The fake instructor stepped forward and smacked Roddy on the back comradely. “In deed, my friend, all of Semidon will rejoice at hearing the news even as I do. In any case, we both know your true motivation.”
Nimrod nodded, “To bring more people into this world.”
Loki chuckled while Jubal perspired even though the temperature inside the Elusion construct was perfectly comfortable. One wrong word and Roddy would know the man in front of him was an imposter and then the whole mission would be exposed. Vashti’s cousin could ruin everything.
“Yes, but also because after the birth of the twins Vashti and I surpassed you and Semi in the baby count,” Loki replied in a manner consistent with how Jubal often did speak with his friend.
Roddy threw his head back, roaring with laughter. He finally gained control and nodded affirmatively. “True, we will match your number and in time surpass your count.”
Vashti quickly joined in the rejoicing and Jubal took a step back, hoping to fade in the background. “Ishtar is a lovely name and one I am sure will be remembered long into the future,” she smoothly drew the attention from her cousin. “Can we offer you refreshments, a bite to eat or a beverage?”
Roddy shook his head. “No, I came to deliver the news so you would not have to learn from some other source,” he told her and then turned to the Instructor. “I have composed several new Aakas to be transcribed but they can wait until our meeting two days hence.”
The fake instructor nodded his acknowledgement. “I look forward to the learning those Melodies.” A truer statement had probably never passed from his lips.
The king exited the premises shortly thereafter and then both Aakacarns ceased power to their amulets. Jubal stood facing Loki. Vashti broke the silence. “You have to admit he did an excellent job. Nimrod believed he was talking to his life-long friend, not my cousin.”
Jubal agreed on the performance. “I cannot think of a single person who could have done a better job. Still, it is a good thing Roddy did not start speaking of things only he and I know. Even so, Loki, I thank you for joining the team.”
The trickster smiled sardonically, classic Loki, the way he always did after pulling a prank. “I completely fooled the king and that alone has made my day. Seriously though, serving you and helping my dear cousin in this capacity suits me.”
Was he truly serious or setting up another laugh?
If serious, what would happen when he grew bored and the idea no longer suited him?
Jubal was not entirely convinced the man could restrain from pulling a prank and unintentionally ruin everything, but chose to use him. He played the role well and also knew too much about the task, enough to point a finger in the right direction if rejection turned into resentment.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Confrontation
It took three additional meals and ten full pitchers of water over a six hour period for Jubal to feel stronger. His body had not replaced all of the blood but enough for him to prepare for the next extraction. Two days later he met Roddy, recorded the new Aakas, Easing the Pain and Cleansing the Thought, and by then two more families had been taken to live in the new settlement with no further injuries occurring along the way.
Thirty days later he was enjoying the sunny afternoon and the accomplishments of his team, even though the absence of hundreds of families did not go unnoticed, making the job of getting people out of the city even more challenging. Still, it was a good day.
The Elusion persona gave him an extraordinary freedom of movement and with Luna and Lynx patrolling with him; no one paid attention to them, other than to be wary of a trio of Weapocarns. The seemingly chance encounter had been arranged, yet went unnoticed in the throng. The Nephilim, in true form or in the guises of animals, totally ignored the three Anakim hunters, who were walking the street in the poorer section on the far side of Semidon among elephants, wolves, horses, and scores of ordinary folks.
“With Gaea’s help we have more trails to explore,” Luna spoke in a soft tone, conveying her pleasure over completion of the seventh subterranean passageway out of the city, a new tunnel under the humble dwelling Natura had purchased for her persona.
“And this one does not require me to get wet,” Lynx added appreciatively. “After my patrol this morning, I can report the cages are full,” meaning the fifteen communities they established fared well.
Teaching Bast and the rest of his team to fly had been a good idea, Jubal was pleased. The task had been his alone among many on his itinerary and he could finally delegate the responsibility to whoever was available.
Elusion glanced at her. “I have been told steps are being taken to protect the flocks.” Jubal wanted confirmation.
She bit her bottom lip. “It is true. The shepherds have noticed the losses, particularly among the spotted-sheep,” which meant the authorities were getting suspicious over the deaths of so many convicts, all of which had overstayed their sentences.
What had started out as a clever way to extract inmates was quickly becoming less convenient and more difficult to manage. “Do they know whether or not there is an illness that affects the breeding program?” Jubal asked in the gruff voice of Elusion.
Did the authorities realize the families of the dead were also missing? It was a question that needed to be answered.
Luna sighed. “Yes, recently, and the owners are not pleased by the development. Steps are being taken at the highest levels. It is possible they know more than some would wish. Predators are on the prowl and it is up to us Weapocarns to face them,” Ursa drew in a deep breath, “such has always been inevitable, we all knew the day would come from the moment we chose to take up the task.”
Jubal had hoped it would not come down to direct confrontation, but knew the hope had never been realistic. “The existing flocks must be free to grow and new pastures need to be established. We will protect both along with the newborns.”
The extractions would continue, new locations for settlements would be found, and all of the families fell under Jubal’s protection. To do otherwise would be to fail the task and lead to a blow Roddy’s kingdom might not be able to endure. Elusion eyed the people walking the street around him. “I do this as much for the king as I do the sheep we intend to protect.”
“That is how we see it,” Lynx replied, “but not all share our view.”
He noticed Calista, a morbidly obese giantess with a dark complexion, walking briskly toward him. The woman wore a bright pink silk dress, rings on her fingers, and gold bracelets on her wrists, each ornament was an Aakatool. She moved spryly for a person of her size, mostly because Vashti was truly light on her feet and apparently distracted by whatever motivated her to take on the persona and seek him out. “Mercury and the flock under his protection are in danger on the third trail,” she broke the dire news, meaning Hermes was leading people from the tunnel under Elusion’s small wooden house, an escape route that had been discovered by the authorities, who were in the passage at that very moment. “The Instructor’s household has been told to inform their courier when he reports for duty,” she added without identifying the man on the chance someone walking the street near them might be listening to the conversation. A number of people were close enough to hear and the Queen’s faithful watchers were everywhere and could be anyone.
Jubal wondered how the tunnel had been discovered, but the more pressing concern had to be rescuing Hermes and the Tinies from the danger of being caught. “Is this a matter for Anakim or Nephilim?”
If the son of Zeus was being chased by Aakacarns the confrontation could escalate to the wielding of much more serious weapons. Jubal took a deep breath, waiting anxiously for the answer.
Calista eyed the other two women, who were also holding their breaths. “The Nephilim are involved. Ares is at the location with half a score of Aakacarns and Set is leading the other half into danger.”
It was not the answer Jubal wanted to hear and yet a sense of calm determination steadied his nerves, a prep
aredness for action, an ability developed over many years of facing dangerous predators in the wild. “Is the danger imminent? Are Set and his team aware of the peril about to befall Mercury and the flock he is protecting?”
“Witnesses say the Nephilim arrived half an hour after Mercury and twenty Tinies departed, which means the distanced between them is shrinking even as we speak. Even so, they are not far from the end and have a small chance of arriving safely. However, that may not ensure they are out of danger, and so I would call the peril imminent,” Vashti replied in the nasal whine her persona was known for. “The person who informed me also works for Semiramis; it was her people who discovered the danger on the trail. Nemesis has gone on ahead in hopes of lending a hand.”
Jubal failed to keep a sigh from escaping. Semi’s spies must have been watching Elusion, but whatever he did to make them suspicious mattered little at the moment, his irrepressible sister had flown to the rescue, and a fight was brewing. “This is a job for Nephilim, not Anakim,” he stated, meaning his personal teams of Weapocarns could not be involved, but he was activating his Aakacarns. “Calista, go inform Gaea and Fanus to meet where the trail ends. Luna, Lynx, you two will be coming with me to the party.”
Dark-beady eyes in a puffy-cheeked face locked onto him. “I will round up my two friends and come to the party with them.”
Vashti had mastered flight about the same time as Hermes, which had been days earlier, and it was not possible to force her to stay away from the confrontation. Jubal had hoped she would deliver the message to Pan and Natura and then go home. “In that case, my corpulent friend, I hope the party is over by the time you arrive.”
She patted him on the cheek. “You would be surprised how fast I can move when the dinner bell rings,” she replied and then started down the street, again at a pace surprisingly spry for a woman of her girth.
“That ploy would not have worked on us either,” Lynx informed him. “We would not have gone home and missed the party.”
Elusion turned to her. “I know; which is why I did not bother to try.”
“It is good we understand each other so well,” Luna commented.
Jubal led them off the street and into a secluded alley. After checking to be sure no one could see, he fed energy into the amulet lying against his collarbone and transformed into the copper-colored hawk. Bast took on the form of a red-banded falcon and Ursa assumed the image of a harrier. They shot up into the air, rising swifter than arrows launched from Orion’s oversized bow, until they were more than seven thousand cubits in the air, and then dived directly toward the west-woods where a rowdy party would soon be taking place. Jubal hoped he could keep from injuring anyone, but knew avoiding such would take a miracle.
The forest canopy made it difficult to be seen from the ground and also made it difficult for him to see below the thick-leafy boughs and branches. Where in the abundance of greenery was Vicky?
Naturally Jubal had touched every device he made and so could easily use, Locate; Amulet, to sense the whereabouts of one of his creations, few people realized he could know their locations by using the Melody to find the Aakatool they were using. The notes summoned the potential from his pool of life-force energy and he focused the radiant beam in a downward cone, seeking the winged-panther figurine, and found the producer in a tree. A slight adjustment to his wings set him on the proper course.
Knowing exactly where Victoria sat helped, but rather than fly straight to her, he settled on the upper limb of the same cedar, and far above the hidden passage. Bast and Ursa touched down beside him moments later. From a much lower branch the winged-panther stared at the sight below and did not yet seem to realize she was no longer alone in the tree.
The view to the ground was obscured by thick branches, but after some quiet repositioning and careful observation Jubal soon realized why his sister had not yet descended to the tunnel exit. Only the need for absolute silence kept him from sighing.
Concealed in the foliage around the exit were eight Nephilim using Metamorphosis figurines and their leader who had on the emerald green and black robes of a judge. The dark-skinned, hairless, man had a silver trident on his forehead, and made no attempt to hide his identity. Since the others were using a standard form, identifying them or how much potential they could individually wield would have to come later, during the confrontation. It would be a single Three-bolt and three One-bolts, including Vicky, against one truly powerful Aaka-wielder and at least eight Jade-tridents, at best.
“Set is a Jade-trident and I had hoped the ten Aakacarns with him were similar in potential. I did not expect to face Ra with eight Nephilim in the form of lions already here,” Ursa commented as softly as she could.
And then many things seemed to be happening at once. The panther looked up at the sound of her voice and, unfortunately, so did the Silver-trident, worse, a shield of energy formed above his head.
“Beware the trees!” He shouted and sixteen pairs of eyes looked up.
At that moment Hermes, in his persona as Mercury, exited the tunnel and half of the lions turned and sprang from concealment in his direction. The Tinies ran back into the dubious safety of the dark passage.
“If you have not already done so, now would be a good time to mentally perform the Aakas you expect to wield and add the Da Capos,” Jubal gave the reminder, while focusing Lock Joints at the lions that were in his direct line of sight.
Beams in the hue of Elusion’s green potential instantly struck four of the faux-felines in mid-jump. They hit the ground hard at the feet of Mercury, who needed that extra moment to react.
Victoria dropped, claws extended, onto the back of one lion, Bast and Ursa dove from the limb, using their wings to avoid the branches on the way down. They both conjured cushions of air just before impacting their prey, each pinning one of the brutes to the ground. It was a holding tactic at best, seeing as the Aakacarns cocooned within the forms would not have been injured, merely stunned and temporarily unable to move.
Jubal levitated straight up above the treetops and flew around and down, dropping below the canopy in a different angle, one that gave him a view of Ra, and also a lion engaging in a struggle with Mercury. The color filter added to the custom figurines given to each team member altered the hues of their potentials. Hermes had conjured a forward shield and the lion slammed into it. His normally blue-green energy field had a red tint. The faux feline sprang back to its feet and rather than pounce, it sent twin beams from its eyes. The pale yellow lights were distinctive, identifying the Aakacarn as surely as if the man stood in his true form. The blast from Apophis hit Mercury’s shield, which could not hold long against so powerful of a foe. The Bronze-trident had nine times more potential than the Jade.
An energy field, orange like the heart of a flame, enveloped Jubal, bringing him to a halt in mid-air. The momentary distraction had cost him and he was in the unyielding clutches of the immensely powerful Ra. The same projection point could be used to strike at the giant Nephilim, but the timing had to be right, one retaliatory strike that would end the fight, otherwise a battle of the titans would ensue with more opposing Aakacarns soon joining the struggle. People could die; a result to be avoided if it was at all possible.
Peripherally Jubal was aware of the struggles below him, including Bast and Ursa whose foes had gotten out from under them. He knew they were all exchanging words, but could not make out what they were saying to each other, no doubt taunts and boasts. He had his own problems; being levitated downward by one of the strongest Aakacarns in the world topped the list. In a fairly short amount of time Set would emerge from the tunnel with ten more Aakacarns. The situation was not getting better.
“I can only guess who you are in that guise,” Ra shouted as his captive drew closer to the ground. “In a few moments the need to guess will be gone, for mine is the superior potential.”
The self-assured man had not yet done away with his shield, even though his emerald-ring held Jubal. It would be a simp
le matter to eliminate the Da Capo but that would not get rid of the shield. The outer form of the persona was that of a hawk, the inner of Elusion, but deep inside the Instructor of Aakacarns was wearing his wedding ring. All things were not equal.
A shout from the right caught the attention. Mercury’s shield vanished, being overwhelmed, and the young man jumped out of the way just as two beams of light struck the ground upon which he had been standing. A pair of flames marked the spot.
“Your companions will soon be captured as well and your sick game of abduction will come to an end,” Ra taunted, while still lowering his opponent and finally doing away with the shield. “It is unlikely three heretofore obscure Aakacarns could master Metamorphosis, which means you possess specialized amulets, and the only two people capable of making those are the king and our Instructor; why would either of them help you steal people and for what purpose? Therefore, I know it is you, the infamous Elusion, who has stolen restricted figurines from your employer.”
The Judge’s conclusion aside, they were close enough and exactly where Jubal wanted to be. He focused one of his newest Aakas, Easing the Pain, sending it forth in a hawk-shaped beam, powered by thirty-six times the capability of a One-bolt, and far greater than the single bolt of potential maintaining the Aaka within Ra’s piece of finger jewelry. Bright green light flared against the angry orange and the true contest of wills and capacities began in full. Invisible harmonic waves rippled outward and could no doubt be felt by every living thing within a hundred spans. At that moment, no one in Semidon could fail to notice powerful Melodies were being wielded. Animals were scrambling in all directions and birds of all sorts took to the air in an attempt to escape the horrifying surges of power.
“No, it cannot be!” Ra protested, ring-fist shaking and eyes widening in unbelief.
Five, four, three, two, one, the emerald shattered, the captive dropped freely to the ground, and the judge quickly reached into his robe for a baton. He managed to draw it half way before Jubal’s Melody struck and then the mighty Nephilim, ten feet tall, and highly ranked among the Aakacarns, dropped to the ground incapable of doing more than breathe.
Dawn Of The Aakacarns Page 45
