by D.L. Cox
Nat looked at Sango confused. Tobias clapped his hands three times and the six monks rushed over to the baptism pool and pulled a weakened but conscious Sheba out the water. Sheba draped her arms around the necks of two monks and all six monks hurried her into the monastery. Nat, Tobias, and Sango followed them inside and stood near the altar while the monks disappeared into a door in the corner with Sheba.
The monks emerged from the room a few minutes later carrying swords. Tobias nodded to them and they separated and took up posts. Two stood outside the door in the corner, two went out the front entrance, and the other two went out the back entrance.
Nat took a deep breath and sat in one of the pews. “So, Sheba’s been consecrated?”
“Yes,” Tobias said. “She is now Makeda Sabas, an agent of destruction and judgment, the giver of protection and deliverance. That is what she will do—”
Nat added, “All of the above in the name of the Lord of Humanity.”
Sango said, “Now we wait for the Calm of Transformation to pass.”
On the other side of the door in the corner, Sheba lay on her back on a stone slab raised about three feet off the ground. Her eyes were closed and her sword lay beside her.
Time seemed to stand still for Nat. He spent the next twenty minutes pacing, sitting, and pacing some more. He had spent his life preparing the way for the Host, and now he was anxious to see his mission fulfilled.
Tobias said, “She’ll be up before you know it.”
The two monks who guarded the front entrance rushed in and yelled, “Someone’s coming.”
The two monks hurried back out and Tobias, Sango, and Nat followed. Night was falling, and Nat and the others spotted Eshu approaching from about twenty feet away with his sword resting on his shoulder.
“Eshu,” Sango muttered.
“You know him?” Nat asked.
“Not him, it,” Sango said. “It’s not human. It must not get near Makeda.”
The two monks approached Eshu and met him about ten feet away from the entrance. Eshu tapped his sword against his shoulder and said, “Take me to the Host and I’ll let you live.”
“I don’t think so,” one of the monks replied.
The two monks raised their swords and attacked Eshu. Like a flash of light, Eshu swung from left to right and sliced through both monks and their swords, cutting their bodies and their swords in half. Eshu then walked toward Sango, Tobias, and Nat and stopped a few feet away.
“Sango,” Eshu said with a sinister smile. “The Host is going to fall tonight.”
Sango handed his sword to Nat. Eshu rested his sword back on his shoulder and attempted to head into the entrance, but Sango stepped in front of him.
Eshu shook his head. “Now, now, you know the rules. Once the Host is consecrated, you’re out the game. It’s time for you to fly home.”
Eshu attempted to walk through Sango, and Sango thrust his right palm into Eshu’s chest, pushing him back into the air. Eshu landed on his feet twenty-five feet away. Before Eshu could take a step, Sango appeared in front of him.
Eshu stepped back and raised his sword in a fighting stance. “You’re not allowed to engage me now!” he shouted.
Sango calmly said, “Wrong. I’m not allowed to hurt you. That was a harmless shove.”
Eshu barked, “Get out of my way.”
Sango shrugged. “It’s on you to make me, but as long as I’m here, you can forget about getting to the Host.”
Eshu lunged and swung his sword down at Sango’s left side, and Sango sidestepped the blow. Eshu reset and swung at Sango’s neck, and Sango ducked and avoided being hit. In the next motion, Eshu crouched and swung at Sango’s legs, and Sango jumped over the sword. Eshu then stood and launched a combination of swings to Sango’s left and right side, and Sango dodged each swing with ease. Frustrated, Eshu raised the sword above his head and faked a swing to Sango’s right, and then spun left and jumped in the air while swinging the sword down at the top of Sango’s head. Sango raised his hands and caught the sword’s blade between his palms. Eshu struggled to free the sword from Sango’s grip to no avail.
Tobias and Nat stood near the entrance watching Eshu and Sango when Makeda stepped out the entrance carrying her sword. All eyes snapped to Makeda. Sango still held the blade above his head with blood dripping from his hands. Eshu eyed Makeda and then frowned at Sango and used all his might to force the sword down onto Sango’s head.
Sango smirked at Eshu. “You wanted the Host. You got her.”
Sango released Eshu’s sword and it sliced through the top of his head and down his body, which emitted a powerful beam of light as it split in half.
Eshu walked through the two halves of Sango’s body and pointed his sword at Makeda. “I’m going to end your mission before it begins,” he threatened.
Makeda turned to Nat and Tobias and said, “This will only take a minute.”
She walked toward Eshu with her sword lowered at her right side. Eshu lowered his sword as they met. They circled each other and stared each other down.
Makeda said, “Just leave your sword and run back to the fire and tell all your little friends that they should keep away from this side of creation.”
He chuckled. “And why would I want to do that?”
“Because I’m the Host, remember?” she taunted.
Eshu shrugged. “The Calm of Transformation is not complete,” he reminded. “Last I heard, I put this sword through your heart here on earth, and you go to sleep for another twenty years. That’s as good as death.”
Makeda giggled. “I thought you were supposed to spend your time deceiving men. Does the boss know you’ve been dabbling in self-deception? Let’s be real, you don’t have a shot in hell at getting that sword anywhere near my heart.”
“Would you gamble humanity’s next century?” he asked.
She smiled brightly. “Why not? I’m sure everybody on the other side is dying to see the new kid on the block.”
Eshu held his palm out to his left and a huge seven-foot high ring of fire appeared out of thin air. She nodded at him and they stepped through the ring and disappeared.
Nat asked Tobias, “Where did they go?”
Tobias answered, “The other side of creation. A spirit realm. The Host champions for humanity on both sides of creation. The sword allows her to cross over. If the Host falls in the spirit world humanity will fall into a hundred years of complete hopelessness, despair, and darkness. If the Host falls here, she sleeps for twenty years.”
“Sleep,” Nat asked with a raised brow.
Tobias explained, “The Host is given to humanity for a hundred years. No more, no less. The question is how will she spend those years, sleeping or fighting.”
Concern covered Nat’s face. “I hope she’s all right over there.”
Tobias patted Nat on the back. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. She is the Host, remember?”
***
The entire spirit world was covered by red tint. The sky was dark red above a huge Roman Gladiator style stadium. The stadium was packed, but it was dead silent. One side of the stadium was filled with fiery red beings of all shapes and sizes and the other side of the stadium was filled with winged men with no shirts on. Three VIP boxes were spread throughout the top level of the stadium overlooking the center of the stadium’s dirt stage-floor. Wille Von Macht sat in one VIP box with Tess. The boys and Tess had horns sticking out of their heads. Sango and three other men sat in one of the other VIP boxes with no shirts on, displaying their perfectly sculptured muscular chests and the huge wings that stuck out of their backs and rose to about twenty feet in the air. Saleena and Simon sat in the last VIP box, and also had horns sticking out of their heads.
Simon and Saleena shot dirty looks across the stadium at Wille Von Macht. The boys ignored them and kept their focus on Sango’s VIP box, but Tess rolled her eyes at them and tauntingly stu
ck out her tongue.
A ring of fire appeared in the air above the stadium’s stage and out stepped Makeda and Eshu, who now had horns sticking out of his head. Makeda eyed the angels and demons that filled the stands and then smiled before she and Eshu squared off and inched towards each other with their swords raised. They touched swords and then Eshu stepped back swinging his sword downward. Makeda swiftly swung her sword counter-clockwise until it met Eshu’s sword at their knees. He responded by heaving his sword above his head and sending it slicing down at her left shoulder. Instead of meeting flesh, his sword smashed against her sword as she swept it upward. Eshu pulled back for another advance, but Makeda kicked him in the stomach, sending him tumbling onto his back. As Eshu hopped back onto his feet, Makeda twirled her sword around her body and then gripped it with both hands.
Makeda inched towards Eshu again until they touched swords, and said, “That’s it, huh? I expected more.”
Eshu responded by launching his sword at Makeda’s face. Makeda leaned back in the nick of time and quickly raised her sword, blocking Eshu’s sword from crashing into her neck. Eshu then thrust his sword at Makeda’s stomach and Makeda swung her sword downward, knocking Eshu’s sword away before it could make contact. Makeda finally went on the offensive and swung her sword at Eshu’s neck. Eshu blocked Makeda’s swing, spun to his left, and sliced the tip of his blade across Makeda’s left arm.
Makeda gasped and shook off the pain as Eshu swung his sword down at the left side of her body. She gracefully weaved out of harm’s way and lowered her sword to her side and leaned right, then left, as Eshu let off a fury of downward swings. Makeda effortlessly slipped one swing after another. Angry, Eshu swung his sword at Makeda’s right side, pretended to launch another swing down at Makeda’s left side, and then plunged forward with his left elbow as Makeda attempted to lean right. But Makeda only faked right, raised her sword, and spun to her left and sliced Eshu’s head clean off.
Eshu’s head rolled on the ground as his body collapsed. Makeda turned to the demon side of the crowd, rested her foot on Eshu’s head, pointed her sword at Eshu’s body, and shouted, “That’s what awaits you at the end of my sword!” She turned to Wille Von Macht and pointed her sword at them. “You should run back and tell your daddy that you want to lay low in hell for the next hundred years. Because if I catch you on the other side of creation…” She ran an imaginary knife across her neck, signaling that she would kill them.
Wille Von Macht frowned and said, “You better hope we don’t see you on the other side first, and we will be looking for you.”
Wille Von Macht walked out a door at the back of their VIP box. Tess lingered for a moment with her eyes glued to Eshu’s body, and then followed.
Makeda turned to Simon and Saleena and said, “Your daddy has no use for you. I suggest you stay out of my way.”
Saleena jumped out her seat. “You better stay out of our—”
Simon grabbed Saleena by the arm and pulled her to a door at the back of their VIP box.
Makeda turned to Sango and nodded. Sango returned the nod and smiled like a proud father. She then sliced her sword through the air and a portal appeared in front of her. She stepped through the portal and disappeared.
***
Nat stood in the monastery pacing in front of the altar with Sango’s sword while Tobias stood nearby
“How do we know if she’s winning?” Nat asked.
“We would know if she lost,” Tobias assured.
“Can’t you call somebody on the other side to see what’s going on?” Nat pressed.
Tobias shook his head, annoyed.
Nat clarified, “I don’t mean a phone. I mean, do the monk thing.”
“The monk thing?” Tobias said with a raised brow.
There was a sound at the entrance, and they turned and saw Makeda entering.
Nat rushed over to her and asked, “What happened?”
Makeda tapped her sheathed sword against the palm of her hand. “I did what I do. I slew the demon.”
Nat told Tobias, “She’s kind of cocky.”
Tobias smiled. “The Host embodies the spirit of the humanity she seeks to protect.”
“We can’t be that bad,” Nat muttered. “Sheba, I—”
Makeda raised her palm at Nat’s face. “It’s Makeda the Host. And from what I understand you’re supposed to be my apprentice or something.”
Tobias informed Makeda, “He was born to accompany you.”
Surprise filled Nat’s eyes and he looked her up and down. “I, umm, I—”
“Listen lover boy,” she said. “I’m fighting a war, so put the romance on hold. I need a soldier ready to hit the front lines. What’s it gonna be?”
Nat studied her for a moment and replied, “I’m here.”
“Good,” she nodded. “Because we have a lot of work to do.”
Nat shrugged. “So we just hang out here and wait for demons to show up?”
Tobias answered, “No. The Order of Light has assets in high places all over the world. We activate the Order and hunt down and destroy all of the devil’s minions on earth.”
Makeda said, “The devil actually has three seeds here on earth. They’re not working together, which will make our job a little more difficult.”
Tobias scratched his chin. “That’s an interesting development. We need to inform the high council.”
“The high council?” Nat questioned.
“Yes,” Tobias said. “The Host is a heavenly warrior, but her efforts against the forces of evil are coordinated by a group of enlightened humans known as the high council. They head the Order of Light.” Tobias patted Nat on his back. “There is much you need to learn young Nathaniel.”
There was the sound of a helicopter approaching.
“Our ride is here,” Tobias announced.
Makeda led Nat and Tobias out the monastery. In the distance, a convoy of four black SUV’s and two low flying helicopters approached. Each helicopter carried a sniper. The convoy of SUV’s pulled up in front of Nat, Makeda, and Tobias while the helicopters hovered in the air about twenty yards away. Three men carrying automatic machine guns got out of each of the first two SUV’s and spread out in front of the monastery. One of the men motioned Makeda to get in the back of the third SUV. Makeda headed to the SUV, opened the door, and then ran back over to Nat.
“What’s wrong?” Nat asked her.
Makeda beheld Nat’s face and kissed him passionately on the lips. “I couldn’t be the Host until I experienced love, and it happened at first sight.” She took Nat by the hand and led him to the back of the third SUV.
Tobias smiled as Makeda and Nat climbed into the back of the SUV and then he climbed into the back of the last SUV. The armed men got back into their vehicles and the convoy pulled off followed by the helicopters.
***
Wille Von Macht and Tess regrouped at an underground compound on a deserted private island about a hundred miles off the coast of Paradise Island, Bahamas. The compound went four stories underground. The boys and Tess stood in a conference room that overlooked a war room where over fifty men and women wearing paramilitary uniforms manned stations in front of four huge screens that displayed satellite footage of different parts of the planet. The war room looked like it could be in the Pentagon.
Tess looked out at the war room and said, “The Host is good.”
“We expected her to be a worthy opponent,” the boys admitted.
“What is our next move?” Tess asked.
The boys each pulled a crystal from their pockets and placed them on the conference table. “We have seen the Order of Light’s weapon, now we must show them ours.”
“And what exactly are we going to do with Lamont?” Tess inquired.
The boys smiled. “You’ll know soon enough.”
Chapter Twenty-One
There wasn’t a star in the nig
ht sky as the convoy carrying Makeda and Nat turned off a two-lane highway onto a stretch of desert flatland in the middle of nowhere about fifty miles south of the monastery. Nat held Makeda’s hand and looked out the window with Sango’s sword lying across his lap. He periodically cut his eyes at her. He remembered how cold, detached, and business like she had dealt with him when she first returned from the spirit world. He struggled to reconcile the intimacy and emotion she had displayed to him outside the monastery when the convoy arrived. It wasn’t until then that it finally dawned on Nat that he had fulfilled his mission. He had delivered the sword to the Host. He momentarily beamed with pride at his accomplishment, and then became extremely curious about what laid ahead of him. He had always reveled in his alleged destiny, but he had never considered the possibility that there would be life after that destiny was achieved. He suddenly realized that the SUV’s were cutting across the darkness at about ninety miles per hour, and he had no clue of where they were going.
He leaned forward and tapped the driver. “Where are we going?”
“Relax,” the driver answered.
Makeda pulled him back to his seat. “Enjoy the adventure of it all.”
Nat looked straight ahead at the two SUVs that led the convoy. “What the—” he yelled when the two SUV’s up ahead appeared to drop out of sight.
The driver laughed and followed the leading SUV’s into a brightly lit underground tunnel that was hidden away in the desert floor. “We’re here,” he announced.
Nat relaxed as they moved through the two hundred yard tunnel that took them fifty feet underground. They pulled into an underground parking lot that was about the size of two football fields. Nat scanned the area as they drove through a variety of parked heavily armed military vehicles, government-looking sedans, and armored limousines. Nat noticed there were security booths manned by armed guards sprinkled throughout the parking lot. The convoy pulled over at a bank of elevators.
The driver said, “This is your stop.”
“Thanks for the ride,” Makeda said.
The driver smiled. “The pleasure was all mine.”
Makeda and Nat climbed out the SUV with their swords and met Tobias at one of the elevators. The SUV’s pulled off as Makeda, Nat, and Tobias got on the elevator.
