Chapter 26

That was some ice breaker, I thought as I stood there open mouthed staring at them like they had gone insane.

"What do you mean you die?" I questioned but I got no verbal response to the question only a pretty clear demonstration as one by one they all began to clutch their heads and moan in pain. "What the-?" I didn't get to say much else before I understood exactly the pain they were in.

My hands gripped both sides of my head, all tangible thought was scattered at the fire that was burning through my brain. It sent me reeling to the floor but my body didn't even register the pain of bone harshly coming in contact with stone.

The fire only started as a slow burn but it only got stronger and hotter. The intensity of it sent knives of white hot pain through the back of my eyes so that black spots danced in my vision.

My hands blindly reached out and gripped tightly onto Lucius' trouser legs. I squeezed on to him for dear life as tears of pain streamed from my eyes, my mind refusing to focus on anything but the pain and how I could possibly make it stop.

                Digging my nails into Lucius' leg, I whimpered as I curled in on myself until I was lying in the foetal position at his feet. I don't know how long it went on for, but the lurch as I was suddenly lifted from the floor barely registered within my mind.  Instead I clutched onto the body, holding as tight as I could as I waited for the pain to end.

                My body jarred as the person took shaky steps forwards, obvious even to me, whose mind was completely muddled, that the person was struggling with just as much pain as I was.

                Peeling open my eyes, I squinted and managed to make out the familiar form of Lucius. His face was scrunched up but still he treaded forward despite the obvious pain he was in. We came to a halt and with bleary eyes I noted that everyone had gathered around Lucius and I. Each and every one of us was wearing identical masks of pain, several gripping their heads like I had been before, others were tentatively wiping their noses as they winced, their hands pulling away with blood.

                Donalbain's voice sounded across the group, the pain obvious in the way that it cracked but I held on to it like a lifeline in this unending wave of pain.

                "We go in three, two, one." His voice shouted the last word, the sound echoing off the walls and in the next instant, the room was consumed with a bright light. It swept over us all causing the room we were standing in to disappear from view.

                It was like a soothing balm that caused the pain to ebb away the longer it bathed us. When finally it receded, the pain was nothing but a bitter memory that none of us wished to relive. Several men dropped to their knees as they gasped for breath, hungrily trying to take in air while their hand rubbed their temples against the phantom pain.

                Clinging onto Lucius as he stumbled slightly, I buried my head into his shoulder. The only thing I could feel was relief that I no longer had to endure that kind of pain. It was because of this that I had no interest in where we were. In all honesty I could stay here comfortably nestled within Lucius' arms for the rest of my life.

                "Savannah, are you okay?" The soft gentle tone of Gabriel's voice had me sighing and reluctantly pulling my eyes open as I felt the arms around me stiffen.  Lucius dropped me onto my feet so that I was forced to clutch onto his shoulders to steady myself before I pulled away from him.

                I heard him mutter a meek apology but I disregarded that and instead turned to Gabriel giving him a strained smile. I hated most the sympathy that he shot in my direction as his eyes glanced briefly at the man mountain behind me and my shivering form. I hadn't even realised I was shaking until a big shudder rolled through my body and I tottered off balance a bit. That mind mess up had obviously affected me worse than everyone else because they all seemed to be composed while I was a trembling, shivering wreck that was one step away from falling to the floor and staying there forever.

                "So where are we?" I questioned my voice cracking as I gripped on to Lucius' arm and slowly lifted my eyes to take in the surroundings. "Oh, never mind." I finished my voice trailing off softly as my widened eyes took in the great big ring of stones   

                I'd read about the place in guide books and seen pictures in text books at school but I had never been here in person. To say that it was awe inspiring was an understatement. The columns of aged stone stood in a circle but through the gaps I could see at least two inner layers of stone, the area surrounding them was covered in grass.  There were simply no words to describe this sight before me other that it took my breath away.

                "Stonehenge? The war discussion thing is at Stonehenge?" I questioned incredulously as I stepped towards the monument that was such a vital part of British history.  It was unbelievable even to my eyes that people with no power tools or cranes or any of the modern conveniences, could manage to create something so – there are no words other than otherworldly. I stopped myself instantly and smacked a palm to my head. Of course the monument would be created by something otherworldly.

                "Why do you think it was built in the first place?" Donalbain answered with a strained smile before he shook his head. "Actually, it was originally meant to be the palace for our people but after moving all the stones, we were spotted by humans. We took a vote and decided that being invisible was more important than have a huge palace." He gestured towards the stones and let out a hearty chuckle. "We arranged them this way and when the humans discovered the Stonehenge, they gave it all of this godly sacred meaning. The only thing sacred about it is the ground has been blessed and is in effect neutral ground. Not evil, not good, just neutral. That is why it is the base for all of discussions, no one can engage in bloodshed unless it's for a sacrifice while inside the Henge."

                I nodded my head as if this all made perfect sense. Then darting my eyes around us nervously, I gestured towards the stones. "If it's so safe, shouldn't we get inside the circle so that we can't be ambushed?"

                Donalbain smiled widely at me. "And that's why we need you human, you obviously have some brains." Waving his hand through the air, his men broke out of their weary trances and stood straight and ready for action.

With some strange gesture of his hand that kind of reminded me of the 'I'm watching you' thing, they saluted and then in a sombre procession walked towards the stones. I paused for a second, unwilling to follow until I knew it was safe. The men passed through the stones easily and I let out a breath that I hadn't even realised I had been holding. What did I even expect to happen? I thought as I stared after them before taking slow and deliberate steps towards the stones, my shoulders pulled back but my hands shook at my sides showing the trepidation I felt towards this whole situation.

When we were inside the protection of the circle, I instantly felt the difference. It wasn't anything noticeable other than the fact that I felt ridiculously content. All of my nerves and fears were gone and I felt safe, relaxed. So relaxed that when a man appeared in front of my I didn't even startle, I just grinned lazily as I stared at his beard, hat and robes.

Before I could stop myself, the words were already reeling from my lips. "You look like Gandalf." Every head turned to me as I stared at the newcomer with wide eyes. He even had the staff, how could he not look like Gandalf? Now all he has to do is say 'you shall not pass!' and I will be a happy girl. I noted that only Lucius, Gabriel and Zeke had amusement on their faces obviously understanding the reference while the others just looked at me as if I was plain stupid or had committed some heinous crime.

"That may be child," the older man tilted his head in my direction in acknowledgement. "But I assure you that whoever this Gandalf is, he is more than likely created after my image." He bent closer to me and lowered his voice as if he was telling me a very important secret. "After all I have existed since the creation of time and space itself."

                Rolling my eyes in disbelief, I tried to look past him to see if there were any more people lingering in the neutral space but as of yet, it appeared to be us and the old man and that was it. He smiled down at me with understanding.

                "You truly do not know who I am," his voice was laced with surprise before he chuckled. "No matter, as co-ordinator and mediator for this part meet, I will guide you all to the centre. You must stay on your side at all costs and make no moves against your opposition. To do so would be to break the rules of the circle and the penalty for such actions is instantaneous death, just a warning." He gave us a sharp look before a huge smile consumed his face. "Now, come on, let's get this over with. I have a party with the seasons. Summer sure knows how to throw a party."

                The old man chuckled to himself, a slight hobble to his gait as he led us through the stones to the very centre.  When we passed through the final layer, there was a circle table made from a pale white stone with chairs sat evenly spaced around it. The area was bathed in the warm glow of the midday sun that beat down above us. The old man hobbled forwards and took a seat at the table and gestured for us to take seats.  Donalbain, Lucius, Gabriel, Zeke and I took seats while Donalbain's men stood back, their bodies ever alert though they looked more relaxed than I had ever seen them. On the other side of the table there were six empty seats.

                "The other mediator and your opposition will be here soon, and then we can get on with this." The old man looked completely bored at the situation before him, he placed an elbow on the table and set his wrinkled face into his palm while his other hand drummed against the stone. Sparks shot out of his fingertips and skittered across the smooth surface before sputtering out in a puff of smoke.

                The sound of heavy hostile footfalls came towards us. A moment later 30 men dressed in fitted black clothing emerged through a one of the stone archways. They parted and 5 people emerged. One was an elderly woman dressed the same as our mediator but the other four were in modern attire. My eyes instantly when to the face that I had seen dozens of times and had become like family to me before his betrayal. Phil.

                He looked as if he had aged rapidly, his entire build was stooped and his face showed signs of weariness. What could have happened to cause him to look like this? He made the decision so he should be able to live with it. The other four people were entirely new people and as I glanced at their faces I noted that they were younger than me. Two looked barely 16, the girl and the boy both holding malicious glints in their eyes though it was somehow muted, like someone had put something over their mind to dampen their emotions. I shuddered at the thought of what their eyes would be like outside the protection of the circle. It was something I hoped I would never have to see but knew it was a certainty with the way everything had been laid out.

                A silence fell over us all, none of us wanting to break the silence. I was too busy staring at the people on the other half of the table wondering how they could possibly do all of this. They were a bunch of kids yet they had the higher powers running scared. I think that's when the gravity of the situation set in. the power of the book must truly be something if it scares the hell out of everyone.

                "Mephistopheles, as you were the one to call this meeting I suggest that you start." The old man gave a nod of his head and a level stare at the man leaving him no  choice but to comply. I almost felt sorry for Phil as he glanced at the people beside him before giving a gulp and proceeding to clear his throat and turn his attention to us.

                Refusing to look us directly in the eyes, Phil focused somewhere past us and spoke in a dull monotone. "We are here to ask you to surrender. We do not want unnecessary bloodshed or amity between us. If you surrender peacefully we can cohabit and your lives might just be bearable, if they let you live."  He groaned suddenly bending over the table as he panted trying to regain his breath. From the way that his eyes darted to the people on either side of him I knew that that they were the result of his discomfort. "Your choice is to fight and die or surrender and become a slave to the new empire. The choice is completely yours." He tried to sound nonchalant but I could see the tightening around his mouth and his eyes which darted to my face and met mine for a moment before looking away. That one glance was enough for me to know, there was definitely more to Phil's situation than we thought.

                Not even thinking about it, I spoke up, loud enough that everyone glanced in my direction in surprise. Most of them had probably forgotten I was even there, too engrossed in their own discussions or silent glare matches to even notice me sitting between them with wide eyes.

                "We ask that you give us time to consider your offer," I bowed my head to the opposition as if in respect. "We must consider your offer before answering as it will have a grave impact in regards to our future."

                The younger ones pouted when their rebuttals were silence by their seniors.  The two older people on the enemy side, who looked around 20, exchanged a few words before giving us a reluctant nod.

                "You have ten minutes," the voice that spoke was chilling. There was not even an inflection of emotion in his voice as his pale blue eyes bored into me. "When we reconvene, you give us your answer or you forfeit you rights and we will decide for you. You look like you could make a good slave but those things sitting next to you will be straight for the chopping block. Make your choice wisely. It would be a shame to waste such a pretty face." Shivering at his tone I turned my head away so that he could no longer stare into my eyes. Even with all the things that he implied in his little speech have no hint of the emotions swirling through him, he was completely monotonous and cold. What kind of person was he?

                 I stood up from my chair quickly and rushed away from the table but not before grasping Gabriel and Lucius' arms and tugging them away from the table. Donalbain and Zeke followed closely behind. There really wasn't much to confer about, I didn't want bloodshed but there was no way that angels, demons and humanity were going to stand by and watch these brats try and control them. There is a reason free will was created and it wasn't so some kids on a power trip could try to take over the world.

                "Why are we here?" Donalbain questioned with a frown. "there is no way that we are going to bow down to them. They're a bunch of children that seriously need to be taught to respect their elders. I for one don't mind putting them in their place." I rolled my eyes and glanced back at Phil was currently getting berated by the others, his head was bowed as he stared miserably at his hands. Almost like he could feel my gaze, he glanced up and met my eyes and I finally understood the emotion within his eyes. Pleading, his eyes were pleading me. For the life of me though I could understand what they were pleading me to do.

                "No we're not going to surrender. Those kids are plain evil and there is no way I would let them harm any of you. I think we're going to have to fight whether we like it or not." I replied staring at the group who were now looking our way and grinning maliciously. "What I wanted to discuss is Phil. There is something more to his betrayal, if we can discover that before the shit well and truly hits the fan then we might have ourselves an ally in the enemy side."

                "Sorry to interrupt but we have to reconvene," the old man gave us weary looks before glancing over his shoulder at the people around the table. "Just so you know, I'm rooting for you."

                Snorting I stared at the idiots trying to take over the world before looking at the people standing beside me. Yeah there really wasn't much choice in who I wanted to win this battle.

                Strolling back to the table, the old man's bum hadn't even touched the seat before I opened my trap while staring at Phil and the others with determination every one of my features. "I'm afraid we're going to have to refuse your offer. If you can offer nothing else to call a truce then I am afraid this discussion is over. Once you step outside the circle, battle will begin." I set my guys on the cold heartless guy and let another shudder of repulsion run through me before smiling with smug satisfaction. "And just so you know, I would rather die than spend an hour as your slave. Don't worry or stress yourself out, when this is over you will be in a nice comfy bed in maximum security prison with no chance of release."

                Cold emotionless guy didn't even bat an eye lid, he just stared at me for a few moment before rolling his eyes and looking at my rather impressive entourage.

"Is that your final answer?" He questioned letting out a weary sigh when I nodded my head. He gave me the once over before sighing again. "Such a waste of a pretty face, especially one with a body like yours. Fine, battle will commence in an hour, don't be late, I wouldn't want you to miss the surprise."

Straightening up, I walked as close to him as I can which wasn't that close due to the table blocking the way. Jabbing a finger in his direction as I spoke I finally noted an emotion in his posture. " Fine, bring it. But I assure you, we will not back down without a fight and by the time we're finished with you, you will be nothing more than dirt on my shoe." I smirked when he looked at me in irritation. I beckoned at him with my hand, chiding myself for the action but smiling smugly on the outside when I noted his irritated reaction.  "If you think you can handle it then bring it."