Dark Rain: Book 1 of The Aetherium Saga

by Jilly MacKenzie

  After a brief time airborne, Marduk arrived at his destination, and touched down on a flat green lawn amid the arching stony ruins of an abbey. Finchale Priory, or as Marduk knew it, Finchale Hermitage.

  ‘This is very different,’ he stated, looking about in surprise, ‘Very different.’

  ‘Let me guess,’ Anubis quipped, motioning to the high stone remnants of the monastic compound, ‘This is all new?’ Marduk walked around the lawn, looking upon the craggy ruins, as if finding his bearings amid the unfamiliar surroundings.

  ‘This place was once a simple hermitage,’ his confusion and distress was clear on his face, ‘It’s been added to, a lot, after...’ He came to a sudden stop and gently dropped to his knees on the wet grass, ‘Godric, what are you doing back here, old friend?’

  Anubis moved closer, and saw a small white stone cross embedded flat into the grassy earth. She had heard Godric’s name occasionally whispered in Marduk’s thoughts, and sometimes escaping his lips from time to time. And she had always felt a nostalgic sadness associated with it, that she did not feel right in ever prying further.

  ‘You’d be surprised at me,’ he spoke softly to the cross on the ground, ‘I found my path. You always said I would someday.’ Marduk’s perfect face remained solemn, and Anubis snaked her arms around one of his, in an attempt to silently comfort him.

  Marduk smiled, ‘He was a man of God. A true saint, in every aspect of the word. His deep empathy not only encompassed people, but beyond. He showed kindness and mercy, for all life.’ He brushed his fingers over the stone cross. ‘We had many adventures together. Spanning many years, and many countries. He showed me the world through open eyes,’ and Marduk met Anubis’ sympathetic gaze.

  ‘He saved me. Like you did,’ he revealed, holding her chin affectionately. ‘He baptised me in this very river,’ he gestured behind him, to where the coursing River Wear curved around the ruin.

  ‘Godric redeemed my spirit,’ he continued, ‘And you later rekindled my will, and stole my heart.’

  A wide smile spread over Anubis’ pale face, and she nestled into his warm neck, smelling the sweet earthy aroma of petrichor on his skin. She was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of humbleness. The old powerful being before her, more ancient than she could comprehend, was indebted to humans for his renewed strength of will and purpose. She and Godric, two mere mortals, separated by almost one thousand years, both played a part in Marduk’s redemption. Raising him up from his life of perdition.

  Anubis reached forward and touched the cross marking Godric’s tomb below.

  ‘Hello Godric,’ she whispered affectionately, and a tear rolled down her cheek as she mentally thanked him for delivering Marduk to her. For helping him onto the path which lead to her. Which lead him to be sat in Merlin’s Cave in 2053, while she was finding cockle shells just outside of it.

  Marduk kissed her head then stood. Anubis followed suit as he began to make his way through the ruins.

  He was a great man, Anubis whispered.

  One of the best, Marduk agreed as he exited the ruins and stood in an expanse of flat, soggy ground.

  ‘An underground entrance once stood here,’ he spread his arms out, eyes closed, as if feeling energy from below. ‘Stand back,’ he cautioned, and Anubis backed up a few paces.

  Marduk’s arms dipped down, and then strained upwards in a scooping motion. His arms were tensed and trembling against an unseen force, and then Anubis felt the ground begin to shake. She braced herself against a wall of the ruins, and watched on in awe, as Marduk shifted the earth before him, revealing a dark hole.

  When all had settled, Marduk peered down into the dark, ‘Something’s wrong,’ he muttered, then he descended down into the hole, illuminating his blinding blue eyes as a light source. Anubis approached the hole with caution, and from his dim blue glow, she realised that Marduk had excavated a steep stone staircase.

  His blue glow faded as he went deeper down into the underground passage, and Anubis became suddenly aware that she was alone on the surface. She warily looked about herself, and in her fear, the sounds of the night seemed to become a few decibels louder. Her body tensed in readiness as something scuffled in the pitch black woods behind her. She turned to face the expected enemy, when a little red fox emerged, and meekly trotted up the grassy hill, disappearing over the crest.

  Are you alright? he asked, feeling her small fright.

  Yes, a fox, she laughed.

  His blue light had almost disappeared, and Anubis tentatively followed it before it vanished completely.

  The uncovered stone steps were slippery with wet mud, and she almost lost her footing a few times as she descended into the dark pit. She finally reached the bottom, and the smell of damp earth was potent.

  ‘Marduk?’ she called into the dark passageway ahead, and she heard a few muffled grumbles, and continued pursuing the faint blue light. The passageway widened and the muddy flagstone flooring became cleaner, as she moved further away from the entrance, where an earthy collapse must have taken place sometime in the past. The stone tunnel featured many alcoves, in which decorative boxes, trinkets, and other artefacts stood, untouched for several hundred years.

  She rounded a corner and found Marduk stood within a round room. Brightly illuminated in with his eyes, flickering ever so often as he blinked. He was gently caressing the surface of an ornate marble table with a troubled expression.

  ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ her voice echoed in the circular room, and she stepped closer. She then realised that Marduk was gently brushing his fingers within clean areas on the table. Three debris-free areas where objects had once lain.

  ‘Somebody has taken them... they’re gone,’ Marduk grieved, concentrating on the bare patches.

  Anubis studied the areas closer, and there was no mistaking their starkly obvious shapes. A large slender sword, slightly curved, once lay upon the table. Along with an exquisitely shaped bow and its quiver of arrows.

  ‘Oh Marduk!’ gasped Anubis in horror, ‘Who?’

  He shook his head, resignedly, ‘Whoever it was, they have masked their aether presence well. I cannot identify any traces at all.’

  ‘A human perhaps?’ She suggested.

  ‘No, I would be able to sense human presence here easily. There have been no humans down in these passages in a long time,’ Marduk explained, stepping back from the empty pedestal, frowning worriedly.

  ‘If I was connected to the universal aether. If I were a full power Anuna. I would be able to detect at least the slightest trace of the thief’s aether,’ he explained sullenly, shaking his head slowly.

  ‘The thief knew this…’ he narrowed his eyes in realisation, ‘They knew that I would not be able to identify them,’ Marduk concluded with dismay, ‘The thief is somebody I know…’

  ‘Let’s get somebody else down here! Nanaya, Nergal, or Horus,’ Anubis proposed, ‘They could pick up a trace.’

  ‘Yes…’ he agreed in a distant voice. ‘Clever thief. By recovering the entrance they made me believe nothing was out of the ordinary. Making me waste time in proceeding on in here... I couldn’t sense my weapons as I uncovered the earth, but I didn’t trust my weakened senses… It’s as if they knew I would doubt myself and continue… They’ve taken my weapons, and wasted my time,’ he yelled in anger, ‘I need to get back to Nibiru as soon as possible. Nothing good can come of this.’

  Chapter 47

  Convergence

  It was late when Deacon prepared to leave Lundy, and his armed escort of two had his skycraft ready to depart. He had watched in awe as Marduk had whisked Anubis away into the furious thunderstorm above. Lightning had silhouetted Marduk’s winged form; raven black. It was an image that Deacon would never forget. Incredible how the origin of Lucifer loves a human. Long ago, that kind of union was taboo. Creator species and slave species. A sin without a name. Utterly incredible, he pondered in fascination.

  With everybody else heading to bed, Lenore sought Deacon o
ut to wish her mentor farewell, finding him looking out of one of the great foyer windows. His hump seemed higher with the way he was hunched at the window.

  He heard her approach, and straightened, turning to face her, with a small smile. She had become accustomed to having his wise watchful face around. And his soothing voice of reason had always put her mind at ease, every time she had needed it. He looked at her expectantly, all gentle face and knowing green eyes.

  ‘I was born with it,’ he softly stated, as if reading her mind, or perhaps, because he was leaving and just wanted her to know, in person. She smiled sympathetically in response, ‘Your parents... they didn’t...?’

  ‘Want me dead?’ he assumed with a grin, ‘No,’ he laughed. ‘My parents thought absolutely nothing of it. Some say I should be thankful of that. But I strive for a world where children shouldn’t have to be thankful that their parents decided not to have them killed. Or locked up.’

  ‘But you still stay hidden from the world. Even your own colleagues. I mean, even I’ve only just met you,’ she pondered.

  ‘A precaution I’ve had to take my whole life,’ he began, ‘Even friends can sell you out for the right price. A flaw in human nature, unfortunately.’

  Lenore nodded, ‘The IGS would have you killed or put in an institution...’

  ‘Yes. The thought of me free in the world,’ he paused and smirked, ‘stooping around in their perfect gene pool… I’m an affront to everything they have worked to achieve. And to put even more salt in their potential wound… I’m Administrator of ECIT,’ he released a low chuckle, and Lenore laughed with him. She hadn’t realised it before, but Deacon was right. ECIT works to take down The IGS, and bring about a new, inclusive, world. What better candidate to lead ECIT would there be? He’s a survivor, and a fighter, in his own right.

  ‘A cosmic coincidence perhaps,’ she mused, and he chuckled at her usage of his own expression.

  ‘Oh, before I forget,’ Lenore handed him a wad of papers. ‘Axel’s Drakestoke records. They may come in useful, to both ECIT and the Saboteurs.’

  ‘They will indeed,’ he took them from her with an interested expression, and they shared a knowing smile of understanding, before he finally turned to leave.

  ‘Administrator!’ she called, holding her hand outstretched, and turned to face her and took her hand warmly in both of his.

  ‘Goodbye, Lenore. I have faith in you, but you must have faith in yourself.’ And then he departed. The jets of warm air blew Lenore’s hair wildly, as she watched the black ECIT skycraft pull up and speed off into the dark. She had always felt feelings for Deacon, growing attached to his comforting voice through all the hard years of ECIT training. And after finally meeting him, and seeing his handsome chiselled face, and intelligent green eyes, she had felt the sensation of completeness. Though seeing him leave was unexpectedly easy. Lenore felt sad, and exposed, as if a warm blanket had been ripped from her, but she did not pine for him in the way she thought she would. If it is not love, then what? Why do I dote on him so, but have no desire for him romantically?

  She went back inside the mansion and settled on the library floor, by the fireplace. She always enjoyed the oddly comfortable sensation of the warmth of being inside while it rained outside.

  Quite some time had passed, before the manor door opened and closed. And lured by the light from the library, Anubis entered with Marduk. They were soaking wet from the rain, which darkened their hair, making their skin seem pure white in comparison; like a pair of drowned ghosts. Their faces were stoic. More than usual.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Lenore quizzed, bracing herself for bad news.

  ‘I got there too late. My weapons have been taken by another Anuna,’ Marduk explained, disappointment evident in his voice.

  ‘Friendly?’ Lenore hoped.

  ‘Unlikely. They concealed their presence entirely,’ Marduk divulged bitterly, and Lenore exhaled a tensed sigh of apprehension.

  ‘Shit,’ she whispered to the fire, ‘What level of danger are we talking about here?’

  Marduk shrugged, ‘The weapons are mine. Bonded to me to the atomic level. Unless I willingly bestow the weapons unto the thief, they will never emit their full power. Currently, it is just a highly durable sword and bow, in their hands.’

  ‘But still able to kill, like a normal sword and bow?’ Lenore groaned.

  ‘Yes. Even Anunnaki can die to their unpowered strike,’ he revealed anxiously.

  There was a pause, until Anubis wrung out the rain from her long damp hair, causing a stream of water to hit the Persian rug. ‘Well, I’ve had enough of summits and disappointments for one day. Night, Lenore,’ Anubis announced.

  ‘Night,’ laughed Lenore.

  ‘I will let you know what I find, after meeting with my kin,’ Marduk assured Lenore, before leaving to follow Anubis. Lenore listened to their soggy footsteps disappear out of earshot, and gazed into the dancing flames as irritation soon took hold of her thoughts. Just when I was beginning to feel like we were getting ahead of the race. Then this... We finally felt hopeful, ready, and prepared for the apocalypse. Now a set of the most powerful weapons in existence have been stolen. By god knows who... oh wait... even a god doesn’t bloody know who. Two steps forward, three steps back. That’s what this feels like... I wish Deacon were still here. He’d know just what to say to put me at ease.

  Lenore wasn’t alone to her hopeless thoughts for long. As if sensing her despair, the library door opened, and Finn entered, wrapped in a quilted throw which he’d dragged off his bed. His messy dark blonde hair seemed even fluffier when he’d just woken up.

  ‘Any news from the interspecies couple?’ he began, then feigned surprise, ‘Whoa! Not happy to see me?’ he proclaimed as he shut the door behind himself. Lenore realised too late that she had been wearing a hostile scowl while watching him enter, and she immediately relaxed her face with an apologetic smile.

  ‘No...’ she moaned, ‘I mean yes! But, I…’

  Finn laughed and joined her on the rug, in front of the crackling fire.

  ‘Alright, what is it?’ he probed hugging his quilt around him tightly.

  ‘No weapons,’ Lenore threw her arms out theatrically in irritation, ‘They've recently been stolen, by, most likely, a Tiamatian,’ she shrugged.

  ‘Dammit,’ groaned Finn, ‘What’s Marduk think?’

  ‘He’s more bummed out than we are. He’s going to get help from his friends in trying to track the thief,’ she explained and let out a grumbling sigh.

  ‘Relax,’ Finn chuckled, ‘Everybody is doing their bit. You’re not alone in any of this. This new problem isn’t yours alone.’

  ‘I’m just so sick and tired of this rollercoaster. It feels like we’re making no progress. Every time we make a plan, it just goes to shit! Drakestoke mission... shit. Escape from Blois... shit. Increase our arsenal against the Tiamatians... shit.’

  ‘Hey! Ambassador Falkirk,’ Finn sternly began, ‘You think you got that title for failing? Nope! You got it for persevering and getting through all of that shit that was thrown your way.’ Lenore continued staring at the fire, nonchalant, despite the fact that Finns words were exactly what was needing and it was making her heart swell with delight.

  ‘Drakestoke is on the IGS’s conscience, not yours. I agree wholeheartedly with the Axel abandonment thing, and so does Axel. He wouldn’t be with the Saboteurs if that didn’t happen. Though... we wouldn’t have met Wyatt, which would probably be a good thing...’ Lenore burst out laughing, instantly alleviating her worries. Though, more than that, she realised she did not need to rely on Deacon to console her. She had Finn. Where Deacon’s words calmed her and filled her with pride, Finn’s words soothed her, and more than anything, made her smile. And in most instances, laugh. Seeing her happy was Finn’s utmost priority.

  I’ve always had Finn, she realised, I’m so stupid I never realised it until now. He’s been by my side, ever since Drakestoke. He’s been through more with me than
Deacon ever has. Finn has always had my back, in every decision I’ve made. And I’ve had Deacon confused recently, thinking I view him only one way - romantically. When actually, I view him as a mentor. The father I’ve never had, the voice of reason, and a guiding hand. That’s what he has always been to me. Reinforced by how I felt when he left tonight.

  Finn, on the other hand... she looked at him, wrapped in his blanket like a fluffy-haired sausage roll.

  ‘What?’ he laughed uncomfortably.

  Oh Finn. By my side again. Like you always are. Loyal and honest. And so patient. So, so patient...

  She looked deeply into his hazel eyes, his dark lashes framed them perfectly. His brows lowered in confusion, and his eyes flicked from side to side.

  ‘Lenore? What-

  ‘I didn’t forget, you know,’ she interjected, and a look of confusion spread on his boyish face.

  ‘Forget what?’ he puzzled, then realisation hit him and he chuckled, shyly looking down. I was sure she had forgotten, he pondered. Though everybody was suffering from intense hangovers the day after. And then having to attend the summit the day after that... We had never had a moment to ourselves, to talk about what happened.

  ‘Oh, yeah. Enigma... your room...’ he swallowed, smiling embarrassedly.

  ‘The kiss,’ she whispered, leaning close to his bewildered face, but Finn subtlety pulled away, grinning uneasily.

  ‘You were… very drunk,’ he murmured, eyeing her, his face heating up and becoming pink with bashfulness. She could have laughed at the way he was trying to lean away, hugging his blanket like a terrified, pink-faced human-roll. Why do I always get the feeling like I’m trying to corrupt him? she mused. He’s so shy... And why does that make me want him more?