An undead lunged, hands outstretched, mouth agape, it's decaying body flying in the air at Marcus whose heart beat like a talking drum pounding continuously against his chest. It came at him with such incredible speed that Marcus would have stayed routed in that position had Lucifer not come like a blur of white light and stood between him and the undead.
There was a roar as a pillar of fire rose where the undead stayed suspended in the air, and then it fell to the floor, it's body nothing but a heap of black flames against the red earth. The smell of burning flesh spread instantly and bile filled Marcus's mouth.
"I'm going to vomit" he said.
Another undead lunged at them, and Marcus narrowly dodged it, but he could see more of them turning, eyes glowing red and fixed on him and Lucifer.
"There's no time for that" Lucifer said. "We have to leave now!" .
Marcus couldn't agree more.
Another undead sprang but before it could get to them Lucifer grabbed Marcus and spread his wings. The last thing Marcus saw before they fell were red, dead, empty eyes.
***
I hope he's okay, thought Bloom as she paced the length of the weapons room. As soon as Marcus left Bloom realized with a jolt of surprise, mingled with disbelief, that she was worried, and that she cared so much more than she was supposed to. But it was difficult not to care for Marcus.
It had become something of an impulse, this constant worry for him, something that had become as natural as breathing. And though it tired her out she knew that he was worth the worry.
Worth anything, she thought.
"He'll be fine, Bloom" Melchior said. She turned to see him standing in front of the black sword Lucifer had been looking at. His eyes were trained on her, his irises almost all green.
"They have been gone so long" Bloom said as she continued her pacing. "The sun is high and they are still not back, what if Lucifer has taken him away to some Hell dimension or what if they are lost in the Gap"
"Your imagination is as wild as you are" Melchior said as he turned back to the sword. "Now please do be calm, I can feel your emotions grating against mine and it's quite disconcerting"
He didn't look as disconcerted as he sounded. He looked almost unsure, his fingers hovering uncertainly near the sword as if he was afraid to touch it. Sal spoke just as Bloom was about ask Melchior what was wrong.
"I trust Lucifer" he said, he was holding his new swords in his hands — Gemini he called them— and was practicing with them, their blades gleamed green in the firelight. "He won't let anything happen to Marcus and he will bring him back"
"You shouldn't trust him as much as you do" Bloom replied, though her voice was quiet.
He looked up at her, his eyes were gleaming a cyan colour, like a jade stone held up to the sky.
"I trust him enough"
"And even that is too much"
He looked away from her and focused his gaze on Gemini again, resuming the stance he'd taken.
"He's done a lot for me Bloom" Sal replied, completely unfazed. "He's given me a reason to believe in him"
"And he will give you a reason to stop" she said. "It's what he does"
He turned to her, his gaze sharp. He parted his lips to speak but at that moment there was a sudden rush of wind, and with it followed a shimmer in the air.
"Marcus!" Bloom cried. His name came out of her lips before she knew what was happening. She'd been more desperate to see him than she'd thought.
Marcus was revealed from the covering of Lucifer's wings, his eyes wide and shining brightly, the canines of his teeth suddenly sharp. He was panting hard, as if he couldn't breathe, and as if the weight of the world was suddenly dropped on him he fell to his knees.
Bloom ran to his side, her stomach turning with worry, and stretched her hand out to touch him. She jerked back in shock as she did, his skin was burning, the place where she'd touched him steaming.
She glared up at Lucifer who didn't look the least bit moved.
"What did you do to him?" she demanded.
He looked at her for a second, his golden eyes gleaming with a menacing light.
"I saved him" he said.
Bloom was about to argue but Sal had come to them and was helping Marcus up, the gloves on his hand protecting his palms from the burning.
"Marcus, it's okay" Sal said. "I've got you"
Marcus looked up at him as Sal helped him to his feet, there was terror and a cold fear brewing in his eyes, but slowly, as he focused more and more on the sound of Sal's reassuring voice, it began to fade, replaced by a sudden joy that Bloom couldn't explain.
"You wouldn't believe it Salome" Marcus said as the pace of his breathing slowed. He looked excited, and not in a bad way, as if he'd just fallen from the sky and was ready to do it again. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen"
"What did you see?" Sal asked, his brows scrunched, his eyes focused on only Marcus.
"Undeads!" Marcus said. "Thousands of them!"
"Thousands?" Katarina asked, her eyes wide.
"Thousands" Marcus repeated, he sounded like a mad man.
Bloom saw Sal look at Lucifer for confirmation. Lucifer nodded gravely and Sal looked back at Marcus, his blue eyes suddenly wide.
"Marcus, I want you tell me exactly what happened" he said.
There was a shuffle as everyone surrounded the table in the centre of the room, suddenly weapons and charms were forgotten, and everyone had their minds focused on Marcus.
And so he began.
***
From the moment Marcus began to speak Sal listened with rapt attention, making sure he absorbed every detail as he talked about the world Percival had created; the roads, the forest, the undeads, the wards, the smell.
"It is a place of death and decay, a rotting world" said Marcus, he was giddy with excitement as he spoke, his pale hair pushed to the back of his head and making the gold in his eyes distinct.
"It seems appropriate for a necromancer" Antony said, "What better way to acquaint yourself with death than to surround yourself with it"
"Are there any people there?" Katarina asked. "How is it that they are living in such…. wrongness?"
"I believe he's the only one inhabiting it" said Lucifer, he stood beside Sal, his body radiating nothing but cold. "I sensed no living creatures, neither Mortal nor Shaded"
"Nothing living?" Melchior said, his tone carried a weight of astonishment in it. "What sort of a world is that, what is a world without the people that fill it"
"Nowhere" Sal answered.
He bent his head, suddenly aware of the beat of his heart against his chest. Had it always been so steady?, so consistent?, or was the talk of a dead world making him more aware of the life around him.
"This isn't what I expected" he said, his head still bent. "How do we even begin to plan an attack"
"We have to start somewhere" Antony said. "From what Marcus and Lucifer have recounted we now know that the place is heavily guarded by undeads and surrounded with wards, but once we take care of the lock, the front door is wide open"
"There's no way to get inside without alerting him" Sal said. "He'll know we're there the second we step our foot over the wards"
"And then the undeads will be on us like kelpies on human flesh" Bloom said.
"Well the undeads are just puppets, are they not?", said Melchior, he was paying only half attention, his eyes kept darting across the room at something. "Isn't there some way we could evade them, I doubt they have much common sense"
"Undeads are senile, not stupid" Katarina said. "They're smart enough to obey a specific instruction, one given to them by the one who raised them"
"Maybe, but there has to be some way to avoid them completely"
Suddenly something clicked in Sal's head.
"Wait, what if there is?" He said, he jerked his head up as a plan began to play out in his mind. "What if we use that against him"
They all turned to him.
"What do you mean?" Antony asked.
"Undeads obey a specific instruction" Sal said. "It's kind of like a program, isn't it?, they can only do what they are told to do, and right now they've been told to guard the hospital, so if we give them one threat to focus on..…"
"They'd be completely oblivious to any other, especially if the other is well hidden." Antony said, a smile spreading on his face as he began to understand.
"It would be like throwing sand in the face of your enemy before striking with a concealed dagger" Bloom said. "We'd be creating a diversion"
"Exactly" said Sal.
"That would mean splitting up though", said Katarina, "Don't you think we should stick together?, a strong attack could be better"
"Percival is a powerful necromancer in a world of death" Sal said gently, "he could raise a thousand more undeads if he wanted to, sticking together wouldn't do us any good"
"So what is it we do?" Melchior asked.
"We break into two groups" Sal said. "one as a distraction, the other to get through the hospital and find Percival. I'll be in the latter for obvious reasons"
"I'll come with you" said Antony, his gaze on Sal was thoughtful. "You might need me with you on the inside"
"No" Sal said, not unkindly. "Marcus and Melchior are coming with me, the girls are going to need your help with the distraction"
"Why are we the distraction?" Katarina said, a challenge in her voice. "why can't we come with you?"
"Because you three are our best fighters, though Melchior is getting better he lacks experience and Marcus is getting us there unseen, the three of you are our best bet"
"He's not wrong" Bloom said.
"I agree" Antony said. "We'll do our best"
There was still a challenge in Katarina's eyes, but she nodded in agreement.
"Once the three of us are inside we'll engage Percival" Sal continued, he turned to Lucifer, who had been oddly quiet through the entire planning, his golden eyes stared now at him with interest as he spoke. "Lucifer, you said there are necromantic wards surrounding the place, will I be able to use magic there"
"Definitely", Lucifer answered, "the wards prevent entry, if he bars magic as a whole his spells would be ineffective"
"Meaning we'll have no problems with using our weapons" Sal took a deep breath and looked each of them in the eye. "Okay guys, we all agree on the plan?"
They all nodded, and then, unconsciously, he locked eyes with Katarina. She looked at him like he was someone else, someone different. Sal tore his eyes away from her.
"Gear up everyone, we leave in ten minutes"
They all dispersed to different parts of the armory, and the table was empty save for Sal and Lucifer. Sal turned to speak with him but Lucifer wasn't looking at him, he stared at the locket lying on the round table.
Sal sighed and stared at it with him.
"You're not coming, are you?"
Lucifer sighed, his shoulders sagging, but his eyes never left the locket.
"No, my work here is done" he said.
Sal clenched his fists but then scolded himself. Lucifer had done so much already, he couldn't expect him to do everything, he couldn't expect him to be there all the time.
"Thank you" Sal said. "For everything, if it wasn't for you I'd probably be nothing, no one, I'd be…"
"I was just a catalyst Salome" Lucifer said. "Fate and Destiny have already been written, eventually you would have become what you are now, all I did was speed up the process"
"And for that I still say thank you"
Sal felt Lucifer' s eyes leave the locket and settle on him, he turned just as Lucifer moved closer and pressed his cold hand firmly on Sal's shoulders as he spoke.
"Do you remember what I said on the day I first came to you?"
Sal tried to recall everything that happened that day, so many things had happened, so many things were said.
"About my sneakers?" Sal said.
Lucifer chuckled, they were so close Sal could feel the sound reverberate through him, could feel it echo through his ribs.
"No" Lucifer said. "about the gods...and the truth"
Sal remembered the words Lucifer spoke before he'd vanished in specks of golden light. Those were not words one forgot easily.
"You said the gods will only tell me half the truth" Sal said. "But what does that have to do with Percival?"
"I just want you to understand that no one is all bad, not even Percival, he's doing what he's doing for a reason" Lucifer said, his voice carried an undercurrent, like he wasn't speaking for only Percival.
Sal looked up at Lucifer and this time their eyes met but Sal couldn't read Lucifer as he could read everyone else.
"I don't care why he's doing it, if he poses a threat then I have to do what is right" Sal said. "I have to stop him"
"Salome, soon you will learn that the right thing to do isn't always the best thing to do" said Lucifer. "I hope you'll understand one day"
Lucifer smiled and then slowly began to fade, his body turning into wisps of golden smoke.
"Oh, and Salome"
"Yes?"
"You have so much love in you, some might say too much, I felt it all when we connected" Lucifer said. "Salome, love is like fire, it can warm you and illuminate everything but it can destroy you and consume everything"
His face began to fade, his body vanishing, but his voice remained as strong as ever.
"Don't let it consume you, Salome"
Sal didn't say anything, he just watched as Lucifer vanished, his hold on Sal's shoulders gone, the cold he exuded creeping away, and then when there was no one else to hear him speak he whispered to himself, his voice heavy with hopelessness.
"It already has"
***
Melchior stared at the sword hanging on the wall, he could hear it speaking to him, calling to him, it's voice like a song from a satyr's pipes. He'd been intrigued by it ever since he'd seen Lucifer looking at it as he appeared. It had been calling him since.
The sword was fashioned after a hand and half sword, it's blade was black and runes were scrawled into it, metallic silver against the sword's black surface. They ran from the tip of the blade to it's end where it broadened into a hilt. He reached his hand out, his fingers buzzing with magical energy as they neared the sword.
"Hey Melchior" he heard someone call.
Melchior turned and saw Sal standing beside him. He was staring at the black sword, his blue eyes wary as they ran it from top to bottom until he eventually turned to Melchior.
"Gearing up I see" he said.
Melchior smiled politely and turned back to the sword.
"Lucifer won't be joining us?" Melchior asked.
He heard Sal take a breath, sensed the motion of his hands as they ran through his hair.
"No, Marcus did say we'd be six under the red moon" Sal answered.
Melchior smiled a bitter smile.
"I am sure you would have preferred Casmir to m—"
"Stop that"
Melchior sighed, and turned once again to Sal. He was looking at him now, his blue eyes shining with traces of green from the light of the weapons room.
"I am sorry" Melchior said. "I just…I cannot imagine I am supposed to be here, I was not even on the list, I'm a tag along"
"You are supposed to be here, if you weren't you wouldn't, Bloom needs you to be here, I do too"
Melchior turned away. He now realized what Casmir saw in Sal to make him fall so hard. Those kind words, those deep eyes, that beautiful face, that voice. Shivers went up Melchior's back, the memory of the promise he'd made still fresh in his mind.
"Today is the day" he blurted. "You will be able to retrieve the spells from Percival now"
"I know, and I will" Sal said, his voice firm. "I'll bring Casmir back Melchior"
"I believe you" Melchior said, he could hear the anger and determination in Sal's voice. "I'm believing in you, but I'm begging you, tell me now if you're not sure, tell me now if it is not possible, I would rather have no promise than to have a promise that I cannot rely on"
Sal grabbed Melchior's shoulders and turned him so they were close and their eyes were locked. Melchior wished he could read Sal, but his eyes held such an intensity it seemed like he felt everything all at once, as if his heart couldn't decide which emotion to hold on to and so decided to hold on to them all.
"I will bring him back Melchior, I promise" Sal said.
Another promise, Melchior thought. He knew how heavy promises weighed on the people that made them, how his own held him in a state of constant indecision.
"Now let's focus on gearing up, okay?" Sal said.
Melchior nodded.
"Alright"
He reached his hand out and lifted the sword carefully from it's place. Energy buzzed through him at the contact and he took in a sharp breath of air.
"Melchior what's wrong, is it too heavy?" asked Sal.
Melchior shook his head. It wasn't heavy but he could feel power coursing through him and moving into the sword, acquainting itself with the weapon, forming a connection. The runes on the sword lit up dark green.
"Kat, what's happening?" Sal asked.
Katarina was at the other end of the room, helping Antony put on a charmed necklace. As soon as she turned and saw what was happening she left Antony and came to them, but the things she said where like background music to Melchior's ears. The magic blurred everything else.
He could only hear little phrases and words.
"I don't know", "gift from Diana", "only mages can use it", "useless", "nameless"
"It has a name" Melchior said sharply. Katarina and Sal turned to him, their faces contorted with surprise. He was surprised by the harshness in his own voice too, he took a deep breath. "It's name is Lamech"
"And how do you know that?" Sal asked.
Now he could hear whispers, voices, speaking in a language he didn't know but he understood.
"It told me"
Slowly the whispers died and the buzzing stopped, but Melchior could feel the magic in the background, like a cord tying him to the sword. He turned back to Sal and Katarina, who looked at him with worried expressions on their faces as he slid Lamech into his weapons belt.
"Lamech means destroyer, Melchior" Sal said, as Lamech slid into it's sheath with a slice.
Melchior smirked and looked up at Sal, still feeling the connection humming in his veins.
"Then that is what I will do when I set my eyes on Percival"
***
Antony emerged out of the portal with great difficulty, he was happy he didn't tumble on the ground, that would have been fatal considering the trident strapped to his back, but was upset that he had stumbled out like a clumsy ballerina. Portalling was supposed to make things easier not more embarrassing.
He was forced to dismiss the thought as an acrid smell hit him in the face. He retched and looked around at all the large, black leaved trees surrounding him, allowing only a small ray of crimson moonlight through their closely cropped leaves. He heard a series of footsteps behind him and then a gentle whirring as the portal closed.
He turned to see the rest of them out, dusting fallen leaves and dirt of their clothes, all except Sal, rings on his fingers, his necklace shining on his chest and his wand in his hands drawing a glyph on his neck, he seemed unaffected by the transportation.
He caught Antony looking at him and walked over, his footsteps against the earth resounded and Antony suddenly realized how quiet the place was, not a single sound in the air.
"You okay?" Sal asked. Antony looked at his half brother, the red light washed over Sal, making everything shine with it's colour, but his eyes remained blue, still bright with the love that made Sal who he was.
"I think so", Antony replied as he looked at the rest, Bloom and Melchior huddled together and whispering, Marcus doing one last meditation session, and Katarina swinging her quiver over her shoulders and readying her bow. "I just hope none of us die tonight"
"I hope so too" Sal said, his tone sincere and full of affection.
He walked forward and everyone, including Marcus who rose to his feet, turned to him. Antony had seen followers before, his father had many, hundreds of people ready to die as they followed your every move, whether it was through paradise or pain. But Antony had never seen friends before, just a small group of people who didn't follow because of what you could do for them, but because of who you were to them.
"Okay guys" Sal said. "We all know the plan"
They nodded, faces set with determination.
"Good, I just wanted to say that...", he paused, as his mind searched for words. Antony could tell that Sal didn't want to say anything wrong, anything negative that might make this battle harder than it already was.
"We'll survive this Sal" Katarina said. "and then whatever big speech you want to give you'll give it then"
Sal smiled, the way he smiled for only Katarina, as if the world lit up when she spoke.
"Alright", he said, "lets do this"
They continued through the forest, weapons ready as they advanced. Antony tried to still his racing heart, despite everything he'd been taught under the tutelage of Neptune he'd never been in battle before, much less against an army of undeads.
Soon, as they walked through thick trees, Katarina and Bloom were on either side of him as planned. Antony wondered how just the three of them were going to defeat an army, but on seeing Bloom with her whip in hand, glowing like a silver snake and Katarina with her bow and three arrows already nocked, he was assured. Surely such fierceness did not manifest without proof.
Without warning they reached the line of red symbols shining in the dirt that made up the wards. They all stopped at the same time and Antony looked to each girl on his side. The others had gone and it was just the three of them.
"You guys ready?"
They both nodded and Antony nodded back. With a single step they crossed the line.