Sixth Seal

by Thornbrugh, Josh

  They all say that, she thought, but she knew she was running out of time. She also knew that she couldn’t just shoot her way out. Even if she did manage to fire first, he would almost certainly still be able to shoot her. Besides that, she didn’t want to shoot him at all. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She would just have to fake him out.

  “Okay, you’re right, Officer. I’m going to set my gun on the floor.”

  He nodded. “Slowly.”

  He kept his weapon trained on her as she knelt down and placed the gun on the floor. As she rose slowly, he lowered his gun and reached for a pair of handcuffs. When she was nearly at his waist level, she lunged forward, pushing the rack of clothes into his arm, knocking the gun aside. She grabbed onto his other wrist and drove the rack forward between them until she had him pinned up against the counter.

  His face contorted in frustration. “You’re making a big mistake.”

  She dug her fingernails deep into the wrist of the hand that held the gun. A thin line of blood trickled down his arm and his hand flexed open, sending the gun to the hard floor. She released his other wrist and punched him in the throat. He fell forward limply on the rack. She was about to go for her gun when the back door of the shop burst open, and two more policemen rushed in.

  The store was narrow enough that they had to enter single-file. Ana used it to her advantage, quickly shoving the rack and the limp man toward them. They were momentarily pinned in as she raced toward the store entrance and past the bewildered shop attendant standing out front, still talking on the phone.

  Ana didn’t bother to look back. She ran as fast as she could down the street. If they wanted to stop her, they were going to have to shoot her in the back. She hoped they didn’t want her that badly.

  Most of the people in the immediate area cleared a path for her as she barreled toward them. The sound of sirens once again split the air, and she could hear the policemen behind her shouting orders. She kept running. There were too many people on the street for them to fire.

  A police car slammed on its brakes and did an abrupt U-turn as she sprinted past it. Again, she didn’t look back, she just kept running. There was a side street just a few yards ahead. She hoped she could cut through some more stores and lose the police. Then she’d need to find another car, or possibly get on a train. She only hoped that her photo wasn’t already plastered all over the local news.

  As she reached the street, she chanced a quick glance behind her. The police car had actually rear-ended a taxi, but the other policemen were now chasing her on foot. She put a hand out to brace herself as she rounded the corner. She slammed hard into a man in a tweed coat. She squirmed for a second, and then stammered when she looked up into his hazel eyes.

  “Doctor G-G-Gabriel?” She tilted her head like a confused puppy. “What are you doing here?”

  “There’s no time, Ana.” He released his grip on her shoulders and took her hand. “Come on, we have to go. You’re in grave danger.”

  Sacrifice

  Approaching hoof beats from the raised road to the east interrupted the silence in the tiny hut. Their only advantage was the soldiers would be forced to dismount in order to enter the hut. Xi Shi wanted to dash out the door and run across the paddies to draw them away from Peng and his family, but she knew Wang Xu would not allow it.

  He ushered them toward the side room where the other crewman rested. “We should hide in the other room. The soldiers may have only seen Peng and his sons. They might just question you.” Wang Xu’s expression didn’t do much to bolster confidence. “Tell them you saw us heading south on the road to Qiantang.”

  Xi Shi placed a hand on Peng’s shoulder. “If the soldiers threaten your family, we will give ourselves up.”

  Peng nodded, but she knew he would gladly sacrifice himself to help her; such was the power she had over men. It was a power she now wished she didn’t have.

  Wang Xu ushered her and the other crewmen into the room, closing the bamboo door behind them. She could hear the soldiers now. They waded through the water, their scabbards clanging against armor. A faint warmth emanated from the pouch beneath her robes. She pressed her hand against it and the book responded. Take the weapon, Protector. It will not fail you.

  The same greenish-blue glow that illuminated the pouch the night before once again radiated outward. She pressed down harder on the book, willing it to cease lest they be discovered. There were raised voices at the front of the hut.

  “A woman and a man, they are traitors to the Emperor,” said a gruff voice.

  Peng replied in a calm tone. “I saw some people on the road heading south to Qiantang, but I do not know how many.”

  The soldier who was questioning snorted. “Then why is it my men saw you and your sons running back to this hut? What are you afraid of?”

  Xi Shi wondered just how many soldiers were with this man.

  Peng maintained his calm demeanor. “We did not know the nature of your business, sir. I wished to hurry back here to tell my wife to prepare tea and rice for our visitors.”

  Xi Shi was even more impressed with Peng.

  “Very good. Then you won’t mind if I look around while my men have some tea?” The soldier’s sneer came across in his words.

  For the first time Peng’s voice faltered. “I assure you, sir, we have nothing to hide. Why not rest yourself while my wife—“

  “Don’t toy with me, peasant. My asking your permission is merely a courtesy. I could run you through where you stand if I so desired.”

  Wang Xu looked to Xi Shi and pulled a short blade from beneath his robes. She followed his lead, pulling the glowing dagger out of the leather pouch. She had intended to wait for the soldier to come across the room and open the door, but something deep within her core rose to the surface, willing her body into action as if she was some sort of puppet.

  She held the dagger in front of her chest, pressed the hilt into her palm and spoke a litany from a mouth that was not her own. The greenish-blue glow intensified, building to an orb of shimmering light that traveled down the length of the blade and leapt from the tip in an arc of lightning that shattered the door outwards into a thousand tiny shards.

  The soldier must have been quite seasoned. While the look on his face attested to his surprise, he had drawn his blade and was alerting the other soldiers. She could hear them clattering up the narrow steps of the hut.

  For reasons not entirely known to her, Xi Shi flung her body toward the blinded windows of the hut as Wang Xu rushed out of the room toward the soldier. She twirled, putting her back to the blinds right before impact. As they shattered around her, she saw that Peng had placed a foot behind the soldier’s knee, pushing him toward Wang Xu. Jia and her mother were huddled in the corner of the hut and her mother was using the wok as a makeshift shield.

  Xi Shi threw her arms out wide and leaned forward so that when her feet hit the ground beneath the shallow water they quickly took hold. Water rose up in sheets around her and dropped back to the ground glowing with an electric green hue. The men on the steps stopped their advance and turned to face her. One had entered the hut, but the other two seemed mesmerized by her.

  Again an unknown litany escaped her lips, but this time her wrist flicked to the right in a motion that seemed to command the glowing water. It swelled up quicker and larger than would have seemed possible. When it reached the steps the wave crashed over the heads of the men, sending them backwards over the edge.

  Like their leader, these men were also experienced. They wasted little time trying to make sense of the situation. Instead, they drew their weapons and rushed toward her, one on each side. Before they reached her, one of Peng’s sons hurled himself from the front of the hut and onto the soldier nearest her. The soldier writhed and flailed, but the boy kept a firm grasp on the man’s neck. The other soldier, seeing his comrade in distress, pulled a dagger from his belt, hefted it
, and then flung it at the boy. It found its mark, sinking deeply into the boy’s shoulder. He cried out in pain and fell backward into the water.

  The part of Xi Shi that was still her own, screamed so loud that it rippled the water at her feet. The soldier who had thrown the dagger at the boy was now on top of him, raising his sword above his head, preparing to thrust it downward.

  This time she commanded the book. It obeyed. A surge of energy pushed outward from her core and through her extremities. She swiveled around like a typhoon and released the blade at precisely the right moment. It whistled through the damp air and struck the soldier at the base of the neck. He spasmed, dropped his sword and fell backward, his crimson blood mingling with the murky water creating a morbid tapestry.

  The other soldier, perhaps emboldened upon seeing she was no longer armed, charged her. He raised his sword above his head and lunged. She dipped low, thrust her hand upward, and caught his wrist while pushing her right shoulder into his ribs. The armor protected him, but he still cartwheeled over her and landed awkwardly in the water. He recovered quickly, but this time he took up a defensive position, eyeing her warily.

  Without thought, she voiced a phrase that called out to the jade dagger, commanding it to return. A moment later she was holding it as she had before. Point outward, her palm over the hilt, and just as before, the light grew and travelled the length of the blade. This time the arc danced wildly until it hit the surface of the water. The light swam through the water like a shark locked on its prey. The man’s eyes went wide as the light hit his leg and the charge rushed through his body. He fell to the water, twitching and convulsing, blood erupting from every orifice. Finally the convulsions stopped and his blood fanned out in ripples away from his body.

  Xi Shi heard movement behind her. She turned to see Peng’s son trying to stand, the dagger still firmly lodged in his shoulder. She pushed the jade dagger back in the pouch and rushed to his side. His eyes roved over her and his skin was losing its color. She placed a hand on his chest and then pressed the other against the book, willing energy from it to the boy as though she was a conduit.

  Wang Xu leapt down from the hut and trudged through the water toward her. He had several cuts and gashes, but they were mostly superficial. Apparently they had dispatched the two soldiers inside. She wondered if Jia and Lin were safe.

  “Hold him steady,” said Wang Xu. “I’ll pull out the dagger.”

  She held the boy as Wang Xu tore a length of cloth from his robe. With a deft motion, he pulled the dagger out and pushed the end of the cloth into the wound. Then he wrapped the remaining length around the boy’s arm and tied it off.

  “We should get him inside.” She placed a hand on Wang Xu’s arm. “What of the rest of Peng’s family?”

  He met her gaze. “The girl and the woman are fine, but his other boy…” He looked away.

  “Is he alive?”

  “Barely.”

  Xi Shi rushed toward the hut, slowing only to pull herself inside. Peng and Lin were at the boy’s side, and Jia was stroking his hair, tears streaming down her cheeks. One of the crewmen lay in a heap on the far side of the room and the other kneeling over him speaking in hushed tones. A prayer for the departed perhaps?

  Peng reached up and grabbed her hand. The look in this strong man’s eyes brought her to her knees. He had indeed sacrificed his family for her. Now his son was dying, a deep red gash running the length of his waist. His body shook lightly and tiny beads of sweat dotted his exposed skin. His lips were blue and he gasped for air like a Paddlefish plucked from the Yangtze.

  She pulled the book from the pouch and held it to her chest, calling to it, pleading with it to help the boy.

  I cannot, Protector.

  You must, she willed back to it.

  This fight has weakened you too much. We must be away.

  Not until you restore this boy’s life.

  You do not understand. The power to do such a thing comes from within you. I am an instrument.

  Then I will give what I have freely.

  I need you to be whole, Protector. I cannot allow it.

  Then I will end our journey here.

  Xi Shi took the dagger from the pouch and pressed it to her throat. She was vaguely aware of Peng’s pleas. He must think me mad, she thought.

  Again she willed her thoughts to the book. There is enough within me.

  Very well.

  The clear orb in the center ring of the book shimmered to life with the now familiar greenish-blue glow. Xi Shi dropped the knife and instinctively pressed the book down over the boy’s wound. Light shot from the orb and into her chest. Her back arched and her ears bled. She was above herself looking down. Everything stood still. Every being. Every particle. A thousand bells rang on top of a thousand mountains across a thousand seas. Xi Shi fell back to her body. She felt her face hit the ridges of the bamboo floor. The light flickered, faded away. All was quiet once more.

  Ensorcelled

  Sirens and shouting in the distance propelled Ana forward. Doctor Gabriel let go of her hand, fished in his pocket and pulled out a key. A second later she heard a quick beep and saw the lights flash on a green Volvo parked along the curb.

  “Get in, Ana.” The Doctor held a door open for her, ushering her inside.

  She hesitated for a moment. “How did you find me?”

  “Ana, we don’t have time for this.” Something flickered in his eyes. “Get in the car. I’ll explain on the way.”

  Somewhere behind her the scuffling of shoes on concrete caught her attention. She looked back to see one of the policemen rounding the corner. He caught sight of her and pulled a gun from a holster.

  “Ana!” The Doctor pleaded.

  Before she could jump through the open door, the Doctor rounded the car, jumped in and started it up. She managed to close the door just before it would have impacted the truck they were parked behind. She glanced back to see the policeman slowing his momentum and reaching for a radio. He’ll be calling in the tag, she thought.

  “Why are you risking yourself for me?”

  The Doctor glanced in the rearview mirror before replying. “I told you, Ana, you’re in grave danger. I don’t think we can even trust the police.”

  He looked as though he hadn’t slept in days. He was unshaven and she could see that his facial hair was graying just like the hair at his temples. Despite his disheveled appearance, Ana felt reassured in his presence, if somewhat confused by how he had come to be here at this exact place at this exact time.

  “How on Earth did you find me?”

  The Doctor slowed the car, dropped it into a lower gear, and then whipped it around the next corner. The tires squealed in protest as he pushed down hard on the gas and urged the car onto a narrow lane. He checked the mirrors again.

  “After you escaped, I thought hard about where you might go. Then I remembered our session when you recalled a name.”

  “A name?”

  “Hannah Klein. Do you remember?”

  “Yes.” Ana fidgeted with her necklace, her fingers brushing over the tiny golden chrysanthemum. Lee’s face flashed before her. She cast her eyes to the floor.

  The Doctor placed a hand on her knee. “What is it, Ana?”

  She choked back tears. “They killed Lee.”

  “I’m so sorry. That just proves how much danger you’re in.” He looked as though he was going to say something else, then thought better of it.

  “What?” She looked up at him.

  He hesitated a moment as though he were weighing his words carefully. “Why did Lee bring you here?”

  “He had reason to believe that the others were gathering here.”

  “The Horsemen?”

  The color left Ana’s face. “How do you know about the Horsemen?”

  “Hannah Klein, or rather her relative.” The Doctor slowed the car again, taking a side road. The shops and bistros gave way to a decidedly more
industrial area. “I did some research on the name and it led me to a woman in Berlin, Gertrud Braun. She’s Hannah Klein’s niece.”

  “Did you speak with her?”

  “I spoke with her over the phone. She told me that her Aunt had warned her about the Horsemen and then she hung up. When I went to her apartment she was gone, and none of her neighbors knew where she went.”

  Ana pulled the yellow slip of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. “What was her address?”

  “44 Alte Schönhauser Strasse, Apartment 209.”