The Seven (Fist of Light Series) (27 page)

My stomach abandoned ship, and a futile attempt was made to make it to the bathroom in a timely fashion. Midway before arriving at my destination, my nausea forced me to the ground and my grade-A dinner was regurgitated in an explosion of ick. Dizzy, I propped myself on one arm and wiped my shirt across my lips with the free hand. The acrid taste of bile filled my mouth, and so made to stand up, or be resigned to dry heaving. I selected healthier option and I shakily got to my feet. Never in my life had I witnessed such wanton carnage, such a profane middle finger in the face of humanity. Was this Darkness?

Whatever was responsible for the deaths on that island was not human in the slightest. Not even an accomplished serial killer could have made their own evil lair by tunneling through the hard rock of Alcatraz. It was something from the grotesque side of the world into which I had been so recently inducted. This was my close-up, in your face introduction into the secret society that managed to coexist parallel to mundane civilization. I had been informed that there would be beings belonging to darkness, light, and the gray area that existed between.

But the reality of the corruption and darkness hiding in plain sight hadn’t hit me until this, a sacrilegious waste of human life. My disturbed mind turned to rational thought in order to cope with the situation. The beast living within the guts of the island was out of sight, for now. Either it had decided its location had been discovered and was therefore time to move on, or it would return to form a base of operations within its demonic paradise. No doubt the security on the island would be near insurmountable and some special-ops government team would be keeping an eye on the surrounding landscape. No more flocks of tourists would arrive to feed the insatiable hunger of the beast and most likely the monster would instigate forays into the city.

“Holy shit,” Jas said from beside Jeeves, who was still staring intently at the television.

Then Jas looked at my mess and repeated his sentiment. “Holy shit. You okay, Caleb?”

“I’m fine.”

Going on autopilot, I snatched two towels from the bathroom, wetting one thoroughly before bringing them out to my pooling love stain. Before attempting to clean up the mess, I steeled myself against the smell, less I would have heaved up whatever contents that were still lurking in my stomach. It was a dirty undertaking, with an additional towel necessary to polish up after using the wet towel to soak up the detritus. My gag reflex firmly reacquainted itself, and its tireless onslaught was repelled until the towels could be removed from the scene. Having no intention of allowing the things permeate my room with their ghastly smell, I braved the corridors to dispose of them.

“This is bad news,” Jas said, horrified as the media cycled through the images once more. “This is beyond horrible. This is despicable. Something dark and evil is prowling the world unchecked,” he whispered.

“A reasonable conclusion, although hardly breaking the surface,” Jeeves informed us. “We are in dire straits.”

“You know what this is, Jeeves?” I questioned.

His face held a deep conviction, anger, pain, and a sorrow deeper still. “I know nothing of this monstrosity, but of its like I have encountered countless. Evil beings that are no longer human, if they ever were. Those that predate humanity, or are separated from it by barriers in which should not be crossed except under the most calamitous circumstances.”

I was incredulous. “Did you just imply that this thing could be from another planet?”

“There are many things in which you and countless others are ignorant to, pup,” Jeeves relayed softly. “Infinite dimensions associated with humanity’s Earth border this one. Its highly probable that the being arrived from a dimension far removed from this one, remote enough that it could only be transported here with direct assistance from this side.”

My mind tumbled off the tracks it was attached to as if a giant hand had expelled it from its perch. Worlds that existed, coexisted with our own. I merely sat there mutely, trying to process such an earth shattering declaration.

“Why couldn’t it just come here itself?” Jas asked. I couldn’t help but notice how comfortable he’d become with Jeeves, now that he could perceive him because of the bond.

“Because there are barriers that cannot be crossed, distances that cannot be traversed, without aid,” Jeeves explained patiently.

With growing suspicion and dismay, I fielded my next question. “So what you’re saying is that this thing came through from a completely different dimension, with the help of someone on this end of the equation?”

Jeeves nodded minutely in confirmation. “Not just anyone of this world. Someone with the power and aptitude required to unbar a Gate or a Way of sufficient size to permit entry.”

Jas put it simply. “Why?”

“What drives all creatures of man and otherwise to commit atrocity in the name of their cause? Power.”

Jas’ questions ran dry, and mine appeared similarly exhausted. Only two remained to be answered, although I doubted Jeeves could supply the information sought. What could commit such profane acts and remain untouched by darkness? What insane creature had been made corporeal and was subsisting on the flesh of humans on The Rock, and who or what had brought it there?

“B
e one with the Earth,” I repeated. It had become my mantra.

Nothing happened with this attempt, like all the others that preceded it. It was my second day and the situation had become extremely frustrating. The Earth really didn’t want to talk to me, and I was getting pretty miffed with it too.

“The first connection is the most critical. You must clear your mind of frustrations, Caleb. Focus on serenity, a calm exterior as well as interior is necessary. This process is not a short one.”

“It’s insanely difficult to hold that frame of mind when there’s a backseat driver rattling around in my psyche.”

Focusing upon the landscape around me, I allowed it to penetrate my consciousness in its entirety. The stalks of tall grass were slightly bowed from the gentle pressure of the wind and glowed with vitality provided by the sun. The trees around me were tall and strong, long-lived and prosperous. There were redwood, maple, oak, and pine, all arrayed to portray a very eclectic forest of my own design. Colorful flowers were arrayed around the bases of these trees, and vibrant wildlife revealed itself in the form of rabbit, squirrel, deer, elk, moose, wolf, and bear. The sky above me was crowded with clouds and birds on the wing. I found myself thinking that my mind was a peculiar, impossible place.

This was the third day denoting my failed attempts to make contact with the Earth, and it was a slow and brutal conflict. There was no soft, slow, melodious voice that spoke to me. Nor did I feel any change in the Earth beneath me. Though pointedly ignored, I was still expected to remain even-tempered. Even so, my mind gravitated toward the monstrosity living on The Rock rather than the task at hand, which probably didn’t augment my chances of success.

After an hour of sustained posture, I felt a stirring below. Two additional hours and I sensed vague interest in my presence. Having never achieved this level of success in these exercises, I strove to keep my thoughts tranquil and wait out the grueling process, hoping for the best. For another four hours, the Earth merely studied me. During that time, my stomach growled, my body ached, and I suffered through the time that elapses before the hunger cure is administered. Lunch had passed without satisfaction of my hunger, and so my rumbling stomach was the most difficult to keep under wraps. Wanting to adjust to a more comfortable position but knowing better, I remained unmoving as a tentative thread of consciousness stretched outwards with irritating sluggishness.

“Do. Not. Move,” Jeeves advised sternly.

After what seemed an eternity of anticipation, the Earth wrapped its essence around me in an embrace, twisting and twirling with its characteristically slow motion. Then the tendril started to withdraw, and I strained to keep myself motionless. My breathing was ragged and my body was starting to shake with the long exposure to a state of complete openness. There hadn’t been a time where such a passive hold on my power was maintained since I had started exercising it, and this was a good reminder that there was still much to be learned. My closed eyes were cracked open cautiously. I was covered in dirt.

“Great,” I muttered. “Now I’ll have to give my mind an extensive soaking after we’re through. How am going to figure that one out?”

“At least you have accomplished
something
today,” Jeeves consoled me, laughter concealed behind his words.

“Yeah, yeah. So can I go get some grub, or would you like to torment me further?”

“You may proceed to gorge yourself as you desire.”

“My thanks,” I replied sarcastically. “I don’t see why you have me learning about these elements when I can hardly influence them in the slightest.”

“It’s beneficial to your health to be prepared.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to get some food before I die of malnutrition,” I stepped out of the Dreamscape.

My body ached as if it had been stuck in the same position for a whole day without cessation, which, in fact, it had been. I rolled my shoulders, cracked my knuckles and neck, and proceeded to walk toward the mansion. The shadows were already lengthening and the darkness looked ready to come alive with the setting sun. Passing through a particularly prominent patch of shadow, I sensed a curious disparity in the atmosphere. Inquisitive, I latched on to my power, holding it at the ready. The encroaching night became no barrier to my enhanced senses, and it was given a cursory examination. A blur of motion traversed the underbrush, before it flashed out of sight.

After convincing myself there was nothing there, I strode the remaining distance to the dining hall with my nerves on edge and my teeth mashed together painfully. Not a glance was spared for the tapestries adorning the halls, nor the expensive items arranged periodically throughout the structure. My thoughts were instead fixated on the beast residing on Alcatraz.

For the first time since I’d been at the mansion, Noah’s bonded sat at the table, rather than taking its leisure at another, more preferable position in the corner. Jas sat nervously at the head of the table with his father, glancing at the door periodically in a birdlike fashion. When I walked in, he did a double take, making sure I was for real. Meanwhile, my attention was focusing on the rationale surrounding the close proximity of the ghoul. The kids from Adams High that I had never officially met were sitting at the table. Noah proceeded to rectify the situation, introducing me properly to Jas’ friends one by one. It didn’t escape me that there were precisely seven of them. That particular number had been cropping up a lot, recently.

I processed the names and faces, classifying and committing them to memory so that no embarrassing mishaps would befall me in the future. Henry: brown hair, brown eyes, sunglasses, caustic smile. Mary: brunette, brown eyes, dimples, whiter-than-white teeth, check feline grace. Simon: blond hair, blue eyes, glasses, pen protector. Monique: black hair, hazel eyes, trimmed eyebrows, coffee-colored skin, put under “bites” category. Xavier: midnight black eyes, skin, and hair; no doubt the black cat of the group. Sandra: highlighted blonde hair, blue eyes, fantastic legs, and interesting attitude. Zack: The odd one out, green eyes, black hair, aloof demeanor, poorly healed scar tissue above his right eye.

Their responses ranged from cold, heartfelt, warm, distanced, and downright livid. There was some uncomfortable coughing and nervous repositioning as I sat next to the ghoul. It even gave me an appraisal for my boldness, but eventually the excess of interest subsided. Jas glanced at me from his place down the table. The most interesting tidbit throughout the entire encounter was that Jas wasn’t taking every available opportunity to ogle the girls that were present.

Jas shot me an apologetic glance. “
Sorry about not telling you in advance that they were here. I didn’t want to interrupt you. And, also
…
SF came on the news again
.”