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Chapter LXXXV : Apprehension
Midday of Tertius, Second Day of Duskmoon
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As soon as Mica stepped out of the portal, she was overwhelmed with an odor of sulfur and ash. She looked around and found herself in an alleyway, surrounded by broken mortar, bricks, and shattered glass. The buildings on either side had sustained heavy damage, though the cause was unclear. To the side, a gaping hole exposed a residential apartment, ransacked, with nothing of value remaining. A mound of debris slid from the building into the alley, closing off the main street. She looked up and took note of a midday sky, hazy with soot. The air was hot and sticky.
Matthias appeared to her left, hands clenched around Bram. With a yank, he pulled the Knight through the portal before it closed. His voice was low and scathing. “Didn’t ya see the portal closing, Bram? Did ya want to be trapped in there?”
Bram looked repentant, but he stood his ground. “Baraqiel’s voice called out to me. I had to heed his words before we left, or I’d lose my only chance to learn from him.”
Mica was curious. “What did he tell you? Did he mention anything about your powers?”
Matthias raised his hand and whispered. “Keep your voice low, Lass. The air isn’t just filled with smoke. Ah can detect magic, too. Lots of it. We can’t afford t’ be overheard.”
Now that he mentioned it, Mica felt it, too. The Servant’s Highway had been saturated with magic, which overwhelmed her senses. But now that she was on the other side, things ought to have returned to normal. Instead, there was a clear signal of magic in the air. And where there was magic, there were scholars.
Most of Mica’s experience came from the sorcerers and sorceresses in Minoa. Detecting their magic was like swimming through water, where even small disturbances came in the form of motion, like waves. Of course, there were also wizards and witches among the Gaian Priests, which is how Mica learned to sense their magic, too. It was sharper. More distinct. Like a pinprick. Larger events were even painful. Based on the prickling she felt along her arms and legs, she figured spells of fire and lightning had been recently cast. Powerful spells.
Bram looked eager to explain his encounter with Baraqiel, but before he could say more, an explosion erupted on the other side of the rubble. Mica cringed, as more pinpricks crept across her skin. Bram and Matthias looked worried.
The Knight scanned the apartments, above. “I felt it, too. We need to get a view of what’s happening on the street. Matthias, is there any way you can lift us up there?”
The old scholar shook his head. “Magic is the last thing we need, Bram. It’ll instantly give away our position. In fact, we’re lucky th’ portal t’ the Servant’s Highway isn’t nearby, or they might’ve detected us already.”
Mica explained more. “He’s right. We might have ended up in an alleyway, but the magical signature for the portal is far beneath us, where the temple used to be. Even if nearby scholars detected it, they wouldn’t know to look here.”
Bram nodded. “That’s good, Mica, but we still need reconnaissance to figure out where we are and what’s going on in the city. If scholars caused that explosion, we need to know why.”
His gaze went from side to side as he searched for options. “How about through there?”
He gestured with his head. Behind Mica was an opening at the base of the rubble. A large, wooden beam had fallen at an angle into the alley. Below it, a place where they could potentially tunnel without having a mass of bricks fall over them. It would take some work to clear a path by hand, but it looked as if they could all fit. Even Bram, with his bulky armor.
Matthias frowned. “Aye, Ah guess we can’t avoid gettin’ our hands dirty. Not today.”
Mica was glad she dressed appropriately. She left her priestess’ robes behind and went with more practical men’s trousers, a blue shirt, and a dark waistcoat. They were new, but she was ready to get on her knees and dig. Bram and Matthias joined, lining up to take the bricks and set them aside without making too much noise. After a few minutes, they widened the passage enough to crawl through.
Bram went first, followed by Matthias. Mica didn’t mind letting them lead. She had never been to Angkor and didn’t know what to expect. She certainly didn’t want her inexperience to be responsible for giving away their position.
When she emerged, Bram gestured for her to stand back. He and Matthias crouched down at the edge of the building and peered around the side. Mica crept close, making sure she stayed in the shadows.
Fifty spans down the street, she saw a dozen wizards in dark red uniforms. She hadn’t seen Angkorian military grade before, but there was no mistaking their discipline and synchronicity. They lined up in front of a large building, raised their hands in unison, and chanted a new spell. At once, balls of fire and forks of lightning struck the building. A deafening explosion echoed off nearby structures. The strikes were so precise that the damage blew inward, rather than sending debris into the street.
She caught her breath as she saw civilians run from the devastated structure. Others from higher floors jumped to their deaths in an attempt to escape the inferno now raging inside. Among the Angkorians, a man emerged. His hair was tied in a queue, the style used by the Kenju clan in Koba. Mica had never met one herself, but she had heard stories as a girl that they were well respected and honorable. They were supposedly loyal to Koba and would die before joining their enemy. Yet this man dressed in an Angkorian military uniform and was shouting orders.
Bram gasped, and Mica could tell from the flare in his eyes that he knew this man.
Without warning, the Kenju leapt toward the civilians. And to Mica’s horror, he attacked. Baring no weapon, he instead struck them with his bare fists, which appeared to be magically enchanted. As he landed his punches, a powerful force sent his victims flying. By the time they hit the ground, they were motionless.
Mica instinctively wanted to help. They were innocents, fleeing for their lives. They posed no threat, yet the Angkorians laid siege to their own people, set their building on fire, and pursued anyone who tried to escape.
She cringed at the violence. An elderly woman fled with a younger man, yet the Kenju didn’t hesitate to strike her down. He landed a willful punch, smearing her face with blood. It was a terrible injury, possibly fatal. Driven by rage, the younger man fought back.
He tried to throw the first punch, but Mica sensed a change to the enchantment inside the Kenju’s fist. He activated a layer of hidden magic, and a series of knives—long as daggers—protruded from his knuckles. He plunged the blades straight through the man’s face, slicing half of it clean off. A fountain of blood stained the Kenju red.
It was too gruesome! Mica felt so revulsed she could hardly breathe, and her body heaved with dry sobs. None of the horrors she had witnessed through war had come close. She retreated back to the alleyway to catch her breath, calling out to the Goddess for strength. She knew that she would face unspeakable horrors, but this loss of life was just too monstrous. Gratuitous and abhorrent, it chilled her to the core.
Bram’s whispery voice broke through. “Mica, I’m sorry you had to see that, but please try to hold it together. We’re not safe here.”
She realized she was shaking, her body sticky with sweat. She just hoped she hadn’t made any noise. She swallowed past a knot in her throat. “I—I—I’m sorry … those poor people. I know there’s nothing we can do, but ….”
By now, Matthias had also returned to the alleyway, though he still kept close watch on the street through the rubble heap.
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Bram looked empathetic. “I want to help them, too, Mica, but there are too many scholars. Remember why we’re here. If we can reach the sunstone, we can stop all of this. But intervening now puts all of that at risk. We must harden our resolves and resist the temptation to intervene.”
Mica’s cheeks flushed with suppressed helplessness and rage. “I know that. It’s just … I can’t understand why such violence! Those people just wanted to escape with their lives. What would Angkor gain by chasing them down and … and …?”
She couldn’t even finish. She squeezed out a few tears, but was determined not to weep.
Bram sighed. “I believe they’re tracking down anyone who’s not yet under Abaddon’s control. Any people still alive in the city could conceivably build alliances and fight back. Abaddon is surely careful not to allow for any resistance. Although, based on what I’ve heard of this demon, the cruelty is probably the whole point.”
Mica’s cheeks still felt hot, but her heartbeat slowed, and she could breathe easier. “You recognized that man. Didn’t you, Bram? I noticed your reaction when you saw him.”
The Knight lowered his head, his face grim. “You’re right. His name is Quon Fei Nan … Kenju Master of Koba.”
Mica couldn’t believe it. “But how could he …?”
“He would never, Mica.” Bram was firm. “I know him, and he’s a good, honorable man. We lost track of him in the battle at Loulan Palace, but he must have been taken prisoner. I never expected to see him again, much less under Abaddon’s control. If I were to guess why they’d keep him alive, I’d say he’s being forced to witness his own violence as some kind of torture. All at Abaddon’s amusement.”
Mica shivered as the injustices mounted. There had to be something she could do. “Isn’t there any way to free him and stop those scholars from their killing spree?”
Matthias faced her with a grimace. “We don’t even know if it’s possible, Lass. If that man is conscious of his deeds, death might be the only way to grant him peace. But, even if we gave him that gift, it’d be too risky, an’ there’s no reward for tryin’.”
Mica felt too ashamed to back down. “You’re wrong. Giving that man peace and stopping this violence is a mighty reward! We have to think of something.”
Bram shook his head. “Think it through, Mica. There are at least a dozen wizards out there, and many more in the city under Abaddon’s control. Even if we could face them, more would take their place, and it would alert the whole city of our presence. Worse, we’d be facing innocent people under a demon’s spell. They can’t help themselves. Believe me, it pains me to leave him under Abaddon’s torture, but I must believe that taking control of the sunstone will reverse the spell.”
Mica knew that Bram was right, but it still felt like turning a blind eye. She became a priestess to help people, and walking away in the face of such suffering put her heart in a vice. Yet, she couldn’t deny that finding the sunstone and ending the demon’s control was better than facing an enemy who couldn’t even control their own actions.
She nodded meekly. “You’re right. Gaia help those poor souls in the meantime.”
She felt her skin prickle. Magic was close. Too close! She reached out to Matthias. “It’s an AMF! Do something!”
Matthias raised his staff and repelled the anti-magic field. Mica reached for her manna, relieved to find it still there. The old scholar pointed his staff toward the apartment above. A wizard materialized from his place of hiding. Matthias uttered a word of power, and the man fell from his perch into the alleyway.
The old scholar’s face was deadly serious. “We need t’ run. Now!”
He raised his staff and created a portal. Mica didn’t know where it would lead, but anywhere was better than trapped in an alley, with a demon’s thrall nearby.
But, before the portal fully opened, another wizard materialized and shot a bolt of lightning at Matthias. The old scholar deflected it with his magic, but not before two others translocated nearby.
Mica summoned her powers and shot bolts of force to knock them off their feet. They deflected, but Bram drew his sword, which glowed with a bright light. The wizards averted their eyes.
“Matthias, another portal. Quickly!”
The old scholar recast his spell, but it soon fizzled as he fell to his knees. Mica felt a sharp pain run through her body, and she lost balance. She fell as another AMF descended.
She panicked, but struggling was no use. Five more wizards translocated into the alley, their barrage of spells impossible to defend. A force grabbed her body and dragged her from the alleyway, through the tunnel of rubble, back to the main street. Broken glass and splintered wood left her body battered and scratched.
When she stopped sliding, she found herself on the main street, surrounded by wizards. She was joined by Bram and Matthias, who were dragged in a similar manner. The wizards chanted in unison, forming a strong enough field to prevent any escape.
She was forced into a kneeling position. She spit out a wad of blood and grit, but plenty of filth still remained in her mouth. The circle of wizards opened up, and the Kenju man entered. She saw a blue film over his eyes, which Bram had warned her was the sure sign of Abaddon’s mind control.
He faced Bram and spoke in a voice that sounded unnatural, like it came from something monstrous. “You were foolish to come here, Nephilim. If not for the Master’s orders not to kill or mutilate your body, I would peel your skin and wear it as a cape.”
Bram looked back with contempt. “I didn’t come here to speak through your proxies, Abaddon. Take me to where you’re hiding, so we can speak directly.”
Quon’s body grinned. “All in good time, Hybrid. Soon I’ll be free of my shackles, and you shall gaze upon my true form. Then we’ll see if you’re still brave enough to face me.”
He circled around the Knight, regarding him closely. “You’ve been a thorn in our side for far too long. And now I see you dressed in the armor of our ancient enemies. I doubt you even know how to use it, if my husks could capture you so easily.”
Mica was terrified, but Bram was better at hiding his fear. She let him do the speaking and hoped he knew a way out.
“I want to speak with my brother. Where’s Samuel?”
The body of Quon eyed him curiously. “The Nephilim seeks his twin? Are you desperate enough to think he’ll grant you leniency? Or, foolish enough to think you could sway him? Hmm … I wonder where you found that armor. Perhaps there are other interesting things you can tell me. Perhaps an interrogation, instead.”
Bram watched the man closely, but he said nothing.
“Tell me, Nephilim: how well do you know your history? Do you know that mortals once wore armor such as yours, as they attempted to stand against us? Do you know what we did to them?”
Bram met his gaze, and Quon’s body took note of his defiance. His fearlessness. The Kenju’s eyes narrowed.
“They called themselves the Grigori, but their resistance was short-lived. They must have thought their armor would protect their soft lumps of flesh on the inside.” He grinned. “You’ve eaten crab before, haven’t you, Nephilim? Surely, you know how easy it is to crack them open … and suckle the meat from the inside ….”
Bram averted his gaze. Quon’s body seemed to relish how easy it was to crack his façade. He crouched in front of the Knight and peered deeply into his eyes.
“Those were the fortunate ones. The rest, we subjected to the most exquisite horrors. I doubt you could fully appreciate just how much psychological damage a human can endure. They will hold onto hope like it’s a lifeline. But once it’s gone, their minds break like a thin shard of glass. Could you even imagine what that looks like?”
Mica had heard enough. She was on a mission from her Goddess, and her faith was strong.
“You won’t prevail, Abaddon. Gaia will protect us.”
Quon’s head swiveled in her direction, looking like he forgot she was there. He started laughing. “Who’s this little bird?” He licked his lips. “Innocent souls taste the sweetest. Tell me: if I crack you open, how much sugar will I find?”
Mica gathered her courage. “Say what you will. My body might be weak, but my soul is strong. It belongs to my Goddess and will never be yours.”
Quon’s body ceased its laughing.
Bram’s eyes widened. “Mica, be silent. Don’t say another word.”
Abaddon’s thrall approached. “No, I want to hear all about her ‘goddess’. You see, the little bird is confused. She thinks there’s a force out there greater than us, and it will intervene as long as she believes in it. Or, at least, if we destroy her body, this ‘goddess’ will ensure her soul is protected. Perhaps, place it in an eternal garden, full of puffy, white clouds.”
He stopped for a moment to chuckle. “You won’t believe the words of devotion I’ve heard from faithful mortals. They tell me all the time what I can’t have. Right before I devour whatever’s left of them. Never before has a ‘goddess’ intervened. Although, I would very much like see this creature for myself.”
Mica steeled herself. “Save your words, Demon. You will not shake my faith.”
Quon’s body smiled. “Would you like to meet the real ‘Gaia’, little bird? I can introduce you to this creature, if you wish. It’s no goddess, I assure you. And you might be horrified by what you see. But if it helps to correct your misconception, I would gladly oblige.”
Mica grew angry at the lies. “I have no use for your blasphemy!”
She regretted letting down her guard. Bram warned her not to provoke the demon, but she couldn’t be silent and let it mock the Goddess in front of her. Even if she risked escalation.
But, if her hot words bothered the demon, the body of the Kenju didn’t show it. Quon merely shrugged. “As you wish. It won’t change your fate. We are slowly corrupting this creature you call ‘Gaia’, and soon it will be under our control. As for you, little bird … you will be quite useful to us.”
He approached Bram. “You see, I am forbidden to use physical coercion to interrogate this ‘Knight’. However, I can slowly dismember the ones he cares about, render their souls from their mutilated bodies, and let him watch as they become One with the Chaos. Your soul, little bird, will be my first to devour in almost a thousand years. I can’t wait.”
“Abaddon, no!” Bram was shaking. “Bring Samuel, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I’ll hold nothing back.”
Quon’s body shook its head. “The other Nephilim is busy. You’ll meet him soon enough. In the meantime, I must thank you for bringing me these two wondrous souls. I hope the little bird says her prayers now … because she won’t be awake to say them later.”
Mica felt a spell come over her. She tried to fight it, but the world slowly faded to black.