He was standing in the lengthening shadows that the Temple structure provided. Ardat hid her surprise and instead chose to act as though she knew he was there the entire time. “How much longer for what? I do not have time for your riddles.”
The Shaman chuckled in a strange way, free from any kind of genuine merriment. “How much longer until you return to the monster they make you out to be?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I mean. You try so hard to help them, to fit in and be one of them again, except you can’t. Not for lack of trying but because they won’t let you. You’ll always be the villain in their eyes.”
Ardat shook her head in frustration. She had no love for the Shaman, however what he said held weight. “What is it that you want? You came all this way to tell me that?”
“No,” a smirk came to the old man’s mouth. “I came to make good on our deal. You owe me a favor if I am correct.”
Ardat set her jaw. Every instinct in her body told her the Shaman could not be trusted.
The Shaman took her silence as a sign to continue, “I want you to come with me, Ardat, but I would never command that. So, I guess, my favor in exchange for transporting you to Golgotha will only be for you to think on my offer. These people will always see you as a monster. Come with me and we can prove to them you are not.”
Ardat thought over the possibilities. For every reason she came up with to not accompany the Shaman, another appeared to outweigh her reasoning. The strongest case in the Shaman’s favor was Michael. The way he looked at her, the way he treated her, after she came back with information about Gabriel. It hurt her in a way only Michael could.
Her love for Michael was something that would never die, but could it thrive in an environment where no one trusted her? A moment of clarity washed over Ardat and she knew her future was clear. She would have to prove to Michael and everyone else that she was a changed person outside of their presence. “I will not need time to consider,” Ardat said walking towards the Shaman, “I will go with you.”
Chapter 17
“And that’s the plan,” Alan said wishing he sounded more sure of himself in Michael’s presence.
Michael looked from Alan to Raphael and back to Alan. “I’m leaving in a few hours to attack Gabriel and, if we’re not too late, save Kyle. Even with Seraphim and Esther’s help we still need you, Alan.”
Alan took a deep breath; he knew this was coming. He needed to make a choice: defeat Gabriel and rescue Kyle or go and help Raphael reclaim his powers to save Kassidy. The only thing that swayed his mind was that if he did not accompany Raphael, no one would. “We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Alan said, “if I don’t go with Raphael, no one will.”
Michael shook his head. He still refused to speak to Raphael directly. Alan felt as if he were in the middle of a standoff with the loser having to address the other first. Michael didn’t plan to lose. “So be it. We will be gathered and ready to attack Gabriel’s stronghold tomorrow night. If you can make it, your help would be greatly appreciated.”
Alan could practically feel the tension building between the two Archangels by the minute. Instead of trying to play intermediary, Alan extended a hand towards Michael, “Be careful.”
Michael embraced Alan’s hand with a firm shake of his own. “You too.”
---
Alan and Raphael made their way towards the entrance to the Temple. Esther and her army were just arriving. The Temple was filled with noises of running feet and shouted orders. Alan found his thoughts wandering to Danielle and what Gideon alluded to earlier. There was something there, as much as he couldn’t define the exact feeling. Or maybe it was that he didn’t want to. As if his thoughts could summon the physical, Danielle rounded a corner and slammed into Alan.
“Oh my gosh, Alan,” Danielle said rubbing her right shoulder that had taken the brunt of the impact. “You’ve been working out, jeez. What’s underneath there, abs of steel?”
Before Alan could ask her if she was all right, Danielle’ face reddened. “I mean, not that I’ve been looking—or even wondering but…”
Alan shook his head with a smile trying to ease Danielle’s awkward moment. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said rotating her shoulder and rubbing it with her free hand, “I mean, not like I couldn’t heal it if I needed to, right?”
Alan nodded.
Raphael cleared his throat, “Danielle, it’s nice to see you again.”
“Oh, you too, Raphael,” Danielle’s eyes drifted back and forth between the two men as realization hit her. “Oh, you two are leaving, aren’t you?”
“We think we’ve found a way to give Raphael his powers back,” Alan said. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
“Of course,” Danielle said readjusting her glasses while hiding her face.
“What’s wrong?” Alan asked.
Before she could answer, Raphael excused himself from the conversation. “I’ll be outside the Temple, Horseman. Don’t be long.”
Alan nodded, turning back to Danielle who stood in front of him struggling for the right words. “Hey, Danielle,” Alan said extending an arm and gripping her gently by the shoulder, “it’s me. What’s going on? Talk to me.”
Danielle licked her lips, “It’s nothing really; it’s silly. I just thought we’d have more time before you go off and put yourself in harm’s way again.”
“I know what you mean. But until we stop Gabriel and the Four Horsemen have been chosen, that’s kind of what I do now.”
“I know,” Danielle said pursing her lips, “it’s like you have a really, really dangerous job. I—I just don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”
Alan took a step closer. “I’m coming back. I’m coming back and we’ll have plenty of time to catch up and figure things out. I promise you.”
“Be safe.”
---
Alan made his way down the Temple steps more confused than ever. It was obvious feelings more than mere friendship existed between himself and Danielle. So much muddled the water that it was impossible to tell if he could have any kind of normal relationship with Danielle. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, it was clear the answer was no. How could anything normal be part of his life ever again?
“Are you with me, Horseman?” Raphael asked snapping Alan out of his trance-like state. “I’ll need you aware and ready for what comes next.”
Alan nodded as the two men extended their wings. Alan’s light blue, vibrating wings and Raphael’s own pure white, feathered wings couldn’t be more different. Images of the creatures Alan had seen in Gideon’s book teased his mind. Having previous been the hurry to leave, Alan finally considered what he actually knew of minotaurs: nothing. “So where exactly are we going?” Alan asked as they soared above the Temple.
“Follow me,” Raphael said, “and I’ll explain everything on the way.”
Alan obeyed, following Raphael’s lead as the two flew from the Temple. The air was warm, if not hot, and the world opened up to them as far as the eye could see in every direction. “Angels and demons are not the only beings that inhabit the supernatural plane,” Raphael said over the rushing wind. “There are races that exist apart from human, angel or demon.”
Alan’s mind spun as he tried to wrap his head around the idea. “How?”
“Think of it like this,” Raphael said. “Within the human species there are numerous different races of men and women, correct?”
“Yes.”
“So, too, are there many different kinds of supernatural beings. So far you have only come into direct contact with angels and our fallen counterparts. Though our kind makes up the bulk of the supernatural order, there are others.”
“And where have they stood while the war in heaven took place and even now? Are they our allies?”
“Allies would be a strong word,” Raphael scratched at the underside of his beard. “They have remained content to all
ow us to keep our own house in order. Our kinds have very little interaction. It’s an unspoken agreement. They are content to remain in the supernatural plane and stay out of our affairs. In return, we grant them their privacy.”
Alan’s wings flapped behind him with no more thought than if he were walking beside Raphael. The two were headed away from the sun and across the empty landscape of dirt and grass below. “So, where do the minotaurs live?”
“On a mountain range not far from here,” Raphael gave Alan a sideways glance. “Kassidy may not have long. Do you think you can keep up if I were to fly faster?”
Alan opened his mouth to retort just as he caught an unfamiliar twinkle in the Archangel’s eyes. Alan wasn’t used to hearing Raphael say anything in a teasing manner. “I’m the Horseman of War, remember?” Alan said as he urged his wings to pump faster. “Do you think an old man like you can stay with me?”
---
The rest of the way was spent in silence as the two bent their will to speed and traveled through the air like comets descending from heaven itself. The ground below them blurred with different colors like a painting created in water colors. Soon green grass and dirt roads gave way to grey stones and sloping hills.
A gigantic mountain range took shape before them within hours. The peaks rose so high they were lost in thick pillows of clouds. As Alan conceded the lead position to Raphael, he felt the air thin. His wings needed to beat harder to maintain the altitude while his lungs burned from the effort.
Raphael must have been feeling the same affects, the Archangel slowed his rise and maintained a constant pace. “It seems that when Gabriel used his spell, another factor was also limiting our supernatural endurance. I could have made this ascent in a moment given my former power.”
Alan concentrated on breathing as they continued up the steep sides of the mountains and approached the cloudbank. One mountain stood apart from the rest, a giant of its kind that dwarfed the mountains to its right and left. Alan found as no surprise this was the mountain they headed towards. “When we exit the clouds and depart through the other side, we will be in minotaur territory,” Raphael said with an edge in his tone that sent a shiver down Alan’s back. “Let me do the talking and no matter what, do not lift an arm against them.”
Before Alan could ask one of the dozen questions on the tip of his tongue, they were in the clouds. Cold moisture prickled his skin as beads of condensation gathered around him and snaked down his exposed skin. The clouds were so thick, Alan lost track of Raphael. One moment the Archangel was in front of him, the next he was gone. “Raphael?” Alan said. The words came out muted and heavy with the weight of the moisture in the air around him. There was no response.
Panic began to set in as Alan tried again, this time louder. “Raphael? I can’t see you.” Despite his effort, his words felt as though they only traveled feet before falling into the unnatural silence around him.
Alan twisted in the air and came to a rough landing as the side of the mountain came rushing up in front of him. Alan found himself on a wide path that wove around the mountain only as far as he could see. Water from the floating condensation poured into his eyes. Alan blinked but the act only gave him seconds of clear vision before his eyesight was inhibited once again.
No noise permeated through the veil of clouds yet Alan had a sick feeling he was being watched. Motion on his left swept through the veil of white mist: Alan turned just quickly enough to catch a dark brown tail slip through the murky whiteness surrounding him.
The enveloping clouds were silent like a tomb. Alan licked the water from his lips wondering when the visual impediment would come to an end. He estimated he could see five, maybe ten, feet in front of him before the white vapors denied him sight. Senses on overdrive, Alan folded his wings on his back and began walking forward up the mountain path.
Just when Alan thought the clouds would never end, a hand from someone behind clamped over his mouth. Terror seized him as Alan raised his own hand to pull the intruder off his back. “Peace, Horseman,” Raphael whispered in his ear. Alan’s heart battered the inside of his chest so hard he imagined it was actually striking his ribs and sternum.
Alan lowered his hand, as did Raphael. The Archangel moved to walk beside him as he continued to whisper his warning. “They are all around us now. When we break through the clouds, you must show no fear.”
“Okay,” Alan said trying to take a deep breath of air only to inhale a mouthful of condensed water instead. He fought back a cough.
The murky mist around them were thinner now. Instead of the thick, soupy whiteness that had been his home for the last few minutes, thinner vapors greeted him on every side.
One moment Alan was wondering when the clouds would end and the next he was through them. Alan stopped his forward momentum coming to a complete standstill as he tried to distinguish his surroundings. Alan blinked and raised a hand to shield his eyes as the sun’s rays beat down on him.
“Lower your hand, Alan,” Raphael said in a quick, excited whisper.
Alan immediately allowed his hand to fall to his side. Raphael’s words were spoken in haste but for good reason. Alan felt all the moisture his mouth had collected evaporate as if on command. Alan and Raphael were surrounded by a large group of menacing hooved creatures staring back at them through dark brown eyes.
The sketch in Gideon’s book did not do them justice. These beings were far larger than any man Alan had ever seen. They were seven or even eight feet tall. Against the sun, their hides glistened with small droplets of water caught in their fur.
Hooves gave way to large muscular legs that supported their bulk. Long, brown tails flicked back and forth. As Alan’s eyes relayed this information to his brain, one of them walked closer and spoke. The minotaur’s voice sounded like a rumbling avalanche. “Horseman, Archangel, you are not welcome in the home of the minotaur.” A thick tongue pushed out between clean, square teeth as the creature blinked at them from behind a long snout. “Leave now.”
Alan met the creature’s scrutiny with a glare of his own. Despite his fear and fatigue from the altitude, he wouldn’t let them see him weak. “Cratos, we come unarmed and unwilling to do harm,” Raphael said with a tilt of his head. “I only wish to speak with your queen.”
Cratos looked back and forth between the two intruders. A large arm flexed as he considered his options. Alan took the opportunity to count the minotaurs surrounding them. A quick look took stock of their weapons should things go wrong.
There were ten of the creatures all standing in a perfect circle around Alan and Raphael. The weapons they carried were crude but deadly. Long poles with stone heads, axes, clubs and even daggers were gripped in each fur-covered hand. “Our kind has nothing to do with your kind, Archangel,” Cratos growled. “We have stayed apart from your war for an eternity. Do not bring your troubles here now.”
“And I would never do that, Cratos,” Rafael said. “All I seek is information.”
“And if the Fallen learn of the minotaurs assisting you? What then?” Cratos blew a breath from his snout and came within feet of Alan and Raphael. Alan felt like a child in the presence of a giant as the beast towered over them. “We are well aware of the events unfolding below. But Hades, Gabriel, whatever it is you are calling him now, he is your problem, not ours.”
Cratos eyed them both with distain, his menacing eyes lingered the longest on Alan. Deciding the conversation was over, Cratos motioned with a twist of his thick neck to the minotaurs surrounding Raphael and Alan. “See them away.”
Frustration was beginning to take the place of fear. Seeing someone so disconnected with the world, so eager to define the lines between what was and was not their concern sickened Alan. “And what about when it does become your problem?” Alan asked.
The minotaurs converging on them hesitated, waiting to see if their leader would respond or if their orders still remained. Cratos turned as he heard Alan’s voice for the first time. Everyone paused to see wha
t would happen. Alan wasn’t the kind of person to wait. “What happens when Gabriel comes knocking on your door? What happens when Hades isn’t satisfied with ruling the angels and wants the minotaurs under his rule as well?”
“Easy Alan,” Raphael urged.
Alan was past taking it easy as he pushed himself forward. His motion brought forth a flurry of movement as the minotaurs encircling them brandished their weapons and began to move to intercept him. They all stopped in their progress as Cratos raised a clenched hand. The minotaur leader eyed Alan up and down. “Then, little one, we will deal with him and he will feel the force of the Minotaur Nation. But we will not rush forward to spill our own blood, certainly not for your sake.”
Alan knew his window of opportunity was closing quickly if he did nothing more, they would be forced to leave and Kassidy’s fate would be sealed. “And your queen?” Alan shouted. “Does she feel the same way? There is a chance for us to stop Gabriel and restore order before any of the minotaurs must go to war. Help us now and spare that future from becoming a reality. All we seek is information and we will be gone, I promise you.”
A sneer crossed Cratos’ thick lips as he closed the distance between himself and Alan. This time when he approached, he didn’t stop until he was inches from Alan looming over him. Cratos was so close Alan could feel the minotaur’s heated breath on his face. Even though he had to tilt his head up to meet the creature eye-to-eye, Alan refused to back down. “You have either courage or stupidity, little brother.” Cratos said with a twist of his lips. “I’ll take you to our queen but if she dismisses your plea for help and you’ve only wasted my time, then I will take your life and add your name to my collection of vanquished foes, Horseman or not.”
Chapter 18
“And you brought all the weapons here?” Michael asked.
Seraphim nodded, “That’s correct. Since the Celestial Blades do not offer an advantage anymore, I do not see a reason to guard them. Regardless, they are now here safe in the Temple.”
Alan Price and the Statue of Zeus (The Nephilim Chronicles Book 3) Page 12
