The Seventh Age: Dawn

by Rick Heinz

  “It is none of your concern. You have a mission to complete. I advise you to get back to your work for the master,” she said. Of all the people to come here, it of course had to be the most dangerous one.

  “I’m willing to bet, that our master will find what I’ve heard about you and your recent actions more than a curiosity. It looks like you’ve been bartering for your freedom. But—” Gabriel curled his lips in a grin. “We’ll get to that. Since you are indisposed, I’m going to take this opportunity to ask you some questions. Pull up a chair. We might be here for a while.”

  “We will not. Leave and resume your work. I have everything here under control,” she said as she wiggled a bit and rattled some of the chains to sit more upright. Here comes the interrogation again. Children with power. Just what the world needs.

  “What is so special about this place and the children that were here?”

  “That is above your clearance level,” she said.

  Gabriel was surprised that there was no follow-up thought. No flashes or images or anything to betray what she was really thinking. “Really? That’s it? Just above my clearance level? Then why do I feel a kinship with this place? As if I’ve been here before. I grew up in Italy. I’d never set foot in this state until I was summoned.”

  She didn’t even dignify him with a response. She just stared at him as if he were beneath her. I’ve read your dossier. That was the only thought in her head.

  “I thought we were both on the same team. You can’t even give me the slightest hint? I mean, you not saying anything is enough to help me draw some conclusions. So what? Was I born here?” Gabriel asked. He clenched his fists, and his jaw tightened.

  “Believe what you will and draw as many conclusions as you like. This facility, much like the entire city, is the property of someone else. I am not at liberty to discuss those secrets unless ordered to, and I do not take orders from you. I can, however, give them to you. Follow my command to leave this place and resume your mission, or I will inform Primus Vryce of your treason,” she said. That will go over well. Master Vryce, one of your descendants needs to be brought to heel and executed. He coddles them too much. Children like this need to be given a stern awakening into this world.

  “Aha,” Gabriel said. He cracked his knuckles and twisted his neck, the popping noise echoing in the basement. “Treason? Would you like to tell me exactly why you’ve been working with Bollard and the rest of the people he sent here? Maybe I’m not the one who should be reported to Grandpa as treasonous.” He bit his lip in frustration. It was her fault that events were playing out against them, and he was growing impatient.

  If Delilah were ever to play poker, she would be a world champion. Not even the slightest display, not even a twitch on that poker face. Mind reader. Of course. Hello, Gabriel. Nice trick of yours. I won’t fall for it again. Mr. Bollard is not who he says he is; he is working for O’Neil and a demon king himself. His objective is to get close to Vryce and eliminate him. He captured, tortured, and imprisoned me here. When he returns, the Whisper will kill him. Now go about your mission. She tilted her head to the side an inch and waited to see if Gabriel responded.

  “So you were interrogated, yes? And yes, it is a nice trick. I’m still getting the hang of it. What did you reveal to him?” Gabriel said.

  “Everything,” she said aloud. “I have no chance to resist the powers of a rakshasa such as him.” Her thoughts matched the words coming out of her mouth. Now that she was aware of Gabriel’s secret power, he doubted she would ever let slip a stray thought again.

  Gabriel drew his blade and leveled it at her. “Everything. And I’m the one you accuse of treason!” He kicked over a file cabinet. “We have been under assault, and they closed the Chicago portal. You let them know exactly where to dive! I’m sure they’ve gotten into those places by now! Even worse, you never bothered to fucking tell us. So we’ve diverted a lot of resources to look for you, soldiers that could’ve been used to prevent the assault on the headquarters! Instead, JJ Bollard is on his way right now to receive acclaim from Vryce himself for capturing the forces that took you in. No, instead you have plans within plans and clearance levels while you sit in the ba—”

  “I am aware of my plans, soldier. Now you take your orders and do as I have commanded. It is not your place to question, you impudent tool. You have a mission to salt the earth with the blood of the society’s enemies. Go forth and spread your flames at those who would do the society harm. Let them know our wrath,” she commanded.

  Gabriel’s face was a tint of red after the dressing down. “Oh, I will burn our enemies. Including you! Useless pile of trash.” Gabriel snapped his fingers and set her ablaze before she could respond.

  She slid out of her chains quicker than he would have guessed possible, activating a trigger switch she was hiding in her palm. Her flesh was bubbling from the flames, and Gabriel could see that she was dying before the entire room began to crumble around him.

  Small explosives detonated under the stacks of furniture at each column. Out of the makeshift ceiling, silver spears and daggers fired like shrapnel. Gabriel ran for his life. If he had been any closer to Delilah, he would have been impaled and trapped under a mountain of weapons.

  He made it to the stairs just as the rest of the basement ceiling collapsed, crushing everything underneath it. “Her plan was to take them both out,” he said to himself. Well, maybe she was more determined than I gave her credit for. Still, she needed to die for her manipulations.

  Gabriel picked himself up and brushed the concrete dust off his jeans. By now, he needed a brand-new pair, as no dry cleaner, even a magical one, would be able to help his wardrobe. It was beginning to set in that he was related to Vryce, but it made sense. Not sure why all the secrecy. Was it really so hard just to admit that? He better not go all “I am your father” on me, though. I can’t handle that without laughing.

  Gabriel took a moment to let the night’s events set in. Right now he and the Whisper were the only people who knew of JJ Bollard’s treachery, and he intended to finish what Delilah did not. If I kill him instead of her . . . He needed to revise his plan, however, to account for Bollard being aware of the entire operation. He will strike at Vryce right when the ritual here ceases to be. At least, that’s where Gabriel would strike if he were Bollard.

  Delilah had not anticipated Gabriel snapping and trying to kill her. No. I saw that in him the moment he walked in the room. He’s become bloodthirsty, getting drunk off that blade. She shook the thought out of her head and focused on her real mission. She sat underground in a makeshift escape hatch and looked at the fallen room. That trap was meant for Bollard. It would not kill Gabriel.

  She picked at her left arm, small bubbles of flesh had already begun to blister, and she could see white flecks of bone in her hand. The smell was the worst part, the sick taste of burned hair and skin flooded her senses. Symon had done a fantastic job with the trapping, but he should have collapsed the stairwell as well.

  She heard a cry of pain coming from upstairs. She smiled as Gabriel swore about a “motherfucking bear trap.” While it was nonlethal to Gabriel, she had no doubt that the silver teeth on that trap would cause severe injury, if not finish the job, on Bollard. Never mind. Well done, Symon.

  All the planning thrown out the window because of a child’s temper tantrum. Now Delilah would have to carry on the rest of the operation with wounds, deal with the fact she had recently been blooded, and stay out of Bollard’s way. He needed to think that she was dead for years to come now. Gabriel is so damn shortsighted. Our plans go beyond this month.

  Delilah still had backup plans, but her first step was to crawl her way out of this pit and make her way back to the prison. One of the vampires needed to be released and set after Patrick O’Neil in Chicago. The Unification would not rest as long as they had their local spymaster.

  As she crawled in the cramped tunnel, her face hurt from a burned smile. She had hoped to use the nerve gas a
s a treat to celebrate Bollard’s death. Still, it would make her feel better. It’s like a little Christmas present to myself. Sometimes you have to appreciate the little things in life.

  The cold air in the back of the Clinic felt like the best medicine in the world to her. She closed her eyes and felt the steam rise off her as she tried her best to shake the pain away. It worked to some extent.

  She made her way through the snow and pulled out a small package that Symon had left there per her instructions. It contained her tablet, a change of clothes, and a set of car keys. At least she would make it back to the prison and library before Vryce’s bastard son. Luckily for me, if everything works, I won’t have to see him again. Checking the schedule, she realized that the meeting of all the dignitaries in the library was minutes away. If her luck held, Gabriel would be tied up by Symon’s trap for longer than needed and she could do her work.

  Kill JJ Bollard. <-Move to later date.

  Get a fresh cup of coffee.

  Open Christmas present early.

  CHAPTER 44

  Mr. Bollard removed his leather glove as he stood before the hermetically sealed gates that granted entry into the great Library of Deus. Despite all his planning, his stomach was still an icy pit of nervousness. All he had to do was place his hand on the keystone and speak his true name.

  Bollard wasn’t particularly keen on entering the library. For one, the black keystone felt warm to the touch. It would dispel any shape-shifting and return him to his natural form. Second, he was nervous about speaking his true name. The revelation of his true name was a secret any demon king guarded with his life. Any sorcerer, no matter how petty, armed with that information could summon and bind him.

  Yet it was only within these walls that Primus Vryce would reveal himself in his true form, for if he did not offer the dignitaries this courtesy, he would breach centuries-old etiquette. Among the damned, overt use of power in areas of sanctuary could be taken as a mortal insult. Even Vryce had avoided public gatherings for decades, sending Delilah or Roger in his stead. He could delay no longer. He needed this for their society to have any relevance. If Mr. Bollard was to have an opportunity to strike him, it would be here in front of the great ambassadors of the Unification. Killing Vryce would send the message that all those who betray the Unification would meet their demise, no matter how protected they believed themselves.

  Mr. Bollard hoped nobody was listening inside the keystone room when he revealed his true name, despite the simple fact everyone believed Primus Vryce when he said that no one, including himself, was listening and that there were no ways around the keystone chamber. Bollard assumed that Vryce was vastly more cunning than he let on and that he had found a way to have his cake and eat it too. It was still the only way in, however.

  With trepidation, Mr. Bollard caressed the keystone. His hand was the first to change as the claws and striped white fur grew. His tendons made cracking sounds like snapping whips as his body transformed into his full demonic tiger form. “King Ghatotkacha of the Rakshasha, son of Bhima, father to Anajaparvan, and slain by Karna.”

  He felt the magic of the chamber take hold as his hair stood on end and goose bumps covered his entire body. The massive stone doors grated on the slab beneath them as they gave way. Before anyone on the other side could see him in his real form, he tried to shift back into the human form of JJ.

  Panic started to set in when his body refused to shift back. The doors were open enough that a sliver of light creaked through. He refocused his willpower to force the change, yet still nothing happened. Frantic, he ran to the edge of the chamber. Think! Think! What is this? Why can’t I shift back? Nobody said anything about this. Why hasn’t anybody mentioned this! I have sent countless people through this chamber. None of them encountered any problems after the magic set in. What did I overlook?

  He heard the voice of the announcer, Sven Mereti, on the other side of the doors. “Ladies and gentlemen of the Unification, our next guest has arrived! I present to you Ridari Bollard from Turkey. Mr. Bollard and his vast financial efforts have provided this city with much of its funding and defense programs. In addition, he has donated original works of Hindu mythology and the broken helmet of Karna, the great Hindu warrior who slew the demon king.”

  Panicked, Bollard was still hiding out of sight, but he had mere seconds to come up with a plan. All will be lost if I reveal myself here. You are a millennia-old trickster. Come up with something. Hurry. Illusion? He took a quick breath and tried to calm himself, but his hands were still shaking. He uttered an incantation of illusion. If it worked, everyone in the room would believe him to be what they expected to see.

  If there was any doubt, however, they would see him as they wanted to see him, whatever they imagined. It was a trick to scare villagers, child’s play, a cantrip almost. Hopefully this lowly spell was beneath the notice of an arcane warlock. Bollard did not place much faith in such a cantrip. However, he was out of time as the doors swept open.

  The library was grander than he had imagined, which said something for a creature as old as he. He had walked among the great libraries of Alexandria and been within the temple of King Solomon himself. Ornately carved wood stood three stories tall, every bookshelf, chair, and table was made with amazing craftsmanship. No, not made. There are no cut marks. These were grown by druidic magic. Chandeliers the size of small cars hung from wrought-iron chains affixed to the air itself, suspended by magic inside a vaulted ceiling.

  The ceiling itself was almost translucent, displaying the night sky above it. Guests had a clear view into the cosmology of the heavens, a look at the stars as they actually were, not as men believed.

  Bollard smelled the mixed scents of oak, lavender, and even someone’s vanilla pipe tobacco. On three of the walls, massive hearths with warm fires provided a sense of calm in the room. I have to hand it to the warlock. For all his insolence and violation of divine law, he knows how to build a proper library. I think I will preserve this establishment.

  Bollard was so in awe of the wonder of the library that he forgot for a brief moment that there were people in the room, and all eyes were on him. Sweat beaded around his neck, and he prayed to himself that his cantrip had worked.

  “Taken aback by the wonder of the library? This isn’t your first time in here, is it, chap?” said Roger Queneco, the court chancellor who had been leading much of the negotiations regarding the library.

  “I do believe it is, sir. Ridari Bollard has been out on field assignment, and as this is the grand opening of the library, he has yet to be given a tour,” said Sven Mereti.

  Queneco offered Bollard his hand. Bollard refused the handshake. The cantrip was only good for vision. Anybody who touched him would feel the truth. “Ah, yes, it is indeed. While I have donated, I had to wait like everyone else,” he said, letting out a sigh of relief as everyone in the room seemed to go back to their business.

  “Well, this is fortunate for you, then. I have a room full of people who are just dying, or undying, to meet you. Talk of the town, you are. Fantastic work bringing in those betrayers to the cause. I tell ya, some people just don’t understand what it means to be a member of the Unification,” he said as he gestured with his fist like he was giving a pep talk.

  “Betrayers? But they were members of the Unification.”

  “Nay, they were a rogue group that had been calling themselves the Sons and Daughters. Luckily, you were among the ones who were taken. Jolly good luck that you were among their captured, wouldn’t you say? Your escape paved the way for our success.” Roger leaned in closer than Bollard would have liked, looking him right in the eye.

  “Yes, fortunate.” Bollard pulled back. Are these the lies that the society has been feeding the dignitaries? “Should we get on with introductions, then? Is Primus Vryce here already?”

  “Yes, indeed he is. He is standing over there by the Dead Sea Scrolls, talking to Alexandria about the finer points of the church’s decision to exclude them
from formal doctrine. A divine creature if I do say so myself, and I do. A beauty such as hers does everyone good to see. She’s quite the looker for a two-thousand-year-old vampire.” Roger reached out his hand to place on Bollard’s shoulder as he led him out of the room.

  When Bollard jerked backward, Roger gave him a disapproving look. “Don’t like to be touched, eh? Still got a bit of the nerves from the unspeakable torture they put you through. I understand. PTSD is a terrible thing. I know just the person to introduce you to first,” he said.

  “Uh-huh. Yes,” Mr. Bollard mumbled.

  This little man has an unnerving ability to disarm you. JJ spoke from Bollard’s subconscious. Oh, how cute is it that the demon pretends to be the courtier.

  Roger kept rambling. It was no wonder that Vryce had him as his personal herald. Mr. Bollard kept his attention on Alexandria and Vryce while Roger introduced him to some doctor.

  Vryce was not himself. Mr. Bollard had gambled his entire plan to strike at the real body of Vryce here. Instead, Vryce mocked his well-laid plans by possessing some twenty-year-old body with dyed white hair. To add to the insult, Alexandria seemed to be in on the game. She placed a diamond necklace around Vryce’s neck and toyed with his hair. He could almost feel them snickering at him as they looked in his direction.

  “And that was Dr. Bowling. He’ll just talk your ear off, and yet all he donated were original medical journals from the London grave-robbing era. Next, I want you to meet Baron von Adawulf, or as we simply call him, the Baron. He is a vampire of impeccable taste from Vancouver. I think you will find something in common with him, if nothing else because of your love of fashion.” Queneco went on and on.

  Sven Mereti continued to announce dignitaries as they arrived, listing their accomplishments and donations while Queneco took Bollard around the room at a dizzying pace. A beer baron named Alice Macgregor. A master surgeon of pediatrics Jacob Accardo. Ozinga, a hideous vampire from some sewer in Michigan. Arriana Mortgana, a demoness. The list continued as Bollard was spun from introduction to introduction.