Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) (14 page)
Read Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) Online
Authors: Jonathan Yanez
his knees, “I can never thank you enough for being my friends and giving me
these powers. I won’t let anyone get to you or hurt you.”
Ardat lifted her hands instructing her men to
rise. She intentionally let her eyes rest on Kyle longer than the two others.
He looked away with a blush.
So easy.
She thought to herself.
It was
too easy to manipulate and use the human race. They practically asked for it
themselves. Their very nature was one of weakness and simplicity. Very soon
they would all bow their knee to me.
Chapter 41
he had drifted off to sleep. After training sessions with Jacob first and then Angelica
on the plane, his body had apparently staged a rebellion and he had slipped
into a sleeping coma in his seat.
Sunlight now streamed in through
the plane’s windows. The warm rays had woken him from his slumber.
cockpit doors were Jacob stood over a seated Arther and Angelica conversing in
low tones. “We are nearly there. It’s battle plan time.”
Alan stretched and made his way to
the cockpit entrance with Danielle. “Good, you’re awake,” Jacob said. “Now that
I have you all here, let’s go over our strategy. First and foremost, he cannot
allow them to raise that statue from the ocean. At all costs, we have to stop
them. We can count on Dominic being there and I’m sure there will be others.
We’ll all be in radio contact with Danielle and each other the entire time
through our earpieces. Arther, you and Alan—we really do need a chosen name
for you, Alan.”
identity anyway and I’m sure he’s passed on the information to Ardat. Besides I
have no one they could harm by knowing who I really am.”
“Still,” Arther said with one of
his smiles, “we can’t be running around shouting ‘Alan’ when we have cool names
like Guardian and Valkyrie.”
“How about Spartan?” Danielle said.
“You are always reading those books on ancient Greece. I think you even had one
in your hand when we first met.”
Alan was about to protest to the
name when Jacob’s stern tone commanded everyone’s attention. “We’re nearing the
coordinates Michael gave us. It should be a few miles off the coast of the Greek
island of Rhodes. Somewhere in that direction.” He pointed with an outstretched
hand to the plane‘s front window and towards the open sea. They were headed where
the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas met. Just off the coast of Rhodes where the Colossus
stood several eons before.
The bodies of water were massive. At
this altitude, it took Alan’s breath away. Growing up in the city, he had never
seen the open sea. Only a few years ago when his gift of speed allowed him the
monetary ability to make a trip had Alan witnessed the true vastness of the
ocean. Still it was an awesome sight to witness as the massive body of water
spread away from the coastline in every direction.
the horizon for any indication they were not alone. After a few moments, Alan
let tensed shoulders relax.
He could hear Danielle let out a
breath beside him, “Well, I guess they haven’t found the spot where the statue…”
Her voice trailed off. Alan followed her line of sight out the plane’s front
window. He had to make a strong effort to stop his mouth from dropping to the
floor.
ship was anchored near an even bigger portion of bubbling, steaming water.
“We’re too late,” Arther said.
“not yet. They haven't raised the statue. We can still stop them. Let’s go!”
Angelica and Jacob motioned for
Alan to follow as Danielle hit the rear door release button of the their plane.
Air burst in first through the cracks then the larger opening of the rear hatch.
Alan felt goose bumps prickle his skin as the cool air hit him in gusts.
“Remember,” Jacob yelled over the rushing air, “we need to find whoever is
raising the statue and stop them. Alan, wait for Arther; when the plane lands
then go in.”
few yards above the massive container ship displaying its advanced
technological capabilities. Jacob and Angelica jumped out of the plane before
the wheels made contact with the boat. Despite his fear, Alan was ready to go.
He even felt antsy to be on the ship and alongside his friends. Fear was by no
means absent; he was simply getting better at controlling the emotion.
Within seconds of the wheels
touching the ship’s metal deck, Arther was beside him. “Let’s go, my friend.”
Alan followed Arther onto the large
rusted container ship. His sneakers made contact with the ship’s hard steel
frame in light taps. More than anything they wanted to run, Alan refused them
the right. He knew he needed to stay with Arther. Jacob and Angelica were
already lost to sight. Arther must have noticed the same thing. His pace
quickened as he made his way across the quiet expanse of ship.
frothing of a huge pocket of water right next to the boat. Everything was too
quiet. Alan knew even before he heard the explosion that they were walking into
a trap.
The explosion rocked the ship
sending vibrations from stern to hull. The force threw Arther and Alan from
their feet. At the same moment Jacob and Angelica’s bodies appeared, catapulted
from a level of the ship somewhere below.
the situation. Then all sense of structure and planning evaporated. An army of
Infinites led by Dominic poured from every hatch and door until they surrounded
Alan and his friends.
Alan ignored their situation and
instead turned to help Angelica and Jacob. Jacob was not wounded thanks to his
stone skin. Angelica on the other hand was a mess of bruises and cuts as she
struggled to stand on her own.
thought you could stop us. No more words. I’ve been waiting much too long for
this precious Nephilim. Now you die.”
Chapter 42
of explosions at the group.
A
s the red energy pockets formed near
his hands and shot towards them, Alan found himself thinking,
Great. He can
form explosions with his hands. Perfect and nobody took the time to tell me.
As the thought came and went Alan
found himself calling on his speed to dodge the multiple energy beams directed
at him. Each beam shot forward with the speed of a bullet and exploded with a
sizzling crack.
fighter planes avoided ground fire popped into his head. Plumes of smoke and
the acrid smell of the explosions permeated the air in every direction.
Alan’s speed was saving him for the
moment, however not every member of his team could call on the same ability for
assistance. A quick glance in their direction proved him right. Arther stood
over Angelica protecting her with some kind of invisible mental barrier. The grey-skinned
Nephilim leader stood feet shoulder width apart with his hands extended.
explosive energy slamming into the invisible barrier.
Jacob sprinted forward into the
mass of Infinity clones that rushed to meet him. “Get her to Valkyrie,” he
shouted as he ran across the ship deck.
a second, he was scooping up a wounded Angelica. In the next second, he had
raced to their airship at the opposite end of the cargo deck.
Danielle must have seen the events
transpiring from her view in the cockpit because she was just reaching the
plane’s rear hatch as Alan approached.
“lay her here.”
Alan came to a spot next to
Danielle and gently laid Angelica at her feet. Inspecting his human cargo for
the first time made Alan wince with sympathy. Angelica was not only bruised and
bloodied, but a large portion of her torso was burned as well. She coughed as
Danielle cradled a mess of blonde curls in her arms. “I need to get back in
this fight. I can’t go out like this. Not like this. Danielle,” Angelica turned
her head so she could look in to Danielle’s eyes. “You have to get me back in
there, you—“
hands on her friend’s temples. “I will. Be calm.”
More than anything, Alan wanted to
stay. He wanted to make sure his combat instructor would make a full recovery.
He wanted to shield both of them from anyone who would approach during their
time of vulnerability. A deafening boom that rocked the entire ship made him
remember he had friends that were still fighting, friends that very desperately
needed him now.
took in deep breaths slowly and released them through her mouth at an even
tempo. “They need you. I can take care of her. Go.”
Alan hesitated only a second longer
before he sped into motion. Rounding the rear of their plane, his eyes took in
how much the events of the conflict had changed. To the left of the ship Arther
was throwing copies of Infinities left and right with his mind. Clones of
Infinity flew through the air either to land roughly on the ship's metal frame
or plummet to the frothing water below.
the stone man put one foot in front of the other as Dominic threw everything he
had at his enemy. Massive beams of energy exploded on and around Jacob. Still
the Nephilim leader moved forward foot by foot closing the distance.
Jacob’s instructions played through Alan’s mind.
They needed to stop the statue from being raised at all costs. It was clear
that no Nephilim here was raising the Colossus. There had to be someone else
hidden on board causing the ocean to release its claim on the monolithic sculpture.
Alan took off at a sprint. A voice
in his head told him to stop and assist his friends but neither of them was in
any immediate harm. Alan’s eyes raced across the frame of the container ship.
Ninety percent of the boat was a flat surface intended for storage space. Only
one structure on the boat stood towering over the deck – a two-story
building that sat at the rear of the ship. Alan guessed that he would find
whoever was raising the statue there.
deck and took the stairs leading to what he hoped was the control room two at a
time. Alan burst through the rusting door to find a tall woman waiting for him.
Perspiration dotted her classically beautiful face. Her fair skin contrasted
against her raven hair and long dark cloak. “Hello, Alan Price,” she said. “I
thought you would be coming. My name is Ardat.”
Chapter 43
treaty between Angels and demons would not allow the Fallen to physically harm either
Angels or their chosen Nephilim. Still Alan couldn’t be sure what the woman
would do if he tried to stop her.
Finally finding his voice Alan took
a tentative step forward. “You have to stop. I can’t let you do this.”
incapable of allowing or not allowing me to do anything. You are a child
playing at war.”
Alan took another step closing the
distance between them. She was only yards away now. “That is far enough,” she
said. Despite Alan’s arrival, Ardat had not lowered her hands or taken her eyes
from the large glass windows that provided her a view of the ocean.
it was the sureness of her tone. Something else was happening. An instant later
Alan felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle with anticipation. He could
hear someone enter the door behind him.
Alan was unwilling to remove his
eyes from Ardat not knowing what she had planned. He felt someone brush by his
left arm as the person came into view. Kyle Brown moved to stand between Alan
and Ardat.
still fresh in Alan’s eyes from their brief run-in the day previous. Still,
there was something different about him. He stood a little taller and his
shoulders extended a little wider.
Ardat broke the uncomfortable
silence with a grunt of exertion. “There,” she breathed. Both Alan and Kyle
broke their stare as they glanced out the control room’s windows.
bubbled and tossed in every direction. Despite the chaos in the sea only yards
away from the container ship, Alan saw what had made Ardat’s lips twinge with
delight. Just breaking the surface, a mound of rusted metal was beginning to
emerge from the deep.
The sight was mesmerizing. The
amount of mental strength it was taking to bring the entire statue to the
surface was boggling. Alan tore his eyes away from the scene, “Stop, you have
to stop now! This will cause a war.”
Alan turned to Kyle. “You have to
let me stop her. You don’t know what they are going to do.”
to use my knowledge from the Chronicle and this metal to forge weapons to
defeat both Angels and the Nephilim that stand with them.”
Alan took a step back as though
Kyle’s words were a physical blow. “You know? They told you all of this and
you’re still going to side with them?”