Satyr Play 04 Pt. 02

He wanted to laugh in her face. To punish her with the same indifference she'd displayed for his well-being. He wanted to crush that tiny ember of humanity that was finally surfacing in her after all these years.

But he couldn't.

It would be a lie, and he wouldn't lie to his Baba.

No matter how much she'd hurt him, a tiny part of him refused to stop loving her and never gave up hope she might one day feel the same for him.

But it didn't matter.

"Yes, Baba. I did it for you."

"Why?" her voice was so quiet now.

He resisted the urge to shout at her once more and felt a weight settling on his heart.

"Because I love you, Baba," he confessed.

Silence.

It was too much to expect a response for that, so he moved on before the pain became too much.

He thought about his new ease with magic. "I guess I should thank you for your efforts to help me learn so quickly about how to use magic. It's getting easier and easier. Thank you."

"It's not me."

Henry frowned. What did she mean by that? Was she just being mean?

There was something in the tone of her voice he hadn't heard before. Surprise and... hope?

He was confused as he hadn't heard that from her before.

So... she was just being mean, right?

A weight pounded against his chest, and lips pressed against his mouth as they blew hair into his lungs.

Henry's eyes flew open, and he was looking up at a stranger's face. Was he wearing a uniform? Coast Guard!

"Move back!" Henry squeaked and pushed weakly at him. The man lurched away, and Henry sat up.

He was sitting on the boat's rear deck, and a terrible noise came over the water. He turned his head and saw something flailing in the water, roaring in panic. Siobhan launched herself out of the water and faced Henry.

"The General! He'd changed, but I can't tell what he is! Something's wrong! He's fighting the river!" she cried.

"Where's Lorelei?" Henry asked as he tried to determine what the General had become, but the water splashed too much to make out any detail.

"She'd under the surface, trying to calm the river. The explosion seems to have confused it," Siobhan said, looking back as well.

"The dark magic's gone. We need to get the General back on the boat. Can you get me closer?" Henry asked.

She looked at him like he was mad. "You get anywhere near that, and you'll be broken into pieces."

Henry switched into his Satyr form. He looked back to the shocked Coast Guard officers. "Can I get a bunch of life jackets?

Moments later, Henry leapt off the back of the boat. He had three jackets buckled haphazardly together and wrapped around his chest. It was barely enough to keep his head above the surface. Siobhan pulled him closer to the exploding water but outside the range of the flailing limbs. Henry still couldn't make out what the General had become. He looked at Siobhan. "Can you ask Siobhan to get the Hudson to lift the General up so I can see what he is?"

Siobhan nodded and ducked under the waves.

Henry bobbed up and down in the tormented waters as he did his best to keep facing the panicked being in the waves.

Suddenly they were lifted above the surface as the Hudson bulged upwards. Enormous wings unfurled, and a sinuous neck lifted the Dragon's head from the water.

Deep blue iridescent scales caught the sunlight and flared red at their edges.

Henry caught his breath at how beautiful he was. He looked... regal! Far more impressive than Walter Zhao had been. Then he snapped back to focus on the wild eyes of the Dragon.

"General! KNOCK IT OFF!" he bellowed, and the massive head swung to face him.

Henry found himself grabbed and pulled from the waters in a powerful grip, the hooked claws poking his back painfully.

"Switch back to your Human form!" Henry called out.

A huge, plate-sized eye peered at him. Henry could still see fear there. "HHHHoooowwww!"

They were slowly dropping back toward the surface, so Henry had to act quickly. "Remember what you looked like as a human. Hold that in your mind. Then push with your mind. Use your will to change to—"

They hit the surface as the Hudson released them. This time however, Henry was still in the Dragon's grip, so he was forced down deep under the surface. It wasn't letting go, either. He saw Siobhan and Lorelei rushing closer, but he waved them back. Henry placed his hands on the big paw and forced more Wild Magic into the huge beast.

He willed calm into the large Dragon as he struggled to hold his breath in the tight squeeze. He finally felt it respond, and it went still and loosened its grip. Henry maintained contact and pictured the General in his boxers standing on the boat. He felt a brush of indignation then reality suddenly folded around them.

Henry popped up to the surface, gasping and coughing. Siobhan was immediately next to him. Lorelei rose from the water with the general next to her. They found themselves resting on a firm surface that moved toward the Coast Guard vessel. Henry switched back to his human form before they reached the boat. The two Coast Guard officers reached down, pulled the General from the water, and wrapped a blanket around him as they moved him into the cabin.

Henry was helped aboard by Lorelei and Siobhan, both of whom were dry once more. The latter brought the General his borrowed clothes as Henry leaned back against the side of the boat, which was rushing back to the pier.

Normally, Henry wouldn't feel the cold, but he was soaking wet from the frigid water in January. That strained his usual resistance to the freezing temperature. He activated his heating spell and felt it slowly push back the chill.

Lorelei knelt before him. "May I assume it worked?"

Henry grinned and nodded wearily. "Yes, the spell broke. Thank you so much for your assistance, and thank the Hudson for me too."

She smiled at him. "The river doesn't really have a consciousness, but I'll accept the thanks in its stead."

He reached out to take her hand. "No, I sincerely mean this. Without you, there would have been no way to save the General and me. We have a chance now to eliminate the presence of the dark ones from Earth. Maybe permanently. That's what you did."

Lorelei's eyes were becoming glassy, and she couldn't stop smiling. She leaned forward, and their lips met. He kissed her tenderly until the boat thumped against the dock. They pulled back and shared a smile.

Henry pushed himself to his feet and turned to see two anxious silver faces. Mick and Feinberg were standing on the pier looking for the General. They looked at him.

"It worked. He's free of the evil aura," Henry said and snorted at how stupid he felt saying that. He, Siobhan, and Lorelei were assisted off the boat by the two Silver Soldiers then Mick looked into Henry's eyes.

"Did—did we see a Dragon?" Mick asked.

"Yes," Crane grumbled as the Coast Guard led him to the boat's edge. He was dressed once more in the sweatsuit. He handed the blanket back to Lieutenant Jeffreys. "Thank you for your assistance. You might want to keep what you witnessed to yourselves. The world is undergoing tremendous changes, and many aren't too keen on getting reminders of how bizarre it's becoming."

"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant said but looked confused. "What—what exactly were we involved with out there?" The sailor pointed to one of the reinforced windows on their boat, severely cracked from the shockwave.

Henry turned to face the Lieutenant. "Nothing short of protecting the Earth from forces hostile to it and all life upon it. Thank you for helping us successfully complete this part of the mission."

The man's eyes went wide, then wider still as the General saluted the boat crew. All of them snapped to attention and returned the General's salute. Ensign Bailey pushed forward. "Sir, the Selkie?"

When General Crane looked uncomfortably toward Siobhan, she turned to face the eager young woman.

"You want to become a Selkie?" she asked the ensign.

"More than anything! I've heard tales about them from my granny my whole life!" she gushed.

Siobhan looked at Henry beseechingly.

"Perhaps when there's less attention on us?" Henry suggested gesturing to the crowd gathering at the end of the pier. Several more Silver Soldiers had arrived to block access to the dock. The Sergeant must have called for them.

"Give me your cell," Siobhan told the Ensign. The young woman immediately pulled it from a pocket and unlocked it for her. Siobhan quickly punched in her number. "It's in your contacts under Siobhan. Call me tonight. We'll talk."

"We have to go, General. Too many people are arriving," the Sergeant warned.

"Back to Henry's but not directly," Crane suggested.

"I need an unlocked door—with no glass!" Henry said.

Feinberg nodded and raced away. Moments later, he was back. "There's a door on a nearby building that is open. It's metal with no window."

"Perfect. Let's go," Henry said, and they waved to the Coast Guard once more before heading toward the crowd.

Henry reached into his head for a spell to make people look the other way and immediately discarded ninety-five percent of them as they led to the death of the observers. As they walked closer, he found one that wasn't so dire. He flexed a little magic muscle to make the spell include his group and the Silver Soldiers. Then he launched it.

An invisible wave pulsed outward around him.

"What was that?" the General asked.

"Just a go-away spell. To help clear the crowd. It was the least harmful spell Baba had," Henry answered.

The outer boundary of the wave reached the crowd on the sidewalk, and they suddenly turned and began to push at the people behind them, then they turned as well. Pretty soon, the observers were scattering in all directions. The soldiers guarding the entrance to the pier watched them go, then turned to face the General as their party approached.

"Lead on, Feinberg," Crane said, and the other soldiers formed a guard around their group.

"Feeling better, General?" Yablonski asked.

Gordon gave the man a weary look. "Yes."

Soon they were standing before the utility door of a nearby commercial building. Henry canceled the go-away spell because they no longer had anyone following them.

The door before them opened, and a man wearing a coverall with the building's logo exited and froze as he faced the Silver Soldiers.

"We need to borrow the door for a moment," General Crane said.

The man frowned and shook his head. "No unauthorized personnel allowed inside."

"We won't be entering the building," Crane assured him, and the maintenance man gave him an odd look. Two nearby soldiers gently pulled the man aside. Henry stepped forward and closed the door. Then he reopened it, and inside was no longer the generator room.

"What the fuck! Where's the generator?" the building worker cried.

Henry smiled. "Don't worry. It's still there." He stepped inside, and Lorelei and Siobhan followed, with the General and the soldiers at her heels. The Sergeant was last through and smiled at the maintenance man as she closed the door. When the worker yanked it open again, he looked into the generator room again, and all was humming along as he'd left it.

While he was seriously impressed, he had work to do.

Henry guided the others into his living room once more. They took seats, and the soldiers sighed happily as they trickle-fed from being close to Henry.

Gordon leaned forward on the sofa to look at Henry. "What the hell did I become?"

Henry leaned back a little from the sharp words. "Sorry for how much energy I pushed into you, but I only had a window of seconds to do it. What you became was random chance, but I think you lucked out. Dragons are rare and very powerful! I've never created a wielder before, but Dragons can use magic, so you'll be able to do it too. You detected the spell I used to dispel the crowd." He looked to Siobhan. "Did you have a chance to see anything in the General post-change that should be addressed?"

She shook her head. "No, the evil aura is gone, and he just has this enormous Dragon-sized aura now. Lots of power there."

"What should I know about being a Dragon? Aside from how to switch back and forth," Gordon asked with a calmer voice.

"I'm afraid I have no clue. The secrets of each race are only known to the races themselves." Henry looked to Lorelei as he recalled something. He looked back to Crane. "That said, there's a Dragon who Lorelei and I met. She's coming to see me at my office. Her name is Alice Shaw, and she's originally from England. I'll ask her to speak with you. From what I understand, there aren't many Dragons. They're also collectors. Meaning they collect things. You may feel a compulsion to do so. One wanted to collect me! He was dissuaded." The General frowned.

"Switching between Human and Dragon will become second nature, but you should practice someplace safe. Make sure you have enough space around you for your Dragon form." Henry recalled just how big the man was in Dragon form. "Something else I should mention is the method you use for transforming is controlled by a ring of bone inside you. Its magic is different than a glamor. Your Human form isn't an illusion. While you're Human, you physically become one, with all their vulnerabilities. That's because Dragon magic warps reality. It twists and bends reality around you. You never want to do this with someone standing close to you as this warping will kill them or at least badly injure them. I've had to use this to kill, and it's horrifying."

Gordon gave him a grim nod.

"If the General is fully human in this state, can you give him one of your force field spells to keep him safe?" Mick asked Henry.

"That would probably be a good idea," Henry agreed, then he recalled how these magic add-ons didn't remain after changing. "Actually, anything I add will be lost the next time you switch as you get a whole new Human body each time you engage the Dragon glamor spell. I'll add one to you now, but you should try to see if you can study it to make your own."

Another caveat rose in his mind. "Alice Shaw is linked to the old realm of magic. She may be able to teach you spells, but they may not work with Wild Magic. Old realm magic works by commanding the energy to follow the instructions of the spell. The Wild Magic is stronger and needs to be invited to participate. Sometimes the spells just don't translate between the two types of magic. If Alice isn't keen on training, you may need to learn how to create spells on your own by converting the spells to work."

Gordon looked uncomfortable with that idea, so Henry explained.

"I wasn't taught. Baba just jammed all her spells into my mind. I also have access to old realm magic, so I can use the spells that only work with that magic. I also taught myself how to interact with the Wild Magic, how to use my will to define what I expected to happen and invite the magic to participate. I use my background in programming to make sense of the spells in my mind and get them to work for me in that way."

The General nodded and leaned forward as Henry reached out to him and bound his personal force field spell to the bone at his temple. "Just touch there and will the shield to be active. You can will it off in the same way." He demonstrated by activating his own and felt Crane enable his. He nodded with a smile.

Henry looked closer at the General as he was no longer showing any sign of his previous injury. "You seem to be completely healed from your injuries."

Gordon's face showed his surprise, as he hadn't been aware of it. Now, he realized he felt fine. In fact, he felt better than he ever had. "I... feel really good."

"I'm going to assume that's likely due to the magic you now contain," Henry suggested. "You can ask Alice about this too."

Gordon frowned as he suddenly felt like he was returning to school.

Henry recalled something else. "Oh, one thing I did hear. Dragons are extremely long-lived, avoiding mishaps. Alice is over eight hundred years old. Walter Zhao may have been thousands of years old." He saw Crane's shocked expression and suddenly felt bad. "Sorry for dropping that on you. Do you want to return to the hospital so they can discharge you?"

"Uh, yes. I suppose that makes sense," the General said with a subdued tone.

Henry stood and reset the closet door to the bathroom door in the General's hospital room and opened the door. He faced a man in a dark suit.

The first three shots left the man's gun in a blink of an eye. If Henry hadn't left his shield up, he'd have been killed. Instead, the flattened bullets just dropped to the floor. Henry knew he was facing a Demon as no Human could draw a weapon and fire it that quickly. Henry dropped his Human glamor and stepped into the hospital room as the Demon hissed at him.

Henry felt the Silver Soldiers at his back as he surged forward. He saw the Demon swing his arm outward to shoot through the Oxygen line in the wall. Before it could squeeze the trigger, Henry threw a shield around the Demon. The gun fired, but once more, the bullets flattened and fell, this time inside the field.

The Demon looked around and reached out a finger to feel the invisible wall around it. Yablonski dashed around Henry and bounced off the Demon's force field to crash into a chair.

The Demon grinned at Henry. "We're at an impasse, it seems. Not the outcome I'd planned, but I'm still alive, so I'm pleased."

"You came here for the General?" Henry asked.

"Where is he? We will have him," the Demon said confidently.

Henry looked into the eyes of the Demon and immediately saw it was just a shell controlled from afar. "If you were looking to collect the Dark Energy from the General, I'm afraid you're too late. The spell broke, and the energy is gone, converted into a bloody loud bang. The General's clean."

The Demon screamed in explosive rage and threw itself against the inside of the force field, but Henry kept it firmly locked in place. Instead, it slipped on the curved inner surface and tumbled to the bottom, where it thrashed ineffectively.

General Crane entered the room to stand beside Henry. "What's that?"

"I believe it's a low-level Demon, but it's being controlled like a puppet by a higher-level Demon who's watching from behind its eyes," Henry suggested, and the Demon stopped the thrashing. Cold eyes examined the General; disappointment flashed across its features, then it froze. "You are Henry Gable?"

Henry nodded.

After a second, the presence behind the eyes faded, and the drone took over. "You have no hope of stopping us from bringing the Masters into this world," it spat.

"Thanks for confirming your mission. That clarifies what we'll need to do to fuck up your plans. What a chump," Henry snorted as he looked at Gordon.

This enraged the Demon, and it attacked the inner surface of the force field with frenzied rage.

"We're not going to get anything more from it," Henry said.

Gordon frowned but nodded. "What do we do with it?"

Henry lifted a big hand and closed his fist slowly. The force field bubble began to shrink around the thrashing Demon. It renewed its efforts to escape, but the collapsing accelerated, and the sound of crushed bones and screams rose in pitch. The bubble snapped down to a concentrated point, no larger than a pearl, a black one.

"Can you get me that metal cup?" Henry asked as he concentrated on the compressed Demon. He held out his hand, and Mick gave him the cup. Henry placed it under the pearl and let the force field fill the cup. He handed the cup to Mick. "Please make sure this gets incinerated," he said. She grunted in surprise at the weight, then rushed out the door into the hospital hallway holding the cup of evil before her.

"Why not drop it into lava? I heard you do that, don't you?" Yablonski asked.