-the Lord's Prayer
***
Will met the dark hawk's-gaze steadily, his own flame-filled eyes beginning to return to a more human-seeming state. His reply was deliberately toned and precise in its pronunciation, as if Will wanted to be very sure that Merriman heard and understood every nuance of every syllable.
"Your precious Gramarye isn't the only repository of Knowledge."
Merriman's glare sharpened. "Where did you learn them, Watchman?" His voice was stern and commanding, very much a lord and leader speaking to an errant subject.
Will's answer was swift, almost flip. He seemed to know that the words would infuriate Merriman, delighting in the sight of his darkening face.
"From the Akla tan Sunda'lo."
"The…what?" Barney asked, puzzling over the unfamiliar words.
"The Akla tan Sunda'lo," repeated Will. "It means Book of Soldiers."
"The Akla is diso*," Merriman said, his voice sharp. "And there was reason. Those spells were never meant for this world! Lives were lost in order to seal them – they were dangerous! What gives you the right to break those seals – to use those abominations? No need is…"
Will's eyes narrowed. "I earned the right to use them when you left me here as Earth's only defense against their return. I earned the right when the Dark lost High Magic bounds." He switched to the Old Speech - its more formalized and ritual cadences better suited his final word.
I earned the right by blood and battle and baptism of fire.>
Unconsciously, his right hand gripped his forearm. He returned to English – the others needed to hear what he had to say. "They can kill, Merriman. They could kill me. And when I die, Earth doesn't really have a defense. So I need to kill them first."
"Even other humans?" Merriman asked icily. "Nothing too great to stand in the way? No such thing as innocence?"
"That thing wasn't human, no matter how it looked," Will said, kicking the pile of ashes that had once been the tall blond man. A cloud of dark gray rose into the air, and the others wrinkled their noses as a foul smell reached them. Will and Merriman, of course, took no notice of the stench. "It was Dark through and through."
"The War Spells were banned…"
"And I lifted it because I needed to! By the Circle, what did you want me to do? Let the Earth be overrun? Weapons are weapons, and I'll take any I can."
Will took a deep breath, trying to reach an inner calm that had been harder and harder to maintain these days. 'Slow down, Will! Remember why you're here. You need to talk to them. Calmly.' His hands tightened into fists, and then were, with a conscious effort, loosened. 'Calm down. Calm down. Talk to them.'
Throughout Will's silent struggle with his temper, Merriman was still speaking. "You can fight them without using the War Spells…"
"No, I can't, Merriman. Don't you think I tried that, in the beginning? It's not enough. They have…ways of getting past that. And they're so many…"
His voice trailed off, and his head dropped. There was silence for a moment, everyone unsure of what to say. Will looked up again, scanning the area. "This is taking too much time," he muttered, shaking his head. "They could be homing in on the disturbance now. Look, can we continue this conversation somewhere safer? The Dark might be sending in reinforcements as we speak."
"Where do we go?" Bran asked, before Merriman could say anything. He was shaken by the people he had just seen Will utterly massacre, but he was determined to give his friend the benefit of the doubt.
"I've shielded my home from the Dark. It's got about half-a-year's worth of wards around it." He looked around himself again. "I'll teleport us there."
***
August 14, 2002
AN: Well, back to the short-chapter-format! It's really more of a prelude to the next chapter than anything else. And the next one, by the way, will be an exposition-type chapter – lots of talking, lots of explaining. No action. (sniff)
Akla tan Sunda'lo really does mean Book of Soldiers. At least, it does in my native tongue. I just messed with the spacing a bit. ^_^
Where in Asia do you think Will lives? Actually I haven't quite decided yet. Just that it's in Asia. Wanna cast a vote?
*diso: means forbidden. I really like making up words, did anyone notice? ^_^
***
November 20, 2003
Completed last revision. I'm actually surprised by how many fics I posted and edited today. Posted for my Harry Potter and House Rider fics….and then edited this...
Took out the Asian living thing (I was going to make him live in Makati) because it'll be a pain trying to explain his living conditions. So, as of now, Will stays in Merry Olde England. Not that he spends all his time there… ^_^