Satyr Play 04 Pt. 02

"Shit! What now?" he groaned.

"Magic is not the way of Valkyries."

He pointed to his face. "Not a Valkyrie, but I don't like magic either." When she looked at him doubtfully, he smiled. "I'd much rather just work on computers and programming."

Her frown was back. "So, you're a technology nerd. This explains much."

Henry's smile fell. He pointed to the doorway, so Hilda left Eden to return to the mansion. He followed and closed the doors, restoring the spell to its dormant mode.

Turning back to the hall, he saw Hilda was no longer there. He sighed in relief. He wasn't sure if they were ever going to get along.

He looked inward at his new rift control and spun the ring, slowly closing the aperture. When he was done, a trickle of energy flowed out, probably more than the typical background levels, but the control felt stable.

He climbed back up the stairs and paused at the top as he heard the Valkyries in the living room talking excitedly. He didn't feel up to seeing what was charging them up. No doubt it was Hilda showing off again. Ooo! Look at the nasty weapon I'm going to make for my granddaughter—oh yeah, and my grandson.

Henry had some thinking to do, so he headed outside to sit in his favorite spot in the gazebo.

He spent the first few minutes just soaking in the sunlight. He hadn't seen blue skies in a little while.

The bright sunlight flashed off the surfaces of some Silver People coming in for a recharge. He wondered what activities kept them in the neighborhood now that the storm had passed.

Henry closed his eyes and listened to the distant sound of children laughing and playing. There was something relaxing about that. It was so easy to remain here and let the warmth of the sun and the joyful voices protect him from thinking about what he needed to do.

He knew he was procrastinating. It just felt so good to pretend for a moment that he was just another member of the blissfully unaware populace, just moving through life one day at a time, ignorant of the malignant forces from an incomprehensible and sanity-tearing dimension trying to get their claws on their world. Their entry point had been Baba and her spells. The same spells she'd shed in her attempt to free herself of the deal she'd made with those ancient beings.

The spells that now resided in his brain.

Though Baba had released them from her mind and no longer had a body, she was somehow still resisting his efforts to shed them as well. He thought about that. It seemed likely that the resistance might be coming from the dark being's influence on her.

He had another epiphany, and this one stung with a bitterness that brought tears to his eyes once more.

Baba's splitting of Henry from Stanley might not have been a change of heart after all. It was likely the only way those alien monsters could keep the dark magics bound to someone still part of this world.

It also shed new light on his months of agony climbing out of that dark pit. Hazy memories sharpened, and he recalled their promises of relief if he'd just surrender to their will. Never said with words, just impressions. They needed him alive to keep their link to Earth and its people. He'd rejected them but lived because he wanted it for himself. They didn't get their new slave then, but their vile magic was still in his mind, and Baba was working against him, and her own desires, by preventing him from shedding them.

And the ageless alien minds were patient.

His eyes snapped open as he gasped for air. He hadn't realized he'd stopped breathing.

"Henry? Are you okay?"

He turned his head and saw Lorelei climbing the steps of the gazebo, a look of concern on her lovely face.

He sucked in another breath as his emotions rocked his foundations once more.

Then Lorelei's arms were around him, and he gave in to his grief.

His heart refused to give up hope that Baba would recognize and return his love. Each time he was slapped with the reality of her manipulations and the alien minds' influence on her, that hope dimmed a little more.

He took slow, deep breaths to get his stability back. Lorelei's grip on him was helping a great deal. It was like a grounding, a founda—

His eyes snapped open once more.

Henry looked into Lorelei's eyes as he struggled with what he wanted to ask her.

"What is it?" she asked, then her expression changed to fear. "Henry, breathe!" she exclaimed.

He sucked in a deep breath and felt the pressure easing. He realized it was coming from the dark magic in his mind.

They were aware of his train of thought and didn't approve. This just told him he was on the right track.

He gently eased himself from Lorelei's grip and pushed himself to his hooves. He had to purge the alien-touched spells from his memory. He tried to eliminate just one, but Baba was there, blocking him, clinging to the magic and his mind.

"GGGGGRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" Henry roared in rage and frustration until he dropped to his hands and knees. His muscles shook with tension.

He heard shouts and felt the soothing touch of Lorelei's hand on his back and another in his hair. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw Valkyrie surrounding the gazebo, all armed to the teeth and aimed outwards to defend him.

He sat back and rubbed his face with his hands to remove some of the emotional fog. He pushed himself to his hooves, then turned to Lorelei. Henry took her hands in his and kissed her palms.

"Thank you for helping me regain control."

Her concerned look strengthened. "Who were you fighting against?"

He shook his head and snorted. "Beings way above my weight class."

Henry left the gazebo and faced the gathering warriors as the danger seemed to have passed. He held out a hand for Lorelei.

"What's happening, Henry?" Sigrid asked.

"I need to fill everyone in on... a situation we face." Seeing some kids in the mix, he added, "Just the adults, please."

"The tables and chairs are still in the main cavern," Roy suggested, and Henry nodded.

Layla, Felicia, and a few other kids complained, but the parents put their hooves down, and that was that.

Everyone filed back inside and made their way into the dining room, where the table was now back in place. Henry was very grateful for that. "I'm no longer going to make Magic Doors when there's this much glass," he muttered to Roy, who looked at him in question, then nodded.

Once the last adult passed through the doors into the corridor, Henry stepped through and closed the doors behind himself, releasing the spell. Then he locked the double doors from the inside to keep the curious kids out. He saw the handles wiggle and smiled.

Henry walked down into the large cavern and faced the group. It seemed the Valkyries wanted to meet this new threat on their feet. His friends had taken seats facing where they had the buffet table the night before, so he stood there to be visible to all.

He cast his eyes over the gathering. "Okay, getting right to it. Baba Yaga physically died the night of Skyfall, but her essence didn't move on. It was her plan to perish with the rest of Humanity, but she needed to cut loose her magic for that to happen. Instead of casting it away, and maybe that was impossible, she implanted it all inside my mind. Some of this magic is strongly tainted by the dark energies lent to her by the beings who bound her to a deal for her powers. These beings are ancient, inconceivably alien, and intensely malignant. They're from a dimension far beyond ours or Eden's.

"Have you faced them?" one of the Valkyrie's shouted.

Henry held her eyes to speak to her directly, but his voice carried to all ears.

"Facing these entities directly would strip you of your sanity. There's no way for a rational mind to grasp their scope, physical nature, or powers. Because of the vast separation between our dimensions, they cannot directly interact with ours. Only their energy can make the journey, and thankfully, only in small amounts."

He took a deep breath. "The energy that has made that journey is currently quarantined inside my head." There was some shuffling of feet and uneasy murmurs as the gathered people came to terms with that.

"The problem is, I cannot deal with these spells in any meaningful way until Baba releases her control over them. She put them in my head but also left parts of herself bound to them. She has no faith in anyone but herself, probably a by-product of working so long with the dark entities. If I can complete the conditions of her deal, her spirit will be free to go where it needs to go. She'll have no need to continue blocking me from dealing with the magic. Then I can defang the monster."

"Henry, energy can't be destroyed, so how will you deal with it?" Roy asked.

Henry sighed. "I'd love to send it back to where it came from, but the danger's too great."

"You won't open a gate from here to there!" Hilda bellowed, and other Valkyrie voices chimed in.

Henry held his hands up for calm. "Listen, I couldn't even if I wanted to, and I definitely don't! I was speaking of bleeding the energy back into the void where the entities live, much like how the Wild Magic bleeds into Earth's dimension. The risk would be to my mind, which would be open to the entities' dimension. So, I'm not doing it."

Hilda still seemed angry. "So, Master Wizard, how will you deal with the spells?"

Henry looked at his girlfriend's mother and wondered where the hostility was coming from now. He sighed again as it seemed like another unsolvable dilemma.

"All I can do is drain the energy from the spells so they can be unwoven into their harmless base components. I'll have to contain the collected energy inside something when I'm done, then lock it away."

Roy's expression showed his concern. "You're talking about creating a reliquary of considerable power. Are you sure this isn't exactly what these beings are after?"

"No, Roy, I can't be sure of anything involving their intent! That's my point! Their minds don't track at all like ours do, so I can only do my best to find a solution that keeps the most people alive," Henry snapped. He took a deep breath and continued with more control. "My alternative is to leave the spells as they are, pushed down in the back of my mind where the corrupt energy slowly and surely warps my values and personality until I become a slave of the entities like Baba. They're willing to wait. They're extremely patient."

"If you create this artifact, the Demons will hunt for it. It will resonate with them. I've always said their powers don't come from this realm," Hilda said.

"The Demons are already working together," Roy said, and the gathered Valkyrie made angry noises of disbelief. Roy looked to Sigrid, who nodded.

She moved to stand next to him. "Roy speaks the truth! When Henry returned from Eden, he hunted for our missing friend Kali and found she was being held captive in a sex and torture club which was part of a global network of clubs, all run by Demons. We discovered three levels of Demons within the one club alone. When they were defeated, the Senior Demon fled and destroyed the club with explosives."

That forced the warriors into silence as they contemplated a more intelligent and organized foe. Demons were already difficult to kill. If they got organized and began using smart strategies, the Valkyries could be in trouble.

"We need to be powered by the Wild Magic, like Sigrid," Hilda insisted.

Daughter looked at mother in surprise, so Hilda explained. "You're faster and stronger, and your endurance is greater because you contain much more potent energy."

The other Valkyries liked the sound of that and made approving noises. One turned to Sigrid. "How did you become linked to the realm of Wild Magic?"

She opened her mouth as her eyes went to Henry, but he was already shaking his head. "We'll... have to find an alternate way."

Hilda smiled as she guessed how Sigrid had done it and her eyes locked on Henry. He looked back at her, wondering if she was more than a little bit unbalanced. A short while ago, she'd been shooting daggers at him with her eyes. Now she was ready to eat him up with a spoon?

Henry pushed that from his mind. He knew what needed to be done and who he had to speak with directly. He wouldn't put them on the spot, so he'd wrap this up and pull them aside to ask for their help.

"The next step involves dealing with Baba to make her release the magic, so the Valkyrie are off the hook. After that, nothing should need immediate attention, but I'll ask Roy for options for containing and hiding the energy. If Roy believes the Demons will become a threat, he can contact the Valkyries." He cast his eyes over the group and saw troubled expressions, but he had no words to relieve that yet.

"That's all I wanted to say. Thanks for your attention."

He left the front of the room and walked to Lorelei, who was sitting with Siobhan. "Could I speak with you two in private?" he asked softly.

Their eyes widened in surprise, but they nodded and followed him up the ramp into the vestibule. He headed for the door to his condo, and their looks of concern became stronger. Once they were in the unit, he led them to the living room, sat them side by side on a couch, and sat across from them.

"You're not gushing Wild Magic!" Siobhan said in surprise

Henry smiled. "Yes. I've come up with a new control mechanism. It seems to be working... right?"

Siobhan smiled and nodded. "It's still coming through but at much lower levels than before."

"Good!" Henry took a deep breath. "Now, the part I couldn't say in front of the warriors as their solution might be violent. I want to do this without harming a hair on anyone's head, so I need smarts, not brawn," he began.

"You need our help dealing with Baba Yaga? That's going to take brawn of the magic variety, and we're not in her class!" Siobhan asserted.

"No, I need your help with General Crane. I need to separate him from the dark aura," Henry explained.

Lorelei blinked at him in surprise. "And you expect me to do that? Will it come off if I sing to him?"

"Uh, no. But you have a strong friend that I believe might be able to pull it from him. I think you call him Hudson?" he said hopefully.

"Oh! Oh, you need me to communicate with the river and enlist its help?" she asked cautiously.

"These beings are invaders, destroyers, and corrupters. They are targeting Earth. A good man is being used by them and needs to be freed. We must do whatever we can to block any claw hold they can get here. I'm hoping the river will want to help," he explained. "Earth has magic that these beings cannot comprehend or defend against. You're our secret weapon!"

Lorelei snorted but smiled at him. "I don't speak to the river. It's more a sharing of impressions and visualized concepts. If they're too complex or difficult to share, it won't understand," Lorelei suggested. "I have no idea if it will perceive this aura you need it to pull from the General. If it doesn't understand, it might kill him."

Henry nodded grimly but looked at his other guest.

"What do I do?" Siobhan asked in surprise.

"I can't see the aura. I need you to share what you see with Lorelei and me," he explained.

Lorelei looked at Siobhan. "If I can see this other magic in terms of flow or how it impacts the flow, I might be able to share this with the Hudson to help it perceive the threat."

"If we can remove the aura or even expose some skin I can touch, I can alter Crane with Wild Magic, and he won't be a Human any longer. That completes Baba's deal with them, and she'll be released. The dark magic will no longer have a purpose for the General and might fade away. Then I can begin to deal directly with the dark magic spells," Henry said with hope in his voice.

"When do you want to do this?" Lorelei asked.

"As soon as possible. Now, if you're available," Henry suggested.

"Oh! Now?" Lorelei glanced at Siobhan, who was looking equally surprised. She looked at Henry's hopeful expression and nodded. "I suppose there isn't any reason to put it off."

"Is the General on board with this?" Siobhan asked.

Henry's expression became concerned. "He's in a hospital and injured, so that adds complications. I'll call the Sergeant to enlist her help."

The two ladies nodded, so he pulled out his cell and dialed. It rang twice.

"Henry! What's up?" Mick said as she answered.

"Hi. Are you with the General? How is he?"

"Most of the squad is at the Mall, trickle feeding from proximity to the strike zone. David and I are in the hall outside the General's room. He woke up this morning. He seems fine though he's pretty bruised," she explained.

"I'd like to speak to him as soon as possible. Is he able to get out of bed?" Henry asked.

Mick snorted. "Yeah, he can walk as far as the bathroom. He bangs a metal cup on the rail of his bed to get us to come into the room to help him. He was asking why we won't stay in the room. He wanted to talk to you about that. I'd also like answers about this non-imminent danger you mentioned."

"If I open a door to my condo, can you bring the General here?" Henry asked.

"Hang on."

Henry heard a muffled conversation then Mick was back on the line. "Yes. The bathroom door again?"

"Yes, please," Henry responded as he got up and walked back to his hallway. He linked his guest bathroom door to the General's bathroom door and knocked. Mick opened the door and grinned as she saw him. David Feinberg came into view, assisting Gordon Crane, who was wearing a dressing gown over his hospital gown. "Please come in," Henry said, standing aside.

The two Silver Soldiers came through the door with the General between them. Henry released the door once they were in. They walked slowly into the living room and took seats on the sofa across from Lorelei and Siobhan.

Henry made the introductions and sat next to Siobhan.

"What's this non-imminent danger I'm in?" Crane asserted immediately.

Henry smiled at the man's no-nonsense approach. He went through the story with them, explaining Baba's contract with the entities from another dimension, their corrupt energies, their hold over Baba and now General Crane. He explained that Siobhan had used her sight to see the aura of the dark energies surrounding him. The General frowned in concern.

"Can Ms. Whelan—"

"Siobhan," the woman insisted.

Gordon smiled at her with a nod. "Can Siobhan show me what she sees?"

Henry smiled at the General's increasing ease with accepting the possibilities of magic.

"It's not a good idea for her to do this as her mind is sensitive to the presence of the entities, and I don't want them to get their claws into her mind," Henry explained. "Mick and David can try, though. We need to see if Siobhan can share with Lorelei and me."

The soldiers immediately stood and walked behind Henry, placing a hand on his shoulders. He smiled as he shared the rift's energy with them. They sighed contentedly.

"Enough with the charging, and pay attention!" Gordon growled. They immediately snapped their eyes to their commander.

Henry didn't miss this new tension between them and assumed this was likely due to the influence of the corrupting energy.

Siobhan put her hand on Henry's arm, and he closed his eyes to accept the connection she was making. He could see the General and the yellow-white energy flowing around him in the condo. Henry knew this energy came from him, but none of this flow touched Crane as it was repelled by a dark field around him. For the first time, Henry could see corrupt energies. It slowly flowed over Crane's entire body like a thin film of black oil.

He felt the presence of the two Silver Soldiers as well.

"This is dizzying!" Mick said.

"Close your own eyes and see with Siobhan's alone," Henry instructed.