"Would you permit me to put a bit of protection on it? Something that will help you against an enemy that is magically stronger than you?" Grayson asked.
Nulo frowned for a moment, looking a bit confused, but nodded and bowed slightly.
"Yes, thank you."
Nulo bowed his head again and showed him the respect he had promised them. Grayson smiled at him then closed his eyes and uttered old powerful words, willing the sword to protect, and to strike true. After a moment, he opened his eyes, the protection complete and handed it back to Nulo.
"There you go, now it should serve you well in any fight. At the very least it should protect your life if it comes to that," Grayson said, then turned to Amarantos and nodded, Amarantos grinned at him and nodded.
"Thank you Grayson, that was very kind of you. Though he is quite capable, there are others more so, and much more powerful. I worry about his life, especially that he is my son and we've discovered quite a few plots on his life," Amarantos said.
Grayson nodded then sighed.
"Let's get going, everyone please hold hands; Yoshihiro, when we get there you are going to have to stay back. I do not want Alexi targeting you, you stay close to Harry or I and keep out of danger, ok?" Grayson asked him.
Yoshihiro was not a fighter, though he soon would be, after Jo trained him but he knew the kid wasn't bad, after seeing into his mind, he knew he had a good heart and a strong determination. However, he was still vulnerable against Alexi and he didn't want him harmed, he was Harry' and his responsibility now.
"Ok," Yoshihiro agreed, nodding his head obediently.
Grayson closed his eyes and concentrated, creating a barrier around them, as he had been doing every time so that the Void couldn't track them, regardless of where they went, and transported them to Alexi’s home.
They arrived quietly and looked around; the house was nearly as majestic looking as Amarantos' castle. Without much hesitation, Grayson took a step forward and spoke loudly.
"Alexi!" Grayson yelled, they were immediately surrounded by guards, which aimed their weapons at Grayson's chest and body.
"Who are you and how did you get in?" the young Vampire that was closest and at the front demanded. His name came to Grayson automatically, Daim.
Unlike reading people minds, where he had to make the decision to delve into their minds, their identities came to him without any need of forcing the information.
"Take me to Alexi, now!" Grayson snapped at him, yanking the gun out of Daim's hands and glaring at him.
If he acted like one of the fascist Sentinels then Daim would be none the wiser, not until Alexi saw none of them were actually fascist Sentinels. However, Daim was not stupid, and he spotted the King and Nulo, recognizing them instantly.
Grayson did not give him time to react, instead, he grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up into the air (which allowed Daim to see Yoshihiro). He frowned at him and looked confused but said nothing, not that he really could. Then he looked back at Grayson and did his best to nod his understanding.
Grayson set him down and Daim swallowed then spoke to all of them.
"Please follow me, I will take you to Alexi," Daim said and turned around, leading them to Alexi.
They arrived in a large round room with a sunken floor, in the center of the room, there was a large altar with chains and channels that ran along the top of the altar. It looked like a sacrificial altar, like the ones that used to be used to honor the gods. What was he doing in here? Grayson heard the smallest of whimpers from behind him; he recognized Yoshihiro's voice. Though it had looked different when Yoshihiro had been tied to it, it was the same room and altar. This was where he tortured and did other things to the children.
Grayson could feel his anger mounting until there was no concealing the rage he felt inside; the heat coming from not only Harry, but also Amarantos mirrored his own; they wanted Alexi to pay just as much as him. However, Grayson planned on making him pay for all eternity, he wouldn't be getting off easy, oh no, his punishment would be as cruel and torturous as what he had done, worse still.
"Alexi," Grayson said in a neutral voice, willing himself to remain calm.
"Yes, are you new? I do not recognize any of you but Yoshihiro. Come Yoshihiro, I have an errand for you to run my pet," Alexi asked. How did Alexi not recognize Amarantos?
Grayson knew Amarantos and Nulo were standing behind him and Harry, and Yoshihiro was in the center in between Grayson and Harry, and Amarantos and Nulo.
"Stay where you are Yoshihiro; he no longer answers to you Alexi," Grayson said in a voice that was meant to instill fear.
"We have come to pass judgment on you; you shall never again perform the atrocities that you have, up to now, freely committed. But first I need something from you, hold still or this will hurt much more," Grayson commanded.
The voice that he used was his god voice, and none other than the one he used for judgment, the voice he spoke to the gods in, and the voice he spoke to Gaia in. His god voice was not meant for mortals to hear because it would drive them crazy and very often kill them.
However, when supernatural beings heard it, it cause them to cower and feel immeasurable pain, if Grayson so intended, and at the moment that was precisely what he wanted Alexi to do, cower in fear and pain. No other would feel the pain and fear that Alexi did.
Alexi grabbed his head and ears in agony, curling up on the floor, screaming in pain, but Grayson did not stop nor did he feel any sympathy for the disgusting Vampire. He walked up to him and grabbed him by the head, lifting him up into the air. Then he forcefully removed the magical barriers around his mind and a maelstrom of information and vivid pictures flashed in his mind.
His mind reeled at the information that he received, not so much because off the amount of it, but because of the actual information itself. Not only had he absorbed Alexi memories, he'd triggered some of his own. Information that would have greatly benefited the Sentinels they rescued from the prisons and it would greatly benefit the children they were rescuing from Alexi. However, the most shocking part was that the mastermind behind this disturbing display of torture that Alexi performed was none other than the Void. He had set up this whole ordeal, feeding Alexi Sentinel children so that he could drink from them, and then transfer the energy he took from the children to the Void. Almost two-thirds of the children that Alexi had were Sentinel children, but some like Yoshihiro, and a handful of the other children, were given to Alexi for other purposes.
Only those that were not Sentinel children were safe from the Void, at least for now. Those that were Sentinel children were not so lucky, the Void took them when they were old enough, then he'd wait for the change to happen so that he could absorb them slowly into himself. At the end, he took their very souls to feed him for the remainder of his existence. And Alexi had laughed and joined his ranks merrily, thinking he could benefit from his allegiance with him, but he would benefit no longer.
"Alexi, I here by judge you, and find you unfit to live in this existence. You shall suffer for your deeds thus far, for all eternity. Until your soul is pure you will suffer the perpetual living flame, forever will it consume you, both inside and out, leaving nothing but the pain as company. This judgment I pass on you, forever will you suffer!" Grayson said, releasing Alexi over the altar he had for the very purpose of torture and rape.
Grayson laid him flat and chained him up as he had done to Yoshihiro countless times and touched his right index finger to Alexi’s forehead gently. He uttered words of punishment he hadn't doled out in over 15 millennia.
Nothing seemed to happen with the exception that Alexi began to screech and cry. His voice was filled with so much pain and agony, that it would make almost anyone want to put him out of his misery, but no help would ever come to him. Then a small tendril of smoke rose from his mouth and each of his eyes, and the evidence of Grayson's punishment became more noticeable.
Alexi was burning form the inside out despite the fact that
he was still alive; always would he be alive, suffering, and burning. Grayson covered his mouth and willed it shut, not even to scream would he be allowed.
"I send you to the depths of Tartarus, to suffer in silence and alone. Your only salvation is to purify your soul, look deep inside yourself and maybe in a million years from now you will find the purity you seek," Grayson said and closed his eyes, sending Alexi away.
With Alexi gone, Grayson turned and looked at the men who stared at him with gaping mouths, all except Harry who looked like he wanted to do worse to Alexi than what Grayson had done.
"I always thought that that was a myth, I never thought it was a real punishment," Amarantos whispered.
Nulo was looking at Grayson in shock and slight fear. Did he just now realize exactly how dangerous Grayson and Harry could be? Still, this wasn't the worst punishment they could dole out, but those punishments were reserved for the very worst offenders.
"Time to go get the children out of this hellhole, Yoshihiro, please go gather everyone and have them meet us in the room we appeared in. Harry please go with him, I will show you what I saw after this is all over; you don't want to see it now. Amarantos, Nulo please come with me," Grayson said and walked toward Alexi’s rooms.
He found them easily and walked purposefully toward Alexi’s secret room. Even with the despicable person he was, he still managed to have even more secrets up his sleeve. Grayson pressed a button that Alexi had disguised as an adornment on an intricate gilt-framed mirror. A piece of the wall slid back and Grayson, Amarantos, and Nulo stepped into the room.
The room was another circular room, and another altar was in the middle of the sunken room, but this room was not used like the other room, this one was where the Void absorbed the energy Alexi had taken from the children. Grayson looked around the room in search of the secret flash drive Alexi had on the Void. Unbeknownst to the Void, he's slowly accumulated information on him in case he needed an out.
However, the reason Grayson had brought Amarantos and Nulo with him to search was to tell them of the Void, and to show them what he had done. For some odd reason when Grayson thought of the Void, no name or face accompanied it. Unlike with everyone else, his natural ability to identify everyone did not work on the Void. Therefore, he needed as much information as he could get on the guy to be able to beat him effectively.
He knew one thing for sure; the Void was not a Sentinel because nothing would keep him from being able to read him without a second thought if he were. However, since that was not the case, he had to figure out what the Void was so that he could figure out who he was. With that knowledge would come an easier way to defeat him.
Grayson located the flash drive and slid it into his pocket then turned to Amarantos just as his phone rang, he pulled the phone out of his pocket, and looked at the caller ID, saw it was his Mom, and picked up.
"Hey Mom, we're almost done here, shouldn't be too much longer," Grayson said, but his Mom didn't respond, instead the little voice of Pari answered.
"Gray? You said we could call if we wanted to talk to you, is it ok?" Pari asked in her tiny cute voice.
Grayson smiled widely at Pari's question, she was just so adorable! She had not been able to say his name fully the night before, separating the Gray from the son as if it were two names and not one. Grayson had told her she could just call him Gray, and both Xavier and Red had asked if they could too. Grayson had told them of course, which had made them quite happy.
"Hi Pari, of course it's ok sweetie. How are you guys doing?" Grayson asked, as he looked around the circular room for Alexi’s journal that he'd kept hidden behind a panel in the wall.
Popping the panel open, he grabbed the journal and closed the panel once again, leaving no evidence that there was even a secret compartment in the wall.
"Are you and Harry coming home soon Gray?" Pari asked as another little voice, this time Red's, asked her to talk on the phone too.
Pari shushed Red and told him to hold on; Grayson chuckled at their arguing and responded to Pari's question.
"Yes, we'll both be home soon, we have a few more things to do then we'll head home," Grayson said with a wide smile.
Amarantos and Nulo could hear Pari just as well as they heard Grayson, and they both wore matching smiles as well.
"Ok, Gray, Red wants to talk to you, is it ok?" Pari asked.
Grayson chuckled again, louder this time and nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him.
"Yes, of course," Grayson said as he walked over to the light bulb that Alexi had in the only lamp in the room.
He unscrewed it and slid it into his pocket then turned to Amarantos and Nulo and indicated they leave the room. As they left, the door slid shut and once again, it looked like just part of the wall.
There was a shuffling sound on the other side of the phone and Red's voice sounded over the phone.
"Gray?" Red asked.
"Yes Red?" Grayson asked as he led them toward Harry and Yoshihiro.
"Can we have pizza tonight? We asked everyone else, and they told us that we had to ask you or Harry," Red asked, waiting tentatively for Grayson's response.
"Um, yeah, I don't see why not. Oh, wait; do any of you have allergies to anything?" Grayson asked.
Even though they were Sentinel children, they still hadn't gone through the change and their bodies were still human. Until their change, they could suffer from such things as allergies, and colds, and such. To know if they had any allergies or something, Grayson would have to read their parents for the information, since their parents were gone, that was not possible.
"I don't, but I don't know about Pari or Xavier. I can ask, hold on let me check," Red said and there was more shuffling, then Xavier spoke.
"I don't have allergies Gray. Are you almost home? Are you bringing more kids home today too?" Xavier asked him.
Gray stopped walking and sighed. What had been done to these poor kids was just horrendous, but it seemed it was all connected. Harry and he would have to take the Sentinel children with them, but the others that Alexi had turned would have to be the responsibility of Amarantos.
"I'm not sure yet Xavier," Grayson responded, not knowing what else to say. He was such a curious little boy, and he was very intuitive, he grasped things quickly.
"Oh, here's Red; oh by the way I don't have any allergies, my Mom always told me she was happy I wasn't like her when she was little with all her allergies," Xavier said, then Grayson heard shuffling and Red came on the phone.
"Ok, I asked Pari and everyone else, and they all said no allergies and they are cool with pizza. I know my Dad always bought pizza on Fridays for us to eat when he'd pick me up from his best friend Jesse's house. Jesse's a Sentinel too, and we'd all eat it together, so I am ok to have pizza," Red said.
Grayson nodded and smiled to himself then turned to Amarantos and Nulo.
"Ok, Red, do you know if your Dad's friend Jesse was taken by the bad Sentinel's too?" Grayson asked.
Red was silent for a moment then Grayson heard a small sigh from his side. When Red answered, his voice sounded a little stuffy.
"I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Gray, will you check on Jesse and make sure he's ok, please? I know my Dad would want to make sure he was ok, and I miss him too," Red asked, sounding unsure if Grayson would say yes or no.
Grayson thought of Red, then his Dad, then his Dad's friend Jesse and made the connection. Jesse Bailey was his name, and he was fine, perfectly healthy in fact, but Grayson vowed to take Red to see him and ease the young boy's mind.
"Ok Red, we can go when Harry and I get back home, ok? We'll go check on him then," Grayson assure Red.
"Ok, thank you Gray. I better go, X is calling me because Jo was teaching us all how to fight! See you soon, bye!" Red said excitedly and disconnected the call. Grayson smiled to himself and chuckled again.
"Grayson, you are a bit young to have children aren't you?" Amarantos asked him with a twinkle in his eyes. Grayson grinned
and nodded, then sighed.
"Yes, I am, so is Harry, but they aren't ours, we rescued them, from the same despicable bastard that set all this shit up," Grayson said point in a circle at the whole house.
"You rescued them from Alexi?" Amarantos asked, looking confused.
Grayson shook his head and took a deep breath then looked at Amarantos in the eyes. He knew that Amarantos was not involved, he'd read him earlier, so it was safe to tell him about the Void.
"Let me show you," Grayson said.
Amarantos held still as Grayson touched his face and showed him the Void's deeds as he knew them. Amarantos' face turned to rage, the smell of anger grew in the room and Nulo seemed to react to the scent.
"I shall assist in whatever way I can; this is the one that had my Zuzu killed, I want my revenge on him as well."
Amarantos looked at Nulo who still looked confused, but knew better than to ask. He would wait until one of them told him or he was alone with Amarantos to ask, but Grayson had other ideas, because he was going to offer Nulo a once in a lifetime deal.
He was going to offer to make him a hybrid, like Yoshihiro, except Nulo would be stronger than Yoshihiro because of his lineage and age. He did this only because they needed a Sentinel as a guard for Amarantos and the Vampire children they were rescuing, especially since Nulo would be involved in taking down the Void. Who better to protect Amarantos than his own son?
Grayson turned to Nulo and extended his hand as if to shake it and Nulo took it, still looking curious and confused. Quickly Grayson read him, seeing his innocence and the desire to protect his family at all costs. He was a worthy person to receive Grayson's gift, if he so chose. Making a quick decision, he showed Nulo what he'd shown his Father and Nulo gasped, not knowing all the information Amarantos knew, the onslaught of information was a shock to him.
The Sentinels The First and the Second (second edition) Smashwords edition.doc Page 26