Chapter 13 : The Lost Generation
Valley of Thunder Mountain
" Vortex was the last Horse Lord and like all of the Horse Lords , they were born of a particular line , but Vortex and his rider were originally picked to be the second Rider and Horse Lord . Vortex was actually born before Tempest , and if you guys remember when Salina told us that some of Shamans fell away to worldly gains and weren ' t as united as you guys or even the generation that Windchaser was apart of then you have some idea of why Vortex is thought of as the fourth Horse Lord instead of the Second Horse Lord . The Lost Generation of Shamans as they were called fell to some dark times because instead of acting as a team , they were overly prideful and didn ' t value morals like you guys do . Most of the things they did , if they were not fighting amongst themselves , were immorally correct and sinful . They fell to most of seven deadly sins , pride , lustful , power hungry , greed , and wealth and I know most of us have a mind set that the demons were the causes of their problems . But , that was far from the problem . " Aaron said .
" But , I thought demons influenced certain sin ? " Harris asked .
" They do and they probably had a lot of fun with that generation being overly sinful , but Wildcat as much as you hate Asmodai . He hasn ' t always walked in a human form and he has not always been abroad in a spirirtual form . During the time of Lost Generation , Asmodai was actually deeply imprisoned in a deep abyss that he couldn ' t escape from unless someone set him free and thats what happened . As most of us know the demons were meant to be in Hell for a reason beyond the fact that they are pure evil , they also are meant to deal with those that were evil in life . Several of the demons were called to deal with the Lost Generation ' s wickedness and that is when the Shamans and Elders realized how much evil can taint a place on Earth and how much a generations doing can even taint those that are suppose to protect the innocent . " Aaron answered .
" When did the Lost Generation exist and what demons were put in place to deal with them , Aaron ? " Adam asked .
" The Lost Generation existed during what is now known as the Dark Ages or Middle Ages as some called it . Vortex , was originally born to a Rider that was suppose to be chivalrious , his name was Slater and he was a very wealthy knight . When Slater was a young warrior , still trying to find his place in the world and make his name , he was a valor and honorable man . He opened doors for women , those in his service loved him , he feared God , and did all that was asked of him . But , like Tempest and his Rider , Slater and Vortex saw war and fought in war at young age . It is said in Shamanlore that after one of his victories on the battlefield , he looked at the land where the bloody bodies of his friends and foes lay together after endless combat and felt that he was to blame for what took place . He let guilt and despair cloud his mind and it angered him to the point that he stopped blaming himself and blamed his lord and everyone around him . When he was called to be a Shaman , that darkness was already in his heart and he began keeping to himself instead of following the other Shamans into combat . Eventually , evil consumed his very being and he start turning on everyone he cared for and all of his moral beliefs to become a vigilante . He started seeking justice by his own hands and started killing innocent people in the name of his own crusade . He also began to mistreat his partner , Vortex , because he felt that the Shaman spirit was the point of his anger . Unfortunately , Vortex became doomed to a fate far worse than death and although his body , once it was found , was laid to rest with the Horse Lords . Vortex ' s spirit is still out there and darker than it was when he walked in physical form . " Aaron said .
" So , what demons were used during the Dark Ages ? " Raven repeated Adam ' s question .
" Some demons came later as kind of a punishment for the Lost Generation ' s doing . But , lets see Leviathan , Balan , and Balial had a lot to do with the conflict and wars during that time because of anger , greed , and of Balial being the demon of war . I heard that Asmodai also had a hand in the wars during that time because of his lust for power . Back during the Dark or Middle Ages , land was considered power and the more land you had the more powerful you were and many wars were fought just for land . " Aaron said thinking .
" Makes sense , who else ? " Matt asked .
" Charon , caused a lot of famine and hunger during that time and Berith caused Gluttony from some of the evil tyrants during that time . Leviathan and Thammuz also caused the destruction of one of the most holiest orders during that time that became the bases of our Freemasons that became the forefathers of the USA . " Aaron looked at the others .
" Who ? " Jeff asked .
" Knights Templar , they were put empower after the First Crusade to protect pilgrims from bandits on the road from Europe to Jerusalem . The Knights Templar apparently found wealth and treasure when they were stationed in Solomon ' s Temple when they found Solomon ' s hoard under the Temple , reason they are called Knights Templar . But , they also honored God with a humble heart and even invented the first banking system the world ever saw . One of the last grandmasters made a faulty decision of marching across the Arabian Desert in full army to meet their foes instead of staying put and letting their foes come to them which would have saved on the exhaustion of the Templars . This is also what eventually lead to the downfall of the Templars . The Pope and King at the time were corrupt and some believe a false allegation was made about the Templars practicing heresy which was condemning by the Early Roman Catholic Church . Anyone caught practicing heresy was condemned to death by being burned at the stake and this was also during the time of Spanish Inquisition which proudly deployed harsh torture to question those suspected of heresy or any other wrongdoing at the time . One of the Knights Templar who , anywhere but in the land of the Phoenix Clan should remain nameless , forged Molten . He didn ' t even reach his trial before death . They never found Molten though because he had it sent to a secret location in Scotland which was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and didn ' t follow such beliefs . But , this particular Knight wouldn ' t leave his brothers behind so he stayed and waited his death trying to figure out away to set his brothers free and let those who were suppose to know where Molten and the rest of the treasures of the Templars went after their downfall . He left clues on the walls of his prison for those after him to see that would take up his call to honor Christ . " Aaron said .
" One of the Knights Templar forged my primary weapon ? " Raven asked .
" Yes , he did . " Aaron answered .
" Any other demons apart of the problem ? " Harris asked .
" Astaroth and Sammael together killed over 50 million people because of the Lost Generation . " Aaron answered .
" How ? " Jay asked shivering at the thought .
" Greatest and most terrible epidemic Europe has ever seen , Bubonic Plague or other wise known as the Black Death . Bubonic plague victims were said to start out with a fever and coughing in the morning , later they would have painful buboes and coughing blood , and by the time of night they were dead . Four out of five people in a household were killed by this thing and with no real way to cure it . Astaroth caused the disease because of his power over pestilence and diseases . But , compared to Sammael , Astaroth barely lifted a finger . The reason it is called Black Death is because of Sammael , Lord of Death , it was kind of like the night of the Passover in Egypt that killed all of the Firstborns of the Egyptians . Sammael ' s death didn ' t start in Asia where the goods being import to Italy where from , the body count started on the ship that brought the goods to port and started from there working its way to thousands . Rich , poor , it didn ' t matter who you were during that time Sammael showed up in the spiritual form of Black Death or Plague and took your life before the night was through . It spread from Italy to Britian and from Spain to parts of Russia . It really didn ' t have quite as much effect in the Scandinavian regions of Europe or colder parts of Russia because of cold killing off the fleas that carried the disease from black rats to humans . Spanish Influenza was about the same way , but didn ' t kill nearly as many people . In today ' s world it would be like taking half of the US citizens and killing them off and it wouldn ' t just be here with our different ways of traveling now as compared to then . " Aaron said .
" Can we stop talking about Black Death ? " Amy said shivering .
" Yeah , but three people even worse than that came . " Aaron said .
" Who ? " Jeff asked .
" Jack the Ripper , Adolf Hitler , and Joseph Stalin . " Aaron said .
" Yeah , those are pretty bad people . " Raven said .
" Even worse knowing that three of the devils forms actually embodied these very people . Well , Jack the Ripper was actually a person , he was a devilish fiend . Lucifer took three of his different forms and put himself in the body of certain people that caused great evil on Earth . But , for a limited amount of time , kind of like Peter denying Christ three times and then Christ asking Peter three times if Peter loved him . So , three evil beings were sent to deal with the evil the Lost Generation caused . Jack the Ripper was Lucifer in Spiritual form and its the reason he wasn ' t ever found , he was a fiend in human form with Lucifer in him . Kind of like Molloch now , Molloch is fiendish demon or fallen angel , but he created a human form to protect himself from the light of the sun . The Ripper was the same way and the reason he only killed five women and not more . Hitler was what some called Satan or False Prophet part of Lucifer , reason why Hitler had such a powerful speaking ability because that is what the False Prophet will have as well . Hitler killed a lot more people than Ripper did , but , we all know how he ended . Stalin was Beelzebub or the predated form of the Antichrist and he killed a lot of people as well and he didn ' t last either . But , now you know what powerful effects evil has on the world as a whole . Reason our unity is a good thing and not a bad thing and so is peace of mind . " Aaron said .
" So , what became of Slater and Vortex ? " Storm asked .
" Slater was one of the ones killed by plague and what became of his body isn ' t known anymore . Sammael came and got his life at the start of the Black Death . Slater ' s soul is said to still walk amongst the world in a not so well known location , because of Sammael cursing him to never rest until for some reason unknown . But , his body was originally found by Tempest and his Rider before the Revolutionary War and was brought back to a special location to keep hidden . But , later some of the Elders felt that if his body remained unclean it would taint the ground where ever he was buried so they decided to seek out his remains again and then cremate them to prevent the spread of evil from his body to the Earth . But , when they got to the spot , his body was gone and no one knows what happened . Some said that Sammael came for the rest of him . " Aaron said .
" And Vortex ? " Harris asked .
" Harris when you were down in the Pit , you didn ' t happen to see a black chariot that Sammael owns did you ? " Aaron asked .
" No , wasn ' t really trying to look for artifacts and monuments down there . " Harris shook his head .
" What black chariot ? " Raven asked .
" Sammael for the time being is said to drive a black chariot when he collects souls of the dead destined for the Pit . Vortex , is the horse tied to that chariot . " Aaron said making everyone look at him .
" What ? Why him ? " Storm asked .
" Remember what I said about evil tainting once good and deceit things , individuals , or animals ? " Aaron asked .
" Yes , why ? " James asked again .
" Vortex was turned evil because of pain caused to him by Slater , reason why Sammael got Slater ' s soul . When Sammael came and collected the first souls after the Black Death started , he saw Vortex as a prize by how evil he had become . Vortex , as sad as it is , became not only Sammael ' s chariot horse . But , also his most important stead and the most important figure in biblical prophecy . Vortex , became the Pale Horse that is mention in the book of Revelation . The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that is to come , the Fourth Horsemen ' s name is Death , Death is Sammael , Sammael ' s horse is Vortex . Unless by some very powerful means Vortex can be made holy again and it will take a lot of power that none has seen this side of heaven . Vortex was so mistreated that his very heart and soul collapsed after Slater died and overtime in the Pit . The once beautiful , black body of Vortex began to rot and decay because of darkness and ash of the stables he is kept in . Vortex was even forced to give birth to a foe we have seen not to long ago . Vortex is the father of the Thralls and Sammael is the one who created the Corpse Riders for them . " Aaron said .
" That ' s horrible to think that such evil has such a powerful effect on one of the Shaman spirits that is suppose to be protectors of the innocent . " Beth said .
" Yes , it is . Come to think of it Thunderbolt actually is Vortex ' s great nephew . Vortex was Windchaser ' s brother and Thunderbolt ' s great uncle . Tempest was Thunderbolt ' s grandsire , and Cyclone was Thunderbolt ' s sire . So , the Thralls would be his cousins unfortunately . Thunderbolt also looks a lot like Vortex did before decay set into his body . Thunderbolt , is the greatest of the five , he has Vortex ' s body and strength , Cyclone ' s speed and stamina , Windchaser ' s nobility and sense of duty and Tempest ' s freedom and stubborn or to some his independant streak . Windchaser and Tempest were also very peaceful minded which Thunderbolt got and he also got his wisdom from Windchaser and Tempest and his active nature and fighting spirit from Cyclone and Vortex . But , ultimately Thunderbolt also is a great leader to his herd and he got his leadership skills from Windchaser . So , yes , he has inherited the greater points of the other four Horse Lords , but so far I haven ' t seen any of the bad which makes him even stronger as a Shaman spirirt and Horse Lord . " Aaron said looking at Thunderbolt who was looking over at a couple of the wild horses that were in the area .
" You want to go play Thunderbolt ? " Storm asked getting up and walking to the stallion who nuzzled him .
" Is that okay Aaron ? " Storm asked .
" Yeah , let him run around some and get that extra energy out of him . You can take the saddle and bridle off as well , so , they won ' t weigh him down . " Aaron answered .
" Okay , sounds good . " Storm said unhooking the saddle . He removed the saddle , saddle blanket and bridle and turned Thunderbolt a loose with the other horses .
" Go ahead buddy , we ' ll call you when we get ready to leave . " Storm said . Thunderbolt looked at him and then at the other wild horses , then looked back at Storm and then took off in the direction of his buddies .
" He looks happy , " Raven said watching the stallion greet his friends .
" Yes , he does and he looks greater running free without a saddle or reigns to hold him back and weigh him down . " Storm agreed .
" The saddle and reigns for him were actually made here in Thunder Mountain , all of the Horse Lords are made special saddles to provide extra comfort when they wore them . The other four are in the Temple of the Horse Lords . They ' re also more comfortable for the Riders as well . " Aaron informed them .
" Aaron , is it at all possible to save Vortex ? " Raven asked looking at two young colts come to Thunderbolt .
" Anythings possible Raven , but like I said it would take a very powerful force to even attempt to take away Sammael ' s hold over Vortex . " Aaron said .
" I think we already have a very powerful force inside of us that might be able to undo the damage and chains on the stallion . " Raven informed him .
" Really , what ? " Glen asked .
" They same power that released Asmodai ' s hold over Wildcat the first time , the power of love . I have a strange feeling that the reason Vortex became so depressed and the way he is because his Rider mistreated him and he didn ' t experience the love I give to my own horses or Storm does for Thunderbolt . So , I have a feeling that all Vortex needs is for someone to show him to trust people again and know what its like to be loved by someone who won ' t hurt him again . " Raven thought of when she freed Harris the first time .
" I never thought of that , but it might take a lot more love than what Harris felt to undo what has be done to Vortex . Slater was extremely cruel to that horse . " Aaron said .
" Raven , you ' re not thinking about freeing him are you ? " Mark asked .
" Actually , I am . " Raven said .
" Why ? " Harris asked .
" The same reason I freed you from Asmodai , because I know all that happened wasn ' t your fault . I knew that Asmodai was to blame for all of our problems and that you were still deceit and good inside . Same reason we freed the harpies , because we knew they weren ' t really evil and that the demons were poisoning them with darts . The harpies were being used against their free will just like you were when Asmodai infected you . I said it after we free Cypres and Damien that we need to be on the look out and save any other creature that has been turned by evil . We can ' t lose our allies in this fight and just maybe Vortex could be more of an ally than an enemy if we were to change him two . Everything , all living things have the power to change for the worse or the better and maybe he can change for the better as well . " Raven looked at Wildcat .
" Sounds good Raven , but don ' t get your hopes up . It maybe to late to save him even if we try . " Aaron said .
" Its never to late to love or change Aaron . I thought it was to late for Salina and I to reconnect , but I was wrong then and I know somewhere inside of me that you maybe wrong about Vortex . " Raven said .
Storm was watching Thunderbolt play and run around with the young colts almost like they were playing tag .
" I ' m with Raven on this one , Vortex needs to be saved . He shouldn ' t be doomed to be Sammael ' s chariot horse or stead or even trapped down there in the Pit for eternity . " Storm looked back at the others .
" If you guys are going to go along with this , then I am in too . But , lets becareful Sammael is a very powerful demon and Vortex is a very powerful horse , so , we cannot afford to be foolish when attempting to free him . " Harris warned .
" Of course , " Storm and Raven both said .
" So , who are these two colts running around with Thunderbolt , Aaron or do you know ? " Roode asked watching the horses run around and play .
" I don ' t know , but I can tell you they are not his . They could just be apart of his herd , because his mare hadn ' t given birth to any offspring yet . I am actually surprised we haven ' t seen her yet . " Aaron said with that Thunderbolt whinnied really loud as if calling to someone .
" Now , what is he doing ? " Jay asked .
" Calling his mare . " Aaron said as they herd another loud whinny in the distance .
" She ' s here somewhere . " Aaron said listening to the two horses communicate .
Thunderbolt whinnied louder this time and soon a greyish white mare stepped out of the brush . She looked right at Thunderbolt as if glad to see him . Thunderbolt shook his mane as his nickered his affection for her . He walked slowly to her side and nuzzled her neck .
" That ' s Morning Mist , his mare , she ' s a year younger than Thunderbolt and he is very devoted to her . Infact the Thunder Elder said that the only one Thunderbolt ' s ever been shy to was Mist when he first met her . It didn ' t take long after she was year old for him to except her as part of his herd and they became mates not to long after she joined him . " Aaron said .
" I can understand why . " Storm said looking at Raven who smiled at him .
" He is also very attentive and protective over her well being . " Aaron said .
" Yeah , sounds like James with me . " Raven said .
" Right , " Harris and Roode both said .
Just then Thunderbolt came right to Storm .
" What is it boy ? " Storm asked . Thunderbolt pulled on the Cowboy ' s sleeve for Storm to come with him .
" Fine I ' m coming , lead on . " Storm said . Thunderbolt lead Storm to Mist and began looking between the two .
" What is he doing ? " Amy asked .
" I think he is introducing Storm to Mist . " Raven guessed .
" I guess he wants his Rider and mate to know each other . " Aaron said .
" Yeah , but he is acting like a kid all bouncy and hyperactive . " Roode said .
" Kind of like Storm when he gets excited . " Harris added .
" Be nice you two . " Raven said .
" We are . " Harris and Roode said at the same time .
Soon Storm was walking back over to the group .
" What happened ? " Jeff asked .
" He wanted me to know that Mist was his mare and he also wanted Mist to know I am his Rider . " Storm said as Thunderbolt came back to the group snorting and squealing .
" Yes , buddy I know thats your girl and she is very pretty just like my girl is very pretty , too . We both have very beautiful women in our lives , I get you 100 % partner . " James said as Raven looked at the Cowboy smiling .
" Butter ups aren ' t they , Harris ? " Roode asked .
" Yeah , especially Storm . " Harris answered .
Thunderbolt snorted at the two .
" Thunderbolt said for both of you to shut it . " Storm said .
" Right , " Roode and Harris both said back .
Thunderbolt begain squealing again at Storm and ran back to Mist .
" He said he was taking off for the night with his girl and would be back in the morning . " Storm said sitting next to Raven .
" You are getting good at that . " Raven said .
" What ? " Storm asked .
" Communicating with Thunderbolt and understanding him . " Raven answered .
" Yes , I am . " Storm agreed .
" So , what do you guys think about getting sleep now that the horses have taken off to do what ever they do ? " Jay asked .
" Sounds good cause all of us need it and we need to be up early in order to get to Thunder Mountain . Storm , needs to finish his task for him to get the rest of his Shaman powers and gifts . " Aaron said .
" Agreed , " Storm said .
So , everyone soon was settled for the night in their sleeping bags with Cat being lookout again .
" Cat , you are keeping watch again over us ? " Raven asked .
" Yes , always , Angel . " Harris said .
" Lets us know if anything approaches . " Storm said .
" Right , get some sleep you two . " Harris said .
" Night , " Roode called .
" Night , " Raven and Storm both said back .
" Sleep well guys , " Harris said as they drifted to sleep .
Harris smiled at his friends and thought of what Raven wanted to do for Vortex . She was right that love saved him and that they need to turn all those touched by evil outside of their free will back to good , like the harpies . If this was what she wanted to do then he would help her achieve her goal , but how to make it happen was puzzling him . Anyone has the power to change for the worse or the better . He liked that line she used and it fit with the situation they were in . He looked back at Raven snuggled up next to Cowboy and smiled again at the sight , glad they knew the difference between good and evil and that they were doing all it took to protect and help the innocent lives in harms way of the demons or demonic power that could hurt everyone directly and indirectly involved in their task of closing the Twelve Gates .