FSE

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"Maybe you went overboard?" I asked looking at what had been a white floor. Now it was covered with phrases of a complexity I'd only seen in Max's home. His house's protection was powered by magic and the phrases there did the job of soaking up some of the sexual energy and distributing it around to the phrases. I've only seen it while out of my body since the phrases were part of the walls, put there when the house was built; it was an impressive sight.

Fred glared at me. "Do you have any idea what we're trying to do here?"

"Find my son," I stated. That took some of the anger out of his voice.

"Yes, but do you understand what's needed to do that? We're going up against an unknown magic. Don't give me that look, those books barely had anything of help. My ability isn't innate knowledge of all things magical. If I can't research it, I can't know about it."

"Damian can--"

"One, he isn't here. He and Tom took off when it because clear fighting was going to happen, and two, I wouldn't trust anything he says unless I could confirm it with someone else, which I can't. So I wrote this trying to account for an unknown number of unknown variables."

"No wonder you were on your back all that time," Arnold said, "there's got to be two man's worth of blood on the floor." He patted my shoulder. "You have fun, I'm going to see if I can sneak out and--"

"Don't go anywhere," Fred told him. "I need you here too."

"I'm not giving any blood."

"I don't need any."

"Then why do you need me? I have better things to do than watch Brislow do whatever you're going to have him do with those."

"I need you because it occurred to me Denton doesn't know the city. I am pretty certain the phrases here--" he indicated a section of the floor-- "will allow him to find out where Edward is hidden."

"Pretty certain?" I asked.

"Did you not hear 'unknown variable'? I can't be certain of anything here. Those should keep you protected against anything targeting you directly, and this will compensate for the fact you only see magic when out of your body. You need to see the city to get an idea of where they are hidden, right?" He added at my incredulous expression.

"You're the expert," I replied.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Then why are you questioning the worth of my work?"

"'Cause he's an asshole," Arnold answered. "But I don't see how I can help. He's the one who's going to be going all that. Sure, I know the city, but I'm going to be out here."

Fred shook his head and carefully stepped among the sigils. He looked around them and indicated a clear spot. "You're going to side here. The phrases will--"

"I'm not sitting in there," Arnold said.

"You have to," Fred replied. "You'll see what Dent sees, so you'll be able to tell where they are hidden, but you're also going to be his anchor. Part of the unknowns is the possibility the magic will interact in such a way he can't find his way back. Frank was going to be his anchor, but as I said, I realized none of us know San Francisco, so you're the best choice."

"Any of my other brothers know the city. Fuck, some of Adam's men know it better than any of us."

"But none of them has fucked me," I stated.

"I don't get how that's got anything to do with this," Arnold said.

"It's a magic thing," Fred replied.

"I fucking know it's a magic thing." Arnold indicated the floor. "That's making it fucking clear. So stop treating me like I'm too dumb to understand and explain it to me."

"You came in me," I said, "so we're connected. If you had an ability that let you affect someone else, you'd have an easy time affecting me because of that, but the link does go both ways. I couldn't affect you, but I'll be able to trace it back to you and my body."

Arnold looked at me and a smile formed. "So, if I wanted to influence you, you wouldn't be able to resist me?"

"Probably," Fred said.

"Don't even think of trying it," I said.

Arnold grinned. "Does that apply to anyone I fucked?"

"Only in the last day or two," Fred answered. "Their life force will break down the magic within that time. Isn't the point moot, since you already fucked them?"

"No, you said getting my cum in them. I don't have to fuck them for that."

"Don't underestimate how cunning Arnold is," I said. "For a brute." The tiger glared at me. "But how about we get this going? I want Eddy back home as soon as possible."

"Arnold, watch where you step and come sit here. Dent you--"

"The center spot, yep, figured as much." I reached it and sat.

"Now what?" Arnold asked as Fred stepped out of the phrase.

"Think horny thoughts," I replied, closing my eyes.

"So you begging me to fuck him, got it."

"You're the one who came to me, asking to fuck me," I said. "Don't confuse who was desperate for it here."

"You wish. I was doing my civic duty in helping you replenish your strength."

"Sure because--"

"Guys," Fred interrupted me. "Unless this blame-shifting is turning you on, stop it. Edward isn't getting any safer."

Fred was right. I put Arnold out of my mind and focused on Colby touching me, the feel of his cock under my tail.

"What the fuck?" Arnold said. He sounded different, but I knew it was him.

I was outside my body, but he was there too. Not sitting within the phrase, but standing at my side, power swirling inside him. I stared. That wasn't how I saw his magic when I looked at him out of my body. I could feel the power contained inside him radiating out. Demanding to be let out, to engulf everything. A storm wanting to be set free.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He startled and looked at me, then covered his eyes. "Where are we? What's this place? Why the fuck are you so bright?"

I looked at myself. I was no brighter than I'd even been. "I have no idea what you're talking about me being bright, but I'm outside my body, you shouldn't be here."

"No fuck. I'm going to snap the lion's neck for pulling this on me."

"He didn't know."

"Don't fucking give me that!" His energy flared in my direction, but parted before reaching me, flowing around me, instead of through me.

"He didn't. Fred would have told us about this if he expected it to happen."

"Fine, how do I get back?"

"Just follow the--" where the fuck was my thread? There. I relaxed. It was faint, but there and it went to... Arnold. I couldn't feel it beyond him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Please tell me you can feel your thread going back to your body."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

Oh, we were so fucked.

Calm, I had to stay calm. Panicking would only make things worse. At least we were still--

"Come on!" I yelled at the 'sky'. Now that I focused around me I could see we were outside, small houses, families in the backyards playing, or inside eating or doing chores. This looked nothing like the area with Arnold's building had stood. Couldn't one thing at least go my way? Now we were really fucked if Arnold was as cut off from his body as I was.

"This is pretty cool." Arnold said, looking at a man playing freebie with a teen. "You can peep on anyone you want this way. And they're all naked too. This guy's ass needs to be tapped."

"Damn it, Arnold, focus."

He grinned at me. "I am." He tapped the man's ass and his hand went through the body. "Well this sucks. How do I go him this way?"

"Stop thinking about fucking someone without their consent, I thought you have to fight them or something."

"It's better that way, but I'm not going to say no to a nice ass."

"Well, we don't have the time. There is a thread between us, can you see it? Or sense it? Can you tell that it's there?"

"You mean this?" He reached for the threat connecting us.

"Don't touch--"

He grabbed it and gave it a tug.

"--it." I was next to him.

He grinned. "Well, that's useful, I don't have to worry about you running off the next time I want to fuck you."

I could feel the energy radiating off him, and this close some of it made it through my aura? My brightness? Whatever it was, it couldn't keep all of it out and I was getting turned on. I backed away. He made to tug on the thread, his grin wide.

"Don't," I warned. "Damn it, Arnold, this isn't a game. We need to work out what's going on if we don't want to be stuck here." The horniness receded with the distance. Was this because of the phrase? Or was he, were the Orrs so sexually energetic they radiated it? Fred was going to have a field day with that if I told him.

To his credit, Arnold grew serious. "Can't you just will yourself to go back to your body?"

"I have to touch my thread and will myself there, but I can't feel it beyond you. When Fred said you'd be my anchor, I'm not sure he realized how literal he was. So can you feel a thread going away from us? Anything that might connect you to your body in the distance?"

Arnold looked around then reached for something I didn't see.

The world twisted, and I had to fight to keep my stomach from escaping even if I was still out of my body. Fuck, it had never been like that before. I was going to have words with Fred after this.

"It worked," Arnold said. "How do I get back in from here?"

We were inside the phrase, it's light not the intense thing I expected from what I'd seen at Max's. This was dim, but pervasive. Not only soaking through my, and Arnold's, real-world bodies, but covering them like threads tying us to it. There was something uncomfortable about that.

I reached to pull the magical threads away and stopped. We were back here. So we weren't lost. "Don't try it."

"Look this is fun and all but--"

"Arnold, we confirmed we can come back, that means we can go find my son and get back with the information. Once we have it, we can worry about getting back to our bodies."

"What if we can't? That thing doesn't look like it's interested in letting go."

"We'll deal with it then. Right now Eddy's is who's important."

Arnold nodded. "How do we do this?"

Like I had any idea how this worked. Okay, what Fred did was based on the concept that I was linked to Eddy by the fact he was my son, we shared our blood and there was nothing more powerful than this bond.

But I didn't see or feel any other thread, so that wasn't how I'd find him. Alright. Oscar's ability depended on his ability to conjure up who he wanted to see. Having something of that person made it easier. What did I have of Eddy? Nothing other than our connection. Hopefully my memory would be enough.

I visualized him, his small form in my arms, his gurgling how he nibbled on my finger, the joy as watching him, the sense of possessiveness the need to keep him safe.

The world twisted and this time I was on my knees, retching nothingness.

"Fuck," Arnold cursed. "What did you do?" I looked up, and he had his hands on his knees, looking like he's been kicked in the stomach.

He was the only thing I could see. I stood. No, I could barely make out buildings around us. This was even dimmer than my usual out-of-body sight. As if a veil was over everything.

And while I couldn't see anyone other than Arnold, I could sense Eddy. His presence was faint, but somewhere ahead of me. I took a step and encountered a wall. Eddy was behind it. I slammed my hand on it, but nothing happened.

Okay, if I couldn't go in, I needed to figure out where we were.

"Can you tell where this is?"

"I can't see anything, how do you expect me to know that?"

"Damn it Arnold, focus, the real world's just fainter, it's still there. I can make out the outline of buildings. You can too."

"Sure, but that's not enough to tell me where we are. I'm guessing a housing neighborhood by the shapes of what I can make out, but there're hundreds of them in the city. Without seeing details, I can't tell anything else."

"Damn it! Eddy's in that building. We did this to figure out where this is. Don't fucking tell me you can't do your part!"

"So we go in."

"There's a wall. Probably the actual magic and the rest of this is a side effect, something like spillover."

Arnold pressed a hand on the wall. "Okay, so there's a wall. You're going to let that stop you?"

"Do you see Colby anywhere around?"

"That's the armadillo, right?"

"Yes, if he was here, I'd be able to tap his strength, not that I expect it would help, this is magic, not a physical wall."

"That magic thing, that's what we see, right? When I was see that dad with his kid, I was seeing the magic in them."

"No, you saw them because the phrase Fred wrote alters my perception. Normally I wouldn't see them as anything but outlines. They don't have magic. I'd see you, in the building the phrase, the others who have magic."

"And we don't see this wall because it's another form of magic."

"More like it's blocking magic, I think. I can see other faction's magic when I'm here."

"And the brighter it is, the more powerful it is?"

"I think so. I haven't run any experiment to see how different power lever register. You are a lot brighter than anyone I've seen, but you're also brighter than how you normally register to me. I think that when you're in your body, it's keeping it contained, or masking some of it from my sight."

"So doesn't the fact you're brighter than the noon sun mean you're more powerful than anyone out there?"

"I'm not that bright."

"Brislow, I can barely look at you. So how about you take that power and cut a hole through this wall?"

I wanted to deny what he said, I didn't see myself as any brighter, but he did have a point that I could at least try. I place a finger against the wall and focused as my energy in the tip. Immediately I knew it wouldn't work. The power spread over the wall, not finding any purchase. I also didn't feel any of my power drain away.

"No good. That thing's like Teflon, smooth and glassy, my power just glides over it."

"What do you mean smooth?" Arnold was running a hand over it. "This thing's pockmarked. They aren't big, but I can feel the holes in it."

How could he feel the wall differently? A wall was a wall, wasn't it? Or did magic change those rules at well?

"Can you pour power in it? Burn through it?" I started to explain how I moved the power around my body, but it was already collecting around Arnold's hand, a storm of power casting about for something to destroy, and it found it within the wall. I saw it burn some of it away.

"So you couldn't do this?" Arnold said smugly. Then his smile vanished. "Something's wrong." He tried to pull away, but his hand kept sinking in. "Fuck, something's got me."

I grabbed his arm and pulled, but he was going in faster now, he was in to his elbow.

"Brislow, you need to let go, whatever this is you can't let it drag you in too."

"Fuck that. I'm not letting it take you." I pulled harder. "I don't abandon my friends." I braced a foot against the wall, and it sank it too. "Fuck."

Before I could add anything else, the wall was gone.

"So we're friends now?" Arnold asked.

I looked around. The wall was behind me. "Don't worry about that. I don't think I'll ever be able to stand your arrogant ass long enough to be friends."

I could see things now. Still not as clearly as before we were against the wall, but better. This was closer to my normal sight. I could see forms in the distance and I ran to them.

"Brislow!" Arnold called

I stood next to a small form filled with power. I could just make out the cardboard box they'd put Eddy in. "Hey buddy, daddy's here. Everything's going to be okay." I ran a finger against his cheek, imagining I could feel the short fur and Eddy reached for my finger.

I pulled away in surprise and my son's tiny hand reached higher. I lowered my finger, and he tried to close his around it, passing through. As I moved my finger before him, his hands continued to follow it.

"Having fun with your kid?"

"Holy fuck!" I jumped, and because my fucking subconscious loved not making sense, I was clinging to the opposite wall, near the ceiling. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Arnold chuckled and looked at Eddy. "You're the one who ran off. So that's your kid? He's pretty bright." He moved a finger in front of my son.

"Very funny," I walked down the wall and tested the floor. It felt like it was right side up.

"Can any of them see us?" Arnold asked.

"If they could, they wouldn't be going about their business like they are." There were a dozen people, all of whom were marked in some fashion, but one of them was clearly Arnold's father, He glowed magic. "Which one is he?" His magic wasn't the same as Damian, the color was different and under the red of the mark I could make out movement, like storm clouds that reminded me of the way Arnold's magic swirled around him. Maybe Damian was hiding some of his strength? That's be like him, lying to me about what he could do.

"I have no idea. I couldn't tell them apart when they gave me orders, looking at him this way I can't even tell he's my father. What surprises me is that he's alone. Those two never split up."

"Being on the run must have changed how they work. Can you tell where we are?"

"No, this is just a generic inside of a building. It supports this is some sort of apartment building. But no idea where it is in the city. Can we take down the wall, now that we're inside it?"

"If we can locate the source, sure."

"You mean that dark thing over there radiating up?"

I looked where he pointed and further in the building was a design on the floor radiating dark red, and from it darkness flowed up.

"I'm going to say yes." I looked at Eddy again. "Daddy's going to be right back."

Arnold snickered.

"You just wait until you hold your son on your arms and see how mature you sound." I left the room through the wall.

"I'm never going to sound that childish."

"Whatever you say, tough guy." I crouched next to the symbols. I didn't recognize them, but I felt the energy radiating from them.

"Well?"

"I know less about this than Fred does. I didn't even know they were able to write phrases on a floor like this. I thought bodies were all they could mark."

"So how do we take it down so we can find this place?"

I pushed power into my hand. "The only way I know of is to overload it."

"Is that safe?"

I snorted. "Nothing about this feels safe, but at least now I know how much to keep back so I won't kill myself. So just watch for the light show."

I placed my hand on the closest symbol and pushed power in it. The dark red lightened, and I pushed more, and more, cursing when it seemed to take what I was pushing in and only continue lightening. I'd expected cracks to appear in them by now.

"This isn't going to work." I tried to move my hand, but it was stuck in place. "Fuck."

"Brislow?"

"I'm stuck." I pulled back on the power I was feeding it, and nothing happened. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Brislow, something's happening."

"I know. I'm stuck and I can't break the energy contact."

"Not what I mean."

I glanced at him and he pointed to where we'd come from. His father was running in our direction, using the hallway. "Fuck, of course he's felt that."

"What do you mean?"

"He made it, so he feels what's happening to it."

"Couldn't you have thought about that before?"

"Probably. It isn't like he can do anything to us."

"How certain of that are you?"

Not entirely, I admitted to myself. If I couldn't break the contact and stop the flow of energy, I only had one other option and fuck I hoped it wouldn't kill me.

I feed all the power I had into the mark.

It grew past red into white.

And then everything went black.