The Demons of Rome

XXIX - Gods Help Us

The cannon swung away from Iatus on its now unsupportive base, levelling itself at Urien.

"Noooo!" he screamed just as the cannon fired, sending a beam brighter than a thousand suns straight at him.

Iatus turned away, his eyes shut and covered so he wouldn't be blinded. The heat was unimaginable, he could feel the skin from his back blistering and he screamed in pain.

Then it was over and Iatus looked back to see a perfectly circular hole in the wall and beyond it a burning line that stretched all the way to the edge of the city and beyond, setting fire to the forest for at least a mile, probably more. Where Urien had been there was laying, spread-eagled, a burnt black skeleton, still managing to look surprised.

"God of the charr grilled maybe," Iatus laughed through the pain and stood up.

He brushed off his clothes and stepped out of the hall. He looked down the street to the main gates, they were open but still heavily defended and the Romans were having to cut through scores of Gauls to make even a little progress into the city. However without magi the Gauls were having little success either, the better equipped Romans and their supporting spirits were taking very few casualties.

"Iatus!" came a shout from his left.

He turned to see Max and Illiria bounding up to him.

"We got the gates open! Gods Iatus, when we saw the cannon go off we thought for sure you were dead!"

"Illiria would have disappeared if I had," Iatus pointed out calmly.

"Oh," Max and Illiria looked at each other, surprised, "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know," Iatus mused, "I suppose we wait for the legion to take the city, that's what they're here for."

"Shouldn't we help?"

"I'm sure they've got it covered, besides, I'm exhausted."

They laughed in relief, happy to be alive, when they were joined by another, altogether more sinister laugh from behind them.

They turned in horror to see the blackened skeleton of Urien lumbering towards them.

"Urien?" asked Iatus, horrified.

The skeleton continued to laugh, "No boy, Urien is gone, it's just me now."

"Who are you?" Max asked, grimacing in distaste.

"Has it been that long? Have the children of Romulus forgotten me already? I am death, I am destruction, I am fear and pain. I am Remus! The most powerful mage to ever walk the earth!"

"But, how?" Max asked, gawping in fear.

The skeleton laughed some more, its bones clacking together, "You see, when my dearest brothrr had Jupiter kill me, I was too poweeful to die completely, instead Jupiter cast me into the Ether as a spirit, a God really. It was there I stayed, trapped and alone, until dear Urien reached out to me, asked me for power. I gave it to him, but I also gave him a little bit of myself. A little bit at a time I was slowly taking over, until Iatus sped up the process."

Iatus opened his mouth to ask another question but the skeleton threw a ball of darkness at them with such speed they had to dive to the floor to avoid it. The ball sailed beyond them and crashed into a house, blasting it apart.

"Iatus, what now?" Max whimpered.

"RUN!" Iatus shouted and darted away, pulling Max with him.

"You can't run from me! You can't run from me!" sang the skeleton as it skipped after them.