Rising Storm *HF*
By Siren
Rising Storm
Written By: Siren
It was a clear warm night in Rome. A cool breeze rolled in from the sea, creating music within the trees and bushes. The scent of saltwater wafted in, combined with many other exotic fragrances that had a calming effect on any who might still be awake. The citadel was quiet and peaceful on its perch above the rolling surf. The night seemed perfect.
Oh, how looks can be deceiving. Within one of the darkened suites, Siren tossed and turned nervously in her bed. Images flashed through her mind. Horrible images. But they were only glimpses, fleeting apparitions gone before she could comprehend them. Just as one scene winked out another would replace it. She saw people she did not know. Another image exploded in her mind. A face, sneering it seemed as it watched from the shadows. Then it was gone and only darkness remained.
“You are in danger,” a man’s voice whispered.
“What kind of danger?” she called into the abyss. There was nothing, save for wind rustling around her. “Hello?” The wind gained in intensity. It became louder until she realized it was voices. Whispers from many people. “Please help me. Tell me what I need to know,” she pleaded. The whispers ceased, leaving dead silence.
“You are in great danger,” the voice boomed, “More than you know!”
Siren awoke with a start. She was out of breath. Her satin nightgown clung to her sweat soaked body. She noticed none of these things. All she was focused on was trying to remember what she had seen and heard. She remembered being warned of something. That was all. She sighed heavily. It was always the same. It was as if someone were wiping her mind clean of the evils she was sure she had seen.
Siren looked at her clock, a look of disgust crossing her face as she read the time. “4 o’clock. Why 4 o’clock? This is ungodly!” She knew there was no getting back to sleep. She wasted no time in discarding the sweaty nightclothes. A bath is definitely in order. She liked her showers cool and refreshing, a good thing too since her night was now over.
Ten minutes later, she felt cleaner, but her thoughts were in turmoil. Nothing seemed to alleviate the sense of dread she had. She sat on her bed a few moments, staring at nothing in particular. She would have sat there longer, but her cat decided that it was high time he had some attention. He jumped up onto her lap, front paws on her shoulder, face in hers. “Onyx, you little devil.” She brushed him away, but to no avail. Siren laughed at his persistence. “Alright your royal highness, you win!” she said affectionately. “You big baby,” she whispered as his purring increased.
Siren couldn’t help but think that he looked exactly like a miniature black panther. His eyes were only half open as she stroked under his chin. She had found him only a month earlier, starving, and meowing pitifully in a marketplace full of people who could rally care less. It pissed her off how heartless some people could be. At first, she though there’d be a problem with her keeping him. But no one seemed to mind. Of course, he mostly stayed in her room, so there’s really no reason for complaints. After a little more petting, Onyx decided he had had enough. For the time being. Yup he’s definitely the one in control. The clock read 4:21. It was time to get something to eat. Siren decided to head down to the kitchen, something she was doing a lot in the early morning hours following her nightmares. She dressed in a pair of black slacks and an emerald green blouse.
She was soon out the door, moving quietly through the corridors. The only people she ran into this early were members of the security on duty. They all greeted her pleasantly as she passed by. It was not long before she moved through the dining hall. As she approached the wide, swinging doors to the kitchen, she could hear the gruff barking of orders, the clatter of dishes and other general noises that accompanies the preparation of breakfast. The scene that greeted her eyes was a war zone of cookery. Cooks and assistants scurried about in a mad rush, not even noticing as she entered. The scents of finest freshly baking breads, a myriad of succulent fruits, and delicious aged cheeses filled the air. There were a couple of hams cooking over enclosed spits. At one table, fresh vegetables were being chopped, at another bread was being prepared for baking.
In the middle of all this was the source of the gruff orders. The head chef was not a tall man, in fact he was only a few inches taller than Siren. He was a robust man, heavy set with a round face, his dark, curly hair receding a bit at his forehead. At present, he was lashing out at a poor assistant who had somehow managed to drop a bowl full of eggs. He did have a fierce way about him. He spun around in disgust, halting in mid sentence as he saw her. A broad grin spread across his face, his cheeks rosy, his eyes bright welcome.
“Ah, Celeste, my morning angel,” he called in obvious joy. He rushed to her, planting a kiss on each cheek.
“Good morning Papa Dantini,” Siren smiled warmly at the man.
“Nightmares again causing trouble child?” She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to, the truth haunted her silvery eyes. They walked over to a door table and sat down, Siren’s expression turning troubled.
“They’re a curse,” she stated, her voice sounding distant. “I can’t remember what they are, or what they mean, yet I know they are warnings of evil.” She sighed heavily, frustrated by the whole situation. He watched her a few moments, his brow furrowed with concern.
“One day these demons will come to light, and you will face them.” Siren looked up at him uncertainly. “And you know what?” he asked. Siren shook her head. “You will win. Angels always win,” he declared surely. Siren couldn’t help but smile. She truly hoped he was right. “Until then, a good meal should set you feeling proper.” He clapped his hands and barked out some orders in Italian. Within moments, a plate of warm, crusty bread, cheese, and fruit were set before her as well as a glass of red wine. The portions were not large, they had learned quickly that she wasn’t a big eater.
When she had finished, she moved to take up the tray and glass to clean them. “Ah, don’t even think about it,” he stopped her. “That’s what these long louts are paid for,” he said, gesturing to a young man who came for the dishes.
“Really, Papa, I think you intent on spoiling me.”
He laughed whole-heartedly. “Nothing as sweet as you could ever spoil, child.” Siren blushed at the compliment.
“I must be going, there is work to be done.” Siren got up and headed for the door.
“Ah, so there is. Take care, angel.”
“I will.” As she passed through the doors, the orders began flying again. Siren simply smiled and shook her head. It was now after five, less than an hour before the sentries changed shift. Now would be as good a time as any to check the stationary posts for problems or reports. She didn’t know exactly what she expected to find amongst the seemingly unlimited stacks of papers, diagnostics, communications logs, and memos. Of the bizarre events she had witnessed and even participated in, most of them didn’t happen within the Citadel’s vast reaches. She suspected today would be no different.
Siren stopped at a few posts before the shift change. There was no way she could make it to all of them before six. Of course, that’s what fax machines are for, she thought wryly. She thought it good, even required, to put in an appearance. She did them randomly, sporadic. Some days she only visited a few, others, she would go for all of them. It was good for them, kept them guessing, kept them alert. She grinned to herself to herself.
Yes, post inspections were definitely interesting, for her anyway. She would watch work and pick inopportune times to pop in. The Pallan guards were no trouble at all, it was the human sentries who needed to be checked and motivated. A couple of times, she had found officers less than alert, one was ever asleep! They were currently unemployed.
She headed up to her office, which was adjacent to the knight’s, though hers was not quite as…spacious. The clock on the wall read at three minutes to six. Absently, she wondered if Scrib was even awake yet. Siren sat in the chair at her desk and enjoyed the silence. Before she knew it, the clock chimed six, and as if that were the magic sound, the fax machine hummed to life and began rolling out the first of the reports. She scanned each as they came in. For a while, she saw nothing of interest. Then one report came in from one of the posts near the reactors. Apparently, one of the technicians had made a ridiculously stupid error while performing a test on the system. As a result of his mistake, there had been a noticeable flux in the power output. Had it not been for the observation of another employee, the reactor would have cut its current production in half. What had caused the error? She read on until she found it. In a word, alcohol. The idiot was intoxicated! His supervisor fired him on the spot. A wise choice. Siren shook her head, unable to fathom how some people could be so stupid.
She separated that report from the others and continued scanning. There were references to a flicker of power in some of them, and they were filed with that report. Another report caught her eye briefly. Two cameras shorted out.
“Hmph. No matter how advanced the technology, there’s always glitches.” The problem had been repaired quickly. It was a little after seven when the fax finally shut down. Siren got up from her chair and stretched. It was only now that she noticed the blaze of the dawning sky. It would not be long before the other offices were bustling with other court members beginning their day. She didn’t expect to see anyone else up there for another half an hour at least. She left her desk with a memo in her hand that would let Mysty know about the one terminated employee first thing. As she approached Mysty’s door, she saw that the light was on. Odd, she’s not an early riser, Siren thought to herself. She knocked and was greeted by an irritable voice.
“Come in.” Siren opened the door carefully, not wanting to add to her friend’s annoyance.
“Good morning Mysty. I just thought…” Siren’s voice trailed off as she laid eyes on her friend. “Oh…my….god!” There was a moment of silence as Siren stared at Mystikal in astonishment. “What did you do to your hair?!”
“I cut it,” she said, matter-of-factly.
“Well I can see that.” Mysty’s mass of silvery hair used to fall well to her lower back, now it was scarcely at her chin. “Why?” she asked quietly.
“It was too much of a hassle to keep up.” Mysty spoke in a voice that was distant. She wasn’t even looking at Siren as she did so.
“Shannon…?” Siren probed gently. Mysty looked at her, something dark lurked behind her carefully planned façade. Something…painful. “Are you alright?” Mysty watched her a few moments then smiled, ever so slightly.
“I will be.” Clearly something was wrong, but Siren wasn’t going to press Mysty into a discussion she wasn’t ready to have. For one, she’d just become more irritable. “Was there something of a business nature you came to see me about?” Mysty asked, obviously disliking the focus of their current conversation.
“Just thought you’d like to know that one of the reactor technicians got drunk last night and almost shut down reactor two.” Mysty raised her eyebrows. “Here’s the name and employee number.” Siren handed the memo to Mysty. “I’ve got to comprise the final report based of the guards reports, among other things, so I’ll get back to my work now.” Mysty shook her head. “By the way. I have just one other question. What on earth are you doing up at seven?”
Mysty sighed and again shook her head. “Bad dreams,” she stated simply. Now it was Siren’s turn to raise eyebrows.
“Oh. Funny, I have the same problem,” she mumbled, a feeling of cold gripping her heart as the sensations of her nightmares returned to her mind.
“Celeste?” Siren looked back at her friend who regarded her with a look of sympathy. Siren gave her a smile, herself trying to hide things she was unready to broach.
“The style doesn’t look too bad. It’s going to take some getting use to.” Siren paused for a moment. Then an absolutely wicked thought crossed her mind. “Loki ought to find it easier to kiss you now that he doesn’t have to contend with all that hair.” Mysty’s face instantly went crimson. Siren gave her an evil grin. Mysty wasted no time in picking up the nearest notebook and flinging it at the girl. She wasn’t fast enough as Siren ducked out the door and out of harms way, giggling as she went back to her office.
Oh no. You don’t get off that easily. She used her T.K. to lift the notebook, guide it down the hall and into Siren’s office, where she let it fly.
“OW!” She heard Siren exclaim from down the hall. “Cheater!” Siren called. Mysty sat back, a smile of satisfaction crossing her face. It soon faded as her thoughts again turned inward. Something was happening that she wasn’t sure she wanted to happen.
She had met Alexis, her cousin, while dream walking. What’s more, she had felt a lot of power from her younger cousin. Mysty wasn’t at all concerned about what Alexis might say regarding their chance meeting. No, she was independent, a loner, much like Mysty. The real question was, where did she go from here? She had just turned away from her parents, afraid of the harsh truth of reality being too hurtful. She didn’t want them to bear the pain and worry as the battled for herself, her friends, and most of all, for them. And then, what if she failed and was killed? They would lose their daughter all over again. It was too high a price.
Now, her cousin knew. Should she find her? Should she leave it be? Mysty feared what would happen if Alexis came looking for her. Would she be happy? Would she constantly worry? But then, didn’t she also need the support from others like herself? Didn’t she need…Mysty?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the hum of the fax. She sighed. The mound of paperwork was about to begin. Her thoughts, her apprehensions, would keep until later. For now, there would be only her work.
_ _ _ _ _
Siren’s personal troubles had been drowned in her work. By noon, she had filed all her reports, updated all the logs, and had even made all the schedules for the coming week. She knocked and strode into Scrib’s office energetically. With her, she brought a mound of papers, the product of six hours work, for the Knight to approve. Tracy looked at her a moment, and shook her head.
“I take it this be ever thing?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s just waiting for your okay.” Tracy scanned through the first ten pages or so before looking back at the girl.
“I swear. It’s almost as if ye’ve done this b’fore.” Scrib thought she saw Siren’s expression change for an instant, but she couldn’t be sure. As sweet and helpful as the girl was, there was also an aura of mystery about her. As if she knew more than she let on.
“Is there anything else you’d like me to do?” Tracy, again, searched the girl’s work, this time checking all the headings. It was all there, Siren hadn’t forgotten a thing.
“As fer work, nay.” She considered for a moment. “Ye could always clean yer office.” Siren gave her a look that was somewhere between sarcasm and complete amusement.
“Have you seen my office?” Siren asked with a laugh. Tracy smiled as she had, and it put her office to shame. The girl was so neat, nothing was ever out of place.
“Hmm…ye could clean my office.” Scrib offered jokingly. Siren looked around for a moment as she feigned dire concern.
“Nay. I’m not a miracle worker.” The two of them chuckled for a moment. In truth, Scrib wasn’t bad about her office. It was in some state of order at the end of the day. She just always had all her projects out at once.
“I guess ye can go. Just make sure yer reachable if yer needed.”
“Okay. I’m going to be away from the Citadel for awhile, but I should be able to get back quickly if needed.” Scrib didn’t object, so Siren proceeded back to her office to lock it up. She decided to pop in on Mysty and was surprised to find the silver-haired girl away. Well, maybe not that surprised. After all, she could tell that something was bothering her friend, she just wasn’t sure what.
Siren hurried off to her room to change. She had her heard set on a quiet picnic out in the country with just herself and the horse she was riding. She had already called down to the kitchen and had a lunch prepared. She even knew which horse she was taking. A beautiful black mare, gentle, but high spirited. She was savoring the thought of peace and quiet when the memories of her morning fears returned. She shoved them from her mind as quickly as possible. She could remember nothing of her dreams, only impressions and feelings. How was she supposed to deal with something she couldn’t remember? She couldn’t and it only frustrated her more.
When Siren left her room, she was comfortable dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a pale gold high collar knit tank. A few minutes later, she was heading to the stables with a basket full of food that she picked up from the kitchen. When she entered the barn, she went straight to the tack room where she carefully distributed the food in the saddlebags. Only then did she realize that she had brought nothing to drink. Quickly she headed back to get a couple bottles of water. She was almost back to the citadel when something else caught her attention.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Siren jumped at the man’s voice, as she hadn’t seen anyone around. She turned cautiously as she recognized the voice. “Why Loki, you’re actually up and about by noon. What’s the occasion?” she asked sweetly.
“Oh you know. I have to surprise people every now and then.”
“As opposed to when?” Siren chided. Loki grinned at her, but didn’t answer. He had the look of a four year old; you knew he was into something, if you could only catch him doing it.
“You still didn’t answer my question,” he said, with some amusement.
“And you didn’t answer mine.”
“I asked you first.”
“And it’s my prerogative not to answer.”
“Oh, so it’s top secret. Hush, hush?” He mimicked the reactions of bad actors in B rated spy movies.
“As far as your concerned, yes. I intend on having an evening of peace and quiet. Those are words with which your name is not synonymous.”
“Why, Siren. You hurt my feelings.”
“Oh…ya. I’m sure I’m going to lose sleep over that.” Truth be told, Loki really hadn’t bothered her yet. She enjoyed watching the effects some of his pranks had on other court members. He was good at that. She just didn’t feel like being on the receiving end, not today anyway. At some point in the conversation, Siren wasn’t sure when, she had begun to following Loki out into the courtyard. It annoyed her that she had allowed herself to be led without realizing it, and given the look that was on his face; he knew it too. She started to turn away and back to what she was doing.
“Is Mysty going with you?” She regarded him for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she should even answer the question. After all, it wasn’t really any of his business. “Never mind,” he mumbled, his expression changing slightly. Siren continued to follow him.
“No, she’s not coming with me. I just feel like being alone.”
“Ah, now surely we here at the court are not all that bad.”
“No, only one of you are,” she said, giving him and evil grin.
“Yea…I know Mysty can be a real troublemaker,” he said without hesitation. They stopped near a large oak tree.
“I was talking about you,” she said with a laugh.
“ME?!” he squealed, with mock surprise. “Rumors, lies, all of it! I demand to know who you’re getting your information from!”
“I think Mysty’s a pretty credible witness.”
“Hasn’t anyone told you only believe half of what you hear?”
“I don’t think that applies to you. Besides, no matter what half I believe, the result is still the same.”
“I’m innocent until proven guilty!”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t take long to arrange a trial.”
“You need evidence.”
“Fine. Eyewitness account of you kissing your superior against her will.”
“Did she tell you that?!” Siren nodded. “Why I have never been so insulted in my entire life!”
“What do you mean?”
“She kissed me.”
“What?!” Siren knew he was lying; it was just unnatural thinking of Mysty going after him like that.
“Oh…yea. She wants me.”
“I’m sure!” Siren said sarcastically.
“It’s the truth. If I’m lying may I be struck by lightning!”
_ _ _ _
Mystikal had been minding her won business, reading a book as she sat on a thick upper limb of the old, oak tree. At first she hadn’t noticed the two people approaching, not until she heard Loki’s voice. Who is he talking to? She wondered, as they got closer. Then she recognized Siren’s voice before she could stretch out her senses. She sat quietly as the stopped beside the tree. The fact that she heard her name mentioned was all the incentive she needed to devote her full attention to the conversation. The more she listened, the redder her face got and the lower her jaw fell. I’m gonna kill him!
“If I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning!” Mysty grinned evilly to herself. She’d be a fool to pass up such an opportunity. Her index finger glowed a faint purple before she let loose a small tk bolt that struck Loki squarely in the back. He cried out in true surprise as he fell to the ground. Mysty floated quickly to the ground and sat on his chest, pinning his arms to his sides. Her arms were folded and her face was one of amusement and victory. Behind them, Siren was laughing hysterically.
“Hiya, Loki. How ya been?”
“Oh you know. I’m just laying around.”
“Lying around too it seems.”
“It’s in my job description.”
“I can change that.”
Siren wasn’t about to interfere in this. “I’m gonna be leaving now. You know…no witnesses.” She paused for a moment, still laughing. “Loki…good luck.” With that Siren left.
“We need to have a little meeting, just the two of us.” Mysty smiled. She intended on getting as much out of the situation as possible.
“Ohhh…sounds good to me.” Mysty ignored the remark.
“As your superior, and seeing as I was the focus of your little discussion with Siren, I demand to know what else was said.”
“I’d be happy to tell you anything you’d like to know for the right price.”
“O.k. I’ll be sure not to kill you when I beat the living daylights out of you.”
“Sorry but I name my own price. And I want something much better than that.”
“I could just pull it from that thick skull of yours.”
“Ah, but that would make you a monster.” Mysty knew he was right. She hadn’t been serious, but it was aggravating not to know.
“What did you…” She never got to finish her sentence as he some how got enough leverage to roll her over and pin her. She struggled, but it was no use. “Loki, get off!”
“I rather like it here.”
“Loki. I mean it!” The look on her face showed no fear or intimidation. She struggled some more but was still unsuccessful.
“Are you finished yet?” he asked as one who had all the time in the world. Her face reddened with frustration, but she didn’t answer him.
“I’m getting really tired of this position.” She grumbled.
“Perhaps you’d like to try another?” Neither of the two even noticed Siren’s return until then.
“Ok…I’m interrupting something. I’ll leave you two alone, but I would suggest getting a room.”
“Ah…hell…but…” Mysty was speechless. “Siren get him off of me!!”
“Hell no. I’m not getting the middle of …that.” She gestured to the whole scene, which she found to be to be quite comical. As she hurried away, she could hear Mysty yelling at her.
“Oh, I’m so gonna hurt you! I know where you live dammit!!”
Alone again with Loki, Mysty decided she’d better remedy the situation before someone else stumbled upon them. “I’ll get you later.” She threatened as she borrowed Byron’s teleportation. As she vanished it was if the ground fell out from under Loki. He landed hard on his backside, though he really didn’t notice. “I hope so…” he muttered to himself in answer to her threat. “I hope so.”
_ _ _ _ _
By one o’clock, Siren was outside the Citadel’s protective walls and riding like the wind through the beautiful Italian countryside. For a little while, she gave the horse full reign and was overjoyed by the sheer delight the mare took in performing at her top speed. It was the freedom they loved. The mare took it without hesitation, but Siren felt uncertain in regards to the freedom of her new life. Growing up, she had been bound by the prejudice of her peers. Less than a year ago, she had been bound by her fears as she ran from the law, the creatures that pursued her, and most of all the truth about herself. Now, after seventeen years of mental and emotional imprisonment, she was accepted without question.
Although, she was no longer under suspicion of murder, she wasn’t sure how that had been pulled off; she still had her fears and her enemies. The difference, she no longer had to face them alone. The only setback, she was unsure of how to react to this newfound freedom. She wished she could take to it as easily as the mare she rode, but life had conditioned her to be cautious. In time, soon, she hoped, she would learn.
The horse began to slow on her own. They were in the forest now, and close to the river she was sure. A cool breeze rushed though the trees, a sound she usually loved. Today it seemed a warning. Sire could tell something was wrong, though she wasn’t quite sure what. They continued on to the riverbank where the mare quenched her well-earned thirst. Siren watched as she pricked her ears forward, then back, staying alert. Siren listened for any birdcalls she would recognize. Only then did she notice that there were no sounds other than the wind and the water. No chirps, no howls, no rustling of small animals. She became nervous as such silence came when the animals felt threatened by weather or predators. The mare looked up from her drinking, the tension evident as she moved. When did this happen? Everything was normal when we entered the forest. Siren looked around and was pleased to see a clearing just a little way down the river’s edge. Quickly, but cautiously, she made her way to the clearing. It wasn’t large, but it gave her a good view of the sky. There were some puffy gray clouds in the distance that had an odd greenish cast to them. Could the approach of a storm frighten the wildlife away? She could not be sure, but it seemed highly unlikely. She decided to look for something of offer shelter because she was sure she could never make it back to the town before the storm hit, if it hit. It was a matter of wait-and-see, though it did nothing to ease her tension.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Within the walls of the citadel, a storm was brewing. Loki had been wandering down the halls aimlessly until he stopped, quite unexpectantly, at Mysty’s bedroom door. She wouldn’t be there, as she had returned to work after their earlier encounter. Still, it set him to wondering about his relationship with the silver-haired girl. They had been friends for awhile now. When was it that he started developing something more for her? To be honest he had been somewhat taken with on their “first”, and only, date. When she had been propositioned to join the Grey Court. He had though it impulsive and dismissed it quite quickly. After all, it wouldn’t be true Loki fashion to fall over himself trying to have a relationship. Bad things always happened when emotions were involved. Didn’t they?
Well now he was feeling some emotions about Mystikal. What was worse, the more he thought about it the more…scared…he got. Fear was something he almost never dealt with, or at least never acknowledged. He looked back at her door. “I’m getting too close.” He whispered to himself. There’s no sense in caring for someone because when they’re gone - and they will be gone - you’re left as an emotional wreck. In his position, things like emotions get you killed. Still, after considering all the dangers, a part of him wanted to throw that “reason” right out the window.
He turned, deciding that some good clean violence was all he needed to feel better. He hadn’t gone ten feet when his GCU beeped. He snagged it from his belt and pushed the transmitter. “Ya?” he was in no mood to be bothered right now.
“Loki, I need to see you in my office right now,” came Daemon’s agitated voice. He sure as hell didn’t feel like dealing with that self-righteous S.O.B.
“I’m kinda busy right now, if you…”
“I don’t care if you’re hosting a fucking dinner party with the fucking Pope. I expect you in this office in five minutes.” At that point it wouldn’t do any good to reply since Daemon had been so “courteous” to disconnect the transmission.
“Prick,” he mumbled as he headed off to the last place he wanted to be.
- - - - - -
Daemon had found himself nearly at the boiling point. Insubordination and outright disobedience were two things that really pissed him off. It broke down command and operation integrity. It endangered everyone, and he wasn’t going to have that in this organization. The longer he thought about it, the more furious he became. He glanced at the clock. Loki was now three minutes late. He went back to inwardly fuming.
At three minutes to four, seven minutes late, Loki walked through the door without so much as a knock, and shut it back with forcefulness that spoke of his dangerous mood. Daemon, however, was not the least bit intimidated by what he considered to be a childish tantrum. “I warned you about Mystikal.”
“So?” he replied evenly. I should have known.
“So?” he paused, “So, I expect you to obey orders and stick you your job!”
“Oh and since when is it your job to butt into everyone else’s personal lives?!”
“Since I am responsible for every life here! But you wouldn’t know anything about that!”
“Ya know, you outta take your little sermon to the road. You’d probably make a fortune off of that!”
“That’s it! You have your orders. Stay away from Mystikal. Disobey them again and you’re gone.”
“Don’t fucking worry about it! I quit!”
“Humph. Just as well. Now I can get an assassin who can at least pull the fucking trigger!”
Loki’s movement was fluid and reflexive as he pulled the gun from his waist band holster. He rushed forward, his face in Daemon’s, his gun at the King’s head. “Oh, you wanna see how fast I can pull this trigger you sorry motherfucker!?”
“You don’t have the balls.” Before Loki could react, Daemon relieved him of the weapon, nearly breaking his wrist. His fist then met solidly with Loki’s jaw, sending him sprawling. Neither of them had noticed Mysty, who had burst in the room when she heard the commotion and the subject.
“What the hell?!” Neither of them paid any attention to her. Loki recovered instantly and used the filing cabinet he landed near as a springboard to launch himself at Daemon’s throat. Daemon’s fist was raised and ready to send the offender back to the floor. Loki found himself hovering in mid-air, his hands only inches from his target. In front of him, Daemon’s fist connected fierce power. Only, he did not hit his target. He didn’t hit anything for that matter, except of course for the invisible T.K. barrier that Mystikal had erected. “Stop it! Both of you!” She ordered in a tone that was cold and angry. By now a crowd had developed out in he hall.
From them, Marvel Girl pushed her way through. She gave both men a look that would have turned lava to ice. “What in God’s name is the meaning of this stupidity?!” she harshly. Beside her, Mysty lowered Loki to the floor and pulled him back away from Daemon. Loki looked at Mysty, then back at Daemon.
“Why don’t you tell them, your royal highness,” Loki hissed, as he bowed mockingly.
“This is a private matter that does not concern any of you!”
“Coward!” Mysty could tell that Loki was about to strike again. She reached out and grabbed his arm, applying painful pressure. Loki did not wince, did not back away, but he also did not attack.
“Why you…” Daemon began to move forward but was again stopped by the shield.
“Quiet!” thundered the queen.
“You don’t have to bother explaining yourself Daemon. I know what the problem is, and frankly, I don’t give a fuck! It’s none of your damn business what Loki or I do on our own time! I am quite capable of taking care of myself! If he wants to kiss me, date me, or whatever it’s strictly between us! If I don’t like what he’s doing I will deal with him myself. So shut the hell up and back the fuck off!!” The crowd seemed to be holding their breath as Mysty tore the King down.
“You are out of line!” He pointed a finger at her violently.
“No it is you who are out of line!” spoke the queen. “It is their right to live their lives as they see fit. It is they who must make their own decisions, their own victories and mistakes. To try to control every aspect of their lives would make you no better than a dictator!”
Daemon exuded white-hot fury, but he said nothing. He could tell that it was not only the two women in front of him who felt this way, but every other court member who was gathered outside. He wasn’t trying to control their lives, he just didn’t want to see someone innocent get hurt. Loki turned to leave and Mysty let him go. The crowd parted to let him through. Moments later Mysty and Marvel Girl exited, closing his door. Alone now, Daemon walked to a table in front of one of his bay windows. Outside were the chambers, towers, and spires of the citadel. There was the great wall that rose to protect the immense structure. Beyond that, there were the choppy waters of a disturbed sea. An ominous line of dark gray thunderclouds was fast on the approach. For in the distance, a winding jagged bolt of lightning seemed to set the clouds afire, if only a moment. The storm he saw outside also raged within him, seeking release. In his anger he raised his fist and brought it crashing down on the table, splitting it in two.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
By now, the wind was howling through the trees. The trees snapped and groaned, causing the mare to jump and quiver with fear. Siren didn’t feel much better. Trying to find shelter was proving to be impossible. A threatening boom of thunder marked the arrival of the storm. The sky darkened more, as the thickest of clouds covered the sun. Siren rode on quickly. Moment’s later; she saw what looked to be a large out cropping of limestone. It looked as if that was all she was going to get for shelter, and she wasted no time in getting down the hill to it.
As she got close to the stone, she couldn’t believe her luck. The area was overgrown with vines, but she could still see that it was a cave, large enough for herself and the mare. She dismounted quickly, pulling a large knife from her saddlebags. It only took a few minutes to clear away enough of the vines to give them a path in. At first, the mare wouldn’t budge, but it seemed a bolt of lightning convinced her to go in.
Siren was thankful for the shelter, but something about the cave set her on edge. The ground was stone and dirt covered in old leaves and vines. She couldn’t see into the rear of the cave, which bothered her. Then as a bolt of lightening flashed across the sky, a column if light beamed some fifty feet back and vanished. Siren was intrigued and decided she had to investigate. She went outside and found a piece of dry wood, seeing as it hasn’t started raining yet, and doused the lower half of it with some water. When she went back into the cave she lit the dry part with a lighter. At first, it didn’t want to burn, but slowly it caught. It wasn’t the best torch in the world, but it would have to do.
As she journeyed deeper into the cave, she saw no animals, which was a bit of a surprise to her. Again, the column of light, only this time she was close enough to see the source. It was a hole in the ceiling, a natural chimney. Below it was a pile of dirt, old leaves and vines, wood, and stones. Something drew her to that pile. She began moving the debris and quickly discovered that the pile was actually very small. Under it was a large, flat stone. It was unlike any she had seen, as it was bluish-gray with dark black splotches. Lightning illuminated the stone again as she continued to clear away the mess. When she finished, she was left with an almost perfect rectangle, about seven feet long and four feet wide and ten inches thick. It was raised waist high off the floor. As she touched the stone, she almost thought she could feel energy crackling through it. It was warm to the touch, instead of cool as any normal stone would be.
Outside the rain began to fall moderately. Inside the cave, it dripped down through the hole. Siren stood there a few minutes, content to let the rain cool her skin. She could tell the rain was getting harder, since it was coming down to her more forcefully. It flowed down through the hole, making a small waterfall. She looked back down at the stone slab and wondered what it was for. In the ethereal illumination of the lightening she noticed something odd. As the water flowed over the slab, she could see dark ribbons winding their way along the stone. She leaned closer, bringing her torch down so she could see. As she ran her hand across one of the dark splotches of water, it turned dark and then became diluted showing it’s true color. Red. Her breath caught in her throat. Her hand felt almost slimy as she pulled it away. In the dim light she could see that her hand too was red. Her head began to hurt and she felt sick to her stomach. She felt as if she were going to pass out and braced herself against the stone. Her head was pounding now, so much so that she dropped her torch on the wet slab.
Without warning, an image flashed into her mind. It was a woman, robed in black, tied to the stone. Her long, dark hair hung down the back edge of the stone. She was scared, crying, and trying desperately to free herself. Another figure emerged from the shadows, dark and indistinct. Siren could feel the woman’s fear increasing. She could barely breath as the picture unfolded in her mind. She was focused on the cowled man, so much so that she almost didn’t realize her perspective change to that of the captive. Now he hovered over her, touching her with a clawed hand. Then he struck, ripping both clothing and skin from her body. She cried out in pain, and he struck again. As he brutalized her, his hood fell away, revealing a slender, sharp angled face that was smiling with bloodthirsty lust. She continued to scream and it only seemed to feed his lust.
The vision ended as abruptly as it had begun, but Siren could still feel the immense pain of the tortured woman. She was screaming when she fell to the ground clutching her stomach with one hand, and her head with the other. She couldn’t catch her breath nor could she stop sobbing. Run, child! Shouted a man’s voice within her head. Run now!! Siren picked herself up off the floor and bolted for the cave entrance. She mounted her horse in a leaping stride and spurred her out into the raging storm for fear of her life.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A dark figure stepped into the dim light that spilled down with the rain on the alter. His alter. It had been cleared off, only a short while ago, but by whom? He stretched out his senses, but found no one. He could still smell them…her. Her fear, her pain. She couldn’t be far. The scents were to new, yet he couldn’t sense her. “Celeste,” he muttered to himself. “It must be.” He smiled to himself as he always did love a challenge. She was proving difficult to capture, but she couldn’t escape him forever. He had all the time in the world to wait for that prize. “Soon, very soon, you will be mine.”
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The mare ran as if hell was at her back, and Siren wasn’t entirely sure that it wasn’t. The horse faltered but regained herself. The rain soaked ground was making riding at such speeds treacherous, and the rain was getting worse. It pelted Siren’s bare arms and face. Making her skin sting. Her drenched clothes made her cold throughout.
The pains of her experience had subsided now to dulled phantom aches. It was as if her body wouldn’t forget the wracking pain that had not been hers. She wanted forget the vision, but it was burned into her mind, especially the face. What kind of monster was he? She wondered as the scene again, replayed in her mind. She was relieved when the citadel came into view, as was the horse that was now feeling the effects of their terror driven ride. They still had about a mile to go before they reached the outer defenses, but they took it slow.
About twenty minutes later, they passed through the outer gate. The rain had slacked off to a steady shower, though it was still miserable to be in. Once they got to the stables, she let the stable hands take care of the mare. Siren guessed she would be down for a few days at the least. She left the stable quickly, her mind in turmoil as she wondered what to do. In her mind, in her heart, she knew what she’d seen had been real. Her mind, however had been working against her as of late. She needed someone to talk to, someone who wouldn’t think she were losing her sanity. One person came to mind immediately, Mystikal. Siren wasn’t sure she wanted to trouble her friend, as it seemed she was having her own share of problems.
As she moved through the grand halls of the citadel, she barely acknowledged anyone she met. Soon she was in the offices, which were mostly deserted. A clock on the wall read at six thirty-seven. She knew Mysty had probably cut out a half hour early. She went on her way, checking Mysty’s room, the library, the lounge, and the dining hall. There was only one other place Mysty spent a great deal of time, and that was in the danger room. From…past…experience, Siren had learned that her friend was best left alone when training. For a moment, she wondered if there was anyone else she could talk to. There was Scrib, but given the time, she would probably be otherwise detained by a fine bottle of rum. There was Loki, although he would probably try to encourage her to insanity. There was Byron, but the whole goddess of Hell thing made her nervous. There was Daemon. Uhm…no. He just didn’t come off as the compassionate type. Truly, she really only felt comfortable talking to Mysty about things that were bothering her. For some reason, the girl seemed a devoted, compassionate, and understanding friend, though she kept her own feeling bottled up.
Siren went back to her room, as she had no appetite. All she could do now was wait for her friend. She fed and watered her cat that acted as if he hadn’t eaten in a week. She thumbed through some books on her nightstand but wasn’t interested. She pulled out her flute and began playing a mournful Irish melody, but her concentration was in tatters and it showed. Finally, she picked up a sketchpad and began to doodle. For a little while, she paid little attention to the scratchy marks she made. That is until those marks began looking like the beast of her vision. She continued, unable to stop herself. From her mind, she brought his image into crystal clarity. His angled features with his dark eyes and sneering expression made her heart pound as she drew them. His ears were pointed, much like hers, and he was crowned with a pair of horns. Siren had no doubt in her mind she was looking at Satan himself.
Siren trembled as she viewed her finished work. Her blood seemed to run like ice through her veins and she could hear her heart’s wild beating in her ears. As the events again circulated through her head, she wondered vaguely who had warned her and why. He was there, and he knows you were there. Whispered her fears.
“What are you?” she whispered. There was a sudden knock at her door that caused Siren to jump as she was pulled back to reality. She got up and answered the door; glad to see Mysty on the other side. Her friend gave her a once over before setting her with a concerned stare.
“Siren, are you okay?” she asked. Siren didn’t answer, but instead pulled her in and shut the door so they could have some privacy.
“No…no I’m not.” She trusted Mysty explicitly, but she still didn’t know how to start. She sat on the edge of her bed and gestured Mysty to a plush, plum wingback near her. Mysty continued to gaze at her, and Siren realized what a wreck she must look like. Her jeans were torn, her shirt was filthy, and her hair was tangled with dirt and other debris from her hasty retreat. She took a deep breath to try and calm down. “I saw something while I was out, and I think it has something to with my nightmares,” she paused. “It was a man, I think, and he killed this girl by ripping her apart.”
“Where did you see this?”
“In my head,” she said, almost in a whisper. “I found a cave near the river, with a stone alter. When the rain began washing away some of the dried blood, I saw her die.” She was holding back the tears that were fighting for release. Mysty watched Siren sympathetically, but she wasn’t sure what to say. It was obvious that Siren believed what she saw to be real, but how could she be sure? “If only you could see it,” Siren muttered as if she knew what Mysty was pondering. Mysty considered this. She knew Siren had a natural shield which made her impossible to read. One could sense emotions, but it was more empathic than telepathic. Perhaps if Siren tried to let her mind be read.
“Celeste, the only way it could be possible is if you let me in.”
“I don’t know how.”
“You’re gonna have to try.” Mysty encouraged. She got up and moved close to Siren, who looked up at her and nodded. She closed her eyes to try to concentrate on letting her in. As Mysty opened her mind to enter Siren’s, she came to the wall that blocked her path. In her mind it was like an endless expanse of shimmering blackness. “C’mon Celeste. Try to find me and let me in.” That was really the only way she knew how to put it. A few more moments passed by and she was about to give up when something happened. The darkness began to swirl and glow. It was changing somehow, fading from black to a deep purple. The glow got stronger.
“I…I feel you.” Siren gasped. Suddenly images exploded into Mysty’s mind. The forest, the storm, the cave, the alter. The vision Siren had experienced appeared, and Mysty pushed all other images away. Mysty saw it all in gruesome detail, just as Siren had. She could feel, not only the pain from the apparition, but also the pain it caused her friend. She saw Siren collapse and then heard the warning just before Siren’s defenses shut her out again. Siren’s body was wracked by shuddering sobs. Mysty felt sick with pain and disgust. It took a few moments for both of them to recover. When Mysty again had her full wits about her, she put a hand on Siren’s shoulder to reassure her. It was only then that she saw the sketch Siren had made of the nightmarish figure.
“You see,” Siren sobbed. “It really happened, I know it did.”
“I know, but I think it happened long ago.” Mysty wondered for a moment about what to do with this newly acquired information. Only one conclusion came to her, and she wasn’t happy about it. “Siren, I want to tell Daemon about this. Perhaps he can shed some light on the subject.”
“I don’t feel like going to Daemon,” she moaned.
I sure as hell don’t want to. “I can deal with him, but I want your permission first.”
“If you think it might help any, go ahead.” Mysty picked up the drawing and began to head out the door. “Shannon?” She turned to face Siren. “Do you think I’m going crazy?”
“No.” She didn’t hesitate to answer. “Just because something is happening to you that has no normal explanation, it’s no indication of insanity.” Siren’s face seemed to soften just slightly at the answer. Mysty then took her leave of the girl.
As the door to Siren’s room closed, Mysty stretched out her senses to find her king. Oddly enough, she found that he was in his own room. Well at least I don’t have far to go, she thought lazily. The day had turned out to be quite trying, and as it was only a little after eight, there was much more that could still go wrong. Which brought her to the man she was going to see. She was doing this to help her friend, and thus decided to let the earlier events drop…for now. Before she knew it, she was at his door knocking. Behind the heavy ancient wood, she could hear a resigned sigh, and a chair being slid across the floor. She heard no footsteps, as he was like a cat on the prowl, always silent. As Daemon opened the door, something dark and warning flashed in his gaze.
“Don’t you think we’ve had enough problems for one day?” he asked dryly.
“Yea, well. Get ready for another for one more.”
“If this is about Loki…” he started.
“Oh don’t worry yourself about that, since you seemed to be the winner in that battle. This is another matter entirely.” The two seemed to be in a staring contest and what was worse she seemed to be winning.
She’s too damned defiant, his inner voice growled. He stepped aside from the door to let her in before closing it a little harder than was necessary. Mysty took up a seat next to the desk Daemon had been working at. He watched her a moment longer before taking his seat at the desk. “Well, whenever you’re ready.”
“Siren has a problem.” She really hadn’t made much of a pause when he interrupted.
“Then why isn’t she here?”
“Because, frankly, she is a mess physically and emotionally. She’s tired and she’s my friend.” Not that that stopped you from getting rid of Loki, she thought bitterly. “She’s had a vision of the past, I’m sure. I don’t believe she could ever have seen these events for herself, but she knows all the…details.”
“And what was the vision about?”
“A murder…a sacrifice…I think. She saw a women savagely ripped apart,” she paused as she laid the drawing on his desk. “And this is the man that did it.”
Daemon picked up the piece of paper, and if any part of his attention had been focused anywhere else, it was now undivided. It wasn’t just a simple sketch; it was a portrait with vivid detail. A portrait he recognized. “When did this happen?” he asked quietly.
“Today, during the storm. She was riding and got caught in the weather. She was near the river when she found a cave large enough to shelter her and the horse,” Mysty paused. “The cave contained an alter…the same one in the vision.” Mysty watched him for a few moments. The longer he viewed the picture, the darker his expression became. “Do you know him?” He laid the picture back on his desk.
“Not personally, no. He’s one acquaintance I’d rather not make.” Mysty waited patiently for the revelation. “It’s the Hellgoat.” That explained a great many things in his taste of…pleasure. Daemon let out a frustrated sigh. “I just can’t figure out the connection. First he sends his demons to retrieve her, now she’s having visions of his past victims.” He paused, searching his mind for the reason, but there just wasn’t enough information to achieve even an educated guess. “That was probably one of his old haunts. Is it possible he could have been there to plant the images in her mind?”
“It’s highly unlikely. I couldn’t enter her mind to see what she saw without her making a conscious effort to let me in. Besides, if he was there, why not just take her. He seems to want her bad enough.”
“I don’t know. Perhaps he’s messing with her. Somehow, I doubt it’s that simple.” There was another long pause.
“What should I tell her?”
“Tell her whatever you think wise. You seem to have a better repoir with her than I do, so I’ll leave that to your judgment.” Mysty got up to leave. “Anything else she experiences concerning this should be brought to my immediate attention. When I have better answers for her, she’ll be the first to know.”
Mysty gave him a curt nod and let herself out of the room. At another door further down the hall was Loki. He looked up when he saw someone coming out of Daemon’s room; an odd look coming over his face when he saw it was Mysty. She strode up to him quickly, suddenly very happy to see him.
“Pleading my case to his highness?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
Mysty gave a snort. “Not hardly.” The words were true, but they came out wrong. For the first time ever, Mysty saw his expression become what looked to be loneliness. “No, no. I didn’t mean it like that.” He had now turned away from her, and for some reason, it hurt. “I was talking to Daemon about a problem with Siren.” That got a confused look for a moment.
“Siren’s causing problems?”
“No, she’s having problems.” Loki gave her a moment’s pause to continue. “I just don’t feel like going into it again. Let’s just say it has to do with her monster friends.” Loki could see that whatever was troubling Siren was affecting Mysty too. “Why are you leaving?” she whispered. His eternal grin returned to give him the look of mischief he was famous for.
“Why, I think that would be quite obvious even to people without telepathic abilities.”
“Seriously.”
“Seriously,” he laughed, “I have no intentions of having every aspect of my life dictated by that jerk off that has the gall to think he’s better than any other person here.” His grin got bigger. “Trust me, he’s fair game. Just like the rest of us.”
Mysty eyed him suspiciously. She knew that look. It was the way he looked right before one fell victim to his endless supply of pranks. “Loki, what are you up to?” she asked warily.
“Why Mysty. Whatever makes you think I’m up to something?” His tone was so innocent it was uncanny.
“You’re smiling,” she said plainly.
“I’m always smiling.”
“My point exactly.” Loki gave her a pouting look, but she was having none of it. He looked up and down the hall before opening his door and dragging Mysty inside. “Loki, what…”
“Shhhh,” he put his finger to his lips as he closed the door. He turned on the light and a sparsely furnished room met her eyes. There was an unmade bed piled with clothes. A dresser that looked as if there were more clothes piled on it then in it. Mysty didn’t mind the mess, she wouldn’t like her own room if there were a problem. There was a lot missing. The more she looked, the more she realized that there were no personal effects. No pictures, no décor, no books. Except for his clothing and a few large cases she could see under his bed, the room was as if no one had lived there. Then her gaze fell on something else. Paint. Over a dozen cans of paint. Black and red. She looked at him, the barest hint of an amused smile gracing her face.
“Loki, are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
He smiled at her, “You’re the telepath, you tell me.” Mysty was now visibly trying to keep herself from laughing.
“Where do you plan on using it?”
“The offices. I’d hate it to be found before I’m finished.”
Mysty was relishing the images of everyone’s surprised, frustrated, and angry stares as they discovered the décor change. Then she had an evil idea. The turned on Loki, giving him her own Cheshire cat smile. His expression turned cautious. “What?”
“Let me do Daemon’s office.”
“Wha….No!”
“Oh, come on Jake. Please!?”
“Why?”
“I just have something I want to do. Pretty please?!”
“It’s mine, I’m doing it.” He paused for a minute, “Although if you want to be my partner in crime…”
“Oh, like you’re gonna let me in on your secret and then not let me have some fun. You really are crazy.”
“Hey, I can’t argue that logic.”
“Good. Cause it wasn’t up for discussion.” She turned to head out the door.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“I have to let Siren know about what Daemon and I talked about.” She was sure to give him a warning look. “I will be back shortly, so wait for me.”
“Your wish is my command,” he said with a sweeping bow and a laugh.
Mysty approached Siren’s door and gave a light knock. She was answered with an exhausted “come in.” When she entered, she found that the girl had showered and changed in to a satin yellow tank and shorts. She was sitting at the head of her bed, stroking her cat; who seemed to be only half awake. Siren looked as if she could fall asleep at any moment, except that her face showed her worry. Given what she had seen, Mysty was sure that the both of them would probably be having a sleepless night. Then it occurred to her that the girl had been absent during Loki and Daemon’s fight. She probably didn’t even know that Loki was leaving. Mysty decided to keep that to herself since Siren seemed to be having enough problems for the moment. “Well?” she asked as she stifled a yawn.
“He’s not sure,” she lied. “He’s going to check into it, but he thinks it may have something to do with the monsters that are after you.
“That seems reasonable enough.”
“If anything else happens, let either of us know. It could be a clue as to why they want you in the first place.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be the first to know.” Siren felt weak and achy. Sure signs of her exhaustion. She could see Mysty regarding her with concern.
“You need some sleep, so I’ll leave you now.”
“It won’t matter. It’s going to be like every other night. Bad dreams I can’t remember, fear that stays with me hours after I’m awake, and now this new nightmare.” Mysty watched her a few more moments.
“Look, I’m going to be in my office for a little while, so if you need me, just call up there. Ok?”
The look Siren gave her was somewhere between confusion and amazement. “What in the world are you going to be doing in your office at this time of night?”
“Oh. I just have a few things I want to do before tomorrow.”
“You? The Queen of Procrastination? Are getting a head start on something work related?” She eyed Mysty for a moment. “Has hell frozen over?”
“Oh come on. I’m not that bad.”
“Hmph. Well, you know what the say ‘no rest for the wicked.’”
If you only knew, she thought wryly to herself. “Yea. Something like that.” Mysty left the girl shaking her head as she got settled in for bed.
Mysty crept back down the hall to Loki’s room. As she was about to tap, the door opened for her revealing an almost giddy Loki. “Down boy. Down,” she chided, as it was evident that he was becoming impatient.
“Ok. All we have to do is figure out how to get all this paint up to the offices without being seen,” he mused. Mysty thought for a moment.
“That’s not a problem,” she said as she headed back out his door. “I’ll be right back.” Loki waited, keeping himself occupied by imagining the looks on everyone’s faces as they awoke to his final prank. He may not have been much of a team player, but he loved a captive audience. He would miss that, among other things. At this point though, there was no turning back, not even if his pride would let him. He mulled over the events of that day. How had he let it get so out of hand? Why had he let Daemon push his buttons? He could have just as easily ignored him. After all, that was something he thought he was good at. He had been distracted, he knew why, and it had cost him.
Without warning, his balcony door swung open to reveal a very mischievous looking Mystikal. Funny. That look suits her almost as well as it suits me, he thought. “Now boarding on the office express?” he asked in amusement.
“Of course. It’s fast, simple, AND private.”
“I love the way your mind works.” He grinned at her, but his tone turned serious for a moment. “Are you sure you want to do this? If you get caught, you’re talking about a lot of trouble. If I get caught, what are they going to do, fire me?”
“That’s why we’re doing it this way. So we won’t get caught.” She lifted four cans of paint and floated up to her office window. Moments later, she was back for more. When all the supplies were out, she gave Loki a smile. “Are you comin’ or not?” He didn’t have a chance to answer before she grabbed both of his arms and floated them up to her office.
“Well, this looks like a good place as any to start,” he said as he walked forward to pick up a can of paint.
“Hold it buddy,” she gave him a warning glare. “My room is off limits.”
“But…”
“No.”
“Come on…”
“No.” he tried to pout, but it just didn’t work with the grin that was on his face.
“I mean it.”
He sighed, “Oh, alright.” Mysty picked up two paint cans, one black and one red, and a pan and roller and floated from her window into the next one over. It was Echo’s office. A moment later, a crow came flying into the room and quickly changed into Loki.
“Featherbrain,” Mysty muttered to herself. “You can go ahead and start here. I’ll be in the next office over.” Loki grinned at her as he began to open up the cans.
“Let the fun begin,” he chimed.
By three o’clock, everyone’s room had been done except for Daemon’s. Mysty hid the last cans of paint. “Loki?”
“Hmmm?” he called from the next room.
“Do you have anymore paint? I’m out.” Loki again flew in as a crow.
“No…I don’t,” he gave her an odd look. “I had two cans for each room.” Again he gave her a strange look, then grinned. “Oh, well. I’ll go see if we left them in my room. If not, there’s probably more in storage. There’s all sorts of paint down there.”
Mysty nodded her head in agreement. That’s right…go on. I have plans for this room. “Ok.” Loki disappeared out the window, leaving Mysty to work her will. The cans of paint came out and her fun began. She was so intent on what she was doing, that she almost didn’t hear Loki come back in nearly an hour later.
“I see you found the paint,” he stated. For some reason, she had expected there to be an angry tone in his voice, not an amused one.
“Yea…I seemed to have left it in the last room I was in.”
“You should leave the lying to me, since you’re terrible at it.” Mysty blushed. She hated being caught.
Loki was looking around and truly admiring her work. “It needs one more thing,” he said as he walked over and dipped a brush in red paint. When he had finished, there was a huge red smiley face on the back of Daemon’s door. The phrase “Have a Nice Day” was neatly printed around it. Mysty stifled a giggle. Daemon was going to be pissed.
“I had another idea.” He grinned at her as he held up a couple of packages he had pulled from out of his jean pockets. “Super glue is such a useful tool. We should really find some good ways to apply it.”
“I love it.” She paused to look at the time. “We’re gonna have to hurry. You glue everything down while I finish this.” He did as he was told, and was done in a little over ten minutes.
“What now?”
“I have just a little more to do here. Go ahead and get rid of the evidence.”
“Sure thing.” He stopped and watched her a moment.
:”What?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking how nice it would be to have this on tape.”
Mysty thought for a moment. “I think I can arrange that.”
“Good.” He smiled as he headed out. By the time Mysty finished, it was nearly a quarter to six. She threw the brushes, rollers, and cans into a garbage bag and went to the window. For a moment more she admired her handiwork.
This is going to be great. She shut the window before she flew down to Loki’s balcony. She knocked, but there was no answer. She waited and knocked again. Still nothing. She was about to reach for the doorknob when a gust of salty air blew the door in. She walked in, half expecting him to jump out of the shadows, but he didn’t. She moved over to the main door and flipped the light switch. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Nothing. No clothes, no cases. It was all gone. She searched the room. Sure enough, nothing of his was left in the room.
She left quickly and quietly, going to her room. She expected a note, a token, something. But everything was as she had left it. “He didn’t even say goodbye,” she whispered to herself. She wasn’t sure if she should feel sad or pissed or both. She was hurt, betrayed. How could he be so damn inconsiderate? How could he be that cold-hearted to me? As much as she wanted to hate him for it, a little voice in the back of her mind said it was better this way. She couldn’t see how, but it was a little too late to do anything about it.
It was now six o’clock. As upset as she was with Jacob, she wasn’t going to let it spoil her fun. She changed quickly into a pair of black slacks and a deep blue blouse. She didn’t even brush her hair before she rushed out of the room. This early in the morning it seemed that none of the other court members were even up yet. As she passed Siren’s door, she wondered how the girl’s night had been. The girl was in for an interesting morning. Mysty herself had painted Siren’s office. She was reluctant at first, but she figured Siren might find it amusing. As troubled as the seemed to be, a good laugh could only help her.
As Mysty entered the hall to the office, she saw Siren about to enter her office. Mysty did what she could to hide the grin she felt spreading across her face. The girl didn’t seem to notice her as she opened her door and flipped on the light. Siren stood there for a moment, before shutting her door. “I’m still asleep. Yea…it’s just part of a dream.” She muttered to herself. She opened the door and again stood there. “Nope, it’s still there. Damn.”
“What’s wrong?” Mysty asked innocently.
“Come see for yourself.” Mysty walked to her door as if she had no clue as to what was going on. When she looked into the girl’s office, she couldn’t help but laugh. By this time, Siren was smiling to herself at the prank. “I was beginning to wonder when I was going to become a target,” she said with a laugh.
“Well…seeing as how you now have two black walls and two red walls, I guess it’s time to redecorate.”
“If the red weren’t a fire engine red and black wasn’t part of the equation…I could probably come up with something. But I can’t work with this.” The two of them laughed and Mysty went back to her office.
She walked into her office and turned on the light. She was halfway to her desk when she stopped, mid-stride, nearly losing her balance. But I…he… “UGH!” Then it hit her. He knew from the beginning that she had hidden the paint. This was what he had been doing for that hour. No wonder he had been amused when he found me nearly finished in Daemon’s office. Siren peaked her head in the door and laughed.
“Well, at least I wasn’t his only victim.”
“He dies, that’s all there is to it,” she growled.
“Oh, it’s a harmless prank. Question is. What’s Daemon going to do to him when he finds out?”
“Absolutely nothing. Loki left, he quit.”
“Why?!”
“He and Daemon had a parting of the ways,” she paused. “Truthfully, they had a fist fight in Daemon’s office yesterday.”
Siren’s jaw dropped. Clearly, she was trying to envision the two going head-to-head. “How bad was Loki hurt?”
“Just his pride. I broke it up before it turned lethal.”
“Well, that’s good at least.”
“Yea. This must be his parting prank. Something for us to remember him by. Given that, I’d say we’re not the only ones who got a paint job.”
“Oh, I hope that’s the case. Because if so, it’s going to be an interesting morning.”
“That it is.” She smiled.
Most of the court members were in their offices just a little before seven. The reactions ranged from amusement, to astonishment, to anger. Siren was surprised to see Scrib walk pass. She held her breath as she waited to hear the Knight’s reaction.
“What the feck!?” She heard her gasp. “Bestin’ he be glad he’s gone, cause I’d strangle the lad!” she protested loudly. Siren stifled a laugh, not wanting to agitate her anymore than she already was.
At exactly seven o’clock, Daemon came striding down the hall. No one said a word. They waited, they listened. There was the click of his door opening and the light being switched on. There was a moment’s pause that strained in the nervous silence.
“Bloody hell!!” Siren cringed slightly, and she was sure she wasn’t the only one. “Everyone front and center. NOW!” As everyone filed into the hall, they could see his office through the open door.
When everyone else had gotten plain red and black walls, his also had polka dots. A few members snickered, but tried to hide it by “coughing,” “sneezing,” and other such absurdity. Mysty was one of them. “Am I the only one with a defaced office?” Everyone shook their heads. “Who helped him? He couldn’t have done it all by himself.” Everyone looked at everyone else. When Siren looked at Mysty, she turned pale.
Siren leaned over to her friend. “I wouldn’t go near him if I were you,” she whispered. Mysty gave her a strange look. “Black paint on silver hair is rather damning evidence.” Mysty’s expression went mortified.
“Tell me you’re joking.” Siren shook her head. Daemon was going on about finding the person responsible and what he was going to do when he found them. She looked at Siren who looked to be deep in thought.
“Can you make your phone ring? Use your TK to dial your phone from someone else’s?” Mysty thought for a moment then nodded. Siren reached into her pocket and pulled out a compact, which she then passed to Mysty.
“How about you Mystikal? Do you know anything about this?” For a moment she had the feeling of being a deer in headlights.
“Hey, my office is just as red and black as anyone else’s!” While she was answering him, she was using her mind to dial her number from Scrib’s phone.
“That’s not an answer, that’s an evasion,” he said coldly
Ring, dammit, ring, she thought desperately as she waited for the line to connect.
“You seem pretty damn quick to point a finger at her. Do you think she did it or are you just trying to scare answer out of her to make you happy?” Mysty and a few other members gasped as Siren spoke so defiantly to Daemon. Obviously, it caught him off guard as well.
“Miss Alexander. I would highly recommend you to be aware of who you defend, lest you end up hung with the guilty,” he said as he fixed her with an icy glare. At that moment, the phone is Mysty’s office rang. Mysty turned quickly and went to her office. Daemon began to move through the crowd of court members.
She needs more time. “Well hang me then, cause I’m standing by my friends no matter what.” He stopped for a moment. As misguided as he found her accusations to be, he couldn’t help but admire her loyalty. So much so that he felt a little bad about being so harsh with her. He turned and walked away from her and continued to Mysty’s office.
Mysty had found the betraying paint strain quickly and ripped the strands from her scalp in one painful jerk. She then picked up the phone and pretended to have a conversation with one of the supervisors. Moments later, Daemon strode in as if, he expected her to be destroying evidence. “Yea…sure. Listen, let me get back to you later on that. I’m kinda in a meeting of sorts. Uh-huh. Ok. Bye.”
“And just who was that?”
“If you must know, it was one of the reactor supervisors wondering if I had filled the newly vacated technician position yet.”
He watched her for a few moments. “You know, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you had something to do with this.” He paused to see if she would say anything. She didn’t waver. “What are the odds of getting a confession out of you?”
“About the same as me bringing you a rope to hang me by,” she replied smoothly as she threw his own analogy back at him.
“Even if I threaten to punish everyone?”
“You wouldn’t,” she stated plainly. He raised his eyebrows as if she had just challenged him. “You may come off sounding cold and cruel, but with the exception of Jacob, you’ve never been intentionally unfair…Not even when you knew you were right.” He continued to watch her for a few moments. It was clear he was going to get nowhere with this. He sighed heavily as he turned and walked out her door. Not far off was Siren, who looked as if she were straining to hear the conversation.
“You can stop worrying. There’s been a stay of execution…for now.” He strode into his office and shut the door. Siren took the opportunity to hurry into Mysty’s office and shut the door.
“Well?”
“He knows I did it, but he can’t prove it.”
“Boy, I thought you were about to be caught for sure.”
“Yea, well. I should have checked myself in the mirror before leaving my room.” At that moment, they heard Daemon’s door open once more. His shadow fell silently across the frosted glass in her office door before continuing on. A few minutes later the shadow crossed back the way it had come and it looked as if he were carrying a box.
“What do you suppose he’s doing?” Siren asked as his door shut.
“My guess would be he’s getting some necessities. Paper, pens…a phone,” she grinned. “Loki wanted to be sure he couldn’t lose anything, so he glued it all down.”
“Oh my God. That is so evil.” Siren laughed. “Out of morbid curiosity, whose idea was the polka dots?”
“That would be me.”
Siren shook her head and laughed. “You know he’ll be in a foul mood for a few days.”
“He’ll get over it. I just can’t believe you said that to him.”
“Yea, well. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Neither can I.” She fixed her friend with a mischievous grin. “You owe me.”
“Why is it I think I should have just told the truth?” Siren smiled even more before leaving the office. There was plenty of work to be done, and standing around chatting was not going to get it done.
As the day wore on, things were as normal as could be expected. It was too quiet, too dull. With Loki gone, it looked as if it were always going to be like this. As aggravating as he could be, his antics always managed to lighten the mood, unless you were the one his prank was focused on that is. She wondered for a moment who was going to replace him as assassin. That was now probably Daemon’s first priority, that…and restoring the offices to proper working order. She grinned. One thing was certain, she’d never forget him, nor would anyone else she suspected.
THE END