by W. M. Martin
Nancy’s anger rose and she snapped, “Well if I can’t stop Okeaous, why am I leading my people to her front door?!”
The Nexus simply answered, “We have sent word through the totems of your Clan Leaders, Nancy Decker. One will join you who can harness the power required to reclaim the Pentagem and stop Okeaous once and for all.”
Nancy cocked her eyebrow and asked, “Who?” fearful of the Nexus’ answer.
The Nexus boomed, “Maggie Bennett.”
With that reply, Nancy’s fears were realized. She was not sure how she had known that Maggie’s name was going to be the one that the Nexus would mention, but she just knew. It was Maggie, after all, who could touch the Pentagem without harm, and it was Maggie who had rescued the missing students and Mary Bennett. Maggie was certainly gifted for a beginning Second Year student, but Nancy did not believe that Maggie was anywhere near powerful enough to defeat one of the First Five.
*
Okeaous sent all of her acolytes out of her throne room. She walked behind her harsh and hideously decorated throne to a pair of spiked, steel doors. When she passed through them, she was greeted by a large, frightening obelisk with a charred mirror fashioned as the focal point. The green glass on the surface of the immense stone was swirling with totems, all of which had been stripped from their long-dead Kindred, floating sadly inside.
Okeaous raised the Pentagem toward the Dark Spire and said, “Awake unto me, my Wicked Nexus! I have reclaimed the Pentagem! Give me the power which I am due!”
The Dark Spire spoke with a ghoulish tone, “Are you willing to receive your reward, Dark One? Know that if there is any light found within your heart, you will become a part of the Dark Nexus, trapped inside of this stone forever. If, however, you are found to be empty of all light, devoid of love, and are truly worthy to house the hate, fear, jealousy, and darkness that is offered, then you shall be more powerful than you could possibly imagine. Are you prepared?”
Okeaous, without a hint of hesitation, answered, “Yes.”
The Dark Nexus violently churned the suffering totems, which were held prisoner inside of the strange, bleak mirror. The helpless totems appeared to be stirred around by an unseen hand grasping an equally invisible spoon. When it seemed that the face of the false Spire was about to burst from the actions taking place just below its surface, the lost totems were shot from its roiling center. A ball of green and swirling pain, suffering, and death was hurled at the Dark Lady with incredible force. The blast hit Okeaous directly in the center of her chest and knocked her to her knees. After a few moments, the dark force that was rushing around her began to subside and with each ebb of the cruel and sickening tide, Okeaous gained more and more strength. Every totem which had been held prisoner and had made up all of the Dark Nexus, now dwelt and suffered, with excruciating and unrelenting pain, inside of Okeaous.
*
Maggie rested her head on her mother’s hand. Mary fought to stay conscious for her daughter, but felt her life trying to outrun her will to remain. The tears dropping from Maggie’s face worked in vain to wash the years-long accumulation of dirt from Mary’s stained, cracked, boney hands. Dr. Sobek left the room to check on Thomas’s fractured ribs so that the Bennett ladies could be alone. Before his departure, Dr. Sobek informed Maggie that her mother was dying and there was nothing that could be done to counteract the poison which had run its course, destroying any hope for the senior Bennett’s survival. Sapka Strato’s magically enhanced neurotoxin was too potent, even for a fellow Sauropon like Dr Sobek, to remove. Mary would soon be gone, and Maggie would be all alone. Again.
Maggie pushed the thought as far out of her mind as she possibly could and tried instead to be thankful that, this time, she could say goodbye to her mother properly.
Mary shifted slightly as the pain in her leg, from the poison, throbbed relentlessly. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip to keep from crying out. When she came back to her senses, she appeared to be dazed until her tired eyes landed on the soft, young face of her daughter. Mary tried her very best to give Maggie a good smile, but the poison had begun to constrict her muscles and her attempt fell short.
Maggie desperately wanted to address the fact that not only did she have an aunt, but that her aunt was a high-ranking Fallen warrior. She wondered what could have caused such a rift between two Kindred sisters that one would abandon all reason and choose to become a Fallen. Maggie started to ask her mother about Ara and the circumstances surrounding her violent capture by her own sister, but decided against it. Mary was dying and Maggie would not have her mother suffer any more than she already had.
“Try to rest, Mom. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” said Maggie, softly. Mary tried to wave Maggie’s concern away with her frail hand before weakly saying, “I’m so proud of who you’ve become, Mags. Please don’t beat yourself up over any of this. I got to stop your father’s killer from ever hurting anyone else, and I was able to hold you one last time. That’s all because of you. You are a true Kindred. I’ll always be with you. I have said my goodbyes to Regis and he has accepted that our time has come. Don’t cry, my sweet girl, please don’t cry. I have one last thing to give you, Maggie.”
Mary summoned all of her remaining strength and removed her emerald medallion from around her neck. She leaned forward slightly and placed it in Maggie’s trembling hands.
When she laid back on her pillow in the infirmary bed, Mary struggled for the strength to whisper, “This medallion is freely given, to you, my little miracle. My power is now yours to use for the good of all life on every world. You will be the light for those who are lost in the dark. Lead them, Maggie. Lead them all. Please don’t seek Okeaous out with vengeance in your heart. Don’t allow yourself to give in to anger and hate, that is the path that will lead you to take the Fall, like my sister. Shield yourself from that fate and remain true to the Guardians. You must beware of Ara; she has been twisted by the Fall and the promise of power. Maggie, my precious love, you are the last...”
Maggie waited a moment for her mother to finish whatever it was she was trying to say, but the words never came. Mary’s eyes lost their light which signaled to her daughter that she had just been orphaned for the second time. Maggie stood up and leaned over Mary. She pressed her face against her mother’s and wept bitterly. Her body convulsed violently with every sob. Elliot could not, even with the addition of Wallace Bennett’s power, calm Maggie’s crushed and broken heart.
*
Nancy was none too thrilled at the Nexus’ prospect of sending Maggie back to Okeaous’ castle and instead offered, “I’ll lead the siege. Between myself, the Clan Leaders, and the Praetorians, I’m sure that we could recover the Pentagem.”
The Nexus countered swiftly and stated bluntly, “You will all die if Maggie Bennett fails to confront Okeaous.”
Nancy began to argue, but before she could speak she was shut down when the Nexus said, “Something has happened. Mary Bennett has departed the Veil to join her Clan Members in the Stream of Time with Us. You must go to Maggie Bennett and comfort her, for We see how your heart aches to care for the child. You will bring Maggie Bennett before Us tonight. Go, Nancy Decker.”
Nancy was immediately swallowed by darkness once again as the star above, which had bathed her in light, died out. She walked off into the nothingness that surrounded her until her body began to tingle with electricity. A single moment later, Nancy stepped out of the center of the Spire and into the company of the five Clan Leaders. All of the instructors stood silent and waited for Nancy to speak.
“The Nexus will not accept my resignation as Head Instructor. I explained my failures, but the Wise Ones wouldn’t hear any of it. Also, the Nexus instructed that we are to breach the Fallen’s side of the Veil and retrieve the Pentagem from Okeaous,” said Nancy, before anyone could ask any questions. “There’s more. Maggie Bennett has been ordered to confront Okeaous at her castle while we lay siege to the fortress. I’m not happy abo
ut that at all, but the will of the Spire is absolute. the Nexus has spoken. Go and prepare your Clans for battle,” Nancy instructed.
Mrs. Bonifassi said, “It’s about time that we rid the Veil of those monsters!”
Nancy spoke up again and said, “I’m going to get Maggie and bring her back here. The Wise Ones are expecting her so I will not require your help to awaken the Spire again. Thank you, everyone.”
Nancy withdrew herself from the company of the Clan Leaders so that they could attend to the orders left to them by the Nexus. She exited the Macrocosm Chamber and headed directly to the infirmary where Maggie was still mourning the loss of her mother. Nancy turned the corner to the infirmary, and ran into Dr. Sobek who informed her of the sad truth she already knew. When she entered the room, Nancy saw Maggie holding her mother’s hand as Elliot sat perched over Mary’s headboard, working to ease Maggie’s aching heart with his power.
Making her presence known, Nancy softly said, “Your mother will always be with you, Maggie. We only ever truly lose the ones that we love if we forget them.”
Maggie turned around to face Nancy and said, through softly cascading tears, “I’m all alone, Nancy. I just found my mom a few hours ago, and now she’s gone again. It would’ve been better if I’d never gone to that horrible castle. My mom and Lester would still be alive. Alice, I mean Okeaous, wouldn’t have the Pentagem, and I would be in my room trying to sleep. Instead, I took the Pentagem against your wishes, and I’m drowning in the consequences. I’m lost, Nancy. I’m lost.”
Nancy walked wordlessly over to Maggie and wrapped her arms around her. Maggie cried on Nancy’s shoulder until she had no more tears to shed. Nancy pushed Maggie away slightly and held her at arm's length. She then summoned Siril and he flew to Elliot’s side. Nancy, Siril, and Elliot each began to glow as their combined power washed over Maggie to bring her a slight respite from her pain.
Nancy took the opportunity afforded her, by hers and the totems’ combined magic, and said, “Maggie, I have been instructed to bring you before the Spire. The Nexus needs to speak with you.”
Normally Maggie would have been nervous and a little intimidated to go directly to the Spire. She had never forgotten the awesome power of the Nexus which resided within the Spire and always tried to keep a little bit of a distance from it. On that particular night however, Maggie felt so numb on the inside that each breath that she took in and let out, almost made her skin crawl. Every step that Maggie took carried her further away from reality and she was half-convinced that she was in some horrible nightmare which she longed to be awakened from.
Maggie simply replied, “Okay, Nancy. Take me to the Spire.”
*
Okeaous, regained her composure after taking the power from the stolen totems, left the false Spire, and entered her throne room. She was greeted by Lieutenant Ara on bended knee.
Okeaous reached her kneeling Lieutenant and her very presence oozed with malice when she asked, “Why are you in here, Ara? I didn’t call for you. I do hope that your curiosity isn’t getting the better of you again. Were you trying to listen in to what the Dark Spire was saying to me?”
Lieutenant Ara, still refusing to look at her Dark Queen, answered with fear and trembling, “Never your Darkness! I would never overstep my position. I am fully committed to you and your teachings.”
Okeaous coldly replied, “You are a Fallen warrior, Ara. A dark acolyte. You delivered your own sister’s life into my hands for more power. It is in your nature to overstep your position. As far as you being committed to my teachings, I’m pleased to hear it. Here, Ara, allow me to teach you something right now.”
Okeaous pointed her hand at Lieutenant Ara, making a slow and twisting motion with it. A primal and guttural cry exploded from the Lieutenant’s mouth as Okeaous squeezed Ara’s insides with her evil and forbidden magic. The agony caused by the Dark Lady’s power and anger was crippling. The Lieutenant felt as though her insides were being churned by razor blades. When Okeaous had her fill of torturing her lesser, she released her dark acolyte and turned toward her throne.
Without even looking back, Okeaous ominously warned, “Never enter a room that I am in again unless I order you to, Ara. Get out.”
Lieutenant Ara could not stand up to walk out of the throne room, so she crawled out, on her aching stomach, as quickly as she could. The sound of Okeaous’ hateful laughter pelted the suffering Lieutenant, bellowing through the dark halls of the fearsome and wicked stronghold. Each echo of evil mirth bouncing off of the charred stone walls was buffeting Ara’s agony-stricken body like hammer strikes against cold, hard steel.
*
Nancy returned to the Macrocosm Chamber with Maggie in tow. They both approached the base of the Spire. The great obelisk swirled and pulsed with a mystical storm on its surface, which turned faster in response to the two Kindred as they approached.
Nancy walked up to the Spire with Maggie and said, “Go ahead, Maggie. You’ll be fine.”
Maggie approached the giant Spire, her thoughts adrift in the raging sea of her mind. Those thoughts swirled around her mother and not in the least about entering the thunderous and stormy heart of the Spire. Before entering to speak with the Nexus, Maggie gently placed her mother’s emerald medallion against her own, absorbing its power as she had done, only hours ago, with her father’s. Heedless of the protocols of reverence required to touch the massive monument, she walked straight into the rolling storm.
Maggie looked around in the darkness for any sign of the Wise Ones who had summoned her into the Spire. The moment that she entered the Spire, she was engulfed by darkness, but it was not oppressive. The lack of any form of stimuli was calming to Maggie’s frayed and tattered nerves. Once her mind was completely at ease and she had found peace, Maggie's body was illuminated by a single, focused, bright light, which was emanating from a blazing star overhead.
“Maggie Bennett, We are pleased that you have come,” boomed the voices of the Nexus.
Dropping all pretenses or niceties, Maggie channeled her inner Lucy Min and boldly asked, very loudly, “Why did you want to see me? I should be with my mom, who just passed away, not here chatting with a bunch of disembodied voices. Well? Aren’t any of you going to answer me?!”
The Nexus, either ignoring Maggie or ambivalent to her sharp tongue, evenly replied, “We are aware of the grief that has stricken you, Maggie Bennett. Let not your sadness weigh you down or cripple you, for Mary and Wallace Bennett live within you now, and forever, through the power of their medallions, just as they dwell here with Us in the Stream of Time.”
Maggie snapped angrily at the radiant star glistening far above her, “That is useless! My parents’ medallions are not my parents. Having their medallions bonded to my own only makes my magic more powerful, and yes, I feel the essence of who they once were, but I’m more alone now than ever! I would give up their combined power along with my own, in a heartbeat, just to see them one more time. Can you give me that? Well? Can you?!”
The Nexus remained silent for an uncomfortably long time before answering, “We feel that the time has come, Maggie Bennett, for you to learn who you really are.”
Maggie rolled her eyes and said, “What? Am I something other than a Kindred now? A year ago, well, two years ago on earth, I was certain that I was just a regular, teenage, human girl. Nope! Guess again. It turns out that I’m actually an alien with magic powers and a mystical tattoo that shoots out a glowing falcon. No more surprises! I can’t handle anymore of your stupid surprises!”
Elliot, slightly stung by Maggie’s description of him, knew that Maggie was only lashing out at the Nexus because deep down she felt like she had no one else to blame but herself.
Maggie continued on and angrily asked, “What then? Go ahead and lay it all on me! What am I really?”
The Nexus’ voices echoed in reply, “Not ‘what’, Maggie Bennett, but ‘who’.”
Maggie waited for a moment and finally spread her arms out w
ide before shouting, “Who, then? Who am I?”
The voices of the Wise Ones chimed in unison, “You are the last heir.”
Maggie, entirely confused by the Nexus’ response, asked, “The last heir to what?”
“The last heir to me,” came a single, soft voice from the emptiness which was laid out in full before Maggie.
The darkness in front of Maggie parted as an ocean of dancing, sparkling starlight came to life and lit up the immediate area. An elegant, blonde woman with sky-blue eyes, not unlike Maggie’s, emerged from the gently falling specks of brilliance. The incandescent illumination radiated from the woman’s presence and bounced off of the nothingness which was otherwise all around. Try as it might, though the omnipresent darkness was sentient and very benevolent inside of the Nexus, it could not occupy the space where the graceful lady stood. The beautiful woman was dressed in a long, cascading, sapphire-bejeweled gown. She walked confidently up to Maggie without any hesitation.
Maggie took a cautious step backward and asked, “Who are you?”
The elegant woman showed Maggie the emblazoned mark on her forearm, which crackled with power even inside of the Nexus, and smiled warmly.
The beautiful lady answered simply, “I am Avior.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Maggie cocked her head slightly in disbelief and asked, “You’re Avior? One of the First Five?”
Avior replied, “I am.”
