by Jared Stone
“Get away from her, now!” Lucian’s voice echoed through the cold, empty yard.
Looking up, Ini-herit beheld the three students and one tiny puppy standing in defiance, covered in the slime and filth of defeated draugar. The villain lifted up his hand, and, as the gray glow dissipated, so did the convulsions of the priestess’ body.
Standing up, Ini-herit addressed his opponents. “I had not expected that you would defeat my servants so easily,” he said, glancing around him. “Well done. It appears that you are, indeed, far more than regular mortals.” As he said this, a gray glow once again coalesced in his palms. “Regrettably, you are directly impeding my acquisition of the vessel.” He nodded down toward the terrified Lilly.
Lifting his arms above his head, Ini-herit began to chant again, this time louder and with more fervor. But, no sooner had he uttered two words than a glowing red sheet of beige paper fell from out of the sky and landed on the ground before him. With an explosion of red light, the seal completely nullified the necromancer’s collection of energy and cut short the incantation as he fell to the ground. Lucian saw out of the corner of his eye Professor Schuntz step up next to him.
Irritated, their adversary lifted himself up off the snow and brushed away the glistening white powder from his black garments. “My, my! I must say, I never expected to encounter a Demon Queller this far west!” Ini-herit exclaimed in what seemed like genuine surprise. “What a strange little place this is, to attract such a diversity of practitioners!”
He scowled at the group of seven opposing figures gathered before him. “It is now clear that I did not adequately prepare for such… attention. However, this is not the last time that you shall see me, I assure you.”
The necromancer then turned and swiped both of his hands horizontally through the air. As if tearing a hole into the very fabric of space itself, a vertical fissure into pure darkness opened in front of him, and he promptly stepped through. As rapidly as it had appeared, the tear closed behind Ini-herit’s trailing robe, leaving the seven onlookers standing alone in the quiet school commons, surrounded by decimated corpses.
Marching up to stand next to Schuntz in her now naked human form, Dareia glared at the professor and said, “I could have handled him on my own, Kazimierz. There was no need for you to interfere.”
Without turning to face her, Schuntz tersely replied, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance again too, High Priestess Dareia. It has been what, 60 years?”
“Close to it,” the priestess responded in a huff. “Soon after you abandoned Argus. The gall! If you only had any idea what you did to him….”
While the two adults were having their spat, Willow had quietly walked over to the golden dress still crumpled upon the ground. Brushing it off gently, she approached the priestess and casually said, “I think you dropped this.”
Glancing over at the girl, Dareia’s face softened. “Thank you, dear,” she responded as she reached out and took the dress from Willow. After she had stepped into it and slipped the last strap over her shoulder, Schuntz finally turned and looked at the priestess.
“Argus and I had our differences” the professor clarified defensively. “But that does not signify that I have ever ceased to care about him and feel great appreciation for what he did for me.”
“Your actions speak louder than your words, child,” Dareia countered patronizingly.
“Ummmm, excuse me, you two,” Lucian interjected into the tense conversation, “but what the heck was all this about?” He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the vast array of severed body parts strewn across the yard. As shocked as he also was about the priestess’ transformation, he figured that, by this point, it really wasn’t even worth asking….
Dareia turned to him. “That girl,” she said, pointing to Lilly, who still remained crouching low to the ground, “has a power within her the likes of which I have rarely sensed before. And she apparently has no recognition of this. For whatever reason, the necromancer would like to take possession of her, and I would certainly like to know why.”
“Well, we can look into that, but I don’t think we should stay here,” Lucian said. “We need to take Lilly somewhere safe while we figure this all out.”
“You are right, of course, Lucian,” Dareia agreed, suddenly spurred to action once again. “The girl must be hidden until the necromancer is disposed of. Afterwards, we may decide what should be done with her.”
Schuntz also shifted his gaze toward Lucian. “She cannot stay on campus,” he said with determination. “The necromancer now knows who she is and where she is located. She must be taken somewhere far away that he would not suspect. With enough distance, he will have greater difficulty sensing her energy and, thus, her location. This will hopefully provide us with the time that we need to proactively strike.”
“Could she go with you, Miss Dareia?” Blake asked tenderly, taking a step forward so he stood before the priestess. Lucian grimaced in disgust at his roommate’s pathetic attempt to woo the centuries-older woman. But Lucian’s disdain for the boy’s efforts was matched only by Dareia’s own.
“No, child,” she said dismissively. “I have far too much to investigate to play the role of caretaker all day.” Blake’s chest fell almost visibly following this slighting of his advances, and he stepped back once again to take his place behind Lucian. From her position next to him, Willow just rolled her eyes.
“I have a place,” the dark haired girl then said, stepping forward while still resting her hand upon her injury. “My parents live just a couple of hours away from here. They definitely have plenty of empty rooms in their house, and, though Father Ini knows my name, it’s not even my actual name in the school’s catalogue of students. He would have no way to know who I actually am or where I live.”
Dareia smiled at her. “That would be perfect,” she said, reaching out and laying her delicate hand upon Willow’s uninjured shoulder. “Thank you, dear.”
“Good, then I guess it’s settled!” exclaimed Lucian, clapping his cold hands together resolutely. “We’ll drive her there first thing tomorrow morning.”
The whole time that these critical logistics were being discussed, Gus had been whining and putting his tiny front paws up on Schuntz’s leg. Looking down with annoyance, the stern professor snapped, “And to whom does this beast belong?”
Lucian cracked a smile. “Actually, Professor, that’s Gus….”
“Mr. Aarden, I do not appreciate your flippancy regarding that matter,” Schuntz chided, glaring at the boy.
“No, the boy speaks the truth,” Dareia chimed in, almost reluctantly. “This is indeed Argus within a new temporal body.”
Schuntz looked down at the puppy, who stared up with his big brown eyes and tongue hanging out of his open mouth. “Well, Argus did inform me of his particularly useful ability before his passing…, but why on Earth is he a dog?”
He knew about this the whole time and didn’t even think to tell me!? Lucian thought angrily.
“It would appear,” continued Dareia before Lucian had the opportunity to speak, “that Argus’ ill-fated attempt to return to this time and place and aid us in our struggles resulted in unforeseen consequences of the canine variety.”
Schuntz was silent for a moment. “It will still be a while before I am fully accustomed to this..., but Argus was always more than willing to give of him-self for a better cause, and I would assert that, even if he had known the implications of his decision, he would have readily accepted his fate,” the professor then said quietly. All in the company looked down at the tiny puppy with gratitude and admiration. Gus looked up at all of them excitedly, perhaps thinking he was going to get a treat.
“I will remain here and continue to protect any other students who are still on campus,” Schuntz announced suddenly, without leaving room for debate. “The necromancer will now undoubtedly be looking for new, fresher bodies to enslave. Also, these corpses must be disposed of before they are discovered
by some unwitting passersby.”
“And I must now investigate this whole situation further…,” Dareia added pensively. “Before you leave tomorrow, would the four of you prefer to spend the night at my residence?”
“Rrrufff!!” Gus barked wildly while leaping around in a circle.
“I apologize…. Would the five of you?” Dareia clarified with a smile.
“Yeah, I think that’s probably a good idea,” Lucian answered cautiously.
“Splendid,” Schuntz said, though his tone carried no such levity. “Let us hope that this night holds no more surprises for us.”
“Well, I think we should probably all go back to shower at my place first,” Willow said dryly as she helped Lilly stand up with her one arm. The meek girl was still speechless and trembling as she rose from the cold, snowy ground. “Cuz you all smell like death….”
13 - Shelter
Wednesday, December 17th
After Lucian, Blake, Willow, and Dareia showered off the filth of battle and cleaned their clothes to the best of their abilities, the four of them, along with Lilly and Gus, hopped in a car to drive to Dareia’s property for the night. Upon sliding into the back of the long, black limousine which had come to pick them up, Lucian was greeted by the familiar face of the driver.
“Gino!” exclaimed Lucian, pleasantly surprised to see the young man who had previously served as his tour guide of Dareia’s vast Roman estate. He hadn’t expected that the boy would accompany Dareia on her trip to the U.S., but it didn’t really surprise him in hindsight; Dareia seemed the type to want people to serve her wherever she went.
“Master Lucian,” Gino said in return with a smile and a slight nod, the dark brown curls of his hair swaying as he did so. Lucian was slightly taken aback by being addressed in such a way; no one had ever called him “Master” before. He had to admit, though, that it made him feel pretty good. He liked even more that his friends were there to witness him being treated with such respect; but, upon looking around, it sadly seemed that not one was even paying attention. Without any further conversation, Gino turned back around in the driver’s seat and, once everyone had climbed into the car, rolled the vehicle down the street of Willow’s apartment and out of campus to the main roads.
Lilly had remained quiet and wide-eyed since their encounter with the necromancer and his minions, but everyone had been too rushed and focused on other matters to adequately address the girl’s concerns. Now that they were all sitting together in the quiet car, Dareia took the opportunity, leaning forward and laying her hand on Lilly’s knee.
“Everything is alright, dear,” she said gently. “We shall ensure that you are protected.”
Lilly looked up at the priestess, seemingly on the verge of tears again. “It’s just…, I don’t…,” she mumbled.
“I know that it’s a lot to take in,” Lucian said from beside her. “So much has gone on in the past few months that you don’t know about….”
Lucian gave the girl an overarching summary of everything that had transpired since he arrived on campus. He tried to condense all the details into a five to ten minute explanation, and, though he had to leave out certain bits, he felt he did a fairly good job of covering the important aspects. Every once in a while, Willow or Blake would cut in to clarify or add key components of the story that Lucian was forgetting. Throughout their recounting, Lilly just sat there, staring at them incredulously.
“But…,” she finally said when Lucian had finished speaking. “That can’t be true…. It just….”
“It’s actually all very true,” Willow cut in with none of the gentle tone and care the others were showing the girl. “How else do you explain what happened to us earlier? Getting attacked by zombies and all.”
“Draugar,” Lucian corrected timidly.
“Whatever,” Willow shot back with a flick of her hand, indicating that that was not the crucial point she had been trying to make.
Lilly became quiet and lowered her gaze to her hands folded in her lap. “But why me?” she asked sullenly. She looked up at Lucian, as if he somehow held all the answers. “Am I being punished? Did I do something wrong? Did I sin somehow?”
Dareia let out a short, loud “Ha!” from beside them before continuing on. “No, dear, it is not sin that has brought this about. I, alone, have ‘sinned’ more than any of you would be able to in a hundred years! No; I am afraid that circumstances are not that simple. There is no almighty creator dictating these events, no omnipotent force which seeks to punish you for your wrongdoings. This is the work of lesser beings, driven by hubris and misunderstanding, attempting to alter the fates of all life on this earth….”
“So you’ve figured out who it is and what they’re trying to do!?” Lucian asked, sliding forward in his seat expectantly.
Dareia shook her head slowly. “I am afraid that my conjectures are still naught but speculation. We shall have to uncover more if we are to determine for certain.”
“Oh…,” Lucian said in disappointment, slumping back once again.
Just then, the car rolled to a stop, sending everyone in the back swaying gently toward the front of the vehicle, then back again as the momentum fully ceased.
“We have arrived, My Lady,” Gino announced.
“Thank you, Gino,” Dareia responded, opening the door and sliding out before Gino could get out of his side and open it for her. The students all filed out behind her, after which the priestess bent down and said into the door of the car, “Your services are no longer required, Gino. You may retire for the evening.”
With a quick nod of his head, the driver waited until the door was closed, then drove off again, down a side road off of the main circular drive. Lucian watched him go for a moment, the wheels kicking up dust as he went, then turned to face the property in which they would be sleeping that night.
It was a massive structure, with big, round wooden columns adorning the curved entranceway and boxy wings jutting out quite a distance on either side. The general appearance and white exterior gave it more of a plantation feel than Lucian had expected, and it brought to mind his visit to the White House as part of a high school trip. The snow rested upon the roof and trees in big soft clumps that somehow only added to the elegance and grandeur of the estate. It was not quite as large as Dareia’s main property in Rome, but it certainly came close. Looking to either side of where they stood, Lucian could see nothing but trees, and he actually had no idea where in relation to the campus they had ended up.
“Welcome,” Dareia said, walking forward briskly toward the door, “to my humble abode.”
* * *
Lucian was walking through a dimly-lit garden. The twisting dirt paths were lined with flowers which appeared to have long since perished, hanging their heads solemnly in despair over their pathetic lot. By the boy’s side, an adult black dog trotted along, and Lucian somehow recognized that this was Gus. On Lucian’s back was slung Kusanagi, with the handle sticking up over his right shoulder, swaying slightly with each step.
This was not simply a pleasant stroll. There was an acute sense of danger in the air, and Lucian could feel apprehension and dread deep in his gut. He had to be careful. There were so many threats, so many pitfalls, that he could easily be thrown off his path. He had to be vigilant.
With this thought still engrained in his mind, Lucian suddenly saw something black slither across the path ahead of him. He reached up and unsheathed Kusanagi just as a tremendous serpent rose before him. The hideous monster opened its jaws, with dripping fangs glistening in the faint light, ready to inject its poison into the two travelers. Lucian held the sword up in front of him only moments before leaping to the side as the snake’s head dove toward him and collided with the ground in a shower of dirt.
Standing up again, Lucian glared at his adversary. He couldn’t discern why, but, as he looked into the black eyes of the serpent, he felt overwhelming rage. He not only had to kill it to protect himself; he wanted to kill it. He hated it.
It deserved to die.
Gus now charged out in front of Lucian and bore his fangs in response to the snake’s own. The two animals were locked in a contest of wills, neither of them prepared to back down. As the monster once again lunged forward, Gus dodged the blow and gave Lucian the perfect opportunity to strike. The boy lifted his sword and brought it down behind the serpent’s head. With one clean cut, the head was lopped off, falling to the ground and snapping its jaws uncontrollably. The body writhed around and fell down next to it soon thereafter.
Lucian stood there, panting with exhaustion and relief as his terrible aversion to the creature began to subside with each successive breath. He looked down at his weapon, drenched and dripping with the pitch black blood of the slain. It bubbled and hissed as if it was acid.
Suddenly, a rustling of feathers could be heard from above, and Lucian looked up to behold a red and white bird almost as large as himself flutter down and land upon the decapitated corpse of the snake. The bird tilted its head to the side, glaring at Lucian with brilliant green eyes that sparkled like precious stones. The boy was captivated. The sleek feathers adorning the creature shimmered with the most spectacular, deep hues that he had ever seen before. He wanted this bird so badly. He needed it. His desire to have it was palpable.
He reached out toward the majestic creature and began to approach it, prepared to snatch it when it came within range. The bird made no move to escape. It was as if it wished to be caught. Lucian was so close to grabbing it….
Before the boy could lay his hand upon the highly coveted plumage, a great shadow enveloped them both as a giant golden bird with long tail feathers also descended from above. The red bird unfurled its wings in an attempt to escape, but it was too late. The golden beast opened up its beak and swallowed the smaller bird whole. Lucian cried out in anguish as his beautiful possession was taken from him. Stolen.