Moments; singular, siphoned, like grains of sand which fall restlessly, and build without limits...growing with increasing momentum, each step, beat, a steady staccato , marking down the minutes until the cold inevitability of the ...end ...death.
M...
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The hunt was on. Well, not THE hunt. Unfortunately dream violating me did not count as a Sluagh offense, therefore the Wild Hunt had not been called down on G'harna Yull Brennan. But OUR hunt. That was another matter all together. My men were fit to be tied. Hell I was fit to be tied (not that kind of tied—although that had possibilities too). And we were ready to get this show on the road and finally really just put an end to this sonofabitch. "Well, where could he be hiding?" I ask, more to myself than anyone else. "Too many places for my comfort my midnight queen," Branuel Or De A'lanuel murmurs. "There are many places in Fairy he could hide. And if he is portaling, then he could be on your Earth realm as well." I nod. "Yeah. You know, the more I think of it. The more I think he's probably on Earth. I mean, he can't draw from Fairy. And there's no way he's hiding out in Terrenel's kingdom right?" I ignore Terrenel's look of outrage as if to say 'get over it,' and continue. "And it would be hard, I mean not impossible, but hard to hide out around here, right?" "That is correct, my beautiful queen." "So that leaves Earth. As long as he keeps killing he can keep his humanoid form, correct?" "I'm afraid that is correct." "So we need to go back to Earth and begin hunting him down." I look around at my guys and sigh. Having a feeling that none of them were going to like where I was going with this. "You know...you know him best, it would probably help if you—" "—I am going," Branuel Or De A'lanuel says before I can finish my sentence. Ohhhh well that had been easy. I hadn't exactly expected him to agree so easily. But okay. "Yeah, that would probably be very helpful. As long as you understand the rules." "What rules?" "Well there's only one real big rule." "Which would be?" He asks. "I'M THE BOSS!" I say loudly and seriously. "What I say goes! Here you are a King, there you are—" "—Still a king," he says smugly, "...moving realms doesn't change the fact that I'm still a king." "Fine, fine, I see what you mean. But you've got to see where I'm coming from...people respect and fear you here...but on Earth they have no idea who you are. You could be the second coming of Christ for all they know about you." "Pleaaaaseeee, amour," Chamuel whines and I roll my eyes. "Sorry, sorry. What I mean, if you could be anyone. They're not going to listen to you, not like they listen to me. So you WILL NOT go in there, guns blazing and..." "Guns are a cowards weapon. I don't use guns." Again, I roll my eyes. These men. Jeesh. "It's an expression Mr. Literal. It means, you can't go in and just think you're going to take charge of everything. I have a Captain for that. So on the Earth realm, I'm the boss...a boss that answers to a boss...one that is certainly NOT you. Do you understand. Oh, and on the matter of guns. Hate to break it to you, but officers carry department issued sidearms. So you're gonna have to get used to seeing guns. I have one too." "You do?" And he appears shocked. "How did I not see it?" I laugh. "I didn't bring it to Tir na nOg. And although I'd say 'coward' is kinda a strong word, I'm kinda with you...Guns are definitely NOT my preferred weapon of choice." Sadly they could still be used to do some damage and kill Otherworlders when used and shot skillfully and properly. Branuel Or De A'lanuel nods slowly. "I can see that. You are, after all an officer as well, are you not? I find this concept fascinating." I front a little. "How so?" "Your human sheep...I mean, humans...hey have people that carry weapons and are supposed to protect them from other bad human people? And yet in the end what good are these...people if they cannot even catch an Otherworlder?" Now I was just getting pissed. "You really really don't want to go there, Devil dude," Walker says and when Branuel gives him a look, Walker shrugs, "I thought it a rather appropriate nickname. I mean, Birdie boy over there is Birdie, Fairy is Fairy boy and you're Devil dude." "I do not like it." "You're not meant to," Walker says with a laugh. But it doesn't matter, you've still stepped in a pile of shit, and you're about to have it flung in your fucking face. A bit of a shame too, you were kinda doing better." "Shut up Walker," I say, and I glare at Branuel Or De A'lanuel. "First human's are NOT sheep, and I know, I know, you stopped before you went further down that shit stained street, but still, you think it. You keep thinking of us as sheep. WE ARE NOT SHEEP." "You are not—" "—BE QUIET!" I yell at him. "I am not done yet, asshole. Up until a little over a week ago I was one of them, so yes, I still in many ways consider myself one of them. And I do not appreciate being thought of as a sheep. Secondly, ohh-hooo how nice it must be to sit back on your cold metal throne all by your lonesome overseeing your vast bloody kingdom letting someone else do your dirty work. You have the Host to go out and catch your offenders. Who do the humans have? We have officers; dedicated, hardworking, overworked and underpaid officers. And when an Otherworlder murder occurs we have...well we have me, and Walker and others like us that can step up and help. So don't you EVER put down my squad and my Captain and my comrades again. Do you understand?" "Everything except where you put me down, my midnight queen," he says coldly. "What? How the hell did I put you down?" "You said I sit back and oversee things as others do my work for me..." his voice is so cold. OH SHIT. I HAD said that. "I am the LEADER," He yells then, "THE LEADER of the Wild Hunt! I do not sit back ever! If someone needs killing, then I kill them. If someone needs to be tortured. I torture them. Did I not do so to Amira?" I gulp and open my mouth to speak but he's not finished. "I will listen to you on the human realm because I do understand what you are saying about them not knowing who or what I am. But you would be wise to NEVER underestimate what I am capable of, no matter what realm I may reside in." And with those ominous words he winks out of the room. Leaving the four of us staring at the space he once occupied with our mouths open.
