Gaia's Champion

The magical runes and sigils danced around Jason, Sheena and Phalmina, as the spell was cast. The runes, now intertwined with one another, then spread out, finding each corner of the condo. When the limits of the dwelling were reached, the spell activated, coming alive and settling into each surface. The runes flared everywhere, completing the protective spell in the home, before fading away from sight.

"It is done. Your home is now protected from any unwanted intruders. Even if you open the front door and anyone tries coming through, they will have to pass through the barrier to get in," Phalmina stated.

"Thank you! It is good to know that I am safe from any... entities that might wish to seek me out," Carlotta replied happily.

"We put our all into the spell, so the only place safer than here would be the house where the archive is," Sheena said.

"Given where it is, I can't fault you for making it so strong there!" Carlotta smirked.

"Yeah. Those little fuckers that attacked us weren't playing around! I'm just glad that we discovered their weakness to fire," Jason commented.

"More like I discovered it, and watch your mouth, sir!" Sheena admonished him.

"Yes, ma'am!" Jason snickered, throwing up a mock salute.

"It's all right, Sheena! I've been around, so profanity doesn't really offend me all that much," Carlotta laughed. "Still, your lady is correct in having some semblance of manners."

"Yeah! So, hah!" Sheena scoffed while giving Jason her sweetest smile.

Jason just groaned and moved about the condo, inspecting the runes as he walked. They were solid and unwavering, which was a good sign the magic had taken root. Jason also couldn't help but notice how nice the condo was and how tastefully it was decorated. It was clear that Carlotta enjoyed the finer things in life, given how she had initially come from nothing.

"Runes looking all right there, Jay?" Sheena asked.

"Yup. It's solid and nothing to worry about. We're good," he replied.

"All right then! I guess we're done here," Phalmina said.

"Again, thank you for doing this!" Carlotta gushed.

"Not at all! Gaians always look out for each other, no matter what. Gaia's love be with you," Jason told her.

"Gaia's love be with you, Druid," Carlotta replied, smiling, and bowing her head slightly. Jason was still getting used to being deferred to like this, never having been respected so highly before. Sheena told him it would take time before he got the hang of it, as it weirded her out too, at first. Still, it was nice to be respected like this, especially by someone so wealthy and influential.

Sheena and Phalmina said their parting words before the trio left, leaving Carlotta to rest. They piled into the elevator and took it down to the parkade where Sheena had left her vehicle. The ride down was silent, as was the walk to the car, until Phalmina brought up something on her mind.

"You know, I'm wondering how Carlotta does it," the fairy said.

"Does what?" Jason asked.

"Live like she does. She must be terribly lonely, just being by herself like that, with no one around to talk to or be around with," Phalmina replied.

"I suppose it would not be too unlike what it was like for you, when you were living in that glade for all those centuries," Jason told her, as he opened the back door for her. "Think she could use some company, honestly."

"I would agree! Poor woman must not only be lonely, but crazy horny!" Sheena giggled as she got into the driver's seat.

"Maybe we could keep our eyes peeled for anyone who seems her type, then?" Jason suggested.

"Maybe. Have to talk to Karla about that first. Don't want to do something that will land us in hot water with her," Sheena responded.

"That's fair. To the house then?" Jason asked.

"Could we stop by a Cinnabon first?" Phalmina asked.

"You could just eat those all day, couldn't you?" Sheena joked.

"Yup!! They are insanely addictive!" Phalmina gushed.

"I think we can get a six-pack box of them. But you gotta share!" Jason admonished her.

"Ugh! Fine!" Phalmina grumped good naturedly. They pulled away from the condo complex, heading to the house.

******************************

Luke pulled up to the morgue where his friend was working the night shift. Karla and Emalia were with him, eager to see what Luke's friend knew about what could potentially be going on. They walked out and headed along the side of the building, towards the alley. Once inside it, Luke led the women to a nondescript door on the side of the building, and he tapped a small sequence of knocks.

Seconds later, the door opened, and in the door stood a reedy looking man. He was tall and lanky, with thick black hair and an equally thick beard. His nose was a little large, but it worked for the shape of his face, and his brown eyes darted in several directions. The man was white, but he clearly got out in the sun whenever he could. Karla supposed he had a rugged handsomeness to him, and he stood straight up, unlike most men, who slouched.

"You said you were bringing friends who could help you out. Didn't expect two goddesses!" the man told Luke.

"All right, enough smooth talking, Randy! Can you show us what you got?" Luke asked him.

"You three have ten minutes, maybe fifteen, if you're lucky," Randy replied.

"Thanks, buddy. Appreciate this!" Luke said, shaking his hand.

Karla noticed a few bills that went from Luke's hand to Randy's. She smirked at the exchange, figuring that if money was involved, the risk associated with them being here must be great. If that was the case, then what was waiting for them in morgue must be important! She caught Randy's gaze on her and Emalia, but said nothing. Let the man look all he wished, as long as he didn't get any ideas.

"So, what do you got?" Luke asked as Randy let them into the morgue.

"A couple. Man and a woman, both of whom were druggies and well known to the police. No one was really losing any tears over these two dying, as they were suspects in some robberies connected to some homicides. Normally, I'd be busy processing these two, but... there's little to process," Randy stated, leading them over to two tables with white sheets covering the corpses.

"What do you mean, there's little to process?" Karla questioned.

"Take a look and you tell me," Randy stated, as he peeled back the nearest sheet. What lay beneath startled the trio of Gaians. Not that it was a dead body, but that it was a dried up dead body. It was so dry that it looked as though it had been wrung out like a wet towel.

"Holy shit! Any idea on the cause of death?" Luke queried.

"Now that's where shit gets seriously weird. The way they found these two, it was like they were sucked dry. No fluids were in them and no warmth in their bodies remained. I'm more than a little frightened because of how quickly these two died," Randy stated.

"How can you tell how quickly they died?" Emalia asked.

"We got lucky with these two. They were seen in a convenience store, picking up some cigarettes and snacks. The time stamp puts them in that store maybe half an hour before they were found a few blocks down. Passing family heard some kind of ruckus and the dad called it in. Uniforms were maybe a block away and investigated and found these two like this," Randy told them.

"Wait, you said that you got lucky with these two. Are there more victims?" Karla asked.

"Sharp lady you got there Luke! Yeah, there are more victims. These two, they're just numbers fourteen and fifteen on the list of people who have died this way. It's also the first genuine lead we've had in this case," Randy said. Emalia squeaked in fear, which caught everyone's attention.

"I hear you, lady. I'm pretty fucking scared myself! Mainly because I don't know what caused this!" Randy griped, as he revealed the second corpse, which was just as desiccated at the first. "I mean, it's like everything that they were was just sucked right out of them!"

"You're not far off the mark. I was thinking the same thing!" Emalia breathed. Randy looked at her curiously and was about to say something when Karla cut him off.

"Why hasn't anything about his been released to the news? Shouldn't the populace know about someone that's out there, killing people like this?" Karla fumed.

"Ma'am, that is out of my hands! The police have been adamant about keeping this quiet, but they've been dragging their heels on it because of the victims," Randy told her.

"What about them?"

"They've all been homeless people and drug users, so the police haven't really been on it to catch this killer. It was chalked up to malnutrition and environmental hazards of living on the streets. That was until the eighth victim showed up," Randy continued.

"Who was the eighth victim?" Luke questioned.

"Another druggie, but one who was getting clean and a relative to someone on the city council. That more or less put the fire under the department's asses to get this thing solved. They assigned Sadeghi and Thermopolous to the case and you, of all people, know how relentless they are, Luke," Randy told his friend.

"Damn! If those two are on the case, they won't stop until they have the killer in handcuffs!" Luke remarked.

"Yeah! Sadeghi especially, has been adamant about finding the killer. She doesn't want it escalating to where the killer gets ballsy enough to attack regular citizens in broad daylight," Randy concluded.

"Thanks, Randy. This'll help in searching for this bastard!" Luke told the coroner.

"Glad to be of help, my friend. I'd scoot if I were you. Sadeghi and Thermopolous should show up at any moment," Randy warned the trio.

Without another word, Luke, Karla and Emalia left the morgue out the way they had come. Randy covered the corpses and to set everything as it had been before Luke's arrival. Not even a minute later, detectives Sadeghi and Thermopolous arrived, seeking the same answers that Luke had been after.

Randy told the detectives the same thing he had told Luke, even revealing the corpses for them to look at. Though they'd been looking over the corpses of these people for some time now, it still unnerved them. Though Meera Sadeghi and Konstantin Thermopolous were veterans, both having seen their fair share of shit, this was something that stumped and frightened them both.

Meera looked over both corpses, searching for some discernable clue as to how they died, but was left with nothing. Frustrated, she left nearly an hour later, still no closer to any answers. She had something though, which she'd picked up the moment she and Konstantin had entered. It was the scent of a perfume and from what she could tell; it was an expensive one.

"Did you smell that when we first entered?" Meera asked her partner.

"Smell what?" Konstantin queried.

"That scent on the air. That perfume," Sadeghi told the man.

"I did, actually. You should wear it more often. It works for you," Konstantin smiled.

"Ugh, Konstantin, sometimes you're just so dense! I don't wear perfume! Not to work anyway," she informed him. It took the man a moment before he caught on, but he voiced his thoughts the moment they burst into his head.

"You think someone else had a look at our stiffs before we did?"

"Possibly. Who or why, I don't know, but we should find out," Meera stated.

"Should we head down and question Randy? If he's showing people in here..." Konstantin started.

"No need to go down that avenue. Not yet, at least. Let's have a look at the CCTV feeds and see if we can find our mystery observer," Meera smirked, leading the way up.

******************************

"Are you sure you're OK, Ema?" Karla asked.

"I'll be all right, Karla, thank you. I sensed the Dark Magic when we went into the morgue, but it was just trace amounts of it. It will fade with enough time, so I'm good," Emalia replied, assuaging her friend's fears. Luke was headed to Karla's place, as it was late, and they all needed rest.

"Seeing those drug users laid out like that, it makes sense how the wraith could gain so much power so quickly. Poor sods didn't have a chance against that monster, being as they are," Emalia continued.

"Why would the wraith go after fully grown, adult druggies? Why wouldn't it go after children? Aren't they easier prey?" Luke asked.

"You would think so, but for parasites like a wraith, the rules are different. Children, while they appear weaker, have a zeal and zest for life that is not easily quenched. Because of this, draining them is more difficult than a fully grown adult. Especially those who are willingly throwing their lives away, just for a high," Emalia told him.

"So, it has more to do with the will to live?" Karla questioned.

"It does. The greater the will to live, the more a target will resist and fight back. For a parasite like a wraith, the weaker their will, the easier it will be to take their very essence. Thus, these... druggies are the ideal targets," Emalia explained.

"So, willpower ties into your lifeforce? Like your will to live determines the strength and resilience of your soul?" Luke asked, making sure he was getting it right.

"That is correct, Luke. With a stronger will to live your life, comes a powerful bond of your soul to your body. The stronger your will, the harder it would be for the wraith to take your soul from you," Emalia finished.

"I get it now. Randy said the couple at the morgue were victims number fourteen and fifteen. If the wraith has stolen the souls of fifteen people, even weakened ones..." Luke started.

"It explains why it could break free of our binding spell, when it shouldn't have. Still, it's not quite as strong as it could have been. We got a fragment of it," Emalia told them.

"That's true. Here's hoping that we can find something in these books that can help us track it before it can hurt or drain anyone else," Luke replied.

******************************

Amy was enjoying her life with Elizabeth, who had become her lover and companion. She was sitting there, eating a sumptuous feast cooked by her mother, while her brother, Darren, and Daelina were there too. It was a bright sunny day, with not a single cloud in the sky, and everyone was happy. Amy closed her eyes and took in the feeling of the sun on her face, enjoying the moment.

Then, Amy felt the sun dim, like a cloud had passed over it. She opened her eyes and saw that it appeared to be more than just a cloud. It was dark and foreboding, with lightning arcing out of it. Amy stared at the cloud, wondering where it came from, but that thought was quickly pushed away. As she stared at it, the cloud became larger and larger, eventually covering the entire sky, banishing the light.

Amy gasped at this change and was wondering what was happening. She turned to her family to ask if they knew, but screamed in horror. They were still there, but they no longer looked like they were alive. Their skin had blackened, becoming cracked, with many fissures running along it. Their eyes glowed green, and they stared at her with a dark malevolence.

Screaming again, she bolted up from her seat and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Hissing in anger, her entire family got up and chased after her. Amy did not understand what was happening, but didn't wait around to find out. She kept running, hoping to outdistance her pursuers, but could feel them right behind her. Amy chanced a look behind and saw they were closing with her and fast.

Not looking where she was going, Amy then found herself boxed in an alley, with no way out. She stared at her possessed family, horrified at what she was witnessing. Their skin, which had initially cracked, was now falling away, as though rotting as they moved. The caricature of her mother looked down, noticing this, before grunting in frustration.

"That can easily be rectified. Come to me, my family. Help your mother in her hour of need!" she proclaimed.

Everyone turned to look at her and nodded, walking to her and kneeling in supplication. They stared up at her in complete adoration before bowing their heads reverently. She walked to each one of them, touching their heads before she... absorbed them. It was the oddest and most horrifying thing to watch. One moment, her brother was there, looking up at her mother before everything he was, was taken and drained into her.

Eva did the same thing to Elizabeth and Daelina, draining them until there was nothing left. She then turned her gaze back to Amy, and she... rippled, changing her shape and form into something else. Moments later, she had turned into what appeared to be some type of human but made from plants and vines. But she didn't look like something that was verdant and full of life, no. She looked like the epitome of death.

"That's much better. It's always better to become that which is true to who you are," the woman grinned as she advanced on Amy. "Now, you are mine!"

"NOOOOO!" Amy screamed. Seconds later, a beam of light shot out from within her, bathing her in its radiance. The dark woman shouted in surprise at this, before Amy vanished, leaving the dreamscape.

******************************

Amy shouted as she came awake from the horrific dream. She panted in exhaustion, as though she had run a hundred miles just now. Her breathing steadied, and she looked down at the form next to her. Amy saw Elizabeth was there, sleeping like the dead, with a smile on her face. She sighed, thinking how it was a blessing to sleep through anything like her lover could.

Unnerved by the nightmare, Amy swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got out. Clad in only a tank top and a pair of blue panties, she walked out of the bedroom she shared with Elizabeth and headed downstairs. They were in her mother's home that night, since Elizabeth's place was a little farther away. She padded over to the fridge and grabbed the milk before retrieving a cup and pouring herself a glass.

Amy then thought that some cookies would also be needed and grabbed some of those as well. She retreated to the living room and sat in the armchair while munching on her snack. The nightmare was so intense, and it had felt so real. Especially that dark woman made from rotting plants. She wracked her mind, trying to figure out what it was, before she heard the footsteps of someone approaching.

"Hey. You OK?" Elizabeth's voice called out softly as she came down the stairs.

"Eeep!" Amy yipped, sloshing her milk all over her hand.

"Shit! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you there, Amy," Elizabeth apologized.

"It's all right," Amy replied, waving off her girlfriend's concern.

"No, it's not. Here, let me clean that up," the swarthy woman said, vanishing into the kitchen, before reappearing with a washcloth. Though Amy fussed, Elizabeth was having none of it and cleaned the glass and Amy's hand of the spilled milk. Amy smiled, appreciative of the gesture, and sighed happily.

"What was it? Nightmare?" Elizabeth asked, familiar with such episodes herself.

"Yeah. Pretty damn fucked up one too!" Amy said. She then recounted what she had seen in her dreams, making Elizabeth goggle eyed at what happened.

"Fuck! That's some really messed up shit! Lucky for you, I know a foolproof cure for such nightmares!" Elizabeth smirked.

"Oh? What's that?" Amy wondered.

In reply, Elizabeth scooped Amy up and brought her over to the couch before snuggling with her. Amy cooed in delight and cuddled up with her girlfriend, happy for the company. She closed her eyes and relished the feeling of her lady sitting there next to her, banishing her fears away. Amy didn't know how long it was, but she soon felt Elizabeth's hands sliding along her skin, moving to more... sensitive areas.

"Your special cure to banish all nightmares, huh?" Amy murmured as she sat up and stared her woman in the eye.