The Madness at Koresh Manor Part 8

“Rain?” Karalius asked with overwhelming joy in the question. She started to move to the man who looked like Rain Lovecraft; a thin man with long arms and legs, black hair, even darker brown eyes but the thing which always stuck out about him was his classical suits. A suit black and woven in with magic which was why he could wear it in the snow of a deep winter night. He didn’t smile or blinked but stared hard and long at them. He kept his hands in his pocket with a book tucked under his arm. A spellbook more than likely and Raphael knew that was where his power came from.

                Magic was not an easy thing to master in the world, and most users of the arts had to channel it thought something in the case of Rain it was always a book. A spellbook made by him which only he could read. There were many magical items on the man, some out of sight, others right in the open, like the book.

                “What are you doing here?” He snarled asked.

                “We,” Karalius said glancing back at Raphael, “came to save you.”

                “Save me from what?”

                “This madness,” Karalius protested.

                He shook his head in disappointment and told her, “I found peace here. I’m happy here, Father has shown me the light.”

                “Father?” Karalius asked. “This can’t be you.”

                “Let me go,” Rain order, “and go home.”

                “What? No. I wo---”

                Raphael jumped up beside his friend looking deep into Rain’s eyes there something wrong there. Sure, the man was always on the edge of madness having to fight demons and monsters daily, and some of those battles were before he even got out of bed, but there was something else there. Something screaming at them, but Raphael couldn’t place it, and Karalius saw it.

                Could Cyrus have the magic to mind control, someone? If he had the power to heal everyone in the mansion and kept them healed, then it was plausible. But then the question became how much toll was the spell taking on Cyrus and could it be broken without hurting Rain?

                “What is this light?” Raphael asked.

                “Don’t patronize me, Talon,” Rain demanded.

                “I’m not, man,” Raphael said. “I have seen this place, and it looks great. I need someplace to heal. It’s not every day you find out your dead mother was one of the greatest assassin the world.” The words came out like a flood, and the worst part of it all wasn’t Karalius face, but the fact, when he spoke them, it became real. All the things he read in the files about his mother’s past was real because the words were out in the world. He couldn’t undo it. He couldn’t take them back.

                “I’m not joking,” he said with a voice creaking and tears freezing in his eyes. “I need to find something that will heal me.” The words rung true in his mind. He didn’t understand why he felt this place was a step to finding peace with his mother, but it was, and he needed it. He wanted some way to stop hating her.

                “I know you are not joking,” Cyrus said from behind them. They spun on their heels to see the man standing there calmly looking over them both. “I see your pain, Raphael like a fire in the night.”

                Raphael nodded. “Can you put the fire out?”

                Cyrus grin and said, “With time.”

                Karalius was already trying to find a way to become small and hidden, but it’s not every day you see a fox lady. Cyrus turned his gaze on her and asked, “Who or what are you?”

                “Someone who is going to get her friends away from this madness,” she braked.

                “Your friends are not mad,” he said. “They are here to be healed, and you can do the same.”

                “No,” she shook her head flipping the safety off from her weapon. “I’m going to en ---” And before anything could happen, she drops the snowy floor. Rain closer his book with a heavy sigh while Raphael dare not move. He could see his friend was still breathing.

                “She is fine,” Rain said.

                “What are you going to do with her?” Raphael asked with Cyrus waving for his people to come out of the night. For a moment, Raphael moved to stop them, but Rain placed a hand on his shoulder shaking his head no.

“We are going to find her bed and make sure she is safe,” Cyrus said. “When she wakes I will talk to her.”

“I want to be healed and all that good stuff, but ---”

“But you are not sure you can trust us,” Cyrus said and nodded in agreement. “What will it take for you to trust me? Outside of me trusting you when I shouldn’t.”

“I want to see where you place her,” he said, “and I want the key.”

“Fair enough,” Cyrus said. What was this man’s game? Raphael asked himself. Was he a true believer or was he like most cult leader power hungry? He was powerful in the arcane arts even if he didn’t know it was magic. There was a good chance he didn’t know he could use magic, but Raphael glanced back at Rain. Rain had to tell Cyrus about the outside world, and that magic was more than real. Would it change any of Cyrus’s beliefs? Did it matter? And most of all when could Raphael ask all these questions.

They softly laid Karalius on a bed as she slept like a baby fox beside its mother. Raphael sat beside her for a moment running his hand along her fur and fox’s face as everyone else stayed outside. He leads whispering into her ear hoping she could hear him. He stepped out with Cyrus locking the door behind them and handing Raphael the key.

“There,” he said with a smiled.

Here to hoping Rain didn’t say a word about Karalius powers but as it seems for the moment, he didn’t tell them anything. After all, they had no idea about her being a fox.

“Now, let me show you something,” Cyrus said opening his hand for Raphael to follow. They walked down the hallway followed only be Rain.