The Paragon Element (Book 1)

by Jeff Hale

It was a swanky looking place with a very upscale feel to it, which didn’t change my initial opinion of it whatsoever. There were already people in line, hemmed in by red ropes that formed a short maze at the entrance and were guarded at both ends by large bouncers. I was suddenly struck by an odd feeling that I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

  Nina pulled into the parking garage that was adjacent to the club and found a space on the third level. We all got out and took the elevator down to the first level, then walked around to the entrance. As we got closer, that odd feeling returned even stronger. On a hunch, I pulled power and let my vision slip into what MAGE referred to as Aether Sight. It worked somewhat like infrared except it allowed me to see the ebb and flow of Aetheric energies; if something was supernatural, I would see it. What I saw surprised me, but at the same time, didn’t. The place fairly resonated with Aetheric energy.

  How had Nina found this place? More importantly, what was this place? I looked towards the bouncers and found them to be completely human. I slipped back to normal vision; if I could sense this much Aether from the outside, then I didn’t want to take a chance on giving myself a horrendous headache from what it might be like inside. As we approached the first bouncer, he held his hand up to stop us. Nina just waltzed up to him and gave him her best innocent girl next door that’s ready to fuck your brains out smile.

  “Heya, Tom, you remember me? I deejayed here about a month ago?” she asked in a friendly tone.

  “Oh, yeah, hey, Nina. Go on in.” He unhooked the rope and let us into the rope maze. He waved to the guy at the door, who motioned the crowd to step to one side. They complied, but not without a lot of grumbling and complaining. We moved past them and into the building as the bouncer opened the door for us.

  Inside was a lobby, also filled with waiting people, but these club-goers were dressed more expensively than those outside, and I thought a few of the faces looked familiar, like I had seen them on TV maybe. The bouncer from outside nodded at the one in the lobby, and we were let through another set of doors, although this time there were no complaints from those waiting. There was a short hallway on the other side and I noticed multiple scanners. I figured some were the typical sort: metal detectors, and the chemical detectors for drugs that some of the richer clubs could afford. But considering the Aetheric nature of the place, I also imagined that there might also be infrared detectors so that security knew whether or not a vampire or shifter was on the prowl. Low or non-existent body heat would be a vamp, and shifters tended to run hotter than normal. Nothing I knew from a lot of experience since I’d only ever dealt with one vampire before and I hadn’t gotten overly friendly with him, despite the fact that we had ended up working together briefly.

  I had no doubt there were other, non-physical detectors and wards in place as well. In fact, as we passed into the crowded restaurant on the other side, I heard a mental ping followed by a loud screech that made me wince. As suddenly as it had happened it was gone. I glanced around, knowing that I had set some magical alarm off, something the others couldn’t possibly have heard, but I continued on after them as we followed Nina through the restaurant, then through a set of tall hanging curtains and into the club proper.

  The place was full, even though the music hadn’t started yet. There was an expansive dance floor. It was made of glass squares, or at least something like it, and there were multicolored lights in each square that were alternating colors. I guessed that when the music started, the colors might change in time with the beat. There were more colored lights and spotlights in the ceiling.

  The DJ room was to the left of the dance floor. A door led up to that room, and a large window was all that separated the DJ and the crowd. The dance floor had a raised pedestal in each of the four corners. On each pedestal was a caged dancing area, and lining the dance floor, the walls, and running up the back of each cage was tubing; tubing that was very much active as flames of varying color shot through them at timed intervals. Those timed intervals probably mirrored the music when it was going.

  There was a bar to the immediate right, and I could see three more towards the back of the club next to a dining area. Between the nearest bar and the far ones, along the wall leading to the back, were booths. Curtains arched out around each booth that could be pulled shut for complete privacy was a bar, and I could tell that there were at least three more bars towards the back in what looked to be a dining area. I followed Nina, Dave, and Kat to one of the booths. Once we got everyone situated, I excused myself and headed towards the bathroom, figuring that I would probably be intercepted by someone who worked here because of the alarm I’d triggered.

  As I headed towards the general area of the bathrooms, my hunch proved to be correct. I saw a slight looking man who appeared to be in his twenties, flanked on either side by two large ex-military type guys wearing tight black tank tops and black slacks. One was bald, the other had his dark blonde hair done in a military high and tight. They were both armed with a .45 caliber pistol and an ASP. They approached me with intent and purpose, the smaller man gliding towards me. That was the best way to describe how he walked, gliding, and it was full of grace and energy. I could feel Aetheric energy fairly pouring off this guy, and I was immediately on edge.

  He wore a white suit with a black shirt and tie, and had long silver hair that reached his mid-back and flowed around him like there was a constant breeze. His eyes were black, and as he approached they flashed a deep red color. He looked slender to the point of being fragile, but somehow I knew deep down he was anything but. I caught the sweet scent of decay, but also the scent of a fresh rainfall, the two odors make me think of the cycle of death and rebirth. Underlying it was a slight smell of sulfur, and I could feel a kindred spirit in him. He was connected, somehow, to flame and heat, much like I was.

  The two big guys came alongside me and each grabbed one of my arms. I tried to pull away, surprised by their strength as they resisted me, and I fought back the urge to use magic to hurt them. Much as I didn’t like being restrained, they were doing their jobs as security and I didn’t really have the desire to wade through all the paperwork that challenging them would probably result in.

  The one on my right, the blonde, expertly pulled my arm behind my back in a fashion the police tended to use and I guessed he must be ex-law enforcement of some sort. The one on my left began to quickly pat me down, producing my daggers. Surprise went through me. No mortal could have found those daggers, which meant the two muscle getting all personal with me probably weren’t human. I let my Aetheric Sight slip into place and glanced over my shoulder. Most supernaturals had some way to hide from normal humans, whether it was looking human themselves, or a type of camouflage. Aetheric Sight could pierce through both, either alerting me to what the person was, almost like an aura, or letting me see through the disguise.

  The real forms of the two guys holding me didn’t surprise me for some reason. They were both the same type of creature, very tall, probably close to twelve feet, with the girth and muscle to match. Each had a single large blue eye, right above the bridge of their wide fleshy noses. They looked almost identical to one another, with shaggy dark hair and narrow thin lips. Each wore thick brigandine armor and had a massive halberd strapped to his back.

  Cyclopes.

  Fucking wonderful, they’re fae. MAGE didn’t have a whole hell of a lot of information on fae other than they were considered highly dangerous and we weren’t to mess with them. What information they did have was a lot of myth and speculation, but claimed there were two classes of fae, royalty and commoners, and that commoners were the weaker ones. Thankfully, the Cyclopes fell into the commoner variety, and if I remembered correctly from my fae mythology, they were created by a prominent Greek Fae dynasty. Built as bodyguards to the Royal Court, the one eye was heightened in sense, able to not only catch minute details, but to use Aether Sight, see into the infrared, ultraviolet, and a few other spectrums as well. When they failed to stop an assassination by a
rival Court, the Cyclopes were discarded and replaced. Now most of them were mercs or sellswords that worked for the highest bidder, utilizing their size, strength, quickness and agility. I could attest to the first two traits, but I decided against trying the last two because I just didn’t want to find out the hard way. They both had their single eyes fixed on me, just waiting for me to give them trouble. I let the Aetheric Sight drop and looked towards the man who they were protecting.

  “Don’t do what I know you’re about to do,” I heard Talon’s voice in my head.

  “Where the hell have you been?” I asked back mentally, irritated.

  “Around. Your life isn’t the only one I’m connected to you know. I have my own to deal with.”

  “Sorry, I hadn’t thought of that. And why shouldn’t I check this guy out in the Aetheric?” I questioned silently.

  “Because, Mr. Kerensky, you would probably go blind at the sight of my true form,” the silver-haired man spoke as he appraised me.

  “And who the hell are you?” I narrowed my eyes at the man and pulled against the two fae restraining me. “I warn you, if these goons don’t let go of me, I’ll make sure that they are are missing more than just their second eye, and if you read my mind again, I’m going to pull your brain out of your ears,” I bluffed. This guy was no joke. It was like he was in the Aether itself and channeling the energy through him, like a conduit. I had no illusions that he could burn down the world, had he the desire to do so.

  “And I believe you would honestly try, and possibly succeed, Mr. Kerensky. You are indeed an odd guest. You are…?” he said, tilting his head to one side in curiosity.

  “I’m a sorcerer. I just have a natural touch for it is all. It seems to put most people on edge,” I said through clenched teeth. This guy was seriously trying my patience.

  “Indeed. Whatever you say. But where are my manners? I am Lucien. Welcome to the Velvet Flame. It isn’t every day that we get a representative from the esteemed MAGE here. Enjoy your time here.” He motioned around him. “Theros, Aktaion.” He gave his guards a pointed look and they went to stand behind their employer, the one on my left handing my daggers back to me.

  “Wait,” I called out as he turned towards the door he had emerged from. “You gave me a name, but who the hell are you? Why would I go blind if I saw your true form?”

  “Because, Mr. Kerensky. Like you, I am also a unique individual. For anyone to see the very essence of life and death is to go blind with the sheer truth of it. And that, Mr. Kerensky, is what I am. The very essence of life and death. The purity of your chosen element knows no bounds, as it can create just as much as it can destroy.”

  “So you would have me believe that a fae could be the central aspect of my element? I somehow doubt that. And I didn’t choose it. I was born under a sign of flame, so I am fire.”

  “Why, Mr. Kerensky, when did I ever say I was fae? And as for your element, you believe you are limited to one; you are not. You are not what you believe yourself to be, but you will find that out when you decide that you are ready for the truth.” With that he walked off, leaving me confused and fighting the urge to shift to Aetheric S ight just to see what he was. I erred on the side of caution and decided not to. The power coming off of him was warning enough that he wasn’t boasting.

  Sighing, I walked back to our booth and drew the curtains back far enough to sit down and scoot inside, closing the curtains behind me. I sat there in shocked silence as Dave, Nina, and Kat all visited around me.

  Nina was the most vocal, bitching about Kelly. Nina had never gotten along with Kelly, tracing a grudge that was held between the two of them all the way back to third grade when Kelly had fairly trounced Nina in a playground fight and stripped her of most of her clothing in the process. That’s when Nina had asked to be put into martial arts lessons, and her parents complied, wanting their daughter to be able to protect herself if needed. I also believed that’s when Nina had decided that exhibitionism was for her. Maybe I was wrong, but one never knew.

  “Rick? Hey, Rick! Planet Earth to Rick!” Dave was waving his hand in front of my face, and I came out of my reverie. “Hey, man, you okay? Kat asked you a question.”

  “Want to go play some pool?” she asked, smiling hopefully at me.

  I nodded absently and followed them back to a corner that held six pool tables, two air hockey tables and a few bar-type arcade machines. Two of the pool tables were empty and we claimed one. Nina racked the balls, and I broke, sinking two striped balls off the break. Good start anyway, but knowing my luck, I would scratch shooting at the eight at the end of the game.

  Three games later I quit playing. Nina and Kat had beaten me and Dave soundly all three times and I was tired of having my ass handed to me on a platinum platter. They made it feel good to lose at least, especially in the outfits they were wearing and I told myself that I had lost because I was distracted.

  Right.

  It was about eight o’clock and I had fallen into a slight depression. Hanging out with Dave and Nina with another girl felt kind of odd, mainly because I kept thinking Serena should be there. Then that brought my thoughts around to her killer. The cops had never been able to come up with a suspect, and it had left me, and her family, always wondering. It bothered me. They should have gotten something. They knew Serena had been attacked, that the killer had spoken my name, but the other details were sketchy. After I’d started working for MAGE, I had used their resources to pull up the file on her death. It had been an agonizing decision, and I’d steeled myself for the autopsy photos only to find there weren’t any; just a stamp on the report form claiming the autopsy had not been permitted. The rest of the coroner’s report hadn’t found an obvious cause of death, and the police report cleared her family of any suspicion. The investigation into her death had run into a brick wall, and the case had been closed. My emotions at the time were still too raw when it came to Serena, so I had just backed away from it and focused on my studies.

  But things were different now. I was older and I’d had time to heal. Maybe I could investigate Serena’s death on the side. Then I could at least work. I hated having this time off. Doing my job made feel confident. Powerful. At the moment, I was feeling awkward and I hated it. I glanced over at Kat. I knew I should be myself around her, but I wanted to impress her, and I felt that being myself wouldn’t cut it. Deep down I knew it wasn’t true, but it didn’t change anything.

  Of course this boiled down to my ultimate self-defense mechanism, being quiet and anti-social. After about ten minutes of Nina, Dave and Kat joking, Nina was throwing me looks that told me that I better not be like this all night. Despite my distance from the group, I overheard part of their current conversation. Being a student of magic had its perks, and increasing my hearing was one of them.

  “So, what’s with him?” Kat was asking. “He’s really quiet. Is something wrong? Did I do something?”

  “Must be Serena again,” Dave answered, sighing.

  “Not again. Is he ever going to get over her? She would want him to move on and be happy. All of us know that,” Nina cut in.

  “Serena? That girl you mentioned? Your friend?” Kat asked, curiosity in her voice.

  “Yeah,” Nina said.

  “So what about her? He have a crush on her? She break up with him? What?” Kat asked, obviously not fully informed of who Serena was. That explained why Kat felt like she could bring up the subject so nonchalantly.

  “Aerick lived in Oklahoma before his parents’ work moved them out here. Serena used to live across the street from him, and even when he moved they stayed in touch with each other. She died, oh… almost three years ago.” Nina was looking intently at Kat, watching for a reaction.

  “Oh, how sad. She meant a lot to him, huh?” Kat dropped her gaze to her lap, then glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

  “Yeah… she did,” Dave said.

  “Well, it’s something I can understand. My father, my real father, died when I
was a baby. My mom never stopped loving him, even after she remarried. My step-dad doesn’t understand and he’s always bitching at my mom about how she still loves my dad and he’s tired of competing with a ghost,” Kat said in a sad voice.

  They sat quietly for a few minutes before the music began playing. Some techno-electronica song started up and Nina immediately grabbed Dave and headed out to the dance floor. Poor Dave. He didn’t really dance, more like just stood in front of Nina while she grinded on him. If we could all be so lucky.

  “So I know I said I wouldn’t pry, but what was she like?” Kat asked suddenly, moving to sit down next to me and leaning into me to talk into my ear over the music.

  “Huh… who?” I was taken off guard, both by the question and the warmth of her breath against my ear.

  “Serena. What was she like?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Ah, that’s your problem. You don’t talk about it. You have to or it’s just going to build up,” she said empathetically.

  “No offense, but I don’t know you that well yet. Give it some time. If we end up getting along, and if we end up knowing each other for a while, then ask me again.”

  “Fine. Damn, I was just trying to find out a little bit more about you. Well, I know that you have really good hearing now.”

  “And how do you know that?” I asked, a little surprised.

  “Easy. You didn’t ask me how I knew about Serena, so you must have overheard my conversation with Dave and Nina.”

  Observant, wasn’t she? That could get dangerous, especially if she was around me a lot. I would have to be more careful. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

  “You aren’t making this easy,” she said, tilting her head to the side.

  “Making what easy?”

  “Me getting to know you better. I want to, Aerick. You intrigue me. And you’re cute.”

  “Don’t ever call me that again.” I hated being called ‘cute’. It was something I had barely even let Serena get away with.