Back to business

 

Hi, guys!

It's been a really long time since I last posted here, but a lot of things have happened in the meantime. CRUX came out on January 18th and it's available on Amazon, Nook, Kobo and on many other websites, in e-book and paperback formats. Also, on February 9th, Deea and I organized a little event we called a "book launch", though it was more like a book presentation for the Romanian readers. We chose a pub (and not a local book store as it's usually done), and I thought it would be awesome to do  a screening of the book trailer.

 

Deea & I

As you might have noticed, there are other people who worked on this and whom, I am proud and happy, to call family and to have had at the book event: Oly Saldinger and Vladimir Belciug. Oly has handled the video and music editing, while Vlad is the voice of Maar in the trailer. I am also thankful and definitely owe George Calin (Deep Central) for lending his help and studio, and provided us with a professional voice recording - an awesome man! Sadly, our distant family, Andrei Marc - the book cover designer and trailer drawing artist - could not be with us, but I'll make sure he will be there for the sequel.

 

With Vlad (center) & Oly (right)

Last but not least, I want to thank WheelMan Press for turning this project into reality and for their constant support and good advice. Currently, the guys at WheelMan are working on formatting the first CRUX intro story and adding it to the retailers pages. This first episode is called Magic & Madness and it is part of the trilogy that I hope will ease the reader's way into the novel; the stories will be available for FREE and, while the first one will soon be up on the internet, I am half-way through the second and really pleased with the outcome.

At the moment, I am back on my "day job", on the same ship in the same ports of the Caribbean, but taking care of other tasks than last time. I hope I can balance my writing and my duties, and finish HELLBENT before I come back home. Sadly, I realize now that I should have worked more when I was there, but... no point crying over it now. Will try to keep you up to date on the progress and hope this little presentation convinced you to give CRUX a try. It's only 2$ for the e-book version and, if you consider the opinions on Goodreads (and not just take my word on it), it's definitely worth reading!

That's it for me, for now. Oh! Almost forgot: if you're curious about what else I can write, there's a feature of me on Catherine Garnell's blog. I should start working on the rest of that story, shouldn't I? Alright, people! Talk to you soon!

Just A Little Creative

"I happen to be informed from various reliable sources that this weather sucks! How can you stand this awful constant rain?" Marie growled over the cup of Earl Grey.

"It's not rain," Drew replied dryly, crossing his legs and looking at the ancient scroll over the pair of old-fashioned reading glasses. "It's liquid sunshine."

"It's liquid alright... Sunshine," she grinned.

Hellbent, baby!

Here's the deal: as of last week, due to serious stress over Crux-related issues, I decided I won't get involved in the publishing process until I return in September (or unless my involvement is mandatory; I.E. Deea manages to get the job done and I have to sign a contract). So... Sorry! If you want more updates, you'll have to pester her about it.

Still, I will continue posting and writing, and while I won't offer you any more details about THAT novel, I will share some things about the NEXT novel. It's called Hellbent and here's the first teaser!

Bright lightning struck nearby, but the thunder hesitated to join. When it finally struck, the door opened and the blond Incubus walked in with a subtle smile on his lips. His green eyes flared and something about that reminded Octavius of Thomas.

The small white boy stood by the tall window and peeked through the half-open green velvet curtains. He stood in darkness and silence and the frosty St. Petersburg air. He couldn’t feel, but there was still a macabre beauty left in his eyes – a last remnant of the humanity he had lost long ago.

“Come in,” Rene said and Octavius became one with the shadows.

The enthralled teenage girl stepped inside, her blue dreamy gaze lost in a fantasy. She wasn’t older than Marie – it made Octavius furious.

“What are you doing?” the Upir child asked through telepathy. “Have you lost all sense of decency? She’s not even allowed to vote yet!”

“Katja, won’t you please take a seat?” the beautiful Incubus said with an inviting gesture. “Right there, dear,” he added, pointing at the lavish burgundy armchair by the windows.

“Don’t you ignore me!” Octavius shouted in Rene’s mind. “If you’re going to feed on children, do it somewhere else! I don’t want to see this!” he hissed.

The green orbs locked onto the darkest corner of the room and the smile disappeared. Rene moved by the chair and slowly turned it to face the corner as well.

“Look at her,” he said softly. “And let her look at you.”

The Upir’s black gaze turned mellow; he never looked at his victims when he fed even though they were mostly criminals who deserved their fate. Octavius could never do such a thing, but he was old enough to know that someone just as old might have a plan. Though what that was, he couldn’t tell. He scanned the girl like an artist – she was truly beautiful. Golden rich curls cascaded down her shoulders and a couple of locks framed her alabaster cheeks; her skin was so white she looked like one of them.

“Who is she?” he whispered, still unseen. “Why is she here?”

“She’s just a girl I found in the lobby,” Rene replied nonchalantly. “And I feel a little offended that you thought I’d stoop so low as to harm a child,” he said, pouring himself a finger of vodka in a glass. He downed it and added: “Would you please come out? She’s mesmerized – she won’t even remember she was here. I’ll make sure to reward her with a happy memory.”

Octavius hesitated for a second, then finally walked into the blue light triangle the cracked drapes drew on the carpet. He was half naked, wearing only a pair of grey silky cloth trousers. Lightning flashed, revealing his nightmarish upper body – a deformed mass of skin and bone, the latter pointing out where his joints met looking alarmingly sharp. He was as tall as her, as she sat, but looked larger somehow, with elongated features and limbs, and his fingertips appeared as their very flesh had been honed to look like talons. The Upir was her exact opposite.

“If you won’t eat, then why have you brought this young one here?” he whispered, enchanted by those giant blue eyes, half hidden under rich lashes and baby blue powdered lids.

The Incubus almost hovered near the two. He crouched and took a knee, taking his friend’s hand in his. That energetic stare became mortal; behind the raging storm of magic shielding it, the most basic of emotions could be sensed and seen. Even the lifeless boy could feel the warmth emanating from inside Rene. He didn’t answer him, just looked at the girl again.

“Do you think she’s beautiful?” he finally said in a hoarse sad voice.

Octavius looked again, barely able to take his eyes off the girl’s rose-colored lips. She had a wonderful frame and a bohemian attire. A white wool scarf was wrapped a couple of times around her neck and a blood-red thick coat covered her upper body down to her hips. She also wore a black and crimson checkered creased skirt, thick nylons and knee-high flat boots. And she looked through him like he wasn’t there.

“Painfully so,” he whispered and his voice didn’t sound undead, didn’t screech like a crypt’s iron door. Octavius frowned and tried to pull his hand away from Rene, but he gripped it, not letting go: “Why are you doing this?”

The Incubus scowled and his vital force flooded visibly, like electric spiders crawling down his arm, into the boy. He tried to pull away, but Rene wouldn’t free him.

“What are you doing?!” Octavius growled and stared at him in shock.

“Be quiet!” the psychic vampire ordered and his gaze blazed like the flashes outside. “Look!”

His hand turned soft, meaty, even pink. It took a tremendous amount of power and energy to turn the dead flesh from its regular state into the now warm appendage Octavius glared at in awe. The vibrations and impulses soon rushed his entire body, turning the desiccated corpse back to life. Well… true life. His entire being shook like he just swam a mile and the feeling seemed so intense as nothing he had ever felt.

The black layer over his eyes had cleared like ink washed away by water, finally showing their true brown color. They were big and childish. And through the deformed dry scalp, dark chocolate tresses grew rapidly to the length they had before he died. Octavius gasped and screamed and swallowed his scream, and thought he would lose his mind right there and then.

“You can see now,” Rene told Katja, his body trembling with effort, but unfaltering, still feeding the boy his enchantments.

“What?” the girl asked in a deep Russian accent, blinking heavily a few times like she had just woken up. “Who are you? Where am I?”

“Don’t move,” the Incubus told her softly, paralyzing her body. She struggled and panic flooded her mind discovering her limbs wouldn’t obey. “Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. “Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I promise.”

“Let her go, Rene!” Octavius protested and struggled to free himself again. “Why are you doing this?”

“Listen,” he explained matter-of-factly, ignoring the boy. “We are very old, very powerful vampires. My friend here has died before he could truly live and today is his birthday.”

Octavius froze. His arm fell limp and he felt dizzy. He looked at the girl, at Rene, at his free hand and blinked dumbly. Katja stared at him for long moments, then turned to the long-haired man who seemed to have drugged her or something.

“I just want to go, sir,” she said pleadingly. “Please, I just want to go. I promise I won’t tell anyone about this! Just let me go!”

“I will,” the Incubus said and tried to smile reassuringly, but she was too afraid to take any comfort in that. “I’m being sincere, girl. I just need you to do one thing for me; I could command you to do it, but it wouldn’t feel right.”

“Oh, God,” she mumbled. “You’re going to ask me to have sex with this boy, aren’t you? This is one of those demented things I’ve heard about!” Katja said and almost started to weep.

“No, no!” the man said and put his hand over hers. “Oh, heavens no! Look,” he added with an amused smile, “I was serious: this boy really did die. We really are vampires, but we don’t want to harm you. It really is” Rene whispered and glanced at his companion “Octavius’ birthday. And I wanted him to experience a kiss. That’s all, I swear!”

The teenage girl took a few deep breaths and looked at the boy who seemed almost catatonic – he just looked at the floor, lost in thought.

“I think you’re insane. Both of you,” she said. “You’ve drugged me and this is part of some sick twisted game. And I won’t play!”

“Fine, I’ll prove it then.”

“Why?!” she yelled at Rene. “Even if you are what you say you are, what makes you think I’ll kiss him? He’s so young… It’s so weird! This is all so weird!”

Rene took his hand off of hers and closed his eyes for a moment. She could move. But she was too scared to do anything. The girl looked at her fingers and flexed them, then stared in surprise at the blond man.

“I could wipe this memory clean for you if you want,” he whispered. “And that’s no figure of speech so don’t fret. Like I said, we never wanted to hurt you. All I wanted was to offer my good friend an experience he never had the chance to live. He’s not like me – his body’s true appearance is… not pretty. He can’t smell, taste, touch…”

Katja listened and looked at Octavius. The green waves of energy emanating from him rose like steam and dissipated. Her eyes followed the source to Rene’s hand where the energy chakras joined and communicated.

“You may go if you want to,” Rene added sadly. She relaxed for the first time and sensed he was actually telling the truth. “I’m sorry I brought you here without your consent. I had no right to manipulate you so.”

“You’re damn right you didn’t have the right!” she scolded him. “How would you feel if you were in my place, huh?”

“I was. That’s why I said I’m sorry.”

Katja blinked surprised – she didn’t expect that. She stood slowly, still insecure and looked down at the Octavius.

“He’s really…?”

Rene nodded and pointed at the boy’s other hand, refocusing his energy away from his limb. The hand turned dry and bony and Octavius hid is behind him in shame.

“Please stop this,” he muttered, too embarrassed to even look Katja in the eyes. “It was a nice gesture and I appreciate it. Now let the girl go so we can get on with our boring-“

He stopped and gasped as she felt the girls hand cupping his face. She lifted his face towards her, making him shut his eyes tight and tense his whole body.

“Look at me,” she whispered, but he wouldn’t listen. Her arms came around him and embraced the naked cold flesh. He could smell her sour-sweet perfume in her silky hair and her warmth made him relax. Slowly, his eyelids rolled up. Katja’s cheek brushed against his as she turned and followed up with her lips. The air refilling his working lungs didn’t want to come out. “Look at me now,” she added in the same low gentle tone.

Their eyes met up close, as she held his forehead against hers. Octavius took deep breaths, scared out of his mind, but forcing himself to look at the girl and feel the intimacy. She smiled a bit and finally pressed her perfect soft lips against his in a long kiss.

When he was finally released, a whole new sensation overwhelmed Octavius. His knees went weak, his chest felt warm and tingly. He was high. Katja caressed his cheeks and pulled back, then looked at Rene, her eyebrows meeting slightly.

“You’re a jerk for forcing me to come here.”

“I know,” Rene whispered back.

“But you’re a good friend,” she added and faced Octavius again. “I wanted to do this,” the girl explained. “It wasn’t pity. It was a present. Maybe you are real, or maybe I’m just dreaming, but everyone deserves a moment of happiness. Happy birthday.”

The Upir looked at her still speechless. He wanted to say something, anything, but the words just wouldn’t come out. The words wouldn’t even be formulated in his ancient mind, ironically. Katja ruffled his hair.

“Bye now,” she said with a delicate smile and turned to leave. She expected them to stop her, but nothing happened. Still, as she opened the hotel room door, Katja heard in her mind: “Thank you.” Her hand froze on the handle for a moment. She nodded and walked out.

“You…” Octavius finally said. “I… This was completely crazy. I don’t understand the way your mind works! …Well?” he asked, as Rene was trembling slightly in silence. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Pull the drapes before the sun rises or I burn to a crisp,” the Incubus replied with effort and collapsed on the floor.

The boy sighed deeply while his hand was finally released and turned back to its undead appearance, along with the rest of his body. He withered in seconds, but this didn’t bother him so much; he was more worried that Rene might have just killed himself for a foolish gesture. Sweet, but incredibly stupid. Sometimes he wondered how his companion survived for over two millennia being such a hot head. He pulled the drapes together, sinking the room in complete blackness, and dragged the limp body to bed.

“Thank you,” he whispered while he watched the slumbering man with emotionless coal eyes. “you moron.”

Why Deea likes Akaba

This is one of the last fragments added to the final version of Crux, before being PDF-ed and ready for a review. As I'm sure Deea hasn't yet read this part of the new and improved manuscript, this one's for her as much as it is dedicated to my growing fan base. If I was to give it a title, that would be When Kara Met Akaba. Enjoy!

(Akaba - alternative version)

“Fire,” Daeva ordered with a veiled grin behind Benjamin’s mask. A series of deadly bolts swept the air and crashed onto the white walls and far beyond it. The catapults and ballistae may have seen less effective than an actual cannon, but their projectiles were in fact charged with negative energy generated by the advanced artillery systems; not only did they do smash damage, but they also created a deadly kill zone around the spot where they hit, electrocuting anyone nearby.

“This isn’t right!” the girl said. “If they breach the city before we manage to sneak inside, it’s all over…”
“What do you want me to do about it?” Akaba replied, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re supposed to be an expert on all things… war. Right? Think of something!”

The Infernal grinned and his molten honey eyes scanned the mass of troops focused on firing.

“Well… There is one thing.”
“Without killing them!” Kara added and slapped his shoulder, hurting her own hand.

He grumbled and frowned at her for a moment. Then, for some reason, he just looked amused. He shrugged, took her in his arms and paused for a moment, while planning his route:

“For some reason, I like you,” he said surprising her. “I’ll get you to where you’re going. Besides, there are a few angels there I want to meet.”
“No killing?” she asked full of hope, widening her brown eyes at him.
“No, no killing,” he agreed. “Now hang on tight!”

While Kara buried her face in his chest, holding on to his neck, the Infernal dashed out of hiding and roared like a madman as he charged the first Meka catapult he encountered. The entire moment was so unexpected that the three gray creatures just paralyzed there, staring dumbly at the hulk of rage who rushed in like a tank. He leapt on the ridiculously big spiked sphere they used as ammunition and stared down the mechanized soldier in charge of firing the device.

“You! Raise your aim twenty degrees and fire!” he bellowed at the small Meka.
“Umm… Sure, if you want to die, who am I to convince you not to?” the soldier replied. “Any last words?”

Kara looked at Akaba’s serious face as he posed theatrically over the ball of metal while it
charged up.

“I don’t regret the things I’ve done…” he said with a complete lack of feeling and talent. “But the violent murders I won’t get to commit!”
“…You gotta be shitting meeeeeeeee!” she screamed as they were both thrown in the air, over the beaten Nephalem fortifications.

Crux: Absolution - Part 7

Arlo ran ahead by herself, leading the throng of armed creatures back to their boats. Behind her, the lycanthropes and the other shape shifters followed in their beast forms, some carrying the ones who couldn’t keep up the pace. Andrew rode on Nom’s back and Thomas tried to hang on to Ash, but had a hard time doing it. He barely knew how to ride a horse, let alone a giant wolf that mostly leapt than actually ran. The vampires followed closely but didn’t overtake the beasts mostly out of respect for this type of group organization; in reality, some of them could easily outmatch their speed.

“Oh, no…” she muttered while realizing that the mountain pass was closed, but then also pondered about how Nom and his people reached Genesis.

“Go right!” Andrew shouted. “Nom knows an another way through!”

She nodded at him and went in the indicated direction, running along the mountain wall. For a second she thought she is imagining things, but when the stone vibrated a second time, she looked behind. The rocks came out of the mountain and slid back in just like a wave, with something advancing inside the giant peak. It passed her at an incredible speed and some yards away it sprung out like a baby from a womb, without leaving any trace of its passing. She expected the stone to explode and massive clouds of dust and pulverized snow to rise, but the creature delicately parted the wall and walked out elegantly on four giant hooves.

The entire Bastion army stopped in its tracks as Esseriss strode out carrying a Fallen with eyes like sapphires glowing in the azure light. The air smelled like fresh soil as a breeze blew Maar’s long hair to the side and reached the group, and Arlo was the only one to step forward and speak.

“You’re blocking the way. Shouldn’t you be somewhere else right now?” she asked with a hint of irony in her voice.

“She tends to do that,” Maar replied, dismounting and walking towards the half-angel.

“I was addressing you, my dark cousin. Isn’t there a Nilithar you’re supposed to protect?”

“The girl is safe, don’t worry. She…” he said jerking his head towards the horse-elemental “wanted me to come here. Why that is, I’m not sure I understand.”

Arlo turned her crimson gaze towards Esseriss and bowed her head and flexed a knee in something that resembled a curtsey.

“Greetings, ancient earth-spirit! Arlo Bloodfire is honoured by your presence.”

And well-met to you, young half-angel. I came with this Fallen one to warn you of great danger! Esseriss said melodically, while her crystal eyes reflected light arrows in all directions. Although it is a terrible thing to ask, I must request that you do not join the battle of Enoch…

“What?!” Thomas exclaimed. “But they will be overrun!” he added extending his hands in Arlo’s direction. “There’ll be a massacre!”

That is indeed a strong possibility, human. But not joining the conflict would mean less victims, less death for the demons to feed on. The dark ones are led by a one who feeds on destruction. The more die, the more powerful he will become.

“I cannot stand idly while innocents are slaughtered!” Arlo shouted, her eyes burning red.

What of the mechanical ones? Aren’t they innocent, half-angel? Esseriss asked.

“She does have a point,” Maar said miserably.

“And you?” Arlo questioned him. “Were you brought here to convince us to keep away?”

He was brought here to make a choice.

“Yes, you keep saying that,” Maar growled. “But you never told me what are my choices.”

Andrew fell to the ground, looking as white as the snow.

“Drew! Drew!” Thomas shouted, shaking him wildly.

“I’m okay…” the mage whispered as a circle formed around him.

“No,” said Ash. “No, you’re not, lad.”

Arlo looked at them then back at the elemental guardian and Maar with anger in her eyes.

“I have no more time to waste here! I don’t care for your prophecies and foreshadowing - we need to leave NOW! So do yourselves a favor and get out of the way!”

Arlo! - the telepathic voice made her jump.

“Tesla?” she asked out loud.

Yes, it’s me. Just listen: do not engage my people. I know how we can solve this. Keep the army away from the Meka!

“But they will be the ones leading the siege on Enoch. I can’t allow that to happen!”

Please, trust me with this. Flank the Fallen army and I will deal with the siege! Go now!

She just stood there, completely blank. The faith of the entire world depended on her choice. Her crimson gaze locked with Maar’s, pleading for an answer. She was feeling the full weight of the burden he carried with him for time immemorial.

“What was the message?” the blue-haired warrior asked calmly.

“…He said we must not attack the Meka, but the Fallen instead. This is horrible!”

“These are my choices, Esseriss? To tell her to attack one or the other?”

You’re fighting skills are not more impressive than your wisdom, young one. But there’s also a third choice: not to enter the battle at all. Whatever you decide, you must act quickly. I will support you all the way, as I am bound by my oath of loyalty.

Maar watched the broken half-angel, then his electric gaze scanned the entire contingent of ragged souls. They looked discouraged and already broken. And then there was those two humans… What were they doing on this plane?

“Hold,” he replied to Esseriss and joined the group tending the mage. He appeared truly ill, pale as one could get with his veins surfacing and turning purple and thin. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked Thomas.

“Drew somehow got us here to help your cause, but he has no anchor to his earhly body. It’s dying and destroying his projected spirit in the process.”

“So… he’s some sort of magician?”

“A wizard, yes. “

“Then he feeds on magic. Just like a vampire would feed on human essence.”

“I think so. I don’t fully understand his spiritual metabolism…”

“I do!” he growled and crouched next to the ill mage, taking his hand and putting it against his own chest. “Feed then, friend.”

Without even realizing he could do it, or even wanting to, flashes of blue light shot forth from the Nephalem and became absorbed by Drew, in the rhythm of his increasing heartbeats. The light rushed through his veins, making them shine like a complicated iridescent exoskeleton. In but moments, the wizard felt like a pure adrenaline had been shot directly into his bloodstream. With great effort, Maar removed his hand and stumbled back, looking quite dizzy, under the surprised eyes of everyone present.

“Wow!” said Drew. “That was amazing! Thank you so much!”

“Don’t mention it,” the Nephalem replied and turned to Esseriss. “Now everyone’s ready. Let’s do this before there’s no need for me to act.”

Have you decided?

“I did. And I choose neither. We will do this right. Listen up!” he ordered the mass of troops. “I am Maar of the Fallen Nephalem! And I’ve been fighting for so long to fulfill the prophecy of the Nilithar, I forgot what this was all about. It’s about freedom! It’s about casting aside all those who wish to control us! …I refuse to be controlled any longer! And I refuse to pick an option the Universe throws at me! That’s why, right now, we will march to Enoch and hit the ones that who really deserve it!”

“Wait a damn second!” Nom interceded. “I lead Bastion and none of these men and women will follow you just like that. What makes you believe I would even consider following a Fallen Nephalem?”

 “Because,” Maar replied smiling. “When I said ‘we’ I didn’t mean your people, nobble one. I plan to go avoid all unnecessary combat - I need a few volunteers with me to help the Nilithar. If Innanna is freed, there will be no need for bloodshed. Arlo! You come with me! I’ll need you to hold off your brethren. They must not attack the Fallen.”

“Yes,” she said confused but happy with his plan. “Sounds good.”

“Good! Whoever else wishes to join us, is welcome to do so!”

“We’re with you,” Drew said and acknowledged the nod Thomas shared with him.

“We’re coming too,” Ash grumbled, poked by Mona.

“Then I will join as well,” Nom said silently. “I can’t have any of Bastion’s people fight our battle while I just watch.”

A loud rumble came from the army behind. Shouts of disapproval and concern overwhelmed the group. Maar stepped and and rose his hands in the air.

“Stop! Hear me out! This is the best plan we have!”

“No way we’re standing idle while Nom fights!” came a shout.

“Yes! We will not let him battle alone! I want to come too!” shouted another one.

“Looks like another puzzle,” Drew told Maar, joining him. “But consider this: why don’t you split the troops?”

“He’s right, Thomas confirmed. We can go in, secret agent style, while Nom leads the bulk of troops on a diferent front. Or at least stand by as back-up.”

“You are wise, warrior. Are you a strategist on Earth?” Maar asked.

“No,” Drew responded for Thomas with a smile on his lips. “But he’s the best damn chess player I’ve seen. You should consider his advice.”

“Very well then!” the Fallen said decisively. “Nom, you will lead your men to Enoch and observe the outcome of our effort. If needed be, attack the demon. We will go straight in.”

“No offense, lad,” Ash interrupted. “But how are we going through the blockade? There be your people, the Meka and the High who I’m sure won’t just open up their gates just to let us run in.”

“We’re not going through,” Maar said with a playful smile on his lips and jerked his chin at Esseriss: “We’re going under!”

Crux: Absolution - Part 4

Tesla observed how his ragged and colourful army was being armed and prepared for the upcoming conflict. In a short period of time, the Genesis weapon depot managed to fulfil the needs of over five hundred mixed vampires, were kin and a few other creatures he did not know how to call, but the irony of providing the means to fight his own people did not slip past the green-eyed Meka. If he had a mouth and fully functioning lungs, he would sigh deeply in sorrow.

Arlo presented herself to him and reported that everyone was ready for the journey back to Enoch, but that wasn’t an accurate statement. He knew he needed to guarantee the safety of the Meka and their legacy before everything else.

“I need to… do something first” he told her.

“I mean no offence, dear friend, but we’re running out of time. The battle will surely start before we arrive, so we need to hurry as it is…”

“Go on ahead then,” Tesla said confidently. “There’s no need to wait for me – I will catch up with you, don’t worry.”

“How will you do that?”

“I’ll find a way. Go now! Lead them back to Enoch! I will meet you there.”

Arlo took a knee and looked the small metallic creature in those giant eyes of his. Hers would show concern, but she put on a brave face and hugged him tightly.

“Don’t worry” she whispered. “We will win this. I promise I will do my best not to harm your brethren.”

He bobbed his head in agreement and returned in the belly of the mountain. The shadows and silence felt discouraging but he pushed on, going through the mazes and tunnels and circular passageways that led deeper and deeper inside Genesis. As he descended, the blue stripe of light illuminating the way and leading him to the heart of the city became thinner and thinner, until nothing but a string remained that slid under a vault door. Tesla triggered the mechanism and four iridescent crystals came out of the walls on both sides. He thought for a moment and then ran his three-fingered hand over them in a chaotic pattern. Something clicked, then the motors behind the locks activated and the door slid up into the ceiling, revealing a dark room. The thin light was not enough to show anything that may have been hiding in the darkness.

“State your name” a metallic voice demanded when Tesla entered the room.

“Tesla the Seeker” he answered.

“State your position” another voice asked, in a melodic way.

“Tolgarim of Enoch” the answer came again.

There was a pause and then four massive diamond-shaped crystals started glowing powerfully enough to reveal every detail of the steel chamber. Between crystals was a large metal egg with cables and pipes leading upwards into a convex ceiling. The room was oval and the walls were polished to perfection, reflecting everything like mirrors.

“You should not be here” hummed a third crystal in a deep voice.

“I am aware of that, great Ohm. Yet I had no choice. Our race faces extinction and I had to come.”

“Extinction you say?” the first crystal asked. “Explain this to us, Tesla the Seeker.”

“There is no time. Scan the city yourself and you will find no trace of Meka. Something has happened in my absence; the Galileo Council is no more and someone is manipulating our people into war against the High Nephalem.”

“He is right” the second crystal sang. “There is no Meka in Genesis.”

“How can this come to pass?” the third asked. “Can you tell us?”

“There is no time!” Tesla repeated. “I came to activate… the Epsylon function.”

“Preposterous!” Ohm boomed. “You do not possess even half the wisdom a Galileo Councilman would require for such a thing!”

“True. Which is why I am suggesting an alternative approach.”

“And what is that, youngling?” the first crystal asked.

“I would require access and control over a single project of my own. One that would ensure the safety of Genesis and our race from now on. I seek no other influence over your area of activity, noble Amper.”

“Even if we were to consider such a proposition, who is to say that you are correct? Our people may overcome these complications. Assuming your analysis is right, our purpose is to learn and evolve. Considering that the Meka will perish, our conscience will go on and-“ the second crystal said.

“You are wrong!” Tesla finally snapped, not able to contain his feelings any longer. “This city has been breached, our brethren have been slain! And you continue this futile argument with no reason whatsoever! We NEED the Epsylon activated now, Morse!”

“Your time among the Nephalem has altered you, Tesla the Seeker” Ohm replied. “You are no longer capable of cold logical thought. You are not being rational, but emotional… This was not your purpose in the city of Light.”

“To hell with your rational thinking! Do you think the ones seeking to destroy us care if we’re logical or not? The issue is a simple one: accept my request or wait for the inevitable outcome!”

“We will ignore this outburst” Amper said and paused for a second then continued as all three crystals seemed to glow at the same time much brighter. “…And your request. This is a matter that needs to be analysed in depth. Probabilities must be calculated before we could consider such a bold suggestion.”

“Then analyse yourselves to death!” Tesla replied bitterly. “I’ll go and try to save what’s left of our people!” he added and turned to walk away, but a fourth voice spoke in a female tone.

“Stop! Tesla the Seeker will be permitted to take a place among us!”

“Gamma, we can’t grant such an honour to one so young. Be him a Tolgarim…” Morse said.

“Young or not, he is right. We will deal with eventual functionality issues along the way if we must. For now, we must ensure that the Meka survive. That is and always was our priority, or have you forgotten, brothers?”

“No, you are right, Gamma” Amper agreed. “Very well, we shall honour your demand, Tesla. What is the name of your project?”

The mechanical creature turned and looked at the crystal and stared in awe as the metal-shaped egg opened in half, releasing a cloud of steam. He bowed his head towards the fourth crystal and answered to Amper:

“My project is called Defender. And I am ready to submit it.”

“Then step inside and be welcome among us” Gamma said.

“Thank you, wise one” Tesla answered as he walked inside the machine.

All light in Genesis died that instant. And a new one was born, more powerful than any of the physical creations of the Meka.

Crux: Revelation - Finale

Well, thank God for anchoring! And cigarettes. And coffee. And all the bad things that make life good and make me write like a machine. Speaking of which, I’m not particularly fond of this second and last hatrick, but it’ll have to do for now because I simply had ENOUGH of Revelation. It’s time for a break and some meditation on the last part of Crux which surely must be the jewel. Well, I’ll try anyway. So yeah! Here’s the last part of the second chapter of my book and the last piece you’ll get until the book is published or I’m dead! I hope you enjoyed my writing and that, by now, you’re a true fan. If not, get the fuck off my blog! …Kidding. Somewhat. I will see you later with some non-Crux stuff!

*

Akaba had a permanent facial expression that demanded a certain amount of healthy paranoia from whoever was near him; a rather smug smile combined with a sinister look in his eyes, something you would expect from a serial killer or a politician. The latter being a more adequate description and not an entirely metaphorical one, considering the constant struggle for power among demonic entities.  Even the way he moved managed to keep Kara on the edge, leaving the impression that at any moment he might turn and tear open her ribcage. Maar didn’t feel much comfortable either, but unlike the girl, he was showing no sign of fear, keeping up the pace with the Infernal as they walked at a hurried pace through the tall grass.

“Are you sure we are going in the right direction?” Akaba asked at some point, with Kara burning holes in the back of his head.

“If there were any doubts, I’m completely positive now. The land is becoming alive and I caught the scent of Yama trees in the wind. We shouldn’t be far now – I expect Enoch lies over the next hill.”

The Infernal hummed his approval and turned his head towards the sky. The second sun was almost setting and soon a chilly night would embrace Crux like a vampire lover. The white star that shone a second day over the planet was becoming blue and the point where it would hit the horizon bled in indigo swirls of mist. Akaba narrowed his eyes and grumbled like a silent volcano.

“You can feel it too” Maar said without even looking. “Something terrible is about to happen.”

“Yes. I’m surprised you can… Interesting beings you Nephalem are. Vicious warriors as well… Makes me wonder if I’m not making a mistake by aiding you.”

“Why are helping us then?” Kara asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

“Because, human, despite the fact that Hell will lose so many precious agents when this… cherub is released, I will be the one who brought some rogue forces to their knees. And who knows? Maybe Balittian is right and Innanna does intend to turn this entire race abide the rules of Judgement. My masters will be truly pleased with my actions-”

“Say that again!” Kara exclaimed, her eyes widening at the mentioning of Maar’s father. Even the Nephalem jumped at the name.

“Yes, Balittian summoned me here. What do you think, sport?” Akaba grinned and gave Maar a nudge that would dislocate a man’s shoulder. “Think ‘old dad’ wants to patch things up with ya, eh?” he mocked. “…Nah!” he bellowed and laughed maniacally. “He’s just thinking of himself! He’s just a scared old demon, afraid I would pull out his insides and decorate his temple with them…  Pitiful. But you have to appreciate a hellspawn’s betrayal. Proved he belongs perfectly where he is…”

“Hey, do you mind?” Kara said, frowning and feeling her anger take over. “…You don’t need to be a douche about it” she added and quickly started to regret her words. Her gaze slid toward Maar who kept walking silently, not visibly affected by the words. “You knew?” she asked confused.

“I suspected he had something to do with the whole thing. Why else would he take residence here? It wasn’t like he came to watch over me. But you’re wrong-“ he said to Akaba, without even turning to look at him, his dark face hidden by the mane of blue hair. “He is not a coward at all.”

“Oh? I wouldn’t call him brave now, boy” the Infernal growled. “Selling out his partners and doing a wonderful job of watching out for himself...”

The Nephalem snorted and finally glanced at the hellish warden, a nasty smile dancing on his lips.

“I thought you smarter than that, Infernal” he said, suddenly looking like he was the most powerful of the three. “It took a lot of guts to call on you and… “ He started laughing and kept laughing until Akaba finally yelled in frustration.

“What? What is so funny, half-breed?!”

“Well…” he said, wiping an invisible tear. “I just have the feeling that you were not the only plan he had. Actually that is a certainty. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.”

Kara sped up and came by Maar side smiling a little. She gave him a supporting smile and added: “He does rule over the land of vice, lies and all other nasty things…”

There weren’t many things that gave pause to Akaba. His mind worked with the speed of light and one like him couldn’t afford to be tricked by lesser creatures, be they demons who cowered in alternative dimensions. But for the first time since his creation, the Infernal pondered the fact that Balittian, a weak entity with petty aspiration, might have indeed manipulated him far more than he ever realized. And then he did something that made both Kara and Maar smile in silent amusement: he looked back.

As they climbed a gentle hill, littered with short trees bearing red pear-shaped fruit, something shifted in the air. It was like a the kind of noise only a dog could here. Or someone with demon blood. Maar and Akaba exchanged glances and rushed to the top, under a patch of foliage, with the girl trying to keep up.

“Oh, no…” the Nephalem muttered. “What are they doing?”

As Kara reached the spot, she froze with the sight of thousands of Fallen Nephalem warriors preparing for war. A massive camp site lay in the valley and giant fires were lit and burning blue in the dimming daylight. There were no shouts of rage or morale-lifting battle cries, but the anticipation of the carnage could be felt clearly. Come daylight, there would be no stopping the force commanded by Mattias; it would crash like a riptide against the walls of the distant white Enoch. Over there, the three saw, the lights of the capital shone brighter than usual. Its towers burning a golden light that enveloped the surrounding area and protected it with their magic beyond the thick tall walls. Although it was not clear from their position, Maar knew they were preparing for the assault as well, and couldn’t help but wonder why the sudden decision to attack directly. Both sides usually met on neutral ground and did battle because neither was strong enough to conquer the other’s city. He instantly looked to the east where a passage broke through the dark-stoned mountains.

“No, no, this isn’t right…” he growled silently. “So many will die for nothing” he added between his teeth in frustration.

A force like no other came slowly but at a steady pace toward the Fallen camp. Clad in their thick armour, some levitating, others using machines that resembled tanks, the Meka advanced with determination to meet their allies. Maar’s fists clenched until it hurt. He turned to Kara with the look of a wild beast in his eyes:

“We need to break into Enoch before they start fighting!”

She didn’t know what to say. His eyes were demanding a solution from the wrong person and the girl felt at a complete loss, managing only to nod slightly and return a puzzled expression.

“There” Akaba said in his low hellish voice and pointed at the demon marching through the ranks, inspecting his troops. “That’s the one I want” he added and started walking towards the camp but Maar grabbed his shoulder.

“No!” he roared. “There will be no killing. If that’s who you want, you can have him. But if you march in there many of my brethren will die trying to stop you!”

“No, little man,” the Infernal replied. “They will all die!”

“You can’t do this! There has to be another way!”

“My patience is wearing thin – take your hand off me! I agreed killing the demons. There’s no clause that says I have to let you live, Nephalem.”

In an instant Maar drew his daggers and assumed the stance, preparing to fight, while Akaba grinned sinisterly and made the spear appear in his hand, but just before they would rush each other, Kara interrupted.

“Look! Look there!” she said, pointing at Mattias. “What is he doing?”

The Nephalem lowered his daggers and realized there was no point in fighting: the demon had prepared a portal and was now walking through its burning ripples, fading slowly out of sight. Akaba grunted and dismissed his weapon, then leaned in: “This isn’t over. When our business is done, you and I are going to have… words.”

“Looking forward to it” Maar retorted and turned towards Kara. “We move now. We’ll go around the walls and find another way in before morning.”

Before she could even agree, he was already walking down the hill and appearing to give the camp a wide berth. Altering their path would make the trek a little more difficult, but among the forested hill they would be safe, yet it would take longer to reach Enoch. Even at full walking speed Kara couldn’t manage to keep up with Maar. She had to jog half the way, while the Infernal followed in disturbing silence, still undecided whether to stick with them or stay behind and hunt the demon.

As the shadows grew thicker at sunset, under the abundant vegetation, Kara had to half-guess where the black clad guide was headed. Nearing a narrow bent over a steep fold, the girl tripped and yelped as she fell to over the side. A strong arm caught the back of her jacket and pulled her back immediately.

“Watch it, human” Akaba said with a thoughtful expression. “You wouldn’t want to die so stupidly after surviving for so long, would you?”

“T-thanks… And no, I wouldn’t want to die at all, if possible. But I can’t see a damn thing.”

He nodded and with a gesture, extending his hand to the side, brought forth his unholy spear. The large spear started glowing immediately but in a manner so odd it made the girl rub her eyes in disbelief: it shone a grey light and everything around her looked like it was being seen in night vision. Everything in a small radius became illuminated in different shades of silver, while being perfectly visible to them and completely undetected from afar.

“If I made a mistake,” the demonic creature said, his molten eyes appearing amused. “I might as well go with it now… “

*

Palisera stood silent, watching the seraphim hover over a patch of violet flowers. It said nothing since it arrived, but she knew that could mean only one thing. In her wisdom she realized, as the celestial being examined the life in her garden, that Nadir wasn’t actually seeing the complexity of the beautiful plants in front of him but just waiting there lost in thought. The seraphim had an entirely different purpose altogether and, even though they stood on the same side with angels and cherubs, they could never understand creation. They were divine messengers, promoting the ways of Light, driven only by the need to purify everything in the Universe. The fact that Nadir even existed in this dimension was a complete paradox, one which upset the balance of Crux, abnormal as it was already.

He’s here, she said melodically as a portal opened not far from where they stood.

Mattias strolled in proudly, wearing his bloody armour and spiked shoulder pads. His hooves burned the soil and everything in his path withered and died. It made Palisera flinch with pain just by feeling his presence nearby.

I thought we had a deal! the seraphim echoed in its hundreds of voices. What is this, demon? Have you lost your senses?

“This… alliance,” Mattias spat. “Has gone on for long enough! Our children must make war – that was agreed from the beginning. Or have you forgotten?” he added, snorting.

I have not. But there was no agreement about approaching the Meka! This was supposed to be a battle between us alone. Whomever would win would claim this realm and purify it. THAT was what we said then!

“You pathetic, wretched creature!” Mattias growled and his white glare burned hatred. “I helped you banish Innanna, put up with your schemes and suffered your presence for eons, and now you summon me here to bitch about breaking the rules?! I intend to cleanse Crux, make no mistake about that! And I will do it in my own way!”

The seraphim extended its arm towards the demon and an elegant thin silver blade emerged from its hand. Mattias returned the gesture by flourishing his own giant broadsword.

“Come on! Let’s finish it now!” he bellowed and spun the blade slowly.

STOP! Palisera commanded, her voice hitting the rounded ceiling full of stars and planets. This is a place of peace and I will not permit either of you battle here!

Nadir obeyed and dismissed his weapon, throwing a glance from his unseen face masked by the silver hood and the blinding light underneath.

You will regret your actions, you filthy creature! Nadir threatened and disappeared in a white explosion of light.

Mattias turned to Palisera and narrowed his eyes, scanning her for a moment. He sheathed his sword and marched determined towards her. The stench of death came with him and she could barely refrain from showing her disgust as he neared her.

“This land will burn” the demon said.

This land’s fate remains uncertain, she retorted.

“Is this one of your… predictions? Vague as ever. Let me clear it up for you: my army and the Meka will grind Enoch to pebbles.”

Your army… fights for no cause. The Enochians fight out of instinct. And the mechanized beings fight because they are being lied to. There is no glory and no purpose to your conflict, demon. The Universe sees no true outcome to this.

“The Universe…” he growled as he gestured at the air and another portal opened. “Will quake from the fury I will unleash upon it. I will rule this realm and turn it into my own Hell!”

There is no absolute truth, just as there is no absolute force save the Creator.

“Then I will ask for your wisdom and you will obey” Mattias roared, facing her again.

You forget there is still one small factor in your plan for obliteration. The Nilithar still lives.

“The Nilithar!” he said arrogantly. “The Nilithar is a useless concept now, Oracle! It has been since the beginning. A human that could overthrow demons and angels? A human that could change the fate of a world? It is ridiculous! It has only managed to avoid us so far. After we’re done with the High, we will hunt it down and deal with it once and for all! And then… when all lies in ashes, I will come after you personally!” he added and stepped through the portal.

Palisera watched him leave and, for a moment, she pondered the scenario. If Mattias would win, she and all life on Crux will perish, including the Nephalem. The demons cared not about their offspring. If anything they saw them as failed experiments that could never accomplish more than kill each other; having no souls, but being the physical manifestation of their spirits, material reflections as it were, the Nephalem couldn’t ascent or fall. They could never leave Crux and they would not bolster the armies of Heaven or Hell. After exterminating each other, there would be no purpose for them save to amuse the demons by getting tortured and killed in unspeakable ways.

The Oracle turned, shimmering in and out of view, and hovered over to a small pond in the middle of Rhodima. Her bare feet touched the perfectly still waters and her whole body started glowing wildly, as her mind reached out throughout Crux.

Hear me, Valenthar! Hear me, First Born! she commanded and all life on Crux stopped to listen.

*

Ash spun the wheel and made the ship slide sideways in the gentle waves and roll on the beach with little effort, making Andrew wonder again about the sailing methods of the werewolf sailor. Arlo, Tesla and Thomas hopped over onto the snow covered beach and looked up at the steep mountains in front of them. Not far from where they had landed, a pass could be seen running between the mountains, but the rocky outcrops appeared to be closing in on it.

“Get a move on, Drew! We need to hurry!” Thomas yelled as Arlo and Tesla were already jogging towards it.

The mage sighed and looked at Mona for a moment then turned to his friend and offered a sad smile.

“This is good-bye then, Gates. I can’t come with you. I’ll meet you on the other side then – whatever that may be!”

“What?! You’re doing this now?”

“Come on, mortal!” shouted the Meka. “We have little time!”

“Come with me, damn it!” Thomas said with desperation in his voice.

“Tom, go!” the mage ordered. “I won’t be of any use to you. I am already being drained of power and I would only get in the way. Please, just go help them! I will be fine here!”

“Damn it…!” Thomas conceded and then nodded at the wizard in acceptance before he dashed towards the other two. “Don’t die on me, you hear!” he called out from the distance.

“Will try, my friend! Will try! Good luck!” Andrew shouted back.

Ash came to him and put a giant arm on his shoulder, while Mona took his hand and squeezed it gently.

“Don’t worry, mate. They will be fine and you… Well, you need to put this dying business out of your head. I’ve something special in the hold, I do…” the captain assured him and winked, disappearing below decks.

“He means rum” Mona explained. “Stuff that would make your eyes explode and your lungs boil. Hope you can hold your liquor, dear.”

“Well!” Drew replied with the smile frozen on his lips. “That takes care of one problem. I’ll feel more alive than ever.”

As they followed Ash in the belly of his rundown ship, Arlo, Tesla and Thomas were speeding through the closing pass. The rocks were melting together, like perfect puzzle pieces, and the latter felt the adrenaline pump through his veins like never before. Somehow, he found this mad race very funny. How silly it would have been to die swallowed by a mountain.

“There!” Arlo called, pointing at the exit. “Almost made it! Hurry!”

Tesla lept over a rock coming out of the ground and as Thomas dodged a monolith, he replied loudly: “We won’t make it! Probability is too small! Calculating an alternative route!”

Thomas frowned and roared loudly, making the other two flinch in surprise as he boosted past them with unnatural speed.

“If this mountain thinks it can eat me… It can EAT me!” he yelled leading the way.

As they neared the closing maw, meeting a wall of stone, Thomas focused all his strength and his fist met the obstacle with godly force, pulverizing the rock and pushing the still growing rock to the sides.

“HURRY!” he shouted, trembling with effort and pain.

The Meka reached him first, bouncing over him and landing gracefully on the other side, while Arlo just slid like a baseball player between spread legs. He cried loudly and jumped away, rolling to safety as the passed closed with a deep clunk.

“What happened to your eyes?” Tesla asked as he came close and reached a hand to Thomas’ face. He dodged it and backed away.

“Easy there, fellow!”

“He’s right. They’re orange!” Arlo said, dusting the snow off her clothes. “Why are they orange? And glowing?”

“Vampire blood” Thomas said matter-of-factly.

“Oh,” she replied casually. “Of course. Why not?”

The Meka gazed at him with his green orbs, pondering the scientific uses of said liquid, but without managing to contain his enthusiasm.

“Don’t even think about it!” Thomas warned. “You’re complicated enough as you are!”

“Come on, Tesla!” Arlo called already climbing the irregular slopes. “I can see the top from here. Genesis lies just ahead!”

“Indeed!” the Meka agreed and something about the notion of returning to his home city after so long made him look excited, though Thomas couldn’t tell how that was exactly.

Half of the way up Thomas couldn’t get him mind off Andrew. He felt awful about leaving the wizard behind like that, but it didn’t seem like he had much choice. The need to speak about it was overwhelming, but he doubted Tesla could understand a thing he would say and Arlo seemed way too concerned with her own problems. He was grateful though for Mona being right about the snow. It wasn’t cold at all and it felt quite pleasant to the touch. While trying to focus on this little thing and try to put Drew out of his head for the moment, the Meka broke the silence.

“Something is amiss” he said in his mechanized voice. “The towers!” he added, pointing the three-fingered hand at the peak ahead.

Now, as they approached, they could see the low drill-shaped towers protruding out of the mountain and reach towards the sky. Energy crackled slightly on them and this aspect seemed to bother the green creature greatly.

“This is very bad” he said and looked at Arlo. “Hurry! I must investigate this!”

“Why?” she asked as Tesla was running towards the arched gate that was wide open now revealing the dark tunnel behind. “What’s wrong?”

“They activated an emergency protocol!” he replied still running.

“Not a moment of peace around here” Thomas commented and gestured Arlo to follow as they tried to catch up with Tesla.

He had stopped in front of the massive metal gate, looking confused. Nothing had ever managed to break through their fortifications but there it was: the entryway completely accessible and the bodies of several guards sill scattered in green pools of blood.

“Oh, my…” Arlo muttered as she and Thomas approached the Meka slowly. “That’s terrible…”

“You must wait here” Tesla said quietly now. “Foreigners are not allowed within the city.”

“I think that rule has already been broken” said Thomas, regretting his words immediately. It was no time for jokes and Arlo gave him a grave look. “Sorry. We’ll wait here.”

“That was cold” the half-angel told him when Tesla disappeared in the darkness of the mountain corridor. “He claims he’s all logic and mathematics, but I think he can feel just like any other creature. And your words were… inappropriate.”

“I know,” he admitted bitterly. “I’m just… worried about Drew. I shouldn’t have left him there.”

“Your friend has a lot of faith. You should too. Let’s rest… He will return shortly.”

The last remnants of light disappeared and thousands of stars faded into existence on the dark orange sky, its reflection on the snow making it look like the Grand Canyon. Inside the mechanized city, the smell of hot metal and sound of electricity still floated in the air. It felt warm and artificial and Tesla felt at ease. Along his way he saw more and more bodies of his murdered brethren, but now, strolling through the adjoined science rooms and factories, relaxed his mind. He felt purpose again, he felt the familiar emotion of belonging, but most of all, he felt the burning need to avenge the loss of Genesis. Being cut from the central neural node, he didn’t receive the order to prepare for battle against Enoch, and that gave him the advantage over whoever thought they could control the Meka. His mind raced and analyzed possibilities.

It was obvious that the cyborg creatures constructed weapons and readied for a conflict. It wasn’t however to defend themselves and it wasn’t under the order of the Galileo either, lest he, as a Tolgarim, would have been informed. Logic dictated only one thing: the only creature capable of taking command over the Meka was the other Tolgarim, the one assigned to Babel: Benjamin.

Tesla turned and dashed towards the Galileo Council’s chambers. The room murmured remnants of energy and death. The Meka leaders were dead and so were many of their bodyguards. Green blood stained the polished stone floors and walls. Even the blue light from the core pulsated slowly in apathy. Approaching the thrones of metal, Tesla noticed that the one responsible for these killings lay among the victims as well. A wave of green electricity washed over his eyes as he placed his hand over Benjamin’s face. And then he saw everything.

A golden moon rose over the peaks to the west, shinning on the silent trio sitting in the stone, each struggling with different thoughts. Thomas felt angry and frustrated, while Arlo fought with confusion and the need to help, and Tesla meditating on the course of action. Three individuals could not stop an army.

“Three people can not stop an army!” Thomas finally yelled and slapped the snow.

“Stop yelling, man. You’re not helping” Arlo said and her eyes moved from one spot to another, trying to think of a solution.

“We will go to Enoch and…” Tesla began, but didn’t know how to finish the sentence.

“Okay, go and?” Thomas asked.

“I… I do not know. We can’t warn them in time, we can’t fight my brethren, let alone the Fallen. I see no possibility of success here. I see… nothing.”

Thomas jumped on his feet and yelled a series of curses, his voice making the canyons tremble. He took the air in and faced the other two.

“Had to get that out, sorry” he said softly.

“Hey, mind the language, will you! You Americans are so bloody rude!” came Drew’s voice from behind him.

Thomas turned taken aback by the sight of his friend and the other quickly stood as they saw the mage riding on the back of a huge lion as white as the snow. Slowly, behind them, Mona, Ash and a few other individuals followed at a gentle pace.

“Drew?” Thomas asked stupidly with his eyes as wide as ever. “What… What’s going on?”

The wizard laughed softly and dismounted the massive feline who slowly morphed into his human shape. Nom cracked his neck as he walked on two feet again and offered the three the most gentle smile possible.

“Your friend here can be very persuasive, you know! We-“ he said opening his arms wide. “-decided to… get involved. So… need an army, do you?”

Arlo nodded in silence while Tesla was still coming to terms with what was going on. Nom gestured them to come closer. As they reached the ridge, he pointed towards the shore that could be seen over the closed pass and the low mountain. A few hundred boats of random sizes floated on the pink shallow waters. While they admired the massive force that came to their rescue, Thomas grabbed Andrew and gave him a quick hug, whispering: “Don’t do that again. You’re sticking with me until the end.”

“For such a badass, you can sure be a wimp sometimes, Gates” the mage retorted.

“What did you say to him?” Thomas asked jerking his chin in Nom’s direction.

“Before we all left his house, I told him that they couldn’t avoid war. If the Nephalem were trying to purify the planet, they really stood no chance, being hybrids themselves.”

“Smart observation” said Thomas.

“Here’s another one” said Arlo. “Our army doesn’t have any weapons. Sure, we don’t want to hurt the Meka but there is still a Fallen army to be dealt with… “

“Well, that’s true” Nom agreed. “We banned weapons from Bastion a long time ago. But we can still fight – we have our strengths, no?”

“Won’t be enough” Tesla said shaking his head. “My people are heavily armed and your powers will do you little good. But… I think I can help with that” he added and gestured them to follow. “No other creature but the Meka stepped inside Genesis until now. Sad that it has happen under such circumstances…”

Nom, Arlo and the two earthlings walked through the blue lit corridors in silence as Tesla led them in through the maze of chambers, finally reaching a giant metal gate in a tall chamber. He passed his hand over the crystal panel on the right side and it buzzed electrically. Cogs spun into motion and the door opened with a heavy sound while the blue stripes of light illuminated the depot.

“We have gathered these for study, yet we found them crude and… unreliable” the Meka said.

“Impressive” said the leader of Bastion, then quickly added. “What are they?”

Thomas and Andrew looked at each other grinning like children in a toy store.

“Oh” the mage said. “We know what they are.”

“Dibs on the chaingun!” Thomas yelled and rushed towards the pile of machineguns.

 

Crux: Revelation Hatrick

Jean-Jacques was royally pissed and one of the reasons why he wouldn’t stop chewing on his bottom lip in frustration was that they called him at two in the morning when he had a fishing trip planned just a few hours later. Come autumn, that part of the Mediterranean would turn very nasty and most people were rushing to take advantage of the last few moments of sunshine and good sailing conditions, taking their boats out of the channels of Port La Nouvelle and out to sea. If not for his sociopath tendencies, he would actually love the small town lifestyle and the routine, which was why this place was so adequate for someone like him. This particular mage was indeed a hazard to himself and others, and was (as one high ranked member of the Lion Order once said) like “Elmer Fudd without those last remnants of self-restraint”. He would make use of an atomic bomb to take care of the rabbit infestation in his garden. And to make it all pretty and wrapped in a pink bow, Jean-Jacques was also a pyromancer.

The other reason why he continued to nibble on his lip and the massive chunk of fresh irony was the fact that they summoned him to handle an issue because he was the highest ranked mage in the area. That wouldn’t normally be a problem, but actually something rather flattering, if not for the fact that he was never told that that issue might exist in the first place because, as Lion motivated, “that information was reserved for higher ranks only”. Just a few miles off the coast and on the beautiful island of Corse, stood an ancient temple buried within the mountain; a couple of hours earlier, the mages sent to guard it failed to report in at the scheduled time and now Lion had a very big problem. The mage just nodded, like he was taught to, and carried out the orders as given. In less than half an hour, with his stomach on the verge of being regurgitated inside out, he had jumped two portals and a chopper hitherto and finally woke up across the black waters of the gulf with a team of silent experts and longing for a cup of coffee and a croissant.

“What’s this all about?” he finally shouted over the noise of the propeller, at the group of five black clad individuals sitting across from him and on his flanks.

“Ask Snowfox!” shouted the one in front of him who appeared to be a woman and pointed behind him at the cockpit. He couldn’t tell since they were all wearing some strange masks that covered up their face completely and some high tech cherry red goggles which looked like toys.

“This is ridiculous…” J.J. muttered and turned and squeezed a little between the front seats. “Which one of you is Snowfox?”

“That would be me, sir” came the reply from the one on the right, who the Frenchman observed he did wore some kind of hierarchic symbols on his left shoulder. The voice was however a very young one, Jean Jacques noticed and shook his head in dismay.

“Ok… Snowfox,” he said calmly “What is the plan?”

Snowfox looked at the pilot and he looked back at him, sharing what J.J. assumed to be amused glances. Finally he turned to face him again and said: “Sir! We’re supposed to be following your orders! There’s a breach in sector 45 so we were sent to assist. Usually this would mean a flashbang-and-sweep operation, but it’s your call!”

The “civilian” looked completely puzzled. He nodded in that calm way of his and said “I’ll get back to you on that one”, then crashed back in his seat. He had baggy eyes, a receding hairline and he could feel the five o’clock shadow starting to grow, ironically as they were nearing 05:00 A.M. He tugged on his black tie and loosened it, then closed his eyes and tilted his head back comfortably.

“Sir!” came the woman’s voice. “Sir, what’s the plan?”

“…Sit back and try to sleep.”

“I mean for us, sir! What’s the strategy?”

“Same thing. I’ll think of something until we get there.”

Even though he wouldn’t open his eyes, he had the feeling that the whole group was sharing the same amused look their commander and the pilot exchanged earlier, and he found he didn’t give a ratatouille’s ass about it.

At that exact time, at the said temple, Alexis Huntington-Gates and the vampire Victoria were arguing loudly, their high pitched tones echoing through the tall room and annoying immensely the local bats.

“For the last time!” shouted the blonde, her steel blue eyes burning with fury. “You can’t kill them!”

“I didn’t say kill them!” replied the green-haired vampire. “I just want a sip! …It’s close to sunrise and I’m feeling peckish!”

“You can’t bite them either” Lexi said calmly, trying logic one more time. “It’s bad enough we clobbered them, tied them up and broke in here without permission. Andrew would get the axe for this. Literally!”

There was a moment of silence while Victoria scanned Lexi with an expressionless porcelain face and cold emerald eyes. She shrugged and sat on the floor next to the aforementioned wizard, crossing her legs Indian style. After a second’s thought she asked again: “What if I try it from the wrist? Won’t leave any marks if I drop some blood on it.”

“No biting! Jesus, it’s like babysitting a baby piranha! Next time I go and Drew can very well strap a magical leash on you or something!”

Lexi exhaled deeply and looked down on the body of her husband. Her demeanour changed instantly, turning from frustrated to extremely worried. It had been just a few minutes since they performed the ritual and… well, died. But she had no idea how long it will take until they came back. From what the young wizard said, it couldn’t be much longer lest they risked not being able to return to their mortal shells.

“…Drew won’t come back” Victoria said quietly, sniffing at the two unconscious guards, tied up like Christmas presents.

“What?” Lexi asked, just realizing what the vampire said.

“He won’t come back with Thomas. We’ll need to find a way to bring him back and fast-“

“Why? …How do you know this? Did he tell you that?” Thomas’ wife asked in astonishment.

“Yes. Just before we started. He made me promise I won’t tell until the spell was done.”

“…This just keeps getting more and more complicated.”

“Not really. Why do you think he agreed to do it in the first place? Sure, he cares about your hubby there, but loves being a mage. Drew loves a good magic book – imagine how he must feel in a place where everything around him is magical! …No, he knew what he was doing. Greenwich was going to remove him from service anyway so he thought of it as an early retirement. What better place to go when you’re a mage?”

Alexis listened in shock as Victoria was speaking to her matter-of-factly, without any visible emotion on her face. She was speaking of death. Cold, silent and permanent! And she didn’t even seem to care. The girl growled and barked at her:

“Are you completely insane? …No! That’s not the right thing to ask. Is he” she asked, pointing a finger at the dead mage “completely stupid? If he dies for real then he doesn’t stay on Crux does he?! He will be forced out to a different realm and most importantly stay dead!”

“Huh!” the blood drinker said in reply. “Guess neither of us thought about that! …Maybe his soul isn’t yet ready to move on?” she added optimistically.

“It’s Drew! He’s the selfless, good-hearted, martyr type we both know! He will move and we won’t be able to get him back!”

“You’re right” Victoria conceded and stood up.

And there was a shift in the air, one that Lexi knew quite well ever since her spouse and the vampire fought the demon Damumus together. It was one of those times when Victoria would stop being the trigger-happy crazy teenage bitch and become a calculated and tactical genius, pulling a rocket launcher out of the pocket of her coat.

“Whatever happens,” the vampire said “do NOT move him. I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?!” Lexi shouted after her as she was leaving the circular room.

Victoria half turned and spoke levelly: “Shopping.”

The blonde opened her mouth and then decided against it, considering it was better to just trust her for a change. Lying down next to her husband, she rolled on one side and embraced him, caressing his face gently and repeatedly. There was just one light, coming from the broken ceiling, shinning down on the three bodies that lay between the twin colossal pillars which still stood over the centuries. Lexi fell asleep, hoping to slide through miraculously in the dream world Thomas was visiting.

*

“Behold! The Rift!” yelled Ash, opening his arms like captain Ahab marvelling at the white whale. “It’s be the scavenger’s holy land! Wonderful isn’t it?”

And what a marvellous sight it was, for the waters above the ravine were crystal clear and every sunken ship down there was perfectly visible even from the few hundred feet above. It went on, like a sleeping snake, for miles, beyond the horizon, and it was filled with thousands of vessels that have sunk during the course of history.

“Yes,” said Mona almost laughing. “We also have a Titanic down there.”

“That’s not funny” Ash commented. “Many people died in that terrible accident!”

“Yeah” she retorted. “And they made a terrible movie after it. I’m sure those lost in the tragedy feel a lot better now that they turned the whole thing into a sobbing love story.”

“I went to that movie” Thomas said quietly. “We joked about it up ‘til the end. Now I feel like a jackass…”

“…If you ask me” Mona added “ if those who died on the Titanic saw you laugh at the movie, they probably felt better about it.”

“You really hate that film” Drew said amused.

“Oh, yes. And I’m not too crazy about that Celine Dion song either, buddy…”

Thomas chuckled and looked at Arlo and Tesla who were watching the conversation completely confused, but tried not to show it. He opened his mouth to explain but thought better of it and just waved it off.

“This is all very interesting” the Meka finally said “but we should get going. If we don’t reach the eastern beach by sunset, we will be cut off from Raibah. There is a canyon pass there that would take us to Genesis faster, but it closes at night.”

“The pass closes?” Thomas asked and looked at the mage. “I thought those thing were like 7/11. Open all day, every day.”

“The landscape changes here” Drew explained. “With every passing moment, the planet… if it really is a planet – might be flat for all we know – shifts it’s forms according to celestial alignments. Not sure those really are stars up there either…”

“Okay then! Captain, would you be so kind?” Thomas asked.

“Of course, lad! Mona! Full speed ahead!” the giant bellowed.

“Aye-aye, meatball!” the vampire replied and pushed the throttle to full sailing speed. The vessel, which appeared to be a tugboat from the 1900’s, roared madly but barely produced enough visible progress. Still Ash loved the old boat and was very proud of it, though it made the wizard really ponder the fact of navigating without static constellations, a non-changing shore line and any viable navigation instruments whatsoever. He told himself it was wiser not to ask and just hope Ash knew where they were headed.

Arlo approached Thomas with feline grace and slid next to him on the boat’s prow, struggling a little with her white cloak and getting her bent blade out of the way. He gave her a nod and a polite smile.

“Something eating you?” she asked softly, scanning the silver sky’s reflection in the water.

“Except for the fact that my friend will die?” he joked bitterly.

“Except that, yes.”

“I don’t know how I’ll explain that to Alexis. She’s my wife… “

“You look too young to be married. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-five but…I guess I’m one of the lucky ones. I found the perfect girl. One as damned as I am.”

“Then there you go – she will understand.”

“You think?” Thomas asked and his amber eyes turned softer looking at the half-angel.

“You’re a pact-child, aren’t you?” the Nephalem asked smiling a little. “Oh, I know, there’s no point in explaining how. What’s your power?”

“My eyes. Whatever I see, I suddenly understand. …I’ve graduated five universities already.”

“That’s a huge advantage” she commented. “And Alexis’?”

“Charm. Her family thought it best for woman to master the social disciplines. Turns out, the Huntington and the Gates both served the same demon lord. Hell of a way to meet the woman of your dreams…”

“Nice pun” Arlo laughed. “…But not fair, is it?”

“No, definitely not. We took care of the demon, but our souls are still… condemned. Who decided that parents should have ownership of their unborn children’s spirits anyway?”

“Same entity that decided the Nephalem could be influenced so easily by their own creators I guess” she said shrugging a little. “I hope you’ll find a way to redeem yourselves” she added after a short moment of silence. “You love her truly, don’t you? I can see it in your face. It’s the kind of love that our race is capable of. Never saw that reflecting from a human…”

Thomas closed his eyes and listened to the boat slicing the wavelets and enjoyed the sea spray for a  short while. He turned his head and looked the girl next to him once more, her eyes locked on the horizon and the wind blowing back the cerise energy swirls rising from the corner of her eyes.

“It’s why I came here” he muttered. “I figured if we can make a difference by aiding this Nilithar person, we could tip the scales in our favour.”

Arlo laughed softly and turned to him smiling benevolently. She patted his shoulder and pushed herself up.

“It doesn’t work like that, my friend. You can’t cure a damned soul. If you really want absolution, then you must act out of selflessness, out of the good in your heart. Your friend is a good example. His sacrifice has worth, while your actions are just… trade goods. They don’t value much up there…”

Thomas gazed at her and nodded grimly. He wanted to ask her about love and if that didn’t count at all. In every movie and every book, especially the holy one, that concept was the guide for a repentant person’s path to enlightenment. But he realized love came in different forms and if she had so much love to give to the Light, there was certainly a sinister adoration for Darkness as well. Love was a concept, but the deeds in its name were what really mattered. Love, loyalty, courage… sacrifice. He was better off just putting all of them out of his head and hope that they at least played AC/DC in the torture pits.

“Land ho!” yelled the werewolf captain, extending a giant arm at the starboard side of the boat. Through the fading haze, the ashen outline of the shore became slightly visible. Mona giggled.

“What’s funny?” Drew asked.

“He said ‘ho’…” she explained. “It always amuses me.”

“Is that snow?” he asked smiling.

“Yes. Crux snow.”

“What’s Crux snow?”

“It’s just like regular snow, only that it doesn’t melt. Ever. And it’s not cold to the touch.”

“Good” Thomas said joining them. “I hate the cold.”

“I know I’m going to regret asking this, but why do you hate the cold?” said Mona.

“I’m from Florida! Our notion of skiing involves a wetsuit and a motorboat. …Wait. Why would you regret asking me anything?”

“Because asking you a question and expecting a normal answer would be like making a poll about preventing global warming at a mental institution” Drew answered instead.

“Pfff! You don’t need a poll for that! We just need to invest in technological development regarding alternative fuel and replace paper filing with an electronic system, manage a data base and stop fucking up the ozone lair with rockets.”

Mona shared a tolerant smile with Drew: “Point made.”

*

Lexi woke up to the sound of a helicopter hovering outside. She didn’t so much wake up as jump to her feet and draw a CZ2000 pistol, pointed at the entrance. Her heart pumped madly as she realized that the inevitable was about to happen. They broke in a temple guarded by mages and hijacked a sacred pathway to another dimension. Cause and effect, she told herself as she took a position in front of the Thomas and Andrew. The two guards appeared to have woken up from their magical slumber as well and they were watching her calmly through the dim light, waiting for their rescue party to come crashing in.

There was no flash, no guns firing madly, no blood and gore. Just a simple man, dressed in a navy blue suit, looking really annoyed as he marched in without even saying hello. Lexi kept her gun pointed at him and stood her ground quietly. Jean-Jacques looked at her, looked at the bodies behind and glared in a disappointed manner at the two wizards who seemed to say “not our fault!”.

“I don’t care who you are and why you’ve come here, ‘cause I have no idea why this ruin is so important in the first place. What I know is that I have orders to arrest you or use lethal force if you resist” He finally said.

As following his cue, the six combat spec-ed mages walked in, aiming suppressed Uzis at the girl. Their laser sights danced on her white cotton pressed shirt like red fireflies. They looked like black ghosts, clad in their neoprene suits with special light armour plates covering their vital parts. Lexi had never seen such a team before but from what Andrew told her about wizard warfare, she could tell they could level a small town in minutes.

“You can arrest away” she said icily. “But only after my husband and my friend wake up. As you can see, we have not harmed your people. We’re just borrowing the mystic energies that flow free here and we will surrender when we’re done.”

“I think” the man said with his strong French accent “that you’re not following me. I did mention the fact that I do not care right from the beginning, no? You will come with us and your friends will be brought along.”

“They are not to be moved!” Lexi thundered as the air around her seemed to vibrate. Her pale eyes glimmered for a second while her powers activated. She could manipulate anyone at will and, if Andrew was right, with time she could even posses another’s mind. Yet the wizard in front of her didn’t even flinch. Not only that he was immune to such charms but he also had the social abilities of an oak.

“That won’t work on us, but it is rather impressive. You must tell us more about how you acquired such skills after we bring you in” Jean-Jacques replied. “Put your gun down or I will tell them to fire.”

Lexi felt like a mouse trapped in a corner. Her frustration grew immensely as she couldn’t even reason with the man, not to mention do anything else to stop him from doing what he planned. Smart as Thomas was, it was a wonder sometime how he didn’t think this plan through – of course they would send a team to investigate! It was a holy temple! She told herself to remember to scold him if they survived this encounter.

“I see there’s no way to convince you of our good intentions… But I will not lower my weapon, sir. If you move them they will die and I’m not going to just let that happen. If your men will shoot, I’ll certainly die. But perhaps I manage to shoot you too before I hit the ground. Now what do you suggest we do?”

The man breathed out exhausted. He was over forty and tired of such complicated situations. It was hard enough to live while seeing mathematical solutions about every little detail in his life. Being in control for someone with obsessive compulsive issues and an extreme hatred for people was already too much, and such situations definitely didn’t make things easier. If one was to sum up what it felt  to be Jean-Jacque Monnier, that would be not caring about anything on a regular basis.

“I’m just following orders” he said slightly displeased with himself for even giving such a crude explanation. “Take her down now.”

There was a prolonged pause as the mage team didn’t want to believe that order. Normally they wouldn’t hesitate, but this woman was obviously no threat, even if she did point that small pistol at Monnier. The safety locks on their Uzis went down but still no one fired.

“What’s the matter with the lot of you?” the wizard asked aggravated. “I said shoot her! I want to go back to sleep.”

“Sir,” Snowfox said from his side “perhaps we can find another way. I’m not comfortable with taking down a civilian like this. My team-“

“Will follow orders!” he exploded. “What’s wrong with you? Lethal action was approved. She doesn’t want to cooperate so we will take her down. NOW!”

“Yes… sir” Snowfow said gritting his teeth and rose his weapon towards Lexi.

The girl’s muscles tensed to the point of breaking but before the first gun could fire, a noise like a hurricane was heard and a blur of green dashed from one soldier to another, sending guns flying in the air with precise strikes and knocking them back against the walls. For a split second, Lexi thought Victoria had returned but realized it couldn’t be her because, despite her supernatural speed, she didn’t move that fast, nor did she ever glow like a green neon illuminating the entire chamber.

“Merde! “ roared Monnier. “What the hell is-?”

A hand like of steel closed around his windpipe before he could finish the sentence. It tossed him aside like a rag and stood in front of the girl, protecting her with his large body. As the light faded, Lexi could see that it was a man, but not just any man. An old friend that came to make sure they were safe. She laughed softly and scolded herself for not trusting in Thomas’ tactical abilities. He was, after all, the best chess player she had ever met.

“You okay, chérie?” Rene asked in his warm usual voice.

“I’m fine. Would have been a lot better if you arrived faster. I was scared my heart would give up before they would even start shooting. Thomas called you?”

“He called Octavius. He told me what you were up to. Next time, call me before you get yourself in such a mess, oui?”

“Oh. I thought my husband was clever enough to ask your for help. As back-up at least…”

The Incubus laughed still scanning the recovering mages, scrambling to their feet and recovering their weapons. The one in the blue suit was particularly annoyed.

“Don’t sell him short, Alexis. He knew Octavius would call on me. Your husband just likes to do things a little more… complicated.”

“What are you standing around for, you fools? Shoot them! Or will they have to rip one of you apart to agree they are hostile?!” Jean-Jacques yelled.

“Stand down, gentlemen!” Rene ordered and his eyes burned that hellish green fire. He walked closer and his glow became just a thin mist, revealing himself completely to them.

The Incubus was almost seven feet tall, with a natural muscular body and long platinum blonde hair that fell freely to his lower back. He was wearing a royal blue outfit with golden trimming, the jacket knee-long and showing the symbol of his Family – the lion’s head. On his belt he carried a sheathed Roman gladius , its pommel shaped like the feline as well, a reminder of who Rene Montmartre really was: one of the almost extinct Gauls and the one responsible for the massacre of the Roman armies at the Bay of Biscay over two millennia back. His sight alone could turn a man to stone, possessing the purity of a flawless diamond, but his reputation among the magical circles was enough for the combat team to lower their weapons and bow their heads.

“My team and I mean no disrespect, milord” Snowfox said. “But this is mage business.”

“Look at me, boy” Rene said gently extending his chiselled jaw and chin towards the masked speaker. “What is your name?”

“I… My codename is Snowfox, milord.”

“What is this?! You will address me! I am in charge here, vampire!” Monnier thundered.

“Shut up before I drain your soul and eat it, little man” the Incubus said quietly and waved his hand at Jean-Jacque, making him instantly faint. “He’s alright” he addressed Snowfox. “He needed a time-out.”

“Truth be told, your highness, we are grateful for that. But about this-“

“Yes, yes, formalities” he agreed. “Okay, if the words must be said, I here by claim my right of dominion over this territory which is part of France and this temple and so forth…” Rene added amused. “Are we good now?”

Snowfox removed his goggles and took off his mask. A red haired young man with hazel eyes smiled at the ancient psychic vampire and nodded: “All good, milord. Begging your pardon for the trouble, but it is protocol to hear the exact words be said. I will report back to command that you needed to… borrow the site for a few hours.”

“Dearly appreciated, monsieur Snowfox” Rene said kindly. “Give my regards to the Order and tell them I will stop by Lion for debriefing on the way back. We don’t want any loose ends here.”

“Of course, milord. Sorry for the inconvenience, ma’am. For the record, we wouldn’t have followed that bastard’s order anyway” the team leader said apologetically.

“It’s okay” she said bravely. “For the record I would have shot him.”

Snowfox nodded and gestured at his team to free the two guards and retrieve the unconscious Jean-Jacques’ numb body, while the Incubus finally faced Lexi.

“That was quite impressive. I knew they respect you deeply but I didn’t know you had such authority…” she said.

“I am above their conflicts now, as is Octavius and others that survived for over two thousand years. The matters that capture our interest are far more complicated that even the clever wizards can comprehend. Such as what you are doing here…”

“I’m glad you find my husbands demise fascinating.”

“Well… demise is not the right word is it, chérie?” he said looking at Thomas’ body. “Oh, he is quite alive I see. Yes, his spiritual link is still very strong…”

“What of the mage? Is he still anchored to his body?” she asked concerned.

“Shouldn’t he be?” Rene asked puzzled. “…What aren’t you telling me?”

“He said he won’t be able to return. Victoria went to find… something. She thinks she might be able to bring him back. Can you help?”

“My power does not reach that far. I can barely slide out of this dimension but to pull him all the way from a… what was that again? Purgatory?”

“Something like that…”

“No. That I can’t do, I’m afraid. But maybe the young Merioch can figure out something we can’t.”

Lexi didn’t answer. She was just concerned about getting Thomas back. If Victoria wasn’t successful, surely her brilliant spouse could come up with a solution.

“Don’t you worry” Rene said placing an arm over her shoulder and giving her a gentle comforting squeeze. “I trust Andrew knew what he was doing. Despite his situation, he would never put Thomas at risk.”

“…Yes, ‘cause we know he wouldn’t kill himself either, right?” the girl said bitterly. “How long does he have?”

“Without medical assistance, his body will die in a matter of days. I guess I could force-feed him energy, but…”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes – he said” Alexis growled silently. “Men are idiots… Since when do you report to mages anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said you will stop by Lion…”

“Ah, yes, indeed. But I don’t report to them, they like having me around. I just show up and let them squabble about my origins. It’s like Santa Claus coming by for a cup of tea” Rene said and offered a delighted grin.