by Mazhar, S
“I can’t see any surveillance,” Rose said, craning her neck back to peer at the ceiling.
“It wouldn’t be very good surveillance if it wasn’t hidden,” Sam replied.
“You’re so paranoid,” Rose said. “Everything’s a conspiracy with you.”
They wandered around the shops for a little while before heading back. As they passed the orchard, they saw Drake Logan supervising a group of mages carrying baskets of fruit to the Stove. As Aaron passed, Drake looked around at him. A simple nod in form of a greeting was all Aaron got before Drake turned his attention back to the mages.
Ever since Drake’s outburst at the table, almost a week ago, he had avoided Aaron, going back to the practice of not speaking to him. Along with Drake, it seemed that the majority of Salvador had taken an oath not to speak to Aaron. They stared at him when he passed on the street or when he sat at the table at mealtimes, but no one ever approached him – save for Alan and Mary, but even that was only when Aaron was at the table.
As Aaron and the twins made their way past the lake, they spotted Skyler with his usual group of mages making their way towards them.
“Here comes trouble,” Rose muttered. “Just ignore him, Aaron. Don’t react to anything he says.”
Aaron nodded. He was planning on ignoring Skyler anyway. When they passed by, Skyler didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look in Aaron’s direction. But the quiet snickers and the looks thrown Aaron’s way by the surrounding mages indicated Skyler had made a snarky remark out of Aaron’s earshot.
“You notice something about those mages?” Rose asked, once the group had passed.
“They’re all prats,” Sam said, looking back at the crowd with annoyance.
“Aside from that,” Rose said. “They all seem rather fond of ink.”
Aaron had noticed. From the spiral tattoo on Skyler’s shoulder to the various marks adorning almost every mage in his group.
“I noticed Drake’s got a dagger inked on his wrist,” Aaron said.
“Drake doesn’t look the type to get a tattoo,” Rose said.
“Yeah,” Aaron agreed. “He seems too serious.”
“Maybe he got it when he was drunk,” Sam suggested.
They continued walking down the path. In the distance, Aaron could see Alan carrying baskets into the Stove.
“What do you think Alan meant by this place being Skyler’s playground?” Aaron asked.
Sam shrugged. “Dunno, mate.”
“He does act like he owns the place,” Rose mused.
“Alan said that Skyler and Ella have Salvador’s allegiance,” Aaron repeated, “but that I would get my share. What does that even mean?”
“You should speak to Alan,” Rose said. “Ask him to explain. He’ll probably tell you.”
“Not if Drake’s warned him,” Aaron said. “You heard what he said about Hunters and doing as you’re told. Drake’s warned everyone not to speak to me and not to tell me anything because...” His heart jolted. “Because dad told him to.”
“You reckon what Skyler said was true?” Sam asked. “About...about hunting demons?”
“I always thought demons were just metaphorical,” Aaron said. He glanced up at Sam. “Then again, I didn’t think half the things I’ve seen here were ever possible.”
“I wonder why Drake stopped being a Hunter,” Rose said. “He seemed really uncomfortable talking about his past.”
“Drake seems uncomfortable talking, full stop,” Aaron said.
“Maybe he’s retired,” Sam offered.
“Could be,” Aaron agreed. “He’s not that old, but if Skyler’s a Hunter, then–”
“Wait, Skyler’s a Hunter?” Sam asked, stopping in his tracks. “How d’you get there?”
“He told us,” Aaron replied. “That day, at the table. He said, ‘we hunt demons’. He was talking about himself.”
“How old do you reckon Skyler is?” Rose asked.
“Can’t be more than twenty, if even that,” Sam guessed.
Rose slowly shook her head. “Demon Hunter. Seems like a heavy title to bear.”
A sudden, bright light flashed – so intense, the entire street lit up. It was gone as quickly as it had come, but it left Aaron blinking spots away from his vision. An audible click rang around them, and far in the distance Aaron saw a rectangular doorway forming. The purr of numerous engines cut through the air before Aaron saw the first of several motorbikes racing in. A group of twelve rode down the road, heading straight for the cottages.
“What the–?” Sam gasped.
A few doors to the cottages opened and people came out to see what the commotion was, but the bikers didn’t slow down. They swerved to the back of Jason Burns’s house and disappeared into the thick, dense wood that was the backdrop to the cottages.
Aaron shared a look with the twins. “Should we?” he asked.
Sam looked to his sister, before meeting Aaron’s eyes. “Why not?”
The three ran after the bikers. Had they not seen the bikes turn into the woodland area behind Jason’s cottage, they would have never noticed the dusty, narrow path there. Using the sound of the roaring engines as a guide, Aaron, Sam and Rose followed the path down a steep hill. At the bottom they found another clutter of buildings side by side, arranged in a semi-circle. The buildings were big and bulky, a mass of grey stone with no windows and chunky steel shutters blocking the entrances. There was no sign on any of the buildings to indicate what they were. The three raced past, having no time to stop and wonder what they were. The sound of the bikes drew them deeper into the woods, still on the dusty, rocky path. The sound suddenly cut off, making the trio come to a halt. Aaron leant against a tree, trying to catch his breath.
“Now what?” Rose asked, wiping a hand across her sweaty brow.
“We keep going,” Aaron replied. “Come on.”
He led the twins, hoping the end of the path would get them to the bikers. He was grateful when they reached the top of a hill and spotted the mages parked in another clearing at the bottom.
“Look at them,” Sam gushed, his eyes twinkling. “Such beauties.”
Aaron rolled his eyes. “Stop staring at the bikes and focus on the mages riding them.”
But Sam was squinting, trying to make as much as he could about the dozen gleaming bikes at the bottom of the hill. “They look like Ducati Panigales,” he whispered. “Those ones, over there, to the left, they’re definitely Kawasaki Ninjas.” He was practically drooling. “God, I just wanna touch one.”
Rose whacked him on the arm. “Focus!”
“Right, right,” Sam muttered.
Standing a safe distance away, under the shade of the trees, Aaron, Sam and Rose studied the bikers. They were all young, barely in their twenties. They wore boots, tight-fitting jeans, what looked like vests under zipped tops, and long denim coats with flared ends. There was something about them, something in their body language that reminded Aaron strongly of Skyler. Aaron could easily imagine them as the crowd of mages that were always by Skyler’s side.
One by one, the mages got off their bikes, huddling around one particular red-haired girl. She turned to speak to the assembled group, nodding her head at several members. It was as she craned her neck to speak to a tall, brown-haired boy that Aaron caught sight of the tattoo, sprawling up her neck and disappearing behind her ear and under her hair. From this distance, it looked like an image of barbed wire, only it was a strange shade of silver as opposed to the standard black ink. That’s when Aaron knew who they were.
“Hunters,” he breathed. “They’re Hunters.”
“How do you know?” Sam asked.
“They look like Hunters,” Aaron replied.
“Well, well.” Skyler’s drawl made Aaron turn around to see him standing with his usual group. “Look at that? Barely here a fortnight and little Adams can already tell his mages apart.”
The crowd around Skyler snickered. Aaron didn’t say anything.
“You
should wear a bell or something,” Sam said. “You’re always creeping up on us.”
Skyler flashed him a grin. “A bell?” he asked, walking over to Sam. “I could send a tornado and you lot’ll still be unaware.” He looked Sam up and down with cold blue eyes. “It’s rather pathetic how clueless you are.”
Skyler and his cronies swept past Aaron and the twins, heading down the hill. Aaron didn’t waste a minute. He followed after them, as did Rose and Sam. They reached the bottom of the hill and walked over to the bikers, who had noticed the approaching crowd. The red-haired girl stood at the front, her beautiful sea-green eyes narrowed at Skyler.
“Bella, so nice to see you again,” Skyler greeted her, with a smile and open arms.
The girl – Bella – smirked back, eyes flashing. “Skyler.” She nodded. “If only it was ever nice to see you.”
Skyler grinned. “Aww, Bella, baby, don’t be like that.”
Bella rolled her eyes before holding out a gloved hand. “Just stop it, Skyler,” she said irately. “I’m here to see Scott.”
“Scott’s not here,” Skyler replied. “So if you have anything to say, you’re gonna have to say it to me.”
“Contrary to what you believe, you’re not in charge,” Bella said. “Scott’s the one I need to speak to and I know he’s here.”
“He’s not,” Skyler insisted.
“Afraid he is.”
Everyone turned to see a brown-haired man with a big grin walk towards them. He was tall and broad, just like Drake, but Aaron guessed he was at least a decade younger.
“Scott?” Skyler looked surprised. “When did you get back?”
“A few hours ago,” Scott replied. He looked over at Bella and nodded. “It’s a pleasure, Miss Giovanni,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Bella asked. She straightened up, her head held high, shoulders pushed back. “We want the next Q-Zone.”
Scott’s expression changed from pleasant to concerned. Behind Bella, Skyler let out a derisive snort.
“Please,” he scoffed. “You and this circus don’t have a chance in the Q-Zone.” He gestured to the crowd around her.
“Was I talking to you, git?” Bella shot back.
Sam leant over to whisper to Aaron. “I think I’m in love with her.”
“How long you been hunting?” Skyler snapped at her.
“Longer than you,” Bella replied.
“Alright, alright.” Scott held out a hand, gesturing for Skyler to back down. “Miss Giovanni, I’ve got to be honest. As successful as your hunts have been, I don’t know if you have what it takes to step into a Q-Zone.”
Bella reared up her head. “Well then,” she said. “Let us show you what we can do.”
Scott seemed to consider it. His eyes narrowed and brow lined. He took in a breath before nodding.
“Alright.” He stepped to the side and held out a hand. “To the ring, please.”
Wearing a triumphant smile, Bella led her group of mages forward.
“Scott?” Skyler started, shoulders hunched in agitation and eyes swimming with annoyance. “What the hell?”
“They have every right to go into the Q-Zone, if they can handle it,” Scott replied.
“They can’t handle it!” Skyler snarled.
“Well,” Scott crossed both hands under his chest, not fazed by Skyler’s anger, “get in the ring and prove it.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Skyler glowered.
He followed behind Bella and her group. One by one, the other mages followed after him. With a sigh, Scott turned but stopped short at the sight of Aaron and the twins.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Scott said. He held out a hand. “Scott Patterson.”
Aaron shook his hand and mentally prepared for the reaction. “Aaron Adams.”
Sure enough, Scott’s expression morphed first into shock, then disbelief, before settling on surprise.
“Good God!” he gasped. “Are you really?”
“Yeah, really,” Aaron replied.
Scott looked over to the top of the hill. “Your parents?” he asked.
“They’re not here,” Aaron replied, hating the way his heart twisted at the reminder. “They had to go...somewhere. I’m not really sure where,” he said, feeling like a right idiot. “But they should be back soon. Hopefully,” he added under his breath.
Scott nodded, but his eyes had lit up with joy. “I can’t believe...You go away for a fortnight and so much happens,” he chuckled. “It’s an honour to meet you, Mr Adams.” He shook his hand again, fervently this time.
“It’s Aaron, just Aaron, please.”
“Of course, Aaron.” Scott beamed. He looked over at Sam and Rose. “And they are?”
“My friends,” Aaron replied, “Sam and Rose Mason.”
Scott shook their hands, smiling at them with a hint of sadness in the corners of his mouth. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, “and I’m sorry for your loss.”
Sam and Rose were shocked.
“How did you know?” Rose asked.
“Your name proves you’re human,” he said, “and you’re here, in Salvador. No human comes here, not unless they have nowhere else to go.”
Rose only nodded, whereas Sam chose to stare at the ground. Scott turned back to Aaron.
“I’m afraid I have to go. There’s a competition starting soon.” He paused for a moment, before smiling. “Come and watch if you like.”
“Yeah,” Aaron said. “Sure.”
Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “I can’t believe the Adams are back,” he said. “To think, after so long, the Elementals are finally back in the one realm again.”
“Elementals?” Aaron frowned.
Scott laughed. “You trying to be funny?” he asked. “You don’t know you’re an Elemental?”
“I thought I was a mage,” Aaron said, confused.
“You’re kidding, right?” Scott grinned, but at Aaron’s lost expression, his smile slid away and his eyes widened. “You...you’re not kidding?”
“My dad told me two weeks ago that I’m a mage,” Aaron revealed. “He didn’t say anything about being an Elemental.”
Scott staggered a step back, gaping at Aaron with an open mouth. “Good God,” he breathed.“You...” He trailed off, struggling to compose himself. Running a hand through his dark hair, he turned to glance behind him. “I’m...I’m sorry, but...I should go.”
Aaron watched as Scott hurried away. He was just wrapping his mind around the whole being mage thing and now he was referred to as an Elemental? What was going on?
Rose’s warm hand slipped into his. “Come on.” She pulled gently, leading Aaron and Sam to follow behind Scott.
8
When Mages Fight
The ring, it turned out, was just that. A large, circular area, marked in the ground by a series of rocks. Etched in the middle of the ring was a symbol – one Aaron had seen on the tall white door upon entering Salvador. It was a peculiar mark: a circle with an inverted V in the middle. Between the legs of the V was a spiral. Three wavy lines marked on either side of the V finished the design. Aaron stared at it with a fascination he couldn’t understand. Only when Rose pulled at his arm did Aaron snap out of his daze.
“What?” he asked.
“Move!” she urged, throwing a pointed look behind him.
Aaron turned to see Skyler glaring at him.
“You wanna stand and stare all day, Adams?” he asked. “’Cause the rest of us have things to do.”
Aaron moved out of his way and Skyler waved a hand at the ring. The rocks trembled before lifting into the air. One by one, the rocks aligned themselves into an arch. Aaron tried not to look impressed but failed miserably.
Skyler turned to the red-haired Bella. “It’s all yours,” he said, waving a hand in mock-courtesy.
Bella sent four of her mages into the ring. Skyler gestured to four of his own cronies, and three boys and a girl entered the ring
. Skyler snapped his fingers and the rocks floated back to their former location.
Aaron noticed that every one of the eight mages inside the ring sported some sort of a tattoo. Some had thin silver swords etched on the side of their necks. Others had strange symbols and words under their ears or sprawling across their collarbones. One had a pair of black and gold pistols on the back of his neck.
The rest of Bella and Skyler’s group were crowded around the outskirts of the ring. A gradual stream of Salvador residents filled the area. They all looked excited as they joined the Hunters around the ring or stood further back. Aaron spotted Alan sitting on the wide stone steps that led up to a circular glass building. Out of all the structures Aaron had seen in Salvador, this one was the most modern-looking. Aaron and the twins walked over to take a seat next to Alan.
“Hey,” Aaron greeted.
“Hey y’all.” Alan grinned. “Just in time to see the fight.”
“Why are they fighting?” Aaron asked.
“What all Hunters fight each other for,” Alan said. “A chance to go into the Q-Zone.”
“The Q-Zone?” Aaron asked. “What’s that?”
Alan met Aaron’s gaze with first surprise, then understanding and, finally, a little pity.
“Sorry, I forgot you’ve only just arrived in this realm,” he said. “The Q-Zone is every Hunter’s dream,” he explained. “In the world of Hunters, you’re not worth half your salt if you haven’t gone into the Q-Zone at least once in your life.”
“But what is it? This...this Q-Zone?” Sam asked.
“Don’t you worry your little Shattered mind about it,” Alan laughed. “It’s only for Hunters.”
Behind them, Scott appeared at the top of the stairs, framed against the doorway of the circular building.
“If everyone could settle down,” he called. His bright, hazel-eyed stare went out to the eight mages in the ring. “The Hunters of Balt,” Scott called. “Show your skills against the Hunters of Salvador.” He looked directly at Bella. “Give me victory and I will give you access to the next Quarantine Zone.”
A tremendous cheer erupted, with the biker mages whooping and raising their fists in the air. Bella was grinning from ear to ear.