Satyr Play 04 Pt. 02

"Oh! That's better—SHIT! What's that?" Mick exclaimed.

"What are you seeing, Sergeant?" Gordon asked.

"Uh, it's like you're covered in black goo... or mist. It seems to change its nature as well as its density constantly. Freaky!"

"That's probably what that rock-like material in the vest was. It compressed some of itself into a solid to protect him and showed up in our perceptions. When it did its job, it faded back into its invisible state," Henry muttered. "Lorelei?"

"Nothing happens when I try to connect to Siobhan through you. "I'm going to try a direct connection with Siobhan," she replied. "Oh! It works!" She sighed and was silent for a moment. "The golden light is beautiful! The black mist around the General is not! It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up."

Henry breathed a sigh of relief. Now that she could see it, she might be able to share her impression of it with the river. "Get a good look at it."

Henry noted his vision was dimming considerably when Lorelei was connected. The brightness and color were diminishing as if Lorelei was using up all of Siobhan's bandwidth.

Mick noted it as well. "I'm having trouble seeing. It's getting dimmer."

"Lorelei is hogging the feed!" Henry teased.

"Hey!" Lorelei exclaimed.

"The yellow-white waves are coming from Henry, and yes, your connection is much stronger than his," Siobhan said with a smile.

"It's our affinity of being creatures of the water," Lorelei said, then felt Siobhan's embarrassment. She pulled her hand back from the woman and looked at her. "I'm so sorry for oversharing!"

"It's okay. Henry forgets what I'd rather keep to myself all the time," Siobhan said stiffly.

He froze. "Oh my god! You're right! I'm so sorry, Siobhan!"

"If I didn't like you so much, I'd be really angry!" she huffed.

"Justifiably so. I'm such an idiot!" he said with a remorseful expression.

Siobhan sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "So, it works? You can both see what you need to see?"

"Yes," Henry said with a nod. Lorelei did as well.

Henry looked to the General. "The next challenge is that we're not strong enough to pull the aura from you. We'll need help from something much stronger than us."

The man's eyebrows went up. "Some thing?"

"Yes. The dark aura is corrupt energy from vast beings inhabiting an alien realm. We need the strength of an elemental force to counteract that strength. We don't necessarily need to pull it completely free from you. If we can expose some of your skin, I can transfer Wild Magic into you to trigger your transformation. This ends the deal Baba made and eliminates the purpose of the spell on you. That should negate it," Henry explained.

The General held up his hands. "Hang on a second. Let me get this clear in my head. I'm completely encased in evil, corrupt energy which comes from enormous evil entities from another dimension. They're so strong we need to assistance of an elemental force here on earth to pry the energy away from me so you can trigger my change into some random race of mythical being."

Henry nodded. "If I can maintain the connection long enough, I can ensure you become a Satyr. It's too difficult to involve anyone else."

Crane held Henry's eye as he thought about that.

"I suppose that's better than becoming... what was it? Oh yeah, a centaur. It's still an if, though, isn't it? You might not be able to maintain contact."

"Yes, that's right, sir," Henry said honestly.

Crane frowned. "And what happens if we just leave everything as it is?"

Henry nodded. "The corrupt energy around you will warp your personality and not in good ways. You'll eventually become its slave, willing to do whatever it wants because that's what you'll want, too. Those near you will be similarly afflicted but to a lesser extent. Another impact is that Baba won't pass on. She'll continue to defy my efforts to eliminate the dark magic spells she contained in my head. These will warp my personality until I pull them from quarantine and begin to use them. They're powered by the same corrupt energies, and the potential damage they can inflict would be devastating. The spells bind the energy to them, so the energy is contained for now."

"That doesn't seem like much of an option," Gordon sighed.

"No, sir."

"Okay, who is this elemental force?" Crane asked.

"It's more of a what than a who. We're going to ask the Hudson River."

Henry thought the General's expression was priceless and wished he'd thought to have his cell's camera ready.

Click!

Henry turned to see Mick putting her cell away. She had a grin on her face.

"The Hudson. That river out there? You're going to ask a river to pull an invisible evil force field from me?"

Henry looked to Lorelei as she might be the best one to explain. She looked at him, widened her eyes, and then rolled them at him. She cleared her throat.

"I'm a Naiad. I'm connected to and can communicate with rivers. They don't have minds per se, but they do have a life force and consciousness. They respond to me, and if I share my intent with them clearly enough, I can get them to help me," Lorelei explained.

Crane digested that, then asked the next obvious question. "Will we need to be in the Hudson for the river to assist?" Lorelei nodded. "Shit. You know it's January, right?" the General grumbled.

"Yes, it's very cold. You won't be able to stay in there for long," Lorelei agreed.

"Shit!" Crane scowled and looked at Henry. "Couldn't you open a door to some tropical island, and we could soak in the water there?"

Henry shook his head with a regretful smile.

"I can communicate with rivers, but I've never received a response from an ocean," Lorelei confessed.

The General sighed and looked at the gathered people for a moment. "Fuck it. Let's give it a try, but no more than ten minutes."

Lorelei nodded to him. "I'll go in first and see if the river will do it. If it agrees, I'll ask you, Siobhan, and Henry to join me."

They stood, and Henry pulled a warm winter coat from the closet for the General. "Sorry, I don't have any boots." He switched to his default glamor of a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. "Wait, give me a second!"

Henry went to his bureau in the bedroom and returned with a pair of boxer shorts, a fleece sweatsuit, and thick socks. "This is better than the hospital gown."

Crane took the items gratefully and quickly got changed in the washroom.

The group took the elevator to the lobby and marched outside. The cold wind off the river immediately brought a scowl of discomfort to Crane's face, but Feinberg scooped him up into his arms then they walked to the edge of the water. Lorelei continued on into the water and was soon out of sight.

"She didn't even flinch!" Gordon said in surprise.

Henry smiled as he nodded. "She wouldn't be a very successful Naiad if cold water affected her."

The General paused to consider that. He finally nodded, then shivered.

"Henry, the aura is beginning to change," Siobhan said.

"It's probably attempting to protect him from the cold," Henry suggested.

A few minutes later, Lorelei came into view, standing on the water's surface. The water under her feet seemed to be solid as it carried her to the shore. Henry grinned at her, impressed, and she smiled back at him shyly. She faced the General.

"The river is willing to help. I'll take you out to the middle where it's strongest." She looked at Henry and Siobhan. "It couldn't understand the need to bring you two as well, so you'll have to get out there on your own."

Siobhan looked at Henry. "It's not a problem for me, but how good a swimmer are you?"

"I-I assumed we'd be able to do it here, near the shore. I don't know how to swim," Henry admitted.

"Okay, everyone back to the condo. I'm going to go get assistance from the Coast Guard," the Sergeant said.

"I'll wait for you in the river by the point," Lorelei said and moved back out into the water and sank below its surface.

The General watched her slip under the waves. "I suppose she wouldn't be very successful if she couldn't breathe underwater too." Henry grinned at him.

They hustled back to the building, and Mick raced away the second they were inside. Henry brought them back up to the condo, and Feinberg indicated he'd be contacted by cell when they were ready.

Henry began preparing hot beverages for the General and Siobhan as he turned off his internal heater spell again. They took seats on the comfy sofas to rest and prepare themselves.

"Henry, how did this evil aura get attached to me?" Gordon asked.

Eyes turned to the man in the kitchen, who was frowning. "I-I don't know. When the green light fell from the sky, how did you manage to avoid being exposed to the Wild Magic?"

The General frowned. "Dulane and I did our best to keep it from touching our skin. Remember, we were the only humans left on the team. Someone had to represent humanity."

Henry carried their mugs to them as he recalled seeing Mick kneeling next to Dulane's empty uniform in Mab's castle as it collapsed. "It worked for Dulane, so it must have worked for you as well. He remained on Earth, and you fell through to Eden. I'm sorry I missed him when I opened the portals."

The General just waved off the apology. "The place was falling apart, and you were in the middle of a battle. That you were able to save any of us was a miracle. You're not to blame for his disappearance." He frowned. "There's still the mystery of how these entities got to me."

Henry knew the other-dimensional horrors couldn't interact with anyone else on Earth other than him as he was carrying the tainted magic... he froze.

"What is it?" Crane asked when he saw the shock on Henry's face.

Looking into the General's eyes, Henry spoke. "The night you found me dead on the street, did you come into contact with my body?"

Crane frowned as his mind went back to the terrible event. "Uh, yes. Almost everyone who returned from Eden touched you. They... we were in shock."

"But you were the only Human on the planet, and the green light was back in the sky, so there was no Wild Magic to come into contact with. The tainted magic in my body might have detected your unique state and allowed some of that evil to transfer to you to become a shield, blocking Wild Magic, to keep you Human and maintain the contract with Baba."

The General was quiet and sipped at his drink as he rolled that idea around in his head. While he had no idea how magic worked, Henry's theory seemed... viable.

Feinberg's cell rang, and he spoke with the Sergeant before handing off the cell to the General. He spoke quietly to someone and finally hung up. He looked to the others as he handed the cell back to the Specialist. "We're to meet them at Paulus Hook Pier in fifteen minutes."

Back downstairs they went, and the Corporal picked the General up in his arms again and ran towards the pier. Henry dropped his glamor, picked up Siobhan, and ran after them. When they got to the waterfront walkway, they looked out over the water and spotted Lorelei's head above the water. Henry set Siobhan down and waved his arms to get Lorelei's attention. She moved towards them, so he pointed to the pier, and she began moving there instead. Henry picked up Siobhan once more and ran to the dock. He set her down and switched back to his glamor. They met the General and the Specialist just as a forty-five-foot Coast Guard response boat pulled into the pier and tied up. Mick joined them on the dock just as the crew welcomed the General on board.

Henry looked to the Sergeant. "Why didn't you go with them?"

She gave him an uncomfortable look. "I'm not too keen on going on or into the water. Silver People don't float, and the river bottom is too soft to run on. We'll stay on dry land, thank you very much."

It was Henry's turn, so he followed Siobhan onto the boat. He was handed a lifejacket which he immediately put on and moved back from the crewman to put some distance between them as a precaution.

"What are we doing, General?" said the sharp-eyed young man.

Crane looked uncomfortable, then pointed to Lorelei, who was watching them from the water.

"Lieutenant Jeffreys, she needs us to move to the middle of the river. She'll meet us there," he said. He waved to Lorelei, and she nodded before dipping under the surface again. "Once we're in the center of the river, I'll be going into the water with these two and the woman already there. You'll need to maintain your position so you can extract us after no more than ten minutes. For now, you should remain in the cabin to maintain your physical distance from his man. If you haven't transformed yet, that is."

The Lieutenant looked at Henry and quickly backed away.

"Thanks," Henry said to the General.

"I feel foolish trying to describe any of this to the unaware," Crane sighed.

Henry nodded as the boat pulled back from the pier where the two Silver Soldiers waited.

It didn't take long to reach the middle, and Lorelei rose out of the water like she had a personal elevator. He saw she wasn't even wet! She had fascinating powers!

"The river is ready. It will only pull on the aura, but I have to be the one to see it. It will take its instructions from my sight. Siobhan, I'll need to see what you see, so I can guide the river."

Siobhan slipped out of her life jacket and transformed into her seal shape before tumbling over the side of the boat into the water.

One of the Coast Guard personnel rushed from the cabin to stare at the seal bobbing in the waters. "A SELKIE! That's a possible transformation?" she cried excitedly.

General Crane looked at the name on their uniform. "Ensign Bailey? Please return to the cabin. We'll discuss this after, okay? Ten minutes in the water, then we'll be done."

"Right, sorry, General."

"It's quite understandable. Thanks!" he said gently, and she went back inside.

Henry moved closer to Crane. "As I need bare skin to transfer the Wild Magic to you, could I ask that you remove your top before you go into the water?" he asked apologetically.

"Shit, why not. I'll keep these dry for when I get out." He shucked off the life jacket, the winter coat, and the tracksuit until he was just in the boxers and the thick socks. After a moment, he tugged the socks off too. These items were stuffed into a locker to keep them dry.

He stepped to the side of the boat and accepted Lorelei's hand as he stepped onto the water platform she was now standing on. It moved them about twenty feet away from the vessel, then began to lower them into the water.

Henry saw Siobhan waiting for him. He would have preferred switching to his Satyr form, but the life jacket wouldn't fit. Taking a deep breath, he stepped off the side of the boat and plunged into the frigid water. He resurfaced, and the seal bobbed in the water next to him. He gave her a thumbs up. She swam behind him and began pushing him away from the boat toward Lorelei and the General.

When they were three feet away, Siobhan stopped pushing and swam between Henry and Lorelei. They both reached out a hand and pressed them against her slick fur. Instantly, Siobhan was sharing her perception of the aura.

It had settled into a uniform density around Crane, clinging tight. Henry saw no opportunity to reach the man with the Wild Magic. As he discovered how little control he had in maintaining his position next to the General, he began to have doubts this plan would work.

"Is the river not able to get a grip on the aura?" he called out to Lorelei as he saw nothing happening.

"It's almost ready to start pulling!" she called back.

Henry began pooling Wild Magic into his hands so he could lunge forward and slap a hand against the man's chest or back if it became exposed. He'd push the energy into the man as quickly as he could.

Crane suddenly bobbed upwards, almost leaving the water, except the river followed him up to keep him immersed. They splashed back down, pushing Henry further from the man.

"The aura is fighting back!" Lorelei called to them. "The Hudson has a grip, so I don't need to see it anymore." She moved away from Siobhan and frowned as she listened, then she looked at Henry nervously. "Second attempt."

Once more, Henry was knocked back by the upwelling as the General was lifted to the surface, but the river pulled him back down as he was still in the grip of the water.

Henry came back to the surface, sputtering and coughing. He wiped at his face and looked around until he spotted Crane.

"General! Are you okay?" Henry called out.

The man gasped and looked for Henry, spotting him over his shoulder. "I feel like the rope... in a game of... tug o' war!"

Henry realized with the way the river was fighting with the dark energy shield, Henry was getting pushed away from Crane. He needed to be right next to the man, and he needed to be touching Siobhan so he could see the dark magic field.

"Try number three!" Lorelei yelled as Siobhan began pushing Henry closer.

The Hudson heaved under Henry, and the General yelled in pain as the elemental made an all-out effort to rip the aura from the man. The dark energies whipped the water's surface explosively as it lost its grip on its host in a few locations.

Siobhan grabbed Henry's ankle and pulled him away from the frothing water, saving him from being beaten senseless. She ducked under the waves, as did Lorelei.

Then he saw it. The General's back, between his shoulder blades, was free of the dark shield. Something huge was surfacing below him, but he put everything from his mind except that small strip of bare skin.

Time slowed as he opened a small tear to Eden directly before him and a second tear directly above Crane's back. He slapped his hand through the two to strike cold, wet skin. As his fingers touched the target, he released the stored charge of Wild Magic in a massive pulse and hoped he didn't kill the man with the volume of magic he'd dosed him with.

The instant passed, and Henry realized Siobhan was no longer gripping his leg; he was upside down and rushing toward the river's surface. He just had time to yank his hand back, release the two tears, and throw a shield around himself before hitting the water's surface.

There was a deafening boom as the dark magic spell failed with a concussive blast and its shockwave shot out in all directions from the epicenter of the General's unconscious body. Only Henry was above the surface when the blast wave sent him skipping across the river like a thrown stone until he slammed into the side of the Coast Guard response boat.

Everything went black.

-=-

"Boy."

Henry's mind floated in the darkness. Was someone speaking?

"Boy."

He recognized the voice but not the tone. It was the sound of defeat. "Baba? What's wrong?"

"They cheated."

He knew who she was talking about. "Yes... but it's okay, Baba. I took care of it."

He felt her attention focus on him fully. "What did you say?" He heard surprise in her voice.

Henry wanted her to acknowledge what he'd done for her, but he realized it wasn't important. She wasn't his parent. She didn't save him from the genocide of his people because of anything so frivolous as compassion... or love.

"The last condition on your deal has been completed. Now, there are no more true humans."

Baba's voice continued to hold disbelief and shock. "You did this?"

The urge to scream at her rocked him, but he struggled to remain calm. It didn't matter.

"Yes, Baba. I dosed the last Human with Wild Magic. It broke the Dark Entities' magic surrounding him, keeping him Human. It's done. The bargain is over. You're free."

Silence surrounded him in the darkness, and he wondered if that was it. Was she gone?

"You did this for me?" Baba's voice asked, trembling.