Darius tossed his head back and laughed. “You can’t be serious! You call being torn limb from limb by a bloodthirsty beast a clean death?”
“It would have been better than what you intend to do. Your plan to use shape-shifting and trickery, the darkest form of our ancient powers, to bring shame,” Agnon accused.
“Now that is truly laughable,” he retorted bitterly. “What would you suggest I do? Clearly, you have a handle on things here.”
He’d hoped his sarcasm would ruffle the old coot. But it did not. Instead, he stiffened; his posture that of a viper poised to strike. “Kill him if you must,” he said venomously. “But you will not shame him. I will not allow it.”
Darius could see that Agnon intended to spill his blood. But unbeknownst to the fossil, his plan would never come to fruition. He raised his hand in front of him and Agnon’s feet hovered above the floor for a moment before he swept his arm to the side and sent the once-mighty warlock careening through the air. Agnon did not have time to scream or cry out. He slammed into the far wall, hard. “Just who do you think you are speaking to?” Darius asked in a voice as calm and deadly as an assassin’s blade. “No one speaks to me that way,” he continued as he crossed the room, each step deliberate and unhurried. He allowed Agnon’s form to slide down the wall so that he stood on his feet. Darius held him in place so that he could not move. “I will do as I see fit, do whatever I feel is necessary. I will succeed where you failed.” Darius stopped just inches from Agnon’s hideous face.
“You will not disgrace my son,” Agnon insisted with conviction.
Darius locked his gaze on the old warlock’s, allowing them to bore into his brain and draw from it every image swirling there. “Hmm,” he rumbled at the sights. “I know it must be hard. You were the most powerful being on Earth for a time. But those days are over,” he said, his voice just little more than a whisper. “I can crush you like an insect.” He could hear Agnon’s ragged breathing. “So,” he boomed and clapped his hands loudly. He took a step back. “Before I consider doing anything that drastic, open the portal to Gehenna for my men.” Just speaking the name of the dark underworld sent a shiver racing across his skin. “I need Abraxas, Baal and Amitt.”
Agnon gasped at the names he’d listed. He knew of their viciousness, that they murdered without conscience. “No, you cannot bring them through, not until the planet is ours.”
“Are you telling me no?” he asked through clenched teeth, ire bubbling beneath the surface of his skin.
“I will not do it. I will not open the portal,” Agnon said in a voice that trembled.
Darius shrugged. “Okay. Have it your way then.” He placed his entire hand over Agnon’s face so that his palm rested against his ruined nose. He envisioned himself leeching Agnon’s abilities. “I will do it myself. It was nice seeing you. Good-bye, old friend.”
For a moment, the room fell utterly silent. The only sound Darius heard was the rush of blood behind his ears as excitement mounted. The silence was interrupted when a guttural scream tore through the air. Agnon’s mouth was wide, his expression one of abject horror. The noise filled Darius with a feeling of complete contentment followed by a rush of essence.
A tsunami of pure energy surged through his body, emanating from Agnon as it gushed forth and rushed through his veins. His heart began to pound wildly, battering his chest as if trying to break free, overwhelmed. The thrill of the moment embraced him. His entire body felt like energy personified as a vibrant, continuous stream of life force hummed in a steady rhythm. The flow nearly staggered him as it inundated every cell in his body, causing each to quake and shudder at once. Shock waves ripped through him until his heart felt as if it would explode in a single sonic boom. He was inebriated, drunk with unadulterated strength. He was light, glowing and luminous. He was the sun, the moon and stars, the glimmer that reflected off the point of a sword before it was buried to its hilt into the heart of humanity. He was power.
Darius lost track of time as he was carried away on a wave of energy. In fact, time had ceased to matter, ceased to exist. It wasn’t until the flow slowed to a trickle that any sense of the physical word returned to him. He opened his eyes and was met with Agnon’s face, frozen in a silent scream, barely alive. Darius took several steps back and drew a line with his finger just below Agnon’s chin. A bright red arc appeared at his neck where it had been traced and blood began to pump from the open wound. He waited and watched as Agnon bled to death and slumped to the floor to a seated position.
When he was certain life had escaped the old warlock, he moved closer and squatted so that he could look upon the being he once envied. Eyes as numbing as the glacial world beyond the windows cast an accusatory glare from his lifeless body and attempted to reach Darius’ soul. A bitter chill swept through his veins but instead of freezing his heart with shame as it should have, it sent a shock of sheer delight rocketing through his body as refreshing as an ice-cold beverage. He then stood and turned from Agnon.
Equipped with the power to free some of his loyal warriors, he stared at the space before him and thought only of Gehenna, a sinister realm of fire and destruction, of complete chaos and waste. He strained and struggled against the molecular structure of the universe, against gravity, space and time, until beads of sweat trailed from between his shoulder blades down to the small of his back. He reached out with every ounce of strength he possessed, both old and new, battling until a section of air before him became visible, quivering and shimmering like heat radiating off pavement on a sweltering summer day. He instinctively stepped back, away from it, and waited. He was not afraid in the least. He recognized the necessity of self-preservation. This was his first time opening a portal. Who knew what would try to escape Gehenna ahead of his soldiers?
Light burst briefly from the shimmering air, along with a burst of energy that toppled him, and created a phenomenon similar to a camera flash. The flare had been unexpected. His eyes had not been prepared for it and spots appeared in his field of vision. But when the dark blobs subsided, Abraxas, Amitt and Baal stood before him.
He’d only been able to open the portal briefly and stood slowly, watching as the shimmering air vanished in a vortex of iridescent glitter.
“Are you okay, my lord?” Amitt rushed to his side and knelt.
“Rise,” he told her. She stood and reached for him, clutching his arm with slender, elegant fingers.
He looked upon her flawless cocoa skin and wide, dark eyes. His gaze dropped to her long, smooth legs and he was reminded of her overt seductiveness. “Yes, I am fine, Amitt,” he replied.
She turned her head toward the others and lengths of jet-black hair brushed his cheek. “Where are we?” she asked.
“What does it matter?” Abraxas boomed. “We are no longer in that cesspool Gehenna!” He raised a muscular arm high overhead and pumped his fist excitedly. “Good to see you, my lord.” He closed the distance between them and knelt before popping to his feet and gripping Darius’ forearm. He clasped it firmly then pumped it vigorously. He glanced quickly at Agnon then back to Darius. “I see you’ve been keeping yourself busy,” he said with a sly smile.
“You have no idea,” Darius agreed and shook his head slowly. “What’s wrong with him,” he asked as he pointed to Baal, a hulking mass of muscle with an amber mane that surrounded ruby eyes, an upturned snout and a massive, jaw. His body was that of a bodybuilder’s, human in formation, but far from average. Baal bowed but scuffed his foot against the hardwood flooring as if readying to charge.
“He is eager to begin our mission,” Abraxas confirmed.
“Need to hurt,” Baal’s deep, husky voice thundered as he raised his head and stood to his full height.
“Don’t worry, my friend, we will,” Darius promised as images of mass bloodshed and carnage filled his mind’s eye. The world would be theirs and Arianna would be his soon, very soon.
Chapter 4
With Dane and Jason’s guidance, Arianna sifted fr
om the Parker’s compound and now stood before a luxury log home. Each window glowed with a warm golden-orange radiance and echoed the deep rust color of the rough-cut timbers around them, as if lit by firelight, against a violet predawn sky.
“Wow,” Arianna muttered as her eyes roamed over-sized windows, expansive cedar decks and dramatic roof pitches. The structure before her resembled an extravagant chalet she’d seen on the cover of an architectural design magazine at her dentist’s office many years ago. Striking as it had been, the image on the glossy page had been just that: a cold, one-dimensional image. But the stately house she stood before now was far from cold. In fact, it looked rather inviting despite the overwhelming nature of its size. “Where are we? Why is it still dark?” she asked Beth and her brothers. Her questions were two of many swimming in her head.
“We’re just outside Ketchikan, Alaska, and it’s dark because it’s about five in the morning,” Jason replied.
“Alaska?” Arianna felt her brows gather. “Where’s the snow? Why am I not freezing?”
The air was damp and chilly and felt as if a fine sheen of rain would mist from overhead at any moment, yet the sky above was mostly clear. All of it was a far cry from the image her mind conjured when she thought of the state of Alaska.
Dane laughed and shook his head slowly. “You can take her questions,” he said to his brother.
Arianna felt annoyance creep its way into her mood. Why was Dane laughing at her? Did he think she was stupid? Did he expect her to have universal and working knowledge of every climate she sifted to? She wondered. She was about to ask him and express her feeling on the matter when Jason began speaking.
“We are in southeastern Alaska near the border of British Columbia, Canada and minutes from Tongass National Forest,” he said in his usual soft-spoken manner. “At this time of year, late-April, average daytime temperatures are close to around fifty, sometimes sixty, degrees.”
“Huh?” Arianna asked. With her mouth hanging open and the confusion that had undoubtedly imprinted itself on her expression, she waited for Dane to start laughing at her any minute.
“This area we are in is a temperate rainforest. The average high and low temperatures for the year do not vary.”
“Interesting,” she commented and nodded.
“Right now it’s probably forty degrees; cool but not cold,” he added.
“Thank you for that weather report and mini geography lesson,” Dane rolled his eyes. “That’s my twin brother, the nerd!”
“Shut up, Dane,” Beth said and shot him a withering look.
“Enough,” Arianna interrupted the budding grumblings. “What are we doing at this...resort?”
Dane chuckled. “It does look like a resort, doesn’t it?” He placed his hands on his hips and admired the construct. “This place is sweet. Just wait ‘til you see the inside. They have a game room, a home theater and a huge kitchen,” he added and nodded toward his brother.
“That’s all well and good but who’s they?” Arianna asked exasperatedly.
“They are friends of the family, close friends who share our beliefs,” Jason said. “Briathos lives here with a handful of other elders. Along the perimeter of the property, there are several small bungalows that sleep two or three of the younger warlocks who train here.”
Arianna was about to inquire more about the bungalows and trainees, but Desmond, who’d remained quiet since they’d arrived, spoke first.
“I have heard the name Briathos before,” Desmond said. “His reputation is sterling and precedes him.”
“Yes, he is fair and just and has defended many of our kind against attacks,” Jason agreed. “He and the elders, along with the trainees, live here safely and in peace unless they are called upon.”
Arianna’s attention was pinned on Jason as he went into detail about the many people Briathos had saved and about the elders who remained within the stunning walls of the log home. Only once she allowed herself to glance at Desmond. He stood with his arms folded across his broad chest. His jaw was tense save for the small muscles working just below his ear as he listened intently and weighed Jason’s words. When her eyes returned to Jason and she continued to listen, a question began to niggle its way into her brain. A part of her wondered why they had bothered going to the Parker’s at all. She was grateful to have met them, but at the same time regretted that she’d jeopardized their lives. They’d come under attack, and had she and Desmond arrived a moment later, MaryAnn and Adam Parker would have been killed. She was certain all four of Beth’s grandparents, as well as her great-aunt and uncle and the children, would have perished too. The thought made her stomach churn. If Briathos and his men were such ferocious defenders of people in need, why hadn’t Beth directed her and Desmond to them first?
“Why didn’t we come here first?” Desmond’s rumbling voice interrupted her train of thought and asked as if he’d read her mind.
Jason paused for the briefest of seconds, as if considering his words carefully before he uttered them.
“We needed to make sure you were with us,” Dane said and locked eyes with her for a moment before lowering them to the needle-covered ground. “Beth told us you were, but we needed to see for ourselves first.”
“Yes,” Jason chimed in. “Briathos would never have allowed you to stay if you had just shown up with Beth and Desmond.” Desmond parted his lips to speak, but Jason continued. “Please understand, Arianna, many lies have been told. Your prophecy has been greatly distorted by beings like the ones that came to my parents’ house.”
“So your parents screened me?” she asked evenly.
“Not exactly,” Jason answered. “Briathos respects our parents’ opinion and trusts their judgment.” His expression was pained as he wrung his hands in front of him.
Arianna digested all that he’d said. She did not blame anyone for not trusting her. MaryAnn and Adam had and it had nearly cost them their lives. She was a danger to everyone, regardless of her intentions. She did not intend to unite dark beings to overthrow humanity. She intended to unite others like Dane, Jason, Beth and Desmond. She would bring them together to fight those who sought to murder innocents. But none of that mattered. No matter where she went or who she was with, violence and death inevitably found her. Briathos would be wise to send her on her way lest the four horsemen of the apocalypse should gallop onto the property.
“I get it, Jason, really I do. I wouldn’t want me staying here either if I were in their position,” she said with unabashed self-depreciation.
Beth moved closer to her so that their shoulders almost touched. “Let’s show her around,” she said. “Let’s hike around the perimeter of the property.”
“I’m game,” Dane placed his hands on his hips and said.
“Me too,” Jason agreed.
“If Arianna is going, I will go too,” Desmond added then leveled his gaze at her as if to say: If you go, I go. If you stay, I stay.
“Sure, fine,” she heard herself say despite having about as much use for hiking as she did garlic-flavored chewing gum.
“Awesome,” Dane said, clearly enthused. “The forest is insane.”
“Cool it there Grizzly Adams,” Beth said. “We’re not hiking that far. Everyone will be up soon, as will Briathos. We want to see him as soon as possible, right.”
“Yeah, but we have a little time,” Dane started to protest.
“Beth is right,” Jason interjected. “Let’s just show her the outskirts of the property and come back.”
Dane’s forehead furrowed and he folded his arms across his chest. His lower lip jutted out just a bit and for a moment, Arianna thought he may stamp his foot and solidify his full-blown pout. “Fine,” he settled reluctantly.
They started along a pebbly trail. Ferns and other leafy vegetation Arianna could not identify grew on either side of them. She tipped her chin and cast her eyes skyward before lowering them and surveying the surrounding landscape. Cedars, hemlocks and spruces were inters
persed among slippery-looking rocks and moss-covered logs, canopying the area more densely the farther they moved into the forest. Lush greenery was abundant and continued as far as she could see. Birds darted from branch to branch, the sound of fluttering wings the only disturbance of the heavy silence suspended among them. That and the distinct sound of moving water, the gentle hiss and rustle of it rolling over land and rock, revealed that water lay ahead.
“I hear water,” Arianna said. “There’s a river nearby,” she asked more than stated.
“Yes,” Jason said and smiled at her proudly. “It’s up ahead.”
They walked another five or six minutes more, following the sound and sidestepping creepers and vines that slunk along the ground. But the winding vines and undergrowth quickly gave way to more stony terrain underfoot. The heavy brush that grew between trees began to thin considerably and Arianna was able to see that a narrow, snaking chasm had been created by a formidable flow of water.
“Wow,” was all Arianna managed. A mossy clearing surrounded the river. The rushing water resonated all around them and the woods were soothingly peaceful. Arianna was surprised to find herself feeling calm surrounded by monstrous trees, overgrown plants and more wildlife than she cared to think about. After all, she was a girl for whom the word camp was not, and never would be, a verb. Hike was something she’d not so eloquently invited people who pissed her off to take; never something she would embark on with a backpack and walking stick. But standing in the flat opening alongside the trail they’d just followed, she hoped to someday return and venture deeper into the forest.
She was about to tell Desmond as much when the ground rumbled beneath her feet for a moment. Panic rocketed through her like a bolt of lightning. She instinctively bent her knees and her arms shot out to her sides in a defensive crouch. “What the hell?” she started to ask, but her voice was drowned out by a roar. Her head snapped in the direction of the sound and what she saw made her breathing hitch. “Down! Everyone get down!” she shouted and covered her head. She dropped to the dirt just in time to see that a clear, blue-fringed sphere was hurtling toward them, blinding in its brightness as it streaked through the navy sky. Even though her hands clutched her ears, she could still hear the hiss and crackle of the burning orb as it raced to the earth before hitting the ground with enormous force about fifty feet away from her.
The Arrival: Arianna Rose, #4 Page 5
