Aegis: Catalyst Grove

by Nathan Roten

  “2:05. I think we are going to make it!” said Damien.

  “Only if we keep this pace all the way there,” said Graham in between big breaths. “I’ve got to stop. Just for a sec.” Graham slowed down and bent over, placing his hands on his knees, his lungs gasping for air. “I’ve got to start playing soccer with you or something. This is ridiculous.”

  Damien, completely unfazed by the journey so far stood straight with an even, rhythmic pulse. “I agree, amigo. You are pretty out of shape.”

  Big breath……”shut it”…..big breath.

  All this running seemed to work some of the pain out of Graham’s bones. There was only a small pulse of pain every so often now, but he knew it was only because the blood was flowing. If he stopped moving for too long, he knew he would be in trouble.

  “Alright, señor speedster. After you.”

  “Ok, if you fall behind, just follow the trail of dust and shame.”

  “I’ll show you shame.” As Graham was saying that, he took off into a sprint.

  Damien immediately took off after Graham.

  “Enjoy that head start amigo,” he yelled. “I’m sure that five seconds of glory will make the defeat a little easier to swallow.” Just as he finished saying that, he was already parallel to Graham. “I’ll see if they can delay the meeting for you,” he said, now 2-3 paces ahead.

  Determined not to be completely humiliated, Graham sped up. The two played this cat and mouse game for over two miles until they came up to a small wooden sign inlaid in a panel of stacked stone. In an Old English font, it read ‘Portfield Manor.’ They were so focused on beating each other they almost missed it, if it hadn’t been for Graham needing to slow down for another break.

  “Hey, back over here!” yelled Graham.

  Damien slowed down, made a U-turn and ran back to Graham. “You may beat me, but it won’t be to Portfield Manor. It is this way.”

  “Well, good thing you are out of shape, isn’t it,” said Damien.

  Graham tried to come back with a witty remark, but he was too tired and he was panting too heavily. The only thing he could muster was, “Everyone has their gifts, I guess.”

  After a few minutes, Graham was able to catch his breath as Damien waited patiently by the sign. As he waited for Graham, he took hold of the side, trying to shake it back and forth.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Checking to see how sturdy it is.”

  “Why?”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t understand you.”

  Not attempting to even try to understand the inner workings of Damien’s mind, Graham removed his hands from his knees and stood up straight. “You are not even sweating. How are you not sweating?” asked Graham, while sweat pouring from his face like a faucet.

  “I’m Peruvian. We don’t sweat in cold weather.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  Staring down the side road leading to Portfield Manor, they both saw why the ghost stories existed. Now that most of the leaves had fallen, the long outstretched limbs of the trees which lined the sides of the road looked as if they were going to grab you. The wind picked up, creating little cyclones of dead leaves hovering overtop of the dirt road.

  “Um…you first,” said Damien.

  Graham tried to take the first step, but was surprised at his hesitation. His whole life, he had been dreaming about this moment, yet he had a hard time taking the first step. Looking at Damien, though, his pride kicked into high gear. If he couldn’t beat his friend in a chase, he would certainly not back down from this.

  “Alright, let’s go.”

  Graham took off down the road, then Damien. Not wanting to be on this creepy side road any longer than they had to, they ran as fast as they could. The road curved in and out like a snake, which only made it’s gloomy facade more intense. The large shadows cast by the light of the moon through the bare branches didn’t help either. The periodic hoot of an owl and the fluttering footsteps of small woodland creatures quickened their pace to an all-out sprint.

  Now a good mile in, they finally saw the form of a large house nooked in a cluster of trees ahead. As they approached, they passed through a large metal gate fastened to a tall stone wall on either side. Both doors were slightly ajar, allowing both Graham and Damien to pass through side-by-side.

  Still a little creeped out, they both slowly walked up to the house, letting their pulses die down. The house was enormous. It was made completely of stone with a large arched portico over the entrance.

  “Wow, this is more like a castle than a house,” said Damien as they walked up to the entrance.

  Even the front door was intimidating. It was at least ten feet tall with long strips of hammered metal stretching over the large wooden planks with metal bolts holding them in place. Graham looked over at Damien, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder.

  “I wouldn’t be here right now if you didn’t pull me from the edge of that cliff. You’re a good friend. I don’t care what they say.”

  “G, thanks. That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  This was boy bonding at its finest. It was like a secret code, but they both knew what it was.

  “Go on then. Knock.”

  With a deep breath and shot nerves, Graham reached out and grabbed hold of the large metal ring held in the talons of a bird with outstretched wings. Bam. Bam. Bam. The knocks of the metal ring reverberated all around the stone portico. A few moments went by and nothing happened. Trying again, Graham took hold of the metal ring again and knocked three more times. A few more seconds ticked by until he heard the sound of the door unlock. Graham let go of the ring as the door moaned with creaks and cracks. The door opened to reveal Chase standing on the other side in a pair of black cargo pants and red long-sleeved shirt.

  With a warm smile on his face he looked at both of them.

  “Just in time guys. Come on in.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  The Meeting

  The door creaked as it shut. They all stood in a large foyer filled with eclectic artwork. The craftsmanship of the wood finishings of the house matching almost exactly what was in The Greenwood Orphanage, though the furniture, colors and interior finishings were completely different. It had more of an ‘antique’ feeling.

  “You live here?” asked Graham, eventually looking over the room and making eye contact with Chase.

  “I guess you could say that. I wouldn’t exactly call it home, but it is where I live for the time being.”

  Just being in this place made you want to walk a little taller, like you were of high social status. Though the outside made your skin crawl, the inside had a completely different atmosphere. There was a fire crackling in the next room. You couldn’t see it, but you could hear it. You could certainly feel the warmth and smell the burning wood.

  Just beyond where the three of them were standing was a huge tapestry hanging on the wall at least fifteen feet wide and over twenty-five feet long. It had an elegant weave with a large depiction of a sun in the middle. The sun was hollow in the middle and contained within a circle, with the flares curling out 360 degrees. The deep golden hue of the sun stood in dramatic contrast with the crimson red background. The shadowing behind the sun made it seem 3-dimensional. Graham was so enthralled with the intricacy and level of detail that he could not look away.

  “Well, if your eyes have had their fill, then lets go into the next room. There are a few people I think you would like to meet,” said Chase.

  Continuing straight through the large foyer, Graham passed a skinny rectangular table with three oblong mirrors hanging overtop. Each mirror was made of a deep cheery wood with four bowl-like indentions to the right side of the glass, like a giant had pushed his fingers into the grain of the wood. Graham peered into the mirror and saw the reflection of the tapestry, so he turned around to look at it one last time. Was it some sort of family crest? Those usually looked like a shield with different pictures in them. No, it co
uldn’t be a crest. Maybe the family just liked the sun. Graham wanted to figure it out, but knowing he did not having any more time to ponder, he continued to follow Chase into the next room.

  As they entered, Graham saw two young girls by the fireplace both wearing jeans. The older had a brown long-sleeved shirt with a blue coat folded over her arm. The younger girl had on a white shirt with a green coat. Three men stood in the opposite corner talking together. All but one had on the same thing as Chase. Black pants and dark red shirts. Looking back at Chase, he noticed that just below the collar on the back of the neck was the sun symbol again. Looking back to the men, it was hard to overlook the fact that one of them towered over the rest. He was a very large man with a weathered face, long black hair and a goatee. A large scar stretching along the length of his left cheekbone a few inches below his eye. He was not large as in overweight. Quite the contrary. He was all muscle, at least twice the width of Chase and more than a head taller. His clothing was different. He did not seem the type to match others. He wore a thick black wool coat, almost military style with the chest pockets and straps over the shoulders. He wore a brown shirt underneath and rugged brown pants.

  “That has to be Cavaness. Is that Cavaness?” asked Graham.

  “The one and only,” replied Chase. “Cavaness Foster. The other two guys with him are Brian Murphy and Eric Branson.” Waving over to him, Chase got his attention as they made their way over. “Cavaness, these our our newest seekers. This one here is Damien. He is the soccer star I was telling you about. And this one here is Graham. He is the one you told me about.”

  Graham’s ears perked. Wait, he told you about me? You mean Cavaness knows who I am? How? Why? Graham stood stoned faced, just staring at Chase.

  Chase noticed Graham’s blank stare, so he began to wave his hand back and forth in front of Graham’s face trying to get him to snap out of it. “Hello? Anybody in there?”

  Graham quickly refocused his eyes, coming back from his inner monologue. “Hi..uh…sorry. I just didn’t expect you to know who I was Mr. Foster.” Graham had to tilt his head upward to make eye contact.

  “Just Cavaness. No need for Mr.” said Cavaness in a deep, gravely voice. There was something about his tone that was the equivalent of the crack of a whip. Graham had known Cavaness for about five seconds, but because of the way Cavaness carried himself, he knew this was a man forged in the heat of extreme circumstances and hardened by life’s trials. His words fell from his mouth like heavy stones. This tone, paired with his beefy stature, made him a very intimidating person to be around.

  “Oh, ok, Cavaness. How do you know who I am?

  “We’ll get to that in soon enough. For now, we are past 3 o’clock and need to begin.” At that, Cavaness walked away.

  Chase rolled his eyes. “Not exactly a social butterfly, is he. You get used to it though.”

  Leading Graham and Damien over to two girls at the fireplace, Chase exchanged introductions. “Boys, here are the other guests for tonight’s meeting. They are from further north. This is Kel and this is Ailey. They are from the Oak Ridge Orphanage. Kel reached out and shook hands. She stood at least eight inches taller than Ailey with brown hair and deep blue eyes. Ailey was much shorter and younger than Kel with olive skin, brown hair and beautiful greenish-hazel eyes. Her skin was almost flawless, except for a small horizontal scar on her neck, just above the collar of her green coat. They were not sisters, but they acted like it, because they both greeted Graham and Damien with the same mannerisms. After shaking hands, they were about to say hello, but Chase interrupted.

  “You will have plenty of time to mingle later. For now, we need to get started. Alex is ready to see the four of you now.

  “Who is Alex?” Damien asked Graham.

  “I have no idea.” Looking at the girls, Graham asked, “Do you two know?”

  “No, nobody has mentioned an Alex yet,” said Kel.

  Ailey stood beside Kel with her eyebrows arched as she shook her head side to side.

  Graham shrugged. “Well, I guess we’re about to find out.”

  The next room looked to be about the size of the Parlor back at Greenwood. As they entered, they found it completely bare, except for two sets of rectangular tables. One was narrow, placed near the back wall, and the other was set out in the middle of the room with four chairs facing the opposite table.

  The narrow table was fairly simple. It stood about four feet tall with a slight hourglass figure and was made of solid mahogany wood. On the front side of the table, in the middle of the vertical trim, was the sun emblem again. Four chairs were placed behind the table.

  Chase led the kids over to the table in the middle of the room and asked them to take a seat. The two men previously talking with Cavaness entered the room and took a seat at the chairs against the back wall, along with Chase. Cavaness walked over to the middle of the small table, and placed his hands on top.

  “I want to be the first to welcome you to Portfield Manor. No doubt you have many questions floating around in your minds. I do not believe anyone has given you a full explanation of exactly why you are here tonight. You all have agreed to come here because you all have unanswered questions. Each of you have been experiencing unexplained events, and you have come here in a faith and hope that you will be given answers to these questions. In a moment you will be introduced to a man named Alex. He will be the one to begin tonight’s affairs. When he comes in, it would be in your best interest to give him your highest respect. He is not only the owner of this house and estate, but he is also the founder of our organization.”

  At that, Cavaness turned around and took the final seat beside Chase. The four kids sat there wondering what they had gotten themselves into. Graham looked over at Chase with a look of concern. Chase returned Graham’s worrisome expression with a wink and a slight grin. For some unknown reason, Graham felt peaceful when he was around Chase, which was very strange considering that he never trusted anyone.

  It took a while to even warm up to Damien. He never had any siblings, blood siblings anyway, but Graham imagined this must be what it was like to have an older brother. One who always had your back. One who always had a protective eye over you. Though this trip had been an exciting adventure so far, Graham really did not like the unknown. He disliked surprises. He liked knowing what was ahead, but there was no way of knowing what was about to come and it was grating on his nerves. Despite the nerves, however, this one wink and smile from Chase poured over him like warm bath water. He was soothed and comforted, like Chase had telepathically told him that everything was going to be just fine.

  Graham smiled back and looked over to Damien, who was spewing his whole life story to this ‘Kel’ girl. She looked like she would rather be in solitary confinement than endure one of Damien’s long rants. Ailey sat beside Kel with her chin on the table, picking at a stray string hanging from the cuff of her green coat until her head shot up off the table as a man carrying a silver tray walked into the room. All at once, the four grown men quickly stood up with straight backs and their arms stiff and pinned at their sides. The best he could guess, this was a type of salute or show of respect like you would see in the army. The four kids followed suit.

  Alex walked over to the small table and set the silver tray on top. The tray held eight small golden cylinders about five inches tall, the bottoms a little wider than the tops. The cylinders looked more like wire frames with a golden ring at the top, one at the bottom, and small rods connecting the two. On one side, two of the rods bend outwards forming a half-circle so that together, they formed one complete circle. The same on the adjacent side, though one side held the sun emblem within the circle. The other circle was empty.

  Alex let the four of them look at the golden objects for a moment or two before putting his fist to his mouth, clearing his throat. Looking into the eyes of each of the four, he smiled and said, “Welcome. My name is Alex. I know you all went to great lengths to be here tonight. Though I could have spoke
n to your superiors, requesting your presence here, it means much more to me that you have come of your own free will.”

  Such authority emanated from this man. He could not have been more than in his mid-thirties, yet he spoke with the authority of ten kings. Even Cavaness paled in comparison. It was very difficult to explain. There was a balance of force and compassion in his voice as he spoke.

  “You have come for answers. I am not sure if they can all be answered immediately, but perhaps with time, you will find what you are looking for. I know that some of you have come here in hopes that you will be able to perform magic. Most do.”

  Damien’s eyes lit up at the mention of magic. His mind went back to seeing Chase move in streaks of light, as fast as a bullet from the barrel of a gun.

  “Many have experienced things that they cannot explain. Others are running away from their past in hopes of making a better future. Some just want to be more than what they have become. Whatever your motivation is for being here tonight, the point is that you are searching for truth. The truth that will explain the unexplainable.”

  Taking the silver tray from the small table, Alex walked over to the table and set it down between Damien and Kel. 2 by 2, he removed the golden cylinders and placed them in front of each person. Once the tray was empty, he took it and set it back on the small table.

  Turning back again, Alex picked up one of the cylinders in front of Damien. With all five fingers spread out along the bottom ring, Alex held the object up at eye level.

  “These are wristbands. They are the key to understanding what you are striving so hard to comprehend, but I am afraid that I must disappoint you when I say that there is no such thing as magic. Magic is an illusion. It is a falsehood. What I am offering you tonight is much more than cheap parlor tricks. I am offering you an invitation to not only get answers to your questions, but to also be a part of something much bigger than any one individual in this room. If you accept my invitation, please pick up your armbands now and place them onto your forearms with the sun facing up towards the ceiling.”