Sorcerer's Creed Books 1-3

by N. P. Martin

  Live and learn, asshole. Live and learn.

  I startled as I remembered Jordan. When I looked up the street, I saw she was still on the ground in the same position as when I last saw her. "Shit," I said as I got to my feet and rushed over to her. "Jordan...can you hear me, Jordan...wake up." Jordan stirred as I gently tapped her on the face. Then her eyes flew open suddenly, and she recoiled away from me. I held up my hands. "Relax. It's just me."

  "What happened?" she asked, looking confused and still a bit afraid.

  "You were knocked out...by my magick."

  She frowned. "Why?"

  I shrugged. "The vamp avoided my attack. You took it instead."

  "The vamp?" She jumped to her feet then and looked down the alley. "Where..." Then she spotted the figure on the ground. "Is that him over there?"

  "It is. He's taking a nap right now."

  Jordan looked at me then, something like admiration in her eyes. "You took him down by yourself?"

  "It's like I said. This isn't my first rodeo. You think your father will be pleased?"

  Her eyes grew slightly defensive as she obviously remembered our conversation from the van. "I'm sure he will be," she said with a slight bite to her voice.

  "Good," I said back. "Because the last thing I want to do is displease him."

  Jordan stared for a moment, then shook her head. "Let's go," she said. "We still have a show to put on."

  15

  Poking The Sleeping Tiger

  The Grayson Dimension. I don't think that was the official name for the little off-world enclave created by Gordon Grayson, but the name seemed fitting as at times I felt like I was trapped in a soap opera. One of those eighties shows like Dallas or Dynasty with power-mad characters at the center. Gordon Grayson could have been the J.R. Ewing of his own show except for the fact that he wasn't interested in oil or money or playing the system for all it was worth. He was more interested in destroying said system and letting the people build their own replacement. So he said anyway. I still wasn't sure if his motives were not more nefarious and narcissistic than he was letting on. Either way, as the star of his own show, he was doing a good job of running things. Every member of SciCane that I came across seemed to be totally subservient to the guy. His followers worshiped him like he was some sort of visionary. And maybe he was. There was no denying the man was a force to be reckoned with. He had managed to find the Dark Codex, after all, a book that no one had laid eyes in seemingly forever. People were not even sure of its existence, but yet somehow, a lowly scientist (albeit a brilliant one in his time) had found the damn thing. With significant help from his number one follower, of course. His daughter.

  Back in the Grayson Dimension with our two captives in tow (and after I teleported all of us right to the dimension gate), I was starting to see what an efficient team Grayson and his daughter made. Gordon would float around inspiring everyone with his presence while Jordan gave orders and organized the "crackpots" so things could get done.

  And what was being done was a show within a show. Everyone was back in the main hall of the mansion, having returned from their respective missions. Those missions, as it turned out, were the same as the mission Jordan and I had returned from. Only the monsters were different. And all of the monsters, nearly a dozen of them, were lined up on stage. Their limbs were bound by magickal energy--thick bands of purplish light that encircled the ankles and wrists of each supernatural being. The bonds were powerful and somehow stopped the captives from moving anywhere. Each one was forced to stand beside the other like prisoners awaiting execution. What was really freaking me out was the fact that none of the captives had a mouth anymore. Where their mouths should have been there was now only bare skin as if their mouths had never existed. I knew Grayson's acquired magick was responsible for the change in anatomy. Looking at him in his pristine white robes as he stood to the side of the stage looking intensely at the supernaturals, I noticed small arcs of purple and violet energy crackle off him like static electricity. Only it wasn't anything as benign as electricity. It was pure magickal energy. Unbelievably, Grayson had so much magick in him he was struggling to contain it all as it leaked out of him. Hopefully, not like a damn about to burst, I thought to myself as I stood to one side of the hall while watching everything get set up for the show. It was entirely possible for a person to take on too much magick, to the point where that magick made them explode like supernovas. It was a well-documented condition. I had a feeling though that Grayson had found a way to contain the energy within himself, again thanks to the knowledge in the Dark Codex. It did beg the question, however, of how much magick Grayson intended to take on board, and why he would need so much magick in the first place.

  I didn't have time to dwell on such questions though, as Jordan beckoned me over towards the stage. I moved through the groups of people standing around staring at the supernaturals on stage and practically bouncing with excitement and anticipation at what was to come. Jordan stood by one of three digital film cameras that were mounted on tripods by the front of the stage. "We're almost ready," she said. "You know what you have to do?"

  I nodded. Just destroy my reputation, that's all. "I got this."

  "Good." She seemed nervous, more tense than usual.

  "You alright?"

  "I'm fine. It's just we've waited a long time for this moment when we would finally awaken the world to the horrors that surround it."

  The zealousness was there, but I wasn't feeling the conviction. Deep down, I didn't think Jordan agreed with any of what was going on or anything her father was doing. So deep, in fact, that she wasn't even aware of it. I was though, and I was glad to know it. It meant I had a chance of turning her, maybe even enlisting her help to get the book. We'd see. "Relax," I told her, touching her arm and smiling. "Everything will go fine. You should be proud for getting this far."

  Her smile didn't come immediately, and when it did come, it faltered slightly. "Pride has nothing to do with it. It's necessity and doing what's right."

  We both looked at each other for a moment, the look in her eyes not exactly matching her words. Which she knew, but didn't really try to conceal. Then she looked away when the people in the hall suddenly started clapping just as Gordon Grayson walked to the center of the stage, stopping directly in front of one of the cameras. Cameras I assumed were now rolling.

  Showtime, I thought, wishing I didn't have to take part, but knowing I didn't have a choice.

  Grayson stood tall and proud with just the right amount of modesty, so he didn't come across as too arrogant. Tiny sparks of magickal energy still emanated from him, and on occasion, I saw veins of dark purplish light show up on his face and arms as if the magick within him was constantly fluctuating and traveling around his body. Behind him, the restrained and mute supernaturals struggled futilely against their magickal bonds, but no matter how much power and strength any of them possessed, they would never break free. The vampire's eyes were seething. Ace the werewolf's face was full of disconcertedness. A female shapeshifter looked scared and confused. Another man who was a Wendigo also looked scared. The wererat and the two demons seemed to be staying calm as if they knew it was futile to be any other way. And finally, the Blood Beast, a giant of a man who could transform into something resembling a Sasquatch, stared hard at the crowd in the hall as if he wanted to rip all their heads off. Grayson had chosen each supernatural because of the radical transformations they could enact. Which of course, would make for great TV.

  As the crowd in the hall fell silent, Grayson addressed the camera. "Good people of the world," he began in a voice that conveyed his confidence and the promise of revelation. "I speak to you today as a concerned citizen, and as someone who has had enough of the lies and coverups perpetrated by those in charge. I am speaking to you now because I feel it is my duty to show you the truth about the world you all live in, and the threats around every corner that you are not even aware of. Today, I will make you aware of those threats, of the
monsters in our midst, so that you may rise against them and take back the world which is rightfully yours. Once you see the truth, you can never go back. But don't worry, because I will also enable every one of you with the power to stand up against your oppressors and your hidden enemies. But first things first. Let me first reveal to you the monsters--the real monsters--that live in your midst, and who have been hunting people like you since forever with complete impunity."

  Brentwood would be having a fit by now, I thought. It was Brentwood's job to keep the supernatural under wraps. His worst nightmare was someone broadcasting the existence of monsters across the world's media. And what was worse was the fact that there was nothing Division and all of its resources could do to stop the broadcast. Grayson had the power of the Dark Codex behind him, and he had manipulated the technology--crude technology in comparison to what he probably discovered in the Dark Codex--so no one else could. The man was in complete control of everything.

  Grayson spent another few minutes talking about SciCane and what the organization represented, calling upon the people he addressed to join him in the fight, which he felt sure they would once they saw what he was about to show them.

  Or rather what I was about to show them.

  When Grayson had finished his speech, he beckoned me with a smile up to the stage. Here we go, I thought, nervous as hell as I stood in front of the camera like I had planned to do with Grayson. "Hello," I said. "My name is August Creed. Some of you might know me already. I've spent the last three decades dealing with the supernatural and living in the occult underground. I'm now a member of SciCane, and I am about to show you the monsters that you've always suspected lived under your bed and hid in your closet, but which you never really knew existed for real." I stood to the side of the camera then as I waved my arm at the supernatural captives behind me. "Behold. These people look like ordinary men and women, but I assure you, they are far from it, as I will now show you."

  My stomach churning, I had an overwhelming urge to dash off the stage and run from the Grayson Dimension never to return. In a moment of clarity, it hit me then how much had changed recently, and it tore at my guts that I could never put things back to the way they were, and that now things were about to change again just as drastically, and perhaps even disastrously.

  "As you can see," I said while I walked in front of the captives. "The mouths of these monsters have been...sealed, to keep them quiet. This was done with magick, ladies and gentlemen." Ladies and gentlemen? Where the fuck did I think I was, Letterman? "That's right, I said magick. You'll be hearing more about that shortly. In the meantime, I will now use my own magick to force these creatures to transform themselves into their true monstrous forms."

  That last part was a lie. I still didn't have access to my magick within the Grayson Dimension because Gordon Grayson was still blocking it somehow. Obviously, the man didn't yet fully trust me, which was slightly annoying, given what I had done for him so far. So I now had to make a show of doing magick when really it was Grayson, standing by the side of the stage, who would be forcing the captives to transform via his own magick. I stood before the struggling captives and made a few exaggerated gestures with my hands as I spoke some words in an ancient language that was actually two lines from a poem written by an old mystic from Babylon. Once I'd finished, the struggles of the captives increased as Grayson's magick forced them all into their transformations from human to supernatural creature. In a matter of moments, there was now a fully transformed werewolf, a raging vampire, a seething wererat, a massive Blood Beast, two grotesquely misshapen demons, a roaring Wendigo and a shapeshifter who continually shifted from one form to another uncontrollably, moving through the forms of every person she had ever taken on. Despite the changes, the bonds still held the creatures in place, expanding to allow for the bigger growth in limbs in some cases. Each of their mouths was now also uncovered, and every one of them screamed and roared with rage and frustration as they continued to struggle futilely against their bonds.

  I addressed the camera once more. "Behold!" I said theatrically. "The monsters in your midst!"

  At that point, with sweat forming on my brow and soaking my armpits, I exited the stage and went and stood beside Jordan again, who only glanced at me briefly as she kept her eyes on the stage as if she were afraid that the creatures might get loose. "Nice performance," she said.

  "Really?" I countered. "I thought I was a little stiff."

  Jordan shook her head as if she was unable to tell if I was serious or not, which I was and I wasn't. But no matter about the quality of my performance on stage, there was no denying that my reputation was now shot. If I ever managed to resolve the situation I was in, I wasn't sure if I would ever work again as a sorcerer. Who would want to work with me after what I just did? Every supernatural I knew would want me dead for exposing them.

  Fuck it, I thought. I'd find a way to sort things. The important thing now was that I had hopefully earned the trust of Gordon Grayson. With any luck, it wouldn't be long before I was able to locate the Dark Codex. And who knows, maybe there would be something in the book to help fix a tattered reputation.

  Grayson was back on center stage, smiling smugly at the raging supernatural creatures behind him. Then he turned to face the camera again. "Behold the truth!" he proclaimed, his arms outstretched. "These are the monsters that live in this world, that control this world, which feed off you and your children! And I submit to you now, people of the world, that these foul creatures must be stopped. They must all be wiped out, and that includes--especially includes--the ones at the root of our power structures. Those that rule from the shadows, and who work every single day to keep you--the good people of the world--in ignorance. It is time to awaken, people! It is time for you to rise up against your supernatural oppressors, and to take back the power that is rightfully yours! It is time for each man and woman of this Earth to rule themselves instead of being ruled by those who don't belong in this world! By those who belong in the depths of Hell!"

  Nice, I thought. He's playing the religious card. People will see those creatures on stage, and that's the first thing they would think. That all of the creatures were from Hell. The fear of God would be put in their souls, and Grayson knew that. He was smart to play on it. It would make his audience more susceptive to what he had to say.

  "You might now be asking yourselves," Grayson went on. "How are you going to protect yourselves against such powerful, terrifying creatures? Well, fear not, for I will soon give you all the power you will need to crush these creatures and destroy the supernatural underground once and for all. For the most important revelation I have to reveal to you is that magick--real magick--exists in this world, and always has." Grayson held out his hand's palm up then and conjured a sphere of bright purple light in each hand. "This is the magical energy that I will give each of you access to. This is what you are going to use to change your destiny, and most importantly, the world." He paused for a moment, for dramatic effect no doubt. "Be ready, people, for soon I will bestow the gift of magick on you all. Then we will take back the world. Together!"

  "And cut!" someone by the cameras said.

  Grayson smiled to himself as magickal energy sparked off him. "Excellent," he said, now addressing the people in the hall as they started cheering and clapping. "The Sleeping Tiger has been awakened at last!"

  Jordan was clapping and smiling along with everyone else as she gazed up at her father, though I couldn't speak to her conviction. I still wasn't entirely sure if she fully believed in what they were all doing. If she didn't believe, she certainly played the part well of someone who did.

  "Now," Grayson said. "Time to dispose of the filth on this stage."

  He turned to face the still raging captives, spreading his arms out wide as he reared his head back. Then he held his hands out and arcs of purple energy shot from his hands and into the chests of each of the bound creatures. The roars of rage soon turned to screams of pain and fear, and within s
econds, every one of the creatures seemed to spontaneously combust all at the same time, the flames so intense they were reduced to piles of blackened ash in a matter of seconds.

  "Jesus Christ," I breathed, astounded at the power Grayson had at his fingertips. I didn't know of any sorcerer who could do what he just did. Not even Sanaka, and he was one of the most powerful sorcerer's I knew. What the hell was in that book that could give Grayson access to such power? Whatever it was, it had no place in the hands of someone like Grayson, nor anybody for that matter.

  As soon as I found it, I was burning the fucking thing to ash.

  16

  Party Time In The Grayson Dimension

  Needless to say, after the SciCane broadcast, the world went slightly crazy. The government, of course, tried to suppress the video footage of the supernaturals being outed, but that was impossible since Grayson's media reach was wide. By the time the government and the occult underground knew what was going on, the video had already gone viral around the world. Some people thought the whole thing was a hoax, but most who saw the footage of the transforming monsters and Grayson's use of magick couldn't deny that it was all real. In trying to suppress the footage, the government only made things worse. People knew then that there must be something to it if the government was trying to cover it up. Just in case, Gordon kept the broadcast going on a loop on his own social media channel that absolutely no one could switch off but him. Such was the power of his reach now, and all thanks to the book, of course. The book I needed to get my hands on soon before Grayson turned the world upside down if indeed he hadn't already done so.

  There was no doubt in my mind that the occult underground would be gunning for me after my appearance on the video. Most would see me as a traitor. Some wouldn't know what to believe. Others, like Angela Crow, would know what I was up to, but the public outing would still grate on them. The Crow was probably seething right now, thinking I had taken things a step too far. She was probably paranoid her kind would be hunted now.