Dark Rain: Book 1 of The Aetherium Saga

by Jilly MacKenzie

  And he swigged from the bottle as if it were juice. Axel rolled his eyes and turned to leave, but stopped suddenly, when Lenore entered with Cat, Johnny, Emile, and Jenny. Wyatt groaned loudly on his bed, ‘Oh sure, everybody just come on in! My room is now the Earth Defender's clubhouse!’

  ‘That’s a good name for us actually,’ Cat giggled. And Wyatt grunted in agreement as he jumped to his feet, then swayed for a while before sitting down gently back on the bed.

  ‘Ugh, I think... that may have gone straight to my head,’ he admitted, gently placing the champagne bottle on the bedside table with pained caution.

  Jenny snorted in mockery, ‘Lightweight.’

  ‘Hey! It's been a while, little maid!’ he argued, ‘Think you can do better?’

  ‘With ease,’ she beamed.

  He heaved himself up and headed for the door, ‘Come on to the bar then, show me what you got?’

  Johnny chuckled, ‘She is a force to be reckoned with,’ he warned.

  ‘Pfft!’ Wyatt flung open the door. ‘The rest of you, enjoy my room,’ he announced and waved his hand in dismissal as he left down the glowing corridor. Almost every wall displayed video advertisements: “The Enigma Tower, fifty floors of bliss. Relax at a spa. Crux Hotel. Fine dining. Atlantis the water nightclub. Enigma, a level for everybody. Luxury lounges. Equinox Hotel.” It was almost dazzling to the senses.

  Jenny sighed, smiling at the amused group, ‘Well...’

  ‘Hello!’ Wyatt called from the hallway, ‘I don't seem to see you following.’ Jenny hurried out after him with a resigned laugh.

  Axel was hoping that the humorous situation would ease the tension between himself and Cat. But when their eyes met, her face fell and she looked away quickly. His heart sank further than he thought possible. God I wish I could undo everything. I should have ran far away from Blois during my struggle. And returned when I was over it, and stable. Like I am now. Please see me Cat. See that I am fine now. I am still Axel. Your Wolfie, he lamented to himself, and quickly looked out of the window once more, to hide the rising hurt in his face.

  ‘Thought we could play, while we wait for the clubs to open?' Finn suggested as he entered the room with a pack of cards.

  ‘I don't know how to play,’ Cat admitted with a pout.

  ‘Ah, its easy,’ Finn assured, moving over to the dining table and arranging the chairs for everyone.

  ‘Where's Emile and Johnny?’ Cat asked.

  ‘Being cute somewhere,’ he shrugged.

  ‘And Anubis and Marduk?’

  ‘Being fabulous somewhere,’ he smirked, and Lenore and Cat laughed in agreement.

  The sound of Cats laughter both amused and angered Axel. She's really so happy without me? Laughing while I'm suffering. Moving on, while I'm in limbo.

  ‘You joining us, Axel’ Lenore asked, gesturing to a seat beside her. He smiled appreciatively, but declined, with a grateful smile.

  ‘I'm quite hungry, I'll see you guys later,’ he lied, and left the room to go and drown his sorrows with something other than champagne.

  Chapter 38

  Rekindle

  Enigma was every bit as magical as Cat had dreamed. Each floor was a beautifully self-contained world, absorbed in the particular music it played. You could move through the ages, level by level. 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s. Decade by decade. Rock, Electronic, Pop, Industrial. Genre after genre. 20 floors of pure wonder.

  She dragged Lenore down to the 1980’s, and caught the last half of Soft Cell’s ‘Tainted Love’ pulsating throughout the cavernous room. Abstract shapes and colours oozed the 80’s theme, complete with huge murals of music icons of the time covering the walls. Laser and strobe lighting illuminated various dance floors, while an expansive bar and lounge took up an entire corner section. Large screens displayed music videos and movies, of which dancers wearing noise-cancelling earwear watched with delight.

  Lenore liked the sound of the 1980’s. It was upbeat, and optimistic; two things she desperately needed to be feeling. The weight of her knowledge, and apprehension of the struggle ahead slipped away, and for a moment, she allowed herself to float away with the beat and watch unfamiliar faces dance past her. Happy, oblivious faces. Cat pulled her across the vibrating room to the bar and lounge. A drink or two can’t hurt I guess... We’re staying the night anyway.

  A number of floors above, on the Rock level, the boys had converged together. And finding Axel drinking chilled fruity cocktails, they had burst out laughing at the strange juxtaposition. The dark atmosphere, heavy music, Axel’s fearsome visage, and ‘baby drinks’ as Wyatt worded it. It didn’t fit, but Axel didn’t care. They tasted delicious, and the alcohol content was low enough to not affect him so severely, even after five or six.

  ‘Go find ‘er, lad,’ Johnny urged, loudly over the music, and settled at the bar beside him. Axel sighed, and took another swig of the frosty peach liquid.

  Wyatt fell on the counter on his other side. An ambush... Axel rolled his eyes.

  ‘Mate…’ Wyatt began, his eyes heavy with drunkenness, ‘Your my brother,’ he slurred, and pulled Axel into a groggy embrace. ‘I know being mopey is your... thing. But honestly...’ his thoughts trailed off as he caught sight of a couple of leather clad women giggling nearby, and he slowly made his way over to them.

  ‘Wyatt’s words of wisdom,’ Johnny mused and rolled his eyes. Finn had been struggling against a gang of girls wanting him to mosh with them. They had been attracted to his fluffy dirty blonde hair and sideburns, but he had eventually managed to pry himself from their lustful grasp finally reached the bar.

  ‘Bloody hell this place is a warzone,’ he panted heavily.

  ‘Finn, do you know where Cat is?’ Johnny asked.

  ‘Yeah, she’ll be with Lenore,’ he explained, ‘Dunno which floor exactly, but they headed downwards.’

  ‘I could smell her out,’ Axel muttered to his glass, ‘I just don’t want to.’

  ‘Axel...’ Finn breathed with concern.

  ‘She’s done with me!’ He yelled, then slumped further over the bar, ‘And for good reason.’

  Finn was unfazed by his outburst, but chose his next words carefully. ‘Look,’ he began, ‘In all my six years at Drakestoke, I never saw you or Cat apart.’

  Axel was becoming quickly irritated at the persistence of his friends, and his amber eyes snapped up to meet Finn’s hazel gaze which remained unmoving.

  ‘It was one unforeseeable, uncontrollable, accident,’ Finn continued, ‘You stopped yourself.’ Axel’s amber gaze widened as Finn’s words reached a dark place within his core.

  ‘Axel, you stopped yourself. For her. You tamed your most uncontrollable and frenzied moment. For her,’ Finn breathed, ‘You did that, Axel.’

  Johnny was watching them intently, hoping, and willing Axel to see the sense in Finn’s words.

  ‘Go and find her,’ Finn urged, softly clapping him on the shoulder, and Axel downed his remaining drink and swiftly left the bar. He stalked through the vigorous movements of the dance floor, and disappeared into an elevator on the other side.

  Johnny finished his drink and clapped Finn on the arm in praise, ‘Very nice, lad. Let’s hope it goes well eh?’ before he too left the bar. Finn huffed in amusement, and watched as Johnny went to meet Emile and Jenny who had both emerged from the restrooms to the right. Jenny glanced in Wyatt’s direction and frowned when she saw him flirting with two women. She wondered if her confidence and drinking prowess had turned him off her earlier. Though he did win by rather a lot, she remembered, and he seemed so impressed with me... Then her mother’s voice boomed in her mind.

  “Jenny, don’t change yourself for any man, you ‘ear?” And she decided to not chase Wyatt, and focused on finding her own fun.

  Axel attuned his olfactory senses to the one scent he knew better than anything else in the world. The creamy warm sweetness of Cat. Like hot milk and sugared butter; he honed in on its trail. Through all of the pulsating, sweating bo
dies, he followed the scent, and found its source in the 1980’s. He watched her through the shifting tides of strangers, transfixed on her delicate face. Her large brown eyes showed nothing but joy, and her tiny lips were curved in a smile while she skipped about in a small circle of whimsical movements.

  Axel was not the only one watching her. A young man with curled, greased hair, and an oversized jacket swayed and hopped his way to her. He danced in front of her with a confident grin, and when she turned away shyly, he slid around to face her again. He was directing her to the nearest wall. Herding her like a lamb. Axel stiffened as an instinctive protective anger welled inside of him. Leave her alone... His hair raised into vicious spikes, and his face tightened, pulling his pointed ears slightly more upward.

  The man had backed Cat against the wall, looking her up and down. Cat was no longer amused, and looked to Lenore for help, but with her back to the room, Lenore was oblivious as she drank her chilled blue drink. Cat began to tremble, and slid down the wall, instinctively trying to make herself small. The man chuckled like a coyote, ‘Not yet, darling,’ he smirked and moved to pull her up again when he was suddenly stopped by a hard grip on his arm. Cat looked up to see Axel’s muscular form swing the stranger round, and then shoved him away, hard in the chest. Axel stood defensively between them, reaching back and resting a large hand firmly on top of Cat’s head, calming her instantly. She closed her eyes beneath the warm weight of his hand, and a tear trickled down her cheek in both reassurance and relief. Wolfie...

  Axel’s amber eyes studied the man, flashing yellow as the sweeping dance lights hit the back of his eyes. The man let out a breathy nervous laugh, not wanting to look weak in front of Cat. Axel’s lips curled upward in a warning snarl, revealing his pointed canines. The man was taken aback at the defensive display, and looked momentarily into Axel’s glaring orbs of honeyed fury; a dirty look of hatred which only a wolf can make. Axel stood poised and tensed, his chest heaved with a deep inhale before letting out a low rumbling growl. Cat watched on in adoration as she watched the man retreat and disappear into the crowd. The wolf had saved the lamb.

  Cat wound her arms around Axel’s leg in a silent tearful embrace, and he crouched down, holding her small face in his hands. The feeling of touching her was pure serenity. It was all he had ever thought about during the past weeks which lingered by like months. They gazed at each other, studying the familiar features, and noting the subtle changes. His stubble was almost a beard. The bite scars on the side of her neck.

  She suddenly smiled widely and threw her arms around his neck, and he stood up slowly with a relieved grin. The strength of his neck pulled her up with him as she sobbed into his shoulder.

  ‘Wolfie... I love you. I always will. No matter what.’ In that moment, with those words, Cat had released Axel from his limbo. And he held her close, happily weeping into her hair, as the room continued its entrancing activities to 80’s synth-pop.

  Chapter 39

  Devil’s Dance Floor

  People could not help but stare at them. Like a pair of perfectly carved porcelain figures, Anubis and Marduk stood watching the dancers on the mid-21st Century level. They had opted to take the stairs on their journey through Enigma; the only way to truly traverse through the spectrum of music, experiencing the transition between their niche sub-cultures. Hand in hand they watched the band and singer pulse out the cinematic-indie rhythm of the period’s preference. Couples were grinding hypnotically to the sombre lyrics which sang of the end of the world.

  Oddly fitting, given the circumstances, Anubis thought dryly.

  Indeed, Marduk agreed with a smirk, shall we move on?

  Their mental connection was useful in a loud place such as Enigma. They were able to speak to each other with such ease, and clarity. No matter the volume of the surroundings, they could always hear one another.

  Neither could take full credit for the attention they attracted, as people took to staring in awe at both Anubis and Marduk, equally in turn. And for once in Anubis’ life, she did not mind the judging eyes. Her natural confidence was boosted tenfold by the mere touch of Marduk’s hand around hers. Marduk was dressed in a lighter version of his armour, and Anubis donned her mask once again. Cat, with her love of arts and crafts, had taken it upon herself to attach a crimson ribbon to each side of it, allowing Anubis to affix it to her face safely. She felt like a goddess beside him, and she relished it.

  They passed up through the levels of genres, which all hosted their own live bands. They gracefully moved through Jazz, Trance, and Metal, until Marduk stopped suddenly, halfway up the next set of wide, dimly lit stairs. Ivy covered the old brick walls. It was a transition up into the next genre, and the deep thumping of drums could already be heard, accompanied with chanting. Marduk’s brows knitted together in recognition, and he continued up the stairway, in daze-like curiosity. I know this sound, he quietly pondered, his mind racing back through many centuries. Viking.

  Anubis heard him loud and clear but did not press him for answers, for she could feel the sudden weight of his memories. He maintained a faraway expression as the music called him up to the World Folk level. The place seemed to ooze with life in its twilight ambience. Low lighting, murals of silhouetted branches, and flaming sconces adorned the stony walls. It was as if Anubis and Marduk had entered into a clandestine pagan gathering. The band were singing and chanting in a Nordic language, and their range of old instruments produced a primitive tone which stirred the soul. A bowed lyre droned out its sweet fluctuating sound, and the drum beats pulsated through the floor, threatening to invade Anubis’ very bones.

  Marduk’s hand left her, and she watched him walk out among the twisting and stomping revellers. Wiccans, druids, heathens of every sort, were dressed in earthy coloured coverings, and many assortments of decorations. Masks, headdresses, beaded jewellery, leather armour pieces, and tattoos. They seemed extremely interested in the tall stranger that was invading their shamanistic fun, but they carried on dancing to the continuing music.

  Marduk stuck out like a beautiful golden thumb amongst the primitive people of the Folk floor. He had insisted on wearing a deconstructed version of his armour for this occasion, but even though it only consisted of a few minor pieces, his black and gold embellished attire was still a wonder to behold. Coupled with his light skin, and lines of tattooed symbols on his bare, muscular arms, the dancers eyed him with awe and curiosity.

  Some, to Anubis’ surprise, regarded Marduk with a kind of familiarity, and they seemed to spot symbols on his skin, or a design on his clothing, which they recognised. They grinned as he passed, showing him their wrist tattoos; a star-like symbol. And he cocked his head at the joyous faces before him. The Dingir. Sign of the Anunnaki. Who are these people? He wondered.

  What’s wrong? Anubis asked from the far end of the room where he had left her.

  I... I don’t know. He looked around at everyone, they all were beginning to dance in sync around him. A primitive, pulsing dance. The band and singers were looking at him; everybody was looking at him, but they all continued in their rhythmic movements.

  The singing reduced to a lone calling chant, and the dancing ceased to low, heavily breathing, twists.

  I think they know what I am.

  The singer’s Nordic call reached a passionate yell, and the music burst out into a crescendo. At once, the room filled with vigorous movements, as dipping and twisting bodies created an undulating sea of primal joy around Marduk. They all joined in with the singing and tensing their arms up towards him, as others, who were bending lower in their dancing, brushed their hands over him. Marduk began to feel a swell of energy enter him, and he closed his eyes to hide their dim blue glow. Aether… he realised.

  Anubis had never seen such a sight of raw shamanic ecstasy. Are they worshipping you? she pondered in awe.

  The primal rhythm of the music, and the animalistic breaths and hisses around him as they danced, reached somewhere deep in his core. His mind trave
lled back to ancient Sumer, where the humans of old, with their newfound music, had hosted mass dances around their patron deities. Nanaya joined in with the humans, relishing the aether they provided. Marduk simply stood, allowing their worship to engulf his senses. And he was stood now, as he did many times before, long ago. Disappearing within himself, to somewhere only the beating of drums and collective chanting can follow.

  Yes... They are, he answered in disbelief. Whether the revellers on the Folk floor of Enigma knew it or not, they were worshipping Marduk. A god that time had forgotten. Although the instruments and language were not Sumerian or Egyptian, the song had taken hold of his origins, and uprooted a history he had wanted to forget. Ancestral pride suddenly swelled within him, and he was awestruck by the magnitude of it all.

  Nanaya had awakened him in the year 1000 CE, just as the Viking era was coming to a close, and Marduk wished more than ever he could have witnessed the entirety of the Norsemen conquests. I’ve always appreciated their music, he praised.

  The song reached its end, and only the low drone and rhythm of a lyre and digeridoo repelled the silence. Marduk waited for a moment while his subtly glowing eyes faded, then opened them. The room was motionless as everyone regarded Marduk in exhausted fascination. Some admired only his face, some his clothing, and others dragged their eyes over the hieroglyphics and cuneiform upon his skin.

  A strong arm which bore the Dingir on its wrist, clapped Marduk on the shoulder in greeting.

  ‘Stay a while, brother,’ the sweaty stranger urged, a large grin on his face as he glanced over Marduk’s arms. ‘Nice ink by the way,’ he added before rejoining the crowd.

  Marduk smiled to himself, they do not know what I am. They think me one of their kind.

  That’s lucky then, Anubis stated, you never know if any of them are in with the IGS.

  Yes. I do not even think they realised they were giving me aether, Marduk mused.