Disclaimer:
This work is fiction. The work has no relationship with any person existing at any time anywhere whether real or imaginary or copy-written. Everything in this work is mea culpa.
This work is the property of Kerrik Wolf (saethwyr@ (SPAM) hotmail.com). Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.
You should not read this work if you are under the age of legal consent wherever you reside. This work may or may not contain any and/or all of the following: death, dismemberment, violent acts, implied sex, explicit sex, violent sex, rape, cannibalism, blasphemy (depending on your religion), BDSM, torture, mimes, and just about anything unwholesome that you could consider.
The pokegirl universe was first documented by Metroanime and to him all of us who reside or visit there owe a debt of thanks.
Feedback is encouraged. I enjoy hearing from people. Positive feedback will be appreciated, cherished and flaunted in front of people. Negative feedback will be appreciated, cherished and listened to, that I might continue to grow. Flames will give me a good laugh. Feedback may be delivered to: saethwyr@(SPAM) hotmail.com. Please remove (SPAM) to contact me.
Bhavacakra
Thirteen
(9/06/06 0530, Texas League)
Morwen jerked upright when the horrible noise sounded. She took a deep breath and touched her watch, silencing the alarm. She’d been worried about the fact that her hearing, vision and sense of smell seemed to still be in flux from the threshold, but Kerrik had reassured her that sometimes things took a while to stabilize. He pointed out that she’d gone from a human to a partial bunnygirl and then to a vampire, a premier predator and, more importantly, something that a bunnygirl wasn’t supposed to evolve into. It was very likely that things would take a bit for everything to come to equilibrium.
She quickly dressed in the darkness of her room and grabbed her drawing supplies before heading out the door of her hotel room. She stopped to stare at the moonlight lit landscape. “Oh, that’s so pretty,” she breathed. The moon was only half full, but there were no other lights anywhere and the view was incredible to a girl who’d never been outside of London in her life. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen until she looked up and saw the stars.
There wasn’t a light for a hundred miles and the stars were flickering jewels on a black velvet background. The sky was clear, so there were no clouds in the sky to block her view. Morwen swayed slightly as she peered into eternity. Finally her mind started working again and she headed around the building, looking for the best place to set up to await the morning sun in less than an hour.
She paused when she came around to the main parking lot. Last night she’d gotten to watch a spacegoing tug land a large container on it. It was really remarkable, not only for what it implied but because everyone else took it in stride. She blinked when she realized that the sides of the container were now open and a dim blue light was coming from the interior. She eased forward as silently as she could.
The inside was fitted with all sorts of odd equipment. She recognized some of them from the school gymnasium, but others were a complete mystery. The soft clink of metal on metal caught her attention and she peered farther into the container. A form sat up on a bench and waved at her. “Good morning, Morwen.”
“How did you know it was me, Kerrik?”
“I’m not human either, remember? I know your scent and there’s a slight breeze carrying it to me. We’ll have to work on your woodcraft too, so you’ll learn to always approach from downwind.” His ears flicked. “Do you need to eat breakfast?”
Morwen shook her head. “Not yet. Raven wanted me to get into a routine so my,” she hesitated, “meals didn’t interfere with hers. I’m not really sure what she meant by that, though. Do you have to rebuild your blood?”
“Not like you think. I regenerate the lost blood in a matter of minutes. She was probably obliquely referring to the fact that she likes her blood with sex.”
Morwen gave him an odd look and then flushed crimson in the dim light. “Oh, shit.” Her eyes went wide. “I’m sorry.”
His ears canted sideways and he smiled. “Why? Everyone else here curses.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t understand why Raven wanted to me to not eat breakfast early.” She stepped into the room. “What is this?”
“You are a newly thresholded vampire and I am a newly young kami. Neither of us is at our full potential, so I had an exercise complex sent down for us. I was working with some free weights when you showed up. I hope the others use it too, but it’s really for you and me.”
“What is my full potential?”
“Vampires are several times stronger than a human, but few of them reach the pinnacle of their strength. You’ll need to be at that if you’re to take a full place beside the other members of my harem. Pokegirls, especially the predatory breeds, tend to be very competitive, and you’ve already shown signs of that tendency. I wanted to help both of us be the best that we can so neither of us will have anything to prove.” He glanced around. “It’s also a good way to burn off stress, and I’ve noticed my temper is a lot shorter than is good for me. Hopefully this will help with that.”
“I’ll have to lift weights?”
“You’ll have to do a lot of things, Morwen. Weight training will be only part of the training regimen we’ll all be going through.” He smiled again. “Not today, though. Today we rest. I’ve got to cast some complex magic tomorrow and if I screw it up, a member of my family will pay the price.”
She gave him a bland look. “Should I point out that you’re lifting weights?”
“I think my grasp of the obvious is good enough that you don’t have to.” He smiled when she giggled quietly. “I’m not pushing today. I’m trying to learn where my limits are right now, so that I can push them later.” He glanced outside. “The sun’s coming up.”
“Oh, crap! See you.” Morwen turned and ran for someplace to sit and sketch.
(9/06/06 0800, Texas League)
Misery shaded her eyes and looked up. “I think your roof seeds are broken. They haven’t done anything the whole time we were gone.”
We have been gone less than two days, Misery.
The mini-top glanced at Kerrik before glaring at Whisper. “Only two days? Fuck, this shit is confusing.”
It can be. I also have difficulty figuring out where and when things should be.
Kerrik picked up his plate and headed for the bucket of water. “Hopefully our jumping around in time and space is finished for a while. And as far as the roof is concerned, it is doing what it needs to do. If you go up there, you’ll see that the seeds are doing something.”
“Really?” Misery vanished. Her voice came from above them. “Hey, you’re right! They’re sending out long thin threads in all directions!”
“Just like they’re designed to do,” he muttered as he washed his plate.
Whisper grinned and meowed with amusement. Where is Morwen?
“She’s with Raven. The two of them are looking around for someplace to move the workout room to.”
What’s wrong with where it is now?
“Morwen says it clashes with the décor of the lodge. Raven agrees and so it is going to get moved sometime soon.”
Raven cares about what it looks like in comparison to the rest of the buildings? That is a facet of her personality I have never seen before.
“I don’t think she’s had the chance to express it before. All of you have been persecuted as being aspects of death, and I suspect that all of you have personality aspects that you haven’t really had the opportunity to explore.”
You could be right, but I don’t feel a sudden need to make the outside of this place match. However, having my own room to decorate could prove interesting and that is something that I am looking forward to. The cabbit shrugged from her chair at the table. What are we doing today?
“I thought we’d go into Fort Davis and scavenge for cleaning supplies so we can start cleaning the hotel. If I’d thought about it, I’d have had Vallation make some cleaning equipment, but I didn’t and although I’ve told it to make me some, it’ll take a few days to finish. So, we’re stuck using elbow grease until then.”
Have you searched the hotel for cleaning supplies? They are usually found at a place like this, since they have to clean up regularly after the patrons.
“I did. The carts are still here and in decent condition, but the mops were put outside to dry and that’s where they’ve been since.”
There might be ferals in Fort Davis. If we leave now, I could get some practice catching them. She gave him a crafty smile. Everyone else is busy right now, and it wouldn’t be polite to bother them just for a quick couple of battles.
“Why do I think that following that suggestion would make you happy and piss off everyone else, thereby increasing the total unit amount of unhappiness existing in my vicinity?”
She pouted at him. You would wonder about that because you are too kind to the others and too mean to your poor unloved cabbit.
Kerrik dropped into the chair next to her and lifted Whisper into his lap. She twisted around to straddle his waist so their groins pressed together through his pants. A smile appeared on her face as she felt his erection grow. “Am I too cruel to my poor, poor cabbit?”
She thinks so. Whisper managed to inject a plaintive tone into her thoughts as she leaned forward and rubbed her nose against his. Her eyes lit up when her whiskers tickled his face and he wrinkled his face as he fought a sneeze. She feels unloved and somewhat unappreciated. Taking just her along with you to Fort Davis just might be the thing to reassure your cabbit that her happiness is important to her generous and benevolent tamer. Tempting the anger of the rest of the harem just to give her a tiny amount of happiness would prove his devotion to his humble servant. He is devoted to her, isn’t he? She batted her eyes at him prettily.
“That’s what I’ve been led to understand,” Kerrik replied dryly.
She traced a finger up his chest. So do you think he might be willing to leave those favored pokegirls to their own devices and go off alone with his unloved cabbit on something so slight? She rumbled softly when he grinned.
A voice came from the doorway. “I think she is going to get her ass kicked for even suggesting he do something like that.” Raven scowled at them both as Morwen hastily got out of the line of fire.
Whisper ignored her and rubbed the soft fur of her cheek against Kerrik’s. What does the wonderful, wise and generous tamer say to the cabbit’s humble request?
She purred as he gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. “I think that it would be stupid of me to go haring off without proper support, but I do think that my cabbit can get first crack at any ferals we find.”
Whisper sighed dramatically and stuck out her delicate tongue at Raven. Your cabbit supposes that will have to do.
(9/06/06 0930, Texas League)
Whisper’s ears were flat as she glared at Raven. That should not count. She was pathetic. I want the next feral, too.
Morwen leaned closer to Kerrik and motioned to the large bloodstain in the middle of the street. It spread in a wide pattern up the pavement and followed deep scrapes in the asphalt until both stopped underneath the wreckage of an old Volkswagen beetle. Glass was strewn everywhere along the skid lines. “What did she expect? She hit the girl with a car. I’m just glad you pokeballed her before she could finish dying.”
It was a small car, barely a compact. It’s not like I threw a dump truck at her. Who knew that an arachnae would turn out to be so fragile?
Raven shook her head. “You had your feral. Someone else gets the next one.” She grinned toothily as she turned to look at Morwen. “And I know just who that someone is going to be.”
“Me? Why me? I don’t know dick about combat and you know it.”
Whisper’s eyes glittered maliciously. You don’t know dick about dick, either.
“Yeah. Wait a minute,” Morwen sputtered as she glared at Whisper. “That has nothing to do with the current discussion.”
“Feisty, isn’t she?” Misery was trying hard not to smile. “Our widdle vampire thinks she’s all grown up.” She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. “It’s so bootiful.”
Morwen hissed.
Humor twinkled in Raven’s eyes, but she managed not to smile. “Yes, she does seem to think she’s an adult now. However, the last time I checked, she’s not the maharani so she doesn’t get to decide if she gets a turn or not. I am and I say she gets the next one.” She finally let the smile appear. “Even if she thinks she’s not really ready for a battle. Everyone has to have a first fight.”
Kerrik kept his voice even and his face blank, very careful not to show the slightest bit of the humor he felt. “She’s right, Morwen. However, I do have a question. What do you know about your combat abilities?”
“Nothing. I’ve read the information on vampires, but my father said that if I used a single technique before I left the house, or even tried to, I would then be considered legally a pokegirl and he’d find me a tamer immediately. He said that pokekits don’t use attacks.”
“That’s garbage.” Kerrik’s ears flicked. “He was scaring you so you wouldn’t accidentally demolish his home. Legally, in the Blue League, you’re a pokekit until you turn fifteen.”
Morwen’s blue eyes brightened. “Really? I can fight if I have to?”
“Of course you can.”
How did watching me beat the life out of that poor arachnae make you feel?
The vampire looked embarrassed. “It made me hungry. I know that sounds odd, but that’s what it did. It was probably all the blood.”
Raven and Whisper exchanged a look. “It’s a start. Morwen, when I watched my first fight, it made me hungry, too. I felt that same hunger when I was in my first fight.”
“My first fight made me throw up.” Misery shrugged. “But then I not only strangled the guy to death, the whole time I was dying with him.”
“That’s gross.” Morwen shivered.
Raven didn’t look sympathetic. “When you kill by drinking someone’s blood, you’ll feel their heart slow, stutter and finally stop. It’s a powerful feeling. No matter how much you think you’ll hate it, the opposite will be true. You’ll have to learn to not kill when you feed. I’ve seen it in every vampire I’ve known.”
“Thresholds and transformed vampires aren’t like that. We don’t always love killing.”
Raven looked at Kerrik, who shrugged. “The studies on Prime do seem to lean that way, but the truth is that they’re inconclusive. The only major study didn’t screen pokegirls for whether they were made or born a vampire, it only took their statement that they were threshold or turned vampires at face value. Since they were paid well for participating, there is the question of whether their tamers might well have ordered them to claim being thresholds to get into the study. The other problem is that the researcher began the study because she wanted to find that threshold or turned vampires didn’t prefer to kill and a preconception like that might have skewed the results.” He grinned. “It might make someone dismiss violent tendencies as data scatter.”
Morwen stared at him. “How did you know all of that?”
“I read a lot. That study was of particular interest to me because of Elizabeth and Melanie. Melanie is Elizabeth’s daughter by my son. Both of them are vampires and I have tried to read up on everything put out about the particular breeds that my sons have taken as mates.” His ears rotated to point at her. “Do you want to try take on a suitable feral or do you feel you’re not ready yet?”
She sighed. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.” Blue eyes searched his amber ones. “I don’t want you to think less of me because of it, though, so I’ll fight.”
“You may not be aware of this, but I can’t lie. I’m only telling you this so you’ll believe me. I think that if you’re not ready for your first combat, and you’re willing to admit it, then you’re showing wisdom and maturity. I’d rather delay your first battle for a while if it means you have a better chance at victory.”
“Really?” She looked very young and vulnerable as she looked at him. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
“I’m saying it because it’s true.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He smiled at her and raised his voice slightly. “Raven?”
“I heard. Misery, the next one is yours.” The archmage came over and patted Morwen on the shoulder. “You will start training the day after tomorrow, but I promise not to throw you into a fight you’re not ready for.”
“But you just said,” Morwen began.
Raven cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I know what I said, but if Kerrik says you’re not ready, then you’re not ready. He is the one person who can countermand my orders and live to tell about it.”
“Thank you, maharani. I want to be worthy of being here,” she grinned, “and not just a life support system for a pussy.”
Raven smiled amusedly. “You’ve also got to learn how to use that weapon, too.” Morwen looked blankly at her for a moment before glancing at Kerrik and turning bright red.
They stopped outside a hardware and ranch supply store. Misery peered in the window. “I think I see some mops and brooms in the back.” She tried the door. It rattled but refused to open. “Oh, that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?” She glanced at Kerrik. “I’d break it, but we might need more stuff from it someday and the door will keep the elements out. Ferals won’t smell food and should leave it alone as well. I’ll open it from the other side.” Suddenly she was standing on the other side of the door. The mini-top grabbed the doorknob and tried to open it. She shrugged theatrically when it didn’t budge and motioned for Raven and Whisper to join her.
“We’ll get the cleaning supplies. You two wait here.” Raven teleported in to join her two harem sisters and the three disappeared into the gloom.
“Wow, that’s cold.” Morwen was staring at the store. “We just got dumped.”
Kerrik’s ears were flat. “I am not a toy to be abandoned,” he muttered. He held out his hand. “Pack.” It appeared and he opened it. “Tools.” Reaching inside, he pulled out a small piece of folded leather.
“What was that?”
He gave her a wink. “I have a magical backpack that I can summon to me wherever I am. I can also summon the things in my pack to the top if I want to. Usually I dig around a bit beforehand, to make it look better.” He opened the leather to reveal several long pieces of thin metal. He picked out two of them before flipping the leather closed and holding it out. “Would you hold this for a second?”
Morwen took it. “What are those?”
Kerrik slipped the ends of the pieces of metal into the lock and probed around for a few seconds. There was a click. “Lockpicks. Not having access to most of my magic does not mean I’m helpless.” He took the leather back and dropped the picks inside before rolling it back up and stuffing it into his pack. Then he glared at the inside of the building. “Double rig.” This time, when he reached into the pack, he pulled out a bundle of straps with two holstered pistols attached to them. He slipped the shoulder holster rig on over his shirt and adjusted it slightly before drawing the pistols one at a time and verifying they were loaded. Each holster had a magazine pouch on it that he checked to make sure was full. Then the backpack vanished as he opened the door. “Ladies first.”
Morwen grinned and waved him forward. “I want to see if I like this view you mentioned before.”
He blinked and then chuckled. “I guess that’s only fair.” He stepped into the doorway and waggled his rump in her direction before looking over his shoulder. “How’s that?”
She looked critically at his ass. “Better than the boys in my school were.” She looked up at him and looked surprised at his expression. “Are you blushing?”
He gave her an even look even as his cheeks went slightly pink. “Let’s go find Raven and the others.”
“You are blushing. If you can’t lie, you can’t deny it.”
He started to say something as his eyes narrowed and then took a deep breath and let it out slowly before relaxing. “Yes, I was. I’m not sure why, but for some reason you caught me off guard.”
“That’s sweet.”
He paused. “You think so?”
“Most people would have denied it to their dying breath or gotten mad at me like you started to. Thanks for admitting the truth.”
His ears flicked. “You’re right. Most people would have. I might have tried to avoid it if you’d given me a chance, but I won’t ignore a direct question from you. I may answer by saying that I won’t answer it, but I’ll always give you some kind of reply.”
“You know, for a soulless tamer, you’re not that bad.”
He frowned. “Soulless?”
“That’s how some of my mother’s friends described other tamers. It’s funny that to a pokegirl or pokewoman every other tamer can suck balls, but each one thought hers walked on water.” She frowned. “I don’t think you walk on water.”
“I’m not your tamer yet, either. I haven’t tamed you.” He gave her a lecherous grin and visibly looked her up and down.
She turned bright red. “Stop that!”
“You tease me, I tease you.”
“Humph.” Morwen headed deeper into the store and suddenly squealed loudly. “Oh, they’re so precious!” She darted forward in a blur, using her enhanced speed without realizing it.
Light bloomed as Misery and Raven summoned light globes while they charged from the back of the building. Kerrik met them. “It’s ok, ladies. Apparently Morwen found something that she really likes.”
The maharani gave him a suspicious look. “How did you get in here?”
“I picked the lock. I do just happen to have skills besides being able to throw fireballs.” He grimaced. “Not that I can do that right now.”
Raven was staring at his pistols. “I thought we agreed that you didn’t need to carry guns when we’re around. Are we going to have another argument about that and about how it just makes you a target for attacking pokegirls?”
His ears went flat. “If we do, then we’ll have a nasty discussion about you leaving me to protect Morwen since she doesn’t know any attacks. You three went haring off on this little exploration mission and left us unprotected. Since you can’t be bothered to stand guard, I’m armed.” He folded his arms. “So, shall we discuss my taking steps to protect my hide when you don’t follow through on your obligations?”
Raven blinked in the face of his anger. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop being sorry and start thinking.” He turned slightly and pointed a finger at Misery as she opened her mouth. “No. I am not going to make you maharani.” The mini-top snapped her mouth shut and glared at both of them before stomping off to help Whisper.
Raven ran her fingers through her hair. “I doubt she could make a worse hash of the job than I seem to be doing right now.”
“Most of the time you’re a good maharani. Sometimes, though, you forget that you are in charge of security. It’s probably because you still aren’t comfortable working as part of a team coupled with the fact that we still haven’t completely worked out what your responsibilities are. We couldn’t train in Wyoming since if you started tearing up the landscape we’d have had the army coming by to give their regards. We’ll work on teamwork while training Morwen, but from now on I am staying armed. Until she gets stronger, damage that would piss me off would kill her and I’m not going to let that happen.”
The archmage nodded. “You’re right, but I intend to bring her up to speed as soon as we can. What was she so excited about, anyways?”
Kerrik motioned to where the vampire pokekit knelt. In front of her were some shelves that were plastered with brightly colored adverts and signs. Someone had covered the contents with clear plastic bags before leaving the store for the last time and Morwen was peering closely at the contents of the bag that she held. “She found the toys. More specifically, she found the stuffed animals.”
Morwen turned to look at him. “Can I take some of them with me? You said I could decorate my room however I want.” As she waited impatiently for his answer, she looked exactly like what she was, a young teenage girl. Raven choked back a laugh.
“That I did.” Kerrik gave one of the bags a poke. “These trash bags are already half rotten. Get them all out of the bags and lay them out so you can pick which ones you want to take. I’ve got some sacks in my pack we can pack them in for the trip back to the house.”
Raven eyed him speculatively. “Some sacks would make our job easier, too. Can you forgive me enough to let us use them?”
He summoned his pack. “I don’t think I’ve ever threatened to make your job harder just because I was feeling annoyed.” He dug out a bundle of large canvas sacks. “Take what you need.”
We have mops, brooms, brushes and buckets. We even have cleansers if you don’t believe in expiration dates. Should we take some of them as well?
Kerrik frowned and dismissed his backpack. “Let me take a look at them and see if they’re still good. Chemicals in cleansers don’t normally go bad, but odd things sometimes happen.” He disappeared into the back as Morwen started laying the animals out on a display table.
He was back a few minutes later as Raven and Misery appeared. Each of the pokegirls carried a pair of bulging sacks. Broom and mop heads stuck out of each sack. He shook his head. “They cleaned out all the cleansers they had for sale when the plagues hit. Whisper was talking about the store’s personal supply, all of which has already been opened. They’re completely useless. Fortunately, vinegar is easy to make.”
Raven vanished as she teleported to the lodge to drop off the cleaning supplies. Misery waited until she returned before teleporting herself. When she returned, the mini-top glanced around as Raven headed back for another load. Her eyes lit up when she saw the stuffed animals. “Oh, cool.” She grabbed up a gray and white canine plush. “It’s a wolf!” She grinned. “I get my very own Kerrik that I don’t have to share.”
Morwen’s eyes narrowed. “That’s my toy.”
“These don’t belong to anyone. Now it’s mine.”
“Kerrik said I could have them.” She turned to him. “You can’t lie, so it’s true.”
She’s good. Whisper came in with another sack of stuff. What now?
“I said you could pick out the ones you want to take, but yes, that does imply that they’re yours as far as I am concerned. Were you going to take the wolf?”
“I hadn’t decided yet until Misery pulled her ‘it’s mine’ crap. Now I want to take it.”
Already she is very competitive. She will either fit in with us or die a horrible death. There was a timbre to the thought that told him Whisper was only communicating with him.
Misery glared at Morwen and slammed the toy into her chest hard enough to make her stagger. “Fine. It’s yours.” She headed back for more cleaning supplies.
Morwen waited a moment. “Misery?”
The mini-top swung around with a furious look on her face. “What do you want now?”
The vampire moved to stand in front of her. “I would like to give you my wolf as a gift.” She held it out. “You will take better care of him than I will.”
“What the fuck is this?” Misery’s eyes were flat and her ears back.
“You can’t take things from me, Misery, but I’m not so fixated on property that I won’t give my big sister almost anything she wants. You want him a lot, and I want you to have him. Please.”
Misery stared at her for a moment and then gingerly took the plush toy. She looked at if for a moment, her eyes opaque. Then she looked up. “Thank you.” She looked down at the wolf and then offered it to Morwen as she spoke in a calm voice. “I’ve got to get another load of scrub brushes. Will you keep him for me until we get home? Kerrik tends to get in trouble if he’s left alone for long.”
“It would be my pleasure. I’ll put him in the bag with the rest of the toys.” Morwen tucked the wolf under her arm as Misery headed off again.
Kerrik leaned towards Whisper and spoke in an almost inaudible tone. “Well?”
The cabbit looked thoughtful. I was almost willing to bet that Misery would tear her apart, but she handled that very well. However, while she made a friend in Misery, when Raven realizes that you may now have a viable alternative in Morwen to replace her as maharani things will become even more complicated than they are now. The odds of her dying a horrible death at that point don’t go down much from what they were a few minutes ago. I must admit that she is rather remarkable. The controllers would have tapped her for the officer corps immediately. With a few years seasoning, she could easily command units in combat. Her canines flashed in a smile. That is rare praise from me. Most of the officers I knew were about as useless as a hamtit in combat. Oh, they could fight and they could give orders, but they couldn’t lead or inspire their troops. Perhaps that is additional proof that Cowslip was the real plan. If so, Sukebe would have wanted morons for commanders. There were certainly more than a few of those.
“If we find him, we’ll ask.” He raised his voice. “Raven, let’s make this the last trip home. If we stay here too long, our lingering scent will draw ferals if they happen to come by for the next few weeks.”
“Ok. You heard him, ladies. Grab what happens to be left in one go.”
(9/06/06 1730, Texas League)
Kerrik stood in the doorway of the lodge manager’s office and contemplated the room. He’d been considering making it his work office before they’d left on their jaunt through time. Since they’d gotten back, he’d been busy cleaning out so that it wasn’t cluttered anymore. Now it was clean, although the floor still needed mopped and the window needed washed, something he intended to make right in the next few days. A map of the county had been pinned on one wall underneath the glass top of one of the tables around the swimming pool. It had been pinned in place by driving screwdrivers into the wall around the outside of the circle where it crossed studs in the wall. The base of the handles held the glass in place and they’d been trimmed until only half an inch of handle protruded. The map had been annotated by writing some notes about the area on the glass top with grease pencil. If someone looked closely, they’d have found his, Raven’s and Whisper’s handwriting on the map as they made new discoveries. Misery claimed the grease pencils left an odor on her fur that she hated and so she left notes for Kerrik on his desk so he could update the map. Dry erase markers were on order from Vallation along with the cleaning supplies to correct the situation.
There was nothing on the map that Kerrik wasn’t already aware of, so he turned his attention to the desk. Here he found some grease pencils in different colors and a sheaf of papers. He flipped through the papers. He paused and a pained look crossed his face. “I am such a fucking idiot sometimes.” He put the papers down and settled back in the chair to pull his pokedex from his belt.
“Good day, Cassiopeia. I believe you have some files on Jamie’s upcoming ceremony that you are holding while waiting on me to realize they exist.” He really wanted to ask if there other files, but Cassiopeia wouldn’t tell him until he already knew about their specific existence. Centuries ago he’d instructed her to lie to him if the situation required it, and fishing about things he might not be ready to know was one of the times she was allowed to deviate from the truth as far as he was concerned. She was allowed to lie to other people any time she thought the situation required it and was very good at it.
The Bastion AI appeared in the display. “Commander, I was hoping to hear from you about this. I am transmitting the files now.”
“Excellent. While you’re at it, please use a courier vessel and send the portal generator design plans to Vallation as soon as possible.”
“Yes commander; the drone is being programmed and will leave in six minutes.”
“Thank you, Cass. You’re a joy to work with.”
She smiled confidently. “I am, commander, and you should remind me of that more often.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Kerrik out.” He changed the display mode and nodded to himself as lines of text appeared in the hologram floating over the pokedex. He began reading, becoming almost motionless except for the rise and fall of his chest and the occasional flick of his ears as they shifted to cover a new sound while the text scrolled down the view faster than human eyes could follow.
An hour later he shut down the display and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. Now he knew what plans had been made for Jamie to become kami and, for the most part, he would leave them unchanged. Shikarou and Faelan had already prepared the site in the mountains of Haven. All he had to do was conduct the ceremony to convert Jamie from human to kami. Of course, there was also that tiny little bit where he had to control the magic to make sure that the young man ended up crippled, forever denied the true gifts of being kami, but that was what Jamie thought he wanted. And since it was what he wanted, it was what he would get.
You look very thoughtful. Whisper sidled into the room. Care to discuss it?
“I’m just wondering what the big deal is about looking human when someone becomes kami.”
It is what they know. Is there a difference between looking human and not? The cabbit pushed his chair back and settled into his lap.
“Human looking kami don’t have claws and there’s only so much enhancement that can be done with a human nasal system, musculature, eyes and ears.” He sighed “And they’ll probably never be able to transform. It’s one of the things that made what happened to me bearable and I wish they could know how it feels.”
Can you show me?
“Before I made myself young I could. Now,” he shrugged, “I haven’t tried, but I am probably too young to do so. Most kami can’t transform until they reach young adulthood. For my line, that seems to take about a century.”
Is Jamie determined to stay human looking?
“He’s frightened of becoming kami a little more than he’s excited about the idea. Because of it, he wants to stay as human as possible. It’ll give him the abilities he wants the most, but a real kami would think he was crippled.”
What are you going to do about it?
“I tried explaining it, but they look at my ears and my fangs and decide on what they want. I, being the benevolent believer in self determination that I am, give them what they ask for and no more.”
Do they know how you feel?
“It’s not important. I try to explain it once, and if they have any questions, I’ll be glad to explain it again and again if they want. So far nobody has. After that, it’s their decision, right or wrong, to make.”
And you will let them? In many ways you are as cold to your family as you are to strangers.
“I don’t see it that way. I am willing to give them all the information they would ever want, but they have to ask me for it. Each and every one of them has told me they are an adult. That means they take responsibility for the decisions they make and the life they end up with. I try to give them what I think they need, but if they show no interest, I stop.”
Whisper cocked her head. You are very big into personal responsibility.
“I am. It’s also true that the decision that Jamie made may very well be the best one for him. I would have decided differently, but that has nothing to do with his choice. It’s his to make and he has to live with the results.”
(9/07/06 1200, Kingdom of Haven)
Raven appeared with Kerrik and let him go as Misery appeared with Morwen. Whisper teleported in above them and began to idly drift on the breeze, always staying within a dozen meters of her tamer.
“I see the welcoming committee didn’t make it,” Raven said with a laugh.
“Yes, I did.” Helen stepped into view. “Hello everyone.” She cocked her head, her ears flicking. “Is this Morwen?”
Kerrik nodded. “Morwen, this is Helen. She’s a milktit kami and one of Shikarou’s mates.”
Helen shook her head. “I’m Helen. I don’t need a title, Kerrik. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Morwen.” She glanced at Kerrik. “I think I’ll need more blood for dinner and even more for the ceremony.”
“Morwen and Raven fed just before we came here. I’ll give them the opportunity to feed again before we start.” His ears canted sideways. “I don’t suppose you’re my escort to the ceremony site?”
“No, I’m your escort to the house.” She smiled slightly. “We’d like to see you before you disappear onto the mountain and it’s been noted that you have a hard time telling me no, so Branwyn sent me.”
“The fact that he may have a hard time telling you no does not mean that he cannot do so.” Raven was giving her a hard look.
“I think Branwyn is hoping you wouldn’t consider that option.” Helen winked. “However, if you do, there’s little I can do against such formidable pokegirls.”
Kerrik sighed as Raven’s scowl deepened. “Look, while I’m sure I’d enjoy lounging around with you and the others, there’s still a lot of work that needs done. So, in the interests of Jamie actually becoming a kami tonight, I don’t think it’s going to be possible.”
“Honestly, Kerrik, I didn’t think it would be either, but Branwyn asked me to try. I think she’s been talking to Poppet and they’re both worried that something is wrong with you.”
“Whisper, is there anything wrong with me?”
I am still learning what would be considered a proper baseline for your mental state, but you have shown no signs of mental deterioration or long term psychosis. Applying human terminology to you is difficult and completely incorrect since you are in no way human and therefore your mental architecture is not shaped by the referents that humans would recognize in mental disorders. You are highly functional, rational and aware of the effects of action and reaction, perhaps to a degree that most are not. Over the time that I have known you, your mental state has remained stable. In short, there appears to be nothing wrong with you.
Kerrik smiled. “You heard the mute.”
Helen looked confused when Misery and Raven snickered. “I did. I don’t suppose you’d let Stardust give a second opinion?”
“Whisper has a reason to be in my head. Stardust, for all her skill, does not. She will not be welcome and my mental defenses will protect me from her.”
“Then there’s the little problem that we won’t sit around and let her try to probe him without his permission.” Misery grinned savagely. “So you be sure and let her know that if she values her life, she won’t attempt this. If she does, I will hunt her and I have never failed on a hunt.”
Helen shifted her gaze to Kerrik. “And you would allow this?”
“If she does what she’s been warned not to do, I will have to seriously consider giving Misery her chance to play.”
The milktit looked shocked for an instant. “I’ll make sure that Shikarou and Candace are aware of what you said.”
He nodded. “Thank you. Please don’t forget to let Stardust know. As far as I am concerned, warning you is sufficient to consider her warned. I do like her and I don’t want there to be any mistakes.”
“I’ll tell her personally.” Her eyes were still white around the edges and her nostrils were flared as if searching out a threat. “If you’ll wait here, I’ll see about getting you an escort to the ceremony site.”
“Thank you.”
(9/07/06 1330, Kingdom of Haven)
Kerrik looked at his four ladies. “Please stay outside the inner white line while I look around. I’ll let you know when you can enter.” Without waiting for an answer, he strode into the ceremonial site.
The place was a natural amphitheatre on the side of a mountain in the south central region of Haven. The amphitheatre was on the south side and in the distance the sea could be seen. A slab of stone eight feet long and four feet wide had been carved from the mountain and symbols cut into the sides and top.
Kerrik stopped in the middle of the clearing and closed his eyes. He stood silently for a moment and then turned around. “It’s safe to come in.”
“Safe?” Morwen looked around apprehensively as the others headed for him. “Why wouldn’t it be safe?”
“If the circle is charged with energy, it will kill any non-kami who enters it unless they are on the block of stone over there. I was making sure it wasn’t accidentally charged. I don’t want to watch you die.”
“Oh. That’s a good thing to know. Do these things get accidentally charged often?”
He flashed a smile as he headed for the stone block. “No, not often, but I didn’t make this site and I decided it was prudent to check first. The worst it could do to me is damage to my clothing. There are a variety of unpleasant things that could happen to non-kami, including but not limited to being driven insane, turned into trees on the periphery of the site or dropping dead without a mark on the poor person’s body. I’d prefer that not happen to any of you.” He knelt and began examining the carvings closely, scooting around the block on his hands and knees as he did.
Raven pulled her staff from her pocket and leaned on it idly. “I’ve got the watch.”
Morwen looked around. “What do I do?”
Come with me, Morwen. Whisper led her to the edge of the amphitheatre. Tell me what you see.
The vampire looked around. “I see trees and a stream. Off in the distance I think I see the ocean.”
What we will be doing with you on a regular basis is making you look at something briefly and then describe it in detail. This is an exercise that teaches you to pay attention to details as well as how to actually see when you look at your surroundings. You may have only a chance to glance around you before things become suddenly busy, and you have to learn how to make the most of that look. Your life and the lives of your family may depend on being able to remember where a doorway is when the lights go out or what a particular scene looked like so that if something changes, you can recognize that change instantly when you see the scene again. Once your twee becomes available it will help immensely, but still you and only you will be the one responsible for your actions or inactions.
“Is this something all of you can do?”
The cabbit nodded. Yes we can, if only to varying degrees of success. Misery is the best of us with me running a close second. However, Raven is still very good at this, and you will have to work hard to become as good as she is.
“What about Kerrik?”
We try not to compete with Kerrik in mind. We’re still working out how he feels about being included in our competitions and whether or not we feel it right to compete against him in things we are far better than he is. However, he has participated in a couple of our games before he became young and he was erratic at best. Some days he was horrible and on a few days he was better than Misery. Misery thinks he does it deliberately so we remain unsure of the limits of his abilities, but I am not sure that is true. Now, we are going to start playing this game now, while we have a few minutes of free time. She pointed down the mountain. Do you see the small glade about fifty feet below us? I want you to look at it for ten seconds and then close your eyes and describe it to me with as much detail as you can. Include any life that you see or anything else that you may feel is pertinent. Later on you’ll be including odors and other impressions in your descriptions.
Morwen took a deep breath and began her new education.
(9/07/06 1830, Kingdom of Haven)
Raven turned to face the north. “Someone is coming over the mountain peak.”
It’s Jamie Wolf. He’s flying with his demon-goddess, Caitlin. They’ll be here in two minutes.
Almost exactly a hundred and twenty seconds later, a woman with short powder blue hair landed and let Jamie go.
Kerrik gave a half bow. “Jamie. Caitlin. It’s good to see both of you again.” He gestured at Morwen. “This is Morwen, she’s the newest addition to my harem.”
Jamie blinked. “You’ve got another blood drinking pokegirl? What are you, some kind of blood bank?”
Morwen blinked in surprise. “How did you know what I am?”
His twee told him.
The vampire recognized Jamie’s accent. “Oh. I thought maybe it was some kind of Scottish witchcraft.” She smiled. “Hi.”
Jamie laughed. “Spoken like an English snob.” They shared a chuckle. “I heard a little about you from my mother Elizabeth. Kerrik’s not a bad sort once in a while.”
“I’m figuring that out.”
“Caitlin is a demon-goddess and part of my harem.” Jamie released his other two pokegirls. “This is the rest of my harem. The demoness is Ginevra. She’s my maharani. And this is Madison. She’s a duelist.”
Morwen waved. “I’m Morwen. I’m Kerrik’s vampire and still a pokekit for a couple of months.”
‘The old one likes children? That is not like him.” Emerald green eyes seemed to look in Morwen’s direction. “He is strange.”
Madison shook her head and gave Morwen a hug. “Don’t mind Ginevra. She was born bitchy. Welcome to the family.”
Morwen had stiffened when Madison touched her, but suddenly she was hugging the duelist back. “Thanks,” she said in a soft voice. “I know he’s better than other tamers I could have ended up with, but this is all still pretty scary.”
Madison let her go slowly. “I was a threshold too, and my first tamer threw me over for a neo iczel. He didn’t get rid of me, he just let her boss me around whenever she felt petty. She even let me pretend to be the alpha so anything that went wrong was my fault.”
“Oh, that sucks!”
“Yeah, it did. I’ve traveled enough with your tamer that I don’t think he’d ever do that to you.”
Jamie shook his head and sidled around to Kerrik as the two girls cheerfully started bashing tamers they’d known. “Don’t you just love girlie moments?”
“You might want to consider the fact that Ginevra and all of my ladies seem to have outstanding hearing before making comments like that.”
Jamie looked around to see Misery giving him a half glare. “Oh. Did I just put my foot in it?”
“Probably, but it’ll work itself out.”
From behind them, Whisper leaned between the two men and put a hand on each of their shoulders. The world shuddered and changed. Jamie found himself standing on a black and white plain covered with flickering shadows that moved in dizzying bursts of speed before becoming completely still. Just as he was sure he could get a good look at them, they’d blur into motion again. Indistinct whispers in a multitude of voices hissed angrily around him and he was sure that if he just strained his ears he could make out what the voices were saying. A wave of terror swept through him as something told him that hearing them would make him exactly like they were. A heavy sweetness filled the air that was cloying at the same time it made his stomach roil unhappily.
Suddenly he became aware that something stood next to him. It seemed to waver in size from huge down to smaller than he was, somehow both as well as everything in between. Muted gold eyes regarded him with barely contained anger and cruel fangs glinted as its muzzle twisted open to reveal a long crimson tongue. It thrust out a smoke furred hand and sank razor claws into his wrist as Jamie tried frantically to dodge the creature.
The universe wrenched sideways with an audible snap and Jamie found himself in a cozy room as his grandfather released his wrist. Portions of the walls were covered with leather bound books from floor to ceiling. The rest of the walls were paneled in mahogany and teak, while shiny brass gas jets filled the room with a warm light that played over the dark green overstuffed furniture in the room. In the corner, two hard backed chairs were set up at a small table on which a chess board showed a half played game.
Jamie realized that both he and his grandfather were wearing frockcoats and waistcoats with black woolen trousers and square toed boots. A cravat was perched uncomfortably around his neck. On a mantle rested two expensive looking top hats.
“What was that place?” Jamie stared around him as he realized that he wasn’t breathing and took a deep gasping gulp of air. “Where did you take me?”
Kerrik stepped over to the sideboard and poured two brandies from a decanter. He handed one to Jamie. “I brought us here. That other place wasn’t my doing.” His ears flicked. “I think that Whisper should be along soon and we can ask her.”
Suddenly the cabbit stood in the center of the room. She was wearing a burgundy gown that pulled her fur covered breasts up and together in a more impressive than usual display. Elbow length gloves of the same color as the dress graced her hands and arms. Her green hair was up in an artful pile on top of her head that wrapped around her ears. She looked around in surprise. What is this place?
Jamie gulped down his drink. “You don’t know either?”
I brought you and Kerrik into dreamtime so we could talk without being disturbed. It has never been like this, either out there or in here. Her hair jerked and she blinked. My ears are trapped.
Kerrik pointed with the snifter to a gilt frame on one wall. “Look in the mirror.”
Whisper quickly moved to stand in front of it and gasped. It’s a gorgeous dress, but I want my ears free. She reached up and began pulling pins from her hair, causing the pile to collapse and cascade down the back of her dress. She flicked her ears and sighed in relief. That is much better. Kerrik, do you have any idea where we are?
“I’ve seen a theory where dreamtime is manufactured out of the mental images of everyone involved when it’s created. If that’s true, then it’s likely that the older the mind, the more it can contribute. What you just saw and what you see here, are both out of my vastly older mind. That other place is just the raw stuff of thought while this room is a recreation of a study I had in a home I owned in London during the time of Queen Victoria.” He poured Whisper a brandy and gave it to her. “Now why did you see fit to jerk me and Jamie into dreamtime without warning or permission?”
Whisper sniffed the brandy and took a sip in her mouth to roll around for the flavor. Jamie, I wanted the chance to tell you that Kerrik thinks you are making a terrible mistake in becoming kami.
Jamie looked shocked. “He and Ginevra are the ones who convinced me that this is a good thing. The only person more vocal about me becoming kami is mother and she only got that way after finding out Graeme was killed.”
Whisper looked at Kerrik, who made a motion for her to continue. She nodded and took another sip. Kerrik thinks that you are not becoming a full kami and that you are unnecessarily limiting yourself and your options by insisting on remaining as human as possible. After hearing his reasoning, I think he is right. Using dreamtime, this conversation will take no time in reality so you can talk as much as you need to in order to make an informed decision.
Jamie stared at her for a long moment and held out his snifter. “This is really good. Can I get a refill?” Whisper swapped his empty glass out with hers and headed over to the sideboard as he turned to his grandfather. “You really think I’m limiting myself?”
“I do. I tried to explain it earlier, but you wouldn’t listen. Still, it’s your choice to make.”
“What kind of limitations would I be imposing?”
Kerrik settled back in his chair and peered at Jamie over the rim of his glass. “Your father is a decent man and a good father, and he loves Magdalene more than he can ever say, but in his quest to win acceptance from his dam he has adopted her conventions towards a lot of the potential power he possesses. Without realizing it, he has passed those conventions on to his children.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean?”
“Shikarou doesn’t spend a lot of time working on his alternate forms, does he?”
Jamie shook his head. “He’s too busy right now.”
Kerrik’s ears went back for an instant. “That is an evasion on his part. He’s always too busy and, whether he realizes it or not, it’s a deliberate choice that he’s made. His ability to change shape is one of the gifts that the Celestial Bureaucracy would see as being more oni than kami and definitely more kunitsukami than amatsukami if they were to accept it as kami at all. They’re elitist bastards that way. For that reason, he suppresses it and the other gifts they would look down on. Faelan isn’t old enough to begin transforming, and it bothers me to see he’s adopting the same ideas. Kozakura is the same way, and so are you.” He sighed. “And one of the benefits he’s missing out on is the ability to fly, something he claims to want with every fiber of his being.”
“What do you mean?” Jamie sipped at his brandy.
“The transformed state is where a lot of kami powers come from, including flight for us. By not mastering the aspects of his wolf form, he’s limiting what he can do. The way that you want to become kami will mean that you won’t have a form to change to as you get older, and that will limit you, especially since I’m almost certain that Ginevra won’t limit herself that way when the time comes. If she’s more powerful than you are, you’ll never hear the end of it from her.”
Jamie made a face. “You got that right.” He swirled the glass, staring at the liquid as it moved. “If I go that route, will I end up looking like you and dad?”
“I don’t think so, but magic is a wild thing in a true transformation from mortal to immortal. Anything can happen, and sometimes it does. However, none of my line has ever had what they later said was a bad change.”
Jamie gave him an uncertain look. “How many made this change?”
Kerrik’s mouth set. “Over a thousand grand and multiple greats of grandchildren have. We tend to be prolific when we start having kids and not all of them express kami traits from the beginning, especially as the blood gets diluted by breeding with non-kami.”
Jamie cocked his head. “How old are you?”
“I don’t really want to answer that question. It doesn’t really mean what you think it might, since I live from day to day as mortals do. What is important is that if you become a true kami, as time passes for you, your powers will develop and strengthen, possibly with new gifts appearing. As a partial kami, any powers you acquire during the change will get stronger, but they’ll never be as strong as a full kami’s will be. You’ll also be very unlikely to develop new abilities.”
“And you think that becoming a full kami, as you call it, would be better for me?”
“Ginevra aside, I do. The powers available to a full kami can be very impressive. You’ll also pass your gifts on to your children, and that’s what I think is important. By becoming partially kami, you doom your kami offspring to the same fate.” Kerrik drained his snifter. “However, if you are happy being a partial kami, I’ll not only accept it, I’ll work to help you become as powerful as you possibly can. I’ll also never mention anything about you being a partial kami again.”
Jamie stared into his glass for several moments. Then he looked up. “I want to have an equal relationship with Ginevra. I have to be as strong as I can or she won’t respect me. It turns out that while she doesn’t have the fixation on Sukebe that some daimon are reported to have, she does fixate and she has fixated on me. Even though she’s a demoness now, that fixation is still as strong as it was when she was a daimon. I need to be as strong as I can, not only for her but for Madison and Caitlin.” He squared his shoulders as if accepting a heavy burden. “Let the magic go where it will and make me a full kami.”
Kerrik sat up. “I have to ask because I am the one Poppet will yell at. Are you sure that this is what you want, Jamie? Becoming a human kami will give you the benefits you seek.”
“I want this because it will help me to be better able to help protect my life and the lives of my harem. If I’m faster, stronger, or whatever, it’ll help me and by being tougher, they’ll be able to focus more on combat and less on saving my fragile butt. This is not a decision that my mother or anyone else can make for me.” He gave Kerrik a serious look. “I’m glad we had this talk. It helped to put things into perspective for me.”
Kerrik smiled back. “I’m glad we did too. Can you forgive Whisper for dragging us here without permission?” The cabbit gave him a startled look and then began coughing as she accidentally swallowed the brandy in her mouth.
“Not only do I forgive her, I think I owe her my thanks for it. I remember you trying to broach this subject once before, but I dismissed it out of hand, didn’t I?” He continued as his grandfather nodded. “I didn’t realize what you were trying to say at the time. Thanks, Whisper.”
She was still coughing. You are quite welcome, Jamie. I’m glad you made the right decision. She got her coughing under control and straightened up. If Kerrik ever gives me that same offer, I’ll make the same choice you did.
Jamie blinked. “Do you think you’ll do that, Kerrik?”
Whisper turned her golden eyes on her tamer as he flashed a grin. “Just as soon as they become pokewomen, I intend to.”
What if we don’t want to wait?
“If that’s the way any of you feel, we’ll talk about it and explore the repercussions of such a step for a pokegirl.”
Can I tell the others?
“You mean you weren’t already planning to?”
She gave him an innocent look. Maybe. If we approach you together, it’ll be harder for you to tell us no.
Kerrik drained his snifter and rose smoothly. “Jamie made his decision, Whisper. Staying here isn’t going to let me finish my preparations.”
“I’m sorry I’ve made this harder for you, Kerrik. Do we need to postpone this?”
His grandfather laughed quietly. “Harder? You’ve actually made it easier for me. I don’t have to channel the magic into a path now and letting magic flow naturally is a lot easier than what I was planning to do.”
Whisper took Kerrik’s arm. We are returning in five, four, three, two, one, now. The world dissolved and Jamie found himself standing next to his grandfather with Whisper’s hand on his shoulder and Misery giving him an irritated look. The cabbit took her hand off him and moved to stand next to Kerrik.
Ginevra cocked her head and whispered to Jamie as Kerrik headed for the ceremonial altar. “What just changed?”
“What do you mean?”
“You aren’t worried any more. A second ago you were concerned about this. What changed, Jamie?”
“Kerrik and I had a talk about what’s going to happen.”
The demoness looked skeptical. “When?” Her lips thinned as she accessed her twee. “You went into dreamtime without me? With him and her? What did you discuss?”
“Not everything is about you, Gin.”
She snorted. “When I am the master, it will be.”
He grinned at the resumption of their ongoing argument. “Well, you’re not and it’s not.” He projected affection through their bond and got the distinct impression she was glaring at him before she stalked off.
Caitlin shook her head. “Why do you put up with her?”
Jamie gave the demon-goddess a bemused look. “I’m not insulting you or Madison, but getting Ginevra was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I might even put up with her being in charge someday, at least for a while.”
Madison looked up. “When that happens, I want to go into storage.”
Ginevra leaned into view. “When I am master, you will not ever go into storage so that you can better serve me.” She sounded cheerful.
“I said maybe and someday.” He shook his head. “Enough playing. Ginevra, we don’t seem to have a sentry. If we get attacked, I might not get to become kami today. Won’t that delay all your plans?”
The demoness’ tail lashed angrily. “We cannot let that happen. Madison, put out your sentry cards. Caitlin, take a flight around the area while she gets set up.”
(9/07/06 2330, Kingdom of Haven)
Raven looked around the clearing with a neutral expression. “I thought this was supposed to be a small event.”
Kerrik nodded. “It is. You’ve just never seen a gathering of Jamie’s immediate family. That’s Shikarou and those twenty women are all part of Shikarou’s harem. Then there’s Poppet, this world’s Poppet and her Jamie Harris. Celestine you already know. Faelan and his family decided not to attend tonight, but they’ll be at the party Poppet is going to throw tomorrow. The black haired kami with the phoenix is Jamie’s sister Kozakura and the phoenix is her pokegirl. She’s out of Kasumi, who is the Nipponese woman over there and is Shikarou’s only human wife. The three pokegirls with her are her harem. Then you have Jamie’s harem and us.”
“Ok, I probably shouldn’t ask this, but I have to. How in hell does he keep them all tamed?”
“I’ve never asked.”
Amethyst eyes flicked in his direction. “You are not ever having a harem that large.”
“I don’t want one.”
“Good. I’d hate to have to drink them to death when you weren’t looking, but I would. All you’d find would be dried up husks of pokegirl paper.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Are you being almost monosyllabic on purpose?”
“Indeed I am.”
The archmage chuckled softly. “What happens now?”
“You go get Morwen and I feed the two of you before I turn Jamie into a kami. Depending on how Poppet takes his request, we may have to listen to her rant for a while after that. When you go to find our vampire, be sure and tell Whisper and Misery to grab a snack. There’s some fresh meat in your pokepack for Whisper and a decent sandwich for the rabbit.”
Raven closed her eyes in disgust. “I should have thought about food for everyone, shouldn’t I have?”
“Just be sure and do so next time.”
“Well, at least you don’t make me look bad in front of others. I seem to be able to do that quite well on my own.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “Nobody else knows you didn’t arrange for the food. Don’t tell them anything about it. It’s very unlikely they’ll think to ask me if I set it up for them.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure that the food gets replenished when we get home.” She cocked her head. “Ah, I know where she is. It appears that she and Madison are becoming fast friends. They’re both with Elizabeth.” She lifted off to hover and rotated in midair to look at him. “Will you be safe while I’m gone?”
“I’ve got my guns and Melanie is with Svetlana, Ygerna and Faelan. I can always scream for help if something attacks me in front of all these witnesses.”
“That’s true.” She grinned. “I’ll be right back.” She raced off while Kerrik began pacing off some distances from the altar. Apparently satisfied, he returned to the altar and waited for his maharani to return. When she did, she had Misery, Morwen and Whisper with her. “Misery found the food already and she and Whisper have eaten.” She sighed. “I’ll go first and Morwen can watch how I feed when we’re in public.” Raven was a very private person, probably because of how she’d been treated by other pokegirls before she met him. She looked at Morwen. “Pay close attention to what I do. If you rip out his throat in public, I’ll do the same to you in private.”
Morwen blinked. “Maybe I’m not hungry after all.”
The maharani smiled. “Let Kerrik guide you and everything should be fine. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t know how to do this either before he showed me.”
“You didn’t?”
“Since I take a gallon of blood a day, I never had to concern myself with being pleasant about it before. Until I met Kerrik, all my prey was dead when I was done feeding.”
Morwen’s eyes widened. “Damn.”
“The trick is to be gentle, no matter how much you want to tear.” Raven stepped into Kerrik’s arms and kissed him gently. She tugged on his shirt and he obligingly bent down. She pressed her lips against his throat and slid her fangs into his carotid artery. Soft sucking noises came as she drank. She raised her head slightly. “Remember that the bite will close and you’ll have to reopen it.” She bit him again twice more before she was done. When she lifted her head, she gave her tamer a languid smile. “You’re hard.”
“Someone has been conditioning me to get that way when I’m bitten.”
“Really? I’ll have to thank her for that.” Raven slipped out of his arms and turned to Morwen. “Just do what I did and you’ll be fine.”
“Ok.” Morwen looked at Kerrik. “I’ll try to do this right, but help me, please?”
He nodded. “I’ll be glad to. I am the pincushion, after all.”
Morwen smiled and stepped up to him. She glanced at Raven and went up on her toes to kiss Kerrik gently on the lips.
Misery laughed as Raven’s face went stony. “You told her to do what you did. Good job.” She laughed harder when her maharani turned to glare at her.
Morwen gave Kerrik a hesitant smile, which relaxed when he winked at her and smiled back. “What do I do now,” she murmured.
He draped an arm around her while his other hand cupped her chin. “Let me guide you.” He gently turned her head and drew her against his neck. “Do you feel the pulse of my heart against your lips?” Morwen gave a tiny nod. “That line is my carotid and that’s where you want your teeth to go in. It’s not far underneath the skin, so a hard bite isn’t necessary. While you’re learning, if you feel you might be out of alignment, it’s more than ok to move your teeth before you bite. I’d much rather you take a bit of time than bite into the muscle or my esophagus. It’s important that you learn to do this correctly in case you have to feed on someone else during an emergency. Now, you may feel an urge to bite really hard or to tear the wound open once you’ve bitten. Please resist it.”
Morwen licked his neck a couple of times before settling her teeth and biting as he stroked her back. She drank deeply; sucking hard enough to leave a bruise that would heal hours after the bite itself was only a memory. When the wound closed, she pulled away to look into his eyes. “Is that erection a holdover from Raven or is that one mine?”
“That one is all you.”
“Good. In six months I want to completely join your harem.” She stepped away from him and shuddered. A wry smile appeared. “Hopefully my maharani won’t kill me before then.”
Raven took a deep breath. “You’ll feel like I did several times before that time comes.”
Which time? The time she goes to Kerrik’s bed or the time where you finally finish her off?
“I haven’t decided yet.” The archmage managed a forced smile. “We’ve all fed, so we’ll be good until morning. Misery, I want you and Whisper patrolling the area. Shikarou’s family is likely to be preoccupied with the show, so sentry duty falls on us. Stay vigilant. Morwen, you patrol the clearing itself. Don’t forget to stay outside the inner line like Kerrik warned us to. If you see anything, yell for us.”
“I will, Raven.”
The three pokegirls headed out. Raven started to follow, but stopped when Kerrik took her arm. “Every time Morwen gets me all hot, someone is going to have to help me take care of that.”
She chuckled. “I know. That part of the next six months will be very amusing, with her having to watch you come to us after she gets you aroused. Can you make it until she’s fifteen?”
“Yes. She’s a temptress, but I’ve known them before. Can you last that long?”
“I wanted to kill her a few minutes ago. I really hope so.” Raven looked over the cloud as she spoke in a diffident tone. “Is she going to replace me as maharani? She knows what the job is supposed to entail and she might do a better job than I have been doing.”
“Only Misery would like to see someone else as maharani. I’m happy with you having the job.” He cocked an ear curiously. “Or is it that you want to give up being the maharani?”
“I’m glad that you have put your trust in me. Sometimes riding herd on Misery and Whisper doesn’t seem to be worth the trouble, but then I remember you believe I can do it. If it’s for you, I think I can do anything.” She gave him a bittersweet smile. “I don’t know how much of that is my heart and how much of that is genetically inbred pokegirl obedience. To tell the truth, it doesn’t matter to me. I want to be your maharani as long as you want me to be your maharani.”
“Then you may well end up being my maharani for the rest of your life. If you think Morwen can help you to do a better job, put her to work advising you. You need to use all the available resources and if she’s a resource, use her.”
“I want to use her up.” She shook her head when he started to speak. “It’s just jealousy. I was your only vampire, even if I’m not really one. Now I’m not.”
Kerrik’s grip tightened. “You are my Raven and my first pokegirl. Nobody can ever take your place with me.” He pulled her in and hugged her fiercely. She squeezed him back hard enough to drive the air from his lungs.
When she relaxed her grip, they leaned against each other for a moment until she pushed away. “I’ll get Jamie.” As Raven headed off to find him, she looked over her shoulder at Kerrik. When she realized he was watching her, she gave him a broad smile and put an extra sway in her hips.
Jamie was nude except for a kilt. His skin glistened with scented oils and symbols had been painted all over his exposed skin. Kerrik gave him a curious look. “What’s with the goop?”
Jamie’s mouth set. “I was told it was necessary. The fact that you’re calling it goop suggests I was tricked.”
“It’s sometimes necessary if you’re going to become Sidhe. Since you’re becoming kami, I’ll try not to burn them permanently into your skin.”
“Crap. Can I have five minutes?”
Kerrik glanced at the sky. “No more than seven. Things are complicated enough that I don’t want to start late.”
Jamie raced off, calling for his harem. He was back in five minutes, his skin red from where he’d been hastily scrubbed. His kilt dripped water as he skidded to a halt in front of his grandfather. “Ready!”
“Lay down on the altar.” When Jamie hastily complied, Kerrik handed him a small vial of liquid. “Drink this. It’ll dull any pain that might happen.”
Jamie chugged it down in one swallow. “Might?”
Kerrik shrugged. “It’s possible you could grow a tail, which could involve some pain.”
The young man gulped audibly. “Oh.”
Kerrik produced a ceremonial goblet and opened a vein in his wrist to fill it with his blood. “We’re beginning,” he said quietly as he lifted Jamie’s head. “Drink.” He held the goblet to Jamie’s lips and the young man drank deeply. In his excitement, he spilled some, and it ran down his chin in crimson rivulets. When only a mouthful remained, Kerrik pulled the goblet away and laid his grandson’s head back down. He slung the remaining blood outward in a spray and the ground exploded upwards around the line as the circle closed around them with an audible crack. The air seemed to hum with power that crawled over the skin of everyone present. Inside the circle, everything living except for Kerrik and Jamie instantly died and was burned to ash, even down to the grass and the bacteria.
The sigils cut into the altar burst into brilliant life that was so bright that several people observing had to look away until their vision adjusted. Kerrik lifted the goblet over Jamie’s body. A single drop of blood clung to the rim as he inverted it over his grandson. It fell free and dropped with almost glacial slowness to land over Jamie’s heart. When it hit, the energy inside the circle poured into him through the impact site. His body bowed upwards and he gave a strangled cry as light enveloped him. One by one, the carvings on the altar went out. Finally, the last light died, and with it, the glow surrounding Jamie.
Kerrik quickly checked Jamie’s vitals. He was taking his pulse when the young man’s eyes opened. “How do you feel?”
“I feel like Ginevra beat me up a couple of dozen times. Did it work?”
“Of course it did. I did oversee the transformation personally.”
“I don’t feel different.”
“You’ve got the beginnings of yokosuji. They’ll come in gradually as you age, but you’ve got them already.”
Jamie blinked and felt the top of his head. Then he slid his hands down to where his ears rested. “My ears didn’t move. Hey, they’re pointed.”
“I’m sure you and your harem will have a wonderful time figuring out exactly what changes have taken place, Jamie.” Kerrik helped him sit up. “Now I need to open the circle.” He headed for the white line and paused briefly before drawing his boot across the line to break it. The circle collapsed with another crack as it poured all of its energy through his body. Kerrik was thrown across the clearing and down the face of the mountain to disappear into a stand of banana trees.
A minute later, Raven touched down and forced her way into the trees. She found Kerrik folded around a tree. He was trying to push himself free. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled. With a sucking sound, the jagged stump of a branch buried in his torso slid out. “Shit!” The archmage dropped him and knelt to press her hands over the hole just below his sternum. Healing magic poured into him and the wound closed. She quickly checked him for other injuries. “How are you?”
He chuckled and winced. “Sore. Is Jamie ok?”
“Unless his harem smothers him with affection as they check him over, he’s fine. What happened? I thought you were finished.”
“I was. Then the universe remembered that it hadn’t fucked me over in the last couple of hours and corrected the situation.” He sat up slowly. “Please run back to the lodge and get me a new shirt and something to clean me up quickly.”
Raven picked him up. “And leave you alone again? Not going to happen. You can be bloody or we can go home together.”
Kerrik stripped off his shirt and rubbed himself down with it to get the worst of the blood off before tossing it away. “There, a compromise. Now let’s go see everyone before we go home.”
Name: Wolf, Kerrik
Age: Unlisted
Residence: Kingdom of Haven - Currently Texas League
Status: Active
Rank: NA (5)
HRA rank: Colonel
Security Clearance: Omicron
Licenses
Tamer Y
Master Tamer Y
Breeder Y
Watcher N
Researcher N
Pet Owner N
Tradesman N
Active Harem
Raven Archmage
Whisper Cabbit
Misery Mini-top
Morwen Vampire pokekit