Zoey examined their captors. If this was the powerful demon lord and the army she had heard so much about, then why were they hiding in the Alpha village? Why were they hiding at all? Something was definitely off.
She stepped towards Xenor and said, “What do you want from us?”
The demon lord eyed her carefully. Gradually, the black veins retreated and his skin returned to its natural beige color.
“We have no fight with you,” she pressed. “Let us go, and we won’t say a word to anyone. I promise.”
The demon’s eyes widened and his face looked even more sinister. “We both know that’s not true, little Agent.”
“If you haven’t noticed, O mighty Stinker,” said Simon, as he raised the shoulders on his jacket, “we’re not agents. We’re Alphas—the true and only nation. Those agents—pfff—don’t confuse us with those losers. Yeah, that’s right, we’re the mean-Alpha-team. So you’d better let us go. It’s only a matter of time before our brothers and sisters come looking for us. And when they do—because they will—it’ll be adios, amigos.”
Xenor raised his eyebrows, then began applauding. “Very funny, but you don’t fool me. I know you’re not Alphas.”
“Who says we’re not?” Zoey argued.
Xenor pointed a talon at them. “I know you’re not Alphas because Alphas don’t mirror-port. Yes. And I can see by your expressions that you know I’m telling the truth.”
He leaned back in his chair. “You see, little agents, my spies saw you mirror-port from inside the forest. Which was hard to believe, because I know that all the Agency borders and mirrors have been infected with the black oil. So I asked myself, how can this be? How can three little agents mirror-port without their precious devices? And then it came to me—”
“What? That you’re delusional? We’re Alphas through and through,” said Simon.
The demon lord ignored him.
“I told myself, these three must be very valuable indeed since they can appear out of thin air without their instruments. I had my doubts, you see, when my spies told me what they saw. But here you stand, in front of me. I know now that my spies were speaking the truth.”
A satisfied smile materialized on his face. “So what I want from you is simple—I’m going to use you as leverage with Mrs. Dupont.”
“What?” exclaimed Zoey. She stared in shock at the man with the black eyes.
“You see,” continued Xenor, “the witch tricked me. She promised me power; complete control of this world if I helped her acquire a virus from my world. The virus that destroyed all the Agencies’ mirrors was mine.”
Xenor looked at Zoey proudly. “I’ve always had a deep loathing for you agents, always standing in our way and making it difficult to conquer your world. So I decided to help her. But did she keep her promise? No. As soon as I gave her the virus, she commanded her red army to kill us. Naturally, I escaped before she could finish me. And now we are reduced to hiding from the same humans who promised us glory. It’s quite a story, really.”
“Fascinating,” grumbled Simon. “A real blockbuster.”
Tristan and Zoey shared a worried look.
“We will make a trade with the wretched queen,” continued Xenor. “You three,” he pointed a sharp talon, “for what she had promised - for a place at the head of her red army.”
Sweat trickled down Zoey’s temples. Her nerves squeezed her stomach into a ball. She felt she was going to be sick. This was all wrong. This wasn’t how she had planned to get the sample. They were trapped, and they were running out of time. She wondered how long until the headless horsemen came back to annihilate the Agency. Could she make it back on time? Could they even get back?
“Where’s the virus now? Do you still have it with you?”
Zoey knew that she sounded too eager, as soon as she spoke. She saw that Xenor noticed it, too.
“No,” he growled, “the wretched woman has it. But never mind that; now that we have the three of you, things are going to change for me. And once I’m powerful again, I’m going to enjoy ripping the beating heart out of that despicable human—”
“Can I eat it?” asked Gorb, hopefully, but then he lowered his eyes when he saw the scowl on Xenor’s face.
“Your plan will never work,” said Zoey, her voice steady. “We’re nothing special. Why would she be interested in the three of us? We’re nobodies. I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re wrong about us. So why not let us go?”
The demon lord eyed her. “I’m not wrong. I know you’re very valuable, especially to her.”
“And why’s that?” said Simon. “Because we bathe?”
“Because one of you is very different,” answered Xenor. “One of you mirror-ported on their own.”
He measured them for a moment. Then he pointed a long talon at Zoey and grinned. “You’re the one. I can smell it on you.”
Zoey’s heart stopped. From the corners of her eyes she saw both Simon and Tristan looking at her, but she did her best to act calmly.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said defiantly. “I think you’ve been cooped up in here for too long, it’s affecting your brain—that’s if your kind even have brains. I’m sorry to tell you, but your spies lied to you.”
Xenor continued to smile.
“They didn’t lie. Only a very special being can manipulate the energies that separate our worlds. Only a very special being can open and close portals simply by using her mind. It’s a trick I’ve always admired. I’ve only seen it done once before, a thousand years ago. I’ve always desired it. And that’s how I recognize it in you.”
Fire burned in Xenor’s black eyes. “And I’m going to use you to make a trade.”
Zoey shook her head.
Her heart was about to burst out of her chest. “I’m nothing special.”
The mystic smiled widely and said, “Oh, but you are very special. You’re one of the Originals.”
Chapter 14
The True Descendant
Zoey stopped breathing, the word from the demon lord ringing in her ears.
Original.
“Butter my butt and call me a biscuit,” said Simon. He stared at Zoey, and a sheepish smile materialized on his face.
Could what he said be true? Was she an Original?
Instinctively, she turned to Tristan, to see if he agreed with what the mystic had said. He looked at her curiously, like he had only just met her, but he didn’t say anything. Her friends’ silence was a confirmation. They believed it, too…
“I can tell by the look on your faces that you had no idea of her uniqueness,” said Xenor.
“She carries the blood of the Originals in her veins. I could never forget that sweet smell. She is a true descendant.”
Zoey glared at him. “You’re lying.”
But she knew it must be true. It made sense. How else she could manipulate the mirrors? She was a true descendant of the Originals.
For some strange reason, she thought of Stuart and his gang, with those ruby red rings. How much fun it would be to tell him that she was an Original, and not he.
If she didn’t find the antidote soon, there wouldn’t be an Agency at all, let alone a Stuart to poke fun at.
“I’d give anything to see the look on Stuart’s face when he finds out Zoey’s a true Original, and he’s just a grunt,” said Simon happily, having temporarily forgotten that they had been kidnapped. “This is so awesome.”
He looked around the living area. “You guys got food in here?”
Zoey looked anywhere but at her friends’ faces, especially Tristan. The room spun, and part of her just wanted to run. She couldn’t think. She tried to focus on the plan to get a sample of the original virus.
Xenor hauled himself from his chair awkwardly, as though he was still getting used to his human form. “Tie them up,” he ordered.
And before they had time to react, their hands were bound. She tried pulling them apart, but it was no use.
“This is j
ust great,” moaned Simon.
Tristan’s face was drawn as he pulled against his restraints, but even with his strength they wouldn’t break.
Xenor sauntered around his captives, a hint of a smile on his face, eyeing them like valuable prizes.
He stopped in front of Tristan.
“It’s no use, Mysterian. Give it up. You’re shackled with mystic rope—it would take the strength of ten of you to break through. You’re wasting your time and energy. Keep that for Mrs. Dupont—you’re going to need it.”
Tristan glared at the mystic Lord. “You’re going to regret this.”
“I doubt that,” answered Xenor.
He wiped his runny nose on his red sleeve. “You’ll make a pretty prize for her Ladyship, too. She likes the strong, handsome ones.”
He laughed at his private joke and then whistled.
“Let’s go, boys.” He made his way towards the front door.
“So where does that leave me?” said Simon. “I’m not that ugly…am I?”
A popping noise came from behind Zoey, and when she turned around the changeling demons were transmuting. Black vapors rolled off their bodies, and she smelled their putrid rotten bodies. Their bones cracked and their joints broke as they reformed into smaller human sizes. Zoey gagged as she watched their skin grow like hot wax, molding and stretching until they looked completely human.
In their red uniforms, they were unmistakably Alphas.
“Now that was really disgusting,” said Simon. “A neat trick, but totally nauseating.”
“You heard the chief,” Gall brandished his blade. “Now move, before I cut you!”
Zoey was spun around and pushed towards the door. Tristan and Simon followed closely behind her. When she reached the door, Xenor glared at them.
“Don’t even think about making a run for it.” His hot reeking breath hit Zoey’s face, and she retched.
Xenor pointed to Tristan and Simon.
“I won’t hesitate to kill your friends. And don’t call any attention to yourselves. Got it? I want this to go smoothly. I can’t afford for anything to go wrong. Not now. You behave - and they live. Got that?”
Zoey nodded her head. She wished she could use her boomerang on his face.
Zoey glanced at her friends. Tristan looked angry, like he was about to head-butt one of the changelings, and Simon had an annoyed expression on his face as he pulled against his restraints.
“Move!” ordered Gall. He shoved her out of the door.
Together, they followed the mystic lord down the flagstone path and turned onto the street. As they passed, Alphas looked in their direction, and Zoey recognized the man with the gray hair from before. He made his way towards Xenor.
“What’s this?” he barked. He had a badge on the front of his uniform that the others did not. “Prisoners? Where are you taking them?”
Xenor gave the man an oily smile, and that’s when Zoey noticed his eyes weren’t black anymore. They had become brown - normal brown human eyes with the whites showing.
“Agents we found snooping around. I’ve got orders from Mrs. Dupont to bring them straight to her,” he said in a greasy tone.
Zoey had a feeling this wasn’t the first time he had lied—he was very convincing.
The man eyed Zoey and her friends suspiciously. “Yeah, I saw them earlier. I thought there was something wrong with them—”
“Speak for yourself,” said Simon, “When was the last time you shaved—?”
He cried out suddenly as his abductor slammed a fist into his back.
The Alpha man frowned deeply. He looked at Zoey and her friends like they were filthy criminals who should be executed.
“Don’t let me stop you. But make sure she tortures them good. Maybe you can beat the agent out of them.” He laughed.
“How about you take these off,” said Tristan, as he moved his wrists, “and I beat your face in?”
The Alpha man took a wooden baton from inside his jacket and hit Tristan across the face with a powerful blow. Spit flew from his mouth as he spoke. “What did you say to me, agent filth?”
Tristan spat the blood from his mouth, and then he grinned. “Why not untie me and I’ll show you?”
Just as the man raised his baton to Tristan again, Xenor grabbed his arm and forced it down.
“As much as I would love to see you beat this filthy agent to death,” said Xenor, “Mrs. Dupont was very explicit about not spoiling them. Not even a scratch.”
The man lowered his baton and smiled evilly at Tristan. “You’re going to die, filth.”
He spat in Tristan’s face.
That was too much for Zoey. Before the Alpha had a chance to react, she landed a powerful kick against the man’s knee, and he went sprawling to the ground.
Xenor reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her close.
“What part of ‘smoothly’ didn’t you understand?” he hissed. His rancid breath was warm against her ear. “I won’t let you spoil this for me, got it? Do that again, and I’m going to leave you here - with them. I’ve seen what they do to agents, and it’s nothing compared to what they do to the mystics. Trust me.”
He shoved her away.
“Sorry about that, dear fellow,” he said to the man on the ground, “She’ll be punished for that, mark my words.”
The man’s face was red. “Give her to me. I’m going to kill her!”
“Sorry, my dear man, but not tonight you’re not,” said Xenor. “Bye, now.”
Xenor led the way, and the group left the angry Alpha on the ground and continued walking down the street. Soon they began an upward climb as the road twisted and curved up the small mountain. The houses were sparser the higher they went, until there was nothing but the dirt road, darkness, and tall trees towering over them on either side. Zoey’s thighs burned as she climbed up the road. With her hands tied behind her back, it was even harder to climb, and she had to balance herself a few times when she almost fell.
Xenor never looked back. He marched on with purpose. His prizes fueled him with energy.
Finally, the road leveled when they reached the top. They came to a clearing in the dense forest where acres of flat and manicured lawns surrounded a magnificent old manor-style home with many windows and doors. Made of gray stone, it stood alone and proud like a castle from a fairytale story. Grand hedges and fountains twinkled magically in the starlight.
There was something eerie about the big house. The large windows on the second floor looked almost like eyes, and the large front door resembled a nose. The bottom row windows, too, made the house look like a giant face.
Zoey suppressed a chill. It made sense that Mrs. Dupont would live in a place that looked like it wanted to eat you.
The dirt road curved around neatly manicured bushes and flowerbeds. When they arrived at the front door, Zoey’s nerves were in overdrive. Even in the night’s cool air her forehead and back were drenched in sweat. It wasn’t exactly how she had planned to arrive at Mrs. Dupont’s house, but they were here now; she would have to make the best of their situation.
The front door was made of iron, and it loomed up about ten feet. The cast-iron doorknocker was in the shape of a lion’s head.
Xenor stepped up to the great door, grabbed the doorknocker and knocked three times.
He stood back and said behind him, “Let me do the talking. Everyone shut up, if you want to live.”
“Is it me or does the doorknocker look like Mrs. Dupont’s face?” chuckled Simon.
“I said shut it,” growled Xenor.
“No, seriously, look at it—”
“SHUT IT!” hissed Xenor in a high-pitched voice. He raked his oily hair back from his face and shifted nervously like he had ants in his pants.
The front door swung open, and a woman in a red-skirt uniform with short brown hair and a face like a mouse stepped into the threshold.
“What do you want?” She had a bossy sort of voice, and Zoey immediately disliked her.
<
br /> Xenor flashed a smile. “Lord Xenor, here to see Mrs. Dupont.”
“Do you have an appointment?” asked the woman.
“No…but I hardly think that I need one—”
“Mrs. Dupont is very busy at the moment. I’m afraid you’ll have to make an appointment to speak with her. Good night.”
She began to close the door on them.
Xenor stuck his foot in the door just as it was about to close and pushed through.
“Tell her that I have the redhead with me - the one that can bend portals. She’ll want to see me. Trust me.”
The woman regarded him with a dull expression, but then she said, “Wait here.”
She kicked his foot from the door and closed the door in his face.
Zoey needed to free her hands. But how? If Tristan couldn’t break through the ropes, then she doubted she could. Xenor had said that the bonds were mystic rope. What did that mean? What could cut mystic rope? Mystic scissors? A mystic knife?
The front door swung open again.
“This way, please,” said the same woman. She turned on her heels and marched in the opposite direction.
Xenor turned around and smiled. His eyes were black again, and his talons had reappeared. “Told you she’d see me.”
“We never asked,” retorted Simon.
With a slight hop in his step, Xenor walked through the doorway.
They followed him inside. Zoey was beginning to doubt Lord Xenor more and more. He had the look of an outlaw rather than a lord, even if he was from another world. There was something odd about this whole thing.
They stepped into a great foyer with marble floors. It had an enormous chandelier made from screaming mystic heads with light bulbs coming out of their mouths. It gave Zoey the creeps. When they had passed through the foyer, they walked into a large hallway with doors leading into other rooms on either side. Colorful tapestries hung on the walls, and plush oriental carpets decorated the marble floors and the grand wooden staircase that led to the upper levels. The heavy wooden furniture from the 16th century that occupied the rooms as they walked by was carved into strange, ugly creatures. Life-sized marble sculptures stood against the walls. But the creepiest of all were the portraits.
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