The Dominion Pulse

by Brad A. LaMar

  “The Protectors will save the Earth.” Arawn’s head lowered and he mumbled the sentence again. He was so weak, but he wanted so badly to fight for his world.

  “They will die trying.” Elathan let a beat of silence hang in the air. “Just like you.”

  “That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,” Arawn replied as he turned his eyes back to meet Elathan’s.

  “I can see that, but I know of one sacrifice that you won’t be willing to make.”

  Both Elathan and Arawn’s attention turned to Argona and for the first time she realized her purpose in Elathan’s fold.

  …

  “Look at them, Tannus,” Camulos remarked while standing in the great city of Sarvaloo. “Fools and paupers who don’t know what’s about to come their way.”

  “You did try to warn them,” Tannus said.

  The buildings were tall and modern, yet the architecture was a testament to the brilliant minds of the immortals of Tir na nOg, the Realm of the Gods. Most of the citizens were lesser gods who happily toiled their time away in service positions or with small shops, but there were a few among the group who had been blessed with a modicum of power like Camulos and Tannus. Only two gods were known to have the massive amount of power and skills to stand out from the crowd, Nuada and Elathan, the gods of silver and gold respectively. Every important decision came through one of the two of them, but things had changed a few hundred years ago when Nuada made the decision to trap himself and Elathan between Otherworld and Earth.

  The lesser gods waited for the return of the golden and silver gods, but when enough time passed, they moved on and life in Tir na nOg proceeded. In spreading the word that Elathan had returned, Camulos and Tannus had been met with skepticism and accusations of trying to insight riots and panic, which was understandable since many recalled the battles that Nuada and Elathan raged in this and other places in their quest for greater power and position.

  Camulos and Tannus walked down the sturdy stone street and began their journey to the blacksmith Wayland’s shop. Only, when they turned onto Wayland’s street Conchar and the Seeker were waiting for them. Tannus and Camulos exchanged curious glances.

  “What are you doing here and why did you bring the human?” Camulos asked.

  “Tannus is coming with us to Ann wn,” Conchar revealed. “He is to be the Watcher.”

  “What about Argona?” Tannus asked.

  “She is needed in a different arena.”

  Camulos nodded, as if he expected something like that to happen. Conchar, the Seeker, and Tannus began walking away from Camulos when he couldn’t resist his curiosity. “How did you know where to find us?”

  Conchar stared back at Camulos for a brief moment with a knowing look. “Elathan told me.” The wizard led Tannus and the Seeker around the corner and out of sight.

  Camulos smirked and walked into Wayland’s shop anyhow. “If he knows I have the sword, then he knows why I kept it,” he mumbled to himself. “No reason to disappoint.”

  …

  The day was dragging in Brendan’s estimation; nine o’clock seemed years away. The crew filled the time with ramen noodles, checkers, euchre, watching television, carryout pizza, and story swapping. Brendan told them about the heart vision, the swamp people—who Rohl referred to as firblogs—and what he had seen Arawn and Argona do, and the fact that a being named Caoranach could mutate animals and other creatures.

  “Why did you have to say Caoranach?” Garnash asked, his face scrunched in anxiety.

  “I don’t make the visions, I just report them,” Brendan replied.

  “Every magick hears all kinds of crazy stories about her,” Wanda added.

  “I nearly peed my pants as a kid when Uncle Marvin would start in on those stories,” Patty confessed.

  “Forgive my ignorance about all this stuff, but who is she? What’s so scary about mutating the animals?” Ken asked.

  “My dad referred to her as the mother of demons,” Garnash said.

  Frank shook his head. “I do not like the sound of that, man. There is nothing in the world scarier to me than demons.”

  “No one has seen her mutations except for Brendan in his vision,” Rohl pointed out. “At least as far as I know.”

  “Both the eagle and the niseag had horns all over their bodies, bright yellow veins that popped right out on top of their skin; they were doubled in size, and they had these freaky split talons on their hands and feet. The good news is that the mutated creatures can be killed,” Brendan said.

  “Remember it was two gods who were able to kill the creatures, so who knows if we can,” Lizzie replied.

  “That’s what the training is for,” Dorian pointed out.

  “Tell us a little more about this Chamber place,” Brendan prompted the Smith sisters.

  “We’d love to be able to tell you, but neither of us has ever been in there,” Patty revealed.

  “But we’ve met a few magicks who have, and they said it was rough,” Wanda added.

  Lizzie glanced around at the others. “Can you be a bit more specific? How is it rough?”

  The Smith sisters were no help and were actually beginning to frustrate Brendan, so he went into the kitchen and pulled a brand new baking pan from the cabinet. Someone’s mom at that CHH must have thought her son was going to get in touch with his domestic side. He returned to the living room where everyone was hanging out and placed the pan on the table. He poured the silver liquid from the Flask of Airmid into the pan and waited.

  “This again?” asked Lizzie. “Should we put all this faith into a simulation, Brendan?”

  He shrugged. “I just want to know more about Nether Corridors and I’m guessing that Bibe would have some answers.”

  The paradigm liquid spread out slowly and filled the bottom of the pan. Bibe’s image finally came back into view, but it wasn’t as clear as it was the previous time.

  “You’re looking a little faded, Bibe. What’s going on?” Brendan asked.

  “The paradigm fluid that you see me in only holds a vision so long, so we will only be able to talk like this a few more minutes and then I will be gone from you.” Bibe was distraught and it showed on her face. “I’m sorry that I won’t be there to train you, but I sense that you are in a place that has those magical ties that we discussed. Where are we exactly?”

  “We’re in America at the Celtic Heritage House. Some magicks here told us that this place has an entrance into something called a Nether Corridor.”

  “Look at that, Patty,” Wanda began as they watched Brendan talk to a puddle of silvery goop in the pan. “Brendan is cute and crazy.”

  “The perfect man, girl, the perfect man,” replied Patty.

  “Be quiet,” Garnash commanded. “This is important.”

  “You’ve surrounded yourself with a wide variety of beings, Brendan, and that’s good.” Bibe allowed herself a small smile. “So many groups to stand up against Elathan… that can make all the difference.”

  “The Nether Corridor, Bibe?” Brendan prompted.

  “A Nether Corridor is the perfect place for you to train, although I have to warn you that these sort of places were intended specifically for powerful magicks so it will be dangerous, and don’t be shocked if everyone starts hallucinating.”

  “What? If that’s true, then why is that the perfect place to train?” he demanded.

  “Because where you’re going it is the only place on Earth, well near Earth, that can give you the experience that you need before you go to Otherworld.”

  Brendan looked at the others but said nothing. Otherworld is already in my plans.

  “What is it, Brendan? What did she say?” Dorian asked, taking his hand.

  Brendan held up his finger as he thought.

  “How do you suggest that we get… there?” he asked Bibe in code so as to not freak the others out.

  “Elathan had to return to Otherworld first because he wasn’t powerful enough to destroy Earth and, by the way, he
was never powerful enough to do that on his own. He needed to amass more power, and the only way for him to do that is to uncover the dominion pulses for each Otherworld realm. If he has captured the dominion pulse in every realm, then he will be nearly invincible. You will have all of Otherworld against you.”

  “That’s what the beating is in my heart visions,” he noted. “He’s using my dad to take them. He already has four.”

  “That means that only two remain.” Her image flickered and disappeared for a second. “We don’t have much time, Brendan. Go to the Nether Corridor and get to Otherworld before all is lost.” She flickered again and vanished for five full seconds.

  “Bibe, we need your help. How are we supposed to win?”

  “You are wise and resourceful, young Protector.” Her face began to dim and vanish. “Follow your heart.”

  “Bibe?” he called out.

  “Follow your heart, Brendan.”

  He called her name again but only saw his own reflection staring back at him. He looked up at the others. “Her image is gone—for good.”

  He looked at the clock and saw that the time for the Chamber to open was drawing closer. “Wanda, Patty, where is the opening to the Chamber?”

  “It’s on the side of the house,” Wanda said.

  “You know that old storage shed? Well, just open that door and walk right in,” added Patty.

  “We need to decide who is going and who is staying, but you should know that Bibe warned me that the Chamber is very dangerous,” Brendan said, looking each one of them in the eye. “Also, if you go in there with me, there’s a good chance that we won’t be coming back out any time soon.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Frank.

  “I’m not positive, but I think we can use the Chamber to get to Otherworld.”

  “And why would we want to do that?” Lizzie asked.

  “Because that is the only way to give ourselves a chance at stopping Elathan,” Brendan replied.

  …

  Rory looked around at the melting pot Corways had become and gave a bewildered laugh that caught Biddy’s attention. She looked at him sideways and waited for an explanation.

  “Well, what was that supposed to mean?” she asked finally.

  “Oh nothing,” Rory began. “Don’t you think it’s odd what Corways has become? Our home was ruined in war by a headless demon, two Banshees, Magogs, and those freaky alphyns, only to become a sanctuary to the survivors of our kin and the Gnomes. Not to mention two giants from Scotland, a trio of humans, a Dryad, a Púca, and a Brownie.”

  “Would you rather us turn them all away?” Biddy asked in an accusatory tone.

  “No, I’m not saying that at all, love. I just never would have expected the world to have gone so crazy.”

  He looked out and watched Tevis and Fergus holding the framing for a repaired roof on top of Colym’s home and a crew of Gnomes and Leprechauns working together to assemble and fortify it. Over near the new megaliths in the center of town, Fynn and a group of Leprechauns were on guard duty ready to pounce if a threat was coming through. Sinead the Dryad had a group of Gnomes out in the fields with her as she spoke to the trees in a way only a tree spirit could, sharing secrets that only the trees would know.

  “I’m more amazed than anything, Biddy. Look how the magicks are coming together in our hour of need.”

  Biddy nodded and then took her husband’s hand. “Aye, and the world will need every last one of us.”

  …

  “I don’t understand why Elathan selected me to be the Watcher of Ann wn when he has Argona,” Tannus said.

  “I do not pretend to know the mind of the most powerful being in Otherworld, Tannus, so I suggest that you try not to either,” Conchar replied.

  Tannus figured that the wizard wouldn’t tell him the reasoning even if he knew, so he dropped it. Instead, he watched in fascination as the human went about searching for the dominion pulse that he alone could find. The god of storms had lived on Earth for hundreds of years and he actually had a fondness for the Earthlings. They were innovative, constructive, and made great jerk chicken. He had been all around the Earth and witnessed some pretty amazing things humanity had done, but what the Seeker was able to do was nothing short of astonishing.

  The Seeker moved much faster than the regular humans did, and he had a focus that was akin to the concentration required by surgeons and artists. The Seeker moved very nimbly over the rocky terrain that he had led them to in Ann wn, climbing rock faces like a pro and maneuvering around obstacles that he and Conchar considered nearly impossible for a human.

  They finally came to the edge of a deep valley gorge that was hundreds of feet below them. Far down, Tannus could see a lazy stream trickling along. It didn’t look very deep, but that didn’t stop the Seeker from stepping off the ledge and into the open air. Conchar acted quickly and slowed the Seeker’s fall.

  The wizard raised a brow. “He does that sort of thing when he’s on the hunt.”

  Tannus and Conchar dropped down from the lip of the gorge as well and had to step quickly to catch up to the Seeker who was hustling upstream.

  “I think he’s close,” Conchar noted as they splashed along.

  …

  LUB-DUB!

  The dominion pulse was screaming at Oscar, which was a bit of a surprise since the others were more hidden than this one. Maybe Oscar was becoming more adept at finding the pulses, but he wasn’t sure.

  The pulse hovered over the stream, dancing like a firefly on the breeze. He called to it, commanding it to come to life. The familiar white light grew until it was the size of a grapefruit at his command, the words easily flowing over his lips. Oscar pulled Elathan’s token from his pocket and felt its heft in his palm. He plunged the coin deep inside the pulse with great satisfaction. The wave shot through his body, but if he hadn’t seen it he wouldn’t have noticed it. Each time he inserted Elathan’s tokens into the pulses it was like a great weight shifted from his mind, which desired the hunt, to his heart, which had grown heavy with remorse and guilt at taking the realms away from their natural contentment.

  Oscar looked back at Tannus and reached out, pulling the ceremonial blood from the god. He felt bad every time he had to do this, but the heart of the realm demanded it. Tannus fell face first into the stream, writhing in agony from the process, but it couldn’t be helped.

  Oscar marched by without giving Tannus a second look. There was one more pulse calling out to him. He didn’t have time to worry about anything else.

  …

  Brendan excused himself from the group and headed down the hall to the restroom, and just as his hand turned the doorknob a concussive thumping battered his ears.

  “No, that was too close to the last one,” he muttered as he opened the door.

  The door swung open to reveal a lush pasture in a gorge with a slow moving creek, which was trickling past a man lying prone on its banks. Brendan had no idea who he was, but his clothes were just as bloodied as Lir. Brendan looked around, again not knowing which realm he was in. He wanted to see Oscar with his own eyes, even if they were only the eyes of his consciousness.

  He stepped into the field and got a better view of the guy lying on the ground. The man appeared to be unconscious and after having the experience with the firblogs, Brendan avoided him altogether. He walked up a steep incline, having to grab a hold of roots and rocks in certain spots until he reached the top. He pulled up onto the landing and spotted a pair of men walking towards a megalithic structure.

  “That’s Dad!” Brendan said in surprise. “Dad!” he screamed.

  Conchar looked back over his shoulder in Brendan’s direction and then hustled Oscar into the center of the megaliths. Brendan began to run towards them as fast as he could, his peripheral vision blurring as his speed increased. The megaliths activated in a blinding flash of light just as he pulled up beside them. When the light faded he noted that he had just missed them.

  “Enough,” he sai
d.

  He blinked his eyes and awakened back in the CHH’s restroom, which most definitely had no stream or pasture. Something was happening within him that he couldn’t identify, almost like he was growing more powerful as time passed. He thought of Bibe’s words and how he had powers and strength that others could only dream about. He was special. He was a Protector.

  “Time to protect,” he declared to the mirror before he exited the room and joined the others.

  …

  It had been early in the day when Simmons and Edwards combed the scorched and surrounding areas of Sam’s Creek. They had spent a couple of hours searching but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. It was more what wasn’t there that caught Simmons’ attention. There were no fresh tire tracks going in or out of the place.

  How did Brendan O’Neal get here?

  Where was he going?

  Just who was he anyway?

  Simmons and Edwards parted ways, but the detective still needed answers. He spent most of the day at the precinct going back over the files and interviews related to the case. A junk-filled lunch and dinner were behind him and he was nearly at his wit’s end. He made an executive decision: it was time for Brendan’s old friend Ken to come clean.

  Simmons was headed to the CHH.

  Chapter 17

  Acquiring Power

  Elathan gritted his teeth and tensed his muscles as he sent a massive wave of golden energy directly into Argona, knocking her flat against the wall—her energy whip sprawling out over the floor—just under the now golden image of Ann wn on the map of Otherworld. As if the sting of her pitiful weapon could have harmed me! The war goddess clutched at her midsection and rolled over onto her side, tears streamed from her eyes.

  “How long will you make her suffer, Arawn? How long does your love need to be senselessly beaten?” Elathan asked with a smile as he sent another small wave slamming into the prone war goddess, knocking her head against the wall with a sickening thud.