Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles)

by Jonathan Yanez

  Danielle didn’t say a word. Instead, she took a step towards the iron-braced wood door. Alan knew she was thinking about her lost friends. She hadn’t shed a tear in front of him but he could guess that once the war was over she would do her fair share of mourning. Instead of voicing any of this, Danielle responded with, “Alrighty then, after you.”

  Alan balled his right hand into a tight fist and rapped on the large wooden door. The echo of his knock reverberated inward. Alan took a step back and waited. Nothing.

  “Well,” Danielle said turning to move down the stairs, “We tried. What else can we do? Maybe Michael gave us the wrong museum.”

  “No, wait,” Alan said knocking again and this time much harder. “I think I hear something.”

  Another moment passed in silence. Then a harsh grating rumble from the opposite side of the thick door. The noise of heavy steel on steel made them wince as the sound bordered on that of nails dragging across a chalkboard. The barrier swung inward and Alan was face to face with a large darkly skinned man wearing a brown robe. The man looked Alan and Danielle up and down without saying a word.

  Alan wasn’t sure what to expect when the door was answered. The monk-like clothing and lack of any kind of greeting however were not among the things he anticipated. “Ummm… Hello,” Alan started. “We were here for—”

  “You speak English,” the wide-shouldered man acknowledged in a thick German accent.

  “Ah—yes, yes that’s right. We were here for—“

  “The tour, of course. I am Jericho. I apologize for the awkward greeting. It’s just that we weren’t expecting you and your wife for another hour. Please come in.”

  Alan stood stunned as Jericho transitioned from a stone-cold bouncer to a friendly host in the blink of an eye. “Oh, no. I think there may have been a misunderstanding. We’re here—“

  “Oh, yes, of course,” Danielle interrupted. “The tour. Yes, silly us. I apologize. My husband has a bad memory. All those drugs, you know. Sorry for showing up so early.” Danielle said this without skipping a beat. She even laced her right arm in Alan’s as she smiled at Jericho.

  The large man looked confused for the briefest moment before a smile crossed his face again. He motioned them inside. “Well, mistakes happen to us all. If you would please come inside, I’ll notify your tour guide that you arrived early. I’m sure he will not mind.”

  Alan and Danielle slowly walked into the primeval museum. The first thing that struck Alan was the smell. A musty scent tickled the inside of his nose, begging him to release a sneeze. At the same time, the lack of any noise pushed his nerves even closer to the edge.

  “I’ll be just a moment. Alexander will be so happy to give you a tour, I’m sure. It’s not often we get visitors to our little museum. Well, with the remoteness and all. Most people choose to visit larger museums or cities with modern art. When the staff heard we had visitors coming, well, you can imagine our excitement. I’ll be right back.” With that, the large man who now seemed anything but intimidating turned and hurried away.

  Alan shook his head replaying the events of the last few moments. Jericho was now talking to them as if they were longtime friends. When Alan was sure their grandfather-like host was out of hearing distance, he turned to Danielle with a frown. “Lying to them to get inside is probably not how we want to start this relationship.”

  Danielle’s arm slipped from underneath his as she shrugged, “It got us in didn’t it?”

  Alan looked around and nodded. Sunlight streaming inside from the windows poorly lit the interior. Glass cases full of artifacts lined the walls. Expertly drawn pictures of men and women hung above the cases. “Are you sure we are in the right place? Maybe Michael did give us the wrong museum after all.”

  “I don’t know,” Danielle said. “I haven’t seen any weapons and Jericho doesn’t strike me as the type to annihilate countries.”

  Before either of them could get another word in, they heard feet approaching at a quick pace from a hall to their right. Soon Jericho could be seen following in the wake of a tall but less bulky man wearing a traditional suit and tie. “Hello,” the man said with perfect English. “I am Alexander. I’ll be giving you a tour of our museum.”

  He approached quickly and extended a hand first to Alan, then to Danielle. When Alan embraced Alexander’s hand, he felt the man’s strength. He felt the same heated sensation when his own powers manifested. His grip was strong but not crushing. The heat washed over Alan’s hand, snaking up his arm.

  We’re definitely in the right place, Alan thought to himself.

  After Alexander shook hands with Danielle, he proceeded to make small talk. “Well, you are a bit early; however, that is completely fine. Our first priority here at the museum is to ensure we accommodate our guests in anyway we can.” Alexander paused and looked over Alan’s left shoulder at Jericho’s grinning face. “Jericho, if you don’t mind. I’ll be starting the tour now.”

  “Oh,” the giant’s smile turned into a frown as he sensed his time with the museum's visitors coming to an abrupt end. “Yes, of course.” He turned reluctantly to Alan and Danielle, “If there is anything you need please don’t hesitate to ask. It is so nice having visitors. I’ll be at the entrance in case we have any other guests.” Jericho’s smile turned into a frown, “However unlikely that thought is.”

  Alan gave the man a genuine smile, “Thank you, Jericho.”

  With that, the hospitable giant turned and slowly walked away.

  “I’m sorry for Jericho,” Alexander said, “Unfortunately, our duties here make us some what of recluses. Jericho has had a difficult time with the transition.”

  Alan exchanged a knowing look with Danielle.

  “Anyway, allow me to take you on a tour of the grounds. If you have any questions please do not hesitate speak up.”

  For the next half hour, Alan feigned interest as he wondered how he was going to ask Alexander about the celestial weapons. As Alexander pointed out rare artifacts, precious jewels and one-of-a-kind art pieces, all Alan could think about was how to broach the true reason for their visit.

  Although Danielle didn’t say a word about the true intention for their visit. Alan knew she was thinking the same thing. Thus far, the tour had taken them through half of the museum into the adjacent backyard full of statues and artwork then back inside following a u-shape to the museum halls. There had been no sign of weapons of any kind. Unless one counted a decorative cheese knife, which Alexander explained belonged to some royal prince of the region. It was precious now because the prince had died from choking on a block of cheese.

  You have to say something. You’re going to ruin this whole thing if you don’t. The couple you are impersonating will be here soon. They’ll know that you are lying.

  Alan could feel a sheet of sweat forming on his brow. His heart set a pace similar to the bass at a rock concert. He knew his time was ending. He had to do something quickly.

  “Well, here we are in the last hall,” Alexander waived forward with his hand. “This is one of my favorite sections of the museum, it holds our collection of rare books.”

  Alan did his best at a smile. The trio walked forward passing a closed-door bolted shut. What caught Alan’s attention was that the door was equipped with not one, but three heavy padlocks. Before this, they had encountered closed doors but never one that was so obviously guarded against intruders. “Alexander?” Alan said.

  Their guide turned with a smile, “Yes?”

  “What’s in there?”

  Alexander titled his head to the side and paused for a moment. There was no doubt the man was measuring Alan’s question, deciding if it was innocent or called for further notice. “Well, that portion of the museum is closed off. It leads to the cellar. Nothing there to see except rusted metal and moldy wood. Now if you would come along—“

  Alan knew it was now or never. “What if we were interested in old and worn art? Just the other day Dani—my wife was asking to see
things in their naturally worn state instead of refurbished and restored.”

  “I was?” Danielle asked with large eyes.

  Alan nudged her sharply in the ribs. “Oh,” Danielle said. “I mean, I was. Yes, may we see the cellar? I find old moldy stuff sooooo… fascinating.”

  Alexander’s charisma vanished in a second. He took a step back from Alan and Danielle. “No, I’m sorry you may not. Now please come along. The tour is almost at an end.”

  Alan was running out of ways to manipulate the situation without having to come out and directly say they were there to see the celestial weapons. The hall silenced as both Danielle and Alexander looked at Alan. The next move belonged to him. “What’s in there exactly?” he said.

  Alexander’s hands clenched in to fists. Before he could answer, a strong female voice broke the tense silence. “Can we stop pretending that we all don’t know what’s really going on here? No one in this room is an idiot. We all know what you want. You won’t get it.”

  Chapter 50

  Alan wheeled around to confront the voice. He hadn’t the slightest clue that someone managed to sneak up on him. There was no sound of feet on ancient carpet; no noise from the door opening behind them that led from the outside courtyard. Now Alan couldn’t believe he had missed them. A redheaded woman stood tall and commanding, flanked by a man and woman that rivaled Jericho for size. The sensation of chilled air and a fresh breeze floated through the open door trying to lul Alan into a false sense of comfort.

  “The couple that you are impersonating just called. They regretted to inform us that they were going to be late today. Who are you?”

  If Alan was nervous before the woman had made her appearance, he didn’t know how to describe how he felt now. She wasn’t threatening him, yet Alan couldn’t help but feel the sense that the woman was a viper, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

  “You’re right,” Danielle said speaking for the first time. “We lied. I lied to get us in. It was a gutsy call but we needed to gain access to the museum.”

  “Thieves, Sera, that is what they are,” the muscular woman standing next to the redhead said with a snarl.

  “No,” Alan said fighting away the panic from his voice. “We never meant to steal the weapons. We came here to ask to borrow them.”

  The man and woman flanking the woman named Sera started to chuckle. Even Alexander, who now stood behind him, began to laugh. The only one that did not seem amused was the redheaded woman in charge. “You are not the first people to come looking for the weapons. I’m sure you will not be the last. Do you know what happens to those who seek to take the celestial weapons?”

  There was no denying the menace in her voice. Alan knew what she was suggesting. “You kill them.”

  “Yes, we kill them. Then we find out where they came from and send back their heads as a warning to those who would seek to take them in the future.”

  “Oh, this was a bad idea,” Danielle whispered.

  “No,” Alan said fighting back the fear that grasped for a physical hold on his stomach. “We aren’t like the others. We don’t want them for personal gain. I don’t even want them at all. We just need to borrow them for a war against the Fallen and their Nephilim. They have found the Chronicle that has instructions to build new celestial weapons. They raised the fallen statue created from the melted weapons after the war in Heaven. In days – who knows, maybe hours – they will be ready to strike. We need the weapons to fight them. We need your help.”

  Sera raised a red eyebrow. “Well, that is a new one. Most people beg for their lives at this point. At least they try to lie. The truth is a different approach.”

  “So you’ll help us?” Alan said.

  “I didn’t say that. We know what is going on outside of these walls. We know Michael, the other Angels and their Nephilim have failed. We don’t care. That doesn’t concern us. Our task is to guard the weapons. Nothing more.”

  Alan couldn’t believe his ears. The Death Angels knew what was happening and were content to stand by and let the events that would destroy the world transpire. “You what? If you know all of this, then help us. You have to realize that if the Fallen destroy the Angels they will come for humanity and you next.”

  “Well, then we will let them come. And when they do, they will see why we stand apart from other Angels. We have never known defeat and we will never fall to anyone.”

  The man and woman behind her both nodded with narrowed eyes.

  “This is crazy,” Alan knew calling a group of near immortal beings crazy probably wasn’t the smartest idea. He was done playing it safe. “Help us. If you won’t lend us the weapons, use them yourselves and fight with us. You sided against the demons once during the war in Heaven. Do it again.”

  “If you don’t,” Danielle added, “thousands of Angels and Nephilim will die. Millions of humans will be slaughtered in a war they will be helpless to fight.”

  Despite their pleas, there was no moving the woman. “Still, not my concern. If you leave now I may decide to spare your lives. It sounds like Michael will need all the help he can get in the coming hours.”

  Hope was evaporating. Alan could taste defeat. He knew from years of loneliness and depression what giving up would bring. He refused now to be that person again, he would not be quiet, he wouldn’t stand by. He knew now more than ever why the events of his life had happened as they had. “I’m not leaving without your help. I can’t. People have died to get me this far. Many more will die if I give up now.”

  For the first time, Sera paused to think over their words. Danielle took a step forward to stand beside him. “Neither am I.”

  “I’ll give you one last opportunity to leave under your own power. I admire your heart, still there can be no victory for you here.”

  “I don’t want victory,” Alan said. “I want to bring hope to the same people you once called brothers and sisters-in-arms. I know what it’s like to not care about anyone else. I know what it’s like to live a life alone and cut off from the world. I know how lonely you are. It doesn’t have to be like this. You can still keep your vow of protecting the weapons and come with us.”

  For a second Alan thought he had won over the leader of the Death Angels. She softened for a moment. Her face quivered as she resonated with his words. However, determination was still in her voice when she spoke. “Get out. Now.”

  “No.”

  No words accompanied the woman’s head motion. She quickly pointed with her chin towards Alan and Danielle. The two warriors beside her jumped to action.

  Chapter 51

  “Sir, the last group of Nephilim are flying in now. They will be here waiting for your orders within the hour.”

  Michael sat straight in his chair inside the warehouse conference room. He nodded to Esther. She was a great soldier and an even better friend. The two had fought on the same side for centuries. She had even known Ardat before the war in Heaven started. “Good, thank you, Esther. With the Angels and the gathered Nephilim where does that put our number?”

  Esther looked down at the electronic tablet she carried. Her green eyes scanned the screen up and down. “We’ll have 10,000 Angels and half as many Nephilim ready for battle. Angelica is insisting she is ready for the confrontation. The only Angels staying out of the fight are those still guarding Heaven’s gates.”

  Michael drummed his fingers against the cool steel of the conference room table. The tips of his fingers met the cold metal only for the briefest seconds before he raised and drummed them again.

  “Are you all right, sir?”

  Michael filled his lungs and looked up at Esther with the shadow of a smile. “I don’t know.” He hesitated then voiced the question a leader should never ask aloud. “Do you think we can win?”

  Esther looked down at her tablet as if the answer to his question would appear somehow magically flowing across her screen. “Their numbers don’t disturb me. They have more Nephilim but the Fallen are only a third of our
number. It’s the weapons that bother me. Still we defeated them before.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “Win or lose, all we can do is our best.” Esther’s voice changed as she broached a subject only the closest of Michael’s friends were ever confident enough to speak of. “Michael, you must know by now who is at the helm of this coup.”

  “I do.”

  “And you know that you may come face to face with her on the battlefield.”