Ch. 22-The Darkest Night

Night had fallen upon Riddle manor, and the dim light within the dining room gave a picture to the treacherous scene within. Laid upon the long table used for meetings of the Death Eaters, was a beautiful girl in gleaming green lingerie embroidered with emeralds; around her coiled a snake, slithering around the magnificent bodice. Round the table stood several of the Dark Lords followers, and at the end was Lord Voldemort himself. Burning stubs of candles illuminate the gorgeous body of the maiden about to be slain. In humble obedience the servants remain still, their individual masks proclaiming a vicious masquerade as they watch their master raise a knife above his head ready to plunge into the perfect feminine form. The blade at its peak, then a flash.

All those in the room look out the windows, seeing a purple flash, again, and again piercing through the black night. The Dark Lord comes to the window watching the bright pulse; in frustration he throws down the dagger, the sacrifice lay motionless in a trance. They file one by one out from the manor following Lord Voldemort, the lights from the home illuminating a slight silhouette of the small armada of dark wizards. From the distance they see the flashes continue to flood the black darkness. Suddenly they see a figure emerge in the distance. Walking purposefully towards them, it stops on a hill. The Dark Lord knows, he knows the enemy which stands before him. He sneers villainously; the servants draw their wands, at the ready to strike.

"Well, well! Shouts the Dark Lord. "Artemis Gridlock! Back again I see! Surely you realize your efforts are futile! I'd like to thank you for my newest weapon you were so gracious to retrieve for me!" From behind he pulled the gleaming sword of Salazar Slytherin, it shone with a powerful emerald glow. The wavy kriss blades point touching the ground, his hand perched threateningly on the handle's end.

"Release Adora and my son!" Artemis yelled through the night. "Or die!" As expected they laughed at his threat.

"Not even your fancy music tricks can do you good here!"

"Last chance Tom!"

"And whose going to kill all of us Artemis, you?" He said with a gloating taunt.

"Not me." Artemis said raising his wand to the sky. From it shot a soaring red flare. It pierced the sky and exploded with brilliant crimson light, where it remained in the air, shining red light upon the empty field between them. Silence, the Death Eaters stand stupefied, a small snicker breaks out from Tom, and the others follow suit. Voldemort seems to open his mouth to speak before he hears something. They all do, it is a drone, like a breathy roar multiplied over and over. Soon it gets louder and then even louder. Like the battle cry of an enormous army, comes flying overhead and running with immense speed. The horde comes like a charging armada fangs bared, thirsty for blood and power.

Tom is stunned, he looks to the charging force with horror and fear which he tries his best to hide.

"GET THEM! KILL THEM! ATTACK! KILL THEM!" Tom forces himself through the mass of his followers and like a coward barricades himself in the manor, yelling fearful orders as he scrambles for safety. The Death Eaters rush out onto the battlefield wands armed and ready. The two armies get closer and closer and then…the battle begins.

A flying vampire latches itself onto a Death Eater biting into his throat as he collapses to the ground, her mouth strewn with blood as she tears his neck apart. She roars and leaps to her next target. The Death Eaters conjuring wooden stakes that go flying through the air stabbing into their enemies, some missing and some hitting right in the heart. The vampires are deadly assassins grabbing a victim by the throat and throwing him with impressive force, going whizzing through the air and slamming into the walls of the mansion. The Death Eaters are outnumbered, yet still they put up a fight, summoning beams of sunlight and burning vampires to dust. Artemis charges into the crowd, throwing spells left and right. In his fury he is distracted by the surge of war, a Death Eater comes from behind knocking him to the ground; he stands over him ready to kill. A long ebony haired vampire comes from behind and grabs him by the neck and jerking to the side, a loud crack and he falls. The vampire extends his long nailed hand and pulls Artemis to his feet. Lord Dolosus nods to Artemis and he nods back, no words are needed in this time of carnage. Dolosus turns round and roars showing his fangs lurching toward his next enemy. The blood soaked vampires screech with crazed frenzy batting aside another Death Eater, fighting like true warriors. A vampire mistress flies in front of Artemis picking up a Death Eater in his path, carrying him up and up, higher and higher. Biting into his throat and letting him fall to his death. Artemis is fighting his way toward the house. His unlikely comrades gallantly battling with immense force. The Death Eaters scream in horror as they watch a fellow companion be ripped apart, then screech in pain as their own flesh is torn into. The battlefield roars with the frightening bellows of the vampires, soaked with red life. The Death Eaters fight on and on even though it is hopeless as their numbers dwindle. From behind the house come the treacherous reinforcements. A whole array of magical creatures come barreling from behind the manor: giants armed with massive clubs, the ghostly dementors soaring through the air, werewolves come charging howling into the moonlight. Still the vampires fight on.

A dozen of them leap upon a giant, biting, clawing, and tearing into his flesh. The irritated giant thrashes and grabs at the deadly creatures feasting upon him. The dementors battle in the air with the vampires. Stabbing their deadly claws into the vampires, of course there are no happy memories to steal, yet they still deliver a cold chill to the battle. The werewolves are the biggest problem, they easily bat aside one or two, then with their mighty arms throw a vampire into another. It takes several to take down just one. From on the roof appears the figure of Tom. A small horde of vampires leaps toward him soaring through the air. Grasping the sword he waves his wand, projecting a mighty wave of sunlight, annihilating them all. Lord Dolosus and Artemis both look to the sky, Dolosus looks to Artemis.

"GO!" The vampire Lord screams to Artemis then pulling his attention back to his latest victim. Artemis runs toward the mansion, seeing now why Tom wanted these killers away from his war, they were winning. The Death Eaters began to retreat to the house. Some turning and running in fear.

"GET BACK OUT THERE! GO! GO BACK YOU FOOLS!" Tom yells atop the roof, he and Artemis link eyes. And Artemis charges toward the house. Tom furious throws massive spells, immense powerful surges blasting into the ground. The Dark Lord yelling in rage frustrated by his failure, with a scream of anger he casts his wand to the sky.

"FLAMMIMBER!" The bright fiery charm ascends to the sky, and in a fashion most biblically terrifying, the sky began to rain large orbs of fire. They come crashing as deadly meteors from heaven smashing into the battlefield igniting vampires, blowing them aside. They dash to miss the raining death as Tom turns round disappearing from view. The Death Eaters run for their lives back to the manor, some near the back being picked off by a charging vampire, they cry out for help from their comrades who bolt to safety for their own lives. The remaining few barricade the door. As the vampires wage war with the rest of the magical creatures, some of them are banging on the door thrashing and scratching the door.

"MOVE!" Artemis yells, the vampires move aside. "PRIMORIS POLLEO!" The wand of Beethoven charged, and Artemis held on harder than he ever had with this spell. He finally released and the whole front of the house exploded into splinters and chunks of stone. Artemis was lifted of his feet thrown back landing flat on the ground. He pulls himself to his feet then runs toward the gaping entrance.

"Tria Metallum!" Three metal spheres erupted from Artemis' wand. He ran through the foyer. A Death Eater to his right, he flings his wand to him and the three metal balls zoom toward him piercing through his body like musket shots. Another to the left, a flick of the wand and he is down. The spheres float around Artemis ominously and lurch toward those who stand in his way. He runs through the house calling out Adora's name. Kicking doors open, and looking to see them empty, the next one, the three balls shred through it and, no one. The next kicked in, no one. Where is she? He kicks down the next and sees a Death Eater with his wand to her throat. Artemis has his wand pointed straight for him, too risky. He licks her neck, she in her underwear, so vulnerable, being pulled by his arm round her neck. He begins to say something.

"She's going..." THONK! The sound of a metal frying pan rings through the room and the Death Eater collapses and Adora runs to Artemis. Standing over the unconscious man is the house elf Dobby.

"Dobby?"

"Master Gridlock! So good to see you!" The house elf rushes forward and vivaciously shakes Artemis' hand. The collapsed Death Eater grumbles in pain, and immediately Dobby rushes back and bashes him once more on the head. "Go now Master Gridlock!"

"Where has he gone?" Artemis asked hurriedly of Adora.

"Amadeus." She says with breathy fear. Artemis pulls her along racing down the stairs, into the back store room, and sees the passage way under the stone has been blown away. He rushes down the stairs. What should have been a moment of happiness as Artemis saw his only son for the first time, he saw instead his boy standing in front of the Dark Lord, the sword of Slytherin against his throat.

"No please don't!" yelled Adora.

"He's not the one you want Tom, take me." Voldemort sneered.

"As if I could be bought so easily." CRACK! And he disapparated with Amadeus.

"NO!" Adora collapsed in pain and tears.

"Where did he take him?" He shook Adora through her anguish. "Adora! Where did he take him?"

"I...I don't know...he...he." In shock and panic she stumbled over her words. "He had said that if...anything...uh ever went wrong. They would go to Malfoy Manor."

"Alright...let's get you some clothes. Go upstairs and throw something on quickly. Go!" Adora ran up the stairs. Artemis pulled from his pocket her emerald heart necklace, and held it to his lips feeling the hard cool stone he kissed it and held it tightly. He looked upon this jewel as if his life was held in the palm of his hands; he unclipped the diamond chain and wrapped it round his neck. Putting it behind his shirt, knowing that it was safe against his chest just as Adora came rushing down the stairs wearing an emerald and black robe. She placed her hands on both sides of his head and kissed him. He grabbed her hands tightly and hugged her as they both felt themselves pulled into disapparation.

Still grasping his love, Artemis appeared in the dark foyer of the abandoned mansion. Every sound the two made echoed ominously on the dark tile floors. The two whirled around the entrance of the home looking for the slightest indication of their child. Artemis whished Adora behind him then called out with angelic rage.

"TOM!" His voice resonated in the mausoleum of intolerance. His shoes clattered on the floor as he pulled Adora by the hand through the house, using his wand to flick open doors. As he finally came to the back of the estate he saw through the glass windows and saw into the courtyard, in the darkness among the statues stood Tom, behind him was Amadeus strapped with chains to a statue. Artemis descended the back porch stairs leading to the gardens; Adora behind him crying out in pleading protest.

"Oh God please don't hurt him!"

"SILENCE!" Yelled Tom. Artemis held Adora back behind him, her wailing in despair.

"Let him go Tom, this is between you and me!" Tom stood ominously in his black robes not saying a word. "Here take the wand, you can have it!"

"I don't want that wand! I WANT YOU DEAD!" He shouted into the black night. There was piercing silence, only the sounds of crickets and the silent panicky whimpers of Adora for her son. Artemis stood forward.

"Alright Tom."

"NO!" Adora shouted grasping onto Artemis arms.

"I die and you let the boy go, and you free Adora from your grasp, agreed?" Tom looked to Artemis then cracked a villainous smile.

"Agreed." Artemis turned to Adora.

"Adora, take these."

"No you can't! I can't loose you again!"

"Adora stop it! It's the only way! Now take these." Artemis handed him the wand of Beethoven, and took from his back the staff containing the 10th symphony. "Take these to my summer estate, you remember don't you?" Adora nodded her head, crying uncontrollable tears of grief. "Bring this as well", he said pulling from his shirt the heart pendant, laying it gently in her hands and wrapping her fingers around it. He leaned forward and kissed her, kissed her tenderly but pulling away, thinking somehow the longer they held on the more painful this would become. Artemis turned to face Tom, his wand drawn. He stepped forward, breathing calmly, sensing the end, allowing it to freely come. None of them spoke a word. There was no tricks to be had here, no clever plans. The only escape was death, a new life for his child, and freedom for the woman he loves. He came down to the level of Tom, Lord Voldemort as he was now known, remembering the man he used to trust. He had planned for twenty years to kill this him and destroy the evil that he coerced Artemis to do. Hoping to cleanse himself of his past, and now the only way, was to die. He held out his arms opening, looking to the sky. Breathing his very last breathe.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

...and Artemis Gridlock was dead.