The Crystal Rainbow Ch. 31-32

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Helen's magic, Edgar's search, Erik's love & special gifts.
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Part 8 of the 12 part series

Updated 09/22/2022
Created 12/07/2007
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Nyasia
Nyasia
20 Followers

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Chapter Thirty-One – Burn

Passion burns beneath the skin.
Evil burns from without to within.

A Fool's Book of Wisdom

~~~~~~~~~~~

Helen worked quickly, securely fastening Kimberly's ankles and wrists with strips of her torn petticoats, as she raced to finish before the young woman awoke. Balling up several pieces of cloth, Helen cautiously stuffed the wad of material into the dangerous maw of the infected, but thankfully, still unconscious woman. As she began to wind a final length of twisted crinoline over the woman's mouth and around the back of her head, the blonde let out a muffled moan.

"Oh! Merde! Goddess, please grant me just two more seconds …." She muttered.

She stumbled back from the bound woman just as the pale blonde's eyelids fluttered open. Helen let out a sigh of relief when she saw the woman's eyes were once more their natural brilliant green and not the solid black of the demon. Helen marveled at the young woman's obvious bravery. She did not move, nor did she struggle against her bonds, but simply lay there observing Helen with sad green eyes. The older woman's heart filled with sorrow and regret, as she contemplated the course of action she planned to undertake. Her heart futilely railed against the injustice of Kimberly's predicament. If she wished to save the young woman, her mind informed her with a cold, clinical detachment that she had no other choice. Kimberly hovered dangerously close to the turning point. Helen had to act now. She fingered the bonds and sighed. There was no other option open to her. There was no way she could allow Kimberly her freedom. It simply was much too dangerous … dangerous for the both of them.

"Not to mention the fact that what I must do to her will hurt like bloody hell."

She sighed.

"I can only hope for the best, I suppose. Plan for the worst and hope for the best." She snorted softly. "Ha! That optimistic outlook clashes with the way I have viewed life these many years. Perhaps I need to reconsider my philosophy. After all, I found forgiveness, my face and Khalid. But, I dawdle; now is not the time for such perusing. Now is the time to act. Later I can allow my thoughts to ponder what course I shall set for my life. I can think only of you now, Kimberly."

She slowly reached out her hand to brush the limp strands of blonde hair from the woman's face and then patted her cheek softly. Helen paused a moment, drew in a deep breath and slowly released it.

"Ma petite, do not worry." Helen crooned. "I am a healer and I know what to do to help you. But, I must warn you that this will hurt. There is no way around it, as I do not have any of my potions with me. Can you try to hold still? Can you do that for old Helen?"

The wide, emerald orbs met Helen's sapphire blues and studied her intently. After a moment, her eyes broke away from Helen, her shoulders sagged and she slowly nodded her head.

"Very good. I must place my hands on your wound. Will you allow me to do that? It will only take but an instant." Helen spoke calmly, but a small voice inside her head mocked her. "An instant? Helen, please! Do you make the leap from the basest pessimist to the most foolish optimist all in one day? An instant, indeed!" Helen mentally shook herself to clear her mind of the distraction and focused her mind once more upon the pale blonde.

Again, Kimberly's head bobbed up and down in ascent. Carefully and cautiously, Helen crawled to Kimberly's side, raised her arms and pressed her hands atop the torn flesh.

"Brûlez¹!" She intoned.

The command issued forcefully from her mouth and echoed about the dreary chamber. Helen quickly removed her hands from Kimberly's neck and scuttled away from the bound woman. She watched in silence as the wound began to emit a warm, golden glow. Helen scrambled to her feet and backed even further away, stopping only when her back met with the cold stone of the wall.

"Goddess! I despise this! I am certain that the spell's creator never imagined someone would use it in this fashion, well, at least not without something to relieve the pain. But, I have no choice now, do I? Oh, the poor thing! I cannot even offer her the escape of sleep, as I need to see her eyes to know the infection has burned itself out of her system."

Suddenly, Kimberly let out a muffled scream and her body stiffened, her back curving into an impossibly tight arch. Flecks of gold began to sparkle and dance about the woman's neck. As the bright sparks grew larger, the woman's body began to buck and writhe on the floor. An unearthly keening escaped from the improvised muzzle and sent shivers down Helen's spine. She felt the hair rise off the nape of her neck and could almost swear that every single hair on her body stood on its end as she watched Kimberly dislocate her jaw with a fascinated horror. Her hands clutched at her stomach as she fought the wave of renewed nausea, which threatened to overwhelm her when she saw a large, black slug-like appendage snake out of Kimberly's mouth. The deformed tongue slithered about for a moment before expelling the makeshift gag and then retreated inside the inky maw. A brilliant flash of white, which Helen suddenly recognized as a wickedly long fang, rubbed against the bindings wrapped around the blonde's head. Watching that dagger-like tooth rub against the cloth sparked a realization within Helen and spurred her mind into motion.

"Oh no! Helen is not a fool, girl. A bit slow sometimes, but not a complete idiot. Hmmm …. Think, Helen and think quickly. You have one more chance to get it right before she frees herself or the one that did this to her returns. Think!" She muttered.

She forced her eyes away from the sawing canine and lowered her gaze to the wound on Kimberly's neck. Helen gasped in dismay. The wound no longer shone with the brilliance of the sun, replaced with a ghastly shade of sickly green and oozing bubbles of inky black. Without giving her actions a second thought, Helen leapt forward and pressed her hands to the wound. Her posture straightened, her shoulders lifted and she proudly raised her chin. Her sapphire eyes seemed to turn into the very gems they resembled, cold, hard and fiercely beautiful. She blinked slowly and turned to look down at her hands, which she had wrapped about the throat of the bucking and writhing body of the howling woman-beast. Her eyes narrowed. Flecks of umber and amber swirled within their depths, growing larger and seeming to overpower the cold gemstone eyes with their fire.

"Arrêtez-vous! Tenez! Gelez²!"

Her words rang clear, strong and with an air of undeniable authority. Yet, it was not truly her voice, but a strange blend of Helen and another, younger woman.

"Brûlez, démon! Brûlez! I cast you back into your own fires. Brûlez!"

Her hands continued to maintain their firm grip on the wounded neck and the skin beneath her splayed fingers began to pulsate with a deep crimson.

"Brûlez!" She commanded.

The crimson became scarlet, the scarlet a burnt orange, which at last burst into streaks of brilliant gold and blinding silver. Kimberly's head whipped from side to side. The woman took no note that her mouth had worked itself free from the cloth bindings as she alternated between shrieks of fury and screams of pain. A cry of agony, which hovered close to ecstasy, escaped her almost human mouth. The jagged canine teeth lengthened and then retracted, lengthened and retracted, until suddenly Kimberly arched her back and with a strength born of the demon blood, she forced her hands apart. The strips of cloth fluttered free of her wrists, yet the young woman made no move to shove Helen away from her. Instead, Kimberly grasped Helen by her upper arms and dragged her down on top of her into a tight embrace.

"Brûlez!"

The word thundered from Helen's lips and Kimberly screeched in pain as the power that burned through her body intensified. The women began to roll about on the floor as Kimberly struggled to free herself of Helen's hands, but it seemed that the burning magic had melded their flesh together and Kimberly could not escape.

"Brûlez!"

A flash of lightning lit the chamber, streaking across the room and striking the spot where the women lay joined in their desperate struggle. The force of the bolt caused Helen to release her grip and she flew across the room where her back smashed roughly into the wall. She slid down and landed in a stunned heap on the floor.

Kimberly lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes, no longer black, but once again, a brilliant emerald green. She closed her eyes and a sweet smile stretched her lips, revealing a mouth free of fangs. She tentatively lifted her hand and touched the now unmarred flesh of her neck. A shiver ran along her spine when she briefly considered the fate that had almost been hers. She heaved a relieved sigh.

"Helen?" She called quietly.

Helen's still form stirred and slowly, she raised her head. A moan escaped her lips when the room seemed to tilt and twirl before her eyes. She lifted a hand to her throbbing head and gently massaged her aching temples.

"Oui?" She groaned.

Kimberly waited until Helen turned to face her.

"Merci!"

The simple word seemed inadequate to Kimberly, but was the only word she had to offer Helen. The women shared a moment of unspoken understanding and then Kimberly broke the moment by rolling onto her side and struggling into a sitting position. With a saucy twinkle in her eyes, she pouted playfully.

"Now, can we get the hell out of here?"

Shocked silence hung heavily in the air, only to have it broken by a soft warm chuckle. Kimberly raised her eyes to meet Helen and she found the woman's mirth contagious. With a sense of relief flooding through her entire being, Kimberly allowed a croak of laughter to burst from her mouth.

"Oh, Mademoiselle! I think that is a truly magnificent idea." Helen responded dryly.

◊ ○ ◊ ○ ◊

The scent of mushrooms grew ever stronger, but a part of him knew that his nose lied. That feeling more than anything else told him that his feet chose the proper course, so he allowed himself to continue trotting along whatever path his hooves decided to take. As his dumpy gray body moved through the forest, his mind wandered back in time. He relived the moments of his mortal life as ruler of a land, which sadly, no longer existed.

"Gods! So taken with myself was I. I thought, no, I knew I was the epitome of male perfection with my tall, well-built body, curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I allowed myself to believe the simpering ways and pandering words of my courtiers and, worst of all, the lies of the witch, Marla. Oh, I rue the day that I allowed my obsession with power to overwhelm my common sense. I curse the day that Marla paraded the young, innocent Sabratha before my lecherous eyes. Oh, I remember that moment well. One glimpse of that fiery red hair and hazel eyes and I was lost. I was a slave to my need to make Sabratha my own and Marla used my obsession against all of us. She used it to bring about all of our undoing. I cannot help but wonder if she intended Sabratha and Cadmus to fall in love or if their love was a convenient happenstance, but I suppose I shall never know the answer to that question. Marla is no more. Now, all that exists is the demon that took her soul. While I know that she would feel only fury if she knew how I feel, I feel only pity for her now. For, she is as much a victim in all of this as Sabratha, Cadmus or I am. She is a victim of her own unrequited love … her love for me. Damn! If only I had not been so blind to her feelings! I cannot help but wonder how things would be different if I had only known. I would like to think that I would have treated her kindly, but I remember how I was and know that is a vain wish. Things would most likely be worse now, so I must find contentment with the way things are and not dwell on what might have been."

He halted as a faint sound tickled the edge of his awareness. A snort escaped his mouth and he pawed at the earth beneath his hooves in frustration.

"Sometimes I wonder if I will ever get used to this body. The scents and the sounds are so sharp and strong. My mind becomes overwhelmed with all of the many distractions in this world." He shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts. "Now, what is it that I smell right now? I am looking for something. What is it? Damn it, Edgar! Concentrate! Time grows short. Now, think!"

His body grew still, not even his tail twitched and his ears stood stiffly erect. His soft brown eyes glazed over and his lids slid closed. His body remained taut, tense, straining to sense something. A faint sound began to buzz in his mind; a sound that at first seemed no more than the droning of insects, but soon took on the sound of tiny voices singing. His eyes opened and his head cocked unconsciously to one side. He swiveled his ears, attempting to locate the origin of the sound and then after a moment's concentration, cupped them to help them capture the noise.

"Damn! Are those people? I think that I am allowing my senses to guide me too much. Perhaps, I should use my feelings to discover what I seek. I have forgotten how I depended on my feelings when I was a human. So, what can I feel out there?"

Pulling upon half-remembered memories of his human life, he hesitantly cast his mind out only to find himself sitting dazedly on his hindquarters with his head spinning.

"Bloody hell! What was that?"

A tiny movement caught his attention and he looked down to see a tan mushroom rolling along the ground. He turned his head to look in the direction from which the mushroom came, but saw nothing. His eyes returned to the lumpy bit of fungi and watched as it rolled in an ever-decreasing circle before him. As its journey ended, he lowered his head and eyed the mushroom warily. He gave it a cautionary sniff, but quickly backed away as he felt an aura of ancient magic radiating from it.

"Well, I think that Khalid would certainly appreciate the humor here, or at least, understand it … for in this case, I believe that the mountain just came to Mohammed." He cleared his equine throat, which came out as a half-snort and half-bray and then addressed the magical presence with his mind. "Bonsoir, Monsieur. Nice night for a roll."

Edgar grimaced as soon as his mind formed the words.

"I offer you my sincerest apologies, Monsieur. It seems that I have allowed my friend's sense of humor to overwhelm my good manners and I spoke without thinking. Please allow me to begin again. I am Edgar … and, you are?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

¹ Brûlez! – Translation: "Burn!"

² Arrêtez-vous! Tenez! Gelez! – Translation: "Stop! Hold! Freeze!"

~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Thirty-Two – Perceptions

We color the world with the truth of our perceptions.
Without our hearts and our minds to interpret our senses, we perceive nothing.

A Fool's Book of Wisdom

~~~~~~~~~~~

Erik stood in the doorway listening to Christine and Khalid talk. With fresh eyes, he gazed at the woman to whom he had given his heart and found himself amazed at the changes he saw in her. The graceful poise of her body and the confident manner in which she spoke proclaimed to those around her that she neither wanted nor needed their approval. She knew her own mind and was not afraid to speak it. She exuded self-assurance in her movements and inner peace in her smile. She had come far from the withdrawn, suspicious girl of only months ago.

"And, for that matter," he mused, "I am no longer the lonely man that held the world at an arm's length, non? I no longer lock myself away behind a façade of anger and sarcasm. Never did I dare dream this possible. Oh, Christine!"

Christine paused in her conversation with Khalid and gave Erik a sidelong glance.

"But mon amour, we did indeed dream of the possibilities. In childhood, we lay the foundation of our lives whilst we slept. Now is the time to allow our dreams to take flight into the so-called 'real' world. It is only when we sufficiently confuse reality and dreams that we can remake our lives into the truth we wish to live."

Her voice sounded sweetly within his mind and her smile touched him with its warmth, giving his soul wings with which to soar to the heavens. Erik could swear that he could see bolts of crackling energy pass between them as their gaze met. When he looked into her eyes, a wave of power coursed through his body, causing his cock to lengthen, swell and begin its ascension to readiness. His breathing quickened and grew ragged. His pulse pounded and it resounded in his ears. His heartbeat raced and matched the throbbing in his loins. If he regretted anything, it was of the brevity of his time with Christine. He wished he had been able to take her one more time and show her the depth of his love for her. He wanted time to explore the strange feelings he had been experiencing in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Erik suspected that his latent magical abilities were now wide-awake and very much awaiting his command. He bit back a groan and willed his taut flesh to soften, but it was a half-hearted attempt. He reached out with his mind and cupped her cheek with a hand he formed out of his spirit. He felt Christine respond and lean into the insubstantial flesh he offered her.

"Oh, Erik! Roi de mon coeur! Seigneur de mon amour!¹ There will be a time for us, but not yet. Do not worry. All will be well soon. You shall see."

He gave her a short nod, and she returned her concentration back to Khalid.

His ears heard her words. His mind understood her words. But his heart did not accept them, for he could not help but feel worried for her safety. Helen was gone, taken away by a demon. Diamante was no more and in her place was Sabratha, a flesh and blood woman. Erik had always known that he was a sensitive and therein lay the source of his concern. The woman Sabratha held no power that he could discern. On the other hand, the stranger, the man, Cadmus, held great power within him. Erik sensed that the man's magic remained slightly beyond his grasp, at least for the moment. Whether the man did not know of his power and it only slept within him awaiting an awakening nudge or the reemergence of the man's soul in a borrowed body had addled his mind, Erik did not know. The one thing Erik knew was that once Cadmus brought the magic under his control, the man would be a truly formidable opponent. But would they have enough time? Erik had no answer to that question either. And it was that uncertainty that caused the doubt in his mind and drove him to worry over their situation. It seemed that everything depended upon the untried powers of his Christine.

After casting a cautious look at Christine, Erik began with a snail-like slowness to imagine himself wrapping a thick black cloak around his body. When she did not seem to notice, he drew the imagined hood over his head.

"Ah, oui! That should keep her from hearing my thoughts. I need to consider our situation and confront my fears in private. Christine does not need to know of my doubts, as it will only add to the burden she already bears. I must gather my thoughts and banish my uncertainties. I do not wish to see her at the forefront of this confrontation as it places her in certain danger. Yet, I cannot allow my feelings to cloud my judgment. I must remember Helen's lesson of perceptions: that which we perceive with our eyes, lies. To perceive the truth, we must look deeper. We must look into the soul. Perhaps if I share that with Christine I shall not worry as much. Something tells me that it is important for her to hear those words. I remember how insistent Helen was that I take that lesson to heart. Who knows? That one bit of knowledge may be the key that opens Christine fully to her powers. I cannot hold anything back from her. Knowledge is power, and she needs every bit she can gather so she can be ready for the upcoming confrontation with Xavier. After all, Helen always says that there are no coincidences. No coincidences, indeed. So could it be that fate drives our lives? It boggles the mind to think of our lives as nothing more than pieces playing on a celestial chessboard. Could Christine's need be the reason for my deformity? That does give me pause. If I had an unblemished face, I would not have run away from home, I never would have met Helen. She would not have taken me into her home and taught me the ways of magic. She helped me realize that I must not allow my twisted face to warp my soul. Without Helen's love, I would not be who I am today. Or, I could still have been deformed, run away from home and met someone other than Helen. I cannot even begin to imagine what horrors I could have known if my life had followed that path."

Nyasia
Nyasia
20 Followers
12