The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga) (139 page)

Ragnar was fighting off a large group of men all going at him from all angles. It also looked like he had grown twice his size and all the figures around him looked like they could barely touch him. Ragnar was unstoppable and my hope
s
rose at the sight of three men being flung backwards like bowling pins. Two behind him were approaching him with thick iron chains and I almost laughed at the idea of them holding this Viking beast. They sidestepped in sync and then ran for him at an incredible speed but for the size of my giant protector
,
he was as swift as a hawk and as nibble as a jungle cat. He spun on his heel and met them head on. He grabbed the
chains
before they hit him and he wrapped them around his trunk arms a few times to get
a grip. He
began to run backwards taking the two men with him. He then whipped the chains out to the sides and back causing the two men to collide with each other in the middle knocking themselves out with the force.  

I almost started shouting in encouragement at the sight of him beating them down but when the ones who had hold of me started to drag me backwards, my shouts turned into one
s
of desperation instead. Ragnar stopped after
grabbing one by the neck and brea
king it with one distinct snap.

“LET THE GIRL GO OR DIE!” Ragnar roared in his Demon voice which sounded as though it could command Hell itself!

Meanwhile the voice of the man who shouted “Enough” was making himself known as he emerged from the black Jet. Ragnar took one look at me before seeing him coming down the plane
’s steps...then his face crump
led in confusing defeat. I couldn’t understand, he was just one man
,
but one thing I was sure
of
, Ragnar knew
this
man.

Everyone
froze as if God himself had just popped down to state his claim in this
,
but considering I didn’t know who he was
,
I was going to use this opportunity to run like Hell! I used my body weight to aid me and let my legs drop and then pushed back with all my strength. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough to take them off guard. They lost their grip on me and I made my legs power forward over to Ragnar thinking behind him would be my only hope at surviving this. The men behind me cursed as they ran towards me but I remained out of reach
,
and seeing what the other men had endured
,
they stopped before Ragnar was within reach to do the same
to them. He saw me coming and g
rowled out at the men behind as a warning
,
they didn’t need. He scooped me up with both arms and held me back like I was a frighten
ed
child
,
he needed to prevent from witnessing this.

“Ragnar
, t
he Viking King. It has been a long time since I have seen you. And now it seems you have a charge to take care of. This is unfortunate
,
as now I will have to take her from you...unless you are willing to stand down
.
” He was a tall thin man with silvery white hair and had a handsome face with sharp features. A long, straight nose and a point to his chin made his high cheekbones seem all the higher. He didn’t look like your typical bad guy, all dressed in a tailored beige suit and red tie...he even carried a briefcase for heaven’s sake! Was he here to kidnap me or make me a business deal in buying real-estate.

“Carrick! Doing errands for Vampires now...I would have thought that beneath you, soul collector!” Ragnar had let me slid
e
down to the ground and he was holding me back with one arm and hiding the rest of me with his colossal frame. I could see his muscular back tensed and ready for another fight, although something told me this next one h
e wouldn’t find so easy
. There was something in Ragnar’s voice that told me as much, like a respect he had to give this man and I knew he must be a big player in the Supernatural world.

At Ragnar’s words he cocked his head to one side amused for a moment.

“It is not your concern why
,
but the
will
is. Hand
the girl over to me and not only with I give you my word that she will not be harmed but you too will walk away with your life...Although I cannot vouch for your Master’s wrath on the mat
t
er, I hear he is quite fond of this little human
.
” He seemed intrigued with me as I arched my head round to see him at my mention.

“She is the
‘
Electus
’
” Ragnar said and if he hoped to shock him into submission he failed, all he got was one raised white eyebrow.

“Is she...ah well that explains
the circumstances
but unfortunately for you my friend it does not change them. I am neutral in this fighting prophecy but when commissioned I
always
fulfil my contract. The girl is still mine and I grow weary of discussing it with one of Dominic’s servants, so I ask only once more...hand her over or face the consequences!” He said this last part with a venomous bite but Ragnar stood his ground. He widen
ed
his stance and braced himself for what looked to be his death.

“Ragnar don’t
,
” I whispered
,
placing my hand on his arm but he glared down at me and shook his head.

“I have sworn to protect her with my life and I am a man of my word!” He barked back making Carrick roll his eyes as though bored.

“Very well Viking, then let your life be the price you pay for your loyalty, I hope you die with dignity old soul for it will not be lacking in courage
.
” He said these words like a prayer and they did hold respect which I found surprising, considering he was the one that was going to take this life.

I made the decision that if I was going to be any help to him
,
I was going to have to
really
see what was going on, so I did something I rarely do...I dropped my guard and let the other sight take hold. I closed my eyes tight for seconds until I was sure I had freed my gift, like letting lo
o
se the evil side of me. When I opened my eyes the first thing I saw was Ragnar in his Demon form
, and being that this was the first time I had seen him this way I couldn’t stop my reaction. He knew instantly
what I had done.

He turned to look at me and I
also
couldn’t help the frightened gasp that escaped. His face had no skin, just a fleshless bone skull with tiny holes pierced all over it, like he had been locked in one of those medieval iron maiden’s that shut a person into a standing coffin full of nails. His nose was just made of two elongated holes and his mouth was covered in w
as looked like metal cladding h
amme
re
d in sections over his jaw line to hold it in place. I felt the tears roll down my cheek
s
as I looked into the hollow where his eyes had turned into a small white dot in the middle of a dark mist that was flowing freely from his body. It could only be described as his energy that was making his body pulsate with anger. I automatically stood back and saw two twisted horns brake through his clothes and curl up around his exposed skull like a helmet. They had combined at the front once they covered his face and met down at his chin to interlock like a bone beard. Now to look at him there was only twisted horn coming from either side of his exposed bloody spine to protect his entire head.

I kept taking steps back to give his growing body room as his pulsating had reached it height and he stood ready for the war against us. He was the size of a Transit van making me look like a toddler. Carrick’s men pulled together and were ready to hit Ragnar with his first wave but Carrick’s hand went up to stop them. Maybe the sight of Ragnar looking like a Demon tank was enough to make him change his mind. Then I received my answer.

The skies started to grow dark, like a storm was quickly taking hold and I felt an icy chill seep through every layer of my clothing. The clouds look angry with us all as they moved at such speeds
,
I could barely believe what my eyes were seeing. Clouds never moved like that, not even in a hurricane! Who was this man that could command the skies? There was only one man I knew with that kind of power...Draven!

“All in vain
,
Viking!” Carrick shouted shaking his head, causing me to really look at him for the first time. He was no longer a man but had now turned
in
to death. That was the only way to describe him, he was Death! His suit had faded to the dark cloak that cut off at his chest. The hood raised, hiding his face under a black plastic looking material...or was it skin? It stretched across powerful, large shoulders and floated down stronger looking arms. This was different as the man before was tall and of a slim build but not now...no now he too was a warrior!

All of this was caught in a blink compared to what my eyes were now fixated on. His torso was only half muscle and flesh as it had been stripped away on most of his ribcage. There was left bloody ribs that encased a light glow behind, like his own energy source was being protected by bone. As I raked my sight further down I saw that his waist didn’t exist and only his dripping spine was holding him upright. The start of his pelvis was also on show but then his cloak returned and flowed as though alive around the rest of his body. Literally it looked
as though a cloaked figure had
had a section of his body removed and we were all looking at the result of only a remaining skeleton. If I thought Ragnar was frightening then this guy took first prize for that award!

The Soul collector, as Ragn
ar had called him, still had hol
d of his briefcase
and this also had changed. Now he held a case that looked as though someone had filled it with blood, set the edges alight and dipped it in black tar. This
was now being held back and
made
ready to throw. It flew through the air and la
nded in between the two Demons
that were ready for the fight. But I was wrong, there was no epic fight about to take place but only an easy defeat. Ragnar didn’t have a chance and the way his body reacted told me this. He actually was moving backwards away from the open black case. At first I couldn’t see why
,
but once I stepped to the side I saw the black wave coming towards him like a black ocean coming crashing to the shore.

“Get back!” He ordered me in a Demonic voice that was so guttural it was all throat and no mouth! I stepped back again
and again, not wanting to make
any sudden movements
,
like sprinting into a run. As the wave got closer I saw it wasn’t mist, or water. It was no element of the earth coming to claim us. No
,
this was
made of
the black souls that hadn’t walked the earth for only Carrick knew how many years. They were scrabbling towards us like insects clawing their w
ay across the space. It was as though,
after centuries of being trapped
,
they had forgot
ten
how to walk, talk or what it was to be hu
man. Twisted, broken bodies,
barely made from anything but dust and fears
,
came closer to Ragnar. Black soulless eyes ringed with ra
ther a crystal blue or a deadly
blood red, shifted around
, searching out their prey. Their
long thin bodies were within arm’s reach when they sniffed the air surrounding Ragnar and then they suddenly began to change and shift into other forms.

I screamed in vain, as I realised what forms they had chosen to torture my guard and friend. It was his greatest fear... his only fear and now it was here to claim him like his past had come back to
once again
finish the job!

Every black soul had turned into twenty snakes each causing hundreds to go slither
ing up Ragnar’s body, inf
esting themselves over every inch of him. He threw his head back and roared to the sky in his pain before falling to his knees in defeat. He curled up after a few pointless attempts at getting free but soon the horrors of his past had him writhing around the ground in an unspeakable pain.

We had lost the fight.

I screamed over and over until I was out of breath. I ran over to him but as I got near, snakes lashed out at me in warning.

“STOP THIS!” I shouted towards Death himself. I couldn’t even tell if he could hear me or even see me so I decided to put an end to my sight. It had only help
ed
in seeing something I had absolutely no control over. I closed my eyes and listened to the chaos around me trying to find some last shred of my world to focus on. Then I heard her. She was calling in the night, flying around in the storm trying to find us.