by R L Delaney
Strangely enough, his mind was much clearer than it had been before. Somehow it was as if his senses were sharper and keener, and from somewhere far away he perceived strange whispers. Had these mumblings always been around?
It was then that a terrifying vision forced its way into his mind.
While he was struggling in vain to get up, he suddenly stared into the most horrifying face he had ever seen. He had no idea where it came from, but it presented itself to him without warning and almost caused his heart to stop beating.
There, hovering right above the basement floor, was a greenish, white face with bulging, round eyes that flamed like the burner he had just been able to stop. They were the darkest and most hateful eyes he had ever seen. Words failed Harrison to adequately describe the depth of darkness he looked into. It was as if all the evil that had ever been committed on earth, throughout the beginning of time up till this very day, was somehow present in these eyes. It was then he knew this was a vision from another realm, a world he had not known even existed, but was now being made a partaker of.
Harrison never prayed.
Harrison did not believe in prayer.
Harrison was convinced that prayer did not work.
But at that instant, Harrison abandoned all his own rules and convictions. There was only one thing left to do and that was what he did. Harrison cried out in a loud voice: "God… help me, please."
Instantly the vision faded.
Without being able to move Harrison stared around the basement, fearing the vision could somehow return, but it didn't. The penetrating smell still hung in the air, but the reddish vapor was no longer twirling up.
It took a good five minutes before Harrison noticed the control over his limbs returned, but then, and to his great relief, he could move again. He stayed on the clammy floor at least five more minutes before he had the courage to see if he could get up.
He could.
With great difficulty, and shivering all over, he scrambled up, first to his knees and then, by holding on to the table, he pulled himself upright. He was still quite light in the head and nausea coursed through his body.
Come on, Harrison. Keep yourself together.
He had to get out of here fast. For a moment longer he leaned on the table, trying to regain his energy, and while he pushed the air out of his lungs he made a run for the stairs.
Minutes later Harrison stumbled out the backdoor into Sternfoot's garden and without caring whether or not the neighbors saw him he staggered like a drunken man to his car.
He dared not relax until he safely fell down on the soft seat of his squad-car and while he was still panting he leaned with his forehead on the steering wheel.
He had seen enough.
More than enough.
Still, it wasn't enough to arrest Sternfoot. And where was Sternfoot anyway?
Chapter Five
At first the journey towards the covenant of The Guardians of the Sacred Tome was rather pleasant. The mountain path was rather wide, and the view breathtaking as the road slowly ascended. The midday sun had chased away the morning chill, and the distant glaciers, sparkling like costly diamonds in its golden rays, seemed to be inviting them to climb ever further and further and unravel the secret treasures of nature.
Justin had only been to the Wintervale Mountains once before as a child. At that time, his parents had taken him on a camping trip. But his Dad, not the adventurous type, had settled for a rather commercial campground at the foot of the mountains, and all the memory Justin had of the Wintervale Mountains was a sub-tropical indoor swimming pool, the blaring radio of a bunch of wild teenagers in the tent next to theirs, and a terrible dispute his parents had about pork-chops. But today he witnessed the raw beauty of a world he had only read about in his schoolbooks.
But after they had thus walked for about an hour, Brother Perpetiël turned a concerned face to him and Amy and said, "The weather is changing. There's a storm coming."
Justin peered over the distant hills but could not see anything that suggested a storm was brewing, except for a small cloud very far away. Brother Perpetiël, seeing Justin's surprise, pointed towards the cloud and said, "I've grown up in these mountains. Believe me, within an hour we will be in the middle of a storm."
"What are we going to do?" Amy queried.
Brother Perpetiël gave her a confident smile. "We'll get off the main road. I know a small hiding place not too far from here. Getting there is a bit steep, but I can help you two make it up there. We'll be safe."
From then on the journey was a lot harder. Soon after Brother Perpetiël had told them they needed to get off the main road, he pointed to a rocky path that led straight up to the mountains and said in a cheerful voice, "This is it. Here we go up."
Justin stared at what appeared to be a dry riverbed, filled with jagged stones and rocks, and a great variety of thistles and other such prickly plants. He cast a helpless glance at Brother Perpetiël. "I don't mind getting wet, Mr. Perpetiël… Maybe we should just stay on the main road?"
Brother Perpetiël looked at Justin. "Life on the mountains is a bit different from what you are used to. Of course…," he said slowly with a twinkle in his eyes, "…if you would rather return home and go back to your classes…"
Justin gave him a scowl. "Of course not, Mr. Perpetiël." He turned to Amy, put on a brave front and said, "We can do this, right Amy?" She nodded, and they both stepped off the main road and started to climb up in the riverbed.
It was a difficult climb. Sweat was dripping from Justin's face as he forced himself up in the narrow gulch, bashing his knees and scratching his hands, but after about half an hour, Brother Perpetiël announced in a loud voice they had arrived.
He pointed to what appeared to be nothing but a dark, narrow crack in the rocks. "It's the entrance of a small cave. There we'll be perfectly safe."
Justin was amazed when he turned around and looked back. The sky, which had been so clear and blue, was now dark and overcast, and he could hear the distant rumble of the approaching storm. Brother Perpetiël had been right. The storm was coming, and they would be much safer in this cave than out in the open; exposed to violent winds, rains and possible flash floods.
The cave itself was damp and dark, and the ground hard and uncomfortable, but at least they were safe and secure, and when Amy sat down next to him and leaned her gentle body against him, a feeling of joy and gratitude welled up in Justin's heart. He must be the luckiest person in the whole wide world.
Brother Perpetiël did not sit down. He kept standing near the mouth of the cavern and stared outside and seemed a bit restless.
"Won't you sit down with us, Mr. Perpetiël?" Amy asked. "Don't you need to rest too?"
He turned, the bulk of his body blocking most of the light that shone in. "Not yet," he whispered. "I have the feeling somebody is following us."
Both Justin and Amy looked up. "What do you mean, Mr. Perpetiël," Justin asked. "Who would be following us?"
Brother Perpetiël shook his head. "I don't know, young Justin. But I've had this feeling for quite some time, and for now I'll stay on the lookout."
Justin narrowed his eyes. "You think it could be Alfred Rodeo?"
Brother Perpetiël smacked his lips. "Maybe…, but why would he wander around in the wilderness, when he could be safely on his way back to Dewsbury? From where he escaped, the road down is fairly easy."
"Are you sure we are being followed?" Amy asked.
Brother Perpetiël shook his head. "It's just a feeling, but my feelings are usually right."
He had barely finished his sentence when a loud thunderclap echoed throughout the mountains. It was so loud, and so unexpected, that Amy let out a small yelp, causing Justin to tighten his arms around her. At the same time it appeared heaven's floodgates were opened and the rain was lashing down. Brother Perpetiël let out a sigh and turned his face to the others. "The storm has begun. Whoever is following us will now be forced to find shelter too," he
said as he crouched down. "Let's hope the storm will be over soon."
If Brother Perpetiël would have kept on the lookout at the mouth of the cavern for even a few seconds longer, he would have seen the silhouette of a dark figure appearing from behind a large boulder in the riverbed. Because of the misty sheets of rain, it would have been impossible to tell who it was, but clearly, the monk had been right. They were being followed.
Justin had never been in a raging storm in the middle of the mountains before, and to all natural expectations, it should have scared him. But not this time. Sitting safely in a cave, pressed against Amy and in the presence of a mighty warrior monk, while deafening thunderclaps rolled around his ears and sheets of rain were pummeling the rocks outside with such force that the dry riverbed had now changed into a full-fledged stream, made it into an unforgettable moment. And then to think that only a week ago his life had been mostly filled with concerns about school and football.
Maybe he should be grateful to Sternfoot and his ilk. After all, if these weird Shadow Walkers had not shown up, his life would be entirely different right now. Then, he would not be on a quest with Amy Stenson, he would not be on his way to a mysterious monastery in the Wintervale Mountains, and he would not be helping his Uncle Harry solve murders.
Nevertheless, thinking of Sternfoot filled him with anger, and whatever good had come out of this situation was most certainly not to the credit of this evil teacher. The man was dangerous.
Amy lifted her head away from Justin's shoulder and cleared her throat. "Can I ask you something, Mr. Perpetiël?" Her voice sounded strange and hollow in the cave that was for the most part shrouded in darkness. The silhouette of Brother Perpetiël’s bulky frame, still standing at the mouth of the cave, was clearly visible, but for the rest visibility was greatly limited. Justin could barely even see his own hands.
"Of course," Brother Perpetiël replied, as he turned around.
"Why us?" she asked.
"You mean, why I asked you two to come with me to the monastery?" Brother Perpetiël had to raise his voice in order to be heard over the pounding rain.
"Yes," Amy replied. "Why? I am sure you have a reason for that?"
They could see Brother Perpetiël scratching his skull, and for a moment the monk did not answer. Then he stepped deeper into the cave as well and crouched down before Justin and Amy. "In order to answer that properly, let me give you a bit of background." He smacked his lips, thought for a moment and then continued. "You have heard that we are called the Guardians of the Sacred Tome. We are an ancient order, fully set to serve the King of Heaven. We date back as far as 1210, when our order was established in Bavaria, Europe, by a very devout monk called Gregorius Theophilus, who was appalled by the state of the church of his time. Worldliness, false doctrines, selfishness and deceit were eating away at the foundations of the true faith in the King of Heaven, and he saw it as his God-given responsibility to start an order to protect the true values of the church."
Justin wanted to ask something, but Brother Perpetiël motioned for him to wait. "Ever since that time, the order has existed in various places around the world, but we are mostly hidden and are unknown to most people. Our goal is to actively fight against the spiritual wickedness that dwells in the dark corners of the spirit world, and that seeks to enslave the ignorant masses, but always without drawing any attention to ourselves."
"How do you fight?" Justin was fully engrossed in what Brother Perpetiël told them.
"We do not fight with carnal weapons, like swords and guns. Our weapons are mighty through the power of the Spirit. We mostly spend our days in meditation, prayer and worship, and by so doing, we illuminate vast areas of this world with the light of the king of Heaven, thus keeping the forces of darkness at bay."
"And nobody knows about your order?" Justin could hardly believe what he heard.
They could hear Brother Perpetiël chuckle. "Some people do. Father Gálvez knows about us, and there are others too, but we prefer to remain mostly hidden and unseen, which is why we are living in such remote places as the Wintervale Mountains."
"But… eh…," Justin's voice faltered, "… why…"
"… Are we dressed so weird?" Brother Perpetiël let out a laugh as he finished Justin's sentence. "I can read your thoughts, young Justin. Not nearly as good as some others at the monastery, but I do have the skill."
Justin blushed and was glad it was too dark for Amy to see. "I… didn't mean weird," he stammered, "But, yes, I was wondering about that, since you say all you do is pray and meditate, the clothes you wear suggest you are into some sort of martial arts?"
"It's a physical representation of our spiritual powers," Brother Perpetiël answered. He thought for a moment and then said, "And, to be honest, sometimes the war in the spiritual realm can get to be quite violent, although I cannot properly explain that to you at present."
For some time it was quiet in the cave. Only the sound of the raging storm was heard. Amy was the first one to break the silence.
"But that still doesn't explain why you wanted Justin and me to come with you?"
"Right," Brother Perpetiël replied while nodding his round head. "Father Gálvez told me he talked to you about the Shadow Walkers," he went on. "He read about them to you from one of his ancient books, right?"
"He did," Amy said.
"Now, The Shadow Walkers…," Brother Perpetiël said slowly, "… are a particular foul and demonic regiment of the Kingdom of Darkness. Throughout the ages they have caused untold harm and damage in many parts of the world and they have always been subject to our intensive prayers. Throughout the ages, we have been at war with them, stopping and hindering them wherever we could. Like us, they have mostly remained hidden and unseen and only a few people know about their existence."
Brother Perpetiël moved a little closer to Justin and Amy, so he wouldn't have to compete with the sound of the rain outside. "One of the ways through which the Shadow Walkers are working is through shape shifting and the materializing of demons into this world. You know what that means, don't you?"
Justin and Amy both nodded, and Amy added, "Father Gálvez told us it's the ability of morphing from a spiritual being into a physical being."
"That's right," Brother Perpetiël said. "These things are almost too dark to speak of." He was silent for a moment, as if he was searching for the right words. "Recently the Shadow Walkers have decided to become more open. It appears they have been ordered to prepare the way for their king, the Lord of Darkness, to establish a real foothold in the physical world. No longer will the power of darkness be only spiritual, but they believe the time has come to set up an actual, physical stronghold here on earth."
Amy scratched her head. "But there's already so much evil in this world. Doesn't the Lord of Darkness have more than enough evil already?"
Brother Perpetiël had to chuckle. "Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes." *
Justin looked up. "Excuse me, Mr. Perpetiël? What does that mean?"
"It's a passage of scripture, young Justin. It really means that true evil is never satisfied."
Justin shook his head. This was almost too much to take in. The damp air made him shiver, or was it because of the things he just heard? He looked up and asked, "Why did I never hear about these things before?"
"It's simple," the monk answered. "You weren't ready. You never believed in a spiritual world before." Justin understood. It was true. He had always scoffed religion and could never understand people that were into things that couldn't be seen with the natural eye.
Brother Perpetiël chuckled. "But don't worry, Justin. Most people in the world don't believe in things they can't see. But…," he hesitated, "…do you believe it now?"
Justin cleared his throat. "Not until… recently, I suppose. To be honest, things have been so strange that I don't know what to believe anymore."
Brother Perpetiël smacked his lips again. "It's really very simple. Compare this
world to an iceberg. When you see an actual iceberg it turns out 95% of the actual mass of ice is under water, and nobody ever sees it, but it's there nevertheless. If you insist that only the ice you can see is real, you are making a grave mistake."
"Sort of like the mistake they made with the Titanic, right?" Justin asked. "Nobody saw the ice that was under the water, so they thought there was no danger… and then they all sank."
Perpetiël raised his brows. "What's the Titanic?"
Justin shrugged. "Never mind. I get the idea."
"Good," Brother Perpetiël stated. "Now, as I said, the Lord of Darkness wants to set up a physical stronghold and he's using the Shadow Walkers to do it." He hesitated a moment. "And they need the minds and bodies of young people to do it."
"Are you serious?" Justin shouted it out, although his voice sounded more like a croak. If he had not seen the things he had seen the last few days, he would have started laughing and would have most certainly thought Brother Perpetiël needed to be locked away. But too much had happened and he knew that it would be better to take the words Brother Perpetiël was speaking seriously.
Brother Perpetiël sighed. "I know it seems strange, but it's the truth nevertheless. Demons have been able to possess human beings ever since the day Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, but now they want to take it one step further. Through their dark craft they want to be able to fully and permanently morph into physical beings, and they need young bodies to do so. They seek to manipulate young minds to succeed."
Justin and Amy stared at each other, and Amy squeezed Justin's hand so hard it actually hurt. "That's unforgivable," Justin mumbled at last.
"It is," Brother Perpetiël continued. "But it's what is going on. A regiment of the Shadow Walkers has been ordered to use Dewsbury as a testing ground, which is why they are centering their efforts on the high school you and Amy are attending."
Justin felt as if the mountain caved in on him and he gasped for air. Now he understood. All of a sudden all the puzzle pieces fell into place. As he was still holding on to Amy, he felt her body stiffen as the reality of what Brother Perpetiël had told them sank in. She was as shocked as he was.