“Now what?”
“Now, my dear Horseman of War,” Gideon smiled as he spoke. “We create.”
---
Danielle walked with Angelica down the Temple hall. The Nephilim had made a full recovery and was as anxious as Danielle was to do something productive. The two decided on seeing what Alan and Gideon were up to locked away in Gideon’s room. For the past few hours, there were reports of hammering and shouts coming from the room. Artemis assured everyone things were fine but the ladies decided to go see for themselves.
“What do you think they’re doing in there?” Danielle asked.
Angelica shrugged, turning the corner of her lips down. “Beats me. If I had to guess with Gideon involved, it has something to do with a new invention.”
“Why would he need Alan?”
“We’re about to find out.”
With each step through the Temple and toward their destination, the noise grew in intensity. Steel striking steel like a metal battering ram pounding on steel gates made their eardrums vibrate. Danielle found herself starting to wince as the strikes came down over and over again.
Whoever was doing the pounding had discovered a rhythm and was sticking to it. Danielle timed the strikes in her head as they fell. A hammer was hitting something every other second without missing a beat. Just when she didn’t think she could take the sound any longer, they reached the door.
Angelica pounded on the wooden frame as hard as she could in order to be heard over the noise. Three blows from the door given by Angelica’s right fist was met with no answer.
Danielle exchanged a look with Angelica as the female Nephilim pounded again.
Still nothing.
“Hey, Price,” Danielle shouted to be heard over the hammering. “What are you doing in there—rebuilding the Colossus?”
The hammer blows hesitated for a moment.
Danielle gave Angelica a wink that said, “Bingo.”
The hammering picked up again as steady and strong as ever.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Angelica said sizing up the door. “I’m about to break this thing down.”
“Really? You can do that? I didn’t realize that was an option,” Danielle said with a smile. “Why are we even knocking?”
As the two women looked at one another seriously considering battering the door down, the knob turned. Gideon opened the door just enough to stick his head outside. He was a mess of dirty smudges and sweat. He reeked of smoke to such a degree that it stung Danielle’s nostrils. She coughed and took a step back.
“What are you guys doing in there?” Angelica asked. She looked passed Gideon through the crack in the door. Danielle smirked as she noticed Angelica rise on her tiptoes to see over Gideon. Gideon in turn mirrored her move, blocking any line of sight.
Danielle grabbed the opportunity to duck low and peer into the room. The heat coming from the inside of the apartment was blistering. She caught a glimpse of Alan hammering away at a piece of metal which he held firm on an anvil with a set of tongs.
“Is there something I can do for you ladies?” Gideon asked.
“Yeah, what’s going on in there?” Danielle asked. “You’re making enough noise to wake the dead.”
“Well, let’s hope not,” Gideon said with a shake of his head, “the implications of the dead rising would mean—”
“She wasn’t being literal, Gideon,” Angelica said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “We just want to know what’s going on. You two have been locked in that room for hours now.”
“I wish I could tell you but I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
“I thought Angels weren’t allowed to swear,” Danielle said with a raise of her eyebrow.
“Yes, well, I’m not being literal.”
“Come on,” Angelica said with a sweet smile. “You can tell us. I mean, it’s clear you two are in there making something. What is it—weapons, more collars, something new?”
Gideon started to move his mouth but caught himself before he let anything slip. “Oh, you’re clever. Still, I cannot even give you a hint. It’s not my project to share.”
A mix of joy and frustration was beginning to build inside Danielle. On one hand, she liked the inventor. He was creating a mystery around the whole project making the knowledge even more desirable. On the other hand, their questions were getting them nowhere.
Before the girls could push for more information, they were all interrupted by a small voice. “Your meal is served, sir.”
All eyes turned to Artemis who stood with a silver platter covered by a silver dome. “As requested: food.”
“You are an amazing young lady,” Gideon said taking the platter from Artemis. “Not only knowledgeably beyond what we can imagine, but so humble and willing to assist wherever you can. Thank you.”
Artemis waved off the compliment like the bashful child she wasn’t. “Oh, it’s okay. But we had a deal, right?”
Danielle and Angelica exchanged confused looks.
Gideon looked under the silver cover, his eyes widening at the contents underneath. He slid a quick tongue around his mouth before he answered.
In that moment, Danielle couldn’t help but feel she was in the middle of some kind of illegitimate transaction where goods were being traded for illegal contents.
“We have a deal,” Gideon agreed as he nudged the door open ever so slightly.
The little girl dashed in before Danielle knew what was happening. “Hey, that’s not fair.”
Gideon shook his head and legitimately sounded as if he was sorry for the circumstances they found themselves in. “I do apologize but she did negotiate a agreement that involved bringing us food. Well, I must be getting back. Don’t feel too left out, we are nearly finished. Alan has picked up the craft as if he was born to the trade.”
With that Gideon ducked back inside and closed the door behind him. Danielle and Angelica were left wondering what had just happened with the sound of hammering still ringing in their ears.
Chapter 14
After the first few hours, his arm was numb. It was only his will commanding his arm to send the hammer up and down again that kept him going. It was only for Seraphim and the honor of her sacrifice that kept the process moving forward.
He gave up on wiping his brow after what seemed like the hundredth swipe. Much like Gideon, he forced himself to remain content with the feeling of sweat sliding down not only his face but also his entire body.
His hair came undone and wild blond strands shook across his vision with every strike. Although his arms were numb, his hands still tingled with the impact of each blow.
Gideon assured him that due to his strength, the process would move quickly. It wasn’t the power that was a problem. Alan felt confident that he could finish the job in a matter of minutes it if wasn’t for the detail required. He wanted to get it perfect for her.
Of course they were guessing on the size and even if the material would be light enough to work. Still it was a step forward. If nothing else, it was a step forward in his own progression as a person.
Alan was lost in thoughts, deep thoughts, of who he was and who he was becoming as he battered away at the steel. He was so submerged in his own head Artemis had to yell at him multiple times to be heard.
“Hey! I’m talking to you!”
Alan’s chest was heaving with the exertion of molding the steel. Sweat poured into his eyes. He took a break from his work to move the steel he was hammering from the anvil to the large basin of water.
Steam shot through the air with an audible hiss as it rose from the container of water. Alan handled the tongs like a professional as Gideon looked on with approving eyes.
“Sorry, Artemis,” Alan said through the cloud of steam and his own blond locks. “Did you say something?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Alan caught the girl’s mischievous eyes as he waited for her to continue. When she said nothing, Alan broke into a large smile. “Well, are
you going to tell me?”
“Sure,” Artemis hopped off the bed. The bed allowed just enough room for her to sit perched on the edge, otherwise it was covered in Gideon’s tools. “I said, I think that you’re done. It looks great. You’re just so trapped in your own head, you haven’t noticed.”
Alan traced his tongue around his dry mouth as he looked down at his work. Gideon moved to stand next to him and both master and apprentice examined the newly shaped piece of steel.
Alan still held it with the pair of tongs as he rotated the metal from side to side revealing every angle. The steal itself was a gunmetal color. Water dropped off the grooves and dripped back into the basin. Each droplet of water made its own sound as they examined their work.
The piece was as long as Alan’s torso and head combined. To think he did an amazing job was a stretch, but he was happy with his work. If it ended up being anywhere close to a fit, he knew Gideon would be able to come up with a way of making it functional.
“What do you think?” Alan asked breaking the silence.
“I think it looks beautiful,” Artemis said with her signature smile.
“I think you finished this piece in a fraction of the time it would have taken anyone else,” Gideon said. “Your gift of strength made every blow count. Your attention to detail took care of the rest.”
“Do you think she’ll like it?” Alan asked.
Artemis clasped both hands together and held them in front of her chest. “Oh, Alan, she’s going to love it.”
---
Tired wasn’t even a word Alan could use to describe how he felt. Exhausted was closer but still wasn’t quite right. He could feel his eyes burning from the smoke, steam and heat in the room. His body was fatigued beyond anything he had ever felt. And he could only imagine how he smelled. Still, he couldn’t help a smile from crossing his lips as he traveled through the Temple.
His gift was wrapped in the only thing large enough he could find. The top blanket from Gideon’s bed covered the twisted steel as he traversed through the Temple, toward the exit.
As he entered the main hall, he stopped in his tracks. The silly smile that was once placed on his face vanished as he saw Ardat picking through a row of books on one of the thousands of shelves.
“Going on a sleepover somewhere?” Ardat didn’t move her eyes from the book she was perusing. The words dropped from her mouth as if she were making small talk with someone she deemed below herself.
Alan worked up enough saliva to swallow before he answered. “What? What are you talking about?”
Ardat moved her dark eyes from the book and motioned with her chin at the blanket in his hand. “I saw you walking with what I thought was a pillow and blanket, but now I can see it’s just a blanket covering something.”
Alan knew her statement simply implied a question on what he was carrying. Still, he didn’t feel right volunteering the information. After all, he hadn’t even told Danielle or Angelica what he was making.
Once again a multitude of feelings pulled at him for attention. Ardat was responsible for both killing his mentor and for saving himself, Michael and Seraphim from Gabriel. Alan was so far succeeding in dealing with his feelings toward the woman by just ignoring them. Now, they were very literally staring him in the face.
Ardat sensed his hesitation. “It’s okay, Alan. You don’t have to tell me what you’re carrying if you don’t want to. It’s none of my business. I was just trying to make conversation and start to break the ice between us. I do realize that at one time you must have hated me. Who knows, you still may.”
Alan wasn’t sure how to process the new information. Ardat spoke to him in a slow delicate way, pronouncing every word with no emotion in her voice. He could tell she was being sincere; however, her calm manner of speech about such a delicate subject set him on edge.
“I did hate you. I only knew Jacob for a short while, but even in that time, I could tell he was a great man. You killed him. I don’t know if that is ever something I can forgive. You did save my life, along with Michael’s and Seraphim’s, though. That has to count for something.”
Ardat nodded along with his words as if she anticipated his response. Alan couldn’t be sure, but he sensed something different in the woman, a change like a slight ripple in a lake full of still water. “I am far from the point of asking you or anyone else for forgiveness—”
Alan didn’t say a word as he witness an internal struggle overcoming the woman whom he would have once counted among his enemies. She cut of her own train of thought as she grasped for the correct verbiage. “Still, Jacob was a good man.”
Alan knew he wasn’t going to get anything else from the woman. Frankly, he was surprised she managed so much.
Alan nodded as the two stood at an awkward attention.
“This is already unpleasant enough, Alan,” Ardat said as she turned her eyes back to her book. “You should go now before it becomes even more uncomfortable.”
Alan didn’t need a second invitation. He walked past the woman, continuing on his path up the stairs.
Just when you didn’t think things could get any stranger; gigantic dogs are roaming the underground Temple, you actually find yourself free of depression and anger for more than a few days and now Ardat is engaging you in friendly, awkward conversation. Alan shook his head free from these ideas as he traveled up the long flight of stairs to the opening above.
The smile on his face at the thought of presenting his gift disappeared as he approached his destination. A tiny voice in the back of his head was tugging at his attention. What if she doesn’t like it? What if she laughs at you?
Alan’s journey through the dark and up the stairs mirrored his mood. Feelings he worked hard to overcome were again making their voices heard. With each step, his nerves heightened. His gift felt like trash in his hands. He had a blanket off Gideon’s bed to wrap his present after all.
Not only that, but his state of dress was a mess. He was so excited to give her his gift that he skipped showering. He could only imagine how he looked.
It was too late now. As he glanced up to see the sliver of light from the entrance to the Temple, he knew he must go on. There was no turning back.
---
She stood in the moonlight. Her dark, red hair swaying in the slight breeze like leaves on a tree. She heard someone coming and stopped pacing.
When her eyes met him, she denied him a smile but offered a quick head nod and an inquiring stare at the contents in his hands. Her broken wing was pulled into her back along with its less damaged twin.
The two stood alone. The once busy area full of tourists had transformed into the same scene of dark silence as when Alan first saw the Temple. He could understand why Seraphim appreciated the outside silence over the busy and confined interior of the Temple.
The remains of the Temple that stood above ground were peaceful. Even though they were in a desert of broken pillars and stone, there was something about the place that made Alan relax.
“So—did you need something?” Seraphim asked.
All the joy was gone. In the matter of minutes, Alan reverted back to that same kid who was too shy to even talk to anyone in school. His mouth went from dry to parched. His heart was beating as fast as if he were in the middle of a battle with Gabriel. He was so terrified of tripping over his words, he decided to just keep quiet.
“Alan, are you all right?”
He knew he needed to say something or else things were going to get awkward in a hurry. “Yeah,” he managed with all the effort he could muster. “I’m doing good. How, how are you…doing?”
He scolded himself for losing his composure now. It wasn’t that he was scared or intimidated by the Death Angel. To the contrary, he was actually beginning to enjoy his time around Seraphim. The problem was that he was worried his gift would be ill-received.
“Well, I think I’m as good as I’m going to get. I won’t be able to fly anymore but I’ve accepted that. I put out a call
for the Death Angels who are not guarding the celestial weapons to meet here. It’s time for me to step down as their leader. The Death Angels need someone who can fly, not a broken soldier like me.”
“Well I—”
“I’m not saying this to feel sorry for myself,” Seraphim said with a raise of her hand. “I accepted it. I feel as if I should also apologize for the moment of weakness in which you found me. That is not how I want to be perceived.”
“It’s okay, what I was going to say is that I ma—”
“Please, Alan, let me finish. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and even though I’ll never fly again, I can use this opportunity to grow. I can still assist on the ground. Nephilim have found a way of doing this for centuries. I also still have my gift of speed. I won’t let you or Michael down. I’m beaten but not broken.”
There was a pause long enough for Alan to wonder whether she was finished. When Seraphim remained quiet, Alan fought back his fear of rejection and lifted the blanket in his hands, “Here.”
Seraphim looked at him sideways. “Why would I need a pillow and blanket?”
“It’s not a blanket and pillow. Why do people keep thinking that?”
“Who else thought that?”
“Ardat did—”
“Why would you speak to Ardat about anything, much less about a pillow and blanket?”
Alan wasn’t sure if it was the fatigue setting in or something else, but this was not how he imagined presenting his gift and he was beginning to get irritated with himself.
“Let’s just start from the beginning. This is not a pillow and blanket.”
Seraphim took a step closer and furrowed her brow, examining the contents in his arms. “Then what is it?”
“It’s a present for you.”
Seraphim was clearly not anticipating that answer as she looked from his arms to his eyes and back again. “A present?”
Alan Price and the Temple of Artemis Page 16
