by K. A. Lange
Alarm bells started going off in my head like crazy but that wasn’t going to help anyone until I had all the facts. “Samantha, take a deep breath and lets start at the beginning. I am on my way to your office, please speak quickly and concisely so I can help.”
Samantha was quick to inform me that Katherine was summoned to the courts this morning at seven, which she had been reluctant about attending. She left her phone with Samantha with instructions to call me if she were not back by noon. Samantha tried contacting the courts directly only to be told that Katherine was in a meeting and was unable to be disturbed. I asked Samantha to close the office for the rest of the day and told her that if she and any others who wished to join her could meet at my office for safekeeping. Furious I hung up the phone as I changed destinations. Pushing the command button once again I dialed Nathan.
The phone barely got through the first ring before Nathan picked up and spoke quickly. “I was wondering how long it would be before you checked in.”
“Nathan, I am going to ask you a simple question. Are you detaining my wife?” My voice was seething with anger.
“I am not holding your ‘EX-wife’ but the Gatekeeper is attempting to keep her preoccupied. I think she has had about enough of his shit. I really need your help before someone gets hurt.” He took care to emphasize the ‘ex’ in ex-wife as if that would ease my anger simply because we were no longer married.
“I’m listening!” Anger rolled over me as I drove. “I’d say you have about six minutes before I roll up, so speak quickly.” Putting my emotions in check I prepared myself for a fight. “When I get there please keep everyone out of my way!” Craning my neck to loosen the muscles, I readied myself for battle. “Let’s just say the wrath that will be brought down upon them will be biblical in nature. Am I clear?”
Nathan’s voice shook with nervous energy. “Viktor, I swear to you no one has laid a hand upon her!” His voice grew stronger and steadier. “And no one will so long as I have anything to say about it!” He took a deep breath steadying himself. “I can assure you that none of my men will stand between you and the Court’s chambers.” His voice faltered. “But from there you are on your own.” Nathan sounded tired more than scared. “After you’re through the Chamber doors you will encounter Leonard’s hand picked bodyguards. I can’t speak to what they might do.” His voice was higher than normal as he spoke quickly. “He is acting crazy and when Katherine wouldn’t relinquish her position in the Muse’s for someone more pliable, he lost his mind.”
“Could you relay a message to Leonard and his people?”
“I can try.”
“If Leonard or any of his lackeys stand in my way I will put them down hard.” My voice was barely a whisper as I spoke.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks...” I was just a few blocks away as I hung up the phone. As I parked in front, several men I recognized as Leonard’s supposed elite poured out of the exit. Each refused to meet my eyes as I strode through their midsts without incident. One of them actually held the front door open for me as I strode through. Leonard should have learned that money wasn’t the best way to secure someone’s allegiance.
Nathan met me at the outer door leading into the courts intersanctum simply handing me his pass key and walking off without another word. I found it sad that Leonard had inspired such a lack of fidelity over the last twenty years which allowed me to walk into the heart of the courts without even the slightest of attempts to hinder my progress. Two more men stood as silent sentinels outside the ornate doors of the the lavish official reception area of the courts.
“I am here to see Leonard.” I gave each of the men a level look as I strode forward. “You can either open the doors or I can open them for you.” Stopping several feet away I waited for their response. “Your choice, gentlemen.”
They smirked at one another as each grabbed a handle and pulled the doors open. “We’re here to protect the courts not a jackass like the Gatekeeper.” The guard on the right growled. “Please proceed with our blessings.”
Looking around the room I saw many of the same people I had two days ago. The mood was very different today as many hung their heads in tension while silence held the room transfixed. All eyes fell on me before they turned their heads in near in unison to Katherine who was kneeling before the throne of Comus, her face bruised and bloody with her hands in shackles.
She looked at me as a wicked little smile crossed her face. She glared up at Leonard who sat atop the Throne of Comus twitching with rage as he stared at me. “You dare enter these chambers uninvited?” He stood shaking a fat finger in my direction. “I’ll have you strung up for your insolence!”
Darkness welled up in my soul as I saw Katherines injuries but I quickly squelched it, bottling it deep inside me to be used at a more appropriate time. Taking a few steps toward the throne I glared at Leonard. “You’ve overstepped yourself.” I pulled off my jacket and laid it across an empty chair before rolling up my sleeves. “You have one chance of making things right.” I slowly strode forward. “You can relinquish your position as Gatekeeper and let Katherine go all in one fell swoop and you can walk out of here unharmed.”
“Oh that’s rich!” Leonard absently tugged at his chin. “It is you who have overstepped!” He paced around the raised dais as he spoke. “You forget yourself. Here in this room I sit atop the throne of Comus and my will is law!”
“Your will is jack shit.” My shields wrapped themselves around me unbidden. Something deep within my soul went cold causing me to shiver as its power wrapped itself around me bodily. My voice no longer sounded like my own as I spoke. “I don’t have time for this Leonard!” I could feel the room shake with each syllable. Taking the first of the twelve steps I paused to look up at Leonard giving him one last chance to run. “Step down and release Katherine or I will remove you from your station.”
Leonard whirled around and grabbed the Scepter of Comus from its resting place on the antique table to the right of the Throne. The scepter was a golden rod three feet in length and about one inch thick. The head of the scepter contained a huge sapphire larger than my fist while the butt contained an emerald about half of the size of its head. The Scepter of Comus was a weapon of last resort used against the worst of our kind. He sneered as he leveled the weapon at my chest. The blue light that emanated from the scepter could turn its target to ash. No one could withstand its power, save for Comus himself. The entire room took a collective breath.
"What are you going to do Leonard?"
"I am going to watch you die!" He screamed.
"I doubt that seriously."
The scepter hummed to life as it glowed under Leonard’s grip, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the rod tightly. I stood there looking up at the hatred in his eyes. Sweat beaded across his forehead and he stammered a bit as he spoke. “You forget where you are Viktor. You forget that here I wield the power. Not you. Never you. You will kneel before me and then you will die.”
Halting my progress just a few steps away from Leonard I shook my head sadly. The anger and hatred left me and all that was left was pity and sorrow for a man who couldn’t be saved. “Please, Leonard,” begging him to stop before things went too far, “you don’t have the will or the power to wield the weapon before you.” Holding out my hand to take the scepter I pleaded one more time for him to stop. “Even if you were able to fire the weapon you might be surprised...”
Leonard screamed as he tried to unleash the power held within the scepter. The sapphire glowed brightly for only a moment longer before its light faded. The hum fell silent and Leonard screamed in agony as the smell of his burning flesh filled the room. The room was still and no one dared move for fear of disturbing the room’s precarious balance. A sad smile crossed my face as my secret was laid bare for all to see. “As I was saying you might be surprised if you tried to use it... Surprise!”
Leonard blinked several times as he looked back and forth between me a
nd the scepter. I walked up the stairs slowly until I stood on the dais with him. Stooping over I picked up the scepter in my left hand while I grabbed Leonard in my right flinging him across the room, where he slammed into the far wall with more of a splat than a thud.
He groaned and looked back at me and said. “How’s it possible you’re not dead.”
Shaking my head sadly I reluctantly turned and sat upon the Throne of Comus for the first time in nearly a hundred years. “You can’t use my own weapon against me.” Leaning forward I gripped the Scepter and it responded to my touch as it grew several feet in each direction, the brilliant blue sapphire elongated into a long spear tip while the emerald created a counter balance. “I tried to warn you.” Holding the now nine foot spear I slammed it into the dais sending ripples of power throughout the room. “Leonard, would you like to see the will of Comus?”
Leonard shook and pulled himself to his knees. “You can’t be... there isn’t anyway that you could be...You’re lying!”
Standing there I watched as the realization of what was happening rolled through the room like a tidal wave. Looking at Leonard sadness filled my soul. I slowly made my way down the dais. “Didn’t you find it odd that the Gatekeeper before you gave you just one unbreakable law?” Pausing before Katherine I swept the glowing sapphire tip through her bindings causing them to fall to the floor. “That law stated that the Progenitor was allowed free reign.” Anger crept back into my voice as I neared the cowering man. “I allowed you to sit upon the Throne of Comus in the hopes you would become a better man than you had been in the past.” Leonard scrambled back against the closed doors trying to force himself through. “I was wrong in doing so.” Stopping a few feet away from him I knelt as I held Gungnir, the spears true name, firmly in my grasp. “Leonard?”
Leonard looked at me as he whispered. “Yes?”
“I would run if I were you.” Expanding my will through Gungnir I forced the doors open. “Pray we never meet each other again.”
He shuffled his feet back pushing his rather large hindquarters through the threshold before scrambling to his feet. He stopped and turned to me his voice shaking as he spoke. “You should have killed me.” Hatred rolled off him in waves. “I would’ve killed you on the spot and your little whore too.” He shook violently as he gathered what little courage he had left as he turned and ran as fast as his feet would carry him from my sight.
‘I suppose that makes me a better person.’ I thought to myself, ‘Or it makes me a fool.’ Turning my attention to the silent room behind me for the first time since his departure, many sat with their mouth agape and shock was the emotion of the moment.
Silence reigned as I strode through the room and up the stairs to the Throne. Taking my seat I looked out over the Kings and Queens that assembled before me as I cleared my throat once more to address them properly. “Greetings to you one and all Kings and Queens of the Mystick Courts of Comus.” My voice seemed to magnify itself slightly with each word until my voice filled the room vibrating the walls.
Each member of the court stood as they gave me a bow before taking to their knee. Even Katherine surprised me by following their lead before she spoke. “My liege what is your will?”
Taken aback by her acquiescence to my will I didn’t answer right away until I saw Katherine give me a glowering look. It let me know that all was right in the universe once more. “Rise and be at ease.” I waved them to their feet. “First and foremost, anyone who wishes to relinquish their posts may do so now with no questions asked.”
I paused for a moment as three newly appointed members of the court vacated the premises behind their master before proceeding. “Secondly, it appears that there are several posts that need filling.” Leaning back in the throne I felt uncomfortable. “I will leave the particulars of that in your capable hands. A new Gatekeeper should be appointed by the close of day.”
“Your will be done.” Katherine intoned as the room fell in sync.
“My final request.” Standing as I spoke and proceeding down the stairs with Gungnir in hand and a heavy heart, I was filled with a weight I hadn’t known in many years. “Please keep my secret safe.”
Katherine smiled as something wicked flitted through her eyes. “Of course my liege.”
By her tone I knew there would be hell to pay as soon as we were alone but it was a price I was willing to pay to keep those around me safe. “Thank you all for your continued service to the greater good.” Bowing as I spoke I stood beside Katherine and gave her my best ‘I’m so innocent’ smile.
She followed me as I left the room. Feeling the effects of the beating she leaned against me as I forced the doors open, leaving the MCC to deal with the inner workings of the day to day politics. “So you’re really Comus?”
The Staff of Gungnir clacked on the marbled hallway as we made our way through the building. “I’ve had many names over the years, Comus is but one of them.”
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“I’m sure that you would think so.”
She grabbed my arm and swung me around as she glared at me. “For heaven’s sake Viktor, stop with all the cryptic mumbo jumbo.”
I opened the front door for her, bowing slightly as she stormed through it. “Where do you want me to start?” I asked her as I Followed in her wake to my car. “Do you want to know about how I don’t know my true name or nature?” Clicking the key fob I unlocked and opened the passenger's side door for her. “Get in line!” Closing the door I walked around and climbed in the drivers seat. “I don’t know some of those answers myself.” Shaking my head in anger I started the car and put it in gear. “It isn’t as if you were totally honest about your heritage when we met!”
“Oh hell! That was forty years ago. Get the hell over yourself!” She growled giving me the finger in the process. “Maybe you could have said something around the time I gave birth? Don’t ya think?”
Trying to keep my emotions in check and my foot off the gas I glowered at the world at large. “Like what? Oh by the way honey I know you’re pregnant with my child but there’s a few things you should know.” I slammed my hand on the horn as someone cut me off. “I’m over twenty eight hundred years old and I have no idea who I am or where I came from! Surprise!”
Katherine rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. “Sounds pretty stupid when you say it like that.”
“Never get’s any better no matter how I say it!” My anger faded quickly and I realized that I was more embarrassed than anything. People counted on me, trusted me, and I didn’t even know who I was. I was ashamed that my secrets had been laid bare in the light of day.
She reached out and touched my hand as she spoke gently. “How about an easy question.” Her eyes were filled with understanding and kindness as she gripped my hand once more. “How did you wind up here in New Orleans of all places?”
Bowing my head slightly as I kept my eyes on the road ahead I told her everything. It had been nearly two hundred years ago when I found my way to the city. Louisiana had recently become a state in the union. I ran across an old medicine man who had been injured fighting a kappa. I nursed him back to health and he introduced me to the local spirits. Many were benevolent but many more were not. One day I was gravely injured when I was attacked by a group of marauding werewolves. One of the spirits saved me on the condition that I swore to serve those under his protection for at least one hundred years plus one day. I owed him my life and promptly made a blood oath with the land. That was the start of things. Later the men and women who formed the Krewe of Mystic had a noble idea, so I aided them in their tasks. We came up with the entire Comus concept so I wouldn’t have to be a part of the day to day actions of the court yet be able to maintain the directives they had set forth by enforcing the will of Comus once a year.
It was a good plan actually. Leonard wasn’t the first douche to become Gatekeeper and I was sure he wouldn’t be the last. This was the first time though that I had ever felt a ne
ed to throw one out of office bodily. And since that had happened I would be holding on to the Scepter. It was one of the few things I had yet to collect of my items I had lent out over the centuries. The Scepter was a beautiful piece of art as well as a deadly weapon. Who knew, it might be just what I needed to kill Gullveig once and for all.
“So were you ever going to tell me all this?” Katherine questioned.
“Maybe one day but more than likely no, no I wasn’t.” I confessed.
“And our daughter, is she like you? Will she live forever?” she asked hopefully.
“I honestly don’t know, but I suspect she is at least partially like me. I just don’t know if that means she will have a longer than average lifespan or not.” I replied.
Katherine laughed. “Twenty eight hundred years is definitely not average.” She took my hand once more squeezing it tightly. “Thank you for coming for me today. I think he meant to put me in level four.”
I blinked. “They would have killed you down there.”
“Yes they would have.” She agreed.
I sighed heavily. “Look, I know that you have had a real shitty day but I still need to ask you for something and you’re not going to like it.”
She smirked and said. “After finding out that someone was going to let you die in a horrible way I think I can handle a little favor.”
I nodded. “I need you to track someone for me and I need you to do it quickly.”
She made a face and cringed a little. “Oh... sure I can do that. Just, just get me the blood and I will get you their location. I need to let Sam know I am safe before we start.”
“She’s at my office along with some other key members of your staff. They didn’t exactly feel safe waiting for Leonard to come pick them up.”
She smiled and nodded. “Thank you for that, but don’t think for a second that this conversation has been put to rest. We still have much to talk about. That is if you’re willing...”
“You of all people probably deserve an explanation. I will do my best to answer what I can.” We made the rest of the trip in silence. Thankfully it wasn’t a very long one.