The Gathering (81 page)

Alia snarled and lurched forward.
 
As she did, the amulet loosened from her skin, the silver spreading thin and web like across the ash.
 
Blaylock was too engrossed in his game to notice.
 
Alia continued to look him in the eye, never wavering.

"I can't wait to taste each… and… every… one."

Blaylock laughed again and backhanded Alia across the face before he jumped off the table.
 
Alia recoiled and then strained against the rope, struggling to get at Blaylock.
 
As she struggled, the amulet shook loose from more of the blackened skin.
 
She continued to wrestle with her bonds.
 
Her hair fell in her face and suddenly the amulet fell free from her skin and the chain broke.
 
It fell from her chest and caught on a piece of wood by her feet.
 
There it swung back and forth, still unnoticed by all, except Alia.
 
She stopped struggling and stared at Blaylock.
 
The area where the amulet had once been bound by charred and swollen flesh now grew pink and healthy.
 
Sam struggled against the ropes.

"Pussy, Son of a Bitch!"

Blaylock laughed and looked at Brollen who was now laughing as well.
 
Alia didn't register any pain, only contempt as she stared at Blaylock.
 
He turned back around and returned her steely gaze, then he put his hand out for Coeli and Brollen pushed her up on the table and into Blaylock's grip.
 
He took Coeli by the back of her hair and forced her to look at the captives.

He then took his hand and placed it on her breast, pressing his face against the side of her head.
 
He squeezed her flesh until Coeli yelped, which made him grin.

"Stop it!!"

Sam fought against his restraints, but to no avail.
 
Blaylock moved his hand down Coeli's stomach and then under the band of her skirt where he thrust his hand down into her mound.
 
She cried and tried to back away pushing at his hands, but he was too strong.
 
Sam continued to struggle, the twine cutting deeper into this flesh and the spikes ripping through the sinew and bone.
 
He fought through the pain as tears of frustration rolled down his battered face.
 
Tanner struggled.

"What's happening?
 
Mom?
 
Sam?
 
What's happening?"

Blaylock smiled and looked at Tanner.

"Well, Twin, I'm about to make your sister a woman, while mommy and boyfriend watch.
 
Sorry you can't see it."

Tanner gritted his teeth.

"You'll regret it!"

Blaylock looked at Brollen and they laughed, but Alia's eyes never left Blaylock.
 
She had been focusing all her energies on her anger.
 
She felt all the pain of the past.
 
The pain these men had inflicted.

Blaylock blew a kiss to Alia and winked at Sam.
 
Rona now walked back into the throne room.
 
She had fixed her nose and was trying to clean the blood off her dress.
 
She moved towards the throne and watched with her arms crossed in front of her, sulking.
 
The court erupted, cheering him on, as Blaylock ripped Coeli's dress and threw her down on the table where he proceeded to rape her.
 
Sam still struggled weakly against the twine and steel as Coeli kicked, scratched and bit her attacker.
 
Blaylock laughed and slapped her several times, but she kept fighting him.
 
Sam cried out and pulled harder now against the ropes.
 

Alia continued to stare at the scene in front of her, her heart beating faster and harder, her head pounding, she realized she could feel her blood pumping through her veins and arteries, faster and faster.
 
It was time.
 
There was no more fear and she was free of the black amulet.
 
She finally broke her gaze and looked to the enormous windows in the ceiling to see the early evening sky.
 
She marveled at the purple grayness of the sky, hints of orange and pink floating through the clouds, its beauty a sharp contrast to the ugliness that surrounded her.
 
She took a deep breath and yelled.

"I come to you willingly and without fear."

She began to chant the ancient words of the goddess.
 
Sam looked at her.
 
He remembered what his grandmother had said when he left and he yelled it to the heavens.

"I come to you willingly and without fear."

Then Tanner, who had turned in the direction of his mother, looked up to the sky and in his blindness, also yelled the words to the sky.

"I come to you willingly and without fear."

The three began to chant the incantation.
 
They started low, but almost immediately they could hear each other and their voices grew.
 
Rona heard Tanner yell and looked up.
 
She pushed herself off the throne and walked slowly towards them.
 
Suddenly, she realized what they were doing.
 
Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head.

"What is she doing?"

She started to smile, until she noticed that something around Alia's neck was missing.
 
The amulet was gone.

"No…no!!!
 
Stop them!!!"

She ran towards Blaylock.

“Tommy!
 
Thomas!!”

Blaylock had been so preoccupied with Coeli that he hadn't noticed what was happening until he heard Rona.

"WHAT?!?

"Get up!!"

Rona smacked him and he went to backhand her when she pointed to the crosses.
 
He looked up and got off of Coeli, handing her to Brollen.
 

“What the hell is this?”

Rona grabbed him.

“The amulet!!
 
Where is it?"

"Last time I looked it was around her neck!!"

Rona turned back around and watched in horror as the three bodies hanging from the giant crosses started to glow.

"Where is he!?”

Blaylock shrugged and pointed above him.
 

"What are they doing?" he asked.

Rona shook her head and ran to the stairs, leaving Blaylock to watch in bemused wonder.

Sam opened his eyes briefly to see Brollen, his hands all over Coeli, as she scratched and fought against him.
 
Then Sam watched as Brollen positioned Coeli in front of him and entered her.
 
The fire in his head made him dizzy.
 
He remembered how important it had been to Coeli that they be together.
 
She knew this was going to happen.
 
He closed his eyes and left himself open to the spirit.
 
Misunderstanding, Brollen laughed.

Alia closed her eyes and focused on giving herself wholly to the universe.
 
Then she saw the goddess in her head, as she had appeared to her only days before, her flaming red hair, and her hand reaching for her.
 
Alia called to the great goddess of death and war and wisdom.
 
Soon Alia could hear nothing but their voices as images of her life flew through her mind like pictures in a photo album, all of her memories flooding her head, from her childhood to this moment, her heart beating faster and faster, her head pounding harder and harder, and then she heard them.
 
        

She opened her eyes and looked to the heavens, but it was no longer orange and pink.
 
Now it was black, like pitch.
 
Ravens.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash as the windows broke and the birds flew into the banquet hall screeching the name of their mistress:
 
Morrighan, Morrighan, Morrighan.
 
Shards of glass flew in all directions as the court of onlookers screamed and ran, seeking refuge under doorways and chairs.
 
The birds flew down the length of the hall and along the table, forcing Brollen to release Coeli as they flew to their destination.
 
Coeli managed to jump under the table and get to the base of the crosses.
 
The birds also attacked Blaylock, who drew his weapon and started swinging it through the cloud of feathered creatures.
 
With every connection his blade made, their blood flew against his skin, and as it did, it burned him.
 

The ravens soared to those who had called them.
 
Alia put her head back and succumbed to her destiny.
 
She could feel their wings and talons and beaks against her skin.
 
Soon the last bird joined its brethren and no one could see any of the captives as they were covered by hundreds of ravens.

Blaylock backed up and looked at the sight with angry amazement.
 
His breathing was heavy as he tried to wipe the blood from his singed arms.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Brollen got up from the floor and walked over to Blaylock and grabbed his arm.

"I don't like this!"

Blaylock sneered and shrugged him off, then backhanded him across the face.

"Get it together, Gary!
 
It's just a bunch of fucking birds!"

Brollen's eyes narrow then he scowled and nodded his head.
 
Suddenly, from the shadows came the Shape.
 
He walked to the end of the table and slammed his fists into the wood, causing the room to vibrate.

"What is this?!"
 
He boomed.

The room shook from the power of his voice.
 
Blaylock and Brollen turned to see their Master jump on the table and walk towards the swarming birds with huge strides.
 
Rona and Anne ran down the stairs as the Shape walked towards the prisoners.
 
Rona reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped.
 
She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and stared at the birds.
 
Anne went to the end of the table and then looked at Blaylock.

"What did you do?!"

Blaylock sneered at her and turned back towards the prisoners.
 
Rona looked at the heavens and was afraid.
 

“She was here, she was already here and without the amulet, Alia would take all of her rightful gifts.”

From the kitchen, Albion moved out into the throne room.

"Mother, what's happening?"

Anne turned and saw her son.
 
She ran around the table and took him by the arm, gripping hard.
 
Albion winced.

"What are you doing here?
 
Get to your room!!
 
Now!!"
 
She hissed.

Anne dragged Albion to the passage that led to his room and shoved him through.
 

"Ow, you're hurting me."

Anne's blue eyes grew cold and Albion felt himself shiver.
 
This was not his mother.

"I said get to your room, Boy!!
 
Do it now!!"