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Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 01

By: Skidder



My name is Tre Lloyd. I am a wizard. Not one of those robed stereotypes that you see in the movies, though. The only robe I wear is the bathrobe I use when I get out of the shower. I prefer my jeans, boots, a shirt and my duster or a light trench coat. Even the wands and other magical paraphernalia are not actually necessary, though they do help. I live in the city of Horn Lake, Mississippi in a nice house paid for with various investments. Many do not believe in the supernatural because they have never seen a sign of it, or didn't recognize it if they did see it. I was gifted with the ability to see the creatures of the other world at an early age. By the time I had hit puberty I was able to affect these creatures as well as see them. My teacher in the Arcane, Gabriel, swore he had never seen a person with my innate power or skills. For the most part, I am able to peacefully coincide with the creatures of the other world, the demons and spirits, the vampires and were creatures. There are some of these creatures though, that will tolerate no peace with the human world. These creatures are the ones I seek out. These are the creatures I must fight. 

As dawn threatened to break, I stood in the large shower and washed off the ashes and dust from my chest and shoulders. After tonight, I enjoyed the feel of the hot water flowing over my body. The steam curled up around me as my mind roamed back to the events that led me to this apartment in Memphis at this time. 

The night had started out like any other Friday night. I watched some television until I was near bored to tears and then I got up, grabbed my keys and went and got into my car, a Dodge Viper that I had won at one of the casinos. Cranking the car up, I headed south on highway 61. While I drove, I drank my Mountain Dew and thought about which casino to go to. I settled on Sam's Town and, when I got to the turn, I pointed the black Viper towards the casino. I wheeled the car into the valet parking area and slipped the valet a $20 before heading inside. 

As I stepped into the lobby, I quickly slipped in and out of the astral plane, enjoying the mixture of auras present in the casino before heading on in. I passed by the slot machines and made my way over to the table games. I found a seat at a $25 minimum bet blackjack table and sat down. I pulled $2000 and got it changed for 10 $100 chips and 40 $25 chips. I placed a $50 bet and got to playing, losing myself in the game for a while. 

A familiar prickling at the base of my skull caused me to look up from the game. At first I could only stare at the woman taking a seat at the table beside me. She had long black hair that was so black the light cast blue highlights in it. Her breasts were perfect, and perfectly displayed under the near skin tight shirt she wore, leaving no doubt that there was no bra supporting them. There was a sparkle in the deep green of her eyes that spoke of an invitation and her skin was smooth and pale. I glanced down and saw that the skirt she was wearing was barely long enough to be called decent before turning my attention back to the game. I split a pair of aces, only to have to split another pair, getting a jack and an ace on the draw. I split the second pair of aces and ended up with three blackjacks at $500 each, for $750 per blackjack. 

"My name is Nadia. Nadia Martin." She said. "Congratulations. That was a good win." She smiled a truly dazzling smile. Again the prickling at the base of my skull warned me of something. 

I smiled back and nodded to her, "Hi. I'm Tre Lloyd." I kept a rein on my instincts, knowing now that this was a vampire beside me at the table. We talked for a while as we played, minor conversational things, and then she gathered up her chips. 

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Tre." She held out a hand to shake and I took it, smiling. 

"Are you leaving? I was just about to do the same." She smiled shyly and nodded, sending another prickle along my spine. "Do you have a ride home?" 

"No," she said, "I got a ride here with some friends and they have all gone home. I was going to catch a ride home with one of the cocktail waitresses that lives in the same complex I do." 

"I will give you a ride home if you want." I offered. She smiled and nodded, saying she would like that and we both headed over to the cashiers cage. We both turned in our chips for the cash of our winnings. We then headed out the front doors to the valet area where we picked up my car. I held the door for her to get in, unable to help admiring her long trim legs as she got into the car. After I closed her door, I went around and got into the car on my side, slipping the valet another $20 bill. I navigated the car out of the parking lot and got it headed back north, asking her where she lived. 

She gave me directions to her house in an upscale apartment complex tucked into an out of the way area of Memphis. As I pulled into a parking spot in front of her building, a town house duplex type affair, she leaned over and kissed me. I could almost feel the hunger through her lips as I returned the kiss, my tongue dancing with hers. Again I felt the prickling that warned me of magic in use. I quickly checked and found all my mental shields in place, and began to act as if I was under her control. She smiled, a feral look, and then got out of the car. I followed and we walked up to her apartment. She unlocked the door and I opened it for her, holding it open then following her in. 

As soon as I stepped inside and closed the door, she pushed her lean frame against me, kissing me hungrily. I heard a click from behind me as she locked the door. With a slight push of the Power, I checked her, but didn't find any of the signs of her vampire side in control, so I relaxed and wrapped both arms around her. My hands slid over her lithe body, one moving down to squeeze her firm ass, the other moving up to tease her breast, stroking the stiffening bud with a feathers caress. A low moan escaped her lips as she whispered, "Lets take this to my bedroom. It's more comfortable than the doorway." She pulled back, holding my hands in hers and started for the stairs, her green eyes smoldering with desire. Again I sent out a pulse of the Power, and got back none of the usual vampire signs, only the signs of an extremely horny woman. 

We walked up the stairs, her walking in front of me leading the way. I was unable to take my eyes off of the sway of her ass in that almost too short skirt which had ridden up to expose the bottoms of her luscious cheeks as she walked. That was not any vampiric power, just the seemingly magnetic pull of a gorgeous ass to a mans eyes. At the top of the stairs, we met again in a deep, tongues dancing, hands roaming kiss. Quickly we got each other out of our shirts, and, in the moonlight coming in through the skylight, I could see that her breasts were as perfect as I had imagined them to be. I slid my hands up her body and cupped the smooth mounds; dipping my head and nibbling around the dark buds of her nipples, feeling them stiffen under the attention. 

Her breathing became heavier as my lips moved over the silken skin of her breasts. I nibbled gently around the pert buds before closing my teeth around one; letting my tongue lash the tip of the sensitive peak as my teeth held it trapped. With my other hand, I squeezed and pinched her hard nipple between my thumb and forefinger, rolling it gently.

As I was nipping at her stiff bud, she reached down and unfastened her skirt, letting it fall to the floor and stepping out of it. I lifted her soft breast and let my teeth graze her smooth skin along the under curve slowly, teasingly as I pinched her hard nipples almost roughly. Looking into her eyes, I saw a look of pure sexual hunger blazing there. I bit again at her hard nipple, drawing a soft moan from her as she reached down, her hands unbuckling my belt and quickly slipping into my pants. Her long slender fingers curled gently around my thick cock, stroking softly as her other hand moved to unsnap and unzip them. 

She kept stroking my cock with her fingers as she pushed my pants down. I kicked off my boots and worked my way out of my pants, leaving her the only one wearing any clothing, if you can call a thong 'clothing'. Her fingers wrapped tighter around my cock and rubbed back and forth along it, stroking my stiff shaft wondrously. As she moved closer and dropped down to her knees before me, I thought quickly about what I had learned about vampires and where they feed from and remembered that they don't like to feed from the hard cock because the blood drains too fast. With a grin I reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair as her warm lips wrapped around my cock. I moaned softly as her tongue swirled around my engorged head, her lips moving back and forth on the hardness between them. 

A little at a time she took more and more of my cock into her mouth. I saw her cheeks hollowing slightly as she began to suck harder on my thick shaft as it slid in and out of her mouth. Her hand stroked my hard cock as her lips moved back and forth along it faster and faster. Without warning she pulled my cock from her mouth and looked up, "Let's go to the bedroom."

I nodded wordlessly as she stood up. Her fingertips dragged lightly along my rigid shaft, teasing the tip with a light caress as she led the way into her bedroom. I followed her into the dark room, my eyes roaming her pale skin in the moonlight. She paused for a second, slipping the thong down over her hips and letting it slide down before continuing to walk, her luscious ass moving in time with her hips swaying. She stopped at the bed and just flopped down onto her belly on it, somehow managing to make even that action look graceful. As I followed her, she rolled over onto her back, propping herself up on her elbows and looked at me with a smile on her face. She crooked a finger at me in a 'come hither' gesture, and I took the obvious invitation as those lean thighs of hers spread a bit wider. 

I moved down between her thighs and lowered my head to her smooth mound, tongue flicking out to lick slowly up and down the outer lips of her pussy before pressing the tip between them slightly. I sighed in contentment as I tasted her sweetness, my tongue moving to flit around her clit, brushing it lightly before my lips closed around it, sucking softly, my tongue continuing it's teasing of the hooded nub trapped between my lips. I felt her hands sliding into my hair, gripping tight, holding my lips against her clit as she moaned and writhed in pleasure under my tongue and lips attentions. 

Her breathing was getting faster as my tongue rubbed her clit, pressing tighter against it as I began to hum softly, the vibrations going from my lips straight to her sensitive nub. With one hand I parted the glistening lips of her pussy and slipped a finger into the wet tightness of her, stroking her inner walls with the tip as my other hand slid up to tease her breasts, caressing around one hard nipple, stroking and rolling the stiff bud before moving to the other to pinch and pluck the sensitive peak gently. With a cry of pleasure her body arched, her hands almost pulling clumps of my hair out as she came and came hard. I kept my lips wrapped tight around her clit, licking and humming on it as my finger continued to stroke and press against her clenching pussy.

I felt her rising up, her hand pulling at my hair and I looked up into her almost glowing green eyes. She looked down at me and almost growled, "Fuck me, Tre. Dammit, fuck me now!" I gave her clit a final lick and rose up, deliberately sliding my finger from her wetness slowly as I stood. She grabbed my hand and pulled my finger to her lips, licking and sucking her hot wet juices from it before sliding back onto the bed, her thighs spread wide.

I moved onto the bed, leaning down and kissing her soft hot lips with a deep hunger as she reached between us. I moaned into the kiss as I felt her soft hands wrapping around the silken hardness of my cock to the entrance of her slick hot pussy. She whimpered slightly against my lips as she rubbed the engorged head against her clit before it slipped between her hot petals and into her wetly gripping heat. I started rocking back and forth nice and slow, pulling my cock almost out of her before sliding just the tip back into her, looking into her eyes and seeing the deep hunger there. I continued to slide in and out of her tightness until she hooked her thighs around me and pulled our bodies together, driving my rock hard shaft fully into her as she raised her hips to mine.

I continued to rock slowly backwards before driving forward hard, filling her slick tunnel with my throbbing meat roughly. With each meeting of our hips I grunted with the impact of driving into her, drawing a gasping moan of pleasure from her. I felt her nails raking down my back as I thrust into her, feeling her feet pushing against me trying to take me deeper as sweat began to glisten in the moonlight, making our bodies slick with passion. 

Suddenly she gave an animalistic snarl and I felt myself flipped onto my back. I looked over at her in surprise and watched as she straddled my waist, her skin illuminated beautifully in the light as she reached down and pointed my cock straight upward, lowering herself onto it. Our moans mingled as she lowered her slick tightness onto my hard shaft. Slowly she began to move her hips back and forth on me. I reached around and gripped her perfect ass, squeezing it tight as I began to thrust up into her as she moved. I leaned up, hips thrusting slow and steady into her as my lips wrapped around one hard nipple, sucking the tender bud as my teeth grazed it. As I pulled on the stiff peak, she reached one hand down, slipping her fingers between us and stroking her clit with two fingertips as our bodies moved faster against each other.

With a loud gasping moan I felt her collapse against me, her inner walls clenching and relaxing around my invading shaft with each thrust. Her body convulsed on top of me as my hands gripped her ass, guiding her faster onto my throbbing cock. I dragged my teeth along her hard nipple before nibbling across her soft breast teasingly slow, making my way to her neck, moaning in her ear as I felt her slick tightness gripping me even tighter as she came. Her cries of pleasure became louder as her fingers continued strumming her clit, prolonging her orgasm as I powered into her again and again, hard shaft slamming deep into her with each savage meeting of our hips. 

I nipped at her earlobe and growled softly "Oh God yes, I'm cumming, Nadia," as the exquisite gripping of her hot pussy milked my driving cock, bringing my orgasm ever closer to its own explosive climax with each hard thrust. She began to bounce up and down faster on my cock, moaning and whimpering as my rigid cock powered into her again and again. Finally, with a deep groan, almost a sound of a man in pain, my throbbing cock pulsed against her clenching pussy, sending a white hot jet of my thick sticky cum deep into her. I gripped her ass tightly and held her against my hips as my hard cock jerked against her inner tightness, filling her with each drop of my sated lust. As my spent cock sent the last of my scalding load into her, I collapsed back onto the bed exhausted. Her lithe body collapsed on top of mine, her head on my shoulder. I slid one arm around her back, the other coming up to pillow my head, moaning softly as each movement of our bodies caused my ultra-sensitive cock to move within her slick tight sheath. 

She reached up and tilted my lips to hers, kissing me softly, our tongues dancing teasingly together before she broke the kiss, whispering, "I'll be right back, lover." She rose up and turned to walk out of the room. Without moving, I kept one eye on her, watching the way her luscious body moved in the moonlight as she walked into the bathroom. The door closed and I heard water running and almost of its own accord, my eye closed and I relaxed. 

I heard the door open and opened one eye again to watch her come back. I watched the lithe muscles moving as she walked back towards me, feeling a stirring in my loins. I licked my lips with the hunger she was arousing, watching as she stopped, kneeling astride my thighs looking down at me. 

I almost missed the prickling at the back of my neck as she lowered to sit, smiling. "I always love feeding after sex. The blood has such a delectable taste to it." Suddenly she smiled wider and her teeth were fully exposed, the extended canines obvious now as she lunged forward, hands reaching for me. 

Muttering a curse I reached up with one hand, wrapping it around her throat trying to hold her back from me. The other hand came out from under my head and pointed towards her chest as I released the power I had gathered as soon as I felt the warning. A jet of blue-white flame shot from my palm towards her chest. As the flame touched her skin it peeled away from the brightness. Her lunging towards me stopped and she raised up, a strangled scream escaping her lips as I followed her up, trying to keep the fire pointed at her heart. As the flame reached the undead organ her cries broke off, her body going rigid atop mine before exploding in a THUMP, sending black and gray ash flying all over the room in an ever expanding cloud.

I choked on the dry ash, coughing as I scrambled out of the bed. Looking down at myself I cursed again, seeing the front of my body covered with the remains of the vampire seductress. I grabbed my clothes from where they were scattered and set them out in the hall outside of the range of the ash cloud. 

Once the ash had settled, I went back into the bedroom and walked through to the bathroom, starting the water going in the large shower. I looked into the mirror at my ash covered face and said, "Well, I can always hope can't I? It's not MY fault she liked post-coital bloodsucking." As the steam from the shower began to waft through the room I stepped into the shower, closing the glass door behind me. I washed the ash and dust from me and stepped out of the shower. As I dried myself off, I visually checked myself for any wounds from fighting the vampire. After I finished drying off, not finding any wounds which needed tending, I walked carefully through the bedroom, looking around at Nadia's remains all over the place. Shaking my head I stepped out of the bedroom into the hall and got dressed again. 

I headed downstairs and out to where I had parked my car. I looked around to see if anyone spotted me and then got into the Viper and started it up, turning the black sports car to the south and home. I stopped and got a sack full of Egg McMuffins and a cup of coffee and headed to my house.

Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 02



I pulled up at my house and got the groceries for dinner out of the car. I carried them into the house and got to work putting them away. I never buy more than a couple of days worth of groceries at one time because they just won't fit properly into my car.

I had just started cooking some smoked sausage and ham to put in a pot of red beans and rice when I heard the chiming of the wards I had put around my house. These wards are actually not just around my house but are some distance from it. They serve several purposes. Some warn me of incoming spirits and these are the farthest away, and others warn me of what some call 'dark creatures', vampires, werewolves and the like.

I could tell by the chiming that a spirit was approaching and so I closed my eyes and looked into the Astral Plane. I recognized the entity approaching and smiled to myself. The spirit was approaching much slower than I knew it could and waved a greeting. I shifted a portion of my body into the Astral and waved back, smiling. I then slipped back into my meat body to await her appearance at my door. The walls of a home provide a final line of protection against any creatures, even without magical reinforcement.

I stirred the frying ham and sausage and went to turn off the porch light so as not to draw any questions when a beautiful redhead just appeared on my doorstep. I turned back and went to check my food. I was adding the sausage and ham to the red beans and rice when the doorbell rang. I directed a flow of the Power to the door and opened it with a minor cantrip. With a chuckle I looked over and called out "Come in Arianna." This invitation allowed her to pass the natural ward on the doorway and she walked in, shutting the door behind her.

She walked over into the small kitchen area and smiled seeing that I was cooking. "Hey, Tre!" She said with a musical laugh. As I set down the skillet, she walked over and hugged me tight. I returned the hug noticing that she had attired herself in the long belted dress held at the shoulders with silver pins that was traditional in ancient Greece. The dress was of silk, as was the simple belt tied around her slim waist. She lifted the lid of the pot and smiled. "Mmm, red beans and rice. That's one of my favorites." I laughed and pointed to the cabinet and told her to get down two plates.

After stirring dinner again, I walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer, looking over at her, "Long time no see Arianna. You want a beer or some wine or something?" I opened my own beer and took a drink out of it as she thought.

"Some wine would be great." she said. I grabbed a cup and one of the bottles of wine I kept for when she visited. She took the cup, fashioned in the ancient Greek style, along with the bottle, and sat down at the table, taking a sip from the fragrant wine.

We made small talk until the dinner was ready and I dished it up. I carried the two plates over to the table and set hers down in front of her and sat down across from her and we began to eat. After a few minutes of enjoying the meal, she poured another cup of wine and spoke, looking me directly in the eyes, "So I hear you had a run-in with one of Freyja's minions the other night."

I almost choked on the mouthful of food I had just taken as I heard her words. I washed it down with about half of my beer and pushed my plate away. "How did you hear about that? It just happened night before last."

Arianna smiled, "You might have released me from your service and I might live in New Orleans most of the time, but I keep my sources listening for news about you. This morning one of my watchers came to me with the news that Freyja was quite unhappy with you and looking to have a talk with you about the pile of ash that was once her only remaining progeny from the old world."

She broke off as I interrupted her, quite upset. "A 'talk'? As in one of those 'I disappear after days of torture' talks? Did you come here as her messenger? Did she send you?"

She interrupted me right back, laying a hand on top of mine and squeezing tight as she moved around the table to sit beside me. "No, Tre. I heard from my watcher that she was looking for you and as soon as I finished my business for the day, I came here to warn you. I would have come sooner, but my entire day was filled with business meetings that I couldn't put off." She drank deeply from the cup of wine before continuing. Freyja is upset, but I do not think that she is going to kill you. That would cause her untold problems with your Order, even if you do BARELY acknowledge their rules."

I snorted a laugh. "The Order of Hecate would scarcely notice my death and the majority of the members would probably celebrate if I got perished. Most of them view me as little more than an upstart mage who doesn't belong in their Order."

"You and I both know better than that, Tre. You passed your Trials younger than any mage since Marcus Quintilius in 52 B.C... You have gained more power and more skills in less time than even Quintilius did. On one of your Quests you found my Heartstone. With that, you could have kept me as your slave. Knowledge and power that no one has seen in near a thousand years and I would have had no choice but to give it to you. You did not do that though. You returned my Heartstone to me and freed me forever from forced service to mages. You FREED me. I know that not a single one of the mages of your Order would have done that. They would have drained me of all knowledge I had and used me for their experiments until there was nothing left of me."

She cupped my cheek, looking at me with her brightly glittering green eyes. For the first time, I noticed that her eyes didn't just glitter; they sparked electrically with the power within her. Suddenly she leaned forward, kissing me hard. I returned the kiss, after a moments shock, with fervor equal to hers. After a few intense moments, she broke the kiss, but kept her forehead resting against mine, looking steadily into my eyes. Her voice was husky as she spoke, never breaking eye contact, "I want you, Tre. You excite me more than any man has since Diotimus." I smiled hearing the name of the mage who originally summoned her in Athens. "He gave me a taste of life, and you have given me a taste of independence."

Before I could say a word, she pressed her lips back to mine, kissing me with a passion that surpassed even the previous kiss, as if her admission had excited her further. I returned the kiss as I slid my arms around her, one around her back and the other sliding under her legs and lifting her without breaking the kiss. I carried her to the large couch in the living room and laid her down. She sat up immediately and reached for my belt. Quickly she unbuckled my belt and began to unfasten my pants. I tugged my shirt off and tossed it to the side as she got my pants unfastened and began to pull them down. As she worked my pants lower, I reached down and plucked the silver pins from the shoulders of her dress, watching as the upper part of the dress fell, exposing her full firm breasts to my view.

I nudged my shoes off and stepped out of my pants as Arianna pulled them down. She smiled up at me and teasingly flicked her tongue around my already hardening cock as she stood. I slid my arms around her as she pressed her lips to mine. As our lips moved together, she reached to the belt tied around her waist and untied it, allowing it and her dress to fall from her to the floor. I almost didn't notice as the dress dissolved into nothing as she stepped out of the puddle of it and back into my arms.

As our lips met once more, she whispered softly, "Take me, Tre. Take me hard and fast." She reached up and stroked my cheek, her lips still against mine before whispering, "Be ruthless," before pressing her lips tight to mine again. Her hand on my cheek slid behind my head as the other moved down and wrapped around my hard cock, stroking it eagerly, drawing a soft, hungry moan from me.

With a swift motion, I reached up to grab her shoulders and spun her around, pushing her forward to her knees on the couch. She put her hands on the back of the couch and arched her back somewhat, exposing her ass beautifully. I moved in behind her and reached down, dragging my fingertips along her wet slit as I guided the thick head of my cock to her drenched opening. I moved my fingers as the engorged head pushed between the glistening lips of her sex, making her moan, "Ruthless Tre... Ruthless," softly.

Hearing her, a deep moan escaped me and I rammed my hard shaft fully into her in one sudden thrust, using a grip on her hips to pull her back hard to meet my quick thrust. She squealed in pleasure and I paused a moment to enjoy the feeling of her tight muscles gripping me before moving my hands to grip her soft ass. I began to rock back and forth as I pushed and pulled her to meet me, powering my thick cock into her again and again. She moaned loudly with each rough meeting of our hips, each impact jarring her forward on the couch. Soon she began to push herself back towards me with each driving thrust, increasing the force of our coupling.

As she began to push herself in time to my thrusts, I released her ass, one hand coming down on the smooth, firm flesh with a sharp smack. The other hand slid along her belly and cupped one soft breast, squeezing gently as My hard cock powered into her again and again, my body rocking forward to meet her as she pushed back, our moans mingling loudly in the quiet house. With each animalistic thrust into her tight pussy, I felt my hard cock throbbing against the gripping muscles of her drenched pussy.

Roughly I plucked at one hard nipple as my hips continued to batter against her ass. Her sounds of pleasure grew more intense with each hard thrust, my thick cock filling her slickly gripping pussy again and again. I gave her ass another sharp slap, drawing a squeal of pleasure from her. I tightened my grip on her breast as she wailed in pleasure, her body bucking as she came, her gasps and moans of pleasure almost nonstop now with the speed and force of my thrusts.

As I felt her tight pussy milking my throbbing cock, I tightened my grip on her breast, moaning loudly. I continued to drive roughly into her wet pussy, my hips meeting her ass faster and faster as my pleasure built towards its culmination. I leaned down and moaned loudly in her ear as my hard cock pulsed against the clenching muscles of her wet pussy. I kept driving relentlessly into her again and again as my cock pulsed, spraying her inner walls with my hot sticky cum. I pulled her hard back against me as my thrusts slowed to a stop, my rigid shaft filling her milking tunnel with the hot evidence of my pleasure. I turned, keeping her tight against me and pulled her up into my lap, arms tight around her, moaning my pleasure wordlessly with each movement of my ultra sensitive cock in her tightness.

Without knowing it, I fell asleep with Arianna in my arms, her head on my shoulder. The first indication I had of the passage of time was the ringing of my wards waking me up. I snapped awake and listened, the sound of the ward alerting me to what had passed them. Arianna awoke at my movement and rose, clothing herself with a thought, the Greek dress reappearing as if by magic about her as I pulled my pants and shoes back on, growling "Vampires."

Arianna closed her eyes and became almost, but not quite, transparent and I knew she was in Astral Space. I pulled my shirt on over my head and as my head popped out the neck hole, she was solid once more. "I count 3 of them. They are in a car and headed this way for sure. They just pulled up blocking the driveway." 

I could see her preparing to fight and I shook my head. "No Arianna. You stay out of sight. You don't need the trouble a fight with Freyja would bring you." As she opened her mouth to protest I held up my hand. "No. Just stay out of sight, my friend." Looking decidedly unhappy she chose a spot out of sight of the doorway where she could still watch the goings on. Shaking my head at her stubbornness, I walked to the doorway, preparing my two most useful spells as the bell rang.

Opening the door, I stayed back from the entrance just in case and looked at the 3 vampires in expensive business suits standing there in a close 'V' formation, the leader in front, two obvious bodyguards in the back. I spoke quietly but firmly, keeping my gaze fixed on the leader. "Yes? Can I help you?"

The leader spoke. "You are Tre Lloyd, of the Order of Hecate?"

I nodded, "I am. Can I help you?"

The vampire in front spoke again, as if reading from a cue card. "I am James Stevens. I have been sent as Lady Freyja's representative to bring you a message." He reached into his suit jacket and I let the first of my spells flare to life, my left hand beginning to glow with a light that would serve as a warning. "Relax, Mr. Lloyd. I am simply reaching for Lady Freyja's message" He brought it out between two fingers and held it out towards me. A bright flash of light showed where the threshold of my house was and he was hard pressed to maintain his civil smile.

I let the spell slowly fade and nodded to him. "Read the message from right there Mr. Stevens. I know you are privy to its contents, which means the two guards are too."

He nodded and slid his thumb under the wax seal and opened the letter. "To: Tre Lloyd, Mage of the Order of Hecate. From: Lady Freyja, Duchess of Memphis." I chuckled hearing her title, not having thought Memphis rated anything above a baron, a count at the very most. He waited until I quit chuckling to continue. "It has come to my attention that you were with my precious Nadia on the evening of her death. I would like to speak with you concerning the circumstances of her death and the reasons for it. I am offering you full protection to visit my home four nights from tonight at 9 P.M., including protection of a herald, which, as you know, prevents any from taking hostile action against a herald on pain of death, a tradition that predates even my considerable experience." I nodded, knowing the protection of a herald was inviolate as Mr. Stevens continued, "You will be safe in my home, and treated to a repast suitable for a human, and we will talk. Once our talks have concluded, you will be allowed to leave to go on your way, as unharmed as when you arrived. On this you have my word. Signed this day by my hand, Freyja Njordsdottir." I chuckled hearing the signature and imagining the vampire duchess believing that she is one of the ancient Norse goddesses. 

I nodded to Mr. Stevens. "Tell your mistress that I will be there at 9 in four nights. Leave the message on the doorstep. You may return to your mistress now." The two bodyguards bristled at the obvious dismissal, but Mr. Stevens merely nodded and refolded the paper, laying it down on the doorstep before straightening his suit and nodding to me, turning and heading back to the car, a massive limo, followed by the two bruisers.

As soon as they were away, I reached out of the doorway and lifted the letter, bringing it inside and letting the two spells drop from my mind. I went straight to my office, followed by Arianna, who stopped at the door, coughing slightly. "Um, Tre? The wards?" I looked back and frowned, giving a subtle twist to the wards surrounding my office to allow her in this once.

I sat down at my desk, laying the letter on it, reading it again and again. Arianna sat in one of the chairs across from me and silently watched. With a spell of her own, she slid the letter across to her and read it before sliding it back to me. "She has given you protection. Not to accept would be an insult that would be hard to live down. You have to accept and, not only that, you have to go unarmed." My head shot up and she raised one hand. "Let me explain. A herald is only protected so long as he isn't armed. If you go armed, it is an excuse not to honor the protection and, though that may not be her intention now, attack you."

I cursed at being trapped by a technicality and began to think. "I will come up with something my friend... I will come up with something." We laughed together and I grabbed the keyboard for my computer, looking up the available spells I had that could be used and used quickly, determined to spend the next few days in research. Arianna went over to my bookshelf and looked a question at me. I nodded permission for her to look through my spell books to assist in my search. 

To Be Continued...



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 03



I spent four days and three nights studying with Arianna. What I found was a wealth of possible spells able to be used in an instant. Arianna also showed me a few spells that would serve as a surprise since they had not been seen in many centuries. Armed only with my spells, and wearing my ensorcelled duster and a ring that Arianna gave me, I went out to my garage and checked my motorcycle. I can't tell you what kind it is because it was not made by one of the big name companies. I paid a friend of mine and his father to build this motorcycle from the ground up for me. It is similar in design and performance to the BMW K 1200 R, with a similarly familiar black and gray paint job.

After checking the various surprises built into the bikes frame, I mounted up and leaned down, fastening the leg protectors of my duster around my legs. I inserted the key and cranked up the bike, hearing the reassuring throaty growl of the motor as I pulled on my helmet. I pushed a button on the key ring and opened the garage door, walking the bike out into the driveway before giving it some gas and heading out towards the meeting with Freyja. 

I pulled up to Freyja's house, an opulent mansion just north of the outskirts of Memphis proper and looked around slowly as I pulled off my helmet. Slowly I stood up and kicked my leg over the back of the motorcycle and pulled the key out of the ignition. I unlocked the seat hatch and stuffed my helmet in it before locking it once more. I stretched slowly and looked around casually.

Aware of eyes on me, I took my time bending down and unfastening the protectors of the duster from my legs. I saw all of the expected guards and guard dogs roaming the grounds and slipped into Astral Space, looking around. I was surprised at the volume of astral activity around the mansion. With a shock, I snapped out of Astral Space as I realized that the guard dogs were looking directly at me, on both the physical and the astral planes.

With a smiling nod for Freyja's security measures, I turned towards the house, catching a fleeting glimpse of a shadowed figure in a second floor window watching me. As I looked up at the window, though, it disappeared. I shrugged and continued on my way towards the door. I walked up the steps to the door. As I reached the door, it opened and a suit clad human gestured me inside. "Come in, Mr. Lloyd. You are slightly early so the Duchess is not ready yet." I stepped across the threshold, feeling the power invested there and looked around. "Duchess Freyja has asked that you be taken to her private dining room. May I take your coat?" He asked, holding out a hand.

I shook my head a bit, again feeling eyes on me, a sense of something strange, yet familiar. "No thanks. I will keep my coat." I kept looking around, not really seeing anything of any importance, and just keeping my eyes open.

The man nodded after a split seconds hesitation, the only irritation he showed and turned gesturing deeper into the house. "If you will follow me, I will take you to where you can await the Duchess's arrival." He turned and I followed him through the house, again catching sight of the shadowed figure watching me from the second floor, but it was gone before I could look.

The butler, as I assumed the man to be, guided me into a room set with a small table and two chairs. He poured me some wine in a delicate silver goblet and held it out to me. After casting a spell to check for spells and poisons, I took it, sipping carefully. I nodded in approval of the vintage as the man spoke, 'The Duchess will be here momentarily. Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Lloyd. The kitchen staff will be alerted to your arrival and will bring in some food to hold you over until the meal is ready." I nodded and he turned and walked from the room.

I walked around the room, carrying the goblet with me. I was engrossed with the various objects in the room, Viking age helmets and books and paintings and, the focal point of the room, a mural surrounded by what appeared to be authentic rune stones. I was so absorbed in looking at the painting that I hardly noticed the kitchen staff bringing in a small tray with bread, fruit and cheese. 

I heard the door open behind me and I turned to see who was coming through it. I detected the presence of magic and quickly risked a glance into the Astral. I saw a myriad of small spells surrounding the person coming into the room, but didn't have time to discern their type before dropping back into the Material plane. I looked with normal eyes on the vampire called the "Duchess of Memphis" and was impressed. I bowed slightly, a small bend of my neck, just barely enough to be polite, and turned my gaze back on the woman walking through the door.

She was stunning even without the more obvious spells being used to enhance the effect of her beauty. I casually took a drink out of the wine as she stepped into the room. I judged her to be about 5' 11" tall. Her red hair was so pale it was almost blonde and hung down almost to her waist in a shimmering curtain of curls that had help glittering from magic. Her dress, a shimmering veil of barely opaque blue cloth, hung from her shoulders with a neckline that plunged almost to her belly button exposing the smooth flesh of her firm breasts and the fact that nothing was supporting them. The sides of the skirt were slit from the ankles almost to the hips, exposing sleek thighs and firm calves. Her flashing blue eyes locked on me as she walked in. 

Freyja walked fully into the room and the doors closed behind her. I could almost see the swirls of the Power that closed them as she moved to stand opposite me at the table. "So, you are the infamous Tre Lloyd, vampire killing mage." Her eyes roamed me openly as she gestured for me to sit, taking the seat opposite me. "I thought that you would be older. A mage of your obvious power and skill is rare at your age." She smiled a slight twitching of her lips.

My smile matched hers as I took off my duster, laying it on the back of the chair and sat down slowly. "Yes. That is what a lot of your people have thought. The very last thought that they have had." The smile faded from her eyes as she heard my words, but my smile spread. I sipped from the wine and poured another cup full, casting a small spell to check the fruits, bread and cheeses for poisons and spells. I heard a derisive snort from Freyja.

"Do you think that if I wanted you captured I would use poison or drugs? I would just use plain, ugly brute force here in my home and take you down. Relax, Tre. I have extended the courtesy of the Herald to you and you have it until you leave." I nodded at her words and she continued as I ate some bread and cheese, "Good. I'm glad to see you know I can be reasonable. Once we have eaten we can talk business." She took a crystal goblet from a servant and sipped from what I could tell was blood. 

I looked at her with a smile. "I notice from your invitation that you hold the rank of Duchess in the Vampire Realm. I wouldn't think that Memphis rated such a high ranking Noble."

Her laughter was exquisite. "You are right. Memphis doesn't rate a Duke or Duchess. Even with the absorption of the casino areas into our control it only rates a Count by Realm standards. But I had been a Duchess previously in my appointment to Indianapolis. The Council does not like lowering a person's rank except as a punishment. As I had not failed in anything, merely been given a new area to run, they allowed me to keep my former rank and title when I moved to this less important position. Soon I hope to have Memphis of sufficient importance to rate 'Duchy' status so I can keep my title with honor. 

I put the bread down as another servant brought in a plate of garlic chicken pasta with prosciutto and set it in front of me, as well as placing a fresh loaf of bread before me on a plate left to replace the one she picked up. Within a minute, the kitchen staff had delivered my food, removed the plate of bread, cheese and fruit, and delivered Freyja's bowl of blood, set into a warming recess cunningly built right into the table to keep the blood warm. I took a bite out of the chicken and linguine, smiling and nodding approval of the taste.

We spoke of trivial things as we ate, her collection of Viking goods and my knowledge of things Viking among them. As we finished eating and the dishes were being removed, she leaned forward, resting on her elbows, her posture exposing much of her eternally youthful bosom to me. She appeared to be thinking of what to say next as we looked at each other. I sipped from the goblet and the peace was broken.

"You were with Nadia the night that she died?" She asked, sipping from the goblet of blood.

I nodded. "I was. I was at the casino and met her there and we ended up back at her place."

She nodded, a look of sadness crossing her face, "She and I fought the day she died. I tried to keep her from chasing after humans constantly for bed partners but she refused." She laughed ruefully. "Look what it got her. Now she's dead." Freyja looked at me, eyes intent. "Why did you kill her, Tre?"

I drank from the wine and looked back into her eyes. "I killed her because she tried to kill me. I had noticed no signs of her going vamp on me right up until she tried to feed on me. Until that time, I had decided to let her live and just enjoy a good romping with her." I shrugged slightly. "Then she fanged on me and I had to kill her. It was not something I wanted to do, but I was not going to let her kill me either."

Freyja nodded, a frown on her face. "She was the only one of my daughters from the old world to come to America with me. And now she is dead and I have no contact, direct or otherwise, with my other daughters. I have sons, but they are all disappointments in various cities." She waved a slender hand dismissively as if to brush away the thought of them. "Have you ever lost family Tre?"

I snapped my head up at her question, eyes and voice going cold, "Yes, I have lost family."

Her brows furrowed slightly, "Is that why you hate vampires so much, Tre? Is that why you have carried on this war of yours alone for over a decade? That is a long time to a human."

I continued to stare into her captivating blue eyes. "I hate vampires because they took from me the one thing I have ever cared about. The day after that, I dropped from the Orders curriculum and began studying on my own. Studying things which could be useful to kill vampires because I knew that I would not stop until the ones responsible were dead, or I was. And, so far, I am still alive."

Freyja leaned even farther over the table, looking at me. "What would it take to call a truce between us Tre?" She smiled invitingly, "I have all manner of women, even humans, who would willingly become yours to end this conflict. I have heard of your prowess in bed from some of my people. Based on their stories, I would even be willing to seal the bargain, personally, you might say."

I drained the wine and set down the cup, standing and putting my duster back on, turning to look back at the undead beauty. "Your offer of a truce and the terms to seal it that you offer are... inviting. But I would hate to have to try to do to you what I did to Nadia because you needed a midnight snack after sex." I chuckled, adjusting the fit of my duster. 

In a flash of vampiric speed like I had never seen before, she came around the table to stand in front of me, blocking my way. With a dazzlingly white smile, she spoke, "You don't even want to," She hesitated, thinking for a moment before continuing, "sample from what you're bargaining for?" She smiled, reaching out to rub her small hand against my crotch.

She leaned up, whispering in my ear, "Sit on the table, Tre. I will give you a sample of the pleasures in store for you." She chuckled softly. "You get a sample and I get a taste." I started to push away from the table and her, but she stopped me, explaining, "A taste of your cum, Tre. I have no intention of feeding on you. To prove it, I will even allow you to place a spell on me temporarily to prevent my feeding on you. But afterwards, you will remove it immediately and totally or your protection of the herald will be voided, and you will be fair game."

Caressing my rapidly hardening cock she flicked her tongue around my earlobe. "Enjoy yourself Tre. Cast your spell and enjoy yourself." She looked up at me as she made her way to her knees before me, bright blue eyes flashing with an unspoken invitation. 

"All right Freyja." I rested my right hand on her forehead, slipping my vision into Astral Space to prepare the spell. From looking at her in Astral Space, I could see the sheer amount of the Power that she could wield all at once I understood. Freyja expected me to fail in casting the spell on her and have to try again, embarrassing myself when I tried to put the spell into place. Instead of releasing the spell immediately, I built up the power of it slowly. I subtly altered the substance of the spell and, when I saw the impatience building in her eyes, I released the spell. I watched from astral space as it wrapped around her head and worked its way into place. As the spell began to disappear into her Aura, I opened my eyes and scooted back and sat on the edge of the desk, enjoying the look of surprise in her eyes as the spell took hold.

She unzipped my pants and reached in, pulling my thick cock from them. Her small hand slowly slid up and down my thick shaft. I leaned back on my elbows and watched as my cock began to stiffen and swell in her hand. She leaned forward, licking her soft lips and wrapped them around the engorged head of my cock. She clamped her lips around it tightly and began to swirl her tongue around it slow and light. She teased my cock for a few minutes as her hand continued it's up and down motions, adding a slight twist to it with her gentle grip for more stimulation. 

In no time at all she began to move her lips up and down on my hard rod. Her tongue moved as much as possible against the thickness between her lips as her hand slid up and down slowly but with increasing speed. Hearing and feeling her soft moans of pleasure I knew the altered part of my spell was beginning to work. I leaned back, my hips beginning to rock upward to thrust my hard cock into her mouth as she lowered down onto it. I could feel my hard shaft throbbing against her soft lips as it pushed past them again and again, her hand almost a blur as it stroked my thickness faster and faster. 

The tip of her tongue flicked across the opening in my cock and she moaned, her body jerking in pleasure as she almost came. I almost laughed aloud as my spell worked perfectly. I covered my joy with a moan of pleasure and thrust my cock into her mouth again. Her hand tightened on the hard shaft as my hips steadily rocked it in and out of her eager mouth. I reached up with one hand and slid it into her long reddish-blonde hair, gripping it tightly, guiding her head up and down on my hard cock. As I felt her tongue swirling around my thick shaft again, I heard her moaning louder, her body jerking with an even more intense pleasure and I could feel the surge of cum building within me and I knew that her body was being rocked with orgasms, my spell causing her to cum whenever she tasted my cum.

My hand tightened in her hair, pulling her head up and down as my cock throbbed against her lips, my hot cum just waiting to explode into her mouth at any moment. With a deep groan of pleasure I laid back on the table, my thick cock pulsing against her lips, our moans sounding simultaneously as my hard shaft exploded between her lips, stream after stream of white hot cum filling her mouth, my spell causing massive orgasms to slam through her one after another. As each jet of my cum hit her tongue, another fresh wave of pleasure coursed through her body, drawing deep moans of pleasure from her, which vibrated my sensitive cock and drew more moans of pleasure from me.

Greedily Freyja slurped and swallowed the hot sticky offering of cum I gave her, her body jerking with the intensity of her orgasms. She licked my spent shaft clean and carefully tucked me back into my pants, placing one hand on the table and rising from her knees to sit in my chair, a tired smile on her face. I zipped my pants and rose from the table, also a bit unsteadily.

Freyja gestured weakly to her head, smiling. "Remove your spell now if you please." I nodded and placed my hand on her head, quickly severing the tie my spell had with the Power feeding it, watching from the astral as it just faded away to nothingness. I removed my hand from her head and looked at her, nodding.

"There you go. The spell is removed." I again adjusted the way my duster hung from my shoulders, looking at her.

She looked up at me. "So do we have a truce, Mage? Or are you going to keep trying to kill my people?"

"As fun as that was, I am afraid that I cannot agree to a truce just for that." I looked at her, a serious expression on my face. "But I will think about what it will take. Vampires have a lot to answer for to me. And I have not quite exacted my toll on them for it."

She nodded and smiled. "As you wish Tre. But you killed one of my favorites and I am afraid the floodgates will open now. Unrestrained attacks on you because of this." She rose and adjusted her dress with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I had hoped we could work together Tre. But if we can't, then you are apparently my enemy and will be treated as one." She walked around the table once again, slower this time, and sat in the spot where she was before. A servant brought in another crystal goblet of blood and she sipped on it

I smiled and nodded a polite bow to her. "I thank you for a wonderful evening Freyja. I am sorry we couldn't reach an understanding." I turned and headed out of the dining room, preparing my spells in case they were needed on the way out. As I walked down the steps I again got the feeling of being watched and I turned but nothing was there. I walked on down the stairs and headed outside. I walked over to my motorcycle and, after retrieving my helmet and locking the hatch, climbed on. I pulled on the helmet and looked back up at the house, again catching sight of a shadowed figure in a second floor window. I started the engine and looked around the grounds once more. I fastened the dusters leg protectors before turning the powerful bike back towards Horn Lake and getting back on the road, my mind whirling with thoughts of the nights activities.

Back at Freyja's mansion.

Freyja leaned back in her chair, watching the door where Tre had left. She sipped the blood from the goblet as she thought. A rustle of cloth and the sound of footsteps alerted her to the presence of someone and she spoke firmly, "Well? Do you think you can do it?"

The shadowed figure answered, its voice a soft hiss, "Yes, Duchess, I can do it. I can get to him and he will never know what hit him. Before he knows what is going on he will be here at your feet powerless. He is strong, obviously. But the last decade in under your tutelage and the gift of your blood has made me more powerful. He will not be able to stop me."

Freyja smiled, her fangs touching the goblet for the first time in the night. "Good. Do it. Bring me Tre Lloyd. I want him alive so I can break him a piece at a time. Nadia will be avenged. Go" She didn't even look as her assassin left silently, not even the sounds that warned of its approach warning of it departing. The Duchess of Memphis smiled and drained the goblet, already anticipating having Tre Lloyd in her clutches.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 04



I pulled away from Freyja's mansion, my mind clouded with thoughts that the talk with the vampire Duchess had unleashed once more. I turned the motorcycle towards home and wound it up as fast as it could go, not particularly caring about the speed limit. As I swung the bike off of the interstate down the exit ramp, I turned up into a liquor store with a drive thru window and grabbed a bottle of scotch and stored it in the under seat compartment before again turning the bike towards home.

After backing the motorcycle into the garage and snagging the scotch from under the seat, I locked up the garage and went inside. I reset the wards surrounding the house and went into the kitchen, grabbing a rocks glass from the cabinet. Almost slamming the cabinet shut I turned around and walked into the back of the house to my bedroom. With an angry surge of the Power, I sealed the wards around my room, dropping my perception into the Astral to check the wards built into the décor of the room before dropping back to normal perception and opening the scotch. I poured a generous glass of it and drained it at a swallow. I poured another as I put in a homemade video that I had burned to DVD.

After opening a small cabinet above the TV in the entertainment center, I looked at the items there. I ran my fingertips lightly over the small carved wooden figurine of her I had made, then over the 18" tall marble statuette of her that she posed for. Finally I turned my gaze on the small clay bust of her head and shoulders that I had commissioned from a portrait before I found out about the statuette. I lit two candles and set them on each side of the statuette, lighting a stick of incense and placing it before the bust of her. After going back and flopping down on the foot of the bed, I drank my way through glass after glass of scotch, not even caring about using such a fine scotch just to get blitzed, as I watched myself and a beautiful Japanese woman joking and playing around on the video.

I had just put another DVD of us into the player to watch as I drank some more and tugged my shirt off, tossing it carelessly across the room before pouring another glass of scotch and flopping down onto the bed. Almost as if I was unable to control my body, I flopped back onto the bed and as soon as my head landed on the bed, I was out cold. As always when I had been drinking heavily, the dream came again.

I opened the door and smiled at the Japanese beauty standing there. "Hey Love. I've been waiting on you." I stepped forward to hug her and felt her arms go tight around me as our lips met in a soft kiss.

"I'm sorry, Tre. My flight was delayed." She smiled her impish smile. "I will try to make it up to you later." 

She came in and I closed the door behind her. We walked into the main room of the suite and I took her coat, laying it over the bar as she sat down. I turned around and admired her beauty, her smooth skin and long straight black hair. I also admired the way her near skin tight dress showed off her firm breasts and ass and long lean legs.

I joined her on the sofa and she smiled. "So, you said you have a surprise for me, Love?" She turned slowly to face me, one lean leg peeking from the low slit on her dress.

I smiled and turned towards her, bringing one leg onto the sofa with a smile. "Yes I do, but didn't you say you have a surprise for me too?"

She smiled and nodded, gesturing to me. "Yes, but you go first, Tre. Mine can wait until later. I want to make sure the time is right." She turned, looking and listening to me intently.

I rose and took a couple of steps away from her before turning back to face her. I palmed my surprise for her as I stepped back over to her. Closing my eyes for a moment, I took a resolving breath and, as I had seen in so many movies, I dropped to one knee and took her left hand in mine, slipping my surprise, a small circlet of gold crowned with a small diamond onto her left ring finger.

I heard her small gasp of surprise and just bulled on ahead, "Miko, I have loved you since I was studying with your father and brothers. Will you marry me?" I asked, looking up at her from one knee.

"Yes, My love," she said, smiling brightly, tears of happiness in her eyes, "I will marry you gladly." She leaned forward and kissed me softly. Rising up a bit, I returned her kiss, feeling her hands sliding into my hair.

Our lips moved together, tongues dancing, before she reached down and tugged my shirt from my pants, whispering, "I need you, Tre. Make love to me, my love." She pulled my shirt up my chest and off over my head as I nudged my shoes off. As soon as my shirt was out of the way, our lips met once again. I slide my arms around her, fingers finding the thin zipper of her top and dragging it down slowly.

Without breaking the kiss, I slid the top down her arms and set it on the low table beside me. Feather-light I slid my hands back up her arms and down, following the straps of her bra, to caress the firm flesh of her breasts through the silk and lace of her bra. My lips began to move faster against hers as my hands slid around to cup her breasts, thumbs moving in light circles over them, causing her nipples to harden and stick out against the silk.

I kept flicking my thumbs against the hard pebbles of her nipples as my lips moved along her jaw to her neck, nibbling her earlobe gently as my thumbs teased her. Once she began to moan softly, I started kissing my way down her neck slowly, my hands sliding around in front of her to remove her bra, slipping it from her smooth shoulders as my lips reached her collarbone. I nibbled slowly down along the firm slope of one breast, tongue snaking out to taste her warm skin.

As I nibbled around her stiff peak, her breathing quickened and I smiled inwardly, my tongue flicking out to caress the dark bud. My forefinger and thumb continued to stroke and roll one passion darkened nipple as the other was sucked into my mouth. Almost unable to tear my mouth from her beautiful breasts, I mumbled, "stand up, Miko," against the nipple in my mouth.

She slid forward to rise and I moved back with her, rising to stand in front of her. Our lips again met as my hands went behind her. I unzipped the dress, my hands cupping and squeezing her soft ass while her hands began unfastening my belt and removing my pants. My pants slid to the floor and she unbuckled her wide belt and slid her dress down past her hips.

Putting her hands on my waist, she turned me around, looked up at me. "Sit down, my love." I sat down and she knelt between my thighs. She looked up into my eyes as her soft fingers wrapped gently around my cock, stroking the hardening shaft up and down with a mischievous smile on her face.

She broke eye contact with a wink and lowered her head. Her long hair covered her actions but the feel of her hot mouth slipping over the thick head of my cock drew a low moan of pleasure from me. As her head moved up and down slowly, I let my head drop onto the back of the sofa, moaning, "God yes, Miko." Her only response was to tighten her lips around my cock, swirling her tongue around the engorged head of my hard shaft as her lips pulled almost off of it.

Kimiko continued her exquisite torture of my cock for a few minutes more before I put a hand on her head to stop her. "God, Miko. If you keep that up there will be no fun for later. Let me taste you now Miko."

She pulled her lips from my cock and rose. I slid up a bit and hooked my thumbs into the waistband of her panties. I kissed my way slow and light around her navel as I tugged the silk past her ass and slowly down her lean thighs. My lips and tongue slid over her smooth belly as I worked slowly towards her hip and the top of one smooth thigh.

She stepped out of the silk puddle around her ankles and sat beside me on the sofa. With a slow, languid movement and a smile, she turned to face me, raising the leg closest to me, bringing her leg over my head and lowering it behind me. She was still grinning as she lay back on her elbows and raised her leg, bending it slightly.

I smiled and turned towards her, leaning down slowly, nibbling the inside of her knee, my tongue tasting her smooth skin as I moved with a slow deliberate pace towards the delicious heat at the joining of her thighs. I trailed my lips back and forth from the inside of her thigh to the back of her thigh as I moved steadily lower, my tongue flicking out to tease her lightly. 

I slowly kissed and nibbled my way across her pelvis from her hip, my tongue snaking out to tease her glistening flower. I poised my lips above it and slid the tip of my tongue out of my mouth, moving it between her aroused lips. Slowly I began to move my head up and down, tongue flitting snake-like along her wet slit as my head moved back and forth. With each motion back and forth I slid my tongue deeper into her wet pussy, pausing to circle around her clit lightly with the tip of my tongue. 

Her moans drove me on as my tongue lashed her hooded nub with a teasing caress. I tilted my head and gently closed my lips over her clit, squeezing gently but firmly, sucking the sensitive nub as the tip of my tongue moved across the tip of her clit in small fast circles. I kept my lips tight around her clit and began to hum softly on it drawing a louder moan from her.

She slid her hands into my hair as my tongue continued to lash around her trapped clit, my lips squeezing it between them as I slid one hand between her thighs, fingertips lightly stroking her wet lips before slipping into her wet tightness. My finger slid in and out of her in slow gentle motions, lightly stroking her inner walls with the tip as I pulled it back out of her. Her moans became louder as I continued to doubly kindle her luscious body's passions.

My tongue lashed her clit relentlessly as my finger continued to stroke in and out of her tight wet pussy, caressing her inner walls with each motion until the combination of pleasures brought her to a shuddering, moaning orgasm. As her body jerked from the pleasure being unleashed, I maintained the stimulation of her clit and inner walls until she collapsed on the sofa, her orgasm finally relenting. Her body still jerked with slight aftershocks of pleasure as I slowed my tongues assault on her clit, sucking softly as I pulled my mouth from the sensitive nub, easing my finger from within her.

I rose up, reaching my finger to her clit, stroking it with a feathers caress as I looked down at her beauty. "How do you want to do this, Miko?"

She looked up at me with a smile, rising up to a sitting position and reaching out to stroke my cock. "Sit down, Tre. I want to ride you this time."

I sat down and watched as she rose and moved to straddle my waist. She reached down with one hand and guided my thick cock to her pussy. She lowered herself slowly onto me, the engorged head of my cock sliding into her gripping depths followed steadily by the rest of my hardness with a tantalizing slowness. As each inch slid into her my moan became deeper until I felt her hips lower to mine.

She began to slide herself back and forth against my hips, alternating that with raising and lowering herself down onto me slowly. I reached up, cupping her soft breasts in my hands, tweaking her hard nipples as I leaned up to close my lips around one of them, sucking softly as she rode me in her alternating pattern of grinding back and forth against me, then moving up and down, ever faster.

I reached around her, gripping her ass tightly, guiding her in her back and forth then up and down motions, thrusting up to meet her as she slid down on my thick shaft, my tongue flicking around her nipple before my teeth closed on it, dragging along it lightly with the momentum of her riding motions. As I thrust up into her and pulled back slightly, she began to work her inner muscles against my penetrating shaft, causing me to moan at the rush of sensations coursing through me. 

Our motions grew ever faster, ever more passionate as we both began to climb back towards the peak of our pleasure. I began arching my back to drive my hard rod deep into her waiting pussy as she practically dropped down onto me, our hips slapping together time and again, driving my thick cock into her wetly gripping sheath hard and fast. Our moans grew louder and more in time with each other as our bodies met time and again, my cock throbbing within the rippling confines of her wet pussy.

I moaned deeply as I felt my orgasm beginning to build within me, trying desperately to hold it until she had cum again, driving into her faster and faster. I took one hand from her smooth ass and slid it between us, looking into her eyes as I began to press two fingers against her clit, rubbing in fast circles, her sounds leading me on until, with a deep gasping cry, she collapsed on my chest, passionately biting my neck as her body jerked against me. I kept thrusting into her, the gripping walls of her tight pussy milking my hard cock as she came. Unable to resist anymore, I drove hard into her, thick cock jerking against her inner walls as it pulsed, spraying a white hot jet of my cum deep into her as she came.

Our arms slid around each other as the waves of our orgasms crashed over us, holding tight to each other as my cock emptied within her waiting tunnel, relaxing back on the back of the sofa as our bodies slowly spiraled down from the heights they were at. With a sheepish chuckle she released her hold on my neck. "I'm sorry my love. I kind of marked you." I reached up to my neck, fingers coming away wet and with a little blood on them.

I shrugged and laid back. "If you were hungry love, you should have said something, I could have sent out for room service."

"You still need to," she said, "I'm starved. I didn't eat on the plane and haven't eaten yet." She smiled and rose to shaky legs. "Order me a hamburger and fries and I will shower."

Nodding, I smiled. "Of course Miko. No diet food for you today?" I laughed at her snort as she disappeared into the bedroom area of the suite and the shower started up. I picked up the phone and dialed the number for room service. I ordered Miko a hamburger and fries like she asked and ordered myself a plate of pepper steak and rice with a coke for each of us. After hanging up the phone, I put my pants back on and set about straightening up the room. I carried Miko's clothes into the bedroom and laid them on the bed, pulling my shirt back on over my head. I sat down on the sofa and turned on the television, finding a documentary on ancient Rome on some educational channel.

I was watching the show when I heard the water turn off in the shower. Just then I also heard a knock at the door to the room. I got up and walked over to the door as Miko walked out of the bedroom in a bathrobe. I opened the door, smiling at the man pushing it. I heard Miko speak, "is that the food? Looks like I timed it just right then."

I turned to look at her, nodding. As soon as my attention broke from the person pushing the cart, he shoved it hard into me, knocking me backwards. I went into a backwards roll, hearing Miko start to laugh. I came up to one knee, looking at the doorway for some kind of explanation and saw four people rushing through the door. Kimiko's laughter turned to a cry and I raised one hand, quickly running through all of my spells before settling on one, unleashing a ball of invisible force at them, bowling them all back out into the hall.

As I recovered from casting the spell and found another to cast, the four of them untangled themselves from each other with lots of cussing and pushing and charged back into the room. One of them bared fangs and grabbed a plate from the tray and sent it flying towards me, disrupting my spell when I dodged it. I looked back at them and watched as, with a surge of the Power, Kimiko sent a spell surging towards them. I watched with astral perception as the spell wrapped around the leading vampire, accelerating his molecules until he just burst into flames with a scream.

I popped out of astral perception in surprise at her using a spell of that strength, looking at her, seeing my surprise mirrored on her face. I regretted turning my concentration from the vampires as one of them lifted a tray and threw it Frisbee style towards my head. I tried to duck away from it but it still caught me a glancing shot, stunning me and causing me to drop one hand to the floor to steady myself, the other reaching up to my head.

I heard Kimiko scream a warning and looked up. I caught sight of two of the remaining vampires reach her, trying to subdue her and, out of the corner of my eye, the third vampire coming towards me. I struggled to stand as the third vampire brought a fist down towards my head. Stars erupted as his punch landed behind my left ear, sending me sprawling. I looked over towards Miko as the sound of another punch resounded, seeing the two vampires lifting her unconscious body up and hurrying towards the door with her. I reached for her, struggling to rise just as the vampire that punched me in the head stepped towards me and kicked me in the chin. Darkness swarmed over me as my body sprawled to the floor. 

I floated in the darkness of unconsciousness for I don't know how long. Something in the back of my mind was telling me that this was not normal for this dream, but I couldn't wake up. Suddenly I saw a figure appearing out of the darkness. I watched and the figure grew closer, finally becoming clear. I gasped as I saw Kimiko standing in front of me. Not the Kimiko that I had just been with and remembered, but a pale version of the woman I had known over 18 years ago.

The dream-Kimiko walked closer, stopping a few feet from me in the darkness. "Listen closely, Tre. I don't have much time so I can only say this once. I know you have mourned me as dead for all of these years but I am not quite dead. I never got to tell you what my surprise was the night I was taken and I cannot tell you now. You will see the surprise for yourself soon enough." She looked irritated as I tried to speak but found I couldn't. "Beware Tre. Beware those who call themselves the 'Eclipses'. Beware the Eclipses and look for the Sun Chasers. The Chasers will be possible allies in the dark days to come." The pale version of the woman I knew looked at me. "I know what you have done over the years. I also know why. I am proud of you and your efforts." Suddenly the dream-Kimiko looked over her shoulder, turning back to me with a scared look on her face. "Remember, Tre. Beware the Eclipses and watch for the Sun Chasers" She stepped forward and kissed me before disappearing from the dream.

I surged out of the dream, drenched in cold sweat, my clothes and sheets soaked as well from the intensity of the dream. I sat up and rested my head in my hands, chest heaving from the surprise. I heard the doorbell ring and stood up, walking over to my closet and changing into a pair of sweatpants. I staggered to the door and looked out, spotting Arianna standing there. I opened the door and said, "No need to ring again Arianna. Come on in." I stepped back and let her in, closing the door behind her. "Go on to the living room. I will be right there." turning and walking towards my bedroom as she headed for the living room. 

I walked back out into the living room, moving through the kitchen and dropping the remains of the bottle of scotch off and grabbing Mt Dew from the refrigerator. Arianna didn't say anything when I sat down with a groan in my chair, just looked at me, watching as I opened the Dew and turned it up, draining half of it at a guzzle. I looked over at her as she laughed softly.

"So I don't guess I have to ask how the meeting with Freyja went." She chuckled and rose, walking into the kitchen and grabbed her cup and a bottle of wine, carrying both into the living room and filling the cup. "So what happened tonight Tre? What has you drinking so hard?"




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 04



I just took another drink from the bottle of Dew, my mind still on the dream. "Just my talk with Freyja. It brought a lot of things back to mind." I turned to face her as she took a drink from the cup of wine. "Arianna, have you ever heard of a group calling themselves the 'Eclipses' or one called the 'Sun Chasers?' ". 

She got a thoughtful look on her face and I rose, walking into my library and unplugging the personal data assistant that holds my library of research materials, carrying it back into the living room. I sat down and keyed in the word to search for the Eclipses and set it searching. "I haven't heard of them Tre. I haven't heard of either one of the groups. Why do you ask?"

I drank from the Mountain Dew and looked at her. Taking a deep breath, I spoke quietly, "I heard about them tonight. Kimiko told me about them in a dream."

"Kimiko? As in the girlfriend who was kidnapped by vampires years ago? That is the Kimiko that told you about them?"

I nodded. "That is the one. I saw her in a dream tonight. She told me to watch out for the Eclipses, and that the Sun Chasers could be good allies." I heard the bleep of the search ending and looked, skimming the finds and not seeing anything relevant and typing in the next search for the Sun Chasers. "It was Kimiko, but it wasn't. She looked like she did 18 years ago, but she was pale, very pale. She said she wasn't quite dead, that she knew what I had been doing and why, but then she saw something and rushed off. I can still feel her kiss. It was a cold kiss. I mean it was like hers. But it was cold; the skin was cold, like a vampires kiss."

Arianna arched one fine brow. "A vampire? Why would Kimiko appear to you as a vampire? If she knows what you've been doing and why, that would only cause you to be cautious about taking her warning at face value." She got thoughtful as the PDA bleeped its search ending again. I checked it and found nothing once more. 

"My library doesn't have anything on either group. I will check the Order's database tomorrow. I'll also call some of my contacts in Memphis to see if they know anything." I closed the PDA's cover and set it down, taking another drink from my Mountain Dew.

Arianna drained her cup of wine and stood. "I will go back to New Orleans and check with my contacts there. I will call or come back as soon as I find something out." I nodded as she disappeared, fading into the astral and flashing home in a heartbeat.

I rose and walked back into my library, closing the door and signing online. I entered the address to the backdoor entrance to the Order's database. With a smile I noticed that the backdoor was still open and set about my search. As I started the computer searching through the database, I went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee brewing. I walked back into my bedroom and looked at the shrine to Kimiko, mind still fogged from everything.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 05



I plopped down into my chair after replacing my long cold coffee with a fresh cup. I checked the progress of my search engine and didn't like what I was seeing. Six hours of searching through database after database had turned up nothing so far. I had put in calls to several of my contacts as well, asking them to be listening for any word about the Eclipses or the Sun Chasers and offering good money to any who brought me the information I was looking for.

Over the next three days I split my time between my library and exercising with my sword in my back yard. I worked diligently on both the physical and magical aspects of my training. I was working through an exercise against 3 opponents when the phone rang. I cut the exercise short and answered it, sweat streaming down my face and body. "This is Tre."

"Tre, I found some of the information you wanted." I recognized the voice as Evan, one of my informant's in the downtown Memphis area. "How much are you willing to pay for it?"

I laughed, "Before I can tell you that, I have to hear what you have to offer."

"Ok. I got a little information on the Eclipses and the Sun Chasers. I also got some extra information I thought you might like." I made a sound of irritation as I walked into the house and into my library, half shivering at the air conditioning on my soaked skin. I turned on the recorder on my phone in the library and picked it up as I hung up the other, leaving Evan no idea that I had switched or that the conversation was being recorded. 

I listened to Evan blathering on about how dangerous it was for him to get the info and cut him off, telling him to get on with it. "Of course Tre. I did some checking around about the Eclipses and the Sun Chasers. They are both factions within the Vampire hierarchy of Memphis. They are both on the bottom of the hierarchy, but they are there." I listened, curious as to how the Sun Chasers could be my allies if they were vampires, the very people I fought against. Evan continued, "Believe it or not, they are said to be daywalkers. Vampires that can walk around in the day as well as any human."

I interrupted him, "Wait a second Evan. Daywalkers as in Blade was a daywalker? That was just a movie. They are not real."

"Yes, Tre, as in Blade was a daywalker. Supposedly the idea for the movies came from these experiments. It was a way to introduce the idea to the public and see what they would think about a daywalking vampire. The Eclipses and the Sun Chasers are two factions of vampires that are both daywalkers, but opposed to each other from what I have heard. The Eclipses are loyal to the Duchess. They are rewarded by her and her court lavishly. The Sun Chasers, on the other hand, hate the vampires. They do not like that they were turned into vampires before birth and when they were born, taken from their mothers."

I spoke up again. "Wait, how were they turned into vampires before birth? That would take turning the mothers."

"That's right, Tre. The mothers were turned into vampires while carrying the children. Some were made while the child was close to birth. Others were turned at various times in the pregnancy. The vampire who created the individuals is generally unknown to them. Freyja did create some of them personally. Only one name is known for any of them. He calls himself 'Achilles' although that is not his real name from what I gather. He and all of the Sun Chasers choose false names to protect themselves, typical subversive tactics. I learned a lot, and I need to get out of town before they find out that I talked to you. How much will you pay?"

I chuckled. "I'll pay you $1,500 for what you've given me. You said you had some extra information. What was it?"

"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. You've been marked, Tre." 

"Marked? What do you mean 'marked'?" I asked him.

"The 'Blue Dragon' has been sent after you." He replied. When I asked him who the 'Blue Dragon' was, he answered quickly, "I am not sure exactly. All I know is that it is the Duchess's premier assassin."

"It?" I asked.

"Yes, it." He laughed. "The Blue Dragon is known to exist, but that is all that anyone will be able to tell you about it. Not much is known except that the Dragon has risen quick through the ranks of Freyja's helpers in the last few years."

"Thank you, Evan," I said. "I will add another $1000 to the payment. See you when things cool down." I hung up the phone and summoned a spirit. I set $3000 on the desk and sent the spirit to deliver the $2500 plus a small bonus to Evan. I watched as the spirit surrounded the money with its essence and disappeared along with the stack of bills. I sat back in my chair to think about Evan's information. 

The name 'Blue Dragon' seemed familiar to me but I couldn't place it. I went back into the Order's databases and ran a search for the name. In almost no time at all the search engine came back with a seeming multitude of hits for the name. I began opening the files at random and skimming them for information. After I skimmed a handful of the files, I began to notice a pattern in the victims who had fallen to this assassin. Since its first job almost 10 years before, mages had been targeted by the Blue Dragon almost exclusively. Some had died from its attacks; others had disappeared and were rumored to be vampires now.

I made a list of its victims and had to salute the Dragon's skill. Some of the mages taken out were very powerful and/or very skillful. I recognized a few of the names personally from the few meetings of the Order of Hecate that I had actually attended. Most of them I knew only in passing from reading about them or from word of mouth.

After scanning all of the files, I sent an engine through them looking for a description or pictures of the Dragon. Within moments, the search engine had returned with zero hits for a description or pictures. Frustrated, I unleashed my search engines on the remaining databases and went to the refrigerator for a beer. I tossed the top into the trash and went back to my library, sitting down in front of the computer and frowning as the search engines return with nothing. 

Resisting the urge to put my fist through the monitor in frustration, I signed into my email account and sent out a message to all of the addresses listed with a certain contact name. Once the email was on its way, I logged into a different account on another server and went to a chat room hidden on the server. I drank my beer and part of another one waiting on everyone to arrive. As soon as everyone arrived, I gave them a basic rundown on what had been told to me. They all wanted to take some kind of action but none were sure just what action needed to be taken. 

Finally I agreed to have them all meet me at The Villa, a good sized farmhouse, built after the Roman fashion in the heart of northern Mississippi. It belongs to Arianna on paper, or to one of her businesses in New Orleans to be precise, but she gave me a key to use it when I wanted to. She keeps it stocked with a variety of foods and has provided a set of spirit 'slaves' to work the house and grounds. I sent a spirit to The Villa to have it prepared for an extended stay by six guests. 

I turned off my computer and went into the living room by way of the kitchen, snagging a Mountain Dew from the refrigerator and flopping down on the couch. I turned on the set and clicked to watch the shows I had caught on my DVR. I started with Alias and set it to play through CSI and a couple of History Channel shows. I had just dozed off when the phone rang. I picked it up and mumbled a sleepy "Hello?" into it.

The voice on the other end of the line snapped me out of my drowsy state quickly. "Hey, Tre, this is Marie."

I sat up, rubbing the back of my arm across my eyes. "Hey, Marie. How have you been?" The voice called to mind the memory of the short woman with the long brown hair and chocolate brown eyes that could almost swallow a man whole. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes and envisioned her smile as I had first seen it. 

She laughed, shaking me out of my reverie. "I've been good. I was just calling to see if tonight was still on for us."

I thought and remembered that she and I were supposed to go clubbing tonight. "Yeah. We are still on for tonight, Marie. Just let me get changed and I will be over there to pick you up. No motorcycle right?" I chuckled remembering the time I had played a prank on her and showed up at her apartment on my motorcycle.

"That's right. NO motorcycle." She laughed. "So I will see you in an hour or so?"

I smiled and answered, "Yes, that is about right. I will see you soon."

"Bye Tre. See you soon." She said. I said bye and hung up the phone, already headed for the shower. I quickly showered and dressed. After pulling on my boots, I turned for my closet and grabbed my duster. I folded it over my arm and headed for the kitchen, grabbing a Mountain Dew. I snagged my keys off of the counter and headed out to the garage. With a grin I walked around my motorcycle, committing it to memory to play a prank on Marie, before climbing into the Viper.

I cranked up the Vipers motor and backed out of the garage and into the street. Within a matter of minutes I was pulling into the apartment complex that Marie lived in. I parked the Viper away from her building and walked on over, casually casting a spell to create an illusion of my motorcycle in an empty parking spot right next to her apartment. I walked up and knocked on her door and heard "Come on in, Tre" called through it. I opened the door and walked in, looking around at the furnishings. 

I sat down on one end of her sofa and waited for her to finish getting ready. She opened her bedroom door and peeked around it, "I will be right there. I am just finishing up." She blew me a kiss and closed the door behind her. I smiled and just made myself comfortable on her sofa, waiting on her to finish getting ready. I heard the door open and looked over, unable to stop my mouth from dropping open in a look of shock. She laughed and turned in a slow circle, raising her hands above her head. "Well, what do you think?"

I swallowed the huge lump that had appeared in my throat and just nodded, not trusting myself to talk at the moment. She turned once more, even slower, enjoying the effect. As she turned I let my eyes roam her from top to bottom, enjoying the way the short black skirt clung in all the right spots, accentuating her muscular legs and firm ass. I looked higher, licking my lips at the top she was wearing. It was practically a bikini top, concealing yet showing off her firm breasts perfectly. It wrapped around her back, going up her chest, crossing in front of her throat and hooking behind the neck, with a six inch 'skirt' of see through silk that left her trim belly bare.

I stood up and walked over to her, putting my hands on her sides, leaning down a bit and kissing her lips softly, whispering "Very nice, Marie. You look good enough to eat."

She smiled and winked. "Maybe later. The clubs are calling first." She spun away from my hands and headed over to the door, grabbing a small coat and putting it on. She grabbed her keys and handed them to me to hold for her. We went out the door and she closed it behind us. As we walked around the corner facing the parking lot she stopped, pointing at the parking lot where the illusion of my motorcycle was sitting. "What is that?" I looked to where she was pointing and back at her, smiling innocently. "I told you not to bring the motorcycle." She got a mischievous grin on her face and held her hand out "I need my keys please."

"For what?" I asked her.

"I have to go change. I can not wear this outfit and ride on a motorcycle, so I have to go change." I quickly released the illusion of the motorcycle. She laughed when it disappeared. "That is what I thought would happen if I threatened to change clothes on you. So where did you park?" She laughed and walked up, sliding an arm through mine.

I pointed with the other hand to where I had left the car and we started walking that way. I unlocked the door and opened it for her, watching as she got inside. She grinned up at me as she saw me looking, shifting a bit on the seat, giving me a clear view of her smooth shaven mound, uncovered by any panties, before pulling her thighs back together. I grinned and closed the door and walked around, climbing into the driver's seat and cranking the car up. "So where to first?"

She pressed herself against my arm and whispered the name of a club in my ear. I looked at her curiously and she just nodded. I shifted the car into gear and got headed out that way. Marie leaned against my arm and we talked quietly as I drove. 

I pulled up into the parking lot and into a space. After shutting down the engine I got out and walked around the car, opening the door for Marie. I looked over suddenly from admiring her legs as she turned to get out of the car as a motorcycle slid into the parking lot. I looked at the helmeted rider for a second before noticing that the figure was laughing. Before I could say anything though, the rider took off again into the night, cutting off a car as it powered back into traffic.

Marie peeked over my shoulder in the direction the motorcycle rider went. "Someone you know Tre?"

I shrugged, looking over my shoulder at her. "I don't know. Not that I can think of."

She laughed and bit my earlobe. "Then let's go inside and have some fun." She grabbed my arm and half dragged me into the gentlemen's club. I paid the cover and we walked inside. She pointed me towards a table close to the main stage and we threaded our way between tables and waitresses and sat down. We ordered our drinks and sat down to watch the girls dancing. She scooted her chair around the table closer to me and I slid my arm around her shoulders. She leaned close so we could talk and be heard over the music blaring out of the speakers. The waitress came back with our drinks and I paid her for them, adding a generous tip to keep her attention on our table.

The music died down and the DJ's voice exploded through the sound system announcing the next dancer coming onto the main stage. Marie's hand tightened on my arm and she leaned up, whispering in my ear, "oooh, Kimberly. I met her at the casino the other night at work. I heard she was an excellent dancer. She told me she worked here. That's why I wanted to come here tonight."

I grinned at her before looking back up at the stage as a leggy brunette walked up the small stairs. My curiosity was piqued as she had a red cape held tight around her, covering her from neck to mid-thigh. Suddenly all of the lights near the stage went dark and the music went silent. I looked around to see if it was a malfunction or something and the music started up again. I was surprised at the quiet, slow pace of what sounded like a classical piece of music, but not one I was familiar with.

With a flash the lights turned back on, focusing on the stage just as the music blared and picked up in tempo. I looked back at the stage in time to see the red cape flying back away from her, revealing her dancing outfit, a blue bikini with the red and gold 'S' of Superman on each large full breast, and the front and back of the bikini bottom. Marie and I both laughed as we saw that, watching as she began her routine. She flowed from move to move, keeping time to the music perfectly, even as she began to remove her outfit.

Marie rose and grabbed a couple of bills from the table where I had set them and walked up to the stage, waving them back and forth. Kimberly, in a wonderful show of skill, kept her upper body and arms moving in time to the music and walked, well, strutted, her way over to the stairs, a flowing arm gesturing Marie to come over there without breaking the routine of the dance. The men watching hooted and whistled as Marie, well aware that the men were watching her as well as Kimberly, strutted her stuff over to the stairs. She put one of the bills between her lips and wiggled it, Kimberly smiled and, keeping her legs and lower torso moving, reached out, pulling Marie's head towards her chest, almost completely burying it there before pushing the full mounds together to snag the bill. 

She kept her body moving to the interesting music and gestured for Marie to sit down and lay back with her head on the stage. Marie did as instructed and, still keeping her body swaying at one pace and her arms at another, Kimberly lowered herself and plucked the bill from her lips with a smile. As Marie sat up, Kimberly leaned over and kissed her full on the mouth, before moving to whisper in her ear, nodding at something Marie said to her and rise to continue her dance. Marie made her way back over to me and leaned down to nip at my ear as she stepped around me to sit down.

"Have fun sweetie?" I asked her, chuckling.

She nodded, an excited flush to her cheeks, "Very much so. I told her to come over here when she got off of the stage. I hope you don't mind." She laughed and leaned over against me, watching Kimberly's dance as it sped up, her movements faster and faster, ever keeping time with the music. 

I slid an arm around Marie, pulling her tight against my side, loving the feeling of her body pressed against me as we watched Kimberly's willowy movements on stage. The waitress came by and I ordered us another round. The music began to slow down and the lights to dim as the tall brunette's dance obviously wound down. The waitress came back as the lights went up, setting our drinks down and taking the empties. I paid and tipped her and looked back to the stage. 

Kimberly was back on her feet and as the music came up, a popular rock song this time, she began to dance, showing her ability, but none of the graceful deliberate movements of the first dance. Marie and I took turns taking her money, although I do believe that she, and the watching men, enjoyed it more when Marie took it to her. I know that I enjoyed watching the way Marie walked when she knew people were watching her. 

After the lights went down on the last dance of Kimberly's set, Marie leaned up and nipped at my earlobe. "Still want her to join us?" I nodded and she laughed. "Good, I do too." The DJ announced that Kimberly would be on the floor in a few minutes and that other dancers would take the main and two secondary stages momentarily. 

Marie leaned over and turned my face to look at her, kissing my lips as she held my face to hers. I pulled her tight to me and returned the kiss, feeling her tongue slip between my lips as I resisted the urge to slide my hand down and squeeze her ass. The kiss continued until a long curtain of brown hair fell over us and a soft voice spoke, "You wanted me to join you? Because it looks like you have things well under control."

I broke the kiss and looked over my shoulder to see Kimberly standing there with an amused smile on her face. "Of course. Please, have a seat." Marie sat up and I rose to pull out a chair for Kimberly. She took it and smiled at us. "Would you like a drink, Kimberly?" I gestured for the waitress and she came over, bringing Kimberly a Crown Royal and Coke, her usual I guessed. I paid the waitress with the usual tip and looked over at Kimberly. "That was some interesting music you danced to in your first dance. I'm not familiar with it. Who composed it?"

Kimberly smiled shyly and sipped from her drink. "I composed it. I studied ancient music in college and some friends who are into a master and slave lifestyle, I can't remember the name of it, asked me to study the information given on the musical instruments described in the books they had and see if I could recreate them digitally using synthesizers." She drank from her drink again, shrugging. "I could and I did synthesize them. Since then, I have been writing tunes for them using the music program on my computer. I burn them all to disk and some I bring here to dance to."




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 05



"It was a beautiful dance and the music was wonderful. It was a surprise to hear that kind of music in a gentlemen's club though." Marie said with a smile.

"I know. That's why I dance to it. It adds a bit of spice to what can become a routine job." 

Kimberly looked from me to Marie and we began to exchange small talk, the usual pleasantries. After a bit, I brought up getting Marie a dance and Marie protested that it was me that was supposed to get the dance. After a bit of good natured arguing, with Kimberly piping in here and there, it was agreed that we would both take a dance, but that Marie would go first. 

With all of that settled, Kimberly rose and took Marie's hand, leading her towards the private rooms. I grabbed the money off of the table and Marie's and my drinks and followed them a few steps behind. They both looked back to make sure I was following and I didn't bother to hide the fact that I was admiring the view of the two beautiful women walking in front of me.

We went into the private room and Kimberly seated us opposite each other. At my insistence she gave Marie her dance first. When the music started up, she began to languidly move in Marie's lap, rubbing her body tight against Marie's own soft firm curves as her hands slid freely over Marie. Slowly Marie got the idea and began to run her hands in return over Kimberly, giving me quite a show as the dancer slowly, in time to the music, began to peel away what few articles of clothing she wore.

It was obvious from watching that both of them were highly enjoying themselves, and when the third song ended, Kimberly looked around and held one hand up to me, mouthing "One more song", soundlessly to me. I laughed and nodded, drinking as I went back to enjoying the show, knowing that my own enjoyment of the show being performed before me was obvious from the bulge in my pants. I continued to watch the two beautiful women across from me enjoying the feel of each others bodies, their hands, lips and breasts sliding wantonly against the other. 

The music went down in the club and Kimberly turned to Marie, whispering something in her ear. Marie smiled and nodded, replying with a whisper in the dancer's ear. Kimberly glanced around quickly and slid her hands into Marie's hair at her neck and kissed her. Even from where I was sitting I could see that it was no peck on the lips and I chuckled wondering if I would get the same treatment after my dances. 

Breaking the kiss, Kimberly lightly wiped Marie's lips and turned, straightening up as slow and graceful as ever, to face me. She let her eyes slide down to the bulge in my pants and smiled. "Ready for your dance I see, Handsome." As she started to walk over to me, Marie reached up and rubbed her soft ass lightly. Kimberly looked over her shoulder and laughed saying, "soon" before turning back and walking over to me. I drank in the sight of her full breasts swaying with each step of her long lean legs.

The music started up before she reached me and she smiled wide, dropping to her hands and knees and crawling towards me with a slow, stalking pace. Her full breasts swung slightly with each movement of her body as she drew closer and closer to me. I complied as she nudged my thighs apart with her shoulders, her head sliding up the inside of one leg. Her even white teeth nipped at my thigh through my pants as she made her way upwards at a teasingly slow pace. Her hands slid over my hard shaft barely restrained by my pants and I thought she smiled a bit, rising up to nip at my earlobe. "Nice equipment there, Handsome. I hope you know how to use it. Marie is very ready for it now." She laughed quietly in my ear and began to move in my lap to the music.

I let my hands slide over her as willingly as Marie had as the beautiful brunette held her upper body still, allowing her hips and thighs to move against the cloth covered bulge of my cock, moving in circles, then sliding along it at a slow pace, drawing a soft moan from me. I slid my hands up to cup her breasts, the touch confirming what I had suspected, that these were one hundred percent natural. My fingers fluttered feather light over the full mounds, teasing her hard nipples. 

All too soon in my unbiased opinion as I had lost all track of time with the luscious Kimberly in my lap, the songs for my dance were over and she slid slowly from her seat on my now painfully throbbing cock and stood up, flipping her hair over her back and walked over to where Marie was sitting. She gathered up her clothes and dressed quickly. She walked back over to me and leaned down, giving me a warm, lingering kiss on my lips, but nothing near what Marie had gotten and again I was curious what had been whispered between the two of them.

She stood back up and smiled. "Thank y'all for a fun time. The dances are supposed to be fifty for each of you, but tonight it's just a flat fifty."

Marie reached for her jacket and I waved her off. "I've got it." I turned to Kimberly. "Fifty each it is." I pulled out my wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. She protested that she was only going to charge fifty and I laughed. "Ok, fifty it is, and a fifty dollar tip and no argument."

She laughed and took the bill with a shake of her head and, as Marie and I stood up, she snagged one of each of our arms in hers and we walked out towards the main floor. I drew a laugh out of them as I commented on how much I enjoyed being able to follow them into the room. 

Kimberly pulled up on my arm and looked at my watch and groaned. "My shift was over twenty minutes ago. I'm going to be drag-assin tomorrow morning at my 7:30 class."

Marie nodded. "I understand that, Kim. Go on and go home if your shift is over." She grinned at me; a bit hungrily it seemed to me. "Tre and I are about to leave ourselves aren't we Tre?" I didn't get a chance to answer as she tilted my head down to kiss her, our lips moving tightly together. Kimberly laughed and headed on towards the back of the club as Marie looped an arm in mine and mumbled "come on, it is time to go back to my place," against my lips with a smile that I quickly returned.

I finished my drink and walked with Marie out of the club and over to where I had parked my car. I glanced around for the motorcycle rider from earlier but didn't see him. As I went to open the door for Marie to get into the car, she leaned back against the car and pulled me down against her, kissing me again with a deep hunger. I pressed her tight against the car and my hands slid up to cup her breasts, my tongue spearing between her lips. She reached down and unzipped my pants, sliding her hand inside and stroking my hard cock, mumbling, "get me back home before I fuck you right here Tre," against my lips. I stepped back and started to zip up my pants and Marie just shook her head. "That is mine when you get in the car. You might as well leave it." With a chuckle I left it and opened the door and closed it behind her, walking calmly around the back of the car and got in.

The Viper cranked up with a throaty rumble and, before I had even turned the car around to head back to Marie's house, she had leaned over and pulled my cock out of my pants. As I slid the car into traffic and pointed it towards her place, she slid my throbbing member between her lips and began to give it an energetic sucking. I moaned and tried desperately not to speed as I felt her lips tighten around my thick shaft and slide up and down it slowly, her hand wrapping around its hardness and begin to stroke it as well. Her tongue swirled around the swollen head with a teasing hot flutter. 

As fast as I could I got the car headed up the entrance ramp onto the interstate and sped up, trying to hurry and get back to Marie's so I could enjoy myself properly without worrying about having a crash. Marie, for her part, seemed unconcerned about crashing as her mouth moved up and down on my hard shaft, sucking and moaning on the throbbing member caught tight between her lips as her hand began to move faster up and down as it worked back and forth on my hardness. Her head moved faster up and down, her lips wrapped tight around my hard cock, occasionally pausing for a moment to swirl her tongue around the sensitive head, drawing a low moan of pleasure from me before she plunged my cock back deep into her mouth.

For the entire trip from Memphis to Horn Lake, she teased me, drawing me close to cumming and stopping, looking up at me with a devilish grin. As we neared the Horn Lake exit, she gave a low, lingering moan and sucked hard on my cock, her cheeks hollowing as her lips wrapped tight around my throbbing, pulsing shaft. With a low moan, my whole body jerked, a hot jet of cum spraying from my jerking cock into her eager mouth. She moaned again as it hit her tongue, her lips clamping down just behind the head of my cock, swallowing furiously as spurt after spurt of my cum shot into her mouth. The vibrations of her moan on my cock nearly caused me to lose control of the car as they seemed to shoot right to the super-sensitive head of my captured shaft. Looking down at her at the stop sign at the end of the ramp all I could do was moan again and shake my head. "Damn, Marie, I almost drove off the road back there. Couldn't the grand finale have waited for your place?"

Marie smiled around my cock and slowly slipped it from her mouth, having not spilled a drop of my cum from between her lips. "It probably could have, but I couldn't." Her stress on 'I' was obvious. She sat up and smiled at me. "I wanted to get that out of the way before we got to my apartment because as soon as we get there, I am going to fuck your brains out, Tre." I laughed and she punched me in the arm. "You think I'm kidding? As soon as we get in the apartment I am going to fuck you. With the lights on and the blinds open and whoever wants to watch can watch, I don't care. I might even break out the video camera" She winked at me. "I am horny, hear me roar"

I pulled the car out into traffic and accelerated as I laughed at that. I looked at her sidelong in the lights of the main strip of Horn Lake. "So is this going to end up on your Quantum site?" At her look of surprise I smiled and continued, "A friend saw it and sent it to me saying you said you were a girl from Horn Lake and wondering if you needed 'guest photographers'. I recognized you and your apartment and have been enjoying the updates every month." I laughed at the almost blush on her face. "Who ever thought I would be going out with a porn star? Even an amateur one."

She laughed at that, the blush fading and hit me in the arm again, quite a bit harder this time. "Hey now! My videos are VERY well done and not all that amateur looking. I figured out how to do them so they look very good." I had to agree with her there. Her videos were very well done for some done by herself. "If you don't want to be in a video, Tre, I don't have to set it up. What made you think I might put you on the site anyway?"

I maneuvered around a turning car and shrugged. "I hadn't seen an update yet this month. So I just thought that I might get to be lucky enough to be your video subject." I concentrated for a moment, casting a slight illusion spell and nudged her with my chin, grinning as she looked up and started to pull away in surprise. "Besides, you can choose from any number of faces to be with and they will all be me. I can even arrange the spell so you can see past it, but the camera and outside world can't." I altered the spell so she could see the real me and she leaned back against my arm as we pulled into her apartment complex.

I swung the viper into a parking spot and she leaned up and kissed me again as I turned off the motor. As I tried to deepen the kiss right there in the car she murmured against my lips, "Put yourself away and let's hurry up and get inside. We are about to disturb the neighbors tonight." I put my rapidly swelling cock away and we got out of the car. She got her keys back from me and unlocked the door and we went inside, closing and locking it behind us. 

"Grab yourself a beer, Tre. I have to get everything set up." Marie kissed me soundly before turning and, hanging up her coat and heading into another room. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer, tossing the top in the trash and walking around the living room of the apartment slowly as I drank. I walked around and looked into the room she had walked into, leaning against the doorframe.

Looking around at the array of cameras she was checking I was surprised. "Wow, Marie, I have seen documentaries made with fewer cameras than this." I counted again and came up with fourteen small digital cameras mounted in various positions in the room. Some were mounted low, some high. I looked closer at the one nearest me and saw a small transmitter attached to it.

Marie smiled at me and walked over to a small desk and opened a laptop computer surrounded by receiver boxes and an external hard drive. "All of the cameras and the microphone transmit here. The video and audio is saved on external hard drive through the laptop from all of the camera angles at once. Then when I am ready to edit, I just take the hard drive out to my main computer and use an editing program that lets Me watch all of the streams at once and piece them together into one smooth video with just a couple of keystrokes." She looked at me with an impish grin. "I can make a complete video in a day or two, from the action," she winked at me, "to the editing to saving and uploading to the site." 

She punched a couple of keys on the laptop's keyboard and then laid the cover down, walking over to me. I reached around the corner and put my beer down on a stand out of the way and stepped to meet her. She smiled and reached up to undo the hook behind her neck, letting the top fall free and to the floor. She put one hand out to stop me as she dropped to her knees.

Looking up at me as she reached out to rub my cock through my pants she grinned. "See, I told you this was going to be open for anybody to watch." I looked over and sure enough, the blinds were wide open and with the lights on in the room, that gave anyone who happened to be walking by a perfect chance to watch the show. She unzipped my pants and pulled my cock free, leaning forward to run her tongue along it before sliding it fully into her hot mouth. I moaned as I felt the heat surround my thickening shaft. Marie tugged at my belt, getting it loose and then at my pants, letting them drop to my feet. I stepped out of my boots and pants as she began to guide me towards the bed. She pulled my socks off one at a time while I pulled my shirt off over my head quickly.

She turned me around and got me to sit down on the bed, her mouth sliding from my stiff cock with a slow flick of her tongue around the purple head. Once I had sat down again, she quickly moved between my thighs and wrapped her lips back around my cock with a hungry moan. I arched my hips up to meet her mouth as I slid one hand into her hair, gripping it gently as her head bobbed up and down on my hardness. I leaned around her head to slip one hand between my thighs and tease her nipples with light caresses and firm pinches. She pulled her lips from my cock and looked up at me as she spoke, her lips barely moving, "The close-up camera is under the bed. It's wrapped in the same fabric as the sheets and cover to hide it from the other cameras. I use it for the oral situations." her lips curving into a grin as she slipped them back around my throbbing shaft, one hand sliding up and down it slowly.

She set a small bundle wrapped in cloth on the bed beside me and went back to sucking my cock vigorously, her head bobbing up and down faster than before. I grabbed the camera and slowly raised it to set it on my leg, turning it so it would catch all the action as her wonderful lips sucked in all of my stiff thickness. I moaned and almost didn't realize as my hips began to move upward to meet her mouth as she sucked down on me. After too short of a time, I set the camera down and, with the hand holding her hair, pulled her lips from my cock. "Now it's my turn to taste you. I've been teased all night. Get up and let me get that skirt off." 

Marie laughed that laugh of hers and leaned over to place a last lingering kiss on the tip of my cock before standing up ever so slowly. I leaned forward as her breasts began to pass my face and nipped at one hard nipple, allowing my teeth to graze it lightly as she stood. When she was standing before me, I leaned forward and kissed and licked my way slowly across her belly. My lips traveled slowly along the smooth flat plane as my hands slid around behind her to cup and squeeze her firm ass through the skirt. In no time I had hooked my fingertips in the top of the spandex skirt and pulled it down off of her ass, past her thighs to pool around her ankles in one smooth motion.

She stepped out of her shoes and the dress as she did so, and I grinned and gripped her ass, pulling her tight to me as I spun her around to land on her back on the bed. I smiled down at her sprawled out on the bed and leaned down, nibbling around her navel slowly before working downward. I felt her tense as my lips and tongue traveled her smooth soft skin and smiled to myself. My lips moved down in a steady progression, one hand sliding over to the camera and moving it between her thighs to catch all of the action as my head reached the joining of her thighs and nibbled slowly across one hip and down her silken inner thigh, drawing a moan as I bypassed her obviously wet pussy. 

I nibbled along her thigh slowly, moving downward until I reached her knee, stopping to flick my tongue against the warm sensitive skin there before moving to the other leg and beginning to caress and lick my way back downward ever so slowly. I glanced up and saw her head back on the bed, her hands up cupping her breasts and teasing her nipples, pinching and pulling them as I took my time sampling the taste of her soft skin. I paused as my lips reached the very top of her thigh, looking up at her with a grin, watching her reaction as, unseen to her; I set the camera up out of my way but in good position to catch every moment. I leaned my head down and flicked my tongue around the outer entrance to her obviously drenched tunnel, watching her hips buck as my tongue slipped into her but fleetingly. I began to nibble up and down her swollen lips, tongue snaking out to tease her and myself with slight tastes of her wetness. 

Slowly I started to drag my tongue up and down her wet slit, the tip of my tongue flitting up and down between the glistening petals of her sex as I moved from the back of her wet pussy up to the front. Her moans became deeper and her breathing faster paced as I teased her with my tongue. I slowly dragged my tongue around her clit, stroking along the hooded nub before flicking the tip of my tongue around the pink tip peeking from its fleshy hood. I flicked my tongue around her clit as I brought up my other hand, keeping it out of the way of the camera and traced up and down her wet pussy with first one fingertip, then two.

I closed my lips around her clit, sucking softly as my fingers slipped into her wet pussy, wiggling back and forth as they delved deeper into her wetness, the tips caressing her inner walls with each inch they moved into her. I lashed her clit with my tongue as my fingers began to move slowly in and out of her tightness, wiggling back and forth with each motion, stroking the walls of her pussy as she moaned and writhed on the bed to my attentions. Within minutes she was moaning and cumming loudly, her pussy tightening around my wiggling fingers as my tongue continued to lash her hooded nub lightly.

Under my tongue and fingers continued ministrations, she quickly rose over the top again and once more. My fingers slowed within her clenching tunnel as my lips relaxed their tight grip on her hooded nub. I gave one final lick to her clit, drawing a soft whimper from her as she just seemed to collapse on the bed. Slowly I pulled my fingers from her slick tunnel and licked them clean, looking down at her as I raised up to half kneel, half prop against the foot of the bed. 




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 05



As I moved forward between her thighs, she slowly slid backwards on the bed a little bit. As I moved up between her thighs she reached down and gripped my cock, stroking it softly as she guided it towards the wet opening of her pussy. I leaned forward, letting her guide my hard cock to her tight entrance, letting a low moan slip as the engorged head pushed into her wetness. She answered my moan with one of her own as I slowly rocked back and forth, pulling fully from her tight pussy before pushing a little deeper into her, giving both of us a most delightful teasing.

She moaned right along with my teasing as my cock slid slowly in and out of her slick pussy, giving a low moan of pleasure that matched my own as my hard shaft pushed fully into her, my hips resting against hers for a moment. Marie leaned up and pulled my lips down to hers, bringing me into a hot wet kiss as I began to rock back and forth on my hands and knees. My thick shaft slid easily into her wetly gripping pussy again and again, our moans muffled against each others lips. 

I leaned my weight onto one hand and slid one hand over to cup one smooth breast, thumb and forefinger flicking the hard bud tipping it before rolling the stiff peak gently back and forth. Marie moaned loudly as I thrust faster into her, raising her hips to meet my thrusts into her wet pussy.

As I dropped both hands back to the bed, I felt her inner walls begin to undulate against my thick cock, drawing an even louder moan from me as I thrust into her tightness. My hips drove forward towards hers with each arching of my back, my pistoning shaft sliding fully into her again and again as our passion took us higher and higher. With an almost growl I leaned down and pressed my lips tightly to hers, my tongue spearing between her lips as my penetrating cock was shafting into her tightness.

With a slight shift in position I slipped an arm around behind her and pulled her up to me as I leaned back, sitting on my heels with her still impaled on my cock. She wrapped her arms around my neck and put her feet on the bed beside mine as I slid my hands around to grip her firm ass, squeezing tightly. With my help she began to ride my throbbing cock as my hips again began to thrust it towards her hips, up instead of forward this time, looking up into her eyes as my hardness drove forward again and again in time to the bouncing moves of her tight hot tunnel, my hands gripping her ass tightly.

Marie leaned back as I thrust up into her again and again. I took advantage of the offer and leaned forward, nibbling around her hard nipples as my cock powered into her tight pussy, moaning in pleasure as I felt her inner walls gripping me tightly with each driving thrust. I lashed at her nipples with my tongue, trying to catch them as she bounced on my throbbing cock in an almost uncontrollable frenzy of lustful abandon, moaning and crying out in pleasure.

The feeling of my thick length pistoning into her tight wet tunnel drove me to thrust faster into her, our hips meeting again and again as I leaned down, nipping at her hard nipples, finally catching one and sucking as I thrust hard into her. My teeth pulled the stiff bud with the force of my thrusts, my head moving to keep the sensitive flesh between my teeth as my hands gripped her ass, lifting and dropping her onto my hips as I drove upward to fill her wet sheath with my powering shaft. My moans vibrated the trapped bud as the pleasure coursed through me with my relentless thrusts bringing a moan to her lips as well.

Marie moaned louder, one hand moving to grip my hair tightly as I pounded into her small frame, my own sounds of pleasure muffled by her hard nipple. I heard her gasp out, "I'm cumming" just before her deliciously tight pussy clamped down on my throbbing member. I continued to power up into her wetly clenching pussy as her body thrashed and jerked on the hard cock impaling her in the throes of her ecstasy. 

With each thrust into her milking pussy I felt my own orgasm being brought closer and closer. Almost unconsciously my thrusts began to speed up as my pleasure mounted ever higher. I moaned a warning to her of my impending release and she growled a low "cum in my mouth, Tre." adding almost unheard, "porn style" as she grabbed my hair tighter and pulled my lips to hers.

Releasing my hair she slid off of my cock with a moan and I stepped back off of the bed, stroking my throbbing shaft as she leaned forward, crawling towards me with a hungry feline grace. She sat down on the edge of the bed and I reached out with one hand to grip her hair tight, my other hand stroking my cock at a blurring pace. Marie reached out with her tongue to flick the tip of my cock and I noticed her picking up the camera and getting it ready.

I groaned deeply as I came, my hand gripping Marie's hair tight as the first jet of my hot seed splashed across her lips and tongue. I tightened my hand around my cock with a moan and continued to stroke it as I pulled her mouth closer until her lips wrapped around my cock. Her licking and sucking drew panting moans from me as she swallowed my cum, only a little running down the side of her mouth from the first hot spray.

I released her hair as she sucked the last of my hot cum from my spent cock. She lay back on the bed and surreptitiously wiped the cum from her mouth with a nearby rag. She reached down to grab a cup and drank from it. From the smell I could tell it was whiskey, and it looked to be straight. She took a deep drink and swished it around in her mouth like mouthwash before laying the cup back on the bedside table as she swallowed the drink.

I just moaned and fell forward, hugging Marie tightly against me. She curled up under my arm and got comfortable. We had been lying like that for a few moments when I heard a laugh and a husky, hissing voice from behind me. "It seems that it will be even easier than I thought to get to the Great Tre Lloyd than I originally anticipated."

I turned and looked and there was a person perched on the railing of Marie's floor level balcony. At a glance it was easy to see that it was the motorcycle rider from earlier at the club. I still couldn't see his face because of the helmet he was wearing, and the looseness of the riding suit made it impossible to make out anymore details. "So you are the Blue Dragon eh? Then what are you waiting for? I am right here. I'm naked and wide open for it. Come on and claim your mark if you can!" I called to mind a couple of defensive spells to try and protect myself and Marie as I prepared my sword-spell.

"Our time will come soon enough, Mage. Don't you worry about that." With that the Blue Dragon leaped from his crouch on the railing and seemingly disappeared. I rushed over to the doors and stepped through, wrapping a shirt around myself as I looked around the parking lot. I spotted the assassin land a long ways off in the lot and then leap again; taking hundreds of feet per leap with seemingly no spell support.

I turned around and saw Marie looking at me curiously. "Who is the Blue Dragon?" She had pulled the blanket up to cover her. 

I just shook my head and looked from the camera across from the window to the window. "Marie, I need the feed from this camera from the time he got there until he disappeared. Can you get it to me tomorrow?" She nodded and I started grabbing my clothes and getting dressed.

"Hey, you're just going to leave?" She protested. 

"Of course I'm not sweets." I grinned and walked over and kissed her hungrily, mouthing the words "soon. I can't wait", against her lips. She smiled and I pulled on my boots and went out the door, making sure it locked behind me. 

With my mind whirling, I set the viper headed towards home, thinking now I could finally start piecing together the puzzle of the Blue Dragon.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 06



I leaned back on the chair I had carried into the bathroom and cussed loudly seeing the holes torn in my shirt and the scratches to the skin underneath. I pulled the shirt off and threw it in the trash, adding it to the growing list of clothes destroyed in the past few days. I shook my head at the boldness of the trio of vampires who attacked me around the conveniently dark side of a gas station on Nail Road. In retrospect, I guess it was too convenient and I should have remembered Freyja's threat about the all out attacks. As it was I got careless walking out of the convenience store and got jumped.

The first one I saw was leaning against the viper when I came around the corner. He smiled a fangy smile and I deduced that he was a relatively new turn. "Hello Mage. What a surprise this is. The Duchess removes the restriction against attacking you and here you are. I guess I get to be the one to bring you to her."

"You're welcome to try, fanger." I said, answering his smile with a confident one of my own. "Better than you have tried, and I'm still here." I went through the spells I had in mind to find some that I could use without drawing undue attention to what was about to happen. The spell I had used on Nadia was out of the question. The brightness would attract attention that I didn't want. The same was true for the spells that Arianna and I had come up with before my meeting with Freyja. I quickly sent out a bubble of silence that would keep anybody nearby from getting curious.

As he pushed off of my car, I began to move to circle around him, adjusting my hold on the Mountain Dew bottles in my hand. I had a weapon I could use, one of the surprises I kept in my duster, a wakizashi short sword held in an extra-dimensional pocket of my duster, but I wanted to see what the fanger had in store for me. I kept circling to my left, the vampire turning to watch me with a smile on his face. I thought of a few spells I could use but was very reluctant to use them because of the effects they had on my body.

My back was facing the wall when I caught a slight jerk of his eyes upwards. Without hesitation I threw the two 1-liter bottles of Mountain Dew at the vampire's face and lunged at him. He was able to deflect them with no problem as I knew he would be, but it gave me time to mouth the trigger word to open the extra-dimensional pocket in my duster and draw my wakizashi in my right hand. I cast my spell reluctantly and saw my hand wreathed in a shimmering black aura. The vampire swung his claws at my face and I raised the sword to parry the attack away as I heard two whispers of sound behind me. I felt the sword bite and saw two fingers fall to the ground as I risked a glance over my shoulder, seeing two more vampires walking towards me with evil intentioned smiles on their faces.

I cussed to myself and stepped forward, slapping a claw-like maneuver on the face of the vampire in front of me with my left hand. The last part of the spell finished, it unleashed its power on the vampire, who screamed in pain and tried in vain to pull my hand from his face as my spell, designed just for close in fighting with vampires, began to drain the very essence of his un-life from him. He clawed futilely at my arm but it was protected by the magically reinforced duster. I half spun, dragging the vampire with me as I slashed the sword in an arc out to my right trying to gauge where the vampires behind me were. Only one was in range and he leaped back away from the razors edge of the blade. 

Finally the spell released the vampire held by my left hand, having finished draining the vampire of its essence. I fought the surge of nausea as the undead life-force joined with my magic and stepped back away from the two vampires in front of me. As I stepped over the one I had just drained I flipped the wakizashi and stabbed through his ribs into his heart. I leapt back as he exploded into a cloud of dust and drew on the undead essence sending a series of dark darts and dark bolts at the remaining two vampires through the cloud of ash. As they appeared through the cloud, leaping at me as soon as they could see me, I launched straight at one, while he was in midair, aiming the sword for where I assumed his heart would be when I got there. Unfortunately I missed when he landed before I did and immediately leapt to my right. I managed to stab through his right side, leaving a huge gash along his ribs, but I missed the heart and didn't stop him.

"Why don't you two just give up now and save yourselves more pain." I said, gathering up the last of the dark essence into one more spell. As the fanger to my left charged, I used my power, mingled with the dark essence to cast, what I hoped, was a dark fireball. The flickering black ball flew at the vampires head and impacted, exploding with a rush of cold instead of the heat of a fireball. I tried to cover my surprise because I had never tried that before and was almost taken by the last fanger, who leapt in and slashed his claws across my gut. I leapt back in time to avoid being gutted, but I still hissed in pain as the vampires claws raked across my skin. I brought the wakizashi down in a sharp quick block, the razor sharp blade slicing easily through the vampire's wrist and, with a snapping turn I reversed it into his undead heart.

I walked away as he just collapsed in a cloud of ash and rapidly disintegrating bones. I returned the wakizashi to its scabbard in the extra-dimensional pocket and dispelled the bubble of silence. I looked down at the shredded Mountain Dew bottles and shook my head with a sigh. "Oh well. I still have some at the house. That will last me until I can get to the store." I shook the ash from the duster as best I could and climbed into the viper and headed home.

I got out the gauze and the peroxide from the medicine cabinet and started cleaning the scrapes, still shaking my head at being caught like that. I kept soaking gauze and wiping the cuts for a while, giving up on it and grabbing the jar of cotton balls, soaking them and using them to clean the cuts, watching the scrapes foam badly as soon as the peroxide touched them. After nearly 30 minutes of pouring peroxide onto the cuts, wiping it off and pouring more on, I gave up in frustration and just decided to put away the salve and bandages and just use a spell to heal the damn things. 

Putting my hands above the scratches, I relaxed and let the Power flow through my hands. It was hard to fight the urge to scratch as I felt the tissues knitting back together and obviously heating up to fight the infection already spreading. I moved my hands and looked at the miniscule scars, muttering to myself "I really wish fuckin vampires would clean under their nails," with a grin. I stood up and carried the stool back into the kitchen and set it down, walking over and flopping down on the couch to see what was on the TiVo tonight. I didn't see anything I was in the mood to watch so I walked back down the hall and unlocked my office and going inside.

I was just getting started on my research into why the fireball I threw at that vamp tonight was cold instead of hot when I mixed the dark essence with a bit of the regular Power when the phone rang. "This is me." I said. 

"Mr. Lloyd. This is Chilo at the Villa. You asked us to call when your guests had arrived. They started arriving this morning around 2 and the last, the gentleman from England, just arrived." The voice on the phone paused for a moment, and then continued. "You told us to be ready for six guests for an extended stay, sir. There are eight people here now."

"Eight? That isn't right." I said, thinking.

"Yes sir," the spirit butler said. "There are eight. Mister Akiro, Mister Keio, Mister Jonathon, Mister Tomas, Mister Dave, Mister Dreux, Mister Bobby, and Mister Tomas's friend Lady Heidi."

I thought to myself and mentally slapped my forehead at forgetting about Bobby, the relative newcomer to the team. I had no idea who Heidi was, but I would find out tomorrow. "Ok, Chilo, put them all up and I will come by tomorrow and see what is going on with Tomas bringing an outsider to the Villa. Without waiting on the spirit's reply I hung up the phone and went back to my research. I skimmed through my books on the essence of what made a vampire a vampire. When I took a break from the researching, I sent a couple of search bots into the Order's databases to see if there was anything there to be found.

After a few hours of tedious research, I put all of my books away and checked the search bots roaming the Order's databases. I found many references to "Dark Essence" and to "Fireballs" but none in the same file. I left the bots searching and decided to go to bed. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the last of my Mountain Dews and walked tiredly to my bedroom not having realized how tired I was until I quit searching.

Just for the fun of it, I put the DVD that Marie had given me along with the video disk of the vampire at her apartment when she had called me to come by earlier in the day, and the reason I was on Nail Road to be jumped by vampires in the first place, into the player and turned it on as I was getting dressed for bed. When I turned back, there was a delightful montage on my TV screen. Marie's smiling face was the focal point and her long blonde hair was blended with various images from her 'videos' and the words "Marie's Sexcapades Greatest Hits" in muted lettering. I chuckled as I climbed into bed.

As I leaned back on a couple of pillows, Marie's face came across the screen again, this time moving. "Hey Tre!" She sounded like she always did, too happy. "As you know I've never done an actual DVD except for special requests. I know you didn't request it, but I wanted to make it for you anyway. These are some of the ones that I recorded, but didn't put up on the site. You're the first besides me to see this and I hope you enjoy it and I REALLY hope it makes you want to come back and help out with another video soon. It is broken up into chapters and everything, just like a professional DVD would be so I hope it's easy to follow. Have fun Tre, but not too much fun unless I'm there" She winked into the camera and stood up slowly. She was wearing a towel at first but quickly dropped it as her breasts came into view of the camera, then stood up fully and walked around her chair and away from the camera, her ass wiggling temptingly. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the camera. "Quit watching Me, Tre, and watch the DVD, it's what I made it for you for." She reached over her shoulder and pushed a button on a small remote and the camera winked off, the feed replaced with the menu screen of the DVD. I smiled at her ingenuity in that and looked through the varying selections on the disk. Seeing that the first one looked interesting, I just hit the button to play the DVD.

The screen faded in to a still of Marie and a thin blonde laughing together with the words "Marie & Renee" across it. I got comfortable and the video came up with Marie laying Renee back on the bed. She knelt at the foot of the bed and began sliding up Renee's legs, her hands moving up a bit at a time as her lips and teeth followed. She caressed her way lightly up Renee's leg, fingertips brushing slowly along, blazing the trail for her lips and tongue. Renee moaned softly as she leaned up on her elbows to watch Marie's progress. Marie brought one hand down and lifted Renee's leg, licking her way up her calf, soft lips brushing against Renee's skin without seeming to pause but for a second. As she began to nibble around the back of Renee's leg, Marie let her other hand drift down, fingertips slipping along the silken skin of Renee's inner thigh.

Renee's growing excitement was obvious in her quickening breathing as well as in the soft moans and sounds of encouragement she was making. Marie took the cues from Renee and began working her way down the back of her upraised thigh, white teeth shining as she grazed the pale smoothness of Renee's flesh. Renee's moans became louder as Marie's teeth moved at a leisurely pace down the back of her thigh, her free hand sliding down to caress the already moist petals of her sex. Her fingers barely parted the wet lips as they fluttered up and down the hot slit.

Marie paused in her nibbling, licking and kissing and looked up at Renee, a mischievous grin on her face as Renee moaned. Her fingers never stopped in their slow, fleeting caresses of her wet pussy as she smiled at her, leaning down to lightly lick and nibble at her inner thigh, moving down the thigh slowly. Her fingers caressed the smooth flesh lightly, dragging up and down before pushing between the wet folds to stroke Renee's clit, fingertips brushing it, rubbing gently.

Renee reached up to cup her breasts, her thumbs and forefingers tweaking and pulling her hard nipples. She moaned softly as Marie's lips finally reached her drenched sex, the tip of her tongue snaking out between the wet lips of her pussy. She looked down as Marie gave her head a bit of a side to side twist as if she was saying 'no' emphatically, her tongue rubbing steadily against Renee's clit. Renee moaned, "Oh God Marie, yes!" as her fingers plucked at her stiff nipples, rolling them teasingly.

With the hand that had been stroking Renee's clit before, Marie began to slide two fingers in and out of Renee at a slow easy pace as her tongue worked against her clit. The shot went to a split screen of Marie lapping at Renee's pussy around her fingers, the edge brushing her clit, and of Renee's head falling back on the bed as Marie's tongue and fingers brought her ever closer to an orgasm.

I watched as the camera followed Marie's free hand as it slid between her thighs, one fingertip caressing her clit.Marie's fingertip fluttered around her clit as her tongue danced with Renee's, her lips finally catching it as her tongue licked up and down the sensitive flesh. I smiled watching the show, enjoying Marie's pick to start the DVD off with immensely.

The scene on the video suddenly switched to Marie laying prone on the bed and Renee moving to straddle her face. Renee dipped her face between Marie's thighs and began to lick slowly up and down her glistening pussy, moaning softly. The camera feed switched and showed the tip of Marie's tongue dragging firmly up and down. A jaw-popping yawn interrupted the show, the first sign that I had that I was sleepy.

I fell asleep to the sound of the two beauties on the DVD moaning and gasping in pleasure. The dreams brought about by the show I had just watched were very vivid. I woke up early, as always, and sat up; noticing Marie's DVD was back at the title screen. I chuckled and turned it off and ejected the disk. I grabbed the disk and put it back in its case and turned the TV on the 24-hour news channel while I went to take a shower. I walked through the house with my robe on and poured a cup of coffee, heavily laced with vanilla creamer and a bit of sugar. I walked back down the hall sipping the hot strong brew.

I stopped in the library and checked up on my search bots. Once again they had found absolutely nothing that would help me in answering the questions about last night's encounter. I uncovered the small 2 feet diameter circle carved into the wood of my desk and summoned a watcher spirit, a simple spirit that is just intelligent enough to perform simple tasks such as, you guessed it, watching someone or delivering messages between people. "Go to Arianna of New Orleans. Tell her to contact Tre by phone immediately." The spirit bobbed its acknowledgement and I opened the circle. The watcher disappeared immediately. I didn't worry about it taking the message to the wrong Arianna. To most spirits, there was only one Arianna of New Orleans.

I went back out into the living room and watched television while drinking my coffee. I turned on the History Channel again and watched a show talking about the campaigns of Hannibal Barca against the Romans. I watched it and the show after, this one detailing Caesar's rise to glory and I got up and went to get dressed.

While I dressed I listened to the weather, getting the forecast for the next few days. I grabbed my duster and slipped it on, settling it about my shoulders. I checked the wakizashi in its special pocket inside the duster to be close at hand and went to my library. I disarmed the traps and wards around my hidden safe and unlocked it, reaching inside and skimming through the assorted items. I was not expecting trouble but I would be traveling through the Fae Realm and sometimes some of the denizens of that place took it upon themselves to waylay travelers, especially human ones.

I grabbed the ring that Arianna gave me for my trip to see Freyja and slid it on my left middle finger. Looking through the assorted wands and rods I had made, I grabbed a rod of fire darts, a wand of sonic balls, and a wand of lightning darts and slid them into the loops sewn about the inside of the front of the duster. I rounded out the selection with a rod of ice bolts and slid it into a loop as well. After grabbing my Order pendant, a moonstone set at the juncture of a crossroads, Hecate's symbol, I closed the safe and rearmed the wards and traps then turned and grabbed my staff for the trip. Actually it more closely resembles a cane than a staff, but when needed, the magical power within the cane allows it to grow to the size of a staff. It has a number of other powers imbued upon it by the runes and sigils that I carved into it while I was making it, but I won't go into those. A wizard has to keep SOME secrets. I grabbed the disk Marie had made me with the Blue Dragon's first appearance on it and tucked it into a pocket.

I slipped the pendant over my head and turned in the direction of the Villa. I focused my will and raised my staff, moving it in a circle as I slowly released the power to open the portal. Within the circle my staff had defined a shimmering began, and as I watched through the circle, the vision of my library was replaced with a ghostly vision of a forest broken with small clearings. I stepped through the circle and looked around. The perfection of the forest was broken only by the circle of the portal back into my library. I raised my staff again and tapped the portal with the tip of it. The circle slowly began to shrink down until it disappeared, leaving only the unbroken silence of the forest around me.

I felt rather than heard the approach of the Guardian of the Crossroads I had just entered. I turned around and as always I was struck by the size and majesty of the Fae before me. She was easily six and a half feet tall with short brown hair the same color as the twin curling horns sprouting from her forehead making it appear that the horns were merely part of her hair. I bowed out of respect for the Guardian. "Greetings, Guardian of the Crossroads. I am merely traveling from here to the Portal at the Villa."

The Guardian nodded her horned head. "Very well Mage of the Lady, you may travel the road." She moved aside without moving her legs and gestured towards the Villa. I watched as a path appeared out of nowhere. I half bowed in respect to her and began walking down the road. I sent out my senses to keep myself aware of my surroundings but I did not look away from the path. As I walked, I began to feel a powerful presence nearby. I quickly shifted to astral perception to try and see who or what it was, but I couldn't see anything. 

After a little while I walked up to what appeared to be walls, but what actually were the wards around the Villa. I raised my staff and manipulated the wards to allow me through, quickly fixing them after me before turning to head up the trail towards the representation of the portal into the Villa. I tapped the portal and looked through as it cleared to show the large library on the other side. Once I made sure that no one was around, I opened the portal and stepped through, quickly wrapping myself in an invisibility spell as I closed the portal.




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 06



I used a button on the duster as a lock for the spell and walked quietly out of the library. Keeping my steps slow and silent, I made my way through the house looking for everyone, finally making my way to the back door. I looked out the back door to where everyone appeared to be and smiled to myself. My friends were keeping themselves in shape. Akiro was sparring against Jonathon on the workout platform and nearby, his brother Keio was going sword to sword with Dave. 

I saw that all of their attention was on the matches and slipped out the back door, opening it just enough to slip out, then quickly but quietly shutting it. I walked the path quietly, watching the two exhibitions of skill going on. I carefully leaned against an unoccupied bench and watched. Both Jonathon and Dave appeared to be holding their own against the two samurai, but the momentum was slowly turning against Dave who was beginning to have trouble keeping his gladii up with Keio's twin katanas. I smiled to myself remembering the speed with which Kimiko's twin brother used his weapons and gave a nod at Dave's skill, even though no one could see my approval.

I waited for a slight break in the action and released the lock on the invisibility spell as I readied a shield just in case. "Very good. You're all keeping in shape I see." As one eight pairs of eyes turned my way. I felt a slight surge of warmth off to my left and raised my left hand. The ring Arianna gave me surrounded my hand in a slightly glowing aura that simply absorbed the spear of solid fire hurled at me by a small woman with long red hair and dark eyes. The aura around my hand went from slightly glowing to flickering with bright flame as the spear disappeared into it.

I heard Tomas call "Heidi, no!" as I turned to face her. Even before I got turned all of the way towards her, Akiro had his no-dachi at her throat and Keio's twin katanas were crossed just beneath her chin. She smiled at me as I gave her a quick appraising look. Her long red hair was fluttering slightly as if by some heated wind and her eyes glowed with a subtle fire. I closed my hand and the flames dancing around it winked out like a snuffed candle. I nodded slowly to her. "You must be Heidi. I had heard a woman was brought to the Villa, but I did not hear that she was such a beauty. I will have to scold Chilo for leaving that part out." 

Her hair slowly settled back down in a long curtain down her back and the fires in her eyes dimmed, leaving them a dark rich color. She gave me the same appraising look I had just given her and smiled. "And you must be Tre. Besides me there is only one other person here that could have stopped that magic spear." She gestured to Tomas with one hand, while keeping her eyes on me. "But I have heard a lot about Tre Lloyd the Wizard, how he is always full of surprises. Plus this is his Villa and from the wards I saw when we got here, only he could have gotten past them unnoticed. And so, you must be him." Her voice was strong and confident and she kept her eyes on me.

I kept returning her look and suddenly laughed. I could feel the tension melt from the air. I looked at Akiro and Keio and gave a subtle nod. Both of them returned my nod with a quick bow and put their weapons away. Sometimes it's great to have a pair of samurai bodyguards. And sometimes it just plain sucks. I stepped around the bench I had been leaning on and sat down. I looked around and laughed. "How are you all doing? It's been, what, eight or nine months since we all got together in one place?"

Bobby spoke up, "It's only been four or five since that mess at my house, Tre."

I nodded. "Yes, but that was just Akiro, Keio and I there. Before that it was that mess in Corpus Christi when all of us were in one place wasn't it?" Akiro nodded as he and Keio squatted down to my left and right. I felt like a feudal Japanese lord with his guards at his side. I looked around as I sent a mental call to Chilo to have some lunch made and brought to the triclinium, or dining room. As I got his confirmation of the order, I looked around. "Shall we go inside and have lunch? Paetus will bring us some sandwiches and things to tide us over until the dinner he is preparing is done."

Everyone nodded and spoke in agreement and we headed inside. As everyone filed into the dining room I stopped at the small shrine in the atrium. I murmured a quick prayer and lit a candle before going over to my office and grabbing the small player there. I walked on into the triclinium and sat, or rather half sat and half lay down. While waiting on lunch, I put the video disk into the player and looked around.

"Things have picked up, guys. You know I told you about Freyja sending the Blue Dragon after me. Well, I had a run in with him night before last." Almost everyone, especially Akiro and Keio, sat up demanding to know what happened. Heidi just sat there looking around trying to figure out what was going on.

"Who is Freyja? And who is the Blue Dragon?" She asked, sending a glare at Tomas when he tried to shush her.

I looked at her with a smile and began to explain. "Freyja is a vampire. Not only is she a vampire, but she is the designated Vampire Kingdom ruler of Memphis. Her official title is 'Freyja Njordsdottir, Duchess of Memphis'." I chuckled and shrugged. "She is called a Duchess despite the fact that Memphis would hardly rate a Countess, much less a Duchess. But she was a Duchess in the Old World and when she came here, the Vampire King could not simply strip her of her rank and title even if he was giving her a less significant position." I shrugged again. "Thus she is still a Duchess. A Duchess ruling a large Barony or small County."

She looked skeptical as she looked from person to person in the room trying to gauge if I was pulling her leg. "The Vampire Kingdom? What Vampire Kingdom?"

"The Kingdom of North America," I said. "It was formed shortly after the end of the Civil War. Apparently one of the Old Houses in Europe, the Lombard's or something northern Italian like that, decided to rebel against the ruler they were serving. The Prince got word of it and had them all arrested and their lands and properties confiscated. He tried them all for high treason and found them guilty. Since they had supported his family for centuries and his fiancée was herself of that family, he did not want to simply execute them by staking them out in the rising sun, the normal punishment for treason."

I broke off as Chilo entered the room, followed by three more of the spirit servants bearing trays of meat, bread, cheese and other sandwich ingredients. The servants quickly and quietly laid out the trays on the tables and left, being replaced by two more carrying drinks for everyone, sodas, beer and tea. When they left, followed out the door by Chilo, I took a Mountain Dew and continued with my story.

"Because he loved his betrothed, he spared her and her family. They were not killed. Instead he banished them from Europe and into the 'barbaric' New World. They originally landed in New York, but quickly moved to Portland, Maine. That became the capital of the fledgling Vampire Kingdom of America, as it was called at that time, and remains so to this day, even though they now call themselves the Kingdom of North America because all of the major Vampire Courts of North America answer to them. There is still tension between King Niccolo of North America and the Prince who exiled him according to everything I hear."

Heidi nodded and looked back at me. "And who is the Blue Dragon?"

I frowned and busied myself making a sandwich as I replied. "The Blue Dragon is an assassin. One of the best of the vampire assassins according to my sources. He has been hired by Freyja to kill me because I killed her last remaining daughter from the Old World when the bitch tried to bite me. She tried to kill me and got killed. And now I have an assassin after me. An assassin I saw the other night."

Keio leaned forward, looking at me intently. "You SAW him? Did he try to kill you? What happened Tre?"

I pointed to the player. "I was at a friends house helping her to, um, make a video, and all of a sudden there he was on the patio. It is all on that disk." I hit play and sat back out of the way, eating and studiously not looking at anyone as the replay of my moans started. I heard a couple of chuckles and snickers but for the most part everyone watched the video and ate in silence.

Once the video was over, I answered the typical questions about the Blue Dragon. Then Heidi threw out a pair of questions that I was not expecting. "How did all of you meet? And how did you get started hunting vampires?" She took a drink of her Vanilla Pepsi and looked at me expectantly.

I smiled and washed down the last of my second sandwich with a drink of Mountain Dew. "Those are questions with a variety of answers. Where do I begin?" I looked around, seeing the smiles from everyone and knew I was on my own in this. "I guess I will just start at the beginning and work my way forward from there."

I took a deep breath and gestured to Akiro and Keio, still seated next to me. "I met Akiro and Keio when I was sent to Japan by the Order as a teenager to study both their Shinto magic and the Way of the Warrior, Bushido. It was there and then that I also met Kimiko. During the day I studied Bushido with Akiro, Keio and their father, Oda. At night I studied the Shinto art with Kimiko and Master Taira. I studied there for several years and became close to the entire family. It was during a trip into the mountains for meditation that I realized that I was in love with Kimiko.

"I kept the secret to myself, not even telling Kimiko. I kept it like that for a good year before I finally broke down and told her. She returned the feelings and we kissed in the garden of the house. Well, to make a long story short, her twin brother, Keio here, caught us and flew into a rage like I had never seen before and have seen few times since. He attacked me and I defended myself, with Kimiko's help. That brought Akiro and Oda into the garden demanding to know what was going on. Keio told them and the look on Oda's face was enough to rip the heart from my chest in a way that Keio attacking me didn't. It was a look of utter sadness."

I sighed and looked over at Keio before continuing, "Keio demanded satisfaction for me dishonoring his sister. Kimiko tried to object and was told to be quiet. Oda was bound by tradition to allow Keio the challenge. The terms were simple. If I won, I could court Kimiko, properly court her. If I lost, I not only had to stop seeing her, I had to leave my training in their house. The duel was set to take place in three days at sunrise and on the appointed day, I walked out into the cool air armed with the katana that Oda had had made for me when I began my training."

I closed my eyes as the memories flooded back into me. After another deep breath, I continued, "Both of us were given the chance to back out without any dishonor, but Keio was adamant. His sister had been dishonored by a gaijin and he would make me pay. The fight was to three cuts and Oda began it with a short prayer for both of our safety. In the opening flash of steel I got lucky and landed a cut on his arm, but in the minutes that followed I was quickly cut twice, on wrist and thigh. Being that close to defeat made me fight defensively, doing my best to keep Keio from landing the all-important third strike. We fought for what felt like hours, but what I was told later was actually only a quarter of an hour at most. Finally I was able to slash Keio along the ribs on his left side and when he flinched that way, I swapped hands with my katana and, I will admit now, in a fit of pure spite, landed the final cut. I slashed my katana in an upward motion, leaving a quarter inch deep, six inch long gash on his right ass cheek. Just out of spite. Because I was angry at him for making me fight him." Everyone laughed at that one except Keio, who sat muttering beside me.

"That was a lucky shot, Tre. I would like to see you try that now." Then Keio laughed along with the rest of us.

I declined his offer and took a drink of my Mountain Dew after popping an olive in my mouth. "I courted Kimiko properly for years. Then came the order for me to return to the States to continue my training under an Order mentor. She and I kept in close contact via mail and spirits, which was very much against the rules for a student mage." I took another drink and grabbed another bottle. "When I went to take my Trials to become a full wizard of the Order, Kimiko was there and as beautiful as I remembered. She was living in Seattle and modeling there, but came to Athens for my Trials. Once I had passed, our relationship rekindled. It was a long distance one because I didn't want to move to Seattle yet and she didn't want to move to Memphis. We found excuses to go and see each other often though and everything was working out great."

I looked up at the ceiling, then back to Heidi. "Then the fateful day arrived. We both had news for the other and met at a hotel in Memphis near the airport because she was on a layover for a trip to Europe. I asked her to marry me and she said yes. Before she could give me her news, four vampires got in the door under the cover of room service and attacked us. I knocked them backwards but had to dodge a plate before I could try again. I watched Kimiko use a VERY powerful spell to spontaneously combust one of them before I got stunned with a tray to the head. I remember two of them carrying Miko out as a third knocked me out cold." I shrugged. "I haven't seen her since. 

"After a month, Oda came to the States to fill out the paperwork to have her declared dead and it was done." I swallowed past the knot in my throat and blinked the tears from my eyes. "I went to Japan for the funeral and there I had a long talk with Akiro and Keio. I told them and Oda what happened and Oda said one word, 'vengeance'." I looked down at my hands. "So that is how Akiro and Keio and I came to be working together. We seek vengeance on the creatures that took the one we loved. They are my samurai and I am their 'Lord'." I chuckled softly and heard Akiro and Keio laughing too.

I stretched and popped an olive in my mouth, chewing slowly. "The next ones to join the group were Jonathon and Dave." I gestured to the two tall wiry men I was talking about. I was called to Athens to the Motherhouse of the Order to answer charges laid against me by one of the European vampire Princes." I looked at Akiro. "Something to do with the death of his consort wasn't it?" At Akiro's nod, I continued with a chuckle.

"Well, while I was in Athens, I met the Prince's Chamberlain. He was a typically stoic Celtic fellow who had supposedly watched the Romans leave Britain. By some twist of fate he was staying in the same hotel as I was just a few floors up from me. He had a pair of bodyguards with him." I gestured to Dave and Jonathon. "They had been enspelled to obey his orders. And while I could not take any direct action against him, I could fray his spell's hold on the two of them and give them a chance at freedom."

Heidi interrupted with a questioning look on her face as she looked from Dave to Jonathon. "Why didn't you just break the spell? Wouldn't that have freed them immediately?"

I nodded. "Yes it would have. It also would have let the Chamberlain know that I was messing with his spell and given him a chance to reinforce it. Plus it would have stunned both of them when it snapped from my interference. As it was, what I did was just fray it enough to let it unravel on its own. That way it just slid loose of them and they could both act immediately. They must have been struggling against the control he had on them because just a few hours after I frayed the spell, it loosened and they attacked him in the hotel suite. I got a call in my room and I was surprised to hear Jonathon's voice on the other end asking if I could come up to the room.

I declined to do that, seeing as I was on neutral ground and already in trouble." I shrugged and grinned at the memory. "I heard what I later learned was Dave cussing a mile a minute in the background, calling me a 'bloody git' and several other less polite names in his funny sounding accent, because I would not come up there. I invited them both to come down to my suite and they wasted no time in coming."

Dave spoke up, "Yer damned right I called ya a bloody git and other names. Ya should learn to speak English right and ya would know wot I said." Everyone laughed and I looked at him, asking if I could continue. "Yeah go ahead, ya Elvis soundin' git."

"Anyway," I continued, laughing. "I talked to both of them and they wanted to join what Jonathon called my 'Crusade' against the vampires." I scratched my chin and smiled. "With the death of the Chamberlain at the hands of his bodyguards, and their testimony that HE had killed the Prince's consort and pointed the finger at me and that he had wanted them to kill me and that is why the spell released them when it did, the charges against me were dropped and Keio, Akiro and I returned to the States, and Jon and Dave returned to the United Kingdom. Since then, we have worked together often and they are intricate parts of this team."

I turned around and looked at Tomas. "Tomas was a bodyguard for the head of a Tribunal from the Order sent down here to determine my guilt on another set of charges. During the Tribunal, Vampires swarmed the chamber and it led to a huge battle that left over 30 vampires dusted and myself and one of the Tribunal members injured." I smiled innocently. "Needless to say, the charges against me were dropped and I gained a new team member. One that went into a fight with a spell in one hand and a pistol or something like it in the other."

I listened as everyone spoke, asking and answering questions, and then I pointed to Dreux. "This big loud fellow here joined the team while I was on vacation in New Orleans with Arianna. She and I were talking business one day and some vampires who were trying to set up 'The Big Easy' as the newest vampire fief made a broad range of attacks all over the city. They targeted all of the important Houngans and Mambos in town and a group of them also attacked Arianna."

"Why would they do that? Why didn't they just move in and make a truce with the established people there?" Heidi asked.

"Because," I said. "They had already been refused any toehold in New Orleans. And there the Voodoo priests and priestesses are strong enough to drive them out if they come in small groups. So, they came all at once in a hard attack. Arianna was included because she is well known to be what is known as a Free Spirit, and a very powerful one at that. Arianna and I were fending off the attack with Akiro and Keio's help when a huge bear came busting in through the door. I was getting ready to blast it and Arianna yelled at me not to, that it was Dreux, one of her bodyguards. We all got out of the bear's way and watched as it ripped through the few remaining vampires by itself."

"After the fight was over, Arianna ripped down a curtain and threw it at the bear. The bear caught it in one skillet sized hand and rose up on its hind legs. It shimmered a bit and all of a sudden there was Dreux, wrapping the curtain around himself toga-like and making his introductions. He has been with us ever since, although he still technically works for Arianna as a bodyguard."

Heidi looked wide eyed at Dreux. "You can turn into a bear? What's that like? Does it hurt?"

Dreux smiled and shrugged. "I've been able to do it since I was a teenager. I just started having dreams about bears and then I had a dream where a bear was talking to me. I ignored it at first because I just thought it was my dinner fucking with my dreams, but it kept on. Finally I paid attention to what the bear was saying in my dream. It told me how to change into the bear and back. It feels weird because I am me, just inside a bear's body. I still know who I am and everything; I just inhabit a different body. But when I am in bear form, I feel like I am in the right form. It doesn't hurt any; it's just weird because whichever form I am in feels like the right one." He shrugged and leaned back on his bench again.




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 06



Bobby spoke up with a loud cough. "I guess that leaves me. I was at home with my family one night in North Carolina when a vampire tricked my daughter into letting him into the house."

I picked up the story when he stopped for a breath. "Once again I was being brought before a Tribunal on charges from a vampire. Me, Keio and Akiro were driving by this house when Akiro heard a scream. We didn't know what it was but we went to see if somebody needed help. We saw the vampire push into the house and we went into action. I was wearing a pendant that nullified any active magic because the Tribunal insisted on it. So Akiro, Keio and I jumped out of the rental car, swords in hand or drawing them as we ran. We got to the house and got inside. I checked on the daughter who had gotten knocked down by the vampire when it hit the door and Akiro and Keio went after the vampire."

Bobby spoke up again, "I had to have shot that fucker ten times with my pistol, and it just kept coming."

"They will." I said, picking up again. "The girl was fine and I stood up in time to see two things. First was Akiro and Keio each making a killing strike on the vampire. Keio stabbed it in the heart and Akiro took its head off. The second thing I noticed was Bobby standing on the other side of the ash cloud the vampire blew into, holding a mobile artillery piece and aiming it at me."

"Hey!" Bobby called out. "I was aiming at the vampire, but it disintegrated. And it wasn't artillery; it was just a 12 gauge pump."

"Anyway, I saw that just as Bobby pulled the trigger and a sledgehammer shot hit me in the chest. If I hadn't been wearing my trench coat, it would have done to me what he wanted to do to the vampire. As it was, I took a 12 gauge shot from less than 15 feet away. The spells I enchanted the coat with protected me from being punctured with the shots, but not from being picked up and thrown back against the wall. The spells burned out with the shotgun blast so I hit the wall full force." I heard Bobby mumble another apology for shooting me and I waved it off. "I managed to croak out to Akiro and Keio not to attack as I struggled to pull myself out of the wall."

Bobby laughed and rubbed his brown buzz cut. "Hey, Joanie fixed you up good as new AND you got dinner out of it, even if you did have to get shot to get it."

I nodded as everyone laughed. "Yes we did. His wife turned out to have a small talent with healing magic, tied in to her faith in God. She managed to get her daughter moving again then looked at me. She turned my serious hurts to just aches and bruises while Bobby put his guns away. Their daughter vacuumed the vampire dust up while Akiro went to park the car closer to the house and then Bobby offered us some dinner. We agreed and ate a LOT of spaghetti and garlic bread while we talked. He joined up and now kills vampires when he isn't working construction."

I leaned back into the shade of a tree and looked at Heidi. "And that is how I met everyone and how we got to be doing what we do. We are an odd group to say the least, but we are effective and we get the job done." I took a drink from the Mountain Dew that I brought from the triclinium and looked at Heidi. "Now, what is your story? How did you get together with Tomas and why are you here?"

She shifted on the bench and looked at Tomas. "I am friends with a wizard. His name is Bob. He and I used to talk a lot and then he met a new girlfriend. He said her name was Shanell. One night I went over to his house to see if he wanted to go get dinner and catch a movie. There was no one there. I tried for a week to get in touch with him and got no answers. I tried going over to his house and he was never home. One night I got a knock at my door and when I answered it, there was Tomas. At his insistence, we went out to get something to eat and we talked. He asked me lots of questions about Bob and my relationship to him. I told him that Bob and I were just friends and told him to talk to Shanell if he wanted to know more."

I looked over at Tomas as he spoke up. "I had heard the name of one of the local vampires. Her name is Shanell. Word has it that she likes taking human men, especially wizards. Rumors say that she takes them across the border into the Fae Realms to a home one of the local Elf lords or ladies gave her there. I did some digging and, surprise surprise, it turns out that Bob's girlfriend Shanell is one and the same with Shanell the elf vampire." He looked directly at me, his eyes and voice grave. "Bob is an Order of Hecate Initiate, Tre. He's a strong one. And his contacts with the Inner Circle make him even stronger politically."

Heidi looked at Tomas with a soft smile. "I have stayed near Tomas ever since he told me. I want to be there if he gets some word. When he said he was coming down here to meet with you, I had to come along. Most of the Sisters have little use for the Order of Hecate, but they have only good things to say about you. I was curious and wanted to meet you for myself."

I gave her a distracted half smile, "I hope you aren't too disappointed." I looked back at Tomas and around at the rest of the group. "If a vampire lady has openly attacked and snatched an Order Initiate, there will be trouble. There will be BIG trouble. I had heard that Bob was missing, and that the Circle sent you to look for him, but I didn't know that a vampire snatch was confirmed." Tomas just nodded silently. "Once the Order gets the Inner Circle together and they hear about this, they are going to come down on Green Bay like a ton of bricks."

I looked around at everyone. "Business is picking up y'all. I just got word that Freyja has a group of honest-to-goodness day walking vampires here in Memphis. I mean straight out of the movie Blade, except for the fact that there is supposed to be a lot of them here. I don't have much in the way of solid facts, just a scrap of information here and a scrap there. I want these daywalkers destroyed. That is first on our agenda."

I listened as everyone began talking back and forth, asking questions. I was too preoccupied to pay any attention to the odd tingling at the back of my consciousness that suddenly just went away. I was laughing at the answer to a question that Dreux asked Heidi when I heard a knock on the door. I excused myself and, with a quick mental call to Chilo, went to answer it. I stepped around the pool in the atrium and walked down the narrow hallway to the door.

I was still laughing when I pulled the heavy door open. Standing outside were two figures. The closest to the door was a little bit taller than I and the other was about chin height on me. "Yes? Can I help you?" I asked. Something struck me as odd about the pair, but I couldn't quite place it. The taller of the two stood in such a way as to block my view of the one behind, who had the hood of his coat up over his head against the chill.

The taller one, a broad shouldered but narrow waisted trim man with a slightly oriental cast to his green eyes, spoke in a deep voice, "My companion and I seek your hospitality for a little while, Tre Lloyd. There are important matters that we must discuss with you."

I looked from him to the figure still shadowed under his hood behind him and nodded. "You wish hospitality without the benefit of me knowing your names? That violates one of the first rules of hospitality right there."

He smiled and nodded a bit. "Of course, my manners must have slipped. I am Robert." He put his hand to his chest and sketched a half bow before straightening back up and gesturing to his companion. "And this is my..."

He broke off as Tomas yelled from the triclinium, "Tre, NO!" I heard Akiro and Keio running and the sound of blades leaving their sheaths and I started to step back, preparing a quick spell as the hooded figure stepped up, sliding the hood of its coat back away from it's face. 

I looked the figure dead in the face and my face went pale. In a split second I had recovered from my shock and leaped straight back down the hall, screaming 'No!', repeating the word over and over.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 07



As I leapt back I kept my left hand in front of me, a slightly glowing aura around it as I activated the magic of the ring on my middle finger and, almost without thought, my sword-spell brought my flaming no-dachi to my right hand. As I came down out of the hallway, Akiro was to my right, His no-dachi held in a two handed grip and Keio was to my left with his twin katanas held in a typical twin sword fighting stance.

I heard a rasp of steel down the hall and knew the young man had drawn a sword. I watched as the smaller of the two leaned up, murmuring unheard to him for a moment before turning back to face us. I watched as it stepped over the threshold of the Villa, turning back to gesture to the bigger to follow. It walked slowly down the hall as I heard everyone fanning out behind Akiro, Keio and me. I kept my left hand up between us and my sword-spell in my right hand ready to strike as it stepped into the light of the atrium, pulling the hood from its face fully. I heard Akiro gasp a prayer and Keio choked out a 'No' before dropping to his knees, his katanas slapping the tiny stones of the floor as they dropped from his suddenly nerveless fingers.

"Hello, Tre," Kimiko said. "It's been a long time." She smiled a crooked smile; the fang thus exposed marring the picture that I had seen so often in my dreams over the years.

Suddenly I felt a surge of power and heat behind me and I dropped as a lance of fire shot over my shoulder. "No!" I screamed, looking back at Heidi, who cut off her spell though her eyes continued to glow with fire and her hair kept whipping around her as if blown by a hot wind.

I looked back at Kimiko in time to see the last of Heidi's fire disappearing into Robert's sword, held over her shoulder. The Japanese sigils along the blades length were glowing an angry red and the ones touched by the flame were only now returning to that color from the near blinding white they had turned on contact with the fire. As soon as the fire-lance had been absorbed fully, Robert stepped around Kimiko and placed himself in front of her but out of her line of sight and taking up a stance identical to Akiro's double-handed grip.

I stood back up, lowering my magic absorbing ring and letting its power fade, the shimmer around my hand disappearing. The sword-spell also was allowed to drop and it faded into nothingness. I glanced over my shoulder as I heard Tomas speak, a ball of lightning held in one hand ready to throw. "I tried to tell you, Tre. I checked the door astrally as you opened it. She is a vampire, a full-blooded vampire." Tomas shook his head as he let the lightning ball dissipate. "I'm not sure what he is. He has a human aura, but it's like it is crossed with a vampire's. I've never seen anything like it. He is definitely a mage, though. I can sense that much at least, and a powerful one at that."

I looked over at the one who called himself Robert. An unimpressed smirk was on his face as his eyes roamed constantly around the room. I shifted to my astral perception and gave them both a thorough look, seeing that Tomas had called it right on the spot about them. Robert's aura had the glow of a human's but it was darkened by something. I agreed with Tomas's call that it looked like a human-vampire cross. I blinked my eyes and let my focus return to normal sight, turning to look at Kimiko. "What is he? And how did you get past my wards, vampire?"

She laughed and I almost cringed at the way my heart gave a flip-flop hearing that sound again. "You have not altered the way you make your wards in nearly twenty years, love. I recognized the workings and just came through. Your wards were never meant to keep me out. And Robert's human half allowed him to pass through without triggering them." She looked at her protector. "As for 'what' he is. That will become clear in time."

"Is this how Tre Lloyd welcomes guests to his house?" Robert said in a low growl. "With questions and attacks?" He broke off with a low snarl as Kimiko placed a hand on his forearm. He lowered the sword but did not sheath it. I could see that the sigils along its length had returned to their natural black color instead of the glowing red and white they had been.

"No it is not how I welcome guests to my house." I said, looking at him. "But I am not accustomed to having vampires as guests." I looked from him to Kimiko and then slowly back to him. "I am also not accustomed to having the lackeys of vampires as guests in my house. What I -am- accustomed to is being at war with vampires and their allies for the better part of two decades. So you will excuse my natural response and that of my friends." I turned my back on them and walked back over to Keio, who had not moved since seeing his 'dead' twin sister up and walking around as a vampire, kneeling down beside him to check on him. He was staring at Kimiko vacantly and murmuring to himself in Japanese, his hands resting on his swords as if to anchor himself to sanity. 

I spoke to Keio quietly in Japanese until I heard the young man speaking behind me. "I am no lackey of vampires, Mr. Lloyd." I looked over my shoulder, noting his sword fairly quivering in anger as he spoke. He stepped forward angrily and Akiro raised his weapon and stepped to interpose himself between Robert and me. Robert once again stopped as Kimiko put a hand on his forearm, speaking quietly to him. He nodded his head, speaking quietly and with a flash of steel sheathed his sword on his back.

I only caught a portion of what he said but it was enough. I rose and spun to face the two of them, pushing Akiro out of the way as I looked at the two figures. "'Mother'?" I said in disbelief. He is your SON?" I fought back the surge of anger that coursed through me, not very successfully and looked at Kimiko. I waited for an answer, my fists clenched and my entire body tight in anger. Akiro and Keio moved up beside me, their weapons also returned to their sheaths but their hands resting on the hilts. I could tell that Keio was still unsettled when he bumped into me trying to get closer to hear.

Kimiko stepped around Robert and walked into the atrium, the young man now revealed to be her son following close behind. She nodded and reached over with one hand to caress each of her brothers' cheeks while looking from them to me. "Yes, Tre, he is my son." I stepped angrily back from her and she shrugged and took advantage of the opening to hug Akiro who hugged her back stiffly with one arm, keeping his eyes on Robert. When she turned to hug Keio, he stepped back from her to avoid the hug and a look of sadness crossed her face.

"So which of the blood-suckers fathered your son? I want to know if I have killed the bastard over the years or not." I forced my hands to open and almost didn't notice as they once again closed into angry fists as I looked at the woman I had loved nearly twenty years ago. I looked from her to her son and saw a flash of anger in his eyes before it was hidden by the alertness that had been there since he arrived.

Kimiko turned away from her twin with a last sad look and walked slowly back over to Robert, turning to look at me. Her long hair floated around her face like a cloud as she faced me. "No vampire fathered him, Tre." She took a deep breath, sadness flashing through her dark eyes. "His father is human, although from what I have seen, he is quite dead." She looked back at me and before I could ask again who the father was, spoke up. "His father is the young man I was with the night I was taken."

My jaw dropped in shock as her words slammed into me full force. "What? You're saying that I am his father?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, Tre, you are his father." She looked back at him for a moment before turning to me.

"How? When did it happen? You never told me you were pregnant." The confusion ripping through me was making my words come a mile a minute.

"The how is easy. The same way everyone gets pregnant. It happened about two months before I was taken." She smiled sadly and stepped towards me. Once again I stepped back from her, wanting to know more. "We had both told the other that we had surprises for each other. Yours was to ask me to marry you. Mine was to tell you that I was pregnant with your child. I was about to tell you when the vampires burst in and took me. That is why I didn't tell you. I was taken to a laboratory in Memphis and turned into a vampire. I was bitten and turned by Freyja herself." She turned and rested her hand proudly on Robert's arm. "My son, OUR son, was born roughly seven months later."

Everybody in the room tensed as she gestured towards the triclinium and the feel of a spell being cast tickled those who could sense it. Slowly a glass of wine came to her hand and the spell stopped. I gestured for everyone to relax and she smiled, sipping from the wine. As she lowered the cup she gestured to it, "This is a very good year", enjoying everyone's surprise. She walked over and leaned against a wall of the atrium, putting her foot against the wall. "I was given daily feedings from Freyja herself while I was pregnant. This gave me some of her tolerance for human food and drink. It also served the more important purpose for her doing it. It made both me and Robert very powerful."

I looked back and forth from her to Robert. I was stunned, floored with the news I had just heard. "Why? Why didn't you contact me and let me know... let me know that you weren't dead?" I numbly pointed towards Robert, "Why didn't you tell me that I had a son?" I felt rage beginning to build beneath the shock and fought to control it. "Almost twenty years I have fought because I thought you were DEAD! And now you show up on my doorstep, not only NOT dead, but with someone that turns out to be our SON!" I fought back the rage, only able to spit out one more word, "Why?"

Kimiko lowered her head, her hair falling around her as Robert moved to stand beside her. She looked up and stared me straight in the eyes. "I could not contact you at first. For the duration of my pregnancy I was virtually a prisoner in the compound housing the laboratory. I was allowed two one hour sessions to exercise per day. The rest of the time I remained locked in my room waiting on Freyja to come feed me."

She broke eye contact with me and looked at Robert. "After he was born, he was taken from me and only brought back so I could feed him. I was even guarded while feeding him." She looked around the atrium slowly, still speaking quietly. "Once he was no longer being breast fed, my daily feedings from Freyja ceased."

Robert spoke up quietly, a cold anger evident in his voice. "I was taken from her and not allowed to see her except for a few minutes a day. The rest of my time was spent being educated. I learned everything I was supposed to so far as schooling. I was also taught, as far back as I can remember, the history of the vampires in America, Freyja in particular, magical history and theory, personal combat techniques and how to use my... powers." He scowled. "I think I got the sour end of the deal. I was 'gifted' with all of these powers," his voice dripped with sarcasm, "but I was taken away from my mother, I never knew my father until a few years ago. And then I was unable to contact you because I was watched too closely."

Kimiko placed her hand on Robert's arm again. "Neither of us could contact you, Tre. It took me years to work my way into Freyja's trust so I could even leave the compound alone. Before, I was always forced to take escorts with me. I was told that Freyja had invested too much time and power in me to be allowed to wander off and get myself killed by the 'insane' vampire killing mage' that ran around this area." She smiled at me. "It took me years to even find out who that mage was. And when I did I began planning ways to contact you. Until now, there was no way that I could get away from Freyja's eyes and ears long enough to."

The look on her face hardened as she looked back at Robert and then to me. "I found out later that Robert was considered a freak, an aberration by the other vampires. He was not alone in this. Dozens of pregnant women were taken around the same time I was, from all over the country, and brought to Memphis for this. They were all turned and gave birth to half-human, half vampire children. Most of them died in childbirth. Many others went insane when their children were taken from them and were killed."

She took another deep drink from her cup and sighed. "The 'Old Bloods' of the Vampire Kingdom call Robert and those like him 'Dhampir'. They are looked on even lower than those who are turned from human to vampire. Freyja tolerates them because they are useful. But even she does not much like having them around." A slight smile crossed her face. "All except for Robert that is. She taught him magic and he learned it well. So she likes him."

Kimiko looked back up at me and for a moment she looked like the girl I knew years ago. "All of that would change if she knew that you were his father. If she knew that she would kill him on the spot and me too. Your 'crusade' against the vampires has long since turned from a vampire disappearing here and there to vampires being killed left and right. I hope you can understand why I didn't tell you before." Her dark eyes met mine searching for some kind of sign.

I didn't know what to say listening to her telling about what had happened since she was taken from me all those years ago. "The dream I had recently. You were responsible for that weren't you?"

She nodded, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Yes I was. A trick I learned from Freyja. It has helped me over the years."

I interrupted her as she paused and looked about to continue. "So why now? Why have you chosen to come forward and tell me you were alive now and that I have a son?" I couldn't keep the anger from my voice as I continued, "You kept the information from me for this long, what prompted you to come and tell me now?"

"Because Freyja is... ." Robert spoke up from beside his mother, breaking off as she put her hand on his arm.

I sensed the others tensing up at Robert's words and I chuckled. "Freyja is... what? Angry with me because I killed her favorite? I know this. I have heard it from several good sources."

As I looked at Kimiko, waiting on her to say something, she spoke softly. "As you probably know, there is an assassin after you." She smiled slightly and continued. "The best assassin available to Freyja, maybe the best in the world."

"Yes," I said, nodding. "I know that she has an assassin after me. My sources have told me that as well."

Dave spoke up from behind me somewhere. "You seem to know a lot about this assassin git. Wot's goin on?" He demanded in his British accent.

Kimiko smiled at him. "I do know a lot about the Blue Dragon. Freyja has made extensive use of the Dragon over the last few years. Aside from that, I have some rather... unique... knowledge of the Blue Dragon."

"And just how is that, Kimiko?" I asked, looking at her intently. "How do you know so much about the Blue Dragon?"

She looked down at the floor and I thought I caught a bit of a flush to her cheek as she reached out, making a quick gesture, the illusion of a leg appearing in the air between us. The intricately detailed tip of a tail coiled around the ankle and ran up and around the leg, turning into the full body of a blue dragon farther up the leg. She added a bit of detail and a lower torso appeared attached to the tail and the dragons sinuous neck and head appeared, lightning coming from its mouth headed towards the figures groin.

Releasing the illusion she reached down and pulled the cuff of her pants leg up, revealing the tip of a tail coiled around her ankle. As she let it drop she pulled her shirt up to reveal her smooth belly, a blue dragon's neck and the back of its head visible. "Because I AM the Blue Dragon." 

In a flash Keio was around in front of me, his hands resting on his katana hilts. Robert moved in front of his mother as fast as Keio did, his sheathed no-dachi held in his left hand, the right wrapped around the hilt ready to draw, staring at his uncle. I put a hand on Keio's shoulder. "Relax, Keio. If she was out to kill me, she could have done it already." I looked over at Kimiko. "I can think of two times just recently that she could have possibly killed me when I was with Marie."

She smiled but a flash of annoyance sparked in her eyes. "Is that her name? She was pretty. And yes, I could have killed you twice that night while you were with her. Once at the club and once back at her apartment when you were preoccupied." She smiled and drained her cup, putting her hand on Robert's arm. He relaxed and took his place at her side again. Seeing him relax, Keio moved back beside me. "I do apologize for interrupting your fun, Tre. To be honest, I saw you with her and had to do something. So I put on the show at her apartment." She laughed. "But the show I put on was nothing compared to the show I watched." She smiled, keeping her dark eyes locked on my face.

I looked back at her, meeting her gaze levelly. "So you're the Blue Dragon. How did that little career change come about? Before you were taken you were a model." I loaded the last sentence with all of the bitterness I still felt about her being snatched. 

She sent the cup back into the triclinium with another spell and looked at me. "After I was taken and turned and allowed to roam on my own, I went ahead and got the tattoo that your friend drew for me. As you saw, it runs up my leg with the dragon's head resting on my hip and it's lightning breath blowing in my pubic area. Shortly after that, I was challenged to a fight by someone who was jealous of my closeness to Freyja." She chuckled. "To make a long story short, we fought and after he burned all of my clothes off with a fireball spell, I killed him with a spell that I improvised on the spot. I remembered it from playing Dungeons and Dragons with you. I made the spell up on the spot and hit him with a blast of lightning breath. Everybody saw the blue dragon on my leg and the spell I used to kill him and the nickname stuck. I have been the Blue Dragon ever since."

She squatted down, leaning against the wall. "After that Freyja started to pay even more attention to me. I was taught a lot of her old magic. One time I asked her why she was teaching it to me and she said 'because now I have the perfect assassin to get to all of those mages with'. I was shocked but I had to do as she said. She exerts a lot of control over those she makes. It was only after my last ritual of power that I was able to put up mental shields strong enough to block her commands and still act like they were in force."

Akiro cut her off. "So you are stronger than she is now?"

Kimiko smiled. "No, Akiro, I am not. It is just that I have grown strong enough and skilled enough in magic to be able to deflect her attempts and still make her think I am under her control. If she suspected that I was not under her control, she would simply batter her way in and there would be nothing I could do. Ask Tre. He knows how powerful and skilled she is."

"That's true", I nodded. "Freyja is naturally strong. She is a millennium old after all. A thousand years of blood sacrifices and blood magic has undoubtedly increased her strength even beyond what would normally be expected from her. Add to that a thousand years of active practice and you have one skilled, powerful mage."

Kimiko nodded gravely. "That's absolutely right. She is very skilled, but she uses the same old tricks over and over. She doesn't vary things at all and that makes it easy to counter what she is doing."

I chuckled. "That is a weakness with most of the 'Old Blood' vampires from Europe. They are set in their ways and do not alter easily. That makes them easy targets. Or I should say easier targets. No vampire that is that old is an easy target."




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 07



Keio spoke up. "Continue your story about how you became the Blue Dragon... Sister." I caught the look of anger on Akiro's face as Keio said that and had to stifle a groan. I knew Keio's bond with his twin was stronger than Akiro's, but I didn't know if it would cause a rift between my two staunchest supporters.

Kimiko smiled hearing her twin's words. "Freyja began to call on me whenever she had a mage that she needed dealt with quietly. I would watch the mage for a while, same as I have been watching Tre, and then I would 'arrange' to happen across them somewhere. We would go somewhere private and I would do whatever my orders were. Sometimes I was told to just eliminate the mage and I would kill him. Other times I would be told to just make them disappear, death unnecessary. In those cases I would make a deal with the nearest Fae court and sell them to some horny Fae or Elvish court Lady for a sex slave."

She sighed deeply. "I hate what I have done. But I don't regret what it has given me. The trust Freyja has for me now has allowed me to become strong enough to break her hold on me and it has given me my son back, an ally against Freyja. And now we are back with our family." She looked at Akiro, then at me. "Even if most of our family does not acknowledge us anymore."

Akiro returned her look flatly. "My kid sister died of a vampire attack. You might look and talk and sound like she did nearly twenty years ago, but that is the very point. She looked like that twenty years ago! You are not her." He broke off as Keio leaned up and spoke quietly and hurriedly to him in Japanese. Akiro listened to him but from the set of his jaw I could tell that Keio was not going to make much headway. After a few minutes Akiro gave a short jerk of his head and Keio fell silent.

Kimiko sighed. "I didn't have a choice in what happened to me, Akiro. You can hold it against me if you want. But that will not change the fact that I am not responsible for what I was made into. Yes I became the Blue Dragon willingly. But as for being a vampire, I was not willing to lose my humanity. Focus your anger on the one that deserves it. Focus it on Freyja because it is wasted on me... brother." Her anger became clear as her words had grown steadily louder until the last word was almost snarled.

Akiro began to speak but stopped, his dark eyes flashing with anger. He turned and walked into the triclinium and grabbed a cup and drained it at a gulp. He refilled it and drank more slowly before setting it down, walking back out. Neither Keio's nor Kimiko's eyes left their brother during this unusual show of anger from their normally calm sibling.

I glanced at Robert once again and saw that his eyes were also following his uncle. He turned back to me and nodded slowly. I looked at Kimiko again "You do realize that by now Freyja has probably heard that you two are here. What are you going to do now? You can't go back to her mansion."

She nodded, turning to look at me. "I know. I am prepared to deal with that. I have a few apartments scattered around that she doesn't know about. They all have one room that is set up to be lightproof, so I can spend the day there. I have a talisman that I made that will render me 'invisible' to Freyja, both her magic and the link that she has with me." She brushed her hair back from her face and once again tucked it behind her ear. "As soon as I stepped inside of your wards I put up my mental shields to hide me fully. I can hide from her."

Heidi spoke up. "But you said that she can destroy your shields and reassert control over you. What's going to stop her from doing that as soon as you leave the wards?"

I looked from Heidi to Kimiko, answering as the realization hit. "If you are hidden by that charm and she can't find you, then she cannot take control of you again."

Kimiko nodded, smiling. "Yes, Tre. At least that is the idea."

I looked at Robert. "You are going to be staying with your mother?" At his silent nod I continued. "Then you will have to be ready. When her favorite assassin and pupil disappear, she will not be happy."

Robert smiled a humorless smile. "I am prepared, Tre. I am also not alone in my hatred of Freyja and her kind for what they made me. Others of the dhampir are unhappy at having been turned into vampire freaks and taken away from our parents. Those of us who are not happy have banded together in secret. I told them that I was leaving tonight and they all made their excuses to go out. There are about another ten or fifteen, depending on how many got out, of us scattered throughout Memphis."

"Ten or fifteen? All discontent with Freyja's plan for you." I laughed quietly. Apparently Robert didn't see the humor because he merely scowled.

"Yes, ten or fifteen of us that are not happy with being turned into vampires. Every one of them lost their mother unlike I did. Every one of them has been alone in this world since they were born. We got together out of our mutual hatred for Freyja. We will fight her when we can, but we don't have the strength right now."

Robert paused as Kimiko looked at him, then looked back at me and continued. "From an early age I was taught magic. As were all of those with me. We were also taught to fight. Each of us had weapons chosen for us and we were trained through hypnosis to use them. What once took years can now be done in weeks or months." He held up his sword. "I was trained as a samurai. Freyja gathered all of the ancient texts on the samurai and their way of fighting and had them hypnotized into me. I was taught 'The Book of Five Rings', 'Hagakure' and 'Bushido Shoshinshu' among many others to teach me both the physical aspects of the samurai and the mental aspects."

He smiled as he saw the surprise on Akiro and Keio's faces. "Yes, uncles. I was taught much the same as you were by grandfather. Mother showed me her copies of grandfather's books."

Kimiko smiled at our son. "Yes, and he devoured each word, each picture and wanted more. Soon he surpassed even the kendo sensei brought in to teach him to use a sword. It was then that I went back to Japan and got the sword that father had made for his first grandson."

Akiro looked shocked. "That was you? We always wondered how someone got in and knew exactly where that sword was. Father never made another sword after that one." He looked at Robert. "You had better understand the gift you have and you better take care of it."

Robert shook off his uncle's patronizing tone and continued. "As I was saying, I was taught the ways of the samurai, and also how to fight with magic. Mother taught me how to combine the two using the powers locked away in the blade I carry. Freyja was curious about it, but unless the blade is bared and in the hands of a Tanaka, its magic is dormant, so she allowed me to have it."

His dark eyes grew hard as he spoke. "Like mother, my friends and I were used as... shock troops I guess you would call us. Vampires who did not fear the daylight. We were used against vampires who intruded too strongly on Freyja's domain. We would find where they stayed and enter their hiding places mostly at night, but also during the day, whichever Freyja ordered, and kill them. 

"We also got the 'privilege'," His voice dripped with scorn, "of escorting Freyja or her lackeys to other cities as bodyguards. We didn't have to sleep in the daytime, so we were the perfect protectors. We were paid well and we lived well. Then mother finally got to talk to me and that all changed. We were unhappy and we were going to do things differently. We began plotting to do just what we have done. And that is break away from Freyja and make up for what we have done."

I chuckled as I heard Bobby grumbling behind me about going back to eat and I gestured. "Will you join us in the triclinium? Chilo has prepared dinner for us. I am sure there will be enough for the two of you." 

Kimiko nodded and smiled "Thank you for the offer. I will join you, but I will not eat. Robert may be hungry though." Robert didn't answer, just nodded and stood beside his mother waiting. 

We all turned and made our way through the atrium into the triclinium and I took my spot laying on my side on the couch nearest the back wall opposite where Kimiko and Robert pulled up chairs. I made myself a plate and looked at Kimiko. "You say you have a charm to hide you, but what about Robert? Surely by now Freyja has enough material links to find and/or hit him with some bit of nastiness. How is he protected?"

"I took care of that myself, Tre." Robert said. "I used a... reverse sending to destroy any material links to me or any of my Sun Chasers." At my curious look he smiled and explained. "That is what one of the other dhampir called us one day. The name stuck so now that is how we refer to ourselves. It made sense seeing as the dhampir that serve Freyja willingly call themselves 'The Eclipses'. But I gathered skin and blood from all of my friends and myself and performed the ritual, with mother's help and that of some of the other Sun Chasers. All of the material links Freyja had gathered to us are destroyed."

"How do you know?" Tomas asked. "She could have spread them out anywhere and protected them with God knows what wards and spells."

"She did." Robert smiled. "But I guided the ritual on its way and helped it get past the wards. There were four separate caches and all four were destroyed in a large burst of acid and then a blast of flame. Another ritual search done after found no traces of any more."

"Not to mention Robert has the power of three mages in his body." Kimiko said, taking the cup she had earlier and pouring it with some more wine. "His strength was what gave me the power to do what I did the night I was taken. He had then the combined powers of you and me, Tre. And then Freyja added to that with her blood, making him even stronger. And he has grown even stronger over the years and even more skilled under both hers and my tutelage. He can hide himself from pretty much anyone."

Robert smiled and pulled a small amulet from under his shirt, showing it for a moment before tucking it back away. "This protects me from most magical scrying attempts. So far the only ones that have succeeded have been the ones that had," he paused, chuckling. "You guessed it, a material focus."

I chuckled. "Ok, so you're protected as well." I grinned and looked around the room. "That focus looked an awful lot like what the majority of us wear in some form or another."

Robert nodded. "That is no surprise. Mother taught me how to make it from her time studying under the Shinto teachers, which I believe, since you studied under them some yourself from what mother told me, would make sense."

I smiled and nodded. "Yes. I did learn that particular talisman of protection from the Shinto teachers. Ours have a slight difference though." He tilted his head, a curious look on his face and I continued. "Yours, from the look of it, is designed to deflect the scrying attempt. Ours are designed to return it right back at the scryer. That means basically that whoever is scrying only finds themselves with their attempts."

Kimiko laughed. "So that is why so many of Freyja's best mages couldn't find you. It's why I could never find you magically. They always just said the spell failed. It cost several of them their heads." She smiled and brought one foot up into the chair with her. "I think what spared more of them was that Freyja tried to find you herself and failed. I know she was in a very bad mood one night after trying some ritual or another and rumors went around about it having something to do with trying to find you and failing."

I chuckled. "Yes, I did feel a strong push against my wards one night at home. I just added a little power to them and was able to beat back the spell after a little while. I wondered who it was that was giving my wards such a pounding. It took me two days to get them strengthened against more probes."

From there the conversation turned to trivial matters until Robert said something quietly to his mother. She nodded and said "Tell him, Robert."

Robert nodded and looked over at me. "Freyja knows that all of you are here. I heard some of the Eclipses talking about it. Freyja is planning to send them sometime soon to attack this place."

I sat up, looking from him to Kimiko. "And you're just now telling me this? By Hecate they could be on their way here."

Robert shook his head. "No. They would not be on their way here. Not yet anyway. Freyja is bringing in some outside help for the attack. Ghouls from some Houngan in New Orleans. They will be here sometime at the end of this week. Apparently the Houngan has to make them and then transport them to Memphis. Freyja is using this week to prepare her lackeys to attack."

"How many are coming?" Akiro asked. I looked over at him and could see his mind working already.

"I don't know." Robert said. "I figure at least ten of the Eclipses, at least that many vampires, maybe fifteen or twenty, and the ghouls. I didn't get a number on the ghouls before I was spotted and they got quiet."

"Ghouls? I've never heard of those in real life. What are they?" Jonathon asked.

The wards chimed as a disembodied voice from right beside me said "They are flesh eating zombies." I smiled as Arianna appeared in the triclinium beside me.

"Hello Arianna." I said, quickly followed by the rest of the group. I gestured to Kimiko and Robert. "Arianna let me introduce..."

She cut me off with a smile. "Kimiko Tanaka, your long dead fiancée, now a vampire and her son, the dhampir Robert. Or should I say both of yours son?" She looked at me and I noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "I am rather surprised that you would have a vampire in this house considering you have been killing them for the longest time."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, looking at her. "Arianna, they were about to have to fight when they got here. But we have been talking, as you have probably noticed. And now Robert has told us about an attack that is being planned against us here."

That got her attention in a big way. "An attack against the Villa? By who? Ghouls? Is that why Jonathon was asking about them?"

I held up a hand in a 'slow down' gesture. "Yes, an attack against the Villa. It is planned by Freyja and is supposed to be done by some of her dhampir and some vampires and an unknown number of ghouls from some Houngan in New Orleans."

She frowned, her green eyes flashing with anger. "We will see about that. I bet I know who that Houngan is and when the others find out that he is there will be a world of trouble for him. TWO worlds of trouble if I know some of those other Houngans." She looked from Robert and Kimiko to me. "You all had better be careful. That man is one of the best at producing ghouls, and they are very magic resistant. It will probably come down to hand to hand if they are involved in the attack."

"We will be careful, Arianna." I said with a grin. "We have enough physical weapons here to turn the tide against ghouls. My sword, Akiro and Keio's swords, Jonathon and Dave's blades. Jon, Tomas and Bobby's guns. We are good to go. Don't worry about us." 

She actually snorted when she heard me. "I believe that you are ready to fight. But I don't know if you're ready for these ghouls. They aren't the shambling zombies. They are almost as fast as vampires and even hungrier. But they don't drink blood; they tear chunks off of your body and eat them while you watch."

I nodded patiently. "And we are all ready for them Arianna. Don't worry. As I said, we will be fine."

She stood up and looked back at Kimiko and Robert for a long moment before looking back at me. "I am going to go back to New Orleans and have a talk with the Houngans. See if I can't arrange some difficulties for him while he is trying to work." She stood up and began to go intangible. I heard her voice in my mind as she vanished from sight. "We will talk about this later, Tre. Count on it." The wards chimed softly as she once again disappeared heading for New Orleans.

Kimiko smiled. "She really doesn't like vampires does she?"

I shook my head, looking from where Arianna had disappeared from over to Kimiko. "No, she doesn't. She has come from New Orleans up here too many times to patch me together after I was attacked by them to like them. She has fought them in her home town defending what was hers. She has also fought beside me scores of times against them. She has as much reason as I do to dislike and distrust vampires."

Looking back at Robert I spoke quietly. "So we have about a week to prepare for the attack. Good, that will give me plenty of time to modify the wards here and get everyone ready."

Robert nodded. "Yes, I think so. I may be wrong about the timeline by a day or two, but I do believe that is what I heard."

Dreux spoke up, his New Orleans accent clear. "That sounds about right. At least for the delivery of the ghouls. They are damn hard to produce considering you need fresh or reasonably fresh corpses to make them." At Kimiko's look he grinned sheepishly. "I live in New Orleans. I know a few of the local Houngans. They have told me the 'ingredients' needed for various things like ghouls, zombies and the like."

She smiled at him and Akiro spoke. "We have a week almost to prepare. We can do it. That will be no problem. The wards would take a day or two; the other defenses would take about the same length of time."

I noticed that he was careful not to speak of exact defenses, not quite trusting Kimiko and Robert yet. I looked at them. "You are more than welcome to stay here for a while. I can have Chilo set up one of the rooms on the inner side to be light proof."

Kimiko smiled and nodded. "Very well. I think we will. If for no other reason than to be a show of faith that our information is accurate." She looked at me, dark eyes sparkling. "We can also help with the defense of the Villa. If you want us to that is." 

After that the talk turned to other matters, with most of the Sun Swords eating as they talked. My mind was working to plot the defenses of the Villa and the changes I would have to make to the magical defenses to ensure they were prepared. The physical defenses I would leave to the ones who know more about them than I do.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 08



The next few days passed in a blur of little sleep and lots of action. I spent most of my time with Arianna altering the wards and traps for the Villa. Bobby worked on the physical defenses of the grounds with everyone else. When we were done, the Villa was as well protected as we could make it. Magic protected the perimeter and made the area approaching the house a killing ground for vampires. The area closer to the house was protected with assorted mundane tricks they were guaranteed not to like.

The night that we finished I returned to my house to do some research in my library. I could have used the one in the Villa but I wanted some privacy. I called Arianna and she said she would be over as soon as she finished what she was doing. By the way she sounded on the phone I could imagine just what she was doing. I hung up the phone and turned back to my computer. I checked again on the progress of my search bots but they had found nothing to explain the cold fireball.

I was about to resort to posting a message on the Order's message boards when I heard the chiming of my wards. Arianna shimmered into visibility seated in one of the chairs facing my desk as I watched and I smiled, pausing in my posting. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything, Arianna." I grinned.

"You did." She said. "But I am used to you interrupting. You have a knack for it. What did you need?"

"I have a question about magic. If you don't have the answer I will have to ask the Order. That will cause a shitstorm because of how it came about." She nodded and rested her chin in her palm listening. "The other night I was jumped by some vampires. I used a spell I came up with to drain the 'life' from one of the vampires." I didn't really pay any attention to the worried look that flashed across her face as I continued. "I then used that essence to power some more spells that I have found. I used the last of it along with the normal power to power a fireball. It was a dark fireball but instead of being hot when it exploded, it was cold. Admittedly I haven't used that spell before but that just didn't feel right." I looked at Arianna, noticing the worried look on her face. "What is it, Arianna?"

Arianna leaned forward, looking at me closely and I could see that she was looking at me astrally. Finally she spoke, her voice showing she was upset. "You used a spell to, first of all, drain a vampire's life, then you used that life to power spells?" At my hesitant nod she frowned deeply. "Tre, those are spells that you shouldn't know, and if you did know them, you shouldn't use them. They are," she paused, thinking. "Those spells generally come from a, for lack of a better term, demonic source. The people that know them and can use them are generally in service to some dark power."

As I started to speak she held up a hand. "Those spells cause damage to the body, Tre. They are not safe to use." She shook her head. "I don't know how you learned those spells or even how you can use them safely. I do not see any of the usual marks of any demons or anything like that on you. You know, like those who have made a pact with a dark power show."

I finally interrupted her. "You know I haven't made any pacts with demons or any... dark power. The idea for the spell just came to me. So did using the life I drained from the vampire to fuel the spells. I felt a little nauseous after draining the vamp so I decided to use the essence against his buddies."

"'A little nauseous'?" She said, leaning forward even more, and then standing. "Tre that in itself worries me. The last time I saw somebody use that spell without a demon's help he drew the essence into him and was immediately on the ground sick. He was sick for days, fever, weakness, nausea. Anytime somebody gave him food or drink it came right back up. They had to feed him intravenously until the essence dissipated on its own."

I leaned back in my chair, nodding, deep in thought. I had used something that I was not supposed to with very little ill effects. Something stirred in my mind but I was unable to grasp it before it was gone. "I don't understand it, Arianna. But I will keep investigating. I have to know why now. If this isn't normal for a mage to be able to do I have to know why I can."

She nodded, her hair rustling quietly. "Be careful, Tre. There are lots of mages, especially among the older vampires who have ignored you until now, who will destroy you without a thought if they get even an inkling that you possess this... ability."

"I know. I guess I will have to check with the Order and see what they can tell me." I sighed and rubbed my face tiredly before dropping my hands to the desk. "I know they are going to want me to come to the Motherhouse to be examined. I can't do that right now though. But if I refuse, they will send someone to 'escort' me."

A knock at the door surprised both of us. I looked out the window and saw a nondescript dark sedan parked in the road with the lights on. I took a quick look out with astral perception and then stood up, walking around the desk and, gesturing to Arianna to stay put, made my way out to the front door. I opened the door and looked around it at the man standing there in the brightness of the front porch. "May I help you?"

The man in the dark suit nodded. "Yes you can, Mr. Lloyd." He brought out an envelope sealed with blue wax and held it out to me. I looked at it but refused to take it and he reached into his coat and brought out an ID wallet, opening it and showing me the sign of the Order of Hecate. "My name is Alan Williams." I took the ID and looked at it carefully. "I was sent by Consul Telemon. He requests your presence at the Chapter house in New York."

I scanned him astrally, noting that he was a physical adept, trained to a high level in his physical skills as Akiro and Keio were. I handed the ID back and took the envelope from him. "What does he want me to come to New York for? Did he say?"

The courier shook his head. "He did not say. I would imagine that the letter will explain. The only other thing he told me was to tell you that the spirit Arianna's presence was required as well. Good evening, Mr. Lloyd." He turned and walked away without another word.

I shut the door behind him and walked back to my office. I sat down in my chair and set the letter down. "That was odd. Our presence is requested at the Order Chapter house in New York."

Arianna looked surprised. "Mine? Are you sure?"

Nodding I picked up the envelope and examined it before breaking the seal and pulling out the folded sheet of parchment within. It had the Order's coat of arms at the top in one corner and the Inner Circle's in the other. Below that in the center of the paper was Telemon's seal as Consul of the Order. I skimmed the letter in disbelief before beginning to read it out loud to Arianna.

"To Tre Lloyd, Mage of the Goddess, greetings from the Inner Circle and myself in particular. This letter is to tell you the reasons why you have been summoned to the Chapter house. The database monitors have noticed the nature of the searches that you are doing and they have informed the Circle of them. It was decided that, as I would be in the States on Order business anyway, that I should meet with you and discuss them. They have us rightly concerned, Tre. There will be two plane tickets at Memphis International Airport tomorrow for the 12:15 P.M. flight to New York. Bring the free spirit Arianna with you. It has been too long since I have spoken with her. I will look forward to speaking with both of you tomorrow. Telemon son of Achilleus." 

I looked at her in surprise. "I guess they already found out and have the same concerns as you do. Anything more I guess I'll just wait 'til I get there and see."

Arianna looked disturbed as she looked from the letter in my hands to me. Finally she shook her head and stood up. "I have to go home, Tre. I will be back to go with you."

"What is wrong Arianna?" I asked, standing up and dropping the letter onto the desk. "You look scared."

"The only person I have ever known called Telemon died years ago in an experiment. There is no way it could be the same person." With that she disappeared cutting off what I was about to say.

I sat back down in my seat and went to shut down the search bots roaming the Order's databases. After shutting down the search I took up the letter again, reading it over and over. Finally I put the letter back in its envelope and put it away in my safe. I went out to the living room and called Akiro's cell phone. When he answered I told him what was going on with the Order and that he and Keio would be staying behind to help defend the Villa if I was not back. He protested and tried to insist on coming with us, but I finally ordered him to remain behind and he quietened with a few mutters.

I hung up the phone and got up, grabbing a Mt Dew and heading to my bedroom. I got changed into a pair of sleeping pants and sprawled out on the bed laying back and waiting for sleep to drag me under. When sleep did come for me, the dreams it brought with it were strange and disturbing. Upon waking the next morning I had no recollection of what I had dreamed the night before except for a nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

I packed a pair of suitcases for several days' stay in New York. I only needed one but I knew that I would have to make an appearance of having a suitcase for Arianna. I packed my clothes and, more carefully, packed hers. I was setting the suitcases by the door when the wards signaled me that someone was approaching. Shifting to astral perception, I saw it was Arianna just before she shimmered into sight in the living room.

"Morning, Arianna. How are you?" I walked into the kitchen and poured myself and her a cup of coffee. I doctored mine up the way I wanted it and slid the cream and sugar over to her. I watched her over the rim of my cup as she picked up the cup and sipped from it.

"I am fine, Tre. I spent all night trying to figure out how this could be the same Telemon that I knew in Athens." She took another drink from the cup, holding it in both hands as one betrayed her slight shake.

I sipped from my cup and shrugged. "All I know about Telemon is that he is a free spirit, same as you. He came from Greece a couple millennia ago and is probably the most powerful spirit I have ever seen or heard of. I do know that he is the favored of Hecate. Rumors also say that she summoned him just to found the Order. I have met him and was immediately impressed with the aura of... I don't know, wisdom, I guess is the word. The aura of wisdom that he just exuded."

She looked up at the last thing I said and then looked away, drinking some more from her cup. I got on the phone and called a cab to take us to the airport. Arianna and I spoke while waiting on the cab to arrive. I could see she was visibly upset and nervous. When the cab arrived, I grabbed my copy of The Discourses by Machiavelli and kept it in hand to read on the plane.

When we arrived at the airport, Alan Williams was there and he handed each of us a plane ticket, keeping one for himself. I declined his offer of help with the suitcases and, after checking our luggage we made our way to the check-in counter. Arianna and I took a pair of seats to ourselves and spoke quietly about the situation at the Villa. The plane boarded only 20 minutes behind schedule and we were off.

We picked up our luggage in New York and Alan took us to the parking structure where he had left his car. I put the bags in the trunk and we climbed into the back seat and he started the drive to the Chapter house. We watched the sights pass us by in silence, each minute drawing us closer to our destination, the Eastern United States Chapter house of the Order of Hecate, and my meeting with the Consul of my Order.

Finally we arrived at the plain fifteen story building that housed the Order's representatives in the eastern part of the US. I was not really any stranger to New York or the Chapter house hereabouts. I had been here several times before for tribunals concerning my actions against the vampires. I smiled a bit as I remembered the vampire hunter I had met on one such trip to stand before a tribunal and wondered what she was up to. Then I remembered the line of work we were in and wondered if she was even still alive. Alan pulled into the parking garage below the building and Arianna and I got out of the car. He pulled into a parking spot to wait saying that he would be taking us to our hotel later. I thanked him and we went inside and up to the first floor.

After checking in with the receptionist we were told to go right on up to the top floor. I hung my Order ID badge from my collar and Arianna took the guest badge from the receptionist and hung it from her shirt. We headed to the elevator and took it to the top floor. There a pair of uniformed security guards wearing the symbol of the Order checked our IDs. I astrally scanned them and one was a full blown mage while the other bore the signs of a physical adept. I returned to my normal vision and returned my badge to its place thinking they were a pair to be reckoned with indeed.

We walked to the room the two men indicated and stepped inside. It was one of the office/libraries that the Order maintains for the Inner Circle in each Chapter house. We sat down and, a few minutes later, the door opened and Telemon came in. He dismissed the troupe of people walking behind them and closed the door. As he turned around I heard a gasp from Arianna.

"Telemon? Is it really you?" I looked from him to her in surprise as Telemon laughed, walking on into the office. He was dressed in a dark gray silk suit of Italian cut. He looked to be an extremely fit man in his early sixties. Short gray hair and a well trimmed beard framed his face and his dark eyes fairly sparkled with power and experience.

"Yes, my dear Arianna, it is truly me." He walked over to us and she jumped out of her chair, hugging him tightly.

I could hear her voice quivering with emotion as she spoke. "What happened to you? How? How are you here? You were human when you studied with Master Diotimus."

He nodded when she stepped back, still smiling at her. "Yes, Arianna, I was. My last ritual worked in ways I could never have imagined. The story is long and complicated. I have written it out for the Order's Archives and my personal library. I will have a couple of copies sent over to your hotel for you to read at your leisure." I nodded, eager to learn more about the mysterious leader of the Order and could see Arianna nodding as well. He went around the desk and sat down, making a quick call before looking back to us. "But the end result was that I was touched by Hecate and given the duty to form the Order. I did and here I am."

Arianna nodded, still in a state of semi-shock from seeing someone she thought long dead. "I would like to read that story very much Telemon. I thought you were killed in the explosion."

He nodded, smiling softly. "Yes. Unfortunately Hecate demanded that of me. A complete severance of ties with the past. It wasn't until recently when some Order mages met with a few of the local Houngans in New Orleans and I read their report that told about the 'free spirit Arianna' that I even knew you still existed. The last I had heard you had been taken by that Muslim sorcerer... al-Aswad or something, and made his slave." I saw Arianna's face tighten at the memory.

I spoke up, curious about something. "Consul..."

He raised a hand to stop me. "Call me Telemon, Tre. This is an informal meeting. All of our meetings this week will be informal if I can help it."

I nodded to him and started again. "Telemon, how did you know that I would be able to contact Arianna? Is it that well known in the Order about us?"

"No, Tre, it is not." Telemon shook his head. "When I heard about Arianna being freed I began to watch her from a distance. I was trying to see if I could get a hint about who had freed her. The only constant contact that she had was you. It was a calculated risk."

I nodded. "How many of the other Inner Circle members know about her?" I asked.

"None Tre. My spies were all spirits that reported directly to me before being released. And I reported to no one as my interest was strictly... personal. I had found a tie to my past and wanted to keep up with her." He looked back at me and took a deep breath and I could sense the mood in the room change.

"Tre, as you know I summoned you here about the information you have been researching in our databases." I nodded and he continued, speaking quietly. "As I said, these are informal meetings and no transcripts or recordings will be taken. Several of the Inner Circle members have been informed of the nature of your searches and we are all concerned."

I looked at him, confusion evident on my face. "I was looking through the databases for information, sir. A reason why a spell I cast had an effect different than what it should have. Even for someone else in the Order that may have experienced the same thing or heard of it. But I found nothing."

Telemon stood up, resting on his fingertips on the desk. "There is a reason that you found nothing, Tre. A reason that I will explain soon. But for now I have another meeting that I must attend. Alan will take you to your hotel and you may rest for a few hours. I do hope that you will join me for dinner."

Arianna and I both stood, nodding our agreement. "Yes, sir, we will. I would be honored." I said. He walked us to the door and I shook his hand. Arianna hugged him again and we were on our way back out of the Chapter house. Arianna turned in her visitors badge at the receptionist and, to our surprise, she was handed a temporary ID, "at Consul Telemon's orders".

Alan drove us to our hotel and we checked in, finding a large two bedroom suite reserved for us. We walked in the room and as I set Arianna's suitcase down in her room I noticed a book laying on the nightstand beside the bed. I glanced at the title and saw it said "Telemon's Key". I smiled and walked out of the room, picking up my suitcase and finding an identical book in my room.

I put the suitcase down and picked up the book, walking back out into the main room, flipping through it. I was surprised to notice a couple of things about the book. First was that the pages were actual parchment and not paper made to look like parchment. The second thing I noticed about the book was that it wasn't printed. It was hand copied, from the looks of it, with a quill and ink in the old manner. "Arianna, Telemon's books are here. Your copy is in your bedroom."

She went to get it and came back, smiling. "Just like Telemon. This is his handwriting. He wrote this and copied it personally. Look at this." She showed me the title page of her copy, showing me the "14 of 20" adorning the bottom of the page. I looked at mine and saw "15 of 20"

She sat down in one of the chairs and I kicked off my shoes and lay down on the couch. I turned the TV on to CNN and we read in silence. I occasionally looked up at the television but for the most part I read what was written in the book.

I was about halfway through the book when the phone ringing disturbed me. I put the book down and answered it. It was Alan telling me that he was downstairs waiting to take Arianna and me to meet Telemon for dinner. We dressed quickly, Arianna finishing faster than I did since she merely had to will her clothes to change. We went downstairs and met with Alan and he drove us to the restaurant. As we pulled up at the door, he looked back. "Tell them you're with the Achilleus party. They will take you to his table."

I slid out of the car and held the door for Arianna to get out. She slid out and I couldn't help but admire her legs as she did. She grinned at me as she stood up, brushing her lips against my cheek and whispering "later" in my ear. I closed the door and offered her my arm. She took it and we walked inside and were led to Telemon's table.




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 08



Telemon was waiting, still dressed in the suit he wore earlier. We sat down and, when I started to talk about my reason for coming to New York, he raised a hand. "Not here, Tre. We will speak of this tomorrow at the Chapter house. Tonight is not for business."

I nodded "Of course, Cons... I mean, Telemon."

The waiter came up and we ordered our dinner. Arianna waited until he was out of hearing before speaking. "Telemon, I read most of the story about how you came to go from human to spirit. That is amazing. So the ritual Diotimus came up with was correct, he just didn't use enough power."

Telemon nodded, smiling. "So Hecate told me. She said his attempt failed because he was not strong enough. I never thought I was stronger than my old Master. But with the focuses I believe I was. They allowed me to complete the ritual 'safely' instead of being torn apart by it, or whatever other ill effect they would have had on my body."

He broke off as our food arrived. We started eating and he continued. For a spirit he had a healthy appetite. "I sometimes wish that my library and laboratory would not have been destroyed, but I understand why Hecate did it." When Arianna asked him what he remembered of the ritual he smiled. "I remember few of the details of the ritual itself, as the book shows. Hecate removed the memories from my mind to prevent me writing it down and teaching it to others. She said anyone who wants to know will have to prove their worth by doing the research almost from scratch, the same as I did."

I looked up from my meal. "What was it like, Telemon? Being in the presence of a goddess?"

"It was amazing," Telemon said. "Never before or since have I felt such raw power from a being. I have dealt with some powerful entities in the last two millennia but still none compare to Hecate on that day." He laughed quietly. "Of course I have made it a point to avoid any more deities if at all possible since then as well."

The rest of the meal passed with just small talk and, as we finished, Telemon rose. "I will see you both tomorrow morning at the Chapter house at nine." I shook his hand and Arianna hugged him again and we headed outside. Alan was waiting with the car and took us back to the hotel.

I called Akiro from the car to see how things were there. He gave me his typically stoic report. He said that all was looking good at the Villa and no vampire attacks had been made. He said that he sent Bobby and Dreux to investigate the information Robert and Kimiko brought and that it had been proven to be correct. He said that He and Keio were getting to know their nephew and getting reacquainted with their long lost sister, but that it would take time. I told him that I would call tomorrow and hung up the phone.

Alan pulled up to the hotel and Arianna and I got out of the car. She pressed herself against my side and, with our arms snugly around each other, we walked inside. We stepped into the elevator when it arrived and she spun around to kiss me hungrily before the elevator doors even closed behind us. I slid my arms around her waist to pull her even closer to me as her tongue stabbed into my mouth.

She reached down between us and unzipped my pants, sliding her hand into them searchingly. I let out a soft moan as her slim fingers wrapped around my cock and pulled her closer to me. I was vaguely aware that there were cameras in the elevator and, with a quick gesture, cast an illusion spell on us to make it look like she had broken the kiss and moved back to my side. She did break the kiss then, looking at me and mouthing "Illusion?" When I nodded she grinned and mouthed, "Good."

I almost regretted the spell as she pulled my cock out of my pants and began stroking its thick length, her fingers soft and warm against it. The elevator reached our floor and we left the elevator. Arianna took advantage of the illusion spell to keep stroking me as we walked down the hall. The strain of maintaining the illusion while Arianna stroked me made it difficult to focus but finally we reached our suite and I unlocked the door with the cardkey.

As soon as we stepped out of sight into the room I dropped the illusion of her walking along beside me. The door hadn't even shut good before she dropped the appearance of wearing any clothes and stood before me nude. As I stepped towards her she gave my cock another light caress and disappeared, her laughter the only thing lingering behind. I laughed myself and switched to astral perception, following her track into her bedroom. 

I walked that way, switching back to normal sight, blinking my eyes a few times to clear out the afterimages. I saw her on the bed as soon as I opened the door. "Hey! No fair, Tre." She said just as she shimmered and disappeared into the astral again herself. I left her bedroom door open and turned towards my own bedroom tugging my shirt off and, as I stepped into my room, surprisingly empty, then my pants. I flopped down on the bed and turned to look at the door, grinning as I cast another illusion.

This illusion brought a false me, including astral presence, into being and sent it walking towards the only remaining room in the suite, the bathroom. Another illusion made me invisible and I masked my aura to hide me from her. As the illusionary me opened the bathroom door with another spell, I saw her shimmering into being in my bedroom. I chuckled and let the spells drop and instead wove one around her to keep her from popping out into astral space again.

She spun around, her eyes going wide as she saw me. "Damn it, Tre that was just plain dirty. I should have expected that." I chuckled and saw by the look in her eyes that she possibly -did- expect it but had to protest since I had caught her.

"Now Arianna, you know that here there is a limited number of rooms you could go to. It was just a process of elimination." I laughed and she just shrugged.

"So what are you going to do with me now?" She asked smiling. She raised her arms slightly and began to walk towards the bed. I watched her as she stalked slowly around the bed, my eyes following her every movement, roaming slowly up and down her body. With a grin she crawled into the bed moving over to kiss me hungrily before beginning to kiss her way slowly downward.

She made her way down my neck and across my chest and slowly over my stomach. Finally I felt her tongue flick across the head of my cock and I moaned softly. Before I could say a word she had lifted one slender thigh and straddled my head. I had a perfect view of her delicious pussy and I didn't need to be extended a second invitation. I rose up and dragged my tongue up and down her wet slit. My chin rubbed against her clit as I slid my tongue ever deeper into her, finally spearing it into her slick depths.

She replied with a moan and wrapped my cock in her hot mouth. She started running her mouth up and down my thick shaft. She rocked back onto my tongue as I fucked her mouth, my hips bucking up to meet her head's almost frantic bobbing. 

After mere moments her body jerked and she came, my tongue lapping at her hot pussy greedily. I moved one hand to her soft breast and teased her hard nipple as the other hand slid between my chin and her pelvis to rub her clit back and forth with my thumb. I circled the pink tip of her clit with the pad of my thumb, strumming it back and forth with a steady swift pressure.

Her moans were muffled by my cock between her lips as she came again and I added my moans to hers as her sounds of pleasure vibrated my hard cock as her mouth slid up and down its turgid length. As soon as her body quit shaking she moved her hips, without taking her mouth from my cock, and turned around before slowly letting my shaft slip from between her lips. She moved up and straddled my hips, one hand guiding my hardness to her glistening entrance.

She barely paused before dropping fully onto my hard shaft. We both moaned in pleasure as I sank fully into her gripping depths as our hips met. She ground her hips against mine, seating my cock deep within her hot pussy. She began to ride up and down, sliding herself along my thick shaft, driving her hips down against mine, slowly at first then faster and harder. We both moaned loudly as she drove me into her again and again.

I gripped her hips and arched my back to thrust up to meet her as she slammed downward. Our bodies met again and again, my hard rod driving deep into her sweltering depths with each savage meeting of our hips. As she drove down onto me I gripped her hips and pushed up off of the bed, flipping her to her back beneath me. She laughed and wrapped her arms around my shoulders and I began to slow down the pace.

I slowly rocked back and forth lowering my weight to my forearms, sliding my cock in and out of her in long slow motions. The change in sensation was pleasing to both of us and within a few strokes she was clutching my back, her nails digging in as she came. I kept up my long slow thrusts into her gripping center, rocking steadily back and forth into her. My cock throbbed against her clenching inner walls as she gasped and shook with pleasure.

I leaned down and nibbled her neck lightly, still thrusting slow and steady into her. As her moans began to increase again I felt my own pleasure rising and began to thrust faster into her. I pulled almost out of her tight tunnel before pushing fully back in, each meeting of our hips drawing a soft moan of pleasure. 

Again and again I drove into her slick heat, each powering thrust bringing me closer to my impending explosion. As my orgasm drew ever closer I stopped, drawing a low moan of protest from Arianna. I pulled back from her, my cock sliding from her tightness slowly. Without a word from me she rolled over and raised to her knees and, as I leaned back putting my hands on the bed, she guided herself back towards my hard rod.

As she guided the head into her tightness I felt a slight surge of the power and, as she pushed herself backwards and impaled herself on my cock with a moan of pleasure, Arianna disappeared. What was almost as upsetting is that my cock, buried fully within her, disappeared too. I knew she was still there because I felt her tight pussy gripping my cock and I knew the rigid shaft was going somewhere as it disappeared from view.

I laughed after a moment as I felt her sliding back and forth along my cock, watching it disappear and reappear as it went in and out of her gripping depths and knew she had wrapped herself in an invisibility spell. My cock disappeared with each meeting of our hips even though it would seem that I should be able to see my cock as it pistoned into her. This wasn't so because her body was invisible and my cock was actually disappearing into her invisible body.

I arched my back and thrust into her as she drove back against me. We pushed ourselves together faster and faster, her moans growing louder as my cock rubbed against her clit with each arching thrust. She finally shuddered once more and, as she gasped and moaned in pleasure, I felt my cock pulsing, the hard shaft sending stream after stream of my hot sticky cum deep into her slick clenching depths.

She pushed back hard against me and I rose up, gripping her hips tightly as my cock emptied itself fully inside of her. She rose up and pressed her lips tight to mine. As I returned her kiss her tongue speared into my mouth. We collapsed back on the bed kissing and caressing until I fell asleep. 

As I felt myself drifting off to sleep I noticed a shifting in the weight in the bed and then heard the door to the room opening and closing. Somewhere in the back of my mind I noted that she was sitting down in the main room watching TV. I didn't pay much attention to it as sleep grabbed me about that time and dragged me into the world of dreams. My dreams that night were haunted on all sides by a crooked smile, flashing green eyes, and, oddly enough, memories of a Hunter I once knew here in New York.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 09



The next morning we got up and got ready to go to the Chapter house. When we arrived we put on our ID badges and made our way up to the top floor. We walked up to the door and as I reached to knock I felt a stirring of the power inside and the door opened. I gestured Arianna to precede me and stepped inside after her, another quick pulse of the power pushing the door closed.

"Welcome and good morning." Telemon said walking around his desk and gesturing us to some chairs at a large table. "I have Dana bringing coffee and some breakfast from a diner down the street. Their lunch is only so-so but their breakfast is excellent." We sat down at the table and Telemon took a seat on the side opposite us.

We spoke about nothing in particular until a knock at the door interrupted. Telemon called "Come", and the door opened. A young brunette stepped inside with a tray holding a pot and 3 steaming cups, coffee by the smell, and several bags. She walked over and set the tray down in the center of the table and, without a word, turned and left. Telemon said "Dig in, you two" and led by example, pouring the contents of the bags out, revealing croissants and biscuits of assorted kinds.

"I knew that some spirits enjoyed eating, but you seem to take it to an extreme, Telemon." I said with a laugh as I grabbed a cup of coffee and a ham and cheese biscuit.

He laughed and took a bite out of a biscuit. "Yes, but remember, I was once human. Now I can eat just for the pleasure of eating. And I take advantage of that every chance that I get. So I eat only the best tasting food I can find."

As we ate breakfast I filled him in on the situation that Heidi and Tomas had told me about in Green Bay with one of the Orders mages. Telemon listened as he ate and then nodded and told me that that was one of the reasons that he was in the States to begin with. Bob had apparently missed several meetings with one of the Inner Circle and finally a couple with Telemon and he wanted to know why. He promised to pass that information along as his preliminary report before investigating further.

Once we were down to the coffee I felt a surge of the power and Telemon said, "Now the room is warded against listening. We can get down to business." I nodded and poured myself and Arianna another cup of coffee.

"Tre, your searches into those kinds of spells worry some of the Inner Circle members, me included. Information about that kind of magic is kept out of the open databases for a reason. Those spells are among the worst kind to use. Many of the older mages know about this kind of magic but they do not use it."

I looked confused and interjected. "But I don't understand what is so wrong with them. I mean, Arianna explained some of it to me but I still don't see the issue. I used a spell to drain a vampire's life and convert it to magical energy to power some other spells that I then used in defense of my life."

Telemon nodded a worried look on his face. "That in itself is enough to worry some of us, Tre. While Hecate is the goddess of all magic, the Order officially frowns on necromantic spells. And that spell of life-draining does, as you know falls into that category. You drained the life from another creature." As I started to protest he held up a hand to stop me. "Yes that creature was 'only' a vampire, but it doesn't matter. Many among the Circle consider that a vampiric act as well. You drained another creature's life to give yourself power. That is the same thing that vampires do."

"Also," He continued. "The... connection... that the 'dark essence' of a vampire gives you with a new form of energy leaves a taint on your aura and marks you as a possible target for demons and evil spirits."

"A taint on my aura? What do you mean?" 

"The use of that energy, dark energy as it is simply called, stains your aura. It mostly goes away in time but there is always that 'stain'." His eyes lost focus for a moment as they moved over me and I knew he was looking at me astrally. His gaze paused at my left hand and lingered there before snapping back into focus. "Yes, it is definitely there. It is faded but noticeable." 

I held up my left hand and switched to the astral to look at it and could tell Arianna was doing the same. All I could see is the normal glow of a human since I masked my aura to hide the fact that I was a mage. Finally Arianna pointed to my left middle finger. "There it is, Tre. A slightly darker discolored patch." I looked and could barely make it out.

"As you use more of that energy, be it from life drained from vampires or just finding a way to tap into the dark energy without that assistance, the stain on your aura will grow ever larger. Once it gets where it is obvious, the darker entities, demons and evil spirits and the like, will begin hounding you."

"Why will they want me? Surely most of them know by now that I will have nothing to do with them." I said shifting back from the astral.

"Because, Tre, you will have a connection, an obvious connection, to the power they thrive on. They will not need to corrupt you because you will already be tainted. That taint will give them the inroad into your body that they need. They will use it to get in and either take over your body for their use, which is most likely, or to use you as a pawn to increase their power."

Arianna spoke up quietly. "Telemon, I did not see any 'marks' of an evil power on him. How is it that he could even touch that energy, much less manipulate it? He said after he drained the essence he felt 'queasy', but I have seen people drain vampires of their energy and be deathly sick for days."

Telemon nodded and looked at her. "I don't see any signs of him being marked either. I have looked closely several times since you got here and have yet to spot one in his aura. That taint is too small and faded to be a mark." He looked over at me. "She is right, Tre. Without some kind of connection to it you shouldn't be able to use dark energy. It would either be just untouchable, as it is with most people, or too damaging to use."

"What do you mean a 'connection'? You mean like a sprit connection or something like that?" I asked, growing more confused by the moment.

"It can be a spirit, or demon or some other entity. It can also be something as unexpected as a focus made by someone that used it or a spell book containing the spells or some other magical item that seems harmless. All of these things can open the access to that dark energy. All of these things also leave a definable mark on you as well. Did you find these spells in a book in your library? I know you have found many that have not been catalogued for the Order's libraries."

I shook my head. "No, as I told Arianna when she got onto me for using them, the spells to use the energy just came to mind out of the blue. I had come up with the draining spell beforehand, but the others just popped into my mind."

Telemon nodded thoughtfully. "I see. That is interesting of itself. I have seen people able to substitute one form of energy for another, sound for fire or lightning for water or whatever, but I have never heard of anyone being able to replace any of them with dark energy. As I have said before, the dark energy is near untouchable. So being able to replace them on the fly like that is surprising. I knew you had both power and skill but I don't think even you have fully comprehended what you're capable of." 

He stopped to think for a moment, and then continued. "I remember your testing, Tre. I remember the notes taken on your potential. I remember my personal notes on your potential. I would like to run you through another evaluation testing. I have a good idea what I will find, but I want to be sure."

I looked from him to Arianna and back to him in confusion then shrugged. "Sure, I guess. When do you want to do it?"

He looked at his watch and frowned. "I have a steady round of meetings all day today. How about we do it tomorrow morning?"

I nodded. "That will be fine. Will it be like the original testing, just come prepared for everything?"

"Yes, Tre, it will be just like the original testing. You will need to be ready to draw on all of the power that you can unaided as well as show pinpoint control of your spells. Various other surprises will be included as well, just as they were before. There will be no repercussions if you fail; this is just for my enlightenment. Just as you are now more powerful than you were then, your test will also be suitably more difficult."

I took a deep breath and nodded. "I will be ready Telemon. I have the majority of my library loaded onto a pocket PC and can study tonight and prepare myself."

Telemon looked surprised. "A single day to prepare for a testing? Most mages, even powerful ones, like at least three days and nights to ready themselves fully."

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, but few of them live the constant battle that I do. They need the time to study and prepare. I have to be prepared all of the time." Chuckling I added, "I honestly think I could do the testing now and pass."

"Very well. Tomorrow it is." He rose and extended his hand which I shook. "I have to get to these meetings or Dana will start yelling at me." We shared a laugh at that and he walked Arianna and Me to the door. "See you tomorrow, Tre." He looked at Arianna. "You may come to the testing, but if you do you will not be allowed to interfere in any way."

She nodded. "Of course, Telemon. I would like to watch it. I have never seen a testing before. Only read Tre's notes on his testing over his shoulder when he wasn't paying attention." She smiled and we headed back to the hotel.

I broke out the pocket PC and my laptop and began studying as soon as we got back to the hotel. I thought back to my original testing and studied the same things for the most part, merely on a larger scale. I knew that I would not be allowed any focuses, either to increase my power or to help me with specific spells, during the test so I just practiced, drawing as much of the power as I could, releasing mana bolts, invisible to those who could not see the astral, into the sky. There was some danger of a mage or spirit seeing the astral light show but I was not too worried.

I went to sleep early that night, tired from studying and practicing and intending to rest fully for the testing. The next morning a worried-looking Arianna and I arrived at the Chapter house and were shown to a large room in the basement. I could see the telltale signs of observation rooms behind the mirrors and an array of mystical symbols along the floor, walls and ceiling. Arianna squeezed my hand reassuringly and made her way back to the door.

I walked around the room, studying the symbols curiously. Some of them seemed to be there to prevent the spirits summoned for the testing from escaping the room. Others seemed familiar to me but their composition was curious to me and I couldn't figure out what they were for. They seemed to be designed to generate a mana-less environment but were subtly different than what I had seen during my first testing.

Telemon's voice on a set of hidden speakers in the room snapped me out of my investigation. "Tre, this will be just like the original testing. You will first draw on all of the power you can for the testing spell to give us a gauge of your power. Then we will test on your control, your focus, your ability with spirits, both summoning and banishing. Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head. "No, sir. I am ready." I began to breathe slow and deep, focusing myself for the testing, my mind and body both relaxing and tensing in anticipation.

"Very good. Then begin." At Telemon's order I drew heavily on the mana, keeping my eyes closed, feeling the surge of power rushing through me as I called to mind the spell the Order had created, most likely by Telemon himself, to test a mage's power. It had only one use and so it was just called the 'Testing Spell'. It would produce a bright aura of color surrounding me when it was done, the color of the aura showing the strength of the magic producing it. It wouldn't affect the rest of the testing because it caused little to no drain.

I kept drawing on my power, quickly drawing all of it that I could and focused it into the spell, a bright flash of light showing even through my closed eyes. I opened them in time to see the corona of light surrounding me beginning to fade down through the blue of the spectrum and going ever lower. I was surprised as previously my best had only produced a bright green on the scale. "Very good, Tre. Get ready for the next part of the test." I thought I heard a bit of surprise in Telemon's voice as well but it disappeared so quickly that I wasn't sure if I actually heard it or not.

Over the next several hours I was tested thoroughly. I countered spells that appeared out of nowhere. I disabled wards and created them. I fired spells through illusionary targets, some stationary some moving. I summoned spirits of various kinds and banished others that were summoned for the testing.

Finally I heard Telemon's voice over the speakers. "Prepare for the final phase of the testing, Tre. Good luck." I nodded wordlessly, covered with sweat and tired from the testing, even more so then during my original testing. I suspected that Telemon had been pushing the envelope between safety and curiosity a little.

"Beware." I blinked and looked around for the speaker before realizing that the voice had been in my head, a slippery thought sliding across my consciousness. I turned around and watched as a spirit began to shimmer into being. I took a chance and slipped to astral perception and groaned as I saw the power of the spirit.

I quickly began to draw on my power, focusing on the threads of the creatures summoning, trying to figure out how to unravel the 'knot' holding it on this plane. Unfortunately I focused too much on the threads and not enough on the creature itself and never saw the huge fist that slammed into my ribs and sent me sailing through the air snapping me out of astral perception.

Casting a spell to create a wall of air to slow my momentum and then lower me to the floor I took the time to look at the spirit. My ribs ached from the impact of the massive nine foot tall spirit's fist. I decided to see what its weaknesses were and began speed casting spells. I sent ball after bolt of magical energy at it. Lightning, fire, water, air, acid, sound, even pure mana were thrown at the spirit as it finally manifested itself fully on this plane.

The spirit roared as it rocked back under spell after spell. Breaking off my attacks I dodged as I saw it throw a fireball at me, one that quickly turned into a barrage of them, the spirit sending fireball after fireball flying towards me as I ran, muffled booms as they exploded sounding behind me. I felt the hair stand up on my arms and watched as the spirit sent a fireball one way and a lightning ball the other.

Unable to defend against both in time I quickly spun together a spell to protect me against fire. I dodged towards the fireball, feeling my body jerk from the impact of the lightning. Feeling the electricity coursing along my skin and through my body I screamed in pain. I felt the heat from the fireball but paid it no mind as I sent blasts of pure magical power back at the spirit. The spirit reeled back from my attack as I suddenly felt the last of the lightning play itself out. I returned the favor and sent a blast of lightning back at it, throwing a ball of acid behind it.

As the spells hit, the spirit also screamed a wordless shout of pain and anger. I saw the spirit turn its head towards me and felt the rumblings of the beginning of a sonic spell. I hastily erected a barrier against sonic energy just as the spirit unleashed its cone of sound. I felt the rumblings through my shield growing stronger as my barrier began to crumble under the assault. I drew on more power to shore up my defenses and quickly had to dive aside as a shaft of ice was sent hurtling my way. The sonic barrier collapsed as I dove but thankfully the spirit was ending its spell and the waves of pure sound only threw off the balance of my leap instead of shattering the bones of my lower legs and feet.

I landed heavily, groaning as my already bruised ribs absorbed more punishment. As I rolled and staggered to my feet I was rocked back towards the wall as I was hit with a shower of darts of pure mana. Again I screamed in pain, almost being spun around to face the wall as a fiery bolt slammed into my shoulder. I spun with the impact and sent a wave of fire surging from my left hand towards the spirit. The fire hit the spirit and I heard its cries of agony as the wave of fire spreading from my fingers washed over it. Before the spirit could react I began to send balls of lightning and acid alternately flying from my right hand at the spirit. I could smell the odor of its physical body burning begin to join the stench of my own damaged tissues as smoke began to rise from its charred body.

I saw my lightning surging over the spirits physical form and the acid splashing over it and, with an almost audible sigh of relief I let the wave of fire stop. I sent spells of fire and acid flying at the beast, drawing more roars of pain as my body began to shake with fatigue. Maintaining the wave of fire had taken its toll on my body, already tired from the rest of the testing. Looking at my hands as I sent spell after spell of elemental fire and acid at the creature I could see the bruising caused from the strain of the contest, blood vessels bursting beneath the skin. 

I could see that the creature was weakening under the elemental assault. The only problem was that, at the rate I was going, I was going to run out of steam long before it did. And when that happened it didn't look good for me. As I threw another blast of acid at the creature it was my bad luck to catch a fireball it had thrown at me. I don't mean that I got hit with it. I mean that I threw the acid and managed to catch its fireball right on my hand. 

I screamed in pain and almost blacked out as my entire hand and forearm were engulfed in flames. To buy myself time I cast two quick illusion spells. The first was a spell of chaos, overwhelming the spirits senses with a cloud of blinding sights, fierce odors and distracting sounds. As the spirit roared and began to flail at things that weren't there I cast the second spell. As the confusion spell settled in, the room was transformed and filled with shifting shapes and alternating pools of light and shadow.

While the spirit was distracted with my illusions I focused myself and cast a quick healing spell on my hand. As I watched, the flesh lost its charcoal look and began to resemble something vaguely human. I pushed some more power into the spell and saw a few drops of blood beginning to drip from my nose, a sure sign that I had started pushing my body to its physical limit.

I broke off the healing spell and, sparing a glance at the spirit, I began to draw on more of the power. I focused on the spell in my mind and began to shape it, pushing power into it, knowing that I would need the power to accomplish my goals. I ignored the increasing drops of blood from my nose as I continued to build the power, shaping it into the form of the spell I wanted. Finally I unleashed the power, the spell succeeding in wrapping the spirit in a crackling sheet of flame, igniting its physical body's very tissues, aided by its distraction.

The spirit again roared, a sound of anguished pain and anger. I slumped down to one knee, breathing hard. I ached with my entire being and I was shaking with sheer exhaustion. I looked back at the spirit, seeing it wrapping itself in a cloud of water to put out the fires and I groaned knowing the fight wasn't over yet. I forced myself to rise to my feet, struggling to focus my mind enough to let me choose a spell to end this quickly as the spirit, its entire body burned horribly, began to hurl spells at the images my spells were causing it to see. 




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 09



Again I heard that voice, quiet and definitely feminine, whispering into my mind, giving me an idea and telling me how to beat the spirit once and for all. I did my best to focus, drawing on my power as I let the chaos and confusion spells drop. I focused my mind on the spell the voice suggested, drawing on more and more power, heedless of the blood now running from my nose as the mana's drain on my body took more from me. I needed power for this spell. I needed lots and lots of power to end this struggle, regardless of the cost.

As I released the drawn up power, shaping the altered spell to form a fiery blast of acid that would envelope the spirit and finish it off, the spirit disappeared with a loud wailing sound. The symbols that I had identified earlier as preventing magic flared brightly, quickly going through red to painfully bright in appearance. My spell fizzled to nothing and, with the loss of the mana I had drawn, so did my ability to stand. I remember hitting the floor, the brightness of the symbols the last thing I saw before the darkness overtook me. 

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Telemon watched through the infirmary's glass as a couple of the Order's mages applied spells to Tre's unconscious form. A troubled look sat on his face and his mind was awhirl with what he had seen. His summoning for the testing had grown beyond his intentions. Everything he had done for the testing had been more powerful than he wanted. From the opening spells to the final entity he had summoned for Tre to battle.

He knew what had guided his actions. He had felt -Her- hand guiding him, her power augmenting his own. Arianna had been frantic. He closed his eyes and sighed as he remembered her reaction to the testing.

"Telemon! What are you doing?" Arianna had yelled as the spirit began to manifest itself. "A spirit of that force is too strong for him right now. He is drained. You're going to kill him!"

"Be quiet, Arianna!" He had snapped. He watched in amazement as the spirit had taken its shape and attacked Tre. He felt Arianna beginning to draw in her will and with a gesture of his hand had taken control of her body. He felt her struggle against his spell, a prisoner now in her own body as he forced her to sit and watch what was transpiring. "This has to happen. The testing has begun and he has to finish it"

She couldn't reply because of his control over her body but her eyes glared daggers at him. He had turned back to watch the events in the testing room. He had stared on in amazement watching the spell battle between the spirit and Tre. Several times he had started to end the battle to protect Tre and keep him from being harmed further. Each time he had begun to cast the spell to return the spirit to its home plane and end the spells in the room he had heard the voice of his goddess in his mind saying but one word, 'No'.

He had obeyed his goddess, of course, and watched on in growing horror as Tre's fatigue and injuries took their toll. He had watched as Tre began his elemental assault and followed it up with a pair of distracting illusions to buy himself time. As he had seen the blood begin to drip from Tre's nose as the drain took its toll he started to end the testing. Again he heard his goddess' voice. This time she had merely whispered 'wait' into his mind. 

Again he had obeyed his goddess, his hands jerking with impatience to end the testing. As he had watched he had picked up the telephone and called for a medical team to come to the training room and be ready to apply first aid and extensive emergency healing. He had watched in horror as Tre's aura had flared brilliantly as he began to cast his spell. He had heard Hecate's command 'now', and with a wave of his hand and a surge of his power, had banished the weakened spirit from this plane and activated the anti-magic wards he had strengthened last night.

His spell holding Arianna had shattered as a bolt of pain had surged through him from his nearly overloaded wardings. It had taken everything he had to remain standing as his vision blurred and his body tightened with pain. As his vision had cleared he saw Arianna rushing to Tre's side along with the medical team. He had waved off the mage who stopped to check on him, sending him in to help with Tre. 

He reached up to rub his temple with one hand, still feeling the residue of the pain that had shot through him when Tre's spell had nearly overloaded his protections. Suddenly the world around him blurred and he found himself standing in a small grove of trees surrounding a cave entrance. 

As he looked around, disoriented from the shift in his location he heard a voice. "You disapprove, my Acolyte?" He looked over as he saw a woman in a pure white dress and gray stola walking out of the cave. Her dark eyes fairly glowed with power and her long dark hair was braided and hanging down over her shoulder. 

He dropped to his knees in the presence of his goddess, the force radiating from her awing him even after over two millennia in her service. "No, my Lady. It is not my place to approve or disapprove of your actions. I merely do not understand them. I thought Tre was important to your plans. If that is so, why allow him to be injured as severely as he is?"

Hecate, goddess of magic from ancient times, smiled at her favorite acolyte, reaching out to caress his jaw lightly. "He must undergo the trials ahead if he is to reach his full potential. His mind, his body and his spirit will be tested in the time to come. And when he has come out of the cauldron he will be the perfect weapon."

Telemon looked up at his goddess. "You saw what happened at the end of his testing? You wanted that to happen?"

Shaking her head, Hecate smiled. "No, my friend, I did not -want- it to happen. I didn't want it to happen but I knew that it -had- to happen. For Tre to unleash the Power that resides within him his life had to be in danger. He had to be seriously threatened for him to tap into that which lies inside of him. The first part of the testing prepared him for what was coming. The spirit threatened him sufficiently that he was able to make the connection."

Confusion showed on Telemon's face. "Connection, Lady?"

"Yes, Telemon. Tre is now connected to the Power within him. Now that he has tapped into the Power within him once, it has been awakened and will grow. As it grows so will he." Hecate smiled to her acolyte. "When he has fully mastered the Power inside of him he will be enormously powerful."

"I worry at the cost to him though, Lady. Will he be able to withstand the trials that are sure to come at the same time as he tries to master what's inside of him?" Telemon looked at his goddess, as in awe of her now as he was when he first knelt at her feet.

"Do not worry about Tre, Telemon." Hecate smiled at him. "He will face the trials that this will bring on him and come through them exactly as I need him to. Strong and skilled and with knowledge the likes of which he has never dreamed of before."

Hecate's head tilted as Telemon looked up at her, almost as if she was listening to or watching something. "Return now to our charge, Telemon. Watch his recovery carefully and you will see that I am right." Before Telemon could say a word Hecate had waved her hand and, with another disorienting blurring of reality, he was back outside of the Chapter house infirmary.

He stood up and brushed his knees off, looking into the room. The last of the mages cast her spell on Tre and checked his vital signs before saying something quietly to Arianna. She then left the room and Telemon walked in.

Arianna looked up and her green eyes flared with anger. "You bastard! You nearly let him be killed in that damn testing of yours!"

Telemon took her ire stoically. "I know Arianna. I wish it had not happened, but it was necessary. I had to know. Unfortunately now I do."

"You had to know? What did you have to know? That you can summon a spirit after he is already weak that can kill him? Or summon one that is strong enough that he will kill himself to defeat? What did you have to know?" Arianna's voice was quiet, but her anger sizzled with every word. "The Telemon that I knew, that Diotimus knew would never have allowed that. I'm sad to say that I don't know you after all."

Telemon sighed and accepted her words. "That may be true. The Telemon that you and your summoner, my master, knew over two thousand years ago would not have done what I did. But you do know me, Arianna. And as for what I had to know... I had to know if Tre had the power inside of him that he will need. Now I know that he does. I know he does and I know to keep my eyes on him from now on. His progress with magic will go even greater now that he has been pushed like this. Trust me, Arianna; I heard it from the goddess herself."

Arianna's jaw dropped. "You spoke with the Lady of the Crossroads? When? What did she say?"

Telemon shook his head and raised a hand tiredly. "I spoke with Hecate just recently. As for what she said, I cannot go into it." He hated to tell this connection to his past anything less than the whole truth but he knew that she was not ready to hear what he had to say. "Believe me, Arianna. Tre will be fine. Hecate is watching him and I have been ordered to see to it that he gets constant healing. He will pull through this with no ill effects."

Arianna looked from Tre's unconscious self to Telemon looking skeptical. "I will take your word for it, Telemon. But you had better pray to your goddess that you're right. If he doesn't pull through you will need her to save you." She looked directly into his eyes. "You may have friends here, but so do I. And if he is harmed because of your actions I will be bringing them looking for you. And your Order will have one hell of a fight on its hands. That's a promise, Telemon. Now if you would excuse me, I would like some time with Tre alone."

As she turned away from him and sat back down in her seat, holding his bruised hand. Telemon turned away from the bed with a last look at Tre, walking quietly out of the room and made his way up to his office on the top floor of the Chapter house, his mind even more troubled by his talk with Hecate and then Arianna's uncharacteristic threats. 



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 10



Robert sat in the dark inner room that Chilo had given over for his mother's use to sleep in and waited on her to awaken from her daytime slumber. She had been out later than usual, barely beating the dawn back to the Villa. She had fallen immediately into a deep torpor as soon as she got into the room. He had been awake for about forty-five minutes, as was his habit, doing his kata.

His cell phone rang as he heard her stirring on the bed. He scooped it out of its holder and flipped it open looking at the number. He frowned slightly and answered it. "Hello?"

"Robert, this is Anita." He recognized the voice and sat up straighter at the worried tone in it. "They are going to attack tonight. A truck full of ghouls, maybe twenty or twenty-five, ten or fifteen vampires and about twenty of the Eclipses. None of the vampires or ghouls have guns but a few of the Eclipses do. The vampires and the rest of the Eclipses have swords and such."

"Anita," Robert cut in, breaking off her hurried talk. "How do you know all of this?"

Anita's southern accent grew stronger as she rushed. "I volunteered to join them when they asked for another mage. I'm coming to join you and your mother, Robert. I've got to go." With that she hung up.

Robert flipped the phone closed and looked at his mother. "We have to warn the others. Freyja's attack force is gathered and ready to come here." He reached down and grabbed his sword as he stood.

Kimiko rose and grabbed her coat, shrugging into it as they walked. They made their way through the house and out into the garden. She led Robert over to where her brothers sat playing a game of chess. She smiled at Keio who gave a half-smile back and walked over to Akiro. "Akiro, Robert says that the vampires are on their way to attack."

Silence fell in the garden at that announcement as everyone stopped what they were doing and walked over to gather around Robert and his mother. Akiro rose from the bench he was sitting on, looking at Robert. "How do you know that they are coming, Robert?"

Robert gestured to the cell phone hanging at his side. "A friend of mine, a fellow Sunchaser, called me just a few moments ago and told me." He went on to rehash the hurried conversation to Akiro and the others.

"How did she find out they are coming?" Tomas asked as he worked the slide on his pistol.

Robert looked over at him. "She volunteered to come with them." He raised a hand to forestall the protests that were visibly coming. "She is coming to escape Freyja's control. Apparently Freyja knows that my mother and I aren't coming back. Anita is a powerful mage and will be a valuable asset in the fight."

Jonathon spoke up over the others as Robert fell silent. "How do you know she can be trusted, Robert? How do you know that the vampires aren't using her as a trap?"

"Because I trust her. She has been with me for as long as I can remember and she would not lie to me." Robert looked around at the others quietly.

"Ok. That's enough." Akiro said. "Robert, if you trust her, we will too. But if you're wrong, she will go down like the rest of the vampires. Everybody get ready, if they were leaving a few minutes ago they will be here in less than forty-five minutes. We need to be ready in twenty minutes. Everybody meet back here when you're ready."

Robert stood beside his mother as everyone split off to go get their gear and get ready. He nodded at her glance and moved over to sit cross-legged, focusing his mind for the coming battle as she moved off to do the same.

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Kimiko watched as her son settled down to prepare himself for the battle. She smiled proudly for a moment before walking over to a small corner of the garden and lowering herself to kneel. She bowed her head to the ground in front of a distinctively Japanese symbol, a torii gate consisting of two uprights and two crossbars. This gate symbolizes the barrier between the physical world and the world of the kami.

She reached over to a fountain designed to look like a waterfall. Taking a small dipper from beside the fountain she dipped it into the water and began purifying herself ritually in preparation for the upcoming fight. She knew she would perform many kegare, wrong deeds, today in the killing of living beings to continue her own life and wanted to be as pure as possible to aid in her calling on the kami's power.

Reaching up to touch the medallion at her neck she called softly "Masuri, come to me." She felt rather than saw the presence of her ally spirit and smiled to herself. At the reassuring touch of her ally's mind to her own she began to speak using the telepathic link between them. "I will need you in a little while, Masuri. We are going into a battle soon and you're going to have to protect me. Robert will be too busy fighting to stay beside me as he wants, so for his peace of mind you will be my protector."


She felt what passed for a nod from her ally and smiled, settling back down in front of the torii gate to pray. She focused her mind repeating the prayers that were taught to her as a child in the Shinto temple where she first made contact with the kami. She smiled remembering the feeling she had in the presence of the kami of the temple school where she was trained as a kannushi, or Shinto priest.

Kimiko knew she had much to atone for with the kami, both in general and more specifically with her ancestor spirits. She also knew that this was the first step in beginning that atonement or purification. There were many people she had killed over the years during her feeding that she had not shown the proper reverence for their sacrifice to help her continue her life. Many of these had turned into aragami, powerful evil kami in search of revenge. Some she had already destroyed, mourning the necessity of each one, while others she had not met again. She knew they were out there though, just waiting for her.

She shook her head, banishing the thoughts of her kegare from her mind and once more began to focus herself on the task to come. The battle ahead would require all of her concentration, forcing her to maintain the harmony with the kami from which her magic flowed. As she repeated her prayers over and over she felt the calm of the kami settle around her and it was all she could do to keep a smile from her face. She was ready for what was to come.

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Bobby, Jonathon, Dreux and Dave sat in the room used as the Villa's armory gathering their weapons for the attack. Akiro stuck his head in the door and looked around a moment. "Remember Tre has neighbors around here. They may not be exactly close, but at night the sounds of a gunfight will carry far enough. Silenced weapons only."

Bobby and Jonathon both nodded silently and reached into their lockers. They both grabbed HK MP5s with silencers, running the weapons through a quick inspection before grabbing a half dozen clips of ammunition each, tucking them into pockets on belts and strapping the belts around their waists. They then grabbed a thirty-round clip each and slid it into the weapon and worked the bolts.

Dave watched them for a moment then slid into his chain mail hauberk. He rolled his shoulders to adjust the way it hung on him and grabbed his Roman-style short swords, slinging them on his back and hooking the straps to his belt. He checked the draw on each gladius and then buckled his seax, a match to the one Jonathon carried, around his waist. With another roll of his shoulders he reached into his footlocker and pulled out a chain mail hood. He pulled it on over his head and quickly worked the leather laces to fasten it around his neck, protecting it from bites, and turned his head from side to side to make sure he had a full range of motion.

As Bobby and Jonathon loaded their side arms, Beretta 93R 9mm pistols modified with integral silencers and offering a choice between single shot and 3 round burst rates of fire, with the 20 round magazines and tucked more into the utility pockets on their belts, Dreux changed into his fighting outfit. Basically this consisted of stripping down to his birthday suit and then covering himself in a breechclout, tying a cord loosely around his waist and then hanging a strip of cloth over the back of it, bringing it between his legs and hanging it over the front.

"C'mon, man. Put some clothes on, mate." Dave protested as he pulled on his boots and tied the laces securely. "Nobody wants to look at you in your underwear."

"Why should I put on clothes?" Dreux replied, grinning. "As soon as I change anything I am wearing will be shredded for the most part. At least this way I'm covered until I change and the loose knot will come apart when my body gets too big for it to fit around and it won't cut me in half." He shrugged and grabbed his spiked club from the corner near his footlocker. He hefted it for a moment and then, as Dave kept grumbling, pulled a cloak-like piece of cloth around his shoulders, fastening it with a small stainless steel pin in the shape of a bear. "Happy now, Dave?"

Dave didn't answer him, simply kept grumbling and headed for the door. Dreux laughed as did Bobby and Jonathon and the four of them headed out of the armory, making their way back to the garden, talking quietly amongst themselves, each feeling the rush of the coming battle.

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Heidi watched as Tomas checked his gear. She could feel the power all around her as Tomas checked the silencer on his MP7-PDW before sliding a magazine into it. He slung the submachine gun on his left side, checking to be sure the handle on the front wouldn't snag and tucked a double handful of magazines into his coat pockets. She laughed as he held out a hand, a magical wind carrying his staff, a navel-high tall piece of wood slightly thicker than a cane, carved with runes and topped with a large fist sized crystal, into it. "You're a showoff, Tomas. I could have done the same thing and expended less energy."

Tomas turned around to face her, his coat fluttering about his knees. "You probably could have, but you wouldn't have looked as good doing it as I do." He grinned his cocky grin at her.

She shook her head, her long hair rustling on her clothes. "You're incorrigible, Tomas. You really are." She looked to the door a bit nervously. "How do you think they will react to how I... um... dress during a fight? I can't exactly wear normal clothes because of the heat my magic produces. It burns them right off of me. It is a great protection against everything from knives to small caliber bullets, but it is hell on clothes."

Tomas checked the focuses hanging on his coat, glancing over at her. "Can you maintain the flames and still use your magic or will the drain become too much? Losing your protection mid-fight would be bad, Heidi."

"No," she said reaching to her neck and lifting a pendant, "this is the spell lock that will maintain the fiery clothes. It is also the spell focus that makes it easier to cast. I will just cover up in a coat until it is time to fight, then throw the coat off and cast the spell at the same time. The drain will be minimal and I can shrug it off."

Tomas looked skeptical for a moment but the determined look on her face convinced him and he nodded. "Ok. I don't know if I'll be able to be close by during the fight, so you watch out for yourself."

Heidi laughed. "I will be fine, Tomas. The heat my body produces when I am using my magic is more than enough protection. The stronger the magic, the greater the heat. I'm one of the strongest Sisters of the Flame. I can call up fire elementals at will and burn holes in concrete walls almost without breaking a sweat. A few vampires and ghouls are not going to hurt me." 

She smiled as she thought back to when her powers began to manifest themselves. She hid the sigh as she thought of the unexplained fires she was punished for starting. No one knew she was doing it with magic. It was assumed that she was playing with matches or a lighter and started them. Then one day a teacher saw her get into a fight with someone that was picking on a friend of hers just before the bully's shoes and pants caught on fire from a stream of elemental flame bursting from her fingertips.

Even the bully didn't see where the fire came from but the teacher, a scholar dating one of the Sisters of the Flame, took her and, once he had put the fire out, called his girlfriend. By the end of the week she had been transferred to a private school run by the Sisters. At this school she continued both her mundane education and began to be trained in the ways of the Sisterhood. With her fiery personality she learned quickly, soon becoming the prime student of the school in both mundane and magical areas.

She was snapped out of her remembrances by Tomas. "Heidi, come on. Let's head on back out to the garden. I'll wait outside while you get... undressed for the fight." He laughed and stepped out the door and pulled it closed.

Heidi stood up and quickly stripped nude. She changed her mind about the coat and instead just cast an illusion of one around herself. She fixed the lock as her pendant knowing that as soon as she used it for another spell the illusion would fade. She wasn't worried though because by the time the illusion faded she would be covered in flames.

She stepped out into the hall with Tomas and they headed back out to the garden. She punched him in the shoulder as she heard his murmured "Decided to go with just an illusion instead of the coat eh? It suits you" and just kept walking, not deigning to answer him, just shaking her head at him with a smile.

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Keio finished lacing up his ornate armor, a full set of samurai armor that his father had commissioned, part of a set, one for him in red with black lacing and highlights and one for Akiro in black with red lacing and highlights. He checked the throat piece, or nodawa, carefully before sliding his katanas onto his hips, adjusting the fit of them and testing the draw by pulling each half out of the scabbard.

Akiro knelt in front of the small shrine the brothers maintained in their shared quarters. He prayed to their ancestors to keep them safe and for their deeds to be worthy of the Tanaka name and to uphold the honor of the Way of the Warrior that they lived. He heard his brother moving around in the room as he finished getting ready and spoke quietly. "You always were slow getting into your armor, Keio. You should work on that as much as you do your sword skills."

Keio laughed as he tucked his wakizashi into his belt and walked over to the small shrine and knelt down beside his brother. "Yes and you always did rush to get ready in the hopes that one day you could best me with a sword."

At that joke, one that had been passed back and forth for years, the brothers laughed and settled down to their prayers. Both knew that in the short run Keio was the better swordsman but that if the eldest Tanaka could withstand the younger's assault he would find a weak point, any weak point, to exploit and defeat his more impulsive brother. It had been that way since they were kids and not much had changed.

Both men were well known as being sword masters. Akiro's skill with his no-dachi was unrivalled except possibly by Tre though they had not exercised together in quite some time. Keio's twin katana fighting style made him a sword master of a different sort, one who still wanted to prove that he was better than Tre after the defeat years before after he challenged for his sister's honor.

An awkward silence fell as they reached the point in their prayers where they normally offered respect for their sister. Neither really knew what to do since it was now revealed that Kimiko was not actually dead and so they cut their prayers short. Each grabbed their kabuto helm, Akiro's with the curling rams horns and Keio's having a rising sun crest, and the identical face plates with representations of oni, demons from Japanese mythology, faces. Each had three eyes and fangs and was painted to match the colors of their armor, red with black for Keio and black with red for Akiro.

Akiro stood up from his devotions and walked to the door, waiting for Keio with an amused smile. Keio finished his prayers and hurried to his brother's side, the two of them slipping out the door and heading through the Villa for the garden. Neither spoke during the walk. Their minds were focused on the events about to transpire around them.

When they stepped out into the darkened garden everyone else had already gathered. Akiro looked around seeing Kimiko still knelt down in front of the torii gate that Tre had copied in miniature from the one at the Tanaka home in Japan. Robert looked over as Akiro stepped out of the Villa and rose, walking over and resting his hand on his mother's shoulder. After a moment she looked up at him and then turned, smiling at her brothers. She rose and walked over to where the others were gathered, standing a few feet away from Keio with Robert at her side.

"I hope everyone is ready." He paused and looked around, seeing everyone ready to spring into action, some murmuring their readiness and nodding. "I don't know how long we have until they are here but I want us ready to move to wherever they come from."

Bobby spoke up, pointing to the southwest. "They will probably come from there, Akiro. That's where the woods are closest to the house. More cover over that way. We added a few surprises to the woods but because of wild animals we couldn't do much. It should serve to warn us though if they are coming."

Akiro nodded thoughtfully. "It will have to do. I wish I knew where Tre was. I'm used to running second-in-command, not being the general." 

As he mentioned that he wished he knew where Tre was a shimmering appeared in the air in front of him. As he reached for his sword Arianna appeared looking directly at him, an upset look in her eyes. "What is going on Akiro? Chilo sent a messenger spirit to me in New York to tell me that something was going on but the spirit couldn't give me many details, just a basic message."

Keio spoke up, his hands resting on his katana hilts. "Where is Tre? Is he coming back to help out?"

Arianna shook her head, a worried look crossing her face. "No, Tre will not be here. He is in the Order Chapter house unconscious."

Tomas, Keio and Dave all spoke up at the same time wanting to know what had happened but Akiro silenced them with a wave of his hand. "Enough!" He looked at Arianna angrily, taking a step towards her. Kimiko stepped forward to intercept her brother but both Robert and Keio reached for an arm to stop her. "What do you mean Tre is unconscious? What happened to him?"

Arianna looked around and nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself as she remembered the events of yesterday. "The Order wanted him to undergo a testing to check him for something, I'm not sure what. During the testing he was pushed harder than I have ever heard of someone being pushed during a test. He had strong spells, deadly spells, thrown at him; he had to defeat spirits of varying powers in various ways. Then came the final test."

Keio listened with a growing feeling of rage as she continued. "He had to battle a spirit. A stronger spirit than any other I have seen. This spirit was only a step or two away from being demon-strength. He managed to defeat the spirit but he was seriously injured in the process. He was burned, electrocuted, hit with acid not to mention taking a tree limb sized arm to the ribs. He also took a LOT of mana burn. During the battle with the spirit his nose started bleeding. It was just a drip at first, but at the end, before he passed out, it was a steady flow."

"And you stood there and LET this happen?" Akiro snapped.




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 10



Arianna looked back at him, meeting his eyes steadily, a look of pure anger flashing in her green eyes. "No! Absolutely not! I TRIED to help him, Akiro. Telemon wrapped me in a spell and I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. I tried and all I could do was watch as this spirit mauled Tre and he nearly killed himself trying to defend himself."

Keio scowled, growling "then I will have to go and have a talk with Telemon when this is over" before Akiro cut him off with another sharp movement of his hand. The younger Tanaka brother broke off, Kimiko leaning over to whisper quietly in his ear.

Arianna looked at Keio and Kimiko, an unreadable expression crossing her face as she saw Kimiko. "Please don't do that. It would only start trouble within the Order and Tre is not going to need any trouble for a while. He will need to rest and recover for a while. Please."

Kimiko finished speaking with Keio and looked at Arianna as she spoke to Akiro. A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she realized that this powerful spirit was in love with a human. Masuri, a reassuring presence behind her, spoke to her through the link they have. "The spirit has been around humans too long. She is beginning to love one of them." She sent Masuri an acknowledgement, keeping her face impassive as she watched Arianna in surprise.

Akiro reluctantly nodded. "Very well, Arianna, I will wait and talk with Tre before I do anything. Right now I have to prepare for the attack that's coming. Will you be able to stay and help?"

Arianna shook her head. "No, I have to get back to Tre. He will need me." She looked around at the Sun Swords, her eyes flashing slightly as they passed over Kimiko and Robert. Her glance flicked up at the spirit behind Kimiko before moving back to Akiro. "You have enough people here to defend the Villa. The wards will help you with that. I have to go. I don't want Tre to wake up and I'm not there."

Akiro started to speak but she faded into nothingness and disappeared again. He cussed quietly in Japanese and looked around. "Ok. Looks like it's just us then. We all know what is about to happen. We have mostly all fought vampires before. Most of us have fought humans. The ghouls are the only variable. Robert, do you know what all they are bringing with them?"

Robert shrugged. "I don't know for sure. There will be some mages with them. I know that because they asked for volunteers from the mages among the Sunchasers. The woman that told me they were coming is one of them. I don't want her hurt. She's coming to join us here."

Akiro nodded thoughtfully. "I can't promise anything, Robert. But I will try." He looked around at the others. "So we are going to have mages, vampires, dhampir and ghouls. The mages will probably have spirits and the like with them." He looked around thinking. "Let's get ready. They will be here any time. You all know what to do, get to it."

As everyone rose and began to split up to head outside, Heidi walked over to an unlit torch. With a gesture of her hand she lit it and began to focus her will to begin summoning fire elementals for the coming fight. She kept the strength of the spirits to a moderate level, preferring numbers to power. As the last elemental appeared in astral space she looked around, smiling at Tomas and nodding. "I'm ready. Let's get outside with the others."

Tomas nodded to her. "You bet." He cut off as a loud clang resonated through the Villa. "I think that means they are here. Come on." He turned and took off for the gardens exit. Heidi sent a mental command to the elementals to follow and hurried outside with Him.

As they got outside Dreux was pointing to a spot in the woods. "There they are. I can barely see them moving around. There's a lot of them out there though. I can see that much."

Bobby grabbed a small spotlight and began to point it into the woods but Akiro stopped him. "No. Let's wait a few minutes. They don't know that we have spotted them. Let them get closer and let the surprises Tre and Arianna cooked up for them go off. Then we can hit them." Bobby looked like he was about to argue but lowered the spotlight after a moment.

Tomas closed his eyes and slipped his vision into the astral as he looked out towards the woods. He quickly opened his eyes and looked at Akiro. "They are at the edges of the defensive wards. They have spirits with them. It also looks like there's a lower class demon or two. This is going to be tough."

Kimiko also slipped into the astral for a second to look around. As she opened her eyes she nodded to Akiro. "It's true. There are a few demons out there. Apparently Freyja sent at least three of her pet mages. She has only allowed a few of her mages to mess around with actual demons. She's kind of jealous of her power that way. Leave the mages to me." Her dark eyes flashed with something close to amusement. "That is my specialty after all."

"If you're going after the mages you'll need someone to watch your back." Her twin brother turned to look at her.

"No, Keio. You will all be busy with the vampires and ghouls. I can take care of the mages alone." She held a hand up as Robert opened her mouth to protest. "No, Robert, you're needed to help with the physical fight. Leave the mages to me. I have Masuri to watch my back. She will protect me almost as well as you can. Plus she can read my thoughts and react to them without me having to tell her what I want her to do. You have to use magic for that. She doesn't."

Robert looked like he was going to press the issue when Dave spoke up from the back of the group. "Wot the hell is a Masuri?" He looked around with a grin on his face. The grin lasted until, at a silent command from Kimiko, a trimly muscled humanoid figure appeared right in front of him. He reached for his sword before stopping, looking at the figure in surprise. It was female in appearance with short night black fur covering her body, what was visible of it from within the deep blue kimono she wore. Golden eyes glittering with an ancient intelligence gleamed from within a slender fox's head.

The spirit looked at Dave for a moment before turning and walking over to stand at Kimiko's side. She had a katana tucked into her kimono's sash along with a jitte on the other side. As she turned it was obvious that she had a tail, or more to the point, five tails sticking out through her kimono. Kimiko chuckled and put her hand on the spirit's shoulder lightly. "This is Masuri. She is my ally spirit, what some mages call a 'familiar'."

Keio looked at Masuri in wide eyed amazement. "That is a kitsune! Where did you find one of those?"

Kimiko laughed. "No, Keio, she is just a kami of nature that I summoned when I visited father's estate last. I didn't have the power to bind an actual kitsune spirit as an ally. I still don't think that I do. She has several different manifest forms, but she knows that this is the one I prefer and so she uses it unless I ask her to use something else."

Keio kept his eyes on the fox-headed spirit, still reasonably unconvinced that Masuri wasn't a kitsune. The ally spirit looked from Kimiko to him and smiled, a very human-like expression crossing her fox-like lips.

"They're coming," Tomas said, looking back out towards the forest with his astral perception. "It looks like the dhampirs and ghouls are leading the way while the vampires, spirits and demons try to find a way past the wards." He drew his submachine gun and checked the chamber, a similar sound coming from everybody carrying pistols.

"Everybody take your places. Bobby take the left flank. Jonathon, you take the right." Bobby and Jonathon turned and headed out to the low wall that was going to be their first line of defense. "Dreux you go with Bobby. Dave, you're with Jonathon. Heidi, Tomas, you two stay just right of here." As everyone turned to their places, Akiro looked at Kimiko and his nephew. "Kimiko, Robert, the two of you are the left-center. Keio and I are the center of the line." Robert nodded and moved to take his place, sliding his sword from its scabbard with a hiss of steel.

Kimiko stepped up and hugged her twin, kissing his cheek before doing the same to their elder brother. "Be careful, both of you. May the ancestors watch over you in this fight." She walked over to stand near Robert, her ally spirit moving soundlessly behind her, drawing her katana and jitte in preparation.

"Kimiko, you be careful too. Some of the surprises that Tre designed for the defense of the Villa are deadly to vampires." Keio spoke, moving to stand nearby pulling his helm on over his head and sliding the oni faceplate into place.

Akiro slid his kabuto into place and checked the faceplate as Kimiko answered. "I know. I heard rumors of some of them while trying to figure out how to contact him. Sunbursts or something of that nature I believe they were called. Something to do with sunlight, I know that much." As Keio acknowledged her statements with a nod she continued. "I'm ready for that. I don't have Freyja's tolerance for sun; she can take sunlight for about 5 minutes before it starts getting unbearably painful. I can take it for a few seconds before it becomes a distraction. In that time I can throw up a spell I made. I'll be fine, Keio. I promise."

Keio nodded, his voice sounding hollow behind the faceplate. "Ok, I'll take you at your word. I just wanted to warn you."

Kimiko smiled at him just as a deep gong sounded in the house. "They are through the outer wards." Akiro said. As he spoke bullets began to thud into the wall in front of them. Both of the Tanaka samurai drew their weapons and watched through the slits in the wall formed when bricks were removed for just that purpose.

On the ends of the line Bobby and Jonathon opened fire out at the coming attackers and Tomas switched to astral perception to target his shots. He saw his shots stagger what looked, by the aura, to be a ghoul but it didn't slow the creature much. "Dammit," he cussed to himself as he turned his MP7 towards a more susceptible target. "The ghouls can't be stopped with bullets. Save your ammunition and aim for the ones in the center! Those are the dhampirs."

Kimiko took a deep breath as the wards went down. She opened her eyes to the astral and saw the mages in the back of the vampire lines unleashing a series of spells. She quickly called to mind the spell she wanted and, murmuring the words of a prayer to the kami, released it. The spell blistered through astral space, meeting a pair of the inrushing spells with a flare of mystical energy. She shrugged off the drain of her counter spell with another prayer and saw a flaring from down the line to her right as a trio of fiery spears lanced out, each one catching an onrushing ghoul in the chest and exploding it into flames.

Heidi reveled in the feeling of her body wreathed in her fiery armor once again, her hair blowing in a hot wind no one else feels as her eyes glow with flames. She turned her head as Tomas threw out a counter spell just in time to keep a ball of acid from exploding on the wall in front of them. Two more spells splashed against the protective spells in front of the wall, lighting them up in the explosion of fire and lightning.

Robert didn't flinch away from the explosion of a lightning bolt the size of his leg against the spell wall in front of them. His mind was focused on one of his specialties. He sent his mind out to where he saw a demon moving towards them. Once He felt the connection made he began to exert his will against the demon's and its summoner. With a glance he saw which of the vampires had summoned the demon and sent a blast of dark ice followed by a ball of pure sonic power a second later. The vampire, distracted by the sudden immobility of the demon, took the blast of ice full to the chest, causing his torso to freeze solid, the sonic ball shattering the ice and the vampire, the unfrozen arms and legs simply falling to the ground. Quickly he wrapped the demon with a binding and returned it to its native plane before turning in search of another.

Tomas began to take up a role providing counter spell protection for the fighters, deflecting, defusing and sometimes reflecting the vampires' spells as they came soaring in. His MP7 jerked in his hand, the action of the bolt the only sound as he took potshots at the dhampir, making them keep their heads down and for the most part stopping their movement towards the wall. He could see the spirits moving along with the ghouls, but was leaving it to Heidi and the others to turn them back.

Akiro felt useless standing in the center of the line. He was able to see everything that went on but unable to do anything because he had focused his attentions on becoming a samurai and not a mage. He watched the ghouls drawing closer and tightened his hand on the hilt of his no-dachi. With so much magic flying back and forth through the air the kanji on the blade seemed to shimmer with power.

Kimiko broke off her prayer, sending the confusion spell towards the ghouls closest to the wall. She glanced at Masuri who was taking shots at the spirits moving with the ghouls and sent a quick telepathic message to her. "Time to go after the vampires." Masuri sent back an acknowledgement and Kimiko looked at Robert. "I'm taking Masuri and going to take out the vampires. I'll be back." With that she stepped back out of the line and, Masuri in tow, walked down to an out of the way spot and vaulted the wall, quickly fading into the darkness.

Keio heard Kimiko and was about to tell her to stay when she disappeared. He started to follow her and then the ghouls were at the wall. He turned back to the wall and slashed one of his katanas at a gray-skinned hand with claws as it reached over the wall. With the other katana he stabbed over the wall at the ghoul's head. He felt the first sword bite through skin and bone, stopping only when it hit the stone of the wall, the other crunching into bone. He twisted the second sword slightly as he jerked it back.

Akiro stepped up to the wall and slashed at another ghoul as it reached over the wall. The symbols on his sword flared into crimson fire as it bit into the ghoul's neck and sent the creatures head flying away. He jerked the sword back and slashed at another ghoul, missing as it leaped back with a snarl.

Dreux swung his club down, the spiked wood crunching into the shoulder and collarbone of a ghoul. He growled as the ghoul reached out and slashed at his hands with its still functional arm. He jerked hard on the club, pulling the ghoul forward with the club stuck securely in the ghoul's body. With an extra strong yank he wrenched the club free and dropped it behind him. He pulled at the cloak to remove it and willed the change. For a split second he hoped that Robert wouldn't decide to hack at him with that sword of his, then his mind was overwhelmed with the feeling of his body swelling and thickening. In the span of two seconds his body had been replaced with that of a large bear. He roared and lurched forward towards the wall and the ghouls on the other side of it.

Bobby laughed as he saw Dreux make the change out of the corner of his eye. He swung one of his submachine guns over and emptied half of a clip into the face of the ghoul with the crushed shoulder. His other submachine gun was clicking on empty so he swung the first one back over and emptied it at a pair of dhampirs who were rising out in the open. When they ducked back down he released one of the SMG's and quickly reloaded it before doing the same with the other. He quickly closed the bolts and began squeezing off three-round bursts at the ghouls gathering at the wall.

Heidi threw a handful of mini-fireballs into the face of a ghoul trying to get over the wall. The small pops and flashes of light that accompanied the spells impact showing the ghouls gray skin to be charred black now. She called up another lance of flame and speared the ghoul right between its burned eyes before pulling her hand back and releasing the spell with a throwing motion at one of the dhampir that was just standing up. The fiery javelin flew unerringly and caught the half-vampire right in the chest, sending him flying backwards, already catching fire.

Robert narrowly missed decapitating one ghoul as it stuck its head over the wall. A shimmering beside him showed that the wall ward was breached and spirits were coming through. He called out "Spirits behind the wall!" as He threw his left hand out, sending a jet of pure magical power into the spirit. As quickly as it began to appear it discorporated and vanished to its home plane. He felt a push into his mind and discerned a name.

His teeth pulled into a feral smile as he saw a large demon, the largest one of only two left, start his way. He focused his will behind the demon's name and sent it blasting out. His psychic blast completely shredded the vampire's control on the demon and, with a strong effort of will, he bound the demon under his control. He ordered the demon to attack its fellow demon and then slashed his sword at another spirit as it materialized behind the wall between him and his uncle. The kanji on his sword flared bright white as they sliced clean through the spirit, the spells on the steel banishing the spirit.

Kimiko watched from behind the vampires as the dhampir Robert had spoken of snuck away, making her way towards the wall cloaked in a bit of shadow. With a quick mental command to Masuri, she stepped forward. As her ally stepped up behind another vampire she reached out, cloaking the one she was behind in darkness and grabbed his head, yanking it to the side and biting into his neck. With her free hand she sent a blast of blood-powered ice at the nearest vampire. The blood surging through her brought more power to her and her spell easily overpowered the mages spell defense, leaving his body riddled with ice spears. Without ceasing the spell she walked it to the next closest one who was likewise overwhelmed. As she saw Masuri behead her target and move to attack another, the final two vampires both opened rips to the Fae realm and disappeared.

Akiro felt sweat running from under his helm as yet another wave of ghouls hit the wall. The dhampirs on the flanks were still farther back but the ones closest to where he stood near Keio were only a good stone's throw away. He hoped they didn't have any grenades or they were in trouble. He slashed at a ghoul as it reached over the wall and gashed its arm. He looked out to where the dhampirs were and saw they were rising up and firing towards the wall blindly as they scattered. He let out a war cry as they ran.

Dreux felt the bullets sinking into his body and roared his pain and rage. He swung one huge paw out and broke a ghoul's neck before reaching out with the other paw and just ripping the ghouls head clean off. Another ghoul raked its claws along the bear's side and he caught it with a paw swung backhand, knocking it back through the air. He turned and ambled after the undead creature before it ever hit the ground.

Dave was tired from swinging his twin gladii. He looked up at Akiro's war cry just as he stabbed out at a ghoul. He felt the impact of the blade with the creature's body and then felt an incredible pain shoot up his arm. He looked and saw that he had stabbed the ghoul in the throat and then the creature had bitten his hand. He was bringing his other sword around to stab the ghoul again when a flash of light caused the ghoul to catch fire. Suddenly a woman leapt over the wall. He was turning to defend himself against her when a katana deflected his stroke upwards.

"No," Robert said. "She's with me. This is the woman I was telling you about. Anita." Robert looked at the woman as she pulled the hood of her jacket back. "Come with me, Anita. I want to introduce you to my uncles." 




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 10



Anita shook her head "No, Robert, this man is hurt. He got bit by a ghoul. He needs tending to immediately." She pushed Robert's no-dachi and Dave's gladius aside negligently with one hand and stepped forward, taking Dave's wrist and arm gently. She murmured to herself as she looked at the bleeding bite wound, looking from it to Dave. "Hold still. This may be cold." She focused her mind, concentrating on a spell of healing, sending it through her hands to the wound.

Dave looked at her as she looked his way, wavering slightly as he felt a tingle begin in his arm, the sensation rapidly growing through cool to bone numbing cold to searing heat. "Hey!" He started before hissing in pain, jerking his arm back almost involuntarily. "Wot the fack was that?!" He looked from his arm to her, anger evident on his face. "You said cold. That bloody burned!" He jerked his arm back as she tried to take it again and suddenly rocked on his heels as his eyes rolled back up into his head.

Robert's sword disappeared almost as if by magic as he reached out and grabbed Dave as he fell unconscious. He looked at Anita in surprise "What happened, Anita?" He scooped Dave up and, Anita following, carried him towards the Villa garden. 

Akiro saw Dave collapse and called out "Bobby, Jonathon, Tomas, stay out here and keep a watch. Bobby, see if you can get Dreux back in human form. I don't want him chasing those damn vampires through town in bear shape. That would be hard to explain." He sheathed his sword as Bobby waved an acknowledgement and, along with everybody but Bobby, Jonathon and Tomas, hurried inside.

Robert carefully lowered Dave to the grass of the garden before reaching down and picking up his still bleeding hand. Despite the bite being fresh it was already bright red and swollen. He looked at Anita, "I don't understand. I saw the spell that you used. It was a regular healing spell." He began to focus his will, sending his healing spell into the wound on Dave's arm.

"Stop!" Kimiko yelled from the entrance to the garden. She saw the force of the spell die away and hurried over, kneeling down beside Robert and Dave. "The wound is magically infected. The bite flooded the wound with germs and the magic just accelerated the infection process." She closed her eyes and opened herself to see the astral as she looked down at the wound. "Damn I hate these fucking voodoo goons and their magical viruses." She looked up "Keio, go and get me the medical kit. We can't use magic on it so it's the plain ole mundane medical work."

Keio stood and turned to get the medical kit when Chilo appeared holding it. He took the kit and handed it over to Kimiko. He watched as she broke out the kit and started to work cleaning the wound. He looked over as Bobby, Jonathon and Tomas walked into the garden followed by Dreux who was retying the knot to hold the strip of cloth on over himself.

"Masuri said that the last of the dhampirs got back in their truck and made tracks back to Memphis." Bobby said. He jerked his head over towards Dave, "Is he going to be ok?"

Kimiko nodded as she smeared a smelly ointment that Chilo had brought out on Dave's arm and hand. "He will be fine. I don't think the infection set in too deep before I got to it." She broke off as Anita knelt down beside her, resting one hand on Dave's forehead.

"He is already getting hot," she said. "We will need to get him into a magic circle."

Akiro looked over at her, "A magic circle? What do you need him in a circle for?"

Anita shot him a withering glare. "The virus causing the infection is magical. If we can get him into a... a magic void, the virus will only be a normal one. He will still be in danger from the infection, but he will stand a better chance without the virus being magically supercharged."

Akiro nodded to her. "Chilo, get the lady here a room set up to put Dave in." The spirit acknowledged the command without materializing and then Akiro watched Kimiko wrapping the arm loosely in a bandage. "Bobby, You and Jonathon set the first watch. Dreux, you've got second watch with me and Tomas, you and Keio have third."

Anita looked over at Dreux as he started to walk away. "Wait. Shapeshifter, Dreux is it?" She nodded to him as he stopped and looked at her. "Yes you. Your side, what happened to it?"

Dreux looked down at the claw marks along his side. "I don't remember if it was a spirit or a ghoul that got me. I think it was a ghoul because the scratches are burning and itching like crazy."

Kimiko waved for him to come closer. "Come here, Dreux. Let me get a look at those scratches." When Dreux walked over to her and turned to expose the gashes along his side to her she leaned up and probed gently at the wounds. "They are already swollen and red. Wait," she said, leaning closer. "They are healing." She looked up at Dreux curiously.

Dreux grinned and nodded. "Yeah. They happened in my bear form. All the virus is going to do is slow down the healing process somewhat." He looked at his side and shrugged. "I would say by dawn they will be almost fully healed and by noon at the outside there will be nothing but old scars there to remind me of it."

Kimiko nodded and looked at Robert and Akiro. "Get Dave up and get him to the room." Robert took his torso and Akiro grabbed his legs and they carried him into the Villa. "Anita, you go with them and set up your circle. I will be in in a few to set up a secondary circle just to be safe."

Anita nodded and rose, following Robert and Akiro into the house. When they put Dave down on the bed she directed them to pull the bed into the center of the room. "I will need him here so I can make a circle around the bed that I can fit in. And your mother will need room to make a circle around that."

Akiro stepped back from helping Robert move the bed to where she directed. "Why will you need a second circle? One should keep the virus starved."

"Yes," Anita said, "One circle would keep the virus starved. The second is just like an airlock. It will let us get in and out of the room to check on him and still be free to leave. I was going to stay in the room with him until the infection broke. Now I don't have to." She turned and took some chalk from a pocket of her jacket. 'Now if you men will excuse me, I am going to get this circle set up." She knelt down and began to carefully draw the circle around the bed.

Akiro watched her for a moment and then nodded to Robert "I am going to get some rest so I can be up for my watch. You fought well tonight, nephew. Good job." He bowed and walked out, heading back to his and Keio's rooms to get changed out of his armor.

Robert was still leaning against the wall watching Anita drawing the circle on the floor when his mother came in. Kimiko looked at him. "Why aren't you helping her? The two of you could have had it finished by now." 

Robert laughed and jerked his head towards the chanting Anita. "I tried. She told me that she didn't need my help. She said the circle would be better if she was the only person making it. Then she told me to keep my ass against the wall and keep quiet."

Anita didn't even look up as she kept moving on her knees, drawing the circle around the bed. "That's right. And you are still talking aren't you?"

Robert and his mother both laughed. Kimiko said, "She's got you there Robert." She watched as Anita worked her way around, slowly closing the circle carefully with a small push of the power. As Kimiko felt the circle close, she began to draw her own larger circle around the inner one. She slowly drew the circle, keeping herself centered by murmuring prayers to the kami as she worked. Finally she got the circle finished and imbued it with a bit of magic. The circle snapped closed with an almost audible hum. "That should do it. We have to go back out and get those bodies taken care of."

Nodding Robert pushed off of the wall. "I will be back soon, Anita." He turned and walked out of the room and back out to the wall. Already there was a large pile of bodies, mostly ghouls but a few dhampirs as well, about 30 yards outside of the wall. Robert began to help Keio carrying bodies to the pile.

Akiro had just come outside to watch the burning when Heidi spoke up. "If somebody can provide some darkness to cover the light and some wind to get rid of the smoke, maybe an air elemental or two, I can get rid of these bodies in minutes." He looked at his sister and nephew.

Kimiko nodded. "I will get the air spirits, you get the darkness Robert." She began to summon the spirits of the air, praying to the kami. Suddenly she opened her eyes and a whipping wind began to pick up, visibly whirling around and around above the pile of bodies.

Robert smiled watching his mother work. With an almost unnoticed twist of his wrist, he surrounded all of them with a cloud of darkness. He looked over at Heidi, nodding. "Whatever you are going to do, please do it quickly. I am not as familiar with this spell as my mother. I didn't know it was going to take so much energy to form a dome of darkness."

Heidi laughed. "This won't take very long at all." She turned back to the pile of bodies and once again the illusion of her clothes disappeared, replaced by slowly swirling flames. Her hair started whipping around in a hot wind as she raised her hands to shoulder height, fingers twisting and moving in intricate patterns as she shaped the spell.

Akiro watched Heidi building her powers, with a kind of awe. He had never seen a person wreathed in flames before that wasn't being burned. As his eyes found hers he noticed that the dark color of her eyes had been replaced, flames burning in the depths of her eyes as she built the power higher and higher.

As Heidi felt the power building, her hair whipping and lashing around her face in the heat coming from her body, she pointed one hand at the base of the pile, fingers extended. As flame shot from her fingertips in five broad threads that whirled together to form one arm-thick jet of fire she pointed her other hand at the other side of the pile and unleashed another rope of rushing fire. The two blazes hit the pile and immediately flame sprung up from the bodies of the ghouls. 

Kimiko kept her spirits whirling around the fire. They were spinning around and around up into the clouds where the smoke would be dispersed out of sight. She maintained her quiet prayer to the kami to keep the smoke being carried away even as she backed away from the rapidly intensifying heat.

Once the fire had begun, Heidi ceased pushing power through her hands to fuel it. She estimated that she had plenty of fire available and quickly started summoning elementals of fire to devour the bodies. She kept pumping magical fire into the blazing bodies as the elementals began to eat and burn the ghoul and dhampir bodies.

Akiro watched as the fire swept through the bodies, consuming them totally, the spirits above the flames both fanning it and blowing away any evidence of them. As the fires disappeared, the dome of darkness faded and Akiro lunged forward, catching Robert under one arm, supporting him.

Robert looked over at his uncle with a tired smile. "Thank you. The spell took more out of me than I thought it would."

Kimiko released the air spirits and walked over, helping support him, "Come on, Robert. You need to rest. I saw you fighting the demons." She turned and started walking with him towards the Villa.

Robert didn't argue with her, just let her guide him into the Villa and to the room Chilo had set up for him. As soon as he got into the room and to the bed he collapsed, falling into a deep troubled sleep.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 11



With a groan I woke up and looked around. I didn’t see anyone in the room and guessed that Arianna had slipped back to New Orleans to take care of some business while I was unconscious. I lay back in the bed to wait on her to return and looked around the room. Surprisingly there was no sign of the usual medical equipment, no heart monitor or oxygen or anything. I reached up to scratch my head and noticed that there was no sign of the hemorrhaging in my hands that should have still been evident from the strain of controlling too much mana during my testing.

My confusion grew when I noticed that I wasn’t hooked up to an IV. I looked around again and sat up. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and cautiously stood up. I reached up to scratch my chin when I felt no effects of the testing whatsoever. Someone must have been shaving me while I was out because my fingers met smooth skin, not the stubble I expected.

I couldn’t focus on it for too long as I heard a woman’s voice out of nowhere saying “Tre, come to me.” I didn’t know where the voice came from but I was determined to find out. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, drawing on the mana cautiously. I formed it into a shield around me and slowly headed to the door. Still I felt no lingering effects of the testing and that was in the back of my mind as I opened the door.

I looked around the hallway outside of my room and still saw no one. That made no sense as I knew that there were supposed to be nurses on duty at least. I kept my shield in place and made my way down the hallway. I slowly made my way up to the exit and looked around. It was strange that the Chapterhouse was completely abandoned.

“Come to me, Tre.” I looked around as I heard the voice again. I still didn’t see anyone it could be coming from so I reached out and opened the front door to the Chapterhouse. My eyes widened in shock as I stood in the front door and looked around. I still didn’t see anyone anywhere in sight and it that was a huge shock.

What was the bigger shock was the sight out the front door of the Chapterhouse. I expected to see the scenery of New York City as I stood in the doorway. Instead I looked out of the door onto a large grove of trees. My confusion eased somewhat as I remembered Telemon’s story and the description of the grove of trees surrounding Hecate’s cave.

I walked slowly down the steps, still surprised at not feeling any effects of the testing and made my way towards the trees. As I stepped into the grove the sun literally disappeared. I don’t mean it was hidden behind the treetops. I mean it disappeared. It went from bright daylight outside to the darkness of a moonless night in the matter of a couple of steps. I used a small bit of the power and brought a light into being in the palm of my hand.

I walked through the woods following a trail that just appeared out of nowhere in front of me. I made my way through the woods to a clearing, stopping at the edge of the trees and letting the light die as there was a glowing circle of stones lighting the clearing. I looked around the clearing but didn’t see anyone in it.

As soon as I stepped into the clearing I heard a rustling and turned around to see that the trail I followed into the clearing had disappeared. I liked this less and less and so I reached out and drew on more mana to have a spell ready to throw if I needed it. I opened my eyes to view the clearing with astral perception and immediately had to close them again. The clearing was bright beyond belief with magic.

I returned to normal vision and looked around as I walked on into the clearing. Knowing I was surrounded with magic I began to build up the amount of mana within me to have for my defense in case it was needed. “I am here. Who are you?” I asked still looking around. “Hell, where are you for that matter?” Unfortunately though I didn’t hear any answer to my question, only the silence of the grove.

I slowly made my way around the grove, eyes moving constantly. I didn’t want to offend Hecate by preparing a spell against her. Folks who offend one of the deities like Hecate were not known to have long life spans. Instead I just kept a spell in mind and kept the mana to power it held close at hand.

I spun around hearing a voice behind me. “I am right here, Tre. That covers where I am. As for who I am, well, you know who I am.” Without thinking I released the spell I had in mind. I worried for a split second as I saw the huge gout of fire explode towards the woman standing only a short distance away.

My fear turned to shock as the flames merely died away, disappearing into nothingness. She didn’t even move or bat an eye but she did away with my spell. As I began to prepare another spell I felt a wall slam down between my mind and the mana. I could sense the mana but could not touch it to draw on it to create a spell. My shield disappeared as well with no mana to power it.

“Now you know that your magic cannot harm me, Tre. You also know that I can take your magic away from you as it pleases me to. Do not try to attack me again or I will make it so you can never touch the mana again.” She smiled at me but I saw no warmth in her smile. Her dark eyes flashed with irritation as she turned her back and began to walk around the clearing.

I tried to reach the mana, first using a delicate touch to the process and then just trying to batter down the wall blocking me from it. Neither worked and both only drew a soft chuckle from the figure walking around the grove. I quit trying to pull on the mana and fought down the rising fear within me as I stood there watching her moving around the glowing circle of stones.

She suddenly stopped and turned to look at me. “If you will give me your word not to attack me again I will drop the shield and give you access to your magic once more. Do you promise that?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes I promise.” With those words I again felt the ability to touch the mana flood through me. The sensation was almost too much to take and for a moment it was all I could do to remain standing steady as I looked at her. I had never been cut off from my magic before nor had I ever even heard of that happening to anyone except those who burn themselves out.

I finally took the time to notice the way the woman looked. She was shockingly beautiful, her long black hair reaching down to her trim waist. Her hips and breasts strained against the gray silk dress in the Greek fashion that she wore. Her black eyes were seemingly bottomless, the pupils unable to be seen in their depths. It may have been my imagination but it seemed as if I could see her power glowing in her eyes.

She stood still for my inspection, her head tilted with a slight smile on her face. “You did very well in your testing, Tre. Telemon did not expect you to be able to defeat that last spirit that he summoned.”

“What?” I almost yelled. “That spirit could have killed me. It almost DID kill me. If he wanted me dead he should have brought some of the other Order members that don’t like me and done it himself.” I felt myself quivering with anger and fought to keep a low growl from escaping me.

She held up a hand to quiet me. “Tre, he was ready at all times to banish that spirit back to its home plane. He wanted to see your power. He wanted to see the true extent of your power. The only way for him to do that was to put you into a situation where you had to reach for that secret reservoir of power within you.”

Looking at me she stopped, her dark eyes flashing for sure now. “He knows the reach of your power now. He thinks he knows the limits of it as well. But, as a result of that testing, your power has grown even more.”

“What do you mean he knows the reach of my power? What are you talking about?” I asked confusion evident in my voice and on my face.

“You are one of the ones that listens aren’t you?” She smiled and laughed softly. “You have a power within you the likes of which has not been seen for millennia. Telemon only wishes that he had the power within him that you do, Tre. You are so close to surpassing him in power that it is amazing. You cannot match him in skill with only a few decades of experience to his experience of over two thousand years but in power soon you will pass him.”

I shook my head, still feeling the anger of her revelation within me. “You still haven’t explained what you mean by the ’reach’ of my power. I know I will be strong. I have always been strong.”

She smiled again. “Patience, Tre. All will be revealed in time and now is not the time for you to learn. Just know that on top of all of the strength that you have gained since joining the Order there is a wellspring of power within you that, for now, you can tap if direly needed.”

I opened my mouth to ask another question and she held up a hand, stopping my question without a word. “I can teach you to tap into that power at will, not just when your life is in danger as you can now. Once that is accomplished there will be none who can match you. But that will wait for another time, Tre.” 

She looked me dead in the eyes and I could see nothing in their blackness. “I know you have learned a lot from that spirit that calls herself Arianna. I can teach you skills to make those pale in comparison. I can teach you things not seen in hundreds, even thousands, of years.

 “Like how to cut someone off from magic?” I laughed softly.

My laughter was cut short when she nodded. “That would be one of them. In fact that would be one of the easiest to show you. I could show you so much more than that. I will show you some things that have fallen from common knowledge, either because the people who came up with them died before passing them along or because mages agreed that the powers were too dangerous to be used. I can teach you all of these Tre.”

I thought back to my training and my research trying to remember spells that had been deemed too dangerous for use and only able to think of a few. I looked back at her and she was nodding. “That’s right, Tre. I can teach you those and more. I can show you so much. And the powers I can show you are just the beginning. I can give you strength the likes of which no one, not even that hag Freyja on her best day, can match.”

I thought about her offer. All of it was tempting but the last part really got my attention. I knew that Freyja was strong and skillful. She also had the ability to grow more powerful with her use of blood magic. I might be able to beat her in a stand up fight right now but I wasn’t sure. She, like Telemon, had a lot more skill than me.

She smiled as she saw me obviously thinking about her offer. Something didn’t feel right about it though. I couldn’t be sure what it was, but something was off about her offer. Something about it just nagged at me, tugging at the back of my mind. I shrugged slightly. “I will think about it. I appreciate the offer though.”

She nodded and stepped forward closer to me. “I can understand that, Tre. I understand your reluctance. The power I am offering you has not been equaled in a very long time. The abilities I am offering you have been long unused. Accept my offer, Tre and take your place as the foremost of the Order.”

I tensed slightly as she stepped up beside me. “Relax, Tre. I am going to show you the first of the powers I can offer. The power of blocking is very simple to use and it only becomes easier with practice. With this power you cut someone off from the mana.” Her dark eyes flashed as she looked at me.

“You know how someone touches the mana.” She smiled as she spoke, reaching back to touch my head right at the base of my skull. “Right here is where the connection to the Astral is. Here is where you pull mana into your body. It’s also where you slip out of your body into the Astral plane.

“For a new mage or someone who isn’t so strong in the power, this connection is slight. It’s steady but not strong. It is easily blocked off. For someone, like you for example, who is very powerful, the connection is strong and hard to sever.” She thought for a minute and then continued. “Imagine it like a straw. The stronger the person is in the magic, the thicker the straw. It can be a thin straw for someone weak or a thick hose for a powerful mage.”

She held up two fingers joined into a circle. “Imagine this is the very spot where that pipeline joins to the mage’s body. Blocking is simply a matter of doing with the mana channel what can be done to any pipeline. You merely use your mana to block off that channel and keep them from reaching the Astral to gather up mana for a spell. Once that is done they are effectively blocked.”

She laughed softly. “You can visualize it any way you want. The important part is seeing that connection, for which you will need to be watching the Astral plane, at first anyway. As time goes on you will be able to visualize it well enough without viewing the Astral to be able to do it with normal vision. Once you see the connection just use magic to block it off.” She brought her hand back from my head and dropped it in front of the circle, blocking it off.

“That is really all that there is to blocking, Tre.” She moved her hand and looked around, tilting her head as if listening to something. “I’m afraid that will be all I can tell you about blocking for now, Tre.” She reached out and rested the fingertips of one hand on my forehead. “This will explain further and show you everything you need to know. Remember what you learn here, Tre.”

I felt a spark of electricity and jumped back drawing a small laugh from her. “Consider that my gift to you, Tre. You now have the full knowledge of blocking. You can cut almost anyone off from the magic now. Spirits and the like you can’t block from magic. They are creatures of magic, given form by magic. Most of them you destroy if you block them off from magic. There are some rare few that can be successfully blocked. All of that is in your mind now.”

She stepped back and began walking around slowly again. “Also it is harder to block someone who is already holding on to mana. If you are stronger than they are though, as you will be with most people, you should still be able to with some effort.”

I thought about what blocking entailed and amazingly the knowledge of how to do it was right there in my mind. Each and every step was complete in my memory along with memories of what would happen to different kinds of spirit beings if they were blocked. I closed my eyes and let the new knowledge swirl through my head. It was like I had known all along how to use the ability to block people off from magic.

I opened my eyes and saw the woman looking at me with a small smile on her face. “You see, Tre? With but a thought I have shown you how to do something that none have known how to do since before Alexander conquered the Persian Empire. There have been a few attempts to do this in recent centuries, but none have researched it in depth.”

I looked at her curiously. “Why not? You say this is the easiest of the powers that you can show me. Why has it not been researched any more?”

She nodded. “Yes it is the easiest to learn. It is also the easiest to abuse. There are a few alterations to the power that can be made that some so-called evil wizards were using it to eliminate their rivals. So a group of wizards got together and set out to eliminate every wizard that had the knowledge of this power. They did a wonderful job too. Within a decade all who had knowledge of blocking and the similar powers were dead and all of their libraries were destroyed. The use of it ceased since none remembered it.”

“If none remembered it,” I asked her. “Then how do you know it?”

A soft laugh preceded her answer. “It is magic. It happened in my realm of knowledge. I remember everything that happens in my realm.” Again she tilted her head as if listening before looking back at me. “Return now to your room, Tre. I have things I must do. You will remember everything that you learned here but tell no one. The Order will remember the last time this power was used and will try to eliminate you as the other wizards were eliminated.”

She disappeared from in front of me and suddenly she was behind me tracing one finger up my neck and along my jaw as she whispered in my ear. “There will also be… other… bonuses to our working together. Bonuses that are not mana oriented but no less magical and wondrous. And all of it will be yours in time. Think hard on it, Tre. Now you must go.”

With that she simply vanished and the path appeared. I shook my head a bit and walked back down the path, eventually stepping out of the grove of trees in sight of the Chapterhouse. I made my way back over to the steps still looking around for someone, anyone.

I walked through the doors into the building and stopped at the receptionist’s desk. Where it didn’t before a curiosity to see what day it was gnawed at me. I looked at the date and saw that three days had passed since my testing. I was amazed that I had been unconscious for that entire time with the magical healing that I knew the Order would have given me.

I looked around for any sign of someone and shook my head when I saw and heard no one. Turning back down the hallway to the infirmary I made my way carefully along. Nowhere in the building did I see any signs of the people that should be there. I pushed open the door to my room and walked inside. I frowned when I still didn’t see Arianna there. Feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on I walked back over to the bed.

I climbed back into the bed, my mind awhirl with the new knowledge I had gained and the questions that knowledge had brought to mind. I gave a small shake of my head and closed my eyes, laying back to sleep hoping that Arianna or someone was around when I woke up.

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Arianna sat beside Tre's bed watching him worriedly. He had not stirred in the more than three days since the testing. She had received word of the battle at the Villa and was happy to hear that no one had gotten seriously injured. She was worried about the one who was having to stay in the magical circle to heal but was more concerned that, despite magical healing, Tre had not regained consciousness.

She knew that the healing spells the Order Initiates had given Tre would not help him with the mana burn and the hemorrhaging from it. She had seen mana burn many times throughout the centuries she had worked with mages and knew that only time could heal that. He still should have awakened though. She knew that he was in excellent shape and that his body would heal quickly but he had never been unconscious like this before. 

Her mind wandered back to the messages that she had gotten on the voice mail of her cell phone. The Houngans she worked with had warned her of some dangerous stirrings among the spirits. They said that their loas had told them about something but wouldn’t tell her exactly what the spirit guides had said. That alone worried her but the fact that she couldn’t contact any spirits on her own because she refused to leave Tre’s side made that worry even worse.

She rose and went over to the window, looking out on the city passing by below as she thought. There were lots of dark things that could be stirring or waking. How many of them would actually cause ripples among the spirits by doing so though? Some of the Demon Lords might, as might some of the darker deities. 

She tried to think of which of the so called ‘Dark Gods’ might have been absent but drew a blank. She knew that Hecate was, despite the good things her Order had done for magic, considered one of the Dark Gods. But Hecate had been around for a long time and caused no such stirrings. She also drew a blank on the Demon Lords but the majority of them were bound in one way or another, refused access to this plane. Tre had a list of them and most of them were locked away by the Order.




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 11



None of this helped to ease her mind and she was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t register the first movement from behind her, or the second. It wasn’t until she heard a ragged groan of pain from the bed that she spun and with only a thought disappeared from the window and reappeared at Tre’s bedside. She took one of his hands and leaned down over the bed.

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I closed my eyes against the wave of pain rushing through me as another groan was torn from me. I didn’t remember this kind of pain ever before. Then again I had never pushed myself as hard as I did against that spirit Telemon summoned for my Testing. I felt the pain throbbing in every nerve ending in my body, my heartbeat a pounding bass drum in my skull.

I groaned again as I felt one of my hands grabbed, I heard Arianna’s quiet voice, tinged with worry. “Tre, are you ok? Are you awake finally? Please tell me you’re awake.” I couldn’t answer her but I did open my eyes a little bit. That turned out to be a big mistake and I closed them again with another groan of pain as twin lances of sunlight bored into my brain.

I saw the light level decrease through my eyelids and chanced to open my eyes slowly. I saw Arianna reappear beside my bed and I tried to speak but all that came out was a quiet croak. “Water… please.” I glanced around carefully as Arianna poured me a cup of water and turned back to me, holding it out for me to drink.

To my confusion I saw that unlike earlier I was still hooked up to all of the medical equipment. Add to that the pain washing through me and I was seriously confused. I thought about it as I drank from the cup of water slowly. The only thing I could come up with was that Hecate had dragged my astral body off to her sanctuary for a talk. Nothing else made any sense at all.

Before I knew it I had drained the cup and Arianna pulled it from my mouth to refill it. When she put it back to my mouth I drained it again before leaning my head back on the pillow. I closed my eyes and turned my head towards Arianna. “What happened? I remember fighting a hell of a spirit and then nothing.” I opened one eye a bit and looked at her.

Arianna nodded. “Yes, Tre, you were testing and Telemon summoned a spirit for the final test that was almost too much for you.” She reached out and took my hand carefully. “You were badly injured and suffering from serious mana burn. Your nose looked like a blood fountain right before you passed out. I tried to help but Telemon stopped me.”

I looked at her curiously. “Stopped you? How did he stop you?”

“He cast a spell that just stopped me dead in my tracks. I couldn’t move.” Anger flared in her green eyes and I squeezed her hand. “He has changed, Tre. He isn’t the same Telemon that I knew before. He said that Hecate was directing him on what to do. That he had to see the extent of your power.”

I opened both eyes and looked at Arianna. “What do you mean? How was Hecate directing him?” I broke off, confusion setting in. “The extent of my power? What does that mean? He knows how strong I am.”

“Yes, Tre, I do know how strong you are.” Telemon said, closing the door to my room behind him. “I knew your strength before you ever started. I also now know that you have even more strength available to you than you know.” I watched as Telemon walked through the room and sat down in the other chair near the foot of my bed. “I designed the wards on the testing room myself. They should have been able to stop any spell you could have thrown without me even noticing. Instead, when I activated the wards to suck the magic out of the room, the backlash drove me to my knees. The power you had drawn for that last spell was enough to overload the wards. They will have to be repaired before the room is fit for testing again.”

“Overloaded the wards? How is that possible? You just said that they should have been able to stop anything I could do.” I gave my head a small shake, biting back the groan that tried to escape my lips.

“I don’t know how it is possible. You drew on more of the power than I can ever remember seeing someone draw unaided.” He gestured to the equipment I was still attached to. “More than even you can safely draw without damage. From the backlash, I would say you drew more than a third again more power than you ever have before. Even more than you drew at the beginning of the testing. That in itself is surprising.”

He leaned forward in the chair, resting his arms on his knees. “In the time since your original testing your power has grown exponentially. More so in fact than in any mage I have ever met in my life.”

“You always said I had the potential to be the strongest mage in millennia if I survived. But you seem surprised, Telemon.” I looked from Telemon to Arianna and back again. I wasn’t too reassured to see the look of concern on her face.

“I am surprised Tre.” Telemon leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee. “You are only in your mid-thirties, Tre. How many levels of Initiation have you gained? Ten, twelve?”

I looked at Arianna and then back over to Telemon. “I was a level thirteen Initiate of the Order when I came here. I think that the testing increased me to level fourteen now though.”

“Thirteen or fourteen, and you’re only in your mid-thirties. Tre, I know mages who are past their first century before they break the tenth level of Initiation. The majority of the Inner Circle has only hit level fifteen. A couple of them are in the upper teens to lower twenties. You have the potential to outstrip them before you breach your first century if you don’t get yourself killed.”

“Again, you said I was going to be powerful, Telemon. You knew that when I first tested. And now there is some concern among the Inner Circle about me becoming too powerful?”

Consternation crossed Telemon’s face. “Not that you are going to become too powerful. I am concerned that your strength is outstripping your experience. You have come farther in a short span of years than any mage that I can remember. Your strength is amazing. Your experience, for one your age, is just as amazing. Despite the experience you have, the knowledge you have gained, many of the Inner Circle are concerned that you are still acting with the impetuosity of youth.”

I narrowed my eyes at Telemon, my entire body tensing as I got an inkling of his meaning. “You want me to cease my fight with Freyja. That is what this is about.” He tried to speak but I barreled on forward, cutting him off. “You and your talk of my strength and lack of experience is just a way of trying to convince me to stop my war with Freyja. Forget it, Telemon. That bitch took everything from me and she is going to pay.”

I felt Arianna squeeze my hand and looked at her, breaking off. Telemon spoke quietly. “Yes, Tre, I do want you to stop your war on the Dominion of Memphis. Not for the reasons that you might think, but that is what I want. I know that it won’t happen. But I would like to see it anyway.”

“You’re damn right it won’t happen.” I snarled, ignoring Arianna’s urgent squeeze of my hand. “Freyja took everything from me, Telemon. She took my fiancée, my future. It even turns out that she took my son!”

Telemon’s face didn’t even register the tiniest bit of surprise. “Yes, I heard, Kimiko and Robert Tanaka.” Apparently my face did register some surprise because he smiled. “I have heard of the vampire and her dhampir son that have joined the war on the vampires. He is rumored to have the strength of his parents. He is a strong Hermetic mage despite his mother’s affinity for Shinto shamanism. He also knows much about Rune Magic and a bit about the use of Blood Magic from his contact with Freyja and also learned much about demons from her. He doesn’t have the control over his power that you do but has a significant amount of raw strength to make up for it in most cases.”

I was in shock hearing Telemon recite a summary of Robert’s powers like that. “How do you know about him?”

Telemon chuckled. “I have my own sources within the assorted Vampire Dominions. They told me about the ‘Dhampir Project’ that Freyja started. Your name wasn’t mentioned as the boy’s father, but given who his mother was it was easy to deduce. I have had my eyes on Memphis for quite some time. To be honest, ever since your war started with Freyja I have diverted a large bit of my intelligence-gathering resources to the goings on in Memphis.”

I felt anger begin to surge within me. “You have known about all of this and you didn’t tell me? What is wrong with this picture, Telemon?”

“I could not tell you, Tre, without revealing to you my interest in what was happening. The Inner Circle does not know about me keeping an eye on Memphis. They don’t know about my spies within Freyja’s Court. That is how I have been able to block every major attempt to get you tried for violation of our pact with the Kingdom.”

Telemon looked at me and leaned forward again, his eyes serious. “My spies in Memphis are also how I know that you most likely have a traitor in your ‘Sun Swords’.”

Arianna looked at me, surprise on her face, as I shook my head, biting back another groan. “No way, Telemon. There is no way one of my Swords is a traitor.”

“I believe there is a way, Tre,” Telemon said, standing up. “My spies tell me that Freyja has intimate knowledge of every facet of your defenses at the Villa. She has knowledge that could only come from one on the inside.”

I looked at Telemon and then at Arianna as Telemon’s words caused me to remember the impending attack on the Villa. “The Villa. The vampire’s attack. What happened at the Villa? Have the vampires attacked already? Is everyone alright?”

Arianna nodded. “Yes, Tre, everyone is fine. The vampires did attack but were driven back. Dave was bitten by a ghoul and his hand is pretty badly infected, but they have him in a circle and are trying to beat the infection by keeping it starved for magic. One of Robert’s friends from the Sunchasers got in touch with him before the attack to warn him that it was coming. During the attack she went over the wall and joined the Swords.”

I tilted my head slightly. “A defector?” At Arianna’s nod I continued. “Get in touch with Akiro. I want her watched at all times.”

“I don’t think that she is the traitor, Tre.” Telemon said. “Freyja was gathering information from someone on the inside in the days before she sent the attack. I’m afraid that the traitor is one of the Sun Swords.”

“I have to agree with Telemon, Tre.” Arianna said. “The Sunchaser, Anita, is staying within the magic circle with Dave for the most part. Chilo said she hasn’t even left to eat. Even Robert has gone out to feed. I don’t think it’s her.”

I nodded slowly, eyes thoughtful. When Telemon spoke I looked back over to him. “I will return soon, Tre. You need to get some rest. You have had a hard time of it and need to recover. We will talk again soon.” I nodded, realizing that I did feel kind of tired surprisingly enough considering I had been unconscious for around three days. Telemon gave one last look at me and turned to head out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

I adjusted the bed to lay back not quite prone and looked over at Arianna. “Get in touch with Akiro. Tell him and Keio to watch everyone for suspicious looking actions. If there is a traitor in my group I want to know about it. I’ll be a few more days before I can go home. Tell them to just hold down the fort until I return.”

Arianna nodded. “Yes, Tre, I’ll tell them right away. I’m also going to swing by New Orleans and see if my people have come up with anything on the Houngan that provided those ghouls to Freyja. You rest and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that she hugged me and kissed my cheek before turning and heading out the door.

I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I guess I could have used my cell phone to get in touch with Akiro and Keio but I really didn’t want the call listened in on. And since I wasn’t quite up for using my magic in any form right now, much less summoning even as simple a spirit as a watcher to deliver a message, it was up to the old fashioned methods of using a messenger to make contact.

I closed my eyes and began to try and still my racing thoughts. A traitor in my Swords. Telemon keeping an eye on my activities in Memphis. Hecate directing Telemon to push me harder than ever before and then dragging me off to her sanctuary to teach me magic that has not only not been used for centuries but is also actively suppressed. No matter how tired I was sleep did not come quickly thanks to the whirl of thoughts. Not even the relaxation techniques I had been taught were able to help me calm my mind enough to sleep. Finally though I dropped into an uneasy sleep, one haunted with a torment of dreams as my mind tried to filter through everything I had learned.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 12



As it turned out, I was the better part of a week recovering. The extent of my injuries was such that it took me that long before I could start to get up and around beyond walking to the bathroom and back without getting tired. Daily I would walk around more to build up my stamina. Soon I was able to make my way down to the library to read and study in my spare time. 

That week was also filled with more dreams of the goddess. Each of the dreams left me with more knowledge of magic as she taught me things long forgotten to mortal mages. My trips to the goddess's cave happened nightly. Each morning I woke with my head feeling fit to burst with the things I learned from my visits to the moonlit grove of trees. I was tempted to talk to Arianna about my dreams, to share with her what I was learning. Each time I stopped short as I heard the voice in my head warning me to keep my silence.

The first day I tried to draw on the mana but as soon as I focused to pull the mana through me blinding pain shot through me. I staggered back to the bed and collapsed, letting the mana go. After a few minutes the pain subsided enough for me to see again. I shifted to lay down in the bed again and closed my eyes out of breath. Thinking it might be a fluke I cautiously tried once again to draw on the mana, taking it slowly this time. At the first stab of pain I let go of it. I reached up to rub my head as I sat back up in the bed. I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and rested my face in my hands, elbows on my knees. I was beginning to wonder if I had burned myself out when I heard the door open.

"Tre, are you okay?", Arianna asked, suddenly materializing beside me from the door. She knelt down beside me looking up at me.

I nodded at her, smiling as reassuringly as I could manage. "Yeah, I'm okay. I tried to draw on some mana a few minutes ago and was nearly dropped to my knees with pain that shot through me." I shrugged my shoulders and looked at her again. "I am worried that I might have burned the ability to use the Power right out of myself."

Arianna reached up and took my hands, smiling. "If you had burned yourself out you wouldn't even be able to draw on the mana. You're just worried because of how bad your injuries were. I was worried too, but now that I see you back up and around I see that there is nothing to worry about. Your body is still recovering from the mana burn. Once you're fully healed you will see that you are at least as strong as you were, if not stronger."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. I was about to reply when the door opened and Telemon walked in smiling. "Ah, Tre, you are up. That is good. I was just coming to see if you would like to go and get some real food." He noticed Arianna kneeling beside me and looked back and forth between us. "Am I interrupting something?"

Arianna stood up and backed away. "Of course not, Telemon."

I stood up and took a deep breath. "I was just recovering from trying to draw on the mana too soon."

Telemon frowned as he walked across the room. "You are very lucky to be able to draw on it at all. I have not seen a case of mana burn that extensive in a long time. A very long time. And you say you feel as if you are stronger after it?" When I nodded he continued. "The last time I saw a case of mana burn anywhere close to that bad was Wilhelm of the Black Forest. He tried to draw on more mana than he could safely handle and he ended up weaker than he was before. And his burn was not as bad as yours was because he was not as strong as you are." He smiled. "You are indeed lucky Tre." 

Clapping his hands together he looked at Arianna and back to me. "Shall we eat? There's a great restaurant nearby." Arianna and I both seemed relieved at his sudden change of topic and we both nodded. He turned back to the door and opened it, smiling. "Alan will be waiting out front with the car."

Telemon was as good as his word and Alan was waiting for us when we stepped out of the building. I stopped, glad of the fresh air after more than a week stuck indoors and took a deep breath. Arianna and Telemon waited on me to start walking again before moving and we got in the car. Alan got us to the restaurant with little delay and we went inside.

The Consul had reservations so we were shown right to our table in a small private room. We ordered and made small talk until our food arrived. I was tearing into a steak and loaded baked potato with gusto when Telemon set his fork down and dropped the bomb on me. "Tre, the Inner Circle has decided that it is time you took on an apprentice." I almost choked on the bite of potato I had just put in my mouth and looked over at Telemon as he continued. "The Inner Circle voted unanimously while you were recovering to assign you an apprentice."

I swallowed the bite of potato and dropped my fork onto the plate. "They voted to assign me an apprentice? And you let them? What was your vote on it?"

Telemon wiped his mouth and set his napkin down. "I was not aware of the vote until after it was taken. The Elders of the Inner Circle must have figured out that I was working to protect you. They came up with a way to get around my vote. I had informed the Inner Circle that I would not be present because I was staying here to observe your recovery. I heard about the vote just afterwards and immediately returned to the Motherhouse to see what I could do. As the vote had already been entered into the record I was unable to do much."

"And so I get stuck with some spy for the Inner Circle as my apprentice? I get to waste my time teaching whoever it is how to use magic and not get killed by it instead of doing more important things?" I ignored Arianna's hand on my arm squeezing. To say I was mad would be a gross understatement of the anger I was feeling.

Telemon sipped from his glass of tea and shook his head. "No, Tre, you do not get 'stuck' with a spy for the Inner Circle as an apprentice. I was not able to block the apprenticeship idea, but I was able to modify it so that you could choose your apprentice. The Elders were not happy about it, but I used the precedent of the ancient ways of apprenticeship to get you the choice. They tried to limit your options to a picked few. A hand picked few chosen personally by the Elders. I had help blocking that motion. Once I was there the usual resistance to the Elders reappeared and so it was voted to put it to a general call to the membership for volunteers."

"A general call for volunteers for apprenticeship?" I shook my head and pushed my food away, suddenly not hungry anymore. "That is a variation of precedent in itself isn't it? Isn't apprenticeship normally a person wanting to be trained being taken under the wing of one who is already trained in order to learn? That is how it was when I was apprenticed to Alfons and then to Julius. They chose me as their apprentice. They weren't forced to take me."

Telemon nodded. "A list of apprentices is kept and constantly updated. Given your... unique situation in Memphis, it was decided that the majority of the apprentices on the list were too young and inexperienced to be safely put with you. It was then that we, or maybe I should say I, decided to put out a call for volunteers from the older, more experienced people. The numbers of volunteers surprised everyone." He pulled a PDA from his pocket and slid it over to me after a few taps of the stylus.

I took the PDA and looked at it. Telemon had opened a list of names. I scrolled down the list and looked over at Telemon. "There are more than a hundred names here."

Telemon chuckled. "Yes, there are. On that list are the names of one hundred and sixty-eight people who have volunteered to become your apprentice." He smiled at the look of surprise on my face and gestured to the PDA. "Most of them are full mages who are willing to become your apprentice. Although they are fully tested members of the Order, they are all still young. Only ten are actual novices who have not yet undertaken the Trials."

I took a drink from my Mountain Dew and shook my head in disbelief. "Only ten are novices out of one hundred and sixty-eight? The rest are mages wanting to learn from me?" Telemon nodded, smiling. "Why me?"

Telemon smiled and leaned back in his chair. "As I said, Tre, the majority of the volunteers are young mages. They sympathize with you and no small number of them would love to join in your struggle against the Vampire Dominion in Memphis. They do not realize that your fight is not against the entire Kingdom." Telemon took another bite of his dinner and looked back at me. "So far we have been able to keep the younger mages from attacking vampires and starting a general war that we do not have the manpower to win. Despite that widespread restriction, you are still a popular figure to the younger mages."

I looked at Telemon then at Arianna and back to Telemon, confusion apparent on my face. "A popular figure? Then how are the vampires able to have me brought before tribunals so often?"

"Because the younger members are not part of the Inner Circle. But once the call was put out for volunteers to become your apprentice, the names just came rolling in. After only three days I stopped the open call because of the volume of volunteers. Then I culled the list down to what you see there. Each and every name on that list has been thoroughly checked and cross checked for any ties to anyone on the Inner Circle. It was done in secret by me personally." Telemon shrugged and took another bite of his dinner. "The Inner Circle has not even seen the modified list. I am sure that they will not approve of it, but that is for me to handle."

I scrolled through the list of names seeing the ten novices at the top of the list. I started to remove their names from the list but stopped. "None of these novices are true novices. All of them have at least four years training with other mentors." I spotted a name I recognized and chuckled. "This one is being trained by Julius. Why would she want to leave his teaching to come study with me?"

Telemon smiled and drank from his tea again. "I asked him the same question." Seeing my impatient look he continued with a chuckle. "It was Julius's idea for her to apprentice with you."

"It was his idea?" I looked from Telemon to Arianna and back. "Why would he practically send her to me? I don't understand."

Telemon pulled a credit card out of his wallet and put it on the table to pay the bill and looked at me again. "You and she have a lot in common. Read her file and you will see what I mean. We can talk more about it tonight back at the Chapterhouse." Though he didn't say it I knew that he didn't want to talk out here in the open but would rather discuss it behind the wards at the Chapterhouse.

I used the stylus to open the file attached to her name. I skimmed the beginning of her biography, my mind whirling as I read. I looked back at Telemon. "Yes. I think we will definitely need to talk more about this tonight." I closed the file and pushed the PDA back to Telemon. He took it and pulled out the data card, holding it out to me as he put his PDA back into his pocket.

I took the data card and put it into my pocket to look at back at the Chapterhouse. The waiter returned with Telemon's credit card and he signed the slip to pay the bill. We all stood up and headed towards the door. Arianna held my arm and Telemon walked behind us. Alan was waiting for us in the parking lot and drove us back to the Chapterhouse.

Once we were back at the Chapterhouse Telemon excused himself to tend to some business but said he would join us in my room within the hour. Arianna and I went back up to my room in silence and I dug out my pocket computer and slid the chip into it. I opened the file again as I sat down in one of the chairs and was reading before I was in the seat good. I didn't even hear Arianna when she spoke to me, looking over at her as she apparently repeated herself. "What did you say, Arianna?"

She laughed and repeated herself just a bit louder. "I said, don't you want to lay down in the bed? You have had a longer day than you're used to."

I shook my head and smiled at her, reaching over to take her hand. "No, Arianna, I have had enough of the bed for a while. I will move back over there when Telemon gets back." I looked back at the file and then over at Arianna. "This Michelle..." I looked at the file again, "Pena... Michelle Pena, she comes from an entire family of vampire servants. Her father, Mark, is a banker for the Baron of Minneapolis and her mother, Judy, is an accountant for them. It says she is the third and youngest child of the family."

I skimmed down a bit farther and blinked. "I take that back. Apparently she -was- the third and youngest until the Baron decided to teach the Pena's a lesson. It says here a lesson about hiding a child with magical talent. The Pena's didn't want to turn Michelle over to the Baron's court and so hid the fact that she could use magic from him. Apparently the Baron didn't appreciate it and ordered the other two children killed as an object lesson. Shortly thereafter Michelle ran away. She was taken in by a member of the Order because of her talent and soon found herself being trained by Julius. And now Julius wants her to finish her training with me."

Arianna smiled and took the pocket computer from me as I held it out to her and gave the file a quick skim. She handed the computer back to me and shrugged. "Julius knows the very minimum of what you know. I know that you have learned more since you passed your Trials. Maybe Julius thinks that with what you knew and what you obviously know now, taking this Michelle as your apprentice would be good for the both of you." At my curious look she continued. "You are obviously still a very emotional man. Some mages view you as a loose cannon. They think you are as dangerous to other mages as you are to the vampires." She smiled and shrugged. "It has been rumored that the Inner Circle has been planning to saddle you with an apprentice for some time now. This just gave them the reason and opportunity to do it."

I was about to reply as I took another look at the file open on the computer. Telemon's entry into the room stopped me. I rose as the Consul of the Order walked into the room, a bundle of file folders held in one hand. "Sit down, Tre. No need for the formality right now. Save it for when we are in public." He made a small gesture with his free hand and suddenly a chair appeared opposite the ones Arianna and I had been sitting in.

He lowered into the chair and opened the top folder looking at me. "I suppose you have looked at Apprentice Pena's file by now." He said it as a statement but his look showed the question behind the words.

"Yes I have, Telemon. I am not too sure about this one." I scrolled up and looked at the top of her biography section. "Right here it says that she is from a family of vampire servants. But you want me to train her. I am possibly the most anti-vampire mage in the Order." I looked at Telemon. "You want me to trust an admitted vampire servant?"

Telemon's smile disappeared and he shook his head. "No, Tre, I do not want you to trust an admitted vampire servant. I want you to trust someone who has as much reason to hate the vampires as you do. I want you to temper her hatred of vampires with your knowledge. I also want her to temper your lust for vengeance with her own experiences. I think that you and she will both gain from this apprenticeship." He closed the file and looked at me over it. "You know that it is not required that you choose her, Tre. She was just included because Julius asked me to include her. The final choice is yours."

With those words he pulled a folded and sealed sheet of paper out of the file and held it out to me. As I took it he said, "This is from Julius. It just arrived by messenger and he asked that I deliver it to you personally."

I looked at the seal and knew it was from my old mentor. I broke the seal and looked at the words on the paper, reading slowly:

To: my favorite student, Tre,

I hope that this missive finds you well. I heard of your recent difficulties from the Consul but because of my duties to the Order I was unable to come to New York to see you. Telemon tells me that you are healing well and should be back to one hundred percent any day now.

I also heard that the Inner Circle pulled some serious political maneuvering while Telemon was busy and tried to stick you with an apprentice. I wish I had been there when Telemon showed up to put a stop to their jockeying. I know that you are going to have to take an apprentice because of their voting. That is what this letter is about.

I have been training a young mage named Michelle Pena. She is strong and has a good grasp of the basics of magic already. Her skill in sorcery and ritual sorcery is exceptional. She is also very adept at summoning. In fact, like you did before her, she has already reached the limits of what I can teach her. She also burns with a desire to kill vampires.

That brings me to the favor I need of you. Take Michelle in. Teach her the ways of magic. Prepare her for her Trials and for her future as an Initiate of the Lady. Most of all, please temper her anger with experience. I know you can give her fights with vampires. I am hoping that you will show her that fighting is not always the way. I cannot make you take her as your apprentice, but I can ask you to do an old man a favor and take her under your wing and teach her the ways of the Order.

And Tre, keep in touch better. It has been months since your last message to me. I know that your trouble with Freyja isn't that time-consuming.

An appreciative old man, Julius St. Pierre.

I chuckled and put the paper down shaking my head. I held it out to Arianna as I looked at Telemon. "Apparently, Julius has decided to help me make up my mind about my apprentice. He asked for a 'favor' from me. He wants me to take this Michelle Pena as my apprentice." I reached up and rubbed my face lightly.

Telemon laughed quietly. "I had a feeling that is what he wanted when the letter arrived. He cannot officially 'make' you take her as your apprentice. But he can ask you to do it as a favor to him. That is not against our traditions."

I nodded and chuckled. "God knows I owe him" I pulled my hair back out of my face and looked from Arianna to Telemon. "Telemon, before I accept Michelle as my apprentice I want to meet her, to talk to her. I want to see what I am getting into before I get into it."

Telemon smiled. "That is normal. I will arrange it for first thing in the morning."

"In the -morning-?" I interrupted. "How are you going to do that?"

"Yes, Tre, in the morning." Telemon said. "Apparently Julius was sure of how his letter would be received. Apprentice Pena delivered it to me in person." I guess my surprise was evident on my face because Arianna suddenly laughed for a moment before covering her mouth with her hand to stifle it though her green eyes still danced with her laughter. "I gave Apprentice Pena quarters in the Chapterhouse to wait and see if you would meet with her. I will have Dana arrange for you to use one of the conference rooms for privacy."

I still wasn't too happy about Julius's trick but I nodded and looked back at the pocket computer. "Thank you, Telemon. I guess I better get to reading so I will know something about her and her abilities before the meeting."

"Here, Tre," Telemon said holding out one of the manila file folders to me and the other to Arianna. "I took the liberty of having Dana print out everything we have on Apprentice Pena and her family. Since Arianna will most likely be assisting you with her training I had her make two copies." He lowered his hands as we took the folders. I turned off the pocket computer and opened the folder. "I hope you do not mind."




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 12



I waved one hand distractedly, already kind of lost in the contents of the folder. "No, no, not at all Telemon. Thank you." I flipped through the folder, finding what I was looking for. I skimmed the page noting the spells she knows. "Some of these spells she had to have come up with on her own. Julius doesn't know them. Or he didn't when he was teaching me."

Telemon rose, the chair disappearing as he did. "Yes, she has done a lot of research on her own. Julius allowed it because of her skill. His own knowledge of combat oriented spells is limited because he has never really needed them."

Arianna spoke up, also looking at the list of Michelle's spells. "I thought that the Order didn't allow apprentices to study combat oriented spells during their apprenticeship."

"Officially it does not allow them to be -taught- combat spells." Telemon said looking at Arianna. "But if they learn them on their own there is not too much that we can say. We cannot exactly force them to unlearn the spells. Julius kept me informed of Apprentice Pena's studies, off of the record, telling me what spells she was learning and stressing that he was not teaching them to her. She is quite the student. She learned the majority of those spells within days. Learned them with no help from anyone I might add."

I nodded distractedly again. "Yes, the Order doesn't allow their mentors to teach apprentices combat oriented spells. A ram spell was about the extent of my combat magic. Back then, though, Julius not only didn't know any more powerful spells, he also didn't let me study them on my own. I guess his strictures have changed over the years. I will have to ask her about that tomorrow."

Telemon smiled a bit and nodded. "Yes they did. After what happened to you, Julius and some of the other more fanatic believers in apprentices not learning to fight changed their opinions. In fact, only Julius still will not teach combat spells. He allowed Apprentice Pena to study them on her own in her free time, but he steadfastly refused to have anything to do with the process."

Arianna still looked confused. "He won't teach her to use the spells, but he allows her to study them on her own. Isn't that more dangerous than him teaching her to use them as part of her apprenticeship?"

I looked over at Telemon and chuckled before looking back at Arianna. "Yes, that is the more dangerous route from an outside vantage point. But if you look at it from the point of view of the mentor, then it is the safer of the two. If the student cannot learn the spell on their own, there is no danger to anyone. On the other hand, if they can learn to use the spell at the lower levels of force, and the mentors are all careful not to have more advanced books of spells laying around, then their progression can be monitored. If problems begin to arise, the access to the grimoires can be more closely regulated until the apprentice grows in skill and can decipher the spell more easily."

Arianna still didn't look convinced but she nodded. "I can understand that, I guess. But if the apprentice is studying on their own how does the mentor know what spells they are studying?"

Telemon fielded that question with a smile. "There is not a mentor in the Order that does not know every spell being studied in their library. Spells and spirits can give them that knowledge within seconds of a book being picked up in the library. Some mages even have spirit librarians. Entities that have no other purpose than to watch over their library and keep track of the books in them as well as what is being studied from them. I understand that air elementals are exceptionally well suited for this task."

Shrugging, Telemon looked at me. "The meeting is arranged, Tre. Dana has set aside conference room four for your meeting with Apprentice Pena. She will be there at eleven thirty in the morning." At my nod, Telemon continued. "She has been told that this meeting will determine whether or not you take her on as your apprentice. I will meet with you both separately afterwards to see how it went."

I took Telemon's hand as he offered it, still distracted by the contents of the Apprentice Pena's file. As soon as I released his hand I was back engrossed fully in the file. I didn't hear what he said to Arianna before leaving or the closing of the door behind him.

Arianna studied the file that Telemon had given her for a while, putting it down when her cell phone rang. She talked on the phone for a few minutes and then set the file aside, rose and came over to me. She kissed my cheek. "I have to go back to New Orleans for a little while. One of the local houngans has apparently been turned bokor. It seems possible that he is one that provided Freyja with the ghouls for the assault on the Villa. I'm going to go and check it out."

I folded the file over and set it down, standing up slowly and stretching. "Alright, Arianna. Be careful though. A houngan is dangerous enough for a spirit to deal with, but a bokor is worse, unpredictable and driven only by evil."

She smiled and hugged me, kissing my lips lightly. "I will be careful Tre. Don't worry about me. I know the practitioners in New Orleans. I will be safe." She hugged me again and turned for the door, heading out to where she could reach the Astral Plane beyond the wards of the Chapterhouse.

After the door closed behind Arianna, I went back to reading the file on Michelle Pena. I studied it until I fell asleep in the chair I was sitting in.



Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 13



Again my dreams were filled with another trip to the grove. This time when I awoke the goddess in the grove had left my mind filled with knowledge of how to travel from place to place in a fraction of the time without using the Fae realm. As with every other day this week my head felt full to bursting with the knowledge of how to use the skill I had just learned. I awoke in the bed with no knowledge of having walked there and quickly rose. I drew on the mana to put the skill to the test. I was so absorbed in trying the skill out I didn't notice that there was very little pain as I drew on the mana.

I had just begun shaping the mana to start the test when the phone rang. I released the mana and noticed for the first time the ache in my head from drawing it. I blinked a few times and shook my head as I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Tre, this is Dana, Consul Telemon's secretary. He asked me to call and make sure you were awake for your meeting with Apprentice Pena."

I recognized the woman's voice and nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Thank you, Dana. I will be in the conference room shortly." We exchanged pleasantries and hung up. After setting the phone back in its cradle I walked over to the closet and changed into some clothes that Arianna had brought from the hotel. After brushing my hair I gathered up my mini-comp and Michelle's file and headed for the door.

It took me very little time to reach the conference room where I was supposed to meet with Apprentice Pena. One thing that Telemon saw to was that every Chapterhouse was identical in layout. The Motherhouse is also the same for the most part, just that it is much larger. I took a seat across the table from the door so I would see when she entered and opened her file.

I looked up at the door as I heard it open. I glanced at my watch seeing it was still a couple of minutes until eleven thirty and smiled to myself. I looked at the person standing in the doorway and smiled. The Order garbed its apprentices in shapeless gray hooded robes. Apprentice Pena was indeed wearing the shapeless gray robes but under her robes he could see she wore gray jeans and a gray tee shirt. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a tail and her brown eyes sparkled as she stood in the doorway and appraised me as I was doing to her. "Apprentice Pena reporting for our scheduled meeting, Sir."

I allowed a bit of a smile to cross my face. "Come in and close the door behind you, Apprentice." Once she had closed the door behind her I pulled a crystal out of my pocket and set a ward around the room. I closed my eyes as the headache settled in behind them once I released the power after setting the ward. 

When I opened my eyes again she was standing behind the chair opposite me looking at me curiously. "Are you okay, sir?"

I nodded with a rueful chuckle. "Yes, Apprentice, I'm fine. I'm still recovering from my mishap last week. I just have to remember to take it easy. And stop with the 'sir' stuff. My name is Tre." I gestured to the chair in front of her. "Have a seat, Apprentice. Let's get started."

She pulled the chair out from the table and settled down into it. I watched her for a moment before flipping the file to one of the clean sheets Telemon left in it for taking notes. "Tell me about yourself, Apprentice."

She locked her dark eyes with mine and shrugged. "I don't know what you want to hear, sir. I was born in the Vampire Dominion of Minneapolis. I was the third-born child of Mark and Judy Pena. My father is a banker in Minneapolis and my mother is an accountant. Both were highly placed in the Baron's Court. Highly placed for humans that is." I watched her while listening and taking notes. "The year before I was born the Baron of Minneapolis had sent out orders that any children with magical talent were to be brought in for 'testing'. He wanted mages to serve him, both as humans and, later, as vampires."

She paused and poured herself a cup of water. "When I was getting ready to start school, I was tested, in secret. I was made to hold the image of a shield in my mind. I didn't know it then but the man testing me, Jerry... Dale I think his last name was, someone my mother grew up with, cast a spell at me. Pain flared in my head and drove me to my knees. My parents freaked out, but they knew then that I could use magic. The power had not actually manifested itself fully. That didn't come until I hit puberty. But the man that tested me used the same test that was used on him at my age and that he had used on each of my siblings."

I interrupted her. "Was there a history of magic use in your family? Any that you can remember?"

She thought about it a minute. "I'm not sure. But one of my parents must have come from a family with magical abilities. Given that it it commonly believed that the talent for magic comes from the mother's side of the gene pool, there is your answer. Apparently someone on my mother's side of the family was a mage." I nodded and made a note to see what I could find out about 'Jerry Dale' and to see if I could trace back who was magically active in her family as she continued. "Despite the Baron's order, my mother refused to turn me over to the vampires for training."

She looked right into my eyes. "I came into my powers on my first period. It was a trying time for everyone. Jerry, my mother's friend, started coming around regularly to teach me the very basics of controlling the power so I didn't get mad and use magic on someone accidentally. One of the first skills that he taught me was to hide that I could use the power." She shrugged. "If no one suspected that I was magical, there was no problem. That was Jerry's solution. To hide the fact that I could use the power."

"You were taught to mask your aura to hide that you were magical?" I scribbled a few more notes on the paper. When she nodded I circled the note to find this 'Jerry Dale'. "That is not normally something that is taught to children. It is a skill of Initiates not apprentices." I shifted my vision to get a look at her on the Astral. Her aura glowed and flickered with power. I could see in her aura that her story was disturbing her. I could also plainly see the ability to use magic imprinted on her aura. "Mask your aura, Apprentice. Do it just as you were taught."

As I watched, her aura lost the pulsing glow that showed she was magical, taking on the dull glow of a person born without the ability to use the power. Blinking my eyes a few times I shifted back to normal vision. "That is interesting. And you say you were taught that first?"

"Yes, sir. Jerry said that if I could hide the fact that I could use magic that my family and I would be safe." Her face took on a look of sadness. "He was wrong. Apparently someone in the Baron's Court heard that I could use magic. At first we didn't know who told, but when the Baron's soldiers came for me we found out rather quickly. They had an order to make a lesson out of us. My older brothers were to be killed, in front of my parents and myself. After they were dead I was to be taken. When they read the order, Will, my second brother, protested that he was supposed to be rewarded for turning me in."

She stopped, tears in her eyes. "My brother betrayed me to the vampires for a reward. He was 'rewarded' by being allowed to watch his brother drained by two vampires before they killed him. His reward was to not be fed on before they killed him. Instead they broke his neck. My father and mother were still in shock when I was taken. I was taken downstairs and put into a car. I couldn't even resist at first. I was just limp." She shrugged again. "That is how I was able to escape. I was left alone in the back seat of the car as we drove. At the time the only skill I knew was how to mask my aura. We stopped at a traffic light and all of a sudden I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and heard Jerry's voice whispering in my ear to run. To get out of the car and go to a parking garage a few blocks away."

I wrote down a few more notes, about the spell he used to speak to her from the Astral Plane, her body's reaction to magic being used near her. She continued, speaking quietly. "Suddenly the vampire driving just... melted. The back door of the car opened and I jumped out. The passenger died the same way, and that was the last I saw of them. I ran for the parking garage like Jerry had said. When I got there Jerry was waiting. He got me in the car and we took off. We crossed the river and headed east until we reached Chicago. When we got there he gave me some cash, bought me a ticket and put me on a plane for New York. He said there would be some people waiting on me there and they would protect me and give me training." I kept jotting down notes as I listened, my curiosity about this Jerry Dale growing by the second.

She spread her hands and gestured around her. "I was met by two men at the airport and they brought me here. I spent a few days here and was then sent to train with Julius. I was with him up until a few days ago when he sent me here to meet with you."

I chuckled and looked at her. "Did Julius tell you why he wanted you to meet with me?"

She nodded. "Yes, he did. He told me that I had learned as much as I could from him and that you would complete my training. He says that you are the greatest student he has ever had, and the one with the most potential to do great things." She smiled. "-If- you don't go and get yourself killed by the vampires in Memphis that is."

I laughed quietly. "Yes, he has said much the same to me over the years. He keeps warning me not to let the vampires 'ruin my potential'." I flipped to the listing of the spells she learned. "Julius sent me his appraisal of your skills. He says you are very good at sorcery and ritual sorcery as well as good with summoning. You are also apparently very good on the research side of things because you have learned quite a few spells that Julius doesn't know."

She smiled, though the expression didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, I spent most of my free time in research in Julius's library. Julius and I would summon spirits to help me with my studying." I glanced up at that and she shrugged. "He wouldn't teach me the spells himself, but he would summon, or help me to summon, fire elementals to help me learn them. That is how I learned the vast majority of the combat spells that I know. Others I worked out on my own."

I glanced at the list of spells, noting the marks of spells she studied without spirits to aid her. "Very impressive." I flipped the folder shut and looked across the table at her. "What do you know about me?"

"Only what most everybody knows, sir. You were taken in by the Order as a child. In the course of your training you studied with two primary mentors as well as doing a short stint in Japan studying the ways of the Shinto tradition as well as the arts of the samurai. In Japan you met the reason for your war against the vampires, Kimiko Tanaka, as well as her brothers, two of your strongest allies in your battle, Akiro, the eldest, and Keio, Kimiko's twin. You passed your Trials and became an Initiate of the Order. Shortly after that Kimiko disappeared in a vampire attack and your war began. A war against the Vampire Dominion of Memphis that continues to this day."

I nodded slowly, remembering that Telemon knew about Kimiko and Robert but that he hadn't told anyone else yet. I smiled a bit thinking that Apprentice Pena would have a bit of a surprise waiting on her when she got back to Horn Lake. I chuckled wryly as I realized what I had just thought. I looked back at my new Apprentice seeing her questioning look. "Before I take you on officially as my apprentice, I will require an oath. You will see things, hear things around me that you must not share with anyone." As she tilted her head I repeated myself. "Anyone. There are things I can show you that others won't or can't. Things that -will- be dangerous for you to see and learn. I will have to trust you with my secrets if you become my apprentice. If I am going to do that, I have to know that you're one hundred percent on my side."

As I spoke her eyes sparkled dangerously. "If I was not on your side, sir, I would not be here. I gave much the same oath to Julius when I became his apprentice. I will give you the oath you want, Tre. You want me to keep your secrets, consider them kept. Just train me! Finish the job that Julius started. I can help you against the vampires, Tre."

I blinked at her vehemence, feeling the power of her semi-spoken oath binding her to keep my secrets. I nodded and stood up. "Come with me, Apprentice Pena. It is time to see what you can do." I scooped up the file folder and walked around the table, dismissing the ward around the room with a thought.

She looked surprised for a moment but stood up and slid her hands into the pockets of the robes. "Lead the way, sir... uh... I mean lead the way, Tre." She corrected herself as I looked over at her. We walked out of the conference room and headed to the elevators. A quick ride down had us in the basement testing rooms. I had a quick talk with the supervisor in charge of the rooms and arranged to use one for a little while.

As we walked down the hall towards the room we were assigned I saw the room I had done my testing for Telemon in and shuddered. A dull throbbing in my head told me that I had opened myself to the power without even thinking about it and I released it. A sidelong look showed Apprentice Pena looking at me curiously. "Are you all right, Tre?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I gestured to the room we had just passed. "That is the room where I almost died being tested a short while ago." I shrugged and kept walking, stopping outside of the door to the room assigned to us. I opened the door and stepped inside followed by Apprentice Pena. I gestured her into the center of the room and stepped back into a corner to watch her work.

She walked out into the center of the room and turned around to face me. "First I want you to draw on all of the power that you can. I will be watching your aura to see what I can learn from it. After that I want you to cast every spell you know that you can cast." I pointed to a mannequin in the corner opposite me. "For spells that require an inanimate target, use that." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring that Arianna gave me before my trip to Freyja's mansion. "Spells that need a live target you can send at me." I smiled as she opened her mouth, her protest already obvious on her face. "Don't worry, Apprentice Pena, I will be watching and can stop any spell you can throw at me." She opened her mouth to speak again. "Just do it, Apprentice!" I snapped.

She closed her mouth and began to draw on the mana. I closed my eyes and shifted my focus to the Astral, looking at her aura as she drew on the power of magic. I watched the glow of her aura change as she drew on the power. I kept focusing on her until her aura stopped changing colors, surges of mana coursing through her aura as she held the power. I waited a few moments and nodded. "Very good, Apprentice. Release the power and relax." Almost immediately I watched her aura return to the dull glow of a mundane. "You can drop the masking as well, Apprentice." In an instant her aura changed from that of a mundane to the rippling glow of one born with the power to control mana.

I kept my focus on the Astral, watching her as I nodded. "Now you can start casting your spells, Apprentice." She nodded wordlessly and began to draw on small amounts of mana to fuel her magic. I watched as she worked her magic, noting how she shaped the mana to produce the spells. I shifted back and forth between the Astral and normal sight, watching her work her magic and observing the results. She turned towards me and paused. I switched back to the Astral and readied the ring on my finger.

As the first spell came my way I activated the magic in the ring, ignoring the dull ache behind my eyes as I did. The oddly made ring glowed brightly on the Astral as it absorbed the mana being directed towards me. Apprentice Pena's surprise at the ring absorbing her magic showed clearly in her aura but to her credit she kept the spells coming. I felt the power contained within the ring growing as it absorbed spell after spell.

Finally I saw the glow surrounding her dim and return to normal as she released her hold on the mana. I looked at the ring again and smiled as I blinked to shift back to normal perception. I looked over at Apprentice Pena and chuckled as I saw the look on her face.

"Where did you get that ring, sir?" She asked, walking towards me.

I dropped my hand back to my side and smiled. "It was a gift from a friend. I don't know where she got it from. She won't tell me where she got it and I haven't been able to track down anything fitting its description in any of the books in the Order's libraries." I looked at the ring, turning my hand to look at it all around. It didn't look like much, just a plain ring of an orange-gold metal, looking a mix between silver, copper and gold worked into a band where the designs of the ring itself formed a myriad of strange symbols. I hadn't been able to trace down any of the symbols on the ring to any known alphabet, magical or otherwise.

"What does it do? If you don't mind me asking." She stepped up beside me and looked closely at the ring, looking from it to me and back to it.

I laughed. "I don't mind at all. When activated it absorbs a certain amount of mana coming its way. That is why I wear it on the left side, my defensive side. I generally use it in conjunction with a shield spell. The shield blocks the mana and acts as a funnel to divert the mana into the ring."

"What does it do with the mana when it absorbs it? Does it disperse it back into the Astral or store it or what?"

Shrugging I looked at the ring again. "It absorbs the mana and stores it. I can use any mana that the ring absorbs to power my spells. It won't absorb anything above a certain level though. I don't know why that is, considering it can absorb quite a few spells at that level before it 'fills up'. I have tried to make copies of the ring, but they all turned out to be less than satisfactory. Either they couldn't absorb the mana at the same level or couldn't hold as large of a charge as the original. Once the mana is in the ring it becomes just a power focus."

"Is that why you said you could stop anything I could throw at you?" She asked looking at me.

Nodding I replied. "Yes, Apprentice Pena. I have your most up to date records. It lists the spells that you know and the rating at which you know them. You couldn't have hurt me with your spells unless you caught me unaware of them."

Taking her eyes off of the ring she looked back up at me. "How long will it hold a charge? Indefinitely or does it wear down over time?"

"The ring will hold a charge for a long time. That is another difference between it and my copies. The ones I made lose about one to two rating points per day." I held the hand with the ring on it up. "This ring loses maybe one point a month."

"And you don't know where it came from? Is it safe?"

"I guess it is safe. As I said, I haven't been able to track it down in any of the libraries I have access to. And that is quite a considerable number. Arianna won't tell me where she got it or who made it. She gets downright testy when I ask." I chuckled to myself and smiled as she asked the question that I had known was next.

"Who is Arianna?"

"Arianna is a Free Spirit. I met her... years ago. I was on a quest to the metaplanes to move up an Initiation grade. My quest took me searching for the magic of a mage named Bakkar al-Aswad, or Bakkar the Black." I could see the confusion on her face and smiled. "My research had turned up that this Bakkar the Black was a powerful Arab mage in the time of the Crusades, and for decades before. He was reputed to be a strong mage with many skills. Most were from what many consider the darker side of the magic spectrum, but he was supposed to be powerful. So I went looking for his grimoires."




Tre Lloyd Adventures Ch. 13



I started to walk around the room as I talked, remembering one of the earliest of my quests for power. "I tracked down where his library was through months of poring through dusty tomes in the Order's archives. I flew to Jerusalem and from there followed the trail. Finally I found the actual location and began to search. Surprisingly, the most powerful Arab mage of medieval times kept his library in a cave system deep in the mountains north of Dimona in Israel. The caves were obviously man made, excavated into the living stone of the mountains and hidden behind powerful illusion spells that were still in place when I found the complex.

"I went into the caves and began to search. There I found two things that my research had not warned me about. The first thing I found was a Heartstone." I didn't even need to hear her question to know what it was going to be, so I answered it for her. "A Heartstone is just a relic used to bind a Free Spirit. All spirits have True names. When a spirit gets free of its summoner a few things can happen. It can return to its home plane or it can remain on this plane. If it remains, it will guard its True name jealously. Sometimes when a mage discovers the True name of a spirit they will imbue something with that name in order to give them even more control over that particular spirit. This Bakkar had found the True name of a very powerful spirit that went Free and remained on this plane. She, as I refer to her, had been summoned in the heyday of ancient Athens. Bakkar bound her to a Heartstone and enslaved her."

Apprentice Pena's face showed her dislike of that particular notion clearly and I smiled. "When I found the Heartstone, the spirit appeared to me and offered me her knowledge. That was when I found the other thing that my research never revealed, the spirit of Bakkar the Black. He was quite dead and rather insane to boot. He rather courteously thanked me for waking him from his long slumber, then thanked me in advance for the use of my body since I was not going to need it anymore once he killed me."

"He thanked you for freeing him and then attacked you?" 

I nodded. "Yes he did. I'm not sure how but I survived though. I don't remember the battle, though Arianna has told me I did very good against my much stronger, much more experienced adversary." I laughed quietly. "I'll tell you this, though, I didn't feel like I had done very good when I regained consciousness in the cave complex. My entire body ached. I was burned, frozen, near blinded and deafened. And I was in possession of the spirit's Heartstone. I didn't know why she didn't just take the Heartstone and escape. After I rested I gathered up what remained of his spell books and the Heartstone and made my way back to Jerusalem and from there back to my home in Horn Lake. Once there I returned Arianna's Heartstone to her and thanked her for her assistance."

"You gave a Free Spirit's Heartstone -back- to it? Why?" Her tone was incredulous and I fought back the irritation at being questioned by an apprentice.

"Yes, I did. As for why, I gave it back because summoning a minor spirit for aid is one thing. Capturing and binding a Free Spirit, especially one that was well over two thousand years old, is quite another. So I returned its Heartstone to it and it disappeared. I thought that was the last I would ever see of her but within a few minutes she was back. She explained that she could not destroy the Heartstone without disrupting her existence and so she hid the Heartstone where it would not be found again easily. She also answered the question about why she didn't just take her Heartstone and escape. She wasn't allowed to even touch the Heartstone without permission. When I held it out to her, that gave her the permission she required to take it. Since then she has always been nearby if I needed her, though she has taken up residence in New Orleans. Her assistance has been invaluable in my battle against the vampires."

I was surprised at the next question she asked. "So this Arianna is your mentor?"

"No, she is not my mentor. She is an ally and, more than that, a good friend. She has taught me many things about magic. Things that many mages have not seen or heard about in centuries. Until recently I thought that I had kept her existence a secret from the Order, but Telemon, who knew her, as well as her original summoner, in his early days, has since revealed that he has known about her for quite some time."

"Will I get to meet her?" I smiled hearing Apprentice Pena's curiosity win out as she called Arianna a 'her' for the first time instead of 'it'.

"Yes, Apprentice Pena." I nodded and gestured towards the door. "You will get to meet Arianna very soon." As I opened the door for us to leave the testing room I looked at my new apprentice. "You will need to pack. I will be returning to Horn Lake as soon as possible. Tomorrow if I can manage to get away from here that soon." She nodded, walking along beside me as we made our way towards the elevators. I stuck my head in the supervisor's door and told him that I was through with the testing room.

As the elevator stopped at the floor Apprentice Pena was staying on I made a decision and pushed the button to keep the doors closed. "Get all of your things packed and come up to my room as soon as you can. We will be leaving the Chapterhouse tonight and going back to Horn Lake."

"Tonight? Have you already gotten the tickets? Is there a flight tonight?" She looked at me curiously but I could see the wheels turning in her head.

"I have a pair of open plane tickets for Memphis, yes. But I have no idea if there is a flight tonight or not. If not then I will make other arrangements to get home." I could see more questions in her eyes and stepped back, letting the doors open. "Get your things together, Apprentice Pena. Be at my room in forty-five minutes."

She bit back her questions and nodded "Yes, sir." She stepped out of the elevator and headed for her room as the doors of the elevators closed. The elevator slid into motion smoothly and stopped on my floor. As soon as the doors opened I stepped out and turned for my room. I started to remove the spell I used to keep the door closed then remembered that I hadn't set the spell when I left. I walked into the room and set the files down on the little table. I grabbed my bag out of the closet and started to pack my things that Arianna had brought from the hotel into it.

I was just sitting down with my minicomputer to start taking notes on what the goddess had taught me in my dreams when I heard a knock at the door. At my call, the door opened and Telemon walked in, as always immaculate in his Italian silk suit. "I see the interview with Apprentice Pena went well, Tre." I put away the computer and looked at the Consul, nodding. "I stopped by to talk to her on my way up here." He looked around at my packed bag, my duster laying across it. "You are planning to leave?"

"Yes, I am." I stood up looking at Telemon. "I have been gone too long. I need to get back to Horn Lake and see what is happening there. There is a spy around there somewhere and I have to find out who it is and take care of it."

Telemon nodded, a frown on his face. "I understand that, Tre. But are you recovered enough to do that? If you go back at less than one hundred percent and Freyja finds out that you are not up to your usual standard." He paused for a moment, his concern evident in his features. "You know she will attack if she gets even a hint of weakness from you."

"Yes, Telemon, I know she will. But she won't get that hint unless I want her to. I am going home to sniff out this traitor. Apprentice Pena will suffice as my new apprentice. But. I will train her my way. If I am going to get stuck with an apprentice I will have an apprentice that won't get in my way while I'm doing what I do."

Telemon opened his mouth to say something and stopped. He gave a sigh and shook his head. "Just be careful, Tre. I know that you are going to do what you want to do anyway, no matter what I say. So I am not going to waste my time. But you know that the Inner Circle is going to be watching you closely."

I nodded and laughed. "I know that they are. But they will only see what I want them to see." I picked up my cell phone and dialed up the airport. After a few minutes I was told that the earliest flight direct to Memphis International Airport would be leaving in a few hours. I made the arrangements to have my tickets transferred to the flight, thanked the clerk and hung up the phone.

Telemon held his hand out. "Be careful, Tre."

I took his hand and nodded. "I'm always careful, Telemon. Even when it doesn't look like I'm being careful."

"Take care of Arianna. My sources in New Orleans report some dark stirrings among the city's houngans. I have not gotten any word on what kind of stirrings, just that something major is happening. It could be a power struggle. And if it is..."

"If it is, then Arianna is going to be a target." I finished Telemon's statement for him as he went quiet. "I will see what I can find out. Don't worry about Arianna. She can take care of herself. I will also send a couple of my people down there to help her out."

Telemon nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Tre. I cannot help her officially but I do worry about her. Especially in that city."

As he turned to head towards the door I smiled. "Arianna can take care of herself, especially in New Orleans. The magic there lets her fit right in. I will start sending regular reports on Apprentice Pena's training once I have something to report."

Telemon nodded. "I will have Alan prepare the car to take you and Apprentice Pena to the airport." He turned and stepped out the door, closing it behind him. I went and gathered up all of my belongings and put them near the door.

A short while later I heard a knock at the door as I was answering the phone. "Come in" I called as I picked up the phone. "yes?"

I recognized Alan's voice. "Mr. Lloyd, the car is ready to take you and Apprentice Pena to the airport whenever you are ready to go." Michelle stepped into the room carrying a small athletic bag and a large military style duffel bag slung over her shoulder. 

"Thank you, Alan. We will be down directly." I hung up the phone and walked over to my new apprentice and picked up my own bags. "Do you have everything, Apprentice Pena?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yes, Sir. All of my clothes that I brought with me," she hefted the duffel bag and then the smaller bag, "along with my few spell books. I contacted Julius and he will send the remainder of my things to your house."

"Alright, then let's get out of here. I arranged for the tickets to be transferred to a flight leaving in a couple of hours. We will be in Horn Lake tonight." I turned for the door and she turned to follow me. We went downstairs and met Alan at the front of the building. He put our bags in the trunk and pulled the car out of the drive and turned towards the airport. 

We rode in silence for a little while then I turned to Michelle. "Did Julius ever mention anything to you about using gestures and words in your magic?"

She nodded with a frown. "Yes, he did. He told me that words are not absolutely necessary for magic. But it seems to be easier for me if I use the words and gestures."

I made a mental note of what she said and turned to face her. "That is called a block or a geas. You would still be able to use magic even if you didn't follow the geas, but it would be more difficult."

Michelle turned her head to look at me. "Does it matter if I gesture or speak when casting spells?"

"For the most part, no." I chuckled. "But there are times when waving your hands and talking is dangerous or impossible. If you have to do them in order to use your magic, then you are at a distinct disadvantage." I smiled as she asked why, having known it was coming. I chuckled and drew on the power, keeping my hands still as I said "This is why", and cast a pair of spells back to back. Instantly silence enveloped the interior of the car and invisible hands gripped her wrists. I saw her struggle against the grip on her wrists. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

I ignored the throbbing in my head as I maintained the spell until I saw the look of understanding in her eyes. As I dropped the spells she nodded. "I see what you mean. I couldn't even touch the magic then."

I nodded and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Apprentice. Those are two of the more simple geasa to work around. Magic works because we believe it does. The gestures and incantations aren't necessary for magic to work, but thanks to the world media saying it is in books and movies, many believe that it is. Combine that with the belief necessary to work the mana, and so lots of younger mages start off with those geasa."

"If I believe that it is necessary to my magic, how are you going to 'work around' it?"

Chuckling, I answered her question. "Simple. It is all about belief. You believe that the gestures and words are necessary for the magic you know now. But I won't be teaching you gestures or incantations to go with the magic. Most of the spells you use words and gestures for are the spells you learned yourself. Those you learned from Julius only require one or the other. Correct?" At her nod I smiled. "There you go. You will learn to use magic without the gestures and words. As you learn more powerful versions of the spells you already know, you hopefully will be able to learn them without the hocus-pocus stuff."

She nodded and smiled, a little self-consciously. "Thank you, Sir. I look forward to learning." With that our conversation lapsed and I thought about what I would be returning to Horn Lake to find. Alan delivered us to the airport and dropped us off at the correct terminal. We got our bags and went into the airport and checked our luggage.

As we waited for boarding to begin I took advantage of the time to slip into Astral Space. The auras of the airport and the city around us were amazing as I mentally turned towards Horn Lake and willed myself there. The colors of the Astral Plane blurred around me as I soared through the Astral towards home. Within moments I approached the wards surrounding the Villa. I put a hand to what appeared to be the solid wall of the ward and passed right through. I made my way through the glowing walls of the Villa and through the walls of the building itself.

I found Akiro and Keio talking and playing a game of chess. I focused and had to fight to hold back my chuckle as my glowing astral form appeared near them and they both scrambled out of their chairs. "Relax, you two. It's me. I don't have long but I wanted to let you know that I was returning to Horn Lake tonight. My cell is almost dead or I would have called. We have a lot to talk about when I get here." I looked around a bit. "Like where everybody is. I will see you in a few hours, hopefully."

They both nodded and I allowed my form to disappear back into the Astral Plane. I quickly made my way back out of the wards and into the astral sky, the ground blurring under me as I soared back to where my body waited in the airport with Apprentice Pena. I found my body right where I had left it and reentered it. I had to bite back a groan at the throbbing in my head from the strain of revealing my Astral body on the Material Plane.

"Are you OK, Tre?" Michelle asked, looking concernedly at me.

"I am fine. I was just letting Akiro and Keio know that we would be home tonight." I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Now it's time to sleep. How long until we board?"

She looked at the monitor and back at me. "About twenty minutes, sir." I nodded and closed my eyes, telling her to wake me when it was time to board the plane.

All too soon she did just that. I groaned and resisted the urge to shoot her in the ass with a tiny bolt of lightning for waking me. Instead I stood up and grabbed my bag and we walked onto the plane. A short time later we were airborne and headed back to Horn Lake. I wasted little time falling back to into a very deep sleep for the flight home.