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Anton's face was a perfect expression of disbelief. At least what Shaine could see of it. The young Holy Brother was shielding his eyes from the red glow of Shaine's blade, which Shaine held in front of him in preparation for an attack.
"Damnation, Soryan! The revenant is not here, I would have felt it!" Anton was screeching at Shaine. He was sure the Most High Holy Brother would blame this incident on him. If Maethias Duraine was publicly embarrassed by this, Anton knew he himself would have to pay dearly for it.
Shaine refused to back down. "I tell you, the creature is in here with us!" Shaine was looking around quickly, trying to discern where the revenant could be hiding.
Surveying the area, Shaine could see that this entire chamber was like a giant tube cut into the ground. There were many, many levels, some higher than his current position but many were lower. On each level there were Kelland machines. Most had bright moving pictures on them, some of the images were unintelligible to Shaine.
There were apparently hundreds of Agents down here, all moving around like ants to and fro. Well, they had been at least, until Shaine drew his sword. Now most of them were looking over at him. There were about twenty Kelland Agents who had come closer with weapons drawn.
A man stepped forward sharply, he had his weapon drawn and trained on Shaine. "Agent Trathe, can't you keep your charges under control?" His words were extremely curt, and he didn't take his eyes off Shaine as he spoke.
Again Shaine noticed the contempt when he spoke the word "Agent". This man obviously had authority so Shaine turned to speak to him.
"If you value the lives of your people, you'd best stop pointing your weapons at me and help find this revenant before it strikes." Shaine knew he had handled this badly, but he had been startled to feel an undead creature so close to him, here in the heart of the national security forces of Kelland.
Heather stepped in just behind the man. "Lieutenant Rodgers, Sir! We brought them here for a reason, maybe we should listen to them?"
Anton cut in quickly. "Listen to this crazed Soryan? You realize this has nothing to do with the Holy Order, correct?"
"Trying to save face while people are in danger? Typical of the Holy Order!" Shaine still had not lowered his sword.
Lieutenant Rodgers did not care to continue that line of the argument. "Listen, put that sword away and turn off that lightshow! I have people trying to work on saving Kelland lives. That's what you're supposed to be here for, not to distract them when..."
Before Rodgers could finish, every light in the entire underground facility went out. All except Shaine's sword. Now everyone in the immediate vicinity was cast in the pulsing red light of the Soryan magic. A sharp cry rippled through the surprised Agents.
"I told you! Anton! You'd better provide some light, I'll try to find it!"
Anton scowled, but began chanting to provide light in the almost pitch-dark chamber. He hated it when the Soryan was right.
Casting light was an easy chant that even a country-bred acolyte could perform in his sleep. Soon light was restored, but not as much as there should have been. Anton had been expecting the entire place to be lit up in an omnidirectional manner like daylight. Instead, the light he created was harsh and blue, illuminating but casting a lot of shadows.
As soon as there was rudimentary light, the Agents scrambled. Rodgers began shouting out orders. "Lane, you and Trell look to the Commander! Harson, Jell, find out what's going on with the backup generators! Everyone else get to your units and follow intruder protocol. FOLLOW THE PROTOCOL, you hear me?! No one alone!"
With that, the Agents all burst into motion. All except Heather, who was left behind. She finally drew her weapon and took a defensive stance. She moved over to the door they had just came in and tried to open it. It would not.
"Of course." she muttered to herself.
"Don't you have to go with them?" Anton snapped, not really seeming interested in the answer. They could hear the frantic movements of the Kelland agents running all over the chamber levels. People were trying to call outside of the bunker, but they could not.
"No," the girl seemed dejected. "my place is with you."
Shaine rounded on Anton. "Is that the best light you can do? I'm trying to pinpoint the revenant, I can't help you with a simple light spell now!"
Anton hissed back. "Something is wrong, Soryan! My magic is being muted and corrupted somehow!"
"Can a revenant do that to your magic?" Shaine looked truly surprised.
Anton barked again. "Well, apparently! Or something can. Just find the thing so I can destroy it and be done with this!"
Shaine closed his eyes and began to sing. There was chaos and darkness around them, but Shaine's tempo was smooth and solid. Heather was staring at him with an incredulous look on her face.
Lights seemed to break off from the sigils glowing on Shaine's sword, looking like a swarm of fireflies. They fluttered for a moment in front of him, then they began to multiply over and over until there was a large brightly lit cloud. Shaine's arm shot forward and he shouted. "GO!"
Instantly the cloud exploded into what looked like millions of tiny lights, each one spread out in all directions, lighting much of the chamber as they went. The light did not last for long though and then the blue half-darkness was back.
Shaine appeared to be gathering some information from this. "The revenant is not here." He spoke with finality.
Heather looked angry now. "But you just said it was here! What's happening, then?!"
Shaine looked at Anton. "The creature has sent its shadow, and the shadow is all around us."
Anton looked relieved. "Bah. It's shadow can't do us any harm. It's merely spying on us."
Shaine shook his head. "It's shadow is not supposed to be able to do anything! How did it shut down the lights and block the doors? How did it hide from you? It feels too strong to be a shadow and yet it is."
A voice came then from out of the darkness. "Oh yes, Soryan. I'm much stronger than you know. Very impressive magic. I'm a difficult man to impress."
Anton peered into the darkness where he thought the voice was coming from. "You aren't a man, you filthy revenant! Do not try to portray yourself as one. If you are so powerful, why do you hide from us? Come out!"
They heard some tentative footsteps then. Moving forward at a shambling pace. Shaine surged forward to get in front of Heather. She was trying to get in front of him, and Anton was trying to be in front of both of them.
A man came shuffling out of the darkness into the light area of Shaine's sword-light.
Heather shouted. "Hold, it's one of ours. Agent Chiss, did you see it?" She moved forward to go to the man, but Shaine's arm shot out and blocked her way.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded.
"LOOK." Shaine said.
They all looked closer. The man was indeed a Reg. Agent, tall and lanky with brown hair, wearing the blue uniform and emblems of the Agency.
But his gait was all wrong. He had a face-splitting grin, and his head was tilted to the side almost comically. His limbs were moving in a strange manner, as if he were a puppet. The eyes held a faint red glow.
"It's the revenant." Shaine said.
"WHAT??" Heather blurted. "Agent Chiss has been this thing the whole time?" She now had her weapon drawn on him.
Anton spoke then. His curiosity overcoming his usual rudeness. "No, its shadow has possessed him now, but it can't maintain this for that long. I'll exorcise it now."
As he began to raise his hands and chant, the creature stopped. "No you holy fool, I've not said my piece yet!"
Instantly a black, viscous cloud erupted from the left eye of the possessed man. It shot across the space between it and Anton, striking the boy directly in the face, blasting him backwards onto the ground.
The black substance surged into his nose and down his throat. Anton couldn't breathe and he began scrambling wildly, trying to claw at the black gunk with his hands. Heather was at his side in a heartbeat, trying to pull the congealing black goo from Anton's face.
"I CAN'T GET IT OFF OF HIM!!" She screamed! Anton was suffocating!
Shaine belted out a powerful note and pointed his sword at Anton's face. Heather was so startled by Shaine's singing that she leapt backwards and ended up flat on the ground. Within a moment of his note ending, the black substance turned to a watery liquid and ran out of Anton's nostrils and mouth. He began coughing and spluttering, trying to get air. Heather ran back over to help him up.
The revenant had watched all of this. It spoke again.
"Very impressive... Soryan." It put extra emphasis on the word Soryan.
Shaine turned back toward the possessed man. It had not moved any closer.
"Creature, what do you want here? What do you gain by this?" Shaine was furious, but he was now wary. Whatever he thought of the Holy Order, none of them should be bested so easily by a simple revenant.
The head moved back and forth as if on a switch of some sort. The ridiculous smile did not change.
"I wanted to meet you, Soryan."
Shaine raised his sword in front of him. "You wanted to meet me? Why?!" The possessed man did not speak. Shaine shouted out. "Answer!"
Again, the distracting head movements. "Not you, specifically. Any Soryan would do. I called you, and you came! Ha ha ha ha hahh haaaaaah."
Now the voice was becoming distorted and airy, both shout and whisper at the same time.
"You're losing your hold, revenant. Once you do I'll have you!"
The revenant did not seem disturbed by this. "My name is Kho. You may call me Kho."
Now Anton, being held up by Heather, shouted. "Foul creature! You are not Kho! Whoever Kho was he is dead, and you corrupt his memory with your existence!"
The smile changed to a grimace of fury. Then it instantly changed back. Shaine had moved in front of Anton in order to block another attack should one come.
"I'll not waste energy on the likes of you." There was cold anger in the whispery voice. It focused on Shaine.
"You. Soryan. You'll follow me. Come alone. I have need of you."
Shaine's face was completely shocked. "Cursed horror! Why would I ever do anything you command?"
The revenant's answer was quick. "If you do not, I'll do THIS to all of these pathetic humans!"
Suddenly the possessed man began to tremble, then he started shaking, hanging in mid-air as if a giant invisible hand had picked him up and started thrashing him.
Blood was pouring from the eyes, nose and mouth, then fissures began forming all along his body. Then between one moment and the next the man was no longer possessed, but apparently back in full awareness of his body and what was happening. His screams started then, but did not last long, for the man's body erupted from the inside out as if he was simply torn apart and discarded.
The dismembered pieces of the former Regulatory Agent plopped wetly onto the ground all around the three watchers.
Shaine had been singing earnestly, while Anton had been chanting. Heather's mouth had been open in a silent scream.
Shaine stepped forward and raised his sword. "Foul undead filth! I have trapped you with my magic! You may not leave this place."
Anton also stepped forward. "I have also prepared wards, creature. Now come out and face destruction!"
The revenant did not materialize. All they heard was a harsh, airy voice. "Follow me, Soryan, and be quick lest I return for more."
The words faded away. Shaine began singing again. When he stopped he looked at Anton. "It's gone. It got past both of our warding, somehow."
"Somehow!?" Heather was getting hysterical. "Somehow?? You are supposed to be the EXPERTS on these things! How did this happen??"
Anton and Shaine looked at each other. Anton spoke. "I don't know. A revenant shouldn't be this powerful, let alone its shadow."
Shaine was concentrating now. "Its magic has left a pretty clear trail. Can you not sense it?" He was looking at Anton.
The young Holy Priest frowned. "No, I can't sense it at all. What kind of creature is this?"
"I don't know, but this time we're not going without help. I'm calling Sister Nayala, and I suggest you contact your superiors."
"Now that makes sense, Soryan." Anton had been half-afraid the Soryan was going to run off after the creature by himself. it was obvious they would need help.
Heather watched as the two boys went silent. Both looked to be deeply concentrating. She felt all alone with the bloody remains of Agent Chiss. Where was everyone else? Finally, they opened their eyes and frowned.
"Was that telepathy?" she asked.
Shaine shook his head. "It was supposed to be, but I can't get through to anyone. Except Anton."
Anton also shook his head, but much more sharply. "We're blocked! It's not possible! Nothing can do that!" he was becoming very agitated.
Heather was becoming more and more alarmed, herself. "Guys, where IS everyone?"
Shaine and Anton were startled for a moment, then they were suddenly aware that they hadn't heard anyone else for a long time.
Heather ran forward further into the chamber. "HELLO!! Anyone! Can you hear me?!"
The sound echoed throughout the empty bunker.
Anton's eyes were wide. He chanted again. This time his light spell worked properly. The entire chamber was lit up like daylight. The entirely empty chamber.
Shaine croaked out a whisper. "It TOOK them."
"All of them." Anton was half-horrified, half-awestruck at the feat that had been performed.
Heather's face was pure terror right now. "What are we supposed to do, now?" she squeaked.
Shaine's sword, which had never really stopped glowing, surged more brightly again. Then he spoke.
"The only thing we can do. We follow the revenant, and we get them back."
Anton spoke in a raspy voice. "By ourselves?"
Shaine turned, both Heather and Anton were looking at him. He tried to think of another way but there just wasn't one. He sighed.
"By ourselves."
Click to read Chapter 16-Downward Spiral |
