Okay Lady Arianrhod, what does THIS mean? I wondered.
Later, once all of the visions were over and we were relaxing around the fire, I lit my second post-ritual joint. Our closing ritual was easy enough to do in full blackout mode, so we were already kicking back.
“What kind of visions did everyone get?” I asked.
“I saw Raina, Gaia, Tiffany, and my girlfriend with funky looking antlers on their heads.” Jack said quickly.
“That’s not what I had.” Katsu said quickly. “I saw what you guys would call ‘the Horned God’. He had a cup, and he offered it to me.”
“What was in it?” asked Jack.
“I don’t know.” Katsu replied. “It smelled like… courage. Peace. So I drank.”
“I saw the same thing.” Tiffany said. “Mine smelled like… love. I drank too.”
“I saw the horns.” Evelyn piped up next.
“I saw the Horned God.” Raina said. “My cup smelled like coffee… of course I drank it!”
We laughed and continued sharing our visions. There were only two… Raina, Gaia, Tiffany, and Katsu saw the Horned God offering a cup, and the four of them drinking. Jack, Evelyn, and I all saw the horns grow on their heads.
“So what does that mean?” Jack asked.
“I think it’s obvious.” Tiffany said, lighting up her own joint. “The four of us… Katsu, Gaia, Raina, and I… we’re protectors. Like Herne, the Horned One. We’ve been given the sacred charge of protecting the Sorceress.”
“And how much experience with Wicca do you have?” Raina asked, grinning.
“Over a decade.” Tiffany replied. “Half of the people in my Uncle’s employ are Wiccan. It’s a religion that doesn’t freak out around the paranormal.”
“So we’re what,” Gaia said, “Annabelle’s antler-buddies?”
Katsu pulled her sleeve up to reveal a brown stain on her skin in the shape of a stag’s head, antlers to the sky. “Uh, guys… “
Tiffany, Gaia, and Raina pulled their sleeves up to reveal identical stag-shaped marks.
“Welcome, sisters,” Raina said, “to the Order of the Stag.”
* * *
“There is, of course, plenty of historical precedent.” Angelique said. “Many past Sorceresses have had a court about them of trusted friends and sworn allies. The most stable ones, actually.”
We all sat around the parlor, few of us feeling the need to be right up on the fire. Many of us kept smoking, the air growing thick with sweet-smelling smoke.
“It’s really nothing to worry about.” Vincent concurred. “Though the shared marking is new. It makes me wonder what’s coming.”
“We're going to take this seriously." Raina said. "We've already decided to re-examine the security plan for the grounds and re-formulate it to reflect a new, shared approach."
Tiffany, Gaia, and Katsu all nodded.
“I understand what it is to be chosen.” Katsu said, nodding to her sister Hatsu.
“Indeed,” Hatsu continued, “If Katsu has been chosen by your Horned God for this, then our own Gods must have allowed it. We will not question their judgment.”
“I’m just amazed that your ass didn’t get caught up in all this!” Trevor said to Evelyn.
“I was willing.” Evelyn shrugged. “I just wasn’t chosen.”
“Well, I just texted Uncle Jex,” Tiffany said, putting her phone down, “and he’s thrilled, of course. Said that he’d send any tactical gear we needed.”
“Ooh!" Katsu exclaimed. "Can I get one of those bulletproof bodysuits?"
“Or at least the deploying mechanisms?” Gaia asked next. “I have something better than Kevlar, and it’s in colors other than black!”
“Now you’re talking my language!” Raina said, and the meeting broke up.
As I was walking out, Angelique stopped me with a look.
“You’ve been avoiding me.” she said. It wasn’t an accusation, more a statement of fact.
“You’re right.” I replied, choosing the easiest course of action.
“I take it that it wasn’t something I said?” she asked, her head tilted.
“Not in this life, no.” I answered. “I just… I have a lot to process, what with our… extensive past. I can only really process so much in a healthy way at once, and when I’m around you it’s all I can think about. So I’ve been getting some distance.”
“You know,” she said, smiling, “I think that you’re more intelligent and mature in this incarnation than in any other life we’ve spent together.”
Of all that she could say in answer to my words, those surprised me most of all. I smiled back, and then she was gone.
* * *
I hope that Tiffany knows that I’m not a total pothead!
The thought occurred to me as I lit up another in a succession of joints. I really should have been blazed beyond belief, but my Sorceress-level metabolism meant that a dose of THC that would have put even Jack down for the count would give me a mild, but pleasant, high that would fade quickly if not constantly re-enforced.
So yeah, I smoke a lot of weed, but it’s not like I’m trying to escape from life. Deal with it without going bonkers, maybe.
Perhaps it was the fact that I was the only one smoking for a change. Katsu, Gaia, Tiffany, and Raina had gathered for a formal meeting of the Order of the Stag, and I decided to sit in. They were all sober and ready to work.
I looked around at the room we were gathered in. It was one of the unused rooms at the mansion, and Vincent was already decking it out to be the Order’s headquarters. A large world map, as well as an equally large white-board, were hung on one wall, while a large oval table ringed with comfortable chairs dominated the center of the room.
It looks like something out of a World War Two film!
“Okay ladies,” Raina said, opening a notebook, “let’s begin. What do we know about the assault on the South African compound?”
“Uncle Jex’s compound was hit with four teams, one for each warehouse type, so they knew where we were going to be.” Tiffany reported. “The commander found electronic surveillance equipment in the facility later, so we’re not looking at any inside informants, at least.”
“How many people did your Uncle lose in the battle?” I asked. I was afraid to hear the answer.
“Amazingly, we only lost a single guard in the firefight.” Tiffany said, relieved. “The invading squads were a total loss… those who didn’t fall in battle ate cyanide capsules and died before they could be questioned.”
“That needs to be a priority.” Raina said. “We need to catch one of the sentient ones, like a human, for questioning. Tracing things back after the fact hasn’t been working out so well for us.”
“They won’t talk easily,” Katsu said next, “Not if what Jack tells me about the assault on the house earlier in the year is true.”
Ah yes, I thought, right before my ascension to being the Sorceress. "They were a Russian team," I said, "top-ranked in the world. A couple of them were still supposedly on active duty at the time of the raid."
“Russians don’t talk easily.” Tiffany said. “A lot of the mercenaries are controlled by the Russian mob, and they know that if they crack under torture, then their families will pay the price.”
“I can get them to talk,” Gaia said, smiling, “and it won’t involve torture, so it’ll be information you can trust.”
“How did you guys deal with the assault?” I asked Gaia and Katsu. “I know how Tiffany and I got out, but never heard about you guys.”
“The suite locked down when the shooting started.” Gaia answered.
“It was tough enough to survive a nuke attack.” Katsu added.
“I wanted to go and help, but Jexo was prioritizing our safety.” Gaia continued. “Once it was all over, I got us home.”
“Sorry I wasn’t there.” I said.
“Don’t sweat it.” Gaia said, smiling. “It was boring where we were. Besides, I hear you took a couple
of them down!”
“Yeah, Tiffany and I were a pretty good team.” I replied, grinning. “That reminds me,” I continued, turning to Raina, “I wanted to talk to you about including Tiffany in our training exercises.”
“Really?” Tiffany asked, leaning in.
“Yeah.” I said, shrugging. “I mean, you and I work well together, and Raina and I have become pretty good at double-teaming the beasties, so if we combine everything… “
“I can see it.” Raina said, nodding. “I mean, even having a spotter to direct us where to blast next could make our efforts more coordinated and less chaotic.”
“And Sargent Collins here is trained to work as a team.” I said, smiling at Tiffany.
She smiled. I could tell that she liked the idea.
* * *
“Pull!”
Tiffany hit a series of switches, releasing a stream of round paper targets into the air. In a matter of seconds, Raina and I brought them smoldering down.
“Pull!” I said next, and we did it again.
It had been two weeks since the Solstice ritual and the birth of the Order of the Stag, and Raina and I had spent a chunk of each of those days training. Since we had a third person to run the targeting machine, Raina and I had been able to team up at dealing with threats, her with her Fae magick and me with my elemental powers. We had gotten to the point where we could alternate our shots to take down an entire clip… almost fifty targets… down in seconds with perfect precision.
“You guys are an incredible team!” Tiffany exclaimed as she watched the final targets burn up.
“You’re a part of that team.” I said, pointing at her. “Don’t forget, you’re our spotter.”
I thought back to a couple of nights before when Jack had unveiled his training drones. Each had a dim LED light on it, and our goal was to blast them before they could touch us. To inspire us to do well, each drone delivered an electric shock if they touched us.
“Yeah, my black ass would have gotten singed way more if it hadn’t been for you.” Raina said.
“Yeah, but I don’t shoot cool looking light or fire blasts like you guys.” Tiffany said, walking up to us.
“Yeah, but what does your Uncle say about teams?” I asked, playfully wagging my finger.
“That a team is only as strong as its weakest member." she replied, grinning.
“Yeah.” I said, pointing at her. “So if we’re awesome, it’s because of you!”
“Yeah, well,” Tiffany said as we started the walk back to the main house, “I wish you guys could help me with my current project.”
“What are you working on?” Raina asked.
“A combat review of all of the assaults thus far.” Tiffany replied. “Something about them strikes me as odd, only I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Isn’t wading through data one of Jack’s superpowers?” I said. “You could get him to help.”
“Oh, he is.” Tiffany said. “His algorithms have made organizing the data a breeze. Interpreting it, on the other hand, is more of a human skill.”
Raina grinned. “Well, I wish you… “
She was cut off by an inhuman wail. I looked around, instantly at alert.
“What the fuck is that?!? Tiffany yelled over the noise.
“A proximity alarm set up by Gaia.” Raina said, hands glowing and ready. “We’ve got uninvited company.”
“Right.” replied Tiffany, and she tapped a point on her chest. Armor cloth again covered her body, only this time it was purple.
Gaia’s other gift I thought, dragon skin armor.
Katsu and Gaia were there in an instant, Gaia running across the yard in between the house and our position while Katsu floated into place.
“Jack’s monitoring the cameras.” Katsu said. “Vincent and Angelique are heading for the perimeter of the property.”
“Before I left, I saw three separate incursions.” Gaia added. “They’re coming from three directions.”
The question is WHAT’S coming I thought.
My question was soon answered. Ahead of me, I saw a figure step out of the woods.
And another. And another.
Oh boy.
They looked like people from the waist up. Mutilated, modified people, but I could tell that they had started out as human. From the waist down, however, they walked on metal legs. Their arms had been modified as well, their hands replaced with all manner of knives and blades.
There were a dozen coming from in front of me, and more coming out of the woods on either side.
“Let’s rock and roll!” Raina yelled, and the battle began.
I blasted one at random with a fireball, and it fell over in flames. Katsu swooped down and snatched one nearby, carrying it high into the air only to let it fall to earth in a bloody mess again. Raina sent green bolts of energy flying at a few more, and they fell to pieces as well.
“They’re not that resilient!” I called out to Tiffany.
“Good to know!” she called back, pulling her sidearm and firing off a few shots.
Gaia sent large rocks sailing towards the advancing nightmares, knocking them to pieces. “They’re like zombies… “ she said as she walked by me. “Their danger looks to be in their numbers!”
I couldn’t disagree with her. They were going down easily, yes, but there seemed to be two to replace every one that fell. I started stepping up my fire-bolts, and then was distracted by a roar from behind me.
I glanced back and saw Trevor on a motorcycle, his sister Evelyn on the back, each of them with a sword held high. Evelyn jumped off and started slashing while Trevor drove down the line, slashing out metal legs as he went.
“Take that, you cyberman-bastards!” He called out as he attacked.
“Dammit!” I shouted.
“What’s wrong?” Tiffany asked, reloading.
“I should have made that Doctor Who reference!” I said, grinning. “I’m slacking as a Whovian!”
“Bad wolf!” she joked, returning to firing. “Bad, bad wolf!”
I took out another dozen or so mechanized nightmares before Vincent came crashing out of the trees.
“How’s it going?” he asked, scanning around us.
“Holding our own here.” I replied, sending out another fire-bolt.
“Jack just told me over the radio that there appear to be human controllers directing their movements.” He continued. “We need them alive.”
“Roger.” I said as he dove back into the fight, picking up one of the creatures and swinging it like a club as he crashed back into the treeline.
I passed on Jack’s message as we went. I noticed that the tide of creatures was mellowing out, and we rushed into the forest to clean things up.
I soon came upon my quarry… a camouflaged man in a ski-mask and tactical gear, holding a small box with dials, switches, and an antenna on it. I stepped confidently into the space behind him.
“Hands up.” I said firmly, bone-shards at the ready to wound if need be.
It never occurred to me that he might have someone else nearby. I heard a bang!, and pain exploded in my shoulder. The world grew fuzzy around me as I fell.
I heard a scream, saw the brightest flash of green light I'd ever seen, and then everything went dark.
* * *
I woke up sometime later in my bed, my shoulder sore and bandaged but otherwise okay. I looked to the side to see Tiffany sitting there, smiling.
“Good morning sleepy head.” she said.
“What happened?” I asked, sitting up.
“You were shot.” she answered simply. “The guy you cornered had a buddy. He was behind you.” She shrugged. “It happens.”
“Damn.” I flexed my shoulder underneath the bandage on it. “This doesn’t feel too bad, honestly.”
“Thank Gaia for that.” Tiffany said, reaching for a glass of water on the nightstand. “I’ve heard tales about Fae healing, but to see it in person is impressive. You should be able to take that o
ff, actually.”
I peeled the bandage away, and my skin was pink where the bullet had exited. It didn’t look like there was going to be a scar.
“Impressive.” I said, smiling.
“Yeah, well… " Gaia said, walking in, "My healing did a lot, but the mystical energy running through a Sorceress's veins did the rest. How are you feeling?"
“Ready for round two.” I said brightly. “Though, with all of you here, I take it I missed the end of the battle?”
“There wasn’t much left to do.” Gaia said. “We had already destroyed the bulk of the creatures, and the rest pretty much shut down after...”
She trailed off, and she and Tiffany looked uncomfortable.
“After what?” I said, growing wary. “What happened?”
“Raina.” Tiffany said quietly. “After you got shot, she… went nuclear.”
“I’ve never seen rage like that in a human before.” Gaia said, awe in her voice. “She… obliterated those two men.”
“Obliterated?” I asked, unsure of just what they were saying.
“Her entire body glowed green.” Tiffany said.
“It was a release of Fae energy I’ve never seen before.” Gaia continued. “There was… nothing left. We analyzed ash found near the scene, and it was probably human, but… “
“So much for taking them alive.” I said, shaking my head.
“Raina’s seriously upset about everything.” Tiffany said. “About you getting shot, about straight up wasting those two guys, about losing control.”
“Give me a joint.” I said, holding my hand out. “Then I have someone I need to talk to.
* * *
I found Raina in the basement, in a room off of Jack’s computer center. She was pouring through books and papers, an open laptop by her side.
“Hey there."
"Hey!" she said, her face lighting up. "You're up!"
Raina got up and walked over to me, hugging me gently.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m feeling like a million bucks!” I replied, and we both sat down.
“I’m relieved.” Raina said.
The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga Page 30