“I guess that makes you Brenda, the teen angel?” I asked back.
She laughed a hearty, joyful sound, making me realize I wanted to make her do it again and often.
I scanned the rack, looking for something to use. I grinned and grabbed a long bladed katana. It was an excellent blade, its balance superb.
I walked over to the ring and slipped through the ropes the same way I had seen wrestlers do a thousand times.
The red-haired woman took off her jacket and tossed it out of the ring. She wore a dark green tank top that had a deep cut in the back showing a large Celtic style tattoo covering her muscular shoulders and back.
I stood in a relaxed pose, watching her. As she turned to me I said, “I think it’s only fitting that before you eat dinner with me, I know your name.”
She nodded once and performed a formal curtsy.
“Eavan.” She said.
I bowed slightly at the waist and mimicked her formal greeting.
“Eric, at your service.” I said.
She waited until I was bent over to rush in, attempting to catch me by surprise and end our contest quickly.
I had anticipated a move like that and met her short sword with my own. The sound of our weapons clashing rang clearly in the air.
She backed off and put some space in between us, slightly disappointed that her trick didn’t work. We circled each other, waiting for one of us to blink.
I changed my grip on my sword and Eavan wasted no time as she launched a complicated series of thrusts and slashes at me.
I recognized her tactic. It was the same thing Abaddon did when we began a sparring session. She was testing my skill; her attack was designed to find the chink in my armor. Abaddon opened up every session with it and used the results to attack my weaknesses, forcing me to strengthen them.
She finished up and again retreated a few feet, getting some space between us. We circled each other again a few times.
“Not too shabby for a caveman, huh?” I asked.
“Yer skill is not totally deficient.” She said back.
“Your turn.” I said as I came in and performed my own complicated routine of attacks, gauging where her skill level was.
She countered everything I threw at her efficiently and effectively. I was impressed, her technique was sound and it would take more effort than I thought to beat her.
We paused again and separated, I smiled at her slightly and she winked back, then rushed in and resumed her assault, this time she held nothing back and I struggled to keep up.
She started adding kicks and elbows into her pattern and it was then that I saw my opening. Her skill with the blade was strong, but she tended to add more flourish than necessary to her kicks and punches. It reminded me of a dancer who adds extra style. Her movements were slightly more showy than needed, something Abaddon cured me of rather quickly.
I continued to parry her attacks and block her kicks, waiting for my opportunity. She followed up a powerful backhanded slash with a wide arcing kick intended to bash my face in.
She over extended slightly and with a push of will I planted my right foot, forcing it to shift and allowing the powerful claws of the Beast to rip through my shoe and dig into the ring, giving me more speed on my reaction than she had grown accustomed to.
I dropped under her leg and rushed her, tackling her to the mat and pinning her arms to her sides and wrapping her legs with my own, stopping her from moving.
She squirmed and struggled, which I thoroughly enjoyed when I heard a powerful voice bellow, “EAVAN!”
The depth of the sound startled me for just a second as I was fully engaged in the contest.
Eavan was able to break my grasp on her arm and twisted around landing a solid elbow to my face, her Beast adding strength to the attack as her eyes shone a deep yellow.
The distraction allowed her to continue her momentum and I found myself on my back with her on top of me. She smiled triumphantly.
“I win.” She beamed.
I looked over to the source of the interruption and saw the same very large fellow with the big red beard from the Hall, standing next to Abaddon, both of them with unapproving glares.
“Okay, okay, you win.” I said reluctantly, holding both hands up palms open.
She shifted her weight and got up, holding out her hand I took it and she helped me up.
“I’ll be calling on ye soon.” She said in her strong Irish accent.
The words rolled off her tongue with a lilting cadence that I absolutely loved.
She turned from me and went over to Abaddon and the other man.
“What are ye doing? Ye know that it is forbidden to fight with anyone until after the Rite!” He fumed, his thick accent almost making his words unintelligible.
“Papa, we were not fighting, we were exercising. There is nothing in Pack law that says candidates for the Rite cannot engage in exercise. Is there?” She asked sweetly.
She looked to me for help. Abaddon stepped in.
“Exercise, is that right? If one of you thinks it was a fight, then it’s a fight, but if you both agree it was exercise, then who can argue that?” He asked, looking to me to clarify.
I knew what he was doing, there were probably eyes on us and he wanted to make clear we both thought we were exercising so no one could claim we had violated the rules.
“Of course we were just working out. I needed a partner to help me work up a sweat, the drive here was long and I needed the exercise.” I said.
“Well, nothing wrong with getting the blood flowing. Young people need to work off their excess energy once in a while.” Eavan’s father said, calming down.
Abaddon stepped up to me and said, “Oengus, this is Eric, my charge. Eric this is Oengus, leader of the clan O’Sullivan of Ireland and father to Eavan.”
I held out my hand in greeting.
“Nice to meet you sir, I didn’t realize there was a pack in Ireland.” I said.
He gripped my forearm and I did the same. His strength was evident as he came an inch from breaking my arm. I never waivered or winced, instead I returned the favor.
He eyed me the whole time, judging my reaction, after a few seconds he released me and said, “Ha! Well met son of Thomas. It is good to finally place the face to all the rumors, and the forming of a Pack in Ireland is recent news, actually.” He said, glaring at Abaddon.
“If we are going to show the failures of this Pack leader, we need to make people aware that some are willing to secede.” Abaddon said to Oengus, they seemed to be having a debate that had been ongoing for a long time.
“You well know I am not ready to declare a separation. Not until I am sure of the direction the Pack will take.” He said, looking pointedly at me.
I had a distinct feeling that my actions could very well be the “direction” he was talking about.
“Ah, but I am being rude! Eavan, say hello to Abaddon, ye haven’t seen each other since ye were knee high to a leprechaun.” He said, changing subjects.
“Eavan, you have only grown more lovely with time.” He said taking her hand.
“I know what’s behind yer sweet words Abaddon, once we’re in the ring yer kindness takes a backseat to those stinging swords of yers, It’s good to see ye again.” She said, teasing.
Abaddon smiled and kissed the back of her hand, releasing it.
“I see you two have met already.” He said to Eavan and myself.
“Aye, and yer charge there owes of me a debt, of which I’ll be calling on soon.” Eavan said with a sparkle in her eye as she watched me.
Abaddons eyebrows rose, looking at me.
“I’m looking forward to it.” I answered.
Eavan smiled back and turned from us, walking away she said, “We’ll see. Good to see ye again Abaddon, I’ll be in my room Papa.”
She went over and picked up her jacket then put the sword back, as she left I couldn’t help admire how fit she was.
Abaddon coughed once and I looked up to see Oeng
us looking at me with concealed hostility. I turned away, embarrassed.
“Well, it’s good to see young people getting along. If you will excuse us, I need to show Eric to his chambers and make sure he’s settled in.” Abaddon said.
“Very nice to meet you sir.” I said, following Abaddon out.
“Aye, lad. Take care of yerself. There are many who have an eye on ye.” He said.
“We’ll talk later.” Abaddon said to Oengus.
“I know Abaddon, ye just won’t quit.” He said.
We walked out of the training area and followed the extensive hallways. Abaddon was silent and I followed his lead. He hadn’t started beating on me, so I took that as a good sign.
Eventually we came to our room. Abaddon used a large ornate key to unlock it and we went inside. The space was larger than I expected but held all the comfort and eclectic style the rest of the Den showed. Abaddon walked over to his bag and opened it up. He pulled out a black electronic device. It was about the size of a V.C.R. and it had an antenna on it that was about seven inches. He flipped a switch on it and my sensitive ears picked up a slight buzz in the air.
“Now we can talk without worrying about being overheard.” He said.
“You think they bugged the place?” I asked, going to the small refrigerator and pulling out a cold bottle of water. I motioned to Abaddon and he nodded. I tossed him one and he deftly caught it.
“You never can be too cautious. I don’t know what Vicktor is capable of; I’m not going to put anything past him.” He answered.
“Can’t say I disagree with you.” I said.
“So what can you tell me about him, now that you’ve met.” Abaddon studied my intently.
I took a deep breath, focusing my thoughts. I brought up the meeting and what I saw, heard and smelled from the Hall.
“He’s powerful, for one. He sits with the air of absolute authority, yet keeps his axe very close. Telling me his rule is not without challenge. He wears the clothes of a civilized man, but is uncomfortable in them, as if they don’t fit well, like putting a tuxedo on a monkey. The Hall is reflective of his leadership style, undisciplined and indulgent. He is afraid of being stabbed in the back and so keeps himself flanked by his two flunkies. He’s smart and devious. All in all I’d say he’s extremely dangerous and not to be taken lightly.”
Abaddon listened to all I said with the critical eye of an instructor.
“But, he’s sloppy. He allows the members to indulge too much in their Beast nature without the control needed to give one true strength. He has blind spots but makes up for it by using others to cover them. His willingness to indulge in the more primal desires of his Beast may make him stronger than most but a true Ascended who has complete mastery of his Beast and can harness even the strongest base emotions is stronger. He can be beaten.” I finished.
Abaddon nodded with a small shadow of approval on his countenance that came and went. Had I not been studying his reaction I would have missed it.
“Good, but remember Vicktor did not gain power through rash actions, he waited for his moment and then acted. He is a formidable foe and is patient and cunning. He will try and test you, try and send obstacles your way, hoping you will slip up, be on guard.” He said, adding to my assessment.
“Now, onto other matters. The man you met in the training arena, the father of Eavan,”
“Oengus?”
“Yes, as I’m sure you remember from Katrina’s lessons, is our greatest ally. He has a very large pack and supported your father. We need to get him to trust you. As is the custom of the O’Sullivan clan he will be throwing a festival in a few days in anticipation of Eavan’s Rite. It is here that I expect you to try and get on his good side. Beating up his daughter in front of him certainly didn’t endear you to him.”
“I didn’t beat her up, if you noticed, she won.” I said defensively.
“Only because Oengus startled you.” He said, holding up a hand, stopping my argument.
“It matters not, what’s done is done. However the gathering will give you an opportunity to approach Oengus in public and hopefully show your mettle.”
“What am I going to have to do? Don’t tell me I have to compete in a food challenge that involves haggis.” I said.
“Not to worry, there will be plenty of other things to do.” Abaddon said.
“As the next ten days go by, there will be more and more members arriving. People from all over the world will want to come and see how you perform. Many will want to meet you as they were friends of your father as well as test you as they were not friends of your father. Just remember to follow the rules and to be careful about what you say. Many may seem nice and friendly only to be the ones holding the knife ready to plunge into your exposed back.” Abaddon walked over to the large bag we carried with us upon entering.
He opened it and pulled out another smaller briefcase. It was metallic and looked like it could take quite a pounding. He laid it on the table and unclasped the latches, opening it to reveal ten small devices that sat in custom grooves cut out from the foam padding that filled the briefcase.
“Once again, where are you to place these?” Abaddon asked.
We had gone over this part of the plan extensively, but it was Abaddon.
“One on each corner of the Den and the last one goes on the tower array at the highest level.” I answered.
“Remember, if you get caught Vicktor can claim we are acting against the Pack and can punish us, severely. So be careful.” He said.
“Will do boss.” I said as I went over and placed the five devices into the pockets of my jacket.
They were small, no bigger than a cell phone. They easily fit in my jackets pockets.
Abaddon nodded, thinking of anything else to tell me.
“Do you have any questions?” He asked.
“Actually, yeah, you said earlier something about Oengus establishing his own pack, what were you talking about?” I reached down and grabbed the last device from the foam liner, putting it in my jacket.
“As you know there are many sub-packs, if you will, around the world all answering to Vicktor. Oengus has been toying with the idea of establishing his own pack and severing all ties to this main pack.” He answered.
“Won’t that piss Vicktor off?” I asked, intrigued.
“What do you think? Of course, something like this has never been done. Even the most hard-minded Pack leaders have kept the understanding of control over the Beast. Vicktor makes a mockery of it.”
“There are others who feel the same way, aren’t there? That’s why this is such a big deal, my Rite, I mean. Many see me as a chance to correct the mistake that is Vicktor.” I reasoned.
“Why hasn’t someone challenged Vicktor before this?”
“They have, or at least wanted to. You have to have a legitimate reason to challenge a Pack leader. Remember, we are not a group of undisciplined animals, we have rules. It keeps us from constant fighting and killing for control.” Abaddon walked over to his bags and removed his two long swords.
“Sure, if a pack member wants to challenge the pack leader for control it can be done a few different ways. Basically the challenger must prove the Pack leader is purposefully abandoning the principles of the Pack, the challenger must prove the leader has been appointed without proper authority or gained control illegitimately, or the Pack leader dies, leaving an opening.” I recited from Katrina’s lessons.
“Of course there are many amendments to these that encompass small variations of these principles, but in general these are the three ways.” I clarified.
“Correct, remember it took Vicktor years before he made his move to ensure the Pack would see his rule as legitimate. Oengus does not fear Vicktor in the arena, but he wants to ensure any challenge does not seem like retaliation for the loss of your father. He wants to make sure the challenge is seen as legitimate.”
“Vicktor is obviously making a mockery of the control needed to be strong by allow
ing members to indulge in their wanton desires.” I argued.
“Remember Pack leadership is nothing without the consent of the governed.” Abaddon added.
“I get it; Vicktor’s new relaxed vision is popular among many in the Pack. He does have a large number of support making the tactic of challenging him on the merits of controlling the Beast’s urges less powerful.” I said.
“Exactly, this leaves us with two options.” Abaddon started.
“Right, either prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is undermining the Pack or prove he has taken control illegitimately.” I finished for him.
“Then why do you need me? All we need to do is prove Vicktor is hurting the pack and Oengus can challenge.” I asked.
“The Pack is thousands of years old; most of the members are hundreds of years old. They come from lands that are ruled through a monarchy or where the bloodline is held sacred. The Pack is rife with the societal importance of a “royal bloodline”. The core of what makes us who we are is the ability to pass on the Beast potential in the genes. Your lineage will give you legitimacy when challenging and help pull many of Vicktor’s supporters onto your side when you win.” Abaddon responded.
“I guess my old fashioned American ideals make me cringe at the idea that someone is automatically raised to a higher standard just because of who their father was and not who they themselves are.”
“Well, you cannot begin to change something, until you are in the proper place to initiate that change.” Abaddon sat down and began sharpening his swords, he used a small stone and slowly but methodically ran it down one side of the blades sharpened edge, the sound of the rock against the metal was soothing and had a certain disciplined comfort.
I took Abaddons silence as my cue to get back to work and continue with the plan. I walked over and flipped the switch on the scrambling device off. The buzzing sound had faded into the background and its sudden absence made the quiet seem loud. Only the sounds of Abaddons stone against his swords blades could be heard as I silently let myself out of our room and into the Den’s hallway.
My earlier wondering had not been without reason. I used it to help familiarize myself with the layout of the Den. It wasn’t perfect, I didn’t know where every corridor went or where all the hallways led to, but it was enough to help me keep my general heading true.
Gauntlet Rite of Ascension Page 20
