I tried to answer, but Ben had full control.
All around us was madness.
“Owion, help!” Mary’s voice called to me through the smoldering hole left by Azazel.
“Mary!” I yelled, taking control of my speech somehow.
The deceiver tries to lure you to him, came Ben’s voice in my head.
I paid him no heed. Mary had appeared in the darkness, and behind her, bright red eyes stared out at me.
Ben pleaded as I fought to go to her. He tries to weaken our connection! Fight the illusion.
“Let me go!” I screamed aloud, and Ben’s spirit surrounded my soul in a kind of spiritual bear hug.
The battle raged all around us. Two Cain approached, and Mushiro unleashed a fire spell that engulfed one—his sword took the head of the other. Father Killroy came to stand beside him, wielding his battle cross like a great axe and sending Cain flying. Shrieks and cries of pain issued from the demons as they bore the brunt of his holy wrath. Maximillian, Kronos, and Solomon came running through the crowd of children.
“Owion!” came Mary’s cry once more.
My fury gave me some control, and I turned to see Azazel standing behind her, holding her by the hair. He grinned, showing gleaming teeth, and clamped down on her neck.
She cried out and reached for me.
“Mary!” I managed to scream again.
Ben lifted my hand to cast another spell at the two of them, but I tore it back as the spell erupted from my palm. It shot straight up and exploded against the high ceiling.
“Let me go!” I cried, and expelled Ben’s spirit with a sudden force of will.
I ran for Mary, summoning my binding spell. As I barreled in, glowing chains appeared around Azazel, and he released her. I unsheathed my sword and brought it back, but a grin spread across the demon’s face, and he threw his arms out wide, destroying my spell with ease.
Darkness swirled out of his chest and slammed into mine. I staggered and fell to my knees as Mary’s body shuttered and convulsed on the floor. Azazel’s power coursed through my veins, and once again, my body was not mine to control.
I stood up and turned back on the battle. Demon spirits swirled above my allies, swooping down to attack randomly like diving birds. Father Killroy batted them away with his battle cross as Maximillian and Kronos hit the Cain with spells.
I fought against the intrusion with all my might, but Azazel’s power was that of a thunderous ocean.
Give yourself to me, or your sister will die, his voice echoed in my mind.
The pain was incredible, and I was sure I would die.
The demons had turned back on Old Ben, and I vaguely remember Maximillian kneeling beside a bloody Witch Solomon as Kronos came barreling through the Cain with his war hammer.
Give yourself to me!
I watched, horrified, as Azazel forced me to lift Mary by the neck and slam her against the bars of a cell.
“Leave her alone!” I screamed.
Would you sacrifice your sister to save your own soul?
I stared into Mary’s terrified eyes, and my heart broke. My hands cut off her air, and her face began to turn red. Soundless words formed on her blood-stained mouth, pleading for me to stop. I had to do something but was helpless against Azazel’s power.
“Stop hurting her,” I told him finally, “I’ll do whatever you want!”
Open yourself to me.
Suddenly I saw Mary as I had not before, and the realization of my folly hit me like a boulder. She was an illusion—just like the illusion during the Marks possession. I had fallen for it again.
As I realized this, my hands came together, and she shimmered out of existence. Azazel laughed in my head and turned me to face the others. Mushiro and Kronos were fighting through the last of the Cain, trying to reach me, but Old Ben was nowhere to be seen.
Then perhaps we will test your resolve on someone real…He raised my hand toward Mushi and began to conjure a spell.
With every ounce of strength I had left, I fought against his paralyzing influence and yelled, “Ben, I offer myself to you!”
Azazel let loose the spell as Ben reentered my body, sending my hand out wide, and the two fought for control over me.
Pay your debt to me and I will spare them all, Azazel said to Ben.
Ben fought with everything he had, but Azazel was too strong. Even lending what help I could, it was useless.
Suddenly there was a shift as Ben gave in. Both spirits flew from me and I fell to my knees—I had been floating just above the ground. When I raised my head, Ben was staring at me. Behind him stood Azazel, waiting. My mentor offered a smile and a nod, and turned to mist.
They were gone.
The big green bonfire disappeared, and dozens of howls echoed through the cellblock as the demons followed their master.
Chapter 21
Poor, Poor Richard
Of the two hundred or so Cain children, about fifty of them had been possessed. They were all tired, confused, hungry, and scared.
Witch Solomon had received a pretty nasty gash to her side, but between Maximillian’s and Kronos’s spells, and her own powers, she would live. She couldn’t be magically healed completely, but she could be tended to until greater concentration could be given to her injuries. Kronos looked beaten, battered, and bloody—and he never looked better. Maximillian favored his right side, but what was wrong with him, I didn’t know.
Aside from being possessed and tossed around, Mushiro came out in one piece. Dude had protected the unpossessed children and stood his ground. We even found a dead Cain in the doorway. He may be funny and cuddly, but Dude is a chimp, and chimps are badass. Killroy had his share of battle scars, but he was all right.
I, on the other hand, was a mess—physically, mentally, and spiritually. I sat on the hard concrete floor, staring at my hands. She seemed so real…her face, her eyes, her voice—but it was all an illusion, likely my own memory come to life. I was sickened. I had lured Ben to Azazel. I had been dangled from a string by one of the most skilled puppet masters to have ever walked the earth. I shouldn’t have blamed myself—after all, what fight was there to be had against one so powerful? Yet I did blame myself, my inability to see past the illusion. All along, Azazel had wanted Ben’s soul, and I led him straight to it.
Although Witch Solomon had injuries of her own, she insisted on working her mojo on me while Killroy hovered, murmuring prayers and tossing blessings. All the while, Kronos and Maximillian congregated. I thought to use a spell that might help me hear them, but I was spent and couldn’t have so much as lit a candle with magic.
Mushi came and slumped down on the floor beside me when Witch Solomon finished her work and went to confer with the others.
“How you feeling,” I asked.
“Shit, Rez…I feel like a demon wore me like cheap suit, what do you think?
“Sorry, man. My bad…I fell for Azazel’s plan.”
Mushi laughed and quickly grabbed his ribs with a groan. “Shitty plan—we kicked their asses and saved the kids.”
“This wasn’t about the kids. It was about Azazel getting even with Old Ben. Now the demon has his soul, all because of my dumb ass.”
He just stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Well…you drank Killroy’s blood and went crazy…started thrashing and talking in strange tongues, and cast the most powerful spells I’ve ever seen. What the hell happened?”
“Well—“
“And then you started kicking your own ass, yelling something about Old Ben…and everything went quiet. You beat Azazel…somehow.
“Old Ben gave his soul to save us,” I told him. “That was Azazel’s plan from the beginning.”
He no longer regarded me with skepticism, but ran a hand through his hair and took a deep, calming breath.
“Old Ben.” He almost chuckled. “That shit is real.”
“Jesus, Mushi. We’ve been bros for how many years? All this time
you thought I was delusional?”
“Sorry, Rez.”
Dude led the children out of the cellblock, holding two little girls’ hands.
Kronos came to Mushi and me. His usual grim expression regarded me warily. “Time to go,” he said.
I got to my feet with much effort. “Where are we bringing the children?”
“We bring children to safe place. You return to Boston with Mushiro.”
“I’m going with the kids—I found them. I’m going to see the mission through.”
“You do no such thing,” he said.
“Goddamn it, Kronos. Why do you have to be such an asshole all the time?”
He stared, unimpressed. “You were possessed by demon, Nikita—both of you. No way you being shown place we hide children. Now get asses out of here.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point. If I were him I would’ve done the same thing. Mushi and I were tainted goods—bruised fruit. Azazel could still have a connection to me, and through it might learn a great deal about Boston and the Order of Franklin. Likely, he already had.
“You’re right,” I said.
Kronos offered me the closest thing to a respectful nod he ever had. “Father Killroy will escort you back to gate. Stay in holding till we know demon has no link. Move.”
I nodded to Mushi and we walked over to where Killroy and the others were preparing to move the children. They all fell silent when we arrived.
Killroy offered me a nod, and Maximillian stepped forward. “None of this will be mentioned to anyone,” he said. “Killroy will bring you both back to Boston, and I will contact you shortly.”
“What do we say when they ask questions?” I asked.
“Nothing. Speak to no one.”
“Yes, Elder Wizard. Come on, Dude.”
“The chimp will remain with Killroy until you are released,” said Maximillian.
I nodded understanding. Dude came scampering over and I bent to his level. “Heya, Superchimp. I need you to guard the kids until they’re safely away, all right?”
He shook his head.
“Thanks, bro.” We high-fived.
Killroy led us out of the prison into the bright daylight, but the sun did nothing to light the darkness that was left in Azazel’s wake. I couldn’t stop thinking about Old Ben. A few miles’ walk down the road brought us to the Hummer Killroy had taken to get here. I jumped in the back and was out like a light before we had even begun down the road.
Thankfully, my sleep was dreamless.
I awoke to Mushi shaking me. My head swam and I threw up all over the leather seats. I tried to utter an apology, but darkness overcame me. I felt hands taking me up, and I was out again. When I woke next, I was lying on the floor of a padded cell, my leg shackled to the wall with about a two-foot lead. I realized I had been stripped of all possessions and now wore only a hospital gown.
The room boasted an impressive assortment of magical wards, the most powerful of all being the two devil’s traps on the floor and ceiling.
I guessed that the mirror to the left side of the room hid many prying eyes from my view. Behind it would be witches, wizards, and priests, trying to determine if any connection remained between me and Azazel. I knew Mushi was in a similar room, and wondered when the poking and prodding would begin.
“Hello!” I called, after what must have been hours of staring at the mirror. “Can we get this shit over with?”
No one answered.
I fell asleep again, at some point in my waiting, and dreamt of Old Ben. He didn’t come to me personally, but rather his life, as I understood it from his biography, played out before me. He had received a menial education, yet he had an insatiable appetite for reading. As a boy he had been sent to work as an apprentice to his brother, and so began his career in printing. The man had eventually gone on to invent more things than I can remember, and was instrumental in helping to form the former United States of America. While bored, on a trip back to America, he charted the Gulf Stream. Much is known about the man, and far more unknown. He is also one of the first American wizards and the founder of the order of which I am part.
The clang of metal on metal jolted me awake, and Maximillian and Father Killroy entered the room.
“Have I been cleared yet, or what?” I asked, as the door closed behind them.
“Patience,” said the elder wizard.
Killroy only offered a kind smile and began chanting in Latin. He doused me with holy water as he read from a huge tome, held open by his big mitt, and Maximillian hit me with a spell that tingled through my body. They kept at it for at least an hour before leaving me panting and soaked with sweat. A tray of food and water was brought in, and I greedily scarfed it down with such vehemence that I likely gained myself more testing.
They returned many times, sometimes accompanied by other priests and wizards, and the occasional elder witch. After what seemed like a week, I was finally released and brought to a room that held my clothes—but no magical items. From the changing room I was led to a kind of boardroom. At the opposite end, Killroy, Kronos, and Maximillian waited. Mushiro was seated opposite them, and he turned to regard me with question.
“Please, have a seat,” said Maximillian.
I sat down next to Mushi and searched Killroy for answers. He only smiled.
“So…have we been cleared, or what?” I asked them.
“We can find no trace of demonic possession,” said Killroy.
Kronos was quick to add, “this does not mean you are clear.”
“You have both passed all the tests that we have,” said Maximillian, with a glance to Kronos, “but we need more time to be sure.”
“How much longer?” I asked.
“You are both free to leave here today, but you are not yet allowed to return to the Temple of Light,” said Maximillian.
“You ran tests and you found nothing. What’s the problem?” Mushi asked.
“Problem is, you were possessed by demon. Cannot risk exposure,” said Kronos.
“So you don’t trust your own tests? Then what’s the point of the testing?” Mushi laughed.
They offered no argument.
“Till when?” I asked.
“Until we are sure,” said Kronos.
“Look,” I said, “you ran your tests, you found nothing—Azazel is gone. He wanted Old Ben’s soul, and thanks to me, he got it. Rather than wasting our time, how about we think up a way to help him. He saved all of us.”
They stared at me like I was special in the head.
“All right, this shit is getting old. I have been in contact with the ghost of Benjamin Franklin ever since I became an apprentice. I don’t know why he appears to me, but he does. Is it really that hard to believe that the ghost of the damned founder of the order lingers in Boston? What do you think happened at the prison? You think Azazel just retreated on his own?”
“We don’t know what happened at the prison,” said Maximillian.
“Could be Azazel possesses you now, and this why demons fled,” Kronos added.
“What did you tell the council?” Mushi asked.
“They have been informed that the two of you were found outside the city gates. Neither of you have any memory of what happened,” said Maximillian. “I have been tasked with learning the truth. For now, just lay low. There will be more tests over the next few weeks, but I am confident that you will be allowed to return to duty. This isn’t personal, it is necessary. The two of you did well. The children are secure. Take heart in that and be patient.”
He was right. We’d saved a lot of Cain children…but at great cost. I thought of Old Ben and Mary—she was still out there somewhere, and he was trapped in hell.
It was a bittersweet victory.
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thank you for purchasing Afterworld. I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. At the time of this publication, I have written the first draft of Book 2, and am 15k words int
o book 3.
Please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon. It doesn’t have to be long, even a few words, or heck, even a grunt of approval would be great (seriously, you could just type in ‘Grunt of approval’). But seriously, I would love to hear what you thought of the story. The review doesn’t have to be a good one, just honest. Reviews are very important for lowly independent authors like me, and one from you would be greatly appreciated. I read every single one, and often run through the house yelling to my family, “Hey, someone gave my book 5 stars, they say I kept them up all night long!”
Hey, if not for me, do it for Dude.
I thoroughly enjoy writing this series, and I hope that interest in the books allows me to write a dozen more. I plan on releasing 2-3 a year, so stay tuned, The Rez will be back soon.
I am a self-published author and do not have the luxury of a team of promoters at my disposal. You are my team, and I appreciate your efforts and support. Tell all your family and friends about the book. Get them to give it a try, hound them until they do, and if they refuse, slap them into submission with a slippery fish—that always works for me.
I wanted to mention one last thing, Benjamin Franklin. If you liked his quotes in the book I urge you to read his autobiography, it is a wealth of great advice, and an amazing coming of age tale.
Thanks again for reading my book, all the contact info you could ever dream of is below. I hope I made you laugh until you peed the bed.
With humble appreciation
Michael James Ploof
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Table of Contents
Orion Rezner Chronicles
Book 1
Afterworld
Michael James Ploof
Table of Contents
Other Books by
Michael James Ploof
Chapter 1
Brave New World
Afterworld (The Orion Rezner Chronicles Book 1) Page 18