A Good Evil

Mirror Worlds

Narissa descended the mountain; a flickering fire in the distance delineated her destination. She had to hurry; something terrible had happened. A poor girl's life hung in the balance!

With a flash of wind, the trees swooshed as if scuttled by a microburst. Narissa shouted in fear, holding a hand to her heart.

"God's sake, Alina! Was that necessary!?" She grumbled. "Wasteful use of a portal!'

"Why are you here!?" Alina panicked, tucking Peri stones back into her dirt-encrusted overalls. "I thought you were keeping Sam distracted!"

"Trust me; he's not following," Narissa confidently affirmed. "Samael was kept very busy tonight."

"Oh?" Alina struggled to keep pace, tripping on a loose cobble. "What happened?"

"Sam and Lily consummated their relationship, finally." Narissa rounded a drystone wall, continuing down the path before them.

"Well, that is good news---!"

"--But something unfortunate occurred."

 Alina's face reddened at the lurid possibilities. "Did he... have—performance issues?"

"What!?" Narissa was aghast. "No, of course not!"

"Well, sorry!" Alina answered in defence. "Dad's getting up there! He's 6200 years old!"

"Enough...!" Narissa cut off Alina's words with a swish of her bejewelled hand. "Samael had a lucid vision, gifted by the God of the Wild Hunt. The Coven shared the same experience at the campfire..."

"What did you see?"

"Owen captured Lily's old mate and tried to kill him."

"Oh, shit!" Alina exclaimed. "That's not good!"

"Yes, that disgusting beast tried to lure Lily and Sam into a trap."

"Sam didn't take the bait, did he?"

"Of course he did. You know Sam, he intercepted Owen to keep Lily out of harm's way." Narissa continued, her voice exasperated. "Of course, she chased after him."

"Sam has been alive for thousands of years and has learnt nothing!"

"Luckily, they made it back alive." Narissa lamented with irritation. "He did it to save Lily's feelings and was no doubt feeling protective."

"Because he had the post-coital warm fuzzies, " Alina shook her head ruefully. "At least they are back safe."

"Yes," Narissa replied. "But I still have issues to deal with."

"What else could there be?"

"We had collateral damage." Narissa burst through the garden gate. "A human woman was caught in the crossfire and infected with the black poison," She bent to the ground, harvesting some Artemisia leaves. "We are preparing a blood-letting ritual to save the poor dear, but I need a fresh supply of peri stones and other ingredients."

"Great, we'll have another paranormal creature to babysit." Alina groaned.

"Speaking of..." Narissa lowered her voice. "How is our "special guest?"

 "Everything is fine here. Our guest has been well-behaved."

Narissa stood surveying the surrounding landscape, her eyes settling on a welcoming bonfire. A late-night snack was sizzling and snapping in the hot coals. Narissa's stomach growled from the delicious aroma of peppered steak and roasted vegetables. On a small metal plate nearby, a coffee perk bubbled away.