Nos Faux Ratu Ch. 05

She hurtled down the corridor's of the maze, wishing that she hadn't reset the pattern before going to sleep. She tried to keep her calm, but part of her was frayed. This was twice that her inner sanctum had been invaded in less than a week. But at least all Nessa had wanted was sex.

The glass crashed behind her and she heard yelling. Actually, "yelling" was too human of a word for it. It was a hideous, unholy growling sound that echoed throughout the church. It was commanding the other two Major Arcana to find their ways back outside. Since the walls were reinforced, they would somehow have to find their ways back up to the roof. Jenna wondered if they would make it in time. But for the second time, she was being pursued by a demon inside these "holy" walls.

The Hanged Man launched himself into the maze, and Jenna could see that he was moving with a purpose. His nose was low, and he was barely looking at Jenna.

'He's tracking me by scent,' she said, her hopes falling. He did not need to find his way out, or at least he did not know that he should. The church was going to go down in flames and rubble in just a few minutes.

Jenna stopped for a moment when she got to a section that had three possible routes. She ran quickly into the all three, then pursued one and hoped like hell that it was correct. She was rewarded when she soon saw the Hanged Man stop in that spot and look confused. If he had been looking up, he would have seen the direction she had headed. Their eyes met across several walls of clear glass. Jenna knew in that moment that he would kill her if he caught her. No capture. No "rehabilitation." There was more beast than man there, and she had always wondered how much man there was there in the first place.

She made two wrong turns in short order, but she felt assured that she was close. Finally, she spotted her front security portal. Unfortunately, her pursuer had caught up with her. Jenna jumped and spun when she heard his paws on the path behind her, drew two guns, and fired a dozen rounds down the narrow corridor. Almost all of them hit.

The Hanged Man, or the creature that wore his skin, stopped in its tracks. Bullets had bounced off its armor in most places, but a couple had gotten through. Then their eyes met again, and . . . and the Hanged Man started to laugh. The laughing turned into a howling, barking sound that frightened her more than anything had in a great while. She scrambled towards the door, glad that she did not need as many security precautions getting out. But as she reached for the door to the circular area where the fingerprint and eye scanner were located, she was caught.

If anyone had been outside on the street in the wee hours before dawn, they would have thought that their nightmares had spilled into the street. The Hanged Man had leaped and rammed the Empress through the heavy front doors of the church, wood and metal splintering and snapping as he went. This was not the cool, calculated assassin that Jenna had known. This was the Beast of legend, a monster unlike anything the world had seen.

The Empress landed on her stomach, with her opponent on top of her. She felt him hammer down on her back, his claws digging into her back. Her armor caught the first wave of blows, but she could feel it being shredded. Claws did manage to leave gashes in her neck and just underneath her shoulders. He was so powerful, and he had hit her like a freight train.

She snapped her head back, catching him in the nose with the back of her helmet, then bucked so that she could spin under him and at least try to defend herself. She need not have bothered. The Hanged Man regained his feet, grabbed her by the armor, then hurled her into the wall of the church.

Jenna's mind exploded in noise and pain, and her back felt like something had just broken. She could still feel her feet, but that was the only good thing. That had hurt. A lot. But she was still conscious, so she could still fight. A cruel fact had, however, already seeped into her thoughts. She would not win this fight.

Hanged Man jumped towards her, but she rolled out of the way and he collided with the wall. Jenna stumbled away, then over the small wall separating the sidewalk from the street. Her animalistic foe began to lumber afterward.

'He's not used to this new body,' Empress thought. 'God, if this is him at less than maximum strength --' She ran out of time to ponder, as he had closed the gap that she had created. It was all Empress could do to avoid his claws, dodging as best she could and trying to keep some kind of separation. She certainly did not want to be here when the church came down.

And with that, she had an idea. There was a chance, however slim, that she might not die there that night. while her body armor did not offer as much protection as her old stuff, she was suddenly thankful for the added maneuverability, and she ducked and rolled under Hanged Man's outstretched arms before sprinting towards the door. He spun and chased after her, running into the ruined central chamber. Then she turned and again ducked under his grasp, grabbing something off of her opponent's belt. When he spun to face her again, she pointed something at his face and pulled the trigger.

Hanged Man howled angrily as the industrial strength pepper spray hit him in the face mask. The non-lethal spray had been designed to put down the toughest opponents and while his mask helped him, it did not save him. And it completely fucked up his sense of smell.

Jenna grabbed a chunk of rubble and smashed it against the Hanged man's face, sending him stumbling backwards. 'I've only got a few seconds,' she reminded herself, turning to run. A stray claw took a chunk out of the back of her leg, and she almost passed out from the pain as she lurched through the opening and into the street.

Just as she fell onto the pavement outside, she heard the explosions inside. She had personally rigged the place to implode just like in professional demolitions. The neighbors wouldn't be hurt, though there was going to be a lot of dust over everything. Some of the steeple started to fall into the street, and she crawled away just before a large iron bar landed right where she had been and impaled itself into the ground.

Jenna wondered if the other Major Arcana had gotten out all right. She felt guilt about the idea of them being hurt because of this, but she had not gone after them. She had not wanted anyone to get hurt.

But hurting was what she herself was doing. She was losing blood fast, she could no longer walk, and she could not even see the damage done to her back. Some part of her decided that it was all right. She was no longer afraid to die. She almost wished that the old monotheistic religions had been right. Maybe then there was a chance she could have seen her family again. But she needed to let Nessa know what was happening.

As she crawled to the alley across the way, she got out her communicator. There was still a few minutes until dawn, and she knew Nessa loved to watch the dawn through her special, UV blocking windows.

"Hey Jenna, how is it --" came the vampire's sultry voice.

"Nessa," Jenna gasped. "They . . . found me."

"What happened? Are you --"

"Can't talk long," Jenna said, leaning against a garbage can. "Have to tell you --" She stopped and gasped in pain as something in her back objected to being moved. "Hanged Man . . . they made him a werewolf . . . hybrid. He's fucking strong. Too strong. I blew up the building on him, but he might survive. He's like a damn tank."

"Jenna, where are you now? You sound hurt."

"Don't . . . don't worry about me. You'll need to adjust your strategies. If the Nightwalkers --" Jenna stopped and sighed. Things were getting blurry in a hurry. "If they make all the Nightwalkers like that . . . they'll be too strong."

"Tell me where you are! I'm sending people to retrieve you."

"I'm not important," the Empress replied, gulping desperately for breath. "Just tell Nigel --"

"Screw Nigel! YOU are important to ME. Now tell me where the hell you are! Jenna? Jenna?!"

Jenna just put the phone down. There would be sirens soon. She doubted anyone would find her right away. It might be a few days before anyone noticed her body.

She sat quietly staring at the rubble that had once been her home and her prison. 'At least if fell before I did,' she thought absently. That brought her some joy. She had escaped. It had taken her more than fifteen years, but she was finally free of the place. She closed her eyes and let the end come. A few minutes later, she smelled the sweetest smell she had ever encountered, and she felt her body lifted up towards the sky. She had wondered what dying might feel like. It felt suspiciously like flying. Before the darkness overcame her completely, she thought she heard a voice.

"Not yet. You're not done here yet."

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Some time later . . .

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"How long?"

"I'm not sure. She suffered a lot of damage."

"But --"

"Nessa, if you don't stop hovering, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"It's my damn home!"

"It's a very nice home, but that's beside the point. Just remember that it was you who called me. This will tilt the balance of favors back to me, don't ya think?"

Jenna slowly opened her eyes, her head aching and her body feeling like it had just been run through a meat grinder. What was Nessa doing in heaven? With all the things she had done, particularly in the carnal respect, Jenna would have thought --

"See, our patient is awake," came a new, rich, masculine voice that Jenna did not recognized.

Nessa moved into her view and smiled. "Thank you," she said, her voice directed somewhere else but her eyes on her friend's. She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Jenna's lips. "You had me scared there for a moment." Nessa's faced suddenly looked vexed. "And if you ever try to die on me again like that, I'll have your hide."

"Someone . . . already took it," Jenna gasped, feeling the pain in her back and legs. "What happened?"

"You're supposed to tell us that," Avery said, moving into her view.

Jenna wanted to look around, but her head and neck were immobilized with some infernal contraption. "Last thing I remember is fighting the Hanged Man. But he wasn't human anymore. I think he was a werewolf." She didn't have much strength, so she relayed the story as quickly as she could. "Could I have some water?"

"I'll get some," said the new voice from outside of her field of vision.

Nessa was busy stroking Jenna's face, so Avery started to explain. "When you stopped responding, Nessa flew out to the church. She figured you had to be nearby if you were as wounded as she expected."

"Flew? That's what that was," Jenna muttered. "I thought maybe the whole 'Heaven' thing wasn't so far fetched after all."

"Sorry, but the old Christian Heaven is a pipe dream. Ask the demons about it sometime. But you were barely hanging on. Luckily, Ghede had gotten in late from New Orleans and was available to help patch you up."

"The voodoo guy?"

"I prefer 'Doctor' Voodoo Guy, if you don't mind," laughed the new voice. He moved into her view.

Ghede was about six foot two inches of black god. He had the darkest skin that Jenna had ever seen, and it was stretched tightly over his v-shaped muscular frame. His face has a beautiful symmetry to it, and his eyes stood out in stark, gorgeous contrast. His perfectly white teeth had the same effect, and his smile made it all seem to flow together so well. His sleeves were rolled up, showing extensive tattooing on his chiseled forearms.

"You've struck another one senseless," Nessa said jokingly.

"Not . . . what? Huh?" Jenna said, not sure what Nessa had said. Reality was still a little messed up for her.

"Ghede is also a doctor. Along with his voodoo, that makes him a very competent healer."

"How bad is the damage?" Jenna asked, suddenly very aware of her nakedness under the thin cover.

"Not bad for the losing end of an auto-wreck. You have broken ribs, severe cuts to the back of your leg and to your shoulders, a concussion, and you had a collapsed lung. Those are the things I've been able to identify without more specialized equipment. Any mortal and most Night Breed should have died from those injuries."

"He was so strong and so fast," Jenna said, her body shuddering, causing everything to ache. "Nessa, we need to find out --"

"I've had the church under surveillance all day. They didn't pull any bodies out yet."

"He's alive. They all are. Hanged Man would have been close to the door, and the other two would have been close to the top. They would have been found. Oh no," she said, struggling to sit up, finding herself unable to do so.

"Sit down sugar," Nessa said. "You're hurt badly."

"What time is it?"

"Eight p.m.. Why?"

"I missed coffee."

"Sweetheart, I know you love the stuff, but --"

"Her coffee date with Nigel," Avery said to his boss.

"I've never missed it," she replied. "He'll want to know --"

"Shh, I'll get you a land line and you can contact him. I'm sure he'll understand."

"But --" Jenna wanted to say more, but there was a new face in the room. She was not going to mention that she had missed a day in her son's life as well with someone she did not know nearby. But boy, was the new guy handsome. "Okay." She tried pulling the covers up to her neck, but Ghede stopped her.

"Now that you're awake, we need to finish checking you out." He flashed that brilliant smile. "Medically, that is."

Jenna blushed, but she allowed him to poked and prod at her. She managed to remain stoic until --

"Jenna, if you're not honest with me about what is hurting, I can't help you." He brushed some hair from her face with his fingers. "So please, help me make you whole again."

Jenna blushed more. That sounded like what Nessa tended to say.

"Let her make her call," Nessa said, handing the communicator to the patient. "Then she'll let you touch her anywhere you need to in order to make her feel better."

The blonde woman wanted badly to throw something at her vampire mentor.

"Ever the tease," Ghede said, kissing the top of Nessa's hand. "You know, getting her blood pressure up is not helping."

"Oh, like I'm the one responsible for that," Nessa said, giving him a knowing wink. "Now would you please finish your exam?"

Jenna was still on the line with Nigel. "No, no I'm going to live. Yeah, it was bad. Did you know . . . no, I'm not accusing you of anything. I know you didn't know they'd send them after me. I meant did you know that they crossed the Hanged Man with a werewolf?" She paused. "No, I'm not kidding. Nigel, he almost killed me. I'd be dead if Nessa hadn't come and gotten me." She held the phone up to the vampire. "He wants to talk to you."

Nessa took the phone. "You're welcome but . . . No, I'm not going to keep her on a leash. Though that might be fun under the right circumstances. Don't worry about that. No, I've got the best doctor around. She'll be good as new. Well, the new new rather than the old new." She put her hand on her hip and looked like she was pouting. "What do you mean, 'That doesn't make sense?' Here, talk to Jenna again."

It took a few minutes to assure her friend that she would indeed survive, and he agreed to look into this hybridization that the Fool and the Hanged Man had engaged in. There had been another skirmish between the Nightwalkers and Garon Pegg's werewolves, and many wolves had died.

"It just means he's going to get more," Avery said. "He's a moron. He came here to prevent word of our existence from getting out because he didn't trust you," he said, looking at Nessa, "but he's done nothing but exacerbate things since he got here."

"Pride before duty with that man," Ghede nodded.

"What's your story with him?" Jenna asked.

"Nessa did not tell you?" he replied. "She helped exonerate me of a murder charge."

Jenna tried to scoot further away, but she was reminded of how much pain she was in.

"I was innocent," he told her. "Pegg was the investigator. He was more interested in getting a notch on his belt than pursuing real justice. Pegg had already angered Nessa, which is why she was the only high-ranking sheriff who would represent me. Nessa found out the culprit, who turned out to be one of Garon's less honorable lieutenants."

"You really make a habit of embarrassing him, don't you?" Jenna asked.

"It's a gift. I wouldn't do it if he didn't make it so easy for me."

Jenna winced as Ghede touched a spot on her hip.

"Deep bruising. We really should get you x-rayed."

"I have a job to do," Jenna said. "Just give me enough pain killers to --"

"You're not going anywhere," Nessa said. She met Jenna's look of defiance with one of patience. "You're hurt, and you would be no help to us in the field. Besides, we now need to come up with a new plan. Biologically enhanced super werewolf commandos were not in any of your scenarios."

Jenna was suddenly so angry that she was trembling. She had never felt this helpless, not since . . . not since that time of her life that she was trying so hard to move past.

"Nessa, her brain still works," Avery pointed out. "Let her plan."

"And I hate to be the one to say this," Anabella inserted, "but we need to tell Garon about this. I don't like 'im, but I don't want to see the bloodbath this could turn into."

Nessa's shoulders fell. "And we would need to do it soon, because my sources say he plans to move this weekend when foot traffic in that district will be low. Avery, who do we have that Garon won't kill on sight at this point?"

"I'll do it," Anabella said. "Garon won't touch me."

"He has mages --"

"Nessa darling, you've taken more than enough risks for me over the years, and you have all the fun. I'm doing this."

"Take Cresil and Kobal with you." Nessa went and grabbed a gray cloth from a chest of drawers. "Take this."

"What's that?" Jenna asked.

"A flag of accord. If a local sheriff or lord seeks a meeting under the flag and they are betrayed, then the offending party's life is forfeit. You're not supposed to use them that often, so it says I mean business."

"Really, I can go with," Jenna said, reaching to pull down the covers, then realizing she was naked. "Uhm, just get me my clothes and --"

Nessa sat and the bed and stared at her.

"I just need --"

"Bed rest," Ghede said. "Yes, I agree. And medicine, and the proper treatments to fend of lycanthropy."

"What?!" Jenna said, turning her head suddenly and then wishing she had not. The spike of pain that started in her neck and blazed up to the back of her skull and down through her shoulders was intense.

"If this enemy of yours had been infected with lycanthropy, which is the disease that causes someone to become a werewolf or the like, then there are treatments. Unless you want to shave your chest as well as your legs --"

"You should've seen her legs when she first got here," Nessa said, but stopped joking when she saw Jenna beginning to tremble. The woman was scared. Avery had been right; Jenna needed something to do so that she did not feel helpless. "Jenna, concentrate. I need you to work with Ghede on getting you healthy as quickly as possible. We may not be able to let you rest on that cute little ass of yours as long as I would like, but I'm not letting you go back in the field until I'm sure you wouldn't be a danger to yourself or the rest of our people."

Jenna fought to get her trembling under control, closing her eyes and finding her emotional center. She felt strong hands touching her temples, massaging slowly in small circles.

"That's . . . amazing," she said, almost melting into Ghede's hands. "You're using magic aren't you?"