Herakles stifled a hearty laugh. “Oh, Riza. First of all, Raphael is more of a doer than me. Second, it’s not why our friendship works. We both bring something to the table, both physically and intellectually.”
“My bad. I didn’t mean to offend,” I replied, suddenly aware of how I might’ve come across. I seemed to really care about what he thought of me, and I wasn’t yet sure what to do with that.
“Plus, Raphael tolerates my frequent munchies. Not many people will do that,” Herakles added, sounding amused.
“You eat a lot, don’t you?” I replied, dryly and rhetorically.
He pointed both thumbs at himself. “I’m a growing boy!”
That, he most certainly was. And what a boy you are…
Heck, if I were to be completely honest with myself, Herakles carried a tremendous amount of physical appeal—more than Raphael, for sure. Herakles was, at heart, a pirate and a rebel. It defined him, and I clearly had a thing for bad boys. On top of that, his short, ink-black hair and his lime-green eyes demanded my attention at all times. His physique was impressive, muscles roping around him with the artistry of a high-end sculpture. To think he had a cultivated brain to go with the rest of the package… well, that made me feel things.
“As for your earlier remark, yes, I read,” he continued. “A lot. I go through a book every other day or so.”
All of a sudden, I was the ignorant one, compared to him. Way to go, Riza.
“Any favorite authors?” I asked, my voice barely audible.
He chuckled. “Too many to list right now, but I am digging this guy,” he said, nodding at the third book he’d set aside on the small table in front of him. “He’s got a way with words.”
“Yeah, I found a few good ones, too,” I replied, then proceeded to stuff my backpack with a handful of scrolls I considered useful for our quest.
“Look at you, you bad girl. Stealing from a library,” Herakles muttered, his lips twisted into a mischievous smile.
“I’m not sure you realize how dorky that sounds,” I whispered.
He shrugged. “Hey, a bad girl is a bad girl, no matter what she’s stealing,” he shot back, then gave me a wink.
I felt my cheeks flush, bright and hot, as I looked away. Oh, Herakles definitely had an effect on me, and then some! I needed to find a way to focus before it got me into a whole lot of trouble. Glancing to my left, I quickly came to the conclusion that I was too late on that front.
Hermessi cult members were standing at the end of the corridor, about fifty yards from our location. They were still and speechless, but I could feel their eyes on me. My blood ran cold, and I wondered how long they’d been there. Why didn’t I notice them?
I was too busy fawning over Herakles. Dammit.
“Uh-oh,” Herakles murmured, equally surprised.
We grabbed the rest of the books and scrolls we’d searched through—each had bits of useful information that we could tie into an ample narrative about the Hermessi, but only once we were back to safety. In the attic.
“What the hell are they doing here?” I croaked.
Just as I said that, the cultists got moving. They stalked down the corridor, headed straight for us. Despite the hoods and the porcelain masks, I couldn’t deny the murderous looks in their eyes. They were determined to kill us.
“We can talk about that later, Riza,” Herakles replied, then took my hand in his.
It was all I needed to relax, then teleport us out of there.
“As I was saying, they’re probably out to warn us on behalf of their Hermessi leader or something,” Herakles said as we settled back in the attic. Taeral and the others had yet to return, but I knew they’d be in touch as soon as they had eyes on Eira or Inalia—or both.
“Yeah, but how did they know to come to the library?” I asked, straight-up alarmed. My knees were wobbly, as if they’d been turned to jelly at some point in the night, and I was only noticing now. “I zapped us in there. How could they have followed us?”
Herakles thought about it for a while, then glanced at one of the oil lamps. The flame flickered gently on an old side table. His expression shifted, and, a second later, he put the light out. The wick’s carbonized smell tickled my nostrils.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“There were burning lamps in the library, too,” he said. “Only a couple, so as not to leave the place completely dark. Since the cultists have fire abilities, and there’s definitely a Fire Hermessi supporting them… I just had this crazy idea that the elemental might be watching us through the flames. Maybe it gave away our position, as they were looking for us. I don’t know; it’s a theory.”
“You put the light out. It’s more than a theory, isn’t it?” I replied, while mentally going over the previous incidents, just like Herakles had done to get to this conclusion.
“We were near fire, one way or another, whenever the cultists appeared.” Herakles sighed. “I can’t say this with certainty, but I’m suspicious by nature. I wouldn’t put it past a Fire Hermessi to spy on us through… well, fire.”
“But that would’ve meant more than just the opportunities they took to attack us. We’ve been around fire, one way or another, as you said, on more than those occasions since we left Calliope.”
“True. Which would mean they choose their moments to attack. Or the Fire Hermessi chooses the moments for them,” Herakles suggested. “I don’t know, better to be extra careful, if you ask me.”
Not that I was afraid of the dark, but I didn’t have vampire or sentry eyes to be able to tell things otherwise revealed by light. Most importantly, I couldn’t see where Herakles was looking—though my skin did tingle.
A flash outside made us both rush to one of the attic’s windows. In the distance, the library was engulfed in a fiery blaze. Orange flames licked at the night sky, as the building spit all the black smoke it could muster out of its crumbling wooden structure and furnishings. My heart broke at the sight of it. All those books, all that knowledge… gone.
“Oh, hell,” Herakles snapped. “What was the point? We left!”
“They keep hunting us when we’re digging for information about the rogue Hermessi,” I said. My blood curdled, as I put two and two together, including Herakles’s theory about the Fire element watching us through every nearby flame. “They didn’t burn the place up because we left. They did it to destroy whatever data was left there for us to comb through, on some other occasion. And if your lead on the spying through flames is correct, it means that whoever is watching is also the one who determines that we are, indeed, getting too close and that we need a good ol’ fashioned warning from those masked goons.”
A few seconds passed in silence, as we watched the library completely vanish beneath the monstrous fire, which continued to swell. I hoped the night guard had made it out. The sirens blared throughout the city—this time louder and with greater urgency.
Yellow lights flashed down the streets as water-delivery vehicles headed for the library. The Cerixians had a fire-prevention system in place, it seemed, and it involved fast-moving water tanks with mechanized hoses that could be used to kill the flames with high-pressure jets.
“We’ll have to tell the others, too,” Herakles said. “About the fire-watching. Just to be safe.”
I nodded slowly. Angry jets of water smashed through the library fire, as the Cerixians struggled to keep it under control and stop it from spreading. All because Herakles and I had been there, looking for answers…
“It’ll be a lot easier once Lumi lands here and gets the Cerixian authorities off our backs,” I replied. “I’m not in the mood to be framed for multiple murders, while these masked maniacs keep coming at us and destroying beautiful things in the process.”
“Be sure, until Lumi intervenes, we’ll be blamed for the fire, too.”
He was right. We both knew it. Based on what Trap had said about Nalyon and his nefarious plans, it certainly seemed like a high probability. Who would you b
lame for such a terrible fire in order to distract from your shady dealings?
The foreigners who came to help you. That’s who.
Lumi
At first, Derek and Sofia had expressed some reluctance about me going on my own—until I reminded them that (a) we were dealing with physically inferior Cerixians, and (b) I was going to meet up with Taeral and his crew as soon as I got there. Cerix wasn’t a hostile planet, per se. There were elements within its government that seemed crooked, but their machinations were petty and easy to squash compared to the looming threat of the Hermessi cult. I was more than capable of handling this and a bunch of cultists. I had over ten millennia of experience and magic under my belt, for heaven’s sake. Besides, GASP needed its resources in hunting down all the cult sects we knew about and within our reach across the In-Between and the Supernatural Dimension.
So, once the soil samples came back from Taeral’s crew, I prepared an interplanetary spell and hopped into the light bubble. Cerix was, indeed, quite far away, and I spent hours whizzing past ribbons of interstellar dust and countless swirls of glittering galaxies. The In-Between was a beautiful place, and the life in it made every fight worthwhile—including this one.
My instinct had been screaming at me since the first fire fae explosion. It told me there was more to these incidents than met the eye. Then, lo and behold, we learned of a rogue Fire Hermessi fueling these death cultists into blowing themselves up. They spoke of an end of days of sorts, but they were also out of their minds. The others that GASP had captured were annoyingly quiet. They were resilient enough to resist even the mind-bending of Jax’s Wards. Nevertheless, there was still hope on that front. The Maras were convinced that they could crack the cultists’ heads, eventually. They just needed to keep trying, to keep knocking until their subconscious woke up and opened the door. The fae were susceptible to mind-bending, no matter how hard they tried to resist it. Jax promised to keep me up to speed on the matter.
I passed the time inside the light bubble going over all the details of what had happened so far. Two things were painfully clear. At least one Hermessi was involved, and, even though we didn’t know the cults’ objective, it was bound to be larger than life. A natural element wouldn’t have gotten involved unless there was something huge to gain or to lose—but what? What was it that drove some Hermessi to do this? And how could we possibly stop them?
I’d asked the Word about it, more than once throughout multiple meditation sessions. But no answer had come to me. Even so, I trusted my instinct, and followed it all the way to Cerix.
The planet itself was as beautiful as Amelia had described it in her reports and definitely (eerily) similar to Earth. The vast continents were rich in varied relief form, able to sustain a plethora of fauna and flora species. It was green and blue, with white clouds streaking across. The air was clean. The skies were clear. Cities rose here and there, proud and wide with tall towers and dark gray roofs. There were plenty of lush green spaces everywhere, and paved roads snaked through the fields and the woods, connecting different settlements.
The bridges stretched for miles, holding carriages and train-like vehicles that rushed people to their destinations. Beneath them, the oceans’ choppy waters lapped at the iron structures, foaming white whenever they hit the pillars.
“What a splendid world this is,” I heard myself say.
It was like a magician’s dream come true, with manicured lawns and parks, epic and artful masonry splayed across the walls and elegant cobblestone alleys; black iron and bronze streetlights flickered in all the busy areas of Silvergate, its giant statues watching me as I descended from the sky.
“And what foolish people it’s home to,” I added, noticing the multitude of black dots headed for what Amelia had referred to as the Landing Bed.
I whispered additional spells to help me steer the interplanetary light bubble in the right direction. It was no easy feat, but it was required of me to make an official entrance, as an emissary of GASP. The Landing Bed was the best place to start my so-called diplomatic mission—which, frankly, I considered to be more of an ass-kicking endeavor. It overlooked most of the city, and it gave the Cerixian officials enough time to throw together their welcoming committee.
As the spell landed and dissipated, I took a few moments to absorb everything around me. The air wasn’t just clean—it was crisp and cool, delighting my nostrils and my lungs. I took deep breaths, smiling as I admired the green spaces at the base of this conical Landing Bed—its top cut off and covered in stylish stone slabs, each of them polished to perfection. I could even see my reflection in the darker ones.
The sun rose lazily in the east, splashing hues of pink and orange across the morning sky. And at least a hundred soldiers of the Armed Forces surrounded me, their weapons pointed at me and ready to fire. I could see why Taeral and his crew had found themselves so aggravated by the Cerixians’ behavior. We may have been strangers, but we came with peaceful intentions. Had we meant to conquer and subjugate their planet, we would’ve had thousands of supernatural soldiers and dragons breathing down their necks before they could even get out of bed.
A figure made its way through the crowd of soldiers. Whispers rippled through different groups—most of them wondering who I was, and what I was doing here. But I said nothing. I wanted to speak to their leader, first, as per GASP protocol. I knew exactly who would come to say hello first.
I recognized him from Amelia’s report descriptions. Tall, dark, and handsome, but with a smirk that asked for a dozen punches just to warm up. He stopped before me, clad in a black suit. The jacket had a tailored swallowtail back, and the lapels were satiny and smooth. He’d matched it with a dark red scarf, meticulously tied into a loose ribbon. He wore a badge on his chest, with great pride. It was a disk made of gold, and it depicted the city of Silvergate in a lovely array of colored enamel.
“Greetings, stranger,” Nalyon Martell said.
There was tension in his tone. Not that I could blame him, given all the hinky business he’d gotten himself into at the expense of my friends.
“Is this how you greet strangers? With Armed Forces?” I replied dryly. “Do you see me carrying any weapons? Do I seem like a threat?”
He smirked, and I was already battling the urge to beat him into a pulp. “We both know you’re not a regular stranger.”
“Well, it’s not like you greeted the others any differently, Nalyon. Let’s not play games here.”
That was enough to wipe the smile from his face. “You know my name.”
“Of course. I know your world. I know your people and your culture. And I also know you’re not really the one in charge here,” I said. “So, how about you get your soldiers to put their weapons down and escort me to the high chancellor? I need to talk to him.”
Nalyon certainly did not see this coming. It was painfully obvious, splattered all over his shocked face. “You… You know…”
“I’m Lumi, swamp witch and senior officer of GASP. I believe you’ve been trying to frame one of my crews for a string of murders here, in Silvergate,” I said. “Not sure you knew, but we communicate with our agents, regardless of the distance.”
Instinctively, though I doubted he was aware of it, Nalyon took a few steps back, in a bid to distance himself from me. He’d never met a swamp witch himself, but he must’ve heard the stories. After all, it was one of my sisters who’d given Cerix the spells that had helped them evolve with their industries and societies.
“Your agents are currently under investigation, and, unless you wish to die here, I’d advise you to surrender and come with me, of your own accord,” Nalyon said. His voice wasn’t just shaky anymore. It was breaking, and it made it difficult for me not to mock him further.
“I don’t think I’ve made myself clear, Nalyon, so I’ll try again,” I replied. “GASP is an intergalactic alliance between multiple planets, across different dimensions. Different species are members—most of them live longer than you Cerixi
ans and are stronger and infinitely more capable than you. I, alone, am enough to blow you all to smithereens if you cross me, which I strongly recommend against. I’m here on a diplomatic mission, and I have no intention or desire for conflict. The same cannot be said about you. Nalyon, I once again demand that you stop this nonsense. My crew has not harmed you or your people because we ordered them not to, not because they couldn’t. I, on the other hand, have carte blanche and can tear you all to shreds unless you comply with my demands. Now, will you take me to see the high chancellor, or do I have to get there by myself? I’ve got urgent matters to discuss with him and have zero time to waste on your idiotic scheme to enrich yourself on the backs of innocent Hermessi children.”
“How did you learn about that?” Nalyon mumbled, his eyes bulging.
I smirked. “You just confirmed it. It was only a suspicion until now.”
She shoots.
She scores.
And boom.
Some of the guards unwittingly lowered their weapons. They were so entranced and impressed by the cold, hard facts I’d just exposed, that they probably didn’t think there was any point in threatening me. Others, however, gripped their guns with greater strength, their eyes cold and mean, and their teeth gritting. These, I knew, were most likely the truly loyal minions of Nalyon Martell. Taeral was right. The slick-haired weasel had turned an alarmingly high number of Armed Forces soldiers to his side. He probably had a payroll assigned to them, as well.
Nalyon was equal parts terrified of and annoyed with me. I only hoped he’d be smart enough not to push this ridiculous standoff further. I’d put on a new dress, and I didn’t want to ruin it. The crimson velvet hugged me in all the right places—Corrine was an artist. Much credit was due her.
“Lumi… I’m in charge here. I was tasked with escorting you directly to prison. There, you will have your opportunity to speak to the high chancellor, provided his busy schedule can allow it,” Nalyon said.
A Shade of Vampire 70: A Breed of Elements Page 5