Jack Canyon and The Wiccan Stones | CHAPTER NINE

Words: 3082

"Where are we?" Erin Sawyer asked as she glanced around the
bright white throne room.

Atawhai Tangaroa examined the chamber closely as he moved
around the room. It was identical to the size and shape of
the altar room they had just left, but there was a throne now
where the altar resided. "Hmm."

"Any thoughts, Tanga?" Jack asked as he looked over at the
Kiwi man.

"Aether," he said simply with his gruff voice.

Erin looked at the New Zealander with confusion. "The upper
sky?"

"Then this is the throne of grace," Jack stated. "God's
throne?" He moved closer to it, when a rumbling occurred. He
paused in his steps and waited for something to happen.

A Mesopotamian man appeared abruptly before him, standing
before the throne.

"Jesus!" Atawhai cried, startled.

"Not quite," the man replied.

"Then who are you?" Jack asked as he moved back to Erin and
Tanga.

"Marduk," the man spoke as he sat down on the throne.

"Ah, okay, well, could you show us the way out?" Jack
questioned him.

The man began to laugh loudly at them.

"Please?" Erin pleaded. "We just want to get on with our
journey."

The man continued to laugh as his eyes began to glow and his
fingernails grew in length. His hair formed into horns and
his skin turned green.

"I don't like this one bit," Erin said.

"Marduk was the chief god of the Babylonians," Jack explained.
"Believed to have slain a dragon. Then again, he's also
believed to have created the world. I think he was the
dragon. . . but somehow became a man."

"And this helps us, how?" Erin asked, frightened.

"Get her out of here," Tangaroa told Jack. "I'll fend him off
until you can escape."

"No, this is my fight," Jack stated. Then he noticed the
stones at the foot of the throne. "Hey, Tanga." Jack nudged
him and nodded toward them.

"Where is the fourth one?" Tangaroa asked.

"I don't know," Jack responded as he looked around the area.
"I must have dropped it here, somewhere."

"Let me distract the big lizard," Tanga offered as he stepped
forward. "Get the stones."

"Erin, find the diamond," Jack ordered as he waited for Marduk
to go after Tangaroa. Once the fully shaped dragon moved,
Jack rushed to the throne and began to pull the stones free.

Marduk was four times larger than Tangaroa, which was
surprising. It had been believed that dragons were larger
than a house.

Tanga turned and punched the blue-green lizard in the nose.
He continued an onslaught of punches until Marduk whipped his
tail around and knocked the Kiwi into the wall.

"JACK!" Erin cried as Marduk turned and raged towards him.

Jack had the stones in his hands, so he jumped away from the
throne and toward Erin. "Did you find it?"

"Not yet," she replied.

"Here," he told her as he handed her the other stones. He
moved away from her so Marduk would not attack her.

Marduk knocked Jack down with a hard breath. He taunted and
toyed with Jack as he neared the human. He was just about to
attack. He lunged forward ready to bite Jack's face off, when
he stopped short of him.

Tangaroa had Marduk's tail. "I don't think so, bub!" He
jerked the lizard back and then spun him around and around.
When he released him, Marduk crashed into a column, making it
collapse.

Jack rose to his feet when he found the diamond. He grabbed
it and rushed to Erin. "I have it."

"Now what?" She asked.

"Good question," Jack said as he put the diamond with the
other stones she had. They all began to glow vibrantly. "I
hope this is a good thing."

Tangaroa slipped up, letting Marduk get the upper hand. He was
thrown across the room into a column, which fell.

Marduk snarled as he turned toward Jack, who had his back to
the dragon. He slithered as fast as he could, ready to kill
the human for intruding on his turf.

"Jack!" Erin cried out as she knocked Jack down.

Marduk jumped at her. Instead of taking in the woman, he took
in the stones. He leaped back in a loud hiss and roar as his
body began to glow. Steam and fire erupted from his mouth.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Jack announced as he
grabbed Erin by the arm. He spotted a way out was the light
from the stones shone around the room. "Let's go!"

"Wait, where's Atawhai?" Erin asked as she looked around the
room.

"No, time!" Jack yelled as he pushed her through the open
door. He looked back and saw Tangaroa underneath some rubble.
He sighed and just couldn't leave him. He rushed toward the
fallen man. When he reached Tanga, he glanced up at Marduk,
who exploded.

The entire top of the Tower of Babel blew up, forcing the sand
it was below to blow out.

***

On the surface of the desert, Jack found himself lying between
Erin and Atawhai. He moaned as he looked around at the sand
dunes. He spotted sand falling into the hole that must have
been created by that explosion. Then he felt the tug of the
sand. "Get up!" He pushed Erin to her feet and pulled Tanga
up. As he turned he spotted the four stones nearby. Somehow,
they had been tossed out in the explosion. He felt
victorious, but it didn't last. Before he properly realized
the danger, the butt of a pistol met his head.

Yuriko had found them.

***

Jack woke up to find himself in a large cargo truck without a
top. It looked like wooden side rails and some seats
supported the men.

"Ah, Jack Canyon," Yuriko said. "So nice of you to join us."

"Where am I?" He asked as he looked around the large open
plains. Grass and hills were as far as he could see.

"Well, I did some of my own detective work," she told him as
she moved from her seat in the middle to join him closer to
the cab of the truck.

Jack was surprised to see her sitting in the back of one of
these things. He figured she would be in the comfort of the
cab.

"You see," she continued. "You were so sure that the stones
have something to do with Stonehenge. I realized that there
must be something to that if the man is so adamant about it."

"And if I'm wrong?"

"Well, then you better find out how to use these stones,"
Yuriko warned him.

Jack scoffed her and shook his head. "Threatening me won't
get you what you want."

"You're right," Yuriko agreed with him. She leaned in closer.
"Which is why I intend to kill your friends. . . one. by.
one."

"Where are they?" Jack asked.

"The large Kiwi man is in the middle vehicle, while the red-headed American woman is in the very last," Yuriko explained.

"I guess they're not as heavily guarded?"

"You require special attention," Yuriko stated with a smile.

"You have no idea how much Erin will agree with that," Jack said with a nod.

"Miss Sawyer?" Yuriko asked. "Yes, she seems to have a love-hate thing for you."

"I think it's more of a hate thing," Jack corrected the Japanese woman. He looked out through the space in the boards again. "Salisbury Plains?"

"That is correct," Yuriko replied.

Jack nodded slowly, taking in the arrangement of the men. Kin and Taku were to his right, with four unknown men to his left. There were two other men on the other side of Kisho. He erupted into a fight, punching the man to his left. Knowing Kin was directly behind him, he elbowed the man in the face.

Yuriko avoided any contact with the melee of fists by moving back.

Before he could move further, Kisho grabbed him from behind and held his arms. Jack tried to get free, but one of the other men began to hit him continuously. Finally, gathering as much strength as he could, Jack kicked the man back, knocking him into the others. They all fell out of the back of the truck.

Kisho still had Jack, however. Yuriko had somehow shifted around them and stood before Jack.

Jack spotted Yuriko, but it was too late. He jerked when she kicked him, but quickly, he kicked her back, pushing Kisho and himself into the wooden cage around the bed of the truck. He did so with enough force that the cage broke, and the two of them fell out.

Kisho's legs hit the ground hard as he clang to the side of the truck for dear life.

Jack held on, too, and all the while he tried to knock Kisho off. The two men exchanged hits as the truck continued to speed across the grassy hills. Jack put his foot onto the man and pushed as hard as he could, nearly falling.

Kisho could not hold on any more and fell, getting crushed by the following vehicle.

Yuriko grabbed Jack by his hair and dragged him into the bed of the truck. "Foolish man." She kicked his ribs while he lie there.

Jack groaned in pain and waited for her to kick again. He grabbed her foot and twisted it until she fell over. Without hesitation, he got up and raced to the tailgate, where he leaped out and onto the following vehicle.

The men in that vehicle were surprised when he did so. They did not react immediately, but eventually stood to attack, but it was too late.

Jack was over the windshield of the roofless vehicle and knocked out the driver, then took out the other man. He looked up as he continued to move without stopping. He spotted Tangaroa in the next car fighting with his captors. He gave a cocky grin to the wind, and then leaped over to his car.

Tanga was engrossed with his fight and didn't notice Jack coming. He turned and hit Jack in the mouth.

Jack clenched his mouth with his hand, nearly falling from the truck.

Tangaroa had to grab him and pull him in. "Sorry, Jack." He climbed into the driver's seat and took control of the vehicle.

"Let's get Erin," Jack told the big man. "She's in the rear vehicle."

"Gotcha," Tanga replied as he whipped the truck around and raced head on with the vehicle behind him. He watched as the first one dodged him, but the last one didn't. "I don't think he's chicken."

"Don't do it," Jack pleaded.

"Ah, come on, Canyon, that's no fun," the Kiwi stated.

"Just don't get us killed."

Tangaroa rolled out of the vehicle as it collided with the other.

Jack leaped forward and tackled Erin out of the back seat.

Tanga approached them when they stopped rolling in the grass. "You seriously have some balls, Jack." He began to laugh and helped the two up.

Erin moaned as he stood. She looked at Jack and smiled at him.

Jack was expecting a hug, but instead, Erin slapped his shoulder.

"You moron!" Erin cried out. "You could have killed us!"

"That's the thanks I get," Jack said to Tangaroa as he moved away from her.

"How do we get to Stonehenge?" Erin asked, noticing no viable vehicles nearby.

"Good question," Jack replied.

"Hey, guys," Atawhai Tangaroa said to get their attention.

"what?" Jack and Erin asked as they turned to look at him.

Yuriko had returned. She had control of the cargo truck, and in it were all her surviving men.

"Crap," Jack exasperated.

***

Jack bounced in the same seat he was captive in just moments before. He was a lot angrier now, though. He glanced around at Hiroshi and Yuriko, then around to Erin and Tanga, along with a few more of Yuriko's men. At the far end of the group was Logan Scott. Still alive. For now. He sighed and looked behind him and noticed Taku driving. No escape.

The truck arrived at Stonehenge in mere minutes, though it seemed like an eternity of silence.

All the Japanese men piled out of the back, but kept Erin, Tangaroa, and Jack apart, so they could not plan an escape. They were better prepared this time.

"Mr. Canyon," Yuriko said as she pulled a bag from the cab. "Show me how the stones work!" She opened the bag and poured them out. She waited for him to move or speak, but he hesitated. "NOW!"

Taku shoved Jack forward.

Jack kept moving toward the center stone, where Yuriko had left the four Wiccan Stones. He noticed the stones had reveals four holes, like the three found at the Tower of Babel.

"How does it work?" Yuriko asked.

"They go in a sequence," Jack replied as he knelt down. "If I get this wrong, it could destroy this entire plain."

"Then it is best you do not screw up," Yuriko told him.

"Thanks for the pep talk," Jack stated as he placed the fire stone in the first slot.

Yuriko watched in a nervous stare as Jack slide the water stone into place. "Two more!"

Jack began to shake as he grew more nervous. He slipped the emerald earth stone into the hole and reached for the final stone. He breathed deeply and looked at Yuriko. "Here goes nothing." He slowly put the diamond stone into place. "There." He stood back and watched as the wind picked up speed.

A storm rolled in as the sky grew heavy with darkened clouds. Lightning shot through the angry sky.

Jack pressed in a small stone button to the side just as lightning struck the center stone. He was thrust back, unconscious.

Tangaroa and Erin saw this as their chance. They fought with the enemy, kicking and punching the Japanese men, and disarming them.

The lightning had opened a swirling blue-tinted portal directly above the center stone.

Yuriko smiled, thinking that she could call forth her leader. She jerked Jack up, who was only half out of it. "Call him forth!" She shook Jack in haste. "NOW!"

Jack groaned as he felt only pain when he was moved. He was still knelt down before the center stone. He looked up at Logan Scott, who stood next to Yuriko. The portal was open, now was the time.

Tangaroa punched one of the Japanese men in the nose with his large fist, then elbowed another one in the face. Left and right he was knocking down the men. He spun to find Erin overcome by two men. With his gigantic hand, he clamped it onto a man's shoulder and jerked him away, tossing him into the closest object.

The man crashed so hard it broke his neck, and chipped a piece of the stone.

Tangaroa punched the other guy square in the jaw. He only caught a glimpse before the man went down, but he thought it was Hiroshi.

Erin turned and smiled at the large dark-skinned man as if to say "thank you."

Yuriko held Jack down with her elbow against the center stone. "See the wonders, Mr. Canyon," she whispered into his ear. "See what you have done for the world."

Logan folded his arms across his chest with a proud look upon his face. Though, something bothered him deep inside. His greed did not overshadow his sense of humanity.

"I should keep you alive to watch the mayhem and destruction you have brought upon this world," Yuriko continued.

"No," Logan said as his face became stern and he dropped his arms.

"What?" Yuriko asked in surprise as she turned to look at Logan, but it was too late. She received a fist to the face before she was completely turned around.

Logan pushed her into the portal before she was still off-guard.

Her scream was deafening as she combusted into embers and sucked into the event horizon.

Logan helped Jack to his feet, and the two tried to get away from the portal, but Logan was suddenly jerked toward it. It was expanding to cover all of Stonehenge.

"Come on, Logan!" Jack urged. He grabbed the man's arm and tried to drag him along, but the portal was too strong.

"Let me go, Jack," Logan said calmly. "I deserve this. I betrayed you. Let me go."

"No! I can't!"

"You swore to kill me," Logan reasoned. "It is justice."

The portal jerked Jack, and he slipped, letting go of Logan who incinerated into the portal.

"Good-bye, Logan," Jack said before pushing himself off one of the stones in the outer ring. As he turned, he spotted Tangaroa and Erin. He couldn't help but smile.

"Seems like the portal is stable within the circle," Tanga pointed out.

"Yeah," Jack agreed, looking back at the swirling blue light as it began to flicker and finally went out.

"It's over," Erin told them. Though, she frowned and placed her hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jack."

"Sophia. . ." Tanga added as he looked back at where the portal was.

Jack lowered his head and allowed the most grim look appear. "I'll find some other way," he admitted.

"Look on the bright side, pal," Tangaroa said slapping his back. "You saved the world over bringing your girlfriend back. That's gotta say something, right?"

"A year ago, I would have given up this world for her," Jack announced sadly.

"Oh, Jack," Erin spoke sympathetically. "You're not a monster. No way could you do something like that. Not in a million years."

"Why don't we get out of here?" Tanga asked as he motioned toward the beaten carrier.

"Yeah, let me get the stones first," Jack said. He turned and moved toward the center stone. One by one, he pulled free the Wiccan Stones and placed them into the bag Yuriko had used. "All the power in the Wiccan World. . ." He shook the bag a little, before tying the rope drawstring. Standing, he turned and moved away from the monument.

Erin smiled at the bruised and bloody man as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "How about a nice, hot bath?"

"Will you be there, too?"

Erin pursed her lips and smacked Jack, making him wince and grimace in pain. "Get in the truck!"

Tangaroa had a grin full of teeth written all over his face. Then the Kiwi man let out a loud laugh at the two Americans.