Follow Through

She Who Brings The Storm

I chose to ignore Glob's subtly mocking challenge and asked a question that had been nagging me since my earlier talks with Ulrik.

"How old are you exactly?"

He blinked in reaction to the abrupt change of subject,his sly smirk falling off his face.

"How is that relevant?" He questioned,leaning back in his deep seated,high-backed chair.

"That old,huh?"

He eyed me carefully and stroked his chin absently.

"Why do I feel as if I'm being mocked?"

I shrugged.

"Why don't you want to answer?"

"And what time is it? I haven't seen a clock since I've got here," Keanu interrupted.

"Reminds me of a casino,"

Wayne commented and Logan nodded in agreement,rubbing her stomach.

"I am two years short of seven hundred and in your world it would be half past eleven." Glob answered,prompting a brief, contemplative silence as we all absorbed the fact that he was older than we could ever be.

No one even asked if he was kidding or doubted the validity of his answer.

It's hard to imagine that just yesterday I'd have thought he'd lost all of his marbles.

"You sure do age well around here," I tugged my braid over my shoulder and toyed with the ends.I noticed Logan following my movements with her eyes and I ignored it,blocking out the queasy uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"How old is Ulrik?" I asked,trying to distract myself.

"He will not disclose that to anyone.Not even me. I know only that he is far older than I am."

He opened his palm and began to rotate five marble sized multi colored balls above his finger tips.It was a testament to how immune we had all become to magic when none of us batted an eye or were unduly fascinated.

Glob seemed resigned to the turn the conversation had taken and settled back to answer our questions.

Above our heads,soft rain began to fall and I wished I was snuggled up in bed.

With Keanu.

How did that thought get in here?

Shoo!

I shifted awkwardly as if he could read my mind but he was leaning on his forearms that rested on the table,totally oblivious.

Thank heavens,now I can imagine him shirtless in peace.

"Why did you choose us?" Logan asks,still worrying her stomach.

Maybe the food didn't agree with her.

"I did not choose any of you.I chose your parents," Glob points out,juggling his tiny balls.

Wait,wrong imagery!

Besides,I doubt anything on him is capable of being tiny.

"Well duh," she rolls her eyes and I blink in shock before I reminded myself that she couldn't see my naughty thoughts either and was only responding to Glob.

She motions for Glob to elaborate.

"It was all quite arbitrary really.I did a locator spell for couples that were desperate to have a child but we're unsuccessful and your parents were shown to me.I entered your realm and healed the wombs of your mothers." Glob was off-hand in his explanation,as if he wanted to be done with this part of the discussion and get back to more pressing matters.

Rain began to drum on the roof,increasing in intensity.Glob flicked a finger and the flickering flames in the hearth became a comforting blaze to ward off the insidious chill.

"So our mom's were like 'yes strange, horned giant man,you can use your fairy magic to give me a baby'?" I mimicked and Keanu snorted.

"That does sound a bit far fetched," Wayne said,tapping his fingers on the table.

Glob sighed deeply and vanquished his balls then linked his fingers.

Hmmm,Glob without balls.I almost tapped my finger against my lip but caught myself in time.

"I might have used my magic to make them think they were dreaming.When they became pregnant they thought it had been a miracle."

To Glob's right,there was an almost imperceptible flash of light that was instantly forgotten when Logan groaned softly.

He turned to her and rested a long arm on her shoulder.

"Logan,are you unwell?"

She lifted her head and I did a double take.Her face was paler than usual,the skin appearing translucent and thin.Her lips were almost devoid of color and the roots of her hair had turned white.

"Just a stomach cramp,is all.I guess Judah isn't the only one who overate," she tried to smile but it came out as a forced grimace.

"And here I was about to ask for a midnight snack,"

My attempt at humor went unacknowledged as we all rose to gather around her when she cried out.

Thunder rumbled but seemed to be a far way off.

"Glob knelt before her and lifted her face that had been lowered to hide her discomfort.

"Child,your hair turns white."

She lifted a trembling hand to touch her springy curls that seemed to be bleeding color but didn't make it.She bent forward ,clutching her middle and trying to smother another cry of pain.

"Logan!" Wayne exclaimed and knelt beside Glob who had pulled out her chair.He rubbed her back in an effort to soothe.

Lightning flashed,blinding and swift, it's white light blinding us for a second and leaving us with little black dots behind our eyelids and the sharp smell of ozone.

"I don't know......what's...wrong with me," she gritted out at length.The snowy white had spread,inching deeper into her auburn hair.The rain hammered on the roof and a peal of thunder shook the sky.

She lifted her eyes to look at us and we collectively took a step back.

All but Glob.

Her eyes had turned completely white,barring a bright silver coating over her pupils.

"Her eyes....," Keanu murmured,unable to tear his gaze away.

"What's happening to her?" Wayne demanded of Glob who still knelt infront of Logan.

"She's using her power somehow," I answered and Glob lifted his eyes to mine and confirmed with a single nod then returned his gaze to Logan who was doubled over and whimpering.

"I know it hurts Logan,but you must embrace the pain before you can conquer it."

She lifted her face to his and from my vantage point she looked like a ghost.

Outside,the wind howled and hissed,the rain like bullets on the roof.It sounded like hail but I was too chicken to move the heavy drapes and take a peek.

I've almost been killed enough times,thank you very much.

With my luck some random tree branch might burst through the windows and relieve me of my head.

The Headless Bishop.

Maybe I was getting too morbid.

Logan groaned and clutched her stomach,folding in on herself and seemed to shrink into the chair.

"I.....can't...." she said through her teeth and only the ends of her hair had any color left now.

"What exactly is her power?" Keanu wondered out loud.

As if on que,Logan stiffened in the shape of a starfish,then went limp and rose two feet in the air.Glob reached for her,myself and the two guys taking an instinctive step back,but withdrew his arms quickly when a broad band of electric light shot up in the air from her chest and speared the roof.Thunder was an obstreperous sound,clanging and crashing throughout the unrelenting downpour that now came through the smoking hole of the roof.

Lightning pierced the sky and crackled around Logan who's hair was now completely white.

"Holy mother of coke," I was too stunned and awe struck to mind the fact that I was drenched and it was raining heavily.

Inside.

"Logan!" Glob yelled,brushing ropes of wet hair from his eyes and stretching towards her to try and get her down.She was behind a forcefield of visible electricity,floating horizontally limp,her now white hair fanned out around her,her head band in tatters on the ground.

"The furniture!" Wayne called,trying to move items out of the way so they wouldn't be soaked.

"Do you not see the floating energy field?" I asked, completely baffled by his reaction.

Talk about getting your priorities in a twist.

Maybe he was one of those people who didn't know how to react in a stressful situation so they overcompensated by doing random,normal things.

But still.

One errant twitch of Logan's finger and we'd all be fried.

Toast.

Burned to a crisp.

My stomach rumbled tentatively,afraid to make itself known in the midst of our most recent calamity.

I patted my belly affectionately,making a mental note to take a trip to the kitchen if we managed to make it through the next episode of The Day I Almost Died.

"This stuff is priceless!" He retorted and went back to his task.

Hmm, dude must really be losing his s**t.

"I guess we know what her power is now," Keanu commented facetiously and I rolled my eyes at him as he slicked back his dripping hair,the rain and wind tearing through the room,thunder booming across the inky sky.His clothes clung to him,defining every line,outlining every bulge.

And what an impressive bulge it was.I licked rain from my lips and hoped I didn't look as pervy as I felt.

"What in heavens is all this racket? I was trying to sleep!"

Ulrik.He walked into the room,a stick up his butt as always.

Instant mood killer.My lewd thoughts withered and died.

"And Lord knows you need as much beauty rest as you can manage." I taunted.

"Ms.Bishop.I had hoped you were nothing more than a horrid nightmare but unfortunately your existence is real." He answered dourly,stepping into the room with the air of indifference he wore like a cloak and taking in the chaos as if he were inspecting something of no more consequence than what brand of toilet paper to buy.

The thunder and lightning were incessant now,the wind screaming and wailing in a high pitched whistle.Hail mixed in with the rain pouring through the charred hole in the roof and pummeled the table.

Wayne did what he could to push the lighter furniture out of the way,as if that was our biggest problem.

Poor guy.

Glob repeatedly yelled Logan's name,unable to touch her through the charged field of white electricity that encircled her.

Keanu and I stood like stooges,not knowing what to do besides getting soaked and hailed on.

"It would appear you all have found yourself in a predicament," Ulrik raised his eyes from the ruined carpet,drowned fireplace and Wayne valiantly trying to move an ornately carved chair to an unconscious Logan.

"Just Dandy," he said,unimpressed before he lept through the electric barrier.