Sentinels of Creation

by Robert W. Ross

  Kellan glared at the elder Sentinel but whispered, “Go now, I’ll be fine.”

  She passed by Kellan and was still shaking her head in negation as she paused at the portal’s threshold. Kellan feared she would turn back when Shannon reached though, grabbed Juliet’s arm, and dragged her into the Library. As she passed through, the portal winked out and Shannon wrapped Juliet in a tight embrace.

  The young woman struggled to get an arm free then pushed Shannon in the chest forcing her way loose of the Soulborn. She spun around staring at everyone and no-one all at the same time.

  “What were you thinking?” she screamed. “They are going to kill him. There are four major demons there, one Archdemon, and the fucking Sentinel of Chaos.”

  “Juliet,” Shannon said softly trying to sooth the young woman.

  “No,” yelled Juliet pointing, “no, no, no. He’s going to die, Shannon. How could you send him there to die? I thought you loved him.”

  “I do love him, little sister, but—”

  “Don’t call me that. Don’t ever call me that again. I wouldn’t have let him go. No sister of mine would ever let him go.” Shannon said nothing and Juliet started up another rant. “Exactly, you have nothing to say. Well, open up that damned portal and all of you get in there and save him. If I weren’t some useless, stupid, girl, I’d do it myself.”

  “Juliet,” began Meghan, “You are not—”

  “Yes, I am. I was stupid and it’s my fault he’s going to die.”

  “You’ve spent the last several hours in the hands of demonic enemies without much care for your own safety,” said Ares, “I think that does not qualify for my definition of useless, stupid, or girl.” He closed on her and added, “You are one of the bravest mortals I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, Miss Herrick and coming from me, I would hope that means something.”

  “It means shit,” yelled Juliet, “now, someone open a portal and get Kellan out of there!”

  “No one can open a portal to that place,” growled Meghan, “I’m sorry, Juliet, but it was the perfect trap. Kellan is on his own and we don’t know what is happening with him.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” offered Shannon.

  Five pairs of eyes turned to the Soulborn and Meghan said, “What do you mean? Can you open a portal there?”

  “No, but I do know what’s happening with him. He’s safe, for now. He’s annoyed. I think Maurius is,” she paused grasping for words that would not come, then said, “What is it when your adversary keeps talking incessantly?”

  “Monologuing,” said Merlin. “I’ve run into it many times, especially with Archdemons. They can’t seem to help themselves.”

  “Monologuing,” said Shannon, “thank you, Oren. Maurius is monologuing. If something changes, I will know it. Until then, Kellan is safe.”

  “What good is that going to do,” said Juliet, her voice rising again, “if no one can open a portal for us to help him.”

  “I don’t recall saying no one could open that portal, little sister.”

  The library suddenly became very quiet and Ares finally said, “I thought only a Sentinel or an Archangel could open a portal to creation’s workroom?”

  His words still hung in the air when a brilliant portal split the room above them. They were buffeted with wind stirred by two massive white wings as Ariel’s bare feet touched the ground between them. She glared at Ares and said, “You are correct, false god of war. Only an Archangel may open the path to where our Father’s work began.” Ariel raised her chin and stared meaningfully at Shannon, then said, “I am such an angel. I will make straight the path for us to retrieve the Sentinel of Order.”

  “You crazy, beautiful, Highlander bitch,” cried Meghan as she launched herself at Shannon and wrapped her arms around the Soulborn. “How did you persuade her to do this?”

  Ariel did not give Shannon a chance to answer but pushed Meghan back with the brush of a wing. “Do not soil the Soulborn with your infernal touch, Nephilim. None could convince me. I am Ariel. The Sentinel of Order risked all to save me. It is meet that I do the same for him. I erred in my judgment of him. For that, too, I must atone.”

  A second portal rotated into view and from it a deep voice, thick with worry, said, “But, you will fall from grace.” The portal closed and Michael stood among them.

  Ariel bowed her head and said, “If that is required of me, then it will be so. My course is set, Michael, but I would not have you see it happen.”

  “I will not leave you, Ariel,” said the Archangel of Wrath and Protection. He withdrew his massive sword and slammed it against his breastplate, then raised the flaming weapon in salute.

  “You shame me with you resolution and bravery. I will never forsake you.”

  “Ok,” said Shannon, “monologuing is apparently over, Kellan is in big trouble. Time to go everyone. Ariel, rip it open.”

  The Archangel nodded as her eyes blazed a brilliant green for the last time and she smiled sadly at Michael, then lashed out her hand. A wide portal split the room and everyone moved.

  “Really, Kellan, this is beneath your station,” called Maurius from below. “Your actions only reinforce their hairless ape taunts.”

  The young Sentinel peered down from the upper canopy of the Creation Tree, but said nothing. Rather he nestled further into the foliage and braced himself between two V-shaped branches. His clothes were torn, burnt, and bloody. His manifest armor could be seen through several large rents in the mortal fabric. He watched in tired fascination as the links of that silver matte armor slowly knitted itself together. His armor, it seemed, shared Kellan’s exhaustion. He reached inward and sought the emerald stream of his power, but found it all but depleted. Nurisha sat on a large boulder in the middle of the almost dry riverbed, her feet dangling a few inches above the thin stream of power as it replenished. She waved him over with a tired gesture.

  By the time Kellan reached her, the power had reached her ankles. She moved her feet back and forth in a lazy fashion causing the energy to splash and coalesce in strange patterns as it fell from her toes.

  “Oh Kellan,” she said, “what have you gotten us into this time. I thought the Chaotic lightning was bad, but this is worse. Are you about done?”

  He smiled and joined her on the boulder. “So, I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like first?”

  Nurisha fixed her pupil-less green eyes on Kellan’s, arched a brow, and sighed. “I’ll take the good news.”

  “Well,” began Kellan brightly as he leaned back on both hands, “to your last question, I do believe I am about done with the fighting and such.”

  Nurisha started to smile, but caught herself, and said, “And the bad news?”

  “I’m pretty sure we’ll be dead soon.”

  “Hmm, that somewhat negates the good, don’t you think?” she asked.

  “Not at all,” answered Kellan quickly. “In fact it brings to mind one of my favorite Doctor Who quotes. Would you like to hear it? Lucifer actually used it a couple months ago. Totally ripped off the show’s writer, Steven Moffet. Didn’t give him any attribution whatsoever. I caught him of course. Tried to guilt him into admitting it, but,” Kellan shrugged, “he is Satan so—” The young Sentinel noticed Nurisha staring at him while slowly shaking her head.

  “What?” said Kellan.

  “Yes,” replied Nurisha.

  “Um, yes, what?”

  Nurisha laughed then, reached up and cupped Kellan’s face with her hand. “Yes, I would like to hear your favorite Doctor Who quote.”

  “Oh, yeah. One of my favorites. I don’t know if I could pin down an actual favorite because—”

  “Kellan.”

  “Ok, sorry. Here it goes.” Kellan did his very best Doctor Eleven impersonation and said, “The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice-versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimport
ant.” He smiled and nudged her, then added, “Isn’t that brilliant?”

  “It’s very nice,” she said in a placating tone, “and Doctor Who is one of your television shows?”

  “Yeah, it’s awesome. I even got Meghan into it although she denies it. I hacked her iTunes account and found she had bought all the episodes so, yeah, I got her. Anyway, that was from the Van Gogh episode. Made me cry. Made Shannon cry. Hell, I bet it would make Ares cry. Great show.”

  “Van Gogh?” Nurisha asked. “Isn’t he the painter we ripped time to see?”

  “Uh, maybe,” began Kellan defensively then added, “but he’s one of my two favorite painters. I don’t know why you and Shannon—”

  Nurisha raised a finger and placed it softly on Kellan’s lips, silencing him. “I do not judge you Kellan. The power you wield is my very incarnation. If I objected to the journey do you think the portal would have formed?” She turned from the young Sentinel and gazed off into the distance as she, again, moved her legs through the liquid power. It had reached her knees and would begin flowing over the boulder soon. Nurisha sighed and said, “He seemed so sad to me.” She tilted her head toward Kellan, catching his eye, “Your painter. I felt your emotions when meeting him.” She laughed unexpectedly and Kellan cocked his head as she continued. “Such a torrent of conflicting emotions you had that day. It was wonderful for me and sad at the same time. I learned much of human interaction and empathy. I should have told you, but am glad we have these last stolen moments for me to share it with you now.”

  The two sat quietly for a long moment, her hand resting gently in his, as the power rose and buoyed them like a roiling magic carpet. Finally, she broke the silence and said, “Will you eat the creation fruit now?”

  Kellan stared at her with a blank expression.

  She returned the stare for several seconds, then said, “You didn’t climb to reach the fruit?”

  Kellan furrowed his brow, “Of course I did. I climbed the tree to reach the fruit, Nurisha. Why else would I climb the tree.”

  She sighed, “You didn’t know there was a fruit, did you Kellan?”

  He gave her a sheepish grin, “No, I was just reverting to my hairless ape nature and tried to get somewhere protected and high. What’s a creation fruit?”

  Nurisha stretched out a hand and moved it left to right. The air seemed to part and revealed the world around them as if they were viewing it through a window. She moved the window this way and that for several seconds before finally stopping. “There,” Nurisha said, pointing, “It is just above us and to the right. Do you see it?”

  Kellan squinted, then reached out and made a pinching gesture on the window. Instantly it zoomed in and he saw a lone pear-shaped fruit handing from one of the branches. It was about the size of a large cherry, but colored a deep violet and the skin seemed to sparkle in the indirect light of the workroom. Kellan clucked his tongue and said, “Well, whaddaya know about that, Bert?”

  She stared at him and concentrated, then sniffed, “Another movie reference, my Kellan?”

  He nodded, “Yeah, It’s a Wonderful Life. The scene when George realizes he’s alive again. Hey, did you know that the Bert from Sesame Street was named after Bert-the-Cop from that movie.”

  “No, Kellan, I did not.”

  “Probably not that important right now, though,” he said.

  “No, probably not,” she replied with a smile.

  Kellan nodded back at the fruit. “So, what’s it do. Will it super charge my powers or teleport me out of here because that would be awesome if a bit deus ex machina.”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I have an educated guess.” As she explained her theory, Kellan’s eyes grew wide and he smiled, but when she’d finished, Nurisha said, “Even if I’m correct, I don’t see how that changes things.”

  Kellan’s grin widened and he said, “Maybe not the final outcome, but holy shit if it won’t freak the hell out of that douchebag Maurius, you know, before he kills us.” Kellan looked around, noting that the river had broadened and deepened further while fully restoring itself. He gave Nurisha’s hand a squeeze and said, “Ready?”

  She smiled at him and, again, cupped his face in her hands, “Always and forever, my Sentinel. If we do not speak again, please know that I will always love you for giving me the gift of individuality.” With that, she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

  Kellan closed his eyes on the peace of his inner world and opened them to the reality around him.

  Kellan stretched toward the violet fruit, while calling down to Maurius. “Dude, you may not believe this, but I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about your opinions.” His hand closed on the fruit and he gave it a twist as he added, “Last chance, leave now, and I will put off killing you until after Christmas.”

  “Until after Christmas?” Maurius said with incredulity.

  Kellan examined the fruit. He sniffed it. He rolled it between his fingers, squeezing it slightly and said, “Yeah, after Christmas. Can’t make any promises beyond that. I mean, you have to die and all. You abducted Juliet, threatened to kill her, and had a demon hold a bone dagger to her throat.”

  Maurius laughed, “I think you overestimate your chances, Kellan. Why don’t you come down and,” he paused, “We’ll discuss it.”

  “On my way!” Kellan embraced the fullness of his power, and wrapped himself in several shielding layers, then leaped from the tree.

  There was no monologuing this time. Kellan had not even reached the ground when he felt the summoned energies begin to arc towards him. He landed in a crouch and angled his shielding as much as possible to deflect the bulk of the onslaught. Ribbons of raw Chaotic energy slammed into him and Kellan’s shielding parted like silk meeting a razor. He was hurled backwards as most of his remaining mortal clothes were burned away and he slammed sideways into the broken bench. Blood seeped from his mouth and ears and he looked up as the attack stopped.

  He has to gloat. I knew he would have to gloat. What a predictable dick, thought Kellan as Maurius strode toward him confidently.

  Kellan brought the Creation Fruit to his lips and popped it in his mouth.

  “What’s that you have there,” asked Maurius without a trace of concern.

  “Oh, nothing,” replied Kellan as he crunched down on the small fruit, “just a little nugget of pure godliness. Strap in douchebag ‘cause it’s clobberin’ time!”

  For a moment, nothing happened and Kellan felt Nurisha’s distress mix with his own as another volley of Chaotic energies lanced toward him.

  This is it, he thought, game over, man. Kellan cringed as the blast hit, but the power wavered and unraveled around him turning into red mist. He opened an eye and said, “Well that was unexpect—”

  Power burned through him and Kellan arched his back in pain as what felt like liquid fire coursed through his veins. He felt himself lift upward without having willed himself to do so. His entire body radiated with a violet glow that created a brilliant halo. Another wave of power ran through him even stronger than the first and Kellan felt Nurisha partially tear from within him. He looked over his shoulder and saw her tethered to him, but hovering like a giant goddess, eyes ablaze and arms outstretched. Like him, she glowed with an intense violet aura.

  “Maurius, Sentinel of Chaos,” she boomed, “the Sentinel of Order has declared your life forfeit, but I am the Avatar of Creation and I give you one chance to leave this place. I will restrain his hand for but this one moment. Leave now or die.”

  Nicely done, thought Kellan and he felt Nurisha’s appreciation.

  Morpheus did not seem impressed and sent another salvo of Chaotic energy toward Kellan who simply held up a hand as it struck. Like before it unraveled to mist and Nurisha closed her hands together while a rotating violet sphere appeared between them.

  Maurius took a step back, fear beginning to radiate from him and Nurisha yelled again, “Go now, Sentinel of Chaos, for the sake of symmetry I do not wish your dea
th, but cannot restrain the Sentinel of Order any longer. He breaks free of my control and will have full command of all my power. Even now it manifests.” As if in response to her words, the sphere wobbled and Kellan appeared to struggle against some compulsion.

  Maurius lashed out with his hand and a portal rotated into view. He started toward it, when Morpheus called out. “Wait, look. Maurius, it fades.”

  The Sentinel of Chaos paused and looked back to Kellan.

  Well, shit, Kellan thought, It was a good plan, Nurisha and we almost made it work. Too bad I couldn’t actually channel any of that Creative tree-juice. The young Sentinel felt the power fade and Nurisha’s external presence disappear.

  Maurius snarled as his portal vanished. “You! You insolent man-child. I will devour you! I will consume your very soul!” As if on cue, thick bands of corded energy radiated from all five demons and Maurius. Kellan took a deep breath and sighed sadly while thinking, I never did get to see that last episode of The Crown.

  In the next moment, several things happened at once, all of which confused Kellan. First, he was slammed from behind by something that caused him to pitch forward and land unceremoniously on his face. This was confusing because he had expected to be pitched backward and land unceremoniously on his ass before the Chaotic powers burned him to cinders. Second, he heard Jarvis calling to him. This was confusing because Jarvis couldn’t connect with him unless he was on Earth’s primary plane or there was an open portal connecting him to that plane. Third, there couldn’t be any such connecting portal because the only ones capable of opening one were Maurius, Kellan, and Archangels. Kellan pushed himself up and thought, but that means—

  A large body flew over the young Sentinel as he struggled to regain his feet. He saw Ariel’s profile as she passed, interposing herself between Kellan and the Chaotic power hurtling his way.

  “No,” he cried, “it's too much, Ariel. It’s too much power, you cannot withstand it!”

  She whipped around to face him, her beautiful white wings spread outward like a protective shield and said, “I have misjudged you, Sentinel of Order. I offer my grace as a means of atonement.”