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Dayshia’s eyebrow rose up and seemed to disappear into the mass of curls. “Is that even possible!?!” she gasped.
Mahati nodded cautiously. “I’m no expert in Wild Magic, but for traditional magic, it’s the strength of the will and desire that shapes the capabilities of the magic. Considering her only other option appears to be madness, I think if Henry’s willing, it’s worth an attempt.”
“I’ll speak to him about it when he wakes,” Tish said.
“Let’s go speak with Yuko about it. She woke up, and Jun is talking with her, but I’m glad Kesini has a firm grip on her,” Dayshia said.
Sharing worried looks, Tish and Mahati followed Dayshia back out to the living room. Tish noticed there was no sign of Kali.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HENRY!” Yuko spat as she tried to thrash loose from Kesini’s coils. She was standing but unable to move.
“Nothing. Henry is resting comfortably after Dayshia and I healed the injuries he sustained in the brief skirmish,” the lawyer explained.
Yuko glared at Mahati but seemed to calm down a little.
“He is my friend. Nothing more,” Mahati expressed, and Yuko’s face burst into a sudden smile, then her expression wobbled to dread. “He will hate me even more now than he did before.”
Tish moved right up to her and took her face between her hands. “Henry doesn’t hate you. He’s just confused about how you’re acting. Jun explained it to us. You’re magically bound to him. You need his baby to break that spell. I-I think Henry can help you with that. I’ll speak to him when he wakes. I’ll explain what’s happening with you, and if I know Henry, he’ll want to help.”
Yuko’s eyes began to well up, and recalling Jun’s warning, Tish quickly pulled her hands back.
“Henry’s not Human. Stanley was. I need a baby from a Human,” she admitted quietly.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
Sandy frowned in confusion. “How could Stanley have been human. I thought that was just a disguise.”
Mahati moved closer. “Stanley’s method of disguising himself as Human relied upon a Dragon’s spell, which altered reality around him, so he became Human while it was active. He can no longer use that original disguise. That said, it’s still possible that he could help Yuko. Wild Magic seems much stronger than the magic I’m linked to. Henry’s glamor is designed to fulfill the… needs of the one he’s with. Your need is for Human sperm. If he agrees to try, keep that topmost in your mind, and will it as your greatest desire. I’m sure this won’t be difficult for you.”
Yuko watched the dark-skinned beauty and saw the reddening of her cheeks. She’d said she and Henry were just friends, but Yuko wasn’t so sure that was the other woman’s honest desire. She looked away as her heart flipped. The alcohol was interfering with her rational mind. Her binding was triggering irrational impulses, like attacking a Nāga. All she could do in response was nod.
“I think we’ve overstayed our welcome, and we’ve certainly misbehaved. I apologize for my actions and my sister’s meddling, which likely led to this confrontation,” Mahati said sincerely. She looked around and discovered Kali was missing. “She’s not here. Typical. I will express my displeasure at her behavior when I see her. Thank you for inviting us.”
Tish nodded and walked the lovely woman in the saree to the door.
Kesini let go of Yuko once Mahati was gone, and the young woman wobbled on her feet. Jun took her arm. Yuko looked shamefaced and still a little tipsy, but she addressed the group.
“I am sorry for my behavior, as well. I honestly appreciate your efforts on my behalf. Please give my apologies to Henry and thank him for me for saving my life.”
The group made sounds of acceptance, and Tish let the two out of the condo before returning to see Dayshia, Michelle, and Sandy cleaning up.
“You don’t need to do that!” Tish exclaimed.
“Henry would have helped you if he wasn’t recovering, again,” Sandy said with a sad little frown.
Tish nodded with an equally sad expression. “He seems to be such a focal point for crisis and calamity.”
Dayshia hugged Tish and Sandy rushed over to join in the hug with Kesini. Michelle held back as she was still not comfortable with that yet, but she smiled at the others.
The phone rang, and Tish released her hug to go over to answer it.
Sandy looked to Dayshia and Michelle. “Henry’s the cause of New York’s Aurora Borealis sightings! I’m torn between being excited and terrified!”
They looked over at Tish, who was speaking quietly to someone and frowning in concern. When she rushed across the room, the others gave chase.
“What’s happening?” Sandy called out to Tish, who was making a beeline to the master bedroom.
“Roy caught a report on the radio about the Aurora Borealis appearing over the Hudson River again, and he called Camila, who was also on the road. She’s on the phone. I need to check on Henry.”
They crowded into the bedroom and knelt on the bed next to the big naked man. Tish lifted an eyelid and saw Henry’s pupils were tiny and didn’t respond to light. She put her ear over his nose. Then she sat up looking upset and lifted the handset to her ear again.
“Camila? His pupils aren’t responding to light, and his breathing seems shallow.”
They waited as Camila spoke to Tish. “Okay, I’ll wait for your call. Thank you!” She hung up and looked to the others who were watching with wide eyes.
“Henry’s mind has left his body again. It gets trapped in that green light, the healing spell, and wanders after he’s been injured.” The others gasped. “Meixiu seems to be able to immediately draw him back, so Camila is going to try to get her to come back to our condo.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Sandy asked nervously.
“We can try talking to him. He may hear us and come back on his own. It can’t hurt.” Tish said.
Dayshia leaned down and spoke into his ear. “Henry! You come back to us, right now!”
There was no change, and she shared a worried look with Tish, Sandy, and Michelle.
Tish wondered where Henry went.
-=-
Floating over a dark landscape, Henry sleepily watched the flashes of light in the clouds below. He knew he shouldn’t be here, but he didn’t have the required energy to go back to where he needed to be. Worse, he didn’t know the way.
Instead, he let himself be swept along by the currents in the Global Overlay Spell. It seemed much stronger than it did before. While the spell’s healing properties were still based on the old magic as that was the only kind the Fae responded to, it now had a base layer of Wild Magic, which seemed to be acting like a power induction charger for the healing spell. The strength of the spell was significantly boosted. Additionally, the magic’s flow had gone from a gentle swirling current in the upper atmosphere to a rushing river, leaping and surging forward.
The spell’s purpose, to heal the Fae, felt like it was nearing completion. He wondered what it could be used for once it healed the Fae. It was a shame that Humans were immune to the energy. It passed through them without effect. Wild Magic, on the other hand, wreaked havoc on Humans. He thought of his friends, and for a moment, he could almost hear them.
All hell broke loose below him as a dense cluster of pseudo-clouds savagely attacked each other. Henry felt his curiosity drawing him closer. He drifted downwards and saw dim lighting on the ground between at least two dozen mid-sized clouds as they jockeyed for position. He thought he saw large oil tanks laid out in a grid below the fighting storm clouds. Henry felt the presence of a large body of water to the east, an expanse of desert to his right, and saw the lights of a nearby city just north of the battle.
There was a terrific burst of light as two of the larger pseudo-clouds fired their plasma beams down their sides to strike each other simultaneously. Instead of reaching their targets, the energy channels struck two of the oil tanks. The resulting explosion ripped open two additional tanks, and giant fireballs rose towards the attackers. The larger pseudo-clouds weren’t able to avoid the fire and lost most of their mass in a deluge that fell upon the destroyed tanks. Something reached critical within the two scorched behemoths, and two almost simultaneous explosions ripped them completely apart. Golden light shot outwards in two relatively slow-moving expanding rings, which lit up the enormous billows of smoke from the burning oil. Henry was almost dazzled by the light show. He looked downwards at the lit-up streets, and based on the writing he saw on some signage, he guessed he was over a small city in the Middle East.
The remaining pseudo-clouds in the cluster were shedding their mass of Wild Magic charged water as they rushed northwards over the city, seemingly running from the golden rings. A few stragglers which shed too much of their energy were caught by the golden light. This triggered explosions from within them as well, but they just dropped something shiny onto the streets below. Henry followed the surviving creatures closely and could see the people coming out of their homes and shops to see the gorgeous lights passing overhead.
Henry wanted to scream at them to go back inside, but they were dancing in the rain, getting drenched in the magically charged liquid.
Seemingly driven into a frenzy, the surviving pseudo-clouds began to attack each other once more over streets filled with people. The magically charged bolts struck the ground again and again as the rain continued to fall. The city’s electrical grid failed in the onslaught, and Henry had to look away as the constant flashes were almost blinding.