Clearly, Cassie has no idea who her grandfather really is—the kind of man he is. I wouldn’t have known if not for James Solomon telling me the truth about him. I wouldn’t even be here if Solomon hadn’t saved me from West trying to kill me as an infant.
I must find a way to stop Brody West. I must rescue Cassie from him, show her the truth about who her grandfather really is. Hopefully, her biological connection to him will keep her safe for now. Solomon believes she’s safe. Hopefully, West won’t be able to do what I really fear—turn her against me. I don’t think I could handle it if Cassie joined him, or if she came to kill me herself. That would be the day of my death. I can’t imagine myself trying to stop her.
I round a corner, still ascending through the building with a hundred plague monsters behind me. I’ll soon reach the roof and run out of room. I contemplate the possibility of leaping from the top of this building to an adjacent roof. I might make it. I might not. One thing is for sure. I can’t stay here.
Then, James Solomon is standing in front of me with a panicked look in his eyes.
“Jonathan! Thank the gods, I’ve found you!”
He holds out his arms as though to embrace me. I run straight for him, feeling an amazing amount of relief at his sudden appearance. It’s not like I couldn’t use a hug right now, but I’m hoping for a bit more assistance here.
Solomon gathers me to himself. The pursuing monsters come around the corner after me. I feel the electric charge of Solomon’s power. A whirl of light sweeps around us. The building, with its terrors, vanishes. This man has saved me from Brody West for the second time in my life.
Horde
Brody throws a concussion, battering the plague monsters like a wave, knocking them back. However, the effect is short-lived. While many of the creatures are momentarily down, he whips his hand over his head, creating a minor vortex that envelopes Cassie, Garth, Holly, and himself, sweeping them away from the street through a portal.
They appear several miles away on another darkened street of London. The scene is dreary and not much different besides the absence of monsters. The block of flats has been replaced by office buildings and a nearby pub with patio chairs overturned and most of its front windows shattered.
“We’ve got to keep moving!” Brody shouts.
The others look around them as Brody starts running down the damp street toward one of the abandoned businesses. There are no creatures to be seen.
“Grandfather?” Garth shouts, taking up pursuit, wondering what in the world is the matter. After all, they’ve just escaped the place where they were being attacked.
Cassie and Holly run after them, not quite as quick as Garth. A whirl of light flashes from the place where they were standing just a moment ago—from the place where they appeared on the street. One after the other, plague monsters come through the same portal, hitting the pavement, still charging after them.
Cassie screams.
Holly turns her weapon on them, firing the submachine gun in a sporadic spray of bullets that does little to stop their attackers coming after them.
Garth draws his sword, Malak-esh coming to life with power in his hand. “How did they follow us?” he shouts ahead.
“No time to explain,” Brody calls back. “These things can activate the trace elements left by portals.
Brody stops in the street. “Get behind me!”
As the others gather behind him, Brody thrusts his hands towards the creatures, flames leaping away at his bidding to engulf the first wave of pursuers. The others dodge away, but keep coming.
Brody then aims his flames at the road, sweeping a wide arc in both directions to encompass his group all around. The creatures gather on the other side of this wall of fire. Gnashing their teeth, they growl and bark calls back and forth among themselves, looking for a way through to their prey.
“They’ve stopped,” Holly observes, still holding her gun on the beasts.
“I don’t think it will hold them for long,” Garth says, keeping Malak-esh ready should one of the creatures break through the flames.
Brody feels a tingling energy sweep over his body—an energy that isn’t coming from him. He turns to find Cassie hyperventilating beside him. Waves of power roll away from her, invisible to the naked eye, but easily discerned by Brody’s Superomantic senses.
Her fear is generating a power she cannot control, and the breaking point is approaching fast.
“Cassie,” Brody says, holding her by her shoulders, trying to calm her down. “You have to stop this.”
She looks into his eyes, the terror written on her face. A hushed reply escapes her trembling lips. “I can’t.”
Then Garth is upon them, searching Cassie’s expression. “Holly, take hold of her!”
Understanding dawns on her face, and she rushes over, pushing her weapon behind her back on its strap as she takes hold of Cassie’s arm.
“What are you doing?” Brody shouts as the buzzing energy resounds all around them, drowning out everything else.
“Hold on to her!” Garth calls back.
Without understanding, Brody takes hold of Cassie’s shoulders again. Her eyes roll back into her head. He wonders if she is about to lose consciousness. The tingling energy builds to a peak, coursing over them all.
The plague monsters leap through the flames, taking their chances on getting through fast enough to survive. Brody turns back to look, feeling that he must disengage and deal with their attackers.
“Don’t let go!” he calls as the mounting pressure builds in their ears, blocking out all sound.
The release of Cassie’s pent up power comes like a thunderclap. White hot fire rolls away from her in a wave that destroys everything it contacts. The light threatens to blind them. Brody can’t see anything that’s happening around them.
Sound returns in a rush, like a vacuum suddenly filled again. White fire rolls away and diminishes, leaving only devastation around them. Brody opens his eyes, surveying the scene. One moment the creatures were rushing to kill them. Now, these have been reduced to ash and scattered with the shockwave of Cassie’s power.
Cassie hangs limp in their arms, on the verge of unconsciousness. They hold her up to keep her from falling to the pavement in a daze. Her energies are spent.
The street has been scoured of every predator. Only Brody, Garth, Holly, and Cassie remain. The only survivors are those in physical contact with the girl.
“Thank you for telling me,” Brody says to Garth.
“She’s done this before,” Holly says. “A similar situation when we were surrounded by zombies.”
“These beasts are the zombies you are referring to,” Brody says. “This is the next phase in their evolution—the next phase in the disease. It’s changing them into these creatures.”
“You mean all of the people infected with this virus are going to mutate into these things?” Garth asks.
In reply to his question, sparks leap from the air not far behind them. The same whirl of light that delivered the other creatures brings even more. The portal is activating again.
“We’ve got company,” Holly says.
Brody holds up Cassie while Garth draws his sword.
Holly whips her assault rifle around aiming it at the group of the creatures coming through after them. More than a dozen come through in seconds and charge at them once more.
Sparks of blue light race past their group from behind, hitting the creatures one by one, freezing each in place, translucent ice washing over them. All eyes turn to find two individuals, a woman and a young man standing behind them. The blue lights leap away from her fingertips like sparkling diamonds, each time turning the monsters into statues frozen to the pavement.
“The portal, Asha,” the young man says, pointing at the origin of the creatures.
The woman wastes not a second, pulling at the air with gestures that translate her power. A dome of ice crackles and builds itself from the ground up, completely encompassing the
portal construct being used by the creatures to keep up their pursuit. As more monstrosities come through, the light of the portal still flashing within the ice dome, they find themselves trapped in a prison of ice.
Holly turns her gun on the woman, but the boy whips a finger at her that pulls the gun out of her hand, tossing it yards away into the street.
“That’s gratitude,” he says to the woman.
Brody pays the exchange little attention, however. He hasn’t taken his eyes off the woman since he saw her intervene. He has no idea who she is, or her companion, but clearly they aren’t from around here.
“Isaac, please,” Asha says. “We are the ones who need their help.”
“No,” Brody says, interjecting. “I do thank you for your assistance. Holly was just being cautious. We’ve had a bit of a rough time over the past few minutes.”
Asha smiles at him. “We know,” she says.
“I suspected you might,” Brody says. “Which leaves me with a great many questions. Is there someplace we might go to discuss them?”
The young man, Isaac, looks at Asha, shaking his head vigorously. “Not there,” he insists.
Asha gives him a perturbed look.
“We don’t know if we can trust them,” Isaac reminds her.
She appears to consider it.
“Your companion is correct, Asha is it?” Brody inquires. “You can’t trust strangers, so we should retire to a different location and become acquainted. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Behind them, the plague monsters roar furiously, beating their fists against the ice barrier barring their way. They rake their claws in anger and frustration, but cannot find a way of getting through the thick dome Asha has created around them and the portal they are using. More and more come through, but only to join their fellow creatures in the prison of ice.
Garth watches the exchange between Brody and the woman. “Grandfather, how do we know we can trust them?”
“Again, we don’t. However,” he says turning to look at Asha once again, “saving our lives is a good place to start.”
Asha glances at Isaac. “Take us to one of the old places,” she says. “We will talk.”
Reluctantly, Isaac complies. The others watch as the young man completes a gesture with one hand. By the time he is finished, the street in London has been replaced with completely different location. Pavement has been replaced with moss and short grass. Buildings have become monolithic stones stacked in a unique yet mysterious arrangement.
Brody’s eyes widen under the star-filled sky, and a smile brightens his face. “Stonehenge.”
Troubled
I am grateful for the sudden and unexpected appearance of my recent benefactor, James Solomon. His arrival on the scene no doubt saved my life, yet again. However, it is Brody West’s arrival and his demand that his creatures kill me that plagues my thoughts now.
“He was so close,” I say, pacing the spacious room where Solomon transported us only moments ago.
We have traveled from London to another destination I’m uncertain of. The building looks like a castle, elegantly appointed and grand in all its construction. A roaring fire blazes in a hearth large enough for a grown man to walk upright within it. Tapestries adorn the walls, depicting scenes from centuries ago. Some I recognize, most of them I do not.
“I’m not sure what happened,” Solomon says from his leather chair before the fireplace. “I can only assume West countermanded my spell somehow in order to separate us while in transit.”
While he puzzles over how the man was able to divert me from Solomon’s intended destination to that hellish place in London, I grow more frustrated by my own failure at the scene.
I stop in front of him. “I almost had him,” I complain. “I should have killed him when I had the chance. Then all of this mess would be over.”
James Solomon stands, placing a comforting hand upon my shoulder. “Killing him will be harder than you think,” he says. “West may be a villain, but he is also an extremely powerful Superomancer—one of the Sons of Anarchy.”
I give him a quizzical look at the title.
“It means he was born of the Fallen—the son of an angel and a human woman,” Solomon explains. “He may be the most powerful descendant still living.”
“I had my hands on him,” I say. “He mentioned my parents—mentioned how he killed them and how he would do the same to me.”
“Like I said, he’s a villain, and he wants to destroy your family line, Jonathan. I believe he will stop at nothing to get to you. He’ll try again to take you from me, to separate us so I can’t protect you from whatever he has in store.”
“Let him try,” I reply under my breath. “I’ll make him pay for what he’s done.”
Solomon sighs, turning to look at the fire. “You’re not powerful enough, yet.”
Remembering what he said about my father, earlier, I seize upon a chance at revenge. “You mentioned that my father was able to kill with a touch.”
“Actually, I said your grandfather,” Solomon replies. “When he touched an individual, he was able to alter their internal chemistry to such a degree that they died. He could stop a person’s heart while shaking their hand.”
I grin now. “Is there any possibility that I possess this same power?”
Solomon returns my grin. “Perhaps. However, I’ve considered a proposal by Gregor to use my political connections to get more help. If the humans understand the role Brody West has played in this debacle, then they will hunt him down.”
“But if he is so powerful, then what good can humans really do?” I counter. “This is something we should handle ourselves.”
Solomon nods approvingly. “An excellent point, Jonathan. You are a wise young man. You see to the heart of the matter.”
I appreciate the man’s compliments, but how to accomplish the task of stopping Brody West still eludes me. The risk to Cassie, as well as the risk to my relationship with her weighs heavily upon my mind. I don’t want her to hate me when all is said and done, but someone must show her the truth. Someone must stop Brody West.
“Maybe we should pray about this,” I interject.
Solomon’s expression turns sour for a moment, before his smile returns.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “You believe in God, don’t you, James?”
Solomon sighs, turning away from me. “Oh, I believe in Him,” he says after a moment.”
“Then surely, the Lord can help us figure out how to stop someone as wicked as Brody West,” I reply. “He’s destroying people’s lives.”
Solomon turns to me again with a placating expression. “It’s not as simple as all that,” he says. “The Almighty doesn’t deal with Descendants in the way He deals with normal humans.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’re not like mortals,” Jonathan. “He doesn’t show the same care for Descendants. After all, we are related to those who rebelled against Him in the beginning.”
“But we’re also human,” I argue. “And Jesus died for all mankind upon the cross. I placed my faith in Jesus when I was just a boy.”
Solomon’s expression darkens at this, giving me pause. “Is there some problem with my faith, James?”
“No problem at all, Jonathan,” he says. “I’m not here to quip about theological differences. It has been my desire only to protect you from West, and to offer you my wisdom regarding your heritage and the power you possess. Like you said, if you can learn to tap into that power, then you will be able to stop Brody West from ruining any more lives.”
I feel pressure in my head again and shake it a bit trying to find relief.
“Is there some problem, Jonathan?” he asks. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“I just wish this throbbing pain in my temples would go away. It started when I was in London and those things attacked me.”
“What do you think is causing it?” Solomon asks.
“I have no idea,” I reply. ??
?All I can say for sure is that it gets better when I’m fighting. Every time I went after one of those monsters, the pain subsided. The same thing even happened when I struck back at Brody West.”
Solomon begins to pace around, as though he is scrutinizing me. “You may indeed have abilities trying to emerge. This pain you’re experiencing probably represents the power you are suppressing.”
“So, what do I do?”
“If fighting releases that power and diminishes your pain, then you must continue to fight until all of your suppressed ability is unleashed.” He smiles to himself. “I imagine you will have to be in real peril before the process can occur. You must really need to fight to survive. Every time the pressure builds, you must do your best in order to release it.”
“But what about West?” I ask, rubbing at my right temple.
“Only when you have unleashed all your latent power will you be able to defeat Brody West,” Solomon says. “And when you do, you will be able to save your friend, Cassie, and the others with her from certain doom at his hands. Surely, you must realize West cares for no one but himself. It is only his desire to use the girl to get to you that keeps her alive.”
I listen to this in astonishment. “But she’s his granddaughter. He wouldn’t—”
“Jonathan,” Solomon says, staring me in the face, “I’ve not yet told you why the girl and her brother were orphaned.”
I know what he is about to tell me, but it seems too terrible to consider. I want to hear the truth, but I don’t.
“Brody West killed his own daughter and her husband,” Solomon said. “They tried to stop his plans for this plague, just like your father did. In fact, Cole and Adolf were the best of friends. But West killed them anyway. He didn’t stop there. He killed their daughter, as well, when she tried to stop him. She was the mother of your friends.”
“What a monster,” I reply in my astonishment. “His own family.”
Solomon nods. “He is a beast, just like the angel that sired him.”
“And who was that?” I ask.
“His name is Southresh,” Solomon replies. “A twisted, malevolent spirit if ever there was one. He is often referred to as the mad god. His offspring is just like him, and he must be destroyed. You must be the one to do this, Jonathan.”