Satyr Play 03 Pt. 01

Dayshia's eyebrow rose up and seemed to disappear into the mass of curls. "Is that even possible!?!" she gasped.

Mahati nodded cautiously. "I'm no expert in Wild Magic, but for traditional magic, it's the strength of the will and desire that shapes the capabilities of the magic. Considering her only other option appears to be madness, I think if Henry's willing, it's worth an attempt."

"I'll speak to him about it when he wakes," Tish said.

"Let's go speak with Yuko about it. She woke up, and Jun is talking with her, but I'm glad Kesini has a firm grip on her," Dayshia said.

Sharing worried looks, Tish and Mahati followed Dayshia back out to the living room. Tish noticed there was no sign of Kali.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HENRY!" Yuko spat as she tried to thrash loose from Kesini's coils. She was standing but unable to move.

"Nothing. Henry is resting comfortably after Dayshia and I healed the injuries he sustained in the brief skirmish," the lawyer explained.

Yuko glared at Mahati but seemed to calm down a little.

"He is my friend. Nothing more," Mahati expressed, and Yuko's face burst into a sudden smile, then her expression wobbled to dread. "He will hate me even more now than he did before."

Tish moved right up to her and took her face between her hands. "Henry doesn't hate you. He's just confused about how you're acting. Jun explained it to us. You're magically bound to him. You need his baby to break that spell. I-I think Henry can help you with that. I'll speak to him when he wakes. I'll explain what's happening with you, and if I know Henry, he'll want to help."

Yuko's eyes began to well up, and recalling Jun's warning, Tish quickly pulled her hands back.

"Henry's not Human. Stanley was. I need a baby from a Human," she admitted quietly.

Sandy frowned in confusion. "How could Stanley have been human. I thought that was just a disguise."

Mahati moved closer. "Stanley's method of disguising himself as Human relied upon a Dragon's spell, which altered reality around him, so he became Human while it was active. He can no longer use that original disguise. That said, it's still possible that he could help Yuko. Wild Magic seems much stronger than the magic I'm linked to. Henry's glamor is designed to fulfill the... needs of the one he's with. Your need is for Human sperm. If he agrees to try, keep that topmost in your mind, and will it as your greatest desire. I'm sure this won't be difficult for you."

Yuko watched the dark-skinned beauty and saw the reddening of her cheeks. She'd said she and Henry were just friends, but Yuko wasn't so sure that was the other woman's honest desire. She looked away as her heart flipped. The alcohol was interfering with her rational mind. Her binding was triggering irrational impulses, like attacking a Nāga. All she could do in response was nod.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome, and we've certainly misbehaved. I apologize for my actions and my sister's meddling, which likely led to this confrontation," Mahati said sincerely. She looked around and discovered Kali was missing. "She's not here. Typical. I will express my displeasure at her behavior when I see her. Thank you for inviting us."

Tish nodded and walked the lovely woman in the saree to the door.

Kesini let go of Yuko once Mahati was gone, and the young woman wobbled on her feet. Jun took her arm. Yuko looked shamefaced and still a little tipsy, but she addressed the group.

"I am sorry for my behavior, as well. I honestly appreciate your efforts on my behalf. Please give my apologies to Henry and thank him for me for saving my life."

The group made sounds of acceptance, and Tish let the two out of the condo before returning to see Dayshia, Michelle, and Sandy cleaning up.

"You don't need to do that!" Tish exclaimed.

"Henry would have helped you if he wasn't recovering, again," Sandy said with a sad little frown.

Tish nodded with an equally sad expression. "He seems to be such a focal point for crisis and calamity."

Dayshia hugged Tish and Sandy rushed over to join in the hug with Kesini. Michelle held back as she was still not comfortable with that yet, but she smiled at the others.

The phone rang, and Tish released her hug to go over to answer it.

Sandy looked to Dayshia and Michelle. "Henry's the cause of New York's Aurora Borealis sightings! I'm torn between being excited and terrified!"

They looked over at Tish, who was speaking quietly to someone and frowning in concern. When she rushed across the room, the others gave chase.

"What's happening?" Sandy called out to Tish, who was making a beeline to the master bedroom.

"Roy caught a report on the radio about the Aurora Borealis appearing over the Hudson River again, and he called Camila, who was also on the road. She's on the phone. I need to check on Henry."

They crowded into the bedroom and knelt on the bed next to the big naked man. Tish lifted an eyelid and saw Henry's pupils were tiny and didn't respond to light. She put her ear over his nose. Then she sat up looking upset and lifted the handset to her ear again.

"Camila? His pupils aren't responding to light, and his breathing seems shallow."

They waited as Camila spoke to Tish. "Okay, I'll wait for your call. Thank you!" She hung up and looked to the others who were watching with wide eyes.

"Henry's mind has left his body again. It gets trapped in that green light, the healing spell, and wanders after he's been injured." The others gasped. "Meixiu seems to be able to immediately draw him back, so Camila is going to try to get her to come back to our condo."

"Is there anything we can do?" Sandy asked nervously.

"We can try talking to him. He may hear us and come back on his own. It can't hurt." Tish said.

Dayshia leaned down and spoke into his ear. "Henry! You come back to us, right now!"

There was no change, and she shared a worried look with Tish, Sandy, and Michelle.

Tish wondered where Henry went.

-=-

Floating over a dark landscape, Henry sleepily watched the flashes of light in the clouds below. He knew he shouldn't be here, but he didn't have the required energy to go back to where he needed to be. Worse, he didn't know the way.

Instead, he let himself be swept along by the currents in the Global Overlay Spell. It seemed much stronger than it did before. While the spell's healing properties were still based on the old magic as that was the only kind the Fae responded to, it now had a base layer of Wild Magic, which seemed to be acting like a power induction charger for the healing spell. The strength of the spell was significantly boosted. Additionally, the magic's flow had gone from a gentle swirling current in the upper atmosphere to a rushing river, leaping and surging forward.

The spell's purpose, to heal the Fae, felt like it was nearing completion. He wondered what it could be used for once it healed the Fae. It was a shame that Humans were immune to the energy. It passed through them without effect. Wild Magic, on the other hand, wreaked havoc on Humans. He thought of his friends, and for a moment, he could almost hear them.

All hell broke loose below him as a dense cluster of pseudo-clouds savagely attacked each other. Henry felt his curiosity drawing him closer. He drifted downwards and saw dim lighting on the ground between at least two dozen mid-sized clouds as they jockeyed for position. He thought he saw large oil tanks laid out in a grid below the fighting storm clouds. Henry felt the presence of a large body of water to the east, an expanse of desert to his right, and saw the lights of a nearby city just north of the battle.

There was a terrific burst of light as two of the larger pseudo-clouds fired their plasma beams down their sides to strike each other simultaneously. Instead of reaching their targets, the energy channels struck two of the oil tanks. The resulting explosion ripped open two additional tanks, and giant fireballs rose towards the attackers. The larger pseudo-clouds weren't able to avoid the fire and lost most of their mass in a deluge that fell upon the destroyed tanks. Something reached critical within the two scorched behemoths, and two almost simultaneous explosions ripped them completely apart. Golden light shot outwards in two relatively slow-moving expanding rings, which lit up the enormous billows of smoke from the burning oil. Henry was almost dazzled by the light show. He looked downwards at the lit-up streets, and based on the writing he saw on some signage, he guessed he was over a small city in the Middle East.

The remaining pseudo-clouds in the cluster were shedding their mass of Wild Magic charged water as they rushed northwards over the city, seemingly running from the golden rings. A few stragglers which shed too much of their energy were caught by the golden light. This triggered explosions from within them as well, but they just dropped something shiny onto the streets below. Henry followed the surviving creatures closely and could see the people coming out of their homes and shops to see the gorgeous lights passing overhead.

Henry wanted to scream at them to go back inside, but they were dancing in the rain, getting drenched in the magically charged liquid.

Seemingly driven into a frenzy, the surviving pseudo-clouds began to attack each other once more over streets filled with people. The magically charged bolts struck the ground again and again as the rain continued to fall. The city's electrical grid failed in the onslaught, and Henry had to look away as the constant flashes were almost blinding.

The golden rings caught up to the battle, and one after another, the inner workings within the remaining clouds exploded, dropping their shiny debris onto the streets below.

The battle over, Henry's mind drifted down to street level, and he stared in horror at the devastation around him. Not everyone survived the skirmish. People in cars had been roasted alive by the plasma. Out of control vehicles had plowed into pedestrians, and shattered multicolored glass could be seen where these collisions had occurred with people in the process of becoming the Glass People.

Henry now understood how they were created.

Then he saw her.

So small and precious... and dead.

The infant must have been thrown from one of the crashed cars. Henry wanted to do something for her, but he couldn't even cover her body in his disembodied state. He was powerless.

When he next became aware of his surroundings, his attention was drawn by a large group of Glass People slowly wandering around in shock.

As he moved closer, the Glass People nearby stopped and looked at him. They could somehow see him, as the ones in the gymnasium had and Xiong did on that mountaintop. He could feel their fright, so he did his best to assure them. In his private thoughts, he wasn't sure how the local government would react when they found the people changed like this. He feared they'd be treated as the other Glass People had been, or worse.

He wished he could open the door to Eden. Then they could join Xiong and the rest.

He continued floating through the streets, seeing the thirsty soil absorbing the rain but unable to feel the fine mist which continued to fall, the remnants of the dying clouds. He tried to make sense of the aftermath of the battle, and each time he met them, he eased the fears of the newly transformed. A small flash of gold light up ahead drew him to the scene of a man who still seemed Human. He was soaking wet and laying in a puddle with a big grin on his face. He had a fine gold wire mesh with dull yellow stones at the wires' intersections in one of his hands. In his other hand were some strips of tin foil. Henry watched as they melted against his skin, sliding up his arm. It didn't cling to his clothes but slid underneath, bonding to his skin. Henry could only watch as it covered his face and continued into his hair and down over his other shoulder. Henry felt like he was holding his breath, but the man in the puddle didn't seem to notice. He suddenly stood up and began to run up the street, faster and faster, until he zipped away and out of sight.

He couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. Henry looked around and spotted more of the amber stones and gold wire. These stones were glowing with golden light, and there were more strips of the silver foil very close by. He realized this was the shiny debris he'd seen dropping from the dead pseudo-clouds. He reached out to touch it.

A tugging sensation began, and Henry found himself sliding away from the mesh. He couldn't deny the pull. He floated back the way he came until he arrived in a wide plaza next to some apartment towers. The Glass People were congregating there and calling for the others to join them. This was the tugging sensation. They were speaking through the magic. He suddenly recalled the Glass People from the gymnasium and how they'd called out to him, pulling him to them through the magic in him.

He also recalled Xiong calling out to him that night, so he moved closer to the group's center. The ones standing there seemed to be the ones rallying the others to join them. Henry reached out a phantom limb and touched the one who appeared to be the leader. His fingers passed through the glass surface, but his connection felt like it was boosted considerably. He sent an image of Xiong and the sensation he'd had when he'd communicated with him. He showed his memories of Eden, and suddenly the Glass People became very excited. He felt their hope.

Henry was beginning to quickly tire as he felt a significant drain. Communing with them in this state took so much energy. He left them with a sense of urgency to reach out to his friends on the other side through the magic. Then he pulled back and let himself float upwards to rejoin the flow of the Global Overlay Spell. It trickled energy back into him, but he was so weary. He wondered if it would feel different if he did this when he wasn't injured or inebriated.

The light dazzled him once more, and he thought the pseudo-clouds were having another battle, but it was just the sun as he flew towards the daylight side of the planet. Below, nothing seemed familiar. He was lost once more as the Earth turned below him. He felt a monstrously large presence over what might be the Pacific Ocean, then he was beyond it. Then it was dark again.

He was stunned at how quick the flow of magic had become over the globe. There was no sensation of movement except for the sight of the world turning below.

He watched the man-made lights below as he passed over what he thought might be the west coast of the states, then he was plunged into the relative darkness of the mountains and the plains beyond.

Henry was so tired. He just wanted to go home. How much longer was he going to be trapped up in the sky?

Where was his body?

Chapter 5

John F. Kennedy International airport was crowded and noisy, which suited Minkah's purposes. While she was weary from her long flight from Cairo, she preferred to arrive when the airport staff were busy and stressed. While she didn't enjoy the long queues and being immersed in the smell of Humans, the time she'd spend under the customs agents' scrutiny was usually shorter.

Not that her paperwork wasn't perfect or would raise a flag. She'd been doing this for a long time and was a master at getting through international travel hubs with no ripples at all.

Minkah Kamilah Nassor Meskhenet, born in Cairo, Egypt. Age, 30 years. Sex, female. Height, 178 cm. Weight, 63 kg. Occupation, Security Consultant. She wasn't carrying a weapon as she would be supplied whatever she needed by those contracting her work. Besides, she was a weapon. She used her looks to distract her opponents as well as customs agents. Every target she'd faced underestimated her due to her beauty. She was tall and long-limbed with a tight, lean body. She had wavy jet black hair to mid-back, a light tan skin tone, a heart shape face with full sensual lips, and intense, expressive eyes, one of which was light amber while the other was a deep shade of blue. That was all the distraction she'd need to get past airport security.

She'd been requested by the Hidden Races Council in New York months ago, but she'd been occupied hunting the killer of Thane del Neev, Investigator for Western Europe. Her investigation yielded no results at all, which was evidence in itself. She'd never encountered such a complete lack of information. No one saw anything or remembered seeing anything, at least. She didn't count it as a failure on her part as she'd been exceptionally thorough, almost to the point of driving some potential witnesses to file nuisance charges against her. Nothing had shaken their conviction that Thane had been alone when he died, and none recalled why he was there in the first place.

She sighed as she inched closer to the customs desk. She casually watched the people around her. All Humans, as far as her sensitive nose could tell, but she was right in the midst of them, so that was not an accurate test. She smiled to herself as they had no idea they had a Bastet standing next to them. She felt eyes on her and ignored them once she determined they were just drawn by her beauty.

Then it was her turn to present her documentation, and she'd lucked into an agent who looked like he was well past done-for-the-day. A few curt questions barked at her, a curious look at her mismatched eyes, her passport was stamped, and she was through.

Walking across the arrivals hall, Minkah reflected on the last time she'd visited the city. It was so many years ago. She had no friends here. Truthfully, she had no friends anywhere. She never felt the need to get to know anyone, as she might have to kill them.

A slight smile came to her lips as she heard the happy squeal of lovers reuniting, their kisses passionate and demanding, and their arms holding each other so tight. She mildly wondered what that might feel like. She'd taken lovers over the years, but none of them had truly satisfied her. She'd never returned to a lover once she'd bedded them. Her string of disappointments prevented her from actively looking.

Minkah prided herself on being self-sufficient. Perhaps that was just a trait of Bastets, as shapeshifters had a reputation for deception. People seemed to feel uncomfortable around her, so it was for the best that she remained alone. She had no problems finding company to share her bed on the occasions when she felt that need. It was better to be able to cut them loose directly afterward.

Instead of relying on others' validation, she found satisfaction in being the best at her job, eliminating threats to the Hidden Races. She was an assassin.

She was hearing reports of the number of risks increasing and their frequency accelerating. For her, this pattern began with the red-eyed sound tracker in the Nuclear facility. That one had been disturbing, and she'd found it immensely satisfying to kill the creature. Especially since it had killed and partially consumed a fellow assassin.

She'd found the look on Heller's face amusing as he'd seemed so surprised, yet it was his report she was acting upon. The other assassin had been summoned by the facility manager as she'd seen his report was filed a full day after Heller's.

Maybe Heller thought the other assassin had been the one he'd ordered. It no longer mattered, but she still enjoyed the memory of his look.

She sank back into the cushions of the cab's seat and gave the driver her destination. Soon they were making their way into the heart of the big city.

While killing brought her no thrill, completing her missions neatly and efficiently gave her a deep sense of satisfaction. Her reputation was spotless, and she'd never failed in a mission.