Finally, after a few hours of mingling Vicktor stood up and the Hall went silent.
“Friends, fellow Pack members, we are here to meet and celebrate the next two candidates to undergo the Rite of Ascension. This is an ancient tradition and we hold its significance in high regard. I would like to honor Eric and Eavan, our guests of honor with sitting with me while we eat in joyous anticipation of their successful trials and their entrance into the Pack as full members.” He bowed slightly and nodded to us.
Everyone started to move towards a large table that was long enough to accommodate forty guests. Vicktor sat at the head of the table and Veronica steered us over to sit by him. Servants started filling the table with roasted duck, rack of lamb, spit fired chicken and all kinds of different meats. They also brought out vegetables sautéed in butter, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob. Soon the table was full of food. The smell was wonderful, but my apprehension kicked in. I wasn’t sure I could trust it. It looked too good to be true.
Vicktor seemed to understand my reticence and he reached out and ripped a leg off the duck and started eating with abandon. Everyone else took this as their cue and the rest of the guests tore into the food as well. I looked at Eavan and she shrugged, taking some food and putting it on to her plate. I did as well.
Soon everyone was full and sitting around talking and raving about how good it all was. A bell chimed and I saw another servant carrying a large silver platter over towards us. On it was two cupcakes, simply decorated with vanilla frosting.
He set the cupcakes down in front of Eavan and myself.
“In honor of our two newest candidates, Veronica herself baked these cupcakes as a token of our wishes for your trials tomorrow.” He finished.
I looked around at all the guests watching us with rapt attention. The only thing that had been given to us tonight that no one else had touched were sitting in front of us in the form of two benign cupcakes. My instincts screamed at me to beware as I looked to Eavan only to find the same apprehension on her face.
So this was Vicktor’s ploy, he wasn’t attacking us with his axe or some crazy five hundred pound Altered lion, he was trying to kill us with pastry.
The silence in the Hall was deafening, everyone sat waiting for us to eat the cupcakes while I tried to figure out a way not to. I reached out towards the cupcakes and knocked over a full glass of champagne onto the platter and all over the dessert.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I said as I tried to swipe the champagne off of the cupcakes only to crush and smear them into a wet, soggy mess.
The people in the Hall gasped at the destruction of the cupcakes and I kept saying over and over that I was sorry, how clumsy of me.
“Just leave it!” Vicktor snarled.
I sat with cake all over my hands and put them down into my pockets, embarrassed.
Vicktor stood up in anger and stormed off, leaving the Hall. His flunkies followed him, giving me death stares the whole way.
Veronica came over and tried to smooth things over.
I kept apologizing to her as I got up and excused myself, taking Eavan with me.
We hurried out of the Hall and went back to my room. As we got inside, I reached into my pockets and pulled out the wad of mushed cupcake I had stuffed in them. I went over to the sink and started to sift through it, looking for what my instincts warned me about. Eavan came over and together we slowly found four almost microscopic balls. They felt almost like grains of sand. I carefully washed them off and set them on the counter.
“What is it?” Eavan asked.
“I don’t know, they look like extremely small pills, but what could be in them that could hurt us?” I wondered aloud.
I went over to the small kitchenette and got a knife. I took it back and used the flat of the blade to crush the pills. I saw the light glint off the faint but shiny silver dust that had been inside.
“Dear god, Veronica tried to poison us with silver!” She exclaimed.
“No, it was Vicktor, through Veronica. I guess this answers how they have kept the Ascended from breaking free. This probably hurts and weakens us, perfect for handicapping us before the Rite.” I said.
“I didn’t know what to do, thanks to yer quick thinking ye saved us from eating those.” Eavan said, pointing to the small pills.
“You would have figured out something.” I said.
“What now?”
“I’m going to wait here for Abaddon, while you get to Oengus and tell him what happened. Then we hunker down and stay safe in our rooms until tomorrow. That’s when the real fun begins.” I smiled, knowing that soon I would be able to really strike back at Vicktor and hopefully learn more about what really happened to my father.
Chapter 33
My Rite of Ascension had arrived.
I woke up with a calmness that permeated my entire outlook. All the worry and fears about this day evaporated as it was now here. I went through my morning ritual with detached attention. Abaddon was unusually quiet, more so than normal, which I appreciated. There was nothing more to talk about, either I was ready or not.
The Rite didn’t take place until the full moon shone in the night sky so I had all day to kill. I spent it trying to keep my mind busy. I cleaned my gauntlets about ten times; I cleaned the room meticulously and tried to read a little. I even sprawled on the couch and tried to rest, but the apprehension grew as the day slowly turned to night.
Finally Abaddon said, “It’s time.”
We left and he guided me to a room on the edge of the arena where I was to wait until I was called out for my trials. I sat alone in the windowless room, waiting. I heard the sounds of the crowd as the seating began to fill up. After about an hour there was a knock at the door and Abaddon stepped in. He came up to me and reached out holding me at arms length.
“No matter what happens, I want you to know that I enjoyed the time we spent together. You remind me so much of your father and I know he would be proud of you.” He squeezed once and turned to stand outside the door before I could say anything.
I took the cue and he walked with me down a hall that opened up to the fighting floor of the arena. I looked to him and he nodded forward. I walked out of the dark hall and into the bright noise of the cheering crowd. I looked across and saw Eavan exit from a door at the opposite side.
I looked up and saw Vicktor sitting at a private box seating area. He stood and motioned with his arms to quiet the loud masses.
“This night of the full moon we recognize the petition for Pack membership by Eavan O’Sullivan and Eric Brightenham.” The crowd erupted in applause and loud cheers.
I don’t think they were as excited about who we were as much as the thrill of what was to come.
“We are entering a time in our long glorious history that is full of threats. Our responsibility to ensure that the newest generation of Pack members are worthy of the threats and dangers of an ever changing world dictate that I not be relaxed in my choosing of what these applicants must complete to be accepted. In that vein I call on the ancient ways to be applied. Each will have to defeat their adversary and save a loved one, in so doing they will show a mastery over their Beast and gain member status.”
Half of the crowd cheered at the returning to the old ways while the other half sat stunned. They had grown accustomed to my father’s ways and had begun to agree that the savage trials of the past were just that, savage.
A door close to Eavan opened and a young man was pushed out. He was shackled at the wrists and looked around, obviously unsure of where he was.
“Patrick!” Eavan gasped. “Vicktor, you bastard!”
Vicktor just smiled at her and then turned to me, watching.
A door near me opened and I waited to see who they had brought. I figured it was going to be Max, seeing as how he was so close to me, but I never really dwelled on it since it could have been anybody and I had no control over who they picked.
I saw a figure slowly make her way out of the darkness and
my heart sank. Her hair was dirty and hung in clumps. She was taller than I remembered and her body had changed, her curves more noticeable as she had grown into a woman. She looked up at me and I didn’t think my despair could grow anymore until I saw her look up at the full moon. The deep yellow of the Beast rose in my sister’s eyes as she broke free of her bonds and for the first time shifted forms, becoming the animal unchained. She leaned forward and opened her bestial mouth as she issued a large and deep roar of challenge.
At the same time, another door opened and three Altered cougars leapt from the dark tunnels and barreled towards Eavan. They were massive, deadly monsters. Three times larger than normal cougars, they had grotesque muscles that rippled as they moved, their long claws dug into the hard dirt as they raced across it.
Vicktor stood and laughed loudly.
“Let the games, begin!” He shouted to the roar of the crowd as their bloodlust erupted.
So this was my challenge. I had to save my sister from her own Beast. If I killed the Beast it would kill her and I’d fail and if I didn’t fight back against the Beast it would kill me and I would fail.
I knew that right now my sister was struggling to make sense of what was happening to her. Deep in her mind Susan was waging a battle of her own, with no understanding of how to beat her Beast. My only hope was that she was putting up a good fight, otherwise it was too late and she had Descended. If that happened I would have no choice but to kill my sister and once again fail. I had to help her succeed in embracing her Beast. I just had to figure out how to pull that off while keeping her feral, unrestrained Beast from killing me and hoping Eavan wasn’t killed by the three monster cougars intent on bringing about her death.
Susan flew at me a split second after her initial battle roar. I dove to the side but she clipped me and sent me spinning off into the rough wall. I felt my arm snap as it slammed the wall at an odd angle. I tried to get my feet under me as Susan’s Beast turned almost instantly and rushed after me.
I didn’t expect such speed and strength but I guess it made sense. The Beast was a primal force, bereft of fear or remorse it was a relentless hunter, its sole purpose was to take down its prey quickly and efficiently. I knew I would have a hard time evading it so I decided to try and make it weary of me.
I felt my arm heal as I willed my gauntlets to grow and my forearms and hands became covered in shiny chitinous armor. I kept the swords retracted and as Susan’s Beast swiped at me I brought them up, deflecting its powerful claws. It instantly countered my block with another swipe and I was soon backing up under the constant assault the Beast threw at me. Its power and speed was astounding and I was unable to keep up. My shoulder screamed as the Beast broke through my defense and I again flew through the air only to land on the hard packed dirt floor. My blood flowed from the savage wound before it knitted back up.
I chanced a glance at Eavan and saw her surrounded by the three cougars who had circled her and were slowly stalking closer. Her shirt was in tatters and she swung her sword each time one of them stepped closer, keeping them at bay.
My instincts screamed and I rolled to the side, as Susan’s Beast landed where my head had been. My mind worked furiously, trying to figure out how I could help Susan and stop her assault.
I to had been untrained and ignorant of the Beast, yet with the help of my father’s legacy I was able to prevail and accept the inevitable. I didn’t know if Susan had the same presence, but even with my father’s help, my success was a close thing. I couldn’t just keep dodging and ducking as I felt the growing Beast within me. The full moon and exertion kept tugging at it, pushing it to provide me more strength and speed, making its impulses stronger.
I had to do something; I couldn’t keep this up all night. Susan’s Beast caught me as I tried to roll and I grabbed its wrists to keep its sharp claws from ripping my throat out. Its strength was more than I could handle as I dodged its snapping jaws. I felt the sweet pain as I underwent the change, needing to be in Beast form myself to counter its sheer ferocity.
As I shifted a lot of factors came into sharper focus.
One, everyone in the crowd was on their feet, some with bloodlust at hoping to see me killed, others with the worry and desire to see me prevail, but watching me losing.
Two, Eavan had killed one cougar and had herself shifted to allow her to keep up with the threat the remaining two still posed.
Three, I could feel Susan deep in her own mind, she hid like I had. She was holed up in her place of solitude. Somewhere that always held memories of laughter and love.
I don’t know how I sensed this, perhaps it was our closeness, not just physically, but we are twins and grew up together. We always had a hard to define ability to know what each other were thinking, that is until we hit puberty. Perhaps the Beast gave me a newfound ability that I had not yet tapped into and this situation forced it to come to fruition.
Whatever the reason I didn’t question it, I just accepted it. I embraced the feeling and on a whim let go of its claws and grabbed it by both sides of its head. I brought our foreheads together and drew on the power of my Beast to make my will reality.
I called on the memories of all the times I spent with Susan, playing games on a rainy day and running through the puddles afterwards. The times we argued and the times we shared secret jokes that only children could find magical, I gathered the feelings I had for her as my sister and pushed my awareness out of myself and willed it into hers.
A feeling of movement overwhelmed me as I suddenly found myself traveling down a tunnel. My body lay under the Beast as my awareness was pulled into Susan’s mind. I landed at the kitchen table in our home, Susan stood at the countertop calmly pouring her mixed cake batter into a cupcake pan. My mom and Susan spent many weekends making breakfasts and dinners together. They always loved to cook together; sometimes they even made something that was edible. Most of the times they just made the house full of laughter and joy.
“Oh, hi Eric, what are you doing here?” She said as she put a cupcake pan into the oven.
Chapter 34
“Susan?” I asked, confused at her seeming ignorance of what was happening.
“Yes?” She answered.
I heard a deep growl that seemed to come from far away. It possessed a deep wildness to it that I knew came from the Beast as it stalked Susan’s mind in search of its prey. Susan looked up, a look of worry and fear rushed over her face before it was replaced by serenity.
“Do you know why I am here?” I asked.
I heard my father’s legacy come clear to my mind, “It is no use, she has retreated into a far corner of her mind, somewhere she feels is safe from the Beast. She is unwilling to face her fears.”
“Then we’re going to have to help her, aren’t we?”
I went over to Susan and grabbed her wrist, turning her to face me.
“What are you doing? I have to start peeling the potatoes.” She said, annoyed at my actions.
“What is the last thing you remember?” I asked.
“What?” she answered.
“What is the last thing you remember, before you started cooking?”
“I don’t…” She began, but stopped as her mind drifted to find the answer to my question.
“I was…” She started again only to be stopped by a wave of fear and anguish.
“It’s okay Susan, I’m here with you. It’s okay.” I said, keeping a hold of her hands.
“I think I was dreaming, having a nightmare.” She thought back.
“I was at home, I had a date with Ricky, we were supposed to go see some new romance movie. He wanted to see some movie about a comic book, but I convinced him to see my movie.”
“I went outside to drive to his house when I was attacked; someone grabbed me and put a bag over my head. I smelled a strong odor then I passed out. Later, I woke up in a comfortable room with no windows. The door was locked so I sat, hoping for some explanation. I thought for a minute it was Ricky’s doing,
maybe he swept me away on a romantic weekend vacation.”
“Then the door opened and a monster walked in, it came to me. I tried to fight it, but it was useless, the thing pinned me and bit my shoulder. After that everything was a blur again.”
“I felt something beginning to stir within me, something wild and terrifying. Then I woke up in the dark corridor. I walked out and saw you standing there. I looked up to the moon and then everything went red.” She shuddered at this last bit, hugging herself.
She started to cry, deep powerful sobs that made my heart ache.
“It was so horrible. But now you’re here, it was all a dream.” She started to get control of herself, slowly.
There was another, louder growl that seemed to come from much closer.
A look of panic swept over her and I thought she was going to run.
“I want you to listen to me Susan. What you saw wasn’t a dream, it was real. The thing you encountered was real, what you know as a werewolf. It bit you and you now have the same powers, only you must confront your Beast and accept it as a part of you.” I explained.
She started to pull away from me as denial spread on her face; she shook her head back and forth.
“No, no, no, no.” She repeated.
“Yes, Susan, yes. If you don’t do this it will find you and you will fall to its power, you will become its to command instead of the other way around.” I pleaded with her.
“What are you talking about? That’s madness!” She sobbed.
“It’s true.” The voice of my father came to us. I felt a strong feeling of love and compassion as he spoke.
“Dad?” She asked, looking around.
“I’m here, honey.” He said. “I’m with you even though you cannot see me, listen to Eric he speaks the truth, Sugarlips.” The last was a nickname he had given her after she got into a batch of powdered donuts and had the white sugar all over her mouth.
Gauntlet Rite of Ascension Page 27
