by Unknown
“Save it, fat-ass, it’s rainy as shit here.” Oreios put his hand up to Harold’s mouth and sealed it with mud. The glop of wet dirt quickly dried, forming a clay seal.
“Why, indeed.” Emma nodded. “We just always assumed it was religious. We never thought to think of the other elements because we didn’t know about the other elements. What if that night wasn’t about the religious killing, but about the element of dirt? That would explain why we never found another murder with a crime scene like that.”
Harold pulled at the clay patch, stumbling back into the wall and then onto his ass. Oreios looked at Emma, chuckling at Harold’s plight as he spoke. “That’s because they didn’t happen. These are copycats.”
“No. It’s because we assumed they all had to be religious because she was Muslim and from the general look of the situation.” Emma stood up, rifling through the files. She pulled out the typed transcripts from that night. “I let my own prejudice cloud my judgment. The girl’s grandmother kept insisting that there was no Sharia there. Her cousin said that she and Zari were going to leave town to escape the Islamic fist of the girl’s father, but he never arrived in the country to claim the body. We were putting together dots that weren’t there.”
“Or maybe you’re just putting together dots that you want to see,” Oreios interjected.
Emma gave him a cold, silent look.
Harold rolled into Oreios’ feet, scratching at the clay patch caught in his beard, but was pushed back into the hallway by Oreios’ foot. Emma folded her arms and tilted her head as she rolled her eyes at Oreios.
“What? This is funny,” Oreios laughed over Harold’s garbled yelling.
Emma turned around and stared at the papers. “Why wouldn’t the family come forward and claim the bodies if this was not a sanctified killing, but a murder?” Emma wondered. “Even if it was, it’s not like them to just be silent on the matter. Why this girl?”
Emma’s phone buzzed. She looked to see who the SMS was from, but it was an unknown number. It simply said to come along and meet soon near Trafalgar Square. Oreios looked over her shoulder and chuckled.
“What is it?” Emma turned around, squinting at him as she pulled the phone in close to her chest.
“Seriously? Go and meet alone?” Oreios asked, smirking. “You’ve got to be insane.”
“I agree,” Harold panted, finally ripping the clay patch from his mouth and pulling a few facial hairs out in the process. “Listen here, you prick—”
Oreios flicked another batch of mud onto Harold’s mouth, shutting him up.
“You don’t even know who it is,” Oreios said.
“Not yet.” Emma twirled around and opened Jonas’ laptop. She typed in his password and then pulled up a tracer program he had purchased on the black market two years ago. She put the number in and pulled up the records. It belonged to Dr. Nambitu. “Strange… He disappeared from police custody days ago. Why would he be back?”
“And why would he use his own number?” Oreios asked.
“Because he’s desperate.” Emma thought for a second, remembering back to the day she spoke with Dr. Nambitu in his office. She thought he was acting strange and kept alluding to the fact that he was being watched. “He was being watched. He needs my help and he’s hoping I’d figure it out.”
***
Athos tossed his unconscious prisoner onto the rocky ground. He looked over his shoulders at Nysos who tapped her foot on the ground. Her arms were folded.
“Save it,” Athos said, walking past her. She bumped into him with her shoulder as he passed by. He grabbed her by the neck and swung her around, slamming her into the wall. Her hand turned into fire, but he slapped it out, drenching it with water. “What’s your deal?”
“You get one and I don’t?” she asked, looking over at Sheila.
“I don’t have one of anything.” He squeezed harder, seeping his water into her skin. The flame in her eyes grew dimmer. “I’ve come across her before.”
“Stop.” Nysos choked, coughing up smoke. Her feet pushed against the floor as she smacked the wall, trying to burn her flame. Nothing happened.
“Say it,” he grunted.
“Please,” she coughed. He pulled his hand away from her neck. She fell to the floor, dry heaving.
“As I said earlier, I recognized her from when Helikon and I visited the lab to retrieve Durga’s gem.” He stood over Nysos, clenching his fists. “There’s more to learn from her.”
“We need souls,” Nysos said, her voice scratchy. “We could’ve easily collected enough mortals to finish out our rituals.”
“It’s not just about having a soul.” Athos picked her up. He motioned with his head for her to follow. They walked into another room in their cabin, joining their three siblings. “It’s about the purity of the souls. We learned that with Yasser’s child.”
“So we’ve got to go out again?” Helikon asked, rolling his head around in a frustrated manner. “Why are we wasting our time then? Each time we step out there and make ourselves known we’re drawing attention.”
“Good. We need the attention,” Athos said.
“We don’t need a bunch of Michael’s thugs scooping us up, or Ra finding us,” Nysos added.
“The whole world is looking to the sky for answers, and in their minds they already have them. For the angels to make themselves known now would be to cement in the mortals’ hearts a lie. Michael would convince them there is no God if he showed his own face. How many souls would they lose then?”
“What are you saying?” Nysos asked.
“I’m saying we have free reign.” Athos smiled while his fellow Ourea were aghast at the notion. He knew his brothers and sisters needed to be shown that their shackles were gone. “That tirade in Russia a few weeks ago… it changed things.” He walked amongst them, holding the gem of Durga up high for them to see. Inside its crystalline exterior, a solar flare erupted much like their understanding of Heaven’s apathy. “Most importantly, it proved that God and His angels don’t exist.”
“But they do,” Helikon said.
“Not in the hearts and minds of most humans on earth. Because if Michael was convinced otherwise, he would have shown up and sent those intruders to hell himself.” Athos looked around, his face beaming with joy. “For ages, the only truth that ever really mattered was the lies humans convinced themselves of. Nothing has changed.”
Chapter 11
Against her better judgment and Harold’s protests, Emma found herself sitting on the rim of a fountain in the middle of Trafalgar Square waiting for Dr. Nambitu. She was reading a book and sipping on coffee. The tranquil sounds of water stirred behind her. The usually highly-congested tourist favorite was relatively barren. Thousands of pigeons had the run of the place as dusk settled in.
On the surface she was calm and collected. Her breathing was steady and she even wore a fake smile. Underneath, she was a complete wreck. She wanted to curl up and just cry, letting out all of the hurt and frustration.
I’ve got to keep it together, she thought, licking her index finger before flipping the page. A brief image of Jonas flashed in her mind. I’m crazy. I need to be somewhere else and honor him.
She moved to stand up, but she heard Jonas’ voice in the back of her mind telling her that it’s all right to stay. Her fingers dug into the binding of the book as she forced herself to read another line from the page, waiting for Nambitu to make contact.
“There’s a curfew in place, ma’am. The deadline is in about ten minutes,” a policeman said, removing his cap as he spoke to her. Emma looked at her watch and then around the square for Dr. Nambitu before nodding at the policeman. “Are ya meetin’ someone?”
“I was supposed to,” she replied. She quickly buried the thoughts of her past failures. It was time to focus.
“Perhaps they got stuck comin’ this way. A lot of the city’s transport has been shut down due to recent events.”
“No, I completely understand.” Emma
stood, placed her book inside the bag and draped it over the shoulder.
“Are you close to home? I’d hate to see you stuck out and about when the deadline passes. Maybe I can escort you to where ever you need to be?”
“No, I’ll be fine. I live close,” she said. She really didn’t, but that was none of the policeman’s concern.
She waved at the officer and headed north away from Nelson’s column, and then hooked a left. She approached a main road and a white van came to a screeching halt on the street in front of her. She stopped in place and then took a few stuttered steps back. Nambitu opened the sliding back door and urged her in.
“Come, we must hurry,” he said, waving his hand.
“You said to come alone and I did.” She looked at the van, turning around. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”
“Miss. Brighton, I know about what happened to your ex-partner,” he called out, putting one foot outside the van. “I know who did it and I know how to get back at them. Right now, our interests align.”
“Why should I trust you now?” She looked over her left shoulder, faintly smiling where he couldn’t see. “Now you decide to open up?”
“The enemy of my enemy, Miss Brighton.” He stepped all the way out of the van and offered his hand. “There isn’t time to waste.”
She approached the vehicle, stepping in and ignoring his hand. After sitting down, Nambitu slammed the sliding side door closed. The front passenger side door opened up and the officer from the square stepped in.
“What is this?” she asked, looking around and trying to get up. One of the men in the backseat behind her and Nambitu lunged forward, pulled her back, and pinned her in the seat.
“We couldn’t take any chances, Emma,” Abayomi said, tapping the driver on the shoulder. “Let’s leave.”
“You said you could help me.” She pulled away from the man in the back, driving her elbow into his nose. He fell back, covering his face as trickles of blood spurted out. “Don’t touch me.”
Nambitu raised his hand, calming the other men in the van.
“The people who killed my friend… What are their names?” she asked in a snappy tone. “Where can I find them?”
“You won’t find them in any sort of database,” Abayomi replied. “Tell me. Why were you looking for that artifact?”
“It was strictly educational. I saw it in a documentary once,” she said in a huff, folding her arms.
“I read all about why you were asked to step down from the MET. It was labeled as a psychological breakdown. I know that isn’t true.”
“Do you, now?” Emma said through her teeth, squinting at him.
“The man you’re looking for is a one-time acquaintance of my employer. I very much need to get in touch with him and you’re very good at finding things.”
“I’m here so you can tell me where to find him,” Emma said, sliding closer to Nambitu. “If I knew where he was I wouldn’t be giving you the time of day.”
“You’re a resourceful lady.” Abayomi smiled, a bead of sweat running down his temple. He spoke with trepidation. “I’m sure you’ve made connections.”
“Tell me why the girl was murdered.” Emma sat back, crossing her right foot over her left knee. “What’s the deal with the stone, the dead girl, and the elements?”
“You’ve put that much together all on your own and you don’t have any contacts?” Abayomi said, sighing. “I’m afraid the situation dictates that I don’t divulge my secrets.”
“But you know?” she prodded, grinning.
“Of course. Why?”
“I just needed to be sure.” She strapped into the seat and covered her face.
The van initially began its stutter to a halt as Oreios appeared in the middle of the road, emerging from a flash of pink light. His hand shifted form into a pickaxe and he drove it downward into the vehicle’s engine. The driver hit the gas. Oreios dug his feet into the street, digging deep into the asphalt and stopping the van.
The man in the back reached for a gun, but Emma grabbed him by the hair and punched him once more in his broken nose. Her left heel went straight into the driver’s chin, knocking him out. The man dressed as a policeman stepped out of the van and opened fire with the AK-47 he removed from the seat between him and the driver, shooting Oreios.
The bullets cut through Oreios’ skin, pushing him backward. He launched his fist toward the shooter and grabbed a fistful of air. Obeying Oreios’ command, the ground under the gunman split open. The shooter dropped into the hole and it closed shut. The ground sliced the man in half at the waist. Nambitu opened the door and sprinted down the street, running between oncoming cars. The sparse traffic swerved to miss him. The vehicles quickly grouped along the sides of the road and the sidewalk.
Oreios shook the bullets out of his body. Dirt from the ground was sucked into his frame, plugging the holes. He walked up the hood of the van, stood on the roof, and then pointed both hands at Nambitu. As if he were parting the sea he spread his arms and the ground reached up, split apart and pushed the cars aside. He made a grabbing motion and the street wrapped around Nambitu’s ankles, causing him to fall forward and bash his chin on the street.
“Was all of this necessary?” Emma asked, stepping out of the van and looking up at Oreios. She walked through the bewildered crowd toward Nambitu.
“No, but it was cool, wasn’t it?” he asked, winking.
Maybe a little, she turned her head and smirked so he wouldn’t see. She stood over Nambitu, spreading her feet a little more than shoulder-width apart, and put her fists to her hips. “Now, I’d say the situation dictates you do the talking.”
***
Nysos walked the circle, lighting the remaining candles with her index finger. She brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes. It seemed to flicker like a candle, changing between subtle shades of a translucent flame. In the center of a pentagram carved into stone by the sheer force of Athos’ elemental powers, the gem of Durga hovered in the air, beaming with light.
Athos stood at the feet of a young child who lay asleep underneath the floating gem. The Ourea’s siblings stood, each at one of the four corners of the pentagram, and manifested their elemental powers in the palms of their hands. Athos looked at each of them, nodding.
“It’s time,” he whispered, his arms shifting into a contained stream of water. His liquid hands reached down, wrapping around the small boy like a noose. Then, shards of water penetrated the boy’s nose, mouth, and other orifices.
The other Elemental Knights raised their hands and shot their powers over Athos. The gem erupted in a beam of light, absorbing the other Ourea’s abilities. An energy wave surged into the child, bonding with his soul. The streams of water that flowed from Athos’ hands flowed in reverse, pulling out the child’s soul, and with it the powers of the other Ourea.
Unbeknownst to the other Ourea, Athos made a connection with their essences.
The process stopped and the gem fell. Athos reached his hand forward, catching it mid-fall. The child was sprawled out on the ground, dead. Athos turned his eyes up, looking at his siblings. They could see the light of a soul inside him, and in them, he could see the remaining essence he needed to make his transformation complete.
“Did... it work?” Helikon asked, dropping to one knee as he focused on Athos’ eyes.
“You tell me.” Athos looked at Helikon, beaming with a smile.
He spread his arms and gale-force winds charged up the hill, swirled around him, and lifted him into the air. Storm clouds gathered in the sky and the static in the ground rattled the trees nearby. The loch at the bottom of the slope rumbled, bashing against the rock cliffs. Athos pressed his hands together and a lightning bolt struck him. In his hands, a flame grew as he molded it like a snowball. The wind swirled around him in a counter-clockwise motion and he smeared the flame into it. A giant dirt devil made of fire lit up the night sky.
“Did it work?” Athos asked, lowering to the ground. He calmed the
sky and mellowed the sea. Parnes stepped forward, reaching for the gem. Athos gripped her wrist and twisted it. “What are you doing?”
“I wanted to hold the gem...?”
“For my hands only,” Athos said.
“That wasn’t the deal,” Kithairon protested.
“I’m renegotiating.” Athos let Parnes’ hand go and shoved her to the ground. Helikon wrapped his arms under her and raised her up. “You four would be nothing but echoes of the past if it weren’t for me.”
“That’s why we’ve followed you this far, Athos,” Nysos said, stepping forward. Her hair turned a blinding white at the tips and a dark, menacing blue at the roots. Her hands were glowing crimson red. “We’re here to evolve so we can’t be eradicated again.”
“Oh, but you were never really reborn.” Athos absorbed the gem into his body. He could feel it radiate. The soul which he now possessed made him more in tune with the planet. He could see things built into the intricacies of creation that he’d never seen before. “This wasn’t meant to be shared.”
“Athos, we demand our—” Kithairon stepped forward, forming mud spikes over his knuckles when Athos grabbed him by the throat. A white, searing flame engulfed Kithairon’s neck, turning the dirt that formed his body into molten earth.
“The amazing thing about all of our powers is that they’re made to balance one another.” Suddenly, Athos’ burning hand turned from flame into a cool stream. Kithairon’s throat became glass. Athos drained the remaining essence from Kithairon and then spun around, driving his heel into Kithairon’s face and severing the head.
Nysos and Parnes jumped up, manifesting their elements of fire and static electricity over themselves. Athos created a wall of earth around Parnes, grounding her static charge as he buried her deep in the earth. He used the wind to lift himself into the sky and then to blow out Nysos’ flame. As she tumbled down the slope, rolling to a stop near the cliff, Athos grabbed hold of the sea.
The waves crashed against the cliff and the ground beneath Nysos ruptured. Athos balled his fists and the water rushed up the land. The ground crumbled, falling into the sea. He looked at the sky, the clouds jumbled together, and then pushed down into the sea, swirling and drawing everything into a whirlpool. Athos tightened his fist and a light carrying Nysos’ essence shot into the sky and bonded with him. He landed on the ground and turned to look at Helikon.