by N M Thorn
“Aidan, hi!”
He heard Tessa’s voice and relaxed for a moment, until he remembered that usually she called him from her cellphone and this number wasn’t hers.
“Tessa, is everything okay?” asked Aidan, worry swirling through him. “Where are you calling from? What did you do this time?”
“Ah, Aidan, don’t be such a worry worm.” Tessa laughed and Aidan finally relaxed. “Everything is fine. Everything is better than fine! I’m calling from the Archmage Allerton’s office. He wanted to speak with you.”
“Tessa, wait—”
“Mr. McGrath? This is Quinn Allerton,” said a deep male voice.
Here you go. Guardians. Aidan sighed. I wonder if it’s one of their powers, to summon me when I have neither time nor desire to deal with them. “Hello, Mr. Allerton,” replied Aidan, his voice tense. “What can I do for you?”
The Archmage laughed, his laughter deep and clear. “Mr. McGrath, please relax. I’m not Ms. Bonneville. I’ve heard she was treating you poorly, but only now I’m starting to realize the extent of the damage she created to the relationship between you and the Order. Please allow me to apologize again and assure you – it will never happen again.”
“Apologies accepted,” replied Aidan dryly. “What can I do for you?”
The Archmage sighed. “Mr. McGrath, earlier today we made a serious decision related to Therasia’s future and since you’re her only—”
“What did she do now?” asked Aidan, feeling the ground slowly melting under his feet.
“Mr. McGrath, no… She didn’t do anything wrong. Opposite. In the last nine and a half months, Therasia advanced further in her studies than any other apprentice in our establishment. Her powers and her skills grew significantly, and the Guardians Council made quite an unusual decision.
“Currently Therasia is an Apprentice of the Fifth level. However, we all believe that with her skill level, it would be a waste of time to move her to the next Apprenticeship level. Tessa successfully passed all the tests and tomorrow she will be promoted into a Witch, First level. Like I said, this is quite unusual, but we all believe it’s the right thing to do. Anyway, tomorrow, we have a ceremony where a few of our Apprentices will be graduating and I wanted to invite you to share this happy event with us and Therasia. Would you be able to attend, Mr. McGrath?”
“That’s quite unexpected,” said Aidan and fell silent, thoughts crowding his mind.
The Archmage was right – this kind of promotion wasn’t common for the Guardians Order and it was considered a great honor. He recalled the way Tessa sounded – jubilant, elated – and he knew he had to be there.
“I know it’s very short notice, but I called you as soon as the decision was made,” said the Archmage, sounding apologetic. “We understand if you have a previous engagement that cannot be cancelled.”
“No,” replied Aidan, “I’ll be there. What time is the ceremony?”
“10 AM, Assembly Hall,” replied the Archmage. “See you tomorrow.”
Aidan hung up and for a moment stared at the dark screen of his phone. Another few hours are not going to make a difference in the situation on the west coast. I’ll teleport from Chicago to LA as soon as the ceremony is over, he thought, but doubts were ripping his soul apart. He sighed and dialed Jim’s number.
“Jim, I have to delay my trip to LA by a few hours,” he said as soon as Jim answered his call. “I should be there tomorrow afternoon…”
Chapter 10
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Judging by the position of the sun outside the large glass window, it was around noon, but the office was empty. After the dark filthy dungeon cell, the bright light and impersonal cleanliness of the modern business office was almost uncomfortable. Gunz glanced down at his dirty clothes, at his hands with broken nails and skinned knuckles, and his bare feet. He definitely didn’t fit in this environment.
The guard stopped him in front of a matted glass door and knocked. After a moment, a deep male voice answered, telling them to come in. The guard opened the door and carelessly pushed Gunz through the doorway. He staggered forward, barely keeping himself from falling.
“My deepest gratitude,” said Gunz, turning to the pumped-up asshole. “I have no idea how I would manage to cross the threshold without your assistance.”
The guard growled and swung his hand, ready to punch him. Gunz chuckled and stepped back, raising his hands up.
“Theron, stop!”
Gunz spun around and saw a tall man in a dark business suit standing behind a massive desk, his fists planted firmly into its polished wood surface, his electric-blue eyes blazing with fury. Theron shrunk under his heavy gaze and bowed.
“I’m sorry, master, but he—”
“What did I tell you about hurting my captive fighters, Theron?” asked the man in a patronizing tone as if he was talking to a five-year old.
“Not to…” mumbled the guard apologetically.
“That’s right. Captive fighters are expensive and it’s hard to find good ones. Now, leave us,” ordered the man with a dismissive wave of his hand.
The guard mumbled his apologies again and left the room, quietly shutting the door. The man walked around the desk and halted a step away from Gunz, putting his hands in his pockets. He was tall, at least six-feet-four. His long black hair which was slicked down into a low ponytail on the back of his head was falling down below his wide shoulders. His thin lips were partially concealed by his thick black mustache and beard. But what truly stood out on his face were his eyes. Gunz had never seen such a bright blue color. Under his straight black eyebrows, his eyes looked striking and surreal, like they were living a separate life.
“Hello, Gunz,” said the man calmly, his strange eyes scanning him. “My name is George Novak and I’m the Head of California House.”
“Hello, sir,” replied Gunz coolly, meeting his penetrating gaze without blinking. “I wish I could say it’s a pleasure meeting you, but I can’t.”
George Novak smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his glacial eyes. “Well, how pleasant this conversation will be is entirely up to you, Gunz.” He walked back to his desk and sat down, relaxing in his tall leather chair. “Please, come closer.”
Gunz approached the desk, but since the man didn’t offer him to sit down, he remained standing. Mr. Novak picked up a manila envelope and pulled a few documents out, quickly reviewing them. Gunz swallowed, recognizing the document Mr. Kogan had signed when he sold him to the California House.
“So, Gunz,” continued Mr. Novak, dropping the papers back on his desk, “you used to belong to that dimwit Kogan, but he sold you for thirty pieces of silver… My representative, Mr. Park, said you were shocked. You didn’t expect that, did you?”
Gunz didn’t reply. There was nothing to say. Yes, he had been betrayed. Yes, he had expected something like this could happen, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.
“I see,” muttered Mr. Novak, a cruel smirk hiding beneath his mustache. “Mr. Park warned me that you are not going to be easy to deal with.”
“Define easy,” said Gunz dryly. “If you expect me to kiss your ass and worship you, then no – it’s not going to be easy.” He seized the collar with his hand and pulled on it slightly. “Obviously, I’m in the situation where I must obey your command and fight for your House, but that’s all you’ll get from me.”
“Gunz, Gunz, Gunz… You really don’t know me. Watch your tongue, my son.” Mr. Novak shook his head. He pushed a few papers away and Gunz saw the controller.
“My controller, I assume,” said Gunz with an indifferent shrug. “Woof-woof. Oh, please don’t hurt me, my kind master. Yeah… I’m extremely terrified.”
“You’re not afraid of me, are you?” huffed Mr. Novak.
“No, should I be?”
Mr. Novak got up and approached Gunz. Seizing his chin with his long skinny fingers, he forced his face up, his heavy blue eyes drilling into Gunz’s. His pupils d
ilated and then contracted again, and even with his magic completely suppressed, Gunz could feel Mr. Novak’s magic invading his head. Soft whispers filled his head, suggesting to give in and stop fighting. The room spun around him and he took in a sharp breath.
“You’re fighting me. How is it possible?” hissed Mr. Novak, his fingers digging into Gunz’s face. “Your magic and your elemental power are completely blocked. Please explain how you can fight me, Mr. Zane Burns!” He let go of Gunz and folded his arms over his chest.
Gunz stilled, realizing that this man who had complete power over him, knew who he was and most likely knew what he was. Mr. Novak shook his head, observing Gunz’s reaction with a cold smirk.
“That’s right, Zane. I know who you are,” he confirmed. “As skilled as you are in shadowing your energy signature, I know you are a Fire Salamander. Besides Kal, the Fire Elemental, you are the only Fire Salamander in this world. And now you belong to me.”
“Temporarily,” objected Gunz, slowly regaining his calm.
“Nothing is as permanent as temporary.” Mr. Novak cackled. “In the meantime, you may want to know that when Mr. Kogan sold you to me, he added one very unusual clause into the sale contract. And even though I found it a little peculiar, I agreed to it.”
“And why would I want to know that?” asked Gunz, sarcasm dripping from his every word. “Obviously Mr. Kogan wants to milk you for all you’ve got. He’s selfless that way, you know.”
Mr. Novak ignored his sarcasm. “Actually, he did it for you. Not for himself. The only clause he added – and it was a deal breaker for him, by the way – was that you get to fight my best captive fighter, Alucard.” Lost for words, Gunz didn’t say anything and Mr. Novak continued, “I promised that I would allow this fight. Having said that, I have to warn you – Alucard will destroy you. You will lose this fight. So, let me ask you, Zane… Or would you prefer me to use your nickname?”
“Whatever… doesn’t matter to me,” replied Gunz coldly. “I’m not planning to stick around for too much longer.”
“Oh, you will stick around for as long as I want you here,” growled Mr. Novak, cutting the air with his hand. His irritation broke through and Gunz smirked – finally he was able to elicit a human emotion from this man. “And if you are not afraid of me, you need to rethink that. I own you. And it’s not a figure of speech. Even though you’re an immortal Child of Fire, torturing a Fire Salamander is easy and can be quite entertaining. Besides, you’re also a man and you feel pain just like any man would. I can make you wish you were dead.”
Gunz laughed bitterly. “I’ve already heard all of that. It’s about time someone came up with a better threat. Yes, you can torture me. Been there, done that, don’t care.”
“You speak like a man who has nothing to lose,” muttered Mr. Novak, narrowing his eyes.
“Look at me? Do I look like I have anything to lose?” Gunz clenched his fists, taking a step closer to his captor. “Just stop threatening me. If you want to torture me, go for it. But don’t wave a gun in my face unless you’re ready to pull the trigger!”
Mr. Novak cocked his head, staring down at him and shook his head. “We’ll see about that. In the meantime, tell me, Gunz, why are you so adamant about fighting Alucard? A glutton for punishment?”
“I’m looking for a challenge. So far no one was able to beat me in the cage. I’ve heard of Alucard and I thought, why not? I never lost a fight to a vampire yet.” He shrugged.
“Do you know that lying is a sin, my son?” asked Mr. Novak severely.
Gunz glanced up, his mouth open. George Novak was completely serious. “Sin? Really?” He chuckled. “Sorry. I’m not religious. But even if I was, I didn’t lie.”
Novak’s eyes got darker, becoming the color of a stormy sea. As he stepped closer to Gunz, his body visibly tensed. Gunz held his breath, expecting some kind of physical punishment, but nothing happened.
“I will allow this fight,” hissed Mr. Novak through gritted teeth. “But know that – you will fight Alucard as a man. No magic, no elemental power. Your controller will be set to maximum, just the way it is set right now.”
Yes! Finally. Gunz bowed his head down to hide his true emotions. “That’s fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll fight him as a man. I don’t need my magic to deal with a vampire. But you do realize that when the controller is set to maximum, it’s not only blocking my magic, it also makes me weaker physically and significantly slower.”
“You think?” Mr. Novak snickered coldly. “Of course, I know that. And I’m counting on that. Alucard can’t kill you, but I pray he gives you a nice beating and I’ll make sure that your controller remains set to maximum even after the fight is over, so you can’t heal yourself. Mark my word, I will put the fear of God into you and teach you some respect and humility, my son.”
“I’m sure, you will give it a nice try,” agreed Gunz, his mouth set in a stubborn straight line. “But whatever you do, don’t call me son. You can call me slave, captive, whatever the hell you want, but I’m not your son.”
George Novak shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet, and stared down at him, his black pupils fluctuating in size. “All God’s creations are my children,” he said dryly. Then he walked back to the desk and pushed the intercom button, asking Theron to come back in.
The guard entered the room and stopped at the door, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. Mr. Novak glanced at him and pursed his lips.
“Theron, please escort Gunz to the captive quarters. I’m done with him for today,” he ordered with a light flick of his wrist. “Put him in the room with Alucard. Since he was so adamant on fighting him, I’ll give him a chance to get familiar with our champion before he has to face him in the event.”
“Yes, master,” said Theron. He approached Gunz and seized his arm, but then let go and halted, a tensed expression on his face. “Master, if I may…”
“What is it, Theron?” Mr. Novak sighed, rolling his eyes.
“I’m sorry, master, but he is a wizard…”
“So?”
“I mean, he has red blood in his veins,” continued Theron, his face strained, like he was lifting a hundred-pound dumbbell with every word he said.
“So?”
“Alucard… you know, a vampire… he’s always hungry,” continued Theron. “You told me I shouldn’t hurt your captive fighters.”
“Yes, I did.”
“But if I put him in a locked room with Alucard, he may, you know…like drain him or something...”
“Oh, I hope he’s extremely hungry, Theron.” Mr. Novak cackled. “Tell Alucard that he can nibble on him a little. Just make sure he knows not to drain him completely. He can’t kill this man. It’s an order.”
“I understand, master,” mumbled Theron. He seized Gunz’s arm again and pulled him toward the door. As they were about to exit, Mr. Novak stopped them again.
“And for God’s sake, Theron, before you put him in the room with Alucard, send him to the shower room and find him something clean to wear. I can’t allow my best fighter to eat junk.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Novak, my mom managed to instill at least some manners in me. I’ll wash my hands before I let Alucard dine on me,” quipped Gunz, snickering and immediately got slapped by Theron.
Nice, now I’m also a chew-toy for a vamp. My status is getting improved by the minute. Let’s hope I’m right and Alucard and Yaroslav are one and the same, Gunz thought, as Theron pushed him out of the office.
Chapter 11
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Gunz closed his eyes letting the strong jets of hot water wash over him. The cuts and scrapes on his skin prickled, but he didn’t care. For the first time in days, he allowed himself to relax. Well, at least the shower here is good, he thought, slowly massaging the shampoo into his scalp. He wished he could stay here longer, but he knew that Theron was waiting for him outside the shower stall and the man had the patience of a toddler. Quic
kly washing the shampoo and soap off his body, he shut the water down and walked outside the stall.
Theron was standing right next to the door, ready to knock again. Gunz noticed a towel in his hands and reached for it, but Theron stepped away, snickering.
“Towel, please,” said Gunz with a sigh.
“I think I’ll take you to Alucard just like this, naked and afraid.”
Gunz tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the guard. “Remember what your master said? He said you can’t hurt captive fighters.”
“Yeah…” mumbled Theron warily. “So? I’m not the one who is going to be hurting you. Alucard will do it for me.”
“Well, your master didn’t say anything about captive fighters hurting overly-pumped ogres like yourself.”
Before Theron could react, Gunz covered the distance between them, seized his arm, twisted it behind the guard’s back and pulled it up at a painful angle. The man grunted, dropped to his knees and tapped on the floor. Gunz grabbed the towel out of his hand and quickly dried himself, wrapping the towel around his hips. Then he looked down at the guard who was still sitting on the floor, massaging his shoulder, and offered him his hand. Theron gaped at his hand for a moment but took it and got up.
“Fresh clothes for you,” he said, offering him a plastic bag, notes of discomfort in his voice.
“Thanks.” Gunz took the clothes out of the bag and got dressed.
“Hey, Gunz,” said Theron as he directed him toward the captive quarters, “I’ve heard of you before… You fought in the unattached circles.”
“Yeah, so what?” replied Gunz.
“Rumor has it that you’ve never lost a fight,” continued Theron. “Is it true?”
Gunz nodded, not willing to go deeper into this conversation and Theron didn’t push for it. They stopped in front of a heavy metal door and Theron unlocked it with a magnetic card, entering a six-digit pin in the key pad.