Chapter 62

We had just turned back to the van when there was a startled screech and a wave of water flowing over our shoes and boots. Turning quickly I immediately, along with the rest of the male Theurgists, did an about face as a sprawled, naked and clearly incandescently angry Morgana lay spluttering from whence she’d been grabbed, presumably in the middle of a bath.

“John!”

“Yes, my Mage?” I gulped.

“Greatcoat, now!”

“Yes, my Mage,” I replied and struggled out of my M40 green woollen German greatcoat and handed it to Róisín to hand to Morgana.

“John!”

“Yes, my Mage?”

“Explanation! Now! Better be bloody good or someone is going to regret being born!”

“No explanation, my Mage. Possibly the Stone of Destiny being an arse,” I stammered out, knowing Morgana was fit to kill.

“What!” the reply came back at a highly increased volume and loaded with sheer menace. “Anyone else got an explanation before I start killing people at random?”

“It wasn’t us, Mage Morgana,” Róisín replied, looking about as scared as I’ve ever seen her. Morgana in a temper is best described as ‘run for the hills’ as she’s not above mindless acts of violence and spite (or so we’ve been told). She might regret things when she calms down, but believe me, that’s very definitely afterwards. Fortunately she’s slow to anger, though being dumped naked in her bathwater in a layby of the A5 trunk road was clearly setting a new record for ‘upsetting’ her.

“Well, Marcus?” Morgana asked in a tone that went beyond freezing and right into liquid nitrogen.

“Jude?” Marcus asked desperately.

“Might have been me ... inadvertently,” Judas replied very nervously.

“Inadvertently?” Morgana hissed out.

“I’d received word from on high that your Coalition had plans to steal the Stone and I was to assist your journeymen and the Theurgists to prevent a link-up with the Ark of the Covenant. I’d been told you were best kept as far away from the Stone as possible as you might be coerced into ceding ownership. Apparently the Stone has other ideas,” Judas explained, his words tripping out quickly, almost stumbling over themselves.

“You’re telling me that bloody Stone grabbed me from my bath and dumped me here?” Morgana said quietly with menace.

“I ... I can’t think of any other explanation, Mage Morgana,” Judas finally replied, the rest of us giving sheepish nods.

“John!”

“Yes, my Mage?”

“You can turn around now, I’m decent.”

“Yes, my Mage,” I replied, turning to face Morgana.

Morgana had obviously used her magic to dry herself off and was rooting around in her pocket dimensions looking I presumed for footwear and underclothing until giving up and simply creating a few items before turning her back to me and slipping them on. She’d even adapted my greatcoat with its additional pockets to her size and shape. I also felt her removing from my mind all the visual imagery of her sprawled on the ground naked, thank God.

“Relax, John. I’m angry, but not at you,” she said coolly.

“Yes, my Mage,” I repeated myself in relief.

“Clearly that bloody rock has plans, despite it not being alive as such and those plans involve me,” Morgana stated. “As it is, those plans had better take into account that I’m going to kill or at least seriously maim the next person to piss me off, this party included!”

“Yes, my Mage,” I replied, not feeling the urge to interrupt save to agree in any shape or form.

“Who or what are we facing?”

“Judas mentioned Rasputin, Karasu, Cornelius and Iamblichus along with some cannon fodder, my Mage,” I replied.

“Just been informed,” Judas added glancing upwards. “That a Gilles de Rais has been added to your opposition whilst Rasputin has been withdrawn. Apparently he’s none too happy about this, although the stone is apparently preventing anyone escaping, that apparently includes us Theurgists.”

“Could be an opportunity to grab Gilles, my Mage,” I said quietly.

“We’re seriously outclassed by the Coalition here,” Morgana replied coolly.

“They’re seriously outclassed theurgically,” Antonelli replied.

“Yes, but you need time to formulate a response, time they are not going to allow you,” Morgana stated.

“Got a few ready-to-go chants for defence here on this speeded up device one of my accomplices made me,” Hilda replied holding up a Sony Walkman.

“Will that work?” Bryce asked.

“If I believe it, it will,” Hilda replied.

“Can’t we just ask Jerry to help?” I asked.

“Human issues require human solutions, John,” Hilda replied.

“That Stone is not human,” I retorted.

“Your opposition is,” Judas replied. “Oh, pleased to finally meet you, Lady Mage Morgana.”

“Which Jude?” Morgana asked, her brow furrowing.

“Judas Iscariot,” Judas replied with a cheery smile.

“Wonderful, simply bloody wonderful,” Morgana muttered before reaching out to shake his hand only for him to turn hers over and kiss the back of it.

“Behave,” was all Morgana had to say as she turned a gimlet eye upon him.

“But of course, dear Lady,” he replied with a slight smile.

“Right, we’re going to have to be very careful, but it looks like we’ll have a confrontation whether we like it or not,” Morgana stated. “As it is, John, do you have some Null bullets?”

“A clip of nine, my Mage,” I replied.

“Try to take some of the opposition out at a distance. I doubt you’ll have time if they get close as you can only activate your bullets one at a time,” Morgana ordered. “Róisín, start scanning, I’ve got your back.”

“Yes, Mage Morgana. No one hostile within twenty miles of us, unless they’re shielding,” Róisín replied.

“They’re shielding, believe me,” Morgana stated.

Bryce in the meantime began a Latin chant of revelation, defining its parameters as well as its distance. It had been my dealings with the Theurgists that had sent me off to study Latin, Aramaic, biblical Greek and early proto-Russian simply to get a handle on what they were up to, as most of the time I wasn’t even aware they were around, never mind read them.

“Try now,” Bryce requested of Róisín.

“Got them, about five miles away near the Lynch Hill turn off,” Róisín stated.

“Very apt, let’s go a-lynching,” Morgana replied with malice aforethought.

“Have they detected us?” I asked.

“Yes, John. Otherwise Judas here wouldn’t be irritating us with his presence,” Morgana replied acidly.

“It truly was not my intention to bring trouble upon your head, Mage Morgana and please call me Jude, Judas has unpleasant overtones,” Judas said.

“Well, you managed it,” Morgana replied. “Sometimes,” she added, looking at the theurgists, “I believe you lot simply start the ball rolling when you involve yourselves. Strikes me if you hadn’t turned up, this may not have happened.”

“Had to happen I’m afraid,” Judas replied calmly, his eyes straying to me.

“Hell and damnation, someone is going to suffer big time for this, even if I have to take it up with a Higher Power myself!” Morgana muttered, causing the Theurgists to turn slightly white at her statement.

“You can’t be serious, Mage Morgana?” a clearly shocked Bryce asked.

“Trust me, Patrick, I’m not in the mood for their little games, nor do I appreciate them permitting this Stone to manipulate me or my journeyman,” Morgana said in even tones.

“Understandable, but have a care, Morgana,” he replied.

“Oh, I’m sure Jude here will back me up,” Morgana replied with an evil smile.

“If only to see you give an angel a dressing down, I might just at that,” Judas chuckled.

“Good,” Morgana replied. “Now John, lets drive a few miles until we’re within an easy walking distance because I’m truly not in the mood for a five mile hike.”

“Yes, my Mage,” I replied as we all piled into the van.

Within ten minutes we had reached the turn-off and got out of the van. The Theurgists then began a complex series of chants to reveal anything hidden in the area, with particular regards to Mages I presumed, though some of the language they were using went well beyond what I had studied.

We soon picked up the ten Coalition Mages who were trekking their way towards us as we’d not hidden our presence in any way, shape or form. Surprisingly they did not attack immediately but seemed intent on a face to face confrontation first.

“Morgan le Fay, you haven’t changed one bit,” came a voice from out of the trees.

“Neither have you Zosimo,” Morgana replied.

“I don’t go by that name now and if you intended insult, that won’t work either,” the voice of Gilles de Rais chuckled as the Coalition Mages stepped into view.

“I was merely being polite as you used a name I no longer have a use for,” Morgana chided him, making his florid face flush slightly.

“I’ve come to offer a deal,” he said.

“Because you fear us so?” Morgana chuckled.

“Oh, I believe we have your measure, but it would be costly nevertheless,” Gilles replied, his eyes darting over us and no doubt a large scale passive scan was ongoing too.

“You’ve never had my measure; it’s why you avoid me like the plague,” Morgana stated. “And no, no deals, if the Stone is keeping you here. Today you either die or become a guest in the secure wing of Kurukshetra.”

“Oh, I believe you’re sadly mistaken in your delusions, but I wasn’t making the offer to you,” Gilles replied offhandedly.

<Your offer?> came a voice in harsh tones that were most definitely not human.

I turned swiftly to see a glowing figure, a hologram if you like, dressed in the manner of a Jewish high priest from the days of the temple.

“Reunion with the Ark. Only we in the Coalition will offer you that,” Gilles replied to the figure.

<That will happen in due course, > the figure replied.

“Nevertheless, we of the Coalition would permit you the freedom to do what you were made for, unlike these timid souls,” Gilles offered, his face contorting into a sneer.

<I do not need you for that either. What will come to pass you cannot advance nor prevent, > the figure dismissed Gilles.

“Then why are we here playing your game?” Gilles snorted.