CHAPTER 26 - The Beginning of the End
Dahlia stood mournfully at the foot of the grave, staring blankly as they lowered the coffin into the yawning mouth of the earth. Her mind was swimming with a million different thoughts, all of which were from the last week. Her family wept mutely around her, but she was still far to stunned to allow a tear to slip from her eyes. To her right, Broadway shuffled a little and played with her hands, a tell tale sign that these events made her feel awkward and ashamed.
Dahlia's brother was dead. In his suicide note, Sage wrote about the dreams, about the twelve disfigured people and the man wrapped in chain. He wrote about the "beautiful martyr" and the halls of glass and how he was going crazy. He wrote what he had been seeing in his dreams, not knowing that they were premonitions. He killed himself without knowing that he wasn't crazy. He killed himself without knowing that he was a Divinity like she was.
~*~
"So now what..? What are our chances now, really? I say we just give up now, before any more of us wind up in the ground, and forget this ever happened!" Dahlia paused. "No, forget it - I don't give a shit about what YOU people do, but my twin brother is dead now, and I'm not going to be a part of this anymore. I don't care!!"
"Giving up isn't going to bring your brother back! We have to stop this! We have to TRY!" Seth retorted angrily.
"We don't even have a hope in hell of winning against this monster now - Sage is gone, and he was the final Divinity! That lowers our chances to what now, nil?!" Mallory said, her voice rising slightly. "I agree with Dahlia on this one - this is serious now, her brother is DEAD! That could have been any one of us!"
"He's dead because he didn't know who he was or what he had to do - and he took HIS OWN life! No one else!" Broadway interrupted. "We can still do this - we have to at least try! We can't just sit idly by and watch as all hell is let loose." She shot a look at Arthur and sighed.
Arthur adjusted the glasses on his nose and stood up. "I'm sorry I brought you all into this. You should have all turned away at the beginning."
"We would have been involved in one way or another. I'm the Protector for chrissakes! You would have had to find me sooner or later; most likely the latter and brought us all into it then anyway. We only made finding me easier." Broadway said quietly. Arthur nodded.
"I know..but I want you to know that I'm sorry that this had to happen..I have children of my own..if anything happened to them I'd..I'd.." He trailed off and looked at Jean pleadingly.
"This has to end. We can't let Him get any stronger. Now the way I see things is this: we have two options and whichever one you choose you have to decide quickly. The first is that we get our shit together and get this over with. We go to the house and finish things once and for all. We destroy the Ocularis and the Arcanum and go on with our lives the best we can. Our other option is that we forget this ever happened right here and now and let Cyrus kill thirteen innocent people. We do nothing and let him unleash Hell on earth." The Withered Lover paused and studied the faces of the people before her. "I'm not trying to guilt trip you, if that's what you're thinking, I'm merely stating the facts. I'm not going to sugar coat anything for you guys anymore. These are your options, plain and simple and whatever you decide you must do so quickly. Tonight it ends - whatever you decide."
The room was quiet for a moment, thoughtfulness on the faces of everyone there.
"I'm going. I knew I was going from the start and even if I have to stop an entire army myself I swear to God I'll do it." Broadway said finally. Royce tossed her a look.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Dolly."
"I'm not. I've been looking for a reason to like myself for a long time now."
Dennis opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden but couldn't place it. It was probably the aura in the room that was making him feel so tense, anyway. Mallory gave his hand a gentle squeeze through the fabric of her sweater and nodded.
"I'm not going to let you go through this alone, Broadway. We've stuck together through worse times, and I'm not about to abandon you now." With Mallory's words it was silently agreed that there was no backing out. Dahlia sighed.
"I have to do this..for Sage. For everyone." She looked at Jean. "What do we have to do?"
"Once we get to the house Kalina will try to stop us from entering. She will use barrier sells on us and most likely try to kill you seven. We have to try to find a muting spell in the Arcanum or keep her from uttering to barrier spells before we can fight Cyrus. You'll need our help more than anything in the end."
"Leave that to me." Dahlia said. "I can distract her while you guys slip into the house."
"No." Seth shook his head. "We'll need you inside. If anyone, I should try to distract her. Myself, Luke, and Zeke. We distract her and think of something while you all get inside and do what you have to."
Dana shook her head fiercely. "No, that won't do either. Splitting up isn't going to do any good! We have to stay together - you know, strength in numbers. Plus, once we're inside, that's it. The house will seal up and you won't be able to get inside."
"Alright then, I'm out of ideas. Anyone else?"
"Wait wait, what if we were to lure her somewhere and place a barrier spell on HER? Would that work?" Bianca offered.
"Trap her where, though?" Dana inquired.
"What if we lured her into a car and then put spells on the car? We could try that!"
The Princess gave her an incredulous look. "You want us to lure Kalina in to a car and then put barrier spells on the car?"
"Why not? It would get her out of the way - and if it doesn't work, we'll go to plan B."
"Which is..?"
"Which is I haven't thought of one yet."
Arthur rubbed his temples. "Well, we might as well go with that for now unless we think of something better on the way there or while we're there because I for one am all out of ideas."
"Then it's settled." Dennis muttered. "I guess we leave immediately."
Dahlia stood mournfully at the foot of the grave, staring blankly as they lowered the coffin into the yawning mouth of the earth. Her mind was swimming with a million different thoughts, all of which were from the last week. Her family wept mutely around her, but she was still far to stunned to allow a tear to slip from her eyes. To her right, Broadway shuffled a little and played with her hands, a tell tale sign that these events made her feel awkward and ashamed.
Dahlia's brother was dead. In his suicide note, Sage wrote about the dreams, about the twelve disfigured people and the man wrapped in chain. He wrote about the "beautiful martyr" and the halls of glass and how he was going crazy. He wrote what he had been seeing in his dreams, not knowing that they were premonitions. He killed himself without knowing that he wasn't crazy. He killed himself without knowing that he was a Divinity like she was.
~*~
"So now what..? What are our chances now, really? I say we just give up now, before any more of us wind up in the ground, and forget this ever happened!" Dahlia paused. "No, forget it - I don't give a shit about what YOU people do, but my twin brother is dead now, and I'm not going to be a part of this anymore. I don't care!!"
"Giving up isn't going to bring your brother back! We have to stop this! We have to TRY!" Seth retorted angrily.
"We don't even have a hope in hell of winning against this monster now - Sage is gone, and he was the final Divinity! That lowers our chances to what now, nil?!" Mallory said, her voice rising slightly. "I agree with Dahlia on this one - this is serious now, her brother is DEAD! That could have been any one of us!"
"He's dead because he didn't know who he was or what he had to do - and he took HIS OWN life! No one else!" Broadway interrupted. "We can still do this - we have to at least try! We can't just sit idly by and watch as all hell is let loose." She shot a look at Arthur and sighed.
Arthur adjusted the glasses on his nose and stood up. "I'm sorry I brought you all into this. You should have all turned away at the beginning."
"We would have been involved in one way or another. I'm the Protector for chrissakes! You would have had to find me sooner or later; most likely the latter and brought us all into it then anyway. We only made finding me easier." Broadway said quietly. Arthur nodded.
"I know..but I want you to know that I'm sorry that this had to happen..I have children of my own..if anything happened to them I'd..I'd.." He trailed off and looked at Jean pleadingly.
"This has to end. We can't let Him get any stronger. Now the way I see things is this: we have two options and whichever one you choose you have to decide quickly. The first is that we get our shit together and get this over with. We go to the house and finish things once and for all. We destroy the Ocularis and the Arcanum and go on with our lives the best we can. Our other option is that we forget this ever happened right here and now and let Cyrus kill thirteen innocent people. We do nothing and let him unleash Hell on earth." The Withered Lover paused and studied the faces of the people before her. "I'm not trying to guilt trip you, if that's what you're thinking, I'm merely stating the facts. I'm not going to sugar coat anything for you guys anymore. These are your options, plain and simple and whatever you decide you must do so quickly. Tonight it ends - whatever you decide."
The room was quiet for a moment, thoughtfulness on the faces of everyone there.
"I'm going. I knew I was going from the start and even if I have to stop an entire army myself I swear to God I'll do it." Broadway said finally. Royce tossed her a look.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, Dolly."
"I'm not. I've been looking for a reason to like myself for a long time now."
Dennis opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden but couldn't place it. It was probably the aura in the room that was making him feel so tense, anyway. Mallory gave his hand a gentle squeeze through the fabric of her sweater and nodded.
"I'm not going to let you go through this alone, Broadway. We've stuck together through worse times, and I'm not about to abandon you now." With Mallory's words it was silently agreed that there was no backing out. Dahlia sighed.
"I have to do this..for Sage. For everyone." She looked at Jean. "What do we have to do?"
"Once we get to the house Kalina will try to stop us from entering. She will use barrier sells on us and most likely try to kill you seven. We have to try to find a muting spell in the Arcanum or keep her from uttering to barrier spells before we can fight Cyrus. You'll need our help more than anything in the end."
"Leave that to me." Dahlia said. "I can distract her while you guys slip into the house."
"No." Seth shook his head. "We'll need you inside. If anyone, I should try to distract her. Myself, Luke, and Zeke. We distract her and think of something while you all get inside and do what you have to."
Dana shook her head fiercely. "No, that won't do either. Splitting up isn't going to do any good! We have to stay together - you know, strength in numbers. Plus, once we're inside, that's it. The house will seal up and you won't be able to get inside."
"Alright then, I'm out of ideas. Anyone else?"
"Wait wait, what if we were to lure her somewhere and place a barrier spell on HER? Would that work?" Bianca offered.
"Trap her where, though?" Dana inquired.
"What if we lured her into a car and then put spells on the car? We could try that!"
The Princess gave her an incredulous look. "You want us to lure Kalina in to a car and then put barrier spells on the car?"
"Why not? It would get her out of the way - and if it doesn't work, we'll go to plan B."
"Which is..?"
"Which is I haven't thought of one yet."
Arthur rubbed his temples. "Well, we might as well go with that for now unless we think of something better on the way there or while we're there because I for one am all out of ideas."
"Then it's settled." Dennis muttered. "I guess we leave immediately."