Absolution Black Book 6 (final book)

[Absolution Black]

PART 1

Lydia screamed as she felt the sudden wrench in her shoulder but this was cut short as she slammed into the eaves of the building, temporarily winding her. She looked up to see Joshua’s hand tightly gripping her wrist, holding her in place. She knew she shouldn’t have but she looked down and saw the hard cobbles several feet below her. The fall might not have killed her but it would have seriously injured her, most likely breaking several bones. With all the energy she could muster, she reached her other hand up to grab onto his wrist and he began to haul her up.

Within a few seconds she was lying flat on the sloping rooftop next to the sitting form of Joshua Black. He was still bleeding from a nasty gash on his arm, though it wasn’t life threatening. She tilted her head up but could see no sign of Absolution.

“Where’s Absolution? Did he make it? “ Her voice was cracking with emotion, as she forced herself to sit upright.

“Relax, he’s fine. He’s down there” He pointed at the cracked skylight a few feet away. “He went straight through when he landed. Luckily it seems to have been an old mill so he landed on a pile of wool. Apart from a couple of cuts and bruises, he’s fine”.

Despite the ordeal that they had recently endured, and the fact she was almost dead on her feet, Lydia found herself laughing out loud at the image of Black shooting straight through the skylight. She could see Joshua smiling back at her. She reached up to her head and pulled some of her tousled hair back from her sweat covered brow. She saw Joshua’s expression change and quickly withdrew her hand.

“What’s wrong? Am I hurt? I can’t feel anything”.

He shook his head.

“No, you’re not hurt. But a few locks of your hair have gone white.”

He leant over and nicked a small piece of her fringe with his knife, handing her the silvery white locks. She turned them over in her hand not knowing how to react. It was more than likely a side effect of using that much power, but was it permanent? Would it spread? Was she ageing? She held a hand up to her face and gently traced her fingers across the skin. To her relief she felt no obvious signs of ageing; no wrinkles or sagging skin. She breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“You look fine, its just a few bits of hair, that’s all”. But she wasn’t convinced by his tone.

They stood up and knelt at the edge of the broken skylight. It was gloomy inside the building but they could make out the figure of Black moving around inside. She wondered how he would react to her change in appearance, hoping that nothing would. She saw him bend down and investigate something, holding it up to his face to get a closer look.

“What is it?” she called, leaning over more to watch.

“I don’t know exactly. It’s a sword, but not like any I’ve seen before. Just lying here covered in dust. I’m guessing its been here for years at least, possibly a lot longer”.

She saw him wipe at the blade with a torn off handful of material and then he disappeared from view. She looked across at Joshua and smiled.

“So, how do we get down from here?”

She watched a smile form on his lips and she realised exactly how they would be getting down. He nodded towards the broken skylight.

“Well, Ladies first?”……………

They had travelled for several hours to reach their destination and Knoffler was not feeling in the best of moods. It had been hot and dusty for a long part of the journey, but thankfully the cool evening air was relieving some of the discomfort. He wiped the last remaining film of sweat from his forehead and sat back on the wooden seat. He was sitting on one of several Wagons that had made the journey with them whilst men milled around, building makeshift tents within the fringes of the wooded area they had found.

Not far away he could see the rocky ground that led to the edge of the ravine overlooking Snake Valley. He had chosen this spot to make camp because of its proximity to the ridge, but also because it offered this degree of concealment from prying eyes. He knew that Hrothgar and his minions would more than likely fly in from the direction of Respite, and this put them hopefully well off the path they would take. Tomorrow morning they would take up positions along the ridge and wait. He found himself biting his lip nervously, and berated himself for it.

He slid himself down from the driver’s bench and walked across the small clearing. He heard the light footsteps on the dry grass before he saw whoever it was and smiled as Reagan walked alongside him. She was looking as smart as always and this surprised him; Everyone else was dusty, sweaty and generally in a foul mood after several hours travel, but Reagan still seemed fresh faced and her uniform immaculate. If he hadn’t seen all he had seen in just the last few days, he would have thought something was weird about that. But now he took it all in his stride.

“So, the men are almost all set up for the night?” He asked as they walked.

“Yes. There were a few incidents where the wagons have become damaged, or the tents just won’t stay up. But for the most part, we are in and settled”.

He laughed. They continued on in silence for a while until they reached the cliff edge. They stood for a few moments just looking out over the dusty valley below, empty now except for a few circling hawks after their prey. Knoffler was feeling empathy for the prey right now, feeling everyone else was circling around above him, just waiting for him to make the mistake that would cost him. He turned away and looked back towards the treeline.

“One hundred and fifteen men” he muttered, “ I would never have thought it”.

“Oh, most were more than happy to sign up, the overtime alone is worth a few bottles in the local!”

They shared a laugh. He knew there wouldn’t be many more for a while even if everything went to plan tomorrow.

“You do realise a lot of them won’t be going back…well, not in any state to claim that overtime. Even if everything goes smoothly, as soon as those Nephilim hit our lines it will get messy”.

He noticed Reagan shift a little, through unease or just uncomfortable he couldn’t quite tell.

“To be honest, I was kind of hoping that would be the case. I may have, err…. Embellished a little to get people to sign up”. She lowered her head slightly, avoiding eye contact.

“You promised these men a great payday, hoping that most wouldn’t be around to collect. I’m guessing the powers that be haven’t exactly sanctioned the payouts then?”

“Not exactly. I know it sounds callous, but I really wanted to impress you sir, and I don’t want to see anyone killed if we can help it. It would just be more beneficial”.

Knoffler stood there for a second before the absurdity of the conversation got too much for him and he began to chuckle. Softly at first, before it developed into a full bodied laugh. He realised he needed something like this to clear the tension that had been building for so long. He slapped Reagan on the shoulder casually,

“Don’t worry about it, Its highly likely we won’t be going back either! So then you won’t have to worry about it.”

He stopped the laugh and wiped a tear or two from his eyes. Then he saw a lone figure standing about twenty feet away from them. He was a guardsman who had obviously sneaked away for a cigarette whilst no-one was looking. Even though they were so close, he obviously hadn’t seen or heard them.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Knoffler set off towards the guardsman at a brisk pace, swiftly followed by the smiling Reagan.

“Hey you boy! You there! Have I not told everyone that smoking whilst you’re supposed to be working is considered a dereliction of duty? Now I’m going to have to confiscate those cigarettes!”

He patted his pockets,

“And those matches too”…………….

The sun was rising as the four riders set off towards the rendezvous at Snake Valley. Joshua led the small group along the dusty trailways through the scrubland towards their destination. Abernathy, who had insisted he come, was situated in the middle and then Black rode at the rear with Lydia sitting behind him, her arms encircling his waist, her head resting against his back. He could feel her deep breathing as she dozed, recovering from the exertions of the last few days. He had been worried about her after the incident with the mad resurrectionist but was trying not to let it show.

She had been asleep nearly all the time since, and he realised how close she must have come to draining herself beyond the point of recovery. He hadn’t said anything about the white streaks that now dotted her auburn hair but had reassured her that everything was fine. But he knew it wasn’t. the events of the night had changed her forever; maybe not as a person, but physically she was different. Apart from her discoloured hair, the most obvious side effect had been her eyes. Once they had been a deep alluring brown that drew you in and ate you up. Now the pupils had turned a deep crimson colour, the colour of blood.

He hadn’t said anything, and had warned the others not to either, at least until he felt she was well enough to accept it. He had taken great pains to ensure she didn’t come into contact with anything reflective, just in case. He realised that despite the changes she seemed to have gone through, she was still the same person, and he still cared for her just as much as before. There was no way he was going to just hand her over to Hrothgar to be used as a pawn in some civil war. That was why he had taken the drastic action he had, the action that had led to a man’s death.

He felt her stir slightly and looked over his shoulder. She still slumbered, pressed tightly against his back. He knew that as long as she remained in Malifaux, she would become the target for any of the power hungry individuals that lived here. He would have to take her back through the breach, maybe to a remote place where they could be happy together, where she needn’t use her powers at all. He smiled, realising he had thought ‘where they’d be happy’. He resolved there and then that he too would leave Malifaux once this was over, if he survived of course.

They reached the rendezvous spot mid morning and they waited whilst Joshua slipped off his horse and scouted the nearby area for signs of a trap. Satisfied they were still alone, he signalled for the others to come forward and dismount. He woke Lydia gently and helped her down from the horse, sitting her down on the rocks nearby to drink some water, then he moved over to where his father stood constantly on vigil.

“You didn’t have to be here you know” he said, standing alongside the shorter man.

“You are my son. I may not have been a father in the past, but I intend to be one now. You will not face this alone. Besides, we both know Abernathy couldn’t hit a barn door from ten paces, and Lydia is in no fit state to fight for any length of time. You need me, and I'm here"”

For the first time Black felt the feelings he had hidden long ago rise up. He placed a hand on his father’s shoulder as they stood there.

“That means a lot. I can’t forget but I can forgive. I understand why you did it, and although I think it was the wrong way, I am willing to make amends”

They turned to face each other, and he noticed the smile on his father’s face, the relief draining the tension from it.

“Thank you Absolution. That means a lot. So what do we do now?”

“We wait. We wait and hope we live to see tomorrow”……………

[Chucklemonkey]

Cracking work as usual. Already looking forward to the rest.

[Absolution Black]

PART 2

Knoffler watched as the guardsmen began to take up their positions along the ridge overlooking the valley below. They kept as low to the ground as possible so as to avoid creating a tell-tale silhouette that might give them away before they had chance to strike. A hundred men, give or take. That was a lot of firepower trained on the dusty landscape below; surely they would have enough to see the job through. He hoped so, for both his and Absolutions’ sake.

He watched as the three horses approached from the southern end of the valley, slowly making their way through the twisted scrub and skeletons of long dead creatures. This valley had been a killing field in an age gone past, bones were strewn everywhere across the parched earth, bleached white by the incessant sun. He knew that today, this ground would once more become a slaughter site, and he only hoped his bones wouldn’t be joining the others by the end of it all.

The riders dismounted and tied their horses to an old dead tree, its branches blackened and gnarled. He watched as the older man took the young woman into the shade to rest up, out of sight under the cliff below him. Flicking a bug from his jacket sleeve, he followed the other two: Absolution and his father Joshua, as they paced around the valley floor, scouting out the land. He smiled, knowing that at least they weren't entering into this without any preparation. A glint of light caught his eye and he saw the blade strapped to Joshua’s back. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before, and even from this distance he could see the blade was unspoilt, gleaming silver in the sunlight.

He wondered where they had got such a piece of craftsmanship, as he was pretty certain Absolution didn’t have the money to pay for such a thing. He shrugged and put the thought to the back of his mind as he pulled out a cigarette from the pack he had confiscated earlier and struck a match, lighting the end. Breathing in deeply he smiled. It wasn’t his brand of choice but the guardsman had good taste, he would give him that. He heard the rustle of grass nearby and turned his head to see Reagan crawling towards him. She took up a position next to him, and lay her sniper rifle down on the grass next to her. It was a work of art too, the metal blemish free and the wooden stock varnished and pristine.

“Everything’s set. All you have to do is give the signal” She whispered as she lay down overlooking the valley.

“Great. Now all we do is wait. Wait and hope that it all goes well”.

She was about to reply when she suddenly stopped herself. She nodded in the direction of the northern end of the valley. Dark shapes were swirling around in the blue sky, swooping lower and lower until they landed on the sandy floor below, sending up little plumes of dust. Nephilim. And lots of them. Knoffler breathed in deeply, the moment of truth was close at hand. He observed the dark shapes walking casually across the valley floor towards where Absolution and his father stood. They remained motionless, staring straight at the winged behemoths stalking their way. Smaller, faster shapes flitted between the monsters: younger, less mature Nephilim.

Hrothgar had certainly brought a strong force, possibly even all of the neverborn at his command. He was obviously showing his strength as a warning to Black not to try anything underhand, though Knoffler suspected the giant Nephilim himself was easily a match for both of the Black family standing down below. He watched and waited for the opportune time…..

Black watched the Nephilim dropping from the clear skies and begin their walk towards him. He could see the mighty bulk of Hrothgar at their front, striding confidently, full of arrogance. He checked the timepiece in his pocket: almost noon. Good, things were going to plan. He only hoped that she would keep her end of the deal, otherwise things would get messy very, very quickly. He risked a quick glance towards the cliff-tops but saw no sign of movement. He began to feel the first signs of fear and quashed them almost as swiftly.

Hrothgar stopped almost twenty feet away from them and smiled. He flapped his wings absent-mindedly and it created a small gust of cooling air that dried the thin layer of sweat on Black’s forehead. He was thankful for that, even if the giant hadn’t mean it. He stood forwards from his father and held out his empty hands as a show of peace. It was purely symbolic as he knew the mature Nephilim’s hands were his weapons, and therefore the beast was permanently armed. Hrothgar replied in kind, grinning from ear to ear as he looked over to where Lydia sat resting.

“I see you bring the artefact” His deep voice rumbled. “We’ll take her now”

“She needs to rest first. At least allow her that. Its not as if we are going anywhere soon”.

The Nephilim laughed.

“I do hope you have not over stretched the toy, human. It would not go well for you to bring me damaged goods”.

“She has a name Hrothgar. She is not a toy, or an artefact to be used by all who wish it”.

The Nephilim leaned forward, lowering his head towards Black. His features had creased in anger and he was flaring his nostrils. Black took a step back instinctively, forcing himself not to reach for his holstered pistols.

“Insignificant Worm! Do not dare to assume you can tell me what I can or cannot do! Your lives are fragile, easily snuffed out. Do not rankle me further”.

“Apologies Hrothgar, I meant no offence. I merely wished you to show the lady some courtesy, that’s all”.

Hrothgar straightened and turned his head away slightly, breathing deeply to contain his anger. After a few seconds of silence, he turned back to face Black, a smile on his face, flashing his razor sharp teeth. He flexed his wings once more.

“My apologies, human. I forget how civilised you creatures are. You may have one hour, after that we take the….Lydia, and you leave”.

The creature turned and walked back to where his followers stood huddled, Nephilim of all shapes and sizes, dressed in ragged cloth and brandishing crude weapons. He opened his arms in a placating gesture and they scattered to the shadier parts of the valley to wait. Black watched them go, counting almost a hundred of the black shapes. He nodded to his father and they walked back to the overhang where Abernathy sat with Lydia, feeding her water from a pouch. They exchanged a quick glance before Black squatted down before her.

“I have bought us some time, but we need to come up with a plan and fast. I do have something in place, but we need a back up in case it doesn’t work”.

“The back up is that we all die”. Joshua was straight to the point. He walked over to them, a grim look on his face. “If your plan doesn’t work Absolution, we won’t be leaving this valley alive”.

Lydia smiled weakly, and Black knew she was drained. She held her head up to speak.

“I can take out as many as possible, but you would all need to be gone”

“The strain would kill you long before you made any significant damage. That is not an option at the moment”.

She smiled up at him and accepted another mouthful of water from the pouch, gulping it down hungrily. Black looked across the valley floor at the hunched figures of the Nephilim, eyeing them constantly. He knew if it came down to it, at least their deaths would be quick. He took a swig of the water himself as he wracked his brains trying to come up with something that might see them through this, should his original plan fail. He cursed. He knew she couldn’t be trusted, and as he looked at his timepiece his heart sank. She should have been here five minutes ago. Then he heard the scream…….

Knoffler had watched the initial exchanges between the two groups and as they conversed below he knew the time was right to tighten the noose. He looked across to Reagan who had already positioned herself ready to shoot, her rifle trained directly on Hrothgar’s head. He looked back along the ridge-top at his men, all of them chosen their targets and ready to fire. He went to raise his arm to signal the ambush. Then he heard the scream…

The guardsman fell from the cliff-top, smacking against the rock-face as he tumbled to land in a crumpled heap below. But mercifully he was dead long before his skull smashed open. Knoffler watched in horror as all around him theguardsmen were being set upon by the small Nephilim. What was it the Guild called them, Terror Tots? It made them sound almost childlike, but there was nothing innocent about the way they were rending the flesh from the bones of the men around him.

The beleaguered guard loosed shots off from their rifles and many struck home, slaying the small devils before they got closer, but sheer force of numbers was turning the tide in the Nephilim’s favour. He stood up quickly and fired point blank at a leaping tot as it reached for his neck. The creature exploded in a shower of black sticky blood that covered an unfortunate Guardsman nearby. Knoffler watched in horror as the man’s face and hands began to blister and blacken, burning away at the flesh as he fell to the floor screaming.

He watched open mouthed as the tiny creatures feasted on the blood of the slain, their bodies twisting and warping as they grew larger and stronger, wings ripping from their backs. He continued to pour bullets into the writhing mass that skittered across the open cliff-top towards them. For every one he dispatched, another two would seem to take their place. He could only watch helplessly as a bigger nephilim grabbed a guardsman next to him, wrenching the man’s arm from its socket, the creatures teeth biting down hard on the exposed neck, sending a gush of red blood spraying into the air. Thankfully the man was dead in seconds as the fiend continued to drink, growing stronger and bigger with every gulp.

He could see Reagan out of the corner of his eye, firing shot after shot from her rifle. She appeared so calm and he envied her this. Every shot she made she hit a black skinned creature, stopping them in its tracks. He turned back just in time to see a tot leaping for him from the body of a slain Guardsman. Instinctively he swung his arm around to protect himself, his blade slicing the creature in half as it reached for him. He felt the blood spray onto his hand and looked down. The black blood had covered his arm and was already eating its way through the cloth to his skin. He felt the intense burning as the corrosive liquid ate into his flesh and he screamed, collapsing to the floor with the pain.

He was rapidly losing consciousness as he felt an arm around him, dragging him backwards away from the fierce fighting on the clifftop. He opened his eyes and saw the last of his men being torn apart, or falling from the cliffs to their deaths. The tide of creatures continued over the edge and to the valley below, destroying any living soul in their path. He could feel the rough earth beneath him as they moved further away from the horrors. It was then that he saw her, striding through the sea of nephilim. She was beautiful: red hair shimmering in the sunlight, her pale skin almost translucent as she coaxed and directed her children to their goal. Lilith, the mother of monsters. Then the pain overcame him and his body forced him to slip into unconciousness, his world becoming black…………

[DavidKerrSmith]

brilliant. looking forward to the next part

[Absolution Black]

FINAL PART

Black watched as the body of the Guild guard landed heavily in a heap on the dusty floor. For a split second everyone was frozen in shock and disbelief. Then Black was watching as Hrothgar twisted his body to face him, the creature’s face full of rage. Instinctively Black unholstered his pistols and held them ready, waiting to see what would happen next. He stood up straighter and moved from the shadow of the cliff face, into the centre of the valley keeping an eye on the shadowy Nephilim at all times.

They were emerging from their hiding places, faces dark with glinting eyes. He saw his father out of the corner of his eye standing ready, the mysterious rune sword grasped in one hand, a revolver cocked in the other. Lydia had managed to haul herself to her feet and, with the support of Abernathy, she trained her firearm on the advancing demons. Black couldn’t help but smile at her tenacity: the girl was virtually asleep on her feet yet she was determined to help out any way she could. He looked up at the ridge above and saw the fighting. It looked pretty one sided, the Guild were being massacred, and the valley floor was becoming littered with the deceased. Just what were the Guild doing here anyway? His heart sank…it would have been Knoffler’s doing, an attempt to protect them. He cursed and hoped his old friend was still alive up there.

The bellow from Hrothgar brought him back from his thoughts. The creature had stretched its wings to their full span and was flexing its giant hands, the evil claws reflecting the sunlight.

“You Betray me human!” Hrothgar spat, “Turning me over to the Guild?”

“You’re wrong Hrothgar, I had nothing to do with the Guild being here. You could say I’m as shocked as you are”.

The beast grunted in disbelief. He signalled to his minions and the black tide began to encircle the four humans.

“No matter, you will be dust and blood before long. I shall have the pleasure of ripping your heart from your chest and devouring it before you”

“Aren’t you missing something?” Black asked, training his revolver on the giant’s head. “If we are down here, then who is slaughtering the soldiers up there? Shouldn’t that concern you a little?”

“Hah. As long as they are dying and I am not, it matters little to me. Now stop your delaying worm, and face your death”.

The sounds of the distant gunfire and screams were gradually dying down, and Black hoped that he had guessed the mystery assailant correctly and that she would honour her end of the bargain. He looked up quickly and saw the tide of tiny creatures swarming down the cliff face towards them. At the exact same time Hrothgar, seemingly oblivious to the oncoming danger, made his move.

“Come my children, feast on their bones, drink their blood. But leave the tall one for me, his death is mine to give”

All hell broke loose, the ragged followers of Hrothgar leapt forward towards the small group, and Black was forced to direct his fire away from the giant himself and into the swirling mass of wings, teeth and claws that barrelled towards them along the baking earth. Each shot needed to count, and he made sure every hit was a kill, the creatures dropping to the ground where they ran, a bullet between their eyes. He tried desperately to keep a tag on Hrothgar but soon the leader was lost behind a mass of black and deadly bodies…

Joshua stood his ground and watched the creatures splitting off to attack him. He was relieved to see that the bigger nephilim were heading for him and not towards Lydia and Abernathy, who were in no real fit state to fight. He only hoped they could fight off the swarm of smaller neverborn that were circling around them. He shot his pistol methodically, thinning the larger creatures out of the throng first, eliminating the bigger risks. He had time to reload only once and empty the cylinders before they were upon him. With a deft stroke he swung the heavy blade downwards catching the closest nephilim with the steel. Light flared on the blade and the creatures just vanished into dust, black clouds drifting to the ground before him. He didn’t have time to reflect on this as he was bowled over by a larger nephilim crashing into his side.

As he felt the claws tearing at his clothes, desperate to reach his tender skin he kicked out, sending the creature sprawling away from him, jumping quickly to his feet he swung the blade towards the circling beasts, watching with satisfaction as the nearest to him disappeared into dust, not quick enough to escape the blade……..

Lydia could hardly see the tide of black that was advancing swiftly towards her but held her gun up and began to shoot. She had no idea if she hit anything at all, but she knew that if she wanted to live, which she did, she had to fight until she could no longer do so. She felt Abernathy at her side, their backs pressed against the cold, hard rock face. She could hear his methodical firing, the ancient pistols he favoured popping their deadly shot in an almost soothing rhythm. She heard the pitiful clicking of an empty pistol and dropped it to the floor. She had no ammunition, and she was rapidly losing energy. She felt Abernathys’ arm around her as he lowered her to the ground before resuming his shooting. She heard him curse as he realised there were just too many of them. As she struggled to keep awake, she heard him draw his sword, and his shadow passed in front of her as he prepared to repel the attack……….

Knoffler came around with a start, his heart thumping within his chest. His vision was still blurred but he could make out a roof above him, wooden panels in a deep red colour. Twisting his head he gradually became more aware of his surroundings. He was in the back of a Guild wagon. He went to sit up and the pain flared across his right shoulder, a burning that somehow chilled his very soul. He felt a hand pushing him back to the floor of the wagon, and the soothing voice of a woman.

“Stay down sir, You need to keep still….and quiet….very quiet”. It was Reagan, her voice a low whisper. She squatted next to him, her head always turning, checking their situation.

Her rifle lay on the seat alongside her, and she held a guild issue pistol in her right hand, already loaded and cocked. He could see the concern on her face, her once innocent features now betraying the rigours of stress and pain. She had a nasty cut to the side of her cheek, which she kept dabbing with a ragged piece of cloth. He noticed it was part of her tunic sleeve, ripped off to use as a temporary bandage.

He could feel the burning in his shoulder and he looked down at himself, and the right arm that wasn’t there. Strangely though it burned he felt no pain, the arm completely gone from the shoulder down, the wound cauterised and clotted. He remembered now, the blood spraying across his sleeve, eating away at him swiftly. He remembered falling and being dragged. He remembered her…..

“Lilith. She was here?” He whispered, his mouth dry.

“Uh huh. But be quiet, I don’t want to find out if she still is here”.

He wanted to laugh at her flippant comment, to lighten the mood, but knew that could prove to be suicidal. Instead he leant his head back against the makeshift pillow of a tunic folded over and stared at the wagon ceiling.

“I always thought she was a myth, a childhood story to scare us to behave” He shook his head gently.

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of a cigarette is there?”………..

Black was surrounded by a wall of the nephilim, all reluctant to get closer to him as he levelled the gun at them. He was saving his ammunition now, as the creatures seemed to have no desire to attack. He knew they were holding back on Hrothgar’s orders, penning him in until their lord wished to enter the fray. He was being toyed with and it rankled him. He was about to resume his shooting when he heard a screech to his left, and turned to see a nephilim fall to the ground dead, an arrow piercing its chest. He looked up to see a wave of the nephilim advancing on his position, attacking Hrothgar’s minions as they ran. Lilith’s brood. He sighed in relief, which was strange as he had no doubts that these newcomers would just as happily rip him to shreds as their treacherous brothers.

Suddenly there was panic in the swarm that surrounded him, and the once hungry horde now became a seething mass of bodies moving: some eager to fight, turning to face their brethren, others twisting hard to escape. He lowered his revolver and tried to search for Hrothgar. He needn’t have worried as without warning, the brute appeared to his side. Before he could react he felt the back of the nephilims’ hand strike his ribs, sending him sprawling across the dust. He felt at least two of his ribs crack from the impact and he struggled to breathe, pulling himself onto his knees quickly, knowing to hesitate would be to die.

The rebel Nephilim was stalking towards him, all awareness of the fighting around them seemed to disappear. It was just the two of them, now locked in a combat that only one of then could win. And he knew the odds were heavily against him. He realised he still held his revolver and he loosed a couple of shots towards the advancing behemoth, catching the creature on its shoulder and grazing its scalp. Hrothgar roared with anger and grabbed Black by the leg, lifting him easily into the air, dangling him in front of the beast’s snarling face. Black struggled to free his sword, knowing that this was going to be over very quickly unless he could fight back soon.

He heard the Nephilim laugh, that throaty almost infectious rumble.

“Not so mighty are you human?” He roared, “I shall enjoy making this as painful as I can for you”.

He felt the other hand grip his ribs tight and screamed in pain as the monster squeezed. He felt the already broken bones grind against each other, and then he felt pain like no other. As the creature released its grip he realised he couldn’t catch his breath easily. With fear starting to flood into him, he realised that he had most likely punctured a lung. He could feel his strength rapidly draining from his body as the demon held him there upside down.

“This is going to be such fun” The Nephilim bellowed, tossing Black like a rag doll across the rocky floor.

He felt his leg break as he smacked into the stones that scattered the valley floor. Pain was flooding through his body as he struggled to breathe. He could feel blood running from several wounds, his clothes wet with the scarlet liquid. He looked up to see the creature beating its chest in triumph, its wings flapping in a show of might. Then he watched as it turned to face him, before it leapt into the air, swooping down towards him for the final blow…….

Joshua was tiring fast. Although the creatures seemed wary of approaching due to the sword, he was losing the battle through attrition. For every nephilim he vanquished, another three would take its place, and the circle would close in tighter. He could see his son struggling with the giant and cursed, realising he could do nothing to help. He backed slowly away from the encroaching tide and as he ran out of room, he raised his sword as he prepared to go down fighting.

Then, to his amazement the horde scattered in disarray, the ragged followers set upon by the newcomers. He stood there for several seconds, transfixed at the sight of Nephilim fighting Nephilim in their civil war. Then as he heard his son scream in pain, he snapped out of it and turned to go to his aid, fighting his way past the battling creatures. He reached open ground and broke into a run, watching the behemoth throw his son across the scrub. He saw Hrothgar prepare to leap into the air, and hoped he would make it in time…….

Lydia felt strange. Suddenly she could feel herself becoming stronger, her energy returning. She couldn’t place exactly why it was happening now and so quickly, only that she was relieved. Her vision became clearer as she pulled herself upright to stand alongside Abernathy. The old man was tiring fast, and he had several bad gashes across his body. He was only just managing to swing his blade and keep the nephilim at bay, and this was allowing the occasional claw to break through the defence and gouge at his skin.

She grabbed his hand, pulling the sword from him and motioned him to stand behind her. She noticed his alarm as he first caught sight of her and she panicked. What was wrong? Had she changed further? She knew about her hair and her eyes…even though the others had done their best to hide the fact. I mean, what self respecting lady doesn’t have a small piece of mirror in her travel bag? Then the shock was gone and he nodded. She whirled around in time to decapitate a nephilim who had strayed too close to her, dodging the spray of black blood that spurted from the open neck.

As she methodically dispatched the surrounding creatures she noticed they shrunk back from her, hiding their faces from her gaze. Then they were suddenly caught up in the tide of the advancing nephilim streaming down the cliff face. She held back as the two factions clashed, watching them ripping each other to shreds. She grabbed Abernathy and slowly made their way around the squabbling groups towards their horses further down the valley. She would leave Abernathy there and return to help the others. Then she saw him. She screamed as she saw him flung across the valley floor like an unwanted toy. She turned to Abernathy who nodded, and then she was running hard towards the fight, hoping she would get there in time……..

Black looked up, struggling to focus as the blood from a head wound trickled into his eyes. He wiped them away with a hand. He knew his leg was broken, so trying to stand would be foolish. He knew he was a dead man. As he watched the giant leap towards him he closed his eyes to accept it, hoping the death would be quick. He could hear his laboured breathing, and everything seemed to slow. This was it. Then he saw his father leap in front of him just as Hrothgar struck, watching them both spiral up into the sky, his father impaled on the talons of the beast.

Then they were out of his sight………….

Joshua screamed as he felt the lethal claws pierce his abdomen, knowing that he wouldn’t survive such a wound. He felt the ground rush away from them as the giant soared into the sky. He was almost face to face with the snarling beast and knew he had just the one shot, feeling the blood pour from his wounds. He used all his strength and swung the runic blade around piercing the chest of the Nephilim. The blade sank deep into the flesh and the creature screamed in agony. A red light filled the nephilim from within as some ancient magic flared into life, streams of light emitting from its eyes and open mouth. Yet the beast did not crumble into dust like the others to his dismay. Black blood spurted from the wound in the creatures chest and covered Joshua as he hung there limply, his life blood cascading to the floor below them like a waterfall.

He felt his skin blister as he was exposed to the blood, his skin burning off with his clothes. Thankfully he slipped into unconsciousness and then death before the pain became too great………

Black watched as the creature crashed to the ground just feet away from him, the body of his father smacking into the dust alongside the stricken nephilim. He watched as Hrothgar flailed at the sword embedded in his chest, weakly trying to pull the blade free from himself. He saw the Nephilim glance in his direction and roar, pulling itself to its knees as it used its energy to stand. With one taloned hand it pulled the sword free and discarded it, slumping slightly as its exertions overtook it.

“Human….I will…tear your head from….your shoulders…before I die..” The blood poured from its mouth as it coughed.

Black looked around desperately, looking for any kind of weapon. He smiled when he saw his revolver just a few inches away. As the creature shuffled slowly towards him, he twisted to try and reach the gun. He yelled in pain as he felt his broken bones grind, and spat out the blood that bubbled up into his mouth. He felt the hilt under his fingertips and scrabbled the gun into his palm, swinging it around to face the oncoming nephilim.

“Huh…too …late….human. I will…see ….my….revenge”

“Oh just die, you Bastard”, smiled Black as he pulled the trigger, pumping shot after shot into the head of Hrothgar.

The creature stumbled for a few seconds then crashed to the ground, dead. Black coughed more blood from his lungs and collapsed against the rock behind him. He couldn’t grip the gun any more and let it fall from his fingers. As he lay there, he felt the sun heating his face, he could hear the distant sounds of battle as the Nephilim tore into each other. He could feel himself getting weaker and weaker, the loss of blood must be too bad he thought. He struggled to take in air as he felt his chest tighten and he knew that it wouldn’t be long.

The last thing he remembered before everything became black was Lydia kneeling next to him, leaning over him, grasping his hand………..

THE END

(Epilogue to follow)

[Orboros]

Really nice read, looks like i'll read the other books aswell

[Absolution Black]

Really nice read, looks like i'll read the other books aswell

lol! reading the last book first....Hopefully the charcaters will make more sense once you read them in order!

The link to the master thread is in my sig.....

[elril]

Well done AB, I have enjoyed reading all of them immensely.

[Absolution Black]

EPILOGUE

The rain tossed and swirled in the wind that tore through the small graveyard on the outskirts of the city. It caused the coats of the three figures standing by the freshly filled grave to flap, making them pull them that little bit tighter. The smallest of the figures, a woman, knelt down and placed a single red rose on the soft earth before standing up again and pulling her hood tighter around her head. Small wisps of pure white hair snagged in the wind and she fought to tuck them back under the flimsy material.

An elderly gentleman reached out a hand to place it on her shoulder, and as she turned to face him, she nodded, signalling that she was ready to leave. The trio made their way up the sodden path towards the wooden church, stopping in the entranceway to shake off the raindrops and clean their boots on the cloths provided. They stood there under the eaves watching the rain falling, each silent in their own thoughts. The third figure, a man, moved a mechanical arm to reach into his pocket. Cogs and gears whirred as the artificial limb slowly replicated the movements of a real arm perfectly. He pulled out a packet of slightly damp cigarettes and matches and proceeded to light up.

“I thought you were giving up?” The lady smiled.

“I am, honest. This is my last packet, you’ll see.” The man grinned back at her, and replaced the packets slowly into his jacket.

“How are you finding the new arm?”

“Not bad, it’s a bit slow, so I won’t be entering any gunfighting contests any time soon. But I’m just thankful I have it.”

The woman laughed and her hood slipped down from her head. Long snow white hair tumbled down to her shoulders, framing a pale youthful face. Deep crimson eyes reflected the light from the small lamps hanging in the church entrance. To a stranger her appearance would be frightening, but she was amongst friends and they didn’t even appear to notice. Though her appearance was not considered normal, she was stunningly beautiful, Knoffler had to admit.

“It was good of the Guild to pay for the arm” continued the man, “ But it was their fault I ended up like this I suppose!” he chuckled.

“So what do you plan to do now then, Captain?”

“Hah, who knows. My job at the guild is still waiting for me, but I think I might try something new. I hear there’s good money in the Private detective trade”.

He took a long drag from the cigarette and watched the older gentleman who was staring out across the graveyard.

“Hey Abernathy, what’s bothering you?”

The older man turned back to face them , his face now showing the signs of his advancing years. The last few days had been hard on him, Knoffler thought, he’s lost so much.

“I worry. Will he be left in peace in there? You hear stories of these damn resurrectionists raiding graveyards for their cursed experiments”.

“Oh Black is going nowhere Abernathy. The wards we put in with him will ensure nothing can disturb his rest. He’s the lucky one, we still have to live in this hellhole”.

This caused a smile to crack the lips of the older man, and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess I worry too much. So, are we going our separate ways then?”

The other two nodded and pulled their cloaks tighter around themselves. Knoffler stubbed out the cigarette and peered out into the gloom. He saw the wagon waiting at the end of the path, the driver hunched down under the overhang, keeping dry. He turned back to the other two and smiled.

“Ok, until we meet again then…” He stepped out into the downpour and soon the drizzle had swallowed him up.

Abernathy turned to the woman alongside him, who was busy tying her hair back and tucking it under her hood. She smiled back at him and winked.

“I’ll be fine. I need to walk to clear my head. Its not far to…..home”

“ok, but remember, if you ever need me…”

“I know where to find you. Don’t worry Abernathy, you haven’t seen the last of me yet!”

She stepped out into the rain, feeling the drops smack against her clothes, splashing her cheeks where the hood didn’t cover. She walked out of the small churchyard and turned into the cobbled street, heading for home.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

She opened the door to the room slowly and shook her coat once more to shake off the last few stubborn droplets of water, before hanging it on the stand nearby. She pulled the tie out of her hair, letting it fall once more. She closed the door behind her and sighed, moving her hand down to her abdomen and patting herself gently on the place where her baby was growing inside her. She smiled and turned to walk across to stoke the fire.

“So, how is the little one?” The voice asked.

She turned towards the side of the room where the bed was situated. Sitting up and smiling across at her was the father of her baby, Absolution Black. He was heavily bandaged and the parts of his flesh that were on display were covered in angry purple bruises. But he was alive. His leg was splinted in position to help it heal and he still had difficulty breathing, but the physician said he would heal fully within a few weeks. He had been amazed at how fast he was healing already, able to sit up and feed himself long before he should physically be able to.

“She’s fine” Lydia smiled, crossing over to the bed and kissing him on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck, “We’re both fine”.

“Oh so it’s a girl, is it? “ He laughed, wincing with the pain. “I’m sure it’s a boy….”

His face turned sombre then, and she saw the tears well in his eyes. He turned his head slightly, ashamed to let her see him this weak, but she grabbed his chin in her hand and turned him back to face her, kissing him once more.

“So how was the funeral?” he asked.

“It was beautiful” she replied, “don’t worry, soon you’ll be well enough to go and see your father’s grave, I promise. Knoffler is using part of his compensation to pay for a headstone. A real fancy one, marble I believe”.

He smiled and held her close, feeling her warmth against him.

“That’s good” he whispered, “Now, kiss me some more…….”

THE END.