by M. J. Sewall
Cody said, “Just kill me, so I don’t have to listen to another speech.”
“Hear that Elder Zamma? A smart ass, even when facing death. I admire that. Well played, sir. So, where was I? Okay, so the elders rule with a steel fist, etcetera. They are in charge, and they give us assignments.”
Zamma tried to ignore Derek’s prattling, pouring through the book for the consuming spell, “You’re making a speech again, Sazzo. Is this going somewhere? You have more people to kill.”
“Exactly!” exclaimed Derek. “If I give someone a true death, they never move on. The ancient warrior dies along with their body. But something else happens. Can you guess what?”
Cody stared, “It causes bad guys to make long speeches?”
Derek laughed, moving around the room. The quip got Zamma’s attention and he turned to the boy, “Too bad you have to die, boy. That was actually amusing.”
“It was. Funny at my expense, sure. But I live to serve,” said Derek. “No, it’s about the River. All knowledge, power, everything flows from the River, returns to the River. But if you use a relic, the powers of the person you kill doesn’t go back to the River, no. It becomes yours. I’ll bet Pentoss, John, whatever, didn’t tell you that. It takes time to wield these new powers. You have to learn to master it, kind of like you’re doing now with that weird shock power you have.”
“There’s a spell missing,” said Zamma, flipping through pages.
Derek seemed shocked, “What? Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s been taken out very carefully, with a sharp blade.”
“Great,” Derek said. “Those Sect jerks probably did it. You’d think they would respect the stuff they steal.”
Cody eyed the mirror again. Derek saw him. “No, no. Wait, Cody. This is the best part. The powers don’t come automatically, you see. At the same time, you need a relic and the right spell to take these powers.”
Something occurred to Zamma. He hurriedly turned to the back cover of the book. The metal binding was present, but there was a large piece missing. A very important piece.
Derek shouted “Potestatum Niri!” and leapt at his elder.
The elder turned to attack, but Derek pushed the relic knife deep into the elder’s chest. Derek kept speaking the spell, “Potestatum Niri! Potestatum Niri!” sliding the knife in and out of his elder.
It was too late to fight back. Derek finished the spell and carefully folded the page he’d cut out of the book. He used a cloth from his janitor’s uniform to wipe the blood from his hands. Elder Zamma fell backwards on the floor, dead. A fine green mist left his body and swirled around Derek.
Derek smiled. He was already removing the blood-soaked janitor’s uniform. He continued drinking in the green power, “You’d better run back to your friends now, boy. I’ll be there soon…”
Cody was already sprinting for the mirror, hoping whatever talent he had didn’t fail him now. He leapt through the mirror and came out into the dance room, forgetting there were bars at the height of his stomach. Cody hit one and flipped onto the dance floor, crunching in the fine fluorescent glass. He was on his feet quickly, brushing glass off his hands and clothes. He ran for the others as fast as he could.
***
Outside, Ariana looked at her phone. “It’s nearly seven. Where are Cody and Lucas?”
“Where are the brothers?” asked Zacke.
“I am here,” Ehrhardt said as he walked up, “But several of you are missing, so now you all die.”
Cody ran out of the side door. His face was pale and sweaty, “I’m here. There’s…”
Ehrhardt said, “Still one short. Time to die.” He leaned down to touch the ground.
“Touch the earth and I’ll pull your arms off.” The voice came from behind Ehrhardt. Lucas stood there, but everyone could see he was more than Lucas. His face and body looked the same, but everyone could tell he had changed. The ancient warrior stood before them, fully activated.
Cody yelled, “Guys! We gotta go. Derek killed this elder guy. He says he got all his power.”
“What?” asked John.
David whispered, “It’s not possible.”
“You lie! Sazzo would never kill an elder,” shouted Ehrhardt.
Another strange voice surprised them all. “Hey. Folks. You can’t be here.” It was a security guard hired for the homecoming dance. His blue outfit was marked “Ocean Security.”
John said, “It’s alright. We were just…”
Before John could finish, the double doors at the back of the auditorium burst off their hinges and flew outward. One door hit the security guard, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.
Derek, who looked the same, was much more. He nearly glided toward them, and the smile on his face froze Ariana’s blood. Even to Ehrhardt, his voice sounded strange.
Derek announced, “I bet you’re wondering why I asked you all here tonight…” he laughed. “I’ve always wanted to use that line. Caron, could you please kill them all? I’m still getting used to all the power. Zamma was even stronger than I thought.”
Ehrhardt stared, “Brother, what have you done?”
“Don’t get all ‘emo,’” said Derek, “you hated Zamma as much as I did. Now we’re finally free.”
Ehrhardt hesitated.
Ariana stared at Derek. “Guys, why does he look like that?”
“Like what?” asked Katie.
“You know how I can see your shields’ colors?” said Ariana, “He’s almost glowing. Like radioactive.”
John looked from Derek, back to Ariana. His relic sword was drawn.
“No earthquake?” Derek said, “Alright brother, let’s see what I just inherited.”
Ariana and Cody saw something coming at them when Derek put his arms out, but they all felt the wave as it sailed past them. The tree closest to them shattered, its thick trunk exploding into splinters. The top of the tree fell, and barely missed the group as it toppled.
Derek laughed again, “That was awesome! Zamma was a bad ass.”
The blast had knocked them all off their feet. They slowly got back up, but they were frozen with fear. Zacke looked to John and Lucas, but even they seemed unable to move. He scanned wildly and spotted the hill at the entrance to their town. He got an idea. A crazy idea.
Zacke shook his head, trying to push out the fear. He asked “Katie, can you make a shield like a full circle around all of us? Like a bubble?”
“I guess, but it won’t help us against that,” Katie pointed at Derek. He smiled back at her as he walked closer.
“Just do it. I’ll do the rest,” Zacke stepped away from the group.
Derek looked more puzzled than worried, amused by their next move. Ehrhardt still stared at his brother in disbelief.
“Get inside the shield!” shouted Zacke.
Katie asked, “What about you?”
Zacke replied, “I’m staying outside of it. Now, Katie!”
They all stepped close to Katie and she threw up her shield all around them, concentrating on making a sphere.
Zacke had never tried anything like this. The wash of shame that always accompanied his deep hidden talent was overtaken by the urgency of the moment. I must do this.
He grabbed the shield, from what felt like the bottom, lifting it like it was a huge ball. A warmth overcame every muscle, and he lifted all of them. The earth and grass the six people were standing on was trapped inside the bubble-like shield.
Slowly, Zacke shouldered the weight.
Then, he left the earth.
Zacke took flight, like gravity no longer existed. The six were secured inside the shield, and lifted into the air. He strained like never before, and a fierce yell escaped him as he took flight, expending more energy than he ever thought he had. Accelerating into the night, it became easier as they went higher, feeling just like the first flying dreams Zacke ever had.
After only a few minutes, Derek and Ehrhardt couldn’t see them. The brothers stood silent, gapi
ng at the sky.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” said Derek.
“He can fly?” said Ehrhardt, “I’ve never heard of an ancient that could fly.”
“He’s one of the new births,” said Derek. “This could change everything.”
“What do you mean?”
Derek showed his brother the dagger he’d used on Zamma. “This is a relic. With a spell I just learned, when I kill him with this, I get his powers.”
“Where did you get that?” asked Ehrhardt.
“It was part of the metal binding on the back of the book. Zamma wanted it for the spells, but he’d momentarily forgotten the other reason it was important.”
Ehrhardt still seemed confused.
Derek explained. “This relic knife was built into the binding.”
“What do we do now?”
Derek noted the direction they were headed, up the hill to the entrance of the city. He saw a red blinking light in the distance; like a light that’s used on tall objects so aircraft won’t hit them.
Derek smiled, “I think I know where they’re going.”
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE - ACADEMY
Zacke set them down on the edge of the campus, just inside the grounds of the police and fire academy. As he set down the shield sphere, Katie let it fade away. They all fell to the ground. The mound of earth that was lifted with them inside the sphere crumbled under their feet. Zacke and Katie both breathed heavily as they all laid on the ground.
Lucas was the first to speak, “Okay, you can fly?”
Zacke was still out of breath. The immense strain of using the talent he’d rarely indulged, made every muscle ache. Between breaths he managed, “I don’t like to use it. I’m not proud of it.”
“You’re not proud you can fly?” said Ariana. “Are you kidding me?”
“It’s caused…” breath. “…trouble.” breath. “My mom. Well, she went crazy when she found out.” Zacke’s heavy breathing gave way to crying. He didn’t know if it was the adrenaline, the stain of using his main talent for so long, or the relief of confession. He sobbed, “She became a religious nut. Found a church with crazy beliefs, like cult stuff. Left our family when dad wouldn’t believe her. She called me…” he sobbed, “she thinks I’m a demon.”
“Oh my… your mother called you that?” asked Katie.
David said, “I’m so sorry Zacke.”
“You should never feel ashamed of your talents,” said John.
John comforted him. Zacke sobbed for a few minutes, exhausted. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright.” John said, “But trouble is still coming. They will find us, and probably soon. Sazzo acquiring an elder’s talents is very bad news.”
Zacke wiped his face, shook off the tears. David helped him stand.
“But Derek can still die, right?” asked Cody.
John nodded. “Yes, he’s still a man, just a very powerful one. It won’t be easy to destroy him.”
“How about fire?” Zacke pointed to the seven-story fire tower that dominated the campus.
“That’s why you brought us here?” asked David.
“Yes,” said Zacke, finally catching his breath. “If we can get them both anywhere inside that tower, I can turn on flames from the control panel.”
“Fire will definitely kill their bodies. It will be tricky to get both brothers in there. You know how to work the controls?” asked John.
Zacke nodded. “Pretty much. I’m an Explorer here. We got trained today.”
“Is there security?” asked David.
“They use two student trainees to walk the grounds until the regular security guy gets here at ten,” Zacke explained. “We’ll have to deal with them somehow.”
John said, “David and I will do that. I assume there are cameras. You all might be recognized.”
“No time to make masks.” Katie blurted.
Ariana smiled. “Katie, only you could make superhero jokes at a time like this.”
Katie shrugged.
John looked around at the environment, making quick plans in his head. “We’ll make sure any guards are restrained without being hurt. I saw another area flying in that looked interesting. I’ll make a backup plan if we have to separate the brothers.”
“Good, then I’ll get the tower going,” said Zacke.
Katie asked, “How do we get them into the tower?”
“I’ve got some ideas.” Zacke smiled.
***
The brothers had parked the car blocks away from the dance, but they hadn’t counted on the heavy traffic around the event, students arriving and being dropped off. Police had been called after the exploding doors had been reported. An ambulance was there, presumably for the guard hit by the flying door. A yellow tape caution perimeter was set around the shattered tree. The brothers weren’t worried about the authorities, since they had withdrawn and got to their car quickly. The enemy now, was traffic.
Derek said, “This is going to take forever.”
Ehrhardt said, “How could you do it? He was our elder. This is unforgivable.”
“Relax,” answered Derek, “Zamma was a miserable old sow who was hiding in his little room. He deserved to lose his powers.”
“And the others?” asked Ehrhardt. “The other elders will not abide this. They will send everyone after us, maybe come for us themselves.”
“Since when are you afraid of anyone, brother?”
Ehrhardt answered, “Since you broke the oldest law we have.”
Derek said, “If you hadn’t noticed, we’re the bad guys. Revel in that. Rules don’t apply to us.”
“It is not that simple.” Ehrhardt shook his head. “We are the ones that keep order, control. It’s not bad to want control, but even we must abide by some structure. The Amartus has always wanted this peace, love and happiness garbage, while fighting battles with us. They are hypocrites. We deserve to rule. But we must stay in the shadows.”
“Our elders keep saying that. Why hide? We should be announcing our power to the world. This could be our world, brother, in the open. You want order? How about I rule and you keep the order. We could be gods on earth, like we are meant to be.”
Ehrhardt stared at his brother, “Zamma’s power has made you mad. I had no idea you felt this way. I knew you were unhappy, so was I. But this? None of this will end well.”
“Well, first things first. After we get out of this RIDICULOUS TRAFFIC,” Derek shouted in frustration, “We will head up the hill to that academy, kill them all. Then from the hill, you can wipe out the town.”
“Why destroy the town now?” Ehrhardt threw up his hands.
“This sleepy little place had a station and a breakout of five potential Amartus, including new births, one of which can fly! We need to make sure nothing ever grows here again. We destroy this city and seed it with salt.”
Ehrhardt thought of all the killing he’d done in this life; the heavy burden he would pay in the next one. But his brother had made sure the night would only get harder. He saw a break in the traffic, pulled illegally into the bike lane, and finally sped toward the edge of town.
***
On the academy grounds, Billy was the first one to see the unauthorized person on the monitor.
“I’ll call it in,” said Joey, the other student guard on duty.
Billy disagreed. “No. We can handle this. Too bad the armory is locked up, but we have these.” He indicated his belt, club and pepper spray canister. “There’s only one of them. Don’t you want to test our training?”
Joey shook his head. “We should call it in. You know we aren’t authorized to use this stuff.”
“Stop acting like a big fat vagina,” said Billy. “Let’s go.”
Joey threw up his hands and surrendered to Billy’s will.
Billy looked at the monitor again. “Wait. I know him.” He smiled cruelly. “This night just got a lot more fun.”
There were doors at either side of the small room that contained the main contr
ol panel and monitors. Joey went out the left door. Billy was just reaching for his radio when he saw Joey taken by a man in a black shirt. Another man with a sword strapped to his back came for him. Forgetting his courage, Billy ran out the right door.
Billy realized the mistake of not grabbing the radio as he fled. There was more than one guy after all, and they had taken over the control room. Who are these guys? Why take over a deserted training center? Why is Lucasfilm with them?
Lucas and Zacke were standing around the corner of another building. They were out of camera coverage when they saw the young guard run by them. “One got away,” said Zacke.
“I’ll get him,” said Lucas. He ran after the boy and caught up to him around the next building. “Stop!”
Billy turned around and faced Lucas with pepper spray in hand, but relaxed when he recognized him. “Oh, it’s just you. Who are your friends, Lucasfilm?”
“Of course it would be you,” said Lucas. “Billy, you need to leave. It’s not safe.”
Billy laughed and replaced the pepper spray on his belt. He drew his club, “I don’t even need this, but it will make it more fun.” Billy came closer.
“You really don’t want to do this,” Lucas resisted the urge to simply let the warrior rise within him. He knew he could take Billy in a fair fight, ancient or not. I just need to be careful not to kill him. Remain in control. Okay, maybe I’ll let myself break one arm…
From behind Lucas, a blue light appeared. It slowly got brighter and took shape. It formed two archways, with a square space in between. They were not of solid form, only blue glowing outlines of a shape. From the empty center, a man and woman appeared with weapons in their hands.
Lucas saw Billy’s face change, and knew that Billy realized this was no pretend magic trick. Lucas spun around.
“And who are you, boy?” asked the male. He was dressed in black. Athletic shoes. The weapon in his hand was a curved blade, a katana.
Lucas’s ancient awoke, and they spoke with one voice, “No one you want to mess with, little man.”
