Heaven's Trumpet - 9. Midnight on the Firing Line

[Chapter 9]

I slid on my clothes and Adam followed as he hurriedly climbed out of the car. The Unrelenting were at Nathaniel’s estate. It was unthinkable. Impossible even. How had they found our headquarters? I knew they had some super divining source that led them to the Keys, but how had they found the Key of Power even through the protections of the outpost? I squinted at the rising sun with a deep frown and pulled a shirt over my head.

I crouched down next to the Camaro and traced my finger into the dirt, carefully drawing a glyph in the soil. Extending a whisper of power and a bit of will the symbol came to life, glowing blue like the sea against the brown dirt.

“What are you doing?” Adam’s voice floated down from above.

I snapped my fingers and the symbol flared before fading from view, taking with it the car. Adam made a sound in the back of his throat like he watched someone strangle a loved one.

I rolled my eyes. “I just made the car invisible, Mad Max. It’s still there.”

“Thank goodness,” he muttered, clutching his heart.

I stood up and stared at him with a mocking smile. “Are you going to be alright, baby girl?”

He sobered up and narrowed his eyes. “You suck.”

“Am I any good?” I asked, slowly smiling.

His cheeks turned faint red as he looked down at the ground and then he looked up with a bashful grin. “The best.”

My face melted with a silly smile. “You too.”

With barely a thought the black Chosen uniform formed around me as silent as the wind. I tugged off the cloak’s hood from my head, catching a glimpse of Adam transforming as well. His cape flared out behind him catching the wind and he looked like a comic book hero come to life, filling out every inch of his uniform.

Omega stepped forward and touched a hand to the pendant that held my cloak together. The five pointed star resting in a circle was my symbol. Each star point represented the five elements of earth, wind, water, fire, and spirit, all contained within the circular flow of life.

“Are you ready for this?” Omega asked, staring into my eyes.

I wrapped my arms around him. “More than ready. Take us away, miracle boy.”

We shot into the air in a slanting trajectory. The harsh wind pounded against our faces forcefully. With only a narrowing of his eyes, Omega formed a telekinetic bubble around us. Abruptly the speed increased and my bones jarred as we went supersonic. I glanced down and the city wasn’t even a blur. It was just a sea of color that went on and on, as sight and sound mixed together in a rush. The wind pushed at u, but I didn’t feel it through the psionic barrier.

Omega’s speed slowed as the estate grew closer. His grip on my waist tightened when I sucked in a breath. Surrounding the house was a dome of arching silvery white light. Drawing on murky memories I realized this was the shield of the outpost. Nathaniel must have reconfigured the emitters throughout the compound below, extending the protection to the surface grounds.

Brilliant idea. Lan surely had a hand with the modifications. I sighed in relief. Atlantean designed shields were powerful, not as tough as the Atlantis city shield, although they were almost as formidable. The force shield below could withstand weapons-fire, extreme radiation – solar as well as nuclear, and even the force of an asteroid.

“Nathaniel managed to raise the shield,” Omega muttered in my ear.

I nodded against his skin. “Land us right at the edge of the shield, on the east grounds near the lake. It’ll give us more fighting space.”

We flew closer to the estate and I frowned at the number of men swarming the grounds like locusts. Clothed in robes of drab gray, the mass of skinwalkers had to number into the high hundreds. They pounded at the barrier, throwing magic and even themselves at the shield. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the anger that sizzled under my skin.

Fools, all of them. These puppets were going to risk the universe just so their twisted master could crawl forth from eternal darkness.

I pointed to the stretch of green grass near the house and Omega brought us down. The Unrelenting didn’t attack as we landed. Their heads turned as one, staring at us with the inhuman movements of animals. I frowned at their mindless stares, knowing their master’s voice whispered at them from the void, perverting their bodies with a decadent hunger.

Sparks of orange light flash in my peripheral vision. I didn’t turn to see them. I was used to Solaris’ method of transportation. The champions of soul and light stepped to my side and together the four of us formed ranks.

“How very Village of the Damned,” Solaris murmured, sliding his visor down to rest on his nose.

The Executioner pursed his lips surveying the enemy pensively. “We’ll have to hit them fast and hard. Skinwalkers are too adept at the Witchery Way for us to leave them alive.”

I was already running the strategies in my head. “Solaris, clear the immediate perimeter around the shield.”

Solaris stepped forward, raising his hands. “Dawn Bringer!”

Light rained from the sky in a lethal shower of energized photons. I watched detached as the light fell in countless golden slivers, hitting their marks true. They sliced into the front lines of the ranks of skinwalkers, searing through skin like butter.

“Omega, shield now,” I ordered.

Omega raised his arms and the air shimmered as hundreds of destructive magical attacks struck the constructed barrier of thought. Omega grunted under the strain and I shouldered his burden by layering magic against the shield, easing the blows. The Unrelenting were itchy now. They stopped their attack, but we had gotten through their zombie like state. They glared at us with hatred brewing off them like steam from boiling water. We were interfering in their mission.

No longer were we pests at the edges of their perception. We were a hindrance in their goal of obtaining the Key of Power and for that, we had to die. I stepped forward and Solaris fell back. My hard stare cut into their smoldering eyes.

“This is your last opportunity to leave and stop your mission of obtaining the Three Keys,” I stated coldly. “After that, we break you.”

Of course, they wouldn’t stand down. That would be too easy. Their bodies shook in anger as they saw someone unworthy of understanding their mission. It was blasphemy to their eyes, the thought came from my half buried memories.

I could kill them all and end this. I was a Person of Mass Destruction. But the consequences of terminating the fight before it began would be disastrous. My power would destroy everything within a five mile radius before being reined in. It would scorch the earth and because of the black blood running in the skinwalkers veins, nothing would ever grow again.

That meant we were doing this the old fashion way. Time to get my hands dirty.

“Chosen, Beta formation,” I ordered flatly, glaring at the Unrelenting. “Make them regret this. Take them down hard.”

Stances shifted and positions changed quickly, their bodies moving seamlessly, reflecting the well trained celestial military unit we once were the envy of across the Milky Way.

They nodded sharply and replied as one, “Yes, Prince.”

They would gain the Key of Power over my dead body. I would see to that or I would die protecting it. I hope it didn’t come to that.

We exploded forward in four flashes of black, leaping into the invading army. My arm snapped up to launch a lance of aqua colored magic from my fingertips. It slammed into two skinwalkers and their bodies instantly crystallized. I carried the momentum of my movement, roundhouse kicking the frozen men and shattering them into ice chunks.

A dozen skinwalkers pressed in against me on all sides, slinging magic against the crude shield I conjured at the last moment. I twisted my hands, letting my fingers caress the air and poured magic into my fingertips.

“Butterfly Typhoon!”

The wind heeded my call roaring into life, wild and fierce. The tornado of magic infused wind surrounded me, sending the skinwalkers flying up and away, clearing the immediate area. It gave me time to see how the others were faring.

The Executioner waded through a swarm of skinwalkers, black ax gleaming in the morning sun. He did a fancy spin on his heel and buried the blade in the sternum of a chanting skinwalker, magic fading as blood and his life slowly bled away. The champion of soul was moving before the others could retaliate. He took advantage of their hesitation, cleaving through necks like tissues of paper and advancing in a run even as the bodies fell. He cut a path through the mass of skinwalkers just like that, striking fast and hard, pressing their defense by speed and strength. He was a one man army and their magical attacks couldn’t touch him since he moved faster than the wind.

“Watch out!” I shouted, pointing toward the group of skinwalkers at his backside.

He moved fast as lightning, turning on the ball of his heel with precision. The Executioner brought his leg up and slammed his foot in the nearest skinwalker’s chest. The body rocketed backward like a comet, striking others behind him and they fell into a heap of piled bodies.

“Freeze,” I whispered softly, exhaling across my open palm.

A thick torrent of air blew from my hand like a pressurized agent from a fire extinguisher. A half second later they were statues rather than breathing human bodies, their forms encased solidly in ice.

Suddenly a hand gripped my arm hard and a forceful tug sent me flying into the dirt. I screamed as a boot kicked my ribs and a bolt of concussive energy struck my chest like a train. Mind numbing pain jolted through my muscles.

“Starlight Lance!”

Light exploded above me and a splatter of blood landed on my hands. I opened my eyes to see a trio of bodies fall to the ground in pieces. Forcing the pain back I climbed to my feet and a hand reached out to steady me. Omega gave me a concerned look, simultaneously holding a TK barrier around us as he helped me stand.

“You alright?” he asked, worried.

I nodded, managing a weak grin. “Yeah, I’m good. They’re lucky we’re here. Anywhere else and I would just waste the lot of them.”

“I don’t mind the way,” Omega ignited his sword, letting the psionic blade make his intent clear.

Omega dropped his telekinetic shield and the skinwalkers rushed in. He hewed the head off the first one in one clean stroke and quickly stabbed the blade into the chest of another, skewering the skinwalker foolishly trying to slip past his defenses. The body shook against the blade sunken into his chest, as pure psychic energy assaulted his nervous system and fried his mind. He dropped to the ground with foam coating his mouth, brain dead.

Two skinwalkers learned from the others and came at Omega with blades composed of raw magical energy, rising from their knuckles like Wolverine. Sparks cascaded off the deflection as blade met blade, energy spewing off their impact points. Omega pressed his attack, allowing me to quickly finish off the dark spell I had been preparing.

“Revenge of Lucifer!”

My insides chilled as the power drew on the darker bits of my soul. The ruby colored red light shot from my hands in a thick ray. In mid air it split apart, becoming numerous beams of light. The dark spell burned into their front ranks cooking skin from bones. The wounded dropped and were stepped on as those in back filled the empty spots.

Omega leaped forward into the thick of their numbers. He continued his movement immediately throwing back those surrounding him with a TK wave. His blade moved in harmony with his body, surrendering defense in favor of offense.

My distraction earned me a punch to the face. I slid back as stars exploded in my head. I shook off the ache and thrust my arm toward the lake. I flexed my fingers willing the water to do my bidding. The lake waters rose forth, commanded by magic. Grunting with effort, I whipped my arm and a massive wave of water broke through the air, cresting higher than the mansion at our backs.

The skinwalkers reacted simultaneously, hands moving in complicated movements, that I recognized. Their bodies flared with a dark aura as the group spell synced up and with a savage snarl, they snapped their arms up. Magic jumped from their bodies catching the tidal wave. In synchronized fashion, they moved in one smooth movement and the wave of water changed direction. It flowed toward me cresting higher than before with a deadly roar. Something dark coated the water, a malevolent force that prevented me from counteracting the flow.

I pointed two fingers at the huge devastating wave and snapped, “Crown of Neptune!”

Gold and blue light filled the air accompanied by a soft musical chime. A tall man wrapped in flowing silks of turquoise and jade faded into sight, shirtless and imposing. White hair trailed down an insanely muscled chest that put bodybuilders to shame. He gave me a wink and raised the gold trident in his hands like a sword.

I was the avatar of magic; the life blood of the universe, its energy was the spark of life. The old gods were manifestations of magic and the belief of people given life and form. Mostly they were the custodians of the universe. When I called on their power they usually granted me strength since we were in a way related. We were children of magic.

The God of the Sea’s triton flashed with a glorious radiance of overpowering sea green light. It struck the water and the massive wave of destruction stopped in its path as the power holding it together fell apart. The water lost its cohesion and rained from the sky in warm droplets. The god sent me a solemn nod before leaving the mortal plane.

Any other time I would have patted myself on the back for pulling off that summoning, but now wasn’t the time. I did an impressive flip and sent a sheet of lightning at the ninja-like skinwalker that managed to catch me off guard. He created a shield and the lightning splashed across his magical barrier. A bolt of scarlet light slammed into the ground near my feet and I found myself on the defensive, as the skinwalkers moved as a collective mind, attacking me all at the same time.

Spells flew from my hands as I sent the elements and magic into the swarm of hosts. Robes caught fire, the ground opened and swallowed dozens of skinwalkers, magic stopped their hearts cold and turned their brains into goo inside their skulls.

The Executioner suddenly flipped in front of me. His ax was gone but his hands and aura buzzed with an intense white light. Some call it ki or chi, whatever its name, the champion of soul had long since mastered the energy produced by the body and soul. He preferred to fight with weapons and his hands, but he was proficient at utilizing spirit energy just as accurately as a well placed punch.

He gathered the crackling ki in his hands, packing the energy tight. “Greater Dragon Destroyer!”

The Executioner slammed his hands into the dirt forcing his ki into the ground. The white spirit energy forced its way into the earth, finding fractures and fault lines, sending shockwaves deep into the soil. A large glowing infinity sign, the symbol of the champion of soul, flashed into existence underneath the crouching boy. Without warning the ground exploded underneath our foes.

They went on the defense as stone spires ruptured from the ground, piercing and skewering countless skinwalkers, as they blasted upwards. If they escaped being speared by the giant stone spikes, the debris rushing at high speeds surely nailed them. He cleared a good quarter of the masses and threw me a grim smile then sprung forward, hands blazing with spirit energy to meet those that filled ranks head on.

Fire wrapped around me like an old friend as I hugged my arms around my middle. I became a burning pillar of fire, scorching the earth and incinerating any skinwalkers nearby. My rage and adrenaline fed the tower of immolating flame. It rose higher in the air in a roaring blaze. I unwrapped my arms and clasped my hands together, intricately twisting my fingers, forcing my magic to hum in response. The flames formed into a flaming cobra with its hooded head flared. A single hand gesture gave it sentience.

The fire serpent slithered through the army of skinwalkers. They threw their might against the fire construct and all attacks dissipated against the burning snake. I jerked my arms and the snake whipped through their numbers setting the grass ablaze as it surged, burning the dark practitioners to ashes in an endless echo of screams.

I burned them without mercy until the flames ate through my emotions. Without the fuel of anger, the fire sputtered and collapsed upon itself, leaving most of the field a smoking mess. I looked over the grounds and groaned as the Unrelenting that I didn’t burn to death picked themselves up. Some had conjured shields and more numbers streamed from the forest bordering the property. I swallowed thickly. There had to be a little over four hundred of these bastards left.

Solaris was thrown into me, tripping us both as we were knocked over on our backs. The skinwalkers descended upon us like a swarm of piranhas. I snapped my hand up at the same time as Solaris. Without realizing it we grabbed hands and shouted an attack that hadn’t been used in over 15,000 years.

“Crisis Nova Strike...” We briefly met eyes and our lips formed the next word as if our gazes communicated a hidden signal. “Execute!”

Twisting sunshine yellow and blue light streamed from our hands in a spiraling cone of magical and solar energy. Those closest to us were reduced to less than dust before they even tasted air to draw forth a scream. The last ditch combined attack came from murky memories of a time when Emrys and Apollo were best friends, the first Chosen activated before the others. Often they had practiced, Emrys testing spells to combine their different powers to new and different uses. The skinwalkers who fell against the dual attack met their end quickly as they were struck down by both the powers of the sun and universe, light and magic.

The area within a thousand foot radius had cleared giving us time to gather our wits and scramble to our feet. An odd feeling wormed in my heart. I glanced at Solaris and his eyes were distant, his face slack with incredulity and confusion.

I cleared my throat. “Uh...Thanks.”

Solaris avoided looking at me, green eyes locked on the swelling host. “Don’t mention it.”

It wasn’t casually dismissive. This tone was clipped and hard, clearly meant what he said. I was not to mention it. Fine. If he wanted to play that game, then so be it. There was a reason we hadn’t made up from the mistakes of our youth. Best friends in another lifetime or not. He was still a dick. I chanced another glance at him, watching as he ran toward the advancing force, plasma already flowing around his form. But at least the dick had my back.

I narrowed my eyes, incanting quietly under my breath and watched the forces march toward me. Mauve light gathered in my palms as I coaxed the mists of limbo into my hands to do my bidding.

I smirked darkly at the skinwalkers who threw magic against me. The attacks fueled on by their mastery of the Witchery Way splashed against the shield around me. The globe solidified and I chunked it forward like a lit stick of dynamite.

“Soul Reaper Reprise!”

A massive sphere of light, surrounded by a ring-shape, launched forward from my hand, ripping up the ground as it sped onward. It hit the oncoming skinwalkers, plowing through them like a knife through butter. It continued on sucking the life from their bodies, shunting their souls into purgatory until it encountered a solid wall of magic and dissipated.

A group of skinwalkers waded through the destruction and instead of the gray robes of the mindless drones around them, these Unrelenting wore purple and black. Their hooded faces were shadowed, but I could hear their synced chanting as their mantra wove a harmonious spell of sound and magic. Their voices suddenly rose in fervor and I screamed as it lashed out at me like a whip. It cut into my thoughts, racking across my skin, tearing and ripping flesh.

I stumbled as gashes opened up on my skin, eliciting cries of pain from my throat. I caught sight of the others through half lidded eyes, as pain overrode my senses and they were in similar states as these sorcerers worked their black magic on us. I bucked as their chanting struck me like a slap against the face. Blood streamed from my nose and my brain throbbed and swelled as if it was too tight to even fit inside my skull.

The skinwalkers pressed against the mansion’s shields, focusing their might upon its defenses again now that we were on our knees. These sorcerers were channeling power from their master in the void. I could feel the corrupted essence like a stench on reality. It rubbed against my skin with an aching wrongness. Even its whispering influence from the black abyss was an atrocity. If it awakened then it would become unbearable.

I focused on the tiniest bit of me that they couldn’t grasp. My anger. In the center of all fear and pain, there was anger. It was the origin and driving force of our most uncontrollable emotions. I focused on the emotion like a lifeline and pushed away the pain. My eyes snapped open as I slapped away the droning voice. The sorcerers staggered as I rose to my feet, body glowing blue like the sudden flash of lightning. I’m sure my eyes were the same color. Their chanting paused as they noticed the Chosen recover and rise to our feet, as I extended my power to protect my friends from the spell.

I was mad.

Scratch that, pissed.

I had a right to be. These guys showed up to our place, ready to take the Key of Power, and steamroll anyone that got in their way. Newsflash, we weren’t going to cower and roll over for them. They thought because they had the advantage of numbers and used magic that they were an unstoppable force. I would never be killed by magic. Never. Ever.

“You think to use magic against me?” I glared at the twisted men before me. “I’m the Champion of Magic! You don’t hold a candle to what I am and what I can do!”

I snatched off the pendant from my cloak. The five pointed star gleamed as it caught the sunlight and an invisible wave pulsed from it as I focused power into the artifact.

“I call upon the power of magic!”

My words transcended the here and now, going beyond into that stretch between everything, piercing the fabric of space into forever. A blue sphere of light formed around me with a snap. My friends screamed their protest as they realized exactly what spell I was about to use.

“Giga...”

I had only called upon this spell once before in my lifetime. The last time almost cost my life. It took Adam reaching into eternity to bring my soul back.

“Annihilation...”

Countless slivers of multicolored light slammed against the bubble surrounding me, deflecting the attacks the skinwalkers decided to employ. They sensed the magnitude of the power output and it was their foolish mistake to not attack sooner.

“Program!”

The Giga Annihilation Program, my secret of secrets, my most powerful spell, and the deadliest ever in existence to my knowledge. The power of the “Program” was enough to destroy planets, reshape reality on a localized scale, and implode a star by sheer will alone or fight a war within the blink of an eye. Its function varied depending on the commands used. The Overdrive Initiative was the command I often used and it was the deadliest. I became one with the Power Creation itself, the very magic that sparked the big bang. A primordial magic that even gods didn’t dare use. Not this time. This time I didn’t need something quite so drastic. The appropriate command came to me with barely a thought.

“Chronos,” I whispered, pitching the word so it slipped between time itself. “Temporal Evaluation. Mark!”

Everything went silent.

I looked at the frozen world around me. The Chosen were still as statues, movements caught in the temporal lock. Their frozen expressions of dismay and confusion as they tried in vain to reach me tugged at my heart. The skinwalkers were caught with their arms outstretched, gathering power for a combined attack.

I saw all of this with an odd feeling of detachment as the power of the Giga Annihilation Program surged through my veins, leaking from my fingers, ready to be used. A force abruptly fell through the area and I shivered as its probing presence rubbed against me, searching. Chronos was a merciless god. Time was his domain, always has, always will be. No one could stop time without his knowledge and those who threatened his sea of time would face his wrath. He looked in my heart and mind, reading my intentions, and found my actions acceptable. While I hoped he wouldn’t kill me on the spot, I was banking on the chance the time god didn’t want the Unrelenting to succeed. He would die with the rest of us.

The presence of the god of time lifted from the area. And only then did I exhale in relief. There was a reason time wasn’t meddled with. Unless you were the god’s favored avatar then his divine punishment was brutal.

I stepped away from the pendant and it hung in the air, suspended against the forces of gravity. I grabbed the face and carefully turned it. I needed four minutes maybe five. With slow deliberation, I turned the pendant and the air vibrated around the object as it halted the gears of time. I chanced one more turn, granting me six minutes. The pendant shook angrily as it began a slow turn clockwise, counting down the resume of time. I let out a whoosh of air. Thank goodness I didn’t try for seven minutes, otherwise, Chronos would have surely destroyed me.

I threw my overloaded senses out, away from the immediate area, and out across the grounds. There were more skinwalkers than I thought. No wonder we hadn’t mopped the floor with them yet. They had spread out all across the grounds in an ocean of gray robes, numbering in the high thousands. The rest of the force must have teleported or portaled in without us noticing. The majority was on this side of the property, but the rest of the skinwalkers were stretched all around the shield covering the mansion, contesting their power against the umbrella of energy.

I could drop a Hell Ground Zero or a Justice Apocalypse and liquefy all these bastards for sure. While the property damage would be high, the light show and energy emissions alone would alert every government on Earth to our location. Not just the governments but also anyone with eyes, since the display would be as bright as a nuclear bomb.

I could do subtle.

My hands cut through the air. Light shined where my fingers traced, hanging the symbols in mid air. I turned in a circle quickly tracing the air, glowing glyphs filling the space around me. I waved my hands and the symbols shot into the ground, forming a circle of neon blue light with a five pointed star in its center and surrounded by a double band of thin red light. I raised my hands just as time resumed.

Sound returned in a rush and everyone was visibly startled by my new position and the shining magic circle beneath my feet. A tiny smile played across my lips. The sorcerers moved but I was ready. I snapped my fingers and the circle beneath me flared like the brightest of stars, then they exploded.

Literally.

All across the grounds of the estate skinwalkers blew apart in an explosive spray of blood, gore, brain, and steaming insides. The blood splattered across our uniforms and I flinched. Luckily we wore black. It didn’t show. Point for us.

The pendant fell to the ground and I tore my eyes from the field of body parts that my brain couldn’t process. Wouldn’t process. It was like looking at one of those optical illusions that you stared at, then your brain went click and suddenly you saw it. I prayed not to see it.

I snatched up the pendant and then the ground rushed up at me. More like I rushed toward it. I fell on my hands and knees as the world spun around like a sick cycle carousel.

“Chad!” Omega sprinted to my side.

I looked up at him dizzily. “Hey.”

“Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again!” He sounded frantic. “Why did you use the Program? You know how dangerous it is.”

“Had to,” I replied weakly, fighting back nausea. “...Too many of them.”

Clapping echoed through the gloom and the air shimmered, revealing the Black Pope of Damnation. He strode forward looking formidable and impressive in his scarlet robes and gold stole, not a blemish marred his skin from our last encounter.

“That was quite extraordinary.” The Black Pope laughed and the sound grated against my skin like razors. “The legends don’t do you justice, Your Highness.”

The Executioner drew himself up and glared at the Red Eyed Man. “Your skinwalkers are gone, you’re done. So just leave before we make you leave.”

The Black Pope cocked his head a sly smile lighting his pale face. “You think those were all of the Unrelenting? Don’t be a fool, boy. The Order of the Dying Star is more powerful than you can begin to imagine. We are not leaving until we get the Key of Power.” His red eyes flashed. “We won’t be stopped.”

Solaris joined the Executioners side and said defiantly, “You and what army?”

“The Avenging Angels of Atlantis, indeed.” The Black Pope clapped his hands and behind him, the air wavered again and stepping from the sight was a swarm of a hundred skinwalkers, their black robes and hooded features were too familiar. The Black Pope smirked. “How about this army?”

Damn it. I wasn’t up to fighting. My body was already shaking from magical overload. I had drawn in too much magic today. Unless I wanted my heart to explode I had to take a break. The others put up a good front but I know they were just as exhausted. I looked at Omega and he nodded.

“Chosen, fall back,” I commanded with a heavy heart.

Atlantean shields were programmed to let through those carrying specific genes. The DNA of Atlanteans was unique enough that its entire people had the genetic code required for the biological safeties written into most of their technology. So as we stepped back through the shield surrounding the mansion it did nothing but lightly tingle against our skin like the wind. The attacks that followed us however splashed harmlessly across its surface.

“Everything falls,” the Black Pope called after us. “Even this wall. When it does, we will come down on you and rip your tracheas from your throats and use them as rope to choke the rest of the life from your carcass.”

He had a flair for imagery, but I wasn’t afraid. “Sticks and stones, bitch.”

Light enveloped us and a pull tugged at the upper most part of my gut. The world turned white for a long moment. When I opened my eyes we were in the Operations center of the outpost. I sagged against Omega, feeling drained and bone tired.

Gentle hands guided me to a chair. “I got you. It’s okay.”

Celeste appeared in my eyesight. The Voice of They Above All looked like every fairy tale version of a princess with her white Greco Roman robe and gently curling blonde hair. The angel looked at me with concerned eyes.

“Rest easy, child,” she murmured, placing a hand on my shoulder. “The shield is holding for now.”

Celeste’s hand was warm on my shoulder and her voice was like music to my ears. It brought comfort to weary muscles and I felt my spirits lift by her very presence. I took a moment to just bask in her angelic glow.

“Where’s Nathaniel?” Ryan asked, letting go of his transformation. His Chosen uniform faded away as he returned to his civilian person. “Is he okay?”

Celeste nodded, her serene expression unwavering. “He should be back in a moment. He wanted to make sure the vault was secure.”

The Key of Power was safely locked in the vault and I wanted to keep it that way. I followed the others lead and willed away the Chosen uniform, letting go of the soldier for now.

Killian and Ryan walked over to the monitors and accessed the security cameras. The glass monitors came to life with images from the grounds above. Surrounding the shield were the skinwalkers, magic streaming from their hands in thick rays of furious red light. The Black Pope’s beam of power was the thickest of all and it was jet black like a cloudless night sky. There was no talking or sounds, only an intense focused expression as they battered at the shield with pure destructive power.

Ryan frowned at the image on the monitors. “This isn’t good.”

“The shield will hold right?” Killian asked uncertainty.

The doors parted open and Nathaniel entered looking like he had been rode hard and put up wet. His clothes and hair was out of its normally perfect state. He smiled when his eyes landed on us.

“Boys,” he said with relief, smiling. “I’m glad you’re alright.” He looked at me worried. “I saw the monitors. That was a dangerous spell, Chad.” He touched my hair, almost fondly. “I’m glad you pulled it off.”

I was tired but I managed a half smile, touched by his affection. “I don’t think I have another one of those left in me for a while.”

Nathaniel moved over to the monitors near Ryan. He looked at the console taking in the readings. His face drained of color. Ryan closed his eyes and just leaned against Killian.

“What is it?” Adam grabbed my hand and squeezing it.

Celeste answered his question before Nathaniel could. “The shield wasn’t built for a siege. The power supply of the outpost can’t maintain it indefinitely.”

“The sustained attack is putting too much of a strain on the outpost power source,” Nathaniel said, staring intently at the readings. “It’s depleting power too fast.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “How long do we have until the shields fail?”

Nathaniel looked at Ryan, who shrugged. “I can’t be sure. Maybe less than ten hours, maybe not even that,” Ryan answered.

Killian shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the monitors. “Let’s take the Key and get out of here.”

“And go where?” Adam retorted, standing up. “They found us on Mars and they found us here. Who’s to say they won’t find us again if we run.”

Killian rounded on him angrily. “It’s better than being sitting ducks!”

“Adam’s right.” I stared at Killian, daring him to challenge me. “They’ll just find us again. The Key is safest here for now. It’s in the vault and they have to get through the shield, the outpost defenses, and finally us to get to it. I don’t know about you, but I like those odds.”

Ryan swept back a lock of black hair that fell across his eyes. “It’s the most logical plan.” He draped his arm across Killian’s shoulders. “Killer, you know this is for the best.”

“Fine,” he begrudgingly admitted.

I dropped my face into my hands. Ten hours and then it was game on again. We would defend the Key of Power with our lives. I would blow this place to hell before they awakened Heaven’s Trumpet.

“I figured out why they want Heaven’s Trumpet,” I said to the surprise of the others. “It was in my dreams. Hell, Early Dawn even told us. We just didn’t piece it together. Their master rests in the void.”

Killian crossed his arms, raising his eyebrow. “The void?”

“It’s a place existing outside life, death, afterlife and the universe,” Nathaniel said. “It just is. It’s an abyss of nothingness. There are certain beings, older than even the Lords in Shadow, who cannot be truly killed. You can destroy their bodies, but their essence will flee from the world and rest in the void.”

Killian nodded and said slowly, “So... Their master was killed a long time ago?”

“I know their master but I don’t even want to think of his name,” I said. “To do that would bring his attention on me. Even in the void his influence is strong.” I looked at Celeste, who was watching me speculatively. “I know you can’t interfere but you already have...”

Adam nodded, continuing my suggestion. “You teleported us down here from the surface so that counts as interfering, right?”

Celeste hesitated indecisively and finally said, “I can say that you have fought It That Came Before previously at another time in your lives.”

She worded it carefully, deliberately stressing words. I knew a hint when I heard it. The Order of the Dying Star master’s name wasn’t something that should be spoken, so It That Came Before was just a title of his...We had fought it before? We had fought a lot- Something clicked in my mind and it all made sense. No. No. No. NO! This wasn’t possible. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t!

The others hadn’t caught on yet. Lucky them. I shot up from the chair and called, “Lan!”

The holographic interface of the Atlantis AI immediately appeared. “How can I be of service, Prince Emrys.”

I looked around the room. “There’s a reason we never got back any references on It That Came Before and the Order. The correct files are buried so deep in the mainframe even God couldn’t find them.”

“What are you talking about?” Ryan asked.

I sighed. “Celeste just gave a big clue that slapped my brain into remembering. We’ve fought the Order’s master before. I even knew its name, but I forced myself to forget not only because its name has power, but also because of the memories associated with it.”

Holding up a hand, I quieted their instant questions and turned to Lan. “Unlock Alpha logs, bundle Gamma Zero One.”

Lan stiffened and nodded shortly, his face turning expressionless. “The codes, prince.”

“Iota-nine-Upsilon-Theta-Gamma-Seven-Break-Three,” I rattled off with weary dread.

“Activation codes recognized, Prince Emrys Cor,” Lan replie .

I let out a slow breath, memories racing across my mind. “Entries XC11 through LBX49, please.”

“Final authorization required for those files, prince.”

I took a trembling gasp of air. “May they Seek Peace.”

Lan closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them script rolled through his irises. The holographic interface on the table came to life. They crowded around the floating holo screen and I flicked my hands, motioning for the correct files. A block of Atlantean script rolled down the holovid. To the right of the script was a moving image.

It was a creature of enormous height that only added to its monstrosity. Its vaguely humanoid body was covered in green scales and many thrashing tentacles, protected by strange armor that obscured a majority of its features. Thicker tentacles flowed from its neck where its squid like head rested. Cities burned around it and the ground quaked and rotted beneath talon and clawed feet.

“The Elder Spawn,” I said in a whisper.

Adam’s head whipped around, his eyes wide with fear, so much fear. “Are you sure, baby? Please, you have to be sure.”

“He’s wrong!” Killian was shaking. “It can’t be him! We killed that fucking thing.”

Nathaniel, white as a sheet, stared at me gauging my seriousness. “It is possible... Its essence would have retreated to the void without a body after you destroyed it.”

It was the only thing that made sense. “After I destroyed Lemuria using the Giga Annihilation Program, I locked away all entries that would lead back to the Program. That meant that the files on the Elder Spawn as well. That’s why we never got any hits back.”

“So they need Heaven’s Trumpet to fuel the Elder Spawn’s rebirth,” Ryan said, leaning heavily against the table. “It would be the only thing powerful enough to reconstitute his form.”

Killian shook his head, jaw clenched tight. “This doesn’t make any sense! How can the Elder Spawn even have followers after all these years-”

“A testament to his power,” interjected Celeste, solemnly.

His shoulders slumped and he looked at me, green eyes filled with so much pain that I had to look away. Killian looked down at the ground and spoke the words we all thought.

“He played with us like toys last time, even when we were at our strongest,” said Killian. “To kill him you had to destroy a planet, Chad. A planet.”

It was my greatest regret and something that would haunt me even into the next life. That kind of action should never be employed by anyone as a means to an end. I had used the power of Creation from the Program to blow apart a planet. Its remains still lingered in system, dubbed the Asteroid Belt. Though their souls and bodies was perversely twisted by the Elder Spawn, there had been billions of lives on Lemuria. The pain of killing them along with the Elder Spawn would forever linger in my heart.

“I’m not blowing up the Earth,” I stated with finality. “We’ll stop them before it comes to that.”

“The Elder Spawn’s rebirth is possible,” Celeste said into the empty silence. “However the Unrelenting cannot contain the power of Heaven’s Trumpet for long, like they arrogantly think. When the trumpet recognizes the Elder Spawn is reborn, and nothing can stop it, it will do as programmed and trigger Beta Armageddon.”

“Beta Armageddon,” I asked after a long pause.

“There is more than one type of Armageddon but I will not elaborate on them,” said Celeste. “Beta Armageddon is the complete destruction of the universe and from its ashes a new universe will be sparked into life.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Adam said weakly with wide, staring eyes. “But we all still die.”

Celeste shrugged. “I apologize but it is the truth.”

“Thank you,” said Nathaniel, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve been a lot of help today for me and for the boys.”

She smiled and they both said nothing as they stared at each other for a long moment. It was sweet and touching to watch. It seemed the Emissary returned his affections after all. If we lived through this crisis then maybe a relationship would blossom. Knock on wood.

“Prince Emrys,” said Lan, sounding distressed.

I frowned at his tone. “Lan?”

The AI turned to the monitors and his priest robe swished around his ankles as he neared the controls. The screen zoomed in on the Unrelenting. I frowned at the rolling force of pitch black light battering into the shield like some kind of lethal fog. The Unrelenting directed the force with concise and synchronized movements.

“I thought this might interest you,” said Lan. “The invaders have begun utilizing a high stream emission of eldritch energy. It is more powerful by a factor of ten than the previous attack.”

Ryan swore and Nathaniel immediately jumped to the console and frantically began punching buttons. Celeste moved to his side and helped. I looked at the AI feeling like I was missing the point.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“The power source of the outpost doesn’t run on zero energy like Atlantis. If it did then the shields could take the strain,” Ryan explained before the AI could. “With the new force applied to the shield they will drain the power and...”

Ryan looked to Lan and the AI finished, “Immediate collapse of the shield will be in approximately eight minutes, twenty seconds.”

Adam and Killian both swore and jumped over to the console to see if there was anything we could do. Nathaniel and Ryan’s hands moved across the keys like a pianist. I couldn’t even begin to keep up.

Killian stared at the screen as if his glare alone could kill the Unrelenting. “Do we have some type of automatic defenses on the field?”

I turned to Nathaniel and chipped in, “Maybe some lasers out of the bushes and ground, some booby traps, steel barricades that slides down over all entrances-”

“No,” Nathaniel said shortly.

Adam rubbed my lower back and murmured in my ear, “This isn’t the X Mansion.”

“I’m bringing the protection protocols online now. I’ve blown the lift and sealed off main corridors with the blast doors.”

There was a grinding noise that echoed through the compound, but that was secondary to the sight that gripped my vision. The shield fell with little fanfare and the Unrelenting swarmed forward in a flood. Adam’s hand gripped mine tightly as they exploded through the windows and front door. The Black Pope strode behind the skinwalkers, slowly and confidently, a triumphant smirk on his face. He abruptly turned and looked right at the camera, gave a short wave and followed his brethren into the mansion.

“Bastard,” Killian muttered, his jaw clenched teeth.

Ryan seethed in anger beside him, glaring at the monitor. “They’re everywhere in the mansion. It won’t take them long to find the shaft leading to the sublevels.”

I transformed with a brief thought and my uniform flowed around me, replacing my civilian clothes. I threw off the hood, crossed my arms and looked at each of their faces.

“Let’s make sure they regret coming here, suit up.”

They followed my orders and their uniforms formed into existence. I spun on my heel and they followed my steps as we marched out of the Operations center. The vault was located two levels down and although it wasn’t as formidable as the weapons locker on Mars it didn’t have to be. We were here. The heavy door was a gigantic slab of shiny metal with two tire sized bolts mounted at each corner. Putting the door at our backs, we formed a single line to make a human wall.

Adam turned to Nathaniel. “You should really go back. We got it from here.”

Nathaniel shook his head, resolute. “You boys will need all the help you can get.” He opened his hands, palms up and spheres of crystal blue energy hovered obediently. “I have a trick or two in me yet.”

Killian stared at Celeste, his lip curling in a frown. “What about you? Are you going to help us fight? That’s interfering the last time I checked.”

“I won’t directly help or hinder,” Celeste said carefully. “I will see you through this and I hope my presence gains you tactical surprise that can be valuable in battle.” A slow smirk transformed her expression from serene to almost sly. “And if any should foolishly strike against me, then it is not interfering only self defense if I strike them down.”

How is that for some divine retribution? A deafening explosion sounded above our heads and I barely managed not to stumble into the wall, as the entire corridor shook like we were at the epicenter of an earthquake.

“They’ve made it down to the outpost,” Nathaniel muttered.

The Executioner nodded intently studying his phone, watching the life signs dotting the map of the outpost. I steadied myself as another explosion and quake rocked the hall.

“They’re making their way through the blast doors,” the Executioner murmured.

I hadn’t fully recovered from all the magic use earlier, fatigue hummed on my nerves, and exhaustion was close to overtaking me but I fought it tooth and nail. It didn’t matter at this point. I would do what I had to do and I would sling spell after spell until I dropped, if that meant that we succeeded here today.

“One more level,” warned the Executioner, his voice breaking the tense silence.

I clenched my fists and squared my shoulders. Showtime then. “Alright, guys,” I said. “Nothing gets into that vault.”

“They’re just outside the blast door ahead,” stated the Executioner. His hands moved in an arc, and from sub space appeared a black ax twirling in his grip.

Omega looked at me and I gave him a small smile. There was nothing else that I could say at this moment. Getting super sappy in a tense and life threatening situation was not how I rolled.

The blast door blew apart in a flash of navy and red light and screeching noise. Omega thrust his hand forward and the debris fell harmlessly against his TK shield.

The Black Pope walked into the corridor with his lackeys beside and directly behind him. The Order leader’s tiny grin irritated and ignited within me a fury that I barely managed to contain. He looked too arrogant, triumphant.

“Ah,” said the Red Eyed Man. “Making a last stand? Admirable but ultimately useless.” His ruby gaze swept over us and stopped, settling on Celeste. “They even have an angel!” He grinned mockingly. “I bet it just burns your feathers that you can’t interfere.”

A furious angel was something I don’t think I ever wanted to see again. It was awful and something beautiful at the same time. Celeste’s gossamer wings extended from her back, shining and rivaling the aura of power around her body. Her cornflower blue eyes turned pale blue, like the glaciers in the Arctic. All she needed was a flaming sword and I had no doubt she was one of those divine beings who could smite a city.

“Choose your words carefully with me.” Celeste spoke slowly as a deadly holy power leaked from her voice. “I can turn you to dust and scatter your ashes across all of perdition. Even the abomination you worship won't save you from my fury.”

The Black Pope sneered. “You will sing a different tune when the Elder Spawn is reborn in all its glory.”

“You cannot chain down the power of Heaven’s Trumpet,” Celeste warned. “If the weapon activates you will reap what you sow.”

“We will destroy it before it comes to that.” The Black Pope whipped his arms out and emerald flame lashed forward in a torrent of devastating energy.

I threw up a shield and immediately cracks slowly spread across the blue pane of protection like spider webbing. I winced as the attack battered against my barrier and then with a noise like breaking glass the shield shattered. We dove out of the way as fire poured down the corridor unhindered.

“Spectral Cannon!”

“Starlight Lance!”

“Greater Dragon Destroyer.”

The three ethereal powers of the cosmos forced the fire to back draft, as their energies washed over our enemies in flashes of yellow, red and white light. The screams of our enemies echoed in the hallway. The light cleared revealing charred and melted carcasses littering the hall. The Black Pope stood unhindered behind a wall of red energy, the rest of his forces behind him. Shit.

A second later the air exploded with light. Our two forces came together in the middle of the corridor. None were foolish enough to strike against Celeste, her very presence caused a few of them to stumble or hesitate for a split second before attacking. It was precious time we took advantage of to press our offense and stop their advance.

The Black Pope disappeared from one end of the corridor and materialized next to me in the blink of an eye. He smacked me into the wall with a solid rod of steel. I slumped back with a scream as stars exploded behind my eyes. Another blow struck against my neck and then my back. Pain flared white hot like a dozen knives stabbing into my skull and body. Dizzily, I saw the Black Pope materialize next to Nathaniel and grab his throat. He bashed the advisor across the face with the metal rod and slammed him into the wall.

Solaris leaped to kick him in the back, but the Black Pope saw and teleported behind the rest of the Chosen before we even knew what happened. He shot us down with black arcs of cutting energy that blasted us into the ground. We landed on our hands and knees as the energy painfully coursed through our bodies.

Celeste rose to her feet from where she had been kneeling next to Nathaniel. Fire burst to life in her hand, scarlet and red twisting to form a sword of white flame. She leveled the blade of holy fire at the Red Eyed Man with fury on her face.

“I should unmake you here and now.” Anger coated every word like liquid caresses.

The Black Pope flicked red eyes from the flaming sword to her, a slow smirk taking over his face. “Try again, angel. That’s interfering. Your bosses will scorch you from the earth before you could use that pretty sword.”

She lowered her the blade with hesitation, watching through narrowed eyes as he turned to the vault. I tried to stand but fell on shaky hands. Blood dripped from my brow and fell into my eyes. The Black Pope pointed the metal rod at the vault door and sound blasted from it in a visible wave. The sonic attack struck the door and the input display lit as flashing numbers rolled across the screen.

Omega was struggling like the others, stilled gripped by the spell. “He’s...trying to hack into...the vault.”

I climbed to my feet and half limped-half half-ran to them and wrapped my senses around their convulsing bodies. The spell circulated through their nervous system in a loop, each circuit feeding off the other to grow stronger, misfiring synapses and damaging nerves. I gathered what little power I had left to interrupt the spell’s path through their bodies, stopping the loop and canceling the spell’s foundation. They fell over when their quivering muscles sagged in relaxation.

I slammed my hand against the wall. A hidden latch fell open, revealing a gel-like tile. My palm pressed against the Outpost mental interface pad. With a thought, I was now hooked into the controls of the compound. I activated the secondary blast door with a mental command. Celeste stared hard at the Unrelenting and they didn’t dare move from her gaze, as the door slid down, trapping them on the other side of the corridor.

The Executioner recovered quicker than the others. A grizzly bear like roar erupted from his throat and he jumped to his feet, sprinting toward the Black Pope in a blur of black. The man barely turned his head from his work, leveling his hand at the champion of soul, while the other with the rod continued cracking the vault codes. Light launched from his palm in a multi headed blast. The arcs of jade light took independent paths from his hand, but they all targeted the same opponent, traveling under the theory that the Executioner couldn’t possibly dodge them all.

He weaved around the first three balls and the third clipped him in the shoulder. That split second of slowed momentum cost him. The last eight balls converged together and slammed into the Executioner. He hung suspended in the air for a long agonizing moment screaming in raw agony.

The enormous expenditure of energy turned the crisp metallic walls to blackened slug and I rushed forward to his fallen body. His skin was blackened in some places, his coat had been burned to tatters, and the heat of the energy had fused the collar and cuffs of the uniform to his neck and wrists. Half his face was a mess of burned tissue. I gripped his hand and Omega joined my side quickly. He held his hands above the Executioner’s body, channeling healing power through his palms and skin began slowly knitted back together, whole and unmarred.

Solaris, tears pricking at his eyes, communicated with me through a single look. We took off at a sprint. The Black Pope flicked his hand over his shoulder and Solaris dodged the ray of mauve light. We slid to a halt and brought our arms forward, light gathering into our extended palms.

“Spectral Cannon!”

I didn’t have the strength to pull together one of my more powerful spells. The ray of light that burst from my palm was slapped together, but when it combined with Solaris’ sunshine yellow beam it took on the color of brightest emerald.

The Black Pope snapped his head around and muttered a word in a guttural language. The air around him shined iridescent and our attack rebounded off the wall of light. Solaris pushed me out of the way and cried out as the attack slammed into him, sending him rolling back on the ground, singed, smoking and unconscious.

I bounded forward and pounded on the iridescent wall. The vault opened with numerous clicks as the copious locking mechanisms released the door. The heavy door swung open I screamed in despair as the Black Pope sauntered inside, ignoring my pleas and threats. The wall of light held strong as I threw my strength and magic against it. A moment later the Black Pope swaggered from the vault holding the blood red gem in his hands, eyes glowing with a fiendish reverence as he gazed at the Key of Power.

“I will kill you for this,” I promised coldly. “You won’t activate Heaven’s Trumpet.”

The Red Eyed Man laughed, low and cruelly. “You don’t have much choice.” He smiled nastily, victorious. “One left.”

He muttered a string of nonsensical words and vanished in a flash of pearl colored light. The wall of light faded out of existence and I sunk to the ground on my knees, shocked. I gazed at the vault, staring but not seeing. Everything that I had been holding back, my exhaustion, pain and aches, combined in a flood of pouring feeling. My body began shaking and I tried and failed to break away from the stupor like shock, but I couldn’t. Adam wrapped his arms around me, calling my name but his voice sounded a million miles away. I tilted over, my world fading away to black as I slipped into unconsciousness.

Honestly, a little part of me welcomed it.

We were fucked.