12.
Senior
“Father, you are unwell.” Hasnah saw her father walked into the Grand Hall where Abraham was preparing for his trip back to the North. He looked over and saw the Master had approached the table where he was seated.
“Master Osis, you need of time to recover. You must rest.” Abraham reached out with his hand towards the Master. The later accepted the hand and held it.
“I am past my prime to hunt demons. More so, on Itep. My expiration will come soon, but there are certain things I need to do before then.” Master Osis looked at his daughter who had held her emotions in check. He looked back at Abraham and offered the later to a seat.
“I need to explain the relationship of mine with Itep. He is my brother by birth but his soul had been tarnished when Itep had taken over it as the host. My brother does not exist anymore but only his shell. We were once famed hunters, Osis and Osas but in our battle with Itep, Osas was taken by the demon. I could not save my own brother, but ever since then, I have battled Itep. He …. flees when he is close to defeat and with his escape, I am unable to hunt him till he surfaces again.”
“The Hidden City is his sanctum….”
“No, Master. I believed you have not told us the whole truth.” Abraham cut in. “You are not…”
“Insolent barbarian!” Hasnah leap to her father’s defence.
“Hold your anger, Hasnah. Abraham speaks the truth. I will explain.” Master Osis looked at Abraham. “When Itep took over my brother’s body he had not taken really taken the soul for Osas still lived inside. Itep could not be killed by me for that. I let him escape for fear of killing Osas. You could not for you are not his equal and of the same blood.”
“Then we are doomed. If you …. expire soon, then Itep will be without any equal.” Abraham voiced out.
“I said you are not his equal to vanquish him but you could contain him. Itep have been contained before by many Masters but for a duration and then he escaped.” Master Osis told Abraham. “I will give you the skills to contain him until one other of the blood will be able to kill him. A feat I am unable to do for it held my brother inside.”
“I am honoured, Master Osis but I doubt I am ready.” Abraham replied. “Perhaps….”
“The wound you inflicted on the demon displayed your ability to hurt it. The blood of the demon hunters runs deep in the Van Helsing breed. Not many could do that and not onto Itep but you did.” Master Osis looked at Abraham. “Only your child can kill it. A child which will carry my blood too. I will marry Hasnah to you.”
“Father…” Hasnah cried out.
“Its said and it will be done. You will wed Abraham and from the two of you the child will return here to remove Itep for good.” Master Osis looked at Hasnah. “The daughter’s filial duty to the father is to obey.”
“Yes, father.” Hasnah lowered her gaze to the ground and then stepped away before returning to her own chamber. Abraham wanted to console her but the important task was then to know how to defeat Itep.
“I will tell you more of Itep. He was once a High Priest of the Pharaohs. One day, he met the future queen of the land and allowed himself to kindle a relationship. That was discovered and both of them was put to death. The lady who was the sister of the Pharaoh was sealed in the tomb alive while Itep was removed of his organ with the bones and only left the skin and flesh. He was then filled with the dead locusts and sands before he was entombed with his lover. Just before his death, he swore to protect her and avenged their death with calamities and mayhem on the land. Over the generations, a group of Guardians have massed together to fight Itep whenever he arises from the Hidden City but none could vanquish him except banished him back. Of late, the mystery of Itep have spread to the outside world and the Guardians are on alert of any intruders. There were rumours of wealth there but in real facts, there was only death that awaits whoever go there.”
“It was during my age when the Guardians decided to destroy Itep and we came up with the spell to do that. It would had worked but Itep had taken my brother as hostage. I have to defer that death to another generation. I am too weak to do the kill.”
“And you think I …. I meant my child could do it. What if the child is not ready? What if…”
“A child brought to this world held both our blood. The blood of mine will give it the power to kill Itep, and the power of yours will be of the demon hunter’s. The child will complete the task for us but, Itep needed to stop now for the child to be ready.”
“I am …”
“Hesitant on your side is understood on the task ahead but I have not the doubt that you like my daughter and she may be of you.” Master Osis smiled. “It could be the wishes of my ancestors that she was to remain with me till you turned up. I was worried initially for she was past the age of acceptance by the other suitors but now I think may be of yours.”
“But before you considered the concerns of the wedding, you need to be prepared for the lessons on how to vanquish Itep.” Master Osis changed the subject. “I will not have my …. Your child sent to a task unprepared. And that includes you.”
“Itep may not be vanquish by the weapons held by the others. However, the one I wield may do it. It held the spirits of the old masters. You could only wound it to have it rest for another two decades or so. Only the blood of my family could vanquish the demon.”
“I am just curious, Master Osis. What about Hasnah? She is of your blood.” Abraham asked.
“She is but her ties to me is too close as mine is to Osas. I must have one that is not aware of the ties. The child of yours must not be told. What is not known will not impair the action on the task.” Master Osis explained. “More to that, she may not know of her uncle but she lacked the skills. The skills I hold cannot be taught to a lady and only the man. Your child must be a male.”
“A hard request….” Abraham smiled.
“I do not think so. The Van Helsing have a line of males to take up the task as demon hunters. You will not fail me. If you do, then you may have failed the people you swore to protect. Now let me tell you of the weapons that you need to have. Give me your weapons.”
Abraham handed him the wooden stakes and the twin sets of hooks. The Master looked at them and then back to his own scimitar.
“I was expecting a sword or dagger but since you wield neither, and the wooden stakes are for your own breed of demons, I shall not impair on them. I see your hooks held the sharpened edges, and that will be the blade I will use. The scimitar of mine held the sharpened edge but it held also the inscriptions which make it an enchanted weapon. This blade should kill Itep or any other powerful demon. I will have this given to my daughter as her wedding gift.”
“For you, I will give you the spell on your blade but you choose the blade. It can’t be on every blade.” Master Osis motioned to the twin sets of hooks. “Select a blade among it.”
“The middle blade of my right-handed hook. I use that as my main weapon but from now I will have it preserved for my …. child.”
“No, Abraham, the weapon is needed for your next battle with Itep. You will return to the Hidden City as I have shown you and place the demon to hibernate. Now let me prepare the blade.”
The Master of the Arts took the righthand greave to pull at the middle blade. He then reached into his tunic and removed the tiny vial. He then took out the feather quill and dipped into the vial before he etched the scriptures with tiny strokes onto the blade. With each stroke, he recited the spell that will bind the scripture words onto the metal there. The words that he had etched on then began to glow and the blade there glowed before it returned to its normal state.
“The blade will glow when it sensed the presence of the demons. It will be your marker that to be careful.” Master Osis continued on. “There is one other condition that you need to know. You will die prior to the final battle. You will have your ashes taken with you to here. And then Hasnah will die too before your child could complete the spell to kill Itep.”
“You called on us to be sacrificed to fulfil the task?” Abraham was stunned.
“A course of action that had already taken place since you came here with me. It’s the fate that we are all drawn to.” Master Osis looked to the Grand Hall. “I averted mine because I feared death then.”
“I don’t understand, Master Osis.” Abraham looked at the Master.
“I was to die with my twin to vanquish Itep but I sacrificed Osas when we fought Itep. We won then and was to complete the task with also my own sacrifice but my fear caused my brother to be resurrected with Itep inside him. I escaped but the guilt haunted me since then. I had tried to redeem my error hunting Itep and them others but I could not vanquish Itep as you were told. My death may redeem my fear and with your child, it will be done.”
“As you requested.” The voice of Hasnah came from the side of the Grand Hall. “We shall restore your honour with the other Masters. I will wed Abraham and have his son. And with his son, we will vanquish Itep and then join you with the Masters.”
“My daughter, your understanding will make my demise easier. Now I will coach you in the ways to reach the Hidden City and within it, the labyrinth that will take you to Itep. May the Gods be with you. I will give you the Ancient Scrolls. It will help you.”
“You told the Sheikh that the scrolls are in the Citadel.”
“I lied. The scrolls are with me. I have them in the Library. I will show you the passages to vanquish Imtep. It will be my parting gift.” Master Osis told her. And then he cautioned her.
“Beware the Roman Gladiators. They are formidable.”
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