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arjaandsimoni · 10 months

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Embrace

Content warning: This chapter contains a graphic depiction of a character's death. Reader discretion is advised.

New Orleans, Lunchtime

The group knew that the Shamir was likely in a storage unit rented by Umbra, somewhere along the Gulf Coast in New Orleans… but there were several of those businesses, and each one had multiple units… and it’d be way too much to assume that Umbra used that name, or the name Rabi Hofer, to rent something to store stolen goods. The trail had hit a possible dead end, and of course being a magic user meant he likely had protections against it being found that way as well.

However, if proper records fail and a site is warded against scrying, you can always count on the local homeless population. One of the benefits of being overlooked meant that you often saw things you shouldn’t… and sometimes, those eyes knew what they were looking at.

Sometimes, those eyes also belonged to those who were very good at hiding, because they had to be or else they’d be found by something that wasn’t human.

Seated at the outdoor benches at a local McDonalds were Nelen, Dawn, Stephy, Simoni, and Arja, and across from them were the changeling motely of Rain, Basset Bailey, the Blonde Professor, and Lavender.

“So… you saw with your own eyes that she’s dead?” asked the professor, raising his eyebrow as he leaned forward on the table, pointedly ignoring Bailey tearing apart a cardboard box of Chicken McNuggets as Rain tried to keep a straight face at the beast-like man’s antics.

Nelen nodded back, “Yep, Old Maggoty is dead as dead can get. That guy who was creating the Hyde monsters got to her before we did and killed her stone dead, then we chased him out of town.” he replied.

Lavender stared at them, “You’re sure?” she asked, anxiously toying with one of the long ropey vines that made up her hair. “I… I mean, they’re hard to kill… even if they look dead they can come back…” she muttered, anxiously glancing around every time she used any variation of ‘they’ incase they were listening.

Arja grinned, “She was nailed to the wall with cold iron spikes and her heart had been torn out. Pretty sure that’ll do it for even something like her.”

This gave the four changelings pause. Rain let out a small squeak as Lavender’s eyes went wide, even Bailey looked up from his meal with bits of processed chicken meat dripping from his droopy jowls.

The professor nodded slowly, then replied, “Yes… I do believe we can safely say life is extinct in this case… I will have to inform the Summer Queen and she’ll likely send scouts into Ghost Swamp to confirm… but, if this is true you have saved the city and the freehold from two dire threats.” he murmured, taking off his glasses and wiping them on a handkerchief as he thought, “… yes, this… would certainly have earned you the right to ask a boon of us. Many of our knights fell to the Hag of Ghost Swamp, to know that they were avenged… even in a lateral way… is worthy of favor.”

Nelen nodded, “Yeah, so… we just need to know. There’s no information network like a changeling’s, and even in a city like New Orleans the local winter court would have eyes everywhere. We just need to know the location of a storage unit rented by a man known locally as Rabi Hofer, who also goes by the name Umbra, is.” he replied, leaning onto the table.

“Umbra…” murmured the Professor, “Romanian for ‘Shadow,’ probably a mage of some sort then, they do so love their ‘shadow names.’” he replied, then stood up, “I will call my allies in the winter court and see what we can find.” he nodded, then walked off towards the parking lot as he pulled an older flip-phone from his pocket. Smartphones could be hacked or get infected with malware, but the Professor was as practical as sensible shoes. He didn’t care about having the latest apps, but it was good to have quick communication that wasn’t reliant on magic.

As he left, Rain looked at Nelen and cocked her head. “I keep feeling like I know you from somewhere…” she muttered.

Nelen blinked in confusion, pointing to himself. “Me?” he asked.

“Yeah… um… something about you just feels… familiar, but kinda scary too… like something from a story…” she frowned, rubbing at her temples a bit. “Mnnn… I think… I dunno… something from when I was still in Arcadia?” she murmured.

Stephy giggled, “Oh I think I can guess.” he nodded, grinning at Simoni, who grinned back at him. “See… a few years back your keeper tried to take me, but Nelen chased her off.” he nodded.

Rain paused at that, looking at him, then standing up and squinting her eyes. “Wait… he did?” she muttered, leaning forward onto the table with her hands on it as she tried to get a closer look at him.

Stephy smirked at the memory, “Yep, she tricked me and tried to have her toys drag me off… but he came and tore them all apart, then scared her so badly she ran back to Arcadia crying!” he nodded.

Rain frowned, still looking at Nelen, then she leaned forward further and actually climbed up onto the table, crawling towards him as she narrowed her eyes. The older man leaned back a bit at this as Dawn began laughing at his clear discomfort… then finally Rain gasped in surprise.

“OH! My keeper would show everyone cartoons sometimes… usually they did… um… stuff to our heads, but sometimes they were just shows, and in a lot of them the bad guy looked just like you!” she gasped, “She really really REALLY hates you! He always died horribly at the end of each one!”

Nelen snorted, “Yeaaaaaaaaah, that sounds like Is-…” he began, then jumped at a sudden sharp jab in the ribs from Stephy.

The fae princess frowned, shaking his head at him. “Names.” he warned, remembering Sammi’s earlier warning.

Nelen coughed, “Right, sorry. That sounds like her.” he corrected, “But yeah… um…” he pulled out his smartphone, then after a bit of searching found some pictures that had survived on the internet of what had happened to the abandoned toy store she’d been using as a gateway to the mortal realm. “That’s what was left of the hedge gate she was using after she ran away.” he said, showing it to her.

Rain’s eyes went huge, looking at it, then up at him, then back at it. “Wow… she’s actually… I mean, I didn’t recognize what it was at first… but you scare her.” she nodded, looking up at him with wide eyes. The fact that her keeper, someone who she would sometimes wake up at night crying at the memory of, was afraid of him… well…

Nelen looked uncomfortable at the attention as Dawn grinned, enjoying the show. “Eh… I mean… its more she’s afraid of my former partner. I mean...” he mumbled…

Rain giggled a bit, grinning wider, “A brave magician who fended off the wicked childlike queen…” she whispered, her voice taking on an odd cadence, “A heroic and wise wizard who protects the meek and innocent from the thorns and briars. Oh courageous sorcerer… how I would love to keep you by my side…” she murmured, her hair and eyes seeming to shine all colors.

“… yeah, um… no. Nope. No. Sorry. No way.” he grunted, nodding to Dawn who smirked and reached out a hand.

“Boop!” said the Cheshire as she tapped Rain’s nose, and then suddenly there was a popping sound and the two of them vanished from sight, a moment later a surprised shriek came from the ball pit in the Play Palace behind them.

Lavender sighed at her, then looked at Nelen, “Sorry about that… I mean, I get it. You scare her keeper. That’s… honestly that’s pretty amazing.” she nodded, remembering when Isolde and her minions forced them to flee Houston. “But yeah… we know bits and pieces about what she did with Rain and part of it was days long games of pretend where if she slipped character for even a moment… bad things happened.” she winced, “Sometimes if she gets excited she kinda forgets who she is for a bit.”

Nelen nodded, “I get it, I’ve worked with other changelings in the past.” he replied as behind them Rain surfaced from the ball pit, her face red with embarrassment as she and Dawn climbed out and made their way back to the table.

“… ‘m sorry…” muttered the young girl as she sat back down, looking at her lap meekly.

“Don’t worry about it… but yeah, nothing personal but I’m married and you’re, like, ten… I think.” he nodded.

She shrugged, “I dunno how old I am really. Felt like years… but I wasn’t allowed to grow up.”

Nelen shrugged, “Point is, ain’t happening. I ain’t your knight in shining armor. More surly old man in beat up denim.”

She nodded, “Yeah… I knoooooow… just… I mean… I still, yeah… she could come back again, and I dunno if we’ll be able to get away next time.”

Nelen scratched at his beard, then thought for a moment, “Hum… well, I mean… I could just tell you guys how to get rid of her. We know how.” he replied.

Stephy winced, “Um… Nelen. Sammi warned me that if we go around telling people she’ll come after us again.” he warned.

Nelen shrugged, “Like she wouldn’t have eventually anyways. Nobody holds a grudge like one of the fae.”

Rain, however, was staring right at them, sitting bolt upright. “Wait… what do you mean?” she asked. Lavender looked very interested too, and Bailey… had wandered off into a nearby alley to relieve himself. He was, in many ways, a human-sized basset hound after all.

Stephy blushed, “Um… well…” he began, then Nelen held up a hand.

“I’ll tell them. She can’t blame you if I tell them.” he smirked, “First, a quick question.” he looked at Lavender, “You, and the Professor, how old are you two?” he asked. When Nelen found out about their run-in with Isolde in Houston, he had asked Stephy and Sammi, very pointedly, how they got away. Sammi had been hesitant to tell him, but Stephy trusted his cousin enough to let it slip.

Lavender blinked, “Um… w-well, I was taken when I was nineteen, and he was a college student… I mean, we don’t know his exact age anymore, he was… over there… for a long time but…”

Nelen nodded, cutting her off, “Good enough. So, here’s the deal. Her keeper is the archetypal kid, right? Like, the Perfect Little Girl concept in physical form.”

The two changelings glanced at each other, nodding, then looked back at him.

“Well, basically… she has to follow that archetype at all times. That’s how they work… and one thing that’s pretty much hard-wired in for her is ‘Good Kids Obey the Grown Ups.’” he nodded.

Rain’s jaw dropped as she glanced at Lavender, then back at Nelen, “… w-wait… you mean…”

He nodded, “Yep. Just stick near her or the Professor and if she comes back, they just have to tell her to go away. Since they’re both ‘grown ups,’ she HAS to listen to them.” he grinned, “Probably the other one too…” he nodded in Bailey’s direction, but then the dog-like changeling might just bark his head off at one of the Others.

Stephy whistled innocently, “You said it, not me… she can’t be mad at me…” he murmured.

Lavender cocked her head at him, “But… you’re human… will it work if one of us does it?” she asked.

“Probably,” replied Nelen, “They got a goblin to do it.” he gestured to Stephy, who nodded in confirmation. “I think the concept of ‘grown up’ is pretty nebulous, its not like a hard and fast thing, but anyone who is sufficiently ‘adult like’ probably counts.”

Lavender chuckled a bit, looking dumbstruck at the revelation, “… t-that would have been so good to know back in Texas..." she said in a stunned voice.

Rain however was in a bit of shock. She was staring at the table, her eyes wide, “… y-yeah, I mean… the only ‘adults’ were her dolls… everyone she took was a kid. She hates grown ups… she used her power to make it so I’d never grow up… it… it all makes sense…” she muttered softly, “Its so… obvious… how…” she whispered.

Nelen shrugged, “Eh, monsters are always scary until you work out how to stop them, even the small ones.” he replied.

Dawn grinned at them, “Would’ve helped us back in Kentucky too. Nelen could have just told her to scram, but since he didn’t phrase it right the first time she had her toys try to kill us.”

The group looked up at the sound of footsteps as the Blonde Professor returned, looking irritated, and holding Bailey’s shirt sleeve as he did. “Can’t bloody take you anywhere…” he muttered, having hung up the phone just in time to hear someone screaming at a crazy hobo for pissing on their backdoor.

“Grrrr, my door now…” rumbled Bailey as he flopped back down into the seat, scratching at his earlobe with the dirtiest fingernails any of them had ever seen.

“So… I believe I have the address, but it’s a bit of a maze to find it. We do know the spot though. We’ve done a bit of discreet work for the Freehold there… I can show you th-…” he began, but Rain cut him off.

“I’ll show them Professor. I… I have to. They gave me something so precious just now, the scales must be balanced.” she whispered.

The Blonde Professor looked at her, then at Lavender, who bit her lip and nodded slowly.

“… what the devil happened while I was away?” he asked, sensing the mood now that he was paying attention.

“I-I’ll tell you when we’re back at the Freehold, away from prying ears.” replied Lavender.

Evening

Rain had returned to the hotel with the rest of the group, waiting until the sun was close to setting to act as a guide. They would need to bring Natasha for this one, if only because she was the only one of their group who had fought Umbra before, but she would only be able to fight him at nighttime.

Drusilla had stayed behind to watch Scylla, and because this job called for subtlety and she was as subtle as a freight train, as did Reshephia incase Umbra had other means of binding her.

Instead it was Nelen, Dawn, Arja, Simoni, Sammi, Natasha, and Rain heading towards the building. Stephy and Lupe had stayed behind to help keep an eye on Reshephia, whom the group didn’t exactly trust. Their interests aligned, but… well… she was a demon after all.

“Okay… so our snowy buddies said it was…” Rain paused as they came to a large storage building in a row of identical ones, the area almost abandoned at this late hour. “This one.” she nodded, checking the number she had written down on the McDonald’s napkin from lunch.

Nelen nodded and stepped forward, then knelt down and grabbed firmly at the padlock on the door. It was sturdy, and steel… but he was a Fullmoon. He gave a loud grunt and tugged hard, and after a moment there was a loud cracking sound as the lock gave way and fell apart. “Right… remember guys. Get in, get out fast. If we’re lucky Umbra doesn’t know we’re here…” he said as he rolled up the door, looking inside.

There was only one small window in back, a sort of emergency entrance and way to ventilate for the few people the owner pretended didn’t live in his storage units. Along the walls were a huge selection of esoterica. Tomes, relics, and other treasures of significance to Judaism, and a few others besides.

Dawn whistled as she adjusted her sunglasses. “Wooooooah, Rajesh would loooooove this.” she grinned.

Arja laughed, “Yeah, no kidding. Sucks this guy is our enemy. He and dad would totally get along otherwise.” she nodded in agreement.

“Focus people…” warned Nelen, walking forward to the cage in the back, then shining his light down onto it. Curled up inside was a small, finger sized brown worm with large mandibles, drooling a pale green saliva that hissed and dissipated where it landed.

Simoni peered around him, raising her eyebrow. “… that’s it? That’s what Prince Henri and the others are losing their minds over?” she muttered as Arja wheeled Natasha’s chair up so she could confirm.

“It most certainly is Simoni.” replied the vampire confidently, “It may not appear to be valuable, but sometimes the most unassuming things can work wonders in the right hands.” she nodded.

Nelen nodded, “Damn right. Now lets get this thing out of here and fuck off fast.” he warned, reaching into his bag as he reached for the latch on the cage and…

He gave a loud grunt and tugged hard, and after a moment there was a loud cracking sound as the lock gave way and fell apart. “Right… remember guys. Get in, get out fast. If we’re lucky Umbra doesn’t know we’re here…” he said as he rolled up the door, looking inside.

The others looked in, but Dawn went rigid. “NELEN!” she shouted in warning, tearing her sunglasses off to reveal her eyes, “HE DID THE THING!”

The others froze in mid step at her words, looking back at her, then back up the path to see a man walking towards them.

A handsome young man with a trimmed beard in a three-piece suit strode towards them, adjusting the cuff on his left sleeve. He did not look happy to see any of them at all.

“Ah fuck…” growled Nelen as he stepped back, staring him down.

“I do have to give you credit…” said Umbra, “I did not expect anyone to be able to figure out where I had hidden Prince Henri’s little pet, and Natasha, well done on trying to find a way to solve this without fighting me…” he smirked, “Still, you must have realized what I am planning to use it for if you’re in such a hurry.” he chuckled, “This is why I like being a time magic specialist so much. I have all the time in the world to plan…”

Nelen was slowly reaching for his bag. Sands of Morpheus, a vial of Essence of Fimbulwinter, a leather sock full of lead shot… he had plenty of ways to incapacitate Umbra… if he could get close enough. “Yeah, we know about Reshephia, but we don’t know why. Whats the damn point? You’re already a master thief and a respected Rabbi, whats the endgame here Umbra?” he asked, hoping to distract him.

Umbra sighed, then glared at Natasha… and there was hatred in that glare, raw and harsh to the point that Sammi and Rain felt ill from the glamour it gave off. “Because all the respect and money in the world cannot undo what creatures like her have done.” he snapped.

Natasha sniffed dismissively, giving him a withering look, “Oh… is that all? Another mortal afraid of the dark? I am sorry for whatever the vampyr have done to you in the past, but you cannot blame a viper for it’s nature Umbra.”

Umbra narrowed his eyes, stepping closer, “No. This is NOT about your kind’s parasitism. I can accept that, we all must kill to survive human or not.” he frowned, “This is about how vampires hunger for power and domination! You don’t seek to live among us, you seek to live above us! Because we are but cattle to you! Naught but pigs waiting to be put on your table!” he spat. He was close, so close, and this was an unwelcome complication…

Nelen noticed his reaction, then decided to push him further. He sighed, shaking his head, “Yeah yeah… I hear this shit all the damn time. Its always something… you know how many times I got hired to play bodyguard when I was with the Wulfshead? Fuck its my job RIGHT NOW. Someone always has a fucking axe to grind because they’re pissy about a new policy, or the wrong guy won the election, or some bullshit about ‘socialism.’” he snorted, making finger quotes when he said ‘socialism.’

“So, out with it. Who’s your damn target?” he asked, glaring at him as he flexed his fingers. He desperately missed Merihim’s power right now, he still didn’t know how to use Cernunnos’ powers without letting him possess him!

As he did however he saw someone sneaking up behind Umbra… and he couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking to them… just for a moment…

Umbra noticed however, then spun and lashed out with a burst of magical energy, and with a yowl Dawn was sent tumbling backwards into one of the nearby units as Nelen swore loudly.

Umbra glared back at him, then said, “You want to know my target? Very well… he was an ancient vampire in old Romania, Lord Dmitri Renault.” he snarled, and Natasha’s eyes went wide in shock.

“The self-appointed master of my homeland… the… BEAST… who slaughtered my family but left me alive as a sadistic reminder when we dared to resist his tyranny!” he snarled. “Renault treated the people of my village like cattle… no, WORSE than that! We at least cared for our livestock! I am going to bind the demon Reshephia, force her to empower the bracelet, and go back to before he was ever transformed into one of the undead… THEN CUT HIS HEAD FROM HIS SHOULDERS AND BURN THE BODY TO ASHES!” he roared.

Natasha’s mouth was a thin line, “… so, all of this is because Dmitri was a monster.” she replied, then her lips twitched upwards, then she smirked, then she shook her head, “This… is a cruel twist of fate Umbra. I know of the vampyr you speak of, my mortal family suffered under him just as your own did.” she shook her head, looking at him with pity in her eyes. “I know precisely how you feel, for Dmitri was my sire. He was the one who turned me into one of the undead.”

Umbra paused at this, but kept his hands close together so he could still reach the bracelet if needed. “I… see… I am truly sorry for you then.” he murmured.

Nelen shook his head, stepping forward, “Yeah, yeah very tragic.. but if you’re seriously going to cause that kind of paradox then we’re definitely putting a stop to this. Natasha was with my sister when she was attacked by a serial killer named Pale and helped her escape him, then watched over her until I could get her to safety. If you stake this guy, then that means she never gets turned and my sister has to face that lunatic alone.”

Nelen took another step towards Umbra, glaring at him, “I get it, a bloodsucker screwed you over. They’re assholes, but then what? Change the past and who knows what’ll happen to the present. You take out that vampire before he becomes a vampire, what happens then? Who rules over the land when he would have? What if they’re worse? What if it changes more than that?”

Umbra’s expression flickered for a moment, but he set his jaw. “I am sorry young man, I understand my choice will cause ripples… but I have come too far and sacrificed too much to give up just because of that.” he said, forcing his voice to remain even. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but do not interfere, please, for your own sakes…” he nodded.

“Whatever.” snorted Nelen, “TAKE HIM!” he shouted as Arja transformed and Sammi drew his sword, the trio rushing at him as he charged alongside them! Simoni took to the skies as Dawn attempted to pounce from behind.

Umbra sighed and shook his head and…

“Whatever.” snorted Nelen, “TAKE HIM!” he shouted as Arja leapt onto Simoni and Sammi channeled a wave of ice, Dawn stumbling a bit and rubbing at her head.

Umbra frowned and rolled his eyes and…

“Whatever.” snorted Nelen, “TAKE HIM!” he shouted as Arja channeled a blast of flames and Simoni fed the fire and Sammi prepared to conjure a rain of hail and Dawn scowled and shook her head frantically.

Umbra snorted and…

“Whatever.” snorted Nelen, “TAKE-…” he began but a voice cut over it.

“KNOCK THAT OFF!” yowled Dawn, her hands pressed to her forehead. “DAMMIT THAT GIVES ME A FREAKIN’ HEADACHE EVERY TIME YOU DO THAT! I CAN REMEMBER WHEN YOU FUCK WITH TIME!” she snapped.

Umbra paused, looking back at her, “What?” he asked. He had never before (as far as he knew) encountered a creature that was able to tell when he had been using the bracelet’s power, this genuinely took him by surprise!

The thief started a bit as he heard feet running towards him while he was distracted, turning just in time to see Nelen and the others rushing him as he shouted a word in Hebrew and slammed out with his hand, a wave of force erupting from his palm and sending them all flying, the blast going far enough to knock Natasha out of her wheelchair and onto the ground.

“Damn it all… I’d hoped to avoid this.” he growled, striding forward as the group tried to shake off the ringing in their ears. Umbra held up his hand and conjured a spear of pure ice, aiming it towards Natasha. “Not a stake, but in your state it will do. You were a worthy foe and a good student Natasha, I will spare you the pain of being erased from time… you deserve better than that.” he nodded.

However, with all the chaos going on, nobody noticed that the fight had an audience.

In the back of the storage shed, the window had popped open, and a young boy was hiding in the shadows.

Nicu Luminita wanted to cheer, then throw up, then scream. His eyes were huge, his mind reeling. He had seen Umbra leaving the synagogue and tailed him, hoping that he was going to where he’d been hiding his birthday present.

It was real. It was all real. Magic was real, his adoptive father could use it! All those stories he had told, all the times he’d been dismissed as a confused and grieving kid, but he’d been right! Maybe his parents were trying to do magic, maybe not, but he was right!

But… Natasha was there, and his father was about to kill her?! He had to do something! He had to stop him! He liked her! She was nice and friendly and smart and understood him… but why did his father want to kill her?! He thought she’d said something, but he couldn’t hear her properly from his hiding spot...

However, while he was distracted Dawn hissed and pounced at his wrist!

Umbra was faster however…

Dawn glared, “STOP THAT!” she shouted, diving at him again.

Umbra frowned, still faster…

“I SAID STOP IT!” she yowled, back where she’d began as she teleported above him and tried to dive at it!

Umbra looked up, then smacked it a third time…

“STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT! MY HEAD IS POUNDING NOW!” she hissed, diving again…

As she did Rain shook her head, then ran forwards between the others as he reached for the bracelet, took a deep breath, and her hair shined with rainbows as she drew upon the power that her time in Arcadia had forced upon her, and screamed as loud as she could.

Its sometimes said that kids ‘have a real set of lungs on them,’ that they can let out the kind of air raid siren wail that leaves an adult’s ears ringing. Rain, as a changeling who would be forever a small child, had this power… except in her case, it wasn’t just a figure of speech.

Everyone else save for Dawn slammed their hands over their ears as windows all around the area shattered, as did several street lamp bulbs and car headlights out by the road. Even the Shamir’s cage shook! Rain let her voice echo, enhanced and expanded upon by the power of the Wyrd, and even a concert subwoofer was quiet by comparison! The ultimate tantrum!

Then Dawn landed, but she hadn’t been aiming for the bracelet that time! Umbra stumbled backwards, clutching at his cheek as four deep red gashes appeared on it! Dawn was not a happy cat right now. His time manipulation was giving her an outright migraine, so she reacted like any angry cat and clawed the source of her anger!

Umbra hissed in pain, clutching at where her claws had struck as his ears rang in agony, then frowned and slapped his wrist…

… then slapped it again…

… then looked down and saw only bare skin with a clear tan line. “What…”

“HEY!” came a high-pitched voice from above the storage units.

Sitting atop them, grinning ear to ear, was Dusk… with the Bracelet of Rhozanitsy under his paw. “Mine now human!” he taunted, wagging his tail.

Umbra glared up at the cheshire kitten, then cried out as Nelen rugby tackled him into the wall of the next storage unit over!

“DAMN YOU!” he cursed, “You may have the bracelet, but I have had centuries to perfect my arts!” he snarled, blasting Nelen away with another burst of force, then raising his hands and conjuring another ice spear, aiming it at Natasha.

Arja growled, then shouted up to the kitten. “DUSK! Do something! Get rid of the bracelet! If he gets it back we’re screwed!”

Dusk looked at, then at her, then popped out his claws and glanced between them and the bracelet’s thick leather, then shouted, “HOW?!”

Sammi made a tsking sound, shaking his head, then took a step and vanished in a swirl of frost, appearing next to Dusk on the rooftop. “Like this!” said the fae princeling as he grabbed it, tossed it into the air, then in a single motion he drew his sword and slashed upwards!

There was a snapping sound, and the bracelet fell to the ground in two separate pieces.

“NO!” shouted Umbra.

“Woohoo! Good job Sammi!” grinned Arja.

“Wait, whats it doing?!” gasped Simoni.

The bracelet had begun sparking, and it seemed like for a moment there was more than one… and then the world seemed to distort around it.

“Fuck… LOOK OUT!” shouted Nelen.

The bracelet had the power to control time, but it’s destruction had shattered the spell on it! Temporal energy lashed out from the wrecked artifact, twisting and turning possibility and probability on their heads!

The world seemed to flicker, like a TV set being rapidly swapped between different stations.

Nelen lay on the ground clutching at his leg as blood seeped out around a spear of pure ice…

The world warped and Simoni was against the wall, biting back a scream as the ice spear was now jutting out of her arm…

Reality inverted again, and Dusk and Dawn were frozen unmoving in a massive block of ice as Nelen’s fist slammed into Umbra’s face…

Another flash. Natasha’s skeleton lay on the ground, her body aging to dust when the spear pulverized her heart.

Again, the magic flared. The storage buildings were gone, a yacht club in their place as the patrons shouted for security at the sudden appearance of a gang of teenagers and two adult men fighting each other.

Once more, magic exploded forth. The warehouse was gone entirely, destroyed during a particularly vicious hurricane.

Again. The City of New Orleans was gone, destroyed along with the rest of the United States when the Cold War escalated beyond the point of no return.

Again. Only bare wilderness now. England had decided against colonizing the New World, instead deciding to focus their efforts against the French Empire.

Again. Just wilderness now. No humans anywhere, because evolution had taken a different path and intelligent apes had never existed at all.

Again. Just bare ocean. The continents had settled differently, and the Americas never came to be.

Again. A bare rock, no plants or anything. The Earth had never developed the capacity to support life.

Again. Everything the way it was, except Arja had on a different teeshirt.

Then finally the magic sputtered out, grabbed a timeline, and cemented it in place.

Natasha closed her eyes and braced herself as the spear flew towards her… but felt only the barest of pricks against her chest. Hesitantly, she peeked her eye open… then gasped in horror as her eyes went wide.

The spear had stopped just short of her chest, because it had hit something else first.

In this timeline Nicu had found the courage to protect that nice girl he’d met at the Synagogue… at dire cost to himself.

The young boy was kneeling with his back to her, his arms wide to stop his father from attacking her. He looked down, almost as if he was confused by what had just happened… to see a spear made of ice jutting out of his chest.

“… w-what…” he whispered hoarsely, a trickle of blood coming out of his mouth as he slowly fell to his side.

“NO!” screamed Natasha as she crawled towards him, still too weakened by the sun’s presence to stand. It was evening, the sun was setting… but it was still visible on the horizon! Her powers were still denied to her!

Umbra stared at the sight, his face going pale as he saw what he had done. “I… n-no… God in heaven no…” he whispered. He reached for his wrist almost instinctively, then paused, looking down in horror. “I… t-the bracelet is destroyed… I can’t… no! NICU!” he cried out.

“Oh SHIT!” swore Nelen, looking at him, “You said you’ve had centuries to learn magic! Can you heal him?!” he asked.

Umbra shook his head, “I… I never learned any of the healing arts… I had the bracelet, I never needed them before…” he stammered, staring at his son as the boy struggled to breathe.

Arja and Simoni were next to him now, the two on their knees as he coughed, blood pooling under his body now. “No no no… w-we gotta get him to a hospital! NOW! Dawn! Teleport him!” shouted Simoni as the feline appeared next to him, took one look, and let out a low mewling sound, shaking her head as her ears drooped. She’d seen enough carnage with Nelen to know what an injury like that meant.

Arja glanced at her, “Simoni… the spear went through his lung. A mundy doctor can’t fix that…” she whispered.

Nelen grimaced, running towards them, then looked down at him, “Dammit…” he spun on Umbra, slamming his fist into his face.

The thief fell to the ground, too stunned to fight back, to find the furious magus standing over him. “THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T FUCK WITH TIME OLD MAN! It always has a cost that you never see coming until its too late!” he shouted, then he looked to his side. “CERNUNNOS! You’re a godsdamn GOD again! Can’t you do SOMETHING?!” he snapped.

Umbra looked between him and the empty air he was speaking to as Nelen nodded, then slowly sagged. “… but… you brought me back to life! You repaired my heart after I stabbed it! I…” he paused, nodding slowly, “… shit… you can only do that because I’m your host… shit…” he whispered, looking back towards the others.

Nicu’s head was resting in Natasha’s lap now, the vampire girl’s face a mask of sorrow as she heard his heartbeat become slower and slower.

“N-natasha… Its all true…” he giggled weakly, becoming delirious as he began to go into shock. “All of it… magic… nobody believed me but you…”

She shuddered, smiling sadly at him, “Yes… you were right Nicu… I… I am so sorry… I should have warned you, told you… this is my fault…” she whispered. “… we could have been friends… perhaps more… but now you are going to die…” she sobbed.

As she did, she felt a sudden shiver go through her spine. Glancing westwards, she saw the last rays of the sun dip below the horizon. “… you are going to die… but…” she looked back at him, “… death… is truly just a change… nothing more…” she whispered, her eyes flashing crimson.

Arja looked up at her in confusion, then Simoni gasped and scooted backwards, pulling her along with her as Dawn hissed and teleported away next to Rain, the girl having wanted to keep her distance from such a scene from the start.

“I will do better than Dmitri... I will not allow you to suffer as I did.” she hissed, her fangs extending as Nicu looked up at her in confusion, too weakened to even see her face anymore… and then her jaw came down and the boy gasped as her fangs went into his neck.

Umbra saw this however, and realized what Natasha was planning. “NO! NOT THAT!” he shouted as he tried to get to his feet, only for a foot to slam into his chest and send him back onto the ground.

Nelen stood over him, but his eyes were like massive emeralds and a rack of antlers sprouted from his head. Rain gasped loudly and pressed herself back against the wall of the storage unit behind her as Dawn shook her head and whispered ‘its okay! Its okay!’ over and over, trying to calm her down. She could tell what kind of being Cernunnos was.

“Actions have consequences wizard!” barked Cernunnos. “My host understands this! I can't see what the loss of the vampire would have caused, but without them… all of them… I would still be THIS!” he thrust his hand out, palm first, and held it out. Umbra’s eyes widened as he saw the scar where the sigil had been carved. “I should drag you into the Hedge, bind you with thorns, and leave you for whatever fate the Wyrd chooses!” he snarled. “Revenge? Protecting your family? You are a HYPOCRATE who would take a hammer to history to avenge those whose very bones would be dust by now!” he spat.

Behind them, Natasha pulled her fangs free, the boy gasping weakly for breath. “I’m so sorry Nicu…” she whispered, biting her lip hard, making blood well up from the wound. “I hope you can forgive me, when you awaken.” She leaned in, pressing her lips to his, and a trickle of her own blood seeped into his mouth.

Simoni and Arja stared, the vanara whispering “Is she doing what I think she is?” to Simoni. Simoni nodded anxiously, nobody but vampires knew for certain… but she had heard rumors.

Cernunnos stood before Umbra, preventing him from reaching them as he watched, the pain of what he was seeing evident on the thief’s face.

Nicu was going to die. That much was certain. Nobody mortal comes back from a wound like that, but there are many forms death can take.

They wouldn’t know until the next night, there was always a chance it wouldn’t work, but in theory it was simple.

Drain a mortal of all his blood, then feed him your own to pass the curse. That was where new vampires came from.

Natasha broke the kiss, sitting up as she looked down at him, twin trails of bloody tears running down her cheeks as she pulled the icicle free from his chest, tossing it away to shatter against a storage unit. “… take him back to the hotel, please.” she said, glancing towards Dawn.

The Cheshire nodded hesitantly, then she padded over as Dusk appeared on her shoulder. She knelt down and put her hand to his shoulder, then they all vanished with a faint inrushing of air. A moment later she came back and took Arja, Simoni, Sammi, and Rain with her as well.

Natasha stood up, closing her eyes, then she turned to face Umbra, and her expression turned furious, her eyes glowing crimson.

“Was THIS what you desired Dumitru?!” she shouted, storming towards him, using the name he’d used when they first met in Romania centuries ago. Her small body trembled with rage at what she had just been forced to do. “Was this part of the future you were trying to create?! Did you even care for Nicu at all or was he just to help people believe you were an ordinary man?! ANSWER ME DAMN YOU!” she shouted.

Umbra started forward, but Cernunnos stood between them. The hunt god snorting like a wild animal as he cracked his knuckles, and the thief came to a halt as he looked past at Natasha.

Umbra’s face showed nothing but grief, “Of course I cared for him!” he shouted in response, “He was my SON! I loved him like my own flesh and blood, I wanted to keep him safe from creatures like you! He should never have been here… I…” he trailed off, “He had suffered so much… I saw myself in him… when we met that day near his orphanage… I thought… I thought I could protect him… the way they could not protect me…” he gasped, his eyes filling with tears as his shoulders began to shake.

Natasha frowned, “Stand aside Cernunnos.” she said, walking forwards. The hunt god nodded, stepping out of her way, but staying close enough to fight if needed. One twitch, one hint of aggression… he may not be a demon of the court of wrath anymore, but he was a god again and they could be wrathful all on their own.

Umbra shook himself, standing there, even as tears threatened to come for the fate of his son, but he did not look away as Natasha drew close. She stood before him, her eyes flashing crimson as she felt the desire boiling within her, the desire to go for his throat and remove the threat he posed… and then she shook her head. “… get out of this city Dumitru.”

She may as well have struck him, the man stumbling in surprise. “… what?” he gasped. He looked at her, looking down to the small hole the tip of the icicle had torn in her top. If Nicu hadn’t stopped it, she would have been the one to die tonight… and yet… she was showing him mercy? “… why? Why would you just let me go?” he asked in a soft voice.

Natasha’s head snapped up, her eyes glowing once more, “Because I KILLED DMITRI RENAULT!” she shouted, and Umbra’s jaw fell open. “I killed my sire because you were right! He was a cruel, horrible monster even among vampyr! To him, mortals were just bleating animals to be fed upon and nothing more. I did not do it for the sake of your kind, but because beasts like him are a danger to vampyr as well.” she nodded firmly.

“Vampyr like Lord Renault are why men become hunters. Monsters like him create men like you, and the fear of men who hunt vampyr create monsters among our own kind to terrify the mortals into obedience… and the cycle continues eternal.” she hissed, “Even a thief like you cannot succeed without allies of your own. If we kill you then I become the monster in their story, the cruel vampyr who murdered their friend for trying to avenge his family, and they will come for me and my family.” she stated, glancing at Cernunnos, who nodded to her.

“The only way this ends… is if we just go, both of us. Let the dead rest and go.” she sighed, gritting her teeth. She wanted to kill him, she wanted to tear him apart piece by piece... but that would solve nothing.

“… let the past be buried… I… I gave so many sermons on this, at the Synagogue… the wages of wrath, and how they are blocks to our path to enlightenment.” whispered Umbra, looking down at his hands, now stained with the blood of his son. “… All things in the mortal world are fleeting, only the divine can be eternal…” he murmured, fingering the tan line on his wrist where the bracelet once sat. “… I thought I could alter time and history itself for revenge… how foolish it seems now. In trying to save my family from my past I sacrificed my family in the present.”

Cernunnos nodded, “Should have listened to your own damn sermons. I wanted revenge too, and I spent centuries in Hell for it. My host wanted revenge and he almost shared my fate.”

He shuddered as the antlers slowly vanished and his eyes changed back to normal, and Nelen Fullmoon returned to control of his body. “Natasha is right. Get the hell out of New Orleans. Even if we let you go Prince Henri would love to make an example out of you. Run, get out of the city, hell get out of the country. We’ll take the Shamir back to him and keep him busy while you get your ass to Louis Armstrong and get a plane ticket as far from here as you can get.” he nodded, walking next to Natasha, “You get one chance Umbra, don’t blow it.”

Umbra nodded miserably. “… First… please… I must know, what will you tell Nicu?” he asked, looking to Natasha.

The vampire returned his gaze, “The truth… the entire truth Umbra. Everything.”

Umbra took a deep breath, then said, “… Just… just tell him… god what could I tell him… I wanted so badly to keep him away from all this…” he sighed, “… too late now. Just… tell him my love for him was never an act. I lied to him about many things… but I loved him like my own son. That was never a lie.”

Natasha nodded. “I told you I would tell him the truth Umbra.” she replied, turning to leave with Nelen, the magus collecting her wheelchair from where it landed, then taking the Shamir from it’s cage and placing it in a specially prepared crystal bottle. He also gathered up the books that Umbra had stolen from the collection on the West Coast. As they walked past Umbra towards the exit, Natasha added, “Nicu will understand, in time… and if there is one thing the vampyr have, it is time.”

The Next Evening…

Nicu awoke slowly, feeling very strange. He remembered a fight between his father, Natasha, and a whole bunch of other people… and then his memory got all jumbled. He remembers feeling a sudden sharp pain, then a coldness like never in his whole life… then nothing.

He looked up, hearing voices outside the room. Despite them being very faint, he could make out each word easily.

“Alright Drus. Get in there. You’re the only one of us who’s strong enough to survive this and he has to do it to someone when he first wakes up.” came an older man’s voice.

“If it helps, just think of it as a warmup for breastfeeding Scylla when she starts teething… just, yanno, not your breast.” laughed another voice, this one sounding like a younger girl.

Nicu shook his head, he felt so bizarre… he was cold all over despite the warm Louisiana night and he was thirstier than he’d ever been in his entire life!

Then the door opened and a giant of a woman walked in, looking around before she spotted him. Nicu suddenly felt his body tense, his eyes went wide as his teeth began to ache.

He could hear her heartbeat as if his ear was right next to her chest, and her veins seemed to glow through her skin, as if her blood was made of light!

Her blood… her… blood… he wanted it… HE WANTED IT! HE NEEDED IT! DON’T THINK! ATTACK! FEED! DRINK HER BLOOD!

It was like there was another voice in his head, one loud and ancient and hungry! He tensed like a huge feral animal, hissing low, then he leapt at her and wrapped his arms and legs around her, his jaw clamping down on her throat!

Had this been an ordinary woman, he would not have stopped until she was dead… but Drusilla was not ordinary at all. The giantess counted slowly to twenty, then grabbed him by the shoulders. “ALRIGHT! That’s enough!” she growled, shoving him off her and back onto the bed with a loud thud as he landed! She rolled her massive eye at him, “Hmph… Many-scars! Get out the damn bandages. I don’t want this bleeding everywhere.” she called as she left.

As she did Nicu scrambled up onto all fours, his eyes glowing as his canines hung down past his jaw like a pair of snake-like fangs, his mouth stained crimson. After a moment however his eyes changed back to normal. “What… just happened…” he muttered, reaching up and feeling his mouth, then looking at his hand, then crying out in revulsion as he scrambled back against the headboard of the bed, staring at his bloodstained fingertips.

He felt sick, like he wanted to throw up… but he couldn’t feel his stomach anymore. No acid burn, no nausea, nothing but a void in his gut where it should have been.

Instead, his heart felt heavy, and hot…

He looked up as he saw one of the people his father was fighting last night stick his head in, the older man nodding, “Right, he got it out of his system. Natasha! You’re his sire, you deal with it!” he said.

There was a sigh of annoyance, and he heard footsteps before Natasha walked into the room. She was dressed in a red silk blouse with a high collar and long sleeves, a full-length black skirt, and heeled boots… and she was walking, on her own. No wheelchair needed.

“Good evening Nicu… I imagine you must have many questions for me…” she said apologetically.

Nicu stared at her and felt something in his chest. A sort of pull, as if some part of him was sniffing the air and recognizing one of it’s own, and he noticed… REALLY noticed for the first time her pale skin, longer canine teeth, and his hand flew to his neck as he remembered the sensation of those teeth piercing his neck. But there were no holes, no wound whatsoever.

“Yeah… I got questions… but I bet you’ve got answers.” he replied, stumbling to his feet.

Across the hall Nelen leaned against the doorframe, sighing, “Great, now there’s two of them. Gonna be fun selling this to Rajesh.” he frowned, looking down at his hand. In his grasp was Umbra’s destroyed bracelet. “Starting to see the appeal of time travel…” he smirked.

#supernatural adventures #fiction #modern fantasy #lgbtq

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