Betrayal of Cernunnos

by Matthew Fish

  “If Cain’s got nothing to hide then I don’t see why he’d mind,” Mark agreed. If things turned out to go the wrong way, though he highly doubted they would, he would rather have everyone with him.

  “Well,” Maddie said as she patted Mark on the shoulder. “Guess we have a busy morning, I’ll head to bed.”

  “No, stay…” Emily said as she pulled her pants off revealing a pair of tight, form fitting boxers. “You can watch.”

  “Yeah…” Maddie muttered as she quickly left the room. “Goodnight.”

  “Night, Maddie,” Mark said as he shook his head as the door slammed behind her.

  “It’s educational,” Emily said as she pulled up her shirt and tossed it onto the floor. “She likes to masturbate all the time—we could be like, live porn.”

  “Didn’t seem like she was interested,” Mark said jokingly as he climbed into bed.

  “Her loss,” Emily said as she grabbed Mark and pressed her lips against his. She skillfully unlatched her bra with one hand and released her firm breasts that bounced out of their confines. She tossed the bra playfully on Mark’s head as it hung for a moment as they continued to kiss passionately.

  Mark began to kiss down Emily’s chest until his lips came into contact with one of her small, hard nipples. He squeezed his lips tightly against the bit of warm flesh as his tongue flit like a snake upon the surface. Emily let out a soft moan as she pulled up on Mark’s shirt. Mark raised his head as the bra that dangled from atop his head fell beside him. He pulled down his jeans and boxer shorts, revealing his very excited, erect dick.

  “Someone wants me…” Emily whispered as she reached her hand to Mark and began stroking him.

  “I always do,” Mark said as he let out a short gasp as she grasped him firmly. He reached down and attempted to pull down Emily’s boxers as she pushed him away.

  “Tear them off,” Emily whispered as she pulled Mark close and bit his earlobe.

  Mark reached down and pulled as hard as he could against the thin fabric. After a couple of frustrated attempts, as he was quite turned on, he managed to rip away the thin space that covered up Emily’s shaved flesh. Unable to no longer stand not being inside of her, he pressed himself against the wet folds of her skin until entire length of his cock filled her warm, tight, pussy.

  “That’s what I want,” Emily moaned as she gently bit at Mark’s shoulder as he thrust deeper and deeper into her. She rocked her hips as they found a pleasurable stride. She arched her head back and let out whimpers of ecstasy. Mark’s pace went from a slow, long thrust to a quick fast pace as they both began to breathe heavily. Emily’s whimpers grew louder as she grabbed Mark’s shoulders tightly. She let out a sharp moan as she came, seconds later she could feel the warm surge and gentle throb as Mark erupted inside of her.

  “Shit…” Mark muttered as he pulled himself out of Emily, defeated once more.

  “You’re getting better at this,” Emily said as she wiped away a bit of sweat from her forehead and pulled her long pink, blonde, and teal, hair away from her eyes. She pushed her back into Mark’s chest as she grabbed for his hands and drew them close to her naked warm body. “Not that you were ever bad at it, but…fuck.”

  “Thanks…?” Mark said, as he held Emily close. He was unsure of how to reply and his mind was a little drained from the encounter. “You are always, perfect.”

  “Of course I am, clit-kitten,” Emily said as she placed a kiss upon Mark’s arm. “Why did you choose me?”

  “What do you mean?” Mark asked as he attempted to wrap his mind around the question.

  “What about me is worth…loving?”

  “Where is this coming from?” Mark asked as he kissed the back of Emily’s neck and squeezed her tightly.

  “Just humor a girl, clit-kitten,” Emily whispered. “You can’t spend your life getting told you’re worthless without believing it a little…”

  “You are not worthless at all, Emily,” Mark said as he ran a finger upon the surface of her smooth shoulder. “I love you, because…you’re beautiful, you are extremely loyal…and caring, even when you try and hide it behind the jokes. I also just, always find you amusing…you can always make me laugh no matter how shitty things get, even when it is extremely inappropriate.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said as she reached for Mark’s hand and wrapped her fingers around his. “I figured you’d choose Maddie…she has that whole young Michelle Williams thing going on for her, not that I ever watched reruns of that shitty creek show.”

  “I’m not really familiar…”

  “But yeah,” Emily continued to speak softly. “I like…I mean, yeah—love….you, because you are always nice. You’re kind to everyone, even those that umm, burn your grandmother’s house down. You are always unconditionally trusting and happy, even though life has been rather rough on you. Plus, yeah, you’re attractive…of course. I’m a little superficial, big deal, clit-kitten.”

  “I thought you were cute, even when you were assaulting me that first time.”

  “You’re odd,” Emily said with a short laugh. “You know, if something should ever happen to me, I give you permission to be with Maddie—instead of spending the rest of your Perpetual life alone.”

  “Don’t say that,” Mark said as he buried his face in Emily’s hair and kissed the back of her head.

  “Only Maddie though…not my sister Amelia, she’s much too young for you. Or Felecia, she’s far too old—like forty or something, that’s just gross. Nor Lily either, I won’t have my boyfriend being into any of that bestiality stuff. Strictly Maddie,” Emily said as she quietly slipped in another little clause. “If you die, same deal for me.”

  “What?” Mark asked, unsure of what Emily meant with that little bit of statement at the end.

  “What?” Emily repeated dismissively. “It’s late, we should sleep…”

  “What was that, though?”

  “Busy morning…?” Emily asked as she buried the side of her head into her pillow. “Sleep…?”

  “Alright,” Mark said as he thought for a moment about Caesar. “About Maddie though…”

  “Those are the rules,” Emily interjected.

  “No, it’s…something that Caesar said. I’ve kinda kept it to myself, but…you should know—just in case you decide to make a joke about her parents or family. Caesar told me that they had all died in the fire, her farm was gone and she was taken away to Conductor school.”

  “Why would she not talk about it?” Emily said as she wrapped her arms around Mark’s arm tightly. “That’s sad. She always seems so well put together and cheerful. I would have never guessed she was hiding something like that.”

  “Pushing it out and not confronting it, I guess.”

  “I guess we’ve all had hard lives, your parents…her family, my messed up family,” Emily said as she let out a soft sigh. “I suppose she’ll tell us someday, when she’s ready.”

  “That’s what I figured.”

  “Sleep, my clit-kitten,” Emily whispered as she pressed her lips against Mark’s arm which she still held firmly in her grasp. “We really do have a busy morning.”

  “Goodnight, Emily.”

  Mark allowed himself to lull into a slumber. The world and its many worries were gently washed away like sand upon a distant shore. Deep in a dream, Mark found his mind awake. The room was just as he left it moments earlier—only everything was a deep blue in shade. The walls of the Red Manor gave off a strange blue glow. The door to the bedroom was wide open. Mark got to his feet as he spotted what looked like an older version of Lily. He followed and caught her quickly running up to the third floor. Mark looked around for any sign of Caesar as he walked towards the spiral staircase. He paused at the first step as he looked up, the girl passed the top stair and disappeared from view. He climbed up the stairs and was greeted by the large picture window that faced the woods beyond Red Manor. A large army besieged the manor.

  “It is a rather unnerving sight, is it
not, my dear Mr. Argent,” Caesar’s ghostly blue form spoke as he approached from his room.

  “What is it?” Mark asked as he looked down to the massive force.

  “A possible future, I believe,” Caesar said as she sat down upon a chair. “We may speak freely, Cernunnos has for one reason or another, has abandoned the dream world.”

  “What do you mean…abandoned?” Mark asked as he turned Caesar.

  “He no longer resides upon the Emerald Isles in the Otherworld,” Caesar spoke as he folded a leg over his knee and rubbed his chin. “This, one might surmise, means that he has passed over to your world…”

  “Is he behind this army?”

  “Mayhaps, it is difficult…I can see things, but for the death of me, I cannot find our dear Lily,” Caesar said as the corner of his cheeks drug down and his eyes narrowed.

  “Is she in trouble?” Mark asked as he returned his attention to the window. The scene was like a snapshot frozen in time. There was at least a thousand or so men and women, they were armed with medieval type weapons and were just upon the barrier.

  “I fear that if she is, you do not have the capacity to help her for she will be in many times,” Caesar said sadly. “I do hope that she does make her way to you. I will ask of you to help her, even though you are no longer bonded through contract.”

  “Of course,” Mark said as he shook his head. “Why wouldn’t I? We’re friends.”

  “That is good to hear,” Caesar said as he finally allowed a smile to wash over his somber face. “Of course you would. That is the type of person you are—always making a proud man out of me.”

  “Why do you keep returning?” Mark asked curiously. “Shouldn’t you be enjoying your…afterlife? You once said that the Emerald Isles was a place of constant happiness…”

  “It is, of course,” Caesar spoke as he placed a finger to his chin and cocked his head. “I suppose, it is because I worry about my friends. They keep finding themselves in trouble. Though I would not mind all of your company, I fear that is a rather selfish wish.”

  “Why didn’t you just stay?”

  “It was my time to go, my dear Mr. Argent,” Caesar spoke as he nodded and looked to the pale blue walls of Red Manor. “Lily needed someone to protect her. I could not face the danger that was to come…I did not wish to. I selfishly put that upon your shoulders. I was simply not a fighter, I was a great lover—and appreciated the skills a Conductor possessed, but I could never even stomach the thought of taking a gun in hand, or being shot at.”

  “Well, you are very much missed. Emily and Maddie miss you as well,” Mark spoke as he rested his back against the window. He could not make sense of what was going on out there and figured there was no point in dwelling on it, as Caesar could also offer no insight upon the matter.

  “Those are kind words for a selfish man,” Caesar spoke as he closed his eyes and nodded.

  “There was no selfishness when you took us in when we had nowhere to go.”

  “Oh, but there was…there was.”

  “If there was, then it has long since been forgiven,” Mark said as he looked down to the floor. “I still thank you for everything that you’ve done for me—even if it came with stipulations.”

  “The only thing I would ask as a friend,” Caesar said as he opened his eyes and smiled. “Is…how was your trip?”

  “Wonderful,” Mark said as he laughed. “We really needed it after everything we’d been through. Especially…with, other things going on now…”

  “I know that Cain troubles you now,” Caesar said as he rubbed his folded knee. “I still stick to my original assertion of the man, perhaps with a few addendums—he is dangerous, but not evil—very intelligent, but also very troubled.”

  “Well…if this is a possible future, then I would hate to start fighting amongst ourselves while something much more terrible waits upon the horizon,” Mark said as he shook his head. The entire situation left him rather frustrated.

  “You will know what to do when the time comes,” Caesar said reassuringly. “We will speak again once I locate Lily—or rather, she locates us. You will wake very soon, your dear Emily is making quite a racket.”

  “What?”

  “I’m looking for it,” Emily spoke as she rummaged through one of the drawers in a bedside table. “Besides, everyone’s leaving soon…”

  “I wasn’t…” Mark mumbled as the daylight streamed in through the window. He thought to mention something about his new conversation with Caesar, but he had no concrete answers upon the matters to speak of. “What are you looking for?”

  “I kept it,” Emily said as she reached to the back of the drawer and tossed a quarter to Mark. She pulled on a long sleeved white shirt with a single black wilting flower imprinting on the chest. She then pulled up her tight fitting black jeans and placed her cat-eared hoodie over her shoulder.

  “This is my birth year,” Mark said as he studied the slightly dented quarter.

  “That’s the one that Cain tossed into me as I projected you out of that….water place.”

  “The one we thought was a warning?” Mark asked as he placed the coin in his palm.

  “I was lying here, watching the sun come up…don’t sleep much, right,” Emily said as she tossed Mark his Conductor jacket. “And I remembered that coin. He didn’t know you weren’t a Perpetual, but he knew I was—he probably tried to get a read on my date and got yours instead.”

  “So…he tried to kill you,” Mark said as he nodded. He pulled up his tight blue jeans and attached his Standard. He climbed into grey long sleeved shirt and buttoned up his red velvet Schmied Vest. He reached for the nail marked 113 and shoved it into his jeans pocket—just in case.

  “I’m not flattered or anything, he seemed to want to kill everyone but you that day,” Emily said as she shrugged. “I just realized—yeah, cock-monger attempted to have me put to ash. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier…but it reminded me that when he wanted something, he didn’t mind killing to get it.”

  “Still doesn’t make sense why he wanted me,” Mark said as he placed the coin in his pocket and shook his head. “I mean, I guess I get it—I’m the last thing that exists from his dead love.”

  “Just…to put a possibility in perspective,” Emily said as she grabbed a large pink and white striped purse full of fresh lighters. “My father wanted a son; he would have killed anyone and done anything to achieve that goal, the stupid fuck.”

  “Even if it was a mortal,” Mark muttered. “Yeah, I remember that very well.”

  “Let’s just hope we’re all pissing ourselves over nothing and he’s just—rebuilding his shit.”

  “Yeah…”

  Chapter 4

  “Only two sunsets left,” Sun spoke as his brilliant eyes flashed in the deep purple and orange glow of the magnificently painted sunset. He was in his human-like form. He had a hunting knife in hand as he helped Lily cut straight arrows out of branches that she had specifically picked out.

  “Leaf will return with the others,” Lily said as she filled her quiver and checked her stock. They were running low on bread and cheese. The nights were getting colder. They did not dare risk a fire for fear of being discovered. Instead they huddled naked beside each other each night in a camouflaged makeshift hovel. The night before, she asked Leaf why he was so loyal to her. He answered that she was the bravest of their kind and that she had stood up to the Ankou and now Cernunnos himself. That he was honored to be in her presence and service. With a little nervous hesitation on his part, she allowed him to enter her that night as they lay intertwined in her dirty blanket. The sensations and feelings were still fresh in her mind. It was the first time in a great long time that she was not on edge—that she allowed herself some amount of pleasure.

  “I hope that many will come,” Sun spoke as he handed Lily a length of carved wood. “I do not understand how so many were fooled into joining Cernunnos.”

  “It is the promise of being spared.
His power comes from fear,” Lily spoke as she carved notches into the wooden shaft and placed feathers into the end. “He speaks of saving the world from an end, but at the same time he creates an end for most, but not all. I see no distinction between the two. Either way, the world will end. It is just in a different way if he succeeds.”

  2015

  “Here’s a key for you,” Christopher said as he handed Mark a silver key upon a chain.

  “Thanks,” Mark said as he nodded. He stood outside of the Heritage Building with the large group.

  “We’re just walking in?” Maddie asked as she eyed the elevator beyond the glass.

  “Well, we’re not freezing our asses off out here while Mark goes in alone,” Emily spoke as she opened the door as Amelia, Jenna, Christopher, Felecia, and Mark piled into the empty entryway. “Besides, we’re invited guests…right?”

  “That seems to be the case,” Christopher said as he placed his finger upon the elevator button. “If you would do the honors, Mark.”

  “Of course,” Mark spoke as he slid the key into a small impression on the silver metal lining. A hidden door opened revealing the huge entryway to the Perpetual Council.

  “I remember this place well,” Maddie spoke as they walked many tall concrete columns.

  “Took a lot of time to rebuild this place,” Jenna said as she looked around. “When we first got here this place was trashed. Cain’s restored it—even the Cruach Steel shutters that the Grand Conductors blew a hole into.”

  “I also remember that very well,” Maddie spoke as she looked to the imposing slats of metal that hung above the large windows. A heavy snow was falling outside and the windows were fogged up, obscuring the view of the streets.

  “I like the waterfall,” Amelia said as she placed her hand upon the brick wall that lead to twin artificial streams that traced their way through the vast room.