The House of Grey- Volume 6 by Collin Earl Page A

know, considering the day we’re having, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
    They both eyed the creature uneasily and were alarmed when it smirked and then winked at them.
    “Don’t worry fellas,” called Grayson in his thickest southern accent. “He’s perfectly harmless.”
    Artorius, Monson and Casey still could not help taking a step back. Despite his apprehension, Casey zoned in on Grayson. “I thought you were supposed to remain behind and monitor the forces.”
    Grayson shrugged. “I was, but legendary phenomena have a tendency to bring us intellectual types out of hiding.”
    Casey smiled slightly. “Did he really just call himself ‘intellectual’?”
    Grayson ignored him and continued with his thought. “Anyway, Mr. Gatt and Brian should be here any–speak of the devils.”
    He nodded over their shoulders where Brian and Mr. Gatt had just arrived. They did not look happy.
    “Just what on God’s green earth—” started Mr. Gatt.
    “—Were you doing?” finished Brian. They spoke in matching tones of frustration and incredulity. “Monson Grey, you’d better have one hell of a reason for running out of that Coliseum without any protection.”
    They stared at Monson, waiting for his response. Casey, however, was the one who started talking.
    “Monson had the genius idea that people might have a fighting chance if he painted a bull’s eye on his back.”
    “A bull’s eye on his back? Explain, Cassius.”
    Casey explained their flight out of the Coliseum, their combat with the gargoyles, and Monson’s massive release of silver-hued Kei. As he finished, Mr. Gatt and Brian stared at Monson, dumbstruck.
    “So they left to come after you?” asked Mr. Gatt. Monson nodded in the affirmative.
    “Yeah…I guess.”
    “You guess?”
    “Well, I don’t really know for sure.” Monson quailed under the furious expressions of Mr. Gatt and Brian. “I mean, I figured since those things showed up right after I used the machine that maybe the machine or I had something to do with their sudden appearance. So I released a bunch of power to test the theory and—”
    “And those things came at us like fat women at a Ben and Jerry’s buffet,” interrupted Artorius. “They seem to be sensitive to magical power– Monson’s magical power, actually.”
    Mr. Gatt and Brian exchanged uneasy looks, the latter nodding while the former sighed resignedly.
    Monson stepped forward. “You two know something, don’t you. About those things.”
    “We have a theory as well; a theory that was probably just confirmed by your little experiment,” answered Brian as he and Mr. Gatt put some distance between themselves and the boys. Mr. Gatt looked wearily at Brian, speaking in a low voice that was nonetheless audible to the boys.
    “Do you think you can handle this? It has been years since we have used the gate.”
    Brian smiled. “True, but it will be nostalgic, yes?”
    “Then shall we?”
    “We shall.”
    Brian and Mr. Gatt squared up to one another, closed their eyes, and started to chant as yellow Kei swarmed out from around them “I call upon the Keeper and speak his name…I command you.”
    They each raised a hand, slowly offering it to the other as the yellow Kei flowed from both participants and saturat ed the immediate area. Their voices overpowering, they called out together, “Samil, we command thee, join!”
    An explosion of yellow Kei shot skyward, blinding all in the vicinity for a lingering moment. When the light cleared, there was one where two had once been. One man sat in a glowing nimbus of light, exuding the very essence of power. If Monson had not known any better, he would have thought it was one of the Roman gods suddenly made manifest. That is, until the glowing being spoke in a voice that was reminiscent of both Mr. Gatt and Brian.
    “Monson, Cassius, Arthur, Grayson–are you with us?”
    The being took a step towards Monson and the others, his undulating Kei singeing the earth and plants