Chapter 27: Xavier

An ancient evil skillfully sings
of bygone times and broken wings.

A Fool's Book of Wisdom

With a cry, the small, shadowy figure lurched upright. It gasped and drew a useless breath into its long dead lungs. As it blinked away the last vestiges of its unnatural slumber, it thrust back the deep sense of foreboding it had carried with it from that dark place of dreamless sleep. It struggled within the confines of its shroud and fought its way back into the world of the living. It lifted a shaking, skeletal hand to its head and pushed back the midnight-colored cowl of the rough garment it wore, then snaked a trembling appendage through its sparse hair.

"You really should know better than to lower your guard and reveal your face, Xavier."

The voice echoed mockingly throughout the dimly lit room. The creature hunched over for a moment, before it relaxed and began to chuckle softly, amazed at its own foolishness.

"Better yet," the voice continued, "You really should not talk to yourself and feel frightened. That makes you seem a rather pathetic thing, does it not?" It scoffed. "I do believe I could do with a bit of light."

Another mirthless chuckle echoed about the corners of the room.

"Well, at least a bit of candle light, anyway. Anything stronger than that probably would wreak havoc on my fair complexion." He quipped sardonically.

Xavier pushed aside the blankets, sprang up and alighted nimbly on the floor next to the bed. There was a soft whoosh of cloth as Xavier's robe dropped to the floor revealing a diminutive, almost petite form, which seemed to glow with innate phosphorescence. It raised a delicate arm, holding its palm up and with a surprisingly commanding voice intoned, "Lumière!"

With a theatrical flash, the wicks of dozens of candles burst into flame, casting the sole occupant of the room into brilliant relief. The naked form of a woman stood next to the bed. Her hoary hair, white-blue eyes and alabaster skin glowed with the same silver-blue as the light of a full moon. She cackled and twirled, relishing in her momentary freedom. Her waltzing form glided about the room, the lights cast by the candles flickered and cast a myriad of distorted shapes upon the walls. As she danced about the room, she seemed to merge in and out of her shadows. She moved faster and faster until it became impossible to separate the woman from the shadows. And then, she stopped and stooped to the floor, picked up her robe and slipped it on once more, drawing the multitude of shadows back into her. Her head snapped around to gaze at a candle and she froze as it sputtered and went out. Her lips curled back into a feral grimace, revealing two wickedly sharp canine teeth. Her tiny hands swiftly covered her head with the cowl and she snarled, "Obscurité!" All but a few of the freshly lit candles instantly went out without so much as a puff of smoke, seemingly as if never lit. She crossed the room, moving to her large, wing-backed chair, sat down and waited.

A large man with a swarthy complexion swept into the room and bowed obsequiously before her chair. She hissed her displeasure, but the man feigned not to notice. After allowing a moment to pass in dramatic silence, the man cleared his throat, but Xavier cut off his words and spoke first.

"Sorin¹, you had best speak your news now before I remove your ability to move under the light of your namesake and you find yourself forever bound to me in the darkness. Why are you here and where is Jacob?"

An oily smile slithered across the gypsy's dark face.

"Well, now, me thinks ta answers ta both of 'em questions really be one and ta same. Firstly, however, methinks that I need ta renegotiate terms..."

The man's words ended in a strangled cry as his head suddenly slammed against the room's far wall, his body dangling as if pinned by a pair of large, invisible hands. His black eyes rolled in fear, which caused a chuckle to escape from Xavier.

"All you need do now is snort and you shall fully resemble the beast you are, Sorin. At least you remind me why I allow you to continue with your worthless existence ... your fear provides me with endless hours of enjoyment and entertains me immensely."

Sorin caught a glimpse of the hooded figure and watched as its head shook from side to side. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck and the man could not decide if its cause was fear or the sweltering temperature of the room.

"Not that it really matters none..."

Xavier moved closer to the helpless man and Sorin sensed the smirk hidden beneath the cowl. His cock shriveled miserably and Sorin felt an icy grip squeeze his manhood painfully as his mind took in Xavier's next words.

"Ah, oui, Sorin. At last, you realize ... it really does not matter."

A sharp bark of laughter.

"Allow me to rephrase ... you have never really mattered. Now, report your news."

Xavier waved a hand casually at Sorin and the man slid down the wall. He fell into a seemingly boneless heap on the floor, breathing heavily. After a few moments, he collected himself and sat with his back propped against the wall. He rubbed at his neck absentmindedly before he began to speak, the words flooding from his mouth in a torrent.

"The lady you said ta look fer is thar. Jacob went into ta ol' woman's place. I sees him meself. Climbed in ... nah ... rolled in as if'n he owned ta place. He laid on ta floor and I was thinkin' he stunned hisself, but it were not so. I must have blinked cause one minute he be in thar alone and ta next, there's this naked girl sittin' on ta bed lookin' down on him. Tha' be one fuckin' gorgeous twat, too! Hair ta color of hot coals, likin' ya said ta look fer. I didna wait ta sees anythin' else. I turned and came right here to ya jus' likin' ya said ta do."

The man ceased his desperate rambling as he realized that although he sweated profusely, the temperature in the room grew decidedly cooler with each word that spilled from his mouth. Sorin's eyes slid hesitantly in the direction of the boiler room's door and his face paled. He panicked and without thought, he blurted.

"Er ... um ... I just thought ... tha' ya might be wantin' to know. After all, ya said ta tell if'n Jacob went inta the cottage, I should tell, so I dun it. Didna I do it? Should I go back now, Monsieur?"

Xavier began to laugh and Sorin felt his balls contract in fear.

"Monsieur? Surely, your eyes can see more clearly than that, Sorin. I am Marla and after this evening, all shall know me, desire me, love me and worship me. For far too long the eyes of the world passed over me, but no more. Tonight I shall correct the errors made so long ago."

Returning her attention to the man, she hissed, "Transformez!"

Sorin looked about him in confusion. A sense of vertigo gripped him causing his stomach to lurch and his head to ache. He watched the walls of the room lengthen, the room growing ever larger, until it seemed large enough to house a giant. He shook his head to clear it of the queer buzzing noise, which filled his ears and let out a sharp screech. The last words the transformed gypsy recognized were...

"Aye, Sorin. You may go back now. Back to being the rat, you have always been. Quite fitting do you not think? Scamper away now before I stomp on you, vermin!"

And then, Sorin was no more and a fat, oily black rat chittered loudly as it scurried away into the shadows.

"I do believe that it is time for me to pay my dear Jacob a visit and thank him for allowing me to use him to bring Cadmus to Sabratha or Diamanté or whatever it is that bitch calls herself now. If what that fool, Sorin, told me is true, Cadmus must hold sway over Jacob's body, so Sabratha no longer has the power of the bracelet to protect her. For I wove into the binding spell the provision that as soon as she reunites with Cadmus, the power of the bracelet ends and she becomes mortal. And, she is mortal and vulnerable now! Oh, Sabratha! You always lived with your nose held too high in the air. You thought yourself better than me, but you are nothing more than a spoiled bitch! I hate you! That fool of a king was easy to use. He had no idea that I used him as a puppet, tempting him with your maidenhead. It is so easy to lead men by their cocks. The only thing that caught me unaware was how that wizard reacted to you. I did not count on the two of you falling in love. Oh! The two of you shall pay for causing me to wait so long for my plans to come to fruition. Ha! You were such a naïve girl. You never suspected that I betrayed your tryst with Cadmus to the king. That it was my spell, which provided him with the inspiration to entrap you within the ruby charm. I just never imagined it would take so long to reunite you with Cadmus, but I was patient. Oh, oui, so very patient! And now, I shall reap my reward. Your power is mine now, cunt! Tonight, before you or your foolish, love-besotted wizard has time to regain your powers, I shall be there to put an end to the both of you. I shall at long last see the end of you both. You shall die this night and my life shall begin again! A soul for a soul! Your soul for mine. More than a fair trade, I think. And, if I add the soul of Cadmus to the offering, well, I need not worry about my deal any longer. But, first, I do believe that I feel a bit peckish. I need to make a stop before I pay my respects to the de Blanc household for a bite to eat."