“Enough! This is the dumbest argument and I think I’ve lost track as to what you guys are even fighting about.” I turned to Jones. “We left you a note, sorry we didn’t tell you in person.” I switched to Greed who was leaning against the kitchen with a smirk on his face. Oh, brother. “Stop baiting him. He’s just trying to do what’s right and he isn’t entirely wrong. I don’t have full control, at least not always.”
“It’s not about control, Max,” Nikolai said, his tone serious. The complete opposite of his sarcasm from a minute ago. “You have to become one with your fire. It’s not like the power that Jones or even I have. Heaven’s Fire is different and if you’re fighting with it for control, that’s going to keep you unbalanced.”
“How do you know so much about it if it’s different from your abilities?” Jones questioned.
“Wrath, I mean Tomas, he was the Nephilim of Wrath before you, Max. He was a very close friend of mine. A little less than a century ago, I lost contact with him but still kept tabs until about two decades ago when he fell off the face of the earth. He was a Chibcha Indian from Colombia and his people helped him find his inner peace. He spent many centuries struggling with the fire but eventually learned that control wasn’t what he needed but acceptance,” he said with enough melancholy that I wondered how close they really were. Nikolai’s gaze was no longer with us but far away in a past memory.
16
Nikolai
1911
Colombia
“Keep still, my friend. You don’t want to wake Mother Nature,” Tomas, short for Tomagata, said. He sat motionless on the rock that protruded out in the middle of the Magdalena River. His eyes have been closed this whole time, so the fact that he knows I’m squirming around means this meditation nonsense actually works.
“I can’t keep still, there’s a rock digging into my bum.”
“Language, my friend,” he said as he opened his eyes and smiled. “The White Man is always so disrespectful.” He joked to the river, his hands wrist deep into the water.
“I’m not the White Man! I’ve told you plenty of times I’m Grecian,” I said exasperated. This was such an old discussion that I didn’t know why I entertained him every time.
“I know, Nikolai, but I like to make fun.” He stood up gracefully and jumped across the Magdalena to the river bank on his right side. Tomas landed quietly and I envied his grace. I followed and landed on the soil with a loud thud. My arms swung at my sides as I tried to catch my balance. Tomagata snickered and I rolled my eyes as I followed him into the jungle.
“You said you wanted to talk about something, what’s going on?” I asked because it wasn’t easy to find a pilot that would fly me to unknown territory. I’d paid him not just for his services but for his silence and discretion. This was dangerous land, and not many would take the risk of travelling this far. When Tomagata came to me in a dream, I dropped everything to see what was wrong. He sounded off, so of course I worried. We’d met a couple centuries ago when I’d ended up in the Amazona. I’d grown tired of living so long and found my way here, ready to end my life. By sheer luck I ran into Tomas—a fellow Nephilim. I took it as a sign of the gods that I was meant to live and he helped me get back the strength to keep going. Since then, there is nothing that could hold me back from visiting a friend like Tomas.
“Yes, my friend, I have something important to tell you,” he said as he kept walking. “The Wanderer has found me and has asked for my help.”
I tripped over a lifted root of a tree and didn’t bother to get up. My nails dug into the earth’s soil and I shut my eyes tightly. This couldn’t be happening.
“Friend, tell me you didn’t bring me to a trap,” I said, my voice tight with anger. I prayed that the Wanderer wasn’t here, that I hadn’t been betrayed by my only ally.
“No, no, Nikolai,” he said in shock. “I would never do that to you. You have been nothing but kind with me. You teach me the White Man’s tongue. No, he came for me. He wants the fire, Nikolai.” The last part was said with such sorrow, my body expelled the anger and I looked at Wrath. His skin was as black as the night, the only white came from his eyes and teeth when he smiled. A cloth made of bear skin, covered his lower body, and he walked the earth with bare feet. Jewelry made of pebbles, stones and gems were displayed around his neck, wrists, and ankles. Many Europeans would kill to take his land and the riches that came with it. But not even the thought of the White Man coming was enough to bring such sadness to his face. He’d given in to the Wanderer.
“I can hide you, Tomas. You don’t have to help him!” I said.
“No, my friend. You cannot save me from this man.” He looked away and up at the trees that canopied us from the sky. “I wanted to tell you myself, if something happen to me, you know. I won’t come to you in your dreams from now on, for fear he may find you too,” he said as he took in a deep breath and exhaled.
“You can’t let him win, Tomagata. Let me help—”
“No, it is done.” With one last look, he turned to me. “Be safe, brother,” he said and ran through the jungle, out of sight.
I was motionless on the ground as I stared off into the direction he’d disappeared into—and that was the last time I ever saw Wrath.
17
Maximillion
The flight back home was roughly around five hours and I tried to nap, but I couldn’t get comfortable. Not that it was a problem for my other two companions. They snored all through the flight and even the car ride into town. Nikolai got us seats in first class, but even the extra room space and pillows weren’t enough to help me find sleep. Once we landed, Jones tried to rent a BMW coupe to replace his blue one, but I reminded him the three of us wouldn’t fit. If guardians can throw tantrums, I think that’s what took place. He refused to drive after I told the gentleman to get us whatever SUV they had. Jones was probably tired of driving SUVs or minivans—it’s been a crazy few weeks.
From the airport, it was only an hour drive into town and I knew we were staying at Jones’ apartment by the pier. It was almost eight in the morning so everyone was just starting to wake up and shops were opening. I tried not to pay too much attention, but everything reminded me of my mother. Luckily the car was heavily tinted, so no one could see me, but I saw most people wearing black and putting up signs outside their store windows. We don’t have many deaths in town and when we do, it’s an elderly person who’s been sick and everyone is prepared. But this was unexpected.
I went past Main Street and was relieved when I tasted the salt in the air. I turned into the residential warehouse part of the pier and followed the directions Jones gave me to his place. I don’t know how I never realized I’d never been to my best friend’s house before—goes to show how into myself I was. I pulled into the first parking space in front of building F.
“Wake up,” I said as I shook Jones and then reached behind for Greed who was splayed across the back seat. They groggily awoke and looked like the walking dead.
Jones led us up the stairs to his second floor apartment and it sort of looked like my old bedroom. In other words, a really messy teenage bachelor pad.
“Come in,” he waved us in and Nikolai buttoned his suit jacket like he was scared he might touch something. It didn’t look bad, but it wasn’t as rich looking as Greed’s penthouse in Vegas.
“I’ve never been here. How much time did you spend over here anyways?” I asked as I roamed the small living room and looked through his DVD collection.
“I was rarely home, but I always paid a year in advance and had a cleaning service take care of it. You know, to keep up appearances,” he said as he walked into a bedroom.
Jones and I have been best friends since eighth grade, but I never knew he was my Guardian Angel until not too long ago. Not until I was kidnapped by that succubus chick who wanted to take me to Abbadon. When Angela saved me from her and the secret that they were both my Guardians was out, our relationship changed. We were no longer friends—actuall
y we were almost enemies. He was sort of in a romantic relationship with Angela—the girl I had a crush on at the time—and knew I was into her. Finding out about them was also the tipping point for me and the shove I needed to awaken my abilities. I was so angry and hurt—I’d never felt so much emotion stir in me like it did at that time. It was a lot of unnecessary drama but we eventually patched things up once we needed to work together. As for Angela, that girl has a bounty on her head and I’m not only here for my mother’s funeral—but to collect.
“We have a couple hours before the service and I have to get us something to wear,” Jones said to me. We didn’t need to get any clothes for Nikolai. As far as we could tell, formal attire is his permanent uniform. Since we met him, suits are all he has worn. “I also need to meet with Xavier, do you want to tag along?”
I thought about it for a moment. If he hadn’t mentioned my father, I probably would. It’s not like I won’t be seeing him later on today, but I rather wait. Especially if Angela was going to be with him.
“No, I think I should stay here. Maybe train for a while?” I looked to Nikolai who’d been listening and he nodded. “We won’t go too far and I’ll stay away from Main Street so I can’t be seen.” Not that I was trying to hide, but I know Jones doesn’t want me going too far.
“Okay. Stay on the beach—under the pier. Wear a hoodie so no recognizes you. Xavier hasn’t told me what the cover story is and we don’t want to say anything that may contradict what the public knows,” Jones said. I nodded and I hadn’t even thought of what was said about my mother’s death.
“Remember to be careful, Max,” Jones whispered and walked out of the apartment.
“Does he not trust me?” Nikolai grinned.
“No, I wonder why,” I said sarcastically.
“Touché.”
I opened my duffle bag and took out a pair of workout clothes. It may be winter time for the northern states, but in Florida it’s like fall weather.
Greed changed as well and within minutes we were jogging across the beach, under the pier. It was quiet—mostly because it was still early—but I pulled on my hood and covered my face. It’s better not to risk it.
“What can you do with your fire?” Nikolai asked as he started to stretch.
“Uh…fireballs and cover my body. Why?”
He looked at me incredulously. “That’s it? You should be doing tricks with it by now,” he said with a laugh. I think he thought I was joking but I wasn’t.
“I’m being serious, dude. What else can fire do?”
He paused. “What else? You have the deadliest fire known to man and supernaturals alike and you think a flimsy fireball is enough? Kid, we’re about to have a blast,” he said with a Cheshire smile.
After a two mile run across the beach, we stopped under the pier again and I saw Nikolai carve something onto the wood. I leaned closer and saw what he was doing. “A privacy rune?”
“At least they taught you about runes,” he mumbled as he finished.
“Well I don’t know how to draw them but I know about them,” I said.
“Good enough. Runes are difficult and unless they’re done right—”
“It can be disastrous, I know,” I said because it sounded too familiar. Angela had told me the same thing when we trained.
“Right,” he said and dusted the sand off his sweat pants. “Max, your fire can bend, move and go wherever you desire it to. The fact that you can only form a ball is astonishing. There’s so much more you can do. Hell, you can even manifest Heaven’s Fire without it even touching you,” he said and I saw the gleam of excitement in his eyes. I can’t blame him, I was starting to get excited as well.
“Really?”
“Yes. Let’s start with my personal favorite—the whip. It’s good for long distance fighting or for someone running away,” he said with a smirk. “Now what I said earlier is true. You can’t try to possess control of the fire, it’ll fight against you. You need to accept it and find peace with yourself to become one with it. Only then, will it work with you. The guardian said you can’t control it so I’m assuming your anger wakes it a lot—that’s why.”
“Find peace? How am I supposed to do that with everything going on?”
“It’s difficult but not impossible.” He eyed me warily. “Question. Are you upset that you have this ability?” Greed asked and I paused before I responded. That was a loaded question.
“I’m not upset with that. I just wish I would have known sooner, like since I was born. Not when I’m seventeen and am about to graduate high school and go off to college.” I rolled my eyes. “Wow, high school. I’m going to have to get my GED now. I didn’t even think about the fact that I won’t be able to finish.” Over a month of being on the run, thinking about all the craziness that’s happened and not once did I think about the fact that I’m a high school dropout.
“You have a lot more anger than you think, Max. And this is easier said than done, but you need to really think about whether it’s worth holding on to. Many of these things—like college—are minor problems compared to what you’ve dealt with and what’s coming your way in the future.” He narrowed his eyes at me as if he was trying to figure something out and then shook his head. “Close your eyes, Max.”
I didn’t automatically because this was too similar to what I’d done with Angela and it only roused my anger even more. Eventually, after a glare from Nikolai, I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Open your hearing. I know it’ll be painful but push through it. Open your ears to the sounds of the waves. Smell and taste the salt in the wind. Soak that up and relax your muscles. How do you feel?” I pulled my plugs out and did as he said. At first I could feel pin pricks across my arms and my ears pop, but at the end, it just felt silly.
“I feel stupid. You’re like one of those relaxation CDs,” I said and opened my eyes.
“You might think this is stupid, but when you’re cracking a whip of Heaven’s Fire, it won’t be so stupid then,” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“Alright, let’s do this again.” I sighed. I sat down on a nearby rock and positioned myself in Indian style. Once comfortable, I closed my eyes once more and listened to the sounds around me. My senses opened and a buzz surrounded every noise I took in.
“Now I want you to call on the fire, but do not form a shape. Just light your hands—slowly,” Nikolai said in a whisper. I did as told and felt the warmth in my hands and all my feelings were so sensitive, I sucked in a breath. It didn’t hurt, but it was an overwhelming tingle. “With your mind open, think of a string—shape it with your hands.” With my eyes still closed, I formed the shape with my hands and I could feel my fire mold. “Can you feel it?”
“Yeah,” I said breathlessly.
“Good. Now wrap your hand around the string and pull your hand back without gripping it. Caress the fire, don’t pull.” Before I knew it, my eyes snapped open as I stroked my hand back and the whip of fire elongated. With the flick of my wrist, I snapped the whip, and it splashed against the water where I hit.
“Holy crap,” I said with excitement, but with some mild nerves.
“Holy crap is right,” Nikolai laughed. “This is only the beginning of what you can do, but it all comes with time. Don’t rush into learning everything, it can overload you and make you kind of crazy like Georgina.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t fully listening. This was too cool.
Greed and I trained for almost two hours and we had to hustle back before Jones had our heads on a platter. I was pumped up on adrenaline when we walked up to his apartment. We didn’t work on anything but the whip but I felt as if I’d almost mastered it. The concept makes sense and I can only imagine what else I’m capable of doing. If I keep practicing with Nikolai, Abbadon won’t stand a chance against me. Nor Angela.
Jones must have just got in as well because he was unpacking our suits from the bags they were in. He saw us and relief was evident in his face. His muscles relax
ed and Nikolai chuckled beside me—noticing it as well.
“How’d it go?” Jones asked.
“It was insane! You have to come with us next time, the things I can do with the fire is unbelievable, dude!”
“That’s good, I’m glad you’re learning,” Jones said as he gave Nikolai a pointed look. “I went to go see Xavier.” There was an awkward pause and no one met each other’s gaze.
“And?” Nikolai was the one to break into the silence.
Jones glared at him, probably wanting to tell him to mind his own business. “And, he uh…he,”
“He what, Jones?” I said. His stutter made me nervous.
“Max, he burned the house down. There’s nothing left,” he said.
It was like time stopped and I was having an out of body experience. My vision zoomed out and I thought I was going to pass out. Finding my voice, I cleared it and said, “He burned it down?” It’s not that I didn’t hear him clearly, but I had to repeat it out loud to believe it. How could he?
“Is that how he’s telling people my mom died? That she burned in a house fire?” I said with an inkling of anger that wasn’t there before.
“Yeah,” Jones whispered. He reached into one of the bags with clothing and pulled out a rolled up newspaper. Hesitantly, he handed it to me. I knew what he was giving me and it probably wasn’t the best time for me to read it, but I couldn’t help myself.
I unrolled the paper and on the front page was a picture that took up half of the top page. It was an image of a burnt house. I wouldn’t have known it was mine until I saw the side of Angela’s house. Mainly the window to her bedroom. After spending so many nights gazing into her room, I could never forget those green window frames.
Authorities say 39 year old, Emily Taylor died in a house fire on Monday afternoon. Firefighters were called in to the 2800 block of The Strip after a cloud of black smoke could be seen from Main Street. When they arrived, the fire had already consumed the majority of the house, including a trapped Emily Taylor. She leaves behind a husband and son who were not home during the time of the fire.
Greed (Sins of the Fallen Book 2) Page 9