Black Dawn

by Andrew Dobell

  Moments later he watched as men around the dig site started the long and arduous task of breaking down the dig and camp. Looked to him like whatever this was, it had come to an end. But, he needed to know for sure, so he planned his next move and how he would approach the site.

  Promotion

  The Vatican

  Dec 1st

  Mary pulled on the top most layers of her robes and straightened the garments out as she looked at herself in the mirror. This could be a great day for her, the fruition of so much time, energy hard work and fighting against all the odds. Getting to the position of Grand Inquisitor had been a long slog, and had it not been for the support of Valerio Rossi, God rest his soul, and a number of others on the Conclave, such as Marcus, Nico, Claud, and Damion, she might have never made it. She’d worked as an operator, an Inquisitor for all of them out in the field, and proven herself to them time and again and also made her ambition to be a Grand Inquisitor quite clear to anyone who would listen.

  Simeon had made his opposition to her appointment to the Conclave quite clear, and although he might be the ultimate head of the organisation, its rule for voting in the Conclave members and the Witch Finder General were quite clear and his vote did not count for more than just the same one vote as everyone else.

  She felt like she got a kind of grudging respect from Simeon these days, she’d proven herself enough to be taken seriously by him now.

  She didn’t know him well enough, and maybe he’d just given up trying to object to her at this point.

  Whatever the case, she had served this organisation with a dedication that could not be questioned, much like her faith in the ever loving God. And now, God had spoken to her, and she had heard him. She had heard his will and she knew she was on the right path.

  She had seen the decay and the apathy that had infected Valerio Rossi, she had seen how he had become paralysed by the Inquisitions continued defeats against the Witches. He had even confided in her that he wasn’t sure how effective they were any more, how relevant they were.

  She had prayed and asked for clarity on this from God, and he had revealed his plan to her, and it was glorious. Apathy had infected Rossi, the Devil had got his claws into him and sewed doubt in the man’s mind. She had asked God for guidance, to know what she must do. She wanted to carry on the fight, to reinvigorate the Disciples of the Cross, to take the fight back to the Devils own and show the world the righteous path.

  The plan had been shown to her a few nights ago, after the meeting when Rossi had declared his intention to go to New York. She’d prayed and asked God if her plan would be a just one, a blessed one, and he had said yes.

  Mary had been cultivating leads and information on New York for a while now, after finding out that Amanda had chosen that city as her home. Mary had a special hatred for Amanda and her Coven, they were clearly in league with the Devil, her red hair marked her as such. So she had seen many of the new Covens make their way into the city, she had her spies and the intelligence experts here in the Vatican monitor and send her all the information possible on the situation in that city.

  So getting a message to several of the more militant Covens had not been terribly difficult. She had to be careful, she didn’t want Amanda getting too much forewarning of what was happening. The Devil could smell a trap and would not want Rossi, one of the Serpents own, being killed.

  Purging the unclean from the Inquisition’s leadership was a righteous cause, and Mary knew she would be granted her kingdom in Heaven for expelling such a taint from the Warriors of God.

  The plan had worked and word soon got back that Rossi had been killed in a surprise attack by several Covens in New York. That night, Mary had prayed for Valerio Rossi’s Soul, she prayed that God would take that taint away and grant Rossi eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

  She hoped to see him again one day when she walked through those pearly gates and to welcome him back into the loving arms of God.

  From the day her plan had been formulated, Mary had been liaising with the other Grand Inquisitors, reminding them of some of their debts to her, debts she had purposefully not collected against for just this occasion. When the news of his death broke, and had been announced to the Conclave, the need for a successor to Rossi had become very clear.

  A new Witch Finder General needed to be found, so the Grand Inquisitors were asked to consider stepping up for the role of Witch Finder General, and given time to think about it before being brought back into the Conclave chamber. They were then asked who wanted to stand for the position. Mary put herself forward, as had Reynaldo De Sauveterre, meaning it ended up being a two horse race.

  The meeting had gone back into recess and the candidates were allowed to mingle and talk until they were called to order once more and they each had to speak before the group.

  Mary had known this was all coming and had prepared well in advance, speaking with the Conclave members, preparing her speech and getting ready for this moment.

  Then, after they had each spoken, the meeting had ended and the vote would be cast and revealed this morning.

  Mary couldn’t help but feel nervous, even though she knew her path to be the one true path, her fallible human soul and body felt weak at the thought of becoming the first female Witch Finder General.

  But she pushed those thoughts to one side, locked them away because she needed to be strong, she needed to show she could be a leader for the Inquisition during this dark time.

  Satisfied with her look, she left her quarters and made her way down to the Conclave chamber, lost to her thoughts of what she would do once she had been voted into the position. There was so much she wanted to push for, including another female Grand Inquisitor to replace her on the Conclave.

  She had someone in mind, but that would come later, after this much more important vote. Mary and Reynaldo were ushered into a separate side room, where they would wait and also cast their own votes, which weren’t really in doubt.

  Sitting in this room with her rival for the seat of the General felt a little uncomfortable, and little had been said between them. Mary had been sure to be cordial and to exchange pleasantries, but beyond that, they kept fairly silent. Mary silently prayed again, hoping that her path remained true and blessed in the eyes of the Lord and that the other Conclave members would see that and vote for her to be the new Witch Finder General.

  They seemed to sit and wait in here for an age. Waiting for others to choose your fate seemed to make time slow down as you thought about your campaign, who might support you and who might support your opponent. It almost felt like a children’s game when they chose sides and you were the last one to be picked.

  She knew she had played her cards well, though, she knew there was little else she could have done, but she also knew that her gender would be a constant issue for some high-ranking Church members and maybe that would be enough to sway some of them to vote for Reynaldo.

  She hoped not, she hoped they would see reason and see her blessed path and want to follow her down it.

  When the door suddenly opened and the aid ushered them in, it came as a bit of a surprise and Mary involuntarily jumped slightly as the noise of the door shook her from her thoughts.

  Walking into the room, she could feel the eyes of the Grand Inquisitors looking at her, and no doubt at her opponent as well. She did her best to ignore the pressure and walk tall and proud to be a defender of the faith.

  Mary stood beside the aid to the Conclave who opened a slip of paper and addressed the room.

  ‘The votes have been cast and verified, and a clear winner has been chosen by the will of God almighty. The new Witch Finder general and High Inquisitor is… Mary Damask.’

  Mary closed her eyes and smiled very slightly to herself, being careful not to look too pleased or too smug. Quickly she offered thanks to God, and she knew her path to be the true one. God had smiled down on her and on the Disciples. A new era of strength was upon them, and she would make sure the
Inquisition became a force to be feared once more.

  - The Melchior Estate, Long Island, New York.

  Maya felt the Magic flare and surge, announcing the arrival of the one Magus who knew the key to Porting into her private estate. It was the early hours and still dark outside, Maya’s preferred time of day, but when she turned round she could clearly make of the familiar features of the woman who stood nearby.

  ‘Hi, to what do I owe the pleasure?’ Maya asked the figure.

  ‘It’s time to head into the desert. Mr Black is making his move for the Lazarus Scroll, which means you need to take Amanda and capture the Scroll before they do.’

  ‘When, now?’

  The figure nodded, ‘Right now.’

  ‘Yes, mother.’

  Meltdown

  Manhattan, New York

  Dec 1st

  A buzzing in her head brought Amanda out from her restful sleep, waking her a little too abruptly. She sat up and put a hand to her head, feeling groggy and wondering what on earth might be going on.

  ‘Jaysis, what time is it?’ she muttered to herself, even though she didn’t need to look at a clock. Her time Magic meant she always knew exactly what time it was.

  With that thought, she knew the time to be 3am, and she rubbed her eyes in protest at being woken up so early.

  It took her a moment to realise that the buzzing sensation wasn’t an alarm clock someone had set off in some spiteful prank, but instead belonged to her Magic and was the sign that someone wanted to speak with her through a Mental Link.

  She looked down at the sleeping form of Maria lying next to her, she hadn’t disturbed her luckily, so she concentrated on the presence behind the Link and recognised it as Maya.

  That was odd, she’d never really had much contact with Maya and had never been contacted by her through their Mental Link before, even thought they had set one up shortly after arriving in New York earlier this year. She’d spoken to Maya a few times and found her to be friendly and pleasant, and they got on surprisingly well actually. But Maya remained distant from her and had never asked her for help or contacted her in this manner.

  So, curious as to what the fuss was about, she opened the Link.

  ‘Maya, hello there, what can I do for you,’ she thought, directing those thoughts out through the Link.

  ‘Sorry for disturbing you at this early hour, but I need your help,’ Maya replied.

  Needed her help? Maya always seemed so independent and competent, what would she need her help for. ‘Sure, what can I do?’

  ‘I’ve been following up on a few leads, and I believe I have found out the location of a powerful Artefact called the Lazarus Scroll, but we need to leave for it now, just you and me. Can you help?’

  ‘Just us two? Are ye sure?’ Amanda asked. That seemed a little odd, why her and why just them two? Why not bring some others?

  ‘I’d normally ask Yoh, but he’s no longer able to Teleport,’ said Maya’s voice in her head.

  Amanda sighed. The mention of Yoh’s transformation into a Scion instantly made Amanda feel guilty, even though she had smoothed things out with Yoh and knew he didn’t blame her. Despite that, she still felt somewhat at fault for his transformation. She had given the order for Maya to do it, and now he didn’t have access to his Magic anymore. Artefact hunting might have been something that Maya and Yoh indulged in together, and maybe she had made that a little more difficult with her actions and choices.

  She swung her bare legs over the side of the bed. ‘Okay sure, let me get dressed, is this going to be a dangerous trip?’ Amanda sent as she grabbed her jeans from the nearby chair she’d placed them on top of and pulled them on.

  ‘Maybe, best be ready for all possibilities.’

  ‘And where are we Porting too might I ask?’ Amanda asked.

  ‘Arizona,’ Maya sent through the Link.

  Amanda looked at her pile of tops in her wardrobe and pulled out a cropped t-shirt which she pulled on and then slipped into her sneakers. ‘I’ll come to you okay?’ she sent through the Link.

  ‘Sure, I’m waiting.’

  Amanda walked round to Maria’s side of the bed and gave her a gentle kiss, being careful not to wake her. Her conversation with Maya had happened silently in her thoughts, and she’d been very quiet getting dressed. Not being sure if she would be back in time for Maria waking up, she conjured a brief note that she left on the bedside table, saying she’d been called out on an errand. Then she concentrated and Ported to Maya, following the Mental Link through space to appear just next to her, and suddenly finding herself stood outside on a pea stone gravel floor. She looked around and she seemed to have appeared in the middle of some kind of quadrangle with a building surrounding her on all sides. An ornate pillared arch behind her led into the space she stood in from outside the building, while before her a large set of shallow steps led up to a very ornate entrance. Maya, dressed in black form-fitting clothing stood on these steps and smiled down at Amanda as she appeared.

  ‘Welcome to my home,’ she said.

  Amanda looked about her, marvelling at the huge building she stood within, ‘This is your house?’

  ‘Yes, this is the Melchior Estate, it’s on Long Island and has been my home for a long time now,’ Maya said.

  ‘Well, it’s beautiful,’ Amanda said in awe.

  ‘You should visit sometime.’

  ‘That’d be grand, thank you.’

  ‘Another time, though, time is short, we need to move quickly,’ Maya said, a sense of urgency in her voice.

  ‘Okay so, where are we going?’ Amanda asked, and suddenly Maya sent a thought to her which had a clear sense of place within it. ‘Aaah right. Let’s be going then,’ she said and pulled on her Magic once more.

  From an upstairs window, the figure watched as Amanda talked with Maya in the courtyard below, before finally Porting away in a rush of Essentia.

  ‘Good luck,’ she said, before Porting away herself.

  With a quiet whip crack of air, the pair of them appeared in amongst the buildings of the Paulo Verde Nuclear Power Plant. In the darkness of the desert night, only the lights of the plant itself shed any illumination, but the plant hummed with power, energy and noise. A huge domed building stood nearby, and through her Magical senses, Amanda quickly picked up the traces of Magic coming from within. She could also see the remains of an Aegis, shattered a short time ago that had surrounded the building.

  ‘We need to get in here,’ Amanda said, motioning to the building, and pulled on her Magic to send a set of her senses just inside the building. With a little manoeuvring of them, she found a suitable Catwalk they could appear on. With another quick working of Magic, they Ported inside onto a raised walkway that threaded through the huge metal structures of the Reactor core. They couldn’t see anything from where they stood, so they walked along the catwalk, moving quietly as Amanda finished boosting hers and Maya’s Aegises. The Catwalk emerged from between two towering bits of Machinery, branching left or right, and below them, two groups of people looked to be facing off against each other. On one side, a Magus in a tan coloured duster stood beside a Scion that Amanda recognised all too well, and the sight of it made Amanda reach out and grab the nearby railing in shock to keep herself from stumbling.

  Horlack, the huge Scion beast that had attacked her in the Alleyway in New York several years ago and triggered her Epiphany and transformation into one of the Magi stood alive and well next to this Magus.

  ‘Holy fecking shit,’ Amanda whispered under her breath.

  ‘Horlack,’ Maya muttered.

  ‘You know him?’ Amanda asked in surprise.

  ‘I’ve had problems with him in the past,’ she said, darkness in her voice. ‘I can deal with him.’

  Amanda glanced over at Maya, her face, surrounded by waves of dark brown hair, had taken on a much darker and more serious expression. Things had suddenly become much more dangerous. Amanda looked back at the confrontation below, and couldn’t h
elp but stare at Horlack. She felt sure she had killed this creature with her Magic, blasted him into nothing. Had she been wrong? Well, the answer stood there a few hundred feet away, alive, and seemingly not very inconvenienced by his apparent death.

  Approaching them, a much larger group of people filed out of a doorway onto the huge flat platform that had a summoning circle painted on it in blood. Numerous dead bodies were scattered around the area, some of them whole, some of them in bits.

  The group that confronted the Magus – was he a Nomad? - and Horlack seemed mostly to be made up of men, dressed in black tactical gear and carrying silenced submachine guns that were all pointed towards the Magi and the Scion. She could tell the man in the long tan leather coat was a Magi with her Magical sight, and as she watched, she saw a few other Magi, a part of the other larger group, step out onto the platform, led by an old man with a walking stick who seemed in charge of everything.

  Behind him, the three Magi consisted of a dark haired woman in leather trousers and high heels, an Indian man with a handsome face and black hair in a shirt and trousers, and finally a blonde woman in a mini skirt and suit jacket, also in heels. Suddenly Amanda realised she recognised this last Magus as well, that was Angel who had attacked her on the train in France and nearly killed her. What had Maya brought her too?

  ‘What do you want to do?’ Amanda asked. ‘There’s some powerful people down there.’

  ‘Let’s see how this pans out, this is much more dangerous than I had hoped, we might not get the Scroll today.’

  ‘No shit?’ she said, and watched, trying to listen to the conversation they were now having below.

  ‘Horlack, it would be you wouldn’t it,’ the old man said.

  ‘Do I know you?’ rumbled Horlack.

  ‘No, but I know you.’ He said, before addressing the Nomad. ‘Dust is it?’ the old man asked, ‘Give me the Scroll, and we can avoid any trouble.’