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"No Greater Love" (John 15:13) (Part One of Two) By Zapper Synopsis: It's been four years since John and Meka swapped bodies, battled wicked witches and Necromancers, and became lifelong friends. After returning to their original bodies the two moved on with their lives. John, choosing to ignore his Seer gift, has become a Guardian-Warlock with the St. Louis Great Coven. Meka moved to London to work for Gwendolyn " Beaglaoich as a reseacher of the Eldrich. Over the years Meka has made a name for herself as a researcher of the arcane and a developer of new unique applications of magic. After the events in Cancun, Mexico, the shadow war between the Society of the Gifted and the Syndicate of the Eldritch become full warfare. While the Society is still trying to hide the fact that magic exists from the mundane population the Syndicate has no such constraint. When Meka is attacked she calls on John for help. Soon the two are swept up in events far beyond their control. The Society is losing the war and the Syndicate is moving toward its end game. John and Meka learn what the Syndicate has planned and it becomes a race against time to save the very world from an unthinkable horror. Magic, war, love, sex, possession, body-theft, and gender swapping all complicate the situation in this final book about John and Meka. Author Note: 1: My dear friend Brittany Cosco, aka - Mekalicious, Mekalicious Soulstorm, and Meka passed away in February 2016. She was in her early 30s and died from complications arising from a surgery she'd had earlier in 2015. Brittany was a brilliant woman with a rapier-like wit, a dry sarcastic sense of humor, and was generous to a fault. She loved to write and edit and knew far more about this art than I ever will. Her light was snuffed out too early and I miss her deeply. I wrote this story, and submit it for your enjoyment, as a tribute to Brittany. 2: Brittany loved possession and body-swapping stories. She was a huge fan of erotica, action, and suspense. I've tried to capture these elements in this story. 3: The tags selected apply to the entire story not just part one or part two. This story has 13 chapters and is complete and I plan to post in two large parts. This is a standalone story, reading the previous stories in this universe is not necessary to read, understand, and enjoy this story. 4: Lastly, I wanted to give BobH, Eric, and Doc VS a shout out for their friendship and beta reading. A VERY special thank you to Mr. 20" Biceps. He encouraged me, discussed ideas with me, and stayed after me to make sure this story was written. His Beta and Proof reading are always invaluable but his friendship has been worth more than all the rest. *************************************** Chapter 1 *Meka* *************************************** The early morning sunlight streaming through the trees lit up the world in a riot of color and natural beauty. Fall in Hyde Park is gorgeous, but Meka wasn't enjoying the splendor as she jogged along the lakeshore trail. Instead, she focused on the music, Evanescence, blasting from her earbuds, as a distraction from her racing heart, the cramp in her side, her raw throat, and her annoyance with John. 'Stupid, man, why did I have to promise him to run every day until our annual cookout?' she thought. Then she pushed the thought away. John was just trying to get her to be a healthier, he'd always been a bit OCD about working out. Still, she hated to admit, he was probably right. She'd put on fifteen pounds in the three years she'd been living in the United Kingdom. The trail moved into a slight incline and Meka lowered her head focusing on running, 'Not much farther,' she thought. Even though her body ached Meka put on a burst of speed sprinting the last hundred meters. Once the park entrance was less than a dozen meters away she slowed to a stop and bent-over gasping for breath. Meka could feel the sweat running down her back and even though she'd pushed herself she felt good. 'Maybe, John has a point with all this working-out he obsesses about. Not that I'll tell him.' Abruptly, Meka felt a shiver run through her and the crystal, hidden behind her eyepatch, tingled. "W-What?" she gasped looking around. Slowly, trying not to be obvious, Meka scanned the area. She knew better than to overreact to the touch of a questing. With her right eye, her normal eye, she looked at the people who inevitably hung out around the park entrance. Spotting nothing out of the ordinary she shifted her focus to her left eye, and lifted the eyepatch. Behind her eyepatch was her most prized possession. The Cavanaugh Crystal, her focus object, was almost a one of a kind and it gave her an unusual kind of sight. All witches and warlocks used a bonded crystal as a focus object but the few surviving crystals made by the High Sorceress Shirley Cavanaugh were particularly prized. Mistress Cavanaugh had been a virtuoso at crafting crystal focus objects. Meka smirked remembering Victor's reaction to her current use of her focus object. "Meka, that crystal is special! You can't use it like that!" He'd sputtered, going a little red around the ears, when he'd learned she was using it, not only as her focus, but as an artificial eye. The world shifted as she concentrated on using her witch-sight and then peered through her crystal. Colors seemed to intensify and the world simply felt more, "real." As if a dull film and been lifted and she could see things as they truly were. As Meka scanned each person she took note of the unique glow that surrounded them. Everyone has an aura, unique and identifiable, by studying an aura there were many things that Meka could learn about a person. Now, however, she was interested in checking for anything odd or supernatural. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary Meka allowed the patch to fall back into place and dismissed her witch-sight. Still remembering the indignant reaction by Victor, to her use of her crystal, brought a quirking smile to the corners of Meka's sensual lips. It was a terrible habit, yet she just couldn't resist pushing his buttons, he was just so formal, so... stuffy! As if the thought of the elderly Warlock was enough to summon him Meka felt a buzzing in the back of her mind and the ghostly image of Victor swam into view. With a sigh Meka moved to one side of the path and with a minor effort of "Will" pulled magic through her crystal. "Accipite," she whispered, using the Latin word she knew Victor preferred, allowing Victor's spell to take effect. In essence, she'd just answered his call. The ghostly image seemed to fill in, become more solid, more... real. Although, Meka knew she was the only one who could see or hear Victor it still felt like she was talking to an imaginary friend. "Meka, apprentice, it's been too long since we spoke. How are you?" "I'm fine," Meka replied softly, so no one else would overhear her and think she was a crazy woman talking to herself. "You know I'm not your apprentice, right? I mean, Gwendolyn practically dragged me to London to train me, and that was four years ago." "Ah, yes, my apologies, old habits die hard. In my day, an apprentice only had one master, no matter who he or she went to study with later in life. The Master-Apprentice bond is a lifelong bond." As if sensing Meka's annoyance Victor hurried on, "Meka, I just wanted you to know that I'm proud of you." "Gee, thanks. Now, why are you contacting me with magic? You could have used a cell phone for this conversation. What's going on?" "Are you aware of the attack on Cancun?" "You mean the singularly stupid thing the Syndicate did, that declared war on the Society? The action that almost blew our cover with the mundane population and caused no less than three Great Covens plus, I have no idea how many, Sorcerers and Wizards to create the fake hurricane as a ruse. As well as having to alter, lord only knows, how many people's memories... Yeah, that kind of thing is hard to miss." Meka couldn't help the bit of sarcasm that snuck into her voice. "Look, I'm in public, can this wait until I get home?" There was a pause and then a sigh, "I would like to say yes, but when I use a phone to call you, you let that idiotic voice mail pickup. Then you never return my calls. With you, sendings seem more reliable. We need to talk for a few minutes." "Okay, fine, but I'm gonna stretch while you talk." Then Meka moved into a lunge with her left leg in front and bent and her right leg locked out, stretching her right Achilles. "As you know the attack was a Declaration of War." "Wait one second. I don't get that. The Syndicate is at war with the Society. Fine, but we're witches. We're organized into Circles and Covens. I'm not a member of any, Society," as she said this Meka stood up, made air quotes, and switched legs. Looking exasperated Victor shook his head. "Didn't you ever get around to reading those history books on Witchcraft, the Rise of the Covens, and Basic Coven Government? Those books are the foundational civics guidance for how Covens function in the modern world!" Meka moved to sit on the ground with her heels together and pressed down on her knees. "Fine. Whatever. I was, and still am, more interested in learning the principles of magic and creating new spells." Then when Victor didn't say anything she shrugged her shoulders, "Can you please just get to the point? People are starting to stare, and I need to get home and then get to the lab. We just took delivery of several new artifacts and Gwendolyn wants me to do the initial assessment." "As you wish," Victor responded. "You are still a member of the Louisville Great Coven. We are allied with the American Society of the Gifted. Our Society has alliances with the Societies in Europe, Central, and South America. The Attack on Cancun is, by treaty, an attack on our Society therefore we are obligated to fight." Meka shook her head and stood up. "We've been over this. I reject the idea that I must participate in this war nonsense. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." "Meka!" The urgency in Victor's voice caused her to pause. "You can reject it all you want. It doesn't matter. You are KNOWN. Your reputation has spread through the Eldritch community these last few years, and that means you'll be seen by the enemy as a high value target. I understand you do not wish to fight, but at least protect yourself!" Meka nodded, still more than a little annoyed and touched her eyepatch. "Yeah, I hear ya, Vic. I remember the last time someone came after me. War or no war, trust me, I'll take care of myself." With that she broke the connection. Then Meka looked around. Thankfully, no one seemed to be paying her any attention. The trip to her flat was uneventful, even if Victor's message had left her feeling nervous and jumpy. For a while she thought a sexy Asian girl with kinda of a femme fatale look had been following her, but when she ducked into the train station to use the tube the girl disappeared. 'God, now Victor's got me jump at shadows,' Meka thought. Back home Meka hurried through her normal routine getting cleaned up. She tossed her clothes in the general direction of the laundry basket. Once naked she went into the bathroom to get the shower turned on and heating up. The old buildings in the city looked fantastic but ancient pipes and tiny water heaters were annoying. While waiting Meka made a quick side trip to the kitchen for a beer. She took a sip and looked at the tiny brunette in the full length mirror attached to the back of the bathroom door. "The running is paying off." she mused, turning from side to side so she could look at her now tight waist, toned legs, and firm ass. "I guess I'm going to have to thank John, after all." Then she wrinkled her nose at her extra pale complexion. "Living in England has done nothing to improve my color. I could be a vamp with this complexion." Setting the beer on the edge of the sink Meka stepped onto the scale. "Eight point nine two stone." She paused mentally doing the conversion, "That's about one hundred twenty-five pounds. Five more pounds and I'll be back to my pre-UK weight." Then stepping off the scale Meka took another sip of beer before peering into the mirror. She used both hands to cup and lift her breasts giving them critical once over. Annoyingly, she'd gone up at least a cup size over the last two years. Now most of her bras were either painfully tight or simply unwearable. "I thought that when I lost that weight some of it would be up here!" she groused. "What's the point of having bigger boobs when there's no one to play with them?" Then noticing the steam coming from the shower she quickly adjusted the temperature grabbed her beer and shower cap and got in. For the next ten minutes Meka let the hot water massage sore muscles while the alcohol worked its magic, relaxing her. *** The cool air hit Meka like a wall as she stepped into the lobby of the New World Research Institute. As cover names go, for Coven owned enterprises, this one wasn't too bad. "Hi, George." Meka tried to project a cheerfulness she didn't really feel. George, the elderly looking security guard glanced up from the bank of monitors that surrounded his desk, "Hi, Ms. Petrucci, got stuck with another Saturday shift, I see." "No rest for the wicked." "Ha! In that case what's a sweet lady like yourself doing here on a Saturday?" "Just whipping up a little magic." Meka replied, giving the retired Royal Marine a flirtatous wink and a mocking smile. "Oh? Is that what goes on these days at institutes dedicated to the pursuit of science?" There was a beep as George pushed the button that opened the glass door Meka was facing. "You know it." Meka replied thinking about how exasperated Victor would be at her telling George she was there do to magic. George was a mundane security guard in his mid-fifties and telling him the truth, a truth he'd never believe, struck Meka's sense of humor. Pulling out her ID card Meka turned to her right to face a digital pad mounted on the wall. Meka held her ID card up to the pad and after a moment there was a beep. The pad turned from red to green and the image on the touch sensative screen was a photo of Meka from a year earlier. From when she'd transferred from the publishing house to the research institute. Next to the digital photo, on the screen appeard a one inch by one inch box. Meka pressed her index finger against the pad within the box and this time when it beeped she saw the screen change to give her a key- pad. Meka typed in her six didgit PIN and there was another beep as the glass door to her left slid open. Moving quickly down the hall past the staff cafeteria, empty and dark since it was a Saturday, to the bank of elevators Meka pushed the down button. Tapping her foot impatiently she waited, staring at her reflection in the stainless steel and glass doors. Even though it was a Saturday and her preference was to dress down, there was a certain expectation for how one should look at work. Gwendolyn had drilled this into her when she'd first come to work in the UK. Since she didn't expect to run into anyone from management Meka had oppted for a pair of khaki capris, a light weight white sleevless top and sandals with just a bit of heel. Over this last year she'd grown her dark redish-brown hair out so that it was now just past her shoulders. The look said, "casual" but not jeans and t-shirt casual. Just then the elevator doors slid open. Meka stepped inside and hit the button that read LL3 for lower level 3. 'Why is it that the Coven thinks all of the most interesting magic needs to be explored underground?' Meka thought and then answered her own question. 'Because sixty feet of earth will contain any mistakes and prevent the public from knowing what happened.' The ride down to the magical research floor took only a few seconds and when the elevator came to a smooth stop the doors slid open. Meka excited the elevator and saw that the Developmental Science and Research Division (DS&RD) was bustling with activity. The research institute had six divisions, five of which were dedicated to mundane scientific research projects. They typically didn't work weekends. The exception to this rule was DS&RD. The division covertly dedicated to working out the laws of magic. Conducting magical experiments on the weekends when no one else was in the building was one of their Standard Operating Procedures. "Hey, Meka." A middle-aged balding Warlock from Wisconsin said, with a wave, as he rushed past. "Hi, Simon." Meka turned toward her lab and felt a little irritated, she didn't have a project to test today. There was no reason she couldn't be doing this on Monday. "No reason except Gwendolyn asked me to evaluate these artifacts as soon as possible." Reaching her office Meka held her ID card next to the key pad and when it beeped she typed in her PIN. The door clicked and she pushed it open flipping on the lights and then moving to the key pad next the door. She quickly typed a security access PIN that de-armed the room. "No reason, except you've become a victim of your own success." Then she sighed, "If I'm lucky this will only take an hour or two." The room was one of the larger laboratories in the institute. Meka now had a full-time staff supporting her that consisted of an administrative assistant and three research witches. Documenting new spells, cataloging magical principles, filling out time cards, processing request forms for additional resources, spell components, and artifacts or tools needed for an experiment was a full-time job for a young witch. The idea of needing a secretary to help with the administrative burden of having her own lab had made Meka laugh when she'd first been told that one was going to be assigned. Now, she had no idea how she'd manage the Lab without Grant. In addition to Grant, Meka's three research assistants were invaluable. Adam was the senior assistant having been with her for almost two years and then there was Barbra and Holton. Meka moved through the Lab noting that the pentagram cut into the concrete floor needed cleaning. 'Barbra must have used it last,' she thought, annoyed at Barbra's tendency to be untidy. The lab was designed to provide a large open space in the middle with desks and work benches along the walls. Grant's desk was closest to the door and Meka noted that it was obsessively clean and well organized. In fact, Barbra's messiness had caused Grant to complain to Meka more than once. Moving through the main area she headed to her office which was the only part of the lab that had been walled off from the main area. Having her own office gave her some privacy for meetings, telephone conferences, conducting research projects, and for the more difficult spell casting. Entering her office Meka flicked her hand toward the light switch and said, "On," with a minor effort of will, causing it to flip-up. Bright light filled the comfy office and Meka let out a sigh. This was her space, her sanctum, the one place on earth where she could explore and test the limits of magic without having to conform to other people's expectations. She tossed her purse onto the sofa along one wall as she moved to her desk and smirked when she spotted Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Apple Jack standing guard by her keyboard. The, "My Little Pony" toys had been with her for years and they gave her office a certain feel of, "home" that no simple photo ever would. Then she spotted the package left on a workbench to one side. "No reason not to be comfortable while I work." Meka said, kicking off her sandals and enjoying the feeling of the deep soft rug under her toes before she moved toward the package. "Gwendolyn, what have you got for me?" The package was a cardboard box wrapped in innocuous brown paper and tied up with a simple string. Meka quickly opened it and then looked down at the contents. Slowly, she reached up and tossed her eye patch to one side and brought up her witch-sight. The three objects within the box glowed with magical power. Each object had been individually wrapped and even through the wrappings Meka could sense the magic. Meka moved over to her desk and pulled out a pair of gloves specifically enchanted to insulate her from unintended effects of an artifact. With great care she reached into the box and pulled out the largest object. When she unwrapped it Meka saw that she was holding a hoop of metal slightly too large to be a bracelet. All around the outside of the hoop glyphs had been etched into the metal. "Hmmmm, what kind of metal is this?" Meka sat it to one side. Whatever it was the power of the hoop was currently dormant. Next she carefully lifted out an object that turned out to be a crystal the size of a golf ball. "Mhmmmm, spirit and mind magic in almost equal parts. I wonder if a Witch and a Psi-Lord worked together on it," she noted as she unwrapped the crystal. Looking at it she could feel its power tugging at the edges of her mental shields, with a shudder she set the crystal aside. A feeling of malevolence washed over her and Meka pushed more power into her shields. "Whatever you are, you're dangerous." Meka shook her head, she could feel beads of sweat forming, and had to resist the urge to wipe her hands on her pants to remove the ill-feels the crystal had given her. She was tempted to start an examination of the dark crystal but instead returned to the box. The last object was a crystal, about the size of a baseball and it glowed with an icy green color when she picked it up. Meka almost dropped it in surprise. Even though she was wearing gloves she could sense that it was predominately a Wizard's work. She placed it on the workbench not too far from the smaller crystal. "Gwen, what the hell have you given me?" After considering the three objects she returned to the box and spotted a letter lying in the bottom. Meka picked it up and recognized Gwendolyn's hand writing. Meka, The items in the box arrived from America two days ago. The hoop is an artifact the Great Coven in Seattle was researching. They think that it's a gate of some type, but the Seattle Coven lacked the expertize to unlock it. The crystal is from Mexico before the Syndicate's attack. Do what you can this weekend. I'd like to discuss the objects with you on Monday. Respectfully, Gwen Meka read the letter twice, frowning at the puzzle. It wasn't that it was odd to be asked to look at an artifact, but the note had indicated a single crystal. It wasn't often that Gwen misspoke or forgot a part of a task. Meka shrugged dismissing the use of the singular as an oversight. During the past year Meka knew she'd proven she was one of the best magical researchers around. It was a bit strange that a Great Coven, like the Seattle Coven, lacked the resources to solve this mystery. Then there were the crystals. Gwen had said they were from Mexico and had been part of the set of crystals the Society had recovered from the Syndicate. Most thought that the Syndicate's attack had burned down the Society buildings, destroying the facility. This was true, with what looked like a few exceptions. Deciding to ignore the crystals for the moment, Meka focused on the hoop. There were several things that were odd about it. The first was its weight. It looked like a thin ring of copper with some glyph's etched into the surface. But holding it, Meka guessed that it must weigh at least ten pounds. Then there was the metal. Initially, she'd guessed copper, but now she wasn't sure. Meka carried the hoop over to an uncluttered part of her workbench. There were several tests she wanted to run but she started by taking pictures of each glyph with the digital camera she kept for this purpose. Then she moved to her desk and loaded the images to her computer. "What kind of runes are these?" She mused. "Babylonian? Assyrian? Egyptian?" Focusing on the task at hand Meka failed to notice the first crystal spin around as if orienting on her. From within the depths of the crystal an eye came into focus and the eye locked onto Meka as she worked on deciphering the runes. *** "Are you sure this will work?" "Just lay back and hold the crystal." "We don't even know if anyone's going to work on it today." The tiny, Asian looking woman replied, before settling onto the bed. Then she extended her hand for the large dark, ominous looking crystal. "Our agent planted the crystal in with others scheduled to be examined." The youth, with her, in the shabby hotel room said. He couldn't have been older than twenty or twenty-one yet he had an air of mature authority about him. This was in complete contrast to the unruly mope of multicolored hair, the nose, lip, and tongue piercings and the post apocalypse studded black leather clothes he wore. Instead, of extending the crystal he held in a fingerless gloved hand he offered the woman an evil looking ceremonial dagger. "You know what to do?" "Yeah, this body might not have any magical gifts, but I've worked for Mr. Drake long enough. You need blood, right?" The youth nodded. She took the knife and sliced a palm open with only a slight grimace at the pain. "Who will I become this time?" she asked holding out her wounded hand while dropping the knife to one side. "I thought you didn't care, as long as your new body is magically active?" With that the youth placed the orb firmly into the woman's bleeding palm. "I don't. Although, even though I've become accustomed to being female, given a choice I'd prefer a male form." Then the crystal flared and her body went rigid. The youth watched with an eager look on his face as an eye appeared within the crystal. The eye seemed to look around spinning in a full circle before orienting on something. "Well, old friend, sorry to disappoint you, but you'll soon be wearing another woman's body." Then with a smirk he settled down to watch. *** After two hours Meka leaned back and rubbed her temples trying to ease the headache that had crept up on her while she'd been focused on her research. "Damn migraine. It's been months since I had one, and I get one today?" Then looking at the hoop she couldn't help feeling satisfied, "A gate. I think," then with a sense of excitement, she picked up the hoop and walked to the open area in the center of her office. Setting the hoop on the floor she stepped back and took several deep centering breaths. Doing her best to block out the pain in her mind she dropped her mental shields and drew upon her power. The crystal in her eye-socket flared as she pulled magic in through her focus item, and then she concentrated on the hoop. "Cro?tre!" The word echoed strangely around the chamber as Meka forced her "Will" and the magic she'd collected allowing the word to trigger the spell. The glyphs on the hoop lit up with a white fire and it respond by growing. In seconds, it doubled in size and then doubled again, by the time the light died from the glyphs Meka was looking at a circle twelve feet in diameter. "Step one, complete. Now, to see if I can open the Way to a Shadow World." Meka said feeling excited and ignored the pounding in her temple. Behind her the smaller crystal, and the eye trapped within, remained focused, watching her every movement. *** Abruptly, the petite Asian woman in black leather, shuddered and her eyes flew, sightlessly, open. "I-I see a woman. She's in some kind of office or maybe a lab." Then the woman on the bed hissed, "This is that Meka girl you had me following around?! She's the one with the unusual gift for magical research." The tiny woman on the bed seemed to shudder, "Damn you. I DON'T want to be a woman, again!" "Sorry, Max, these are Drake's orders. Be Meka, or die." With that he picked up the wicked looking knife from where Max had dropped it and plunged it into her heart. The ruby crystal on the dagger's pommel filled the room with red light. The body on the bed convulsed as the enchanted dagger did its job, converting the life energy within the woman to the manna needed to power the spell. "Fuck you. I'm not going to die!" Max gasped and then blood leaked from the side of her mouth. A fine dark mist floated up from her mouth, ears, and nose to form a slight cloud and then the cloud was sucked into the pulsing crystal held now in her lifeless hand. "Any time you want, Max, baby." The youth laughed reaching down to grab the cock between his legs. "I've only owned this thing for a few months and I'd love to see what it feels like to use it on a woman." Then giggling the former woman, Ilse Hirsch, watched as the crystal glowed brighter and brighter. At last the light forced him to look away and cover his eyes. After a minute the light faded and when he looked back the body of Elvira Chen was nothing more than a pile of dust. *** Meka nearly bursting with power gave one last look at the glyph she wanted to use, oblivious to the shadowy mist that flew up and out of the crystal behind her. The mist coalesced into the shape of a large man. The man paused as if trying to collect his bearings and then he oriented on Meka as she drew upon her power. There were twelve glyphs etched into the ring and if Meka was right each glyph opened a Way to a Shadow World. The glyph she'd picked opened a path to a place called "Summer" and she was sure it was the land of the Summer Fae. Just as she opened her mouth to speak the Word a cold presence slammed into her causing her to stumble. Looking back over her shoulder she saw what looked like a man made entirely of darkness. One of the man's hands was wrapped tightly around her neck and she reached up to grab his arm only to have her hand pass through it. Then he leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers in a hideous parody of a kiss. Cold energy flooded into her and Meka wanted to cough but was caught and then she felt him, in her mind. 'Hello, pretty, you feel strong.' The words were enough to shake her out of her shock and using the power she'd just collected Meka threw her Will at the being. 'NO!' The shout echoed in her mind and what felt like liquid fire burned along her veins pushing the darkness back. 'W-What?! This is impossible.' The being's surprise gave Meka a brief opening and she surged forward. 'Get OUT!' Again, energy flared within her body and Meka's vision cleared enough for her to see the dark mist pouring out of her begin to shift once more into a roughly human shape. 'I will NOT BE DENIED!' The voice roared through the vault of Meka's mind and she tried to bring up her mental shields but something was preventing her. In desperation, she took a breath and the mist poured back into her, filling her lungs. Meka sank to her knees trying to draw power up through her crystal but there was a presence in her mind. An awareness, that somehow managed to block her connection to her focus item. 'You will not get me with the same attack twice, bitch!' 'Maybe not, asshole, but I'm still going to stop you!' Then Meka threw her entire will at the creature. 'I will d-destroy you.' For an eternity, it felt like Meka was wrestling with a Boa Constrictor. There didn't seem to be a beginning or an end to this entity and the more she fought the tighter and tighter it squeezed. Then like a bubble popping the pressure was gone. At first Meka just gasped, happy that the pain had also disappeared. Then she felt her body move even though she'd not direct it to move. She sat up and watched as her hands came up, brushing hair back from her face, and she felt her body shudder and start to laugh. "Damn, bitch, or maybe I should say, Meka. You put up one hell of a fight!" 'No, no, no!' Meka shouted throwing her "will" uselessly against the unseen barrier that held her mind, a prisoner within her own body. Slowly, her body stood up and Meka felt her hands move to her chest, the exploration was quick and thorough. "Mmmm, I'm bigger now than I was as Elvira. Although, I'm still a useless woman... I wonder." To Meka's surprise she felt the person in control of her body pull on the power of her crystal and the clean, pure, energy of life and chaos flooded into her. Acting quickly Meka managed to draw a bit, just a tiny fraction, a dribble, of power into her prison. She watched as her hand extended palm up, "Lumen." Meka felt the energy within her body flow out forming a tight ball the size of a softball then it went incandescent filling the room with a bright red-white light. "HA! It worked. I'm a witch!" Meka watched with growing horror as her body dismissed the Witch-Light with a flick of her wrist. Meka felt her body spin around and after looking around the room she sensed frustration from the being controlling her. "Not a single mirror in this office? What kind of woman doesn't have a mirror in her office?" 'The kind that's worried about it being used as a window to scry me, or as a vector through which to attack me.' Meka thought angrily. "Well, let me think there must be a restroom around here." Meka heard the comment and felt confused then, abruptly, she felt a kind of tingling along her imprisoned mind. "Ah, yes, outside and down the hall to the left." With a growing feeling of horror, she realized that whoever it was who'd taken control of her body could access her memories. Feeling desperate she watched as her body secured the lab and headed to the lady's room. It was almost a relief to see that no one else was in the room. The person in control of her body moved to the mirror and she watched as her body checked itself out. Slender fingers brushed feather light over her face and then moved lower. "Not bad, nose is a little long, mouth a touch too large, but still quite pretty." her voice mused and Meka couldn't resist a sarcastic, 'I'm glad you approve.' not that the invader could hear her. The exploring hands moved lower, shoulders, arms, breasts waist and hips the inventory was almost cursory. Then when they reached her crotch Meka started to feel her body respond. "Oohhhh... I've got a much more sensitive pussy... a more sexually active body." her voice noted in a husky tone. Then her small hands started stroking her crotch and Meka felt the soft ache begin to build. 'No, no, no, no! Stop this!' she shouted silently and again threw her will at the unseen walls of her prison. "This is going to be fun." Her body noted in a sultry tone. Then as if making a decision her body moved to one of the stalls quickly dropping Meka's capris and panties. The cold air hitting her soft nether region only seemed to entice her captor. Using one hand she softly rubbed Meka's recently shaved pussy and gasped as it responded, lips opening like the petals of a precious flower. The soft ache had become a moist fire and Meka couldn't help moaning from within her prison as one carnal sensation washed through her body after another. Slender, delicate, fingers pushed inside, feeling, questing, exploring while a second hand pinched and caressed Meka's soft breasts. She gasped and couldn't tell if it was the person controlling her body or if it was her. Meka felt shaken to her core as her body walked back to her lab. There had to be something she could do, she refused to accept the fact that she was completely powerless, a prisoner within her own mind. Her determination to find a solution grew as she watched her captor open the lab without missing a beat. Once in her office she felt her body walk to her desk and sit down. Her hand reached out and picked up the phone and dialed a number. It rang once and then a man answered, "Maxwell Jackson?" "Yeah, Ilse, I'm in... in more ways than one." "Excellent and you have the items?" Meka felt shocked, 'I'm being possessed by a man?!' They way her captor had referred to her vagina, as being more sensitive, she'd assumed it was another woman in control. Her anger and humiliation at the way he?d just used her body blossomed and Meka vowed she?d end him if was the last thing she ever did. Meka felt her eyes move around the room, noting the crystals and the Gate, "Of course. Everything is in place." Then she felt that same tingling sensation and knew Max was accessing her memories, "As usual Mr. Drake picked the perfect target. This Meka Petrucci is close to the Grand Witch, Gwendolyn " Beaglaoich, it should be a simple matter to get in and end her." Meka shivered form within her prision and for a few seconds stopped listening. This was the danger Victor had tried to warn her about, an attack by the Syndicate, because she?d become a well known witch. Except that it was more than that. This attack was actually directed at Gwen and Meka was just the tool. Meka wanted to scream, to shout, to do anything to force some kind of a reaction but Max was in complete control and oblivious to her existence. "Excellent. I?ll see you soon." The man?s voice brought Meka back to the conversation that she?d missed and she watched as Max hung up the phone. Max looked at her computer and again there was a tingling sensation, and Max typed in her password. He seemed intent on looking through Meka?s schedule and her current projects. Meka felt one brief tingling sensation after another as the man controling her body grew more accustomed with searching her memories. ?If this keeps up, he?ll be able to fool anyone into thinking he?s really me. He?ll be able to take over my life.? The thought was horrifying, ?I?ve got to do something, but what can I do without a body?? Then she felt the small thread of power she?d captured. ?I wonder if...? unable to move her eyes Meka knew from memory where her My Little Ponies stood on the desk. ?Dash, Pinkie, Apple Jack I enchanted you in case of an emergency... I think this constitutes an emergency. Don?t fail me now.? Meka concentraited with her whole being on the spell and filled her mind with the image of Rainbow Dash. ?Transmettre!? she thought pushing out with all the magic she?d captured. *John, help me!* The burst of energy was so tiny Meka didn?t know if it would work and her eyes were locked on the screen of her computer. Outside Meka?s field of view Rainbow Dash?s eyes opened and glowed a light blue. Even though Meka couldn?t see the pony she felt the power she?d stored in the toy respond, and then felt the spell activate. "What?" Abruptly, Meka?s head turned, her hair whipping around as Max scanned the room for the source of the magic he?d just felt. When Max?s eyes dropped to the desk, Meka felt a spark of excitement, there were only two toy ponies standing watch. "Must have been my imagination. I?m getting jumpy." Meka heard her own voice say. A surge of delight rushed through her, he hadn?t noticed that Rainbow Dash was missing. ?I hope this works.? Meka thought and then focused on trying to access her crystal. ?I might not be able to move, but I can cast. Even if it?s weak, at the right moment, it might be enough.? The idea that Max wouldn?t know what hit him until it was too late filled her with hope! *************************************** Chapter 2 *John* *************************************** Shadows filled the parking lot outside Celebrations Bar & Grill with an almost liquid quality. The flashing lights from the club mixed with the steady light of the street lamps and mercury lights in the parking lot giving the night and odd arrangement of textures. The sounds of music and laughter danced out into the darkness in short bursts, as the doors to the bar opened and closed. John leaned back relaxing into the leather comfort of the driver?s seat of the van the St. Louis Great Coven had provided. As a Guardian Warlock John and his team preferred to use larger vehicles like the van or an SUV. "He?s not going to show." The bored sounding voice belonged to Ben, "Don?t-call-me-Benjamin" Lavin, John?s new trainee and partner. John didn?t turn his head to look at the youth, choosing to keep his eyes out, scanning the area around the bar. "Maybe he?ll show, maybe he won?t. That?s the thing about criminals, they?re not exactly reliable." John lifted the Styrofoam cup and blew on the hot coffee before taking a sip. The scent of the bitter black liquid reminded John of other times, drinking coffee in the field with other teammates. He?d been younger then, fresh out of high school, and ready to take on any challenge. That was before he?d learned what death looked like, up close, in the real world. "Leave it." John said, as Ben reached forward to turn the radio on. "We don?t need the distraction." "Awe, come on dude, this shit is boring." John reached over and rolled the window down just enough to let a bit of the hot humid air. "All stakeouts are boring, until they aren?t. And I?m not a, "Dude." I?m your trainer. If you don?t settle down I?ll send you home and you can explain to Sarah how you couldn?t sit still for a simple stakeout." John turned his head to look at the skinny kid sitting shotgun. Ben reminded John of a puppy who hadn?t reached his full growth, all ears and paws. For a second Ben glared at John and then looked down, sort of, deflating. "Fine, I get it. No need to talk to the regional commander. This is just part of the job." Then added under his breath, "But you don?t have to be a dick about it." Rather than acknowledge that he?d heard the comment John looked out scanning the night around them. He touched the Cavanaugh crystal mounted on the end of what looked like a cane. John drew power up through the crystal and then expanded his senses. The front of the club seemed to telescope forward and John could pick out each person standing in line waiting to go in, with perfect clarity. None of them were the target. The sounds of music, cars, and the buzz of conversation from the people standing in line seemed normal. The air drifting into the van through the window smelled like tar from the blacktop parking lot with more than a hint of combustion engine. "If you?re bored you can practice drawing in your magic. Hold as much as possible and then release it. Your Manna-Well is like any other muscle. You need to exercise it." "You sound just like one of my tutors from the Coven. I thought being a Guardian was supposed to be exciting." "Kid, you want excitement? Join the Army." John snapped and then glared, "Think about that girl. The one we visited in the psych ward... do you think it helps her, that you?re bored? This rogue is using his power on unsuspecting, mundane, women. He?s draining their life energy and raping them and they?re completely defenseless. That girl is twenty-two but she looks like she?s thirty-five and she?s now completely terrified of the dark and cringes away from any human contact. Now. Shut-the-fuck-up and focus!" Ben looked back for a second stunned at John?s intensity and then gave a quick nod and looked out the window. A part of John knew he was overreacting and it wasn?t his trainee he was angry with. He couldn?t get the image of the girl out of his mind. She?d been in a padded cell, hair like a wild bird?s nest, cringing away as he tried to talk to her, obviously terrified. That one human being could do this to another infuriated John. What made it worse, was that more and more rogue witches and warlocks seemed to be popping up and they were shorthanded. The St. Louis Great Coven had honored its alliance with the Society. That meant that they were at war with the Syndicate. Sure, it was a shadow war, one intended to remain hidden from the normal human population, but it drew resources. Most of the St. Louis Guardians had left, since they were the Great Coven?s most capable fighters. Abruptly, the skin on the back of John?s neck prickled and he looked out scanning the darkness. The air felt different than it had a moment ago. The dark magic announced the presence of the rogue warlock with an un- subtle chill. "You want excitement? Well, Ben, its show time." "What?" John ignored Ben?s startled question and slid out of the van, pausing to grab the backpack behind his seat and, carrying his cane, he scanned the darkness. "Where are you?" he muttered moving through the parking lot trying to appear unremarkable as he headed toward the line of people waiting to get into the bar. "John. John, wait up." Ben scurried after John causing him to cringe. "What do you mean, he?s here?" "Yeah, can?t you feel the magic?" John paused to look at Ben and took a deep breath, under the lights in the parking lot he looked like he was sixteen instead of twenty-two. "It feels like the night just got several degrees colder, the air tastes stale, sort of... lifeless. And I can smell a hint of sulfur. Those are all signs of death magic, magic that steals life, but we don?t know what this guy looks like. Remember your training." Ben nodded his eyes as big as saucers. "What?s the plan?" "Follow me and do what I tell you." John turned around to face the club as a spike of magic blasted his ethereal senses. In that instant, a vision took him. Lost for a moment to the world around him, John got the image of a shadowy figure carrying a young girl, her arm draped over his shoulder, as he pushed his way through the crowd toward an emergency exit. When the image faded, John looked over at Ben, "He just took a girl. He?s around back in the alley." John grabbed Ben?s arm, "Go up the block and come at it from the other end. We can?t let him escape. Move!" With that John took off running for the alley. At five foot ten and one sixty John wasn?t the biggest guy around, in fact, Ben at six one towered over him, but John was a fitness fanatic. As he sprinted for the alley behind "Celebrations" he quickly outdistanced his taller companion. John reached for his focus item mounted on the cane and the crystal responded. "Celaverimus." John used his Will to shape the magic and the Latin Word to release the spell. The veil sprang up and John seemed to vanish. Using magic openly like this was frowned upon, but John knew that anyone who?d been looking wouldn?t believe what they?d seen. They?d come up with a hundred reasons for a man charging through a parking lot, at night, to have disappeared. As he got to the alley John slowed down. The scent of sulphur was stronger. "Where are you hiding?" The shadows were darker here and there was a sense of despair that filled the alley. Misery, pain, sorrow, and regret... the emotions hit John like a physical blow before he could strengthen his mental shields. The force of the psychic impact staggered him and he had to reach out and steady himself against the side of the building. ?Fuck! This is no newbie warlock, not with power like this.? He thought and pulled more magic into his body until his manna-well was full. "Integumentum" John poured energy into his physical, spiritual, and mental shields. Then he reached into the backpack and drew his Beretta 92A and dropped the pack, with a heavy thump to the ground. "Okay, fucker, you?re not getting away this time." The alley behind the bar couldn?t have been more than a block long, yet as John moved forward he couldn?t see the far end. Everything slowly turned into an inky darkness alive with twisted things. Things that John couldn?t see but felt sure were there. They were watching waiting for a chance to wrest him from the mortal world and drag him into one of the lower Realms. For a moment, he thought about pulling out his phone and calling Ben, ordering him not to enter the alley. Except that he couldn?t bring himself to set down either his enchanted cane-battle rod, with his Cavanaugh crystal, or the more mundane 9mm. The girl?s terrified shriek echoed oddly down the alley as if from a great distance instead of just a dozen feet away. Knowing he was out of time John pushed forward and held up his cane. "LUMEN!" The soft blue glow from within the crystal flared into a brilliant blue- white light that burned back the darkness. In the blink of an eye the alley came into view. In its stark relief, John saw a man naked from the waist down kneeling between a girl?s pale thighs. Knowing he should take his time, John ignored his training and fired, with a single hand, unsupported at the warlock. The bark of the Beretta seemed muffled and John saw his round hit the brick wall above and to the right of the Warlock. Between the sudden light and the explosion of brick above his head the Warlock?s spell was broken and he spun around standing up as he moved. Time seemed to slow down and John felt his mind cataloging every detail even though he knew he was rushing forward as quickly as he could. The warlock?s face was pale, gaunt, as if he hadn?t eaten a proper meal in months. Long stringy dark hair fell forward partly obstructing a face with a long pointed nose and a weak chin. Then his hands were up as if to push John back and fire blossomed from his palms. The twin jets of nearly white hot flame shot at John and in desperation he dropped to his knees skidding to a stop and crossed his wrists in front of him mentally angling his shields up. The thing about magic is that it?s a form of energy and follows a set of rules that can be learned and used. In this case the Warlock had summoned fire, a very hot fire. The thermal energy once unleashed had to go somewhere. The flame hit John?s shield and he grimaced under the strain, ?How strong is this guy?? he wondered. Then the blast was deflected up into the night sky. In a moment it was over and John stumbled to his feet blinking to clear his vision. "You can?t stop me. I?m stronger than any Coven trained Warlock. I?ve killed more Guardians than I can count, little man." The voice was confident and held an unnatural malice. "The Syndicate says, hello." BANG! BANG! BANG! From his kneeling position John laid his right hand over his left forearm, still holding his cane in his left hand, and used one knee as a brace while sitting on the ground. This created the support he needed for accuracy. The bullets smashed into a magical shield that flared with a red concentric circle where each round struck. John could tell that the Warlock had either wanted to trade barbs and hadn?t been ready for John?s mundane assault, or he hadn?t considered the energy required to stop a 9mm bullet weighing 117 gr traveling at 1,250 ft/sec. The assault drove the Warlock back away from the girl who had curled up into a tiny ball to one side. "NOW!" The Warlock screamed and before John realized what was going on energy flashed at him from his left. The force bolt slammed into his shield lifting him into the air and driving him into the far alley wall. "What the hell?" The force bolts came in so fast he didn?t have time to think instead John poured more energy into his shields and tried to move back down the alley except that the new attacker had anticipated his move and was already in position to block his exit. For the first time, he got a look at the new threat and to his surprise he discovered he was facing a Witch. Then another bolt of fire hit John?s shields from behind and he knew the original Warlock had returned to the fight. Caught between a rogue Witch and Warlock he knew he was outgunned. Then he felt his shield begin to break, it would be over in the next few seconds. ?Ben, where the hell are you?? John?s gun clicked empty. For a second he thought about reloading and continuing the fight but this approach wasn?t working. Dropping the gun John reached into a cargo pocket on his khaki pants and pulled out what looked like an ordinary key fob. He pressed the button and shouted, "VENTUS!" and used the last of his magic to draw a stiff breeze down the mouth of the alley toward him. Back up just inside the mouth of the ally a dozen or so feet behind the witch who?d ambushed John a device with a green LED turned red. Then it exploded. The explosion itself wasn?t much more than a flash-bang commonly used to breach a door during a police raid. The difference here was the enchanted blue powder that filled one end of a metal tube attached to the explosive charge. In an instant, a cloud of enchanted blue smoke boiled up from the backpack and then driven by the wind John had summoned raced down the alley. With a grimace John lifted the small phial from his other cargo pocket and downed the magical antidote. "What the fuck?" The witch managed to say before being enveloped in the enchanted cloud and then she crashed to the ground unconscious. Turning to face his original opponent John swept his cane up and pulled more power through his crystal and released an energy bolt. Again, the warlock?s shield saved him and he started backing away, rage suffusing his features. "Just wait, Guardian, this isn?t over. Soon all of St. Louis will be in flames!" John folded his arms and grinned as the blue gas surrounded him, "I doubt that." For a moment, the enraged Warlock looked confused at John?s confidence and then Ben unleashed a force-blast from behind the Warlock that blew his shield apart. He tried to turn toward Ben but the rookie Guardian was ready and hit him with a second blast that knocked him onto his back and into the blue cloud. Silence filled the night and Ben looked at the smoke-filled alley knowing better than to walk into it without taking the antidote. Then a figure moved from within the cloud and John stepped out carrying the unconscious and now dressed girl. He moved to Ben and laid her in his arms. "Take her to the van and call this in. We?re going to need help. We?ve got two Syndicate agents. A witch and a warlock, fully-battle trained, and an innocent girl who?s seen way too much and will be suffering from PTSD." "Yes, sir!" Ben accepted the girl into his arms. "What are you going to do? "Restrain those two, get rid of the gas, and try to keep anyone who saw the lightshow away until help arrives. Now get going," then as Ben turned away he added, "And don?t forget to veil!" *** Light from the sun glared directly into John?s eyes forcing him to squint and adjust his Dodge Challenger?s sun visor. It was already after seven and the sunrise was almost blinding. John turned onto the street that led to his house, a four-bedroom ranch where his wife, Elaine, and their two children slept. He?d called Elaine earlier to let her know that he was okay but he?d be working late after a major bust. Thinking about the arrest caused John to feel a surge of satisfaction. Protecting innocent folk from the monsters of the supernatural world was the reason he was a Guardian. Then he sighed. The Coven had sent a second van but instead of Guardians it had been driven by a pair of Coven healers. "Ben, get those two to an ensorcelled cell." "Yes, sir. Do you want me to come back down after I get them locked up?" The tone of respect was new. John scowled, "No, start working on the report. Just have someone send a car to pick me up." Then he looked over at the healers, "I?ll need one of you to help me with the cleanup." The Warlock, Graham, looked at his partner, "I?ll stay. Your gift for healing is better than mine. Plus, I don?t think the first thing she?ll want to see when she wakes up is a strange man next to her bed." The dumpy looking, middle-aged witch nodded, "Sure. Besides, you know how much I hate doing clean up. I?ll see you at home, dear." With that she kissed him on the cheek and hurried to the van with the sleeping girl. "Ready to play Special Agent?" John asked, and when Graham nodded they pulled out FBI credentials and went to work. After using police tape to cordon off the alley Graham went started trying to find anyone who?d seen "anything." Graham explained to each person that this was just a preliminary interview, nothing to worry about. There were more than half a dozen people who came forward offering to help. The interviews were simply an excuse for Graham to use a subtle spell to blur their memories and help them to forget anything unusual. Meanwhile, John worked to dispel the gas, pick up his spent brass, and account for, and dig out, each round he?d fired. Then he removed all traces of spell fire and magical residue. The work was time consuming and tiring, but necessary. By the time he was done Graham had finished his last interview. The Coven had sent a young witch, John assumed she was some sort of intern, to pick them up. He piled into the back of the sedan along with Graham and for the first time started to relax. By the time John made it to the Guardian?s floor of the St. Louis Great Coven Sarah Mag Aoidh was waiting. The Chief of the St. Louis Great Coven Guardians was a tiny woman with long blonde hair tied into a pony tail and the fiercest icy blue eyes John had ever seen. To make matters worse she was sitting in his chair, behind his desk, waiting for him. "I take it you talked with Ben about our prisoners?" For a long second Sarah allowed silence to stretch, "Yes, I spoke with Ben. I?ve also had time to talk with the rogues you brought in... sleeping gas? Really? You realize if that had hit the crowd fifty feet from that alley we would have had a real problem." "I do. And we do." Sarah bristled, "Whatever possessed you to take so much risk? You should have waited until Guardian Lavin was in position and then moved in simultaneously." Then added, "What do you mean we do?" John turned, slammed the office door closed, and then glared at the Chief of the St. Louise Guardians. "I mean that if we had a proper team of Guardians on the street tonight I wouldn?t have had to use the gas." Then he leaned in placing both hands on the desk, "If we had more Guardians rogues wouldn?t be popping up all over St. Louis, and don?t give me any of that political correctness crap about the alliance. You know as well as I do that "Guardian" Lavin is just a wet behind the ears rookie! He needs non-stop training and wouldn?t be on the street, if two thirds of our Guardians weren?t, god knows where, doing god knows what!" Then John slapped the desk with his hand, "Ben needs training... training I don?t have time to give while I?m trying to save an innocent mundane girl?s life!" John?s voice hadn?t risen in volume but had gained intensity. Little sparks of energy started to flicker and dance over the surface of the crystal on his battle cane. There was a long moment of silence and then John added in a more controlled tone, "Which, in the balance is far more important to me than accidently gassing a couple of dozen by standers and giving them a magically induced nap! If I?d waited another two minutes that "rogue," who-really-isn?t a rogue warlock, would have completed the rite. We were just in the nick of time as it was." The seconds stretched and he matched Sarah?s unflinching gaze. Then John added, "Ma?am," and looked away. At this Sarah let out a long breath and waved at one of the chairs in John?s office. "Sit. Tell me everything." With that John recounted the events of the night, careful to include that Ben had done his job perfectly, preventing the Warlock?s escape. When he got to the part where they claimed to be members of the Syndicate Sarah snorted. "We?ve had several rogues make that claim now. Every time we investigate there is never a credible link. Still, we?ll turn these two over to the Society and let them deal with it." With that Sarah stood up, "Get that report finished and then go home. You?ve been on duty for what? Forty hours straight." Now sitting in his driveway John realized there was something he felt like he was missing. Even though there wasn?t any evidence that these rogues were connected to the Syndicate he had a sense of foreboding. "Well, I won?t solve anything out here." John opened the door and winced slightly at the humidity, "Seven thirty and it feels like I?m walking through water!" As he walked toward his front door John could feel the signs of the neighborhood waking up around him. Neighbors collecting newspapers, sprinklers running, and a woman with her dog jogged by on the sidewalk. ?Just a normal morning in suburban America,? he thought and pushed his key into the lock on the front door. John whispered the key to the house wards and turned the key hearing a click. ?Well, almost normal suburbia.? Stepping into his house John felt the normal ambiances of home. Toys were scattered around the floor, evidence that three-year-old Brittany and two-year-old John Jr. had been playing in the living room before bed. As John moved around the sofa and into the kitchen he heard water running and spotted a brunette in a light green bathrobe. The woman had just filled a coffee pot and now poured it into a drip coffee maker. She moved with the unconscious feminine grace of an experienced dancer. Every gesture was graceful and carried an economy of motion that captivated John. Once the coffee was started Elaine opened the refrigerator and pulled out eggs, ham, and shredded potatoes and went to work making breakfast. John leaned against the wall enjoying the sight. Elaine had enchanted him from the moment he met her, while learning to control his magic. His mentors had been a husband and wife team, Paul and Sandy, in their sixties. They?d reminded him of a set of kindly Grandparents more than the powerful wielders of magic that they were. As it turned out this impression had been quite wrong but John hadn?t learned that until later. Then he met their daughter, Elaine. She was five years younger than John and working as a pharmacist during the day and as a witch-healer, with an affinity for earth magic, at night. John?s own affinity was with air magic and the Coven had been excited to find out they had a "Seer" to train. Later, John learned that this was one of Witchcrafts rarest gifts. There were never very many Seers and almost no male Seers. This had made him a bit of a celebrity and then there was the event in Louisville where he and Meka had pretty much fought off a horde of Zombies and ended the existence of a Nazi Necromancer. All of this had elevated him in Elaine?s eyes to, "interesting." "You?re home!" The comment brought him back to the present and John grinned at Elaine. "Yeah, long night, but we got?em. We got?em before they could hurt anyone else." "Oh, John." Elaine wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head on his shoulder. At five ten John was only two inches taller than Elaine and he could feel every inch of her curvaceous body through the terry cloth robe. For now, he held her enjoying the unconditional love and comfort of another human being. Then Elaine looked up and wrinkled her slightly up turned nose, "You smell like gunpowder. Go take a shower and then get to bed. You must be exhausted. I?ve got to get the kids to daycare in an hour and I?m working until 4 pm. Can I assume you?re off? It is Saturday, you know." "Yeah, I finished my reports before I came home. I?m free and clear until Sunday." "Okay, then shoo. Get cleaned up." John moved away from his wife and then hurried down the hall to the master bedroom. He paused at Brittany and then little John?s doors to peak in on his kids. The sight of such innocents, sleeping without a care in the world, brought a lump to his throat. That there were people out there willing to rape and even worse, steal the very essence of life from someone else, in a drive for more power made him sick. ?This is why I do what I do... so that no child has to face what I see.? Once in