"They're beautiful. I can hear them calling to Sen." She reached a hand out as a spark came close to her, caressing her hand with its light. It zoomed back to the swarm around Sen.
"They're welcoming him." She gasped. "They waited for him."
A spark of light shot over and hovered just in front of Tremain. He frowned for a moment, then his eyes lit up as a smile appeared on his face. He turned to Christopher.
"That was Illya, Sen's . . . girlfriend, for want of a better word. She thanked me. It felt so warm." Tremain stepped closer to the swirling lights. "Sen!" he called out, "what about that storm?"
The huge ball of light that was Sen extended a gentle tendril towards Tremain. Another one extended towards each of the others in the room. Alice closed her eyes as the glow suffused her. Daylin reared back, trying to avoid the tendril. Smitty, who was still staring in apparent disbelief, didn't budge as the tendril engulfed him in light. Christopher stood still and let the light touch him. It was warm and tingled where it made contact with his skin. He was filled with sensations that were not his own. They were filled with a sense of belonging. Of peace. He smiled.
"The storm will dissolve. Your people are safe." Came Sen's voice. It sounded far away.
The swirling lights sped up their dance.
One by one, they shot upwards through the ceiling. Sen's light throbbed, the energy bright in the room.
Only one spark remained. It slowly approached Sen and reached out tendrils of its own, wrapping Sen in a tender embrace. Sen's light ceased throbbing and began to shrink until it was the same size as the spark. Together, they vibrated and shot up into the ceiling.
Alice was the first to stir, her eyes wet with tears.
"He's gone." She whispered.
A clamor arose from the corner where Smitty had fallen. There was a gasp, a loud exclamation and Smitty jumped up. They all whirled around, expecting to see the twisted body, but they saw that Sen had one more good deed in him. Smitty stood there, on knees that looked normal, staring with wide eyes at arms and fingers that all bent in their proper ways. The expression on his face was rapt with wonder. His mouth twitched and a high-pitched giggle escaped. He jumped up and down and clapped his hands.
"I'm better!" he said, and hugged himself as he collapsed on the couch, his laughter devolving into crying. Daylin went over and comforted his friend.
Christopher walked over to Alice.
"Will you be okay?" he asked.
Alice's gaze was warm as she smiled at the young man. She reached out her hand and caressed his face. Presently she nodded.
"I will be. I wasn't sure what would happen to me without Sen, but I think I will be able to live. Sen told me as much before he left. The castle will eventually dissipate without him to sustain it."
Tremain jumped as his pocket beeped and vibrated. He reached in and pulled out his tablet.
"Marcus has been blowing up the grid trying to get hold of me." He laughed as he waved a hand. "Apparently, Sen's blockade has been removed." He reached back into his pocket and pulled out a small remote control device. He smiled as he saw the lights were shining. "And we can leave whenever everyone’s ready."
Daylin looked up from the couch, where Smitty had calmed down and was wiping his face, giving an exaggerated sniffle.
"You have a transport that can reach us up here?"
"Not quite." Tremain smiled back at him. "I have, perhaps, a more elegant way of traveling." He gestured for them all to gather around. "It's going to be a tight fit, but let's see if we can make it work." As soon as they were all standing close together, he hit the button.
A coruscating light filled the room, surrounding the five of them. It flared once, then dissipated, taking them with it. The castle fell silent.
EPILOGUE
Christopher stood outside his front door, Tremain and Daylin were right behind him. His father was a new man, after a couple of hours spent showering, shaving and brushing out his hair. He wore some old clothes Tremain had lying around. Smitty had been admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital to be evaluated. Tremain promised to keep tabs on his condition. He had also called Colonel Griffiths. The storm had dissipated quickly, just as Sen had said it would. The good Colonel couldn’t explain it, saying he’d leave that to the scientists to figure out.
Before Christopher could turn the handle, the door whooshed open and Davie stood there, her eyes wide in surprise, Celeste was right behind her.
"Christopher!" She yelled and wrapped her son in an enormous hug. Christopher gave in for a moment, then tried to separate himself. "When I heard you had disappeared, I thought I'd never see you again!"
"Mom, I have to show you something." He managed to squeak out. Davie looked up to see her brother standing a little bit down the walkway, looking bashful. He scratched his head and stepped aside to reveal Daylin.
Davie paused, not recognizing the man standing before her, then her eyes grew wide, filling with tears as she released her son.
"Daylin?" she whispered. Her hands trembled as she held them out to her long lost husband.
"I'm back. Thanks to Tremain and Chris." He said as he embraced her.
"Lords, you're so thin!" she exclaimed between sobs.
"I just need some of your cooking."
Tremain repressed a shudder as he thought about his sister's cooking. It wasn't her strong suit, but if it helped Daylin recover, so be it. He shook his head in wonder, then smiled. They were a family again.
Celeste surprised Christopher with a bear hug, which left him breathless. She stepped away, then punched him in the arm.
"OW!" Christopher shouted, rubbing his shoulder. "Why did you do that?"
"For making your mom and me worry, that's why!" Her face softened. "When I heard on the news you had disappeared with your uncle, I had to know what happened, so I came to your house." She looked down. "Your mom's really sweet, you know. She was happy you had a girlfriend."
Christopher blushed.
"B-but I don't . . . do I?"
Celeste giggled.
"We'll see about that." She grabbed his arm and smiled up at him. Christopher looked over at Tremain, who shrugged and waved them off.
"You're on your own." Tremain mouthed.
Christopher gave a half smile and turned back to Celeste.
Christopher, Celeste and his parents went inside as Davie talked about cooking something for a good warm snack. Christopher made to shut the door, then walked back to Tremain, leaving Celeste by the doorway.
"Are we going to be okay?" he asked.
Tremain looked towards the house, then down at Christopher. Across, actually, the boy had grown, hadn't he?
"I think all your father needs is some time with his family, your mother's cooking aside." Tremain laughed, then nudged his nephew. "Go spend time with him. Help him re-acclimate to his life. He'll need your support more than ever. Take all the time you need." He guided Christopher towards the door, then gave him a little push. "Besides, you now have a girlfriend to contend with." Christopher gave an unconvincing cry of indignance.
"Don't you need me at the lab?" Christopher asked.
Tremain smiled wider.
"Of course I do! My new intern has quite a bit to do and I plan on keeping him busy."
Christopher gave a look of confusion at first, then his eyes flew wide and a huge smile creased his face.
"Intern? Me? You're not kidding are you?"
"No. I'm not. You've earned it, Christopher." Tremain waved his hands towards the house. "Now don't worry about that, we'll discuss the details another time. Go be with your dad . . . and girlfriend." He teased.
Christopher smiled once more, then joined Celeste and shut the door behind them. Tremain stood for a few minutes longer, lost in his own thoughts. He turned and headed back towards the waiting cab.
"I have something else to take care of." He said to nobody as the cab drove off.
***
Alice stood as Tremain entered the lab. She wiped her eyes as
he came over to her.
"You've been crying." He said softly.
Alice nodded and blinked a few times.
"Yes. I realized I have no idea what will become of me. My entire existence has been as a servant to Sen. Now I am my own person and I don't know what to do." She spread her arms and let her hands drop to her sides.
Tremain smiled at the inescapably human gesture.
"I think I have just the thing to give you purpose." He gestured her towards the computer. "While Sen and I were communing, he informed be about lodestones."
Alice nodded.
"Yes, I know of those. There was one down in the valley, below the castle. Your people that left . . . the Mayflower people, I think you called them, they live there and give thanks to their deities there. I believe they've even built a temple around it."
Tremain snapped his fingers.
"Precisely." He said, pointing at her. "Just being in the vicinity of a lodestone influenced their development. It advanced them by leaps and bounds." He rubbed his chin. "Not that I'm worried about them, they're not a violent people. But if someone with less than honorable intentions finds themselves influenced by a lodestone . . ." He let the implications hang in the air. Alice's eyes grew wide.
"That cannot be allowed to happen."
"No, indeed not. We have to collect them, if possible, and keep them safely out of harm's way." He turned to her. "After a bit of getting used to your new life, what would you say about going on a journey or three?"
Alice looked at him, then smiled.
"You're trying to get rid of me, aren't you?" She said, teasing him.
Tremain shook his head and took Alice's hand in his.
"Not at all. I will miss our teas together, but I believe you are unique in your abilities to sense the particular energy produced by the lodestones. I can think of nobody else I would entrust a search like this to."
"Then I have no choice but to accept."
Tremain clapped his hands together and smiled at her.
"Perfect. Now," He glanced sideways at her. "It's late, but how about some dinner? I don't know about you, but I'm ravenous. My treat?"
Alice's laughter filled the lab. She shook her head, making her curls bounce this way and that.
"You're impossible." She said.
"Nah, just very improbable."
Laughing, they left in search of an open restaurant.
About the Author
Terry Marchion lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with his wife, daughters and a lovable black lab. He once had dreams of being an astronaut, baseball player, Starfleet captain and Jedi knight, but reality hit so he settled on being a graphic designer. Throughout his life, though, he’d always written stories. Most were bad. Very, very bad. But some, like what you’ve just read, had promise. If you liked it, please leave a review. He promises to read each and every one.
To get more information, sneak peeks and more, join the club at www.terrymarchion.com
Dear Reader
Thank you so much for taking the time to read The Wrath of the Revenant.
If you think things got hairy for Tremain and Christopher in this book, just wait until you see what they have coming! If you wish to be among the first to hear about it, join my club – come visit me at www.terrymarchion.com, click on the contact page and follow the instructions for signing up to my list. I don’t spam you or sell your email. We’re friends!
If you have yet to read any of the other adventures, Tremain and Christopher have had (and why haven’t you?) – they can be found on Amazon, just follow these links:
The Missing Yesterdays:
http://getbook.at/TheMissingYesterdays
The Purloined Pictograph:
http://getbook.at/Pictograph
Thanks so much once again – and if you want to be super mega awesome, please consider leaving a review – I very much appreciate it!
Also by Terry Marchion
The Missing Yesterdays
The Purloined Pictograph
Coming soon: The Misplaced Mentor
Acknowledgements
Each work is a collaboration between individuals, the author being only one cog in the great machine. This book is no different. I have my editor to thank for making my word-salad sound somewhat intelligent: Angelique Marchion. Maybe it’s because she’s also my sister that she pulls no punches when it comes to letting me know if things just aren’t working. I also have to thank my beta-readers. Their feed-back is invaluable and much appreciated.
Most of all, the ones who need the most thanking are my family. My wife, Pam, who puts up with my silliness (and a whole lot more, trust me on this) and my daughters, Annie and Molly, who also have had to deal with me and my antics.
I have had tons of encouragement from my fellow author friends, many of whom I’ve met online in various facebook groups. Your help and advice keeps me sane. To my fellow indies in Little Boxes & AAYA . . . guys, you inspire me every day.
Thanks for reading! Please add a short review where you purchased this book and let me know what you thought!
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