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There was a buzz in her clutch purse, and she welcomed its distraction. She plucked her cell out and looked at the screen. Her eyes widened in dismay.
“SHIT!” she exclaimed.
Siobhan was watching her friend in concern since her reaction to Nate’s touch. She knew Marisa’s talent for precognition was very strong and she must have seen something disturbing to look so shaken. When she cursed at her cell, Siobhan’s concern deepened. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Marisa looked at her in anguish. She looked over at Nate whose expression was beginning to show his concern as well.
“I- I have to go!” she blurted.
“What? No!” Nate exclaimed desperately. He didn’t want to lose her! She was the only Succubus he’d ever met since he escaped the clutches of the first one.
“I’m sorry! Henry’s in trouble. A friend.” She explained to him. “I have to go!”
“I’ll come with-” Siobhan began.
“No! I mean, it’s ok. I’ll be contacting… people from work to help. Stay, please. Enjoy. Get to know our new friend here,” Marisa said looking deeply into Siobhan’s eyes and was relieved when her friend picked up the message. She looked to Nate.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org: ©.
“It was nice meeting you. Perhaps we could meet again. I really have to go, now!” Marisa said and rushed away.
Siobhan placed a hand on Nate’s chest to prevent him from following. “She needs to do what she needs to do. Why don’t we go get a drink, and you can tell me a little more about yourself?”
Nate looked towards the door he’d seen Marisa leave through. Then he looked to Siobhan. He sniffed cautiously.
“Do your friends think you’re odd for taking a big ol’ whiff of everyone you meet?” she asked him with a frown.
He had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Yes, they have commented on it.”
“It’s not polite.”
“It’s the only way I can detect-”
“THAT is something you DON’T discuss in public. How can you not know that?” Siobhan asked incredulously. She knew from Marisa’s look that Nate was one of the Hidden Races so he should have known better.
Nate looked at her in exasperation. “Sorry, I must have slept through that class in high school.”
Siobhan looked into his eyes and saw he was genuinely oblivious. “Ok, we really need to go somewhere private where we can talk. Will your posse be ok without you tonight.”
Nate looked at her again and a smile formed on his lips. “Is this discussion going to include breakfast?”
She snorted at his cheekiness. She couldn’t help herself from smiling back at his confident grin. “Play your cards right and it might.”
“Lead on.”
-=-
Ra’Anek flew through the dark skies. He rarely got the opportunity to fly these days as his Raven form was too large to be taken for a natural creature. Night flying wasn’t his favorite activity, but tonight it served the greater good. He was hunting the pseudo-clouds to get a sample of their magic.
He’d flown into Tulsa, rented a car and headed northwest towards Pawhuska. When the sun set, he found a spot to pull over and took to the skies. It felt good to stretch his wings.
He was curious to see if these cloud creatures were truly from the same realm as the magic that flowed through the Satyr. He’d get a sample from the cloud, and he’d have an opportunity soon enough to test the Satyr for the comparison. Tonight was just to satisfy that curiosity. He hadn’t mentioned to the others that he was doing this.
As Minister of Risk Assessment, he’d already decided on his own that Mr. Gable needed to be contained regardless of his test tonight. That’s what he was going to report to the Council, and if they didn’t agree with his request to imprison the Satyr, it was within his purview to order a hit team to take him out to protect the Hidden Races.
Mr. Gable’s link to the Fae’s healing spell would cause it to fail with his death. Ra’Anek didn’t care what happened to the Fae except they provided disguises for the others. With the collapse of the spell, the Fae would be in a very desperate state. A prime opportunity to negotiate very favorable terms in a bargain.
Ra’Anek’s people had found the cure for the wasting disease centuries ago. They’d secretly applied it to all of the Races- except for the Elven Fae. Even Ra’Anek’s long memory failed to retrieve the reason for the omission. Perhaps he’d willed himself to forget. No matter.
So either Mr. Gable would be contained, where he could study the Satyr’s link to the Wild Magic or he’d have the Satyr assassinated, and he could force the Fae into a bargain. There was no losing option for Ra’Anek here.
Lightning jumped between two thunderheads on the horizon so he tipped his wings in that direction.
Soon he was circling the massive twin towers, and the first thing he noticed was how fresh the air smelled. The tang of metals and the chemical stew was missing! The closer he flew, the sweeter the pure air became. They were purifying the air! Consuming the poisons and releasing fresh air!
He also noted his feathers were tingling madly. There was magic here and it was stronger than he’d felt in a while. He needed a direct sample. He tipped his wings and banked in towards the surface of one.
At the last second, he flared his wings and flew up the side, dragging his hooked claws through the fluffy matter. He watched the cloud tremble then his vision filled with intense blue, white light as a bolt of plasma shot down the side of the cloud. It intersected with his body and the ground, trapping him in the tube of raw energy. Blended with the plasma, Wild Magic in a strength he’d never imagined flowed through the core of the beam. He lost all control of his body, and his senses were blinded. When he hit the ground, it caught him completely by surprise. Bones shattered, blood splashed, but he clung to his consciousness with his formidable will.
The pain was intense, so he laid still. He looked up at the thunderheads which moved on as if he meant nothing. He realized the cloud slapped him out of the air much like a horse struck a fly with its tail. He felt a little indignant about that.
The ground around him positively hummed with the Wild Magic. It was soaking in and spreading outwards. That was troubling. He spotted small plants begin to sprout up through the sandy soil around his body, highly energized by the magic. The plant life looked healthy and normal, but their growth was abnormally quick. He struggled to pull his mind back to his predicament until he heard noises of someone approaching. He peered into the darkness and eyes looked back at him.
Coyotes! He reached for his magic to send them on their way but felt nothing. He was physically paralyzed and still reeling from the hit of the strong magic. His wasn’t responding!
The coyotes moved in, and he squawked weakly. Teeth tore into him, tearing chunks of meat from his broken body, sending searing pain along his nerves. His body slipped further into shock.
As his brain shut down, he could have sworn he saw his spirit brother Coyote sitting on a rock watching him die, having a good chuckle over the delicious irony of his end.
*************
Stanley paced in the luxurious room he had in Mab’s palace. His heavy hooves made no sound on the highly polished wood floors. This sound dampening was due to an enchantment meant to prevent disturbing people in neighboring rooms, but he found the effect a little unnerving. It was like he wasn’t there.
He understood that tonight was the night. The Fae ‘master magicians’ had reviewed the information they’d gathered in their exhausting interviews. They’d conferred with Mab over the best course of action to build him a glamor while protecting themselves from the brute power of the magic coursing through him.
He drank another glass of water to wet his dry mouth but instead, it just went straight to his bladder, and he had to pee again.
He went into the huge washroom and lifted his kilt to pee. He’d taken to the garments as they were exceptionally comfortable. He felt himself relax as the stream hit the water.
“A good flow. A sign you have a healthy prostate.”
Mid-stream he felt his muscles clamp down painfully. Wincing, he turned his head to face the delighted smile of Mab as she watched him from the doorway.
“I’d ask you for privacy, but this is your domain isn’t it,” he sighed.
Her grin widened. “You catch on quickly! Very good Stanley! Don’t stop on my account.”
He faced forward and willed himself to relax and start again. He knew Mab was expecting him to admit he couldn’t so this was a major, if insignificant, win for him. He rolled his shoulders and felt the knots of tension slowly ease. He closed his eyes and let himself finish.
Opening his eyes, he saw Mab was standing next to him with paper in her hand. He accepted the paper and dried himself, dropping it in the bowl then pulled the chain to flush.
“You intrigue me Stanley, and that isn’t easy to do these days,” she said quietly as she gave him an evaluating look as he turned to her, dropping his kilt to cover himself once more.
“One of the burdens of immortality?” he asked.
She smiled and seemed to think on that before nodding. “I suppose so.”
Stanley couldn’t imagine what that must be like. Having seen some of the twisted behavior the Queen had inadvertently exposed during his visit, he was beginning to believe madness was the eventual destination.
“How did that old witch pull you from the past? How did she link you to the realm of Wild Magic? Can you link wielders of the old realm’s magic to the new realm without killing them?” Mab whispered, and her eyes glowed on the last question.
He wasn’t about to try answering her. Mainly, because he didn’t know the answers himself, but equally, he thought Mab having those answers would be a dangerous thing.
“Intriguing,” she continued as her eyes dropped down his body to his kilt. She ran her fingers over the material covering his cock. He felt that, and it began to swell automatically. “I suppose you don’t know too much about Satyrs, do you Stanley?” she asked.
“Only personal first-hand knowledge,” he agreed quietly.