Reality Bites (26 page)

‘You see,’ said Hecaté, sadly. ‘Only the one who imprisoned me can release me.’

‘How the hell did he get hold of those chains?’ said Tamar.

‘If
she
didn’t manifest that day, then who
did
?’ said Stiles.

‘The “Master” obviously,’ said Denny. ‘If we kill him, will it free her?’

‘Oh,’ said Cindy. ‘It must have been he who came to me that day too, in the mirror.’

‘I really am going to gag her in a minute,’ thought Denny viciously. ‘Or cut her throat maybe.’

‘We have to free her,’ said Stiles, fiercely.

Tamar and Denny were looking at each other, thoughts flashing rapidly between them. Denny nodded. ‘We’ve been set up,’ he said out loud.

He turned to the others. ‘Eugene, get Cindy out of here.  Jack you stay with Hecaté, keep an eye on her, we’re going to find this “Master”.’

Stiles, Cindy and Eugene all opened their mouths to argue, but Denny’s face was set.  ‘Do it,’ he said.  ‘And don’t argue.’

* * *

Left alone with Hecaté, Stiles was tongue-tied; he had never seen anyone like her.  Even in chains she exuded a dignity that was extraordinary.

‘You should follow your friends,’ she said. ‘What can you do here?’

‘You heard him,’ said Stiles. ‘You don’t argue with Denny.’

‘You have the advantage of me,’ she said. ‘You know my name, but I do not know who you are.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry; my name is Jack, Jack Stiles.’

‘Then you were very brave to come here, I have heard your name mentioned here. I know who you are.’

Stiles reddened. ‘That’s precisely why I
did
come here,’ he said. ‘I prefer to have things out.’

There was a silence in which Stiles fidgeted uncomfortably.

‘You wish to go,’ observed Hecaté. ‘You wish to join the fight, not baby-sit me.’

‘No, it’s just …’

‘I am not offended,’ she assured him. ‘It is only natural.’

‘I just wish I could do something for you,’ he said. ‘I hate to see you like this.’

‘You do not even know me.’

‘I know, but … You’re just so… you – I,’ he floundered.

‘I like you too,’ she said.

Stiles went red again. ‘Someone like you shouldn’t be chained up,’ he said. ‘It’s wrong.’  He grasped the chains in frustration.

* * *

They were barrelling along a corridor, still in silent communication, when suddenly Peirce stopped.  ‘What?’ said Denny, impatiently.

‘I can go no further,’ said Peirce.  ‘I am – compromised. You can no longer trust me, at least not for much longer. The influence of the “Master” is taking control of my mind, I can feel it.’  He looked at Tamar.  ‘I want you to succeed,’ he said.  ‘You must leave me behind.’

‘Suits me,’ said Denny, shoving him into a nearby cell and slamming the door.

‘Thanks for the warning,’ said Tamar.

‘I feel the power emanating from that direction,’ said Peirce.

‘How do we know you’re telling the truth?’ pointed out Denny.

Peirce grinned through the bars in the door.  ‘You don’t,’ he said.

‘We’ll just have to risk it,’ said Tamar.

Denny brought his face close to Peirce’ and stared into his eyes.  ‘I believe him,’ he said, eventually.  ‘Let’s go, we’ll let you out later – if we survive.’

‘You will,’ said Peirce, almost winking at Denny. ‘I have this feeling.

‘
You,
I’m not so sure about,’ he added under his breath, meaning Tamar who was already off and running, and he grinned, evilly. Then he frowned and shook his head as if to clear it. ‘Wait!’ he called. ‘Wait!’  But they had gone.

As they rounded the corner, it appeared that Denny had caught up with and overtaken Tamar. He halted and looked back at her.  She nodded and stepped in front of him. ‘Ladies first,’ he said and smiled enigmatically.

‘Very funny,’ said Tamar frowning.

They burst into the chamber; there was no point in being subtle.  The “Master” turned in his chair and smiled sardonically.  ‘Took you long enough,’ he said.

‘Askphrit,’ said Tamar. There was no surprise in her voice; she sounded as if she were following a badly written script. She waited for the next line.

‘Tamar my dear, how delightful to see you again.’

‘You’ve gone too far this time. ’ There was no passion in her voice.

Askphrit laughed. ‘You have no idea how far I’ve gone,’ he said. He looked at Denny, who nodded.  ‘Sorry babe,’ he said and thrust the Athame under her ribs.  ‘Actually, I’m not, really,’ he added.

She fell to the floor.  ‘Why?’ she gasped.

‘I want your power,’ he said. He held up the Athame. ‘Thanks for this,’ he said to Askphrit. ‘I guess it was you who gave it to me?’

Askphrit inclined his head, and threw a cage around Tamar.  ‘She may have lost her power,’ he said, ‘but you can’t be too careful with this one, she has some tricks up her sleeve.’

At this point Stiles burst into the room.

‘Jack, don’t,’ cried Tamar. ‘Run for it, Denny’s gone dark side on us.’

‘What a shock,’ said Stiles, as if it was anything but. ‘I guess you didn’t …’

Denny casually manifested chains around Stiles and flung him telekinetically into a corner with a gag in his mouth. ‘Shut up!’ he hissed. 

Stiles frowned, trying to understand.

  Two burly vampires appeared, holding a struggling Cindy and Eugene.

‘Ah,’ said Askphrit. ‘The gang’s all here.’

~ Chapter Thirty One ~

T
amar was staring at Denny with despair in her eyes. ‘What have I done?’ she said.

‘Ah,’ said Askphrit in satisfaction. ‘So you
do
understand?  You always were a clever girl.’

‘Yes, I understand. 
I
did this with that foolish wish I made before I set you free.’

‘Just to recap,’ said Askphrit, ‘for those of you just joining us.’  Here he nodded to Stiles, Cindy and Eugene.  This woman is the reason that you are all in this mess. You don’t understand?  Well then let me explain. I was a Djinn, and she wished me free, but before that, she made another wish, that this boy,’ he indicated Denny, ‘would have powers of his own.’

‘I thought, I could avoid the consequences,’ she sobbed. ‘I assumed that you wouldn’t be able to interfere and cock it up for him, not after I made you human.  My arrogance did this.  Denny always said, that I didn’t know everything.’  She looked at Denny.  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said.

‘Hey, don’t be sorry for me babe,’ said Denny. ‘I never felt better.’

‘Say that again when you’re enduring the fires of hell. A red hot poker up the jacksy puts a different perspective on things, just ask Edward II.’

Denny lit a cigarette with his finger and leaned back, he was still wearing his unnerving grin.

Tamar looked away from him, as if she could not bear it.

‘You were not entirely wrong,’ said Askphrit to Tamar.  ‘But my non interference was dependent on my
not
regaining my powers. Which, as you can see, I have’

‘You must have opened every bottle in the world,’ she retorted.

‘Ah ha, ha, no. I considered finding a Djinn, but the possibility was remote, especially with you out there, freeing Djinn all over the place. And as a mortal, I had limited time.’

‘So, how
did
you do it, come on, I know you’re dying to tell us.’

‘Ah, that’s a long story.’

* * *

 ‘Done,’ said Askphrit, and for your second wish?’

Tamar smiled.  ‘I wish that you were free.’

‘What?’  Askphrit shrieked, as he felt himself becoming mortal, he was furious. ‘Why did you do that?’

‘We
were
going to leave you in the bottle, but I can’t do it. I can’t sentence you to an eternity in captivity, even though that’s what you did to me. Denny doesn’t understand, but I do. At least this way, you can’t do any more damage.’

‘
Compassion?
’ screamed Askphrit. ‘That’s the reason you’re giving me? That you feel sorry for me? You bitch, you absolute  …’ Words failed him, as he gasped and spluttered in his fury.

‘Being human’s not so bad,’ she said. ‘You’ll get used to it, now shut up, don’t make me hurt you.’

Askphrit glared at her. ‘Can I go now?’

‘You can do anything you want now,’ she told him. ‘Free will.’

Askphrit stalked off. ‘Free will,’ he muttered. ‘Anything I want!  Yeah, until I
die.
No way sister, this isn’t over.’

Askphrit sat huddled in an alley, sipping out of a paper bag, it was raining.  He had been mortal now for almost forty years,
forty
years! 
He was an old man now, and his bitterness against Tamar had escalated into a kind of madness, he would have his revenge on her, if it killed him. But time was running out, soon his mortal life would run its course, and then it would be too late, his hatred of her was the only thing that had kept him alive this long, the belief that he would find a way to make her pay.

He knew that in order to do this, he would have to regain his power, and to this end, he had been using his contacts, the ones he had made while masquerading as the sorceress, Kelon.  He had a definite plan in mind, but it was dependent on finding a certain sorcerer. The parallels with Tamar earlier quest were not lost on him.

Because of his obsession he had not led a normal life, thus his current status as a bum. Homeless and friendless, he had experienced only the worst aspects of being a human; he had even spent time in prison.  This only increased his bitterness toward she who had done this to him.  But it was nearly over, he believed he had finally found his man, as long as he could cling to life long enough to see it through, he was going to make Tamar Black sorry.

A figure loomed out the gloom. ‘This way,’ it said, and led him to a large black limousine. Askphrit felt the excitement rise in him; it was finally happening.  He felt his heart leaping. ‘Be careful,’
he admonished himself; he did not want to keel over from a heart attack now, not when he was so close.

‘Askphrit old man,’ the sorcerer greeted him. ‘Sit down old man, you look done in, what can I do for you?’

‘George,’ acknowledged Askphrit.  ‘By God, you’re a hard man to find, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d been avoiding me; however, I am feeling a bit … I’ll get straight to the point if I may?’

George inclined his head.

‘I need to go back,’ said Askphrit, ‘to change what happened to me. If I don’t I’ll die pretty soon, I know you can do it. Will you help me?’

‘Hmm,’ said George. ‘You know that time travel is a tricky business, you are not supposed to do it in order to deliberately change the past; it’s tricky enough just going back to observe, you could make an awful mess, I don’t know if I should …’

‘Oh cut it out George,’ said Askphrit.  ‘You don’t fool me with all this social conscience drivel, how much is it going to cost me?’

George considered. ‘How far back do you need to go?’ he asked.

Askphrit grinned, now it was just a question of the bargaining.

Askphrit’s hands were shaking as he picked up the bottle and pulled out the cork, BANG!!!

He faced himself.  It was the weirdest experience he had ever had. His other self thought so too. But it had to be this way, this was the only Djinn he was sure he could find (he just had to remember where he had been) and the only Djinn who would give him what he wanted – without consequences.

He explained the situation, in a highly edited form, to himself.  ‘In a few months,’ he said. ‘You are due to meet a young woman named Tamar.  If you do, I am your future.’

His other self agreed that it was not a pleasant prospect.

‘I propose a deal,’ said Askphrit. ‘You give me back my powers – without consequence, and we will both be free.’

As you can imagine, his other self agreed to this with alacrity.

As the wish was granted, the universe split into two distinct realities, in an unprecedented way.  Rifts had occurred before, but nothing on this scale. Askphrit watched his other self vanish into the other one, to meet his future with Tamar, he would have no memory of this exchange; after all, it never happened in that other reality. ‘By Allah, what a fool I was, I never did understand all that metaphysical stuff.’

Now, with his power returned, he could put his plan into action, after all, he now had all the time in the world.

* * *

 ‘That’s not possible surely,’ said Tamar. ‘Even the Djinn can’t time travel, let alone a sorcerer.’

‘They can if they have access to the mainframe,’ said Askphrit.

Tamar gasped. ‘
No
!’

‘Yes, old George had the codes,’ said Askphrit, chuckling at her astounded face.

‘I don’t know how he got them; it must have cost him pretty dear. I watched him input them, he accessed the archives for me, and opened the file, and all I had to do was “enter”. This was his house.’

‘You killed him?’

‘When I came back.  I had the codes already, after all. What did I need him for? And this place was perfect, had the computer set up and everything.’ He pressed a remote control, and a vast computer screen was revealed from behind the panelling.

‘And all this time …?’

‘I’ve been in the other reality, moving through time at will, setting things up nicely, until it was time to return to this reality to find you (after all in the
other
reality you lived and died thousands of years ago.)

‘Revenge is all very well, and it was my main objective, but what do you do afterwards? There’s nothing like a little world domination to keep you busy, and the best part is, it’s all your fault. You’ll have to live with that.

‘You see it occurred to me that I could use your heroic tendencies against you to further my plan. I already had control of the vampires, posing as Ran-Kur; I took over, oh about 200 years ago.  In the other reality, they were flourishing under my protection, although in this one they had become timid and very few.  So I went back again, about 7000 years (you know, before reality split) and wrote my little prophecy, I knew you couldn’t resist that. And the vampires, well, I had them right where I wanted them. The only problem there was the
real
Ran-Kur, but well, you dealt with him for me.’