The Seal of Solomon

by Jeffrey Ellis

  “Let's just hope if we find anything it was coded before Davinci joined us. His ciphers are...something else,” said Bethany.

  “Good call. Let’s do that. Assign archivists immediately and pull everyone off the database scans for this,” Sebastian ordered.

  “Next order of business, Camelot’s rebuilding,” Sebastian said.

  Mason looked up from his reports. “Repairs are going fast. The council has been very generous in assigning crews and resources. The major repairs and structural enhancements are done. The dungeon has been re-purposed as a utility room and they’re retrofitting it for the generators this week. Once that’s done, the weapon and defense systems will be installed. They estimate work will be done in about five weeks if the weather holds.”

  “That’s good news. Have they given it a designation yet?” asked Bethany.

  “So far they just refer to it as Camelot. They aren’t numbering it, at least not yet,” replied Mason.

  “Moving on, how is the training going?” asked Sebastian.

  “Fantastic. Even though his strength is returning very slowly, Merlin is a great teacher. All of our sensitives have already begun to show proficiency in their craft. Those of us on the more expedited schedules are progressing faster than expected. Merlin says he’s pleased with our progress,” said William flashing fire through the air to demonstrate.

  “Excellent. You’re channeling fire now, that’s impressive” said Chelsea.

  “Yea right, I know what you and Sebastian can do. I’m doing parlor tricks compared to you two,” he said laughing.

  “We also need to discuss the matter of High Lord,” said Anna.

  “It’s a non-issue,” replied Sebastian.

  “Non-issue? I know the higher ups aren’t supporting you but that doesn’t mean they’re right,” Anna told him.

  “But they are right. Arthur was High Lord for life, not Sebastian. It was for life and Arthur died and as far as the council is concerned, that ended his tenure and I’m inclined to agree with them,” Sebastian remarked.

  “But he obviously didn’t die. He was reborn and lives now,” she said.

  “I have some fragments of knowledge and more return slowly but I’m not Arthur, at least not fully. I share the same goals, the same desires and from what Merlin has said we have the same basic personality but I’m not Arthur and even if I were in possession of all my memories, it doesn’t qualify me to lead, not anymore. The world is vastly different since Arthur’s day and he did not have the skills or knowledge to run the Wardens of today nor do I. I’m barely out of the academy yet you all treat me like some infallible leader. I’ve spoken at length with High Lord Alecia and we have put this issue to rest. She has agreed to give me command of Camelot once it’s finished with a hand-picked team to continue our work to find the Masters. I don't think she wants me to have a command but it's an appeasement to end the debate for good. I know you all believe I have some hidden wisdom and leadership ability so trust me in my judgment on this and let's please bury this issue,” he said.

  “The last thing on our agenda for today. The unknown wizard that broke the Seal. Does anyone have anything on this person or group?” asked Sebastian.

  “I’ve been researching the runes with the help of Bruce,” said Bethany.

  “Researching? Is that what you two call it?” asked Chelsea.

  “As Bruce tells it your advice is the reason we’re together so deal with it,” said Bethany making a raspberry at Chelsea and the two women laughed.

  “But seriously, the runes are interesting. They’re a mix of several ancient schools of magic. I have a theory though they’re not actually any of those schools, and are actually its predecessor,” she said.

  “What do you mean, predecessor?” asked Anna.

  “Sebastian’s and Chelsea’s rings gave me the idea. They have runes on them and reflect symbolism of different cultures because a piece of each came from each of the Masters living at the time of their wedding and so the rings came from a common root source, the Masters. Merlin says each of the Masters contributed one of the gems and one of the runes. You have a single source for several very different things. Well, all languages come from common roots, so it stands to reason that magic does as well since much of magic is based on language,” Bethany told them.

  “You mean like how all of the Romance languages are descended from Roman Latin?” asked Sebastian.

  “Exactly. The runes show possible origins in Greek, Mesopotamian, Egyptian and several other cultures in proximity to the Mediterranean and a couple we can’t identify, and that mix has made it hard to research. What if they aren’t any of those cultures but an older one, one that predates all the cultures in that area. One so ancient even Master Ra would consider it legend,” said Bethany.

  “I’m intrigued. What is your theory?” said Sebastian.

  “Atlantis,” said Bethany.

  “Atlantis is a myth,” said William.

  “Is it?” replied Bethany. “We have runes showing a type of magic that no culture practiced in totality but only fragments. The runes show evidence of commonality, but the only commonality is to each other and little else. We have legends from every culture in the region about an ancient, powerful culture that predated everything in the area then disappeared when their nation was destroyed and sank beneath the sea. Is it really so hard to think that a powerful culture might have influenced all the young fledgling cultures in the region? The reason those runes show so many influences is not because they are a mix of magic but an old magic that those other cultures learned from and absorbed pieces of into their own practices,” she said.

  “That’s a stretch even for magic,” said Anna.

  “I don’t know if I agree with you Anna,” said Chelsea. “It’s as a good a hypothesis as anything else we’ve come up with,” Chelsea continued.

  “I’m inclined to let her roll with this. Anyone opposed to putting resources into Bethany’s theory?” asked Sebastian. The group was quiet.

  “Okay Bethany, your theory is a go. Investigate as best you can and let us know how we can help. We’ll provide whatever resources we can to support you,” said Sebastian.

  After the meeting was over, Sebastian and Chelsea went down to the commissary. They got some food and walked over to the table Bethany and Bruce were at. The two had become inseparable since Camelot.

  “I like how you think, Bethany,” said Sebastian.

  “I could just be grasping at straws and this might be a dead end,” she replied.

  “Maybe but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is you’re a creative person and thinking outside the box. That’s a rare talent in people. As you know, when Camelot is finished, I’m going to need a command staff. Because it’s not a traditional Warden facility it won’t have a traditional staff. I’m going to take a page out of the old books and create a sort of group of advisers, the old round table if you will. I want you at that table,” he told her.

  “I appreciate your trust in me but what about Bruce?” she said.

  “Yea, what about me? If she goes I go,” said the loud Brit.

  Chelsea spoke up. “Bruce, of course, you’re wanted as well.”

  “I guess being Bethany’s man has some advantages,” he said.

  “Not really,” said Sebastian. “If that were the case, you’d be welcome at Camelot but not as an adviser. We want you because of you. You’re a walking encyclopedia on the fey. You know their origins, etymology, vulnerabilities, etc. and you can interpolate that data well. You’re also good with ancient religions. You’re a smart man. You hide it behind all that muscle and like to play dumb, but I’ve read your files and seen your scores at the Academy and know about your degrees before that. You’re a very intelligent man,” Sebastian told him.

  “Thank you. I’m happy to be part of your team,” said Bruce.

  “And honestly, we assumed you were a package deal since you’re as attached to her as me and Sebastian are to each other
and getting two smart, well trained, highly qualified people is a win and the fact one is my best friend is a bonus,” said Chelsea adding, “Besides, you make a good couple and I wouldn’t want to break that up.”

  “It’s your fault. As Bruce tells it your advice is what brought us together,” said Bethany.

  “Really? You mentioned that earlier,” said Chelsea. “I just told Bruce you liked strong men.”

  “Yea, that’s one way of putting. What was the exact phrase he told me…don’t be a pussy and I might give him some of mine,” said Bethany.

  “You told her what I told you? That’s awesome,” said Chelsea.

  “Awesome?” said Sebastian.

  “Yea, I bet Bethany got turned on by that,” said Chelsea then continued “So tell me about it!”

  Sebastian said, “I think I’m going to go get some coffee,” and started to get up.

  Chelsea pulled him back. “You’re going to sit right here and listen.”

  Sebastian grimaced but sat back down.

  “There’s not really much to tell,” said Bethany. “I was in the Council’s room in the tower recording the runes for research and Bruce comes in. He says in his loud voice and says ‘Aye! You there!’” so I turn around and he walks up and kisses me. I was a bit shocked but figured what the Hell and kissed him back. He picked me up and sat me on the table. We spent a few minutes kissing and the next thing you know we were naked on the table. He rode me for what seemed like hours and I've not orgasmed like that in a long time.”

  “You had to encourage her to tell the story,” said Sebastian to Chelsea who just giggled at him.

  “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die. No one knows that better than Wardens. Just before we met you I was on a hunt and lost one of my best mates to a vampire. Enjoy life while you can because in our line of work any given day could be your last,” said Bruce.

  “So, after we finished, we're laying on the table together and I was getting cold so Bruce pulls me close and wraps his arms around me. I asked him what got into him and you know what he said?” said Bethany.

  “I said, 'Nothing got into me, beautiful, but thanks to your friend Chelsea I got into you,' and she started laughing. So, she asked me what I meant and I told her what Chelsea told me. She pushed me on my back and pinned my arms down and rode me like she was breaking a wild mustang. Then she starts moaning and screaming and I rolled her over and didn't stop until we were both exhausted. After we rested a bit and got dressed to head down, she told me, 'remind me to thank Chelsea next time I see her,'” said Bruce. “Warden women are wild. They're proper naughty cunts they are.”

  “That is a beautiful story,” said Chelsea. “I should tell you about our first time together,” she said while squeezing Sebastian's hand.

  “Maybe another time,” said Sebastian.

  Bethany interrupted. “On a related subject you should know if I join you I have to go on desk duty, no more field work for me if I accept,” she said.

  “Are you okay? Is it medical?” asked Chelsea.

  “Oh no, I’m not sick. I don’t know how else to say this so I’m just going to say it. I’m pregnant. With all of the excitement lately, I forgot to get my ovablock renewed and well, Bruce and I are going to be parents and I’ve decided to give up field work and be a mommy,” she said.

  “Oh. My. God. This is huge! This is major!” said Chelsea. Bethany smiled. Chelsea got up and ran over to Bethany and hugged her. “I am so happy for you!” Chelsea said.

  Sebastian congratulated the couple and smiled. This made him happy. Despite the world still in chaos after the breaking, life was moving along as it always did. “I want you on my team whether you’re in the field or at a desk. Welcome to Team Camelot. Both of you.”

  “Team Camelot?” said Bethany.

  “Yea, we don’t have a name for the site yet so I’m just using the original name for now,” he told her.

  #

  A few days later, everyone was seated around the table waiting on William. He had called an impromptu meeting flagged as urgent. Sebastian and Chelsea had just returned from eliminating a group of lycanthropes in the Catskills and neither had time to clean up or rest but attended anyway. William liked routine and was not the type to call a meeting for some minor reason he could address with a memo or conference call or wait until the next meeting. He was also late which was even less like him. Everyone was talking, mainly about the coming baby, when he finally arrived with an old book in his hand.

  “Thank you all and I’m sorry I’m late. The courier with this book just arrived. Prior to that, there are a couple of minor issues to update then we’ll get to it.”

  “Bethany, Bruce, your transfers are approved and once the castle is officially reopened you’ll be relocated with the rest of Sebastian’s team. Your removal from active field work is also approved, which was never in doubt anyway but you’re now officially on desk duty until you choose otherwise. The repairs on Camelot go fast. The generators are installed, and all modern conveniences have been added. You have insulation, air conditioning, and hot showers. The defensive and offensive systems are nearly done, and a support staff has been transferred and already on site and setting up. You’ll be able to move in within two weeks, well ahead of schedule. There's more work to be done but crews will finish up while you're there.”

  “That’s fantastic news, all of it, but it’s not all there is. You wouldn’t call a meeting for that and we all want to know what that book in your hand is about,” said Chelsea.

  “This is the reason we’re here. We have an enclave at Babylon, our largest in Africa in the beginning and it was the wish of Ra and Nefertiti they slumber together and so they were put there under that enclave’s protection. During the six-hundreds, not long after the Seal was formed, the Rashidun army invaded Egypt and much of Africa. Our enclave at Babylon was never discovered, fortunately, and exists to this day despite numerous wars, natural disasters, and other problems,” said William.

  “Thanks for the history lesson and I don’t want to be rude, but I have dried werewolf blood on me after a very long and arduous weekend in the mountains and I haven’t had a shower in two days. Can we please get to the point?” said Chelsea.

  “Good work on that,” said William. “I read the report and you two took out nearly,” but Chelsea cut him off.

  “William, point, now or I’m going to go take a shower while you babble on about Babylon,” she said.

  William laughed at the joke and continued. “This book was delivered to our research team several days ago. It’s the diary of a runner or envoy as they called them, between the Edinburgh and Babylon enclaves. We reviewed the microfiche copy of it and decoded the ancient version of Warden code they used. Once we did, we found something and so I checked, and the original was still preserved at the St. Paul archives so I had it sent here to visually confirm the microfiche wasn’t an error. The microfiche was damaged and so we confirmed it from the original,” he told the group.

  Chelsea picked off a piece of mud dried on her shirt and flicked it at William.

  “To make a very long story short, we’ve found Ra, Nefertiti, and Boudicca, or at least where they went after they left their original enclaves. There is also mention of Morgana but it’s not clear. The Giza necropolis is where Ra was moved, and Karnak was Nefertiti’s new resting place. Boudicca is listed as being in the 'great henge' and what we call Stonehenge is the most likely henge being described. Morgana is less clear. It indicates she was moved to her home, but we have no records of where that is and Merlin just says she was born of the sea which is not helpful. It seems that after the shattering, wars and religious persecution were rampant and those impacted our people as well. Out of fear of discovery and loss of the Masters, waking them with no magic would kill them of course, they moved them to hidden locations. So, Sebastian, recovery of the Masters is your domain. I assume you want to start with Boudicca for personal reasons,” said William.

  “I do inde
ed but we can’t. My personal reasons cannot outweigh our needs. We start with Ra. He’s the oldest of the Masters and even though Nefertiti and Boudicca are both strong, Ra is much, much older, at least seven thousand years by some counts and maybe more so he’s more likely to be able to provide insight on the runes and that’s our priority, not our wedding. I would prefer to find Socrates first. He was supposed to be Plato’s source of information on Atlantis, but Ra is a good alternative. The needs of the world come first,” said Sebastian.

  “Chelsea, Mason, Xavier, Bruce, you’re with me. Someone, notify Merlin. We will need him so training and meditation will have to wait. Several of us have assigned hunts and we have to maintain public safety, so we finish those first then we go,” Sebastian told them.

  #

  Anna, William, Bethany, Mason, and Trish sat in the C&C.

  “We should get started,” Anna told the group. “We're all your friends and we're all here to help you deal with this.”

  They were all focused on Trish. There has been an accident and during her hunt and an innocent person had been killed.

  “Shouldn't everyone be here? They have a right to know,” Trish said. She looked despondent, almost in tears.

  “This is not for the others. They know what happened on your hunt but not what happens in this room. Something horrible happened...something not everyone has faced but the people in this room has. We've all sat where you sat. A long time ago, the Wardens developed a method for dealing with this and that is why we're here...to help you,” Anna told her then turned on the monitor. On it was the Warden's primary data access. It looked like it did for most others except there were some other things on it. Some were official things that looked like command related items but most noticeable were two large numbers. One in the upper right, one in the upper left.