Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) (13 page)
Read Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) Online
Authors: Jonathan Yanez
didn’t know what to expect, however Michael’s calm attitude reassured him things
would somehow be alright.
Michael moved to take a seat at the
end of the large conference room table. “Jacob told me what happened. None of
you is to blame. You had no idea that the Chronicle was real, let alone could
be found by the Fallen.”
the table.
“You aren’t in high school anymore,
Danielle. You can speak freely.”
“Oh, sorry. So I get that there was
a book with instructions to make these weapons but why wasn’t it destroyed when
the weapons themselves were and why give it to humans to protect?”
Danielle grew within Alan as he witnessed her usually mousy demeanor wither.
She was asking the question they were all wondering.
Michael nodded and pursed his lips.
“It does seem rather strange, doesn’t it? The book was kept from being
destroyed as a historical record rather than an instruction manual. It is a history
on the art of celestial weaponry; we never thought that it would be used to
make the weapons themselves. It was given to a trustworthy human family for
safekeeping when the war in Heaven ended. We didn’t know they would be found
and we never thought they would side with the enemy. I guess after a matter of
time it was bound to catch up with us.”
word human fell from his mouth as though it were an alien species and not one
that he had identified with only days before.
“They were the neutral species. We
had no idea if or when another insurrection would occur in Heaven. In order to
save our heritage and traditions, our art, we entrusted it to a loyal human
family.”
done thousands of years before, despite their current situations. He couldn’t
blame any race or species for wanting to preserve their way of life.
“So where does that leave us now?”
Jacob asked still pacing.
contact with the Nephilim leader. “Jacob, please sit down. You’re making me
nervous.”
Without hesitation, Jacob took a
seat beside Alan.
and we decide whether we confront the Fallen.”
“You decide? What is there to
decide?” Alan found himself asking.
would have stepped in already. You have to understand that technically the
Fallen have not broken our agreement. They have not directly touched humans, Angels
or Nephilim. If we are going to break this rule that has kept our sides from open
war for all these centuries, we have to do so wisely and with a unified front.”
Jacob stood from the table with a
wild look in his eye, “While you go and discuss the next step, the Fallen will
be moving ahead with their plans. Let us buy you some time. We can stop them or
at least impede their progress.”
can. Until now, they have been a move ahead of us, but no longer. They have the
information to make the weapons but they do not have the materials needed. You
can stop them before they get to it.”
Arther spoke for the first time.
“What material, Michael? Where was the metal that was melted from all those
weapons placed? Deep within the earth?”
to memorialize all those who had perished during the war in Heaven.”
Alan tried to think back to his
high school history class for any mention of a large statue of an Angel
appearing anywhere in history. He came up blank.
thinking without being asked. “There is a list that was compiled during the
infancy of the world, a list whose sole purpose was to document man’s most
marvelous achievements. We call this list, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World. However, they are not what history would have you think. The Great Pyramids
of Giza, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus each hold a secret to our past. When it comes to the Colossus of Rhodes,
the history books are close but they were manipulated to hide the truth. After
all, the best lies are those founded on truth.”
Alan leaned back in his chair looking from left to
right to see if anyone else found it ironic that an Angel was talking about
lies. No one did; they were too involved in Michael’s story to care.
“The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of an Angel,
not the Greek sun god Helios like history would have you believe. All accounts
say the Colossus was lost to us in a great earthquake in 226 BC, they’re wrong.
Years ago the Fallen destroyed the monument to our dead and cast it into the
ocean in an attempt to bait us into another conflict. The event was difficult
for us to endure but we managed to check our tempers.”
Alan sat further back in his chair
and let a long breath escape his lungs. From the very little he knew about the
Colossus of Rhodes it was lost and had never been discovered. Now only
hand-drawn interpretation of what it may have once looked like remained. If he chose
to believe Michael’s interpretation of the story, there was no evidence to
argue otherwise.
wherever the Fallen hid it,” Danielle said.
“If they are not already there,
they’ll be there soon. They will need the metal to form their weapons,” Jacob
agreed.
the Colossus rests before I go. I’ll be back as soon as I can. There are those
of my kind who want to avoid open war at any cost, yet even they will think twice
when I tell them that the Chronicle is now in the hands of our enemy,” Michael
said.
Jacob motioned everyone to follow
him as he headed for the door. “Right, there is no time to lose.”
at him with a stare. “A moment, Alan?”
Alan looked at the others who
shrugged. Danielle spread her lips wide and showed her teeth in the universal sign
of, “Whoops, looks like you’re in trouble.”
left the conference room and shut the door behind them.
Although the room was spacious and
brightly lit by bulbs overhead, Alan couldn’t help but feel as if the room
shrank in Michael’s presence. Light seemed to radiate off him like the sun
shimmering on water.
Alan wanted to seem optimistic, at
the same time he didn’t want to lie. “I’m glad I’m here, still it’s been a
rough transition. I just wish I had more time to prepare before all of this
happened. Everything is moving so fast and I—I—“ Alan couldn’t
bring himself to share with Michael that he still felt depressed. The feelings
of fear and anger he had dealt with his whole life hadn’t just stopped with the
revelation of his powers.
wouldn’t have to. “Alan, it will take time. Who knows? The harsh yet true reality
is that these feelings may be something you will always battle with.”
Alan looked up into Michaels green
eyes surprised by the lack of comforting words. “I just want to be honest with
you. You may struggle with these problems for years to come. However, know that
you are only given what you can bear. You are strong, Alan Price; that is why I
chose you. You have yet to discover your full potential.”
Chapter 39
“And why don’t we just send Alan
and Angelica ahead of us like before?” Danielle asked.
walk over water,” Jacob said. “I only know of one person who was capable of
doing that.”
Alan looked up with surprise from
his seat. In a very unlike Jacob way, the leader of the Nephilim had made a
joke.
to Danielle. “Plus, even if they could get there before the rest of us, I don’t
know how much good it would do. Ardat is sure to have more than just Dominic
raising the statue from the ocean. She knows we’ll be there. She’s smart.
She’ll send only the most powerful dark Nephilim she has at her disposal.”
Alan readjusted the seat belt
across his lap and chest. He had never flown before. Every time the plane shuddered,
Alan was sure the next second would bring flashing warning lights and oxygen
masks tumbling from their overhead containers.
and Angelica were piloting their plane as they headed for the Colossus of
Rhodes’ final resting place. According to Michael, the statue was deep in the
bosom of the ocean just off the Greek island of Rhodes where the Aegean and
Mediterranean seas met.
Alan knew he had to do something to
take his mind off the constant jarring and swaying of the plane or he was going
to drive himself mad. “Who is Ardat?”
his harness and stretched. “Ardat is one of the strongest Fallen. So far, she’s
remained low-key during her sentence here on earth. I guess now we know what
she’s been up to.”
“She was also Michael’s
girlfriend,” Danielle said adjusting her glasses. “I mean whatever the
equivalent is for two Angels in love. I think the term ‘boyfriend and
girlfriend’ still works.”
the war in heaven started. She was his right-hand strategist. She was ruthless
on the battlefield. I don’t know if the Fallen are yet ready to break the rules
and openly combat us, however we have to be prepared for anything.” Jacob
motioned Alan to unbuckle his harness and stand.
“Oh, I’m fine here. I mean if this
thing goes down or something happens I better be prepared.”
get as much training in as possible. Besides, Arther isn’t going to let anything
happen to the plane.”
“Yep,” Danielle added as she opened
a laptop and started clicking away at the keyboard. “He’s technically not even
physically touching the controls. He’s just moving the plane through the air
with his mind.”
“Great, Danielle,” Alan said as he
started to unbuckle his harness. “That doesn’t help me at all, whatsoever. Not
even a little bit.”
Danielle shrugged, “Oh, sorry.”
Alan stood up in the plane’s large cargo
area and moved to follow Jacob to the rear of the aircraft. His mentor wore
dark jeans, new tennis shoes and a fitted shirt. “Alan, you did great during
the confrontation with Infinity. The villains we will encounter now however are
extremely powerful. I want to test your strength and also see whether there is
anything else we can learn of your gifts.”
He had approved of Alan’s progress in training and the way he handled himself
during the conflict at the bar. “Oh, thanks.”
Jacob reached the rear of the cargo
plane where nothing but a dead-end made up of metal sides stopped their
progress. “I don’t think I actually told you about my gift. You had a chance to
see it during the confrontation with Infinity. Along with strength, I can
change the molecular structure of my skin, ordering it to harden on command.
When I’m in that form, I’m nearly invulnerable.”
began to change. Grey spread across his body like a single drop of dye into a
glass of water. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. When the
alien color met Jacob’s face, even his eyes and hair turned the solid grey
tint. “Now, let’s try this again, Alan. Hit me.”
This time Alan didn’t hold back.
The strength came when he called it and he sent a right punch into Jacob’s
chest that forced the gargoyle-like man backward, pushing him off his feet flying
into the plane’s rear doors.
to strike so powerfully and second, that the power came at a moment’s notice.
Jacob struggled to his feet and looked down at his chest. “That was impressive,
Alan. Your powers are manifesting themselves at a high rate. I can’t wait to
see what else you can do.”
Alan looked down at his hand
expecting to feel pain. He had hit Jacob’s stone chest as hard as he could. He anticipated
seeing broken skin on his knuckles and perhaps even blood. There was nothing.
“It looks like speed and strength aren’t your only powers, Alan.”
Chapter 40
her seat on the massive cargo ship “When they come, you will be my line of
defense. It is imperative that I am not disturbed until I can raise the entire
statue and secure it safely onboard. Are there any questions?”
Shakes of heads sought to appease
her dark eyes. The water gently rocked the ship from side to side. Ardat looked
at the sun that blazed high overhead in the day’s clear sky. “This will be a
great memory for our kind. We will remember it as part of our history when we
reign supreme. And this could not have been accomplished without all of you.
The Nephilim will come quickly. Angel must be dealt with first. Her power over
water could complicate our plan.”
the cargo ship’s rusted metal floor, “I will deal with her.”
Infinity also bowed low and spoke
with a quivering voice, “And I will dispose of Arch and Guardian as commanded.
I will not let you down again. Thank you for this chance to redeem myself. I
will not fail you.”