Memphis’s foreboding smile did not diminish. “There is a way we can save Abacus. Now, young master. If you wouldn’t mind following me.”
“A way to save Abacus? How?”
“All in due time…” Memphis replied. Ednon could tell the man’s patience was wearing thin.
“I need to lay these flowers at Ira-” he began, before he suddenly felt something cold and sharp press up against his back. It was undoubtedly a blade, Ednon thought, beginning to feel himself sweat.
“I’m afraid I’m not asking, young maverick.” Memphis pushed the blade closer. “Come, Ed, I wouldn’t want to break those little legs of yours.”
He stuttered a response, but, before he could find any words, he heard a loud booming sound. He turned around to see that the school had disappeared into a sea of flames. The Asterlieghians on the streets began to yell – falling into complete pandemonium. Ednon watched in dismay, while Memphis just let out a cold laugh.
“Come now, Ed, we must go before the commotion dies down…” and with that he started to drag Ednon, leading him down a nearby alley. All eyes were upon the fire, so no one noticed as Memphis forced him into the shadows of the alleyway. It seemed like any other, a dead end, with piles of rubbish. Memphis pushed on one exceptionally large barrel. Ednon was startled. There was no way one man alone could move such a thing; it was too filled to the brim with all sorts of junk. Nevertheless, the sheer strength and might of Memphis did manage to move the barrel enough to reveal a hidden passageway, completely darkened, presumably leading to the subterranean network. Without giving Ednon any time to respond, Memphis viciously grabbed his hand, knocking the flowers onto the floor and took him, for the second time in Ednon’s life, into the world buried far beneath the surface.
Back within the underground web, Memphis led him from out in front, constantly glancing back to check if Ednon were indeed following. What kind of man is this? Ednon thought to himself, watching the back of the tall Elder as they journeyed through the darkness of the corridors. To be able to take life without even a second thought or feeling. This man may even be worse than Luther. No, Ednon reassessed, this man was merely a lap-dog; he even tried to copy the same fashion sense as his pear-shaped boss. Memphis clearly was not blind, as his movements were free, yet it still appeared that he never took off the shades. No, this man was not worse than Luther. The two times he had previously met the short man, self-proclaimed with safeguarding the new age of humanity, he sensed only the darkest of evils. But to save the life of Abacus, which would then in turn make Amelia and Jernett happy, he would have to endure being in their presence. Even if it did make his stomach feel violently ill.
“Who are we going to meet?” Ednon asked, after a few minutes of silent travel.
“Don’t talk!”
And with that Ednon returned to silence; the man was clearly not in the mood for idle chatter. In fact, it appeared as if he was doing all he could to prevent himself from attacking Ednon outright. So, he instead decided to focus his mind on other things as they moved through intersection upon intersection. He began to study the ground, trying to find markers in case the time came when he would have to make his escape. He was surprised to see the network so desolate and empty; he had assumed after he and Jung had told Ethna of this place’s existence that it would be swarming with military men loyal to the state. Despite this, there did not appear to be anyone. He realised the web went on for miles, so perhaps the military hadn’t been to this specific area. Or maybe even they were too scared to venture into this place, so dark and foreboding it seemed like only the vermin of the sewers could ever truly call it their home.
After what felt like hours, they reached a door much like the one he had come to last time he was here with Abacus and Levy by his side, but now he was alone. Feeling so very vulnerable, he watched as Memphis loudly pounded upon the door. There was an unlocking sound from the other side, before it slowly creaked open to reveal a sight that startled him immensely.
“Jung? Fergus?”
The room was small. However, it was big enough to be filled by ten people. Jung was tied to a chair in the centre, while the others stood behind a desk, where Fergus was sitting opposite the beaten and torn old man. Among the ten who stood around the room was Luther, standing much shorter than the other muscled men. He gave a sinister grin as Memphis pushed Ednon inside.
“Fergus, don’t!” Jung pleaded. “Ednon is only a child; has your heart really grown so cold in your old age? Don’t make him pay for my crimes.”
“I feel your darkened mind leads you astray, old friend. Ed is only down here for a chat, nothing more.”
“Ed…” Jung spoke desperately. “Run… get as far away as you possibly can!”
At that moment, Memphis, who was still standing directly behind him, placed his hands on Ednon’s shoulders, meaning even if he had wanted to run, he couldn’t.
“Come, Jung, Ednon has no reason to be afraid of us,” Fergus said, standing up from his desk and walking around to stand next to the tied and battered ex-Elder.
“He has every reason in the world to be afraid of you…” Jung responded, his eyes flowing tears of red from newly opened scars. “Fergus, please… he’s Ira’s grandson.”
“Ira’s dead,” Fergus said softly, placing his hand over Jung’s face to quell the stream of blood. “And soon you will be as well… Take him,” he demanded to two of the men behind him. “Take him into the next room and make sure his death is a quiet one.”
With kicks and loud curses, Jung was taken screaming out of the room by the two large goons. Ednon watched in shock, his mind unable to process what was happening.
“Meet death with some degree of grace, old friend! And rejoice! The moment we have been working towards for so long is soon approaching!” Jung’s yells started to become fainter, as Memphis once again pushed Ednon forwards.
“Sit, Ednon,” Fergus continued, pointing towards the chair from which Jung had just been dragged.
“Please, don’t kill Jung, please…” Ednon begged, as Memphis forcibly placed him onto the chair before tying his arms and legs.
“The man is a traitor. He turned against the very Order that he, myself and your grandfather gave birth to all those years ago. How can I allow this type of parasite to be in my presence for even one more moment?”
“Because he’s your friend…” Ednon stared into the eyes of the old man. “Ira wouldn’t have wanted this either… ”
“I have known Jung for almost fifty years; your grandfather also. However, I feel no regret. A smidgen perhaps…” he re-thought to himself suddenly, “for the way things used to be. But for the future, I feel only happiness. And, to be honest with you, I don’t care what Ira thinks, because he’s dead, so it really doesn’t matter how my dear old comrade feels. My work is for the living, not the dead or indeed their memories.”
“What do you want with me? Why did you bring me down here?”
“You have some very valuable information. Our dear young fellow Abacus told us this, before his death.”
“A-abacus’s… death…”
“The man served his function. Come, Ednon, you act as if the man did not have it coming. However, he was loyal to our Order right to the very end. For this, I give him some credit. Now, Ed,” he promptly spoke up, changing the line of conversation. “Tell me who the Supreme Leader-”
“And what makes you think I will ever tell you?”
“Because if you don’t, then we will kill the girl,” Fergus said in a way that lacked all emotion. “The mother also.”
Ednon began to breathe heavily. He gazed around the room at the others who were staring back at him as eagerly as wolves eyeing a carcass. There was no way out of this, Ednon lamented, as his eyes fixed on Luther’s smug face. Abacus was dead, but that did not mean Jernett and Amelia had to die as well.
“Her name’s Ethna Gibbon. S
he lives in the Temple of Yashin,” he told them, his heart and mind filled with shame.
Fergus gave a slow nod, before gesturing to two of the men behind him. “Dispatch the orders. You two…” he continued, pointing to two more. “Patrol the halls. Make sure no one has followed Memphis down here.” In unison, all four of the men agreed, before they made their way out of the room to do the newly given tasks. “Thank you, Ed. We tried to get the information out of Jung, but the man seemed to prefer death. Silly really, how when he tells our secrets he does so with a mouth as wide open as Medzu, but whenever we want access to his knowledge of someone who has ordered the deaths of thousands upon thousands, he remains so very tongue-tied.”
“Fergus!” Luther guffawed gleefully, stepping forwards. “The hour is upon us. It is time for the two branches of our Order to unite, so we may lead the masses into the new world.” The short man started to smile, but quickly lost it after noticing the abrupt silence that had engulfed the room.
“The two branches?” Fergus uttered, as if what Luther had said insulted him deeply. “There has only ever been our branch. Since the early days, when the teachings of Ira were first implemented, we have always been the true pacifists.” He made his way over to Luther, who was visibly shaking, before removing the shades to reveal the beaten and burnt sockets where the short fat man’s eyes had once been. “I thought when we did this to you all those years ago, you would have learnt your place and realised your ambition was as blind as your vision, but it seemed only to strengthen it. And for this, I must respect you.” Luther’s trembling grew, as Fergus slowly outstretched his arms. “Embrace me, friend. For the dream is finally realised.”
Luther blindly stepped forwards, attempting to locate the elderly Fergus. As he moved close enough to make contact, Fergus retrieved a knife from his front pocket and quickly jammed it into Luther’s neck. Memphis started to yell, but promptly stopped himself, realising the position he was in. The blood from Luther’s neck rained through the air as if from a burst pipe, spraying across each of the onlookers’ faces. Desperately trying to prevent the rampant flow of blood, Luther fell to the floor, twitching violently, before turning completely still.
“What kind of a man are you? Just what is life to you?” Ednon asked Fergus, who was cleaning off his blade as if it were mere cutlery retaining a small stain.
“You act as if people don’t die, Ednon. Are you really going to tell me you will weep tears for this man?”
“Life is precious!” Ednon snapped, trying helplessly to break from his confinement. “To be able to take it so easily is nothing short of demonic. You truly believe this is what being a pacifist is?”
Fergus moved, step by step, closer towards him. “If life is so precious, then why do men kill other men so easily? Why do parents murder their children? Why are wars fought so viciously over such trivial matters? The individual’s life is meaningless. All of our lives are nothing but expendable – do not kid yourself into thinking it is anything different.”
“Why are you doing this?” Ednon found some hidden courage from somewhere. “You aren’t doing this so the Alpelites can reclaim their homeland. What’s your true goal?”
“My true goal? Well… I’m doing this for God.”
“God?” Ednon returned, taken aback; which God was the man referring to?
“I hear the voices calling to me… As I go on my morning strolls through the meadows, as I care for the flowers in my garden, as the trees gently sway in the wind. This world wants our deaths. I have heard it from the soil itself, with as much clarity as anything that has ever before befallen me…”
Ednon looked at the man, startled. He is insane, Ednon thought. He heard Vena talking to him? How is that possible?
“And then…” Fergus continued, his voice filled with reverence, “once as I walked through the star-filled night in the meadows near my home in Lowton, I saw him beneath the moonlight. I stared back into the two empty voids of a God and he told me salvation in the stars would be waiting for me, as long as I carried out my mission.”
“And what is your mission?” Ednon asked, staring at Fergus, who was now completely lost within his own awe. The two empty voids? The same he had been seeing constantly over the past couple of months? Was it a coincidence? Or was it all true, what the phantom had said about the world ending on the night of Sechen’s passing?
“Listen carefully, Ed…” Fergus said, closing his eyes and placing a hand against his ear. “The bombs have begun to set off. Any second now, the Venians alongside our Lord and Saviour will enter the city and bring us all our end.”
The other men in the room quickly glanced at each other; apparently, they had not been told of this grand scheme until this moment. He attempted once more to break from his confinements, but to no avail. Amelia, he thought desperately to himself, please, I need to find Amelia. He heard a loud thunderous roar in the distance as the room began to shake. Then a second. Then a third.
“Stop this, Fergus!” he yelled hysterically, the dust of the ceiling falling upon them as the explosions and shaking continued. Fergus moved steadily towards him, blade in hand, pointing it directly towards Ednon’s heart.
“I’m sorry, Ed…” Fergus said sadly, moving the blade only an inch or so from him. “When you see Ira, do tell him I’m sorry. Just close your eyes… it’s all a bad dream, Ed… it’s all just a bad dream…”
He did not even feel the blade as it entered his chest; it was as if he were viewing his death from some place that was not his own self. The blood gushed from his chest onto the floor and he felt his eyelids closing as he began to lose his senses. My death… he thought to himself, as his mind started to turn completely blank. Ira… I will be with you soon. His thoughts went to Amelia and how he was never going to see her again. I’m sorry, Am. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you… The moments passed as he desperately tried to cling onto his consciousness. His vision blurred; he witnessed Fergus cleaning off the blade. He was dying… this was it…Am… He felt something rustling up against his feet, as two long blue antennae came into his view. It was the creature, curling up beside him.
“Orla…” he spoke faintly, feeling his consciousness slowly dissipating into the unknown.
“What did you s-” Fergus began, before the creature’s spiralled forehead started to rotate and everything was engulfed within the ethereal lights.
Ednon found himself once again floating through the blackness; shooting stars and comets were flying past him. Was he dead this time? His body was numb, yet he still felt wild sensations course through him. He was making his way closer to the familiar hole, which had covered all his vision. He stopped for a moment, just as he was about to make contact with the chasm, but like last time it was not sucking him in. His movements were free. He stayed motionless, feeling adrift and at peace, gazing upon the hole as it spiralled more intensely than it ever had previously. As anticipated, the hole disintegrated before him and changed into the kaleidoscopic eye of which he was all too aware. The giant orb of vision parted and he was once again immersed in the astral light.
He opened his eyes. He was back in the room of his death, but something seemed different this time. He could see all matter and energy; he saw the very fabric of the universe coursing throughout the room like sparklers being set off in every corner. Ednon studied his hands; Why were they illuminating like this? In fact, it was not just his hands, but his entire being. He felt power surging throughout his body, the power of life itself… He stood up from his chair, breaking through his confinements as if they were nothing but the flimsiest of fabrics.
“God…” Fergus blurted, his eyes filled with astonishment. “Please forgive my blindness, Lord! For I did not know it was you!”
He watched the molecules of the old man as he helplessly tried to get away. What a silly collection of atoms you are, he thought to himself and, with a slight wave of his hands, he dispersed them, lea
ving only a pile of blood and guts where Fergus had once been. He turned to see Memphis and the other men bowing before him. Ednon inspected his hands once more, before he made his way out of the room now drenched from top to bottom in crimson-red blood.
The sound of deafening explosions could still be heard as he weaved through the darkened corridors, now lit only by the glow he himself was creating. The rats came out to watch him as he passed by, beginning to follow the source of the unworldly brightness. His chest was still bleeding. However, with a simple caress, the bleeding ceased and the wound started to heal. What are these powers? he queried silently, tensing his hands, watching them pulsating with the purest of energy. He could not slow down to think. The Star of Sechen was soon going to eclipse the moon Vurtus, and after that… who knows?
Ednon continued his travelling, making his way through the web of the underground network as if he had made the journey many times already. He did not need markers to show him the way; it was as if the memory section of his brain had completely awakened. After forty or so minutes of walking through corridors, he eventually reached the surface. The night had come, fire and stars filled the air. He gazed above him to the majesty, the golden Star of Sechen was shooting past – the largest star in the sky by quite a margin was making its annual course towards Vurtus. Only an hour or so away, he lamented, watching its glorious journey through the blackness of space. He heard screams and his eyes fell back down to the city of Asterleigh, which was now filled with carnage. Homes and temples were either ablaze or utterly destroyed; many ran through the streets fighting and killing one another. He perceived the rain falling upon him and the ground below his feet as he began to walk on the stone-cobbled pavement. The Asterlieghians watched him as he approached, sharing the same level of astonishment that had been upon Fergus’s face. They pointed their fingers at him and lifted their weapons.
“Get out of my way…” Ednon said in a voice so distant and strange he was sure it could not have come out of his mouth.
To Tame the Sentry Being Page 23
