Shining Light of the Volstir (The Light of the Volstir Book 1)

by Brian Carmen

  Memories had flooded Nia’s mind the moment she’d touched Marcus. She was able to see him writing the letter that had been given to her about Utaru. He’d also been responsible for Olivia’s kidnapping and Claire’s turning, along with all the other Soulem. Nia watched as he tried to convince Lauren to kill Nia. Everything that had occurred inside the coliseum had been part of Marcus’ plan.

  More Soulem were appearing from underground as the people on top tried to keep pushing them back. Nia ignored the struggle as she looked at Marcus with pure hatred. He was the villain they had been searching for. Nia was determined to make sure that Marcus wouldn‘t be able to hurt anyone else. He was strong enough to hold his own against three Soulem as Nia began charging towards him.

  He didn’t expect to be attacked by Nia as she jumped into the air and planted her shoe into his back. The Soulem were quick to try and use the opportunity to take Marcus’ life but they would have to get in line behind Nia. She was on his back as she began slamming his face into the dirt. The Soulem were attacking her as she felt their pain grow considerably. She wouldn’t be able to stay conscious for much longer, however she planned to use all the pain she felt and give it to Marcus.

  She grabbed onto his neck as Utaru’s pain was first to enter his body. Marcus began to writhe in pure agony. Nia’s eyes screamed for murder as she pumped more of Utaru’s pain into him; however a new pain began sweeping over her. One of the Soulem managed to grab onto her hair. She was sent flying through the air as she landed hard onto the sand with several more Soulem coming after her.

  “Let me kill him” Nia shouted as she struggled to get back to her feet.

  She would have to fight them in order to have a chance at killing Marcus. Unfortunately, her body was already starting to feel drained again. Something was off that she couldn’t explain. Nia was unable to move as fast as she normally would. She felt as though Lauren was still trying to freeze her insides. That’s when the answer came to her.

  Nia realized that not all of her organs had fully thawed from being frozen. It would still take time for her to regain all of her strength. She felt the constant pain inside her head as though a hammer was hitting her brain. One of the Soulem was able to knock her to the ground. Before it could kill her however; En jumped onto its face causing the Soulem to stagger.

  “I’m so glad your back” Nia said to En as Olivia rushed to her side and shot the woman.

  Olivia handed Nia another gun as they began firing on the Soulem again. Once the path was clear; Nia began running towards the last spot Marcus had been. He was gone as Nia continued firing her gun. She was quickly running low on bullets again. All around her were green flames as the Soulem died.

  Nia stepped over the remains of Lauren as looked around for Marcus. She didn’t know why everything was happening. The people of Loc Moines had been made to suffer so much, but now she knew who was responsible. The only way to stop the chaos and death was to kill Marcus. Nia continued moving throughout the crowd as more Volstir joined in the fight.

  Marcus was running into one of the opened entrances. Nia began following him; it was obvious that he had figured out that she knew his secret. They both ignored the intense fighting that was all around them. Instead, both of them continued running away from the attacking Soulem. She saw Marcus and fired a round towards him as he turned around a corner towards the outside.

  “I know what you did” Nia shouted after him as she turned the corner and found his fist crash into her face.

  The force of the blow was enough to send her flying into a wall. Marcus was much stronger than her in his lycan form. She aimed the gun at Marcus but didn’t fire as Marcus began walking up towards her. She was already out of rounds and was sure that Marcus knew it. If she couldn’t use the gun to kill him than she was at least going to make him hurt.

  She threw the gun towards him, knowing that he was going to dodge it. Nia used the moment to charge into him. Marcus was sent back to the ground as Nia continued sending the pain of the Soulem into him. Marcus began to scream out in pain again as he used his immense strength to push Nia off of him. She tried to hang on as she felt the damage she was inflicting on his mind.

  Marcus struggled to get away from Nia as she got back to her feet. Behind them they could hear several of the Soulem were coming. Nia turned to see how far away they were; making a terrible mistake in the process. Marcus had turned into a bat and was quickly flying away. She had lost her opportunity to kill Marcus; Nia wanted to go after him however the Soulem were on top of her.

  The pain was too much for her to bear as she was knocked back to the ground. Nia felt all of her muscles seize up as though she were having muscle cramps. She watched as the Soulem began screaming one by one. They were all being shot as they turned into the now familiar green fire. Nia looked up and was surprised to see who had rescued her.

  “Nia” Ebony call out as Victor appeared at her side.

  “We have to go after Marcus” Nia shouted as Victor helped her back to her feet. The chance that they would be able to get Marcus was slim but she knew that she had to try.

  She argued with the two of them as they began dragging her back to the arena where the fighting seemed to have stopped. A few of the Soulem were still trying to make a stand however they were quickly brought down. Nia was taken to Olivia and Venus as they were trying to help En and Sheila. They were both bleeding from injuries they had sustained in the fight. Nia was angry with Victor and Ebony for stopping her from going after Marcus.

  “Marcus is responsible for everything. He planned on releasing the Soulem during the Execution Royal so his friends could escape” Nia explained to all of them.

  She thought about the villains using the weakened Loc Moines as an opportunity to escape. Everyone except for Olivia seemed shocked by Nia’s revelation. None of them questioned her however; as they began trying to help with the injured. Nia felt her own injuries start to heal.

  Olivia stayed by Nia’s side as she was forced to sit down and watch everyone else. Nia had wanted to see her for a long time however things were different. Lauren had said that Olivia had asked her to come to Loc Moines. She felt confused and worried; Nia didn’t know if she could trust her maker anymore. Everything from the last few weeks was finally starting to take its toll.

  “He’s responsible for Lauren’s death” Nia said through the tears as Olivia agreed.

  “He will pay but you’re not the one that has to make sure he does” Olivia said gently as she began rubbing Nia’s shoulder. “Lauren’s death is terrible but it should remind you just how important it is not to waste time when you’re close to your light” Olivia explained as Nia looked at her. There was a serious look in her eyes that Olivia was able to pick up on.

  “Why did you ask Lauren to come here? Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” Nia asked; catching Olivia by surprise. “Did you know all of this was going to happen?”

  She could feel that Olivia was hurt by the accusation. Nia felt bad, but knew that she wouldn’t be able to hide her fears for very long. Nia was terrified of the idea that Olivia might be responsible for Lauren’s death. Olivia could see into the future, could she have arranged for everything to happen this way?

  “I’m over six hundred years old and I am your maker; I deserve more respect. I also don’t need to explain myself or my actions” Olivia said harshly.

  She was obviously offended by Nia’s lack of faith in her. Nia suddenly found herself ashamed of how she was acting. Olivia did deserve her respect, even if Nia was unsure of her motives. Everyone had secrets; it didn’t mean that the person was wrong for having them. She apologized as Olivia took a deep breath before exhaling.

  “I don’t need to explain my actions; however I will this once. Don’t think you can start asking me a bunch of personal questions. I do think you deserve to know the truth; it’s something I’ve kept secret for Lauren. You know that I have visions about all of my children. It was one of my visions that lead you on this path.<
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  Edvin’s death was absolute; nothing was going to save him. I saw it many times and in many different ways. I also saw what would happen to Lauren after he died. It was stupid, but I thought having her sisters around might somehow help her. I was obviously wrong, I didn’t tell you the truth for the same reasons why I don’t tell others about visions I have of you.” Olivia explained.

  Nia was shocked to hear all of this. Olivia explained that she had been having the same visions for months. Edvin was going to die no matter what. Nia was surprised that Lauren knew about the vision, however she was more surprised at Lauren’s reason for not turning him.

  “Lauren was never going to turn Edvin. Like you, she had tried to be a maker. Both times she tried turning someone it ended in a Morte Lumo. Lauren was afraid that if she tried turning Edvin; he would end up a Soulem. It’s a bit ironic that he ended up as one anyways.” Olivia said as she added that it was probably why Lauren had been so upset.

  Nia felt her heart break for Lauren. It was hard to imagine turning someone and having a Morte Lumo occur not once but twice. Olivia was probably the only person that knew about Lauren’s struggles. She had allowed fear to prevent her from turning Edvin. She was happy just to have him with her, it made Nia think about her own light.

  Andrew was in California waiting for her. Nia wanted desperately to go after Marcus and make him suffer for everything he’d done. Olivia however; was right in what she had said. Nia could not afford to let time pass, when she was finally close to her light. She couldn’t have her true happiness slip through her fingers.

  Nia could see the people who were able to walk trying to help those that could not. Everything that Olivia said was starting to sink in. She watched as the black ashes of the Soulem were mixed into the blood and sand of the Volstir that had died. They had died in order to prevent the Soulem from destroying the city.

  She didn’t know if she was ever going to get back at Marcus. Nia wanted to believe that eventually she would. Marcus’ death was something that she wanted; Andrew however was something she wanted more. Nia turned to Olivia and apologized for doubting her.

  Within hours the coliseum was deserted as the bodies and the injured were taken some place where they could rest. They had wanted to take Nia; but she refused. Instead she took some blood that Venus offered her. Venus had her hair damaged in the fight; one of her puff balls had been completely burned away.

  Ebony had an arm in a sling as she explained that it had to regrow itself after she had fought Lauren. In all of the excitement, Nia hadn’t noticed it. Ebony had almost died from the fight when Lauren had thrown her body down the trapdoor. Victor had thankfully been on his way up and had managed to catch her.

  Nia was glad that Ebony and the others were safe. They all went back to the hotel where she informed them that she would be leaving soon. They would have to wait a few days so that En could recover from his injuries. They needed to try and get back to where they were before Loc Moines. Something inside told Nia that it was the right thing to do.

  Chapter Seventeen: The Glassmaker’s Hindsight

  “You have Telekinesis?” Olivia shouted as Victor tried showing her his ability. “Every one of my children has unique and amazing abilities. Hell even my grandchildren have decent abilities and your telling me all you can do is move things?” Olivia asked in disbelief as she began walking around the room.

  They were all inside Nia and Victor’s room making the small room feel very crowded. Olivia had managed to get a room for herself; though she hardly used it. Things had settled down enough for all of them to relax. It was a peaceful moment for all of them as Nia looked at the twins and smiled. Ebony’s arm had grown back while Venus now had her hair unusually styled in a way that was similar to Nia’s.

  “This is absolutely ridicules; I wouldn’t blame Helaina if she just killed you right now” Olivia said in disbelief as Victor looked at Nia with wide eyes. Nia shrugged as she gave him a ‘don’t look at me’ look with a comforting smile. It would be better to let Olivia vent rather than trying to argue.

  Venus however; quickly tried to defend Victor’s common ability but with little success. Instead, Olivia told Venus to keep quiet as she continued to berate Victor. Nia’s family had always been full of surprises. It was almost unbelievable to think that things had been peaceful for almost half a day.

  It had all started when Olivia had learned about Nia, Ebony, and Venus’ variation two abilities. Nia had wanted to slap Ebony for opening her big mouth. Olivia had been impressed with their new powers. Unfortunately for Victor, the talk had made the matriarch wonder about his ability. Nia had known that it would only have been a matter of time before Olivia would have asked. It didn’t change Nia’s hopes that she would be able to keep it a secret.

  Olivia was surprised when she first learned about it; that quickly turned to disgust and anger. She was now mocking Victor by picking up a cup and pretending that she was using telekinesis to do it. The act was quite funny as the rest of them laughed despite Victor’s red face. Even he could see the entertainment, especially after he used his ability to turn the cup over. The cold tea landed on top of Olivia, causing her to yelp in surprise.

  Everyone began to laugh even harder than before. Olivia was the only one that wasn’t pleased by Victor’s trick. She began chasing him around the room as she vowed that she would filet him. Nia watched the chase for a minute before stepping out of the room. Olivia’s yelling seemed to distract everyone; none of the others noticed that she had left.

  Nia wasn’t surprised to see that En had followed her out of the room. Nia looked down into his eyes as he stood, looking up at her. Smiling, she picked him up and began petting him gently. En only had a few visible wounds left on him; they all looked like small nicks and cuts. It wasn’t surprising that he looked like this, since Polongs rarely healed as fast as Volstirs.

  “I’m sorry you got taken” Nia confessed as En shrugged her words away. He excused it by explaining that they would have found some way to capture him.

  He wasn’t upset about everything that had happened. Instead he seemed content and at peace with his abduction. He had confided in Nia the night before about something that was troubling him. There had been several moments where he was taken away from Olivia and Sheila. En had a suspicion that Marcus and his friends were experimenting on him. It was an upsetting revelation that he had revealed to her.

  He had lost time and was constantly forced by his captors into unconsciousness. En would later wake up recovering from cuts that were all over his body. Nia was horrified by the news and felt incredibly guilty. Thinking about it made her want to apologize again. En however, told her to shut up before requesting that he be taken to one of the Polong Vets.

  Nia agreed as the two of them left the hotel and began walking down the street. There were fewer Volstir’s outside as they both looked around. Considering everything that had happened; Nia wasn’t surprised by the lack of people. The Volstir that were outside seemed more weary of others. There seemed to be an undercurrent of paranoia in everyone. They wanted to be ready for anything that might try to attack them.

  Within a few hours they were both sitting inside one of the Veterinarian’s office waiting for the results of En’s blood test. The room lacked a good deal of color since everything was plain metal including the bed they were both sitting on. Nia felt relieved that the office was still running. A large part of it had been completely destroyed in the first Soulem attack. Large plastic curtains separated the destroyed part from what was left.

  Nia was afraid to look down because she knew her best friend would be looking up at her. She couldn’t bear to look into his eyes for what she might see. She didn’t know what she would do if something was wrong with him. He hadn’t done anything wrong and didn’t deserve to suffer just because he had been helping her. It was plain that both En and Nia were nervous about what the Vet might discover.

  They waited in agonizing silence until the vet finally entered
. The man was tall and slender; he appeared as though he were in his mid-twenties. Appearances were deceiving in their world; however he did surprised Nia by wearing gold eyeliner. His dark skin and hair made him quite attractive however Nia refused to pay any attention. Only one person in the room deserved her attention, he had paid a heavy price for it.

  The man’s name was William and he seemed nice. He started by slowly petting En’s fur in a way that her friend obviously enjoyed. It felt comforting as she listened to his soft and deep purring. Nia listened as he began showing that something foreign had been introduced into En’s blood stream. It had slowly merged until it had become a part of his DNA.

  William and his colleagues were unable to know if it would pose a threat to En. Not much was known on Polong DNA despite the years of research. He did insist that En have regular checkups and that they pay attention for anything that seems odd. Listening to him talk about En made Nia’s heart ache.

  They left and found a place to sit in peace. William had assured them that the DNA appeared to be harmless. The problem was that they would have to wait. Nia felt assured that the unknown would end up killing her. She couldn’t help but wonder why En didn’t hate her; at the very least he should be angry.

  En licked the rat’s blood from a small saucer while Nia stared at the people around her. Everyone seemed to recognize her as the woman from the coliseum. The whispers of Sabriel seemed to be coming from all around. Some of the others; vocally expressed concerns about why she wasn’t arrested. Innocent people had lost their loved ones and they wanted someone to blame. Nia was thankful to have En back but being in Loc Moines was starting to bring bad memories back to the surface.

  She had been away for so long that she had forgotten the whispers and the rumors. Nia had deluded herself into thinking that people would just ‘forget’ about her. They were immortal just like her and would not easily forget the past. Soon it would be impossible for Victor and herself to move unnoticed.