Chapter 36

The wind, which was still bitingly cold, had picked up as we discussed what was happening and where the source of the problem was.

"The problem," opined Arch, "is that we have absolutely no idea where this Thaumaturge is working from."

We all nodded, even Father Bryce, albeit reluctantly.

"Can't be too far away, they're keeping pretty good tabs on us," Antonelli added.

"Yes, but where? I rather doubt it's from the direction the attacks have been coming from," added Hengist.

"Well he or she needs a source of ... material to re-animate or whatever is involved and that means the morgue or the local cemetery surely?" he asked.

"Not necessarily, John. They simply have to be close," Franco replied.

"I can call in more support," Arch supplied.

"Mages aren't really equipped for this, Arch, and by the time the Vatican could send in another team this problem could be as out of hand as the Black Death was," Antonelli sighed.

"That surely was just a disease?" Pierre queried.

"It was the result of a Thaumaturge's experimentation on what was then known as foul humours, to try and use it to provide carriages for spiritual spawn to bring about Armageddon," Antonelli replied. "Unfortunately one of the first victims happened to be himself back in India. By the time we and the Mage community had it under control millions had died and it still cropped up in various forms for centuries afterwards."

"Medieval bio-warfare, who would have guessed?" I mused.

"Oh, they'd often poison water supplies by dumping bodies in wells or catapulting the diseased over walls into fortified areas," Antonelli replied. "Even the Romans were at it and it wasn't new then."

"Nothing really new under the sun," sighed Arch.

"True but hot, running, clean water is a blessing," chuckled Antonelli. "We Romans had our baths, but it took a long time for societies to claw their way back after the barbarian invasions."

"We Romans?" I asked.

"Marcus Antonius Longinus at your service young Mage," chuckled Antonelli.

"Longinus?" Father Bryce repeated sounding very shocked.

"Indeed, that Longinus, hence my calling and my sorrow," Antonelli replied confusing me greatly.

"Longinus is the name of the soldier who stabbed Christ with a spear, killing him," Arch said to me.

"Did you?" I asked, now shocked myself.

"I did and in his death he both blessed and cursed me," Antonelli sighed. "The blessing was that I would carry on his work in dealing with evil or the enemies of God's plan on this Earth."

"The curse?" I asked.

"Was that I cannot die until his return nor be believed by normal humans as to who and what I am. Only Mages and my fellow theurgists can know, all others forget as soon as I'm out of their sight," Antonelli replied.

"You killed our Lord?" asked Father Bryce sounding utterly aghast.

"I did, all part of a great plan I'm told, but also told to question no further or else be sealed away in a living death rather than be useful," Antonelli said with a grimace.

"He forgave you, you know that?" Arch said gently.

"I do, one of the things that keeps me going is the knowledge that one day I'll get to see him and say sorry again," Antonelli replied with a gentle smile.

"Did ... did you meet the other apostles?" asked Father Bryce.

"Yes, ordinary enough people, but touched by him to become far more than ordinary. They were the first of the Christian Theurgists, though most died horrifying deaths because they refused to defend themselves from ordinary people," Antonelli said sadly.

"Most?" I asked.

"Well Judas is still around, along with Thaddeus," Antonelli replied.

"Judas Iscariot?" asked Pierre.

"Yes, Jesus forgave him and sent him off on another path. He's the source of the wandering Jew legends," Antonelli replied.

"Where are they?" Bryce asked.

"I don't know, they have their mission. I have mine, which is mostly training young theurgists like yourself," Antonelli chuckled. "You might meet them one day, if you don't meet our maker first."

"I believe Mage Morgana has your spear head somewhere..." I began.

"Oh that thing. I can't for the life of me begin to understand what Michael was thinking of when he crafted it. Still at least with Lady Morgana it's no doubt in a safe place until it's needed," Antonelli chuckled.

"Michael?" asked Father Bryce.

"Yes, the Michael, Ambassador of Paradise, Leader of the Angelic Hosts, Defender of Divine Glory, Supreme Commander of the Hosts of the Almighty, Strength of God, Invincible Prince and Warrior, de dah, de dah so on ad infinitum," Antonelli replied. "Humourless, nit-picking and complete with the personality of a brick as well as fixated on the proper forms and manners towards dealing with our Lord. Ought to have Heaven's pain in the arse as one of his titles but there's no need to tell him I said that."

"But surely the spear would have given our Lord's armies on earth a decisive advantage?" Father Bryce asked.

"Not a good idea, organised religion is an absolute bane to civilised behaviour and some of the leaders of Christendom are no doubt toasting away nicely in Hell for their actions in leading those of the faith in various crusades," snorted Antonelli.

It was then that the chant began again in earnest and the crawling sense of sheer evil threatened to almost overwhelm us Mages as we struggled against a power with which we were not equipped to deal.

Out of desperation I activated my null medallion and watched as a coruscating aura surrounded the field around me as whatever was chanting sought to drive us off.

"Careful John," said Arch through gritted teeth. "You'll struggle to defend yourself without your magic."

"I have my pistol," I replied. "Hopefully it will be enough."

"Let's hope so, as I don't think I can raise that much in the way of spells anyway," Arch replied, activating along with Hengist and Pierre their own medallions.

"It's coming," said Father LeFarge.

Fifteen humanoid shapes leapt the wall to our front and ran at an incredible pace towards us. Long tapered claws, pointed fangs and madly red glowing eyes completed their appearance. All four of us Mages opened fire but only succeeded in taking two of them down before we had to defend ourselves with our edged weaponry. Fortunately for us the priests, though unable as yet to take the creatures down, had at least caused them to slow as they got closer to us. I found myself almost at bay by three of the creatures as I desperately parried away swipes with their clawed extremities as they sought to bring us down. I did however notice a thin ragged shape in the background observing us and making odd gestures as another wave of the creatures started to rise from the ground around it and between dodges loosed a bullet in its general direction more in hope than expectation. There was absolutely no chance of hitting the figure with a pistol shot, yet I did distract it and the shapes fell back into the ground just as one of my opponents got a strike in on me with its claws raking my sides causing me to gasp in agony.

I thought for a second that my time had come but Arch, being a far more expert bladesman than I, neatly skewered the thing before it could finish me off.

"Concentrate John," he gasped with a grin as both he and Hengist were proving more than a match for the creatures opposing us.

"Yes, Mage Arch," I replied with a grin of my own as the sounds of the priests chants behind us reached a crescendo and the creatures finally collapsed into dust.

It was only when I tried to heal myself that I ran into a major problem, in that the wound inflicted refused to heal. Nor would Arch's method work either and it took a request to Father Franco to 'lay hands' upon me before what appeared to be a curse was lifted. Mages generally don't do curses; we have regenerative long term spells, but can usually detect them if used upon ourselves, naturally those of us under the governance of the Council were not permitted to use them on mundanes either. Theurgists and Thaumaturgists apparently do use them in that they draw upon the power of the divine (or demonic) to sustain the effect. As the power does not work in the way Mages do things, we have difficulty divining it or indeed combatting it and if 'cursed' often have to seek help elsewhere. Fortunately there are a host of neutral Theurgists out there not connected with the major monotheist religions who will step in to help ... at a price ... of course.

"Thank you," I offered after he had healed me.

"Think nothing of it young Mage, I, unlike others of my faith, do not withhold what few gifts I have in helping others not of my faith," he replied with a kindly smile.

His healing came just in time as a fresh wave of revenants clambered over the wall and advanced upon us, though far more cautiously than the previous group.

"Hold them," ordered Arch.

This time I gathered a handful of small pebbles and used my telekinesis to accelerate them to almost supersonic speeds straight at the creatures only to curse as the pebbles went straight through them.

"Illusion," called out Hengist. "Caution now, this is a distraction from another attack!"

A loud scream came from Father LeFarge as gnarled hands shot up from the earth to grab him and pull him under. Thinking rapidly on my feet I used a molecular displacement spell on the area around him and assisted Arch and Pierre to try to pull the struggling priest out only for his struggles to cease and the torn off arms of the butchered priest to come away in our grasp.

"May God have mercy on his soul," Antonelli whispered silently as we looked on in horror whilst Pierre vomited in his anguish.

"We need to find this Thaumaturge quickly, we Mages are seriously outclassed here, at least until we can see what we're fighting," Arch stated.