“Yeah, a power complex and the Dark Douchebags on either side of him.” Cory laughed.
“Right…” Marcus said. “Recently we lost possession of The Ring of Contact, an ancient artifact that gives its wearer the ability to speak with the gods. Some say—”
“And whose fault was that?” Eric glared at me.
Anger filled me and I opened my mouth to reply, but I thought better of it. I swallowed the emotions and turned back to Marcus. Apparently his training was working.
“As I was saying,” Marcus said, “some believe it can summon the gods here. Tonight we need to decide on an action. We have no idea where Riley is or what his next move might be. What we do know is they have one of the soul pieces—Ithreal’s dagger—and he needs all of them in order to fully invoke Ithreal.”
Eric snorted. “Don’t forget the fact that they aren’t in our world. They’re in some other dimension filled with pure blood demons that are more powerful than any of us. That, and we don’t even know how many soul pieces there are.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Tiki said. “I think I do know how many there are. “Unfortunately, if I am correct, there may be only two remaining, and they are in very unfriendly territory.”
“Of course you know,” Eric said. “Why don’t we all just put our faith into the demon from these demonic dimensions? Then we can all follow him blindly to our death.”
“Why do you think that, Tiki?” Kate leaned forward.
“As the legends go, and as Serephina confirmed, Ithreal merged his essence with other gods. This would have forced Ithreal to create new soul pieces for each new world that fell under his command. However, after cross-referencing my people’s legends with many others, I’ve found many believe the only true soul pieces are the ones that were created when each god originally created their world.”
“And what does that mean for us?” Kate asked.
“There are only three Ithreal-born dimensions: Theral, Proto, and Vortan. If this is true, Riley already has the dagger of Theral, leaving only one soul piece remaining in each of the other worlds. And Proto and Vortan are very dark dimensions.”
Eric moved to the head of the table, stepping in front of Marcus. “You expect us to go into the Underworld’s darkest dimensions, full of who knows what, all based on some Underworld storytelling? No thanks. What we need to do is focus on finding Riley and killing the son of a bitch.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?” Marcus asked.
“We split up into groups and track him. Hell, if we have to, we’ll use the Triquerta Coven to help. Riley’s flexed his muscles enough. It’s time we push back.”
“Riley is a lot stronger than you’re giving him credit for,” I said. “He hasn’t even invoked Ithreal and his powers are nearing god-like already. Now that he has Ithreal’s dagger, he’ll be even stronger. Before we assemble an army and prepare for a war we can’t win, we need to try preventative measures. Getting one of his soul pieces should be first priority.”
“Why don’t you lean back against that wall and let the adults talk? You’re just a kid. You don’t have the experience to offer suggestions.”
“Chase has more experience with Riley and the Brothers than any of us,” Rayna said. “You should listen to what he has to say.”
“Says the mixed breed. Look, missy, I’ve lost enough people to this game to know how it works. After Riley’s last attack, I lost four hunters and all their kids. I’m not about to take advice from the son of their killer and risk losing anyone else.”
“You think you’re the only one who lost someone?” I asked. “We’ve all lost people to this.”
Eric laughed and walked around the table towards me. “Please tell me the little boy whose stupidity put us in this situation isn’t comparing his loss to ours. Your ‘experience’ is the reason why all this happened. It’s the reason my hunters, their children, and your mother are dead.”
Anger didn’t have time to rise; it just appeared. Fire exploded around my arms and I swung at Eric, but he jumped back and pulled out his blade.
“Be smart, boy. You don’t want to go toe-to-toe with me.”
“I won’t be going toe-to-toe with you. You’ll be flat on your back before we start.”
Eric’s brows furrowed and he shook his head. “You’re an arrogant little shit, you know that? And I’ve had just about enough of you.”
Blue flames covered both my arms, and as Eric lunged towards me, I cocked my fist back. Before either of us could finish what we’d started, Marcus’s power took over.
My flames went out and Eric’s body stopped mid-lunge. Marcus’s air element pinned Eric to the wall and held me back. “That’s enough!” Marcus’s voice was loud, echoing off the concrete.
“It’s true.” Eric struggled against Marcus’s magic. “If it wasn’t for him, they’d all still be alive. You can’t deny that.”
“Riley had an objective. Sooner or later, he would’ve gotten what he wanted. If we choose to let the past control us, we’ll lose any opportunities we have for a future. We need to work together—all of us—and find a way to stop him.”
Eric stopped fighting Marcus’s magic and the muscles in his jaw flexed. “I’m only saying this once, Marcus. Let me go. Now.”
Marcus waited a moment, his gaze panning back and forth between Eric and me. After a long moment, his magic faded and released us.
“Don’t you dare pull a stunt like that on me again. You don’t have the numbers to be pissing me off.”
“You’re right,” Marcus said. “You bring a lot to the table, but I won’t have us fighting amongst ourselves. If that means losing your help, so be it.”
“Well, you best keep these folks in check. I won’t give them the same courtesy I just awarded you.”
The fire that had engulfed my arms was gone, but anger still boiled beneath the surface. With Marcus’s training the past few weeks, I was learning to control my emotions and my elements, but it was still a work in progress.
I could feel Eric’s eyes burning through me, but I didn’t let it bother me. I took a long, deep breath, letting the water in my soul soothe the anger. My element washed the emotions away bit by bit, and I moved back to lean against the wall.
“That’s right,” Eric said. “Walk away.”
“Dammit, Eric, that’s enough!” Kate kicked her chair behind her. “I’m tired of your bullshit. Chase made a mistake, it happens. Gods know you’ve made your fair share. Rayna’s right, Chase has more experience with our adversaries than all of us in this room combined. So cut the crap and listen or get the hell out.”
Everyone went still. Eric stared up at Kate with fury in his eyes but he didn’t respond. The tension in the air was so thick I felt that if I reached out my arm, I could touch it.
After a long silence, Cody chuckled and slammed his fist on the table. “Hot diggity, that was intense! I thought we was getting some fireworks.”
Nobody responded to the outburst, and Kate nodded, pulling her chair back underneath her. “Marcus, please carry on.”
“As I was saying,” Marcus continued hesitantly, “Riley is at a level of power we can’t match. He’s turned Arian, a former werecat with the Hollowlights, into a multi-shifter. If he can readily hand out that kind of magic, there’s no telling what he is fully capable of.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?” Cory asked.
“We don’t need all of Ithreal’s soul pieces. If we can eliminate one, not only does that weaken him, but it also means he can’t come back. We’ll have stopped Riley’s plan for good.”
“So you want us to just hop into another dimension and start searching?” Cory asked. “That don’t exactly sound like a winning plan.”
“Not exactly.” Marcus stepped forward. “As Tiki stated, there should be a piece in each of his two original worlds. Our best bet is to research legends, myths, and anything we can get our hands on about these dimensions. We’ve all managed to gain small collections of o
ur own over the years. If we combine all our texts, our odds of finding answers are greatly increased.”
“Legends, myths, stories…do you hear yourself?” Eric asked.
“I’m not in disagreement with Eric.” Jax stood up. “Stories passed down from generation to generation are hardly reliable.”
“Everything that’s happened so far is from those stories,” I said. “We need to consider the fact that we’ve been locked away from these dimensions for thousands of years, so although we’re not familiar with them, it’s apparent these legends hold some kind of merit.”
Chief stood up. “I think we need to take what we can get. If this is what we have to work with, it will have to do until something more concrete comes along.”
“Radek was not much for ancient texts,” Jax said. “But if you think it will help, the Shadowpack will contribute.”
“Your cooperation, as always, is appreciated,” Marcus said. “You’re all right to be wary, so let’s see what we can gather from the books and we’ll re-evaluate everything then. Does everyone agree?”
Everyone nodded and turned to Eric. Sitting with his arms crossed, he stared back at the group with an angry glare. “Whatever you say, boss man.”
The door to the room opened and slammed against the concrete wall behind it. Grams stood in a cloud of cigarette smoke with an orange filter hanging from brightly painted red lips. Her white hair was in rollers.
“Sorry I’m late,” she grunted. Smoke spilled from her lips and she coughed. She hammered her fist into her chest repeatedly until something thick splatted onto the floor. “I was getting my hair done. What’d I miss?”
Chapter 3
By the time we filled Grams in, she’d smoked four cigarettes. Rather than use an ashtray, she squished the last butt on the table with the rest.
Grams leaned back and blew a final puff of smoke from her lips. “So you want to hop from dimension to dimension in hopes of finding not one, but two soul pieces?” Grams snorted. “That sounds like a grand idea.”
“Exactly what I said,” Eric replied. “We should be going after the source. Kill the Dark Brothers, and Riley loses his right and left hands. He’s useless without them.”
Grams cackled and turned her pale eyes to Eric. “That’s even dumber than their plan.”
“They’re demons, and that means we can kill them. That’s a hell of a lot easier than what they’re suggesting.”
“No, they’re not,” I said. “They’re direct descendants of Ithreal. They’re demigods.”
“And that’s my point. We’re going off the word of other demons—the very creatures we were born to kill. Now before you all get your panties in a bunch, hear me out. I know they’re not all evil, but that doesn’t mean they’re to be trusted. Hell, I don’t trust a hunter just because he’s one of us. Trust is earned, and we can’t be taking leaps of faith based on the words of the very people we’re trying to kill.”
“I hate to admit this, but I do see his point,” Kate said.
“It doesn’t matter what they are,” Grams said. Her voice cracked and faded and she slapped her hand against her chest, clearing her airway. “The Triquertas are already nervous enough about joining with you hunters, and they aren’t alone in their fear. Most of the Underworld is up in arms over what Riley is planning. Nobody wants to bow down and lose their freedom, especially to a hunter playing god. But more than him, they fear the Dark Brothers.”
“Everything they fear is hearsay,” Eric said. “Rumors that have been spread about the Underworld for generations. It’s a game of telephone. What started as a common scare tactic has turned into a phobia among your kind. Just like the Dark Brothers are not to be trusted, neither are the stories that precede them.”
“You underestimate their power. That is foolish and it will get you killed.” Grams’s pale gaze narrowed. “I won’t stand beside a fool.”
“Your fear is based on rumors. I won’t cower to bedtime stories told to scare little demonlings. And save your threats, old woman. What’s left of your power is better suited to finding the whereabouts of these almighty demons. If you and your little coven can put your powers to use and find them, I’ll take care of the rest.”
Grams stared up at Eric and slowly rose from her chair. “Don’t take that tone with me, boy. Your methods will get you and your people killed, along with everyone else in this room.”
“I think old age is starting to take its toll on you. I’ve been running my crew the same way for twenty years and we’re still standing. So why don’t you sit down before you break a hip?”
The blue of Grams’s eyes faded and a solid white took over them. A tingle of magic spiraled down my spine and as power filled the room, a white glow formed around her frail hands.
“Your little tricks won’t work on me, you old skin bag,” Eric said.
“Is that so?” Grams’s voice was low, just above a whisper. The grayish tone to her skin began to fade and it started to turn milky white. Her power rode the air, cascading through the room before it focused on Eric.
Eric’s fist slammed against the table and he hunched over gasping for air. Gray veins spread across his face, growing thicker with each passing moment. His skin began to pale and his eyes glazed over. “What is this?” he choked out.
“Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps my old age is making me appear uneducated in the power of demons. I mean, I’m just an old skin bag. What do I know?”
“Grams, what are you doing?” Marcus asked, rising cautiously from his chair.
All the creases in Grams wrinkly skin began to smooth. Her gray eyebrows darkened, and the broken, unruly white of her hair shifted. The rollers in her hair fell to the ground as the color changed to a light brown, her unhealthy strands of hair smoothing and gaining a glossy appearance. The lines around her eyes flattened and the sagging skin beneath her pale lids tightened.
The hairs on my neck rose as a swirl of white magic flashed between both Eric and Grams, a line of power connecting them.
All the dark hair of Eric’s beard faded and his greasy ponytail dried, appearing gray and frail. A thick streak of his hair lost its pigment, turning completely white.
“Or perhaps you should listen to me,” Grams said. “If an old lady can make you helpless and weak, what do you think the Brothers will do to you?”
“Grams, you’re kill—killing him,” Willy said.
Everyone stood from their chairs and backed away. The magic was pouring off her and Eric crumpled to the floor.
“Gr—Grams!” Willy shouted.
The white streak in Eric’s black hair was bright, and his dark scraggly beard was peppered with shades of gray. The pronounced veins that had spread across his face shrunk, leaving remnants of thin blue lines beneath his skin.
The bright blue of Gram’s eyes returned as the magic washed away. She shook her head and long brown locks swayed behind her. “Bedtime stories, huh?” She sighed and moved back to her seat.
Grams, who now looked a decade younger, sat calmly in her chair and crossed her smooth, unblemished legs. Eric’s scarred hands gripped the edge of the table and he struggled to pull himself up. Blue veins rippled beneath his skin and his knees creaked as he rose from the floor.
“This place is a joke,” Eric said, a wheezing breath coming between each of his words. “You take advice from demons and let a kid tell you how to run things. If you want to be sent to your deathbed instead of listening to a tried and true experienced hunter, you’re on your own.”
Eric shoved his shoulder into Tiki as he walked by. Tiki stepped back to keep his balance but didn’t react otherwise. As the steel door slammed shut behind Eric, an awkward tension fell over the room.
“Well…that didn’t quite go as planned,” Marcus said.
“Screw him,” I said. “We can’t trust him so we don’t need him.”
“Yes we do,” Marcus said. “Eric runs the biggest crew of rogue hunters on this side of the country. He may be…difficult at
times, but don’t kid yourself, we need his numbers.”
“You’re both right,” Grams said. “We need the numbers, but numbers don’t mean crap if they’re just as likely to stick a knife in your back as they are in Riley’s.”
“Eric may be a lot of things, but a traitor is not one of them,” Marcus said.
“I think it worked out quite well. Look at me, I’m fabulous.” Grams grinned, revealing perfectly straight but stained yellow teeth.
“That isn’t right, Grams and you know it.” Willy said.
“Hogwash! That son of a bitch doesn’t appreciate his life, so someone ought to make him.”
“Edna…” Marcus said.
“Oh, fine.” She waved him away.
Grams’s magic pulsed and her skin stretched out and the creases returned. The color her hair had gained faded back to gray, and its healthy gloss returned to frizz. The bags beneath her eyes returned, and the warmer tones to her skin were gone.
“So what do we do now?” Rayna asked.
“Let’s give Eric a few days to cool off and then I’ll talk to him. We’ll see where we stand after that,” Marcus said. “Until then, if everyone will bring whatever they can find here, we’ll start the research.”
Everyone was in agreement and began to gather their things. Kate stopped in front of me on her way to the door and squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t take what Eric said seriously, Chase. You’re a good hunter and your heart is in the right place. Your mother would be proud of what you’re doing.”
I forced a half-smile. “Thanks.”
“I mean that. You’re doing good work here. Keep it up.”
I nodded and she offered me a smile. Kate was around my mother’s age but she looked much older. Years of running an underground hunter outpost hadn’t exactly been a glorified lifestyle.
People chatted amongst themselves and slowly began to break away from the meeting one by one. Any of the residual anger that lingered inside me drifted away as Rayna approached.
Release (The Protector Book 3) Page 2