Chapter 18

The men stood there, dumbstruck that the group had discovered them. Before anyone could say anything or act, they reached into their coats, drew sidearms and opened fire. Acting on instinct, Jason tapped into his magic before moving his arms in a quick sequence. Immediately, a shield of emerald magic went up, with Jason holding his arms out, keeping the barrier in place.

The men emptied their clips, but not one shot punched through his shield. Every bullet flattened to moment it hit the magical barrier, like bugs on a windshield. The moment their guns clicked empty, Jason dropped his shield and moved his hands to bring up an offensive spell.

Sheena was already ahead of him by this point, as she unleashed a wind breath spell. The moment Jason’s shield dropped is when she used it, knocking the men over like bowling pins. As they fell to the ground, Xaera charged in, snarling at the men who tried to burn such knowledge. The men scrambled to their feet much faster than anyone believed possible and were running hard.

Xaera was hot on their heels, and they didn’t dare try to bring their weapons to bear. Almost instantly, the one in the lead halted at a four-way junction. They were cut off by Eva, who had circled around to box them in. Amy and Darren did the same from the other way, while the fairy women flitted in the final direction. The three men were surrounded and had no means of escape.

With their weapons empty, the men raised their fists and charged Xaera, figuring her for an easy target. They received a rude awakening as one of them swung hard at Xaera, his fist connecting with her jaw. A sickening crunch sounded, and the man screamed in pain, clutching his mangled hand.

With a scoff, Xaera stepped forward and backhanded the wounded man, sending him sailing through the air. He flew past the other two and landed hard on his back. The other men stared at their friend, then back at Xaera, confused and afraid.

“What the fuck are you?” one of the men queried.

“Much more than either of you can handle,” Xaera grinned as her hands were wreathed in her Troll magic.

Their eyes bugged out of their heads, and they stared at the rest of the people there, knowing full well they were out of their league. The two men made to help their friend up and they stared at the people surrounding them, wondering what they would do next.

“If you’re going to kill us, then just get it over with already!” the hurt man groused.

“We won’t hurt you. What we are going to do is get some answers out of you, starting with why you are here and why you’re trying to destroy all that ancient knowledge,” Jason began.

“Ask all you like. You’re not getting any answers out of us. Flasks!” the leader called out.

All three men reached for flasks they kept on their hips and drank from them. Everyone there moved to stop them, but they moved too quickly, swallowing the contents of their flasks. Almost instantly, the three of them began foaming at the mouth, choking on their spit, before falling over dead.

“Gaia, damn it!!” Jason groused.

“They drank poison??” Phalmina cried out, appalled that any living being would value their lives so cheaply.

“Not just any poison. Cyanide. The moment you have it in your mouth, you’re gone. It acts fast and in high enough doses, any aid that could be rendered is useless,” Jason explained.

“How could you tell it was cyanide?” Sheena wondered.

“Use your senses and tell me what you think,” he stated. Sheena did as he suggested and not only saw what it did to the men, but also could smell its stench.

“Yup. It’s cyanide all right. Who the hell are these guys?” the ebon skinned woman asked.

“That’s a damn good question! Let’s find out,” Jason said as she squatted down in front of these men.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Sheena blurted out.

“Searching these assholes. They’re corpses, and they couldn’t care less right now. They shot at us and would have killed us if it wasn’t for our magic. They knew about the archive of knowledge we stole and were trying to keep it from us. We need to know who they are,” Jason stated as he was rifling through one of the men’s pockets.

“Jason has a point. We should search them,” Amy agreed.

“Fine, but I’m not touching them!” Sheena told them, grossed out by the corpses.

“Didn’t say you had to. Just help us piece together who they were,” Jason asked.

“I can do that,” Sheena replied.

Darren kneeled by the third one, searching his pockets, while also looking the man over, trying to get a sense of who he was. Darren then noticed something as he was searching the man’s inner coat pockets. The corpse’s shirt had moved, and he noticed a mark, like a tattoo beneath the fabric. Intrigued, Darren pulled at the fabric, saw the tattoo, and paled at what he found.

“Darren? Sweetie, are you OK?” Daelina asked, flitting to her lover.

“No, I’m not,” he replied hoarsely.

“What is it?” she wondered.

“We’re in deep shit. I mean real fucking deep!” he grated, his eyes wide with fear.

“Darren, what is it?” Amy asked, never having seen her brother look so terrified.

“Pull on that man’s shirt and tell me what you see,” he told her. Amy did as he asked and found a tattoo on the man’s chest.

“A scorpion?” she asked.

“Yes. The sigil of the Praetorians,” he whispered.

“Praetorians?!? Those evil fucks are real???” Sheena breathed.

“Who are the Praetorians?” Jason asked.

“During the times of the Roman Empire, they were Caesar’s most loyal and trusted bodyguards. They were the best soldiers the Empire offered, afforded the best training, the best equipment. Eventually, they became a political force of their own. They weren’t just soldiers though, but also served as spies and secret police for the Caesars of Rome,” Karla replied, after checking her smartphone.

“Sounds like they were the Gestapo of that ancient Empire,” Eva remarked.

“Hitler pulled the idea of the Gestapo from the Praetorians of Rome. History states they had been disbanded by Constantine the Great. After their dissolution, the ideals of the Praetorians were lost to history,” Karla said, mystified by these men.

“If these guys are Praetorians...” Luke began, his mind whirling.

“Then the Sons of Caesar must know that we’ve taken their archives,” Jason replied, filling in the blanks.

“There must be information in there that they don’t want found,” Eva stated.

“A conclusion I just came to myself. We’re going to have to find a place to move these books to,” Sheena said.

“What do we do about them?” Karla asked.

“I got this. Ema, mind giving me a hand?” Phalmina asked.

“Sure,” Emalia replied. The two fairies waved their hands and in seconds, they brought forth Gaia’s magic. A few seconds more, the runes they sought appeared and grafted themselves onto the men. The moment the runes were on, the men shrunk down to where they were the size of tabletop miniatures.

“Well, that certainly solves a few issues, but we should check on the archive,” Jason stated as he led the way back to the storage unit. Everyone but the two fairies followed along in his wake, hoping that it was still there. The moment they got back, they saw nothing had changed. The gas cans were still there, as were all the books that they now possessed.

“Hey Darren, you ok? You look a little spooked,” Jason asked.

“I am. I’ve only ever heard stories of the fabled enforcers of the Sons. They are supposed to be the best of us, the most devout. Those whose loyalty is never in question,” Darren replied.

“You think they’ll be likely to send more then?” Karla wondered.

“It’s not likely, it’s a certainty. The Praetorians never leave a job undone. If any Praetorian fails their mission, it is then assigned to another group until the job is done,” Darren breathed.

“Or until they’re all dead. Either way, we have one hell of a conundrum on our hands. Where we could potentially store the books that is safe,” Karla stated.

“Well, my apartment is out. Way too small and it’s a little cramped anyway,” Jason told everyone.

“What about your place, Liz?” Amy suggested.

“Terrible idea. Praetorians will be able to walk through the barrier you have up,” Darren replied, shooting the idea down.

“How do you know?” Daelina asked.

“When I was learning from my father, when he first told me about the Praetorians, I asked what made them so feared. He told me because they are trained to fight, with no assistance from magic. Magic, while a powerful tool, could also be a form of weakness, if they relied on it too much. So, Praetorians are trained to fight and hunt down anyone without magic,” Darren explained.

“That might explain why we couldn’t sense anything on them, other than the fact that they’re just regular humans,” Eva mused.

“Yes. Because of them being so ordinary, they can blend into a crowd and be gone in seconds. But that’s not the scariest part,” Darren stated.

“What’s the scariest part?” Amy wondered, almost afraid that she even asked.

“Praetorians, after they’re trained to become the men they are, reintegrate into society. They are never called up unless needed, and they could be anyone. A good friend, a co-worker, a deacon in your church, anyone in the world,” Darren told them.

“Fuck! We can’t wait to move this archive. It needs to be moved ASAP!” Jason groused.

“But where do we move it to?” Sheena asked, wracking her brain for ideas.

“It would have to be someplace remote, one where we could see these bastards coming. A place we could enchant to keep everyone out, unless they possess a Rune of Passage. But where...” Jason started, before his eyes lit up with an idea and he smiled.

“Where are you thinking?” Sheena asked, seeing that an idea had come to him.

“That property that Carlotta had us investigate!”

“What?!? Are you crazy? It would be suicide to place anything there!” Sheena yipped.

“Exactly! Whatever attacked us might not be so picky with whom they attack. Those little fuckers didn’t follow us to the house. If they did, odds are they didn’t make it past the empowered wards you set,” Jason told her.

“Hmm. That’s ... something to consider,” Sheena replied, mulling over the idea.

“What are we considering?” Phalmina asked, flitting up Jason’s shoulder. He filled her in on his idea on where they could move the archive to. The fairy woman didn’t like the idea much either, but admitted that it had its merits.

“I’m not suggesting something half assed you know. It would take the combined efforts of everyone to empower this place. You even said it yourself, Sheena. That powerful magic protects it,” Jason told her.

“True. OK, let’s just say for one second I agree to this craziness. When did you want to get shit done?” she wondered.

“Right now! The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can start looking into both this dark power we encountered and the Praetorians,” Jason told her.

“Agreed. Lucas, find us a truck to move everything out of here,” Karla ordered. “I’ll go up front and close the account on the storage units.”

“I’ll go with him,” Amy offered.

“Stay safe, you two,” Jason told them.

“You guys too!” Luke said before they left.

“What do we do now?” Eva asked.

“We wait and observe. Ladies, would you mind taking a look around the storage and the surrounding properties? I want to be sure we’re not being watched,” Jason stated to the fairies.

“Good idea. You be careful! If anything happens to you...” Phalmina started before she leaned in and kissed him. Daelina did the same thing with Darren before they shrunk back down to fairy size and took off.

“Got any sugar for me, babe?” Sheena asked with a cute pout.

“Always! Come here, you!” Jason growled playfully. Sheena squeaked happily as his powerful arms encircled her, drawing her in for a kiss. The woman moaned into the kiss and returned the passion with some of her own.

“Could you two ... tone it down a bit? Please?” Eva breathed, fanning herself with her hand.

“Sorry about that Eva! Forgot there were other people around,” Jason chuckled.

“It’s all right,” the woman replied, cooling off slightly.

“How do you make it work?” Darren wondered.

“Make what work?” Jason replied.

“You, Phalmina and Sheena. How does such a ... relationship work?” the former Son of Caesar asked.

“It is a bit of a balancing act, I’ll admit. Some of it is being able to suppress the green-eyed monster of jealousy,” Sheena admitted.

“The biggest thing about such relationships like ours is communication. Always talk to each other, rather than going around, assuming shit,” Jason responded. “Always make sure you know what’s what, before you go around thinking certain things of people.”

“Yeah. Honesty is needed if any relationship, regardless of it being a monogamous one or not,” Sheena told him.

“Hmm. That is ... interesting,” Darren said, more to himself than to anyone else.

“We probably should get everything packed up, if we’re going to be ready to move everything now,” Eva reminded them.

Nodding in agreement, the remaining people got to work. They packed up what books were out of their boxes, papers and parchments, too. They got everything packed up and ready to move at a moment’s notice. Everything was set on the ground and the packed in boxes were loosened. Luke walked on up not even half an hour later with Karla in tow.

“So, we got two trucks, as I remember all of this was too much for just one moving truck,” Luke told them.

“All right. Let’s get everything moved and packed. We have no idea how long it will be before the Praetorians send another team, so let’s not wait to find out!” Sheena said, clapping her hands.

They all exploded in movement, with everyone grabbing a box. Hurrying outside, they hopped into the trucks, which Luke had parked and opened before meeting them inside. The fairies zipped on down, having finished their recon, enlarging out of sight of the cameras at the facility.

“Anything?” Jason wondered as he carried two boxes of books like they were nothing.

“Nothing. At least, nothing that any of us would have spotted. We sensed no malicious magic, and no one has been watching the storage,” Phalmina reported.

“Lina and I found the vehicle they used. The engine was still running, so we got Darren to come over and take a look at it,” Emalia stated.

“All right. Everyone else, keep packing. Fairies, with me!” Jason ordered and was off before anyone could argue.

Jason raced around the building, following the fairies trail. They led him to a small nook where the car in question was parked. Darren was already in the driver’s seat, looking over whatever paperwork he could find. Jason jogged over to him, wondering if the man had found anything of use.

“You find anything?” Jason asked.

“No. Just that the car is a rental right out of the airport. With those men missing, people will want to know what happened to them and the car,” Darren groused.

“We handled that,” Daelina told him, flitting to stand on her love’s shoulder.

“How did you do that?” Jason asked.

“Used our magic to create a deep hole nearby and dropped them into it,” Emalia piped up.

“Won’t the spell wear off and they’ll get big again?” Darren asked, having learned some basics of magic from Daelina.

“It won’t matter. By the time the magic wears off, they will be ... ripe. They won’t be anything more than rotted meat, feeding plants and trees with their bodies. We also dropped them deep enough to where the earth won’t have them break out when the ground freezes and thaws,” Phalmina chuckled darkly.

“Damn! That’s some mafia level shit right there!” Jason commented.

“Well, watching TV is good for something,” Daelina replied with a smile. “Both good and bad.”

“Remind me to never have a fairy angry at me,” Darren gulped.

“Smart boy.”

“OK, so we need to get this damn car out of here, without making it look like these guys just vanished,” Jason said, pondering. “I’ve got it!”

Snapping his fingers, Jason ran around the corner and headed back to the group that was packing up. Darren and the fairies joined him as he reached the group and explained his idea. Everyone was a little skeptical, but figured it was their best shot at avoiding detection.

“You sure that it will work?” Karla asked.

“It works for me, when I have to disguise myself as a human,” Xaera stated, her dusky skin making her look just as imposing as her blue skin did.

“It’s also the best way for us to keep those Praetorians off our backs, at least for a little while,” Darren agreed.

“So, we’ll be driving those trucks out?” Karla asked.

“Yeah. Just until we can get out of here and ditch the car, babe,” Luke informed her.

“OK. Help us pack up and we’ll meet you at Xaera’s,” Sheena told the men.

They did as they were asked and helped with moving and packing the boxes. Karla had already settled up the account for the storage unit. The company was sad to see them go, but understood that they now had a space they ‘owned’ to store their items. Between the lot of them, it took less than half an hour to pack up both trucks.

“OK Sheena, bring your car around and we’ll get this done,” Jason told her.

“On it, hon,” Sheena stated as she took off to fetch her wheels.

Jason, Darren, Luke and the fairy women headed back to where the Praetorians had parked their car. They had placed it in a blind spot where the vehicle couldn’t be seen, so no one watching the cameras could see where it was. The fairy women worked their magic on the men, fixing them with their magical disguises. It wasn’t a complex spell and by the time Sheena arrived; they were done.

“Can’t say that I approve of the look,” Sheena grouched, staring at the trio of brown-haired white men.

“It’s not like it’s a permanent thing, though. It will wear off in a few hours and we’ll have ditched this car long before then,” the man with blue eyes said in Jason’s voice.

“Besides Sheena, it’s a hell of a way for us to lead the Praetorians on a wild goose chase,” the man with brown eyes agreed, speaking in Luke’s voice.

“Here’s hoping that it keeps them occupied for a while,” Sheena agreed. She then got into her car and drove off, leading the trucks, driven by Elizabeth and Eva, out of the facility.

The three men jumped into the car, fired it off and were off. Jason took the identity of the man that called out the commands, so he drove, making everything look as normal as possible. They left the storage a few minutes after the others had, making it look like they were there on other business. The fairies rode in the car with them, staying fairy sized so as not to tip anyone off, as they prayed to Gaia that this worked.

Donald Mannheim sat in a diner in Los Angeles, enjoying himself a slice of pecan pie. He sipped on his coffee, which he liked black and bitter. It contrasted with the sweetness of the pie, making it taste all the sweeter. He sighed as he took another bite and reached into his coat pocket. He glanced at his flip phone, checking the time and cursing inwardly.

The team that had been sent to clean up the mess that the Sons had left behind hadn’t reported in yet. It had only been several minutes since they were supposed to be done, so Don let it slide for now. He supposed they had probably gone out to get themselves a little something, to celebrate a job done. At least, that was his hope, as he had trained this group personally.

Daniel, Bryce and William were the finest group of Praetorians that had ever been produced. Mainly because he, the finest and oldest Praetorian in history, had been their mentor. He trained them to be solid in a fight, to work together and to have a level of squad cohesion that most military groups would envy.

The man finished his pie and coffee, leaving a generous tip for the waitress, before he walked out. Donald then got into his car and drove, heading to his apartment. The drive was uneventful, as uneventful as driving in LA could be, with all the traffic and congestion everywhere. He pulled up to his building, parking out front, when his phone rang.

“Yes?” he replied, having waited for this call.

“Legatus, we have a problem,” the man on the other end replied.

“What kind of problem?” he queried, anger rising up within him. No one ever referred to him by his honorific, unless it was a special occasion, or there was a serious problem.

“Mission failed. There has been no contact from any of the operatives we’ve sent to deny the Gaians any aid,” the operator on the other end told him.

“What happened?” he demanded, wanting to know what had become of the men he’d trained.

“Unknown. We’ve tried to tap into the tapes used by the facility we sent them to attack, but with no success. Must be a CCTV system with no outside access,” the operator informed him.

Donald growled like a feral animal, angry that his team, a team he had trained, had failed in their mission. Whatever the reason, he would get to the bottom of it, no matter what stood against him. He had personally trained these men, and he’d be damned if they died on what was supposed to be a routine run.

“Legatus, are you still there, sir?” the operator called out.

“Yes, I’m here,” he said into the phone, having taken a moment to calm himself.

“What are your orders?”

“Assemble my old team. I will handle this ... personally,” Donald replied.

“Sir?” the operator questioned, as this was highly irregular.

“Did I stutter? Were my words not clear?” the older man asked, his voice carrying the weight of a threat.

“No, sir! I will contact and assemble your men! Shall I book you a flight?” the operator apologized.

“Please do! First class. I’m sure that the council won’t begrudge me spending their money,” he laughed, keeping his voice on edge.

“None, sir. I will call back in thirty minutes with the details of your flight,” the operator responded before killing the line.

Donald grunted, closing the flip phone and walking inside to put together a travel bag. Whoever the young pup was, he had enough sense to not question the Legatus of the Praetorians. That had been a title that few men in their entire lifetime of service had ever achieved. He had been one of those few, having survived dozens, if not hundreds, of secret missions for the Sons of Caesar.

Though the Praetorians served the Sons, they also had their own mandates. Such things were always shrouded in mystery, except to him, the Legatus, or ‘General’ as the translation went. At the moment, he had the Praetorians obeying the Sons in what they wanted done. It was tedious in some ways, but necessary if the Praetorians would survive.

Donald shifted his thoughts away from what he wanted and focused on the task at hand. He had finished packing up his things, enough for a couple of weeks, and sat on his bed, waiting for his call. He hadn’t remembered walking into his apartment, but figured that since he got the call, he went on autopilot. It was one of those little things that he found annoying, as he often questioned where the time went.

“Yes?” he replied, picking up the phone when it rang.

“I have booked you on the twelve thirty flight to Seattle, where you and your team will meet. The local chapter of the Sons will meet you there, to tell you of your mission,” the operator told him.

“Very good. Fide, honoris, obsequium,” Donald told him, uttering the Praetorians’ motto.

“Fide, honoris, obsequium,” the operator replied, before the line went dead. Donald then walked out of his apartment and hailed a taxi, before giving instructions to head to LAX. He sat there in the cab, contemplating how things had transpired.

He knew that the best of the Praetorians had been sent to deal with what the Gaians had taken from them. That they’d failed was a testament to what exactly they were up against. He realized these Gaians would not go down easily if they’d caused his protégé to fail.

Sitting in the vehicle as the cityscape passed him by, he never thought he’d get a chance to face down proper Gaians. Sure, he’d had to come out of retirement for it, but if he was being honest with himself, he was looking forward to this. In his entire career as a Praetorian, he’d never taken down anyone who had magic, despite being trained to do so. He’d never had a genuine challenge in his entire life, and now he had one.

“There we go! Back to the handsome face we all know and love!” Phalmina giggled as she finished working her magic.

Sheena had made a pit stop at the park, as was agreed upon, so she could pick up the men after they’d ditched the Praetorian’s car. It was weird, staring at Jason while he wore an unfamiliar man’s face. Now that he was back to what he should look like, Sheena was smiling again.

“Agreed!” Sheena gushed as she hugged Jason.

“What’s that for?” Jason asked his love.

“Just happy to have you back!” Sheena sighed as she clasped him.

“More hugs and kisses, after we get this stuff moved,” Emalia reminded her as she flitted by her ear.

Sheena grunted, but agreed they had to get a move on. They had a limited window to get these books and texts out of the city, before the Sons or Praetorians closed in on them. She hopped into her car, while Jason and Luke walked to the trucks and took over for driving. A few minutes later, they were off, heading out of the city for the rural property.

Karla had called ahead to her auntie once Luke had ensured that her line was secure. After a brief explanation, Carlotta agreed that the property was the best place to move the texts they had taken from the Sons. If they had discovered a small little storage unit that Karla had rented under an alias, then all of her holdings were being watched.

She was also grateful because she’d erred on the side of caution and had Jason, Sheena, and Phalmina investigate the property. Word of those creatures attacking them was enough to give the woman pause about developing the property. She had told Karla to tell everyone else to take all the time they needed to look into the land. Since it was way out in the sticks, there was little reason for her to work on it just yet.

The fairy women flew overhead, keeping a vigil over their friends. The wraith hadn’t been seen for a few weeks, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t out there. It could just be biding its time, waiting for a chance to go after their friends and lovers. There was no way these ladies would let that happen, not if they had a say about it.

It took a little more than an hour and a pit stop at a drive thru before they arrived. The vehicles pulled into the rough gravel road and the fae followed them, the feeling of serenity washing over them. Everyone felt the sensation, even Luke and Karla, who possessed zero magic to speak of. They hopped out of the vehicles, feeling weird, but in a good way.

“What was that? That was...” Luke just growled and purred, which had Karla in a fit of giggles.

“I felt it too! It was...” Karla gushed before she made a similar sound. “It was ... almost...”

“Orgasmic?” Sheena asked with a knowing smirk on her face.

“Yeah!” Amy replied, shivering and shaking pleasantly.

“That’s the enchantment on this place, which keeps everyone safe. I don’t know who put it here in the first place, but I am glad they did!” Sheena stated, smiling.

“As am I! It saved our bacon from being fried!” Jason sighed.

“Bacon?” the fairies asked quizzically.

“A human turn of phrase, girls,” Eva explained. The fairies then understood what Jason meant and facepalmed themselves cutely.

“Anyway, this place is well protected and once we’re done empowering this place, no one will get through unless we want them to,” Sheena told them all.

“Which is why I thought it the perfect place for this archive,” Jason chuckled as he headed to the rear of one of the trucks.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, everyone, let’s get these boxes unloaded,” Sheena told the group.

As one, everyone hopped to work with removing everything from the moving trucks. The fairies, under Phalmina’s direction, used their magic to work on a room inside. After sweeping and dusting a sitting room, which took no time at all, they pulled upon Gaia’s magic to craft organic and ornate looking bookshelves. They drew from the wood inside the walls to sprout outwards and grow, much like trees forming the shelves they needed.

“Now THAT is beyond cool!” Luke enthused as he watched the fairies work.

“Hey! Stop staring and keeping moving those boxes in here!” Karla groused as she puffed under the constant work.

Luke moved his ass and kept working, and in no time at all, the boxes were unloaded. The trucks were pristine, with not a single scrap of paper left behind. The fairies were still working on the walls, coaxing the wood within them to obey their commands. It was slow going, but more than half the room was outfitted with bookshelves now.