by Jared Stone
“Well, are you ready?” Lucian asked.
Blake simply stared at him through the darkness, dumbfounded. “Dude, you realize I couldn’t hear any of that, right?” he asked in a huff.
Lucian threw back the covers and got up from the bed. “Sorry,” he said, walking over to his desk chair and picking up his coat. Gus came running over wagging his tail, overjoyed at the prospect of going out for an early morning walk. “We’re headed to Schuntz’s office. He’s gonna meet us there. Let’s go.”
* * *
Although not originally anxious to bring Gus along for the trip to the Religion Department that morning, Lucian figured that the tiny puppy would likely have to go to the bathroom anyway, so the walk would be able to serve a dual purpose. Additionally, he realized that Gus had been largely left out of the action recently, locked in the dorm room while the two boys hurried off to attend to the craziness which now constantly surrounded them. Having made the effort to defy the forces of linear time and come back from the dead just to assist them, Lucian thought it was only fair that Gus be involved in more of the adventuring from that point forward. As such, the two of them and Blake all headed out of the dorm and toward the professor’s office.
The morning air was frigidly cold, and it would still be a few hours before the sun was up. The grass beneath their feet had already frosted over and made a crunching sound with each step, which seemed unusually disruptive as it cut into the silence of the otherwise deserted campus. Lucian was very careful as he moved along the pathways, occasionally feeling one of his sneakers slip out from underneath him on sheets of ice that were otherwise invisible in the bleak darkness of the early morning. The one redeeming factor was the complete absence of wind, which Lucian thought would have likely changed the trek from uncomfortable to unbearable without the aid of some kind of face covering. When they finally reached the worn-down building that was their destination, Lucian walked up to the crooked green door and tried twisting the knob. But it was locked.
“I guess we beat him here,” Lucian said, looking away from the door and scanning their surroundings for any sign of the old man.
“Well, did he say how long he’d be?” Blake asked, clearly annoyed. He stuck his hands into his jean pockets and raised his shoulders up next to his neck. “Like, where does he live? Are we gonna have to wait around here for an hour or something? Cuz it’s freakin’ cold, man!”
Lucian shrugged, picking Gus up off the ground and hugging him tightly for shared warmth. “I honestly have no idea,” Lucian admitted. “I never really gave it much thought.”
“Well, it would’ve been an important thing to ask,” Blake grumbled, taking a seat upon the crumbling concrete steps. “Guess we just wait then….”
“Yeah, guess so…,” Lucian admitted softly, honestly a little embarrassed that he hadn’t had the foresight to firm up the timeline for their meeting. He began swaying back and forth, rocking Gus in his arms. The puppy seemed to enjoy these rhythmic motions, eventually closing his eyes and leaning his head against the boy’s warm chest. They stood like this for about ten minutes, with Blake huddled over on the steps beside them, until they heard the jingling of keys coming toward them from around the side of the building. Blake stood up, and both boys turned toward the sound. Within a few seconds, Professor Schuntz stepped out from behind the corner of the brick building.
“Mr. Aarden, Mr. Valenti,” Schuntz mumbled dryly, nodding at each boy as he found the correct key on its ring and held it before him. He strode past the students and ascended the steps to unlock the door. “Let us escape this dreadful cold and discuss things further in my office.”
The old man successfully unlocked the ancient door and swung it open, passing over the threshold and holding it for the two boys behind him. As Lucian entered the building, he felt a comforting flood of warm air envelop him. He was very relieved to be inside once again, and he raised one hand up to his mouth to breathe his own hot breath onto his numbed fingers, experiencing a tingling sensation as feeling slowly crept back into them. As soon as Blake was also inside the building, Schuntz closed the front door once again, shoving it forcefully back into place, wedged in its lopsided frame.
The group then made their way down the creaking floor of the Religion Department hallway to the second office on the left: Schuntz’s office. As the professor hunched over to unlock this door as well, Lucian felt the urge to speak.
“I’m sorry if I woke you, Professor,” he said timidly. “We didn’t know who else to go to….”
Schuntz sighed. “You did not wake me, Mr. Aarden,” he assured his student, swinging his office door open with his right hand. “I have unfortunately discovered that, at my age, sleep is a luxury that is both elusive and fleeting. I was already awake and reading when I experienced your desire to communicate.”
Lucian felt relieved at this, and some of the guilt and trepidation he had been bearing since the professor arrived was lifted. He and Blake stepped past the man and into the office. Once inside, Schuntz shut and locked the door behind them. Lucian took the opportunity to finally let Gus down onto the floor, who quickly scurried off to curiously sniff around every stack of books which decorated the landscape before them. Lucian saw a glare of condemnation flash onto the professor’s face for a moment as he witnessed the animal investigating his treasured tomes, but he remained silent. Lucian considered that perhaps the professor viewed scolding his adoptive father as too improper an act, even if that parental figure was now a puppy. Instead, the man calmly navigated his way toward his desk chair, and Lucian and Blake both went to sit in the chairs opposite it.
“So, explain to me exactly what has happened,” Schuntz instructed softly, as if even he understood the gravity of what the boys had witnessed.
Lucian took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Well, we found the mansion on the hill where the masked man has been living,” he began, struggling over which details were necessary and which were just inconsequential. “Blake and I climbed over the side wall and fought off some draugar at a back door. But, once we were inside the mansion, it was like we had no powers anymore. Blake wasn’t strong at all, and I couldn’t even generate my qi.”
“Well, I mean, I was still kinda strong…,” Blake interjected, folding his arms over his chest. “Just not as strong.”
Lucian shot a glance toward his roommate, rolled his eyes, then continued. “The draugar grabbed us and carried us to the basement. That’s where they were. The masked man and Father Ini. And they had Lilly strapped to some kind of big stone slab. We tried to save her, but we couldn’t even get to her. That’s when they… they stabbed her with the white dagger Zagan stole!”
Schuntz brought his brows together in concern and leaned forward. “I see…,” he said quietly, as if lost in thought. “Tell me, did either of them say anything to you? Anything of value?”
Lucian was thrown off of the rhythm of his story for a second, surprised by the professor’s focus on what seemed to be the least impactful aspect of the tale. “Ummmm, I think they said something about their lord again or something,” he stated, trying to recall what had been said as he struggled in vain to rescue the girl. “Well, first he said that we had no power there. Something about only those he allows to have power have it. And he said something about it being the solstice, and some kind of ceremony. And he mentioned a name…. ‘Loosefin?’ ‘Losofun?’”
“I think it was ‘Luzerfun,’” Blake corrected. Lucian turned toward him.
“It definitely wasn’t ‘Loser-fun,’” Lucian countered. “I would’ve remembered that one.”
“Well then, it was ‘Losafone’ or something,” Blake shot back. “I don’t know, dude. I was a little busy at th
e time….”
“Either way, this information provides details which might prove critical in anticipating our adversaries’ next moves,” Schuntz cut in, holding out his hand as an indication that both boys should stop their futile attempts at remembrance. “Although I had originally advised you not to go, it appears that there was, indeed, some benefit.”
Lucian hung his head. “Yeah, but we couldn’t even save Lilly,” he stated sullenly. “She died up there, and we were just forced to watch. Why would they even do something like that? They just killed her for no reason. Why did they do that?”
“The girl’s death was unavoidable, Mr. Aarden,” the professor said sternly, as if driving home the point he had tried to make before the two boys had left his office the night before. “And I am certain that there was a purpose behind it, though we are, as of yet, unable to determine what that purpose might be. The important aspect is that you were both able to escape unharmed. How were you able to accomplish such a thing, anyway?”
Lucian thought about it. “I have no idea,” he finally confessed. “Father Ini blasted me with energy and suddenly I just exploded with my qi. I don’t even know how I did it. It was like I had no control over it at all.”
Schuntz nodded slowly. “Very interesting,” he said.
“We got lucky,” Blake stated loudly, as if arguing in a debate with no opponent. “But a lot of good that does us now! The bad guys are still getting just what they wanted, and we’re just sitting around totally clueless! Again!”
Schuntz shook his head. “No, Mr. Valenti,” he said. “I do not think we are clueless. We know the location of our enemy, some facts about their intentions, and even an idea of a name – albeit quite a vague one. Give me some time to research various sources, and I am certain that these factors will properly align to guide our hands.”
“Why don’t we just get the Kílánór involved at this point?” Lucian suggested. “They must know more about all of this, and I’m sure you still know some of them, right? We’re just amateurs here, but they’ve been doing this sort of thing for thousands of years! I think we should just rely on the experts.”
Schuntz scrunched up his face in displeasure. “I do not believe that it is necessary to involve the Kílánór in this, Mr. Aarden,” he insisted. “Although Argus joined and trusted them, I am far more dubious of their intentions and methods. The aims of the Kílánór are never made entirely clear. They operate under a guise of altruistic concern for others, yet their actions are entirely self-serving. You cannot trust them.”
Lucian found himself unable to believe such a claim. Although he had had no experience with the group outside of his brief friendship with Gus, he felt in the pit of his stomach that they could be trusted. He wanted to believe that they could be trusted. In this suddenly crazy, upside-down world of his, he wanted to at least feel that there was one thing he could rely on.
“I still think that we should let them know,” he asserted. “Whether they choose to help us or not is up to them, but I think we should definitely try to contact them at least. I don’t think they want this masked man to succeed in whatever he’s trying any more than we do.”
Schuntz was silent for a while as he mulled over this. “Fine,” he finally conceded. “I will reach out to them through the few channels I know. But, I warn you: there is no guarantee that we will receive a response. It has been decades since I was last in contact with any of them, and I am not certain how many will still wish to communicate with me…, if they are even still alive on this earth at all.”
Lucian nodded. That seemed like a reasonable caveat to him.
“Thanks, professor,” the boy said. “Just do what you can, I guess. If not, we’ll have to find some other way.”
“Well, what should we do while we wait, then?” Blake chimed in.
“There is not much which can be done until we understand more, Mr. Valenti,” Schuntz advised. “For now, go home. Enjoy the holidays. Cherish time with your families. If our enemies accomplish their goals, you might have few remaining opportunities left with which to do so.”
Lucian swallowed nervously. He hoped that the professor’s grim prediction of the future would not hold true.
2 - Gifts
Sunday, December 21st
Samael and Ini-herit stood in the study of the brick mansion on the hill. Beside them, a fire roared with a savage intensity that seemed to set the entire room ablaze. Staring into the crackling inferno, Samael spoke softly.
“You and I both witnessed the boy’s display of power last night at the summoning,” he said to the dark priest gravely. “And you know as well as I that only the energy of another Semahín could have broken through the seal.”
“It appears to lend some credence to my conjecture on the boy’s lineage,” the priest affirmed with a nod.
“Indeed,” Samael shot back curtly. Turning from the mantle, he strode over to the desk in the corner. Flipping open the cover of the large leather tome which lay atop it, he sighed. “This is most certainly an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. However, it does possess the potential to be quite beneficial if utilized properly….”
“What do you have in mind?” Ini-herit inquired.
“If we were able to convince Lucian to assist us in our endeavors, he might be the key to unlocking the stone’s power,” Samael explained as the priest came to his side and peered over his shoulder. “I must first determine his position on our aspirations, however. It shall likely require some… skillful persuasion.”
“What are the two of you plotting in here?” Lilith’s voice rang out suddenly as the thick wooden doors to the study flew open in front of her confident stride toward them. She barged in, paying no heed to the two draugar standing guard outside as she passed directly between them. “I do hope you have not become obsessed with another human pet, Samael.”
Samael glanced up from the massive leather tome and laid his narrowed eyes upon the woman. “There is a boy with certain… gifts… who might be of service to me,” he stated curtly. “But it is no concern of yours.”
Lilith paused, as if trying to remember something stored deep inside her memories. “Is it one of those boys who were here last night in the basement?” she asked. “What was his name…? Lucian?”
“Yes…,” Samael confirmed with hesitation.
Lilith scoldingly shook her head. “You have always had such a weakness for the mortals of this world,” she scoffed. “I could understand it when the very first humans, such as myself, were created in the divine image of the gods. But the humans of today are so fragile and impermanent, having grown even paler and more frail since the days I last walked upon this earth. Honestly, I do not understand what you could possibly see in them.”
Samael sighed. “The humans possess a potential for adaptation and redemption unknown to us born of the other realms,” he said dryly. “It is a quality I greatly admire, and one upon which I must rely if I am to redeem myself as well. I believe that even you, Lilith, might have had such potential at one point in your history….”
Lilith let out a dismissive snort. “It makes little sense to me,’ she insisted. “What need have I to adapt when I have already been formed in perfection? But, if you desire this boy so badly, let me acquire him for you. It would certainly be simple enough with my vastly superior power over the humans of this era.”
“No,” Samael commanded sternly. “We must play a much longer game with this one. This task requires finesse and subtlety, neither of which you have ever seemed to possess in great stores.”
Lilith scrunched her face up in displeasure. “Surely, I would be able to –”
“I said no,” Samael insisted again. He closed his eyes and took a breath to calm himself. “Lilith, you have no understanding of this world and how it has developed during your time sealed away. There is no way you would be able to succeed in this task. You do not even speak the local language.”
The woman crossed her arms over her chest. “You underestimate
me,” she insisted. “I have total access to this young girl’s brain, including all memories and language aptitude. I would be able to quite fluently converse in this ‘local language’ of which you speak and make Lucian do whatever I wish.”
“This is something that I, alone, shall do,” Samael instructed. “You shall be useful to me in due time. Until that day, you are not to leave this mansion. Do you understand me?”
“But –!” Lilith began.
“Enough, Lilith!” Samael roared. “Go and do as you have been told!”
Looking as though she might spontaneously combust at any second, Lilith whipped around and stormed away toward the door. Stopping once she had crossed over the threshold, she turned toward one of the draugar beside her.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” she shrieked into the dead creature’s face, her body suddenly engulfed by a whirlwind of purple energy. Immediately, the decaying body of the draugr burst into a shower of dust, completely obliterated by the power of the woman’s rage. Stomping one foot on the ground as if in conclusion, the energy disappeared as rapidly as it had arisen, and Lilith continued to march off down the hallway.
“I truly hope she does not make a habit of doing that,” Ini-herit said softly to Samael once Lilith had disappeared from sight, “for I greatly rely upon those servants….”
Samael just shook his head. “I had forgotten just how impetuous she is,” he mumbled. “Perhaps it was foolish of us to bring her back after all. Let us hope she eventually recognizes the reason in following my commands….”
Samael grimaced as one more ear-shattering screech echoed down the hall.
“But I have begun to lose faith in that hope…,” he added dryly.
Now down the hall and out of earshot of the two men, Lilith charged up the stairs to the second floor. Once there, she made her way to the room in which Ini-herit had previously indicated she should sleep. As soon as she had stepped inside, the door slammed closed behind her with such intensity it seemed at risk of toppling from its hinges and crashing to the floor. Coming to stand in the center of the room, Lilith paced back and forth, grabbing at her long red hair and pulling in agitation.