Master of Elements Ch. 11: Theia

I thanked the man and the woman who had helped Jenny and warned them not to go back to the care home for a few hours as I feared something terrible might happen there. Sadly, this turned out to be good advice on my part. When I found out later what had happened I couldn't help feel some guilt; if we hadn't put Jenny in the place, the Creature's victims would still have been alive.

However, at that moment my priority was to get Jenny and Brigit back to the hotel in one piece, so after a final farewell to her helpers we got Jenny into the car - she was still physically weak - and I set off at speed.

We had made it about half way and were, as it happened, approaching the hill where the ruined temple stood when Jenny suddenly said in a scared voice: "Its close." We all instantly knew she was referring to the Creature.

I let my eyes sweep to road and the terrain either side. "Where? I can't see anything. Are you sure?"

"Yes" she said. "I spent months in the Aether world with that thing. I can sense its presence now and I'm afraid it will be able to do the same with me. You can't see it because it is above us, high up in the sky."

It seemed that Jenny's fears the Creature could detect her presence were well founded, as we soon had evidence of this. There was a loud rumble behind us as a sudden landslide from the hill to our right sent rocks, trees and earth cascading onto the road, blocking it completely. There was no way back down toward lower ground, by car at least, although the way toward the hotel remained open. There was no obvious cause for a sudden landslip. It hadn't been raining excessively and I had felt no earthquake.

"Was that..." I started to ask.

"Yes. Something just used the power of elemental Earth to cause that landslide," said Jenny before I had finished. "I felt it. It can only be the Creature."

"If it wanted to kill us it could simply have targeted the car. We're being herded where it wants us," I reasoned grimly. "Could you prevent another such landslip?" I asked Jenny.

"Possibly," she said, uncertainly. "Normally I would say definitely, but I still feel weak. If only there was a way to get my strength back quickly."

It occurred to me that there might be. Given the rather dramatic effect the object buried at that old temple had had on Brigit and me earlier, there had to be a good chance that it was also capable of restoring or even increasing the girls' powers. But a side trip to get it was not on my agenda. I was desperate to get to the hotel and find the others before our enemy did something far worse than blocking our exit.

Unfortunately, it was too late. A few hundred metres ahead of us, I saw another landslide beginning. I had no choice but to break immediately and stop the car; there was no chance of continuing through it without being crushed. We were now cut-off from the hotel and at the mercy of the Creature, although clearly, for whatever reason, it still wanted us alive, at least for the time being. Despite this, I had no illusions about our long-term prospects of survival unless I came up with a plan of some sort. And just at the moment, I had nothing.

There was one oddity. We had stopped no more than a couple of minutes' walk from the path that led up hill to the old temple and its mysterious buried meteorite/power-source/goddess Theia or whatever it was. I was alarmed by the thought that the Creature must also know it was there; after all it had lived through this scenario three times already. If this thing I was looking for was as powerful a weapon against our enemy as I hoped, why would it bring us here?

However, it was the only hope I had, so I gave my instructions to the girls as direct orders; this was no time for debate. "Brigit, you know the way, get to the temple. Help Jenny. I will be along in a moment. And run!" As the girls headed off, I went to the back of the car. This time I was taking the spades with me.

I soon caught the girls up on the up-hill track through the wooded slopes. Running-up a steep hill was not Jenny's ideal recovery from her prolonged period of bedrest. I gave a spades to Brigit and then we each took one of Jenny's arms and helped her, making slightly better time as a result, but I wondered if this whole thing was a waste of effort; we might just find the Creature waiting for us at the top.

Happily, when we reached the flat grassy area where the sparse remnants of the temple stood, it was deserted, with no sign of our enemy; not even of an eagle in the sky. Once more the girls felt the power of this place quicker than I did. Jenny shook off Brigit and me and stood upright looking suddenly stronger.

"Wow," she said, "there is something about this place. I feel suddenly wonderful... and kind of horny too... like I need to be fucked hard by my manly, dominant Master..." She finished with a sort of half-sigh, half-moan and gave me a look filled with desire.

"There's no time for that," I said hastily, because, frankly, there really wasn't. "Brigit, see if you can get Athena on your mobile. Meanwhile, I'll start digging," I headed for the place I surmised the meteorite was buried.

Jenny followed me and then laughed. "You won't need that," she said gesturing to the spade. "You've got me. If there is something buried here I'll have it out in seconds."

Realising she was right, I took her to the correct place, the spot where once had stood a statue to whatever god or goddess this place honoured. Jenny nodded, "Yes, there is something buried here. I can feel it like a thrill in every nerve cell of my body. It is about three or four metres down. I'll have it out in a moment."

The African girl held her right hand out, palm down and concentrated. Grass and dirt skidded rapidly aside at her unspoken command, then there was the rock of the hill itself, but not solid. It had been broken and disturbed long ago when someone buried something here. Fragments of stone slid from the growing hole to pile up in spoil heaps on either side. It struck me that it would have taken me at least half an hour with the spade to accomplish what Jenny had done in 30 seconds.

Then she reached the bottom of the previously excavated area and stopped. We both peered into the hole she had created. At the bottom was a sort of stone box - white marble I guessed, if we cleaned it up. Briefly I wondered how to get it out, before Jenny solved that problem too. Stone was part of her element. She simply dragged the object - which it would have needed several strong men to lift comfortably - out of the hole by will power alone. The stone box sat on the grass at our feet. I realised we were the first to look on it for over 2,000 years. Jenny performed one last service by flipping the stone lid off, then sank down and lay on the grass.

"Are you ok? Was all that too much? You should have said something."

"No Master, the hole and the box were easy. But now it is open, I feel the thing inside there. It is not meant for me, and I can't and won't touch it."

"Why? Is it dangerous?" I asked, puzzled.

"I... I don't know Master, but please will you deal with it?" She was almost pleading.

Intrigued and not a little alarmed, I was about to look inside, when for the second time that day I was interrupted by an urgent phone call. Brigit ran over and thrust her mobile at me. "It's Athena. You've got to speak to her."

When I did I was shocked by what she had to say: "Chris, please hear me out before you say anything. The Creature is here and it has offered us..." she paused as if seeking an appropriate English work, "... an arrangement," she finished. Well that solved the mystery of where our enemy was. I should have guessed that having stranded us here it would go to the hotel.

"Whatever it is, say no; that thing can't be trusted. Don't attempt to fight it on your own. Try and get away. I think I might have found a weapon and if I'm right perhaps we can meet up and..."

"No Chris, it's no good. You know it needs all of us to fight it. If we try and run, it will kill us now and then we all lose. The Creature has said if we surrender it will bring the three of us to where you are. We have all agreed. At least if we are together we have a chance."

"No. no, don't! You can't trust anything that thing says." I was practically screaming at her, terrified by what she was saying.

"I think we can this once," said Athena calmly, "because it has told us why it will do this and it makes sense from the Creature's point of view. It believes bringing us to you will enable it to win. We think it's wrong. I'm sorry Chris, but our minds are made up. See you soon, my love."

I was about to order Athena not to surrender to the Creature, an order should would have had to obey, but she ended the call. Clever lady that she was, I have no doubt Athena had guessed what I was about to say and made sure she never heard it.

*****

I stared at the phone in disbelief. Athena, Freya and Matsu were about to hand themselves over our enemy. They might already be dead for all I knew. I didn't believe for a moment that the Creature would bring them here. It seemed far more likely it would kill them and then come to finish us off. I turned to convey my alarm to Brigit and Jenny only to discover that their attention was elsewhere.

Jenny was still laid out on the grass next to the stone box. Brigit was now crouching next to it and gazing inside. She looked up at me, a strange expression on her face, a curious mix of fear, awe and excitement. "Come and look, Master," she whispered. This day was becoming overwhelming, but I felt it was indeed time I knew what we had found. I walked over and looked inside.

What I saw caused me no fear, although perhaps a little awe was appropriate. It was - as I had anticipated - a rock, but not some grey, lumpy piece of space debris such as I had been expecting. The body of it was a sort of slivery metal, but laced through with strands of other things, gold and copper and other substances I couldn't guess at. But that wasn't the most impressive part. The rock was embedded with gem stones of every hue, which twinkled and flamed, not with reflected sun light but with an inner fire of their own.

I was no expert, but I was pretty sure this object was impossible - a metallic meteorite was one thing, but gem stones formed inside the heat and pressure of a planet, they couldn't come from space. However, I was even more certain that it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I felt a desire to bend down and pick it up...

... Only to be interrupted for the third time that day. A powerful voice suddenly echoed around the hillside: "Master of Elements; goddesses Brigit and Kitaka. I will speak with you. It is only right that you should know your doom before it happens; such will sweeten my victory."

Wearily, I tore my eyes away from the rock and gazed across the valley to the hillside opposition where my enemy stood. This time its appearance was as a bright-red skinned demonic looking giant, at least 10 metres tall. I assumed this was partly to impress, partly because this form had the vocal cords to deliver taunts such as that one, which some of its other guises lacked. I no longer cared. I was getting very weary of this whole day and particularly sick of this hideous monstrosity threatening the women I loved. I was afraid for them but no longer for myself.

My enemy was still in full flow. "Know that I have found your weakness. It is this thing called love. Your love for one another will destroy you. See here..."

At this, the Creature waved a red demonic hand and suddenly Athena, Freya and Matsu were there. Each was naked and bound with heavy chains of what appeared to be metal, although Jenny corrected me on this. She and Brigit had joined me, standing either side, and as their elemental sisters were revealed, both gave cries of horror and distress. I just felt furious rage.

"Those chains," Jenny said haltingly, "they're like the ones on the cage I was imprisoned in back in the Aether world. Not metal but some kind of force. My powers are useless against them."

If a demon could look pleased with itself, I thought the Creature was. It clearly sensed our horror and distress. "I have three of the goddesses here. I will now make you watch as these females you love are destroyed before your eyes. It will be a long agonising torture as I strip the skin from their bodies and slowly dismember them; they will beg for death but it will not find them for many long hours, not until I will it. You may be safe on your mountain but you must either come down and be destroyed with them, or watch them slowly die. Either way, this is the end. Know that you are all doomed and this world is mine."

Then there was another voice, this time speaking in my head. It was Athena; she was using the link she had established with all our minds to communicate with the Aether world to put her thoughts directly in my mind. A glance told me that Brigit and Jenny were getting the same message.

"That hideous thing is wrong. It doesn't understand at all," Athena told us. "Love is not our weakness, but our strength. Freya, Matsu and I let the Creature bring us here not from fear, but because everything we love is here and we should share the same fate. Whether we triumph or die, we will do it together."

It was a noble thought but I was thinking more about something the Creature had let slip. It had said that we were safe on this hill; but why? There could be only one answer. It had to be the meteorite. And no one had touched it for thousands of years. Thanks to the brave work of Jenny, we had gained knowledge of and access to something the Creature feared; something that our predecessors had not had, at least since our enemy's first manifestation and perhaps not even then. This gave me hope.

And then the full horror began. The Creature turned to the bound and helpless forms of Athena, Matsu and Freya and they began to scream in pain and terror. It wasn't touching them at all, but there was no doubt they were in mortal agony.

I wasted no time on thought. I was the Master of Elements, sworn to help and protect the five Mistresses and -more than that - I loved them. It was time for me to act. I ran toward the stone box and its mysterious contents.

*****

Author's note: Apologies for the relative lack of sex this time - Chris and his ladies are a little too busy dealing with more urgent matters, although at least Brigit got things started with a bang!