16(S2E3)- Avalon

16

(Season 2 Episode 3)

Avalon

Kahn stared at the two ninja who kneeled before her in shame.  She had let them tell her the story of what had happened and now she waited to see if there was more to it.

There wasn’t.  “So you two, who have been placed as protectors for Zachariah, sat in the tree and watched him get beaten and taken to Avalon?”

Her Japanese was fast and angry and meant to degrade.  Kyo looked up and took a breath to speak, trying to find the words.

Shinji got to it first.  “It was Seamus himself.  Wards are to kill ninja on sight.  He would have destroyed us.”

Kahn took two steps forward and kicked Shinji in the chest with such force he left his feet and crashed to his back gasping for breath.

“Then I would be rid of the two of you failures!” She snapped.

“We are sorry master.” Kyo said, proudly ready to accept his punishment.

“Sorry?” Kahn questioned with a raised eyebrow.  “This is our most important contract and you just allowed the highest ward to drag him to Avalon!”

Shinji was starting to get to his feet and she turned and gave him a right-cross, sending him back to the ground before turning back to Kyo who gulped.  “Is there anything you have left out?”

“Well master, there is one thing.” Kyo said nervously, his resolve having failed.

Kahn almost growled as Kyo continued.  “The ward was here because Zachariah was accused of… murdering three wards.”

Kahn blinked.  “Murder?  Zachariah?”

Kyo nodded.  “Seamus said he had killed three wards, which is impossible.  We have been watching him.”

Kahn shook her head.  “Of course he didn’t murder anyone!  Do you remember him? He’s not killing anyone.”

Kahn frowned then turned back toward the broken garage.  “I will have to go after him.”

Kyo stepped up with concern.  “Master, no.  As Shinji said, they kill ninjas there  He’s not worth it.”

Kahn turned and frowned.  “That is not for you to decide!”

Kyo was silenced and Kahn turned.  “If you don’t hear from me in a week, Kyosu is in charge.”

With that, Kahn seemed to vanish into thin air.

Shinji stood rubbing his head and Kyo spoke.  “I wish her luck and safe return.”

Shinji gave him an irritated look.  “I just wish she would hit you for a change.”

****

What unfolded in front of Zachariah was like nothing he had ever seen in his life.

He, Mary and Mel stood on a giant tower of stone.  In front of them stretched a city of the same towers huge and wide, like a city’s sky scrapers but with a medieval feel. Between them, like a spider web, networked huge mile-long walkways of granite to connect the massive structures.  The city itself was literally in a cloud.  The white fluff spindled and twined around the buildings.  Above the city, next to the largest tower was a small building with a bright light emanating from it.

“It’s beautiful…” Mary mumbled the words as she stared, wide eyed, at the city in the clouds.

Mel eyeballed her.  “Yes… yes it is.  Never seen it before?”

Both Mary and Zachariah’s attention dropped from the impossible skyline to the suspicious dwarf.

“Of course not, I didn’t know this could exist.” She said confused.

Mel just made an acknowledging noise and stared at her.  “Never even heard of it?”

Mary looked at Zachariah then back at the dwarf.  “Did I do something to offend you?”

Mel continued to stare and Zachariah decided to chime in.  “At the risk of sounding petty and self obsessed, isn’t this whole mess about me?”

Mel returned his gaze to Zachariah but before he could speak the head of the Nex house spoke first.  “Indeed it is, Rognaithe.”

“God bless you?” Mary said confused.

Mel snickered at the comment.

The high level wizard was not as impressed and scowled at the three of them as he stepped off the walkway and onto the tower floor.  Two thin men with glasses frowned as if they were his guards.

Having seen what Mel could do with magic, Zachariah believed it.

“You have been accused of the highest crime, killing a ward.  Three, to be exact.”  The high wizard spoke matter-of-factly and without emotion.

Zach frowned back at him.  “Do I really look like I could do that?”

Drum looked him over and raised his eyebrow.  “True, you do not look formidable in any way, and I can tell you are not capable of spell casting, but you of all people know that looks can be deceiving.”

Drum turned his attention to Mary and scowled again.  “Not to mention the company you keep.”

“Do I have something on my face or something?!” Mary said exasperated with the unexplained hatred.  “Why does everyone hate me on sight?!”

“We do not usually allow your kind here, but law dictates that the accused may have any visitors for the trial.  You will, of course, be watched at all times.”

Zachariah put up his hands.  “Whoa there, back the ‘fuck Zach’ train up and lets clear this up.  I didn’t kill anyone.”

“Then we will find you innocent on all charges at the trial.  My time wears thin.  These two will escort you three to your quarters.”  Drum turned with that and began to walk back toward the way he had come.

Zachariah was desperate.  “Wait, if this is a trail don’t I at least get a public defender or something?!”

Drum stopped and turned.  He was a short, grey haired man wearing purple robes, but somehow, He still had an intimidating air to him.  His wrinkled face curved into a smile for the first time since Zachariah had met him.

Zachariah found himself wishing the man was scowling again.

“Of course.  The High Vince Delgato has assigned you, the forsaken to represent you. Fitting if you ask me.”  Drum turned and walked off down the cobblestone walkway.

Zachariah looked confused, “The forsaken?”

Mary shook her head.  “That can’t be good,”

“Nothing ever is with my father.”  Mel chimed in, his eyes still watching his dad vanish into the clouds.

Zachariah did a double take.  “The angry prune is your dad?!”

Mel nodded slowly.  “Yep…  And I’m the forsaken.”

****

Avalon was a floating city, which made it that much harder to enter.  This is of course the way the infernal creatures wanted things.  After all, not only was their most important figure head’s residence here, but this city had the light of God.

This was why the killer was here.

As to be expected, a murder of such magnitude had brought many in to Avalon to find out the details and see the trail of the Rognaithe.  This made it easier to get onto the city than ever before.

The only way onto the city were certain areas known as receivers.  With the right spell, creatures of all walks could teleport to these receivers as long as they were magically inclined.  Coupled with the fact that unless you were standing in the city you couldn’t see it, it made it nearly impossible for anyone without magic to gain entry.

No humans allowed.

Then they placed wards at these receivers in order to monitor the traffic coming into the city, as well as Nexes to manage the inflow of souls.  After all, if two people teleport in at the same time, it could be disastrous.  This made heavy traffic times nearly unbearable, leaving many people waiting in limbo for hours.

The killer chuckled at the parallels between teleportation and commercial air flights.

None of this affected the killer, of course.  He could not do magic and had never any intention of teleporting in.  Instead, he had used the microscopic machines running through his body to find the city and then fly to it.  After that, he had found an axis point and crawled into the receiver section.

At this point he used the nano-machines to reflect the light around him and become nearly invisible.  Normally this would not have worked.  Either the wards or the Nexes would have detected something but with the flow to the receivers being peak they missed the nearly invisible figure as he strolled right past them and through the long annoying receiving section of the city.

The killer had entered Avalon.  He was one step closer to what he had been working toward for his entire life.

To kill God.

To kill who?  That’s a line worth a protest!  Who is this mysterious killer and who will stop his evil scheme?  Will Zachariah be convicted and bleed like a stuck pig?  Why is everyone treating Mary worse than the accused murderer?  Will I answer these questions in the next episode?

Find out on…

Stranger Things: Zachariah’s Trial

TO BE CONTINUED…