X-Men: Black
Fire
By Paradox
5
“You have a nice home.”
Cole pulled off his coat and draped it over the back of a black leather chair before collapsing into it. “Thanks.”
Kitty said nothing as the two conversed quietly. She was too busy looking around at the well-furnished apartment. Although it was modestly sized, it had practically everything one would need. Along one wall of the living room, there was a metal desk with file drawers on one side. Three laptop computers decorated the top of the desk, along with a high quality laser printer and a scanner. Each laptop had a different screen saver running at the moment. The laptop on the right displayed a figure in the shadows crouched atop the Sears Tower, electronic wind blowing his coat about. The left computer a montage of eyeballs looking out at the viewer. The middle laptop only had a single shape: an upside-down triangle with a line running from each corner and meeting in the middle, where a dot had formed. The shape was outlined in black with red filled in, and the background a slate gray.
A large thirty-inch screen television sat against another wall, with a modest sofa set up for comfortable watching. Next to the television, an entire entertainment center sat in a stone case. The case held a stereo, vcr, DVD system, and equalizer. A door led to a small kitchenette that was well equipped for the bachelors of Chicago. Another door led to the bedroom and Kitty could see from her vantage point, a king sized bed filled much of the room, while there were a few small dressers and a walk-in closet.
“You don’t spend much time here, do you?” she remarked.
“No,” Cole answered, going into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator and pulling out a beer, a bottle of wine, and a plastic bottle with some thick, murky red liquid. After taking a flute from one of the cabinets, he walked back into the room and handed the glass to Kelly and filled it with wine. Kelly nodded her thanks and sipped the dark red vintage while Cole put the bottle on the kitchen table and cracked open his beer. When he walked back into the living room, he took a swig from the beer and handed the plastic bottle to Kitty. “Here, drink this.”
Kitty took the bottle and eyed the liquid inside warily. “What is this? It looks like dusty blood.”
Cole chuckled and took another pull from the beer. “Just a little potion I made up for situations like this.”
“What situations?” The X-Man asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Just drink it,” the mage said, a trace of playful annoyance in his voice, “It’ll help you get your strength back.”
Reluctantly, Kitty unscrewed the cap and sniffed the contents. When she detected no smell, she grimaced in anticipation and drank. Immediately, her eyes opened and widened with surprise. “Mmmmm,” she said, “It tastes like fruit punch.”
“That’s because it is fruit punch.”
For a moment, Kitty was silent. “You tricked me,” she stated flatly.
“Not at all,” Cole responded defensively, “It’s fruit punch with a few herbs blended in to promote healing. Why do you think the stuff is so cloudy?”
Kitty shrugged and took another long swallow. When the bottle was drained, she placed it on the table and staggered. “Whoa, I feel so dizzy.”
“You’ve had a rough night, you’re probably just tired.” He took her hand and led her to the bedroom. “You can use my bed, I’ll be out here all day anyhow.”
“You sure?” Kitty slurred, sleep rapidly closing its fingers over her consciousness.
“Yeah,” Cole said with a gentle smile, carefully laying her down and drawing the covers up to her chin, “Get some rest, I’ll protect you while you’re asleep.”
“I know you will,” Kitty said with a drunken smile, “You always do.” Her voice faded away as sleep overwhelmed her. In a matter of moments, her breathing became regular and deep.
“A sleeping potion?” Kelly asked, walking up behind the young man.
“Yeah,” Cole admitted with a nod, “Sleep’s the only thing that will help her get her strength back. As is, she’s got a very big handicap to deal with and needs to get some rest.” He turned and headed into the living room, clicking on the stereo via a magickal tweak. Haunting music seeped from the large speakers, filling the room with imaginary scents and sounds of old.
Kelly cocked her head to the side and listened for a moment. “Interesting music.”
“Interview With The Vampire,” Cole explained, sitting down before the computers, “Call it mood music.”
“What do you intend to do?”
Cole started typing on each of the computers, switching back and forth continuously. “I’m going to start running citywide checks on all vampires to see what turns up. Plus, I’m patching into the Nosferatu’s net and letting them know I want info on what happened at the club and the hotel, fast.”
“Do you require any assistance?”
Cole shook his head. “No, thanks, you’ve done a lot already. You can rack out on the couch if you want.” He turned and smiled at the woman. “Just try not to shed too much.”
Kelly chuckled and nodded. “Agreed, have a pleasant day.” She turned and started for the couch. She had taken no more than two steps when her skin began to ripple, her face elongating into a snout with her limbs twisted and grew. Dropping onto all fours, a gray wolf with a white belly opened it jaws wide with a yawn before jumping onto the couch and curling up against the cushions.
Cole shook his head and chuckled to himself. “A mutant in the bed, a werewolf on the couch, a mage at the computer...we’re just missing a vampire raiding the ice box to make this complete.” The thought made him laugh heartily into the rising sun.
The wolf on the couch lifted her head and whined a question before dropping back onto her forepaws and falling asleep.
* * * *
The bright green grass of the small, circular clearing wavered slightly
in a gentle wind. The leaves of the great tree to the right of the clearing
fluttered, its branches bowing slightly. The sun shone down brightly, warming
him as he sat cross-legged in the middle of the clearing. His eyes were closed
and his head tipped back slightly and to the side. He listened as the whispers
filled his ears. The grass, the tree, even the air around him spoke softly,
offering words of wisdom.
“How can I help her?” he asked.
The whispers changed focus, seeming to fall in on themselves, as though
in conversation with one another. Then, they shifted again, all speaking
to him at once. He listened to their words and nodded. “Yes, that is
true, but what can I do?” More whispered words. He smiled and nodded
again. Raising his arms, he spread his hands wide and bowed his head in
thanks.
“What are you doing?” a soft voice asked.
Cole slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see Kitty kneeling down in front of him, exactly three feet away. Directly in front of her, Cole knew, was the almost invisible granular circle of salt that he had sprinkled upon the floor. He knew that should she try, Kitty would not be able to cross the circle and come to him. With a sigh, he stood and stretched his limbs. “I cast a meditative circle. I thought I might try to get some insight from the divine.” He bowed his head and whispered, “Mary met, marry part, and marry meet again.”
“Why?”
The young man stepped from the circle and took up a broom and dustpan, sweeping the circle of salt into the dustpan and emptying it into a small blue pouch, pulling the drawstrings tight. “I just wanted to see if I could get a new perspective on everything. That and I needed to filter all the energy through me.”
“Oh,” Kitty said with a nod, “That’s right, Priest told me you’ve been needing to get rid of excess energy every day.”
“True,” Cole said, “But this was more of a meditative filtering. It was more of a focus of emotions then dumping raw power into the earth. You want something to eat?”
“Yeah,” Kitty said, perking up, “I’m starving. I don’t know why, but I slept the day away.”
“It’s because of the sleeping potion I gave you.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “You gave me a sleeping drug?” she nearly yelled.
“Relax,” Cole said, raising his hands in a calming gesture, “You had a rough night and I wanted you to get some rest. You needed it.”
For several seconds, Cole thought she would actually slap him. Then, her shoulders slumped and she nodded. “You’re right, I did need the rest. This whole business with me losing my powers and a vampire attacking me are just taking their toll.” Sitting down at the kitchen table, she quickly started eating the tuna sandwiches Cole placed in front of her, delighting in the taste. “I called Professor Xavier tonight,” she said around a mouthful of tuna, “He was able to look into my mind from Winchester.” Her expression darkened. “He says he has no idea what has cut off my powers and how I can get them back. He said he and a couple of the X-Men were going to come here and see if they can help, but I’m not sure what they can do.” She looked out the window at the bright lights of the city. “I’m not so sure I can go back to the X-Men now.”
Cole chomped down on a sandwich and studied Kitty with the eye of a scientist and a poet. He could see her the emotions playing over her face and knew the impulses that rushed through her body that caused such physical changes. Yet he also saw the delicate intricacies of her, the way her hair gently caressed her face and shoulders, the way her lips parted slightly when she breathed, and when she slept, the stark fear her eyes held at the possibility that she might have to give up her way of life. He saw the subtle shifts in her body language as she spoke each word of pain, the way it seemed as though she were condemning herself even if a solution might be at hand.
With a determined grunt, he pushed up from the table and said, “Okay, that settles it.”
Kitty looked up quickly, a worried crease furrowing her brow. “What? What settles it?”
“Get dressed,” Cole demanded with a smile, “I’m going to take you somewhere that will make you feel a lot better.”
Kitty paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded, standing up and moving towards the bedroom. “Thanks for bringing my clothes over, by the way,” she called.
“No problem,” Cole called back, “I needed to get my bike anyway. By the way, where’d Kelly go, she wasn’t around when I woke up.”
“Oh, she had to leave, said she needed to go back to her pack for a while.”
Cole was halfway through biting into his sandwich when he stopped, his pulse thudding with worry. “She said that to you?”
“Yeah, “Kitty said, “She also told me all about her being a werewolf and stuff.” She poked her head out of the bedroom and smiled. “Don’t worry about it, she said that if I knew about the vampires and magi, I might as well know about the werewolves.”
Cole shook his head and sighed. He supposed it was inevitable that Kitty would find out about the were population, but he only wished he was there for it. Oh well, he thought, Nothing I can do about it now. He cleaned up the plates on the table and washed them out in the sink, setting them on the drying racks just as he heard the sound of a throat being cleared behind him. Cole turned and froze, his heart stopping for a moment and then hammering against his chest.
Kitty stood in the doorway of the bedroom clothed in a gown of soft white silk. The folds of the skirt billowed around her legs and hips from the breeze coming in through the cracked window. The wind plucked at the delicate sleeves of the dress and lifted her hair, making it float around her face like a chestnut halo. The neckline, though not deep, revealed just enough cleavage to tease the mind, yet still was able to make her look dignified and innocently beautiful. Kitty smiled and her right hand held her left upper arm in a picture of a shy, young girl. “I don’t quite recall ever owning a dress like this,” she said, “Yet I found it in my suitcase.”
Cole blushed guiltily. “Well, I know that you really don't like to wear dresses, but I saw it and just bought it on impulse.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, running her fingers over the fabric, “I love it.”
“Really?”
She nodded and stepped up to him, nearly touching. “Yes, really,” she said quietly, and acting on impulse, they both embraced.
“We’d better go, or we’ll be late.”
“Where are we going?” Kitty asked into his shoulder.
“It’s a surprise,” he said with a smile, and led her outside. A black corvette awaited them, its polished hull shining in the moonlight.
“Is that yours?” Kitty gasped.
“No,” Cole laughed, opening the door for her, “Priest let me borrow it. I can’t have you riding on my bike in a dress like that, can I?”
She looked at him with a teasing gleam in her eye. “You planned this.”
“Guilty,” he said, raising a hand in defeat before closing the door and hurrying over to the driver’s side. He slid behind the wheel and started the engine, which growled to life. Expertly shifting the gears, the car screamed away from the curb, narrowly missing a police car rolling by. The cruiser screeched to a halt and the cop leaned out his window, shaking his fist and yelling something Kitty couldn’t hear.
“You really should be careful, that guy’ll probably come after us.”
Cole chuckled. “No he won’t, I write the guy’s checks.”
“What?” Kitty cried, her eyes widening with shock, “Are you saying you own the police?”
That drew a laugh from Cole. “No, nothing like that. That guy back there,” he thumbed behind them, “That’s Jennings. He’s a ghoul, a human who’s blood is laced with vampire blood.” He looked over to see Kitty’s surprised expression. “Hey, we need people on the Force during the day too.”
“I guess so,” Kitty responded quietly, sitting back and hugging her shoulders.
Cole focused on the road in front of them, but saw the disbelieving look on the young woman’s face. “Look, none of them are dirty. We don’t work with the mob or any other underworld criminal organization. They’re regular cops, just like ordinary humans. The only reason we have ghouls and vampires working with the police is so we can keep up the Masquerade. The only stuff they do that isn’t outside of normal police work is call either myself, Ash, or Priest and let us know about a possible breach of the Masquerade. Then, they help us clean it up and make sure no one gets hurt in the process.” He turned to look at his passenger. “Okay?”
Kitty nodded slowly and a smile crept onto her lips. “Okay, I guess that’s all right then.”
“Good,” Cole said with a smile. He looked forward and jerked on the wheel, spinning the car into a one-eighty so it slipped neatly into a parking spot. “We’re here.”
Kitty looked at the old building that they were parked in front of. A few scant traces of spray paint peppered the walls, signs that local taggers had been at the place. The stone walls seemed to be crumbling, but the building still stood strong. It was only one story, with two stone pillars before the front door, holding up the overhang of the roof. “What is this place?”
“An old temple,” Cole said, opening her door and helping her front the car, “City officials tried to get it torn down, but Priest had them keep it up.”
“Why?”
“He did it as a favor to me.”
Kitty raised a curious eyebrow. “And just what goes on here, and why are we involved?”
Cole smiled and took her arm in a gentlemanly fashion, escorting her up the old steps to the front door. “Let’s just say I think it’s time you got in touch with your spiritual side.” He reached out and opened the door, letting her enter first.
As soon as Kitty walked into the building, she gasped in surprise and awe. The entire interior was one big room. The walls, which were undoubtedly crumbling, were covered with delicate white silks, effectively covering up the blemishes in the masonry. The candle holders in the walls were all set up with fresh white candles that flickered in the slight breeze, yet determined not to become extinguished. The floor itself retained its originally wooden finish, yet it was yellowed and warped from time. Directly in the center of the entire room was a large square section of plush carpet, a collection of ten women all milling about on it, talking quietly and laughing among themselves. When one looked up and saw the pair of them, she smiled and stood up. Two other women also looked up and smiled as well, standing up and brushing themselves off. Almost immediately, Kitty noticed that all three women, as well as the other women in the room, were dressed in simple white dresses, just like her. As the three started over, Kitty gripped Cole’s arm tightly, whispering fiercely, “We’d better go.”
Cole looked down at her and smiled gently. “It’s okay, they’re expecting us.”
Despite his assurances, Kitty felt her muscles tense with combat readiness as the three women came over. Closer in, she could see the differences in each. The one that had originally spied them was most likely in her early to mid thirties, with long brown hair and warm blue eyes. She had a smile that was both disarming and motherly in its nature. The younger of the three women looked to be not much older than Kitty. She had flaming red hair that hung passed her shoulders in thick curls, almost like a mane. Her emerald green eyes were bright, like that of a young girl who is just discovering the world. The third woman had to be at least fifty or sixty years old. Her slightly wrinkled skin and knowing eyes gave her the image of a wizened grandmother, ready to pass on the knowledge of the years to a younger generation.
“Cole, it’s so good to see you,” the middle woman said, “It’s been too long.”
Cole smiled back and embraced the woman. “Sure has Rose, I’ve missed you guys.”
“Don’t you ever know how to pick up a phone boy?”
That drew a chuckle from the young man. “Haven’t exactly had much time to make any pleasure calls.”
“I’ll bet,” the younger woman said with an impish grin, “You’ve mostly likely been out ravishing tender young things like this poor girl here.” She smiled a friendly grin to Kitty. “How badly has he been treating you dear, we’ll fix him good for you if you want.”
“Brigit,” Cole said, taken aback, “You wound me to the core.” He placed a hand over his heart and his eyes fluttered up into his eyelids. Laughing, he threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “Been a long time darlin’.”
“Too long.”
Kitty coughed softly and said, “Um, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you people?”
The elderly woman chuckled quietly and smiled. “You must forgive Cole, he is a very inconsiderate young man and often forgets his manners when among his elders.”
“Hey,” Cole said defensively, “I’m a perfect gentleman,” he paused, “Most of the time anyway.” They all laughed and Cole began introductions. “Kitty I’d like you to meet Brigit, Rose, and Morgan. Priestesses, I’d like you to meet Kitty Pryde.”
Brigit walked over and embraced Kitty. “Welcome,” she said.
Kitty stood motionless for a moment, not sure what to do, then returned the embrace. “Uh, thanks, I guess.”
Rose smiled and shook her head. She took Kitty’s hand and squeezed it gently. “It is good of you to be here with us poor witches.”
Kitty took a step back, her eyes widening in fear. “Witches?”
Rose cocked her head to the side. “Well, yes.” She looked over at Cole. “Didn’t Cole tell you we were?” Cole blushed sheepishly.
Morgan sighed and walked over to Kitty, taking her hands in her own wrinkled ones. “Worry not little one,” she said gently, “We are not the type of witches you think we are. We don't worship the devil, we don't make magic potions out of newt eyes, and we don’t curse people.”
Kitty nodded. “Oh, I know. It’s just, well, I’m Jewish.” She stopped, as though that were explanation enough.
Rose cocked an eyebrow. “And?”
“So you’re Jewish,” Brigit said, “So what?”
“Well, I really don't belong here.”
Cole smiled secretly and lit a cigarette. “It does not matter what religion you hold of value to yourself,” the old woman said, “We are simply a group of women who work to better ourselves and find peace with the elements. You are more than welcome here.” She paused, looking deep into Kitty’s eyes. “Yes, I would say that you definitely could use our help.”
“What do you mean,” Kitty asked nervously.
“You’ve had something terrible happen to you just recently.”
“No kidding,” Cole muttered low enough that no one heard.
“You need to find your spiritual center, and we can help you with that.”
Kitty looked over at Cole and pinned him with her gaze. “This is why you bought me the dress,” she accused.
“Hey,” the young mage said, raising his hands, “I thought it would look lovely on you, that’s it.”
Kitty was about to say something else when Morgan intervened. “It is not Cole you are to blame, nor yourself. Although he does tend do be a little unorthodox, Cole has a good heart. It is most likely the Goddess who guided you tonight.”
Kitty looked skeptical. “Are you saying that some divine entity had me put on the dress?”
Morgan shrugged and smiled. “Did Cole tell you to wear that dress?”
“No,” Kitty said slowly, “It was just such a lovely dress that I wanted to wear it, no matter where we were going.”
Rose nodded. “Yes, the Goddess has indeed brought you to use, and we will try to help in any way we can.”
“How?”
“Magic,” Cole said quietly.
Kitty shook her head. “But you said that you couldn’t do anything for me.”
Brigit laughed. “We don’t work with the same kind of magic that Cole does.”
“What do you mean?” The X-Man asked.
“Well, Cole was born with magic in him,” Rose explained, “He is able to use it in a more physical degree than any of use.” Kitty looked over at Cole and saw him do a comical impression of a body builder flexing his biceps. She giggled as Rose continued, “You see, We work more on a spiritual and mental level, rather than a physical one. We try to attain purity of the spirit and the mind through breathing, chanting, and becoming one with the Goddess.”
“But, I can’t do magic.”
“Everyone can do magic,” Cole said, walking over and taking her hand, “Everyone has the capacity within them, most people just don’t want to believe it or fear it.”
Kitty studied the young man and cocked her head to the side. “Are you saying that I can do magic?”
Cole nodded, his face totally serious. “Let Brigit, Rose, and Morgan help you, at least for tonight. I’ll be right here the whole time,” he said quickly when he saw Kitty become frightened.
“Yes,” Morgan agreed, “It has been too long since you have sat in our circle young man.” She gave his cheek a hard pinch, like a grandmother, Kitty noted.
Cole laughed and the group started over to the collection of women. They were all looking over at them now, each one with a different expression of interest. They were women of all different types: White, black, yellow, tall, short, thin, thick, a complete diversity in races and sizes. “I’m not so sure they want me here,” Kitty whispered.
“Sure they do,” Cole said, not bothering to lower his voice, making Kitty wince with embarrassment, “Curiosity is a human thing, not something of malice. Heck, when I first came here-Ow!”
Kitty saw Morgan remove her hand from Cole’s ear, which she had just grabbed and yanked on hard. “Lower your voice Cole Raven, you know better.”
“Sorry,” he said quietly, looking repentant.
Kitty giggled and followed the trio to the gathering, where all the women stood up to greet the newcomer. “Ladies,” Rose said, “This is Kitty, she is going to be joining us tonight.” She looked over at the young woman, as though expecting her to make some great remark that would stun the world.
Kitty gulped back the lump in her throat and had to force herself to keep from wiping her sweaty palms on the skirt of her dress. With all eyes on her, she was feeling a kind of stage fright that actors could never experience. This went beyond screwing up a line in a play, this was saying something that would not completely offend a group of people who held these arcane rituals and ways of life sacred. When she looked over at Cole for support, he simply looked back with a face that seemed to be made of stone. He too seemed to be expecting some great words to flow from her lips. It was understood that he took all of this extremely seriously, and one wrong word or syllable could anger him or worse.
Swallowing hard, Kitty quietly said, “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” The tension washed out of her when she saw everyone smile kindly to her. So far, so good. “I hope that it’s not too much of an intrusion, my being here I mean.”
One of the women walked over and Kitty was startled for a moment. The woman was beautiful enough to be a model. Long, platinum blond hair flowed down her shoulders to halfway down her back. Her crystal blue eyes gleamed in the dim candlelight. The dress she wore made her appear to be like a mythical goddess from Greek legend. What was a beauty like this doing at a pagan ritual instead of out on the town frequenting the most posh of nightclubs? She embraced Kitty and said, “Welcome to the circle.”
One by one, each of the women walked over and greeted her like she had always been there, just away on a vacation for a while. When they had all taken their turn, Rose took Kitty’s hand and led her to the center of the carpet, where an small altar had been set up with white candles in silver candlestick holders. She gestured and Kitty knelt down on the carpet, feeling the silk of the dress against her legs. One by one, each of the women knelt in a circle around the altar, relaxed, yet attentive. When she looked over to see what Cole was doing, she was surprised to see him leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but she was afraid she might disrupt some invocation or meditation.
Rose noticed the concern on her face and smiled. “You can speak freely Kitty, no one here will hurt you and we haven’t even started the circle.”
“Oh, I was just wondering what Cole was doing? I thought he would be part of this.”
Rose looked over at Morgan, who nodded somberly. “Cole chooses not to partake in circles with us,” the old woman explained, “He feels that his presence would disrupt our psychic energy.”
“How? He is a, a witch isn’t he?”
Rose nodded. “Indeed he is, and I’ve told him time and again that he is more than welcome to join us.”
“You know better than that,” Cole said in a dark voice, “You guys are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. I’m Chaos, and I’d only disrupt your focus.”
“Chaos is a part of the circle Cole,” Brigit said, “It is the most core part of it.”
Cole shook his head. “No, I couldn’t do that to you guys.”
Kitty looked up, her eyes shinning with need. “Cole, I’d like you to join us.”
For a long moment, the two looked at one another, each trying to convey thoughts and feelings that no words could describe. Finally, Cole closed his fingers around the cigarette, crushing it in his hand. Kitty heard the singe of flesh and when he opened his hand, the cigarette was gone and there was no wound on his palm. “Hell with it,” he said quietly, “I’m in.”
The three women in charge of the circle all looked at each other in surprise, then all looked directly at Kitty, as though she knew something they didn’t. She blushed self-consciously and looked down.
Cole pulled off his coat and hurled it into the air. The leather jacket floated over to a dark corner and disappeared. He walked towards the circle, pulling off his shirt as he did. Kitty stifled a gasp when she saw his bare chest. The years of executing special black ops missions and his work as sheriff had toned and defined his muscles to such a degree that he looked like a statue chiseled from flesh. Her eyes caught a flash of metal and she saw a chain hanging from his neck. The chain led to a wolf’s head the lay against his chest. Two red gems gleamed where the wolf’s eyes should have been. He moved over to kneel next to Kitty, taking up sort of a martial arts meditation kneeling position. He mouthed a few silent words and looked over at Rose, giving her a minute nod.
Rose nodded back and regarded the rest of the circle. “Today, we are going to work on focusing your negative energy out of your body and drawing in positive energy. The purpose of this is to better prepare your mind and body to cast spells. If you have negative energy within you, the outcome of any magic you might work could be influenced by that negative energy.” Kitty couldn’t help but glance at Cole when she said that. Did the young mage have that problem? Was he so full of negative energy that the only kinds of magick he knew how to work were ones that harmed instead of helped? “Now, begin breathing deeply and evenly,” Rose said, “Let your mind sort of wander. Allow your eyes to dull over so there is nothing but a mist around you.”
As Rose’s words crept into her ears, Kitty saw the entire area around her disappear. The people vanished, as did the building they were in. Instead, she was kneeling in the middle of a thick, white fog. She looked all around her, but saw nothing but the fog. “Hello?” she called, and was greeted by the echo of her own voice. Getting to her feet, Kitty started to walked through the mists, stretching out her hands in an effort to try and feel something solid that would indicate she was in the building still. Her eyes strained to see through the cloudy whiteness, but could barely discern her hands in front of her face. “Cole? Are you there?” She strained to hear the young man’s voice, but only nothingness greeted her. Panic began to rise in her stomach, quickly rushing up to her chest and clenching at her throat. The fog seemed to want to swallow her up whole. “Is anyone there?” she cried, voice barely a squeak.
“Feel the negative energy flowing from you,” Roses voice floated through the fog.
“I’m scared,” Kitty whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.
“Do not be scared,” Rose’s voice said, as though hearing her, “Feel the negative flow from your heart, out into your chest, down your arms, and into your hands.”
A quick, searing heat formed into in Kitty’s breast. She closed her eyes and mentally commanded it to move up through her chest, into her shoulders, and down her arms. She felt the heat obey her commands, slowly moving as she wished it. When her eyes opened slightly, she saw the fog folding in around her, moving over her chest and around her arms, just like the heat she felt. When she looked at herself, she saw a mixture of glowing energy and cloudy whiteness encasing her wrists.
“Now, return the energy to the Goddess, return it to Mother Earth.”
Suddenly knowing what to do, Kitty dropped to her knees and placed her palms flat on the ground, which she discovered was a soft, green clearing. Utilizing her ninja breathing techniques and Rose’s gentle urging, she pushed the energy from her wrists into the ground, where they were almost immediately sucked down by the earth beneath her knees. Kitty blinked in surprise and quickly stood up. Right away, she noticed that there was no more fog. Sunshine beamed down, warming the chill that had entered her bones. Looking around, she discovered that she now stood in the middle of a beautiful landscape, filled with lush, green grass, great oak trees, and a crystal clear lake that gleamed with the effect not unlike that of thousands of tiny diamonds on the surface of the water. A few birds chirped happily as they flew across the sky, offering her greetings and welcome. Kitty smiled and waved back.
A curious growl made her spin around, a gasp rising in her throat and her reflexes reverting to combative instincts. Her gaze locked with that of a great black wolf that was nearly as big as her. It cocked its head to the side and looked at her curiously. Slowly, it walked over to her, its head down passively, its tail wagging happily, and its tongue lolling out of its jaws. Kitty took a step back, drawing her hands before her protectively, already beginning to set up a martial arts stance. The wolf stopped and whined, its head dropping lower and its eyes looking almost sad. Kitty’s eyes widened at the human-like expression and she slowly lowered her hands. “You want to be friends?” she asked. The wolf nodded, panting happily. “Okay, um, what do you want to do?”
The wolf walked over to her and brushed its flank against her legs before lowering itself to the ground. It looked up at her and uttered a short bark, pointing its snout at its exposed flank. Kitty yawned, realizing just how tired she was. Dispelling all of the negative energy inside her had made her tired. Smiling kindly at the creature, she lowered herself to the grass and curled up against the wolf, its fur soft and comforting against her skin. Soon, she fell asleep with the friendly creature rocking her gently with each breath it took.
“Now, open your eyes.”
Kitty’s eyes slowly opened, her vision needing a few moments to adjust to the dim light again. When she looked around, she discovered that she was curled up in Cole’s lap with his arms around her. His eyes were lightly closed and his breathing was deep and even, as though he were asleep. When she looked at the medallion on his chest, the red eyes gleamed brightly for a second. Sitting, she looked over at Rose, her eyes wide. “What was that?”
“What was what dear?” the woman asked. “Tell us what you saw.”
Kitty shook her head in confusion, still not sure what was real and what was not. She looked over at Cole to see his eyes open and look at her steadily. He knew what had happened, but he wanted her to say it. “Well, I’m not to sure,” she began, “When we started, everything disappeared and I was surrounded by fog. I tried to find something but nothing was there. Then, there was this, heat, in my heart that moved up into my arms. The fog then started following the heat until they were both in my wrists.” She paused and looked at Rose. “Then, I heard you tell me what to do and I send the energy back into the earth. After that, I suddenly noticed I was in the middle of a meadow with trees and a lake.” She stopped and looked over at Cole, her eyes unconsciously moving to the wolf’s head. “Then, this huge black wolf appeared and offered itself as a place to sleep.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “After that, I opened my eyes and was back here.”
Rose, Brigit, and Morgan all turned to Cole, a look of disapproval in their eyes. “You know the rules Cole,” Brigit said, challenging, “You are not to intercede on someone, especially new and inexperienced.”
Cole’s eyes went wide and he shook his head vehemently. “But I didn’t. I just returned some of my energy to Gaia like always. The next thing I knew, I was on a dreamwalk as a wolf and I ran into this girl in white who looked lost. She looked tired and I offered her a place to sleep.”
Morgan’s expression softened and a smile slowly crept onto her lips. “Of course, I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”
“What is it?” Rose asked, leaning in conspiratorially.
“They’ve been on a soul quest.”
Cole was immediately on his feet, his fists clenched. “Bull! I haven’t been on a soul quest in years, and I know what they look like.”
Morgan cackled and smiled up at the mage. “Young man, you have only been on soul searches, you have never been on a soul quest.”
“What?” Cole asked with a raised eyebrow.
“A soul search is when you go into the other world and look for the other piece to your soul. The quest is when you think you find it and try to claim it as yours.”
The young man shook his head. “I have never heard of that.”
The old woman chuckled. “When you get to be my age, you hear quite a few things.”
For several minutes, Cole just looked between Kitty and Morgan, his eyes wide with mild disbelief. When realization filled them and he looked at Morgan fully, she only nodded with a small smile.
The magical moment was broken by the sound of Cole’s cell phone ringing. “Damn!” he hissed, extending an arm out to where his coat had disappeared. Instantly, the phone flew across the room and into his hand. He suddenly growled in pain and bent over, dropping to one knee. Kitty was instantly beside him, a supportive arm around his shoulders. “Are you okay?” she asked.
Cole only looked up and glared at the three priestesses. “Why didn’t you tell me someone new was here?”
Brigit shrugged and smiled. “Sorry, I forgot.”
Cole grumbled something Kitty was glad she could not hear and flipped open the phone after it had rung for a fifth time. “What!” he growled into the device. His face changed to a look of attentiveness and he nodded. “All right, good work, we’ll be right there.” He slapped the phone shut and looked at the group of women. “I’m sorry, but we have to go, something’s come up that just can’t be ignored.”
Kitty raised an eyebrow. “We?”
Cole looked at her and nodded. “Yeah.” He walked over to the corner where he’d flung his trench coat and retrieved it, pulling on his shirt as he did so. He pulled the coat on and walked back over to the circle of women. “I’ll be around again soon, I promise.”
Rose embraced him and smiled. “We know you will.” She looked at Kitty pointedly. “He never breaks a promise.”
“I know,” Kitty said softly.
Cole took turns hugging all three of the women and headed for the door. One by one, each of the witches hugged Kitty tightly. When Morgan offered an embrace, she whispered in her ear, “When someone goes on a soul quest, it means that they’ve found their soul mate and are trying to let them know it.”
Before Kitty could ask the old woman what her arcane words mean, Morgan gave Kitty a gentle push to the door and returned to the circle, where the women all sat down and began talking, discussing what each had felt during the exercise.
“Come on,” Cole said quietly, gently taking her arm and leading her to the car. When they got in and sped off, he said, “The call was from Hammer. He and Ash got their hands on the vampire that attacked you. We’re headed for Elysium now to interrogate him and see if we can’t find any connection to the attack on you, the club, and your powers failing.”
“Okay,” Kitty said, her mind still on the dream she had. Had the experience really been a soul quest, like Morgan said? Was Cole truly her soul mate? Long ago, she had disbelieved in anything like that. Years of X-Men experiences had hardened her to the world, teaching her to believe her physical senses and think logically. Yet, this experience was not something that could be analyzed or reasoned about. It was a completely spiritual experience that tested her beliefs. Did she hope that Cole was her soul mate, or was she frightened by that fact?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the jerk of brakes as the car skidded to a halt outside Excalibur. Dreaming was over, it was time to go to work.