James Somers - The rise of Lucin

Many spectators were passing back and forth before the guard at the access point as Emil approached. When he got within twenty feet of them, the first charge went off in the stands among the cheering spectators. A wave of panic quickly passed through the stadium. Emil rushed the guards as they turned toward the sound of the explosion. As the other charges fired, six in all, Emil took down both of the Horva guards with lightning fast hand to hand combinations. He grabbed one of the guard's pass keys and swiped the card through the reader at the door. The door unlocked.

Lucin was interrupted by several explosions occurring all over the stadium among the rows of spectator seating. It's a rescue attempt-Lucin slapped the release button to the cages of the leonase.

Emil ran through the security door onto the arena floor. Kale was twenty yards ahead of him and Emil broke into a full sprint. Out of the corner of his eye, Emil noticed the leonase had been released from their cages and they were heading straight for Kale. I knew I should have grabbed that guard's weapon!

The leonase had forty yards to close the distance between themselves and their prey. They panted happily as saliva moved into their hungry mouths-they had been deprived of food for two days to be sure they were ready for a feeding frenzy.

Emil was closing the distance fast, but the pack of predators was closing it faster. The first of the leonase got within twenty feet of Kale and leapt at him. Kale didn't even appear to acknowledge the beast and may have been unconscious. Emil's friend was moments away from being torn apart. He hit the leonai broadside with a kinetic blast, sending the beast reeling away across the hard dirt floor of the arena. Emil hoped he had hit it hard enough to break its ribs, but the others were still coming in fast. Emil reached Kale and mentally snapped the bonds that held him to the cylinder driven into the arena floor. He fell forward into Emil's arms-his wounds looked worse up close and he was stripped to the waist and covered in dried blood.

The leonase pack continued to charge in for the prey. Emil pressed the recall switch as they leapt for the young men. The leonase slammed into the column, but the boys had escaped them.

Grod and Emil sat outside of the med-bay waiting as the med-techs and a physician worked on Kale's wounds. The initial report was extensive facial fractures and two broken ribs. It appeared he would be fine with treatment. Emil was thumbing through the pages of Kale's copy of the Logostus. Aija the prophet had given it to Kale while they were on board the Equinox traveling across Draconis. It was only one of the copies that the prophet had left with the young prince, but this one was small and complete-it contained all sixty six books within the one volume. Kale had begun to carry it with him everywhere he went, after receiving it, so that he could make reference to the events they were going through with the Agonotti and Lucin. Then Aija walked into the med-lab foyer. He passed by the med-lab window and could see the king on an operating room table with people hovered over him working on his injuries.

"How is our young king, gentlemen?" asked Aija.

"He'll be fine according to the doctor," said Grod.

"What happened, Aija?" said Emil. "If you knew this was going to happen-"

"My boy, I didn't know," replied the prophet.

Emil did not understand. As Aija sat down before them he continued. "I only know what Elithias shows me. You must be prepared to face evil itself. Lucin is growing in power and anything you have faced before cannot compare to him. He has been alive since the very dawn of time itself; one of the first creations of The Eternal One and one of his greatest. He began as highly favored by Elithias, at least until iniquity was found in him. Lucin desired to be as Elithias with his fellow Mithri and all of creation bowing before him in worship. He was able to pull away a great many in his rebellion and Elithias judged them. For those following in his sin, Elithias cast them down to Draconis and made them to dwell among mortals in half physical forms requiring nourishment of those physical parts-they became the Agonotti. For Lucin himself, the Lord made his spirit to indwell a form as repugnant as his rebellion and as he had infected his brethren with his rebellion so to would he be bound to infect and indwell the physical body of a host in order to live. But he is still an extremely powerful spiritual being. Only The Eternal One can defeat Lucin."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" asked Grod.

"We are supposed to keep faith and serve the purposes of Elithias," replied the prophet. "I cannot give you anymore than that-it hasn't been given to me.

Emil stood and watched the people in the med-lab bandaging his best friend and his king. Then he thought of something he had not thought of before. "Perhaps it has been given to you, Aija-perhaps we have been given more than we realize," said Emil. He held up before the two men something very valuable the prophet had given Kale weeks ago. He held up a copy of the Logostus.