The Vanguard

by Jeffrey Ellis

  “By your command, my liege,” Baldric replied.

  “Go with haste. Do your duty,” King Garos said.

  As Baldric turned to leave, Morgana grabbed his arm.

  “One more thing,” the queen said.

  “Yes, my lady?” he replied.

  “You're my family now, my son. Not by blood but by choice and that means much to me. I want both of you to return safely to me. You mean more to us than you could know and though my husband would not say it for reasons of protocol, he loves you both as much as I. Watch yourselves. This monster is not worth your lives,” she told him.

  The Vanguard bowed then left. Garos watched as his daughter and her husband left on yet another potentially deadly mission. They only had to survive another year and he would step down and Baldric would replace him.

  Garos put his arm around his wife. “They will be okay. They are the strongest we have seen.”

  “I hope so,” Morgana replied.

  The Vanguard headed to the stables and mounted the pegasi reserved for them then left without delay for the village. The powerful steeds carried them swiftly over the tranquil blue waters. The small ocean surrounding Atlantis was not a safe place and though many dangerous creatures flew in the skies, it was still safer than the depths of the briny waters below.

  A pod of dolphins swam underneath, jumping and playing. A large sea serpent, easily surpassing a hundred feet, came from deep below and took one of the dolphins before they could react. The surviving members of the pod swam off in different directions in panic.

  Further along, the passed over a small island where a group of sirens was singing. Their voices were appealing and made the group of Vanguard want to go to them, but they had trained in resisting such influences and were able to brush it off. They knew if they gave in to the lure of the song, they would never reach their destination.

  They knew there were far more creatures in the depths than what they saw. Kraken, laerneans, mermen and all manner of dangerous beast and fey lurked in the dark, cold depths of the sea. They kept their distance and flew steadily towards their goal.

  Within a few hours, they spotted the mainland. Sebastian knew the village they sought. It was a small fishing village with a few hundred inhabitants. They landed the beautiful winged horses at the edge of the village and dismounted. The group walked into the village and as they did, the villagers kept their distance, seeming to fear them. They went to the center of the village to seek out the local elder.

  The village seemed unusually still for this time of day. The small boats they used for casting their nets were all docked. The usual work of a fishing village, salting the day's catch, repairing nets, even children playing were all absent. The general feeling of the locals was fear. It rolled off them like sweat after a hard day's work. Some of the women were weeping.

  They found the old man who served as their elder, a sort of leader but not an official position. He was simply the oldest and, in his youth, had been a great fisherman so he helped the next generation to learn their trade and helped settle disputes.

  He spoke their language and greeted them as they approached. He bowed as best he could at his age. “We are honored to have guests from Atlantis. I shall have food and drink brought to you.”

  Sebastian motioned for him to stand. “We thank you for the kindness but there is no need, Elder Daatal. Some water would suffice for us and our steeds. I am sorry to say but we do not come with glad tidings,” Sebastian told him.

  “Have we done something to anger our great neighbors to the south? We have taken only what fish we need to survive and a few more to trade with other villages for needed supplies. We have not sought to break the peace with any of our neighboring villages. We have honored the accord as we were commanded by your predecessor my lord,” the old man said sounding worried.

  “Relax, my friend. It is not your village that has brought the Vanguard. We seek a drinker of blood. Our diviners have told us to start our search here,” Sebastian told him.

  “You are wrong. You do come with glad tidings if you seek the drinker. Our village is besieged by the monster. It comes in the night and takes our people. It kills indiscriminately taking men, women, and children. We have lost many of our numbers in the last few weeks and your appearance here is our salvation. We have nowhere to run. We have no way to hide. We have no way to fight this fell beast. We will tell you everything we can to help you in your quest. We have little to provide you to help you fight the monster, but we can promise you good food and soft beds as long as you are here,” Elder Daatal told them.

  “Malka, with me. Everyone else, comb the village. Speak to everyone who will talk but don't force them. These people are scared. Treat them as friends and don't make their fear worse,” Baldric ordered. The Vanguard went off in different directions throughout the village.

  “I see you two have finally married,” the elder said when he noticed the elaborate bracelets the two wore, the Atlantean symbol of union. “Congratulations are in order.”

  “Thank you, my friend. Would that we had time for idle conversation, but I must focus on our task. This creature is deadly and must be stopped with all haste,” he told the old man.

  “I understand. We don't know much. It comes every night. The time varies as does the place of attack. It has taken people from all over the village. The one thing all the attacks have in common is the bodes are all left at the same place. They are dropped in the center of the village. I think it does it to taunt us and make us afraid,” Elder Daatal said.

  “You are probably right. In our experience, they like their prey to be afraid. It seems to heighten its feeding. Is there anything else you can tell us?” Sebastian asked him.

  “I can tell you it has not missed a night feeding since the attacks started nearly a moon ago. We huddle together in our homes, but locked doors do not stop it,” Daatal said, the fear in his voice evident.

  “They wouldn't. This thing can turn into a fog-like vapor. It could seep in through the smallest crack and your homes don't look to be airtight,” Sebastian said.

  “So, we have no defense. At least we have you now. Wait…It's nothing consistent but on some nights, just before the attacks, people have spotted clouds of fog. We thought it just unusual fog from the ocean and gave it not a second thought,” Daatal said.

  “Move all of your people to the village center to those huts,” he said pointing to a grouping of huts.

  “Cluster them together in as small an area as possible. The smaller its hunting area, the less space we must cover. It cannot abide the light of the sun, so we shall sleep during the day and wait for him at night. If we find it, your people are to run. Its magic is great as is ours and I would like your people not to be hurt in the battle,” Sebastian told him.

  Sebastian sent a telepathic message to the rest of the Vanguard telling them to return. When everyone was assembled, he went over the plan with them.

  “We'll put transmogrification runes along the entire area that will force it into human form. We'll also put grounding runes to keep it from flying away,” Sebastian told them. “Daatal, we'll need anything you have that will serve as paint. I would assume you have barrels of salt for preserving fish?”

  “We do,” replied Daatal.

  “We'll need it. We're going to make a big circle of salt just outside the runes. Once the creature is inside, that will help keep it from fleeing,” Sebastian said. “Now, about that food and those soft beds? We should get some rest before we fight. You'll be safe as long as the sun is up.”

  “Of course,” Daatal told him.

  He summoned several villagers and had them prepare beds for the Vanguard. They brought them a meal of salted fish and several local fruits and vegetables. After they ate, the Vanguard retired to the huts they were offered.

  “I would hardly call that good food or these beds soft,” Malka said.

  “To them it is. They don't have the privilege of our station. Even compared to other Atlanteans
, the Vanguard are given special treatment. You are a princess and raised in the castle until you joined us. I am from a noble family. We have never known poverty. We have never had to prepare our own food or tend our own homes. What these people give us is more valuable than anything we have by comparison. The meals we were provided were ample. They subsist and likely, they rarely have that quantity of food in one meal. These beds…notice the straw mattresses are doubled. They are doing their best to make us comfortable and we should appreciate it. They have lost many loved ones in recent days and they have put that aside to welcome us into their homes and provide for us. They treat us as saviors and I only hope we can provide them the salvation they deserve,” Baldric told her.

  “You are so different from the others in the court of nobles. None of them would have cared about these people. They would have stormed in, started barking orders and if any of the villagers were killed in the coming fight they would not have given a second thought,” Malka said.

  “Your mother and father would care. King Garos and Queen Morgana are noble not only of blood but of spirit. I have sought only to emulate the actions of your father,” he said. “I can only hope to be as great a king as he.”

  “That is probably why Absillion chose you. In less than a year, we're going to rule Atlantis. In the years I have known you, I have watched you go from soldier to commander to archmage to king-in-waiting. Most importantly, you have gone from commander to friend to lover to husband. You're soon to take the throne of the most powerful kingdom in the world and you still care about these people very deeply,” Malka said.

  “So, do you. It's why I fell in love with you. This isn't just a job or a position for us. We're in the Vanguard because we want to help people. Not just the citizens of Atlantis but everyone. I have seen you show it as much as I have,” he told her as he pushed her back onto the bed.

  “We were born for each other,” she said as she pulled him on top her and she squealed as he bit her earlobe.

  “We have to be quiet. These hovels don't have thick walls,” he told her.

  “I'm sure they've heard it before,” she said as they spent the next while engaged in vigorous copulation.

  Several hours later, they awake just before sundown.

  The village was quiet. All the people were huddled together inside the huts the Vanguard had designated. They were close enough to the center to attract the monster but far enough away to keep them safely out of the battle.

  The Vanguard had taken up positions outside of the village center where they could see the area but remain hidden. Baldric and Malka stood in the center.

  “Daughter of Garos. I will feed on you first,” came a whisper on the wind.

  “Show yourself,” ordered Baldric.

  “The next king. You and Garos will both suffer. His daughter and your wife will die for what her father did to me,” the whisper replied.

  “After I feed on her and make her my bride. I will make her kill the king-to-be. Then her mother. When only Garos is left, after he has lost everyone he loves, then I will take him and make him my slave for eternity.”

  “It appears your transition to undead has done as much damage to your mind as to your body,” Malka told him. “Come for me and the Vanguard will destroy you.”

  A strong wind blew with gale force. The huts trembled in the strong wind, pieces of board and thatched roofs flying away. The ring of salt they had carefully hidden was blown away. The ground parched and cracked, splitting the runes they had laid.

  “He was ready for the trap,” Baldric said, sounding worried.

  Faster than their eye could follow, the undead came down swiftly and grabbed Malka and was back in the air before anyone could reach her. She found herself being carried rapidly through the air, hanging by her ankles from the monster's strong grip. He carried her for several minutes despite her best attempts to break free then dropped her. She fell a long way and hit the ground.

  “Now, you are mine,” said the fiend as it approached her in his human form.

  She drew her spear and it erupted in orange flames. “I'll not die by your hand.”

  “No, not die. Not permanently. Live. Forever. My pet. My bride. An eternal torment of your father,” it said as it stared at her.

  She felt his mind forcing itself into her own. She had trained against domination but never this powerful. She did as the dragons and Baldric had taught her and steeled her mind against his mental onslaught. She managed to force his will out of her thoughts and stabbed her spear at him.

  He moved quicker than she could anticipate. She stabbed again and again but each time he moved with the speed of lightning and avoided her every thrust.

  The creature laughed, an empty cacophonic laugh. “Poor daughter of Garos. You are a human. You are no match for the speed of the undead. Even if I had not crossed the threshold of death, you would be no match for my magic.”

  “You underestimate the Vanguard. You trained in magic taught by powerful fey, but I was taught by the dragons. I have trained with Asala and Doga. Can you say as much?” she asked as he rushed at her and she teleported a few feet away as he passed through the empty air where she once stood.

  “Dragons hold you back,” he said as he again moved with unnatural speed and grabbed her hands.

  He pushed her back, bending her over and down, forcing her to the ground. He was much stronger than her, she realized that quickly. He pinned her to the ground and opened his mouth, the long, narrow fangs prominent in the eerie smile.

  “Your heart is racing. I can feel your blood surging through you.”

  He slowly moved his head down towards her neck, opening his mouth further as he did so.

  “You're mine,” he said.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” she said as her spear penetrated his back, driven by her telekinetic skills. It ripped through his skin, through his ribs, and through a lung, narrowly missing his heart.

  He screamed in pain and released her, trying to remove the spear from his back. As his hands neared it, she kicked her feet and jumped upright. The spear ripped through him as she twisted and moved it side to side.

  They stood facing each other.

  “Now we finish it,” she said.

  The spear once again sparked into flame, burning him from the inside and his body quickly became engulfed. He screamed again and flew off, turning to mist as he did so.

  A moment later, Baldric appeared at her side. “I wanted to get here sooner but something was blocking me from coming to you.”

  “It was probably his magic. He's seriously wounded and ran,” she replied.

  “Let's head back to the village,” Baldric said as two of the pegasi landed.

  They flew back and spent several more days at the village but there was no more sign of the monster. They carved warding runes in all the hovels, on the boats and anything else they could think of then returned to Atlantis. The court diviners could find no trace of the beast.

  #

  Bruce and Xavier sat in the C&C looking over a map on the vid screen.

  “Still no indication they're returning. Looks like we're running the Greek trip,” Xavier said. “They're in Vegas. Alicia just contacted us with the info about the potential rogues.”

  “They can handle themselves, but I would rather have them with us. I have a bad feeling about what we're going to find,” Bruce replied.

  “We still have a strong crew. Nefertiti is on board. Boudicca and Trish are back. William and Anna will be going. Alexander is going and from all indications, he's a powerhouse,” Xavier told him.

  “We have who we have. Topographical maps indicate the island is mostly hills. Ruins on the surface indicate something once stood there but was destroyed a long time ago. Here,” Bruce said indicating a point on the maps, “Is the largest hill. Passive sonar indicates it might be hollow.”

  “This looks a little too regular to be a natural formation,” Xavier said indicating another point. “It could be an entrance.�
�

  “It's as good a starting point as any other. I spoke with GloCom and they'll provide us with transport. I want to go in undetected so we're going by sub. We'll go with frog suits and make landfall here,” Bruce said indicating a small cove on the south of the island.

  “We need to be ready. The ALF took a lot of gear from Tokyo. We could be dealing with military grade hardware like plasma rifles. Our suits can't handle that,” Xavier said with concern.

  “Maybe we can. Our friends at GloCom have been working with Bethany. They've managed to upgrade our suits a bit. The original construction was based on beither skin and is damn durable. The problem with Warden technology is it exists in a vacuum, so we don't upgrade often. GloCom has a bit more flexibility and their R&D is always researching. They've developed a hybrid of our armor and the material they make their RATS from. It's not going to stop a plasma shot at point blank, but it will give us some additional protection. The only downside is it's slow to integrate. We only have three suits. You, Boudicca and Nefertiti will get them,” Bruce said.

  “You and Alexander should get two of them and one of the Masters the third,” Xavier replied.

  “I'm almost six and a half feet and over twenty-one stone. My neck is bigger than your thigh. For what it would take to make me a suit they could make two smaller ones. I made the call and it's already done. Alexander's much smaller but according to him, he doesn't need it. He'll take one of the Warden suits but not the reinforced model. Based on the size of the suits and the strength of our crew my decision is made,” Bruce told him.

  “Okay, boss. If we see heavy arms, just promise me you'll hang back. You have a baby and a wife that need you. Make sure you come back for them,” Xavier told him.

  “Boudicca will be cleared from medical in three days. We go in four,” Bruce told him.

  “Okay. I'll start preparations. I'll run everyone through a PEMES refresher. I'll get everyone copies of the maps and we'll be ready,” Xavier said.

  “I know we will. I don't say things like very often, but it needs to be said. I haven't always been the best friend. I used to be a bit of an asshole until...until Sebastian handed me my ass at Caerleon. But you've always been a good friend and I'm glad to have you as my second. I have a woman who led primitives against the Romans, the greatest military mind in history, an Egyptian god-queen and more on my team but there isn't one of them I would trade for you,” Bruce said as he held out his hand.