Chapter 21

Nightmares and New Family

Lightning flashes and thunder cracks. The woman with horns was cradling the small child. Tears streaming down her face she leans in and kisses the baby boy. “Morko, I know you are just a test subject, but you have been more than that to me. I will always love you no matter what.” She then takes a syringe with a red viscous liquid inside of it and injects it into the sleeping child’s arm.

I awoke with my brothers leaning into my field of vision, shaking me awake.

“What? What’s going on?” I asked groggily.

“Dude, you were talking in your sleep but it wasn’t in a language that we know. The only word in it that we can mimic is the word Morko. Do you know what that means or what language you are speaking?” Shyft asked

I was still half asleep. “I have no idea. I don’t even know what that word is. Morko…….” The sun was starting to creep into the sky. There was a breeze blowing through the town signaling the coming of a storm. I could smell the rain and feel the barometric pressure changing.

“We have to get to cover there is a storm coming.” I warned my brothers. Neither of them second guessed my instincts, they started packing up camp. We moved into one of the least damaged buildings in the town to get out of the coming weather. Within a few hours the wind had picked up and the sky was black. We used runes and Baker's energy to fortify the building and got ready for the storm.

Shade was sleeping on the back of the couch when the worse part of the storm hit. Thunder and lightning rattled the building and the windows that were still intact. The sound of the torrential rain was the sound that invaded between thunder booms. I spent the time working on further unraveling the Key's weave. The intensity of the storm was helping clear my head. I got most of the easier nexus points within minutes. The last 20 nexus points were going to take more power than I had so I put the book aside and brought out the bear statue. I stared at it for about an hour, then I decided to try hitting it with energy. When my energy hit it, I swear the thing moved for a second, but the movement was so minute that it could have been a figment of my imagination. With nothing to do I decided to practice with my naginata. I went through the katas or forms Master taught us.

“You are great against imaginary enemies, think you can take on someone your own realism?” I turned to see Baker and Shyft standing at the door to the garage I was using to practice. I swept the naginata into a stance and then waved them forward.

“let us see.” I said smiling, as my brothers advanced on me weapons drawn. We spared for the better part of 6 hours. The enhancement of our endurance and other physical attributes made it easy. When we were finished I had a few cuts and bumps and bruises.

“Still not as good as you guys at the close-range stuff but it is definitely a start.” I said using some water energy to clean up my wounds.

“You have definitely improved at the close range. There was one strike that I threw, that should have hit you, but you somehow blocked it.” Shyft said cleaning his short swords and putting them away.

“That wasn’t me, that was my naginata. It moved on its own to be honest.” I said breaking the haft in half so it could fit in the sheath again. The abilities of the arcanium were so amazing. There were no connectors that helped the shaft stay together. The arcanium would re-fuse itself back together, like it had always been one piece. Then all I had to do was use a little pressure and my energy with rhe right intent to make it come apart again. After all our gear was packed away we set to making lunch with the storm still raging outside. I looked out the window, the trees were bending violently and the rain was coming down almost sideways. I could see the reflection of my brothers making our lunch then I saw her. In a flash of lightning, I could see Kira standing under a tree staring at the building we were in.

I whistled to my brothers and sent them a link. My brothers came to the window quickly.

“Should we let her in?” Baker asked. I looked at Shyft and shrugged. “She has never been threatening and maybe she has info for us.” Shyft said. I walked over to the door and dropped all the wards on the door. In the next flash of lightning Kira was gone from beneath the tree. There was a ripping sound from behind us. A rift opened in the air and Kira walked out brushing the water off her clothes.

“Thought you would never drop those wards so I could talk to you.” She looked over the three of us.

“You all look well, stronger even” She finds a chair and sits down.

“What are you doing here?” Shyft said shortly. Baker didn’t seem to trust her even though she has never been threatening. His hand was on his pistol and a small amount of energy on his hands ready for anything that might happen. Kira smiled and leaned back into the chair.

“I get it you don’t trust me. I don’t give off the trustworthy vibe I get it. I told you before I am not your enemy I am one of your kin. Not by birth but by blood.” The looks of suspicion on our faces were plainly visible. “I told you that I will reveal the truth when you are ready. That is not why I am here. I know what you three are attempting and I have information for you. And a warning.” She continued. I sat down across from Kira and lean on the table.

“What information do you have?” I asked curiously. She pulls some papers out of her jacket pocket and laid them on the table. It was a map of a city.

“Like I said I know that you are doing and I want to help. The pillar that you have had previous experience with is in this town. Kokoda has taken the people of this town and is torturing them for fun. He has made it into a fortress and that is where my warning comes in. You three need help and the newly awoken at your little club wont be able to do much.” she said with a little sarcasm to her voice. Baker and Shyft smiled and pulled their weapons.

“We have some new toys and a person that can create them for our members of our 'Little club' sweetheart". Baker said.

Her eyes shot to the weapons and she gasped. “What is that? I have never seen a human weapon that gave off so much energy. That can’t be simply enchanted.” She reached out to touch the metal and pulled back. “It is alive! It is producing the energy itself.

Baker smiled and nodded. “We have a dwarf that works with us that can produce these weapons and other things from a special metal called arcanium.” Kira seemed enthralled by the weapons.

Shyft sent me a link.

I looked back at him and linked him back.

Kira cocked her head to the side as if listening to something and then we hward her voice through the link. She looked at Shyft.

“I understand your reservations to trust me but I was serious you three are family and I won’t hurt you.” she stated with complete honesty. Shyft seemed a little unnerved by the fact that she could hear our link but, I think it also lent credence to her connection with us.

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We took around 4 hours studying the map we had a solid plan for how we were going to attack the city. Now all we had to do was go get our troops. Shyft looked at Kira and said.

“Kira, I am sorry for not trusting you. Why don’t you come join us in Sanctuary and be one of us?”

Kira shook her head. “Not a team kinda girl, plus I’d be more useful nonaffiliated. Also, I have the others to try to find first.” With that she turned and walked through one of her rifts and disappeared. I pinged my sensory energy and she was nowhere to be felt but, I did feel several vehicles headed in our direction. They were moving fast and straight for this town. The storm outside had faded to a mere drizzle. I grabbed my weapons and sent a link to my brothers.

my brothers grabbed their gear, and we left the building to head for the entrance of the town. There were 4 Humvees headed toward us at high speed. I tried several times to sense who was inside but, there was something blocking me from sensing inside of the vehicles. I took a position on the top of a roof of one the buildings near the entrance of the town.

Once I was in position Baker and Shyft stood directly in the middle of the road with their weapons at the ready. Bakers metal energy glowing brightly off both of my brothers. The Humvees skidded to a stop a few yards from my brothers and about 30 armed soldiers exited the vehicles with weapons drawn. They leveled their weapons on my brothers and I took aim at one of the soldiers.

Right before I pulled the trigger, a gloved hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. Standing before me was Allie, looking a little more haggard than the first time we had met her. She reached up and put her hand next to her ear and the other soldiers dropped their weapons. I sent a link to my brothers.

Allie and I came down from the roof to talk with my brothers.

“Well, it seems you three are doing well. I see you got rearmed with some new equipment.” she said genuinely. Allie was a beautiful woman. She wasn’t like a supermodel but, she had a quality that made her irresistible. Her team took up defensive positions around the town and her normal team stayed around us.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“We had gotten reports of a large group of demons terrorizing this town. I guess you took care of them for us. How did you guys get this far so quickly it’s only been a few months since we last met? I made a high-pitched whistle and Shade materialized on my shoulder. Allie jumped back a few feet.

“Oh, shit what is that?” I smiled and pet Shade on the head.

“He is a shadow phoenix. His name is Shade, and he is my companion. He can create portals that we can travel through. We also have something to show you if you can go for a fieldtrip? I asked.

Allie looked at her team and said, “Well we had sent here to liberate this town which you already did. So, we do have some free time. My team stays with me the whole time though. I wont go alone.” I smiled and then looked at my brothers. They both nodded.

I turned back to Allie and said, “Deal. Shall we go?” Shade took off from my shoulder and created a portal on the wall of one of the buildings we were near. Allie looked a little nervous but, Baker extended his hand, and she took it. He led her through the portal just before Shyft and I entered. We left the town behind and were standing in front of Sanctuary. “What is this place?” Baker, Shyft and the other soldiers came through the portal.

My brothers and I all said simultaneously “Welcome to Sanctuary.”

We walked up to the front gate and the guards let us in after taking Allies and the other soldiers’ weapons. Once through I took Allie on a tour of the grounds. Baker and Shyft took the others to the mess hall to get a much-needed home cooked meal. As we walked, I explained the inner workings of Sanctuary. I explained about the different paths of Sanctuary. She seemed interested in the magick study and the awakening process. I did make sure to not give any exacts and I made sure she didn’t get to see any of our security.

I trusted her but I did not trust her Organization yet so I didn’t want her to be in the place to be forced to have to choose between us and her leaders. After telling her about all of Sanctuary that I was willing to reveal she had a lot of questions aimed to get me to reveal more info.

I smiled and shook my head, “Nice try Allie but, I think I’ve told you enough to satisfy your group without giving too much away. That being said, I do want to offer an alliance. I want full disclosure between our groups, and I hope that collaboration would be possible.” Allie looked at me with a look that was both excited and pained.

“You know I don’t have that kind of power in this group and the leadership is like a child with a toy. I will relay your offer and after that it is up to them.” She said giving me a sympathetic smile.

“Well now, I guess you are probably in just as much need of a real homecooked meal. We raise all our own livestock and are farming most of the fruits and vegetables. How about it?” A look of relief crept on to her face and her shoulders dropped from their normal ready for action position.

“I can’t remember the last time I had home cooking. At the safehouse I use its always mres, premade and sealed meals for survival." The smell of the kitchen permeated the halls near the cafeteria. I opened the café hall doors and gave Allie a sweeping bow.

“Right this way Madam we have your reservation waiting for you.”

She smiled and said, “Thank you good sir.” We walked through the tables to the long table that my brothers and the rest of her team were sitting at and eating. The silence was cut every now and then by a joke or a story of someone’s closest encounter with a demon. Allie and I approached the table as her team noticed her they shot out of their chairs.

“Commander.” They stood at attention in a position that must have been a salute but created to be inconspicuous.

“Sit, sit, none of that. I told you all I hate the honorifics. Just call me Allie.” She said this in a dismissive and almost pleading tone. The soldiers sat down slowly and then eased back into the comfortable relaxed mood that we had walked in on. Liana walked out of the kitchen with two plates for Allie and I.

When she laid the plates on the table she said, “Good to see you well Sir. Bon Appetite.”

I smiled “Thank you Liana.” Roger was recounting a story of a demon he killed when the first of the demons came to our world.

“My dad came into my room and handed me his shotgun. He said ‘Son we are being attacked you defend your brother and sister. If I don’t return take them to your aunt and uncles house in Virginia.’ My brother and sister were behind my father and scared. My father smiled and said, ‘I love you all and I will see you again.’ He turned and left the house to head to the base he worked on. He was a soldier in the army. I hid my siblings in the closet in my room and I patrolled our house. We lived on base so from the window in the kitchen I could see the explosions and other strange flashes of light. It was only a few minutes before I started hearing sounds of fighting and gunfire outside the house. I ran upstairs as the front door got knocked in. I got to my room, locked the door, and pushed my bed in front of the door to bar it. Something started breaking apart my door. I jumped on my bed stuck the shotgun through the hole that was created by the attacker and fired until it was empty. I heard a grunt and a loud thump. The banging on the door stopped. I moved my bed slowly and opened the door. In the hallway was the corpse of a soldier demon. The sound of someone coming up the stairs startled me, and I pulled the shotgun up. My dad was standing there, dry blood on his face and several long scratches on his chest. He looked at the demon and at me. ‘Well, it seems you take after me more than I thought son. Welcome to the Army.’ After that I got recruited into the Organization and here I am.”

There was a moment of silence then Cliff clasped Roger on the shoulder. “You did good man. You protected your family and killed a demon with a mere shotgun at such a young age.”

I cleared my throat. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. Baker and Shyft were the only two that continued eating. I raised my glass of wine, it was light and sweet, and then I said, “To those that have died and to those that will persevere.” Everyone on raised their glasses and nodded. I called for Liana who came back out of the kitchen quickly.

“Oui? What can I do for you sir?” She asked.

“Can you please fetch me any guard that is on duty?” I said grimacing at being called sir.

She nodded and said, “Right away sir.” She left the hall quickly and came back with one of the guards on duty. The female guard looked concerned as she walked up to me.

“Can I help you Master Wingless?” her voice was nervous.

“I need you to wake the other masters and the leaders of the different factions quickly please.” She seemed to calm a little and nodded,

“Right away sir.” She hurried out of the hall and disappeared as the door closed. I finished my meal and stood up from the table. My brothers did the same. The others looked at us questioningly.

“Time to get down to business.” I said, then added, “Allie we are having a meeting about a mission that we have coming up. If you would like to sit in and hear the specifics, you might be able to use it to help your organization decide about the cooperation between our groups.” Allie nodded and stood. Cliff and Roger both stood quickly. “Sorry guys I can only let Allie in on this meeting.” They looked at Allie questioningly. She waved them back into their seats.

“I trust them, and we are not in any danger here.” Roger sat back down but Cliff stayed standing but didn’t try to follow us when we left