“Very,” he said, offering Sam a wink when she looked at him.
Despite her desire to hurt Ruin, she cast a glance at him, not wanting pain to come any other way but by her hand. At finding his glare on Scriber, she relaxed a little. As long as it wasn’t on her, she was okay.
“Aren’t you interested?” Caliber said, drawing Ruin’s evil glare on him.
“Thanks to you, I’m too busy being stuck in a jealous rage that I want no part of.” Pain stabbed Sam hard and she grit her teeth. “Thanks to you, I struck a deal with the devil.”
“Son, listen—”
“Thanks to you, my wife is dead!”
“Son--”
“And thanks to you, I’m required to—“
“Son!” the man bellowed. “The Sixth Seal is opening.”
This silenced him.
“The Sixth Seal?” Sam said. “From the book of Revelation?”
The man jerked to her. “Yes. You know of this?”
“Yes I know of it. By heart.”
The man looked at Scriber. “Now that’s good news.” He regarded Sam, a curious hope in his steel gaze. “How well do you know the prophecy, child?”
Sam read out the list of prophecies in detail, beginning to end. When she was done, they all stood in silence.
The man finally gasped a laugh. “Did you just hear that? She just recited the entire prophecy in nearly one breath!” More laughter shot out and Sam chanced a look at Ruin who eyed her with a cautious suspicion that made her want to drop kick him.
Sam focused on the old man. “You said the Sixth Seal is opening?”
He sobered until his face crimped with ominous lines. “Mankind has passed through Five Seals since Christ conquered death. The White Horse, The Red Horse, The Black Horse, The Pale Horse—“
“With the rider whose name was Death,” Sam said. “The Black Horse Rider held the Balances, the Red Horse rider held the power of War, the White Horse…”
“Was given a crown and went forth conquering and to conquer.”
“The Christ,” Sam said.
He nodded, solemnly. “The First Seal. And now comes the Sixth. ‘And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;--”
“And the stars of the heavens fell unto the earth,” Sam said, “even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places—”
Ruin spoke up, “And the kings of the earth, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
All eyes remained on Ruin and he shook his lowered head. “I see those words when I close my eyes.”
“How long?” Caliber asked.
“Since…” he looked at Sam. “Since not long ago. Today.”
“It has certainly begun.”
Fear struck Sam then at what that meant. “So…what…I mean what are we supposed to do? Is this really the end of the world?”
Caliber turned to her abruptly. “It is the end of the Age. And we are charged with helping The Seven Angels.”
“Seven angels?” Sam wasn’t sure exactly…
“Of The Seven Churches. The One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand will be gathered. Twelve Thousand out of each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. They are to be marked.”
Scriber tossed his finger up, indicating that would be his job.
“What do we do, exactly?” Sam asked, a nervous excitement running through her.
“We buffer The Seven Angels as they work with the souls of mankind through the Seven Churches.”
Sam adjusted her cap, wishing she had a smoke. “Buffer?
“He means protect,” Ruin helped, sounding pissed.
“Yes, protect,” Caliber said. “Have you two linked? I’m interested to know what sort of power were going into this with.
“No we didn’t link,” Ruin muttered with more acid.
“He’s not “ready”, Sam quoted the air, glaring at him. “He needs “time,” she quoted the air again.
“No amount of time is going help with that, Princess. You’re the one not ready.”
“Oh I’m ready, alright. You’re just being a little pussy about it. You be sure and let me know when you’re done crying over spilled milk.”
“You mean spilled blood!” Ruin barked.
“Oh come on!” Sam cried. “She died to save your ass, how about show some respect.”
“I didn’t want to be saved,” he yelled, “I didn’t need it!”
“Well, she apparently thought differently, cowboy,” Sam returned just as dramatic.
“She was lied to, manipulated, scared!”
“And you were selfish, disobedient, and gutless! You were given a directive by your creator and you fucked up.” Sam pointed at him. “That’s all you, bubba.”
Ruin stared at her, and for a moment the pain in his eyes nearly softened her resolve. But no, this is what he needed. “You’re saying I should have judged my wife?”
Sam angled her head at his confused gaze. “Sounds like you should have judged God a little better.” She pointed at him. “I see you, Carnificem. You were tested and found wanting. But you are not the first to be tested, and you won’t be the last.”
“Tested?” he whispered hoarsely. “To see if I would kill my wife?”
“To see if you would obey your God. Better yet, to see who your God was.” She nodded with raised brows. “Getting it yet?”
“I have no God,” he hissed.
Sam shook her head and looked at Caliber, holding a hand out to Ruin. “What is up with him? Is he faulty? Missing parts from the factory? Is this a joke? Why are we standing here talking to a being who should have allegiance to God and clearly does not? What am I missing?”
Caliber sighed. “I’m afraid that is not information you’re privy to.”
“Or me,” Ruin said, bitterly.
“You have to learn it,” Scriber said, like info was getting a tad old.
Sam regarded Ruin. “I’ll tell you now, mister. Your problems would be a lot fewer if you solved that last issue you just mentioned.”
“Not having a wife?”
“No, no,” Sam looked on at the forest, sliding her jaw. “Not having a God. That one’s going to be a pain in the ass until you fix that, especially in this line of work. Am I wrong?” she asked the older man.
“No, no, definitely words of wisdom,” he nodded seriously. “But…we do need to get the two of you linked up.”
“Like saddling a horse,” Ruin muttered with a scathing tone.
“You’re the one needing the saddle, mister,” she muttered back.
“I’m not being ridden by a—”
“Say it and I’ll drop kick you where you stand,” Sam warned. “I meant it when I said you’ll not lie about me.”
“I don’t lie,” Ruin bit.
“Doesn’t make you right though, does it?”
“I won’t degrade the link for power or pleasure.”
“Well you sure fooled me an hour ago. What happened to trying to work together?”
“Having a memory of my wife happened!”
“Well then go fuck your wife!” Sam yelled. “Oh wait, you can’t because she’s fucking dead!” Sam stormed up to him. “What am I? Am I nothing? Am I nothing?” She shoved him. “I never asked for this! I never asked to be compared, I never asked to be second, you think I like that? You think I want that? You think I want to fuck a man who can’t stand to look at me because he can’t stop seeing his wife? Do You?” She shoved him harder several more times. “I don’t want to fuck any man, I never wanted that, I never wanted it
.” She suddenly gasped, furious that she was crying. “I never wanted to be anything to anybody,” she sobbed. “But for you,” she whispered, “I was willing to be anything. I was willing to be whatever you needed me to be.” She clutched his shirt and shook him, weakly. “I was willing to be second place, that was enough for me, just so I could be with you.”
Ruin gasped a few times then pulled her into his arms. “Oh fuck,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry Sam, I’m sorry. God I’m so evil, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt this, I didn’t.”
Sam let out a sob at feeling him hold her, at hearing he cared. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep from sucking it all in with a desperate hunger. That’s all she’d wanted, that’s all. She’d help him storm Heaven and Earth, she’d help him do whatever he needed, just so he loved her, cared for her. It didn’t have to be as great as his first, she was okay with second. Second was fucking amazing.
“Excuse me,” Caliber called. “I don’t mean to interrupt this wonderful break through, but I do need to assess the link before we go so we have an idea of where we stand on the time scale.
Sam turned to face him but Ruin kept an arm across her chest, her back pressed firmly into his torso as the older man came with the two tall quiet ones behind him.
“I brought the Vauldrins to read for me, I’m rusty at that kind of thing,” Caliber said.
The two beings came to stand on either side of them and placed their hands on both their heads. Immediately the one on the left announced, “Eight percent linked.”
“You are fast,” Caliber said to the being. “Wait, only eight? Even after this breakthrough?” Shock lit his voice.
“This link has the potential to become a Dynatos.” This from the other.
“Dynatos,” Caliber said, elated. “How do we ensure that?”
“She must learn submission. And obedience.”
Sam had no issues with that. As a soldier and a trainer, it was second nature.
“Yes, agreed,” the other one said. “Submission and obedience to Ruin.”
“To Ruin?” she asked. “I thought…I thought we’d be more like equals.”
Both beings shook their head. “He must lead you. You must follow.”
Sam nodded, doing her best to hold down the convulsions that caused in her. Obey and submit? To him? With him, yes. But to him?
“Great then!” Caliber patted Ruin on his shoulder.
“And the Carnificem must learn to lead without fail.” Both the beings said that together.
Sam rolled her eyes at his easy homework. Unless he had an issue with that, which she was pretty sure he didn’t.
“Sounds great,” Sam said, ready for a moment away from everybody. Or a cigarette.
“Suggest cleaning up her physical bad habits right off,” Caliber muttered, eying Sam like an ill-bartered slave.
Ruin nodded and panic hit Sam. Did he mean her smoking? Surely not.
“Meanwhile,” Caliber said, walking off with the beings following, “we have other business to attend to. Signs in Heaven, destruction and woe, etcetera. Scriber,” he pointed at him, “practice your seals, they have to be perfect.”
“Will do,” he muttered.
What about Luke? Sam wondered. Surely there was a reason he was there.
“I’ll return in a few days to check the link.” He turned and regarded them. “Please be ready. Once the Sixth Seal is fully opened, there is no stopping what comes. Catastrophe will be in full swing and we’ll need all of you ready to respond.”
He aimed his finger at Sam. “Submission and obedience.” He turned that finger to Ruin. “Leadership.” He winked and the three of them vanished.
Obedience and submission. Got it. So long as he wasn’t an ass about it, they should do fine.
To Be Continued….
Lucian Bane, The Turning
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