Rebirth of the Heroes

by NAK Baldron

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Texas, Earth

  Sunday, October 30th

  Slava picked her up over his shoulder, while Lance carried Blake's body beside them.

  Once in the SUV Lance put the computer next to her, in the back seat, then climbed into the storage section in the back. Kandice craned her neck as much as it would allow to see what was going on.

  Lance had Blake's shirt off and was applying bandages to the two bullet holes. Blake wasn't moving.

  Her heart was racing. This couldn't be happening right now. It was like a horrible dream that her mind wouldn't wake up from. Even though it was happening right in front of her, it was too much for her mind to process. She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't come.

  "I need a seal, now!" Lance yelled.

  A metal seal flew into the back and Lance placed it over Blake's heart.

  Slava took an underpass so fast that Kandice's body slammed against the door. Her body pressed into the seat as Slava accelerated onto the highway.

  "Don't get pulled over," Lance said.

  "We kill any polistsiya that stop us," Slava said. "Time is of the essence."

  * * *

  Kandice opened her eyes again. The pain in her arms had vanished, and her body was freezing. She looked out the window as the streetlights zipped by.

  There was a slap behind her. "Blake, open your eyes! You've got to stay awake!"

  Another slap. "Blake! Tell me something about computers!"

  Silence.

  "That's it," Lance said. "Keep your eyes open. Now, how do I get the footage off the computer?"

  * * *

  Kandice felt a hand on her chest. There was a burning sensation coming from it. She opened her eyes, and Lance was applying a metal seal against her chest.

  "Try to stay awake," he said. "I need you to keep your eyes open, too. You've lost a lot of blood."

  With the seal against her skin she was feeling better.

  "What—" she started.

  "It's going to be okay." He cut her off. "I need you to press here." He placed her hand against her arm at the bullet's entry point. She tried to push, but was too weak.

  "Take the back roads," Lance said. "Cops will be out for morning speeders."

  Kandice felt them slow down as Slava exited off the highway.

  "Hold tight," he said, and pushed her hand against her arm again.

  He crawled back over the seat.

  "Blake!" he yelled.

  There was another slap, and then another, and another. Then, silence. She turned herself over to look back. Blake lay crumpled on the floor in the fetal position. The blood covered the back area to where it would flow in the opposite direction every time Slava took a turn.

  "What's wrong?" she asked.

  Lance leaned forward.

  "Don't talk. Just keep pressure here." He pushed against her wound.

  * * *

  She opened her eyes again. They had stopped, and Lance was slapping her on the cheek.

  "Stay with me," he said. "We're almost there."

  Slava got back in the SUV and closed the door. They pulled into a garage, and the door shut behind them.

  Lance and Slava got out of the vehicle. Lance came around and opened Kandice's door. She fell into his arms, and Lance carried her into the house.

  He laid her out on the couch and ran out of the room.

  A moment later, he was back with a hand full of supplies. He pulled her bandage off to pour vodka on her arm. She screamed. The burning felt like liquid fire.

  "This is going to hurt," Lance said.

  "Bite on this." He put a leather strap into her mouth.

  Then, he drove a sharpened piece of metal into her arm. The bullet was moving around in her arm, but to her surprise it didn't hurt. Aside from a general feeling of pressure inside her muscles, her body relaxed.

  It was out.

  The pressure left her arm. Her eyelids felt weighed down by lead, but she fought the urge to close them.

  He poured more vodka into the wound, then added the healing powder he and Slava had used. After new bandages were on her arm, he moved the seal over them, then wrapped it tight.

  "Now, you can rest." He wiped the sweat from his face and collapsed on the floor next to her.

  * * *

  The mayor was standing in his office. Kandice saw him about to kill Lance. She jumped forward, slashing her claws at the mayor, but they glided right through him.

  The mayor disappeared, but she could still hear him laughing at her.

  Blake stood in front of her bleeding.

  "Please Kandice." He reached his hand toward her, but he was too far away.

  She reached out to hold him, but couldn't move. Something held her in place.

  She looked back, and the mayor had her arms. She tried to struggle free, but he was too strong.

  * * *

  Lance looked down at her as she laid on the floor.

  "It's your fault," he said. "You didn't follow the plan."

  Blake's body was bleeding next to her.

  "He's dead because of you," Lance said.

  * * *

  Kandice woke with tears on her face—her body weak and mouth dry. She tried to sit up, but the pain was too much. Aside from a deep sadness, which made her body numb, she remembered nothing of her fever-dreams.

  "She's up," Lance yelled.

  He came around the counter with a glass of water. He sat the glass down and helped Kandice to lean up, pushing pillows behind her. Her body hurt, but she could deal with it.

  He held the glass to her mouth and tipped it so she could drink. The unexpected burn hit her tongue, and She spat it out and coughed. It wasn't water, but vodka.

  "You have to drink this," he said. "It will help, I promise."

  She nodded, and took small drinks. It burned, but her body was getting stronger as the burn worked its way to her stomach.

  "Water?" she asked Lance.

  "Okay," he said.

  Slava came out of his room carrying a box. He kneeled down on the floor next to Kandice and looked at the bandage on her arm. It was wet with blood. Slava removed the bandage with care, trying not to cause her any pain. He poured more of the healing powder into the wound and wrapped a fresh bandage around it. He applied a new metal seal against the bandage and wrapped it up tight.

  Lance handed Slava a glass of water. He held the glass up for Kandice, and she drank the whole glass. When the glass was empty, Slava and Lance went to the kitchen.

  She fell asleep listening to them speak in Russian. It was like listening to an opera where she didn't know the words, but could sense the emotions all the more for it.

  CHAPTER FOURTY

  Amethyst Nation, Fencura

  Adaku watched with longing as the other apprentices joked with one another.

  "Let me have your attention," Nadia said. "We have decided that the five of you shall take a test. We wish to see if you can work as a team, but I will also judge you individually based on your merits."

  "What kind of test?" Goban asked.

  "It will be an obstacle course of sorts, and I will expect each of you to contribute to the team. To help you prepare, I recommend you read Team Dynamics: Multiparticipant Channeling."

  Great, another book to summarize for you, Adaku transmitted.

  Don't be such a priss. You know what's expected of us.

  "When is the test?" Goban asked.

  "The exact day has yet to be determined. I need to observe each of you individually to get a baseline. That way we can measure your performance against your team effort." Nadia waved his next question away. "There will be no tests today. You should read and prepare yourself for the team efforts."

  Nadia looked straight at Ren. "And some of you should practice your individual channeling."

  Adaku didn't understand Ren's problem. Back on Shinzo he'd rescued Shaya by himself—she'd seen it right before her eyes. But ever since they'd arrived in the Amethyst Nation,
he failed each assignment. Not once had he managed to summon his orb of light. The basic test required to pass the original examination and earn a place as an Amethyst Apprentice. Had he cheated his way in? That didn't seem possible, but what other explanation could there be.

  Lost down the rabbit hole of her own thoughts, Adaku hadn't noticed Abaze's growing anger. The thought of being reliant on the other apprentices didn't sit right with him. After all, he was the Prince of Zaria, the greatest city in all of the Emerald Nation. Those worthless peasants should give the proper respect. Abaze knew he had to use this opportunity to teach them a lesson. It's what their father would expect!

  "You're dismissed, and there will be no lesson tomorrow. Be prepared for the day after, when I will evaluate each of you individually."

  Blessed Maduenu.

  Adaku was filled with gratitude for being able to get out of the cold winds. Two years back, they'd gone on a hunting trip with their father, which took them high into the mountains of the north, on the border between the Emerald and Ruby Nations. Being out in the courtyard reminded her of those nights, when they'd camp outside under the night sky, with only the light of their fire between them and total darkness of the void. It got so cold during the night that their father's men who were left to keep watch developed ice in their beards while standing guard. She feared that kind of cold, knowing it could easily kill.

  The warmth of the apprentices' wing was a welcomed relief. She didn't want to think about the hunting trip any longer.

  "Library?" Goban asked.

  "Are you two coming?" Ren asked. The three of them were already halfway down the hall toward the stairs.

  "Yes—"

  "No." Abaze cut her off.

  "We have to work as a team," Adaku said.

  I'll not lower myself to their level.

  You're a fool, brother. Here in the Amethyst Nation you're no better than they are. We're all sorcerers and our titles are meaningless. Have you not figured that out?

  A cold murderous-rage filled Abaze. Adaku could see it in his eyes, and when she reached out to his mind, she felt the heat rolling off of him like that of the giant stove in the palace kitchen.

  Adaku walked away from her brother, leaving him standing alone for the first time in his life. Loneliness wasn't a feeling he knew, and it took him by such surprise that he didn't move until they'd climbed the stairs to the library.

  Being left alone in the great hall forced him to confront a hard truth—his sister was the stronger leader, and he was only a follower. He feared that without her support he was nothing. As that fear sunk deeper into his gut another voice sounded in his mind. His father's voice reminded him to hold his head with pride, for he was the Prince of Zaria, and his was the blood of nobles, going back hundreds of years. The opinions of peasants mattered not to princes.

  Determined to live up to his father's expectations of him, Abaze climbed the stairs, passing the library floor, and making his way to his room. Alone with his thoughts, he placed mental blocks the way their court sorcerer had taught. Ensuring Adaku couldn't interfere, and he began to plot his vengeance.

  Abaze was a prince, and princes were never wrong!

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Texas, Earth

  Monday, October 31st

  When Kandice woke up again, Slava and Lance were moving around the living room.

  "What's going on?" she asked, still half asleep.

  "Go back to sleep," Lance said.

  She sat up and her arm didn't hurt anymore. "Where's Blake?"

  Lance stopped what he was doing and sat down on the coffee table in front of Kandice. "I'm so sorry."

  "What do you mean?" she asked in a panic.

  "He didn't make it."

  "No!" Kandice shouted, remembering what had happened. "No! you healed him!"

  He had to have been able to heal Blake. She'd seen what they could do. They healed two different bullet wounds since she'd known them. Hell, she was fine. Why wouldn't Blake be?

  "I'm sorry," Lance said. "He lost too much blood. I couldn't stop the bleeding fast enough."

  "No!" she said, with tears pouring down her face. "Where is he?"

  "He's in the garage."

  Kandice started to stand.

  "You need to rest," Lance said. "You don't need to see this."

  "Fuck that!"

  Her body screamed of exhaustion as she pushed off the couch. She was standing, but her legs wobbled. Lance stood and put his arm under hers.

  She tried to shove him off but he wouldn't let her.

  "I'll help you," he said.

  He led her into the garage slow and steady. When he opened the trunk, Kandice broke down into fresh tears. Blake's face was pale, and there was blood everywhere.

  Kandice bent over and hurled from the putrid odor. There was nothing in her stomach, so the only thing that came up was bile.

  Lance held her up while she vomited on his boots.

  "It's my fault," he said. "I'm so sorry."

  When there was nothing left to throw up, Kandice straightened up. Somehow, the tears had left her stronger. The realization set in and the overwhelming sadness became fuel for her anger. Her mental state stood on the precipice of her life.

  One more step and her mind would fall into the abyss, and never recover. Or, she could fight. She could fight with a fury she'd never had before. The rage that had fueled her desire to hunt when her mom died was nothing by comparison to knowing Blake was dead. As she attempted to process it all her mind cleared, and only numbness remained.

  "What now?" she asked. "Where did the mayor go?"

  "I don't know," he said. "Slava is trying to figure it out. He's already spoken with the Biancardi twins."

  "So?"

  "They're taking care of the investigation. We'll be fine, but we have to dispose of the body."

  "You mean Blake!" she said.

  "Yes. We've made a plan. We will plant the body, then call it in. It will look like a robbery gone bad."

  "What do you mean?"

  Lance looked at his watch. "It's eleven. I'll drop the body off and then go back around six to call it in. I'll pretend to be a jogger who came across the body, if no one else has called it in by then."

  "You can't just drop his body off somewhere."

  "I'm sorry, but it's the only option." His tone said it was one of those non-negotiable things.

  "It's my fault," she said.

  "What?" he asked. "No, it's not."

  "Yes, it is. You said it would be safer to kill the guards, and you were right. If I had killed the fucker, rather than knocking him out, none of this would have happened."

  "You can't blame yourself. I should never have let him come inside. Really, I should never have let you two come along at all."

  She looked him in the eyes for several moments, then hugged him. Lance held her in his arms until she lost track of time.

  "I have to go," he said, once she broke the hug. "I need to get his body placed."

  "I'm coming with," Kandice said.

  He argued, but realized it was pointless. She held her death-glare that said, "I dare you to defy me," until she got into the SUV.

  INTERLUDE VI

  Emerald Nation, Fencura

  Abaze, wrapped in his cloak to conceal himself, made sure to take extra caution going through the streets. Many people had taken to celebrating in the city, and the roads and alleys were far more lively than usual. Since so many people had seen him that day, he ensured that his cloak concealed his face, keeping his face toward the ground. Ideally, passersby would think him another drunk who enjoyed the party too much.

  When he arrived at Mitaire's house, she was already at her window looking out, waiting for him. She climbed down to meet him. It was difficult for them, as more people were out in the streets for post-celebrations, and they didn't look as if they would retire for some time.

  Drinks were being poured on the corners of the roads and the smells of various foods filled the air
. Even the alleyways had people walking through them, so Abaze made sure his cloak was held down and he watched the ground while Mitaire led them. The two made their way to the mostly abandoned house they'd used before. They were silent until they reached the house, then when they climbed in, they embraced and kissed.

  "You looked amazing today," Mitaire said.

  "Really?" Abaze asked while scrunching up his face. "In that stupid outfit. I thought it looked awful."

  "Well, the outfit was a bit silly," Mitaire said with a giggle. "But you looked great. You looked so proud and powerful standing up there above everyone."

  "I wanted you to be up there by my side," Abaze said. "I saw you in the crowd."

  They kissed for a moment as Mitaire squeezed Abaze's arms and he pulled her closer to him. Even though it was dark, Abaze lifted his hand and pushed Mitaire's hair behind her ear.

  "I chose a spot where I'd stand out," Mitaire said. "All I wanted to do was wave at you, but I know that would cause a lot of questions which would only lead to grief for you."

  "I'm so tired of keeping our love secret from everyone," Abaze said.

  Abaze slid a bunch of wooden dishware off a table and lifted Mitaire onto it where she wrapped her legs around him.

  "But if you told anyone, you'd be in trouble," Mitaire said. "You're royalty and I'm just a common street girl."

  "Exactly, I'm the prince," Abaze said. "I should be able to marry whoever I want."

  "Maybe when you're the king, you can bend the rules in your direction," Mitaire said and started kissing him again. "I want you."

  The two were startled when they heard a noise in the house. They listened in the darkness for a moment, then leaped out the window as they saw a man descending from upstairs. He started cursing at them as they ran away laughing.

  "Where are we going to go now?" Mitaire asked after they stopped laughing.

  "I know the perfect place," Abaze said and took her hand in his.

  When they stopped near the castle walls, Mitaire stopped and pulled her hand away. "You're going to take me into the castle?"

  Mitaire stepped back into a shadow and glanced around as if they were being followed. Abaze gave her a smile, but it didn't seem to help the anxiety growing in her.