This is a work of gay-themed romantic fantasy. Some Chapters contain graphic descriptions of sex (not this one however) between consenting adults of the same sex. Should that offend you or be illegal in your area for whatever reason, please click away now before either of us end up in trouble. Otherwise I hope you enjoy Ben's latest adventure.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
If this Chapter seems shorter than some of the others in the "Dover saga" it's simply because SOMEHOW I've managed to disable pages in my MS Word: no matter what I try it reads every document as ONE page. So--until I, or someone with some technical savvy, can figure out the problem, my stories are going to be of wildly varying length. I apologize for that but still hope you enjoy my periodic offerings--even if they happen to be a lot longer (or shorter) than usual. As always, a big "thank you" to my crack editorial staff--particularly "Marko the Magnificent" who has read the chapter multiple times and offered plenty of constructive suggestions and "Rockin' Robyn" who turned my word salad into a publishable manuscript.
A big shout-out to "Edmund S" who, at 86, is my oldest confirmed fan! Thanks to all of you for the kind words as I get back to writing my stories: I hope you continue to enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing them. Another "Shout Out" to "Michael K" of Washington State (who I'm pretty sure knows my stories better than I do); he helped me fill in a plot hole by remembering something I let slip through the cracks for quite some time now. Hopefully, some of the issues will be resolved in this Chapter. Last, but not least, a super big "shout-out" to the Cool Shaved Dude: he knows why (you don't need to).
Questions, comments complaints and suggestions are always welcome. (Well, not the complaints so much, but I try to consider everything I get "constructive criticism".) If you drop me a line to HonableRonable@gmail.com or RonVenable@hotmail.com I WILL get back to you. Sooner or later but I'll do it.
CHAPTER 28: Confrontation on the Cliffs
CHARACTERS
Ben Dover, age 49: our God-touched dauntless hero
Fr. Mark Ryan age 51: earthly avatar of Dionysus (among other things) "Chantal Charmaine" age ??: succubus server at the Hellfire Gala Manuel Rodriguez-de la Rocha age 29: Lieutenant of the Knights Templar
AT THE HELLFIRE GALA, A FEW SECONDS LATER
"Where--is--my--SON!" Ben bellowed. The young Knight gasped for breath as he tried without success to break Ben's strangling grip on his throat. "Tell me now boy or I swear by the God you claim t' follow that I'll choke th' life out o' ya here an' now!" De la Rocha tried to kick the big Texan but that just made Ben squeeze his throat all the tighter.
"Ben..." Fr. Mark interjected, "you're going to have to let him breathe a little if you want answers from him!"
Ben dropped the Temple Knight. "Not necessary," he growled. "My awen just kicked me in th' ass `n' told me Ethan is holdin' Jay in th' woods behind Seacliff Manor!" He growled. "Damnit! Ethan brought us here in a limo--I'll hafta walk home t' git my truck!" That was valuable time he really didn't want to lose but the big man couldn't see another alternative.
The former Priest reached into a hidden pocket in the sleeve of his robe and tossed Ben a set of keys. "Take my Camry," he said. "It's parked out back with the employees' cars--and there's a Ruger 9 mm under the driver's seat. I've even blessed the bullets for good measure!" The former detective raised an eyebrow at this: it surprised him to learn a "man of the cloth" knew how to use a gun, much less carried one. "Don't give me that look Dover--you know I move in some unsavory circles: sometimes it helps to have a secret ace up my sleeve--or under my seat in this case!"
"Thanks Padre--I'll try t' have y'r car back t' ya in one piece!"
"Just get Jay back safely!" Mark told him. "Things are replaceable--even my Sweet Baby Jane!"
"Could ya do me one more favor, Fr. Mark?" Ben asked.
"Sure--anything you need!"
"Make sure nobody leaves this club until dawn!" Ben said. "Right now, th' other Templars haven't spotted what's goin' on in this corner thanks t' all th' craziness around us; I need ya t' keep em occupied while I try n' get Jay back. I don't want any surprise flank attacks while I'm confrontin' Ethan."
"On it!" the other man replied. Mark raised up his Aspect, wielded his Attribute and the whole club was awash in Divine Drunkenness. Lustful energy washed through the entire room, taking everyone by surprise. Things got crazy as the club-goers inhibitions fell away in a wash of unbridled desire. People started dividing into groups of two, three or more as clothing hit the floor in a technicolor fabric rain. The last thing the big man saw was Manuel de la Rocha looking stricken as he knelt before Fr. Mark and began to unfasten the former Priest's scarlet leather jock. Ben almost felt bad for the Temple Knight but he knew even Dionysus's power couldn't force someone to do a thing they didn't secretly already want, however they tried to hide it from themselves and everyone else. Manuel de la Rocha could confront his inner demons on his own time; right now Ben had a job to do!
A FEW MINUTES LATER ON THE ROAD
As Ben drove through the quieting dark streets of the city the big man began to put things together; Bifur, Bofur and Bombur should have been the first red flag; none of the other Gods had manifested animal sidekicks save for himself--and Allfather Odin had literally taken his body when the Texan invited him to join with him--and, at least according to his brother the Archdruid, he'd already been "God touched" for some time; this wasn't the case with the others who had taken on other Gods.. They all raised up Aspects and wielded Attributes but none of them had come with animal sidekicks, "unique" weapons or transportation. Except for Ethan--and then the Norwegian Forest Cats had simply melted away never to be mentioned again! Why hadn't he noticed? Ben was no fan of cats but he'd never have simply left them to forage in the woods.
And then there was the whole "meet cute" thing: Ben didn't really have a "type" but Ethan certainly did--and it wasn't cowboys. Ben also wasn't one to fall hard and fast for any man but with Ethan the feelings were just as intense as those he'd felt with his wife. How could that be? The tall Texan, by nature, was cautious in matters of the heart yet he'd given his to Ethan almost instantly. Why? Had Ethan played him? Was he simply a means to an end or was there the kernel of something real in his faithless lover's heart?
Starjammer had said something about "recognition"--and Ben simply accepted that without question. Now that he examined the concept his awen told him that "recognition" was indeed a thing--but only for the Fay. Still, that left the question of why he'd fallen so hard so quickly for someone he didn't even know. Ethan said he studied magic as part of his career with the CIA but he said he couldn't "use" it; was this factual? Only one person could answer that--Ethan himself. Clearly the man had lied about so very many things--could he count on anything being true? Only confronting Ethan directly would get those answers--if he was willing to give them... One thing he could say for certain--if Ethan had been faking his feelings, the man deserved an Academy Award; he threw himself into the role of partner, lover and friend. Was it all an act? Again, it was a like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel--there simply were no answers to be had--at least not on this lonely road.
Ben briefly considered calling for backup: Cliff and John Thomas knew the property like the back of their hands but they were trapped at Finocchio. Maybe if he'd been thinking more clearly he'd have brought them with him but that option was closed to him now. He knew he could count on B.B. Wolfe to help as would wereboar Carl and Mike the werebear but the big Texan didn't want to risk any more potential casualties. Cliff had warded the place against enemies so it was more than likely there wouldn't be any extra Templars out there: he'd be facing Ethan alone--even if it were on a field where the other man had the advantage by scouting the terrain. Still, for all his planning, Ethan had made one critical mistake--he should never have threatened Jay. His perfidious lover would pay with his life if he harmed a single hair on his Son's head! That Ben swore on his own life...
A BIT LATER, AT THE CLIFFSIDE
The magically-locked Gates to Seacliff Manor opened at Ben's WORD and he drove through to find Ethan's car already there. Clearly he was somewhere about although Ben could see signs of a struggle: at least Jay had put up a fight. The big Texan wasn't much of a tracker and his awen wasn't giving him any information on the Templar or his whereabouts on the Seacliff property. He suspected Ethan was hiding his presence and trail with some sort of magical cloak. But that wasn't the case with Jay; the boy shone like a lighthouse beacon cutting through a foggy night, leaving a trail clear as day for him to follow.
Ben finally emerged at the edge of the property where steep cliffs plunged straight down to sharp rocks and a rough sea.: Ethan held a half-slumped Jay in one arm. Even drugged up (or bespelled as his Godly sense told him) the boy was struggling against his captor, "You got here faster than I expected!" the other man said. "I guess we underestimated you again."
"That ya did," the big man agreed. "Ya made an even bigger mistake involvin' my son!"
"For what it's worth I'm sorry about Jay," Ethan said, with a touch of real sadness. "The kid was dealt a crap hand. It's too bad he couldn't have stayed back East with his Mother and her loser boyfriend. But no, he had to come find dear old Dad--and look where it got him! You should have put him on a plane the day he showed up in your life. He might have actually stayed alive. Now I have to kill both of you..."
"Why is that?" Ben wondered. "Are ya under a Geas `r some other spell?"
"It's a Compulsion far greater than mere magic!" Ethan replied.
"An' what might that be may I ask?"
"Direct orders from the Grand Master of the Templars himself!" the other man replied. "I have my duty and I'm going to finish the mission--destroying you!"
"Ethan--you don't have to follow those orders," Ben said softly. "You know Jay! He's innocent! Let him go--we c'n talk this out! I know we c'n find a way to work past this..."
"If your Son had stayed human he wouldn't be here!" the other man shot back. "Now that Jay has become a merman his soul is beyond redemption!"
"Really?" Ben said, "why is that? Who told you?"
"Holy Mother Church has always condemned the Black Arts!" Ethan informed him. "Shifters, Fey and Magic Users are an affront to the Holy Father's Divine plan!"
"It's pretty damn clear YOU use magic!" Ben growled. "Why `r ya persecutin' an innocent f'r a crime you yourself have committed?"
"My Sin has damned my Soul," the other man replied. "Since my actions have already damned me, what's one more sin to atone for later?" At least that confirmed one thing: Ethan definitely had used magic.
The big Texan couldn't resist a bitter laugh. "Son--Jehovah, th' Holy Trinity, whatever name ya want t' call HIM r THEM if ya must, ain't no different than any other God! ALL Gods r part `n' parcel o' th' same animus that created them, Th' only difference is--your God just ended up in the theological ascendant!"
"Blasphemer!"
"In th' beginning was Man..." Ben intoned, "and Man said, `Lo! Let us make God in Our image!' and, as they said, so it was, and Man saw it was good!"
"You've clearly damned yourself to Hell Ben!"
"'Hell' is a concept of our own making," the big Texan countered. "I know Ethan because I was there..."
"You dare compare your personal trauma with Hell?" Now it was Ethan's term to laugh. "Ben--your pride is nothing short of astonishing!"
Ben raised his hands in surrender. "Fine!" he finally said. "I'm a prideful sumbitch! We c'n even agree I'm goin' t' Hell if that'll make ya happy! Now--would you at least tell me why you did all this? I deserve that much--doncha think?"
"There was a Prophecy about you," Ethan replied. "Basically, it said a one-eyed Warrior would use the combined might of False Gods to defeat the Demonic Forces and prevent an early Armageddon. Our Sages determined the battle would take place in this area last year so they sent me out to see what I could discover. Once you showed up and I found out you were connected to the Archdruid I reported this to the Grand Master. He ordered me to cast a spell of attraction on you so I could get close...."
"That explains a lot," said Ben. "So--don't I get ANY credit f'r preventin' Armageddon?"
"That's why the Grand Master let you live as long as you have," the other man replied. "By fair means or foul, you managed to save a lot of innocent lives! But then you had to take down the Barnsdall labs! That act, the Grand Master won't forgive. The Templars were heavily invested there and it proved to be a useful tool to develop new techniques in our war with evil. He decided you needed to be ended. For what it's worth Ben--I argued against it..."
"So--th' Grand Master had you as a `sleeper agent' in my house the whole time?" Ben sighed. "I suppose I should congratulate ya ol' son! Good job! You fooled ever'body--even yourself..." Then: "tell me th' rest o' th' story please."
"When that idiot Fairy started prattling on about `recognition' and you bought it, I knew I had you!" Ethan went on. "My God man--that speech I gave at the Henge was a bad rip-off of Notting Hill! I'm just a boy standing in front of another boy asking him to love me! And you couldn't get enough! You ate it up like some single woman in her forties watching a rom-com for the tenth time!"
"So you didn't feel anything f'r me?" Ben asked.
"My feelings are irrelevant," Ethan stated bluntly. "Duty is the only thing that matters?"
"Duty?" Ben said. "Duty to whom? The Templars?"
"God--obviously!"
"But which God," the Texan replied. "Redneck Jesus? Right Wing Jesus? Yes, ol' Son, they are diff'rent beings! Maybe it's American Black Jesus, African Jesus r Catholic Jesus, gentle Jesus meek n' mild, Mormon Jesus--which one? Each n every one o' them is just as real as th' next--and that's not all the Jesi'!"
"There is only ONE true God?"
"Really?" Ben replied. "I've met at least TWO `Jesi' in recent years. What makes YOURS better than all the others?"
"When you're burning in Hell you'll find out!"
"Ethan," Ben's voice was gentle, "Hell is a construct of our own makin'... When I die I know I'm headed f'r th' Summerlands. My Little Bird an' younger kids are already waitin' there f'r me. I'd hoped you'd be with me there Ethan because, even after all this, I still love you! You DON'T have to do this! You c'n walk away..."
"Get thee behind me Satan!" Ethan bellowed. "I won't listen to you!"
"Then listen to that `still, small voice' in y'r heart..."
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Ethan was near to breaking. "My soul is already lost! I'm tainted by my own stain of Sin! All I can do is finish my mission and hope for the chance of forgiveness in Purgatory!" The other man drew a Walther PPK from his waistband and pointed it at Ben. "Sorry lover--you have to die now!"
"No--I forbid it!" The branches rustled and a tall, bearded white-haired man stepped out of the shadows. Large ravens sat on each shoulder and he glared over the scene with one baleful blue eye. "I am not done with this one, mortal man. His time is not yet! He shall not die by your hand--at least not today..." Ethan fired several shots and the bullets faded from existence even as they left the barrel. "Mortal man--I told you my Paladin will not die today!" Ben found himself wondering why Odin hadn't just "appeared in glory" but maybe the Allfather was trying to prevent Ethan from accidentally throwing Jay over the cliff.
"I still have enough bullets left to off his Son!" Ethan hissed. "Watching his precious Jay die in front of him will break him and he'll be of no use to you! One way or another, I'm taking Ben off the Game Board--just like the Grand Master ordered..."
Ben blanched, knowing this was true. Holding his Son Doug while the boy slowly bled out in the ruin of their SUV had almost destroyed him: if another innocent child was killed in front of him because of his life choices, it would surely do him in. "Allfather," the Texan begged with all his heart, "save my son--please!"
Odin shook his head. "Would that I could." He said, sadness clearly written on his face. "But now that he is `Mer' he belongs to Poseidon. Perhaps he, or his connection to Llyr through you, can save him..."
"I'm `mer'," Ben shot back. "Shouldn't that mean I'm no longer yours?"
"You are not truly of the Sea People." The Allfather told him, his words gentle. "Their Adamantine Herald must always stand apart from the Mer! Therefore I gave you the power to alter your shape to prove your role to them: it was needed so the merfolk would listen to you. Therefore, my Paladin, you are still mine. Still, the Sea Gods may yet aid you..."
Jay seemed to waken, at least partially, from his stupor; the younger Dover took on his `Mer' form and Ethan found himself struggling with someone who was suddenly taller, longer and much heavier. The older man was forced to let go of his pistol so he could grapple against Jay's renewed strength. Ben sprinted forward, trying to free his Son from Ethan's desperate grasp but the Texan just barely managed to touch the pair before both of them tumbled off the cliff's edge toward the ocean below
END CHAPTER 28
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