Rebirth (Legends of the Kilanor Book 2)

by Jared Stone

  “I think we have a pretty good shot at saving her, honestly,” Lucian lied, attempting to put aside his own self-doubt for the moment and comfort his roommate’s worried mind. “I mean, you still have demonic energy inside of you, and I’ve got my qi. With Professor Schuntz by our side, I think our power will definitely be enough to challenge this masked man. I bet he’s actually really worried at this exact moment, knowing we’re coming to put an end to….”

  Bzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzz.

  Lucian suddenly felt the jarring sensation of his phone vibrating crazily in his lap. Gus opened his eyes again and glared at the boy, clearly perturbed that his slumber had been interrupted a second time.

  Bzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzz.

  Lucian looked down. The incoming call screen had lit up, and the phone read only one name above the sliding answer bar: Sam. Lucian’s heart leapt.

  “Sorry, I… I have to take this,” he half-apologized excitedly. Before Blake could even answer, Lucian had already picked up the phone.

  “Hi, Sam!” he exclaimed louder than intended.

  “Hey, Lucian,” Sam’s voice answered back with a short chuckle. The cool, calm, and collected quality of Sam’s speech immediately put Lucian at ease and made him forget all his imminent troubles. “How’s it going?”

  Lucian’s brain went blank for a moment. “Fine,” he eventually stated. “Things are…, things are good.”

  “Oh, okay. Good,” Sam said back, his amused smile visible in Lucian’s mind, even over the phone. “Well, I was hoping you might want to grab dinner with me again tonight. Or maybe come over and watch a movie at the house. It feels like forever since I last saw you! I miss seeing you.”

  Lucian’s heart instantly melted at these words. He found himself positively swooning, about to say, “Yes! Absolutely!” and drop everything to run to the older boy’s side. But then, reality came back to rudely smack him in the face, and he recalled the arguably more pressing matter at hand.

  “Errrrrrrrr…, tonight isn’t good for me,” Lucian mumbled disappointedly. “I have plans already.”

  “Oh yeah? What are you up to?” Sam asked lightly.

  “Oh, you know. A house party. Going to see one of my friends.” Lucian felt that this was sort of not lying, given the circumstances. Even in the worst of situations, he didn’t ever want to flat-out lie to Sam. Sam just seemed so caring and genuine that Lucian would undoubtedly be forever racked with guilt for purposefully deceiving him. He couldn’t fathom Sam ever doing something like that to him.

  “Well, it’s unfortunate that I won’t get to see you tonight,” Sam said. “Maybe we can try again in a couple of days, or even when you get back from Christmas Break, then? Assuming, of course, that you’re not too destroyed after this party tonight….”

  Lucian laughed nervously. “Oh, yeah. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he responded, his voice shaking a little bit as he said it.

  “Okay, then,” Sam said. “So, it’s a date! And, yeah, next time we get together, I think it should be at my place….”

  “Uh, oh, okay, sure, yeah…,” Lucian stammered clumsily. That seemed surprisingly forward to him. Not that he minded. “That sounds great, yeah.”

  “Alright. Well, I’ll let you get ready for that party, I guess. Bye for now, Lucian,” Sam said in closing.

  “Bye, Sam,” Lucian said softly, right before the sound of the call cut off into lonely silence. The boy brought the phone down from his ear and sighed wistfully. Considering what the night might hold in store for him, he sincerely hoped that that would not be the final time he heard the upper classman’s voice….

  “What the Hell was that?” Blake inquired from the bed opposite him.

  Lucian had forgotten for a second that he wasn’t alone, and the introduction of his roommate’s voice into his dream space was startling. “Oh! Just Sam. Wanting to get together.”

  “Sam? Like Sam, Sam?” Blake asked, confused. “Like, my buddy Sam?”

  Lucian hadn’t anticipated how awkward this would feel. He had never thought that, someday, he would need to inform Blake of their budding romance. “Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “We’ve gotten together a couple of times….”

  “But, like,” Blake said, still a little lost, “why?”

  Lucian swallowed. “Ummm, like, for a date, sorta,” he clarified.

  Blake’s eyes grew wide. “What!?” he said, sitting up in his bed. “No way!”

  “Yeah…,” Lucian confirmed. “Is that… okay with you?”

  Blake paused and pondered over it for a minute. “Yeah, that’s fine,” he finally said, clearly still deep in thought. “I just… I just never saw it coming. Didn’t know he swung that way, you know? Not that there’s anything wrong with that!”

  Lucian found himself unable to suppress a chuckle at his roommate’s clear attempt at being accepting. “Okay, well…, thanks!” he said. He was relieved that the air had been cleared and that he had the support of his close friends for his new relationship with Sam… or whatever it was.

  “Whatever happened with you and OAO anyway?” Lucian inquired, realizing that he hadn’t seen Blake engage at all with any of the frat activities since he had returned to campus. “Are you still a member or whatever?”

  Blake shrugged. “I don’t know, man. I guess I just got a bad taste in my mouth for it after the whole initiation thing,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, Sam is still my bud and all, but I just don’t have as much interest in doing the whole frat thing anymore for some reason….”

  Lucian nodded in response. He could understand, after all Blake had been through over the past few months, why his roommate might be reluctant to reengage with that social scene. Lucian also highly doubted that any of Blake’s frat brothers would be as understanding of the boy’s demonic afflictions as Willow and he had been.

  “Well, I guess we should head over to the Religion Department now,” Lucian announced, standing up and grabbing his coat.

  Seeing the coat in the boy’s hand, Gus’ tail started to wag, and he clumsily rolled himself over on the bed and looked up at Lucian expectantly.

  “No, you stay,” Lucian commanded.

  With a disappointed whine, Gus lay back down. His pathetic puppy eyes peered up at Lucian.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucian said with a short laugh. “Don’t worry; we’ll be back to feed you before we leave tonight. We just have some important stuff we have to do first. We wouldn’t want to have to go through tonight without Professor Schuntz’s help, that’s for sure!”

  * * *

  “Absolutely not!!” Professor Schuntz practically roared. “I positively forbid you to undertake this foolish suicide mission!”

  Lucian stood with his arms crossed in front of him before his professor’s large wooden desk, with Blake standing just behind him. He had never seen Schuntz so enraged with him before, but it was even more terrifying than the boy had imagined. He hung his shoulders in an attempt to shrink down, wishing he was small enough to hide behind one of the stacks of books which littered the floor around his feet. He couldn’t find the courage to speak.

  “But, you don’t understand,” Blake cut in. “They have Lilly. If we don’t go get her, who knows what they’ll do!?”

  Schuntz scowled. “I understand your predicament perfectly, Mr. Valenti,” he said coldly. “I have been on this Earth for over four times as long as you have, and I am, unfortunately, intimately acquainted with the harsh realities of the casualties of war. The girl is a lost cause. Running in and getting yourself killed by facing an adversary we do not know and do not understand will effectively help no one!”

  Blake was getting visibly more upset. “So, what? You’re just gonna let her die or whatever!? Be possessed, like I was!? All because you’re too much of a coward?”

  “It is not cowardice, it is prudence!” Schuntz shot back angrily. “The girl is already dead to us. That is the reality of the situation! You must forget about her and move forward with what may actually be accomplished!�
��

  “Just forget about her and move forward!?” Blake snapped. “She’s a person, man!”

  Schuntz seemed to have gathered his wits about himself again, and he slowly and deliberately sat back down in his seat. “It is unlikely that she will remain that way for long…,” he stated calmly.

  Blake had had enough by this point. Overcome with rage, he pushed Lucian to the side and charged at the professor with his fist upraised. But, before the boy could even get close enough to swing, Schuntz had raised his hand and generated a bright blast of red energy from his palm. Blake went flying back, rolling across the floor and toppling over stack after stack of books. Lucian ran over to his roommate’s side as the professor stood up again.

  “I am unable to guarantee your safety if you choose to go through with this, Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz stated with regret clearly evident in his voice and facial expression as he watched Lucian help Blake to his feet again. “Playing the hero is a young man’s game. With age comes wisdom, and, with wisdom, temperance. I implore you to reconsider.”

  Lucian looked at his professor with a mixture of resentment and gratitude for his concern. “I will remember that, Professor,” he said as he walked, supporting Blake, toward the door. Blake refused to make any further eye contact with Schuntz, likely from both embarrassment and disdain.

  “Then I can only wish you the greatest fortune,” Schuntz concluded with a hint of disappointment, “in whatever you decide to do.”

  This was the last thing Lucian heard as he closed the office door behind him. Blake was once again walking on his own by this point, and the two of them made their way back down the creaking floor of the Religion Department hallway.

  “We’re not really gonna listen to that jerk, are we?” Blake finally turned and asked through gritted teeth.

  Lucian shook his head. “No,” he replied. “We’re gonna go save her. Even without his help.”

  * * *

  “Well, I guess this is it,” Lucian whispered to Blake from their hiding place among the trees behind the mansion on the hill. “Are you ready?”

  Blake furrowed his brow in determination. “Hell yes,” he whispered back. “Let’s go mess ‘em up!”

  Lucian smiled nervously. He wished that he shared Blake’s bravado, but he had to admit that he was extremely nervous and honestly didn’t actually want to go through with it at all. Maybe Schuntz was right. Maybe this is a lost cause. Would it really be so bad if we just turned around now? Could anyone really blame us? He was secretly hoping that Blake was having similar internal struggles.

  Come on, Lucian! Be the hero! he then thought to himself. You have to save Lilly! You’re her only hope!

  “Alright then, let’s go,” Lucian said, nodding his head in the direction of the mansion.

  With one thumb up in agreement, Blake followed along behind his roommate as they both crouched and darted through the dark maze of trees. The crisscrossing branches and thick undergrowth made silent passage all but impossible, and the dense, black night around them obscured the visibility of obstacles in their way. The approach was extra difficult for Lucian, who had to keep in mind the addition of a sword strapped to his back. He had taken Kusanagi out of hiding for this occasion, as he could think of no more appropriate time to use the legendary weapon than this: The Final Battle.

  The boys soon came upon a high brick wall which encased the entirety of the estate’s backyard. Lucian estimated that it was probably about eight feet tall. From over the top, flickering light could be seen, but the solid barrier before them cast a thoroughly oppressive shadow over the boys. Lucian looked up, knowing they had no choice but to scale it, and also knowing that they had no idea what awaited them on the other side. The necromancer? The man in the mask? A whole army of draugar? A gigantic, fire-breathing dragon? He figured that nothing should be off the table at this point….

  “Who goes first?” Blake asked, glancing up at the obstacle before them.

  “How much experience do you have climbing over walls?” Lucian inquired.

  “A bunch,” said Blake.

  “Sounds like you’re our best bet, then,” Lucian said, patting his roommate on the back in support. Blake just glared at him through the darkness.

  “Fine,” he finally consented, approaching the wall. “But, if I die here, it was totally your fault….”

  With this, Blake hopped up and grabbed onto the top of the vertical brick barrier. Hanging there for just a moment, the boy then simultaneously pulled his body up with his powerful biceps and back and swung his left leg around the side, so that his foot was also gripped snugly onto the top of the wall. Lucian was amazed at how effortless the boy made this feat of acrobatics look, but he also had to remind himself that Blake had the additional benefit of demonic super-strength on his side. Once at the top, Blake lay there for a moment, silent and still, surveying the lit courtyard.

  “I don’t see anything there,” he whispered down to Lucian as he readjusted himself to straddle the bricks with both legs. “Should be safe to come up.”

  Lucian stepped up to the base of the wall. The thick, imposing partition seemed to him immensely high and daunting. He proceeded to slip the leather strap of Kusanagi’s sheath over his head, then handed the weapon up to Blake.

  “Hold this for me,” he requested. Blake took the sword and quietly laid it down behind him.

  Lucian extended his arms into the air, with his fingertips just barely below the top of the wall. He then jumped up, gripping his fingers onto the rough brick surface. Just do it like Blake did, he reminded himself as he dangled there helplessly. Lucian first tried to pull himself up with his arms, but quickly discovered that his biceps were nowhere near strong enough for such an undertaking. Grunting, he instead kicked out with right his leg, attempting to get it up and onto the top of the wall. Missing it by a few feet, the momentum of this move caused his fingers to slip, and the boy landed on his back in the cold dirt below.

  “Need some help?” Blake asked quietly, trying to suppress a laugh.

  “No, I got this,” Lucian grumbled stubbornly. He stood up and dusted off his back as best he could. Leaping vertically again, the blonde boy made sure he achieved a sturdy hold this time. He swung his foot back, then out to the side, hoping that the extra windup would propel his leg up and over; but he was sadly mistaken. Once again, his foot made it only about halfway up the wall before it began its disappointing descent back down again. Lucian began kicking out wildly, desperately trying to lift himself, or kick his leg over, or establish a foothold on the bricks. But, in the end, all he managed to do was look like a wriggling fool. He let go and landed back on his feet.

  Lucian sighed dejectedly. “Can you help me?” he finally requested.

  “Sure,” Blake replied, reaching his arm down with hand held open.

  Lucian reached up and grabbed his roommate’s forearm, and Blake did the same to his. With one quick yank that threatened to pop his arm out of its socket, Lucian flew up off the ground and ascended through the air, accompanied by the sensation that his stomach was now in his feet. Blake effortlessly held Lucian suspended by his wrist for a moment, with arm fully outstretched, then carefully brought the boy over to the top of the wall and set him down as Lucian brought one leg over the flat surface to straddle it as well.

  “Thanks,” Lucian mumbled gruffly once he had made contact with the wall, reaching up to rub his now-sore shoulder.

  Blake just grinned smugly at him. “Happy to help,” he said.

  Lucian looked to his right, down into the courtyard. Crinkled remnants of blades of grass stretched out below them in every direction like a treacherous, frosted sea which they would now be forced to navigate. Furthest back from the front of the estate, a cluster of fruit trees stood huddled together, as if to shelter themselves from the frigid winter nights that had already viciously torn off their produce and thrown it on the ground to rot. In the middle, Lucian could make out a small pond surrounded by stacked rocks. Though it was like
ly a lovely, bubbling water feature in the summer months, the pond had frozen over and gave the whole scene the cold reminder of death and stagnation that seemed only appropriate for the occasion. The mansion itself stood sentinel over its domain, with a series of pointed roofs and a brick façade overtaken by ivy that seemed to defy the very forces of nature which had successfully killed everything else. The leaves stood out, lush and magnificent, in stark defiance of the cold. Their color contrast was accentuated by the red-orange glow of a fire which burned intensely within a pit built into the concrete deck of the home.

  “I bet this is really nice in the summer…,” Lucian said aloud to himself. Blake just stared at him, his brilliant blue eyes now reflecting the complimentary orange light of the fire.

  “Come on,” Blake urged, casually dismissing his roommate’s home and garden fantasies. He swung his leg over and hopped down from the wall as quietly as possible. Lucian looked down below him tentatively, thinking that his perch seemed even higher in the air now that he was expected to jump from it. With a deep breath in, followed by a sigh, Lucian grabbed Kusanagi and catapulted himself to the ground as well, bending his knees upon impact and making a soft thud as he landed.

  The boys looked around them, attempting to figure out where to go. No doors were readily evident, but the outer wall of the home seemed to cut sharply in just out of their sight, and a path led through the yard to this hidden section.

  “Over there?” asked Lucian in a whisper.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Blake responded.

  The two boys hunched down low, scurried over to the ivy-covered bricks, and pressed their bodies close against the frigid wall. Sliding as quietly as possible, they made their way around the perimeter of the courtyard, with Lucian every so often having to jerk his head to the side as a giant ivy leaf coldly smacked him across the face. In much the same way as a clop on the head with Panhavant’s staff, these occasional, irritating reminders of the real world immediately brought Lucian back into the present moment and helped calm his otherwise frantic nerves and frenzied heart.