The Eclipse of Power (4 page)

We all positioned ourselves behind the SUV with what was
left of the crumbling building behind us.

One of the rippers yelled out to us, “Give us the General
and the girl and we will let the rest of you go unharmed. But if you resist we spare
no-one.”

“How do they know about me?” I asked the General.

“I couldn’t tell you. This is all very strange. There is
definitely a leak in the top ranks. Only a handful knew when you were to arrive
today, even fewer knew our route.” The General looked very upset, his mouth was
set in a line and his eyes were focused on the enemy as he spoke.

“Just stay behind me and keep an eye on our surroundings.
Let me know if you see anyone getting too close.” The General wanted me to be
safe and said he would protect me.

I looked around and counted about 20 enemy rippers. Most
looked a lot like the fae, but I did notice five who looked like rippers from
Earth, they had the spider web veins around their eyes. They were still a bit
too far for me to be very accurate with my throwing knives, but I planned to
start throwing once they were close enough.

The General yelled out to the rippers, “We will fight till
the death before we give in to terrorists!”

That was all the rippers needed, they started coming in
quick.

I fired my pistol until I was out of ammo though I ended up
only hitting four rippers. They zigzagged in order to dodge our gun fire. But I
noticed that two had bullet holes in their head. At least those were dead. The
other two I hit were only slowed down.

The other warriors in my group had also killed several
rippers.

I opened up my mind to see if I could sense any more than
what I could see, and ended up sensing three more coming in from behind us. I
turned around and aimed with my throwing knives as well as using my senses to
see where they were.

I hit all three right in the eye.

“B, great shot! How did you kill all three?”
Ash
asked via mind speak.

I didn’t have time to answer him. I turned around and saw a
dozen rippers too close for us to manage. Each of the warriors in my group took
on two rippers at a time. The General stayed with me and reloaded his pistol.
He could only shoot at a couple of them as the rest were too close, he didn’t
want to hit any of our warriors.

Ash took on two rippers as well.

That left four more coming towards me. I used my throwing
knives and guided them with my mind. I only killed three, but the fourth was
injured and slowed down enough that the general was able to get the kill shot.
Oh
stink, I hope no one noticed that I was using my secret ability.

I looked at the rippers who were still fighting with our
warriors but they were too close for me to chance using the throwing knives. So
I joined with Ash and took on one of his rippers and fought with him.

“B, get back behind the vehicle with the General. We
can’t take a chance that they will take you, or worse, kill you!”
I knew
Ash was just worried about me, but I got mad. Which ended up helping me.

“Ash, keep your opinions to yourself! I am not a helpless
girl.” I actually spoke out loud while I was fighting with the ripper.

I wasn’t sure if the ripper was holding back because they
were trying to take me or not. But I didn’t hold back. I had grabbed one of
their long swords that resembled a Katana, but was not a Katana, it was called
a Ketensa, as I had been informed previously. I also pulled out one of the
knives from my belt. This combination worked well for me last time.

I was able to strike at the enemy with the Ketensa while
using the knife to divert his sword if it got too close to me.

He was not as clever as he only had the long sword. I
distracted him with a strike from my Ketensa, and then when he blocked my
strike with his Ketensa, I took my short knife and came in close to his body
and struck it through his eye. It was a kill strike, but I still used my
Ketensa to decapitate him.

“Take that you stupid vampire!” I shouldn’t have celebrated
so soon.

A ripper snuck up behind me and grabbed me by my biceps. I
tried to struggle out of his hold but he held me tight. “You are going to make
a great meal if you don’t stop moving around. Come with me and you just might
make it through the night.” The ripper who held me was the vampiric type of
ripper: he would drink me dry if given the chance. I knew he was serious, but I
was not going to allow myself to be taken captive again.

I pulled up my right leg and slammed my heel down onto the
top of his right foot. It caused him to let go of one of my arms, so I turned
around with my free arm which still held my knife, and I stabbed him in the
throat. He stumbled back and I used my Ketensa to take his head off.

He was still a bit too close to me so I ended up covered in
the spray of his blood when I severed his carotid artery.

As I looked up I noticed that the rest of the rippers were
either dead, or dying. We had lost one of our warriors. But the worst part was
the General.

He was down on the ground and looking at me trying to say
something. I walked over to him and leaned down so my ear was close to his
face.

“I am sorry… this is all my fault.” The General whispered as
he was losing his strength. “They killed my son… took my granddaughter. I had
to do… what they said… they would kill my… baby girl. There are others… who
have been corrupted. Be careful… trust no one here… Sendryl except your squad.

“They know about you… that you will have powers, if you
haven’t… already received them. There is a prophecy… and the leaders of the…
rebellion believe it is you. Seek out our religious leader… Reverend Del and he
will… protect you. But be careful… he has his own… agenda for you.

“Please get… my baby girl back…kill those… who have her
hostage. She is only… three years old. Please forgive me…” The General breathed
his last breath while holding my hand.

I closed his eyes and stood up slowly. “Now what? Where do
we go from here?”

Ash went back to the SUV and grabbed a towel for me. “Let’s
get out of here and head to Reverend Del’s house. He keeps a large contingent
of warriors on his property at all times. We will be safe there while we figure
this out.
But don’t let him know you have developed any extra abilities
until we find out if he can be trusted or not
.” That last bit was said via
mind speak for my benefit alone.

We all stocked up on ammo and pulled out the swords and
knives still in the bodies of the enemy before heading out to the Reverend’s
house. As we started to walk away I had this feeling that we were being watched
but I couldn’t see anything, except for a few birds. One looked like it might
be a bat or something like that. They had some strange looking birds here. None
of them looked like what I would find back home.

We made it to Reverend Del’s residence without any more
issues, but I still felt as though I was being followed. The hair on the back
of my neck bristled against the collar of my shirt.

Ash was right, there was at least 20 fae warriors guarding
the property. We were not even allowed on the grounds until they checked in
with the Reverend: who gave his permission for us to enter.

“Please come in and relax. How was your trip here? Wait, why
are you all covered in blood?” The Reverend motioned for us to join him in what
looked like a living room. His residence looked more like a movie stars’
compound in the hills of Hollywood. The living room was larger than my
apartment back home. He appeared to be the type who hosted parties.

There were three sofas set up around the fireplace on the
right as you walked in. Across from that on the left was a wall made entirely
of glass looking out onto a garden. It was difficult to see as it was so dark.
I
will have to explore that tomorrow during the sunlight.

And next to the other wall was another sitting area with a
small table and six comfy looking chairs around it.

Ash and I stood next to one of the sofas next to the
fireplace. Our warriors were led to another building where they were told to
clean up and relax. It appeared that the Reverend had his own barracks for his guards.

Ash reached out to shake the Reverend’s hand, “Sir, thank
you for allowing us to stay with you while we are here. Your warriors will need
to be on guard the entire time as we have already been attacked.” Ash told the
reverend of our battle.

“Oh my, that is dreadful. I am so glad you both made it here
without any more injuries. Shall I call a healer?” The reverend did appear to
be genuinely worried for our safety.

“Thank you sir. The two warriors who were with us might need
some medical attention, but Ash and I are fine.”

“One of our warriors along with the General were killed in
the street right next to the jail house. We were ambushed. The General
confessed to being compromised as he lay there dying.” Ash relayed the entire
story to the Reverend while he got up and paced in front of the fireplace.

“B’Lana, I am so sorry your first experience here on Sendryl
has started out so horribly wrong. Is there anything I can do for you? The
Reverend kindly stated.

“Yes, I think we are both in need of a hot shower and a
meal.” I was so hungry my stomach was complaining. “Is Lancer still here? We
were informed that he was staying with you since the attack on the city
center?”

“Yes, he went to bed an hour ago. I am sure you will see him
in the morning. Why don’t I get my cook to make you both something to eat, then
I will show you to your rooms. B’Lana, you will have an en suite bathroom. But
Ash you will need to share with Lancer.” The Reverend left us to see what his
cook could make us so late in the night.

When he came back he directed us to the nearest bathroom so
we could at least wash our hands and faces while waiting to eat.

Within fifteen minutes the cook came out with a platter of
sandwiches and what looked to be fruit.

“This might sound silly, but back home our stories say that
humans should not eat fae food. Is this true?”
I really should have thought
of this sooner.

“Don’t worry, since your transformation you should not have
any ill effects from anything here. You are part fae now.” The Reverend stated
while he picked up some fruit and starting eating what looked like might be a
strawberry.

“Good, because I am starving! And that fruit looks really
good.” I said as I picked up a plate and piled fruit and a sandwich on it.

The three of us sat back down on the sofas with our meal and
a bottle of water each.

The Reverend started to tell us about the trial and how
Lancer was doing. “Most of us who support our efforts on Earth agree that this
is just a political show for those who do not support the war effort. It seems
there is a growing number of Sennafae who do not agree with what we are doing.
While we are warriors, we have enjoyed a very peaceful existence for quite some
time.

“The attacks on us are seen by many as retribution for not
letting the Rippers have their way on Earth. For some reason, our people
believe the propaganda being put out there by the rogue rippers.

“Our citizens do not understand that the rippers are trying
to take over our planet and drive us out. However, I think some are starting to
change their tune since the attack. Too many peaceful Sennafae died that day.
There was a group of school children in the city on a fieldtrip and most of
them died. The rest are in the hospital. I think the rogue rippers may have
hurt themselves with that one.

“Our news reports are playing up the rogues as evil and have
even shown pictures of what they look like after spending time on Earth. I
understand you call them Nosferatu?”

“Yes, we have many stories about vampires: that is what we
call rippers. The Nosferatu is a sub group of vampires who have such a strong
bloodlust they can’t be reasoned with and only want to drain humans dry.” I
explained how the rogue rippers looked like they belonged in one of our scary
vampire movies. The romanticized movie vampires looked more like the fae with
eye problems than anything else.

“Lancer does seem to be receiving even more support from the
citizens. Everyone here knows that he transformed you into a hybrid. I believe
that is his biggest issue right now. No one seems to blame him any more for the
deaths of our warriors. But there is a group who are nervous about you and what
you might become. So it wasn’t too big of a surprise that you were targeted.

“What did surprise me was that the General was involved. I
understood from him that he was excited to see what you would become. I wonder
when he became compromised?” The Reverend seemed to sit there thinking about
his last statement while Ash and I finished up our meal.

“Sir, I am quite tired. Could you show me to my room so that
I can get some sleep? I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day.” I
was about to fall asleep on the sofa, and my eyelids were drooping.

“Of course, I will have someone wake you both in the
morning. The attorney will be here by 9 am and he wants to speak with both of
you. And I am sure Lancer will want to see you before the attorney arrives.”
The Reverend walked us to our rooms and then showed Ash the men’s bathroom.

◊◊◊

I was woken up at 7am the next day. It was not nearly enough
sleep: we went to bed about 1am. With all of the action from yesterday, my body
was sore. I took a shower before bed so I could get all of the blood and grime
off, but I still felt dirty. I ended up soaking in a very hot mineral bath:
which turned out to be a normal type of bath for the fae.
I am going to have
to ask if we can do this back on Earth at HQ.
The bath helped to loosen up
my joints and I felt good enough to venture out for breakfast.

Lancer was the first person I saw when I left my room.
“Lancer!” I yelled as I ran up to him and gave him a very tight hug.

“B’Lana… can’t…breathe.” Lancer stated between shallow
breaths. But he did return my hug, just not quite as tightly.

“It’s so good to see you again. I saw Ash earlier and he
told me about your trip here. I am sorry the General turned on you, really he
turned on all of us. I did not see that coming. I guess you never know what you
are capable of until your family is threatened.” Lancer looked down at the
ground as he said that.

“Lancer, are you alright?”

“I have family too B’Lana. I haven’t seen them in a couple
of weeks. I did receive word that they were out of the city when the attacks
happened, but I have not heard from them since.”

“Have you tried contacting them? You don’t think someone has
them or hurt them, do you?”

“I really don’t know. I have sent them two messages with no
reply.”

“Ash and I are supposed to go sightseeing later today; I can
try to go by their house if you like. Just tell Ash where they live and we’ll
stop by.”

Lancer reached out to hug me as he said, “Thank you B’lana,
I am sure there is just some sort of confusion as to where I am right now. I bet
they sent my messages to the courthouse.”

“I missed you Lancer. I know you had to go, but why didn’t
you say goodbye to me before you left? Why have Ash deliver the message?”

Just then the Reverend found us and ushered us both to the
kitchen for breakfast.

I was not ready for our conversation to be over, and I had
to know what the answer was to my last question, so I cheated.

“Thank the moons the Reverend showed up when he did. I
really don’t want to have this conversation with her right now. It is not the
time, nor the place for this talk.”
I eavesdropped on his thoughts. I
really wish I hadn’t of done that as it sounded like he was not going to say
anything I wanted to hear.

I guess that kiss really didn’t mean anything to him
after all.

When we arrived in the kitchen Ash was already sitting down
with a plate in front of him. I went and sat next to him.

“Hey, are you OK? You don’t look too happy. Is everything
alright?”
Ash mind spoke as he put his hand on my knee and squeezed.

“I think I just need some more sleep. Don’t worry about
me.”
I sent back via mind speak.

“Ash, later today are we still going to do some sightseeing?
I would really like to see some of the sights before we have to leave here.”
And I did not want to be here with Lancer any more than I had to today.

“B, I think we should stay here and not venture outside the
compound right now. It’s not safe for you.”

“I disagree. If we take a car load of warriors with us who
we vet beforehand, I do believe we will be safe. We won’t tell anyone where we
are going either. And I will be armed the entire time. Or are you just afraid?”
Then I said via mind speak while looking straight into his eyes,
“What is
the real reason for staying here today?”

“Fine, but you will not leave my side and do exactly as I
say. If I feel it is too dangerous, we leave right away to come back here. Do
you understand B?” Ash was not happy with me.
“I don’t want to lose you too
while we are here. Your safety is the most important thing to me right now.”

I reached over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek,
“Thank you Ash.”

“Ok, when can we start interviewing the warriors who will go
with us on our outings? Obviously I want to take the two who came here with us.
Reverend, do you have any warriors you can send with us? Or Ash do you have any
friends who would be able to accompany us while we are here?”

The Reverend had eight warriors he wanted us to interview
after we met with the attorney.

“I actually do have two friends we should call up. One is
set to join us back on Earth when we leave. She is supposed to join us on Squad
1 since we need more warriors. I picked her myself. She was on my last Earth
squad and I would trust her to protect you B.” I had a funny feeling in my
stomach that moved up to my heart.
Was I jealous? Was this someone Ash had a
relationship with? And why did I feel this way? Wasn’t I hung-up on Lancer
still?

“OK, great. I still want to interview them both before we
leave. You never know who might be compromised.” I planned on using my mental
abilities to feel them out for loyalty.

“Wow, a lot has changed since I left hasn’t it.” Lancer said
that as more of a statement then a question. “Who is running the squad now, Ash
or B’Lana?”

Ash chuckled as he responded, “Well, I am but you know how
B’Lana is. She thinks it’s her. I have learned to let her think that way.”

I punched Ash on the arm, “Hey you are the squad leader, but
you would lose your head if it wasn’t for me. And you know it! I am the glue
that keeps what is left of us together.” I looked at Lancer as I said that last
statement.

Lancer looked away as he said, “B’Lana you know I had no
choice, I had to come back to Sendryl.”

“True, but you could have reached out to us and at least let
us know you were ok. We didn’t receive one communication from you.” I looked
Lancer in the eye as I said that and almost sent him a mind speak communication
but stopped when I remembered he didn’t know I could do that. Plus, I had no
idea if he would keep my secret or share it with the Reverend, or anyone else
who might ask. As of right then, Ash was the only one I knew for sure I could
trust.

Just then the intercom buzzed. The guards called to let the
Reverend know that the attorney was there.

We all spent the next few hours discussing the events leading
up to my kidnapping back on Earth as well as the battle before the sewer
explosion. We ended the conversation discussing the battle at the Earth side of
the portal. The attorney did not realize that we had killed so many rippers or
hybrid rippers. He did not think that bit of information had been shared.

He was very excited to discuss that in court the next day.
It seemed that a lot of what the rippers were doing was not being shared on the
news. Some in the government feared that the news was not being reported
accurately, or fairly. The stories mostly painted the Sennafae on Earth as
monsters. The largest news agency on the planet was owned by a ripper. Who
supposedly supported the government and believed in peaceful co-existence with
the Sennafae.

I was nervous when Xandrie showed up. She was gorgeous!
There was no way she and Ash did not have a past romance. She stood next to him
and all I could think was that they made the perfect couple. I realized at that
moment I was jealous.
But who wouldn’t be with a powerful and beautiful
woman like her?