The Bane of Existence

Published: 28 Sep 2017

“That still doesn’t explain what happened or how Grayson ended up several feet away from Zane and Zander,” complained Zach full of frustration.

“It also doesn’t explain what dad meant about Rinaldo’s Child and Samhain’s Son,” Marko voiced his own dissatisfaction.

Zane looked first to Zander then to Grayson, receiving a nod from each he heaved a huge sigh and spoke to the group, “Okay, I guess everyone wants an explanation so let’s go into the common room and get comfortable.”

All of the group gave their agreement either verbally or with a gesture then they waited for Zane to lead the way. Grabbing Zander by the arm Zane stomped his way to the cave and into the common room and waited for the group to settle. When everyone was in place and comfortable Zane again glanced to Zander and Grayson and again they deferred to him.

Clearing his throat with a sound that reminded one of a huff of disgust Rinaldo’s Child began by asking, “Who has not heard or read the prophecy in full?”

With an embarrassed blush after looking around the room Marko raised his hand. All the others had read it or had it read to them since coming to the cave to train.

“It has been too many years since I last heard the prophecy spoken,” announced Grayson candidly. “It would help my understanding to hear it again if you don’t mind.”

Marko gave his dad a smile of appreciation for helping him feel less embarrassed for being the only one that didn’t know the prophecy as Zane agreed, “Then we will start with that.”

Then he started reciting,

“When the earth is troubled by Rinaldo’s Bane
and the children of blood rise again
the offspring of Rinaldo doth oppose
The gray Hunter of the Dark
must join bringing his Mark
against the Dark, emerald glows
Combined together both Fire and Ice
in battle with leeches must suffice
the Bane’s weakness to expose
The Hunter and the Celtic witch
give their all to drain the bitch
the promised future foregoes
When Rinaldo’s Child and Samhain’s Son
can finally join the battle as one
on the Bane their will impose
With friends so dear
the end is near
and blessings he bestows.”

After a moment for the words to sink in Marko spoke up, “I’m guessing by what Dad said that you two, Zane and Zander, are Rinaldo’s Child and Samhain’s Son. So you have to enter the war as one. Not sure I get that or any of the rest of it.”

“I’m with Marco on this,” chimed in Zach. “You had let me read it and I knew who you two were in the prophecy but I don’t see what it has to do with what happened to Grayson.”

Before the Z’s or Grayson could speak Radesh stepped in, “It appears everyone understands that Zane is Rinaldo’s Child and Zander is Samhain’s Son. The prophecy states that they must join the battle as one to have a chance of winning. That means that the two separate people must be able to act and react as if they were one person.”

“I understand that part,” cut in Shayn. “They’ve been becoming as one even before we saw the partial prophecy but how does that relate to Grayson being knocked for a loop?”

The three looked at one another then Grayson began speaking, “They have almost completely become as one entity and know what is going on with the other. When I tried interrupting them as I was doing to the rest of you I could never get through. So, I tried magic attacks which were stopped but attacks on Zander were absorbed like Zane does and attacks on Zane were blocked the way Zander does it.”

“So did one of your magical attacks backfire on you?” queried Derek curious about the workings of spells.

“No, they ended without any incident,” answered Grayson. “Which caused me to get frustrated because I couldn’t get a reaction out of them so I attempted physical assaults on them thinking they wouldn’t expect that.”

“What happened?” asked Marco impatiently.

“Nothing happened. At least when I tried a front kick/punch combination on Zander,” explained Grayson calmly. “It was like attacking a stone wall. My foot and fist just bounced off.”

“So what caused you to land on your butt several feet away?” Rogan cut in this time with a question.

“If all of you would be patient and quit breaking into the story I would have already told you,” replied Grayson with the beginnings of irritation. “After my attempt on Zander failed I laid off the two of them and went back to harassing the rest of you hoping they would forget what I had tried. A few minutes later having traveled around the group to where Zane was I launched a flying front kick at Zane’s back expecting at worst to be bounced off like the previous attempt. Instead I encountered an electrical field that felt like kicking a lightning bolt and that is what knocked me on my backside several feet away.”

“Sorry,” mumbled a contrite Zander. “I was trying out a new shield spell.”

“See what I mean about taking on the duo from the prophecy?” grinned Grayson letting Zander know he wasn’t upset. “I attack Rinaldo’s Child but it is Samhain’s Son’s shield that sends me flying.”

“I would also like all of you to think back; even to before Grayson and Marco joined us,” added Radesh. “Zane and Zander were often commenting and making suggestions about training sessions that they weren’t present at but the other one was.”

With a few seconds of reminiscing there were soon several heads nodding as they realized the truth.

“Okay, I think I’m starting to get it,” Zach spoke slowly. “My brothers are becoming like one force, each protecting the other automatically. But do you have any idea who the others mentioned in the prophecy are?”

“My egg donor has named herself the Bane,” answered Zane in a slightly bitter tone. “Her actions as such has pretty much made it the truth. I’m nearly one hundred percent sure the gray Hunter and his Mark have joined us recently.”

“Who would that be?” asked Gavin looking at each member of the group.

Zander answered before Zane could, “That would be Grayson here. He is a Rogue Hunter and has been for years. Also he brought his son, Marko. You know; his Mark. It fits since if you hadn’t noticed he almost always has on gray clothes.”

“What about the others mentioned?” questioned Derek sitting up with interest.

“I have some ideas but won’t know for sure until I can contact them,” replied Zane this time. “I can tell you that the offspring of Rinaldo has a double meaning. It is not only those who are directly descended from him like my brothers, Duncan and Thomas, their dad and myself but also those whose magic comes from the writings of Rinaldo or taught by him directly like the wolves, the village mages where the book was kept and Zander.”

“It should be obvious that the children of blood and leeches refers to vampires that will flock to her banner,” added Grayson. “There will be others too; such as, dark mages and warlocks.”

“There will be other mages and witches join on our side along with some of the good vampires,” Zane maintained to lighten their worry. “This war will be fought on many fronts and in many places. So don’t fret too much over it.”

“Uggh! I need to get out and do something after all this talk,” exploded Derek jumping to his feet.

“Good idea!” grinned Zane suddenly. “Why don’t you and the wolves go run a patrol around the base of the hill. Shayn, you and Grayson take Zach to the training cave for some spellwork practice. Gavin and Marko, scan the area from the top of the hill then do some sparring mixing magical and physical. Zander and I will monitor everyone from the ledge outside this cave. Report back here an hour before dark.”

The different groupings formed and headed for their assigned areas talking among themselves about what they had just learned and about their assignments. They were all in good spirits as they exited the cave and went about their tasks with enthusiasm while Zane and Zander settled themselves on the ground in front of the cave.

Forty-five minutes later Grayson received a message from Marko at the same time Zane and Zander received one from Gavin both of whom were still at the apex of the hill. The messages were practically identical; a lone figure had been spotted leaving the treeline on the north face of the hill.

After consulting with Grayson, Zane began issuing orders, “Gavin, you and Marko stay where you are and keep watch especially be on the lookout for a group coming from another direction. This could be simply a diversion. Derek, I want you to approach but in full human form. Rogan and Radesh, you stay in wolf form and stay close enough to help Derek if needed. Zander, I want you to go to the north side and watch but stay as hidden as possible. Grayson will watch from that cave and I will keep an eye out here. Shayn and Zach, you two stay put unless called in to assist. Now, go!”

The mental replies covered a wide range of possibilities. “Yes, sir!” “Yes, Child!” “At once!” “Sure thing, bro!” Zane shook his head in amusement as Derek’s enthusiastic reply reverberated through his brain.

Rinaldo’s Child decided to send a private message to Derek as a warning, “Keep your shields up and stay sharp!”

The young spirit warrior gave the briefest of acknowledgement as he focused on the meeting with this intruder. If Zane wanted him to keep shields up and ready then it must be a magic user or a vampire or both. He resisted the urge to turn his head to spot the wolves shadowing him on either side and checked for them mentally instead. Finding them both near but hidden calmed Derek’s nerves somewhat and allowed him to decide how to greet the invader he now slowed down to approach.

Derek didn’t need to worry the newcomer took the initiative and stepped toward the teen with a wide smile saying, “Hello, my young friend. How are you this evening?”

Tapping into the spirit of the cougar Derek paused before answering to let his enhanced senses tell him more about the figure facing him. Although, Derek could feel no animosity from the lone thirtyish looking man the smile and greeting were obviously fake. Telltale signs gathered from his sense of smell and hearing screamed that the being standing there was a vampire and Derek guessed he was probably a Rogue trying to gather information.

Stepping only slightly closer Derek returned the greeting, “Hi! I’m doing just fine. What brings you to our lonely neck of the woods?”

“I heard a rumor and wanted to see if there was any truth to it,” the vampire replied almost immediately.

“What rumor would that be?” inquired Derek innocently.

“I heard there was one out this way they called Rinaldo’s Child,” again the answer was too quick. “Have you heard of him?”

Hesitating then, Derek answered slowly, “I can’t say that I have but you’re welcome to come meet my brother and ask him. He’s older and might know more about it than I do.”

“That sounds good! Lead the way!”

‘Good job, brother! Now lead him the long way around the hill then up to the main cave,’ sent Zane before addressing the others with Derek still in the loop so he would know what to expect. ‘Grayson, I need you to get up here to be his older brother. Shayn, you and Gavin take Zach to the house and stay with him until Derek and Marko arrive. Marko, you need to come down to the cave to be Derek’s best friend.

After introductions I want the two of you to also head for the house and stay there tonight. Rogan and Radesh, you need to stay out of sight then go to the training cave to spend the night. Zander and I will hide in your room, let Grayson use our room and offer the common room for our guest. Everybody go and be careful.’

All sent their agreement to Zane’s plan then headed in the appropriate direction. Derek was continually peppered with seemingly innocent questions designed to create an opening for the vampire to exploit. For Creighton was indeed a Rogue vampire and had been sent by the Bane to gather what information he could.

It was not going well as the young human only gave the briefest of answers and his mind remained locked. No one else seemed to be around although from earlier spying Creighton knew more trained here. Creighton wondered if the Brat was the older brother or would he be introduced to someone else playing the part.

A quick scan of the area revealed nothing to the Rogue but that proved nothing since the Rinaldo Brat would be well versed in magic and able to hide himself and others. Creighton would just have to wait until they arrived at their destination to get some answers.

Since there was no one else whose mind he could delve into Creighton was deep in thought when his escort turned to go straight up the hill. Looking around the Rogue realized something really was being hidden from him. He had snooped around here enough to know he had been taken the long way around the hill.

Peering upwards Creighton saw a sort of ledge above them that seemed to be their destination. Slipping once he brought his attention back down to where he was placing his feet and settled in for the climb up some fairly rough terrain. About halfway there Creighton peeked at the ledge again and nearly fell as he stumbled over a fallen branch.

He had recognized the dark figure waiting on the ledge to be introduced as the ‘big brother.’ At least the vampire standing there certainly fit the description of the Hunter every Rogue or fiendish vampire was warned to avoid at all costs. Bane’s errand boy would have to be on top of his game to fool this vampire mage and vicious fighter.

In the few yards remaining before they attained the level of the ledge where he was being led Creighton schooled his features and stilled his churning mind. By the time Derek had introduced the Rogue to his ‘brother’ Creighton had his fake smile and attitude perfectly in place.

If it didn’t fool the young cougar warrior then it definitely did not fool the more experienced Grayson. In fact, Grayson knew without a doubt that this was a Rogue vampire who was blocking access to his thoughts. The Hunter had his own fake front showing as the two exchanged pleasantries and participated in a bunch of small talk about nothing.

Zane and Zander were hard pressed to prevent a raucous round of guffaws at the two enemies dancing around each other mentally as they ‘listened in.’ Creighton desperately wanted to move the conversation to the subject of Rinaldo’s Child but Grayson gave him no lead in.

After about ten minutes of this Marko walked out of the cave and greeted Derek, “Hey, bud! You ‘bout ready to go? My mom’ll have a cow if I’m not back before dark.”

“Yeah! I think so,” Derek replied turning toward the cave opening. “Let me make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.”

Derek walked into the cavern and out of sight of the Rogue hoping to be able to speak with Zane and Zander before he had to leave. The trouble was they weren’t in the two rooms he could enter. He knew there was supposed to be a third room that his mentors used but Derek couldn’t find the entryway.

The teen nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand gripped his upper arm and pulled him sideways into a wall that proved to be fake. It was Zane letting him into the room they had hidden from the intruding vampire.

“Did you need something?” questioned Zane once he had Derek completely inside the protected room.

“Wanted to say bye and see if we are still training tomorrow,” whispered Derek not knowing the room was soundproofed.

“Yes. By than we will know more about what this guy is up to and how to handle him,” assured Zane with a nod of agreement from Zander. “Now hurry out there before he gets suspicious.”

“Okay. Thanks,” said Derek as he quickly hugged the Z”s and rushed out of the cave.

“I’m all ready if you are,” announced Derek as he exited the cave and approached Marko.

“Let’s go then,” agreed Marko turning down the hill. “We’ll have to hurry or mom will ground me.”

“When we get down the hill we can jog to make up time,” suggested Derek. “See ya later, bro!”

Grayson waved at the two teens as they carefully picked their way down the hill towards the woods. Turning back to their uninvited guest Grayson motioned toward the cave and spoke, “Let me show you the accommodations.”

“Certainly,” accepted Creighton with his fake smile firmly in place.

The two walked back to the common room where Grayson showed the Rogue some sleeping bags and blankets he could use to make a comfortable place to meditate or whatever he did for his down time. Grayson said goodnight and went into the Z’s room where he placed wards over the entrance for protection.

Creighton waited a few moments before creeping to the doorway checking on Grayson. Finding magical wards in place he went back to the common room, made himself comfortable and placed his own wards around himself.

After a several minutes of concentration he called out with his mind, ‘Lady Bane? Can you hear me?’

Are you enjoying Jeikor’s tale? Let him know you are reading: Jeikor at CastleRoland dot Net

25,511 views