The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series (38 page)

The sound caused painful looks to appear on everyone’s faces. Some struggled not to cry along with them. They moved forward, reforming the triangular formation as instructed by Jenz, and with each step the cries grew louder
.

Fearing the worst,
Jenz stepped to a large wooden door and even standing behind her, placing double the amount of spirits between he and Isaac, Test could feel
the elder Reaper’s
massive push of energy from beyond.

Placing her hand on the doors large, ornate golden handle, Jenz spoke as she bowed her head. “Test, you are not placed in the middle to be protected from harm.” She stood erect and then turned to him. “You
r
placement is to hide your greatness from the only one who can destroy you. The reason for all of this is that not only does Isaac know that he can destroy you, but he also knows that you are the only one who can destroy him.” Knowing that Colby stood invisibly between them, she reached through, feeling the cool air brought on by a spirits touch, and placed a hand over Test’s heart. “Everything that has happened to you
—all
of your pain, your
anger, your resentment—now is the time to harness it and become the one that Isaac fears you to be.”

Test stood tall and
,
with his shoulders broad and his jaws tensed, replied confidently. “I’m ready.”

From all sides
,
he could feel his family’s ethereal touch. Though he couldn’t see them, he envisioned the mixture of worry and pride on their faces.

Jenz removed her hand from his chest and turned, taking the handle in her grasp once more. As she pushed it down, the sound of the mechanism seemed to echo through the corridor. The door opened away from her and the children’s screams rushing through the crack like the forced wind of a tornado.

Jenz stepped through and into the grand expanse of a room, followed closely by Prim, then Test, and then Lauren.
The size of the room created a reverberation of sound that intensified the horror of the sight before them.
Directly ahead of them
, maybe fifty feet away, was Isaac still standing in nearly the same position that he had held when they first saw him on the television. Having entered on his left, they skirted to their right, trying to approach more from behind. After only two steps, a deep voice rang out through the room.

“They’re here!”

Due to the size of the room causing sound to reverberate, it was i
mpossible to tell from which direction the voice came
. Regardless,
Lauren was still certain of whom the voice belonged. “It’s Ikuhabe,” she spoke aloud as she scanned her surroundings.

“Welcome!” shouted Isaac as he turned with the children still in his grasp
, stepping over Nicole’s trembling, but otherwise lifeless, body
. He nodded his head as if to bow while looking at Jenz. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” His gaze drifted to Jenz’s left and a wide grin filled his face. “Oh, my dear Lauren, it’s so good to see you again. It’s such a pity that you couldn’t have joined us sooner.”

Lauren stared at him scornfully, trying not to show the immense amount of fear that had suddenly
a
risen from within. To Isaac’s right, she could see Iku approaching from behind. The Native American hadn’t changed at all since she’d last seen him. His long black hair hung straight over his shoulders
, swaying side to side with each stride he took
.

“Mr. Davis,” shouted Isaac, trying to look past Jenz. “Is that you hiding behind this strangely beautiful woman?”

Test took a step forward. There was no fear, no hesitation—only a fierce determination to wipe the smile off of Isaac’s face. “No one’s hiding, Isaac,” replied Test, motioning to the children that Isaac retained in his invisible grasp. “No one but you. What kind of a coward hides behind children?” Letting the fire within ignite, he allowed the pulses to begin to race down his arms. “I’m here now. Let them go,” he commanded.

Isaac stared at Test, angling his head curiously as he began to laugh. His laughter trailing into speech, Isaac replied. “Ah, Mr. Davis
; d
o you ever wonder why it is that we cull our own kind?”

Test glared at him without reply.

“It’s quite simple really,” continued Isaac. “
It’s because we can. You see, these children,” he raised the group of ten to fifteen children a foot or so off of the ground, causing their screams to silence, the tight grip and weight of their own bodies choking the air out of them. “These children mean little more to me than the pigeon
s
that defecate on my car. They exist only because I chose to allow them to do so.”

“You are no god,” growled Test, inciting another round of laughter from Isaac.

“Am I not?” asked Isaa
c as he regained his composure.

Test watched as his faced transformed, the grin nearly melting from his lips. A thud echoed through the
room as Isaac released the children to his left, their bodies falling limply to the floor.

“
Be aware.”
The thought suddenly
entered
Test’s mind like a flashing road sign. In the moment, he’d failed to realize that the spirits had left their positions. Searching the room for their presence, he could feel them in clusters to either side of Isaac and Iku, who now stood just behind and to Isaac’s right.

Reaching down to Nicole, the energy pulse from Isaac’s left hand flared and her body jolted sharply. Test’s heart began to race, the pulses flying down his arms ever faster. He watched as her torso lifted from the ground, her mouth hanging open and slanting to one side as though she’d had a stroke. He could see drool running down her chin, and her eyes looked as though they had fallen back into her skull.

“Let her go
,
” Test commanded
through clenched teeth
.
His chest heaved and swelled with furious breaths.

Rotating his head on his neck, the bones within popping audibly, Isaac replied. “I don’t think so.”

In an eruption of light, Jenz phased to the other side, reappearing instantly only feet before Isaac. Test watched in horror as she stood with her arms to her throat, scraping at her own flesh. It was then that he realized that, in the millisecond of time it took for
her
to move, Isaac had dropped the remaining children and taken her into his grasp.

Isaac raised his
hand
,
lifting Jenz’s flailing body from the ground.
He lifted Nicole as well, and spread his arms in a Christ-like pose with each of the women dangling helplessly on either side.
Jenz continued to claw at her neck, her pink eyes had begun to roll back in their sockets, while Nicole dangled lifelessly in the air.

In reaction, Prim’s energy burst to life as he drew back for a pulse, but before he could release, he found himself flying sideways across the floor.

Seeing Iku’s now glowing hand raised
towards Prim
, Lauren poised to strike. She crouched for a moment, like a cat ready to pounce, allowing the
fire
within to swell to its maximum. As the waves
of energy
from her core began to vibrate the floor, her arms snapped to her side and, as if someone stepped on the middle of her back, her face was planted firmly to the floor. She could taste the salty rush of blood as it ran from her nose, and with her tongue could feel that two o
f her front teeth were
broken
.

Test held his focus on Isaac, though from his right side peripheral vision, could see four blue lights ringed in red. A quick glance revealed
a young man and woman—the male
a red-head and
the female
a strawberry blonde
—each
of them with a firm hold on both Prim and Lauren
.
Their cold blue eyes glared fiercely at their targets.

“I’m sorry,” said Isaac to Test. “I don’t believe you’ve met the twins
. Let me introduce
Ca
sper
and Ashley.”

Test slowly turned back to Isaac who held his pose while grinning proudly. “What do you want, Isaac?”

“What do I want?” Isaac asked in a mocking manner. “What do I want?” As he spoke, the glow of energy began to swell, becoming visible through his suit coat. Test could feel the waves physically pushing him backwards. “I want you dead!” shouted Isaac.
“For too long now you have avoided my desire, but today is the day that your time comes to an end!”

His palms became engulfed in white hot light, and the bodies of Jenz and Nicole began to vibrate, like san
d on the hood of a running car.

“No!” Test screamed as he jumped forward, only to be knocked back by a two handed pulse
from Ikuhabe. He flew through the air, hitting the floor hard and sliding across it
on his back
.
A
s he propped himself up onto his right elbow,
time stood still as
he witnessed Jenz and Nicole’s death.

Their bodies had begun to spasm violently, and in a matter of seconds, as the light from Isaac’s hands reached its peak intensity, he watched as they disintegrated into a shimmering dust.

In stark contrast to the moments prior, t
he room
had
f
allen
silent.
Test closed his eyes, still able to see the silhouettes of Jenz and Nicole as they had hung in Isaac’s grasp, and fought the urge to fold up on the ground from the emotional pain. He swallowed forcefully, knowing that there would be a time for mourning. The time for retribution was now. Test opened his eyes and looked upon Isaac with a hatred that he’d not thought himself possible of harboring.

With Ikuhabe standing beside him, Isaac
met Test’s gaze and then
allowed his energy to fade
while
closing his eyes and i
nhaling deeply
;
relishing in the outcome of his actions
.

Test stood, rekindling the fire within and could suddenly see a cluster of shadow
y figures
approaching Iku from behind. He glanced to his right, to
the young pair
who still held Prim and Lauren firmly in place.

“Now,” stated Isaac as he opened his eyes and relaxed his posture. “Whatever will you do?”

Test turned his head back to Isaac, and watched as his father’s face appeared next to Cliff
as they stood
just behind Iku. “I’m going to kill you,” he stated plainly in a growling voice.

As
Test stepped towards Isaac
, Iku’s hands ignited, and around him appeared five spirits
,
each with their hands upon him
; each of them taking a percentage of his power
.
The glow within his torso faded in and out like a flashlight
whose
batteries were failing.
He
struggled,
push
ing
them off
one by one, but
each time he
reached out to
touch one of
them, the targeted
spirit
would release
his energy and disappear, only to be replaced by yet
another.

Feeling the hold upon them release, Prim and Lauren stood, both of them watching with pleasure as yet more spirits surrounded
Ca
sper
and Ashley
, draining them of their power
.
A
trickle of blood ran
from
Lauren’s mouth and dribbled down her chin
. Pooling it within her tightened lips,
she spat in the direction of Isaac
,
sending a ball of blood and spit to his feet.

As his followers struggled, Isaac watched in amazement, a curious look upon his face. “What is this?” he asked. “It seems you have discovered a weakness.” He grinned devilishly as he took a single step towards the line of Shadows. “However, it seems that you have overlooked something.” He glanced back to Iku and then to
the twins
. “I don’t care if they live or die.”

Showing no
reaction to
Isaac’s declaration, Test’s jaws clenched tightly as he replied. “It seems that you’ve overlooked something as well.”

From deep within the pit of his soul, he allowed the flood gates to open.
As he closed his eyes, a
n immediate burst of energy radiated from his torso, and he felt the now familiar black approaching. Taking the reins of his own power, he lowered his chin
and grinned
as his transformation began.

Isaac watched with uncertainty at the spectacle before him. He watched as the outline of his adversary blurred
, shifting
from side to side
, and
felt Test’s energy swell to that which he’d never felt from any other Shadow before him. And then, in an instant, it was gone
.
He could sense nothing but the energy coming from those standing on either side of Test.