God School

by Scott Kinkade

  Almost immediately, the chamber became a roiling tempest. The skeletons were buffeted by winds that would have scared even a seasoned meteorologist. Their arms began flying off, followed by legs and other assorted bones. Soon half the Keepers had been demolished.

  Ev was glad he had put up the improvised shield, because several of the spears flew at him. They impacted against the shield, but it held.

  Within a minute, all of the skeletons were pulverized by Brandon’s gale. Bones of all shapes and sizes—many unidentifiable—littered the floor. It resembled nothing less than the lair of an ogre in some old fairy tale.

  Ev dissipated most of his shield and allowed what wind remained to gently lower him back to the floor. He rejoined Brandon. “Great plan, Ev! I’m impressed by your ingenuity.”

  “It was just something I came up with at the last moment. I honestly wasn’t sure if it would work. Fortunately, I had had enough time to recover mentally from our flight into Stiftung.”

  “All right, well, let’s move on to the next one."

  * * *

  In the next level, they once again came face to face with a Keeper. “Ye shalt not pass.”

  “Are these guys capable of saying anything else?” Ev asked.

  “Not really. Their minds have been dumbed down to the point where they can only carry out their mission.”

  “Hmmm. So, what’s the Artifact this time? Is it that giant rock?” There was an eight-foot-tall stone next to the skeleton and its sarcophagus.

  “Yes. That’s the Lia Fáil, or the Stone of Destiny. It’s another of the four magical treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann.”

  “What does it do?”

  As if in response, the Keeper yelled something in a language Ev didn’t understand. The Lia Fáil underwent a metamorphosis. It grew legs, then arms, and then a head, all made of rock. The head had the word caomhnóir carved into it where a face should have been. Even stranger, each of the characters glowed bright orange.

  As if Brandon could read his mind, he said, “‘Guardian’.”

  “What?”

  The word on its face means ‘guardian’.”

  Great. “I’m guessing it’s not just going to let us pass, then.”

  “You guess correctly.”

  The rock creature raised its two mighty arms and slammed them down on the ground. The resulting shockwave almost knocked the two off their feet.

  They managed to recover quickly, but the Lia Fáil wasn’t about to let them rest. It charged in and swatted at Brandon with one oversized arm. The god went crashing into the wall. Oh, shit, Ev thought. If he can do that to Brandon, what will he do to me?

  Perhaps sensing his thoughts—or perhaps ready to move onto the next target—the Lia Fáil turned its attention to Ev. He’s going to charge at me now! But instead of running as Ev thought it was going to do, it formed up into a ball and rolled along the ground at incredible speed. It chased Ev around for what seemed like forever, but the student’s physical training paid off. He was able to keep from getting run over by the rocky goliath.

  The Lia Fáil apparently grew tired of the chase. It became anthropomorphized once again and stared at Ev, possibly contemplating its next action.

  Its thoughts—if indeed it could think—were interrupted by a flying kick from Brandon. It sailed across the room, eventually coming to a stop in front of the far wall to the left of the Keeper.

  “Way to go, Professor!” Ev cheered. As far as he was concerned, the Lia Fáil had just been put in its place.

  But Brandon’s face told a different story. “It’s not over yet, Ev. That thing will be getting back up real quick. And when it does, we need to have a plan in place.”

  “Who needs a plan? A few more kicks of yours ought to put it down for good.”

  “It’s not that simple, Ev. The Lia Fáil is made of modified haradium. We can’t destroy it.”

  Now Ev was officially alarmed. “Then what do we do?”

  “We have to take out the Keeper. It’s controlling the Lia Fáil.”

  The creature had gotten back to its rocky feet, and when it heard Brandon’s intentions, it rushed over to stand in front of the skeleton.

  “I don’t think he wants us doing that,” Ev said.

  Brandon moved closer to whisper in Ev’s ear. “I have an idea. Let’s come at the Keeper from two different directions.”

  Ev shrugged. “It’s as good a plan as any.”

  And so they split up. Ev circled around from the left, Brandon from the right. Ev expected the Lia Fáil to attack either him or Brandon. However, it instead pressed the skeleton back up against the wall and shielded him with its large body. Ev threw punches and kicks, but that only resulted in severe pain to his hands and feet. The thing was harder than any metal Ev had ever encountered. Brandon likewise made little progress with his assault.

  After a minute enduring the futile attack, the Lia Fáil swatted Brandon away with its fist. Ev also got hit in the solar plexus. He had never been hit that hard in his life. He flew backwards as if in gail-force winds, eventually landing on his back on the other side of the room.

  He coughed up blood. It was the first time in his life he had done so. Brandon limped over to join him. “Are you all right, Ev?”

  Despite the blood filling his mouth, he managed to say, “No, I’m not all right. I think I have internal bleeding.”

  “You’ll be fine. Just heal yourself like normal.”

  Ev managed to fight through the incredible pain to do so. He got back on his feet, though he was still shaky. He gave Brandon a weak smile. “Good as new.” He wasn’t fooling anyone.

  Fortunately, Brandon chose not to call him out on his pathetic attempt at a lie. “A frontal assault’s not going to work. We need to get the Lia Fáil away from the Keeper.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “Listen carefully. Put everything you’ve got into your arms. You’re going to need them.” He then told Ev his new plan. “Think you can pull it off?”

  “Honestly…I’m not sure. But I’ll give it my best shot.”

  “Heh. Guess that’s all I can ask for.”

  Again they split up. Again Ev came at the Lia Fáil from the left while Brandon attacked from the right. The golem put up its arms to defend itself, but this time that was exactly what they wanted. Ev and Brandon each grabbed hold of one arm. The Lia Fáil, obviously wanting to get them off it, swung them about like a bucking bronco. They held on for dear life.

  Eventually, though, they managed to regain solid footing and found good enough leverage to make it stop. Now that they each had a firm grip on its arms, they began pulling with all their might. Ev put everything he had into his upper body, and for a while it felt like every one of the muscles in his arms was going to be torn apart.

  Nevertheless, they persevered and succeeded in throwing the Lia Fáil away from the Keeper. It was only a few feet, but that was all they needed. With the skeleton defenseless, they quickly reduced it to a pile of broken bones.

  The Lia Fáil lost its arms, legs and head. It went back to being an ordinary rock. Ev breathed a sigh of relief. The thing was harmless now.

  Brandon, panting heavily, said, “Once again, Ev. Good job.”

  Ev huffed and huffed. He was sweating profusely now. “Thanks. You didn’t do so bad yourself.”

  * * *

  In the next level, one more Keeper awaited them. “Ye shalt not pass.”

  “I’m getting sick of this.” He found himself being drained, not just physically but emotionally as well. He didn’t know how much more of this ordeal he could take. When would he finally get to Maya?

  “Don’t worry, Ev,” Brandon said. “This is the last Keeper. After we beat him we can go straight to Belial.”

  “That’s a relief.” Except it wasn’t Belial he planned on going to.

  The skeleton held a sword which shone with a brilliant light. Ev almost had to cover his eyes to keep from being blinded. Its beauty was stunning
.

  Brandon explained, “The Sword of Light. It’s the final magical treasure of the Tuatha Dé Danann.”

  “I’m sure I’m going to regret this,” Ev said, “but what does it do?”

  The Keeper pointed the sword at Ev. Without any further warning, Ev lost all control of his body. “It’s messing with my body, just like the Cauldron!”

  “I just remembered! The Sword has the ability to command a person to obey its wielder.”

  Swell. “Great timing you got there. I’m sure it wouldn’t have helped for you to mention it earlier.”

  The skeleton said, “Attack thy friend.”

  Ev’s body whirled on Brandon and took a swipe at him with his fist. Brandon moved quickly to dodge the attack. Unfortunately, Ev’s body was just getting started. He launched a savage kick at his mentor. Brandon put up his arms to block it. Ev’s leg bounced harmlessly off the (much) older man’s muscles which had been honed through millennia of training. Ev’s body continued to unload on Brandon with little or no effect. Their difference in power was truly that great.

  After a few minutes, Ev was surprised to find the use of his body returned to him. “Guess it wore off.”

  The Keeper pointed the Sword at Brandon and repeated the earlier command. “Attack your friend.”

  Too late, Ev realized what was now happening. “Shit!”

  Brandon came at him with a solid right hand. Ev just barely managed to dodge it. The veteran god’s face was awash with remorse. “I’m sorry, Ev! I can’t control myself.”

  Ev went on the defensive, ducking and weaving to avoid Brandon’s attacks. “You’re a god! Can’t you resist it?”

  “I’m afraid not. The Sword was created to control gods. No one can resist it.”

  Ev was now backed up against the opposite wall. Brandon hurled a thunderous punch at him. He missed, hitting the wall next to Ev’s head. However, the force of the attack created a shockwave which sent Ev flying across the room.

  Brandon’s hijacked body didn’t give Ev any time to recover. He raced over to him and swung his leg in a sweep. Ev managed to launch himself over Brandon, landing directly behind him. He considered attacking the professor—if only to defend himself—but he knew damn well how futile it would be.

  So instead, he turned around and headed straight for the skeleton. If he could just reach him before Brandon launched another assault, he’d have a chance to end this.

  His hopes were soon dashed, however. Brandon reappeared right in front of him using his superior speed. Ev ducked his punch and kept running towards the Keeper. If there was a bright side to this, it was the fact Brandon’s speed was reduced, allowing Ev to dodge his attacks. Perhaps this was due to him fighting the Keeper for control. Ev didn’t know or care.

  He began to think he might actually make it. Without warning, though, something hard smashed into him from behind. He flew forward, eventually coming to a stop in front of the skeleton.

  Ev reached out to grab the Sword. Before he could, Brandon picked him up by his neck. He began choking the life out of his student. “Ev! I’m so sorry!”

  The pressure on his throat was such that Ev couldn’t respond. He grabbed at Brandon’s hands but couldn’t make them budge. Dark borders appeared at the edge of his vision and gradually grew larger. He was blacking out. It felt the same as when he nearly drowned earlier: terrifying.

  * * *

  Brandon watched as he quickly strangled the life out of Ev Bannen. Despite his valiant struggle against the Sword of Light’s control, there was nothing he could do to stop this. Brandon had been so happy when he had managed to save Ev from Belial’s clutches that night in Seraphim City. Now, it seemed, it was all for nothing. Ev would die at his hands, though not of his intent. He couldn’t have imagined a more cruel fate.

  His next thought was of avenging Ev. He would strangle Belial the same way he was being made to strangle Ev. He would enjoy it, too. That part tore at his immortal soul.

  But then he realized he probably would not get the chance. He was at the Keeper’s mercy now. Ev thought the sword’s power had worn off, and that was why he had been set free. But the Sword’s power never wears off. The Keeper had let him go because he had found a far better homicidal puppet in Brandon Strong.

  Ev’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he went limp. It was only then that the Keeper let Brandon release him. Ev fell to the skeleton’s feet.

  “I will find a way to kill you,” Brandon said to the Keeper.

  “Ye shalt not pass.” The skeleton’s inability to understand the threat was perhaps the most enraging about all this. If Brandon had to die, he wanted everyone involved to know he went down fighting, verbally if not physically.

  “You pooslicker!”

  The Keeper pointed at him and said, “Kill yourself.”

  Brandon’s hands reached up and took hold of his own throat. They gradually increased pressure until he was choking himself just like he had choked Ev. He felt some measure of peace knowing he would experience what Ev had experienced before he died. It was, in its own way, a form of penance, even if Ev’s death hadn’t been his fault.

  As his vision grew clouded, Brandon wondered what, if anything, he would find after death. Would there be, as Bethos had often speculated, the One True God? Would Brandon have any place in the afterlife at all? With his past, he didn’t think so.

  Suddenly, Ev sprang back to life. He grabbed the Keeper’s leg and ripped it from its socket. The skeleton toppled to the floor, losing hold of the Sword in the process. Brandon’s body went back to normal, and he wasted no time crushing the Keeper’s skull.

  He helped a dazed Ev back to his feet. “Ev! You’re alive!”

  It took his student a few moments before he could restore his windpipe enough to talk. “I faked blacking out so the skeleton would release me. Although, for a minute, I thought it was the end.”

  Brandon patted him on the back. “You’ve really made me proud today. All that’s left now is to face Belial.”

  A rainbow of light appeared in the center of the room. “What’s that?” Ev said. He sounded mildly alarmed.

  “It’s the Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. All we have to do is step into it and it will take us anywhere in the Tower.”

  Ev took a step forward. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  “Hold it, Ev. You’re pretty beat up. We’d better rest a moment.”

  “What? I’m fine. Besides, you said it yourself—we need to hurry.”

  But Brandon wouldn’t hear of it. “I know I said that. But we won’t accomplish anything if we show up to face Belial half-dead. Let’s just give it a minute.”

  Ev gave an impatient sigh. “Fine. But just a minute.” He sat on the floor, his back against the wall.

  It ended up being more like several minutes. Brandon knew time wasn’t on their side, but he decided to play it safe. After coming so close to losing Ev, he wasn’t about to rush the young god-in-training to his death.

  Eventually, though, Ev got to the point where he couldn’t wait anymore. “Let’s go,” he said firmly.

  Brandon nodded reluctantly. Ev’s tone told him he would have to kill him to stop him from going. That was how badly the young man wished to resolve things. “All right. We walk into the Bifrost together. Ready?” It was a stupid question, but even gods were allowed to ask stupid questions, if only to ease their troubled mind.

  “You’re damn right I am.”

  * * *

  “OK,” Brandon said. “When you walk into the Rainbow Bridge, you have to have a destination in mind. Just focus on going to where Belial is. That’s what I’ll be doing.”

  “Got it.”

  They walked into the multicolored light. It was more of a transparent wall than a bridge, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was in keeping his destination in mind. Only, he wasn’t looking to go to Belial’s location.

  He was going to Maya.

  They stepped into the Bifrost. A brightness o
f many colors enveloped them. For a moment, Ev felt like he was in many places at once, almost as if he had been split up like the rainbow itself.

  Then he was at his destination.

  Chapter XVII

  It started out as just another day for the Brünhart family. They were driving through downtown Stiftung on their way back home from church.

  Eight-year-old Maya was an only child. Since she didn’t have any brothers or sisters, her parents spoiled her rotten. She loved them dearly for that.

  At a stoplight, Hanz Brünhart reached over and kissed his wife on the cheek. Frida was the love of his life. Unlike most of the men in the Murnau Islands, he loved and respected his woman. It didn’t matter to him what anyone else said; Frida was intelligent and beautiful and altogether wonderful. He treated her like a queen, and Maya like a princess. Their lives were as perfect as they could have been in that city.

  Nothing lasts forever.

  The light turned green. The sedan moved forward onto the next block. Unfortunately, so did the pickup truck coming in from the left, only a lot faster. Perhaps the driver had been drinking. Perhaps he was just a reckless idiot. Maya never got the chance to find out. Either way, he ran the red light.

  Afterwards, Maya didn’t remember much. Had she not been paying attention, or was the impact simply that great? It seemed to happen like a reel of film with every other frame taken out. The pickup truck was at the intersection, and then it was inches away from their sedan. After that, Maya only recalled a vague soreness. Part of her felt pain. Part of her felt numb. Her body couldn’t decide what had happened to it.

  She recalled shaking her parents, but they were pale and still. Her father’s entire left side had been crushed by the impact. Her mother’s seat belt had failed, allowing her head to smash against the passenger side window. Her face was a mask of blood and shock.

  The paramedics soon arrived. They didn’t bother with Maya or Frida. Their only concern was Hanz. It didn’t take them long to pronounce him dead. They carted the bodies off to the morgue. Maya they just left there.