The Infiniti Council - Chapter 7: Love and Anguish

[Nathan Saniti]

The Infiniti Council: Chapter 7 - Love and Anguish

He was a sight to behold. In his current state of mind, Nathan was completely oblivious to his outward appearance. It was the furthest thing from his mind. (Only several light years past Alpha Centauri in the grand scheme of things, but that's not the point.) His exposed skin looked to be a jigsaw puzzle of different shades of white, the patches swirling about his hide restlessly as his hand cradled that of his beloved Kelli Starr.

The steady beep of the heart monitor added no comfort to the man softly weeping at her side, the disinfectant smell did nothing to quell the criss-crossing fury and lament plaguing the skull just under the calico locks as they danced about, some black, some orange, a sliver of silver thrown in to boggle the mind of the onlooker. Cascades of torment fell from his yellow left eye, while the right iris glowed a lava red, encircled by a blackness that seemed to cause his eye to sink further into his head with each breath.

"I should have been there for you, my love," wept Nathan, gently sealing the statement with a kiss to Kelli's clammy hand. "I swore to protect you against any threat. I failed."

"Oh, please," stated N. Saniti, his raspy voice dripping with an acidic venom potent enough to burn through his own soul. "If you weren't so afraid of utilizing your full power on those... Humans..." The word fell out of his mouth with such a distaste, as if it left a tarry aftertaste, that even he was taken aback. "Those two hired goons of Alexa's shouldn't have been able to hold you at bay."

"But they did, and my dearest suffered the consequences of my inaction."

"Stop your blubbering, you weak willed fool!" exclaimed N. Saniti. "You are the Nightmare King, for crying out loud, not some whiny, twitterpated, schoolboy with a skinned knee! Start acting the part."

"Miss Black will pay for her trespasses," added Nathan, ending his waterworks abruptly. The rage grew on the otherwise more depressed half of his face. "I will teach her that she is neither ten foot tall nor bulletproof."

"Finally! Something we can agree upon!" N. Saniti puzzled for a second or two. "She sees our power as nothing more than parlor tricks. She's no doubt out celebrating with her new sidekicks."

"Indeed. The Shaw Brothers, I believe they were called. They will have to be neutralized first."

"Let's see just how brave a face Alexa can keep when her backup isn't there."

"Should I have my way," hissed Nathan, "She shan't have a face at all for long."

"Now you're talking some sense," prodded N. Saniti. "We'll peel it off with a rusted paperclip." He paused, his demonic eyes growing ever more gleefully sadistic. "HATPINS! We will need more hatpins!"

"What on earth for?"

"We promised her that if she carried through with her plans to attack Kelli, we'd answer by sticking a pin in every nerve cluster in her body in alphabetical order."

"Agreed," stated Nathan wholeheartedly. "And then I shall finally..."

"...Put that mad bitch down like the dog she is." N. Saniti, snickering maniacally.

A hand lit softly on his shoulder, causing him to shrink back with alarm. Naomi and Rasputin stood behind him, solemn looks across their faces. His eyes shifted back and forth, returning to normal as he pondered just how much of that conversation the new guests had been privy to.

"Nathan, Kelli wouldn't want you to be like this," soothed his sister, cupping his chin in her hand.

He turned away in shame, but his heart was resolute as he stood, releasing Kelli's hand for the first time since the incident. His back to the newcomers, he lifted his posture upright. "Miss Black has stepped out of line. She needs a very painful lesson."

Rasputin stepped up to Nathan, a stern look in his eyes. "My friend, I know the pain you feel deep in your soul, but you simply CANNOT give in to this Wrath. You MUST not. For my zaichik."

"For yourself," added an unseen female voice.

The privacy curtain surrounding the bed billowed in an invisible wind. A curvy woman clad in a near-floor-length white skirt, white button up blouse and a knitted black shawl draped over her shoulders materialized from thin air. Her piercing blue eyes softened with love and understanding as she fixed her gaze on Nathan. Her mid-back length flawless blonde hair wavered to rest as her movement stopped.

Nathan grew wide-eyed with horror at the new interloper. "The... White Witch?" He spun in a panic to Naomi and Rasputin. "You brought the White Witch?"

"It was the only way," indicated Naomi.

Absolute terror set in as his mind processed what he knew was going on. "NO! You can't! Kelli can't die!" Nathan covered Kelli's body protectively.

As if in response to the conversation, the blips of the heart monitor became erratic. Rasputin and Naomi clasped Nathan, struggling to stand him out of the way. "I'm sorry, Nathan. I need the room NOW!"

The White Witch gave a flourish at the Mystical Madman, whisking him away to an unknown land. She leaned in, kissing Kelli on the forehead as the monitor flatlined. "You have visitors. We have something to talk to you about."

The medical equipment droned on, fading from Nathan's earshot as he clasped at the very air in an attempt to stay by his love's side. When he stopped moving, he bellowed his frustration at the top of his lungs. Falling to his knees, he held his head in his hand, practically tearing at his own features in an attempt to awaken from this nightmare, or reality, whichever it was.

Again, he howled his anguish to a space full of absolutely nothing. He was trapped in a world where nothing existed, as blank as a sheet of paper awaiting a Creator's words. His cries fell silent. There was nothing to kick, nothing to punch. All around him, there was nothing, and he knew in his heart that when the White Witch deemed it okay for him to be returned, he knew his heart would feel the nothing his eyes were now grasping. He knew his everything would be gone.