by Ian Somers
‘I have not stopp’d mine ears to their demands,
Nor posted off their suits with slow delays;
My pity hath been balm to heal their wounds,
My mildness hath allay’d their swelling griefs
My mercy dried their water-flowing tears;
I have not been desirous of their wealth,
Nor much oppress’d them with great subsidies,
Nor forward of revenge, though they much err’d:
Then why should they love Edward more than me?
No, Exeter, these graces challenge grace:
And when the lion fawns upon the lamb,
The lamb will never cease to follow him.’
He had read one of the passages on the page word for word. A random extract, without ever seeing the text. The ink-seeing gift at its very best. The book fell harmlessly onto my lap as Sterling returned to the centre of the floor.
‘Will I show you more?’ he asked. ‘Gift six: The electro-psych.’
The lights dimmed as a flurry of sparks ran over Sterling’s body. There was bright lines shooting out from his hands and his eyes, snapping at the floor and the low ceiling. Then they suddenly disappeared, and Sterling grinned at me malignly. The hairs on my head stood on end and my skin began to tingle all over.
‘You are now surrounded by enough electricity to kill a hundred men. It has actually made contact with your body, yet you are unharmed. It is impressive to electrocute someone, or to summon lightning from the sky, but the hardest trick is to negate the effects of electricity as I am now doing.’
‘Gift seven,’ he said, disappearing before reappearing by the desk. ‘The space-rupter.’ Again he disappeared. Within an instant he was sitting right next to me on the couch. ‘The ability to pass out of our reality in order to move great distances in the blink of an eye.’ He was standing back in the centre of the room before he had finished his sentence.
The coin at my feet flew across the room at mesmerising speed and he caught it without looking. ‘Gift Eight: The Warper.’ He threw the coin towards the door then caught it before it impacted. He’d moved so fast that he was nothing more than a blur. He repeated the trick over and over again, crossing from one side of the floor to the next with blinding speed. ‘Forgive me,’ he said. ‘I cannot give you a more impressive display in such a confined place.’
‘Gift nine: The light-tuner.’ The room went black and a myriad of light orbs twinkled as they moved closer to the centre of the floor to form a galaxy that spun hypnotically. The ability to create light orbs was one thing, to manipulate them in such a complex manner was another thing entirely. Even Hunter and Canavan were incapable of such a trick. He didn’t just possess these powers, he had mastered them.
‘The rest of the fifteen true gifts are difficult to display. I assure you, though, that I can use them in ways that others can only dream of. When you challenge me, Ross, you do not face a simple gift. With me you face all of the true gifts. That is what my true power is. But I am even more than that. I also possess the Seductor Mortis. A gift you have little or no understanding of. Shall I give a little taste of what is possible with the sixteenth gift? Yes, let me show you how it works.’
I felt a burning sensation growing all over my body. It was followed by severe pain in my shoulder and stomach. I was still clenched in the invisible grip and could do nothing to protect myself. The pain grew and grew. My body felt like it was on fire – as if someone was stabbing me in the shoulder and stomach with white hot pokers. I tried to contain myself, not wanting to show weakness in front of Sterling. I didn’t hold out long, I was soon screaming in agony. The stitches were torn out of my flesh and I almost passed out, such was the pain. Then without warning it subsided. The heat within me fell, as did the pain. I was released from the grip and I opened my shirt to see that my wounds were no more. It was as if I had never been shot.
I looked to Sterling as his arms fell limply by his side. He sucked in deep breaths and leaned on the walking stick as he clumsily made his way behind the desk.
‘Now do you understand what I can do?’ he panted. ‘Well?’
‘The power to give life and the power to take it …’
‘Yes. A living man with the power of a god.’ He fell into the chair behind the desk and sighed. ‘Forgive me, it has been many years since I used that gift. The wound on your stomach is not entirely healed. It will take a few weeks more for your body to fully recover. I have already pushed myself too far. I dare not use the Seductor Mortis again.’
‘Why would you fear to use such a gift?’
‘Because it is more dangerous than you can comprehend.’
‘Why did you save my life? Why are you healing me? I won’t work for you again if that’s what you’re thinking. I won’t fall for your lies.’
‘I saved your life for more than one reason. I healed you to prove a point, and also because I don’t want you to suffer. Whether you work for me again is your own decision. I will allow you to leave this place very soon. Your life is your own to lead. As for the lies, I apologise. There have been many lies told to you. There was little malice in the deception, I promise you. We were only trying to protect you.’
‘From what?’
‘Mainly from yourself.’
‘Enough with the riddles,’ I demanded as I rose from the couch. I stomped across the floor to the desk and demanded that he tell me the truth.
‘Sit,’ he pointed at the second chair. ‘Please, Ross.’
‘No.’
‘Sit! You know I can force you to if I wish. Give me a couple of hours of your time. That is all I ask. I will tell you everything you need to know. There is no longer any need to hide the truth from you.’
I reluctantly sat. I still had no power within me and thought it would be best not to test his patience. I would at least hear him out before trying to find a way out.
‘We have crossed paths a few times, haven’t we?’
‘Yes,’ I answered. ‘Usually in sinister or tragic circumstances.’
‘Did you think me a villain on those occasions?’
‘I thought you to be a commanding figure,’ I admitted. ‘Someone who deserved respect. A decent person. But appearances can be very deceiving.’
‘Yes, I agree. They can be. And you said Romand told you about the real me. James Barkley. What did he say about my former self?’
‘That you were supremely gifted.’
‘And?’
‘That you were setting up a group like the Guild. Said you were a good man.’
‘I was a good man. If not somewhat foolish, as most young men are. It is also true that I was setting up a modest version of the Guild. I guess it’s as good a place as any to begin the story. It’s a story you need to hear. I promise it will be factual. And you play a leading role in it.’
‘How could I play a lead part in your story?’
‘Perhaps a lead role only in the latter chapters.’ He clasped his hands together and stared at the ceiling, a hint of a smile on his lined face. ‘My story begins when I was twelve years old. It is a time in a person’s life when they start to learn about the world and make discoveries about themselves. The discoveries I made would mean that my life was to be very different than I thought it would be. I was a skinny kid and a bit shy, not the sporting type that makes you popular in school. Some of the other kids called me a nerd because I enjoyed mathematics and chemistry. They stole my lunch money. Occasionally there was a Chinese burn or a punch in the arm. I put up with it until one day I lost my temper with one of my classmates. He made fun of me in front of a group of girls and I lost my temper. I swung for him and missed, falling flat on my face. Embarrassed, I jumped up immediately and swung at him once more. Again I missed. My fist passed his face without ever making contact. Everyone else thought I had hit him, because his nose was shattered as I threw the punch. It was the first time I used psychokinesis. That one moment changed everything in my life.
‘As my teenage year
s passed by I realised that I had more than one power. I could create fire at will, and manipulate it in any manner I saw fit. I had a measure of control over electricity and I could also sense things before they happened. In later years I would realise that I possessed four of the true gifts: psychokinesis, pyrokinesis, electro-psyching and precognition. A combination of abilities that made me a very powerful young man. It also made me a very sought after young man.
‘I was around your age when I became aware of the gifted world. It was Peter Williams who made first contact with me. I was living in Chicago at the time and never realised that one of the Guild’s American agents had been keeping an eye on me since my early teenage years. When I reached nineteen years of age they decided it was time to approach me. Williams struck up a conversation with me at a bar. At first I thought he was a strange English gent with dubious motives. It was only when he discreetly displayed his powers that I took him seriously. He told me that the Guild had been greatly impressed by the gifts that I had, and my control over them, and even by the manner in which I used them. He invited me to travel back to England with him and to learn of the Guild and train to be an agent.
‘It was a tantalising prospect. But one I ultimately declined. I was a content young man, you see. I liked my life and had lots planned for the years ahead. I told Williams that perhaps one day I would visit him in England, but for the moment I wanted to see some of the world. Williams, dear fellow that he was, didn’t take offence. Instead he gave me the names and addresses of other gifted young people who lived in the United States. He believed it would be beneficial for us to get to know one another – strength in numbers and all that. It took me twelve months to track them all down. Some didn’t want to know me; they feared their gifts and only wished for a normal life. Others, twelve in total, were like me; they wanted to learn more about the gifts and to be around people like themselves. Our merry little band travelled across the United States then through Mexico into South America. I’d never been so content before … or since …
‘In the spring of 1989 we went back to the United States and went our separate ways for a few months. It was during this time that I noticed changes in me. I was enduring dreadful headaches and memory loss. I was seeing phantoms appear in the night. Ghostly white figures watched me in silence. I thought I was going mad. In reality, though, my mind was struggling to cope with the coming of more gifts – the phantoms are symptomatic of pure prophecy.’
This part of his story stunned me. I too had suffered with the headaches, memory loss and seeing white phantoms. I was about to ask him to explain it further when he went on with his story.
‘I also became aware that I could see into the past and future when I touched objects and I was also capable of sensing the emotions of others. It was a lot to deal with. And I was struggling to deal with it all. That was when I was at my most vulnerable, and as is often the case, this was the time when my life came under threat.
‘I had another visitor. This one was not as pleasant as Peter Williams. Her name was Rita Mitchell. She was a director of a little-known company called Golding Scientific at the time. Somehow they found out about my powers and she asked if I would work for the company. The money she offered was quite an eye opener for a man of my age. It wasn’t tempting enough. Something felt very wrong about Mitchell, and I saw her true self when I rejected her offer. She told me that Paul Golding would not be taking no for an answer and that she would return with some of her colleagues in a few weeks to see if I had changed my mind.
‘A month passed and, true to her word, she returned. This time she had two men with her – both partially gifted and armed to the teeth. I was adamant that I would not work for the company and when they tried to rough me up, I killed one of the men, injured the other, and told Mitchell it would be wise to forget about me.’
‘Golding wouldn’t have liked that answer,’ I said.
‘No, he didn’t. More of his henchmen came. Each time they were more violent and demanding. I repelled them as best I could before going on the run. I gathered my friends together, told them about Golding and the danger he represented, and we left the United States for France. Together we rented a chateau near Toulouse for a little over a month and kept a very low profile. We spent endless nights debating about what to do. Eventually it was decided that we should join the Guild. They could protect us from Golding or anyone else who threatened us. I phoned Williams and asked if we could meet with him, with a view to signing up to the Guild. To my surprise he refused my request. He went on to warn me not to approach the Guild and to stay clear of England. Apparently the Guild had a new leader. He was a tyrant who was trying to turn the organisation into the beginnings of a fascist army.’
‘Blake?’
‘Yes, it was our troublesome friend Brian Blake. Williams also warned me off entering China, Japan or Korea. These nations were occupied by JNCOR, the modern incarnation of the Jin Assassins. There seemed to be danger everywhere. While I spoke to Williams, I also confided in him that I had developed more of the true gifts. He said it was an extremely rare phenomena, and that he only knew of one such person who had ever displayed more than three gifts. He advised me to travel to the Strahov Monastery Library in the former Czechoslovakia. There lay the only copy of an ancient text that would help me to understand what was possible by having so many of the true gifts.’
Sterling held out his hand and a book flew from the shelf across the room into his grasp. He placed it on the desk and pushed it towards me. The title embossed on the tarnished leather cover read: The Vinlorn Chronicle.
‘This is the book. I broke into the library and stole it as soon as we reached Prague. It’s been in my possession ever since. This dates back to the fifth century, however, the story it tells is much older. The events that it describes were recorded by a Greek historian in the third century BC. It tells the tale of a young man, Vinlorn, who lived in ancient Egypt. He was a renowned soldier that came to notoriety when he displayed many supernatural powers. It is easy, with our current knowledge of the true gifts, to identify what these powers were. He was elevated to the highest reaches of Egyptian society. Finally becoming chief advisor and protector to the pharaoh. This is not an uplifting story, though. Vinlorn became a troubled man, dogged by phantoms, suffered bouts of paranoia, often flew into tantrums and had cruel pains in his skull. Those around him claimed he was descending into madness, and understandably that caused a lot of panic because of the powers he possessed. They imprisoned him while he was at his most vulnerable. Not a wise course of action on their part. When he overcame his troubles he broke free and it was said that he had the power to take life at will. A simple glance or a mere touch could wither the strongest of men. The scribe who translated the original story from Greek to Latin called it the Seductor Mortis. The fabled sixteenth gift.
‘After reading the book I grew wary of the transformation I was undergoing. I feared that I might give in to madness and use this mysterious power to hurt others. I hoped that I would never attain it, or that it was nothing more than an obscure myth from ancient times.
‘My friends and I felt unsafe in eastern Europe and opted to travel to India, before moving onto the Indonesian islands that summer. It felt safe at first. We were immature, though, and ignorant to the lengths to which unscrupulous bastards like Golding would go to in order to get what they wanted. Then came that fateful day…
‘I think Golding viewed me and my friends as a threat to him. Not an immediate threat, but as his influence and wealth was growing, he probably believed that we collectively had the strength to destroy all that he was building, if we set our minds to it. That’s why he decided at that point to have us tracked and killed. We were unaware that a team of assassins had been hunting us for weeks. They caught up with us in Bali. They didn’t reveal themselves at first. They waited until we were out in the open, and that opportunity came when we hired a boat and set sail for a small, deserted island to the north. It was a particularly hot day
– sweltering even at 8am. The mood among us was optimistic and jovial. We intended to stay at that island for a couple of months, far away from the world and all the threats and violence within it – this was supposed to be the beginning of a wonderful time in our lives. We never suspected what was going to come for us later that day.
‘By this time the Guild had chased out Blake and reformed under the guidance of Jonathan Atkinson. He was a fine man with a keen intellect. But he was not without a ruthless streak. Soon after he assumed control of the Guild he led an attack against Armamenti Tal-Future. They were a private military company who hired and trained gifted soldiers, and supplied them to whoever was willing to pay for their services. The Guild found the headquarters of the operation in Malta and assassinated all the directors. The company fell into disarray and the Guild welcomed in the stray mercenaries. Two of them slipped through the net. Boxer was one of them. Melissa Nijinska was the other. She was the strongest mageleton in the world at that time. And she was the one who Golding had sent to Indonesia to murder my friends and me. She also had the assistance of a team of partially gifted assassins – most were ex-military types who had no problems in murdering innocent young people.
‘It’s funny how the human mind works … I couldn’t tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday, yet I can recall every single detail about that summer afternoon on the island. We arrived on the eastern shore at precisely 3.04pm – I remember looking at my watch before diving over the side of the boat into the turquoise waters. The others guided the boat to the shore and unloaded the crates of beer, the tents and food for a barbecue we intended to have that evening. It was a perfect moment in a perfect place, with perfect people.’ Sterling smiled fondly as he stared at nothing. ‘Perfection.’
‘Perfection didn’t last long.’ His smile quickly evaporated. His brow became furrowed. His eyes went narrow with bitterness. ‘I made my way onto the beach and stood next to my good friend, Henrik Valstrom. He had a keen eye, did Henrik, and it was he who noticed a small boat anchored about a mile off shore. I started to feel dreadfully ill. My precognitive power was in full flow, warning me that a great threat was upon me. I didn’t have time to alert the others. I was jogging along the beach towards them when Henrik shouted at me.