by Willow Cross
A twinge of guilt almost took him, and then he remembered what they were dealing with had nothing to do with this child he loved. Guarding himself he spoke, “I do love Jenna, but you are not her, and I will not rest until she is given back to me.”
Jenna jumped to her feet, crouching on the stone table she growled at the two men. She tried to jump off, and run away, but something would not let her leave the table. A bright green light surrounded her. She scratched and clawed at it, trying to break through the force that kept her on the stone, growling and screeching in rage. Her body stiffened and she appeared to be listening. After a few moments she snarled, “You can’t take her she is mine! Her heart and soul are mine. The mother will not wrench her from me.” She threw herself against the green light then fell to the table writhing and screaming in pain.
Brogan began walking around the table, mumbling in his singsong language. As the thing within her cried out, Jenna’s tiny body flipped and flopped on the table like a fish on dry land. One seizure after another consumed her.
Michael was afraid for her safety. What good did it do them to get the child back, if she were to return with a smashed and broken body?
After several minutes, her eyes rolled back in her head and she grew quiet. “Stupid fools. You have not the strength to harm me. All that will come of this is that two you care for will die. I can take them both right now should I desire to do so.”
Brogan continued walking and chanting, seemingly oblivious to words spewing from Jenna’s mouth.
“You know nothing of love, Michael. Your race is damned. Why do you try so very hard to be human and good? It will gain you no access to grace. There is no benefit in your sacrifice. You will all continue to live in the darkness of your condemnation. God will not honor you, when your life force is taken. You will burn in hell with the rest of them. No matter how well you learn to control the inner evil, darkness will prevail. There is no bright side to darkness, Michael. There is no escaping the fate of the damned. Join me Michael. Join me and have a fulfilled life. When I rule the earth, all will bow to you and yours. You will be princes in my empire.”
“You would have me be a prince among men?” Michael laughed at the offer. Leaning in toward the table, his eyes cold he countered, “You cannot offer me what I could freely take for myself. Your offer has no validity, beast. What would you have of me? To grow fat, scared, and putrid like Sekhmet? Or better, to be full of lust from the thirst, conquer men, and have them live in terror of me? I can do that now if I wish.”
“You have not the power that only I can give, boy. Nor the ambition obtainable only through me.”
Michael spat on the floor before locking gazes with the demon. “I do not desire it. I would rather fight the evil within me than to be slave to any other.”
Brogan threw the mixture he had created on the four corners of the table. His voice grew louder as his chanting continued. Jenna‘s body convulsed. An agonized scream ripped from her throat. The battle for Jenna’s body was in full force now.
Tense, Michael waited for Brogan’s promised signal.
For hours, Brogan walked around the table adding deadly ingredients here and there, chanting all the while. Sometimes the demon cried out, but more often than not, it was Jenna’s small voice they heard, frantic with terror and pain. Then the child would grow silent for a time before the tortured shrieks began again. Michael tense but ready, waited for the moment that would either save her or take her life.
***
The plan was in motion, Athena had left with Angie, and Minerva was with Jenna. Liz was a nervous wreck. Together, she and Michael had come up with a plan to stop Jenna’s training. It would be extremely difficult to do, but it was a plausible plan, and the best they could come up with. She kissed Michael goodbye, created a portal, and jumped back to the time they met with Gregorio and Athena, to persuade them to let the child learn.
She arrived a little too early; her past self and Michael were still in their room. Standing outside the door she listened to them talk, wondering if she would be able to pull this off. Leaning in to the closed door, she felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. “What are you up to?” Cass’ eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Oh nothing,” Liz replied as she maneuvered Cass away from the door. It wouldn’t do for the woman to overhear the conversation between herself and Michael, when she was standing outside of the door. “Just waiting for Michael to quit ranting before I go in.”
“Who’s he ranting to?”
“Himself, I imagine.” Liz walked Cass down the corridor back towards her own room. She would never get the timing right if she couldn’t get rid of her. “What are you doing here, is there something I can help you with?” Liz asked.
“I just came to speak to you and Michael about the Council meeting. I know that you’re both on my side, but I was hoping the two of you would speak with Gregorio and Athena. I’m afraid your influence would be stronger than mine in this matter.”
They had not spoken to Cass in the primary time line. Liz must have stopped her. All this time stuff was confusing. It was hard to keep track of what and when and how it affected the future. Obviously, her stopping Cass from entering the room had not stopped the training from happening or she would not be here now trying to stop it.
She walked with Cass all the way back to her room. Cass invited her inside, Liz thought for a moment, knowing that they must already be on their way to see Gregorio and Athena, and she had missed her moment in time. She would have to improvise. Michael would be furious, but she didn’t want to keep repeating this day over and over until she got it right. Liz smiled at Cass and said, “Sure, I wanted to talk to you anyway.”
Entering the room, Liz took a seat and waited for Cass to join her. Cass sat down and expectantly waited for Liz to speak. Liz leaned back, pulled her thoughts together, and decided to approach Cass in a different way than anyone had before.
“You’re a wonderful mother, Cass. I have never really given motherhood much thought, at least not until I met your Jenna. Now I’m wondering about being a mother. I know I can never have a child of my own, but do you think it would be horrible of me to adopt one? Of course, it wouldn’t be the same as what you’ve done with Jenna, but there are thousands of babies that need homes and can’t find them. I was thinking that when this war thing is over and we get back to our normal lives, maybe I can adopt a baby.”
While Liz spoke, Cass nodded and smiled. She understood completely what Liz was going through. She’d felt the same for several thousand years. With Liz’s status in the mortal world, she would have no trouble finding a baby to adopt. Within a few years, she would be able to tolerate daylight well and no one would be the wiser to her condition. Laying her hand on Liz’s arm, she lovingly replied, “Of course you should dear! You will be a wonderful mother, and Michael will be an excellent father. I highly recommend motherhood to any that feel something significant is lacking in their lives. I can tell you, without a doubt, it has made me feel complete and brought me more joy than anything else I have ever done. Seeing your child’s face as she learns and grows is so rewarding. The unconditional love, affection, and trust they give, pales in comparison to anything else.”
Liz sighed. She had Cass where she wanted her, now for the hard part. “I just wonder though…is it fair? Is it selfish of me to bring a child into this life? I mean sure, I would be saving them from an orphanage, and being unwanted, and maybe worse. But with all this death, danger, and magic? Is it really right for me to intentionally, purposefully, bring a mortal child into an immortal world, knowing that they will never be able to rejoin the world that is theirs by birthright, should they desire too?”
Liz waited, hoping she had not crossed the line with her questions. She studied Cass’ face; she could see that the woman was deep in thought and carefully planning her response to Liz’s questions.
“Maybe it’s not fair, and maybe it is selfish, but if you weren’t living
here at the castle, there would be no real need for the child to know you were anything other than its mother. There would be no need for it to learn magic.” Cass replied hesitantly.
Liz kept her voice soft as she spoke, “Wouldn’t there? A human child, living among us would always be in danger, wouldn’t it? We can’t possibly kill every renegade and rogue out there. If that were possible, Michael would have been out of a job long ago. You said yourself that Jenna would not be safe without magical knowledge. She learned to use her physic ability through interacting with you. Wouldn’t it be safe to assume that any infant child, raised in a vampyric home, would learn the same way?”
“Well yes, every human has the potential for that ability, but that doesn’t--” she let the last of her sentence drop. Cass knew that Liz was right. Any mortal child, subjected to life with a vampire, would most probably acquire good use of telepathy at the very least. Her eyes closed as realization set in. “Oh Liz.” she gasped. “I have done a terrible disservice to Jenna.”
“Oh, no. You have not. You have loved and cared for her in every way possible. How could you have known that these things would happen? You did the very best you could with the child. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.” Liz responded and pulled Cass into her arms.
Cass hugged her back, and vowed that she would not allow anything else to interfere with the child’s ability to return to her own world, should she ever choose to return.
Liz chatted with Cass a few minutes more, and when she was certain that no matter what the Council voted, the woman would not allow her daughter to learn magic, she left the room. Liz didn’t know if she should go back to her own time, or wait to see the outcome of the meeting. Unwilling to waste anymore time, she created a portal and returned to her own timeline.
***
The moment she exited the portal, Michael began grilling her, wanting to know where she had been and how she’d learned to use portal magic. Confused to start with, it took a moment to realize her trip to the past had changed more than intended. Michael waited for an answer she couldn’t give. Liz needed to find out what else she had changed. She took a deep breath. “You better sit down. We need to talk.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Confusion Is The Mother Of All Screw Ups
Liz was exhausted from dealing with Michael. Every question she asked, he countered with another she could not answer. No one had bothered to tell her what to do should she accomplish any change. The point of her mission had been to keep anyone from learning about time portals. Why could she remember how to make them? She needed to talk to Brogan and find out what she was supposed to do now.
According to Michael, Cass was taking a sabbatical with her husband Dan, so at least she knew that remained the same. Jenna had not learned any type of magic because Cass had come to the Council meeting and vetoed her training before it even started. Everyone there was surprised at Cass' drastic change in attitude toward the issue. As she was the child’s mother, no one had questioned her as to why.
Brogan had indeed come to the Citadel, and was off on some errand of his own. They still knew about Jenna’s possession, and Michael was to try to entice the demon into choosing him as her new protector, while Athena was off clearing it from Angie’s mind. It was almost time for him to leave, but he was still giving Liz a hard time. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me. You’re leaving something out and that something is a big deal. Why can’t you just tell me?” he asked.
“I can’t tell you. I want to, but I can’t. I need to talk to Brogan first. You’ll understand later. Please just let it go for now, It’s not life or death, I promise.”
“It’s not life or death, but it is vital.”
Liz gave him an exasperated look, and then said, “Drop it.”
Michael laughed at the look on her face, then bowed low and said, “Yes oh mighty Queen.”
Liz threw a pillow at him as he sauntered away laughing at her response. She knew he was on the way to relieve Minerva, and thankfully, now they wouldn’t have to worry about the child creating a portal and jumping to get away from them. She opened the window, taking in the last few seconds of sunset, and then went to lie down. Her part, for now, was finished and before the others returned, she needed to get some rest.
***
Angie was gravely ill. Vampires did not get sick. There were no vampire doctors or nurses to call on should a vampire fall ill, because it just didn’t happen. Athena summoned Gregorio and Minerva, but they had no answers. It was not her physical body that was in trouble, it was her spirit that was injured. Humans have a saying that time heals all wounds, but this was a different circumstance and Angie was not human.
Athena was positive that she had eradicated every last particle of the dark evil from Angie’s mind, but she either would not or could not wake up. Brogan was probably the only one that could help her, but no one had heard from him or Michael in hours.
Gregorio knew that Michael was still with Brogan battling the demon, but until the presence was gone, breaking into Michael’s concentration could be disastrous. They waited and watched the girl, hoping that Brogan would be able to join them soon.
***
Lack of sleep, and fresh blood, had begun taking its toll on Michael. He had no idea how long they had been in the cavern. The battle for Jenna’s body had been going on for hours, maybe even days. The poor child had been in and out of consciousness several times. Each time she awoke, for a brief second she would have control then Baael would take over and she would be lost inside herself again. Her body was a pitiful sight. Battered and bruised, she looked like she’d been in an automobile accident. Her beautiful brown eyes were nearly swollen shut from crying, and her sweet little pink dress was tattered from writhing on the stone table.
Every time Baael spoke, he would first demean them, and then offer them many great and wonderful things. Then the threats would begin. He was going to kill Liz and the rest of the family, and make sure that after he killed both Brogan and Michael, every mortal in the world would pay for what they were trying to do. The list he gave of the things he was going to do was a mile long. When he saw that his malicious words were getting him nowhere, he would allow Jenna to come back to herself, so they could watch her cry out in pain and hear her beg them to help her. Over and over, the same scenario repeated itself while Michael waited for the sign that Brogan had assured him would come.
Jenna for the moment lay blissfully unconscious, Brogan stopped chanting and walking, and waited. Michael tensed to the point of snapping, looked in surprise at the man. Brogan gave him a quick wink, then nodded his head toward the table.
Jenna’s body began to lift, hovering above the table. Slowly it started to turn in a counter clockwise motion. Her face, pale and drawn, appeared to be coming off itself, as if it had duplicated itself and was getting rid of the unneeded portion. Gradually her body started turning faster, and the rest of it seemed to be coming apart.
She woke and a thunderous snarl came out of her mouth. Then there were two Jennas, one right on top of the other, each spinning in perfect alignment. The Jenna on top was almost transparent, and was beginning to glow. Then without notice, both Jennas came to a complete stop. Both hovered for a just a few seconds, then the bottom Jenna fell hard to the stone table, making a cracking sound as she landed.
As soon as her body landed, Michael grabbed her. Away from the table, but still near enough to the fire to see her well, Michael tried to take stock of her injuries. It appeared that she was whole and unbroken, just badly bruised. Her sweet little lips were blue, and her delightful face bruised. Michael whispered in her ear, trying to coax her injured spirit back to life. “Wake up, baby. Wake up and talk to me. I know you’re hurting and scared, but you’re safe now. It’s all going to be okay now. Wake up, Jenna.” Jenna didn’t flutter an eyelash. If Michael hadn’t been able to hear the slow beating of her tiny heart, he would have been sure she was dead.
The othe
r Jenna hovered over the table watching them. The eyes were black empty orbs. Jenna’s beautiful face was now a picture of pure evil. It laughed at them, trying to taunt them, still showing no fear until the facade of Brogan slowly fell away. As he became his true self, the evil trapped above the table began to screech in fury. Brogan stared at the thing in disgust, waiting for it to stop its fit of anger.
“You lie! You cheat! You trickster!” it hissed.
“Now you have reason to fear, eh?” Brogan returned.
“You had to hide to come at me? You are so weak and so terrified of my power that you have to hide like cockroach in the dark?” it squealed back.
Brogan, pulling himself to his full height of seven feet, bellowed, “You have been judged and found guilty, rejoin your brethren in hell!” He shoved the head of his staff into the Jenna thing.
The creature raged, as chunk by chunk, the table beneath collapsed inward leaving a gaping black hole. A small flicker of red light appeared in the center of the opening and grew brighter until flames appeared. As if the fire held some intelligent force, the flames explored the edges of the rift. Licking, seeking, ravenously hungry, they hunted for their prey. A low rumble echoed in pit. Molten lava rushed to the surface, joined the flames, and oozed upwards. Within seconds, the deadly mixture reached the dangling toes of the demon and devoured it bit by bit. Deafening screams echoed through the cavern until the lava’s mission was complete.
Other than the sound of wood crackling in the fire, the room became silent. Brogan went to Michael’s side and stared down at Jenna. His careful gaze touched every inch of her battered body before he reached down, opened one tiny eyelid, and peered within. “She has taken no lasting harm I think.”
Michaels eye’s took on a faraway look as he heard Gregorio’s call. “Brogan, Angie is badly injured. Gregorio says you are needed.”