by Nathan Parks
She didn’t hold back. Her bare fist slammed into one of the stone pillars of the patio. The pain was a shock to her system, but she immediately felt it fade away and replaced by the numbness that had become such a large part of her.
“And the others?” Leah asked.
“We have to believe that they are about to face the onslaught in Scintillantes. We don’t know. We don’t have the ability to communicate through to them there. I just hope they are ready.”
“Leah!” Eve shouted as she pointed toward the back lawn area.
“We have something!” Leah spoke quietly over the comms.
There was a dark figure that emerged from the back of the property and started walking toward their position.
“Legion?” Zarius asked.
“I don’t know. Right now, it is just a dark figure.”
“Just one?”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming your way. Everyone else hold your positions. It could be Legion or my brother. It doesn’t matter. We know they are out for blood.”
Tori looked at Eve and Leah.
“Well, I guess if I am going to be some kind of vampire chick with birds instead of bats, let’s see what they can do.”
Eve looked at her with a sense of hesitancy.
“If any of your flying, disease-infested creatures even think about coming my way, I promise it will be the last time!”
The teenager closed her eyes and lifted her arms slightly at her waist. She felt a connection with each of the birds, but it was as if she was directly linked to the one sitting on her shoulder.
“Fly. Fly and let me see,” she whispered.
Eve shrank back as several of the ravens took flight and flew out of one of the large open-air windows near where they were standing. She looked over to Tori and saw that the girl seemed to be in some form of trance.
“They really are a part of her, aren’t they?” she asked Leah.
“I think they are.”
As the ravens flew out toward the figure, none of the group could have predicted what happened next. The dark figure vanished in a wisp of smoke, and then a loud noise permeated their ears.
“Well, Zarius, I think we have our answer,” Leah stated matter-of-factly.
Eve and Leah looked out to watch as a massive cloud of ravens rushed from the treetops that surrounded Eden. They began to attack those that Victoria had sent out. They both looked over to where the girl stood, and they could not keep the shock they felt from coming out from their lips.
The black latex dress that she was wearing began to ripple and wave as if it was made of water. More and more ravens appeared as if they were peeling off her and flying out toward the battle that was taking place in the sky above Eden.
“She is not going to be able to hold him off, Leah!”
“I know! I don’t know what to do, though.”
The Vapor rarely felt helpless; but at this moment, all this warrior could do was stand and stare. The sound of the angry squawking and cawing of the birds was like the sound of gears grinding in an old, beat-up truck that was being driven by a seven-year-old; it was painful and frightening. The duo watched as birds fell to the ground with huge gashes and chunks taken out of their bodies. They couldn’t tell which were Legion and which were Victoria.
“Zarius, I think we need to go with the backup plan! This does not look pretty!”
“What is the backup plan?”
“Something that I am not sure how it will turn out, but we have to do something!”
“What is it, though?” Eve yelled at her.
The door to the back-patio area flew open, almost breaking the hinges, as Zarius burst through it. He stopped in his tracks as he watched several more waves of ravens fly from Victoria and begin attacking Legion.
“Wow! You could have warned me!” was all he could say.
“Not really time or necessity!” Leah retorted. “We have to do something!”
“Zarius! We have company out front!”
It was Chad this time. The sounds of fighting could be heard as he keyed up his microphone.
“It has begun.”
Zarius spoke the words more as a calm and settled statement than anything else.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Denora paused in the shadowy alcove of the Hall of Heroes. She had just exited Patmos.
“Thank you, Michael, for your secrets,” she whispered.
He had provided them with information that the ritualistic entrance of a Patmos gate was just exactly that: ritualistic. He had explained that it started ages ago as a customary sign of reverence and respect, but somewhere through time it had been misconstrued as a mandatory routine. The Overlord had voiced her concern of how one would possibly activate a Patmos gate without—what she thought to be—the mandatory process of ritual chanting and prayers.
“The original intent was to allow free, unlimited access between the Mortal and Immortal realms,” Michael had explained. “The religious sect of Mortals, out of a desire for control and power, had started charging a fee to use the Patmos gates—an offering, if you will. The fee was resisted by many, and Patmos gates were shut down to Mortal man. The knowledge that they were meant to be a free conduit was forgotten. Somewhere a false narrative that rituals had to be performed began, and the gateways became religious rites of passage. The truth is they had never ceased to exist in their original state.”
He had smiled as he provided Denora with information that was more than valuable. They could enter Scintillantes through a key doorway that she never imagined would be open to them.
She inhaled a deep breath. She could not remember the last time she had breathed in the air of home. She turned behind her and motioned for the rest of her unit that was coming through to fan out into the shadows.
Mantus walked up behind her and tapped her back.
“No noise is a good sign that we weren’t detected,” he whispered.
She looked back at him, almost in disbelief.
“You want to know what is wrong with you, Old Warrior?” She didn’t wait for him to even respond, “You can’t even break from the battle to enjoy small elemental aspects, such as the smell of home.”
He shook his head and silently moved past her into the marbled hallway. He knelt just past the alcove facing the center where Alfonso’s statue stood. She may call him an “old warrior,” but what the new Overlord could learn from this old general was that you enjoy the small things on the go until the flag of victory has been hoisted high above the conquered.
He calmed his emotions and senses and took in the different elements around him, not in a reminiscing way as Denora but, instead, like a snake tasting the air. Mantus could sense they were not alone, but there was no movement.
He motioned with hand signals for Denora’s team to take one side of the hallway, while his team stacked up on the right side of the hallway. Each member followed the one in front in a single-file line.
Mantus held a hand up, motioning for them to stop as they got closer to the center hub. He motioned for Denora to move up to where he was. The general was standing about two back from his first warrior.
She moved forward with a questioning look on her face, “What’s up?”
“Something isn’t right,” he whispered. “I didn’t expect them to catch us coming in through the Sanctum, but there is no sign of a single warrior.”
“Screw this!” Denora spat. “I’m not creeping around like a hidden alley cat!”
She stood up and screamed a hellish war cry. As she did, her Clan members joined in; and she started marching forward into the center of the Hall of Heroes.
“If they want to play games, let them. I am here for the slaughter!”
Mantus watched as she and her team charged into the center hub. They stopped at the statue of Alfonso and looked down each of the corridors. She stood there, her eyes filled with fury; but not a single being met with any response.
The general had to smirk; she looked r
idiculous: charging with a war cry only to be met with empty silence. He stepped out into the middle of the hallway, signaled for his team to follow, and quietly began to clap his hands.
“Let me say this: you may be used to killing someone in close quarters . . . one-on-one. War is a totally different beast. If you would love to leave your newly-found seat of authority to me, I would be more than happy to take over; but trust me, you keep doing idiotic things like that, and I will be sitting where you have worked so hard to get to.”
She felt twitchy. She attempted to conceal her emotions that were stirred by his condescending tone; but he saw it, and he smiled. He knew no matter how tough she acted, she mentally had not filled Hecate’s shoes. She was still the lackey trying to be something much more.
“Then you lead the way,” Denora scoffed. “I know what you are doing, Mantus.”
“Well, while you entertain your own concepts of what I may or may not be doing, just do me a favor and keep up!”
He motioned for his team to move forward and follow him. He headed toward the front door to the hall. Denora was furious; but at this moment, he had a point: she was not used to the larger format of warfare . . . so, she began to follow him.
* * * * *
Ki watched quietly from his vantage point outside the Hall of Heroes. He looked to his right at the individual standing beside him.
“Well, Kadar, I would never have thought there would be a day that I said this to you, but we owe you.”
The Nephelium grinned.
“I have to say that I never thought I would hear any of the Alliance say those words; but make sure you all thank Gene, also. There wasn’t a single person, I believe, that knew Eden was housing one of the lost gates. He didn’t even blink an eye when we got word that the Sanctum had fallen.”
“Just do me a favor:” Ki started, “once this is all said and done, let me be the one to inform Gideon of the news regarding Jackie.”
“Not my story; so, you got it.”
Ki turned his attention back to the two teams of Fallens that were moving up to the doors of the hall.
“Now comes the fun part.”
He activated his comms.
“Everyone, stand by. This is not our war until it is our war. Let the Guardians of Scintillantes do what they were created for. Lord knows they have waited for ages for this moment.”
Mantus stopped at the door and looked back. He shook his head as he observed Denora and her team appear to hesitate.
“Let’s go! We are not here for popcorn and movies!”
As he turned, he felt a force slam hard against him. The blow sent the giant of a Demon flying backward. As he recovered, he rubbed his chest, looking up to see what had attacked him.
“Anyone else see that?”
“See you go flying back or what sent you sprawling like a rag doll?” Denora laughed.
One of his team helped Mantus up. He looked around; but all he saw were statues and the two teams standing at the ready, waiting for another invisible attack. As the general was about to call out, he noticed a haze begin to form near where he had been standing . . . actually, several different, distinct forms that appeared to be hazy and blurry.
Denora stepped back, leery of what she was watching take place.
“What the . . .”
“Dominions!” Mantus forced out as he stood up tall and pulled out both of his swords that had been sheathed across his back.
“Yeah, you want to say that again?”
He looked back and glared.
“Dominions, Guardians of Scintillantes!”
The female Overlord held her arms up, keeping her team back. This was unexpected and new.
“I heard you the first time, but that doesn’t explain anything to me!”
“Ancient Ones. They were the Originals, the first-created.”
“Great, and why is it that this never came up in any of our planning?”
A voice broke forward from one of the hazy, disembodied figures, “Because we have not been called forward in so long that our existence has been forgotten, and many have believed us to be a myth. General Mantus, even you forgot the safeguards of your former home.”
“I did, but now that we are face-to-face, I hope that you recognize what I hold in my hands.”
“Time and space mean nothing to us, and so our memories are not memories. Instead, they are an ever-looping of past, present, and future. We are very aware of the power that was bestowed upon you when you protected what was then your home. No matter what you wield, we will not allow you to move forward.”
“Mantus?” Denora was looking for more explanation.
One of his lieutenants leaned closer to her, “When Mantus was in charge of the forces here, he was given two blades that held the power to slay an Ancient One. The idea was that if ever they chose to rise up against anyone here, there would be a way to hold them off.”
She looked at him in shock and disbelief.
“Those are the blades he is holding now?”
The Demon nodded.
“What is he waiting for, then?”
She stepped forward to stand beside Mantus.
“It is . . .”
That was all she got out before she heard a scream behind her. She turned and watched as one of the members of her team burst into flames.
“Shut up, you fool!” Mantus spat at her. “You have no idea whom you are addressing or of what they are capable. They were created from the Abyss before it housed creatures of evil; they harness the power of life and death. There is no coming back from what they can do to anything that exists.”
She backed up a step or two, but refused to stand down completely. She did look past the Dominions at the two main doors to the Hall of Heroes. She watched as Ki, Gideon, Bristol, and the rest of the Alliance came through and stood behind the three Dominions.
“Well, well, well, the party has gotten started!” she scoffed. “Now, should I welcome you to the memorial of your deceased family and friends, or should we just send you to meet up with them wherever they may be?”
It took a minute to have all that she was saying sink into Gideon’s mind. He looked over to Ki with concern.
“What does she mean by that?”
“Not right now, Gideon,” the Alliance leader answered. “Focus on what we are here for.”
“Yes, Gideon, like a good dog, do what your master wants.”
“From the mouth of the mangy dog lying in its own filth,” a voice rang out behind them all.
Denora spun around. The voice was clear, and she had no doubt the owner of it.
“Well, if we are hurling insults to those with whom we are fighting, then allow me the chance to do the same. I would rather be a mangy dog than a mutt and Half-Breed. At least a mangy dog can change where they are; but a mutt cannot change its lineage, Kadar.”
Mantus refused to fully turn around, but he did look slightly over his left shoulder.
“Kadar?”
The general thought for a moment and then looked forward at those challenging them.
“It all makes sense now.”
“Why do I feel as if ever since we walked into this damn place, I am playing ‘catch up’? What makes sense?” Denora asked.
“How they knew we were coming. The Dominions would not have been waiting for us unless they were summoned.”
Mantus turned toward Kadar, his back to the Alliance.
“What a perfect act of betrayal, Kadar. I have no idea how you were aware of what we were doing, but to go and tip off those whom you have fought against with the hope that they would have an upper hand . . . brilliant!”
“Ah, thank you, Mantus, and please don’t take it personally. It was more out of necessity. You see your cohort there . . .” he motioned to Denora, “before she met with you, she met with me. I must admit she is as conniving as they come; she has nothing on your now deceased ex-wife.”
“Denora?” Mantus looked at her.
The Overlo
rd stood with a puzzled look on her face, but it quickly changed to a devilish grin.
“It took you long enough!”
Kadar stepped forward and pushed his way through several of the Fallen who now appeared uneasy and 100 percent confused with what was taking place.
The Nephelium stood beside Denora as he addressed Mantus, “You are not aware, but there are many of my Clan who are standing right outside this building. The Alliance is not whom you need to worry about, but my kind. They are thirsty to see you fall. Command your troops to lay down their weapons, and I promise you that none of them will be slaughtered. All of you will become prisoners . . . including you. It’s not really freedom, but at least you don’t die!”
“What is going on?” Bristol asked Gideon. “Is anyone else as confused as I am?”
“Um, yeah . . . maybe more. I literally have no idea who is friend and who is foe at this point!”
“Mortal man does have that saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
He looked at her with an annoyed look on his face.
“Yes, but then who do you choose to be the enemy who is a friend?”
“Quiet, both of you!” Ki stated firmly.
Mantus stood stunned. His brain sorted through all the military tactics that he could think of; nothing fit because, at this point, he had no idea what was happening. He looked back to Kadar and Denora.
“You want a bloodbath . . . then let’s make a bloodbath!”
Without another word he nodded, and his team turned and began to attack. Denora pulled out several throwing knives, which became sharp and pointed missiles, hitting two of Mantus’ warriors.
Gideon and Bristol looked to Ki for direction. He held his hand up, motioning for them to wait.
“Steady, team. When I give you the green light, do not under any circumstance attack Kadar or his team.”
Gideon looked at Bristol. She just shrugged.
Chapter Fifty
The front door to Eden was splintered, and what was left of it was hanging on broken hinges. Zarius came around the corner and into chaos. Chad and Serenity were fighting hard. Each had already taken out several Fallen, and there were a few Nephelium who were fighting beside them. He had to take in the sight for a minute. He never would have imagined this, but here it was.
