Judas: The Relic (The Iscariot Warrior Series Book 2)

by Roy Bright

  “Gentlemen,” Nathan says, greeting each of them in turn with a handshake. “Thank you very much for your help back there, it was appreciated more than words can say.”

  “Well,” Gary says, scratching his head in an uneasy manner, “you’re welcome to my badassery anytime. Although… it was more him… and them, but… you’re welcome all the same.”

  They share a smile, brought out of the seriousness of the situation for a brief moment by a rare show of humor from Gary.

  Judas looks at him. “Jokes, Gary? And you say that I’ve changed.” He laughs causing Gary to join in with him.

  “So what’s the plan?” Gary asks, bringing the jovialities to a halt.

  The other members of Hellwatch join them as Michael conveys the crux of the conversation that he and Colonel Taylor have just had.

  From across the room, Charlotte eyes the men gathered in the opposite corner. “Huh! Men and their war councils,” she snorts, shaking her head.

  “What was that my dear?” asks a small, frail old woman sat next to her. “I didn’t quite catch it.”

  “Oh, nothing,” she says, smiling. “I was just saying, men and their schemes.” She motions toward the group across the way.

  The old woman places her shaky hands upon Charlotte’s and smiles at her. “It was the same during the war, my dear. They would gather and talk about such things, leaving us women sat back, wondering. But we kept it all together for them, reminding them of what was worth coming home for.” She smiles once again. “Men need purpose, my dear. They can accomplish great things, but without purpose they wander blindly. It is just how they are wired.”

  She smiles at the old woman. Misinterpreting the gravity of the situation she may be, but something in her words rings true, filling her with fresh understanding, with new knowledge that she has started to assimilate by interacting with real people, in the real world, that no amount of time in the alternative reality could have prepared her for. And although the woman’s main point was of keeping the home fires burning, it was her description of how people needed purpose in their lives for them to have meaning that rang true. Now, as she eyes the room, witnessing people at their lowest, she understands another portion of her reason for being – to remind people that they have a purpose. Many believe the world to be lost to the madness of supernatural beings beyond their comprehension but Charlotte now realizes that is not the case, and she must work to remind people of that fact. This is a fight for them all, and all should be involved. She smiles, feeling the joy of moving one step closer to understanding all that she must become, something that she dwells upon a lot. She looks back at the men for a moment before her gaze drifts to the Fishers huddled together on a bench. Abigail is of great interest to her, so she stands and thanks the old woman for her company, who does likewise, and then walks over to the child.

  Noticing her making her way toward them, Isaac taps his sisters on their shoulders, each of them nestled beneath his arms. “She’s coming over,” he says, as they stir and sit up.

  She smiles as she approaches them. “Hi,” she says, raising a hand. “How are you guys?” She winces and shakes her head, scrunching up her nose. “Er, stupid question right?”

  Isaac smiles a little. “We are doing just fine, Ma’am, considering.”

  “Oh, no, no. There is no need for ‘Ma’am’; in fact, I would really like it if you didn’t call me that.” She laughs and places a hand on her chest. “Please – it’s Charlotte.”

  “Okay then, Charlotte it is. And we’re just fine, thank you.”

  “Great. Actually, I was hoping to speak with, Abigail if possible?”

  “What about?” Isaac asks, his protectiveness evident.

  “Well, it was regarding something that happened out there, during the fighting, when she returned these to me.” She glances to the swords on her back. “I was just curious about a few things and wouldn’t mind talking to her about it, if that’s okay with you of course?”

  “Abigail is her own person, Charlotte,” he says, smiling. “She decides whether it’s okay or not. That may have been against the Amish way a little, but it is how our parents raised us – to make our own choices in this life.”

  She smiles. “They sound like incredible people.”

  “They were.” He motions for her to sit down. “Please, join us.”

  She thanks him and sits next to Abigail who smiles at her. “Well, that was quite the moment back there. You were so brave. Thank you for what you did.”

  “That’s okay, I didn’t mind – it was easy.”

  “Yeah, that’s the thing I wanted to talk to you about. I’m not sure if you understood what was happening,” she coughs a small laugh and looks around, smiling a little, “but you were moving around in a different time reality to everyone else, and the demons, they couldn’t see you. How was that possible Abigail, do you know?”

  “Ummm, not really. They just never have.”

  Isaac interrupts. “We cannot explain it. We have always been able to walk among them as long as we take it slow, and do not interact with our environment in any way. They may not be able to see us, but they do notice when doors open seemingly of their own accord.” He chuckles. “We don’t know for sure what would happen in that scenario, but we certainly do not wish to find out.” He frowns. “But this walking in a different time reality, what was that?”

  Charlotte raises her eyebrows. “Well, it would appear that my da— er, I mean Judas, had somehow altered the passage of time causing everything to move at a much slower rate.”

  Isaac and Sarah share a look of confusion between each other.

  Charlotte looks at Abigail once again. “And, somehow our little superhero here was able to operate within that slowed-down reality, the same as Judas and I, and I was hoping to discover how it happened.”

  Abigail stares at her for a moment, then smiles. “I dunno.” She reaches up and touches Charlotte’s head. “Your hair’s pretty.”

  Charlotte chuckles. “It’s a mess is what it is.” She smiles again. “Well, Abigail, whatever it is, it’s an amazing gift. Even with all the talents I possess I wish I could do that, be invisible to the monsters.” She reaches out and strokes Abigail’s hair and as she does, her hand stops and trembles something fierce.

  Sarah notices. “What’s wrong, what’s happening?”

  Charlotte’s trembling grows more vigorous, causing Abigail’s head to shake.

  “I don’t know,” Isaac says attempting to break her grip but unable to.

  A white glow radiates out from Charlotte’s hand and her eyes fog over into a deep white. The glow spreads across her body and envelops Abigail.

  “What’s happening?” Sarah shouts, attracting the attention of the room. People begin to talk and gather around them.

  Judas’ gaze snaps to the glowing pair and within the blink of an eye he has crossed the room and stood in front of them followed by Michael. He bends over and whispers into Charlotte’s ear, “Take control of this. Bring yourself back.”

  Nothing happens.

  He repeats the statement, this time with a little more force.

  The light swirling around the two girls starts to dissipate.

  “Atta-girl,” he says, his soft voice returning. “Bring yourself back. Take charge of it.”

  At last the light goes out and she snaps her eyes open, taking a deep breath at the same time.

  “Whoa!” she says, then exhales hard. She looks down at the child who looks back at her as though nothing has happened.

  A muted chatter drifts around the room with everyone eager to learn what transpired.

  Judas touches the side of Charlotte’s face. “You okay, sweetie?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she replies, placing her right hand on his, snuggling her face into it. “Not sure what happened there, but this child is brimming with energy.”

  Judas looks at her and frowns.

  Michael leans forward, his eyes opening wide. He points to a medium si
zed diamond-shaped stone pendant around Abigail’s neck, the piece sitting over the center of her chest.

  “My child, where in the name of our Lord did you get that?”

  Abigail glances down and takes hold of it. She smiles at him. “Mama gave it to me. She calls it the relic. She says it is very important and that I should never take it off, but I did once, by accident,” she glances at her siblings, her eyes apologetic, “and we had to go back for it which is when I got her swords. I knew she would need them you see, so it must have all been for a reason.”

  Judas looks at Michael, his eyes darting back and forth. “What is it Mike? What does she have?”

  Michael looks back at him with an equal measure of concern. “The Sixth Seal.”

  Thirty-Six

  Abigail shifts in her seat. It’s so uncomfortable. She can’t understand how the grown-ups spend so much of their time in chairs like these, they are almost as bad as the ones in the schoolhouse. Isaac said that they use the room for meetings and that sometimes people spend hours in them. She couldn’t imagine such torment. At least in her old school they allowed her to go outside every hour or so. She misses it and everyone there but most of all she misses her parents. She shifts position again, huffing in the process, pushing thoughts of her loved ones deep down inside her, sending them back to the vault in where she keeps them locked up. She has been listening to the grown-ups argue for what seems like forever, trying to decide what should be done with regards to the relic; who should take it and, most important of all, where it should be taken.

  The discussion had started pleasant enough but the longer it had gone on, the more agitated those within the room had become and a final suggestion from Judas has them in uproar.

  Michael paces the room. “You are joking? Tell me you’re joking Iscariot.”

  “I have to agree,” Gary, says, hopping off a desk, “this plan is madness.”

  Michael glances at him, nodding. “You expect us to be okay with turning three children out into the world, on their own, carrying the Sixth Seal? This is your plan in its entirety?”

  Judas holds up his hands. “Those kids will be safer out there without us rather than with us. For whatever reason they are invisible to His forces. If other humans are around them I guarantee you that they will give their position away or, in fact, turn and become a problem directly. And I am pretty sure Malphas knows the Seal is with one of the people here. Any angelic accompaniment will light them up like a damn Christmas tree. The others might not be able to see them, but I wouldn’t trust that notion when it comes to Malphas. We need to get these kids away from here, away from us.”

  Gary holds out his arms. “But demons are not the only problem out there, Judas. There are things just as dangerous that can see them. People were batshit crazy before this all went south; imagine what some of them are like now?”

  An unintelligible whispering echoes around the room and Judas glances at the sword on his back. He speaks to it softly. “Yeah, okay. But let me talk to the kids, explain things beforehand.” The whispering drifts out again and Judas nods. He walks over to Abigail who shifts in her seat.

  Charlotte, sat on the edge of Abigail’s desk, eyes him with concern. “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “He wants to make an appearance and offer solutions. I need to pre-warn these guys first, don’t want them freaking out when he… appears.”

  “Oh,” she says, her eyebrows raised, “should we be concerned?”

  “When it comes to demon swords?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Yeah, absolutely.”

  She laughs.

  He motions the Fishers toward him. “Okay guys. The spirit that lives within my sword wants to address the room, offer a few suggestions. He is a demon—”

  They glance at one another, worried.

  “—but he is under my total control and perfectly safe. I just didn’t want you guys to get scared or anything, especially you sweetie.” He smiles at Abigail and she smiles back.

  “I’m not scared,” she says.

  He believes her and pats her on the head. He strides to the head of the meeting room, over to where a large wall-mounted presentation board hangs. The room’s occupants look on as he points to the floor. “Ikazuchi, to me.”

  The sword detaches from his back and flips over his head. Azazel somersaults onto the floor, his demon form assumed.

  A number of the room’s inhabitants take a step back and a couple of the soldiers grip their sidearms.

  Judas raises his right hand. “Easy boys. He’s one of us, just calm down.”

  Azazel slicks back his hair. “Now, now fellas,” he says, pacing up and down in front of the board, “your little pea-shooters would be no good against me, so chill out.” He grins.

  Colonel Taylor looks at his men and nods and they relax, causing everyone else to do so.

  Zadkiel strides forward. “We are wasting time. We must decide what to do and decide it right now.”

  Azazel eyes him for a moment and then, brimming with sarcasm, says, “Easy there Captain Hotpants. Shit’s getting done, cool ya beans.”

  Zadkiel points at him, anger burning in his face. He then shakes his head and walks away.

  “Right then,” Azazel says, “down to business. Since we were interrupted during our conversation in the council chamber, we need to get back on track with our plan regarding Barachiel.”

  Gary walks forward. “Barachiel? Who or what is Barachiel?”

  “An elder one, Gary,” Judas says, “one of the oldest angels who has hidden himself and some important things away for a very long time. He’s the one we believe will know the location of the Seventh Seal. And since this little girl here has the Sixth, it is imperative that we get our plan in working order and retrieve it before Lucifer does. That way, we hold all the cards and we will be in a strong position of power.”

  “Why do we need to bother with the Seventh?” Samael asks, stepping into the conversation. “If we have the Sixth then Lucifer can’t open The Book and isn’t that the actual aim of the game?”

  “No Sammy,” Judas replies, “we need the Seventh so that the Holy Trinity may break it in the light of the White Kingdom and put the Dark Ones down for a long, long time. I wanna start putting this world back together and give these people the peace they deserve, and to do that we need the Seal.”

  “Fair enough,” he says, sitting back down on the edge of a desk. “So what’s the plan?”

  Before Judas has a chance to answer, Conrad steps forward. “I don’t get it.”

  “You don’t get what?” Michael asks.

  “Why does these Book or Seals even exist? I don’t get it. What reason would God have to create something that would destroy us all? This, it does not make sense to me.”

  Azazel chuckles, clapping his hands together. He adopts an over-theatrical stance. “An excellent question my Ukrainian friend and one that requires we have a little story time. Gather round children.”

  Judas rolls his eyes, then rubs the ridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I don’t think we have time for history less—”

  “No, I want to know,” Conrad says.

  “All right then,” Judas replies, motioning with his hand for Azazel to carry on. He glances at Charlotte who smirks at him then tries to hide it from the others by lowering her head.

  “Right then,” the demon says, clapping his hands together and striding back and forth. “I shall start by saying that your scholars and religious leaders are both right and wrong.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Colonel Taylor asks, his annoyance evident in his tone. He hates conversations played out as riddles and he can feel an overly dramatic one is about to begin.

  “Well, my good man, it means that your scientists who argue Darwin’s theory are correct but so are the representatives of the Church. You see, there are actually six Gods in total. Six supreme beings, entrusted with the regulation of the entire universe.” The room falls int
o silence and Azazel enjoys scanning each person’s face for signs of amazement at his revelation. He isn’t disappointed. “Now, these six answer to one only – the Prime Being, the Alfather – and under his decree, he entrusted the six with specific and vast sectors for them to control. The God that you people have come to know and love, probably, looks after this one and, in turn, all of you.”

  Charlotte sighs. “Well, that’s all very interesting but what does it have to do with The Book or friggin’ Darwin for that matter?”

  Azazel turns to her, his head moving slow, irritated by her interruption. “Patience, child. A good story is all about the details.”

  She leans back, sighs, and shakes her head.

  “Now, continuing without interruption I hope.” He looks around. No one says anything. “To explain. In the early days, the newly created Gods of the universe were very much like children with a science project. They chose specific worlds to manipulate so that certain conditions were met, and they had fun poking and prodding at nature to force it to create various forms of life. The God responsible for this world was a particularly boyish character back then, which is why… well, dinosaurs—”

  “Oh, fuck off,” Gary says, throwing his hands in the air. “Are you telling me that God had once been a kid with a dinosaur set?”

  Azazel laughs. “Yes. That is exactly what I am telling you and when he eventually got bored with them, whoosh… gone, slate wiped clean, new project begins.” He looks around the room at the confounded faces. “Look, you can believe it or not, I don’t really care either way, but the story I am telling you is factual, so you should just best listen.”

  Gabriel’s unexpected voice from the doorway causes the room’s inhabitants to turn around. “As much as I hate to say it, he speaks the truth so please do listen.” He looks at Michael and Judas who both acknowledge his presence without speaking.

  Azazel smiles. “The one and only Archie Gabe. One of the very few who were present right from the start and a man who can validate my story. Thanks for that, old friend.”

  “Don’t ever recall us being friends, Azazel, but please do continue.”