The Circle of Duty

by Owen Elgie

  How hard had she hit me?

  I hung my head and contemplated what he was telling me.

  Here we go again. More lives handed to me because they had to be.

  Turning to the Messenger and her remaining guards, I had emotion burbling around my head but this time it wasn’t the usual fire that both the Messenger and I had been expecting. This time it was a resigned sadness.

  “I will always do my best to help everyone I can, that’s what I am, surely. As far as I can see, the whole purpose of The Circle is to act as the ultimate protection for the human race. We are all charged with one purpose. It seems a little too easy to throw people at a problem rather than looking beyond.”

  The two guards remained rigidly at the Messengers side but I could make out, thanks to the stark lighting of the room we stood within, that their eyes were flashing back between me, the Messenger and the fallen forms of the other guards.

  The Messenger spoke now but without any anger of her own. The deep voice was threaded through with that same steadfast attention to the rules she lived by but also with the barest hint of long past sadness.

  “I have passed mine message to thee my Guardian. My role here has been completed. Thou hast been summoned to Egypt and thou must attend.”

  Without further comment, she bowed her head ever so slightly and she and the two guards were just, gone. Whatever veiling technique she had used had just snapped up and cloaked the three of them. I assume it was a veil rather than any kind of teleport but you never know do you?

  I turned back to Llewellyn and was about to thank him and his people when a massive shape reappeared in the room.

  Turning to face the presence, I was again facing one of the Messengers guards.

  There was nothing spoken by either of us as we stood as statues within the antiseptic surroundings of the infirmary. Our eyes met and there was nothing more for the longest time. Eventually, the giant form leaned forward to stand eye to eye with me. My first thought was this must be how other people feel when they are confronted by the anciently terrifying form of the Dragon that I could become. It was not a very comfortable place to find yourself.

  Eventually, the lone guard spoke.

  “My gratitude for helping my friends.”

  Before I was able to answer or indeed, show any kind of response to what had just been said, the guard simply vanished before my eyes.

  I turned slowly to look at the other people who had been in the room to acknowledge the shared nature of what had just happened. I knew that this was unheard of. A lowly guard, a military functionary, thanking a Guardian for their actions was a massive deal.

  That said, what surprised me more than anything else was the fact that, judging by the voice, and a million other non-verbal signals, under all the armour and the terror of the guard of the Messenger, I’d been speaking to a twelve foot tall woman.

  13

  The days passed quickly before the allotted appointment. Mike had healed quickly as the doctors had said he would and Mark was back to the usual level of appreciation of the rules of decorum.

  I had spent the days just relaxing. This I did because I was incredibly tired.

  Despite my best efforts, Mike and Mark made sure that I was waited on hand and foot and ensured that my time was spent comfortably.

  The house had been remodeled following the effects of my welcoming to the activities of The Circle.

  Gone was the original room which had been the master suite and therefore, mine. After it had been smashed and torn to pieces, I’d made sure that the decoration was now much more to my style, or at least what Andrea thought was more my style. The walls were all a tasteful off white and the flooring had been changed from stone tile to a thick beige carpet. The massive tapestries had gone as well but I had wanted to keep the same message that they had been showing. Instead, there was a small area on the left hand side of the room which held a small photograph of every member of the staff here at the estate. They weren’t passport photos or anything quite so staged but they each showed the person at a time when they were having fun. Images of family and friends were spread over a very wide area as everyone I came into contact with had given me a picture.

  They all served to remind me of the position that I held as part of The Circle but it also served perfectly as being an impromptu album of my newest family. I’d missed out on my own tight knit family thanks to the actions of our enemies, The Hive, but now I was in a position to create new bonds and feel that sense of belonging I’d always felt was just out of reach.

  The wide windows were back at the front of the house but now the entire roof area had been replaced by glass. The individual areas of glass skylights had been removed as I made certain of a clear view of the sky. There were also sprinkled about, several pieces from my own collection. I’d relocated several nuggets of my own from my flat back in London which included framed movie posters (Star Wars and Hellraiser being the highlights), a stash of sci-fi box sets to be watched whenever the mood took me and assorted other bits and pieces that made me, me. I also had a Hulk figurine smashing something heavy next to my bed. The connections to the creature losing control were too cool not to highlight.

  The building work had taken no time at all. It hadn’t even needed to be transferred to outside contractors. Instead, a vast force of people from within the staff had been able to get everything done in a matter of days. I’d offered to do some of the heavy lifting myself but had been told that that just wouldn’t have been acceptable. My protestations of the availability of a Dragon to lift materials and truly do the heavy lifting were quickly swept aside so I let everyone get stuck in on their own.

  There was even a little extra security incorporated into the structure. Mike had been keen to avoid any further chance of the Guardian of the estate being attacked in his room as he slept so had insisted that a few extra ‘safeguards’ as he called them, be installed. I hadn’t ever been able to get a straight answer from him concerning the exact details of what he’d actually had put in but he always smiled when I asked for details, saying I’d have to just enjoy the show if all of the other defences fail.

  The majority of the time since the visit of the Messenger I’d spent just lazing about between the master bedroom and a TV room I’d managed to put together. It was basically the same room as it had been before but I’d thrown in a comfy chair which didn’t scream lord of the manor and a small fridge to hold a few well-earned beers. All it meant was I had one of the best places to watch films and sports you could possibly imagine.

  I had, though, spent a great deal of time discussing with Mike, just what was likely to be happening in Egypt and why I was being called there.

  “Anything to do with Egypt is a massive deal,” Mike offered by way of explanation.

  “Why? Strategic pyramid purposes?” I just couldn’t help myself.

  Mike shook his head and took a deep breath, maybe stifling a laugh? Unlikely.

  “The site in Egypt is where the Mage is truly based. I’ve never seen a need for the Guardians to be called to Egypt in my lifetime.” Mike and I were sat in my TV room, both relaxing as much as we could; me slumped back in my comfy chair with highlights of the last Wales 6 Nations Championship win playing on the eighty inch TV. I didn’t even know you could get an eighty inch TV.

  Mike was sat at my side in a slightly less comfortable chair and he even made it look like that was causing him some form of discomfort. Too much of a good thing?

  “The Guardians? Plural? This call is given out to more than one of us?”

  “It is indeed. I was told of the process that calls The Messenger into service and it only happens when there is the gravest calling from the Mage. The Messenger being brought out has always signaled the fact that The Circle is facing something very serious.” Mike explained without letting a vast amount of emotion spill into his words.

  This did sound serious.

  “Why did this happen in the past? If you’ve just been told the stories t
hen it doesn’t happen that often?”

  Mike ran his hand over his white hair.

  “I’m not that old you know?”

  We both chuckled briefly. The feeling of growing closeness was a huge benefit between the Guardian and the Head of House. There was no way that I wanted my closest adviser in all of this to be feeling like he’s only there because he has to be. That and it was good to have a friend.

  Mike continued after the laughter between us had drained away.

  “The Guardians are kept apart as much as possible. The fewer connections between them the better.”

  “Why? That makes no sense at all.” All I could see was the benefits of working together and Mike's point made little sense to me.

  “You watch lots of TV don’t you?” Mike suddenly changed direction with what he was saying and I could feel the familiar crease of ignorance spreading across my forehead.

  “You’ve seen Friends, haven’t you?” He continued, noticing that I was showing minimum comprehension.

  “Imagine all six members of the Friends cast had come to work together in the same minibus. What would have happened if the bus had crashed on the way to the studio and everyone on it had been killed? How would the show have been able to continue without the whole cast?”

  I looked at him and the frown deepened.

  “If Friends had lost one of the stars because of an accident like that, they would have been able to continue to make the show. If they’d lost all six of them then the show would have stopped dead. The Circle is the same. There is no way that there could be any risk of having all of the Guardians together in one place unless there was the utmost need. We lose one Guardian, we can go on. We lose them all, well, you can imagine.”

  I let that fact sink in.

  Despite the Friends analogy, it made sense. If you brought all of The Circle into one place there was going to be a massive risk that any attack which could affect one could affect all of them. Thinking back to my own Awakening I was able to start picking out the number of suspicious glances and concerned groups from my memories.

  I’d always thought that there had been a level of mistrust from everyone concerned with The Circle because I was the new kid on the block, outside what was usually done and unknowing of what was expected, but it would appear that my initial fears had been misplaced. Well some of them anyway.

  Maybe the suspicion had been truly down to the fear of having all of these mighty forces together at one time?

  “So what was the reason everyone was gathered together last time? Is there any chance that’s happening again?”

  Mike chuckled quietly to himself.

  “The last time was just before the start of the Second World War. To be fair though, the meeting lasted for less than a minute when everyone was told what they were there for. No-one saw the war as being anything to do with them and the feeling was that each and every site we oversaw was safe from the effects of the fighting to come. I was told that Mr. Ward had been pointing out to The Elder that there could be some issues caused by such a wide reaching conflict and that was why the meeting was called but the rest of The Circle quickly put him in his place.”

  The thought that Leatherpants was given a very public dressing down put a smile on my face. He really did see himself as being above everyone else.

  “What about before that? What was it that got everyone together before that?”

  Mike mulled it over.

  “The plague. There was widespread death and disease in the fourteenth century which killed close to two hundred million people. It was put down to being just a nasty strain of disease which happened to flourish but it actually came from a biological attempt to destroy The Circle. Some bright spark in The Hive had been stockpiling the venom of one of their masters and used it as a chemical weapon. The creature is the one that The Elder is guarding. The attack started in China and spread throughout the world from there.”

  I sipped steadily on my beer as he spoke, all the time considering what was being said, hoping that a small kernel of insight would leap out and help me start to put the whole picture together.

  Nothing came.

  “So everyone was called together in Egypt to discuss what to do next. What happened?”

  “You were there. Have a look and see.” There wasn’t any frustration in Mikes tone but he was pointing out something I should have known. Realising what he meant, I closed my eyes and started to let my mind wander to the shared memories of the previous Guardians of my line. I was still a little wary of looking at them all too often. The one thing that they always had was the quick temper of the Fire Dragon as the main emotion. What I needed more than anger was perspective so the memories were only called on should there be no other options.

  Picking through the images which floated before my mind’s eye was harder than I had first thought. I tried to aim for the appropriate time period but kept getting lost at the last moment, ending up reviewing any number of castle scenes, banquets or battles. This was getting more than a little frustrating.

  “Michael. Can you give me a few clues as to where I need to be looking? I’m doing my best but I can’t pick it out.”

  I must have looked very odd with my eyes partially closed, frowning deeply as I asked for help navigating my own mind. Mike helped without complaint.

  “You’ll be able to see a dark cavern filled with all the Dragons. It should be quite a singular memory.”

  The gentle insult of his answer made me slightly angry but also made me smile. Maybe he was starting to learn a great deal about the need to treat everyone as a person no matter where they come from?

  I looked inwards again, aiming for the largest number of scales that I could find, but again, each effort sent me to the wrong areas again and again.

  This was getting annoying.

  “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

  This wonderfully mocking sentence was delivered with a different voice. One that hadn’t been in the room when I had closed my eyes, but which I was very happy was there now.

  I kept my eyes closed but let the images floating before my mind slip away to nothing. As they disappeared, the smile spread lopsidedly across my face.

  “You know, it really is rude to insult The Guardian of the estate in his home. I will have to make sure my people deal with you in the appropriate fashion. Michael?”

  Even with my eyes closed I could sense the fact that Michael was still on edge with the thought of being this relaxed around what he still perceived as his superiors.

  I hadn’t seen Andrea since she had been motionless in the hospital bed in Federico’s estate in Argentina. She had watched as I had a small disagreement with Leatherpants and had been silent throughout the entire exchange with The Elder. Thinking back, I wondered if she’d been awake when I’d explained my feelings about her to The Elder.

  Andrea broke the silence and I was quickly back into the here and now.

  “All Guardians must be able to withstand a wide range of attacks. Can’t you defend yourself against mere words?” Her voice was its usual cultured tone and carried the accent wonderfully as it always did. Opening my eyes I found that Andrea was stood directly ahead of me, dressed casually in perfectly fitting jeans and a pure white shirt. She was nonchalantly leaning her weight on one hip as she stood with her arms folded. She also carried a very playful expression on her face.

  Mike nodded to both of us and excused himself. He too had a smile on his face but it wasn’t the same as Andreas.

  As the door clicked shut behind him, Andrea made her way to a leather sofa which resided against the left most wall. She practically melted into position and stared at me, her eyes smoldering so much that they practically had smoke coming from them.

  “My lady. What brings you to my humble abode?” I climbed from my seat and started to make my way towards her.

  “I felt that you may be in need of some explanation about what was h
appening around you. I assume you’ve met the Messenger by now?” She remained recumbent on the sofa, oozing an animal sense of passion. For a creature of ice she was showing a very strong grasp of all things fiery.

  “Mike told me all about what’s coming and yes, I have met the Messenger. We had a small disagreement but I think I’ve turned her around.”

  I slipped onto the sofa next to Andrea and tried to return her sultry gaze with something similar of my own but I swear that I fell very short.

  Andrea froze as I sat down. She remained in the same languid position but her ‘heat’ had gone totally.

  “Mike has told you everything has he? So you don’t need me to help you?”

  “I didn’t say that. Mike’s been giving me a run-down of what’s happening. If you know anything else, I’d be more than happy to hear what you’ve got to tell me.” I knew that I was suddenly walking a very high tightrope but I didn’t know why.

  Andrea seemed to take this onboard and continued.

  “You were looking to passed memories for information concerning the specifics of the content of the meetings we are being summoned to, yes? You do need to know but that won’t give you what you need. Word of mouth is the only way to make certain that the correct information is passed down the line of time.”

  She was still laying over the arm of the sofa but now some of her enthusiasm was returning.

  “Of course I need as much help as I can find. We’ve got to be in Egypt tomorrow so can you give me the breakdown of what I’m likely to be confronted by? As you’ve pointed out already, I’m flying blind in my studies.”

  Andrea seemed to think about this and her posture relaxed somewhat.

  “Good. The reason you can’t see these memories is that the site in Egypt is soul bound to reality.”

  I looked at her blankly.

  “The whole site is kept in the present for all those who experience it. Everyone who is called will be able to take part in the groupings which take place but there is no way that anyone involved will be able to take memories from the room where we all meet. The meeting will only take place in reality. There is no way a memory of the event, therefore something from the past, will be able to escape the meeting.”