Number of the Beast (Paladin Cycle, Book One) (16 page)

Prefect Cauldrick approached the
pulpit and snapped his fingers. The hundreds of people packed in
the room hushed.

“
Thank you. We gather not
only for festive foods, nor the finest gypsy brandy, nor the
splendid decor, but to pay our respects to the fallen champion
Rourn Immanuelin. May his soul delight the angels; may he forever
watch over us from atop the oldest mountains of pearl…” His voice
trembled. He smiled and continued. “...where the kingdom of Heaven
awaits us all.”

He panned a somber look over the
crowd. Sniffles and sobs broke the silence.

A chill touched Atticus.
Would Rourn watch over him?

Prefect Cauldrick lifted a
hand, silencing the crowd. “We do not gather here solely to mourn
the loss of Rourn. The Order of Abel strikes forward against this
dark hour to bring forth another shining light. I hereby bestow a
great honor upon the surviving Twin: Cadet Atticus.” He offered his
hand. “Congratulations, I now declare you Selector Atticus, Knight
Of The Order Of Abel and bless thee.”

The eruption of booming
cheers and shrill whistles shook Atticus to his core. So easily
they forget the fallen and blindly ushered in their next holy
symbol.

Prefect Cauldrick served as the
shepherd of a flock!

“
Come up here, Selector,”
Prefect Cauldrick said. “Assume your honorary position beside
me.”

Without a word. Atticus whirled and
strolled away from the altar.

“
Selector
Atticus!”

Once more the crowd fell
silent.

“
Atticus!”

As the heavy back door
closed behind Atticus, Prefect Cauldrick’s voice echoed among the
muted chamber. “Son!”

Outside, Atticus leaned against the
door and sighed. The roar of a bonfire reaching for the purple sky
caught his attention. With determined and wide strides, he
approached and shucked his robe. He tossed it into the fire. Hungry
flames engulfed the luxurious fabric. Black smoke billowed,
blotting out the stars.

A gust of dry wind rustled the agave
scattered amongst the span of the desert. Beneath the dim
illumination of the street lanterns, he plodded along the footpath.
Loose gravel crunched beneath his boots. Rounding the corner of
Eagle Hall, he found himself locked in Elder Cai’s steely
gaze.

Standing amongst a patch
of Yucca plants, Elder Cai shook his head. “You disappoint
me.”

Atticus bowed his head.
“I’m no Selector. And most definitely no longer a Twin. Not even a
knight.”

“
Then who are
you?”

“
Perhaps I should be
retrained as a leatherworker, or a blacksmith, or even a basket
weaver.”

Elder Cai held a fist
against his mouth and coughed a laugh. “Basket weaving? Not while I
draw breath.” He held a finger up and paced. “This just might be a
good sign. You have not let your new position as lead warrior go to
your head. You will make a fine knight.”

“
It’s the 21st century,
Elder! What can knights and Paladins offer in this modern age of
military machinery, biochemical weapons, and digital warfare? We’ve
nothing but swords, faith and a pinch of the arcane.”

“
You’ve still much to
learn about the forces of destruction this Order has fought against
for ages. Without us, Atticus, there would be no modern society as
we know it. Do not speak so lightly of swords, faith and
magic.”

“
What if I choose not to
follow this path?”

“
Few are ever ready to
follow their path. You must take a leap of faith as your first
step.”

“
The Order and the Templar
Court are prepared to trust in me…alone…without my Twin? Are you
all so willing to play with madness?”

“
The better question is:
are you prepared for the repercussions of not playing with madness?
Because if you choose not to accept that which lay before you, then
you do so at the peril of all humanity.” The Elder’s head cocked,
eyes narrow with curiosity. “Do you fear you cannot defeat the
Beast?”

“
No! I will shred him. I
swear it so. Rourn’s death will be avenged.”

“
I see.” The Elder walked
along the stone path. Atticus followed. “Rourn did not relinquished
this burden on you alone without proper cause. Accepting it for
vengeful desires is irrelevant. However, refusing it entirely would
be catastrophic. There is a larger scheme existing between the
stars of this world and a million others. Destinies have been
foretold, Atticus. The weight of universes fall upon your shoulder
and the shoulders of others that you will soon encounter. So, if
you must pursue the Beast for revenge then so be it—as long as you
pursue the Beast!”

“
Others? What
others?”

Elder Cai scratched his
chin. “Rourn spoke to me about others. You will soon meet them and
they will become your allies against the forces that threaten all
worlds.”

A massive shadow crawled over the
compound as a monstrous storm cloud obscured the evening
sun.

Twin lightning bolts
struck through the black cloud leaving a strange symbol stained in
its midst. The wind carried the foul stench of ash and ammonia.
Atticus and Elder Cai gawked at the archaic symbol—βʹ—emblazoned
against the black storm cloud.

Glancing to the eastern
sky, Elder Cai shook his head. “It has begun...”

“
What has begun?” Atticus
asked.

The old man palmed his
forehead and sighed. “The Time of Reckoning the Beast.”

# # #

Rarely did Geminus
encounter another Geminus, especially a mate. But Isaac
instinctively recognized the scent of a female whelp.

Darkness smoked from his
rigid body and rose into the sky, eclipsing the evening sun. Twin
lightning bolts split the blackened clouds. Claps of thunder
rumbled the earth. Street lamps splintered, shedding piney shards.
Power lines ripped, snapping like excited serpents, dragging
businesses and homes into shells of gloom; while frisky sparks
swarmed the streets.

People scurried from their cars to
seek shelter within the convenience store. Across the highway, a
mother held a toddler against her chest as she dashed from the
parking lot and into the Fiesta Mart.

Do these cretins actually
believe their inferior edifices can yield shelter? Not even the
gods can stand between me and my mate.

For centuries, Isaac had
crossed myriad worlds without ever detecting a female. Since male
Geminus would slaughter their male and female cubs, and the cubs of
other Geminus, their survival depended on scattering their
offspring across the numerous cosmic planes where they’d be
hidden.

A roar swelled in Isaac’s
throat and erupted more savagely than a tormented lion.

Hurricane-force winds
coiled around him. Paper and debris pummeled vehicles and
buildings. Windows shattered. Swarms of flying glass tore into
light poles and clawed at brick walls.

Isaac bolted across the highway.
Brakes squealing, a farm truck swerved and narrowly missed
him.

“
Crazy bastard!” the
driver shouted, shaking a hairy arm.

A gust of wind swept across the road,
tumbling the truck like a clump of weeds. With a thunderous crack
the vehicle landed upside down in a ditch.

The truck burst into sizzling flames.
A wheel rolled onto the highway and a charred door skidded across
the grass. The groaning fire overtook the yelping
driver.

Howling winds returned to Isaac,
cocooning him like a mother to a newborn babe. He strode across the
supermarket’s parking lot, barren of life except for her, his
Geminus twin. All the mortals cowered in their puny structures. At
a whim he could’ve razed all of them and slaughtered the
inhabitants; but he’d achieved his goal.

He was alone with his twin.

# # #

“
Time of Reckoning?”
Atticus eyed the ominous sky. “The Beast is here?”

“
He is in
Texas.”

“
Texas? How do you know
this?”

“
Rourn has foreseen it
through the aid of the Dark Trinity.” He pointed to the sky where
the emblazoned symbol had faded from view. “That was the sign that
the Geminus are among us. The Stag has found his whelp and it
appears further in the eastern sky, indicating Texas. If we don’t
stop him from turning her to vixen, the ramifications will prove
more catastrophic than the obliteration of—”

“
Sodom and Gomorrah,”
Atticus said. “The first and last known Fusion of a
Geminus.”

“
Correct.” Elder Cai said.
“You did pay attention in your historical studies. Sadly, we lack
much of the understanding of the universe that our ancestral
brethren possessed to defeat the ancient beings.”

“
And this is your first
assignment for me? To slay the most dangerous Beast of all space
and time? Has your aged mind and those of the Order and Court
fallen prey to lunacy?”

Elder Cai shook his head.
“No, my boy. But I wish it had.” He sighed. “Fear not your worth
and skill. You are a master swordsman and have begun to explore and
tap the potential granted to you by the traces of your sacred
lineage.”

“
So it’s my skill with a
sword and my bloodline that has deemed me as the world’s champion?”
Atticus scoffed. “Isn’t that a lunatic’s notion that only one
warrior is to defeat the greatest threat of all
mankind?”

“
Come walk with me, boy.”
Elder Cai continued along the stone pads forming a path. “As your
Elder, I can officially declare your first orders. You are only to
track the Beast, discover what ill-gotten reason it has for being
here, and learn where his lair is located.”

“
A reconnaissance mission?
That is my first assignment as a champion?”

“
As you said, it would be
lunacy to think only one hero can defeat the greatest threat to
mankind.”

“
But I can slay the Beast
and do so better than any other Paladin alive today…or in times
past or times to come.”

“
Perhaps, with your Twin.
But this was never a battle meant to be fought by one solitary
warrior. Though the prophesied might have the Order and the Court
believe otherwise.

“
Once you’ve determined
where the Beast resides, then you will lead a group of warriors
into the final battle.”

“
But without a Twin, do I
stand a chance?”

“
You will have to take the
offerings you have at your disposal now and carry them on your
journey. But if the spirit that Rourn trusted his destiny with is
correct, then there is another...another who is your
Twin.”

Atticus stopped, blood and
muscles petrified. “Rourn was my Twin! There can be no
other.”

“
So the Order and Court
believed,” Elder Cai said. “But even they are subject to human
error.”

A chill seized Atticus’
core. “I don’t understand, Elder. You are my mentor, teacher, and
father, yet I cannot believe you deny that Rourn was the other
Twin.”

The pack of Junior Cadets ran around
and through the two of them, chasing an imaginary warg. A boy broke
away from the ranks, waving and thrusting his sword as he
approached Atticus.

“
Selector Atticus,” the
auburn-haired boy bowed deep. “I am overwhelmed to meet you, the
appointed Twin warrior.” The boy looked up, his face bright with
admiration. “Will you be my teacher someday?”

Atticus bit his lower lip,
tilted his head. He knelt on one knee. “I would ask your
name?”

“
Junior Cadet
Eric.”

“
Show me the Striking
Arrow stance, Junior Cadet Eric.”

With flushed cheeks, he
nodded. He put his left foot forward. His right leg extended
behind. As he whirled and thrust his arm, he stumbled.

“
Rotten roots!” the boy
cried out. “I have failed you.”

Atticus smiled and patted
his head. “Keep training. You’ll reach the Tower of Tribulations
before long.”

The boy bowed before running to find
his battling allies.

Rotten roots
indeed.

“
Come with me,” Elder Cai
said “I have a surprise.” After a short walk past a row of mills
and shops, they approached a dusky stone structure with no windows
or doors.

“
You have led me to a
supply silo?” Atticus asked.

Elder Cai placed his palms on the wall
and slid his hands along the rigid surface, slow ritualistic
circles. The wall glided to the right, rumbling as stone scraped
against stone. A dark chamber was revealed.

Atticus said, “I thought
you were supposed to say ‘Open Sesame’?”

Elder Cai snorted. “What
garbage have they made you read?” He stepped inside, torches
sparked with flame. They traveled a long thin corridor and came
upon a large storage bay. Elder Cai swept his arm over the hood of
an orange three-wheeled vehicle. “My gift to you.”

Standing in the threshold,
Atticus scowled. “It’s not much bigger than
a scooter.”