Imperium (Caulborn)

by Nicholas Olivo

  The wee hours of the morning behind the Children’s Museum were very quiet. You could almost forget you’re in a city with over half a million people. I checked my watch. It was quarter past one in the morning. I wasn’t surprised to find my car had been towed. The trains stop running after midnight, so I needed a cab. I pulled out my cell phone and flipped it open. The words “low battery” glowed at me for a moment and then the screen went dark. I closed my eyes. Yep, it had been that kind of a day. This part of the city was mostly tourist attractions and workplaces, so randomly finding a cab here would be unlikely.

  I took a slow breath and tried to put my thoughts in order. I’d been on the Bright Side for almost an entire day. Galahad was probably worried sick, not to mention Petra. First order of business was to let everyone know I was all right. I found a pay phone about fifteen minutes later. It’s a good thing Uncle Dave is toll free. I dialed his number and he answered on the second ring.

  “Hey Uncle Dave, it’s Vincent.”

  “Vinnie? Where ya been, kid? Aunt Matilda’s been worried about you.” Galahad XI notified me that you had gone missing.

  “Some friends in the next town over needed my help, Uncle Dave. Things were really bad over there. It took a lot longer than I expected. Tell Aunt Matilda that I’ll stop in to see her tomorrow.” There was an emergency on the Bright Side that I had to tend to. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow. “I hope I didn’t leave too much of a mess in the kitchen.” Was everything cleaned up from my fight yesterday?

  “Your aunt got all the stains off the ceiling, if that’s what you’re asking, kiddo.” The situation had been handled. I let out a sigh of relief. “You sound wiped out, kid. You need anything?”

  “Yes, my car got towed I need a cab.” No coded message here, I just needed a ride. I gave him my location.

  “Consider it done, kiddo. I’ll get one of your cousins to pick up your wheels in the morning. Let me know if you need anything else.” I hung up and the cab arrived about ten minutes later. I must’ve dozed off during the ride because it seemed like I’d just sat down when the driver told me we were there. I paid him and dragged myself into my apartment building. I leaned against the walls of the elevator as it took me up to the third floor. I made my way down the hallway to my apartment. I didn’t even bother with my keys, I just Opened the door. As the lock clicked, exhaustion took a firm hold on me. My eyes refused to focus and the world started to spin.

  The door swung inward. I fell forward and Petra caught me. She was wearing a black T-shirt that read ‘Han Shot First’ and a pair of pink sweats. There were orange streaks in a couple of places on her shirt. She picked me up and gently kicked the door shut. She smelled like strawberries. And Cheetos. Well, that explained the orange.

  “Vincent, thank Aphrodite,” she whispered as she squeezed me. “Are you all right?” Her eyes were huge with concern. “I’ve been worried sick about you. I got your note, but when you didn’t come home and no one at the office knew where you were, I thought you might have been taken, too.” She carried me into the living room and set me down on the couch. I looked into her face and saw her dark eyes held tears. I snuggled into her.

  “Nobody’s taking me, babe,” I said into her neck.

  “You look exhausted. What happened?”

  I told her. I told her about the crystal soldiers and the Urisk and the devastation. Told her about the body count and the repairs. It all came flooding out of me. I think I was crying at one point, but I wasn’t not sure. I felt so ineffective. The Urisk relied on me to protect them and I’d failed them.

  Petra just held me. “You did everything you could, Vincent,” she said quietly.

  “And it wasn’t enough. For Christ’s sake, Petra, I’m their freaking god and I couldn’t do enough.”

  Petra was quiet for a moment. “What happened to the ones who died?”

  “I told you that,” I said. “An explosion killed them.”

  She gave me a smile, the kind that you use on someone who’s just said something very stupid. “I meant, what happens after they die?”

  “Oh. The good Urisk will go to a place called Robac. It’s their version of paradise.”

  “What’s it like there?”

  I smiled. “It’s whatever the individual person wants it to be. If they want it to be a quiet, tranquil place where they can continue learning, then that’s what he or she gets. If he wants it to be a wild party with topless dancers, then that’s what he’ll get.” I always thought myself rather clever for setting it up like that. Each person had their own idea of what Robac would be, so I figured I’d give them what they wanted. So far it seemed to work out fine. Just the same, I’d rather not so many of them have to go at once.

  “What about the bad Urisk?” Petra had wriggled onto the couch next to me. The cushions sagged a bit and I was forced to lean into her. Well, maybe not forced. Her skin was soft and smooth, and the scents of strawberries and Cheetos were soothing.

  “Nothing. They don’t go to a Hell or Tartarus, if that’s what you’re asking. They just cease.”

  “Wow,” she said, pulling back from me. “Isn’t that kind of extreme? No chance at redemption?”

  I shrugged. “Makes for a much more compelling reason to be a good person. If you live according to the tenets I set down, and honestly, they aren’t that hard, then you’re all set. In fact, most Urisk go directly to Robac. If a soul is questionable, then I review it. In the five years that I’ve been their god, I’ve let all but four go on. Believe me, it’s not something I do lightly.”

  “I know, love, I know.” She stroked my hair. “Did any of them just cease today?”

  I closed my eyes and opened my mind. I focused my attention on a small slice of space between the Bright Side and Robac; it’s sort of a waiting room for souls. I didn’t sense any presences there. Good. That meant that no one needed reviewing after the disaster. Like I said, the Urisk on the whole are good people.

  “No,” I told Petra.

  “That’s good,” she said. “So you healed the ones you could and the ones you couldn’t save are in paradise. No one is suffering now, Vincent. You’ve done all you can. Now you should rest.” My stomach rumbled and I ground my teeth against a sudden hunger pain. I didn’t need to eat while I was on the Bright Side, but now that I was home, I was famished. Petra grinned. “I’ll whip something up while you shower.” I looked down at myself and saw I was still covered in Urisk blood. I grimaced and nodded.

  After a quick shower and a “snack” consisting of a steak, home fries and a slice of apple pie, I curled up on the couch again with Petra. I started to drift off, and was dimly aware of her carrying me into the bedroom. She undressed me and then cuddled up against me. The world faded around me, and sleep came.

  So did the nightmares.

  Chapter 16

  Begin Coded Transmission

  Metallurgical analysis of Galahad XI’s sword shows a steel blade approximately 1,000 years old. For unknown reasons, only Galahad can draw the sword from its marble block. The marble itself shows no extraordinary properties. The inscription on the base speaks of legends that require further research, if deemed necessary. On several occasions, film footage shows the blade vanishing from its base, only to reappear moments later. Several other instances of this behavior have been reported.

  When drawn, the weapon can cut through any form of matter. It also possesses some memory modifying capabilities, as well as the ability to purify water and air. Further analysis would require physical possession of the weapon, which may not be possible even if Galahad XI is eliminated.

  -NS

  End Coded Transmission

  This time, I was in a hospital. The missing paranormals all stood in a line before me, wearing hospital gowns. They looked sick, weary and dead on their feet. I turned to my right and found an old fashioned doctor’s kit. I reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. The label just said ‘medicine.’ As I turned to give some to Justine Delion,
she lunged forward and punched me in the jaw. I staggered backward and her son Casey pounced on my chest, his brown eyes turning red as he shifted into wolf form. His jaws opened, revealing a set of perfectly white, razor-sharp fangs. He lunged for my throat.

  I jolted awake, my heart pounding.

  I rubbed my forehead and staggered out to the living room. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get back to sleep. I opened my mind to my followers and found a few hundred prayers of thanks. I reached out and touched the Urisk, just to be sure they were all right. The previous day’s events had left them just as drained as I was. I set about answering the prayers. When I was done, I called Galahad’s desk number. I figured he’d want an explanation about the events near the Children’s Museum yesterday morning. At this hour, I was expecting to get his voicemail. I was surprised when he answered on the second ring. “Vincent.” His voice was pleasant. I double-checked the time.

  “It’s quarter past six in the morning on a Saturday, boss. What are you doing at work?” I paused. “And how did you know it was me?”

  There was a brief chuckle on the other end of the line. “Caller ID, Vincent. As to your other question, well, I just had a feeling I’d need to be here early today.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I need to speak with you.”

  “Yes, Uncle Dave told me that some things came up that required your attention. I wanted to speak with you as soon as possible, so this is fortuitous.” He paused. “Can’t sleep?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then let’s grab breakfast. I’ll be over shortly.” We hung up and I showered and dressed. Petra didn’t stir as I kissed her on the forehead. I jotted off a quick note, stuck it to the fridge and left the apartment. Galahad picked me up in an old Buick Century and we drove to the Bickford’s near our office. The place was deserted at this hour. We ordered our food and watched the sun come up through the restaurant’s windows. Galahad told me how they’d handled the situation out by the Children’s Museum. Amazingly, no civilians had been seriously hurt. There was a lag in our conversation until the food arrived, and something about that got us talking again.

  “Is Megan okay?” I asked between bites of sausage. “Those neo-gremlins chewed her up pretty badly the other day.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Galahad said as he spread strawberry jelly on a piece of toast. “Dr. Ryan said she’s the picture of health. Though it’ll take him a few days to get her a replacement tooth.” He swirled his coffee and looked at me. “But I doubt that’s what’s keeping you awake at night, Vincent. What’s on your mind?”

  I told him what had happened on the Bright Side. The carnage, the destruction, the suffering, and how ineffective I felt. I wouldn’t be able to open up to just anyone about this, but GXI used to be a priest, and people can tell priests anything. I know, I have a few of them, myself.

  Galahad listened and when I finished he looked me in the eye and said, “Vincent, your people believe in you. Even if you don’t know what to do, even if you don’t believe in yourself, they believe. Remember that. And you’ll be surprised how often that’s enough. You have done great things for these people, but unfortunately, terrible things can and will happen. The true measure of what kind of a man, and god, you are isn’t in how you handle the expected, but how you cope with the unexpected. I know you can do great things, Vincent. But in order to get past this and really help the Urisk, you’re going to have to forgive yourself.”

  I looked down at what was left of my waffles and sausage and managed not to sigh. Galahad must’ve read my mind. “Not exactly what you were hoping for, eh?” he said with a smile.

  I shrugged. “I guess I just…I don’t know.”

  His smile broadened. “You hoped I’d have some magic phrase that would take the guilt away?” There was no condescension or malice in the smile. I nodded and he took another swig of coffee. “Vincent, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that the Lord never gives you a burden you can’t handle. Just don’t lose heart.”

  “It’s odd hearing you talk about God and faith, when you turned your back on it.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying.

  Galahad paused, his toast halfway up to his mouth. He gently set it back down on his plate, folded his hands on the table and looked me directly in the eye. “Now I want you to understand something Vincent, and understand it very well.” His voice was perfectly calm. “I have never turned my back on God. I have never turned my back on my faith. I left the priesthood, yes, because of what the men who ran the church were doing. I refused to be part of any organization that would allow atrocities to be done to children, especially by the church’s own clergy.

  “When I confronted my bishop about the things that had been done, I learned he’d known about it all along. Had known and had done nothing. I hadn’t hit anyone since I was a sophomore in high school, but I was so angry then that I wanted to beat that man senseless.” His face was tight, and from the way he clenched his jaw, I knew his anger was still as fresh as the day that conversation had taken place, but his voice stayed level as he continued. “Anyway, after I quit the priesthood, I did what I always do. I prayed. I wanted to find another way to serve God, another way to help the flock. He led me to the Caulborn. And he brought you to me, eventually.”

  “And that doesn’t bother you? I mean, I’m the son of a god. I have worshippers of my own. You don’t see me as a living blasphemy?”

  He smiled again. “‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me’ is the first commandment, Vincent. It means I don’t worship other gods. It doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge their existence. I was surprised when I found you, though. You’re the first half-god this world has seen since Hercules. I thought all the old gods were stuck up on Olympus.”

  I realized we’d never had this conversation. He’d never asked me about my past, and I had just intruded on his. Fair’s fair. “My father, Janus, is a god who can see forever into the past and the future. He’s also the god of doors. What the myths don’t mention is that he could create doors to any point in time. So he’s been to the beginning and end of time, and just about every point in between. And he traveled to all those points before Christianity gained influence and forced the other gods into retirement. So he came forward in time, met my mother, and had me. I guess he stayed with us for a year or two before he had to move on.

  “It wasn’t like he abandoned us,” I said. “He gave us a ton of money, and I usually get letters from him a couple times a year. He even sent me an advisor after I started getting worshippers.” It sounded weak, but I knew my father loved me. He had left because he didn’t want to attract the wrong kind attention to my mother and me. “He really does care.” I could hear the defensiveness in my voice, but I couldn’t stop it.

  Galahad’s smile was disarming. “Vincent, believe it or not, I know something of the complexities of father and son relationships. Sometimes, even when a father loves his son very much, he has to let his son find his own way in order for the son to understand who and what he is.” He winked at me. “I read a book about that once, actually.”

  As we were leaving the restaurant, I caught a whiff of flowers. We both paused. It was a cold October morning in Boston. There wouldn’t be any flowers blooming here for months. Something wrapped around my neck and pulled me to the ground. Lances of pain sparked against my throat and the world started to go fuzzy. I flailed blindly behind me with telekinesis, sending out wild pushes of force. My assailant staggered a bit, so I know some of them found their mark, but the pressure on my neck increased.

  Then there was a shriek of pain and a hissing sound, and the pressure was gone. I rolled onto my back to see Galahad standing over me, a glowing sword in his hand. The light coming from its blade was so bright I had to squint at it. Then I realized it was the same sword that was in the block of marble back at our office. The same sword, but made out of light.

  I staggered to my feet and turned to look at my assailant.
He was a man with writhing tendrils of vines coming from his hands, several of which were smoldering stumps. I preemptively threw out a shield of telekinetic force behind us, and was rewarded with a thunking sound. I turned, but instead of seeing neo-gremlins like last time, I found another of the plant golems. A third was approaching us from across the street.

  “Two more of them, boss,” I said, putting my back to Galahad. He nodded. The third one had joined the one that had tried to hit us from behind. I felt at my faith reserves. Even having just charged up, with so many of my followers dead, I was a lot weaker than the last time I’d fought one of these things. The first golem attacked, sending vines out at us. I strained to keep my wall up as Galahad’s sword deftly severed the incoming vines from the first creature.

  A fourth golem approached us from the parking lot. “We have to end this quickly, Vincent,” Galahad said. “I don’t want innocents getting hurt.”

  “Right there with ya, boss,” I dropped my wall and telekinetically pinned the three golems in front of me to the ground. The ground shook as they struck. My faith reserves drained faster than they ever had before. An abrupt surge of panic suddenly seized me. The last thing I wanted was to be powerless against these creatures. I had to be fast. I summoned up a ball of fire. One quick burst of pyrokinetic energy should be able to take out all three of the golems. Arcs of flame coiled up around my arms. I flung my arms out, and the fire shot forward, striking the golems in the chests. I gave a sigh of relief as the flames struck home, and released the telekinetic pin.

  One of the golems went up like a pile of straw. The others picked themselves up off the ground. Their clothing had been burned away, and instead of the plant matter that had comprised their companion, these were made of metal. “Oh, shit,” I whispered. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder and saw Galahad neatly cut his opponent’s stomach open. Ash and plant matter fell to the ground, and the golem collapsed into a pile of dust. Galahad wheeled around and stood next to me.