Awakened Dreams

by Logan Byrne

  “Go help Mirian, I have him now,” Britta said, shoving me away.

  Mirian was facing Benko, Shira next to him, as Benko treated this like sparring practice. He dodged their spells so quickly it was almost like he was teleporting around the platform. I heard growls and hissing around me as vampires and shifters rolled on the ground, each of them trying to get the upper hand. Our numbers weren’t as helpful as I thought they would be.

  Benko moved closer, grabbing Shira and trying to bite her neck. I didn’t think he was trying to change her, but to rip out her throat and leave her gasping for air on the ground covered in blood.

  Mirian flashed him with his wand, blinding him for a quick second, before he retreated towards his dining table, shaking off the effects of the light.

  “Shira,” I cried, grabbing her, as she coughed and choked, but she was still intact otherwise.

  “Get out of here, Lexa,” Mirian yelled at me.

  “Ah, this is the famous Lexa Blackmoon, and you brought her right to me?” Benko asked, laughing. “I’ve been looking far and wide for you, young lady, and you’re going to make me even richer than I already am.”

  “You aren’t going near her, Benko. That I can promise you,” Mirian said defiantly.

  “I’m bored of you,” Benko said, before swiping the air in front of him. Mirian flew against the wall and fell, his wand rolling beside him, as he lay unconscious on the ground.

  “Get away from her,” Shira said, as he walked ever closer to us.

  “Oh, you didn’t know I could do that, did you?” Benko asked, staring me in the eyes. “There are a lot of things I can do, things even a pure vampire like them could never do. I have elevated myself over the ages to be the most powerful vampire—no, being—this realm has ever seen. I’ve stayed in the shadows all my life, but no more will I hide. I want something, and you will be just that. With you beside me, Kiren Nightstorm will bow to me, and I will rule this realm, the mortal realm, and the entire universe!”

  Faster than I could blink, Shira was against the wall, Benko choking her as he laughed manically. “No!” I shouted, before pulling my wand on him.

  “Rigormorio!” I yelled, the bolt hitting him and bouncing off his broad shoulders.

  “Really, child? You think a little spell you learned in daycare is going to stop me?” he asked, before throwing Shira across the room, her unconscious body rolling lifelessly in the dirt. “When will you learn that I and I alone am the one with power here? You will come with me.”

  I put my wand up, about to use any spell I could think of, when he smacked my wand right out of my hand, smiling as he did so. My heart was racing as I stepped backwards, hoping I would fall through a rogue portal and back into the camp, but no luck.

  I looked behind me, seeing my friends all being thrown around and beaten up, explosions going off in every direction, as the pure vampires were starting to gain a hold. They did all that they could, but our team wasn’t enough to take them all on. It was beginning to turn into a massacre, and we needed to retreat.

  As I turned back Benko’s hand wrapped around my neck and he slammed me to the ground. I gasped for air, trying to sneak in a breath, as I kicked my legs and struggled to wiggle free.

  It’s true what they say, about your life flashing before your eyes when you’re about to die. I could see it all—my mother and father, the orphanage, that dirtbag motel, but most of all I saw the people I loved. I saw Britta, Charlie, Faus, Blake, Rosie, and even Mirian. I saw the happy moments, all of us sitting around laughing, Charlie and I on covert missions, and even the first time Blake kissed me. They all flashed within an instant as the life began to flee from inside me.

  “Blake!” I heard someone scream, as I rolled my eyes for what felt like the last time. It was Britta, she was screaming, watching me as I began to fade.

  Blake looked over, focusing on me, and I saw the rage build inside him. His snout morphed even more, growing jagged and raw, and his eyes glowed bright reddish-orange like the sun. He roared, louder than he ever had before, the dust from the ceiling falling around the terminal as I felt my organs rumble inside me.

  He ran towards me, Benko not giving him much attention, as he was drawing out my suffering. He could’ve killed me within a nanosecond, but he didn’t want to. I’d been such a thorn in his side that he wanted to make me pay for ruining his other operations.

  Blake soared through the air at Benko, but without even looking at him, Benko put out his hand and grabbed Blake by the throat, slamming him down beside me. My vision began to blacken, seeing the final image of Blake’s body transforming back into his mortal form, while he wriggled and tried to worm his way out of Benko’s grasp.

  Suddenly, as quickly as a bolt of lightning flashing onto the ground, I woke up. My eyes were hazy, but everything around me looked bright and glowing. I looked down at my hands, burning with a bluish flame. Benko looked as if he’d seen a ghost. I thrust my hand into his chest and his grip on me loosened completely, before he flew up and smashed into the ceiling.

  I got up, letting his body fall like a ragdoll back to the ground, before I grabbed him and stared him in the eyes. I could see everything—the day he was born, the day he was bitten, and even the moments leading up to our attack. He knew we were coming, but not because he was tipped off. His powers were so strong, so honed, that he heard us coming even though we barely made a noise. He relished in the thought of taking out so many M.A.G.I.C. agents.

  “Lexa,” Blake muttered, as he tried to get up.

  “Rigor Viberum!” Mirian shouted, the bolt of lightning hitting Benko’s back, thrusting his head backwards, and I felt him die against me. I looked up at Mirian, grasping his side, the tip of his wand still glowing from the spell of death.

  My wits came back to me, my vision returning to normal, as the bluish flames that had surrounded my hands faded away. “What just happened?” I asked, gripping the back of my head. I’d felt so amazing just then, so why did I feel so horrid now?

  “I couldn’t take the risk, especially when he saw the mark in action,” Mirian said, gasping as he walked over.

  I looked down at Benko as his body quickly melted away, turning to ash, his clothes and jewelry the only things left behind. I sat down on the edge of the platform, trying to make sense of what happened.

  When Benko fell most of the vampires retreated, not even bothering to fight any longer. Their master was finally dead, after all these centuries, and they knew they would be next if they stuck around.

  Even though most of them left, two stayed behind, vampires who put their hands behind their heads and got on their knees. They weren’t pure vampires, just regular ones who had some kind of allegiance to Benko, which must be why he kept them around instead of making his partners only pure vampires.

  Four agents each cuffed them, even though they were injured and their faces bloodied. “We’ll take them in,” the agents said, before teleporting out of the station and back to the precinct.

  “What just happened to me?” I asked, shaking my head. “I had control, but at the same time I felt a surge of power I can’t even begin to comprehend or explain.”

  “The mark, Lexa. It must’ve known you were dying and came out to save you. That’s the only explanation,” Mirian said.

  “He couldn’t match me, all of the sudden. It was like he was as powerless as we all were to him just minutes prior,” I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead with my palm.

  “There are a lot of mysteries about the mark that we still don’t know, and I’m not sure if we will ever understand them. The only thing we know tonight is that Benko is gone, and two of his associates are going to be locked away for the rest of their lives, which ironically is eternity,” Mirian said, putting his hand on my back.

  “I’m not sure I know who, or what, I am anymore. I need to know more. I can’t run through the rest of my life not knowing,” I said, standing up and looking Mirian straight in the eyes.

  “I know,” h
e said softly. “I think you should do what is best for you.”

  “What about the camp?” Blake asked, finally getting up.

  “I don’t know. I’ll figure it out, I guess,” I said, hopping off the platform. “I should go, before other auditors show up and spot me.”

  “I love you,” Britta said, grabbing and hugging me.

  “I love you, too,” I said, our foreheads bumping together, a tear rolling down her cheek.

  “Please be safe. We still have cases to work together,” Charlie said, hugging me, before limping back and gripping his thigh.

  “Lexa,” Blake said, motioning for me to walk over to him. “Please just stay in the camp. After tonight, Pote will give you some sort of autonomy, I’m sure of it.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about me. I’ll be safe, I promise. I’ve gotten through this much of life, haven’t I?” I asked, smiling.

  “I love you, okay. Remember that, please,” he said, brushing his hand against my cheek.

  I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, before nodding. “I love you, too.”

  I pulled out my wand, looking at my friends as they watched me, before teleporting back to the camp and into my tent.

  The case was closed.

  17

  “I was recently made aware of your activities,” Pote said, as I stood in her tent. She looked upset, angry, as she gripped the edges of the table in front of her, her knuckles white. She’d called me into her office, likely to try to scold me, but I didn’t regret what I’d done. Benko was not only off the streets, but dead, and he could never hurt anyone again.

  “I cannot say how disappointed I am that you disobeyed me,” she said, looking up at me.

  “At what point do my thoughts and feelings matter?” I asked.

  “I gave you an order to stay safe. You cannot just go out on your own, throwing spells around and doing whatever you want. That’s not how this works,” she said.

  “So even though I’m a trained and accomplished auditor, not only a good dueler but also the mark-bearer, I’m supposed to sit still like a good little girl while the adults go out and get stuff done? Benko is gone, Heta. The vampires are going to fall now,” I said.

  “This will only rile them up more, and when Kiren finds out it was us, everything will crumble,” she said.

  “How will he find anything out?” I asked, crossing my arms. “Benko is gone, remember?”

  “He might be, but the eight disciples who our agents were fighting know your faces, as well as some of your names. Where do you think they’re going to go now, after being driven out of their den? They aren’t going to go apply for mortgages and retire into the countryside, Lexa. They will go to him! They were his pawns the entire time!” she yelled, her temper growing by the second.

  “I finished my job. I think you’re just mad that you can’t control me. I’ve always been happy to be a part of the resistance, and I even joined M.A.G.I.C. and went through my paces there when you asked it of me. I’ve always done everything you’ve ever asked me, but did you ever stop to ask me what I wanted to happen? What I wanted to do? No, you just barked orders at me,” I said.

  “That’s because I’m the Chancellor! You are not, and you cannot just go against orders because you’re bored here!” she yelled.

  “Who died and made you Queen? I don’t remember there ever being a vote, do you?” I asked, standing tall and challenging her in every way.

  “You are out of line, young lady,” she said, her eyes piercing.

  “Perhaps you should look in the mirror, then. I did what I thought was right. I took down a crime syndicate with no help from you, and now the streets are safer for it,” I said.

  “You don’t know the beast you just woke, Lexa. Because of your actions, we are all now at risk,” she said, shaking her head. “Just leave.”

  “Fine,” I said.

  “You are free to stay here, but I cannot see you for a while. I would say to stay put, but it’s not like you’ll listen.”

  “Then maybe it’s just best I leave for good,” I said, looking over my shoulder at her. “I’ll make sure not to get captured.”

  “Think of what you’re doing before you do it. He will be looking for you,” she said.

  “Then maybe he should find me, and I can settle the score once and for all. I’ll take care of him, just like I took care of Benko, and then we can finally have peace,” I said, storming out of her tent.

  Tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn’t know why. I liked Pote, I honestly did, but she was out of line. I couldn’t sit here and let these things run free, like Benko with his syndicate. I needed to go back a page, back to my roots, and be on my own for a while. I might not have been wealthy before, and I definitely didn’t live a luxurious life, but I did okay on my own.

  “What’s going on?” Rosie asked, running up to me as I walked into my tent. I began to pack my belongings, stuffing my bag with as much as I could fit inside.

  “I’m leaving,” I said.

  “I’ll come with you,” she said, beginning to walk out.

  “No!” I said, grabbing her and pulling her back to me. “You need to stay here, with your parents, and with the resistance. You’re valuable to them, and you need to stay and help them.”

  “But what about you? Where will you go?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, but I can’t stay here. I can’t be treated like a child,” I said, folding my clothes and pushing them inside.

  “Are you ever coming back?” she asked. “Will I see you again?”

  “Of course you will. I’d never just leave you behind. I just need some time, you know? Some time to figure things out,” I said, clasping my bag shut.

  “Why don’t you take the night?” she asked, looking up at me.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Take the night to think about it. You know how Pote is, and besides, tensions could be calmed down in the morning,” she said.

  “I don’t know, Rosie,” I said, hesitating.

  “Please, as a favor to me? Just one night, that’s all I ask,” she said. Rosie had done a lot for me since I’d met her, and even though I’d helped her, I guess one last night here with her wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It would get her to be quiet, and I didn’t want to leave and try to find shelter in the dark, as it was getting late.

  “Fine, but only one night,” I said, smiling. “After that, I have to leave.”

  “That’s all I want, just one night. This is so great,” she said, grabbing my bag from me and tossing it aside. She sat on my bed, talking my ear off, and all I could do was smile and laugh a little, wondering what I did to deserve such a great friend like her. Maybe doing my time in prison wasn’t so bad after all.

  I didn’t know what lay ahead of me or what my next steps were, but I knew that as I kept knocking down pillars of Kiren’s fortress, he would start to crumble. Sooner or later, the head of the snake would be severed, and justice would prevail.

  Want to keep reading? Below, you will find the first chapter of the fourth book in the series, Awakened Guardians. It is out now on pre-order (Releases February 26th, 2018) and available through Kindle Unlimited. You will also find a signup to my mailing list, where you can download an exclusive short story set between the events of the first and second books. It isn’t required, but I think you’d really enjoy it.

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  Awakened Guardians (Book Four)

  Chapter One

  Thirteen seconds.

  Thirteen long seconds dragged between each drip of the leaking pipe in the kitchen. I counted them, over and over, listening to the soft plop of water against metal.

  Two weeks ha
d passed since I’d left the camp, and each day I thought more and more about what leaving meant. It had given me a certain sense of freedom, a feeling of pure adrenaline that came with every night sleeping here alone, in the dark, with the cold creeping in through the shattered windows and broken boards.

  I was hiding out in my house, my parents’ old house, biding time until I figured out what to do next. I’d placed enchantments on the home with Mirian’s help, so that Kiren and his men would never be able to find me here. The resistance camp was protected by enchantments, so I’d never had to worry about Kiren’s men somehow tracking me, but I gave up those comforts when I left.

  My accommodations weren’t exactly luxurious—even my old motel had more amenities—but this was enough for now. When I left the camp and needed somewhere to go, I tried to think of the place in my life that had molded me the most. When my magic brought me here, I began to understand why. This place held more meaning to me than anywhere else. Seeing my parents murdered in front of me as a child changed the very fabric of my existence and forever altered the course of my life. There was no way I would be in this position, a former auditor, a part of the resistance, if I’d grown up with my parents alive until this day. I would’ve lived a fine life, a normal one, and I would’ve gotten an education and a normal job. Who knows if I would’ve ever found out I was a witch, and I certainly would never have become an auditor. My parents wouldn’t have allowed it, no matter if I were an adult or not.

  The cold floorboards creaked as I walked across the living room, before I stopped in the kitchen to check my rations. They weren’t plentiful. I pulled out my bag, rummaging through the last of my money. It wasn’t much.

  My stomach growled, clenching a little. It had been days since I’d eaten anything substantive. I had beans and toast, and some cheap noodles I found, but there wasn’t much else, and those meals were few and far between. In the camp the resistance took care of everything, and before that I’d had M.A.G.I.C. to feed me. Taking care of all my own meals, cooking, was a domestic task that I really hadn’t been prepared for.