The edge of destiny, p.17
The Edge Of Destiny, page 17
“On the way,” said John and hung up.
Katie had sent what seemed like hundreds of texts to Megan. No response. She called, but it just rang and rang until it finally went to voicemail, which wasn't even set up.
She bounded out of the door, waiting for John. She paced up and down her driveway, furious at her parents for living so far out of town. My parents! How will I ever… no. No. She told herself that everything would be fine. Then she got a text.
Megan: She's very pretty.
Katie's blood tingled, then froze.
Megan: Poor thing is very scared.
Katie's hand shook, but she managed to text. She typed slower than usual.
Katie: If you hurt her.
She hit send by accident before she finished her text. A reply came immediately.
Megan: Oh, we will.
Julien's car screeched to a halt.
Megan: See you soon.
Katie got in the car and closed her eyes. She shook badly.
John said, “We'll get her back.”
Katie answered, “You don't understand. I sent her there. She wanted to help…”
“This is not your fault. It is theirs,” said Julien. “Only monsters take children as bait.”
“Oh my God. At the riverbed, before you showed up, one of them said we had to… shit.” Katie's mind swam. “What was the word? Like give up our abilities or they would kill our families.”
“Dissemble?” offered Julien.
“Yes! Dissemble. They're going to kill her John!”
John answered, “Not if we kill them first.”
Katie was near hysterics. Julien was driving very fast.
* * *
Very soon, they were all in the car and headed to the theatre. Ariana consoled Katie the best she could, Zacke looked determined. Lucas was calm, but his ancient seethed. He held his twin fighting batons. His fingers pulsed over them, knuckles white.
They parked in the theatre parking lot, as far from the building as possible, the car aimed at the building.
John said, “This is a trap. They will be ready for us and we have no idea what we're walking into. Our first priority is Megan, her safety. We will get her and get out as fast as possible. Use everything you've learned. Don't hold back.”
Katie took deep breaths and focused. She felt her talents inside and remembered how hard she'd been training. Megan is all that matters. Zhanna, she thought, help me.
Julien pulled two LED flashlights from the glove box. “We might need these.”
They all got out of the car. It was broad daylight, but John drew his sword, keeping it to his left side, where passing traffic wouldn't notice it. It was the hub of the old town area, part of an old highway system, so cars passed frequently. John was grateful that it was Saturday morning before the town got moving. They walked toward the building.
“The front?” asked Julien.
“Of course. They are expecting us. They chose an old theatre, a grand entrance. It's all Rageto hubris today.” John spat on the ground.
Ariana made herself seem strong. But the fear still sat on her chest. She still didn't know any more about her own abilities. Ariana breathed in and hoped she would make it through this day.
Zacke looked over the building. He worried his talent would be stilted. Inside battles were not made for flying. Maybe that's why they chose this place. Come on Zacke, focus. Megan needs us.
Lucas felt his ancient, mind and body. They were nearly one person. The weapons in his hands were ready.
Katie prayed. She wasn't religious. She still had little idea what The River really was. She prayed anyway. Take me if you need to, but let Megan be okay. Please.
They got to the recessed entrance under the marquee. The chain that Megan had seen was gone. It appeared they were to enter at the front, just as John thought. A pigeon was perched on the ledge to the box office, bobbing and staring. Just then, a hawk swooped in and grabbed the pigeon. It sheared off the head and then screeched at the group. It grabbed the pigeon's body and flew away with the prey.
“Jesus!” said Zacke.
“Foreshadowing?” asked Julien.
“Omen,” said Lucas/Elgisard.
“Yes to both” said John through clenched teeth, “but we are the hawk.”
They made no further comment and John grabbed the door handle.
Julien clicked on the flashlights and they entered. Some light penetrated the lobby through the glass doors now behind them, but not much. John and Julien split at the V of the POPCORN machine counter. To the left, Julien discovered the ladies' room. She checked all the stalls. John did the same to the right, the men's room. A pigeon flew at his head. He cut it in half. It didn't have time to squawk. Nothing else. Room cleared.
The teens waited for them in the lobby, noticing all the broken plaster and debris. There was also pigeon poop everywhere. Streaked down the concession stand, in the corners. Loose feathers strewn around the lobby. It smelled really, really bad.
On either side of the concession stand were a set of double doors. They appeared to be covered in old leather, studded with brass tacks. Decorative art deco handles adorned them.
John beckoned for them all to enter through the right door. The doors opened toward them, so Julien and John each grabbed a door handle and swung slowly. It was pitch black in the theatre.
They shined their lights. The room was huge, the light wouldn't penetrate the length of it. The LED beams found the turquoise, scalloped art deco end chairs, illuminated scalloped sconces made of plaster, the walls a crumbling peach color. Bird dung was on most of the seats, as was fallen plaster. Large chunks of the ceiling had come down in patches.
They all entered a few more feet down the aisle. The doors swung shut on automatic door closers. Just then, clicks resounded through the cavernous space. There was no balcony, just hundreds of neat rows of chairs, so the sounds bounced around the ruined room like a cavernous cathedral. The clicking was accompanied by light after light popping to life on the stage.
On the stage, people were tied to chairs.
“Megan!” shouted Katie.
Her sister was tied to a chair in the middle of the stage. No other warriors were in sight. Megan was gagged. Even from the distance of the long room, it was clear she was terrified.
Two other people were tied up. A woman John didn't recognize and…
“Deke!” shouted Zacke. His brother was slumped in the chair, blood on his forehead. Zacke rushed forward, but Lucas stopped him.
“No Zacke,” John said. “Remember, this is a trap. They want you to lose control. Don't give them that.”
Julien asked, “Does anyone know who the woman is?”
Lucas said, “I think that's Cody's mom. I'm not sure. Only met her once at Cody's door.”
“So, they expected Cody to be here, too,” said John.
“That means they don't know everything,” said Julien.
“Where are the Rageto?” asked Ariana.
They formed a rough circle. John and Julien used their flashlights to scan the gloom. Only the stage was lit. The rest of the gloomy space held nothing but dust, cobwebs, plaster, and pigeon poop. A few pigeons flapped in and out of the broken ceiling plaster.
Zacke stared at his brother. He moved, so he was alive. They couldn't see who was in the darkness. Deke was gagged too, as was Cody's mom. A man appeared, stood behind Katie.
Katie yelled at the sudden man appearing. He held a weapon in each hand. On the left, the madu with the two sharp horns, in his right was the relic axe.
As through splitting like an amoeba, the one man stretched into two. They stood side by side now, both wearing the same face, like evil twins. Now each held a weapon.
“Janus,” said John.
They split into two groups. John led Lucas and Ariana left, while Julien led Katie and Zacke down the right-side aisle. They each moved down the two aisles slowly, flashing lights around. John and Julien scanned continually, making sure they wouldn't get ambushed from warriors hiding among the seats. Each Janus stalked a group, slowly, in no hurry.
Julien spoke, “You're still creepy, Janus. But we don't fear you.”
The first Janus asked, “And who are you?” The other Janus spoke, “Your ancient, we mean.”
“Figure it out yourself.” said Julien.
John pointed at the stage, “Let the innocents go. We know they are just bait. And a child at that. It's beneath even you.”
Both Janus' announced in unison, “Under orders. Servus Crea Gabraa.”
That sparked a memory and Julien whipped around. Shapes were now moving between the seats. Roughly the shape of men, they moved silently, but quickly.
“What are those?” yelled Ariana.
John growled, “Gollums.”
“Like Lord of the Rings?” Ariana screamed as one grabbed her. She instinctively froze it and Lucas shook both hands. The small black handles slid out to become batons. They locked into place and Lucas swung at the creature. It crumbled back to the dust it was made from.
“Gollums,” Julien repeated, “monsters from the Torah, old testament. Man shaped monsters that do Janus' bidding. Nasty things.”
The flashlights swung about. There were eight Gollums. The creatures were in the form of men and looked solid. One shambled to Katie, moving its arms around her neck. She nearly choked when she realized what it was made from. She made a shield around her body and pushed out. The shape exploded and showered all of her group.
“Gross. That's not clay. What is that?”
“Yeah. Oooh.” Katie spit to make sure none had gotten in her mouth. “That one was made of plaster and pigeon poop.”
Both groups were surrounded. The others were bigger, resembling giants, looming over them and reaching down for them.
First Janus said, “I have a lot of material in here.” Janus two added, “we could do this all day.”
John used his sword, Lucas his batons. Gollums crumbled into piles of dust and dung. Ariana froze another behind Lucas, and he pivoted and smashed the creature. Katie made a small shield ball and threw it at a Gollum. It stuck in the belly and Katie pushed her hands out. The ball grew in size and the creature exploded outward, like a bomb in the belly of the Gollum. Unfortunately, it covered her in pigeon poop. “Oh, come on!” she shouted.
One grabbed for Julien's leg and swung her off her feet. She pivoted in mid-air and slammed her other foot into the creature's head. It came off in one giant clump, smashing to the ground and crumbled like a dirt clod.
“This is a distraction,” Julien yelled.
“Agreed,” John said as he cut the last one down. They looked around, Both Janus' were gone. All that remained were the three hostages. They were all trying to shout something through their gags.
Cimo appeared in front of the stage, where an orchestra pit might have been. He held a relic, the bladed haladie in his hand. The two curvy blades protruded from the central handle on either side and the spike on top of the handle glistened in the stage light. Julien and Lucas scanned around. A woman appeared at the back of the theatre, no weapon as far as anyone could see. Janus one appeared again, axe in hand, standing behind Deke. The other Janus held his relic madu and stood near Megan.
John and Julien's groups huddled the best they could in each aisle, trying to keep a rough circle, to see all their attackers.
Cimo announced, “Indoire Mens Embrouiller.” Katie felt her mind twist. Her feet became unsteady as though recovering from a dizzying twirl.
“It's a psychic attack. Fight it.” John tried to run for Cimo, but he stumbled, not sure why the concrete floor was shifting under his feat. Dammit, he's got me too. John tried to fight the attack in his mind but had to grab a filthy seat to steady himself. John focused on pushing Cimo out of his mind.
Julien shook his head. Even as she felt her equilibrium turn her in knots, she saw that Cimo was close to her, the relic ready to kill. She shoved the flashlight in her pocket and found her old metal zippo lighter. She flipped open the lid and slid her finger on the strike. It lit a tiny flame. Cimo cocked his head to one side, curious if this was the last pitiful act of this stranger. Julien saw the look on his face. He smiled. “Forgotten that soon?”
Cimo did remember Unna's talent. His eyes grew wide and he shouted, “Everyone down!”
“Huh?” asked Katie.
Flame erupted at Cimo. The jet sprayed out from the tiny flame like a flamethrower. Lucas and John dove for the floor. Katie got the idea and ducked behind a nearby seat.
Cimo had ducked behind a chair but was already engulfed. His screams quickly faded as he fell between the seats. The relic blade fell to the floor. The seats around him quickly ablaze, Julien leapt over the next row and searched for the relic.
“Die!” shouted both Janus's in unison as they jumped off the stage and ran for Julien.
“Come and get me, twin boy.” He found the relic blade, just cool enough to touch.
The second Janus yelled, changed direction and ran at Zacke.
Zacke glanced to his brother and ran at Janus Two. The man sliced at Zacke, but he ducked, his fist coming up and connecting with the man's chin. Janus' head snapped back and his feet came off the floor.
Zacke grabbed Janus' arm and flew straight up. Janus dropped his weapon. The ceiling plaster crushed upward, Janus disappearing into the ruined ceiling. Zacke left him there, thirty feet up. Zacke came down to earth, looking for a relic to cut his brother loose.
That's when Ariana felt the first drip. She looked up and got a face full of rain. Light drops. She looked for the source.
“The storm maker!” shouted John, looking for the Rageto woman. “It's Azoria.”
Lucas whipped around to the back of the theatre. The woman wore a flowing white blouse. Her long red hair draped over her shoulders. Her twisted grin was the same as always. “I see you Azoria.” Lucas ran for her.
Azoria saw him. “The scrawny one. Which one are you again?”
He growled at her and ran up the aisle. She recognized the growl. “The Viking. So it is true.”
Elgisard growled again, running straight for her. “Here I am.”
Azoria chanted “Chuva Vanta Durum” and spread her hands upward. Ariana followed her gaze, blinking hard in the rain. She couldn't believe what she saw. A dark cloud hung above them, forming out of nothing. It loomed over the giant space. Within seconds it was a torrent, water cutting at her face. Then the wind hit her and she stumbled to the ground.
Julien toppled over onto the soggy thin carpet and tumbled down the slant. Since the entire floor sloped toward the stage, the thin red carpet now acted like a waterslide, the wind pushing them down the slope. Julien tried to get to her feet, with little effect. Rain pelted at them sideways, slashing at their eyes, faces.
Lucas struggled to stay on his feet. The wind and rain filled the whole space. Splotches of wet dirt and bird poop were like wet shrapnel. Lucas cried out and squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the onslaught.
Katie looked to the stage. The three in the chairs were trying to dodge the wet debris, squirming in their chairs. Random pigeons beat their wings and fell victim to the wind, falling out of the ceiling holes. One flapped wildly but failed to fight the wind and splatted against the back concrete wall. It just missed Deke.
John helped Julien, scanning for the last Janus.
Zacke saw that no one could reach the woman. He ran against the wind. His feet left the ground and he flew at her. He cut through the wind and slammed into her with both fists. The wind stopped. Azoria slammed to the back wall of the theatre. Zacke put her over his shoulder and flew up.
The woman was a wild animal. She screamed and clawed at Zacke. “Have it your way,” he said. Zacke let her go. She fell thirty feet to the wet carpet. A sharp thud sounded and Azoria was quiet.
Katie and Ariana wasted no time. They rushed the stage, jumping over the footlights onto the stage.
“Wait!” John shouted. “They want us on that stage.”
“It's still a trap!” Julien screamed. He ran to try and stop the girls.
Katie didn't care. On stage, she ripped off her sister's gag, fumbling with the duct tape around her wrists. Ariana helped Cody's mom, who kept looking out, not sure what was going on.
Both Janus' and Azoria limped toward the stage, down the aisle. One Janus looked in bad shape. Zacke wondered how he got down from the wrecked ceiling. They stopped at the end of the aisles, just staring.
John and Julien were just below the stage and they watched the Rageto stand motionless. They stood not ten feet apart. Both Janus' smiled. It wasn't good. Then the answer came. Deke was still tied and gagged, Zacke unable to cut the duct tape fast enough. Deke's chair began to lift. Zacke jumped back, into the wings of the stage. Katie felt the pull too. Ariana stood off stage left. She looked up. In the fly space, some forty feet up, abyss stared back. A gaping rectangle sat above them, roughly the size of the stage. It was black on black, the absence of all light. Bordering it were glowing blue lines. Cody's mom felt herself being pulled upward, feeling the sense of sudden weightlessness.
At the side of the building, a metal exit door exploded outward. Victoria and three men ran in through the broken doors. The next set of red doors swung open, more men running in.
Everyone on stage was floating up, toward the gate. Victoria shouted, “Out. There are vehicles waiting.”
Katie stood on stage left, in a trance as her sister floated up. Katie stood just outside the trap, feet still on the wood floor.
“Grab her!” shouted Julien.
The spell broken, Katie jumped. Megan and the chair floated six feet up now. Katie's hand just reached the leg of the chair and clamped on. But now she was floating too. Katie felt someone grab her leg. She looked down. A man held her leg firm, outside the lifting spell. Another man grabbed him and they slowly walked backwards, a human chain. Katie clasped the chair leg tightly. The lifting stopped, and they were pulled out of the zone, the human chain working. The sudden return of gravity was instant on stage left. Katie fell, but a Sect man broke her fall. Another Sect man caught Megan's chair and set her down carefully.
