Chapter 10 Chapter 10 MORTALITY
Closely following the convoy along the gravel road in between a stretching lake and short hills was Ethan’s SUV, creeping hesistantly
under the influence of the setting sun. They had driven a long away
following the trail of Nathan’s jeep. Finally seeing the jeep and
the vans
slowing down in a place crowded with trees, Boris had suggested they
stop the car and park it nearby.
“It’d be better if we leg the rest of the way”, suggested Boris watching
something on his smartphone, “I think this is the place. It’s just
an old
castle up ahead the road.”
“Think that’s where he kept Emily?” asked Clair. “I guess we’re about to find out,” said Rover.
The small group then parked the SUV not far but not entire visible from
the road. Then started towards the end of the gravel road where the castle
was supposed to be. Sneaking along the woods, they soon reached a wall
the height of a man stretching from east to west. Nothing beyond the wall
was visible due to the blockade of tall trees.
“It must be the castle’s outer wall,” said Rover.
“What now?” asked Clair, eyeing the dark shadows beyond the
wall.
“Let’s go inside, what else?” said Daniel, bringing out his phone
to turn
on the flash.
“Please don’t,” said Boris, “if we don’t want to announce our
presence
to unwanted parties, we have to go in as silent and as-”54 | P a g
e
But Boris’ words vaporized in his as deafening roars of explosion swept
them all. Flinching terribly, they all jumped. Clair and Margarete
screamed in panic, and the teens clutched each other staring at the
eruption of fire over the distant treetops. It seemed as if a small volcano
had decided to erupt nearby.
“What in god’s name is going on over there?” shouted Ethan
over the continuous sounds of explosion.
“The hell!” gasped Boris. “It’s like that place is getting carpet
bombed by cluster bombs!”
“We got to get Emily out of that!” Daniel suddenly screamed
frantically,
and in a swift motion, jumped and grabbed the top of the wall, hurling
himself upwards. Clair was doing the same thing beside him. But Boris
and Rover moved fast and dragged them both down back to the ground.
“Let go!” roared Daniel.
“We got to go!” cried Clair.
“Calm down! Please, just stop-” Boris and Rover held them down
as they
writhed frantically. Ethan stood looking baffled at what to do next, he
had never anticipated a warzone, adding to it was the confusion of the
circumstance. Margarete was the only one standing still and calm, her
eyes locked onto the fiery blaze erupting towards the sky.
“Jesus Christ! We’ll all die if you don’t stop being a fool!” barked
Boris
at Daniel while he kicked and punched trying to wrench himself away.
“Guys!” shouted Margarete, trying to reach over the sounds of
the
explosions. “I think I understand what’s going on!”
The tone of her voice made Daniel and Clair stop struggling to get free,
brought sense back into Ethan and they all turned towards her, staring.
“What are you talking about, Miss. Margarete?” asked Rover.
“It’ll sound like a bunch of weird bullshit. But I think Emily is in that
castle and held captive or something. And Nathan is trying to get her
out!”55 | P a g e
“What!” said Ethan with disbelief. “That’s ridiculous!”
“More ridiculous than what you’re seeing over there?” sneer
Margarete.
“I know it doesn’t make sense at the moment, but we have to go
over
there, and try to understand what’s going on when if all of this
making
my migraine worse! Above all, we have to try to get Emily out of
there!”
“That’s right!” shouted Daniel, jerking himself away from Boris’
grip.
“I agree too,” said Clair, panting from the effort, “If we don’t get
Emily
out of that warzone-” A thunderous explosion drowned her out. “Then
she will die!”
After a very short discussion, they began crossing over the wall.
Through
the trees they proceeded towards where the castle was supposed to be
located. While trying to maintain as much discretion as they possibly
could, they ended up before a clearing soon. Panting heavily, they stood
hiding behind trees, gaping at the castle. The explosions had died out a
few minutes ago. Just when Daniel was proposing they should make a
break for it towards the Castle, sounds of approaching engines came
from their left. Startled, they quickly took cover and watched as
Nathan’s
jeep stopped along with three vans.
The four teens stared in bafflement when they saw Nathan coming out
of his jeep wearing military clothing, and they didn’t what to
make of it
when they saw him carrying a sword in his hand. A bit later, the entire
area lit up as if it had suddenly become day when armed men from the
van fired flares into the sky. But the real shock they felt was when they
saw flying things being shot from people on the rooftop of the castle (who
they didn’t notice being there till then) bouncing off near the soldiers as
if there was an invisible wall.
Then occurred the strangest conversation the little group had witnessed
in their entire life. As if they were uninvited spectators, they watched
Nathan and his men exchanged furiously with the people who appeared
to have kidnapped Emily and held her captive inside the castle.
But one
thing was clear from their conversation was that Nathan had come to save
her, and this they all agreed upon.56 | P a g e
But before they could ponder too much on the details of bizarre events
transpiring before their eyes, suddenly it seemed Nathan barked an
order to kill the people on the rooftops. Hiding behind trees,
Clair and
the others dared not to even bat an eyelash least something import
flashed by their eyes. Then broke out a fight that Clair and her team had
only witnessed in high tech movie theaters running action films.
It was
only Boris who had kept his cool since war was nothing new to him. With
his quick thinking, they all came to a decision that it was the perfect time
to infiltrate the castle and get Emily out of there.
They all darted towards the nearest door they could see and ran using
the roaring chaos that was going on not far away. But the door was
locked.
“Oh shit!” cursed Rover as he fumbled on the lock.
“Move over!” Clair quickly pushed him aside and pulled a sharp
thing
out of her hair. Then with a quick twist, the door opened with a click.
“Where did you learn that?” said Rover with an impressed look
while
they ran through a dimly lit corridor.
“Uncle taught me when I was young,” replied Clair. “Total nerd!” “Thank god he did!”
“Yeah!”
With Rover’s suggestion, they all started descending down a
staircase at
the end of the corridor. Soon, a faint shout of female voice came. Boris
ordered them to not make a sound just as Clair, Daniel, Margarete and
Ethan prepared to shout back.
Now, progressing towards the familiar female voice, they remained on
their guard for an unseen assault. But soon they ended up outside a room
from which came the cries of their friend, whom they had risked their
life to rescue.
The door was locked, and with a display of Clair’s miraculous
skill, it opened promptly. As soon as they opened the door, out jumped a frantic
and shaken up looking Emily, here eyes red from crying. With tears and
smiles of relief, the teens all hugged each other and exclaimed with joy.
With an alert from Boris, they all startled and looked up the length of
the corridor to see a black shadow with blade bearing dangerously was
rushing towards them. But halted in space as if surprised, then crashed
on the ground like a lifeless ragdoll. On his back was plunged deep a
glimmering sword wielding by Nathan. He pulled back the sword from
the dead body, then inserted it into it’s sheath on his back.
Seeing Nathan rushing towards her, Emily cried out his name and rushed
towards him. Their bodies coiled, and their faces buried into each other.
“I thought I’d never get to see you again,” said Emily, tears pouring without control.
“Not a chance.” smiled Nathan. “Not in this lifetime.”
Meeting up with them once again, Nathan hurried them all towards the
exit and soon ended up in a large clearing. As they descended down the
stairs, they saw a woman in white suit standing in the middle of the
clearing, four ninja assassins guarding her. The group came to a halt.
Nathan told them to remain where they stood, and he alone decided to
climb down the stairs, unsheathing his long blade, it’s enchanted
nature
now glimmering violently.
“Are you ready to die?” said Nathan grimly as he descended
down.
The woman gave a short laughter, then said, “Oh please. You’re
in no
position to make threats. My assassins are wiping out the meager force
you brought with you. And now I’ll kill those pesky brats over
there and
take you to my dad!”
“Are you sure it’s not your ninjas who aren’t getting wiped out?”
said
Nathan darkly. “I held back a Napoleon army of five thousand
with only
one hundred and forty-five of my Knights for over a month, without
food, or water to drink. And you think the odds are greater
now?”
There was visible stun in the woman’s expression now. She gave
a dry
laughter. “Yes, father told me a great deal about you. But I have
you or
your days as an immortal end here!”58 | P a g e
Without giving a warning, a shimmering light started erupting out of
Nathan all of a sudden. And he moved flashing his long sword.
Neither
the spectators above nor the enemies down could track down his
movement with naked eyes. A blink of an eye later, all four ninja
assassins were found laying on the ground, scattered, and their heads
severed. Nathan then turned towards the woman, who was now looking
as if a ghost was on her, frantically fumbling inside her purse.
She
brought something like a pistol out and shot.
Nathan laughed and didn’t even try to dodge. But next moment
he was
blacking out, and falling onto the ground. Springing back to his feet again,
he shouted, “What the hell did you do!?”
The woman looked almost close to tears, “I’ve failed you father!
I’ve failed!”
“What did you do to me!?” barked Nathan again.
“I’ve shot you with a dose of anti-life acceleration potion.” “Potion?” said Nathan confusedly. “Who are you strange
woman?
“I am the daughter of the alchemist who turned you into the
perfect
immortal being one thousand years ago. But after he created you, you
lost control and destroyed his laboratory. Then you ran away, never to
be seen again. The incredibly complex magical formula he had been
perfecting for countless decades was lost forever. Since then, he had
been working on the formula once again, and created me about a
hundred years ago during the first world war. But the potion was nowhere near perfect as the once he injected into you. And we’ve been
trying to find you ever since.”
“But what did you inject me with now?” said Nathan, suddenly
feeling nauseous.
The woman smiled, “You are now once again, a mortal like the
rest of
them, Nathan. You will age, get hurt, and die!”
Nathan slowly raised his sword and slightly ran it over the skin on his left
arm. A thin trail of blood flowed, without any sign of stopping.59
| P a g e
The woman’s face started to pale, and she whispered feebly, “I’ve done
my duty father! I hope you’re proud!” Then swayed slightly, and
crashed
on the ground with a thud.
Feeling a mixture of strange emotions, Nathan slowly looked round to
see Emily standing behind him, a puzzled smile on her face.
“Are you alright?” she asked serenely.
Nathan smiled, blood still dripping from his wound, “I am mortal,
my love.”
