light
stole that beauty away as well.

	"Alright then, let's go."  I ran my fingers through Bry's feather
soft hair and leaned in for a brief kiss.

	As we stepped out of the alley, and walked along the sidewalk
toward the steady thump of the night club a few blocks ahead, a blue neon
sign sliced through the darkness like a knife.  It wasn't long before I was
able to read the words.  'Big Bang'

	We were about two blocks away from the nightclub when I felt them
in the shadows and stopped.

	Bry nodded and we pressed up against the building we were passing.
The cold brick against my back did little to calm me as yellow vampire eyes
flashed in the shadows, watching.  The vampires emerged with silent
snake-like grace.  They were on both sides of the street, in front of us,
and drew closer with every second.

	"We mean you no harm."  My voice betrayed me and wavered as I
spoke.

	"Ohhh.... No matter.  We only want a taste.  You smell so sweet!"
The words hissed from above.

      Before I was able to see who replied, a clawed hand shot out and took
an angry hold of Bry's hair.  As he was being lifted off his feet, Bry
gripped his attacker and an inhuman cry echoed off the surrounding brick
and concrete.  A vampire had come down from the roof, climbing the wall
like some lizard might a tree.  I had, once again, failed to take notice of
all my surroundings as Galen had once instructed.  Death consumed the
vampire as Bry pulled him from the wall.  He landed with all the grace of a
broken, long since rotted, piece of wood, and splintered just as violently.
His body became a grey spray of ash that shot outward in all directions.
Bry used 'Death's Hand' now like it was second nature and its destructive
power was absolute.

      "Get Back!  If this is what my touch alone can do, you can only
imagine what I am capable of."  Bry's words were cold, and vicious, but
without a hint of anger and it made my heart ache.  We were too young to
harbor such hatred and yet I knew he did.  I could feel it pouring from his
skin like sweat.

      I raised my arms and cloaked the area in darkness.  No eyes would
witness what was about to unfold.  Midnight air, black as pitch, surrounded
us and closed us off as though we were some forgotten shadows.  While the
others didn't seem to care to hide the goings on of our world, I felt
compelled to keep this horror ours alone.

      "Ahhh witches.  I haven't tasted a witch in centuries."  The voice
was hollow and ancient.  The accent was European, though I couldn't place
the origin.  "And such reverence for humans.  How quaint.  You hide us so
they can continue to live in ignorance.  A pity, really.  We could have
dined on the witnesses for dessert."

      A black haired man of average height and slender frame stepped into
the light of a nearby street lamp.  The shadows of his sunken eyes and
drawn cheeks gave him a sinister appearance and a macabre expression, as
his fanged smile glinted back from the darkness.  Dressed all in black, he
might have seemed like any other Goth or Emo kid out for a night on the
town, but he was something else; a creature of death.

      "Let us pass, and no one else will have to die." Bry's words again
cut the silence with their hard edges and I was beginning to wonder if a
battle was inevitable.

      "Seems to me you have only two hands, witch, and there are so many of
us."  Flashes of fangs and the reflection of animal eyes shifted in the
shadows.

      "Which of you wishes to die first to get your next meal?" Bry asked.

      "We've come to see Asher.  I suspect he wouldn't appreciate you being
the reason we've kept him waiting."  My voice was steadier this time, and I
hoped he feared Asher as much as he should.

      The vampire blanched at my words but recovered almost instantly.  A
hushed whisper of thoughts floated past my mind and back again.  I couldn't
understand the words, but knew that he was announcing our arrival as much
as verifying what I said to be true.

      The other vampires faded into the darkness with hushed hisses and
only the one remained, draped in the eerie glow of the street light.

      "Another time, perhaps.  It seems you're expected.  Incidentally, my
name is Luseus.  It will make our next meeting so much more personal."  He
chuckled and then faded into the surrounding darkness.

      "We are Druids... not witches you piece of shit."  Bry grinned at his
witty reply and then snickered as he elbowed me in the side.

      "Ahhhh Druid... you tempt my palate..."  The haunting voice seemed to
echo from the walls without any origin and a shiver rolled across my skin.

      I lifted the veil of darkness and glared at Bry with as much
disapproval as I could muster while gazing into his beautiful green eyes.
I was pissed, frightened, and he was picking a fight!

      He turned to face me and his grin morphed into a pout.  I wanted so
badly to scold him, to do anything but what my heart told me, but I
softened.  I couldn't look into those eyes and keep my anger.

      "You really have to work on your control, Bry.  You're going to get
us fucking killed!"  I exhaled more tension than I knew I had, and
continued.  "I don't think I could take it if something happened to you.
Please be more careful... for me?"  My rant became a plea in a matter of
seconds and I wanted to kick myself for not keeping my resolve.

      I couldn't help but wonder if maybe we should have done this later.
Another time, after we were better prepared.  The only problem, of course,
was that time was running out and we didn't have that luxury.  Every act
seemed a race toward our destruction, and we were quickly falling behind
schedule.  The world would have to excuse my reluctance to hasten to an
uncertain end.

      A young gypsy greeted us at the door.  His name tag said his name was
Patrick.  His surprise was almost comical.  He was in the middle of making
change for the $20 dollar bill I gave him, when he paused and glanced back
at us.  His eyes danced along the swirls of magick that surrounded us and
he reached out to touch the layers of usually invisible power.  I knew he
was gypsy, but his ability to see what most could not told me he was more.

      He jerked back, and gasped in surprise, while I studied his features.
The square jaw, his above average height and solid bone structure told me
he was more Nephillim than gypsy, though I doubt he knew his lineage.
Still, he had the exotic black hair and olive skin that hid and subdued his
true nature.  He may have looked like a gypsy, but he possessed a Grigori's
soul, which meant he was the last of his Nephilliac line.

      When the Grigori were brought into existence, they were given a
greedy soul.  They are the protectors that God put on this little ball of
dirt to watch over his sons, Lucif and Asher.  Soon, they became bored and
lay with women, creating a breed called 'The Nephillim'.  They were born
with knowledge of magick and the workings of the universe and, boy, did it
piss God off.  While the Goddess didn't see to take much notice, God was in
a fit.  And so, before the fall of Asher, they were cursed.  Their greedy
soul would remain that; a singular thing never to join with another.
Love's embraces spawned creatures of half life and shattered souls: the
Nephillim.

      As it happened, the Grigori didn't have the stamina for eternity and
found out too late that giving pieces of themselves to their offspring made
them weak and hopeful for the sweet release of oblivion.  When they passed,
the meager remnants of their soul fell into place amongst their offspring
until finally, when only one remained, they were finally whole again.
Patrick was one such soul, though he didn't know it or, if he did, was
hiding that knowledge extremely well.

      "We're here to see Asher."  I smiled and held out my hand waiting for
my change.

      "What the hell's wrong with you tonight.  Give the guy his money!"
Doc stood next to him and elbowed Patrick in the side.

      The man was much older than Patrick, in his early 50's and, as with
Patrick, the nametag gave his name as Doc, though I suspected it wasn't his
birth name.  His once fiery red hair was dulled from the passage of time
and now sported a color more similar to the faded oranges of sunset.  As is
with most men his age, his weight had settled in his mid section, and his
buttoned blue shirt did little to camouflage his lack of exercise.  Still,
I could sense a virile, almost militant, skill within him.  He was
proficient with the firearm that was stowed snuggly beneath his shirt and
tucked into the back of his jeans.  The black blazer he wore was open in
front and hid his weapons well.  He was a dangerous man, but also prudent,
and his hazel eyes studied us steadily.

      "You two enjoy yourselves and stay out of trouble tonight.  I'd hate
to have to toss you out into the street."  Doc laughed as Patrick handed me
back my change.

      "We're just here for a good time, like everyone else."  I returned
Doc's warning with a weak smile, but his message was clear; he wouldn't put
up with any bullshit.

      Doc's intense stare didn't wane as he nodded and his lips curled into
a mock smile.  A line was growing behind us and we opened the door to step
into the club.  The blast of noise and the steady thump of the bass shook
my chest and made me want to cover my ears.  We wove our way through the
vampires and other, less supernatural, patrons and found a corner that kept
us in the shadows.  The gyrating bodies and uninhibited roaming hands made
me want to go screaming into the night, but we were finally able to find a
relatively molestation-free area.

      The throbbing in my skull was just starting to fade when the music
stopped and an announcer stepped onto stage.

      "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's show time!"  A feeling of pure power
crawled over my flesh like white heat and static electricity.

      I felt Bry's arm shudder against mine.  He had felt it too, and we
both looked in the direction of Asher in awe. The crowd parted as he
entered from a side door and stood in the darkness.  His skin glowed white,
like a cemetery monument in the light of the moon.  In the pitch black,
however, it gave him an ominous look.

	In the time it takes to blink, Asher stood beside the announcer.
He moved impossibly fast that I didn't even notice a blur of color.  He was
powerful, and a wave of fear rolled through me.  I sincerely doubted we
would stand a chance in a fight, and I silently prayed we wouldn't have to
find out.  Of course, things seldom go as well as I would like.  Fate and
destiny have a fun time with the jokes they play in our lives.

	"Ooo dinner AND a show!"  Bry's whispered mocking tone startled me
and I had to fight the urge to laugh.

	He had gone to that place deep inside himself and now I could sense
nothing from him.  I suppose I should have paid more attention, but there
were so many people in the bar that I had to shield myself from the
onslaught of emotion.

      "Good evening.  Seth has retired, and I am the new proprietor of this
establishment.  Thank you all for coming.  We have a very special show for
you this evening.  Please welcome Bry and Ty."  The crowd erupted in
applause as a second spotlight lit our small corner.

      I felt Asher's mind probe at mine, but was able to block the
intrusion.  The heavy weight of his mind lifted and then shifted to Bry.
He flinched with the impact and I wondered if at least some of what he was
thinking was now known to Asher.

      The sharp beam from the nightclub spotlight lit Asher's smile and
gave his features a sharp edge.  I wasn't sure why he was smiling, and I
hoped that whatever he found in Bry's mind wasn't the reason.

      "We are not part of your show, Asher.  We only want to speak with
you."  For once, my voice didn't betray me and was calm and steady.

      "First, you will entertain the crowd.  Then we might speak.  That is,
of course, if you survive."  Every muscle and tendon seemed to tighten with
Asher's reply.

      There was going to be a battle, whether I wanted one or not, and
there was no use in hesitating.  We couldn't go in unprepared as we did
with Lillith.  This creature, Asher, was more dangerous, and much older.  I
called a storm.

	Angry, rolling grey clouds of mist billowed out above the crowd.
The storm grew along the ceiling and seemed to pulse outward filling every
crevice.  Flashes of lightning curled along the violent grey, and thunder
shook the room.

      "Let the show begin."  Asher's words cut through the chaotic storm
and echoed back from the walls, vibrating the foundation of the building.

      It was time to make our move.  Bry gave a barely perceptible nod and
we blinked to the stage.  I was to Asher's front, but just off to the side,
while Bry stood directly in front of him.  Calling the winds, a tornado
force gale blasted outward in all directions, tossing people like leaves
into the distance.  Asher's muscles tensed as Bry blinked behind him and
placed both his hands where wings once grew.

      Asher fell to his knees with an anguished scream, and it was then
that I saw the thick black Slegna blood oozing from Bry's talon-like
fingers.  He was going to kill Asher.

      "Bry!  You promised me."  Another scream was wrenched from Asher's
dying body.

      The club seemed to inhale, and then exhale as my tempest faded and a
wave of vampires approached.

      "Bry!"  As the storm abated, he seemed to crawl back from his private
place of darkness.

      He jerked his hands back and Asher's lifeless body slumped to the
floor.  Time seemed to stop as I sent out a blast of light from my raised
hand.  It wasn't enough to char the patrons of the club, but did send them
scurrying deeper into the safety of the shadows.

      One vampire remained.  His name was David, and I delved into his mind
as I let the light fade.  He was more than singed by the magick, but didn't
retreat.  His rage-filled green eyes threatened death, but he came no
closer.  There was a bond between these two, Asher and David, but I
wouldn't call it love.  Then again, who was I to say?
These... creatures... seemed more like a pack of rabid wolves, but I
suppose even wolves have mates.

      David was young and beautiful, or at least he was when a vampire
claimed him.  His skin had since lost its luster of life, but his form was
still flawless.  He was almost too slender, as though he had missed too
many meals before the change stole his life, but there was power and
muscle.  David wasn't the strongest vampire in the silent darkness that
filled the room, but he was the only one that stood against us.

      I knelt and placed my hand on Asher's bloodied back and searched for
whatever life might remain.  There was still a soul, but it shifted in and
out as though death had removed whatever boundaries held it in place.

      "I need your help, David.  We don't have much time."  A shuffling
noise caught my attention and I spun around to face the side of the stage.
Anthoni was huddled in the corner.

      "Anthoni" speaking his name made him jump, and I worried he might
run.  "Get Patrick and meet us behind stage."

      Anthoni paused for a moment unwilling to move.  "NOW!"

      "David, pick Asher up and follow me."  He eyed me suspiciously, but
advanced, and soon stood on the stage cradling Asher in his arms.

      Through all of this I hadn't spoken a word to Bry.  I was angry with
him, but that wasn't the real reason.  I simply didn't know what to say.
He hadn't exactly broken his promise.  Our visit hadn't gone according to
plan, and Asher didn't make a friendly meeting possible.

      I stood and held my hand out to Bry.  "Show's over, folks!  Thanks
for coming."  With Bry's hand in mine, I pulled him into a short bow as we
faced the crowd.

      "Steve!  Play something the people can dance to!"  I nodded to a
booth that loomed over the corner of the dance floor.

      The last of my storm dissipated as a crack of thunder traveled
through the room and then bounced back again, shaking my chest.

      "Lead the way." I stared into David's angry eyes and he turned.  We
followed as he carried Asher off to the side.

      Backstage wasn't exactly what I had expected.  Lighting equipment and
a jungle of cords made rushing through the cluttered darkness almost
impossible.  I wanted to see more, considering I had never been 'Back
Stage' anywhere, but now wasn't the time and the silly thought embarrassed
me.  David looked back and caught me smiling as we moved through a maze of
waist high speakers, amps, and other large black pieces of equipment I
couldn't identify.

      David paused at a door with a 'Private' sign taped in the center.  I
felt Patrick and Anthoni approaching from behind but didn't turn to look at
them.  It was relief enough that they even bothered to return.

      "He's not allowed."  David's hissed the words, and I could sense his
apprehension about breaking the rules, even though he held the one who
enforced them.

      "He is now... get moving."  David's green eyes raged at me as my
command met his ears.

      It was a command.  We didn't have any more time, and I wasn't going
to sit and argue about who and why we all had to be here.  I heard a small
click before David pushed open the door and we followed.  Overhead,
florescent lights burned my eyes as we crowded ourselves into a cramped
room with a massive, ancient looking, stone door at the far end.  The sound
of grinding of stone on stone filled the small space and we were again
walking forward.

      The door led to a stairway that descended into the earth.  Light from
artificial, gas-fueled torches cast obscure shadows, and the sounds of our
feet scuffing against the stone steps filled the air.  We halted at the
bottom of the stairwell, and again the grinding of stone was heard.
Another monolithic door opened ahead of us, and we entered a large chamber.

      We weren't alone.  Vampires not already in the club stared from the
shadows as we entered.  Torches lined the walls at intervals too great to
see our surroundings well.  The putrid smell of stagnant air told me this
place was so old that it was now virtually forgotten.  Even the stone walls
around us seemed to carry a stench of age and death.  The floor was
littered with silks and plush cushions of all colors.  At the far end of
the room was a massive, roughly cut, stone chair covered in similar
fashion.  It was a throne, for lack of a better word, but I couldn't
imagine any other purpose for such an obtrusive structure in this erotic
decay.

      "Everyone out!"  David's command was met with several hisses from the
shadows.

      The walls seemed to shift and writhe in the shadowy tendrils of
firelight.  I could feel them circling, but they were definitely not
leaving.  Magick filled the air like heavy static before lightning finds
its target.  We didn't have time for this shit!  Bry rested his hand on my
shoulder, and my breath caught, as though it had somehow snagged itself
within my throat.

      "Get out now... or die."  It was a whisper, a wind whisper.  The
hushed words traveled through the room to each and every person like a
thousand voices.

      I looked at Bry and let out my breath.  The well of power and the
whispers seemed to convince our company to leave.  A stranger feeling was
the push of energy I felt from Patrick.  The look of surprise on his face
said that this was something new for him as well, but we would have to
discuss it later.

      The vampires retreated deeper into the catacombs.  Each door that led
to the chamber closed, and heavy locks could be heard clicking and latching
in place.

      "I can't..."  David didn't finish his sentence.  He winced, and then
spun around and glared at Bry.

      "Do that again, witch, and I will kill you where you stand."  Bry
wasn't gentle when he pushed into David's mind, and it hurt.  Not only was
it rude, but painful.

      "Please forgive us, but we must hurry."  David's rage rushed over me
like a violent storm, and then clawed back like frozen winter's breath.

      The weight in David's arms caused an ache in his cold heart and I
recognized it.  It was love and loss.  Somehow, these creatures did love.
I suppose even a wounded and twisted soul can love.  It seemed that David
was the true victim this evening.  Asher had underestimated us, and his
arrogance made a difficult situation nearly impossible.  It almost made me
want to laugh, thinking one so perfect could make a mistake.  Then again, I
suppose that is why Asher was here, on this planet, with the rest of us.

      The pain on David's face stole away my awkward thoughts.  We watched
as Bry lifted his arm and waved the stone throne to the side as though he
were saying good-bye to it.  It slid as if it were nothing, and we rushed
down another set of stone stairs that descended deeper into the earth.

      We moved with preternatural speed now, but still the trip seemed to
take longer than I thought it should.  Finally finding the end of the long
stairwell, we paused only a moment before Bry waved the stone away that
blocked the entrance.  He turned and gestured back where we had come from,
and we listened to the throne grind back into place.

      Finally, in the main chamber, I made a quick assessment of our
surroundings.  The stone ceiling was at least eighteen feet high, supported
by giant pillars that interrupted the view at thirty-foot intervals.  There
were four pillars supporting the ceiling.  Inside the thirty-foot square
area between them was a rising system of stairs that led to his resting
place.  It most resembled a pyramid between pillars that someone began
building, and then half way into the job, decided to stop.

      To our left was a much more modern area.  A grey, marbled, granite
table sat in front of a wall of video screens.  Ten across and ten down,
electric windows showed different horrors in the world.  Each screen's
focus was a different view of turmoil scattered throughout parts of the
planet.  It was like someone watching a sick mosaic of our time, and the
thought made me shiver.

      I can't imagine what it must be like to look at the world from that
perspective.  I have always looked at everything with respect and the
knowledge that I am part of it.  This view... was not personal.  It
reminded me of myself, looking through a microscope, studying something so
small I assumed it had no significance.  Well... maybe I had done the same
thing after all.  The idea that Asher and I might have at least this in
common frightened me.  It might have only been a few seconds, but the pause
seemed endless in the tense silence.

      "Anthoni, you watch the entrance to see that we aren't disturbed."
Bry barked out the order as though it would be followed without question.

      "Patrick, you and David take Asher to his resting place at the top of
the stairs.  We'll be there in a moment."  My words were commands, though I
wasn't as sure as Bry that they would be followed.

      "I've got the Athame."  Bry unsnapped the sheath attached to his belt
and pulled the twisted blade from the confines of the rough leather.

      "I'll get the water and meet you there."  I gave Bry a quick nod and
headed toward a modern kitchenette area.

      As I searched through the cupboards, and dug through shelves, looking
for an appropriate bowl that would serve our purpose, my mind raced with
odd thoughts.

      It's not often that people come together and follow someone with
complete abandon; and trust that 'they'... know what the hell their doing.
I only hoped that we did.  As the first true mission to recruit someone to
our cause, this situation was quickly taking a complete nosedive down the
shitter.

      I found a bowl that would serve our purpose and filled it with water.
I blinked to the top of the stairs, and Asher's resting place, hoping that
my presence would justify the absolute commotion I made in the kitchen
looking for it.

      Things were going well... Bry and I were working together in a way I
never thought possible.  We moved together like two hands of the same body
and I was almost proud, until the absolute terror of what we were trying to
do engulfed me.  We both knew the spell, and I wasn't exactly elated by the
breach of moral obligation I was going to have to perform.

      To be blunt, we needed the fluids.  The spell uses our souls, as does
all blood magick, to fix the damage that had been done.  With this
spell... we were going to need more than just blood.  Asher is Slegna.  He
is the whole.  The Lycan, The Fey, and The Vampire, are parts of the
Slegna.  These creatures came into being from Slegna tears, blood, and
seed.  I had to hope that, between us, we could do what was necessary to
make him whole again.

      I lay the bowl down next to Patrick, and knelt beside the bed.  David
leaned against an ornate head board, carved from cherry wood with climbing
vines and leaves that seemed almost alive.  Asher's head resting in his
lap, David trailed his fingers through the golden waves of his hair.

      "Turn him over.  We need his blood."  David's eyes flashed with a
fiery glow, and then faded as he twisted Asher onto his stomach.

      I remembered the stories.  They weren't my memories, but Galen and
Dorrianna's thoughts filled my mind.  It's strange to remember through
someone else's eyes.  The knowledge that it's not your eyes seeing what's
going on, though the perceptive is the same, is unsettling.  You're fully
aware that 'you' didn't really see that happen... so it gives a strange and
unsettling perspective.

      On Asher's back were two terrible scars where his wings once grew.
The wounds were violent and the thought of the anguish that marred his skin
made me flinch, like when a sick morbid thought takes form, and your mind
creates an image you don't want to acknowledge is possible.  Your head
jerks away from something that isn't real except, in your mind, you know
it's you that fashioned that decadent horror.

      Bry laid the tip of the iron athame against Asher's skin and slid it
down his flesh as though someone might draw open a curtain.  The cut was
smooth and without menace, but the sizzle of burning flesh made me cringe.
Black tears gathered at the base like a fountain, and trickled down to his
waist like reluctant rivers.  There was too little blood...  and that which
collected was honey thick.

      Bry wiped his finger along the base of the wounds and then placed the
heavy black droplets of Asher's blood into the bowl.  The water turned an
angry grey and it billowed out like miniature trapped storms in too small a
sky.

      "Sit him up."  David twisted Asher's body around and pulled him into
his lap.  Their embrace was intimate, and the furrow in David's brow
betrayed his worry.

      "Now give me your hand."  I took Asher's hand in mine.  It felt
strong and heavier than I had expected.

      The warmth of Asher's hand was fading, but still seemed on fire
compared to David's.  His body was filled with borrowed blood that had
cooled hours before, and it took more control than I cared to admit to not
jerk my hand away and recoil from his touch.  I suppose it was my pity that
made it easier.  To be condemned to a half life and borrowed blood must be
a terrible existence.

      "Relax your mind and do what is necessary to bring his seed."  My
instructions set my face on fire with a rush of blood.  There was no way to
hide my embarrassment for what had to be done.

      It was more difficult to link Asher and David than I had anticipated.
Asher was wavering in this world, and I nearly failed getting a hold on his
consciousness.  It felt as though I was swimming in a sea of mist, trying
to grasp hold of drifting clouds.  Once connected to both of them, I opened
myself as their doorway.  Their minds and souls were joined through me, and
darkness filled my mind.  Their nude forms shimmered in the pitch black of
their thoughts, and their touch was delicate and sensual.

      David and Asher moved together like flowers touching each other's
petals, in a gentle wind swept kiss.  I wanted desperately to turn my head,
but it wasn't my eyes that were watching their love unfold.  It was my mind
and my soul that were witness.  That part of me, the piece of myself I lock
away behind doors of morality, escaped.  The absolute need to see it all
consumed and shamed me.

      My empathic nature took hold and the link between us solidified.  The
press of flesh, and every feathery caress danced across my skin, as their
bodies merged in fevered lust.  Every touch, and sweet pleasure, surged
though me and then magnified.  It was too much to contain, and raged
outward like the rays of the sun.  They reached a fevered pitch and then
together we exploded with white hot bliss as wave after wave shook our
reality.

      Screams of ecstasy filled my ears, my concentration wavered, and the
link was broken as I fell backward onto the hard granite floor.  My lungs
heaved, and a layer of cold sweat and other fluids tickled my skin.  Our
sex exploded like an orgasmic super nova, and the aftershocks of our post
coital bliss stung every already battered nerve ending.

      My mind awoke, and my euphoria was replaced with shame.  Somewhere,
in the back of my mind, I heard Galen's voice screaming 'Abomination!'  I
almost laughed at the thought.  There were so many things he and Dorianna
had done in the past that this paled by comparison.  Still... I felt as
though we had just taken a step down a road from which we could never turn
back.

      I struggled back to my knees, beside the bed where David lay spent,
atop his precious Asher.  It was an abstract realization, seeing that these
ferocious creatures were capable of such tenderness.

      "Gather what is needed and place it into the bowl."  I gave the
command, but the words rushed past my lips with stilted breath.

      Fingers trailed along sticky flesh and the contents were waved away
into the water.  I was thankful David harvested Asher's seed.  From the
look of partial betrayal and confusion in Bry's green eyes, I didn't want
to test his resolve.  To be honest, of course, there was a shudder of
curiosity... to see if what gripped my mind would have had the same weight
in my hand, but I scolded myself, and stored those thoughts away behind my
quickly fading wall of inhibitions.

      "Now your blood... you too, Grigori."  Bry dug the tip of the athame
into the fat of his palm and gave the blade a quick twist as he stared at
Patrick.

      For now, the current terror was more horrifying than the truth Bry,
ever so discretely, blasted at Patrick, and he took the blade without
hesitation.  First Bry, then Patrick, and finally I, added our blood to the
mix.

      It was strange to perform such an archaic and powerful ritual with a
yellow Tupperware container as our vessel of life.  I had heard the
television sing its praises, and seen the colorful advertisements in the
Sunday newspaper, but now... I was convinced.  We'd definitely have to get
a set when this was all over.

      'Not only is it microwave safe, but it can withstand the wear and
tear of the heaviest of Magicks while transferring mind, body, and soul to
and from those in need.'

      I suspected that this was NOT going to be a slogan I'd hear in the
future and I laughed maniacally.  These weren't my thoughts, but they were
certainly hysterical!  The words entered my mind with a voice, so cold and
distinct, that I knew instantly they were not my own.  Something else was
here, but I didn't have sense enough to care.

      "May God and Goddess speed our work."  I held the bowl in the air and
called out to the Powers that Be.  Even below, and as deep in the earth as
we were, thunder rode the air in the distance like a feral growl.

      "You musssssst NNnnnot!"  A fractal plea of shattered tenor voices
slithered past our ears and faded.

      "We take into ourselves the whole," I sipped from the bowl and the
world seemed to waver as I passed it to Patrick.

      Fleeting images from a collage of countless lives flashed through my
mind.  An almost infinite crush of experiences and memories flooded my
perception and, for a moment, I felt as though I was everyone and
everything that ever was and would be.  For a desperately slow, lingering
blink in time, my, soul was spread so wide I thought I might never be whole
again.

      "Do It NOW!"  Again the cold hollow voice of the comedian entered my
mind, but this time it was urgent.  A command... not a request.

      "What we have taken from you, we now return... to make you whole once
more."  I handed the bowl to David.  The reflection of darkness in his eyes
was so great I could almost see the monster I was to him.

      "STOP!"  Shattered screams begged our deaf ears, as David poured the
first drops of our essence onto Asher's lips.