It was a desert. The sun was a hammer beating down on the
anvil of red rock. Derek was sweating
in his shirt, pants and boots, but then this wasn’t what he expected. Beside him, Merlin appeared cool and, beside
her, Nick was bearing up.
Opposite them were two men, one a
stranger but the other Derek recognized from his dream. Only this was no dream, not this time. This place, this setting, was what they had expected. Like a turning wheel, it had come full
circle. From desert to desert. A wheel of fire.
“So .. this is how it turned out.”
“I guess so,” Merlin replied.
The two men looked at each other,
smiled and nodded. “I’m Daniel, an
Enforcer. One of the first.”
“And I am Isaac, his friend, one of
the first Legacy members. It was our
idea that we should learn to cooperate.
Others changed that and made it into a binding set of rules but it
wasn’t what we intended at the beginning.
How is it now?”
“Well .. the rules were dissolved two
years back,” Merlin replied.
“And, in their place, a new treaty of
cooperation was established,” Derek added.
“I’m Derek Rayne, Precept of the San Francisco Legacy house.”
“And I’m Merlin Gabrielli Boyle, an
Enforcer.”
“And I’m Nick Boyle, Legacy member and Merlin’s husband. Enforcer back up.” He grinned. “Cooperation
means a lot in our house.”
“Married. And both. The rules
really have changed.” Daniel nodded and
he looked happy. Satisfied. “In our time, it was two separate but
parallel paths. It seems you walk with
one foot on each,” he said to Nick.
“Not exactly,” Nick corrected. “I’m Legacy most of the time but,
occasionally, I have to do what’s good.”
“Did you repay the debt?” Isaac asked
Derek.
“I did, although, initially, I had no
idea what the debt was. Your time was
.. three thousand years ago and some facts had been lost to antiquity. Fortunately, some of us have good memories,”
he replied, glancing at Merlin.
“I was reminded of it by a very good
source,” she amended and saw Daniel nod slowly in understanding. “The slate’s been wiped clean between us and
the Legacy. It’s a fresh start all
round.”
“I’m pleased. My father and Elias will be pleased
too. It might have been our idea but
they were the architects of the first pact, and they are still friends after
all this time. Although I do not have
the sight like Isaac here,” Daniel remarked, “everything I said would come to
pass has happened. The Legacy did not fail and fade into
obscurity. It has grown and
spread. And the Enforcers have dwindled
in number yet concentrated their power.
You are my descendent,” Daniel said to Merlin. “We are the first family, descended from the first of our
kind. And for you to call in the debt,
you must have been put against a terrible enemy.”
Her eyes flickered with memory. Nick frowned and stared at the gritty sand
between his boots. Even Derek looked
subdued.
“He paid the price and then I made
sure he settled the debt he owed my family.
He’s back where he belongs – on the wheel of fire – and, this time, he
isn’t getting free.” Merlin smiled
gently. “We can all sleep a little
easier tonight.”
“Will you join us for a celebration?”
Isaac invited. “There are many here who
would like to meet you and learn of how you .. cooperate. Jacob and Elias. Ruth and her husband Joseph.
Shem. Japheth the Elder. Even Eli, the first Precept of the first
ruling house. Here .. there are no
enemies to fight so we have learned to be friends. Please. You would be very
welcome.”
“We’d be delighted to accept,” Derek
agreed.
“There’s two more, if you have room,”
Merlin said.
“The desert is big enough to hide an
army,” Daniel smiled.
She rose and turned, lifting her arm
to beckon. Two men approached, one old
and the other older still.
“Don’t get them mixed up. They’re not brothers,” she said to the
others. “That one is Ox and the other
one, the slightly older one, is his son, my grandfather Peregrine.” As they arrived, Merlin introduced them to
the others. “This is Daniel, one of the
first Enforcers and our ancestor. He’s
invited us to a party in the desert.”
“Any cold beer?” Ox asked.
“Should’ve brought a cooler with us,”
Peregrine remarked. Then he held out a
hand to Nick. “Thank you.”
“I was only doing my duty, sir,” Nick
said solemnly as he grasped the strong hand, “but you’re welcome.”
Ox and Peregrine both faced
Derek. “And thank you too. You helped right a very great wrong,”
Peregrine said.
“It was the Legacy’s privilege to ..
repay the debt we owed your people,” Derek responded.
“And as for you,” Peregrine concluded,
facing his granddaughter who squared up to him, meeting the challenge head
on. His face broke into a broad
grin. “I’m proud of you, kid. You done good.”
Poltergeist: The Legacy
Wheel Of Fire
Part III – Blood Debt
© Jay Brown, 2002
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