The Goliathus Chronicles
Chapter 26- Dreams of Dark Mages
/
The squeak of a chair's metal legs was the only sound echoing in the Atrium. Julie, still crouched under a desk, had peeked out just enough to see all the chaos that had transpired. The last thing she saw was Ami and Goliathus gathering weapons and quickly leaving.
Now she took a deep breath as she realized she was, for the moment, safe. However, she still trembled all over, knowing the danger all of her friends were facing. There had to be something she could do to help them. Slowly she crawled out and sat on the chair, thinking intently while blinking her big brown eyes. Then, the thought struck her.
Jezelle! I bet she can help...Ami goes on about what an amazing gift that woman has. Maybe she has had other dreams and can give me some advice on what can be done...I have a bad feeling that those two don't realize the tricks that Marcus is capable of...
Julie walked over to a closet, grabbed a coat, and quickly walked outside, heading for her black Jetta.
/
Starcrow's leading flight seemed endless. Navius was in such pain she could barely fly anymore, but somehow she kept going on sheer willpower alone. At some point, Solarus had started to fall, but since Navi was so tired she could no longer hold him up effectively. Eventually, Starcrow once again eerily started to glow, as he seemed to be using some kind of magic, and Solarus said it was like somebody was holding him up, even though there was nothing but air around him.
Not long, not long. Too much energy. Cannot use too long. Caw.
Starcrow? How much father do we have to go? We have to eat soon...
Not far, Navi. Go to labyrinth, yes?
Navi blinked, her face crinkling in confusion. Labyrinth?
She wondered where Dinarius was. Had he given up, gone back after momma? Or was he just trailing them, waiting to strike? She looked over her shoulder, but saw nothing but blackness and some glittering stars above.
/
The black Jetta sped down Route 9 at a dangerously fast speed, but truth be told, Julie didn't care. She knew full well that time was off the essence. Finally, she spotted the little home of the old woman around the next bend. It was a quaint, Victorian-style house that looked old and worn, with a few dried up gardens in the front. Julie pulled into the gravel driveway and quickly got out of the car, heading for the door, she knocked, but no one answered. Looking back at the driveway she did see Jezelle's car, and old boat of a Lincoln Towncar, but it seemed it hadn't been used in a very long time. Sighing, Julie called again, but still answer.
Then, she heard something, and pressed her ear against the door. It was the sound of a radio playing...no, a record player..she could tell from the tinny sound. Julie tried the handle, the door was unlocked. Quietly she walked in, hoping not too startle the old lady if she was in the bathroom or something.
"Ms. Hartman? Are you in here?"
There was a creak of something that sounded much like a rocking chair and the music stopped.
"Yes...child. You come on in over here to my livin' room. I knew you'd come."
Julie sighed in relief, rubbing her hands together to try and quell some of her unease. It wasn't Jezelle at all that made her nervous, it was the whole situation at hand.
"Thank you, Ms. Hartman."
As she walked in towards the left, she saw Jezelle rocking back and forth on her chair, looking right in her direction.
"Now, now none of that 'Ms. Hartman' business. You just go on and call me Jezelle. Have a seat on that couch in front of me."
Julie sat on a worn, brown leather couch and smiled at her, but there was obvious worry written all over her features.
Jezelle had a calm but intent look on her own face.
"Jezelle...you said you know why I'm here?"
"Hmmm." She nodded, and picked up a mug of coffee next to her, sipping at it for a while and gazing out the window to her left. "Darn flower beds, always drying up on me. Guess I'm not much of a gardener. You want some coffee, Ms. Tamson?"
Julie's eyes widened. She had never told this woman her last name.
"Uhm...yes, nice and strong, black with-"
"-no sugar. Yes I know." Jezelle got up with a warm smile, and headed to the kitchen.
Julie watched her, amazed.
This woman is the real deal, a bonified psychic. How many of those actually exist? You'd never see her on television or reading people's palms at carnivals.
In a few minutes Jezelle was back, and handed her the warm mug.
Julie sniffed the rich brew, closed her eyes and grinned.
"Thanks, I need this."
"No problem, my dear. Now, what you want ta' ask me?"
After a few more sips, she looked the old woman right into her eyes, trying to keep herself composed.
"Goliathus and Ami they...they've gone after this other heradus, Dinarius. Seems the demon's got 'em. But then there's Marcus-"
"Yes Marcus Valiant. One would never have even known he existed had Goliathus not come back to his true self. Humans would have continued to die by his hand regardless...you know half the missing posters in this county are because of those vampires? " Jezelle sighed, looking down at the floor. "The world is so naive, Julie. If only they knew half the things that exist, or had existed, they would wonder what kind of planet they really were on."
Julie could only nod. "I guess I'm one of the lucky few who knows some of those things, with what I've seen. Or maybe it's that I'm unlucky..."
"Well, that's all a matter of perspective, isn't it? Sometimes these dreams of mine really do help people. And sometimes, no matter how hard I try, people end up dead anyway." Tears starting to brim in the old black woman's eyes, and Julie frowned.
"You still blame yourself over Darry? Jezelle, what could you have done about it?"
The psychic grabbed a tissue off of the small lamp table beside her, dappled her eyes and suddenly it was like she never cried at all. She didn't answer the question.
"Now Miss Julie you listen well, to what I'm gonna tell you. I realized something just a few days ago, when I had an incredible dream like none other."
"Yeah, what was it?" Julie didn't even notice that she was leaning forward.
"I saw a circle of ten men, all wearing mysterious dark robes with silver emblems. They stood around a table with a woman on it, and the woman was me."
Julie blinked, perplexed. "What...what does that mean?"
"I didn't know at first, but I looked up at one in particular, who stood out from the rest. He had eyes like blazing silver mixed with blue, and a large raven perched on his shoulder, with a star on its head."
Starcrow?
"Yes, Starcrow..." Jezelle said before Julie could even open her mouth. "...the animal familiar that Goliathus had chosen. But see that wasn't the purpose of the dream. The purpose was so that he could talk to me...this man named Maniel...a Dark Mage."
Julie nodded. "Gollie's spoken of him. This man was supposed to be his father, in a sense."
"Oh he was his father Julie. And he said that he chose me, to be a guardian to his son's children, especially Navius."
The other woman remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"I do know now that it's important, and that it certainly is the intent of the Mages that the heradus race is reborn, so that the vampires can finally be erased from this world. But the first part of my mission is to tell you how to stop Marcus once and for all, and how to cure Dinarius of the demon's effects."
Julie waited, sitting tense on the old couch and eyes as intent as a little child listening to an amazing book being read to her.
"All I know is...there is some kind of talisman Goliathus should be wearing. Maniel showed it to me, it was on a large heavy chain, and the talisman was in the image of Starcrow, all shiny like black lacquer with a ruby for the eye and a diamond for the star. This object though...it has many spells on it, spells that took the Circle of Dark Mages years and years to complete. It was how they forged the Ring of Dark Fire, and it has connections to Starcrow most of all, of course, since he's the leader. But if Goliathus has this talisman, and Starcrow and the other birds with him, it will unleash their full potential. And also, it will allow him to communicate with the spirits of the Mages." Jezelle paused, sipping her coffee and going silent for several minutes. Julie could have screamed for her to continue when finally she started speaking again in her soft, southern accent.
"Dark Fire Julie is powerful, powerful stuff. It can wipe out several vampires at once if unleashed correctly."
"But what is Dark Fire, exactly?"
"Well it's fire that has been empowered by pure dark magic. Vampires don't like fire, it can harm them, even if temporary. But Dark Fire...they have little power against it. It will burn them clean to ashes in a second at its full potential."
"Wow, that's amazing-"
"But it comes at great sacrifice, as Maniel told me. He died trying to complete the talisman, so great was the drain on his own energy, and many of his colleagues died too."
"Oh...my gawd..." Julie put a hand over her mouth.
"Hmm. You see, child, Maniel was one very powerful man. The Dark Mages were a rare breed of warlocks who used their powers for good. But Dark Magic is a very risky force, and is more easily used for evil. You try and change that, it sucks the life right out of you. There was only so much that Maniel could do to protect himself, and eventually, he succumbed to its demands. But in the end, he succeeded, and created that talisman and completed the Ring. Unfortunately, he never did get to give it to Goliathus."
Julie nodded, eyes moist and nodding. "Because those cruel humans took him away and tortured him."
"Yes..." Jezelle finished her coffee, and got up from her chair, sitting next to her on the couch.
"Julie, use your mind and contact Goliathus. You can tell him all that I told you because you will surely die if you try and go after them. You must stay here and help them by relaying information."
"But why can't you do it, Jezelle?"
"Because I'm too old, and I don't have the stamina for it. These dreams the Mages are giving me might just be the last I will ever have before I lose the gift entirely."
Julie wondered, if this was considered a bad thing, or a release from a burden.
"All right Jezelle, I can try...but it's never worked for me."
"I'll help you, child. I'll sit right here. Now, you go on and start trying. There's little time."
/
Navius and Solarus continued to follow Starcrow for what seemed like endless miles. Finally, the neared what looked like a simple forest clearing and the raven quickly swooped down towards it.
Navius wanted to scream for joy, they were finally landing. Solarus looked over at her and grinned, the feeling obviously mutual.
Once they were upon the damp earth, Starcrow, standing on his little black feet in the dead center, looked up at them, tilting his head to the left and right. Navius fell on the ground and literally kissed the damp earth.
"Well? What happens now?"
Give me time! Spell. Door.
Navi arched a brow, stood up and folded her arms. "Didn't you say there was a labyrinth here? I don't see anything."
Solarus looked around for a while, rubbing his aching shoulders. He sat down Indian style near Starcrow, patting him on his feathery head.
The raven poofed up, making little caws out loud.
The young heradus chuckled, but still looked around nervously.
You've got to hurry, Starcrow, before Dinarius finds us. I don't even know how he managed to fall behind considering how slow we were going!
The mental voice was Navius, clutching her elbows and eying the sky constantly.
Slow? No...teleport, teleport. Far, far away.
Solarus looked over at his sister and shrugged. I don't remember teleporting...
Neither do I...
They looked back at the bird, who finally started glowing, and fiercely. As he did, several of his glossy black feathers fell, slowly drifting to the ground.
Arrows.
Navius reached down, picking up the feathers. You want me to use these on my arrows?
Caaaw.
She shrugged, but starting to look around on the forest floor for something to tie the feathers on with.
Meanwile, Starcrow continued to glow, and suddenly the ground rumbled, clearing away several inches of dirt. The raven then fell over, as if dead, but he was panting.
"You ok, little bird?" Solarus plucked him up and noticed something metal right below him.
"Hey, Navi, look at this!"
Navi turned, having found some pieces of straw that would make halfway decent ties for the feathers.
"What?"
"It looks like there's some kind of door here! Help me lift it."
Together the two of them pulled on a large metal ring, and struggled, but it barely moved.
"I...I'm too tired..."
"Me too. So hungry. I bet if we ate something, we'd have a lot more strength, then we could open this thing."
Solarus looked around, sniffing the air. "I do smell something...is it deer?"
"Hm, I don't know..." Navi sniffed the air too. "But I guess we better go find out. You seem to have a better nose than me, Sollie, so lead the way."
He grinned pridefully at that remark, and led the way towards the scent, deeper into the forest, and with Starcrow nestled under his arm.
/
Dinarius was crouched in the woods, only yards away, and intently watching the kids like a wild jaguar ready to pounce while he waited for his next command. Nearby a terrifying form, hovering a few feet above the ground, was next to him, its red eyes giving off an eerie glow in the night as black tendrils like writhing snakes moved all about its body.
"Drakkon.." another form whispered. "Now don't go getting too anxious."
"Marcusss..." it hissed, the grin on its horrid face unnaturally wide. "...thossse children will lead usss straight into the Dark Magesss secretsss..."
"Well, we're counting on that anyway. And from the look of things, that blasted raven is getting weaker. You should be able to deal with him easily." He gave a chuckle. "Good job on copying those teleportation spells, by the way."
A pleasured hiss was the response. Marcus only shivered, he truly hated those damned Shadows. But if he was going to become the most powerful vampire around, he had little choice but to use their help in this situation.
After that...he might just try and eliminate them, as well.
/
Over here, over here! Solarus gave a little happy jump as they came over a small grassy knoll. There were deer in a small herd, mostly does with fawns, and one big buck watching over them. The children were upwind, but the animals could smell nothing unusual, as they carried no scent that would identify them as a threat. They continued grazing, oblivious.
Aw man, I am SO getting the liver.
Navi elbowed him. Let's catch one first. And we won't bother chasing them, we wouldn't get three yards since we're so tired. She took the quiver off her shoulder.
See? Those arrows are already gonna come in handy.
Navi rolled her eyes and lined up her first arrow, stretching back on the string of the bow. Poised in a perfect, graceful maneuver she let it fly after a moment of concentration, and the arrow almost soundlessly whipped through the air. There was a slight glow from the feather attached and the arrow seemed to be following a straight course as if on a string. The arrow struck a doe deep in her neck, and the animal only managed one startled grunt as she collapsed.
The other deer could still see nothing, but the scent of fresh blood caused them to scatter instantly, and they quickly disappeared. A tiny fawn lingered nearby, instinctively staying by its mother's side.
Wow. Good one, sis.
Navi blinked, pulling another out and examing it. Did you see it? The feather glowed!
Well duh, it came off of Starcrow, didn't it? He patted the bird again who was still under the crook of his arm, and the raven once again poofed out happily.
He hee. I think he likes you, Solarus.
Well, he's awesome. I hope daddy will let us keep him, like a pet.
Pet? Pet! Starcrow squawked, indignant.
Navi laughed softly, and hurried towards the deer and fawn, with Solarus close on her eyes. They quickly set to work tearing open the animals and squabbling over the organs, all the while giving little bits to their new avian friend, who greedily gobbled them down.
All the while, three sets of eyes continued to watch their every move.
/
Can you pick up their scent? Ami was clutched tightly to Goliathus as he winged through the air.
I smell Navi's shampoo. And Solarus, he always smells like liver.
Ami giggled. That's our children all right. One's the neat freak, the other has sweet dreams of organ meats. What ever happened to sugar plums?
A snort. Sugar plums? What awful kind of concoction is that, may I ask?
Ami's giggling turned into a chuckle despite herself. Uhm, never mind. Just hurry and find them...she gripped her shotgun a little tighter, though she wondered if this weapon would do much good in the long run.
Starcrow's energy, it was odd...weaker, and now stronger again. I have tried to contact him, but he must be far away, he does not answer, nor do the children.
He must have used a spell. What if you lose the scent? Ami stiffened a little, worried.
I still sense them...regardless...they have headed south. I will keep going until I find them. There is something that is pulling me, as I knew once...long ago...that something important is past those mountains.
Ami looked out ahead and could only see the barest silhouette of those mountain tops. It seemed very far off.
Goliathus...
Yes?
You need to teleport. You've done it before.
He blinked, thinking. I do not know how I managed it before, I was very worried about you, and angry.
So you managed do to it out of raw emotion.
Yes, perhaps.
Then I need to make you mad.
He looked down at her. Why would I be mad at you?
No, think about something that would make you mad. Like a Shadow vampire, grabbing your daughter.
He growled a little. To even touch her? I would tear its arm off.
Yeah, me too. And then imagine if it grabbed Solarus too.
He snarled now, the images playing out in his mind as Ami knew they would. She of course hated to do this, she didn't want to think of such things either. But she had to get Goliathus to teleport, or they might never find them in time.
And then it took our children to an underground prison...much like yours...
His eyes widened, and his breathing quickened.
And they decided that perhaps they would do to your kids exactly as the members of the church did to you..and for three hundred and sixty five days...tortured them...
Goliathus screamed out his unearthly wail, his anger flaring and burst forward in a surge of speed.
Oh, by the gods, but to even think that would be the fate his children could suffer!
He flapped his wings, harder and harder, as the wind whistled sharply and almost painfully in Ami's ears.
Then, in a blinding flash, the sky warped around them.
/
End of Chapter 26.
Whoa! I had one hell of a brainstorm today! This is only a small part of what is to come and I've even got several parts of the third story played out in my head. Please continue those kind reviews, I adore them so and they keep me writing! :)