The abdyos triad, p.21
The Abdyos Triad, page 21
The group was seated in a circle around an old tree stump well out of the city. The leaves around them were just beginning to sprout after a long winter. Each was wearing a long, dark robe that completely enveloped them. While all appeared similar with their hoods up, each had a streak of individualism clearly present. This had been their meeting place for as long as many of them could remember. Lydia had stumbled across it some years ago while on a nature walk with Conroy. It was secluded, with the trees forming a natural wall around them, and perfectly suited for their needs. A cauldron sat in the middle of the tree stump, burning brightly in the night. Several familiar tools of the craft surrounded it as well.
Glancing around her group of nine (including herself), she couldn't help but smile. Lydia felt she had assembled a very talented flock of witches for her coven. Their skill levels ranged from beginner all the way to seasoned veteran. There was a small smattering of men in the coven, but mostly, it was made up of women. Lydia understood this. It was easy to see why more women than men were drawn to Wicca. Here was a religion where the women were equal to men. No longer would they be forced to live under a vengeful male God. Here, they found a loving Goddess and a God. This was not a place where they had to cling to outdated rules of feminine subjugation. Here, all were equal. Lydia would have it no other way.
Her mood became grim as she thought about what she was about to suggest to the group. "This is a crisis," she stated. "As most of our Elders have already discovered, our ability to use magic has been greatly lessened, and some of us have even been magically assaulted by a dark force during spells and rituals."
"What is going on, Lydia?" a young woman asked.
"Something truly evil is in Seattle," Lydia said grimly. "I'm not sure how, but it appears it is leaving the rest of us unable to perform."
"How is that possible?" an older witch asked. "I thought magick was infinite?"
Lydia paused. "I wish I had an answer for you, but this defies logic. I tend to liken it to a power generator, and we are all plugged into it. When one requests more power, the rest suffer a power loss. That could be what's happening. The big evil is sucking so much juice, we're all experiencing a brown-out." She waited for a moment so her explanation could sink it. "I have an old friend here in town, who is, as we speak, on his way to try and stop this. He is going to fail, and everyone he holds close is going to die, unless we intervene." Lydia glanced over the worried faces of her coven.
"I am asking you now, will you help me? Will you fight?" Reaching down, she lifted her staff off the stump and held it vertically in front of her. "I can't promise anything, but at least we can try to make a difference."
Galen, an elder male witch, immediately walked to his High Priestess' side and placed his hand alongside hers on the staff. "I will fight," he proudly said, momentarily looking at Lydia, then at the group.
The two watched as the coven stood from the circle one by one and placed their hands on the staff. Lydia raised the staff with all hands attached to the heavens. "Goddess and God be with us," she prayed.
***
The power flickered in his apartment for a moment, but he paid little attention to it. In a city this size, brown-outs were a common occurrence. Leaning back in his chair, he waited for his browser to fully load up. As the only one of his friends to still be working with a dial-up connection, the net was decidedly slower. To pass the time, he drummed his fingers on his desk. He shook his head and quickly stopped. It was just making him more anxious.
Turning away from the computer, Hayden glanced over his apartment. It had taken him a little over an hour to put everything back in its place. He was lucky he even had furniture after the way he left his apartment door open. He nodded. Lucky indeed. He glanced up at his door. There was a large crack in the door the landlord was sure to throw a fit over. At least he had removed the knife. A chime from his computer gathered his attention. Spinning back around in his high-backed chair, he clicked open his email. At the top of the long list was a message from his boss. Warily, he opened the letter. After scanning through the contents, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath. He had been fired. After three days off from work with no explaining phone call, how could he expect anything different?
Closing his email account, he opened his favorites menu. A massive list of paranormal related sites appeared. Clicking the second from the top, he waited for the page to load. Grabbing the scroll bar with his pointer, he quickly browsed over the page. The familiar headlines were all present, featuring stories on ghosts, Bigfoot and UFOs. A headline near the top of the page caught his attention.
"Wiccans across the northwest report loss of powers."
Hayden opened the story and was immediately redirected to a new site. The page, being mostly text except for a banner graphic across the top, loaded quickly. Leaning forward on his elbows, Hayden sped through the article. His curiosity had been piqued. He never really paid much attention to stories on Wicca, because he felt they had no true power. They, in his opinion, were a group of tree hugging hippies hiding behind a pseudo-pagan religion actually invented in Britain in the fifties. There wasn't much there for him to latch onto. They were the least supernatural "witches" he had ever met.
As he read through the article, he came upon several glaring facts. He leaned back in his chair and reread the first paragraph. "Wiccans report their power has severely diminished, and every time they try to conduct a ritual or spell, they are confronted with an evil presence," Hayden summarized. "Seems like someone is sucking up all the witch's power," he thought out loud, "something evil. Something evil…."
Hayden sat straight up in his chair. "It's here."
Jumping up, he snatched his coat off the wall and pulled it on. Picking up his keys from a nearby table, he dumped them in his pocket and headed for the door. Reaching for the door handle, he stopped himself. "Where am I going?" Moving back across the room, he slumped down in his couch. "Who am I going to tell?"
His first instinct was to take this new information straight to Bishop. If it meant something to him, it would surely be important to the members of the OPR, but that wasn't the case. He wouldn't have the chance to even tell him. Hayden understood Bishop's concern, but he really could take care of himself. He had been doing so, and successfully he might add, for twenty-three years. And even if something horrible happened to him, it wouldn't have been on Bishop's conscience. Hayden wanted to be there of his own free will. He wasn't Bishop's ward.
Hayden took a deep breath as he let his head fall back against the couch. What had begun as a small case had turned into a full-blown apocalypse for team OPR. They needed all the help they could get. Hayden smiled, even if they didn't want it. Jumping up from the couch, he ran to his computer and launched his chat client. Opening up a dialogue box, he started a mass email to all his friends on the list. "Hold on, Bishop, the cavalry is on its way."
***
Cane glanced behind at Weiss. He was easily keeping pace, but his face was a mass of stress and grief. Slowing his pace slightly, he allowed Weiss to catch up. The two of them and Spenser had been tracking the creature through alleys by foot for some time now. Spenser, who was leading, had kept a healthy distance from it so as not to spook it. Cane, meanwhile, had kept his eyes firmly focused on Dawn. She was still hanging motionlessly over the creature's shoulder as they moved from rooftop to rooftop. During the chase, they had moved from the nicer part of the city into a more rundown district.
"Are you all right?" Cane asked after a moment.
Weiss nodded.
"Even though we're not the best of friends anymore, you can still talk to me," Cane advised.
"I know," Weiss said as he continued on.
Cane huffed and began to move away.
Reaching forward, Weiss grabbed Cane's arm and stopped him. "Wait."
The two men stopped and faced each other. It had been a long time since the two had spoken on a personal level, and even longer since they had been in the field together. This was a rare opportunity for them both, and one that neither would recognize. Stubbornness was a trait both men had in spades. Weiss bit his lower lip regretting reaching out to Cane. He was afraid, but he didn't want anyone to know that. Since the phone call two days ago, he had been torn up inside. He began to feel useless and following Cane around the city blindly wasn't helping.
"Cane," Weiss started again, "Zach, this is my daughter we're trying to help."
"And my friend, remember?" Cane corrected hastily. "I've already lost one of my team on this one, Tom."
"I'm sorry," Weiss said sympathetically, "but we need to use any means necessary to ensure the safe return of Lexy."
"How many lives are you willing to sacrifice to save your daughter?" Cane asked angrily.
"All of ours," Weiss shot back without hesitation. "Including mine," he added.
"How can you say that?"
"She is everything to me." Weiss paused, "She is the one thing in my life that makes it all worthwhile. She is my heir to the future as she is the last of the Weiss bloodline."
"That seems a little selfish, don't you think? You're willing to throw away all our lives, just so the Weiss family can live on?"
"No, you blithering idiot," Weiss spouted, "she is my daughter. Being such, I would without a second thought lay down my life for hers, and I insist on the same from my employees…especially you."
"That's asking a lot, you realize."
Weiss nodded. "I would expect nothing less."
What happened to us?"
Weiss shook his head, "What do you mean?"
"We used to be inseparable, you and I. We started this company together. How did we get here?"
"Will you two shut up and come on?" Spenser whispered loudly.
The two men nodded at Spenser, then quickly returned their attention to each other. Things were being said here that should've been said years ago. This was far too important a moment to let pass.
Weiss smiled. "After all this time, I still really don't know. It all started when I created the board. When I offered you a position, you flat out rejected me. To this day, I don't understand why.."
"I felt like you were taking the company from me," Cane admitted. "I was still out in the field every day, researching and doing all the leg work, while you were sitting back in your posh office. I resented that."
"But that was the way you wanted it, if I remember correctly. You always told me that you had no mind for business. You just wanted to be a ghost hunter."
"Yes," Cane nodded, "but it was still partially my company."
"I still don't understand. Everything was the way you wanted it," Weiss argued. "I was running the day-to-day stuff while you were in the field. That was the way you set it up. How could you resent that?"
Cane shook his head. "I'm not sure."
"Listen, old friend, you still own half the company. That much has never changed. Anytime you want your own posh office, you just let me know."
"You know I would never be happy," Cane admitted. "It's just not what I want."
Weiss laughed. "Then what the hell have you been complaining about all these years?"
The epiphany hit Cane like a ton of bricks. He really had no idea of what he had been so upset about. Everything was the way he had always wanted it to be, and yet he was still bitter inside. Maybe that was it. He was just bitter. Even though he was living the life he wanted, the way he wanted, he still felt empty and angry. Cane shrugged, perhaps that was just the way he was. All this time, he had been blaming Weiss for his problems, when the door had always been open for him. He had just refused to take it out of some unknown personal issue. A deep sense of shame passed over him. He was truly a rebel without a clue. Moving away from Weiss, he again took up position behind Spenser.
A moment later, the chime of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. Quickly digging into his coat pocket, he tapped the send button. "Cane," he answered.
"It's Bishop, where are you?"
"Following one of those creatures downtown."
"There are more of them? One just tried to whack me in my hotel room."
"That makes two," Cane said grimly. "I wonder how many there actually are?"
"No telling. Cane, I have information for you. I think it's vital to this case."
"Hit me with it."
"I think we are chasing after a group that's trying to become Gods. Whoever is doing all this has been harvesting organs from the victims, very specific organs. They are trying to recreate the Osiris Myth."
Cane nodded. "I am familiar with the myth. Go on."
"They have been trying to collect fourteen different organs for a kind of 'resurrection' ritual. I found news on the net of a similar group trying to do the same thing about ten years ago. Apparently, they had all the required organs back then and were preparing to complete the ritual, but the FBI and ATF busted in and all hell broke loose. The High Priestess was killed during the raid."
"Okay, I'm following you. You think this is a group trying to finish what the first started?"
"No, I think this is the same exact group. Witnesses to the event said that when the High Priestess died, the other two members of the Triad seemed to vanish, but their screams could still be heard through the commotion. I think the ritual was broken up before it was completed, and it backfired on the remaining members of the Triad."
"Meaning what?"
"I'm not entirely sure yet, but the one thing Kelley did tell us was that they had to complete whatever they were doing by midnight tonight, or they would be lost forever. My theory is they are trying to complete the ritual, while at the same time, resurrecting their fallen High Priestess."
"Interesting," Cane said as he digested the information. "We're coming up on a Starbuck's Coffee. Why don't you meet us there?"
There was silence, then a laugh.
"Cane, we're in Seattle. Which of the hundreds of Starbuck's are you talking about?"
"The one just across from the old power mill downtown, smartass."
"Is Dawn with you? I've been trying to get a hold of her."
"In a manner of speaking, she is." Cane paused. "The creature has her."
"What?"
"We're following her now. Meet us down here ASAP." Cane snapped his phone shut and deposited it back into his pocket. Following Spenser around a corner, he watched the creature vanish from sight.
The three turned to face each other. Cane quickly took the initiative. Pointing to Spenser, he motioned for him to continue ahead. Looking at Weiss, Cane pointed in a different direction. "If we don't find the creature and Dawn, let's meet back at that coffee shop in half an hour."
Each man nodded and headed off in a different direction. They had to relocate the creature, even if it meant splitting up the group.
Chapter Twenty-two
"Something unexpected is happening," Osiris said as she peered out the window. "Events have been set in motion that threaten our goals."
Horus wrung her hands together, and nodded. "It is troubling indeed."
"Our fate has become uncertain," Osiris added. "A shroud has fallen. Everything has become clouded."
"We must move quickly to remedy this," Horus said immediately.
"I concur," Osiris nodded. "If we act quickly enough, this could be averted."
Isis got up from her throne and marched toward the other two members of the Triad with her staff firmly in hand. She stopped just short of them and slammed her staff into the ground. A large, dark shadow crept up around her, extinguishing all light as it went. "I will hear no more of this," she hissed. Her mood softened slightly as the shadow began to fade, "You two have done nothing but complain. Try to do something constructive."
The two bowed before their High Priestess. "What would you wish of us?"
Angrily, Isis lifted her staff and swung it at the two. The golden shaft slipped through the center of both, not even touching them. "I wish I could hit you," Isis smirked.
Osiris nodded apologetically. "We are non-corporeal beings. That makes it impossible to strike us. Even after we complete the ritual tonight, we will not be able to touch anything physically, or be touched. We were doomed to this life when the ritual was not completed correctly the first time."
"Osiris," Isis said softly, "you are my oldest and dearest friend. Didn't you used to be the vice president of a major corporation?"
Osiris nodded. "It seems like a lifetime ago."
"And you, Horus, you were a dancer."
"I loved the ballet," Horus said.
"I fail to see your point in all of this," Osiris admitted. "Dwelling on the past does us no good in the present."
"I was merely stating a fact," Isis smiled. "Don't you miss your physical lives?" She ran her hands down her new body. "I can give this back to you."
The two looked shocked, not anticipating this turn of events. They had assumed when the ritual was complete, their life forces would be merged with Isis', as was called for in the ritual. "What about the ritual?"
Isis smiled slyly, "I have something better in mind."
"You presume a false assumption, High Priestess," Osiris pointed out. "You were able to take a physical body because you are a spirit. We have no such ability."
"Nothing is beyond my capabilities." Isis moved slowly back to her throne. "When I died, I became aware of powers greater than any one mortal could ever posses. Many have called this the 'Universal Consciousness'. It is the root of all, and I have learned how to harness it over time." Isis smiled. "Think of it as a monstrous spider web that connects every living thing on this planet and others. As a mortal, you can sometimes feel this connection, but can do nothing with it. As a spirit and a witch, I learned how to make it bend and flow to my bidding. I can give you anything you want. Anything I want."
"But-"
Osiris began to question her, but Isis quickly waved it off with her hand. She looked at the two in front of her. "Rally your soldiers, this war is about to begin." Horus and Osiris turned and began to leave. "Wait," Isis commanded. "Horus, bring me your best soldier. I have a special task."
