Chapter Twenty-Four: Purge
1473 Words
Rafe slammed his hands against what could only be described as something that resembled, well, a sheet of ice.
“Let me go!” He shouted.
“Do you know why you're here little Spirit?” A god spoke to him kindly, a sad expression on his face.
“Of course I don't!” Snapped Rafe. “If I did, I wouldn't be fighting to get free!” Rafe was tempted to curse at them, but held his tongue in check. He knew very well it would take but a wave of a hand for him to be utterly obliterated, to cease to exist, or for it to be like he never had. He resisted the tremor of feathers that raced down his back. Changing to Raven Form would not help him now. He needed to clearly communicate, and being a bird would make that more difficult.
“Your Mistress stands accused of abusing your power, and of using you little one, for personal gain, in the form of altering time, that had a ripple-like effect, ultimately creating a far-reaching...”
“She didn't abuse my power, or use me, I offered to help her.” Rafe crossed his arms and sneered, interrupting the god. The council of four seated in front of him gasped.
“The insolence!”
“It's obvious his Mistress has affected him!”
“The best course of action is to just move directly to purging his memories, it's obvious he doesn't understand that what he did was wrong-”
The babble of voices cut over each other and Rafe's eyes flew wide.
“Wait! Purge my memories! You can't do that! I have children! A pair-bond!” This time he couldn't suppress the squawk in his voice or the flutter of feathers bursting from his skin as he partially transformed. The kind-faced god shook his head.
“Yes, we know. That's even more distressing. While it's not strictly prohibited, it seems that that particular family line has a penchant for gods and Familiars.” He tsked sadly. Rafe let loose a harsh cry and slammed a shoulder against the ice.
“It wasn't anything I didn't want! You can't do this! I have to get back to her! She's pregnant!” Rafe slammed his shoulder against the ice again.
“I suggest we sedate the Familiar and try to speak to him again later.”
“Yes, he seems rather agitated.”
“Quickly, before he hurts himself!”
Someone moved to the side of Rafe's containment area and placed a hand against it. The air inside turned foggy and Rafe coughed, tucking his face into his shirt. But it was too strong, and he felt his face knock against the ice wall as he fell. He wondered if he broke his nose on the way down as he tasted blood in the back of his throat.
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The next time Rafe woke up he was lying on a table, still freezing, but possibly even colder, though he didn't know how. Shivering, he rolled his head to the side to try to see where he was. Someone else was in the room with him, but their back was turned to him. Rafe tried to speak, but all he managed was a hoarse croak. The other person, a minor god of some sort, Rafe was sure of it, turned around to look at him.
“Oh! You're awake! Good. Though you'll probably wish you'd stayed unconscious for this part.” The god approached him with what looked like a sharp metal spike in his hand. Rafe jerked, and tried to move backwards on the surface he was lying on, only to realize he was restrained. He yanked at his ankles and wrists, but metal bit into his skin.
“What are you doing?” Rafe croaked. The god paused, head tilted.
“Oh, poor little birdy, you probably don't know, do you? A decision was reached while you were out cold. They're going ahead with the memory purge and stasis until your current Mistress passes on to her next life. Because of your manic behavior, the council is pretty sure you've been warped by her thinking, and they pity you. They're just trying to put you out of your misery pretty bird.” The god said all this with a look of understanding and pity on his face, like he was doing Rafe a favor, but all Rafe could do was panic harder the more he spoke.
“No! NO!” Rafe squawked, wrenching harder at his restraints. “No, you can't!” He felt a snap and realized he'd probably broken his wrist, he was jerking his arm so hard. He howled. The god looked at him with such sympathy that Rafe wanted to spit in his face. “Let me go!” Rafe shouted as the god came nearer.
“There, there, pretty bird. It'll all be over in a minute.” The god shoved Rafe's head to the side and Rafe's eyes flew wide as he felt the needle settle against his temple.
“NO!” Rafe screamed. “PHOEBIE!” The sharp bite of the needle in his skin caused him to lose his form.
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Luci's head tossed back and forth in the midst of a nightmare, soft whines issuing from his throat as Bel entered the room. He may not be able to do much for the wolf spirit, but he could most definitely soothe his dreams. Maybe a little bit of peace would help provide the spirit a measure of comfort. Bel reached out and gently brushed Luci's forehead. Emma's love for the spirit had impacted him over time. He was rather fond of Luci too, and he missed seeing Luci's easy smile. Bel leaned forward and brushed a kiss across Luci's brow. Luci stilled as Bel took control of his dreams, sinking him into a more peaceful and deeper sleep. A dream of the three of them and their children. A dream of just a normal day that would end in a rather naughty night. Bel smiled to himself. Not only did that please him, but the thought of tasting Luci's lust again also pleased Bel, even if it was just through a dream. A noise in the hall alerted Bel to Emma's presence and he melted into the shadows, hiding from her as she carried the child into the room to check on Luci. She walked to his bedside and placed her own hand on his forehead in a move that nearly mimicked Bel's, and Bel felt his heart squeeze. She turned with the child and walked out, closing the door silently and carrying the child across the hall. Bel sat next to Luci on the bed and sighed.
“What are we gonna do with our girl Luci?” He murmured. Luci's brows drew together as if he heard Bel's question and Bel brushed the back of his knuckles up Luci's cheek to soothe him. “Hush now, back to the dream-realm with you.” Bel soothed.
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Emma could swear she sensed something in the room with Luci when she touched Luci's forehead. It was enough to make her skin tingle. She tried to keep a calm exterior as she beat a hasty retreat. When she got Sage into the room he shared with Cern, she leaned against the door, panting. She wanted to call out to Cern, but he was busy. She grimaced. There was only one other choice then. One she didn't really look forward to. But if the Chaos God or Lugus were back...
“Bel! Where are you Bel?” She said in a hoarse whisper. He appeared almost instantly in front of her, making her jump. She yelped and held a hand to her heart, then checked on Sage, to make sure he was still asleep.
“What is it?” Bel's eyes were wide as he took in the room around her, as if looking for danger.
“I...It was probably nothing, but... I thought something was in the room with Luci just now, and Sage came to tell me Luci woke him up having bad dreams, and I just didn't want to take any chances.” Emma suddenly felt incredibly foolish. “You know what, never mind, I'm probably overreacting. Things have just been so weird lately and-” A crash cut her off and she jumped again. This time she did wake Sage, who whined pitiably. Emma held him to her chest in a death grip, her eyes felt like they might pop out of her head. “What was that?” She hissed.
“How would I know? Let's go.” Bel grabbed her wrist and she squeaked as they suddenly appeared in the living room.
- Writer
