The Dominion Pulse Read online

  “Do you see? All of Otherworld is mine! All of the power of the dominion pulses are mine! You’re resistance is irrelevant.”

  Chapter 18

  Intuition

  Elathan reached out with two open palms and pulled Arawn and Argona through the air straight into his clutches. He gripped their skulls and screamed. His eyes were like golden furnaces completely engulfed in metallic energy.

  Arawn was helpless in stopping Elathan from tearing down the defenses of his mind and running unchecked through any thought or memory that he had ever had. He saw adventures and heartbreaks, his parents and family, fierce creatures that ran amok and his battles with them, and then he saw his life with Argona before and after she had betrayed him. In every memory there was a golden shadow poking about, laughing at Arawn’s struggles and pain, ripping the memories apart, making them harder and harder to hang on to.

  Finally, the golden shadow came to the memory that it sought. Arawn was standing just inside a familiar cave, having just taken the mother of demons down to the depths of the caverns, and watched an odd scene roll his way. It looked like two humans were running from a Magog and an alphyn, but as the alphyn got closer to the girl she executed a fantastic evasive maneuver and landed on the back of the alphyn where she then executed it. He knew then that she was the current Protector of Earth.

  The giant was really upset at the pair for killing her alphyn and charged at them with reckless abandonment. It was a great chance to flex the old battle muscles one last time before returning to guard duty on Ann wn, so Arawn flung his broad sword and speared the Magog through the heart. Then the plan was to retrieve his sword and ignore the Protector on his way into the cave, but he couldn’t. She was carrying a stone coffer that belonged to Nuada. Arawn sensed that a Banshee was trapped inside, so he took the coffer and buried that, too. After all, it was on his way down to Caoranach’s prison in the bowels of the cave.

  The golden shadow moved along with Arawn as he walked inside the cave and then there was blackness.

  Elathan dropped the star-struck lovers to the stone floor unceremoniously and stepped over them to sit on his throne. He gave a quick wave and both Argona and Arawn were swept away on a powerful gust of streaming air that tossed them back down the corridor and deposited them in Arawn’s trilithon prison.

  Some time passed and Elathan reveled in the splendor of his conquest of Otherworld. His plans were not yet complete, but the arrival of Conchar and the Seeker would help to remedy that.

  “Seeker,” Elathan whispered to the room. “I have one last task for you, and then you can die.”

  …

  The shock finally wore off and Camulos was able to get to his feet. He wasn’t exactly sure of what the Seeker had done to him, but even though it was excruciating, it worked. He had more power—he could feel it coursing through his body. It was different than his natural powers, being both broader and more directed at the same time, encompassing the entire Realm of the Gods and each individual life form who inhabited it.

  This was his realm to rule and if that was true then a display of might was necessary for the sovereign fools of Sarvaloo.

  Camulos, the ruler of Tir na nOg, was more than willing to provide one.

  …

  The path through the Chamber reminded Brendan of a haunted trail he once visited back in middle school with a group of buddies right around Halloween. That amateur haunted house had fake spiders, guys with chainless chainsaws, people in masks, and loads of fake blood and horrific screams. The trail in the Chamber had none of those things, but it was so much more frightening. The trees, the dirt and stone walkway, the fog, all conjured up memories of horror movies and uneasy feelings, but at least this time he had the ability to do something about it.

  Silence was the norm for Brendan and the others as they walked along in the Chamber. Occasionally they would come across a side path, but none of them felt right to Brendan. Bibe had advised him to follow his heart, so that’s what he was going to do.

  Dorian moved up alongside her boyfriend and took his hand. “Do you know where you’re going?”

  “Ha!” Brendan gave a short laugh. “Hardly. I haven’t seen a reason to leave the main path yet. I think I’ll know when it’s right, you know?”

  “Sure,” she agreed. “What do you think we’ll find in here?”

  “Answers, I hope,” he replied. “Bibe rushed it at the end, but it sounded like Elathan had found a way to increase his powers, and believe me, that’s a frightening thought.” He was silent and pensive for a few moments as they walked hand in hand in front of the others.

  “What else is on your mind, Brendan? Your father?” she asked.

  The more he thought about Elathan, the angrier he got. “As you know, Elathan has been using Dad to take control of the power from each realm. Well, he has captured all of them now.” He looked hard at her. “I’m just hoping that Dad hasn’t worn out his usefulness.”

  “You sounded confident in coming here after speaking with Bibe, Brendan,” Dorian assured him. “I’m sure this is where we’ll find some help.”

  Brendan squeezed her hand a little and leaned down and kissed her as they walked. “You’re perfect for me, you know that?”

  “Back at you, yank,” she said with a wink and a smile.

  “This ain’t no walk through Central Park, freaks,” Detective Simmons announced. “Find what you’re looking for and get us out of here.”

  “Relax, Simmons,” Lizzie advised. “We’re dealing with things that are way beyond your understanding. These are beings who live in a place that it takes some crazy portal across space and time to reach. Something like this is delicate, don’t you think?”

  “Hey, look,” Frank said, pointing down one of the side paths. “Looks like a small village.”

  Brendan closed his eyes and opened his heart to listen for any guiding sign. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard the soft call of his name.

  “Well?” Garnash asked. “What do you think?”

  “I think we arrived,” Brendan replied.

  …

  Pwyll and Rhiannon stood on the balcony of their apartment and waved to the multitudes that had gathered in the plaza. Being the head of the Congress of Sarvaloo meant that they were to live in the Tuatha de Dannan Royal Plaza Palace—a far-reaching skyscraper in the heart of the city. They held meetings in the penthouse, were sought for advice at the luxury pool and spa, ate dinners and had parties with dignitaries from all of the realms of Otherworld in the banquet hall, and they could address the masses from their balcony.

  The golden waves that flashed through the land had brought on a great deal of concern and that was the reason for the gathering.

  “We have heard your concerns and questions since the golden waves swept through the Sarvaloo. We are here to tell you that it was a harmless anomaly,” Pwyll said in as soothing of a tone as he could.

  “Our top scientist, Bel, can find no effects from the wave,” added Rhiannon. “We believe that our beautiful realm has felt no ill effects.”

  Pwyll and his wife exchanged satisfied looks seeing that their words were having an impact on cooling the situation. Under their time as congressional heads, Tir na nOg had seen nothing but peace and sanity, especially since the egotistical ultragods had beaten each other into obscurity. Life in the Realm of the Gods had been good since Elathan and Nuada had gone silent, and that was how Pwyll and Rhiannon intended to keep it, even if that fool Camulos claimed the golden god had returned.

  “Look!” several people in the plaza pointed up at the shadow descending upon them.

  “Move!” Pwyll shouted as he grabbed his wife and dove out of the way just as a large, muscular niseag landed on the balcony.

  The creature roared and bared its sharp teeth. It knelt down and allowed its rider to drop to the floor.

  “How dare you, Camulos! How dare you interrupt a gathering at the plaza,” Pwyll said, getting to his feet and pointing at the war god. “Arrest
him!”

  Guards moved in from several sides, but if Camulos didn’t strike them down with his sword, the niseag blasted them with streams of extreme cold and froze them in their place.

  Rhiannon was horrified. “Stop! Stay back!”

  Many of the guards held their swords at the ready in case they were called on again, but there was a sense of relief when her order came. This was, after all, Camulos, one of the most powerful gods in all of the realms. Most beings would run in fear of him but those brave soldiers had followed orders and lost their lives. Enough was enough in Rhiannon’s mind.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  Camulos sneered at the power couple with disdain and walked to the balcony railing, leering down at the multitude with an arrogance befitting a king.

  “People of Sarvaloo, change has come to the realms of Otherworld,” Camulos began. “As was foretold to you, Elathan the golden god has returned and laid claim over all.”

  There was a panicked murmur that overtook the crowd, so Camulos hefted his new god killer sword into the air. “I am Camulos and I am master of this realm. Any who opposes me opposes Elathan, the Lord of all of Otherworld.”

  Pwyll stepped forward and called to the crowd. “He is but one! He cannot be allowed to do this. We must stand together, brothers and sisters of Sarvaloo. We must… ”

  Pwyll’s words were cut short when Camulos drove his sword through the councilman’s back and skewered his heart. Instantly a blue goop began to drip from his nose and congeal on the railing.

  “No!” screamed Rhiannon, but she was too late.

  Camulos kicked out his foot and sent Pwyll flying over the edge. His body tumbled to the ground where the crowd dodged out of the way. Pwyll’s eyes were still open, stuck in a horror-filled state, gazing up at the tower from which he had just fallen.

  Camulos turned and grabbed Rhiannon by the hair and pulled her forward to show her to the crowd. “The congress is dead. I am the sovereignty in Tir na nOg.”

  A dozen niseags soared down and landed on surrounding buildings, roaring like trained warriors gearing up for battle.

  Camulos looked into the tear-filled eyes of Rhiannon. “Is that clear?”

  She nodded.

  The war god smiled and then flung her into the path of his niseag. The creature blasted her with its frozen breath and turned her into an icy statue. The beast roared and spun around, using its tail to swat her body off of the balcony. Her frozen form flipped end over end until it smashed into the stones of the plaza where Rhiannon broke into a thousand pieces. Many of the people in the gathered crowd were hit by chunks, gashes formed, and howls of pain resounded from below.

  Camulos smiled.

  His rule was off to a wonderful start.

  …

  Aine walked with her husband through the Ossorian territory just as she had done a thousand times before. They liked to stroll through their province and check on the health of the flora and the fauna. A healthy environment meant a healthier and happier people.

  “Husband?” Aine said.

  “Yes, my bride,” Faolan answered.

  They stopped beneath their favorite blue jacaranda tree with its beautiful violet-blue flowers that had held out extra long this season, although they were beginning to show signs of forfeiting their hold on the tree.

  “The elders seem to want to ignore the changes that have come to Mag Mell. Others have confirmed to me the aggressiveness of the animals.”

  Faolan nodded. “I have seen some signs of that as well.” He turned his head up and looked at the blue jacaranda. It was looking weaker, upon closer inspection, like it had contracted some strange disease. “It seems that the plants are having ill effects also.”

  “Do you recall the odd golden energy that moved through here days ago?” Aine asked. “I don’t believe that was a coincidence that these other things have happened since then.”

  “Possibly not,” Faolan agreed. “Since the elders choose to remain blind to what’s in front of them, we will look into it ourselves.”

  “I agree, love,” Aine replied. “If something worse than the Banshees has come to Mag Mell, then we need to know about it.”

  …

  Brendan, Dorian, Lizzie, and Frank led the others down the narrow path into the village that consisted of about seven buildings and one barn. A forest of the same black-charred trees sat behind the buildings that were arranged four on either side of the path.

  Most of the places were dark and deserted, as if no one had been in them for centuries. Roofs were missing shingles, almost all of the windows were broken and curtained by torn lace drapes, and the wooden planks that formed the walls were cracked and losing their paint in flakes.

  “Not exactly a cozy vacation spot,” Frank noted.

  “Anyone else getting that creepy-ghost-town-type-of-feeling?” Ken asked with a little shake in his voice.

  “Simmer down, honey,” Patty said.

  “Uh-huh. If those folks there can’t protect you, then you know we will,” Wanda added with a wink.

  “No, I get what he’s saying,” Rohl agreed. “This place is very old, very traveled.”

  “I agree,” Garnash said. “I’ve heard that Nether Corridors are a crossroads of sorts between portals, realms, and the Earth.”

  “You people are all nuts,” Simmons chided.

  “I think we might be wasting our time here. For all we know there could be hundreds or thousands of these places in the Chamber,” Lizzie suggested.

  A light on the ground floor of the third building came to life and the whole group took a few steps back in response. They looked at the others waiting for someone to make a suggestion.

  “Obviously, the spooky house wants us to come in,” Frank observed, pulling his falcata from his back.

  “Easy, Frank,” Brendan said, touching the ramped up teen’s arm. “Let’s see what’s going on in there before we start pulling out ancient weapons of the gods.”

  “Again, you all are nuts,” Simmons said, throwing his hands in the air.”

  Cautiously the group walked to the front of the small cottage-type building and stopped. They took a collective breath and then Brendan pushed the door open.

  He stepped in and peered around, seeing nothing but a few dusty tables scattered around the room and an old broken-down bar against the back wall with a large lit candle.

  “This place looks familiar,” Lizzie said.

  “That’s because it looks like Ewen’s Pub back in Galway, Liz,” Brendan replied.

  Old Irish music began to play as if started by a record player from the nineteen hundreds, and amazingly enough beings began to appear out of the ether, filling seats and manning the bar. They had spirit-like qualities but they were diverse in origin. Humans, Púcas, Sidhes, Magogs, and all sorts of clans that Brendan hadn’t encountered yet populated the pub. A ghostly double of Ewen minded the bar.

  “Okay, this is the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Patty said under her breath.

  “Mmmm-hmmm, tell me about it,” Wanda agreed.

  Simmons shook his head and slapped himself in the face. “This can’t be real.”

  “I know, right?” Frank said, patting the detective on the back. “Join the club, bub.”

  “Phantom,” Brendan noted, offhandedly to Simmons, like this was a regular occurrence.

  Brendan took in the scene and studied everything that he could about the place, but he really didn’t know what to do. The visceral folks who showed up didn’t appear to know that Brendan and the others were even there. There was no clear indication of who lit the candle or if this place was even real. The thought of a hallucination had crossed his mind, but that was before a door in the back of the bar opened up and an orange glow flooded the room. The others didn’t seem to notice, but Brendan was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. He hopped over the bar top and walked past the spirit Ewen and stood in front of the opened door. He looked back over his shoulder, but the others didn’t seem
to notice that he was leaving.

  He scanned around the dimly lit room, which was too dark to really see anything in, and tried to decide if he should enter. He listened to his heart and took Bibe’s advice and walked over the threshold.

  The door shut behind him instantly and he was shrouded in darkness.

  “Hello?” he said, his voice sounding more timid than he had intended.

  The room became chilled and he crossed his arms over his chest instinctively to fight against the shivers. He soon realized that it wasn’t just the cold that caused him to tremble.

  “Welcome, Protector,” a sultry feminine voice sang from the shadows. “I’ve been expecting you.”

  …

  Snarls, slobber, and snot bubbles were plentiful on the faces of the Redcaps, Brags, Bendiths, and dragons that surrounded Dewi’s base of operations in Brugh, the Realm of Caverns. He had gathered thousands of these loyal soldiers to issue orders from the golden god.

  “My children,” the god of dragons began. “You are being called upon, once again, to show your might, your ferocity, and your loyalty to the cause.”

  The clans and the dragons roared and grunted in reply.

  “Finally, the greatness of the Goblin clans of the Redcaps, Brags, and Bendiths will be recognized and the mighty dragons will soar to heights that have never been reached before. Go my soldiers, guard the realms and wait for your chance to return to Earth to exact your revenge.”

  The clans raised their clubs, swords, crossbows, and other various killing instruments as they entered the megalith tethers and were sent to assist Elathan and the Watchers of each realm. All of the Goblin clans were eager to prove their worth in the hopes that they, too, could return to Earth. Humans would pay for the injustice that Nuada had wrought on their behalf. No more hiding, no more fear, only death and blood.

  …

  Most of the creatures of Otherworld could sense the danger that was present in the realms. Instincts would take over and the fauna population would fight or flee if trouble got too close.