The First Ones Read online

  Longer and thicker than the knives Jet had seen Benjamin use, he marveled at the blade and its hide wrapped handle, while silently wishing he had had it earlier when the fighting at the hospital was at its fiercest.

  He tossed the papers that had protected the blade into the flames, watching them be instantly consumed, leaving only a small piece of charred ash that was now rising within the fire’s updraft, along with the silent smoke. Jet reached inside the bag, grabbing as much as his hand could hold, until his eyes locked on one particular bundle. He blinked over and over at a small, clear bag of a green powder, and felt compelled to remove only that small item from the bag. Gently he lifted it from its resting place and held it up with two fingers in front of his eyes. A compulsion overwhelmed him and he tossed the bag into the flames.

  There was a crackle as the fire burned through the cellophane pouch and began to consume the powder, when suddenly the flames climbed very high, as the strange powder combusted. It was almost as grand as if he had thrown gasoline onto the fire, yet the flames only rose upward, and they were totally controlled within the pit. Smoke rose, now black and pungent, into the still darkening sky and Jet watched wide-eyed as the flames in front of him rose. Finally, a sound that was very high pitched, sort of like a whistle, began to come from the fire, almost magically drawing his attention into the depths of the flames.

  As he stared into the fire, watching to see what was happening, the movement of the flickering flames began to slow, as if someone had suddenly flipped a slow-motion switch. Tension gripped at his insides and the breath became caught within his chest as images began to swirl, unfocused, in the slowly churning flames. Jet moved his mouth and tried to push the air out of his chest, but found his body was frozen in spasm, and not obeying his commands.

  Then he saw the images in the fire become clear, showing him a volcano covered in snow.

  Ursula.

  Aurora.

  Kaylanna and her damned brood of horrors.

  And he saw himself, standing on a hill overlooking them all from a distance. He was dressed in his grandfather’s ceremonial buckskins, chanting ancient songs otherwise forgotten throughout time, as he was surrounded by… by…

  “Oh my God,” Jet spoke aloud, as his wind came back to him, “I understand. I remember!”

  Jet knew what he had to do, what he was always supposed to do, and as that realization flooded over him everything in the vision ended abruptly. The fire dropped back down to normal levels, the flames began flickering in real time again and the images inside them slowly melted away.

  He looked away from the fire, his epiphany fresh in his mind, as he started to think about how he might actually accomplish the task ahead of him. It seemed so impossible that he wasn’t even sure how to start.

  The sound of a phone ringing startled him and instinct told him to get to the phone, fast. Back inside the house and under cushions that had once been part of Grandfather’s couch lay his grandfather’s cell phone. It barely had any charge left and Jet didn’t reach it in time to answer the call. He checked to see if there was a voice message, but the caller hadn’t left one. Jet considered calling back, but the number came back as “Unspecified.”

  He was about to set the phone down when it rang again, and after checking the screen, it again simply read “Unspecified.” Jet connected the call, placing the phone to his ear.

  “Hello?” he asked.

  Initially there was only silence on the other end, but then a clicking sound indicated the line’s connection, and a very official sounding voice came from the phone’s speaker, “Hello, this is Jeffery Thomas of Global Positioning and Rescue. Is this Mr. Slahoot?”

  Chapter 28: The Volcano

  Three days later…

  Despite the beautiful sunrise, the interior of the cave remained dark, hot and humid as a result of the frigid outside air mingling with the heated air from the volcano. Mix that with copious amount of ash and smoke that were wafting through the cave’s ceiling and it made for an extremely uncomfortable environment to those stuck inside.

  Ursula had been chained to the rock wall by her wrists and ankles ever since Kaylanna had forced her to fly the helicopter and land in this barren location. She and Aurora had been provided water ever since, but they hadn’t been fed the entire time, which left them both weak with hunger. They had to be alive for the ceremony, otherwise, their condition when the time came didn’t really matter.

  Ursula worried at her shackles again as her desperation to get to her daughter was overwhelming and placed her state of mind into a nearly constant state of panic. Aurora’s tiny form was chained to the rock wall on the other side of the cave and, although she didn’t seem to be suffering from the effects of hunger, Ursula understood that the First One inside the child didn’t register such things. Her daughter on the other hand, locked deep inside the psyche of the god, could suffer and the thought was more than she could bear... Ursula had strained at the chains for hours after they had first arrived, and she continued to work at loosening her chains until her wrists and ankles had chaffed and began to bleed at the effort.

  Now a silhouette appeared at the entrance of the cave and approached. At first Ursula thought it was just another of the Akhlut, or one of the remainders of Kaylanna’s first litter, who had all made an appearance at one point or another since their arrival. When the figure drew close enough for Ursula to make out the face in the dark she realized that it was Kaylanna herself who had come calling.

  Kaylanna ignored Ursula and stood in front of Aurora, who looked up at her unblinking.

  “It will be tonight,” Kaylanna spoke without inflection or emotion, as if just reporting the facts, even though the words meant that she was going to ritualistically kill the pair of them after sunset and under the illumination of the Northern Lights.

  Aurora looked at the Ancient and sighed, “You don’t have to do this Kaylanna. What will this world be if you kill off all of her children?”

  Kaylanna had turned to walk out of the cave, but stopped at the words. Ursula watched the Ancient’s hands as they clenched into tightly balled fists that vibrated with tension.

  “Her children?” Kaylanna whirled on Aurora, “Those children are killing their mother, bit by bit every single day. They pollute and defile the world’s lands, the Mother’s oceans and even the very air that sustains their weak bodies. They cover her ground with concrete and asphalt, they tear into her flesh, ripping out only what they require, and then they leave her with gaping wounds. They even turn on and kill one another without a care. The New Life, particularly the First Men, are a plague upon the World. Literal parasites, destined to kill their host as they continue to grow exponentially and it is only with their complete and absolute eradication can they be stopped. Once I have done this I will be the savior of the World, and all will return to the way it should be.”

  The rage had no effect on Aurora, and the little girl fired back with an intensity that revealed the true Spirit that resided inside of her, “Do not seek to persuade me!” Aurora was suddenly sneering and speaking to Kaylanna as if the Ancient was the child.

  The sudden switch shocked Kaylanna, and she stepped cautiously back from the toddler, her eyes wide open and her muscles tensed, as the child continued, “The ills you speak of are but a modern trapping, while you have sought the elimination of New Life since their creation, so do not pretend that you are acting out of anything other than the basest intent and your own self interests.”

  Ursula began crying softly, while she watched Aurora’s anger peak. This was her child, her sweet little girl that was being used as a containment vessel by a being of terrible power. Even if they could win the day, would her little girl ever be the same person after all of this strife?

  Aurora calmed, “The World can take care of herself,” she said softly, “and the fact that she has not already wiped the humans from her skin is testament to her tolerance, and her ultimate belief in her children.”

  Kaylanna ba
cked away. Whether or not the words Aurora had said affected her, she didn’t react, instead she simply turned her back on the pair, saying, “When the ritual is over the volcano will erupt and, from the depths of the World, I will release a terrible plague that will be carried within the ashes and on the winds worldwide. Nothing will be safe from it and I will destroy all ‘New Life’ without mercy or any hope of salvation.”

  Kaylanna walked purposefully toward the exit of the cave, “My work will cleanse the World, and the World will be grateful!”

  “You forget yourself,” Aurora chided, “and there are still those who would stop you.”

  Kaylanna raised an eyebrow, “You mean the Shaman? We killed the old one before he could gather his forces, which leaves only the grandson.” Kaylanna made a flicking gesture in the air with her hand, “That boy has no inkling of how to wield his powers. Your heroes had failed before this trial ever began.”

  Ursula gathered herself, and she called after the witch, “Benjamin will stop you! He stopped you before, and he…”

  Kaylanna’s confident grin cut off Ursula’s words, “Oh, I don’t think so. I only wish I could have stolen his power as well, before he died.”

  Kaylanna’s words shocked Ursula to silence. She had been too busy trying to get the helicopter off the rooftop to have seen what had become of Benjamin, and the words threatened to buckle her knees. Ursula looked to Aurora, who seemed to be concentrating as if searching internally for the answer to the unspoken question. Then the child’s eyes stopped searching the air in front of her as her expression changed. She looked up into Ursula’s eyes, and her sorrowful look revealed the truth.

  Ursula whimpered, “No…” then her voice grew in intensity with raw denial and anger, “No! It is just not possible!”

  Kaylanna reacted to Ursula by simply giving her a laugh and exiting the cave. Ursula shouted curses and threats after her, before she finally collapsed into tears while the small LED light on Grandpa George’s wristwatch continued to blink silently as if in time with her sobs.

  Chapter 29: Ceremony

  It had been a long day, but when the sun did finally start to dip behind the mountains, Ursula began to feel each second pass by slowly, as if someone had hit a time-lapse button, on what was to be the remainder of everyone’s life.

  Three of the Akhlut walked into the cave to escort her and Aurora to the altar where the ceremony would take place. Aurora didn’t resist as one of the Akhlut unlocked her chains and lifted her small body into its arms. The other two Akhlut released Ursula, but had to restrain her in the instant that she was freed. Weak from days of starvation, her strength was nowhere near the level that she would need to fight off two of Kaylanna’s first born. The pair took pleasure in beating her arms and legs to the point where, although there were no broken bones, Ursula couldn’t stand on her own. Afterward the pair unceremoniously dragged her limp form out of the cave and dumped her on the ground near the alter, under the dying light of sunset.

  When Ursula was able to raise her head again she found herself deposited on the side of the volcano, overlooking a plane of white snow that was spotted with only one other color, bright red blood. Each spot of blood had the remnants of an animal, most likely either caribou or reindeer, which had been fed upon by the werewolves gathered for the ritual. Ursula looked to the horizon and found the ground black with a thousand of the putrid beasts who now gathered in front of the altar in an undulating mass of charcoal fur.

  A small platform had been erected, on top of which stood an altar covered with a freshly killed animal skin. The flesh side was up and steam rose from the still warm meat of the hide as one of the Akhlut laid Aurora on top of it. Ursula tried to scream for Aurora to run as soon as soon as the Akhlut took its hands from the child’s body, but Kaylanna was already there and she immediately set one of her hands upon Aurora’s small chest, before the child could right herself. Strangely, Kaylanna did not look down at the child, but she held Aurora fast with her left hand, while her right hand picked up and held aloft an extremely wicked looking ceremonial dagger, displaying it for the assembled to observe. Ursula knew what was coming and shuddered, because as soon as the Northern Lights illuminated the sky, Kaylanna would plunge the dagger deep into Aurora’s chest, releasing the power of the First One and thereby killing her child.

  Her baby.

  Ursula struggled against the two Akhlut that holding her still, but she could not break their hold while the sun dipped ever lower and lower.

  All she had left was to beg for the life of her daughter and Ursula pulled in her breath to begin speaking the words of mercy, but when she looked at Kaylanna she noticed that the Ancient’s attention was not on Aurora, rather she was transfixed by something in the distance.

  Ursula turned her head to see two black plumes of smoke that stood out boldly against the nearly all white background of the snow-covered plane.

  They were likely more than half a mile away but as Ursula concentrated on the spot her eyes caught sight of something, or someone, moving between the two smoke plumes. Ursula turned toward Aurora, still pinned beneath Kaylanna’s hand, but Aurora’s head was turned toward the smoking plumes as well, and the child had a knowing smile spreading across her face.

  Kaylanna squinted and then let out a snort of dismissal, “The stupid grandson.”

  Ursula turned away from Aurora and quickly refocused her eyes back onto the smoky plumes, staring at the moving figure, now strangely more visible in the distance.

  “Jet?” she wondered aloud.

  A sound carried ever so slightly on the win and brought the chant that Jet was singing on that distant slope. The sound rejuvenated Ursula, managing to somehow ease her pain and once again giving her hope.

  “Go!” Kaylanna called out to the mass of wolves in front of her, “Bring me the fool’s head!”

  The mass of wolves shifted toward Jet and howls erupted from an uncountable number of their throats. Still, only a dozen wolves near the rear of the gathered group actually broke away and began running in Jet’s direction, all while the sun dropped even lower behind the mountain.

  Chapter 30: On the Snowy Plain

  Jet had felt it when Kaylanna and her wolves had finally noticed him, but he continued his song without hesitation and despite the threat of the oncoming dozen or so werewolves. He held his arms out to the sky letting the buckskin tassels of his jacket flail with his every movement. He raised and dipped his head in a motion that allowed the eagle feathers on his grandfather’s headdress to catch the wind. He shifted, stamping his moccasin covered feet in time with the song he was chanting, and he held out a spear adorned with owl feathers and tipped on one end with the talon of a great horned owl, motioning toward the oncoming wolves.

  Jet chanted and sang, without quite noticing how the flames of the two fires on either side of him had begun to rise. The wind swirled around him, and he sang louder and louder with each passing moment, until the air had lifted the powdery snow at his feet into a flurry that enveloped him in a cloud of white, but somehow left the fires unaffected, allowing the flames grew into even greater conflagration.

  Jet opened his eyes and saw the small mass of black werewolves closing the distance to his large rock outcropping and, in response, he opened his arms from his sides, as if to give the whole world a hug with his stance. Then the fire on his left popped loudly and burning embers flew upward into the air as a puff of white smoke plumed from the coals to hover over the flames.

  Jet turned to the sight and his voice nearly caught in his throat, as the face of his father appeared in the smoke and flames. His father looked young, the same age he had been when Jet had last seen him and, he too, was wearing the ceremonial garb and chanting the same song along with Jet.

  Tears filled Jet’s eyes at the sight of his father, but he never stopped his song even as a similar sound burst from the second fire. Jet turned to see the face of Grandpa George in the flames looking right at him and smiling his crooked smile. Gran
dpa George winked before turning its attention back to the snowy plain and the approaching werewolves.

  In the distance, Kaylanna let out a screech of anger and defiance that carried all the way to where Jet was standing. Jet glanced down, now able to see the details of each werewolf as they approached, and his expression went cold and terribly stern.

  He brought both of his arms toward each other and clapped his hands in front of his chest. The smoking images of his family rushed forward toward the oncoming werewolves and enveloped the beasts in a swirling cloud of vapor. The instant the smoke reached the dozen animals they began to lose their footing and fall into the snow. Howls of pain erupted from canine throats as the beasts struggled and strained in much the same way they might, if they had been cut by obsidian. Foamy blood slathered from their noses and mouths until, all at once, they stopped moving and the smoke dispersed gently into the wind.

  Kaylanna and the hundreds of werewolves went silent as their brethren died horribly in the distance. Jet planted his feet as he stopped singing and closed his eyes to focus his concentration inward. Jet felt his fear flare, but he angrily pushed it aside as he forced his awareness downward through the snow and into the frozen ground beneath. The sense of comfort and welcome he had felt the last time he had done this very thing returned, and Jet pushed even more of himself down into the earth’s embrace. This time he did not lose himself in the rapture, instead he flared his emotions and “spoke” to the earth mother using his thoughts and feelings to convey the information.