FULL NOVELXO Chapter Chapter Twenty Four
Derdrom was in the basement of the manor looking at the four coffins. Two of them were still closed and the other two were opened still. The Black Hands that usually stood guard by the coffins were by the entrance to the basement. Derdrom didn’t want anyone trying to walk in on him and the coffins talking. His own Black Hands were standing guard throughout the growing makeshift camp that the new arrivals were making. “The time will be here before you know it my brethren.” He told the two closed lids. “We will have our last Horseman of the Apocalypse here to join us and then we will herald in the Age of Darkness.”
He heard a commotion by the entrance to the basement. He frowned and turned to the door. It sounded like someone was arguing with the Black Hands standing guard. Why was someone trying to go into the basement? He had made it clear to his Black Hands that morning that no one was to enter the basement unless they wanted to die. His Black Hands were supposed to pass the word to the other Black Hands. No one was to disturb the Horseman of Death while he healed from the defeat that Gabriel had given him.
Derdrom stood up and disappeared in a puff of smoke. He reappeared outside the basement door. The Black Hands that were standing guard had their guns pointed at the Man with the German Accent. The Man with the German Accent looked furious. “You!” He shouted when he saw Derdrom. “What on Earth do you think you’re doing?” He demanded.
Derdrom couldn’t help but smile. “You mean having my Black Hands threaten death to anyone who dares enter the basement?” He asked. He had a feeling that that was what the Man with the German Accent was angry about.
The Man with the German Accent nodded. “You have no right threatening the Black Hands here with that!” He shouted. “The only one here who has any right to threaten the Black Hands here is me and that is because I am the Darkness’s right hand Black Hand.” He pointed his cane at Derdrom. The end of his cane glowed dark green. “I don’t care if you’re the Horseman of War. It’s time someone reminded you that I am in charge here, not you!” With that, he fired dark green energy at Derdrom.
Derdrom’s eyes glowed black and his suit of armor appeared over him. He raised his sword up and deflected the dark green energy. His Black Hands fired at the Man with the German Accent. The Man with the German Accent waved his cane and the bullets flew towards the Horseman of War. The Horseman of War raised his blade and the bullets fell to the ground. “You’ll have to do better if you want to defeat me Magician.” The Horseman of War told the Man with the German Accent.
Outside the manor, every Black Hand heard the noise inside the manor. The red uniformed Black Hands, fearing that the Man with the German Accent was attacking their master, made a blockade around the entire manor to keep the rest of the Black Hands out. No one was going to help the Man with the German Accent attack the Horseman of War. They had their guns pointed at the other Black Hands. Their message was clear enough. No one was to go inside until the Horseman of War told them that they could. The other Black Hands took out their guns and aimed them at the red uniformed Black Hands. If it was a fight that the red uniformed Black Hands wanted, it was a fight they would get.
The Horseman of War brought down his sword at the Man with the German Accent. The Man with the German Accent raised his cane and, using it as a sword, parried the blow. He then fired dark green energy at the Horseman of War, sending the Horseman of War stumbling back a bit. “Cheap shot.” The Horseman of War said. He snapped his fingers. His Black Hands fired their guns repeatedly at the Man with the German Accent. The Man with the German Accent aimed his cane at the Black Hands and fired dark green energy, throwing them against the wall. The Black Hands fell to the ground unconsciously.
In the basement, the first closed coffin opened and a warrior came out of it. The warrior was cladded in yellow armor. A helmet covered their face completely. There was a broken scale in their left hand. It looked more menacing that way. The warrior lumbered up the stairs to the basement door. The warrior could sense that the Horseman of War needed help.
The Man with the German Accent pointed his cane at the Horseman of War. “This ends now!” He shouted. He was about to fire a large dark green energy blast at the Horseman of War when he felt a chain wrap around his neck followed by a burning sensation around his neck. He gasped and dropped his cane as he reached for the chain. The Horseman of War lowered his blade. The armor vanished and Derdrom smiled. “What are you doing?” The Man with the German Accent demanded as he tried to grab the chain. He shouted in pain as he felt his fingers get burned.
Derdrom shook his head and laughed. “I am doing nothing Magician.” He told the Man with the German Accent. “Rather, the Horseman of Famine has her chain wrapped around your neck.” The Man with the German Accent’s eyes widened. The Horseman of Famine was a female? Derdrom had told him that but he had thought that he had been kidding. He didn’t realize that Derdrom had been serious about that. Derdrom looked past the Man with the German Accent and nodded. “Release him.” He ordered. The Man with the German Accent gasped for air as he felt the burning sensation leave his neck. He reached for his neck to massage it as he turned around. He suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
The Horseman of Famine was standing there. She, if Derdrom was correct with the gender, had only a broken scale in her hand. He had a feeling that one of the chains that were supposed to be holding up a weighing plate had been around his neck burning him. The Horseman of Famine’s face was covered by her helmet but the Man with the German Accent could sense the anger, hatred and a strong hunger for revenge coming from her. It almost felt familiar.
“Who are you Horseman of Famine?” The Man with the German Accent demanded. He had to know who was under that helmet. The chains on the broken scale turned bright red. The Man with the German Accent got the hint. He wasn’t supposed to ask her that. He turned to Derdrom. “Will she remove her helmet at all?” He asked him.
Derdrom shook his head. “No.” He answered. “That armor is the only thing that is keeping her in check. Any piece removed and the bonds restraining her power will be broken.” Derdrom went up to the Horseman of Famine and looked at her. “It’s vital that she keeps every piece of armor on so she doesn’t become too dangerous.”
The Man with the German Accent looked at the Horseman of Famine. “If the vessel was so dangerous, why choose her to be the Horseman of Famine?” He asked. It didn’t make sense to him.
Derdrom picked up the Horseman of Famine’s hand that had the broken scales in it. “I don’t think the Magician quite understands the power you have my dear.” He told the Horseman of Famine. “How about you give him another taste of your power?” Derdrom backed away and smiled.
Before the Man with the German Accent realized what was going on, he found himself on his back with a burning sensation around his left ankle. He looked down and found a red hot chain wrapped around his left ankle. The chain was attached to the broken scales. The Horseman of Famine dragged the Man with the German Accent up to her and put a foot on his chest. The Horseman of Famine looked at Derdrom. The way she was looking at him made the Man with the German Accent wonder if she was asking for permission to kill him. Derdrom shook his head. “Not yet my dear.” He told the Horseman of Famine. “There will be a time when he will die but now is not that time.”
The Man with the German Accent grabbed his leg right above the burning ankle. “Have her release me!” He shouted angrily.
Derdrom went up to him and knelt by him. “Release him.” He ordered the Horseman of Famine. The Man with the German Accent sighed with relief as he felt the pressure around his ankle disappeared. He grabbed his cane and waved the top of it over his ankle in an attempt to heal it.
Derdrom looked at the Horseman of Famine. “That will be all, my dear.” He told her. “Now go back down to your coffin and wait to be summoned by either the Darkness or me.” The Horseman of Famine bowed to him before she went back into the basement. Derdrom waited until she was back in the basement before he turned to the Man with the German Accent. “Ever try to assert control over my Black Hands or me and I’ll let her kill you in a very torturous and long way.” He told the Man with the German Accent in a very dangerous voice. “You might be the oldest Black Hand here but you are not the most dangerous one in any way or form.”
Derdrom stood up and smiled. “Now I doubt you will try to enter the basement again.” He told the Man with the German Accent. He looked at the Black Hands who were standing back up by the basement door. “Keep everyone out who tries to enter.” He ordered them. “Kill them if they try to get in.” He then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
The Man with the German Accent stood up and glared at the Black Hands standing guard. “Don’t forget who you really work for.” He told them. “If you disobey me one more time, I will report you to the Darkness, assuming I don’t kill you all myself for insubordination.” He threatened them. They didn’t react to him at all. Used to that, the Man with the German Accent stormed off.
Outside, the Man with the German Accent glared at the red uniformed Black Hands and his own Black Hands. “Lower those weapons!” He shouted. “And get back to work getting ready for the ritual!” He didn’t have time for a stupid fight. He raised his cane and the top of it glowed black. “I said lower them!” The Black Hands all slowly lowered their weapons and went back to whatever it was that they had been doing before they had split up into two teams.
The Man with the German Accent went to a window that was right about the ground. It was one of the only windows that one could look through to the basement. From the angle he was at, he could see Derdrom sitting in front of the four coffins. It looked like he was talking to them. The Man with the German Accent frowned. Why was Derdrom talking to the four coffins? Two of them were empty and the other two were closed. There was no way that neither of the two Horsemen of the Apocalypse could hear him.
That was when he saw her. A young woman. She was standing right behind Derdrom with a hood on so the Man with the German Accent didn’t get a really good look at her face. Her black hair was in a ponytail. She had a black cloak on but the hood was down. She was in a black dress. The Man with the German Accent saw that her hands were in black gloves. The Man with the German Accent gazed at her. Who was she? The way she was dressed reminded him of someone but for some odd reason, he couldn’t remember why.
Derdrom turned to her. As he turned, he saw the Man with the German Accent watching. He frowned and waved his hand at the window. A black covering appeared on the window, blocking the Man with the German Accent from being able to look in.
The Man with the German Accent backed away as the black plating appeared over the window. So Derdrom didn’t want anyone to see the woman. He wondered why. There were female Black Hands after all. So what made this woman so special? He had to find out who she was and why Derdrom didn’t want anyone to know about her.