by Doug Burbey
Damn, she really is a nice looking woman. Too bad the look on her face implies someone is about to die. Wonder if it's me. And wonder if I’ll try to stop her or maybe kill her instead. Or kill her, then just let the Fae kill me. Works…
"So, it’s true? Reset is made from Fae blood." Her voice didn't match her face. It threw him off balance.
He glanced over as Kayter and Art helped the last one into the vehicle and felt the rage bubbling back up hard and fast.
"You didn’t know?" Accusation laced his words and he faced her head on, his hand tight around the bottle.
"Declan, I swear I didn't know. I thought it was a chemical concoction like Prozac or Valium, or hell, really good weed. I swear I had no idea." Her voice tight and angry as she looked at the emaciated Fae they tenderly wrapped in a blanket.
He focused on her, really focused, and saw the white lines at the corners of her mouth and the circles under her eyes.
Pretty. And sad?
"How did you find out?" He looked at his empty beer bottle mournfully. This would be easier if he didn't have rage eating at him. Maybe then he could not want to hurt her, want to do things that normally would make him sick to think about.
"Grabbed Chad Morant after your little job up at MIT. He implied something before he walked out. It took me this long to validate it. It was buried well. I came here to tell you, but it seems like you already know." She shifted her eyes to him and he flinched away from the warmth in that chocolate brown.
"Thanks for coming out. But nothing you can do. Take care, Cordy. You may be sexy and all, but next time bring a warrant if you’re going come by unannounced."
She needs to go. I’m not holding. I’ll feel her warm blood on my hands soon.
He turned, intent on his door, more beer lay behind that door.
"Declan Kenner, I must speak to you." Art's voice had gained that surreal quantity again and Declan fought to not turn around and kill him.
All I want to do is drink my damn beer and be left the fuck alone.
He swallowed hand tightening around the bottle until it hurt then slowly turned.
"Yeah?" Anything more was beyond him. Declan looked up and Art's eyes caught him, speared him through his soul and the rage at being vulnerable to this man, to have this being look at him with pity almost broke the control he held himself with. "You should go now.” he forced out.
If they don't leave now, they’ll just die. I’m done with this all. The Fae blood will make me better.
Something flashed in his vision and he looked to see Kayter tossing Art one of the vials of Reset. It was in a plunger, so not one of the stashed he'd taken from the factory, but from the ones he had in a drawer in the kitchen. Art held it out to him.
"Relieve yourself, Demon Hunter. We must talk."
DK couldn't take his eyes off the vial, the drug that held his salvation and his damnation.
"Take it. We must talk, and you cannot process in his state. What was already put in that vial cannot be undone."
With a hand that shook as if he had the DTs, he reached out and took it. The second his hand wrapped around it, he pulled it towards him, the craving worse than booze ever had been. That terrified him, but not enough to prevent him from plunging it into his neck.
Like an ice cold beer after a day in the blazing sun, the Reset washed through him, cleansing him of the rage and a fair amount of the intoxication. Declan staggered as the pressure he'd been leaning against disappeared.
"There we go..." He blinked and saw Kayter, Cordy, and Art were all looking at him. "Is there an issue?" He snapped as he turned away from all their eyes. "I need another beer."
He stalked into the kitchen, grabbed two more, then stopped and grabbed another two. Feeling more himself now.
No reason to be rude.
The three of them were still standing out there looking at each other with odd looks.
"People… Lighten the fuck up. Here." He handed each of them a beer then went and sat back down in his chair. "Kayter, if you want to, I've got two folding chairs in the closet in the mudroom. You can grab those." He turned his attention to Art, almost resenting the clarity of his thoughts. "Sit. Talk."
Art glanced at the two women who shrugged. Kayter headed into the house, he presumed to get the chairs, and as much as he'd rather look at Cordy and imagine things that would probably get him slapped, he focused on Art.
"You are a strange man, Declan Kenner. But I owe you and my people owe you. I'm well aware of the effects of what you call the Rage. We suffered it too after our war with the demons many millennia ago. We should have offered to help after the armistice was signed. We didn't. I don't know if we forgot or if we never thought you would be afflicted with it also. But either way, I have a solution for you."
Even alcohol lost interest at that and Declan focused on Art. "You can provide a solution for this? For all hunters? Make it so we aren't ready to kill people at the drop of a hat." Hope purged everything and the universe dwindled down to the Fae, the Fae he might be willing to kill for.
Art shook his head. "No. Just for you. I can provide a solution to your issue, but only to you. My family owes you and we will pay the price to ensure you are free of this effect. But we can only give it to you due to the services you have rendered us."
Dashed hopes tasted like burnt ash, dark and bitter on his tongue. He raised the beer swallowing half of it. "Thanks, but no thanks. Too many others deserve to live. I'm the least of them."
"Declan!" Cordy's voice was strident. "Take it. Maybe we can figure out how to pass it on to others."
He glanced at her, wondering how much she heard and then realized it didn't matter.
"Unfortunately, that will not work. It would be a uniquely individualized solution for him alone and it will be very, very painful, much like an addict going through withdrawals. It will merge him with his own magic reservoir and allow him to quench the rage. Humans have been poisoned and the only way to fix it is to balance the magic. Other ways might have been possible once if we had reacted immediately. But now, only those with their own magic and a Fae with the resources to create this balance can achieve it. It may not succeed but you risked your life for my people, with no thought of reward, so I offer it to you."
"Pass," he muttered ignore the sounds of protest from Kayter and Cordy.
Hell if I'll take something that brothers earned also but won't get.
"You have my card. If you change your mind call. The offer is on the table. But know this Mr. Kenner, that if we can't save your body then my honor will require that I save your soul from yourself. You will die as an honorable warrior, not a crazed mindless killer. I will step in and make sure of that personally when your time is nearer." With that Art rose. He glanced at something Declan couldn't see, sighed softly, turned and headed toward the vehicle, leaving his untouched beer sitting there.
Declan sneered and grabbed the beer. "Fae bullshit voodoo and wasting a beer. Not today."
They all fell silent as the big car navigated down his drive and he refused to watch, instead turning back to the trees.
"Declan, you need to take this offer. If only you get saved it is more than nothing." Cory almost pleaded with him.
"Why am I more special than the rest of them? I was no hero, just a dumb grunt caught in the middle who came out the other side alive."
A single male figure approached the group from the side of the house, “Because I need you to live a little while longer, cause a damn horde lord knows your name, and before he eats your heart you're going to help me. Besides, I'm the only one here that's not lying to you and you know it. I’ve never once lied to you." The voice from his past rolled through all of them. Kayter sprang to her feet drawing the sword in one smooth movement, even as Cordy rolled and came up with her weapons pointed at the man who used to be his best friend.
I really need to learn to not leave my phone in the house.
"Shane…? Oh for fuck's sake already!" Declan exhaustedly lowered
his head.
"Well, this kinda sucks. I come all the way out here to talk to you and I find you contemplating death. And not even a cool death with explosions, Filipino hookers, ridiculously expensive scotch, and a monster truck with mounted fifty caliber machine guns. I never thought you were a fucking quitter Declan. Besides, I need your help and not being susceptible to the rage will go a long way to making you more useful to me."
Shane looked around, “I'll be right back." and then turned and walked into Declan's house.
"Ummm, that shifty dude just went into your house. Shouldn't I stop him?" Kayter protested while pointing at Declan’s back door.
"Doubt you could," Declan said taking a drink. "He's a no shit battle mage, one of the best, one of the originals. And from how easily he got in here without triggering the magic proximity sensors, he's probably fully juiced up with blood and fully warded. Sit down, not a damn thing we can do about it."
Kayter slowly put her sword away.
The man, Shane, walked back out of the house with four beers. "You're almost out brother. Going to need to restock."
"Got more cases in the garage fridge." Declan said accepting the beer Shane handed him.
Shane dropped casually into the chair the Fae had vacated and set the other beers on the table. He popped off the lid and took a drink. "You always did like the domestic shit."
"Bite me. That is from the oldest brewery in America. It's fucking patriotic is what it is. You can piss off and not drink my patriotic lager then." Declan said but his voice had no heat, nothing but wariness. "Why are you here Shane?" His right hand kept twitching as if he wanted to have a gun in it.
"I need you to help me buy some time. Then you just need to let this world go so we can move on to the next one without all this… ridiculous baggage."
Kayter surged to her feet looking like she might go for her sword again.
Declan raised his hand slowly towards Kayter, "Hold up." then looked over at his oldest friend "I'm listening, Shane. Yeah, I’m ready to listen now."
Epilogue - Demons Have Plans
Bezzid stared at the new list of supplies needed, a sneer lifting hir mouth tendrils.
These damn humans are more difficult now than they were in the past. We should have harvested them earlier in their development but their populations were so spread out there wasn't enough blood to fuel the invasion. Even the simplest computations showed more waste than power gain.
The war machines, and Horde, all consumed power quickly. An invasion's success hinged on a harvest of blood in excess of consumption. A successful invasion meant more power for the sub-hordes and Bezzid needed more power. Bezzid had to break the stalemate to gather enough power and resources ze needed to destroy hirz master's hold over Bezzid’s horde and assume hirz position in the greater Horde.
If the cursed Fae had not shuttered their realm from us, we would not need to harvest the humans yet. Both shall fall in time. Then… we shall return our Lord to hirz rightful throne.
Once again, Bezzid glared, frustrated with the computations required to enact his plan.
If only the Overlords hadn't wasted the bulk of the Horde's resources against the humans.
The Overlords refused to authorize enough reconnaissance of the humans. Without that, the Horde didn't understand the development of human civilization and that forced the sub-hordes to cross over unknown battlefields. That cost them dearly, in troops and resources.
Bezzid looked at the computations again then pushed away from the altar. Hirz current form mimicked the bipedal humanoid shape, taller than the tallest human, with hard packed muscles covered in overlapped armored scales. Ze thought it made hir look imposing and the humans seemed to think this form resembled a large insect. Ze still didn't know if that implied respect or not. Pacing the room hirz scales rippled, physically displaying hirz agitation.
Any creature of intelligence would have assumed a gradual technological development progression curve of the human civilization. Of course, we could not have anticipated that humans harnessing of that damned elemental fire weapon and such rapid growth. In less than a hundred cycles they learned to harness the energy of the sun but because they did, we have such devastating losses against the main Horde. Such an irresponsible loss of non-replaceable power. Avoidable if they had not assumed wrongly and had authorized the needed recon.
This wasn't the fault of the dreaded Fae or their interference in the desires of the Horde. This failure lay on the masters who led the Horde. And this was why Bezzid was required by the Lord's teachings to disrupt such inept mastership. The mastership forced upon hir. Ze must consume hirz own master now and assume hirz role to ensure the Lord's return. But to do this ze had to break the chains the Overlords had used to shackle Bezzid.
This ridiculous treaty, signed by the worthless humans and the Overlord Council, brokered by the manipulative and cursed Fae, is a clear affront to all demonkind. Such pathetic weakness must infuriate the Lord. We shall consume their blood and power and then return our kind to its proper place in the realms. We will squeeze every ounce of power from this pathetically weak human race. Bezzid will be with the Horde as we use it against the true enemy, the Fae, consuming every ounce of their magically infused blood to merge with our own. Then, and only, then can we turn the Horde against the next Realm. That of the Angels. Upon consumption of the Angelkind power Bezzid will be at the head of the Horde that crashes the final barrier, allowing the true Lord to return and grant me my reward. But the numbers are still all wrong and do not assure victory.
The power lost from the last invasion forced Bezzid to contemplate a plan for victory far beyond the mental capacity of hirz useless master. Hirz masters would learn the folly in leaving behind the Lord’s teachings and clinging to nothing but the Rage.
Giving all to the Rage, relinquishing all control, made their minds too weak to understand the nuances of the Lord's dictated ways. They have become nothing more than powerful dimwitted juggernauts. But even a dimwitted juggernaut is still a juggernaut needing to be very carefully dealt with. The only way to ensure our Lord's return is to destroy this misconceived treaty with the humans. If only they hadn't forced it on us by signing with blood.
Bezzid grabbed the numbers and looked at them again, frustration battering at him. To make sure hirz throne sat in a place of dominance among the Overlord Council ze needed to find a way to break the humans.
Bezzid is worthy. Bezzid alone has retained the teachings of the true Lord, that we are meant crush all the lesser beings and absorb their power. The way it was always meant to be. If it wasn't for the damn losses of power, weakening the ability to surge the greater Horde. But Bezzid is smarter than hirz master. Yes, Bezzid knows the true way. The Masters have become to heretical and will see the way of the Lord again.
Bezzid noted the changed value of the blood harvested after the humans used the elemental fires, the taint of this unknown magic into the blood enhancing the powers of the Horde had immense value. Again, hirz master's squandered this gift from the Lord in their futile war against the humans. But Bezzid hoarded this tainted power. Let the Master fail, ze would use this power.
Ze had secreted these tainted Harvesters away from the Horde, hiding them in the caverns of his sub-horde. Pulsing with the strange infused elemental power. With this weapon ze would fully consume the humans. With that victory bring power to hirzelf and glory to the Horde. Not only with the use of the humans’ clever elemental magic, but with what the Overlords overlooked. A weapon so powerful the council itself thought it would never work and disregarded it as folly.
The greatest weapon to use against the humans was the humans themselves. They were weak and easily manipulated creatures. Willing to betray their own Humanity and be a loyal subject merely for the absurd premise of what the humans would call a ‘promise' that Bezzid would grant them power and riches beyond their imagination.
How foolish, and stupid, these humans were to put value in plainly spoken words. No power wa
s carried in these words. The mere fact they perceive such a thing that a “promise” carries weight shows their foolishness. Pathetic little creatures. Summoning me, begging me to take them as my slave, merely in exchange for Bezzid sharing my knowledge of some worthless bits of magics that their pathetic race had never matured enough to learn. Such easily manipulated things they are.
Bezzid barked, something approaching a half laugh.
"Frax, summon the weak realm. Bezzid will contact the human Marcus Vipsanius again. More information is required. Bezzid must see if they have gathered it from their “spies” as they refer to them."
The concept of human spies enthralled hir. Disregarded as a perversion of the logic of power by hir Master, but Bezzid thought creatively, and saw how such lowly humans willingly turned on each other. They would provide what the Horde needed most but lacked in the war. Information.
Ze learned that corruption seeking humans would freely give hir information, again for mere words of promise. Ze began to give them directions. Not only would they tell hir of the workings of the human world, ze could give them guidance on their actions. Like willing slaves, they manipulated their own kind to help hir prepare to push hirz own agenda to gain power. Besides, the lure of Kali’s Heart made most of them willing to give anything. Even through the portal, its siren call could affect them, seduce them.
The treacherous treaty the overlords forced upon demonkind made Bezzid reliant on the humans. Ze had to use the humans to start the portal opening in the human realm and then be secured by his casters from the demon realm side. The treaty had expressly blocked any humankind, or demonkind, from opening a solo realm portal into each other's existence larger than a human sized head. But the exception to the rule was that the willing cooperation of a mage from humankind, and a caster from demonkind, allowed a portal to open within the limits of the power of those summoning it. The human fools thought they may wish to communicate with demonkind for the ”common good” in the future. The Overlords thought this may be handy at some point to learn more of the elemental fire they now wanted from the humans to use against the Fae. But Bezzid knew of no better reason to return to the human realm than to harvest their blood and power. Then ze could raise hirz stature and serve hirz true Lord.