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The Sleepless Journals

June 17, 2024June 17, 2024 Tara A. Lesko - Writer

It has been a while, but hopefully this new approach to my book will motivate me further to get it done, and done well, and in a more reasonable amount of time. I’ve decided to write character journals as I’m writing the book. It will have multiple functions – a promotion, a preview (but no spoilers), and it will give the reader (and the writer) a stronger sense of who these people are. This is a fantasy but it’s also very much a human story. Then maybe once the book finally gets finished and published, followers of the journals will be more compelled to read about the characters lives and experiences in more detail. There’s still going to be a lot of great story telling for fans of contemporary or urban fantasy and lovers of 80’s/90’s nostalgia. So may I present, The Sleepless Journals 🙂 This is in its infancy so bear with me. https://thesleeplessknights.blogspot.com/?m=1

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The Sleepless Knights – novel excerpt, with valuable info that will set the tone for the rest of the book.

November 12, 2023 Tara A. Lesko - Writer

Do I call them people? Maeve wondered. People don’t have the supernatural abilities kids read about in fairy tales and comic books. Even though they all possessed awe-inspiring skills, they did look, speak, and interact like regular people, like everyday youth found in a mall or skating rink.

They made their way out to the back patio, a wide open space that was almost the width of the house. Some people we’re playfully sparring. Others lounged around fire pits. Maeve stared at a few young men who made balls of fire rise from one of the pits. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, they morphed the fire balls into different shapes, one being a hand making a peace sign. Once Maeve could pull her eyes away from that magic, she noticed a luxurious swimming pool complete with a stone waterfall. Quinn, in his orange and blue trunks, used his hands to shoot thick cylindrical streams of water over the heads of a swarm of pretty girls jumping in attempts to catch them.

“As you can see, Quinn can manipulate water, but he’s a damn good fighter too. We all have telekinetic abilities but moving water is a rare find amongst our people.”

“So, I guess that’s how he gets the girls, huh?”

“He likes to think so. Personally, I think he can manipulate minds, but only if they’re wearing mini-skirts.”

“Stop it,” she laughed and pushed him playfully.

“Maevey!” Quinn yelled with his arms in the air. The water snakes he created splashed down on the girls who whined about their hair getting wet.

“Oops, sorry ladies,” Quinn pushed himself out of the water and sprinted towards her.

“Maeve, it’s awesome to see you up and about.” Quinn wrapped her in a big hug, forgetting he had just come out of the pool. “Welcome to our crazy world. I told you we weren’t lying.”

She wrapped her arms around herself to block the chill. “I’m trying to process everything. Slowly, you know. Make sure I’m still on Earth. That’s a cool water trick by the way.”

“Aww thanks. Yep, we all have our own little blessings and curses around here.”

“Curses?”

“Sure, most of who you see here are good folks, trying to play the hands they’ve been dealt. Others, well..” Quinn gestured toward the back of the property that went uphill. Massive, plateaued boulders served as platforms for fierce fighters. The men and women on the rocks separated themselves from the rest of the backyard camaraderie, and Maeve noticed how hard they fought, with little mercy towards each other. “Practice” or “training” didn’t seem to be in their vocabulary.

“They’re a little overzealous when it comes to the whole warrior thing. They have to play it up because they’re really not as powerful,” Quinn dried himself off with an E.T. towel.

“I see.”

“MAEVE!!!”

She looked up to find Kyler on the roof of the mansion waving down at her.

“Check this out!” He waved again before disappearing from view.

“What is he doing?” She waved back.

“Oh, I have a feeling he’s going to do something stupid, but it’s always fun to watch.” Quinn looked up in anticipation.

“Don’t encourage him,” Cayden pleaded.

“You’re the one who used to let him swing from tree to tree when we were kids.”

“He wanted to be in the Jungle Book and wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“Never say die!!!” Kyler jumped from the three story building and sprinted through the air. She watched and marveled at his ability to defy gravity, not just hang from ceilings. After what seemed like several long minutes of flailing and flight, Kyler made a running landing onto one of the rock platforms, plowing into two guys getting ready to spar. Quinn laughed hysterically.

“He does it all the time. No worries,” reassured Quinn.

“How am I not dreaming?” She whispered to herself.

Shouting and shoving ensued on Kyler’s landing spot. She didn’t get the sense a full on riot was about to happen, but Maeve could see the serious fighters were not happy about Kyler’s stunt.

“Great. How much do you want a bet Aodhan is going to throw a fit now?” Cayden asked Quinn.

“Well, a whole twenty minutes of peace has gone by. Can’t have anymore than that can we?”

“Cayden!!” A kind of gangly, platinum blonde gentleman, followed by Kyler and several other fighters trudged down the hill and stomped their way towards the eldest Knight. .

“Can’t wait to hear this,” Cayden whispered to Maeve.

“Why does he look so upset? Kyler didn’t mean any harm.”

“Aodhan likes to pretend he’s the drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket.”

“Those are the best parts of that movie,” Maeve tried to lighten his darkening mood.

“Only that guy was funny. This guy is just a pure douchebag,” Cayden added.

“Donnelly, tell this flying skidmark you call your brother to stop interrupting our training sessions!”

“Kyler, stop interrupting Aodhan’s training sessions,” Cayden replied flatly, without looking at his younger brother.

“I thought they were dick measuring parties?” asked Quinn. Cayden looked annoyed at first but then had to stifle a laugh.

“No one asked for you to chime in, shit for brains,” Aodhan approached Quinn, trying to look intimidating but the loud mouth Knight didn’t budge.

“Why don’t you and your pals go back to playing Ninja Turtles. I promise I won’t interrupt again,” Kyler cut in.

“One of these days you’re not going to land on your feet,” Aodhan turned his attention to the leaping Knight, “and I hope I’m there to see it happen.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen if you don’t get off your mama’s tit already.”

Aodhan attempted to lunge at Kyler but was stopped by Cayden and a couple of Aodhan’s cronies.

“Guys, can we for once remind ourselves that we’re supposed to be on the same team here? None of you acted this way when we were kids!”

“Just keep him away from our work, Donnolly. Or you’re going to have a lot more to worry about besides your headaches.”

Cayden scowled at the tall brute than looked at a puzzled Maeve.

“So, who’s this?” Aodhan pointed towards Maeve who stood securely next to Quinn once Cayden had to assume the role of mediator.

“A friend that needed our help. That’s all you need to know,” Quinn answered. Aodhan came within two feet of Maeve.

“Jeez, I thought the all mighty Sleepless Knights knew they had to rescue the damsels in distress not rough them up,” he pointed at the bruises on her face and her cut lip.

“They didn’t do this to me. The creeps they saved me from did this.” She realized it was the first time she acknowledged Cayden and the Knights as her rescuers.

“Aww, you mean the great Cayden Donnelly couldn’t save you before you got beat up?”

“Go to hell, Aodhan,” Cayden’s fury grew.

“Hey, I’m just pointing out the obvious here. Seemed to be a semi-successful mission if you ask me. But what do I know? I’m just a lowly carnie, right?”

“If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck,” Cayden moved into the space between Aodhan and Maeve.

“You’re pushing it, Donnelly.”

Maeve felt compelled to interject before things got uglier. “For your information, if it wasn’t for these guys, I would have been beaten, raped, dead, or all of the above. I would say that’s a win. May I ask you what you were doing on Friday night besides dick measuring with your disciples.” She couldn’t believe her own reaction, which earned her some laughs from the small crowd watching the conflict unfold. She knew a bully when she saw one, and that guy had no right to question how indebted she was to the Knights.

“I hear you, sweetheart. I hear you. Just let me know when you’re ready for some real protection, okay.” With that, Aodhan earned himself a hard shove from Cayden.

“Come on, pretty boy, show me what you got!” Aodhan took a fighting stance which Cayden refused to reciprocate.

“Enough!” A booming voice emerged from the house before Quinn and Kyler could grab the obnoxious carnie. “If I want to see 3rd grader behavior, I’d go to a Chuckie Cheese! But I know I helped raise sensible and cooperative men and women here, so act like it. What a display of nonsense in front of a guest. Aodhan, go back to the rocks and cool off. Cayden and Maeve you stay where you are, please. The rest of you, as you were.” ‘Yes sirs’ rose from the crowd before everyone walked away to carry on with their activities.

“I’m sorry, sir. It appears your Knights have come to the mountains with the goal of starting trouble.”

“Aodhan, now is not the time to channel William Zabka. We have a guest, and I’m sure you have plenty of teenagers waiting for your excellent guidance,” Corbin gestured for him to leave.

“Yes sir,” Aodhan replied flatly before scowling at Cayden and walking away.

“This has been quite the introduction to Fian’s Hallow hasn’t it, my dear?” Corbin smiled warmly at Maeve.

“I guess so. What’s that guy’s problem anyway?”

“Oh, he’s truly a fine young man underneath the Napoleon complex. Don’t take anything he says to heart. More importantly you are well enough now to be up and about. This is wonderful to see.”

“Yeah, I mean, I guess I’m feeling a bit better, but I can’t say I feel any less certifiable. This is all just hard to process.”

“Well then, why don’t you join me and Cayden in my study, and we can tell you the whole story. Perhaps not the whole story. I am sure you’re going to want to get home some time this year,” Corbin chuckled.

Corbin led Cayden and his bewildered guest into the house towards a wide spiral staircase with brass railings. On the way, they were stopped by more curious Fianna looking for an introduction to the mysterious young woman. Silently they climbed to the second level where a green carpeted hallway stretched before them, both sides lined with ornately carved wooden doors. Corbin pulled a brass skeleton key out of his pocket once they stopped at the eighth door on the left.

“Ms. Wicklow, welcome to my domain. It’s really an open space for all, but I’m as much a fixture in this room as the bookshelves.”

Corbin unlocked the door, and for a moment, Maeve questioned why the hell she agreed to enter this man’s room despite having Cayden right behind her. But once Corbin opened the door, the sight before her shattered that thought entirely.

The walls were lined with floor to ceiling, redwood bookshelves. The color patterns suggested the newer hardcovers occupied most of the reachable spaces, whereas the earth-toned and sun bleached older books required a rolling ladder to reach. The top shelves served as homes to books so old they needed tan strips of heavy duty tape to keep them together. Wall space that wasn’t covered by shelving held paintings in gilded frames that Maeve would expect to see in a museum. Portraits of mighty and intimidating warriors, both male and female, seemed to peer at her. A massive marble table with green and gold upholstered chairs sat in the center of the room. Scattered about on the smooth surface were open books, various papers, photos, and vases full of eucalyptus, mint leaves, and aloe. Bright flames flickered in the tall fireplace, and leather chairs sat invitingly in front of the fire. The space overwhelmed Maeve, and she couldn’t imagine a warmer and more tranquil room outside of her own in that little garden apartment in Jersey.

“Wow, just when I think I have seen it all. This is incredible.”

“Thank you Maeve. I had a feeling you’d like it. Cayden tells me that aside from the artwork, you’re quite the reader and writer.”

“Well, I know I do a lot of it. There’s no better way to wander and lose yourself without having to go anywhere. I could literally stay in this room until I died. How long has this house been here?”

“Longer than any of us have been alive,” Cayden handed her an obsidian palm stone he had been rolling around in his hand. “What would you say, Corbin? At least five generations back maybe?”

“Perhaps in this home, but Fianna have brigades and home bases all over the world that date back centuries.”

“Right, the Fianna. Now who are you guys exactly? Personally, I keep waiting for Tom Cruise to pop out of a closet with a little gnome or a fairy.”

“Hahaha, isn’t that a delightful film? I’m glad to see that after all you’ve been through, you’re reputed humor is still in tact.” Corbin earned a warm smile from his guest. “But you’re right. I promised you answers and a Fian never breaks his or her word.” He motioned toward the chairs in front of the fireplace. He and Maeve relaxed into the two leather chairs as Cayden made himself at home on the chaise lounge. Even though he sensed Maeve had become more relaxed, Cayden wouldn’t take his eyes off of her. Every one of her looks of wonder made him feel like flying, but every look of distress felt like a kick to the gut.

“Simon, bring us some tea, please,” Corbin called over to his assistant sitting at a small desk by one of the windows.

“Certainly sir. Would you like milk and sugar, miss?”

“That would be great. Thank you.” She watched as the hunched over old man left the room. Maeve never put milk in her tea. Her grandmother did, so for the longest time she assumed it was something that older and more mature adults did.

“I would never be able to find my cuff links without Simon. Good man, he is. Now, how much do you know about what the rest of the world calls Celtic legend and lore?”

Maeve wasn’t a bit surprised by that question.

“Not much, I guess. Maybe a few fairy stories my grandmother used to tell me when I was little. She knew my favorite was Tir Na Nog.”

“Ah yes, it’s all of our favorites, dear. But what if I were to tell you that what you and the rest of the world believe to be fairy stories or folklore is mostly true. And there is quite a bit the story books don’t tell you.”

Maeve twirled pieces of her hair between her fingers as she thought about her answer.

“I guess I would have to say that makes sense, maybe. I don’t know. A couple of days ago everything in front of me was so black and white. Now I barely know what to believe anymore.”

“Well, believe me,” chuckled Corbin. “You are still very much on Earth. You are still the same Maeve you were before you arrived here, and to tell you the truth, we’re not all that different from everybody else.”

“You shapeshift and Kyler can basically fly. I think that might be something a little more Disney’s Fantasia, don’t you think?”

“True, but just because we’re demigods, doesn’t mean we don’t go through the same rhythms of the human experience. We eat, sleep, laugh, cry..love, hate, and bleed just like everyone else. It’s our lineage that sets us apart and makes us have to hide in plain sight.”

“Your lineage?”

“Yes dear. Everyone here is a descendant of the original Fianna. Some are even the descendents of many different deities. But as the generations filter down, most lose their immortality. Some don’t reach their full potential. However, we all carry at least one unique ability that has to manifest at the right time, in the right place, and that’s why we are here. We use our powers to defend those who cannot defend themselves, the ones who suffer from the wrong doings of a select few.”

“We only wish there were a few evil-doers,” Cayden added. “Then again we wouldn’t have much of a purpose if there were only a few.”

“And who were the original Fianna exactly?”

“The greatest band of brother and sister warriors the world will never know, miss.” Simon returned with a silver tray of steaming tea cups and finger slices of warm bread swirled with raisins and spices. Maeve wasted no time devouring some of the bread, remembering how hungry she was.

“Oh Simon, always flattering us in front of guests, huh old friend,” Corbin took a sip of his tea. “Fianna have been around since the early Middle Ages. At that time they were bands of wandering hunters and warriors, not rootless per se, but they had not yet inherited land nor gained the skill set necessary to be deemed part of old Irish society, known as the Tuath. However, a young Fian’s goal was to be recognized as part of the Tuatha De Danaan – the folk of the goddess Danu – supernatural men and women serving as kings, queens, poets, storytellers, healers, warriors, musicians, and heroes.”

“So you’re all from Ireland.”

“Not all. The Knights are from Massachusetts. I’m from New York originally. Simon over there comes from the UK. We’re all over the world.”

“For a while we had pretty normal lives, like you saw in our photo albums on the bus,” Cayden added. “Once they thought our parents were ready to accept having children with..unusual abilities, guys like Corbin, Ethan, and other Fian leaders began training us to use our powers in the best ways possible. Plus, we learned fighting moves that would make Chuck Norris look like Mary Poppins.”

“Now Cayden, you know the most important part of what we do is help people in need of our assistance. The fighting is only a fraction of what goes into Fianna’s missions.”

“So how many other rock stars are actually supernatural warriors?” Maeve asked.

“Not many with the popularity The Knights have been gaining. But Fianna take on many different identities. We have athletes, artists, traveling theater actors, carnies, circus performers, musicians – anything that requires a great deal of travel. We want to be able to spread out and help as many people as we can. Come look at these scrapbooks.” Corbin rose from his spot in front of the fire and motioned for her to follow him to the table.

“Here you’ll get a bigger picture of how we’ve circulated over the years.”

Maeve took a seat and flipped through the distressed pages of the leather bound book. Photos, newspaper clippings, letters, journal pages, and other ephemera painted a picture of the warriors’ long history. Vaudeville performers, magicians, soldiers, singers, acrobats – some recognizable, some not – filled every page. Everything intrigued Maeve, but she knew there was much more to learn and understand. The scrapbooks provided more proof of how real the Fianna were. But she wondered how much she’d be willing to accept, and what did Cayden mean when he said there was a purpose to her presence in this bizarre world.

“You still haven’t told me your abilities, James.”

“James?” Corbin’s brow furrowed.

“It’s a nickname I gave him when we first met, and in a way, aren’t you all rebels without causes? Or I guess you do have a cause, huh?”

“Nothing specific, Agatha,” Cayden winked at her. “We just want to do what’s right. Like Corbin said, we’re still pretty human despite the whole demi-god thing. Who better to help humans than semi-humans who seemed to have leapt out of a comic? And we have to stay incognito, just like a Batman and Superman.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Corbin interjected. “The world certainly isn’t ready to know who we really are, and it most likely never will be.”

“So wait, you guys are like half gods, half humans, right? Does that mean you’ll live forever?”

“We’ll age and weaken like any other mortal, but the likelihood of dying from natural causes is slim. But it has happened. Our bodies have frailties just like everyone else’s. We can be killed by external threats. Immortality weakens as we move from generation to generation.” Cayden handed her another scrapbook to peruse.

“And that’s where our biggest mission of all comes into play, my dear.” Corbin retrieved Maeve’s tea from the end table and placed it in front of her. “A prophesier, with abilities our people haven’t seen in centuries, is the one who can help us, not only regain our immortality and strengthen us, but weaken the power the Moridhans have over this world.”

“The Moridhans?”

“Yeah, you can kind of think of them as rogue Fianna,” answered Cayden. “They’re just like us but they get off on using their power to wreak havoc and perpetuate fear and hardship. Some are worse than others, but they’re all pretty much douche bags.”

“Cayden, that is unfair.” Corbin lightly scolded. “Many of the Moridhans are simply misguided or grossly immature. Then many others are under Andreas’ manipulation.” Corbin handed her an old sketch of a burly, intimidating man with ratty shoulder length hair, wearing a combination of cracked leather and chainmail, cradling a crossbow as if it were a child.

“Well, I guess you’d never want to call him a sissy,” Maeve replied.

“He is our most substantial threat. He has powers I’m sure we are yet to see, and he’s after the same thing we are. They have even more to gain from finding The Prophesier.”

“Yes, who is The Prophesier again?”

“No one really knows for sure-”

“She is the one who can change what we know of the light and the darkness, Maeve.” Corbin swiftly interrupted the eldest Knight. Mauve noticed Cayden looking away defeated and slightly annoyed. “Not only can The Prophesier draw and document future travesties with more quickness and accuracy than any Fian with clairvoyant abilities, she’s also the one who can lead us to The Book of Tara. A text, if found and read aloud by the demigoddess, can give us back our immortality and forever weaken Andreas and his peons.”

“Like I was saying,” Cayden interjected, “No one is one hundred percent sure of her existence or how much power she has. She would be a descendent of hundreds of generations of seers. Even if she is found again, becoming The Prophesier is a huge demand,” he stared stoically at Corbin.

“Yes, son, you are right about that,” Corbin added. “If a seer is found once again, she will have to make the decision of her own free will to become part of Fianna. Her head and her heart would have to be focused on learning how to use her abilities. It takes strength, confidence, and faith to achieve prophetic power.”

“Okay, this may sound like a stupid question, but is there still, like, a God and Jesus and all that? All this makes is seem like you guys and the Moridhans are the only higher powers at play here.”

“Not a stupid question at all, dear,” Corbin moved to sit in the chair next to hers. “Like I said, everything you knew of the world before you were brought here is the same. We are certainly not the highest powers of the universe. There are many above us. The God and Jesus you’ve known are two of many, and we can’t see or hear them any better than you can. But we know they are there. We are merely..what would be the best comparison? We are the Jedi Knights to the Force.”

Maeve couldn’t help but laugh as Cayden face palmed and shook his head. She felt less doubtful but more confused at the same time. It helped that Corbin turned out to be less of an intimidating figure, not too dissimilar to Cayden. Though he was older and a bit more serious, there was a softness in Corbin’s voice and demeanor – like a Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, she thought. Darcy was her grandmother’s life long imaginary husband and Maeve smiled sadly at the memory.

“So what’s going to happen if you never find this Prophesier, or if the Moridhans get to her first?” Maeve continued to flip through the scrapbook, each page unraveled the mystery of this new world that existed before anyone created time.

“We don’t have to worry about that. She’s sitting right here in this room.”

“Corbin, come on!” Cayden got up from his seat.

“Wait, what?” Maeve rose from her chair and looked back and forth at the two men. “What’s going on? And what the hell have you been smoking? You can’t possibly think I am anywhere close to being this Prophesier. I can’t even help my Mom balance her checkbook.”

“This is not the time, Corbin, and it’s certainly not the way. At least give her time to heal and process everything a little bit more,” Cayden pleaded.

“There is no easy way or hard way to reveal to a lost soul what they’re truly capable of. You are a man of truth and action, as am I. You’re either going to lay it out on the table or stay silent.”

“Look, I think you guys have read your tarot cards wrong because I’m not your girl. Now if you’ll excuse me gentlemen, I’m going back to the bus. Whenever you’re ready to get me home, please let me know.” Maeve headed towards the door.

“Wait, I’ll walk you,” Cayden followed.

“Your grandmother was a descendent of one of the Muses. That’s why she was able to remember everything she read, not just Pride and Prejudice, and she wrote so beautifully. Brilliant woman, she was.”

Though her hand was on the brass knob, Maeve didn’t open the door once she stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to face Corbin, completely spellbound.

“How did you know that? How did you know my grandmother?”

“I didn’t exactly know her, but we do have record of her and her lineage. Yes, Abigail Wicklow. She helped Fianna from time to time, but she was never truly part of the society. There were Fian that tried to convince her, but her place was with her grandchildren. She could not be swayed. Brilliant but also stubborn. I’m not surprised her granddaughter is just like her.” Corbin smiled warmly and approached her.

“I can’t believe this,” she whispered and let tears fall down her cheeks. Cayden wrapped his arm around her, a simple act of comfort that sprung a twinge of uneasiness in Corbin, no matter how badly he tried to push it away.

“I did not tell you this to upset you or further confuse you, my dear. I’m simply asking for a chance to prove to you that the world may be the same world as it was yesterday, but your purpose within it is far different from what you thought it was.”

Maeve stood with her feet bolted to the floor. After several moments of silence, she slowly returned to her seat at the table.

“Okay, so what do you have to show me?”

The Sleepless Knights – novel excerpt – picking away at completion by September 2023

April 16, 2023 Tara A. Lesko - Writer

“How many times do I have to say this to all of you? Don’t bring women here. It’s too risky. What if she bolts before numbnuts over here does his memory eraser..magic water..thing?”

“But Ethan, she’s not just some regular mortal, man. This could be her. The -”

“Don’t!” Ethan interrupted Rian. “We’re not putting that in anyone’s head until we know for sure and we talk to Corbin. Then there’s the whole other battle of convincing her we’re not psychotic.”

“What we should be doing is taking her to a hospital.” Cayden sat on the bed next to a still unconscious and battered Maeve, holding her hand and admonishing himself for not getting to her sooner. The other Knights were gathered around listening to Ethan rant.

“Absolutely not,” Quinn insisted. “We can’t chance being spotted at a hospital with some chick who just had the crap kicked out of her. We can take care of her. She’ll be fine,” he gave Cayden a reassuring pat on the back.

“Yes, absolutely,” Ethan agreed. “We wait till she’s awake and well enough. Keep her on this bus. Wipe out her memory, and then get her the hell home. You three took a big risk going after her unmasked. I’m still waiting for your dumbass faces to pop up on the news, and someone’s bound to file a missing person’s report for her -”

“Ethan, please,” Cayden shot up from the bed. “Re, come sit with her, bud.” Rian did as he was told with obvious worry on his face as he took the same hand Cayden was holding.

“Come look at this stuff,” Cayden urged Ethan to follow him to the kitchenette table where Maeve’s journal and backpack were set out to dry.

“Careful, a lot of the pages got soaked.”

“Don’t worry, Swayze. I’m not going to mess up Baby’s diary.”

“Just look at the book, please,” Cayden commanded impatiently, “Then we’ll talk.”

Ethan gingerly turned the pages, feigning interest at first, but then his face softened as he studied more of the leather-bound book. He looked questioningly at the young bassist once he reached the last few pages.

“She says she comes out of these trances, these out-of-body experiences as she calls them and doesn’t have a clue where the images she drew came from. But I know and you know what’s going on here, E. Whether she is or she isn’t the one, right now she’s our best hope. Unless you and Corbin want to keep entertaining the Mullis twins every time they bring their bimbos to the house.”

“Yeah,” Kyler interrupted, “She’s got a great voice, so she’ll easily fit as as backup singer, and you should have seen what she did to that scumbag’s face. She took a hell of a beating but she still packs a punch. We can train her.”

Moments of silence passed amongst the men before Ethan took a deep breath and massaged the wrinkled skin around his eyes.

“This is going to be a lot of work, gentlemen. She’s not one of us. Granted she’s not supposed to be, but this girl is so far removed from anything our people have been told.”

“That’s right. Let’s not forget we’re still people, E,” Cayden firmly declared.

“We’re gods, and she’s not, man,” Donovan interjected.

“We’re demigods,” Cayden sternly insisted. “That means at the end of the day we are no better or worse than anyone else. We had a lot to learn and we learned it. So will she.”

The Knights looked at each other before turning their eyes back to their manager. Ethan raised his hands in surrender.

“Alright, alright, I’ll see what Corbin has to say. But I’m telling you now, Romeo, if this backfires in any way it’s your ass not mine. Let me know when she wakes up.”

Ethan exited the bus and marched up the gravel driveway to the stone mansion they called home before the tour bus life started.

“Well, I guess we’re getting a visit from Corbin soon,” Quinn lobed a soda can into the trash. “Maybe we should clean up this place. It looks like a bunch of Gremlins took showers in here. Plus, why not spruce up the place for our new recruit, huh?”

“You’re the one that lives like a pig,” Donovan reminded his life long friend.

“I’m not the only one who lives here!”

“You guys go ahead. I’m going to sit with Maeve. I don’t want her to wake up and no one is there.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Quinn playfully punched Cayden’s shoulder. “We know you don’t want her waking up alone. Dude, at least wait until she’s conscious.”

“Go jerk off, Quinn,” Cayden glared at his bandmate.

“Nah, I’m good till bedtime.”

“Man, you are a damn disgrace,” Kyler threw a stack of old magazines at Quinn. “Help me clean up this hell hole on wheels. You too Rian.”

Donovan stopped Cayden before the oldest Knight reached the door to the back room, carrying cold compresses for Maeve’s bruised face.

“Yo, I know you have a lot of faith in this girl, and maybe she is the one we need. But don’t get yourself in too deep. Remember what my old man used to say to us. Look for the best in everybody but always be ready for the worst.”

“Maybe that’s not always the best motto to go by, Don.”

“We wouldn’t be in business if it wasn’t true.”

“Well, our business should be more about helping people protect themselves from the worst instead of us fighting their battles for them once the shit hits the fan.”

“Man, the older you get the less fun you get.”

“And the stronger you get, the dumber you get.” They teasingly punched each other.

“Go take care of the girl, ya asshole.”

“Think potential, my friend. Think potential.” Cayden smiled at the pessimistic drummer before disappearing into the bedroom.

“We’ll see, man. We’ll see.”

* * *

“Corbin, we might be heading into some uncharted territory,” Ethan took a long sip of his cognac. “But I guess after all this time, it will be nice to see ya settle down finally.”

“Well, old friend, as much as I wouldn’t mind opening a window to possible romance, that cannot be our main priority, of course.”

Corbin took a long, contemplative exhale after inhaling from his cigar. Smoke billowed over him like a ghost. The two gentlemen lounged in front of the fireplace in Corbin’s study, staring hypnotically at the flames, both taking in the finest liquor and trying to process the information Ethan shared.

“She’ll no doubt help the boys, especially Cayden. I worry about that boy every damn day. But what about the bigger picture? What if she fails, or worse, what if she becomes too powerful. Neither side will win.”

“Perhaps, just perhaps, it is a risk worth taking. I’ve known you for decades now, Ethan. There is no doubt in your mind that they found her. I’m afraid we can’t escape the acquaintance now,” chuckled Corbin.

“He found her in a mall, boss. Of all the places men have searched over the years – a friggin shopping mall in Jersey?”

“We’re still part of this world like every other living being, my friend. Every breathing force on this planet knows there is no predictability. If there was we wouldn’t need the Caydens, The Matteos..or the Maeves.”

“The boy is in love with her, you know?”

“I’m sure all five of those boys are in love,” Corbin laughed.

“No, I mean it. Cayden. He looks at her like he’s just seen his first real Delorean. He’s fighting against it, but I can tell he’s losing.”

“Cayden Donnelly comes from a long, powerful line of sensible, disciplined, and resilient men. He doesn’t know how to make the wrong choices..usually.”

Ethan and Corbin gave each other knowing looks before turning their eyes back to the fire for a short spell of silence.

“Well, I think it’s time I meet this young woman, eh? I’ll have Simon make some hot figwort tea to bring with us. That should fix her up in no time.” Corbin extinguished his cigar.

“Fair warning, those kids live like animals,” Ethan swigged the last of his drink. The two men rose from their leather clawfoot chairs.

“We were young once, Ethan.”

“Yeah right. Whatever happened to that whole idea of staying that way?”

“Perhaps the opportunity has arrived, my dear friend.”

* * *

The last time Maeve had a serious nightmare was after her brother, Sebastian, dragged her with him and his friends to see Aliens after school. They told their parents they saw Flight of the Navigator. For months, she dreamt of the queen alien landing in her backyard after Sigourney Weaver let the bitch fall from the space station. She’d wake up screaming when the dog got cocooned and morphed into one of those face hugger aliens that laid eggs in peoples’ stomachs. But for Maeve, what was once a traumatic event became a fond memory with her big brother.

Most of Maeve’s more current dreams were forgotten or downright random and bizarre. After being attacked and left unconscious for almost 48 hours, she dreamt of yellowish light and concrete walls closing in around her. She dreamt of the perp’s hands that felt as if they were covered in Crisco, and she smelled his cigarettes and sweat. Again, she felt the pain of being tackled, slapped, and thrown against cinderblock.

She ran hard and fast in the dreams but couldn’t get anywhere. At times she thought she might be dead, and if she was, how did she not get into heaven? She had to be in hell.

Suddenly there was a blade coming toward her face, one she couldn’t see until it was too late.

“Noooo!!” She shot up from a nest of pillows in a cold sweat, the sudden movement a painful reminder of how beaten up she was.

“Maeve! Oh, thank God.” Cayden had dozed off in the office chair he pushed next to the bed. Groggily, he moved to sit next to her.

“What…how?” She swung her fists in a disoriented flurry of fight or flight. Her eyes wouldn’t focus.

“Maeve, it’s okay,” he grabbed her wrists. “You’re safe now. It’s over.”

She caught her breath then recognized the face in front of her. Relief began to wash over her once she realized she wasn’t lying in a hospital bed or lying naked and beaten on the floor of a parking garage. Still, her head continued to spin.

“What…what the hell happened? How did I get..here?”

“You were attacked at the mall,” Cayden gently coaxed her to lie back down.”But you’re going to be fine. You’re on the bus. All the guys are here. Ezekiel’s here. Just relax,” he finished in a whisper as he softly stroked her bruised cheek with his fingers.

Her blurred vision dissipated and she took a deep breath though a fractured rib made that breath feel like a line drive to the torso. Cayden immediately draped a big ice pack wrapped in a towel over the side that pained her. He slightly lifted the bottom of her shirt so the coolness could touch her skin.

“Stop,” she slapped his hand away.

“I’m sorry,” he flinched. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I promise you’re safe now, okay? Remember, I’d never lie to you.”

She lie in silence for a bit, her gaze wandering from Cayden’s concerned eyes to her surroundings. Posters of cartoon characters, WWF wrestlers, swimsuit models, and rock stars lined the walls of the small room.

“Where are we?”

“It’s kind of a long story. Right now I just need you to rest. I’ll explain everything later.”

Maeve allowed him to take her hand after he placed a cool wet cloth on her throbbing head. He noticed her squinting, so he reached over to pull the curtain over the window – her hand still held securely in his.

“I feel like shit.”

“In my opinion, you definitely don’t look how you feel.”

“What happened to the creeps who attacked me?”

“They’re gone. You don’t have to worry about them anymore.” He brushed a lock of hair away from her face.

“Did he..? Did they…?” She couldn’t get the words out through her welling tears.

“No, we got there in time. They never had a chance,” he took both her hands in his. “And let’s just say it will be physically impossible for any of them to try it again.”

It took a moment for her to process that he, and at least a couple of his bandmates, had something to do with her rescue.

“But how did you..what were you doing at the mall? Especially in that garage? How was that possible at that exact moment? I don’t get it.”

“Seems to be a hell of a coincidence, huh?” Cayden gave her a soft smile.

“Have you actually been stalking me?” Even she wasn’t sure if she was joking or not.

“No, of course not. Like I said, I’ll explain everything when you’re feeling better, okay?”

“Well, why not begin with the basics now, son?” Corbin stood in the doorway holding a cast iron tea pot.

“Sir,” he jumped up from his position next to Maeve, “I didn’t think you’d be coming so soon.”

“Now what kind of host would I be if I stayed in my library all day and not introduced myself to this young lady here? Cayden, please grab me a mug from the kitchen.”

“Sure, no problem,” he looked down to give Maeve a reassuring smile before leaving the room.

She took in the striking presence before her – a tall, classically dashing man who looked to be somewhere in his forties wearing an all black suit. A broad chest and shoulders and wisps of salt and pepper hair completed his commanding but debonair look.

“Well, Maeve. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our home, dear.”

“Home? Where?” She held the cold cloth so it wouldn’t fall over her eyes. “Who are you, and what do you want? In fact, can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on. How did you know where I was?” Cayden held the mug as Corbin poured the near-boiling cup of tea. Corbin held up his hand to pause the Knight before he could answer her.

“Oh, forgive us, Ms. Wicklow, please. My name is Corbin Byrne, and I am..shall we say one of the band’s managers. And right now we are outside of our manor – Fian’s Hallow.”

Reluctantly, Maeve sat up slightly and took the hot mug from Corbin’s noticeably scarred hands. The tea was unusual but fragrant, and she needed something warm and soothing. Every bit of her insides – bones, flesh, and all – seemed to ache.

“Okay, where exactly is Fian’s Hallow?” She took a slow sip and immediately felt a little more alive.

“Allow me to clarify. This is one of several Fian’s Hallows. This one happens to be in the beautiful Green Mountains.”

“Wait, do you mean Vermont? I’m in Vermont right now? How long have I been out? What day is it today? Okay, I’m out of questions for now. This is insane.” Panic rose in her voice and she took a longer sip of tea, welcoming the waves of pain relief.

“It’s Sunday morning, Maeve.” Cayden sat on the foot of the bed and gently massaged her leg over the blankets. “You’ve been out since Friday night.” Corbin watched the physical sign of affection and keyed in on the young man’s voice. Ethan was right, he thought. The boy has fallen.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Cayden and the boys wanted to make sure you received the best care possible after such a traumatic event.”

“By taking me this far away from home?” She looked over at Cayden. “And you haven’t answered my question. How did you even know where I was and what was happening?”

Cayden anxiously looked over at Corbin who then motioned for Cayden to explain.

“I’m not..I mean, we’re not who you think we are.” Cayden rubbed the back of his neck.

“What are you talking about?”

With a bemused look on his face, Corbin waited for Cayden’s next move.

“Well, long story short..if that’s even possible,” he glanced at Corbin who gave him an approving nod. “We’re not just a band. We’re a Celtic brigade of demi-gods known as the Fianna, at least we’re descendants of warriors known as the Fianna. We all have..certain abilities and we use them to help people in danger or distress.” He decided to pause there to read her expression. She looked just as confused as when she first woke up. The rest of The Sleepless Knights made their way into the room.

“That’s..the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. What are you trying to pull here, guys?”

“It’s true, Maevey,” Quinn added. “Think about it. What reason would we have to make something like that up? We certainly don’t need the publicity.”

“I get it, kiddo,” Kyler interjected. “ I hardly believe it myself sometimes. But -” he leapt onto the ceiling and hung over her upside down with a big grin on his face. “You can’t deny what you see with your own eyes, right?” Stunned, Maeve covered her face with a blanket and sunk into the sea of pillows.

“Kyler, for the love of all the gods, get down! You’re frightening the poor girl!” Corbin scolded.

“Oh yeah, sorry. Too much too soon I guess?”

“No shit Sherlock,” answered Cayden.

“Okay, I am out of here. There is something very wrong with all of you and you need to be checked.” As painful as it was, Maeve crawled out of the bed as fast as she could and headed straight for the bedroom door. Rian, who was on the opposite side of the room, appeared in front of her in a flash.

“Not so fast, enchanted one. You are in no condition to be out of bed right now.” Rian’s lightening move made her stumble backward into Cayden. Once she felt his hands on her back, she turned and pushed him away.

“Don’t come near me! All of you. Get out of my way, Rian!” The youngest Knight looked to Corbin for approval which he received.

As fast as she could, she threw her journal and her other items back into her purple Jansport. Under Corbin’s command, none of the Knights made an attempt to stop her.

“…’Courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.’ Nelson Mandela.” Gus remained in his seat, facing the windshield.

“Go ahead and quote Ghandi next, Gus. I’m still out of here.”

Maeve zipped her bag closed and limped her way towards the door. Gus rose from the driver’s seat but as he turned to block her path, Gus morphed into Corbin right before her eyes. She froze, completely breathless, not convinced she made it out of that garage alive.

“My dear, there’s no where to go on foot. Please, you’re a rational young woman. Allow us to explain further.”

Corbin barely finished his plea when she hit the floor.

Minor poem purge – thanks to Rupi Kaur’s Healing Through Words

February 21, 2023 Tara A. Lesko - Writer

Without Flight

“Because I’m leaving

on a jet plane…”

that could kill me.

Please don’t plummet to the Earth

at 300 miles per hour.

I want to believe humans are meant to fly.

We end up building our wings

instead of being born with them.

Don’t we have to earn everything

we’re not born with?

I know without flight, I would have never

heard the guards shush people in the Sistine Chapel.

Those men are still gods to me.

Not only are they divine creatures

for putting up with tourists,

they are there to protect that heavenly ceiling

from unnecessary noise,

flashes of light,

the breaths of millions who remember only

how God created Adam.

Without flight, I would have never been held

under a stone at the top of Blarney Castle.

Hands that held hundreds before me,

yet I didn’t trust.

Two widely spaced bars and a stranger’s grip

were all that stopped me from plunging

head first and backwards onto the lush green below.

I pressed a kiss to my palm and reached for the stone.

With the same hand, I patted the arm of the man

who kept me from dying. Perhaps he knew

I didn’t need or want the gift of gab.

Without a jet plane, I never would have experienced

the happiest place on Earth, once I finally

got a sense of what happiness was.

Without flight, I couldn’t have sailed away

with old and new friends,

for several days – doused in margaritas and men.

Friends who reminded me of the me I needed to get back.

Flying could kill me.

But without flight,

being stuck on the ground

is death’s fingernails on a blackboard,

its own virus that feeds on words and chances.

The Parasite

Dearest,

You’re a need to be alone

but not be lonely.

You’re a yearning for independence,

yet you always need help.

You’re a control freak,

but you pour responsibility freely

into the cupped hands of others.

You rarely make sense,

or you make too much sense – as difficult

to put into words as love – or more so.

You’re the friend nobody likes,

but that’s why you’re kept around.

Having you is better than feeling nothing,

yet not having you is like the moment

your host’s body adjusts to the cold water.

You’re the racing mind with too many targets

and the checked-out mind shrouded in a marble veil.

Those who carry you

know more about you than you think.

You’re the baking soda packed

into the depths of consciousness,

waiting for your host to spill the vinegar.

You forget how easy you are

to wipe clean after the storm.

-Regards,

Serotonin

Lights On

Could you do me a favor

and never not wear black?

Keep making me laugh

until my asthma kicks in a little?

Nothing your finger

tracing the length of my spine

can’t remedy.

I wouldn’t mind simply grazing

your collarbone with my lips

while my hand strokes the dark hairs

on your chest, exposed by your

missing top three buttons.

Tell me you love animals

while you build me the world’s

perfect writing desk

with reclaimed barn wood.

Come close to tears of joy

when all I can repay you with

is a scarf and a gentler

Sylvia Plath-style bite to the cheek.

Sing other people’s songs,

and I’ll forget they’re covers.

Read me your poems,

and I’ll remember how to breathe,

at least until you lower me to the floor

with your promise to never leave

the inside of me completely.

The Sleepless Knights – novel excerpt…I lost count.

January 26, 2023 Tara A. Lesko - Writer

So this is an important part of the story because we get to know more about this mysterious band, what their powers are, and what their mission is. This is the first time I’ve ever attempted to write any form of fantasy with a very “superhero” vibe. As a reminder, this will be an urban fantasy novel set in the late 80’s early 90’s. Let’s say Stranger Things meets Marvel I guess. But there are no gruesome creatures. The monsters are very real, even though they’re demigods. Hope you enjoy and as always, I’d love to see some productive and useful feedback. 🙂

When you run.

When you fly.

Every time you hide.

Every time you cry.

If you forget to run from the tide.

I’ll part the oceans

to be at your side…

The venue several miles outside of Newport, Rhode Island was a large but old playhouse turned concert venue, so it had great acoustics and lots of secret entrances and exits, perfect for when The Sleepless Knights needed to split undetected by fans or staff. They weren’t supposed to go on until 9:00, but they typically tried to get rehearsal and sound check done as early as possible. They never knew what was going to happen right before a show.

Ardently, Kyler belted out the final chorus of their new song. Even though Cayden watched his brother perform countless times before, he couldn’t help but stand there and be in awe of him – his confidence, command, and passion for performing was a sight to see. Kyler Donnelly never seemed to have to work hard for that power. Cayden, on the other hand, had a hard time getting used to an audience whose eyes he felt boring into his skull. He knew he wasn’t the only one they looked at, but in his head, he envisioned hoards of girls pointing at him and laughing.

Do I have a stupid look on my face? Is my fly open? Am I screwing up a note?

He was his own worst enemy.

“Well gentlemen, I think we got another winner here. Quinn, brilliant work as usual, compadre.” Kyler took a much needed gulp from his water bottle.

“Thank you, brother. That is sure to spread some beautiful love and energy this evening, huh?”

“Let’s not get too carried away, guys. There’s only so much we can do at these smaller shows anyway.” Donovan wiped his sweaty neck and face with a towel. The Knights often forgot how much physical work playing the drums entailed, and Donovan’s remarkable strength rarely kept him from sweating like a farm animal under spotlights.

“Don’t worry, Don. We’re never going to be out of jobs.” Rian worked on changing some settings on his keyboards.

“We better hope not. Or what the hell are we going to do with our lives?” Donovan threw his sweaty towel at Rian which the key master dodged in disgust.

“Maybe fix up an old, decrepit house in the middle of nowhere and be normal for a change?” Cayden carefully put his bass back in its case.

“Dude, keep dreaming. We were born to be nomadic road warriors, big brother.” Kyler helped Quinn roll up some wires that weren’t needed.

“He just wants to play house and make a hundred babies with a certain Jersey mall queen who shall remain nameless,” Quinn teased.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Suddenly feeling fatigued, Cayden hopped down off the stage and dropped himself on one of the audience seats.

“Says the guy who was up at the ass crack of dawn this morning writing a letter to the chick.” Kyler added.

“Do you keep track of how many times I take a dump too, little brother?”

“Hey, all I’m saying is, we’re going to have some time off..theoretically. You, at the very least, should be going back to get her.”

“Man, it’s not that easy. She’s just finishing high school for God sakes. And if I just show up out of the blue and tell her what the plan is, she’s going to freak. Besides, I can’t go anywhere by myself. Who else is going to see where we need to be?”

“Ohhh, so you are admitting there is a plan, aren’t ya?” Quinn finished off his fifth Coca Cola for the day. Sometimes his bandmates thought the overload of corn syrup and caffeine dissolved his brain cells.

“Listen,” Cayden shot up from his seat, “When I feel like the time is right to…”

An all too familiar wave of dizziness and a shot of unbearable pain made him stumble. Cayden pressed the heels of his hands against his forehead, trying to gain some control over the worsening spasm.

“Cayd, what’s up?” Quinn and Kyler rushed to him and grabbed his arms to keep him from dropping like a big dictionary falling onto a hard table.

“Ahhh!” was all he could get out. The pain was intense, but not as stabbing as it could be when he battled to make out what he was supposed to see.

“What are you seeing, big brother? Talk to us.” Kyler and Quinn were on the floor next to him. Kyler let his older brother’s head rest on his lap as his legs involuntarily flailed.

“I don’t know….It’s a big old house..errrr!” The shortness of breath kicked in.

“And? Who’s there?”

“There’s a..there’s a woman..with her daughter. They’re closing…errr, their closing up. It’s one of the mansions!”

The pain reached an intensity where he had no choice but to yell. Otherwise the words wouldn’t be able to escape his mouth.

“Address, man. Address. Find us an address,” Quinn pleaded.

“Robbery..ahhhhh! The girl is screaming. They got her! They’re tearing at her…”

“Cayden! Focus on a location, come on big brother! You can do it.”

“Rian, Don, tell Gus to start the engine,” commanded Quinn.

“Wait, can we even go on assignment right now? What if we miss the show and raise red flags?” Rian panicked.

“Man, the hell with it! Guys, scoop him up and let’s go!” Donovan ran towards one of the fire exits, pulling Rian with him. Kyler and Quinn picked up their ailing bassist and followed shortly after.

“Dude, what if Rian is right? If we miss the show, we got no alibi. We never went on a mission this close to a show,” worried Kyler.

“Well, we either get this done and get back in time or face Ethan and Corbin’s wrath.”

Cayden couldn’t make out the rest of their conversation as they hauled him back to the bus. He kept his eyes closed and searched through the barrage of images that crossed his vision from all directions. Sometimes it felt like a Rolodex spinning forward then backward in his mind. Sometimes it looked like the snow on a television screen when the signal cuts out, except the balls of white light were bigger and moved slower. Either way, he knew his one job was to fight for at least a moment of clarity. He had to slow down the menagerie enough to be able to give his bandmates and Gus the information needed – before it was too late. As he said to Ethan the night before, some days were better than others.

Despite being fully immersed in the throbbing pain, the weakness, and the cyclone of visions, he could sense his body was back on one of the bus couches. After what felt like an eternity, he was able to see where they had to go. Maybe it didn’t take an eternity for him to start coming back to life, but it took longer than it needed to – and every second too late might as well be an hour.

“Marble House,” He uttered breathlessly. “596 Bellevue Ave. And we got to hurry.”

“Gus!” yelled Quinn.

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it’s going on when you don’t have strength. Napoleon Bonaparte.” Gus swiftly pulled out of the venue’s back parking lot before any of the employees had a chance to stop The Knights and question where they were going in such a hurry.

“Alright boys, let’s get ready to kick some ass,” encouraged Donovan. Not sharing in his enthusiasm, Cayden knew he would need every second of driving time to step into who he needed to be next…

“Alright so what’s the game plan? Cayden said there’s at least four of them.” Donovan finished suiting up.

“Oh no, do NOT make me the watch again, guys. It’s so boring, and a waste of my skills if you ask me.”

“You’re the youngest. You get the shit job. We all went through it, Rian.” Quinn tightened his gloves then wolfed down the rest of his microwaved Quarter Pounder.

“Oh man, come on. Let Cayden take a break and be the watch. I got this.”

“When you can take out a dude that looks like Macho Man Randy Savage without breaking a sweat like Cayden can, then we’ll talk,” Kyler came to his brother’s defense.

Quinn quickly settled in to his leadership roll once he swallowed what was left of his second lunch. “I say we go in through the back. Kyler you take the guys on the top floor…”

“No kidding.”

“Don, you go right for the guy whose got the girl, and I will handle whoever is left and take care of the mother.”

Meanwhile, Cayden was in the back bedroom suiting up as quickly as he could even though he hadn’t gained all of his balance and strength back. Sometimes it irked him whenever the guys assumed he wouldn’t be able to do a job. But he knew they worried about him, about the day he may never come out of one of his throttling visions, or the day he decided to walk away for good. He pulled his mask out of his gym bag and darted towards the front of the bus before they could leave without him.

“Cayd, you alright man? This doesn’t seem like too heavy of a job. You sure you don’t want to sit this one out?”

“Quinn, when do I ever sit out of a battle?”

“Good point, you are a glutton for punishment, my friend.”

“The time is now, gentleman,” Gus bellowed from the driver’s seat as he brought the bus to a stop in a hidden parking lot next to an abandoned food market.

“Alright Knights, let’s do our job quickly, smoothly, and get out of here. If we start that show too late and raise suspicion, the masters are going to eat our balls for breakfast. Ready?” Quinn placed his hand on Kyler’s upper right arm, and Kyler’s hand clasped Quinn’s left upper arm.

“For honor, for peace, for rightness over evil,” they said in unison.

As he did at the start of every mission, Quinn rapidly took turns giving each of his bandmates the salute before they pulled their masks down over their faces. They raced for the woods that divided the abandoned lot and their destination – The Marble House. Cayden found every bit of power he had left to keep up with the group. Of course, no one could outrun his brother, and Rian could break the sound barrier.

Nobody was around, but the Knights couldn’t risk being spotted. The low light of dusk started to drape over them as they ran like hell. Gus had a way of finding secluded entry points for any of their missions. It didn’t take long for the old mansion to come into view, but they stayed hidden and scoped out the surroundings a bit. The boys had a clear view of the back of the house. Through two open Venetian doors, they could hear men yelling and the women crying. Two guys were loading paintings, expensive pieces of gilded, antique furniture, and handfuls of polished silver flatware into a dilapidated green van. They waited for the two guys to go back into the house. Cayden nodded at Quinn. Donovan nodded at Kyler. Then they stealthily made their way towards the stone walls of the 19th century mansion. Rian stayed back to keep any of the thugs from escaping, but more importantly, he had to watch for the cops.

They resolved to live in a world where they would always be placed between benevolence and wickedness.

Donavan and Kyler made their way into a concealed doorway at the side of the building, as Quinn and Cayden sneaked their way into the back doors before any of the thugs saw them. Like a rocket, Kyler leapt over the banister to the second floor. Cayden hated when his younger brother assumed he could rely solely on his superior jumping and wall climbing skills. He leapt right in to every mission, literally and figuratively, without caution and practically vomiting invincibility. The Knights live forever, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be killed.

Donovan stealthily followed the agonizing sound of the young girl’s screams, needing only one punch to open a locked sitting room door.

As soon as Donovan entered the room he found a heavy set man in dirty, tight jeans and a grease-stained T-shirt trying to restrain a screaming young girl on a claw foot sofa. She fought like hell, and with every defensive scratch she landed on him, he would strike her back in between tearing at her satin blouse. Since he was so busy with his fight to overpower his victim, he didn’t hear the sound of the wooden door frame splinter upon Donovan’s entrance.

“Hey! I don’t think the lady is interested in fat and gristle, you douchebag!”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“One of the Masters of the Universe as far as you’re concerned, shitbag.”

The man quickly pulled a pistol out of his back pocket and fired at the swift Knight who easily lunged behind a set of chairs to dodge the shots. Despite being terrified by the gun fire, the young woman managed to escape the man and hastily crawl underneath a chaise lounge to hide.

“Ha, I got you, you short little shit.”

Donovan had every intention of taking the guy down anyway, but whenever someone made a remark about his short stature or if someone implied he was weak, it stoked an all-consuming fire in him. From where he was crouched, he raised his hand towards the brass fire place shovel several feet away from him. The shovel lifted from its holder and started spinning rapidly like a baton. With a quick wave of his hand, Donovan flung the airborne, spinning shovel towards the perp trying to reload. The strongest Knight heard the brass clank against the metal of the gun as it knocked the weapon out of its owner’s filthy hand.

“What the hell?”

Before the assailant could process what happened, Donovan did the same thing with the fireplace poker. Only this time, he aimed for the perp’s head. Stunned by the cast iron poker hitting him across the face, leaving a long gash on his cheek and breaking his nose, the man fell back onto the marble floor. Without saying a word, Donovan scooped up the man’s gun and broke it in half in front of his bleeding face, as if he was breaking a stick to throw into a fire.

“So what are you supposed to be, Batman or something?” The man tried to hide his confusion and twinge of fear. “Take that mask off! Face me like a man!”

“You really want my face to be the last thing you see before I end your career?” answered Donovan sinisterly, still standing over the weakened criminal.

“Fuck you, pal!”

“No thanks, I already had your girl last night.”

Jolted by a bolt of adrenaline, the man sat up and lunged into Donovan, both men fell back onto the floor. Donovan effortlessly hurled the man into an antique mirror on the wall, shattering it. A savage brawl ensued. Donovan used every ounce of his fighting skills to inflict as much pain and humiliation as he could on the thief and attempted rapist. The girl under the chaise lounge continued to cry in terror, unable to think rationally enough to decide who was the good guy and who was the bad guy.

With one hand, Donovan lifted the battered perp by his shirt and hung him on a nearby coathook. The man’s harrowing yell of pain made it clear to Donovan that the hook had pierced his flesh, something the strong Knight didn’t intend to do. Quickly, Donovan hauled the man’s debilitated body back onto the floor and tied up his wrists and ankles with guitar strings.

“Damn bro, what did you do to this dude?” Quinn came running up behind Donovan and stared down at the groaning criminal begging for mercy.

“He was a tough one, man. I did what I had to do.”

Quinn knelt down and poured the erasure water on the perp but paused once he spotted the stream of blood oozing from the man’s back.

“Yo, Cayden is going to shit a brick if he sees that! Cover up that wound before you bring him down.”

“Relax, man. He’ll live.”

“Just do it, and meet us downstairs,” Quinn threw him a stern look before leaving the room to find Kyler. Donovan made the perp sit up so he could wrap a sheer curtain tightly around the man. The barely conscious criminal let out a yell as the knot tightened.

“You’ll live.”

* * *

Kyler crept like a spider into the upstairs study, making sure each of his movements against the ceiling were silent. Two men dressed in black hoodies and hunting pants rummaged through drawers and packed expensive pieces of decor and rare books in boxes.

“Come on, hurry up, I don’t know what’s going on out there but we need to get the hell out of here.”

“Well, don’t break any of that shit, Denny’s gonna be pissed.”

“Don’t worry about that, dumbasses. Denny’s already pissing his pants in another room!” Kyler hung from one hand and foot and flipped off the two robbers.

“What the hell!” The taller man pulled out his gun and instantly fired multiple rounds at Kyler, but the second youngest Knight was quick to dodge every shot. The shorter man picked up his crowbar and ran towards the dangling Kyler who continued to tease and torment the men. But before the man could get too close to him, Kyler grabbed several commemorative plates off the wall and flung them in in there direction. The force of the impromptu weapons flung the gun and the crowbar clear across the room, hitting a marble statue and shattering it to jagged pieces.

“Ahh shit, look what you made me do.”

Kyler took advantage of the men’s locked-in-place shock, pushing himself off of the ceiling and charging at the criminals. It took mere moments for the nimble lead singer to completely subdue them and tie them up with his brother’s extra guitar strings.

“Ooohhh, tough break guys. Looks like you’re getting screwed out of your pay day. Might want to choose a new profession. Didn’t work out for the dudes in A Fish Called Wanda either.”

“Please, please, don’t kill us. We’ll get outta here and we’ll never do this again if you untie us, I swear,” the shorter perp pleaded.

“Get one thing straight now, buddy,” Kyler knelt down to their level on the floor. “We don’t kill anyone. And I already know your dumb burglar days are going to be way behind you after tonight.” Quinn rushed in with his lavastone-infused erasure water ready to go.

“Nice work, man. Why didn’t you wait for me? Maybe I wanted a piece of them too, dipshit.” Quinn nudged Kyler in the shoulder.

“You snooze you lose, man. You getting old on us or something?”

“Eh, bite me.”

Quinn poured the water on the men, instantly knocking them out.

“They’ll be in jail, but at least they’ll wake up feeling like a million bucks.”

“Yeah, right. Don’t know if we can say the same about Don’s guy though.” Quinn slapped the top back on the bottle holding the water that was vital to the Knights’ successful missions.

“Ah no, not again. How bad is it this time?”

“Dude might not be able to move an arm or a leg, but he’ll live.”

Kyler shook his head. “Come on, let’s get these guys downstairs and go find Cayden.”

* * *

Cayden entered the museum store and hid behind revolving racks of postcards and key chains. His eyes were immediately drawn to the battered woman tied up on the floor. Her exhausted cries for her daughter slightly rose above the clicking sound of the safe as the lead thug tried to crack it open. As soon as the older woman spotted the blue mask covering Cayden’s face, she stopped crying, but Cayden quickly shook his head “no” and signaled for her to stay silent.

“Dammit woman, stop bullshiting me! You know the combination to this thing. Now talk!” The man stood over the woman and pointed a gun to her head.

“I don’t. I swear. Only the manager knows and he’s not here,” the woman sobbed.

“If I find out you’re lying to me,” the man went back to work on the lock, “your kid is dead, you hear me!”

“Where’s my daughter? Please. Please just let us go. I promise you we’ll go far away, never return. We won’t go to the police. Just let us go.”

“Forget it, lady.”

“Please! Please! I’m begging you. There must be some mercy, some goodness left in you.”

“Shut up woman!” The thug marched back to where the woman was lying and kicked her in the stomach. An agonizing cry escaped the woman’s lips though she tried to stifle it, hoping it would stop him from striking again. Before the perp could think about returning to his task, a sharp pain hit the back of his leg.

“Son of a bitch!” The man looked behind him to find an ornate, souvenir letter opener lodged into his hamstring.

“You think you’re tough shit beating on a woman, huh?” Cayden emerged from his hiding spot.

“Who the hell are you? Don’t make me kill you!” The perp pointed his gun at Cayden but was unsteady on his feet, leaning backwards, trying to pull the letter opener from his flesh. But each attempt resulted in wail of agony. Cayden stood several feet in front of the hobbling man and didn’t budge.

“I want you and your goons to leave the two ladies alone and bring back what you took. Then maybe we won’t embarrass you too much. But I can’t say your punishment will be less severe.” Cayden flung another letter opener into the man’s other leg.

“That’s it,” the perp declared after a yelling a few choice words and falling back onto the floor. “Say goodnight, asshole!” From the ground, the man fired one shot at Cayden’s head which launched the Knight into a table stacked with books, splitting the redwood in half, his body pummeled and buried with hardcovers.

“Ha ha! Not too sharp are ya? Guess your comic book hero days are over, huh?”

The man started using a glass display counter to slowly get back on his feet. His fall backwards caused the stainless steel office supply to push deeper into his leg. After sweating, bleeding, and moaning profusely, he ended up in a standing position. But once he heard the sound of books shuffling and tapping the floor, he nearly collapsed once again.

The eldest Knight approached the man before lifting the mask off his mouth to spit the bullet at the criminal’s face.

“You put a hole in my favorite mask, dipshit.”

“Look, alright, I don’t know who you are, but let’s make a deal here,” the perp pleaded after moments of stunned silence.

“There are no deals. Leave the woman alone and come with me. Unless you want one in the balls next.” Cayden pulled a shuriken out of his leather utility belt, the shiny metal reflected the glow coming from the track lighting above him.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I don’t know, man. Should we tell him?” Cayden turned knowing Quinn would be there to have his back, ready with the powerful mind erasure that ensured their safety and their freedom to move on to the next mission, whatever that may be.

“Yeah, okay. Like that would ever happen. This piece of shit isn’t even worthy of learning who pulled off the Max Headroom incident.”

“What are you going to do to me?” The perp tried to get his legs to carry him away from the two Knights.

“Put you where you belong, asshole.” With that, Quinn splashed the lava stone water into the perp’s face, sending him directly to the floor.

“Let’s get these idiots pilled up, take care of the women, and get the hell out of here. The cops will be here any minute and we’ll never get back to the arena in time.”

“Already ahead of you, brother. I got this shit stain, you get the woman. Are you okay?”

“Yes, Quinn, you don’t have to ask after every vision and every battle.” Cayden did his best to mask his mild frustration with levity.

“Okie doke, man. See you downstairs.” Quinn pulled the letter opener out of the criminal’s hamstring and dragged him out of the store by his feet.

Cayden knelt down next to the woman still in an awful state of panic. She wouldn’t have trusted a puppy coming near her.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay ma’am,” he whispered. “It’s over. They’re not going to hurt you anymore.” He reached out his hand to her to which she didn’t take right away.

“Where’s my daughter? I just want my baby,” she could barely get the words out, holding her side like she had a cracked rib.

“She’s fine. Come on, I’ll take you to her.” He reached his hands to her again and she accepted, moaning in pain as he lifted her. Cayden put his arm around her waist to help the weakened woman in her twilight years stay on her feet. They shuffled slowly out of the store and towards the staircase. With each step, the woman felt more comfortable leaning on Cayden as they made their way to the front of the mansion.

“Well, I suppose if you were going to kill me you would have done it by now. So who are you, sir?”

“No one of importance. Just a good samaritan.”

“Wearing those clothes and that mask? Something tells me it’s not your first time coming to someone’s rescue. Wait a minute,” she paused her slow decent down the stairs with Cayden by her side, “You’re one of the men who’ve been on the news for a while now. You were spotted on camera not too long ago, stopping a pawn shop robbery I believe.”

“That was us.”

“So you save people in danger. Why hide behind masks? Why not work with law enforcement?”

“We’d never truly be comrades or equals. We’re always going to be seen more as a threat,” he answered matter-of-factly.

“Well, we owe you our -” The woman froze and gasped at the bottom of the steps when she saw her daughter sunken into an antique lounge chair, hugging her knees and watching Kyler and Quinn tie the unconscious perps to the center of a marble fountain. Donovan carried in some priceless items from the thieves’ van, and Rian was hard at work removing any trace evidence of his brothers’ presence in the mansion.

“Julie,” cried the relieved mother.

“Mom!” The young girl ran as fast as she could to her mother’s battered but open arms.

“Oh, thank God. Did they hurt you? Are you okay? Are you…”

“Yes, Mom, I’m fine. He didn’t get the chance to hurt me..that badly. Thanks to these guys.”

The women held each other tightly as the Knights finished up their work.

“Okay ladies. Now I need you to come with me to the office for a moment, please.” Quinn gestured for the mother and daughter to follow him.

“Wait, please tell us. What can we do to repay you?”

“There is nothing you’ll ever have to do, ma’am. All we ask is that you never doubt the good that still lives in this world.” Cayden reassured them as he and Kyler moved to stand behind them.

“No, really. We need to know. Who are…” Before the daughter could utter another word, Quinn rapidly doused both their faces with the eraser water. They fell unconsciously into Cayden and Kyler’s arms.

“Why do I always get the heavier one, man?” Kyler whined as he scooped the mother off her feet.

“Quit complaining and let’s go.” Cayden effortlessly picked up the petite daughter.

“They were a couple of chatty ones, huh?” Quinn added, “Too bad, she’s cute in a Mary Stuart Masterson, Some Kind of Wonderful kind of way.”

“You passed out in the middle of that movie.” Kyler followed Cayden towards the office.

“I remember the cute chicks. That’s all that matters.”

“Guys, start heading back to the bus. We’ll be right behind you,” Cayden yelled back to his comrades before disappearing into the office with Kyler and the two unconscious women.

“Nah, let’s just lay them on the floor, little bro,” he stopped Kyler before he could place the mother in a shiny leather lounge chair. “They could fall out of these chairs before they realize where they are.”

“That’s my big bro, always thinking ahead.”

“I just hope they weren’t hurting for too long from these guys. I feel like we could have gotten here a lot sooner.”

“Come on, man. Don’t start the shoulda, woulda, coulda crap. You gave us a clear vision. We got here. We saved the victims from further injury or worse, and we got the stolen goods. Mission accomplished, and always thanks to you.” Kyler patted his brother on the back. He wished Cayden wouldn’t put himself through the anguish he often did, feeling like he could have had an earlier and clearer vision, wishing he had the missing piece to the puzzle that would make him unstoppable – the greatest his army had ever known in their centuries old existence.

“Maybe one of these days it won’t be just me.”

“Maybe, if you get your head out of your ass, get the girl, and don’t screw up.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ky.”

“That’s what brothers are for, Robin. Come on, let’s book before we get busted.”

“Dude, I’m older. I’m taller. I’m Batman. Get over it.” Cayden mischievously pushed his little brother out of the office.

The Knights did a quick scan of the property before sprinting out one of the inconspicuous side doors to The Marble House. As they powered through the dense, pitch black woods, they heard police sirens getting louder. Quick flashes of red and blue lights hit the trees until they were far enough away from the scene. As soon as Gus spotted one of the boys, he started the engine but kept the lights off. The Knights jumped in one by one and informed Gus of their success. He hastily navigated the bus back to the quiet county route he took to get to their elusive parking spot. They had less than a half an hour to change, get back to the venue, and start the show before the staff and the fans grew restless.

Cayden threw out the mask that was punctured with the bullet. The whole group was busy getting back into rock star mode, so there wasn’t much time for reflection. But Cayden couldn’t help thinking about Maeve – how much he wanted her there, and how much they all stood to lose.