Chapter 10: The Earthen Blade

Notes: Thanks to b0b for beta-reading this!

Wednesday, January 22nd

A raven watched the Unmei house, perched on a power line. It had been watching the house for the last two days, ever since its Master had bid it to watch and wait. A car departed, carrying away four humans clutching powerful talismans, each stinking of a different element. The raven took flight, its Master needed to be informed.

"What are you, Britney?" Kyle asked as he started his Ford Taurus. He was grounded, forbidden to drive his car, but this was an emergency, and he really could care less if it would get him in more trouble with his mom. Aaliyah was in danger.

"A Rakshasa."

"A what?" He put the car into reverse, backing out of the driveway.

"It's a monster from India," piped in Fatima.

Britney tangled mass of brown hair bristled. "I am not a monster."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Apology accepted, Fatima. My kind have lived in India, and other places. We are feline shapeshifters. Warriors. We blend in with the native populations of humans."

"That's why you're White and not Indian?" Kyle asked as the GPS blared out instructions to get to the cabin Aaliyah was being held at.

"Yes," Britney nodded.

So my best friend is a Rakshasa. And why not? I married a Genie. This isn't any bigger of a stretch "Britney, you said you swore to protect me."

"My kind has a ... compulsion. We seek out strong individuals to serve and protect. We are the finest bodyguards in the world."

"And you think I'm one of these ... strong individuals?"

"Of course. I sensed it the day we met. I have devoted myself to protecting you, waiting for the day that your greatness would be revealed." She flashed him a smile. "I am so glad to see we are on the cusp of that day."

"And your mothers ... they're both Rakshasa?"

"Only Abigail," Britney answered. "Though they both are my parents."

"But their both women?" Fatima gasped. "You have a dad out there, somewhere, right? You know, whatever sad sack jacked off at the sperm bank your parents used."

"No. My species are hermaphroditic."

That sounded familiar. Something he learned in biology?

"You're a futanari?" Fumi asked. She was so quiet, Kyle had almost forgotten his Japanese girlfriend was in the car.

"That is a word for it," Britney answered, her tangled hair bristling.

Kyle felt his cheeks reddened. He knew that word from 4chan.

"What is that?" Fatima frowned. "It's Japanese, right?"

"She has a penis," Fumi answered, her words smoky and her lily perfume filled Kyle's nose, setting his heart pounding.

"Oh," Fatima whispered. Kyle could see her eyes widened in the rear-view mirror, and a mischievous grin exploded across her face. "Does it work, Britney?"

"Both of my sexual organs are fully functional."

Fully functional, huh? No wonder she wears baggy sweats all the time, Kyle thought.

"Wow," Fatima whispered. "Full functional, huh. So you jill your pussy and jack your cock?"

"Of course. I am a teenager. I have the same bursting hormones as any pubescent human. Though I have more self-control than some young men I know."

Kyle let that slide. "So you seem to know about witches and covens? What can we expect?"

"Familiars, spirits, glamours, and enchantments," Britney answered.

"What is this, a D&D campaign?" Kyle muttered.

"No. Familiar are animals controlled by the witch. They can be ... enhanced. Greater speed, greater strength, greater lethality. Spirits are elemental beings. The primal essences of the universe. The physical essences of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air; the emotional essences of Love, Anger, Joy, and Sadness; the Abstract essences of Life, Death, Light, and Darkness. Witches use prayers to one of a number of gods and goddesses, greater spirits than the lowly twelve, and these beings direct the appropriate, lesser spirits to perform the witches desire, creating glamours, geas, enchantments, or other types of spells. The coven that Christy is apart of serves Hecate, a goddess of dark magic and enchantments."

"So Christy used a spirit on me?" Kyle asked.

"In effect. She prayed to Hecate, and the goddess directed the spirit to perform Christy's desire. I would surmise an Elemental of Darkness was used to hide your memory."

"How are we supposed to fight that?"

Britney held up her katar, a triangular-bladed punching knife, the metal inlaid with a shiny, blue material. The katar—like Kyle's katana, Fatima's spear, and Fumi's bow—had come from Aaliyah and had shaped themselves to fit their wielder's fighting style. Kyle's katana had originally been a scimitar and the katar had been a curved, Arabic dagger. "Waterclaw appears to be a talisman attuned to the spirits of Water. I would hazard a guess that I could control these spirits, with the proper practice."

"Yeah, Aaliyah mentioned that."

Britney turned around, fixing her eyes on Fumi. "I think it is time you revealed what you are hiding. I can smell the pheromones you are exuding."

Fumi's face paled.

Christy fled the living room; fled Kyle.

What have I done? Tears flowed hot down her cheeks. I cast a spell on him! I sent Aaliyah to her death!

I'm a worm. A filthy thing.

She burst out of the back door and into Kyle's backyard. A single, large chestnut tree grew nearby. She collapsed before it, the dark soil cold against her knees. Her tears fell like rain. I sent Aaliyah to her death. I don't deserve Kyle.

Christy sobbed beneath the tree as the sun sank, and darkness fell upon the backyard. The wind picked up, chilling her body. She didn't care. She deserved to suffer. To freeze.

"Why did I ever join the coven?" she whispered to herself.

She had been seduced by their promise of healing her mother. And it had worked, her mother's ovarian cancer had gone into remission. Only after she had sworn her oaths to Hecate and Ms. Franklin did she learn the true cost of power, and she had been trapped, reduced to being a plaything for Ms. Franklin's perverse desires.

And now she had betrayed the coven as well as Kyle, revealing one of their strongholds and the location of Aaliyah. She had thrown everything away. Christy could not wait for her punishment. She deserved it for what she did blinded by jealous love.

If I ever betray the coven, may Hecate's daughter drive me to madness and death.

The wind picked up, a faint, chittering sound carried to her. She jumped, looking around the yard. The air warped, something slithered down the fence. Almost invisible, distorting the air like the sun beating down an asphalt road. Only it was January and the sun was setting behind gray clouds.

Eriynes had arrived to punish her.

She stared at the distortion. "I'm sorry, Aaliyah!" she screamed into the wind, somehow hoping the Djinn could hear her. Her eyes closed, and she waited for Eriynes to end her life.

Are you sorry? a new, warm breath whispered in her ear.

"I am!"

The wind swirled between Christy and the distortion.

If you are sincerely penitent, then ask for my protection.

The distortion chittered at the whirling wind in annoyance, "She is mine! She has betrayed my mother. Step aside!"

The wind howled faster, whipping up fallen leaves.

"Who are you?" Christy asked.

Ishtar.

"Are all the women in my life abnormal?" Kyle muttered to himself.

"I'm normal, big bro!"

"You're not secretly some sort of succubus?"

"Nope."

"I need to know what you are, Fumi," Britney continued. "I must know if you poise a threat to Kyle."

"I do not pose a threat to him," Fumi whispered, her voice wavering with uncertainty. "I love him. I am a Yuki-onna. A ... um ... succubus, as you would say in English."

Britney bristled. "Pose no threat? If Kyle ever has vaginal intercourse with you, he will die."

"What?" Kyle blinked.

"No, he won't!" Fumi retorted, swelling up like an angry thunderhead. "He's the one man for me. I just know it! He will be able to survive my full embrace!"

"I am?" Kyle had no idea what was going on.

"He is not!" Britney's words exploded out of her lips like the surf crashing into the cliff. "You would kill him if he ever spilled his seed inside your vaginal canal. He cannot be the one man for you."

"Yes, he is!" Fumi hissed back. "I know it!"

"Jesus, I almost finished in your pussy Saturday night! Are you saying... ?"

"Yes!" Britney hissed, while Fumi gasped, "No!"

"I'm confused," muttered Fatima.

"So am I," Kyle nodded.

"She is a creature that feeds off men's vital energy," Britney answered. "I am sure you have seen how she desires your semen."

"Yeah. She even orgasms when I cum in her mouth."

"And it doesn't kill him," Fumi pointed out. "If we go slow, work ourselves up to 'vaginal intercourse', Kyle will be fine."

"But last Saturday..."

Fumi blushed. "I lost control. My pheromones overwhelmed you. If Christy had not called..."

Kyle shivered.

"But once we've had enough anal and oral sex, you will be able to survive. You will have grown accustomed to my body's hungers."

"No, he will not," Britney objected. "Kyle is not one hundred percent Japanese. He could not possibly be your match!"

Tears welled up in Fumi's face. "He has to be. I love him! I can feel it inside me."

"He is not, Fumi." Britney's voice softened. "I am sorry."

The succubus shuddered for a moment, then calmed herself, forcing down her emotions. "I do love him. I would never hurt him."

"Then stay away from him," Britney answered. "Your love is doomed..."

Her emotions overcame Fumi again for a moment before she regained her composure. "That's not important," she said, wiping the tears from her olive cheeks. "We can deal with this later. We must save your other love, Kyle."

"So there's no way Fumi and I can be together?" Kyle asked Britney, not ready to drop this yet.

"No."

"Fuck! Aaliyah may be dead, Christy's stabbed me in the back, and now you're telling me I can't be with Fumi either!"

"Life is seldom fair."

"Fuck!"

"What about Niqualmie?" Fatima piped in.

Britney frowned, adjusting her glasses.

"Isn't that some Native America folktale?" Kyle asked

"Yes." Britney answered. "She is a powerful spirit that dwells upon Mount Rainier. Perhaps she could help you discover a way to be together."

Hope blossomed in Fumi's face. "Who is this Niqualmie?"

"She's like an oracle, or a spirit," Fatima explained. "The Puyallup Indians have a story about her. Once, a boy and girl were from feuding villages, but they loved each other. So the girl went up Mount Rainier and begged Niqualmie for help. The spirit found the girl's love to be pure, so she gave her a series of tasks to perform that would make the two villages become friends. She spent several seasons accomplishing many difficult feats. Finally, she did it, and through her actions, the two villages became friends again and she married her love."

"Niqualmie is an elemental of love," Britney answered. "A powerful spirit. If your love is pure, and your determination great, she could help you. Seek her at Paradise upon the slopes of Mount Rainier. You must risk much to summon her, exposing yourself to the fierce winter of the mountain and lie naked in the snow. Only on the cusp of death will Niqualmie approach you."

Celestite's cell phone rang.

She cursed, breaking her gaze from the circle and the Djinn bitch weakly fighting against the spell's silvery appendages. She strode across the cabin to her purse, and fished out her cell phone. She froze when she saw the caller ID.

"Master," she breathed, her stomach churning.

"Have you drained the Djinn yet?" His voice was cold, grating.

She froze. How did he know? "Not yet," she carefully answered. "I was waiting to have the task completed before informing you," she lied. Sweat broke out across her forehead. "I know how you hate to be disturbed over trivial matters."

"You have always been so thoughtful, Celestite."

He must be watching me. Celestite decided that it didn't matter. Once she drained the Djinn, she could destroy her Master and take his position. He stood high in Hecate's circle and she itched to have his power.

"Kyle Unmei and three others are seeking to rescue the girl. They have elemental talismans. Be ready. Do not lose my Djinn. I will not overlook that indiscretion."

Her knees buckled. He knows I plan to betray him. And he doesn't care. Is he really that powerful? "I won't, Master. I have plenty familiars to guard us."

The phone went dead.

"Turn left on gravel road, one-half mile ahead," the robotic GPS voice chimed.

There was a break in the thick trees ahead, a gravel road disappearing into the evergreens. Kyle slowed his car. They were close, only a mile away, and fear squeezed his heart harder and harder. Please be alive, Aaliyah!

He took the turn, gravel kicking up in a spray. The road was narrow, twisting, and his car bounced up and down as he raced down it. The dark trees swayed, lit by his headlights. The sun had set almost an hour ago, and the thick brush seemed to swallow light. The road took a hard right, the car sliding on the gravel as Kyle slammed his breaks and fishtailed around the corner.

Fatima let out an exhilarated whoop, bouncing in the back. "Let's go! I'm ready to kick some skank witch's ass!"

Kyle slid around another turn, driving far more reckless than he ever had in his life. There was a straightaway and a distant cabin, glowing softly silver. He floored it; the engine roared and the car bounced down the road, hurtling towards a wooden bridge crossing a ravine.

"The bridge! Stop!" Britney shouted.

Kyle saw it. "Shit!" He slammed on the brakes.

The middle of the bridge was gone, leaving splintered edges. The brake peddle pulsed as the car slid down the gravel. They were going too fast. The rumble of tires on gravel turned to the screech of wood on rubber. The car skidded to the left, aiming at one of the bridge's support beams.

Metal crashed. Airbags exploded. White smoke filled the car. Pain flared across Kyle's chest, the seat belt digging into his ribs. Panic filled him, the car was on fire. He struggled to move, to unbuckle his seat belt, when he realized the smoke poured out of the airbags.

"Damn," Fatima muttered.

"Is anyone injured?" Britney asked, far too calm.

"I'm fine," Kyle groaned. "Fumi?"

She said something in Japanese. "I'm all right. I bit my lip."

Kyle finally unbuckled his seat belt and almost fell out of the car. The front end was crumpled, and he could smell radiator fluid cooking on the engine block. More of the sickly-sweet, green liquid dripped down onto the wooden bridge.

"I thought you were a better driver," groaned Fatima, crawling out the backseat.

"The bridge is out," Kyle answered.

Fatima blinked when she saw the hole. "Shit."

Britney stood at the edge of the hole, peering down into the ravine. The sides were steep, covered in thick, green ferns, and a brook babbled at the bottom. It didn't look easy to climb down, especially in the dark.

"We'll have to go around it or something!" Kyle looked up and down the ravine. It was steep and choked with ferns, a brook babbling in its dark depths. "Fuck, that's not going to be easy."

Britney shook her head, then stepped off the broken edge of the bridge

Kyle's cry ended in a strangled grunt. Britney floated in thin air. He frowned; it was more like she was standing on thin air.

"A glamour," Britney answered. "The bridge is not really out. If you look, you can see pine needles and other debris resting on its surface."

"Then we have our way across," Fumi nodded, opening up his trunk and retrieving her bow. It was a yumi, a Japanese longbow made of a dark wood inlaid with a bright, green metal that seemed to flex with the limbs. Unlike most bows, a yumi had an asymmetrical grip, the bottom of the bow's limbs shorter than the top.

"Let's go and make these witches pay!" Fatima grinned, gripping her yari, a spear tippd with a long, straight blade. The blade was three feet long and set with a pattern of red metal; the haft was tall as his sister, made of the same dark wood as Fumi's bow. His sister pulled out his katana from the trunk, and threw it to him. Earthbones seemed to vibrate in his hands and it reminded Kyle of nothing more than a dog's energetic tail wagging. It's happy to be wielded by me.

"Let's save Aaliyah!" he declared, drawing the beautiful blade from its sheath.

Kyle stepped up to the illusion of the gap, took a deep breath, and stepped forward. Even seeing Britney do the same thing, didn't make it any less terrifying. His foot touched solid, if invisible, wood. Swallowing, he took another step, and another. It was easier to look ahead.

Fatima raced by, completely unconcerned, her feet pounding on unseen wood. She reached the gravel road, turning around, grinning. It was all a game to his little sister.

The bear rose up out of the brush behind her. Big, brutish, topping ten feet tall. Its eyes glowed bright red. Claws swiped at his sister. She just smiled, unaware that a massive paw tipped with gleaming claws raked down at her.

Green streaked by Kyle, trailing a wind that rustled his clothing. The arrow embedded in the bear and erupted in a gale that blew Fatima onto her hands and knees. The bear's swipe missed his sister. It roared in pain, flinching from the green shaft embedded in its chest. A second arrow whizzed past, scraping across the bear's skull. It bellowed, landing on its front legs and charged the bridge.

Britney leaped out of the way, black strips forming on her face as she hissed. Fatima scrambled to her feet, the tip of her yari trailing a tongue of red flame. Kyle took a deep breath, focusing and falling into a stance, katana held high two-handed grip. He would get one swing, and he'd need every ounce of strength to fell the beast.

Sharp claps clattered on wood, the bridge groaning beneath the awkward gait of the bear. Red eyes fixed behind Kyle—on Fumi. Wind rushed past. Green flashed by. Another arrow embedded in the shaggy beast's shoulder. It didn't even flinch.

"Kyle!" Fatima shouted, charging the beast from behind.

He could smell its fetid breath, and feel the heat of its growl. Kyle roared, focusing all his energy, his kai, into his stroke. Earthbones flared golden, bathing the bridge in truth. Wood appeared beneath his feet, the glamour broken by the reality of stone.

Kyle swung.

His sword bit into the bear's shoulder, driving deep into its chest. Far deeper than it should have, cleaving through thick hide, tough sinew, and heavy bones. Blood splashed warm and salty on his face, then the hulk slammed into him. Breath whooshed, the world tumbled around him. Wood rushed up and a painful thud shot through him.

He rolled, gasping for air, staring up at the dark sky. Fumi knelt at his head, her beautiful face twisted with concern. She grabbed his hand; he squeezed.

"I'm fine," he wheezed.

"You killed it!" she whispered.

Fatima stood over him, grinning. "Goddamn, that was awesome!"

"We do not have time," Britney stated. "If the car crash did not alert them, then surely the bear's roar did."

It was getting so hard to find the energy to keep the light at bay. No matter how many she pushed back, more silvery leaches kept coming. She forced her will to lash out. I have to hold on! I have to give Kyle a chance!

"He killed the bear, Celestite," Onyx whispered. "He killed the fucking bear with a single swing of his sword!"

"And that glow," Opal hissed. "He dispelled my glamour."

Was that panic in their voices? Hope blossomed in Aaliyah's breast. She drove back the leaches with renewed effort. Kyle was here! He's come to save me!

Five of the witches crowded at crystal ball that shown with silver light. The ball was between the thighs of coffee-skinned Garnet, drawing off the sexual energy leaking from her pussy. Jade was the only witch not with them, she stood at the circle, maintaining the spell trying to siphon away her powers.