Singh loaded and mounted the stallion as all three turned and made their way toward Mission Station to meet up with Constantine, who was arriving with other members of the Circle who were aboard his personal train. They gathered at the tracks shortly before midnight as the sleek-silver & gold steam locomotive known as The Acropolis rolled to a stop into Mission Station. The steam clouds slowly dispersed as the door to the main passenger car was pulled open as Constantine appeared in the doorway. He looked down at them, motioning all three inside the Locomotive. Moments later-after introductions to Caleb Doolittle were made, he was being debriefed as to the activities of Isabella Dragomir and her cohorts. The new recruit-one Caleb Tristan Doolittle of Bristlecone Texas sat quietly to the side, listening carefully to the fast-paced conversation, trying desperately to make sense of it all. They sat gathered at a long table in the main dining car of the Acropolis, discussing theories, exchanging ideas and going over strategies of how they were going to deal with Isabella Dragomir. What would happen next would take them all by surprise, oddly enough it was Caleb Doolittle that was the first one present to hear the distant footsteps falling on the roof of the train. They all stopped talking at once. Doolittle had already drawn his gun and was moving toward the door.
“Someone is topside, I’m going to have a look.” He told them.
“Or some-thing!” Cassidy Blaise chimed in, drawing her own weapon.
Together they followed along under the footsteps into the next car, at one time, Doolittle had looked up to see a large hulking figure leaping from the top of one car to the next. He dropped to the tracks outside the third rail car followed by Cassidy Blaise both had now focused their attention to the backdrop of the full moon to see the silhouette of a very large lycan moving along the top of the Acropolis. Doolittle fired five shots at the dark figure, with Cassidy Blaise once again backing his play, until the large lycan disappeared from view. Now fully perplexed and puzzled-both Blaise and Doolittle instinctively went back to back, neither of them taking their eyes off of the top of the train. Inside, they could hear the distinct sounds of hurried footfalls of their companions running inside the Acropolis to catch up with them. One by one, they all came out of the train, each drawing their own weapons. they all began to fan out, each searching the top of the train with their eyes. Aiden Clairemont appeared over the right shoulder of Caleb Doolittle.
Doolittle didn’t answer back at first, his eyes carefully studying everything that moved. He nodded his head to the affirmative, his eyes never seeing Aiden Clairemont.
“Lycan.” He said calmly.
They all began to fan out along the length of the Acropolis, when at the very end car-the situation took an unexpected turn, when a deep chilling voice in almost a growl, from the top of the train cut through the cold night air.
“Before you try to kill me, Aiden Clairemont- it may serve you more than you know to hear what I have to say.”
Aiden Clairemont immediately recognized it as the voice of the savage lycan called Kojo. He tried to train his weapon on the voice, his hand wavering slightly. for all the lycans that he had encountered over the past five years, Kojo was the only one that he’d ever heard speak as a human, and his voice never failed to chill him to the bone. Caleb Doolittle studied the top of the train car, stopping on two blood-red spots peering through the darkness.
“I must speak with Constantine- Immediately.” Kojo said.
Aiden Clairemont disappeared down along the tracks to find Constantine, leaving Caleb Doolittle and Cassidy Blaise alone with Kojo. moments later, he returned with Constantine.
“We have much to discuss, Abraham.” Kojo growled.
Constantine’s eyes focused on the voice.
“And what do I have to discuss with the likes of you, Kojo?” Constantine asked.
“Isabella Dragomir.”
He cast a nervous glance at Aiden Clairemont and then at Cassidy Blaise.
“What about her Lycan?”
“I know why she is here Abraham, her and her pet- Koda Kahn, I know of what they seek.”
Constantine thought carefully for a moment before answering.
“And why would you help us in our struggle with Isabella Dragomir?”
He could hear the lycan inhale, making a slight gurgling sound as he did.
“Let us say-that it would serve both of our interests to have you find her.”
“And what is in this proposition for you, Kojo?”
He could almost feel the lycan smile through the cold darkness.
“Revenge, Constantine- sweet revenge.” He was almost laughing then. “You get Isabella Dragomir- and I get the traitor Koda Kahn.”
Once he’d determined that he had their undivided attention, he cautiously moved closer, more so to Constantine than the others. He came to rest at the very edge of the top of the Acropolis. His blood-red eyes carefully studying their every move, especially those of Aiden Claremont, his head cocked to one side as they made eye contact for the first time. He could feel it to his core that there was no fear at all in Claremont’s heart. Satisfied that there would be no confrontation, he returned his attention to Constantine, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of the lycan.
“So tell us a story, Kojo, what exactly is it that Isabella is after?” He prompted.
“It is a book Constantine, a very special- and very old book with a valuable gemstone embedded in the cover. It was stolen from the Darkspawn by a team of ten men over one year and a half ago, many on the elders' council have determined that it was brought here, somewhere in the United States. They sent Isabella and fifteen others, including me, to retrieve it. We almost had it in a place called Matlan, Koda Kahn was leading five of us into the encampment where the book was being kept. The humans were waiting for us, silver bullets and all, they killed two lycan, I was severely injured, and barely escaped, Koda Kahn and the remaining two darkspawn left me for dead in the woods, unknown to them, I survived and have been tracking their every movement for the past six months.”
Constantine gave it careful consideration before raising the obvious question to Kojo.
“And just what is precisely so special about this book aside from its age?” He asked.
Kojo inched his way closer.
“In its contents-lies the origins of the Darkspawn race, their whole belief system lives in its pages, it is for all intents and purposes their holy bible. but perhaps most importantly, to you? the exact location of the Darkspawn citadel. You see, Constantine- if this book should fall into the hands of the Knight’s Circle, then you could locate the actual home of the Darkspawn. That, I would think-would be of great value to you. would it not?”
Aiden Clairemont stepped forward then.
“You would help betray your own kind Kojo and you expect up to trust you?” He asked.
“They-are NOT my kind! I was born like this, Aiden Clairemont! never knowing human form, because of the deeds of the darkspawn, I have lived my entire life- as little more than a slave to them. Kept at the end of a chain, only to be released when there was dirty work to be done. And as soon as it was convenient to them, their precious little soldier Koda Kahn left me to die alone. Now? My only allegiance lies with my own survival. Now-my sole purpose on the earth is to see the whole lot of them bathed in their own blood!”
Kojo's heightened sense of smell would be their compass, and as it turned out all he had to do was get close to them and he could lead them right to their exact location. Both Caleb Doolittle and Cassidy Blaise loaded their horses with supplies for the trip east to Stockton, with Abraham Constantine, Aiden Claremont and Mahavir Singh remaining in tow to keep a wary eye on Kojo. having left the Acropolis in the railyard, they rode east toward Stockton having picked up the trail from The Midnight Star with help from Kojo, Caleb Doolittle having remarkable tracking skills of his own, had taken the lead of the single file group of riders as they made their way across the Tungston gap and up into the Del Puerto hills where the trees grew thicker along both edges of the trail. Caleb pulled rein and raised his hand to motion for a full stop of the group. Kojo caustiously moved up beside his horse, he raised his snout into the air and took in a deep slow breath.
"You feel it too don't you?" He asked Caleb Doolittle.
Constantine rode up beside them.
"What is happening Caleb?"
Caleb Doolittle got off of his horse and walked out in front of the column by twenty feet, he knelt down and studied the dirt for a time. He rose and turned to Kojo and Constantine.
"Somebodies about an hour ahead of us in the trees, at least two riders on horseback with a pack animal in tow, probably a spotter off to the right of the trail."
Kojo's eyes narrowed, he reared his head back taking in the scents. He looked at Caleb Doolittle.
"Your instincts are impressive- Caleb Doolittle is it?" He asked.
Doolittle nodded,
"We should ride up along the rim of the gorge, keep the treeline below us, they are probably going to be watching for riders at their rear."
Kojo nodded in agreement.
"Constantine, I will travel below you at the top of the treeline, Koda Kahn keeps watch for Isabella Dragomir.
They continued east be ever so careful to stick to the top of the rim of Goldpan gorge, Caleb Doolittle kept a watchful eye on the treeline below them until something new caught his eye, he raised his hand to stop the column, Kojo once again joined him at the top of the rim. He climbed down from the saddle tying the reins of his horse to the notch in a tree, Kojo carefully studied his every move. Caleb Doolittle climbed down the side of a washout and walked across short flat plane stopping at a small grove of trees, Kojo shadowed him stopping at his side, his study slowly growing into curiosity as he looked up at Caleb Doolittle. He knelt down in the sandy dirt and studied the fresh tracks, before turning to face Kojo, and then turning his eyes back to the trees.
"Human's?"
Kojo nodded silently as Caleb turned and headed back up the ravine to his horse.
"Well Kojo, if there's something I've learned about regular people, there are alot of us that can be bought for a price, You should go tell the others about this, I'm going to pick up their trail."
"I should go with you Mr. Doolittle, Koda Kahn is with them, and he will smell you coming before you can close distance, if he doubles back, he will attack you from the side. Wait for me here, we'll go together." Kojo answered.
He complied with Kojo's request, and after several minutes he reappeared at Caleb Doolittles side with Constantine and the others spreading out slightly behind them. they pressed on into the trees and heavy brush which made the going slow and gradual, they went a half a mile in before Kojo cut away from them and went wide to their left, within minutes Caleb Doolittle yelled for the group to spread out and take cover just as a smaller lycan attacked and took a surprised Cassidy Blaise off of her horse, and a much larger one on their right set it's sights on Caleb Doolittle who had gotten between the smaller one and Cassidy, it charged at him forgetting about her and before it could turn he was already off of his horse and on the ground with both short blade drawn it's first pass took it over the top of his head and he sliced open it's underbelly with a long quick stroke it screamed as he buried the second blade right through the top of it's skull. it went down instantly and lay still.
The larger Lycan made it's charge at Caleb Doolittle but before it got to within twenty feet a blurry black and gray figure caught it in mid leap and had it on the ground and began ripping savagely at it's flesh, and finally had his jaws firmly clamped around the neck of what he thought to be Koda Khan the body finally grew still before he relented, Kojo's attack was brutal, swift and final. The pure strains had taken notice of the attack and began firing on Constantine, Mahavir Singh and Aiden Claremont from the cover of the trees, they pulled Cassidy Back behind some rocks out of harms way as Caleb Doolittle and Kojo began attacking the enemy in concert forcing them into full retreat. Soon Constantine had the Circle regrouped and readied them to the attack as well, Kojo concentrated on the third Darkspawn who was trying desperately to draw him away from the group. Mahavir Singh had rode through between the pure strains and cut them down leaving two remaining riders fleeing in two different directions. The moon had broken free from the clouds in time for Singh to see the figures clearly, he removed the Spencer Rifle and set it's sights on the back of one of the rider's and fired off a round knocking it from the animal.
He retrained the rifle on the second target aiming this time just above the animal, his shot was true and the horse stumbled and fell trapping the rider beneath it, Aiden Claremont and Constantine were already on the first rider Singh had shot, the bullit had found it's fatal mark and the body had already begun to decay but not before they could see that it was female but not Isabella Dragomir. Singh rejoined them after killing the second rider and informed Constantine that the body was that of a male and as with the first had turn to decay as soon as he shot it with a silver bullit through the heart. They returned to the trees to find Kojo, Caleb Doolittle and Cassidy Bliase unloading the two pack animals that the Darkspawns companions had brought with them, inside one of the saddlebags was what felt like a solid square object wrapped and bound in heavy cloth, when they unbound it Constantine was surprised to see a thick leather book with a gemstone embedded in the cover. He looked to Kojo who watched as he opened the book to reveal it was written in a text he did not recognize, Kojo turned to face him.
"The Darkspawn have written the book in their own language, I do not recognize this Constantine, the book is real but the text will have to be decyphered, Isabella and Koda Khan were not a part this group or so it would appear, I believe they rode into a trap. They are not going to this place you call Stockton to feed again. They are trying to escape, I sense that Isabella Dragomir is seriously wounded and perhaps Koda Khan as well."
Aiden Claremont stepped forward and stood beside Kojo.
"I don't think I wounded her that badly. only one shot landed" He told him.
"You didn't wound her, I smelled her and koda's blood on the two Lycans that Caleb Doolittle and I killed, the human's that they were to meet, brought them and the Incubus that Mahavir Singh killed with them, it would appear as though the high council did not trust her to bring back the book after all, she is bleeding badly, and koda as well, they will be dead soon. Take the book back to the circle, the Darkspawn Elders will send others to try and retrieve it."
"We will have our language scholars try to translate it into English, but it will take time I suspect. and what will you do now Kojo?" Constantine asked.
"I will track down their bodies and make sure they are indeed deceased, and then I will follow your trail back to New Orleans and wait outside of the city Constantine, They will send others and I will be waiting for them." Kojo answered.
Then it was Caleb Doolittle who spoke up.
"I'm going to ride with Kojo until we find the bodies and dispose of them, If you want me to be a part of your team Constantine, go back to San Francisco and wait for us on the train, we will meet you there."
Constantine reluctantly agreed, and they took the book and placed in his saddlebags, the rest of the group and he watched curiously as Kojo and Caleb Doolittle disappeared over the hill and headed to the northeast to find the bodies of Isabella Dragomir and Koda Khan, An odd silince fell over the group as they watch them slowly disappear from view. Cassidy Blaise then on horseback appeared at his side.
"Do you think he can be trusted?"
"Did you see how well they worked together Cassidy? I think in some strange way Kojo trusts Caleb Tristen Doolittle of Bristlecone Texas, and who knows? We may have finally found our edge in the war with the Darkspawn. If we can fully gain his trust in some way maybe a fully functioning lycan will provide us with the upperhand."
The group turned and headed back to the San Francisco railyards, then they would return to New Orleans and wait for their two newest members to rejoin them in the Circle.
Scratch/A.B.T. © Copyright 2022
