The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (19 page)

“There is so much to tell you, Karl.” The Senator rested one hand on a tree. “I’m guessing you’re not the religious type, but even you know of the darker side to the story of God.”

Karl shook his head and laughed. “The devil? Are you serious?”

“But what do we really know of the devil? The fallen angel Lucifer? Names from the numerous cults? Witchcraft? Some call him Satan or Asmodeus or even the Prince of Darkness. Just like we choose to call God Jehovah.”

“So what are you saying? That there is no God or devil?”

“No, Karl, I’m saying that it is much more complicated than that. There is a God, absolutely. But unfortunately, there is also a devil, only not in the traditional sense people think of him. His goal is not to go back to heaven and rule Earth. No, it’s much darker than that. It’s to destroy Earth and everyone in it, including our God.”

Karl continued to look bemused.

“We’re not alone in this universe, Karl,” the Senator continued. “Right now, as we stand here, other planets have human life, just like Earth, and I can prove it.”

“This is too much. No… I don’t want to hear this.” He stomped away and back to his car, but the Senator chased after him and grabbed his arm.

“Listen to me! We’ve been trying to find this guy since the beginning of time. Ever since we knew of him being on Earth. Many men have tried to catch him, but all have failed.” The Senator pulled a thick book from his briefcase. “Look at these.”

Karl looked at the cover. “Witchcraft?” he scoffed.

“These date back to the fourteenth century,” the Senator persisted. He opened the book to a page near the middle and pointed at an illustration. “They mention here about summoning spirits, and about the divine master for all witches and wizards. Nonsense to a normal reader, but look closely at the person they’re praying to.”

Reluctantly, Karl looked at the figure of some sort of entity with bright red skin, sharp teeth, and marks across his face. It looked like most pictures he had seen of the devil.

“What am I looking at here?” he asked. “Witches and the devil? You can’t expect me to believe that all of this is real.”

“Look closer, Karl. Look at the markings on its face.”

Karl looked again, and slowly placed his hand over his mouth. “Oh my god. I know that scar.”

“The mark of Pyro. That’s what you see,” said the Senator. “Now look at these newer pictures of Lucifer, Satan, and all these other entities that people call the devil. Look at the skin. Look at the teeth, the eyes. It’s all one entity.” The Senator showed him various illustrations from books, novels, comics, and graphic novels, and Karl suddenly saw the likeness.

“What the hell is this?” he shouted. “What are you trying to say, that…that…”

“Yes, Karl. The person you think is Sean Pepper is actually this being. But don’t you see? The entity that the books describe isn’t what the worshipers believe it is, but rather a myth that has been fueled over time by his existence. He bears the mark of Pyro, and he has since he was a child. He’s the one these people believe in, but his story is much darker, much more evil.”

“How can you get more evil than the devil?”

“Trust me, Karl. He is. I have so much more to show you, about the planet he’s from, the god he serves, the things he has done on Earth to contribute to our destruction, everything. But I need you to come to Washington with me and see for yourself.”

“So who else is involved in all this?”

“As I said, we are an ancient secret society. In some circles, we’re called the Brotherhood of the Keep. But we have many factions, spread around the world, not all aware of the others’ existences. You will be part of a specialist team that will hunt him down.”

“But why me?” Karl asked. “Why can’t someone else in your secret society do this?”

“Are you telling me you will turn down the opportunity to hunt down your wife and daughter’s killer? You’re one of our government’s best, and you were born to do this.”

Karl nodded. “So when are we going to Washington?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll send a car for you.” The Senator started to walk back toward his awaiting party.

“Senator!” Karl shouted after him. The Senator turned his head in his direction. “You still haven’t told me his real name,” Karl said.

The senator hesitated, almost unsure of whether to say anything further. “It depends,” he said finally. “We’ve called him many things over the years. The Tyranis Spy. The Savior of Corin. But we believe that his birth name was Siroco.”

Sitting in his car years later, after yet another failed attempt to capture Siroco, Agent Karl Hobbs could only lick his wounds. And he could not shake the feeling that he and his team had started to lose their edge.

The sound of the car door opening made him jump, but the sight of Agent Sharpe brought a smile to his face.

“I’m sorry about back there.” Andrew had a worried look on his face. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just talk without thinking sometimes.”

Karl smiled again. “You don’t need to apologize to me. I should be praising you on how you did in there. You were great, the way you handled the crowd, everything. Welcome to the team, buddy.”

Andrew found it hard to control the beaming smile that followed. “So what do we do now? Go back to the office?”

“You go with William.” Karl opened the door. “I’ll catch a cab home. I need a drink. We’ll catch up tomorrow.”

Andrew nodded and put the key into the ignition. Then he remembered the question he needed to ask his new partner. “Karl!” he shouted, before the passenger side door closed.

“Yes, rookie. What now?” Karl maintained his smile.

“What are you doing on Sunday?”

“Same as I always do. Watch the game and then some HBO. Why?”

“Would you like to come over to our place?” Karl’s smile drifted into a frown, but it did not deter Andrew. “Nancy wants to cook you dinner.”

“Your fiancée?” Karl continued frowning.

Andrew nodded.

“Are you kidding me?” said Karl. “You want me to come and have dinner with you and your fiancée?”

Andrew nodded again, almost like a child.

“Okay, sure. I’ll come for dinner. What time?”

“Seven o’clock?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

Karl moved to shut the door one final time but abruptly put his head back through the still-open door. “No trying to set me up with anyone, okay?”

Andrew nodded and burst into laughter. Following a deep laugh of his own, Karl shut the door.

3.4

W
ORK AND
F
AMILY
D
ON’T
M
IX

T
he west bank of Lake Annecy had always been a place Karl imagined living, but he never let the dream get in the way of reality. Many thought of the area as one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Chicago, and Karl could not believe he was on his way there for a social visit. He had initially thought Andrew was pulling his leg when he gave him the address, but the serious look on his face told him that his new partner most certainly had a few surprises up his sleeve.

As the cab pulled into the driveway, he noticed the driver marveling at the view. Karl remembered seeing the same expression when he first told the driver the address he was going to.

“This is some place,” the taxi driver said, pulling up outside the property. “You must know some pretty important people.” He looked back at Karl, seemingly dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I must.” Karl’s attention remained split between talking to the driver and gazing at the house. He already had learned of Andrew’s appreciation of the muscle cars of old. But the many classics parked outside Andrew’s house told him that there was a lot more to his new partner than he knew.

Karl paid the driver and approached the porch of the lavish house. He admired the stunning view of Lake Michigan. Looking around the house, he had no doubt that Andrew took his personal protection seriously, judging by the many security cameras mounted on any structure that could hold them, including trees and lamps. He even imagined some secret ones inside the bushes. As he raised his hand to push the telecom button, he noticed the swimming pool at the back of the house, behind a large fence. He approached and marveled at the size of it. He had taken his family to a few luxury resorts, and the swimming pool he was looking at could have fit into any of those places.

It had been a few minutes since the taxi left, but Karl could not leave the beautiful view, as it continued to captivate him. The sound of the front door opening, however, alerted him to Andrew’s presence. Out of the office, Andrew dressed very casually. His shorts were long, down to his knees, and his vest showed his large arms and broad chest.

“I thought I heard a car pull up,” Andrew said, smiling. He was surprised to see that Karl had made the effort to style his hair backward. His suit also seemed well pressed and neat. “What you doing over there?”

Karl slowly walked toward his new partner, occasionally glancing around and making approving noises. “Wow,” he said finally. “This is amazing.”

Andrew continued smiling and took Karl’s arm. “Come—let me show you what it’s like inside.”

Karl did not argue or say a word, opting instead to follow Andrew into the house, almost like a puppy. Upon entering, he continued to marvel at the attention to detail taken with everything, from the furniture to the lighting. He wondered for a second whether Nancy’s father, John Simmons, whom he had never met, was the reason for such a lavish house. Senator Walsh had never spoken much about the man he reported to, but Karl always assumed that Simmons must wield great power and influence.

“Hi, Karl,” shouted a voice from the kitchen. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Karl looked at Andrew. “Nancy?” he asked.

“Yep. She’s nearly finished making dinner. Come on, let’s get a drink.” Andrew led Karl through a set of double glass doors into the large dining area.

“This is like a greenhouse,” Karl said. “It’s all glass, everywhere.”

Andrew nodded. “Nancy loves it. What do you think, then?”

Karl abruptly changed his expression to one more serious. “Why didn’t you tell me you had all this? You don’t even need to work.”

“Oh, it’s not mine. It’s all Nancy’s. Well, her parents’, anyway.”

Karl placed his left hand on his chin, nodding slowly. He wondered just how far Nancy’s father’s wealth reached. “Regardless,” he said finally, “you still don’t need to work.” Karl walked around the room, as Andrew stopped at a small bar to pour two glasses of whisky.

“Now I understand why you didn’t last the full twenty-one weeks at the academy,” Karl continued. “But why now? Why come back?”

“I told you. It sounded interesting,” Andrew said. “Besides, Nancy thought it would be a good move for me. And I love working with you guys.” He smiled.

“Oh, there you are,” said a gentle voice from the doorway. Karl looked behind him and noticed the tall frame of Nancy approaching, wearing a long, black dress that traversed the floor. Her long hair was almost as blond as Andrew’s, and her blue eyes seemed to be amplified by the lighting. “I see Andrew brought you straight to the liquor. Men!” She laughed as she walked up to Karl, kissing him on both cheeks. “I saw the taxi out front. Why didn’t you bring your car?”

Watching Nancy make her way toward her fiancé, Karl scratched his head. He had imagined her to be a spoilt Daddy’s girl who did not know the difference between a president and a senator. But what he saw was a woman with confidence and an air of authority.

“I actually don’t drive,” he finally answered. “I haven’t in a while.” He paused for a few seconds and continued to admire the house, paying close attention to the crystal chandeliers on the ceiling. “Thanks for having me though,” he said nervously. As the words left his mouth, he wondered why he suddenly felt unsure of himself.

“I hope you like beef,” she said.

“She does the best steak ever,” said Andrew. He walked toward Karl and handed him a small glass of whisky. Karl downed half of it before quickly stopping himself.

Smiling softly, Nancy walked back out of the room. “I’ll leave you guys to finish,” she said. “But I’ve got loads to talk to you about, mister.”

Karl looked at Andrew sharply. “What did you tell her about me?” he asked.

Andrew simply shrugged before following Nancy out of the room. Karl followed.

They each took a chair in the sitting room, and the time seemed to fly. Looking at his watch, Karl noticed that he had already been in the house for thirty minutes. He kept feeling the need to snap back to reality, one where his new partner did not live in a house straight out of the movies. He tried to listen as Andrew talked, but he kept drifting back into a daze. He found it admirable that Andrew wanted to talk about the case they were working on. He had even tried to indulge him on their lunch breaks or during conversations outside the office. But for now, Karl just wanted to enjoy a lovely dinner in a stunning house and refused to let the image of Siroco ruin it.

“Come and get it, guys,” shouted Nancy, prompting Karl to spring to his feet.