Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2004 16:42:02 -0800 (PST)
From: kyler pettry <kpettry2000@yahoo.com>
Subject: when dark powers stir 8

        *Disclaimer*

First and foremost, the legalities. If you are under the age of consent,
whatever that age may be in the state where you currently reside, read no
further. This story is part of an ongoing serial fiction and contains
graphic depictions of homosexual encounters. All encounters are of the
masculine variety and are often done with little regard to `safe sex'. This
is after all a work of fiction, so none of the characters can get aids or
the like. It is the recommendation of the author of this story, namely
myself, that if you absolutely must engage in copious amounts of man sex,
then do so as safely as you can. The last thing you want is to turn into a
victim of your own hormones.

Secondly, for those of you who have written me and expressed a like of my
story, thank you. I have enjoyed corresponding immensely. I would also like
to apologize. I was unable to post this story in a timely fashion as I
promised to. I have several plausible excuses but in the end they didn't
get this story here any faster. I hope you enjoy this installment.

*As always you may view my artwork and the sketches that will be going
along with this series and all future series at my website
www.designsbykyler.com . Love peace and chicken grease.

_______________________________________________________________________s


	Tep's ancient mind opened itself outward. He felt the mish mash of
a thousand minds race within his own. Had he had one ounce less skill, it
would have overwhelmed him. He knew the creature would be ecstatic here. He
couldn't wait to feel the hot embrace of his jungle one more time. Though
as the day slid into night, he started to feel an ache inside of him
lessen.
	A smile tugged at the corner of Tep's mouth. A small spike of joy
swept through him, and fear. "Yeah Gods, he isn't ready, neither of them
are ready." It was a whisper in the dark, not mean for human ears. He
wrapped sleep back around him, it was a useful tool in blocking out the
musk of rutting male that swamped the bed.

		* * *



	Darren's hands flew quickly as he tossed his clothes into the
bag. The water and hiking equipment was already packed. He'd called his
father, the voice on the phone had been rude before the old man had known
who it was. As soon as his father recognized his voice it turned down right
icy. But in the end, he won out and the tight old bastard given him the use
of the cabin.
	"You think you packed enough clothes?" Terry asked him the doorway.
	Darren turned, the beautiful blonde was standing there, his entire
stance one of nervous tension. The humor was a mask to show how not afraid
he was.
	"Yeah, well, we don't know how long we're gonna be out there. I
mean it may be months, I want a change of underwear." He tried to offer his
own humor to bolster Terry's. It still worked no better.
	 Terry crossed the few feet between them, and took the darker
haired man in his arms. The feel of Darren in his arms, was visibly calming
to him.
	"Terry?"
	"Yeah babe?"
	"Are we gonna die?"
	"Probably."
	"Oh...Okay."
	The two broke down in giggles. The odd humor of the moment doing
what their forcing would, or could not. The held each other for another
moment. Before breaking. The need to get on the move was growing stronger.
	Darren grabbed the black and gray Adidas sports duffel and followed
his lover from the room. It was strange, Darren noted to himself, he should
be terrified. And he was...in a detached way, like a large part of him just
couldn't believe what was going on. He laughed at himself, " they call that
shock kiddo." He chided himself.
	Tep was already to go, and had been for a while yet. He'd attracted
the attention of the boys far to early, informing them that a swift
departure was in order. When questioned he said only that they needed to
leave, and further prodding yielded no results. Save of course for an
exasperated sigh.
	"Are we ready?" Tep's voice was polite, but his impatience was very
much alive in the room.
	"Sure are, we'll have all the modern conveniences, since Darren's
packed the whole apartment." Terry laughed at his friend and lover. The
sparkle in his eyes, spoke of his love.
	Darren didn't respond, he was just as anxious to be gone as Tep
was. For some reason he didn't know, the urge to get to some place green
was beginning to become an ache for him. As though the city had no clean
air, and he was suffocating.
	It was an unusual experience, a feeling redoubled more than once as
he caught Tep looking at him, a knowing expression on his face.
	Tep's response to Terry's humor was an expression that didn't speak
well for his views on modern conveniences. He harrumphed, and rolled into
his jacket. Darren had noticed, once he really looked that man's grace
wasn't just there, it was a cloak the older person wore. The image of a
jungle cat rose to his mind. Strong, with a sense of predatory power that
hung in the air. Tep was definitely not the guy to irritate in a dark
alley.
	"My car is in the garage." They were using darren's jeep as neither
of the other two had cars. Grabbing a few necessities, they made for the
door. In the elevator Darren had to keep from laughing. The image of Tep,
with the sense of raw, savage power rolling off of him, combined with the
elevator music was just about too much for his frazzled nerves.
	Terry seemed to notice his effort to keep the grin from splitting
his face and glanced at the dark coated figure in front of them. He
immediately understood the humor and was soon holding his laugh behind
trembling lips.
	The floors swung by, the parking garage seeming to take forever,
then there they were. The darkness would have been total, had it not been
for the evenly place security lights. Not that they really offered that
much security, but then the key to a happy life was one's illusions.
	The brown vinyl of the jeep's top was seen over the faux suede of
an expensive looking Cadillac. They made for it, the feeling of oppression
within the garage exploding between them. Darren could feel everyone seem
to go on a higher alert. But then that was the customary reaction to a
parking garage.
	The back of the jeep was close enough that Darren hit the alarm and
the lights flashed once. The only warning he had was a tingle at the back
of his neck, the next second he was ducking just as something impossible
hot streaked above his head. He only dimly heard Tep yelling for them to
get down. Terry was pushing him behind the Cadillac, and his eyes were
burning, though he didn't know why.
	There was the crash of glass and muffled grunts, and Tep yelling
again. Though this time it wasn't in English. His thick bass ran through
the garage, and Darren, his surprise and shock abated, felt the power in
that voice coil through him. He felt the hairs on his arms stand to
attention, as though to pay homage to the power he knew was roaring to
life. Though he had no idea how his body knew and he did not.
	Darren poked his head above the cadillac's sleek trunk, hoping to
catch a glimpse of Tep. Terry was right there next to him. The blonde's
eyes shown with adrenalin as much as Darren knew his own must be.
	It took a second to find Tep in the now gloomy garage. Nearly all
of the lights that had lined the columns of the labrynthine structure were
blown. A spire of light that looked like a parade grade firework going off
pointed the old man's position.
	Darren's mind froze for the second time in thirty seconds. IT
wasn't possible. He'd seen Terry, had felt the power, but what he saw just
wasn't possible.
	Tep, the dark, mysterious man that had insulted and spared him, and
had gained so much favor with his new lover, was wrapped within a column of
boiling light. His hands pulsing orbs of blinding scintillation that burned
and flickered, somehow gaining and ebbing, without losing brilliance.
	He heard Terry pull in a long hiss of surprise. A quick glance at
his friend's face let him know it wasn't a pleasant exclamation. "What the
hell is going on?"
	Terry looked at him. "We have to get out of here...now."
	"We can't leave, what about Tep, he's...." Darren trailed off, his
words cut off by harsh laughter, followed by a stream of something
incredibly hot and molten looking cutting its way through the darkness of
the structure. It missed Tep and came no where near the boys. In the end,
its only victim was an unfortunate SUV. Darren idly wondered how the
complex was going to explain a ton of melted steel to the owner.
	Terry grabbed his shoulder and slightly spun him, so that they were
face to face. "Let's go."
	Darren's first inclination was to do as he was told, then his mind
caught up with him. "Terry, we can't just leave Tep." He couldn't
understand why Terry was so ready to abandon Tep.
	Terry looked at him, and his head flicked back to the dark man
swathed in white flame. When he returned his gaze to Darren it was swimming
with hurt. "We have to go, there's nothing we can do for him." The import
of the words was not lost on Darren, who tried to protest. Another blast
cut him off. Followed by something even stranger...Tep.
	The man's voice boomed in his head, "GO--GO WHILE YOU STILL HAVE A
CHANCE!"
	The urge to obey was so powerful that it couldn't be refused, the
two were in the jeep and careening out of the garage in seconds. The heavy
darkness was broken only by a brilliant flash that broke the shadows and
sent them running, before the light died completely. The two were almost
blinded as the rear view mirrors roared to glares in the periphery.
	They burst from the building and into the streets of the city
beyond. Neither said anything, neither could. They just drove, Darren
wondering how he couldn't even feel the steering wheel, and yet managed not
the kill them.
	Terry sat with his thoughts, though they were rare. Shock and the
remnants of what he knew was compulsion, powerful, more powerful than any
he'd ever seen before, slowly faded from his mind.  The part of him that
wasn't under the influence of the powerful magic reeled from loss and
heartache. He had felt the moment of Tep's death, the incredible power of
the ancient as it sent shards of white hot power coursing over his aetheric
skin.
	The loss of Tep meant many things, and none of them good. He prayed
deeply to the mother of all things, to send them a miracle, because he knew
if they planned on surviving, they would need one.
	___________________________________________________________


	The old guardian had know what was coming, had known he was going
to die. The bastard that had stood at the doorway of freedom for so many
long centuries, had known he would soon meet his end. Though it wasn't as
satisfying as the darkling creature would have preferred. There was no
begging, no taking of mind or soul, assuming the old magus actually had
one.
	Tep had seen his end, and acted accordingly. The demon believed he
knew exactly what Tep was up to as soon as he felt the pull of the old
man's magicks. The slow tide of aetheric power was nowhere to be found, its
horrendous scraping over his nerves was absent. This was different, harsher
and somehow more personal, more powerful.
	The demon remembered smiling. He mistook the flow of power as the
old man's weakness, thinking that he was having to pull into personal power
to defend himself from the flurry of aetheric blows that the dark being
rained down on him. Only too late did he understand the nature of his
dilemma.
	Tep, guardian of the Aet'lan was doing something his evil
counterpart would never fathom. The demon felt the power of Tep's lifeforce
pulse and separate, as though the old man's soul was tearing itself
free. It wrapped around the ancient human, pulling more and more of itself
out of the surrounding aethyr. Soon the light of the single human soul had
multiplied immensely, and he was left dazzled by the flaring tower of light
that dominated the darkness of the man made cavern in which they fought.
	He sent more volleys, hoping against hope that one of them would
connect with something useful, none did. He felt the hands of light reach
for him, and the power of the magus's mind calling. The beast within the
shell fought and screamed not to be touched by the light. The power of the
white fire arched after him, bringing soundless cries of pain from him. IT
was shredding the thing that wore peter's body from the inside out.
	The demon gave itself over to pain, trusting that it would die, or
survive one, and then there would be hell to pay. Then, as suddenly as the
pain burst upon him, the felt the arms of searing power leave him. No...not
leave him, disband, they simply stopped.
	It took several long seconds before the beast could stand, and when
it did, it had help. Richard, his new counterpart, was helping to his
feet. Several meters away, he could see the magus, in a pool of his own
blood, a hole in his chest where his heart should have been. The small
flickers of power his body gave off were already dying. The demon spit, and
the watched with delight as the body caught fire. IT was still burning when
they turned to leave. Richard slightly supporting his master until he
quickly returning strength was back in full