Exiled - 01

by M. R. Merrick

  “Is that it? Let me see it!” he said in a rush.

  I shook my head. “We’ll need to arrange another way to make the exchange that ensures safety for me and my friends.”

  Vincent stroked his chin and watched me. “As you can see, you are quite outnumbered. I could simply take it.” His straight tone implied that he didn’t offer this idea only to tease us, but had considered it seriously.

  I tried to think of another way out and I did the only thing I could think of, something I knew I shouldn’t have. I gripped the scroll tightly in one hand and opened my free hand below it. I focused as quickly as I could and opened the fiery part of my soul. I pushed that warm magic through my body and into my hand. I felt the heat pour out and a ball of bright blue fire ignited in my palm.

  Rayna’s eyes opened wide with panic and the circle of vampires stepped back. They knew it didn’t take more than a spark to make them to go up in flames. It was one of the more painful ways for them to die.

  Vincent’s expression had changed from arrogant glee to panic.

  “Or I could burn the scroll as well as any of you who come closer,” I said.

  “W-wait, wait, wait!” Vincent stuttered, losing his verbal grace. “Don’t do anything out of haste, n-now. Surely we can come to an…agreement.” The fear was plain on his face and it wasn’t fear for his life, but for the destruction of the scroll.

  It brought me satisfaction to see Vincent fumbling over his words. All his confidence flew out the window at a spark of magic. I was in the driver’s seat and now, all I had to do was figure out which way I was going.

  Rayna knew I wouldn’t light the scroll on fire. Her fear was that I would lose control and burn myself, not an unreasonable one. If the vampires saw I couldn’t control my own element, things would get bad really fast, but I didn’t see any other options.

  I put my focus back into the fire and thought of the cool rush of water moving over it. The flame snuffed itself out and smoke billowed from my hand, leaving no damage this time.

  “Now, let’s talk about this in a civil manner,” I said.

  Vincent relaxed in his seat and nodded. “Yes of course. But do tell, hunter. Were you not exiled from your little hunter club for having no powers, no element?” The coolness had returned to Vincent’s voice, as he presented himself as in control of the situation once more.

  “That’s the story,” I said. I locked my gaze with his, not giving any hint of deception.

  Vincent watched me with careful eyes before responding. “So, what will you have of me?”

  I smiled and leaned back in my seat. "Well, since I don’t trust you and we’re on your turf, I would like a change of location. We’ll take Willy with us now and meet you at Revelations tomorrow night, and then we’ll make the exchange.”

  Vincent shook his head. “Absolutely not. That was not the deal.”

  I arched a brow and smiled. “I’m afraid this is the deal,” I said, feeding him back his own words.

  “Touché, hunter, but how do I know you’ll show?”

  I shrugged. “You don’t give us the information we need until you have the scroll. We meet at Revelations, you give us what we want and you get what you want. Agreed?”

  Vincent thought about it for a moment. “Agreed. Midnight tomorrow then.”

  I nodded and Vincent rose from his chair. “Don’t even think about trying anything clever, hunter.” I took it as a compliment that he thought I could be capable of tricking him. “Maxwell, show them out,” Vincent ordered.

  Max came up, the bloody rag gone from his nose and the bleeding stopped, but dry blood covered his face. Willy rose from his chair, nervously looking about as if not sure it was safe to move. He took one step, then two, before rushing over towards us.

  We all followed Max to the door and once we were outside, he slammed it behind us, clicking the locks into place.

  The cool air caressed my skin as I breathed in the fresh air outside. As I exhaled, Willy stormed off towards the street.

  “Willy,” I said. “Willy,” I repeated, but he didn’t respond, only sped up. “Willy!” I said a final time, jogging to catch up to him. When I did, I kept his pace, which took some effort, despite my longer legs. “I’m sorry, Willy.”

  He stopped abruptly and stared at me. “You’re so- so- sorry? Sorry? That’s great, but apology not ac- accepted.” He pushed me away and I struggled to keep my balance. I’d forgotten that he was demon-strong.

  “Willy, look, you have every right to be angry. I know that. I didn’t know what would happen. I thought we’d go in, talk to him and everything would be fine. I never even planned on you coming in with us.”

  “Yeah, well, everything was not fine.”

  “Believe me, if I had known what would happen, I would never have made you come.”

  “That’s not the po- point, Chase. The point is you knew I di- didn’t want to go. You knew I was scared of him. But you pushed and pushed and dragged me here, and look what hap- happened.”

  “I know, and I promise you I feel terrible about it.”

  “Good, I hope you feel bad. And what was that crap you pulled? I thought you didn’t have any magic mojo.”

  “I don’t, I mean I didn’t. It’s…a long story.”

  “Are you kidding me? You put me through that kind of severe mental distress and you’re not even going to tell me what happened?”

  I turned back to Rayna and her look clearly said he has a point. I decided that if catching him up would help him forgive me, I’d be okay with it. Plus, Willy had proven I could trust him, so I owed it to him to at least be honest.

  I explained everything as we walked him home, and he eventually realized that we went through a lot to make sure we got him back safely. After much pleading, he accepted my apology.

  “You know, you’re like a walking magnet for weird shit, Chase. I’ve only known you a few weeks and I’ve been in more b- bad sit- situations with you than I have in my entire life. Next time I see you, I hope it’s under more normal circumstances.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. There wasn’t anything normal about any of our lives. “I hope so too.”

  Willy disappeared into his building and Rayna and I were left alone. We stayed silent most of our trip home and it wasn’t until we stopped outside the condo door that Rayna turned to me.

  “We need to figure out what to tell Marcus,” she said. Her green feline eyes peered up at me and I realized that Vincent was right; she did look tired.

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell him. You’ve known him for years. How pissed will he be if we tell him what happened?”

  The door opened and we both jumped. “Less pissed than if I find out you lied,” said Marcus’s deep voice from the doorway.

  ~~~~~~

  Chapter 19

  With no time to prepare an excuse, we were forced to tell Marcus everything. To say he was unhappy was an understatement, but Marcus wasn’t the type to yell or remind you how you screwed up. He said what nobody wants to hear.

  “I’m very disappointed in the two of you.” Shafts of sunlight pierced the sky, silhouetting him in front of the windows as he paced the living room. “You went behind my back and against my instructions and put yourselves in an excessively dangerous situation neither of you were ready for. You’re lucky you’re alive.”

  He stopped pacing and I could feel his stare. Rayna and I kept our heads down to avoid eye contact. In a week I’d be eighteen, an adult, and I felt like a ten-year-old being scolded for playing in the mud.

  “We said we’re sorry, Marcus. There’s nothing else we can do,” I said.

  “You’re both almost adults and I’m well aware you can handle yourselves, but I would’ve liked to be included in the decision making. We could have made arrangements to go to Vincent’s together. Going there alone was not a wise choice.”

  Rayna rolled her eyes. “Well, we got the information we needed, didn’t we? At the very least, we’re one step closer to it.
What would you have had us do? Keep flipping through pages in the library?”

  Marcus shrugged and fell into one of the chairs. “Let’s look at the other side of things for a moment. Chase has developed his elemental powers. That’s interesting,” he said. “What have you discovered about your newfound abilities?”

  “Well, in the fight with the pure blood demons, I melted the skin off one, and forced another to burst into flame. But after the fight, I tried to conjure the power again, and that time it didn’t go so well.”

  “And the next?” Marcus inquired.

  “At Vincent’s it went better.”

  “What about the water?”

  “After I burnt my hand, I healed it in a matter of minutes.”

  Marcus’s eyebrows rose. “That’s a unique amount of power to have right away. Having two elements is impressive on its own, but to have them appear with such intensity is uncommon. We’ll have to start training you as soon as possible. That level of power is dangerous if you cannot control it.”

  “You’re telling me,” I said, looking at my hand.

  “I wouldn’t have thought it wise to use your powers in front of the vampires, though. You’ve been known for years to the Underworld and the Circle to be powerless. I’d say it’s best to let them continue to think that. Underestimating one’s opponent is the very worst mistake. I’d suggest keeping your powers to the confines of this room unless absolutely necessary.”

  “Why did my powers come out now and not in the ceremony?”

  “The elders use the ceremony as a means to bring young hunters’ elemental powers out sooner, but before that, they always came out on their own – usually, as I believe is the case with you, in a moment of extreme emotion. But I think the ceremony has prevented many hunters from reaching the full potential their power might have reached had it come out on its own.”

  “What do you think about this?” I said, holding up the ring.

  Marcus shrugged. “I have heard prophecies about the Protector and the soul pieces before, but they have been passed on for so many centuries that it’s become difficult to separate truth from legend.”

  “Great, so now we don’t know what I am, or what this is.”

  “For now, I think you two should get some rest. We’ve got less than twenty-four hours before you meet with Vincent. I will try to learn as much as I can before then, but neither of you will be of any use if you don’t rest.”

  Rayna and I both stood up and made our way to the stairs.

  “Chase,” Marcus said. I sighed in disappointment. I should have known I wouldn’t get off that easy. I sat back down and dared to look at Marcus as Rayna escaped to her room.

  “What’s happened to you is rare, and you need to take caution. I don’t want these new abilities to cloud your judgment.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  Marcus looked to the stairs and back to me. “I’m not worried about you, Chase, but Rayna is important to me. I can’t protect her if I’m not there. Such powers as yours are addictive; they bring on a new wave of confidence that can, at times, lead to poor judgments. I’m asking you to take care in your actions, not for you or me, but for Rayna. She is special in many ways and I don’t want the two of you involved in something you can’t handle.”

  “Rayna can handle herself, more than you know.”

  “I’m aware of what she can do. I hope to have answers to share soon, but until I know some things for sure, I’m asking you to be careful.”

  I watched Marcus’s eyes as he fought to keep composure. It wasn’t often he let any emotion show, but in this moment he was almost tender.

  “More secrets, surprise surprise,” I said.

  “I’m doing what I think is best.” I sighed and stood up. I didn’t want to play the question game with Marcus again. “And Chase, I think it would be best if I was the one to speak to your mother about this.”

  “You’re probably right.” I said, relieved I wouldn’t have to tell her myself.

  I walked up the stairs and into the room I’d claimed as my own. Both my mom and I were going to stay here at least until Marcus felt it was safe to go back to our apartment. After my run-in with the hunters, it was best if we all stuck together until we figured out what was going on.

  As soon as I saw the bed, my eyelids drooped. I hadn’t felt tired until that moment, and it all hit me at once. I threw my shirt and pants on the floor and crawled onto the bed. As soon as I moved into a comfortable position, sleep took hold and the world slipped away.

  ~~~~~~

  Chapter 20

  I woke to sunlight pouring in through my window and relief washed over me. It was the first time in as long as I could remember I hadn’t woken up in a nervous sweat from a nightmare. I’d had a great sleep and hadn’t awoken with the aches and pains I’d expected. I felt great.

  I lay there, enjoying the moment. If I never got a good night’s sleep again, I didn’t want to forget this feeling.

  A soft tapping came from the other side of the door and I rolled out of bed. “Come in.”

  The door creaked open and Rayna came in. “Marcus wants…Oh gods, sorry,” she said, closing her eyes and turning away.

  Confused, I looked down to see I was wearing boxers; I wasn’t naked! “What’s wrong?”

  “Umm, how about putting some clothes on?”

  “They’re boxers. They cover the same as a bathing suit. I don’t see the big deal.” She turned to face me, but her eyes were still closed. “If you can’t handle it I’ll change,” I said with a chuckle.

  She opened her eyes, one at a time. “Oh, I can handle it.”

  “Alright,” I said, crossing my arms. Her green eyes moved over my body and my smirk turned into a smile. “Did you have something to tell me or did you just come to check out what you were working with?”

  She looked up and struggled to meet my eyes, her cheeks flushed. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m here to tell you Marcus wants to see you.”

  “Alright, I’ll be right down.”

  “Okay,” she said. Her hands started to fidget and her eyes drifted down my body again.

  “Was that it?”

  “Yeah, that’s it. Come downstairs when you’re ready.”

  “I got that much.”

  “Good, then I’m going to go,” she said.

  I turned to pick up my pants. A gasp escaped her lips and I turned back. “You really are enjoying this aren’t you?” I said, but her face said something different. “What?”

  “Your back,” she said. “Follow me.” She disappeared from the room. I had spent another minute trying to look over my shoulder when Rayna called me again. “Get in here!” she demanded.

  I followed her voice into her room. “Okay, what?”

  She walked past me and closed the door. “Look for yourself.”

  I looked over my shoulder into the full-length mirror hanging on the door. My entire back looked tattooed in dark ink. The hilt of a sword started at the base of my neck and the blade went down my spine all the way to my lower back. Along the center of the blade were two glyphs, one representing the fire element, and the other water. On either side of the sword extended a large pair of dark feathered wings. They reached across my shoulders and down to my waist in intricate detail.

  “What the hell!” I said.

  “I guess we know what the mark is.”

  “I think I better go see Marcus now.”

  I threw on my pants and a shirt and went downstairs. Rayna was already sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal, but she averted her eyes as I came down the stairs, her cheeks reddening. It felt good to know I could fluster her.

  “Come in here, you two.” Marcus said, poking his head out of one of the doors near the stairs.

  The room within was huge, and blue exercise mats lined the floor. Exercise equipment filled each corner, from punching bags to free weights. Marcus stood in the center.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said
we’d start training right away,” I said.

  “I’m afraid your training will have to wait. There’s a group of hunters from our territory and the surrounding area who have either been exiled or are rogues who chose to leave. I’ve been in touch with most of them and we’ve decided to meet.”

  “That’s great! The more people on our side, the better. When do we leave?”

  “We don’t leave; your mother and I will be going alone.”

  “Why can’t we come?”

  “Firstly, because you aren’t yet eighteen. Secondly, you’ve got a meeting with Vincent tonight, one that I regret to say I cannot attend.”

  “Wow, and you’re going to let us go on our own?”

  “I have no choice. If we try to cancel, or reschedule, Vincent will be far from pleased, and we don’t want him as our enemy.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I’ve made a copy of the scroll and hope to gain insight into its meaning at the meeting,” he said.

  “Any luck regarding the ring, or anything about the mark?”

  “None of my material makes reference to them, but everybody will be looking into it. It’s piqued many of the hunters’ interest, but without knowing what the mark is, it’s a difficult search.”

  “Maybe this will help.” I turned my back to him and lifted up my shirt. “Any ideas?”

  “I… no,” he replied. “Strange. And this just appeared?”

  “I woke up and there it was.”

  Marcus stared at the tattoo, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He cleared his throat. “I’ll take a picture of this and bring it with me. We should be back in a day or two, and hopefully by then we’ll have some answers. Until then, you two are going to go to your rendezvous, make the trade and return here. Do not leave this condo otherwise. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said.

  “I mean it, Chase. It’s not safe in this city for either of you right now, and I don’t want anything to happen while I’m gone.” he said with his neutral, disinterested expression.

  “What do you mean it’s not safe?”