Perigord

by Marc Lindsay

  “I haven’t forgotten your role here tonight and I’m going to enjoy hearing your side of it,” Ulysses said calmly, tapping his finger each time into Onyx’s chest.

  “Yeah I’m looking forward to it too,” Onyx replied. Ulysses ignored the jibe and turned to Jason.

  “Let’s go son, time’s a wasting,” Ulysses said as he grabbed Jason and steered him away into the darkness. Jason cast one last look over his shoulder and saw Ms Jax, laden with Ursula, leap twenty metres up and into the tree, landing softly on a large branch.

  “She’ll be fine,” Ulysses said, seeing the concerned look upon Jason’s face.

  “Even with those other two with her?” Jason replied.

  “Ha, they have no option but to pitch in and heaven help them if they try to screw her over,” Ulysses joked. This made Jason feel a little better, but not by much. He gave them one last look before the darkness swallowed them up.

  Chapter 49

  Ulysses and Jason spent the next few minutes doubling back past Ms Jax and Ursula, then around to the extreme outer flank of Ms Gaia and her inner guard of transformed beasts. They were able to get into position without detection. They lay there awaiting the moment to attack.

  “What are we waiting for?” Jason asked.

  “On my command, Ms Jax is going to draw your teacher’s forces and when she is at her most vulnerable, we’ll attack,” Ulysses replied.

  “And when is that?” Jason asked.

  “Now,” Ulysses said and Jason noticed that he was holding one of Ursula’s headsets to his mouth. “Amelia, you’re up,” he whispered.

  Ms Jax had placed Ursula safely into the crook of a branch and was now perched below her unconscious friend. She moved through the tree top as if she was one born to it. Straining to see into the darkness for any sign of movement, she heard Ulysses’ signal over her headset. Ms Jax stood tall on her branch, puffed out her chest and let loose with an inhuman scream. It sounded like the cross between an eagle’s shriek and the baying of a hound.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Onyx growled as he looked up at Ms Jax from a lower branch. “Is that your friend’s plan, to get us killed while he sits it out?” he added. Ms Jax paused briefly to give him a scathing glance, then continued with her cries.

  “Forget it, what’s done is done. Prepare yourself brother, for the time for battle is upon us,” Strix said.

  Ms Gaia moved as if she were out taking a midnight stroll, dressed in a simple black robe with the Gjallerhorn in her hand, using it as if it were a staff. Dozens of her beasts walked beside her, constantly scanning the surroundings for threats. Now and again she would lovingly scratch behind the ear of a beast, much like someone would do a beloved pet. When the sounds of Ms Jax’s screams reached Ms Gaia, she gave a benevolent smile.

  “Go forth, rip and tear asunder, bring me their heads,” Ms Gaia breathed quietly. The reaction of the beasts was as if she had trumpeted the call to battle. Hundreds raced forth into the darkness on her command, their blood curdling howls sending ripples of madness into the night.

  They lay in the grass, hidden by foliage, watching the events play out.

  “They’re going,” Jason whispered excitedly.

  “Not all of them though,” Ulysses replied sourly. Jason watched closely. Even though hundreds of beasts had taken off in pursuit, an even greater number had remained behind.

  “There’s still hundreds of them,” Jason whispered.

  “It was always going to be a long shot,” Ulysses replied, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. “But just because we’re outnumbered doesn’t mean we don’t have a chance.”

  “You really think we have a chance?” Jason asked hopefully.

  “Sure, but if we don’t, at least we’ll go down in a blaze of glory.” Jason’s exuberance immediately plummeted.

  “Way to pump me up before the main event,” he said sarcastically.

  “Hey, I think it could go either way. I’m not going to sugar coat it. Things are dire, but nothing is ever certain,” Ulysses said.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Jason said. “What do we do now?” he added.

  “I’ll think you’ll like this,” Ulysses said.

  Ms Jax had finished her alien call and was perched upon a branch for the beasts to arrive. She cast a glance towards Strix and Onyx who were also waiting patiently on the branches nearby. Mercenaries who were now aiding their cause. She hoped that their mettle would hold out long enough for Ulysses and Jason to accomplish their mission. Ursula, who was laying close by, stirred and groaned loudly. Kneeling beside her, Ms Jax stroked her brow.

  “Sssshhh, lay still,” Ms Jax instructed.

  “What happened? Where are we?” Ursula asked weakly.

  “We’re currently sitting high in a tree awaiting the harvest beasts to attack, while Ulysses and Jason flank their main force,” Ms Jax replied.

  “And Selene?” Ursula asked.

  “Safe at the library,” Ms Jax said.

  “Pay attention Ajax, we don’t have time for you to molly coddle the old woman,” Onyx interrupted coldly. Ursula peered around in the dark, shocked to see the two individuals who had assaulted her earlier.

  “What the hell are they doing here?” Ursula asked as she struggled to sit up.

  “It’s a long story, but they’re here to help. Since you’re awake, is there anything in this that can help?” Ms Jax asked, holding up a small black bag. “Maybe a thing or two,” Ursula replied as she took the bag and rummaged through its contents. Noise drew their attention to the ground below which was now crawling with dozens of snarling beasts, their glittering eyes appearing like fireflies in the darkness.

  “I don’t think they can climb,” Onyx grunted. The first few slowly started to make their way up using their claws to dig into the massive trunk and painstakingly climb upwards to their prey.

  “Nice one idiot, had to open your big mouth, didn’t you?” Strix said as she crouched into a fighter’s stance, waiting to attack. The beasts were able to reach the first set of lower branches and once there, they launched themselves towards Ms Jax and the others. The battle was fast and furious. The first wave attacked the group with speed and ferocity that along with their single mindedness and physical attributes, made them near perfect killing machines. Ms Jax and her colleagues also had speed, strength, weapons, a desire to remain alive and most importantly, the high ground. Almost dancing along the branches, Strix darted back and forth, striking mercilessly quick before her foes had a chance to regain their balance or grip on any given branch. Ursula had a twelve gauge shotgun with the stock removed. She fired at close range with reflexes and skill that belied her age and passive appearance, reloading and firing without pause. Both Ms Jax and Onyx took a more simple approach. Standing firm, they pounded their foes. One, two, three at a time, brutally with clenched fists, knees or elbows. The sounds of the impacts were ear shattering. Each enemy they dispatched to the ground below was simply replaced by another and the ones that fell, shook it off seemingly uninjured.

  “This is insane, they just keep coming!” Onyx roared.

  “Shut up and keep fighting,” Ms Jax called back as she tossed another beast to the ground.

  “I’m starting to run low on ammo,” Ursula called out as she pulled more rounds from her black bag and carefully reloaded her shotgun.

  “Do the best you can, we just have to hold our line for as long as possible,” Ms Jax replied with a grim face. Strix cried out as one of the beasts blindsided her, knocking her on her back then dived in for the kill. A blast from Ursula’s shotgun stopped the beast mid-air just before it was able to rip her throat out. Strix looked up, her eyes wide. Her confidence shattered, she looked around to see Ursula giving her a brazen look that said, ‘I only did it because I need you alive’. Ms Jax looked down at the ground only to find none. Just the rippling movement of beasts awaiting their turn at this deadly game of king of the mountain. A chill ran through her and she hoped their c
oming sacrifice would be enough for Ulysses and Jason to carry out what needed to be done.

  Ms Gaia stood transfixed by the sound of the battle that lay ahead. Her confidence in her troops was complete and absolute, which was why when Ulysses and Jason charged her from the flank, it didn’t register at all that she was under attack. There was nothing sophisticated about their flanking assault. Jason and Ulysses had changed their form yet again. Half man, half bull, one of Greek mythology’s most formidable creatures, the Minotaur. Standing in at eight foot tall with broad powerful shoulders, they were clad in leather and bronze studded armour, similar to that worn by the ancient Greeks. Their long silver horns jutted out from their heads like raised swords glinting in the moonlight. They raced towards Ms Gaia and her inner guard. Her forces ran to meet them head on. They appeared like two giant rocks in a steady flowing river. The proverbial unstoppable force meeting the immovable object.

  They clashed with ferocity, the stakes being the fate of the earth. Standing back to back, Ulysses and Jason fought like there was no tomorrow, throwing everything into every attack and block. But for all their vaunted power and skills, they were unable to advance any further due to the mass and scale of their enemy. The numbers were just too great and the events of the night had wearied them greatly. Their movements now became slow and laboured. Ms Gaia could see this too, and a wide and condescending smile spread across her face.

  She continued to scream orders at her minions. She held the advantage however her army couldn’t seem to bring these two warriors down. Their tenacity and resolve pushed them beyond any normal level of endurance.

  “Destroy them!” Ms Gaia screamed, anger at her inability to remove this final hurdle. She held aloft the Gjallerhorn, determined to rally her forces. She screamed bloody murder. Ms Gaia was on the verge of victory. Two opponents against her unstoppable army, time on her side, their defeat inevitable. All appeared hopeless then suddenly her eyes went wide in horror. Her smile dissolved as she slowly looked down at the tip of an arrow head protruding from her chest. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, one which resulted in every beast simply stopping dead in its tracks, completely immobile and frozen, their ragged breathing the only indication of life.

  Jason and Ulysses had stopped too, now looking in disbelief at the mortally wounded figure of Ms Gaia, who had now dropped to her knees, her hands clutched to her chest, struggling to stay upright. She eventually fell face first to the ground where she remained still and unmoving. Jason looked about, his eyes scanning the horizon before finally settling upon a tiny figure in the distance.

  “Selene!” Jason yelled as he grabbed Ulysses by the shoulder and pointed in her direction. Selene was standing in an archer’s pose, her arm raised, holding a bow of simple but elegant design. Her other arm hung at her side. Selene’s face was still. her eyes clearly anguished. She stared at the fallen figure of Ms Gaia. Jason pushed his way through the throng of living statues and ran to her side, changing back to human in the process. Ulysses didn’t waste any time as he raced to Ms Gaia and retrieved the Gjallarhorn that lay at her side.

  As Jason approached Selene, she dropped the bow, he swept her into his arms, tears spilling down her cheeks as she gripped him tight.

  “I didn’t want to, I swear,” Selene sobbed.

  “Ssshhh,” Jason whispered as he held her close. “She brought this on herself, not you. It was the only way,” Jason added. Now in his human, form Ulysses strode over to Selene and Jason, the Gjallarhorn held firmly in his grasp.

  “I hate to break up this reunion but look around, we still have a huge problem.” Jason and Selene parted reluctantly and surveyed the area around them. The scene was eerily quiet, strands of moonlight filtered through the tree canopy casting an ethereal glow on their surroundings. The beasts were now completely still, their lower limbs shrouded in a mist that rolled along the park floor. “Why didn’t it work?” Jason asked Ulysses, who shrugged as he studied the Gjallarhorn.

  “I’m not sure, I’m assuming that she was only the catalyst that caused the transformation to happen and without her, they can’t function. She could no more control their form than say a scientist can control the outcome of an experiment,” Ulysses theorised.

  “What the hell is going on?” a voice rumbled through the still night. They looked around to find Onyx and Strix striding toward them, followed closely by Ms Jax who was supporting Ursula.

  “Answer me!” Onyx instructed.

  “I appreciate your help, but don’t think for a second that my quietly contemplating our current predicament is my subservience to you. Right now I’m willing to see you meet a similar fate as your previous employer,” Ulysses said calmly. Onyx remained silent, clearly seething at the librarian’s words.

  “Surely someone has an idea on how to reverse the transformation?” Jason pleaded. He was met with silence. “Come on, my mum is one of these sonsofbitches,” he added in frustration. Selene grabbed his hand and held it tight.

  “We’ll find a way,” Selene whispered softly.

  “What if we destroy the horn?” Strix asked.

  “I don’t think it’d work, besides, even if we were to try, that should be our last resort,” Ulysses replied.

  “Maybe it has a reverse switch or reset button?” Jason offered with a shrug.

  “You’re an idiot,” Strix said.

  “No he’s not, he’s brilliant,” Selene interjected.

  “It was just an idea,” Jason replied.

  “Ulysses, may I see the horn?” Selene said. He nodded and handed it over. Inspecting the inscriptions on its outer surface, Selene ran her finger along the length until she found what she was looking for.

  “See this,” Selene said, pointing to a picture of a ravenous wolf, a hole in the horn where the wolf’s mouth was.

  “It’s Fenrir the beast that apparently swallows Odin alive during Ragnerok,” Ursula replied.

  “Exactly. Jason, give me your necklace,” Selene said. Jason slipped the leather thong over his head and handed to her.

  “Jason and I worked out that this pendant was also a key, one that I hope will also unlock the Gjallarhorn,” Selene said. Grasping the pendant in her hand she inserted it into the opening located in Fenrir’s mouth. It slid in perfectly. Everyone had crowded in, watching intently as Selene slowly turned the key which clicked into position. The Gjallarhorn started to vibrate. Selene dropped it to the ground in surprise, then stared on as the horn started to twist and open slowly, reconfiguring itself before their eyes. The sounds it made was similar to that of a ticking clock counting down to something important.

  “I don’t believe it!” Jason murmured as the ticking suddenly stopped. What remained of the twisted horn with the random images was now perfectly straight. The images were arranged into a story depicting the end of the world.

  “What do we do now?” Selene said as she looked at the others.

  “I don’t know about the rest of you but blowing the Gjallarhorn seems to be our only option,” Jason said. There was a mixed murmur from the group.

  “Surely it can’t get any worst, Right?” Jason added.

  “Famous last words,” Ulysses replied.

  “Jason’s right. We owe it to the town, the world, to try,” Ms Jax said.

  “How long till the moon is back to normal?” Jason queried.

  “Five minutes,” Ursula replied quickly, checking her watch.

  “Do it Jason and screw the consequences,” Selene said.

  “I don’t know about the rest of you, but we’re throwing away a perfectly good opportunity,” Onyx said hastily. Strix looked uncertain.

  “Shut your pie hole you blathering idiot,” Ulysses spat. Before he could elaborate further, Ms Jax stepped forward and punched the black mercenary in the head, the blow sending him flying into the path of a tree. Onyx sat where he landed, looking dazed. Everyone else turned and stared at Strix who took a step back and shrugged her shoulders.

  “We’re partners, no
t husband and wife,” Strix explained.

  “We’re running out of time,” Jason said looking at Ulysses for confirmation. “Do it, consequences be damned,” Ulysses said with a devil may care smile. Everyone nodded in agreement as Jason picked the horn from the ground.

  “Well here goes everything,” Jason said as he raised the Gjallarhorn to his lips and blew with everything that he had.

  The sound that emanated was surprisingly high in pitch with a beautiful melodious tune. The expression on Jason’s face showed that this was completely unintentional. Apart from the music emanating from the horn, there was no other result. Then the most astounding thing happened. Everywhere they looked the beasts began to drop to their sides and shake uncontrollably, as if they were having seizures, only faster and more violent. One by one the convulsing beasts stopped and reverted back to their original human form, unconscious and naked. Jason had now stopped blowing the horn and was staring closely at the bodies that littered the ground.

  “Are they…,” Jason was unable to finish the sentence.

  “Dead? No, I can see their breathing,” Ursula commented. Jason was about to reply when all around them the fallen people of Perigord started to rise to their feet.

  “Look, they’re getting up!” Selene exclaimed pointing to those nearest. They rose as if moving in reverse. One second they were lying on the ground and the next they were on their feet, as if they were falling up.

  Waving a hand in the face of a nearby person, Selene was shocked to discover their unblinking eyes stared straight ahead, as if in a trance.

  “They can’t see us,” Selene said. There was movement all around, people moving in reverse, like they were in a movie and the viewer was rewinding the footage. They watched in stunned silence as the town’s people’s speed increased, faster and faster. Every citizen of Perigord moved in the direction of the festival centre. Husbands, wives, sisters and brothers, some running alone, others carrying children. They moved with a single- minded purpose like a flock. Silent, unshakeable, the speed of their movements almost becoming a blur.