Izikiel (30 page)

The time shift was instantaneous and barely perceptible. One moment
, Izikiel was standing in front of the Prime Minister. The next, he was looking at a startled group of officials. Seeing the surprise evaporate from their faces, Izikiel knew what was coming next.

‘Guards!’ one of them called out.

A dozen heavily armed men sprinted towards him from the other side of the vast chamber, their reinforced boots echoing on the marbled floor. Izikiel remained perfectly still as the Calligrates’ guards surrounded him.

‘Stay where you are,’ a commanding voice rang out across the chamber.

Izikiel spun around, not sure what to expect. A sense of relief washed over him as he beheld the familiar countenance of the Matriarch. She looked the same as the first time that he had met her. Once again, he found himself marvelling at the fact that such a small and seemingly fragile person could rule over the most advanced world in the human colonies.

‘Stand down
, captain,’ the Matriarch ordered as she descended the steps from the raised dais. Turning her attention to Izikiel, she added, ‘I will see you in my private chamber.’

Nodding, Izikiel followed her to the hidden door. Once inside, the
Matriarch sat down behind the table and motioned for him to take the seat opposite. Experiencing a momentary sense of déjà vu, Izikiel obliged.

‘I assume
that this is important judging by your unannounced appearance?’ the Matriarch said.

‘Forgive me,
Matriarch but I didn’t know what else to do,’ Izikiel replied.

‘I’m guessing
that you have travelled a great distance to be here. Tell me how an old woman can help one such as you.’

‘With each passing moment my ability to wield the power of the Eternal Flame grows stronger. The elements do my bidding; I can injure and heal, as well as, perceive the very fabric of the Universe. Soon, I will be strong enough to face the Void Lords. Yet there is one thing that I still cannot do.’

‘And what is that?’

Izikiel smiled.

‘
Influence the hearts and minds of those around me. That is a power you alone possess.’

The
Matriarch considered his words for a moment.

‘What is it you need me to do?’

‘Pass the word, from father to son, mother to daughter; down the ages that we are here to help you and that the Eternal Flame is our only salvation.’

Now it was the
Matriarch’s turn to smile.

‘So I take it
that you received a less than cordial reception from my descendents in your time?’

‘You could say that. They blamed us for deceiving them and almost leading to their downfall. Then they arrested us.’

‘Oh, dear,’ the Matriarch said. ‘It’s sad to see how the centuries could distort the truth so much. Very well, disciple, I will do what I can. I trust that you will receive a better reception upon your return.’

‘Thank you
, Matriarch,’ Izikiel said, bowing. ‘And I in turn promise that I will not allow your world to fall into darkness.’

Stranding up, Izikiel opened the door and walked back towards the raised dais. Ignoring the hostile stares of the
guards, he positioned himself in the same spot as he had appeared before. Trying very hard not think about temporal paradoxes, he spoke a single word.

‘
Numquam
’

The world shuddered for a split second
as Izikiel travel forward in time a thousand years. He found himself back inside the Calligrates Palace.

(
‘Impressive,’) Jenevieve’s voice spoke directly into his mind once more. (‘You have now mastered time. Only one more remains.’)
(
‘Which is…?’) Izikiel asked.

(
‘Darkness’)

(
‘
What
? Isn’t that the power of the Void?’)
(
‘Yes. Only by passing through the darkness can you truly join with the Eternal Flame. Then your power will be complete and you will be able to challenge the Void Lords.’)
A
cold shiver ran through him. Despite his recent victory over a Void Lord, he knew that he wasn’t ready. Desperation and sheer luck had saved him in the Interstellar Library. There was no way that he could take on more than one of those creatures and survive.

‘And you must be Izikiel?’ a voice cut through his thoughts.

Izikiel realised that the Prime Minister had addressed him. He hoped that the Matriarch had been able to do enough.

‘Yes,
Prime Minister,’ he replied, bowing low.

‘No, disciple, it is
I who should be bowing before
you
. We have been waiting a long time for your arrival.’

‘
Thank you, Prime Minister. I have it on good authority that
Tellus
is my final stop on the journey to defeating the Void Lords.’

‘Of course, whatever you may require. There is also much I have to show you.’

‘What do you mean?’ Izikiel asked, surprised.

The
Prime Minister smiled. It was a warm, reassuring smile.

‘We have not been idle in the years since the destruction of the Great City on
Vesta
. Over the past nine hundred years we have been preparing for the Void Lords return by gathering knowledge, developing advanced solar based weaponry and training the best people. These resources are now yours to command.’

Izikiel was speechless. He had come to
Tellus
seeking the one word in the ancient language that would allow him to unleash the full power of the Eternal Flame in order to defeat the Void Lords. The last thing that he had expected was to be presented with a force capable of joining that fight.

‘Cool,’ Jonas said.

The cityscape of
Tellus
was impressive, stretching across most of the northern continent and far into the sky. What was housed beneath its glimmering surface was even more so. Vast caverns and chambers had been forged into the very bedrock of the planet. It was here that the
Tellusian
government had been preparing for the Void Lords’ return in secret.

Izikiel was impressed.
They had spent most of the day wandering through enormous caverns constructed by the government. Squads of highly trained soldiers equipped with modified gauss weaponry and energy shielding had greeted them in one area. The next was an underground star port, filled with dozens of functioning space ships. By mid-afternoon they had reached the final chamber.

‘You
have
been busy,’ Vorn said.

‘Yes, sir. We have been tirelessly preparing for
centuries,’ Gratan, their guide, said. In his early twenties, he was dressed in a plain black military uniform with a small side arm strapped to his right leg.

‘So what’s behind door number three?’ Jonas asked.

‘This is probably our finest achievement,’ Gratan explained. ‘The Void Lords’ dark veil ability devastated our regular forces in early encounters.’

‘I remember. A single one of those void spawn unleas
hed the veil and cut down a squad of our finest men,’ Jonas whispered.

‘Our
scientists have been trying to develop an effective counter to the dark veil for decades. I’m pleased to report that they have been successful.’

Stepping forward, Gratan opened the door to the final chamber. As the door whisked up and out of sight, Izikiel followed Jonas inside. The chamber was
enormous. It also appeared to be empty. He realised that he couldn’t make out the ceiling or the walls in the sparse light. The similarities with the underground remains of the Great City on
Vesta
caused him to remember Da’Amo. Pushing back his sorrow at the death of his mentor, he turned to their guide.

‘I don’t see anything,
’ he said.

‘Watch’

As they stood and waited, a slim metallic disc hovered into view. It appeared to be wafer thin, with a highly polished metallic surface that flowed like water. Reaching the centre of the cavern, the disc hung suspended in mid-air.

‘I don’t...’
Izikiel began but stopped talking when the disc suddenly spun on its axis. As it did, light peeled off it in waves. It reminded Izikiel of the Eternal Flame’s tendrils of molten plasma as it expanded out into the darkness around it. Soon the entire cavern was awash with light. In the centre was the disc, now spinning at incredible speed.

‘That’s incredible!
’ Jonas gasped.

‘Does it work?’
Vorn asked.

‘Yes, sir.
The solar hover shield can effectively disrupt the dark veil.’

‘Impressive,’ Izikiel said, his eyes never leaving the spinning disc.
Looking at his companions’ faces, he could see the effect it was having on them. Their eyes lit up with genuine hope. But he knew better. It was going to take more than technology, even one as advanced as the
Tellusians
had developed to overcome the creatures of the Void. They were an elemental force of the Universe, one which could only be challenged by an opposing elemental force; the Eternal Flame.

Izikiel knew what he had to do.

(‘Jenevieve, I need your help,’) he cast the thought out.

(
‘What is it, disciple?’)

(
‘You and I both know these weapons can only slow the Void Lords’ advance. If we are to truly stand a chance of restoring balance to the Universe then I must journey to the Interstellar Library and find that which has been promised to me.’)
(
‘I will accompany you.’)

(
‘Thank you’)

Turning t
owards the others, Izikiel said, ‘Xavier, Jonas can you two finish familiarising yourselves with the
Tellusian
weaponry while Vorn and Cassandra check over the space craft?’

They nodded their agreement.

‘Te’Anne can you go back to the archives and see if you can learn anything that can help us? Take the little girl with you. She helped us find the true believer on
Aurora
, she may be able to help you find what we need.’

‘Sure,’ Te’Anne said. ‘What about you?’

Izikiel looked at her for a moment, his thoughts flashing back to their time together on
Aurora
. Once again he felt the urge to run away with her, to find the furthest point in the Universe and stay there. But too much had happened. Too many people had perished for him to falter now. He took a deep breath.

‘I’m going to find the one thing that can help us banish
the Void Lords from this Universe for good.’

The Interstellar Library looked the same as when Izikiel had crossed its threshold for the first time. With grim determination and resolve he knew that he would find what he had come here for. There would be no Void Lord to deter him this time. The fact that they had tried to stop him reaching this place before only confirmed what he already knew to be true. The answer to their salvation lay somewhere in the ancient tomes stored within the vast halls of the Interstellar Library.
The only question was where to begin?

‘Any thoughts?’ he asked Jenevieve.

The female Guardian shrugged her slender shoulders.

‘How should I know? I don’t even know what you’
re looking for.’

‘I’m not exactly sure
either. Da’Amo told me that I would be able to challenge the Void Lords once I unlocked the full power of the Eternal Flame. The Elemental known as the Baron Stefan told me that I would find the most powerful word in the ancient language here on
Tellus
, in the Interstellar Library.’

Izikiel paused and looked directly at Jenevieve.

‘And you, the final Guardian left behind by Sofija, the second disciple, told me that I have one final test remaining. All that I have done since waking up on
Vesta
has led me here, to this place. The answer lies here, somewhere.’

‘So we’re searching for a word?’

Izikiel nodded.

‘It would seem so.’

‘There are a
lot
of words in this library.’

‘I realise that. Not a word then,
a book,’ Izikiel conceded. ‘It would be old, very old. Pre-dating the colony worlds, something that would have been brought here from Earth.’

‘Alright, let’s start with the catalogue. I’m not sure if the older works have all been fully cross reference
d and catalogued but it should at least allow us to eliminate most of the books stored within the library.’

‘Lead the way.’

They passed through the outer corridors of the Interstellar Library and made their way into the central referencing section. Here, row upon row of holographic display units allowed visitors to search through the vast collections stored within the library. Locating a unit that was free, Jenevieve sat down and scrolled through several menus.

G
eneral search > Search by period > All works pre-colonisation > Display
A long list of works scrolled
down on the display unit. When it finally stopped, Jenevieve looked up at him.

‘A few more than we’d hoped,’ Izikiel said.

‘So I noticed. Any suggestions?’

Izikiel though over what
he had learned from the three Guardians of the Eternal Flame. One had been a disfigured clone, the second a powerful alien being and the third. Looking closely at Jenevieve, he began to wonder if she was somehow the key.
No
, he reasoned. She had taught him the ability to travel through time. Her task was complete.
What else was there?

The disciples;
Lady Serafine, Sofija and him. One had the power to convert the colony worlds to the teachings of the Eternal Flame. Sofija had the power to see the future, to perceive that which would come to pass. And his ability? So far he had demonstrated an aptitude for learning all of the other skills. Maybe that was his unique ability, the power to wield all others. He was the last. The final disciple of the Eternal Flame.

That’s when it struck him.

‘Who was the first?’ he asked.

‘The first what?’
Jenevieve asked.

‘The first disciple.’

‘Lady Serafine’

Izikiel shook his head.

‘No, not here. The first disciple on
Earth
.’

‘Oh
, very good, disciple.’

The female
Guardian turned her attention back to the screen in front of her. Inputting a new search parameter, the number of results decreased to just one page. Looking over her shoulder, Izikiel saw the words
First Disciple
flashing.

Scanning the list of works
, he quickly located the only plausible one.

‘This one.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘
I think so.’

Jenevieve
highlighted the title
The Life and Death of the First Disciple
. A reference number with detailed instructions on how to reach the book flashed up.

‘Let’s go,
’ she said.

Standing up
, they made their way through the central referencing section and down a series of elevators into the basement vaults. As they entered the pre-colony section, Izikiel felt his heart race. Somewhere inside these walls was a word powerful enough to unlock the full power of the Eternal Flame and defeat the Void Lords.

Reaching a gigantic locked door, they stopped.

‘How do we open it?’ Izikiel asked.

‘We knock,’ Jenevieve replied. Placing her slender hand on the enormous steel door, she rapped her knuckles lightly. The sound echoed all around them, causing Izikiel to flinch.

After a moment, the door swung open and an old man ushered them through.

‘Come in, please,’ he said. His voice was raspy, his hair strands of white and he looked to be well over a hundred. Izikiel was amazed
that he was still alive.

‘I’m Jenevieve and this is Izikiel.’

The ancient librarian raised an eyebrow as he took in their appearance.

‘A disciple and
a Guardian of the Eternal Flame? I am honoured,’ he said, managing a stiff bow.

‘How
did you know who we were?’ Izikiel asked.

The man smiled, revealing a row of teeth yellowed and crumbled with age.

‘There is a little of the Eternal Flame within this structure, young disciple. It has allowed me to live for as long as I have and allows me to tell light from dark. You two shine about as brightly as anyone I have ever seen.’

‘Can you help us?’
Jenevieve asked.

‘If it is within my power
then I would gladly assist any true believer.’

‘We are looking for a book,
The Life and Death of the First Disciple
,’ Izikiel explained. ‘Do you know if it’s here?’

The
ancient librarian considered his request for a moment. Frowning, his face became a mass of wrinkles.

‘If it is anywhere, then it would be in the ancient Earth section. I fear
that few if any works have survived that long even with the power of the Eternal Flame watching over them.’

‘But the catalogue said
that there was a copy down here,’ Jenevieve said.

‘Oh
, in that case there must be one. The catalogue is never wrong. This way.’

They followed the
old man, who despite his fragile appearance, moved at a considerable pace. Walking between rows of dusty books, they made their way past ancient maps, charts and tomes filled with all sorts of forgotten knowledge and secrets. Somehow, it all felt strangely familiar to Izikiel as images of libraries on Earth flashed through his mind. Time spent studying, uncovering the mysteries contained with the leather bound pages of hallowed tomes.

‘This is it,’ the ancient librarian
said. Lifting a gnarled hand upwards, he reached for a shelf full of dusty books with unreadable spines. His hand hovered over several books. Finally, he drew it back.

His face became a mass of wrinkles once more as he stared at the
bookshelf.

‘Is something wrong? Izikiel asked.

Turning towards them, the ancient librarian appeared surprised.

‘It’s gone. It should be right here but it’s not. I don’t know how but the most valuable book in our collection has disappeared without a trace.’

Izikiel’s heart sank.

‘Are you alright?’
Jenevieve asked.

‘Yes, sorry. I just can’t believe
that after everything we’ve been through we’re unable to locate the one thing that we need to put an end to this.’

‘I understand. But if there is one thing
that I have learned from my time as a Guardian of the Eternal Flame, it’s that there is always another way. You will find the word you need. I am certain of that.’

‘Thanks. Somehow
, I feel it too.’

The ancient librarian stood watching them in silence, a faint smi
le playing across his dry lips.

Izikiel turned towards him.

‘Thank you for your help but it seems that we must find our own way from here.’

‘I knew
that you would, Izikiel,’ the ancient librarian said. His smile grew wider as his eyes shone with an inner light. Then his form dissolved into a flaming ball of molten plasma. Floating upwards, it paused for a moment as a voice spoke directly into Izikiel’s mind.

(
‘When the time comes, you will know what to do.’)

Then the fiery visage of the Eternal Flame disappeared into the darkness of the Interstellar Library. Stunned, Izikiel slowly turned towards
Jenevieve.

‘How...?’

‘I don’t know. I have never heard of the Eternal Flame assisting anyone directly like this, let alone taking human-form. It seems you are truly a beloved disciple. That, more than, anything has me convinced that we will succeed.’

Izikiel didn’t quite trust himself to speak so he simply nodded. Walking back along the rows of ancient books and
manuscripts, they made their way out of the Interstellar Library. Exiting through the front doors, Izikiel savoured the warmth of the sun on his face. He felt it warming the inner core of his being even as he saw the look of alarm on Jenevieve’s face.

‘
You might want to stop whatever it is that you’re doing,’ she said.

‘Why?’ he asked.

‘Because you’re starting to glow.’

Izikiel looked down at his hands. True enough, they were bathed in a soft
, white light. Turning his hand over, he marvelled at the light shining seemingly from within. Looking around, he realised that people were starting to point at him. Focusing on his surroundings, he saw the light slowly disappear.

‘How did you do that? I didn’t sense you reaching out to the Flame
,’ Jenevieve asked.

‘I don’t know, it just sort of happened,’ Izikiel replied.

Jenevieve looked him up and down.

‘C’mon, let’s go before people start proclaiming you the next messiah. I just hope
that the others have made more progress than us.’

T
hey boarded the futuristic monorail back to the Calligrates Palace. Sitting down next to the window, Izikiel watched the sun reflecting off the metallic structures in the centre of the city. He smiled. He had found another way of accessing the Eternal Flame’s power, one which was undetectable even by its followers.