by SF Mazhar
A flicker of unease washed over Kyran. “Then I will.”
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”
“You should,” Kyran said. He stepped back. “Get to Marwa, the sooner the better.” He walked away, and it was only then that Aaron noticed the red coat Kyran was wearing, the one that marked him as the legacy holder for Fire.
“Kyran?” Aaron called.
Kyran stopped and turned around.
“How is it that you have the legacy for Fire and Air when you’re not an Aedus by blood?” Aaron asked.
Kyran expression darkened. He shook his head. “Trust me, Ace. You don’t want to know.” He turned to leave.
“Kyran?”
Kyran looked around at him.
Aaron paused. “Will you come if I call for you again?” he asked.
Kyran held his eyes before his usual playful smirk came to his lips. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
He left, disappearing into the shadows. Aaron stood where he was for long minutes afterwards, waiting until he felt Kyran’s presence completely fade away.
***
Aaron made his way back through the dense forest. It had been a mistake going there at sunset. The sky had turned dark and there was hardly any light from the moon. Aaron lost his way twice, coming around in a circle to the same dirt pathway, but he clambered on.
His talk with Kyran had exhausted him, leaving him feeling hollowed out. He wanted to get back to the cottage and speak with his mum. He needed to work out why both his parents couldn’t feel the bond with Kyran when he could. What had happened that day, when the Lycans attacked? How could his family feel Kyran die when he was still alive? None of it made any sense.
Aaron let out a deep sigh as he trekked through the darkness, relying on his powers to sense where the trees were so he didn’t walk into them. The strange thing was that Aaron wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. He was too absorbed in his thoughts.
Kyran believed his parents had abandoned him. He believed his parents had got scared and left, all the while knowing he was still alive. But Aaron knew that couldn’t be true. He may not know all the secrets his parents kept from him, but he knew that his mum and dad would never leave their wounded child behind. They would rather die first. The world could think what they wanted about the Adams, but Aaron knew they weren’t cowards.
But then a small niggle of doubt wormed its way in. His mum had been pregnant. She’d been attacked. Maybe, just maybe, they ran to get her help. Aaron had watched the memory; he’d seen how brutally the Lycans had attacked Ben. What if his mum and dad had thought Ben was likely to die? It certainly had looked that way, with the Lycans throwing Ben from one to another, tearing chunks out of his body. What if his parents had given up on Ben and focused on saving their unborn child?
Aaron pushed the thought out with a firm shove. His parents weren’t capable of that. They would’ve done everything, absolutely everything, to get to Ben and save him. They wouldn’t have given up. Aaron had seen how his mum and dad had reacted to finding out that Kyran was Ben. That relief, those tears, that couldn’t have been an act. And even if his parents had run to save Aaron’s life, knowing that Ben was still alive, they would have come back for him. They wouldn’t have lived fourteen years in the human realm, aware of Ben’s existence, but not go back for him. They wouldn’t have ignored Ben’s calls.
His senses told him the trees ahead were thinning out, so that meant he was almost at the Gateway. Aaron let out a little sigh of relief. He peered through the darkness, but he couldn’t see anything. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that it hit Aaron. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring ahead at the pitch black.
He should be able to see the Gateway. In fact, he should be able to see all around him. It was after sunset in Salvador, but the Gateway was stuck in eternal daylight. The sun was always beaming overhead, the sky a perfect blue with the trees standing proud, shimmering with vibrant colours. The Gate was a towering, glowing beacon of light, brightening the entire area. So why was there no light?
Aaron set off running, darting through the forest, his feet slipping once or twice on the soft ground. Aaron made it past the edge of the forest and stopped on the stone pathway. His heaving breath caught in his chest. At the end of the path, where the Gate should be, was only a gaping rectangular hole.
Aaron’s lungs ached for air, but he couldn’t breathe. He stared in abject horror, fighting his disbelief to understand what had happened.
The Gate had fallen.
The City of Salvador was under attack.
29
A Lost Sanctuary
Aaron took off, bolting down the darkened pathway, straight for the gap left by the destroyed Gate. He could see through the rectangular cut in the air that Salvador was in chaos. He ran into the city and stopped, horror transfixing him to the spot.
Everywhere he looked, there was fire. The buildings on both sides of the street were set alight. The cottages, the Stove, the bakery – every building was burning. Thick, dark smoke spiralled up into the sky. The acrid smell choked Aaron, and he could taste bitter ash on his tongue when he breathed. The table that used to sit so proudly in the middle of the street was now upturned, broken into pieces.
The floating lanterns in the sky were engulfed by smoke, but Aaron could still see the street was full of dark shadows engaged in battle. Glints of silver flashed in many hands. Gunshots punctured the constant roar of the fire.
It was too dark to see who the mages were fighting, but Aaron didn’t care. He staggered forward before breaking into a run. He got close enough to see Gerard, one of the kitchen helpers, trying to fight a tall, beefy man. Gerard was hit, a physical punch had him thrown to the ground. Gerard pushed himself to sit up and used his powers, trying to send out a ripple, but his efforts resulted in small cracks and nothing else. The beefy man went for him, his clawed hands ready to rip the boy apart.
Aaron was too far away, but he held out his hands. His panic and desperation fed into the earth and a ripple tore across the ground. The man was caught and thrown bodily aside. Gerard turned his head to find Aaron. He stared at him with wide eyes, before quickly scrambling to his feet.
Aaron came to a stop but his eyes were on the man who had now sat up on all fours, snarling like a wounded animal. Pale amber eyes met Aaron’s and the man smiled, revealing fangs.
Vamages, Aaron realised. They were being attacked by vamages.
The vamage grinned and slowly got to his feet. Aaron stood his ground, meeting the hybrid demon’s gaze. In the blink of an eye, the vamage came at him. Aaron was ready. He ducked out of the way and turned, his hands aimed at the ground. Aaron clenched both hands into fists and pushed his power into the ground. A tremendous ripple caught the vamage with force, knocking him back. The vamage hit the ground hard. Before he could get back up, two Hunters took care of him, firing bullet after bullet into him. Aaron was breathing hard. He turned around and found Gerard by his side.
“We need to get to the Hub,” Gerard said, grabbing Aaron’s arm. “Hurry!”
“Wait.” Aaron pulled back, his eyes darting to the duelling mages and vamages around him. “I need to find my mum–”
“You need to go to the Hub,” Gerard said, refusing to let go of him. “That’s the protocol.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I find my mum and friends,” Aaron said and pulled out of Gerard’s grip.
Ignoring Gerard’s calls, Aaron ran across the street. He spotted many mages in the battle, holding their ground against the vamages, but there weren’t many Hunters. Aaron felt his already pounding heart speed up in horror when he remembered seeing Ella and Skyler both leave with large groups of Hunters. They had gone to deal with whatever chaos was going on in other cities of the realm. His dad and Neriah had taken a group with them, too. That meant there were only a handful of Hunters, and the mages who had refused to leave Salvador, left to fight the army of vamages.
In the midst of t
he pandemonium, Aaron spotted the blond-haired Mary, fighting with not one, but two vamages. Aaron was caught off guard at the sight. The woman who mages referred to as Mother Mary had a blade in each hand, which she swung with precision, catching the vamages in the chest, stomach and arms. She ducked and dived from their retaliating attacks, her hair falling out of her bun. In a double strike, she stabbed both vamages and pulled back. The pair of demons fell to the ground, not dead, but dazed enough to no longer pose a threat for the time being.
Mary looked up and met Aaron’s eyes. She hurried towards him. “Aaron, you need to go to the Hub!” she said. “Hurry!”
“Mary, where’s Sam and Rose?” Aaron asked. The twins had been helping her when Aaron left.
“I don’t know,” Mary said quickly, “but you need to leave. Go!” She pushed him back.
The sound of several gunshots nearby distracted both Aaron and Mary. They turned to see Alan, pistol in hand, trying to hold back a group of vamages. But no matter how many bullets Alan shot, the vamages continued forward, forcing Alan to back away. They threw fireballs at him, which Alan ducked to avoid. His gun gave its last shot, then clicked. Alan had to drop the gun and use his power to deflect the fireballs the vamages were hurling his way.
Both Mary and Aaron darted forward to Alan’s aid. Aaron’s hands were already tingling, preparing another powerful ripple to tear through the ground. His ripple hit the crowd of vamages, throwing them back. By the time the vamages recovered, Alan had Aaron on one side of him and Mary on the other.
The vamages stood up and tightened their group, getting ready to attack again. Their eyes glittered with hunger, and sharp fangs peeked from the corners of their vicious grins. Aaron’s gaze flitted through the crowd. There were seven of them.
Aaron looked to the ground. For an instant, no longer than a heartbeat, Aaron ignored everything and everyone around him. From the depth of his mind, his brother’s voice came to him.
One of the neatest tricks to fight demons is to turn the ground itself into a trap.
Aaron’s eyes snapped up and he looked at the vamages. His hand lifted but his aim wasn’t the vamages, but the ground on which they stood.
Sink, he commanded.
Nothing happened.
Aaron’s entire body tensed. His fingertips were buzzing. His chest felt tight, his breathing strained. He pushed again.
Sink!
The ground shuddered in response. The vamages dropped their shoulders, their clawed hands flexed as they watched Aaron.
“Aaron,” Alan whispered with alarm.
Aaron ignored him. The vamages growled in warning, and then darted forward.
SINK! Aaron screamed in his mind.
The ground lurched and then gave in, taking the seven vamages with it. Their cries echoed in the air as they disappeared into the ground. Aaron stared at the dark sinkhole he had created, plunging the vamages deep into the earth. The next moment, he was doubled over, his hands on his shaky knees. He was trembling, feeling like something had sapped all the energy out of him.
“Aaron? Aaron, you okay?” Alan asked, pulling Aaron back up.
“He’s fine,” Mary said. She stuck her two blades into the belt of her jeans and cupped Aaron’s fevered face with her cool hands. “It’s just a reaction to using his powers on a large scale. His core isn’t used to it.” She looked into Aaron’s eyes. “Just breathe, Aaron,” she instructed. “It’ll pass. Just breathe.”
Aaron did, sucking in deep breaths, shaking as his body struggled to remain upright. Within a minute or two, his strength returned, ending the quivering of his muscles. Aaron pulled back.
“I’m okay,” he insisted. “I need to find my mum,” he said. “And Sam and Rose.”
“You need to get to the Hub,” Mary said. “Now!”
She took out her twin blades and hurried forward to fight. Aaron made to follow her when Alan grabbed him by the elbow.
“We need to go,” he said and started pulling Aaron in the other direction. “We don’t have a lot of time. We need to get to the Hub.”
Aaron dug his feet into the ground and refused to move. “Why?” he asked. “Why the Hub?”
Alan’s eyes bulged. “Why do you think they’re here?” he asked. “They’ve come for the Hub itself, the table that controls the realm. If Hadrian gets his hands on it...” His wide eyes shone with fear. “It’ll all be over.” He stared at Aaron. “You’re the only Elemental here. It’s your job to protect the Hub.”
Aaron’s heart kicked at his insides. He pushed back the nauseating fear that came at those words. It was all on him. He had to keep the vamages from taking the Hub. He took off, running through the street, Alan hot at his heels. They raced past the burning cottages and turned, skidding a little on the loose rocks as they headed down the path that led to the Hub.
Aaron could feel a strange pull, deep in his navel, like his stomach was twisting. Something was telling him that his mum was calling out to him, looking for him. Aaron mentally returned her call, having no clue if she would hear him, if it actually worked like this. He told her he wanted to find her too, but he had to help protect the Hub first. Panic, fear and sheer terror coursed through him. He pushed himself to go faster, to get to the Hub. Something hit his legs and Aaron tripped. His head smacked off the ground when he fell. The air was knocked clean out of him, so his pained cry came out as nothing more than a rushed breath.
A dull glow fell over him, lifting the darkness. Aaron realised Alan must have lowered one of the lanterns overhead, so they could see better.
“Good call,” Aaron groaned. “Couldn’t you have done that sooner?”
“Aaron?” Alan called behind him, sounding afraid.
“I’m okay,” Aaron said, sitting up. “I’m okay.” He turned to see what he had fallen over and froze.
On the ground was a body. The flickering light coming from the dying lantern Alan had pulled down was enough for Aaron to recognise the lifeless man. Aaron felt as if his heart had come into his mouth.
“Jason?” he called.
Alan was standing still, staring in disbelief at the crumpled body of Jason Burns lying in the middle of the path.
“Jason!” Aaron cried and scrambled forward, sitting on his knees, next to the unmoving body. “No,” he gasped. “No, no, no!”
Jason’s eyes were still open, his mouth slightly parted. His grey hair was stained crimson, as was his beard. Blood covered his front, stemming from the two puncture wounds at the side of his neck. Aaron’s stomach turned, but he couldn’t look away.
Alan carefully stepped past the body. “Aaron, come on,” he said in a voice that shook. “We have to go.” He grabbed hold of Aaron’s arm. “Aaron? Come on. We can’t do anything for him now. We have to go, before it’s too late.”
Aaron let himself be dragged back to his feet, but his gaze wouldn’t move from Jason. Alan pulled Aaron further down the path, until Aaron could no longer see Jason Burns – the human who had lived in the realm of the mages, and served those who came seeking refuge in the City of Salvador.
***
Aaron and Alan reached the clearing. They came to a stop by the artillery and workshops, breathing heavily, staring at the horrifying sight. Vamages were everywhere, battling a handful of mages. The workshops had been ransacked, all kinds of weapons lay scattered across the ground. The mages were fighting valiantly, but Aaron could see they wouldn’t be able to hold the vamages back for much longer. The vamages were already pushing their way forward, trying to get to the end of the dusty path, beyond which lay the way to the Hub.
Aaron bolted forward, Alan by his side. Aaron lifted a hand, directing his power towards the trees at the far end of the ground, just at the top of the hill. With a thunder-like clap, several trees fell to the ground, piling on top of one another. Thick vines grew from the ground at Aaron’s command, twisting around the fallen trees on either side, and reaching out to the nearest still-standing trees, effectively barricading the way forward.
The vamages attempting to slip past the mages’ defence came to a stop, unable to go on until they’d cut through the vines and cleared the trees.
Aaron spotted Ava, fighting a female vamage – the first Aaron had seen. The vamage knocked Ava off her feet. Aaron sent a ripple tearing through the ground, but the vamage moved before it could catch her. She turned and flicked her wrist. A blast of air hit Aaron like a punch straight to his chest.
Aaron fell back with a dull thump. His head swam at the impact, having been knocked twice in the space of a few minutes. His moment of disorientation was all it took for the female vamage to sit on top of him, pinning him to the ground. A clawed hand wrapped around Aaron’s neck, holding him still. The vamage bared her fangs in a grin.
“Hey!” a voice shouted.
The vamage turned and met a metal rod, right in her face. She was thrown off Aaron, toppling to the side. Aaron turned his head, and to his utter shock found Sam with a rod in his hand, held up like a baseball bat. He extended a hand to pull Aaron up.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Aaron gasped. “What are you doing?”
Sam looked at the rod and then shrugged. “Fighting,” he replied simply. “Now, come on.”
Aaron went with Sam, darting through the crowd of mages and vamages locked in battle. Aaron saw Drake sending out ripples with one hand and swinging a sword with the other. He was flooring the vamages. Aaron knew Drake used to be a Hunter, but until today, he never knew how lethal a fighter he was. He was leaving the vamages dazed and bleeding on the ground.
Aaron looked over to see vamages burning through the vines and levitating the trees he had used to block the way forward. Aaron hurried in their direction with Sam, Alan and other mages behind him. Aaron swung his arm and the trees closest to the vamages rumbled and shook before their branches swept forward to knock the vamages clean off their feet. But not even a heartbeat later, more vamages had replaced them.
The mages around Aaron were all throwing out jolts of their power – fireballs, shards of ice that cut like glass, blasts of air – but the vamages stood strong and fought back, while a few continued to push the trees back, trying to clear the way. Aaron’s body was aching, but he took aim again, ready to send more power into the ground to stop the vamages. The forest floor shook, but it wasn’t Aaron’s doing.