The Guardian Lineage

by Seth Z. Herman

  “You know what? I’m done playing games.” Dementae deflected Stockton’s weaponry with one arm and touched his Amp with the other. In a moment’s notice, scores of Black Brethren swarmed into the room, as if they had merely been waiting for their leader’s permission.

  Stockton took one look at the incoming army and abandoned ship. He ran towards the Dining Hall gates. “Follow me, Michael!” Stockton unlocked his charm and burst into the room.

  Mike took one look at Steph, realized he had no choice, then hurried after his teacher. Together they reentered the vampire tumult, which seemed to be more lopsided than before. There were barely any magical weapons being fired. Mike followed Stockton to an unoccupied corner of the room, where three overturned tables were burning… Mike saw fewer vampires than before, but who were all the bodies in the room…

  Then Mike realized what he was seeing. “The Slayers are here!” How the Slayers had followed them to Chateau de Vincennes was beyond him, but he was never gladder to see the vampire police than right then.

  If Laura’s here, she better be okay…

  Annabella ran over to his position, along with ten or so Guardians he didn’t know. They gathered around the Magus.

  “Dementae has called in the Brethren!” Stockton yelled over the roar of battle. “We have to take them out, as well as free the Gargoyles throughout the castle. Annabella, Michael - take separate task forces and find those Gargoyle pens. If the Brethren are here, they aren’t guarding the Gargoyles. And whatever you do, don’t go outside.” Stockton didn’t elaborate. Instead, he ran off to begin battling the Brethren.

  Annabella took most of the group off in a different direction, leaving Mike to gather his own battalion. He called whoever was available to come to him, and four Guardians he didn’t know made their way over. Mike dashed for the nearest staircase, army in tow, leaving the smell of fire and flesh behind him.

  Stockton was right; the rest of the castle was empty, and the fresh air in the corridors was a welcome distinction from the rest of the castle. Problem was, Mike had no idea where to go. He ended up running down four dead-ends before he finally heard a roar coming from the end of one of the corridors. Mike formed a shield as he kicked in a wooden door, his hand ready to blast.

  But what he saw caught him off guard. The room was surprisingly spacious. A large door lay opposite the entrance, with two glass windows on either side. It was raining outside now. A flash of lightning lit up the room, aiding torches that lit up the room on all four walls.

  Four gargoyles dangled from the ceiling, held by massive chains that made the ones that had held Mike look like movie props. Jakkus, Yaris, Groundhog and Nukes were in suspended animation, their wings clipped behind them by some type of metal binding. Jakkus looked the most beat up – his eyes were glazed, his expression noncommittal. Several other chains lay vacant. The other three Gargoyles were bright and awake, staring at something on the other side of the room.

  Mike’s gaze swiveled over to the far side, where he saw Amadeus rise from a stool.

  “Amadeus! How’d you get free? Help me with—”

  WHOMP.

  Mike’s world burst into stars as a massive fist nailed him in the gut. Then another arm lifted him high into the air and flung him against the wall. Mike had just enough time to put his arms up before his face collided with solid stone. He fell to the floor, bruised, dazed, wondering why the hell Amadeus was attacking him…

  Mike heard a scream from one of the other Guardians. He strained to see through the sweat and tears. Amadeus had cleaved one of the teenagers with his sword.

  No…

  Amadeus threw the body back down the hall like he was ridding himself some of a slaughtered chicken. The other Guardians took a step back, through the doorway, then turned and fled.

  “No, come back!”

  “Amadeus, leave them alone,” a voice protested. It sounded like Groundhog, but Mike couldn’t be sure. His vision was blurry, his senses jarred…

  Amadeus ignored him. He lifted Mike up with another hand and flung him across the floor. Mike collided with the wall, his back feeling like it had been run over by a lawnmower. The world started getting fuzzy.

  “Why are you doing this?” Mike said, grasping the slick wall as if it would provide some protection. He thrust an arm at the tremendous Gargoyle, but it had little effect. Amadeus stepped back for a moment, but then continued towards Mike uninhibited. Mike grabbed fire from one of the torches and raised it above his head, spreading it apart, trying to mimic the wall that Stockton had produced in the Dining Hall. This caused Amadeus to pause, to step back and assess how he would attack next.

  “Power, you ignorant fool.” Amadeus tried to feel his way around the fire. “How would it feel if you were confined to a twelve-hour day? To be dependent upon inferior creatures for your survival? Would you enjoy such an existence?”

  Mike kept the flames on, but he knew it was a temporary reprieve. If he even took them down for one moment, Amadeus’s speed would nullify any magical advantage he had…

  “But Dementae, he promised me a spell. A way out of this trapped life, so I don’t have to fear the daylight.” Amadeus raised his voice. “And so I don’t have to be pampered by you stupid humans!”

  Amadeus thrust an arm through Mike’s flames and grabbed him by the throat. Mike choked, struggling to breathe. Desperate to break free, he guided the flames at Amadeus’s face. The gargoyle screamed. The claw loosened, and Mike slipped out of its grasp.

  Just then Mike saw a shadow creep past the windows. A chimaera-eye peeked inside. The chim roared with its other head, its voice shaking the building.

  “I’ll bleed you for this,” Amadeus said, one claw still covering his injured eye. He went over to the door and yanked it open, revealing a short ledge and a drop of five stories down. Then Amadeus drew his sword with his free arm.

  Mike cowered in the corner behind Groundhog, hoping to get a moment to think. His telekinesis was worthless. The flame-thing would work, apparently, but it would only keep delaying the inevitable – especially if Amadeus was willing to crash through it again with his sword outstretched. Mike might find himself on the wrong end of a rapier…

  “Come here you stupid Guardian, and I’ll introduce you to the Chimaera!” Amadeus moved slowly towards the Gargoyles, as if he was afraid Mike would pop out and burn another part of his body. But he had to know Mike was hiding behind them… there just wasn’t any other place for him to be… the wind howled in from the outside. Rain started to splatter on the floor. Chimmy roared again, as if waiting by the perch for her next meal.

  As Amadeus got close to Yaris, Mike decided to go for broke.

  He extended an arm towards the torch on the far end of the wall and made the flame explode. Sure enough, the gargoyle whipped around, allowing Mike to dash from behind Groundhog towards the door. Mike peeked behind him. Amadeus had turned and spotted him. He spread his wings, and roared.

  Perfect.

  Mike whirled himself into a corner and shot telekinesis not at Amadeus’s body, but at the wind that was blowing in from the outside. Together with the force of Amadeus’s own forward motion, the gargoyle was gusted straight towards the open vault-door.

  “Aaaaaaargh!” Amadeus beat his wings in the opposite direction, trying to keep himself inside the castle, but that only gave Mike more force to work with.

  Then, with one hand, Mike telekinetically grabbed Amadeus’s sword, which was being held loosely in his right hand. The sword came free. Mike guided the blade around, then plunged it into Amadeus’s chest.

  The gargoyle screamed in fury.

  Without a drop of remorse, Mike shoved the rebellious gargoyle out the door and into the thunderstorm.

  Amadeus’s screams died on the wind as Mike slammed the door shut.

  Through the windowpane in the door Mike could see the Chimaera’s two heads fighting over scraps of Amadeus’s flesh.

  The three conscious Gargoyles whooped it up, congratu
lating Mike on his victory. But Mike would hear none of it.

  “How do we free him?” Mike gestured to Jakkus’s eyes. Then he grabbed the keys that had previously been hanging by Amadeus’s stool and went to work on Groundhog’s chains.

  “Dementae controls him,” Nukes said as Groundhog’s chains lifted. “He’s used us as gladiators, for sport, when he was bored. Jakkus killed three Gargoyles with his bare hands.” Nukes nudged a head at the empty chains.

  Groundhog’s feet hit the floor. He whipped open his leathery wings, stretching them as if he hadn’t moved them in days. Then he roared at the ceiling, his eyes blood red and angry…

  Mike said, “But there are more than three sets of chains. What happened to the others?”

  For a moment, nobody said anything. Nukes looked down, as if he didn’t want to say it.

  But Mike had already guessed, from the looks of the door and the ledge that led outside.

  “You mean he fed Gargoyles to the Chim?”

  Nukes nodded, still looking at the floor.

  “Wow.” Mike shook his head as he pulled over the stool and attacked Yaris’s chains. Man, this guy Dementae has something coming to him…

  Yaris snarled as his feet hit the floor. He drew his sword quickly, and also unleashed his wings. “Dementae will pay for his sins, I swear it.” Then he ran out the door, stepping over the dead Guardian, wings outstretched and sword ready to hew.

  “Hey, wait up!” Groundhog ran after him, and Nukes followed soon after.

  Mike was left alone with Jakkus. Mike stared into empty eyes, then back at the dead Guardian, whose feet were sticking into the room. A terrible sadness flushed him. So much death, so much destruction… and for what? For what?

  “I’ll be back to get you, big guy.” Mike patted Jakkus’s arm, then ran out to join his brothers in battle.

  Chapter Forty Two

  Mike found the Dining Hall quite different than before. The roar of battle was still deafening, but Mike could see two types of battles being waged, each sectioned off into their own half of the room. Towards Dementae’s laboratory fought Brethren and Guardians, with Stockton and Dementae resuming their staggering display of fireworks. Slayers and Vampires fought on the opposite end, as if hesitant to get involved with magical warfare. Mike had no idea where the gargoyles were, but he assumed they were in some other area of the castle, hopefully freeing the remnants of their clan.

  For the time being, Mike was alone, and he had a moment to think. How were they going to defeat Dementae? If he could only be killed by slicing through his freaking Kevlar vest, what in the world was strong enough to do that…

  Suddenly, Mike’s eyes lit up. He had a plan.

  But first he had to make sure his mother would survive it.

  Mike slid his gaze around the room. He needed a diversion… from someone he could trust completely… he prayed she was here, and still alive…

  There.

  Mike ran over to the northern corner before he could consider how insanely dangerous this was. Laura was engaged with a vampire, trading body blows, trying her hardest to stick a peg in the guy’s chest. Mike ran over and, from behind, shoved the creature to the floor. Laura stabbed quickly downwards and drove a stake through the creature’s heart.

  “Mike?”

  “Listen, I need your help.”

  Laura brushed the sweat-soaked hair out of her face. “I didn’t see you, and I thought, you know…” Her eyes were large with worry. A line of blood dripped from her cheek. She looked exhausted.

  “Forget it.” Mike outlined his plan as quickly as he could. He could see Laura’s disapproval on her face. But she didn’t have to agree with it. She only had to do it.

  “So you’ll do it for me?”

  Laura hesitated. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”

  “Great – trust me, you’ll be fine. Follow my lead.” Mike raced towards the front of the room, blasting a black-robed woman out of the way. He ducked underneath a vampire but did not kill it. A different vampire grabbed Mike from behind, but Mike shrugged him off and telekinised him across the room.

  “Come on, Morningster, I’m right here!” Electric orbs flew to Mike’s hands, then in Dementae’s direction. Dementae put up a hand and the orbs dissipated into thin air.

  “A death wish, boy, is not something to get fond of!” Dementae hurled an Aneksham in Mike’s direction. Mike threw up a shield and kept running, somersaulting on the ground, jumping over fallen chairs, anything to keep Dementae’s attention. The Aneksham flew past him and deposited itself in the wall, eating away the stone in seconds.

  Mike looked over his shoulder, wondering where Laura was…

  There. She had detached herself from the battle and picked her way carefully to the magical side, where she was creeping up on him.

  Quick as anything, she unleashed two ninja-stars from a pouch on her hip. They caught Dementae square on the back. Dementae roared and turned to see who had dared attacked him with non-magical means. But before his eyes could pick out Laura speeding in the other direction, Mike threw out a hand and grabbed the Amp from around his neck. Distracted, Dementae failed to block the charm, and the opal came free.

  “No!” Dementae reached for the necklace as it flew through the air. It landed in Mike’s outstretched hand.

  “Finders keepers,” Mike muttered, dashing into the laboratory.

  Cassandra and Steph were still there, both unconscious. Sepulchra, on the other hand, was standing still, a robot, as if she was waiting for instructions.

  “Mom!” Mike said, running over and waving the amulet in her face. “It’s me, Mike, I have the Amp!”

  But his mom’s face did not register. She stood silently, like a manikin in a store window.

  Just then Dementae crashed through one of the doors. Not looking for Mike, but tangled with Stockton, who had apparently charged the Brethren leader and tackled him through the doorway. The two rolled around on the floor, weaponry flying aimlessly off their hands, each trying to land a killing stroke.

  Now Mike’s plan got hazy. He had wrestled the Amp from Dementae, assuming that would free his mom. But it hadn’t. She remained in a stupor, just as before…

  Unless…

  Mike slipped on the necklace and touched the stone. Mom, I command you to help Stockton kill Dementae.

  Sepulchra’s eyes flickered, as if someone had turned on the power. She ran towards the fray and fired spells at Dementae. A two-sided front was more than Dementae could handle, and Mom’s spells hit their mark. Dementae recoiled as if someone had whipped him across the back.

  All of a sudden, Mike felt drained. As if it was his power that was fighting Dementae.

  I was right, that’s how it works… get a shield up, Mom, you don’t have to go all offense on him.

  He stumbled as one of Dementae’s attacks hit his Mom’s newly-formed shield.

  This can’t go on forever…

  But maybe it didn’t have to.

  Dementae was up now, somehow on his feet, with Stockton and Sepulchra fighting side by side to vanquish him. He released spells at a furious rate.

  Mike charged and joined the fight. He fired telekinesis as hard as he could. Mike figured he probably couldn’t hurt the Brethren leader, but by giving him one more attack to deflect, maybe Stockton could land a shot or two…

  Apparently, Dementae went through the same calculation. He looked to both doors, one leading into the Dining Hall and one outside the castle, as if deciding which would offer him more protection. Then he turned and fled outside, into the pouring rain and the comfort of his own pet dragon.

  Sepulchra and Stockton charged after him, and Mike could not resist the temptation to follow. As soon as he exited the castle, wind and rain crashed into him, a maelstrom slamming in the face. He could vaguely make out the bursts of green and blue light as the warriors continued their battle. The Chimaera was much more noticeable as she hovered above the battlefield.

  Dementae screamed something that
was lost on the howling wind. He looked at Chimmy and pointed to the Guardians. But she didn’t move. She kept herself aloft, beating her wings intensely, taking in the scene from a good hundred feet in the air, flames coming out her nostrils at every breath. Dementae screamed again, pointing incessantly at the Guardians, who for some reason had ceased their attack and were merely watching the Chimaera, as if they had never seen anything like it in their lives. They probably hadn’t, Mike thought.

  Then a stroke of realization appeared on Dementae’s face. He instinctively reached for where the Amp had been on his chest.

  Mike looked down at the stolen necklace, and he understood.

  The Amp controlled the chimaera.

  Well, this is an unforeseen advantage.

  Dementae stared at Mike with intense hatred, as if he knew what was coming next. He screamed something that was lost on the wailing wind. Mike placed his index finger on the opal and thought, Bite Dementae’s heart, Chimmy.

  Immediately the chimaera sprung into action. Dementae fired desperate green flames at the two-headed dragon, which swooped in at incredible speed. The flames connected with one head, creating a brilliant explosion on the chimaera’s skin, but the other head was free to act as it pleased. Chimmy lunged for Dementae, and as her jaws collapsed around his body, the leader of the Black Brethren burst into ash.

  Chapter Forty Three

  Mike turned immediately to his mom, expecting her to snap out of it. But she appeared to have returned to her catatonic state. He rushed over to the Magus.“How do we get her out of this?” he yelled over the roar of the storm.

  Stockton pointed at Dementae’s Amp. “Destroy it,” he said, and reached for the Amp.

  “Wait.” Mike touched the stone and looked up at the chimaera.

  Listen, uh, Chimmy – it’s best if you get out of here. If you go towards Scotland, there’s a lake called Loch Ness, you might find some company up there. No promises, though.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Then the chimaera roared with both heads, turned, and flapped its wings up into the air.