by Sean Stone
‘I don’t know what it is that gives you that power but I suspect it is going to taste magnificent,’ he said as he stalked toward me. His voice was now a screaming rasp, like a singer in a heavy metal band. I couldn’t even push myself away from him. I was essentially paralysed. Drew’s head rolled our way and for the first time in my life I saw fear on his face. He’d never seen Sam like this before and it was terrifying him. But Sam paid him no heed, as far as Sam was concerned his father was already dead.
Sam raised his hand and his magic began to lift me from the floor and pull me toward him. I’d never felt so helpless. I tried to muster something to fight my cousin with, but I was truly spent. There was plenty of energy around to convert into magic, I could feel it in the air and in the ground. But I couldn’t pull it into myself, I’d totally exhausted my ability to wield it.
One of the massive windows to my left shattered in an explosion of glass and a great torrent of shimmering water shot into the room. Normal water would have simply poured through the window and onto the floor, but this was not normal. It blasted through the air and slammed into Sam before he even knew what was happening. My cousin was bowled over and as he fell the spell holding me dissipated and I smacked back to the ground. By this point I’d been through so much of a battering that I barely felt the concrete hit me.
The water, having achieved its aim, fell to the floor with a booming splash. Sam raised his head, sodden blond hair hung down over his sallow face. Standing in the mangled frame of the former window was Jasmine. For once, she’d downgraded from her usual designer wardrobe. Her radiant hair was pulled back in a pony tail and her face held a mixed expression. Anger and concern.
‘Ah,’ Sam panted, smiling falsely as he pulled himself up. ‘The diplomat is here. Not the one I’d expect to turn up though.’ His brow furrowed ponderously. ‘There was me thinking you weren’t allowed to get involved.’
Jasmine shrugged coquettishly. ‘Well, this isn’t really a diplomatic mission.’
Suddenly the window on the opposite side of the factory exploded and Sam was downed by a second torrent of water. When this stream vanished Marie stepped through the empty window space. When Sam looked up this time the playfulness and curiosity was gone. Now he finally looked concerned. He was weak and one nymph would have been challenging enough, but two… he didn’t stand a chance.
‘This… is not allowed!’ he shouted as he stormed back to his feet. He turned my way and I knew what he was about to do. He was going to try to kill me before they could take him down. Luckily, I had regained enough energy to move. The main doors flew off their hinges and a third torrent of water barrelled its way into the factory and silenced my cousin. My heart pretty much stopped in anticipation. I knew who was behind the third attack. The water dropped and tears of relief filled my eyes. Leah strode into the room, an expression of abhorrent fury fixed on her perfect face.
‘Get away from him,’ she spat, snarling like a vicious dog. The cavalry had arrived.
Chapter Forty
I tried to pull myself up but I just didn’t have the strength. I didn’t want Leah to see me in such a pathetic state. I didn’t have a choice though.
Sam rose slowly, his eyes darting between each of the nymphs who were circling around him. Jasmine made a brief head movement and Marie left the fight and went to my uncle’s side to see what she could do for him. Leah and Jasmine continued to draw closer to Sam.
‘Well, well, if it isn’t Jacob’s girlfriends,’ Sam said, trying to project his usual confidence but failing completely. He knew this was a fight he’d struggle to win. These weren’t just river nymphs, they were demi-gods. ‘Oh wait, he’s only actually slept with one of you, hasn’t he? Which one was it again?’
A burst of blue light flew out of Leah’s hand. Sam ducked beneath it and charged at her, his lips drawn back in a vicious snarl. He was smart enough not to bother casting any spells. He was too weak to do any magical damage now. A burst of anger erupted inside me as my cousin swung his fist at Leah’s face. I needn’t have worried though, even physically he was no match for her.
Leah caught Sam’s fist with ease much to his surprise. Grabbing his upper arm in her other hand she forced his fist back, yanking his forearm in the wrong direction. Sam howled as his arm snapped and a jagged white bone protruded from the flesh at his elbow. Leah released him and as he staggered away from her she spun on her heel, bringing one foot up and slamming it into the side of his face.
Sam cried again as the force of her kick spun him around to face Jasmine who was waiting patiently behind him.
‘Hi there!’ she said cheerily, giving him a girlish wave.
‘Torpid—’ Sam started, but he never got the chance to finish it. Jasmine splayed the fingers on her raised hand and a burst of energy flung out of her palm. Sam’s words turned to wretched gasps for air. His hand went to his throat in a bid to break Jasmine’s spell but he was unable.
‘There’ll be none of that,’ Jasmine said in disgust. She strode forward and slammed her hand into his chest, releasing another blast of power. Sam flew away from her and crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust. The pained groan that escaped his dark lips told me that it was over. He had no more fight left in him.
‘Are you okay?’ Leah asked as she hurried toward me. She was too dignified to run but her pace was well above the norm for walking.
‘No,’ Sam said feebly, lying face down on the floor. He raised his head but made no attempt to get up.
‘Nobody was talking to you,’ Jasmine said coldly. She planted her heel on his back and pinned him to the ground. His head flopped back down heavily and remained still.
‘Are you injured?’ Leah asked, falling to her knees at my side. She helped me into a sitting position and began looking me over.
‘No, I’m fine. I just need to get to my uncle.’
Marie was still tending to Drew who was just about alive. I wanted to at least be over there even if I couldn’t do much to help.
‘Let Marie help him.’ Leah tried to stop me from getting up but I wasn’t having any of it.
‘No,’ I insisted. I dragged myself over to my uncle’s side. The stab wound was no longer bleeding but it had turned a nasty shade of green. Drew was taking short shallow breaths which did not bode well. A sheen of sweat covered his deathly pale face. Marie looked up from examining his wound, her eyes sombre, and shook her head.
‘The blade had some kind of venom on it. I don’t know how to cure it,’ she said apologetically.
‘There is no cure. It’s a mix of the deadliest venoms known to man,’ Drew said. ‘Even if you could create an antidote it would take too long. I don’t have… time.’
‘We can try. Can’t you take him to your mother?’ I asked Leah. She’d healed me from an incurable curse, she could heal Drew too.
Leah shook her head gravely. ‘I’m sorry. Mother won’t help this time.’
‘Leave us,’ Drew said to the sisters. Marie gave each of us what was supposed to be a comforting smile before getting up. Leah and Marie joined Jasmine by Sam.
‘How do I fix this?’ I asked, looking Drew in his gradually fading eyes. ‘There’s always a way. You taught me that,’ I added desperately.
‘Jacob,’ he said sternly and then had to pause to regain his breath. ‘There isn’t much time, don’t waste it being stupid. I’m finished.’ His voice quivered on the word finished. Few people were ever ready to close the final chapter on the book of life. Especially not when they had years left to go.
‘I told you not to come here. You shouldn’t have come here,’ I said like an angry child. My eyes were welling up. I couldn’t cry in front of Drew. He was of the old fashioned ilk who believed men didn’t cry.
‘I couldn’t let… you face him alone.’
‘I had him, Drew. I had him. He was as good as dead.’ A few more seconds and I would’ve broken through Sam’s defences and killed him. And then Drew would still be alive.
‘So were you
. The energy it would have taken for you… to finish the job would’ve…’ His eyelids dropped and with a deep breath he forced them open. ‘It would have killed you.’ I knew better than to argue, Drew was always right. Although, he had been wrong about Sam. It was hardly the time to throw that in his face.
‘We’ve got him now,’ I said, as if that was some kind of consolation prize. I spared a glance in Sam’s direction and saw that the sisters had allowed him to rise to his knees but no further. I was going to take great pleasure in snuffing out his miserable existence.
‘Kill him, Jacob. Don’t hesitate.’ I was a little surprised at Drew’s words. Even after all Sam had done he was still Drew’s son. ‘He’s not… he’s not our Sam.’ Drew’s eyes closed again.
‘No,’ I said, the tears finally freeing themselves from my restraints. Then Drew’s eyes flew back open making me jump. ‘I thought…’
‘Nearly,’ he said sadly. ‘Listen. There’s something you need… to know.’
‘What?’
‘I didn’t finish it. It’s not ready.’ His breathing was so ragged now he was stopping after every couple of breaths. He was growing more agitated as he tried to tell me whatever this vital piece of information was.
‘What’s not ready?’
‘I thought I’d have more… time. I haven’t figured it out yet… Don’t have all the pieces.’ His hand groped about until he found my hand. His cold and now weak fingers gripped my hand as tightly as they could and I gripped back. It was the closest thing to a hug that would ever happen between us. For Drew this was full-blown affection.
‘Drew, you’re not making sense. What haven’t you figured out?’
He shook his head wearily. ‘You’ll find out…’ He stopped and stared me in the face. His lips twitched in what I think was an attempt to smile. ‘You look just like her… your mother.’ His puffy eyes began to let loose tears of their own. My mother was the one person Drew had loved more than anybody else. People who’d known him way back when had told me that he wasn’t half as cold and rough around the edges before she’d died. Her death had changed him. I understood what they meant. Sam was like a brother to me and his departure had changed me for the worse.
‘You’ll see her soon. Tell her I said hi.’
Drew nodded feebly. Fresh tears came from my eyes at the sight of my uncle, who had never shown weakness, looking so fragile. ‘I failed him… but I think I did right by you. Just about.’
‘You did,’ I confirmed. ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better father.’ I wasn’t saying it to make him feel better, it was true. My own father had been a bitter disappointment, but Drew, despite all his faults, had always been there for me.
‘You’re my boy,’ he whispered, a faint smile tugged at his lips. His eyes flicked over to Leah momentarily before returning to me and he said in a whisper that only I could hear, ‘Let her in. You need her. Let… her in.’ His grip tightened in my hand and he closed his eyes.
This time he did not open them again.
I squeezed my eyes shut and wrapped both hands around my uncle’s now lifeless hand. It was surreal to have been talking to Drew one moment and for him to be completely gone the next. I’d seen many people die, I’d killed most of them myself, but few of them had mattered to me, and none so much as Drew. I took in several deep breaths to steady myself. I didn’t want to be crying when I faced my cousin for the last time. There was one more death to serve tonight.
I stood up slowly, opening my eyes on my way up and being careful not to look at Drew’s body. I knew that seeing him lifeless and gone would do nothing to help me control my tears. As I walked over to where the sisters were guarding Sam, Jasmine and Marie both looked away respectfully. Leah met my gaze head on. She offered me no words. She didn’t need to. Everything that needed to be said was conveyed in her eyes.
I walked around to face Sam and was astonished to see his own face wet with tears. Did he actually have the audacity to cry for the man he’d murdered? No, I thought as I realised why he was crying. He was crying because Drew had shared his last words with me. And those last words had been spent telling me that I was his boy. Not Sam.
The three nymphs backed away to allow me a little privacy with my cousin, but they stayed close enough to intervene should the need arise. I was still weak but thankfully, so was he.
Sam raised his head to look. His eyes were now a dull grey with only a hint of silver remaining. He was pretty much out of juice, as was I. ‘Are you happy now you’ve murdered your own father?’
‘Apparently he wasn’t my father. He was yours,’ Sam said, he was resentment personified. ‘Such a shame that you’ve lost two fathers in just a couple of months.’ He started to chuckle and I felt my frustration build. ‘I guess it’s true, people really would rather die than be around you.’ He erupted into a gale of uncontrollable and quite clearly fake laughter.
I didn’t even try to restrain myself. I let my fist fly and sent Sam sprawling across the grubby concrete floor.
‘Is this how you envisioned your grand plan culminating? Is this how you thought you’d die?’ I demanded. I pulled out one of the golden knives Natalie had crafted for me.
‘No,’ Sam said, his voice muffled because his face was in the dirt. ‘I can’t say it is.’
Sam shot up to his knees and flung his hand out at me. Everybody moved to grab him but he was faster than any of us had anticipated. A cloud of grey smoke billowed out of his hand and within a single second the room was filled. I backed off, coughing heavily as the stuff tried to force its way down my throat. I searched through the smoke frantically, keeping my defences up in case Sam attacked me. I needn’t have bothered. After a couple of minutes the smoke cleared and the only people left in the factory were the sisters and me. Sam had vanished.
Chapter Forty-One
SAM
Sam had waited for the perfect time to make his getaway and Jacob’s fist had provided it. He had only a minuscule amount of power left, not enough to fight anybody with, but enough for one spell. A distraction.
‘Fumtono,’ he muttered extending his hand at his cousin. Thick grey smoke billowed from his palm, filling the vast space in seconds. He saw all four of his enemies come for him, but they were quickly blinded by his smoke.
Sam hurried to his feet, ignoring the screams from his tired body to rest, and ran into the smoke. He couldn’t see any better than they could but he’d made a note of where one of the broken windows was and he bolted in that direction. There was no dignity or pride in running away, but it was the only way to ensure his survival. He’d finish Jacob off another day. Tonight had not been a total failure. One of his three enemies were gone. Two remained.
He miscalculated the direction of his exit route and came to a damp brick wall instead. He groped along the stonework until finally he found the opening. He spared one glance back over his shoulder and saw that the smoke was thinning out behind him. He stepped through the opening into the clear night air and ran away from the building that would forever mark the place where he’d killed his father and put right all the years of mistreatment. Strangely, killing his dad had not brought him the peace he’d thought it would. Maybe his anger would finally abate once Jacob and Dorian had perished at his hands too.
He turned the corner onto the next street and stopped dead. Somebody was standing in the middle of the road.
Waiting for him.
In the darkness it was impossible to make out who the shape was but it was unlikely to be a friend. Of those, Sam was in short supply.
The shadowy figure took a step forward into the orange glow of a streetlight. Sam’s heart almost stopped beating. ‘Monroe,’ he said in a hoarse whisper. He wouldn’t last thirty seconds against the vampire in his weakened state.
‘Samuel Graves,’ said a high voice from behind him. Sam turned slowly, already knowing that it was Simon Delacrue. ‘We’ve been looking for you. How nice to see you without your disguise.’
Several other Orchi
ds emerged from the shadows until Sam found himself completely surrounded. He looked around at them all. Some were wizards, some vampires, and some were something else entirely. He was severely outnumbered but that didn’t mean he was beaten. He could see the fear hidden in some of their eyes. He still had a reputation and if he played this right he might be able to use it to escape.
‘Have you learned nothing tonight? You can’t beat me. You can put down the people who followed me but the head of the snake is another matter entirely,’ he said, filling his voice with his usual cockiness.
’Spare us the speech,’ Monroe muttered.
‘We can see that you are powerless and you’ve only got one arm,’ Simon added.
Sam tried to call up a little magic to prove him wrong but unfortunately he was totally drained. The last of his magic had been used to produce the smoke cloud. He needed to feed.
‘You should be happy, you’re about to get what you wanted,’ Simon said smugly.
‘And what’s that?’
Monroe stepped forward and said, ‘We’re taking you to see Dorian.’ The vampire nodded and the Orchids fell upon Sam. He didn’t bother struggling as he was pushed to his knees. The last thing he saw was Monroe’s dark eyes piercing into him before the sack was forced over his head and everything went dark.
Chapter Forty-Two
JACOB
Leah and Jasmine escorted me back to my apartment whilst Marie took care of Drew’s body. I wanted to do it myself, but I hadn’t realised how exhausted I really was until I tried to walk out of the old factory and collapsed. I’d been running only on adrenaline until that moment.
Leah and Jasmine helped me to Jasmine’s car and took me back to my apartment where they trussed me up in bed beneath a nice warm blanket. To say I felt like a little boy would have been pretty accurate, but in the grand scheme of things it hardly mattered how I felt. My uncle was dead. I’d failed to hold my end of deals with both Dorian and Cheirvorn. Sam was still at large. The only saving grace was that almost all of his followers were now gone.