Little

Chapter 15

Returning back inside, Stephen realized they must've went through the door that led to the New York Sanctum. That door was now currently sealed off, and Stephen had no idea how to open it. So they were stuck here, for now.

Peter and Stephen wandered around the building. They found cases filled with artifacts and lots of books. In one case, a moving cape seemed to look right back at Stephen. In another room, three doorways stood that led to a forest, an ocean, and a rocky beach. In front of each door was a mechanism, that, when Stephen turned, changed the location. The door leading to the ocean now led to a desert.

From downstairs, a rumbling noise came.

Stephen and Peter ran to the edge of the balcony to see what was going on.

The building was folding into itself, and one man stood, with a weapon, to defend whatever was coming. He didn't look very prepared, though.

The doors burst open, and Kaecilius and two of his Zealots walked in. The dark circles around their eyes made them look more terrifying and dangerous.

"Daniel," Kaecilius said.  "I see they made you Master of the Sanctum."

Stephen finally realized who the man was. He was Master Daniel Drumm, who guarded the New York Sanctum. 

"Do you know what that means?" Drumm said.

"That you'll die protecting it," Kaecilius said, with a grim solemnity. He and his Zealots walked towards him, with their invisible swords in hand. Drumm deflected the first couple of blows, but he got hit--stabbed through the stomach. He sank to the ground, groaning in pain, the sword still in his stomach. Kaecilius made his move to rip the sword out, which Stephen knew, meant death.

"Stop!" he yelled, jumping over the balcony onto the stairs. Peter remained hidden behind the balcony.

Kaecilius eyed him. "How long have you been at Kamar-Taj, Mister...?" he asked.

Again, hating whenever someone addressed him by Mister, Stephen corrected him. "Doctor," he amended.

Kaecilius had a look of confusion on his face. "...Mister Doctor?" he asked.

Stephen almost facepalmed. "It's Strange," he said, trying to make himself more clear.

Kaecilius misunderstood yet again. "Maybe," he said. "Who am I to judge?"

As he said the last words, he pulled the sword out of Drumm's stomach. He fell to the ground, dead.

Stephen immediately tensed up, and brought forth a whip of orange energy that he used to try to restrain Kaecilius. It didn't work.

He and his Zealots ran up the walls and reached the balcony where he and Peter were. Stephen knew he had to defend both himself and Peter from likely death. He used the whip to swat away the Zealots like flies.

"Run!" he told Peter. Peter obeyed and ran down the hallway, away from harm. Now all Stephen had to do was do the exact same thing.

He picked up a cabinet that was helpfully lying there and smashed a Zealot in the face, causing her to fall back down again. He used the whip to defend himself from a sword hitting him in the face. It shattered into dimensional fragments.

He ran and caught up with Peter, but behind him, Kaecilius did some more dimensional weirdness. He made a gesture with his hands, and the ceiling and floors folded into each other, somehow stopping Peter and Stephen in their tracks. They ran but wouldn't move, like a hamster forever sentenced to running in its wheel without going anywhere. 

Stephen had to think fast, but there wasn't much he could do. He turned around to face Kaecilius, bringing forth two shields around his hands...and one flickered out of existence.

Kaecilius, unfazed, created even more dimensional weirdness. He turned his hands, and the hallway rotated. Floor became wall, wall became ceiling, ceiling became floor. And right now, both Peter and Stephen were about to face-slam into a window.

To protect Peter, Stephen covered the back of his head and neck while he took a load of sharp glass to the face, giving him a fine addition to his collection of cuts.

The hallway rotated even more, and now the floors and ceilings were walls and the hallway was a vertical shaft. Peter cried and clung tightly to Stephen while Stephen hung on the edge. They were about to fall.

The Zealots seemed completely unaffected, because they were casually walking up the walls towards them. Stephen had an idea.

He let go.

Peter screamed, but the whole point of letting go was to knock one of the Zealots down the magical doors. It worked, as Stephen was able to kick the female Zealot straight into the desert. All he had to do was turn the mechanism to prevent her from getting back into the door.

He reached out to grab the mechanism, but the male Zealot--way bigger and way more impending--stopped him. He was going to have to fight his way to the mechanism.

He dodged punches and kicks from the Zealot while he tried reaching the mechanism. He touched it once, but it wasn't enough force to turn it. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peter running towards him. "No!" Stephen shouted. "Stay back!"

The Zealot had him in a chokehold and he wasn't able to move, but apparently, Peter had understood what Stephen was trying to do. While Stephen fought off the Zealot, Peter turned the mechanism, stranding the female Zealot in the desert.

Stephen managed to throw the other Zealot into the door that led to the rainforest. He also quickly turned the mechanism and now both Zealots were stranded. But it wasn't over for Stephen. 

He still had Kaecilius to face.