A Temporal Trust (The Temporal Book 2)

by Martin, CJ

  But it was experiencing great pain and fear.

  The sounds of high-pitched screeching filled the small building. Ian’s eyes were burning as he jumped off that nearly unconscious Nephloc and headed toward the one Sam had just thrown in. That Nephloc was now against the wall attempting to position itself as far away from the coming avenger as possible.

  The captured Nephloc were poor reflections of what they had been only a minute before. Tiny, hardly more than the size of a child cramped in a huddled fetal position.

  “Enough!” The old man’s voice boomed, stilling the fists and turning the heads of not only Ian, but everyone else in the room. Marcus had returned with the third Nephloc in tow. Releasing it, the three Nephloc cowered together in a tight group making stunted, bowing motions directed at their Temporal captors. They were cornered and defeated. All possible exits were covered by Temporal who were clearly stronger than they. This was a happy surprise for Sam who had imagined the enemy would have offered a much greater attack.

  Marcus shot a disapproving glance at Ian who was once again sporting clenched fists and was in midstride toward one of the creatures. The old man repeated, “Enough. They are defeated and will have quarter.”

  Sam stepped in front of Ian, stopping his advance and daring him to continue. After a few ponderous breaths, Ian lifted his fist. Sam stood firm, but pulled his shoulder in slightly. With a cry louder than the explosions that had opened the window and door, Ian turned and slammed his fist into a nearby wall.

  The old man nodded and said, “Hold them here while I help Catherine capture the last one.” Marcus then flew out the door with a speed faster than the eye could process.

  Chapter Two

  Marcus arrived to find Catherine on the ground, motionless. Hair covered her face, the strands feathering her eyes and nose. He saw a large gash on her left thigh.

  After receiving his signal, she had dashed out of her hiding place, running blindly toward the building. In her haste to join the battle, she failed to notice the fleeing fourth Nephloc. It had found a large fallen branch and, upon seeing her, the creature hurled it into her direction. The projectile tripped her legs and sent her face first, skidding into the rocky dirt and dashing her leg into a sharp, protruded rock.

  Marcus was horrified to see Catherine’s prone body, bleeding and motionless. A moment later, he sighed with relief as he saw Catherine moving to push herself up to a sitting position and then motion for Marcus’ hand. She had been watching the perimeter for spies or a potential second wave of attackers. She had not been expecting to join the fight.

  “Don’t worry,” she said to Marcus after noticing his overly concerned face, “it seems my pride has been hurt more than my body.”

  Once she was stable enough, Marcus escorted her back to the building. The fourth Nephloc was nowhere to be seen and Marcus did not have Sam’s gift, his Nephloc radar.

  Marcus saw the three captured creatures huddled and shaking in a corner when he and Catherine entered. After making sure Catherine was truly all right, he turned toward Ian.

  Marcus’ eyes burned.

  He pulled Ian away from the prisoners’ earshot and growled in a low voice.

  “You meant to kill that creature.”

  “And if I did?”

  “We need intelligence. They do us no good dead.”

  Ian turned his head away. His nostrils flared. “There were four of them.”

  “One of whom escaped thanks to your thoughtless haste.”

  “Thoughtless?” Ian turned back to Marcus, nostrils flaring. “Look old man, they intended to harm Suteko. I had only one thought and that was stopping them from doing that. Why shouldn’t it have been killed?”

  “Did you create it? Why then do you think you have the right to destroy it? Self-defense is one thing, but this was a sting with well-defined objectives. We all knew the plan; we all knew our roles in that plan. Their appearance was expected, and Suteko is in no way a helpless little girl.”

  Hearing Marcus speak of Suteko’s self-defense capabilities, Sam thought back to the time she had stopped him from using the gift of speed within time in public. He had been blinded by the discovery of his own awesome power; he had let it show a little too publicly. Her arm stopped his forward motion and sent him headfirst into a newspaper box. She had been right, of course, but he still had the mark to remember his lesson.

  Ian turned his back to Marcus in disgust. The old man was putting the Nephloc’s welfare above the safety of one of the Temporal—above the one Temporal he desired more than life. Ian spat into a corner and turned back to Marcus.

  “Shall we get on with the interrogation?”

  “First, I need to talk to Sam. Wait for me,” Marcus said to everyone. After he saw Suteko and Catherine nod, he directed his voice at Ian and said, “Do nothing without me.”

  Marcus kept his eyes focused on Ian and took a step back toward Sam who had moved to the door. Ian didn’t speak or make any movement to acknowledge what the old man had said.

  Once outside, Marcus said, “First, are there any others around? A second wave of attackers?”

  Sam closed his eyes and once he was sure, he said, “No. That was it. And I no longer sense the one that escaped.”

  “Sam, I’m concerned about Ian.”

  “Really? I would have never guessed.”

  Sam had to smile a little upon seeing Marcus’ confused face. Marcus for his two thousand years had never truly grasped the humor behind understatement and a sarcastic response. Marcus was seriousness. At times, eccentric and comically odd, but always serious.

  Sam cleared his throat and continued with a more appropriate tone, “Beside his obvious anger issues, have you noticed the way he fawns over Suteko?”

  The old man put a heavy hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Son, you have nothing to fear. I know Suteko’s heart. However, Ian is harder to know. There is anger within him. I want you to…watch him.”

  “You want me to use my gifts to spy on him?”

  Marcus leaned over to glance inside and at Ian. “Well, I would have chosen my words differently, but I need to know if he is truly with us.”

  Sam nodded. “I’ll try. I have also felt his anger, but out of consideration for his privacy, I chose not to investigate its source.”

  “It isn’t just about brutally beating that Nephloc. It was how he enjoyed doing it. I’ve noticed a number of small, seemingly meaningless things Ian has done since he’s been here. Seen individually, it means nothing, but taken as a whole and considering his past, there is cause for concern. Ian was once a very good man. I had thought he had…” Marcus removed his hand on Sam’s sagging shoulder and with a healthy slap to Sam’s back, he said, “Well, come, Sam, let us return before Ian begins the interrogation without a referee.”

  “Before we do, Marcus, there is something I don’t understand. The Nephloc that I experienced in Japan and the Nephloc that attacked us here today were huge, strong, menacing, and every bit as scary as the monster from under my childhood bed. And yet, the creatures in there are now small and weak, pathetic even.”

  “The Nephloc feed on fear, Sam. Without fear, they have no power. When confronted by a superior force or a fearless enemy—no matter how much the odds tilt in their favor—they revert to their natural state.”

  Sam shook his head. The change had been dramatic and instantaneous.

  Marcus continued, “You must remember that evil is empty. It is an eternal emptiness even if it may wield real and overwhelming temporal power. This spiritual emptiness always seeks to be filled, but even when evil gives the impression of being fulfilling, the light of truth reveals the utter emptiness.” Marcus turned on his heels.

  “Wait, you knew they would do this. You knew they were weak. Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Marcus, still facing away from Sam, paused and said, “Builds character.” He then continued to the others.

  “Thanks,” said Sam to an empty audience. “I’m sure you’ll look back at
this one day and laugh.”

  Sam entered to see Ian parading in front of the still cowering Nephloc, laughing and mocking.

  Marcus was immediately in front of Ian, walling him off from the Nephloc prisoners. Sam and Suteko took position to either of Marcus’ sides not quite sure whom they would have to restrain. Marcus shook his head and then turned to face the prisoners.

  The three creatures were huddling together in a corner making noises that could not be construed as meaningful language. Between grunts, they let out more wheezing than breathing. They seemed ignorant of the brewing anger in the room.

  Then, quite suddenly, Sam heard whispers among the three as if they were carrying on a conversation. But instead of words volleying back and forth between speakers, they each were facing away from the other two and speaking out of turn, seemingly to no one.

  The words between wheezing were too low for Sam to discern, but the most disturbing aspect was their eyes; they spoke as if in conversation but with no one visible, and all the while, the eyes were moving in various directions rapidly, without stopping to focus.

  Ian stomped the floor in disgust and in attempt to gain some measure of authority. Ian truly did cut an impressive figure. He was tall, taller than the six-foot Sam. He had eyes that radiated authority and taut lips that demanded it. He dressed well, giving the air of an aristocrat. But his muscular build and the scar that was visible when the left arm of his suit jacket pulled up an inch from his wrist suggested that there was more to him than the quiet life of an English gentleman.

  In response to Ian’s actions, the creatures fell to the floor; it was a single motion as if choreographed. Sam now only saw a mass of black cloth, their faces and bulging eyes, hidden. The Nephloc, defeated as they were, clustered in a way to prevent even an inch of their flesh from being shown. From their feet to the hood over their head, all Sam could see was darkness. At least he was spared from looking into their hollow eyes, horrific and empty.

  “What are your names?” Marcus’ powerful voice resonated above the meaningless whispers.

  Other than an occasional whimpering, the creatures were now silent. The chants and whispers ceased.

  Sam stood rapt, fascinated by the scene. These creatures had been so frightful, so seemingly powerful, and yet here they were even more helpless than an infant.

  “I command you to speak. You are captured. Your life is within our hands.”

  This caused the whimpering to intensify, but there was some movement of cloth among the huddle. The whimpering changed into whispers again. But this time, the whispers were spoken in turn—the words were still not intelligible to Sam’s ears, but the creatures were communicating with each other. Suddenly, the whimpering returned as one of the three released itself from the group and scuttled to Marcus’ feet.

  Bowing low and keeping its face hidden, the Nephloc spoke. “We beeegg your mer...” The creature stumbled on the last word. What little could be seen of its face harbored a great bitterness, a bitterness evident from its buckled eyes down to its utterly disgusted and twisted lips. “Merrrcy.” The word itself came off as unclean, dirty and perverse.

  “And mercy shall be given, providing you tell us what we need to know.”

  Sam watched Ian’s hands fold into fists. A tight scowl shot wrinkles out from the edges of his eyes. Sam was about to take a step in Ian’s direction when the anger was released and the fists relaxed. Even still, he took more interest in Ian’s thoughts than trying to figure out the intentions of the prisoners. He began listening and watching Ian’s pattern. Sam wasn’t sure Ian could control his anger, an anger that was palpable even for those in the room without Sam’s gifts.

  The other two Nephloc filed in behind the first, bowing low, with their foreheads touching the floor.

  “What are your names?” The old man took a step forward, closer to the Nephloc, but did not stoop to their level.

  “No naaame.” The vowels were elongated and somehow guttural. The creature continued to keep its head low to the ground as it spoke.

  “You once had a name. Can you no longer remember?”

  The creature in the front said nothing. The cloak rippled slightly as if buffeted by the wind.

  Ian reached over to the creature at Marcus’ feet and forced its head up. His fingers met flesh and bone. There was no blood, but the soft fleshy parts easily yielded to his pressure, sliding an inch to the left or right loosely against bone. The sensation caused Ian to reel back in disgust. Still, the creature held its face high, allowing the Temporal their first close look. It just looked up, its eyes void of motion or emotion.

  Sam once again thought about the Nephloc that had appeared in his hospital room in Japan. The room had been dark, but there was some mysterious force that disguised and concealed its face. The horrific sight had induced a paralyzing fear within Sam. But now, the wretched creature’s natural features were plain to see: pitiful, weak and helpless. Perhaps, Sam thought, it lost its ability to camouflage as it had lost its gigantic proportions.

  “Disgusting.”

  Ian’s voice reverberated loudly in everyone’s ears. The Nephloc continued looking up at Ian and seemed unaffected by the outburst.

  The dark clothing hid most of their bodies but the one nearest to Marcus had allowed Ian to pull its hood back for a full view.

  There was gray, stringy flesh barely clinging to bone—no blood or fat. Beyond the darkly tinted bone, Sam could see nothing but absolute black—as if nothingness was a visible object. Its face was grossly distorted. It had no lips; exposed bone and a few rotten teeth were all that made up its mouth. It had no nose nor did it have ears—or rather, the decayed lip of flesh that Sam saw didn’t resemble an ear in the least.

  The eyes were the most impressive. At least for this front Nephloc—the other two still had their faces hidden from view. One eye, the larger of the two, seemed to hang in place with nothing supporting it. It was round and remarkably large; much of the actual eyeball was exposed. Even the near-white sclera was discolored and dirty. The other eye almost looked normal except for its overall pale green color. Enough flesh surrounded the green eye to keep its basic shape. He had seen one of the other Nephloc’s empty eye socket. Even still, this one with remnants of a physical eyeball was far more grotesque.

  “You wishh to kiilll us.”

  Marcus knelt down to the level of the creature’s eyes. By his body’s motions, Sam could see that the old man was still in a defensive position should the Nephloc lash out in attack.

  “I will not allow harm to come to you, if you answer one question, Nameless One.”

  “Whaat is it?”

  “Your master, Kaileen, what is it that she wants?”

  “Shee. We cannot speak of shee.” The creature’s head turned to the side as if to spit an unpleasant taste from its mouth.

  “You must.”

  “Itsss secret.”

  “Otherwise I will leave you to the care of my friend here.” Marcus jerked his head in Ian’s direction but kept his eyes and attention on the Nephloc before him. “Which do you fear more?”

  There was not even a moment of hesitation.

  “Shee.”

  “But she is not here now, is she?”

  The Nephloc was silently trembling. Marcus turned to Sam who shook his head indicating she was not.

  “Tell me, why were you sent?”

  By the quick, stunted movements of its eyeballs, Sam could see that there was a conflict building within the Nephloc. Pulling his concentration from Ian, Sam began to dig, trying to isolate this particular Nephloc’s mind patterns.

  Just as Sam’s mind locked on the Nephloc’s pattern, a loud high-pitched screech drilled into Sam’s ears. The source of the sound was outside the window—or rather, the large hole in the wall that had once been a window. Moving to the side of the window, Sam could see nothing but darkness. But by the sound, it was the same bird he had heard earlier.

  Upon hearing the cry, the Nephloc that had been c
losest to the Temporal, immediately fell completely to the floor and scuttled backward to the other two. The three, once again, were in a tight huddled mass of black cloth.

  “I heard that owl earlier.” Sam had thought it was odd before. They were not in the middle of a city, but they were also not in an area one would expect to find owls. With the door and window area open to the outside, the otherwise muted sounds of nature were amplified.

  “That was no owl.” Marcus turned back to the Nephloc before him. “I cannot help you if you do not cooperate.” Marcus was beginning to despair. Not only was this not going anywhere, but one of the Nephloc escaped. The demon woman would soon learn that they had been waiting for Nephloc attackers and that the Temporal knew that she was hunting them; they needed to move soon. “Then, I’m afraid we must...”

  “Wait,” Sam said, stopping the old man. One of the Nephloc had let its guard down—whether intentionally or because of fear, Sam didn’t know, but the pathway to its thoughts was now open. “Their mission was to kill or capture Suteko in order to get to me. Without Suteko, so Kaileen thought, I would have no allegiance to the Temporal.”

  Suteko moved to Sam and touched his arms which were—unknown to him—outstretched. Her touch eased the fear and poison that had seeped in as he probed the Nephloc’s mind. He relaxed his arms and went deeper.

  “She wants me for something. Surely, she wants me to complete the list...” Sam closed his eyes. Shaking off Suteko’s touch, he lifted his hand, palm up, as if to stop someone’s approach. “No. It is something else.” Sam’s eyes were now open and staring at both Suteko and Marcus. “It is too late.” Sam stammered before continued. “She has the completed list of the Temporal.”

  Chapter Three

  The nameless Nephloc kept its head down. Fingers with more bone exposed than flesh partially concealed its hollow eyes. It had shamed itself, shamed the High Lady. And by the eagle’s cry, she would soon come to learn of it. The keen-eyed spy had been watching from outside through the broken opening that had once been a window. The Nephloc that had spoken trembled and quickly covered most of its body with its cloak. It was doomed and had spoken the very words that would lead to its death.