The Book of the Magi

by Billy Spencer

  “Odin my knight, my protector, please lend me your aid,” Jessica said to Odin as she knelt on one knee and bowing her head.

  Odin turned towards Jessica and the rest of the group and looked upon them. “Your friend Nick fights on friends. I can hear his and Amaterasu fight a war just nearby. Let us finish this as a group, as friends, and as allies,” Odin said as he stared down at Jessica and smiled at her.

  At that moment Abigail knew she had to fight too. That if Jessica and Odin were going to fight so was, she and zee. Abigail bit down hard on her hand and took out a piece of paper from her pockets and began scribbling stuff down. “Glad we always agreed to carry this stuff around in case of an emergency,” Abigail said to herself with a smile on her face.

  Abigail’s paper began to burn itself into ashes as Zee began to emerge from the smoke. The dragon that Abigail loved that even though he was small at times he could always hang with the big boys. “Go on boy, let’s have some fun,” Abigail said to Zee as he continued to grow, his scales stretching out larger, and teeth becoming sharper. Zee was ferocious and was big like a full-grown bear, but had wings that spread far enough for him to shield himself or Abigail if need be.

  “You sure you want to do this Abigail? “Jessica said to Abigail as she stood by Odin’s side. She knew that Abigail was great at fighting demons but was worried about Nick still.

  “Nick can handle himself, and I really think Zee and me can handle a couple of vampire freaks,” Abigail said to Jessica as she gave her a thumbs up.

  Jessica looked back at Diana and saw that she and her minions just stood still and didn’t move much. “What didn’t want to attack us yet?” Jessica said to Diana as she started to climb on Odin to sit on his shoulder.

  “Once I get you off that stupid Knight of yours, you’re nothing but prey and food for me and my friends,” Diana said to Jessica as her smiled widen.

  “She is right Master. You wear nothing but your formal wear. Let me give you something more,” Odin said to Jessica as he took her off his shoulder and spoke in a strange language .Odin held her in front of him and stared into her eyes, and Jessica’s eyes were fixated on Odin’s in some sort of trance.

  “What is going on, hey what are you doing to Jessica?” Oracle said out loud as he rushed towards Odin to see what was going on.

  Odin then put Jessica down in front of him and knew that she was meant for greatness. He smiled at her and patted the top of her head as if implying that she was a daughter to him. “You are a Warrior in your own way master. Greatness is something you achieve even in the smallest of events,” Odin said to Jessica as he started to smile.

  Oracle went to Odin and pushed him away from Jessica to see what was going on. “you better not done anything to her man,” Oracle said out loud as he walked past Odin but stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes just couldn't believe what they were seeing. “Jessica are you ok?” Oracle said to Jessica as he tried rubbing his eyes to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming or just having some sort of meltdown.

  “Don’t worry Oracle, everything will be fine,” Jessica said to Oracle and then stepped to the side of Odin facing her friends.

  Her body was covered from head to toe in a white and silver armor piece. Armor that was used in Odin’s time and was similar to his. She held a sword like Odin’s to the side of her but was smaller so she would be able to wield it. She also had a shield that had a crest on it that was represented of Odin’s Sword cross-guard. To the side of Jessica, she held a Valkyrie helmet that she would wear into battle. She placed the helm on top of her head and grabbed her blade out and pointed it to the ceiling of the building. She felt magical and powerful wearing this armor.

  “The armor of the Valkyrie sisters. Powerful and a prized possession of my family. You do well to take care of it,” Odin said to Jessica holding his shield in a defensive stance.

  “Don’t worry friends, tonight we teach these monsters what it’s like to be human, tonight we show them true defeat,” Jessica said out loud as she turned around and pointed her sword in front of her towards Diana. “So, what say you Diana? Ready to end this?” Jessica said to Diana as she smirked and started to charge towards the horde of vampires, with her friends and comrades rushing behind her.

  Chapter 27

  Jessica rushed in with Odin by her side, both seemingly in synch with one another. She could feel the weight of the blade and her shield feel almost weightless. “I never knew what true evil was, what true darkness was inside you Diana,” Jessica said out loud as she swung her blade down aiming at Diana with a death blow.

  Diana moved quickly out of Jessica's attack and went charging at her moving her away from Odin and the rest of the group. “Can you feel that, the crushing power and might that I hold Jessica,” Diana said to Jessica holding both of her wrists and squeezing them tightly.

  Jessica screamed in pain, she turned to see Odin and the rest of her friends fighting the vampire slaves. “you hold these people against their will, you turn them into something inhumane, why?” Jessica said to Diana trying to pull her off.

  Diana put her whole weight on Jessica trying to get closer to her, trying to bite down on her neck, and taste her delicious blood. Her nails were scratching Jessica’s armor and couldn’t penetrate it, but she could make her feel pain. “You feel that don’t you Jessica. You feel your insides suffocating for air. Does it scare you a lot that you can hardly breathe, that there is no room for you to escape? Those minions of mine are free in a sense. I take away their fears and they get to enjoy life and never age,” Diana said to Jessica as she smiled, showing her fangs.

  “You think these people wanted this? You think they wanted to be damned?” Jessica said to Diana as she focused all her strength and pushed the Vampire off of her slamming the shield into her face, knocking Diana back a few feet.

  Diana stumbled a few feet from Jessica, she could feel the pain that was caused by the shield and was glad. “Didn’t think I could feel any pain anymore. But glad I can at least enjoy a good fight,” Diana said to Jessica licking the blood off her lips.

  Jessica got up from the floor, with her shield in hand, and sword readied for an attack. She has never been in this kind of fight before when it came to the supernatural, or demons. She knew that fighting with a sword and shield was much different than regular fist fighting. Jessica also knew that she didn't have Odin to lend her his aid, she wanted to protect them though and she knew that in her heart that she could. “A fight that you will not win, a battle that will be lost. Give up this craziness Diana, surrender,” Jessica said to Diana as she began to approach her but kept her shield up just in case.

  “You have seen this madness. What good will it bring to try and stop it? You go back to your regular lives boring, getting jobs, having a family and then what? be nothing but a thought that no one cares about,” Diana said to Jessica getting ready to pounce back on her.

  Jessica held her sword out with the point of it aimed at Diana. “We all have fears, we all have doubts. But we also have hope. You want to take that away from others? I won't stand by and let you. You believe what you want to Diana, but leave these people out of it,” Jessica said to Diana as she started to walk towards her.

  Diana leaped into the air almost hitting the ceiling and had her arms out ready to swipe down at Jessica. “You always act so brave, so ready to protect others. But what about yourself?” Diana said to Jessica as she came down swiping her claws in the air.

  Before Diana could land her claws or fangs on Jessica, she lifted the shield up and held it in front of her, shielding herself from the attack. “I never forget about myself. I don’t take the easy way, you monster. I always take the hard way, but at least I can look at myself in the mirror in the morning,” Jessica said to Diana as she smirked at her.

  “Oh, what a funny low blow,” Diana said to Jessica as she held onto the shield and tried to rip it from Jessica’s arm.

  Jessica could see Lucuris and Joey and just stare at how helples
s they were, no one was going for them and everyone was fighting and forgot about them. She didn’t want her boyfriend to get hurt, she didn’t want her friend to die. Jessica knew that she had to save them, that she had to protect those who could not be protected. “You try too hard to show how evil you are Diana. But I get you now, you don’t know who you are, you don’t know how to act when it comes to people. all you do Diana is look for what you can get from others. Is that who you are Diana? are you just so empty inside,” Jessica said to Diana as she tried to keep the shield in its place to keep Diana from taking it.

  Diana started to claw at Jessica on each side of the shield trying to get a piece of flesh, she was furious by this woman and wanted nothing more but to get rid of her. “Oh, you are afraid to fight me one on one, you have to have this stupid shield to protect you huh,” Diana said to Jessica as she stopped swiping and jumped off the shield.

  Jessica grabbed the shield and threw it to the side; she saw her friends fighting the horde of vampires. The familiars that she saw as friends also give it their own for a cause they didn’t need to be a part of. “You think I’m afraid of you, no I’m not. But I tell you what I do fear. I fear letting people down,” Jessica said to Diana as she grabbed her sword with both hands and swung it down aiming for Diana's head.

  Diana moved quickly away from the attack, but not before getting a small cut from Jessica’s sword. “I’m afraid that I will live life not doing anything with it,” Jessica said out loud aiming for Diana again, and again missing.

  “Stop it, stop that now,” Diana said to Jessica trying to stop herself from bleeding. She didn’t know how Jessica was cutting her so easily, she thought she was moving fast enough.

  “I’m afraid of truly being happy, and loving with all my heart,” Jessica said out loud as she swung her sword down as hard and as fast as she could. She looked up and saw that her sword made contact with Diana, and just saw the Vampire Queen look stunned.

  “all...all I ever wanted was to just be happy, to be accepted for who I was,” Diana said to Jessica with a small smile as a tear left her eye and trailed off her face. With those last words Diana's body slowly fell apart in two, and turned into dust. There was nothing left of her but dust, and old memories.

  Jessica kneeled and grabbed a piece of Diana’s remains. “You will be happy, you will be set free, your curse lifted. But you will never be forgotten,” Jessica said to herself as she blew the dust out of the palm of her hand and into the air.

  Chapter 28

  The fight was starting to settle down, the vampires who were left alive returned back into humans and were in some sort of deep sleep. Like some sort of spell was placed onto them, or they were just tired from using so much energy attacking their prey that they had nothing left to give.

  “Man... How in the hell are we going to explain all of this? Some of these vampires we killed had families, friends, some were very young,” Abigail said out loud as she slumped to the floor with Zee next to her and just looked at the ashes of the dead vampires and the remains of their cloths. It was devastating to her, to have to destroy these lives, and feel like an executioner. “I can’t believe they are dead buddy,” Abigail said to Zee as she pets his head softly.

  Then from behind Abigail two long arms wrapped around her body, holding her tightly and kissing her neck softly and embracing her. “You did all that you could have, they were trapped in their bodies and being controlled. You set them free,” Nick said to Abigail as he began to hold her tightly, even though he was tired and beaten up a bit by his own fighting, he always had enough energy to show his girl affection.

  Azabel and Oracle went towards Joey and Lucuris and were both deeply saddened by how hurt they both were. “Why aren’t they waking up yet,” Oracle said to Azabel bending down next to Lucuris and just checking his pulse to make sure he was still alive.

  Oracle didn’t like seeing people hurt, the pain was so much for him to deal with. “Luc, buddy please wake up,” Oracle said out loud holding Lucuris’s head and just rocking back and forth wailing.

  Jessica did not move from where she was, she stood on top of Diana’s ashes, setting her Valkyrie helmet to one side along with her sword and shield. She didn’t really know Diana at all, but still the shell of the person she destroyed was still someone who lived and breathed. “Odin, why would anyone so evil do this,” Jessica said to Odin still staring at Diana’s ashes.

  Odin stood tall and placed his sword back into its scabbard and shield onto his back. He stood behind Jessica, placing both armored hands on her shoulders firmly. “I have seen Kingdoms rise and fall. I have seen men and women do wonderful things, but also horrible. You can try as you might to change one’s heart, and ways of continuing a dark path. But sometimes they are far gone, and one must protect those they hold close and to be a beacon of the shining light.” Odin said to Jessica looking down at her and just trying to comfort her. “We fight on, we live and survive. To honor the lives that have been lost we seek Justice and fight Matius to the ends of the earth, to stop this horror and darkness that has covered your land,” Odin said out loud looking at everybody that he would call a brother or sister.

  “He’s right Abigail. We must keep fighting, we will stop Matius no matter what. Just remember you have us to count on,” Nick said to Abigail as he placed Amaterasu on his shoulder.

  Lucuris’s eyes began to open, feeling so tired and worn out like someone punched him in the gut. He had a splitting headache, but saw Oracle holding his head with tears running down his face. “Why are you crying Oracle? Who hurt you buddy,” Lucuris said to Oracle as he lifted his hand up to wipe away his friend’s tears.

  “Lucluclucluc...You’re awake,” Oracle said to Lucuris with a smile on his face feeling relieved. He was just glad all his friends were ok, hurt for the most part but at least they were all well.

  Lucuris got up slowly and saw close to him Jessica, but seeing her in some sort of armor shocked him a bit. He saw that she was not moving much and didn’t hear everyone, and just stood there like a statue. “My knight in shining armor,” Lucuris said to Jessica as he knelt beside her.

  Jessica turned slowly and saw Lucuris, their eyes met, and she could feel that spark she always felt with him. The special zig that she got from the bottom of her gut. “I couldn’t save her baby...I’m sorry don’t hate me,” Jessica said to Lucuris as she started to cry and fall into his arms.

  “wait what do you mean?” Lucuris said to Jessica as his heart started to beat faster. He didn’t know what she was talking about, but he didn’t want her to be in any danger.

  Jessica slowly gathered some of the ashes that was on the floor into one of her hands, and she just showed it to Lucuris and held the remains closer to her chest. “Diana...I had to kill her Luc; she was a vampire. I had no choice but to stop her madness,” Jessica said to Lucuris as she dropped the ashes to the floor feeling her despair slowly seeping inside of her. “What if all of this, what if we sacrifice too much...Then what? It would be all for nothing,” Jessica said to Lucuris as she started to pound her chest self-inflicting pain on herself.

  Lucuris grabbed her hand tightly to stop her from hurting herself anymore. He could see the sadness in her eyes, an innocent woman placed into the role of a warrior. “We sacrifice for a better tomorrow. We do it not because it’s the easy way, we do it for them Jessica,” Lucuris said to Jessica as he pointed to the sleeping people that were all across the part of the building they were in. People of all ages, kids, adults, elderly, they all mattered and Lucuris wanted Jessica and every one of his friends to see why it mattered so much.

  Joey slowly started to get up, trying to hold himself up by leaning against a wall and just started to look around. “We...must stop him, we have to end Matius for everything he has done,” Joey said out loud trying to withstand the pain throughout his body. He was angry at what happened to Lucuris and his friends, and just hated himself for not seeing the vampires sneak up on them.

  Nick rush
ed to Joey and tried to make him sit down. “Hey man don’t worry we are going to work together on this. We just gotta rest and just think of what to do next,” Nick said to Joey as he sat down with him on the floor.

  Lucuris walked towards Joey and extended his arm down to his friend. “We’re going to end this Joey. As two Black Mages with the help of our team,” Lucuris said to Joey as he picked up his friend and hugged him.

  Abigail came towards Joey and Lucuris with Jessica and everybody else, even Azabel, she held Zee close to her chest and looked at her brother. “You’re our leader Lucuris, we will fight by your side, all of us,” Abigail said to Lucuris as she smiled at him. She always felt her brother was meant for something more, even though he always doubted himself. “remember the figure you showed me that one night?” Abigail said to Lucuris as she placed one arm around him

  “Yea, it was the night I told you of my weird dream, and I think I was studying or something,” Lucuris said to Abigail as he seemed curious to know why she would ask him something so random.