Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"Have they really left?"

Back inside the temple, the monk leader asked the question with barely concealed anxiety.

"Yes, sir."

A hooded monk standing nearby nodded.

"I personally watched them board the aircraft and leave."

Only then did the leader finally relax.

He had been deeply wary of Evenson’s group from the moment they’d arrived. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s official status made them difficult to deal with, but Evenson himself was what truly frightened him.

A single casual spell had left the entire group utterly helpless.

They could do nothing but writhe on the floor in agony and wait for death.

Even remembering that sensation made cold sweat crawl down his spine.

Fortunately, Evenson might have been overwhelmingly powerful, but he was also a rigid man who clung stubbornly to rules.

The leader had talked circles around him and somehow convinced him to leave.

He was almost impressed with himself.

In fact, once this assignment was over, he had decided to retire from frontline operations immediately and seek a position within the Roman Curia.

With his experience and his gift for persuasion, becoming a senior cleric, perhaps even a cardinal, shouldn’t be difficult.

He had apparently found his calling.

"Then let’s begin."

Having planned the rest of his life, the leader composed himself and focused on the task at hand.

This situation was far too important to fail.

If they failed now, everything else was meaningless.

And his employer was not a man who tolerated failure.

"Yes, sir."

The hooded monk bowed and withdrew.

"Are you inside?"

Melinda’s voice came through the comm.

"I’m in."

Evenson glanced around the temple.

"Claire’s portal works surprisingly well."

The temple leader had no idea that the aircraft he’d watched disappear had never actually gone anywhere.

The moment it was out of sight, the aircraft had activated its stealth systems, turned around, and returned to circle above the temple.

And the man who terrified him most was already inside.

Claire’s portal had slipped Evenson past the temple’s defenses without anyone noticing.

"I still don’t understand why you had to come back down here."

Claire’s voice came through the communicator.

She was somewhere aboard the aircraft, filing her nails while complaining.

"You already have a plan."

"Just being careful."

Evenson smiled.

There was one person in the world who was desperate to save Danny.

His mother, Nadia, was certainly one.

The other was his father, Locke.

Danny was the key to Locke’s entire plan.

If the boy died, all of Locke’s ambitions would collapse.

Worse, Locke himself would soon be dragged back to Hell, where Mephisto would have plenty of time to make him regret every decision he’d ever made.

Locke would therefore do absolutely anything to get Danny back and keep him alive.

That made the monks trying to kill the boy a particularly serious problem.

And tomorrow was the winter solstice.

Miss that window, and everything was over.

So Locke would have to act today.

And this time, he would almost certainly send someone powerful enough to deal with the monks.

That was why Evenson was convinced the people trying to kill Danny wouldn’t survive the day.

But plans were plans.

What if Locke’s chosen operative got caught in traffic?

What if he arrived a few minutes too late?

Evenson wasn’t willing to gamble on it.

He’d returned specifically to make sure Locke’s people succeeded in taking Danny away.

Once they did, they’d expose Locke’s location.

That wasn’t his only reason for coming back.

There were still questions Evenson needed answered.

"Someone’s coming."

Melinda’s voice cut through his thoughts.

"Probably one of Locke’s men."

"What makes you say that?"

Evenson wandered through the temple, searching for somewhere with a better view.

Everyone had been gathered elsewhere, so nobody noticed him moving around.

"Because what’s driving toward the temple is an ambulance."

A pause.

"Did someone over there have a heart attack?"

Evenson chuckled.

"Hmm."

He finally reached the roof.

"Right on schedule."

He looked down at the grounds below.

"Looks like I get to watch the show."

He settled into a comfortable position.

"And I’ve got a pretty good seat. VIP, actually."

"What are we supposed to do?"

Melinda asked.

"Wait for my signal."

There was a long silence.

Then the communicator clicked off.

Somewhere six thousand meters above the ground, Melinda stared at the device in disbelief.

Wait for his signal?

She couldn’t even see him from up there.

How exactly was she supposed to read his expression?

Evenson, blissfully unaware of the murderous thoughts occurring aboard the aircraft, sat cross-legged on the rooftop.

He watched the scene below with a faint smile.

The temple’s courtyard was little more than an overgrown patch of ground that someone had decided to call a plaza.

A group of monks stood in a circle, chanting under their breath.

At the center stood their leader.

Danny had been forced down onto what passed for a makeshift execution platform.

The leader held a long blade.

His expression was solemn as he placed the edge against Danny’s neck, then slowly raised the weapon.

At last.

Everything would finally be over.

The blade came down.

And the world went dark.

The leader suddenly couldn’t see anything.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

"Well, damn."

Evenson leaned forward.

"Darkness Walk."

He immediately switched into spectator mode.

One hand rose.

A demonic eye materialized in the air.

The Eye of Kilrogg.

A dedicated scouting spell.

Or, in this case, an excellent way to cheat at watching the show.

Unlike ordinary sight, the Eye of Kilrogg wasn’t affected by the darkness surrounding the courtyard.

Evenson grinned.

"You block my vision, I plant an eye."

He watched through the demonic construct.

"Let’s see who’s more stubborn."

Then his expression changed.

"Hmm?"

The man responsible for the attack looked familiar.

Very familiar.

Evenson narrowed his eyes.

The figure below wore tattered clothing.

His skin was deathly pale.

Long white hair hung around his face.

Then Evenson finally recognized him.

"Carrigan?"

His eyes narrowed.

"So it’s true."

He watched the man move.

"A deal with the Devil doesn’t necessarily end when you die."

Carrigan was supposed to be dead.

He had died once already.

But Locke had apparently used the power of the Elders to keep him alive.

And whatever else Locke had done to him, Carrigan had clearly been modified in the process.

Anything he touched rapidly aged and decayed.

The results were horrifying.

Within moments, the monks began dropping one after another.

Their bodies withered beneath Carrigan’s touch, flesh collapsing into dry husks until nothing remained but corpses that looked decades old.

The courtyard emptied rapidly.

Soon, only the temple leader remained.

The leader had been deprived of his sight, but unlike the other monks, he didn’t panic.

The others had been slaughtered one by one because they couldn’t even determine where their attacker was.

This man could.

He sensed Carrigan’s position.

Then he swung.

Clang!

The attack was blocked.

Carrigan caught the blade.

Rust spread across the weapon almost instantly.

The metal crumbled into fragments.

The temple leader immediately disengaged.

He moved in again and drove his thumb toward Carrigan’s neck.

Evenson stood up.

He brushed the dirt from his robes.

"Not bad."

He smiled.

"Guess it’s time for me to step in."

The leader’s technique had been precise.

Unfortunately, he’d made one fundamental mistake.

His pressure-point strike landed.

Nothing happened.

Carrigan simply grabbed his hand.

The leader’s left arm immediately began to shrivel.

His flesh dried and collapsed as Carrigan’s power spread upward.

Evenson shook his head.

"Trying to use pressure points on a dead man."

He almost laughed.

"That’s one of the stupidest attacks I’ve ever seen."

Carrigan raised his hand to finish the job.

Then a tremendous force slammed into the two men and violently separated them.

At the same instant, the darkness covering the courtyard vanished.

Light returned.

Evenson appeared beside the temple leader.

He casually placed one hand on the man’s head.

Purple magic flared.

The leader’s body jerked twice.

Then he went completely still.

Evenson looked toward Carrigan.

"Saving someone is one thing."

He gave him an unimpressed look.

"But did you really have to massacre everyone?"

Carrigan stared at him.

For perhaps the first time in his undead existence, he looked genuinely speechless.

You’re seriously saying that to me?

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