by Mazhar, S
“It’s not what you think, Rose,” Kyran started.
“Yeah, Rose, listen to him,” Skyler said. “He’s only been lying to you since he met you.”
Kyran swore at him, fighting to get free. Skyler drew his gun once more, aiming another shot at Kyran’s chest, this time at point blank range.
“Enough!” a booming voice commanded and everyone fell still. All eyes turned to Neriah, who stood at the side glaring at Kyran and Skyler. “Take him away,” he instructed, and at once the Hunters began pulling and dragging a resisting Kyran.
“Rose! Rose, listen to me!” Kyran yelled, struggling wildly. “It’s not what you think! There was nothing I could do! Rose! Rose!”
His shouts grew fainter as the Hunters forced him away. Rose stood where she was, watching him go with tears sliding down her face.
***
The street was slowly emptying. Neriah, Ella and Skyler had left with Scott, heading to the Hub. Chris had followed after them. Kate and Drake had gone into the Stove with Mary. Sam had taken Rose into the cottage but Aaron remained outside with a handful of Hunters. His mind was on Kyran and the events that unfolded over an hour ago. No matter what he had heard, even from Kyran himself, Aaron didn't believe it. It wasn’t possible. Kyran couldn't be the Scorcher.
“What’d you think Neriah’ll do to him?” Ryan asked morosely, seated a few chairs down.
“Execution, most likely,” Zhi-Jiya replied in a quiet, broken voice.
That snapped Aaron out of his thoughts. He looked over at her. “What?”
Zhi-Jiya glanced to him, her eyes void of their usual sparkle. “It’s what the plan was,” she said. “Catch the Scorcher and execute him.”
Aaron felt his body numb with terror. “No,” he gasped, shaking his head. “You can’t do that.”
A few heads turned his way. Zhi-Jiya frowned at him. “He’s the Scorcher,” she repeated.
“So what?” Aaron said, quickly. “You just gonna kill him?”
“Aaron,” Alan called to him, shaking his head. “Don’t– ”
“No,” Aaron cut him off. “You can’t kill Kyran, even if he’s the Scorcher. What about all the other things he did?” Aaron asked. “He jumped into a collapsing Q-Zone to save my life. He saved Rose by doing that transfer–”
“He also stood back and let his vamages kill her parents,” Zhi-Jiya interrupted.
Aaron stopped, his words dying on his tongue. Fighting past the pain, he forced himself to speak, refusing to give up. “It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Why would Kyran stay in Salvador for a year, helping all of you if he’s the enemy? Why would he help you fight against the vamages?” he asked. “Kyran was there when the Q-Zone was set up in my street. If he’s the Scorcher, why did he kill his own vamages?”
“He didn’t have a choice,” Ryan said. “He had to keep his cover.”
“I remember Kyran fighting to stop that Q-Zone hunt from happening,” Omar said. “He made it look like he cared for Sam and Rose’s safety, but now we know the real reason.”
“He disappeared every full moon,” Julian said. “He probably went back to Hadrian those nights, to give him monthly updates.”
“And set up the attacks that happened while he was in Salvador,” Omar added. “He made damn sure he was around us when the attacks happened, so we couldn’t – even in our wildest theories – think he was the Scorcher.”
“He pretended to be our friend,” Ryan said, his eyes blazing with the anger of betrayal. “He came to all the hunts with us, killed demons by our side and sat around the table, laughing with us.” His hands curled into fists. “Laughing at us,” he corrected.
“He’s smart, you gotta give him that,” Omar said. “He was a part of every trip made to the Pecosas. If they really did know who the Scorcher was, like Scott suspected, there was no way they would open their mouths with the Scorcher standing right there.”
Zhi-Jiya watched Aaron closely before putting her hand over his, startling him. “You’re in denial,” she said. “I can see it in your eyes.” She paused for a moment before meeting his gaze. “You need to see what we’ve seen. Then you’ll believe who Kyran really is.”
Without giving Aaron a chance to object, Zhi-Jiya reached over the table and touched his temple. Aaron’s surroundings melted and he found himself in a village that was burning to the ground. Everywhere Aaron looked, there were houses aflame, bright flickers of orange flames against the dark. Thick black smoke was billowing upwards, joining the night sky. The sound of screams and cries filled the air and Aaron shivered. He turned to see a cliff, on top of which stood two men. They were just standing there, watching the destruction and mayhem with ease. Aaron recognised one as Daniel Machado. His glittering blue eyes gave him away. The man next to him seemed familiar too but Aaron couldn't place him.
“What do you say, Scorcher?” Machado asked, turning his head to look at someone out with Aaron’s sight. “Have they had enough?” If it wasn't to do with the fact that he was watching a memory, Aaron would've never heard him. There was no way Machado's voice could have carried down here.
A third person, dressed in a long red coat, appeared at the edge of the cliff, standing between the two vamages. Even at a distance, in the dark, there was no doubt who he was. The dark hair ruffled in the wind. Piercing green eyes seemed to glow, and that smirk – one Aaron had only ever seen playfully – held a sinister undertone. There was no denying it now – it was Kyran.
With a lazy step forward, Kyran jumped to the ground, landing gracefully on his feet. In mere moments, Machado and the other vamage – who had to be Kamara – appeared at Kyran's side. Aaron watched in numbed disbelief, as Kyran sauntered forward, smirking at the devastation around him. In his hand he held a sword, one unlike any Aaron had ever seen. It radiated power, every inch of it menacing with strange engravings running down the length of the blade.
When Kyran turned to face the vamages, Aaron saw the silver-studded inverted V on the back of his red coat.
“I think they can stand the heat a little longer,” Kyran said. Turning, he looked straight through Aaron. “In fact, I think it needs to be turned up a notch.”
He raised his sword and swung it. A wave of fire erupted outwards, rushing like a tidal wave, crashing down on the village. It passed through Aaron, but of course he didn't feel anything. Aaron still reacted though, stepping backwards, arms thrown up to protect himself. The screams ended abruptly and even through closed eyes, Aaron could tell the darkness was gone and daylight was back. When he opened his eyes, the memory had ended and he was back in Salvador, sitting at the table with a tearful Zhi-Jiya facing him.
***
“What are we going to do?” Scott asked, his eyes shadowed and brow furrowed, as he stood in front of the round table. “Where do we go from here?”
“It’s obvious,” Skyler drawled. He leant back, his elbows resting on the bench behind him. “Execution.”
Chris looked at him with surprise. “No. You can’t execute him.”
“Did anyone ask you?” Skyler asked with a raised eyebrow. “You shouldn’t even be a part of this discussion.”
Chris ignored him, turning towards the one man that had the authority to sentence Kyran to death.
“Neriah, don’t do this,” Chris pleaded.
“Why not?” Skyler interrupted. “Isn’t this what we’ve been working towards for the last two years now?” he asked, turning to Scott. “Find the Scorcher. We must get to the Scorcher. We get the Scorcher, we get rid of Hadrian’s power.” He sat up, holding out his arms. “We have the Scorcher. We’ve had him for almost a year.” He snorted. “What do we do now? Let him live and run the risk of him escaping? Or do we put a personalised bullet between his eyes and end Hadrian’s legacy?”
“Neriah, please,” Chris continued. “Don’t execute him. We need–”
“You need to stay out of this,” Skyler said irritably.
“Shut up, Sky!” Ella bit out.
�
��What? You’re taking his side?” Skyler asked, nodding at Chris.
“Yeah, I am,” Ella replied. “Because I’m not eager to kill!”
“That’s enough,” Neriah said, commanding an instant hush. He turned around to face the gathered Elementals.
“Neriah,” Chris started again only for Neriah to hold up a hand, silencing him.
“I don’t need your opinion,” he said coldly to Chris. “You may be an Elemental, but you’ve given up the right to stand council.”
Skyler was practically glowing with glee. “Great.” He smiled, getting to his feet. “I’ll just get the bullet ready then.”
“No one’s executing anyone,” Neriah said.
“But–?” Skyler stared at him in confusion. “Neriah, he’s the Scorcher.”
“I’m aware of that,” Neriah replied, “but until I find out why he spent a year here undercover, I’m not sentencing him to death.”
“He was obviously sent by his father to spy on us,” Skyler said.
“Yes, but that’s not enough of an explanation,” Neriah said. “Hadrian wouldn’t deliver his son straight into our hands just to spy. He’s got plenty of others for that job. Besides, the Scorcher’s death will bring us nothing. Alive, he has memories that can be very useful in tracking Hadrian’s whereabouts.” He furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowed in thought. “Until I find out exactly what Hadrian’s after, nothing will happen to his son.” He looked straight at Skyler. “Is that understood?”
Skyler’s hands curled into fists. “Yes, sir,” he replied stiffly. Without another word, Skyler turned and walked out of the Hub.
Chris looked to Neriah and let out a relieved breath. “Thank you,” he said. “I thought...I was certain you were going to agree with Skyler.”
“I have my reasons to keep Kyran alive,” Neriah replied, his tone still cold, “but I don’t understand your desire to save the Scorcher from execution.”
Chris bristled. “You know why,” he said. “You don’t need me to say it.”
Neriah walked slowly over to Chris. “Ella shared the memory with you, did she not?” he asked.
Chris nodded. “Yes.”
“Did you see the sword in his hand?”
Chris swallowed heavily. “Yes.”
Neriah came to rest before him. “Has being away from this realm affected you so much that you can’t recognise one of Aric’s Blades?”
Chris dropped his gaze to the floor. “I know.” His voice was almost a whisper. “I know but...but he looks–”
“He wields the Blade of Aedus!” Neriah said angrily. “Aedus, Chris. You know the only one who can do that? A direct descendant of Aedus! The legacy holder for Aedus! Kyran is the son of Hadrian!”
“I know that!” Chris argued. “I know what I saw but Neriah, Hadrian turned sixteen years ago. Kyran’s obviously older than that. Kyran’s a mage, he has to be. There’s no way he could pass that Gate if he wasn’t. So Hadrian had to have had him when he was still a mage. But we both know Hadrian didn’t have any kids–”
“You know nothing about Hadrian,” Neriah said. “None of us did.”
“Neriah, just consider this,” Chris started. “Maybe Alex–”
“No!” Neriah yelled, holding up a hand, silencing Chris. The violet eyes filled with unadulterated anger. “Don’t Chris. Don’t you dare say his name!”
Chris fell quiet.
“You walked away,” Neriah accused. “You left. You left them, both of them! You don’t have the right to speak their names!” He stood to his full height, towering over Chris. “Understand this and understand it well. Kyran may look like Alex, but it doesn’t mean what you’re thinking. That sword you saw in Kyran’s hand, the one he used to massacre an entire village, proves he’s Hadrian’s heir.” He held Chris’s gaze. “Don’t delude yourself with foolish fantasies. It’s what got us into this mess in the first place.”
***
The sun blazed overhead, the heat was insufferable, but Kyran couldn’t do much about that. The iron cage he was locked in was heating up, the individual bars fast becoming too hot to bear. But the confinements were such that at least one wall was pressed into him, no matter how he positioned himself. His hands were still chained behind him, the metal cuffs taking in their own heat, driving an agonising burn into the flesh of his wrists. Kyran tried shifting again, pulling his back away from the scalding heat of the bars.
The sound of amused chuckling made Kyran look up, squinting into the sun’s glare, blinking the sweat out of his eyes. He made out Skyler’s grinning face.
“How’s the Scorcher doing in this heat?” Skyler asked, coming to stand before him.
Kyran smirked up at him. “You do know my power is Fire, right?” he asked. “You think I can’t handle a bit of the sun’s heat?”
“You can say what you want but your condition begs to differ,” Skyler said. He made a show of stepping back, examining Kyran’s drenched form – hair flattened on his head, face and neck covered in beads of perspiration. “You don’t look so good, mate.”
Kyran snorted. “Trust me, I’ll be fine,” he said. “You should worry about yourself. By the time I’m finished with you, even your girlfriend won’t be able to piece you back together again.”
“Oh, yeah?” Skyler asked, leaning forward but not touching the blisteringly hot bars. “I’ve put the great and feared Scorcher on his ass many times.” He cocked his head to one side. “I knew you were more hype than substance.”
Kyran chuckled. “That’s what you think,” he said. “But consider something, Skyler. If I can pretend to be a Hunter, live in Salvador for a year, spend all my time with you lot, all to keep my cover – don’t you think I could hold back from burying your pathetic, untalented ass?” He grinned as Skyler lost his smile. “That’s right, Avira, I’ve been letting you win.”
The taunt had Skyler’s face tinge pink, his eyes a cold furious blue. With great effort, Skyler forced a smirk.
“If only you weren’t wearing those inhibitors,” he said. “I would’ve tested that theory of yours.”
“You mean these?” Kyran pulled a hand from behind him, holding up the shackles.
Skyler’s eyes went wide. Before he could do anything, Kyran pushed out his hands, sending the entire front side of the cage smashing into Skyler. The impact threw him to the ground. Kyran stepped out of the cage, tossing the cuffs aside.
Skyler gaped up at him in shock. “How did you do that?” he asked. “No one can take them off.”
“I just did,” Kyran replied.
Skyler jumped back onto his feet, his hands already twisting to form a powerful jolt, but Kyran beat him to it. With a swipe of his hand, Skyler went careening backwards, hitting the ground with a thump. The force of the power that hit Skyler left him completely winded. Skyler turned to Kyran in shock.
“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to do that,” Kyran said, rubbing at his wrist before extending both hands to lift Skyler up and throw him back. “The hardest part of staying undercover,” Kyran said as he moved forward, “was pretending to lose to you. It would have been just so easy to defeat you, but I had to hold back – until now.”
His jolt picked Skyler up, and raised him high before smacking him down again. It was a move Kyran had done against Skyler plenty of times, but this time it had Kyran’s full power behind it, leaving Skyler with broken bones. Groaning in pain, Skyler tried to move out of the way but Kyran’s last sweeping gesture threw him across the grounds, like a discarded toy. Skyler rolled to a stop and fell still.
Kyran smirked at the prone form before walking away.
***
“When should we transfer him?” Scott asked.
“As soon as possible,” Neriah replied. “The sooner I have him out of Salvador, the better.”
“If you permit it,” Chris said, after a strained pause, “I’d like to join you.”
Neriah looked over at him, staring at him for a long moment. “I only allow those I trust t
o accompany me,” he replied. “And I don’t trust you any more.”
A look of heartbreak crossed Chris’s face. “Neriah–”
An almighty explosion shook the Hub, smashing each and every window. Shards of glass rained down on the four mages crowded around the table. By the time Scott, Chris and Ella pulled their hands away from their heads and looked up, Neriah was already at the door, throwing it open. The other three rushed after him. Stepping outside the Hub, they saw the culprit.
Kyran was standing in the middle of the grounds, his hands tucked into his pockets. “You know what they say, Neriah,” he called. “Those who live in glass houses...should really move into better buildings.”
Neriah walked down the steps, his face taut with anger. “How did you get out?”
Kyran smirked. “You can’t hold fire in cages.”
“If you got out, why didn’t you run?” Neriah asked, making his slow way towards him. Ella followed after him, and so did Chris, but Scott was inching backwards into the Hub.
“What? Leave? Just like that?” Kyran chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s rather rude, Neriah. I had to say a proper goodbye.”
“Such manners,” Neriah said. “Who’d have thought?” He came to a stop, keeping his distance from the boy. “But I’m curious,” he said. “You got out of the inhibitors, proving you’re in fact not a mage. You can’t be a vamage since the Gate permitted you entry.” His gaze narrowed. “What are you?”
Kyran held out his arms. “I’m the Scorcher,” he said with great pride. “Maybe I’m a mage, maybe a vamage, or maybe I’m neither.” He smiled. “There is one way to find out. All I have to do is kill a mage. If they survive, then I’m a mage. If they don’t, well – that’s just too bad.”
He threw his hand up but the jolt of power didn’t touch Neriah. It went behind him and surrounded Ella. In the blink of an eye, Ella was pulled from behind Neriah, straight into Kyran’s arms. Before Ella could use the gun still in her hand, Kyran snapped her neck.
Ella’s limp body fell to the ground with a thump.
35
Fighting Fire