by Matthew Fish
“Mark!” William shouted, “1981, 1990, 2001, 1854, 1993, 1967, 2006, and 1999.”
“Maddie…,” Felecia spoke as she attempted to keep track of the group that was making its way towards Emily’s location. “1996, 1833, 1801, 1992, and umm…1936, 1982…”
Mark and Maddie pulled their coins as they stood side by side. They threw their coins high into the air. Maddie twirled as she released her coins with a graceful rising gesture with fingers outstretched. A series of pops filled the air as her coins streaked like comets towards their targets and turned a group of six into ash that fell around Emily. Mark gestured with a wide, long sweep of his arm as he released his eight coins into the crowd. A series of gunshot noises joined the seemingly never ending barrage of bullets from Felecia and William as his coins turned the remaining aggressors to ash. A line of white stags, led by Lily and armed with bows formed a line around Emily as they began to fire into the crowd. Their bloodied arrows felling Perpetuals down to the ground as their bodies began to convulse wildly. Amelia raced to be beside Emily as she tossed three bottles of water into the crowd and exploded them into fragmentation bombs.
“You doing alright down here?” Amelia asked as she lobbed two more bottles into the air.
“Just reloading….” Emily spoke as she placed the rocket launcher over her shoulder. “Lily—get your people down to the ground.”
“Everyone down…!” Lily shouted as a large group of Perpetuals were sent flying backwards as a rocket exploded in the center of their advance. Blood and guts were strewn back a great distance. Lily got back to her feet as Elise and Ryan stood beside her. They fired arrows as quickly as they could nock them into the seemingly endless crowd.
A group of Perpetuals began to run away from the messy conflict. Cernunnos turned his attention away from Hazamel as he brought his scythe high into the air and cut one of his own men into two. “We still outnumber them! You fools…now is not the time to flee!”
A group advanced upon the White Stags armed with spears. With blood covered swords they easily cut through their wooden weapons and cut into their flesh. A large group began to fall.
“We are losing the left side!” Lily shouted to Mark.
Hazamel quickly turned to smoke and confronted the army. He brought his axe over his head and struck a man, instantly turning him to ash. As another approached, he brought his blade sideways into a woman’s chest, she fell to the ground lifeless. He struck as quickly as he could as Mark pulled out his semi-automatic pistol and began to fire into the crowd that neared Hazamel. It appeared as though the Mortals and White Stags were mixed in with the Perpetuals—a smart tactic keeping them separate.
Many of the White Stags fell as Hazamel and Mark attempted to keep them safe. Lily and her archers, Maddie, Amelia, Felecia and William were concentrating on keeping their own large force at bay. Mark threw up a large handful of twenty random quarters and launched them into the crowd around the White Stags. He gestured directly with fingers stretched open as he sent his quarters streaking through the air and hitting random targets, about a third of them fell down to the ground. Mark was just about to repeat this process as a burst of fire erupted behind him, catching his coat on fire. He let out a painful cry as he tore the jacket off. The Schmied Vest burned against his skin as the fire spread. Amelia tossed a water bottle towards him and allowed it to explode harmlessly against him, dousing the flames.
“Fire Elemental…!” Maddie shouted as another huge ball of fire came her way, sending her group of archers to the ground.
“I can’t spot the asshole,” Felecia said as she fired her gun wildly into the group. They were quickly overwhelming the small force.
“We can’t hold out much longer with this kind of pressure!” William added.
Emily began to reload her rocket launcher just as a spear came close to her. She quickly projected from the area and landed beside Mark—who was attempting to pull himself off of the ground. His back was badly burned and his hands were injured.
Hazamel thrust his axe into the head of a man who neared Mark and Emily. He turned to dust. He laboriously brought the axe over his head once more as he struck another Mortal who fell to the ground. Hazamel was growing weak.
Maddie pulled Lily up from the ground just as they were surrounded by men with swords. Elise fired two shots and put a few of them down. Leaf put himself between the men and Maddie and Lily as many swords came down upon him.
“Leaf…!” Lily shouted as Maddie pulled her away. The Red Manor groaned and began to crumble.
“Everyone back…!” Mark shouted as Emily projected him away from the crumbling building. Within seconds the entire Red Manor fell to the ground. A cloud of dust filled the already smoky air.
“Well, fuck all if we didn’t give it our best,” Emily spoke as a large group of armed men gave chase.
“We cannot fail,” Hazamel spoke as he rested his axe against the ground and attempted to catch his breath. “We have come too far.”
What remained of the force stood on the rubble of Leaf’s Red Manor—Mark was in bad shape, there was only about eleven White Stags left, not counting Lily. Maddie was injured from a burn; William and Felecia were running low on ammo. Amelia was tossing her last two water bottles at the advancing crowd. They were slowed for a moment as the shards of ice filled their bodies and sent them down to the ground. Hazamel was growing weak as he stood at the head of the group and continued to chop away at anyone that approached. However, he would not hold out much longer. Emily had been forced to abandon her rocket launcher and lighters when she projected Mark away from the falling debris.
Just when things were at their darkest—and Cernunnos approached with his scythe raised high into the air. The river off in the distance began to bubble as though it was boiling and swelling. Water gathered from the river and pooled up into a strange form.
“How are you doing this?” Mark asked as he turned to Amelia.
“I’m…I’m not,” Amelia spoke as she shook her head.
The water took the form of a large human as it thumped loudly with each footfall. The army stopped its advance upon Mark’s group as it turned in time to see the water take the form of a woman. She carried a sword and a shield, and her face glimmered in the faint sun. She brought her giant sword high into the air and brought it down upon Cernunnos’s remaining army. With a wave-like crash, many of them were swept aside and tossed around like toys.
A woman emerged from the deluge of water. She was dressed in a long white robe with golden flowers and black sleeves. She had long, flowing summer-wheat colored hair. She had eyes as blue as the ocean and wore a silver tiara. Her face was one of magnificent beauty, her lips a tender rose color. She wordlessly pointed her blade to Cernunnos’s remaining forces as she raised her silver shield with the symbol of a hummingbird upon it. The group of about fifty remaining soldiers advanced upon her, foolishly. Armed with a jeweled silver blade, she swiftly cut through every single soldier that came within striking distance of her. In a matter of moments she fell every single man and woman that dared to cross her.
“Damara…!” Cernunnos shouted as he turned his scythe upon the woman. She brought up her shield and blocked his blow. “This matter does not concern you—why do you wake now?”
“I wish to one day return to the Otherworld, but not without my honor,” Damara spoke as she raised her blade in front of her and closed her eyes. “Your actions have fallen upon ill favor with the goddess of the sun.”
“And with the god of the moon…” Hazamel spoke as he took Abelio’s axe in hand once more as it ignited into flame.
“If you wish to be in the Otherworld,” Cernunnos spoke as he brought his scythe to his side and swung the blade at Damara. “I shall be more than joyous to send you there!”
“You will not find me so easily defeated,” Damara said as she dodged the blow and swung her blade around striking Cernunnos in the chest. He fell to the ground and let out a terrible cry. “You should not have com
e—your punishment in the Otherworld will be severe.”
“I will not return,” Cernunnos spoke as he raised his scythe and disarmed Damara. He picked up her sword and tossed it into the river. Hazamel appeared behind Cernunnos as he brought the axe high over his head. Cernunnos rolled and spun his scythe and loosened the axe from Hazamel’s hands. It went spinning end over end as it flew towards the rubble of the Red Manor.
“The other gods send weaklings to fight me,” Cernunnos spoke with a hearty laugh. An arrow flashed into his chest as Maddie readied another one. Mark used his good arm to fire a barrage of bullets into Cernunnos who fell back as more arrows followed from Sun, Elise, and Ryan. Cernunnos was momentarily stunned as he fell to the ground. Hazamel quickly turned to smoke as he retrieved the axe. Amelia concentrated all of her power on the river—she brought her hands together. Cernunnos stood over Damara; he repeatedly struck at her shield—ignoring the bullets and arrows that fired down upon him. Damara reached her hand out just as her sword was pulled from the river by Amelia. She thrusted into Cernunnos’s throat, cutting towards the side as Hazamel brought his axe down upon Cernunnos’s back; he completed the act as Cernunnos’s head was severed cleanly from his body.
“We are not weaklings,” Damara spoke as she pulled her silver blade into the air and brought it down multiple times upon Cernunnos’s lifeless body.
“Holy shit,” Emily spoke as she watched Damara cut Cernunnos into pieces.
“You…!” Damara spoke as she pointed her blade towards Lily. “Child of Cernunnos—your time is at an end, you and the rest of your folk.”
“They are not a threat,” Hazamel spoke as he lowered the axe to his side. “Time will no longer be allowed to be changed—not after this day passes, Elatha and Luna have decreed it.”
“The sun Goddess, Alexis—commands that I not let the Children of Cernunnos and their supports live, this is the condition on which I am to return to the Otherworld. You, Child of Elatha and Luna are free to go.” Damara spoke as she swung her sword and sent Abelio’s axe flying towards the group that now cowered from the presence of the new danger.
“I helped you,” Amelia said as she and the others backed away.
“I did not ask for your help,” Damara spoke coldly. “Only one of you is of my kind, and she is as guilty as Cernunnos was…”
“Stand down,” Lily said as she pointed her bow at Damara.
“Your weapons cannot harm me,” Damara spoke as she raised her sword in front of her. “I shall cut through you all as I did Cernunnos’s men.”
Lily loosed an arrow that blinked out of existence and struck Damara in the forehead. She pulled the arrow away and tossed it aside as her skin healed instantly.
William and Felecia unleashed a few rounds into the Damara—the bullets struck harmlessly against her shield as she raised it slightly to block the assault.
“I’m out,” William said as he slowly began to back away.
“Same here,” Felecia added.
“You must not do this!” Elise spoke as she stood in front of the group and held her hands out. “We are all that is left of our kind on this continent. We will not do any harm.”
“That is not a promise that you can make, Child of Cernunnos—your kind will not be suffered any further,” Damara spoke as she brought her sword to Elise’s throat.
Hazamel eyed the axe that lay a great distance away. He could not reach it in time to spare Elise, but he might still be able to save the others. He turned to smoke and began to head towards the rubble of the Red Manor.
“Fuck it all,” Maddie whispered as she reached for Abelio’s axe. She focused all of her energy on Damara. As her hands came into contact with the axe her flesh burned and seared. She brought the axe down upon Damara’s head before she could cause any damage with her blade to Elise. Damara let out a short cry as Maddie allowed the axe to come crashing down over and over until Damara’s head was nothing but a bloody mess. Maddie screamed a maddened, painful cry as she ripped away at Damara’s chest with the axe, bringing it down repeatedly and cutting into her ribs as she pulled out Damara’s heart and tore into it with her teeth.
“What have you done, Maddie?” Emily spoke softly as she silently watched Maddie tear Damara apart she placed her hand into Mark’s as tears began to stream down from her eyes.
“She will not recover,” Hazamel spoke as he began to push the others away from the crazed and frenzied Maddie.
“No!” Mark shouted as attempted to break his grip free from Emily. “She’ll die…”
“We will all die if we get close to her, Mark,” William said as he wrapped his arm around Mark to restrain him further.
“She can’t die…” Mark spoke as he watched as Emily’s face grew bright red as she continued to bring down the axe upon Damara’s body.
“No…Maddie—no…” Emily whispered.
Maddie let out one final scream before releasing the axe. She fell down to the ground. Her heart had exploded in her chest. Blood pooled in her eyes and flowed from her distorted mouth as she lay there lifeless covered in her own blood, mixed in with Damara’s.
Hazamel retrieved the axe and backed away. Mark and Emily ran over to Maddie’s body. Mark could not hold back the deluge of tears as Emily screamed loudly.
“She knew this would happen!” Emily shouted as she got to her feet and slapped Lily across the face, sending the woman to the floor. “She was not supposed to die!”
“I am sorry,” Lily whispered as she wiped away blood from her lip. “I do not know why she picked up the axe to spare my mother…”
“Take us home, now!” Emily shouted. “Then leave us—we don’t want anything to do with you anymore. We are done with the troubles of others!”
“Mark?” Lily asked as she attempted to calm her friends down. “I am sorry…I truly am. I would rather it be me than her.”
“What you would rather the outcome be…does not matter anymore,” Mark said coldly. “As Emily said, take us home.”
They rode back slowly, in silence. Their mission had been a success, but there would be no victory celebration—no kind words of congratulations. Instead, there was a heavy sadness. When they reached Red Manor, Mark and Emily took each other’s hands and walked into the building. They did not speak to the others—there was nothing they wished to say. Their silence and indifference was they supplied.
Lily and the remaining White Stags left for the forest. Their hearts set on wandering the world once more. Perhaps hoping to find others and repopulate the continent with their kind. Though they were all saddened that Mark and Emily exiled themselves in Red Manor, they knew the reasons—that the grief was too much and weighed too heavily upon the couple. Out of respect, they left her alone—ever hopeful that they would get the chance to thank them for their roles in saving what remained of their folk.
William returned to the department with Amelia and Felecia. Hazamel, having no way to return to his own time—joined with William. Though the axe disappeared and returned to Abelio, he still had powers and knowledge that William might find helpful, though he often wore his hood when amongst others to hide his odd appearance. William made many attempts to contact Mark and Emily—though he never heard any replies back from the many messages he sent them. He too hoped that in time, they would speak to him once more as a friend. Amelia was deeply saddened, but she kept up a cheerful and familiarly disrespectful manner about her—she was a great asset to William, as was Felecia who became even better at being a Spotter. Soon, without any help or direction from a Perpetual Council, they began to do some real good for once. This did not go unnoticed and talented Perpetuals and Conductors came to find him. With time, he finally had the force he had needed to make a positive change among regarding the relationship between Mortals and Perpetuals.
Grandma Fran spent two years taking care of Emily and Mark in Red Manor. The two were both heavily depressed and rarely left the house. After two years, she died of a heart attack. Mark buried her in the b
ackyard and planted an apple tree over her grave. Emily made her a little flag with the Conductor’s symbol of the White Stag and hung it from a small pole beside the tree.
After more than three years had passed since the incident, Mark and Emily found themselves alone in Red Manor once more. They often talked about leaving—but the just could not bring themselves to do so.
“Are we broken?” Emily asked, as they had lay in bed all day.
“We will heal,” Mark said as he embraced Emily. “In time—it will hurt less…we have a lot of time to heal.”
“I feel like we are ghosts in this old house,” Emily said as she shook her head. “I keep on wanting to tell you that we should leave…that we’ll end up going crazy in this place. I just can’t bring myself to say the words. It is like something is stopping me from doing so.”
“I feel the same way,” Mark said as he let out a short sigh. “I have you—that’s all I need in this world. We should leave someday soon…head out west and find a cottage and…just, exist simply.”
“Where has all the time gone,” Emily said as she felt deeply regretful. “Maddie would have never wanted us to just sit around and be sad—she would want us to live…to do things, instead we just wander around the place, watch movies, play video games, sleep, and occasionally eat.”
“Well we still have sex,” Mark added.
“If that didn’t happen every day, I think I would have already lost my mind,” Emily said as she let a small laugh escape her lips for the first time in years.
“And…you dyed your hair pink again.”
“Well, that was also just out of boredom…”
“We should call William, he keeps leaving messages—keeping us updated on how everyone’s doing, we should have him visit. I hear that Hazamel is adjusting very well and Amelia and Felecia keep asking to visit. They have new friends as well.”
A loud crash interrupted their afternoon conversation. Mark quickly got to his feet. He pulled on a pair of old blue jeans and pulled out a gun.
