“Peri ..?” Derek whispered as she
stirred and winced.
Her eyes opened and she peered round
in the darkness. “Derek ..? Is that you?”
“I’m here,” he replied, his heart
squeezing with sympathy. “I’m so sorry
I did this to you.”
“Don’t be,” Merlin urged. “You didn’t do this.”
“I caused it to happen,” Derek
protested.
She moaned, trying to bite it back and
failing. “It hurts. Oh, God, it hurts …”
“Hold on. We’re doing everything we can.
I wish I could hold you, show how much I care.”
“I wouldn’t. I know you care. Somehow,
Aquila will know too so I’ll take that with me.” She dragged in a shallow breath.
“I told Nick maybe I could last a couple of days. I think I overestimated.”
“How long do you have left? Do you know?”
“Not exactly .. but I guess less than
an hour. To be blunt, however long it
is, it’s too long. I’m ready to die
right now.”
“Don’t,” he said. “You must fight to
live, Peri. You’ve always been a
warrior. It isn’t over yet and it’s an
old cliché but it’s still true – while there’s life, there is hope.”
She nodded and closed her eyes again.
“I’ll stay with you, for as long as I
can,” Derek whispered. “I promise.”
*****
Randolph went to the library but he
went via the foyer so he could collect the Eye of Thoth. He ignored the false wall and the control
room beyond because he knew he couldn’t get in. He went to the section in one alcove where the books on
demonology were kept. A sane man, even
a desperate, sane man, a man driven to take incredible chances, would have
known this was madness. But Randolph’s
mind stood alone on that icy, windswept plateau of extreme sanity, where
nothing mattered except winning. Not
even the prize won mattered. Just the
act of winning. Any risk was
acceptable, even desirable, so long as he won and stamped even the memory of
Derek Rayne into the deep dust of history.
The shadow streamed behind him, long
to infinity, rich, thick, as black as the heart of Satan himself. The light which cast this shadow was the
burning brightness of vengeance, all encompassing, all devouring. It consumed his soul and the last remaining
dregs of whatever humanity remained.
He found the book he wanted, right
there, on the topmost shelf, wedged tightly into the corner. He took it to the table and opened it but he
didn’t sit down. He wouldn’t be there
long enough to warrant getting comfortable.
*****
Nick was anxious, and not because of
Randolph Hitchcock and his little scheme to get back at Derek. That was just a day on the job, it was an
interruption, something to deal with so life could go on. He was anxious about Merlin. But there was nothing he could do for her,
not yet. That would come later, once
Hitchcock was history.
He glanced into the dining room. “He’s gone.”
William
frowned sharply. “The question is – ”
“Where’s he gone?” Alex concluded.
“No.
Why has he gone?” William
corrected. “If we can answer why, we’ll
know where.”
“Okay, the plan’s changed. He’s given up on us doing his dirty work for
him,” Nick reasoned. “Maybe we weren’t
doing it quick enough for his liking.”
“He’s gone to kill Derek himself,”
Alex ventured. “So .. he’s in the
attic.”
Rachel shook her head. “That’s too simple for a mind like his. The outcome isn’t guaranteed. Even if he ordered Derek to stand still and
be murdered, the survival instinct is the strongest compulsion we have. We’ll do incredibly brave, even stupid
things if it means we could survive a few seconds longer. People who jump from the twentieth floor of
a burning building,” she quickly explained.
“A compulsion which can drive someone to do that could be enough to
break the enchantment. Thus the
necessary outcome isn’t guaranteed. Not
enough control. And look at his plan to
get him in here. It’s intricate. Complex.
It loops round to cover itself.”
“Then why has he gone?” Alex inquired.
“The room’s been cleared. That means Hugh, or Richard, is downstairs,”
Nick remarked.
“And Randolph was left here alone,”
Rachel said slowly.
“I say we go down, take out the
butler,” Nick said. “It’s one less
danger we have to face.”
“Wait,” Rachel said, catching his
arm. “Rushing into anything would be a
big mistake. It could get us all
killed. We need to think just as deeply
as Hitchcock. We need to plan as
intricately as him.”
As one, they looked to William.
“I’m flattered by your sudden faith in
me,” he remarked. “Alas, I feel it is
unjustified. I’m not sane in the same
way he is. I only have the regular
brand.”
“Can we count on you for advice?” Nick
inquired.
“As I want to be free as much as you
do, and I want this situation resolved, and as I hate being used by others ..
of course.”
“He was in here, alone,” Rachel
said. “Sitting here. At the head of the table.”
“How d’you know?” Alex frowned.
“Because it’s Derek’s place,” she
replied. “His revenge wouldn’t be
complete unless he has everything.
Okay, he sat here. Alone. The room’s been cleared. The house is quiet. His thoughts would turn inward. If there’s no one around to listen to, we
listen to ourselves. And Hitchcock’s
inner voice, or voices, would have fed his hunger and his thirst for
vengeance. Maybe, for a while – an’ a
short while, at that – he reviewed the events so far. His accomplishments and measured them against a checklist. And revenge is self-defeating. It’s empty.
It takes, it doesn’t give.”
“He would have thought of Alicia,”
William commented. “He invariably did
when it was quiet.”
“There you go,” Rachel said, throwing
up her hands. “Alicia, and Alicia’s
death. That’s the voice speaking to
him. No matter where he goes, that one
event brings him back here every time.”
“And then .. after he listened to that
voice,” Nick reasoned slowly, “he got up and went somewhere. He decided something. Now he’s acting on it.”
“If it isn’t to kill Derek himself,”
Alex went on, “he’ll use someone else.
It fits the pattern.”
“So we take out the butler,” Nick
pressed.
“No!” Rachel snapped irritably,
shaking her head. “Hugh, or Richard,
wasn’t part of the Alicia cycle of events.
Her death drives Hitchcock.
Consumes him. He broods on it
constantly.”
“She was killed by a demon,” Nick
stated bluntly.
“The library,” William said.
*****
Pete could feel his neck muscles
tensing. They always did, just before
action. For the tenth time – at least –
he checked his gun, even though he knew it was fully loaded and ready to
go. And for the fiftieth time – at
least – he checked the time. Ten minutes. Rachel definitely wasn’t coming out
now. For a long, long time, it had been
quiet in there. The place blazed with
light.
Must be visible from the mainland, he
thought. Lit up like a beacon. I thought there was an electricity shortage
in this state.
Pete shrugged, working his neck and
shoulders, and reasoned that they must have a generator.
If nothing else, it means I won’t have
to sneak round in the dark. Of course, that means I’m gonna be highly
visible. Man, wish I’d brought some
kind of body armor with me. Too late
now …
*****
Richard went to the foyer to check on
the bowl. He didn’t much worry about
the terracotta weapon – that had served its purpose. It had been used and couldn’t be used again. But the bowl was different. It couldn’t be smashed, not like the weapon,
but it could be stolen and hidden away, and that would make it difficult to
re-use. Occasionally, it was necessary
to reinforce the magic. When it was one
simple instruction, as it had been with William Sloan, it lasted. The control exerted over him was strong but
specific. The rest of his life was
unaffected. The others, however, were
under total control, and the instructions were changing rapidly. The magic could fade. It might be worth suggesting to his master
that they could use another application.
The bowl was gone. Richard frowned suspiciously as he checked
around and under the table. He feared
the worst. The hunt hadn’t
concluded. The house was too quiet. If the enchantment was breaking down, it meant Richard could reasonably expect to be a
target in the very near future. The
idea of leaving never occurred to him, but then, although he didn’t know it, he
was under enchantment too. He had to
stay until he was dismissed and so he went back to the kitchen to arm himself.
*****
Randolph read the words a final time
and then said them. He didn’t hesitate
or have second thoughts. He’d had years
to think about this. He spoke clearly,
in a firm voice. He knew he would be
damned for this but his cold sanity demanded he do it, that any price was worth
paying so long as he won. The prize
didn’t matter. If his remaining life
was measured in days, hours, minutes or even seconds, it didn’t matter. What mattered was winning. What mattered was Derek Rayne dying just
like Alicia – torn apart by the merciless hands of a demon from the Pit.
The book dictated he say the
invocation three times and cement the bond with blood. He spoke again, his voice gaining
strength. And the third time. The harsh, unholy words rang thru the
library, and the house seemed to shudder and groan. Randolph took a knife and, very calmly, sliced open the pad of
his left thumb. The blood welled in the
cut and dripped onto the table. And the
demon answered his call.
*****
Derek saw Merlin stir again, a frown
deepening on her sweat dampened forehead.
Then he felt the house shudder and his first thought was an earth
tremor. Then he stiffened
abruptly. He saw the bowl, the library,
the blood dripping and Randolph’s face, all of it distorted and in monochrome,
and a creature whose very appearance made his heart shrivel. His throat dried as he saw himself walking
forward to face down this monster.
Merlin groaned, struggling to move, to
sit up.
“No,” he said gently. “This is my fight. I must leave you now .. and I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Derek,” she whispered, “most of my
life, I expected to die alone. It’s
only very recently that I … ” She
coughed violently and sank back. “I’m
so sorry. I can’t help you, not this
time. Go! And .. tell Nick I love him.”
“I promise.” He swallowed. “Goodbye, Peri.”
“Will you go ..?” she pleaded.
He got up and went to the door. As he removed the barricade, he repeated
softly, “Don’t believe your own lies.
Don’t believe your own lies.
Don’t – ”
His answer was a deep-throated,
rumbling roar of rage.
*****
Rachel came to a dead stop. “What was that?” she whispered, her eyes
wide as she looked back at the others.
“I’m not sure,” William replied, “but
I think I can make a good guess. It’s
Randolph’s demon .. and, so he believes, Derek’s nemesis.”
“It sounded big,” Alex remarked
somberly. “And angry.”
Nick shoved his gun away. “We’re gonna need bigger weapons.”
*****
Pete checked the time again. Three minutes.
“Okay, this is it,” he muttered. “Stay focused, keep walking, don’t stop for
anyone, don’t look at anyone, don’t listen to anyone. Just .. go in there an’ do the – ”
He heard the roar. He swallowed.
“I think things just started to go
down the toilet. Pete, when you get
inside that house, don’t look at whatever the hell made that noise. I really don’t think you’d like what you
saw.”
He straightened, loosened the gun in
its holster and started steadily walking.
The idea of not going in there
never occurred to him.
*****
Randolph surveyed his newest servant
and he smiled. The Eye of Thoth even
worked on Satan’s minions. The demon
stood twitching, awaiting its orders.
He knew it was fighting the magic and it could break free at any moment,
but, for now, he had it under total control.
It was tall but not gigantic. Around seven feet in height, he
guessed. Its hide was armored with what
appeared to be organic plates, similar to those on a rhinoceros. Its eyes glowed a dark reddish orange color,
brightening and darkening as it breathed in and out thru openings in its
face. It didn’t have a nose. It didn’t have a neck. Its head grew straight from its broad
shoulders. Its arms were long, to its
knees, and the claws on the ends of its stubby, thick fingers were coated with
poison. Its legs were like tree trunks,
the claws on its toes slicing into the carpet.
There was, Randolph noticed, a bony spur on the back of each heel, and
it had a thick, short tail.
“Can you speak?” Randolph asked
politely.
The eyes swiveled slowly to rest on
his face with a damning promise of future violence. Its lips drew back from stained teeth and it snarled.
“Not as such,” Randolph nodded. “Very well.
Just grunt to indicate you understand me.”
The demon took a step closer.
“Keep your distance. The Eye of Thoth has you bound to my
command. You must obey me. I have called you here for a specific
reason. I want you to kill
someone. I’m very sure you’re up to the
task. When that man is dead, you may
have free rein with the others, excluding,” Randolph went on smoothly as he saw
a tongue dart out over the discolored teeth and the eyes glow hungrily while
they looked at him, “myself, Richard, and William Sloan. We are to be left alone and allowed to leave
this house in peace. Once everyone else is dead, you will be freed from the
enchantment and may return from whence you came. Is that understood?”
The demon grunted.
“Excellent,” Randolph beamed. “The man you must kill is Derek Rayne. And I don’t just want him dead. I could do that myself. The way in which he must die is like this …
”
The demon bent its head to listen
avidly to its orders.
*****
William frowned thoughtfully as Nick
examined one of the weapons caches.
“You’re probably wasting your time,”
he said in a bland voice.
“Nothing ever gets to you, does it?”
Nick flung back. “Hitchcock’s just
summoned up a buddy an’ you’re just the same old Mr Sloan. Ol’ Slow Hand himself.”
William smiled briefly at the
sarcasm. “I do have rather more
experience of Hell and its denizens than you, Mr Boyle. And I know they are creatures with .. shall
we say, otherworldly abilities and properties.
The main point to remember is other
worldly, and this means they are not likely to be taken down by weapons from this world. Thus, you are probably
wasting your time.”
“So what should we do?” Alex
challenged. “Hide? Hope it’ll get tired an’ go away?”
William glanced at his watch. “I rather believe we should wait for the
cavalry.”
Startled, Rachel turned from the door
where she was keeping watch. “Pete
can’t take on a demon! Demons were never
a factor in any of our thinking! My
God, he’s going to walk into a trap!”
“Ah,” William breathed, sounding
faintly disappointed. “You knew
Randolph’s story and you never once considered demons? Dr Corrigan .. I thought we could at least
depend on you to think it thru to a logical conclusion."
Her lips flattened. “Well, I’m not you, William. I never
said I could plan as deeply as you do.”
“And what was your plan?” he inquired.
“To smash the weapon an’ free
Peri. After that .. it kinda got a
little nebulous,” Rachel reluctantly admitted.
“But she’s dying anyway an’ I don’t think we’re gonna make it.”
To her surprise, William nodded. “It’s a good plan, Dr Corrigan. Merlin may very well be dying but the spirit
is immortal. Something else to bear in
mind.”
*****
“It isn’t working … ” Aquila muttered.
“Give it time,” Shauna urged.
“I’m not strong enough!”
Gray Veil had been sagging but then
she slowly straightened again and the stream of energy suddenly pulsed with new
vigor.
Aquila glanced round and saw, over her
mother’s shoulder, that the forest had filled with people. And not just people – they were
Flamefalls. Joe was there, and he
nodded, smiling, at her. Maude was
there. Her grandfather Peregrine was
there. Her entire family, and the past
generations of every other Flamefall still living .. they filled her sight, and
they were all giving strength to Gray Veil so Aquila could get home.
“Rest for a moment,” Shauna advised
quietly. “Let us take the burden for a
while.”
Aquila closed her eyes over a sheen of
humble tears. “Yes, Mom.”
*****
Pete pushed open the front door and
carefully poked his head around it.
Nice place, he thought, and eased inside. The foyer was empty. This
is good but don’t assume it’s gonna last, he told himself. Okay.
There’s the table, right where Rachel said it would be. Twenty paces. Piece .. of .. cake.
He took a deep breath and set off,
counting silently in his head.
He reached the table and tilted his
head to peer around the vase. There it was. Weird looking thing. He stretched out a hand. And he picked it up. Turned it over, looked at it, frowning,
wondering how the hell it worked.
“No!” yelled a voice.
Pete turned and his world slowed right
down. He saw a man running in slow
motion toward him, a meat cleaver in one upraised hand.
“Put it down!” they both shouted at
each other, the words long, drawn out, distorted.
The man still came on. Pete’s instincts and training took
over. He was a cop and his life was in
jeopardy. He went for his gun, his hand
moving with treacle slowness. The other
hand was already starting to pull his jacket back for easy access. And, with both hands engaged in urgent
police business, there was nothing left to hold the artifact. He dropped it.
Richard shrieked as he saw it start to
fall toward the polished, hardwood floor.
His furious eyes tracked it every inch of the way. He began to throw the cleaver.
Pete fired once, twice, saw the man
stagger sideways and drop the cleaver, then fall to his knees. Then he heard a faint tinkling sound and the
world speeded up again. He looked
down. Mission accomplished, he thought
as he surveyed a hundred pieces of terracotta.
Then he went across to the man sprawled on his face and Pete kicked the
meat cleaver out of reach. He bent,
feeling for a pulse.
“Scratch one lunatic,” he muttered.
*****
Aquila straightened abruptly and
sucked in a breath. Gray Veil looked at
her. “The way home,” she said.
Aquila stared at the opening. It was big and getting bigger. She glanced back.
“Go!” Shauna urged, but Aquila was
already running.
*****
Derek was almost at the gallery
when he heard the gunshots. Nick, he thought, flinching inwardly. Answers cannot always be found in a firearm.
My loyal, foolhardy Nick … The
first always to put yourself in harm’s way.
But then he did reach the gallery and
looked down at a stranger.
A few corridors away, Nick, Alex and
Rachel heard the gunshots too. William
smiled broadly.
“I believe that’s the sound of the
cavalry,” he remarked, pushing away from the wall and unfolding his arms. “Mr Boyle, you may now come into your own.”
“Against a demon?” Nick queried
bluntly, taking the AMRAAM.
“Protecting us against Randolph
Hitchcock. Remember, don’t believe your
own lies.”
“What about the demon?” Alex pointed out.
“We’ll have to wait and see what
happens,” William replied. “Shall we
go?”
*****
“Who are you?” Derek asked as he
slowly descended the stairs.
“The name’s Pete Miller,” Pete
replied. “Rachel’s friend, from
Tulsa. Do you know who this guy is I’ve
just shot an’ killed?”
“I knew him as Hugh but I understand
his name is actually Richard,” Derek replied.
“How long have you been here?”
“Just this minute walked thru the
door,” Pete answered, “but I came to the island with Rachel. Been waiting outside ever since. Longest ninety minutes of my life.”
“I see. Then I suggest you leave,” Derek responded, approaching him.
Pete gave a half laugh. “Well, excuse me, I’m sure. I know I don’t have security clearance but I
have just smashed this .. thing which is something you guys haven’t managed to
do and – ”
“We’re very grateful for your
assistance,” Derek cut in quickly.
“That is not the reason I am requesting you leave at once.”
“Uh huh. I’d just like to stay an’ apprehend a suspect in a homicide
inquiry – ”
“No, you can do that later,” Derek
interrupted again. “For your own
safety, I must insist – ”
His eyes widened at the guttural roar
and the heavy tread of footsteps. They
both sounded very close.
“I think it’s too late,” Pete choked
as he stared up at the gallery.
“Whatever you do,” Derek whispered to
him, “don’t look in the bowl.”
“Yes, sir,” Pete agreed, taking a step
back and colliding with the table.
Nick raced in from the side corridor,
the AMRAAM aimed. Alex and Rachel came
to stand in front of Pete who felt pathetically grateful. William strolled in last. All the hurrying feet either scattered the
terracotta pieces or crushed them into dust.
“And now we are all here,” Randolph
said at the top of the stairs.
“Fitting, really, that it should be
here. The last time I attempted to have
my revenge, it was here .. and I failed.
This time .. I won’t.”
Nick took a bead up the stairs.
“Stop!” Randolph said sharply. “Nobody move a muscle. Now! Silence!”
They froze. Despite telling themselves not to believe their own lies, this
order was imperative. They could only
stare. Pete was unaffected yet he was
frozen thru terror.
“Really, Mr Boyle,” Randolph went on
in a much more reasonable voice as he came downstairs, the bowl carefully
carried in both hands, “you should know a firearm is quite useless. Even one which fires missiles. It cannot penetrate the hide of my ..
associate here and, while you could shoot and kill me, that is very true, it
will not achieve anything. You do not
know how to break the enchantment and, without me, this,” he said, looking back
over his shoulder at the demon who was following him down the stairs, “will be
unstoppable. So, you may put the gun
away before someone gets hurt, and you can all accept the fact that,” he
smiled, “you need me.”
Eyes burned with the aching passion to
talk, to deny and refute, to shout or just scream .. but nothing worked. Their jaws were locked tight. Fighting it every inch of the way, Nick
stiffly lowered the AMRAAM and shoved it into the waistband of his jeans.
“I’m so sorry,” Randolph continued in
that mild, infuriatingly imperturbable voice as he came to a halt about ten
feet from them. “I’m afraid
introductions are not possible. It
appears my associate cannot tell me its name but, there again, I didn’t invite
it here for tea and polite conversation.
Oh .. a stranger,” he remarked, seeing Pete. “You are ..?”
“Pete Miller,” he replied, looking not
at Randolph but at the demon standing at Randolph’s shoulder. He was horribly impressed by the scoring its
talons had gouged in the wood of the stairs as it came down them.
Randolph nodded. “I don’t recall the name. But you, I assume, are responsible for poor
Richard.”
“The bastard came at me with a damned
meat cleaver!” Pete responded angrily.
“You expected me to just stand here an’ be butchered? Nah, don’t answer that. I got a good feeling I already know what
you’d say.”
“A shame,” Randolph commented. “He was an excellent companion. Nothing was ever too much trouble for
him. I’ll miss him. He was actually a very gentle soul. Attacking someone with a sharp kitchen
implement without reason was most unlike him.”
“I’m sure it was,” Pete said, “but I
wasn’t gonna wait an’ find out. I take
it you’re Randolph Hitchcock.”
“Have you heard of me?” Randolph
exclaimed, sounding excited. “I have
published several articles in the archeological journals.”
“Not my thing. I’m here to investigate the homicide of Hugh
Satterley. It appears you were the last
person to see him alive .. and the first person to see him dead.”
“A means to an end,” Randolph
explained soberly. “I couldn’t have the
genuine butler turn up and disrupt Richard’s work.”
“And next you’ll tell me that you’re
actually a very gentle soul too.”
“Unless provoked beyond endurance,
yes,” Randolph agreed. “Now .. what is
to be done? William, over here, please,
with me. I won’t renege on my
promise. You’ll leave this island
unharmed.”
Stiffly, William marched across the
foyer to stand at Randolph’s other shoulder.
“I can see you want to say something,
William,” Randolph went on. “Please,
share your wisdom with us.”
“Randolph,” William said clearly, “I
ask you, please, to reconsider this course of action. Send the demon back.”
The mild eyes grew frosty for a
moment. “I thought you understood. My Alicia cannot rest in peace until that
man is dead. It is justice that he die
in the same way she did."
William looked over at Derek, and his
expression was one of deep regret.
“Derek, I’m sorry.”
“Derek. Over here, if you please,” Randolph commanded.
Alex strained helplessly to move. Rachel was quivering with the effort. Nick was getting more red in the face with
every second. Derek began to walk
forward.
“Hey, wait a second!” Pete
called. “Wait one damned second!” He
elbowed his way past the two women.
“I’m not gonna stand here and let a guy be murdered right in front of me
– ”
“It isn’t murder,” Randolph
interrupted. “It’s justice.”
“Who the hell’s Alicia anyway?” Pete
demanded, playing for time. Time to do
what, he didn’t know and couldn’t guess.
“If Derek’s responsible for her death then it has to go thru legal
channels. Taking the law into your own
hands is against the law. Vigilantes
make good TV but damn poor real life.”
Randolph stared. “Is that how you see me? A vigilante? My dear man, I am a wronged fiancé. Alicia was to have been my wife.
But he loved her too,” he
suddenly spat, his face darkening. “And
she .. was killed because of him. Torn
apart by a demon from Hell, her beautiful body scattered over the desert road …
” His voice broke and his eyes filled
with tears. “So many years ago … I miss her dreadfully.”
“So you’ve been plotting revenge all
this time.”
“I have,” Randolph agreed. “Once, I almost succeeded. This time, I will. Now, please, be silent!”
“I’m not under your spell,” Pete
retorted.
“That can be accommodated.”
“I don’t think so.”
Randolph smiled. “Mr Boyle .. detain this nuisance.”
Pete felt his arms dragged back and
twisted almost out of their sockets. He
let out a yell of pain and surrendered to the pressure to kneel, then to lay
flat. He felt a boot placed on his neck
and press down hard. Pete lay still.
Randolph moved aside, taking William
with him. The demon had center stage,
but it wasn’t enough. Randolph fussed
around, moving people into the correct positions, until he felt the scene was
perfectly set. He and William to the
side, by the stairs. The demon right in
the middle of the foyer, Derek in front of it and facing the others. Rachel and Alex flanked Nick and his
‘prisoner’ on the floor.
Derek’s eyes were wide and
staring. He could feel hot, stinking
breath on the back of his head.
“The victim may now speak his last
words,” Randolph invited, and Derek felt his jaw unlock.
“If you kill me like this, I will be
with her,” he said.
“How dare you!” Randolph abruptly raged. “How dare you even imagine you’ll go to the same place as
Alicia!”
“If I die as she died, why should I
not go to the same place?” Derek demanded.
“Randolph, for the love of God, send this creature back and give up this
insane plan! Your very soul is in
peril!”
Randolph’s rage evaporated. He breathed in slowly, calmly. “You think I don’t know that? I do.
I ransomed my soul a long time ago, Derek, when I chose the direction
the rest of my life would take. Tonight
.. I shall make good on that promise.”
He nodded to the demon. Derek felt huge and heavy hands rest on his
shoulders and grip lightly.
“Dear God, forgive me,” he began to
pray. “I have sinned but I have always
tried to do the good thing, the right thing.
I am only human and I am imperfect – ”
There was a brilliant flare of light
which blinded everyone in the foyer and left burning afterimages imprinted on
the retina.
“What the hell was that?” Pete yelled,
who couldn’t see what was going on, courtesy of Nick’s boot on the back of his
neck.
Randolph squinted thru his tears at
the cause. There, at the mouth of the
corridor, stood a young woman. She was
breathing heavily, and she looked disheveled, as if she’d clawed her way up the
side of a mountain. He wasn’t sure but
her hands could have been twitching into fists. Yet, despite all that, her face was very calm, almost
expressionless.
Suddenly, without giving so much as a
hint of impending action, she lifted her hand and sent a bolt of energy
sizzling across the foyer. It struck
Randolph’s hands and, yelping, he dropped the Eye of Thoth. Water spilled on the floor.
“No!” he screamed, lunging for it.
“Truth is sweet,” she said, her voice
icy. Another bolt melted the bowl into
a copper puddle and Randolph scrambled back.
Everyone moved. Pete felt the boot removed from his neck and
a hand on his shoulder helped pull him up.
William took a step away from Randolph but was grabbed and pulled in
front of him as a shield. Rachel and
Alex started forward to assist Derek.
“No, go back!” Derek urged. “This creature is not under anyone’s
control!”
As the words left his lips, he felt
the talons dig into his shoulders, piercing the cloth of his shirt and then his
flesh. The poison burned as it entered
his body and he moaned, sagging slightly in the demon’s hold. Nick had grabbed a halberd from the suit of
armor and was jabbing it at the creature’s face, trying to get it to release
Derek but the creature just roared and tightened its grip. Derek’s eyes rolled up in his head and he
passed out.
“Do it!” Randolph screamed. “Kill him!”
“No!” Rachel and Alex yelled in one
voice.
Pete tried firing his gun but the
bullets ricocheted everywhere, causing them to dive to the floor.
“Stop it!” Nick shouted. “You could hit Derek!”
“He’s dead already!” Pete shouted
back. “Look at him!”
In all this, William stood like a rock
of serenity. He didn’t struggle in
Randolph’s hold. He didn’t shout or
yell, he didn’t speak at all. He just
watched and he waited, and thought hard and fast.
Aquila
wasn’t quite so still. She was trying
to get a clear angle of fire. Calling
to Derek to get out of the way wasn’t going to work because he was unconscious,
pale, hardly breathing but not dead, not yet.
Soon, yes, but not yet. The
bullets spraying everywhere were just swatted away like flies.
The
demon opened its mouth and roared again.
People had to cover their ears and turn away. Randolph didn’t. Neither
did William nor Aquila. It left a
ringing silence and absolute stillness.
It
was into this that William looked directly across the foyer.
“Aquila,”
he said firmly.
Her
eyes shifted to him and their gaze locked for one terrible moment.
“Do
it,” William ordered, and rammed his elbow back into Randolph’s gut.
Randolph’s
scorched hands sprang open and he doubled over then made a wild grab for his
hostage, but William was already moving.
Aquila’s hand was rising, aimed straight at the demon and at Derek. Rachel’s mouth opened to scream, visions of
Colorado crashing into her mind. Alex
was shaking her head, tears wet on her cheeks.
Nick’s face was fierce with helpless fury. Pete just stood there, gaping and overwhelmed.
The
lightning bolt leapt straight and true.
William rammed his shoulder into Derek’s side and tore him from the
creature’s clutches, both men toppling heavily to the floor. Randolph was closing fast, his arms
outstretched.
The
bolt hit. The foyer went white and
totally silent. Then the thunder
cracked viciously and the concussive blast knocked everyone standing off their
feet.
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