=:= Alexander =:=

Alexander set the phone down on the sideboard and poured himself another glass of cognac. It wasn't even half past nine yet, but he rarely slept so concepts like morning and evening were irrelevant.

He moved to stand before the large fireplace, and sipped his drink as he contemplated this morning's turn of events.

The Brotherhood had fallen, and everyone at their London headquarters was dead. He'd been listening to Richard's frantic report when his second-in-command had been taken.

Alexander enjoyed another sip of his cognac, then smiled to himself.

He never expected the organization would last so long. When he founded it back in seventeen-fifty-two he'd given it a hundred years at best. In fact it had lasted nearly three times as long. Two hundred and seventy-one years... Not bad, all things considered.

He drained the last of his glass, then returned to the sideboard to pour himself one more.

The question he now faced was, should he attempt to rebuild? The London headquarters had fallen, but he had more men in other cities. There were perhaps another three score of them out there, scattered across Europe. The Paris office was largest, he could make that the new headquarters.

Or was it time to start over? He could eliminate those who remained, wipe the slate clean himself. Perhaps that was the best choice. They relied too much on tradition, that may have been their downfall. Maybe it was time for some fresh blood, new ideas.

Of course, he had another matter to take care of first. This mysterious goddess would be on her way here soon. He'd sensed her again the moment her feet touched the ground in London.

He was still frustrated about that. In the four years since he'd felt her awakening, he'd been unable to identify her. Even now, as she slaughtered his men less than a hundred miles from where he stood, he still couldn't get a clear impression of who she was.

Part of the problem was the sense he got from her was not consistent, it almost seemed to vary slightly every time he'd felt her. At one point he even wondered if there might be more than one goddess at large, the way her energy would change from time to time. He'd eventually discounted that possibility though. Despite the inconsistencies and variations, he had never once felt more than one of her at the same time.

Now that she was so much closer his perception of her was clearer, and she felt different yet again. Her energy this morning felt stronger and more violent than it had in the past. Of course, at least some of that could be attributed to her proximity, and the fact that she'd just sent more than three score mortal souls beyond the veil.

Alexander had another sip of his drink as he continued to ponder his mysterious enemy.

He knew she was Brythonic and he could tell her roots lay to the west, somewhere in Wales. Beyond that however, he could only guess. He was quite sure she'd been dormant a very long time. Certainly she'd been dormant since well before his own recent awakening in seventeen-oh-five.

He wondered what calamity had ended her worship and sent her to sleep. Perhaps this Welsh goddess had slept since the Roman occupation? They'd swept away so many small tribes as their Legions marched across Europe. Or maybe it was the Christians who purged her memory from the minds of the people. It could just as well have been any one of the wars or skirmishes that had taken place over the centuries.

Whoever she was, she'd certainly given him the most trouble out of any god he'd dealt with, either directly by his own hand or indirectly since founding his Brotherhood.

This mysterious Welsh deity had done well, keeping herself and her people hidden for nearly four years. Then she and her followers had made short work of his Brotherhood once his men found her and began their assault.

In the end, he supposed it didn't matter who she was. She and her followers would soon be gone, while he would remain.

Finally Alexander glanced towards the door. She was outside his home now, and she had a mortal with her. Perhaps her priestess, or another of her followers.

He drained the last of his drink then set the empty glass down on the mantle over the fireplace. He straightened his jacket, then turned and strode out of the lounge.

Alexander crossed the great hall and stepped out through the front doors. He stopped there at the top of the front steps, staring. To his surprise he saw neither the goth woman Nicole, or her wife Samantha.

The goddess that just razed the Brotherhood's London headquarters and killed every man there appeared to be a ten year old child. And standing next to her was her cat-girl follower, very much alive and free of his collar.

The pair stood on the far side of the gravel drive, on the edge of the large neatly manicured lawn.

Alexander kept his eyes on the young goddess as he made his way down the steps. He stopped on the gravel drive, some ten meters or so from her.

He continued watching his adversary as he said, "So at last we meet. Would you do me the honour of telling me your name? My Brotherhood stood for nearly three centuries, I would like to know the identity of the goddess who brought them down."

The girl shrugged, "My name's Cindy."

He raised an eyebrow, "That does not sound like a divine name, nor does it sound Welsh."

She shrugged again, "I'm from Canada. I'm not a goddess."

"Interesting," Alexander said with a slight frown. Of course, he couldn't fault her for hiding her true identity behind that of her vessel. He'd been doing exactly the same thing since his own awakening over three hundred years ago.

It also seemed pointless for her to deny being a goddess when he could feel the power in her. However, he too had kept that aspect of his own nature hidden for nearly three centuries, so it wasn't his place to judge her for attempting the same.

He glanced at the catgirl next to her and commented, "I see you've rescued and restored your follower. Kudos, I had not thought that possible."

Cindy kept her eyes on him, but she said to her companion, "I think we're about to get to the killing-each-other part of the plan. You should get out of the way."

The catgirl nodded, and moved off to the left, till she was about the same distance away from both himself and her goddess. Alexander watched her for a moment, but he could tell she was no threat to him. He knew the catgirl had magical experience, but she hadn't anywhere near the power needed to harm him. He turned his attenion back to the blonde child, she was his real adversary.

Watching her, Alexander remarked "You can't win, you know? You're young, inexperienced. You've only been awake a few short years. I've been here over three centuries."

Cindy shrugged again, "Age is just a number, and I'm really bad at math."

He smiled in spite of himself. "You are an odd one, Cindy. Pity I have to destroy you."

"Then don't," she stated. "Keep away from Canada, and stay out of Wales too for that matter. Stop trying to kill me and my friends, and I'll won't finish killing you and yours."

"You're offering me a truce?" Alexander asked, incredulous. His smile widened. "That is precious, child."

A moment later his features hardened as he stated, "You destroyed several million pounds worth of property in London this morning, and you killed sixty-three of my men."

With a dangerous edge in her young voice, Cindy replied "And now I'm offering to let you keep that pretty little house behind you, and whatever men you have left. If you agree to leave us alone."

"I think not," Alexander stated as he cast the spell.

Thick inky black tendrils shot out from both hands, wrapping the child's entire body in their deadly coils. It was similar to the death spell he'd taught his followers, though when he used it it was on a divine level.

The coils contracted around her and condensed, but rather than crushing her out of existence, they continued to shrink. They quickly shrivelled up into a fist-sized ball of darkness which hovered just above the girl's right hand.

She flicked her wrist and the spell shot straight back at him, but Alexander was able to dispell it before it struck.

"Not bad," he commented, "But your reflexes are slow, little girl." He raised his hands and lashed out at her with two more blasts of divine power.

The girl brushed aside one bolt of lightning, it struck the ground behind her and left a large jagged black scorch-mark in the lawn. The second was dispelled mere inches before it struck her chest.

Alexander was both impressed and irritated. However, he didn't allow himself to reveal either emotion. Realizing his enemy would not be so easily destroyed, he decided to make a sport of it and have some fun with the tiny goddess.

A smile formed on his lips again as he started pacing back and forth, taunting her in between each attack. He knew she would tire long before he would. And once she'd fallen, he'd go and crush the rest of her followers himself. Then no-one would be left to bring this tiny goddess back into a new vessel.

It was only a matter of time before he added her name to the list of gods he'd purged from the mortal realm.

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