Morpheus Road 03 - The Blood (5 page)

"Why didn't you tell me?" Marsh asked. "You could have come to Stony Brook. The crucible could have pro
tected all of us!"

"I considered it," Ennis admitted. "A few times I even left for the train station. But each time I was turned back by . . . circumstances."

"Damon," Sydney said with a gasp. "He's keeping you isolated."

"Why don't you answer your phone?" Marsh asked. "Because I never know who might be calling," was his sober answer.

Marsh knew what that meant. He'd gotten plenty of unwanted phone calls courtesy of Damon the Butcher.

"Have you told your father about Damon?" Ennis asked.

"No," Marsh answered quickly. "And I'm not going to. The more who know, the more will be in danger. I've heard that way too many times, and I believe it."

"You cannot battle this alone," Ennis warned.

"I'm not. I've got Sydney . . . and Cooper."

On hearing the name of Marsh's dead best friend, Ennis's eyes opened wide.

"You must tell me all that has happened," he implored.

They sat down, though Sydney and Marsh chose the floor over the soiled mattress. It took only a few minutes
for Marsh to relate the story of his battle with Gravedigger and Cooper's adventure in the Black. Ennis listened without interrupting. He soaked up every word. Nodding. Under
standing. Every so often he winced, mostly when Marsh told him about what his mother had been through in the Black.

Marsh's tale ended with Sydney's near death at school, and their plan to find Damon and destroy him.

Marsh finished with, "Hearing it all like that makes it sound so incredibly impossible."

"Yet we know it is not," Ennis said, tired. "Words can
not begin to express how miserable I feel over what I so foolishly started."

"Don't be sorry," Marsh declared. "Help us."

He took the golden ball from Sydney, held it up and continued, "You discovered the poleax and the crucibles in the tomb that protected the Rift. There were six. Three are broken. This is the fourth. Do you know where the other two are?"

Ennis looked uncomfortable, as if it were a question he didn't want to answer. He stood and went to the window to peer outside in case someone might be listening in, even though they were ten floors up. Satisfied, he closed the blinds and then went into the bathroom to splash water on his face.

Sydney whispered to Marsh, "He's gone off the deep end."

"We all have," Marsh replied.

Ennis came back into the room and said, "I do not know where they might be. When I left the tomb in Greece, I brought out only three."

"You told me the one I broke belonged to my mother and you promised her you'd give it to me to keep me safe. But that wasn't how it happened, was it?"

"No," Ennis admitted. "I told you that so you would appreciate its importance. I did not divulge the
whole story because I was holding out hope that you would not be touched by this horror and never learn the truth. It was foolish of me to think it would be that simple."

Sydney said, "So what about the other crucibles?"

Ennis rubbed his chin nervously.

"One has to be with the poleax," Marsh declared. "That's why Damon can't see it. My mother believes you took the weapon out of Damon's tomb, Ennis. Did you?"

Sydney and Marsh stared at Ennis, waiting for a response.

Ennis kept his eyes on the floor.

"C'mon, man," Sydney blurted out impatiently. "Did you take the poleax and hide it with a crucible or not?"

Ennis frowned and nodded. "I did."

Hearing those words and the reality they revealed made Marsh's head spin. "My god," he said, stunned. "All this time. Damon's been coming after me but you're the one who knows."

"And I will not tell you where it is," Ennis added. "That knowledge would only put you in more danger."

"More danger?" Sydney bellowed, and jumped to her feet. "Are you serious? How can we be in any more danger than this?"

"You have no idea, miss," Ennis said. "Look at me. I can
not sleep because he invades my thoughts with such horri
bly vivid visions that it is impossible to know if I am awake or dreaming. I have been tortured by visits from my dead parents, who implore me to tell Damon where his weapon is hidden. I know they are only shadows, but they are torturous just the same. He has shown me images of a fantastic feast, knowing how hungry I am. He has sent me home to a glori
ous, warm beach, enticing me with the promise of paradise, but it is all an illusion to further the torture. I have not given in because I know that if he finds the poleax, it would create horrors that go far beyond what I have had to deal with. I consider this my punishment for disturbing the tomb . . . for forcing your mother to disturb the tomb. For that I deserve whatever horror he sends my way. But I will not let him beat
me. The secret of the poleax will go with me to my own grave."

Marsh stood up and looked Ennis square in the eye. "That's noble, Ennis, but taking the secret to your grave won't end it. Your dying would only move you closer to Damon."

Ennis snapped a surprised look to Marsh. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Marsh saw
a spark of clarity in Ennis's otherwise dead gaze, as if a thought had come to him. Something he hadn't consid
ered before.

Sydney said, "Kinda hard to wrap your brain around, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," Ennis replied thoughtfully.

"So then, what about the sixth crucible?" Sydney said, pressing.

"I am afraid that I do not know where it is," Ennis admitted. "That is the truth. My guess is that it went

through the Rift during the earthquake and is somewhere in the Black. If not, it could be buried in the rubble near the
Necromanteio
."

"Swell," Sydney said, deflated. "So to find it we either have to mount an excavation project in Greece . . . or die."

Ennis nodded knowingly. "If it has gone through to the Black, perhaps Cooper will locate it. Find it, and you will
have even more leverage over Damon."

"It's not about leverage," Marsh argued. "Damon must be destroyed and I think we'll need the poleax to do it."

Ennis's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Is that why you want to locate the weapon? To use it against Damon? Please do not tell me that is your plan."

"It's a thought," Marsh answered with a shrug.

"Whoa, wait," Sydney cried. "That's news to me."

"I want to know where it is,
Syd
," Marsh said adamantly. "We can't keep guessing."

"Yes, we can," Sydney argued. "As long as Damon is guessing too. If we don't know where the poleax is, he can't force us to get it."

"Tell that to Damon!" Marsh shot back. "That hasn't stopped him from terrorizing us."

"
And what happens if we find it?" Sydney argued. "There'd be no stopping him from coming after us."

"Except that we'd have two crucibles. And maybe we could turn the poleax on him. That's what Coop was thinking."

"No!" Ennis cried. "It is far too dangerous."

"But it might be our only chance," Marsh argued.

"Then there is no chance," Ennis said soberly. "Please. I want you to go now."

He hurried out of the bedroom, headed for the front door. Marsh and Sydney followed.

"Come with us," Sydney said. "This crucible can protect you too."

"No," Ennis said with finality. "I do not wish to be shielded from Damon. I want to confront him. I need to con
front him."

"You can't fight him," Marsh argued. "You know that."

"Perhaps not," Ennis said. "Or perhaps I am stronger than you think."

"I think you're incredibly strong," Marsh cried. "We need your help. Please come with us."

"I will help," Ennis said calmly. "In my way."

For the first time since they had arrived, Ennis looked at peace. It actually troubled Marsh to see the sudden change in his attitude.

"What are you going to do, Ennis?" Marsh asked suspi
ciously.

"What I must," he replied. "As must you. Take care of yourself and do not seek out the poleax."

Marsh searched Ennis's eyes, looking for a clue as to what was going through his mind.

"I want to know what you're thinking," Marsh said.

"Do not worry about me," was Ennis's reply. "Concern
yourself with making the best use of the opportunities that
present themselves to you. That is what I plan to do." Marsh nodded.

"Wait. That's it?" Sydney interjected. "We can't leave him here! As soon as the crucible is gone, Damon will go after him again."

Ennis gave Sydney a warm smile and said, "And I will welcome that."

Sydney looked to Marsh and cried, "He's crazy."

"Maybe a little," Ennis said. "But for the first time since I pulled myself from the rubble of that tomb, I believe there will be an end to this nightmare."

"Seriously? What gives you that impression?" Sydney demanded.

"Because I believe that Damon has met his match," he said. "In all of us."

Marsh took Sydney's hand and led her to the door. "Let's go."

"No!" Sydney protested. "We can't just leave him. Marsh! Make him come with us!"

Marsh shook his head. "He's made up his mind."

"I don't believe this," Sydney screamed. "He's your friend! 'And he wants us to go, so let's go."

"I will see you soon enough," Ennis assured her. "I promise."

"Come with us, Ennis. Please," Sydney begged. "You can
stay at Marsh's house. We'll all be together, with the crucible."

"Good-bye, miss," Ennis said. "Good-bye, Marshmallow." Marsh stood in the doorway, holding eye contact with
Ennis.

"Be careful," he cautioned.

Ennis nodded, then closed his apartment door and locked it up tight.

Ennis was no longer afraid.

He'd spent every moment since the first crucible was broken in the cursed tomb fearing the spirit that he had accidentally freed. He had watched Terri Seaver die as she slipped out of his grasp to fall into the Rift. That memory was far more haunting than anything Damon had since con
jured. He feared for Ree's soul, and for the lives of her fam
ily. He feared for the havoc that Damon might cause in both this world and the next. And he feared for himself. It was the least of his fears, but the most present. He had lived in unceasing terror from the moment the first crucible had been broken on the rocky floor of Damon's tomb.

But he wasn't afraid anymore.

Hearing the story of Damon's haunting of Marsh and of Cooper's trip to the Black gave him the confidence to believe he no longer had to be a victim. He didn't know for certain what the future might hold, but he drew strength from the fact that whatever it was, he could deal with it and quite possibly make a difference.

He was drained. And hungry. He went to the kitchen to see if there were any unopened bags of Doritos. He was about to push open the swinging door, when he heard a sound com
ing from within. It was the steady drip . . . drip . . . drip of a leaky faucet. He entered the kitchen to see that the fau
cet was indeed dripping. Strange. That had never happened before. Had he not cranked it all the way off? He tightened the handle and began his search for a fresh bag of chips . . . when he heard another dripping sound.

He left the kitchen and headed down the hallway to the
bathroom. The hollow plunking sound grew louder, echo
ing through the empty apartment. He entered the bathroom to see another leaky faucet. Stepping up to the sink, he saw his wan reflection in the mirror. The man who stared back at him looked like a stranger. He had lost weight and his hair had grown gray, but that was minor compared to the haunted look he saw in his own eyes. Strangely, that too gave him confidence. He felt hardened. After all he had been through, he felt ready to take the next step.

"I believe I am ready," he said aloud to himself.

There were decisions to be made and he needed to think clearly, so he opened up the cold water valve and splashed his face. There were no towels left in the room, so he crooked his elbow and wiped his face down with the sleeve of his soiled shirt. Standing up, he looked back at the mirror . . .

. . . and came face-to-face with Damon of Epirus. The scarred apparition stared back at him, smiling hideously and baring his pointed front teeth.

"I believe it is time we met," the vision said.

The water spigot exploded, sending a high-powered jet of water into the room. Ennis backed away in surprise. His legs hit the edge of the bathtub and he fell inside. He landed on his back and looked up to see the shower head explode the same way, spewing a pressurized jet of water down on him. The tub faucets were next, shooting off the wall as gallons of water spewed into the room . . . more water than seemed possible. The toilet was next. It was rocked off of its base by a geyser of water that shot high and hit the ceiling, sending water cascading back into the room.