Celtics Rising: Birth of an Oracle

by Leo Charles Taylor

  Vera thought for a moment.

  "So what do you think my condition is? Why can I do what I can do?"

  "I don't know that you can," he replied. "It’s possible that you’re still affected by the drugs, or perhaps you’re having a psychotic break. You may just think you can do those things." He pointed over to his mess as if to make a point. "I have cases over there where the patients think they're zombies. It’s called Cotard's Syndrome. Very rare, but well documented."

  "But I really can hide in the shadows," she said.

  James stared at her for a moment, wondering about her sincerity. He whispered two words to himself, "Empirical evidence." Vera was confused, but James thought for another moment before standing and heading to the wall.

  "Alright," he said to her carefully, not taking his eyes off of her. "Show me."

  He flipped the light switch and the room went dark.

  He could still see her plainly, the light from the city was bright enough to outline her figure, and his eyes began to adjust to the new light level. He watched her general form as it raised a wine glass and emptied its contents. She set it down carefully, turned to him, and disappeared.

  James blinked more than once as he attempted to locate his guest. He had been able to see her up until a moment ago, and his cracking mind had even overlaid her violet eyes and internal aura. However, that visage was now gone, as was the woman.

  "Can you see me?" he heard her say.

  The question came from nearby, but he couldn’t locate the source.

  He breathed slowly and turned about. Her face appeared before him, only a few inches away, "Boo!" she said. While James attempted to recover from surprise, the face disappeared and he could hear her laugh.

  "This is fun. I bet I'd win any game of hide and seek."

  James concentrated on this apartment and reached out his mind as he had with Arinai. He searched for the woman that was hiding and eventually found her. She was difficult to discern within the shadows, and even then he couldn’t claim to know her exact position; it was more of a feeling that she was by his television. He turned to her and smiled. The shadows moved slightly and he followed them. She moved rapidly to his left, and he lost her for a moment before picking her up again. It was difficult. He had to maintain intense concentration. That concentration eventually took its toll, and he lost her.

  As he tried to locate her within his normal vision, he felt a hand on his waist and a kiss to his cheek. It was fast, and he couldn’t reach out in time to catch her. Vera laughed with joy, and he turned at the sound. Taking another deep breath, he felt for her again.

  She wasn’t in the room anymore, and he had to follow his feelings down the hall and into his bedroom. Vera simply laughed again as she led her prey.

  "Do you believe me know," she whispered into his ear, as he entered his bedroom.

  He reached out in the direction of the sound but found only air. She was near, of that he was certain. He opened his mind more and could feel her emotions. Her thoughts were cloudy but her emotions were raw. She was happy and playful, even a bit shy, but her invisibility had emboldened her. James also felt arousal, but he didn't know if that was his own emotional state or a reflection of hers.

  Keeping his hand out, he felt for her, moving to the left and the right. His arm was caught, and he could feel fingers wrap around his wrist. She held him gently but firmly. James stared at his arm. He could feel the pressure from her hand, and he felt it as she moved her fingers around his wrist, but try as he might, he could only see a shadow. It was darker than the rest of the shadows in the room, but just as nondescript. The shadow's slight independent movement was the only thing that belied its actuality as a shadow.

  While James wondered and gazed, he could feel Vera move towards him. She spread his fingers with her other hand and placed his palm to her breast. He felt her soft skin and the erect nipple that awaited his touch. He didn't move his hand away. On the contrary, he kept it in place as he enjoyed the movement of her chest while she breathed. It was an odd sensation to feel the presence of the female form and to not actually see her. He felt her move towards him, and he bent his arm in order to allow his hand to remain on her breast. She was very near to him now, and shadow or no shadow, he could smell her perfume. Looking down onto the darker form, he could feel a hand to his cheek tilting him downward and then he felt her lips lightly brush his own. He raised his other hand and moved it to where her face would be. Stroking her cheek, he pulled her into him and kissed her with more pressure.

  Moving his head away, he held her head in his hand and breathed heavily.

  "Reveal yourself to me," he said quietly but forcefully.

  She suddenly appeared before him, half in shadow and half in human form. Her face, hair, and part of her bared chest were visible, but the rest slowly faded into the night. Her face was serious in contemplation with just the hint of a wicked smile.

  "What is this?" he whispered rhetorically while he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

  "I don't know," she replied

  After a moment, she moved to his lips, and he allowed it. His mind was racked with sexual thoughts and feelings as he saw images of her life, and more pointedly, he felt her desires as if they were his own.

  Oh, I'm going to hell, he thought clearly as he bent his mouth to her nipple.

  "Then I will go with you," was her verbal reply as she accepted his lips to her body.

  Chapter 8

  "Good morning," Vera said cheerily as James entered the kitchen.

  She seemed happy as she made a mess of his countertops. He looked slightly disapprovingly at her, but she was too absorbed to notice.

  "Good morning," he replied.

  "So whatcha gonna do today?" she asked him childishly.

  "I have to head to a research facility. I have case notes to check and experiments to see."

  "Ah, okay. Is it okay if I just crash here then?"

  James didn't believe that was a good idea, and he informed his young guest of his opinion. She wasn’t too pleased but cheered up quickly. She bounced over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and while giggling, asked him a blunt question.

  "How about a quickie before you leave?"

  James was aroused, but warning bells began to go off again. Vera was being a little too clingy, and he had enough dating experience to recognize the danger signs. If he wasn’t careful, he would hurt her feelings, or worse, cause her real pain. He cared for her, but this inexperienced affection of hers could cause her to move too far too fast.

  He begged off on another bout of sex and made ready to leave. She watched him as he prepared to leave.

  "Mr. Connor?" she asked.

  "I think you can call me James," he said.

  "Okay, James," she said with slight exaggeration of his name. "Will I see you again?"

  He stopped his preparations to address her properly. When he saw her face, he could see the need for approval. She pointed to her head as if to reveal her thoughts.

  "I just sense that you don’t like me," she said.

  James shook his head and sighed. "It’s not that," he said. He went to her and took her hand. "Vera, let me give you some mature advice. Last night was fun, and I do like you, but I can see in your eyes and hear in your voice that you’re becoming infatuated. For us men, that sets off all kinds of warning signs. I don’t want to hurt you and will do what I can to protect your feelings, but I don’t want you to get too attached too quickly."

  She became maudlin for a moment, and James' heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t what he wanted.

  "Vera," he said quietly, and she looked to him with hopeful eyes. "Last night was very unusual. You’re not a virgin, that much was apparent, so you know that what we shared wasn’t normal."

  James thought about the evening. They had felt very close to each other. It was something that he had never experienced before. The sensations were very intimate; her emotions had mixed with his, and she could even cast out her tendril
s to him. They had wrapped the lovers like a cocoon as they performed to each other, all the while fading in and out of each other's vision.

  James squeezed her hand and kissed her forehead. "Of course we will see each other again, but I'm not a doe eyed love struck young man that has fallen in love with you. You need to understand that. I care for you, but that’s different than love."

  "I know that," she replied. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

  James knew she was putting on a front. She had been a little too overt with her feelings and was now embarrassed by them. In defense of her ego, she lashed out.

  "I don’t think you’re stupid," he replied. "I just want to make certain that you’re protected."

  "Well, I can take care of myself," she said as she took her hand back angrily.

  "Dammit, Vera, knock it off," he yelled at her.

  That caught her attention, and she glared at him. He took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "I'm not your parents, and I don’t care to be, but if you want to come into my life and act like a child then think again. You’re better than that. Last night you played the role of a woman and you did it very well. All I'm asking is that you believe me when I say that I don’t want to hurt you."

  She didn't reply but still appeared hurt. He tried to put his arm around her, but she pulled away. He stopped his movements, which then arrested hers. Moving slowly, he continued towards her, and she eventually allowed him to take her in his arms.

  "This thing we’re experiencing is something that I can’t explain," he said to her, "and I will need your help to do so. Can you please assist me and do so without the immaturity?"

  There was a moment of silence before he heard her whisper

  "I may not know how," she said quietly.

  He gave her a squeeze.

  "That’s okay," he replied. "I may not know either."

  Vera squeezed back. His words were an emotional roller coaster for her, but in this moment she felt very happy, and James could feel it. She was finding validation, even if only for a moment, and it pleased her.

  They gathered up their items and left the apartment together. James didn't entirely trust this young woman alone in his home, and Vera understood that. He knew the idea hurt her, but she accepted the casual excuse he had given to her and didn't let on that she believed it to be a lie. James could see it in her mannerisms, and while their emotions continued to intermix, each of them was growing an ability to block the other. That in turn led them back to an age old relationship dilemma—worrying what the other was thinking.

  James escorted Vera out of the building while taking time to casually drop off the attendant's key card. He watched Vera carefully as she left with him, and he was proud at how well she held up. They each played their part, and he began to realize that he had misjudged her. She was young and immature, that was certain, but she meant him no harm.

  He led her to the street and hailed a cab for her, making sure to give the man plenty of money to get her to Madison Park. She was about to enter the cab when he halted her.

  "Vera," he said caringly. She looked at him as she stopped her progress towards the cab. "I want you to take care."

  He held her hand gently, and she could feel the shape of an access card he was handing her. She looked down and admired the discreet device. It was nameless in case it should be lost, but she felt that it was as beautiful as a piece of jewelry. James smiled as he felt the emotion from her.

  "It’s not a key to my apartment," he said, calming her a bit. "It’s a key to the building and the elevator so that you’ll have easier access. I'll also put you on the guest list so that the attendant will allow you through. Now, I want you to go home and try to make amends with your parents. We will deal with our situation as best we can."

  "Friends, then?" she asked.

  "Lovers," was his reply.

  She smiled, happy with that thought and allowed him to open the cab door for her and see her safely away.

  Across the street, Badir watched the exchange with interest. The girl was an oddity. She wasn’t anything that he had ever seen or felt before, but there had been many breeds over the years that had provided much the same feeling, so the vampire didn't pay much heed to the feelings. The man, however, appeared to be nothing special. He was human.

  Badir watched the man walk off on his own, and he began to follow, sticking to the darker areas when he could and braving the overcast streets when he had to. He hadn’t gone far before the man he was following turned abruptly and stared directly at him. Badir smirked at the man and was about to nod a greeting when he suddenly lost sight of him. The man had simply vanished.

  Badir looked around for his prey but couldn’t locate him. He looked left, then walked forward, then he stopped and chatted with an elderly man trying to cross the street. The cloud cover was intense, and it began to rain. Badir was grateful for the cloud cover. He wouldn't die if hit directly by sunlight, but the intense exposure could cause him severe pain. Thinking about the sun, he remembered the first time he tried walking in the sun after his merger with his demon. His demon. That’s what he called it, and it was an angry beast. Now they were one, and they did one thing well: they survived. Badir tired of the rain and walked off, heading in a direction that would give him a place to rest.

  James watched Badir's confusion and would have been more amused if he hadn’t seen how dangerous the beast was. Arinai had been correct; James could see much about the vampire who had just left the area. He had felt the demon's presence and knew the thing intended to follow him. As James mentally asked to be ignored, he had probed the things mind and found brute force mixed with an ingenuity of survival. As acceptance of his entire situation began to cement, one thing became perfectly clear to James: that demon was dangerous.

  Chapter 9

  James didn't see Vera or Arinai that evening, and he wasn’t sure if he should feel sad or pleased. His day at the labs had been normal other than he seemed to have developed a better skill set for diagnostics; he had quickly and accurately resolved two issues today. That in and of itself wasn’t out of the ordinary, but he did so with very little verified information, and that was odd. Still, he didn't mind. He got paid for results and speed. The problems he solved today netted him an extra $100,000 bonus for coming up with a solution within six months.

  That night, he was restless and irritated. He had gone through much of the research in his apartment and had even secretly performed research at the corporate labs. Nothing shed new light on his case. However, this fact didn't bother him; each passing day eroded his doubts and opened his mind. Arinai had been correct. There is much that is not understood, but at some point people need to accept what is actually happening. James knew very well that there were many things that couldn’t be explained, but they existed nonetheless. Why they existed and how they worked was a different story.

  It wasn’t too late, and James had decided that his apartment was a little too stifling. He needed to get out and get away. He dressed for the weather, left, and made his way to the Starbucks at Pike Place. The line was short, and it wasn’t long before he was seated, drinking a decaf iced coffee and eating a muffin. His mind wandered, and he found he could do little but stare at the wall. Undoubtedly, this is what allowed him to be approached so easily.

  "James Connor, I believe."

  James looked at the speaker and hid his surprise well.

  "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Drake, and you’re something of a mystery to me, a mystery that I would like solved."

  James blinked carefully and could see an odd image of the creature before him. It seemed to change slightly and yet not at all. It was human and not human at the same time. The image seemed to move and remain still, and when the creature took a seat opposite him, it did it rapidly and with fluid motion.

  James willed the creature to ignore him, and for a second, confusion appeared on Drake's face.

  "I wouldn't do that if I were you. When he realizes what you have done he'll b
e pissed off."

  James looked to the speaker. It was the vampire from earlier in the day. A flicker of movement was all anyone would see, and Badir was sitting at the table as well. James lost his concentration, and Drake came to his senses. He seemed to understand his situation and rage filled his eyes, but he calmed quickly, sending a glare towards James.

  "Not here, not now," Badir growled to his companion.

  Drake continued to rein in his rage, but only just. James looked carefully at the men, but more so at Drake. He knew the man's name, he knew he was a Dearg-Due or Vampire of legends, and could even feel the demon's age—nearly 700 years old, and one of the last of his kind. He wasn’t as brutal as Badir, but he was just as cunning. Where his comrade used intelligence tinged with force, Drake used experience tinged with tactics. Both methods had served them well and allowed them to outlive many of their brethren. James could see all of this clearly, but what he couldn’t see was their current intentions.

  "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" James asked cautiously.

  "You can tell us who you are and what the ancients want with you," Drake said.

  "Ancients?"

  "The witch Arinai and that brute Camulas," Badir spat out.

  James didn't know of Camulas. He hadn’t met him, but he certainly knew of Arinai. The word ancients made sense. To these men, even at 700 years of age, Arinai was much older.

  "I don't know what you're referring to," James replied calmly.

  "Don’t play with us, human," Badir spat. "We’re not to be trifled with. If those two are planning something, I can assure you that we'll learn of it."

  "Then you don't need me," James said, defiantly, although he felt a bit foolish. He knew either of these demons could kill him instantly, but with as crazy as his life was becoming, that idea didn't frighten him. In fact, he practically dared Badir with a glare.

  Drake held his hand up to calm the situation.