Almost as if in response to Bernadette, I felt the call again, stronger than ever, and this time I heeded it.
I stepped up, grasped the grip of the weapon – my weapon – and lifted it out. Almost immediately I felt better, more whole, more myself. Though entirely unnecessary, I pulled the blade from the sheath, watching as it lit up with a white glow that seemed to be all its own.
The sword had once belonged to Joan of Arc, the last known Icon before fate had chosen me for whatever reason it had. However, I had a sneaking suspicion, one I dared not share with the Templar, that its history went further back than that. Legend said that Joan heeded the voice of angels who told her where to find the blade. I suspected it was less angels and more the sword itself calling to her as it now called to me.
Had other Icons wielded this weapon before her, channeling their power through it, and leaving a little bit of themselves behind? I had no way of knowing for certain, but that felt right. The sword was more like a supercharged battery than a mere blade – one attuned to my power, yet seemingly possessing a force of its own.
It was silly in a way, almost like the sword in the stone. Yet, I couldn’t deny it either. I may not have been King Arthur, but in my hand, it surely felt like Excalibur.
* * *
“All are accounted for, Bles ... Sheila,” Bernadette said.
I almost had to laugh. I’d asked for everyone to try to look inconspicuous, but now together, with our group over three dozen strong, we looked like an angry mob waiting to happen.
Echoing my concern, Kelly said, “Oh, yeah, I’m sure nobody’s dialing 911 from behind drawn curtains right now.”
She may have had a point. Though the buildings around us were dark, there was no way of telling how many eyeballs were peering down upon us. The best we could do for now was hope they were friendly eyeballs.
I nodded my agreement and then consulted the map the Templar had provided. It was kind of weird in this day and age. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d needed to go somewhere when I couldn’t just consult my phone. Still, technology was iffy at best right now. In some places, the power grid worked and in others, we might as well have been in the Stone Age.
All eyes in our contingent were turned my way. It was laughable, considering at least half the Templar in attendance were older and presumably more seasoned than I was. Whatever the case, it was the role they expected of me and the one I now played.
The funny thing was, I felt no fear at the prospect of leading them. Me, who used to fret for hours over what to have for dinner. Now here I was, running my finger over prospective routes, oddly sure that I’d choose the right course. It was times like this when my powers almost felt like they made me into someone entirely new, someone alien to the old me.
I let it take over, feeling all doubt fade as I said, “We’ll split up into five groups across as many blocks until we get to here.” My finger came to rest on the Chinatown section of Boston. “If we make it that far unnoticed, there won’t be any point in pretending we’re just tourists anymore.”
I spared a glance up at the sky, still dark but not for long. A few of the Templar did likewise, possibly misinterpreting my actions as seeking divine insight. I almost longed for someone to make a wisecrack at their expense, but none came. “By then, we should have daylight on our side. Regardless, from that point on we should consider ourselves running hot. Weapons, magic...”
“And the trappings of our order,” Bernadette added.
I nodded. That would be akin to waltzing onto a docked Naval vessel and hoisting the Jolly Roger. If that didn’t get us the attention we were hoping for, I didn’t know what would.
“Until then, we maintain constant contact. If anyone gets into trouble, let the rest know immediately so we can help. Use the radios. Cell service is probably going to be iffy at best.”
I inwardly grimaced upon saying that. As we’d waited for the rest to park and gather, Meg and I had tried to reach the other group. Unsurprisingly, it had been a failure. She’d gotten their voicemail, while I hadn’t even been able to get a signal. However, she assured me they’d be able to reach out to Christy via their magic. I decided to trust her on that, but we agreed it made sense to get geared up and moving first. Until then, we just had to hope the others were okay.
I turned to Meg and her sisters. “I’m splitting you up. You’ll be our backup in case the radios fail.” I paused, hoping what I was saying made sense. Though I’d faced some Magi before, I really didn’t have a good understanding of their full capabilities or even how magic worked. “Send up a flare or something.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kelly said, exchanging glances with the other two.
“Yeah, we really shouldn’t do that,” Veronica added nervously.
“It’s okay,” I reassured her.
“You can relax,” Bernadette said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “My brothers will honor our truce ... so long as you do not turn your dark powers upon them.”
“It’s not that simple,” Kelly said, looking as if she was trying to find the right words. “It’s...”
“Over there!” one of the Templar shouted, his voice booming in the otherwise still night.
He pointed toward the direction we needed to head, but I couldn’t see anything in the gloom. The darkness didn’t affect my ears, though. After a moment, I heard it. Something was definitely moving out there. The night wasn’t nearly as still as I’d thought.
Before I could call upon my power, several of the Templar switched on their flashlights.
Under the illumination, figures could be made out walking … shambling our way. As they got closer, I realized that I was right to not immediately label them as people.
So much for the element of surprise.
CHAPTER 8
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Meg turned to Bernadette. “Revelations?”
“Book of Daniel 12:2.”
“Whatever. I’m thinking it’s safe to say these guys are in that latter group.”
“At least now we know why the streets are so empty,” I added, counting at least a dozen of the creatures advancing upon us. They looked like zombies. Bill and Ed had mentioned them to me, but according to them, although real life zombies looked like their fictional counterparts, the vampire hierarchy used them for mundane clerical work of all things. I’d been both amused and insulted to learn the undead equivalent of my old job was entrusted to walking corpses.
The things advancing on us, however, didn’t seem to have much interest in paperwork. Their eyes shone red and feral in the gleam of the flashlights as they doubled their pace toward us.
“Brothers,” Bernadette called out, “this is the first of the unholy blight we have come here to face. Trust in your training, but most of all, trust in your faith.”
I decided to add a bit of practicality. “Swords only,” I barked then lowered my voice to address Bernadette. “Let’s take them quietly if we can.”
“Sound advice,” she remarked, drawing her dagger, but stepping back to let the younger, more fit warriors step up,
“We’ll hold back, too, unless you need us,” Meg said.
I nodded then turned to face the oncoming threat – not quite a horde, but still potentially dangerous. I felt something in my mind tighten, my focus turning to the enemy at hand and, insanely enough, an anticipation of the conflict to come began to suffuse my being.
I drew my own weapon. A part of me was tempted to command the Templar to hold back, that this enemy was easily dealt with on my own. It was a struggle to not heed its call, but I managed to push it down.
To appease that part, I instead let my power fly free. Not all of it. Lighting up the dark street like the Fourth of July could be just as counterintuitive to a stealthy approach as a firefight. However, I let enough out to cover myself in its soft white prote
ctive glow, the blade practically singing in my hand as I did so.
I stepped forward with enough Templar to equal the enemy in front of us.
“Take out their heads,” Kelly called out from behind. I glanced over my shoulder at her and she added. “I watch a lot of TV. You have no idea how many people screw that up.”
Affording her a small smile, I turned away and stepped forward. I held back the battle cry on my lips, instead opting to let swift and savage action do my talking for me.
* * *
Though I wanted – almost needed – to launch myself into the center of the fray, I forced myself to hold my position relative to the Templar, opting to engage the zombie on the rightmost edge of their loose-knit grouping.
The pathetic creature only had one complete arm, her ... its other ended in a ragged stump several inches below its shoulder. It hardly seemed a fair fight.
Had I tried anything like this a year ago I, more than likely, would have tripped and stabbed myself. Now, though, I moved with a fluid grace … employing precise steps as if I’d been training my entire life. I side-stepped the creature and kicked its legs out from under it.
It fell forward, not even trying to break its fall with its one good arm. It landed face-first, eliciting a grunt that sounded less one of pain and more air simply forced out of its rotting body.
With no hesitation, I lifted my sword and brought it down in an arc. The human skull is thick and well protected, but my weapon was aglow with the fires of faith magic. I bisected her ... its skull just above the jawline, my weapon sending up sparks as it passed through the creature’s head and met asphalt.
Its body shuddered once and became still. Somewhere deep inside of me, I felt a pang of regret. Whoever it had once been, there was little doubt it hadn’t asked for this fate. Though I didn’t share the Templar’s beliefs, I said a small silent prayer nevertheless, hoping that this tormented soul was now at rest, before turning to see how the rest were doing.
It was a similar situation for the most part. The other Templar had heeded the warning and been both quick and decisive. It looked like this battle was over before it had even begun. I let out a breath and my power dissipated from around me.
“If all the legions of the damned are like this, then surely we won’t fail.”
I glanced to find Vincent a few feet away, having likewise dispatched his foe.
“Don’t get cocky,” I warned. “Believe me, this is just the appetizer.”
A cry from further down the line caught my attention. One of the Templar Knights had stabbed his foe through the midsection, rather than aim for its head. The zombie was now pushing forward, undeterred that it was impaling itself, intent on reaching its target.
“Damn it,” I muttered, not caring if I offended anyone’s bookish sensibilities.
I waved off the rest still back with Bernadette. Things could get messy with too many cooks in the kitchen. The situation was well in hand. There was no point adding to the existing chaos.
Unfortunately, chaos had other ideas. I took a single step when something entwined around my ankle. Before I could compensate, I stumbled and fell. Great! Some Blessed One I was. Couldn’t even walk without my feet getting all tangled in the underbrush.
Except there wasn’t any underbrush. We’d been standing in the middle of the street.
“Blessed One, watch out!”
I felt more than saw what was happening. A hand had grabbed my ankle. I know because it grabbed me again, higher up on my leg, exerting pressure as if dragging along the body it was attached to.
This was confirmed a moment later when the beheaded bodies of the undead in front of me likewise stumbled back to life, attacking their would-be vanquishers, most of whom had dropped their guard.
As the not-quite dispatched zombie crawled atop me, I realized that what should have been an easy fight had just gotten a lot more complicated.
CHAPTER 9
Super strength wasn’t one of the powers afforded to me as an Icon. Fortunately, what I did have at my disposal was more than adequate to deal with being pinned down by one of the undead.
I once more called upon the power of Faith, letting it suffuse every part of my being until it could no longer be contained. At that point, it burst forth in a flash of fiery white light.
All at once, the weight that had been holding me down was gone and my legs were likewise free again. I scrambled to my feet and glanced back. Though the creature was rapidly being consumed by the magical white fire I’d blasted it with, it continued to writhe.
How the hell? I’d never been a connoisseur of horror movies, but even I’d been aware of the old trope of needing to shoot them in the head to finish them off. Though this was real life and not a movie, I’d had no reason to believe it would work any differently.
Apparently, neither did our magic-wielding allies as Kelly shouted above the fray, “Holy Shit! They’re still moving!”
Vincent stepped back, seemingly shocked, as the one he’d been fighting lurched back to its feet, apparently unfazed that its head was nearly cleaved in two.
Instinct took over and almost before I knew what I was doing, I’d driven my sword through the creature’s side and channeled my power through the blade – igniting it from the inside out.
A small part of me, the old me, was horrified to see that, unlike vampires, these things didn’t quickly turn to dust. The one before me continued to advance even as it’s body burned like a pyre. That was bad. Though my power itself was harmless to the Templar, the fire consuming the zombie’s body was a different matter entirely.
A scream caught my attention and I spun, only for my heart to catch in my throat. The zombie who’d been skewered through the abdomen had reached the Templar – Brent was his name if I recalled correctly. Despite these things being half rotted, they somehow still possessed preternatural strength. Brent’s best efforts to push it away were brushed off. It grasped him on either side of the head and proceeded to gouge out his eyes – driving its skeletal thumbs deeper until the hapless knight fell to the ground twitching beneath it.
Stunned silence met this atrocity. The Templar appeared to be aghast at this unexpected turn of events. As for our enemies, they’d begun their attack in eerie silence and continued it that way.
I wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. I had to ... needed to ... face this enemy head on and win. I opened my mouth to shout a battle cry meant to rouse the stunned knights into a counterattack, but before I could do so, a flash of red light rent the air and a beam of pure energy slammed into the monster still defiling Brent’s body.
The creature was bisected head-on by the blast. Its cauterized remains fell over on either side of Brent’s body. Though the two parts still continued to twitch, it was no longer a threat.
“You assholes might want to take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Meg shouted, still aglow from her spell.
That broke the impasse. The Templar were apparently just as eager to not be upstaged by the Magi as they were to follow my lead. Those still in the fray redoubled their efforts, moving to hack off arms and legs.
Bernadette raised her hand, and half a dozen more of her men drew their weapons and stepped in to help.
The others accepted it gratefully. For some reason, these things had to be destroyed utterly in order to be stopped.
That was fine by me. It was a task I was made for.
* * *
Chaos reigned for several minutes before we found a good rhythm to our madness. Hacking the creatures to pieces was a gruesome affair, but necessary. Even dismembered, hands still grasped and jaws still tried to bite.
Burning or blasting them to dust became necessary, and that’s where Meg, her sisters, and I came in.
I stepped back, having just used my aura to burn another of the creatures to ash, and took stock of the situation. Meg was doing the same to two others. Beams of energy lanced out from both of her hands, her magic seemingly well suited to the task. Several yards past h
er, Kelly and Veronica stood together pouring power into a burning pile of what had been arms and legs.
While this went on, Bernadette barked various orders at the Templar.
Seeing the situation under control, I took a deep breath and forced my power back down. I sheathed my sword, as always feeling an odd pang of regret whenever a battle ended, and was forced to be myself again. How much easier would life be if I could stop thinking about things and just let the instincts inside of me free to do as they pleased? I’d considered the appeal of that endless times since the fateful kiss which had awakened this power inside of me, but tempting as it was, it just wasn’t me.
I walked over to Bernadette just as she sent three brothers scurrying away on some task. “Looks like we’re about finished here. I’m sorry about Brent.”
“He was a fine lad, and he died in the service of the Lord. We should rejoice, for even now his spirit soars to its heavenly reward. But it’s not his spirit I’m worried about right now. I’ve sent three of the faithful to fetch shovels. I think it best his body be burned along with the rest of these wretches. After that, we’ll bury the remains and consecrate the ground.”
“We really don’t have time for that.”
“We have injured. We’ll make the time while they’re being tended to. Brother Brent has earned that much, and it will be a mercy for these pathetic creatures.”
“Oh?” I asked, surprised. Normally Bernadette was quite gung-ho in her fire and brimstone attitude toward the supernatural.
“Yes. Did you not see them? Vampires and their ilk...” She cast a sidelong glance at the three witches. “They have chosen the path of darkness willfully. These abominations, however, seem to be victims of it. Killed and then reanimated against their will as mindless horrors. We cannot in good conscience turn our backs on them.”
I found myself skeptical as to her motives. We were already running up against more delays than I’d hoped. If things were going according to plan, then Bill and his group were rapidly approaching from the north. I was going to question Bernadette on that, but then held my tongue. What I’d been about to say had been accusatory in nature, a potentially disastrous thing to do considering the stakes at play.
Tome of Bill (Companion): Shining Fury Page 4