Silent Storm
Chapter 5 - The Man On The Altar

Loose stones are scattered around the ground. Stalactites hang down from 50 feet above, water slowly dripping from them, with rhythmic synchronization as they hit the rocks below.

The clattering sound of Cordelia’s high heels echoes throughout the area, as she marches through a rocky corridor.

She starts to slow down as she approaches an opening, through which seemingly lies nothing but darkness.

She enters the nothingness.

A hoarse and fragile voice is heard, coughing and wheezing at intervals.

“Cordelia, is that you?” the voice asks.

“Who else would it be darling? Do you get any other visitors?”

“The new awakening, I’m assuming everything went well with it? The voice asks.

“Yes, we retrieved her successfully.”

“So will she be of any use to our cause?” the voice continues to probe.

“I can already tell she’ll be problematic for us; she hasn’t even been here a full day yet and has already tried to escape. I’m keeping her sedated for the time being.”

“Worthless! Bring her to me, I’ll make sure her Aether doesn’t go to waste,” the voice yells.

“Calm yourself, I have a feeling she could prove to be extremely useful, one way or another, says Cordelia as she lets out a devilish laugh. “I should tell you however, that the Silent Storm arrived before we did,” she continues.

“The Silent Storm? How did they manage to locate her so quickly?”

“It seems those little insects developed some kind of device that pinpoints the location of an awakening within a certain radius.”

Cordelia has a menacing grin on her face now. “But that’s not the main reason I’m here.”

“Well then, don’t waste my time you evil witch, get to the point!”

Cordelia laughs once again, clearly enjoying herself. “Ooh, I really do love it when you get rough with me,” she flirts.

An enormous blast of fire shoots past Cordelia, barely missing her face.

The area is illuminated by the flames for a moment.

A man is seen on an eerie altar, with several tubes attached all over his body and the back of his neck. The tubes lead up to a giant skull statue, with glowing red eyes.

The man is almost nothing but bones, his ribs clearly visible. There’s hardly any hair on his head, it looks as though it has been falling out over time.

Protruding from the statue are several pillars, with numerous pods affixed above with unidentifiable figures inside of them.

Cordelia doesn’t seem to be phased by the display of power and rage however.

The room goes dark once again.

“Get to the point Cordelia,” the man groans.

“The boys were there darling.”

“Please don’t tell me you killed them,” the man says.

“Don’t insult me, I know how important they are to you,” Cordelia responds.

“Interesting, how far along are they with their elemental control?” the man asks.

“Marie’s boy, he seems pretty comfortable manipulating water, but he’s impulsive, reckless even, and without a doubt, a complete imbecile. Jason on the other hand, Vanessa’s boy, not only does he have good command over lightning, but he seems to have a decent grasp of wind control as well.”

“Did he seem phased? Or drained in any way by using two elements simultaneously?” asks the man, the eagerness evident in his voice.

“No not at all, it’s just like I told you it would be.”

“Excellent,” the man responds.

“But it’s still too early to know which one of them is the Nonpareil,” warns Cordelia.

“Then we shall wait patiently.”

“Good to see that news calmed you down. I’ll leave you to continue doing whatever it is you do down here by yourself to pass the time.”

Cordelia turns around and starts walking away.

She pauses and begins to speak in a fiendish tone. “And just in case you forgot, I don’t work for you, this is a partnership darling. I’ve been scratching your back for years; you better be ready to return the favor when that time comes.”

Cordelia lets out a devilish laugh and leaves.

***

The sound of rumbling thunder reverberates throughout the Academy, with flashes of lightning illuminating the sky.

Marie, who is on a call with someone, paces up and down her bedroom. “Are you sure this information is accurate?” she asks. “Ok then, thanks for the intel.” Marie ends the call and runs her hand through her thick, dark hair.

She looks through her window as the thunder and lightning continues to rage on.

A bolt of lightning descends and strikes one of the hedges in the garden.

“Oh Vanessa,” says Marie, as she quickly leaves the room with a worried look on her face.

She walks across a few feet to Vanessa’s room.

The door slides open and she enters to see her standing by the window, wrapped in her sheets.

“You might want to take it easy there V before you damage any more of Naveen’s precious hedges,” Marie says with a slight chuckle. “You know how worked up he gets.”

Vanessa turns around, “Oh, sorry about that,” she says, as she moves from the window.

The thunder and lightning immediately subside.

“Ready to tell me what’s bothering you?” asks Marie.

Vanessa marches toward her. “After everything that happened today, should you even be asking? What if he really is alive? He’s gonna come for our boys,” she says. “I can’t go through that again M. I just can’t,” she continues, as her voice starts to crumble.

Marie embraces her and sits her down on the bed. “Vanessa, this isn’t like you, get a grip of yourself. He’s dead, you were right there when we killed him,” she says.

“I was also right there when we exhumed that bastard’s body and it looked the same as when we buried him,” Vanessa quickly responds.

Marie releases her embrace and gives Vanessa an angry look. “Yea, and we agreed to tell the faculty, but you had other plans didn’t you,” she says.

“Telling them would only create more panic, you know that,” Vanessa responds.

“I guess telling Sarah we found her daughter would have created more panic as well,” says Marie sarcastically, which upsets Vanessa.

“So what was the alternative M?” she asks. “Tell that poor woman we found her daughter, but then let her get taken by history’s most notorious psychopath?

Marie places a gentle hand on Vanessa’s face which calms her down, “Look at me. None of that matters, we’ll find her, and if Dorian really is alive somehow, we’ll stop him and Cordelia just like the last time,” she says.

“We got awfully lucky back then, I don’t think we’ll get the same help a second time around,” Vanessa responds.

They both begin to laugh as they gaze into each other’s eyes.

“On a different note,” says Marie, moving back to an appropriate distance. “Apparently someone attacked the soldiers stationed at the disaster site in Vargos. But of course, The Central Defense is keeping this from going public.”

Vanessa gives Marie a confused stare.

“Captain Kreel was killed, and another soldier injured,” Marie continues. “The marks on Kreel’s neck imply he was strangled to death, possibly by chains.”

“Chains?” asks Vanessa.

“That’s not the weirdest part. The surviving soldier said that before he got knocked out the attacker asked for the location of the Nexus Orb.”

“You think the Coven is involved somehow?” asks Vanessa.

“I don’t know, but all this, happening now, can’t be a coincidence. Something’s coming, and I don’t think we’re prepared for it.”

“Gaia help us.” Says a disturbed Vanessa.

“Either way, we need to get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us,” says Marie, as she kisses Vanessa on her forehead and leaves the room.

***

Gale stands bewildered in a field filled with crimson meadows, her hair dancing in the harsh winds.

The flower petals scatter in the air all around her.

Someone approaches, wearing a hood as white as snow, their face well hidden.

As the hooded figure draws closer to Gale it begins to speak.

“Remember this place young Quin,” it says.

“This place? What is this place? And who are you?” asks a confused Gale.

A downpour of rain commences, and nightfall suddenly descends.

Thunder and lightning begin to rage, illuminating the sky.

A winged beast approaches from a distance at great speed.

The hooded figure begins to shout.

“Remember this place or all is lost!!!”

The winged beast now hovers over Gale, with its red scaly skin, sharp claws, and ferocious green eyes.

The hooded figure exclaims again. “Now wake up!”

The beast opens its mouth and lets out a devastating blast of fire at Gale, violently waking her out of a deep sleep.

Gale lets out a startling scream as she awakens from her nightmare.

Jason, who is in bed next to her, immediately wakes up and tries to calm her down.

She instinctively directs a strong gust of wind and knocks him off the bed.

“Oh my God, Jason, are you okay?”

“Jeez Gale, what the hell was that?”

“I’m so sorry, I had a bad dream.”

“What about?” asks Jason.

Gale rushes over to help him to his feet. “Forget that, look at the time, you fell asleep again, you need to get out of here,” she says.

Gale’s father, Henry Radcliffe approaches her bedroom door from the other side. “Gale, is everything ok in there, what’s with all the noise?”

Gale whispers to Jason, “Go, now.”

Her bedroom door slides open, and Henry walks in, however Jason is already gone and Gale is back in her bed. “Hey daddy,” she says.

“Are you ok sweetheart?”

“Yes daddy, I just had a bad dream, no worries.”

“After what happened with Cordelia I’m not surprised. If you don’t feel up for class today its ok,” says Henry.

“No I’ll be fine,” reassures Gale.

“You know baby, I might not be gifted like the other faculty members, but I’m still a teacher at this Academy, and I’m still your father. There’s nothing you can’t come to me with,” says Henry.

“I know daddy, but really, I’m fine.”

“Ok sweetheart, love you.”

“Love you too daddy.”

Henry leaves the room and Gale lets out a sigh of relief.

***

Lou pulls up outside the academy gate in a Limousine, Ghost and Striker are closely behind on their bikes.

The vehicles are scanned and the gate opens, allowing them through.

Marie and Vanessa stand by the Academy steps, awaiting their return.

Lou drives up to the stairs and stops.

“Any trouble along the way guys?” asks Marie.

“Smooth sailing Lady M,” says Striker.

“Great,” Marie responds.

Ghost and Striker ride off towards the garage.

Lou exits the Limo and opens the passenger door and allows three individuals to exit.

A middle-aged couple and a little girl with a tiny backpack, and a suitcase.

“Thanks Lou.” Says Vanessa.

“My pleasure Lady Terrell,” Lou responds.

He reenters the Limo and drives off towards the garage.

“Welcome to the Silent Storm Academy,” say Vanessa.

The couple greets Marie and Vanessa, then introduces their daughter, Elmina.

“Hi there Elmina, how are you?” asks Marie.

The little girl responds very quietly and with her head down. “I’m ok,” she says.

“Mr. and Mrs. Knight, we’re really glad you guys finally decided to let us help your daughter,” says Marie.

“Things started to get way out of hand, Mina’s been turning our house upside down,” says Mrs. Knight.

“Our furniture, ornaments, she’s bringing all of them to life, please, just help our daughter,” says Mr. Knight.

“Miss Price had been visiting Mina whenever we allowed it, but we see now, that’s not enough,” says Mrs. Knight.

“Exactly, Miss Price has a gift with dealing with new Altere, but there is only so much she can do outside these premises. We have facilities here built specifically for helping kids like your daughter,” says Marie.

“Yes, and we’ll give you a little tour of the academy so you can see for yourself your daughter will be in good hands,” Vanessa adds.

A stuffed penguin suddenly jumps out of Elmina’s backpack and slaps Vanessa.

“Enough talking woman, let’s begin the tour,” says the penguin.

“Vanessa becomes severely agitated and exclaims. “What the hell?”

Vanessa begins strangling the penguin, which upsets Elmina. “No please stop,” she yells.

Marie frees the penguin from Vanessa’s grasp and holds her back.

“This is Patches, out of all the inanimate objects Mina’s brought to life, that’s the only one that just never seems to go back to normal,” Mrs. Knight explains.

Patches jumps on Elmina’s shoulder, gasping for breath. “Keep that barbarian away from me Mina,” he says.

“Barbarian?!” Vanessa shouts.

“Ok how bout we start the tour before this gets out of hand,” Marie says, in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

They all head inside while Vanessa stares down Patches. Streaks of lightning race across her eyes, startling the penguin, causing it to jump back inside the backpack to hide.

Marie and Vanessa take the Knight family inside, who are instantly amazed by all the portraits depicting the Academy’s history. They move on to the infirmary where the family is introduced to Nurse May.

They then head over to the massive dining area, where the stocky head cook, Patty Lee, is there to greet them.

She takes them to the back room where the other cooks seem to be cooking up something fierce in time for the lunch break.

The family is clearly impressed by what they see.

They walk past the Guidance Counsellor’s office, and see Ms. Price sitting at her desk, tirelessly going through student files.

Marie and Vanessa explain that Elmina will spend a lot of time with Ms. Price, to get a better handle on her emotions and her powers before she is allowed to sit in a classroom, so she won’t be a danger to the other students.

They arrive at a classroom, on the door is a sign saying ‘Nimbus III’.

They look through the glass and see Mikey and JJ dozing off during class with Miranda sitting between them.

She jabs them both to wake them up and turns their book to the relevant page, urging them to pay attention.

Marie giggles and explains to the Knight family that their daughter will start in Nimbus I.

They continue walking and stop at another classroom, this time the sign says ‘Cirrus I’.

Inside the classroom Riley is speaking to a girl next to him.

“Hey Kim, I’ve been thinking, you wanna spend some time together? You know, outside the classroom.”

“Really? Are you sure that’s ok? I heard you were seeing Rebecca Munroe from Cirrus III,” says Kim.

Riley responds with a shocked look on his face. “Who told you that? That’s a lie.”

“Ok, then I would love to,” Kim responds.

Outside the classroom, Marie, Vanessa, and the Knight family look on through the glass.

They see Riley forming beautiful bubbles and blowing them playfully at Kim, as she giggles.

“Isn’t that your son Lady Stanislaus? Where’s his brother?” asks Mrs. Knight.

“He’s in Cirrus III,” says Vanessa.

“Why is he in a lower class, I thought they were both born on the same day?” asks the perplexed Mrs. Knight.

“Because he’s an idi---“, Vanessa attempts to respond but is quickly interrupted by Marie before she could finish her sentence.

“Because he has trouble paying attention in class,” Marie says.

They all look back into the classroom as Riley ignores the lecture to continue flirting with Kim.

“Yes I see,” says Mrs. Knight.

Patches impatiently buts in. “What’s with the life story ladies, let’s get on with the tour,” he says.

“You need to teach that penguin some manners Elmina,” says an angry Vanessa.

“I’m sorry, he just does whatever he wants,” Elmina responds.

“Anyway, next up we’ll show you guys the entertainment room, where our students go to relax and hang out. A few weeks from now I’m pretty sure the entire academy will be there to watch the Ivy Rose concert,” says Marie.

Elmina’s face lights up with excitement, which catches Vanessa’s attention. “Oh, you like Ivy Rose don’t you Mina?” asks Vanessa.

“She adores her,” says Mrs. Knight.

“Everyone does,” says Mr. Knight.

“And I hope it stays that way,” Marie mutters under her breath.

“What was that Lady Stanislaus?” asks Mr. Knight.

“Anyway,” says Vanessa, in an attempt to change the topic, “lets carry on shall we? There’s still one more major stop after the Entertainment room.”

“Yes of course, lead the way,” says Mr. Knight.

***

Marie, Vanessa, and the Knight family approach a large wooden shrine, built around a mesmerizing tree with lush green leaves.

Mina gasps and grabs hold of her mother.

“Mina what’s wrong?” she asks.

Mina stares at her mother with her eyes wide open, and a broad smile on her face.

“You there, the angry woman, explain this sorcery, what is this strange feeling of euphoria that’s taking over my Mina,” says Patches, seated on Mina’s shoulder.

“You know I’ve just about had enough of you, you little—”

“You can sense Mina’s feelings, remarkable,” says Marie, cutting short Vanessa’s futile lambasting of the stuffed troublemaker.

“Mina sweetheart are you ok?” asks a worried Mr. Knight.

“There’s no cause for concern Mr. and Mrs. Knight, this is a usual reaction for Altere coming into close proximity to Gaia’s tree. It’s just a bit more pronounced for Mina seeing as this is her first time,” Marie responds.

“That’s a relief,” says Mr. Knight.

Marie leads the group inside, while Vanessa and Patches exchange threatening stares.

The Knight family looks on at the Giant tree in awe.

“Everyone, meet Gaia,” says Marie with a proud smile on her face.

“Wow,” says Mina.

The tree begins to glow and a gentle breeze caresses Mina’s face, causing her to giggle.

“That’s her way of saying hello,” says Vanessa.

“Hello to you too Gaia,” says an ecstatic Mina.

Mr. and Ms. Knight look on at Mina then stare at each other with hopeful smiles.

“This is all that remains of Gaia,” says Marie.

“What happened to her?” asks Mina.

“She sacrificed herself centuries ago so that we could have a fighting chance.” says Vanessa.

“Her death was the catalyst for the Aetherial cycle, making it possible for you and I to do the things we do,” Marie adds.

“But no need to worry, you’ll learn more about this in History,” says Vanessa.

Mina beams with excitement, much to the delight of her parents.

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