Isolation, Secrecy, and Death
Tisha paced around the camp. Her mind was filled with questions yet unanswered. What was Jacob attempting to do? How could a lowly Emissary get so close to her, without her knowledge? She was startled out of her deep focus and stared at Gabriel as he knelt at her side.
"Yes?" She questioned sternly.
"It is as you feared." Gabriel, the head Archangel, spoke. "The Lady Elena has not attacked. She was graciously welcomed into the Watchmen camp." Tisha lowered her head, her mind working and digesting the information.
She looked up and smiled happily at the Archangel, erasing all signs of the frustration she had before. "Well, I guess I should go and make my presence known. I'm sure they are discussing something very important. I should be there."
Gabriel glared at her nervously. "You must not… they will…"
A loud slap echoed across the campsite, as Tisha looked down at the kneeling Archangel before her. "Do you seem to think that I am not aware of my fate?"
Gabriel barely flinched at the impact of Tisha's tiny hand, but he understood her gesture. "Forgive me. I spoke out of place."
Tisha wrapped her arms around the massive man's neck and embraced him, "I must do this, Gabriel, and I must go alone. However, I do have one last command to give you." Tisha pulled away from Gabriel and looked at him sincerely. She then pulled up a string necklace from within her blouse, revealing a deep red-pink crystal.
"By the Gods. How?" Gabriel nervously questioned as he gazed into the deep glow of the Luminous Key.
- - - - - - - -
Elena followed the Grandmaster closely. All of the Watchmen in the camp eyed her nervously, fearful that at any moment she would unleash her rage. She knew they had a reason to fear her, after all she was the Reclaimer and her duty was to protect the Ark. She reached up to her chest, and felt the hard lump of the crystal hanging between her breasts, and walked into the master's tent. The incense and perfumes swelled into her nostrils and she momentarily froze. The Grandmaster's bodyguard walked around her and took his position, standing at the Grandmaster's side.
"Please Elena, sit." The master motioned toward a pile of animal furs upon the tarp floor. Elena sat and placed her spear to her side, leaving her sword resting upon her back. She tilted her helmet mask upward, but did not remove it.
The master smiled at her softly. "There is no need to delay things. Let me start from what you know. Your mother and father were both Reclaimers, true descendants of Bitran and Litran, the first of our families. From them was born Lilith, the first child and eventually the first to betray the Ark. She was exiled, dishonored for her deeds. While Litran and Bitran went on to have more children, Lilith walked the Earth, in Isolation.
"The secret of the Ark needed to be preserved, though numerous times Lilith continued to search for the Ark, she eventually gave up. After one hundred years she finally met a normal human man and decided to settle down, but her hatred continued to swell within her.
"Now, you may not have known that we women are the carriers of the Reclaimer trait. We carry the essence of our strength and power, though not all women will display this power, it is within us, and only we can pass on the strength. Men can display the strength, but they can not pass it on. I was born two hundred years ago, and have birthed many children with many mates. Your father was my twelfth child, and he was the first to display the Reclaimer's ability. It was destined for him to marry another Reclaimer child… to maintain the purity of our bloodline. However, I was not aware that my thirteenth son would also display the Reclaimer's ability. I loved them both, yet your father was the eldest. This meant that my other son would be nothing more than a Watchman, though he was clearly a Reclaimer from birth."
Elena cut in, "Jacob? The man who lead the attack against me and killed my mother? He was my father's brother?" Elena's tone was that of someone in disbelief; shocked at the irony of it.
"It sounds hard to believe, yet it makes clear sense." The master added. "I trained them both in the Reclaimer ways, yet they did not know they were brothers. They had different fathers, and lived in separate camps. This was the way we chose to preserve the bloodline, you see. There was no other way. However, I instilled in them both the knowledge that the Ark was more than a treasure, that it was gift to the world. How could I have known that they would fall in love with the same woman?"
"My mother." Elena lowered her head and pulled off her helmet. She sat it at her side and rubbed her temples. "This is a bit much to absorb at one time."
"Would you like for me to stop? Perhaps take a break to eat?"
"No… no. Please continue."
The master sipped on a container of water and continued. "Your father went on to marry your mother, and Jacob became a Watchman. He embraced his duty, yet it is now clear that his longing for your mother was deeper than I imagined. Upon the day of your birth we all knew you were a Reclaimer. You displayed the trait fairly early as a child, and both your father and Jacob knew that it was time.
"You do not remember this, but several days after your birth, your father vanished for many days. He was with me and Jacob, along with our other followers. It was then that we plotted to begin a great change."
Elena looked away in shame. "Yes, betraying your oath to our destiny."
"Betraying our destiny, is it? Call it what you may, my dear. But despite all that the Ark has taught you, all that you have learned and seen through its visions… have you ever wondered if it will ever happen? The Reclaimers started this world thousands upon thousands of years ago, but have we seen anything. This creature we feared, the … Flood, they may no longer exist."
"The Ark can not verify this!" Elena retorted. "Until there is proof…"
"Proof?" The master returned. "Proof of what? I was never permitted to enter the Ark or to absorb its knowledge, yet I do know the secret. There is no proof. My Son guarded the Ark, he told me its mystery. The flood have yet to come, and if they have not come, than we have nothing to fear. The Ark is being wasted. It is time for the Reclaimers to do their duty!"
Elena sat back, stunned. "But now is not the time … the world is not ready, and there have been no signs yet!"
"We are Reclaimers, Elena. All of us, from the Watchmen to the normal humans, we are all Reclaimers. Our duty is to rebuild the Empire, and that is why we were spared from the great cleansing."
"You do not know the fullness of what is out there, beyond our world!" Elena sternly interjected. "Humanity is not ready to be reunited with the other members of the Empire! How much did my father tell you? Surely you did not understand it all."
The master ignored Elena words. "This is our duty to the Gods. Litran and Bitran saw the last days, and though they knew that Ark needed to be kept secret, they knew that it would need to be revealed in order to begin our duties. This is what I taught my sons, this is what your father fought for… even against your mother."
"In Isolation and Secrecy." Elena mumbled. "This is what my mother taught me. Until we receive a sign from the great beyond, we are to wait. The Ark is waiting for a sign and so will we. There is more to fear then those creatures; the Flood. My father should have told you this."
"We have a duty, Elena. No mater what opposes us, we have a duty! The Ark obeys the Reclaimers and the Gods, but the Gods are gone. There is no one left but us, Elena."
"We don't know this. There is no Proof. And until there is Proof I will not disobey my teachings."
The master lowered her eyes slowly. "I am sure that this is the debate your mother and father had as they fought at the foot of Mount Sinai. Did Tisha tell you're their fate?"
"Yes." Elena softly returned.
"For too long we have been ignoring our duty. This is what Lilith sought, yet she was too impatient to wait for the right time. In her day, humanity numbered only a few, but now we control this world. We have spread humans across the planet, though some believe that this small speck of land is everything, that this is the world, but we know the truth. We are ready to unite, Elena. Do not follow your mother's path. Side with us and lead our armies as we begin our quest. It is time for the Reclaimers to rebuild the Empire."
"Then this is what the Watchmen young have been taught." Elena sulked lowering her into her palm. "My father and mother fought each other because of this. Then Jacob betrayed my father and had him killed when he was at his weakest." Elena stood and Michael gripped his sword hilt, fearing that Elena would attack.
Elena looked at the Grandmaster with heavy eyes as tears boiled within. "All of this death… all of it is because of you. You fail to understand what the Gods wanted of us. I can't believe that you would do this with such little knowledge. And my father, to think that he agreed with you when he himself trained and studied within the Ark. My mother understood, but why could you and my father not?"
The Grandmaster slowly stood. "In Isolation the Reclaimers worked in Secrecy, but this path leads only to Death. Stand against us, and all will be destroyed."
Elena leaned down and picked up her helmet. "Jacob, your son, he said something similar to me. He said 'in Isolation, Secrecy and Death. From this day on, I would always be alone.' I believe he learned this from you."
"Yes, he did."
Elena pulled her helmet on and closed the mask tightly upon her brow. "And as soon as he finished saying it … I killed him." Elena slid her foot beneath her spear and kicked it up into her hand. Michael drew her sword and stood in front of the master, ready to fight.
The grandmaster shook her head in disbelief. "Then you have made your choice, my poor stupid daughter."
"It is not time for the world to need the Ark!" Elena roared, her voice bellowed from beneath the mask.
The Grandmaster raised her eyes and looked into Elena's battle ready form. "So be it… Reclaimer."
- - - - - - - -
Tisha stopped her camel at Jacob's side and looked down to him. "You were quite foolish to let her go into the camp."
Jacob looked up and frowned. "In her armor, she was quite frightening. I feared for my life, but the Grandmaster wanted to talk. Elena agreed to go with her."
"Elena will not agree to what the Grandmaster wants, Jacob. I saw what she wants, I know the goals of the Grandmaster and all that follow her. Although it was a shock to find out that the Grandmaster is a woman."
"What does the master want?"
"Father killed my older brother right in front of my eyes because he chose to follow Jacob. Soon after this, they killed my family and everyone in my camp. They want to give the Ark to the world, but there is more to it than this. I almost followed them. I almost gave myself in to their wishes. But I will not follow those that killed my family."
"You did say this was for Revenge." Jacob added.
"The Grandmaster needs Elena, and will try and coax her to join them. It will not work, and blood will stain this ground."
Together Jacob and Tisha looked toward the distant camp as numerous Watchmen loitered about. Tisha snapped the reins on her camel and began to walk toward the camp.
"Jacob, things have changed. We can no longer trust anyone. I wish you had spoken to me first. Even if Elena desires to join them, she will not be able to enter the Ark. I have made it possible that no will ever be able to enter the Ark."
Jacob began to follow. "What do you mean?"
"The Ark is the reason why the world is now divided. The Ark is the reason why Watchmen and Reclaimer's fight. The Ark is the reason why many have and will die. I have now removed that from the equation. If we forget the Ark than perhaps we can move on as a people."
"And what if we can not?"
"Then I am willing to die… and the location of the Luminous Key will forever vanish with me. This will be vengeance for my family. Go back, Jacob. Go to Narmer and tell him to forget everything. If things do not go well here, then there will be nothing left of the Reclaimers or the Watchmen. It is up to the King of Egypt to establish this world. The time of the Reclaimers and the Watchmen must end."
Jacob stopped in his tracks and looked to his horse in the distance as it grazed on dried grass. He then looked back to Tisha as she continued to stroll into the camp. There was a disturbance within the camp and Jacob knew that this only meant trouble, but he understood Tisha's words. The age of the Reclaimers was coming to an end, and it was the only way to stop the bloodshed. He turned and walked toward his horse, and began to make his long journey back to Egypt, and to advise King Narmer on the future they must seek.
- - - - - - - -
By the dozen they attacked. Body parts tossed the wind, and blood rained from the sky. Elena cut them down with intense fury, and heartache. With each swing she was killing an innocent, a warrior following a blind fool.
She wanted to kill the master first, but she was caught of guard by Michael's skill with the sword. No sooner had their weapons clashed, dozens of Watchmen poured into the tent. From that moment on she had been fighting. Nearly a hundred had so far died by her hands, and her suit was stained deep red. She was too fast, too skilled and too powerful for any of them to handle, yet they fought on. It was noble of the Watchmen and their loyalty to the Grandmaster was honorable, but they were simply no match for Elena.
A pack of eight Watchmen charged, holding their shields high, but not even that was enough. With her brute strength Elena picked up a dead body and flung it at the pack of men. She instantly followed the tossed corpse as it plowed into the men. They were all jostled slightly and didn't see Elena descending down upon them. She had leapt above their heads and was bringing her spear down upon them. Their screams filled her ears but she fought on.
One after another she cut them down until her spear could no longer bear the strain, and snapped in two. The metal rod was overworked and finally gave way to the sheer force behind Elena's blows. She tossed the broken spear to the ground and gripped her sword hilt.
The Watchmen watched as the long blade slid free from its resting place on her back, and if they were nervous about attacking her while she held a spear, they were now terrified to even approach. Yet they knew they had too, their lives no longer mattered. They charged into the fire that was Elena's reach. Her swings were fast, deathly so, and some fell before they even knew they had been cut.
She was a Reclaimer; a machine of war. Elena was the product of a super race which was now long forgotten. Her heartache was slowly fading, she didn't want to kill them at first, but now she was simply responding to action. Her pupils dilated, her heart rate quickened, her breathing became steady and she simply went into a trance. She ignored the screaming of the wounded and dieing, the constant spray of blood into the air, and the pain from a few lucky watchmen that were able to hit her. She was a Reclaimer; a killing machine created for combat. This was the legacy the Gods had left behind, this ability to breed monsters of such destructive force that not even three hundred men were able to slow it down. These Gods, these Forerunners, knew what they wrought. They created the ultimate soldier that could fight despite pain and exhaustion, until their bodies would simply tear themselves apart.
The Grandmaster simply watched as Elena sprinted throughout the camp, repositioning constantly and making sure that her back was never fully exposed. Three hundred men; the number seemed laughable as she cut through them. The Grandmaster had two thousand troops at her aid, yet Elena was cutting them down with one swing of her sword. At her side stood Michael, her bodyguard and the best swordsman in her army. He was eagerly ready to face Elena, yet he held his place at the master's side.
"Are you watching this, Michael?"
"Yes." Michael watched every move Elena made, and in his mind he was standing with her; learning her fighting style and mimicking it. "When she comes at you…"
The master cut him short, "What you see is simply her way of reserving her strength. She is not giving it her all. This is the potential of a pure Reclaimer at its peak; a monster." Michael could barely believe that. She was already moving at such an incredible pace, and it was hard for him to imagine her moving any faster.
"Then I will need to be extra careful." Michael softly stated. But something caught his ears. Michael suddenly drew his sword and pushed passed the master, quickly pointing his sword into the face of a young girl.
The master smirked as she looked at the girl across from her. "The youngest child of Essra has finally shown her face."
Tisha smiled in return. "Hello Grandmaster. I'm sorry for making you wait… " Tisha looked into the eyes of the man pointing his sword at her. For a moment, she lost her breath. "Michael…"
"Move and I will cut you down, Tisha." Michael's words were stern and unemotional.
"No need to be so threatening to your sister, Michael. She is unarmed. Yet, I am at odds as to why you have come? As you can see by the numerous bodies at your feet, Elena has chosen not to side with us."
Tisha softly spoke, her eyes deeply fixed on her brother's stern gaze. "I had come… to… I am here to talk to you, before your death. But Michael … seeing you … I've looked for you for so long. I knew you would be here, but not at her side. We have to leave."
"I will not be swayed by you!" Michael shouted.
The master simply looked at Tisha calmly. "Your oldest brother has been at my side since the beginning, and now you act as though this is new information to you. You knew he was training with the Grandmaster, so don't think to fool me with this false show of concern."
Tisha suddenly smiled. "For someone who is about to die, you seem awful confident."
"And you have become quite twisted in the last few months." The master replied. "I recall rumor of your ways while you trained under Jacob. You were smart, intelligent beyond your years, yet consumed with death and darkness. The death of your family must have been fairly traumatic."
"You are right it was very painful hearing of my mother and father's death, but nothing consumed me more then finding you. You began this war, started the separation, and cost me my family. Now I wish to know why. What was so important that you had to kill those that you once help raise?"
"The Ark, little one." The Grandmaster returned. "The will of the Gods was for us to rebuild the Empire, not to rot here and wait for signs and wishful prayers. The Ark is a weapon to take back what was once theirs and the Gods left us in command to retake the heavens! This is what was worth the death of my family and children; their sacrifice for the glory of the Gods return!"
"What will you do now that Elena has chosen not to follow you?" Tisha smiled.
The master stepped closer to Tisha and smirked. "From the moment I learned of your involvement, I knew that you would seek my death. It is in your nature, just as your brother said it would be. We surmised that you would seek vengeance for your father and mother. Since Elena has chosen not to follow me, than she simply must die. Then I will take the Luminous Key, and raise the Ark from its new slumber."
"Kill Elena?" Tisha chuckled, as she looked over her shoulder. Elena was still engaged in combat against the army of Watchmen. "There is nothing that can stop…" Tisha paused in thought as a face of horror consumed her.
The Grandmaster simply smiled at Tisha, "Oh… I see. So you aren't as smart as I had thought. I think that perhaps you forgot something, didn't you, my dear little Tisha?"
Tisha stepped back in shock, looking at Michael in terror. Michael glared at her in return as a small smile crept upon his face.
"Did you forget, Tisha, that Michael was next in line to lead your camp, and replace your father?"
Tisha looked to Michael. "You can't be…" She froze. Her plans had been drastically altered. How could she not have seen this? Michael was always training with the Grandmaster, and had been doing it all of his life. "Michael… you're…"
"A Reclaimer by birth." The Grandmaster bluntly stated. "I took him before he began to show signs of his lineage, and trained him in secret. I told him never to reveal his power for his own safety. I see now that I should not have had much fear of you at all. I thought you knew this much. This makes things less complicated. Elena must not be aware of this either." The master looked away from Tisha and ordered Michael. "This makes things less complicated, Michael. Kill her, and we will begin to attack Elena."
Michael stepped forward, gripped his sword tightly, and rammed it into Tisha's stomach; without hesitation. She hunched over as the pain swelled through her body. She gripped Michael's sword hand as she gasped from the shock of it all. Tears flowed from her eyes as she gazed into Michael's face. Her hands reached up and she touched Michael's chin. She began to recall his loving smile, how he played with her when she was young and his stern household orders. Michael had always favored the master's wishes, and Tisha never dreamed it possible that he would go this far. Yet a part of her felt slightly stupid for thinking she could convince him otherwise. Though Michael had always showed love for his family, he never questioned anything the Grandmaster had ordered him to do.
Tisha opened her mouth and blood rolled from her lips as she spoke, "You took everything from me… and now … I will take everything from you." Blood began to roll down the blade as Tisha placed her hand to Michael's chest.
She slowly looked toward the master, and sadistically smiled. "Elena does not have the Key." The Grandmaster looked at her sternly and leaned closer to Tisha's dieing form. "I took it … I hid it. And now … we are all … free. Its location … will be lost… with me." Tisha's head slumped forward and her last breath escaped her mouth.
"No." The Grandmaster shook Tisha violently. "No! Where is it? Where did you put?"
Michael spoke as he pulled his blade out of Tisha, "She must be lying. Elena would never part with it. Her duty is to guard it."
The Grandmaster dropped Tisha and let her fall to the ground. "She has no reason to lie. She's too cunning for that. No, she hid it, and somehow Elena doesn't know."
- - - - - - - -
Elena dropped to one knee and breathed deeply. She had been swinging her blade constantly for several minutes and it was begging to tax her, and even though she could fight on, she took a moment to rest. The Watchmen were regrouping, and after seeing five hundred of their kin die, they were finally thinking of another attack plan. They kept their distance, knowing that even in her weakened state Elena was deadly. After several deep breaths Elena stood tall and flung the blood from her sword.
She turned slowly to see who would attack first, but a group of the Watchmen parted and ten men stepped through. These men wore red bands upon their arms, most likely symbolizing something, but Elena paid closer attention to who was following them.
The Grandmaster stepped forward from behind the men with arm bands, and behind the master walked her guard. In the bodyguard's arms was a small girl, a familiar girl, and she was clearly dead.
"Tisha …" Elena muttered softly as she watched the man place Tisha's corpse upon the blood stained ground. Her body was limp and lifeless.
Michael stepped away from the body and looked to Elena, "Before we continue Reclaimer, I must ask you something. Do you have the Luminous Key?"
"Why would I answer?" Elena snarled, her voice muffled and echoed by her mask.
"Because my sister, whom I have slain, says that she hid it."
"Your sister? Michael? You're Michael? You … killed your only living sibling?"
"Her life and death belongs to the Gods and the Empire. She was against us, and therefore …"
"You killed your sister!" Elena screamed. "She was your … family! Damn it!"
Michael huffed and continued. "She was against us, and therefore she had to die."
"It'll never end." Elena muttered. "This cycle of life and death, hatred and betrayal; it will never end."
The Grandmaster voiced, "Yes Elena, for there is those who will always do the opposite of others. Call it what you will, but humanity will always be divided. Only when a greater power reveals itself shall we understand the true meaning of unity. However, you can end this now Elena. Lay down your sword and walk away. You no longer have the Key, and we have no need to fight you. You are the last of those that wish to guard the Ark, and the only opposition left."
Elena stood firm and tightened her grip on her sword hilt. "My mother and father fought against each other for you. My father was killed by his brother for you. Tisha died because of you. I can end it." Elena began to unbutton the top of her suit and pulled up the necklace. She held it in her hand and looked at it closely. It was indeed different. Tisha must have slipped it of off her during one of the times that she had groped her. Elena chuckled. It was a crystal, carved and shaped just like the Luminous Key, but the glow and sparkle was not there.
Elena began to laugh out loud. "You think that I will let you decide the fate of humanity. Brothers against brothers, mothers against children, and families torn apart for your legacy! I will end this, Grandmaster." Elena dropped the fake crystal and resealed her suit. "I will kill, until all of the evil is gone!"
Michael and the men wearing the arm bands drew their swords and patiently waited, "Honor Guards remember what I've told you. If we fail, the master will die!"
Elena showed no restraint, not even at the words 'Honor Guards'. She charged the eleven men and unleashed everything she had upon them.
Coming soon; "The End of a Legacy"