TALES OF THE WITCH CLAN
DEMON’S DEBACLE


     Khu Lim is the loveliest demoness in Southeast Asia. Her snowy white hair and fine blue skin luxuriated in the cold mountain air near the temple. She never tired of this place. It was a beautiful, ancient temple, tended well by its monks. Pilgrims would climb it’s Ten Thousand Steps every year for the privilege of praying so close to the gods.

Mostly, they pray to Lord Buddha these days, but some still name the Old Ones in their prayers. When Khu Lim heard a petition that moved her, she was not beyond granting a prayer. Not that anyone ever prayed to her, demons are secretive about their true names. Knowing such could give one power over another and she was careful not to let that happen.

For some, it would be worth the arduous climb. One had to be particularly determined to make such a hike up this mountain. Most mortals expired before they would ever get enough inspiration to haul their short lived carcasses to this holy place.

Khu Lim had no regard for such. Her icy gaze was reserved for those made of stronger stuff. Such a soul was approaching even now.

Up the notorious Ten Thousand Steps, leaden limbs burning from exertion, breath puffing through lips turned blue from the cold, thin air, trudged a tiny Vietnamese woman named, Yin Nguyen. She had traveled all the way from America to pay her respects to her dying grandfather. Her elder brother, An Nam, a Buddhist monk, had suggested this pilgrimage would be a worthy task for her. She would prove her Asian-ness to her family and pay a singular honor to her grandfather. She was a pretty woman, and inspite of her four foot, eleven inch stature, her willingness to take on difficult work hardened her twenty six year old frame considerably. She thought herself grotesque, but Khu Lim smiled on her beauty of spirit.

The demoness hovered near as Yin paid the prerequisite coin for the incense for her prayers and made her way into the holy site, bowing and chanting respectfully at every step. Breathing in, she tapped the ether of the mountain for the knowledge she might need. This was the benefit of this holy place. Little Yin was praying her heart out for her grandfather’s spirit and her family’s well being when Khu Lim erupted in a winter fury.

“That callous old wizard!” she howled furiously, “He lives his life, and makes his debts, and then shuffles them onto his granddaughter to endure for his own cowardice.”

Yin and the other pilgrims cringed in terror within the temple as the bitterly frigid wind shrieked outside. There was much concern with how the already tired petitioners would make it back down the mountain. But for the moment, Khu Lim would vent her rage in the elements. She knew that Yin’s grandfather was an Asian hedge wizard that had made some enemies in the Otherworld. When faced with a Kuei who would collect his blood debt, the old wizard made a pact to repay with one of his granddaughters, one born in the prestigious Year of the Snake. The Kuei would return to collect his debt after the wizard passed on. Of all the family, Yin was not allowed to read the family book of magick. It was determined by her grandfather, that she must not have the means to defend herself against the Kuei, who could only be fought by magickal means. As the debt was karmic, even Khu Lim could not stand in its way. If she had but a single ‘dong’ for every Asian male, who thought it only right to dump his bad karma on a lowly Asian woman, she could purchase Tibet. She was indignant, and would see to it that little Yin would have a fighting chance against the Kuei, albeit, indirectly.

Little Yin had no clue as to her grandfather’s treachery against her and was praying selflessly for his eternal well being. Khu Lim ceased her tirade and let the pilgrims leave in peace, but she would scrutinize Yin Nguyen’s life for possible allies against the Kuei. While Yin was making her way down the mountain, Khu Lim was searching her place of employment, half a world away, in upstate New York.

* * *

     Snapix Corporation was a city within a city. It’s cameras and film commanded a global market. Little Yin, worked in the pack center here as a light industrial assembly worker for T.E.M.P. Services. Among the co-workers, Khu Lim hoped to find someone she could inspire or empower to help. There were many humans from all walks of life and all parts of the world who came looking for the American dream, and wound up as cheap, expendable corporate labor.

She did not see much hope until the silver gleam of an enchanted medallion caught her eye. It was attached to the muscular neck of a very tall blond man, dressed in all black. His waist length braid snapping like a whip as he hefted a large wooden pallet onto a tall stack with one hand, while carrying a large roll of stretch wrap under his left arm to a wrapping machine. He was so casual with the cumbersome load as to be conspicuous. His six foot, five inch frame not withstanding, he made it look too easy for a human.

Khu Lim moved in among the humans gathered at his assembly line. A large portion of them were women, and she related to women very well. She would tap their minds for more information on this man. The short Hindi woman knew his name was Storm, and was attracted to him. He probably exploits these women for their labor, thought Khu Lim. Another thought he was a “biker”, but closer examination showed the tattoos on his forearms were not gang related, but Chinese power glyphs. This man was a master of some Chinese discipline, as much wizard as warrior, and certainly not a gangster. Two more women in the line were in fear, but of some other men, and not him. They felt protected in his crew. Khu Lim was excited at this prospect. She looked closer.

     The men everyone most feared were a muscle bound pair of work release parollees on the neighboring assembly crew. Tiny and Tito probably spent more time leering at, and propositioning the women than in actual labor. Some of these women had requested to work on Storm’s team, and he always seemed to give them their space in his line. They gave him their best work, and he gave them respect. On the corporate bulletin board, his crew was listed as one of the most productive in the pack center. His attitude was lucrative in corporate incentives paid to his entire crew. It appeared also, that many men feared the enigmatic biker-who-wasn’t. This might explain his casual way with loads that would strain a normal man. He was gently reminding men like these that they should give him due respect. In her own frosty way, Khu Lim was warming to this man already. She decided she would be paying him a visit later tonight.

* * *

     Tiny was in excess of six foot tall of powerfully built white trash. His corded neck muscles bulged threateningly out of the top of his tight black muscle shirt. His shaved head and broken nose further accented a face engraved with a perpetual scowl. His friend, Tito, was a light skinned Cubano, whom at five foot ten, massed at two hundred and eighty pounds of brawn with the deceptively lithe grace of a dancer in his movements. He was busted running cocaine on a ghetto street corner, and boasted some “connections.” Fancying himself a ladies man, he was eyeing a bright little Dominican cutie on Storm’s line and merengued on over to introduce himself to this lucky woman. Tiny was right beside him wearing what he probably construed as a smile, but was taken for a leer instead.

“Say, chiquita, may I introduce you to over two hundred pounds of love muscle?” Tito crooned obscenely.

“It’s ‘señora.’” the woman replied testily, “I have a man, and he is not you.”

“Oh, but you could be so lucky.” Tito continued unabashed, “If he is latino, then you are not his only woman, so you could have some time with me too. It’s only fair.”

“It would be fair,” Storm cut in unexpectedly, “If my crew could continue working at a rate that would make us all a bonus and people from other lines didn’t come over to socialize. We don’t get paid that well. That bonus is important to us all.”

“Man, we were just introducing ourselves to the help.” Tito complained, “You shouldn’t be such a hard ass, ya know?”

“If there’s not enough work on your line,” Storm retorted, “I can arrange to let you off early today. We’ve got work to do. You boys need to get busy, elsewhere.”

“For an old man,” Tiny cut in menacingly, “you could hurt yourself pushing so much weight around.”

“It’s so considerate of you lads,” Storm said sweetly, with steel gray eyes flashing, “to advise a poor, decrepit, frail, old fool like myself about my health.”

Smiling only with his lips and his gaze never wavering from Tiny’s eyes, he smoothly pulled an eighty pound CHEP pallette off the forks of an immobilized forklift with his left hand, and tossed it neatly onto a stack, six feet away.

“You ain’t natural.” Tiny said, shaking his head.

“Hey, we got some pallets to wrap and roll, man.” Tito observed, “We gotta go,” and he tugged at Tiny’s elbow to leave.

Khu Lim was feeling very good about little Yin’s prospects now. The Chinese glyphs gave her some thought that he might just find Asian women attractive. She would use this to pull him in. A big, protective male with Otherworld power against a Kuei. Khu Lim smiled to herself.

* * *

     It was late in the evening when Khu Lim made her appearance at Storm’s small apartment. He had just crawled into bed when the air in his bedroom became as frigid as the high mountain air. Frost glistened on his bedroom walls as he watched his breath escape as a fog.

“I have a visitor,” he said to no one in particular, “They might politely state their business before I become much too tired and cranky to be reasonable.”

Khu Lim appeared at his bedroom door, eyes glowing whitely. As she would never dream of introducing herself by name to a human, she allowed him a long look at her magnificence, to which he raised only one eyebrow and nodded.

“Do we have business, cousin?” Storm asked, without rising. One arm cradled his head with the other draped over the far side of the bed fingering the hilt of a scabbarded short sword.

Khu Lim smiled at him. Her fine white fangs glistened in the dim light. It was not so much ‘mirth’ in her smile as it was a means of communicating that her place on the cosmic food chain was significantly higher than that of a human, though he did amuse her. He then smiled back, stormy eyes flashing brightly and showing only slightly smaller canines of his own showing he was still not intimidated. He is a strong one, this one, she thought.

“I have a woman who needs your help,” Khu Lim stated.

“So a fine Sidhe like yourself can help her,” Storm replied indifferently.

“Karmic law dictates that I cannot personally intervene in this matter,” she went on. “But if you care about her, you can possibly save her. If not, she will not survive the year.”

“I’ve done the damsel-in-distress thing,” he retorted. “I’ve gotten worse wounds from the damsels than the dragons, thank you very much, Miss Ice Bitch.” He chuckled.

“She works in your factory.” Khu Lim pleaded, “Won’t you just look in on her to see if she’s alright?”

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt… but no promises,” Storm conceded.

“One promise only, and that is only if you agree to do this,” said the demoness, hiding her delight. “You can’t use your magick to charm her. You can only protect her because you honestly care to. Her curse is a deep one, and not lightly charmed away.”

“I’ll take it into consideration, as you say,” Storm replied. “Show me this woman that I might recognise her later.”

Khu Lim vanished and the wizard fell into a sound sleep. In his dreams he saw a tiny Asian woman with a pretty face smiling sweetly at him. As she moved closer, she reached up and put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He could feel her warm breath on his neck as she whispered something in his ear and kissed him. Long forgotten memories relentlessly whipped at his heart as he put his arms around her and they burst into flame but neither of them were consumed or hurt. He awoke with a start, his heart pounding like a hammer in his chest and the sweat of panic on his brow. He was troubled by the dream. Every night for a solid month he would have the same dream, in exactly the same way.

* * *

Khu Lim kept tabs on the wizard, Storm from a discreet distance. Yin would be returning from her grandfather’s funeral in Viet Nam and she wanted to be certain that Yin and the warrior wizard hit it off. She would leave nothing to chance. As Yin had no knowledge of asking for any personal favors and Storm didn’t know her name, she felt certain that she could not be held responsible for any action against the rightful claim of the Kuei.

* * *

     Yin and her elder brother arrived at the pack center on Monday morning. Both were assigned as QC’s, quality control auditors. They moved from assembly line to line, taking random samples of the work and inspecting for flaws or errors in packaging. The camera and film merchandisers were the chief product here.

When Yin had taken time off to return to Viet Nam on family matters, Storm was only a light industrial worker with T.E.M.P. Services. Now he was a very competitive line leader on the management core staff. He always wore plain, unbroken black. Never any Harley slogans or brand names visible. He wore it like it was a uniform he would not be caught out of and looked to be in his late thirties. If not for the white streaks in his ash blond hair, Yin would have figured him younger still. As it was, she miscalculated by about twenty years. She just couldn’t figure Caucasian men. She had to strain her neck, just to look up at him. He was friendly enough though. Most of the line leaders would get defensive about their work being critiqued, but Storm had no such compunctions. If his team had a problem, he seemed happy to see it fixed in short order. Yin found this refreshing. With only a few notable exceptions, everyone seemed to like the new guy. It was said that he had “the Samson thing goin’ on.”

* * *

     Martin Gorge was as corpulent as he was greedy. Nearly as wide as he was tall, he was morbidly obese. As a member of Snapix Corps planning committee he had power of making-a-living-or-not over these temporary laborers. People were quick to greet him when he walked by and just as quick to snicker behind their hands when he was out of range. If you played “yes man” to him, you were sure to be picked to work on his next project. He liked this arrangement.

Tito and Tiny were his greatest fans. They would laugh at all of his jokes and point out the sexiest babes in the plant when he was around. Martin liked the sexy babes, especially the young ones with the tight tummies. They were feasting their eyes on little Yin, who was bending over a pallet of disposable cameras when the Kuei found him.

* * *

     Khu Lim watched from her hiding place as the Kuei took possession of Martin Gorge to suit its purpose of blood debt. To be corporeal with all it’s inherent senses and the fat man’s excessive appetites greatly appealed to the wraithlike Kuei. For a single moment of disorientation, Martin fell forward and struck his chin on the table before him. Tiny and Tito quickly attempted to help but Martin sprang up and angrily batted the table out of his way. Khu Lim smiled that the Kuei’s first experience as a man was to feel pain and embarassment. Tiny and Tito looked at each other, their mouths forming “wow.”

     Yin looked over her shoulder at Martin rubbing his chin and eyeing her hungrily. Across the room, Storm paused a moment to test the air, as if something in the vicinity had changed. Steel gray eyes scanned the room and caught the look Martin was giving Yin.

“The game is on,” Storm said quietly, figuring Khu Lim would hear from her hiding place. “It’s big. She’s small and I’m not going to let it happen.”

He had taken a liking to Yin. She could hardly wait to see what this witch warrior might do next.

* * *

     Yin systematically made her way to Storm’s line. She was feeling very small and vulnerable and some instinct was telling her that Storm was just the man she would actually want to meet in a dark alley. He wasn’t likely to do her any harm and not about to allow anyone else to do so either. Many of the other women on his line had commented that he seemed a bit slow on the uptake and more than one query had arisen as to his sexual orientation. He would laugh at the ribald jokes and even share one or two of his own but he never came on to anyone. He had been out on Friday nights with the core staff but never drank more than one or two beers and was never seen with anyone at his arm. He said he was “happily divorced.” But what did that mean? Yin’s need for protection and curiosity about an unknown factor drove her to the “biker-who-was-not.”

“Is everything okay?” Storm asked, observing her discomfort.

“I don’t know,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “Those guys over by the bander give me the creeps.”

“Me too,” he said quietly.

A flash unit must have went off in the room. For the briefest moment Yin was sure she saw its reflection in his stormy gray eyes as he watched the men in question.

“You can see the whole room from up there, huh?” she joked, while craning her neck to look up at him.

“Don’t worry,” he said laughing. “If I feel any rain, I’ll let you know before you can get wet.”

She playfully punched him in the stomach and massaged her fist.

“Ow! What you got in there?” she asked.

“Just lunch,” he smiled. “It’s a high fiber diet.”

“You eat a tree or something?” she joked, shaking out her fingers.

* * *

     Khu Lim follwed the wizard home that night. Being the proverbial fly-on-the-wall, or in her case, a moth hiding on the haft of a dragon spear in Storm’s living room, she watched the wizard at work. To the human eye it would appear as though the wizard was relaxing in the darkened room. A single candle was lit, some gentle music played on the CD unit and the wizard sat alone in the dark staring calmly into a small quartz crystal sphere on his coffee table. The demoness knew the wizard was tapping his own ether for information to make his war. This was a good sign that he was taking the Kuei seriously. The gazing went on for the better part of an hour before a tall dark haired woman let herself in the formerly locked door. He has another woman?

“Hi Daddums!” the woman said cheerily. “I come over to see you.”

“I’m glad you did, Mel.” The wizard rose to meet her. “Your old Dad needs someone to talk to. I have some heavy concerns on my plate and I don’t think anyone else would be qualified to advise me on such matters.” So she is his daughter, Khu Lim concluded.

“There’s a woman about half my age,” he started, “and a demoness who wants her protected. I don’t trust the demoness. I wouldn’t even trust the woman but I don’t think anyone else could help her quite like I can.”

“Would you know her birthdate?” Mel asked.

“I knew you’d ask.” He smiled. “The staff members’ birthdays are posted in the shift supervisor’s cubicle. It’s June fourteenth. Her brother mentioned that she was a snake woman. That would make her about twenty four years younger than myself. What bothers me is that in Asian astrology, women born in the snake and pig years are invaluable. Many Asians wouldn’t think twice about aborting a girl child, but a snake woman is an exception. This woman’s curse smacks of a sacrifice. The creature hunting her is around even now. I feel it wants a bloody sacrifice and not just a plague of bad luck or something like that.”

“You love her, Daddums?” Mel asked, noting her father’s discomfort. “Never mind, I see the answer for myself. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t care enough to take this risk for her. She’s a Gemini and if you’re wondering, there’s something witchy about her but she’s not for you.”

“I would have thought I was not prone to the doddering charm of chasing women who are half my age,” he said bitterly.

“No, Daddums, that’s not it.” Mel continued, “It’s the Merlin Formula I’ve been researching all these years.”

“Ah, your fascination with all things ‘Merlin’,” her father said. “I promise, Mel, I’m just plain, old Storm. I’m not Merlin.”

“That’s not what I mean. We are fae creatures,” Mel insisted, “You know that. Humans follow stereotypes but faery creatures follow ‘archetypes’. That’s why we tend to come off as bigger-than-life. It’s in our nature, just as in a full blooded human’s nature, a stereotype may factor in their behavior, in ours, an archetype will influence our actions and reactions. Throughout history, there has always been a Merlin archetype. A half human wizard with an Otherwordly father. In this day and age, you are that archetype, and you will, without thinking, follow the appropriate behavior down to the last jot and tittle because fae creatures can’t balance their eccentricities against their humanity, simply because they don’t possess any. You can’t expect an air elemental to respond emotionally to anything, it’s a water trait and they have only the one set of traits. Likewise, a fire spirit will never exercise restraint, it is not in their nature. You will always behave as Merlin and do Merlin kinds of deeds because it is in your nature. Therefore, the Merlin Formula should be figured in anything you do simply because you are that archetype.”

“So, you are saying that Yin might be my Morgana Le Fay?” her father queried.

“Nope, that would be me,” she quipped. “After all, I’m fae like my Daddums. I think Yin could be your Vivian, if you allowed her to be. You will find yourself trapped behind walls of air, of your own making if you let the equation work itself out that way. You won’t have a love like other mortals enjoy but they will never know the kind of love you know either. It’s a magickal balance. A Gemini would be quick to love you and then, without hating you, leave you bound in your own chains. That’s her nature. She’s not a bad person but like you, she is what she is and both of you are lonely.”

“I’ve got my kids,” Storm said. “That’s more than Merlin was ever allowed in the past. So, I’ve managed to beat my own archetype to some degree anyway.”

“It cost you, Daddums,” Mel agreed. “It always costs you something. Speaking of which, let me give you my bill.”

She wrote a couple words on a post-it note, folded it and handed it to her father. He opened it and smiled, and put it in his pocket and hugged his daughter.

“It’s all worth it, my Morgana.” He chuckled, and kissed her forehead.

To Khu Lim, this was exciting news. It meant that Storm was motivated by love to protect Yin from the Kuei. This could argue for her personal karma. It probably wouldn’t work out well for the wizard as she understood but she was concerned for Yin Nguyen, not the wizard. He’d mend his broken heart and move on. If he survived at all. That was another thing. The wizard was cocky because he wasn’t completely human. The Kuei would not be likely to know that right off. The wizard would not be an easy kill for the demon Kuei and that surprise along with magickal defenses of this caliber could be its undoing. Khu Lim was feeling very smug.

* * *

     For most of the first year, Martin the Kuei had the odd thug attempt to make moves on Yin and even some other women on the lines. Storm applied his own kind of pressure and not much was made of it. The Kuei was satiating all sorts of appetites in Martin’s body. He was an eternal sort of creature and this one was temporal, he could afford to wait. Storm never seemed to exert any more force than was necessary. Khu Lim appreciated the wisdom of this. He and Yin had become fast friends. At lunch breaks Storm, herself and An Nam would sit together and share meals. As a monk, An Nam could eat no meat, so Storm prepared various meats Asian style to serve over rice for himself and Yin, and the monk would bring tofu and vegetable dishes. Khu Lim was pleased with her match making. Even she was beginning to like the hybrid wizard.

* * *

     The battle started subtily. The Kuei thought he might first raise Yin’s terror by attacking her in her dreams. As it was, she was dreaming of walking through an Asian market with Storm at her side. When it came at them in the guise of a grotesquely malformed Martin Gorge, it found itself with the point of a silvery double edged sword at its throat. When it tried to wrest the sword from Storm’s grip, it cut its palm on the very real blade. This confused the Kuei no end. Khu Lim watched and delighted in the spectacle.

The following morning, Martin arrived at work in a foul mood, his hand wrapped in a large gauze bandage. Yin noticed, but didn’t seem to remember the dream. Storm, on the other hand, remembered everything. Martin glared at Storm as he waddled past him, but Storm just shook his head in the negative.

The next day, Martin had taken the day off for medical reasons. His pet goons, Tito and Tiny had court dates. Storm relaxed and concentrated on running his line. His worst problem was a migraine headache. Khu Lim noticed him rubbing his temples and just before lunch time, she saw the Kuei in spirit form sink its enormous fangs into Storm’s skull. He just dismissed his crew for lunch, when he went pale and slumped to the work table he was standing at. For a moment, Khu Lim thought all might be lost but another senior staff member came upon the unconscious Storm and called the company paramedics.

Storm was semi comatose for the next five days. His daughter woke him, fed him and let him return to sleep all of that time. During this time, the Kuei had no rest. As Storm, not being tied to his own body in this state attacked the Kuei relentlessly. He fought with demonic fury, but then, both of them were exactly that. The Kuei tried to shake Storm’s confidence at one point as they were circling each other warily.

“I have a blood debt with this woman that is my lawful due,” the Kuei growled. “I have no feud with you. You interfere at your own peril. Leave now, and leave me to my prize and I’ll let you live in peace.”

“There's this one thing that ruins your offer,” replied Storm.

“What could that be?” snorted the Kuei.

“Well, actually two things,” quipped the wizard. “First, I know it’s not my time to die. I need not bargain for what you can’t take. Secondly, I have a feud against you. Yin is my beloved friend. That gives me just cause. Haven’t you heard that ’love conquers all?’”

After five solid days of battle, Storm had to return to his healing body and resume making his wages. Martin would be out for another month. This was propitious because Storm looked like he had been altogether too close to death and he needed the time to regain his strength. Khu Lim was impressed with the hybrid. Even a full blooded demon takes care not to interfere with a Kuei collecting a blood debt. They are instruments of karma and entitled to their due.

* * *

     Many months went by. Storm and Yin were occasionally seeing each other after work for dinner and a movie or a company picnic. On their short days, sometimes Yin would go to Storm’s apartment and they would play computer games on his daughter’s ‘X-Box’ together. As always, Storm would sit in a chair and Yin sat alone on the couch. It was considered most improper for a single Asian woman to be alone in a man’s apartment. But for Storm’s ancient sense of honor, aside from occasionally referring to each other as ‘sweetheart,‘ there would be no improprieties. For her birthday, Storm had bought her a white gold necklace with a star pendant. It glowed to Khu Lim’s sight but it was not so much “charmed” as it carried Storm’s psychic signature. It was a cosmic version of the sign that says: “THESE PREMISES PROTECTED BY…” and nothing more.

Shortly after this, Yin began to miss some days at work. She was spending many nights at the hospital with her five year old niece who was suddenly stricken by seizures. The doctors were trying franticly to find a medication that would arrest them but when they struck they got worse and worse, taking more out of her little niece. Storm suspected the Kuei might be attacking the niece in place of Yin. Not being Asian and not being a family member, Storm was helplessly out of the loop. Regardless, it was not possible to protect them all.

At work, it seemed that Yin’s fears were over, except for her young niece. No more threats as Martin and his thugs were preoccupied in the new digital camera section of the pack center. Months went by and coworkers wondered when this relationship might move to the next level.

Problems came in the form of a handsome young Vietnamese man named, Lam Bing. Lam was about thirty years old and had a wife in Viet Nam he was working to bring over. He wasn’t in any big hurry to do even that as he was flirting with anything that he could talk to. He bragged in the men’s lounge that in a week or two at most, he would bang pretty Yin’s little, yellow bottom like a Salvation Army drum. Storm was annoyed, but having no formal claim on Yin’s affections other than friendship, he was in no good place to argue. He also hoped that Yin would have the sense about things she’d always shown in the past. She was half his age but he respected her. Maybe Lam would learn respect. That was doubtful.

Lam started taking his lunch with Storm, Yin and An Nam. With the exception of Storm, everyone referred to it as “the Asian table,“ an Asian smorgasbord set for mealtime every work day. In a few days, Yin, Lam and An Nam were speaking less English in Storm’s presence. Where before, someone would translate a little to include Storm in the conversation or speak mostly English, it began to be where English was hardly spoken at all. Storm would sit quietly, looking back and forth at the speakers, picking out what he could in his limited Vietnamese. Lam had even commented that Yin’s white boyfriend looked out of place at this table. To which, Yin had replied that they were merely ‘friends’ and that Yin would never enter a serious relationship with an ugly old white man. Even Storm laughed at that but his heart was obviously not in it. Within a week, they would all get up to go to the smoke hut, a designated smoking spot for employees, leaving Storm to himself in the break room, having his lunch alone. Many who had assumed that Storm and Yin were lovers could not understand the giant’s meekness at allowing the little Asian peacock spiriting away his girl right from under his nose.

“My job is over, Ice Bitch,” Storm said quietly, knowing she would hear. “I’ve kept my end of the bargain and for well over a year I‘ve protected her.”

“If you stop, the Kuei may return,” the demoness insisted.

“Since her hormones went snapping after another woman’s husband,” the wizard remarked irritably, “you know I have no hold on her romantic notions. Your dreams were false from the beginning. You intended to lure me into a battle you never thought I could win to satisfy what end?”

“I told you I may not intervene, and I haven’t.,” Khu Lim lied. “What you thought or dreamed is your own affair. You don’t even know me. Who are you to say such things?”
“

I am Storm, Ice Bitch,” the wizard said, fishing though his pocket and finding a familiar folded post-it note. He opened it and read two words: KHU LIM. “And this would be your name on this paper here? Oh, don’t answer, I already know. I know the full value of having such a thing in my possession. The nice thing about being only half demon, is that I’m not inclined to underestimate my opponents. You need not tell me your name. I don’t really care. But you must tell me the why of this or I will plague your every step.”

Khu Lim had no fear. She was incapable of it. What she had was respect and no doubt the wizard would make good on his promise. At this point, the truth might serve her just as well, if the wizard sympathized.

“Yin comes from an Asian witch clan. But she is untaught in the ways of magick. Her grandfather was a wizard of some little renown and got himself into a blood debt with the Kuei. To save his own miserable hide, he promised the Kuei his baby granddaughter of the Year of the Snake. The Kuei accepted. The child was not allowed to develop as a witch for fear that she might spoil the Kuei’s amusement with her. I found Yin at my temple, praying for her family’s well being, oblivious to the fact that they had betrayed her. I admit I meddled but it was the right thing to do. She was a woman of a strong spirit and a pure heart. In my place, you would have done the same, cousin.”

“I might at that,” Storm admitted. “But our sweet Polly Pureheart is about to knowingly have an assignation with another woman’s husband. Coupled with a complete rejection of my own friendship, I’d say she doesn’t have the chance of a karmic snowflake in hell. Neither you or I can save a fool from themselves. You implied a year and I gave almost two. Not that I begrudge a moment of it but I was her friend, not her fool. If her chosen friend, Lam Bing, and brother An Nam can’t help her, she can’t be helped. I will not stop the collection of a lawful debt, though I feel that I am owed one.”

“I will pay you whatever is in my power, cousin,” Khu Lim acquiesced.

“I didn’t mean you,” Storm replied, tossing the crumpled note in a trash bin. “I seem to have lost that piece of paper and can’t remember what was written on it anyway. The Kuei and I may have to work some things out later.” Stormy eyes flashed ominously, and distant thunder rumbled.

* * *

     Another month had passed and Yin’s work was suffering from her preoccupation with Lam Bing. Storm had just walked into the men’s lounge when he noticed the activity. Lam was collecting a gambling debt from Tiny and lurching around the men’s room chanting: “Like a Salvation Army drum, baby!”

Storm already knew what that meant. Yin’s time was short and the Kuei’s appetite was ravenous. Martin approached him later that day.

“Lost your little yellow girlfriend, eh, old man?” Martin cooed. “Now maybe you’ll see things my way. No more rubbish about ’love conquering all?’ Only in cheap movies, my friend.” Storm’s eyes were flashing like strobe lights, and his voice hardly more than an animal growl.

“I’m not your friend,” the wizard growled menacingly. “You collect your debt, and I’ll collect mine. Neervallat. It will not go well for you, corpulent one.”

Martin moved away with a puzzled frown on his face. It didn’t last long. Yin was coming over to work late on the digital line with Lam tonight. The thought of the night’s festivities made him drool on his shirt. He hastily wiped his mouth on his sleeve and sought out Tiny and Tito for some overtime tonight. They were to help him move out two truckloads of digital cameras. Tito’s connections would pay off for all of them.

* * *

     It was late and the pack center was nearly abandoned. Yin and Lam were finishing their last pallet of digital cameras. Lam would wrap the pallets and roll them into the warehouse on a pallet jack. Tiny would pick them up with a forklift and load them into the awaiting trucks. Martin was transferring accounting data back and forth in the computer to lose the truckloads of cameras and the overtime hours in the system. He was looking forward to the celebration when the trucks were loaded. Khu Lim watched in tears, knowing what was coming.

Yin was finishing writing her line sheets on the cameras they packed when she noticed that Lam had left without her. Tito was letting him out the security carousel and looking in her direction smiling. She grabbed her coat and tried to catch up to Lam, when Tito’s muscular arm shot out and dragged her with him into the warehouse. Yin fought and screamed but it was useless. In the warehouse Tiny came forward and tore off Yin’s coat in a single swipe of his powerful arm. Her Snapix Corp. tee shirt tore off with it. The men stretched her across a pallet of corrugated cardboard and began cutting off her clothing not caring how much skin they cut with it, their distorted features leering at her bloody nakedness. Yin cried, panic stricken.

“What you guys doing?” she sobbed. “I done nothing to you. Why you got to do this to me for?”

A naked Martin Gorge stood before her as the men held her down, obscene rolls of blubber quivering in anticipation. His mouth drooling uncontrollably.

“It’s obvious, my sweet,” he gloated, “because I can!”

Khu Lim stayed through to Yin’s last breath. She would not let her die alone. Her demonic fury quenched itself, knowing Storm was just as passionate about collecting his own debt. If what she had surmised about the wizard was true, none of these creatures would see the sunrise intact.

* * *

     The men were in high spirits as they climbed into the big rigs. At thirty thousand dollars, wholesale value, a pallet, and forty pallets per truck, the pay off would be almost two and a half million dollars free and clear. Tito’s connections would distribute the expensive little cameras. Fortunes would be made this night. Martin climbed up into the rig with Tito and they were about to pull out. A flicker of lightning flashed and rain began to fall on the windshields. The trucks were engaged in first gear but would not move forward. The men looked at each other puzzled.

“CHOCKS!” Tito said. “I forgot to remove the wheel chocks. That’s all.”

Tito and Tiny climbed down to inspect their wheels only to find that not just the trailers but ALL the wheels had been wedged tightly with chocks.

“Whose idea of a joke is this?” Tiny grumbled, trying to pull the chocks loose.

“That would be mine,” a voice came from a large dark figure standing in the open lot before them. “I’m funny that way.” A black clad figure in a broad brimmed hat and long, black leather duster strode forward in the rain into the truck headlights.

“See how much you like this, funny guy!” Tito exclaimed as he pulled a nine millimeter Glock out of his jacket to fire. The figure whirled to fox the aim. A metallic click and the shriek of razor sharp steel whistling through the air came in rapid succession. Tiny looked quickly at Tito only to see that his forehead had suddenly sprouted a wicked looking triple hook bladed knife and Tito’s eyes rolled back into his head as he slumped to the pavement. Glancing quickly back to the leather clad wraith, his own gun in hand, Tiny looked up into Storm’s face. The wizard had already closed the distance and a powerful left hand pushed his aim wide as a rigid right index finger buried itself in his eye socket up to its knuckle and into his brain. Tiny’s body went rigid and fell to the ground in a paroxysm of spasms.

Martin had climbed out of the big rig into the rain. He didn’t like getting wet, not with cold water anyways. He had a gun in one hand, and a white gold necklace with a glowing star pendant clutched in the other as he noticed Tito’s corpse. Turning to the right, he spied Tiny’s twitching form on the pavement. The lightning was raging. It’s bright strobe making it difficult for Martin to pick out a dark figure moving towards him. Martin fired three rapid shots at the deadly wraith.

“I’ve come to collect my debt now, Martin Kuei,” Storm’s voice came out of the darkness and pouring rain.
Martin saw him standing in the truck’s beams and began firing wildly. The big black duster billowed in the wind as the wizard leaped at him. A steel hard left foot kicked out and broke his wrist making the gun tumble from his grasp. A hard right knee slammed out of the night sky, shattering his left collar bone and knocking the huge man onto his back. The dark Sidhe crouched over the quivering fat man for only a moment.

“I was collecting my lawful blood debt!” Martin squealed. “Why do you have to take this so personal? It has nothing to do with you!”

Lightning flashed in eyes hidden in the darkness beneath the broad brimmed hat and echoed in the stormy night skies above. A voice, only remotely human thundered:

“BECAUSE I CAN!”

* * *

     The tiny corporate soul of Martin, and the larger Kuei spirit hurtled their separate ways through space and time to the Lower Planes. The cosmic trash heap, Gehenna, for Martin, and the dreadful waiting place, Tartarus, for the Kuei. Khu Lim went back to her temple to reflect on eternal things. Held tenderly in the palm of her hand was a tiny, glowing, white star pendant on a white gold chain with the luminescent pearl of a human soul in its center. It was all she could do.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 29.01.2010

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