I didn't know who they were, or what they had endured in the past. All I knew was that it was my duty to protect them. To nurture them until they were ready to stand up for themselves and lead the path destined for them upon the calling of the Hunt. I could almost feel it bursting in my heart.
My thinking process had to be influenced by the connection thrumming through the alley, but I fought against it, slowly implementing King Thallen's words.
He's right. Revealing myself now won't be a benefit to either of them. I wouldn't be able to protect them. Not yet.
"Nia?"
I tuned into the conversation, only now realizing the Japanese woman named Nia was looking our way.
Can she see us?
"Yes?" Her accent wasn't very thick, just enough to know that English might not be her first language. "Sorry. I thought I sensed something,"
"You're just anxious," the boy replied with a small smile.
Nia took a deep inhale, letting the air out slowly as she closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall.
"Maybe? I'm not really sure. It's been a while since I've done any form of mediation. I miss taking classes," she admitted. Opening her eyes, she lowered her gaze back to the boy who looked sympathetic.
"I know," he whispered. "We'll be able to return back to a normal life soon, I think.”
"Nick, we don't even know that," she whispered. "I'm getting tired of running. Tired of playing these chase and hiding games. I can't continue to forge my school scores forever. Or better yet, my diploma. How much longer do we have to run? Is there no line of protection for us?"
"My older sister is working on it. She is searching for a way out of this for us. We just have to be patience, Nia," he said, comforting her. "I miss my family, too,"
"Does your sister have the resources? Even so, she can be hacked easily by those after us," Nia voiced.
"After them?" I questioned quietly. It wasn't like they could hear me, but it still didn't stop the instinctive habit of keeping my voice low when people were nearby.
"They are in the same predicament as you were," King Thallen answered.
"But they look in their early twenties," I argued.
King Thallen snapped his fingers, the world stopping in place. I gave him a look, arching my eyebrow in shock at the display of power, but he ignored me, getting to the point.
"Nia Hosaki. Twenty years old. She is ranked at the genius level when it comes to anything technology. She was able to break many genius world records at the age of three, even solving a Rubik’s cube and beating the previous time with her little child fingers. She's a prodigy and can hack anything she sets her mind to if she isn't anxious. She was trained in both martial arts and ballet. Her family is made up of doctors and lawyers. She's currently on a full tuition scholarship at Harvard," he explained.
"Before I even ask how you basically got a summarized database of her, how is she attending Harvard when she's clearly here in NYC?"
King Thallen smiled. "She's been doing all her classes through online after forging a doctor's referral that she must stay home and receive treatment for an incurable disease. She even had pictures. Very resourceful girl," he said.
I groaned, pinching my nose. "Alright, and the guy? Nick."
"Nicholas Simmons. Future Olympic runner. That dream has been put on hold and is also on a full four-year scholarship at Harvard. He's originally from Ghana, having been born in the depths of a village in Accra. After being discovered at the early age of four, he was brought to America for tryouts and won many medals at the junior and all-ages level. Education isn't his strong suit, but he can do well enough to meet his scholarship standards. He's one with many connections. From celebrities to a reliable source to contact the president himself. He's not someone you should play around with, and if very protective. He's not as skill combat wise, but his speed aids him tremendously."
"It's like you were born to know all about them," I concluded. "How did they even meet?"
"They met when they both attended a competition in Las Vegas. One look and they were connected and remained long-distance friends. They both applied to Harvard on purpose, and now they are here in NYC together trying to figure out how to stay away off the grid of the Wizard,"
"Hold on," I interrupted. "The Wizard is after them?"
"That's who they've been running from. From what you told me, Ryul had you wrapped around his finger for some time. Do you really think he wasn't trying to figure out who your warriors would be?"
"B-But he doesn't know for sure!" I fought. I had to fight not to move and face him. "He has no clear evidence that they are connected to me."
"Ryul doesn't need clear evidence, my daughter. All you need to do is fit the profile. Unique beauty or handsomeness, excelled qualities the average human wouldn't obtain, a rapid level of success or determination, or the intelligence high enough to make you a threat. Those are some of the lists of qualities you need to be a potential changeling or warrior. That's all he needs to send his team of helpers to retrieve the targets and either use or eliminate them. All depends if they fight or surrender, but death is usually the end result.”
"Even if they surrender?" I gasped in shock, my heart racing against my chest. There was no way I could picture these two getting wrapped up in this.
"Surrendering to someone stronger than you can lead to two things. Becoming an advantage, or becoming a bigger threat," King Thallen argued, looking to Nia.
"Nia is a big threat and she's not even in Ryul's hands. Even if he did end up getting her, he'd use her to wit's end until he can't anymore. Why? Because she'd be too great of an advantage to kill. That is the only exception. Nick, however, is the prime example of one to use and recycle. Why? The chances of betrayal are far too great in Nick versus Nia."
"How can you tell? Nick seems calm and Nia looks more like the aggressive one," I questioned, looking between them.
"You're reading the surface, Valerian," he whispered. "Nia is strong physically. She can fight anyone physically. Can hack into a database she needs, but her mental state is fragile. It's easily manipulated and influence and she doubts her strength. It makes sense with her age, and that is why she focuses on meditation and other methods of mental balance. She's working on strengthening her mental state to match her physical strength."
He looked over to the frozen Nick. "Nicholas, on the other hand, may lack in the physical strength that matches Nia, but his determination and loyalty are strong. He takes pride in what he has gained and learned, and it's hard to break his loyalty to those he loves and trusts. Whether it was because he is a year older or his upbringing in Africa, if Ryul told him to shoot Nia right there and now, he'd turn the gun to himself and take his own life."
I was speechless, taking in his words that I could tell were correct.
"Ryul wants Nia because he'd have the most benefit with her now that she's still fragile. I won't say that she'll stay like this for long, but the longer it takes Ryul to find them, the better. However, they are young with no guidance. Without the proper protection, it's only a matter of time."
"Can't I protect them?" I asked, moving slowly so his hand remained on my shoulder as I turned to face him. "Can't I do anything? If I'm connected to them like I am connected to you, can't I stop them from being chased?"
There had to be a way out or a loophole somewhere.
"I say this out of answering your question, but don't allow it to solely influence your decision. Yes and no. Yes, there is a way to stop them from being chased temporarily. It may not get them out of every situation, but they wouldn't have the need to run and hide constantly. No, because Ryul will never stop until his ranks are strong enough to dominate the Wild Hunt of Fairy. Until then, he'll do whatever he can to gain more power. It'll always be a cat and mouse chase, but we can always ensure that we remain the cat in this chase," he declared.
King Thallen snapped his fingers, restarting time and the conversation between Nia and Nick carried on.
> "She says she's treading carefully. You know people underestimate us," he smirked.
"Which is silly. One's race doesn't determine what you can achieve," Nia grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"People assume your good at math, love rice, have the latest iPhone, and are becoming a doctor all the time," Nick summarized.
"That's because they're silly. If I dared tell a white chick all she thinks of is Starbucks, I'd get ripped to shreds on social media," Nia rolled her eyes dramatically. "That alone will bring me nightmares. Let me stay up all night play Sudoku." She cringed like that thought was pure torture.
"For a genius like yourself, I don't understand how you're not good at that," he had a wide grin on his face while Nia began to blush.
"You're getting off topic," she cleared her throat and carried on, "Is your sister using the system I told her to use?"
"Yup. It makes sure her search history is wiped out. She's trying her best to find us the resource we may need to get out of this mess. She did find one thing, but it doesn't feel right to me," Nick said nervously.
"What?" Nia asked.
"She found a company that looks as though they can help. She hasn't looked into it yet, but she said it could be an option that could offer us protection," he replied.
"Tell her no," Nia concluded shaking her head.
Nick put his hands on his hips. "You don't even know what company it is," he argued.
"There is no 'company' in existence who can help us,” Nia countered. “There are people, individuals who can. A company is ruled by one person who knows exactly what they want. Charities don't just accept donations out of the blue. Red Cross, Good Will. Look at all those huge organizations who have enough money to eliminate the starvation rates, not in just Ghana but all of Africa, yet the CEO's are golfing with the president and opening their fifth resort that would make them more money. Unless it’s the CIA, FBI, Secret Services or a god itself, I don't trust any organization. Look what happened to my brother!" the last part of her sentence sent a chill through me, and for what seemed to be a second, the scene changed from the alleyway to a confrontation.
"Brother! Run! No!" Nia screamed with all her might, someone dragging her away, as her brother encouraged them to escape.
Seconds later, he was shot in the head.
With a blink, the scene was gone, but the emotion it brought forth was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
"Nia? Hey," Nick pushed off the wall, closing the distance between them and reaching out to remove the single teardrop that left Nia's left eye.
"What?" Nia questioned.
"You're crying," he whispered.
"Am not," she quickly defended, blinking her eyes. "Must be the dirty New York air."
"Uh huh," he replied, his hand remaining against her cheek as they stared into each other's eyes. "I'll tell her to be careful."
"I don't want you to lose her, Nicholas. She shouldn't be helping us. It...would be too much," Nia said.
"Nothing will happen," Nick assured her, lifting his other hand to cradle her face. "We'll figure this out together. If it looks like it'll be too dangerous for my sis to continue helping us, I have other connections we can use. At least until we can get out of this mess, or somewhere safe. For now, we should go. We've stayed in this alley for too long."
"You're right," she sighed, closing her eyes. "You know what’s funny? We're in New York and yet we can't even shop around. I used to dream about shopping on Madison Avenue with a dozen shopping bags hanging on my arms."
"I know," he whispered. "Maybe we can’t today, but one day I'll take you to any store you want."
"Any store?" she questioned with a small grin.
"We'll go anywhere you want. Even your favorite store. Best Buy," Nick promised.
Nia laughed, and I felt the glint of happiness through the mist of worry and pain within my heart.
Or was it Nia's?
"I'll hold onto that promise. I want us to go on my twenty-second birthday. By then, maybe we'll be cool spies or working together in the same field. Whatever that may be," she said.
"We can dream," he encouraged, giving her a soft kiss.
It was a beautiful sight to witness, to see the purity in their young love as if they'd already grown old with one another. They definitely acted beyond their age, having a maturity far greater than expected of either of them.
When you’re being chased by the Wizard, you have no choice but to grow fast.
I didn't wish that life for them. I wanted them to enjoy New York like the young couple in love they were, and not as though they were fugitives.
Their kiss was short but held enough affection for both of them to embrace. They wrapped their arms around one another, taking a full minute to enjoy the moment of being in each other’s arms.
Nick pulled back and smiled down at Nia. "Wanna get Chinese?"
She rolled her eyes. "Black people don't eat Chinese," she teased, as if this was an old inside joke between them.
"Oh no. Don't go assuming anything," he gasped.
Nia began to giggle. "Let's be real. Everyone loves Chinese food. Cheap and delicious. Never gets old."
Nick pulled out of the hug, his back facing us as he pointed down the alley. "Let's go that way since we came from this direction.”
"Sure," Nia replied, looking our way.
That was when I held my breath, feeling the tug begin to grow stronger and radiant.
Nia's eyes grew wide as if she could see us. I remained completely still, but I didn't start panicking until she took a step forward towards us, followed by another.
I blurted the word before I could think. "Dad?" I breathed. "She's looking at us."
"You know, that is the first time you called me ‘dad.’ Nice to be acknowledged for what I am," he pointed out. "To answer you, yes. I'm aware. Stay calm. She doesn't see you but your energy. Seems she’s stronger than I estimated."
Nia was still hesitant, but she took another step, followed by another. For a second, she stared into my eyes like I was truly in front of her and not a figment of her mind.
"Nia?" Nick called.
Nia didn't answer, her eyes still looking into mine. I could feel her. The whirlpool of emotions going round and round, but for a brief second, there was complete serenity.
As if she understood why I was here and I meant no harm.
"Ya?" she asked, her voice dreamy and distant.
Nick had walked back and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a back hug. "Can I ask what invisible equation did you solve this time?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," she whispered. "It's hasn't been completely written yet," her words may have answered Nick's question, but I felt they were directed to us.
"I'm pretty tired. Let's get back to the hotel and watch Netflix,"
"Netflix and chill," Nick had a knowledgeable grin on his lips, place a light kiss on her neck.
"Goodness, no. Imagine having sex in those tiny capsule hotels. We might as well turn ourselves in like real sex criminals,"
Nick laughed. "You just have to be very quiet,"
"Hmph. Not happening," she said.
"At least cuddles and kisses?" he asked hopefully.
"Fine," Nia replied. "I can handle that,"
He let go of her waist, offering her his hand. She placed hers into his, the two of them smiling at one another.
"We'll survive this," she whispered.
"We will," Nick replied. "Then we'll be back here, ready to shop till we drop,"
I watched them turn around and head down the alley, disappearing at the end as they turned right into the busy streets.
"King Thallen," I whispered.
"Yes?"
"I will train harder, faster, and learn as much as I can. You can set the time frame. Once my time has reached, and you deem me ready, will I join the hunt?"
"There's an exception," King Thallen started.
I didn’t let him finish. "They need immunity. Or th
e best security you can provide. I won't let the Wizard have either of them. They will be the heart of many warriors, and the hope for many humans as well know it," I vowed.
"Very well," King Thallen replied. "Let us return and continue your training."
10
My Beta Changeling
Six months of training with my father in Fairy and finally being able to take more frequent trips into the mortal world have given me a sense of who I was again.
A sense of purpose.
I no longer felt like my skin was crawling and even though the nightmares haven’t gone away completely, they were a lot more manageable. It helped that I had a higher purpose, now, and that I had a constant supply of food.
It was a lot easier to get stronger when I had fuel.
I still couldn’t beat King Thallen, but I’d been able to hold my own against many of his seasoned hunters.
The weather held a crispness in the air. The seasons would change soon, and I hoped that meant that my new wards, Nia and Nick, would be able to get some kind of peace.
They were still on their own, pretending they were attending Harvard.
They were staying in a mid-level hotel, which was smart. They had access to the amenities like WIFI and other concierge service without having to worry about sticking out like a sore thumb if they were either in too luxe a place or a roach motel.
Here, they were just two people in the constant stream of humanity that rushed in and out of New York.
I sipped my steaming coffee. It had just enough bite to keep me alert, and enough smoothness to be comforting. I watched as Nick and Nia strolled through the hotel lobby, as happy and tired as any other tourist. As they stepped onto the elevator, I focused my energy and appeared on their floor.
I waited for them to exit the elevator, which they did and strolled to their room. I wondered if they even noticed how their pace and gait were perfectly matched, as if they were made to go together. Perfect partners, in both dance and battle.
Shadows and Sorcery: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 24