The Circle of Duty

by Owen Elgie

  There were no further words needed. I just lightly cradled her head in my hands and pressed my mouth to hers. She gasped lightly at my touch but responded in kind. She was tentative in her movements, but let herself loose within our embrace, allowing herself to feel the pure humanity of it all. The kiss continued for as long as I dared allow it and when we separated, Em's eyes were sparkling.

  "I can see now why she feels this way for you." I blushed at that comment and switched my attention to the brute approaching us. As I did, the Bulk roared its intentions, shattering the mood which had been surrounding us. Raising both arms above its head, it surged forwards, slamming those crushing hands into the ground and cracking the stone as it did before raising again for the death blow.

  "I envy her, to have you," Em shouted above the roar of the Bulk, "But I have always, and will always, act for the good of The Circle. Please help the child in her role." And she ran towards the advancing monster as fast as she could, throwing herself directly at its ruined side. The Bulk ignored her but as I watched her fall through the space before our enemy I could make out her hand held out before her, a small pebble held in her fingers.

  With simultaneous impact, she slammed into the blood soaked flesh and snapped the stone apart. That remaining fragment of what she'd called an Infernura Rod erupted into a maelstrom of swirling power and a doorway to Yondah. Em was engulfed immediately and her body was burned away before the might of the energy in the explosion. The Bulk reacted to the detonation in terror, trying for all it was worth to escape away from the crushing force of the tiny would be black hole. Screaming now, lumps of flesh were torn from the Bulk and taken through the construct Em had unleashed. I could feel the huge pull of the thing as it burned, taking more and more of that mountain of flesh, hungrily devouring all that it could lay its hands on. Small rocks and some of the fallen Tayne were sucked towards and through that hellish gateway, as was the limp yet screaming almost corpse of Leatherpants, the real Leatherpants, Mr. Ward. He skidded along the floor on his back before being lifted and rapidly consumed by the energy, feet first. He’d abused his position for years until he’d made a deal with the devil which had cost him his life. His eyes never stopped spilling hatred at me as he was pulled apart.

  The screams from the Bulk moved through being animal until there was no sense in them at all, until all of the matter that had been a part of it had been minced to nothing and taken from our reality.

  With a final strangled scream, the energy finally turned in on itself and collapsed, and the cavern seemed to have been emptied of all life. The emptiness just hovered everywhere and my senses struggled to adjust to the now lack of stimuli. Em's final sacrifice had shown huge bravery but also that she was looking at the bigger picture. People looked to her to behave in a certain way and they would have relied upon it, in the same way that she looked at me in a certain way and would have been reassured by that constant surety.

  Blowing out a large breath, I knew that I had to get everyone home and in the best condition I could. I turned to face Hairy and Maria but as I did, my eyes passed over the ruins where the others had been suspended, and stood on top of a ragged stack of stone, red flecked hair hanging free on either side of her beautiful pale face, stood Andrea. My heart leapt in my chest and I took a step towards her but she held up a hand, stopping me dead.

  "I saw you," she growled through clenched teeth, anger alight in her. "I saw you kiss The Messenger." I began to stammer my response but she cut me off.

  "I watched as you did exactly what everyone has said you would do." I could feel the waves of anger coming from her even from across the arena.

  "We need to get everyone away from here now. Please let me explain what happened after we're all home," I pleaded and yet again, it had no effect on the mood.

  I gave up.

  "Very well. I'll return everyone here to Wales, that's the last bridge jump I can make, but I can ensure that no-one will have to remain there for any longer than they have to." I donned the verbal cloak of the aloof Guardian as I spoke. I just had to get everyone home and if that meant behaving the way everyone thought I was going to then so be it. Bigger picture.

  38

  After about an hour of hunting through debris and other detritus of the battle, Mike and Mark had been freed from beneath the fallen rock they'd been buried under and Hairy was up and about but was already feeling sick to his stomach as his new power fought inside him in the same way it had for Maria. I tried to consider just how she'd been able to withstand the punishment she'd endured as I watched Hairy struggle almost immediately. Maybe she had been strong enough to take her place in The Circle despite her age? Maria remained blissfully asleep on the cavern floor where Em had worked on her. Her tiny frame had been ripped apart and then blasted back together but the wounds on her face were already healing to scars as no doubt the rest would in time. The Drake Stone sat in the centre of her chest. The puffy flesh surrounding the crystal a violent red after the trauma of its insertion. Hairy, showing a tenderness beyond expectation had draped his shirt over the child to preserve her modesty and stood guard despite his own discomfort, watching over her with a reverential ferocity. Rounding up as many of the Tayne as we could find, it appeared that they had lost over half of their population in the attack on the Bulk but there was a new feeling of pride in those who remained.

  When the Cascade Bridge snapped into existence, it felt like I was being hit in the head with a hammer, such was the strain it put on my depleted reserves. Holding that construct in place for as long as I could, the survivors hurried through the portal and back to my estate in Wales. Mark and Mike had gone through first with Andrea and Hairy, who carried Maria in his arms like she was made of glass, to explain the impending arrival of what was likely to be viewed as a dangerous enemy in the form of several hundred Tayne. Happily, Greyas, the Tayne I'd operated on, had survived the fighting despite breaking one of her arms and was keen to act as my liaison to the rest of her people which meant that they could all be quickly dealt with in a controlled and ordered way.

  Stepping through myself, and letting the hold go on the Cascade made me dizzy so I ended up in a heap on the lawn area at the front of the house. Servants and staff of all kinds buzzed around administering any and all kinds of help they may be required to offer and as expected, I was attended to more quickly than anyone else. Messages were passed on to be spread throughout The Circle explaining how to locate and then remove the fragments of The Drake Stone which remain on those affected and what had taken place in the ruin of Bress Tal.

  Eventually, after very many hours and the setting of the sun, the Tayne were settled into any and all possible room in the mansion and were treated as the guests they were. I'd given word that anyone doing anything less than treating them as dignitaries would have me to answer to. Which left the rest of us in the infirmary under the watchful eye of Llewellyn. The head of the medical team was respectful but firm in ensuring everyone stayed put, and even Mark, who had been sure he was fine and needed to get back to work, settled back into one of the plush beds. Maria was still motionless but I'd had her placed in the bed next to mine.

  Everyone continued to fuss around us, making sure we had everything we could have possibly wanted, until finally, and partially down to the shoo-ing of Llewellyn, they all left, dimmed the lights and left us all to rest. I needed to speak with Andrea as soon as I could but I knew that there was no way she was going to even look at me. Her features were hardened ice but inside that frosty exterior, a fire of rage was burning. I just lay there staring at her, willing for her to soften and at least register that I had something worth hearing. Opposite, Mike just gave the slightest shake of his head before closing his eyes. Even he could see that there was nothing I was going to be able to do. Restless sleep it was then, leaving me alone with my memories of this latest sacrifice from a member of The Circle I'd grown close to.

  The following day I awoke to chaos.

  As I came round, I could hear
raised voices beyond the closed door to the room and I had a sensation of frustration bleeding to me from whoever was outside. I sat up to find a vast platter of meats and fruit on the table next to my bed and I was already shoveling great handfuls into my mouth before I was even aware that the other beds in the room were empty.

  Hurriedly wrapping myself in the robe which had been laid out for me, I marched through the door and into the starkly white corridor beyond, puffing out my chest for all I was worth to reinforce the image of the mighty Guardian. Outside there was a startled collection of faces all turning to me at once, chief amongst them, Mike. I could recognise other members of my staff but it was Mike who was suddenly hugely on edge.

  "Mike," I greeted him but left a level of question in my tone. "Good to see you up and about. Where is everyone else?" I needed to know what enough to put him so on edge was. I really was happy he was OK though. The other members of the group subtly edged away from Mike, as if hoping to stay clear of the no doubt impending explosion of rage. Straightening his already straight shirt, he cleared his throat before responding.

  "My Lord. The Elder has been here this morning." He didn't add any further information before I roared out, "WHAT!" quickly showing my feeling of what had happened.

  "She's taken all of them hasn't she? That woman just waltzed in here and took Andrea and Maria away from me. Where is she now?" My eyes were shrouded in a vibrant scarlet and I could feel the monster inside me, freshly renewed and recharged, screaming to be let loose.

  Mike didn't look at all ruffled by my out-burst but the others all looked as if they would start crying such was the ferocity of my rage. Straightening his shirt again, he continued.

  "The Elder was here to inform every one of the latest Awakening. You are required in Argentina as soon as possible so Mr. Blanco can take his place amongst The Circle." All business with strong attention on protocol. A perfect display of exactly how the Head of House should speak to his master. I grunted a response and stopped. What was wrong with me?

  "I'm sorry Mike. That was uncalled for. Thank you for that information. Where is Maria?" I softened my tone this time and hoped that I hadn't been too out of line. Mike seemed to relax a little before answering.

  "She was taken by the Mage's Guard when The Elder was here. They will be presenting her at the Awakening as the new Messenger." Then he leaned in to me, close enough that the others with him wouldn't be able to hear what was said.

  "And I think you may be in a little trouble again, but what's new there?"

  His conspiratorial tone relaxed me despite the content of the message. If he was speaking in that way, at least it meant that I was still in his good books despite my outburst.

  "When do they want to have the ceremony?" I asked, again back into the show of perfect behaviour between the master and the sub-ordinate.

  "As soon as you are ready."

  "Excellent. I've got one tiny errand to run before I leave for Argentina but it won't take any time really."

  Twenty minutes later, I was stood on my gravel driveway holding a large Cascade Bridge open to an underground city in Mexico. The Tayne surged back through to their home and I did my best to thank each and every one of them as they passed me. Greyas was the final Tayne to leave and she bowed deeply to me before heading for the Bridge.

  "Before you go Greyas," I stopped her and beckoned for her to stay a second. "I look to you as one of the bravest beings I've ever had the good fortune to meet and I thank you for not only your people as a whole, but specifically to you, for saving me and The Circle." I gave her a deep bow of my own and held my position facing the floor for a count of five. When I righted myself, her expression was one of shock and she had tears falling down her lumpy cheeks. None of the affected Tayne had been returned to the form they had been before Leatherpants and his devious plans. The changes remained even without the power of the Drake Stone fueling them but not one of these creatures seemed to mind. Maybe they felt that they were wearing these new bodies as a badge of honour having survived.

  "My Lord saviour. You have been the first in our history to fight for us. We have had others fight against us but mainly fight over us but never for us. How could I not give everything for you?" We both smiled.

  "When you get home, please inform your Queen that I am sorry that so many of your kind were lost during this fight and that should she need anything, any help at all, from The Circle, to contact me here." Greyas didn't move, still shocked to stillness at the conversation she was having.

  "She asked me to never return and I won't. But I am offering my hand in friendship if she so desires. The Circle is not as it once was." We both bowed cordially to one another and she flashed through the gateway to her home.

  Sighing, I hoped that I'd done everything I could to make a friend. I felt the need for some good news following all of the continued struggle I'd seen during my time within The Circle. Even we were looking to exact violence on us.

  My next task was to honour Em. I'd already prepared the small stone myself and it was smooth in my hand as I walked across to the open expanse of the mansion's grounds. I turned it over and over between my fingers as I closed on the memorial crater. Standing alone on the lip of the water filled hole, I just breathed deeply and said a silent thank you to yet another fallen warrior, before hurling the latest name into the depths. There had to be change to how The Circle acted. I just couldn't let the old ways remain.

  From there, now with a new fear, I opened up my own Cascade Bridge to the buried prison site in Argentina. All of the others who were going to be a part of this latest ceremony, Mike, Mark and a select handful of my military personnel, were already there and when I arrived I was quickly ushered through the crowd of gathered people to take up my place within this mighty hall, in a huge ring under a floating block of black crystal. Inside that crystal was the Hive demon, trapped in a magical version of amber. I hadn't had any of the detail explained to me about what it was or how it was being held but it was only now that I realised that I'd never been told anything of the specifics of the way The Zarrulent had been held either. More questions just piled on and made the water even murkier.

  The Awakening proceeded in the same way the others had here but this time there was a new family line to be inducted. At the signal of The Mage, Hairy finally became a Guardian of The Circle as he transformed into that huge fire Dragon I'd last seen Freddy wearing. He roared and screeched as he became the beast, a much more intimidating version than poor Freddy had been, before standing resplendent as the latest link in a constantly re-forging chain. I wasn't even paying attention to what was happening, this was all so familiar to me having seen an almost constant repeating at this site in the short time I'd been a part of The Circle. All I could think about were the injustices I'd witnessed and Andrea. In all of this I could just feel the need to hold her and be held in return. She'd become a mainstay of my life very quickly and I just couldn't see my life without her. Seeing her again, in her full majesty as her white Dragon, made me want to just run to here and try to explain.

  "GUARDIANS OF THE CIRCLE."

  I was jolted back to the here and now in jarring fashion. It was The Mage calling out to the gathered masses in the cavern to leave, that what he had to say was only for the ears of the Guardians. Everyone bustled from the cavern quickly but precisely, and remembering what Mike had said back in Wales about me being in trouble, I prepared myself for the inevitable showdown.

  "My Guardians, I thank you for the continued work to remedy this breach in who we are". There was the barest collection of growls in response. "And I thank those who were instrumental in the defeat of a traitor within our ranks. Miss Thomich, Mr. Johns and Lady Elder, your sacrifices will not be forgotten." More low growls came from the other Dragons but my temper was bubbling. We hadn't done the sacrificing, Maria had been removed from what could be considered her birthright after the kind of torture that would break anyone and Em had sacrificed herself to destruction to kill the Bulk. Al
l I'd been able to do was watch on as it happened. The Mage continued to speak as my thoughts swirled.

  "We have been weakened by the actions of the one from within us who chose to forgo our sacred duty and attack us. I believe that The Elder knew nothing of the treachery within her ranks, as she was so badly affected by the mental control of Mr. Ward." The Elder remained stony faced at the description of her being a victim. "We must now move to reclaim our rightful power within this world lest another force attempt to defeat us." The growls were now growing louder, being conducted expertly by The Mage. I also couldn't believe that The Elder was going to escape without the barest of rebuke. She'd been more than a little keen to mete out justice when there had been the chance that another estate had been infiltrated. Em's calm voice ran through my head, as if answering my unspoken question, "The greater good."

  "Now we must remind the world what the true power of The Circle is. We must destroy the Tayne utterly in response to their unprovoked attack of us and send a message to any other creatures who feel reckless enough to want to rise up against us." The room erupted as the frenzy took hold of everyone. My own snarls of dissent were almost lost amidst the din, but only almost.

  "GUARDIANS! One of our number has expressed a different sentiment." The Mage's tone changed and the implicit threat wasn't lost on me. He'd effortlessly focused all of the attention in the cavern on me whilst also letting everyone know what he thought, and yet again, despite having the best of intentions, I was underground and surrounded by angry monsters.

  I didn’t stand on ceremony, or wait for any kind of signal to speak.

  "The Tayne were instrumental in the victory. They only attacked us when they were all acting against their wills thanks to Leatherpants and the bloody Drake Stone. They were helpless and you want to punish them for that? They fought with us as soon as they regained their free will. They should be allies, not cannon fodder." I was clenching my teeth against the fury which threatened what was left of my ceremonial poise. Surely they wouldn't.