At the sound of my voice, Bayon jumped off the shelf.
His brown leather wings spread in middle air allowing him a perfect landing at the top of the desk. He landed between me and the Lich, too close of the sorcerer for my taste.
The dead wizard walked away when the flying wings passed a few inches of the hole where his nose would be.
The guards followed the tiny devil’s stunt with his eyes about to fall from their orbs. Their jaws half-opened, frozen in place as they saw my little helper. Unable to look away from the small, mischievous creature.
Curious and frightened at the same time.
I felt sorry for the men. Dragged into a world they knew nothing about. With creatures, whose existence they did not believe. Despite their faith in the sacred scriptures.
Nothing they endured prepared them for such an experience.
Bayon was the first to break the silence:
“Ugh what a smell. Dammit, it looks like you haven’t bathed in ages.”
The Lich dropped a hiss, looking at the Imp.
“Your little irritating termite. Had I not stuck here, I’d show thee some manners.”
The creature’s limbs emitted a crisp sound when it moved. There were no more fluids coming out of his mouth. His few roughs, dry pieces of skin about to peel resembled ancient parchment.
The dead magician would disintegrate in less time than I imagined.
I wondered if he was in pain. Even being a murderer, I felt sorry for his torment. It was impossible to restore that thing’s life force.
Not without making further sacrifices.
“Ouch, It gets worse when you open your mouth. Toothpaste won’t be a bad idea too ugly fella,” Bayon put his hand in his nose when he spoke.
The dead wizard looked at the Imp with those empty, expressionless orbs. That rotten face had more bone than flesh.
He realized it was the end for him. Ignored the provocation and turned his attention to me.
“Our time is drawing to a close. It is too late to reverse the decay of my body. I place myself at the mercy of thy soul.”
I understood what he asked for. It was the most human thing to do.
“I hope you find peace and redemption wherever you go. Time to free yourself from this imperfect existence.”
I smashed the bone staff against the floor with all my might. The pointed skull shattered at my feet, severing the Lich’s connection with the living world. The rotten corpse burst into a dusty grey cloud. Without a body to hold them in place, the cords around the creature fell. A handful of dust formed in the center of the seat.
“I can’t say I’m sorry for him. Liches are the worst. Presumptuous and violent all the time. As if they weren’t slaves to their own deeds.”
Bayon was the youngest of the Rascals. That’s how Voluptia called the Imp brothers. They didn’t seem to care what that word meant. Being the most malicious, he loved to play tricks and bother anyone.
As long as I was not his victim, I thought it was adorable. Deep down, he was a lonely being, desirous of attention.
The guards trembled as they saw the Lich’s demise. They deserved a break.
“I can take care of the rest, gentlemen. Why don’t you take a break for a while? If the colonel asks, I will say that I ordered you to leave. Go get some air and enjoy a well-deserved rest. Everything is under control.”
The guards did not protest and left the place without looking back. I imagined that if we survived that night, they would have a lot to tell their families when they returned home.
As brave as they were, those simple countrymen saw nothing like what they saw in my temporary office.
I addressed my little visitor:
“I am grateful that Voluptia could reach you. But where is Meab?”
The leader of the Rascals was always the first to arrive. If she was not around, it meant that my request was not worthy of her presence, or that she had a grudge against it.
“You made that one angry, boss.”
That answered my previous suspicion.
“I apologize, but I had no choice but to call you to a sacred place.”
“That’s not the reason, boss. You brought us closer to an entity that used to enslave our species.”
“So Vol. told you about the prison? Do you know what is inside?”
“We know that, but we do not say the name. We want to get away from them. That which fed on little Imps like us when it was hungry and lacking souls to feast on.”
“I won’t need you here any more than I have to. And believe me, you have my protection. I will let nothing happen to any of you. I promise if that thing gets out, you’ll be miles away.”
“Meab is with Voluptia. They asked me to tell you that everything is ready. You’re all that’s missing.”
“I’m going to the stadium right now. And the other things I still undealt”
“Have we ever failed you? Eien and Kifh are already on their way. We’re expecting a good payment.”
“Have I ever failed you, kid? I’m sure you’ll love what I have in mind for this favor.”
The Rascals were an organized team. Meab, their older sister and leader, was the one who called the shots. If Bayon was the first to arrive, it was because she wanted him to give me a message first. She was feeling uncomfortable and expected a very generous payment for her services.
I needed to be in many places at once. And to make matters worse, Vol. had a very important mission ahead of her.
One that we couldn’t postpone at all.
Without the internet or an accessible database, it was time to bring in my own reinforcements.
I knew how uncomfortable it would be to hear Kifh and Eien complain. I knew how they hated approaching a holy ground. And I didn’t forget their grudge against the Catholic Church. That would make Meab angry with me too.
But the school was too big for me and Voluptia being able to check every detail and look for clues only on our own. Meab and the little imps could cover distances that we couldn’t. Dig up more information about the enemy in an hour than we could in a week.
They were my best option.
I called the colonel and asked him to resume our trip to the stadium. He seemed suspicious about the strange winged boy next to me.
“This is Bayon, he’s on our side. I asked him to come and help with the investigation. He will stay behind and look for the lost phone.”
Still not believing his eyes, the colonel pretended to understand what I said. He greeted our little friend and offered his hand for a handshake. Bayon accepted the cordial gesture of friendship
“Well, if Roger trusts you, then I must do the same. Welcome to our team.”
It went better than I imagined.
Sérgio and I got in the jeep and headed for the stadium. The colonel seemed to be in a hurry, as this time he stepped on the gas.
The car approached the horizon line by the southwest edge of the school. The colossal stadium began to fill the landscape.
The vision of the school stadium in front of the horizon was something outside this world. A metal Leviathan rising from the ground and trying to blend in with the old school atmosphere came to my mind. That building stood out from the environment. Both for its original size and architectural style. It was a construction different from other buildings. By far, the top of the sports arena looked like a metal spacecraft grounded on a huge square concrete base. As we approached the sports hall, what looked like a flying saucer turned out to be an open metal shell. The shell made up of several layers. With their metal polished like giant mirrors.
When the light from the Sun, already high in the sky, touched these layers, it reflected in all directions. Thus creating an optical spectacle.
The Jeep approached the stadium with the Sun on our backs. What made colorful patterns appear on the polished surface that covered the top of the arena. This left the impression of being a structure taken from a distant future and placed in our time.
Holy Mother of Health looked like a huge patchwork sheet. A strange and unplanned mix where the old and the new struggled to fit together.
Arriving at this ultra-modern structure after being in the other buildings was odd. The nostalgic feeling of belonging to the institution’s past faded away. It became a new sensation of being on a trip to a futuristic era.
Lost in my thoughts, I came back to my senses when rays of light, reflected in the stadium’s metal roof. They invaded the Jeep through the front windshield and hurt my eyes.
The colonel parked the car in a vacant lot. Right in front of a hemispherical entrance dominated by sturdy double steel doors.
Two security guards were at the entrance, blocking access to the door. They carried walkie talkies and sharp machetes on their utility belts.
Sérgio had informed about the menace of the Folliage.
I approached the stadium's s with a single thought in mind. An urgent need to see my mother and make sure she was safe. As I approached, the guards blocked my way and demanded that I showed my credentials.
Then they saw the colonel coming out of the jeep and meeting me. I did what they asked and showed my special license with my photo.
The colonel did not enter the stadium with me; he went to the guards. I imagined that he and his team had a lot to do before the terrible Amber night.
When I entered through the doors, I came across an access tunnel. I heard a muffled sound of a crowd coming from the other side of the tunnel. From the main court. That place looked like a myriad of colorful mobile dots. Both the block and the bleachers were full of people. Everyone entertained with games and applauding aloud. Some of them singing.
There was a lot of movement all over the place. From an outsider’s point of view, everything looked like a festival. Instead of a way to keep the children and staff hidden and safe.
The sisters wanted everyone to believe that everything was normal. I later learned that my mother gave them that idea.
That crowd was very excited.
Looking at them, they seemed so innocent. I could not help but think how most of them were unaware of the hungry entity. Closer to them and lurking nearby in the dimensional prison.
One thing you have to admit about teenagers. How their competitive spirit can grow into something incredible in a complicated situation. It was amazing how they overcame their initial confusion and frustration. Ignoring their isolation trapped inside their school. Unable to enjoy their vacation away from there.
Those innocent bystanders didn’t know about the power clash between supernatural forces. Forces that they didn’t even know existed. Which made me reaffirm my desire to protect them, no matter the cost.
As soon as Voluptia saw me, she forgot that we were in a Catholic church. She threw herself into my arms, almost making me lose my balance and fall back. Excited and happy to see me after all that had happened.
I put her back on the floor, embarrassed because of that exaggerated display of affection.
It embarrassed me, even more, when I realized that Sister Paula and my mother were right behind her.
Ignoring this initial embarrassment, I guided my partner on the next step to take.
“I’m also happy to see you, sweetheart. But time is of the essence for us to establish our countermeasures. Bayon told me you have everything in order.”
She nodded and pulled me down to whisper in my ear.
“Grotheske is also ready. She agrees with your plan.”
“Well, let’s all go to the chosen room. Where’s Meab?”
“She didn’t want the nuns to see her or get near them. So she went to check out the other Rascals’ missions first.”
I greeted my mother and Sister Paula and gave Mom a tight hug. It was hard to let her out of my arms, knowing what was at stake. She noticed the worry in my eyes but didn’t say a word about it.
The moment I was afraid to face had arrived.
For my plan to flawless succeed, I needed their full cooperation. Which meant I needed to be honest with them. No matter how I wanted avoid that conversation, it was time to reveal my partner’s true identity to them.
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How will the nuns react to the demonic nature of Voluptia? Will she be safe after Roger's revelation? Check out in our next and exciting episode. Like, comment, share with your friends. Subscribe if you didn't do that already. I love hearing from you.
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