by Sean Stone
"We'll see," Nick said. Osiris moved first. He shot forward in a blur. His hand jutted out, aimed at Nick's chest. Nick turned to smoke and Osiris' hand passed straight through him. Nick rematerialised behind Osiris. Osiris turned around and swung his arm to strike him. Nick blocked it with his own arm. He knew that using smoke to dodge Osiris would not work every time; Aniketos had relied too heavily on it.
Osiris struck again and Nick blocked. Nick struck and Osiris blocked. This dance continued as they moved up and down the high street, neither one of them managing to land a strike but both getting worn out. They were gathering attentions from a few pedestrians who stopped to watch.
"You fight better than I assumed you would. You must have had a good tutor," Osiris said casually, continuing to fight.
"I did. Your brother Set trained me." The shock from Nick's statement provided him with the opening he needed. He landed a punch to Osiris chin that sent him staggering back. Nick ran forward to attack again, but Osiris released a burst of magic that sent Nick spiralling through the air. He crashed through a shop window and landed hard on the display. A mannequin toppled over and landed in a travelling trunk that was positioned behind it, the lid slamming shut after it. Other mannequins fell apart, their limbs cascading around Nick. Osiris approached slowly as if he had nothing better to be doing.
"If you give up now, I will turn away and continue my journey towards Set," he offered.
Nick chuckled. "Are you that keen to get chopped again?" he jibed.
"You may consider my offer retracted," Osiris said. He made to strike Nick, but Nick disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Osiris turned around expecting Nick to be behind him, but there was nothing there. He looked around, searching for Nick, but failed to find him. Nick found his frustration amusing. The ability to remain invisible was a handy trick, but Nick knew he couldn't keep it up for long. He felt out to his disciples to check their progress. They weren't ready yet. The sword was resisting them. He could not draw from them until they had released the power from the sword.
Nick became smoke again. He spread himself out, stretching and growing across the high street. The number of pedestrians who stood dumbfoundedly watching the events unravelling before their eyes had increased. If they had any sense they would run. Nick contracted himself into one long column and shot through the air at his prey. He connected with Osiris' chest and carried him up off his feet. He arched up, carrying the ancient higher and higher into the sky. He could feel his foe struggling and knew that he would break free soon. All at once Nick disappeared and let Osiris fall. It was a quick fall from over forty feet and the noise the ancient made as he hit the concrete was sickening. It was like a bag of eggs had smashed on the floor. Nick knew he wasn't dead but it would take a long time to heal from that. His bones would be smashed and his blood would be in short supply. By the time he healed the disciples would have the power ready for Nick.
Nick materialised on the pavement next to his fallen enemy. Osiris' hand snatched his ankle and dragged him to the ground. Nick tried to turn into smoke, but Osiris was holding on, keeping him solid. Osiris was up and on top of Nick in an instant. He held him in place. There was a little blood around the ancients face but otherwise, he looked fine. The fall had barely scratched him.
"I have lived for more than ten thousand years. Do you really think there is anything you can do to stop that?" he hissed. More people were coming to watch the fight now. They'd attracted quite a crowd. Interestingly there were no police officers. If any calls had been made, the officers knew better than to intervene. They'd notify SIT which meant that perhaps they'd be making an appearance. No worry. Nick would kill them too. Mobile phones were flashing all around them. People were on their phones chatting away, texting, sharing on the internet. Nick could see the frustration building on Osiris' face. Then with a high scream, he waved his hand in one sweeping motion and every person around them turned to dust. One minute they were there, the next they were gone. Nick was impressed. And he wanted that power. He pressed his hand into Osiris' chest with full force. The power burst carried Osiris down the street where he landed on the bonnet of a parked car, nearly crushing it entirely. The alarm came on instantly. Both men rose back to their feet simultaneously. They began walking towards one another once again. Nick was hurt and his injuries weren't healing as fast they should. He guessed it was ancient magic, stopping him from healing again. That meant there was a good chance that Osiris could kill him.
"You fought well, Blackwood," Osiris said to him. "But ultimately you do not have what it takes." He stopped and Nick followed suit. There was about twenty feet between them. Nic knew what was coming. He'd seen it when Aniketos had fought Osiris. This was it, the killing blow. Nick had to make sure he survived it. "Let's end this," Osiris said. He raised his palm and a beam of green light shot at Nick. Nick raised his own palm and a beam shot out of his own. His was a dark red colour like dried blood. It cut through the air and met Osiris's head on.
Nick called on all the power he could muster. Everything he had, he forced into the beam, but it was clear that it was not enough. Osiris' beam was eating away at Nick's, forcing it back, shrinking it. Nick could feel sweat trickling from every pore. As Osiris' beam drew closer he could feel its effects. Every cut on his body was opening wider, growing longer, leaking more blood. Nick was weakening, his very life diminishing. And he knew, somehow, that this was not a death he would be returning from. He called to his disciples, hoping, praying that they were ready. He felt nothing. No response. His own beam was less than a metre long now. He was struggling to remain on his feet, one leg was already buckling.
Then the reply came. He felt something from the disciples. Their power flowed into him, giving him new strength. He steadied his gait. Next came the power of the sword. Power like nothing he had felt before. He watched his beam darken. It went from red to pure black. A shadow.
Osiris' eyes widened. He knew what had given Nick the power. "No," he gasped.
Nick took one hand away from the beam, no longer needed to use both. His shadow beam was eating away at Osiris' with ease. Which wasn't to say that it wasn't taking its toll on Nick. It was. Nick could feel his own energy waning. If he didn't finish Osiris off within the next minute then his power would fail and he would die. But he needed a free hand. He reached behind him, to the sheath on his belt. He withdrew the ambrotos dagger and then flung it into the shadow beam. The power held it up, pointing it directly at the ancient.
"You have no honour," Osiris spat.
"That's hardly new information," Nick said. Osiris' power failed him. The green beam vanished. The shadow flung forward at warp speed carrying the dagger into Osiris' chest. The ancient screamed louder than anyone Nick had ever heard. The streetlights around them flickered and exploded all at once. Shop windows shattered outward. Car engines up and down the high street exploded, starting fires all around them. The ambrotos dagger glowed red hot, then pure white. Nick felt the power from Osiris flow into him and it made the power of the sword seem trivial. It was like water in comparison to alcohol.
Osiris' whole body became a giant fireball. He screamed in anguish, and Nick wanted to cover his ears it was such a hideous sound. Nick held out his hand and his dagger returned to him. He felt the connection to his disciples vanish in the blink of an eye and the extra boost they'd given him went with it. He collapsed to his hands and knees, his energy spent and the connection lost. Osiris had been weak when he died so his powers needed to replenish before they could heal Nick, but he wasn't thinking about that. Something had cut him off from his disciples. No doubt it was to do with Osiris. The power surge had probably broken the connection. He watched as the burning ancient fell face first to the concrete and his remains burned until the fire flickered away. After a few minutes the car fires died down too and the high street was silent once again.
*
Clara was stood with SIT in the house across from Nick's on Bartholomew Road. Jamal was the only member of the team n
ot with them and that was because he was in the house over the road. She had taken some of his hairs to cast a mirror spell. That meant that now they were able to see Jamal using the mirror in front of them. Jamal was in a large empty room with the other disciples. The twelve of them were standing around a large sword performing some sort of spell or ritual. None of the disciples spoke, they were too deep in concentration. Clara wasn't sure how long the mirror spell would also. Her powers had grown a lot since Kayla had counteracted Jamal's deviousness but she wasn't sure how powerful she actually was.
"What are we waiting for?" Phil asked in annoyance. Clara had Katrina's instructions so she was leading the operation and Phil didn't like it.
"She didn't say. She just said I'd know when it was time to move," Clara answered, not taking her eyes from the mirror.
"And you're sure she's right?"
"She's been right about everything so far," said Clara. She had all the proof she needed that Katrina's predictions were accurate.
"Are we really going to be going in there?" Charlie asked.
"Scared?" Kegan said with a mocking grin.
"Anyone who's not scared is an idiot," Phil said, rounding on Kegan. "Those are Blackwood's disciples. They are the most vicious warlocks you will ever encounter. How do you think I got these scars?" Kegan lost his grin and looked away.
"I think they're channelling power from that sword," Clara said. The disciples were starting to vibrate as was the sword in the middle of their circle.
"For what purpose?" Phil asked his phone starting to ring and he slid it out of his pocket and answered it.
"To help Nick with whatever he's up to," said Clara. Katrina had not told her what Nick was doing tonight. Sidney had his own agents all over town and they'd reported seeing Nick in the town centre on the high street not long ago. Clara couldn't imagine what business he had there.
"That was Sidney," Phil said as he got off the phone. His face was sombre. "Nick is still in the town centre. He's fighting some man and they're causing a lot of damage."
"What's Sidney going to do?" Clara asked hurriedly. Sidney was not supposed to get involved, Katrina had made that quite clear.
"Nothing. He's ordered me to sort it. I told him to leave it with me. We are going to stop whatever Nick's doing aren't we?" Phil asked.
"Katrina said that if we follow her instructions then Nick will fall." She hadn't said that he would fall tonight, however. Clara decided to keep that detail to herself.
"We need to deal with this other guy as well. Osiris. We can't leave him free on the streets."
The disciples started to shake uncontrollably as the sword rose into the air, glowing white. The sword got brighter and brighter and Clara had to look away from the mirror or risk blindness. Phil's phone started buzzing angrily at the same time. There was a massive boom and the whole house shook from the impact of whatever it was.
"Jesus," Phil exclaimed. "Half the high street just blew up. Clara, we can't hang around here. We need to get to the high street and we need to stop Nick now." Phil started to head for the door, beckoning for the others to follow him and then the mirror cleared again.
"Wait!" Clara said excitedly. "It's time." She pointed at the mirror which now showed every single disciple laying unconscious on the floor. The sword was gone. Phil turned and took in the scene the mirror showed. "If you go to the high street then we won't be able to stop Nick. Stick with me and we will."
"Good lord. Alright, what now?" he said.
"We arrest them," Clara said and smiled.
They marched across the road to Nick's house. As they neared the door Zander stepped up and kicked it right off its hinges. "I'll stand guard," he said as if there was an option. Without an invitation, he wouldn't be able to enter the house.
"After you," Phil said, allowing Clara to lead the way. They found the unconscious disciples in a dining hall. They were all passed out in a neat circle. They looked so peaceful as if they'd stopped for a nap. It was so tempting to just kill them all, but that was not justice. They were police officers and that meant arresting criminals, not executing them. In the centre of the circle was a pile of black dust. Clara guessed that was the sword a few moments ago. "Let's get them in the vans, before they wake up."
"Wait. I need to do something first. Kegan." Clara motioned for him to follow her. As she passed Jamal she looked down at his resting body. She felt such anger and hate for him in that moment but at the same time, there was a sickening love for him. A love that she desperately wanted to shake. How dare he worm his way into her life under false pretences. He and Nick had gone too far and they would pay for it tonight. "I'll deal with you later," she said and moved on. She knelt beside James and indicated Kegan to do the same. "You can take the rest," she told Phil, and the rest of the team began lifting the disciples and carrying them out. They needed to get them back to the magic-proof cages before they woke up.
"What are we doing?" Kegan asked.
"James has the power to control his transformations. He might not know it but that means he can turn into a wolf whenever he wants. Daytime, nighttime, full moon or new moon. I'm going to channel that power from him into you."
"So I'll be able to change at will too?" Kegan clarified.
"For one night only. As soon as he wakes up you'll lose the power so we'll need to keep him down as long as possible." She didn't bother telling him that if she lost consciousness the spell would break too. Clara pulled out a small phial from her inside pocket. A sleeping draught she'd concocted earlier. If she'd mixed it correctly then it should keep James down until midnight. She flicked the lid off and tipped the entire contents into James' mouth. "You're linked to your pack, right?" He nodded. "That means that any power I channel into you will be shared with them. And if plan A fails tonight then your pack is plan B."
"And if that fails?"
"It won't." Clara took Kegan's hand in hers, placed her other palm on Jame's chest and began channelling his power. She'd never channelled anything before but now she was trying it, it seemed so natural. She felt the power, like a small fire, burn through her and into the Kegan. Once done Kegan carried James to the van and they all made their way back to HQ. The first part was done. The next part was down to Kayla.
*
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
1960
Nick had followed all of Set's instructions. He had found twelve disciples to help him in his task. Some were already warlocks when he found them, others he turned into warlocks. He gave each of them immortality using his blood and the ambrotos dagger. It was not full immortality like his because he lacked ambrosia but it would do. He only needed to keep them alive until his task was complete. Some had died along the way and he'd replaced them. Creating powerful warlocks was not so hard; there were plenty of sorcerers to sacrifice across the world. His disciples were not just a means to an end, however. He had grown close to them and become friends with them. He'd chosen them all carefully. Each of them also had an impossible goal in mind. He required them to have an impossible goal because that would keep them all together. They worked together to the completion of their goals, knowing that they could only achieve success as a unit. Alone they would fail.
Nick felt naked when he arrived in Cedarstone alone. Set had said that it was imperative that he come alone. Any changes to the visions of Set's seer and they risked failing. Coming to Cedarstone was the last of the instructions and now Nick had no idea what to do. He decided to wait. Set would arrive soon enough and then they could move forwards.
He spent three days acquainting himself with the town. It seemed to be a hotspot for the supernatural. It was rare that so many races were gathered in one town. There were some creatures that were so secret even the other creatures didn't know they were there. The town seemed to be divided between the vampires, sorcerers, werewolves and humans. The vampires were led by Richard Morgan, he preferred to be called Richie. Nick wasn't sure exactly how old he was but he'd estimate over 1,000. The werewolves wer
e led by Waylon Royce. He was a fairly new alpha and his family had led the pack for two generations already. The sorcerers coven was led by Anthony Winters. Anthony's family had ruled as coven dynast since the coven's creation. Magic ran strong in the Winters family. If Anthony wasn't such a boy scout he would have been a fine addition to Nick's team. The human council was led by the mayor, Andrew Langford. The human's had no real control in the town, though. The vampires and the sorcerers seemed to be on the brink of war. Tensions were high between the two factions and it was obviously only a matter of time before relations broke down completely.
After four days of waiting, a man arrived at Nick's front door. It was immediately clear that the man was not Set in one of his forms.
"Who are you?" Nick asked.
"Darren Vickers. Set sent me," he said. His forehead was coated in sweat and he was looking about nervously.
"Do you know who I am?" Nick asked with a small grin. His reputation was rather less than savoury, not that there were many who could confirm his existence. He'd been careful to make sure he was little more than a myth. If people don't know for certain that you exist then they won't come looking.
"Yes. You're Nickolas Blackwood," Darren said. After returning to England Nick had taken the name of the place he'd been found by Kayla as his own name. It seemed fitting. In Elysium, he had been reborn.
"Come inside then."
Darren didn't hang about. He delivered Set's message and then scarpered. Apparently, Anthony Winters had a compass that pointed to only one place: Elysium. How Anthony had acquired the item was a mystery to everyone. The goal was clear: get the compass from him.
Anthony Winters owned a company called Winters Research. It claimed to be a pharmaceutical research company but it didn't take long for Nick to discover that really they conducted supernatural research. Nick waited until late one night when few people were left working and then teleported directly into Anthony's office. Anthony jumped up from his chair and stared in disbelief. Teleporting was a power that only a handful of sorcerers could achieve. Those sorcerers all worked for Nick because only he knew how to do it. He'd learned from a jinni he'd encountered.
