“I have no idea who or what these people are. For all I know they’re going to do something horrible to me. The only reason I haven’t deleted this is because they seem to know something about me that only I and my adoptive mother know. Which reminds me, I should call and make sure she’s okay.” He reached for his cell phone. “Yuki, could you please excuse me for a few minutes? Grab your stuff; we’re going to be leaving in a bit.” She bowed slightly and exited the room, closing the door behind her. He dialed the number for his mother in Norway, letting it ring several times before she answered the phone. “Hallo,” his mother said, in a sleepy voice, with her heavy Norwegian accent. “Oh, mom, I’m sorry, I forgot the time difference. How are you?” “Dorian, my baby! Oh, it’s so good to hear your voice. Let me turn down the TV,” she said, as the sound of some local news program got louder and then became inaudible.
“How have you been, darling? Are you well?” she asked, switching from English to Norwegian.
“I am well, mamma. I called because I was concerned about you. How have you been? Has anything unusual happened recently?” “Well, I am fine, but everything around the world is in chaos. I don’t know what to make of it. We have a lot of recent refugees from Iceland after all the volcanoes went off there. I’m sure you heard about it. I was thinking of letting a family stay at the cottage, unless you are planning to visit.” This made him happy to hear because he could use the opportunity to surprise her and knew she would be excited to see him. “As a matter of fact, I am coming, and I’ll be bringing a friend. Actually she’s a researcher in my lab- from Japan,” he said, wincing for the impending reaction. “A woman? Oh, how nice! Is she married?” “Okay, Mamma,” he interjected. She ignored him. “I bet she is pretty. Those Japanese women are beautiful.” “Mamma, please. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning and we’ll reach there sometime around midnight or one a.m. Friday. Don’t worry about picking us up, I’ll rent a car at the airport. Just get the spare room ready for her, I can sleep on the couch. We’ll go to the cottage on Saturday. Sound good?” “I can’t wait. I’m so excited, I’ll make some torsk for us and we can have some potetstappe, I’ll make lefse, and we can have-,” She was carrying on when Dorian interrupted. “Mom, there’s two of us, not an army. I’m looking forward to seeing you. I’m going to have to go now. I’ll call when we get to Amsterdam. Love you.” “Okay, I will see you tomorrow, bye-bye. I love you too. Bye-bye. Love you.” She managed to squeeze in a few more before he hung up. “Well, at least she seems to be all right. That’s a relief,” he murmured to himself. He looked at his monitor again and tried to highlight the text in order to figure out how he could see the message but Yuki couldn’t. 'What did they mean by human experiment coming to an end?' He rubbed his hand over the strange implanted disc on the back of his neck. “I wonder if any of this has to do with all that has been going on in the world?” Writing down the words from the email, Dorian traced the image on the screen to his paper and put it in his pocket. He got up from his desk chair and went into the lab to look for Engel. “Has anyone seen Engel?” he asked the nearby students, who were having a conversation about the recent protests. “I think he went- he’s right behind you,” Carol, the pre-med student, replied. “Engel, you got a minute?” “Sure, I got your voice message. What did you need?” Dorian handed him an envelope. “What’s this?” Engel asked, holding it up to the light.. “It’s a small Christmas bonus and a bit extra for helping me out. I need two favors. First, I need you to cover my office hours tomorrow. It shouldn’t be a big deal because I had a small lecture today with most of the students who care about their grade, so tomorrow should be just a few stragglers, if any. Second, I need you to proctor the exams for my classes. That’s what the bonus is for. You won’t have to grade them; it’s going to be a multiple choice exam that the computer can grade. They can take the exam from home if they want to, but I just need you available in case something goes wrong.”
“By the way, nice playing. I saw you performing at the Blind Pig,” he said with admiration. Engel perked up when Dorian mentioned his band. “Thanks. We’ve been practicing together for about 6 months now. I wrote most of the songs. I’m writing one about the attack on the Stock Markets. By the way, have you seen all the military vehicles around here lately? What’s up with that?” “I’m not sure what is going on, I don’t like the looks of it,” Dorian replied. “Anyway, yeah. Uh, no problem, I can cover your office hours and proctor the exam. I’ll get with Kasia and see what I need to do. Where are you going this time? Is everything okay?” “I need to check up on some things. I’ll be gone through the break. Keep an eye on the lab for me. I’m leaving you in charge.” Engel gave him a strange look. “Isn’t Yuki staying? I figured since she was back she would” he stopped as he noticed Kasia giving him the throat-slash sign with her finger. “Right, then. I’ll make sure the lab doesn’t blow up while you’re away,” he said, grinning.
“Oh, I see. You give him a present but not me. So that’s how it is,” Kasia said, with her usual mock derision. “And here I thought you'd already left,” Dorian sighed, and walked over to her desk. “I would never forget about you,” he said, handing her an envelope. “I was only kidding, but I’ll take it anyway. I need the money. I have lots and lots of things to buy with it.” “You have my number; call me if anything comes up. Have the grades submitted to Blackboard and I can post them on Monday. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everybody.” He turned to leave and the students in the lab wished him Merry Christmas and said goodbye. Yuki followed him out of the lab and Dorian handed her an envelope also. She looked a bit sad, as if she was still just another employee to him. “It’s only fair that I compensate you, especially after what you’ve been through and what you’re doing to help me. It’s not Christmas yet,” he said, an off handed suggestion that something of a more personal nature might be in store. She smiled and her mood improved.
“Well, our flight isn’t until tomorrow, so if you have things to do or catch up on, I can come pick you up in the morning if you want,” he said, trying to be polite. She smiled and bumped into him with her hip a bit.
“I shouldn’t leave you alone. What if something happens and I’m not there? Or what if someone comes after me? I won’t have you there to protect me,” she said with a grin. “Okay then, we’ll head to your place and you can pack what you need to and then we’ll grab some dinner and go to my place,” he replied. They left the building together and went to her apartment. When they got inside, he could smell the faint aroma of Asian cooking in the air along with a lemon air freshener that was past its prime. The apartment was very clean and organized; sparsely decorated with a few plants here and there along with a hodge-podge of furniture. Adorning the walls were a few pictures of Yuki and her family at various vacation spots. One picture showed her and her sister wearing skiing outfits with a mountain backdrop. “I didn’t know you skied. I grew up in Colorado, and I love skiing. We have some nice slopes in Norway, maybe we can find time to go,” he said, happy that they had something else in common. “I would very much like that. My sister and I have skied Mt. Fuji since we were little; that picture was taken in Switzerland.” He continued to look about her apartment. Apparently she was fond of rabbits, because she had rabbit slippers, rabbit stuffed animals, rabbit pajamas, bunny earmuffs, and other accouterments strewn throughout the place. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked politely. “No, thanks. I see you’re fond of rabbits….and romance novels, judging by that stack over there,” he said. She smiled and laughed a bit. “Well, not all of them are romance novels, just the top seven or so. I also like romantic mysteries, murder-romance, vampire-romance, and science fiction novels.” Dorian began to see where she got her vivid imagination from. The sound of keys rattling could be heard outside of the apartment, followed by a bang at the door. A second later it opened and Yuki's sister stumbled across the threshold with an oversized suitcase in hand. “Careful!” Yuki shouted. “Here, let me help you with that,�
� Dorian said, reaching for the suitcase. Aki smiled at him. “Who's the cute guy?” she asked in her native tongue. “That is Dr. Lystad, the Professor I work under. He is fluent in Japanese by the way,” she replied. Aki turned a slight shade of pink and smiled. “Hi there, nice to meet you,” Dorian said, offering a handshake. “You two probably have a bit of catching up to do, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” “Where are you going?” Yuki asked impatiently. “I'll be back in a few minutes, keep packing. Oh, and don’t forget to pay your traffic ticket,” he replied. “Says the man who normally needs to be reminded of everything,” she shot back. He laughed. “Okay, you got me there.” At the flower shop down the street, he stopped and picked up a dozen roses along with a bunny balloon. He returned about ten minutes later with the gifts. “I figured this might brighten up the apartment a bit. I know we’re leaving tomorrow, but I wanted to say I'm sorry for all that you've had to go through,” he said, handing her the flowers and balloon. “Oh, it’s so cute. Arigato gozaimasu,” she said, bowing with a huge grin on her face. Aki was gushing over the gifts as well and seemed a bit jealous. Dorian had obviously made her very happy with his gesture, which might have been received as something more than what he intended. He had never found the time for romance in his life; his father passed away when he was seventeen, requiring him to work two jobs to help support his mother, sacrificing much of his adolescent years. His mother, once a world renowned concert pianist, continued to work by teaching at the local university and to children in the neighborhood, but it didn’t pay all that much. Still, they managed to keep the cottage in Norway, and when his mother retired and moved back she was able to purchase a small house with assistance from Dorian. By then, his focus was on his work, which consumed much of his personal time and prevented him from forming any relationships.
Seven
If the flowers and balloon weren't enough to send Aki over the edge, the revelation that Yuki was going to Europe with Dorian certainly did. After the two had argued for some time Aki closed herself in her room to sulk while Yuki and Dorian carried the bags to the car.
“You have your passport, right?” “Yes, sir. It's getting quite full. Might need another one soon, depending where we go next,” she laughed. They stopped at a local grocer to pick up a few supplies and headed towards his house. Making a quick glance in the rear-view mirror he noticed a white van with several occupants was following him. The roads were far too icy for him to attempt any evasive maneuvers Yuki noticed his serious expression as he silently looked in the rear-view mirror. “Is something wrong?” “Well,” was all he managed to say before she checked to see what was holding his attention. “The white van! That's the one that was following me before. Do you know who they are?” she asked in a panic. “Not a clue. Don’t worry, I have an idea,” he said, turning down a road away from where he lived. There was still a bit of daylight out so he decided to head towards a busier section of town. He brought the car to a halt at the side of the road and the white van pulled behind them. “Stay here,” he said. He put the gear in park but kept the engine running. “What are you doing? Get back here!” she shouted as he got out of the car. Reaching inside his coat pocket he felt for the handle and trigger of the taser he had on him, just in case things got out of control. As he made his way toward the van he made eye contact with one of the two occupants. One of them was an older woman, most likely in her late sixties or early seventies; the other was a middle-aged man who was at the wheel. They were talking to each other as Dorian approached, almost arguing. He stood alongside their vehicle and motioned for the driver to roll down the window.
“Hi, there,” Dorian said politely. “Is there a reason why you’ve been following us? Can I help you with something?” He looked inside to see if they were about to use some type of weapon against him. “Are you Dorian, son of Esma?” the woman asked across the window. “Esme,” he said, correcting her. “How do you know that name? Who are you?” They both started to speak, then the older woman smacked the driver across the chest. “Be quiet, will you?” she snapped, giving him a dirty look. The old woman got out of the van and approached Dorian carefully, as if she had not seen him in many years and was trying to remember his face. Her hair was long and grey, pulled back to expose a birthmark in the shape of a moon on the side of her head, and she wore a long wool coat. Judging from her accent and skin tone she was of middle-eastern descent. The woman walked with a limp over to where Dorian stood waiting on the sidewalk. The driver was thin and homely-looking, balding on top, with a sour expression, as if he was perturbed by the whole affair. “My name is Mahin Zadeh. How do you do,” she said, extending her gloved hand toward Dorian. He cautiously shook her hand with a bewildered look. “That is my useless son Shahin in the van over there. I’m sorry if we frightened you and your woman there. I was not sure how to approach you. I know what I’m going to tell you might sound crazy, but I am what you call a Seer, or what some refer to as a Prophet. I can see the future. It’s the truth,” she said with a grim expression. “You must be wondering what all this has to do with you?” Dorian could sense she meant him no harm so he relaxed his guard somewhat. “You might say that, yeah,” he replied with a slight smile. She began to look him over. “Hold out your hands,” she said, holding her own out. He held out his hands as she instructed. “Turn them over for me.” He did as she said, wondering what was going on. Yuki observed the scene from the car. She shut off the vehicle and cautiously walked over to see what was going on, keeping a bit of running distance between her and Mahin. Dorian looked over towards Yuki. “That’s fine, she can listen,” Mahin said to him.
“Who is she Dorian? What does she want from you?” Yuki asked, looking nervously at Mahin as Dorian flipped his hands around for her. “She says she’s a Seer, right?” he said, looking over at Mahin. “That’s right, young one. I do not mean any harm.” She glanced over at Yuki. “Hello, I’m Mahin. I am sorry if we frightened you before, I did not mean to. I was explaining to your friend here I had to give him a message. I am sorry to delay you.” She turned back to Dorian. “When I was about twenty-three, that would be right around the time you were born, I had a vision about you.” Dorian’s eyes widened. “Do not look so surprised young man; I know you are not as young as you look,” she said with a grin. “I was instructed to deliver the message to you from a higher power, so that you would know what to do when the time was right. Now, did you have anything strange happen to you recently?” Dorian was running out of patience. “Listen, I think this has gone on long enough. I’m a scientist, okay, I don’t want to be rude, I showed you my hands; they’re fine, see?” He was holding them up, flipping them around back and forth. “Show her the back of your head, Dorian,” Yuki piped in. “What is on the back of your head?” Mahin asked. Dorian shook his head. “Fine, then; have a look at my button. I’ll give you fifty bucks if you can take it off without killing me.” He turned around and pointed at the back of his head. “Okay, it’s okay,” she said trying to calm him. “I think I see what we have here. This was what I was looking for. I saw this object in my vision, you see, but I did not expect it to be there. You have the mark of Hermoni on you. He is one of the fallen. This cannot be removed by my hands. No, mmm, it cannot,” she said shaking her head. “Herman who?” he asked. “Hermoni. A Grigori. One of the watchers. Did you not receive the message?” “What message would that be?” he asked. “I don’t know what it said, but it should have a mark that looks like an oval with three wavy lines in the middle and some lines coming of the sides. Do you remember seeing that anywhere?”
He reached for the message in his pocket that had the traced sigil from the email that he received. Like this?” “Yes. That is it, that is the one. You are going use that sigil, but you should know that you face much danger ahead. In my vision I heard a voice and saw a figure standing before me those many years ago, and it frightened me to my bones. The voice was like an ocean and a great many voices all in one; and the being I saw- may God have mercy.” She pl
aced her hand over her heart. Dorian and Yuki stood there listening, mesmerized. For some reason the words Mahin spoke touched his spirit; he could feel a stirring in his heart. “Her face was the most beautiful and terrifying thing I have ever seen in my life, I cannot describe it with words; it’s not possible. Her eyes were like emeralds and lightning, and her hair was like living fire if such a thing could exist. She took my hand in hers and I felt an amazing sensation, as if I was flying and happier than I could possibly be. I saw her home and the love of her life. She showed me her transgression and her punishment to come and I could hardly bear it. I felt her pain, her sorrow at what happened.” Mahin was crying now. She had one hand on her mouth and held the other out, waving it back and forth to try and contain her emotions. “I saw you as a baby and as a young boy, and then I saw you as you are here today, and how you will be in the future from now. Young man, you have no idea how important you will be for us.
“She looked at me and told me this: 'Three notes make the chord; three instruments are required to play. The music is read with the aid of the stand. The mighty ones shall be your reward.' That is all she said to me and then I was back in the world. I was instructed to give you the message in this year and in this month.” Dorian looked exasperated. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what any of that means. How did you find us and why did you follow her?” he asked, while looking over at Yuki, who stood silent. “My visions,” Mahin said, gathering her thoughts, “are difficult to describe. They have a feeling along with a picture, almost like a memory. I knew you would be at the place near the gas station that night, I just didn’t know exactly when. We saw the police and decided it would not be a good time to approach you. The spirit left and returned today when we were on the road; I could feel your presence and I knew it was you. As soon as I saw your face,” she said, getting emotional again, “I knew I could finally fulfill her wishes for you.” Her son’s eyes widened. “I’ve been in a hotel for almost the whole month waiting for her to finish this thing so we could go home. Now, mother, are we done? Can we go now?” he asked impatiently through the driver’s side window. “You do not speak now! We will go when I say we are done, do you understand?” Shahin gave sour look and rolled up the window. “Is there anything you wish to ask me?”Mahin asked.
The Return of the Watchers (Armageddon Rising Book 1) Page 8