by P B Hughes
“Listen, Caden,” said Daniel, placing a calming hand on Shade’s back as she snarled, “you need to come with us. Put your staff down and we can get you help.”
Caden lifted his staff and stared into the blood-red stone. “So obtuse. So plain. But that is to be expected from a low-blood such as you. I do not need help. No, I have never felt better in my life.”
“Wait a second,” said Marcus, leaning forward and studying Caden like a math problem he intended to solve. “I know you. You’re Herman Baine’s boy.” He snapped his fingers. “You’re the one Jude beat in the arena to become Alpha of the Guardians.”
A muscle jerked in Caden’s jaw. “Fool. The Investiture meant nothing. I have risen above petty squabbles for meaningless titles. The only thing that matters in this life…is power.”
“Is that why you ran away?” Marcus asked. “Because they took your power? You had to play the traitor so you could get a new title? Alpha of the Goblins does have a nice ring to it, I’ll admit.”
“Marcus,” said Ari, “don’t. He’s dangerous.”
Caden’s brow creased. “Listen to the girl, knight. I could have your life with a wave of my hand.”
“Even with your goblins,” said Daniel, stepping forward, “you’re no match for all of us.”
Caden smiled. “Believe me, simpleton, the day will come when I will set you all ablaze, no matter how great your numbers. Alas, today is not that day. I have my orders. And as much as it pains me, I am to limit casualties amongst your party. But go ahead,” he tilted his head, his neck flexing with a pop, “stand in my way. Then I will turn you into a sizzling cinder.”
“What do you want?” said Jude, the words leaping from his throat before he could think.
Caden’s eyes met Jude’s with a look of interested amusement. “You haven’t figured it out? I thought you smarter than that, Jude.”
Jude knew. He knew Caden had come for one reason and one reason only…for him. But Jude would not say it. He would not breathe words into the thought, and therefore make it real; he was stalling, holding onto the hope that it wasn’t true.
“Yes,” said Caden. “You know. I know you do. I have come to bring you home.” He paused, his eyes boring into Jude like daggers. “My brother.”
The final word smashed into Jude’s gut, leaving him unable to speak. The world around him spun; he could not focus on anything save that word: brother…brother…brother.
“I see,” said Caden, shaking his head in disbelief. “Then they didn’t tell you. But why, Jude? Why wouldn’t they tell you such a thing?”
“You’re,” said Jude, blinking back tears, “you’re a liar.”
“You wound me, brother,” Caden replied. “I am not the liar. But how to prove myself?” He stroked his chin with his gauntlet-covered hand. “I know! Why don’t you ask your friend?”
Jude shot a glance to Daniel. The boy would not meet his gaze.
“Come now, Daniel,” Caden prodded. “You have answers. We know you met with Marriott the night he died. We know he told you everything. Of Jude and his lineage; of him carrying the Nosfertu.”
Jude could see Daniel’s body go rigid, his jaw clenched. It was not possible. Daniel wouldn’t hide such a thing from him, Jude thought. There was no way. He trusted Daniel.
“Daniel,” Ari whispered. “Tell him.”
Daniel closed his eyes and released a pent-up sigh. He turned to face Jude, entirely grim. “Caden…speaks the truth. Marriott told me that you and he are twins.”
Jude recoiled from Daniel as if he were a viper, overwhelmed by the betrayal; overwhelmed by the very idea that Caden could be his relative.
“I wanted to tell you!” Daniel promised, reaching out his hand. “Truly I did. But Mordecai said—”
“You see!” Caden interrupted. “They knew all along. Mordecai, Daniel, Tiberius…and who knows who else? Why would they keep such a secret from you?”
Jude’s eyes grew wide. This must be a nightmare, he told himself. This must be another nightmare. Soon I’ll be awake. I’ll be safe in my bed, just like last time.
“They didn’t tell you,” Caden continued, “because they knew that that you would return home to us!”
“No!” Daniel shouted. “Jude, you have to believe me—Mordecai said it was for your protection. He needed to find out the truth before he brought such a thing to you. Please, you must understand.”
Jude locked eyes with Caden, anger slowly gaining a foothold amidst his fear.
“Our parents,” said Caden, “were the last humans with traces of the Nosfertu inside of them. A god and goddess amongst ordinary men, though they did not know it.” Caden’s expression crumpled with disgust. “And how could they? Over generations the power of the Nosfertu had weakened, and knowledge of its power faded from the memories of men. The Cythes retreated into the darkest jungles.” A smile crept over his mouth. “But then you and I were born. And hope for our kind, the people of the Nosfertu, returned. We have the energy coursing through us as powerful and potent as ever! It was only we who could release its power back into the world. The Cythes are not our enemies, Jude. They are our family!”
“They are not your family!” Daniel cried. “Marriott told me the Cythes murdered your family and stole you!”
“Marriott—the fool!” Caden spat. “A lesser Cythe if there ever was one. The Cythes did not murder our parents. They set their souls free!” He turned to Jude. “Don’t you see? By doing so, they set us free from a life of the mundane, giving us the opportunity to reach our fullest potential. The Nosfertu lives with us. It lives inside of us.”
The Nosfertu. Inside of me, Jude thought. Suddenly, it all made sense. Marriott giving him the stone to tap into an unknown energy source; his ability to sense the energy; the ever-growing feeling that something existed inside of him—something dark and powerful. He had fought it for so long. The power called to him in his very being, to accept it, to just give in. His mind flit to the diary he had taken from the library. The Nosfertu had called to its author, Malcolm Roth. The man had given in; went searching for it. It terrified Jude to think that the same power now called his name. And yet…it was also alluring. All he had to do was let it loose, and power like he’d only tasted in the arena would flow through him as freely as a river.
But the Cythes had killed his parents. How could he accept their power? He did not ask for it. He did not want the power to massacre; the power of darkness.
“Those monsters are not my family,” Jude said darkly, anger swelling inside of him. “And neither are you.”
“Do not deny your own flesh and blood,” said Caden. “In time, you will understand, just as I do. It is power, Jude. Power you cannot escape. No matter how violently you resist.”
Rage surged inside of Jude. “We’ll see about that,” he cried. He leapt into the air, his primal energy—his Emerald Energy—coursing through him, fueled by his fury. He slammed to the earth, staff and boots, an invisible shockwave of power shooting out in all directions. Never had such force left him at once. But he did not feel fatigued. No. He felt perfect.
Kill him! Jude commanded the trees of the forest.
They came to life—lurching and writhing, swinging their branches, smashing down at Caden with all their might.
Before their branches could hit him, Caden raised his staff. An explosion of fire erupted from the orb—but not like any fire Jude had ever seen. Black flames tore through the air, turning the rest of the forest ablaze.
Jude reached out to the trees. He could sense their primordial screams as their bark was roasted and destroyed. His weapons were gone. Suddenly, he felt his strength wane and he dropped to the ground. Surely Caden too would be brought to his knees by such an expulsion of power, he thought.
But Caden stood, surrounded by a burning forest, a soft smile on his lips. He looked down at Jude, spread his arms, and over the roar of the fire he cried, “I am the Prince of Dark Flames—unstoppable and untamable. This power could be you
rs, brother. Come with me, experience it for yourself!”
Daniel darted forward. In one hand he held his staff; in the other, a mana-crystal. He spun on his toe, staff whirling around his body over and over, shooting out a spray of water in all directions from the end. Steam billowed up all around them as the water met the flames, covering the landscape in a thick fog and coal-colored smoke.
Jude saw a flash of magenta light in the cloud as Daniel replenished his energy.
“They told me not to kill you, Littleton,” cried Caden through the fog. “That it could compromise my brother’s heart—that it might cause him to hate us. But now I see that it doesn’t matter. He already does.”
A loud roar filled the air, and Jude knew Caden had sent a wave of flames searching for Daniel. Jude rose to his knees. Fatigue laced his every muscle, but he had to help his friend.
There was another blast of fire, a rush of water, and a hiss of steam. Jude could see nothing ahead of him but the flicker of firelight amidst the fog. A patter of footsteps whirred past on his right, light and quick. Daniel was on the move.
Then he saw his outline—Caden, like some monstrous black insect—slowly moving toward him through the mist. Jude fumbled with his pack in search of a mana-crystal.
Where are they? he thought, panic-stricken. There’s two left, I know it!
“If you can’t see the truth on your own,” Caden seethed, his helm now covering his head, “then I’ll make you see it. You’re coming with me, brother.”
Caden’s shadow fell over Jude, his breathing scratchy and deep. Jude’s eyes rose from the ground and up to his brother’s face. And then he realized that his nightmare truly had come to life. He was on his knees in the mud, and the man in black armor stood before him.
Caden raised the butt of his staff to strike Jude’s head.
Before Jude could utter a word, Marcus leapt out from behind him, weapons at the ready. He swept Caden’s staff away with his shield and brought his blade down across his skull-like helm, orange sparks flying.
Caden stumbled backward, caught off guard, but for only a moment. Like a rattlesnake, he coiled beneath his armor. Marcus swung his sword again, but this time Caden parried with his staff, thrusting the end into the cadet’s chest with such force that he sent him flying backward. Jude’s eyes followed to where Marcus lay on the ground, several yards away. A stream of black flames scorched the air after him. Marcus met the blast with his shield, tongues of fire swimming up in all directions.
Ari raced forward, shooting blasts of wind from her staff, knocking Caden backward.
Marcus threw his shield off his arm, the center cherry-red with heat.
“Marcus, run,” said Ari. “This fight isn’t for you.”
“Not happening,” Marcus replied, scrambling to his feet.
Caden laughed. “Ah, Ari Celeste,” he said. “You truly are a disappointment. You could have been great. You could have been a my queen.”
Ari crouched low, staff raised above her head, eyes gleaming like two violet stars. “I’d rather die.”
A beam of ice screamed through the air, crashing against Caden’s back. He struggled against it, but the frost spread from his back down his limbs. Daniel stepped forward through the smoke and fog.
“Your arrogance has always been your downfall,” he said as Caden’s face froze over. Daniel pulled up and stared at his work: Caden, frozen in a solid block of ice. “You’re under arrest in the name of the Imperial Guardians.”
Jude’s head swam. He knew this was not the end of their battle. He tried to speak, still struggling to find a mana-crystal. “N-no,” he said. “He’s not…not going to.”
The ice exploded with a shockwave, shattering into ten-thousand pieces, knocking everyone from their feet. Caden spread his arms and let out a roar to the sky, flames leaping from his mouth like a flamethrower.
Jude’s world was black for an instant, and then morphed into blurry gray. He could hear nothing but the muffled sound of voices. Slowly, things came back into focus and his hearing returned. Caden was speaking, but everything sounded as if it were underwater. And then he could hear, his vision pulsating in and out of clarity.
“…the one…be…done this day,” Caden cried, turning on Daniel. “No matter what happens, you will die, Littleton. I swear it!”
Daniel lay on the ground in a heap, his staff lying several feet away. Caden pointed his own black staff and released a jet of ink-black flames that spun around Daniel’s left arm, forcing out a pained cry.
Shade staggered to and fro, trying to get to Daniel, still confused from the shockwave’s blast.
Jude watched as Daniel tried to sit up, his good hand feeling the ground like a blind man in search of his cane. Caden left his feet and came crashing down next to Daniel’s staff. He snatched it off the ground and held it up, inspecting it with a frown.
Daniel blinked at Caden; a trickle of blood slid out from his nose.
“Looking for this?” said Caden. “It’s quite nice. Dragon bone, is it?” He held it out as if to give it back, and then, with a derisive laugh, he hurled it into the woods.
The voice of the Nosfertu whispered in Jude’s ear: “Use the dark energy. Kill him. Save your friend.”
“No,” Jude wheezed. “I won’t.”
His hand found a mana-crystal. He held it tight in his grip and let the energy flow into him. Suddenly, the world became clear.
Caden stepped forward and kicked Daniel in the chin, knocking him on his back. He planted his boot on Daniel’s chest.
“No, Caden!” screamed Ari, scrambling up off the ground and then falling. “Caden, please!”
Jude reached in his pouch and pulled out a fistful of seeds. Ari’s screams filled his ears. Shade was scrambling toward Caden, screeching with fury.
Caden pointed his staff in Daniel’s face and the end ignited.
In half a second, a thousand thoughts flooded Jude’s mind—but one pervaded. Daniel would die, and he could not stop it.
There was a swell of light around Daniel’s body, and in a flash, he vanished, just as the flames met the ground. Shade collided with Caden, tumbling backward in a clatter of claws on armor.
Caden kicked her in the belly and sent her rolling off of him. He bolted to his feet, gaping down at the scorched earth where Daniel had been. He released a yell of frustration and swung his staff at nothing.
Jude could not believe what he had just seen. His heart pounded so hard inside of him it felt as though it might shatter his bones. But Daniel was gone. There was no dead body, no loss of life. Or so he hoped.
But is he safe? Jude wondered. Where is he?
‘Ash naz, beh geem grothar,’ Jude heard a voice say on the wind. ‘Beh na, beh na.’
Caden hissed beneath his armor. “I’m not finished with them!”
‘Eleheem trof!’
Caden cursed, gave Jude one last look, and fled into the smoking trees.
Chapter 16
Ari’s head stabbed with pain at every word she screamed, her face wet with terrified tears. Rolls of smoke tumbled over her, choking her, stinging her eyes.
“Caden!” she cried from her knees. “What did you do to him? Caden! Come back, you monster!”
She tried to stand—to give chase to the Prince of Dark Flames and his minions—but she couldn’t. Dizziness turned her world upside down and she fell, the taste of dirt adding to her jarred senses.
“Caden,” she said, pushing herself up. “You coward, I swear if you killed him I’ll—”
“Daniel’s not dead,” said Jude.
The words made her breath catch in her throat. How does he know? She stared up at Jude. His eyes were locked on the place where Daniel had been only minutes before.
Slowly, the world stopped churning, though her emotions did not. He’s not dead, she thought, relief blowing the crushing fears away, intense worry climbing into their place.
Her left ear felt wet. She reached up and touched it lightly. Blood.
Jude shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” she said, her voice rising, doubt finding its way inside her.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Jude, “but he vanished. The attack never landed.”
Ari struggled to her feet. This time her vision held still. She grabbed Jude by his lapel and forced him to look at her. “You know something, Jude! Tell me what happened to Daniel or I’ll…I’ll—”
“Ari,” said Marcus, “I saw it, too.” The cadet held fast to Shade’s collar as she thrashed about wildly, tugging and screeching, her black fur on end. “Daniel disappeared into thin air. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but the boy’s gone.”
Ari released Jude and turned what happened over in her mind: Daniel lying defenseless on the ground, Caden standing over him with that demented, murderous gleam in his eyes. It was all so surreal, so dreamlike. She had never felt as helpless as she did then: watching the orb of Caden’s staff ignite with that freakish black flame.
But that flash of light. Even Caden seemed surprised to see a scorched piece of earth rather than Daniel’s dead body on the ground. It was like the court jester’s disappearing act she had once seen as a girl. Except he had fallen through the floor, she later discovered. But this time there was no trap door.
“Calm down, you blasted beast,” Marcus grunted, Shade tugging him this way and that. “I’m not letting you go.”
Shade froze. The shift in momentum yanked her free from Marcus’ grip and sent him rolling to the ground.
Her eyes slid shut and she crouched low to the ground. The end of her tail flicked, her wings folded to her side, and her cat-like ears twitched. Ari could hear her throat rumble with a mix between a growl and a purr.
Marcus sat there on the ground, his red hair slick with sweat, panting. His lip curled with frustration. “Now what is she doing?”
Shade’s muscles rippled across her body and she bobbed her head slowly—up and down, up and down. Like an echo off the walls of a canyon, Ari remembered something Daniel had told her after the Investiture.