The Guildmaster gazed directly into her eyes. “Very well. But understand this, Narissa: if you return tainted, as they did, then we will kill you ourselves. There can be no second chances.”
“Agreed.” She took a deep breath. “A sacrifice of power will be required to fill the vessel.”
The Guildmaster swept the rest of the assembly with his gaze. “We will all contribute. Let none of our hands be clean.”
Narissa drew a long silver-bladed knife from a sheath on her belt and delicately sliced her wrist.
“Whoa,” Ana said, shocked. “What the hell kind of dream is this?”
As the blood poured forth, Narissa expertly directed it into the chalice. When it was half full, she staunched the blood and spoke a series of words Rory couldn’t understand. The edges of the wound sealed, and after a moment the flesh of her wrist was whole again.
Narissa placed her blade on the table and picked up the chalice in both hands. Chanting softly, she raised it over her head. The runes inscribed in the crystal flared with multicolored light. When the invocation was complete, she put the chalice to her lips and began to drink.
Rory recoiled with disgust. “Okay, this is way too gruesome. I want to wake up now. How the hell do you turn it off?”
“I don’t think any of us are in the driver’s seat,” said Take. “You might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Narissa staggered and braced herself against the table. Quickly, she raised the chalice again with shaking hands and began to chant once more. Then she carefully set the artifact down on the table and collapsed to the floor.
Men and women in the stands raised their hands, and Rory could see they each held a glowing pinpoint of light in their palms. The tiny lights flew up like fireflies, lazily swirling through the air and floating toward the chalice. Eventually, they dropped lightly into the mouth of the chalice until it blazed with light. Stepping forward, the Guildmaster picked up Narissa’s knife and used it to draw a circular symbol in the air. The point of the blade trailed orange flames in its wake, which immediately consumed the chalice and the table in a burst of power, scorching the stone floor. “Creator guide your steps, Narissa,” he said quietly. Then he knelt beside her and plunged the silver dagger three times into her heart before casting it aside.
Rory watched in shock as her lifeblood turned the floor crimson. Silence filled the room. Looking around, Rory saw why. Everyone was frozen in place, caught out of time in the act of speaking.
A ghostly image of Narissa rose up from the floor, leaving her body where it lay in a pool of blood. Her dress and body were clean of bloodstains and were so insubstantial that Rory could see right through her. She stood silently, waiting. Then the room was suffused with pure white light, and a voice echoed through the chamber. “Ask and ye shall receive.”
Narissa took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to the light. “Who am I addressing?”
“I am an agent of the White Wind. The Gates of Morning have opened to hear your petition, Narissa of the Order of Light. Ask and ye shall receive.”
“The Children of Darkness have overrun the world, my Lord. I seek the power to combat their forces and drive them back. Can this be done?”
“It can,” said the voice. “But the price will be high.”
Narissa stood proudly, resolved. “I will pay any price you require, my Lord.”
“The price is not for you to pay, Sister Narissa, but for your children and their children, down unto the last generation.”
She swallowed. “What is this price?”
“Consent.”
She blinked in confusion. “I do not understand.”
“We can transform your people into warriors strong enough to stand against the Children of Darkness and their bargain with the Red Wind. They will become masters of combat, divided among the four elements. But in so doing, they will become our soldiers, and we claim their allegiance in every generation until your war is complete. All of them will fight, without choice, without respite, until the Children of Darkness are defeated or your world perishes in fire. You will commit your people, and all of their descendants, to this alliance. And you will do so now, knowing full well that you have stolen their free will.”
“You speak for the Light, my Lord. How can you ask this? Have you no mercy?”
“Every bargain has a price, Sister Narissa. Magic requires sacrifice.”
She hesitated. “You ask too much.”
“Then your world will succumb to darkness. It is of no moment. Choose wisely.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed. “I agree.”
“The pact is made.”
The room was awash with music, and she wept at the beauty of it. Time moved forward again. Rory saw the other people in the room collapse to the floor, unconscious. A burst of light filled the chamber, exploding the walls and ceiling, spearing into the sky above as rubble rained down on the city.
The voice spoke again. “You will be the Wind of Earth, the master of that element, and you and your successors will lead your people into the future. You are granted power over steel. You may designate three lieutenants to serve as the masters of the other elements in your service.”
Blinking the tears from her eyes, Narissa pointed out three unconscious spectators. “Guildmaster Kareen, Brother Gadash, and Sister Edarrim.”
“Guildmaster Kareen shall be the Wind of Fire, wielding power of magic equal to any of the Firstborn. Brother Gadash shall be the Wind of Water and have mastery over his form. Sister Edarrim shall be the Wind of Air and have primacy over the realm of the mind. The rest of your people shall answer to them, and through them, to you. Fight well, Sister Narissa of the Order of Light. Your fealty is accepted. Go now, in peace, the way you came.”
The translucent image of Narissa disappeared, and her body on the floor opened its eyes. Rory watched her rise slowly to her feet and probe her injuries with her hand, finding nothing. She looked around at her colleagues lying insensate on the floor and then faced the sunlight that streamed through the broken stone walls.
“Creator, forgive me,” she said softly, tears falling down her face. Then she looked directly at Rory. “I am sorry.”
* * *
Rory woke, blinking at the familiar surroundings of his room lit by the streetlights below his window. A dream, he thought. It was just a dream. None of it was real.
“Then why can I still hear your voice?” Takeshi asked.
Rory turned his mind’s eye to Take. He could see the full moon through the Asian man’s senses as Take gazed out the window on the other side of the city.
Not a dream, thought Rory. A nightmare.
“If it is,” said Ana, clearly heard even from across the bay in Sausalito, “I don’t think it’s one we can wake up from.”
Rory threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. He walked to his dresser and rummaged through a small box of jewelry until he found his confirmation cross. Holding it in his palm, he spoke the word of power that came to his lips unbidden. The cross burst into incandescent blue light that cast harsh shadows around the room and made even innocuous childhood mementos seem sinister. Rory closed his fist around the cross and sighed. He spoke a second word of power, and the cross faded back to silver. Slipping the chain over his head, Rory walked out of his room and down the stairs to the garage.
He could feel Take and Ana watching through his eyes as he made his way to the set of free weights he kept there. Resting on the steel frame of the bench press was his weight bar, set up with the maximum he could usually lift. Reaching out, he lifted the bar off the frame with one hand. Yesterday, I could barely do a handful of reps with this load. Now it required only the smallest amount of effort. What else has changed, he wondered, now that I’ve become something other than human?
“You’re not alone in this, Rory,” Take’s voice rang in his mind. “We’ll get through it together.”
Rory carefully placed the bar back onto the frame. “I am a Child of the Twilight
,” he thought.
“I hold the line against the Darkness, from the setting of the sun to the dawning of a new day,”Ana’s voice came to him.
“I live for the Light,” said Take. “I die for the Light.”
“My eyes are open, and I am not afraid,” thought Rory, finishing the words that echoed in his memory, although he had never heard them before. He unlocked the side door of the garage and walked out into the night, then through the wrought-iron gate onto the street. Looking up at the stars, he spoke out loud. “We’re Sentinels.”
Take, from the other side of the city, followed his gaze heavenward. “And those two guys Antonio killed were vampires.”
“This is what we were born to do,” thought Ana. “We kill them before they kill anyone else. That’s why we inherited the Gift.”
“Bullshit,” Rory snarled. “This isn’t a gift. It’s a fucking curse. It’s an inherited disease like any other. Just because we’re descended from her people doesn’t mean we have to play along with Narissa’s game and become soldiers. There’s no such thing as destiny.”
“What are you doing, Rory?”asked Takeshi, feeling the computational power of Rory’s Gift of Air come fully awake.
“Calculating stellar drift,” answered Rory, his enhanced sight easily identifying the constellations and matching them to the knowledge he had inherited. “I want to know how long our ancestors have been trapped in this cycle of … oh my God.”
“What is it?” Ana asked.
“Thirty-two thousand years,” Rory said, stunned. “That’s how long it’s been since the Gift was imposed.”
For once, even Ana was speechless.
“We have to find Antonio,” Takeshi said after a pause. “After all that time, for them still to be fighting—”
“It means neither side has been able to gain an advantage,” Ana finally said. “What have we signed up for?”
CHAPTER 3
In the orange light of early morning, Rory set out at a brisk run, exhilarated momentarily by the speed that accompanied his increased agility and endurance. He seemed to fly down the empty streets of Portrero Hill in a blur, without being the slightest bit winded. A few minutes later, he reached the park. Take sat alone on a swing, feeding the pigeons and silently conversing with Ana over their psychic link. The silence was interrupted only by the warbling birds, which scrabbled for the sunflower seeds he tossed on the ground. Rory pulled open the gate in the chain-link fence and then stopped dead as Take turned at the sound.
Take frowned, concerned by Rory’s shock, which ricocheted through the link. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
Rory swallowed, maintaining eye contact. “Take, what do you see when you look at me?”
Take smiled and rocked slightly on the swing. “Only the Gift of Air can let you pick out an active Sentinel on sight, Rory. Why would I see anything other than you?”
“Humor me. It’s important.”
Take shrugged. Relinquishing his swing, he moved closer to stare deeply into his friend’s eyes. “Oh my God,” he whispered. “The Wind of Air.”
“Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
Take shook his head wordlessly.
“The Wind of Earth.”
Takeshi’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible. I would have known.”
Rory shook his head. “I can see it in your eyes. You’re the one—first among the Four Winds, the leader of the entire Sentinel Race. That’s why Antonio called you ‘Lord.’ He could see it, too.”
Tired of eavesdropping, Ana triangulated coordinates through their eyes and cast a spell to teleport directly to their location. Appearing in a flash of white light, she swung around and looked critically at Takeshi. “He’s right, Take. You’re the Big Cheese.”
Takeshi’s laugh was tinged with hysteria. “You sound awfully jaded, seeing as you’re the Wind of Fire.”
Ana looked surprised until Rory nodded wordlessly.
She grinned at them both. “Cool.” She folded her arms in front of her and regarded her two triad brothers. “So how do we find this Antonio guy?”
“We won’t have to,” Take said grimly. “If we just walk down Market Street, sooner or later some other Sentinel is going to recognize what we are; they’ll come to us.”
* * *
Antonio pushed his chair back from the conference table and stood as his people ushered Rory, Ana, and Take into his sunlit office in the Financial District. The other men and women around the table stared at the trio in shock and then all stood as well.
“Welcome, my Lords and Lady,” said Antonio. “I see you have come into your power. May I have the honor of your names?”
“My name is Anaba Nizhoni, and my brothers here are Rory Brennigan and Takeshi Nakamura. You already know what we are.”
“Yes, we do.” He offered his hand to Take. “My Lord, we have been awaiting the Wind of Earth to emerge in this generation since your predecessor died in battle seven years ago in Egypt.”
Take raised an eyebrow but shook Antonio’s hand. “How did that happen?”
“He tried to lead an assault against the Court of Shadows itself.” The older Sentinel sighed. “We told him it was insane, that the defenses of their citadel had held for thousands of years, but he insisted. We had no choice but to obey. Many of our greatest leaders died next to him. I hope you will not be so foolish.” He scowled at Take, assessing him.
Takeshi met his gaze silently for a long moment before answering. “I never asked to be a general, Antonio.”
Letting his hand drop, Antonio nodded in acknowledgment. “No, you didn’t, any more than any of us chose to be your soldiers. However, that is the way things are. The Gift has kindled, and it chose you. There is no going back until your successor comes into his power.”
Ana blinked. “Just like that? He gets to hold the reins until someone else comes along? That hardly seems fair.”
Antonio chuckled. “Fairness has no place in war, my Lady. Complex moral imperatives are an imposition in combat, a disadvantage that leads invariably to defeat.”
She smiled. “I like a man who thinks in black and white, Antonio. I think we’re going to get along famously.”
“I hope so, my Lady.” He smiled at her. “Until yesterday, I was the Wind of Fire.”
Ana gulped. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to take your job.”
“As I said, my Lady, there is no place in our lives for fairness.”
She held out her hand for him to shake. “Call me Ana.”
Taking her hand, he turned it flat and bowed, an archaic gesture all three accepted, as intended, as a sign of respect. “I would be honored, Ana.”
“And you can call me Take, instead of Lord,” said Takeshi. “You said you’d answer our questions.”
Antonio let go of Ana’s hand and sat. “I did. Please sit down.” He indicated the seats next to him, and his people silently moved aside to make room. “Ask your questions.”
Rory spoke first. “Why us?”
Antonio laughed. “Who can question destiny?” Sobering, he said, “In every generation, the Winds have always found each other. Obviously, a greater design is in play, but the higher powers do not give up their secrets easily.” He paused. “In fact, I am surprised the Wind of Water did not accompany you here today.”
Ana looked at Rory and Take in confusion. “It’s always been the three of us against the world, Antonio. If we have a Fourth out there, we haven’t met him.”
The other Sentinels at the table muttered their disbelief until Antonio silenced them all with a glance before turning back to the Winds. “Strange. Are you sure? The Gift hides from us all until it kindles. Only the Children of Darkness can easily identify those in whom the Gift remains dormant and then only by direct physical contact. Otherwise, a spell with specific intent is required to separate a latent Sentinel from a human.”
“We’re sure,” said Takeshi. “Maybe destiny has other plans for him.”
“Perh
aps,” said Antonio with a thoughtful expression.
“In any case, we need you to fill us in on the current situation,” said Rory, getting back to his feet and pacing nervously. “All we know is what we learned from the race memories encoded in the Gift, but that only covers the first few centuries of the war. What happened afterward? How could it have dragged on this long?”
“The balance of power shifted back and forth, sometimes radically, but neither side succeeded in destroying each other completely,” answered Antonio.
He lifted his hand, and an image of the Earth appeared, large enough that the three Winds could see the borders of unfamiliar nations marked out on the political map.
“This simulation was compiled from all our remaining records from that era,” Antonio explained. “Although fragmentary, the progression across the centuries is instructive.”
Most of the map glowed with red light, denoting the territories conquered by the vampires. Then one nation changed color to become white, its borders expanding quickly into the red areas and replacing them. The shifting mosaic of red and white marched across the world, swallowing up the other nations.
Antonio allowed them to watch the simulation for a few minutes before he continued speaking. “After the imposition of the Gift and the rise of the Sentinel Alliance, the other nation-states of the First Age were devastated in the crossfire, caught between the armies of the Red Wind and the White. What little remained of normal humanity was left to its own devices as civilization collapsed. We Sentinels, with our instinctive authority structure, were able to maintain discipline as a separate society while the rest of the world descended into howling barbarism. Conversely, the Court of Shadows imposed a rigid code of honor upon their followers to maintain structure within their society and present a united military front to oppose the Founders.”
Take frowned. “This Court of Shadows, what is it?”
Antonio considered his answer. “There were originally hundreds of the Firstborn—the human sorcerers who used forbidden magic to transform themselves into the first Children of Darkness. They created others, and each of them built an army to contend with the rest. It wasn’t until they destroyed most of the civilized world that the Founders were able to band together and create armies of Sentinels to oppose them, using the same magic.
Nightfall (Pact Arcanum Integrated Serial Edition) Page 3
