“And let me guess. You had to defeat him as well?”
“Ding. Ding. You are correct,” Ashwin said, rapping his knuckles on the rock next to him. “And once I did that, my soul was freed from the vault. I returned to the council, and that’s when I was placed in a room, with a sorceress and witch, who strapped me onto a metal table, and began the ritual. I think I died about twelve times, before I awoke, with my soul in tack, but it was well worth it. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if I hadn’t gone through all of that.”
“You are one, courageous vampire,” Jade whispered, thinking about everything he had just told her. “I don’t think I could ever be that brave.”
“Oh, sure you could,” Ashwin said, sending her another smile. “So, now that you have your answers to your questions, how about we get to the underworld?” He held his hands out. “And see about getting your sisters back.”
“And how do we go about doing that?”
“Well, you start with taking my hands.”
“Your hands?” Jade stared down at his big hands, stretched out toward hers, and swallowed. Ever since she’d met the man, she’d felt drawn to him, and the thought of placing her hands in his…
“Jade. Take my hands,” Ashwin said, his husky voice rippling through the air. “This won’t work, without your help. I need your magic. The magic that’s still inside of you. Plus, I kind of look like an idiot just holding my hands out like this.”
Jade laughed. “Well, you are a little bit of an idiot,” she said, finally placing her hands in his, her eyes locking with his once more, and she once again wondered about the life he had lived. He’d been on this earth for over 200 years. What had it been like? What had he been like? What had he seen? Done? What was it like, to not be able to walk in the sunlight? To be sentenced to the darkness? To the shadows? And what about that woman he’d met? Kiley. What had she been like? How had she died?
And why do you care, Jade?
The voice crept inside her head, and she felt heat rise up in her cheeks, quickly shoving the thought away.
“And what, exactly, are you thinking?”
“Nothing,” Jade said, averting her gaze from his. “Now, tell me what I need to do.”
“Well, first, you need to relax.”
“Relax? Are you kidding? Have you met me?”
“Jade.”
“Right. Relax.” She blew out a breath, closing her eyes, listening to Ashwin’s dark, husky voice as it echoed around her.
“Just blow out a long breath, Jade. Let your mind clear. Clear your thoughts, your emotions, and instead, feel everything around you. Do you feel that? The breeze whipping around you. The feel of the grass underneath your feet. The scent of fresh lavender, nearby. Let it envelope you, and the magic will do the rest. Remember, there’s still magic all around you. Remember, there’s still magic inside you, inside the book, we just need…”
“A little bit of luck,” Jade said, her eyes snapping open as a rainbow suddenly shot down from the skies, four little men, dressed in green appearing before them. “Leprechauns. Of course. Hey, guys.”
“Jade Morgan. As I live and breathe.” Shamus propped his hands on his hips, eyeing her. “What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“Me?” Jade jabbed a finger at herself. “As I recall, you guys were the ones who were in trouble the last time I saw you, or did you forget about that big worm that was trying to take you, your friends, and your family.”
“You know, I think she’s got you on that one, Shamus,” the red-headed leprechaun standing next to Shamus said.
“And let’s not forget about that big, mean bird!” the leprechaun on the other side of Shamus cried.
“Oh, yes. Where is that nasty bird?” Jade asked, remembering the bird that had snatched her up, and soared through the air with her.
“Still stone!” the fourth leprechaun cried. “Where he belongs!”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jade said, laughing. “But as much as I love this stroll down memory lane, what are you guys doing here?”
“Well, looking for you of course!” Shamus cried. “The whole magical community is aflutter with your disappearance, Jade. You all just disappeared! And as much as we dislike witches… your family has always looked out for the magical community. Taken care of us. Of the demons!”
“And why don’t you like witches?” Jade asked.
“Because they always have another agenda!” the leprechauns cried in unison. “But Liam is so much worse. He has power, lots of power, and he’s stealing mythical creatures all throughout the realm for his experiment. If he succeeds in getting rid of the hybrid magical creatures, we’ll all be vulnerable to the demons!”
“Then what are you doing here if you’re all in danger?”
“Because we felt just a little bit of magic,” Shamus told her. “It lead us here, to you, and it’s a good thing it did because you’re with him!” Shamus shouted, jabbing his stick toward Ashwin. “With a vampire!”
“I’m not just any vampire!” Ashwin cried, regarding the little, green men. “I’m a good vampire!”
“There is no such thing!”
“Yes there is!” the youngest of the leprechauns cried, glancing at his brothers. “Don’t you remember the story of Damien?”
“Who?” Jade shook her head. “Wait. No. We don’t have time for another story.” Even though she was dying to learn more about the of vampires, and this guy named Damien. “We need to get down to the underworld. I need my powers back, and to find my sisters. Do you think you can help us get down there?”
“Of course!”
“Why else do you think we’re here?”
“Do you just think we’re here because we just wanted to go for a ride?”
“Well duh!”
The leprechauns all rolled their eyes at her, tapping their sticks on the ground, a stream of blue, purple, yellow, green, and red spreading from their sticks and striking toward the book.
“Jade, now!” Ashwin cried, holding his hands out again. “We need to tap into the power!”
“Yes, I know,” Jade said, as she placed her hands in his once more. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind as it blew against her skin, the sun, as it beamed down on her, and thought of everything that had happened within the last year. The moment she had gotten her powers. The demons she and her sisters had faced together. The day she’d met Sky.
The wind rushed around her, and she gasped, her eyes snapping open as a reign of gold light suddenly struck from her chest, striking toward the book. The symbols on the book suddenly glowed a bright red, as it bounced high in the air, spinning in a circle, a portal opening before them
“And that is how you tap into the power of magic,” Ashwin said, jumping to his feet and dragging her forward.
“Yeah, with a little bit of help!” Jade cried, glancing over her shoulder. “Thanks, leprechauns!” she shouted, jumping through the portal.
“Hey! Wait! We’re going with you!” Shamus shouted, racing after them through the portal. “We have family down there!”
Chapter 3
“Someone’s coming.”
“Yes. I can feel it,” the sorcerer said, lowering his hood. He glanced over his shoulder, staring at the sorcerers and sorceresses standing in a circle around him. “Which means, we need to hide him.” He waved his hand, the body in front of him disappearing from sight.
“Do you think it’s possible… what we’re trying to do?” the sorceress next to him asked. “Resurrect him? It’s never been done before.”
“Which is precisely, why I need all of you,” the sorcerer said, rolling his eyes. No wonder I’m the head sorcerer of the bunch, he thought. Morons. “Come on. Let’s link hands.”
They all linked hands, bowing their heads.
“As darkness rises, throughout the realm, we seek the darkest of lords to bless this soul.” He waved his hand, a black and white patterned casket appearing before them, peering inside at the lifeless bo
dy of Satan, as he lay in there, unmoving. They raised their hands in the air, black ash raining down from above them, and sprinkling over the glass cover of the casket. “From here, to the darkest parts of hell, may his soul rest in peace, until we can bring him back… stronger than ever before.”
The ground shook underneath them, and they all startled.
“Wait! Something’s happening!”
“The casket!”
“Look!”
The casket suddenly shook, spinning in a circle, and sliding to the right. The wall next to them opening, the casket disappearing inside, and closing shut with a loud bang.
“There. No one will ever find it,” the lead sorcerer said, lifting the hood over his head once more. “He’ll be safe until we gather all the necessary ingredients for his resurrection, and when he rises… he will be stronger than ever.”
“So, what do we do in the meantime?” another one of the sorcerers asked.
“Why we greet our guests,” the lead sorcerer told them. “And they must never know what we are planning. Understood?”
“Understood.”
***
“I don’t like being here,” Jade said, peering around the corner. She glanced right, then left, seeing the coast was clear, and head down the rocky pathway. “Somehow I don’t think we’ll be welcomed here.” She carefully avoided the bright, orange wall to her right, turning her head to stare at the rolling lava far below them, and the fire spewing in the distance.
“And you think I do?” Ashwin asked, following quickly behind her. “I do my best to avoid this place! Everyone down here hates me, ever since I betrayed them, but we don’t have a choice. They’re the only ones who can find Elijah. The only ones who have the resources. The only ones who…”
“Yes. I know. The demons are our only hope,” Jade said, scowling. “I get it. You’ve only said it a million times since we landed back in my house.”
“Well, it’s good to know that you do listen sometimes.”
Jade ignored him, instead turning, and poking her head into the room on her right. “Whoa. That’s a lot of mirrors. I don’t think I’ve seen this room before.”
“There’s a lot of the underworld you probably haven’t seen,” Ashwin told her. “That room is where the demons travel from one world to the next. Not all of them can teleport, you know.”
“Yes, I know. They’re all different,” Jade muttered. “Except that the fact that they’re all evil.” She stared into the room, glancing at the mirrors. Some were tall, some were small, some were cracked, and some were just perfect. “It kind of reminds me of a looking glass.”
“Looking glass?”
“You know, the glass mirror Alice falls into when she discovers Wonderland.” She glanced at Ashwin. “Please tell me, in all your time on earth, you’ve at least seen Alice and Wonderland.”
“I’m afraid I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“Oh my God. You are in some serious need of some movie therapy!” Jade cried. “What else haven’t you seen?”
“A lot.”
“Then what on earth do you do with your time?”
“Sleep. Eat. Hunt demons.”
“Eat humans?”
“No!” Ashwin glared at her. “I told you, I don’t do that anymore.”
“Well, you’re still a vampire. You’ve gotta eat somehow.”
“For your information, I get my blood from the local butcher just down the road from this rundown house I live in.”
“And here I thought you might steal blood from a hospital.”
“That’s just humane,” Ashwin stated. “I would never do that.” He gasped, the ground suddenly shaking underneath them. “Uh oh.”
“An earthquake?” Jade’s eyes widened. “Why is there an earthquake here?”
“It’s whatever the demons are planning,” the leprechaun next to her said. He eyed the two of them. “You do know, that you argue like a married couple, right?”
“We’re not married!”
“We’re not a couple!”
“Hello, Jade. Hello, Ashwin.”
They turned, just as twelve sorcerers and sorceresses appeared in a blur around them. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“You’ve been waiting for us?” Jade asked, eyeing them, as they thumped their staffs on the ground. “Why?”
“Because you need us,” the sorcerer said, grinning, as he stroked his long, black beard. “So tell me, what is it you need from us?”
“We’re looking for someone,” Ashwin said, stepping forward. He laid a hand on Jade’s shoulder. “Be cool,” he whispered. “Be cool.”
“And just who are you looking for?”
“Elijah.”
“You’re looking for Elijah?” the sorcerer through his head back and laughed. The sorcerers and sorceresses behind him also laughing. “He killed your entire family, Ashwin! He turned you into a vampire. He stole your sister from you!” he shouted, jabbing a finger at Jade. “Why on earth would you be looking for him?”
“Because he has something we need,” Jade said, lifting her chin. “So, can you help us, or not?”
“I’m afraid not,” the sorcerer said, staring at her. “Ever since he escaped from the underworld, he’s ben untraceable. I’ve sent demons after him. I’ve sent black angels looking for him. I’ve gathered with seers, but it’s as if he’s disappeared off the face of the earth. No one can find him.”
“So, you’re leading the underworld now?” Jade asked, raising a brow.
“Just until the new leader rises.”
“And who is that?”
“None of your business.”
Jade’s eyes flashed. “Now listen here…”
“Jade.”
She blew out a breath, nodding. “Right. Your business is yours.”
“Right it is, although this is pretty ironic, as I was about to send some of my best demons to go looking for you,” the sorcerer said, glancing over at Ashwin.
“Me?” Ashwin raised a brow. “Why would you be searching… for me?”
“Why, to find Elijah of course,” the sorcerer said, smiling. “You’re his brother. His family. We figured you of all people would know where he was.”
“You’re kind of contradicting yourself, sorcerer,” Ashwin said, laughing. “As you said, Elijah killed my family. He turned me into this freak of a monster I am. I hate him with every fiber of my being, and I would rather put his head on a spike then ever protect him!”
“I see.”
“Hey! Look! It’s a leprechaun!”
A large, gray demon suddenly raced around the corner, his large claws reaching forward.
“Hey! Leave him alone!” Jade cried, stepping in front of the leprechauns, blocking the demon’s path. “You can’t have him!” She frowned, glancing behind her at the leprechauns. “You said that some of your family was here?”
The leprechauns nodded. “Yes. They’ve been disappearing across the realm.”
Jade glanced back over at the sorcerer, as he gestured the demon to stand down. “Why?”
“Why, for our next leader of the underworld,” the sorcerer told her. “And when it rises, you’re all going to be in trouble. Now, get them!” he shouted, jabbing a finger toward them.
“Ah, Ashwin, any bright ideas?” Jade asked as demons raced around the corner, heading for them. Glancing at the sorcerers and sorcerers as they drew closer to them. “By the way, I knew this was a bad idea!”
“Going into the underworld, always has its risks, Jade.”
“And it’s not like we would ever give up a chance at capturing you two,” the sorcerer said, laughing. “A chosen one, and the one who betrayed us for a witch!”
“Wait. What?” Jade ducked, missing the staff that struck her way. “The woman you loved… was a witch?”
“Surprise,” Ashwin said, his hands shooting up, and grasping the staff that came his way. He shoved the sorcerer back a step, yanking the staff our of his hands. “Jade, here!�
� He tossed the staff toward her.
“And just what am I supposed to do with this?” Jade asked, catching the staff, and staring down at the foreign object. She glanced up, watching as the leprechauns fended off the demons, wincing, as Ashwin got punched in the jaw. “It’s evil!”
“But it’s powerful,” Ashwin told her, ducking, and just missing the claws of a demon. “Which means, you can do whatever you want with it.”
“Whatever I want…” Jade gripped the staff in her hand, swinging around, and smacking a demon across the head with it. She spun around, jabbing one of the sorcerers, and then thumped it hard on the ground. “Demons, be gone!”
The ball on top of the staff suddenly glowed a bright white, and she blinked, suddenly blinded by the brightness. A moment later, the area caving in around them.
Chapter 4
“What did you do with Jade?” Josslyn asked, gritting her teeth as the metal prongs pinched her skin, glaring at Liam, as he dragged them through the portal.
“I sent her somewhere, where she can’t foil with my plans. Both her, and the vampire,” Liam said, as he jumped out of the portal, and into the wasteland.
“You mean your plan to destroy the whole magical community? Including us!” Julie snapped, wincing, as her body bounced left, then right, staring around her at the sand-covered terrain, the red skies, and the red, rolling stream rippling in the distance. “Wait. I know this place… don’t I?” She thought back to the dream she’d had. “Oh my God! This is the wasteland!”
“Yes, indeed it is,” Liam said, as he dragged them across the sand. “It’s where I’ve been getting my experiment ready, and where no one can distract me.” The metal prongs released them, and they screamed, their bodies falling to the hot sand.
“Ugh. Gross. I’m going to have sand everywhere!” Jasmine cried, as she planted her hands in the sand and shoved herself to her feet. She shook her head, grains of sand falling from her long, blonde hair. She turned, staring across the sand. “This is the wasteland? That place, you had that dream, premonition thingy?”
Anarchy Rising Page 2