by Frank Perez
The rune he’d first noticed was thrumming harder than the others. Like it’s waiting for something to release it. He reached out his hand and traced the outline of it once more with his index finger. Small streaks of contained lightning flickered around it as he traced the full outline. Strange, I didn’t notice that the first time I did it. Looking around him at the rest of the room a sudden thought struck him, this room is in two different planes at the same time. The first room sits on the same plane as the rest of the universe, this part here is just slightly shifted upwards a little. A slight variation in the vibrations would make it almost impossible for anyone to get access to. The perfect hiding place I guess. In plain sight but totally removed at the same time! There must be something important here or whoever built this would never have spent the time and energy required to do this.
He stepped backwards towards the center of the room, his eyes never leaving the rune. And somehow, you are the catalyst.
Kneeling down, he concentrated all his will and thoughts on the rune. No sooner had he knelt down than the rune flared to life. A brilliant white light shot out from within it. Like a laser it homed in on the kneeling Michael, striking him with a powerful force that would have brought him to his knees if he hadn’t already done so.
The world around him shrunk as the room disappeared from his view. His entire being had drawn itself into the light and nothing else mattered. The visions began...
Memories coursed through his mind and consciousness.
Moments from when he was young and scared on a distant planet; hopelessness mixed in with pure hope.
Hope based on nothing but faith…
Finding his brothers… banding together,
The religious persecution.
His body arched back and convulsed as centuries worth of memories flooded straight back into his mind without remorse.
The Brethren… Uriel, Raphael & Gabriel… The training… The Goddess D’HarmaSan…
Sweat stood out on Michaels face. The feelings of centuries of life raging within his body. The joy, mixed with the sadness… Ecstasy & hopelessness, Pleasure & Pain… The ebb and flow of life, two sides of the coin, each reliant on the other for survival.
He sat up and gasped aloud. The final memories that had gone through his mind had been of his brother Gabriel and the fight with D’HarmaSan. Mother! He screamed into the abyss of his mind; you sacrificed yourself for me! Opening his eyes, he looked around him. Hunter was there holding one of his hands. Tears were falling down his cheeks.
Hunter sat there holding Michaels’ hand. There was nothing to say. This was something he would have to work through himself. All he could do was offer support and whatever little comfort his presence gave. He had understood the truth of who Michael was when he had gone through his own understanding, just as he’d known Michael would soon come to a consolidation point soon-an unveiling of the truth. He sat there and waited for the tsunami of emotions washing over Michael to subside.
Time passed as Michael centered himself again. Hunters’ physical contact had made it a lot easier for him. He stood up. Centuries of intense emotions all gathered in moments within my consciousness, he thought No wonder people choose to forget.
Hunter watched Michael as he stood up. No evidence left of the person he had been. His aura shone, white and pure, his demeanor a rock of hope. His eyes had become even clearer than they had been, almost translucent. Vast knowledge held within them. The dark robe which he’d worn was now white, lined with hundreds of stitched runes, also in white.
Gone was the Watcher and lapdog of the Five. In his place stood Michael, The Protector.
Hunter gave Michael a lopsided grin, “I take it you’re now back with us once more?”
The answering voice was Michael’s but slightly deeper, more in control. Somehow more present than it had been, “Sometimes the protector must protect himself Hunter. That is behind us now though. The next phase begins. Battles will be fought. Some we win, others we don’t. The war itself however, is far from over.” He walked a small circle stretching his shoulders and limbering his arms.
Looking back at Hunter he added, “It’s time to take the battle back to Gabriel.”
“And the sword? Any ideas on where we can find it?”
“The Sword, Hunter was never lost. It was always in plain sight.” Michael took two strides and placed his hands on Hunter’s shoulders, looking him deep in the eyes, he added “I am The Sword!”
*~*
Hunter sat on the pavement awash in a sea of red and blue flashing lights. It hadn’t taken long for the fire brigade to reach Ren’s apartment block. By the time they got there the whole building had been alight, with little chance of it being put out. He looked up at the flaming inferno before him. My fault. He thought to himself. I completely lost control.
Michael and he had parted ways after their trip to find the missing sword. Michael to search out Julian and get whatever information he could from him. Hunter had been eager to get back to Ren. His happiness at being reunited with Ren shattered the moment he’d appeared in the apartment and had seen Ren’s broken body on the floor. He’d rushed over to her knowing she was no longer alive, yet unwilling to believe it. The extinguished aura telling him otherwise.
He’d picked her up and cradled her body to his, the tears flowing down his cheeks, anguish and pain etched on his face. He hadn’t even realized it when he picked her up and took her to the living room, lying her on the coach, he’d returned to the kitchen once more. Trying to figure out what had happened. The trail had been easily detected. Sneaking in from behind her, like a coward.
Two notes had stood apart from the rest of the mess on the kitchen table. One written by Ren herself. Scribbled words and doodles whilst she had been reading through the notebook no doubt. In amongst them the words Love Hunter? & Yes, like a teenagers dreamy writing. The note he held in his hand.
The other note had been scrawled in a completely different type of writing. Hunter had understood it regardless.
A short, taunting note. On reading it he had felt the inferno of rage build up inside him.
Losing all control and without thought, it built up and exploded like a volcano outwards from him. The kitchen was incinerated in an instant, the rest of the apartment had been alight before his awareness even knew of it.
Nothing was left of what was once Ren’s apartment. The entire floor wiped out in a moment, including the body of Ren herself. Hunter came back to his senses. The maniacal rage spent almost as quickly as it had built within. He looked around and realized that nothing would be salvaged apart for the two notes he held in his palm.
He willed himself out of the building.
Fire engines could already be heard in the distance. In these days of extreme terrorism a blast like this would not go unnoticed for long.
He found himself across the street, staring at the inferno. The previous heat of rage replaced by an eerie calm in his heart. The rest of his body though, was the pure, frozen iciness of calculated purpose. He looked down at the note in his hand once more, in control now.
Your Bitch Is Dead. Come & Face Me Failure. You’re next.
~ Jackal
The Dog would pay.
*~*
Michael cloaked his essence in a wave of emptiness. No one would know of his presence. He collected himself and sent forth his awareness through the citadel, searching for Julian.
As he had expected, Julian’s presence was sitting within the plane that the Council had once presided from, sitting on the main pillar. The respect he had once held for Julian was long gone. Studying the darkness of his aura, he searched for any hints of Gabriel or Bonnie. Nothing, he thought not one single iota of anything to do with either of them. He’s nothing but a pawn in this game. An unknowing pawn. Death would come to him because of it, unknowing or not.
A small stirring in his essence made Michael stop. Something else. He shifted his perceptions slightly, and the room came alive with darkn
ess.
Behind Julian sat The Jackal. The evil darkness coming off him in waves washing all across the room. Hiding the other twenty Watchers were there with him. They’re waiting for me. How could they know I’m even here? He probed a little further. Still no thoughts about Bonnie or Gabriel had come to the fore.
Michael withdrew his probing and sat back to think things through. He’d easily found out that they were waiting for him to show. Could Gabriel have somehow sensed his presence and orchestrated this little trap? It didn’t fit, if Gabriel was behind it, there’d be some resonance there. And if it was Gabe why hasn’t he shown himself? Surely that would be the best bait to get me to commit?
Julian and The Jackal were evil, true but they would easily keep until they had freed Bonnie. If Gabe was there though, his thinking may have been different. For now, he kept only a touch of his awareness on the room, waiting for Hunter to return with Ren.
*~*
Hunter sat back staring off at nothing.
Any trace of emotion that had built within him since knowing Ren, had been totally obliterated, replaced with an icy cold hatred.
He thought about the original plan he had made with Michael. Come, collect Ren and take her back to the secret room. Safe from any harm. Stupid me. In all the running around I completely forgot about the Jackal. So damn proud of myself after taking care of that other devil. I felt like nothing could touch us. Like we were back in control of things. And now, you’re dead Ren. What do I tell Bonnie when I get back… if I get her back? What kind of life will she have without you there?
He closed his eyes and sighed, the original plan was good at the time and is still the right course now, albeit without being able to take you to safety Ren. I’ll go meet up with Michael and together we’ll free Bonnie from her cage.
He looked skyward, but I promise you this Ren. Once Bonnie is safe, all bets are off. Those dogs will pay for what they’ve done. Even if it costs me my life!
Chapter 9
The Prince Consort stood in thought before the girl. His plans for her had gone into disarray from the first instant she’d been transported to the cave. The secret, dark fantasies it had harbored for centuries within itself failed to come to fruition. It frowned in annoyance. No matter what kind of attack they tried on the field, it was unyielding. Pure white radiance continued to swirl around her. Almost like a clone of the barrier above. The frown deepened as it thought back to those times.
The robed ones had appeared out of nowhere it had seemed and begun their destruction of the Brethren’s world. Many of his own minions and drones had obliterated over the course of that struggle. Not that it mattered that much to him.
The Queen always provided him with more of them on command. None of the other Brethren understood how things truly worked now; that she was enthralled by the Prince himself and had no will of her own. He had kept it that way for centuries, waiting for the right time to mount an all-out attack that would place him at the head of his world.
And then they’d shown up, and it was all he could do to keep his own head above water. He had had to put centuries of careful planning on hold when the robed ones had shown themselves. He lifted his face towards the ceiling, feeling the weight of the dreaded barrier even through the tons of rock above his head.
Nowhere near as strong as it had been in the beginning, its power dwindling. Soon he could begin his true conquest. The robed ones themselves had shown him that there was more to take advantage of than just his own little world. A whole universe out there, filled with millions upon millions of worlds - all waiting for him to take advantage of them.
Striding off towards his waiting Queen he sent a mental command to the drones. Behind him, the sound of the attack against the force exploded. Many of the drones falling dead. It didn’t matter to the Prince. The Queen would provide him with more.
*~*
Michael broke out his thoughts as Hunter materialized within the room, alone. A puzzled look crossed his features, “Where’s Ren?”
Hunter crossed the room to where Michael sat. Putting his back against the wall he allowed his body to slide downwards until he was sitting on the floor. He hung his head downwards, arms draped over his knees. Eyes closed as if he was trying to shut out the rest of the world. “She’s dead Michael.” he said in a quiet voice.
Michaels head came up on hearing the news, his eyes becoming intense and staring straight at Hunter, “What? But…”
Hunter raised his head and stared right back into Michaels’ eyes. Hard, cold eyes bore into his face, a stark contrast to the dejected state of the rest of his body. “My fault. I thought we were being so damn brilliant. Instead, all I did was to get her killed. I shouldn’t have left her alone.” He reached into his pocket and took out the note that the Jackal had left behind, passing it to Michael. “I thought she was safe dammit! Once I got rid of that demon she should have been OK. Instead, my own stupidity got her killed. How the Hell did I forget about the other lunatic?” Hunter took a deep breath, calming his shattered nerves a little, “At least I know who did it. I have no idea why it’s so damn personal with him and I don’t care. If it’s a damn fight he wants, a damn fight is what I’ll give him and this time I won’t be playing nice.”
Michael straightened the note that Hunter had passed him. His eyes shut with the pain that coursed through his body, tears forming in the corners. He forced them open and re-read the note again before taking the edges of the note and folding it.
The grief and sorrow he was feeling on hearing about Ren mixed in with an intense hatred now. He reached out his hand and placed it over Hunter’s fist. Understanding a little of what the man must be feeling.
“No Hunter. Not your fault.” He paused for a heartbeat then added, “This message was meant for me.”
*~*
A smile split that face of the Prince.
Since the absolute disaster that had befallen them last time, he had spent a lot of time studying the barrier, straining to understand how it worked. It was the reason he’d been able to send the Kraxus through. Some of the other parts of the puzzle he’d been able to use. One of those measures was now active. The tingling just behind the nape of his neck was clear a sign that something out of the ordinary had happened. He looked towards the setting sun, its brightness dimmed and tinged with the green glow that still kept them trapped. The time was fast approaching when its power would be done. He hoped this signaled the beginning of it.
Looking towards the slanted tree next to him at one of his lesser drones, he sent a quick mental command to the bat-like creature. Dark leathery wings which had been furled against its body as it hung upside down from a branch awaiting darkness flapped silently as it flew off. Its silent flight would ensure that the Prince would know what had broken through the barrier and onto the planet. He sat down to wait. Patience was something he had learned the hard way. He sent out his awareness and took command of the drone.
The sandy valley below whipped past as it gathered speed. The nocturnal Brethren were just emerging from the resting places they used during the day.
Normally it wouldn’t be out flying quite so early but the command of the Prince was not something it could ignore even if it had wanted to. Compelled, it headed straight towards where the dreaded star was just now disappearing from view, spurred on by the awareness of the Prince within its mind. The destination didn’t seem to be that far off, at least not with the speed it could achieve. Once it was closer, it would slow down to allow it to be totally undetectable by whatever prey it was that they were chasing. It flew on.
For another hour it flew on, steady on its path. The presence of the Prince ensuring that it hadn’t been distracted by any of the things that would normally consume its awareness, feeding on lesser Brethren.
It had easily spotted two mantaree’s on its journey. On any other night, the bat would have slowed down and circled above, waiting for the right time to gather speed and swoop down. It would have extended its claws and s
cratched deep into the soft patch on the top of the mantaree’s skull, releasing its poison before moving out of range. The poison would work its way through their system within minutes, leaving them arched back lying on the floor, completely immobilized. That’s when it would feed. The meat of the body fueling its own and the essence of its being getting merged in with the bats. The pure terror and pain they felt as they were devoured alive making the Bat feel invincible. That pleasure would have to wait tonight. The Prince came first.
It slowed down on the silent command of the Prince and began a wide-ranging circle, completely silent to anything below. It concentrated its vision on the earth below. No colors swirled anywhere. Complete darkness. The bat felt the confusion of the Prince. He’d been expecting something here. On silent wings, it began a circling descent to where the Prince wanted, watching every inch below to see what was happening.
The Prince looked on seeing everything that the drone could see within his mind. He could detect nothing from the patch of earth below but something had tripped the alarm he’d set. No Brethren would have registered here, the vibrations needed to trigger it went beyond what any of them were capable of. For the second time that day he frowned in annoyance and commanded the drone to drop all the way to the earth, regardless of what lay in store. It caught a fleeting sense of fear from the drone that was quickly extinguished, its power nowhere near a match for the Prince.
The drone retracted its wings and pulled its talons back against its own body, gathering full speed as it descended towards the earth below. As yet nothing registered within the Prince. When it was about ten feet off the ground it brought it wings out to their full length and extended its clawed feet, raising dust in all directions as it settled on the floor, twisting its head first one way and then the other.