Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) (25 page)

“Gage!” came Adrienne’s voice from all around them, filling the room.

The rest of the Council shot out of their seats and Marcus flicked his head randomly around the room, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Joey was dumbfounded, nearly in tears hearing her voice.

“Oh my God darlin’ is that really you?”

“Yup!” she said through a cry filled laugh.

“How are ya?” Gage returned with a broken voice himself.

“I'm fine baby, truly. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Gage felt a pang of guilt in his gut, looking across to Joey who had buried his face deep into his hands. Drogir could not believe what was happening, nor could Timothy. They all just stood there in amazement and listened.

“Adrienne there isn't much time,” came another voice across the void.

Gage snapped out of his regrets. “Who was that?” he asked quickly.

“It's alright,” she said. “He's been helping me here… as a guide of sorts.”

“A guide? Where are you?”

A few nerve wracking moments ticked by where there was no answer, Gage thinking the connection had been lost.

“The Astral Plane,” she replied, silence answering. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes!” he exclaimed. “Yes. My God this is all so much to take in.”

“Oh trust me I know,” she said, her voice turning down. “Gage, we need to be rescued somehow. I need your help.”

“Always!” he answered, spinning round to his colleagues to see if anyone had any suggestions on what could be done.

The sounds of static and other distortions filled the room; the connection was growing weaker.

Tyrol left the table and walked up beside Gage. Though he was a large man, Tyrol managed to dwarf him with his own size.

“There are legends,” he said, “of ancient doors in the world that can lead to other places. I do not know these stories that well, but I do know that there is supposedly one in South America that, in theory, can be used to retrieve them from the Astral Plane; the energies there can serve to build a sort of bridge between worlds.”

“How can we be sure that is the right place we need to go?” asked Jane, liking the idea but unsure of how to implement it just yet.

Tyrol sighed as if he didn't want to say his next words. “Because… I know of the existence of another in the mountains of my country, first hand; these things are real. Alas, the one there is much further away than the one I believe to be at Machu Picchu. You can trust me in this, for I swear my life upon its truth.”

Jane nodded and Tyrol did the same.

“Well that sorts things out on our end,” said Marcus, eager to get the ball rolling. “But where would the door’s terminus be on that side in order for us to make this happen?”

The guide spoke up. “If I may lend my expertise here,” he said. “The way will manifest close to wherever we are - the ring itself essentially being the connection point, coupled with Adrienne's earthly essence.”

“Ring?” asked Gage.

“The Seal of Solomon,” Adrienne replied. “I don't think the Noctis will be very pleased we have another one of their items in hand.”

Elation filled the area, everyone already itching to get started.

“But fair warning,” said the guide. “This will be incredibly dangerous for us, as it will call upon the entire Astral Plane to bear down on the breach… and us.”

“Very well,” said Jane. “We’ll mount a mission as soon as possible. “Gage, are you alright?”

He was standing with his head hung low, unsure whether to laugh with joy or cry with the same.

Static churned once again, much louder than before. The connection was shaky now at best and would soon be closed off.

“Gage…” came her voice, crackled and warbling. “I… think we… have to… go.”

He raised a hand up in front of him, unknowing if she could see him, and blew a kiss. “
Non Omnis Moriar…
” he replied as one more massive burst of sound came like an explosion, echoing through the room.

“Ady?” Gage asked a final time.

There was no reply.

He looked again to Joey, who had not moved his face out of his hands since the conversation began.

KELI STROLLED THROUGH
the cavernous spaces within Bennett Peak dressed again in a scant leather number, her high-heeled footsteps echoing throughout the dim hollows. Ronove was two paces behind her, gliding along in his lightweight robes, while Paimon and Astaroth brought up the rear in their respective gray and maroon suits.

They all reached the towering chamber, the single pillar of light at its center cascading down from high above as they passed through. The monstrous door in the side of the mountain loomed at their backs, whatever was knocking on the other side continuing as it had done for time eternal.

Keli and Ronove passed by it uninterested – a skill learned over time – as did Paimon, who had barely managed to do so, thinking he heard it whispering in the far recesses of his mind. Astaroth on the other hand, was far less successful.

“Does anyone know where that leads?” he asked, staring at its large ring handles and the terrifying sculptured shapes on its surface. “I mean surely someone does right? It's quite a big, obvious thing in the room. A shame to just –”

Open…
the word came at him like a mumble but somehow was incredibly loud, echoing through Astaroth’s head.

The others didn’t seem to notice, carrying along their merry way.

“What was that?” he said loudly, causing Ronove to stop and turn around apprehensively.

Open me…
it pleaded with him, its tone growing stern.

“Alright, alright, I will” said Astaroth innocently like a child, turning around with arms outstretched to approach the door.

He was actually going to open it.

Ronove acted quickly, an aged hand lashing out to grab on tightly at his elbow. He was stopped dead in his tracks with a grip much stronger than the elderly demon looked capable of.

“Come, Astaroth,” he commanded in no uncertain terms. “Now is not the time.”

“But…”

“Ignore whatever it is telling you! You must come with me, now.” Ronove drug him away forcefully as he pined to open the doorway. Thankfully, the effects were relatively minor and he didn't need to render him unconscious to get him to move along.

They met up with Keli and Paimon a short time later, descending further down into the mountain. There, a commons area was set up between the grottos used for personnel quarters; simple couches, moldy and rank, sat along with a few end tables and a low slung coffee table in the center. Atop it were thick leather books, filled with demonic text.

“You fucking idiot, Astaroth!” exclaimed Paimon. “Are you trying to get us all killed… or worse?”

“Whatever!” he blasted back, having regained his faculties. “Don't we all wish that we were an infallible little Hell Knight like you!”

“Shut up!” Keli screamed, collapsing into one of the sofas and slamming a hand against the cushion. “The both of you just shut the fuck up! You are giving me a serious migraine and I don't even think demons are supposed to get those! So, well fucking done for breaking the laws of the universe with your unending arguments! I swear this would all have been more fitting if you had possessed an old married couple.”

“Your Grace,” interjected Ronove, trying to steer the conversation toward more serious issues requiring their attention. “Not to be a bother, but are we any closer to figuring out how to attack the Lodge with all its defenses? For that matter, do we even know how we will wrench the Ire and Shackles from that bothersome Journeyman’s clutches?”

She looked to Paimon and Astaroth, both with loathing. “No.
They
have not figured a way yet.”

Ronove was shocked. “No progress on either, whatsoever?”

“Sadly, no,” she answered.

“If you think you can do better old man,” said Paimon with contempt.

“No, I cannot, but at least I have the fortitude to admit my limitations right up front and accept them for what they are, instead of parading around like some pompous know-it-all.”

“Bah!” Paimon dismissed. “What would a someone who ferries decrepit souls know about…”

An intense rumble came from nowhere, filling the room with noise like a freight train. The walls shook at once and dust cascaded, along with large chunks of stone, from the ceiling high above.

Back upstairs at the massive doorway, its frame quaked and groaned under stress whilst tiny cracks formed at its hinges, spreading like spider webs into the mural. There was a great slam against them from the other side, causing more damage but luckily they held firm, a testament to whomever had built them.

“What in Hell’s sake going on?” Keli asked while dodging a stray chunk of rock. It smashed against the floor with an earsplitting clatter, shattering into several pieces of shrapnel. One of them flew toward Paimon, who knocked it away with his shield, which had appeared in just the nick of time.

Another section of cave came careening from overhead, straight toward Ronove. He struck at it with a quick snap of his robes and it was aged to dust in an instant. Coughing amidst the shower of now harmless remnants, he answered Keli with his best guess, all the while trying to maintain balance. “I’m not yet certain, but I think that it could be a disturbance from the Astral Pla–”

Suddenly he choked, eyes becoming snow white; a low hum began to rise out of his very bones. “Yes, I’m sure of it now, I hear the echoes of wayward souls within the reverberations. Something or someone is speaking, but I cannot make out the words being said. Whatever is talking has incredibly strong energy… such power! It draws me. I shall attempt to pierce the veil and see what it is for myself.”

But that was not to be, the vibrations fleeting. Though they did linger for a few more minutes, they swiftly became less than a whisper that Ronove could not pinpoint, entrenched deep within the ambient noise.

“I am sorry, Your Grace,” he said regretfully. “It has ended.”

Breathing heavily, the four of them sat in silence to collect their thoughts and composure.

Paimon was the first of the group to gather enough breath to speak. “Did that have anything to do with the Journeymen? With him?”

Ronove nodded. “It must have. Events like that rarely happen in the worlds, yet we've recently seen the Herald – known to have been caused by Crosse – and now this experience has happened within such a close timeframe. It cannot be a coincidence.”

“Agreed,” said Paimon. “But what could it mean?”

“It means we are running out of time,” answered Astaroth for him. “Keli, we must focus on stopping Gage now instead of trying to appease every were-creature out there.”

It was no use talking to her, blinded by the desire to prove everyone wrong. “Continue working on breaking through the Lodge,” she directed. “If nothing else, I want to cut that slayer off at the knees.”

Paimon did not like the sound of that order, meaning he would have to do more research. Astaroth was inclined to be happy for other, concealed, reasons. He hid it well, or so he thought, Paimon taking note of his body language.

“We
do
need to address the Gage menace,” she acknowledged, Astaroth still smiling on the inside. “Now this may be a long shot, but I think that the Journeymen may try to use one of the ancient doors to retrieve whomever or whatever this is from the other side. It could even be one of the treasures we seek. When they open the door, they will be distracted and weakened. If Gage is there, he will be susceptible to attack and we can move to intercept the Ire and Shackles. I'll take great pleasure in retrieving those from his cold, dead hands.”

She began to laugh maniacally.

“Not to be the bearer of bad news,” said Paimon, which immediately smothered her cackling. All eyes squinted his way. “But even if you are right, aren’t there a dozen doorways to various realms located around the Earth?”

“That is correct,” Ronove confirmed, “twelve active chakra points with positive energy that are in direct contrast to the vile vortices, which exude negative energy, as their name implies.”

“Well, Your Grace, then my bad news is really a question: which doorway do you suppose they will use? We do not have the resources nor cannot be at all of them at once.”

“He is right,” admitted Ronove. He wished he hadn't said a word after noticing the look forming across Keli’s face.

“If it's any consolation, we should be able to narrow down the field of choices,” Astaroth pointed out to pick up the mood.

Keli seemed unfazed while Paimon looked at him snidely.

“Go on.”

“Well Ronove mentioned the Astral Plane, right? Is that the realm we are dealing with?”

“Yes,” said Ronove. “The way souls there feel is… unique. It was definitely the Astral Plane, no doubt.”

“In that case,” continued Astaroth. “How many doors lead there?”

Ronove was impressed. Even though it was a simple solution to the problem, it would increase their odds. “Le me see, there are one, two, three… four doorways that connect to that place. Three of them are to the south: Australia, Peru, and the third in Central America. The fourth is far removed from those, in the Himalayas.”