by Tom Mohan
“Ah, Lagos, that is the beauty of the plan. Do you forget that she has committed herself to the Ancient One? His love flows through her, whether she is aware of it or not. She doesn’t have to know she is killing that which she loves most. She simply has to do it. She won’t recognize John Burke as her father any more than she recognizes High Father Caleb as her grandfather. She will see her enemy and deal with him accordingly. That is all we need.”
“I wish I was as convinced of that as you,” Lagos said. “The Bene Ha ‘Elohim will not be happy if we fail.”
“If we fail, the Bene Ha ‘Elohim will still be imprisoned, you idiot,” Agibus snapped. The sudden squirming of the shadowy form in the corner brought Agibus a small measure of satisfaction. Lagos possessed enough intelligence to fear his superior. “Now go, prepare the next phase. Our little Sara needs another nudge while the wound of her parents’ imagined deaths is still fresh. We don’t want to push her over the edge, not yet. But nudge her closer, Lagos. Nudge her closer.”
“As you wish, sir.”
Agibus could not suppress his glee as his lieutenant slipped out of the room. Things were going quite well. Quite well indeed.
SARA BECAME AWARE of soft voices. She tried focusing on them, using them to guide her back from the terrifying darkness in which she was lost. She stumbled along on numb feet. Now that she thought about it, except for a pain in her chest, her whole body was numb. With this thought, she also realized that it was difficult to breathe, as though her lungs were being squeezed so that no air could get in. She raised her hands to feel her way through the blackness. Or did she? She wasn’t sure of anything at the moment.
The voices came again—closer this time. She locked her awareness onto the sound and forced herself toward it. Yes, the voices were definitely louder, and the darkness began to emit a dim glow around its edge.
“Sara, can you hear me? Sara?”
Sara forced her eyes open, and then closed them again as a harsh light blinded her.
“Sara, are you with me?” Sara felt a hand on her arm, and she flinched away, suddenly terrified. The unseen hand tightened, holding her arm down. “Young lady, relax. You’re in the sick ward. Just calm down.”
Sara stopped her useless struggling, too weak and confused to do much anyway. As she relaxed, memories began to seep into her foggy mind.
The Holy Father. The tunnel. Her parents!
Sara’s eyes flashed open. A figure hovered over her as she blinked to clear her vision. She recognized the Brother who had escorted her to the Holy Father’s apartments.
“Ah, there you are. Awake at last,” said the Brother. “And how do you feel?”
Sara opened her mouth, and then hesitated. How did she feel? A quick assessment told her that, except for the pain in her chest, she felt fine physically. Emotionally, however, she was a wreck. The memory of her vision came crashing in on her, and she struggled to control the emotions that came with it. Sorrow, anger, pain, and rage all threatened to overwhelm her. She felt tears rise and forced them down. Whatever had happened, she refused to show weakness in front of the Brother.
“I…I’m fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” the Brother said. “I understand it was not a pleasant ordeal. Many do not come away from it…fine.”
Sara closed her eyes and turned away. “No,” she whispered, “it was not pleasant.” The Brother hovered over her. “What?” Sara asked.
“What shall I pass on to his Holiness?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”
The Brother’s face grew agitated. “What do you plan? Many lose heart after going through what you just did, and I understand yours was worse than most.” His eyes skimmed her chest as he spoke, and her hand involuntarily clutched the painful spot. She felt herself tear up. Yes, it had been bad—horrible, even—but if he thought the ordeal would turn her into some sniveling weakling, he should guess again.
“How do I know what I saw was real?”
The Brother seemed taken aback by the question. “Of course it was real. The Holy Father would not show you an untruth. He would not even be able to do such a thing.”
“Then my parents are dead,” Sara said with finality. Coldness crept into her heart, just beneath the sore spot, and spread throughout her body.
Sara looked up at the Brother, really seeing him for the first time. He was younger than she had previously thought, though older than her. “Did you ever have to go through that?”
The Brother glanced away, seeming embarrassed. “No, I didn’t. I was just a babe when I was brought here. I’ve never really known anyone outside the Keep.”
“You’re lucky.”
“Yes, well, you wait here and rest. The medic will be along shortly to check you out before releasing you.” He started to walk away, and then stopped and turned toward her. “I’m sorry about your parents, Sara,” he said before disappearing around the corner.
RYAN STORMED AFTER Sara, his long legs quickly covering the distance. “Sara, wait up! You can’t just take off after them.”
Sara kept up her pace. Her long hair flowed behind her as she made her way through the halls of the Keep. “I can, and I plan to.” She stopped and spun, causing Ryan to stumble to a halt before running into her. “We’ve been training for just this purpose. We’re soldiers. Isn’t that what Master Eleazar is always telling us? What good is a soldier who won’t fight to save those in need?” Her passion brought heat to her face. “My parents are in trouble, maybe dead. I’ve got to find out for sure.”
Ryan took her by the shoulders, his big hands strong and reassuring. “Listen to yourself, will you? Yes, you’re a soldier, but you’re also a seventeen-year-old girl.” He must have seen the anger flare in her eyes because he added, “—and one of the best fighters in the Keep. I understand your need to help. Really I do. But getting yourself killed won’t do anyone any good. Your parents have been involved in this war a lot longer than we have. They have a lot more experience. If they’re still alive, don’t you think they have a better chance of getting out of it than you do of rescuing them?”
Sara sagged as some of the fire went out of her. “I just feel so useless here. The Brother who came to me in the sick ward said everything I saw was true. If that’s so, they’re dead. And…” She stopped, not sure whether to tell him the rest.
“And what?” She saw real concern in his eyes. If her parents were really gone, then Ryan and the few other friends she had in the Keep were all she had left. What if she lost them as well? They were in a war, after all. The thought of harm coming to her friends brought back the anger she had been trying to hide.
“And Manasseh, if that’s who he really was, said he’s coming after me,” she said quickly before looking down.
Ryan stared at her. “You? Why would he come after you? He couldn’t have known you were witnessing what happened, could he?”
She shook her head. “I don’t see how. After all, I wasn’t really there when it happened. I experienced it after the fact.” She saw the confused look on his face. “Don’t ask. I don’t understand it either. Bishop Joshua took me someplace. I don’t know where or even how we got there.” She groaned in frustration. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand enough of what happened to try to explain it.”
He grinned at her. “That’s okay, you always were kind of weird anyway. Figures this would happen to you.”
“Yeah. Figures, huh?”
“I still don’t get why he would come after you, though.”
Sara shrugged. “From the way Manasseh and my mom acted, they had some kind of history. Maybe he just told her that as one last jab before killing her. Anyway, he’s not going to storm the Keep just to get at me.”
“It can’t really have been Manasseh, could it? I mean, he’s just a legend. Right?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Sara said. “A lot of people think Ash-Shaytan is just a legend. We know he is the one true god, but many don’t even believe he exist
s.” She struggled to put her thoughts into words. “I mean, if Ash-Shaytan and the legends that tell of him are real, couldn’t the legends that tell of the fallen ones be just as real?”
“The Holy Word says that one day the dark god and his evil hoard of shadow spawn will return to do battle with the army of Ash-Shaytan. Many, even here in the Keep, think that war has already begun.”
“Maybe. All I know is that I have so much anger in me right now, and I have no idea what to do about it.”
Ryan rubbed her arm. “I know it must be hard. But please, don’t rush into anything. Let’s see what happens and figure this out together. Dana and the others will have some input, and I’m sure Eleazar will have some words of wisdom.”
Sara sighed. “All right, I’ll wait. But only until I can get enough information to make a plan.” She started down the passageway, and Ryan fell in beside her.
“You know,” Ryan said, “it’s kind of sexy that your mom has a history with someone as powerful as Manasseh.”
Sara turned to punch him, but he was already running down the hall, his laughter floating back to her.
Sara smiled to herself. She knew Ryan was trying to cheer her up, and she had to admit that his use of the word sexy, and the look in his eye when he said it, made her feel good. He was pretty sexy himself, though she could never let him know she felt that way. She and Ryan were soldiers, after all, fighting a war that would probably see them all dead. She had no room in her life for romance, especially after what had happened to her parents. She only wanted revenge.
Sara started toward the student living quarters, and then stopped. She had told Ryan she needed to get as much information as she could on what was happening outside of the Keep. She might as well start now. She backtracked, and then turned down a narrow side corridor that led to the library. A few minutes later, she pushed open the heavy wooden door to the Keep’s main library. Several smaller libraries were scattered throughout the massive building, but Sara knew that the person she needed to talk to would be somewhere around here. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the scent of the books and scrolls. Books had always been a passion of hers—a passion none of her friends shared. That was fine. To her, time spent in the library was almost magical, and she had no desire to share that time with anyone who didn’t appreciate it as much as she did.
She passed through the main section of the library in search of the librarian, Master Casius, and wound her way to the back of the room where a narrow flight of stone stairs rose to the next level. Moving quickly, she ascended the stairs all the way to the third level. She was not surprised to find the somber space empty as she threaded her way through the maze of bookshelves toward the small office Master Casius occupied. Few people came up to this level with its dusty books, most of which were not even cataloged.
“Master Casius? It’s Sara. Are you up here?”
Hearing no response, Sara continued toward the office. Rounding an overloaded bookcase, she saw that the door to Master Casius’s office was closed. That was strange. She couldn’t recall ever seeing it closed before. She approached the door and knocked. “Master Casius? Are you in there?” At first, she thought the room must be empty. But then, she heard a soft sound through the thick wood. She knocked again, harder this time. “Master Casius. It’s Sara. Are you okay?”
A sudden crash from within the office startled her. “Master Casius!” She pounded on the door and thought she heard a soft moan from within. Realizing she hadn’t even tried the handle, she grabbed hold of the knob and twisted it. But the door was locked. She slammed her shoulder against it, but it only rattled in its sturdy frame. She stepped away, and then spun and lashed out with a vicious back kick. Her foot hit just below the knob, and the door burst open.
The office was trashed. On any normal day, Master Casius referred to it as an organized mess, but today, papers and books were strewn everywhere, some torn and mangled. Sara tried to avoid stepping on anything as she made her way inside, but she quickly found that to be impossible. The scent of smoke and burned flesh lay heavy in the air.
She moved behind the desk and found Master Casius lying among the splintered remains of his chair. She rushed to her elderly mentor and knelt beside him. His dark robes were wrinkled and spotted with the usual drippings of food and drink. He was sprawled on his side, head beneath the desk as though he had been trying to crawl under it when he was attacked.
Sara stared at the body, searching for any sign of life. If he was breathing, she was unable to detect it. Finally, she reached out a shaking hand and placed it on his arm. “Master Casius? Are you okay?” It was a stupid question. Of course he wasn’t okay, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. She shook his lifeless form. Nothing. She would have to roll him over to look at his face. For some reason, that idea scared her more than she cared to admit. Maybe she should just go get help. He could be dying, though, and she’d trained in field first aid. She took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand, just as she would have to do one day in the field.
Gripping the old scholar’s thick arm, she rolled him over onto his back, and then gasped and flinched back. The front of the old master’s robe was charred, with light puffs of smoke still rising from it. The odor of burned flesh was much stronger now, and Sara no longer wondered at the source of the smell. What had happened? Again, she detected no signs of life. Concentrating on her training, she pressed two fingers to the master’s neck, feeling a very faint throbbing. She scanned the rest of his body, but saw no other injuries. Having convinced herself she could do nothing further, she stood to call for help. One of the scholars she had seen downstairs could fetch a medic while she waited with the old man.
The master’s hand flashed out. Faster than she would have believed possible even if he were healthy, Master Casius grasped her arm in a crushing grip. Sara let out a stifled scream and tried to pull away, but he pulled her down until her face hovered mere inches from his own. Panic coursed through her as she stared at the glowing red eyes of Manasseh.
“You can’t hide from me, Sara. Your puny god cannot save you,” Master Casius said in a dark hollow voice not his own. “I’m coming for you, Sara, and nothing can stop me.”
Burke felt weightless as he crashed through the light, as though all of life’s worries had fallen off him and he was free to do whatever he wanted.
The freedom lasted all of about five seconds.
As soon as Burke broke through the light, his eyes popped open, and he once again became aware of his physical body. He gasped at the weariness that wracked him. He had passed through something supernatural. It left him marked.
He sucked in a lungful of fresh mountain air, blinking his eyes clear of moisture. The hulking form of Martinez hovered over him. He fought to pull himself upright and felt his hand splash in water.
“Steady, John. Steady. I’ve got you—just relax.”
Martinez’s calming voice penetrated Burke’s confusion.
“What happened?” Burke’s voice was a ragged whisper.
“Good question. Real good question.”
Burke looked into his friend’s face and saw something like amazement there. His feet felt for the lake bottom as he held tight to the big man, and he finally managed to stand on shaky legs.
“Why are we in the lake? What’s going on?”
Martinez helped Burke wade toward the shore. “You had a fever, a bad one. Trinny said to get you into the water. She’s usually right.”
Burke shook his head. “How long did it go on?”
Martinez shrugged. “An hour…maybe. How do you feel now?”
“Except for feeling like I just got hit by a truck, I feel better than I have in years,” Burke said. “Somehow I feel like I’ve been given a new beginning.”
Martinez guided him the last few steps out of the lake, and they both plopped down at the water’s edge. “Yeah, well, you haven’t even heard the weird part yet.”
Burke wasn’t so sure he wanted to hear any mo
re. He had hoped all the weirdness had been in his head. “Go on.”
“She said to get you to the lake. I figured to cool you down. I don’t question Trinny when she uses that tone. By the time I got you to the shore, you were thrashing so hard I couldn’t keep hold of you. Had to put you on the ground and hold you down to keep you from hurting yourself. Then I saw your eyes. Man, those eyes freaked me out.” Martinez rubbed his own eyes, as if trying to clear a burned-in image.
Burke remained quiet, waiting for his friend to continue.
“They say the eyes are the window to the soul, but that’s just a saying, right?” The big man shook his head, sweat breaking out on his brow in the cool morning. “Man, I saw your soul. Saw it through your eyes.”
Martinez faced Burke with a look of fear and awe. The look made Burke uncomfortable, and he turned away. He put his shaking hands in his armpits to hold them still.
Martinez took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m not going to pretend to know what I saw. Your eyes weren’t human. They were windows. Like I was looking into another world, and it made ours look like a very nice place to be.”
Burke remembered the swirling chaos of death as it came for him, remembered the raw nerve-stripping agony that drove him to the edge of insanity. “I thought I was dying,” Burke said. “No, I was dying.”
“Did die.”
That got Burke’s attention. “What?”
“Like I said, I saw what went on inside you, in your soul. Don’t ask how I know that, ‘cause I don’t know myself. Your soul was thrashing around as much as your body. It was fighting something and losing.”
Burke nodded. “My soul was being stripped. I never thought pain like that could exist. Like every molecule in my being was torn apart.” Burke shuddered at the memory.
“It was like you were this tiny speck, even though it was you I was looking into,” Martinez said. “The real you was lost in there. Then you were gone, just like that. Probably stared at the blackness in your eyes for ten seconds before I realized you were dead. Almost panicked. Didn’t know what to do. My mind went blank. Then, I swear I heard someone tell me to get you into the water. Not a voice really, but still words. Maybe that’s what Trinny hears. Anyway, I dragged your body to the water. You went under, and I was reaching to get your head up when you came flying up like someone shot you out of a catapult or something. And your eyes—they weren’t dark anymore. Something was shining from within.”