Alpha Rising

by Quinn Loftis

  Ludcarab didn’t respond as the two fae who had dropped her off reappeared. She placed her hand on the arm of one while the elf king did the same on the other, and then they flashed from the mountaintop. When they reappeared, they were inside a huge structure with ceilings so high that sounds echoed. On one end of the building, a handful of supernaturals were sparring in hand-to-hand combat. As her gaze roamed over the room, she saw that there were more clusters of supernaturals sparring, but with magic instead of martial arts. Finally, another group sparred with wolves in their bestial form. She realized they were training on how to fight different supernatural races, preparing for the myriad of abilities they might encounter from their enemies. But she didn’t miss the fact that there were some races absent.

  “Follow me,” Ludcarab said, grabbing her attention from the busy room.

  Myanin trailed after the elf king and tried not to be impressed with the formidable army they’d been building. Her only question was why the hell were they sparring in a building instead of out doing what they’re designed to do: fighting.

  They reached a set of double doors and Ludcarab retrieved a cellphone from his pocket. Myanin was beginning to realize if one was in the human realm for any length of time, this cellphone device was apparently a necessity.

  He held it to his ear as he spoke. “Meet us in the armory.” With that, he ended the call and slipped it back into the pocket of his black military-style pants. The elf king looked very much the warrior in his boots, pants, and dark, fitted vest. Myanin wanted to spar with him and see if it was a costume, or if he was actually capable of being a worthy opponent in battle.

  After passing through the double doors, they walked down a long, dimly lit corridor until they reached a large steel door. Myanin could feel the wards protecting it when they were a good five feet away. Once they were within arm’s length, Ludcarab held up his hand and spoke in the elven language. She heard the scrape of bolts moving and the clank of tumblers turning. After a minute, the elf king pulled on the handle, and the door swung open as if it weighed nothing, though it was at least six inches thick.

  She walked in and took in the round room. They’d stepped from a clinical-looking corridor into a well-organized armory filled with weapons that hummed with magic—powerful magic. Her skin buzzed with the energy that flowed from the swords, arrows, and daggers that adorned the walls. Also present were double-sided axes, iron-tipped whips, and ancient throwing stars that the elves were known for using in battle.

  “Fae blood isn’t the only thing that adorns these weapons,” Myanin said as she walked closer to a wall where hundreds of arrows hung.

  “Fae blood isn’t the only blood that can do damage,” a new voice said.

  Myanin turned quickly. The pale skin was enough to give him away, but the ancient black eyes and strong, pungent smell of blood clearly belied his undead nature. “Vampire.” She couldn’t help the sharp tone in her voice. Djinn didn’t care for vamps. They were parasites, which she hated. She preferred worthy adversaries who fought face-to-face with honor instead of cowardly striking from the shadows. But she was going to have to learn to play nice … for now.

  “King vampire, actually,” he corrected and bowed his head in an old-world gesture. “I am Sincaro, and I would like to welcome you to the Order.”

  A vampire with manners? Surprising.

  “This is Cain.” A man stepped out from behind Sincaro. He had the same pale skin and dead eyes. “He is one of my most powerful coven leaders and a strong believer in the Order’s mission.”

  Myanin gave them a sharp nod of her head. “I am Myanin.”

  “So Ludcarab was telling the truth.” Another man suddenly appeared in the room.

  Ludcarab, Sincaro, and Cain all tensed. Myanin took in the newest addition. She knew he was a fae by the way he flashed into the room, but the power rolling off him revealed he was also a high fae. This male was the only one who might actually give her a run for her money in a fight.

  “I am Alston,” the fae said. “I have to admit, I was skeptical when Ludcarab said he’d managed to convince a djinn to join us.”

  “Who said I’ve joined?” Myanin asked. “I’m taking a tour of the facilities. It’s yet to be determined if this is worth my time.”

  Ludcarab cursed in the old language of his people, which almost made her laugh. If he thought she was going to be a puppet, he’d recruited the wrong djinn. Not that any other djinn would have given him the time of day.

  Alston’s features sharpened, and he stood a little taller as he looked at her. She was his equal in height, but it was apparent he was trying to intimidate her. “We aren’t here to play games, djinn,” the high fae said. “We have a purpose, and you are either with us or you are in our way.”

  Myanin took a step toward him. She felt power humming beneath her skin. The weapons hanging on the walls began to shake, and there was a growing hum from the metal vibrating against each other. When she was a foot from the high fae, she stopped and looked into his eyes. He was powerful. His jaw was clenched tight, and his body rigid as if he was trying to restrain himself. If he decided not to, he could bring the building down around them. But then, so could she.

  “If I join you, it will be because I want to. Not because you attempted to scare me into compliance,” Myanin said in a very controlled voice. “I am not a secret weapon. I am not a pet. I am not an asset. I am a djinn. And aside from maybe you, I’m the only one who could level this entire city. I suggest not attempting to bully me. It makes me irritable. And by the way, considering I’m the consolation prize, and I’m as powerful as I am, you didn’t have a chance in hell of recruiting the male you were actually after.”

  Alston stared at her, his own power making his skin glow slightly. After several heartbeats, he stepped back, though he didn’t look away from her. He was not conceding defeat, Myanin knew that immediately. Alston was not prey. If he’d been a wolf, he’d have been an alpha. He was simply picking his battles.

  “If you are still on the fence about things…” He glanced at Ludcarab as if making a point that the elf king had failed in bringing her on board. So there was a power struggle within the Order. “Then let us discuss where we are at this point and where we would like to be.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Sincaro said as he, too, looked at the elf king. “Ludcarab, would you like to fill her in on the recent victory?”

  “Do you think that wise?” Cain asked. “She’s not a leader in this,”

  “She is a djinn,” Sincaro snapped, cutting off his coven leader. “Whether we can trust her or not at this point isn’t important. We need her. It is as simple as that.”

  Myanin’s respect for the vampire went up several notches considering he’d just been honest. “Because you need the veils open?” she asked.

  Sincaro looked at the elf king. “So you did tell her something at least?”

  Ludcarab rolled his eyes. “Of course, I told her. I didn’t expect her to sign up just because I did a cheer and promised her we’d be the winning team.”

  “That’s a pity.” Alston sighed. “I’d have paid money to see you holding pom-poms.”

  Ludcarab shot the high fae a scathing look.

  “Moving on,” Sincaro said quickly. He was obviously the peacekeeper in the bunch, which meant he’d probably be the last man standing when it was all said and done. “Ludcarab, if you will.”

  The elf king stared a moment longer before finally turning to her. He began recounting to her the most recent events from the Canis lupus pack, led by the infamous Vasile Lupei, beginning with their efforts to eradicate the vampire covens across the human realm to the most recent battle that acquired the Order some wolf pups, mates, and a gypsy healer.

  By the time he’d finished speaking, Myanin was seriously considering telling them to take their Order and jump into the jaws of a draheim because she might not be an elder djinn or a history keeper, but she knew of Vasile Lupei, and she also knew how the wol
ves felt about their mates and children. If the Order wanted a war, they were certainly going to get one.

  But before she spoke rashly, she stopped and considered what she knew from the elder’s memories and from what Thadrick had told her over the years. She’d always been a little fascinated with the ways of the Canis lupus. Their loyalty to each other was powerful, and she’d always envied the mate bonds they shared.

  “You mentioned that the high fae who fights with them, Perizada, wasn’t on the battlefield?” Myanin asked.

  “Perizada was not there.” It was Alston who answered her. “She has, no doubt, realized that she is no match for me or the Order.”

  Right. Or maybe she just got sick of the smell of bullshit because Alston was full of it. “So why are you here instead of there, attacking them while they’re worried about their mates and pups?” Even as the question left her mouth, she couldn’t believe she’d just suggested they attack the Romania pack and their allies, especially considering the wolves were probably terrified for the safety of their pack members.

  As if he could see her hesitation, Ludcarab said, “There was another djinn on the battlefield.”

  Had she not been a supernatural, her neck might have broken at the speed she snapped it around to look at him. “A male djinn?”

  The elf king nodded. “Do your people not know that they’ve got djinn out doing battle in the human realm?”

  Myanin didn’t answer that, instead asking a question of her own. “Was it the male your vamps were looking for when they found me?”

  “We were following a possible lead when we sent the vampires to Indianapolis,” Sincaro answered. “How many djinn does your race have running around the human realm? Rumor has always been that the djinn, like some of the other secretive supernaturals, stayed in their own realm.”

  She stayed quiet. Myanin wasn’t about to reveal that she wasn’t that high up in the chain of command anymore. A few months ago, she’d have known everything because of her post at the veil. But now, she only knew what they told her, which, lately, had been when to beat Lyra’s rugs.

  Her mind went back to the fact that there was a male djinn on the battlefield, fighting with Vasile Lupei and his people. It could have been Thadrick. He seemed to have suddenly decided they needed to be involved in the other supernatural races’ issues. If he was fighting for them, then she would be fighting for the Order. It was as simple as that.

  “We need to attack them at this stronghold. What did you call it?”

  “The Keep,” Alston answered.

  She nodded and began walking slowly around the circular room. “We need to catch them off guard. When you have your enemy retreating, you don’t back off.” Her training kicked in as her mind went into battle mode. “You press forward. You push and push until they’re at the edge of the cliff and then you shove them off.”

  “Damn,” Cain muttered. “You got something against Vasile and his pack?”

  She cut him a sharp glance. “I have neither love nor hate for the wolves.”

  “But you do have your own agenda,” he countered.

  “I could say the same of each of you.” Myanin turned to face the four males.

  “Perhaps,” Cain agreed. “But when Ludcarab mentioned the male djinn, something changed in you. Are you a woman scorned, Myanin?”

  She hissed through her teeth as she threw her hand out, allowing her power to flow. It hit the vampire in the chest, drove him into the opposite wall, then lifted him off the ground until he was ten feet in the air. His back pressed against the blades hanging on the wall behind him.

  “Definitely a woman scorned,” Alston said dryly.

  “My business is my own,” she seethed.

  “Release him,” Ludcarab commanded.

  After several deep breaths, she let Cain fall. He landed on his feet, as graceful as a cat, then stood and straightened his suit jacket. “I apologize if I hit a nerve.”

  She nearly snorted at the “if.” They both knew there was no “if” he hit a nerve. He’d stabbed a nerve with a blade. “I apologize for reacting so sharply.” See? I can be calm.

  “I agree with your idea,” Ludcarab said. “But you will not join in the battle. None of us will. That’s what soldiers are for.”

  “You don’t get to tell me—” Myanin began but the elf king made a slashing motion through the air, stopping her mid-sentence.

  “Yes, I do. I do get to tell you,” Ludcarab snapped. “You are more powerful than I am. I can concede that. I am not a fool, but I am a ruler. I have led a kingdom for centuries, and I know what I am doing. There cannot be multiple leaders if an organization is to be successful. And those who are not appointed leader must follow. That is how successful empires rise to power. You will either be able to follow orders or you will not. If you will not, then you might as well be on your way.”

  Myanin looked at the other males, waiting to see if they would contradict him. They didn’t. Though they resented Ludcarab, they agreed with him. At least for now. Myanin knew that she was going to have to learn to pick her battles, especially if she wanted a chance to take out Thadrick, or at least the witch he was apparently infatuated with. She didn’t think she could take on Thadrick, but she’d have no trouble at all with the female called Jezebel.

  “Fine.” Myanin relaxed her stance. “I can respect that. But if they have a djinn, wouldn’t it be wise to have one fighting on your side, as well?”

  “Vasile will not allow the djinn to use even a quarter of his power. If anything, the djinn will use his power as some sort of diversion. Vasile knows that innocents would suffer if the djinn fought us openly, and that is one of his greatest weaknesses. The alpha will protect those he does not even know at the cost of the lives of his warriors,” Alston said.

  “It sounds like you know him personally,” she said.

  “I do.” Alston grimaced. “Once upon a time, he might have even considered me a friend, if not only an ally. I had hoped in the time I spent with him that he might be open to the cause of the Order. But after a while, I realized he would never understand our mission.”

  “So you think that even if the djinn is there, he won’t be a threat?” Myanin asked.

  “Correct,” Alston said.

  “Even on the battlefield here,” Ludcarab said, “the djinn wasn’t causing major damage. The sprites were actually the ones giving us a run for our money.”

  “Sprites?” Myanin was surprised that the elusive supernaturals had stepped out of their own realm. “Do you have sprites that support the Order?”

  “We’re still working on a few supernatural races,” Ludcarab admitted a bit begrudgingly.

  “If we’re going to attack their Keep, then we need to make a plan and get our warriors ready.” Sincaro’s black eyes appeared a little wild.

  “Agreed,” the elf king said. Then, to her surprise, he looked at her. “Do you have the memories of your people?”

  “You mean am I a history keeper?”

  “Correct.”

  “No, but I have acquired some of the history recently.” When Sincaro—who seemed to be the curious one of the bunch—opened his mouth, she held up a hand to stop him. “How I acquired that history is my own business.”

  “And in that acquired information,” Ludcarab continued, “did you gain any past knowledge on the wolves and their fighting techniques?”

  “You mean like strategy?” Myanin closed her eyes and pictured the vault of memories she’d taken from Lyra and then sifted through them. She kept thinking over and over in her mind, “wolves at war.” She had no idea if that was going to get her to the information she was looking for, but it felt like the right thing to do. She began counting, attempting to track how long it took before something happened. She made it to one hundred before her mind stopped, and she was on a battlefield filled with Canis lupus. Most of them were in their wolf form, though some did fight in their human form. It was dark and cold. She could see the breath of the wolves as they lunge
d at one another, jaws open and eyes wild with the rage of their beasts. She heard a voice and turned her head at the sound.

  “Fall back,” a tall male yelled. “Get out of range.” She watched as the wolves he must have commanded began to do as he asked. Their enemy seemed to think they’d won, that the other wolves were retreating. But then Myanin heard the unmistakable whiz of soaring arrows through the sky. Anyone who trained with archers would know that sound in their sleep.

  The arrows arched downward and picked off the wolves that had been celebrating their supposed victory one by one. It was a smart strategy, though the leader of the wolves who’d retreated would have managed to keep the full attention of their enemy while the archers moved to the side of the enemy in order to gain their back and be able to attack from behind. Just as she was about to pull out of the memory, she felt something inside of her stir, but it wasn’t her own power. It was the power she was tapping into—the elder’s power. Myanin focused, trying to figure out what it was she was feeling. In her mind's eye, she could see images in time, streamlined but moving and flowing like a river. But suddenly the streamlined images undulated, as if a stone had been thrown into the river, causing a ripple effect, and the images were distorted. Then another ripple came, much larger, causing the images to disperse and return in disarray. What the…? She tried to focus on what she’d just seen. Then she felt the elder’s presence—her power, her ability—coming through loud and clear, and a realization struck Myanin. Lyra had apparently been able to mess with people’s minds, confusing their memories. The elders were powerful, but they claimed not to use their specific powers unless absolutely necessary. What she’d just seen was a vision of Lyra confusing someone’s memories.

  Myanin’s heart beat a little faster as she began to understand what this might mean if she was able to use that power now that she possessed Lyra’s magic. She would be able to keep Thadrick from recording history correctly. She heard a voice saying her name, and she immediately held up her hand. “Don’t interrupt. If you ask me a question and actually want me to figure something out, then at least have more patience than a toddler and let me get your answer.”