by Jeff Gunhus
I cast a quick look at the other two hunters, Sahila and Tone, who were slowly edging their way toward us, words at the ready.
“Look,” I said. “I don’t want to––”
I launched my attack halfway through the sentence, looking for any small advantage I could get.
Mara blocked my blow with her ax. I saw her left hand swing out in a blur of motion and I dodged sideways as the knife in that hand sliced at my midsection.
The action rotated her body too much to the right. I took advantage of the mistake and rolled my body around her exposed left side.
Too easy, my brain warned me.
It was right. The mistake had been made on purpose to lure me in. Instead of raising my sword to strike a blow, I jumped backward…
…just as her ax flew around in a wild roundhouse, cutting through empty air where I’d been standing only a split second earlier.
If I hadn’t moved, the assembled crowd would have gotten more of a show then they expected.
Mara and I circled each other, both of us giving a little nod of respect now that we’d established we were both skilled fighters.
“Ariel told me you would be difficult,” she said. “That I shouldn’t try to fight you.”
“I like that advice. We should go with it.”
Mara shrugged. “What can I say? I’m curious what the big deal is about you.”
She flew forward, the ax carving the air while her knife hand swirled in a cutting motion.
I didn’t know which weapon would strike first so I found myself backing up, trying to figure out a pattern to her attack.
The back of my heel hit the stone fountain in the center of the square. I was out of space.
“This is getting annoying,” I said.
I hiked my right foot up on the step behind me and vaulted into the air. It was only a few feet, but it caught Mara off-guard, and that was what I needed.
I twisted my body and hammered the ax at just the right angle so that it went spinning out of her hands, clattering to the cobblestones.
Her knife hand was still dangerous. When I landed, I rolled to the side, hearing the knife pass over my head.
When I came up from my roll, Mara froze.
The point of my blade was right at her stomach, pressing against it, but not hurting her.
The crowd around us broke out in applause and cheers.
Anger flashed in Mara’s eyes, the look of someone who wasn’t used to losing.
“Jack!” T-Rex said behind me.
I didn’t dare look. I knew the second I did, Mara would slip away and the fight would restart. Besides, I didn’t need to look. I was sure the other two hunters were closing in on T-Rex. They would have both him and Daniel as bargaining chips. But I had Mara.
I just didn’t know whether the other two were willing to sacrifice her or not.
“I’ll admit you’re a decent fighter,” Mara said. “But Ariel told us where your weakness lies.”
“Hey, leave me alone,” T-Rex called.
I pressed a little harder with the point of my sword. “Tell the girls with the weird names to leave my friend alone.”
The crowd closest to me overheard the comment and gave me a small laugh. The whole thing with the people watching us made me feel like we were in a TV show or something.
“Sahila. Tone,” she called out. “If this boy draws one drop of blood from me, kill the fat one.”
This comment drew some boos and whistles from the crowd.
“That’s not nice,” T-Rex said.
Mara grinned at me. “So, now what? You have me. We have five of your friends.” She must have noticed the pained look on my face, because she nodded. “Oh yes, we have the vampire girl, the smart one and the little dog with the big bark. They’re with Ariel right now.”
“I think we should go see her,” I said through gritted teeth. “I think that she and I need to have a little chat.”
Mara shook her head. “Silly boy, we’re exactly where we would have been if you’d just agreed to come talk to her at the beginning.”
“But then we wouldn’t have had all this fun getting to know each other,” I said. “Besides, don’t think for a second that my sword is leaving your back as we walk there.”
Mara spun around, held her hands up and addressed the crowd. “I’ve been captured. The young hero wins the battle but who will win the war? We hope you will all come back for our next performance right here in an hour.”
There were a few disappointed groans in the crowd, followed by a smattering of applause. The hunter Sahila grabbed the hat with the coins and passed it around. That really got the crowd to disperse in a hurry. A few people dropped money in the hat, but most turned away as soon as the hat came close, trying to look as if they hadn’t been watching the performance at all.
I saw Tone walking behind T-Rex, the knife that I’d given him now in her hands.
If this group had T-Rex and Daniel, and if Ariel really did have Eva, Xavier and Will, then we were in real trouble. As we walked out of the square, I realized that our great escape from Colonel Lockhart might have been for nothing. And if we were captured again, there would be no doubt the Colonel would lock us up tight and throw away the key. If he even let us live, that was.
My stomach tightened as I realized this very well could be the end of the line for our quest. Our only chance was getting Ariel to come over to our side and join us. And that didn’t seem likely.
As we marched toward the train station, I wondered if our good luck had finally run out.
19
I followed Mara down a side alley and then a hill toward the train station. The other two hunters were in front of us, pushing T-Rex along.
I kept a look-out both behind us and on the rooflines of the two and three story buildings that lined the streets. I doubted these were the only three hunters Ariel had brought with her. I didn’t want to walk into a trap or get jumped from behind when I wasn’t looking. Then again, if they really did have my five friends captured, I was already at their mercy. And I was pretty sure they already knew it. That didn’t leave me a lot of bargaining room.
As we walked, I reached into my pocket and felt the three Jerusalem Stones. I wondered at the power I could bring out from them if I really tried. I hoped there would be a better way because I was worried about being able to control the power, and of hurting my friends by accident.
We reached the train station, a red brick monstrosity far larger than a town of that size needed, as if the city planners had imagined the small town would grow vast. We crossed through the main ticketing area, down a hallway that emptied out onto the platforms for arriving and departing trains, and finally through a door marked, Maintenance Workers Only.
“I don’t think we should––” T-Rex started to say, pointing at the sign. His two escorts shoved him through the door.
On the other side was a large storage area, covered by an old, rusted metal awning but open on three sides, the fourth being the wall of the train station behind us. Tracks crisscrossed the ground over a bed of oil-stained gravel. Broken-down engines and old train cars were assembled haphazardly, as though a giant had been playing with them, suddenly grown tired of the game and walked away. Positioned among them, some standing on the ground, others on the roofs or platforms of the trains where they had a better view of the area, were maybe a dozen hunters, all girls.
In the middle were all my friends, each of them on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. Daniel was there too, shirtless, his head drooping as he swayed side-to-side. I realized they must have drugged him, an easy explanation for how they were not only able to capture him but steal his clothes so quickly. I wondered how long he’d stay in his human form once he woke up all the way. I wasn’t sure what they’d used to tie up his hands, but I doubted it would be strong enough to hold him once he transformed, especially if he was angry.
Mara walked up behind me and put a hand on my sword. I flinched and tried t
o pull it back from her, but she held on tight. She shoved me with her shoulder, making me stumble backward.
“Careful,” she said. “Wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”
By the look in her eyes, I knew there was no way she was going to let me keep my sword. Looking at my friends on the ground in front of me, I knew I didn’t have any choice so I let her have it.
“Smart boy,” she whispered.
As soon as she had the sword, a door opened on an old train car behind my friends and Ariel appeared. She faked a look of surprise when she saw me.
“Jack Templar? What are the chances of running into you here?” she said.
I decided not to say anything.
“What? No snappy comeback?” Ariel said, sounding disappointed. She stepped down the stairs from the train, jumping the last two and landing lightly on the ground. She walked toward me. “You were all gabby back at the fortress. But that was when you thought you held all the power, am I right?”
“Something like that,” I said.
She flashed a quick smile, as if getting to me speak was some game she’d won.
“Yes, something like that. Because nothing is ever exactly what it looks and sounds like, isn’t that right?” She was close to me now. “But now you have no power. Your friends are captured. Your escape is sealed off. Your weapons have all been confiscated. You’ll have to excuse me, but I’m having a tough time believing you’re the One, the hunter that’s supposed to defeat Ren Lucre once and for all.” She looked around at the other hunters. “Is anyone else having a tough time imagining this is our great savior?”
The girls spread out around us chuckled at the suggestion and I felt my cheeks burn.
I reached into my pocket for the Jerusalem Stones, not sure how their power would manifest, but ready to try anything to save my friends.
But the Stones weren’t in my pocket.
I dug into my other pocket, wondering how I could have forgotten where they were in.
Nothing.
Then I patted the pockets in my jacket. The front and back pockets of my pants.
Nothing.
“Looking for these?” Ariel called.
My stomach sank, knowing what I was going to see even before I looked up. Mara hadn’t shoved her shoulder against me to make me let go of my sword. She’d done that to pick my pocket.
Sure enough, Mara handed the Stones to Ariel who held them up to her eye like a diamond dealer inspecting a gem. She made a great show of it before glancing over at me.
“Just making sure they’re real,” she said. “After that fancy trick you pulled on the Colonel, it’s best to make sure. You may be a terrible fighter, but that con you pulled was impressive. You didn’t fool me, of course. I’m a professional thief. But you managed to fool everyone else in the room.”
I remembered the odd look Ariel had given me back at the fortress. Even then, I’d thought she’d seen me do the switch.
“If you knew, then why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.
Ariel put the three Stones in one hand and moved them in a circular motion, grinding them against each other. “Maybe I wanted to see if you could get away with it,” she said. “Maybe I don’t like men like the Colonel telling me what to do. Maybe I didn’t like him telling my girls, my expert band of thieves, what to do. Maybe none of us like being told what to do.”
“Huuuuhhhh,” the women around us sounded off with this last comment, accenting the noise by beating on whatever surface was nearest to them. Ariel smiled and then held up a hand for silence.
“Or maybe I just wanted the Jerusalem Stones for myself,” she said.
“Why?” I asked. “Do you think their power can help you steal things?”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” she said.
“And once Ren Lucre’s war starts, something the Colonel’s actions are only going to speed up, do you really think it’ll matter? The world will be changed forever.”
“Maybe the world needs changing,” she said. “Maybe I should be the one to change it. It has to be better than what the Colonel, Ritgo and that other idiot have planned. Master Aquinas believes you are the One to do it, which is why she sent me here to help you, but now I’m not so sure.”
I felt a sudden surge of hope. “Wait. Master Aquinas sent you here to help us?”
“Well, lady, your idea of helping sucks,” Will grumbled from the ground.
“Quiet,” Mara snapped.
“Master Aquinas sent us here. How she knew where to find you, I have no idea. But that old woman has been nothing but mystery ever since I was at the Academy as a little girl.
I must have looked as confused as I felt because Ariel chuckled as she pointed at me.
“Look,” she said to the others. “The face of our great hero.”
She made a goofy face to copy me and the others laughed along with her. As they did, I noticed Daniel raise his head and make eye contact with me. Whatever they’d done to knock him out seemed like it’d worn off. He was looking to me for a sign, but I didn’t give it. Not yet.
“Like my friend was trying to say, you have a funny way of helping,” I said.
Eva had noticed my eye contact with Daniel. I saw her rock back on the balls of her feet, leg muscles flexed to pounce on my signal.
“I said Master Aquinas sent us here to help you,” she said. “I didn’t say whether we were going to or not.” She raised the Jerusalem Stones in the air. “How can I trust you with these if you and your people are taken out so easily? Why should I believe you have what it takes to confront Ren Lucre if you can’t even face us?”
“Let me show you why,” I said, giving the slightest nod of my head.
The second I did, Daniel transformed into his werewolf form, breaking instantly through the ropes around his wrists. As he did, Eva launched herself upward, bringing her knees up to her chest at the peak of her jump and swinging her bound hands under her feet so they were in front of her.
Ariel moved quick, pulling a sword from her side, but Daniel was on her too fast. He slammed his werewolf body against her and sent her flying, her sword falling to the ground. Before she could get up, Eva was on top of her, having grabbed the sword she’d dropped. She held the point against the woman’s neck.
The other hunters closed in around us, but Daniel hissed and snarled at them, baring his massive fangs until they stopped in their tracks.
T-Rex, Will and Xavier scrambled to their feet, helping one another get out of the bindings.
I walked slowly to Ariel and knelt down next to her, holding out my hand.
She smiled widely. “You don’t look like much, Jack. But maybe Master Aquinas was right. Maybe you are the One after all.” She reached out and handed the Jerusalem Stones to me. I inspected them, making sure she hadn’t pulled the same switch on me as I had on the Colonel. I didn’t have to look too closely because I could feel their power pulsing in my hands. Carefully, I put them into my pocket.
“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” I said. “Now I can get a good night’s sleep.”
Ariel pushed against Eva, but Eva continued to hold her down. “If you could call off your guard dogs,” she gave a sidelong look to Daniel who was pacing next to her in his werewolf form, “I have a letter for you from Master Aquinas.”
“Why don’t you give me the letter and then I’ll decide whether to let you up or not.”
Ariel produced the letter in her hand with the flick of her wrist. It was a cheap magic trick, but I have to admit it looked pretty cool. I took the letter and opened it.
I immediately recognized Master Aquinas’s flowing handwriting. More than that, as I read the words, I could somehow heard her voice in my head as if she were there talking to me.
Jack, I’m so glad you were able to escape the clutches of Colonel Lockhart. I expect you guessed that my disappointment with you in the Council was an act to help with your deception. Please know I would never doubt your commitment and your integrity. I’m afra
id Trevor Lockhart has gone quite mad with power and he is now beyond reason. He was not always like this, but perhaps I remember him for the boy he once was rather than as the man he has become. One of the many challenges of old age. As is rambling, so I shall come to the point.
I’ve sent Ariel and her band of thieves to you. From the beginning, she has been my spy in Lockhart’s camp, keeping an eye on things for me. She puts on a show, but she is someone I trust absolutely and I ask that you do the same.
I looked up from the letter and saw Ariel staring at me. She raised an eyebrow as if to say, See?
“What’s it say?” T-Rex asked.
“Give me a second,” I said, turning back to the letter.
Ariel is from Norway and will guide you to where the Lord of the Zombies builds his army. Her highly trained group will be useful as you find a way through the thousands of zombies that spies say have been assembled for the upcoming war. I do not see the clear path to victory, but I’ve come to trust and marvel at your creativity. I know you will think of something for we must stop Ren Lucre and Colonel Lockhart before either of them start the next war.
I pray that your father’s rescue will continue to be possible, but remember the larger stakes of your mission. If the war starts, the entire world will become part of it. Hate and bigotry and violence will have their day as never before in our history. God speed, Jack. You started as our greatest hope, but now I’m afraid you and your friends are our only hope. Do your duty, come what may.
Master Aquinas
I read the letter, folded it up carefully and put it in the same pocket as the Jerusalem Stones.
“So?” Will asked.
“Let her up, Eva,” I said. “Looks like Ariel and her band of thieves are on our side.”
Eva grunted her disgust at the news, but climbed off Ariel who stood up and brushed the dirt from her clothes.
“What help are they going to be?” Eva sniffed.
“Apparently, they are going to escort us to the lair of the Lord of the Zombies,” I said. “And help us steal his Jerusalem Stone.”