The Assassin and the Knight

by Rick Bonogofsky

  In New Rome, Jake and Sara welcomed their newborn baby into the world amidst the smiling faces of the Firstborn’s top leaders. The proud parents named their baby boy Cyrric, and they showed him off to all who visited them. They were filled with joy upon his birth, and he was a happy, healthy baby. Within weeks, everyone could tell that Cyrric was special, more so than they initially thought. The Firstborn kept a close eye on Sara during the pregnancy, wondering what might come of the pairing of a dragon and a woman made from the DNA of demons, angels, vampires and werewolves. With all of that potential for greatness mixed into one being, there was the certainty that Cyrric would become powerful as he grew. However, it quickly became apparent that the boy would be far stronger than anyone had thought. He showed the resilience and intelligence of dragons, with the grace of an angel, the tenacity of a demon, the otherworldly beauty of a vampire, and the curiosity of a werewolf. His crystal blue eyes scanned everything, and he learned quickly. As curious as the Firstborn was to see just what the child’s power would become, the leaders among the dragons promised to leave the new family in peace. They would wait until Cyrric was old enough to understand and give his own consent to being studied and tested. There was no worry from Jake and Sara. They knew they would be able to raise him well and give him the best life he could ask for, especially with the help of the rest of the dragons.

  One day, while Sara was in the garden with Cyrric, Montgomery sat with Jake in his study. They had been discussing the troubling news of more feral vampires spotted in Phoenix Crater. Nothing had been heard from Bathory since they last spoke with her, and they knew nothing of her assuming the throne of Hell. All they knew was that the ferals were getting out of hand and the Firstborn soldiers were doing everything they could to keep them contained. It was working well until they began gathering in larger numbers. None of the dragons or their human underlings knew where they were coming from. Eventually, they rounded up the two dozen captured vampires and incinerated them in dragon fire. The threat was greatly lessened once they had done that, but they continued to spot ferals periodically. Eventually, the conversation led to the other dead zones that were popping up around the world.

  “They’re appearing somewhat more frequently,” Montgomery said. “We have our satellites scanning for the particular signature they give off.”

  “Where are the new ones located?” Jake asked, glancing at the world map on his wall. A dozen red pins marked the locations of known dead zones. Montgomery stood and walked over to the map, plucking two pins from the container on Jake’s desk on the way. He placed them on the map, one in Siberia, another in Romania.

  “The Siberian dead zone is located near a lake and has spread into a small human settlement. It looks to have been abandoned, and there is no traffic through the area. Plus,” Montgomery added, “this one is relatively small, only about half a mile across.”

  “And the one in Romania?” Jake asked.

  “That one is… irksome,” the older dragon admitted. “I know the place, though I have not been there in over two millennia. An old friend of mine has a home there. According to our scans, the dead zone originated deep underground, and only extends about a hundred yards or so. The trouble is, my friend’s home is made entirely from magic. If this dead zone expands, as evidenced by the others, the entire cathedral will come crashing down. I would like to go and warn him of this potential problem.”

  “Do you want me to come along?”

  Montgomery shook his head. “There is no need. You just enjoy the new life you’ve helped bring into this world. I’m confident that you will be just as great a father as your own was.”

  Jake smiled at him and said, “Thank you.” Within hours, Montgomery was on his way to Romania to speak with Alighier. On the flight, the dragon received a call from another dragon who had been studying the effects of the dead zones.

  “Yes?” Montgomery asked.

  “Sir, you asked us to call you if we found anything more about the dead zone in Romania. Well, there’s a bit of an issue we’ve found.” came the response. “There’s a strange energy signature coming from the center of it. What’s more, the dead zone seems to be shrinking.”

  “Shrinking?” Montgomery repeated. “They haven’t reduced in size this whole time. Why would it shrink?”

  “Unknown, sir. All we do know is that the energy signature is similar to the one in Phoenix Crater. We think it is feeding off of the energy given off by the dead magic. It’s getting stronger.”

  “I’m headed there now,” Montgomery stated. “My friend has people there who can enter the area without dying, if we can get to the dead zone.”

  “Yes, sir.” the line went dead. When he landed, Montgomery found his chauffeur and drove to Alighier’s cathedral. There was no sign of a dead zone in sight, but the reports placed its epicenter almost two hundred feet underground. Arriving at the cathedral, Montgomery had to pause in awe of the magnificent building that greeted him. The last time he had been here, the cathedral stood as it did before him. It was the dragon’s idea, back when he had worked with Alighier, to hide it to deter the unworthy from finding it. He approached the front door, a large slab of oak carved with bas reliefs, and gave a knock. A moment later, Alighier opened the door. A look of recognition crossed the old man’s face.

  “I haven’t seen you in a long time, Nidhogg,” Alighier stated. “How are you? What brings you back here?”

  Montgomery smiled warmly and said, “I’m fine, thank you. I came to talk to you about something important. May I come in?”

  Alighier nodded and stepped aside so the dragon could enter. Once inside, Montgomery took a deep breath and let it out in a long, contented sigh.

  “I’ve always loved the scent of this place,” he said. “So much raw magic and, if I recall, a hint of lavender and rosemary?”

  “I’ve worked hard to maintain a positive atmosphere,” Alighier said, closing the door. “What is it you wanted to speak with me about?”

  “I imagine you’ve noticed the appearance of new areas of dead magic?”

  “I have.”

  “Then you know how dangerous they could be.”

  “I do.”

  “I have grave news, old friend. One of these dead zones has appeared under your home. I believe its center is about two hundred feet down below the ground. Typically these dead zones are about half a mile to six miles across, but this one is tiny by comparison, only about eighty feet across at this point.”

  “That’s not great,” Alighier muttered. “Has the Firstborn found a way to get rid of them yet?”

  “Not yet, I’m afraid. It is beyond our power to do much about them, though we also don’t know enough about them to be useful. All we know is that there lies a tear in the fabric of reality at the center of some of them. I’ve been told that the one under your home has such a tear, and it is growing stronger, possibly feeding off the energy of the dead zone. If it continues to grow, I fear it may swallow this whole area.”

  “How large are the other tears?” Alighier asked.

  “The largest on file is the one in Phoenix Crater, and it’s only about the size of a small melon.”

  “And this one is about two hundred feet down, you say?”

  Montgomery nodded.

  “I don’t like the timing,” Alighier stated flatly. “That’s in the catacombs under the cathedral. I’ll send some of my people down to take a look.” He and Montgomery went down the stairs with some students and eventually found the dead zone. Standing near it were two angels, a demoness, and a human woman. Montgomery gasped when he saw the angels.

  “I remember you two from Globe Tech,” he said. The angels looked at him, but paid little attention. They were too focused on the shimmering air in front of them and the six foot rip in reality at its center.

  “It was just hanging there already when we came down to freshen up the flowers,” Staci whimpered. Alighier looked around and swore to himself.

  “Where is it?” he asked
.

  “The sarcophagus is gone,” Vincent replied. We came down here, and it was just gone. This… thing was here in its place.”

  Staci fell to the floor and sobbed. Zhun knelt at her side and wrapped her arms around her. Adrian’s sarcophagus was gone.

  In a smoky, shadowy realm set apart from Heaven, Hell, or Earth, a figure in black armor willed the images in front of him to fade away. Black feathered wings were folded tightly to his back in agitation. A silk blindfold covered his eyes, and his mouth held a permanent scowl. As he was about to open a portal to another realm of existence to look in on the tears in reality, something rippled through the realm he was in. He felt the presence of another being such as himself, but it was incomplete. Whatever it was, it left very little to sense in its wake, but it felt familiar, somehow. Where Artemis was a being that exemplified Order, this presence seemed to be one of complete balance. It felt like Neutrality incarnate. The last time Artemis had felt a presence similar to this one, it belonged to one of the old gods, whose ancient power coursed through his own body. Within moments, a robed, hooded figure materialized near the winged god.

  “Death,” Artemis greeted.

  “Artemis,” came the disembodied voice. “I see you’ve felt it too.”

  Artemis nodded. “Another has awoken. The soul of it wanders this realm. Its body exists, but is not yet ready to receive it. Soon, there will be another god to aid me in returning this existence back to what it should be.”

  “Yes, but you know that there must be three, not two,” Death reminded. “I am not a god, as you are. I merely exist. We have Order. Soon we will have Neutrality. However, this existence will not be safe until we find Chaos.”

  Artemis nodded again. “Where once was One, now Two there are, and the Two shall seek out the Third. Let us hope existence is strong enough to survive until then.”