Forever Young (The Forever Land Chronicles)

by Sawyer Bennett

  A change of subject was in order. My stomach always cramped when I thought about how my parents died.

  "Sebastian said that you were an Annihilator. What does that mean?"

  "It's just a designation regarding your level of proficiency as an Alliance member. When you enter the Academy, you come in as a Plebe. You will study and train for three months. All of your work will be done here in Semper Terra. You will graduate by passing a field trial. If you pass that phase, then you become an Initiate. At that point, you are assigned a mentor. You will have additional studies, but your mentor will take you out into the field, into actual battle. Supervised, of course. Once your mentor feels you can move on, you will run a Gauntlet. A series of obstacles and daimons you will face on your own. If you pass that, then you graduate and become an Annihilator."

  "And if you don't pass the field trial, you’re dead," I murmured.

  Caiden looked at me. His eyes took on a purposeful intent and his voice was hard causing a chill to creep through my bones.

  "This is very dangerous stuff, Charlie. Alliance members are hard to kill, but they can be killed. We lose hundreds every year. There will always be something out there that is bigger than you, stronger than you and is more determined to kill you before you kill it."

  I involuntarily shivered, such was the frost permeating Caiden's words. Was I willing to die? Was this a cause I believed in? I certainly didn't let fear hold me back when I got into a fight at school. But those were kids I was fighting. I wasn't really facing death. But on the other hand, I never had special powers either. What would it be like to fly? To have strength and power against the daimons? And really, could I go back to my former life, knowing that Semper Terra existed?

  And that's when I realized. I no longer doubted the reality of my situation. I really was in an alternate universe, where time stood still and youth would be mine to hold forever if I wanted. I could fight against evil. I could make a difference in the world. I could make up for my parents' deaths. But I could also die.

  Being the girl that always jumped into the deep end of the pool not knowing if she would sink or swim, I had to admit his words gave me pause. I shouldn't dive into something this life altering without carefully considering what my life would be like. So far, I'd seen the glamorous side. Tropical beaches and flying over sparkling water. Forever young. But, in all actuality, I would be putting my life at risk and I had to determine if that was really what I was supposed to do with my future. Suddenly, the fist fights I had been in seemed stupid and unnecessary. Not in the grand scheme of things that were before me now.

  Down on the field, the recruits were standing up and walking off the field. Sarah saw us in the bleachers and started walking our way. As she got closer, I was struck by how beautiful she was. She looked to be about thirty years old, with long chocolate hair flowing past her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and her skin was olive toned. She looked exotic and completely at home in a tropical setting. She wore a tight fitting white tank top that accentuated her form with a yellow wrap-around sarong skirt. And...you guessed it... flip flops. I even noticed her toes were painted a pretty coral color. I thought Dr. Tinesdale dressed odd for his position as a high school principal but he had nothing on Sarah Longchamp.

  Caiden stood up as she approached and we stepped down onto the field.

  "Caiden, darling. It's been too long since I've seen you." Sarah reached out and laid a hand lightly on his chest, reaching up to kiss his cheek. I noticed her lips stayed there a few seconds more than what could be deemed a friendly kiss hello. Did they have something going on? That thought didn't make me feel good. Which was ridiculous. I had no claim to Caiden.

  To give Caiden credit and weirdly, to my delight, he didn't return her embrace and pulled away from the kiss. While her face was open and smiling, Caiden's mouth was set in a hard line. He acknowledged her with a curt, "Sarah."

  Looking directly at me, the tension on his face eased. "This is Charlie Wright. One of Sebastian's recruit potentials. You'll find she's very smart."

  I flushed at the pride in Caiden's tone. He didn't know me at all, yet he saw something in me that made me worthy to be here. But I noticed Sarah raise her eyebrows in question, glancing back and forth between the two of us. It was as if she saw something reflected on our faces but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

  The smile she had been throwing at Caiden slid from her face. She turned to survey me and raked her gaze over me from head to toe. The expression on her face looked like she had some dog poop rubbed under her nose. "Yes, I got a text from Sebastian about her. Of course, we get many smart recruits each year, but that doesn't make them Alliance material." I cringed at the censure in her tone. For whatever reason, this woman did not like me.

  Caiden stepped behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I could feel the reassuring warmth from his hands and it gave me some confidence, as well as started my butterflies dancing in my stomach. Sarah narrowed her gaze as she watched his gesture. Caiden gave my shoulders a light squeeze in solidarity and said, "I think you'll find she has many attributes that will help further our cause."

  Sarah gave a thin smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sure."

  Without saying another word, Sarah started walking toward the building we had come through. Calling back over her shoulder, she said, "Well, take her to the trials tonight and if she's brave enough, I expect to see her next week ready to prove her worth. And don't forget...I'm hard to impress."

  I watched her walk away for a few seconds, then looked down at myself. Turning to Caiden and holding out my arms, I asked, "Am I really so vile, or does she treat all recruits with the same level of distaste?"

  Caiden looked confused as he watched Sarah walk away but then just shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe she was just having a bad day."

  He then reached out and grabbed a lock of my hair again. This time though, it wasn't done to intimidate me but rather it seemed to be borne of a genuine curiosity he had. His voice was soft but teasing, and the faint Irish accent I had detected earlier came through more clearly.

  "Or maybe she's just jealous over this glorious head of hair you have. It's like a thousand different shades of brown and blond all mixed together. I've never seen anything like it."

  He clearly was only teasing me, I'm sure, but my breath froze. It's like I got tunnel vision and everything else around me suddenly shrank away. I couldn't feel the humidity or hear any sound. All I could see was Caiden as he studied my hair thoughtfully, rubbing it gently between his finger and thumb.

  I am not wise when it comes to matters of the heart. I've never dated, never kissed a boy and have no clue how to flirt. I bust heads. It's what I do. So I was completely flummoxed over these feelings. How could such a simple touch cause me to lose all sense of myself? I mean, seriously, just a few hours ago, this man had been so antagonistic to me that I called him an ass-hat. And now, this same man seemed to have the power to suck all the oxygen from my lungs...with just a slight touch of his hand and a few soft words. I don't know if it was the magic of Semper Terra, or maybe Caiden sported his own brand of magic, but I needed to be careful around him. I couldn't afford to lose myself to anyone.

  Chapter 7

  Caiden took me back to Café Syreni as I was now completely starving. We left the Academy's campus for an all too short flight back over the mountain top, coming to a soft landing on the beach. The flight back was not long enough, in my opinion, but just as exhilarating. I'm not sure how much of that had to do with the fact that I was in Caiden's arms again. The butterflies were still dancing in my belly. They sure enjoyed the flight too.

  Sebastian was right. The burgers Ben made were the best I'd ever had. While we were eating, I asked Caiden why he was such an ass-hat when we first met. He just laughed and told me he did that to all new recruits to make sure they aren't too soft right off the bat. He assured me I'd passed his test with flying colors.

  Of course, it then made me
wonder, did he always make such personal remarks or observations about his recruits as he did with me. Threatening to kiss me and admiring my hair had me tied in knots and I was afraid I might be reading too much into his words. Seventeen year old girls on the verge of womanhood and amped up on hormones were not meant to take this kind of stress.

  After dinner, we went back to the Academy to hook up with the Plebes that were going out for their field trials in the streets of New York City. Caiden told me that we would be following a guy by the name of Dane Colson. When we got there, the Plebes were all standing out on the field with who I assumed were various instructors. Caiden had mentioned that there were only about twenty recruits that would be doing their trials that particular night.

  The first thing I noticed about the Plebes was the way they were dressed. The casual beach clothing was gone, which made sense to me. I mean, kinda hard to chase evil down in flip flops. Instead, these kids were dressed to the hilt in battle gear. All were dressed in black. Some wore leather, others wore combat type fatigues. Everyone had on sturdy leather boots and weapons strapped to their bodies. They all bore serious expressions and tension hung in the air.

  I was most intrigued by the weapons they carried. I had assumed they would carry guns, which seemed to me the most efficient way to kill...at least based on my personal experience. Instead, they carried swords, knives, axes and I think I even recognized a mace.

  I asked Caiden about it. "Wouldn't guns be easier to use?"

  "Sometimes but recruits don't train with them to start. Many daimons can't be killed by just bullets unless you can get one into the brain or heart. That can be difficult, particularly in the heat of battle when you don't have time to take careful aim. Some daimons are as indestructible as we are and require you to get in close for a complete kill. So we train everyone to be proficient in melee weapons."

  "Melee weapons?"

  "Weapons used in hand-to-hand combat...like swords or clubs."

  Made sense to me...sort of. But what did I really know? I was used to having my fists and a smart ass tongue as my only weapons.

  Caiden walked out onto the field and I noticed a guy walking toward him. When they reached each other, I saw them give a fist-bump and heard Caiden say, "Ready to kick some daimon butt tonight?"

  The guy was tall but not quite as tall as Caiden. He didn't have Caiden's muscle mass but was lean with ropy muscle. He had really light brown hair that was cut in a short, casual style. As I walked closer, I saw his eyes were a really pretty blue, like the overhead sky. I would have been dead not to notice how cute he was.

  Caiden turned to me. "Charlie...this is Dane Colson. We'll be following him tonight."

  Dane held his hand out and I shook it. "Nice to meet you."

  He held my hand just a fraction longer than normal. "Likewise."

  Turning to Caiden with a grin, he said, "Geez Caiden...you never bring recruits this pretty. What did I do to deserve this tonight?"

  Caiden gave him a sharp look. "Don't you be thinking about pretty girls tonight, bro. You have more important things to worry about."

  I couldn’t even blush over the fact that both men had referred to me as pretty because that comment made me quite aware that Dane could lose his life tonight. Suddenly I had a sick feeling in my stomach. This was getting very real and a little scary. The smile slithered from Dane's face and was replaced by an almost feral look. "No worries. I'll do you proud."

  Caiden clapped him on the back. "I know you will."

  We flew from the Academy back to the elevator that would take us to New York. Again, not a hardship to be carried by Caiden, although I was really dying to know what it would be like to fly on my own. Dane flew beside us and when I glanced at him he shot me a wicked grin. I was actually surprised Dane could fly and Caiden told me that all Plebes had that ability but he didn't give me any more details.

  Once we arrived in New York, we took the subway over to the Bronx. Dane wore a long, black trench coat that covered the sword that was strapped to his back. No sense in scaring anyone. I had asked about the sword and Dane told me it was a Katana. He launched into the history of feudal Japan and the Samurai military that used the sword. He couldn't take the sword off on the subway to show me, but instead described its attributes. He told me it had a long hilt that allowed for a two handed grip and was renowned for its sharp cutting edge and durability. It sounded like a very cool weapon and I had almost made my mind up then and there that when I became an Alliance member, I wanted a Katana too. Well, "if" I became an Alliance member.

  Caiden took us to an area known as Hunts Point. It was one of the more dangerous areas in the city but we appeared to be in an abandoned part and I had not seen any other people around for several blocks. The sidewalks were bleached and cracked with age. Most of the street lamps were out, and those that were working were emitting nothing more than small puffs of sulphorous yellow. It was eerily quiet.

  Caiden explained to me that each Plebe would hunt a single dark, daimon. The daimon had previously been captured by the Alliance and injected with a tracer that the Plebe could follow with a GPS unit. Then it was released to be hunted. This part of the city had been chosen as there was less chance of interference from other people.

  As we were walking, Dane's GPS started chiming. He pulled it out and indicated to us that his daimon was nearby. Caiden and I hung back a little and watched as Dane took off, checking his GPS unit every so often. I was worried about how conspicuous Dane looked. While he had taken off his coat after we exited the subway, in his black combat fatigues, dark sweatshirt and sword strapped to his back, I was afraid he might be stopped by the cops. Caiden assured me he wouldn't attract attention but didn't elaborate.

  We followed behind Dane about a hundred yards back, giving him enough room so as not to be a distraction. Both guys had warned me to be quiet, not to interfere and run if things got out of control. That last order made me just a tiny bit nervous, I'll admit. Still, my adrenaline was pumping as we got closer to the daimon and I was ready to see Dane in action.

  I watched as Dane approached a dark alleyway between two buildings, and reached behind his head to pull out the Katana from its harness. It made a hissing sound when he released it from the sheath...like a cobra getting ready to strike. He looked calm and poised. He never once looked back to Caiden for assurance or help. My heart, on the other hand, was beating so hard it was thundering in my ears.

  Dane entered the alleyway, legs slightly bent, creeping forward cautiously. His right arm, flexed upward at the elbow, held the Katana poised. As we followed behind, I struggled to see where he went, but then he stepped into the yellow glow of a street lamp. Not twenty feet away, a young woman was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. She was dressed in a mini skirt, thigh high boots and a tank top. A prostitute I assumed but she was no Pretty Woman. Her yellow blond hair was frizzed up and the heavy makeup she wore couldn't hide the ravages of life on the streets.

  Looking around, I didn't see a daimon and I started to worry that the woman might get caught in the crossfire. But then just as that thought crossed my mind, I watched in fascination as the prostitute's face started to change. Within seconds, I was staring at the daimon beneath and it was an ugly one. Pale, slimy skin with dozens of wrinkles, a flat nose and vicious looking fangs. Her eyes glowed orange. And just around the edge of her entire body, I saw it...she was outlined in black. It was like a haze surrounding the outline of the daimon’s body and looked oily and thick. That was the aura that would indicate that this was a dark daimon. This was the real difference between someone like her and a nice guy like Ben that happened to be born in an inhuman like body.

  Caiden grabbed my arm and led me to the side, just out of the light so we were hidden by shadows. I then watched as Dane approached the daimon. His movement caught the daimon's attention and she turned her head to him. Peeling back her lips, she threw her cigarette to the ground and issued a warning snarl to him.

  Caiden le
aned in to me to whisper in my ear. "Can you see the daimon's true self? Its aura?"

  I nodded my head and Caiden looked at me in amazement.

  "That is a Morstyte daimon. They don't have any special powers but are incredibly fast and strong. Efficient killers." I shivered at the reminder he gave me that these daimons murdered, or maybe I shivered because his lips had just whispered near my ear.

  When the Morstyte daimon saw that Dane was advancing toward her, she pulled herself away from the wall. They started circling, trying to size each other up. I saw that her hands had changed as well and she now had enormously long and sharp looking claws. Her arms and legs were pale and slimy.

  I was wondering who would make the first move when the daimon suddenly sprung at Dane. I almost yelped out loud but quickly tamped it down. The Morstyte leapt incredibly high, trying to come down on top of him. Dane was caught slightly off guard but managed to protect himself by putting both of his arms up with the Katana still firm in his grip. She crashed into him, snarling and snapping.

  The force of the impact sent Dane backward onto his back, but I was amazed when he brought his legs up in one fluid move, catching her in the stomach. He kicked out and propelled her over his head. Dane wasted no time and immediately jumped to his feet, facing his adversary again.

  The daimon was now crouched down on the ground, preparing another jump toward him. She was growling and saliva was dripping from her fangs. She made another amazingly fast leap, but rather than go high, she went straight at him. Dane whipped his body to the side and she flew by him. His move was fast enough to avoid full impact but one of her claws caught him across the chest. He hissed in pain but kept spinning in a complete circle, bringing his Katana up for a strike to the rear of the Morstyte's head. The sword caught her square in the back of the neck with a sickening thwack. I watched in morbid fascination as yellow goo spurted from her neck and her head went flying into the shadows.