Duality : Book 1 of Codex Elysium

Chapter 16 (edited)

Chapter 16

Present time

Elysium

"It didn't work, did it?" Cassie yelled, "we are so screwed!"

"Time will tell," came Jason's quiet reply, his eyes were on a bird flying high in the sky above them.

"What the hell does that mean?" Cassie tracked Jason's sight line up to the bird. "Oh don't tell me you still believe in that damned bird! It's probably a vulture waiting to pick our bones clean!"

"Be quiet, fool!" Tiberius snapped. "Save your anger for them and give our ears a rest!"

Cassie crossed her arms and scowled at the old druid before turning her back on him. The Passus shambled up the hill in a solid wave of bodies heading for the gaps between the great stones. Jason had sat down again and was reading his book. He was the closest to the stones and clearly the Passus had their dead eyes on him. They closed the distance and still he made no move. Eva could feel her life draining quickly, the world was beginning to take on a blurred quality. She stood stooped next to Jason, one hand clutching her wounded side with her sword hanging limply in the other. As she watched the Passus shambling closer, she realised that the idea of trying to fight was ridiculous. She could barely even stand, let alone lift her sword.

The leading Passus reached the top of the hill, Jason carried on reading, desperately flicking through page after page. He didn't even flinch or look up as a withered bodied slammed into an invisible barrier. Eva staggered back a few steps but the Passus couldn't enter the ring. Withered hands slammed against the barrier, feet kicked at it but they couldn't break through. Eva fell to the ground and sighed in relief, perhaps they wouldn't have to fight after all. Janus growled in frustration and began swearing in some demonic language. The magic had worked after all. He rushed up the hill, shoving wasted bodies out of his way as he went. Standing between two of the stones he slammed a fist into the barrier as hard as he could. The barrier flared emerald green and shuddered but it held firm. Janus hammered at it again and again, the sound of impact booming over the hill top but the barrier held firm. Janus continued to curse and swear in hell-speak. The Passus silently hammered at the barrier along with him.

Jason finally found what he had been looking for, he put the book down and got to his feet. As he walked towards Janus, Tiberius shuffled across the grass and picked up the book and began looking through it, a frown creasing his weathered face. Jason looked at the face of the demon. It was full of hate and fury, all pretence of being the Son of God had vanished. Janus stopped hammering on the barrier and stared into Jason's eyes. For a few minutes, they just stared at each other, sizing up, weighing the choices. Finally, Jason sighed. He thought of the strangers at his back. He didn't know them but the old man and Eva had tried to save his life. He turned and looked at the ragged group. All of them were badly hurt, bleeding and desperate. Would they thank him for what he was about to do? Would they drink and honour his memory? Jason knew what he was about to do would cost him his life but it didn't stop him.

Looking back at Janus and all the ruined forms of the Passus around him, Jason undid his robe and lifted his blood-soaked shirt. He cried out in pain as he pressed his hands into the wound, soaking his hands in blood until it looked like he wore a pair of crimson gloves.  A momentary flash of fear crossed Janus's face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Jason didn't reply he just focused on his task.

"You wouldn't dare!" hissed Janus, "you don't have the stones!"

Jason's face was deathly white, the pain and blood-loss were taking their toll, face set in grim determination he began flicking the blood out over the Passus. Janus vaguely noted that the blood had no problem passing through the barrier as it splattered on his cheek.