The story of the FALLEN

17. Ley lines

From the eyes of any human that they meet in Hyde Park, they must look like another couple out for a late evening stroll. Zack and Tammy have that easy camaraderie going on that can be mistaken for love. He loves her as his sister, but there was never any romantic spark between them. Sometimes he regrets that. It’s not that he doesn’t like what he sees, but he just can’t take that step. It would ruin their friendship, because they both know there is nothing there. Tammy is a free spirit, so very different from him. He tried her way of living, but he just couldn’t let loose like that. He knows the others see him as stuck up and too rigid, but he can’t change who he is. He would have done it by now if he could.

She is holding his hand to let him see what she does. He doesn’t have the ability to see the Ley lines, she does. Where the buildings of London cover the ley lines, the park is clear of all obstructions. The junction of four different lines happens right here in Hyde Park. They are trailing the south one in and slowly moving towards the junction. She was right. There is no disturbance in the Ley lines. All seems to be as it should be. The moon is bright tonight and it shines clearly through the clouds. There is nothing out in the clearing of the park. Not a human or demon in sight.

The golden glow she lets him see is their guide. There is nothing obstructing the view here in the park. They could follow the Ley lines all over London using the many parks strewn about. Tammy was the one to choose where they will live. Away from the Ley lines, away from any natural forces, away from larger bodies of water. The angel’s magic works best without any influences. They are not natural here on this plane of existence. Neither are demons, so whatever or whoever is keeping that demon here, they have to find it fast. The demon only grows stronger as the days pass, it’s learning, it’s adapting.

“Where are we going? Where do the Ley lines merge?” Zack asks her quietly.

“The Rose Garden. The Huntress Fountain is our mark.” Tammy smiles. “I have no idea how they managed that feat. It is directly in the centre of the Ley lines junction.”

“You’re joking?” Zack sputters. Not another fountain. The last one held an unpleasant surprise for them. Did he just jinx it by thinking about it?

“I wish.” Tammy sighs. “But the lines are silent. There is nothing goin on.”

“Let’s check it out anyway. I want to be sure.” He tells her.

Walking on, he glances at his watch. The park is only open till midnight. The guards will make their rounds after that. He is not in the mood for explanations today. Zack picks up the pace and winks at Tammy. She knows what this is about, she heard the story of the birds. They have to figure out the connection to the water. What is that all about? Is it relevant or not? Could it be a coincidence? A one in a million chance that it happened there? What use would a demon have for water?

The Huntress Fountain is a marble and bronze work of art. The statue of Diana shooting an arrow sits on top of a round marble slab, held up by four masterfully sculpted pillars in the shape of Greek women. There are so many details in this fountain he could look at it all day. But they only have half an hour. The water in the base is clear. Not even a stray leaf floating there. Someone must have cleaned it recently. He is relieved that there is nothing to see. With Nakir off somewhere on his own, they have no chance of covering anything up. They could cast an illusion, but that demands that they stay close by and the time is up. They have to leave the park or be escorted out.

“I believe you. The Ley lines are quiet, there is nothing going on.” Zack tells Tammy on their way back home. They have to go all the way around the park, but the night is clear and they don’t mind the cold.

“I was hoping we would find something. Now I’m worried.” She whispers softly. “What are we up against, if it’s not a witch?”

“Let’s not completely dismiss that. These are not the only ley lines in London. The city was built here for a reason.” Zack thinks out loud. “Do we have another junction or an individual Ley line? Where are the borders of the old city?”

“Londinium?” Tammy looks at him in surprise. “How the hell should I know that?”

“Maybe our historian knows?” Zack scoffs. “As much as I hate to bring Simon into this, I think we might need him even more.”

“Do you know where Nakir is?” Tammy inquires.

“The club, probably.” He shrugs. “Do you want to go?”

“God, no!” She exclaims. “Let’s just go home. This was a waste of time.”

“I don’t think it was. We’re just narrowing down the options.” He tells her. “I have a feeling about this, but I can’t exactly say what this is. Nakir felt it, too. Something is coming our way. Something dark.”

“Was that a premonition?” She wonders. “Did you see something?”

“No. It’s just a feeling.” Zack shakes his head. “It’s more like my dreams. It comes and goes. I can’t locate it, I can’t stop it.”

“Whatever it is, it’s not going away.” Tammy nods. “We have to find it.”

“It’s not going to happen tonight.” Zack lets out a breath. “But we have to go home and save Layla. She must be going crazy alone with two humans?”

“I’m not worried about Layla. She will be fine.” Tammy laughs. “Simon might not be. He talks too much for his own good.”

“I don’t think we can do anything about that. Short of cutting out his tongue.” Zack muses. He is fond of Simon, but Tammy is right, the guy talks too much.

“That is a drastic measure. I would advise you to refrain from doing that.” Tammy chuckles. He was joking and he knows she knows that, but it’s fun to exchange light jokes to lift their spirits. Things are all too serious lately. Zack has the feeling it will only get worse from here on.

The clash of steel is not the sound they were expecting to hear as they returned home. Zack glances over at Tammy and she shrugs. What is going on here? They left Layla with Simon and Garry. One would think that the humans would be asleep by now, as it’s almost 1 am and Layla would be watching that reality show she likes. He follows the sounds to a training room to see Garry and Simon hard at work. Training with Kopis swords under Layla’s supervision.

What happened in the few hours he was away with Tammy? What is so special about these two humans? First Nakir and now Layla; they both offered to train them? He was there to hear Nakir say it, otherwise he wouldn’t have believed it. Did Layla offer, or did they ask and she obliged? Either way, it’s highly suspicious.

“Simon is getting good.” Tammy whispers. He guesses that she doesn’t want Simon to hear her. She doesn’t hand out praise just like that.

“Yeah.” Zack nods. He has his eyes on the duo to follow the training battle. “Garry seems to learn fast. I had the impression he never held a sword before.”

“Why would he? He’s a cop. Swords are mostly ceremonial now.” Tammy says. “Layla seems invested in this. It’s good to see it. Maybe it will clear her mind a bit?”

“The Asmodeus situation?” Zack inquires quietly. Maybe Layla won’t hear it? He can only hope the cat makes it. She formed an attachment to that critter.

“Mhm. She took it to the vet to get some medicine. But you know how cats are…”

The sound of a sword hitting the ground brings them out of their conversation. They both turn back to the fighting to see what happened. Garry is standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face. Layla is shaking with laughter and Simon is gazing at the sword in his own hand. Looks like he managed to disarm Garry. The surprised faces let Zack think it was not planned. It just happened. Since nobody is screaming in pain, he can deduce that no one got hurt by this action.

“Congrats, Simon.” Tammy smiles. “Bold choice to train with a Kopis. What changed? What made you do it?”

“We were talking. One thing led to another and Layla agreed to show us a few moves.” Simon shrugs. “I still like the Shamshir better.”

“All fine and well, but why did you take real swords? We have training weapons lying around.” Zack inquires, to have Layla bursting out in laughter and the two humans looking at him in wonder.

“Huh?” Garry is surprised. “Real swords?”

“Yes. I was wondering why none of you protested, but I let it go.” Layla chuckles. “I took the swords out of a locked storage in a locked office. Didn’t that ring any bells?”

“Honestly? No.” Garry shakes his head. “I was too immersed in the conversation.”

“I train with a real sword with Tammy. I didn’t even think about it.” Simon admits.

“We use real swords, because we don’t have training Shamshirs. The Kopis is so universal that we have several made of wood and steel just for training purposes.” Tammy answers him.

“But I saw Zack and Niki train with real swords too. At least I think those were real?” Garry inserts. He seems to be confused, Zack thinks.

“Those were real. Nakir and I, we usually start our practice with the training weapons and end up using our personal swords. Anything can happen when we really let go.” Zack explains to them. “Well, short of killing each other. We stop before that happens.”

“I think we had enough for tonight, it’s getting late.” Layla beckons for the swords. “I’ll put these away for you.”

“Thank you.” Garry nods to her. “You are a great teacher.”

“They all are.” Simon claps the cop on his shoulder. “It took me a while, but I see why they do it. I don’t regret learning from them.”

“You’re a researcher, all you do is learn.” Zack chuckles. He lets the others ride the elevator, but he takes the stairs. He will never get used to the metal contraption, no matter how hard the others try to convince him it’s safe.

“So? What did you find out?” Layla inquires of them. Simon and Garry have gone to sleep already.

“The Ley lines are quiet. There is no activity going on that we could see.” Tammy answers her. “We still have other sites to check. I just don’t know where exactly.”

“What are we looking for?” Layla wants to know.

“Londinium. There was something there. The site was important, they wouldn’t have built a city practically in the swamp just for kicks.” Tammy tells her.

“Does anyone remember where the old city was?” Zack asks.

“No. We first came here in the 13 th century. It changed a lot from the Roman era.” Nakir inserts. He stepped in from the terrace. Did he fly home?

“Then we have a task for Simon in the morning.” Tammy smiles. “He must find the location. I don’t know why it’s important, it just is.”