“Possessed?! Get him the fuck out of here Cesare!” Adonis yelled, causing the other Knights to run down the hall. Callan stood up and started walking towards Cesare in the same contorted position he was in on the floor.
“You would make the perfect vessel for us! Let us in and show us the way to the key!” As Callan grabbed his arm, it felt to Cesare like the spirit that tore at him on the mount of Cemetery Gromere. He pushed Callan back and he jumped out of the window. The two Knights could hear his footsteps running across the roof as he climbed through the window to Caden's room.
The Knights ran down the hall as they heard the commotion. Callan was attempting to unsheathe Excalibur, but could not lift it. His eyes and face began to turn a shade of gray and he hopped out of the window as the Knights approached. “Dude. Dante didn’t say anything about the guy being a lunatic did it?” Caden asked, inspecting his sword.
Cesare was more irritated than ever and went back to thinking about his own problem. Jin-Lu ran a scan of the Hollow for Callan, but could not find any signs of him. Cesare tried to call Mila again but couldn't reach her. He dialed Bibi, but she was training new recruits and Miss Chrissy had put herself to sleep. He looked at the map of the Blue Palace to make sure she was still there and she was. Cesare sighed heavily as he believed his own insecurities were the cause of his feelings of disconnect.
“Hey bro. I'm sure she's fine. If something went down Beebs would've called me all frantic by now. If you need to go, just go,” Adonis said.
“It’s not that, I just felt something.” Everything in him wanted to go to his wife, but duty called.
“What do you feel? Another man?” Adonis asked. Cesare just stared at him. “Look, Mila’s not that kind of girl. She wouldn’t cheat. You know that,” Adonis said.
“I’ll go when I hear from Rex. I can see her sleeping, so it’s just my own imagination. Its too much going on to feed my paranoia. Besides, a seeing a possessed Dactyl pretty much gets the award for weirdest shit of the night,” Cesare said.
“I know right. I wonder where he went,” Caden said, as he wiped Excalibur down with a cloth.
“I'm not certain, but he isn’t anywhere on his plane. Warlocks and their hexes,” Jin-Lu said, shaking his head.
While the Knights talked about the strange event, Callan ran until he fell face first in a pile of rock. His un-athletic body was exhausted; his mind couldn’t much tell reality from a dream. He woke in a dark place which smelled of sulfur and ash. His mind was jumbled and couldn’t quite remember what had just taken place, yet he wasn’t afraid. He lifted his head and the hooded figure was standing before him once again.
“You have done well. You shall be a worthy vessel,” the collective voice said.
“What do you want from me Unnamed?”
The hooded figure laughed a hellish laugh which sounded like a room full of people. “We are not the Unnamed boy. We are, you. And we have come to help you. To make you that which you wish to be. To return to you that which was taken, and hand you power unlimited.”
“Why me?”
“You have within you limitless power. Together, we shall become unstoppable. The world, has wronged us both. If you help us regain that which the Alchemist took from us, we will help you become the most powerful magician on the planet; taking revenge on those who have wronged you. Bringing an end to the Order of Magia Chaotica!” the hooded figure said.
“I have already made a pact. With Solon,” Callan said.
“The pact becomes null upon death!”
Callan screamed as it burnt a symbol on his chest, covering the pact of Solon. Callan convulsed as the hooded figure banged his body against the rocky floor. As Callan took his last breath, the figure entered his body as it caused him great pain, but he felt nearly invincible.
Callan's complete consciousness remained, yet felt little control of himself. Callan's aura glowed in the dark to the likes he had never seen. He felt powerful. Powerful enough to kill a Knight.
24
the crone
It was not a common thing that Magia Magnificent Rex descended from his throne to engage in Upper Earth missions. Alas, Rufus Sosius stood before a pile of ember crackling and popping as it cooled. Within the ash, the skulls and long bones of the recently deceased lie blackened and splint as all traces of who they were, was quickly returning to humanity’s primordial state of dust.
The air, heavy, with the fowl scent of burnt flesh caused him to turn up his nose and squint his dark, intense eyes. His mind, unmoved by the sight of death, as he and his order were the masters of thanatology; the true assassins of the world unseen, hidden from the likes of the sheeple; the common man.
His hands alone had filled the halls of the Necromanteion and Purgatorio with the souls of countless men and creature alike. Rufus and his Knights showed no bias as to who met death at the tips of their blades. This night, as unusual as it was, a cold chill tickled the kundalini rising up his spine; his spirit crying out for blood, of what, he had yet to determine.
He stood in silence, allowing his eyes to read the terrain and piece together a recent past. The vibrations bouncing around him of the anxious, grief-stricken and fearful fed his Magia as he prepared himself mentally for the unknown challenges ahead.
The wailing of the grieving caused his mind to wander to a long forgotten past that stirred within him a hidden angst which the resolute warrior found unsettling. Crone Matilda Barron wept as she scooped the ashes of her sisters and brothers into urns.
Her long, brown gown swept the dirt and brush as she walked. A large conical hat upon her head, whose brim stretched the width of her shoulders, became heavy as worry weighed down on her. Her face, wrinkled, with the wisdom of a Crone, hair white as a talc stone were signs of the long life she had lived as a hedge witch.
Her normally steady hands shook as she gathered the remains. As the Crone of the Cult of Winged Reapers, she was at a loss. Since the time of the Inquisition, witch burnings were always major issues for the Reapers. This was the third burning of her sisters and brothers within the past month. Each tied and placed upon a fire like the accused during the Inquisition of old.
“I am not understanding Rex. Who would do such a thing? And why? Of all the Orders, we the Reapers are the most peaceful. We are protectors of the Earth, and yet irony as it is, we are becoming the very soil we reap,” she said wiping a tear.
Five witches, both male and female, landed on broomsticks and removed their conical hats, which were smaller than Matilda's, in reverence to their fallen brethren.
Matilda gave them the urns and instructed them to return to Coven Aradia for proper burial.
“Madam Crone, is this not the coven which your daughter Marissa heads?” Rufus asked coldly, not looking in her direction. Matilda nodded with eyes full of tears.
“Yes but Rex, I don't feel her here. As ashes, it’s difficult to get a proper read on who has died, but there are bits of jewelry in the ash which still have active spirit energies. None of this belongs to her.”
Hmm, so they took her, he said to himself. “Have you noticed disturbances in the Earth lately? A sudden shift in energy, a strange omen? One that would cause you alarm?” Rufus asked.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Why? What has that to do with my daughter being missing and my witches being burned at the stake?”
Rufus looked around and reached for his cell phone. He sent a text to the Knights telling them to come to his location immediately.
“I believe these witch hunts are the predecessor of something much larger than we can tell at the moment. The first droplets of rain before the torrent. As you know, your order is not the only one being attacked. The Order of Red Axes has also seen priests burned at the stake. The Feathers of Red Dawn have nearly become extinct as only a few hundred of their kin draw breath. The Order of Dactyls hide within the inner Earth to avoid persecution by the hands of the angels. You keep asking me if we are at war. We are all under attack Madam Crone,” he said
, sounding as if her situation were not important.
“You must call your witches home before there are more scenes like this.”
“My covens are spread all over the world and we have no particular combat training. We are simple hedge witches who use the Earth for our protection. I don't know what any of the Nine would have to gain from our executions, but it is alarming ever still.”
Rufus turned to her and his large, piercing eyes gave her no comfort, for they cried for blood and vengeance, not necessarily justice.
“If this is the work of one of the thirty-three orders of man they will be punished. Don’t worry yourself. I will send one of my Knights to Coven Aradia to stay with you until this issue is at rest. Please, take from here what you need and leave the rest to me and my Knights,” he said, bending down and picking up a piece of burnt cloth.
“Thank you Rex,” she said as her witches gathered all they needed and mounted their brooms.
Just as they took to the sky, a shiny black Challenger pulled up shining its lights on Rufus and Matilda.
“Madam Crone, please. I understand that your daughter is your primary concern, but please leave it to us,” Rufus asked politely. Matilda folded her arms.
“I'm not going anywhere, but with you to find Marissa,” she demanded.
“Fucking hell,” Rufus said no longer being able to maintain his polite composure. “If you get killed or raped Madam Crone, don't go pointing your little wand at me. I warned you,” Rufus said.
“Just because combat is not the way of my order, does not mean it is not MY way,” she said. Rufus smiled and shook his head.
Three men got out of the car, each wearing the same black tunic uniform that Rufus wore. “Borgias, Adonis, welcome to the barbecue,” Rufus said.
“Fucking hell that stinks,” Adonis said covering his nose. Standing six feet, he stood a tad shorter than the Borgia brothers. Wearing a black tank exposing his broad shoulders and chiseled arms, he pulled up his shirt to cover his nose. His long amber hair was tied in a ponytail as he hated to get it dirty during fights.
“Don’t start that shit Adonis. It’s going to be a long night. Knights, this is Matilda the Madam Crone of the Reapers. Her daughter has been abducted and she insists on tagging along. Madam Crone, this here is my Triple Ent ante, my best knights,” Rufus said giving sharp introductions. The Knights gave a respectful bow as neither of them were expecting the company.
“It’s just like last time, but we still don't have any suspects,” Lancelot said kicking the wood with his foot.
Rufus handed him the piece of burnt cloth which bear a symbol of a pug dog.
“Cesare, it’s your old buddies, looking to kick start the Inquisition again,” Lance said handing the cloth to him. Cesare and Lance were brothers, yet couldn't be more different. As the oldest Borgia, Cesare was well spoken and reserved, his shrewd, silent eyes lusted to inflict pain; the makings of a great knight.
Having worked for the church three quarters of his life, he was just as depraved as he was intelligent, yet the thrill of combat gave him more purpose than any God in church could. Lancelot was more charismatic, his eyes hypnotic to any who gazed upon them, but often more reluctant than Cesare to take un-calculated risks.
While their demeanors gave one another a sense of balance in life, they were both quick to kill without hesitation. A trait all Borgias seemed to have. They often craved it. Cesare sighed as he looked upon the emblem.
“If ever I had a regret in life,” he said, referring to his earlier involvement with the Order of Mopses.
“While it seems that the Order of Mopses is behind the barbecue it still makes no sense to me. This time, there are no angelic sigils so I wonder. The only way to find out is to find the Inquisitors. I believe I know where this bunch of pussies are. There were three white trucks parked outside of a hotel just down the road. I drove past it on my way here. I want us to go visit,” Rufus said turning and walking towards his jeep.
Adonis cleared his throat and shifted his eyes towards Matilda. Typically, the Knights worked alone as most people were unaccustomed to their ruthless form of justice.
“Is there something you would like to share Magia?” Matilda asked with an attitude. Adonis threw up his hands as that was one battle he forfeited from.
Matilda was angry but kept her calm as she didn't want to anger Rufus. He was famous for his short temper and vulgarity of tone despite his resolute nature. She got in the passenger side of his jeep, Adonis in the back. The Borgias rode off in the Challenger behind them.
Rufus sped down the road, pulling up to the hotel with a parking lot full of cars. Sheeple stood outside talking, laughing and drinking with music playing so loud the vibration of the truck rattling overpowered the songs.
“Shit, its too many people around,” Rufus said, parking in the back. Matilda began laughing as she reached into her satchel for her wand and a small vial of black powder. She hopped out of the jeep, adjusting her large conical hat and began walking towards the crowd. She summoned her broomstick and began to fly around the crowd, garnering gasps, stares and phone shots.
“Rex, what the fuck is she doing?!”
“For fucks sake Matilda! This is a covert operation!” Rufus shouted, but Matilda continued on. She began to sprinkle the black powder as she flew, laughing as everyone in the parking lot fell dead. Adonis roared in laughter as Rufus stood in shock. Matilda landed her broomstick, straightening her gown and hat smiling triumphantly.
Rufus palmed his face as two dozen people lay dead upon the asphalt which was sure to bring attention to them.
“So how’d you do it?” Adonis asked, chewing on a piece of gun hard.
She shook the empty bottle with a grin. “Its called the Hand of God. A little monk hood, nightshade, hemlock amongst other things; all grown in my personal herborium,” she answered proudly.
“Ok, so do you have a special potion to make the bodies disappear?” Adonis asked, widening his smile. Matilda turned around to look at her handy work and sure enough, it was a mess. She was speechless and the look on her face was one with no answer. Adonis grabbed his stomach as his face turned red with laughter.
“For fucks sake. Why do I have to fix everything?” Rufus asked with his hands on his hips, shaking his head.
***
The Borgia brothers lagged behind by nearly fifteen minutes missing Matilda’s Massacre. “Hurry up. You’ve lost Rex. What’s wrong with you?” Lance asked, checking the bullets in his guns while Cesare's eyes stayed steady on the road. Driving the speed limit of 45 miles per hour was an odd thing for him, but slowed down his thoughts as they were all over the place. Cesare didn’t answer Lance, and their silence was broken when the car phone rang. “It’s mom,” Cesare laughed as he answered.
“Hey mom.”
“Hi son. I just wanted to remind you about the dinner this Saturday for your sister's graduation. It would mean a lot to me if you I could have all my kids around the dinner table at the same time. So that gives you two days. And tell Lance too,” she said happily.
“I haven't forgotten,” Lance replied.
“Hi Lance! So you two are together. What are y’all up to?” she asked curiously giggling.
“Oh the usual. Blowing stuff up, saving the world, you know,” Lance said laughing, but being completely serious.
“Well alright then. Just make sure you’re here for dinner on Saturday,” she said laughing and hanging up.
“I seriously think mom knows what we do.”
Cesare laughed. “No way. She thinks I'm an honorable cleric who saves souls from damnation and she thinks you are a business man living the straight and narrow after a life in darkness. Shit, if she thinks anyone is up to something it would be Vinny,” Cesare said referring to the youngest of the Borgia clan.
“I don't know. I think I’m going to just flat out ask her.”
Cesare shook his head as they pulled up to a twenty story hotel overlooking both the city and the woods.
Dead bodies were stacked up in a pile after Rufus and Adonis drug them out of sight as not to bring attention to their dealings.
“Hey, doesn't the Crone remind you of a White version of mom?” Cesare asked laughing. Lance nodded but they would keep the joke in the car.
“This is definitely a Mopses convention,” Cesare said looking at the trucks. They met Rufus and Adonis in the parking lot who had armed themselves with guns and knives. Cesare looked at the pile of bodies then back at Rufus and Adonis who pointed at Matilda.
“Do I even want to know?”
“No need to ask. I recorded the whole thing!” Adonis said, showing him the footage. Everyone got a good laugh when Lance brought attention to two black SUVs. The front plates bore the emblem of the Southern Wolf Pack.
“What in the shit? This is really making no sense. Alright. I believe they're down in that conference room area. But let’s not do this quickly. We need information. The why and who, and if the Order of Mopses are truly involved. The Reaper covens are not easy to locate, and only the awakened of us can find them. These fuckers are just religious zealots who couldn't see from their third eye if it were wide open and emitting sparkles,” Rufus said.
“Why are you Magia using weapons?” Matilda asked, and their silent stares made her uncomfortable.
“Now Borgia, let’s not get beside ourselves and kill up the room before we talk to them,” Rufus said looking at Cesare who was smiling with his cross switchblade in hand. Rufus turned to Matilda to tell her to stay in the car, but then didn't want to waste the energy. She turned to the Knights and reached in a satchel hanging on her side.
“Eat this,” she said handing them an herb. Lance looked at it funny and Adonis smelled it.
“For crying out loud! Eat it. It will make you immune to this,” she said shaking a vial of sleeping powder. Cesare shrugged and ate it.
“Minty,” Lance said downing his. Rufus stared at her wondering what she had planned. They strolled through the front door and the host looked at them suspiciously. Matilda walked up to him as he reached for a phone and blew powder in his face, causing him to collapse. Adonis thought it was hilarious and gave her a thumbs up. Walking down the hall, Matilda was amazed at how silent their footsteps were; about as light as hers but not nearly as dainty.
Knights of Enmity: The Barons Have Fallen (Descending Fires Book 1) Page 30
