Red Shaman

Tatsumi and Watari both nearly flew over the bar and had made their way to where Blaze and Jormund were standing before Morrigan froze them in place.



“Easy, boys. He isn't who you think he is,” she said.



“You mean that isn't really Muraki?” Watari questioned.



“No. It isn't,” Blaze growled. “He can alter his appearance to annoy or frighten someone who doesn't know what he is. He's a far worse piece of garbage than even Muraki is.”



“There's someone worse than Muraki?” Tatsumi questioned in disbelief.



The man in Fen's grip glared down at the group imperiously. Cold eyes calculating as they focused on Tatsumi and Watari. He smiled a little.



“I take it these are the new toys, Princess,” the man sneered.



Fen's grip tightened on the back of the man's neck. “You will not address my sister in that tone, Bitter Tongue.”



The man directed the next comment to Fenris. “Honestly, I can understand why she'd want the dark one. He at least has power. The other one can't be much more than a pretty bauble that she'll tire of eventually.”



Blaze took one glance back at Watari, feeling his sudden doubt and hurt. Something in her seemed to snap. Jormund felt it as well and immediately released his sister. Knowing if he didn't he'd likely be torn apart in her effort to get to the man their brother was holding on to.



Blaze launched herself onto the man Fenris had been holding. Landing with her knees squarely in his solar plexus. She wrapped one, now clawed, hand around his throat.



“Keep talking, Bricru. I dare you,” Blaze snarled. “Give me an excuse to rip out that lying tongue of yours.”



“It grows back,” he wheezed.



“Marvelous! I can do it repeatedly then.”





Morrigan released the hold she had on Tatsumi and Watari. Watari flinched a little as Tatsumi put his arm around him.



“Yutaka? What is it?”



Watari gave him a falsely bright smile. “Nothing, Sei. It's fine.”



Tatsumi looked at him dubiously but decided to let it slide for the moment. Focusing his attention on their wife instead.



“Come on, war starter. Let me keep my promise to the great god and send him the writhing pieces of you,” Blaze growled.



“Why so touchy, Princess? Hit a nerve?” he smirked.



“Filth,” she said, claws sharpening and digging more firmly into the skin of his neck. She suddenly felt herself gently restrained then pulled up and off of the man. She glared over her shoulder then realized who was holding on to her.



“Daddy? What . . .”



“Easy, baby. Don't worry; we'll deal with this little troublemaker.”



“You're one to talk of being a troublemaker, Trickster,” the man on the floor sneered.



“Ja. Funny how these things turn out,” he said, smiling and flipping his long blood red hair back over one shoulder.





On the other side of the room, Crawford wondered if he was hallucinating.



“Who . . .” he began, then found himself pushed back down by a determined Skye.



“Stop that. You'll undo what I've repaired,” she said and resumed singing softly.



Crawford looked askance at Schuldig. “Is she always this bossy?”



Schuldig smiled. “She's usually worse. Ooof!” he said, as Skye's elbow connected with his chest. “Ow, Skye, I'm injured.”



“I can hurt you as well as heal you, chere,” she said.



“Point taken.”



“To answer your earlier question, Crawford,” Farf said mildly. “He's Edana's father.”



“Oh god!”



“Yes. That he is.”



Schuldig stared at Farf. “So, you mean she really is a goddess?”



“Only partially. Her mother was human.”



“I thought that was her mother,” Schuldig said, nodding toward Morrigan.



“No. She's her adopted mother, so to speak.”



“Okay,” Schuldig said. “So, who's the dumbass that the Mistress feels like she'd happily eviscerate and read his entrails?”



“Ah, the war starter,” Farf said through clenched teeth. “Should have known it was him behind all this trouble.”



“Farf, that doesn't tell us who he is or why he planned all of this,” Schuldig said impatiently.



Farf sighed. “Suffice it to say, he's been around almost as long as Edana and I have. His name is Bricru but he's called Bitter Tongue and War Starter for obvious reasons. He has this talent for just looking at someone and knowing exactly the right words to send their lives to hell in a hand cart through their own fears. We think he's probably a telepath, though no one has actually tested that theory. Edana and I have had several run ins with him over the years but never anything this bad before.”



“That means he's a demon of some sort?” Schu asked.



“No. He's human, though I use the term loosely. He was sent to do time for his crimes after his death. But for some reason he keeps falling through the cracks over and over. No one knows why.”



“Freakiness,” Schuldig said. “Hmm.”



“Hmm, what, Schuldig?” Skye asked warily.



“Lemme check something because I just got an interesting flicker from him.”



“Schu . . .” Crawford said warningly.



“You are certainly in no position to give orders just now, Oracle,” Skye said. “Hold still.”



“I knew I should have just stayed dead,” Crawford groaned.



“Where's the fun in that?” Schuldig said. “Now shut up and let me focus.”



“Schuldig, he's a lot stronger than you are,” Farf said.



“Probably,” Schuldig said and directed his focus at the man across the room. “Oh, yeah. Definitely a telepath.”



//Hey, Star.//



//Yeah?//



//Help me pry into this guy's head.//



//What the hell for?//



//I caught a stray thought from him and it involves us. Schwarz and Weiss, I mean. But I can't get a good fix on it.//



//That can't be good. Hang on and I can pull a link through you.//



Star ran the initial probes then paused for a moment, speculating.



//Damn, he's strong.//



//He'd better be after all those years,// Schuldig said.



Star grimaced then went absolutely still.



//Oh, shit! Schuldig, did you catch that?//



//Scheisse, I wish I hadn't.//







Omi and Nagi followed the woman through what seemed to be long hallways and corridors as electricity sparked and sizzled all around them.



“You may drop the shields, Omi. I am perfectly capable of protecting the three of you,” she said.



Omi glanced at Nagi warily. Nagi shrugged as best he could while holding Ghost. Omi slowly released the shields around them and breathed a sigh of relief when no spark came near them.



The woman smiled over her shoulder and beckoned them to follow her further into the dark.







Bricru grinned evilly as he felt both Star and Schuldig wince.



“Damage done, Princess,” he said, smiling at Blaze.



“Mom, Dad, get him out of my sight before I piss off the rulers of the underworlds and really send the writhing pieces to the great god,” Blaze growled.



Blaze's father smiled at her and nodded to his sons. “Make sure he gets to where he needs to go, boys.”



“Sure thing, Dad,” Fen said tightening his hold on Bricru's neck. “Come on brother of mine, you can keep me company.”



“Yes, the road to madness is laced with a brother,” Jormund said, rolling his eyes.



“Gotta keep you on your toes, uh, coils,” Fen said and with that he, Jormund and Bricru disappeared.



Blaze seemed to sag in her father's grasp for a moment before she bolstered herself.



“Easy, baby,” he said steadying her. “You have other people who want to hold on to you right now.”



Blaze nodded and turned to her husbands. Tatsumi met her halfway, Watari making it to her a bit more slowly.



“I'll ruin your tux,” she said as Tatsumi wrapped both arms around her tightly. “I'm covered in blood.”



“As long as it isn't yours, I don't care,” Tatsumi said.



Blaze put her head on Tatsumi's chest for a moment, then looked up at Watari who was standing a few feet away from them.



“Honey,” she said, reaching out and taking his hand. “I will not tire of you. Not in a million centuries.”



“I second that,” Tatsumi said, taking his other hand and pulling him to them.



“Much as I hate to break up this tender moment,” Morrigan drawled. “I'm leaving to make certain the war starter was returned to the depths. Edana, I expect you and your family home for Samhain.”



Blaze blinked at her, mildly shocked by the statement. “I have no reason to be at my former home, Mother,” Blaze said, holding on to Tatsumi and Watari more firmly. “For Samhain or any other reason.”



Morrigan's eyes narrowed menacingly. “You will be home for Samhain, Edana. You will bring your entire family. The ones who are here with you, the ones who will arrive shortly, along with your grandson and his mate. No arguments, no excuses. I will come and retrieve them and you if necessary,” she said, staring down everyone in the room. Most cowered slightly or glanced away. Farfarello only grinned and saluted the war goddess.



“Good,” Morrigan said. Then with a last hard look at Blaze she vanished.



Blaze turned a puzzled expression to her father. “Daddy? What's going on?”



He shrugged. “No idea. Even I'm not crazy enough to argue with her.”



“Point taken.”



“Gran,” Star said, walking over to Blaze. “Hate to tell you this, but we have bigger concerns than a scary war goddess wanting all of us to be at your ancestral home.”







“Where are we going?” Omi asked the back of the woman's head.



She turned slightly. “We are taking Rhiannon to a safer place to be healed.”



“I think Skye has her hands full working on Crawford,” Nagi said, shifting Ghost in his arms.



“Nagi, I can carry her if you're tired,” Omi said.



“No. I've got her. Thanks though,” Nagi said. “I'll let you know if she gets too heavy.”



“That is a mute point just now,” the woman said as the darkness gave way to the muted light of the club.



“Gwynedd?” Farf said, upon seeing the woman with Nagi, Omi and Ghost.



“Jeirn? Gods, you look different,” she said, moving to embrace him.



“And you don't,” he said, laughing.



“I should hope not,” she said, then nodded to the three youngest.



“What happened?” he asked taking Ghost from Nagi's arms. Nagi and Omi looked at him oddly. “I *was* trained as a healer, you know,” Farf said, sounding mildly amused.



“Electrical shock,” Omi said grimly. “We weren't prepared for it and it caught her in the back.”



“Hmmm,” Farf said, settling Ghost on the floor next to the bar.



“Do you need my help?” Skye asked, looking up from Crawford.



“No. Its okay, Skye. She doesn't feel like she's in any real danger. The charge just seems to have knocked her out good and proper. I can't feel anything broken and there isn't internal bleeding, boys,” he said, directing the last comment to Omi and Nagi. Both boys sighed in relief.



Farf tilted his head slightly to study the woman who was all but hovering over him and Ghost by that point. Looking from her to Ghost he made several connections at once.



“Yours?” he questioned.



She nodded.



“I take it this is the missing one.”



“Yes.”



“Interesting. You'll have to explain all of this. Its been, what? Two thousand years?”



“Something like that.”



All conversations were brought up short by Blaze's “WHAT?!?!” echoing through the room.