As always, much thanks to the usual suspects for content proofs.

Now updated after removing typos.

Chapter 14Storybook Merlin Was Always Nicer

~Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden~

Murphy had woken and gotten ready best she could, hurrying out to hit a department store for work clothes; she'd missed the whole fiasco with the Denarians. I had made sure to answer for Michael when she asked what he was doing there, so she didn't find out he was visiting for anything more than showing me his cool new armor. She had been too tired and preoccupied to call me on my lie.

I had brushed my teeth four times trying to get the smell of brimstone out of me, before going to bed. Deirdre's father's attack on me left me feeling corroded and impure inside. Michael said it should pass if my soul was pure, guess it will be a wait then.

Michael grabbed a shoddily put together stool and perched on it next to my bed. I groaned and turned over from my stomach to my back to be able to look at him.

“I fear I have unwittingly fallen into Nicodemus's schemes.” Michael sighed with a pensive look on his face. I ground my teeth together making sure my tongue had no purchase to blurt out exactly what he had done.

I was glad he understood he had been hoodwinked into something, but didn't tell him what. After all, I still wasn't quite sure the Outsider was all bad. Hell, look at me, half the White Council thinks I should be dead, but I am really just a nice guy.

“Do you have any idea why they weren't trying to kill you?” he asked, while scratching his beard, his face showing he was trying to figure it out himself.

“They…weren't?” This was the last thing I expected Michael to say.

He smiled kindly and shook his head. “No, Deirdre was not as vicious as she can be. They wanted to frighten you more than truly harm you, though I don't know quite what Nicodemus's shadow was doing. I saw your fight from afar before I was close enough to help. Sadly by then Nicodemus already had you. I am sorry.”

“No, no. It's okay. I am glad you came, I think he was killing me.” That's about as close as I could get to saying thank you.

“It was Providence, Harry. I'll let you rest, but we should speak soon, I am worried for our friend. If Nicodemus is looking to make him a part of his order, he is in grave danger.”

I got up to say goodbye and walk him to the door, but he gestured for me to lie back down, thumping my shoulder with his heavy hand. That was all the argument I needed to stay in bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out, feeling like my muscles had turned into sand. But I had survived my first encounter with Fallen Angels, not many who can say that.

My nightmares were horrible; but, being better trained than the average wizard I was able to push them away to stay asleep. At some point I tried to turn over, but feeling it would be akin to moving mountains, I left my face squashed and drooling on the pillow.

Sleep is a very active and aware exercise for me, ever since my early years as an apprentice, I never could fully lose consciousness after a near fatal experience. Chalk it up to nervousness; I call it my animal instinct.

All that is to say I was irritatingly aware of a cool wind blowing on my neck. I scrunched my shoulders, made the leviathan effort of lifting my hand and covering my exposed skin, but the cool air simply chose a different patch. Very slowly it brought me up from under the waves of exhaustion I was sleeping. It even annoyed me enough to violently grab the quilt lying somewhere around my waist and shove it over my head.

A moment's reprieve let me sink back into my flavor of oblivion. It passed, and the accursed breeze started blowing on the knuckles of my hands, keeping the quilt tight around my head.

Even nature can be too trying for a wizard's patience at times; I threw a tantrum on my bed, and when you are a man my size that really is a pathetic sight. I balled up the quilt, throwing it in a corner, turning on my back to finally open my eyes and glare at the ceiling.

My amazing powers of observation brought to my notice a very pretty Asian girl of indeterminate age (earlier I mentioned that is the best kind of age) on my bed breathing cool air on me.

“How long do I have to blow before you wake up, Dresden?” she asked in her bored and superior way.

“Un uh, I am not falling for that one. You want me to take that out of context so you can kill me. Nope, not answering. You'll have to blow really early in the morning to catch this wizard's worm, Ancient Mai.” Okay, so I couldn't resist. Mixing innuendo heavy metaphors is like inbreeding, you never know the price of stupidity for doing it, until all your chickens have hatched.

Smack!

See?

“That was almost gentle, Mai, why if I didn't know better, I'd say you hit like a girl.” I grinned at her cheeks coloring a deliciously fetching pink.

Her hand blurred and I reacted automatically, but while my mind said cover your face! Turn your head away! my body said we've just been through two rounds with fallen angels.

Hence,

Smack!

I was beginning to get mad, but I had learned to swallow my pride when dealing with the Senior Council a long time ago. Furthermore, as much as Ancient Mai's relationship with me had crossed all boundaries, she was still one of the most respected and eldest of the wizards in the world.

“You know how this ends, Mai. You slap me around, we get worked up, then you bring out your hot sauce dumplings and we have mad sex. Not that I am complaining, the foreplay just does it for me, it's only that I am more of a sweet than sour kinda guy.” If I can't hit her, I can at least annoy her in the best Harry Dresden tradition.

The hint of anger in her face left as she leaned over me, pricking my eyes with the ends of her very lustrous hair. Nothing had made me apprehensive until she did that, not the slapping, not the sudden appearing act, but just that strange sad look set me on edge.

“Even after centuries it does not become easier, seeing a child so willingly harming himself,” she muttered, with her manicured nails slowly making their way from the side of my head to my jaw line. “It is so piteous, but somehow I can never reason the feeling away with knowledge that it is futile.”

I swallowed hard; she was seriously frightening me, and making me feel like I was really an accident about to happen. Her eyes which usually held disdain for me looked wise and faraway - she sighed once, her breath warm on my face.

“I'm sorry,” I found myself saying. I hate to see a damsel in distress, and hate it worse if I am the one to have distressed her; seemed like that was the case with Mai, though to date I have no idea why.

The corner of her lips quirked for a second, she placed a chaste kiss on my brow, and patted my face like I was her child. “I hope you live long enough to be sorry. Come, the Council awaits.” With that she was off my bed and away from my face, I felt her heavy melancholy leave with her. I was still worried that she seemed saddened on my account. I just don't understand women, add a few centuries to them, and you might as well be speaking two different languages.

Aching and off center because of Mai's sudden affectionate mood, I rolled, crawled, and dragged myself out of bed. Seeing my pajamas barely holding to my waist, I figured that presenting myself in those to the Council would be a bad idea. Although, low rider Tinkle Bell PJ's might just become a fashion statement…Or Mai might slap me again. Right. Shower and a change of clothes then.

I wondered where the Council was meeting, and if I really had been stupid not to listen to my old mentor's warnings to get out of Chicago before The Merlin caught up to me. Too late to cry over spilled milk. Water burst from the shower head in heavy cold torrents, I moaned in pain as it hit my wounded body. My eyes felt hot, and I began to feel the wounds left by the broken soul gaze with the Outsider. In all excitement of the past few days I had operated mostly on adrenaline and worry, too preoccupied for what I'd suffered. Now Nicodemus's attack had destroyed however much I had healed. My body shuddered under the painfully cold water, but I relished the awareness it brought; otherwise my psychic wounds might've sunk me.

I held on to the physical hurts over myself to stay with reality. What I had seen of the Outsider's soul and being drowned in Nicdodemus's shadow were mixing and merging as one long nightmarish experience, looping in the forefront of my thoughts.

I left the bathroom trembling, if I didn't get real rest soon, I was going to crash badly. I needed to talk to Bob, he would have ideas how to help me. I coughed and tasted brimstone. Sliding into jeans I threw around for a shirt, coming up with nothing. I hadn't brought my laundry in. I stumbled through my door feeling dizzy and nauseous, it was beginning to get really serious; I couldn't push myself more.

Coming into the main part of my apartment I was hit by a sudden smell of mothballs. I looked up to find every piece of open floor taken up by a wizard. They were standing in a horse shoe shape, three rows deep, leaving a slender column of space from my bedroom to the main door, where the most powerful and highest of the White Council stood. Ah! Mothball smell made sense suddenly, most wizards take out their official black robes only for one annual special occasions, packing them away for the rest of the year under mothballs, we're old fashioned as a people.

I watched them silently in my shirtless and wet state; tension was high, you could feel it in the ambient magic. It was way too many wizards in too small a space; they must have been forty packed in my little office cum living room cum library cum waiting area…you get the idea. A crackle of electricity bounced amongst the wizards hanging towards my end of the shoe horn. They made silly shocked sounds; I rolled my eyes.

“Wow, look at us, we who wield powers of nature itself, can't even stay calm enough to not be a fire hazard.” I glared at the younger members of the group of wizards who were responsible for the spontaneous bit of magic. These younger ones were at least five to ten years older than myself.

Another lance of electricity three feet across looped around the body of a severe looking brown-robe and bounced from him down to other wizards in a domino affect. Great, they brought their overexcited apprentices too.

“Wizard Dresden,” Mai called. I looked at her blearily, feeling my body crashing. It felt like getting up suddenly and having a blood rush.

“Anc-ient Mai…” Suddenly I was on my hand and knees - the room was spinning. Coughs racked my body, making my body ache in agony, dark viscous spittle fell from my mouth.

“He's under attack, get out of my way,” I heard an aged voice sound like a klaxon. “Let it out boy, cough up your soul if you have to, but get that foul thing out.” A hand rested on the back of my neck, feeling soft and dry, it gently rubbed me. What the hell was happening to me? I began to panic.

A low moan escaped me, as the dark spittle kept falling and it felt like my sides were being squeezed. Maybe it was imagination but I saw the dark spittle move in circles forming a blinking eye.

I heard a sucked in breath. “It's a curse. Something old and black, I smell brimstone. You did duel the order of the Blackened Denarians then.” It was a statement. I couldn't give whoever was speaking an explanation while my insides were twisting.

“Are you ready, boy?” the same aged voice from before asked me. I turned my head to see a man so old everything on his face was a caricature. Lines upon lines crinkled as he gave me a blind smile.

“No,” I said, frightened, just as his blind eyes swirled, and he slapped his soft jeweled hand on my neck - it felt like he hit me with a sledge hammer.

“Someone destroy the eye, and ward the rest,” he commanded. I was too busy scared out of my skin, seeing the eye forming on the floor blinking at me.

“Aghhhhhhhhhh!” I screamed when the old man's hand glued to the back of my neck started sending murderous magical-quakes through my body. I lost all real thought to just being beaten by sheer power of magic. I had never known such a force.

Suddenly the old man's hand left my neck and I shot forward in the air towards the Senior Council at the other end of the room. Seven hands rose out of the wall of cloaks and I came to a racking halt in the air.

“Let me go,” I whispered, because I had no energy to speak louder. The indignity of being completely at their mercy and broken by the pain I was feeling was too much. I began summoning my magic, as weak as I was the anger was still there to fuel it, and delirium to spark it.

“Do not fight us, boy, we are helping. You are the battleground between Hell's blackness and our will. Do not resist us,” the old man's voice came closer as he came behind me. Then I felt his jeweled hand rest on the small of my back.

“Now?” someone asked from the Senior Council, but my eyes were blurred with tears of agony to see who.

“Now,” the old man behind me confirmed, and with that I felt hooks in my body pulling me apart. I saw the seven hands before me clench and shake; a murmur of incantation went up.

The black viscous liquid that I was coughing up now came from the pores of my skin, from my ears, nose, and mingled with tears from my eyes. I was drowning in Nicodemus's power again, and to think I had thought I had survived a fallen angel. I had no idea; no idea what I had dared myself against.

Above the black robes of wizards, between an old man and the seven of the Senior Council, I floated like a puppet, bleeding black on the ground. There I could see the liquid swirling in languages forgotten, writing spells that I was afraid to look at. It was all inside me, Nicodemus had left a ticking magical bomb in me.

“He will die like this! The Hell magic pouring from him will destroy us, leave him, we must escape!” some unfamiliar voice shouted.

“Better he dies a quick death, than one festering inside him. You lack faith,” it was the Gatekeeper who spoke, and I felt hope. He had helped me before.

Through my throbbing and wet eyes I saw a tall shape break from the wall of black and come to me, another wizened hand rested on me. Gatekeeper's hand touched and a cool jolt went through me. It seemed to connect from the palm of his hand to the old man's palm on my back.

I felt as if I had breathed for the first time.

“Use your emotion, your anger, your fear, your desperation; expel the demon's waiting curse. You have the strength Harry Dresden, do not fail yourself now. Are you merely a thing for Hell's warriors to infect and curse us with?”

No! I said deep in my soul. My magic came to me on steeds of my emotion, I didn't understand what to do, but believed in the Gatekeeper, and called my faith in the symmetry of nature, the beauty of its power of creation.

All the debilitating agony and terror of self destructing like Nicodemus had planned fed my faith.

“Now. Use your hands, destroy the black spell!” the old man commanded.

I fell to the floor released from the Council's magic and shoved my palms in the circling black liquid forming characters of spells. Fire burst from my fingers and palm and crawled up my hands to my shoulders. I started screaming sometime, lost in the roar of my magic as it made a plume of inferno above me.

Fairly soon I realized it was not only my magic, my fire was a pleasant tangerine with a hint of cherry on the edges, but the fire I was attacking Nicodemus's curse with was a deep blue and cold. My shoulders shook from the strength of magic swirling in it and I pushed all I had into making a hole in the black magic curse from Chicago to China.

“It's over, boy, you're done. Good shot.” The old man patted me on the back and the blue fire receded into my body, disappearing. I never knew quite where.

“What was that?” I asked, with my hands still splayed on the ground where the Denarian's magic should have been. It was all gone, leaving only a bowl shaped depression.

“It was the healing fire,” the Gatekeeper answered me, helping me stand. I blinked at him in confusion, taking the gourd he was offering. Taking a drink I found it warm and sweet, and amazingly refreshing. Taking a deep fortifying breath, I realized I felt pretty good. Nervous energy made me give a small laugh and grin.

“That's a myth, isn't it?” I asked, standing on my own without the Gatekeeper's surprisingly strong arm holding me up.

“Much like wizardry and magic is,” the old man, who had helped me, laughingly corrected me. I looked down to see he was a wizard of average height, really old, with bristle like white hair standing straight about three inches off his pale scalp. He was smiling, making all the lines on his face curve with it - it was an incredibly endearing look, and I was shit scared of how powerful he was. I'd felt it.

“But I don't know how to summon it. By the way, why are you all here?” I asked, ignoring the silent majority in the room. If the Gatekeeper was happy having a conversation with me then pretty much they all could stuff it.

“To answer your first concern, I was filling you with the healing fire, so you could fight the curse. Don't worry it's all gone now. Second, we are here to kill you of course, for being in cahoots with the Outsider.” The old man smiled and patted my hand, walking off casually to his place in the ranks, fairly close to the Senior Council.

“Steady, young wizard.” Gatekeeper gave me a nod and went to his place.

That is the first time I realized that the whole Senior Council was present. I counted seven purple stoles that the Senior Council wore to signify their status as the leaders of the White Council of Wizards. The stoles were also a clear and in-your-face statement of power and experience.

Which meant I was standing half naked in front of The Merlin. Jesus.

As I was beginning to get a measure of my situation I saw the other wizards gather themselves back into their formation, from where they had fallen away during my little incident five minutes before. Many of their faces showed awe, a couple of the younger female brown-robes were also checking me out.

I covered my chest and arched an eye brow at the pair ogling me. They blushed and looked away, their masters in turn glared at me. Closer to the far end the wizards were less awed, more calculating; that was the power end, the true force wielders of the magical world. I knew many of them by reputation, and felt no comfort from that.

Many of them had been present when I had been on trial before. At least half of them had thought I should have been beheaded back then.

“Masters, have your apprentices leave, they can guard outside,” The Merlin spoke for the first time, dropping his hood back. The man was perfect for the role, sweeping gray beard, bushy brows, a wizard's hat keeping his uncut but groomed hair over his shoulders, and dark disapproving eyes.

Without a word, at his “request” the brown-robes in the crowd left. One of the girls I had shamed winked as she passed me by, I couldn't help but smile, a lecherous gesture was still a friendly gesture…or maybe that is my male mentality.

Some of the excess energy left the room when about fourteen people left my apartment. Only people staying were the fully fledged and acknowledged wizards of the White Council. Goody.

“Kids these days, so obedient. Why, in my day, you would have had at least one tantrum and an 'I hate you.' I guess it's true what they say, MTV is ruining them, no individuality anymore.” I shrugged in exaggerated disappointment.

“Wizard Dresden,” The Merlin's voice cut through the little tittering I had been successful in eliciting. “We are assembled here to deal with the Outsider threat. Evidence shows you have had repeated contact with the being and not reported it to your warden. We are here to determine if you have gone over to the enemy, and take decisive action. Do you have any misconceptions of your current situation?”

“Exalted Merlin, I have no misconceptions. I have matched wills with the Outsider, I have dueled with the Outsider, this is known to the respected Ancient Mai and Honored Gatekeeper of the Senior Council.” I gave a short bow, trying to appear as dignified in a pair of Wranglers.

“Ah, but that was before your subsequent meetings with him. You have met him and the Order of the Blackened Denarians after he attacked the mentor assigned to you by the Council the last time you stood before us. Do you deny this?” The Merlin cleverly reminded the assembled I had been before them for charges of murder. He was also a master politician besides being a master magician. Bastard.

“It is true,” I said, and a murmur went through the group. “The Outsider is different from what we know of his kind, Exalted Merlin. I was attempting to understand him, to find his nature, to see if his moral compass can be the same as ours.”

“So all you did was in service of the White Council?” The Merlin put as much skepticism into the sentence as you can hold in a liter of whole milk carton.

“Yes.” I answered simply.

There was another murmur, angrier this time from the group but I heard some questioning voices too. Maybe I had some of them ready to give my ideas a a chance.

“Wizard Dresden,” The Gatekeeper's deep voice overrode the discussion without effort. “Why have you been in conflict with the Order of the Blackened Denarians?”

I felt my stomach drop, I could not answer that. If I answered honestly they would go crazy and hang me on spot, believing Harry was a threat that they had to kill and anyone he associated with too. But the way the Gatekeeper looked at me told me to answer.

Wait, there was a way I could make this work in my favor. Please, let me lie convincingly, I begged whichever deity was listening. “They blamed me for hiding him from their influence. I took the Outsider to the Knight of the Sword so that he was away from the Blackened Denarians. The black order was the one who had the Outsider summoned and wish to use him to advance their powers.”

There were worried exclamations at that, I hid my sigh of relief, cheering inside that they were focusing on something other than me.

“And why exactly has the Outsider not ripped you apart yet? Why did the hosts of fallen angels let you live? Even if all your actions have allegedly been for the greater good of the White Council, it is suspicious and belies your words that you are standing here healthy when one of our most respected members, Ebenezer McCoy, was defeated in a duel with him,” The Merlin accused scathingly.

“Did you not see me coughing up a forgotten ancient curse? It happened right in front of you. Do you think if I betrayed the Council and threw in with its enemies the Blackened Denarians would be attacking me, instead of hiring me?”

Before the Merlin could respond with the furious words I could just see waiting on his lips, a Russian accented voice broke in. It was one of the Senior Council members, all the way from its base in Archangel. “It is true the curse could not be faked. But evidence we have shows almost friendship between the Outsider and you. Why does he not kill you if you are not allied?”

I thought for a moment, and put my hope in the people who I belonged to, hoping they had the wisdom to understand. “Because I don't assume he is evil, because I know he has a soul, I try to understand him. Because I have seen him take deadly revenge for children who were killed to summon him, because I have seen him protect a woman he thought was his long dead mother. He has a soul, a soul!” I appealed to them with my eyes, catching faces of others than the Senior Council.

There was pin drop silence at my words. Then the Russian Senior Council member spoke again. “Exalted Merlin, I do not believe Wizard Dresden has betrayed us. I believe he is simply retarded. We should be lenient and kind in his case.”

The crowd broke out in short laughter or derisive exclamations. I drew in a breath to tell just where he could put his Russian wit, but I didn't get a chance.

“He is lying to us!” An angry wizard shouted; Gerard, I remembered him from many years ago; he had been a friend of my old master turned warlock. I think he took it personally that I got away for killing his friend, in self defense, mind you.

“Simon Petrovich is the Soothsayer. Do not let our young defender's disregard for Council etiquette affect you into insulting his word,” Martha Liberty spoke for the first time, sharply disciplining that old blood monger. She is one of the seven of the Senior Council, taller than even me, which means she is over 6'6”, and usually doesn't have the greatest liking for me. The Russian Council member was also known as The Soothsayer, terrible power to have.

“I meant no disrespect to The Soothsayer Simon Petrovich. I feel Warlock Dresden is attempting to fool the Council with pretense of naïveté and earnestness. Let's not forget he is the same warlock who stood in chains as a mere sixteen year old for killing his master and uncle.” Gerard went from humble apologetic to demagogue.

“Silence Gerard, you are no fresh pup with his first brown robes. Pretense, lie, mockery, all fail if worded to The Soothsayer. We are here for justice, not to settle old vendettas. You will address Wizard Dresden, as Wizard Dresden, for that is how the Senior Council has recognized him.” Good ol' Liberty went hard at him, her cowl shimmered off her head revealing her gray hair in a severe cut over her dusky skin that seemed to glow faintly with her power.

“Thank you, Martha. If Gerard has further concern over my word, he and I shall speak of it away from the Council.” Simon Petrovich touched Liberty's arm in a signal to calm down. Gerard was in deep doodoo, Pertrovich had essentially called him out. This time he wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Dresden has always been arrogant and dangerous. His insolent manner with us today is enough to prove it. His belief that an Outsider can be anything but malevolent when his betters have taught him otherwise compounds that arrogance. To not inform and involve the wardens again shows his complete disregard for security, good sense, and our laws.” This was Aleron LaFortier of the Senior Council, a Frenchman, and like The Merlin, interested in seeing my head on a platter.

He stepped ponderously from their ranks and continued, “His arrogance endangers us, whether it spawns from sheer stupidity or blackness of soul, it matters not. It is the Doom of Damocles for him.” He made his case in his vulture-like way and stepped back.

“Now look here-” I began, but a signal from the Gatekeeper stopped me.

“What was our purpose for coming here today, to gather such a great group of the powerful amongst us in one place, to risk such vulnerability?” the Gatekeeper paused to let the question sink in, I held my tongue though I didn't want LaFortier's crap go unanswered.

“Was it not also to test what we as his betters have known and see if our knowledge survives the crucible of experience?” The Gatekeeper bowed to the Senior Council.

“It was I that brought before you the strategy to reason with the Outsider, it was I who told you of my own dealings with him-”

“Yes, and that is why we are here, knowing the magnitude of danger the Outsider can be!” LaFortier interrupted the Gatekeeper.

I met the wide eyed looks of the rest of the wizards who were not on the Senior Council. You just do not interrupt the Gatekeeper, it's not done. The younger or less involved of those of us there had never really seen an argument between Senior Council members. Disagreement, sure, but this was just rude.

“Agreed, LaFortier, agreed.” The Gatekeeper raised his hand in a dismissive gesture, incongruent with his words. He then looked straight at LaFortier with intensity that put us all on edge, before saying, “But I also warned you not to hunt him, and where may I ask are the wardens who are supposed to be guarding such a gathering of our powerful? If my advice weighs so heavily with you, then why has it been followed only in part?” The Gatekeeper calling a Senior Council member to task. Oooooh! This was better than that Jerry Springer show.

“Honored Gatekeeper, no offense was meant, but waving due diligence is folly as well. Our trackers located the Outsider and our wardens left to simply keep their eyes on him. He has evaded our trackers before. It is only a desire for safety that guides my hand.” LaFortier respectfully bowed.

“I pray that they will practice caution such as that guides your soul, LaFortier. For I have warned you that it is not evil depravity that motivates that creature, nor desperation.” The Gatekeeper sounded heated in a quiet sort of way. Tension in the room was rising, the perfect horse shoe had broken, the cowards were piling closer to my end than where the Senior Council was holding court with each other now.

“If that is so, Honored Gatekeeper, then what is his nature?” Ancient Mai spoke for the first time since the whole thing began. I remembered her sadness and felt apprehensive.

“I fear that he is dangerous like we are to the many who cower before us, Ancient Mai.” the Gatekeeper gravely looked at her. Confusion was clear on her expression, The Merlin frowned, and I could see disbelief on many.

Gatekeeper continued, “The evil and blackness which he can bring crashing on us will be motivated by righteousness. He will murder and annihilate in the name of justice, in the spirit of love of any we slight by mistake or purpose.”

“That is madness, old friend,” Petrovich spoke, his voice a flat incredulous whisper.

“Is that you the Soothsayer who speaks, or the man who bears the burden of the gift?” The Gatekeeper smiled with his words.

Simon Petrovich waved a negating hand. “No, old friend, it is the man who speaks. I simply dare not believe you.”

“Is that not more reason to find an end for him, before he conjures one for us?” Liberty addressed the Gatekeeper.

“And should we be the ones to wrong before he wrongs us? We deal with a creature with a sense of morality not far from our own. Shall we strike him down simply because of fear? No, we cannot. Not when we claim to be just.”

“Then what do you suggest we do? It seems whichever way we turn you tie our hands, Gatekeeper!” LaFontier gesticulated with his staff. The wizards close to him ducked the red spells forming on it.

“Ask our emissary,” Listens-to-winds broke his silence finally. He is the last member of the Senior Council. A Native American, a genuine shaman, he is said to have a great affinity for animals. His raccoon familiar was curling by his feet.

“I have not sent any emissaries to him.” Ancient Mai looked askance at the soft spoken shaman.

He simply pointed to me. “Wizard Dresden is our emissary. I don't think killing him is such a good idea now. His faith will save the Council from becoming unjust. If the Outsider likes him, let's keep him.” Listens-to-winds gave a soft smile to Ancient Mai, ignoring the incredulous looks he was getting from everyone.

“Uhh-” I began to point out that I hadn't agreed to this, when someone kicked me in the shin. “Ow!” I hissed, glaring at the old man who had helped me earlier grin up at me with a finger-on-lips sign to shut up.

The Merlin had been standing quietly, his eyes watching the assembled and the Senior Council who had been speaking. He was a clever politician that way, gathering everyone's positions before making his case.

And he spoke again, “Our justice has never been in doubt or danger, nor will it be if we take action against the threat of the Outsider. Our chosen task, our promise to humanity, is to protect mortal men, women, and children. Our laws bind us to how we treat mortals, those who are magic-less and those who are wizards. Outsiders are far from those in either of our protectorate, and it is they who are in danger from the Outsider.

“Sending Wizard Dresden to pursue his fantasies with a creature born of the Outside with its cruelties and maliciousness is folly. Do we not know of Outsiders having the wit and mind more devious than the high Sidhe? There can be no doubt that a wizard of Dresden's inexperience and youth could not easily be fooled by pretense of friendship and soul. We have seen how he has fared against hosts of fallen angels, it does not inspire confidence. To commit our fate to Dresden in dealing with an Outsider is to betray those we are sworn to safeguard.

“There is only one answer. Be whatever the Outsider's nature, it is clear by the Honored Gatekeeper's evidence that he is volatile. We must destroy him!”

The Merlin stared at us from under his bushy brows, daring us with his dark eyes to believe anything other than what he said. I looked to The Gatekeeper and saw him rigid with powers tensed and building.

“Then it is time for us to vote, either in the favor of fear or in favor of justice,” The Gatekeeper gave his ultimatum. Neither he nor The Merlin looked at each other, but it was clear to all of us the battle of wills between them. Wizards like The Merlin and The Gatekeeper are so beyond me in power, what they can do and achieve would seem miraculous even to me. I did not want to be on the same continent as them if they ever came to blows. Though, I would place my bet on the Gatekeeper winning, he likes me.

“I shall call the vote,” Ancient Mai called, cutting through the thick atmosphere. “Senior Council I call you forth, speak your word.”

LaFontier took one step forward. “In all the millennium of our existence The Outsider ilk has been our worst and most dangerous enemy. My word is for his end.”

A cold feeling dropped in my stomach, I didn't really want to see Harry dead, I didn't want the people on the White Council I care for dead either. The image burned in my mind when I soul gazed Harry came full force to me, a shadow, deep and dark, wielding terrible white light around it self, fields of wizened hands grabbing at his ankles as he trod over them, they were all his victims. I was lost in my vision and only caught the end of Simon Petrovich's word which was to reason with the Outsider.

Martha Liberty stepped forward, her head bowed in deep thought. “It is a difficult choice, a hard choice. Know this, if we go against him, it will not be the young amongst us, not the soldiers in our wardens who will go against the Outsider.

“We will not send the children amongst us to duel him and die. It will be the might of the White Council, it will be the strong amongst us; it will be those gathered in this very room. We who form in number an eighth of our world, and the most of its power will battle.” By then she was stalking up and down the lines, I felt the hairs on my neck stand up at her words, no one met her eyes, they began to understand what it could mean.

“History shows that many of us could die, but he is one, we are many compared to that and powerful. I ask all of you to pass the secrets of your knowledge to your apprentices or choose a vessel to hold the secrets for the White Council. This is a price we must pay, but it does not mean that our cost be so deep that generations after us lose the knowledge we have amassed.

“Ancient Mai,” Martha Liberty called, turning on her heel right next to me, “My word is for his end.” She struck her staff on the floor once and chose to stand near me, not returning to her place.

“I hear your word, Martha Liberty, and I give mine. I shall not say more than what has been said. My word, as well, is for his end.”

“No,” I whispered under my breath. That was three of the seven, The Merlin hadn't voted but we knew he wanted a war, so that was really four votes out of seven for killing the Outsider. I stood dumbstruck.

“Wisdom is ever crippled by fear,” Listens-to-Winds sadly began, his face showing disappointment. “No, in this I trust the Gatekeeper, and nature's rhythm. It says, don't fight the Outsider. My word is to let him live, to speak with him.”

It didn't matter any more, The Gatekeeper was beat by numbers. Tersely he cast his vote to not attack or hunt the Outsider. The Merlin simply said “End him.” And it was all over, The White Council voted for fear over reason.

Ancient Mai stomped her slender, intricately carved staff on the floor, sending out a pulse. “I have heard the word: The White Council declares war on The Outsider.”

All around me wizards let loose their held breath, but stayed solemn as you would expect men and women of their age and experience to be. They weren't young adventure-seeking soldiers, some of them were blood thirsty though, and you could see it in the shadow of smiles on their faces and glint in their eyes.

“You don't understand what you're dealing with. I have soul gazed him. I beg you, don't do this. Please, just please, there's something about his eye-”

“Silence!” LaFortier roared, the force of his shout rang through my mind.

“His eyes, yes, I remember. There is only death and madness in his eyes, it is a warning not to soulgaze him.” The Gatekeeper scoffed. “But the time for warnings is past.”

“And what of Dresden? What shall be his fate?” LaFortier demanded. “I call for the Doom of Damocles to be carried out on Dresden this instant for betraying the White Council. What say you Senior Council?”

“Nay!” The Gatekeeper snapped.

“Nay,” Simon Petrovich The Soothsayer voted, shaking his head at LaFortier.

“I have a right to defend myself!” I shouted to deaf ears.

“Nay, Dresden has faith, that is his only crime,” Listens-to-Winds voted in my favor. One more! I needed one more!

“I vote with LaFortier, Dresden is a danger and will act treacherously against us in this war. I call for the Doom of Damocles as well,” The Merlin looked straight at me, pronouncing his vote. Son of a bitch, damn right I will help the Outsider kick your ass. That left Mai and Liberty, neither of them fans of mine.

“I will trust The Soothsayer, there isn't enough evidence that he has betrayed us. Though I believe that he is arrogant and dangerous. Nay!” Liberty voted and I finally felt my shaking legs, I was free.

“Nay,” Ancient Mai quietly voted in my favor, stunning me. She gave me an unreadable look, and I bowed to her and the rest of the Senior Council. Only really paying respects to the ones who didn't want to kill me.

“I hear the word: Wizard Dresden, the Doom of Damocles will not be carried…this day,” LaFortier nearly spat. I winked and saluted him.

“Wonderful, now if all of you can clear out and go to your war. I am not having any of this. Good bye, good riddance. Except anyone who didn't try to legally murder me today, please stay, I know a place that sells some excellent brew,” I announced, making shooing motions.

Before I could be lit into by all my superiors there, and I use the term loosely, something incredible happened.

A magnificent stag, standing nearly six feet at the shoulder, made of nothing but light of a spirit-like quality came through my front door. Its antlers held high like a crown, it walked with stately grace staring at the wizards gathered one by one; the wizards had fallen away to make space for the spirit creature.

“It is white magic, do not attack it,” Listens-to-winds ordered, for the first time raising his voice.

The stag made its round and came face The Gatekeeper where it shook its antler once.

Its mouth opened and a voice came out that pervaded in the room, “Gatekeeper Rashid! Your White Council…your bloody soldiers attacked me. You started this. I warned you. You can see what's left of your Circe cursed wardens for the cost of betraying your word.”

Hells Bells! That was The Outsider. The stag delivered its message and dissipated, it was a beautiful spell.

“LaFortier...You have your, as the Outsider says, Circe cursed war.” The Gatekeeper turned to French Senior Councilman, there was an amber glow coming from underneath his cowl, a thrum in the Earth began from the magic beginning to shift around the Gatekeeper. “I hope you will take responsibility for the fate of our wardens that went on your order, rather than force me to make you take responsibility.”

Stars and stones, Harry, what did you do?