The Adventures of Emily Tual: Revelations Book Three
Chapter 17

In the study, Derdrom looked around. He wasn’t sure he liked what he saw. The Horsemen of Pestilence, Death and Famine were by every exit to the room, their weapons drawn. Their eyes, though some of them were covered, were staring at him. Derdrom felt his fingers twitching. He knew that there was a good chance he would have to change into his Horseman of War form. He couldn’t believe that Josiah had just sent him there before leaving to answer the door. He knew though that something was about to happen.

Derdrom turned to the main entrance as the double doors opened. Josiah came in. To Derdrom’s surprised, Harold and Hannah came in as well. He glared at the two Black Hands with a look of disdain. He hated Harold and Hannah with a burning passion. Besides Anthony, the two of them were the only other competition he had to become the new right hand of the Darkness. He knew that the two of them had killed more possible Chosen Ones than any other Black Hand including the Man with the German Accent.

“What brings you two here?” Derdrom demanded.

Harold and Hannah looked at each other before they looked at him. Derdrom realized what brought them there. “We’re here about you Derdrom.” Hannah said. “You and that possible Chosen One you’ve kept a secret from the Black Hand until as of late.” Hannah and Harold both went over to the desk where the Man with the German Accent had kept all of his paperwork and leaned against it facing Derdrom.

“Now take a seat Derdrom.” Harold ordered.

Derdrom took a small step forward. The minute he did, he felt chains wrap around him. Derdrom looked down and his eyes widened. The chains were coming from the Horseman of Famine’s broken scales. Derdrom looked at the Horseman of Famine. “You dare attack a fellow Horseman of the Apocalypse?” He demanded in an angry voice. The Horseman of Famine didn’t reply. She just kept staring at Derdrom.

“Sorry about that.” Josiah told Derdrom. The demon went to the seat on the other side of the desk and sat down. He looked at Derdrom and smiled a little. He enjoyed what he saw. No doubt Derdrom hadn’t been planning on this. Just two days in and he was already a prisoner of the new Black Hand right hand. “As of now, you’re under suspicion of betraying the Darkness.” Josiah continued.

Derdrom glared at Josiah. “On what grounds?” He demanded. “I have served the Darkness faithfully.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Not exactly.” She said. She snapped her fingers and Harold took out his phone and began to scroll through something on it. “According to your friends here, you’ve been keeping a potential threat to the Darkness a secret from everyone since the fall of Czar Nicholas.” Hannah told Derdrom. “And then there was that mishap centuries ago when you were supposed to kill your father…Mordred.”

There was an awkward silence in the room. Derdrom was staring at Hannah. How did this mortal woman know his secret when no one else but the Darkness knew of it? That should have been impossible. He had never told anyone who he really was. Derdrom looked at Harold. “How did you two replace out about my real name?” He demanded. “No one could have told you that but the Darkness!” Derdrom’s hatred for the two grew even more. He looked at the Horseman of Death. “You!” He shouted. The Horseman of Death could have been the only other one who knew who he really was since he had saved his life all of those years ago. “You told them who I really am!”

“You shouldn’t yell at a Horseman of the Apocalypse.” Anthony walked past Derdrom and went to a bookshelf. “Especially one who can kill you.” Anthony added as he took a book off of the shelf. He opened the book and flipped through a few pages before closing the book. He turned to Derdrom. “I mean he didn’t tell Harold and Hannah who you really are.” Anthony smiled. “I believe that honor goes to me.” Anthony laughed like it was funny. “I mean it was a bit too easy to figure out who you really are.”

Anthony went up to Derdrom and looked at him closely. “The man who killed King Arthur.” He said. “I was sort of expecting more to be honest.” Anthony shook his head. This old man in front of him was a sad excuse of a Horseman of the Apocalypse. He guessed that Derdrom could change into the Horseman of War any time he wanted had to count for something.

Derdrom glared at Anthony. “How did you figure it out?” He demanded. He had to know how Anthony found out the truth.

Anthony took a small leather-bound journal from within his suit jacket. “With this.” He told Derdrom. “I’ve had this for years but it wasn’t until lately that I found out about your real name.” Anthony opened the journal to a page. “Your mother was very helpful to the Black Hand with everything that she had done for us. She practically wrote it all down here how she begged the Darkness to spare her only son so that he could serve the Darkness once more when the time came. That the Darkness did as she requested and how he killed Morgana La Fey for failing to defeat Gabriel when she had the chance.” Anthony closed the journal and pocketed it. “It’s amazing what happens when Black Hands document everything in a journal and it ends up in my possession.”

Derdrom just glared at Anthony. He wasn’t impressed with the man. “What happens now?” He demanded. “Your first tribulation for the Witnesses will fail.” He knew that Audrey and Gabriel would defeat Abigail Williams with ease. The witch had failed to defeat Gabriel once before and she would fail a second time.

Anthony smiled. “Even if they do defeat my first tribulation, there is no way that they can defeat my second tribulation.” He looked at Harold and Hannah. “Back to why we’re here though.” He said and turned to Derdrom. “Tell us everything you know about your precious Anastasia.”

An hour later, Josiah and Anthony were rushing to Anastasia’s room. Anthony had a very worried look on his face. They reached the door and Josiah grabbed it before he screamed in pain and let go of the doorknob. The two men looked at Josiah’s hand. It was burnt. Josiah took deep breaths. “I’m going to kill Derdrom.” He said.

Anthony looked at the door. He realized why Josiah’s hand had burned. Derdrom had placed a protection ward around the room. “We need him alive my friend.” He told the demon. “Only he can remove the protection ward around her room.”

Down in the study, Derdrom looked terrible. He was bruised and bleeding. His clothes had burnt impressions of chains from the Horseman of Famine’s chains. He was strapped to a chair and the Horseman of Death had his scythe at Derdrom’s neck. Hannah and Harold were talking. Derdrom had told them very little about what they wanted to know. Josiah and Anthony came back into the room. Hannah and Harold turned to the two. “Is she there?” Harold asked.

Anthony went up to Derdrom and knelt a bit so he could look at the prisoner. He nodded to the Horseman of Death and the Horseman backed up. “You’ve placed wards around her room.” He said. “Now you’re going to undo them so we can get her to see if she is a threat or not.”

Derdrom laughed. “Why would I let you hurt my daughter?” He demanded. “And you wonder why I kept her a secret for so long!” Josiah grabbed the back of Derdrom’s neck with his good hand and squeezed.

“Let us test her to make sure that she isn’t a threat to us.” Anthony told the old man. “You do that and she isn’t a threat, no one will ever threaten her life again.” To him, it sounded like a good idea. For all they knew, Derdrom was getting worked up over nothing.

Derdrom glared at Anthony. “I won’t let you near her.” He said. “And that’s final so the only way you’re getting her is over my dead body.” Derdrom was certain that they wouldn’t kill him. They needed all four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to help herald in the Darkness.

Anthony took a breath and, to Derdrom’s horror, smiled. “I believe that can be arranged.” He said before he stood up.

Derdrom’s eyes widened. “What does that mean?” He asked.

Anthony chuckled. “If you thought being the Horseman of War would keep you safe, you’re wrong.” He told Derdrom. “We just need the Horseman of War, which can be put into another vessel, we just don’t need you.” He looked at Josiah. “He burnt you so you can kill him.”

Harold took a step forward. “We need him alive if we’re to get into Anastasia’s room.” He said quickly. “If we kill him, no one will be able to enter her room.” Surely Anthony wouldn’t kill their only way to get into Anastasia’s room.

Anthony looked at Harold. “And we will be able to get into her room once we kill Derdrom.” He told Harold. “Once a sorcerer is killed, whatever spells he casted will be undone. We’ll be able to get into Anastasia’s room and get our prisoner.”

Hannah frowned. Didn’t Anthony see what was wrong with that plan? “If that’s true, won’t the spell that is keeping Anastasia immortal be undone?” She asked. “We’re practically killing both of them.” They needed Anastasia to see if she was a threat to the Darkness. If she was dead, they wouldn’t be able to know for sure. Sure she would be dead but they would never know if she had been a threat and if she wasn’t a threat after all, then they would have killed the vessel of the Horseman of War for nothing.

Josiah stopped and looked at Anthony. “Orders Sir?” He asked. If they did this, there was no going back and there was no telling how the Darkness would react to this.

Anthony thought about it before he looked at Josiah. “Kill Mordred.” He ordered. Josiah snapped Derdrom’s neck, killing the old man. Anthony turned to Harold and Hannah. “Let’s get our young guest.” He told them. The three of them left the study.

In Anastasia’s room, the three entered. Harold looked around. “There’s no sign of her.” He said as he opened the closet door. Anthony looked under the bed.

“She must be dead.” Hannah said. “Because of the immortality spell that was casted on her was casted by Derdrom.” She looked at Anthony. “I hope you’re happy.” She told him. “You’ve killed both of them.”

Anthony stood up and looked at Harold and Hannah. “You really think that she’s dead?” He asked before he laughed and shook his head. “It’s amazing that with the record of possible Chosen Ones that you’ve killed that you’re not seeing everything here.” He told them. He went to a picture of Anastasia that was on the bedside table and picked it up. He stopped laughing.

Hannah and Harold noticed that. “What is it?” Harold asked.

Anthony turned to the two. “I was expecting a picture of Anastasia but not her.” He told them. “And Anastasia isn’t dead.”

Harold and Hannah looked at each other and went up to Anthony. “What makes you so sure?” Hannah asked.

Anthony gave them the picture. “Because it wasn’t Derdrom who made Anastasia immortal.” He told them. “But Derdrom did betray us. He betrayed us fifteen years ago.” Anthony pointed to the picture. “Look at who it is.” He told the two.

Harold and Hannah looked at the picture. It was of a girl in a fancy dress. She looked like she was fifteen or so. “I don’t understand.” Hannah said. “It could be Anastasia when she was younger.” What was it about the girl in the picture that had Anthony worried so much?

Anthony shook his head. “It isn’t Anastasia.” He said. “Not Anastasia?” Harold asked. “Then who is it?” Anthony looked down at the picture. “It’s Audrey.” He told them. “The Chosen One I’m after.”