Fallen (21 page)

Oliver smiled as he watched the two
adolescents far away now. “I think it may be a young woman that he
remembers the most about this visit.”

Lycean gave him a stern look.

“Then again, you won’t be staying
that
long,” he said.

They both eyed one another for a moment
before breaking into mild laughter.

“Come, Oliver. The children can see to
themselves for awhile. I can at least see to it that you have a
feast before you depart.”

Oliver clapped a hand on Lycean’s brawny
shoulder. “My friend, considering where we’re going, I accept.”

It bothered me that Sophia was avoiding the
subject of my being able to control fire. The look she had been
giving me while we walked toward the construction site was a
mixture of fear and awe. I didn’t like it. After all, considering
all of the other things I had seen so far, what was the big deal
about controlling fire?

“Please, Princess, I feel I’ve made you
uncomfortable,” I offered. “If that’s the case then I’ll leave you
and see that Oliver and I depart soon.”

Leaving was actually the farthest thing from
my mind. I was enjoying Sophia’s company, and Tidus was simply a
marvel to behold. However, I hoped she wouldn’t want me to go as
much as I didn’t want to go.

“It’s not that,” she said. “I’m just
surprised. Not many can do what you say…not many at all.”

“But why not?” I asked. “I’ve already seen
things that boggled my mind. Surely those who control fire can’t be
so few.”

“It’s just that we receive the gifts and
talents and abilities of those we are descended from,” Sophia said.
“My people descended from Anubis as you’ve seen depicted on the
walls that show our history. He was one that elevated an entire
civilization. There were many born to him in ancient times and many
have been born in our line since.”

“What about me and the line I came from?” I
asked.

“Not many,” she said, but I could tell there
was more to say.

“Do you know
who
I am descended from,
Sophia?”

I could tell that she knew, or thought she
knew. It was written all over her face, and she seemed afraid of
that knowledge somehow. I was beginning to be afraid as well, but I
felt that I had to know.”

“Please, Sophia. I only desire to know how I
came to be the way that I am. Is that so wrong?”

“No, of course not, Brody,” she said. “But I
think that is something that Oliver would want to discuss with you.
My father would be very angry with me, if I took it upon myself to
reveal things that might not even be true. After all, I’m really
not very knowledgeable about such things.”

I wanted to believe her, but I didn’t. It
was obvious that she knew better than she was letting on. But I
decided that I would leave the matter alone for now. I could
discuss it with Oliver later as she had suggested. After all, I
didn’t know how much time we might have together and I wanted to
enjoy Sophia’s company while I could.

When we finally reached the construction
site, the large block I had seen from the initial gate into the
city had already been positioned into its place. However, another
was already in transit. As I had seen before, many men were present
overseeing the move, but none of them were actually touching the
stone which stood almost two stories.

“How is that possible?” I asked Sophia.

“Look there,” she said, pointing. “Those men
are Movers.”

I watched the men more closely now. They
held their hands toward the great stone seeming to push against the
air. In fact, there were nearly thirty of them performing this
levitation of the block in conjunction with one another. Each of
the Movers concentrated intensely on the task. Slowly and carefully
the stone moved through the air, ascending now to its position in
the new temple.

Others stood near what would become its
final resting place. These men worked their hands frantically in
various patterns. As they did so, small pieces of the block were
shaved away along with a great cloud of dust. By the time they were
through with these gestures, the block had taken on a more precise
appearance. It was then lowered into place by the Movers, and
seemed to fit almost perfectly. Upon further scrutiny, the two men,
one on either side, made a few more gestures, removing a bit more
stone, so that its weight settled it even more securely in the
building.

“Are those the Shapers you mentioned?”

“Exactly,” Sophia replied. “The Movers were
born with the ability to move objects with their minds. The Shapers
are simply Movers using more controlled forces upon the stone to
cut away and shave the blocks so that they fit well together.”

“How long have you built structures using
these methods?” I asked, admiring the precision with which they
worked.

“For millennia Movers and Shapers have been
among the Lycans, building the kingdom we rule,” she said.

“I had no idea Lycans had such
abilities.”

“They are not Lycans,” she said. “However,
once my ancestors realized their particular abilities, they were
offered high positions as architects within the kingdom. They are
handsomely rewarded for their talents.”

“I’ll bet that power makes them great
fighters.”

“Most enjoy this work better,” Sophia
observed. “However, we do have several Movers that have honed their
skills to become assassins for my father.”

“Could I talk to any of them?” I asked,
desiring to know more about their special abilities from the
source.

“We mustn’t interrupt them while they are
building,” Sophia said. “If they were to lose their concentration
while moving the great stones lives might be endangered. The
building might even collapse.”

“Of course, Princess,” I said, feeling
guilty for even asking. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Sophia touched my shoulder then. “I didn’t
mean to insinuate any wrong on your part, Brody.”

I smiled at her and she returned the
gesture.

“Thank you for showing me around, by the
way,” I said. “I’m really enjoying my time with you.”

“Perhaps you would like to see our library?
My father will expect us for dinner, but we still have some
time.”

“I would love to,” I said eagerly. “Please
lead the way.”

Charlotte remained upon her perch in the
form of a raven, watching the dark street for more Breed activity.
She knew she was taking a risk of being discovered, but as far as
she was concerned, Black had not been fooled by their escape during
the fire. Below her, several pedestrians stood beneath a gas lamp
smoking, discussing grievances with their work situation. A bit
further down, slightly obscured by fog, a local bobby walked his
beat, whistling a little tune. A shop owner could be seen in his
storefront, putting away merchandise and preparing to close up for
the evening.

She had not simply happened by this
particular spot tonight. Charlotte had caught the scent of her
kind. They were somewhere nearby and for some dark purpose other
than feeding. She had spotted many more dolls recently in London
than she might have expected. Still, no reports had been printed in
the newspapers.

Oliver had warned of Black’s masterful
methods early on. He would takeover in government and law
enforcement and media before the dolls worked on the general
population. Otherwise, an alarm would be sounded to the public at
large. This way, even if people managed to escape and make reports
to the police or reporters, those reports would go nowhere.
London’s demise would come as quietly as a cancer, consuming in
silence until it was too late to do anything to stop it.

Then she spotted them.

Three rats were loitering near a trash can
at the mouth of an alleyway that ran between the shop and the
adjacent building. They appeared as rodents, but Charlotte knew
their true forms. These were Breed warriors and they appeared to be
waiting for something to happen.

Out of the corner of her eye, Charlotte
noticed the shop owner turn suddenly, facing something unseen that
had surprised him from behind. The man screamed bloody murder. The
two men standing beneath the street lamp started toward the shop.
The policeman heard the scream and broke into a run.

Charlotte watched through the storefront
window as one of Black’s dolls hoisted the man off of the ground by
his shirt, its belly opening in preparation to devour him. He was
still screaming loudly, attracting the attention of these other
men. The rats didn’t appear to be concerned. They simply watched as
the two men and then the policeman arrived at the front of the
store.

When the men saw what was transpiring
inside, they immediately jerked the door open, allowing the
policeman to push through into the front of the storeroom. The doll
did not react to them. But the Breed warriors did.

Scurrying to the doorway, they waited there.
The policeman attempted to rescue the shop owner, beating the
creature with his baton to no avail. Suddenly three more dolls came
into the room with them. Chains shot from the dolls, trying to
ensnare the men. The policeman was taken quickly, while the other
two ran for the door. The rats resumed their true forms as
vampires, rising before the men, tossing them back into the waiting
arms of their respective dolls.

Charlotte watched the efficiency of it all.
They had managed to draw in and capture four men without anyone
else taking notice. If they were doing that here, how many other
abductions were taking place night after night?

Black’s voice came to her from behind. “I
trust you’re enjoying the view.”

Charlotte turned her raven’s head to find
Black standing behind her, poised upon a beam as easily as a
gymnast. She leaped into the air, taking flight. Black’s laughter
followed her into the sky. She had been discovered!

The raven ducked down among the streets
again, beating a hasty retreat, hoping to put obstacles between her
and Black. Charlotte had no illusions about her chances fighting
against a fallen angel. After nearly ten minutes of flight and
miles of distance from the shop where the abduction had just taken
place, she lighted in a dark alley. Returning to her vampire form,
Charlotte tested the air, hoping to find no one following her.

She could detect no one around. Only the
scent of humans came to her keen senses.

“So, you’re alive after all,” Black said
behind her.

Charlotte whirled with one of her blades in
hand, slashing at the figure behind her. The reaching hand was
lopped off. Black only laughed as another formed instantly to
replace the appendage. He then stepped forward, using that same
hand, smashing her across the face.

Charlotte flew backward, striking the wall
so hard that brick and mortar crumbled beneath her. She was dazed,
seeing two Black’s approaching gingerly from the dark. He was
confident in his power, which was palpable in the alley between
them. Charlotte felt real fear in his presence. She had no hope of
fighting him off—none at all.

Her eyes darted around the alley, looking
for something she could use, some way of escape, anything.

“Where is the boy?” Black asked.

Charlotte felt the angel’s mind pressing
upon her, trying to bend her to his will.

“Why do you want him?”

“To destroy him, of course,” Black said.

She was surprised by his candor. But she
realized it was simply his vanity. Black had no fear she could
discern. He simply wanted the boy dead and he didn’t care to tell
her so.

“Give him to me, and I might consider giving
you a death free of pain.”

“I don’t mind pain,” she said, matching his
bravado.

Black smiled. Charlotte felt her body pulled
off the ground and through the air toward him. His fist smashed
across her jaw again, sending her back into the wall even harder
than before. She seemed to bounce as his will pulled her back. Then
he knocked her back against the wall again and again, like a yo-yo,
until she lost consciousness.

I sat on one side of a long dining table
within King Lycean’s palace in the city of Tidus. Stately pillars
surrounded the room, supporting the structure while also giving a
panoramic view of the city. Marble and gold surrounded us in this
lavish room while a huge banquet sat before us on the stone
table.

I adjusted the cushion I was sitting on.
Glancing up, I found Sophia watching me with a little smirk on her
face. I wasn’t used to sitting on the floor to have dinner and I
thought I might roll off of the pillow onto the floor at any
moment.

Neither Oliver nor King Lycean appeared to
notice. Servants surrounded the table, standing at attention with
trays ready to take away empty plates and glasses as well bringing
new ones already filled. This kind of luxury was completely foreign
to me. My parents had been moderately poor, but nothing we needed
had ever seemed to be missing from our lives.

The conversation at the table tended toward
the political, talking about the war—things I already knew by now.
I found myself staring at my crystal glass, at the kaleidoscope of
light coming through. I could see tiny images of Lycean, Oliver and
Sophia, as well as various Lycan soldiers who were also sitting at
the table.

I thought of the Movers and Shapers
transporting the great blocks of stone in order to construct the
memorial temples of Tidus. What an interesting ability they
possessed. I pictured their movements, the concentration written on
their faces as they worked together to manipulate and move stones
weighing hundreds of tons.

I wondered how a Mover assassin might do
battle, his style resembling the Asian acrobats and monks I had
seen doing exhibitions while I was still in America. I played with
the movements, manipulating my fingers and hands as though striking
the glass. I concentrated upon the crystal as the Movers had the
stone. The glass shattered before me.