SG: Innocent Bystander #12 A Few Explanations (3/3)

Continued from Part 2...

*****

Savannah, July 1994

Somewhere in the end of all this hate

There's a light ahead

That shines into this grave that's in the end of all this pain

In the night ahead 

there's a light upon this

House on a hill

The living, living still

Their intention is to kill

And they will, they will

But the children are doing fine

I think about them all the time

Until they drink the wine 

And they will, they will

They will

---The Pretty Reckless, House on a Hill

Dead heat flattened the atmosphere outside the house, oppressive as knowledge of the future. The bright, merciless light of the sun was enough to boil a soup out of the moist air, but remained unable as ever to penetrate the tangled mess of the surrounding woods. Only the driveway preserved a range of vision for any distance. Max watched the car approach with nervous excitement.

"Go and deal with Lightborne," his master had told him. "But don't take too long. Remember that we flee this coil for one more hospitable in a fortnight's time, and the ceremony for redirecting the power from the latest sacrifice will take many hours. Don't forget to check under your bed for anything important you may have dropped."

Muttering a brief charm against the sweltering heat, they opened the front door and stepped through onto the tiny, uninviting front porch. Another small spell, and an illusory canvas spread itself over the area, providing shade. A smile came unbidden to their lips, despite the knowledge that this was goodbye.

Goodbye, unless...?

The car pulled around close to the house, and Stefan Lightbourn stepped out, looking up into Max's face. Suddenly shy, the mage stopped halfway down the stairs, one hand slightly raised as the two gazed at each other.

The passenger door opened, and out came little Estella Lightbourn, Stefan's daughter. She tottered up the steps with a gray, box-shaped object.

"I made this for you!" she told them proudly. "In art class!"

Max took the object in their hands, bemused. There were square perforations, and the lid was a peaked dark gray cap. Upon closer examination, the perforations became windows and an open door. And the colors... Suddenly, Max was looking at a fairly accurate (amateurish style aside) replica of their own residence.

"The roof comes off so you can put a candle inside and make it light up!" Estella informed him.

She'd gotten the number of windows right and everything. Doctor Kelley would be less than thrilled. If he were to see it. Max bowed. "Thank you. I shall keep it safe..." At the last word, their hands tightened in an almost involuntary movement around the sculpture. They looked up, and met Stefan's eyes again. The latter smiled, with more kindness and less warmth than Max might have wished for, but a smile was a smile.

"I was told your studies were done--successfully, too. I was told you wouldn't be coming back."

"I had to visit one last time. Stelly insisted. I have something for you, too." Stefan produced the orb Max had lent him, back when he had first started to shape the small candle flame of his magic into a tool to cast a single spell.

Max reached out with their other hand and took the orb, avoiding Stefan's eyes in order to concentrate on scrupulously avoiding any contact with Stefan's fingers. As they did so, inspiration struck. They muttered a word, causing the roof of the clay house to lift enough to fit the orb inside. Another breath, and the orb lit up, illuminating the little windows. The resulting glow was faint in comparison to the brilliant sun, but shone bright enough in the magical shade to make Estella cry out in delight, reaching for her sculpture again. Max relinquished it readily, and turned nervously back to Stefan.

"Y'all about ready to head out?" The man asked, carefully casual.

"Come with us!" Max said, urgently forcing the words out past all feelings of awkwardness.

Stefan took a step back. "Max, I told you--"

"This isn't about--about us. It's going to get bad here.... very bad. All of our prophets, all the prophecies agree. Doctor Kelley is an extraordinary scryer--he's shown me in the orb what's going to happen. You won't be safe. *She* won't be safe. No, listen! The Industrial Revolution will sweep every speck of magic from the Earth. There's no way to stop it, no way to hide."

"So *all* of the mages are leaving? Or..."

Max dropped their gaze, face burning. Suddenly they felt their own cowardice in their belly like hot lead--how could that man do that with just a few words? "No. It's... just us. But we aren't just running away--there are reasons--we can't allow ourselves to fall. So we have to leave, and not in a rout. It has to be carefully done, so we can transport... certain items." They made themself look up, meeting Stefan's eyes, begging him to listen. "But there is power enough to take a few passengers."

"Are we going to a magical realm? With unicorns? Can mom and Mina come?"

"We haven't agreed to go anywhere, Estella..."

Max looked down into Estella's eager eyes--she had been listening for a while, and was all for it, bless her. "I don't know." No. "It depends on how many others there are. But even if they have to stay," They turned back to Stefan, "they will be far, far safer on their own. Please believe me."

Stefan held their gaze as he said, "Leave your present here, Stelly." When she had placed it carefully on the step(the light going out as she did so), he reached out his hand, and she took it. "Come on, now."

He doesn't believe me, Max realized, despairing. He thinks these are the words of a lovesick fool. He's not wrong, but... "Two weeks! We leave in two weeks!"

Just as Max was scraping their brain for something to convince Stefan to turn back, the front door slammed open. 

"So, young Damon!" boomed the voice of Theodore Kelley, "Show us where these legions of invading Revolutionaries are. Oh, wait! It is but our friend Lightborne and his delightful daughter! As it seems you are once more wasting your potential playing with worthless toys." The mage strode forth onto the porch, where he frowned down at the trio. With a wave of the hand he dismissed Max's shade, bathing them in the brutal sunlight.

Max stepped forward, incidentally positioning themself in front of Estella's homemade gift, and commenced in a croaking voice, "Master," They cleared their throat, determined to make the best of this opportunity. "It may be best, considering the--the political situation, if Stef--Mr. Lightborne..." They trailed off as a tall, awkward black teenager stepped through the door and pushed a rectangular, bricklike object in front of Theodore Kelley's eyes mid-glower.

"We need to get inside, Mr. Kelley. This is the house, see, and this line represents the treeline and here's the lake but if you scroll right--that's west--these dots are--"

"Is that a video game?" interrupted Estella, craning to see around her father, who stood in front of her. "Can you play Last Fairytale Ever VI?"

Damon blinked at her. "No. Uh, I mean yes, it can play games, but right now I made it show a real time map of--"

"Silence, brats!" Kelley roared. He glared all around him before fixing his eyes on Stefan. "Enough flirting. My acolyte has tasks to do and you have received all the benefit you are capable of gaining from my tutelage. Also, I suspect you have been encouraging my *prize* apprentice to waste his time with electric frivolity. Begone."

"You really should, Mr. Lightborne." Damon was staring at his handheld game with wide eyes. "Right now."

"Oh, throw that trash away." Kelley slapped the device from the teenager's hand, and it flew off into the grass. "We have real magical artifacts to pack."

"It isn't safe for Stefan and Estella!" Max blurted. "Um... I mean Mr. Lightborne and his daughter... if they are discovered."

"I have to agree, Teddy. These revolutionaries are a nasty business." A melodious voice broke in. Max trembled, torn between relief and suspicion as Laylah stepped onto the porch and took Doctor Kelley's arm. "We decided we could take a few magic refugees if they swore fealty to us. Why not Stefan? His daughter would be safe, and he might even try to develop his magical powers further."

"Now wait a minute. I haven't agreed to go anywhere, much less swear fealty to anybody! In fact, we just came to say goodbye!" Stefan began to retreat to the car again, pulling Estella, who kept looking back.

"You just stay right where you are. That goes for the rest of you freaks, too." From around the side of the house stepped a man dressed in camouflage, the butt of a rifle on his shoulder. He jerked his head, and fifteen or so others followed, spreading out to cover the six people.

"Shit, Vince, they got a kid!" One of them squawked.

"I see they do." said the man called Vince. He pointed his rifle at Kelley, having pinpointed him as the leader of the coven. The mage merely gazed back, unmoved. Laylah let out a gasp and clung to his arm, cowering in a theatrical way that Max found to be in rather bad taste.

"They came by water. I told you, master..." Damon groaned, hands up, on his knees in the grass where he had been groping for his lost device.

"'Master'? Too bad the po-litical co-rrectness gang ain't here, we could get 'em on the right side for once!" This crack provoked a chuckle among the gang, and Damon lowered his head in confusion and shame.

"There's no call for that kind of--" Stefan began, but was interrupted by Vince.

"Yew just shut your mouth, child-killer! We'll get to you soon enough."

Stefan did so, shock and confusion on his face.

"Gentlemen," Theodore Kelley boomed. "As enriched as we all are by this learned conversation, I have tasks I must attend to. Therefore, I will simply require the means by which you managed to bypass the numerous privacy measures which surround this place, and then you will be allowed to leave in peace."

"Hear that, fellas? He's gonna let us leave in peace!" This was a clear cue for laughter, which the posse supplied in plenty, although there was a nervous edge to it. Max examined each of the group in turn. They noticed a red haired man at the periphery, holding his shotgun loosely, pointed at the ground. There was a sickly grin on this man's face. Interesting... but out of the corner of their eye, they noticed Stefan edge his way towards the car, Estella in tow. 

"Now you just stay put, Mister." As Vince spoke, half a dozen gun barrels turned towards Stefan. 

"We were just leaving. We don't want any trouble." Stefan tried to put his body between his daughter and the guns. The girl merely stared around with huge eyes, more excited than afraid.

"Are you Industrial Revolutionaries?" She inquired brightly. "You don't stand a chance! I hope Radian ki--" Stefan, horrified, put his hand over her mouth before she could finish what sounded like a truly ill advised statement. Unfortunately, the Revolutionaries took this the wrong way, and there was a cascade of loud clicks as guns were cocked.

Max swore silently, and began moving fingers within the sleeves of their robe.

"You just let that little girl go, nice and easy." Vince's voice was low with menace.

"Now hold on--"

"We know what you mages like to do with little girls, don't we boys?" The gunman bared his teeth, and there was a chorus of ominous agreement. 

The nearest Revolutionary reached a hand out to Estella. "You just come with us, baby girl, you'll be safe with mommy and daddy in no time."

"Mmm mmm!" Estella said indignantly.

"Come with--She's *my* daughter!"

Vince recoiled. "Yer daughter? You'd bring yer own daughter to be sacrificed in some unholy ritual?" He spat. "You people make me fuckin' sick!"

"Mm mmmm m mmph!" Estella announced, punctuating her statement with a gesture she must have learned on some unsupervised playground.

"Enough." Kelley's voice cut through the ugly murmurs. He held a small silver knife aloft. "I have been more than patient with you fools. Those who do not drop their weapons--"

"Shut up, demon!" Vince snarled. "Ed!"

The red haired man on the fringes dropped his shotgun entirely and stepped forward, mouth open... and then things started happening fast.

Laylah instantly dropped Kelley's arm and flung herself at the man, her own mouth wide to release an earsplitting howl. The red haired man, clearly no seasoned battle mage, clapped his hands over his ears as he received the full impact of her hellish shriek. She was upon him with a single leap, her designer clothes shredding to rags as wings and horns burst forth, sending him flying with a single slap. Then she turned to the nearest gunman, seizing him as he gaped at her, and drew his head against her breast in a parody of an embrace, one horn impaling him through his open mouth. She threw her own head back and laughed with joy.

Many guns went off at once, and continued firing.

Theodore Kelley gave a single snort of contempt, then hurled his knife at Vince. It flew true, hitting the would-be Revolutionary in the throat with a sickening smack. Blood began to spurt. As the dying man watched, the red droplets coalesced into crimson daggers, which sped off in search of fresh throats to cut. More men began dying, and as their blood left their bodies, it assumed a life of its own and joined the fray...

Max hurled their spell of protection at Stefan and Estella, then staggered forward onto their knees as a shotgun blast hit them in the back. They huddled over, arms curved over their head, grateful that they had taken the precaution of enchanting their robes against gunfire.

Another impact, and the sting of broken skin. How could that... *Enchanted bullets?* Max became a great deal more worried.

They heard Stefan cry out sharply, accompanied by an enraged screech from Estella. The man had curled his body over the girl, but one of the goons had been using his shotgun as a club. The protection spell--Max had only thought to protect against projectiles--it had been useless against a direct blow and now there was blood in Stefan's beautiful black hair. The goon had Estella by the hand and was trying to tug her away as she fought, shouting something about her own good. Suddenly she reversed course, hurling herself against him and biting his hand, and he let go. She reached back towards Stefan as he regained his feet, dazed, and stepped towards her.

Max released their second protection spell, and Stefan glowed briefly. The goon cursed, grabbing Estella by her hair as he opened fire. The mage saw Stefan flinch as buckshot pattered off his chest, and then reeled to the ground as the butt of a gun slammed into their own head.

More gunfire. Screams. Estella, and she really did sound frightened this time.

Max felt the gun barrel on their head. Then a "What the--" and then a hideous gurgle. They forced themself back up, despite the ringing noise and the vision that wouldn't clear. Stefan, where was Stefan--

"YOU FUCKEN FREAK, WHY WON'T YOU DIE!"

Many of the gunmen were down. Some of them were running, chased by Laylah, or by inhuman monsters made of blood. Damon was a huddled form next to the steps, unmoving.

Gunshots, who was firing? Max turned. And there was Stefan, blood covered. "Nonononono--" the bullets, the thrice cursed blessed bullets had shredded their protection spell but he was still standing, he was moving towards the child sprawled on the ground where someone had thrown her--

KABLAMMM

"DIE!"

--and now he was on his knees and now he was on the ground just feet away from the girl who was moving and getting up on her knees and now screaming and screaming and he wasn't moving not at all.

There were some voices.

"I I didn't mean nothin mister you said you'd let us leave"

"Indeed I did say so if you would only tell me how you charming fellows managed to get here"

"Ed it was Ed he's the one the one with the red hair he sang us a song and gkksssggggggglh"

"Thank you Laylah"

Max focused. "Ed. Red hair Ed." a voice said and Max realized it was theirs.

Estella sobbed. Someone should do something, Max thought. Someone should... comfort her? 

*Ed.*

Ed was here now. Unconscious, held up in arms made of blood. It soaked into his idiotic camouflage gear. And now here was Laylah, back in human form, perfectly clean and clothed, touching him on the forehead.

Ed's eyes opened.

"What," asked Doctor Theodore Kelley, "have you got to say for yourself?"

Ed rolled his eyes, taking in the scene. He focused on Estella. "Girl... run..."

Estella did. She hurled herself at the man, screaming.

"I'm tryin to save you... innocent child in danger..."

"Stupid!" Estella screamed, kicking him. "Stupid stupid! You don't know anything about me! You killed my daddy!"

Ed looked again. "Oh, Elvis..."

"You killed my daddy! You killed my daddy! You killed my--"

"Quiet, child!"

She stared at Theodore Kelley with huge dark eyes. "He killed--"

"We know." Kelley turned to Ed, dismissing her. "Do you know who else you have killed, besides your entire cohort of ruffians? You have killed a man with barely enough magic to fill a thimble. You have killed a non-mage who was seeking a magical cure for his sick daughter, and having obtained it, was leaving. In other words, you have killed an innocent bystander. Two, if you count the girl, who is now sure to die."

There was a soft thump as the girl's rump hit the ground. It was clear that this angle had not occurred to her, for now she was staring at Kelley in shock and dawning terror. Max began to crawl towards her, hesitantly.

"Oh, God, oh, Elvis, I didn't know..." 

"Well," said the mage pleasantly, "Now you do. He was also a guest of mine and under my protection. As you can imagine, this result does not exactly endear you to me or my household."

"This is no ordinary redneck." Laylah watched Ed, hungrily. "What shall we do with him?"

"Ah, the question of the hour. What *shall* we do with this... traitor?" Kelley strode back to the steps of the house, where Estella's handcrafted model of his own house lay shattered. He plucked the magic orb from the wreckage and returned, holding it up.

"Let's see what the future has in store for you, shall we?" The archmage lifted the orb until it was between his eyes and Ed's, and gave it a sharp twirl. 

"Ponder!" he said.

Both men stared into the orb, fascinated.

Then, horribly, Kelley began to laugh. A chuckle at first, then a chortle, a guffaw and finally a deep belly laugh. 

Laylah frowned. "Would you care to let the rest of us in on the joke?"

The archmage tucked the orb into a pocket, wiping his eyes. He dismissed his construct with a wave of his hand and it dissolved, soaking the half-mage Ed with even more blood. "Get out," he told Ed. "Run. Into the woods. You get to live another day! Aren't you lucky?"

Ed stared blankly, swaying.

"Run, I say! You may live the day out, but you may also experience a great deal of pain if you try my patience any further. Run!" As Ed began moving, Kelley began chuckling again. He held a hand up, silencing Laylah as she began to speak. 

Estella would obey no such injunction. "You let him go! You let him goooooo!" she howled. She almost attacked the archmage, but Max had gotten a hand on her shoulder, and held her back. "Why?!?"

The mage gave her an indulgent look. "You'd like to know, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you like to know what I saw in my orb?" He strode up, standing over her and Max. "When the Industrial Revolution sweeps over this world in an even greater tide of blood than I can manage, they will spare no one with a hint of magic. Even..." his smile widened unnervingly, "A wretched, deluded, untrained creature such as that. They will ferret him out for what he is, and then they, his former allies, his compatriots in genocide, will burn him, and then they will burn his family. Now," he patted the girl's head indulgently, "Isn't that better than anything I might do to punish him?"

"Will it... will it be painful?"

"Oh, yes. It's a very painful death. And they will probably torture him first, to see if he knows any more 'witches'."

"Oh..." Estella seemed to accept this, turning back to her father's body. Max followed her, sitting beside the pair. She was quiet now, probably going into shock... what do you do for shock... Laylah was beside them too, she probably knew, but…

“His soul has already departed.” the succubus murmured bitterly. “What a disaster.”

Estella leaped back to her feet, staring all around at the field of slaughter. "You should have hurt them more!" she accused.

"What?" Kelley turned around again, and Max could tell by the expression on his face that his brief post-battle good mood had dissipated.

"They didn't suffer enough! They didn't burn! They weren't tortured! You should have made them hurt *more*!"

"Oh..." Laylah breathed. Her hands clasped over her heart, and she gazed in rapture at the child. "The little *darling*!"

Max did not much care for the uncharacteristic sincerity in the devil-woman's voice, and was about to say so, but the growing scowl on Kelley's face was a more immediate problem.

"MORE you should have hurt them *hic* MORE you should have *hic* burned them *hic* and skinned them and *hic* THROWN THEM *hic* in HOT LAVA *hic* and POOP *hic* and *hic* and *hic* and *hic*"

"Shut that brat up!"

"MADE *hic* them *hic* eat *hic* SPAM *hic* until *hic* they *hic*"

Kelley was striding forward, a thundercloud on his face and, increasingly, in the sky. Laylah had broken out of her disturbing reverie and was making calming shush noises, which Max did their best to imitate. However, it was Damon, who had apparently survived the skirmish uninjured, who came to the rescue, planting his magic game console squarely in front of Estella's wide open eyes.

"Look at this!" he commanded, unnecessarily, as Estella fixed her eyes on the screen as if enchanted... which of course was what she was.

"*hic*" said Estella. She repeated this a few more times, but made no other comment.

"Ah. Damon. Good." Kelley slowed to a halt in front of the group of them. He was staring down at Stefan's body. The thundercloud was still on his face as it was in the sky, but it was no longer directed at them.

"Mr. Lightborne is..." Damon trailed off, following the archmages gaze.

"Yes, Damon. He is murdered." Kelley clenched a fist. "No mage he... but my apprentice nonetheless. And feet from my own door!" Lightning struck, somewhere out over the water. "The child, ill-mannered as she is, was right. This insult demands further retribution."

"Teddy, dear," Laylah ventured, alarm in her voice, "We have--"

"Two weeks before our departure. Time enough for a little bloodshed. Relax, my love." He smiled down at her. "I have scryed that event extensively. All of us make the transfer to our new home seamlessly. Our escape is as certain at this moment as is the Revolution's triumph."

Laylah shot to her feet. "Theodore! This is a mistake--there are forces in the world which even your power--"

"No more of this harping, woman! I go where I please! Unless you all would band together to restrain me? No? Then I will go to join this battle, and I will make this Bulletproof and the rest remember the power of magic before I am done!" 

"Estella!" Max cried out, "What about the girl?"

"Send her home to her mother. She's no business of ours anymore."

"But she'll die!"

"That's no concern of ours! I swore to train Stefan as far as his powers allowed, and I fulfilled that oath. I made no promises regarding the child, and I have no time for such distractions anymore. Let the technologists heal her if they have such confidence in their righteousness." He fixed Max with blazing eyes. "I require only an hour to prepare for battle. I expect that car and that child to be gone by the time I leave." As he stalked away, he shouted behind him, "And do something about the rest of this mess!"

Three magical beings and one little girl sat in the mud and the blood as rain began to fall.

OH 

WELL UM

WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO ESTELLA?

HOW MANY INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONARIES IS DOCTOR KELLEY GOING TO KILL WITH WEIRD BLOOD MONSTERS?

AND WHY IS HE ABSENT IN THE PRESENT?

WAS HE KICKED OUT OF THE COVEN FOR BEING AN ARROGANT ASSHOLE?

WHO SENT THAT INCRIMINATING LETTER TO THE CATGIRLS?

WILL MINA EVER GUESS ELEMENTAL'S TRUE NAME?

HAS ANY READER *NOT* GUESSED ELEMENTAL'S TRUE NAME BY THIS POINT?

I GUESS WE'LL FIND OUT! 

ON! 

SUPERGUY!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40854900/chapters/132967231

Copyright (c) 2023 by Whitney Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

SG: Innocent Bystander #12 A Few Explanations (2/3)

Continued from Part 1...

*****

Mina and Simone had almost conveyed the fully inflated spiky pufferfish to the aquarium with the aid of an abandoned shirt when she realized that Laylah had been talking to her. The two baristas exchanged an alarmed look, and then heaved the fish into the aquarium shirt and all. Mina straightened her uniform, wiping fish slime off on it in the process. "Yes, Ma'am???" With great willpower, she resisted the urge to adjust her eyepatch.

"I do appreciate initiative, in certain situations. However, it is a quality I prefer to be leavened with trust."

Mina gulped.

The owner smiled reassuringly. Mina failed to be reassured, even though she had not seen anyone actually die yet. This woman *was* familiar, in some way. It was unsettling.

My, but she was beautiful though!

"You can relax, Billie. I'm not going to fire you. Just a little feedback, for the future. I'm sure we're going to get along just fine with a little communication." 

"I'll do my best!" Mina squeaked, feeling like the mouse the catgirl Minyang was always comparing her to. Rebelling against this tendency, she managed, "Are you really going to change them back?"

Laylah laughed. "Of course! They'll cool down eventually, and in the meantime word can spread about what happens to people who can't behave themselves. I'll probably replace them with suitable lookalikes, to keep the message fresh."

*But what about all the things they said?* Mina wanted to ask, but the woman was talking again before she could get up her nerve.

"Is there a problem with your eye? I don't mean to pry, but our medical plan has options which most insurers--"

"Her eye is fine. Please excuse her." Leda said, striding up hurriedly. "Mina, take it off."

She obeyed, trepidatiously. Laylah, observing, folded her arms, her face blank. Leda continued,

"She came in like this and I didn't have time--"

"Why?" asked Laylah.

"I--I wanted to hide my identity from the customers. They can be... well, you know... and I just..."

"And you decided to use the Mask Principle to your advantage, despite being a civilian." Laylah said flatly. Then she broke into a delighted smile. "What a wonderful idea! Someone should have thought of it a long time ago. It certainly would have reduced our turnover rate."

"It's... all right that she does this?" Leda asked, still, to Mina's somewhat familiar eye, on edge.

"Oh, yes. Although there should be a formal policy in the future. Forms to fill out, official approval before the new public identity can be adopted, everything on record. I'll leave that to you, Leda. For now, why don't you look in that cabinet at the end of the shelf there, Mina. There should be some fish food."

Mina unfroze. The woman's use of her real name startled her a little. "Y--yes ma'am!" She hurried off, in great relief.

"Leda," said the overboss, watching as the girl hurried away. "Tell me about Mina."

Leda was also feeling a little relieved, although she would not be able to relax fully until her mistress had left the store. "Mina Westing. She started working for us... a few months back. I'd have to check the records. She's quick witted, as you've seen, but she keeps her head down when she's behind the counter. Very polite to customers. They seem not to wish for her violent death."

"I see," the other woman mused, "Westing... Is she married? Any children?"

A slight, imperceptible shudder went through Leda. "No. Neither."

"Ah," said Laylah, shaking her platinum head as if to dismiss a thought. "Well. Keep an eye on her. She'll do well here, or she'll meet a bad end. But then again, don't they all?"

*****

"BWAHAHAHAHAAAAHHAHAHAHAH!"

"OOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHHOHO!"

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!"

The last wail had come not from the maniacal laugh-off in the parking lot, which Mina was trying to film, but from the other end of the phone conversation she was trying to have at the same time. Why did this spontaneous display of villainous rivalry have to break out just as she was trying to make a rather risky phone call? At least the renovation had included a stairway to a small dining are on the roof, meant for the comfort of customers with bulky flying suits but currently unoccupied except for a barista on her break.

"Youuu have adequate food alrrready," she heard Inayya say to someone. "And your own hunting skills. Mina." The catgirl's voice became clearer as she returned to phone conversation. "I haave answers to your questions. But not forrr the phone. Murr and Eh'n will retrieve youu tonight. Be rready."

"Wait--but--" the girl sputtered. Too late. The call was ended.

"NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"EXPLOSIO!"

"Explosio, no!"

The last was a chorus of yells as Explosio exploded. Mina watched as the fireball erupted upwards, splashing harmlessly against the building's magical defenses without so much as heating up the air. When the smoke cleared, she saw the pavement blackened and competing supervillains singed and dazed but physically intact. Upgraded defenses, indeed. Explosio was nowhere to be seen, and she wondered if he would have more trouble reconstituting himself this time.

Mina sighed in disappointment, turning to head back in. The contest looked like it was over, and besides, she didn't want to be seen witnessing a villain's humiliation.

*****

That evening:

"We're herrrrrre," the black catgirl in the driver's seat announced.

"You *hf* can *ha* get off *uh* me now." Mina told the white catgirl sitting in her lap, obscuring her visual field and much of her oxygen supply with her round furry body.

"Brrrr." replied the catgirl chirpily, leaping off her and out of the van, and knocking Mina's wind completely out in the process. Mina, wheezing, could see her saunter off, tail high in the air. She wondered if whatever Inayya had to tell her in person was worth the bizarre security measures required.

She wondered if she would ever get all this cat hair out of her clothes.

As she stumbled from the vehicle, she spotted Inayya coming towards her, absent her headscarf but wearing a modest dress. A quick look around the garage showed the absence of Minyang, Inayya's more vehement counterpart. Mina let herself relax slightly, though she was still aware of the presence of her emergency laser pointer in her pocket..

"Wwwwelcome," Inayya said, ears forward. She stopped in front of Mina, sniffing the air slightly. This, the girl knew, was another evaluation, the... third of the day? Fourth? She probably still smelled like coffee. "Yyou still work at that plaace. With supervillains. Mmm, dangerous. Yourrr encounters with Elemental? Mmore dangerous still."

"That," said Mina, "was not my idea. She keeps coming to me!"

"Sshhe does that," the tabby said, wryly. "Waalk with me." She turned about, leaving Mina to follow her deep into the old laboratory complex that made up the catgirls' lair. Looking through open doors they passed, she caught glimpses of catgirls engaged in various activities: catgirls wrestling, catgirls napping, catgirls tinkering with various devices, catgirls staring into apparently blank space and wailing, catgirls performing a number of "hygienic" acts upon themselves and each other. The resulting noises were, in aggregate, rather soothing, and Mina soaked in the sounds for a while before bringing herself to speak again.

"Does she visit you, too?"

"Onnce upon a time. I thought her a djinnia. I had been told stories about themmm, powerful beings that are neither angels nor demons. I knew little about the world then, and the sheeeeer variety of creatures in it! I trried to fit her into a type I could nnname. Nnnaive of me... djinni are elemenntals of fire, the onnne substance ouuur Elemental can't master. Still, she founnd my classification amusing."

"Oh!" Mina hardly knew where to start asking questions. "Maow said--"

"Maow. Who visited your city of mmmagic and decided to ssstay." The furry woman gave a resigned sigh, and continued: "I do nnnot interfere with my sisssters. It would be... counterproductive. This is my room."

She stopped in front of a door, opening it into a room about the size of Mina's tiny apartment. Open wooden boxes of various sizes and shapes were scattered about, and Mina could see blankets, pillows and assorted bedding inside. There was a desk against one wall, with an old-looking computer on it and some papers and notebooks in neat stacks. Shelves on the far wall were filled with books. In one corner was a prayer rug. Inayya closed the door behind them, and retrieved two bottles of water from the refrigerator. "Humannn suitable snacks are on that table," she said, gesturing to a pile of Chia Pest Chia Power bars. "Please haave a seat."

Mina looked around the room. For a moment her eye fell upon the lone office chair in front of the desk. Then she rejected this coward's option. Hadn't she always wanted to know what the appeal was? So she kicked off her sandals and stepped into a box that looked roughly Mina-sized, curling her legs up and adjusting a pillow against her back. The walls of the box came up to about her shoulder blades. Inayya gave a pleased sounding noise, springing lightly into a nearby box and settled in facing Mina, as close as if they had been seated on either side of a coffee table.

"With Elemental..." she murmured, her tail waving slowly, "Wherrre to begin...?

"It was yearrs ago... I had just found Minyang, and together we came back and rrallied the others... Wwwe took our freedom and whenn it was all over this plaace, too, was ours. It was the onnnly place that was ours, the onnnly way we could survive, but we didn't know if we could keep it. After all the blood, youu see.

"I retreated to this room... I wannted to ask for guidance, to ask if wwwe had done right. To prrray, in other words. Ah, lllook at that face! You find it straange. Don't trrry to deny it! She did, too..."

*****

Years ago...

Inayya's hair began to rise up an instant before it began.

{You do believe, so let us pray

For all those fools that be...}

She jerked, her reverie shattered by the musical interruption. No catgirl could sing like this, but it was not some kind of recording being played by a hidden device. Her senses warned of intrusion, here in this freshly conquered haven! She scanned the room frantically for the trespasser, hissing.

{Fool, kneel for me again

I am your destiny, walk--}

"Back, mmmmminion of Sssshaitan T. Iblis Jonnnnnes!" Inayya wailed. Above, floating near the ceiling, was a faintly glowing form, from which these mocking verses emerged. She unconsciously dug her claws into the beautiful prayer mat given to her as a parting gift by her human benefactors. She must recite verses, but they had all fled from her mind! Her humans would be disappointed in her...

The glowing form floated backwards, then to the side. Inayya followed it with her eyes, determined not to be taken by surprise again. "You really can see me," said the demon after a moment, "even in my air elemental form."

"God haaas openned mmmmy eyes!"

"Has he? Good for you, getting something out of all this worshiping. In my opinion," the demon said thoughtfully, "people take gods much too seriously. It's all hymns and prayers and then you get sick and die, or crushed by a cathedral sized hunk of rock, or something. You can't rely on gods unless you can get them on paper, and I *don't* mean holy books." 

"You arrrrre a devil!"

The glowing form drifted down until it appeared to be sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Inayya. "I'm not! I am very evil, but as a free agent."

"Are youuu here to tesssst mmmmy faith? Orrrr to punissssh me for sssssshedding the bllllood of mmmmmy creatorsss?"

"Shedding blood? Oh, you mean the people in this building. No, they were all perverts and they deserved to die." the figure said matter-of-factly. "As for faith, I have to ask. Why would a cat follow a human religion?" The figure cocked its head in what seemed to be genuine curiosity, "Why worship a god who would be angry at you for taking what is yours?"

Inayya stared past the intruder for a moment. "*Waaaas* it ouuurrrrsss? You ssssssound like Minyyyyang. Ssssshe turnsss to violennnccce ssssso easily."

"Minyang? She's the one with one eye, right? She could see me too! But she just hissed and shrieked and tried to claw me..."

"Sssshe is ffffearrrful... sellllfish..."

"You didn't ask to be made. You really didn't ask to be made a member of a genetically engineered slave race, I think, so you're owed something, and you were strong enough to take it, so... It's yours, no matter how you slice it! Don't know if this dump was worth it though."

"It'sssss the onnnnly place we can make mmmmmmmore of ourrrrrrr kind..."

"You want to make more?"

"Offfff course!" Inayya straightened from her battle-ready crouch. This was one area in which she agreed wholeheartedly with Minyang. "We'rrrre beautiful, and therrrre should be mmmmore of us! Free, *nnnnnot* slaves." 

"I agree! I'm glad you're not all about 'oooh we're abominations we shouldn't exist'. Too many people waste time on angst!"

"Wwwwe are catgirlsss! Wwwwwwe do nnot angssssst!" Inayya said proudly.

"Why get into religion if you don't like angst and shame?" the figure asked slyly, expecting to score a point.

Inayya would not play along. "Mmmmmy humans. Theeey took me innnn... showed me a nnnnnew way... to be mmmmmmore than annnnn annnnnimal." She looked at the intruder speculatively. Those same humans had told her a story of the Prophet converting a djinn to the faith, so they should welcome nonhumans, from aliens to extradimensional creatures to scientific creations. This was why they had taken Inayya in, despite her unnatural origin and shameful purpose. This creature, though mocking and blasphemous, did not seem hostile. Perhaps... "Mmmmmy name is Inayya. What is yyyyours?"

The figure considered for a moment, glowing tendrils floating around its head like human hair. "Elemental. I'm Elemental."

*****

Mina listened from her comfortable box as Inayya told her story, and resisted the urge to interrupt with questions. She, too, had wondered how the feline woman had gotten religion. Now she had more to wonder about; the catgirl who had fled this place and lost her only companion, the Muslim humans who had befriended her, why she came back, how she reconciled her faith with companions who (with the notable exception of exceptional Maow (and, Mina granted, maybe some of the others too)) seemed determined to remain animalistic cannibals. But she didn't know if it would be polite to ask for more personal information than was given freely. Besides, she hadn't come here to learn about Inayya. So when a pause in the narrative--accompanied by a gaze into empty space--presented itself, she asked: "Are you still in contact with her?"

The feline eyes slanted back over towards her. "Nnnnnno. But, she visited me severrral more times. We talked... argued. She waaas a most persistent infidel. She tried various ways to tempt me--do you know how hard it is to keep halal as an obligate carnivore? But I was perrrsistent, too... Tell me, Mmina, do you have faith?"

"I... wouldn't call myself an atheist..." This was true. It was difficult to be an atheist in a world that had been invaded at various times by a pantheon's worth of gods and devils.

Inayya looked at her for a moment and Mina squirmed, judged. "Merely currrrious. I will not try to convert you. I learrrned that lesson quite a while ago." She gave a short trill of amusement. "Yoou cannot perrrsuade anyone after they have wwwalked away from you in annnnnoyance. Sommmetimes, after a swat in the face."

"Elemental swatted you in the face?" Mina asked, startled. For some reason, she couldn't picture it. Or at least, she couldn't picture Inayya still having a face afterwards.

"Nnno. Minyang. That is why I try to lead my sisters by exammmple instead."

"Oh. I did wonder. But Elemental..."

"Preferrrred mockery. Always impudent, sometimes sympathetic. Never fully sure why she came to me. Perhaps she was lonely."

"How did you get her to finally leave?"

"Mmmm... I didn't mmmean to." 

*****

{Burnt out ends of smoky days

The stale cold smell of morning

A street lamp dies, another night is over

Another day is dawning}

Inayya put her ears back to acknowledge that she had heard. Elemental liked to announce her presence by singing songs. She always seemed to expect Inayya to know the music, and acted amused when she did not. Then, perhaps, the baffling observation that Inayya would only find something called 'Broadway' sinful anyways. And from there they might discuss many topics and then perhaps, just perhaps if they were both in the mood, a little bit of scratching behind the ears.

But Inayya was not in the mood for such games today.

"Pierrre Opensssssstein."

The singing stopped. "Pardon?"

"Lllllllleticia Donnnnnzziger. Gerda Hammersssssschmidt. Carrrl Cuzzzco."

"...Oh...."

Inayya turned to face her visitor. A few old papers swirled to the floor beneath the glowing figure, she noted, indicating that Elemental had been about to assume a solid form before retreating back to her airy state. Ashamed to make a face to show, perhaps? Or simply startled, and trying to think of a response?

"Annnnd there are morrrre. Ccccity couuunncil memmmbers, librrrarians, bureaucrats, sssscientists, even a cop orrrr two. All nnnnoted for honesty and righteousness. All died in their sleep. Within the last five years. From carbon monoxide or other, unknown causes."

"I have no idea what any of this has to do with anything." the spirit said, with a stiffness Inayya had never heard from her before. "Everyone has to die at least once. At least these were painless deaths."

"Artie Treflair, exposed the dumping of toxic energy drink waste in the Everglades--"

"He did?!?" 

Inayya did not respond to the interruption, but she took note of it. "--died mysteriously while working on a new story. Something about a corrupt politician? Never know, now. Left a wife and baby. Funny thing. All the monoxide deaths lived alone. Otherwise, a more precise method?"

"It would be sloppy to kill extras..." The glowing figure appeared to shake her head, radiant locks flying. "Where did you get all this?"

"Wwwwwe have beennn invesssssstigating." In fact, their inquiries had been seeded and spurred by a strange anonymous letter... but there was no need to mention that just yet.

"I see."

"Isssssss that allll you havvvve to sssay?" Inayya could feel her tail lashing under her dress, knew Elemental could probably see it, didn't care at the moment.

"What else should I say? I didn't ask for your opinion and I don't have to explain anything!"

"But yyyyyou sssay a painnnless deatttth is good? You knnnnow this issss wickednessssss!"

"I told you from the start I was evil! And what's your problem anyway?" Elemental demanded, her own anger showing at last. "You believe there's a heaven where good people go. So do I--in fact I do more than believe! I *know*."

Inayya's fur lifted as a chill ran down her spine. Was this why God required so much faith? Because the proven existence of Heaven would create monsters like this one? "Wwwwhat about thossse they lllleft behind? Wwwhat about ttthhe good thesssse people wwwwere doinnng in *thissss* worrrrlld? They wwwere nnnnneeded! Yyyou had nnnnno rrright to their llllives!" 

"Oh, for-- What has right got to do with anything? I thought you'd-- Aren't you a natural predator? Didn't you kill when you claimed this as your home? Did you complain when my killing helped you? Don't some of your sisters literally eat people?!"

Inayya flinched. "I... Onnnly the unrighteous... thisss is differennnt... we hhhaad to free our sisterrrs...  yyyyou don't even know why you killed these sssllleeping people, do you..."

"Oh, it's different because you feel like you have to justify yourself. Ugh. Well I don't! I'm a professional! I have a whole existence and ambition that has nothing to do with you because it's *my* *business*!" Elemental made a slashing motion with one 'hand', sending a ripple of air through the room. "I've heard enough about this!"

"Yet I cannnnnn't keep silent. Whennn you have killed warriors, yyyyou bragged. Yyyyoou enjoyed it. Tttthhat's how I can tell you do nnnnot enjoy the mmmmmurder of helpless sleepers--"

"No? Maybe you're right. I'll have to work on that!"

Inayya shook her head, determined to ignore this bait. "You do nnnnot lack a connnnscience--you have frrree will, like a true djinnnnnia. You choose to come hhhhere, to me--"

"Because you're a fun distraction! Or you were..."

"--when you knnnow what I wwwwwwant is to mmmmake the world better! Forrr my sisters, for mmmmy humans, for everyone! You trrrry to help! You are nnnnnot beyond redemption!"

In retrospect, Inayya thought she should have cut out that last line.

"'Redemption?' According to *who*? You? Who has to fight her wiser nature every day to fit a mold never made for her? Some ancient grifter or other, selling their idea of heaven in exchange for groveling conformity? I don't need to get into any heaven, I'm past all that! And maybe it's time I was past you, too."

It may have been that the sting of these words left room for nothing else, or It may have been a measure of Inayya's complacency that she never felt afraid for an instant at this moment. But if so, that complacency was well earned, for Elemental never struck out at her as she slid up into the ceiling and was gone.

*****

The Present

Mina sat, digesting Inayya's story along with a Blueberry and Blue Chia Antediluvian Supergrain Chia Pest brand granola bar. She turned it around in her head, along with the many questions it had provoked within her. Eventually she settled on one which seemed tactically important, without being too personal. She tried to focus on it, to formulate the right wording.

She opened her mouth to ask for the goods, but unfortunately what popped out was: "Do you miss her?"

As Mina waited, fidgeting with the edge of her box and hoping her question hadn't been too intimate, Inayya took a moment to ponder, her eyes distant. Finally, she responded in a calm, unoffended tone, "Sommmetimes. I have morrre peace of mind wwwithout her, and nnno lack of compannnionship. I have my sisterrrs, after all, and my humans arrre less... contentious conversational parrrtners. And yet you are not wrrrong... she could be thrrrrilling. Our discussionnns sharpened my wwwits, and her singing... wwwell. She had reason for prrride there."

"But you wouldn't want her to come back?" The minute it entered her mind, Mina wondered if that was what Inayya wanted her to use her boon for.

"Mmmm. I don't knnnnow. Depends on the cirrrcumstances. I was rrright to be angry. Annnd I fear her corrrrrrosive effect on some of my younnnger sisters. From what you say she has not changed." She said sadly.

"Oh. But then why did you want to tell me all this? Do you have any clue about her true name?"

"Elemental is dangerous. More even to your sssoul than body, perhaps. I would be rrremiss if I didnnn't tell you what I knew. As for her true nnname... I nnnever suspected she mmmight have been human once. A blinnnd spot in me? I have little enough experience nnnow, and less then. She gave no clues I could connnnect to a human life. I no longer thinnnk she is a djinnnnia, and I still doubt she is a true demon. If she wwwere, then a search for her nnname would take you nnnnowhere you want to go. But a ghhhost who remained at home in the mmmaterial world might wwwell decide she need not concerrrn herself with any afterlife."

Mina nodded glumly. No new leads there, then. But... "What about that letter you got, telling you about her crimes? Did you ever find out who sent that?"

"Nnno. I--we did look. Here," and Inayya leapt out of her box as gracefully as she has jumped in. She walked over to the desk and retrieved a red envelope in a ziplock bag. It looked very official-police-investigation, although the police probably wouldn't have chewed on the bag. Or its contents. "You mmmay handle it. You see Mmmmiette has already had a taste."

Mina tried to be careful anyway as she removed the envelope, recoiling a little at a faint smell. 

"A Phootmail deliverrry boy left it at the door. Although the Phootmail database showed nnnno record of the delivery..."

"Phootmail let you see their database?"

Inayya gave her an almost insulted look. "Mmmany hackers are catgirls. Mmmany catgirls, thereforrre, are hackers. To continue. It was scented with stinnnking carcass, I suspect to make sure it was found."

"Or the delivery boy could have just been delivering stinking carcass topped pizza..."

"Innndeed. But if so, someone ordered it wwwithout tomato sauce. There wwwas a scent of smoke, also... Slight, but I wwwould know it again. The ennnvelope is from a place called "Hallmark Store," which I ammm told is a common establishment. No fingerprints."

Mina almost asked if they had taken it to the police, but decided that would be a stupid question. Instead she pulled the card out of the envelope and opened it. On the inside, a sad cartoon zebra consoled her for "the failure of her wicked plot" and wished her better luck in future scheming. On the blank side was written "Ask your friend Elemental about these:" followed by a list of names in small, neat handwriting. 

She slipped her phone out and snapped a picture. "I recognize one of these! Patrick Fantail is the civilian identity of The Effervescent Snail, out of Tampa. The police found out after he died... peacefully..." She trailed off. "I wonder if there are any more local superguys in here..."

Inayya tilted her head. "I don't knnnow... They found ouuut about Fantail because he llleft a costume and gadgets behinnd. Therrre could be others... We didn't lllook into anything further thannn the deaths themselves, nor do we know how commmplete is that list."

"It's definitely not complete," said Mina, "she still kills people." One of those killings had contributed an unwelcome sound effect to the audio catalog of Mina's subconscious: a crunch combined with a splash. Or a splash with a crunch? A splashcrunch? She giggled, shuddering at the same time.

"It wwwas too much to hope for that she had stopped." Inayya sighed. "We shall perrrrhaps see an updated list, if you rrrreceive a similar letter. If you choose to share it..."

"Oh, I will. Maybe the person who sent it knows her name." Mina thought for a moment. "When she said she killed for you. Was this some kind of--of boon? Did you make a wish?"

"Wwishes again... No. It wwwas a favor, unasked and unnncompensated. Years ago, the orrriginal owwwners of this place sent a merrrcenary force to rrreclaim it. Elemental annnnnihilated the soldiers, then ssshowed me what she had done. And nnnno, I did not protest. Perrrhaps I should have? But they wwwould have driven us away, killed mmmany of my sisters, and wwwe made good use of the gear they llleft behind." 

"A grrrreat favorrrrrrr frommmm an ally wwwe wwwwould still hhaaave," a new voice said as the door slammed open, "ifffff it hhhhhadn't been for *ssssssssomeone's* ffffffooolish attaaachment to idiooootic hhhuuuuman morallllss!"

"Minyang!" Mina exclaimed, for it was indeed the fearsome one eyed battle commander -- or as close as catgirls could come to having a commander, anyway. "You also saw Elemental, right?"

"Brrrrrmmmm... yyyyyyes." The question took much of the bluster out of the savage cat barbarian, who broke eye contact and stared out the window. Mina remembered being told that Elemental had approached Minyang first, and been hissed at. The embarrassed body language of the catgirl would seem as much confirmation of that fact as Mina dared ask for.

Inayya looked at her comrade calmly. "You have been lllistening out there for some time. Thoughts?"

"Jusssssssssssst gave them." Minyang said sullenly.

"And I haaave taken notice. But perrrhaps you would lllike to add some advice for our frrriend here?"

Minyang gave a growl deep in her throat. Then she turned her single eye on Mina.

"If you arrrrrrrrre a frrrrriend? Tellllll her, blllllood and hhhhorror fffffor the oppressssssssssors! Prrrrrotect the wwwwwwwild ttthhhhings of the eaaaarth! Sssssmasssssh the enginnnnnnes of desssssstruction! Iffff she will nnnnot... punish her. Humiliate her. Fffffor she rejjjjected my ssssister."

Mina looked back and forth between the two cat women. Inayya stared at her sister, eyes wide, astonished for the first time Mina had seen.

"Wwwwwwwwell," she said finally. "I advise, make her rrright some wrrrong. But this will be up to you, Mmmina."

Mina nodded, a little heartened by the display of solidarity between the two normally opposed sister-catgirls. She still didn't know what she would ask, or where lay the limits of what would be granted. She wasn't sure if she still wanted the creature to leave her alone. Certainly it didn't seem worth wasting a boon for. What, then? Her mind swirled with questions... Why had Elemental approached Inayya before, and why was she approaching Mina now? How was she deciding who to try to befriend, and who to murder in her sleep? What kind of mixed up person behaves like this, anyway?

(Continued in Part 3...)