This is a work of gay-themed romantic fantasy. Other Chapters may contain explicit descriptions of sexual acts. This one contains an act of extreme violence. If you do not wish to read such material or the content is illegal in your locale please leave by the same means you entered. As always, the usual copyrights and boilerplate applies.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Those of you who are faithful readers will notice you are about to have another Triptych (three shorter scenes that move the story forward but not all of which feature our lead characters. Likewise, you get no "Character List" because I want you to be surprised with each bit. If you haven't at least scanned the previous Chapters you're going to be VERY confused!
The Dover Brothers AKA The Detective and the Druid continues to move toward the conclusion. I expect to have this story wrapped up in three, maybe four Chapters but, don't worry True Believers, Ben and his buddies will return in Dover and Son (which BTW, also contains no incest!)
Questions, comments complaints and suggestions are always welcome. Drop me a note at HonableRonable@gmail.com and I WILL reply. Any idea of yours I use WILL be credited here in the author's notes. Likewise, if you want to be informed when I post new content drop me an e-Mail at the above address or at RonVenable@hotmail.com and I'll see you are notified.
Shout out to Boaz M. who laid out all my plots and guessed what will be coming next. Two of his guesses happen in this Chapter!
SCENE ONE
"Agent Gray--you CAN'T go in there!" The Chief's Secretary squawked like a frustrated hen as Ethan moved past her desk and headed toward a door that simply read CARTER McPHETRIDGE. His title, head of the "Exotic Affairs" Division wasn't included; if a "guest" didn't know what was done in that office a label wasn't about to tell them.
"Sorry Karen," Gray replied. "Mr. McPhetridge has been dodging a meeting with me since I was yanked back to Washington. He's going to answer my questions--NOW!" The man produced a "Skeleton" Key (a little trinket he'd picked up on a mission to Underhill some years previously) and inserted it into the door lock.
All the technological defenses of the door vanished under the Skeleton Key's magic as Ethan opened the door and stepped inside. The Chief of the Exotic Affairs Division was deeply engaged in playing Farmville when the Agent walked in but he quickly blanked the computer and turned to face his unwanted visitor. "Gray--how DARE you disturb me?" McPhetridge bellowed. "Get OUT!"
"Sorry Carter," Ethan said with deceptive politeness, "that's not happening! You need to explain to me why you yanked me out of the middle of an ongoing investigation--one that was producing results I might add--and dragged me back here to DC to do paperwork a Junior Clerk can handle! I'm one of your best Agents Carter--what the FUCK???"
The Chief sighed. "Fine! I owe you an explanation considering all the good you've done for the Country!"
"Get to it then!" Ethan had had enough and he didn't want to play the Chief's game. "Did the White House order me back?"
McPhetridge nodded. "Martin Oberdorf is a major donor to the President, I'm sure you know that... The White House believes you have a personal vendetta against him and you know how the President gets when you attack his friends!"
"How about when said `friends' are manufacturing and distributing Lotus?" Ethan shot back.
"You can't make those accusations!" the Chief said. "You have no proof!"
"Because I was fucking YANKED BACK HERE!" Ethan bellowed. "Carter, you clearly have no idea what they are doing out there and how much trouble we're in if Oberdorf and his allies aren't stopped!"
"If they're going to be stopped it's not going to be by the CIA," McPhetridge said with a sigh. "I'm sorry Ethan but the President has made a decision!"
"Who was the idiot that told him about our activities?" Ethan queried.
"Nobody in this department," the Chief said. "Personally, I suspect it was Oberdorf himself..."
Ethan sighed. "It makes it a lot easier to do this then..." he said. The man reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope. "My resignation," he said bluntly. "Effective immediately!"
"You can't quit!" the Chief sputtered.
"Oh, but I CAN!" Ethan replied. "And I just did! I know the procedures for leaving the Agency and I'll follow them to the letter but I've got to get back to California before the shit hits the fan! Maybe the Agency can't help but I sure-as-hell can and I sure-as-hell WILL!"
SCENE TWO
"What are you doing here Kennedy?" Martin Oberdorf Senior and Junior came into the main warehouse where the Lone Druid was raising a ruckus. "We didn't summon you!"
"I had a visit from that thrice-damned Ben Dover!" the Druid told them. "He KNOWS!"
"What did you tell him?" Oberdorf Junior snapped.
"Nothing you damn fool!" the Lone Druid shot back. "He just KNOWS! I don't know how he found out but he started asking leading questions! I sent him on his way but I swear to the Gods--he KNOWS!"
"Whatever he THINKS he knows it won't do him any good!" Oberdorf Senior told Seamus. "Come Halloween our forces will attack the Henge and we shall wash away the Impure!"
Seamus began to realize what a terrible mistake he'd made. "What have you fools DONE?" he growled. "Who have you allied yourselves with?"
"A Power that will sweep away the Impure!" Oberdorf Senior told him.
Seamus began to realize just how foolish he had been. "You're dealing with the Powers of Hell!" he said accusingly. "How STUPID can you be? The Powers of Hell will pour honeyed words into your ear and promise you everything your greedy heart desires! What they won't tell you is the price you'll have to pay to gain their favor! Trust me--they don't call it a `Devil's Bargain' for nothing! Oh, you fools! You bloody, STUPID fools!"
"You'd know all about `devil's bargains', wouldn't you?" Oberdorf Junior sneered. "That's the deal you made with us! We promised you everything you wanted! Money! Power! Revenge on the Dovers for having things you never will! You were so eager for everything we promised--you sold out your own people! And now Seamus Kennedy, you'll reap the reward!"
The Lone Druid felt a burning sensation in his throat then looked sideward to see Martin Oberdorf holding a bloody Iron Sickle. "Druid," he said coldly, "YOU are the first sacrifice to New Order! The PURE Order! Your blood will help open the Gates and my Lord Beelzebub will lead his armies onto Earth to begin Armageddon!"
"Then know an Archdruid's Death Curse!" Seamus wheezed as his life blood began draining away. "I curse the name Oberdorf to the Seventh Generation! May your enterprises never bear fruit and may you be sacrificed to appease the very Devils you serve!" And with those final words Seamus Kennedy's life slipped away and his soul fled to the Morrigan to receive her Justice.
SCENE THREE
The awen hit Ben so hard he literally passed out on the classroom floor; he awoke to find several students, his Guide/Guard Dog Sully and Luke Lonnigan his Teacher's Assistant all leaning over him. {{Ben!}} Sully's mental voice was frantic. {{What the fuck just happened?}}
"Did he have a stroke?" one of the female students suggested.
The Texan struggled into a sitting position. "I most certainly did NOT have a stroke, Miz Martinez!" he snapped. "I'm fine!"
"Paramedics are on their way!" a helpful male student put in. "Maybe you shouldn't move around a lot..."
"I'll--be--FINE!" In the end the big man decided it would just be easier to go to the ER and have himself checked out rather than try to explain that he'd been laid out by the force of a psychic vision. When the Paramedics made the scene a few minutes later Ben meekly allowed himself to be placed on a gurney and wheeled to an ambulance--but not before he had Luke give his class their reading assignment. He was glad this was his last class for the day!
Cliff and John-Thomas found Ben in the ER chatting and joking with one of the Nurses. "You OK, big guy?" John-Thomas asked.
"We were worried about you bro'!" Cliff added. "Don't scare us like that!"
"Th' Docs have decided it was a simple case o' dehydration!" Ben allowed. "They pumped a couple o' liters o' water into me an' I sh'd be fine!" Then he said quietly; "gather th' Druids an' any other magical type y' c'n! We've got big-time T-R-O-U-B-L-E headin' `r way!"
Cliff looked confused. "It was the awen," John-Thomas told him. "We'll get them together tonight so you can tell us what you saw."
-.-.-.-
Ben was surprised to see how many people were crowded into the Henge as he prepared to speak. All the Druids were there as was BB Wolfe. "Auntie" Roger Quartermaine had brought Dan Watanabe and Jim Qwilleran and with them was an ancient Oriental the Texan assumed was Master Po. Sascha Markov was there as were couple of women Ben didn't recognize. (He suspected the better-dressed of the two was the mysterious "Dark Lady".) Daniel Prince and Garethrokk Humanbane were even there, suspiciously eyeing each other but silently waiting to hear Ben's words.
"We weren't able to get hold of Seamus Kennedy," Cliff said.
"He's dead." Ben dropped the words into the world like a stone into sill water. "He was murdered by th' Oberdorfs!" This caused an explosion of chatter which was hard to quell.
"Why should we believe you?" queried the well-dressed woman with dark hair and eyes. "For all we know this man could have killed Kennedy and blamed it on the Oberdorfs!"
"If you believed that Jacqui dear, why are you here?" asked the other woman. She was a curvy Hispanic with long raven hair with a natural silver streak down one side. Ben knew she was called Tia Sombra.
"Ben is God-called by Odin and touched by Coyote!" John-Thomas said, by way of explanation. "Today he had a vision that knocked him out! All of you were summoned here so he could share what he saw!" Again, there was an explosion of conversation.
"So, Ben dear," Auntie Roger finally exclaimed. "What DID you see?"
"Th' Oberdorfs `r workin' f'r th' Powers o' Hell!" the Texan announced. "They are plannin' t' attack th' Henge on Halloween night!"
"Oh shit, oh dear!" Cliff sighed. "That isn't good!"
"Care to explain for those of us who are out of the loop?" Master Po said. "I'm sorry but I know from nothing about this place!"
"Among other things, the Henge can serve as a portal between the Realms," Cliff told those who didn't know. "Samhain, that's Halloween for the uninitiated, is the one day in which the magical defenses are the weakest. Add to it the fact that Samhain falls on a Full Blue Super Moon and you've got pretty much everything that can go wrong happening at once! In other words, people--we're fucked!"
"It gets worse!" Ben said. "Th' Sons r' plannin' t' attack th' Henge with Silver, Cold Iron an' anythin' else that will keep th' Fey at bay! We'll be defendin' th' Henge without help from th' Fey r th' Western Werewolves!"
"Are the people responsible for Princess Lournu's death the same individuals who are attacking the Henge?" Garethrokk wanted to know.
Ben nodded. "Yes." Was all he said.
"To avenge her Death the Bloody Sun will assist with what spellcraft we can provide!" the Elven Knight promised.
"As will Misty Harbor," Prince Daniel added.
"Thank ya f'r that," Ben told the two Elves. "I wouldn't ask ya t' commit troops t' what will surely be a slaughter!"
"So, anyone have some idea for what to do about this?" Qwill asked.
"Actually," Ben replied, "I do but I don't think I should mention anythin' right now..."
"Don't you trust us?" This was the woman the Texan had identified as the Dark Lady. "You expect us to just follow you blindly into a battle to protect the Henge and you don't want to provide relevant data?"
The Texan fixed her with his one cold blue eye. "With all due r'spect, Ma'am..." he said and his words were cool as his glance. "I know ya dabble in `Black' Magic! That doesn't make me inclined t' trust ya half th' distance I c'n throw ya! But even if I trusted ya 100% I still wouldn't spill m' secrets! F'r all we know this gatherin' c'd be watched from a distance! Ya want t' take that chance? Frankly Ma'am, I don't! All that bein' said--ya wanna live in a world where th' Powers o' Hell reign? I don't think ya do!" The woman looked sour but didn't argue.
"So, here's what we're gonna do..." Ben said. "Be here at th' Henge an' hour b'fore Sunset! Once we have all gathered, I'll give ya the battle plan!"
END CHAPTER