SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Fourteen
In the manor, the Man with the German Accent was standing before the four coffins in the basement. He noticed that there were more Black Hands standing guard there. They all seemed intent on protecting the three closed coffins. He wondered if there were already three Black Hands in the three closed coffins and if there were who they were. He looked at the coffin that wasn’t closed. Maybe there was a way to glimpse his master’s plans. The Darkness had told him that it had been none of his business but the Man with the German Accent’s greatest weakness was his desire to know everything.
The Man with the German Accent looked at the Black Hands standing guard. It was like they were ignoring him. Maybe they were only focused on the three coffins that were closed. He looked at the opened one. He had to do it. He just had to know what the Darkness was planning. He reached out and touched the coffin’s edge. He gasped as his eyes turned black and he saw…
…four horse riders chasing the Chosen One…
…famine, disease and war ravaging and killing everyone…
…Gabriel and a girl tied to two olive trees before being killed…
…destroyed banners and flags across a battlefield over the dead…
…a thudding noise underlines in the ground…
… darkness spreading over the Earth…
The Man with the German Accent pulled his hand away and his eyes returned to normal. He could feel his heart beating quickly. For the first time in a very, very long time, he felt scared. He hadn’t felt that way since before he served the Darkness. He looked at the three closed coffins. He had a feeling that there were three vessels for three of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse in them. He looked at the opened coffin. Did they not have a vessel for the fourth Horseman or was the fourth Horseman already on the loose? His master had said that all four were to be assembled and kept there until all four were gathered, but for all he knew, that was a lie.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?” The Man with the German Accent spun around. A man was standing there. He looked elderly. He was wearing a grandpa jacket and jeans. His winged pointed shoes were black and shiny. His hair was gray and curly. He was looking at the coffins. “Four containers for four of the most powerful Black Hands.” He went past the Man with the German Accent and up to the four coffins. He brushed his fingers against the opened coffin. To the Man with the German Accent’s surprise, the elderly man didn’t freeze up or have his eyes turned black.
The elderly man smiled and turned to the Man with the German Accent. “I haven’t seen these coffins in a very long time.” He continued. “The last time I saw them, the Darkness was planning on an early release for himself.”
The Man with the German Accent frowned. “And who are you?” He demanded. He didn’t remember seeing this old man before and he was certain he had met every member of the Black Hand from over the years. Who was this man who dared claim that he served the Darkness? He didn’t have the mark of the Black Hand on him.
The elderly man smiled. “My name is Derdrom.” He answered. “An unusual name for sure but,” His smile grew into an amused smile. “My family likes unusual things.”
The Man with the German Accent wasn’t sure if he believed this man or not. Something about Derdrom seemed off. “How long have you been with the Black Hand?” He asked.
Derdrom thought about it before he answered. “A very long time my friend.” He answered. “Not as long as you of course but it feels like it’s been a very long time indeed.” The Man with the German Accent shook his head. He doubted that.
“What brings you here Derdrom?” The Man with the German Accent asked.
Derdrom looked at the coffins. His smile was gone. “I got a call from the Master to be here.” He said in a serious grave voice. “The Darkness wants me to watch over them in preparation for the last three Horsemen to be awakened and to have their vessels ready.”
The Man with the German Accent raised an eyebrow. “The last three Horsemen?” He asked. “Which Horseman is already out there?” He asked.
Derdrom looked at the empty coffin. “The Horseman that is on the loose is coming up here to join his comrades.” He told the Man with the German Accent. “But first the Horseman of Death will have business to take care of before he joins us if he can get to it.”
The Man with the German Accent raised an eyebrow. This Derdrom seemed to know a lot about the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Who was he? “Derdrom, how are you sure that it’s the Horseman of Death that isn’t here?” He asked. “It could be Pestilence, Famine or War that is already out there.”
Derdrom looked at the Man with the German Accent with a straight face. He did not look happy to be questioned. “I know because Death is the only Horseman who does not require a vessel to exist in this world.” He explained. “Death is everywhere.”
The Man with the German Accent rolled his eyes. “And so are diseases, famines and war and yet they need vessels to exist here.” He said. “So what makes the Horseman of Death so special?”
That made Derdrom smiled. “Because Famine, Pestilence and War are, if you would believe it, weaker than Death. They give Death power because the ones they affect usually die and so end up in Death’s thrall.”
Derdrom went up to the Man with the German Accent. “If it wasn’t for the fact that you were in charge of the ritual that will bring back the Darkness, I would end you right now and let you see firsthand that I’m right.” He told the Man with the German Accent. “But since the Master wouldn’t appreciate anymore setbacks, I won’t.” Derdrom grabbed the Man with the German Accent by the arm. “But don’t think I won’t hesitate to kill you after the Darkness is back or that I’m a weakling like that idiot Bastet.” He added in a dark threatening voice.
The Man with the German Accent looked at the Black Hands guarding the coffins. They knew that he was one of the most powerful members of the First Circle and considered to be the right hand of the Darkness. They should have aimed their guns at Derdrom for grabbing him. They were considered to be his inferiors. So was this Derdrom. He had no right threatening him. He pointed the top of the cane at Derdrom. To his surprise, the top of the cane didn’t glow. He looked at Derdrom. Derdrom had a sinister smile on his face. “Who are you?” The Man with the German Accent demanded. “No one has ever been able to do that to my cane before.”
Derdrom smiled a thin smile. “My dear boy.”
The Man with the German Accent took offense at that. He was one of the oldest members of the Black Hand. If anything, this Derdrom was the boy. “I am the Magician and the right hand of the Darkness.” He told Derdrom. “I’m the second in command to the Darkness.”
Derdrom managed not to laugh. “Do you think that entitles you to more rights?” He asked. He released the Man with the German Accent. “I’ll be up in my room waiting to hear from the Darkness.” He said before he left the basement.
The Man with the German Accent watched Derdrom leave. He then turned to the Black Hands that were standing guard. “Some help you were.” He said in a disgruntled voice. “Next time someone has their hands on me, do something to help!” To his amazement, the Black Hands still just stood there and didn’t say anything. He shook his head. “Idiots.” He muttered. He looked at the coffins.
According to Derdrom, the coffins were being reserved for the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and that three of the Horsemen were in the coffins waiting for their vessels or something. He shook his head. Why would the Darkness need the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for his plans? Better yet, how did Derdrom know about the Horsemen of the Apocalypse being a part of the Darkness’s plans if he didn’t? He was a member of the First Circle. For all he knew, Derdrom was a lower Circle member. There was no way that he could have known about the Darkness’s plans.
The Man with the German Accent stormed to his foyer. It was time to find out who this Derdrom was. He knew just about every member of the First Circle. After all, he was in charge of all Seven Circles. He took out a large book from the bookshelf and opened it. Inside was a list of names. Each one was of a Black Hand. Some of the names were crossed out like Agent Simmons and his men. That meant that the Black Hand was dead. He frowned. He would have to find out if Derdrom was even a member of one of the Seven Circles.
The Man with the German Accent turned on his computer screen and typed in a code. Different small screens appeared on his computer screen. They were of different parts of the manor. He had a surveillance system installed into the manor so he would be able to keep an eye on everything. He looked at the screen of Derdrom’s room. Derdrom was in his room sitting at a small round table. There were three lit candles that stood on the line of the circle. Derdrom’s back was to the camera.
The Man with the German Accent frowned. “What are you up to?” He asked quietly. Derdrom’s hands were on the table by the looks of things. It looked like he was moving things. The Man with the German Accent tried to get a better look but the camera didn’t move. Derdrom picked something off of the table and looked at it. From what the Man with the German Accent could see, it looked like a card. He frowned. Was Derdrom doing fortune reading or Tarot cards? He managed not to scoff. That was when smoke appeared over the table right over the circle. The Man with the German Accent looked at the smoke. It looked like there might have been a face there. He couldn’t see who it was clearly but it looked like a woman’s face.
The Man with the German Accent frowned. Who was Derdrom talking to? That was when the camera cut out and became static. The Man with the German Accent tapped the computer screen. Nothing worked. He shook his head. Derdrom must have known about the surveillance system and had messed with it using magic so that he couldn’t watch what was happening.
The Man with the German Accent sat back in his chair. He would have to find out what Derdrom was up to. There was something else going on here. It wasn’t just the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. No. Derdrom was up to something else. Something that he didn’t want the Man with the German Accent to know about. The question was, what was he trying to hide?