xrakkax
Elder Member
“That’s a fair point, Oliver.” Wesley pulled out his phone and said, “Our sensors are still in place. I’ll program them to alert me of their movements on that street.” They would simply wait for the van to come back from the park. “But first, Everest and Ellie must contact Willow. The rest of us can prepare for Monday. Make sure we have our gear ready. Sound good?”
Everest nodded, fully prepared to do just that. "You going to call in for Theo now or after?" Contact at the same time for them both could be a little too suspicious.
“Yes, right— thank you, sorry.” Wesley shook his head at himself, but knew he hadn’t had the most stable time in Seabrook. He typed away on his phone until he got the confirmation that their hunter associate was on his way to bring Theo in from the pub. “There. Shouldn’t be long.” In due time they both got an alert from the hospital that they had done their duty and their sensors told them Theo was gone from the pub.
With the signal that everything was in the clear, Everest switched his phone over so notifications and messages from Willow appeared as they normally would. Her most recent message of 'Ev, tell me that you're okay. Please' was the first he responded to before calling. 'I'm fine, no need to worry about me. There's just a lot to catch you up on. Gonna call now'. The message was nearly instantly read and once she agreed, he started the call, expecting everyone around to know to stay silent while letting them hear at least part of the conversation and what information she'd be privy to.
The phone didn't even get a full ring out before, "Oh my God, Ev! Don't ever do that again," Willow pleaded, sitting in an armchair beside the hearth in the Old Bear.
"I know, Will, I know," he offered a gentle reassurance. "I never would have left you in the dark that long if I had a chance, you know that. Something came up and-"
"Is Ellie okay? She wasn't answering her phone either."
"Ellie is fine. It's Inara. There was an accident and she fell and...she lost her baby," genuine stress from the event broke his voice and he had to clear his throat to go on, though it gave time for Willow to process what was being said.
"Oh no! Inara...and Wesley," she sobbed, her gentle heart broke for her friends. "I am so, so sorry, Ev. There's just so much going on and I don't even know what to do anymore."
Everest hadn't realized how deep his frown grew with the pain he heard in her voice, though a hand on his shoulder from Ellie seemed to ground him. "I know. We can sit down and talk about it if you want, but they are already arranging a funeral for dad. I can't say that after everything I feel much for him, but I know I want to be there for mom."
Willow could be heard taking deep breaths as she looked out the window, still struggling to grasp everything. The night prior she'd hardly slept, a burden that was unfairly shared with Theo when she tossed and turned. "Yeah, we should be there for mom," she sniffled, pulling a napkin out of her apron to dry her eyes and nose. "I don't know how soon I can get there."
"I'll get a flight for you today. I think seeing you will help calm mom down, too," Everest offered. "If you want we can fly together once I get everything settled."
Traveling alone was never something she'd felt comfortable with. "I think that's a good idea. Theo just had to go into work, though. I should probably talk to him and see if he can come in so short of notice."
Of course she'd be quick to cling to her man. "If he had to work then he probably can't come, Will. I can make sure he gets a flight too, if that makes you feel better, but I was going to fly out this evening."
There was a lengthier silence as Willow chewed over the thought. She didn't like the thought of being apart from Theo when there was so much happening, but it also wasn't fair of her to expect him to up and leave his job just because her family was having a crisis. "Yeah, I can do that. It gives me time to pack," she agreed, nodding even if he couldn't see it. "Just let me know when the flight is and I'll figure out a way to make it work."
"You know I take better care of you than that, Will. I'll send a car," he said with a small chuckle. "I'll see you tonight. Be careful, okay?"
The well wish hit her with an almost bitter taste, and she couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was just the simple fact that with everything that was going on it didn't seem like careful was going to be enough. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she responded, "See you tonight, Ev."
Once the call ended Wesley put an alarm on his phone. They would give her enough time to pack before they sent a car to pick her up. “Alright, all we can do now is wait until Monday.” Wesley exhaled and cradled his hands behind his head. “Now that’s done, I wanted to go over just what went down last night.”
A lot of it had been talked about between him and Inara, but through crying sessions and lamentations. Most of their topic centered around Gomez, Kali failing her, and her loss. But the sequence of events had been muddled. So, the rest of those present did their best to piece together a fuller picture.
When it got to Verek, Nefertiti, and Lyn Lauri said, “I believe that same outfit had been worn in Maine, by one of the people alongside Loki and Sahar.”
Wesley had a blurry image of Verek from his suit recording. He pulled it up and Lauri confirmed it had to be the same. “What else do you recall?”
“Eh, Loki is fair and has black eyes. Sahar is deep voiced, but he has feminine features.” Lauri answered.
At the time Wesley heard them talk about it he had brushed off the detail of black eyes. America had no shortage of people willing to put their bodies through heavy, experimental augmentation. However, at this point, he decided to show them a certain picture. “Did he look like this?” Wesley asked, pulling up the artwork Molly gave him for Christmas.
Wide hazel eyes blinked, “Oui, exactly like that man. That is Loki.”
Oliver also recognized the face to be his. "He was speaking with Lauri in a gift shop while she was looking at sunglasses," he recalled, deciding not to mention his unnecessary need to defend his Lamb from an attack that hadn't existed. "He seemed quite personable, especially given the people he was with."
“Personable?” Wesley questioned.
“Friendly. Amiable.” Lauri offered, giving a shrug. “A pleasant fellow. He was actually concerned with manners too.” While Sahar, apparently, was not. “He said he recently came to America after spending time in Europe. He had an accent like Verek too.”
Cory said, “A middle eastern one?”
“Or close to it,” Lauri answered. She didn’t have the best ear for that.
Wesley frowned, scratching the back of his neck, “None of my contacts in the Middle East have any activity to share. Nothing of note for the last decade.” So what did it mean that these, clearly ethnically diverse, people shared the same odd language and accent? They had to come from somewhere.
Lauri pondered aloud, “You know, Gomez told Verek that our hunting families were the best here. But, do we not have a hold in other places of the world? Europe especially?”
Catching on, Cory said, “Oh right. So why wouldn't Verek know?” Even if the vampires were old and hid, their particular family names were quite ancient themselves. “It would be hard for them to miss.”
“Though, you have to admit, the paleness of the two women and the man may mean they were even older than two-thousand years. Before hunting guilds were formed,” Wesley pointed out. “It could also solve the issue of accent and language—ancient dialects they still use. But I guess it would only explain that for the vampires. It doesn’t answer how the other people are the same, who were not vampiric.”
Cory was troubled, “Don’t vampires stay inside during the day? How did Verek get to the precinct?”
Yonte frowned, “Yeh, you right.”
“Well, it was sunset,” Lauri offered.
“But before then?” Cory posed.
“Teleportation?” Lauri shrugged.
“Maybe, but then who teleported them and then left them there?” Cory asked. “And when we were in Maine, if that was Verek, then how was he moving? The older a vampire is the quicker they fall asleep when the sun rises and the harder it is to wake them.”
Wesley chimed in, “Well, if we assume the others are mages, which they probably are, then they could puppet his body by manipulating the wraps around him. He may well have been completely asleep the whole time. It’s possible someone dropped them off at the steps of the precinct, but perhaps where he was at the time was night and he teleported to the precinct just as the sun went down here, and he merely was drowsy. A feeling that probably left quickly as the sun set fully.” But he was open to any other speculations.
"The accents befuddle me, personally," Rosy came out of her thoughts, not even about to try this puzzle now on how the vampires were being moved. "If they've been alive and living on the planet for thousands of years, don't you expect their accents to match where they're living? Most people lose an accent the longer they're away from where it originated. If they haven't been in the Middle East according to your contacts, shouldn't that be gone after so many years?"
"Maybe," Annabelle shrugged, "But maybe they like it and keep it on purpose? If it makes them sound powerful and ancient, they might just stick to it."
"The officers knew exactly what time they were coming, too," Ellie recalled, picking at loose fruit. "Gomez had mentioned they'd be arriving at 7:15. Whether it was their first time or a re-visit I don't know though. Maybe they'd been by on previous visits. The emergency case with the axe and hydrant was dusty. The relic wall was cleared of all the little items that normally repel them.”
A quick check told Wesley a possible answer to that, “The sun sets at seven in Texas, at this time of year. That holds with Cory’s theory.” He glanced at the master cabin. “Inara is worried there could be more precincts that have been infiltrated.” While certainly an issue to check out, he insisted she wait until she could walk comfortably. Not that Wes intended for Inara to go to any of these places. Just that by then she would be healed enough to emotionally and mentally take action.
Yonten pressed his lips in a grim line, “Fucking leeches. If there are I’mma fucking burn those bitches.”
“I share your sentiment,” Wesley said, coffee eyes boiling. “But one task at a time, hm? Stay alert. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here and Verek might not be the only one. The vision Molly had depicted Ego Sum. They’re known to work in the south.”
Everyone seemed to be in mutual agreement with Wesley's comment, though Joao did scratch his chin in thought. "Does Inara have reliable contact at locations? Will someone need to go to each site and check it?"
"Tak, if problem in one could quickly spread or already be problem," Andriy agreed somberly.
"And Inara had seemed as if she trusted Gomez, meaning a simple call or message may not be sufficient," Rosy remarked, not liking just how extreme this could be. Would they be safe anywhere they went?
"But as Wesley said, one problem at a time. Currently we have the Russians to watch until tomorrow and then we can worry about these offices," Oliver gently redirected everyone. "Has there been a lot of recent activity with Ego Sum?"
Too true, the others allowed the subject to refocus. Wesley exhaled thoughtfully, “Actually no. Not much. In fact, it’s been on the decline since three years ago or so. Other than all this talk of a storm we haven’t seen or heard any big news or movements.”
Cory frowned briefly. “Captain Jones said they thought vampires were on a decline. He said he didn’t believe in such luck.”
“I should say I agree. We shouldn’t take it as a good sign at this point,” Wesley could have chuckled at the thought if it didn’t mean they might be dealing with something worse. Something terrible. Something that had to be stopped at all costs for the sake of the world. Even if it meant costing lives. The Nine were a virus. They had to be burnt out.
Cory said, “Well in that case we may need to up our game. Find out what we can after this Russian hunt.”
“Agreed.” Wesley got up from the table. “I’ll be in the cabin if you need anything.” They knew they were welcome to enjoy the yacht as they pleased.
Once Wesley left Cory said, “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I am up for some distraction.” They had a lot of time to wait until Everest left and their duties for the hunt on Monday. Cory would go out of his mind just sitting there. Thankfully the yacht was quite advanced and had a great console system. “Lauri, you up to game?”
“Mm, a little, but I was hoping to read with Oliver,” Lauri admitted. She turned her eyes out on the glistening ocean. “There is also the sea. I haven’t gone swimming in a long time.”
Yonten quirked a grin, thinking of who he wanted to see in a bathing suit, “Yeh, swimming sounds great.”
Someone interested in her suggestion lightened Lauri’s mood. “Oui, it does. Why don’t we do that? It is so warm here.”
Cory smiled, “Not a bad idea. This ship has a cool little dock thing that lowers to the water too, so it’s way easy to swim around and have place to lounge too. We can make a bunch of drinks and bring them down with us. What do you guys say?”
The idea of relaxing in the water with a cold drink and warm sun sounded just about perfect to most. Even Oliver agreed it'd be nice to wade around or maybe sit in the shade reading while keeping his feet cool.
Annabelle perked up from her seat, shooting Yonten a wink. "Perfect. I packed a bikini hopeful and now it's going to get some wear," she said, every intention of heading back to their room and changing so she wouldn't miss out on the fun in the sun. Whether or not a bunny would trail her was at his discretion. Annabelle would have reason to grin, hearing the familiar gait of her Bunny not far behind. If she focused on the pattern she might have sworn it sounded like a rhythmic thump-thump of a fuzzy little hopper. One that didn’t intend to hop back out too quickly once they got to their cabin.
"We come swim too," Andriy spoke for him and Joao. If there would be a lot of work ahead, might as well enjoy the time they could now!
Gordon looked to Ellie and Everest; still adapting to just what he was expected to do while Everest was around. "I think we're going to pass at least for a while," Ellie decided for the two of them. If he was going to be away for a few days again, she preferred they have a little time together alone first, especially after the night prior. Spotting Gordon's gaze she made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go with the others. Have some fun, and save me a bit of sun for later."
Alaric chuckled, “You are still a little new, aren’t you? Come on Gordon.” He said, easing up from his chair. “Why don’t you change and then help an old man gather snacks to accompany our drinks?”
Gordon wouldn't say no, especially when most the others were dispersing to either change or get ready. It wouldn't take him more than a few minutes to switch into his trunks and join Alaric in the task of sun-approved snack hunting.
Cory loved swimming. Not just for the fun of playing in the water, where ‘wet’ was in one of the few acceptable places in life, but also for the view. His eyes skipped the clouds, the water, and went right to Rosalie. If pressed, he couldn’t deny his interest had sprang from a desire to appraise the beauty he called his own.
"Oh, we packed our swimsuits too, didn't we Lauri?" Rosy perked up, excited for a chance to wear the new piece. She didn't dare go with a bikini, but she still enjoyed it. Though he didn't comment aloud, Oliver's eyes shifted to Lauri at the thought of her in swimwear. Memories of their abridged honeymoon were still on the surface.
Lauri had looked to Rosalie, missing Oliver’s glance, but probably would have thought the same if she had caught his eyes. For the time being she answered her lovely friend, “Oui, I know where they are— want some help while the men get the drinks ready?” She asked, beaming from ear to ear and getting up from her seat to offer a hand. The men just hand trunks to wear. They could spare the time to get drinks for them all while the women hassled with the suits.
The offered hand wouldn't be denied when it came to her and her growing bump. Ellie and Everest had already made their departure from the group when Rosy fell into step with Lauri. "So, of the places we've visited, I would say that Texas is not so bad, however I feel like in a few months it'd be far too hot," she remarked with a giggle. A good thing she wouldn't be here for her final trimester.
Getting into the one piece swimsuit she'd picked out would definitely require some assistance getting into. Times like these, Rosy was beyond grateful to have Lauri in her life. When she was finally dressed, she pulled on a floppy white sun hat. "Too much?"
“If it is, who cares? Enjoy it! But I do not think so.” Lauri smiled, just slipping on her bathing suit after helping Rosalie. It was one she saw that matched the wedding theme. A bikini with stars and moons felt appropriate for their Bora Bora honeymoon.
Lauri swept her hair back and braided it, twisting the shoulder-blade length rope against her head to form a bun. She held it in place with one hand while she grabbed a matching ribbon for her galaxy style suit. “I will wear this big bow, which is probably too much— we shall both make a scene, oui? Come on.” Lauri smiled. She finished her hair and took Rosy with one hand and the other toted a bag of fins, goggles, and sunscreen. The women knew just who could help with that!
By the time Rosalie and Lauri were headed to the side of the yacht, where they expected to swim, the others had lowered the deck and unfolded the stairs leading down to it. The U-shape gave enough room for several people, a small snack bar, a couple lounge chairs, and plenty of space to run down the boardwalk to jump into the sea. A nice perk of this foldable deck meant the space between the parallel straights had a mesh steel adjustable bottom for those who wanted to be in water without treading it.
Cory nudged Oliver just as he noticed their lovers had returned from where he sat on the edge of the floating deck. There was no fear of Lauri letting Rosalie fall as they came down the stairs, but hey, you could never be too careful. It just so happened that the view pleased him. The floppy sun hat and large bow made him chuckle. “Oh man, my Puddin’ looks like one of those adorable cartoon moms.”
Rosalie's smile widened at his words, pausing at the bottom of the stairs and giving him a small pose with one foot kicked up slightly behind her. "Then I'm glad that Lauri didn't talk me out of the hat," she said with a giggle, coming the rest of the way to meet him for what felt like overdue kisses.
“Ah, you’re beautiful!” Cory agreed that the hat looked great. He pulled his lady love as close as he could, giving his baby a hug in the process, though she didn't know it yet, and gave her another kiss before he whispered to Rosalie’s ear, “Bet that hat would look best just by itself. We’ll have to test my theory later. For science.” He chuckled, using the phrase he heard her say.
Chocolate eyes lit up at everything he implied with such a statement. "Well, you do know how I feel about science," she smirked, leading him over to one of the lounge chairs where they could finish getting ready before getting into the water.
Oliver had followed Cory's gaze and when he caught sight of Lauri, let out a low whistle of approval. They were lucky men alright, and he had married a delicate vision that made the beautiful ocean scene about them jealous. "Et les cieux ont décidé que la plus belle femme marcherait devant nous," he breathed, happily pulling his Lamb into his arms as she parted from Rosy. "J'ai beaucoup de bons souvenirs de ce maillot de bain, mon Amour," the soft murmur paused when he moved to place a kiss on her neck, "bien que la plupart impliquent sa suppression."
“Ah, mon Amour, quelles douces paroles. Comme ils sont beaux dans notre livre,” said Lauri, as she came to sit on his lap, taking out the sunscreen while he continued to speak. The Lamb tilted her head so that her Lion may have better access to her neck. She purred, “Perhaps we should recreate such a fond memory after we swim.” Once he had eased back she faced him with the bottle of SPF 80. “Would you do my back?”
"When the stars and moon are my goal, applying lotion is the least I can do in the meantime," Oliver said as he accepted the bottle and began to apply a generous amount in a strategic motion along her fair back. The marks he had seen plenty of times and often kissed each in their intimate moments, were coated over along with the fresh bruises from the night prior. "Is there any other part of you that needs additional rubbing, mon Amour?"
Lauri’s cheeks pinked. Both from the pleasantness of his hands and his question. “Je pourrais penser à un autre,” she said with a light smirk while she applied her sunscreen in the areas she could reach herself. “But perhaps that will have to be done after, for another fond memory.” Now all lathered, Lauri needed to let the lotion sink in, so she decided to pull out her e-reader and sit with Oliver on the lounge chair for a couple of chapters with him. By then she’d be ready to swim.
Cory, who had peppered Rosalie with kisses, saw the lotion and took another out to do so for his lady love. “Far be it from me to assume a strong and skilled woman needs my assistance, but may I have the honor of rubbing this on your legs?” Although he didn’t go full nerd, Rosalie would always know the tone of Sir Valerian.
"A princess wouldn't have it any other way," she couldn't help but giggle, leaning back and letting her legs spill into his lap, freshly painted pink toenails from their spa day sparkling in the sun.
While public physical affection wasn’t his forte, Cory took special delight in helping Rosalie with her legs. Hands slid a intentionally too close once in a while, and maybe a little more pressure was applied in certain areas, until he had no more excuse to rub her down. “Hm, well, you know what they say— after a while it’s always good to put. more on,” he chuckled, setting the bottle in easy reach and pulling her to snuggle with him until the lotion set in properly.
Down below, Andriy and Joao had wasted little time getting into the water. They were trying to convince Gordon to relax and come join him, though the young man had seemed quite determined to wait until he knew everyone was down safely. Without having Ellie to keep an eye on he was at a bit of a loss of what to do with himself.
If Gordon thought that his time as the ‘new guy’ was near its end, he didn’t see the goal post. Or the light at the end of the tunnel. What he did see— or rather hear—was the pattering of feet, a shadow cast over them, and the brief image of a balled up Tibetan who splashed like a living cannon ball right next to him. SPLOOSH! A decent wave any jumper would be proud of came crashing over Gordon. Clapping and chuckles followed right after.
Andriy and Joao were enjoying a round of laughter at the expense of Gordon, already excited for a repeat of the pool fun that was had on New Years, with a twist of hazing if they could! If he were at all planning on being dry, those plans had been put to rest. Gordon swooped his hair back as best as he could with his hand, shaking his head at Yonten. "You don't come with any kind of a warning label, do you?"
"The warning is you better keep up, muddafukka," Annabelle called with a smirk as she descended the stairs in her dragon-printed bikini. There were no floppy sun hats or bows in her fiery hair, though there was a familiar glow that seemed to brighten as she spotted her drenched bunny.
Lauri’s cheeks pinked. Both from the pleasantness of his hands and his question. “Je pourrais penser à un autre,” she said with a light smirk while she applied her sunscreen in the areas she could reach herself. “But perhaps that will have to be done after, for another fond memory.” Now all lathered, Lauri needed to let the lotion sink in, so she decided to pull out her e-reader and sit with Oliver on the lounge chair for a couple of chapters with him. By then she’d be ready to swim.
While public physical affection wasn’t his forte, Cory took special delight in helping Rosalie with her legs. Hands slid a intentionally too close once in a while, and maybe a little more pressure was applied in certain areas, until he had no more excuse to rub her down. “Hm, well, you know what they say— after a while it’s always good to put. more on,” he chuckled, setting the bottle in easy reach and pulling her to snuggle with him until the lotion set in properly.
Indeed! The Tibetan man moved like a shark in the water. His black eyes seemed less like large, round ones of a Bunny and more akin to a monster of the deep. When Yonten surfaced he grinned at Annabelle. There would be no mistake about what he found so interesting. The red head was as hot in temper as her figure.
Alaric knew not to cross lines with anyone here, but no one could prevent him from admiring from afar. “My compliments for your taste in swimwear, darling. Dragons befit you well.” And so did that piece she wore.
Annabelle tossed her hair over her shoulder, no stranger to her own level of attraction and unashamed to flaunt it. "They look almost as good on me as bunnies do." Crystalline eyes had found obsidian ones as she started to approach the water.
Yonten knew it too. He got up and pulled her for a kiss, “Yeeeeh, that’s the shit.” That preceded a sudden dart to nab her and launch into the sea. Better keep up! At least it wasn't an icy lake.
A squeal more of delight than protest left Annabelle as she was relocated into the waters. Surfacing, she shot a playful scowl at the Tibetan. "You're lucky it's not cold," she said with a splash of water in his direction.
“Yeh,” The Bunny knew she had him there. But, in all honesty, it was fun to be chased. Yonten dived and bit her thigh. Not too hard, but sharp enough to instigate a swim around the deck.
Soon the wild couple were joined by Cory, who helped Rosalie into the shallow end of the metal mesh that served them well as a false bottom. It grew steadily deeper the close it got to the edge of the fancy deck. The time for fruity drinks had come and gone, and would no doubt be visited later, but now was the time for swimming.
Rosalie had to admit that the ocean was quite enjoyable. She didn't dare go too deep with as far pregnant as she was, but the water was a welcomed relief to the added weight of her stomach. She even didn't feel bad about being held in Cory's arms when her weight was reduced. "It's beautiful out here," she remarked to him, reaching up to remove her hat and placing it on his head with a chuckle.
Flipping up the wide brim, Cory smiled at Rosy, “Yeah, you are.” He gave her a kiss to her cheek. Then he splashed her. “Beautiful and gleaming!” He inhaled and dunked into the sea. Rosy felt her arms give and she became an unexpected passenger of Cory’s water train. The kind that had to be gentle with the mother of his child, but still fun. “The pink toed shark of the deep has come to vanquish you all!” He gave chase to anyone near him. “Isn’t that’s right, Rosy?”
The first involuntary swim that Rosy was a part of was met with a sharp squeal, holding on to him tightly. She certainly trusted him, but that didn't mean she was any less unprepared for their journey. Soon enough she'd loosened up and was joyfully playing along with him. "Raaaaaaaaa I am the Blonde-Ness Monster!" she said as they launched an attack on Alaric.
“Whoa, whoa!” Alaric, who had barely gotten into the water, quickly shuffled along the metal mesh flooring in a valiant effort to escape the, albeit slow, blue and white monster in the arms of her captivated minion. In his best Scottish accent, Alaric shouted playfully, “They called me crazy! But here she is! Nessi is real!”
Their chase ended with Cory and Rosalie managing to splash Alaric into submitting to their victory. Then they chased Yonten a while, but he proved too fast, and Cory soon had to rest. But that didn’t mean he was idle. Cory floated around with Rosy, teased her, held her in the water and smooched. All around enjoyed a pleasant occasion to be in her presence. It was no different than the other couples. Though, if you asked Cory, he’d say he had the best girl.
Lauri, satisfied with the reading session, did not toe-dip. Once she had on her goggles and fins, she dived into the sea gracefully. The Lamb surfaced, her big bow weighed down with water. “Ah, I have not been to the ocean in so long. It is amazing!” She inhaled and dipped again. Lauri tried to swim as far as she could before the pressure and the air she needed was too much. Just as she turned upward she thought she saw a strange dark glimmer. A mass of seaweed in the shape of a tangly horse as long as a school bus. Yet in that brief moment, to her utter astonishment, she could have sworn she felt the same kind of bizarre reaction to animals she had been experiencing. But the moment had come and gone so quickly, and a second trip proved fruitless to double check, that Lauri passed it off as just a trick of the mind.
Yonten, who had been in a back and forth with Annabelle, surveyed who was not getting in all the fun they could from their visit to the water. If they believed he would not tackle them in it, they would be wrong. Well, Alaric’s arm was still in recovery. Maybe he had a pass.
Oliver had been a victim of Yonten's Water Relocation Services when he had remained on the lounge watching Lauri as she dove in. It was unfair, really. He had been too preoccupied with the view that he hadn't seen the playful attack until it was too late and he was soon just as soaked as the other man.
As Fate would have it, Lauri got to watch the whole thing from start to finish. She had, in fact, been a part of the reason why it hadn’t been fair— a captivating wink had helped to distract her Lion for the unexpected Bunny attack. Once he was pulled into the water she swam over to Oliver with a big smile. “Ah, mon Amour. So good of you to join us.” She giggled.
The now very wet Lion could only spoff at his love and her comment, scooping her up in his arms. "Ah yes, just where I wanted to be. Humide et avec mon amour," he said as he nibbled at her neck, not minding the salty taste she had acquired.
What could Lauri do but melt in Oliver’s hold? “Ah, how you make me swoon!” She said, though she made no move to stop; savoring his lips against her throat. But soon enough the Lamb, who gave just as many nips to him, lured him into play. Diving and occasional unexpected dunking of the other, interspersed with chases and kisses.
Andriy had convinced Gordon to join them for an always favorite game of trying to dunk Joao. Where Andriy normally failed alone, Gordon had a more solid body and they were getting closer.
"Yonten, come! We dunk him!" Andriy called out for reinforcements while the Brazilian mountain of a man was only chuckling at their efforts.
Yonten, who had happily taken a break to taunt and kiss his Dragon, looked over at the hulking Brazilian with glimmering black eyes. “Heh, yeeehh.” Yonten grinned where he floated next to his lady love. “You going down, Joao!”
The struggle to topple Joao was a struggle indeed, and Annabelle pulled away from Yonten to help them out. Jumping out of the water like a whale in breach, she launched herself at his broad back and latched on. The sudden unexpected weight made Joao stumble, though he managed to stay upright. "Heh, need more," he smirked, feeling just as impressive as Everest had in their game of sharks and minnows!
Cory chuckled, looking at the bunch of them. “This looks like a quest for the brave Knight, Sir Valerian!” He got up on the deck and raced full-force at the pile of men.
Lauri watched as the Brazillian’s strength could not dodge the bullet of a man, due to all the others latched onto him. Cory shouted a war cry and slammed into the mountain of bodies. They all yelped and hooted with surprise and delight as they tipped over and fell into the sea.
“Woo!” Alaric, who had opted out of the tangle of men, raised his good arm in cheerful support of the triumph.
Clapping, Lauri chuckled, “Bravo!”
Yonten surfaced and raised both fists, “YEH!”
The group enjoyed a series of water games and banter. Those who could indulge in stronger beverages did while everyone enjoyed the delicious finger food to snack on. The sun was beginning to set when Everest was getting ready to part from the yacht. Ellie, who had her fair time with her husband and plenty of threats and reminders that he needed to be in Belarus sooner than later, was at his side on deck.
"Alright, our flight takes off here at 9, so we will land about 11 Seattle time or 1 AM for you guys," he said with a visible look of displeasure. He'd gotten far too used to jet traveling, but he worked with what he had when the Crosse jet was back at Avostoska. "If anything comes up, don't hesitate to reach out. As soon as Willows with my mom we should be fine if I need to come back."
“We’ll be sure to do just that, if we need it. I should say the same to you.” Wesley pulled Everest into a hug. He murmured Inara sends her best. Not long after did Everest receive a text with an emoji of a plane and sad face, immediately followed by a laughing-out-loud emoji and a heart with the words ‘safe travels’. Inara may well be suffering even now, but this gave them some hope that she hadn’t lost herself entirely.
Yonten gave Everest a hearty pat on the shoulder and a strong hug. Not a man of words, he figured that said enough. Then he took his side by Annabelle. Arm draped and comfortable.
“Don’t get too comfortable, you hear?” Cory teased, knowing the struggle was going get real, real fast.
Lauri chuckled, “Bons voyages!”
"Oh you big baby," Ellie could only roll her eyes at her husband.
Rosy chuckled as she gave Everest a light hug. "If you manage to survive flying commercial I'm sure you can handle the rest."
Everest spoffed in response, giving a final wave of farewell to everyone. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in," he shook his head before heading to the ramp. "Don't miss me too much, you beautiful people. Yonten, too."
Another round of farewell and waving followed Everest as he walked away. Once he was in the car the guests dispersed one by one and pair by pair. Cory wanted to get warm and dry again. He also had a science experiment to work out with his lady love. Yonten and Annabelle had already engaged in their own, which meant he decided to get his drink on with his Dragon instead and put on a movie. Lauri and Oliver discreetly sneaked away to their cabin to make another fond memory before returning in comfortable evening clothes to enjoy a moment with their friends before bedtime. Then, after everyone got an update on Inara, they all parted for sleep. There may or may not have been one last science experiment, Bunny’s wrestling with Dragons, and little Lambs making more fond memories with Lions.
Everest sent a text that he had successfully made it to Washington with Willow by breakfast. A hilarious turn of events delayed a flight, stuck him in coach for a half an hour on a puddle jumper plane, and took them the rest of the way on a plane with economy+. Wesley and everyone else was sure that any portrayal of sorrow and discomfort he needed to display for Willow would no longer be an act.
Wesley chuckled, “I can feel his mood through his plain text.” He clicked away confirmation of receiving the text and sent one to the hospital over his phone. “Alright, I’ve sent my contact the go-ahead to let Theo go, as long as he fills in on Tuesday.” The Fox eased back, pleased with his plan going well at this point. “We need to continue to be on alert though. I’m afraid I’ll have to caution against leaving the ship, or wearing swimwear. In fact, each of you should wear a Lithe until our mission is done, at the least, and preferably the Nexus suits I brought for all of us.”
Putting down his orange juice, Cory nodded, “Okay. I think I will do both.” He glanced at Rosy and asked Wes, “What about the pregnant women?” It wasn’t likely they had Nexus suits. Their growing bellies made it hard to design around a shifting shape of a bump.
“This ship has a detachable amphibious craft. It’s fully blessed, equipped with weapons, and can fit all of us comfortably. I want the women inside. Inara knows how to fly it. In a pinch one of the other women could use Pascal for guidance, and of course, you can initiate autopilot for a set destination.” Wesley made sure that Manta had several safe houses, estates, and forts input into its GPS. “Does that sound alright?”
Rosy felt a wave of relief that Wesley already had a mobile safe house of sorts to keep them tucked away in. She would greatly prefer not to be in a repeat of the night prior, especially with how it had ended. She stayed quiet as she ate her yogurt with granola though, nodding in agreement.
"That sounds like a good idea," Ellie spoke for them both, spearing a sausage from her plate. "One less thing for you guys to have to worry about, too."
Oliver nodded in agreement, enjoying the idea that Lauri would be far out of harm's reach, even if she wasn't expecting. He had faith in her ability to defend herself, but also knew that they were up against a lot of unknown factors at this point. He would much rather have her stowed away then have to live with himself if something had happened to her. "A very sound idea, indeed," he agreed with a sip of his Earl Grey.
While knowing she would be bereft of her husband, Lauri trusted Wesley’s plans and Oliver’s support of it. Perhaps if her Lion had spoken against it she may have wavered in trust, but if he felt strongly then she was comfortable. Besides, she was worried if something happened that Rosy could be left unguarded.
"With Alaric's injury, is it best if he's also in this pod? And what about myself and Lauri? Would you want us aboard or with you here on the ship in case we need to go in?" Gordon questioned.
Alaric answered for himself here, despite Wesley’s possible thought on the issue, though he was sure there wouldn’t be a disagreement. “Oh I think I will sit this one out. Not much for field work in the first place. I can aid the women, one armed as I am, and maybe offer myself as a last resort for protection if it came down to it.”
Wesley nodded, “I agree. Alaric can stay with the women, but I should have been more clear— the pregnant women, and Inara who can’t fight, will be put in Manta; non negotiable.” It was a direct response to Cory’s question regarding the ladie’s with children. Wes added Inara in due to her physical condition. “As for whether or not you or Lauri fight, Gordon, I am undecided.”
Cory cleared his mouth with a gulp of water to say, “Well I’d want Lauri with Rosy.” It had worked out so far. A good choice for a guard.
“Now, I won’t be telling either you and Rosy or Ellie what to do in regards to where you want your assistants. However, keep in mind that we don’t have our sharpshooter with us. We will miss half our targets at least.” Wesley folded his arms across him in casual manner. “The more people we have up top, the better, in my opinion. Manta is quite a defensible craft. It’s fast and can travel on land, sea, or air. If we do face Ego Sum while we are still waiting for the Russians to get into position, I’m sending the Manta away immediately. The craft will meet us back in Avostoska. That means anyone on that craft will be out of harm's way and unable to help in the fight. If Gordon and Lauri go, that means we’re two more people down.”
Rosy shifted at the thought of being without Lauri at her side. Of course Ellie was not completely incapacitated to function if needed, and Inara though injured could still defend herself if need be. They'd also have Alaric as another body. Still, it was odd to think she wouldn't have her dear friend at her side if anything were to happen.
"Wesley's right," Ellie spoke, giving a nod in Gordon's direction. "They're going to need all the hands they can get. Just a few people isn't going to be enough if Ego Sum shows up; better a couple more hands if they can get it."
"Of course, Mrs. Crosse." He wouldn't object to her request and agreed he'd be better utilized than in a capsule.
With that perspective, Rosalie felt simply selfish to try and keep Lauri away from them. "If Lauri is comfortable with it, I trust her decision," she decided, though if Lauri wasn't, she'd happily come to bat for her.
Cory perhaps had a much more selfish take on the issue. He looked around at their body count. Wes, himself, Yonten, Annabelle, Gordon, Joao, Andriy, and Oliver. Against one of the Nine, having as many people as they could did make for a better chance at success, but he could not shake the fear of losing that extra bit of protection for Rosalie. Before Lauri could give her opinion Cory said, “Well, I think Lauri should stay with Rosy still.”
“Alright, if that’s how you feel about it.” Wesley said, understanding the situation. He wished he had kept either Hye or Kazumi. It would have been a little harder for either to travel with the children alone, but he could have avoided unforeseeable pain. The rub if it was that it was not quite unforeseeable. They did see Molly’s vision, even if they didn’t know exactly how that would go. “To be honest, I would like to send them away now. Whether or not Ego Sum arrives.” Though at this point, he had to feel they would.
Relief was masked well by Rosy when Cory voiced his insistence. It would likely help keep both him and her slightly more relaxed in the situation, even if it was one less capable body the active hunters would have. Still, being sent away right then seemed sudden and the gravity of the situation and what Cory might be up against sunk in her stomach.
"Probably not a bad call," Annabelle agreed, not wanting the same fate that fell on Inara to be found for Rosy or Ellie. "Having them on their way will also make it easier to focus. You won't have to worry about it not leaving or something going wrong." They'd had more than enough go wrong in the past 24 hours that relying on things going according to plan was a fools mistake.
Andriy, finished with his breakfast and dusting crumbs on to his plate, shifted his gaze to the shore. "We should suit up," he remarked, knowing they would want to be prepared for when the Russians returned to the pub and anything else that might occur.
A flap of wings drew their eyes over the water. While they did their best to steer clear of the dock, so that they didn’t endgame the public, this did mean that they were more vulnerable themselves. Dogs, cats, and the normal familiars were no issue on the water. However, what with the strange power of the mages so far, they became aware of just how many seagulls had come to circle their ship.
Wesley stilled. He counted at least five. When had they come? Scooting out of his seat, he said, “Yes, I think Andriy is right. Let’s go n—”
BOOSH!
A wave without natural cause shoved the yacht. What wasn’t tethered or bolted down slid across the deck. They could hear crashing of plates and the creak of the hull. The wave lacked the strength to capsize the ship, yet they dare not abandon worry. B’Yacht’ch bobbed, as if attempting to stabilize, but no matter if she swayed to the left or the right, she was met with another slap.
Cory, since he was with Rosy, instinctively pulled her to him. Likewise Yonten’s hand reached for Annabelle and Lauri found Oliver’s grasp. Wesley managed to catch Alaric before the Silver Fox fell. They all snapped their eyes up to see the clouds gather between them and the shoreline. In moments they were cast in shadow.
Yonten pulled Annabelle with him to where the suits were stowed. He, like most of them, still needed their Lithe’s on. Another lurch of the ship had him wrap his arms around her just as they came thumping into the hallway wall. It was easy to recover. They did their best to keep steady while navigating to the armory. Once there, Yonten quickly slipped on a Lithe before suiting up in his Nexus. Black and branded with the Bunny Annabelle had etched on his bumper car. The artwork glowed green.
Stumbling about and jostling into each other wasn't nearly as much fun as it would have been in any other circumstance. Using a wall to steady herself, Annabelle slipped into her Lithe before donning the Nexus atop it. Like Yonten's it had been personalized just for her, a red dragon wrapped around the black suit along her waist and spouting flames across her chest. Helmet closing about her face, she turned to her suited man. "Time to kick ass, Bunten," she said through coms, a smile that was hidden still heard in her tone before she took off back up to the main deck.
Chuckling, Yonten com’d back, “And burn faces.” Their suits were tailored to their tastes. Annabelle had wicked fireball cannon on her right arm.
“Lauri, Alaric— lead the women down!” Wesley shouted a command over the rising roar of the wind. Then he ran over to the master cabin to get Inara.
Without a moment to spare Lauri grabbed Oliver’s face, gave him a kiss steeped in every emotion she could convey, and swore, "Je te reverrai, mon Amour.” Lauri didn’t know if today she would lose him, or he would lose her, but the determination to reunite fired her spirit. “I love you.”
Oliver felt the weight of the words they'd said to each other many times in this moment of uncertainty. "Sois en sécurité jusqu'à ce que je te retienne à nouveau," he asked before shooing her and Rosy off to safety.
Just next to them Cory, who held his beloved to him with one arm and had the rail grasped in his other, said, “I promise I will come back to you. I love you Rosy.” He pressed his lips to hers to seal his vow. When he released her mouth he urged her, “Go Rosy! Go!”
Despite the danger around them and what it would mean for her and Amelie, Rosy hated to leave him. She needed to know he was safe and clearly where they were right then was nothing on that avenue. "Come home to us," she demanded before she was whisked away by Lauri taking a hold of her hand, fighting tears in her eyes.
Alaric did his best to help Ellie while Lauri helped Rosalie waddle faster down the pathways to Manta. The entrance could have been mistaken for a regular door. Their were Lithe’s availed for them. Lauri made sure Rosy got hers on before her own. Alaric did the same with Ellie. By the time they got their protective wear on Wesley came down with Inara in his arms. Tired, pale, and drained, Inara counted it as a blessing that she had the energy to drive. As soon as Wesley set her in the control seat she began to initialize departure.
“Go straight to Avostoska, do you understand?” Wesley needed her reply.
“I understand,” Inara said, turning to him where she sat to enfold him in her arms. The couple shared a moment of affection and silent encouragement before Wesley left with only his trust and Faith in her to keep him going.
Inara checked the other passengers who were in the same large room, “Are you buckled?”
Lauri made sure Rosalie’s straps were secure and comfortable. “Rosy is set.”
Alaric had helped Ellie, but he was having trouble with his. “Almost…”
“Here,” Lauri came to his aid. Just as the Silver Fox clicked his straps into place they were jostled aggressively.
“Oh lord!” Alaric gasped seeing Lauri tumble across the floor.
Thankfully this was nothing her Lithe couldn’t handle. She recovered and made her move to her seat. Inara glanced back to see her fall yet again when the vessel yanked to the left.
Inara frowned, but knew she couldn’t stay. “I’m sorry Lauri, we have to get going. You’ll have an easier time if we leave anyway.” Inara detached from the yacht and propelled them from the quaking ship.
If Lauri had a moment to catch her breath she would have told her it was fine, but as it was, she hoped for the small miracle of getting, and staying, on her feet! Inara’s prediction proved well. The smooth ride gave Lauri the stability to get into her seat and strap herself in. The Lamb exhaled, “Oh mon Dieu.”
“Are you alright, Lauri?” Alaric asked.
“Oui,” Lauri nodded. “I just hope the others will be.”
Back at the yacht...
Just as Yonten and Annabelle were coming out of the armory Joao, Andriy and Gordon were on their way in. The ships swaying made it difficult, but they eventually were each suited up in a Lithe. Gordon had required a little assistance with the Nexus, unaccustomed to the suit and it's abilities, but eventually they were all suited up. Less for flashy designs, Andriy's was black with silver accents and Joao's a dark navy color with white accents and trim. Gordon had yet to personalize his at all and was wearing a default white suit.
Oliver along with Cory were arriving to the armory delayed from saying their farewells to their lovers. Like the others, Lithes were slipped on before the outer protective shell of the Nexus. At Lauri's recommendation, he had gone with a maroon suit, detailed with a golden lion on its hind legs roaring. Though he had yet to see it himself, he had to approve of the color choice and its connection to the Wizarding house of Gryffindor in Harry Potter.
Any other time Cory would have fished for compliments on his suit styled after his character Sir Valerian. Unfortunately he had to focus on not dying instead. Blazing with an ever growing etch of various achievements, Cory’s suit detailed in the old Norse way of telling his story. There were a few of his LARPing triumphs on it too. A glance at Oliver and he felt a tug of conversation— what a neat suit! But no, no! He had to focus! Cory must not let his mind distract him.
The five came back to deck feeling very much like a small group of superheros and now able to stabilize against whatever was jarring the ship. Now joined with the others, the eight of them gathered on the open deck, under an awning, with the most room to maneuver. B’Yacht’ch could not be touched by Almaeri. Wesley had the ship blessed. It was dumb luck, or Fate, that he chose this one and not the yacht he gave to Inara who dedicated it to Kali.
"Alright, just what are we up against?" Gordon asked as he stepped cautiously toward the edge of the rocking ship.
Wesley, who had suited up in his elegant Nexus from when he introduced them, com’d to all of them. “Not sure, to be honest,” he said, not pleased to admit it. The timing of the attack worried him. Seagulls were not a common familiar. Just who had the talent to ensnare them? And so many? The timing of the attack frustrated him too. So convenient for the mages that the hunters were vulnerable. How long had they been listening and did this mean their whole mission was bunk? “We just need to wait this out until we get the alert.” Then they could blast out of there across the sea, potentially even merge with Manta.
The sky dimmed further. Thunder rumbled in the clouds above them. Wesley hummed in slight worry. Storms were hard to control. He hoped whoever the mage had conjured it was wearing down on some boat off in the distance. Wesley would have taken solace in the knowledge that they had yet to meet any mage who could fly. The problem with that had been seeing the dead rise. A thing no mage he knew could do. Wes could only be grateful his Nexus design included flight.
“Oh shit,” Yonten breathed, the first one to notice just what they were up against, as Gordon had questioned.
Out of the fog of the storm dozens of mages rose just like in Molly’s vision. Ego Sum wore flowing hooded robes of black and grey with a hand printed on their faces. The symbol glistened; red from blood. They levitated like spirits. The hunter’s Nexus suits could detect ominous chanting. One figure remained silent. This one’s left hand, stiff and spread as if holding an invisible ball, must be controlling the storm. The hand of this mage twitched and the first line of mages came rushing toward the hunters, each armed with floating chunks of sea rock and some with ice.
The group formed along the edge of the ship, eyes trained on the approaching mages. Just as Annabelle wouldn't stray from Yonten's side, Oliver took up position beside Cory, withdrawing their guns. It wasn't long before the rest followed suit, each lining up with a target.
"Alright boys, light 'em up!" Annabelle called through their coms. The air quickly filled with the smell of gunpowder as silver bullets fired off the ship. Even if they were down a sharpshooter, the number of mages that were coming was high enough that more bullets hit than missed, searing through their skin. Body after body dropped from the sky, though they couldn't quite hit the mage who seemed to be manifesting the building storm about them. The return volley of rocks and ice from the mages was dodged fairly easily with the aid of the suit technology and occasionally a shield thrown up.
"Wes, got anything to deal with that one bloke?" Oliver said, his visual system locked on the mage who still remained while the last of the first wave of mages was eliminated, their dissipating remains barely splashing the water below.
Another surge of pions came at them. The hunters barely had to dodge their attacks. After all the mages they had cleared, it seemed there were that many to take the place of the fallen. It seemed more came from the clouds of the storm. Wesley didn’t know if that had to do with the one controlling it, or if this mage simply kept a visual barrier between what was going on and the civilians of Texas.
“I’ll see what I can do, but let’s get rid of the excess. We’ll use the storm as our cover for now.” Something they didn’t have to worry about doing themselves. But another reason drove Wesley. A thirst for vengeance coursed in his veins. For every mage he struck down he felt pleasure knowing another of them had died— unfortunately not in agony, because of the efficiency of their weapons, but dead nonetheless. The thoughts of Inara and her sorrow fueled him.
POP! POP! POP! The mages fell to the hunters.
Angry words were shouted between several of the mages floating in air beside the Squall mage. Some that were recognizable gave the impression that they were frustrated for having lost so many mage lives. How could this be? The answer the Squaller mage must have put them in their place. They went silent and charged— again, only after a twitch of the Squallers hand. In fact, the hunters noticed the mages who came at them hardly moved except when the Squaller’s fingers drummed the air.
“RRAA!!” One of the mages punched the air towards the group. The raindrops condensed into a large spear of ice. It struck in the middle of the group. Hunters dodged the impact. It didn’t stop there. Several more were thrown down until the top deck became a forest of spikes.
Cory was the first to take sustained flight. He had nowhere to stand. Anywhere he did, they threw a spike. He tried to shoot this set of mages, but they were quicker than the last. They had better control too, deflecting their bullets with condensed ice, or they’d send a wave to crash over the ship to throw off the aim of the hunters.
By now Wesley counted just over a dozen mages left; the powerful ones. Try as they might, he and the others were having a hard time killing them. Then Wesley got the alert from the sensors; Russians were moments from home. “Andriy! It’s time!”
Andriy pulled back away from the chaos of the deck to pull out the detonation device he'd designed for the bomb at the pub. He never trusted phones feeling they were far too easy to hack, plus you never knew if a carrier was having problems. With Wesley's technology they only needed to be in a twenty-five mile radius of the device so it worked to suit their needs. Squeezing the side panels and flipping the switch, three high-pitched beeps signaled it had gone off.
Even through the gale around them they heard a mild rumble. It filled the hunters with a renewed spirit. All their hard work paid off!
"Is done!" Andriy called back through the comms before he turned back to go into the fight. After not paying attention to the fight, he had completely missed the spear of ice that was falling from the sky, headed straight for him. Fortunately, Joao had caught sight of it, abandoning his shots for a second and grabbing the younger man's shoulder to jerk him out of way just in time.
"Be careful! I won't always be here to save your ass, pegueno cara," Joao scolded before turning back to the fight.
All around them damage was collecting to the deck of B'Yacht'ch while the skies grew uglier. Annabelle stepped closer to the edge as she fired, a sudden rock of the hull close to spilling her into the ocean. Gordon who was close threw an arm on her to steady her while the suit calibrated, both floating off the deck for only a second before they were balanced again.
"Thanks, kid," Annabelle muttered before firing three quick shots at the mage who seemed to be responsible for the ice. Pop! Pop! Pop! The first two were dodged but the last found his throat, slicing straight through it as the blessed bullet took it's effect.
Yonten, who had no room to stand on the ship at this point, did his best to ward off the mages closest to Annabelle. He was grateful that Gordon had been there for her at that moment. A few more mages who tried to harm her were immediately assaulted by the Tibetan. He took hits as they came at her.
Wesley’s exhilaration had to be muted for the time being. Despite the victory there were several mages left. Each of them harder to handle than the last. Twice Wesley fell to the sea. Thrice a spike managed to crash him into his ship. He felt the edge of the ice scrape against his armor. There would surely be damage to mend. “Alright, guys. Let’s try to lose them.”
Cory dove into the water to avoid struggling against the Squaller’s hold on the storm and wind. He had every intention of blasting along the trial of Manta. His body slowed against the thickening of the sea. Seaweed rushed up, pulling from the roots of the bottom of the ocean, headed right to him. Cory took a sharp turn and launched himself into the sky. Looking around him, he saw the others do about the same.
SHWING!
“Ah!” Cory’s back jerked when a spike struck him. He nearly hit the ocean again. The Nexus maneuvered in the air and he managed to fly towards Wesley. “What do we do?”
“We’re going to have to get rid of that one,” Wesley said simply.
As if knowing their mind, eerily so, the Squaller’s hand twitched enthusiastically. While before the remaining mages had been careful to make their attacks from a distance, they rushed the group down. Two fell to Oliver. One to Joao and Annabelle.
Enraged, one of the mages on his way towards Cory shot up his hand towards. A mass of seaweed flung upwards, latching onto his suit. With the mages other hand he slammed spike after spike at Cory. The hunter shot his best, missing his foe. The wind around them wavered. The mage lost focus and nearly plunged into the sea, “¡Maldición! ¿Qué estás haciendo por allá?!” His body flailed around. They could only assume he complained to the Squaller who lost momentary control.
Seaweed loosened from Cory, giving the hunter a clear shot. The quick mage had lost his agility, the wind faltering to hold him steady. “Gotcha!” Cory guffawed. Despite the frantic layers of ice each blast came that much closer to the mage. Another waiver of wind and the mage’s focus broke. A clear shot crushed through him like a rock tearing tissue paper.
It seemed that the trouble for that mage spread. The rest of the mages who had been fighting the others found themselves unsteady, nearly dropping out of the sky. Wesley shot three who he had been missing. A glance at the Squaller showed the hand jerking around. The mage next to that one hissed and lamented, going in for a kill themselves as each of their comrades dropped from the sky. This one faced off against Joao, only to get hit by friendly cross fire. The body of this mage was pulled back to the side of the Squaller who still stood where they had been the whole time.
“Damn it!” The last mage besides the Squaller and the unconscious one, a female, shrieked. All their work, and all this death, and yet not even one hunter died? Not one? She felt her body at the mercy of the Squaller and decided it was time to skip the ice and the water. She raised her hand, bare and wet against the storm. “The bones will twist, the skin will char, the throat shall shriek. The bones will twist, the skin will char, the throat shall shriek!” Her voice gained volume, permeating the atmosphere. Her finger tips blackened. Her whole arm trembled.
Yonten felt his body ache. Whatever she was saying had to be heard, and her voice came through the com without trouble to afflict him. Wesley watched as Yonten faltered. He felt his muscles tense. His body tightened into a ball as much as his suit allowed. “Ahhh!” A roar of pain ripped out of Yonten’s throat.
“THE BONES WILL TWIST, THE SKIN WILL CHAR! THE—” The mage’s focus broke as she felt her body flail. The hunters afflicted felt a release from the spell cast. Whatever it was, it was powerful. “Ugh,” exhaled the mage in exasperation, “Get your act together, BITCH! Leader my ass!” Completely unimpressed with such lack of control.
Wesley’s eyes snapped over to the Squaller. A leader? They were dealing with a leader of the Nine? Ego Sum’s very own mastery of every single member, every individual devoted to the domination of the Earth to create a haven for mages at the expense of mundie lives. Coffee eyes boiled; intrigued.
Annabelle couldn't give two shits who any of these filthy mages were. The only thing that mattered just then was that they hurt her Bunny. Crystalline eyes narrowed behind her helmet as she rose up in the air, leveling her muzzle with the unbalanced woman. "Burn in hell, you fucking bitch," she growled as she blew a shot right through her eye socket. "No one touches my man."
The fallen mage splashed in silence against the rage of the wind. Yonten regained his focus, feeling his sense of self return. He couldn’t explain it. The way it made him feel, the way he— it was like he lost all hope and became bitter. Like, anything he saw he could not stand. As if the very sight of someone else breathing drove him into a fervent rage. Like...like if he had the chance, he could have torn Annabelle to pieces with his bare hands. Such frightening thoughts. It relieved him to know they were gone! Whatever that spell was, it terrified him. Yonten couldn’t even fathom how it had turned his mind so dark.
At seeing the female drop out of the sky the motivation to fight left the Ego Sum master. The Squaller turned to go, but it seemed leaving was not in the cards.
The others who weren't struggling to stay up themselves were trying to aim at the last two mages. "Don't let him get away!" Oliver called through the com, firing once more at them.
A barrage of bullets came at the Squaller from many angles. Prevented from launching the great escape, the wind and water around spiraled to form a bubble of protection. TINK TINK TINK! The bullets deflected off the barrier. Whatever control had wavered appeared to come back easily for the Squaller. The unconscious mage, limp and at the mercy of the Ego Sum leader, became a distraction. A shot or two later the slumbering body became encased in ice for protection.
“Fuck this shit,” Yonten decided to forgo the bullets for some raw strength. He pulled his preferred weapon from the Nexus; a pole sparking with electricity on each end. Yonten darted toward the Squaller who toted the icy mage. SWISH SWISH! ZZZ! The Squaller dodged the strikes that passed the swirling protective ball. Those that hit the sphere endured a shuddering hit.
BOOSH! The Squaller shot upward, only to be blocked by Wesley who came down above with a weapon of his own. Uncertainty prompted the Squaller to plunge their comrade into the sea, presumably for safety.
To the left the Squaller darted, aiming to simply leave as intended. Here Cory jumped in the way with his shield and sword; Valerian’s favored. Most of the others also withdrew close range empowered weapons of choice; Joao had the same long pole he practiced with each day, Annabelle two long glowing daggers, Gordon wore a pair of what seemed like brass knuckles but that exuded an energy field around his fists and enhanced it's movements, and Andriy held a halberd longer than he was.
Thus began an artful dance of strikes and dodges. Whichever way the Squaller moved, it didn’t matter how fast they went. Someone got in the way. At some point Oliver nearly struck the head of the Squaller. They dipped in time, but their hood caught the edge of his weapon, pulling it back to reveal the face of a woman whose face was printed with a hand of red. Long white hair braided down her back, smooth youthful fair skin, and with a glimmer of mischief.
“Enough of this,” she sighed, tired of trying to escape just by flying out. The Squaller maneuvered in the air as elegantly as she had been doing so far, swept a hand to clear the yacht deck of the spikes while blocking bullets, and shot right toward it with one hand raised and a familiar phrase forming on the wind.
Wesley rushed in, saying to the others, “I think she means to teleport!” True to his guess, runes began to appear on the expensive wood. BOOM! Wesley shot at the surface of the yacht. The uneven flooring damaged the magic ring.
“Heh,” The Squaller spun away. “Clever man.”
Grinning, Wesley said to the others, “We got her on the ropes. Surround her!” Thanks to her attempt at escape she gave them time to form a sphere of bodies from every angle.
Above, below, left, and right— the Ego Sum leader watched the hunters take positions. Exhaling, frustrated, it seemed she became annoyed with whatever came to mind in this moment of hard decisions. Within a blink of an eye the following occurred. The hunters enclosed on her as if she were in an Iron Maiden. Those with their eyes trained on her noticed her hesitance in her movement. Giving in to whatever internal conflict she struggled with, the Squallers arms crossed her chest and then swept outward just as all eight were feet away from striking her.
“AAHH!” Cory felt his Nexus sputter to stabilize against a gust of wind that shoved him sharply in the opposite direction. The force of it sent a sonic boom that rippled the air and sent a shudder through their bones.
By all accounts such a thing should have kept them going until they maneuver to stabilize or they hit something, but another movement of the Squaller changed the direction of the wind. They rushed upward, curving until they circled back. Cory felt his suit struggle to regain control of flight. It felt like the wind itself were thousands of hands continuously pushing him along. Wesley himself couldn’t even escape the vortex of the wind tunnel. They heard the water below roll against the ship she could not touch or manipulate directly. It turned around, facing the direction Manta had gone. With a sweep of her hands, both the hunters and the ship surged forward and away from the Ego Sum leader. For someone who apparently had trouble keeping a handle on the last of the mages in her command, this power put into question just why she had not done this in the first place.
“WHOA!” Yonten yelled with astonishment at the unexpected trip. What he glimpsed truly surprised him. The woman had not only controlled the wind with such precision that their suits could not force movement against the air, but the ocean yielded to her command and sent the yacht across sea like a torpedo. Strange, that she had sent them and the ship away.
Wesley had no words. He simply watched, baffled, as the woman quickly became a dot in the distance. They traveled for a good mile or so before they were released. The Nexus’s saved them from crashing into the water. The yacht quaked as it slowed against the ocean and slid to a sloshing halt. Wesley lowered himself to the floating wreckage knowing that the woman was probably long gone by now.
Cory dropped beside him, staring back at where they had been a moment ago. “What the hell just happened?”
“I—I don’t know,” Wesley admitted.
Joao landed a short distance away, his chest heavily rising and falling as he calmed himself back down. "Is too strong of a mage," he breathed once he'd let his helmet flip back, the danger seeming to be gone.
"Have never seen power like that," Andriy commented, looking back at the shoreline. "Well...except..."
"Except back in the woods of Belarus," Annabelle finished for him, moving to stand as close to Yonten as her suit allowed. She wanted to examine him after that heart-wrenching scream when his body had been conformed without his control, though not until they were far the fuck away from Seabrook.
Yonten trembled in his suit, though he did not let them know. He wasn’t willing to stay and get a checkup at this point. The faster they got to Avostoska, the better. For now he smiled weakly to encourage his lady love that he was alright. He rather hold her with his own hands, but it was too risky at that time.
Oliver, walking along the destroyed deck seemed to be wrapped up in his own thoughts. "Have there been any records of power like that from Ego Sum?" he asked when he did speak, eyes falling on Wesley. "They'd been quiet you said, but the last activity - was it anything like this?
Helmet flipped back, Wesley exhaled, “Honestly this is more powerful than Belarus. And no, I haven’t heard anything like this from the last few leaders they’ve had.” Occasionally they died, which meant another took their place. To end the Nine meant you’d need all high ranking members killed at once. They impassioned their followers to action. Killing only one just brought in two more; a hydra. You had to rip the heart out by destroying their morale and their idols. “The sheer number of mages that one woman controlled like wind puppets— us, the ship.” It felt strange to Wesley that she had the strength and the skill to keep them within the tide of the air and yet faced trouble for the mages who faltered.
“This whole mission is odd,” Cory said, putting away his weapon. “First this Verek guy, then a convenient attack at our most vulnerable just before we meant to get our suits on, and here we struck down mage after mage only to be unable to kill this one.” Just a single one left.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here; talk later,’ Yonten’s voice sounded strained, just as you would expect if someone shrieked until their throat grew hoarse.
“Yonny Boy is right,” Wesley said, turning to them all. “We’ll get our update about the bomb from the news, no doubt. We should meet the others if they’re not too far ahead.” Wesley sent a message to Inara that they had finished the fight. They would be on their way to Avostoska. If she felt comfortable they could meet in the sea and go the rest of the way together. It didn’t take long for Inara to let them know they were not too far that they couldn’t board. Wesley sank B’Yacht’ch with a few blasts and help from the others. He could always rebuild. “Alright guys, let’s get going.” They had a lot to think about and prepare for when Willow found out the truth.
Meanwhile: The Ego Sum Leader...
Runa sighed at having to send the hunters away so violently. It had to be done. They were just too quick for her. Although, she would be lying if she didn’t take some amount of pleasure knowing she caused such trouble for them. The murder of her husband by hunters would be a scar not easy to fade.
Below her the iced coffin rose to accompany her away. Runa trailed it behind her, found a flat surface of the shoreline, and teleported to her office. The water encasing the person she saved flowed away out into mist through the open window. Then she set the man unconscious on her couch. Likely to be asleep for a while from the collision with that ice spike. A purposeful, necessary act she was glad had gone undetected. Runa wouldn’t be telling him any time soon either. Foolish man. If he hadn’t been important to her plans for the future she may have disposed of him too.
Wet and cold, Runa left the sleeping mage to be found by staff who she messaged. They could handle him. She wanted to wash and rest. Two turns away she found herself in her bathing room. The extravagance of it did not impress her. Not so much that she felt displeased, but that it wasn’t needed. A design by some former Ego Sum leader who felt such luxury was due them. Runa didn’t complain, but by now she did view it as a tell tale sign of pomp and entitlement. At least from these people.
Taking off her chill, salty cloak Runa tossed it in the hamper, began her bath, and practically melted into the bubbles. This would be the only moment she got to herself to think. The news of her return would spread like wildfire, she was sure. They always did when she announced a mission set down by Loki.
Loki... Runa inwardly scoffed. In an attempt to inspire awe in the coven members he kept himself distant and mysterious; an idol, a hero. Whatever grandeur the god had experienced in his time in his physical form truly had diminished since his original vessel had been destroyed. No more masses of followers in Aarin. No more pristine temples. How many generations of men and women born took on his dark spirit once the previous host died? Filled them, blackened their eyes, and tainted their being so that they could not understand they had their own individuality? Who could this current host have been, had he not, from infancy, been assigned the ‘honor’ of becoming Loki’s vessel? Did he have a concept of being two separate beings intertwined? Probably not... Runa decided. Not from how he acted anyway. Not once has he ever acknowledged it at least. But she had to admit, Loki’s plan hadn’t failed so far. A reality that tasted bitter on her tongue. Runa wouldn’t be surprised if all Nine covens as a whole wouldn’t throw their panties on his stage. Loki’s celebrity would serve him well when the time came.
A knock came at the door. “Mistress?”
Runa frowned. Were they really that impatient? Could she have just one moment alone? “Hansen, I have said not to bother me while I am washing. If this is about today you’re going to have to wait.”
A meek reply followed, “Yes Mistress...my apologies…”
Footfalls faded. Runa felt herself relax again. Or, at least as much as she could. The unexpected summoning to Loki had unnerved her. Not so much when learning of Verek and the order to investigate the unexpected arrival of two major hunting families— no, Loki himself.
‘Have you any information on the Russians, Runa?’ Loki stood at the foot of one of the many statues being installed in the shrines he built on the estate in and around the Rocky Mountains.
‘No, my Lord. No more than the rest of the Nine.’ Runa answered, looking over the detailed red stone of a massive kraken.
‘Hm...It’s been quite a while since I’ve asked for them to be found. Do you think someone might be protecting them?’ Loki asked, walking around her with his hands at the low of his back.
‘It’s always possible.’
‘What do you think a person like that, people like that, should be punished with, if they were found out?’ Black eyes as dark as a void shimmered.
‘Depends. If they are working against your Lordship and your plans, I would say only the worst kind of torment. Make an example of them.’ Runa offered without hesitation.
‘Agreed, they should be, but you have left room for some alternative. What could that be, Runa?’
‘Well, if they are cared for by people who have no reason to oppose you, but simply mean to keep them hidden and safe as a general rule, I don’t see why it must be that harsh. Perhaps a flogging? Or bringing into reality a mild fear for their foolish behavior.’
‘Maybe...What do you fear?’ Loki stopped in front of her, looking down into her eyes, into her being, which was as solid the ground beneath their feet.
‘Aside from losing everything I’ve worked for, since becoming Ego Sum’s master, I would say...Milk poured in a bowl before cereal.’ Runa’s mouth toyed with the idea of smiling.
Loki chuckled merrily, ‘So I have been enlightened; quite diabolical. I guess I shouldn't be surprised with that answer. You, who have lost everything already. Such a heinous act would rank high on your list of mild fears.’
‘Indeed, your Lordship.’
‘Very well then.’ Loki inclined his head in a respectful, light bow. “Go, Runa. Vanquish these hunters. If you can, bring me two of them. Verek took a fancy to Inara Von Helsing. I am curious to see the one called Lauri. If I am correct, she is the woman I met in Maine who accompanied the pregnant blond.’
‘I will do as you command, to the best of my ability, your grace.’
Runa had returned to her coven estate with a simple order that grew complicated the more she gathered information. Of what she knew, up to nine or more hunters had come down. Negan’s crows told them that the hunters were planning something for the Russians. Runa couldn’t get a hold of Theo. They had long since barred her from communication— a thing she didn’t blame them for at this point. Runa had shocked them when she joined a coven. But she had been hurt, she wanted a community who did not tell her to forgive. Well, Runa did. Now she found herself face to face with an evil she had not conceived and the community she entered turned out to be rooted in hatred. It was one thing to want dignified treatment. It was another to do so at the expense of the innocent; becoming the monsters they accuse mundies of being. What could she do? The Russians would not speak with her. There was little she could do without exposing herself.
For a brief time Runa had hoped that, since Willow was still at the Old Bear, the hunters meant to meet with the Russians. A historical truce of some kind. Runa knew that, in that case, she would have made an attempt to join and perhaps work together. However, that fanciful thought vanished once word came to her that Willow went North with her brother. In that moment Runa knew they meant to murder the Russians. The mission had spread too far to be handled any other way than direct force. Intelligence guessed the movements of the hunters targeted the neighboring business by the pub. Whatever that was, she soon found out from her spying seagulls.
Through their talk Runa understood these people were more than just hunters. They cared for Willow. Troubled, and not wanting to bring suffering to the Russians, Runa would have simply protected the pub. Unfortunately, too many coven members knew what was going on by then. Runa was stuck. She couldn’t only prevent the attack on the Russians. She had to fight the hunters. Ignoring them would draw too much attention. Too many nosy, annoying mages, full of bigotry and hatred were— were just the kind of canon fodder Runa could expend. The hunters being on a yacht made it easy to convince the volunteers, as well as hand-selected people she didn’t like, to come with her and allow her to levitate them.
“Hmm,” Runa couldn’t help a smile draw pleasantly up. They were as good as lambs for the slaughter; chickens to the axe. And so willing to fight the good fight. There were two who rightfully complained about her ‘lack’ of control. Had she not broken their focus or exposed their vulnerable angles, they probably would have defeated the hunters— with her to aid them. Waiting for the bomb to set off took a bit. Perhaps if it had taken longer, they might have caught on to what she was doing.
Another knock, this time a worried voice. “I’m sorry Mistress, but I can’t find Harriet. She was with you— no one has come back aside from Negan. I’m sorry, I’m just— I’m worried.”
Runa cleared her throat and called back in a practiced tone of sorrow. “Please, Alden. I have suffered such loss today. Harriet, Steve, Faleen— let me gather my thoughts, that I may properly announce our tragedy!”
A wail of sadness for the implication soon went the way of Hansen’s footfalls. Faded and gone. Runa took no pleasure in what she had to do. This hadn’t been the only time, but it would be remembered as the greatest loss they suffered yet. Runa knew at once Loki would be disappointed. Thankfully he had no idea she was from Aarin. That, he knew, would spell her doom. No one as trained in mage battle as she was from Aarin would have lost with so many comrades at her side. Loki’s poor view of surface born mages had been helpful in the past. Runa could only hope that this would continue to be her greatest advantage.
These mages have no idea what kind of horror is coming for them... Runa rested her head back against the ornate bath. The previous Ego Sum master had been an idiot to fall into Loki’s charms. Loki had such rhetoric that even Runa believed him sometimes. But I know the truth... And Runa would be damned if she let Loki have his way.
Manta, loaded with all the guests of the castle, soon lifted out of the sea and flew over the lands to Belarus. The amphibious craft parked smoothly on the landing strip. Tired and worn, the crew exited the plane and went immediately inside for a wash and change of clothes. No one did much other than see to injuries and embrace their loved ones in happiness for their safe return. Their long and arduous journey exhausted them. Soon they fell asleep. Discussion and updates would wait for the next day.
After breakfast, during which few words were said, the hunters met in the Great Common. Couples paired off to snuggle on lounges. Singles took recliners or chairs. Inara, who had brief moments of shared grief here and there, as she met with her loved ones since leaving the craft, rested within Wesley’s hold. She had improved, though a melancholy touched her eyes. “How did it go?” Inara asked. Some good news would do to help her mood.
Wesley said, “It went interesting.”
“Never a phrase that bodes well,” Alaric spoffed wearily. His arm felt much better since coming back to Avostoska.
Cory, arm resting around Rosy, said, “Well I guess we should tell it from when you guys left.”
Through a long conversation, sometimes interrupted with a question of clarification or two, the hunters who had stayed behind to fight the dozens and dozens of mages of Ego Sum related the other’s exactly as they had experienced it. Their suit cameras made for useful visual aids at any time someone or the other needed it.
Everest nodded, fully prepared to do just that. "You going to call in for Theo now or after?" Contact at the same time for them both could be a little too suspicious.
“Yes, right— thank you, sorry.” Wesley shook his head at himself, but knew he hadn’t had the most stable time in Seabrook. He typed away on his phone until he got the confirmation that their hunter associate was on his way to bring Theo in from the pub. “There. Shouldn’t be long.” In due time they both got an alert from the hospital that they had done their duty and their sensors told them Theo was gone from the pub.
With the signal that everything was in the clear, Everest switched his phone over so notifications and messages from Willow appeared as they normally would. Her most recent message of 'Ev, tell me that you're okay. Please' was the first he responded to before calling. 'I'm fine, no need to worry about me. There's just a lot to catch you up on. Gonna call now'. The message was nearly instantly read and once she agreed, he started the call, expecting everyone around to know to stay silent while letting them hear at least part of the conversation and what information she'd be privy to.
The phone didn't even get a full ring out before, "Oh my God, Ev! Don't ever do that again," Willow pleaded, sitting in an armchair beside the hearth in the Old Bear.
"I know, Will, I know," he offered a gentle reassurance. "I never would have left you in the dark that long if I had a chance, you know that. Something came up and-"
"Is Ellie okay? She wasn't answering her phone either."
"Ellie is fine. It's Inara. There was an accident and she fell and...she lost her baby," genuine stress from the event broke his voice and he had to clear his throat to go on, though it gave time for Willow to process what was being said.
"Oh no! Inara...and Wesley," she sobbed, her gentle heart broke for her friends. "I am so, so sorry, Ev. There's just so much going on and I don't even know what to do anymore."
Everest hadn't realized how deep his frown grew with the pain he heard in her voice, though a hand on his shoulder from Ellie seemed to ground him. "I know. We can sit down and talk about it if you want, but they are already arranging a funeral for dad. I can't say that after everything I feel much for him, but I know I want to be there for mom."
Willow could be heard taking deep breaths as she looked out the window, still struggling to grasp everything. The night prior she'd hardly slept, a burden that was unfairly shared with Theo when she tossed and turned. "Yeah, we should be there for mom," she sniffled, pulling a napkin out of her apron to dry her eyes and nose. "I don't know how soon I can get there."
"I'll get a flight for you today. I think seeing you will help calm mom down, too," Everest offered. "If you want we can fly together once I get everything settled."
Traveling alone was never something she'd felt comfortable with. "I think that's a good idea. Theo just had to go into work, though. I should probably talk to him and see if he can come in so short of notice."
Of course she'd be quick to cling to her man. "If he had to work then he probably can't come, Will. I can make sure he gets a flight too, if that makes you feel better, but I was going to fly out this evening."
There was a lengthier silence as Willow chewed over the thought. She didn't like the thought of being apart from Theo when there was so much happening, but it also wasn't fair of her to expect him to up and leave his job just because her family was having a crisis. "Yeah, I can do that. It gives me time to pack," she agreed, nodding even if he couldn't see it. "Just let me know when the flight is and I'll figure out a way to make it work."
"You know I take better care of you than that, Will. I'll send a car," he said with a small chuckle. "I'll see you tonight. Be careful, okay?"
The well wish hit her with an almost bitter taste, and she couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was just the simple fact that with everything that was going on it didn't seem like careful was going to be enough. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she responded, "See you tonight, Ev."
Once the call ended Wesley put an alarm on his phone. They would give her enough time to pack before they sent a car to pick her up. “Alright, all we can do now is wait until Monday.” Wesley exhaled and cradled his hands behind his head. “Now that’s done, I wanted to go over just what went down last night.”
A lot of it had been talked about between him and Inara, but through crying sessions and lamentations. Most of their topic centered around Gomez, Kali failing her, and her loss. But the sequence of events had been muddled. So, the rest of those present did their best to piece together a fuller picture.
When it got to Verek, Nefertiti, and Lyn Lauri said, “I believe that same outfit had been worn in Maine, by one of the people alongside Loki and Sahar.”
Wesley had a blurry image of Verek from his suit recording. He pulled it up and Lauri confirmed it had to be the same. “What else do you recall?”
“Eh, Loki is fair and has black eyes. Sahar is deep voiced, but he has feminine features.” Lauri answered.
At the time Wesley heard them talk about it he had brushed off the detail of black eyes. America had no shortage of people willing to put their bodies through heavy, experimental augmentation. However, at this point, he decided to show them a certain picture. “Did he look like this?” Wesley asked, pulling up the artwork Molly gave him for Christmas.
Wide hazel eyes blinked, “Oui, exactly like that man. That is Loki.”
Oliver also recognized the face to be his. "He was speaking with Lauri in a gift shop while she was looking at sunglasses," he recalled, deciding not to mention his unnecessary need to defend his Lamb from an attack that hadn't existed. "He seemed quite personable, especially given the people he was with."
“Personable?” Wesley questioned.
“Friendly. Amiable.” Lauri offered, giving a shrug. “A pleasant fellow. He was actually concerned with manners too.” While Sahar, apparently, was not. “He said he recently came to America after spending time in Europe. He had an accent like Verek too.”
Cory said, “A middle eastern one?”
“Or close to it,” Lauri answered. She didn’t have the best ear for that.
Wesley frowned, scratching the back of his neck, “None of my contacts in the Middle East have any activity to share. Nothing of note for the last decade.” So what did it mean that these, clearly ethnically diverse, people shared the same odd language and accent? They had to come from somewhere.
Lauri pondered aloud, “You know, Gomez told Verek that our hunting families were the best here. But, do we not have a hold in other places of the world? Europe especially?”
Catching on, Cory said, “Oh right. So why wouldn't Verek know?” Even if the vampires were old and hid, their particular family names were quite ancient themselves. “It would be hard for them to miss.”
“Though, you have to admit, the paleness of the two women and the man may mean they were even older than two-thousand years. Before hunting guilds were formed,” Wesley pointed out. “It could also solve the issue of accent and language—ancient dialects they still use. But I guess it would only explain that for the vampires. It doesn’t answer how the other people are the same, who were not vampiric.”
Cory was troubled, “Don’t vampires stay inside during the day? How did Verek get to the precinct?”
Yonte frowned, “Yeh, you right.”
“Well, it was sunset,” Lauri offered.
“But before then?” Cory posed.
“Teleportation?” Lauri shrugged.
“Maybe, but then who teleported them and then left them there?” Cory asked. “And when we were in Maine, if that was Verek, then how was he moving? The older a vampire is the quicker they fall asleep when the sun rises and the harder it is to wake them.”
Wesley chimed in, “Well, if we assume the others are mages, which they probably are, then they could puppet his body by manipulating the wraps around him. He may well have been completely asleep the whole time. It’s possible someone dropped them off at the steps of the precinct, but perhaps where he was at the time was night and he teleported to the precinct just as the sun went down here, and he merely was drowsy. A feeling that probably left quickly as the sun set fully.” But he was open to any other speculations.
"The accents befuddle me, personally," Rosy came out of her thoughts, not even about to try this puzzle now on how the vampires were being moved. "If they've been alive and living on the planet for thousands of years, don't you expect their accents to match where they're living? Most people lose an accent the longer they're away from where it originated. If they haven't been in the Middle East according to your contacts, shouldn't that be gone after so many years?"
"Maybe," Annabelle shrugged, "But maybe they like it and keep it on purpose? If it makes them sound powerful and ancient, they might just stick to it."
"The officers knew exactly what time they were coming, too," Ellie recalled, picking at loose fruit. "Gomez had mentioned they'd be arriving at 7:15. Whether it was their first time or a re-visit I don't know though. Maybe they'd been by on previous visits. The emergency case with the axe and hydrant was dusty. The relic wall was cleared of all the little items that normally repel them.”
A quick check told Wesley a possible answer to that, “The sun sets at seven in Texas, at this time of year. That holds with Cory’s theory.” He glanced at the master cabin. “Inara is worried there could be more precincts that have been infiltrated.” While certainly an issue to check out, he insisted she wait until she could walk comfortably. Not that Wes intended for Inara to go to any of these places. Just that by then she would be healed enough to emotionally and mentally take action.
Yonten pressed his lips in a grim line, “Fucking leeches. If there are I’mma fucking burn those bitches.”
“I share your sentiment,” Wesley said, coffee eyes boiling. “But one task at a time, hm? Stay alert. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here and Verek might not be the only one. The vision Molly had depicted Ego Sum. They’re known to work in the south.”
Everyone seemed to be in mutual agreement with Wesley's comment, though Joao did scratch his chin in thought. "Does Inara have reliable contact at locations? Will someone need to go to each site and check it?"
"Tak, if problem in one could quickly spread or already be problem," Andriy agreed somberly.
"And Inara had seemed as if she trusted Gomez, meaning a simple call or message may not be sufficient," Rosy remarked, not liking just how extreme this could be. Would they be safe anywhere they went?
"But as Wesley said, one problem at a time. Currently we have the Russians to watch until tomorrow and then we can worry about these offices," Oliver gently redirected everyone. "Has there been a lot of recent activity with Ego Sum?"
Too true, the others allowed the subject to refocus. Wesley exhaled thoughtfully, “Actually no. Not much. In fact, it’s been on the decline since three years ago or so. Other than all this talk of a storm we haven’t seen or heard any big news or movements.”
Cory frowned briefly. “Captain Jones said they thought vampires were on a decline. He said he didn’t believe in such luck.”
“I should say I agree. We shouldn’t take it as a good sign at this point,” Wesley could have chuckled at the thought if it didn’t mean they might be dealing with something worse. Something terrible. Something that had to be stopped at all costs for the sake of the world. Even if it meant costing lives. The Nine were a virus. They had to be burnt out.
Cory said, “Well in that case we may need to up our game. Find out what we can after this Russian hunt.”
“Agreed.” Wesley got up from the table. “I’ll be in the cabin if you need anything.” They knew they were welcome to enjoy the yacht as they pleased.
Once Wesley left Cory said, “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I am up for some distraction.” They had a lot of time to wait until Everest left and their duties for the hunt on Monday. Cory would go out of his mind just sitting there. Thankfully the yacht was quite advanced and had a great console system. “Lauri, you up to game?”
“Mm, a little, but I was hoping to read with Oliver,” Lauri admitted. She turned her eyes out on the glistening ocean. “There is also the sea. I haven’t gone swimming in a long time.”
Yonten quirked a grin, thinking of who he wanted to see in a bathing suit, “Yeh, swimming sounds great.”
Someone interested in her suggestion lightened Lauri’s mood. “Oui, it does. Why don’t we do that? It is so warm here.”
Cory smiled, “Not a bad idea. This ship has a cool little dock thing that lowers to the water too, so it’s way easy to swim around and have place to lounge too. We can make a bunch of drinks and bring them down with us. What do you guys say?”
The idea of relaxing in the water with a cold drink and warm sun sounded just about perfect to most. Even Oliver agreed it'd be nice to wade around or maybe sit in the shade reading while keeping his feet cool.
Annabelle perked up from her seat, shooting Yonten a wink. "Perfect. I packed a bikini hopeful and now it's going to get some wear," she said, every intention of heading back to their room and changing so she wouldn't miss out on the fun in the sun. Whether or not a bunny would trail her was at his discretion. Annabelle would have reason to grin, hearing the familiar gait of her Bunny not far behind. If she focused on the pattern she might have sworn it sounded like a rhythmic thump-thump of a fuzzy little hopper. One that didn’t intend to hop back out too quickly once they got to their cabin.
"We come swim too," Andriy spoke for him and Joao. If there would be a lot of work ahead, might as well enjoy the time they could now!
Gordon looked to Ellie and Everest; still adapting to just what he was expected to do while Everest was around. "I think we're going to pass at least for a while," Ellie decided for the two of them. If he was going to be away for a few days again, she preferred they have a little time together alone first, especially after the night prior. Spotting Gordon's gaze she made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go with the others. Have some fun, and save me a bit of sun for later."
Alaric chuckled, “You are still a little new, aren’t you? Come on Gordon.” He said, easing up from his chair. “Why don’t you change and then help an old man gather snacks to accompany our drinks?”
Gordon wouldn't say no, especially when most the others were dispersing to either change or get ready. It wouldn't take him more than a few minutes to switch into his trunks and join Alaric in the task of sun-approved snack hunting.
Cory loved swimming. Not just for the fun of playing in the water, where ‘wet’ was in one of the few acceptable places in life, but also for the view. His eyes skipped the clouds, the water, and went right to Rosalie. If pressed, he couldn’t deny his interest had sprang from a desire to appraise the beauty he called his own.
"Oh, we packed our swimsuits too, didn't we Lauri?" Rosy perked up, excited for a chance to wear the new piece. She didn't dare go with a bikini, but she still enjoyed it. Though he didn't comment aloud, Oliver's eyes shifted to Lauri at the thought of her in swimwear. Memories of their abridged honeymoon were still on the surface.
Lauri had looked to Rosalie, missing Oliver’s glance, but probably would have thought the same if she had caught his eyes. For the time being she answered her lovely friend, “Oui, I know where they are— want some help while the men get the drinks ready?” She asked, beaming from ear to ear and getting up from her seat to offer a hand. The men just hand trunks to wear. They could spare the time to get drinks for them all while the women hassled with the suits.
The offered hand wouldn't be denied when it came to her and her growing bump. Ellie and Everest had already made their departure from the group when Rosy fell into step with Lauri. "So, of the places we've visited, I would say that Texas is not so bad, however I feel like in a few months it'd be far too hot," she remarked with a giggle. A good thing she wouldn't be here for her final trimester.
Getting into the one piece swimsuit she'd picked out would definitely require some assistance getting into. Times like these, Rosy was beyond grateful to have Lauri in her life. When she was finally dressed, she pulled on a floppy white sun hat. "Too much?"
“If it is, who cares? Enjoy it! But I do not think so.” Lauri smiled, just slipping on her bathing suit after helping Rosalie. It was one she saw that matched the wedding theme. A bikini with stars and moons felt appropriate for their Bora Bora honeymoon.
Lauri swept her hair back and braided it, twisting the shoulder-blade length rope against her head to form a bun. She held it in place with one hand while she grabbed a matching ribbon for her galaxy style suit. “I will wear this big bow, which is probably too much— we shall both make a scene, oui? Come on.” Lauri smiled. She finished her hair and took Rosy with one hand and the other toted a bag of fins, goggles, and sunscreen. The women knew just who could help with that!
By the time Rosalie and Lauri were headed to the side of the yacht, where they expected to swim, the others had lowered the deck and unfolded the stairs leading down to it. The U-shape gave enough room for several people, a small snack bar, a couple lounge chairs, and plenty of space to run down the boardwalk to jump into the sea. A nice perk of this foldable deck meant the space between the parallel straights had a mesh steel adjustable bottom for those who wanted to be in water without treading it.
Cory nudged Oliver just as he noticed their lovers had returned from where he sat on the edge of the floating deck. There was no fear of Lauri letting Rosalie fall as they came down the stairs, but hey, you could never be too careful. It just so happened that the view pleased him. The floppy sun hat and large bow made him chuckle. “Oh man, my Puddin’ looks like one of those adorable cartoon moms.”
Rosalie's smile widened at his words, pausing at the bottom of the stairs and giving him a small pose with one foot kicked up slightly behind her. "Then I'm glad that Lauri didn't talk me out of the hat," she said with a giggle, coming the rest of the way to meet him for what felt like overdue kisses.
“Ah, you’re beautiful!” Cory agreed that the hat looked great. He pulled his lady love as close as he could, giving his baby a hug in the process, though she didn't know it yet, and gave her another kiss before he whispered to Rosalie’s ear, “Bet that hat would look best just by itself. We’ll have to test my theory later. For science.” He chuckled, using the phrase he heard her say.
Chocolate eyes lit up at everything he implied with such a statement. "Well, you do know how I feel about science," she smirked, leading him over to one of the lounge chairs where they could finish getting ready before getting into the water.
Oliver had followed Cory's gaze and when he caught sight of Lauri, let out a low whistle of approval. They were lucky men alright, and he had married a delicate vision that made the beautiful ocean scene about them jealous. "Et les cieux ont décidé que la plus belle femme marcherait devant nous," he breathed, happily pulling his Lamb into his arms as she parted from Rosy. "J'ai beaucoup de bons souvenirs de ce maillot de bain, mon Amour," the soft murmur paused when he moved to place a kiss on her neck, "bien que la plupart impliquent sa suppression."
“Ah, mon Amour, quelles douces paroles. Comme ils sont beaux dans notre livre,” said Lauri, as she came to sit on his lap, taking out the sunscreen while he continued to speak. The Lamb tilted her head so that her Lion may have better access to her neck. She purred, “Perhaps we should recreate such a fond memory after we swim.” Once he had eased back she faced him with the bottle of SPF 80. “Would you do my back?”
"When the stars and moon are my goal, applying lotion is the least I can do in the meantime," Oliver said as he accepted the bottle and began to apply a generous amount in a strategic motion along her fair back. The marks he had seen plenty of times and often kissed each in their intimate moments, were coated over along with the fresh bruises from the night prior. "Is there any other part of you that needs additional rubbing, mon Amour?"
Lauri’s cheeks pinked. Both from the pleasantness of his hands and his question. “Je pourrais penser à un autre,” she said with a light smirk while she applied her sunscreen in the areas she could reach herself. “But perhaps that will have to be done after, for another fond memory.” Now all lathered, Lauri needed to let the lotion sink in, so she decided to pull out her e-reader and sit with Oliver on the lounge chair for a couple of chapters with him. By then she’d be ready to swim.
Cory, who had peppered Rosalie with kisses, saw the lotion and took another out to do so for his lady love. “Far be it from me to assume a strong and skilled woman needs my assistance, but may I have the honor of rubbing this on your legs?” Although he didn’t go full nerd, Rosalie would always know the tone of Sir Valerian.
"A princess wouldn't have it any other way," she couldn't help but giggle, leaning back and letting her legs spill into his lap, freshly painted pink toenails from their spa day sparkling in the sun.
While public physical affection wasn’t his forte, Cory took special delight in helping Rosalie with her legs. Hands slid a intentionally too close once in a while, and maybe a little more pressure was applied in certain areas, until he had no more excuse to rub her down. “Hm, well, you know what they say— after a while it’s always good to put. more on,” he chuckled, setting the bottle in easy reach and pulling her to snuggle with him until the lotion set in properly.
Down below, Andriy and Joao had wasted little time getting into the water. They were trying to convince Gordon to relax and come join him, though the young man had seemed quite determined to wait until he knew everyone was down safely. Without having Ellie to keep an eye on he was at a bit of a loss of what to do with himself.
If Gordon thought that his time as the ‘new guy’ was near its end, he didn’t see the goal post. Or the light at the end of the tunnel. What he did see— or rather hear—was the pattering of feet, a shadow cast over them, and the brief image of a balled up Tibetan who splashed like a living cannon ball right next to him. SPLOOSH! A decent wave any jumper would be proud of came crashing over Gordon. Clapping and chuckles followed right after.
Andriy and Joao were enjoying a round of laughter at the expense of Gordon, already excited for a repeat of the pool fun that was had on New Years, with a twist of hazing if they could! If he were at all planning on being dry, those plans had been put to rest. Gordon swooped his hair back as best as he could with his hand, shaking his head at Yonten. "You don't come with any kind of a warning label, do you?"
"The warning is you better keep up, muddafukka," Annabelle called with a smirk as she descended the stairs in her dragon-printed bikini. There were no floppy sun hats or bows in her fiery hair, though there was a familiar glow that seemed to brighten as she spotted her drenched bunny.
Lauri’s cheeks pinked. Both from the pleasantness of his hands and his question. “Je pourrais penser à un autre,” she said with a light smirk while she applied her sunscreen in the areas she could reach herself. “But perhaps that will have to be done after, for another fond memory.” Now all lathered, Lauri needed to let the lotion sink in, so she decided to pull out her e-reader and sit with Oliver on the lounge chair for a couple of chapters with him. By then she’d be ready to swim.
While public physical affection wasn’t his forte, Cory took special delight in helping Rosalie with her legs. Hands slid a intentionally too close once in a while, and maybe a little more pressure was applied in certain areas, until he had no more excuse to rub her down. “Hm, well, you know what they say— after a while it’s always good to put. more on,” he chuckled, setting the bottle in easy reach and pulling her to snuggle with him until the lotion set in properly.
Indeed! The Tibetan man moved like a shark in the water. His black eyes seemed less like large, round ones of a Bunny and more akin to a monster of the deep. When Yonten surfaced he grinned at Annabelle. There would be no mistake about what he found so interesting. The red head was as hot in temper as her figure.
Alaric knew not to cross lines with anyone here, but no one could prevent him from admiring from afar. “My compliments for your taste in swimwear, darling. Dragons befit you well.” And so did that piece she wore.
Annabelle tossed her hair over her shoulder, no stranger to her own level of attraction and unashamed to flaunt it. "They look almost as good on me as bunnies do." Crystalline eyes had found obsidian ones as she started to approach the water.
Yonten knew it too. He got up and pulled her for a kiss, “Yeeeeh, that’s the shit.” That preceded a sudden dart to nab her and launch into the sea. Better keep up! At least it wasn't an icy lake.
A squeal more of delight than protest left Annabelle as she was relocated into the waters. Surfacing, she shot a playful scowl at the Tibetan. "You're lucky it's not cold," she said with a splash of water in his direction.
“Yeh,” The Bunny knew she had him there. But, in all honesty, it was fun to be chased. Yonten dived and bit her thigh. Not too hard, but sharp enough to instigate a swim around the deck.
Soon the wild couple were joined by Cory, who helped Rosalie into the shallow end of the metal mesh that served them well as a false bottom. It grew steadily deeper the close it got to the edge of the fancy deck. The time for fruity drinks had come and gone, and would no doubt be visited later, but now was the time for swimming.
Rosalie had to admit that the ocean was quite enjoyable. She didn't dare go too deep with as far pregnant as she was, but the water was a welcomed relief to the added weight of her stomach. She even didn't feel bad about being held in Cory's arms when her weight was reduced. "It's beautiful out here," she remarked to him, reaching up to remove her hat and placing it on his head with a chuckle.
Flipping up the wide brim, Cory smiled at Rosy, “Yeah, you are.” He gave her a kiss to her cheek. Then he splashed her. “Beautiful and gleaming!” He inhaled and dunked into the sea. Rosy felt her arms give and she became an unexpected passenger of Cory’s water train. The kind that had to be gentle with the mother of his child, but still fun. “The pink toed shark of the deep has come to vanquish you all!” He gave chase to anyone near him. “Isn’t that’s right, Rosy?”
The first involuntary swim that Rosy was a part of was met with a sharp squeal, holding on to him tightly. She certainly trusted him, but that didn't mean she was any less unprepared for their journey. Soon enough she'd loosened up and was joyfully playing along with him. "Raaaaaaaaa I am the Blonde-Ness Monster!" she said as they launched an attack on Alaric.
“Whoa, whoa!” Alaric, who had barely gotten into the water, quickly shuffled along the metal mesh flooring in a valiant effort to escape the, albeit slow, blue and white monster in the arms of her captivated minion. In his best Scottish accent, Alaric shouted playfully, “They called me crazy! But here she is! Nessi is real!”
Their chase ended with Cory and Rosalie managing to splash Alaric into submitting to their victory. Then they chased Yonten a while, but he proved too fast, and Cory soon had to rest. But that didn’t mean he was idle. Cory floated around with Rosy, teased her, held her in the water and smooched. All around enjoyed a pleasant occasion to be in her presence. It was no different than the other couples. Though, if you asked Cory, he’d say he had the best girl.
Lauri, satisfied with the reading session, did not toe-dip. Once she had on her goggles and fins, she dived into the sea gracefully. The Lamb surfaced, her big bow weighed down with water. “Ah, I have not been to the ocean in so long. It is amazing!” She inhaled and dipped again. Lauri tried to swim as far as she could before the pressure and the air she needed was too much. Just as she turned upward she thought she saw a strange dark glimmer. A mass of seaweed in the shape of a tangly horse as long as a school bus. Yet in that brief moment, to her utter astonishment, she could have sworn she felt the same kind of bizarre reaction to animals she had been experiencing. But the moment had come and gone so quickly, and a second trip proved fruitless to double check, that Lauri passed it off as just a trick of the mind.
Yonten, who had been in a back and forth with Annabelle, surveyed who was not getting in all the fun they could from their visit to the water. If they believed he would not tackle them in it, they would be wrong. Well, Alaric’s arm was still in recovery. Maybe he had a pass.
Oliver had been a victim of Yonten's Water Relocation Services when he had remained on the lounge watching Lauri as she dove in. It was unfair, really. He had been too preoccupied with the view that he hadn't seen the playful attack until it was too late and he was soon just as soaked as the other man.
As Fate would have it, Lauri got to watch the whole thing from start to finish. She had, in fact, been a part of the reason why it hadn’t been fair— a captivating wink had helped to distract her Lion for the unexpected Bunny attack. Once he was pulled into the water she swam over to Oliver with a big smile. “Ah, mon Amour. So good of you to join us.” She giggled.
The now very wet Lion could only spoff at his love and her comment, scooping her up in his arms. "Ah yes, just where I wanted to be. Humide et avec mon amour," he said as he nibbled at her neck, not minding the salty taste she had acquired.
What could Lauri do but melt in Oliver’s hold? “Ah, how you make me swoon!” She said, though she made no move to stop; savoring his lips against her throat. But soon enough the Lamb, who gave just as many nips to him, lured him into play. Diving and occasional unexpected dunking of the other, interspersed with chases and kisses.
Andriy had convinced Gordon to join them for an always favorite game of trying to dunk Joao. Where Andriy normally failed alone, Gordon had a more solid body and they were getting closer.
"Yonten, come! We dunk him!" Andriy called out for reinforcements while the Brazilian mountain of a man was only chuckling at their efforts.
Yonten, who had happily taken a break to taunt and kiss his Dragon, looked over at the hulking Brazilian with glimmering black eyes. “Heh, yeeehh.” Yonten grinned where he floated next to his lady love. “You going down, Joao!”
The struggle to topple Joao was a struggle indeed, and Annabelle pulled away from Yonten to help them out. Jumping out of the water like a whale in breach, she launched herself at his broad back and latched on. The sudden unexpected weight made Joao stumble, though he managed to stay upright. "Heh, need more," he smirked, feeling just as impressive as Everest had in their game of sharks and minnows!
Cory chuckled, looking at the bunch of them. “This looks like a quest for the brave Knight, Sir Valerian!” He got up on the deck and raced full-force at the pile of men.
Lauri watched as the Brazillian’s strength could not dodge the bullet of a man, due to all the others latched onto him. Cory shouted a war cry and slammed into the mountain of bodies. They all yelped and hooted with surprise and delight as they tipped over and fell into the sea.
“Woo!” Alaric, who had opted out of the tangle of men, raised his good arm in cheerful support of the triumph.
Clapping, Lauri chuckled, “Bravo!”
Yonten surfaced and raised both fists, “YEH!”
The group enjoyed a series of water games and banter. Those who could indulge in stronger beverages did while everyone enjoyed the delicious finger food to snack on. The sun was beginning to set when Everest was getting ready to part from the yacht. Ellie, who had her fair time with her husband and plenty of threats and reminders that he needed to be in Belarus sooner than later, was at his side on deck.
"Alright, our flight takes off here at 9, so we will land about 11 Seattle time or 1 AM for you guys," he said with a visible look of displeasure. He'd gotten far too used to jet traveling, but he worked with what he had when the Crosse jet was back at Avostoska. "If anything comes up, don't hesitate to reach out. As soon as Willows with my mom we should be fine if I need to come back."
“We’ll be sure to do just that, if we need it. I should say the same to you.” Wesley pulled Everest into a hug. He murmured Inara sends her best. Not long after did Everest receive a text with an emoji of a plane and sad face, immediately followed by a laughing-out-loud emoji and a heart with the words ‘safe travels’. Inara may well be suffering even now, but this gave them some hope that she hadn’t lost herself entirely.
Yonten gave Everest a hearty pat on the shoulder and a strong hug. Not a man of words, he figured that said enough. Then he took his side by Annabelle. Arm draped and comfortable.
“Don’t get too comfortable, you hear?” Cory teased, knowing the struggle was going get real, real fast.
Lauri chuckled, “Bons voyages!”
"Oh you big baby," Ellie could only roll her eyes at her husband.
Rosy chuckled as she gave Everest a light hug. "If you manage to survive flying commercial I'm sure you can handle the rest."
Everest spoffed in response, giving a final wave of farewell to everyone. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in," he shook his head before heading to the ramp. "Don't miss me too much, you beautiful people. Yonten, too."
Another round of farewell and waving followed Everest as he walked away. Once he was in the car the guests dispersed one by one and pair by pair. Cory wanted to get warm and dry again. He also had a science experiment to work out with his lady love. Yonten and Annabelle had already engaged in their own, which meant he decided to get his drink on with his Dragon instead and put on a movie. Lauri and Oliver discreetly sneaked away to their cabin to make another fond memory before returning in comfortable evening clothes to enjoy a moment with their friends before bedtime. Then, after everyone got an update on Inara, they all parted for sleep. There may or may not have been one last science experiment, Bunny’s wrestling with Dragons, and little Lambs making more fond memories with Lions.
Monday April 15th, 2019
Everest sent a text that he had successfully made it to Washington with Willow by breakfast. A hilarious turn of events delayed a flight, stuck him in coach for a half an hour on a puddle jumper plane, and took them the rest of the way on a plane with economy+. Wesley and everyone else was sure that any portrayal of sorrow and discomfort he needed to display for Willow would no longer be an act.
Wesley chuckled, “I can feel his mood through his plain text.” He clicked away confirmation of receiving the text and sent one to the hospital over his phone. “Alright, I’ve sent my contact the go-ahead to let Theo go, as long as he fills in on Tuesday.” The Fox eased back, pleased with his plan going well at this point. “We need to continue to be on alert though. I’m afraid I’ll have to caution against leaving the ship, or wearing swimwear. In fact, each of you should wear a Lithe until our mission is done, at the least, and preferably the Nexus suits I brought for all of us.”
Putting down his orange juice, Cory nodded, “Okay. I think I will do both.” He glanced at Rosy and asked Wes, “What about the pregnant women?” It wasn’t likely they had Nexus suits. Their growing bellies made it hard to design around a shifting shape of a bump.
“This ship has a detachable amphibious craft. It’s fully blessed, equipped with weapons, and can fit all of us comfortably. I want the women inside. Inara knows how to fly it. In a pinch one of the other women could use Pascal for guidance, and of course, you can initiate autopilot for a set destination.” Wesley made sure that Manta had several safe houses, estates, and forts input into its GPS. “Does that sound alright?”
Rosy felt a wave of relief that Wesley already had a mobile safe house of sorts to keep them tucked away in. She would greatly prefer not to be in a repeat of the night prior, especially with how it had ended. She stayed quiet as she ate her yogurt with granola though, nodding in agreement.
"That sounds like a good idea," Ellie spoke for them both, spearing a sausage from her plate. "One less thing for you guys to have to worry about, too."
Oliver nodded in agreement, enjoying the idea that Lauri would be far out of harm's reach, even if she wasn't expecting. He had faith in her ability to defend herself, but also knew that they were up against a lot of unknown factors at this point. He would much rather have her stowed away then have to live with himself if something had happened to her. "A very sound idea, indeed," he agreed with a sip of his Earl Grey.
While knowing she would be bereft of her husband, Lauri trusted Wesley’s plans and Oliver’s support of it. Perhaps if her Lion had spoken against it she may have wavered in trust, but if he felt strongly then she was comfortable. Besides, she was worried if something happened that Rosy could be left unguarded.
"With Alaric's injury, is it best if he's also in this pod? And what about myself and Lauri? Would you want us aboard or with you here on the ship in case we need to go in?" Gordon questioned.
Alaric answered for himself here, despite Wesley’s possible thought on the issue, though he was sure there wouldn’t be a disagreement. “Oh I think I will sit this one out. Not much for field work in the first place. I can aid the women, one armed as I am, and maybe offer myself as a last resort for protection if it came down to it.”
Wesley nodded, “I agree. Alaric can stay with the women, but I should have been more clear— the pregnant women, and Inara who can’t fight, will be put in Manta; non negotiable.” It was a direct response to Cory’s question regarding the ladie’s with children. Wes added Inara in due to her physical condition. “As for whether or not you or Lauri fight, Gordon, I am undecided.”
Cory cleared his mouth with a gulp of water to say, “Well I’d want Lauri with Rosy.” It had worked out so far. A good choice for a guard.
“Now, I won’t be telling either you and Rosy or Ellie what to do in regards to where you want your assistants. However, keep in mind that we don’t have our sharpshooter with us. We will miss half our targets at least.” Wesley folded his arms across him in casual manner. “The more people we have up top, the better, in my opinion. Manta is quite a defensible craft. It’s fast and can travel on land, sea, or air. If we do face Ego Sum while we are still waiting for the Russians to get into position, I’m sending the Manta away immediately. The craft will meet us back in Avostoska. That means anyone on that craft will be out of harm's way and unable to help in the fight. If Gordon and Lauri go, that means we’re two more people down.”
Rosy shifted at the thought of being without Lauri at her side. Of course Ellie was not completely incapacitated to function if needed, and Inara though injured could still defend herself if need be. They'd also have Alaric as another body. Still, it was odd to think she wouldn't have her dear friend at her side if anything were to happen.
"Wesley's right," Ellie spoke, giving a nod in Gordon's direction. "They're going to need all the hands they can get. Just a few people isn't going to be enough if Ego Sum shows up; better a couple more hands if they can get it."
"Of course, Mrs. Crosse." He wouldn't object to her request and agreed he'd be better utilized than in a capsule.
With that perspective, Rosalie felt simply selfish to try and keep Lauri away from them. "If Lauri is comfortable with it, I trust her decision," she decided, though if Lauri wasn't, she'd happily come to bat for her.
Cory perhaps had a much more selfish take on the issue. He looked around at their body count. Wes, himself, Yonten, Annabelle, Gordon, Joao, Andriy, and Oliver. Against one of the Nine, having as many people as they could did make for a better chance at success, but he could not shake the fear of losing that extra bit of protection for Rosalie. Before Lauri could give her opinion Cory said, “Well, I think Lauri should stay with Rosy still.”
“Alright, if that’s how you feel about it.” Wesley said, understanding the situation. He wished he had kept either Hye or Kazumi. It would have been a little harder for either to travel with the children alone, but he could have avoided unforeseeable pain. The rub if it was that it was not quite unforeseeable. They did see Molly’s vision, even if they didn’t know exactly how that would go. “To be honest, I would like to send them away now. Whether or not Ego Sum arrives.” Though at this point, he had to feel they would.
Relief was masked well by Rosy when Cory voiced his insistence. It would likely help keep both him and her slightly more relaxed in the situation, even if it was one less capable body the active hunters would have. Still, being sent away right then seemed sudden and the gravity of the situation and what Cory might be up against sunk in her stomach.
"Probably not a bad call," Annabelle agreed, not wanting the same fate that fell on Inara to be found for Rosy or Ellie. "Having them on their way will also make it easier to focus. You won't have to worry about it not leaving or something going wrong." They'd had more than enough go wrong in the past 24 hours that relying on things going according to plan was a fools mistake.
Andriy, finished with his breakfast and dusting crumbs on to his plate, shifted his gaze to the shore. "We should suit up," he remarked, knowing they would want to be prepared for when the Russians returned to the pub and anything else that might occur.
A flap of wings drew their eyes over the water. While they did their best to steer clear of the dock, so that they didn’t endgame the public, this did mean that they were more vulnerable themselves. Dogs, cats, and the normal familiars were no issue on the water. However, what with the strange power of the mages so far, they became aware of just how many seagulls had come to circle their ship.
Wesley stilled. He counted at least five. When had they come? Scooting out of his seat, he said, “Yes, I think Andriy is right. Let’s go n—”
BOOSH!
A wave without natural cause shoved the yacht. What wasn’t tethered or bolted down slid across the deck. They could hear crashing of plates and the creak of the hull. The wave lacked the strength to capsize the ship, yet they dare not abandon worry. B’Yacht’ch bobbed, as if attempting to stabilize, but no matter if she swayed to the left or the right, she was met with another slap.
Cory, since he was with Rosy, instinctively pulled her to him. Likewise Yonten’s hand reached for Annabelle and Lauri found Oliver’s grasp. Wesley managed to catch Alaric before the Silver Fox fell. They all snapped their eyes up to see the clouds gather between them and the shoreline. In moments they were cast in shadow.
Yonten pulled Annabelle with him to where the suits were stowed. He, like most of them, still needed their Lithe’s on. Another lurch of the ship had him wrap his arms around her just as they came thumping into the hallway wall. It was easy to recover. They did their best to keep steady while navigating to the armory. Once there, Yonten quickly slipped on a Lithe before suiting up in his Nexus. Black and branded with the Bunny Annabelle had etched on his bumper car. The artwork glowed green.
Stumbling about and jostling into each other wasn't nearly as much fun as it would have been in any other circumstance. Using a wall to steady herself, Annabelle slipped into her Lithe before donning the Nexus atop it. Like Yonten's it had been personalized just for her, a red dragon wrapped around the black suit along her waist and spouting flames across her chest. Helmet closing about her face, she turned to her suited man. "Time to kick ass, Bunten," she said through coms, a smile that was hidden still heard in her tone before she took off back up to the main deck.
Chuckling, Yonten com’d back, “And burn faces.” Their suits were tailored to their tastes. Annabelle had wicked fireball cannon on her right arm.
“Lauri, Alaric— lead the women down!” Wesley shouted a command over the rising roar of the wind. Then he ran over to the master cabin to get Inara.
Without a moment to spare Lauri grabbed Oliver’s face, gave him a kiss steeped in every emotion she could convey, and swore, "Je te reverrai, mon Amour.” Lauri didn’t know if today she would lose him, or he would lose her, but the determination to reunite fired her spirit. “I love you.”
Oliver felt the weight of the words they'd said to each other many times in this moment of uncertainty. "Sois en sécurité jusqu'à ce que je te retienne à nouveau," he asked before shooing her and Rosy off to safety.
Just next to them Cory, who held his beloved to him with one arm and had the rail grasped in his other, said, “I promise I will come back to you. I love you Rosy.” He pressed his lips to hers to seal his vow. When he released her mouth he urged her, “Go Rosy! Go!”
Despite the danger around them and what it would mean for her and Amelie, Rosy hated to leave him. She needed to know he was safe and clearly where they were right then was nothing on that avenue. "Come home to us," she demanded before she was whisked away by Lauri taking a hold of her hand, fighting tears in her eyes.
Alaric did his best to help Ellie while Lauri helped Rosalie waddle faster down the pathways to Manta. The entrance could have been mistaken for a regular door. Their were Lithe’s availed for them. Lauri made sure Rosy got hers on before her own. Alaric did the same with Ellie. By the time they got their protective wear on Wesley came down with Inara in his arms. Tired, pale, and drained, Inara counted it as a blessing that she had the energy to drive. As soon as Wesley set her in the control seat she began to initialize departure.
“Go straight to Avostoska, do you understand?” Wesley needed her reply.
“I understand,” Inara said, turning to him where she sat to enfold him in her arms. The couple shared a moment of affection and silent encouragement before Wesley left with only his trust and Faith in her to keep him going.
Inara checked the other passengers who were in the same large room, “Are you buckled?”
Lauri made sure Rosalie’s straps were secure and comfortable. “Rosy is set.”
Alaric had helped Ellie, but he was having trouble with his. “Almost…”
“Here,” Lauri came to his aid. Just as the Silver Fox clicked his straps into place they were jostled aggressively.
“Oh lord!” Alaric gasped seeing Lauri tumble across the floor.
Thankfully this was nothing her Lithe couldn’t handle. She recovered and made her move to her seat. Inara glanced back to see her fall yet again when the vessel yanked to the left.
Inara frowned, but knew she couldn’t stay. “I’m sorry Lauri, we have to get going. You’ll have an easier time if we leave anyway.” Inara detached from the yacht and propelled them from the quaking ship.
If Lauri had a moment to catch her breath she would have told her it was fine, but as it was, she hoped for the small miracle of getting, and staying, on her feet! Inara’s prediction proved well. The smooth ride gave Lauri the stability to get into her seat and strap herself in. The Lamb exhaled, “Oh mon Dieu.”
“Are you alright, Lauri?” Alaric asked.
“Oui,” Lauri nodded. “I just hope the others will be.”
Back at the yacht...
Just as Yonten and Annabelle were coming out of the armory Joao, Andriy and Gordon were on their way in. The ships swaying made it difficult, but they eventually were each suited up in a Lithe. Gordon had required a little assistance with the Nexus, unaccustomed to the suit and it's abilities, but eventually they were all suited up. Less for flashy designs, Andriy's was black with silver accents and Joao's a dark navy color with white accents and trim. Gordon had yet to personalize his at all and was wearing a default white suit.
Oliver along with Cory were arriving to the armory delayed from saying their farewells to their lovers. Like the others, Lithes were slipped on before the outer protective shell of the Nexus. At Lauri's recommendation, he had gone with a maroon suit, detailed with a golden lion on its hind legs roaring. Though he had yet to see it himself, he had to approve of the color choice and its connection to the Wizarding house of Gryffindor in Harry Potter.
Any other time Cory would have fished for compliments on his suit styled after his character Sir Valerian. Unfortunately he had to focus on not dying instead. Blazing with an ever growing etch of various achievements, Cory’s suit detailed in the old Norse way of telling his story. There were a few of his LARPing triumphs on it too. A glance at Oliver and he felt a tug of conversation— what a neat suit! But no, no! He had to focus! Cory must not let his mind distract him.
The five came back to deck feeling very much like a small group of superheros and now able to stabilize against whatever was jarring the ship. Now joined with the others, the eight of them gathered on the open deck, under an awning, with the most room to maneuver. B’Yacht’ch could not be touched by Almaeri. Wesley had the ship blessed. It was dumb luck, or Fate, that he chose this one and not the yacht he gave to Inara who dedicated it to Kali.
"Alright, just what are we up against?" Gordon asked as he stepped cautiously toward the edge of the rocking ship.
Wesley, who had suited up in his elegant Nexus from when he introduced them, com’d to all of them. “Not sure, to be honest,” he said, not pleased to admit it. The timing of the attack worried him. Seagulls were not a common familiar. Just who had the talent to ensnare them? And so many? The timing of the attack frustrated him too. So convenient for the mages that the hunters were vulnerable. How long had they been listening and did this mean their whole mission was bunk? “We just need to wait this out until we get the alert.” Then they could blast out of there across the sea, potentially even merge with Manta.
The sky dimmed further. Thunder rumbled in the clouds above them. Wesley hummed in slight worry. Storms were hard to control. He hoped whoever the mage had conjured it was wearing down on some boat off in the distance. Wesley would have taken solace in the knowledge that they had yet to meet any mage who could fly. The problem with that had been seeing the dead rise. A thing no mage he knew could do. Wes could only be grateful his Nexus design included flight.
“Oh shit,” Yonten breathed, the first one to notice just what they were up against, as Gordon had questioned.
Out of the fog of the storm dozens of mages rose just like in Molly’s vision. Ego Sum wore flowing hooded robes of black and grey with a hand printed on their faces. The symbol glistened; red from blood. They levitated like spirits. The hunter’s Nexus suits could detect ominous chanting. One figure remained silent. This one’s left hand, stiff and spread as if holding an invisible ball, must be controlling the storm. The hand of this mage twitched and the first line of mages came rushing toward the hunters, each armed with floating chunks of sea rock and some with ice.
The group formed along the edge of the ship, eyes trained on the approaching mages. Just as Annabelle wouldn't stray from Yonten's side, Oliver took up position beside Cory, withdrawing their guns. It wasn't long before the rest followed suit, each lining up with a target.
"Alright boys, light 'em up!" Annabelle called through their coms. The air quickly filled with the smell of gunpowder as silver bullets fired off the ship. Even if they were down a sharpshooter, the number of mages that were coming was high enough that more bullets hit than missed, searing through their skin. Body after body dropped from the sky, though they couldn't quite hit the mage who seemed to be manifesting the building storm about them. The return volley of rocks and ice from the mages was dodged fairly easily with the aid of the suit technology and occasionally a shield thrown up.
"Wes, got anything to deal with that one bloke?" Oliver said, his visual system locked on the mage who still remained while the last of the first wave of mages was eliminated, their dissipating remains barely splashing the water below.
Another surge of pions came at them. The hunters barely had to dodge their attacks. After all the mages they had cleared, it seemed there were that many to take the place of the fallen. It seemed more came from the clouds of the storm. Wesley didn’t know if that had to do with the one controlling it, or if this mage simply kept a visual barrier between what was going on and the civilians of Texas.
“I’ll see what I can do, but let’s get rid of the excess. We’ll use the storm as our cover for now.” Something they didn’t have to worry about doing themselves. But another reason drove Wesley. A thirst for vengeance coursed in his veins. For every mage he struck down he felt pleasure knowing another of them had died— unfortunately not in agony, because of the efficiency of their weapons, but dead nonetheless. The thoughts of Inara and her sorrow fueled him.
POP! POP! POP! The mages fell to the hunters.
Angry words were shouted between several of the mages floating in air beside the Squall mage. Some that were recognizable gave the impression that they were frustrated for having lost so many mage lives. How could this be? The answer the Squaller mage must have put them in their place. They went silent and charged— again, only after a twitch of the Squallers hand. In fact, the hunters noticed the mages who came at them hardly moved except when the Squaller’s fingers drummed the air.
“RRAA!!” One of the mages punched the air towards the group. The raindrops condensed into a large spear of ice. It struck in the middle of the group. Hunters dodged the impact. It didn’t stop there. Several more were thrown down until the top deck became a forest of spikes.
Cory was the first to take sustained flight. He had nowhere to stand. Anywhere he did, they threw a spike. He tried to shoot this set of mages, but they were quicker than the last. They had better control too, deflecting their bullets with condensed ice, or they’d send a wave to crash over the ship to throw off the aim of the hunters.
By now Wesley counted just over a dozen mages left; the powerful ones. Try as they might, he and the others were having a hard time killing them. Then Wesley got the alert from the sensors; Russians were moments from home. “Andriy! It’s time!”
Andriy pulled back away from the chaos of the deck to pull out the detonation device he'd designed for the bomb at the pub. He never trusted phones feeling they were far too easy to hack, plus you never knew if a carrier was having problems. With Wesley's technology they only needed to be in a twenty-five mile radius of the device so it worked to suit their needs. Squeezing the side panels and flipping the switch, three high-pitched beeps signaled it had gone off.
Even through the gale around them they heard a mild rumble. It filled the hunters with a renewed spirit. All their hard work paid off!
"Is done!" Andriy called back through the comms before he turned back to go into the fight. After not paying attention to the fight, he had completely missed the spear of ice that was falling from the sky, headed straight for him. Fortunately, Joao had caught sight of it, abandoning his shots for a second and grabbing the younger man's shoulder to jerk him out of way just in time.
"Be careful! I won't always be here to save your ass, pegueno cara," Joao scolded before turning back to the fight.
All around them damage was collecting to the deck of B'Yacht'ch while the skies grew uglier. Annabelle stepped closer to the edge as she fired, a sudden rock of the hull close to spilling her into the ocean. Gordon who was close threw an arm on her to steady her while the suit calibrated, both floating off the deck for only a second before they were balanced again.
"Thanks, kid," Annabelle muttered before firing three quick shots at the mage who seemed to be responsible for the ice. Pop! Pop! Pop! The first two were dodged but the last found his throat, slicing straight through it as the blessed bullet took it's effect.
Yonten, who had no room to stand on the ship at this point, did his best to ward off the mages closest to Annabelle. He was grateful that Gordon had been there for her at that moment. A few more mages who tried to harm her were immediately assaulted by the Tibetan. He took hits as they came at her.
Wesley’s exhilaration had to be muted for the time being. Despite the victory there were several mages left. Each of them harder to handle than the last. Twice Wesley fell to the sea. Thrice a spike managed to crash him into his ship. He felt the edge of the ice scrape against his armor. There would surely be damage to mend. “Alright, guys. Let’s try to lose them.”
Cory dove into the water to avoid struggling against the Squaller’s hold on the storm and wind. He had every intention of blasting along the trial of Manta. His body slowed against the thickening of the sea. Seaweed rushed up, pulling from the roots of the bottom of the ocean, headed right to him. Cory took a sharp turn and launched himself into the sky. Looking around him, he saw the others do about the same.
SHWING!
“Ah!” Cory’s back jerked when a spike struck him. He nearly hit the ocean again. The Nexus maneuvered in the air and he managed to fly towards Wesley. “What do we do?”
“We’re going to have to get rid of that one,” Wesley said simply.
As if knowing their mind, eerily so, the Squaller’s hand twitched enthusiastically. While before the remaining mages had been careful to make their attacks from a distance, they rushed the group down. Two fell to Oliver. One to Joao and Annabelle.
Enraged, one of the mages on his way towards Cory shot up his hand towards. A mass of seaweed flung upwards, latching onto his suit. With the mages other hand he slammed spike after spike at Cory. The hunter shot his best, missing his foe. The wind around them wavered. The mage lost focus and nearly plunged into the sea, “¡Maldición! ¿Qué estás haciendo por allá?!” His body flailed around. They could only assume he complained to the Squaller who lost momentary control.
Seaweed loosened from Cory, giving the hunter a clear shot. The quick mage had lost his agility, the wind faltering to hold him steady. “Gotcha!” Cory guffawed. Despite the frantic layers of ice each blast came that much closer to the mage. Another waiver of wind and the mage’s focus broke. A clear shot crushed through him like a rock tearing tissue paper.
It seemed that the trouble for that mage spread. The rest of the mages who had been fighting the others found themselves unsteady, nearly dropping out of the sky. Wesley shot three who he had been missing. A glance at the Squaller showed the hand jerking around. The mage next to that one hissed and lamented, going in for a kill themselves as each of their comrades dropped from the sky. This one faced off against Joao, only to get hit by friendly cross fire. The body of this mage was pulled back to the side of the Squaller who still stood where they had been the whole time.
“Damn it!” The last mage besides the Squaller and the unconscious one, a female, shrieked. All their work, and all this death, and yet not even one hunter died? Not one? She felt her body at the mercy of the Squaller and decided it was time to skip the ice and the water. She raised her hand, bare and wet against the storm. “The bones will twist, the skin will char, the throat shall shriek. The bones will twist, the skin will char, the throat shall shriek!” Her voice gained volume, permeating the atmosphere. Her finger tips blackened. Her whole arm trembled.
Yonten felt his body ache. Whatever she was saying had to be heard, and her voice came through the com without trouble to afflict him. Wesley watched as Yonten faltered. He felt his muscles tense. His body tightened into a ball as much as his suit allowed. “Ahhh!” A roar of pain ripped out of Yonten’s throat.
“THE BONES WILL TWIST, THE SKIN WILL CHAR! THE—” The mage’s focus broke as she felt her body flail. The hunters afflicted felt a release from the spell cast. Whatever it was, it was powerful. “Ugh,” exhaled the mage in exasperation, “Get your act together, BITCH! Leader my ass!” Completely unimpressed with such lack of control.
Wesley’s eyes snapped over to the Squaller. A leader? They were dealing with a leader of the Nine? Ego Sum’s very own mastery of every single member, every individual devoted to the domination of the Earth to create a haven for mages at the expense of mundie lives. Coffee eyes boiled; intrigued.
Annabelle couldn't give two shits who any of these filthy mages were. The only thing that mattered just then was that they hurt her Bunny. Crystalline eyes narrowed behind her helmet as she rose up in the air, leveling her muzzle with the unbalanced woman. "Burn in hell, you fucking bitch," she growled as she blew a shot right through her eye socket. "No one touches my man."
The fallen mage splashed in silence against the rage of the wind. Yonten regained his focus, feeling his sense of self return. He couldn’t explain it. The way it made him feel, the way he— it was like he lost all hope and became bitter. Like, anything he saw he could not stand. As if the very sight of someone else breathing drove him into a fervent rage. Like...like if he had the chance, he could have torn Annabelle to pieces with his bare hands. Such frightening thoughts. It relieved him to know they were gone! Whatever that spell was, it terrified him. Yonten couldn’t even fathom how it had turned his mind so dark.
At seeing the female drop out of the sky the motivation to fight left the Ego Sum master. The Squaller turned to go, but it seemed leaving was not in the cards.
The others who weren't struggling to stay up themselves were trying to aim at the last two mages. "Don't let him get away!" Oliver called through the com, firing once more at them.
A barrage of bullets came at the Squaller from many angles. Prevented from launching the great escape, the wind and water around spiraled to form a bubble of protection. TINK TINK TINK! The bullets deflected off the barrier. Whatever control had wavered appeared to come back easily for the Squaller. The unconscious mage, limp and at the mercy of the Ego Sum leader, became a distraction. A shot or two later the slumbering body became encased in ice for protection.
“Fuck this shit,” Yonten decided to forgo the bullets for some raw strength. He pulled his preferred weapon from the Nexus; a pole sparking with electricity on each end. Yonten darted toward the Squaller who toted the icy mage. SWISH SWISH! ZZZ! The Squaller dodged the strikes that passed the swirling protective ball. Those that hit the sphere endured a shuddering hit.
BOOSH! The Squaller shot upward, only to be blocked by Wesley who came down above with a weapon of his own. Uncertainty prompted the Squaller to plunge their comrade into the sea, presumably for safety.
To the left the Squaller darted, aiming to simply leave as intended. Here Cory jumped in the way with his shield and sword; Valerian’s favored. Most of the others also withdrew close range empowered weapons of choice; Joao had the same long pole he practiced with each day, Annabelle two long glowing daggers, Gordon wore a pair of what seemed like brass knuckles but that exuded an energy field around his fists and enhanced it's movements, and Andriy held a halberd longer than he was.
Thus began an artful dance of strikes and dodges. Whichever way the Squaller moved, it didn’t matter how fast they went. Someone got in the way. At some point Oliver nearly struck the head of the Squaller. They dipped in time, but their hood caught the edge of his weapon, pulling it back to reveal the face of a woman whose face was printed with a hand of red. Long white hair braided down her back, smooth youthful fair skin, and with a glimmer of mischief.
“Enough of this,” she sighed, tired of trying to escape just by flying out. The Squaller maneuvered in the air as elegantly as she had been doing so far, swept a hand to clear the yacht deck of the spikes while blocking bullets, and shot right toward it with one hand raised and a familiar phrase forming on the wind.
Wesley rushed in, saying to the others, “I think she means to teleport!” True to his guess, runes began to appear on the expensive wood. BOOM! Wesley shot at the surface of the yacht. The uneven flooring damaged the magic ring.
“Heh,” The Squaller spun away. “Clever man.”
Grinning, Wesley said to the others, “We got her on the ropes. Surround her!” Thanks to her attempt at escape she gave them time to form a sphere of bodies from every angle.
Above, below, left, and right— the Ego Sum leader watched the hunters take positions. Exhaling, frustrated, it seemed she became annoyed with whatever came to mind in this moment of hard decisions. Within a blink of an eye the following occurred. The hunters enclosed on her as if she were in an Iron Maiden. Those with their eyes trained on her noticed her hesitance in her movement. Giving in to whatever internal conflict she struggled with, the Squallers arms crossed her chest and then swept outward just as all eight were feet away from striking her.
“AAHH!” Cory felt his Nexus sputter to stabilize against a gust of wind that shoved him sharply in the opposite direction. The force of it sent a sonic boom that rippled the air and sent a shudder through their bones.
By all accounts such a thing should have kept them going until they maneuver to stabilize or they hit something, but another movement of the Squaller changed the direction of the wind. They rushed upward, curving until they circled back. Cory felt his suit struggle to regain control of flight. It felt like the wind itself were thousands of hands continuously pushing him along. Wesley himself couldn’t even escape the vortex of the wind tunnel. They heard the water below roll against the ship she could not touch or manipulate directly. It turned around, facing the direction Manta had gone. With a sweep of her hands, both the hunters and the ship surged forward and away from the Ego Sum leader. For someone who apparently had trouble keeping a handle on the last of the mages in her command, this power put into question just why she had not done this in the first place.
“WHOA!” Yonten yelled with astonishment at the unexpected trip. What he glimpsed truly surprised him. The woman had not only controlled the wind with such precision that their suits could not force movement against the air, but the ocean yielded to her command and sent the yacht across sea like a torpedo. Strange, that she had sent them and the ship away.
Wesley had no words. He simply watched, baffled, as the woman quickly became a dot in the distance. They traveled for a good mile or so before they were released. The Nexus’s saved them from crashing into the water. The yacht quaked as it slowed against the ocean and slid to a sloshing halt. Wesley lowered himself to the floating wreckage knowing that the woman was probably long gone by now.
Cory dropped beside him, staring back at where they had been a moment ago. “What the hell just happened?”
“I—I don’t know,” Wesley admitted.
Joao landed a short distance away, his chest heavily rising and falling as he calmed himself back down. "Is too strong of a mage," he breathed once he'd let his helmet flip back, the danger seeming to be gone.
"Have never seen power like that," Andriy commented, looking back at the shoreline. "Well...except..."
"Except back in the woods of Belarus," Annabelle finished for him, moving to stand as close to Yonten as her suit allowed. She wanted to examine him after that heart-wrenching scream when his body had been conformed without his control, though not until they were far the fuck away from Seabrook.
Yonten trembled in his suit, though he did not let them know. He wasn’t willing to stay and get a checkup at this point. The faster they got to Avostoska, the better. For now he smiled weakly to encourage his lady love that he was alright. He rather hold her with his own hands, but it was too risky at that time.
Oliver, walking along the destroyed deck seemed to be wrapped up in his own thoughts. "Have there been any records of power like that from Ego Sum?" he asked when he did speak, eyes falling on Wesley. "They'd been quiet you said, but the last activity - was it anything like this?
Helmet flipped back, Wesley exhaled, “Honestly this is more powerful than Belarus. And no, I haven’t heard anything like this from the last few leaders they’ve had.” Occasionally they died, which meant another took their place. To end the Nine meant you’d need all high ranking members killed at once. They impassioned their followers to action. Killing only one just brought in two more; a hydra. You had to rip the heart out by destroying their morale and their idols. “The sheer number of mages that one woman controlled like wind puppets— us, the ship.” It felt strange to Wesley that she had the strength and the skill to keep them within the tide of the air and yet faced trouble for the mages who faltered.
“This whole mission is odd,” Cory said, putting away his weapon. “First this Verek guy, then a convenient attack at our most vulnerable just before we meant to get our suits on, and here we struck down mage after mage only to be unable to kill this one.” Just a single one left.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here; talk later,’ Yonten’s voice sounded strained, just as you would expect if someone shrieked until their throat grew hoarse.
“Yonny Boy is right,” Wesley said, turning to them all. “We’ll get our update about the bomb from the news, no doubt. We should meet the others if they’re not too far ahead.” Wesley sent a message to Inara that they had finished the fight. They would be on their way to Avostoska. If she felt comfortable they could meet in the sea and go the rest of the way together. It didn’t take long for Inara to let them know they were not too far that they couldn’t board. Wesley sank B’Yacht’ch with a few blasts and help from the others. He could always rebuild. “Alright guys, let’s get going.” They had a lot to think about and prepare for when Willow found out the truth.
Meanwhile: The Ego Sum Leader...
Runa sighed at having to send the hunters away so violently. It had to be done. They were just too quick for her. Although, she would be lying if she didn’t take some amount of pleasure knowing she caused such trouble for them. The murder of her husband by hunters would be a scar not easy to fade.
Below her the iced coffin rose to accompany her away. Runa trailed it behind her, found a flat surface of the shoreline, and teleported to her office. The water encasing the person she saved flowed away out into mist through the open window. Then she set the man unconscious on her couch. Likely to be asleep for a while from the collision with that ice spike. A purposeful, necessary act she was glad had gone undetected. Runa wouldn’t be telling him any time soon either. Foolish man. If he hadn’t been important to her plans for the future she may have disposed of him too.
Wet and cold, Runa left the sleeping mage to be found by staff who she messaged. They could handle him. She wanted to wash and rest. Two turns away she found herself in her bathing room. The extravagance of it did not impress her. Not so much that she felt displeased, but that it wasn’t needed. A design by some former Ego Sum leader who felt such luxury was due them. Runa didn’t complain, but by now she did view it as a tell tale sign of pomp and entitlement. At least from these people.
Taking off her chill, salty cloak Runa tossed it in the hamper, began her bath, and practically melted into the bubbles. This would be the only moment she got to herself to think. The news of her return would spread like wildfire, she was sure. They always did when she announced a mission set down by Loki.
Loki... Runa inwardly scoffed. In an attempt to inspire awe in the coven members he kept himself distant and mysterious; an idol, a hero. Whatever grandeur the god had experienced in his time in his physical form truly had diminished since his original vessel had been destroyed. No more masses of followers in Aarin. No more pristine temples. How many generations of men and women born took on his dark spirit once the previous host died? Filled them, blackened their eyes, and tainted their being so that they could not understand they had their own individuality? Who could this current host have been, had he not, from infancy, been assigned the ‘honor’ of becoming Loki’s vessel? Did he have a concept of being two separate beings intertwined? Probably not... Runa decided. Not from how he acted anyway. Not once has he ever acknowledged it at least. But she had to admit, Loki’s plan hadn’t failed so far. A reality that tasted bitter on her tongue. Runa wouldn’t be surprised if all Nine covens as a whole wouldn’t throw their panties on his stage. Loki’s celebrity would serve him well when the time came.
A knock came at the door. “Mistress?”
Runa frowned. Were they really that impatient? Could she have just one moment alone? “Hansen, I have said not to bother me while I am washing. If this is about today you’re going to have to wait.”
A meek reply followed, “Yes Mistress...my apologies…”
Footfalls faded. Runa felt herself relax again. Or, at least as much as she could. The unexpected summoning to Loki had unnerved her. Not so much when learning of Verek and the order to investigate the unexpected arrival of two major hunting families— no, Loki himself.
‘Have you any information on the Russians, Runa?’ Loki stood at the foot of one of the many statues being installed in the shrines he built on the estate in and around the Rocky Mountains.
‘No, my Lord. No more than the rest of the Nine.’ Runa answered, looking over the detailed red stone of a massive kraken.
‘Hm...It’s been quite a while since I’ve asked for them to be found. Do you think someone might be protecting them?’ Loki asked, walking around her with his hands at the low of his back.
‘It’s always possible.’
‘What do you think a person like that, people like that, should be punished with, if they were found out?’ Black eyes as dark as a void shimmered.
‘Depends. If they are working against your Lordship and your plans, I would say only the worst kind of torment. Make an example of them.’ Runa offered without hesitation.
‘Agreed, they should be, but you have left room for some alternative. What could that be, Runa?’
‘Well, if they are cared for by people who have no reason to oppose you, but simply mean to keep them hidden and safe as a general rule, I don’t see why it must be that harsh. Perhaps a flogging? Or bringing into reality a mild fear for their foolish behavior.’
‘Maybe...What do you fear?’ Loki stopped in front of her, looking down into her eyes, into her being, which was as solid the ground beneath their feet.
‘Aside from losing everything I’ve worked for, since becoming Ego Sum’s master, I would say...Milk poured in a bowl before cereal.’ Runa’s mouth toyed with the idea of smiling.
Loki chuckled merrily, ‘So I have been enlightened; quite diabolical. I guess I shouldn't be surprised with that answer. You, who have lost everything already. Such a heinous act would rank high on your list of mild fears.’
‘Indeed, your Lordship.’
‘Very well then.’ Loki inclined his head in a respectful, light bow. “Go, Runa. Vanquish these hunters. If you can, bring me two of them. Verek took a fancy to Inara Von Helsing. I am curious to see the one called Lauri. If I am correct, she is the woman I met in Maine who accompanied the pregnant blond.’
‘I will do as you command, to the best of my ability, your grace.’
Runa had returned to her coven estate with a simple order that grew complicated the more she gathered information. Of what she knew, up to nine or more hunters had come down. Negan’s crows told them that the hunters were planning something for the Russians. Runa couldn’t get a hold of Theo. They had long since barred her from communication— a thing she didn’t blame them for at this point. Runa had shocked them when she joined a coven. But she had been hurt, she wanted a community who did not tell her to forgive. Well, Runa did. Now she found herself face to face with an evil she had not conceived and the community she entered turned out to be rooted in hatred. It was one thing to want dignified treatment. It was another to do so at the expense of the innocent; becoming the monsters they accuse mundies of being. What could she do? The Russians would not speak with her. There was little she could do without exposing herself.
For a brief time Runa had hoped that, since Willow was still at the Old Bear, the hunters meant to meet with the Russians. A historical truce of some kind. Runa knew that, in that case, she would have made an attempt to join and perhaps work together. However, that fanciful thought vanished once word came to her that Willow went North with her brother. In that moment Runa knew they meant to murder the Russians. The mission had spread too far to be handled any other way than direct force. Intelligence guessed the movements of the hunters targeted the neighboring business by the pub. Whatever that was, she soon found out from her spying seagulls.
Through their talk Runa understood these people were more than just hunters. They cared for Willow. Troubled, and not wanting to bring suffering to the Russians, Runa would have simply protected the pub. Unfortunately, too many coven members knew what was going on by then. Runa was stuck. She couldn’t only prevent the attack on the Russians. She had to fight the hunters. Ignoring them would draw too much attention. Too many nosy, annoying mages, full of bigotry and hatred were— were just the kind of canon fodder Runa could expend. The hunters being on a yacht made it easy to convince the volunteers, as well as hand-selected people she didn’t like, to come with her and allow her to levitate them.
“Hmm,” Runa couldn’t help a smile draw pleasantly up. They were as good as lambs for the slaughter; chickens to the axe. And so willing to fight the good fight. There were two who rightfully complained about her ‘lack’ of control. Had she not broken their focus or exposed their vulnerable angles, they probably would have defeated the hunters— with her to aid them. Waiting for the bomb to set off took a bit. Perhaps if it had taken longer, they might have caught on to what she was doing.
Another knock, this time a worried voice. “I’m sorry Mistress, but I can’t find Harriet. She was with you— no one has come back aside from Negan. I’m sorry, I’m just— I’m worried.”
Runa cleared her throat and called back in a practiced tone of sorrow. “Please, Alden. I have suffered such loss today. Harriet, Steve, Faleen— let me gather my thoughts, that I may properly announce our tragedy!”
A wail of sadness for the implication soon went the way of Hansen’s footfalls. Faded and gone. Runa took no pleasure in what she had to do. This hadn’t been the only time, but it would be remembered as the greatest loss they suffered yet. Runa knew at once Loki would be disappointed. Thankfully he had no idea she was from Aarin. That, he knew, would spell her doom. No one as trained in mage battle as she was from Aarin would have lost with so many comrades at her side. Loki’s poor view of surface born mages had been helpful in the past. Runa could only hope that this would continue to be her greatest advantage.
These mages have no idea what kind of horror is coming for them... Runa rested her head back against the ornate bath. The previous Ego Sum master had been an idiot to fall into Loki’s charms. Loki had such rhetoric that even Runa believed him sometimes. But I know the truth... And Runa would be damned if she let Loki have his way.
~Avostoska~
Manta, loaded with all the guests of the castle, soon lifted out of the sea and flew over the lands to Belarus. The amphibious craft parked smoothly on the landing strip. Tired and worn, the crew exited the plane and went immediately inside for a wash and change of clothes. No one did much other than see to injuries and embrace their loved ones in happiness for their safe return. Their long and arduous journey exhausted them. Soon they fell asleep. Discussion and updates would wait for the next day.
After breakfast, during which few words were said, the hunters met in the Great Common. Couples paired off to snuggle on lounges. Singles took recliners or chairs. Inara, who had brief moments of shared grief here and there, as she met with her loved ones since leaving the craft, rested within Wesley’s hold. She had improved, though a melancholy touched her eyes. “How did it go?” Inara asked. Some good news would do to help her mood.
Wesley said, “It went interesting.”
“Never a phrase that bodes well,” Alaric spoffed wearily. His arm felt much better since coming back to Avostoska.
Cory, arm resting around Rosy, said, “Well I guess we should tell it from when you guys left.”
Through a long conversation, sometimes interrupted with a question of clarification or two, the hunters who had stayed behind to fight the dozens and dozens of mages of Ego Sum related the other’s exactly as they had experienced it. Their suit cameras made for useful visual aids at any time someone or the other needed it.
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’ of the cord attached to it. Within a blink he was swallowed by the dense shrubbery behind him, leaving a trail of ‘Aahhh!’ forAnnabelle to follow.
' he texted her.
