A Brief Moment of Insanity Ch. 08

"I know, I am only... I was only human," Louis remarked. "What the fuck do you want Pharaoh?"

"I want to help. I need you to do something for us." It giggled maniacally. "Will you help a brother out?"

"What do you want me to do?" Louis asked.

Gabrielle looked gorgeous in the gown provided by her the Fae seamstresses. Louis wore a tuxedo he reserved for weddings and funerals. He looked equally handsome as his plus one. The path to the grove was lit with Fae magic and gave the world an ethereal quality to it. The grove was spring eternal and was the heart of the Fae Realm. Even the constellations above were thousands of years old for those with the knowledge of such things. It was truly a timeless realm. There were hundreds of guests milling about waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Louis and Gabrielle mingled with the Fae and their honored guests. It was rare for the Fae to wed and even rarer for one of the royal family to take a spouse that wasn't one of their own. Warren Harrower wasn't exactly the typical groom either. The Althan were thought long extinct and for many that was a good thing. They were masters of the deep magic that none but they could tap. A child of two such houses would be pivotal in the conflict that was nearing by the day. The cycle was nearly upon the world and even the magic of the Fae couldn't keep it at bay forever. Things were going to change and those that survived might just envy the dead.

Presiding over the marriage were none other than Oberon and Titania the Lord and Lady of the Seelie Court. Louis was squinting as tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked upon the unveiled majesty of the Fae Monarchs. Gabrielle looked over at him and saw how red his eyes were. It was as if he were having an allergic reaction to the light streaming off the pair. Was this due to his true nature and form? Could the nameless blood that coursed through him be causing him harm? She touched his arm and he smiled.

'I am fine,' he sent to her silently. 'I can endure this for friendship sake.'

'I worry is all,' she sent back. 'I would do anything for you.'

'I know you would.' Louis sent and behind his thoughts a hint of pain, true pain.

Gabrielle flinched for the briefest of moments. Did he know? Had he somehow discovered what she had done for him? Did he find the Sicarius missing and figure out what had occurred? How stupid of her! The pain he had sent, it was a memory of what he had endured when Yog Sothoth had learned of the others death.

'I am so sorry,' she sent tears streaming down her own face. 'If I had known I never would have...'

'Stop, I do not blame you. You did what you felt was right. You were out monster slaying for the greater good. How can I be upset about that?'

The guilt welled up in her so fierce he didn't need telepathy to know how wrong he was. She hadn't murdered for the common good she had assassinated the black king for his sake. Gabrielle had killed for Louis and Louis alone. Loki had used her love for him to send her on that mission. He took her hand in his and wiped away the tears. To the onlookers the couple were shedding tears of joy for the soon to be bride and groom, how nice. If only they knew.

Fae musicians struck up a tune. It was a glorious melody played by artists that had honed their craft to utter perfection. The bride appeared out of the east and groom to the west. They took measured steps towards one another as the assembled crowd watched in silence. They reached the center at the exact same moment and reached out for one another. A sudden breeze like the first breath of winter filled the air.

"You weren't going to marry off my daughter without me being present did you?" A cold voice asked over the music.

The crowd cried out as the Queen of Air and Darkness manifested herself between bride and groom. She was as tall and fair as Titania and gave off an aura equal to Oberon. She was the Lady of the Unseelie court and the mother of Warren's bride to be. Warren unphased approached the newcomer, bent knee and kissed her hand.

"It is human custom to ask for the bride's hand in marriage. Will you give me your permission?"

"Oh Warren Harrower I never thought you'd ask," the Queen of Air and Darkness replied. "I will marry you!"

"Wait... what?" Warren said in utter confusion.

"MOTHER, he wants to marry ME not YOU," the daughter roared. "Release him from his troth or else..."

"Or else what little one," her mother said in a voice as cold as the outer void. "He asked me for my permission and I gave it to him. What's done is done."

"She is correct," Oberon said intervening. "All hail the consort to our beloved Queen of Air and Darkness!"

The crowd was cheering and laughing and even singing. Louis looked over at Gabrielle in confusion. He thought she was the villain but apparently not. The music began again as Warren got to his feet and took the other's hand.

"Do you Morgaine, Queen of Air and Darkness, Ruler of the Unseelie Court take Warren Harrower as your husband and your equal?" Oberon asked watching his ex-wife twitch at the word equal.

"I do so acknowledge and adhere to our ancient traditions," Morgaine replied.

"Do you Warren Harrower, Archmage of the Circle, Primarch of the Family and last of the Althan line take Morgaine as your wife and your equal?" Titania asked smiling at the shock on her sister's face when the word Althan was uttered.

"I do so acknowledge and adhere to the ancient traditions," Warren said most solemnly.

"If there is no one who would naysay this union," Oberon continued and waited the customary twenty seconds.

"He is not alone," a woman said from the crowd.

"I beg your pardon," Titania said the color draining from her lovely features.

"Warren is not the last," a man said from another corner of the assembly.

"No way," Warren said smiling from ear to ear.

"We are the Duskwalkers, we are the K'Ta'Viiri, we are the Althan of Old," another woman added from a third side of the guests.

"We are here to see our cousin married," the three of them said in unison.

"I'll be damned," Morgaine said nearly fainting.

"Since there is no conflict this wedding is officially sanctioned and hereby ordained. You may kiss your husband." Titania said grinning.

Morgaine grabbed Warren and kissed him fiercely much to the enjoyment of the crowd. One of the Althan passed near Louis and locked eyes on him and smiled. The crowd parted and allowed the Duskwalkers passage to the dais where the newlyweds stood awaiting their arrival. The Althan were dressed in strange garments of gold and white. They wore tunics and trousers of purest white material and over it as if spun and woven a glittering mesh of burnished gold. The trio bent knee before Oberon and Titania as they greeted their kinsman, Warren.

"Well met Warren Harrower," the two women said in salutation.

"Brother Warren," the man said smiling. "We heard whispers that another Althan walked the earth. I am glad the rumors are true."

"We need to talk," Warren said his eyes wide in wonder.

"We will, but first you have a wife to tame," the taller of the two female Althan said with a smile.

"Good luck on that part," the other woman added. "Fae are notoriously stubborn."

Warren turned to face his bride. He was about to ask what happens next when she took his hand and led him to the bridal bower. It was secluded but well within earshot of the assembled guests. Apparently it was good luck to make the bride scream on her wedding night. Warren, being the superstitious sort, fucked his wife not only into submission but made her scream so loud the musicians couldn't play over it. This was seen as not only fortuitous but a sign of just how determined he was.

Morgaine cuddled close and listened to his heart. They were both shivering at the last body shaking orgasm they had shared. She slipped out of the marriage bed and pulled him to his feet. Naked they walked amid the splendor of a world that had never seen a single winter. There were flora and fauna that had long died out in the human world as well as some that never set foot there. He marveled at the peace and tranquility here and envied the Fae that simple pleasure.

"Your thoughts are troubled husband," Morgaine said enjoying the word husband rolling off her full kissable lips.

"I am," Warren said. "There is a war coming."

"Humans are always going to war," she replied as she pointed to the natural spring up ahead.

"This is one that is being forced upon the entire world, a war we may likely lose."

"There is enough time to bathe with me I hope," Morgaine said as she dove into the pool.

"I suspect there will always be time enough," Warren said as he dove into the bubbling waters.

They floated in slow circles as eddies in the water pushed and pulled them about. Warren let go of his darker thoughts and simply enjoyed the moment. He kissed her and closed his eyes as she settled against him for another round of love play. As Warren took Morgaine from behind at the edge of the pool he saw a human woman holding a child spying on them. She was quite attractive and had that matronly glow all new mothers possess.

"We have an... oh god that feels good... an audience," Morgaine whimpered.

"Yes, but what is a human woman doing here?" Warren asked.

"She is under the protection of the Fae," Morgaine said as she thrust her hips backward. "Her child is very important to us, all of us."

"I am getting close," Warren warned her.

"Pick me up... pick me up damn you," Morgaine ordered. Warren grabbed her by her hips and lifted her so that the woman watching could see his cock slide in and out of her cunt. "See how big he is... my husband's cock is stretching me to my limits."

Warren held her in place as he thrust his hips up driving his cock as deep as it could go. The woman smiled as she rocked her sleeping son. Morgaine cried out as Warren's sperm painted her insides. The woman grinned and left the newlyweds to their antics. She had other things on her mind. Louis was supposed to visit her tonight. He was supposed to see their son. She had to show him the unusual birthmark. He had to tell her what it meant, what it represented. If she weren't mistaken it was an Egyptian hieroglyph, the eye of Horus.

"Am I supposed to name you Horus?" She said as she returned to the place prepared for her. "It's a good strong name. I think your father would like it. Sleep tight Horus."

The bungalow had been decorated to suit its human occupant. She carried the child to the master bedroom where the bassinette was waiting for its tiny lodger. Horus let out a soft sound and settled back to sleep. Louis and Gabrielle knocked on the front door. She walked into the foyer and opened the door welcoming her son and his companion into her dwelling. It wasn't really her home it was a temporary building until the worst had passed.

"How is he?" Louis asked kissing his mom on the cheek.

"Little Horus is sleeping," she replied tentatively.

"Horus," Louis said. "That is an interesting name."

"Well it was the birthmark that inspired it," she replied.

The trio walked to the bedroom and she pointed out the mark on her son's left shoulder. Louis looked at Gabrielle and something passed between them. Louis' mom didn't miss the exchange but waited patiently for the explanation.

"Well, it's odd..." Louis began but Gabrielle reacted to the news.

"He has one too," Gabbie said.

"Too, your son has a birthmark?"

"Yes, it looks like, well it looks like a phoenix," Gabbie said. "Doesn't it Louis?"

"Yeah, it's not just a bird it is definitely a phoenix." Louis added.

"Have you settled on a name," his mother asked.

"Peter," Gabbie replied. "He is going to Rome soon and he needs a good strong name."

"Louis," his mother said looking at him. "How often will you get to see him?"

"I won't," Louis said his voice hollow. "The Inquisitors will train him. We would just be a distraction. Besides they will keep him safe. I can't be there with everything that is going on."

"What is going on son?"

"War mom, there is a terrible war on the horizon." Louis replied looking down at his son Horus. "A war we cannot afford to lose."

Hollow Homecoming:

The Numenor dropped anchor in its private slip in Arkham Massachusetts. Nick was falling down drunk. He had to be helped off ship to the waiting limo. Akira never left his side since the destruction of the Miskatonic and the death of so many of his new found friends. Once inside the Hidden Master of the Order switched to coffee. He didn't want Petra or Kat seeing him in this condition. The coffee began to sober him a little. Surfer offered to purge his system but he refused until they actually pulled up to the estate. The driver pulled up and lowered the divider and told Nick something was wrong.

"What do you mean something is wrong," Akira asked as his head of security. She pulled a gauss pistol from underneath the seat and thumbed the safety off. "Give me a status report mister!"

"There is only one guard on duty and the gate is cracked open," the driver said.

"No alarms have been triggered," Surfer announced. "I am performing a biometric scan of the manor house. This can't be right... Sir, they are gone. The manor is empty. The entire staff is missing. Retrieving deleted data... all the security footage has been deleted. It will take a few minutes to restore."

"Ping their avatars Surfer," Nick said his sobriety restored with the aid of his interface. "Find my family!"

"All of the artificial personalities are in the manor, they have been left behind. However, I have located Lady Petra as well as Lady Kat. Downloading to your GPS now..."

"Akira sweep the house while Surfer and I go over the security footage," Nick ordered his lover into the line of fire.

The limo pulled through the gate and up to the house. Akira and the driver swept the entire house top to bottom. It was empty. Nick watched the holographic display as the footage was restored. It began with the taxi pulling up to the front gate. The guards confronted the man but he just glanced at them and their defensive posturing evaporated. The male guard kept his place while the female security officer, one of Akira's own led the man up the walkway to the house. The footage stuttered before the next sequence was picked up by the cameras at the front of the house. Surfer stopped the feed and zoomed in on the young man.

Nick didn't recognize him. He was tall with dark hair and eerie gray eyes. Surfer ran the image through facial recognition software. It didn't take long to discover his identity. His name was Aaron Atwater. He was a student at the local university. He was studying electrical and mechanical engineering. What the hell was going on? How did this kid just walk past the most loyal and best trained security force on the planet?

Nick watched as the scenes unfolded and each time he just glanced at security as well as his family and they welcomed him in like he was known to them. He ordered a full spectrum scan and there at the very edge of the ultra violet a plume of energy. Surfer was able to isolate the discharge to his eyes. When he looked at someone he sent that pulse of energy and it changed them somehow. Surfer isolated the wavelength and by monitoring their biometric readouts from their avatars he felt her could possible reverse the effects.

Nick stalked into his home and he felt violated. This fucker had taken every female in sight. He wished that Kat and Petra had still been in Japan. Maybe this could have been avoided. This wasn't a coincidence; someone had targeted his family and staff.

"Motherfucker, I am coming for you," Nick vowed. "Surfer... track anyone connected to Louis or Warren. I need to know if they were targeted as well."

"I am afraid we are too late Sir," Surfer said. "Wait, the Lady Willow's avatar is still with her and she is in hiding in a motel south of Boston."

"Good girl, send a security detachment to protect her. I don't want him finding her." Nick ordered as he went to the armory to gear up. "I am going to personally end this fucker!"

The next hour passed excruciatingly slow. It took time to find men to send to protect Willow Harrower. Her mother was missing as well as her aunt and cousin. The situation is the same for the loved ones of the archaeologist. Whoever was responsible knew who was working on extracting the energy from the Miskatonic. There had to be a leak somewhere. Nick fired up twenty avatars and had them work any and all communication surrounding anyone connected to Project Miskatonic.

Aaron Atwater stood up and adjusted the tails of the long coat he wore. It was done in a Victorian style as were all the dresses the ladies were now wearing. Each lady was wearing a unique gown and their hair style was also unique to each of them. They were like living dolls there for his personal pleasure. As they travelled the girls talked amongst themselves while Aaron's body bristled with power. The new recruits were quite potent and nearly doubled his existing power. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the letter that had led to this moment.

"Dear Mr. Atwater, it has come to our attention that you have inherited your father's treasure. My employer would like to hire you to acquire for us certain women of great distinction. If you agree you can find the listed individuals at the following locations. A vehicle has been set aside for you to deliver said persons in style and elegance. They had indeed provided a mode of transportation.

The gentle rocking motion of the train was reassuring. As long as the train continued to move they were heading in the right direction. He had performed things flawlessly so why did he feel like something terrible was about to happen? He had kidnapped the mother and sister of the tech pioneer Nick Shaw. He had some serious resources but he was still out to sea. By the time he returned Aaron would be off the grid and living off the proceeds of this little transaction. The others were of no consequence, Louis and Warren were quite dead or so his sources had told him. He had nothing to fear from them.

"Lily," Aaron said and the very curvy gal with the dark red hair stood up. "Come on over here."

"Okay," Lily purred as she sashayed to within a few feet of him.

"I hate for you to ruin that dress but uh on your knees," he ordered and she did so but there was something wicked in her gaze. "What is it?"

"I suppose you want me to suck you off," she said licking her lips. "You think he's dead. There is no other reason you'd have the balls to take us."

"You seem quite clear headed," Aaron said frowning. "Why is that?"

"I warned you about binding another redhead," the demon whispered in his thoughts. "She is very strong willed."

"I'll fix that soon enough," Aaron growled. "Open wide bitch I am going to fuck that throat of yours!"

"Ahhhh... MMMMMM..." Lily purred.

He watched as his cock slid easily down Lily's throat. Her tongue worked the tip when he pulled out to let her lick and suck on it. Aaron shivered when the tip of her tongue traced the vein that ran the underside of the shaft. Lily drove her head downward taking his erection to the base with an easy that was astounding. Hell even his mother couldn't do that. Pity he couldn't keep her. She was a gifted cock sucker.

Aaron looked around at all the beauty around him and he saw one face that stood out over all the others. It was Willow Harrower. She seemed distracted and uninterested. For some reason that upset him so he snapped his fingers and pointed to her. Willow's head tracked slowly and she smiled at him. The hunger behind the eyes was clear.

"Get over here," he said and she slipped past the Asian woman next to her. "Help her out..."