Satyr Play 04 Pt. 02

"Opening a tear takes a lot of energy, and I've used too much today already. I need to go lie down." He turned back to face the bathroom door, wobbled slightly, and saw Lorelei watching him with wide, concerned eyes.

He looked to the General. "Thank you so much for your help with this, General. You have my number."

Crane nodded.

Henry walked back through the bathroom door to his hallway. The last few Silver Soldiers went through to the hospital. Then it was only Siobhan, Lorelei, and Henry. He closed the closet door and reset it back to Meixiu's mansion. He opened the door again and stepped through.

With that, Henry depleted the last of his reserves and collapsed, unconscious before he hit the floor.

Chapter 15

Camila stood in front of the large living room fireplace in Meixiu's mansion. The vampire was sitting on a large cushion nearby, looking into the flames with a content smile.

Just to her left sat Roy and Mary on a loveseat.

Standing next to them was Sigrid holding her son, Stanley, while Hilda was next to her, cradling Ylva in her arms. The other Valkyrie had left to return to their duties elsewhere. They'd all promised to join the fight should the Demons come out of hiding and attack directly.

On a sofa was the bestie group of Sandy, Kesini coiled up in her lap, Dayshia, and Tish, who was holding Celeste in her arms. Tish's and Dayshia's families had all gone home for the night.

Marisa was relaxing on a lounge chair with Natalia stretched out over her body, asleep.

Mahati and Kali rested back on their tails by the large picture windows, which showed it was snowing lightly once more.

Lorelei sat perched on the edge of her chair as she fretted while Siobhan was in a chair next to her holding her hand. They'd been the last ones with Henry before he passed out from exhaustion. Eleanor King made this diagnosis after Roy had carried the unconscious man upstairs to put him to bed. Once she'd finished her examination, the doctor and her husband went home.

"Henry is taking on too much too quickly," Camila said and saw nods from most of those gathered in the room. Hilda was the exception. She just frowned and glanced at the others.

"You disagree?" Marisa asked her bluntly.

"How is he going to get stronger if he's coddled? His challenge has been clearly laid out before him. He must defeat the extra-dimensional monsters of unfathomable power. I will be the first to admit he's a useless warrior... yet he wins. How? By pushing himself beyond anything a normal person could endure. I witnessed him step into the mouth of a huge Ribbon Beast and grab its razor teeth in his hands, badly slashing them. He broke its jaw and crushed its skull with his bare hands, then healed himself. It was the sloppiest fighting I've ever witnessed, yet he won." She looked at the incredulous expressions on the faces of the others. "He will find a way, even if it brings him absolute agony and a glorious death."

"You watched Henry fight a Ribbon creature, and you didn't help him?" Camila raged.

Hilda frowned as she saw everyone scowling at her. She looked at her daughter. "Why can't people understand this is the way of the Valkyrie?"

Sigrid was pissed at her mother as well, but mostly because of her unbendable notion that the world must follow her values and beliefs. "Because they aren't Valkyrie?" she replied, then looked at Camila.

"Henry mentioned these beings were patient. He said the tainted magic in him would eventually affect him. Has anyone asked him why he's in such a hurry? Couldn't he take the time to pace himself through the effort to maximize his strength?"

Lorelei spoke up. "After he addressed everyone downstairs, he spoke with Siobhan and me and indicated he had to help the General. I think he felt guilty or somehow responsible for getting the man involved. He also seemed driven to get Baba to let go of the spells. He didn't tell us why there was an urgency, but he achieved the first task. The General is no longer Human. Henry made him a Dragon."

Camila blinked in surprise and looked at Roy. "A Dragon! The strongest type of wielder!" Her eyes widened further as another fact arose. "A Dragon linked to the Wild Magic!"

Roy nodded. "Thank goodness the man's as level-headed as they come. This also means there are no more Humans. The evil fucker's deal with Baba is done. Henry should be able to begin disabling those spells."

Siobhan spoke up. "About that. Henry encountered another Demon. We were in the next room, but we could hear very clearly. This one was in the General's empty hospital room. It tried to kill Henry and capture the General for the tainted energy, but Henry captured it instead. He told the General it was being controlled remotely by a Master Demon. He told the Demon the General was clean, and it went into a rage. It said Henry couldn't stop them from bringing their Masters to the world, then Henry killed it. I don't know how the Master Demon knew about the energy surrounding the General. It might know the remaining energy is in Henry. I don't know where it's getting its information."

"Henry had a very busy day. Let's see if we can't convince him to take the rest of the week off," Camila said, and heads nodded, except Hilda's, but they ignored her.

Sigrid glanced at her mother before she spoke. "We've spoken with the Valkyries, and if we are to be effective against a better organized and supported Demons, we will have to act on mother's suggestion. All the Valkyrie will have to be upgraded to being linked to the Wild Magic."

Roy snorted. "Are you suggesting Henry beds all of them? I don't think the lad's too keen on that idea, considering how some Valkyries have treated him." He fixed a stern look at Hilda, who turned her face away.

Sigrid nodded to him. "I thought maybe Henry could put his new abilities with magic to work on finding an alternate method."

"We'll ask him when he wakes up," Camila said. She looked at the gathered people and saw some unhappy expressions. "The next thing I'd like to do is ask everyone how they're coping? We've been so focused on Henry as he's been at the center of some world-shaking events that we forget to think about ourselves. The world has changed and is still changing in tremendous ways. The Hidden Races are no longer hidden, and Sigrid's work with the Council's Global Transformation Support Program is capable of handling the fluctuating rate of post-Human changes."

There was applause for Sigrid from the group then Camila continued.

"Also, a huge thanks to the efforts of Lorelei, Raymond, and Siobhan, as we no longer have to worry about being hunted."

Camila started the applause, and everyone else quickly joined in. Lorelei and Siobhan smiled bashfully and nodded to the others.

Once the applause died down, Siobhan stood to face the room. "Lorelei and Raymond created a series of new files, which the distribution page I set up will release over the next month. We felt it prudent to ensure a surplus in case we find ourselves too busy to prepare new ones for a time." Heads nodded.

"Do you believe this effort will need to continue indefinitely?" Roy asked.

Lorelei shared a look with Siobhan and shook her head. Siobhan answered for them. "We don't know. We're hoping once the majority of people have changed to their final state, it won't be necessary any longer, but it's not a burden to do as it's fun. Who else can claim to have this many singles in the number one spot week after week, globally?"

Chuckles erupted across the group, and Camila could see people relaxing. This was good. She looked to Mahati, whose expression wasn't as cheery as the others. "Something concerning you, Mahati?"

The woman glanced at Camila in surprise. "No. It's nothing." When she saw Camila was still focused on her, she sighed and shook her head. "I must visit my mother. This societal upheaval may have destabilized certain interests the family is dependent upon."

"Do you need a security detail with you for protection?" Roy asked.

"What? Oh! No, thank you, Roy. There's no need to be concerned for my safety. Mother wouldn't dare try something so foolish now," Mahati said with a smile. Kali didn't look so convinced, but she held her tongue.

"We're going back to business as usual this week. Meixiu has graciously offered to keep the magic doors in place for anyone who wishes to keep access to the mansion open. All are welcome."

Meixiu smiled and accepted the thanks from the others.

"I'm going to need access to the closet we're currently using to get here," Lorelei said. "Can we turn it off and on as needed?"

Camila smiled but shook her head. "I don't think magic doors work like that."

Siobhan had an idea. "What if we bought a door and frame and mounted it to an empty wall in our home, like Henry's doors to Eden in the cave? Then Henry could use that door. We could paint the door and frame like a piece of art for our home. Henry said he could make the doors only work for us. It would make the mansion more secure if all the doors were set that way."

This generated more smiles and nods from the friends.

"I know my family will love this idea, and the kids will especially love decorating them," Tish gushed.

"One important consideration. The doors can't have any windows in them. Henry said he won't make magic doors with them," Roy said firmly.

Camila looked at him curiously. "Did he say why?"

Roy shook his head. "He didn't, but I got the impression that something frightened him about doing it."

Sandy perked up. "We all got a fright earlier today when he reset the door to bring the table back upstairs. He jumped and scared us when the glass switched."

Roy frowned. "D'ya think he might be seeing the big evil?"

Siobhan shook her head. "It couldn't be. I caught the briefest impression, and it terrified me so badly that I couldn't speak or stop crying for several minutes. He said looking directly at them would drive you mad. Maybe it's just a hint of them? You'd have to ask him."

"Whatever he's seeing, the new doors can have no windows or glass of any kind in or on them," Roy insisted. He looked at the others and saw they were all nodding. He held Tish's eye. "Please make sure your family knows." She agreed.

"Okay, we have our project for the week. If everyone is available, I'd like us to get together this coming weekend," Camila suggested, and once more, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Henry's going to have to work from the mansion until he fixes the rift inside him," Roy stated.

"He did," Siobhan said with a smile. "It's only leaking a little more than normal background levels currently."

"When did he get a chance to do that?" Roy asked.

Siobhan shook her head. "He told us this morning, and I saw it working."

Camila smirked. "As I said earlier, Henry had a busy day."

Roy fixed an eye on Camila. "Like you said, he has to take it slower for a bit." He thought about that. "It's a short work week. Only three days. Let's ask Henry to hold all magic-related issues until the weekend."

Sigrid smiled and nodded. "I'm sure he'd be delighted to concentrate on his computer-related tasks instead."

Roy nodded, and Camila brought their meeting to an end.

"Have a great week, everyone!"

Hugs were exchanged as people made their way down to the doors back to their homes.

Camila sat on a footstool next to the chaise lounge where her daughter and granddaughter were still relaxing. Soon they were the only ones in the room.

Marisa looked at her mother with a curious expression.

"What?" Camila asked when she noticed.

"There's something different about you," the gorgeous blonde said pensively as she tried to determine what it was.

Camila gave her daughter an innocent smile. "Really? I don't know what it could be."

"There's a calmness about you. You seem... content? Happy? A mix of the two and something else," Marisa puzzled.

"Is it wrong to feel happy? Content?" Camila asked.

"You were obviously with Henry. Last night?"

The brunette beauty nodded but maintained her innocent expression.

Marisa gave her mother a confused and exasperated look. "What is it?"

Camila shrugged with a euphoric smile. "It's love."

Marisa's jaw dropped. "Love?" she whispered. "That's... not supposed to be possible for us. Are you sure?"

Camila nodded. "I spent a lot of time trying to understand these unfamiliar feelings and sensations. I've never felt this way about any of the mates I've taken in the past. There's always been a distinct boundary between them and me, with very little shared over a wall I'm always conscious of. My sense of self is defined by this individuality. With Henry, that separation is gone and in its place is a duality. I'm me, but I'm also us."

Marisa's eyes widened as she was very familiar with her own emotional boundaries. Nate's death made her very aware that she'd kept him on the other side of the line, regardless of how often he professed his love like his Human parents had done for each other. She'd never lied to him. He knew that Succubi emotions didn't work like Human emotions, but he always held onto his hope.

Now her mother was telling her it was possible. This shook her foundations.

Camila continued, oblivious to her daughter's shock. "The strength of this emotional bond takes my breath away, and the feeling of connection and vulnerability is both thrilling and frightening."

She finally noticed the stricken expression on Marisa's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nate said he loved me. He believed in love, and I didn't think it could happen. Now you tell me it not only can, but it happened for you! Does that mean I could have loved him in return if I tried harder?"

Camila took Marisa's hands in hers and looked into her eyes. "I don't believe it works that way. These feelings I have for Henry weren't something I tried to create. They just grew over time. You didn't have that much time with Nate. His behavior was based on his desire to emulate his Human parents. We can't even be sure if his emotions were love or just a longing to be in love. You shouldn't feel bad about something that didn't have time to grow, and you couldn't have known if it even would."

Marisa nodded shakily as that made sense to her. She knew she was a little sensitive about the seemingly one-sided love affair Nate had with her. She knew her feelings for Henry were stronger than how she'd felt about Nate. From what her mother said, that might have been due to how long they'd known each other. Maybe it would lead to her experiencing what Camila had. Time would tell. Her skin tingled at the idea that she might one day experience love.

Another thought occurred to her. She recalled the stories her mother told her about past mates she'd lost, and Marisa had always dreaded this experience for herself. She'd always held back a little bit of herself because of that fear. What if... what if all she needed was to not hold back?

Camila scooped up Natalia and nuzzled her while Marisa stood. They walked together in silence back to the vestibule, where the magic doors would take them to their separate homes.

"Are you going to be okay?" Camila asked her daughter, sensing her internal conflict.

Marisa nodded as she took her daughter back into her arms. She kissed her mother's cheek. "I'll be fine. You just caught me by surprise with that confession."

Camila gave her a sympathetic look. "If you need anything or want to talk, please call me."

"I will. Goodnight!" Marisa said and stepped through her door.

The lovely brunette stood before her door and contemplated going upstairs to see Henry. She smiled and shook her head.

He needed his sleep, and tomorrow was soon enough to see him.

She'd have him in her dreams tonight.

Just not literally.

Chapter 16

Henry sighed happily as he sat at his keyboard in his office, reviewing the status reports from each of his servers. All the hardware was functioning as expected, and there were no maintenance issues to deal with this week. The patch schedule was up to date. The most recent fixes he'd added to the dashboard application were well received by the staff.

On the security side, his firewalls had reported an uptick in intrusion attempts, but there'd been no penetration, and the methods being used were all known methods, so there was nothing for him to adjust.

His tracking software managed to identify thirty percent of the hackers, tracing them back to their home addresses. These weren't real threats, just amateurs fucking around. No need to worry about them as they never made it past the top levels of the firewall.

Two attempts had come from online accounts Henry identified as notorious hackers from the dark web. He flagged them in case they needed to have their wings clipped. Henry wasn't above using his new magic to assist with locating these perpetrators. Dropping some of Roy's security operatives on the hacker's doorstep late at night might set them straight.

Reading through the tech support mailbox, he discovered a few more pleas from the NSA scientists. They were asking him to reconsider their request to set up an array of quantum tunneling servers for them to track personal data for weeding out terrorists, malcontents, and people who objected to the unrestricted use of personal data.

He'd already had Mahati deal with their last entreaty, so he once more redirected these messages to her for escalation.

His own quantum tunneling array was humming happily in the server room racks, collecting user behavior data minus all personal identification data so they could identify more helpful financial package features. Camila was looking forward to seeing the results of these computations. He told her it would take a couple more months to get truly useful statistics.

His phone chirped, and he picked it up, promptly disconnecting the call when he hit the wrong button. He frowned at the phone.

His phone chirped again, and this time he pressed the flashing button. "Yes?"

"You hit the wrong button again." It was Marisa, and she didn't sound happy.

Henry winced. "Sorry. I thought I had to open a line first."

He heard her sighing. "When I'm back in the office, I'll give you another lesson on the phone."

"Come on. It doesn't happen that often," he said in his defense.

"Ms. Villamor wants you to join her in her office." The call ended with a click, and Henry winced again.

He sighed and locked his PC before walking down the hall to Camila's office. Felix directed him to enter, and he went inside, closing the door behind himself. He looked toward Camila and saw she had two guests sitting before her desk.

As he approached, they stood and turned to face him. It was a Japanese man and woman, and Henry immediately noticed the disparity between the two.

The man must have been in his sixties, but he was maybe five-nine and solidly built with a vitality in his gaze that hinted at his sharp intelligence. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored three-piece suit. His cufflinks flashed with some precious stones, as did the rings on his hands which gave the impression of great wealth.

His skin was very pale, but his hands gave away his age, as did his steely grey hair.

His female companion was petite, much shorter at five foot even. She was dressed in a smart, crisp business suit with a skirt instead of slacks.

The anomalous element in her outfit was the sheer bright red stockings she wore over her slim, shapely legs.

Her heart-shaped face was partially hidden behind her long silky black hair, the ends becoming red as well, matching her lips and growing nails.

A sharp word from the older man made her dip her eyes from Henry's, and her hair was black once more. Her lips and nails were a faint pink, and her fingers no longer had claws.