THE JURY: THE SUMMONS

  In a room filled with air thick with sadness and disbelief, only seven Slayers remained, waiting for the being’s next command.

  The group was still trying to get used to the thought of Drek being dead—killed while they could do nothing but watch. They had watched him fight until his very last breath. The captain covered Drek’s body with Drac’s cloth, and the priest began to say farewell words over Drek. In that moment, Josh began blaming himself for Drek’s death. Crying, Molly hugged him to comfort him, to reassure him that it was not his fault, but Josh did not believe that. He still blamed himself. The captain also tried to reassure him that it was not his fault, that it was Drek’s choice, and that they must respect it. What he did would not be in vain. They had to make sure they survived this entire dilemma. Still crying over the situation, Brian stood frozen, staring at Drek’s body in shock until Cindy touched him, bringing him back to his senses. Cindy asked what was next. Brian was still frightened. He stood for a while, trying to think, but nothing came to his mind—until he realized something. The crafted markings on the ground were gone. It was just plain ground.

  When or how it happened, nobody knew. The group looked again, and it was truly plain ground. The priest realized that the door’s crafts were still there, which confused everyone. Just as they were searching for answers, a colossal rock erupted from the ground in the middle of the room. The group moved to inspect it, though some hesitated, thinking this might be another trial from the being. As they approached the rock, they saw carvings upon it. They stared, but no one understood what the carvings meant. Everything seemed blank to them. The priest was intrigued; the carvings resembled stories he had once read. They asked if he knew anything, but even he did not understand their meaning—they only seemed familiar.

  “So you don’t,” mumbled Timmy.

  The priest looked at Timmy with a strange expression and responded to his mumbling.

  “At least I know something, child. Where is your knowledge?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just scared,” said Timmy.

  “It’s okay, child. But in this situation, we must show respect. We don’t want to offend each other, right?” said the priest.

  “Yes, you are right. I’m sorry,” said Timmy.

  Brian was confused about how the priest handled the situation. Then the captain called him over, and the two tried to gather their thoughts to decipher whatever this was on the wall. Cindy realized there was no question written, no instructions.

  “Maybe we need to figure it out ourselves somehow,” said Molly.

  “No, that’s not how the Jury works,” answered the priest.

  The priest explained that the Jury gives a command before anything happens. All they needed to do was wait, and the command would appear before them. Everyone was surprised by what he said. Josh suddenly spoke up.

  “So we wait for our death?” asked Josh.

  “That’s not what he said,” said the captain.

  “You seem to know a lot about these beings,” said Josh.

  “I am a priest’s child. I am required to know many things,” said the priest.

  Josh was about to speak again when Brian shouted for them to look at the wall behind the being—it was finally crafting something.

  NAME THE SUMMONS OF THE GRACE JURY…

  Everyone was shocked by what appeared, and suddenly another craft formed on the wall.

  NAME THE SUMMONS OF THE GRACE JURY…

  05:00

  It was no longer just words—it was a timer. Panic erupted among them as they realized they had five minutes to solve everything. On the other hand, the priest began laughing because he had been right about everything he said regarding the being—the Jury. Josh, sick of his laughter, tried to walk toward him to punch him, but the captain and Brian blocked his path, stopping him. The priest’s laughter slowly subsided, and he said things to Josh that provoked him. He called him a pitiful child who only wanted attention and respect from everyone, which was why he pushed himself so hard to be the best, why he surrounded himself with powerful people like Drek and Lucky. He claimed Josh had long been broken by his family. (One of the priest’s abilities is to look through memories.) Josh grew angrier as Brian and the captain tried to push him away. Josh called him a fake priest. Cindy stopped the fight by shouting at them, asking what they were doing—how stupid and immature they were being. She reminded them of what had already happened in this room. This was life or death. Whether they liked it or not, they had to stay together. Josh cooled down and apologized but made sure the priest knew he did not like him. Thanks to his ability, the priest already knew that.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Molly told them there were only two minutes left on the clock. The group tried to focus, but there was no circle surrounding them this time, so they had no idea what would happen if the timer ran out—and they did not want to find out. They asked the priest if he knew the summons. He said he did, but there were too many. The books he had read did not specify which summons belonged to which Grace. They suggested he say all of them, but he said it was impossible in the little time they had. There were more than fifty, and worse, he had to think carefully to remember them. If only there were something to guide him. Brian realized the rock might be the clue and suggested they examine it again.

  On the rock were carvings of three different events. The priest looked closely. In one event, he saw a small individual raising his hand, surrounded by larger individuals. He realized that since there were three events, there must be three summons. The priest remembered a summons related to raised hands. Molly shouted that there were two minutes left. The priest screamed the summon.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Rise.”

  The group looked at the wall. The crafted words turned blue, and the timer stopped at 01:32. It froze. They felt a small surge of hope, but Brian reminded them it was not over. The timer reset to 05:00 and began again. They had two summons left. They pressured the priest to remember, but he reprimanded them to stay quiet. The group obeyed, but impatience grew as the clock ticked down. Brian tried to get him to share some of the summons so he could help, but the priest remained silent, touching the rock. Brian kept pestering him until the priest lashed out, telling him to stop—that he had it covered. The captain dragged Brian away. All Brian wanted was to help.

  The priest suddenly spoke.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Overcome.”

  The crafted words turned red. The timer continued at 01:23. Molly and Josh did not understand. Brian confirmed it was wrong. Josh tried to approach the priest again, but Brian stopped him—there was no time. The priest saw another carving: a small individual kneeling among the large ones. He tried again.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Pandora.”

  The words turned red again. Josh grew furious. The priest mocked him, telling him to try himself if he thought he knew better. As they argued, a boar-like sound echoed throughout the room. They looked up. The timer had reached zero.

  Silence fell. Their bodies trembled. A presence formed at the door behind them. Without warning, an arrow shot forward, striking with such force that it blasted them backward. As the dust settled, those who could stand slowly rose. They looked at where the arrow had struck Timmy. He was gone—reduced to scattered pieces. Shock paralyzed them. Molly began crying.

  “So that’s what happens, huh?” said the priest.

  Everyone heard him. Josh demanded to know if he had done that on purpose, just to see what would happen. The priest blamed Josh, saying if he had not fought him, he might have said the summon in time. Josh exploded with rage, but the captain, Brian, and Cindy restrained him. The timer read 04:20. It had not stopped.

  The priest spoke again.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Strength.”

  The crafted words turned blue. The timer reset to 05:00. The answer was correct.

  Josh snapped. He used his ability to strengthen his body, shoving Brian and the captain aside. He punched the priest, knocking him down, then climbed on top of him, furious that he had known the answer yet let Timmy die. He dragged the priest toward Timmy’s remains, shouting that his death was on his hands. The priest argued that it was Josh’s fault for distracting him. Josh called him a liar. As Josh prepared to punch again, Captain used his ability to materialize hands, pinning Josh down. The captain held him and begged the priest to focus on the final summon.

  The priest returned to the rock. Brian went again to try and offer his assistance. This time he allowed Brian to stand beside him. In the final carving, the small individual stood among the larger ones. They wore the same clothing. Their structures had changed. The priest could not interpret it. Brian suggested it meant the small one gained power. The priest argued that the larger ones had also changed, so it was not simply power. The captain reminded them there were only 01:50 left.

  The priest tried.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Advance.”

  Red.

  He began saying summon after summon, all wrong, until time ran out.

  Silence again. The priest stood lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, a chain shot out of nowhere and wrapped around Molly’s neck. It tightened instantly. Molly gasped. Everyone watched in horror. She looked at Cindy, whose face was pale with terror. Then she looked at Brian.

  “Help me…” Molly whispered.

  “AHHH!!!” she screamed.

  The chain dragged her across the ground. The soldier-like being lifted her high into the air and smashed her down. Again. Again. Again. It swung her from side to side, crushing her body against the floor and walls. Finally, it lifted her high and tightened the chain around her neck far beyond what was needed. Her head was severed. It flew in the opposite direction from her body. Her face was unrecognizable, destroyed from the repeated impacts. Cindy collapsed, screaming Molly’s name until her voice broke. The captain lost his grip on Josh, remembering he had promised everything would be fine. Josh cried openly. Brian remembered promising Molly he would protect her. Seeing her body separated from her head shattered him. Hopelessness crept in—until he saw the others falling apart too. He looked at the captain, shocked to see him so broken. The timer read 03:10. Brian grabbed the captain and pleaded with him not to give up. They had to save what was left. The captain slapped himself and stood tall.

  They returned to the priest, who was still muttering summons without meaning. The captain revisited the carvings aloud.

  A small individual raising his hands among large individuals.

  A small individual kneeling before large individuals.

  A small individual and large individuals standing together in the same clothing, their structures changed.

  “Change…” Brian said.

  The priest remembered the story of the Jury—how they demanded their followers change into something greater to survive and fight for what they believed in. He tried again.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Change.” — Wrong.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Transform.” — Wrong.

  He fell silent. Then Brian spoke.

  “By the power of the Grace Jury: Manifest.”

  The crafted words turned blue.

  It was correct.

  The priest stared in disbelief. He had thought manifest meant power, not change. The rock sank into the ground. The words on the wall vanished.

  Cindy crawled to Molly’s severed head and held it in her trembling hands, sobbing so loudly her cries echoed through the chamber. Brian stood frozen, tears streaming down his face. He could not believe what had happened.