“Yes, he did die in unfortunate circumstances Jonathon, but he wasn’t the first and he certainly won’t be the last. It is the nature of the devil with whom we dance. Oliver’s death was far from ordinary and to suggest that you are in some way responsible is utter nonsense. He died doing what he was born to do: to fight. I know this sounds heartless, Jonathon, but everybody dies, it’s simply a matter of when and how. Oliver died a hero, doing a hero’s job. What is tragic is that he died so young. Your only job now is to try and find out who did it and why. And as far as Leceth goes, if he is responsible, we will get to the bottom of it. I feel in time we will bring him in, he will answer for it, if he’s involved,” Andrew’s words reawakened Jonathon’s determined spirit.
“Yes I know you’re right, Andrew. However, feeling responsible is part of being human. It is the part of me that drives me to find the culprit and bring him to justice. I only wish Kristian was on board, we do need him. I really believe that. But I know I can’t force him and the boy is as stubborn as a…”
Andrew interrupted: “I could use a spell on him, make him think he wants to return?” he winked at Jonathon.
“You can do that?”
“Well, it is a little tricky. His Phoenix protects him from a lot of magic but I’m not just any old magician, you know?” As Andrew spoke it was clear he was thinking of all the spells he would like to cast if he could, for a man of such prestige and wisdom, he had a mischievous streak!
“Well, as much as I would like that, we mustn’t,” Jonathon sighed deeply.
“Well, if you’re sure,” Andrew looked disappointed. “You could always try talking to him again,” Andrew’s smile returned to his old face. Jonathon laughed at his friend’s sarcasm. Talking to Kristian again was the last thing on his mind!
“Well, I have things to do, must get on with it. I assume you are going to hand the Oliver investigation over to Zhing?” Andrew asked.
“Yes, that’s the plan. One hopes it all works out for the best,” Jonathon replied.
“I’m sure everything will work out just fine,” Andrew turned and walked towards the door when he heard the sound of a phone ringing and turned to see Jonathon staring aimlessly at the floor.
“Damn, where is it?” Jonathon said, regretting that he had let his frustration get the better of him.
With one flick of the hand, Andrew made the telephone appear out from the pile of papers on the floor and come to rest next to Jonathon’s ear. As the receiver magically picked up and was held by an invisible force, Jonathon mouthed a “thanks” to Andrew.
“Hello, Jonathon Paige speaking,” Jonathon’s face drained of all colour as he heard the voice on the other end and as he took in the words that followed, he was filled with astonishment, wonder and hope.
“Hello, Jonathon, it’s Kristian. Can we talk?”
…
The bulky, solid oak doors opened slowly, and the sight of the interior of the Cardinal Office hit Kristian hard. He tentatively stepped forward and as soon as he walked over the threshold of the building a tingle of unease travelled through his body. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to cross through one of the many magical barriers in the Order’s headquarters.
Kristian was an expert at keeping control of his emotions; he had many things bottled up inside him. His secret life at the Order, the years of hiding his feelings from the people he held dear, but now he could not stop the stirrings of fear edging deep within his chest. What was it about this place that caused so much terror in him? This was a temple of good and the people who resided here were equally as good, they were worthy of being here. It was the prospect of seeing those people, his old friends, that rattled his nerves, made his palms sweat. Was it too late to back out? He scanned the lobby of the building. It was small, lit by artificial light; it contained only one long desk opposite the grand entrance. Behind the desk were two more solid oak doors. One was a lift and the other was the entrance to the public hall. And there at the desk in front of him, casually chatting amongst themselves, were some of the faces he had once known very well. It was the old team, minus Kieran and Oliver. Sam was sitting on the floor looking up at the others. It was the same old Sam, looking carefree, slightly overweight with chubby red cheeks. Standing above him was the friendly face of Rachel; she looked different. Her hair was shoulder-length now, her clothes not as casual as he remembered. The most familiar thing about her still were the thick-rimmed glasses that she got a lot of stick for, but she refused to get more fashionable ones. The team had always poked fun at Rachel for her stubbornness on the subject but they all knew deep down that Rachel would not be Rachel without those awful glasses! Next to her was the unchanging face of Jean Tanner. To look at Jean you would think he was stand-offish and a snob, but the reality was that he was one of the most kind, compassionate and approachable people that Kristian had ever met. Although, Jean did like to play the odd practical joke utilising his telekinetic abilities.
Kristian was so nervous about them spotting him, he felt sick. He was contemplating turning on the spot and running back out the way he had come in. Are they here waiting for me? he wondered. He had not thought about the Alpha Team for a long time. He had buried the memories of them along with his memories of the Order. But to see the team standing in front of him made him feel nostalgic and he then realised how much he had missed the faithful companions he once had. He coughed, as if to clear his throat, and the three of them turned to look at him. The first to respond was Rachel; she squealed with delight and rushed towards him, then hugged him tightly. As she backed away Jean moved in, hugged him as well, and kissed him on both cheeks. As Jean cleared out of Kristian’s line of sight he saw Sam smiling at him and he leapt to his feet. The two men stared at each other smiling for what seemed like forever and then, suddenly, the pair embraced each other with such force Rachel and Jean thought for a second that they were fighting.
“You don’t know how good it is to see you,” Sam said, as he could not stop smiling.
“Thanks guys,” Kristian was overwhelmed with their welcome. He had thought they would be angry and be disappointed with him for leaving the Order in the first place, that they may even blame him for Oliver’s death, but this greeting was surprisingly wonderful.
“You haven’t changed at all,” said Rachel excitedly, “except your hair is longer and you’re more attractive than ever!”
Before Kristian could respond, Jean jumped in. “Yes, it’s great to see you, are you well? Things have not been the same since you left.”
A pang of guilt and regret filled Kristian and he quickly changed the subject of ‘leaving’.
“So, uh, what’s new?” he asked awkwardly. “I take it Peter is still here, huh? Nosey as ever, I bet? I know that Jonathon is still running the place, uh, yeah so, what’s new?” Kristian felt stupid and awkward for saying that but was lost for words. Sam placed his hand on Kristian’s shoulder.
“Yes, Peter is still here and no he hasn’t changed; he’s still the same old Peter you remember. In fact, I would say he has got worse!”
“Worse?” exclaimed Kristian. “I didn’t think that was possible. Are Wendy, Susan and Penny still here?” There was a pause and Kristian sensed a despondency between the three of them. “What?” he said, “Are they okay?”
“Well,” said Rachel, “Penny still has her job and Susan is running Andromeda, but Wendy, well…”
“What?” Kristian was waiting to hear the dreaded words, that she had been killed by some dark force just like Oliver.
“I’m afraid she passed away,” Sam spoke softly.
Kristian waited to hear the words ‘killed’ or ‘murdered’, but Sam spoke again
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything sinister, she died in her sleep a couple months ago. She was eighty-six, you know.”
Kristian felt relieved that Wendy had not been killed but still felt sad for the loss. He knew Wendy was a frail old woman, even though she was a member of the Trinity and could mak
e herself look as young as she wished. She was an incredibly kind and thoughtful woman and had fully supported Kristian when he had chosen to leave the Order. He had often thought that Jonathon wouldn’t have let him leave if Wendy hadn’t backed him up. He felt a deep sadness now and the joy of seeing his old comrades was being overtaken by the weight of sorrow that he felt was around his neck. Hiding his emotions well, as always, Kristian smiled at the gang and said, “Hey, she had a good life didn’t she? She was a great woman and let’s hope she taught us all something valuable. Now, I’ve got to go and see Jonathon and get my briefing so I better get a move on.”
“You certainly picked your moment to return, fella!” Sam said whilst shaking his head.
“Yes, it’s all go here at the moment. My suggestion is to keep us close Kristian. We were and still are a good tactical team and sticking together, we’re the best in the Order,” said Jean.
Kristian let out a little laugh. “Us? A tactical team! You three in action I would love to see, and as for me? Well I must be the most unreliable Phoenix host in the history of the Order. And what about Kieran? I’ve seen better magic from a magician at a kids’ party!”
The four of them laughed. They all knew it was true. Individually they were all talented and unique, but as a team, none of them really thought they were the best the Order had to offer. They had only completed one mission as a whole team, they had trained together and that first mission was still a topic of conversation and ridicule for the office staff two years on!
“Hey, come on. We’re not that bad,” chuckled Rachel.
“Yeah I know, I was just kidding. I’m sure all evil creatures tremble at the sound of our names and once they discover that we are on the trail of Oliver’s killer, they will be quaking in their boots, or whatever it is they wear!” Kristian realised what he had said almost as soon as he said it; he noticed the group tense up at the sound of Oliver’s name. Luckily, the doors to the elevator opened and out walked Kieran to break the silence that had overcome them. He walked straight over to Kristian and like the others had done, hugged him.
“It’s marvellous to see you, Kris.”
“You too,” Kristian replied. “You guys have really made me feel welcome and have made coming back a hell of a lot easier for me. Thank you so much. I thought this was going to be so hard. You all know I don’t really want to be here, but I want to find those responsible. It’s just this life I don’t want, it’s nothing personal, you know?”
“Listen,” said Kieran, “as long as you do what you came here to do, that’s all we want from you. Now Kristian, are you ready to enter, are you ready to get swallowed up by the beast?”
“I can hold your hand if you want?” smirked Rachel, and before he could respond, she grabbed a hold of his hand.
“Thanks,” replied a bemused and still somewhat nervous Kristian.
They all walked towards the elevator and once the five of them were inside, Kristian was overcome with the feelings of claustrophobia and being completely trapped. His hands stiffened and his grip on Rachel’s hand tightened. She turned to him and whispered in his ear, “You’ll be fine, and if you really want to leave, I’ll whizz us out of here in a flash.”
Her words comforted him. He had forgotten about her special gift. And to think of her power as a gift made him, for an instant, think about his in a similar way.
…
- Chapter Six -
For the Love of Gaia
The elevator doors opened on to the central level to the complex. It was called the central level or the hub. Kristian thought it had to be a good thirty metres below ground. A long corridor now stretched away from the group, with a row of more elevators on one side and a row of doors on the other. Each elevator and door had a large plaque above it indicating its purpose.
This part of the building had remained untouched for near on a century and the only change made was to replace the large staircases that had once stood on one side of the corridor with modern elevators.
Moving swiftly down the corridor, the five of them passed the elevator signposted ‘Andromeda-Aceso Medical Centre’. Kristian hoped he would not find himself having to enter that elevator any time soon. On the right-hand side of the corridor, the first door they passed was very much like all the other doors in headquarters, solid oak, but this one had the name ‘Holy Order Of The Trinity’ written on its plaque. Kristian remembered this room well. It was one of the most comfortable in the entire building, spacious and full of lots of very interesting people. The decor inside was also different, it was nothing like the macho, imperialistic decor that made up the rest of the premises, it was gentle and soft, and had an almost feminine touch to it.
The next door they passed read ‘Office of the Chief Librarian of the Nariasdems’ Great Library’. Underneath that sign, another smaller one read ‘Chief Librarian Peter Bergbeck’.
The group continued their walk down the long, wide corridor, passing door after door, each one marked accordingly, ‘Artifact Stores’, ‘Offices of the Nariasdem’, ‘Offices of the Phoenix Legacy’, ‘Sleeping Quarters’. The doors they passed were exactly the same in appearance. They were the general offices of the hierarchy of the Order. They passed Andrew Gilmore’s, which, as head of the Coven of the Trinity, he rarely used.
Towards the end of the corridor there was the last elevator labelled ‘To conference rooms 2–39’; to the right of this was Jonathon Paige’s office, designated as ‘Head of The Order Of Light’ and next to that was a set of double doors marked ‘Conference Room 1’.
The whole corridor was twenty foot high and each door at least eight foot tall. The double doors at the very end of the corridor, however, stretched the entire width and length of the wall and seemed huge in comparison with the rest. These doors, like every door, were solid oak but unlike any other door in the entire Order, they were furnished with no handles, no distinctive locks or keyholes. An elaborate pattern was etched out on the surface in gold.
It sent shivers down people’s spines when they first laid eyes upon it and for Kristian it had been such a long time since he had first laid eyes upon it that this gaze felt like the first time all over again. The door had no plaque, no sign. It did not need one, because everybody in the Order knew what lay behind them; it was the Great Library.
The locks and mechanisms of the door lay on the other side. It was more like a safe than a library. The room contained the most extensive collection of books ever collated, and not just magical ones, but every book ever written by man or beast alike.
Very few people actually entered the library and it was widely believed that the clerks who maintained it lived permanently inside.
To gain access to the library would require a password, a magical word that when spoken would release the locks on the inside of the enormous doors. Many people in the Order knew the password, but only a few would ever use it. The word was not the only protection given to the library; it was also protected by the greatest of all magic. A powerful mystical barrier that began at the threshold and encompassed the entire library; one that would only allow those who were good and pure of heart to enter.
Many members of staff were too afraid to enter; the ever-present fear that one wasn’t completely pure of heart and knowing that of oneself frightened many to the core. After all, most of the staff at the Order were human, and like most humans, no one was perfect.
Kristian himself had only ever entered the library once and believed he would never enter again. Not for the usual fear of being rejected by the barrier. For him, there was only ever the one justifiable reason to enter.
“Are you just going to stand there all day or are you coming to the meeting with the rest of us?” Rachel’s voice echoed slightly as it bounced off the walls. She pulled Kristian’s arm in the direction of the main conference room – ‘Conference Room 1’.
“Sorry, I’m coming,” he muttered, shaking off the haze and the chills that the Great Library’s doors gave rise to.
&
nbsp; Kieran slowly opened the doors to the conference room and he, Sam, Jean and Rachel walked in. Kristian followed tentatively keeping his head down avoiding looking at those awaiting him. He was nervous. As he glanced up, he could feel his cheeks burning and saw at the very end of the table, five faces examining him. Four of them he had not seen for over two years and the fifth was Jonathon.
“Take your seats please,” bellowed Jonathon. All five obeyed the command, with Rachel and Kristian sitting down at one side of the huge table and the other three sitting opposite them. Kristian felt like the faces at the far end were taunting him, he didn’t want to look at them, to see the looks in their eyes as they scrutinised him. Jonathon sat at the head of the table and next to him on his left, sitting alone, was Peter. As their eyes met, Kristian felt a surge of anger as he became aware of the way Peter glared at him. On the other side of Jonathon was Andrew Gilmore, the leader of the Trinity. Next to him, Yi-Mao, head of The Phoenix Legacy and sat next to him was Brendan, who was generally regarded as Yi-Mao’s number two, but this position had never been officially recognised.
“Before you start asking questions, Kristian, you should know that Brendan and I are leaving this afternoon for China and Japan, on important Order business that is completely unavoidable. Bringing you back was necessary and I, like everyone here, am very pleased to see you’ve chosen to return,” said Yi-Mao, smiling.
Kristian took on board every word his former mentor said. He had the utmost respect for Yi-Mao and felt relieved that he had welcomed him in the way he had. He was just beginning to relax again when he caught a glimpse of the look on Brendan’s face.
The Phoenix Chronicles: Alone in the Light (Book ONE) Page 8