Saturday, August 13, 2011

Sunset Coven 15



Isn't she just the cutest!!!!
How ironic that this picture proceeds this chapter. Is that isn't as wrong as it gets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jime had showered in the hotel room before meeting Suri out by Jack. Suri had the trunk open; she leaned on the side of the car. She looked up when Jime appeared before her, her expression thoughtful.

"Jack and I were a long time ago. Really long time ago. More than a blue moon ago," Jime said, not really wanting to get into this conversation but glad Suri hadn't walked around with a bitter expression as she had when she told her about the La Reina thing.

On the contrary, Suri had seemed to find their encounter with Jack highly amusing as she farmed a different section of the field with her eyes locked on Jime and Jack.

Jime wasn't the most forthcoming on the best of days. Suri knew that. So she resigned to let Jime peel back the layers one at a time. Although, ripping them all off at once would get the pain out of the way...if one didn't bleed to death in the process.

"Extremely long time ago," Jime said

"Did you love him?" Suri asked.

Jime's face became impassive. Whether that meant, "yes" or "don't fucking kid yourself," she wasn't sure.

Moments passed by and Jime didn't respond.

"Very well. We'll talk about it later, I guess." She wasn’t happy about dropping the subject though. Suri tapped the interior of the trunk.

Jime slipped inside, tired from all the farming as well as keeping her guard up when Jack was around. She couldn't wait to sleep. Suri shut the trunk before she could say goodnight. Maybe she was pissed again. Oh well! She didn't have time to deal with that. She had to figure out how to shut off those feelings being close to Jack had brought. She sighed and let the darkness close in.

Suri had flashed back to the room to shower. She threw on an oversized t-shirt and hopped in bed when she was through, but she didn't sleep. She couldn't. Her mind was rolling; her body restless, and the pit of her stomach felt like it brew acid. The darkness. Using dark to defeat the wolves back in alien land made her skin feel stretched and tingly. The only time the sensation had abated was when she was in P and S cooking up a brew for Jamie.

Suri rolled over and tossed the comforter on the floor. Not use sitting in the room like a caged chicken, she thought. Magicking a pair of teal leggings and white tank top, she changed clothing and flashed back outside to Jack. She hopped on the hood of car and laid back in what should have been an uncomfortable posting, with her head down by the trunk and her feet up on the roof of the car.

"Numira," she spoke softly. The air around the car shivered with magic, a cloak of invisibility surrounding her and honey-boo. Just remembering that name-spoken pass Jack's lips made her giggle like a schoolyard girl. Like she would know anything about that. She never giggled in a schoolyard. She didn't have friends to laugh with. Everyone either envied or hated her for her power, or they feared her for her power and because her dad was Sage, the black Mage who destroyed half of Europe because he was bored.

Suri magicked a pack of twizzlers next to her. Popping the bag open, she grabbed two of the sticks and stuffed the ends in her mouth while she watched the sun rise on the horizon.

She was stretching her legs while she lay on the car when the air her started to twist. Suri released the leg that she had extended up to her shoulders and started out into the empty road where Jack was parked across from the hotel out of sight of any camera. A moment later, Jack Jammers of the Sinn-Jammers was standing in the once empty road. How had he found them so soon, under and hour of teleporting from him? It took other half a day, if not days to pick up her and Jime's trail.

Jack looked around. Suri knew he didn't see her or the car, but his gaze lingered on her for a moment before looking around again and coming back once more to her.

He inhaled deeply as if sniffing the air for a scent. He wouldn't smell anything, though. Her cloak of invisibility was perfect in every sense. Not only couldn't he see them, he couldn't smell them, hear them, or any of that.

She was about to step out to ask why he was there when she felt a stir. Another twizzler enters her mouth. The air cracks. Toren and his running mate, River, flash next to Jack. Funny, she didn't know Dragons could flash. Also funny that they should show up directly after Jack does.

"Jack," Toren greets

Suri wings her legs off the hood of the car and sits up. She braces her hands on the hood of the trunk between her legs, her fingers gripping the steel so hard she could peel the paint from it. Just looking at him, hearing his voice made the darkness growing in her blood burn.

"Toren," Jack replies and nods at River in acknowledgement. He turned his attention back to where she and Jack sat. "Their trail ends here, if you're looking for the witch," he said.

"Have you checked the hotel," Toren asked.

"No. The trail ends here. Not there."

"There's nothing here but trees and a nice view of the hotel," River stated.

Traitor! The word vibrated through Suri. Kill the traitor, the dark inside her whispered. Her insides raged to hurt him. He hurt you. Physically, she was scarred. They would heal soon leaving no mark behind, but at the moment the scars were there, not just a memory. Mentally, he betrayal hurt more than the scars. Suri didn't trust often. Besides her aunt and parents she didn't trust anyone. And even with them she trusted that they would always treat her like a child. But she wasn't a child. She was a woman, a woman who had been betrayed but that damn dragon standing 25 feet away. Make him suffer.

"Yet the trail ends here," Jack repeated.

Toren found that odd. That the trail stopped there with no energy left to trace, means that Suri and Jime were there. He let his eyes glow and used the sight of the dragon to scan their surroundings. River did the same thing.

"I don't see anything," River said.

Toren almost laughed. "You wouldn't," he said. Not unless she wanted them to see. He turned to River. "Pull out your locket."

River pulled the necklace from under his shirt. Toren took the locket into his hand and blew on it.

The locket around Suri’s neck grew hot. She growled, a low menacing sound of a beast. That douche bag could track her threw the locket. She had a feeling it worked that way when Jack said a lizard told him where they were, but she couldn’t be certain.

Toren dropped the necklace from his hand and looked where Jack at been looking. How Jack was able to locate them without a trail was another story. “She—“

Lunpe,” Suri mumbled darkly from her spot perched on the trunk of the car.

Toren flew back like he did when Jime tossed him earlier. He landed hard on the ground on his back. He shook his hard to dislodge the shock and looked up. River and Jack both stared at him, a confused expression on their faces. Pushing up, he stood up only to be hit from the side and flew back again.

Dadoe. Luet. Kimel. Kimel, kimel, KIMEL!” Suri threw spell after spell after angry spell at Toren, hitting him from all angles until his clothing was tattered. But the dragon was strong. He always got up without taking too much damage, and that only made the darkness in her scream. “Ku tet new a le eck zinha,” she said. She didn’t look down as a bow, glowing bright with spirit energy materialized in her left hand, a spirit bow in her right.

Toren stood tall, looking in her direction.

“My Lord,” River rushed over to his leader when it seemed like the attack at stopped. Jack walked over as well. Having an alliance meant that he would join Toren and River in battle if the dragon warlord was to ask for his help. But he didn’t think that was necessary at the moment. What? The witch was only a baby. To fight against her would be like—

Suri fired the arrow. The attacks had pushed Toren further away from the car then he stood before, but that was okay. The spirit bow wasn’t of this plane. The untrained eye couldn’t see it. That’s why none of them saw the bright neon blue arrow until it struck its target in the center of his chest. Toren dropped to his knees upon impact, a hole gaping in his chest, his blood running out.

The darkness inside her clapped with glee. More. Make him suffer more. With a simple wave of her hand, she shattered the invisibility cloak.

River reached for Toren but stopped when the wind suddenly shifted and howled. He looked up at the once empty spot a few feet away to see Suri sitting on the trunk of a car looking like the devil herself. Her eyes were dark, her expression pure murder. He went to stand in front of his lord, ready to fight and protect, destroy. He reached for his waist—

Freeze,” she said, and they all froze movement, his body locked. Though their bodies couldn’t move their minds were still aware.

She hopped off the car, her eyes only on Toren, and stalked forward so slowly like a cheetah hunting. She waved her hand and Toren groaned as she released the freeze from him and him alone. She wanted him alive and kicking as she tortured him. Ten feet away, she pointed at him and beckoned her finger. Toren rose off the ground into the air like someone stepping on a rake until he stood straight, his feet a foot off the ground. She glared up at him. Steam flowed from his nostrils. “Veroppi.” He grunt, his face twisting in pain his blood turned to acid in his face. But after a few second of coping, or maybe just to bother he, he smirked.

“Is that all you got?” he taunted, blood spilling out from his mouth.

The darkness raged, begging her to send him to Hecate. She obliged.

Suri placed her hand on his chest over the wound leaking blood. She looked him square in those crystal clear beautiful eyes of his as she said, “Hecate. Feed.”

Toren gasped and grunted, but he wouldn’t cry out. His soul felt like it was being twist and torn, the blood in his veins destroying him from the inside out, but he wouldn’t cry out. Let her take her revenge if it pleased if, but for the love of god, if she doesn’t, “stop…calling dark magic,” be hit out, angry with her for doing so.

Granted, her sudden use of dark magic may be his fault. May. If he hadn’t turned her over to the wolves, she wouldn’t have committed that ritual. He had no doubt that she hadn’t used it before. If so, she wouldn’t have spared the human side of the wolves. And yes, it was his fire that blew the building apart which killed the wolves. So, maybe he was to blame for using the mage powers. But that doesn’t mean she needed to keep doing so. Did she even know how dangerous it was to call the dark magic?

And, if the marks on her back looked anything like the scars visible on her shoulders then…why hadn’t she healed? She was immortal. She should have heeled. She’s a witch after all, Jime vampire had said, and witches could be killed by fire.

From the corner of his eye he saw River breaking free of the spell. So did she. Her gaze shifted from him momentarily to River. “Leave,” she said, her voice low. She flicked her wrist, but instead of attack River, she transported them to a new location.

River watched as Toren and Suri vanished, the spell she casted breaking once she left. A tiny clink sound was all that was left of those two as the locket Toren gave to her sat on the cold ground. He turned to Jack who was stretching his muscles. Jack walked over to the car but came up short just out of its reach, unable to get through whatever charm had been placed on it. “Dammit!”

Toren collapsed onto a cold stone floor. Where he was, he didn’t know. He pushed up on his hands but the pain seared through him and he almost fell again. He was almost on his knees when Suri’s foot connected with his back and she pushed him back down. “Naydok.” His body locked, a sensation different from when she had froze them, but the motionlessness just the same. He felt himself raising again the same way as well.

She shifted in front of him. “Liar,” she called him.

“I,” his voice small but strong, “never lied to you.”

She slapped him like a woman scorned. “Liar. You betrayed me.”

“Yes.”

She slapped him again, his face turning from the force of the hit. Whoever said witches weren’t much stronger than mortals were the real liars. Her slaps were as strong as River’s punches. Or maybe it was his currently weak state of being that made it feel that way.

“You seduced me, followed me like a lost puppy, spouting your nonsense, and then you fed me to wolves. WOLVES!” She slapped him twice.

He turned his head, a slow progress, until he faced her. “Exactly, which pa-part of that are you upset about?”

Her jaw clenched, but she didn’t hit him again. “You scarred me. Left me damaged.” She fisted his shirt and snatched it from his body. Circling him slowly, a single lazy finger trailing across his torso in the process, she stood behind him. “It’s only fair I do the same thing to you,” she stroke his back, running that solo finger from the top of his back down to the hem of his jeans. “Awake!

This time, Toren cried out as his scales grew onto his back without his call, forced. When she called the Hecate, it might have felt as if his soul was being torn apart, but now his skin was being torn apart…literally.

The change last for close to five minutes, painful the entire time. Had he called his true form, they would have grown instantly, in a matter of seconds, painless as can be. But he hadn’t called.

Suri allowed him a few deep breaths. She balled her hands into fist, a small material instrument suddenly in her palm. “Better?” she asked when his breathing was no longer ragged. “How about now?” With the little tweezers in her hand, she snatched one of the scales from his flesh. He roared a loud painful sound. Good thing no one was around for miles and miles. He could scream all he wanted. In fact, she wanted him to scream. The darkness wanted him to scream.

“How many scales does it take to until I have a kilogram,” she mocked the tootsie roll pop commercial tune. She peered around him and smiled a dark bitter smile. “Let’s find out.” Pluck. “A one.” Pluck. “A two.” Pluck. “A three.” She peered around into his face again. “Doesn’t weight a kilogram yet. I suggest we keep going until we find out.” So she plucked and snatched and pulled at his scales tossing them over her shoulder after each one, and he grunted, cringed, and groaned with each one.

“You know the worst part about it all?” she said what were probably hours later after removing more than half the scales from his back. “It’s not the burns or the fact that I had to call on Hecate.” Pluck. “I trusted you.” Pluck. “That’s the worst part.” Why had she even trusted him? She asked herself.

Because he had been nice? He made her laugh? Because of the kiss they shared that was so hot it scorched just thinking about it? No. It wasn’t any of that, though his kiss wasn’t bad. She wouldn’t admit to anyone that she went to sleep thinking about it every night. At least she did until The Tavern. No. It was because he showed interest in her. Not her powers or what she could do for him, what he could use her for. He showed interest in just her. Just Suri. It was the first time anyone had showed interest in just Suri.

Her parents love her. She knew that, but with them it was always about being the best. Her classmates, the ones who didn’t envy or fear her, only wanted her to help them with assignments. Her teachers were only interest in having the chance to say they were her teacher. With Toren, it had been just about her. Well, if that’s what showing interest in her lead to, being chained to a gas line, beat, and bullied by a pack of wolves, she didn’t want it.

“Suri!”

“Lunpe,” she called out and tossed the scale over her shoulder. She turned around to find out who the intruder was and how sorry they would be.

Jime had been knocked off her feet by the unexpected spell. She pushed herself up onto her feet almost as soon as her back hit the floor. She looked her niece, her poor baby niece who looked more like a mad woman covered in blood ready to attack than the sweet, innocent little girl was really was.

She was about to cross the room when thunder crackled, inside the room, and Zeus stood between them.

“Well, well, well,” his voice vibrated off the walls. “Aren’t you chicky's on a roll?” The scales that once littered the floor disappeared. “One kilogram. Taken.” He vanished.

“Suri stop,” Jime said the moment he was gone. She wasn’t concerned with him at the moment. Right now, her focus was getting Suri to stop. Yes, she wanted to see the dragon suffer for what he did to her, but she would rather Suri make him suffer when she wasn’t being tempted by darkness.

Suri raised her hand to cast another spell.

“Suri!” Jime voiced.

The hand froze midair and Suri shook her head like a wet puppy. The darkness in her eyes began to fade. Suri looked at her then turned to look at what was once Toren’s back. The tweezers fell from her fingers. She looked back at Jime, back at Toren, then at Jime again and shook her head before vanishing.


The Vampire


Thank you wifey! You rock.

Chapter 14.

14.

Thunder flashed above the three of them. Zeus making a grandiose appearance. Floating above them he deigned to bestow his gaze upon them.
“Uh uh,” He motioned no with his finger, “Another technical foul, girly girls. You must harvest the field without damaging the goods, we don’t want the poor farmer that owns this land to not get his money now do we?”

“So we’re not stealing the corn?” Suri murmured.

“No little witch, the list said harvest, not steal,” He displayed the trampled corn husks under Jime and Jack’s feet, “And now we have this… what to do, what to do,” He touched his forehead mimicking thinking, “Oh! I know! For each corn damaged you will have to work another field. There. Problem solved. So, how many fields does that make?” He counted gleefully, “I believe it is 36 fields! Good luck my little puppets! I’ll be watching! Continue putting such a good show!”
With that he left, zooming upwards to disappear between the clouds.
That bitch Demeter, who was the actual owner of all corn fields in Iowa, was gonna be sorry for having the gall to beat him at Guitar Hero. Her entire crop was being harvested before time. That will show her! Plus he also needed some corn for the Potion.

Jack was looking where Zeus had disappeared, “What was that about?” he asked Jime.

Jime turned to him, fury in her eyes, “None of your goddammed business!”

Once again their powers circling each other, picking up wind. When frost started to appear above them Suri interrupted.
“Hold on! Hold on! People! Don’t damaged the corn! What the hell, I don’t wanna be stuck all night farming… God! It took us an hour to get this one almost done, and now we have to do 36 more?” She inhaled, “It’s going to take all night as it is!”

Jime squinted her eyes and decided to flash to a near-by road. Jack and Suri followed.
The road was illuminated by a single lamp that looked like it was about to die any second now, but the light was enough; Jime and Suri stood together facing Jack, who was standing at a comfortable distance, trying to cool off the storm inside.

The tension was still palpable even though no one was talking, so Suri decided to jump right in. “What are you doing here?” She sneered at Jack.

“This does not concern you.” He sneered right back.

“Don’t use that tone with her, you bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?” Jime yelled.

“You tell me what’s got you following Zeus’ orders, then!” He yelled at her.

“What the fuck? DON’T YELL AT ME! I gather you know damn well what’s got me following orders! You have been messing into my business again, I know you have!”

“I was told you’re after a greek potion and I thought it would be good of me to make way for you, I helped you, you owe me now.”

“In what twisted reality do you live in? Wait, what am I asking, you live in the special I’m-the-top-of-everything-and-everyone-should-worship-me world of Jack Jammer extraordinaire.” Jime eye-rolled with derision.

Jack got furiously red but managed to control himself, “You owe me, and now you have to tell me something I need to know.”

“I don’t have to tell you jack-shit!”

He looked at Suri, “This is a private matter and as such-” He started to collect his power to form a bubble between he and Jime, leaving Suri out.

She would not stand for it, this situation was too juicy to miss, “Oh no, you don’t!” Suri mumbled an incantation under her breath and figuratively speaking burst that bubble.

“Step off your high horse, you bastard. She knows everything.” Jime cast a side glance at Suri with her follow my lead look, at which Suri answered with her you got it look.

“She knows?” Jack paled with embarrassment, casting his eyes on the floor.

“Yes, I don’t keep secrets with my family. I do not practice deceit.”

Suri raised her eyebrows at that, a half smile on her face, but Jack didn’t see her because he was looking pretty troubled with himself. Seeming to come to a conclusion, he looked up once again, addressing them.

“Very well, if my honor is to be thus tarnished so be it.”

“Honor? Ha!” Jime laughed and looked at Suri, “That’s like saying Zeus is a gentleman.”
Small thunderbolt energy cracked behind the women, hitting Jime’s butt. “Ow!” She covered her tush with her hands.

Suri snickered while Jack’s attention was drawn to Jime’s body, clad in a sexy flower print bikini. His eyes wandered over her lower half, taking in her shapely legs, to go up slowly over her stomach, her curves (she had always been a curvy woman, no skin and bones, just how he liked his woma-women! Women in general!) to her breast, his heated gaze resting there, remembering his neverending plans for those puppies. He smiled to himself, a snap of Jime’s fingers breaking his reverie.

“As I was saying, I don’t have to tell you anything.” She was blushing.

“All I need to know is why you said no to my proposal, so that I can move on.”

He donned an air of victimization that pissed Jime off once more. She must remember her vow to never let her guard down again when it came to Jack. The Bastard. Always so self-centered, so smug, the levels his delusion could reach always astounded her. He still thought he was God’s gift to womankind apparently. The asshat had insulted her in every possible way, betrayed her in the worst of ways, and then he proposed to her? Thinking it would solve all her insignificant little woman troubles, that he had contributed to, and that would make it all ok? Fuck him!.  
Suri was riveted watching the two of them. They had had a nasty fight the last time they chanced each other at Jack’s club, then he had left the premises in a huff. Later on Suri and Jime had left too (taking jack the car with them), with Toren not far behind, as it turned out. A proposal! So, Jime and Jack had a thing going on between them at one time? Figures.

While Jime was remembering, she also remembered her plan to get Jack’s help for Operation Hairball… it was painful for her to swallow her old hatred of Jack, but she must, for the sake of the Potion. She mulled over how to go about manipulating him, “Why I said no…” She stalled for time, “It’s simple really, I was not in love with you. I said so at the time… pretty clearly if I recall correctly.”

“And I know that was not true, it couldn’t be.”

“It couldn’t be…” Jime repeated managing to not make her eyes roll again, “Well, the past is past. Things change and what-not…” She made sexy eyes at him.

Jack was stunned. Could it be? Dare he think..? His heart was beating so hard and fast he almost feared it could be heard by her. He will have to tread lightly. This was too important to screw up. He would change the subject, for now, so he could get to the bottom of this when they were alone. He asked out loud, “Zeus! Can they have outside help in whatever it is they are doing?”

A thundering voice responded, “SURE, WHY NOT, THEY ARE FEMALES AFTER ALL, I’LL ALLOW IT.”

Suri and Jime both breathed in, with hands in tight fists of rage at the condescension.

“I will help you.” Jack’s smug smile coming back to its natural habitat on his irritatingly good looking blondie face.

“All right! The more the better.” Suri rubbed her hands together, ready to be done with this bullshit task. “Say… how did you know where to find us?” She asked Jack.

He didn’t look at Suri while he answered “A little gecko told me.” He was staring at Jime, never taking his eyes off her every move, which in turn made Jime shift in discomfort, making certain feelings come to the surface she did not want to feel again.

Suri thought about what Jack said, suspecting that weird feeling she felt, that the locket Toren had given her turned hot for a few seconds, when they started plucking the corn husks, had not been her imagination after all. Interesting.

***********

Toren was writhing, green sweat staining his brand new egyptian cotton sheets. Bloody hell. But that’s what you got when Jime-vamp got her claws into you, poison that got you killed, slowly and painfully. As a Dragon, Toren could make his own body reach high levels of temperature, and his body healed faster; that way he could sweat the poison out of his system. Jime knew that. But it would cost him time and energy, also, there was no medicine for the pain. So he took it. He opened his eyes briefly and saw River had sat on a chair next to his bed. He was making River worry too much.

“I see you’re finally awake. Here you are, out of commission, yet again. See a pattern here?” River spoke with his almost-boring voice, this was not good.

“How did you find me?” Toren whispered.

“I followed your sorry ass through the Underworld and you didn’t even notice. Damn, you have it bad.”

So, River had probably witnessed his encounter with Jime-vamp and picked him up after she left and he lost consciousness. “I told you I would handle the leech alone.”

“You were looking to get a glimpse of Suri, is what you wanted. You and I know you wouldn’t have been able to handle the vampire if she had really wanted to kill you.”

Toren sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, guessing his second in command would have a lot of questions to ask, while River fumed quietly.

“So what? You have a death wish now? Aren’t you forgetting something important here? You have responsibilities! The survival of our Clan depends on you!”

“I never forget that, River.” Toren spoke through his teeth with pain lacing his words. Physical pain and emotional pain. River sure could cut deep with his words when he wanted to.

After some minutes of silence River spoke again, “I invoked the locket, got their location, and called Jack Jammer.”

“You what?!” Toren sat up with difficulty.

“You heard.”

“Dammit, River-” A tremor so bad went through Toren’s body his teeth rattled, shutting him up.

“I made him swear his loyalty and aid to the Dragon Clan, in writing. I’m not an idiot. He was eager to do it anyway.” He waved Toren’s concerns away with his hand. “So we have him on our side now.”

“I need to go to Suri. I can’t have her out to kill me.” Toren started to get up from bed, but was shoved right back by River.

“You really need me to tell you this? You have to let the poison out and rest, get your energy back, that’s going to take about 5 hours.”

Toren conceded defeat, he really needed to be in top shape to fix this situation. “But we have to go as soon as possible. Where are they now?”

“On some field in Iowa.”

“Random.”

“Do I look like I care?”

**********

4:47 A.M. in the morning found Jime, Suri and Jack done with the 36 fields. It had turned out to be hard work, they were sweaty and tired. They had reunited at the first field when they finished to find the corn that had gotten damaged to be missing.

“I guess Zeus took it. Fine, if anyone gets in trouble, it can be him.” Suri shrugged.

Jime sighed, “I don’t care, I just want to take a shower and get inside jack’s trunk.” She cringed, realizing what that had sounded like.

“WHAT?” Jack’s hand almost made it to his chest, almost.

“She meant the car…” Suri said while straightening her overalls and putting them on.

Jack’s sudden arousal fizzled down at the mention of his car. How could he have forgotten? “You will give me back my honey-boo, or else I will not continue to help you two.” He threatened.

“Honey-boo?” Suri huffed, amused, “Now I’m torn, should we continue calling it jack, tia?” She joked.

Jime had turned her back on them to dress as well, not wanting to look at Jack’s currently naked torso, all hard muscles gleaming with sweat under the moonlight. She didn’t respond.

“Wait, you named my honey-boo jack? Jack chuckled.

Jime turned around, raising her arms in the air, “I hereby re-name it honey-poo.”

“Brilliant!” Suri clasped.

“I object!” Jack put on his shirt, making quick work of the buttons.

“Whatever, it’s going to be dawn soon, so I’m off, see you tomorrow.” Jime waved and teleported.

“Wait for me, jeez.” Suri followed her.

“Damn it!” Said jack, it would take him an hour to follow the energy trail they had left, but he could find them. He teleported after them.

At that same moment Toren and River showed up at the field, saw Jack disappear, and followed his trail.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Sunset Coven 13

Caesars Lane
Caesar Lane.
Suri found it a bit strange how all-major roads in the underground were named after some dictator whose entire empire collapsed and rumored nations. Really! The irony of it all was a bit comical.
For example, the casino they appeared in front of was called 23 Slots, named off the number of times Caesar had been stabbed. The saloon across also referenced Caesar’s death, All But 1, because only one wound had been fatal. Then there was a clothing store, 60 and Counting, on Venus Genetrix, a road perpendicular to Caesar Lane, and The Idiots, a comedy stage of sorts, well...the point was, it was all ironic. Suri wondered if she was the only person who thought so. She learned her lesson a long time ago about revealing such thoughts to Jime. Having lived 900+ years, her aunt was a bit of a history buff.
Last time she mentioned her opinions, they were over on Atlantis, Jime rattled on and on for hours. She ended up casting a spell on her ears to block out Jime's voice. Never again would she engage in that subject with her.
“Why are we in Little Rome?”
“I need to make a stop at P and S first,” Suri responded. Potions And Stuff was the mini-mart of witchcraft. Witches traveling could stop in, replenish their stock, or even take few seconds to whip up at brew, and then be on their way in a matter of minutes. P and S was located on Salem Court (irony strikes again), which was just a few minutes walk from Caesars.
“Okay. Cool, but make it fast. We have crops to field.”
Jime couldn’t keep the smirk off her face as the strutted down the street. 900 years later, and a reputation that was feared, she still attracted eyes from all types of creatures. Yeah, she looked good, and the pants she wore framed her hips and thighs so well, she was too hot to handle. She flashed her fangs at an incubus walking across the street when he looked her up and down. He flashed his pretty whites right back at her. Oh, she would definitely be looking him up doing her spear time.
She looked at Suri, who was attracting her share of attention as well with her bikini top and jumper. The ones who eyed her were a bit bolder, maybe because her niece was just a kid and they thought her easy. Too bad for them that Suri’s attention span was about a millimeter long and she paid no attention to them at all. Also to bad for them, that Jime would rip out their trachea’s and drink their blood as it pooled out of them if they even so much as came into arms length distance of her niece.
She was being over protective of her nieces innocence, so what. That’s even if Suri is an innocent. She said she wasn’t and Jime didn’t detect a lie, but Suri had ways around lying. Jime let her guard down once and Suri suffered, physically, mentally, magically because of it. That wouldn’t happen again.
They arrived at Potions and Stuff. Suri disappeared into the back of the store towards the brewing section. “I’ll just meet you outside,” Jime called. Suri flicked a wrist in returned, but didn’t say anything. She wondered if she was still upset about the whole La Reina thing. God, she wasn’t to strangle Zeus with his own thunderbolt for opening that can of worms.
Flicking her hair over her shoulder, Jime sauntered out of the shop and moseyed around. She was eyeing a silver Douche and Gabbana bag in a window display when she caught a scent in the air. Her fangs and claws elongated and she moved with lightening speed around the corner.
Jime dug the sharpened nails on her left hand into Toren’s solid chest and she slammed him into the wall of the building he stood by. Bricks cracked and crumpled under the impact. “I want you dead,” she hissed, her face directly in front of his, his blood trickling down her fingers.
Too his credit, he didn’t cower. He didn’t even bat one of those pretty little eyelashes of his. That only pissed her off more and she dug her claws deeper into his flesh. She felt his body tense, that was slightly satisfying, but he didn’t make a sound of pain. No warlord would.
“I’m answering your calling card.”
She twisted her hand and watched in pleasure as his face shifted just a bit. If she wasn’t who she was, she might not have noticed. “You spoil all the fun. I really looked forward to bathing in the blood of your people, blood traitor.”
“We share no formal alliance, Jimena,” his tone was calm, radiating power and control.
“You betrayed my niece.”
“She’ll get over it,” his gaze was slightly lower than hers. Not low enough to admit defeat and submission, but low enough for her to not mesmerize him. But Jime could kill him in a second if she wanted to.
“You left her injured, damaged, scarred,” she lifted him up and slammed him back into the wall.
“She’s immortal. Her scars will heal.”
“Will they?” Jime challenge. “She’s a witch after all.” And everyone knew witches were only just one step above mortals. Suri had been right when she said no one was immortal. It only took the right weapon to kill an immortal. For Wolves it was silver, or having the wolf snatched from their souls and given to the Hecate. For witches it was fire. She slammed him into the wall again, further cracking the bricks, and threw her fist right into his face breaking his nose.
Toren’s eyes glowed, but he didn’t fight back. He remained still and allowed the assault to continue. “They will heal,” he repeated.
Jime wasn’t sure why he wasn’t fighting back. Maybe he sensed her hesitation, and it killed her to hesitate killing him. She snatched her hand from his chest after tossing him into the building across the street as if she merely flicked a piece of lint away. She licked the blood off each finger slowly while he gathered himself and stood up. “I would love to watch you die ever so slowly, baby dragon, to watch your blood run free around my boots, but that won’t be by my hands. I’ll leave that Suri.”
Toren actually smiled at that, and it wasn’t an amused smile. Suri took away his hope of protecting his family when she killed the wolves. Now…the thought of his clan dying off made him blind with rage. Smoke and fire shot from his nose. It wasn’t her fault. Not really. She was only defending herself because she thought he betrayed her. And he had. That pissed him off. But she should have known he would get her out of it. That she hadn’t pissed him off even more. “I look forward to that.”
Jime loved her niece more than anyone. She would never want anything bad to happen to her, to watch her fall as Sage has fell, but at this moment, all she could do was say, “I hope she gives you to Hecate.”
Toren’s mask of anger collapsed briefly.
She looked over her should and into the shadows where River stood the entire time. Idiots. To think they could hide in what she controlled. Licking her fingers one last time, Jime ran back to Salem Court, just as Suri exited the door. “All done?” she asked in a casual tone.
“Yes—“ Suri looked her up and down. “Why are you all…vamped?”
She ran her tongue over her fangs before pulling them back in. Then did the same thing for her nails. She knew her eyes must be glowing, but that would fade in a couple of minutes. “Just getting acquainted with an old friend.”
Suri’s eyes narrowed. “Lie.” She heaved. “I thought we established the ‘don’t-lie-to-me’ clause.”
“Truth,” Jime responded.
Suri walked forward and grabbed Jime by the front of her shirt. She leaned forward and took a deep sniff. Her sense of smell was nowhere near as strong as a vampire, wolf, and other creatures of the lore, but it was strong enough. She pushed Jime away; more like she pushed herself away since Jime remained still yet a small distance was between them. “Dead or alive?”
“Alive.”
“Harmed or not?”
“Harmed enough. Nothing deadly I assure you.”
“Harmed enough?” Suri repeated sarcastically. “He wasn’t supposed to be harmed at all. Not by you. The dragon is mine. Mine to handle. What? Did you flash to his lair while I was in the store or something?”
Jime sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Don’t ask me not to do anything to those who harm you, niƱa. I can’t do that.” She dropped her hand to her side. “No, I didn’t go looking for him. I don’t know where the nest is. Come to think of it, do you? I mean, we’ll need to know where to located the lizards when it comes time for mission number two. Anyway, back when you blew up the Tavern, I had just learned what happened from the brownie chick, and I sent out a declaration. He had to respond or I’ll be bound by magic to carry out what I said.”
“And what was that?”
Jime twist the toe of her right foot sheepishly. “Oh, nothing much. Just to wipe out the entire clan. See, nothing big.”
The big window in front of P and S cracked as Suri threw her head to the side and held her hand to silence Jime. She counted to ten, and then looked up at her aunt. She pointed a finger at Jime. “I’ll let the declaration go because it was at a time of distress, and therefore I must dismiss your encounter with the dragon warlord because you were bound by contract magic. But that’s it.” She waved her hand clearing the air. “No more. I’m serious, tia.”
“I’m trying Suri. But you can’t change a hoe into a housewife overnight, you know.”
“What?” Despite her anger, Suri smirked. She flicked her wrist again and the window repaired, the cracked sealing slowly.
Jime waited a few moments before she spoke, allowing Suri to get herself under control. When she was sure Suri wouldn’t cast some random spell on her, she bumped her with her hip. “Sooo, what did you get?”
“I sent a potion to someone.”
“Who?”
Suri looked up at Jime and away. “Do you know where the passage to Idaho…Indiana…Iowa is?”
Jime turned around and whistle at the Pouka passing by on the other side of the street. “Yo!” she called out. “Which way to Iowa?”
“Columbus and Hispaniola. “
“Columbus and Hispaniola,” Jime repeated to Suri who chuckled and mumbled ‘irony’.
“Lets go,” Suri said. “By the way, you owe me.”
~~~~~
A small popping sound and a puff of smoke brought James attention away from Jamie’s sleeping form to the nightstand beside her bed. There sat a small flask with a tiny piece of paper attached to it. Cautiously like, he lifted the flask and detached the note. Looking at the silvery liquid yet gaseous content in the bottle, he sat it back down wondering what it was. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be something good if it just popped out of nowhere.
He unfolded the note, and unfolded, and unfolded. The little slip of paper, no longer than a 1x2 inch sticky note, changed into a full-length sheet of paper.
James,
Not all of us as dangerous. I don’t know what your connection to my aunt may be, but you have a connection anyway, so I’m sure despite your wariness you know that statement to be truth.
As a token of gratitude, and also an apology for the injury you sustained (thank that douche bag, Zeus for saving you, although he was a little slow in doing so), I offer you a token. A solvent for your sister’s ails.
No! It’s not poisoned. Don’t even think about throwing it away. It will aid her, I assure you. Feed it to her, and when she’s well once more, I think you should have a long talk with her about insulting someone of my caliber.
If she ever calls me old again, she’ll live the remainder of her days with permanent warts on her face, warts that no amount of surgery and/or cosmetics will cover. Just Joking. 
-Suri
P.S: Attached to the back is a check for your troubles. Thank the vampire for that one.
~~~~~
“You know,” Suri called out to Jime who stood on the other side of the field harvesting but could hear her as if she were right next to her, “I don’t think Zeus put much thought into this list.” She popped an ear of corn off, then another. “I mean, besides two or three task, the rest of this is fairly easy. I mean…this is just too easy. Surely he knew it would be. You may have been Queen of the Murderers, but you were a farmer in the Spanish lands first, right?”
“That was a long time ago,” Jime responded.
“But it’s still in your blood obviously…at least in your soul…body.”
“I get the point,” Jime replied bitterly. “Are you talking so much to distract yourself from the fact that you’re stealing from someone, while wearing a hot pink bikini, and king of the lechers is watching?” Suri didn’t respond but Jime heard her growl. “If farming is in my body, what’s your excuse? You’re expectantly good at this.” Which was no surprise considering the slave driver of a father Suri has. But, farming wasn’t something he’d subject her to. That was below him.
“The skin-walkers taught me while I was learning from the medicine man.”
“How’d that go? Bird brain was okay with that?”
“Not really,” Suri called. “He finds shamanism a waste of time, but to say so and prohibit me would have been a direct insult to my mom.”
And like herself, Jime thought, no one crossed Suri’s mom. Not even her own husband. Jime sniggered at the thought.
“Well, aren’t you enjoying yourself,” a deep voice rumbled only a few feet from behind her. Jime jumped up and hissed as her fangs shot out. The wind picked up and spun around them, the tension cracking between the two as their powers thundered against one another.
From the other side of the field, Suri felt the shift of the wind and the rise of power with it. She bolted up and ran through the field of corn, most which had been picked within the three hours they had been on the field. Running as fast as she could, she covered the acres that separated her from Jime in a matter of seconds. Suri burst through the field into the clearing where Jime had been working and froze. “Ah. Shit!” she said as she saw Jime facing off against Jack. And not the car.