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Display a printable version Entropy
Mason slowly stood up, keeping his head down to hide his smile. By the time he lifted his face to her, it was an appropriate visage of worry and concern. "I'm still your father." "You're nothing to me but a tool. You're my servant. Stop being so damned weak and leave me be. I've work to do." He paused. "All right. I need to go into the office and get some city business done if you're sure." She waved a dismissive hand at him and he nodded before slinking out of his own den to head to work. As soon as he was out of Vicki's sight, he straightened up and headed towards the other wing of the estate where he had moved the rest of the family while Vicki was here. Cecelia was the first person he found. "I need you to inform the rest of the family staying here that it's time they took a vacation from home. I don't care where they go but they shouldn't stay here. Things are about to get bad again." "How bad?" She asked. "Killing an avatar of a god bad - or die trying." Mason said. Cecelia nodded. "We'll be nearby if you need to pull on power from us." "Don't tell me where. The less I know, the less I can be forced to tell. In the meantime, I need to get to the office and deal with the mundane hell of city management." "What of her?" They both knew who she was talking about. "Leave her be. She's distracted. I want to keep her that way. I don't want her to know you all are leaving." Cecelia nodded again. She kissed Mason on the cheek. "Good luck." Meanwhile, Vicki fumed in anger and moaned in pain. Power was being drawn from her, stolen as if by a thief in the night. It felt like someone was pulling barbed wire through her abdomen. She had to put a stop to it. Pulling power from the gargoyles would help. She needed to get to Doctor Mercer's office. She called Sam, her high priest within the Children of Anu, and gave him instructions. *** "I see that your past will come back to both haunt and help you," the Gray Lady told Karen. "In fact, it will help all of us." Karen shook her head. "I don't understand." Although the Gray Lady frequently frustrated her, Karen was happy to see the Gray Lady's eyes clearing up. They still weren't the clear gray of stone they used to be. Yet. But they were no longer a muddy brown. "There are those in your past who seek to make amends. To do this, they will help us." The Grey Lady's face was marred by a frown. "It may come at a cost to them." "Who?" "That is not for me to say. Just know help is coming from unexpected quarters and it is important for you to accept it no matter what you feel at the time." Karen sighed. "Would you answer if I asked you how you knew all this?" "Would you answer any questions I had about the Master of the City?" "No. I guess not." She gave the Grey Lady a wry smile. "Thank you for your advice." "I do what I can. It is not as much as I wish it could be." "It's enough." "I must go. As well as I seem, I am barely what I used to be. The power is returning slowly and the usurper is fighting me." "Don't let us keep you." Karen and John watched as the Grey Lady faded from sight. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that." Karen said and turned to John. "Do you know what she's on about?" "My guess is that David is going to come through for us on things." "Which things?" John shrugged. "I don't know. I know he's trying to fight his own people to help us now." He did not continue with on with his own troubled thoughts on the ease in which David seemed to betray his own people in the name of what he considered 'good.'" She nodded. "Let's see how Susan's doing. I know how I feel about Sebastian. I can't imagine what she's going through." *** "There's a rock you want to steal from the spirit-ridden doctor. I get that part," Aaron said. "But, I don't get why you need me there. I'm not against stealing in an effort to deal with the spirit-ridden, but what am I supposed to do? I have talents but I'm not a thief." "You can see things, right? I don't know anything about this stone I want to take. I just know that it is very important to Vicki and to Doctor Mercer." He waited for more as David paused, seeming to consider his words. Finally, he prompted, "And?" David looked at him. "And, I'm pretty sure the stone is... magical... in some way. Vicki was inhaling something from it. I thought I saw something. I think. But, I don't really know what." He paused. "I don't really want to touch it. I think I need an expert in such matters." "Me." Aaron nodded, understanding more. "You." He looked at Aaron, his need naked in his eyes. He knew he was asking a lot from his former rival but, as circumstances allowed, Aaron was the only one he could trust with this and trust not to get hurt by it. "All right. I can do that. I can also do more. But, I need to be prepared. I need to get some stuff from the monastery." Aaron said. "What do we do with the stone once we have it?" "That's the hard part." Aaron looked at him without understanding. "We take it to Karen." David said quietly. "We give it to her. It's what my real boss wants. If she doesn't know what to do with it, the Master of the City will." *** Doctor Mercer stepped back from his office doorway after he opened it for Vicki. She looked like she was in a very foul mood. This made her dangerous to all around her. "Good evening." "Whatever." She said as she strode into the office. "I need in the safe." He watched her as he closed and locked the door. She had the look of a person rigidly holding themselves under control by willpower alone. This was fascinating. He had never seen Vicki like this. "Are you all right?" "Fine. Get me into that safe. Now!" She kept her back to him, one hand clenched and unclenched. He thought he saw a slight tremble in it as well. That would explain why she wanted him to open the safe when she could do it herself. "Of course. I meant no disrespect, Great One. I was merely inquiring as to your health." He sidled to the right of her, going around her to get to the wall safe. Her clenching hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat. She swung him around to slam him into the wall that the safe was hidden behind. She was very close to him, on her toes to get in his face. "If I ever have to tell you to do something twice again, I'll rip you right out of your host and eat you myself." Doctor Mercer's look of sudden confused terror froze his face for a brief moment. Then he calmed and went limp. "I'm sorry. I won't make that mistake again. Let me open the safe for you." When she let him go, he turned to the wall, opened the secret panel and unlocked the safe. He stood back from it without a word and turned away to look out the window in a polite gesture that was more for show than anything else. Vicki took the bag the gargoyle's kinstone was in, opened it and held the stone to her face. Instead of drawing the power from it in soft inhales of breath, Vicki opened her mouth and sucked as much of the stone's power down as she could at once. The power flowed into her, strengthening her and, for the moment, breaching the drain on her own power. She breathed a sigh of pure relief as the sharp stabbing pains receded to a dull ache that was almost imperceptible by comparison. "Better?" Doctor Mercer asked as he turned and watched her replace the kinstone within the safe. She nodded, in a much better humor now. "Better. But now, we've got work to do." "We?" "Yes, my good doctor. You've always wanted to see a cult at work. Tonight's your chance." *** John and Karen sat quietly in the back storage room in Kendrick's Museum of Art and History. They watched while Susan spoke quietly with Alexander and waited. Both of them knew what they would hear would not be good. "Be strong for her." Reginald said in her ear through her Bluetooth earpiece. "She will need to know that someone is still strong. I feel Alexander weakening. This attack on the gargoyles has taken a toll on me as well. They're partly of me and I of them." Karen gave a silent nod to Reginald, hoping he saw so she would not have to answer. Her eyes were on Susan as the museum curator turned back to Karen and John. Both John and Karen stood. "It's bad. The youngest of the gargoyles have dusted and almost all of the gargoyles are stone. There's only Alexander and a couple others. The eldest of them. We've gathered them all in the basement. It's their safe haven. I'll protect them and Bacchanalia will as well." "Only the kinstone will help?" John asked? Susan nodded. "That's got to be our main priority. That's got to be it." "What do we do when we get it?" "Release the power within it. Or break it to break to connection between it and the gargoyles." Karen said. Both John and Susan looked at her. "What? It's what the Grey Lady said I should do. Reg...the Master of the City concurs. So, that's what we do." "Are you sure?" Susan asked. "The Grey Lady also said she'd be able to help the gargoyles when we helped her at Beltane. I don't see her doing anything!" "Susan." John said. "Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't happening." "She's never lied to me." Karen said. John and Susan exchanged a look. "That I know of." Karen amended. "I've no reason not to trust her now and we put a lot of effort into bringing her back instead of focusing the ritual to protect the gargoyles. I've got to trust her. You're not the only one who will lose something dear... It's time to go back to the Makah and get them to help us find the stone. I've talked to Walks-the-Oceans and..." Karen did not get a chance to finish her sentence. There was a loud grinding noise in the back part of the large room where Alexander stood and Susan suddenly cried out, falling forward. John's quick reflexes caught Susan as she fell. "Alexander. Get me to Alexander!" Susan said. John carried her over to where Alexander stood in statue form. She reached a hand out and touched his arm. "He's still alive. Barely. He's holding on. I'm giving him what I can. I don't think I can live without him." She looked up at Karen and John. "You've got to help us. Please." "We will. I promise. Somehow, we will." Karen said. She made the promise not knowing how she was going to fulfill it - yet. She had to, though. Otherwise, she would lose her best friend as well as Sebastian. Not to mention the supernatural ally you have in Susan and through her the gargoyles. She shied away from that selfish thought and tried to focus on how to find the kinstone. "We should get you home." John said. "No!" I need to stay here with Alexander. Just. There's a cot in my office. Set it up next to him. I can't stand the thought of being away from him. Please." John and Karen looked at each other. Karen nodded. "I'll get it for you." *** David looked at his watch for the third time in two minutes. Once again he was in his generic all black outfit. This time he had night vision binoculars and had watched a bit of the exchange between Vicki and Doctor Mercer from the safety of the bushes behind the office building. It had surprised him when he saw the small teenager slam the man almost twice her size up against the wall with what seemed to be no effort at all. He sighed and looked around, wondering if Aaron had stood him up. As if in answer to his unspoken question, a voice to his immediate left said, "I'm right here." It was Aaron. "I said I wasn't a thief but I do have some talents." David made an effort to calm his rapidly beating heart. "You scared the crap out of me." "Well, you did the same by bringing me here to see that." Aaron gestured to the office building as Vicki and Doctor Mercer drove away in his car with a second car following them. "What'd you see?" David asked, curious if more had gone on between the doctor and the girl than he had seen. It had, of course, but Aaron did not speak to that. "It's a good thing you brought me. We'll have to help each other. You'll have to deal with the locks and alarms. I'll deal with everything else including hiding us." "From what." "Everything." Aaron eyes remained on the office building where random small spirits gathered, interested in the still spiritually glowing stone and the amount of power that had just been pulled to here through it. He pulled a short sword from his shoulder bag. "Let's go." *** In the back end of a refurbished warehouse, three dozen teenagers and young adults knelt in reverent prayer. Each worshipper wore a set of bull horns; either as part of a hat or sewn onto their clothing. Beyond that, their clothing and dress varied from homeless street kid to well-to-do but slumming "rough and tumble" weekend warrior. They chanted the names of their living god over and over. "Anu. Marduk. Enlil. Bel. Victoria." The object of their prayer was an altar and a throne. On the throne of wood and ivory sat their god in the form of a slender, teal-haired teenage girl. Despite the incongruousness of this image, no one doubted whom they worshiped. They could all feel the power emanating from her. The centerpiece of the altar was a set of bull's horns still attached to the top part of the animal's skull. Placed upright just before the skull and centered between the horns was an ancient spiked mace, still stained with its latest victim's blood. Around this centerpiece, on the altar, were a myriad of other brutal blunt weapons. All of them were also stained with the dark red-brown of dried blood. When the forward center person stood, the rest immediately fell silent. He was a man of medium build with long brown hair. He wore a crown with bull horns and heavy cloak of bull hide. He raised both hands in the air, his palms facing the throne. "Great god Anu! Father of Heaven, creator of the stars, lord of the constellations, king of gods, spirits and demons, your Children have not forgotten you. The Children will never forget you. Your humble servant, Samuel Ridgefield, has gathered your believers here on this night to beg of you a sign, a sigil, a vision. This is the year of your return, Great god Anu! Instruct us in your wisdom. Judge us worthy with this task. Tell us what we must do! We are your Children and your servants. Guide us in this holy year." The high priest of the Children of Anu stopped speaking aloud but continued his prayer and plea to Anu for instruction and blessing in his mind as did the rest of the congregation. They could all feel the presence of Anu growing within the body of the girl they once knew as the little sister of their former leader. They knew he was there, judging them, weighing them, finding them worthy or not. The next few moments would tell. Both he and she found them worthy. How could they not? Victoria stood in modern day warrior's garb in the form of a leather buckled corset and suede jeans. "Children of Anu. My children. My chosen ones. Listen and listen well. It is time to take this city as is our rightful due. Powers are amassing to block us. Now is the time for blood. Now is the time to gather our strength before we join the final battle. Remember your prayers. Remember your sacraments. Remember my blessings. The weak, the un-chosen, and the meek shall fall before us as wheat before the scythe. Blood shall feed me and through me, you. Feed me my Children. Feed me well!" Her congregation and worshippers cheered her as one with blunt weapons raised high. They knew what they were to do now. Now was the time of blood sacrifice and it would begin with the smallest of animals and work its way up to the holiest of them all - the human sacrifice. *** Elsewhere... David and Aaron stood back-to-back in the middle of the ruins of Doctor Mercer's office. With the alarm system disabled, what happened here would forever be a mystery. All David could see were things moving that didn't normally move on their own. It was like being in the movie Poltergeist and he did not like it. "David, I never had a chance to ask you..." Aaron struck out with his now glowing sword and struck true as an inhuman sound of pain could be heard in both worlds. "Are you religious?" "What? Yes?" He had tucked the bag with the magic stone in it inside his bulletproof vest at Aaron's insistence. His gun was out but he had not used it other than to knock away things flying at his head. "For real? Are you a real believer?" "What are you on about? We need to get out of here!" They moved closer to the door that had been barred by invisible creatures. "Just yes or no." Aaron shouted as a computer monitor, already broken, flew by his head. "Yes!" "Then pray. But don't do it if you don't really believe. But pray if you do. I'm going to try something." David spared a glance at Aaron and nodded. The first prayer to come to mind was the common 'Our Father' prayer. He began to recite it under his breath. Then, the prayer to Saint Michael came to mind and that one seemed to suit the situation much better. "Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." By the time he was finished with his first recitation of the prayer, the attacks had all but stopped. He paused and looked around. "Keep going." Aaron whispered. David looked back and saw Aaron, with his own head bowed, on one knee with his sword point planted in the carpet. He nodded, stepping close enough to Aaron to put a hand on the man's shoulder. He began again. This time, he did not stop with 'Our Father" and the prayer of Saint Michael. He added Psalm 23. This time, when he said "Amen." Aaron joined him. Then all was quiet. "What happened?" David asked. "A little help from a higher power." Aaron said. He nodded. "Alright. Let's get out of here before they come back." Aaron stood. There was a weariness to the motion. "They won't be coming back. I... we... sent them back where they belonged." Aaron looked him in the eye. "I think you and I have more to speak on once we finish dealing with Vicki and the Children of Anu." David nodded again. "Maybe. But we need to get this stone to Karen as soon as possible." Aaron smiled as they both limped out of the doctor's office. "This should be fun." "You haven't told her you're back, have you?" "No." "You have a very strange idea of fun."
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| Last updated on 6/15/2008 8:15:07 PM by Jennifer Brozek |
| Return to the Library. Go to Kendrick 2008. |
| Other documents at this level: 25 - Shades of Grey 26 - Broken 27 - Keystones 28 - Observations 29 - May Day 31 - The Past and Present Collide 32 - Absorption |
"I told you to stop hovering!" Vicki shoved Mason away from her. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps before tripping over his own feet and landing hard on his butt. "It's a woman thing! Something you could never understand. A cramp is a cramp. Now leave me the hell alone."