by N M Thorn
As the pain of the unanswered call intensified, Damian stared at his brother with wide-open eyes, unable to say a word. A loud buzzing filled his ears, and he squeezed his head with his hands, a tortured howl erupting from his lips. The room swam around him in nauseating waves, and the last thing he remembered was his brother’s arms catching him as he started to fall to the side.
Chapter 10
~ Damian Blake ~
He couldn’t see or hear anything except for the raw, pulsating anguish that had become his entire world. It ripped him from within, leaving nothing but a bleeding heap of flesh twitching on the floor, unable to do anything to stop it, to help himself. It merged with the darkness and wrapped around him, squeezing tighter and tighter, and all he could do was scream, tearing his vocal cords, his fingers clawing spasmodically into his own scalp.
“Dmitri!”
Somewhere far—too surreal to be true—he heard a familiar voice, a sound other than horrifying screams of pain he couldn’t recognize as his own. Holding on to the last spark of hope, he reached for it. A soft touch to his forehead followed, and suddenly, the pain was gone, leaving him hollow and drained. The darkness, soft and mushy, came right after, enveloping him into a gentle embrace.
“Dmitri, open your eyes.” Someone’s hand slapped his cheek gently. “Open your eyes, Commander.”
Damian moved his arm, and his every cell responded with an overwhelming soreness. He swallowed, his throat raw and scratchy as if filled with hot sand. With effort, he cracked his eyelids open and blinked a few times at the eye-watering white light somewhere right above him. The light also blinked, and as realization dawned on him, he forced his hands up and rubbed his eyes.
“You used a forbidden summons on me…” He could not help but feeling betrayed. “Why? How could you?”
The blinding light blinked faster, slowly dimming down, and then vanished. A hand touched his forehead again, and a wave of warmth spread through him, taking away the soreness and weakness.
“Sit up, Commander,” the same voice said. “We need to talk.”
“We used a forbidden summons because you refused to answer our original summoning call,” another voice sounded somewhere above him.
Damian opened his eyes fully and pushed himself up into a sitting position. His vision cleared, slowly adjusting to the semi-darkness of a large round hall illuminated by the shimmering, blue light of numerous magical orbs. He recognized this place, and an expectation of trouble twisted his gut. He was back in the Destiny Council realm, in their main hall that was used mostly to hold trials. Magnus stood next to him, his silvery eyes gazing down at him with concern. A man and woman stood by a tall desk, their eyes blazing with a brilliant, white light.
“Forbidden summons, as unpleasant as they are, allowed us to zero in on your location and bring you here, Commander,” the woman said, sounding flat and indifferent.
“I didn’t answer your call because I couldn’t,” Damian growled, meeting the woman’s shining eyes. “I was locked in a room stuffed to the brim with anti-magic tech, and if I attempted to channel even an ounce of my magic, the consequences would have been more than I was willing to pay.” Thinking back, fear clawed at his heart, and he switched his attention to Magnus. “Did you bring me here alone and leave my brother unprotected in a hostile environment?”
“Yes, but your brother is going to be fine. While you’re with us, the time in the human realm stands still,” replied Magnus. “We have to talk, Commander.”
“About?”
“You will take the deal,” the woman cut straight to the chase, her loud voice echoing through the hall.
“When we send you back,” the man standing next to the woman started, “you will tell Ricardo Torres that you changed your mind and are willing to meet with the Head of the Arizona House.”
“And why would I do that?” Damian asked through clenched teeth, anger slowly rising within him. “Whoever this person is, he’s evil to the core. What do you think he’s going to ask me to do? Do his produce shopping? Whatever he wants me to do is most likely the one thing I shouldn’t be doing.”
“You’re a Destiny Enforcer,” the man growled, his eyes igniting brighter. “You will do as you’re told, no questions asked, Commander, or suffer the consequences. Am I clear?”
“Yeah, no… Not this Destiny Enforcer,” replied Damian. He got up and folded his arms, meeting the man’s furious gaze without flinching. “If you want blind obedience, go to Moore. I’m not going to make a move until I understand why you’re giving this order to me. It’s reckless, and depending on what this so-called errand is, it may endanger the realm of humans as well as the World of Magic, which I swore to serve and protect when I accepted the mantle of a Destiny Enforcer.”
The woman huffed, throwing her hands in the air. “Magnus, he’s your Shadow Enforcer,” she yelled. “Deal with him, or I swear, I’ll throw him in the deepest, darkest dungeon I can find in our holding facilities, and he’ll never see the light of day again.”
Magnus took a deep breath as if getting ready for a deep dive, the expression on his face speaking louder than any words.
“Dmitri,” he started. “I need you to trust me.”
“I trust you, Magnus,” replied Damian, his anger simmering down as he got in control of his emotions. “But I still want at least some kind of explanation.”
The woman gasped, and her entire body ignited with an eye-watering light. She headed toward them, fury contorting her features. As she approached them, she rose on her tiptoes and slapped Damian across his face with the back of her hand. As a bright light exploded behind his eyes, his head jerked to the side, and his hand went up involuntarily, but he stopped himself and dropped his arm, silently staring down at her, his jaw set.
“Heaven and Earth, Magnus!” the woman squealed, stamping her foot. “He doesn’t even address you properly. He has no respect for you or his own position. Please explain why you’re keeping him around. And this is the mongrel we’re stuck with for such an important mission? We may as well give up now.”
Magnus took a step closer to her, his face ashen. “You touch him one more time,” he hissed, his voice shaking with poorly suppressed rage, “and this will be the last thing you do. Am I clear, Miranda?”
She paled and raised her hands, shaking her head, resigned. Muttering something under her breath, she turned on her heel and marched back toward the desk.
Magnus turned to Damian, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Dmitri, you’ve been around long enough,” he started peacefully. “You know that there are things I can tell you, and there are things I can’t tell you.”
Damian nodded, glancing at the other two members of the Destiny Council over Magnus’ head. They conversed in hushed tones as Miranda kept throwing murderous stares in his direction.
“Here is what I can tell you,” Magnus continued quietly. “The Head of the Arizona House is not your regular slaver. He’s not like the rest of his kind. Highly secretive and evasive, he doesn’t let anyone he doesn’t trust fully come close to him. No one has ever seen his face or been able to identify his supernatural identity. We know he is not mundane, but we have no idea what kind of being of magic he is. This is the first time we have the opportunity to come in close contact with him and find out what he’s doing.”
“He’s a slaver who makes money on the suffering of others. What else do you need to know? I should destroy him the first chance I get,” Damian said quietly. He dropped his head, remorse clawing its way through his heart. “Magnus, he holds Ruslan, my brother’s maker. He tried to blackmail me into submission, holding Ruslan’s life over my head, and I refused to submit… Cole was crushed, but he accepted my decision. And now you’re telling me to do that?”
“You did what you were supposed to do as a Commander of the Destiny Enforcers, and I’m sorry for what I’m about to tell you…” Magnus sighed, squeezing Damian’s arm. “Dmitri, my child, you will accept his deal, and you will do whatever he
wants you to do,” he said quietly. “And you’re going to have to sell it, too, so this insidious person will have no reason not to believe you. Do you understand me, Commander?”
“Yes, sir.” Damian nodded, unable to speak louder than a whisper.
“We must know who and what this man is,” Magnus continued, “and you will do whatever it takes to get us this information. Also, we want to know what he wants you to procure for him, so keep close contact with me. I must know your every step.”
“Yes, sir,” Damian whispered, barely able to breathe.
“Go, save the man who’s important to your brother,” he whispered so softly only Damian could hear him. “Trust me, you won’t regret doing that.” Then he tapped his arm and added louder. “Commander, you have your orders. I’m going to send you back to the human realm now. Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir…”
“Dmitri.” Magnus frowned, giving him a pointed stare.
Stifling a sigh, Damian lowered to one knee and pressed his fist over his heart, bowing his head. “I’m yours to command, my lord.”
“Aw, Magnus, you do know how to tame your wild beast after all,” Miranda sang, her voice overflowing with sarcasm. “Commendable.”
Magnus didn’t even flinch. Bending down slightly, he whispered for Damian’s ears only. “Ignore her, my boy.” He chuckled softly. “And remember that phone call to Santiago del Castillo?” Damian nodded. “Make it before you leave Ricardo’s house.”
He touched Damian’s forehead with two fingers, and the Destiny Council’s main hall melted into the darkness.
“Dima!”
Cole’s desperate voice rang in Damian’s ears, and he opened his eyes, jolting to his feet, disoriented. Breathing hard, he spun around to see both Cole and Ricardo standing next to him.
“Dima, are you okay?” asked Cole, his face beyond pale. “I’ve never seen a living person in so much pain.”
“I’m fine. Some assholes tried to use a forbidden summons on me. You know how the forbidden summons work…” He threw a guilty glance at his brother. “They melt your brain until you answer. Anyway, I was able to block them.” Damian turned to Ricardo, thinking how to tell this extremely perceptive man that he changed his mind and make it believable enough so he wouldn’t question it.
“Ricardo—,” he started, but Ricardo pressed his hand to his mouth, his eyes watering slightly, and Damian fell silent.
“Damian, I’m sorry.” Ricardo lowered his arm, his fingers trembling slightly. “I didn’t lie. I had no way to shut down the magic detectors.” He looked away, wrinkles etched deeper around his tightly pressed mouth. He shook his head slowly, his hand tugging at the collar of his shirt as if it were suffocating him. “I’m truly sorry… The things I said to you. I should never have said anything like that. You know I would never betray you?” He exhaled a ragged breath, rubbing his forehead. “I gave you my word that you were safe in my house, and I stand by it.”
“I know, Ricardo,” replied Damian. “But you were right. I have the opportunity to save two good people—your sister and Cole’s maker. Destiny Council be damned with their rules and their methods of enforcing them.” He glanced at his brother and then at Ricardo. “Let’s do it. I’m going to take the deal.”
“Ay, Dios mio…” Ricardo exhaled, his lips parting slightly in disbelief. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” replied Damian.
“Dima, you just lied to him, and I want to know why,” said Cole, using their psychic link.
“Not now, Cole,” replied Damian. “I am planning to save your maker and Ricardo’s sister if I can, but there is more to this story, and I can’t go into any explanations now. Just do what I say and pray to whatever God you pray to nowadays that we all survive what’s coming.”
“Ricardo, before we leave, there is something Cole and I must do. It’ll take just a few minutes.” Damian lowered himself on the sofa and patted it next to him, gesturing for Cole to sit down. “Cole, dial Santiago del Castillo. We’ll speak with him now because after we leave, it will be too late.”
“Santiago del Castillo?” Ricardo mumbled. “As in the King of the Nevada Vampire Court?”
Damian pulled out his phone, unlocking it, and offered it to Cole.
“The one and only,” Cole muttered, taking the phone from his brother. Then he raised his face, giving Ricardo a sarcastic stare. “What can I tell you? We royalties love to chat once in a while.”
He punched in the phone number and pressed the dial button, putting the phone on speaker. After two beeps, Santiago answered the call, his rich baritone sounding clear in the silence of the room.
“Cole, what an unexpected surprise,” he said calmly. “It’s not like I’m not happy to hear your voice, my friend, but to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“To Rob Miller,” replied Cole. “Do you know who he is?”
“Of course, I do. He’s my executive assistant. A loyal servant.” Santiago’s voice shook, becoming deeper with concern. “He was following a lead for me but disappeared a few days ago, and I haven’t heard from him since. Is there something I should know?”
“I’m sorry, Santiago, but Rob is dead.” Cole glanced at Damian, moving the phone closer to him. “He was killed by the Sisterhood slayers in front of my eyes.”
“In Arizona?” Santiago hissed, sounding shocked even across the line. “What the hell was he doing in your state?” He grunted and something fell with a dull thud. “And why would the slayers kill him? I’m in peace with the Sisterhood of the Sun.”
“So am I. Yet I was attacked in my own house, and Rob was killed. My brother and I contacted the Grand Master of the Sisterhood, and she had no idea what that was all about.” Cole fell silent, tracing the shape of the phone with his finger absentmindedly. “Anyway, we’ll figure it out. But if I may ask, what lead was Rob following in my state?”
For a few long seconds, Santiago remained silent, and when he spoke again, he sounded strained, tones of pain hiding in his deep voice.
“Who’s in the room with you, Cole?” he asked. “I can hear two heartbeats.”
“My brother Damian and our friend Ricardo,” replied Cole. “They’re helping me with the investigation. I swear anything you say is safe with us.”
Something screeched, and heavy steps sounded on the other side of the line. “Cole, Sylvana is missing,” said Santiago. “My only child… As her maker, I know she’s alive, but something is partially blocking our connection, and I can’t locate her. I can’t find her anywhere…” His voice broke, and a pregnant pause hung in the room. “Rob was searching for her on my orders, but he never told me that the trail led to your state, otherwise I would have contacted you right away.”
“How long since she disappeared?”
“Over two months,” replied Santiago.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Cole asked, slamming his hand on the sofa. “Dammit, Santiago! Sylvana is not easy prey. As a vampire, she is old, fast and strong. Besides, she’s an ex-slayer with all the infamous training of the Sisterhood under her belt. Whoever was able to take her…” He cut himself off, shaking his head.
“Ruslan has been gone for three years,” replied Santiago, “and you still have no idea where he is. I hate to sound skeptical, but your maker is a lot more powerful and a more skilled warrior than Sylvana. There is a chance…” His voice trailed off as if he didn’t want to say his thoughts out loud.
“There is always a chance.” Cole glanced at Damian, raising his eyebrows, and Damian gave him a curt nod, understanding his brother without extra words. “Santiago, I found Ruslan,” Cole continued. “At least, I believe I know where he is. If it is indeed the same individual who captured Sylvana, I’ll do everything I can to free her and reunite her with you.”
Santiago chuckled, and there was something so despondent in the sound of his laughter that shivers ran down Damian’s back.
“Cole, you are old enough to know that baseless optimism brings noth
ing but pain,” he said softly. “I appreciate your words, my friend, but I prefer not to bring my hopes up.” He fell silent for a moment. “Farewell, my friend. Stay in touch and good luck. Something tells me you’re going to need it.”
For a few seconds, Cole stared at the phone, nibbling on his lip. Damian glanced at him, a weight settling in his chest, spreading numbness through his arms.
“Maybe Santiago is right, but you’re not him, Cole. I don’t care how old you are, optimism is the natural state of your mind.” Damian offered his hand to his brother. “It’s not a good time to lose it. Keep it up for both of us, little bro. You know how I am—my glass is always half-empty.”
He winked, and as Cole took his hand and got up, Damian gave him a quick tap on his arm and turned to Ricardo. “Give me one more minute, Ricardo.”
Damian took the phone from Cole and dialed River’s number, counting the beeps. As the call went to voicemail, he grunted, stifling a sigh. He hated leaving messages, still feeling uncomfortable speaking to a machine.
“River,” he said quietly, “I wish I could speak with you and not your recording machine…” He fell silent, searching for better words. “Anyway, if Cole and I don’t come back home tonight, don’t worry. We’re going to be all right. I’ll try to call you as soon as I get an opportunity.”
Damian hung up the phone and put it in his pocket, turning to Ricardo. “We can go now.”
Chapter 11