Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) (27 page)

All of it was short-lived.

Following an ear-piercing shriek, a powerful blast of light discharged from the inferno, striking Paimon squarely in the chest. His armor shattered into an infinite array of pieces and he was laid bare, convulsing as his eyes and mouth exploded with light. The helmet flung itself off the floor, into his waiting arms and he dropped his head, vomiting a luminous stream inside.

Astaroth watched from afar as the room filled with a bright light that coalesced into a massive beam that shot off into the sky, leaving the supermarket charred.

It screamed through the air, crossing hundreds of miles in seconds.

THE LODGE WAS
sitting tranquilly amidst the trees just up from the workshop. It was a serene afternoon, a gentle autumn breeze blowing by as birds flew through the air singing their songs. All was well, just as Joey and Gage had left them, waiting for their return.

That is, until the sky broke and the clouds evaporated, the massive blast from Dajjal crashing into the property with such authority, smiting the wards, symbols and all other protections instantaneously. It did not stop there, however, the destruction spreading to the structures and everything inside. The buildings were hurled to the ground, the trees set aflame, and the countless notes and artifacts retrieved from Denver evaporated in an intense burst of energy.

The Lodge was annihilated and once more Gage was without a home. He just didn't know it yet.

THE WAIT FOR AN
answer was excruciating, but finally the Council had decreed that Om Citta and his ship would be the going to the ancient doorway at Machu Picchu to retrieve Adrienne, along with the seal. Having heard the great news, the team gathered themselves in one of the smaller conference rooms just off from the main chamber, eagerly plotting their way to Peru.

There came a knock on the door and Marcus bounded up excitedly from the table to see who it was. Expecting to see Jane or Quileth, he was notably disappointed – or outright shattered – that Fenran’s despicable features were there to greet him.

As the elf strolled in, the mood quickly lost its edge, replaced with a dull gloom that Gage was convinced, under certain frequencies, could be visible as a literal storm cloud over Fenran’s perpetually sour head.

“What can we do for you, Fenran?” Om asked guardedly.

“Just coming to wish you well on your journey, Om. After all, the fate of the world rests in your hands”

What a load of pig shit,
Gage thought.

The rouse wasn't fooling anyone, the team all donning expressions meant to tell the unwanted elf that his time was up.

“I'll be on my way then,” Fenran said, looking to Gage obviously trying to incite a reply.

“Thanks,” he said, not meaning it in the slightest. “We have a lot of work to do.”

“Oh?” said Fenran excitedly. “But Gage, you won’t be going on this little excursion. I'm so very… very sorry.”

“Why the hell not?” Gage asked, pushing back his chair in anger. All he could think about right then was Adrienne. “On whose authority?”

“Mine,” the elf replied, his smile overflowing with glee.

GAGE HAD BEEN
inside his ‘temporary accommodations’ at HQ for a couple hours, and it began to feel like a prison cell. It might as well have been because he was relegated to this bland room, with no pictures or other forms of décor, under strict orders not to return to the
Odyssey
for any reason whatsoever, even a change of clothes.

Fenran's argument, which Gage thought was contrived bullshit, was that since opening the gateway to the Astral Plane would be dangerous and there was still a shred of doubt as to Gage’s ultimate loyalties, due to the amulet, Gage must remain at HQ for his own protection and safekeeping. Not to mention the demons making a move leading to the loss of Forest Grove in a devastating earthquake.

Trying times call for new and sometimes difficult measures,
Gage recalled in Fenran's smug voice.

If that were truly the
only
reason, why then was he confined to quarters with guards posted just outside his door? He was unable to leave even if he wanted to just take a quick stroll around the various points of interest in the building.

Given all of that, he rested up in a not-so-comfy chair with his arms tucked up behind his head, waiting; trying not to go insane.

He heard a loud
thump
outside his door along with a muffled shout, causing him to get up and cautiously approach. Another
thump
erupted into quite the unseen commotion. Reaching for a nearby statue of the naked goddess Aphrodite, he braced himself to hit whatever was about to come through that door.

When it opened, Joey and Marcus were there with two unconscious human guards.

“Good thing they weren't Felidaen,” Marcus said between heavy breaths to Joey, “they'd have seen this coming a mile away.”

“Still didn't make it much easier; those dudes were tough. Wonder why the human guards though, when Quileth’s folks run the security game.”

“I think ya answered your own question there, J,” Gage stated, realizing he was holding the statue around her breasts. He bent over to nab one of the guard’s nightsticks, a much less provocative weapon. Smacking it with his hand he said the words the other two were already thinking. “Glad to have some allies. Let's roll!”

“Om,” Marcus said into his jacket. “Beast mode on, I repeat beast mode on.”

“Confirmed,” said Om over the hidden radio. “Don't over train.”

“Oh that's really cute guys,” Gage muttered as he looked around a corner to see if anyone was coming. The way was clear.

“Hey it was fitting,” said Joey. “Don't judge me.”

“Oh trust me,” said Gage. “I am.”

With that they took off running down another set of halls, making their way up several flights of stairs toward the balconies in the main hall. Though it was an easy path to start with, they began to encounter resistance along the way, at first more humans in the halls, then Felidaen guards. The closer they reached their destination, the more they had push to get through.

They continued to fight their way to their goal, punching, kicking, and even tossing, before they reached the edge of the platform. There was nowhere else to run, Gage clinging to the barricade while staring down a sheer drop. This was the end of the line.

“So what exactly was the reason ya brought us here?” Gage asked, dumbfounded by the lack of escape.

Guards began to flood the hall, pointing their weapons and staves directly at the company.

“Om,” said Marcus. “Please tell me you are ready to go.”

“Affirmative,” said Om over the chittering speaker.

Marcus spun around, his tone as serious as a heart attack. “Jump. Now.”

“What?”

“Gage!” shouted Joey before a sudden feeling of nausea overcame him. He shook it off. “Just fucking jump, now!”

Not having to ask him twice, the three of them did just that, insanely jumping from the entrance hall to plummet toward the street below. As they fell, Gage questioned ever listening to the two of them, but the air started shimmering and he could see the Odyssey materialize before his eyes. Three beams of ropey light flung themselves off the port side and latched themselves around each of them like a harness.

“Hang on,” said Marcus as they were jerked hard to one side, the ropes taking most of the force off their bodies as they careened toward the underbelly of the ship.

As the air whooshed by Gage look back at the building, swearing he had gotten way too close to the windows but he looked up and finally understood what was going on.

“Brace yourself!” shouted Marcus with a laugh as they were all teleported upwards into ship.

Almost immediately, the
Odyssey
banked hard to starboard and away from the building. The windows trembled as its mighty engines engaged; she set course with a mighty boom for the south.

Back inside headquarters from the Council chamber, Quileth approached a fuming elf and Jane, who was graciously composed beside the windows. They all watched as the
Odyssey
disappeared from view.

Fenran was furious. “I know you had something to do with this… you flea ridden shit!”

“My dearest elf calm yourself, your ear tips are about to pop off they're so red. I have no idea what you are insinuating, but I shall have my teams investigate this escape immediately.”

“You best! There is no telling how many things saw that damn boat flying off!” Fenran replied, storming off in a rage.

“We shall handle that,” Jane said to his back as the doors closed slammed him. She leaned in toward Quileth. “Immediately you say?”

“Why yes…” he replied ever so slowly. “And by that I do mean eventually…”

GAGE WAS ECSTATIC
they gotten away, swashbuckling through guards giving him quite the high. He made his way out of the forecastle onto the main deck where he spied Joey standing alone, looking off to the receding skyline. Marcus must have gone to talk with Om, so Gage took a detour from his original path to the galley and walked over. He could tell something was going on just by Joey’s unusually stiff body language; he was even trembling slightly.

“Hey, my man,” Gage said quietly so as not to startle him. “Are ya okay? I know that little stunt we pulled back there even has my stomach doing cartwheels.”

There was no reply, so Gage placed a hand on his shoulder. “Joey?”

When he turned around Gage saw the distress in his face. “I don’t know how,” he said with gloom, “but I just can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong at home.”