The Seal of Solomon

by Jeffrey Ellis

  “Is he alright? Are you alright?” asked Nefertiti.

  “I...I’m fine but I don’t know about Sebastian,” said Boudicca.

  “Vital signs are stabilizing! Whatever you did you might have saved him,” the doctor told them.

  “What happened in there?” asked Ra.

  “I don’t remember. Boudicca, do you?” asked Chelsea.

  Boudicca paused a moment before deciding how to answer and looked at Chelsea. Sebastian and Chelsea were magically bound to forget, Boudicca wasn’t. “No. I have no idea,” she said, deciding to lie for now.

  “Well, whatever it was it worked,” the doctor said.

  “His heart rate is up and his blood pressure is stable. He shows no sign of the incident, at least physically but if there are other effects, we have no way of knowing yet,” he continued.

  “Boudicca, we need you, it’s Trish,” Anna told her.

  Boudicca went over to the table and saw her apprentice laying there with the stone skin.

  “I have no idea if she’s okay or not and most diagnostics either can’t penetrate that stone and the ones that do, the readings are so far off the scale she should already be dead,” the doctor told her.

  Boudicca held Trish’s hand. The blue stone faded and Trish returned to normal. The doctors gave her a full evaluation and said she would be fine with some rest. The blood loss was less than they thought and she showed no signs of illness or injury but she was fast asleep.

  “Why do I keep waking up in hospitals?” said Sebastian as he sat up.

  “Why does my skin itch and smell like rotting flowers?” he asked.

  Chelsea ran over to him and hugged him nearly pulling both of their IVs out.

  “You don’t know how happy I am to see you awake,” she told him.

  “Was it that bad?” he asked and then noticed the bandages on Chelsea's neck. “How are you?”

  “Does it matter? We’re alive and that’s all that’s important,” she said and nearly fainted again but Nefertiti caught her.

  He started to get up but Nefertiti stopped him. “She’s fine. She lost some blood during the fight but the doctor says she’ll recover completely.”

  He looked around. “Are those dead bugs?” he asked. “Are we still in NYC?” he asked.

  “Of course. Why?” asked Chelsea, leaning against Nefertiti.

  “Because Boudicca is here. If she came to the city then it must have been bad. I remember the reptile scratching me then things got hazy. Chelsea, you helped me clear my head and I was able to kill it but then it’s pretty much blank until now,” he told them.

  “Boudicca and Trish saved you from the creature's venom. I fared better, just some blood loss but you had me worried. You have to stop nearly dying on me,” Chelsea told him.

  He looked up at Chelsea and saw the bandages on her neck. “Just some blood loss? Did it...bite you?” he asked.

  “Nothing like that. It was a cut and some burns. I might have some scarring but I’m not going to start craving human blood anytime soon,” she replied.

  “How is William?” asked Sebastian.

  “He’s going to be okay and they have him heavily sedated right now. The acid did some pretty serious damage to his skin but no major nerves were damaged and it didn't reach his brain. He lost his eyes but they’ll implant artificial ones as soon as his skin is regenerated. He’ll also have some permanent hair loss. The doctor says he’ll be here about a week, maybe more,” Anna told him.

  “How are you holding up?” Sebastian asked her.

  “I’m fine. I’ve had people under me get hurt before and it’s something we deal with. He’ll be okay though,” said Anna.

  Sebastian at first was not sure why she was being nonchalant then remembered she said it was a secret relationship and they were not in private. She was probably screaming inside but forcing herself to maintain appearances.

  “Okay, everyone. The show is over and I have patients that need rest and medical care so let's clear the room, please. Chelsea back in your bed. Everyone else out except you, Boudicca. I don’t know enough about what you did to respond appropriately so at least for a moment, would you review the patients with me and give me what information you can?” asked the doctor.

  The medical ward had four patients. Sebastian, Chelsea, and Trish were all recovering well. William with his more extensive injuries was recovering but was in a private room with limited access. Due to the amount of skin lost, he was in sealed containment to keep down on infection until the regeneration of his skin was complete. Trish woke up after a few hours with no ill effects from the incident and returned to Camelot with Boudicca. Sebastian was also cleared pretty quickly. Whatever the creature’s venom did to him left no trace and Trish’s unusual purgation seemed to completely heal him. Chelsea would need a little more time to recover blood loss but otherwise would be fine.

  #

  After the return to Camelot, Sebastian, Chelsea, and Bruce were in the C&C going over paperwork. They had a large number of new personnel to review, hunts to assign, build repairs were still being conducted and all of the normal litany of responsibilities that came with command. Bruce was effectively third in charge though there was no formal rank or title for it. He had demonstrated a knack for leadership and had been instrumental in keeping things moving so they now included him in any command related activities. When the two of them were absent, as they still took on fey hunts, he was effectively in charge.

  Ra, Nefertiti and Boudicca entered the C&C.

  “Sebastian, may we have a word?” Nefertiti asked.

  “We have a lot to do, can it wait?” he replied.

  “It can but it shouldn’t. It is important,” Ra told him.

  “Is this a matter for the Wardens or private?” Chelsea said.

  “It is for all to know, we do not keep secrets from our friends and allies. May I tell you a brief story first?” asked Nefertiti.

  “Go ahead but please make it quick,” Sebastian said as he sat down.

  “Ra, would you prefer to tell the story of our gift?” asked Nefertiti.

  “It was your idea to create them and you are the better storyteller than I so why don’t you, my love,” Ra told her.

  “In the days before the Seal, I met two young people. They were in love and happy and neither knew nor care that they had untapped power. I remember speaking with Ra about them and referring to them as kittens. Our people hold cats to be sacred and they grow into fierce predators, the greatest among them the lions of the Savannah. These two kittens had the makings of lions but were too young to know it and not ready to grow into that ferocity. Lions are more than fierce though. They are loyal and strong and the lion protects his pride with power unmatched by any predator on the plain and the lioness is a huntress without equal,” Nefertiti told them.

  She continued. “The two kittens decided to marry and we made them a gift. As a lion shields his pride from danger and a lioness guards her cubs with unparalleled strength, we made them shields that bore the symbol of the spirit we saw in them and one bore the visage of a lion and the other a lioness. With the help of Morgana, we imbued them with great power of protection and the ability to summon the divine light of Ra, a spell created by my husband many thousands of years ago.”

  “Recently, I saw those kittens have grown into the lions I knew they were. Deadly beasts were free in the dungeons and you two led that charge into the unknown to protect your fellow people and nearly gave your lives to do so. You fought battles worthy of a song yet due to the secrecy you maintain, those songs will never be sung. You did it not for praise, nor honor, nor glory but for no other reason than it was the right thing to do.”

  “You are lions and we are all members of your pride and as such, Ra and myself have agreed to give you the allegiance you deserve. Until those actions, we were still somewhat undecided but now know that you are no longer kittens and are fierce indeed. Beyond that, you care for your people and for all people. You have matured and
as your power grows so shall those who count themselves as your vassals and today you have two more among them.”

  “Sir Sebastian and Lady Chelsea, I swear my allegiance to you,” said Nefertiti as she kneeled.

  “Sir Sebastian and Lady Chelsea, I swear my allegiance to you,” said Ra as he kneeled.

  Boudicca looked at the two Egyptians then at the Wardens and spoke.

  “I don't have any great stories nor do I have the gift of oration these two have. What I do have is the honor of having been your friend since I have known you. The first time I met you, you saved me and my Druids and protected a holy site dedicated to a religion you did not follow. Though you were sent by Merlin, I suspect you would have come anyway because you are protectors.”

  “Everyone on the Council, Ra and Nefertiti aside, treated me as an outsider. They considered me wild, chaotic, primitive and lewd. They were correct then and still are, she said with a grin. The people in Camelot saw me the same way. I was some pagan freak from Scotland who didn't belong. You two were not like that. You always saw me and everyone else as an equal.”

  “You were born to lead. You don't want to and you've been adamant about that. Like it or not, you're the ones people look to for support and leadership. I am older than you by far as are all of the Masters and we are, at least for now, stronger than you in magic though I suspect that won't last long at the rate you are growing. When problems arise, do people seek out Merlin and his power? Do they seek out me or the other Masters? Do they look to your leaders in the Wardens? No. They look to you.”

  “I lost my daughters to Roman butchers and was forced to bow to them. After I ascended and became a Master, I swore I would never bow to anyone again and that remains true. I will not bow to you. I will, however, promise you that which you already know but needs said. I am your friend. I am your ally. I will always be so in this life or the next. I give you my loyalty,” Boudicca told them.

  “You are a liar, Boudicca,” said Ra.

  “Excuse me?” said the redhead as her hair flew from an unseen wind and fire burned in her eyes.

  Ra laughed. “You say you have no gift for oration and that is a lie. You speak as eloquently as any I have ever heard. Your words are poetic and your voice like the song of birds on the wind. If ever there are songs sung about these two, I hope you are the one to write them and to sing them but do not lie to us again in saying you have not gift for words.”

  Boudicca's eyes returned to normal and the wind died down and she started laughing and the rest joined in.

  “Ra, I do not sing,” Boudicca told him.

  “But do not all pagans dance naked around great fires in the moonlight sacrificing virgins and singing songs to nature spirits?” asked Ra.

  “There are far better things to do with virgins when dancing naked in the moonlight,” Boudicca said with a devilish smirk.

  “There are indeed,” laughed Ra.

  “Sign us up for the next dance,” said Chelsea, laughing along with them.

  Sebastian said, doing his best to ignore them, “I’m not really sure of protocol here so, uh, I accept your loyalty and welcome you into my pride so you can stand up or sit down but if you're going to build a fire, please do it outside. Is that a good response?”

  “It is as good as any other,” said Nefertiti laughing.

  “You have the skills and power of a great warrior mage but you have much to learn of being a king,” said Ra laughing. “I shall teach you as time allows.”

  “I don’t have any plans on being a king. I’m just a man doing what’s right surrounded by good people also doing what’s right. We don’t need monarchs or titles for that, just friends fighting together and protecting each other to make the world a better place,” said Sebastian.

  “Now, about that naked dancing. Sebastian, do you prefer slow music or fast?” Chelsea asked and Sebastian blushed as she started to grind up against him in a very seductive dance.

  #

  Several days later, Coordinator Anna was sitting in her office going over reports and watching the security feed of William’s room. He was in and out of consciousness and she was only able to speak to him through a plastic wall but he would be out soon and she was all the happier knowing that. The last week had been quiet. She was going over the latest personnel training reports when the building rocked and alarms started going off. She pulled up the security feeds and tapped her comm contacting the interim Facilitator during William’s recovery.

  “Sir George, Report,” she said over the comm.

  “We’re not sure what happened yet. Security feeds show that it’s a bomb alert,” he replied.

  “Wait, go to the security feed for the north exterior, ground level. We have a confirmed detonation and it’s big,” he told her.

  “Northside, ground level? That’s directly above...get teams to the cells immediately check on the Tormentor,” she ordered.

  Coordinator Anna was going over the security feeds. They showed an armored vehicle break out through the walls of a nearby building and drive directly to the Warden tower. It’s laser defenses automatically intercepted it and the vehicle took a beating but kept coming and once it got to the north side, it detonated and the blast was huge. As she was reviewing the footage, she got another message.

  “Coordinator, we have a problem. The Tormentor is free and on the move,” said Sir Adam.

  The amorphous black cloud moved through the streets of NYC destroying anything in its path. It carved tunnels through skyscrapers and the concrete and steel constructs of the modern world offered no more protection against it than the ancient fortresses did. The electric currents racing over its form shorted out electrical connections, causing a small blackout in a radius of a block or so around it. Several skyscrapers toppled into nearby buildings as the Tormentor tore through their support structures.

  As it traveled, police, GloCom and the Wardens hit it with everything they had and nothing stopped it. At first, its path seemed meandering but then it started to get more specific in its direction and it was moving north out of the city. Its pace was slow compared to modern machines but it still moved with no hindrance.

  The High Lord, Directors, and Coordinators were all talking via a conference.

  “North? The only thing of significance to the north is Montreal. You don’t think it’s going after the Unified Government building do you?” asked Director Abraham.

  “It’s the only thing in that direction and at its current speed, we have less than two days before it gets there,” High Lord Alicia replied.

  “We have everyone at every facility focused on this. The complex is being evacuated but it can’t be done in two days. There are over hundred thousand people in that facility and even with every shuttle at our disposal, we can’t get them all out in time. The military is even using their troop carriers to assist. They are being prioritized by government importance so it means a lot of low ranking people won’t be evacuated in time and will have to run. To complicate it further, we’re also evacuating in the path of the thing further limiting resources,” the High Lord informed everyone.

  Coordinator Sebastian tapped his comm to take a private message. It was Sir Xavier.

  “Do you have a moment? I have an idea on how we can fight the Tormentor,” said Xavier.

  “One moment Xavier, I’m transferring you to the video monitor so everyone can hear,” said Coordinator Sebastian then told the group what Xavier said.

  “You have everyone’s attention,” said High Lord Alicia.

  “It’s just a hypothesis and probably won’t lead anywhere but I’ll need access to our R&D facility in Munich as well as Master Ra and either Coordinator Sebastian or Facilitator Chelsea,” Xavier said.

  “Can you give us any details?” asked the High Lord.

  “It’s based on Ra’s Divine Light. It’s just a wild theory that will probably not pan out and as such, rather than get anyone’s hopes up,” Sir Xavier said but the High Lord cut him off.

 
; “We don’t have anything else to go on so let’s give Sir Xavier a chance. Director Abraham, that’s your region. Make it happen ASAP,” said High Lord Alicia.

  “Sir Xavier, how soon do you need access?” asked Director Abraham.

  “The sooner the better. Now is best considering our time crunch,” Sir Xavier replied.

  “I’ll ask Master Ra, one moment,” Coordinator Sebastian said. He came back to the conference a moment later and told them Ra had agreed to help.

  “Coordinator Sebastian, Camelot is your facility and your priority so I’m delegating Facilitator Chelsea to this duty. Anything else before we leave, High Lord?” asked Director Abraham.

  “You’re leaving now?” asked Coordinator Sebastian.

  “The High Lord says ASAP, Sir Xavier says sooner the better, Ra is on board and ready to go so is there any reason on your end we should delay this? Xavier has an idea that might give us a weapon against this thing, something that has beaten Masters and armies and everyone else is on board with going now. Is there any reason we should delay Coordinator?”

  “No sir, not at all. I was just clarifying our timeline. I’ll inform the Facilitator of her new orders,” Coordinator Sebastian replied.

  #

  Abraham’s shuttle would pass near Caerleon on the way to Germany so he stopped and picked up the rest of the group at Camelot to save resources since shuttles were in demand for evacuations. Abraham, Ra, Xavier, and Chelsea headed for Munich.

  “Do you want to tell us what we’re doing?” asked Chelsea.

  “Divine light,” said Xavier.

  “Well, that’s as clear as mud. Care to elaborate?” she asked.

  “Ra, how is it you described the divine light spell you created?” asked Xavier.

  “It is the pure essence of the sun,” said Ra.

  “Exactly. Pure. Sun. Why didn’t we catch that before? Think about that Chelsea. What he’s saying is its pure light. What if that’s just a way of saying it’s a single wavelength of light energy like a…” he said as Chelsea cut him off.

  She yelled, “It’s a laser!”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure. I’ve seen what your shields generate and I saw what Ra did during New Year’s Eve. I can’t say for certain but I think it may be nothing more than a magically generated laser,” he said.