The Keepers
Part 14
by Elizabeth

    Julia fell to her knees beside Jim, reaching for him. Her fingers touched his unconcious face, and her eyes focused in concentration. She growled in 
frustration when she couldn't get what she seemed to be looking for.
    "Paul!" she snapped. "Get this damn thing off of me!"
    "Eric!" Paul snapped into the empty air. "Let go!"
    The Heart of Chrome flashed, then assumed a smooth metal surface, the 
storm clouds within gone.
    Julia felt some wall inside her drop, and at once Jim filled her like 
warm water in a cup. His power was like a burning yule log against her skin, 
and under the heat she could feel an anchor of some sort, connecting him to 
an outside presence...
    With some difficulty, Julia managed to draw away from the cheery warmth 
and remove her hand from Jim's face.
    "He's fine." she announced. "It was just the New York Groove...Mike got 
knocked out at the same moment Jim tried to contact him. It just turned out 
his lights, too."
    Ben kneeled on Jim's other side and touched Jim's chest.
    "Rise to life, and let life remain." Ben intoned briefly. Everyone 
present felt a small flare of power as the words were spoken.
    Jim's body twitched. Moments later, his eyes fluttered open.
    "Damn, talk about a rush." he murmured groggily. A second later he sat 
up, eyes wide. "Oh, God...MIKE!"
    "What was it, Jim?" Ben asked. "What are you talking about?"
    "Mike's alive, more later." Jim explained briefly. "But right now he's 
out cold."
    "Someone clubbed him over the head." Julia added. "It came from 
behind...he was with two people..."
    "...an older man and a young woman." Jim finished. He then blinked, 
staring at Julia. "How'd you know that?"
    "I saw into the Groove." she confessed. "Empathic abilities...Paul did 
something to deactivate the Heart of Chrome."
    "Hey, gang! Found your missing buddy!"
    The group turned to see a short man with long, curly dark hair standing 
by the house. He was clad in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, with a face they 
all knew. However, there was something distinctly OFF about him...the colors 
of his skin and clothes were far too sharp, the lines of his limbs were too 
indistinct...
    Jim, unconcerned with the stranger before them, leapt to his feet and 
bolted through the house. He ran into the driveway, where a terrible sight 
met him.
    A black Jaguar sat in the driveway, just behind Jim's Jeep. The driver's 
side door was open, as was the passenger door. Lying beside the passenger 
door was Mike, flat on his back. Under his long red hair, a small pool of 
blood peeked out, glaringly red against the cement.
    Jim rushed to his brother's side, checking Mike's wounds. Mike was 
bleeding badly, and under Jim's fingers against Mike's throat, there was no 
pulse.
    "How is he?" Rhea asked fearfully.
    Jim fought to calm the panic that welled in him instinctively. He knew 
the legends of the Lazari, and according to them, Mike would be all right. He 
had to be...
    Somewhere in the distance, Jim suddenly noticed the song of a bird 
floating through the air. It struck a chord deep within him, though he 
couldn't say why. The wind touched his skin almost gently, and for some 
reason he became aware of the faint scent of roses wafting towards him from 
some garden nearby.
    And underneath it all, Jim caught a flavor of power.
    Jim looked down at Mike.
    He watched in shock as the pool of blood under Mike's head began to 
recede.
    Seconds later Mike opened his eyes.
    "Scared me, dumb sonufabitch." Jim chuckled in shock.
    Mike grinned, sitting up. "I'm Lazari...rising from the dead is my 
specialty."
    Jim watched Mike touch the pavement almost gently, and at once he lost 
the magic of the moment. The air was far less sweet, and the energy around 
him died.
    The birdsong, however, remained clear as a bell.
    "I heard that same damn thing earlier." Mike muttered. "Where the hell is 
it coming from?"
    Shannon suddenly gasped. "Look!"
    The group watched as a large, brilliant white bird swooped down and 
settled itself on Mike's shoulder. The bird vaguely resembled a cockatoo and 
was incredibly beautiful.
    "Hey there, fella." Mike chuckled, reaching for the bird to stroke it. 
The creature nipped Mike's fingers gently with its shimmering ivory beak. 
Upon close examination, Mike could see tiny filaments of siver glinting in 
the bird's feathers.
    "My God, that's a a Seberus parrot!" Rhea breathed.
    Mike, still sitting on the ground with Jim kneeling beside him, frowned.
    "A Snow Raven, a Ghost Bird." Rhea explained. "My mother had one when I 
was just a baby...they're one of the only pure magickal animal species in 
existence."
    Jim's eyes lit up with recognition. "Shit, I've heard of those! They're 
also called the Voice of the Dead, right?"
    Rhea nodded. "That's why Mom had one. They're difficult good pets, but 
mediums can utilize them to communicate with ghosts. They work best as 
familiars, though, both witch and wizard. They can talk to humans, and are 
self-aware for the most part." Rhea paused. "They're usually drawn to sources 
of pure living energy. Strange, since the Lazari are masters of death."
    "Not true," Mike replied, stroking the enormous parrot's beak. The bird 
closed its ice blue eyes lazily, as if enjoying the attention.
    Mike suddenly turned to Jim, eyes wide. Jim felt Mike enter the New York 
Groove.
    \\Jimmy! The Beast...he's out and about, but the kitty got catnapped.\\
    //Shit, Mike, no bull? What about the tomcat's queen?//
    \\Didn't see...but we have to find her, Jimmy. She's your Guinevere, 
dude...Monique!\\
    "Shit!" Jim cussed aloud, sitting back on his heels and letting his face 
drop into his hands.
    "What is it?" Julia asked.
    "I heard," Ben told the group dully, "and it sounds like The Beast has 
risen...but right now the bad guys got him."
    Jim stood. "More or less. What's worse, his Keeper is an old friend of 
ours...Monique Fender, Ben."
    Ben flinched. "Oh, no."
    Mike stood, reaching out to the bird. It carefully shifted from his 
shoulder to his forearm, clutching Mike delicately with its silver talons.
    "How did you guys find me out here, anyway?" he asked, still engaging his 
new pet.
    "That guy..." Jim trailed off, turning around to look for the stranger 
he'd seen. "Who was that, Paul?"
    "Eric." Paul replied. "I summoned him here when we first brought you guys 
here. He's been helping Julia for me.:
    Julia frowned. "I don't know the guy, though!"
    "He's been helping with the Heart of Chrome, honey. That's one of its 
unknown powers. Eric's dead, he has been for some time. The Heart of Chrome 
can bind the spirits of the dead to this world. Any soul tied to it has total 
control of the talisman's power. Eric willingly let me bind him to the Heart 
so that he could help block your empathic abilities while leaving the rest of 
your powers free. He's also trained in SpellCraft, so he's an enormous help 
to us in all things magickal."
    "Who IS Eric, though?" Rhea asked.
    Paul inclined his head. "Take a second look, Rhea."
    The group looked to where Paul indicated. The stranger stood, still as 
indistinct and strange as before. Several in the group suddenly recognized 
the impish grin and glittering black eyes.
    "Oh, Lord!" Shannon breathed, eyes filling with tears.
    Gene threw his head back and laughed.
    Julia gasped.
    Paul Caravello, also known as Eric Carr, just stood there and grinned at 
the group.