Imperium (Caulborn) (18 page)

“I know, love, I know.” She stroked my hair. “Did any of them just cease today?”

I closed my eyes and opened my mind. I focused my attention on a small slice of space between the Bright Side and Robac; it’s sort of a waiting room for souls. I didn’t sense any presences there. Good. That meant that no one needed reviewing after the disaster. Like I said, the Urisk on the whole are good people.

“No,” I told Petra.

“That’s good,” she said. “So you healed the ones you could and the ones you couldn’t save are in paradise. No one is suffering now, Vincent. You’ve done all you can. Now you should rest.” My stomach rumbled and I ground my teeth against a sudden hunger pain. I didn’t need to eat while I was on the Bright Side, but now that I was home, I was famished. Petra grinned. “I’ll whip something up while you shower.” I looked down at myself and saw I was still covered in Urisk blood. I grimaced and nodded.

After a quick shower and a “snack” consisting of a steak, home fries and a slice of apple pie, I curled up on the couch again with Petra. I started to drift off, and was dimly aware of her carrying me into the bedroom. She undressed me and then cuddled up against me. The world faded around me, and sleep came.

So did the nightmares.

Chapter 16

Begin Coded Transmission
Metallurgical analysis of Galahad XI’s sword shows a steel blade approximately 1,000 years old. For unknown reasons, only Galahad can draw the sword from its marble block. The marble itself shows no extraordinary properties. The inscription on the base speaks of legends that require further research, if deemed necessary. On several occasions, film footage shows the blade vanishing from its base, only to reappear moments later. Several other instances of this behavior have been reported.
When drawn, the weapon can cut through any form of matter. It also possesses some memory modifying capabilities, as well as the ability to purify water and air. Further analysis would require physical possession of the weapon, which may not be possible even if Galahad XI is eliminated.
-NS
End Coded Transmission

This time, I was in a hospital. The missing paranormals all stood in a line before me, wearing hospital gowns. They looked sick, weary and dead on their feet. I turned to my right and found an old fashioned doctor’s kit. I reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. The label just said ‘medicine.’ As I turned to give some to Justine Delion, she lunged forward and punched me in the jaw. I staggered backward and her son Casey pounced on my chest, his brown eyes turning red as he shifted into wolf form. His jaws opened, revealing a set of perfectly white, razor-sharp fangs. He lunged for my throat.

I jolted awake, my heart pounding.

I rubbed my forehead and staggered out to the living room. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get back to sleep. I opened my mind to my followers and found a few hundred prayers of thanks. I reached out and touched the Urisk, just to be sure they were all right. The previous day’s events had left them just as drained as I was. I set about answering the prayers. When I was done, I called Galahad’s desk number. I figured he’d want an explanation about the events near the Children’s Museum yesterday morning. At this hour, I was expecting to get his voicemail. I was surprised when he answered on the second ring. “Vincent.” His voice was pleasant. I double-checked the time.

“It’s quarter past six in the morning on a Saturday, boss. What are you doing at work?” I paused. “And how did you know it was me?”

There was a brief chuckle on the other end of the line. “Caller ID, Vincent. As to your other question, well, I just had a feeling I’d need to be here early today.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “I need to speak with you.”

“Yes, Uncle Dave told me that some things came up that required your attention. I wanted to speak with you as soon as possible, so this is fortuitous.” He paused. “Can’t sleep?”

“Not really.”

“Then let’s grab breakfast. I’ll be over shortly.” We hung up and I showered and dressed. Petra didn’t stir as I kissed her on the forehead. I jotted off a quick note, stuck it to the fridge and left the apartment. Galahad picked me up in an old Buick Century and we drove to the Bickford’s near our office. The place was deserted at this hour. We ordered our food and watched the sun come up through the restaurant’s windows. Galahad told me how they’d handled the situation out by the Children’s Museum. Amazingly, no civilians had been seriously hurt. There was a lag in our conversation until the food arrived, and something about that got us talking again.

“Is Megan okay?” I asked between bites of sausage. “Those neo-gremlins chewed her up pretty badly the other day.”

“She’ll be fine,” Galahad said as he spread strawberry jelly on a piece of toast. “Dr. Ryan said she’s the picture of health. Though it’ll take him a few days to get her a replacement tooth.” He swirled his coffee and looked at me. “But I doubt that’s what’s keeping you awake at night, Vincent. What’s on your mind?”

I told him what had happened on the Bright Side. The carnage, the destruction, the suffering, and how ineffective I felt. I wouldn’t be able to open up to just anyone about this, but GXI used to be a priest, and people can tell priests anything. I know, I have a few of them, myself.

Galahad listened and when I finished he looked me in the eye and said, “Vincent, your people believe in you. Even if you don’t know what to do, even if you don’t believe in yourself, they believe. Remember that. And you’ll be surprised how often that’s enough. You have done great things for these people, but unfortunately, terrible things can and will happen. The true measure of what kind of a man, and god, you are isn’t in how you handle the expected, but how you cope with the unexpected. I know you can do great things, Vincent. But in order to get past this and really help the Urisk, you’re going to have to forgive yourself.”

I looked down at what was left of my waffles and sausage and managed not to sigh. Galahad must’ve read my mind. “Not exactly what you were hoping for, eh?” he said with a smile.

I shrugged. “I guess I just…I don’t know.”

His smile broadened. “You hoped I’d have some magic phrase that would take the guilt away?” There was no condescension or malice in the smile. I nodded and he took another swig of coffee. “Vincent, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that the Lord never gives you a burden you can’t handle. Just don’t lose heart.”

“It’s odd hearing you talk about God and faith, when you turned your back on it.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying.

Galahad paused, his toast halfway up to his mouth. He gently set it back down on his plate, folded his hands on the table and looked me directly in the eye. “Now I want you to understand something Vincent, and understand it very well.” His voice was perfectly calm. “I have never turned my back on God. I have never turned my back on my faith. I left the priesthood, yes, because of what the men who ran the church were doing. I refused to be part of any organization that would allow atrocities to be done to children, especially by the church’s own clergy.

“When I confronted my bishop about the things that had been done, I learned he’d known about it all along. Had known and had done nothing. I hadn’t hit anyone since I was a sophomore in high school, but I was so angry then that I wanted to beat that man senseless.” His face was tight, and from the way he clenched his jaw, I knew his anger was still as fresh as the day that conversation had taken place, but his voice stayed level as he continued. “Anyway, after I quit the priesthood, I did what I always do. I prayed. I wanted to find another way to serve God, another way to help the flock. He led me to the Caulborn. And he brought you to me, eventually.”

“And that doesn’t bother you? I mean, I’m the son of a god. I have worshippers of my own. You don’t see me as a living blasphemy?”

He smiled again. “‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me’ is the first commandment, Vincent. It means I don’t worship other gods. It doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge their existence. I was surprised when I found you, though. You’re the first half-god this world has seen since Hercules. I thought all the old gods were stuck up on Olympus.”

I realized we’d never had this conversation. He’d never asked me about my past, and I had just intruded on his. Fair’s fair. “My father, Janus, is a god who can see forever into the past and the future. He’s also the god of doors. What the myths don’t mention is that he could create doors to any point in time. So he’s been to the beginning and end of time, and just about every point in between. And he traveled to all those points before Christianity gained influence and forced the other gods into retirement. So he came forward in time, met my mother, and had me. I guess he stayed with us for a year or two before he had to move on.

“It wasn’t like he abandoned us,” I said. “He gave us a ton of money, and I usually get letters from him a couple times a year. He even sent me an advisor after I started getting worshippers.” It sounded weak, but I knew my father loved me. He had left because he didn’t want to attract the wrong kind attention to my mother and me. “He really does care.” I could hear the defensiveness in my voice, but I couldn’t stop it.

Galahad’s smile was disarming. “Vincent, believe it or not, I know something of the complexities of father and son relationships. Sometimes, even when a father loves his son very much, he has to let his son find his own way in order for the son to understand who and what he is.” He winked at me. “I read a book about that once, actually.”

As we were leaving the restaurant, I caught a whiff of flowers. We both paused. It was a cold October morning in Boston. There wouldn’t be any flowers blooming here for months. Something wrapped around my neck and pulled me to the ground. Lances of pain sparked against my throat and the world started to go fuzzy. I flailed blindly behind me with telekinesis, sending out wild pushes of force. My assailant staggered a bit, so I know some of them found their mark, but the pressure on my neck increased.

Then there was a shriek of pain and a hissing sound, and the pressure was gone. I rolled onto my back to see Galahad standing over me, a glowing sword in his hand. The light coming from its blade was so bright I had to squint at it. Then I realized it was the same sword that was in the block of marble back at our office. The same sword, but made out of light.

I staggered to my feet and turned to look at my assailant. He was a man with writhing tendrils of vines coming from his hands, several of which were smoldering stumps. I preemptively threw out a shield of telekinetic force behind us, and was rewarded with a thunking sound. I turned, but instead of seeing neo-gremlins like last time, I found another of the plant golems. A third was approaching us from across the street.

“Two more of them, boss,” I said, putting my back to Galahad. He nodded. The third one had joined the one that had tried to hit us from behind. I felt at my faith reserves. Even having just charged up, with so many of my followers dead, I was a lot weaker than the last time I’d fought one of these things. The first golem attacked, sending vines out at us. I strained to keep my wall up as Galahad’s sword deftly severed the incoming vines from the first creature.

A fourth golem approached us from the parking lot. “We have to end this quickly, Vincent,” Galahad said. “I don’t want innocents getting hurt.”

“Right there with ya, boss,” I dropped my wall and telekinetically pinned the three golems in front of me to the ground. The ground shook as they struck. My faith reserves drained faster than they ever had before. An abrupt surge of panic suddenly seized me. The last thing I wanted was to be powerless against these creatures. I had to be fast. I summoned up a ball of fire. One quick burst of pyrokinetic energy should be able to take out all three of the golems. Arcs of flame coiled up around my arms. I flung my arms out, and the fire shot forward, striking the golems in the chests. I gave a sigh of relief as the flames struck home, and released the telekinetic pin.

One of the golems went up like a pile of straw. The others picked themselves up off the ground. Their clothing had been burned away, and instead of the plant matter that had comprised their companion, these were made of metal. “Oh, shit,” I whispered. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder and saw Galahad neatly cut his opponent’s stomach open. Ash and plant matter fell to the ground, and the golem collapsed into a pile of dust. Galahad wheeled around and stood next to me.

The other golem threw its arms forward. Needles struck our arms and I cried out as chains sprouted from the golem’s hands, wrapped around my legs and slammed me to the ground. I tried to conjure a telekinetic blast, but my head bounced off the curb and left me disoriented. Galahad rushed forward again to free me, and this time chains coiled around his wrist. His sword vanished as he was lifted and thrown against the side of the building.

People were starting to come out now. Galahad was trying to stand, and more chains were wrapping around me. They ensnared him too, and although he’d resummoned his sword, with his arms pinned to his sides, he couldn’t swing it. The chains began dragging me forward, and I rolled onto my back. I could see the wicked glee in the eyes of the golem.

And then the golem’s chest exploded. It collapsed to the ground in a pile of metal dust, the chains that had held me fast suddenly reduced to nothing. I scrambled to my feet to see Megan calmly leveling her 1950s ray gun at the other golem. She squeezed the trigger and the air was filled with the scent of ozone. A burst of blue light flared from the end of the gun and bore a hole the size of a pie plate in its chest. It collapsed into a pile of metal dust a moment later.

Megan rushed over and helped Galahad up. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Fine, child, thank you.” He brushed himself off and glanced around at the handful of people who had gathered on the street. Many of them were eyeing us warily. Galahad sighed and summoned his sword. He held it out in front of him, blade pointing up, and whispered something in Latin. The sword let out a great burst of light, and all the people around us were standing slack-jawed.