The Brotherhood

19

Four brothers burst through the door to the Supreme's office, two of them holding up a slumped form in between them. Abel rose from his chair, ordering them set the slumped over brother on the sofa. Chaos was everywhere with bodies rushing everywhere. More and more brothers continued pouring into Abel's office, pushing in and trying to get a better glimpse of the events that were occurring. They swarmed around the sofa. They stood shoulder to shoulder with no room for Abel to push his way through. 

Sighing, Abel shoved through his brothers to get to the sofa. Daniel laid down on the sofa, his face gray with anguish. It looked as if Daniel had been crying for a long time. Vomit was crusted on the sides of his mouth like no one had bothered to wipe it away. He looked disgusting, but Abel still approached him. 

Abel gently took Daniel's hand and asked him softly, "Daniel, what happened?" 

Daniel rolled his eyes toward Abel. They were glazed and unfocused. Abel couldn't tell if Daniel was actually looking at him. Then Daniel began crying again, great sobs that shook his whole body. Daniel cried out, "It killed her! She's dead! It killed her!" 

Daniel's entire body shook violently with the force of his cries. Abel tried to pin him down, to get him to stop shaking, but he couldn't. Daniel was wailing. There was no consoling him. There was only one thing that could bring a brother to this kind of inconsolable hysteria. His bonded was dead. It was the only explanation. 

Abel took Daniel's face in his hands. He didn't allow Daniel to look anywhere other than at him. Abel spoke quietly but firmly, "Daniel, what killed her?" 

Fear like Abel had never seen before entered Daniel's eyes, making his pupils grow rapidly. Goosebumps slid down Abel's entire body as fear sank into the pit of his stomach. Daniel didn't scare easily so whatever was out there must be horrifying. 

"It was huge. It had claws like nothing I'd ever seen. It moved like it was darkness itself. Its teeth were the worst part. They were long, sharp and needlelike. It took her in its claws and then-" Daniel choked as sobs wracked his body again, "Then it took her in its mouth and it ate her! I didn't even get a chance to scream. It was over before I could even say a word. It killed her. She's dead." 

That was the last thing Daniel said before he completely fell apart. There was no reaching him in this state. Abel motioned for the brothers to carry him out. He looked around the room and found Ethan's eyes already on him. Ethan's gaze was hard and Abel understood why. The Mother hadn't prepared them for what might be out in the forest and now Abel was left to pick up the pieces. 

Abel cursed under his breath. He knew what he had to do now, but he wished with all his heart that he didn't have to. He'd never once called on the Mother, she'd always called on him. He didn't even know if it would work. It could fail and then what? He was needed here, to help coordinate the patrols. Abel looked up to find Ethan's eyes still on him, giving him that look that told him he wasn't getting out of this. Abel would have to call on the Mother and pray that it didn't backfire. 

"Everyone out," Abel ordered in a raised voice, letting some of his power as the Supreme echo through the words. Immediately, all the brothers that had crowded his study shuffled out. Ethan was the only one who stayed long enough to give Abel a lingering look that buried itself deep beneath Abel's skin. 

Once everyone had left, Abel turned toward his desk. A large skull of a doe sat in the middle of his desk. He'd never used the skull before. He had no idea if it would even work. Abel glanced back toward the door. He remembered the look on Daniel's face when Daniel had told Abel about his bonded. Next time, the brothers might not even make it back. Abel couldn't risk that. His brothers deserved better. He owed it to them to take this chance. 

With one last deep breath, Abel grasped the doe skull and muttered the magic words that the Mother had given him. For a moment, nothing happened and Abel almost let himself feel relieved. Almost. 

Suddenly, a rushing wind flooded his study. It pulled at his clothes and ripped through his hair viciously. The wind pushed and pulled at him. That was when the cold started to seep in. He felt it everywhere. It was so cold that Abel thought his teeth might start chattering. He knew where he was going. He knew where he'd end up. Abel wasn't surprised when the wind cleared away and he was face to face with the Mother. 

Her face appeared so close to his that Abel almost jumped back. He didn't though. He knew that if he was going to survive this he needed to stand firm. He'd called this meeting for a good reason. His brothers were in danger. The people in the village were in danger. He had to make this right. He had to find out as much as he could, otherwise his brothers would die. 

With steel in his heart, Abel knelt before the Mother. She regarded him coldly with her yellow eyes. He could tell that she wasn't pleased, but Abel couldn't worry about that right now. Right now, he only had one job. 

"Hello, Mother, thank you for answering my summoning," Abel said smoothly and calmly. 

"What do you want?" The Mother growled at him. 

Abel refused to flinch. He refused to give her the satisfaction. He straightened as much as he could while he knelt. Then he said steadily, "The patrols this evening came back in haste. They brought a brother into my study who looked completely and utterly destroyed. His bonded was murdered by a monster that you sent us to guard the village against." 

"Is there something you'd like to ask me, Supreme?" The Mother said with surprising calm. 

Abel swallowed. He knew that he was on treacherous ground. "Mother, we cannot effectively do what you've asked us to do if we don't have all the information. What is this monster? How do we fight it?" 

The Mother was silent for long moments. When she spoke, she sounded almost contemplative, "This monster is an ancient creature that escaped from the clutches of the Forest Guardians. It is unlike anything you've ever faced before, Supreme. It is ancient and wicked. It thrives off of the darkness and it knows no mercy." 

"How do we fight it Mother?" Abel asked, shock and awe creeping into his voice. He knew that the Forest Guardians existed, but this was the first that he'd ever heard of their existence being real. The Mother had never mentioned them before. 

"I am unsure, Supreme. I've never faced a creature of its kind before. The most I know of it is that it was born in the darkness. Whatever is born in darkness cannot stand the light. Perhaps that is the way to fight it, with flame and light," the Mother answered, her eyes growing distant. 

"How do we kill it?" Abel asked hurriedly, "Do we set it ablaze? Or do we keep it out until the sunlight comes and let it burn it up? Or-" 

"Enough!" The Mother growled. "You will not kill it!" 

"But, Mother, it's killing us. How are we supposed to protect the village from this creature if we can't kill it?" Abel asked, for a moment forgetting who he was kneeling before. His gaze clashed with the Mother's. 

"Listen carefully to what I'm about to say to you Abel because I will not say it again. You are not to kill this beast. If you kill it, I can promise you that the repercussions you will face far outweigh whatever difficulties you are facing now. Do you understand?" The Mother barked at him, her teeth inches from his face. 

Abel didn't take the warning, "But, Mother, why can't we kill it? What will happen to us?" 

The Mother inched closer to Abel, growling fiercely, "Do not kill the beast! I don't know when you became such an insolent soul Abel, but it ends now! You are not to kill the creature! Do I make myself clear?" 

Abel swallowed the fear rising in the pit of his stomach. "Yes, Mother, you've made yourself clear." 

The Mother looked down her snout at Abel, studying him carefully. "Good. Now, go back and deliver my orders Supreme." 

Before Abel could say another word, the wind came rushing back in. It roared past Abel's head until he found himself back in the quiet of his study, all alone. Abel looked around him to make sure that there wasn't another soul lurking in the shadows. Slowly, he sank onto the ground, his body curving in on itself. Abel put his head in his hands and cried alone in the dark.