Exiled - 01

by M. R. Merrick

“I was simply defending myself,” Riley said.

  “You are a horrible man, Riley Williams. You don’t deserve to be called a hunter,” Mom said.

  “How dare you say such things!” Riley’s voice grew darker and deeper with each word.

  “I say them because they’re true. You disowned your own son and family. You cast us away like we were nothing and here you are, trying to invoke Ithreal, the creator of the creatures you’ve sworn to kill? You think you can harness this power, but having had only a taste of it you’ve tried to kill your own son! You’re an insult to the Circle, and a disgrace to the gods!”

  Rumbling echoed through the cave and chunks of rock fell around us. Marcus and the Dark Brothers were doing battle behind us. The Brothers each had a sword and circled Marcus, who had so far been successful in deflecting their attacks.

  “Tessa, Tessa, Tessa,” Riley said. His pupils again grew larger until nothing but darkness filled them. “I disowned you because you disobeyed me. You challenged my ideals, therefore challenging what was best for the Circle. I’ve done what needed to be done and made the necessary sacrifices. If you and Chase join me, we can be a family again.”

  “You stopped being a father and a husband long before we were exiled.”

  Riley sighed. “I’d hoped we could get past this, Tessa. As I told Chase, this is all for the greater good. But if you are not with me, then you are against me.”

  “We are against you,” Tessa replied.

  “I love you Tessa, with all my heart. You and Chase will always be special to me, but I cannot stop doing what I know will better our kind.”

  “You don’t have to stop. I will stop you.”

  My mother’s magic exploded and a tidal wave made of fury engulfed my father. Water streamed from his nose and poured from his mouth. He fell to his knees, choking and drowning.

  I felt just an ounce of sadness watching his face and eyes, black as they were, fill with panic and fear. He clawed at the stone floor and my mother didn’t pause her torrent of power. He choked on wave after wave and his dark eyes shot to me. The look he gave me made my stomach clench and any sorrow I felt vanished.

  A column of power came down from the darkness above us and surrounded him. I could almost see his magic moving under his skin before it exploded from his body.

  “Go help Marcus,” my mother said.

  I started to argue, but the look on her face stopped me. I jumped to my feet and ran towards the Brothers, who were closing in on Marcus.

  I leapt at Drake from behind and brought my dagger down into his shoulder, letting it sink deep. I pulled the blade down, cutting through skin and muscle from his shoulder to the middle of his back. He screamed and turned, and I lost my grip on the knife. The warlock pushed me back without a touch, then was on top of me, his hands squeezing the air from my throat. His solid black eyes poured hatred into me, while my blade was still stuck in his back.

  I could feel my airway being crushed while his death magic filled me. Pain in my chest came to rest around my heart while he pulled at all my organs and my body grew weak. I clawed at his hands, but his power was too strong. I reached as far as I could around him and my fingers groped at the handle of the blade.

  Unconsciousness tugged at me, but I gave one final effort and managed to grip the dagger and pull it downwards. The magic around me collapsed as he screamed and fell backwards, dislodging my blade. He writhed in pain and I took a few breaths as my body found its rhythm again. I picked up the knife, raised it above my head and smashed it through his chest, then lifted and brought it down again into his stomach. I was bringing it up a third time when Marcus’s voice called to me.

  “Chase!” I looked up to see that he had Darius on his knees and was pressing a blade against his throat. “You need to get Rayna and get out before this place falls apart,” he said. I looked down at the demon who gasped for breath beneath me. “Now!” Marcus demanded.

  I headed for the altar, leaving Drake in a puddle of his own blood. As I neared, I watched Riley regaining his footing. Fire leapt from his hand and hit my mother, knocking her to the ground. Her magic dissipated and Riley coughed the last of the water out of his lungs.

  I changed direction and moved straight for him. My silvery spheres of flame soared through the air, connected with my father’s chest and knocked him to the ground. The shadowy wings appeared and deflected the rest of my fiery assault.

  My mother recovered and rose to her feet. Her magic surrounded her again and water shot from her hands towards Riley. He lay on his back, his own magic flaring around him. Black wings flapped once and in an instant he was on his feet. Streams of red flame shot from his hand and met my mother’s onslaught. Their elements pushed against each other, their strength perfectly matched.

  I kept moving towards him, hoping my mother’s magic was enough to distract him. I felt the fire grow inside me, but as it was leaving my hands, a dark shadow shot out and struck me to the ground.

  “You will not interfere, boy,” Riley’s dark voice growled. The wing swept along the floor and sent my body skidding across the concrete.

  I collided with the altar and the cave shook. The floor cracked and black smoke wafted up from the web of crevices.

  “Get Rayna and go,” my mother commanded.

  I crawled to my feet to see Riley’s fire had not yet overwhelmed my mother, but he seemed to be gaining ground. Smoke oozed from the wings and merged with Riley’s flames, turning them black. It crept over my mother’s waterspout and turned it dark, murky gray.

  “I can help you!” I protested.

  “Rayna is more important. Now go!” I knew it wasn’t up for discussion. I watched her a moment longer, the warm color of her hazel eyes being obscured by steam as Riley’s magic crept closer. “Go…”

  I didn’t hesitate again and went to Rayna, limp on the stone table. Her wounds had stopped bleeding, but I didn’t know if it was because her blood had clotted, or because she didn’t have any left.

  Her flesh was cold to the touch, and her skin’s usual milky white color had been replaced by a cold grayish blue tone. I placed a finger on her neck and could feel her pulse beating weakly, but she wasn’t breathing.

  Tiki was standing over her, trying to keep her safe from falling rocks. I heard a loud crash as the cave floor cracked again beneath us and looked back to the others.

  Darius had broken free of Marcus’s hold, but Marcus was still swinging his sword and forcing him back to the edge of the cave. Drake lay on the ground, writhing with what little bit of life remained, the puddle of blood around him expanding. Mom still had her arms out and the streams of water that spurted from her hands met Riley’s fire.

  “Go!” she screamed a final time as the black flame nearly reached her fingertips. I didn’t argue and slipped Rayna into my arms.

  The cavern shook again and this time the falling rocks were boulders. Dark smoke billowed from the hole in the cave floor and the cracks in the stone walls. An orange glow grew brighter as lava crept up and started to shine through the floor.

  Sweat dripped from my face as I ran towards the corridor. The ground split beneath us and I took a step back to keep my balance. The floor collapsed in front of me and disappeared into a pit of molten rock beneath. Panic raced through me; the surface we stood on was going to be swallowed.

  I ran towards the second tunnel with all the speed I could muster. I dodged the boulders as they crashed around us and held Rayna closer, trying to shield her, and Tiki followed close behind. We saw Darius regaining ground and pushing Marcus back with blasts of dark magic. I prayed for the other corridor not to collapse as we ran through a shower of dust and rocks. I had to sidestep several puddles of lava. I let my magic push me harder and faster than I knew I should be able to go, and relief washed over me at the sight of the cave opening.

  Cold, fresh air washed over my face and tasted sweet as I drew it into lungs. The lake came into sight and then the shore, giving me hope. The water was rougher than
before, and it rippled with small waves clapping together. The suns had vanished from the green sky that was now almost black with threatening clouds that hung above the volcano. Earth exploded as lightning struck the ground. It wasn’t just the cave shaking – it was the whole island.

  We ran down the aisle of land into the open plain and I collapsed to the shaking ground. Thick steam and periodic explosions of ash pumped from the top of the volcano and more dirt exploded around us as lightning struck.

  I set Rayna on the ground and laid my hands on her, drawing on my magic as I had done in the condo. Thoughts of healing rivers that ran through my imagination, and I closed her wounds in my mind, letting the water wash away her scars. I could feel my power filling her body and I had hope, but she still wasn’t breathing. I focused my magic until her wounds began to close, but her skin was icy to the touch.

  “Don’t you die on me,” I whispered. The thought of her not being with me made my heart ache and gave me an extra rush of adrenaline. I used that energy, shaking with emotion.

  Tiki tried to place a hand on my shoulder, but the moment he touched me he gasped and pulled it back, clutching it in his other hand as though I’d burned him.

  “Come on!” I yelled, but it was no use.

  I pulled my hands away from Rayna as tears found their way out of my eyes. I couldn’t give her lungs the breath of life they needed. Tears fell from my cheeks and rolled over her body.

  I watched the world around me crumble: the violent volcano, the angry rapids, and the thundering clouds that shot bursts of light into the earth. Tiki was cut, bruised, and on the edge of exhaustion. I pictured my mother and the way the light in her eyes had faded as my father’s dark magic crept over her. I looked at Rayna. Even in the state she was in, I could see her beauty, remember her laugh, and wish I’d never said an angry word to her.

  I screamed at the stormy sky and cursed the gods. I reached towards the lake and released my magic. The lake responded with a power of its own and pushed back. Thunder rumbled and a flash of lightning flickered down from the clouds and struck my chest. Everything slowed and the surge of electricity crackled through my veins.

  I pulled all the power I could from the lake and merged it with the energy of the lighting. I dropped my hands to rest on Rayna and let the blend fill her. I didn’t know what I was doing or how I was doing it, but I willed her to breathe.

  Drops of violet rain began to fall on us, washing the blood and dirt from our skin. Streaks of black rolled down my chest where the lightning had charred me. Power seared through my body, changing my senses and bringing everything to life in a new way.

  I could hear blades of grass rustling against one another. The wind carried a sweeter taste than before, and I could feel the heat of the lava brewing inside the volcano. The waves crashed against the shore and the moisture that hung on the air danced along my skin with an electric current.

  A final tear slid down my face and onto Rayna’s body before the power was gone and I collapsed over top of her.

  There seemed to be an eternity between that moment and the next, but when the strange sensation ended, I felt Rayna’s chest rise. I pulled myself off of her to watch her ribcage rise and fall again, and I put two fingers to her neck to find a strengthening pulse. Her skin’s color slowly returned to the milky white I remembered, and it seemed to be getting warmer.

  I felt the weight of a mountain leave my shoulders as her breathing became consistent. But the ground shook again and rocks rolled down the side of the volcano, splashing into the already violent water. The weight returned when I thought of my mother and Marcus still in danger.

  “I need to go back,” I said.

  “You cannot. They told us to get out while we could,” Tiki said.

  I ignored him and ran back towards the land bridge, but Tiki moved with speed I hadn’t seen him use and stood in my way.

  “I can’t leave them in there!” I shouted. I tried to push past him, but Tiki wouldn’t budge.

  “Chase Williams, do not let their sacrifice be in vain,” he said and I stopped, regarding him with loathing. I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to accept that Mom and Marcus were forfeiting their lives for us.

  The top of the volcano began to cave in. The mouth of the cave was beginning to shatter and I watched uneasily as the mountain consumed itself. Joy filled me when I saw a figure appear in the cave opening.

  Dust and smoke billowed around them and I couldn’t see who it was, but for that one moment I was happy to see anything promising. I ran towards the figure, but when I got closer I collapsed to my knees.

  Marcus’s skin was blacker than midnight, covered in ash. Patches of raw skin were exposed, and fresh burns coated his arms and tatters of his shirt stuck to him. I could see vicious old burn scars on his chest and back, and for the first time I saw a strong emotion on his face: sorrow.

  He carried a limp figure in his arms, and I felt my stomach twist as they came closer. My world started to spin, Marcus moving in slow motion towards me.

  A loud crash shook the ground as the cave mouth collapsed behind him, releasing dust and ash. I tried to stand, but I couldn’t get off my knees. I felt like I was steel and the earth was a magnet, unrelenting in its hold on me. Tears ran down my face like waterfalls and the spinning stopped – there was no sound, no feeling, in that moment. I didn’t hear myself screaming and I didn’t feel Tiki trying to wrap his arms around me and calm me down. Marcus was in front of me. He knelt slowly and laid my mother on the ground in front of me.

  The world rushed back as I put my hands over her still smoking body. Spots of her flesh were burnt black while others were bright red. I pushed my water magic into her as she had done so many times for me. Her skin was scalding to the touch and I fought not to pull away.

  “It’s no use, Chase, she’s gone,” Marcus said.

  It was a good thing looks couldn’t kill, or he would have been on the ground too. “No, I can bring her back,” I insisted.

  No matter how hard I pushed my magic, it was no use. I couldn’t get the faintest of breaths or the softest of heartbeats.

  “Come on!” I screamed. I tried to pull energy from the elements around us. “I know I can do this! I did it for Rayna,” I yelled at no one and everyone. I tried until Mom’s skin was icy and colorless. My mother was dead, and my own father had killed her.

  I stared at her body until I had no more tears left. My stomach felt hollow and guilt washed over me. I was supposed to protect her. I was the reason she died.

  I wiped the remaining droplets from my face and finally rose to my feet. I turned to Marcus and let him see all the anger and hate in my eyes.

  “Where is he?”

  Marcus shook his head, his face covered in ashes, blood, and grief. “He was still inside, son.”

  “I’m not your son.” I could see my anger hurt him, but in that moment I didn’t care. “Are you sure they didn’t get out?”

  Marcus watched me for a moment. “Drake was unconscious when I left, and Darius was near death. But they are powerful warlocks, so I cannot be sure.”

  “And Riley?”

  “I managed to distract him long enough to get your mother and myself out. I nearly met the same fate as she.”

  “Well there’s only one way in and one way out, right? He has to be inside.” I was going back in to make sure he died tonight.

  Marcus’s hands pulled at me but I brushed them away. “I have to do this,” I demanded.

  The volcano exploded and rocks and lava shot out of its mouth, raining down into the lake. Fountains of purple water shot into the air and I had to jump back. Waves of red and orange lava seeped from the top of the crumbled volcano and Marcus’s hands succeeded in holding me back.

  “I can’t let you go, Chase,” he said.

  I tried to convince myself that the man who killed my mother was dead, caught by the lava that filled the volcano. But I couldn’t believe it until I saw his body for myself. Yet if he had still be
en in there, his body would be gone, lost in the river of fire, and I would never know for certain.

  I hadn’t ever thought of a life without my mother, the woman who stood by me through everything. We were exiled together; we survived the Underworld’s attempts on our lives together. She couldn’t be gone.

  I heard chirping as the golden torrent soared down through the now dark sky. Smoke hung in the air above us while a rain of ash sprinkled the ground. The torrent glided towards me and found my shoulder. It rubbed its head against my cheek and somehow my eyes found more tears to let fall.

  Gazing at my mother’s body, I felt my sadness replaced with anger, which turned into regret, and then I felt nothing. All emotions had dissipated and I was shutting myself away from the truth.

  Marcus pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I realized I was shaking, and I couldn’t help but put my arms around him too.

  “What now?” I said, through gasps and sobs.

  “We go home,” he said in a voice full of sadness.

  “I don’t have a home. She was my home.”

  “You will always have a home with us,” Marcus replied.

  I wanted to push away from his embrace but I couldn’t find the strength. My whole life had been destroyed in hours. I let him hold me because I wasn’t sure I could stand on my own.

  I stayed there while the volcano erupted again, more violently than before. When I was sure I could stand without help, I pulled away and turned to Tiki.

  “Can you get us home?” I asked, my voice just above a whisper.

  “If the door is unlocked, I can go through it.”

  “I think it’s safe to say it’s open.”

  I slipped my arms under my mother’s body and picked her up. I looked down at her limp form and cradled her in my arms, feeling like somebody had pulled my insides out. I leaned over and kissed her cold forehead.

  Rayna twitched and my eyes went to her. Her body jerked up and her bright green cat eyes opened, then morphed into a strange mixture of gold and blue. “Riley and the Brothers aren’t dead,” she said.

  “What?” I said, stumbling as her words nearly brought me to my knees again. My pulse raced in my throat and my stomach turned.