03 Reckoning - Guardian

by Laury Falter

  Then I realized what I was watching. Eran, an expert strategist, had taken the time to locate the rooms of each Alterum we had preselected to be on our team.

  They’d been given no notice, had been given no option to decline, and yet as they each stepped out of their doors, they were attentive and ready.

  They’d been trained well.

  What impressed me more was that these peaceful beings that had never picked up a weapon in offense before had emerged in their full fighting gear, without ever having to be told to prepare for the worst.

  As they emerged, one stark detail about their assemblage stood out.

  Not a single Alterum looked the same.

  Unlike a typical military in which troops were issued the same clothing and weaponry, this group of fighters had selected the clothes and weapons that best fit their abilities and style of fighting. They were their own unique army.

  Eran gathered them together and explained hastily, “Fallen Ones are attacking. Do not engage them unless they engage you first. Your primary goal is to keep Magdalene safe.”

  The Alterums glanced down the hall in unison as I stood at the end of it feeling very much like a doll on display.

  Refusing to be a helpless damsel in distress, I withdrew my sword, enjoying the grating sound of its metal edge sliding along its sheath. “You won’t be alone.”

  Eran’s gorgeous face lifted in a half-smile. “And keep her out of trouble.”

  With that, he ran back towards me, kissed me passionate but quick, and disappeared down the corridor towards the courtyard.

  I looked back at the Alterums standing in a huddle in the middle of the hallway. They looked unsure of themselves now and I couldn’t blame them. But they were the least of my troubles. Right now, we had our enemies to handle.

  The hair on the back of my neck picked up again, intensifying, and without thought to it I spun around and ran in the direction opposite Eran. Only a few steps down the corridor I heard the Alterums racing up behind me.

  None of them bothered to ask where we were going. It didn’t seem to matter much to them. They had their order and were going to follow it no matter where it led them.

  It led them, or really my radar led us, to the northwest side, where a short hallway jaunted off from the main one.

  My radar flared again, my hair at the back of my neck standing taut and remaining straight to the tips now, and I knew Fallen Ones were close.

  I’d never used my radar as a compass before, having never actually wanted to intentionally find Fallen Ones before a few weeks ago. At this very moment though, it was a technique, an ability which I appreciated.

  I halted at the opening to the hallway with the Alterums so close behind me I could feel the breath of one brushing against my hair. It had been coming quickly, but slowing now and I knew he was trying to control his nerves.

  Only two doors led to rooms off the hallway here. They were staggered so I stepped up to the first and waited.

  The sensation on my neck didn’t change.

  Stepping up the second, I stopped again.

  This time, my radar responded.

  I gestured to the Alterums, signaling I would be going through the door.

  A few promptly shook their heads in grave disagreement. I ignored them and opened the door.

  There, inside the small room that served as storage, a Fallen One stood and another was coming in from a window above.

  My weapon readied, I engaged the first and quickly ended its life. The second, realizing I was in the room, quickened his entry but by the time he reached the ground I was already waiting, standing over his partner’s body.

  This one was a more skilled fighter and harder to fall. The Alterums, by that point, had invaded the room and without much space in it to begin with the area rapidly became crowded. This didn’t bode well for anyone, least of all the Fallen One.

  Although I was the closest to him, I got in only a few abrupt maneuvers before an Alterum’s weapon came around the side of me, a movement that didn’t require a lunge because of our proximity.

  The weapon, used mainly for battering, worked as it should and with another few swift snaps, the Fallen One collapsed against the wall and slid to the ground.

  The Alterums immediately began placing hands on their colleagues, offering congratulations, but I couldn’t do the same.

  Even after delivering the final strike to the Fallen One, sending it to perpetual death, I knew our job wasn’t finished.

  Slipping through the group, I made it to the hallway and out to the main corridor, awaiting another reaction at the back of my neck, in essence, listening to my radar.

  I was then racing down the corridor again towards the south side of the fortress, heavy footsteps behind telling me the Alterums were following.

  The remainder of the fortress was awake now and scattering about in frenzy. All of them carried weapons but were finding no enemies to use them on.

  This stood out as strange to me but I had no time to assess what was happening. I was following my compass to the next intruders.

  We made it to an empty chamber just as three Fallen Ones breached the balcony. Two of them rubbed their arms as if they were trying to soothe away goose bumps but I knew that wasn’t the reason for it. They were trying to calm the affects of their radar, one that had surely spiked in reaction to me being so near. The third one was forgoing his pain to focus on something else entirely, an initiative that actually made me pause.

  He was crouched in front of the door, fingers moving rapidly around the dead bolt.

  “He’s picking the lock,” I whispered to myself.

  “He’s what?” Christianson stood beside me, just as confused. “Why would he…?”

  Fallen Ones were rarely delicate about their intrusions against Alterums, typically destroying everything in their path. These ones, however, were quiet and precise in their entry of the Alterum headquarters.

  Again, I was stumped.

  Then the door was opened and I had no time to ponder it. Weapons began clashing as quickly as they entered.

  We met the small but volatile force head on and the Alterums, despite being significantly less prepared than their enemies, responded with amazing speed and accuracy.

  The time in the courtyard was paying off.

  Because of this, the fight was relatively brief. I finished off the maimed Fallen Ones and we moved on to the next intrusion.

  Following my radar again, it ushered us below ground, to the assembly chamber where the door was slightly ajar. I pulled it open just enough to find a hole had been dug out from the ceiling near the far corner. From it, Fallen Ones were filtering into the room.

  I saw them just as they saw me, our radar preventing any of us from a stealth advance. They immediately plunged towards the door, which I shoved open to face them.

  The Alterums flooded in, immediately engaging the Fallen Ones. Weapons clashed, grunts resounded off the chamber walls, blood fell in streaks from the air.

  As was their intention, they came at me, but the Alterums fought efficiently, stopping them and one by one rendering each incapacitated.

  I flew to the head of the tunnel, waiting for the next onslaught as the room quieted. The remaining Alterums surrounded the opening, encircling it but remaining out of sight.

  Only one sound could be heard from the tunnel then…

  A pair of wings flapping hard towards us.

  My weapon readied, I waited until it was at the opening and at the first sign of movement brought my sword down.

  It was halted midway through the movement, coming to a stop against Christianson’s own weapon. My eyes wide, I gave him a quick, furious look.

  But he wasn’t paying me any attention. He was looking at the one who’d just come through the tunnel.

  “Colonel,” he said firmly with a courteous nod and then casually moved away from the tunnel’s opening.

  It was not the kind of reaction I was expecting.

  I’d
already swiveled my head towards the intruder and found Eran smirking back at me.

  “Magdalene,” he said with a critical lift of his eyebrows. “Why am I not surprised to find you here?”

  My anger had now been replaced with shame.

  I opened my mouth to explain but realized there was no good reason for me to have engaged in the dangers of defense.

  He sighed. “We’ll talk later. Your work here isn’t finished.”

  He dropped down to the writhing Fallen Ones scattering the floor at such a relaxed speed I was about to ask whether these were the last of our attackers.

  Then I realized I already knew the answer. My radar was subsiding, almost entirely at this point because the only Fallen Ones remaining alive in our general area were here, a few feet away, and they were debilitated.

  I went about sending them to their eternal death, mindful of my task but remaining intrigued at this new found realization. Eran watched over me, angry with me but diligent in his responsibilities.

  When the last Fallen One was gone, an Alterum who was still the age of a teenager strode from the room with the confidence of an adult. And then something entirely unexpected took place.

  From outside the assembly room, a rhythmic pounding began slowly at first and then it beat louder and stronger and faster. The walls began to shake and the floor started to vibrate, even the air pulsed with the intensity of it.

  Only a handful of us were left in the assembly room but we collected at the door’s opening, filling it entirely. Outside, lining the walls, stood the Alterums. Again they were bloodied from battle, their faces darkened from sweat and dirt. They had congregated like this once before – after the first attack – and had stood quietly in respectful tribute to us.

  This time…they let their emotions free, banging hard against the walls, stomping their feet, and shouting when the thrill of it became too much to contain.

  As we left the assembly room and walked through the line, Rufus clapped the hands of those we passed while Felix pumped his hand in the air. The rest of us walked on in quiet amazement.

  Their reaction to overcoming the Fallen Ones had changed, metamorphosed from subdued respect to a vibrant, provocative display of glory.

  Eran and I met eyes just once and I knew we were both thinking the very same thought…the Alterums had become warriors.

  The emotion raged until we reached Ms. Barrett’s office, where Eran had led us. They then dispersed with hollers to continue their celebration in the dining hall.

  Inside the office, as the shouts died down outside, we took a position either seated or standing off to the side. Campion stayed at Eran’s side as he moved towards the desk. Ezra sat in the sofa chair by the window with Rufus on one side and Felix tilted against the arm rest on the other. Evelyn stood at the door, stepping aside as Ms. Beedinwigg, Mr. Hamilton, and Alfred entered the room in a rush.

  When they found us casually recovering, Ms. Beedinwigg looked directly at me. “I gather everyone here is fine.”

  I nodded confirmation and she took a seat beside Evelyn at the table in the middle of the room, only then allowing herself to breathe a sigh of relief.

  As I stood beside the window, surveying the courtyard, one thing stood out to me. There were no dead bodies. I was shocked to find it empty.

  “Where did the bodies go?” I mused under my breath, knowing well they couldn’t have been cleaned up that quickly.

  Eran was busy searching a row of maps folded over wooden bars next to Ms. Barrett’s desk.

  “Here,” said Ms. Barrett. She crossed the room and pulled up a map to lay it on the table.

  Eran surveyed it briefly. “How did you know this was what I was looking for?” he asked, both puzzled and impressed.

  “It’s what I’d be seeking,” she answered plainly with a shrug before retreating back to the corner of her office.

  I watched her only then realizing that she had completely given up her position of power, all in an effort to help save her fellow Alterums. It was a stunning demonstration of affection.

  “What are you looking at?” asked Felix, elongating his neck towards the map so he didn’t need to move any closer.

  The oversized piece of paper that had yellowed slightly around the edges was now laid flat across the table. It was otherwise in near perfect condition.

  Eran reviewed it quietly, his face tight in concentration.

  I moved to stand over it, to see what Eran was assessing, and then Campion said the thing that I knew was on everyone’s minds.

  “They came from the air…across the ground…in varying numbers of groups…” muttered Campion.

  “And they did it soundlessly,” Ezra added.

  “What was their strategy?” asked Ms. Beedinwigg, perplexed.

  “Quiet infiltration,” Felix offered.

  “Rogue attackers?” suggested Evelyn.

  Rufus shrugged. “Ehh, the blokes were just unprepared fer our might.”

  “They were looking for flaws.” Eran surmised without bothering to look up.

  “Yes.” I sucked in a breath. “Abaddon sent groups of them with different instructions to breach our perimeter and of those who didn’t return would tell him which ones were unsuccessful.”

  “But…I think we got them all,” said Ms. Barrett almost inaudibly.

  “We did,” Eran stated with absolute certainty. “And that will answer his other question.”

  “How secure we really are,” Ezra deduced.

  “Exactly,” said Eran. “And now that they know this about us, they’ll formulate their final plan of attack.”

  Instantly, my muscles tightened in response to that assessment. “Then we need to strike first.”

  Eran sighed, his eyes still searching the map. “But where?”

  I sought answers from the same piece of paper he was standing over. It was a map of the world, without detail to tell us of possible hideouts. Still, it clarified one thing: we knew too little about their hideout to deduce where to find it.

  “Then we pick them apart, one by one,” I stated, angry motivation surging through me. “We hunt them before they attack us.”

  Eran finally lifted his head to silently consider my implication. Finally, after considerable thought, he nodded in agreement.

  “And we start tonight,” I said, already heading for the dining hall.

  There, I would find the Alterums who, without having to use words, had conveyed their willingness to battle Fallen Ones.

  I only hoped their adrenaline still raged through them…and that they were ready for a few more fights.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: PUZZLE

  The nights that followed the Fallen One’s latest invasion were demanding.

  Waiting until nightfall, when we could be assured our flight out of the fortress and across the country would go unseen, was the greatest challenge to my patience. Although I understood it was necessary. One or two in daylight may escape notice but twenty of us in a cluster flying through the sky would be visible and precarious.

  When the sun had sunk low enough to darken the horizon, we gathered in the courtyard, collectively discussed the night’s raids and any known dangers associated with it – besides of course the inevitable encounter and slaughter of a Fallen One.

  We eliminated three, sometimes four, a night, gradually becoming a stronger, more cohesive unit.

  The Alterums, who had come so far in such a short period of time, stood more confident with each passing night, growing convinced that they were capable of defending themselves against their enemies, even within their enemy’s domain. Gradually, they became comfortable enough in their own skin that banter became an inevitable part of the nightly routine.

  Our team included Alterums from both Rufus and Felix’s pasts, giving us a colorful spectrum of personalities. It wasn’t rare to find one of them rousting another with a typical night starting with something similar to:

  “You sure you can handle that bow and arrow?”

 
; “I don’t know. Why don’t you run out a few yards and we’ll test it out.”

  These were often followed by loud whoops and hollers until another series of playful insults were tossed around.

  Eran would then collect their attention to leave, wings would snap out in unison and we’d take to the air, a layer of restlessness settling over us then. We would fly low over the channel towards Europe until we came across land, rising high then so that we were obscured from sight by clouds or distance. Then, either Gershom would locate a Fallen One or, if we were close enough to one, I would feel it. The raid would then begin, pausing intermittently until we found the next one, and ending just before the horizon began to brighten with the morning sun. We would then return and recover for the next night’s raid.

  It was Gershom who controlled the direction we took on these hunts, having the supernormal ability to track others better than anyone I’d ever known. In honesty, it was a source of frustration for me at times as I did my best to direct us. An ulterior motive drove me, one that I kept to myself until one night when we came across the residence of one particular Fallen One.

  Then everything changed.

  It was the last raid of the night with five enemies annihilated in just a few hours. Conversation was sparse as we flew over Austria, nursing the few wounds we’d suffered from the night’s brawls.

  Something odd stood out to me, weighing heavily on my subconscious, but I couldn’t put it in to words. In fact, it was Eran who acknowledged it.

  “Do you notice that we’re encountering fewer Fallen Ones,” he asked above the wind. “Every night we’re finding one or two less than the night before.”

  I nodded vehemently then, asserting I’d recognized it too.

  “Possibly we’ve executed the rest of those in this area,” Campion suggested.

  “No…” Eran shook his head. “We’ve continually pushed the boundary south each night.”

  “Maybe we’ve found a natural gap…where none of ‘em live,” Christianson called out from the far end of the flank.