by SF Mazhar
A moment of complete silence passed before the army of Orcs swung their swords high above their heads and came at them with a loud battle wail.
The Hunters spread out, guns locked and aimed. Aaron’s hand found his pistol, tucked safely in the holster at his side, when his mum and dad stepped in front of him, shielding him. As one, the Hunters fired at the approaching Orcs, but it only seemed to slow them down, not kill them. The Hunters darted in different directions, forcing the Orcs to segregate into smaller groups to fight them. The few Hunters that carried swords pulled them out. The clang of metal hitting metal rang in the air as the Hunters deflected the attacks of the Orcs.
Aaron had his gun in hand, but his parents gave him no opportunity to fight. Both Chris and Kate stood before him, firing at the Orcs that got too close. It took more than a few bullets to get through the Orcs’ tough, armoured skin, but when they did, the Orcs fell to the ground dead.
When Chris ran out of bullets, the Orcs took their chance to attack. They swung their swords and all three Adams had to duck to avoid them. Kate continued shooting but Chris pulled out his sword. With a well-aimed swipe, Chris made one Orc fall back, a thin red line across its torso.
It didn’t stay back for long. Joined by another six, the group of Orcs charged forward. Three Orcs went for Chris, easily drawing him away from Kate and Aaron. Another three Orcs leapt at Kate with their curved swords, even as she continued to fire at them. They swung their blades and Kate was forced to move out of the way. That left one Orc with a direct path to Aaron.
The Orc let out a gruff grunt before darting towards him. Aaron moved back, his gun in hand. He fired and the bullet just missed the Orc’s ear. The beast let out a disgruntled roar and charged at him.
Aaron dived under its arm and turned around before shooting three more bullets. All were easily dodged by the Orc, who moved faster than Aaron thought possible. Aaron shot again and again, all the while moving back. The Orc got closer and closer. Usually, at this point, Aaron would discard the gun and use his powers. He would have thrown a ripple at the enemy, blasting them metres away, but the presence of the Blade had already sapped his power from him, leaving him vulnerable and defenceless without his weapons.
Aaron pulled the trigger and his gun clicked. Horror filled him as he realised he had run out of bullets. Aaron didn’t have the time to waste on it. He tossed the gun away and pulled out a throwing knife from his belt. He saw the glint in the Orc’s eyes as it surveyed Aaron’s choice of weaponry and dismissed it. It slashed its sword through the air and Aaron had to jump back to avoid being sliced in half.
Flicking his wrist just like he had been taught, Aaron threw the knife. It spun in the air before hitting the Orc in the chest. The beast paused for a moment before wrenching the knife out and dropping it to the ground. But in that time, Aaron had another three blades in hand. He threw each one at the approaching Orc until the beast swayed on its thick, clumsy feet. Aaron pulled out another two blades but just as he raised his arm to throw them, a flash of silver – quick as lightning – grazed his arm.
Aaron dropped the knives and staggered back with a hiss, clutching his bleeding arm. He turned to look to the side where the attack came from, and saw another Orc grunting at him, sword in hand. Aaron threw himself to the ground to avoid the swing of its blade. By the time Aaron clambered to his feet, a third Orc had joined the first two. Aaron’s hand groped his belt for another blade but he couldn’t find one. The Orcs were moving towards him, forcing Aaron to step back.
The continuous rumble, that reminded Aaron of a freight train, got louder as he neared the edge of the cliff. Tremendous wind whipped at his back, ruffling his hair and clothes. Aaron knew he was cornered. He had nowhere to go. Another step back and he would fall off the cliff. The three Orcs knew it too, as they paused briefly to grin at Aaron with mouthfuls of sharp, pointy teeth.
Aaron didn’t have any more weapons and his powers wouldn’t work being so close to one of Aric’s Blades. Aaron’s panic made it impossible to think, to figure out what he should do. He didn’t dare look away from the Orcs to search for his parents, for Neriah. The Orcs came at Aaron as one, swinging their swords high above their heads. Instinct made Aaron raise his hands to shield himself.
A loud clang resonated in the air as the swords hit a pair of crossed ones. Aaron lowered his hands, staring at the boy that had stepped in front of him to protect him from the Orcs. Aaron didn’t need to see his face to know who it was. Even the long red coat with an inverted V studded in silver on the back wasn’t needed. Aaron knew with one glance – it was Kyran.
Aaron stood rooted to the spot in sheer disbelief, as Kyran held back the Orcs with his twin swords. Kyran’s shoulders lifted and he threw the Orcs back with a mighty push. With a sword in each hand, Kyran battled the demons, easily disarming them. He stabbed one and kicked the other before slashing his sword across the Orc’s torso. He swung both swords up and back to impale the third Orc behind him. With all three Orcs dead and on the ground, Kyran turned to meet Aaron’s surprised eyes.
Being this close to the whirlwind, Aaron wouldn’t have heard anything Kyran said, but Kyran’s lips didn’t move other than to curl upwards into a smile. He winked at Aaron and turned, twisting both bloodstained swords in his hands before heading to the heart of the battle.
That’s when Aaron noticed that Kyran wasn’t the only newcomer – vamages were also there. Everywhere Aaron looked, all he saw were dark-clothed vamages, attacking the Orcs with their swords and guns. The mages looked thrown – Aaron saw Ryan and Omar pause to stare, their eyes as wide as their open mouths, before recommencing their battle against the Orcs.
Amongst the Hunters, Aaron saw his mum. She met his eyes with horror and he saw her scream his name, although he couldn’t hear it. Her terror snapped Aaron out of his stunned daze and he realised he was just standing there, at the edge of the cliff, defenceless. He swooped down and picked up one of the fallen Orcs’ curved blades. It was so heavy, Aaron had to use both hands to lift it up.
He hadn’t acted a moment too soon. An Orc came charging at him, forcing Aaron to raise the sword and block the attack. The force of the hit almost made Aaron’s knees buckle. He felt the clang run down his arms, spiking pain in his shoulders. The Orc pulled back and swung again. Aaron dodged this time and ducked to the side. The missed strike made the Orc tumble forward and fall clean off the edge of the cliff.
Aaron stood up to find his mum at his side and quickly grabbing hold of his arm. She pulled him away from the edge, her gun in hand, but the Orcs were busy fighting the vamages. Aaron couldn’t help but stare at the strange sight of mages and vamages working together to fight another demonic army. The vamages and mages put together easily outnumbered the hideous Orcs. Aaron spotted the blue-eyed vamage – Machado – slicing his way through a crowd of Orcs. A short distance away, Neriah was doing the same.
Kate guided Aaron back to Chris and his parents stood on either side of him, protecting him. But Aaron’s gaze was on Kyran, watching him battle the Orcs in quick, smooth moves. He ducked the retaliating attacks with practised ease, swinging both swords, catching any and all Orcs that got too close. Across from him, Skyler was dealing out similar damage, firing his gun with one hand and swinging his sword in the other.
Both boys met the other’s eye and their fighting increased with vigour. Kyran was slowly making his way through the crowd, dropping the growling beasts to the ground. Skyler was doing the same, until one Orc caught him, knocking the sword out of his hand. Skyler ducked before pulling out his second gun and firing a stream of bullets into the Orc.
Kyran fought the onslaught of Orcs, stabbing one of his blades into an Orc and leaving it there, pulling out his pistol instead. He fired shot after shot, halting the approaching Orcs before swinging his other sword to cut through them.
Both Kyran and Skyler got closer and closer, until they were but a metre apart. Kyran plunged his sword into the last Orc before twisting around and pul
ling out his second pistol. Skyler shot down his last Orc and raised both guns to aim at Kyran, just as he swerved around to face Skyler with his twin pistols locked and aimed right back at him.
Watching them, Aaron wasn’t sure which one would pull the trigger first. But before either boy acted, a large crowd of Orcs came charging at them, from both sides. Kyran and Skyler shared a look before both turned around simultaneously and began firing at the Orcs. Standing back to back, Kyran and Skyler sent bullet after bullet into the Orcs, dropping them to the ground.
Aaron watched as the two Elementals easily fought the crowd of Orcs, not allowing even one to get close enough to attack. They slipped empty magazines out and replaced them with fully loaded ones in the blink of an eye. The popping sound of gunshots filled the air against the background rumble of the whirlwind. Aaron was vaguely aware of his parents joining the fight, firing shots at the Orcs, but his eyes stayed on Kyran and Skyler.
The crowd of Orcs had thinned, leaving bloodied bodies on the ground. Kyran and Skyler floored the last of the Orcs attacking them and immediately turned around, their guns once again aimed at each other.
For the longest time, neither boy did or said anything.
Then Skyler started in his usual drawl. “You know, I would have thought you’d have used better demon scum as a diversion than Orcs,” he said to Kyran. “I’m disappointed with your creativity, Scorcher.”
Kyran smirked. “You think I let them in?”
“You dropped the Gate,” Skyler accused. “You knew we would come, so you let this filth in to distract us.”
Kyran laughed. “Is that so?” he asked. “So tell me, Skyler, if I’m the one who let the Orcs in, why am I here fighting them?”
“You double-crossed them,” Skyler replied. “It’s in your blood, after all.”
Kyran’s eyes darkened but his smirk was firmly in place. “You don’t know anything about my blood,” he said. Then, with a shake of his head, he added, “I didn’t drop the Gate.”
“Then what are you doing here?” Skyler asked.
“The same thing you are,” Kyran said. “I’m here to protect Aric’s Blade.”
Skyler bristled at the mention of the sword. “Protect it? You want to protect the Blade from its rightful holder?”
Kyran smiled and his eyes seemed to brighten. “Alright then, legacy holder. Why don’t you go down there and take the mighty Blade in hand? What are you still doing up here?”
Skyler smirked. “I don’t need the Blade of Avira to deal with the likes of you.”
Kyran chuckled. “What you need is to wake up and see the lies you’ve been fed.”
Skyler let out a scathing laugh. “So says the master of lies.”
Kyran smirked. “I never lied. I just made sure you lot asked all the wrong questions.” He tilted his head and surveyed Skyler with great amusement. “I’ll admit, though, I enjoyed making an idiot out of you. Not that it took that much effort.”
“What about Zulf?” Skyler asked.
Kyran’s smile fell.
“Did you enjoy making an idiot out of him too?” Skyler asked. “He was supposed to be your friend. I actually believed you gave a crap about him.” He shook his head slowly. “You sabotaged that Q-Zone. You’re the reason it wouldn’t lock.” His gaze was an icy blue. “You got Zulf killed.”
“I had nothing to do with that,” Kyran spat and the guns in his hands shook with his anger.
“What would Zulf have thought if he were alive to see who you really are?” Skyler asked. “I guess you did care about Zulf in your own twisted way. You killed him before he could see your truth and be disappointed in–”
Skyler was cut off when Kyran pulled back and swung his pistol at Skyler, knocking him bodily aside. Skyler staggered but regained his balance almost immediately. He turned and fired, aiming at Kyran’s head. Kyran dived out of the way and the battle that had come to a standstill started back with vigour.
Aaron realised then, that all the while Skyler and Kyran were talking, the fight between the mages, vamages and remaining Orcs was still going on. His mum and dad were still by his side, but their guns were lowered, their eyes on Kyran too, watching his fight with Skyler.
Kyran twisted out of the way of Skyler’s bullets, retaliating with his own shots, which Skyler dodged.
“You made a mistake coming here!” Skyler called to Kyran. “You’re not leaving today.”
“Why?” Kyran asked. “You want me to stay for a sleepover?”
Skyler shot three times, all of which Kyran dodged with a smile.
“You’re dead, Scorcher,” Skyler threatened. “I’m going to kill you myself.”
“Then I hope you brought a bullet with my name on it,” Kyran replied. “That’s the only way you can kill me.”
It was Skyler’s turn to smirk. “Believe me. I’ll be the one to shoot you between the eyes with a personalised bullet!”
Kyran chuckled. “Big aspirations for an Avira.”
Skyler lost it and shot with both guns. His anger cost him his aim and Kyran easily avoided the attack.
Their duelling had led them to the other side of the cliff. As Aaron watched, Skyler got closer and closer, driving Kyran nearer to the edge. Aaron found himself reaching to his empty holster, looking for his gun. Naina’s words, spoken not more than an hour or two before, came back to him.
He is not with the mages, despite being one himself. So if you are fighting for him, you’re not fighting for the mages, you’re fighting against them.
Right now, Aaron found he didn’t care about sides. He just didn’t want Kyran getting hurt.
But before he could do anything, it looked like Skyler had run out of bullets, because he threw down one of his guns. The next moment, he tackled Kyran, throwing himself at the other boy. Aaron could only watch in horrified disbelief as Skyler knocked into Kyran – and both boys fell over the edge of the cliff, disappearing from sight.
22
Secrets
Aaron found himself running, bolting towards the edge of the cliff where Kyran and Skyler had gone over.
He heard his mum and dad calling his name, hot at his heels, but he didn’t stop. A few others had left the dwindling battle with the Orcs and were also racing to the edge to see what happened to the two duelling Elementals.
The sound of the whirlwind holding the Blade of Avira deafened Aaron as he got closer to the edge. Adrenaline pumped inside him, his heart hammered against his ribcage and his mouth went dry at the thought of Kyran dead.
The moment Aaron got close enough to the spot from which Kyran and Skyler fell, he saw, with tremendous relief, a steep hill leading all the way down. There was even a dusty pathway, allowing a person to climb down from the cliff to the ground below. Aaron caught sight of Kyran and Skyler at the bottom, picking themselves up after their tumbling fall.
Aaron’s parents, Ella, Ryan and a few other Hunters gathered around Aaron, breathing sighs of relief at the sight of Skyler on his feet. The moment the two boys had straightened up, they had their guns aimed at each other again, though apparently Kyran had lost one in the fall.
Aaron saw Ella take Ryan by the arm to get his attention. She pointed to the hill before moving towards it. Ryan followed after her, climbing down the steep incline with the rest of the mages surging after him, all going to Skyler’s aid. Aaron moved too but was quickly grabbed by his mum. Aaron pulled his arm free, turning to stare at her with fierce eyes. He shook his head, signalling he wasn’t going to stop, before climbing down the hill, pursued by his dad and mum.
They were almost at the bottom when Aaron looked across to see Kyran and Skyler, standing impossibly close to the ferocious whirlwind. The wind was so strong, it bellowed through their hair and made the ends of their coats flap like frantic wings.
Both Kyran and Skyler stood facing each other’s gun, but neither fired a shot. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Kyran dropped his pistol. Aaron could see Skyler’s frown. Even he was thrown by the strang
e action. For a heartbeat, Aaron thought Kyran was surrendering, seeing as he was about to be surrounded by Hunters.
Then Kyran smirked and his eyes darkened. His hand shot outward, towards the spiralling vortex of air. From the depth of the whirlwind, the Blade of Avira flew out and landed in Kyran’s hand.
The whirlwind died instantly, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.
Aaron’s breath choked in his chest. He stared at Kyran, waiting for him to drop the sword and clutch his hand, screaming in pain. But it never happened. Kyran stood with the Blade of Avira in his grip. The magnificent sword gleamed in the light, the engraved symbols shone brightly, as if lit by the glow of the moon itself.
Every eye was on Kyran, staring in utter disbelief. The Hunters climbing down the hill had come to a standstill. Kyran was wielding the Blade of Avira, despite not being an Avira himself. How was that possible? Why hadn’t the Blade rejected him?
Everyone’s surprise was evident in their open mouths and wide eyes, but the one whose shock was palpable was Skyler. He staggered forward a step, his eyes filled with indignant rage, his gun lowered in his stupor.
“How?” he roared. “How are you holding my Blade?”
Kyran smirked and gave the sword a playful twist in his hand.
“This?” he asked with exaggerated innocence. “Is this yours?” His smile was vicious and cruel. “Then come and get her, Avira, if you can handle her.”
Skyler lost it. He dived for Kyran, his pistol aimed once again.
“Sky, NO!” Ella screamed but it was too late.
Kyran pulled back his arm and swung the Blade. A burst of energy, that held the power of a mighty hurricane, exploded around Kyran, knocking everyone back. Aaron was actually propelled into the air before he came tumbling down to land at the foot of the hill. The fall knocked the breath out of him. The rest of the Hunters landed in a heap around him, along with Aaron’s parents.
Aaron turned his head to see Skyler had been thrown halfway across the clearing. Aaron looked back at Kyran, who stood there with the Blade in hand. His green eyes were on something on top of the cliff. Craning his neck, Aaron followed his line of sight to see Neriah and the rest of the Hunters, standing at the edge, gaping at Kyran.