The Wrath of Pan (The Inglewood Chronicles Book 2) (17 page)

“Was that the right thing to do?”  Liz gave me a look that just said shut up.

“The path has opened, let’s continue on.”  Tucker hurried off, and we had to run to catch up to him.

Leaving the lit up lair of the Sphinx put us back into darkness.  The fact that whoever set up this ruse put that creature down here speaks volumes.  Plus the Sphinx told us there is something of value down here, so just what were we walking into?

We came up to another crossroad, this time a fork in the road.  Tucker had the book back out; I couldn’t wait to hear what bad news was in store for us.

“The path to the right will take us through the trials of fire while the path to the left leads to the trials of frost.”

“Considering fire is bad for you two, I think the trials of frost might be a bit better to take.”

“Warren, does it give any more description of the two?”  Liz sounded apprehensive about my suggestion.

He looked back down and started reading.  “Much like the vague generalities of the guardian, it only expresses that one must overcome extreme conditions to strengthen their resolve.”

“The choice is made, we go to the left.  I don’t need you two getting crispy on me.”

Not even waiting for a debate, I grabbed the torch from Tucker and headed down the path.  Liz eventually caught up to me, with Tucker in tow.

“The extreme cold will not affect Warren and I, as vampires have no internal body temperature.  My real concern is if you will be able to survive whatever is in store.”

The coolness of the catacombs was starting to give way to real cold, something I didn’t have much experience with since I lived my life in the desert.  “We best hope that my coat holds up.”

It didn’t take long to realize that my coat wouldn’t do much to help me with this.  The cold went from mild, to tolerable, to chilling, to downright unbearable.  Tucker and Liz looked just fine, but my teeth were rattling.  “D-does it s-say h-how long t-this p-p-path lasts?”

“No it doesn’t.  The trials are meant to test even the greatest of fortitudes.  I feel we haven’t hit rock bottom as you would say, yet.”

Me and my chivalrous dumb ass; I should’ve stormed off down the trials of fire and let the two immortal ones worry about their survival.  Who am I kidding?  I’d never let Liz take the bullet if I could, even though she’d probably survive and I wouldn’t.

I slipped; the ground was turning into a sheet of ice.  “G-great, n-now there’s i-i-ice.”

“Everyone stop.”  Tucker grabbed what little was left from the torch and took it over to the wall.  “There’s writing here.”  He brought the light up to the markings.  “It’s hard to make out, but it seems there is something causing this frost.”

Liz started looking around too.  “Will you be okay for a few moments?”

I nodded, trying to huddle myself up to stay as warm as possible.  She gave my arm a squeeze and started looking around the corridor for the source of this issue.  I took a few steps back, off the ice and slid down the wall to a sitting position.  I brought my knees up close and did my best to keep my chest warm.

“This cold really sucks doesn’t it?”

Another disembodied voice, great.  “”W-who said t-that?”

I looked over at Liz and Tucker, but neither of them seemed to have heard me.  “They can’t hear us right now.  So it’s just me and you kid.”

A blur outline shimmered and dropped in front of me.  It was a guy, looked maybe about my age, and dressed in all blue.  He looked like he’d come from the Medieval Ages or something.  “C-could you m-make it warmer?”

He looked sad at that question.  “I wish I could, but that’s not my power.  Unlike my sister, who you would’ve met had you gone the other way, I am blessed with the power of ice.”

“I d-don’t t-think I’ll l-last much longer.”

He sat down beside me, “Don’t say that Vic, I’m pulling for you!”  I went to ask him how he knew my name, but he stopped me.  “Listen, you need to preserve your body temperature and I got information you need.  From here on out, you just let me do the talking.”

Who was I to argue with him?  I smiled, hoping he took that as my answer was okay.

“Good.  First, if you were still talking, you could just call me Jack.  My real name is a bit unusual and Jack works fine in this setting.”

I might’ve been silent, but I could still be courteous, so I reached out with my hand.  Jack took it and gave it a quick handshake.  His hand was like a block of ice itself.

“You and your friends are getting close to the end.  I can sense the presence of those you’re chasing and they aren’t as far away as you think.  By the way, tell your lady vampire friend nice job with avoiding a fight with the Sphinx.  Those are nasty daemons to deal with.”

I gave him a thumbs up, like ‘yeah I was impressed too.’

“I protested the placement of such a creature in this place, but I was outvoted.  Call me old fashioned, but I feel a place that protects the Light shouldn’t have creatures of the Dark.”

I had no idea what he was talking about.  Hell, weren’t the three of us here technically monsters?

Jack changed the subject, “I’m not supposed to say a whole lot, but I can tell you that everything you know is wrong.  Well not everything, but in regards to this situation, things are not as they seem.”

I knew it!  I had that feeling in my gut that things didn’t add up.  Now my new ice pal Jack confirmed it.

“I can’t tell you what I know, just that dark times are coming and you, One of Oberon will be tested much harder than you have been to date.”

“O-Oberon?”

“What did I tell you about talking?”  He put his finger up to my mouth to keep it quiet.  “The witch has already told you about your lineage.  You bare the Mark of Oberon himself and soon you will learn more about that.  For now, you need to focus on finishing this challenge.”

My eyes were starting to feel heavy from the cold.  Liz and Tucker still were wandering around, almost as if they’d forgotten about me.

“Hang in there Vic, be strong for me!”  Jack gave me a slap across the face.  “Ahh screw it.  Your old vampire’s book is misleading.  As you know, the Scythe of Death is a misdirection from the real item of value here.”

Jack snapped his fingers and a ghostly blue orb appeared in front of us.

“My sister and I made this little beauty.  We gave it to the Teacher a long time ago.  When his time came to pass, we decided it was best to hide it away, for the power could easily corrupt even the most just.”

“W-what is it?”

“I’ll allow that question.  There are places on this plane that allow access to both areas of Pure Light and areas of Dark.  The Gem of Babylon grants the holder entry.”

His blue eyes took a serious look for the first time, as if willing me to see the bigger picture.

“You know that Cain is imprisoned in what you now call Turkey.  A bad dude like that might want to have this in his possession if he ever gets out.  He feels there are wrongs that need to be righted.”

Jack stood up and stretched his legs.  I tried to stand up, but I was weak.  I didn’t think I’d last much longer in this cold.

“I must congratulate you Victor Inglewood, for you survived and persevered in the face of overwhelming odds.  I name you my champion and bless you as you go forth.”

One more time, he snapped his fingers.  The temperature immediately warmed up and the ice disappeared.  The stupor Tucker and Liz were in also lifted.

Liz freaked out.  “Vic, Vic!  I do not know what came over me!  I forgot all about you!  I am so sorry!”

Liz pushed her sobbing head into my chest.  “It’s okay.  The guy who controls this area is with me.  Tell her she had nothing to worry about Jack.”

He was gone.  I think she thought the ice ruined my mind.  “Who is Jack?  Are you sure you are alright?”

“I swear he was here!  He gave me a ton of information and made the cold go away.”

Tucker had a weird look to his eye.  “What did you say his name was?”

“He said his real name was a bit tough to say, so he called himself Jack.  Said we would’ve met his sister had we gone the other way.”

Tucker looked like he might crap himself.  “Victor my dear boy, you just spoke with the angel Jecoliah!  He and his sister Jehoash are the powers of God!  He is the endurer, the cold force while she’s the fire of Jehovah.  An angel was here!”

Whoa, that made the encounter all the more heavy.  “He seemed to know a lot what’s going down here.”

“What did he tell you darling?  Did he provide us with any answers?”

“Well, we are almost caught up with the others.  Also, there is treasure here, the Gem of Babylon which we gotta make sure no one gets their hands on.”  Tucker gasped at that name.  “Also, everything we thought we knew is false.”

In an annoyed tone, “I am guessing he could not elaborate.”

“You got it Liz.  He left me with the ominous dark times are coming.  For some reason I believed every word he said.”

Tucker meekly asked, “Did he say anything about any of us by chance?”

“No Warren he didn’t.  But look at it this way, only you can redeem yourself.  No one else can walk that path for you.”

Once more, we were back in total darkness.  My body was still in semi-shock from the freezer treatment, but we kept soldiering on.  My new pal Jack said we had almost caught up to them.

“Warren,” Liz stopped us, “do you recognize the Gem of Babylon?  Your reaction spoke volumes when Vic mentioned it.”

“It is one of those old tales they tell us in Seminary.  There are a great deal of artifacts that people want to believe in but aren’t real.  That’s one of them.”

“Jack said it would let one access places of Light or Dark and in the wrong hands, that’d be bad.  What’d he mean by that?”  I had an idea, but it never hurts to ask.

“I imagine that was his way of saying they are gates to Heaven or Hell.  That is not something to be trifled with.”

With nothing really left to say to that, we kept going.  I got the feeling that our journey was coming to an end; I couldn’t really place it, but yeah.  Our path funneled into a main room where four others came together.  On the far side of this chamber was a perfectly round opening.

“This is the antechamber to the treasure room.  The magical field has already been extinguished, so all we need to do is walk forward.”  He closed the book and handed it to Liz.  “My usefulness has come to an end.”

“Tucker what’re you talking about?”

He sighed, “You were right Victor, my path to redemption was mine to walk and there is nothing more I can do.”

Liz looked concerned, “Warren, what are you saying?”

“It is time for me to meet my fate.  I’m ready to be judged.”

“This is crazy talk.  You still gotta lot to do to make up for everything you’ve done!”  Killing one’s self was the coward’s way out in my book, a lot like Divas did.

“I’m not going to kill myself if that is what you’re thinking.  As hypocritical as it sounds, I still follow my faith.  No, what I’m going to do is much nobler, at least I hope so.”

Neither of us said anything.  I didn’t know what he had planned and I was conflicted.  Part of me wanted him to die, but a bigger part of me realized he was trying to atone.

Tucker reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial, a lot like the one I gave Liz with my blood in it.  Only this vial was green, not red.  “I’ve saved the last of my Holy Water for such an occasion.  Much like what happened to my son, when my heart stops beating; my body will turn into a bomb.”

“Just what the hell are you going to do?”

He opened the bottle and drank the Holy Water.  “Save the girl and get the gem.  Don’t let me death be in vain.”

He turned and ran down the tunnel, towards the others.  Both Liz and I were stunned.  “What do we do now?”

She stared at the tunnel for a moment, listening to the yells that began to break out from the other side.  “We go get Rosette and get to the bottom of this before he blows this place up.”

“I never thought he’d pull a stunt like that.”

“Me either Vic.”  Screaming and gunshots rang out from the end of the tunnel.  “Come, we do not have much time.”

I pulled out Roscoe and followed her as she took off.  “I’ll give you cover if needed.”

The tunnel wasn’t very long and the all out mayhem was evident well before we got to the final chamber.  When we crossed the threshold, Tucker was on the warpath, attacking Pan all the while Rosette was being held by Jonathan and Roderick was advancing slowly upon them.

In the center of the room was a pedestal with the ghostly blue orb I’d seen from Jack.  Pan was doing his best to avoid Tucker and go after it, but to no avail.  Jonathan was taking shots at both Tucker and Roderick, but holding Rosette the way he was, his shots were errant and pretty reckless.

“Tucker you fool!  Why are you doing this?”  I looked over to see Pan slammed up against the wall.

Tucker squeezed his neck.  “Because I am a MAN OF GOD!  You will regret turning me into this daemon!”

I had no time to worry about those two.  Liz was already running over to her brother and Rod, so it was up to me to get the gem.  Ducking, as a bullet from John’s gun came flying my way, I got back to my feet and ran to the center of the room.  I reached out to grab the gem and was thrown back by some power.

I was pretty sure I needed Rosette to break whatever charm was on this thing.  That presented a whole new host of problems.  Rod was bearing down on John, Liz, and Rosette – there was nothing sane about the look in his eyes.

On top of that, it seemed Tucker was starting to succumb to the knife wounds Pan was causing.  From what I knew about the Holy Water, we were running short on time.

“Elizabeth, I must ask you to move!  Trust me when I tell you I know what I am doing!”  He had on old flintlock pistol in his hand.

“You are not well Roderick!  You are turning a weapon on Jonathan and I!  We have long been your biggest supporters!”

The three way vampire stand-off was not going well either.  Rod lifted his gun and pointed at John.  “I should have done this long ago.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Two to the chest and one to the head, Rod dropped to the stone floor.  Would that kill him?  The smoking barrel of Roscoe was all I could see for a moment.  No, we didn’t have time.  “Liz, get John outta here!  Rosette, I need you now!”

Still with a shocked look on her face, Liz grabbed her equally shook up brother and started towards the chambers exit.  When Rosette got close, I grabbed her and pulled her to the pedestal.  “I need you to break this enchantment.”

“That’s not a good idea Vic!  Ye need to trust…”

“I trust you very much, but that old man is a ticking time bomb and as soon as he dies, this place is going to blow!  Please, break the spell so we can get the hell outta here!”

Putting her hands up, she started muttering some words that sounded like gibberish to me.  I was getting worried, especially when I saw Pan slice Tucker’s neck and the old man fell.

“You dare defy Pan!  I’ll see you in Hell Warren!”  Pan brought his knife up and stabbed Tucker in the heart.  Another quick movement took the head off the shoulders.  We were outta time.

“Vic, the spell is broken, grab it!”

I took the gem and with my other hand grabbed Rosette’s.  “We need to run!”

The two of us took off as fast as we could.  The ticking sound, just like what happened with his son started, growing louder and faster.  I wrapped Rosette up in my arms and jumped as the explosion went off.  The fire and heat rushed towards us, pushing us into the antechamber.

The whole place shook with the explosion.  Rocks from the ceiling began collapsing over us.  We kept running, towards the path we came from.  Avoiding rocks and cracks forming in the floor, we made it.  John and Liz were waiting for us.

“Liz, Vic, there is something you need to know!”

Rosette sounded scared, but I figured it was okay.  “No, there’s nothing to fear.  No one could’ve survived that explosion.”

It was only when John reached out and punched her in the face did I realize what was going on.  “You two really should have listened to her.”

I went to grab my gun, but I felt a strong hand grab my shoulder and push me to the ground.  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Pan.  “You survived you little bastard.”

“It’ll take more than a big boom to put me away.  It’s a shame Warren chose to end his life like that.”

“Elizabeth,” John walked over to her, “surrender now and no one else needs to die.”

She looked defiant, but when Pan grabbed me and I screamed out, she stopped.  “Okay, I will go peacefully, brother.”  The last word was filled with betrayal.

“Good.”

That’s the last thing I remembered, as Pan brought his fist down on my face.