The Sentinels

Chapter 10- The Calm

E Z R A

Ezra thought the ride back from the mission was depressing, to say the least.

The team were silent as the wind rustled the sail. Not only had they blown the mission to get the scepter, but the Black Knight had escaped, now stronger than ever.

Ezra's spirits were low enough that he had forgotten to ask Elliot how his ray gun worked. That added to his 'Epic-Screw-Ups-List' for the day.

Ezra noticed they were nearing the headquarters of Aegis, the Wyvern having been flying above the East Coast for about an hour. On the approaching, magically hidden island of Sub Rosa towered an impressive facility. With watchtowers and bases, the island was dominated by a massive building appearing like a modernized castle known as the Citadel.

He looked to see his entire team looking missable. He briefly thought of saying a joke to help lighten the mood, but he swiftly shot the idea down. Because of their failure, the whole world was in danger.

Ezra crossed the deck, spotting Callum leaning against the side of the ship. He looked out with a somber expression, a mixture of confusion and disappointment.

Standing beside him, Ezra gently nudged his arm,"You okay?"

Callum tried to spark a hint of positivity in his voice,"Yeah, I'm alright."

Ezra selected his words carefully, afraid he was treading dangerously close to a sore subject,"Back at Vault 51, you called the Black Knight by his name. Do you know him?"

Callum gave a solemn nod,"His name is Benjamin du Lac. He was my best friend back in Camelot. We grew up together. I thought I lost him."

Ezra frowned,"That's how Wren recognized him from your memories."

Callum sighed,"I-I just don't understand. Ben didn't have powers. He was just my best friend. I don't know what could've happened to him that turned him into that."

Jupiter looked up from his spot beside the sail,"Whatever turned your friend into the Black Knight must've really messed him up. The kid is about to unleash an otherworldly army on the world. Did I forget to mention the whole unstoppable, remorseless part?"

Vera gave a grim expression,"With the scepter complete, he can free the Fomorians from their prison at any time."

A glimmer of hope flashed across Wren's face, who sat beside Fletcher on a bench,"I don't think so. To open a portal like that, Ben would have to have a place of very powerful magic- like a nexus."

Fletcher lifted a brow from beside her,"A what?"

* * *

"A nexus," Agent Novak explained on the monitor,"is created when the paths of Earth's mystical energy decussate. The 'roads' of magical energy, known as the Ley lines, run across the entire globe, connecting places with amplified levels of supernatural energy."

She clicked a small projector on the center of the table, and a holographic Earth shimmered into the air. A system of glowing lines covered the globe, crisscrossing and intersecting countless times.

"So, all Ben has to do is find one of this crossroads and he can open the portal?" Fletcher inquired.

Agent Novak shook her head,"The Black Knight will need to find a high-powered nexus to open the portal. There are only a handful of nexuses that powerful on Earth."