Satyr Play 02 Pt. 02

As his right hand was still held down against Tish and his left was being held by Sandy's hair, a coil of her hair moved to pull the sheet down for him. Henry cried out in shock. Her legs! Dark black fur was growing over them as her knee and ankle joints... relocated, causing the sheets to lift. For a brief moment, he thought she might be moving them on her own, but their lack of tone once transformed dispelled that illusion.

Her feet were shrinking into cloven hooves, much like his though smaller. He quickly glanced up to her face and saw small bone white horns slowly growing out through her ebony hair. Her eyes widened slightly, and her lashes grew and thickened. Her ears became pointed, grew fur with feathered tufts at the tips, and pointed up. Her eyebrows thickened into fur with cute little curls forming on them. All the fine hairs were disappearing on her upper torso and arms, leaving smooth skin with a slight smattering of light freckles.

She- she was becoming a Satyr right before his eyes!

But her limp legs still didn't move. Transformed but not healed. A cruel irony.

Chapter 36

Ikehorn was frustrated beyond measure. He'd waited in the hospital all day to speak to the Satyr, to present the Queen's offer to heal his... pet.

But the Satyr didn't show.

All bloody day, Ikehorn waited until the Satyr finally showed up, stinking slightly of pheromones. Fucking around while his friends needed him. That was a mark against him in Ikehorn's book.

He'd waited further still, allowing the Satyr time to fully realize the dire nature of her injuries and become desperate for their help. Finally, he walked down the corridor with his look-away glamor active to pass by the nurse's station unchallenged. Stopping outside the door, he prepared himself and readied his speech. He was going to present the Satyr with an offer to heal the female. He only hoped the Queen's physicians would be able to repair such extensive damage.

He still itched to do it himself, and he savagely forced that down.

It was time. Ikehorn applied an avoidance spell on the door to keep unwanted visitors away while he was there then pushed through the door.

The power of the pheromones in the small space was still potent, and Ikehorn staggered slightly. He managed four steps into the room when his feet slowed to a stop. The scene before him defied explanation.

Two prone bodies, the ebony-skinned woman and the... blond were lying on the floor next to the bed. The blonde's hair was now much, much longer! It gleamed and moved on its own!

The Satyr, still in disguise, stood beside the bed, braced against it in exhaustion. His left hand was gently holding the blonde's hair, and his other was touching a female Satyr on the mattress.

What?!? NO, it was the one they'd crippled! The tall, dark-haired woman was now a female version of Gable! He did this?!?

The eyes of the Satyr had widened with panic when he first entered, but calmed when he saw who'd joined him in the room. That calm turned into confusion then suspicion. Ikehorn had no time to delay. The scene threw him, but he needed to salvage the Queen's plan. Time to launch into his story.

"I was informed of the... injuries your friend experienced today. I've come here to offer you the Queen's assistance in healing her." His eyes strayed back to the female Satyr. Her legs still appeared to be limp and unmoving. Good.

Henry scowled, and suddenly Ikehorn found himself suspended above the floor. The hair had a grip on his wrists and ankles and carried him effortlessly to face Henry.

"Put me down, this instant!" Ikehorn snapped. He was surprised at the strength in the hair. It felt more like braided steel cable.

"My friends have been telling me again and again, never trust the Fae, especially one offering a deal. I'm slow at getting the nuances of this new reality I'm now living in, but that fact is sinking in. In the past three days, three of my friends were attacked? Dayshia and Sandy are ok but something truly horrifying happened to Tish, and suddenly you show up to offer to heal her?" He shook his head as he struggled with what his mind was screaming at him. "I've been told, nothing is free from the Fae. There is always a price." He went quiet again as he turned his eyes to Tish, still sleeping peacefully. Still crippled. It couldn't be. It was barbaric! He turned horrified and incredulous eyes back to Ikehorn.

The facts clicked into place in his mind. "Queen Mab wants something from me. Something big. She needed leverage-"

"What are you talking about?" Ikehorn asked angrily, but the hair shook him. That rattled his cool.

"You're lying! Sandy's... hair can tell! So help me if you don't start telling me the truth I will instruct the hair to start pulling.

Ikehorn heard the truth in his words and desperately tried to find a way to save this situation. "I can't tell you what she hasn't shared with me!"

"You did this to Tish!" Gable growled, and Ikehorn felt his shoulder pop out of joint as the hair pulled a little too much. He automatically healed himself with a green flash on his shoulder. The pain though, that remained.

He noticed the Satyr had gone silent and looked at him.

"That green light! You can heal! You can heal Tish!" he exclaimed to Ikehorn.

The Queen's plan would be ruined! He had to stop this! "I'm not a healer! I don't know how it works! And I've never repaired anything this... severe. I doubt I'd have the strength or skill! I'd do more harm than good!"

Henry scowled at him again. "It's not skill; it's will. I may not be a wielder, but I've picked up that much. You need strength?" Gable dropped his glamour, tearing and ripping through his clothes. "FUCK!" He looked at his clothes in dismay. "Well... shit. Never mind!" The large Satyr held his eyes. I've got plenty of strength to spare, and I'll lend you my will and desire. Let's do this!"

Ikehorn was becoming genuinely desperate. "Wait! You said it yourself, the Fae do nothing for free! There must be compensation for doing this!" he groaned as the hair stressed his joints once more.

Henry's eyes bore into Ikehorn's. "The compensation is your continued survival. You... engineered the situation which caused the damage you are now going to repair. You owe Tish a debt. Now you pay it back. Besides, I can feel your need to heal her."

Ikehorn's face burned with directionless rage. He'd failed the Queen. Then the Satyr's words sank in. "Wait, what do you mean you can feel it?" he asked in dawning horror.

The Satyr lifted his left hand which was still coiled with the hair. "We're connected. The hair is feeding what it feels from you to me. I can roughly feel your need to heal her. That sentiment is the only thing keeping you from being torn limb from limb. Enough talk, time to heal." He looked down at the unconscious female. "I'm not a wielder, but I'm starting to feel my connection to the global healing spell. I- recall the sensation of pulling it to me. I'm going to try to do it now. You do the rest. Is that understood?" Henry looked fiercely into his eyes, and Ikehorn nodded, fascinated in spite of himself.

Closing his eyes in preparation, the Satyr calmed and moments later the room began to glow with the green light of the global healing spell, becoming brighter and brighter as he drew it to himself.

The hair moved Ikehorn closer to Tish's body and positioned his hand next to the Satyr's much larger one. He suddenly felt the enormous accumulation of the healing power at his disposal. He also felt the incredible strength of the Satyr's will, his desire to bring Tish's body back to a state of perfect health once more. With a final gasp, Ikehorn gave in to his need to heal the woman and prepared the image in his mind. Perfectly aligned vertebrae and an unbroken spinal column. He felt the weight of the task settling over him and almost lost faith until the Satyr's mind slid in next to him and presented him with the power to achieve... anything.

The room's door burst open, and Ikehorn looked back over his shoulder as he dangled over the bed. A tall, dark-haired man was standing in the doorway slack-jawed in shock. He suddenly surged into the room as a coil of the blonde hair yanked him in by his belt buckle. He opened his mouth to yell, and another strand slipped something between his lips. The man grabbed the hair and began to choke. Then his muscles went limp as he collapsed to the floor next to the others.

Ikehorn glanced over to the Satyr who'd missed this entire exchange as he still had his eyes closed. He turned his attention back to the female Satyr and calmed his mind, allowing the offered energy to fill his being. When it felt like he might become incandescent, he directed it down through his hand touching her as he held the image in his mind.

Heal.

The room exploded with green light like a flash bomb, stunning everyone including the blonde's hair. The windows blew out and loose, small objects flew about the room as if a mighty wind circled the chamber. The Satyr released his grip on the hair and slumped next to the bed as Ikehorn dropped to the floor.

As the channel and focus point of all that energy, Ikehorn discovered he'd been least affected and recovered before his captors. Looking at the altered humans, Ikehorn's quick mind leapt to an alternate plan. He leaned closer to the dazed Satyr. "How will you protect your friends now in their changed state? How will you disguise them?" He caught motion in the corner of his eye and leapt backward over the stirring hair, turned and ran from the room. He paused to reinforce the avoidance spell on the door as he wondered how the tall man had gotten past his original one. Then he rushed into the stairwell to run down the stairs to the ground floor. He calmly left the hospital and found a place to keep an eye on it. He pulled out his cell and contacted his team to bring the surveillance van.

As he settled in to watch for the Satyr's next move, he hoped the seed he planted in his mind took hold. He was still outraged that he'd been used to thwart the Queen's plan.

He had to ensure he salvaged it. His very life depended on it.

Ikehorn felt a dawning realization that he very much wished to live. He wanted... to go home.

Someone was waiting there for his return. His heart jumped in his chest.

Unsettled by these unfamiliar feelings, he tried to get his mind back on matters of import. Like serving his Queen.

Lovely blue eyes remained in the back of his mind as he watched the hospital.

Chapter 37

Marisa walked across the lobby to the admitting desk and smiled at the man sitting on the other side of the window. Meixiu was walking beside her, and she saw the man's eyes were jumping back and forth between them. She allowed herself a sly smile.

"We're here to see Patricia Evans."

"Uh, visiting hours are over."

Meixiu leaned forward and locked eyes with the man. His mouth slowly dropped open and the entrance door buzzed as he unlocked it. Sigrid had been waiting next to the door, so she opened it. Marisa and Meixiu joined her, and they stepped inside.

The Valkyrie lean closer to the Vampire. "Meixiu, we need the camera's shut down and all recordings of the past day deleted. Can you find the security office and get them to do that?" The woman nodded. "Come up to the room when you're done as we'll need help getting them out." With another nod, she rushed away.

Sigrid and Marisa continued to the elevators. "So how did Henry sound when he called?" the tall blond asked in worry.

"Exhausted. Frightened. Desperate."

"You went looking for him at the Javits Center?" Sigrid asked.

"I got as far as the door. The crowd was too large, and I drew too much attention. I tried calling Henry but getting a connection was impossible. So I went back to the office to wait. That's where I got Henry's call. He said he was here at the hospital, something had happened to all of his friends, and he needed to get them out of the hospital unobserved. There is some kind of repelling spell on the door so they should have privacy until we get them out," Marisa explained.

"Who put a spell on the door?" Sigrid asked suspiciously.

"He didn't say, but I can guess," Marisa muttered.

They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall. Two nurses were sitting at the nurse's station, a veteran and a newbie by the look of them. Both looked up as they heard the approaching footsteps. "May I help you?" the older one asked.

"We're here to see Patricia Evans," Marisa said sweetly.

"Visiting hours are over. They should have told you that downstairs," the woman replied with a frown.

"He said we could go right up as we're close friends," Marisa said.

The veteran nurse looked over at the trainee. "Roland is such a sucker for a pretty face," she snorted then turned back to send them on their way. She jumped a little as a lovely third woman had suddenly appeared. A beautiful Asian girl.

"We are special friends," Meixiu said looking deeply into the eyes of the older nurse whose expression went slack.

"Of course." The veteran gestured for them to proceed down the hall. The younger nurse made a sound of protest then was caught by Meixiu's gaze. She slumped in her chair, and Meixiu wobbled on her feet.

Sigrid caught her elbow. "Are you ok?"

"I haven't had to compel so many people before. These are good people, so I haven't fed from any of them. I'm so hungry!" Meixiu moaned.

"Let's go see Henry. Maybe you can feed on him," Sigrid suggested as they walked down the hall and Meixiu's face brightened up.

"Are all of the cameras disabled?" Marisa asked.

"Yes, and the recordings for the past week have been erased. The security team will not remember anything that happened tonight." Meixiu said wearily.

"You have been pushing yourself tonight!" Sigrid said in concern.

They suddenly wanted to turn around and move away, so they knew they'd reached the right door. Sigrid pushed through the spell and touched the door, breaking the binding in the magic, allowing it to dissipate. She knocked gently on the door. "Henry? It's Sigrid, Marisa, and Meixiu."

There was silence, so she tried the door, and it only moved in a short distance before it stopped.

"Henry?" Marisa called out.

The door suddenly pulled open and blond hair swooped around the edge to wrap around Marisa's body and carry her into the room.

Marisa's eyes were wide with surprise as she felt the full body hug as she was enveloped by glowing blonde hair. Her feet weren't touching the ground, and she could feel the strength in the strands, but she also sensed affection in the grip. A burst of relieved and giddy giggles escaped from her. "Sandy?"

"She's still unconscious."

Marisa looked to the bed and saw Henry slumped against it in a white t-shirt and jeans. What drew her attention next was the creature in the bed. It was clearly Tish but... it wasn't. "What?" she gasped quietly. Then she noted Sandy, Dayshia, and a tall, dark-haired man all unconscious on the floor. "What?!?"

Sigrid and Meixiu moved into the room to gaze at the sleeping Humans in surprise.

"I'll answer all your questions later. For now, we need to get them all out of the hospital before they wake up or someone comes to investigate."

"I thought- Tish was badly injured, wasn't she?" Marisa asked in shock. "It's not safe to move her... is it?"

Henry's expression was troubled and flipped between doubt and wonder. "I think we healed her. Either way, we can't leave her here, like this!" He shook his head as he rubbed his face.

Sigrid nodded. "Marisa and I will get some gurneys. Meixiu needs to feed if you can manage it. She used too much energy clearing the way for us to get in and out unseen."

Henry nodded, and Meixiu smiled at him gratefully. He switched his glamor to drop his clothes and Meixiu burst into giggles.

"No, I just need a little blood," she said as she admired the view of his naked body.

"Oh! Sorry!" he said with a deep blush. The white t-shirt and jeans flashed back onto his body.

"Uh, how do I get out of this embrace?" Marisa asked.

Henry reached a hand towards the hair and immediately strands wrapped around his fingers. He smiled with a chuckle. "She's delighted to see you!" he said, gazing fondly at the blonde locks. Marisa was gently lowered to her feet and released from the grip. The hair floated before her like a glowing cloud.

"She?" Marisa asked.

"Later," Sigrid said and tugged Marisa's hand to follow her out.

Meixiu moved closer to Henry, but he raised his free hand.

"Let me explain what's going to happen, or you may find yourself in an angry tangle," he said.

The hair moved closer then he nodded to Meixiu. She looked nervously at the hovering gold locks but slipped in against Henry's chest and hugged him. He smiled, and she kissed him sweetly. When she pulled back, he tilted his head, and her lips went to his throat. She bit gently and quickly drank as she felt tendrils of hair wrap around her arms. She licked to seal the small wound then pulled back as the energy swept through her, recharging her spent cells.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed she was bound tight. "Henry?"

He opened his eyes blearily and saw her situation. "Sorry." He frowned and the hair released her.

"I... will get a gurney too," Meixiu said, watching the hovering wall of hair nervously as she backed away.

As she rushed from the room, Henry tugged the hair closer. "Friend," he gently admonished. It touched where Meixiu fed, so he pressed the locks to his lips. Sandy sighed in her sleep.

Sigrid wheeled a cart in and looked at him curiously. "There are only three gurneys available on this floor. You have four people to extract."

Henry looked at the group nervously. "I can carry Roger."

She scowled at him, seeing his exhaustion. "No, that will draw too much attention. I'll come back for him."

Henry didn't feel it was safe to separate them, but he just nodded as he didn't have the will to argue. He helped gently load Dayshia on the gurney. Henry and Sigrid shared a look as Dayshia's eyes were larger than before. Her lashes were longer and thicker as well.

"I'll take her down to the car. Send Marisa down with Sandy next... if you can get her hair to behave. Then come down with Meixiu and Tish. I'll come back up to get Roger."

Henry nodded, and Sigrid wheeled Dayshia out.

Marisa pushed an empty gurney into the room and looked to him. Henry explained to Sandy's hair what they needed to do with Sandy. He needed a name for the hair as she was an independent entity but he'd wait for Sandy to tell him.

When Marisa pulled the top sheet off, the blonde hair lifted Sandy onto the gurney and pulled the sheet over her. Marisa smiled at Henry and pushed the rolling bed out. He saw a tendril of hair wrapped around Marisa's wrist as they stepped out the door.

He went to the bed and carefully slipped his hand under Tish's back and slowly slid his fingers down while touching the line of her spine. He was sweating bullets, but he found no misalignments. He lifted her in his arms and laid her out on the gurney Meixiu wheeled in. She covered their patient with a blanket and were ready to go.

With a final worried look at Roger, he gathered his torn, real clothes and followed Meixiu out. At least Roger appeared Human in case anyone came to check on the room.

As they made their way through the hall, he noticed the hospital was so quiet. Too quiet. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

Meixiu gave him a slight smile. "There wasn't many here, but those that are will rest until we leave."

He didn't want to know what she meant by that, so he let it go.

They made it to the side entrance where Sigrid gave them a relieved look. "I'll take Meixiu back up with me. You get Tish into the truck."