The Battle for Sanctuary: The Titan's Legacy: Vol: 2 (Volume 2) (18 page)

A little reluctantly, Maria stepped forward. Prometheus
smiled gently at her and asked her to extend her arm bearing the
bracelet. He raised his hand and the rune in his palm began to glow.
Then he touched it to the bracelet. He closed his eyes for a moment.
A metallic tang filled the air, making some of the teens wrinkle
their nostrils. The Titan opened his eyes and released Maria's arm.

“
That's
all there is to it, my dear.”

Maria
was staring at her bracelet. “Wow, is this the rune for speed?”
she asked as she twisted her arm.

“
It
is indeed, Maria,” Prometheus replied. Maria showed the
bracelet off to the others.

“
What's
this other, tiny mark beside the speed rune, sir?” Richard
asked, pointing at the bracelet.

“
Ah,
yes,” Prometheus seemed pleased at Richard's observation. “You
may, in your travels, have need to speak or read Titanian, the
language of the Titans. That little rune will allow you to do that,
and will begin to imprint that knowledge on to your minds. I thought
I'd add it to your bracelets, just in case.”

“
Hey,
cool,” Richard said with a grin. The others agreed.

“
I'm
glad you approve. And you are next, I believe.”

Prometheus
used the same routine on Richard and soon he was also showing the
others his newly-marked bracelet.

All of
the others went through a similar ritual. The last band marked was
Aaron's. He seemed skeptical.

“
You're
going to mark my band with the rune for intelligence?” he
asked, sounding doubtful.

Prometheus
laughed. “No, of course not. That is part of who you are,
Aaron, not a skill like the others will use. No, I thought to give
you something that your intelligence and loyalty could make use of.”

“
And
what's that, sir?”

The
Titan reached out, closed his eyes and inscribed Aaron's bracelet.
Then he looked at the teen intently.

“
I've
given you the gift of Fire,” he said simply.

Aaron
looked at his bracelet and back at Prometheus. “You mean it?
Like what we saw when the rebels were fighting the Destroyers? With
fireballs and stuff?”

“
I
mean precisely that,” the Titan said gravely. He put his hand
on Aaron's shoulder. “Be sure to use it...wisely.”

Aaron
swallowed and nodded vigorously. “I will,” he told
Prometheus with a serious look on his face.

The old
Titan smiled. “Good.” He looked at Justin. “Now, my
brother's son, we shall unlock some of your potential.”

“
What
do I need to do?” Justin asked nervously. He remembered how
much this hurt the last time.

With a
chuckle, Prometheus reassured him. “No pain this time, I
promise you.” The Titan looked thoughtful. “Your main
talent, like my brother before you, is the manipulation of earth and
all components that arise from it. After I grant you the key to using
that talent more effectively, I will show you and the others some
simple ways to train and strengthen your abilities.”

Prometheus
offered his hand to Justin and, after a slight hesitation, the teen
grasped it. The power flowed smoothly from one to the other this time
and Justin felt a rush of warmth through his hand and into his body,
but happily, no pain.

After it
was done, Prometheus called them all together again.

“
I
will show you how to train your talents now. You have, at most, a day
or two to rest and train and then, I'm afraid, you must be on your
way.”

“
So
soon?” Julia said loudly. She sounded disappointed. “But
we won't learn enough in that short a time to be of any use in case,
you know, something bad happens to us.”

Prometheus
nodded gravely. “I understand, child. And I will miss you all
dearly. You have given me more happiness in the short time that you
have been here than I've experienced in many a year. But forces are
moving against you.” He held up his hand at the sudden
clamoring of questions. “Do not ask me how I know; it is only a
feeling. But something dark and deadly is now stalking the long
galleries of Sanctuary and I fear it is seeking you.”

They all
became very quiet and exchanged frightened glances.

“
Now,
Maria, you are going to need a sparring partner. For today, all of
your friends will be busy with practicing on their own, so I will
supply a temporary opponent, just to get you started.”

Maria
looked confused and glanced around. “A temporary partner, sir?
I thought you were alone here?”

“
Oh,
I am,” Prometheus said jovially. “Well, in a manner of
speaking. But I occasionally get tired of the sound of my own voice,
so...”

He
walked over to the cabinet that had held the box of bracelets and the
scanner. The bottom half of the cabinet consisted of one large door.
Prometheus banged on the door twice and said, “Come out here.
We have visitors.”

The
teens stared at each other. Justin looked over at Aaron who scratched
his head and muttered “What the?” He shrugged at his
friend and looked back at Prometheus. He wondered if the old Titan
had perhaps become a bit odd after his many years of loneliness.

Prometheus
gave the cabinet another knock. “Come out, I say! Don't
embarrass me in front of company.”

“
Embarrass
you? Oh no, we wouldn't want to embarrass the great and mighty
Prometheus, now would we?”

Everyone
jumped. The voice was coming out of the cabinet! Julia gave a little
shriek.

“
No,
not him,” the voice continued. Justin couldn't tell if it was
male or female, but he found himself grinning at the sarcastic tone
and at Prometheus' exasperated expression. Aaron chuckled.

“
Leaves
me in this box for months at a time. Wants to talk, gets bored and
then it's 'oh, come and talk, entertain me'. Well, you can bloody
well entertain yourself! And your guests. Who are they anyway, hmm? A
couple of minotaurs you've domesticated? A talking shrub perhaps?
Bah!”

Prometheus
was becoming red in the face and smacked the door again. “This
is your last warning! Come out or...”

There
was a loud sigh from the unseen speaker. “Or what? You'll come
in? Fine. But don't expect me to be entertaining. I've not on the
mood.”

The door
opened and all the teens peered at the cabinet, waiting to see who
had been hiding inside.

When the
occupant emerged, both Julia and Yolanda shrieked. The others stepped
back several paces. Justin noticed that Dominic stepped in front of
Maria as if to shield her. Aaron cursed under his breath.

“
It's
all right, my friends. Be assured that you are quite safe,”
Prometheus said calmly.

It was a
servitor. But this one was quite different than any that Justin had
ever seen before.

It was
quite small, perhaps four feet tall and, instead of a bronze metal
exterior, it was covered with a shiny black enamel that gleamed in
the warm light. It was wearing a garment that Justin thought was
called a toga; a simple sleeveless robe that hung to its knees. Its
features were very human-like and expressive and, as it stood up
after rolling out of the cabinet, reflected a look of irritation.

After
their initial shock, the teens watched as the machine looked around
at all of them and then craned its neck and looked up at Prometheus.

“
Children?
Your guests are children? Well, at least they're real. A pleasant
surprise after your last imaginary guest. Who was it again? A
mermaid? Or was it a siren?”

“
Imaginary
guest?” Prometheus sounded indignant. “I've never had an
imaginary guest! Are you implying that my mind is growing feeble?”

The
servitor ignored him and turned to look at the teens; either not
noticing or choosing not to see their fear of him.

“
You
must forgive Prometheus,” he said. Justin definitely could tell
that the machine had been modeled after a human male. “After
six thousand years or so, he's become a bit...cranky.”

“
Cranky?
I'll show you cranky, you rusted out piece of scrap metal!”
Prometheus thundered. The servitor took no notice.

“
You
see? Try to play along and eventually he'll calm down. I do wish I
had some warm milk to soothe him,” he added with a dramatic
sigh. “But this cell is so limited.” He appeared to think
a moment. “Do you think warm juice would work as well?”

Maria
burst out laughing, followed by Aaron. The rest of the group quickly
forgot their fear as the servitor continued to make comments on
Prometheus' age and mental health. Finally, the Titan cut him off.

“
That's
enough,” he said quietly and Justin realized that the old Titan
had been playing along with his servant in a bid to set them at their
ease. And it had worked like a charm.

“
May
I introduce Daemon. He's quite as irritating as he seems to be and
I've put up with him for far too long, but he has been a good and
loyal companion all these years.”

The
machine looked up at him and seemed about to make some comment, but
then said simply, “And you as well, master.”

Prometheus
cleared his throat. “Yes, well, let us get on with this.
Daemon, Maria here needs a sparring partner. Why don't you take her
aside and help her get used to her new abilities, hmm?”

The
servitor reached out, delicately took Maria's arm and looked at the
bracelet. “Ah, Mnemosyne.” He looked up at Maria, who
seemed to be reassured by the little machine's size and passive
approach. She smiled at him. “So, we need to activate your
reflexes somewhat, yes?” He didn't wait for an answer, just
took Maria's hand and walked off toward a clear space on the far side
of the room, chattering away. Maria grinned back at the group and
left with Daemon.

Prometheus
watched them thoughtfully for a moment, then looked at Richard.

“
Well,
young man, you're next. Come with me a moment, will you?”

Richard
followed the Titan a short distance until they stood in front of a
small, brownish bush.

“
This
little plant is quite sickly,” Prometheus said as he knelt down
and delicately lifted one of its branches. Several dried leaves
dropped off. Richard knelt down beside him.

“
Healing
is healing, my boy. Be it a plant, an animal or a person, any
life-form can be healed with the power you have inside. You can
practice on this little fellow here without fear of harming a fellow
Titan.”

“
But,
how do I do it, sir?” Richard asked in confusion.

“
Simply
touch the plant. Examine it. See it in your mind to its fullest
extent. And then, picture it whole and healthy, vibrant and green as
nature intended it to be. It's as simple as that.”

“
Okay,
I'll try.” Richard reached out and started to touch and examine
the bush. Prometheus nodded his approval, stood up and returned to
the group.

He
looked at Julia and Yolanda, both of whom looked eager to start.

“
You
two young ladies will train together, since you both are gifted with
the talent for manipulating water.” Julia grinned widely and
looked at Yolanda, who seemed to be taking things much more seriously
and nodded gravely.

“
Good.
Now, I'd like you both to go over to the pool. One on one side, one
on the other. Julia, look at the water's surface, watch the light
reflect off of it, feel how it flows and circulates. You must become
attuned to the nature of water in order to control it. Yolanda, you
do the same. When you are ready, when you feel a connection to the
water itself, Julia, try to make some ripples flow across toward
Yolanda. And once you see the ripples, Yolanda, try to reverse their
course and send them back toward your friend.”

Both of
the teens looked skeptical and a little dazed by Prometheus'
instructions.

“
How
are we supposed to 'become attuned' to water?” Julia asked with
some impatience. “Water is water, isn't it?”

The
Titan laughed. “Yes, water is water. But for one to manipulate
it, use it to its fullest potential, water is much more. It is almost
a living thing. It can respond to your will. And, trust me, your gift
will allow you to reach this understanding much easier than you seem
to think.”

Julia
looked unconvinced but Yolanda spoke up.

“
We
have to know water at its most basic level, don't we?” she
asked with a thoughtful tone in her voice.

“
Precisely,
my dear, precisely! Well done. That is exactly what you must do. All
I ask is that you give it an honest try and see if anything happens.”

Yolanda
nodded, took Julia's hand and headed for the pool, with Julia
expressing doubts to her friend the whole way.

“
Jason,
you are next.”

“
Cool!”
Jason had stood patiently waiting for the others to have their turns
but his voice betrayed his anticipation.

“
Lightning
is one of the most powerful forces in nature, young man,”
Prometheus said with a very serious tone in his voice. “You
must be very careful in your training. Titans can be injured or
killed by electricity almost as easily as humans, which is why
Iapetus developed and used this latent ability. He was more warlike
than most of us and felt the need to harness this power in case he
needed to defend himself. Eventually he did,” Prometheus ended
dryly.