Chronicles of Absolution: Howl for the Sun and Moon

Chapter 1

The night was fairly peaceful, which usually was an indicator that the night's patrol was going to be fairly easy. However that did not mean that anyone was supposed to let their guard down. If they did, they had to answer to the Head Captain and that usually was not a pleasant experience. No one wanted to mess with him when orders were disobeyed and they learned that the day he sent them to the Singer Salvage yard to be trained by her and she was a force to be reckoned with.

Quinlan looked around before advancing along the rooftop of the main hall. His patrol was a vast area but he could do it and there were the wards and other means of protecting the school. The headmaster was adamant about making the school a safe haven for all kinds of students and every school guardian had been intensely schooled in that and they were inclined to feel the same way about it considering the types of students that attended.

It was pitch black outside but Quinlan knew the layout of the property pretty well and could see what he was doing. He moved to the point and tapped on his ear, "Quinn to Ross 6-4, Main Hall reports clear."

Roger, Ross 6-2.

Quinlan gave a slight chuckle at the response. He wasn't always the one to adhere to the correct call signals but he did his job. "Second on the way 6-4?"

Ross 6-3on your location. ETA now.

Quinlan sensed his partner before the reply and grinned as he turned around on his perch. "Roger that 6-4." He cued off his radio and looked at his partner and grinned again. "I can see you pulled up a shift. It must be hard tearing yourself away from that noise you like to write just to spend time with me. Right Liam?"

"Aye Quinn. I'm tearing up." It was followed by laughter that was low even though Liam was in shadow most of the time.

Quinlan joined in the laughter as he took another look. "Alright. I guess we better get our shit together. We still got the rest of our territory to cover and we know the big dog is adamant about us completing shifts." He turned and took a sprint and leapt off the roof to land on the ground.

"I hear ya," Liam replied in a whisper as he took off, following Quinlan.

They scouted their section of the west side of the school in the usual spread formation. Quinlan peered through the darkness and continued forward and gave his second check in with command. It really was a slow night but he was serious about the job just like everyone else.

They were near the end of their patrol when Liam signaled that something wasn't right. Quinlan narrowed his eyes and radioed, "Ross 6-4 we've got a possible code six. We're checking it out."

Copy that 6-2. 6-4 advancing. Location?

"West side, sector six," Quinlan replied as he advanced to where Liam had signaled the problem.

6-4 to 6-2 advancing to your position. Use extreme caution and secure the area.

"Roger that, 6-4," Quinlan replied in a low whisper as he advanced forward. He gave the hand signal to Liam to move to secure the area as he moved forward. He had been hoping this would be a quiet shift with the usual critters causing trouble and those were a bunch of laughs.

When they advanced they came across a body. Even though it was tempting to search, they had to secure. It was simple to do but Quinlan had a bad feeling about this one. He looked over at his partner who was securing nearby. It was somewhat a relief when the big dog arrived with his partner. Quinlan kept a lookout with Liam while they inspected the body.

"Damn. It's Professor Kaye."

"Looks like throat has been slashed."

"The wards would have reported activity."

Quinlan knew that too as he listened to the big dog and his second talk it over. The wards watched where the guardians couldn't. This couldn't happen unless it was something that wasn't covered by the wards and the school was proofed against most things… the ones that existed. So the only other option was that it was done by someone on the inside. That was bad news.

"Thinking Broken Arrow?"

"Probably," the big dog said.

"Great."

Nothing else was said since a high pitched whistle came and the big dog grunted. Quinlan snapped to attention and looked around. He called, "All units code three on the west side in sector six. Repeat code three."

Nothing else was able to be said as something attacked him from behind and shoved him forward. Quinlan hit the dirt hard and gritted his teeth. As much as he wanted to go all out, he knew that he had to ascertain the danger level since it could be just plain human. In this case though, that was a moot point as he felt the hot breath and heard the snarls.

It was quick as Quinlan pushed off the ground and hurled the animal aside and was on his feet. It was a quick look and easy to see that there were intruders. Quinlan say the eyes flicker on one. How in the hell did they get in? He barked, "Liam, spread out."

Quinlan trusted his partner and his partner trusted him. They took their positions to defend the big dog, who was down. The other units were on their way but it was just his and big dog's partner and they were outnumbered by demons and they brought on a couple of hellhounds. That was just perfect.

The row of demons that stood between them and the rest of the school looked at them before charging. Quinlan jumped in the fray along with Liam and they took on the demons. Quinlan felt his teeth extend and he hissed at the demon he was in the fray with. It was like being hit by a truck but he was used to it. He dished it back and managed to drive a knife into the hellhound that would have ripped him to shreds.

One demon took off and Quinlan gave chase just as the other units came in with their gear and their abilities. They took on the others but he had to catch the other one. He chased after the demon to the point where they got in. It was right near the river that ran by the school and was right where the demon ambushed him by jumping on him.

They tumbled down the slope to near the river while grappling each other. Quinlan took a punch to the face but still managed to hold on. He took a good look and saw something that belonged to Kaye and something else. He had to get that back. He had been trained to let it go if he could tell if it was something like an essay. However he knew Kaye's specialty and it was vital that nothing was taken of value.

"So they send the youngest of you guardians. A hotshot. How pathetic."

Quinlan was normally not hot tempered and he took the job seriously. They all did since being a cocky ass was a sure way to get yourself killed. However demons invaded the school and on his watch. It was not something easily forgivable in his mind. He punched the demon and hissed, baring his fangs. The gauntlet had been thrown so it was a no holds barred.

The demon seemed to like that and was up for the fight. He struck first and followed throw with a series of punches and kicks that packed a powerful kick behind them. At one point, Quinlan was able to grab a hold of the object around the demon's neck and yanked it off when he was pushed away. He gripped it tight in his hand as he followed through with a punch.

They locked limbs and the demon said, "Kaye knows the key and upon this ground a seal we doth see."

It was poetic nonsense and meant to be annoying but it had a modicum of truth to it. Quinlan however was more interested in getting the thing back and fought harder. In the end he was knocked on his back and the demon was on top of him and he had a knife out. Quinlan struggled under the grip that was on this throat and threatened to choke the life out of him as the knife came near his neck. Of course the bastard would know how to kill someone like him.

Quinlan used every ounce of his strength to keep the knife away from him. It did come dangerously close to his neck and drew blood but a shot reverberated and the demon howled in pain as it fell off of Quinlan. He saw the residue of salt rounds in the air and it was his chance. He was up and on his feet in a flash and the flask of holy water he carried was out.

Spraying the demon, Quinlan began reciting the Latin incantation for the exorcism. It was automatic since they had been trained in that rite and to use it whenever necessary. Besides they were not given a direct order to take one alive. If they had, the other units would know about it. Right now Quinlan was doing his part in protecting the school.

The recitation went well and the demon was expelled leaving behind a dead meat suit. Quinlan gave a slight look of pity for the sap that had been taken to house the demon. He looked up at his partner as he dusted himself off, "Nice shot for a singer." He gave a slight smile to indicate that he was teasing his partner while thanking him.

"Aye and that's twice ya owe me," Liam replied. "So how did they get in?"

Quinlan took one last glance at the body and pointed. "There. The how I'm not sure but I am more interested in what the bastard wanted." He knelt by the body to do a search.

Liam stood on the lookout to make sure there were no surprises while Quinlan did his search. He still had the pendant thingy that he had ripped off. The cords were firmly entwined with his fingers so it wasn't going anywhere unless he took the time to pick out the cords. He found the property that belonged to Kaye and peered at it with interest but didn't spend too much time on it. He did find one artifact that he didn't expect and he stared at it for a time.

"Are ya making a date with him?"

Quinlan stared at the body and looked around. This was definitely a matter for the headmaster. "Liam, call in and check on big dog. We have code 43. This is a matter for the headmaster."

Even though it was late and there were classes to attend to in the morning, Jarvis Roslyn took his duties at Roslyn Academy very seriously. As part of the tradition that began with an ancestor when they first arrived in the New World, he carried it along with his sister Janine who was more of an adventurer but she doubled as a direct source of information since she was that good with people. Together they protected the school and the secrets that were a part of it.

This particular night was troublesome since it involved one of his guest faculty and it potentially involved a traitor given the first reports he had received. When he received the notice that one of the guardians called a code 43, he was up in a flash and down the stairs of his room to the office that had been the headmaster's office since the school first opened.

Roslyn Academy was considered the best in terms of education for students K-12, if one went by that system. It was modeled on the tradition of European schools and fiercely competitive in the realm of academics. A majority of their students received scholarships to attend the top notch universities in the country and some were able to attend places like Oxford. Some students came back and became full time faculty, guardians or guest/visiting faculty.

Jarvis looked at the tapestry that held the school's motto and thought back on it. The motto spoke of tolerance and acceptance of all races. When he was younger he used to laugh at that and called it his private joke since he knew what the full meaning of the motto meant. Roslyn Academy was a school of tolerance in that there were some very special students that attended there. His ancestor William Roslyn took the meaning of his name very seriously and decided to offer a haven for students with 'special circumstances' to live and study and become one with society.

Jarvis had grown up with Janine in this environment and understood fully well the hardships that existed for those students. So he did his best to stock his faculty with like-minded individuals and he succeeded pretty well. Tonight though was a harsh reminder of what was out there and he hoped that his guardians could shed some light on the matter.

The door opened and in walked one of his most senior faculty rotating his arm and making a slight face as he adjusted the muscle. Jarvis watched him and said, "Christian, are you all right? I heard there was a code six."

Christian finished rotating his shoulder. The medic was good at her job but he had to admit that he knew people who were like magicians with patch up jobs. He looked at his old friend through the ice blue eyes that were characteristic of his family and replied, "You would be right Jarvis. We had a code six on the west side in sector six."

"That's Quinlan's team right?"

"Yes. It would be better that he explain what happened." Christian made a motion and Quinlan and Liam came in. They stood respectfully behind their captain.

Jarvis was used to the almost military discipline that Christian had instilled in his guardians. When he came aboard as faculty, Jarvis was just a boy in school. At that time Christian's duties were related just to teaching and being a guardian under the last head captain. When Jarvis took over as headmaster, he appointed Christian to the head captain position.

Christian had military training before joining Roslyn and would have stayed military if it hadn't been for the fact that he would supposedly be fifty years old and still look like he was early thirties. So he joined the school and brought his military discipline with him. He revamped the guardians and taught them how to surveillance the area and codes for reporting in. Jarvis had been in full support and authorized the equipment upgrades for radios and earwigs and other types of equipment. Now it was paying off in that the guardians were good at patrolling and it didn't disrupt the daily routine of the students.

Jarvis looked at Quinlan and Liam. They were the youngest in terms of joining the guardians but they had been part of the school before that. Like most of the guardians, their duties were doubled with some sort of teaching or supervision during activities. Quinlan was physical education and Liam was music just like Christian was head of history. It sounded heavy in terms of stress and work but they did it willingly and with no complaints. Jarvis asked, "Quinn, what did you see when you called it in?"

Quinlan took a breath. It was a relief that it was semi-formal since Jarvis used his nickname. He replied, "Liam and I advanced when he called in that he saw something."

"Aye. It was a body on the ground. When we got closer, following protocol, we discovered that it was Professor Kaye" Liam replied as his thick Irish accent filtered through.

Christian added, "Kaye was dead when Austin and I came to confirm. That was when the demons ambushed us."

Jarvis looked up. He was immediately concerned since the school had been demon proofed. One of his professors made sure of that and showed him how to perform special wards to alert for demon presence. He made sure the guardians and groundskeepers knew. The groundskeepers until Olivia de Bergerac were responsible for maintaining the sigils and wards around the school perimeter. This presented trouble. "How did they get in?"

"I chased one to the river that runs by the school and village. I noticed that there was some sort of break but I am no expert in wards," Quinlan reported. "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that they either figured out how to break it or someone on the inside broke it."

"That has yet to be proven," Christian countered though he knew that was what was on everyone's mind. That meant a formal investigation and it could disrupt the students. He knew they weren't stupid. Some of his best students were in training for a guardian position and they knew character was thoroughly investigated. "Still it is a possibility."

"And that would mean a formal investigation. A foolish and yet practical stipulation the board of governors asked for," Jarvis pointed out as he sat in his office chair to ponder things. "Did they take anything? None of the alarms went off."

"We think that Kaye was out doing a stroll," Christian admitted. "We have no say in where the faculty goes but we do advise caution, especially the day faculty." He crossed his arms across his chest even though his shoulder was sore. "It could be that he was ambushed outside and they killed him after they got whatever they wanted."

"Did he have anything that would be considered of value?"

Quinlan fished out the item that he had seen once in Kaye's office. He placed it on the desk and replied, "I found this on the demon's meat after he was exorcised."

The item was a metal gauntlet that had scrollwork on it that made it look very old. The scrollwork actually contained sigils that looked elegant and were similar to another set of sigils that many see and could only hope to obtain. The different was this was metal and contained a dark blue stone that looked like an eye. It was part of the design that looked like an arrow.

Jarvis looked at the gauntlet and tried to contain the hitched breath that threatened. He couldn't control the widening of his eyes though. If the demons were after this, then that meant that they were after the one thing that was Roslyn's deepest and darkest of secrets; one that could potentially contribute to the end of the world. "This was on the body?"

Quinlan nodded. He hadn't missed the look on the headmaster's face. This was a serious business if the headmaster got that look. That meant that the guardians would be put on full alert and the possibility that the board of governors would be poking their noses in along with the ancient order that Jarvis tolerated since the Academy did house some interesting objects of power that could be used for evil if they fell into the wrong hands. He replied, "Yes, sir. Along with this."

Quinlan placed the pendant that he had ripped off along with his cell phone that had a photo of the image he had taken of the body. "The pendant was ripped off in the struggle and I took that picture when I was inspecting the body to see if anything had been taken."

All three of them leaned in to look at the pendant and the picture. Jarvis knew then that this was very bad. He knew Kaye's specialty and he was also a protector of certain artifacts pertaining to his specialty. He didn't always carry them on his person. Some were hidden around the world and in places one would least likely suspect. It had been a burden but one Kaye took seriously and was good at evading when he taught during his rotation. The fact that he was now dead and this particular artifact was the target, Jarvis knew something had to be done.

Jarvis looked at Quinlan and Liam. They knew too much and would have to be kept in the loop so to speak but they were good. Christian trusted them so they could be given their orders and they would do it. Right now though he needed to discuss a plan of action. "Head Captain, I need to speak with you alone. Thank you Guardians Quinlan and Liam."

That was the signal for Quinlan and Liam to leave. They did so without a murmur and both were well aware that it was a serious situation. They were trusted though when they weren't given a direct order to not discuss the situation. That was a given and they gave respectful nods to the headmaster and head captain and they left to wait outside.

Once they were gone, Jarvis stood up and went to the fireplace that was in the office. "This is bad Christian. If they were after the gauntlet of the Hunter then they were after the location of the seal."

Christian released his arms and moved to look at the items that had been recovered on the desk. "It looks like Lilith, the first, managed to find a way to circumvent the wards. The pendant is her seal and that tattoo looks like a countermeasure but I'm not an expert."

"No you're not. But your fiancé is." Jarvis stared at the cold fireplace with a hand to his chin and he rubbed it.

Christian looked up trying to hide the blush. "Yes she does. As to what Lilith wants and the seal business… That was Kaye's expertise. He studied Revelations thoroughly as well as the different seals. Well the ones that he found and hid to protect them."

"I know. He knows where some key ones are that would prove beneficial should all 66 be allowed to be broken," Jarvis replied as he turned to face his friend. "The Hunter's gauntlet is in relation to one seal and one that Kaye was diligent about protecting. The Sköll and Hati seal."

Christian took in a deep breath and stared at Jarvis. Everyone who was in tuned to the spirit world knew that the countdown to the Apocalypse had begun. It had begun the moment they felt ripples and they kept repeating a name and the Apocalypse. He was certain that it was a pain in the ass for all that were involved. It also meant that the order was on alert and he was pissed that they didn't even consult the one person they knew most connected to it. Then again they really hadn't been receptive in the first place. "You mean the one that Kaye mentioned in class and the story behind that one?"

"Yes. It's a good thing he is good at keeping locations a secret but I'm afraid that this only makes things difficult on our end."

"What do you propose? If Lilith is after the seal, she will try again and if that tattoo is anything, she has the means," Christian replied as he walked to close the distance between him and Jarvis.

Jarvis had an idea how to go about it. The board of governors he couldn't avoid but if he had an internal investigation and someone who had fought Lilith before… well stood up to her and wasn't afraid to, then there was a chance of preventing the seal from being broken. "Perhaps we should consider altering the rotation schedule a little."

Christian looked at Jarvis with a slight look of understanding but he wanted clarification. "You mean to move someone up."

"Yes. I think changing the schedule would help us out while we deal with the board. Besides it has been awhile since the students enjoyed an mixture of history and music," Jarvis replied as he looked at Christian.

"Should I make the call?"

"No," Jarvis replied. "I'll do it. It may take some careful convincing and they will come once they know the situation. Besides I know this visiting professor quite well like you and certain things need to be smoothed out."

A/N: Episode 3.04 starts off with a bang and looks like it might pick up where we left off with on The Failed Demon. Looks like trouble at school and they need help. Stay tuned for more on Howl for the Sun and Moon...