With his back to the flames, Drake didn’t see the masked figures all walking out of the burning building, the fire somehow not affecting them. But Jaycen did, the mere sight making her blood run cold.
“Drake, look out!” Her screams were too late. Drake fell to the ground, hitting the floor with a thud, his body completely stiff. One of the masked figures was now just behind him, their hands held out with the spell they had just cast.
Students screamed around her, running off in all directions. Jaycen scanned the area, all of the teachers currently present were now on the ground, all not moving. Six masked figures had taken out at least fifteen teachers within minutes, how was that possible?
The school was now officially under attack, and their most powerful warlocks and witches were hours away, if not already in the air.
Jaycen turned and ran, to where she didn’t know. She pulled her phone from her pocket and was trying to dial Benedict’s number when the phone was pulled from her hand. She skidded to a halt.
A masked figure was standing in front of her, tall and imposing, her phone now in his hand.
Jaycen didn’t wait even a moment. Her hand shot out, sending the masked guy in front of her flying backwards. Unlike everyone else she had done that to before, he recovered quickly, and was soon on his feet and staring at her.
This was not good.
Students were running everywhere, yet it felt like time stood still between her and the masked man in front of her. He was tall, far taller than her, and thin.
Her attacker rolled his neck casually, before his hand flew out, the magic hitting Jaycen hard on the chest, making her stumble backwards. He didn’t wait for her to recover and advanced towards her, shooting out spell after spell. Jaycen backtracked, blocking their spells as best she could but they were coming too fast. One got through her defence, hitting her hard in the face. She fell back on the ground, trying to catch her breath. She could hear her attacker walking towards her but was unable to move. The masked man dropped to his knees beside her, the black, white, and red mask now directly above her face. This was a mistake.
Screw magic. Using everything she had, Jaycen hit up, hitting him hard in the face. The man fell backwards, giving Jaycen enough room to get up on her knees. She hit him again, launching herself at him so she was now on top. She hit him, and carried on hitting, until his mask flew off. A young man stared back at her, a man she didn’t recognise.
“Why are you here?” she screamed, pausing her attack for just a second, giving him enough time to answer her questions. He didn’t. She hit him again.
“Get off me,” he shouted, using his magic to send her flying into the air before she landed hard on the ground a couple of feet away. By the time Jaycen got to her feet again, her attacker was up and running across the field. She contemplated chasing him, but what was the point? He wasn’t going to tell her anything.
She picked up her discarded phone from the ground. The school was now silent around her. Where had everyone gone? Fear crept up in her as she ran behind one of the school buildings. She found Benedict’s number and pressed call. Again, it rang out. She cursed, finding Thornton’s number and pressing call. Her heart almost stopped when she heard his ringtone coming from the other side of the building. She crawled to the corner of the wall she was hiding behind, keeping as low as she could and peered around. Thornton was on his knees in front of the burning building, his friend José by his side. Two masked figures walked around them. Oh no, not this. Anything but this. One of the attackers reached down, took Thornton’s ringing phone from his pocket and answered. His deep voice came through Jaycen’s phone.
“Jaycen. Now, where are you hiding?” the man’s voice said.
She froze, things starting to slowly make sense. “Louis was a distraction, wasn’t he?”
The man laughed. “Let’s just say Louis made everyone look south, and we come in through the north.” He looked around the empty school campus, his body slowly turning. “Are you watching us now? Do you see your friends on their knees?”
She stayed silent. Holding her hand over her mouth, trying to stop her sobs.
“I don’t want to hurt them, Jaycen. They have violet blood, it would be such a waste.” Jaycen watched him walk over to stand in front of Thornton. “But if you don’t show yourself soon, I will. Do not mistake me here. You are the one I want.”
“Why? Why do you want me? What do you want?” she sobbed, moving backwards so the side of the building hid her. She couldn’t do this, she wasn’t strong enough to fight them all. Holding her phone in one hand she rested her back against the wall, pressing her lips tightly together.
“Haven’t you worked this out yet, Jaycen? You are one of us. Don’t worry though, I’ll explain it all. Just come out here.” His voice softened, but Jaycen wasn’t falling for it.
“Go to hell,” she spat.
The man on the other end of the phone laughed. “Now, how did I know you were going to say that, huh? I think that I have someone here that might change your mind.”
A girl’s cry came through the phone, Jaycen started shaking as she recognised her voice.
“You see, Thornton and José are too precious to kill, at the moment anyway. However, your friend Gemma, let’s just say she’s disposable.”
Jaycen jumped to her feet and raced around the corner. Her worst fears were realised when she saw Gemma standing there in her hospital gown, tears streaming down her cheeks. The other masked attacker stood behind her, his hands around her neck. How was she awake?
“Leave her alone,” she screamed, shoving her phone in her pocket and running towards them.
“Stay still or she dies,” the masked attacker with his hands around Gemma’s neck shouted, tugging her away as Jaycen got closer. This mans voice was younger, more like a boy, and it was oddly familiar.
“There you are, Jaycen.” The masked guy holding the phone was now facing her, the building still engulfed in flames behind them. He was taller than the other man, their height was the only way to tell them apart with the masks on.
A muffled scream came from Thornton as he twisted on the ground. The gag in his mouth stopping him from speaking, the bindings around his legs and hands were stopping him from getting up. They would have contained him first. He would have been too strong for them to leave. José shifted too, looking up at her, unable to speak because of his gag.
“Let Gemma go, and I’ll do whatever you want.” Jaycen stopped walking forward and held up her hands.
“As if I’m ever going to believe that,” the guy behind Gemma laughed.
She didn’t care if he believed her or not. Jaycen’s hand shot out, sending magic his way and hitting him hard in the face, knocking him back just enough that he let go of Gemma. This allowed Jaycen to leap forward and take her hand.
“Run, Gemma. Go, now!” Jaycen ordered, pushing her away towards the other school buildings. She turned back towards the attackers when something sharp hit her on her head, making her drop to her knees.
Thornton’s muffled screams were the only thing she heard as she was hit again, this time making everything go dark.
Chapter 32
“Wake up.”
Jaycen was jolted awake with a sharp slap across her face. She slowly opened her eyes, her head still throbbing. She tried to move, only then realising that she was tied to the chair.
“Finally. I thought we’d killed you back there.” Luke squatted down so he was face to face with her. Jaycen blinked, trying to figure out what was happening.
“Luke? What are you doing?” The pain in her head was almost unbearable, the light from the room they were in almost blinding.
“Are you really that stupid that you haven’t figured this out?” Luke smiled, standing to his full height. The dark-haired guy who Jaycen had fought on the grass was standing behind him, leaning against the wall.
“What?” She tugged on her restraints. It was no use, they wouldn’t budge.
“What?” Luke
mimicked her, laughing like a small child. “Is that really all you can say?”
Jaycen blinked, trying to clear her blurry vision. Her mind was spinning. “You? You’re helping them?”
Now, Luke was full on grinning. He looked so different than he had before. The easy look in his eyes was gone and replaced with a reckless glint. “Did you really think I’d be into your friend? Come on now Jay, that’s just insulting.”
She tugged harder against her restraints.
“It was actually kind of fun,” Luke told her. “I mean, you were on your knees screaming, Gemma was dying on the ground, and it was me all along.” He whispered the last part, like it was secret. “I was the one setting everything up, from Gemma, to you and Stephen. It was all me, and no one had any idea at all.”
Jaycen couldn’t listen to him gloat anymore. “Why? Why would you help them do this? They’re monsters, terrorists…”
“We are trying to save our race,” Luke spat, his eyes turning hard and cold. “Ridding our race of clear bloods, making us pure again. Making us stronger.”
“You are a clear blood, you stupid, stupid boy.” She tried to pull at her restraints again, desperately trying to move.
She heard a scream from the other room, followed quickly by a mixture of cries.
Luke lashed out, hitting her hard across the face. “Don’t you dare say that to me, you know nothing about me. I am violet. I am the best of this race. I am the future of it. Do you understand that?”
Jaycen blinked, her face now stinging. She began to feel a slight pain in the palm of her burnt hand, knowing that it was linked to her anger. How was it possible, that Luke was violet? Why would he pretend to be something he wasn’t? Why did he get with Gemma if this was how he felt?
The dark-haired guy stepped forward, putting his hand on Luke’s arm and pulling him back slightly. “Father said not to hurt her,” he warned, keeping his voice low.
Father? They were brothers? They looked nothing alike.
“She needs to know her place,” Luke spat, kicking her chair with such force that it pushed her back.
“Why pretend? What was the point?” Still, none of this was making sense.
“I hated hiding. I hated having those beneath me think that they were higher born. I did what I was told to do, I stayed low.” He walked around the room, holding his hands out, and gathered magic in his palm. For the first time Jaycen could see the magic, it was a beautiful, light blue, with streaks of red running through it. “Now, I’m done with hiding. I want everyone to know who I am, I want them to know how powerful I am. I want them all to know.”
“Luke, that is enough.”
Jaycen had been so engrossed in Luke’s rant that she hadn’t heard the door open, or seen the man enter. Now, Darius stood in the doorway, dressed all in black, the same mask hanging from his hand. Darius the politician. The same Darius who ran with her from the Cure’s attackers. Now, he was there, attacking the school.
“Sorry, father.” Luke dipped his head, and took a step back, the magic in his hands disappearing. Darius was the father of both of them? How did Benedict not know about this? How did no one know that he had children?
“Oh my god.” Jaycen let her mouth hang open, her eyes bouncing between the two young men in front of her and Darius. “But, you’re a politician? You said... You said you don’t believe in magic cleansing? How? Why?”
Darius laughed and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. “I know that this might seem confusing Jaycen, but don’t worry. I’ll explain everything, and when you know, you’ll understand.”
So, he was behind all of this? How could she ever understand that?
“You’re a murderer. You’ve killed innocent people, I’ll never understand.” She was in a state of shock. How was any of this possible? How had he been able to stay hidden all this time?
“Well, no. I haven’t actually killed anyone. My sons however did have to make that sacrifice, losing a part of their own soul. All for the greater good though, I assure you. They have been very brave.”
Another scream followed by cries came from beyond the door. Jaycen tugged at the rope binding her hands. “What is happening out there?”
“Cleansing,” Darius answered simply, even smiling a little. “We are creating a new world Jaycen, and that world doesn’t have room for clear bloods. Sometimes you must destroy before you can rebuild.”
They were killing them, she realised. It was like a cold bucket of water had been poured over her. There were children out there that were dying. “Stop it. Please stop it,” she screamed as she tugged and shifted as much as she could. She squeezed her eyes tight, trying to focus her magic through her hands. Why wasn’t it working?
“There’s no use trying to use magic. Your hands are bound, that means no magic for you,” Darius told her simply, dragging a chair out in front of her and taking a seat. More screams seeped in from the outside, each one making Jaycen more and more desperate. “All I want Jaycen, is for the magical community to last. That is all. Now, is that a crime?”
“You’re killing innocent people,” she shouted, leaning as far forward as she could. “Yes, it’s a crime. It’s murder!”
“They should never have been born. We should never have let the magic get this diluted. We are getting weaker and weaker and no one is doing anything to stop it.”
Jaycen stayed silent, her whole body now shaking with rage. She had never wanted to hurt someone as badly as she wanted to hurt him.
“I have found a way to save us, to save our entire race. A simple spell to find the best female to mate with, the best female to create a magical child with. That was it.” He clapped his hands together, the look of pride on his face unmistakable. “Most of the women the spell pointed me to were higher born magic holders, who were having children with other higher born men. So, that was fine, their power wasn’t going to waste. But you can imagine my surprise when some of these women turned out to not be magical at all? As it turned out, they were descendants from magical beings, and still held the magical gene. A very strong line of it, I suppose they could have even been magical themselves if they had only been trained,” his body shuddered. “It’s a disgrace, mortals being honoured with this gene. All of that wasted potential set my teeth on edge.” He composed himself and carried on, “Anyway, I found a spell, which if done correctly would pull their magic out, channelling it into the child they were carrying. It worked, but only so far. You see, they weren’t violet enough. I wanted more. We, as a people, needed more. So, that’s what I looked for. I found that you can harness someone else’s magic, or at least an object could—if you remember the knife that you almost stole?”
Jaycen thought back to the knife in the alley, and how she had got hold of it, only to lose it moments later when the car had crashed into the shop. She silently cursed to herself, if only she had managed to keep hold of it.
“Well I found that I could pass the magic from the knife to a woman as a child is conceived within her,” Darius continued. “And if you found the right woman, the right vessel, she would be able to carry this magic until the child is born. I made the decision to take what little magic a clear born person has, collect it all and then pass it on to a new child, a child that would grow up to be stronger than all of those witches and warlocks combined. It’s amazing.”
Jaycen had stopped struggling, tears now streaming down her face as the screams outside became more frequent. “So, that’s why you’re killing people? To take their magic? It’s murder!”
“It’s a small price to pay for an entire race to survive.” Darius shrugged his shoulders easily, his eyes alight with passion as he told her his story.
“So that’s what I am? A mixture of a bunch of dead people’s magic?” The thought made her sick, she looked at the two guys behind Darius. Had Darius fathered them all? Including her? This was not how she had imagined meeting her family.
“I have been doing this for years, Jaycen. Casting spells on t
he mothers, making sure that if pressed, they wouldn’t be able to point me out and ruin this entire plan. I made sure my tracks were covered. I have fathered sons all over the world, powerful sons who were able to carry on my magical legacy. Once my firstborn, Louis, had started school, people started to question his heritage. They couldn’t understand why they weren’t aware of someone that had so much power. Luckily, the blood drop was stopped, allowing for the rest of my children to go undetected. Of course, some of them got too big for their boots, and started to experiment with magic and illusions.” Darius looked over his shoulder at Luke.
He smiled widely. “Hey, my monster took out three kids. Or, it would have if she hadn’t gotten in the way.”
The monster on campus, it had been Luke. He had been the one who killed Amy. How the hell had he done that?
“Even you have to admit, the monster was pretty impressive, huh?” Luke raised his eyebrows, a big grin on his face. “It should have only worked on weak-minded kids, lower born, so you can imagine how shocked I was that you saw it attack Gemma.” His eyes narrowed just a little, his grin still in place. “I wonder what that says about you.”
Darius spoke before Jaycen could. “She went into Gemma’s mind, Luke. You didn’t get into Jaycen’s.”
A muscle flexed in Luke’s jaw at Darius’s comment. “I could have killed Gemma right then and there if I had wanted to. It would have been beautiful.”
“Congratulations,” Jaycen spat. “You’ve raised a psychopath.”
Luke grinned at that, like it was a compliment.
“Maybe, but he’s a powerful one.” Darius pointed at her. “My most powerful, until you came along.”
She kept her face completely blank, void of any emotion.
“All of my other children that are able to perform magic have been male, which is fine. There have been a few mistakes, my children over the years that have turned out to be female, they didn’t carry the magical gene. With you, I was willing to try something a little different. Instead of finding enough clear blooded magical folk to kill, I went to a dead witch. A very powerful, dead witch. I dug up the bones of one of the first witches, Isabella Izya, she was from a time when our magic was at its best, at its strongest. I tried to take her magic and put it into you. It took time, so much time, and your mother.” He laughed, shaking his head at the memory. “She was so strong-willed, and so clever. It took so much power just to make her willing. But then it worked, and we created you. But you were born a girl, you can probably understand my disappointment.”
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