by Steve Bevil
“So, what happened?” asked Lafonda, looking inquisitively at the faces around the room. “How did Argus heal Jonas’s neck?”
Slowly, Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I’ve been asking Argus the same thing, and he won’t give me a straight answer.”
“Oh,” said Lafonda, through pursed lips. She paused to cross her arms. “I know how that feels. Welcome to the club.”
Nathan frowned, but Roy started talking before he could speak. “Jonas,” he said, placing his arms on his shoulders. “How about you head over to the cottage and get cleaned up. I’m sure Nathan wouldn’t mind you borrowing some of his clothes.” Roy paused to smile at Nathan, and Nathan nodded. “And it’s probably best that you don’t mention what happened tonight to Bobby. He was asleep when Lafonda texted me what happened and we don’t want to worry him — besides, there’s nothing to worry about, you’re all better.”
Jonas turned to look at Nathan. Nathan smiled reassuringly. “Oh, okay,” he said, with a quick shrug. “That makes sense.”
“Oh and Jonas,” said Roy, calling after him. “You probably shouldn’t tell your….”
“I know,” said Jonas, interrupting him. There was a hint of sadness in his voice. “I won’t be saying anything to my mother.” Jonas smiled weakly and then turned to look at Nathan before leaving. “I guess I’ll see you over there, at the cottage.”
“Okay, well … Argus?” said Roy, clasping his hands together. “LaDonda is waiting for us and Jorge, in the kitchen.”
Slowly, Argus stood up and followed Roy and Chief Rosales out of the room. “Where is everybody going?” asked Alan, after entering the room behind Angela and Jonathan. “I just ran into Jonas in the hallway — and he looks brand new — but, I can’t say the same thing about my sweater.”
“Oh my God, stop it about the sweater already!” whined Angela. She turned to look at Nathan and then at Malick. “Can somebody tell me what the heck is going on? What was Lauren doing here? And who were her supernatural cronies?”
“That’s what I said,” mumbled Nathan, with a smile.
“It’s not funny, Nathan,” demanded Angela. “The last time I saw a guy in a red cloak, lightning sprung from his fingers!”
There was a brief silence in the room. Malick and Jonathan turned to look at Nathan and then Nathan diverted his eyes upward toward the small library that was accessible by a mezzanine, which created a second floor. “They were the Fallen Ones,” blurted Jonathan. Nathan quickly looked back at him and then frowned. “Well, at least two of them: Luke and Laban.”
Angela frantically turned to look into each of their faces. “Why?” she asked. “Why are they here? Are we still in danger? Are they coming after us?”
“The Fallen Ones?” asked Samantha. She had a confused look on her face. “You mean like — the Cahokia Legend of the Fallen Ones?”
“Yup,” said Alan, sarcastically. He turned to look at Jonathan. “Well, at least according to our resident archeologist in training here. And I guess it’s safe to say Angela doesn’t find them quite as stud-ly anymore.”
“Shut up, Alan!” whined Angela, her long and curly blonde hair bouncing readily on her shoulders.
“Look guys we need to get cloaked,” interrupted Malick. He paused. “Well — at least you guys do.”
“Cloaked?” asked Lafonda. She had a skeptical look on her face. “What do you mean by cloaked.”
Malick paused again, and turned to look at Nathan. “See, I’m already cloaked,” he said, pulling out his silver chain from beneath his black leather jacket. “And from what I can tell, Lauren and the others are tracking you. At least, whenever you guys use your powers.”
“But who were the other guys,” asked Samantha. “If the other two were fallen ones, then who were the guys in red robes — the guys that were praying or performing some kind of–of….”
“Ritual?” said Malick. “They’re Scarlet Priest — servants to some secret order — specializing in necromancy, opening doorways, and other forms of magic.”
He paused. His brown eyes scrutinized Lafonda, Leah, and the others. “And right now, Lauren and the Fallen Ones are using them to track us —well, track your powers — and that’s why we have to get you guys cloaked.”
Silence gripped the room again and Lafonda’s long dark hair drifted freely off to one side as she stared suspiciously at Malick. “And how is it that you’ve managed to be cloaked already?” She asked, staring at the silver arrowhead that dangled from Malick’s necklace. “And why haven’t you told us before?”
“Look,” said Malick, quickly shoving the silver chain back underneath his jacket. “We don’t have time to debate about this. It’s just a matter of time before Lauren comes back….”
“Comes back?” blurted Alan. He turned to look at Angela; his blue eyes were frantic. “And what if Argus isn’t around? I don’t have enough sweaters for this!”
Slowly, Malick nodded. “Yes, she’ll be back,” he said, staring at Nathan. “And I’ve tried warning Nathan before but, regardless, we should leave for London as soon as possible.”
“London?” Lafonda frowned. “And how in the heck are we supposed to do that?” Unconsciously, she began shaking her head, progressively. “Excuse me, grandmother, I’m going to run to London right quick, but I promise I’ll be back before Fall classes start — IUCF classes start in two weeks!”
“Well, if you’re speaking specifically about Move-in Day,” said Jonathan, adjusting his dark, square-rimmed glasses. “Then yes, but technically we have two weeks and two days before the start of classes.”
Quickly, Lafonda tossed her long black hair behind her shoulders and moaned. “Whatever, Jonathan,” she said. “My grandmother — not to mention Roy — is not going to let us go to London.”
“So wait,” said Angela, “all we have to do is go to London and get our own little silver chains? And Lauren and the Fallen Ones are out of our lives for good?” She turned to look at Alan. “And I’m not even sure I even have powers — why do we have to go?”
“We?” asked Alan, defensively. “I know for sure the only power I have is buying power, and my dad just increased the limit on my credit card.”
Angela huffed and then turned to gawk at him. “What?” said Alan, pausing to check his phone. “I’m not the one they kidnapped. They kidnapped you, not me!”
“Thanks a lot, Alan!” grumbled Angela.
“But there’s more,” said Jonathan. His piercing blue eyes seemed to sparkle from beneath his glasses. “Getting cloaked is a start — and I know it will definitely help — but I don’t think that will stop them from coming after the medallion.”
“Medallion?” blurted Lafonda, sounding confused. “What medallion? What makes you think they’re looking for a medallion?”
Jonathan paused, repositioning his glasses on his sharp-angled nose. “Well, see, first,” explained Jonathan. He turned to look at Nathan, but Nathan remained silent. He then turned to Malick and slowly, Malick nodded. “First, Nathan had another dream….”
“Another dream?” shouted Lafonda.
“What?” cried Leah; her hands placed firmly on her hips. “Nathan, why didn’t you tell me?”
The room grew quiet as everyone awaited an answer. The only sound was the crackling of burning wood from the fireplace. “Nathan!” shouted Lafonda.
“What?” he said, sounding annoyed. “I didn’t want to worry you or Leah.” Abruptly, Nathan rubbed the back of his neck and began to fiddle with the smooth cylindrical-shaped object in his pocket. “At least not until I was sure there was something to worry about.…”
“See, in Nathan’s dream,” continued Jonathan. “They were looking for the medallion….”
“Who’s they?” interrupted Alan.
“Lauren and the Fallen Ones,” sighed Malick. “They were using it to find the one they seek.”
“Ha!” said Lafonda. She turned to gawk at Nathan before turning to shake her head at Mali
ck. “Of course — he would know about the dream already.”
Malick suddenly had a smirk on his face. “What?” he asked, with a sarcastic shrug. “Why are you mad at me?”
“Of course,” repeated Lafonda, rolling her eyes. Nathan frowned. “Why should I expect anything different?”
“And then,” continued Jonathan, his blue eyes twinkling in the light. “It was confirmed that they were indeed looking for the medallion, tonight, when we used it.”
“Who used it?” asked Angela and Alan in unison.
One by one, everyone began to look around the room until slowly Leah reached into her bag. “Leah!” gasped Lafonda. She stared at the gold and silver crescent-shaped medallion in Leah’s hand. “Why do you … isn’t that the … Leah?”
“Yes,” said Malick. “That’s the same medallion that Pius was wearing the night Leah, Angela, Jonas and the others were kidnapped by the Shadow Guard.
“What’s the Shadow Guard?” asked Samantha, softly.
Suddenly, silence gripped the room. Samantha waited as Nathan, along with several others, diverted their eyes toward the flickering fire. “Dark entities with swords, created by the Scarlet Priests,” said Malick, abruptly. “The Scarlet Priests created them to guard the passageways they’ve created between our realm and the Space-In-Between.”
Solemnly, Samantha placed her hand on her shoulder. “The dark-hooded guys with no faces that attacked us at Lawrence Hall,” she said.
Samantha turned to look at Nathan, then Jonathan, and then finally Malick nodded. “Leah?” asked Lafonda, pausing to place a comforting hand on Samantha’s shoulder. “Why do you have that? I mean, after everything that has happened … why are you keeping it?
Leah’s brown eyes began to flutter and her knuckles turned a pale white as she clutched the medallion. “I–I don’t know,” she explained. “Everything was happening so fast. I was coming down the stone steps at Grimm Cemetery and that’s when I saw it — next to his remains — and I guess I just picked it up.”
“Well, hell’s bells,” shouted Alan, “freaking give it back to them!”
“I agree,” said Angela. “Why are we holding on to it? Just give it back to them.” She tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulders and then plopped down onto one of the plush sofas. “Or better yet … can’t we just leave it for them to find it somewhere? I want this nightmare to be finally over!”
“No!” said Nathan, sternly. “We can’t just give it back to them!” Several faces around the room suddenly contorted, including Malick’s face. “We can’t for the same reason why they are looking for it.”
“What?” asked Alan, dramatically.
“Look, if we give it back to them, they will find the person they are looking for — the one they seek!” pleaded Nathan. “We could be putting someone in danger — possibly someone we don’t even know — and I just can’t live with that.”
Alan’s eyes looked as if they were going to bulge out of their sockets. “Well, let me get this straight,” he said, turning to look at Leah. “Lauren, aka Amanda, who is your old roommate, is working with the Fallen Ones to find this medallion….”
Slowly, Leah nodded her head.
Alan then turned to frown at Nathan. “And you want us to stay in danger by holding on to the medallion to keep someone safe that we possibly don’t even know….”
Nathan smiled weakly and then nodded his head.
“And Malick wants us all to go to London to get cloaked so those red hooded priests we saw tonight can’t track us, even though some of us aren’t even sure we have powers. Have I missed anything?”
“Sounds about right,” said Jonathan, with a big smile. He paused to reposition his glasses. “And, at least for now, it appears the Order isn’t after us anymore. And I’m almost certain that the one they seek has something to do with the prophecy.”
Nathan’s eyes grew big and he shook his head at Jonathan fervently.
“What prophecy?” shouted Lafonda as she turned to gawk at Nathan. “No one said anything about a prophecy!”
“What — there’s more?” cried Alan, plopping down next to Angela. “I think I might need to lie down.”
“You know,” said Jonathan, appearing confused. “I thought you knew about my research — that the new hieroglyphs we discovered in the Cahokia Caves told a story. A new story about someone to come — the Legend of the Firewalker.”
“I know about your research,” said Lafonda, with a sneer. “And that the Order had sent someone after Dr. Helmsley in the caves that night. But no one said anything about the symbols turning out to be a prophecy.”
Alan’s blue eyes grew wide again and Angela quickly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “After Dr. Helmsley?” he cried. “This keeps getting better and better. No one said anything about Dr. Helmsley ending up in a coma because she was attacked in the caves!” His hands started to shake and he turned to look at Angela. “So, not only are the Fallen Ones after us, but some symbol-haters called the Order?”
Jonathan’s perky face suddenly frowned underneath his glasses. “No, not exactly symbol-haters, I would say.” His piercing blue eyes soon looked like little daggers as he stared at Malick. “From what I can gather, the Order is a secret society made up of individuals with abilities similar to ours.”
“There are more freaks running around?” cried Alan, and Angela shoved him at the shoulder.
“I wouldn’t necessarily use the term freak,” continued Jonathan, pausing to adjust his glasses upon his nose. “But yes — Dr. Colvers and I believe they sent one of their members to destroy the hieroglyphs in the Cahokia Caves to prevent anyone from deciphering it.”
“Who the heck is Dr. Colvers?” shouted Alan. “And why would someone go through all that trouble to destroy some old symbols drawn on some dusty cave wall?”
“Precisely!” said Jonathan, the gleam returning to his eyes. “Dr. Colvers is a professor in the School of Archaeology, at Oxford University in London … but has a knack for conspiracy theories, secret organizations, and societies.” He paused, taking a moment to search his pockets. “We weren’t sure, but Dr. Colvers suspected that the Order was probably keeping a watch on us — monitoring our email and reading his online newsletter, Now Is The Time To Know.” He paused again after noticing the blank look on everyone’s face. “He really does know a lot about this topic and has a good amount of subscribers to his YouTube videos and his new blog.”
“Sounds like a nut job to me,” said Alan. Angela frowned.
Suddenly, Jonathan had a big smile on his face. “And then we found this!” he said, holding out the shiny, gold necklace from his pocket.
“Wait,” said Angela, abruptly, pointing at the shiny gold charm that dangled from the necklace. “I remember that from the first bonfire at leadership camp. Isn’t that the Cahokia symbol you said you had trouble deciphering?”
“Yes,” said Jonathan, handing over the necklace so that Angela could see. “It’s the Cahokia American Indian symbol for Firewalker and apparently, it’s also being used as the crest for the Order. Nathan found it in the caves that night after the blonde woman they sent after Dr. Helmsley destroyed the symbols. She must have dropped it during the attack.”
Dramatically, Angela tossed the gold necklace onto the small wooden coffee table in front of them and then launched her head back against the leather sofa. “Another blonde?” she asked. “They’re going to start giving us blondes a bad name!”
Jonathan smiled. “And she was quite formidable too,” he added. “Highly trained — she could do Pneuma Novo and was even skilled in acrobatics.” He suddenly had a pensive look on his face. “And she most definitely gave Nathan and I a run for our money.”
“So, what’s a Pneuma Novo?” asked Alan, his eyes glazing over. “It sounds like a dance or something.”
“Alan!” shouted Angela, with a frown.
“What?” he said, quickly turning around to face her on the sofa. He shrugged nonchalantly. “We
ll, it does!”
“Pneuma Novo is what we can do,” responded Jonathan, shaking his head. “It basically means the ability to manipulate spirit energy.”
Alan had a blank look on his face and blinked at him a few times before finally speaking. “Oh, okay — well, that’s nice,” he mustered. He sighed. “Any who, at least that should settle all this talk about a prophecy. We shouldn’t have to deal with any more dangerous blondes — at least from the Order — now that the symbols are destroyed.”
“On the contrary!” said Jonathan with a smile. “Our blonde femme fatale may have been successful with destroying a big portion of the hieroglyphs on the cave wall, but it won’t prevent us from deciphering the rest of the prophecy.”
“Umm — what?” asked Malick. He started to fumble nervously with the zipper to his black leather jacket. “B–but you just said that a big portion of the hieroglyphs were destroyed.”
“Yeah, I’m confused,” said Angela, pausing to look at Malick. “How do you plan to figure out the prophecy if it was destroyed?”
“With modern technology!” said Jonathan, cheerfully, holding out his cell phone. He smiled as everyone peered at the well-lit display on his phone. “I took pictures of all the hieroglyphs, as well as pictures of the inscription that appears on the cave wall outside the secret chamber.”
“What!” yelled Alan. His blue eyes appeared to bulge out of their sockets again. “Are you insane? Do you want them to come after us?”
“Oh, calm down, Alan,” said Angela, rolling her eyes. Inquisitively, she turned to look at Jonathan. “What was the inscription?”
“Uh, I would definitely have to agree with Alan,” interrupted Malick. “You would have to be crazy to keep those pictures.” He looked sternly at him and then at Nathan. “If the Order finds out that you have those pictures, they will come after you!”
“And how exactly do you know that?” asked Jonathan, through discerning eyes. “It appears that you know a lot about the Order.” He turned to look at Nathan and quickly, Nathan shook his head. “And it appears you are more learned in your abilities then the rest of us,” he continued. “What’s the connection? Family, perhaps?”