The Eye of Elektron: A Clean Urban Fantasy (The Sumrectian Series Book 1)

by Leigh G. Wynn

  Through the thick glass wall, Dawn watched two Sumrects clumsily approach the gated door of her cell. The curly-haired and shifty-eyed Sumrect with the name “Steve” on his chest badge was half the width and twice the height of his round-bellied friend, Cameron.

  Steve spun the brass key ring around and around on his index finger as he led the way. Cameron trailed not far behind, balancing a tray full of food for the human prisoner.

  “They don’t feed us half as good as they feed this human,” grumbled Cameron. “Why do they even bother?”

  “Because she is the bringer of new light, you thick skull!”

  “Bringer of light, bringer of night. I say she is the bringer of more trouble for Cameron. They got us working too hard, Steve—Yikes!” His big toe jabbed into an uneven stone on the stairs, and he was forced into an acrobatic dance to keep the tray from spilling.

  “You have ONE job, Cameron. ONE!”

  “It’s slippery!”

  Letting out a strangled sound, Steve threw his head back. “If you just concentrated a bit more and stopped complaining, maybe we’ll actually get the food to the human in one go this time!”

  “Anyway, she’s not going to eat it.” Cameron stuck out his lower lip. “Why don’t you try feeding her—”

  “Hurry up and quit whining!” Steve snapped when he reached Dawn’s cell.

  He unlocked the door to let Cameron in. Meanwhile, Dawn’s stomach growled loudly.

  “Hungry? You better eat up this time,” he barked. “Quinn knows the game you are playing, and he has ordered us to watch you eat it all.”

  “Good luck.” Dawn scoffed. She laid herself back down on the metal bed and pretended to go to sleep.

  Cameron hissed. “Steve, I told you!”

  A rough hand seized Dawn by the hair, yanking her to a sitting position, and she found herself face to face with Steve.

  “Open your mouth!” he ordered.

  She squinted at him but did not reply.

  “You stubborn human! I say open your mouth!”

  She closed her eyes.

  Flushed red in the face, he snatched a dinner roll off the tray in Cameron’s hands and jammed it into her mouth with such force she started choking on the bread.

  “Uh, Steve, Quinn told us not to do that…” Cameron pointed out in a small voice.

  “Quinn said this human has to eat, and she’s going to do just that!” Steve slapped Dawn violently on the back so that the piece of bread flew out of her mouth. Coughing, she raised a fist to punch him just as Quinn’s face appeared on the glass wall.

  “Let her be.” His voice boomed, freezing both Dawn and Steve in mid-action. “Leave the food there. Let’s see how long she holds up.”

  Dawn gave Steve a hard stare before she curled back up on the metal bed.

  “The Atma will want to see you soon. You better not play dead then.” Quinn snarled. “As for you two good-for-nothing fools, go check on cell three. A human girl tried to commit suicide there.”

  With her back to the screen, Dawn shuddered at his words. I need to get the prisoners out of Crimson, she thought. But how…

  ✽✽✽

  “Lemonade, anyone?” Gail asked Kai and the group of Sumrects now gathered in Ansel’s living room. A few took up on the offer while the rest conversed quietly among themselves.

  Ansel spent the past twenty minutes explaining to the Phyon Sumrects his unfortunate pact with the Etherian, omitting certain details he did not feel essential to share. Though he could tell from their thunderstruck faces that his secret came as a massive shock, everyone still listened politely and with expressed understanding. Except Blair. She slammed her glass down on the table and stood abruptly. “Ansel Cassadian, you are absolutely out of your mind!”

  The rest of the group fell silent.

  “Blair, I made the decision long ago, and I can do nothing to change it now,” Ansel said, his voice gentle, almost apologetic. “I’m merely asking that you accept what is and help me—”

  “Well, I can’t accept what is!” Blair fired back. “It’s not like you at all to make agreements with Etherians! And giving up your powers to become a human? What good will that do? Whatever happened to ‘guardian of souls?’ Whatever happened to protecting Phyon? I didn’t know Ansel Cassadian could be such a coward!”

  There was a low gasp among the Sumrects as both Winston and Alexander gestured for Blair to stop talking.

  “That’s enough!” Delia asserted.

  Lorenzo cleared his throat. “You are overreacting, Blair. Ansel has always done what’s best for Phyon and us. I’m sure he didn’t have a choice at the time… forced into this mess by that good-for-nothing Etherian. Right, Ansel?” He gave Blair a stop-talking-now-or-I-will-make-you stare.

  On Lorenzo’s left, Ansel simply bowed his head.

  “Guess I thought too highly of you.” Blair shook her head and stormed out of the room.

  “Blair, wait!” Nico sprang to his feet to chase after her.

  “Phew!” Kai slid down further in his chair. “Talk about drama!”

  The rest of the Sumrects shifted in their seats, exchanging glances with one another. Winston broke the silence first. “Now that she has left, let’s discuss plans, shall we? If Ansel’s indeed turning human, then it is up to the rest of us to keep Phyon safe.” The other Sumrects nodded in agreement.

  “Winston is right. We need to step up,” Lorenzo said. “If one day, God forbid, Vance learns the truth, then Ansel’s transformation will become the ultimate opportunity for him to unleash evil upon not only Phyon, but all of Fors.”

  “Don’t you worry, Ansel. We’ve got your back!” Alexander assured him.

  Winston reached over and placed a firmed hand on Ansel’s shoulder. “This battle was never yours to fight alone. Together, we’ll make sure your plan is carried out to fruition. We are with you all the way.”

  “Er, what’s the plan? Anyone care to share?” Kai asked the group.

  Ansel finally glanced up at the other Sumrects sitting around him. Their earnest assurances moved him in more ways than one. For a species where power dictated social status and the amount of respect one garnered, the loss of one’s power usually meant certain ostracization and ridicule. Ansel felt a lump rise in his throat as he managed a reply, “Thank you, my friends, for easing my worries. I must admit I hesitated to share this information for a long time… but after hearing your words just now… I know my concerns have been unwarranted. I trust Phyon will be kept safe from Vance in my absence.”

  Kai raised both his eyebrows. “Your absence?”

  Ansel sat up straighter and gave him a comforting smile. “It’s time I paid my brother a visit. The longer Vance holds Dawn in captivity, the more danger she will be in.”

  “But how long do you think you’ve got? You know, until you turn human?”

  “The sooner we act, the better,” was his vague reply.

  “Why don’t I go with you instead? I’m sure Vance would love a visit from his old nanny,” Delia offered.

  “Thank you, Delia, but there’s no need. As we already discussed earlier, I will head to Crimson first, soon followed by Lorenzo, Winston, Nico and Blair… Myles’s family needs my help to relocate to a safer place away from Crimson Estate. Gail has already been in contact with Pathfinders at Crimson. They will assist us from inside.”

  After attending to the entire conversation in silence, Gail spoke up at last, “And what if Vance discovers you no longer have Sumrectian powers?”

  Her question seemed to unnerve all present except Ansel. When he responded, his eyes sparkled with mischief. “I’m counting on it.”

  ✽✽✽

  Snow topped the spiked, golden front gates of Crimson Estate, through which the wintry wind howled a harrowing tune. Except for the two brown-leather clad Sumrect guards on either side of the gates, the grounds were eerily empty. The full moon reflecting off the snow produced enough lighting for the guards to see Myles emerge from his Vidra3
60 a few hundred feet away. They nodded to each other in seemingly silent understanding before they unlocked the gate for the human to enter.

  Myles felt his toes freeze up while he trudged up the path leading to the entrance, pushing headfirst against the strong, frigid wind. He clutched the purple velvet box tightly to his chest, where it rubbed against the leather pouch with the ice slab in his breast pocket.

  “Up ahead, through the main door,” the guard on the left said without giving him a second look when he passed. My arrival must have been announced long ago, Myles thought. He hastened to the enormous double doors embellished with gold-colored, six-legged beasts. Before he could knock, the doors swung open with such a force his body lifted from the ground and flew backward.

  Two hands caught his arms, anchoring him down. Bright light exploded in the house, and Myles squinted to adjust.

  “About time, human,” one of the two broad-shouldered Sumrects sandwiching him bellowed. “The Atma has been waiting for you.”

  Together, they climbed the thick-carpeted stairs and snaked through a myriad of ornate rooms and hallways before they finally entered a room Myles had only been inside once before.

  A shiny, obsidian table occupied the center of the opulent space. Around the table parked enough leather chairs for ten Sumrects. Carved in gold, the same six-legged creatures that adorned the front door appeared all over the gilded walls. Myles’s guts turned with disgust when his eyes fell on the various acts of primal violence depicted by the carvings.

  As the Sumrects released him to lock the doors behind them, he noticed both guards were carrying silver-barreled weapons.

  Before long, four more Crimson soldiers marched in from one of the six golden walls that opened inward to a passageway. Each took a spot behind a leather seat by the table, waiting for Vance.

  Myles could feel his heart beating wildly against the pouch Ansel had given him. He avoided eye contact with the Sumrects, who observed him like hungry lions in a butcher shop.

  Vance strolled in last, taking his time, wearing an almost gleeful smile which few had witnessed. He sat down opposite Myles and gestured for the other Sumrects to do the same.

  “My valuable human friend.” His voice was as smooth as the table reflecting his jubilant expression.

  The word “friend” made Myles cringe. Vance’s definition of “friend” differed drastically from his own.

  “You have brought a gift for me.” Vance leaned forward in his chair, folding his hands on the table in front of him.

  Keeping his eyes glued to the Nero Portoro marble floor, Myles hesitated briefly before he produced the two boxes. One contained Vance’s lemon topaz portal, and the other, Ansel’s secret. He placed them side by side on the obsidian table.

  “Your portal, Atma,” he managed through gritted teeth, “and… the one you seek.”

  Vance seized the purple box in a sharp motion. His eyes gleamed victoriously while he examined the Sumrectian name engraved on the side.

  “Ealon Shailah Cassadian,” he read the name aloud. “Hard to live up to your name, isn’t it, Ealon?” he chuckled to himself, speaking to nobody in particular.

  After a while, he returned his focus back to Myles.

  “How did you obtain this?”

  “I earned Ansel’s confidence, as you instructed, with Gail’s rescue.” Myles paused. “He entrusted me with the box and told me to bring it to you.”

  “Just like that? He gave it up?” Vance’s eyes flashed suspiciously as he set the box down in front of him.

  “Yes. He knew you held my family captive and ordered me to give you this portal… so that they might be saved from your wrath.”

  “You are telling the truth?” Vance hissed, the smile wiped clean from his face.

  Myles raised his gaze to meet Vance’s honey-colored eyes. “I do not lie to the Atma because I find it useless. Ansel did not reveal to me the means of unlocking the box. He said the portal must be opened in the presence of an Etherian. That is all.”

  For a long minute, Vance scrutinized Myles, running his fingers along the edges of the velvet box. Myles remained motionless though his heart raced wildly inside his chest. Finally, Vance motioned to Quinn, who promptly stood up with half a snarl and half a smile.

  “We will see if you are telling the truth…” Quinn cracked his knuckles loudly and pressed two beefy hands on Myles’s temples, as if ready to crush his skull if necessary.

  What is he doing? Myles thought, squirming under the pressure.

  Then it happened. The meeting room started to flash in and out of consciousness. His thoughts rewound to his last conversation with Ansel at the Ealon Hotel. Despite his best efforts to resist Quinn’s probing, he could not stop the scene from replaying in his mind. Quinn is reading my mind! The memory played until Ansel said, “Myles, I order you to take that purple box to Crimson. As soon as you can.” At that instant, the pressure on his temples faded, and he snapped back to reality, panting heavily.

  “He told the truth,” Quinn confirmed with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

  Satisfied, Vance sat back in the leather seat. “Although I would have preferred fewer hoops to jump through to access this portal, I will not fault you, human, for I’m certain Ansel’s juvenile tricks stand no chance against me. Its contents will be revealed soon, and the veracity of your words made known.”

  Rising to his feet, Vance signaled to the Sumrect guards who brought Myles into the room. Two steel grips found Myles’s arms once more.

  “Wait!” He struggled against the Sumrects’ hold. “Where are you taking me? What about my family?”

  Vance circled around the table until he came within a foot of Myles. He leaned into his ear and whispered, “You’ll stay right here at Crimson until I gain access to the portal. Until then…” He took a step back. “Take him to the cells.”

  Before Myles could utter another word, the guards yanked him from the gilded room and dragged him through the endless hallways until eventually, they exited from the back of the building.

  The freezing night air stung like pins and needles. Myles and the Sumrects waddled through ankle-deep snow for five minutes before they arrived at a cave-like entrance with a metal door. The guard to Myles’s right leaned into a tiny window on the door, prying open his eyelids with two sausage fingers. Retina scan. Of course, he thought. A blue laser found the Sumrect’s left eye, and a second later, the steel door opened outwards with a dull “clunk”, revealing a fluorescent-lit lobby.

  The Crimson guards directed Myles to a red glass tube at the back of the lobby. The same Sumrect who opened the front door announced to no one in particular, “One human to cell 502.”

  A transparent pod floated inside the tube, which changed color first from red to orange, then to yellow and lastly, to green. Simultaneously, a hole appeared on the colored glass and expanded until it was wide enough for a person to climb through.

  “Where am I—”

  The pod split horizontally across the middle. Its two halves drifted apart to receive the passenger. Despite his protests, the Sumrects stuffed Myles unceremoniously into the pod. Instantly, the hole on the tube sealed. The top half of the pod dropped perfectly onto the bottom half, trapping him inside. He threw himself at the glass as hard as he could to break it, but to no avail. Smooth all around with no doors or openings of any kind, the pod hovered just long enough for Myles to watch the Sumrects exit the cave. Then it plummeted with such speed he felt as if his heart was going to fly out of his throat. The light outside the tube disappeared, plunging the pod into total darkness. From the shifts in gravitational force, he could tell the pod did not travel in a straight path down but turned this way and that every so often. The ride lasted no more than a minute, but by the time he emerged from darkness to light, he had to clamp his jaw tight to avoid puking on himself.

  Soon, the pod came to a stop at the end of a bright corridor. These must be the holding cells beneath Crimson Estate, he thought, steadying himse
lf against the glass. He swallowed what had made its way up from his stomach during the brief trip. As he did so, the glass he leaned against vanished, and he fell forward, crashing at the feet of yet another Sumrect guard.

  This one, unlike the others, did not grab on to him at first sight. Instead, he seemed just as surprised to see Myles as Myles was to see him. The Sumrect scanned him up and down, a look of bewilderment on his face.

  “Uh, Steve? We have a human here!” the guard called down the corridor, not sure what to do next.

  A nasal voice replied from beyond the bend in the hallway, “No kidding, Sherlock! Didn’t you hear the announcement a few minutes ago? I’ll be right there. Keep an eye on the new one. Don’t let him touch the food!”

  The Sumrect scratched his head, shifting his eyes back and forth between a confused Myles and the tray of food sitting on a wooden table against the wall.

  “Why does it matter who eats it? I mean, what’s the point of sending that human girl food if she’s going to send it right back? We might as well help her finish the meals.” He brought a hand to his grumbling stomach.

  Myles glanced at the metal tray to his left. On it were two dinner rolls, a glass of water, a large portion of meatloaf and an equally large bowl of soup covered with a ceramic lid.

  “Haven’t you learned, Cameron? We just do as we are told and don’t question nobody. Unless you want to be served up as soup yourself, thick skull! This girl is not just any human. She’s the bringer of new light!”

  The bringer of new light? Dawn? Is she in one of these cells? Ansel’s note flashed into Myles’s mind. He knew I would run into Dawn, even before I left Chesterfield!

  As he stared at the food, he recognized the brilliant opportunity which had just presented itself to him. I must act fast. While Cameron left to search for Steve, Myles inched forward until he was standing directly in front of the tray. He tilted his body slightly so Cameron could not see, pulled the leather pouch from his breast pocket and slipped it into the large bowl of soup.