Law of Shadows, page 30
Carefully, I place the bone-saw on his forehead and start cutting. A little blood and tissue spray to the side, but I spread out several sheets of plastic to make the clean-up easier. Tetrach's eyes roll helplessly in their sockets. I don't care. I have to concentrate. If I cut too deep, it might become a problem.
I speak to Tetrach in order to make him feel at ease, “I am glad that you are an Old One. Doing this with you is so much easier than with humans. I don't even have to waste time with disinfecting everything.”
At last, I finish cutting in a full circle and put the bone-saw aside. The top of his skull comes off easily and I drop it into one of the waiting bowls for biological waste.
Next are the electrodes, which are long, fine needles. “I wonder if I should start with zero point one, or zero point two volts. The Germans stopped their research in this direction much too early.” To have a better understanding of Tetrach's state of health, I undo his gag.
“You bitch! Once father is ready, he'll come and raze this place to the ground! He'll...”
I roll my eyes. “Definitely zero point two volts.” I adjust the voltage source and carefully shove the first needle into his brain. Right were the speech centre should be.
“...will rape you for real! And then I'll find that little bitch whom you treat like a daughter and-”
His whole body starts twitching and trembling and his teeth chatter several times before I pull the needle back by two millimetres. His body immediately relaxes, but his mouth still opens and closes in an attempt to find the right words. It's just that Tetrach fails to pronounce his issues with me.
“I am so sorry. It's been a while since I've done this and if I am not absolutely exact, things like this will happen.” Bastard! Maybe I should shove one needle into his pain centre and stimulate it directly?
No. Moral high ground. I am not like Magnus. I've to show that there is a different way of doing things. After placing two more needles in his frontal lobe and several others in important areas of the brain, he slowly starts looking like a hedgehog. Then I manipulate the various voltages and lower the one which stops him from speaking. “Now that we are set up-”
“I'll kill you...”
Not at all repentant. I sigh and make some adjustments. “What's your name?”
His enraged expression slackens. “Tetrach.”
“Which colour is the sky?”
“Red.”
A little too much. “Try again.”
“Blue.”
We go through a whole series of test questions. At first I try to influence him to tell lies, then I adjust the settings so that he can only tell the truth. After a while of switching back and forth between the two states, I feel confident in getting some useful answers. “What do you think about our father?”
“He is a great man with a vision.”
More like a rapist and a maniac. Combined with immortality, such a combination has never a good ending. “Did you always have that opinion?”
“Ever since he told me about his plans to make the world ours.”
I raise both eyebrows. “Tell me everything you know.”
He struggles for a few moments, but doesn't talk. I suppose he can still choose not to talk at all. His indoctrination must be rooted very deeply. Or one of the needles isn't exactly in the right spot. Maybe the one that I placed in his cerebellum? It's always hard to reach the exact depth. I lightly tap on it with my index finger, allowing it to sink in a little deeper. Just a fraction of a millimetre.
I try to sound cheerful. As if we are playmates. “Come on. This isn't real. It's just a dream. We can talk about everything here. After all we are good friends. Don't you think so too?” I raise the voltage that controls his sense of well-being. People who feel good are less suspicious.
Tetrach smiles. “Yes. I always wondered why we don't get along. You were always the strong one among his children. The only one who dared to defy father and made him mad. Why couldn't you be like us? He always vent his anger on us when he got mad.”
Now he is rambling like a drunkard, but that's good. “We were talking about his plans. His grand vision. Do you remember?”
Tetrach licks over his lips. “Yes, yes. He'll be our saviour. Gavin will free us from all the other supernaturals. Earth will belong to us Old Ones alone. But a planet without a society which can be controlled isn't worth conquering. So we have to change the Old Ones first. We are much too individualistic as a race. We have to become more fertile and less aggressive towards our own kind. It took Gavin a lot of time and effort to tackle the first problem. But we had a big breakthrough when we started working together with the fae!”
I try not to allow any emotion into my voice. “The fae?”
“Yes! Gavin already devised a way to control our new society by influencing key individuals with his mind control spell. But we were at a total loss on how to increase our numbers to uphold the current level of technology. It was already tried with humans in the past, so we abolished that idea.
“Then Gavin managed to negotiate for help from the fae. He supplied them with materials from time to time and, in exchange, they shared their knowledge on how to force a female Old One to become fertile. When he has everything he needs, he’ll surely retreat to our second base in order to build up his forces.
“He knows that the fae are following their own agenda, so we have to allow them and the other Old Ones to weaken each other. There are also plans to use the humans in order to cause a nuclear winter. The fae and many other supernatural races aren't as resistant to radiation as us. Once the world is clean of the weaklings, we can take it for ourselves.”
I draw in a sharp breath. “So he is collaborating with the fae. Tell me, what are those materials with which he is paying them.”
“Over the years, we've given them body parts, and also some women from our servant clan. The fae are quite happy with everything that's related to Old Ones. In return, we got the drugs that make Old Ones fertile. How do you think he got Cecilia pregnant twice within two hundred years? That's a record for our species, always keeping in mind that we are immortal. We don't suffer losses from diseases or old age. With that birthrate, we can repopulate the world in a few generations.”
I pat his shoulder. “I understand. What a grand plan. The others would never tolerate such ideas. They would destroy everything you have worked for. We have to flee. Where is his second base? We have to join his forces.”
Tetrach starts grinning. “He surely retreated to ground zero to make sure that the backup plan works. Just in case that the humans won't use nuclear force.”
I bite my lower lip. Tetrach doesn't know that the fae already went on the offensive. He was inside a chest for the last month. Gavin could have adjusted his plans. But the knowledge of what's going on in his brain will be helpful in any case. “Yes. Gavin surely went to ground zero. Where is it?”
“In America. The Yellowstone National Park. The base is exactly a hundred miles south of the expected epicentre. Gavin is setting up a ritual to blow up the volcano beneath the park. The eruption will be so massive that it causes another ice age. The best thing is that the catastrophe will look like a natural event. Everyone will struggle to survive and while the human population shrinks, Gavin can take over all the other clans with his superior numbers. It's even better than the plan with the nuclear war. Once he has control over our species, he can take out all the others.”
I adjust one of the needles to render Tetrach unconscious. Then I turn to Magnus and the others. “I stand corrected. Your chest might indeed be the correct place for someone like Tetrach and Gavin. That doesn't mean that the others down there deserve such a fate.”
Cecilia is outraged after this gruesome reminder of her enslavement. Her hands are balled to fists and shaking. “I'll kill him! I'll kill Gavin!”
Tina is also angry. “We may have to annoy the elders with a third gathering. This is too big for us alone. One false step and this madness blows up in all our faces.”
“Ahem.” Magnus points at Tetrach's opened skull. “You might want to close him up? We will need proof to claim something so outrageous in front of the elders. And I am not so sure if the chest isn't a better fate after all.”
I snort. “You call me squeamish, but you can't take an opened skull? He feels nothing. But let's stop arguing. We have to stop Gavin at all costs.”
Tina points at Tetrach’s loins where the bedsheets formed a small tent. “You might want to stop that first. It’s gross.”
I inspect the tent. “Ah, yeah. Definitely too much stimulation. And he is smaller than Magnus.”
41. ~Demonstration~
“There are certain behavioural differences between us and the others.”
A memory of the Old Ones.
Atlantis
Magnus
I watch Tetrach as he recounts his story in front of the elder. It is the same elder who oversaw my duel and he is looking at Tetrach with a mixed expression of curiosity and appalled shock. They are standing in the arena, while we are sitting up here in our pulpit.
Tina decided to join us together with Cecilia. I feel a little uncomfortable leaving the children just to Fiacre, but it can't be helped.
Then I notice the utter silence within the coliseum. Apparently, Gavin's ideas are equally distasteful to all the other clan-heads.
I return my attention to Tetrach and notice the big battery pack which Sely screwed to his head. I shudder and lean closer to her. “Did you have to leave the needles inside? He looks like a patchwork cyborg. Or a Borg, have you seen Star Trek?” Though I admit that the Borg never smiled. Tetrach seems to be comfortable enough with his new existence. The thought of having several needles inside my brain turns my stomach.
Sely nods. “Do you think he would be standing there and admitting his family's crimes if I hadn’t done that?”
I shake my head. “I still think that the chests are better. More humane.”
“Your method is barbaric!” Sely wants to go on, but the elder stops Tetrach's rambling with a gesture.
“We've heard enough!” The elder turns to the assembled ranks. “I think that we all agree that Gavin’s operation has to be shut down immediately. Nobody wants to be turned into one of his slaves.” The elder looks at the other elders who are waiting at their positions at the edge of the arena. “I suggest that we go there asap and try to stop it before it is too late.”
They nod with grave expressions and the elder turns back to study the ranks of the clan-heads. Then he points at someone in the south of the arena. “You! Jasper Hesserakt! The Yellowstone park is in your area of jurisdiction! A ritual like the one this worm described takes a lot of preparation. Why haven't you told anyone that the Hammons are entering and leaving your Veil as they please?”
The answer sounds a little puny and weak. “Our Veil doesn't extend to the indicated area! It's a neutral spot between us and our neighbours.”
The elder hisses and spits on the ground. “We'll see about that! In any case, there is something going wrong in your territory if someone can set up such a ritual right in front of your nose. The elders will have to take a very scrutinizing look at what's going on in your household. Something that affects our entire race can't be ignored. But for the time being, you can show your cooperation by allowing us to use your doorway. It's the fastest way to Yellowstone.”
Jasper looks offended, but he nods and gets to his feet. “The Hesserakt clan has nothing to hide. We aren't assisting the Hammons. I invite everyone who wants to join this venture to freely use our doorway.”
I smile. That’s the only thing Jasper can do to save his hide. It would look too suspicious if he denied us access. I think everyone knows that it isn’t Jasper’s fault. Few clans care about what’s going on outside their Veil. The elder simply picked someone who lives close to the area and made it look like he could be involved, just to gain access to his doorway.
I like that guy.
The elder nods and then all the elders use levitation magic to fly up to Jasper's pulpit. He nods and guides them out of the coliseum, followed by other clan-heads.
I lean back in my seat and place both legs on the balustrade. “Well, that was easy for a change. I already expected that we would have to argue for them to intervene. But they actually got to their feet completely on their own. Seems like the end of civilisation and a madman who seeks world domination are enough of an argument.”
Cecilia jumps to her feet. “I am going with them. Gavin is mine to kill!” She rushes out of our pulpit and up the stairs.
I take my feet off the balustrade and sit up straight. “W- wait! Look at how many people are out for Gavin's head! There is no need for us to risk our necks!”
Tina sighs and gets up. “Sorry, Magnus. This is a matter of honour between the Rhondu and the Hammons. You don't have to risk your neck if you don't want to.” She gestures for her five guards to follow and together they join the little army that was formed on a whim.
Sely gets up and follows Tina. “Wait! I want to see it when Gavin gets his ass kicked! That's something I wouldn't miss for anything in the universe!”
“Sely, you are pr- pregnant! You can't join a fight!” I stand up, but she doesn't listen and I desperately try to find arguments. Then I notice Tetrach. He is still standing in the middle of the arena and smiles like a lobotomised idiot. I guess he is a lobotomised idiot. A forgotten, lobotomised idiot. “What about your brother!?” I point at him.
“Let him stay there until he rots!” she calls out without looking back.
I look back and forth between her retreating figure and Tetrach. By now, the coliseum is almost empty. I wonder if everyone is joining the elders, or if a large part of the people is simply going home.
“Argh!” I shake my fists and follow Sely. The stupid wench is carrying our child but goes right into danger. I wonder if there is something wrong with her brain! I hurry to catch up to the others, leaving Tetrach all alone in the arena.
We join a long procession to Jasper's doorway. It turns out that Jasper linked his door in Atlantis directly to a place at the border of his territory. It's almost funny to see a seemingly endless stream of people coming out of a small shop in a rural town.
In absence of a better plan, I decide to stick to Sely. It seems like the elders took control of this little campaign and with just a few words, they drafted an army of over a thousand Old Ones. I've never seen it happen before, so I am quite surprised at how much weight the words of the elders carry. But then I remember grandfather Hatlix. I would've frowned if he told me to fight for something, but I guess that I would've done it because he is my grandfather.
“I guess we have more than enough fighting power to squash a little country, but how are we going to move everyone to Gavin's base?” I ask. There are so many people that the street is being blocked. The humans are even beginning to ask if this is some sort of demonstration. The whole improvised character of this venture concerns me.
But our means of transportation is clear when one of the elders takes over a public bus and throws out the humans. Within seconds the clan-heads follow their example. The humans scream and protest when their vehicles are being taken. Some even try to fight and, of course, it does them no good.
Sely huffs. “Seems like the idea of presenting us from our good side went out of the window.”
Tina grumbles and walks over to an off-road car. I don't know the manufacturer, but it's one of those big, American dreadnoughts which have trouble fitting onto a road and waste insane amounts of gas. “This looks just fine. Must belong to one of the local farmers.”
She breaks into the car with more skill than I expected her to have and a few moments later the engine is running. “What are you waiting for? Women inside, and the men can get the truck bed.”
I grumble and hurry to get up next to the male guards. With Sely, Cecilia, Tina and two female guards inside the car, the vehicle is already filled to the brim. Then Tina puts the pedal to the metal and I have to use magic in order to hold onto the vehicle just not to fall off. “I highly doubt that your driving style is according to human traffic laws.”
One of the guards next to me chuckles. “I doubt that stealing the car was legal in the first place.” He points at a typical, fat American who just left a shop. He is running after us, screaming and waving his hands. As do many other humans who are now left without a means of transportation.
I sigh inwardly as Tina joins the long convoy of private vehicles. “I wonder what the humans will say in the news.”
42. ~Speed~
“Never let go once your opponent is off kilter.”
A memory of the Old Ones.
Yellowstone National Park
Sely
I point at the rocky terrain of a small hill. “I think that's where the secret entrance is supposed to be.”
Our convoy drove at a steady pace for about an hour. Tina got us a place close to the elder's leading bus so that we can see what's going on.
According to Tetrach, there is a fairly large entrance to Gavin's second base in the side of a hill. We even got the exact coordinates. As we close in on our destination, the hill comes into view. The entrance is directly at the side of the road and camouflaged as a stone pit.
A dirt road forks off from the main road and leads right up to a ledge. From such a short distance, I can feel the whole place brimming with magic, so the ledge must be a magically concealed entrance. By relying purely on my eyes instead of all of my senses, I wouldn't have suspected that there is something off in the area.
Then I notice that the bus which was hijacked by the elders isn't stopping. “Hey, aren't they going to stop? What are they doing?” I watch in horror as the bus barrels over the dirt road and right into the ledge, where it disappears.
Tina laughs. “I think they don't want to take the risk of being betrayed. Tetrach's hearing was a very public business and Gavin must have his ways to get information about the rest of the world. They don't want to give him a single second to prepare.” She puts the pedal to the metal and the car jumps forward, following the bus which is leading our army.
