Amber Shards

Chapter 5

Carnage

 

"If the radiance of a thousand suns
Were to burst at once into the sky
That would be like the splendor of the Mighty one --
I am become Death,
The shatterer of Worlds."

Hindu Spiritual - Bhagavad Gita

 

Collin sat in the tunnel and finished his snack.  This section of sewer was empty at the moment.  Though people here rarely used it, the smell of unwashed bodies still assailed his nose.   He sighed, scratched behind an ear and continued forward. 

 

His eyesight had been augmented as well as his other senses so the dark didn’t hamper him.  At this point in his life he was used to skulking in the dark and enjoyed it.  Collin stopped as he heard voices ahead.  There were two stood and talked about something.  Quietly, he climbed the wall in the tunnel and crawled along the pipes that hung down from the ceiling. 

 

The two men appeared to be guards.  Slowly, as quiet as he could, he crept forward. 

 

The first said “So when do we go foraging again?”

 

The second replied, in a gravely voice.  “When the elders deem enough time has passed and the threat is eliminated.  The Holy Ones have to remove the danger on the outside, then we may go hunting again.”

 

The first answered.  “Good.  I am growing tired of the scraps we have been scavenging.  I want real meat again.”

 

At that moment Collin hit a patch of dust and it fell from the pipe.  He became completely motionless.

 

The two men stopped talking.  Collin could make them out more clearly as they tried to see what had disturbed the pipes.  The ragged look of their uniforms clashed with the newness of their guns.  Their hair was mangy and as a filthy as their bodies.  The reek of their bodies was…impressive.   The first guard spotted him.  He prepared to flee but paused as the guard turned around and went back and to the other.  “It was just a rat.”

 

Collin sighed, his whiskers quivered and he continued.  His heart pounded out a staccato, but he was safe for the moment.  Traveling down the pipes he considered his current situation.  This rat had answered a wizard’s call and had been given this assignment. 

 

He and a couple of dozen others had answered a call.  It was something greater than the urge for food, safety or even mating.  The call was just to enter the tower, but there was a trick to it.  There were several entries that a rat could have used, but some were trapped and once inside there had been more tricks and traps.  Only three had been clever enough to complete the journey, Collin, Ginger and Manx.  Those that had failed were released into the wilds once more.

 

He thought to himself.  "Ian made us an offer as simple as we could understand back then and we accepted.  He made us a new breed of warders.  Not big dumb slavering warriors, but instead, spies.  His special eyes and ears it the world because no one pays attention to us except to kill us for sport or food."  In fact they had been altered to closely mimic a human psyche because they needed to have a good grasp of the quarry that they would be watching.

 

Collin smiled. He enjoyed the dark and skulking around for Ian.  Many things in the world made sense now.  His mind had been expanded, his senses enhanced, as well gaining other abilities.  He could now read any written language as well as communicate by Will.  He healed at a very rapid rate.  Best of all, the three had been given a tiny ability with of White Flame.  They could perform small transports from one place to another and when the master desired them in far distant place, he lent a small piece of power and they were there.

 

Time passed.  He continued to travel the warren of tunnels underneath Austin Texas.  The rat had scouted the outer areas and found nothing of interest. Ian had told him to be bolder and search closer to the center of the city.

 

Collin contemplated another break for food, when the whisper of voices caught his attention.  This was not another guard or a pair of wandering rancid smelling children, but the babble of many voices.  He followed his ears; the sounds and smells grew.  Finally, the rat squeezed down a crack in a wall and came out in a huge chamber.  Hundreds of people sat at tables and talked.  Their smell was so overpowering it drove any thought of food from his mind.  Slowly he worked his way in the shadows, up a wall and found a perch to watch this activity better. 

 

As he climbed the walls the babble of voices grew silent.  The only thing that could be made out was whimpering and soft moaning.

One voice rang out through the chamber.  "Greetings my children.  Once again we partake in the blessings and bounty of this land.  Let us praise The Holy Ones who have manifest themselves and blessed The People with their presence and power." 

 

Collin looked about and found the speaker.  He was another filthy man.  His shabby robes, which might have possibly been white at one time, were a splotched grimy gray.   Though the speaker was not terribly impressive, the two men standing to either side of him caused the rat to pause.  These two were clean and cowled in black hooded robes.  The edges were embroidered in silver runes.  Though he could not make the runes out fully, they seemed to be symbols of mystic power.  He stared a bit longer and waited for his gift of translation to kick in.  These seemed that their purpose might be for gathering and storing power…

 

One of the two men looked up.  Perhaps it was a trick of reflected torchlight, but the man’s eyes glowed red and seemed to stare straight at him.  Fear urged Collin back into his a niche and he watched from deeper in shadow. 

 

The grimy man had continued to speak and seemed to be some sort of elder that the guards had talked about.   "…and bless the food that has been provided for us this day.  In the name of The All we pray."  As one, the filthy reeking sea of people said. "Amen."

 

The whimpering and moaning grew louder.

 

The elder spread wide his hand and said, "Let us now eat!"

 

The moaning and whimpering rose in a crescendo of shrieks, wails and screams.

 

 

The Wizard of the Argent Woods sat in his tower, The Seat of Power, The Hall of Wonders, The Stronghold of Light…and swore like a sailor.  He sat glaring at smoking display.  Cracks emanated from a steak knife that jutted out of the center of the computer screen and protruded from its back.  Shards of broken crystal were scattered below the thin rectangle of the skewered monitor.  Though it was a truly advanced technological wonder for this world, it had been no match for his frustration and strength.

 

Gerald, Ian's butler, confidant and occasional voice of wisdom approached.  "Hmmmm.  I see that the monitor gained sentience and threatened the lives of all those here in the tower.  No?  Perhaps it became empowered with dread demonic forces and challenged you to a dual?  Am I getting warm?"

 

The wizard’s only reaction was to reach up and extract the knife from the device.  Ian turned around, stroked his goatee and gave Gerald a dead look.  Most would have blanched before it, but the butler simply took the knife from Ian and began to gather the lunch plates.  The two had shared far too much for a mere look to faze him.

 

Brushing pieces of crystal from the front of his charcoal gray poet's shirt, Ian’s expression softened to something close to being contrite.  He reached out distractedly with a hand and passed it in front of the display.  The fractures slowly knit, as the screen seemed to repair itself.  He sighed.  "I had almost worked out the parameters of a new species that I'm trying to introduce.  I was running a stability simulation and it was working fine up to about one point three years into the life cycle when they all suddenly die.  No disease, no inbreeding, they just wear out.  It is cruelty to introduce a creature that will be doomed to extinction; besides it will serve no purpose." 

 

Gerald stood and listened, being the ear that he knew his master needed.

 

“When I wielded the power of Pattern or Law, I conjured creatures.  If the life form did not easily fit into a reality, I could wield the power to add on to or edit the current laws of existence and the life form thrived.  If I wielded the powers of Logrus or Chaos, I could subjugate the laws of a reality to get the results I wanted.  Now I have to work within the rules of this reality.  My creations must rely on consensual belief or this reality’s rules of science.  If these aren’t strong enough they will not support a creation.  If there is not enough legends or its possibility hasn’t lodged at some time strongly in humanity’s conciseness, the life-forms and advanced technologies will not function long!”  Ian frowned in frustration.  Though he couldn’t admit it to himself, for the first time in his life, he had to work within the rules of the system instead of changing it to fit his desires and this did not sit well with him.

 

There was a soft sound from a portable hand computer on a table to Ian’s right.  It sounded like a woman clearing her through.  He stared at it for a second and chuckled.  “No Celia, you are not failing me.  Without you much of what I do here would be near impossible.”  The Amberite turned back to his butler.

 

“I’m sure you’ll work out something Sir.”  Gerald took the gathered remains of Ian’s lunch, placed them on a tray and was careful of slivers of crystal.  “Have your…new warders reported in?”

 

This caused the Conjurer to smile again.  Gerald had tried hard to accept the rats as warders, but it seemed that he was a bit squeamish with them.  “You mean Collin and Company?”  Though his posture did not change in the slightest, unease seeped through the butler’s composure.  Ian resisted the urge to help him overcome this, but Gerald would have to get used to stranger things and needed to learn this lesson on his own.  “Not yet, he checked in early this morning, but nothing else since.”

 

“Why sent him to Austin?  The city has suffered multiple chemical spills as well as a rumored nuclear accident in a Star Labs facility.  No one lives there.”

 

Ian leaned back in his chair, steepled his finger and put on his instructor’s face.  “That is what is said, but I don’t believe it.  From information that I have gathered from petitioners who have agreed to be my ‘eyes and ears’; Austin is the residence of Boogie-Men.  Only the desperate ever try to scavenge the city.  If asked, no one wants to talk about it.  If pressed, they say there are monsters that live there that come out and raid communities.  After they pass, no human is left.  The young are highly discouraged from entering the city.  I have even heard that one community has decreed that if anyone goes into the deadlands of Austin, they are forbidden to return.  This is supposed to be because of the radioactivity and possible bio-contaminants.”

 

“But you believe there is more to it than that.”  Gerald said.

 

The Amberite leaned forward in the chair, his face intense.  “Exactly, something in Austin seems to be causing a general dampening in the psi field.  This is keeping me from exploring it astrally, but with the power of White Flame I can get through to Collin and he can relay what he has seen and we can try an discover the truth.”  He leaned back in his chair and addded in a dangerously quiet voice, “I also have been given reason to suspect that the assassin that attacked me came from there as well.”

 

Ian finished off the wine in a silver chalice that sat near him when a silver light twinkled into existence in front of him.  “And speak of the devil…”

 

As he sat back, his eyes took a far away look as he communed with Collin.

 

Gerald had only turned and taken two steps when he heard Ian’s harsh whisper.  “Oh Dear Maker…”.  The Amberite’s face bore a look of total horror.  The chalice that he absently held crumpled in his hand as his body shook.  The old man did not know what had transpired.  Whatever Collin relayed, if it could affect the master so, did not bode well

 

 

Ian sat in the lab.  The light of a waning moon and the glow of the multiple display screens created the only illumination.  Food sat untouched beside him as row of screens displayed data and ran simulations.  His hands seemed to move of their own volition.  Beyond that the only other movement of the conjurer was his eyes that rapidly darted from screen to screen as he took in the rush of data.

 

Gerald stood in the doorway.  His emotions were torn by his desire to help Ian the man and his duty to Master Ian.  After Collin had shared his information about what he had discovered in the tunnels of Austin, the master had sat there stunned then a cold rage seemed to fall over him.   His hollow gaze had met Gerald’s.  In an eerily calm voice he said.  “These people feast on living flesh, human flesh.  They lick their fingers after they finish a section and begin to carve off more.  It is some twisted parody of life.  Men, women and children all join merrily in the carnage.   They are skillful in carving up their dinner; seemingly quite adept in keeping their victims alive; applying unguents and poultices and tying off the affected limbs as they continue their feast.  When someone…expires, they grow cold and they are pushed aside as if no longer desirable.” 

 

Gerald could not help but see a little of what had transpired; having been in Ian’s presence for so long they was developed a kind of mental bond.  Never before had he feared the master, but at that moment the butler had very much wanted to be somewhere else.

 

That was over two days ago.  Ian worked without sleep or much food and seemed none the worse for wear. 

 

Suddenly the wizard stood. “Lights” he called out.  The torches did not alight, but cleverly hidden sections of lighting plates awoke.  Gerald started at the master’s voice.  If Ian noticed he did not react.  White fire danced in his eyes as the lab began to shift about seemingly on its own. Tables and equipment sank into the floor only to be replaced by new devices and structures.  An area cleared itself.  In the middle, a bed of sorts, surrounded by a plethora of strange instruments, which seemed both technical and magical.  In a voice as cold as the arctic itself Ian said, “Whenever you are ready Collin.”

 

 

Collin continued to sit in one of the tunnels under Austin Texas.  He was very nervous.  The dinner had made him feel sick.  Back when he was nothing more than a simple rat he would not have cared about the carnage except whether he got to have leftovers.  But the sight of the torture of people and these things as they ate and chatted away as if nothing was odd about this behavior was beyond his ability to fathom.  He now felt a deep sympathy for the victims and loathed their captors.

 

The eerie thing he had noticed was the two men in black ceremonial robes.  They seemed to watch the scene greedily as if had gathered something.  Collin’s instincts said they fed on what happened, but he was but wasn’t sure how.   When he had contacted Ian he had tried to relay this, but wasn’t sure if the sheer horror of the scene had overshadowed this fact.

 

Ian had broken contact and left the rat to wait and worry.  Then in a rush Ian’s mind returned, commanded him to go to one of the lesser used passageways, wait and watch.

 

For two days he had perched with nothing to eat or drink.  He had grabbed a bite once, but Ian had discovered this and reprimanded him severely.  His duty was to watch those who passed the halls and inform the wizard every time.  When someone approached Ian  ‘possessed’ him in part.  Used him as a window to reach out and touch the minds of those who passed before him.

 

Another nasty looking woman approached.  She sauntered down the hall.  After he had informed Ian, Collin once more had the wizard in his mind.  This time he could feel excitement.  “This is what I need” the wizard ‘pathed.  “Follow her and in a few minutes get yourself into a position and land on her.  You will be the hook and I will draw you both to the tower.”  Then he was gone.

 

Collin reached out to the spark of White Flame he commanded and willed himself further down the tunnel.   He vanished and reappeared on a section of sagging pipes ahead of the woman.  Mentally he sent "I'm in position Ian,".  In a moment a mental message came rippling through the white flame “Whenever you are ready Collin.”

 

The tone of the voice moved him into action. The woman was nearly under him as he dropped off of the pipe and onto her.   The stink coming off of her body was strong.  Life as a rat had taken him into some truly ripe areas, but this was a smell that had the edge of something wrong.  He didn't have time to contemplate it.  He dug his claws into her hair and clung on for dear life as the woman tried to extricate him.  Then moment the rat had been waiting for arrived. 

 

The heatless rush of White Flame washed through him and into the woman.  For a moment he felt suspended in a sea of everything, then he returned to reality.  They were in the lab and the woman collapsed. 

 

Collin was ready and untangled himself and leaped onto a nearby table.  Ian seemed not to be surprised at the woman's response.  Unless you were initiated in some manner by white flame, transportation seemed to knock out all but the heartiest.

 

The rat's attention was suddenly grabbed by the smell of food.  He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the wizard had lain the woman in some sort of bed and strapped her in.  He turned, vanished from one table and to the seat in front of the bank of computers.  Carefully he climbed onto the tray of cold food and Collin helped himself to it. 

 

The rat wasn't sure how long he had spent, but when he was finally sated himself, he turned and began to watch Ian. 

 

The Amberite sat next to the woman  He watched and adjusted several holographic displays.  Each seemed to show different information, from biological analysis to metaphysical aural data.

 

The rat jumped down from the tray, wandered across the room and transported to a table near where Ian worked.

 

While he ate seemed the wizard had accomplished several things.  The most noticeable had been that the woman no longer stank.  Collin could still detect a hint of wrongness about her, but she no longer reeked like a bin full of rotten corpses.  She appeared to be clean, but the tattered rags she had worn were gone.  In fact she was completely naked.  An array of equipment was hooked to her and around her, both technical and mystical.

 

"So boss, what are we doing with this thing?"  Collin asked as he cleaned himself.

 

Ian spared only a glance for Collin, then looked down and made some adjustments on Celia’s screen.   "I am studying her.  Biologically, she appears to be an almost completely normal human woman, except for some unusual chemical differences in her brain.  Metaphysically, she deviates greatly.  There is a shroud that has settled into her.  It seems to have allowed for a corruption of her spirit."  The wizard touched another light on her display.  Celia’s case shifted slightly and detached itself from the other technical equipment.  She continued to shrink and became pocket-sized.  He took and placed her into an inner pocket inside his black vest.

 

"From what I have gathered from her mind, her people have no remorse at eating human flesh.  It appears that they received a 'revelation' from God or as they say, The All.  They were told that they were selected to be the new race, The People of Night and that all humanity was beneath them.  Humans had destroyed the world and are no longer fit to walk upon it.  Now humans are to be hunted for food and though humanity may seem to be identical to these 'Night People' it was only an illusion.  They care nothing for those they consume.”

 

Collin sat up on his hindquarters and looked at the woman.  "You mean that they can only exist on human flesh?"

 

Ian shook his head.  "No, with the application of particular medicines and some mental conditioning they would be able to exist on other substances, but delving into this woman's mind I don't believe they would willingly do this."  His voice and demeanor grew cold and staring into the distance he said. "Besides they relish this way of life."

 

Gerald spoke up.  "So what are you going to do about this?"

 

Collin started at the butler's voice.  If Ian had noticed his approach, he had given no indication of it.

 

The wizard did not look at either of the two.  His voice was very quiet.  "They are a danger to the people in this area as well as a blight on this world."  He shook his head.  "I believe that she is an indication of rest the Night People.  They all are touched by a darkness…not a disease of the body, but of the spirit.  If allowed to continue it will spread."  Ian met Gerald's eyes and that cold hardness that lurked in the depths of his emerald eyes had surfaced again.  He gestured to the woman.  "These creatures need to be purged from Austin and the planet."

 

 

Two days later Ian sat in the lab and watched Mary, for that was the woman's name.  He had finished his work and had forged his weapon.  He had given a great deal of thought before setting on the type of wrath to deliver to these Night People. 

 

He had it within his power to inflict many disasters upon Austin Texas.  There were a number of weapons that could level the city, but that would cause a certain amount of damage to the surrounding lands and the environment.  Ian didn't want that to happen.  He could have created a variety of creatures that hunted the Night People, but was sure that eventually the negative metaphysical energies they carried would corrupt whatever he created and didn't need to create a situation that would become worse.  He especially didn't want to create a biological disease that hunted out these cannibals because of the possibility of mutation.

 

No matter what he did, there was always the probability that some of these things would escape.  Monsters can be slain by a great enough force or luck.   Explosives can be survived and those same survivors can rebuild, slowly albeit but rebuild all the same.  No this needed to strike fear in those that might escape and cause them to never want to return.  With that desire would be the stories of what had happened….

 

Ian looked down at Mary and pondering his plans.  “Do I have the right to do this?   I am going to be responsible for the slaughter of over a thousand beings that have never directly harmed me…” This train of thought only lasted as long as it took him to recall the 'feast' he had witnessed through Collin.  Violence had never been second nature to him.  The assault always seemed to be his second option; his first option was to normally see if there was a possible non-violent option to any situation.   Seeing his handiwork, he realized that he hadn't given the first option a lot of thought.  Mary was now living proof of it.

 

While outwardly she looked the same as she did before, inwardly she was drastically changed. 

 

Ian had gone into her mind and changed it.  After he searched through her memories and mapped out her mind, he began to make alterations.  He cut away sections of memories here, altered perceptions there and bent her will to his needs.  Eventually there was going to be a price to pay for this, but he would pay it, just as his father would have done.  Then again, these people had to pay a price for what they had done and he would be the bill collector.

 

Ian knew he could have talked to others about this, but if he talked to Kara, she would have raged and then assaulted Austin.  Of the two of them, Ian believed he was better prepared to have the blood on his hands and pay the price than Kara was.  He also knew that his plan would be more effective in the long run that brute force.

The conjurer looked at the holographic displays, they showed that all was in order.  The nanite implants had been installed without a problem and the production node was in full swing.  [Nanites are microscopic machines with preprogrammed duties and power to change things on a cellular and molecular level.]  The other power plants were working flawlessly as well.  Everything was in place.

 

"No turning back now," Ian murmured.  Gáirsiúlacht.  Mary was once again clothed in her rags and reeked as she had before being abducted.  He reached out his hand, touched her and through The White Flame, sent her back to Austin.

 

 

Collin watched as the woman returned and materialized at the bottom of a pit. 

 

The rat had spotted this hazard earlier and it was in a well-traveled section of the tunnels.  Boards had covered this hole, but were weak.  If someone had been unlucky enough to pass over them and they broke, the individual would end up down there as Mary was now.  Ian had arranged for this scenario to have that look to it.

 

Collin pressed the stud on the amulet that he wore on a hair thin necklace.  Though he felt nothing, he knew a subtle spell was weaving itself in the area and someone would be along soon and find Mary.  Then the plan would begin.

 

 

Dale Ribcracker was feeling bored.  He wandered one of the less used tunnels seeking…something.  He heard a moan up ahead.  He patted his knife to make sure it was there and quietly stalked forward.  One of the pits in the tunnels, someone had fallen though it.  The man looking down and saw a woman.  He immediately knew it was one of The People.  A slight feeling of disappointment passed through him, then he recognized her.  It was Mary Dealer.  Her family was one of those who provided entertainment for those with money, goods or food. 

 

"Mary.  Mary are you all right?"  He called.

 

Mary groaned and in a shaky voice said.  'Yeah, I think so."

 

"Stay right there, I go get some help."  Dale happily scurried off.  He thought to himself “This might just earn me a freebie or two.” 

 

He had no idea that death waited for him in the bottom of that pit, or that he was going to be an instrument in its delivery.

 

 

Mary returned home none the worse for wear.  It appeared that she was knocked out by the fall, but otherwise only had a few scrapes and bruised.  Her father was relieved at her safety, but was more concerned that she was able to go about her family's duties. 

 

Life continued, but there was a difference with her.  Inside her head there was another Mary who worked hard to move through society and come in contact with as many of The People as she could.  This new Mary knew that she needed to make physical contact with them for the mission to succeed.  The only thing she needed to do was stay away from any of the city elders.  Somehow she knew that if anyone with second sight saw her, the mission might fail.

 

Days passed, and she passed through the tunnels and community halls.  Mary Dealer could see those whom she had 'infected' and those who were 'contagious'.  It was nearly time for the final stage to begin.  Some part of her wanted to do something to stop all of this, but another part of her saw things though a different set of eyes and that part was in control.  She now saw her people as vermin that needed to be destroyed.  Mary wasn't sure why she understood this and the small fraction of her that was still Night People tried to rebel, but it was too weak.

 

 

Three more days had passed and they were once again preparation for a feast day.  The new Mary that lived inside her said that they needed to go to the feast hall while people gathered, before the elders and the holy ones arrived so that the final stage could start.

 

She strolled down one of the dimly lit tunnels, turned a corner and nearly walked straight into one of the Holy Ones.  He was shrouded in his dark cloak and robes.  From within the cowl, his eyes glowed with power.  "Damn," she thought.  Her mind raced trying to think of something.  A part of her wanted to warn him what was about to happen, but it was locked away, powerless to do anything.

 

"Forgive me Holy One, I did not see you there."  She stammered. 

 

The figure in the robes only looked at her.  "What is your name my child?"

 

"M-mary D-d-dealer," she managed to force out.

 

A gloved hand reached from inside the cloak, gently grasping her chin and turned it from side to side.  "Yes, I see you are one of the Dealers."  He paused a moment and perspiration dotted Mary's brow.  "Have no fear child, I will not harm you.  It is just that some of the power that has been budding in your people seems to be blossoming within you.  My brother and I would be very interested in guiding you in that path."

 

He let go of her chin and she dropped her head.  "Thank you, Holy One."

 

He chuckled and said.  "Do not fear.  If you pass the tests it will elevate you to the level of a city elder.  That will bring much respect and position for your family."

 

She looked up nervous but pleased.  "Oh thank you.  I don't feel that I am worthy, but I will do as you command."

 

Teeth flashed within the depths of the cowl.  "Ah, such an obedient child."  He paused to look at her again and shook his head.  "Run along now, the feast is getting ready to begin.”

 

Mary took three steps back, as she had been taught, turned, and briskly continued down the hall.

 

The 'Holy One' stood and watched her go with some concern.  He had never noted any indication of power before in her, but she may have been the origin of some of the disturbances he and his brother had recently sensed. 

 

"Whatever it is, it can wait."  He spoke to himself.  "Perhaps she had come across some talisman in the ruins of this city."  The 'Holy One' smiled at this thought, turned continued and towards his rooms.  "Time to get the tools to gather the energies of the feast."  He leered out from the shadows of the cowl "It’s harvest time!"

 

 

Mary's heart still pounded as she entered the Feast Hall.  It sounded so loud in her ears that she was sure others around her could hear it.  The part of her mind that had orchestrated all of her reactions continued trying to still the fear that the sight of the 'Holy One' had induced.  It had used the natural instincts that had been there to try and fool the creature into thinking that Mary had no idea of the power within her.  Now it was trying to reign in that same instinct.

 

The meeting hall was full and there were whispers that the elders would arrive soon.

 

Mary looked around and saw that dinner had been chained down to the stone tables.  The dark brown and black of previous feasts stained the stone.  She repressed a shudder as she looked at these people.  They were people to her now.  Some were unfortunate ones that had survived for some time.  This had to end!

 

Without any more thought she stood and climbed on a table.

 

"People hear me.  I bring a message to you all from outside."

 

The People in the hall stopped and a hushed silence fell over the hall.  Even those who had just entered stopped because Mary had begun to gain a soft blue halo of power around here.

 

Words came unbidden from her lips.  "People I have see all you have wrought and am horrified."  The people gasped because the voice that came from Mary was not her own, but that of a man, a powerful man.  "Men, women and children have been slaughtered in the name of a darkness that you have given yourself over to.  You have succumbed to a hunger willingly and an now it is time to reap the harvest that you have planted." 

 

Mary stood, her hands spread out above her head.   "Tá am ocras ruda a bheith ort ann!"  It is time for the hunger to begin!

 

With this Mary vanished from sight as power washed though out the tunnels.  Those whom Mary had touched had contracted a specially programmed set of nanites.  These were set to breed within the individual and replicate themselves so they could spread to others that the individual came in contact with.   On and on this continued.  In the brains of the infected a change was made, but remained dormant until the signal was received.  They now received the signal. 

 

Chemical switches in the brains of those infected changed.  The sections that controlled the section for hunger became hyper stimulated.  This was in conjunction with affecting the sections of the brain that affected perceptions.  Now the afflicted saw The People as the viable food source and were ravenously hungry. 

 

The hall rang with the shouts and screams, but it was not from those chained to the table, but from The People themselves.

 

 

Douglas and Adam Malkin moved about their chamber and gathered their important possessions.  They were twins, fair skinned and dark haired.  Both carried a trim build and were a hair over fix foot.  The only difference between the sorcererous brothers was their eyes.  Dougs’s were ice blue, while Adam’s were deep sapphire.

 

The ceremonial robes of the Holy Ones lay where they had been carelessly tossed to the floor.  The twins walked over them repeatedly.  The robes that they had used to gather the pain, fear and lust from the night people were already packed away.  Douglas, the younger of the two brothers had first sensed the wash of power through the undercity.  It was a burst, like that of a bomb blast and carried only one message.  "Now!"  Whatever it was it had been, it happened so fast that they were unable to stop it,

 

Doug had been concerned and told Adam about this.  Something about this was setting off warning bell in Adam’s head.  He gathered his bag and tossed his rune stones on the floor to get a better idea of what transpired.  As he kneeled over them, the young sorcerer gasped as he read them.  His face was ashen as he turned to his brother.  "Doug, we need to leave now.  I don't know what is happening, but something has gone horribly awry." 

 

Doug looked at his “older” brother and thought he was being reactionary.  “Surely it can’t be that bad.  We should be able to handle most anything that comes up.  This is a really cushy nest to leave at the drop of a hat or in this case a rune stone.”  He smiled ruefully.

 

Adam selected one of the stones and tossed it at his brother.  Doug gasped at its touch.  The psychic vibrations from it continued to scream out their warning.  The stone bore the rune of death.

 

Doug could not imagine what force could assail this little niche that they had carved out for themselves while on their mission, but he could not deny the message of the runes and Adam was very good at reading them.  “Even if the warning was wrong it wouldn’t hurt to take the precaution of gathering our things.”

 

As they did so, a certainly stole upon him.  The Dealer woman, the feel of the call was the same as the power that had been in her.  He began to work quicker.  His instincts said that someone had found them out. 

 

 

Vlead and Grissle sprinted down the halls of the Undercity until they stopped and leaned against the doors of the Holy Ones’ rooms, panting.  Vlead wheezed.  "Surly we can gather our power to break whatever malaise is upon The People.  If we come to the Holy Ones with this we will be shamed."

 

Grissle glanced at the door and stood; he tried to catch his breath and his huge belly heaved.  "You saw what happened to Damon, Charon and Malest.  They had several minutes to gather their power and try to break this, but it availed them not.  The People fell upon them as they would the chattel of the surface in a Hunger Raid.  We two don't hold even as much power as Charon, let alone all three.  We must talk to the Holy Ones, they are our only hope."

 

Shouts and cries echoed up the tunnel; The People had caught up to them. 

 

Vlead and Grissle burst in and break all the vows they had given to never enter the sacred rooms.  They quickly turned to bar the door behind them.  They were so busy that they didn't even notice the disarray of the room or the absence of the Holy Ones ceremonial garments.

 

"Morgoth! Belegur!”  The thin Vlead called out the names only know to the Elders of the city.  “The People need you.  Some outer darkness has cursed our people and they fall upon each other as rabid wolves.  You must gather your power and stop this."  He panted and stared pleadingly at the two Holy Ones.  Only when Belegur, the older of the brothers, by a mere hour, stepped forward did the Elder notice the absence of the robes and the state of the chambers.  Morgoth continued to gather their things into two carpetbags.  Dumbfounded Vlead stared at one bag as an ebony engraved staff slid into it as if the contents of it insides were larger than the outside.

 

Adam, who was called Belegur by the night people, turned, watched his brother and smiled.  There was a pounding on the doors to their chambers as if were being struck by many fists.  He turned back to the two elders and spoke.  "Grissle. Vlead.  While we have enjoyed our stay here, it appears that you are of no further use to us."

 

The two Elders stared in disbelief as they listened to this man tear apart their hopes and dream.

 

"We are not emissaries for 'The All', well at least not directly.  We are a pair of sorcerers who have been using your people as a base of operations and a power source.  Your gatherings and feasts have made for a fine well to draw energies from, but it appears that it has…gone suddenly dry." He spread his arms and smiled his best snake oil smile.

 

The bar across the door popped and cracked as the pounding became louder.  The cacophony of voices on the other side of the door grew.  In desperation Vlead drew a symbol of command in the air as he sought some way to force these two to stop this madness.

 

Doug, who was called Morgoth by the Night People, had packed the last of the bags.  He walked up to stand beside his brother, set the bags down, gestured and spoke a guttural word.  The power that Vlead had been desperately trying to gather turned back on both he and Grissle who had quietly added his power to the spell.  "Stand." Doug commanded.  The two stopped moving immediately and were paralyzed.

 

The young twin continued.  "My brother has told you the truth.  While we have enjoyed our stay here, we feel that it is time to cut our losses."  He pulled out the Talon of Raksava, a long black curved thing, spoke a word and a dull green glow surrounded him.  The two bent down, picked up their black bags and the glow enveloped Adam now as well.  "We leave you now to your…just desserts."

 

With that the two had no more depth and were as flat as paper.  Width fled from them and they were only two vertical green lines.  Then height vanished and they were two green dots.  These too then faded from existence.

 

As the two vanished, the paralysis that had held the two elder vanished.  As one they turned and backed away from the door.  They watched in horror as the bar that held the doors shut, broke in two.  The People, the ones who they had watched over and guided for years fell upon them and shortly they knew no more.

 

 

Mary and her charges moved unseen though the tunnels under Austin.  Those people who could be saved, she released.  Those who had been…leftovers she painlessly helped cross over to the next world.  Her power would not last forever and she hurried the others on.

 

They had been terrified at first, but when they saw that The Night People left them alone; they drew fragile hope from this and followed her. 

 

Unseen by any of them, Collin followed the handful of people to the surface.  The talisman he carried linked him briefly to Mary and with his instincts he helped to guide her to the surface.  Ian would be there to try and salvage what he could from this.  Those survivors that escaped would have their memories altered.  While they would still remember the incidents, it would be muted to an extent to help their psyches recover from the horror they had experienced.

 

Collin had asked what would happen to Mary.  Ian had said that she would try and find anyone who escaped and go with them.  She would say that she had escaped like the others and urge them to leave this accursed place.  It would not take much effort for this to be the case.  Wherever these refugees went they would find others of their kind.  They would spread the story of the horror of Austin and none would easily venture into it.  If they did the carnage left behind should be enough to keep them from wanting to stay.  Ian had promised that there would be 'surprises' left behind for any Night Person who stayed there too long.

 

The power that Mary held would then become dormant for a time until she reached another society of Night People, then the process would begin again.  She would be immune to the 'infection' that she carried, but would continue to spread it.  She would become a modern day Typhoid Mary.

 

 

Adam and Douglas Malkin sat in Metropolis in a pair of chairs in the palatial office of Lex Luthor.  Both of them were in a fine temper.  They had been ferreted out and run out of their base of operations.  After some discussion they had thought that perhaps Lex had decided to sell them out.  After they arranged a meeting with him; they confronted him with the accusation.  To their surprise he only leaned back and steepled his fingers.

 

"Gentlemen," he said.  "While I might have done this, there is no profit in this for me."

 

The brothers sat in shock.  Adam stood, a dark halo surrounding him.  "We have been loyal to you; gathering and giving information about the changes in the world of the occult.  We have taken your commissions to find the location of items of power that you have desired and done various…errands as well and this is how you would treat us?"  He lifted his hand, he closed his eyes, a dark ring on his finger flashed and black flames began to burn in his hands.

 

Lex sat in his chair apparently unconcerned.  "Adam, please sit.  While you have been loyal and very successful in the past.  The last two commissions you were given, you have failed in."

 

"You have returned without the Talisman of Gwydion or a the Sunstone of the Tuatha De Danann.  You have also allowed yourselves to be detected and were unable to halt the destruction of the Night People of Austin Texas."  Luthor had drolled all in a mild voice.

 

"If your assassin hadn't failed in his mission, none of this would have happened."  Adam slammed his hands on the table to emphasize the word assassin.  The black flame licked at the surface of the table making those sections brittle and withered.

 

A cold anger danced in Lex's eyes.  "I was going to allow that to slide, but since you bring that up.  My pet shapeshifter should have been adequately supplied with the tools to accomplish his mission.  This Lord Ian is a minor annoyance and your assistance should have been enough to eliminate him."  Luthor's voice rose. "Not only did he fail, not only did we loose the power base of his forest, but Ian was alerted to forces moving against him.  Now both of the items I sent you to find appear to have vanished and no portent can be gained from either of them.  Either they are destroyed or in the power of someone else.   Now you presume to come into my office, threaten and accuse me of betrayal!"  This last was a shout.

 

The anger that roared in his eyes died down, smoldered and grew dark.  "Do not think that you are the only mystics in my employ."  Luthor gestured with a hand and a man in deep red robes appeared at his side.  Around the room several others materialized into view.  The fire in Adams hands died, Douglas drew in breath.  The whole time they had been here, he continued to passively scan for anything unusual and had sensed nothing.  Now all of these individuals showed up on his ‘mental radar’.  The mystic at Luthor's elbow must have specialized in the arts of obfuscation.  His face was pale as he reaching up and touched his brother's elbow. 

 

Adam, also pale, slowly sat at his brother's touch.  While most of the individuals in this room may not be mystics or sorcerers, they were assuredly Metas who could wield enough devastating power to even overcome both Doug and his own powers.

 

"Gentlemen, this is a demonstration of some of the power at my disposal.  Even were I not to have these good men at my disposal, since I came into possession of the Book of Rai and have partaken in its power, you would have been hard pressed to kill me."

 

"Now.  Lets discuss what you can do for me to make up for this…"

 

Douglas spoke up and said.  "Mr. Luthor, what about Ian, the wizard Argent?"

 

Lex looked at the younger of the two brothers in annoyance "The whelp will be taken care of.  While he may have thwarted your weather enchantments and destroyed mystic servants, I doubt he can stand against a conventional army. "  He changed gears and said,  "Now, before I was interrupted," and took a moment to cast a withering glance at Doug.  "I have another assignment which will help make up for the errors that the two of you have made…"

 

 

Lex Luthor watched as the sorcerer brothers left his office.  Once the doors had closed he sat and chuckled to himself.  These two were some of the most powerful mystics in his employ, but he wasn’t going to let them know it.  He doubted that the mystic that stood in his office with him could have shielded all of his bodyguards from the senses of the dark sorcerers.  The thing that the two had never considered was technical masking.  The Psi-Dampener that he had used was still experimental, but was effective. 

 

He had gotten the idea from Adam, who had told him about the spell they had woven around Austin.  He had his people working on a mobile version of this, but it along with a couple of other devices had worked marvelously to his advantage. 

 

He dismissed Mercy and turned and gazed at his Metropolis.  Eventually he would have the entire world within his grasp.  With eternity before him, he had all the time he needed to shape this world to his desires.

 

 

End of  Amber Shards: Chapter 5

 

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2001 by Michael Liebhart,

-- and may not be reprinted without permission. 

-- Otherverse as an apocalyptical setting is an original

--creation of Dylan Clearbrook

-- Some characters in Otherverse stories are original

--creations of Dylan Clearbrook, Michael Liebhart,

-- or Jake H and may not be used without

-- express permission of the respective author

-- Supergirl and some other characters are property of D.C. Comics

-- Dr. Doom and some other characters are property of Marvel Comics