Iron Rain Pt. 18

I have no judge of time here but it seems to have been at least an hour since my arrival where the hell are my hosts? Maybe this is another test? Let me stop and see. The Dreamer somehow sent me here but was it the Elder Things who created this bubble of mine? Maybe I did it somehow? I reached out and touched the interior edge of the bubble and it did feel familiar somehow. The alchemy that Bennu mentioned; damn it's so hard to remember that other life now. The contact lenses, the scepter of Iram, my watch, Bennu's touch and the Dark Mother's blood were the essence of this transformation.

'Don't forget me Master,' said a familiar voice in my head.

'Abraxxa,' I thought to myself.

'Yes Master I snuck a ride with the scepter.'

'Where are you now?'

'In your mind Master,' she giggled.

'No I mean physically,' I thought annoyed at her playful nature in so serious a situation.

'Oh,' she said. 'Look down Master and all will be revealed.'

I looked at my feet and saw the yawing lake of ebony flame I was hovering above.

'No Master... here let me show you.' Abraxxa said the glimmer of the bubble becoming actual illumination revealing my naked form. 'Now look at yourself.'

I gasped at the startling change that had occurred and held my hand up before my eyes. Covering most of my body was the runic tattoos that were the symbols from the Obelisks and the Keystone. Set into my chest were three jewels; two came from the scepter and the last oh the last could only be Abraxxa's crystal. I looked and saw that over my heart was a glyph I did not recognize. It appeared like the silhouette of a bird being consumed in a pyre.

'That's where Bennu touched you Master.'

'Why did you add your crystal to the alchemy Abraxxa?'

'I was created by the Elder Things and I know their mind and their desire. I can help you when you meet them.'

'I guess I don't have much of a choice now do I?'

'Not if you want to survive this encounter.'

'Well let's get this over with shall we.'

'Shall I summon them Master?'

'Yes.'

A single tone pierced the silence and echoed over the open area and it was picked up and began to resonate and gather strength and where the sound touched massive stones began to glimmer then glow with an internal light. Soon the entire area was lit with the illumination of a thousand suns. I looked out and despite the devastated look to the area I couldn't help but find a strange kind of beauty to it as well.

'It won't be long now,' Abraxxa whispered.

'I can hardly wait,' I thought as ripples began to form in the lava and I knew they had arrived.

Titans indeed, the forms that rose from the depths of the fiery earth were larger than skyscrapers and never held the same shape long enough for my mind to register anything coherent. A dozen or so broke the surface then more and more until a thousand towering forms swayed and reshaped themselves constantly. It was maddening! Formless I named them for their ever shifting ever changing nature.

"The SHAW," a single piercing sound rose from the thousand.

"Formless," I cried out to them.

"Phoenix Touched," they replied.

"I am here," I whispered.

'If you stay they will tear you apart trying to learn about the Bennu,' Abraxxa warned.

"Why?" I screamed.

"WHY?" they echoed.

"Why do you seek the Bennu?"

"Eldest," the chorus sang.

"I don't understand," I said.

'The Bennu is the only entity that the Elder Things have encountered that is older than they.' Abraxxa explained.

"Oh I get it... she knows what went on before they came into being!"

"YES!" they cried.

"She is the Eldest!" I scream.

"YES!" they cried.

"She perceived the Beginning!" I cry out to the masses.

"YES!"

"She holds the last secret," I whisper.

"Yes... the last great secret." They moaned in despair.

"Then what," I ask.

Silence.

"I asked then what," I scream.

Silence.

"What will you do once you have the last... great... secret," I ask softly.

"We do not understand," the Elder Things sing.

"What will the Elder Things do once you possess the last great secret?"

Silence.

'Master is wise,' whispered Abraxxa.

"What is the purpose of the Elder Things?"

"To seek the Last Great Secret!" they scream.

"What happens when your purpose is complete?"

Silence.

"The Elder Things need a purpose..."

"Tell us SHAW... BENNU has touched you... tell us!"

"What do I get for the Last Great Secret?"

'Master, have you lost your fucking mind? They are the Elder Things! They are the Titans of the Deep!'

"And I have what they want." I told her. "It's called supply and demand."

'They can take the answer.'

"Can they? I think they know if they try they will shred my mind and lose their chance. The Elder Things are power incarnate but they lack one thing."

'What could they possibly lack Master,' Abraxxa asked.

"Subtlety, they do not possess a gentle touch for they have never needed it and never developed it."

"We will sunder this world SHAW and slay all upon and below its surface!" they sang.

"Do it." I whispered.

'Master!'

"Shut up Abraxxa."

Silence.

"They don't dare break the world for if they do they lose their only bargaining chip. I repeat what will you give me for the secret?"

"What does the SHAW want?" they whispered.

'No fucking way!' Abraxxa said shocked to her core.

"I want to know what you know." I say.

Silence.

I cross my legs, close my eyes and wait. I could feel the unbelievable raw power all around me and I waited. The stones sang and within their song the Elder Things spoke. They were discussing my offer and I feared deep down in my core they would rip me into subatomic particles to get the secret before they gave up any of their vast knowledge.

"You are not ready," they sang.

"Then we are at an impasse." I reply.

"You are not ready... yet." They sang.

"Oh... so?" I asked.

"We agree to your terms SHAW. We will share our understanding for the secret." They screamed.

"Wow I never thought they'd actually agree... so how do we do this?"

"Here," they sang.

A tiny ripple rose from the lava and floated up towards my bubble and as it got nearer I could see that it not very large at all about half the size of a baseball and encased in clear faceted crystal. It pressed against the wall of the bubble and slowly passed through it cooling dramatically as it did so. I held out my hand and the sphere settled there. I examined it and saw that the surface was glass smooth but at the heart of the thing was a swirling ever changing mass.

"What do I do with it?" I asked.

"Swallow it," they sang.

"What?"

"If you wish to know what we know you must swallow it." They were adamant on this thing.

"Now or after I give you the secret?" I asked.

"Now."

"Okay," I said and turned the crystal this way then that and after a moment or two the crystal faded away leaving only the tiny formless thing in my palm. "Here goes nothing."

I shudder and open my mouth and bring my hand up. The squirming thing in my palm launched itself at my face and slid down my throat and after a moment of choking the sensation faded. Another shiver ran through me and I waited for something to happen but after a full minute I shrugged and turned to face the monolithic beings. I opened my mouth to speak and a sensation raced through me. It was like ice water spreading from my middle and then numbness seemed to seize me and then I dropped senseless to the bottom of the bubble.

"The Last Great Secret!" cried the Elder Things. "It is ours! Farewell SHAW."

"I got fucked..." I moaned before my world went black.

The Black Pyramid

I stand and stare in disbelief at the polished diorite portal; it was closed, sealed and held against us. Our home was no longer our home but how had this happened? A thousand Osirins were forced to reenter the city after all these long years.

"Fire Heart," someone called my name.

I turned and saw my dear companion Hawk Wind standing behind me.

"Hawk Wind what are you doing here?" I ask.

"I could ask you the same High Priestess but I know as well as you the distress you like all our people are feeling. Why has our home been taken from us?"

"I have a theory but it is just a hunch," I say.

"Please your people have need of your wisdom." He begs.

"I believe it is a test from the Eternal Master. He wishes to reopen the school and he needs our help in reclaiming the city."

"I see the wisdom in that, his will be done!" Hawk Wind cries and heads down to tell the others.

I pray I am correct and I pray our Master returns to us I miss him fiercely.

I stand vigil over the pyramid and our home waiting for the Master's return or the seal being opened. The old Master will not come and refuses to be dragged back into the former life as he calls it. I can smell the fear that clings to him and it is a sad thing indeed. I close my eyes and meditate and wait patiently for a sign and when it comes it manifests in a very strange way indeed.

Night has fallen and I can hear the three strangers as they make their way up the last part of the path. Two of them smell as human women but the third is a scent I have never experienced before. I open my eyes and see the trio and recognize from the picture the new Master showed me that the fair haired one in front is his sister named Kat. What a funny name for a human. The second is her bodyguard Sora and she is dark and short like the Lady Akira. The last is shrouded in a hood and moves with great grace despite it's strange scent.

"You are Fire Heart," Kat asks.

"Yes and you are the Master's sister Kat," I say in greetings.

"I need to speak with you about Nick," she says tears in her eyes.

"Please sit and be welcome, even your strange companion who smells like nothing I have smelled before."

"That is Nick's new avatar I thought you two should meet," Kat says awkwardly.

"You seem tense sister of my Master why is that?"

"Nick has done you and your tribe a great honor and built his new avatar in your image. I don't want you to take offense by her appearance," Kat says with great care.

"If this is the work of the Master's mind how can I take offense?" I tell her.

Kat turns to the hooded one and nods. The avatar reaches up and unclasps her robe and tosses it aside. I gasp at her appearance and see that she looks like a Bast but is clearly not one of us. But it difficult not to see her as part of the tribe as her mannerisms are quite familiar.

"I am designated as Nightwind and serve Master Nick," it says in a lovely voice.

"I am Fire Heart and you are welcome here," I say and she smiles.

"Thank you for accepting me," she says. "I was concerned my form would cause conflict. He must find your form very pleasing to have created me Fire Heart."

"Did he say why," I asked her.

"I have not met my Master yet. I was hoping to see him this evening."

"Who created you then?" I ask watching her intently.

"I am the collective of three Masters; Master Terry who wished to create a bio-organic construct, Master Jesse who designed my mind and its ability to interact with my body and Master Nick who gave me shape and form and even my voice."

"You are a very lucky female to have three men work so hard and diligently on your creation." I tell her.

"Thank you."

"I don't mean to interrupt but can you tell me what happened to my brother?" Kat asked.

"I will tell you all I know and all that I witnessed." I say and launch into the tale of the Master and Bennu.

I watched as Sora held her friend as she cried when I finished my story and fought back the urge to weep as well. All the while Nightwind listened silently and I could see her mind working fiercely.

"Lady Fire Heart, Lady Kat, Lady Sora I am detecting a falling object travelling at terminal velocity close to our proximity." Nightwind said her eyes perking up.

"Where," Kat asked.

"Object will impact the mountain top in five seconds... four... three..."

THUD!

"Correction three seconds, object has impacted on the far side of the structure known as the Black Pyramid."

I got to my feet and sprinted to where we heard the sound. I stopped when I came upon the impact crater which was ten feet in diameter and approximately six feet deep.

"OWWWWWW..." came a low moan of pain. "Can someone help me out of here?"

"Master?" I approached the edge of the crater and there laying naked was the Eternal Master. "MASTER!!!!" I leapt into the concave hole and gingerly picked him up and carried him out.

"Nick... NICK... oh my god you're alive!!!" Kat was suddenly at my side and helping me. "Sora tell the others... Nick is back and he's alive!"

The dark haired one raced down the mountainside screaming at the top of her lungs. Soon the entire population of the island human and Osirin were arriving to see the Eternal Master. Lady Akira beat everyone up the path and practically snatched the Master from our arms.

"Nick, we'll take care of you baby," Akira was crying but I sensed that there were tears of joy.

"Why is the pyramid door shut? Carry me over please..." he asked and he touched the hieroglyphs and with a rumble and a shudder the door slid open. "Fire Heart can you get a bed ready for me please I am really hurting."

"At once Master!" I said gleefully.

I directed a host of Bast to prepare the Master's bed chamber and soon he was carefully laid down to rest.

"Sweetie," the Master said to Lady Akira. "I am starved and dehydrated..."

That is all he needed to say. I went to the pool of the sacred stone and filled the chalice and brought it to him immediately. I did that four times before his thirst was quenched. Then food was brought and we left the Master and the two Ladies alone. Sora, Nightwind and I stood watch over the great hall as my people returned to their home.

"You were as surprised as any of us that he returned," Sora said.

"I had great hope but yes I was pleasantly surprised." I admitted. "I saw his body burn and vanish."

"Do you think we'll ever get the whole story?" she asked.

"I don't know we will have to see what the Master recalls and what he decides upon sharing with us."

"My Master is very handsome," Nightwind said out of nowhere.

"Yes he is," I agreed.

"I even like his tattoos," she said.

"What tattoos," Sora and I asked at the same time.

"I saw no tattoos," I tell the avatar.

"Neither did I are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Quite sure," she said and I could see her thinking before she continued. "Ah I understand now my full spectrum vision allows me to see what you may be unable to see."

"What do they look like Nightwind," I ask.

Without hesitation she pointed to the Obelisk.

"Like those but in a different configuration. I also detected a noted drop in his body temperature despite the manner of return. His core temperature is a mere seventy two degrees Fahrenheit which happens to be the same as the surrounding air. I wonder if there is a correlation."

"What's the significance of the big black rock," Sora asked.

"It is one of the six sacred stones that grant long life and health," I explain.

"Why does Master Nick have them tattooed on his body?" Sora asks.

"I suspect we may never learn that." I say and rise to my feet. "But this is a time for celebration! The Eternal Master is returned to us and our home is ours once more."

Numenor and Beyond

December 1, 2012

The first few hours were the best and the worst. Nick was back as suddenly as he had disappeared but was it MY Nick? Damn that woman... damn Bennu! Kat and I nursed him back from the brink of death. He had broken nearly every bone on his body and amazingly he recovered and quickly. I was quite aware of Nick's ability to regenerate and restore his energy, especially his sexual hunger, but this was nothing short of supernatural. By the time a week had passed you would never know that Nick had ever suffered any form of injury for he bore not a single scar.

Then there was the emotional change and that was evident within the first few days. He never wanted to be alone so Kat, Nightwind and I took eight hour shifts being his constant companion. The other change was his constant need to be moving and we must have walked every square foot of the island over the next few weeks. The oddest thing was this and I must share this with someone. The island and its natural denizens had accepted Nick as their absolute ruler. I know it sounds crazy but where he trod predators and prey alike stopped and took notice of him. From the shadowcats to the insects of the air they all seemed eerily aware of his presence. Then it was the jungle itself and the buildings that had once been overgrown by it. One week to the day after his arrival the majority of the jungle was simply gone and in its place vast gardens of fruit trees and bushes that carried fruit and vegetables that I had never seen before. The city was restored overnight and it was seen by the Osirins as nothing short of a miracle. The crew of the Numenor was equally amazed at the island's transformation but was less spiritual and chalked it up to one of Nick's technological marvels.

The thing that bothered me the most was strange moments that he manifested with all three of us for I have asked Kat and Nightwind about his fugues. We will be walking and suddenly we will reach a wide open space and he will stop and stare as if there was in fact something there that only he could see. It was once these fugues began that Nick became even more distant and began disappearing for hours at a time. The first time he vanished I thought he was doing his invisible man trick and hoped to feel his eager hands upon my body but it never happened. Kat shared an equal disappointment in Nick's lack of physical attention as did every woman I 'interviewed' over the matter.

I wouldn't discover what he had been up to until months had passed and by then it was far to late to change the course of action that would before the world. I discovered that Project Aries was only the beginning of the drastic changes Nick had set into motion. Operation Damocles was the second but not final phase of his strategy. If I had known what he had planned I would have argued with him as I did when he captured the assassin and the man who had hired him to kill Nick's mother. I would have gotten on my knees and begged him to stop but Bennu was correct Nick had become a force of nature and I was starting to see him as more than just a man.

"Lady Akira," Surfer said as I sat staring up at the night sky.

"Yes Surfer," I replied as his metallic face came into view along with his dormant manhood beneath his kilt.

"I have received news that the city of Antwerp has gone silent and there is no communication either entering or exiting the city."

My first thought was my parents and that something terrible had happened.

"Have you sent drones to investigate," I asked but he shook his head. "Then dispatch some immediately."

"I would if I could but I cannot," Surfer said.

"Why the hell not," I said rising to my feet to stand on the helipad.

"They are all in use Lady," he said his head lowered.

"Can't you divert just a few of them?" I asked.

"Not without Master Nick's permission and I doubt he will give it."

I felt my hopes drop and knots form in my stomach.

"Can we piggy back on a drone near Antwerp and determine what is going on somehow?" I asked.

"That I can do Lady Akira," he said with a smile.

Numenor and Beyond

December 2, 2012

I'm not sure which I was aware of first the aura of her anger or her intention to bitch slap me. Despite how upset she was she still knocked.

"Come in Akira," I say as the door comes flying open and she is all fire and anger and not a little hurt.

"How could you," she accused.