by Sean Stone
“I…” Once again, he could not find the words.
“So, this is the famous Olivia,” Jamal said.
“Yes, yes, it is,” Nick said, full of joy. “Liv, this is…”
“Jamal, I’ve seen him from the other side,” she said. He extended his hand to her but she brushed it aside and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for looking after him for me. Though, you could have done a better job of keeping him out of trouble,” she said.
“Hey, the twelve of us couldn’t manage that but he’s all yours now,” Jamal replied, laughing. “Are you forgetting something?” Jamal asked Nick.
“Of course! Here,” Nick handed Olivia a phial of ambrosia. One of the last. “Drink this.”
She nodded and without any hesitation downed the fluid. “Oh, that feels good,” she said as the effects took hold.
“And so it should,” he replied. “There is another thing I must give you. I stole your power but over the years I have taken so much. Since taking the Promethean flame I can grant magic to others now,” he said. “I can make you immortal.”
“You would do that for me?” she said, her hand went to her chest.
“I would do anything for you. I want you to be as invulnerable as I am.”
Olivia nodded. Nick placed one hand on her back to hold her and the other he placed on her chest. He stared into her eyes as he began. Heat flowed through his palm and into her. He used his power to ease her pain as he flowed magic and immortality into her.
“Enough,” she gasped after only a minute. She was now immortal but he had not transformed nearly as much magic as he had intended.
“This is more than double the magic I had in my last life. I don’t need any more.” In truth, it was more than quadruple. He had given her enough power to match any one of his disciples. He had intended to give her half of what he had.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Finish up. Before you cause any problems,” she said, nodding at the dagger which was holding open the gates to the realm of the dead.
“Alright. Let’s finish this.” He took out his last phial of ambrosia and offered it to Casper. “Are you sure you won’t take one?”
“One-hundred percent,” Casper replied. Then he did something that Nick had never seen him do. He smiled.
“You’ve been a good and loyal friend, Cas,” Nick said.
“As have you. Thank you for keeping your promise to me,” his friend replied emotionlessly.
“Is there anything you would like me to do with your remains?” Nick offered.
“Bury me here. Where I finally found my resting place,” he said.
“Of course.”
“I’d like to go and find somewhere to die by myself,” Casper said quietly. Nick nodded and watched Casper walk away alone.
Nick turned to Elias. “You betrayed me. You tried to kill me. I will not give you life,” Nick said quietly. He held out his hand and summoned the phial of ambrosia that Elias had been holding.
“You promised you wouldn’t kill me!” Elias shouted.
“And I won’t. But I never said anything about resurrecting you.” Nick snapped his fingers and Elias fell down unconscious. “I loathe disloyalty.”
Nobody protested to his treatment of Elias. Not even Olivia who he thought might plead for mercy. If she had done he would have granted it. Now that they were reunited he would never deny Olivia anything she asked for.
“Are we all ready?” he asked. The disciples confirmed that they were and he wrapped his fingers around the dagger. Only those who had drank the ambrosia would remain alive once the ritual was broken. He pulled the ambrotos dagger away from the pedestal and a massive sonic boom blasted outward sending everyone flying from the courtyard. The rain stopped at once.
Nick climbed to his feet, dagger in hand and looked about. The cemetery was a shattered mess. The council would have fun covering this up. His disciples were rising around him, but he supposed they weren’t his disciples anymore. They’d done their duty and now they could all go their separate ways.
“Well, I suppose—” He stopped when he saw that Jamal was still on the ground leaning against a tombstone. His skin was losing colour fast. “Jamal?” Nick said frantically and hurried to his side. “Jamal, what’s wrong?” he demanded, gripping his shoulders.
“I’m… Dying,” he said lethargically.
“How? The ambrosia!”
“I didn’t drink it. I gave it to Arthur.”
“Arthur Winters? Why didn’t you drink it?” Nick asked.
“Clara will never take me back,” he said sadly.
“So!” Nick pulled out the phial he had taken from Elias. “Jamal drink that stuff right now!” he ordered. “I will force it down your throat if I have to.”
“No. Let me go, Nick. I want to go. There is nothing for me now,” Jamal said. His voice was growing weaker.
“I need you. You’ve been by my side for so long. I don’t know what to do without you with me,” Nick pleaded. Tears were coming to his eyes. “Stay with me, Jamal. Please.”
“You’ll be fine. You have, Olivia. You’ve been my… best friend. I love you like a… brother,” he gasped.
“Jamal, please. If you die then I will kill Clara,” he threatened.
Jamal laughed weakly. “No… you won’t.”
“No I won’t but please don’t go,” Nick sobbed.
“Thank you, Nick… for saving me… I never thought… anyone would… ever care… for me the way… you did… and I will never…” His eyes glazed over as he slipped away and Nick clutched him to his chest and held him there. So much anger and pain was roaring through him it was taking every bit of self-control not to lash out and hurt someone. There was no-one to hurt. No-one to blame. Jamal had made the choice and Nick would respect that. He held Jamal a little tighter and then teleported away to be alone with his friend.
30
Henry rolled over, blood dripping from his face and climbed to his feet. Adam was climbing up to. He was in a similar condition.
“Adam, this is pointless. Neither one of us can die,” Henry said. He had been using magic to ease his pain but he was no longer able. He was just too exhausted to conjure up the power he needed. A loud booming noise filled the air and the earth shook. The rain stopped abruptly. Henry grabbed hold of a lamppost and just managed to keep himself standing.
“I think things might be different now,” Adam panted. Henry agreed. Nick’s ritual had just ended by the sounds of things. The living could die again. Adam ran at Henry but he quickly stepped aside and Adam crashed through the wooden fence and landed in the field. Henry picked up his athame and approached.
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this. I always thought you were a bore, but you’ve proved me wrong, Adam. Thanks for a fun afternoon.” He kicked Adam onto his back with his foot. He heard the car too late. It smashed into him and flung him cross the field like a scarecrow. He hit the grass and rolled. Bones allover his body cracked and snapped. The athame flew off away from him. He didn’t have the strength to heal himself. He landed in a crippled and bloody mess, wheezing and gasping for air.
Clara Winters and some other man began crossing the field, the coven at their backs.
“Arthur?” Adam said in amazement as the man helped him to his feet. Henry tried to move but his body was broken.
“We can catch up later,” Arthur said.
The coven began to form a circle around him. “No,” he muttered. “No not again. Not again.” He tried to flee his body but the spell he’d cast had locked him inside it.
“Yes, Henry, again,” Adam said. He lifted the athame from the floor.
“I just want to live, let me live. Adam, let me live,” Henry pleaded. He stood up and faced him.
“You don’t just want to live. You want to kill and steal and ruin people’s lives,” Adam replied. “All that time you spent in my body I tried to fight you and couldn’t. You drew all your strength from your desire for
revenge. And the sad thing is because of what you did, now so do I. I only hope I find the peace that you never will.”
“Adam, No,” Henry said. “If you kill me I will come back and I will—”
“You’ll what? Tonight, you die and you die for good.”
Henry looked around at the coven sorcerers who were surrounding him. They’d got him again. “I hate this bloody this coven,” he said. “I fucking—” Adam thrust the athame into Henry’s heart. The pain was sharp and agonising but the death was instant. The last thing Henry felt was his magic being sucked away. The last thing he saw was Adam’s murderous eyes.
Casper was buried in Westgate Cemetery as requested. Jamal was burned in the garden, his ashes in an urn in Nick’s study. And Elias had been left where he fell. The rest of the disciples had survived. Nick had granted immortality to all who had wanted it and given them the things they’d been promised. Then after one final meal together the disciples left and the Thirteen was no more.
“I spent six-hundred years bringing them together and now they’re all gone,” Nick said nostalgically once he and Olivia were alone. It was the first time they’d been alone.
“Their purpose was served. They have their own things to get on with. Just like you, they had goals of their own, remember?” Olivia said softly. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. “And we have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Yes, we do.” Nick turned around and returned her embrace. “After everything I’ve done it’s still hard to believe you’re back,” he said gently.
“Everything you’ve done,” she repeated thoughtfully. “Nick, I’ve seen everything you’ve done. The bad and the evil; I’ve seen it all.” Her distaste was written clearly on her face.
“Liv, I did it for us,” he said.
“I know. I know you did and that’s why I can forgive it and forget about it. Because I would have done it all for you. You were the villain because you needed to be. We will always do whatever it takes for each other. But from now on you need to make better choices. Decent choices,” she said. She looked at him with eyebrows raised waiting for him to agree.
“Of course,” he nodded. “I will be the man you deserve. A good man,” he promised. Although, he wasn’t sure he could change overnight. Doing the wrong thing, the easy thing, had become second nature and it would take a long time to change. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to. Back when he’d started on his path he always told himself it was just for Olivia and he would be a good man again one day. Now, though, it seemed like a fantasy. But he would at least try for Olivia.
“Okay then. So what now. What shall we do together? Where shall go?” she asked. Her excitement was barely contained and why should it be? She’d spent six-hundred years in the realm of the dead. She had a lot of lost time to make up for. Even when she’d been alive she’d only ever seen Elysium. Nick wanted to show her the whole world.
“We will do whatever and go wherever you want, my love,” he said and pulled her in for a kiss. “But first, let’s go upstairs.” They didn’t need to hurry with their plans. After all, they would be together for eternity.
Clara stood with Arthur and Adam inside Montford Manor. Arthur was preparing a spell to release the power from Henry’s athame so Adam would no longer be an involuntary warlock. The power would go into the house again and rest with the spirits.
Clara was trying to figure out what was going to happen in Cedarstone now. The werewolves were currently arguing over who would be the next alpha. The Redmanes were dead and Richie missing leaving the clan without a leader. Arthur had stepped back in as the coven dynast and everybody had accepted him but there were only a few sorcerers left now. And SIT was destroyed and Sidney was fighting for his life in Winters Research hospital wing. In short, the town was screwed.
“Alright, over to you Adam,” Arthur said. He’d lit a small fire and the flames burned green in the morning breeze. “Place the athame in and it will be done.”
Adam stepped forwards and extended the athame. He paused just short of throwing it in.
“Adam, are you alright?” Clara asked.
“I… I’m not sure,” Adam said. He looked around nervously. He reminded Clara of a junkie trying to throw away his stash.
“Adam, throw it in,” Arthur commanded.
“I don’t think I can,” Adam said. He sounded as surprised as they did.
“Do it now, Adam,” Arthur said again.
Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he breathed out he opened his eyes and withdrew the athame away from the flames. “No,” he said firmly.
“Adam, you cannot keep that wretched thing. Its abominable,” Arthur said sternly. He was speaking friend to friend, he was speaking dynast to coven member.
“Adam…” Clara said, her brow furrowed in concern.
“This power… is mine,” Adam said, his voice taking a dark quality to it. “I took it from Henry and it belongs to me now.” Adan turned and walked away.
“Don’t do this, Adam!” Arthur called after him. “You’ll be banished form the coven!”
Adam said nothing in reply but simply carried on walking away, taking all his newly acquired power with him.
Clara went to speak when her phone started to ring. She whipped it out and answered the call. As she listened to the person on the other end her heart almost stopped in her chest and a chill washed over her.
“Everything alright, Sweetie?” Arthur asked when she ended the call.
“No,” she replied as the shock of what was going to come hit her. “That was Dr Winfred. Sidney’s dead.”
31
Epilogue
Naomi led her team down the corridor to where the golden door deep under the temple was. They’d received the signal a week ago that the chamber had been breached. They’d first tried to reach Kayla and when that failed they got on a ship and sailed to Elysium. Kayla had found them and trained them for one purpose: to guard the contents of the chamber. Something had happened to Kayla and they had no idea what. It was clear that the temple and not been lived in for several weeks and the upstairs was in horrible disrepair. Walls smashed through, blood everywhere. A body of some kind was in one of the bedrooms. It was impossible to say exactly what had happened but the person’s face was melted and their heart was missing. Something horrible had happened here. They reached the chamber door and saw that it was ajar.
“Well, it’s definitely been breached,” Sam said.
“Let’s check inside,” Naomi said. She was just managing to stop her voice from shaking.
They edged into the room and the torches on the walls sprung to life illuminating the chamber in an orange glow. Clearly, they had been some sort of scuffle in here to, though the damage was nothing compared to upstairs.
“The cursed bottle is missing,” Sam said as he pointed at the empty pedestal.
“Shit, shit, shit” Naomi said.
“Wait!” Joanne said. “Here it is. It’s alright, it’s here.” She bent down and picked the bottle up off the floor. Naomi sighed with relief. Although they were supposed to protect all the contents of the chamber they knew that the bottle was the only thing they really needed to focus on. Kayla had been quite clear when she said that the bottle contained Apophis, a being who would bring about the destruction of the world. And Kayla did not exaggerate.
“Alright, put it back and let’s check the rest of the inventory,” Naomi said.
“Fuck,” Joanne said.
“What?”
She turned and held out the bottle to her. She reached out to take it but then saw what the problem was and froze. The bottle was intact but the lid was missing. Apophis was free.
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Also by Sean Stone:
The Cedarstone Chronicles
Cursed
The Cult of Osiris
The Ancients
Reunion
; Abomination
Arcane Inc.
Warlock for Hire
Warlock Wanted
Dark Warlock
Warlock At War
Short Story Collections
Horrors from Cedarstone
Horrors from Cedarstone II
Horrors from Cedarstone III
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