The Goliathus Chronicles

Chapter 30- The Reawakening

/

The voices were faint at first, sounding as if they were coming from miles and miles away. Darkness swirled and made the world spin, then there was pain, incredible pain, followed soon after by a strange electric and warm sensation flowing through his chest.

A beat, then two. The voice became clearer. "Dinarius! Wake up! Wake up, please!"

Was that Ami? He took a deep breath, smelled the air. It was a strange mixture of magic, human, and avian. But he could make out that one scent that he knew well and had craved with great desire once before.

It was Ami. And for her, he would do anything. If she wanted him to wake up well then of course he would.

Where am I? Dinarius asked mentally as he opened his eyes, his mouth too dry to speak. His gaze fell upon Ami first, hovering over him with tears in her eyes. She looked sweaty, pale, and exhausted, but when she noticed him waking up, a smile of utter relief spread across her delicate face.

Oh Dinarius! You're back to us at last. She reached to stroke his face with cool fingers. Goliathus came up from behind her, peering down at him, not so much with relief in those hard, calculating eyes. Dinarius noticed the flash of angry teeth, felt the low growl, which Ami would not be able to register in her human ears. But the pang of jealousy he felt from the other faded quickly, and that's when Dinarius noticed the dark talisman, glowing faintly in response to that emotion, and sweeping it away.

Maniel...

"How are you feeling, Dinarius? The demon is gone, right?"

Ami's voice brought him back from his mind, and he grinned at her. "Yeah...I think so. But there's a new, foreign heartbeat in there." He put a clawed hand to his chest. "There were all kinds of odd sensations, what on earth happened?" He cautiously sat up, and noticing he felt rather fine, slowly got to his feet, towering over Ami...a fact she seemed to notice now. Had he grown without her realizing?

"It's a long story, Dinarius..." she frowned, remembering well the terrifying frenzy he had been in only earlier that day. "But you were asleep, for ten years, and the demon-"

It was like a large stone had slammed into Dinarius, he stumbled back a few steps, suddenly overwhelmed with grief as her words triggered the memories in a rush. "Ten years...oh gods...to sleep...to sleep means I killed humans! I thought it was a dream, a horrible nightmare...but the voice! That voice! I couldn't ignore it, I tried so hard..." he was rambling now, feeling his knees go weak and grabbing for one of the chairs that he slowly sank down into. "...I tried so hard and then I knew...I knew all the pain Goliathus had felt, the shame, the anguish...what it means to feel like a true monster!" He was trembling now, in such gripping, strong waves of emotion that Ami had never seen him express. She looked over at Goliathus helplessly, unsure what to do, and he gave her a slight nod, as if to say she did know what to do, she had done it before and it was a part of her that made her who she was.
But before Ami could act, she saw her daughter Navius get up from the chair she had been glued to, and slowly make her way over to the much larger heradus. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and sat next to him on the edge of the chair.

Blinking Dinarius met her eyes and was amazed...it really had been ten years. The little lady that sat next to him was no longer an infant, she had grown, and her deep blue eyes mesmorized him. Her long brown hair, falling over her shoulders in gentle waves reminded him so much of her mother. He noticed the quiver strapped to her shoulder then, empty of arrows, but the designs on it were clearly the work of her father.

So she became an archer? How fitting...

He wanted to say something then and tell her, tell her she was beautiful as her mother, but she spoke first, her voice soft and small, but speaking volumes of compassion. So much like her...

"You're Uncle Dinarius." She said out loud, smiling then. "Momma talked about you a lot. She was always worried about you."

Uncle Dinarius? "Was she?" He glanced over at Ami a moment, who gave another warm smile.

"Look at you Navi...you've become a fine little lady, haven't you?" He frowned slightly. "And because of me you had to do a very hard thing."

"Oh...the arrow...yeah." She looked down at the floor a moment, then over to Starcrow, still perched on the shelf with his back to them. He had gone so quiet one might think he was a mere stuffed decoration.

"It was hard, but I had to do it. I know I did. Starcrow helped me, and Maniel said it was the only way to cure you, to make the demon go away. I'm glad you're back though. I was only a little baby back then but I do remember you. More...more feelings than memories...feelings of being safe when you were around." She smiled at him again. "We all forgive you. It's not your fault what happened."

She's right, Dinarius. None of us blame you. We're all just glad to have you back. Ami added, attempting to give her own assurance.

He looked at Goliathus, wondering if he felt the same, but when me met eyes with the other heradus he could sense that he did. We must restore your Ring, Dinarius. Time is running short. Marcus and Drakkon, it is my goal to destroy them, and surely I could use your help.

Ring? His eyes widened, suddenly reaching behind his back. Puvo, where is Puvo? Did he go back to the cave?

Puvo he...well. Drakkon got him, he is back at the castle, where they imprisoned you. We must go back to that castle, and find his remains.

Remains? They killed him? Dinarius felt the sadness well up within him but fought it back fiercely, trying to keep his composure. Oh but how he had failed...utterly and miserably failed. He thought back to the castle dungeon, tried to remember what Goliathus was talking about. He did remember the smell...the terrible odor which he knew now must be the human blood and the demon's essence...the trough...the human body parts bobbing around in it, the fear, the pain...and...Puvo...biting Drakkon's fingers with fierce determination and shrieking his high pitched call as the vampire laughed...squeezing his small body and draining the energy out of him. Puvo. He was loyal and had stayed by his master's side since the day he was created.

He couldn't even protect a bat let alone a human girl. Why would Navi believe in him? Why would any of them?

"We'll get him back, don't worry Uncle Dinarius. Starcrow was sick too, but grandpa helped us, and told us we could make him better. We're gonna find Puvo, and bring the Ring of the Dark Moon back...and then you and dad'll kill those ugly Shadow vampires once and for all!"

Dinarius finally noticed there was yet another individual in the room. He blinked in utter surprise at another child walking up to him as he spoke, instantly noticing the fiery orange eyes and the white hair that was much the same as Goliathus. This little one was shorter than his sister, and had small, half-grown wings wrapped tightly around his frame. The way he spoke with such confidence drove that emotion right into Dinarius, whether he wanted it there or not.

"Who...who are you?" he asked quietly, still surprised by his very existence.

"I'm Solarus!" he said proudly, flashing an impish grin and looking over at his sister, who just smirked.

"He's my impossible and annoying little brother." Navius stated. "But I love him anyway."

Ami laughed, and for a moment there was a much needed moment of respite that flowed through them all.

Dinarius looked over at Goliathus, staring for a few moments. What is with you? I need to know how you do this, defying all laws of nature and doing what you do.

Goliathus grinned slightly, giving only a shrug of his shoulders.

Ami laughed again, but quickly enough she grew serious once more, letting her urgency be felt strongly to the both of them. Look the reunions are wonderful, but we've really got to get out of here. We'll explain more to you later Dinarius, I promise. For now, I've got to get the kids back to safety, and then we have to restore your Ring. You're up to this, right? I mean, you're well again, for certain?

Ami's slight doubt didn't surprise Dinarius at all...he felt great doubt within himself. But he sighed, taking a deep breath and knowing that he had to get back to the situation at hand...to put aside all the sadness and regret for what he had done and get back into action.

Yes, yes Ami...I'm fine. Let's get out of here.

That was all they needed, Goliathus leapt into action first and grabbed a startled Starcrow from the shelf, perching him on his shoulder.

Be mad at me later, my friend. For now, please...we need your help.

Caw. Starcrow puffed and truly looked angry, but he dug his little talons deeply into his shoulder. Starcrow ready. Go.

Good, good. He looked over at the other crows, still on the table. All of you go, outside...join with the rest of the Ring and then follow us. You will listen to Dinarius too, should he need your assistance.

The corvids did not hesitate for a second, cawing in their excitement and gathering into a cloud of flapping wings as they headed out the door and out of the labyrinth Their loud caws increased as they flew to join the others of their clan.

For a moment, the group hesitated at the door, peering down the dank and stony pathway, expecting to see Drakkon slithering about and waiting for them. But Goliathus could smell nothing, and was certain the vampires were not in the Labyrinth.

Finally, Ami, we are leaving this place. He took her gently into her arms, holding her close. You are all right?

Hm, well..I feel about ready to faint but yes...let's hurry back home.

Goliathus nodded and ran down the pathway as fast as he could go, then flew out of the entrace. Dinarius followed close behind carrying Solarus who was looking back at his sister. She hesitated for a moment, but he noticed the determination on her face as she fought her anxiety and quickly swept into the air after them.

/

Jezelle held Patricia close as if she were her grandmother, patting her back and doing all she could to comfort her. No matter how strong one could be, something such as what this woman witnessed and all she had been through was certainly no easy task to endure. But even as this woman cried on her shoulder, she could sense this important chapter closing in her life. She had that ability now to move on, to heal a piece of her shattered heart.

But that was just Darry.

There was still Goliathus...and she could sense him coming near.

Oh, child. What will we do when he gets here?

"Sorry Jez, I'm messing up your shirt." Trisha pulled herself away, wiping the tears from her face. "I...I want to thank you, though. Just for being there. I needed that." She turned to Julie too, giving her a nod, which won her a smile.

"I hardly know you but I like you already." She said warmly, and handed her the bottle of vodka she had nearly finished off. "You want the rest of this?"

Trisha chuckled, gratefully accepting it but raising an eyebrow at her. "I bet I could drink you under the table. We should try that sometime."

They laughed for a minute, and Jezelle was glad to see that Trisha somehow was keeping her sanity. But that nagging fear of what would happen when the heradus got here worried her deeply. No matter how kind Goliathus could be now, he was still a frightening sight, and he also had the difficult task before him of seeking her forgiveness.

Even Jezelle wasn't so sure that was possible...no matter how hard Darry had pleaded with her.

Jezelle.

The deep raspy voice sent a shock through the psychic, it couldn't be helped. Goliathus. That you?

Yes. I am bringing the children to you. Starcrow and the Ring of Dark Fire will wait outside, surrounding the perimeter and keeping an eye out for the vampires. We will regroup at the Facility for a time, but our goal is to get the other Ring restored.

You spoke to Maniel? Heaven's sake...sometimes I think my dreams are just that...dreams...and then the reality hits me all over again.

I did. I have forgiven my father. Why are you so anxious?

Jezelle paused, wondering what he meant, and then she remembered his incredible empathic ability. Even from afar, he was picking up on her worry. It's...it's Patricia Jenner. She's here. Her brother came and said goodbye to her. It's your turn now, Goliathus, and you will have a difficult time of it. Please do your best to understand her, she is still terrified of you, and the memories haunt her just like your torture haunts you. You've got to somehow gain her confidence, and I don't know how you're gonna do it.

There was a long moment of silence, and she knew her words had hit hard. Her brother...Darry is gone?

Yes Goliathus. He is. Trisha had to let him go, and you will too.

/

A couple of hours later they arrived. Trisha was still in the session room with Julie, and didn't notice, but Jezelle hurried to greet them and watched them as they entered through the broken roof. As Dinarius soared down with them she realized this was the first time she had met this other heradus, tall, slim, and sizing her up with intense blue eyes. But he had an impossibly kind face, and a nature about him that spoke volumes of difference in comparison to Goliathus. Although at the moment, that kindness was marred by infinite levels of sadness.

"Nana!" Navius ran to her as soon as her feet touched the floor and gave her a tight hug, surprising the psychic, but she smiled warmly and knelt down to her.

"So you're little Navius, are you? Well, not so little anymore. It's nice to meet you. And this little one, your brother, isn't he precious?" She gave him a hug too, which he gladly accepted, but she was surprised at her own words. It was hard not to instantly adore them, despite the fact they were only half human.

She felt the strong urge to protect them, and wondered if that was Maniel's influence, or a true part of herself.

Dinarius came over to her, sniffing her, curious. "The pyshic. So you're a protector, huh?"

Jezelle knew there was more in that statement then just words. "I am, just as you, I suppose. Now listen, you need to be careful of Trisha too...I'm worried it just might be too hard for her to deal with right now."

Dinarius thought on that, then nodded slightly. "You want me to stay out of sight?"

"For the time being...you understand, don't you?"

He sratched the back of his neck, hating how it felt so empty back there. "Yeah, yeah I understand." He merely walked away, into his old room, and shut the door.

Jezelle sighed, and stood her ground as Goliathus approached her. He smelled her too, in a manner that was all too familiar and still caused the fear to surge.

He grinned though, and tapped her shoulder as he walked past her. You still smell bad.

/

Ami had gone back to the room where Julie was still chatting with Trisha, the two becoming fast friends. She hated to have to interrupt, but this was as important as it was difficult.

As she came in through the doorway Trisha noticed her first, slowly putting down her glass on the coffee table before her.

Suddenly, even Ami could even sense the increasing fear in the other's psyche.

"You...you must be Ami." Which means that monster is here...he's here...

"Yes, I am. I'm glad to meet you, Trisha. Look, why don't we talk, and-"

"He's here, right?" She blurted out, her eyes dancing about wildly as expecting to hear him roar out and come at her any second. "That monster is here? That thing?"

Ami felt a rush of anger but she quelled it. She had to, in order to help the emotionally unstable woman before her.

"His name is Goliathus," she stated evenly, folding her hands neatly in her lap after sitting down across from her. "And he's not a monster, he's a heradus."

"What's the difference?" Trisha countered, her eyes now locked on Ami. "He's not human. He's a monstrous killer. You know what my brother told me, right? How he saw those bodies in the church, strung up on the walls like some horrific version of the Sistine Chapel. A monster does that, Ami. A monster!" She caught the rise in her voice,and shut her eyes quickly, calming herself. "Forgive me, but...you have to see it like I do. Say it like it is."

Ami didn't respond for a long time, as she regarded the other. Julie had remained silent, watching their encounter with strained hope...hope that was beginning to faulter.

"Goliathus did those things, yes...but it was the influence of a demon. Jezelle told you all of this right? And your brother...he wouldn't lie to you. I know it's hard, Trisha...and you want to blame him for everything. But whether you want to believe it or not, Goliathus has deep regret for what happened to your brother...and for many other victims. It was only recently, not so long ago, that he realized what was going on with him. He was blinded by pain and rage...and by memories of a horrible torture that you could not even fathom. Whatever pain you are feeling...that hurt you just want to go away..." she leaned in closer, nearing Trisha's face and staring her down, "...multiply that by three hundred and sixty five days. And then you tell me if you still think he's a monster. After all...humans did that to him. Humans."

Trisha drew back, eyes narrowing, but despite her inner fury she could not deny the story saddened her. But how could she ever forgive that bastard? How? Her hatred clung to her like an emotional barrier, one that was just too high for her to climb over.

"I don't know. I don't know, Miss Ami Quinton. I look at you and I know you're a good person...you managed to do what you do and supposedly change his ways, so at least other people aren't dying. But then I look at you, and I wonder...I wonder just how anyone could go so far as to fall in love with a monstrosity such as that. It's like saying a deer fell in love with a lion. It defies all the laws of nature on so many wrong levels...and all along, you know what he does...even if he's not killing humans...he's out there killing vampires, tearing their organs out, feasting on them...and you, you are in love with that?" She paused a long moment, before spitting out her next statement like a hissing snake. "It sickens me, to even think of it."

Julie felt increasingly uncomfortable in that room then, the tension in the room so thick between those two it could be sliced with a knife. Jezelle and Darry had to be wrong. It would be far easier to take out Drakkon then to get Patricia Jenner to forgive her brother's killer.

Meanwhile, with only a wall between them, Goliathus was listening, and the words were stabbing him like daggers. Jezelle had gone to the kitchen with the children to get them fed, and also in an attempt to not overwhelm Trisha with the sight of them all at once.

But she had yet to even confront him and her fear was so strong it was drowning out much else. Fear...and utter hatred. It was painfully similar to the ones who tortured him, they had flooded his senses with that hatred, and despite his attempts to drown it out, he had slowly soaked it up like a sponge until it had blackened his own heart.

Now, he fought to resist the feeling to hate her right back. After all, Jezelle had told Trisha the whole story, and despite knowing all he had suffered and endured, she still blamed him. It made him angry, and he clenched his fist hard enough to draw his own blood.

Try to understand her, Goliathus. Ami's words from before entered his brain, and he huffed.

It would be very difficult indeed.

For the both of them.

/

End of Chapter 30.