The Seven: Fist of Light Series
Date: 2012-01-11 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Young Adult
Description: Caleb Holden is a facetious, caustic seventeen-year-old boy who doesn't have enough sense to stay down for the count. His story is not of a poster boy for success, but rather of a troubled teen who was forced to grow up fast, lest he fall into oblivion and obscurity. When the amulet he wears around his neck begins to talk, as well as give him lip, his life is thrown for a loop. This sets in motion a series of events that will eventually lead him to his destiny, or a gruesome death. Given the power to alter the darkness that plagues the world, he jumps at the opportunity with little hesitation.
Publisher: Derek Edgington Productions

by

Derek Edgington

The Seven
Fist of Light Series

Copyright © 2012 by Derek Edgington

ISBN: 978-0-9850089-0-1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted electronically or mechanically. Neither photocopying nor recording are permitted without permission of the author.

Original cover art and design by Jordan Harris

All the characters, names, and events in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or occurrences is purely coincidental.

Digital Editions produced by BookNook.biz.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

— Prologue —

Back then, I was only fourteen and still had a lot to learn. I limped through the darkness, not caring which direction I took, knowing only I had to get away from where I’d been. The sound of my feet on the pavement was glaringly loud in my ears. The streets I’d been prowling had been dark and deserted, but I should have known. The power had gone out in that district, and I’d been tempted by it. The garage I ghosted into was empty of any vehicles, and I figured I had a straight shot at getting some clothes, food, and maybe some cash.

Foolish of me, to never stop and think others would have the same idea. When I opened the creaking door to peer through the house, nothing moved in the shadows. My eyes took in antique vases and paintings in the entry hall. The hardwood flooring was protesting my presence with telltale noises, and I winced at each one. A crystal chandelier hung above me, shrouded in darkness. A spiral staircase led up to the second floor. Hesitant, I ascended the stairs and eased the weight I placed on the steps by grabbing the wooden banister, but the squeak of wood still revealed my passing.

I exhaled and only barely avoided crashing into a dresser at the top of the stairs. After a few seconds, I stepped forward and was immediately confronted with an opening on my left. It was large. It had to be the master bedroom. My imagination ran rampant with images of steaming hot food, but that’d have to wait until after I found something of value. My hesitation was swallowed by my hunger as I rushed into the room.

Moonlight filtered in through a pane glass window. If anyone cared to look, they would have seen a figure lurking inside the house. I shrugged off my apprehension and began to rummage through some drawers. Before I could get a good look at anything, a bright silver flash in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Wheeling around, my heart pounded. I wasn’t alone. Two men quickly advanced upon me in silence. The source of the flash I saw was a long-bladed knife.

My eyes widened as I looked into the faces of my two aggressors. The one with the knife was tall and lanky, looking as if he had just crawled out of a gutter. His face was punched in from a previous fight and it hadn’t healed pretty. A scar ran across his cheekbone and his black hair was mussed and filthy. His partner seemed a tad more hesitant, with piercing eyes. He was short and stocky, and his grace was noticeable as he stepped toward me, hands raised nonthreateningly. Brains, as I thought of him, had neatly shaven brown hair. His face was devoid of any identifying marks except for a mole on the left side of his face.

“Come here, boy,” tall, dark, and ugly sneered. He held his knife threateningly in front of him.

“We won’t hurt you, kid,” the other one promised. “We just need your help.”

“To hell with that,” Ugly said. “This is going to hurt a whole lot.”

A note of satisfaction had entered Ugly’s voice, and I had no doubt that he enjoyed harming others. My face twisted with terror and I looked around frantically for a way out. Brains took a moment to think, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Ugly had halted for the moment, clearly awaiting some sort of approval. I was trapped between the king-sized bed, a dresser, and the wall. There was nowhere for me to go. I decided. I would not allow my life to end as I bled out in an unknown house. I needed to survive, or I’d never see my parents again. I closed my eyes, preparing.

“All right,” Brains sighed. “Sorry, kid.” He looked remorseful. “He will make it quick.” Brains shot a glare at Ugly.

As I breathed in deeply and opened my eyes, Ugly had already started closing in with his blade. He was grinning maniacally and I took a reflexive step back in fear. He was only feet away. I put all my strength into rushing sideways, pivoting and launching myself with a high-pitched cry. I flew into the window with my arms held protectively over my face. The glass shattered, which was the tricky part. If it hadn’t, I would’ve been easy pickings for Ugly. Of course, I was jumping out from the second story of a house.

“Get him!” Brains shouted.

Adrenalin pounded through my blood as I pin-wheeled my arms wildly, preparing for impact. I tried to land on the balls of my feet, but one of them hit a loose stone. I cried out in pain as my ankle twisted, and I rolled gracelessly to a painful stop. Scrapes covered my body. I wanted to lie still and wait for death. Instead, I grabbed the amulet hanging from my neck for strength and forced myself painfully to a standing position.

Heavy footsteps pounded down the spiral staircase inside the house. If I couldn’t outrun Ugly, I was as good as dead. My ankle sent spasms of pain up my leg with every measly step forward. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, and I wiped them away angrily. Fighting through the pain, I ran as fast as I was able. At first, the pain was enough to put me back on my knees. But I forced myself up. I promised myself I wouldn’t die that night.

I hobble-ran toward the sidewalk. When I made it there, panting, I looked behind me. Ugly hadn’t yet appeared, so I took off in an unplanned direction, crossing the street. Hoping the darkness would engulf me, I ran in a frenzy, my ankle still aching. Needles of agony shot up my body, but the adrenaline fueling my panicked movements dulled the pain and allowed me to escape. I rushed down the street, and the next one, until I turned down a different block and did the same.

Eventually, I came to a painful stop, panting for each breath. The adrenaline had abandoned me long ago and with it had gone my reserves of energy. Bushes and trees materialized in the night, offering their shelter. My ankle would no longer bear my weight and I sobbed quietly at the pain. Burying myself within the foliage, I hopped down into the concealing leaves, hiding as well as was possible given the circumstances. Only then did I allow myself more tears to leak past my closed eyes.

— Chapter 1 —

The persistent nagging of raindrops falling on my forehead woke me up. I groaned loudly, just like any other seventeen-year-old boy would. With deliberate slowness, I swung my feet off of the rickety twin bed assigned to me and opened my sleep-filled eyes to a dreary world. I sat upon one of thirty dilapidated beds that stretched across the boy’s ward. Rickety wooden floorboards traversed the length of the room. Torn drapes failed to cover the aged glass windows.

Raindrops pounded the roof of the building and even more seemed to be falling outside. On the other side, in the girl’s ward, I presumed you would find a carbon copy of the boy’s ward, stinking of conformity and suppression of imagination. An odd assortment of boys, teens with raggedly cut hair and worn clothes, were stretched out on their own twins. I hadn’t talked to any of them yet. I didn’t see the point. The San Francisco cops had caught me and immediately placed me under the care of this fine establishment, home of the weird and the weirder.

Frankly, I didn’t expect to stay long. I never did in these kinds of places. And so I hadn’t gone through the motions, learning the names of my fellow inmates, those on the run, abandoned, or without a family to care for them. I was at least two of those. My parents had run one direction when I was twelve and I had run another. The only thing that was left of my former life was an amulet that I’ve had since birth.

I held it away from my chest, studying the shark-tooth-shaped enigma with interest. It was divided into five sections, each blazing with a different color: fire red, azure blue, earthy brown, metallic black, and a purplish color speckled with black that reminded me of the sky as the sun began to dip over the horizon, illuminating the clouds with incandescent colors. My parents had said to keep always keep it with me, but neglected to tell me why. So far I had kept it, although there had been a few close calls on some bridges. Some things you can’t run away from, and I wasn’t going to take it out on the last thing I had left to my name. And so I stretched out my arm and grabbed one of the old iron posts of my bed frame.

Expelling a loud yawn, I pushed myself free of the last vestige of warmth from the sheets. I was lucky to have them. Sleeping outside in the cold was never enjoyable, especially when you’re drenched. Unfortunately, I didn’t expect to keep warm for long. Today was my first official day of school, and if I were someone who found meaning in everything, I might have taken the weather as a bad omen. Luckily I didn’t, so instead just got up off my ass like a man and walked to one of the shared bathrooms with my blue and white polka-dot toothbrush and toothpaste.

The familiar rhythm that comes with something you’ve done a thousand times is relaxing in the extreme. I needed some kind of normality to anchor myself. As I methodically brushed my teeth back and forth with one hand, I glanced at myself through the hazy mirror on the bathroom wall. A grimy, familiar face looked back at me. Blond locks hung over my forehead. Heavy brows dominated my ice blue eyes. An upturned nose took up prime residence in the middle of my face, slightly off-center from a bad break during a scuffle in what seemed a past life. On the streets good looks were detrimental to one’s health. So I always managed to get my face muddied. For today, at least, that could change. There wouldn’t be that many perverted freaks at the school I was being forced to attend. First impressions last forever, and I definitely didn’t want to be entering a high school environment like someone who had just gotten picked up out of the sewers, even though that wasn’t far from the truth. I dropped my clothes in a premade cubby and hopped in an empty shower stall.

After my shower, it was time for my oh-so-fashionable clothes. Boxers with groovy duck prints went on first. After those I pulled on a pair of fairly expensive designer jeans. A black tee went on then, followed by a heavily lined sweatshirt to keep out the worst of the cold. When broke and out of money, the best answer is to always go into an enormous retail store containing an equally large changing room. Merely slip off the old and put on the new, and no one would be the wiser. Just don’t walk out the door with the sensors still attached to your clothes. Rinse and repeat as necessary!

I could have argued then, but I’m not sure it would’ve helped. I was upstairs when they came. When I came back downstairs completely carefree and ready for as relaxing as a walk can be in a big city like Chicago, I heard it. There was fighting and wailing, the latter could only have been my mother. I crouched down and cautiously peered around the corner.

Immediately Dad called out to me, “RUN, CALEB. DON’T COME BACK! KEEP RUNNING! WE’LL FIND YOU!”

I jerked my head back before gaining any definite view of the next room. Mom and Dad always had a back way out of every apartment or house we had stayed in. At the time, I had thought such things paranoid, although when it counted there was no time for planning an escape route by tying bed sheets together to get out of a four-story window. This time, salvation lay within my own room. There was a fire escape ladder directly outside of a padlocked window. I grabbed the key and a substantial wad of cash out of the drawer specially created exactly for this purpose.

With shaking hands, I jammed the key into the padlock. I remember vividly that it took multiple tries before it was successfully unlocked. A moment’s hesitation at the window almost killed me. Just as I was springing through the opening created by the window, something screamed by my head. A bullet? My internal fight or flight autopilot instinctively engaged. I propelled myself down the ladder. Upon reaching the bottom, I raced off on a pre-planned route. Dad and I had drilled this incessantly until it had become second nature. I took a right-hand turn followed by two lefts, a right, and then went straight until I arrived at a Greyhound bus station.

Twenty minutes later, I was on a bus destined for who-knows-where. I stuffed my head in a baseball cap and cried quietly into two tiny palms. I was all by myself now. It was possible that one day my family would find me, but not incredibly likely, because if I barely made it out, it was equally as likely that my parents hadn’t. I kept those thoughts deep inside myself. I would follow my Dad’s instructions. I would go anywhere that was away from here, until one day my parents finally caught up with me.

Maybe it was time to stop fooling myself. I wasn’t an emotionally unstable adolescent anymore. This new home wasn’t the best or worst place I could find myself in. Maybe, I thought, I should delay my departure and see what came of it. If nothing did, that wouldn’t be very surprising. There was a small possibility, however, that my parents had both lived through that day and might have been looking for me at that very moment. I had never stopped running. I didn’t want to face the day when they never showed up. Maybe it was time to stop running, to face the demons of my past. This was as good a place as any to stop and wait. The accommodations were satisfactory, especially compared to what I was used to. Damp haystacks, open ground, and cold nights flashed through my mind.

After walking back into the adjoining hall from the bathroom, I could see that everyone else was starting to get up. Leave it to a teenage boy to procrastinate ‘til the last possible minute just to get a couple more minutes of shut-eye. I chuckled under my breath as I entered the hallway.

The squeaking of aged wood marked my progress as I wandered toward the smell of food. “Always eat when you can” had been my motto since I was twelve. I was so engrossed in my food anticipation that I almost bulled into a girl my age before I managed to stop abruptly and awkwardly in front of her. My expression must have been pretty comical, because her full lips broke into a huge smile, revealing bright, white teeth.

“Sorry about that. Wasn’t paying attention,” I managed to stutter.

She had deep brown pools for eyes, like swampy vortexes that sucked you in with their intensity. Long blonde tresses tumbled down in curls slightly past her shoulders. Her face was completely devoid of any make-up, which she didn’t need anyway. Characteristically thin eyebrows poked out on top of a full set of eyelashes. They were the same eyelashes that she was batting at me now as I made a complete fool of myself.

“Why, isn’t it the greenest newbie they picked up? I’m Emily Brooks. You can call me Em.” She offered a tentative hand.

“Nice to meet ‘cha,” I drawled, accepting the proffered hand. “I’m Caleb Holden.”

While her smaller hand felt warm and smooth in mine, I was acutely aware of my own, a cold callused old thing. “So. Uh. How long have you been here?”

“Almost a month this March. I saw when you got dragged in a couple days ago. Most entertaining thing to happen since I’ve been here.”

“Glad I can shine some light upon this bleak world,” I said, as I got my feet back under me, metaphorically speaking, because I hadn’t yet tripped over anything, besides a pretty girl.

She smiled at my so-called wit. “So whatcha in for?”

The grin that was threatening to overcome my face was abruptly wiped clean. “I’ve been on the run for a long time. My parents and I were separated.” She put a supporting hand on my arm, instantly causing my face to heat up once again.

“There were some people… I don’t know what they were after, but they weren’t common burglars. My dad told me to run and I have been on the move ever since. What’s your story?” I balked at saying anything more regarding my origins, despite how sensational her hands felt.

We started to walk toward the communal pot of chicken soup a jolly looking cook had just set out. The cook was a bear of a man, stretching up to six feet and change. Humongous paws poked out of a spotless white long-sleeved shirt. A mat of black hair was held back with those gross hairnets that foodservice personnel were forced to wear. A trustworthy face jutted out of his massive frame, lording over a huge chin and a bulbous nose. He represented the loving second uncle, who always brought candy for the little kids when there was a family get-together. Not that I had a second uncle, or even an uncle that I knew of, for that matter. He just matched a stereotype that my mind had conjured over years of scrutinizing folks.

“Nice to meet ‘cha.” I extended my hand over the plastic separating film toward the cook. “I’m Caleb.”

“Back at ‘cha, kid. Sam’s the name. You’re the new recruit, right?”

I nodded. “Just dropped in a couple days ago. Checking out the sights and all. What brings you here?”

“Ah, well. I’ve got a soft spot for kids, and since I don’t have any of my own, I ended up here.” He smiled. “I make enough money to skate by and get to help some people who need it, even if it is just a bowl of soup.” He emphasized his point by waving the meaty hand over his product.

“Looks great. Thanks. Well, I’ll see you around, I’m sure. Nice meeting you.”

Sam waved his hand distractedly in a good-natured goodbye as he continued his work. Walking toward the tables, I took in the view of the room. It wasn’t normal for me to be so distracted, though Emily was anything but an ordinary person, based on my instincts. Ten long tables set apart in ten rows extended fifty feet in any direction. I presumed the three doors that I saw lead to the girls’ dormitory, the exit hallway, and possibly the staff’s base of operations.

As teenagers started flowing into the room for breakfast, I took a seat at the end of a table, giving myself as much of a view as I could absorb at one time. Em shadowed me and sat on the opposite side of the table. I resisted the temptation to look away from my food as a flash of long legs caught my eye while she got comfortable. I was unable to ignore, however, the constant pressure of a smooth, warm appendage pressed up against my leg. Smiling, I looked up at Em. By then I had completely forgotten that she never told me why she was here.

“Isn’t it a tad cold for shorts?”

“In California? Never!” She smiled, endearingly. “I could wear shorts all year. Plus, jeans are so restricting.”

Toasting her with a glass of water, I said, “I can agree with that.”

“So, you’re going to school today?”

“Looks like it. I think I might just stay here awhile. If you don’t mind me being so presumptuous, of course.”

She twirled a lock of her hair on a finger. “No, of course not. I’m okay with that. As long as you follow my rules.”

“Of course.” I flashed my teeth at her. “So, what do you think of this school they forced upon us?”

“It’s school. The people in it make up the whole. And the kids who go to this school are pretty much all stuck-up pricks.”

“High praise.”

“Which means you wouldn’t want to be their friends in the first place. The teachers are all good at what they do. Some you’ll like and the others you won’t. Being that the school is some elite rich-kid school, all that isn’t very surprising. This place has some kind of deal with the school where the government gives them a tax write-off and a larger spending budget for allowing us trash in.”

“Wow. Sounds just as appealing as stabbing myself. Maybe I won’t be making it too far into the school year after all. There’s something about snobby people that just makes me go all berserk.”

“I feel the same way. But most of the time I can deal with it.”

We finished the rest of our meal in silence. Then, with obvious reluctance, I removed myself from my comfortable position and stood up from the table. Warmth radiated off Em in waves and I felt a palpable chill away from her.

“Looks like it’s about time for me to go meet with the higher-ups. They said I should come get my scheduling form from them in the morning. How do we get to school?”

“The best buses that the government has to offer. I’ll save you a seat next to me,” she promised with a smile.

“I’ll see you there.” I grinned.

I shut the door quietly behind me as I left Mr. Tanner’s room, still having trouble thinking of him as just Bill, as he had told me to call him. He exuded an air of natural authority that commanded respect. The huge wire-rimmed spectacles that he wore, however, gave him an almost comedic image. The glasses had almost hidden the glint of determination in the director’s eyes, but it became clear, quickly enough. This was not a man who backed down from a confrontation without giving just as much as he got. A complex man, my mother would say. What had driven him to become the overseer of a bunch of rotten, down-and-out kids, I hadn’t the faintest idea.

I looked down at the slip of paper I held in my hand, memorized the schedule I had been given by Bill, and then zipped it up in the front pocket of the black backpack Mr. Tanner had been so generous as to give me.

It looked like my schedule was going to be relatively easy. The math and chemistry I wasn’t too sure about. I had been doing fine in the two subjects the last time I had been caught and put in the foster care system, but that could’ve changed. Looked like I’d just have to wait and see what came of it. Maybe this whole school thing wouldn’t be too bad after all, if what Em had said rung true.

Mr. Tanner had told me that I should go straight out to the buses. He told me it just wouldn’t do to be late on my first day. I agreed. I didn’t feel like pushing my luck so early in the game. Better to see what the cards dealt me before I committed to a move. I flipped the hood of my jacket up as I went outside, wondering how I was going to distinguish between the two identical buses that were almost completely full. Stopping in my tracks and looking like a floundering fish must’ve given me away, though. Emily stuck her head out the window of the foremost bus and waved to me. I nodded back and headed that way. The bus was an old number, the ever-present yellow with black stripes model. I got in the bus behind a bunch of other kids. Some of them sat alone, looking lost and wanting to be left to their devices. I knew the type. Reclusive from traumatic experiences, it could take them the rest of their lives to be functioning members of society. Others were defiant against the lot they had been given. Although this was obviously a uniquely well-equipped foster home, they lashed out at everything. That was their defense mechanism. The rest of the kids were what you would expect, normal kids.

Then, there was Emily, who stood out like a black diamond among the rocks, perched on a cliff face, just out of reach. Even in this dump, she beamed like a lighthouse pointing the way to sanctuary, directing my progress. Just being near her I could feel it, and I thought it odd that none of the others seemed to. I’d think people would be jumping all over each other to get her attention.

I broke out of my reverie, stopping in the aisle directly in front of Emily. “Hey.” That was stupid of me. Is that best I could come up with?

“Hi. Wanna sit down?” Her lips upturned into a mischievous smile.

“I think I might sit,” I replied, quivering my lips in return and slinging my backpack off my shoulder and placing it on the floor between my legs.

Her eyes locked onto the backpack that had been provided. “So what’s your schedule look like? Lemme see!”

Obviously not intending for me to answer, she reached down and unzipped my backpack herself and snatched the form from it. Which overloaded my brain processing functions for at least 2.4 seconds. While I rebooted, she exclaimed several times over the contents of my schedule.

“We have first, second, and fifth period together! Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Definitely. Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, then.”

“It’ll be great! You’re just going to love this school. I’ll make sure of it! And you must try out for the football team! They’re still looking for a couple of players. You look like you have the makings of a running back.” She emphasized her point by firmly squeezing my leg with her free hand.

“Hmmm… maybe I will,” I replied noncommittally.

Barely succeeding in not jumping at the electric feel of her contact, I thought about the sport. I’d always wanted to play football. It made it very difficult to join a team when you left schools just as soon as you could pack a bag and leave. Maybe I would try out. There couldn’t be much harm in that. Daydreaming about glorious touchdowns and eternal glory, I almost missed her next comment.

“Look! Maybe it’ll turn out to be a nice day after all. The rain’s stopped!”

“Yeah and if you look right there,” I pointed, “you can see the end of the cloud bank. I bet by the time we get to school the sun will be shining.”

I was right about the skies being clear by the time we arrived at school. The clouds were just a distant memory on the horizon as we pulled up in front of Adams High School. Luckily, I got there with minimal embarrassment on my part, which I took as a win on any day. Everyone piled off the bus in a disorganized mass. Emily stayed close behind the whole way. As we got off, I was pleasantly surprised when she slipped her arm through mine and another electric pulse radiated through my body. That happened to be the only thing restraining me when I saw four juniors surrounding a couple of kids who had gotten off the bus together. It was obvious what was happening and that Em had purposely done what she had to slow me. That meant this was a recurring problem.

I couldn’t stand people like those guys. Four obviously loaded kids taking the only cash foster kids were able to scrounge together so they could go out and buy a new toy. Despicable. I sized up the leader quickly enough.

“You knew this was happening and you tried to stop me. Why?” I glared at Em. My anger was scorching.

“That’s Rex Simmons. He’s the linebacker on the football team. I didn’t want you getting in trouble on your first day of school! Caleb, I was just trying to help.” Her eyes pleaded with me.

My eyes grew hard and determined. “Sometimes the cards are stacked against you. But that doesn’t mean you just sit there and lose. If there’s one thing I’ve learned these past couple years, it’s how to beat the system. Now let me handle this before the bell rings.”

She slipped her arm out from under mine and I strode forward with purpose. The lack of her touch was a distant feeling, replaced by a simmering rage. I could almost imagine it as a palpable thing, creating waves that rocked the four bullies back onto their heels.

I plastered a shit-eating smile to my face. “Hey, Rexxy, ever hear the saying ‘Left ear buccaneer, right ear queer’?”

That got their attention. Now that they had a more amusing thing to do with their time, they turned toward me and pushed the two other kids off with catcalls and jeers, promising to finish what they started. Confident in his superior numbers, Rex strode forward.

“Another charity case. Where do they get all this garbage from?” Unshakable and annoying confidence oozed from his pores.

“Same place you got your ‘I love puppies’ tattoo. Aren’t you a bit old to be stealing lunch money from little kids? I’m sure you don’t need it.”

“I’ll show you what I need, and it starts with giving you a beating!” He grinned and advanced.

I kept my expression neutral. “And I thought today was going to be boring. Well then boys, hop to it. Don’t they teach you anything in school?”

Even though all four of them had completely surrounded me, I noticed the nervousness on the faces of Rex’s lackeys. They expected me to be pleading with them to leave me alone. All outward appearances pointed to the fact that I was supremely confident while faced with four opponents in a fight. On the inside, my simmering rage finally boiled over and any tension I had felt was wiped away. As I sensed the first punch on its way toward me from behind my back, I stopped thinking and reacted. Time appeared to slow.

As I spun to face the most imminent threat, I shot my left hand out to redirect my attacker’s right-handed punch. He ended up off balance and still moving forward. I tripped then elbowed Lackey Number One in the back of the head. Lackey Number Three already had a kick aimed my way. Lackey Number Two was going for a more standard hands-on approach. Rex, of course, was in the back of the group, just watching for now, coward to the core.

I took some inspiration from Lackey Number Three and kicked a now very close Number Two right in the jewels. I winced in general sympathy and shifted my attention to the right. Number Two fell to rock back and forth in pain on the ground. I was too late to block Number Three’s kick, so I took it on the outside of my right leg and gave him a solid right palm to the face. Number Three experienced the fifteen pounds of pressure it takes to break a nose. A gush of blood sprayed from the last minion’s nose, I turned to face Rex.

Rhythmic clapping followed by a hearty laugh interrupted us. “What a show! What a show! I could use someone like you on my team, kid. What’s your name?”

“Caleb Holden,” I responded evenly to a man I presumed was one of the faculty.

“The name’s Mr. Sanders, or Coach to you. I teach P.E. and coach the varsity football team here. You’ve sure got a good arm there! How about you stop by my office after school for a chat on your future, eh?” He shifted his attention to a glaring Rex and three others in no condition to be doing something so strenuous as glaring. “Clean yourselves up, boys, and Rex, that’s no way to be looking at a fellow human being. Now scram!”

I watched four chastised bullies scurry off to the garbage where they belonged.

“Thanks, Mr. Sanders. I wouldn’t have wanted to get in trouble on the first day of school.” I stopped myself from smirking.

He cocked his ear as the bell tolled the start of classes for the day. “Not a problem at all, Caleb. I was just thinking that those four needed to be taken down a peg. But that’s the bell and I wouldn’t want to be late. Enjoy your first day at Adams High.”

Now, that was extremely odd. I had never met one teacher who actually promoted violence at school. It didn’t look like I’d have much time to think about my good fortune, however, because familiar and unfamiliar faces quickly surrounded me. It looked like old Rex and his crew got around. Smiling faces patted me on the back and gave good-natured compliments.

“Nice job, man.”

“Thanks,” I replied, somewhat flustered. “They deserved what was coming to them.”

For all their congratulations, I don’t think I did myself any favors by picking a fight with the first person I didn’t like. It set up a precedent for more fighting. The fights I could handle, but it would be very difficult to keep a low profile when you were known to be good entertainment. All kids love a good fight; I wondered if they were already taking bets on the next one.

I pushed my way out of the circle, nodding occasionally as necessary. Who said I wasn’t sociable? I spotted Emily off to one side, clearly waiting on me. She waved me over as I extricated myself from the teeming throng of admirers.

Her expression was indecipherable. “Couldn’t you have waited until you were here more than two minutes before getting yourself into a fight?”

She seemed distracted, as if she was looking through me rather than at me. I shrugged the sensation off, labeling it as a pacifist’s need to avoid bloodshed. “I had a friend once who was killed for the shoes on his feet, all because no one stood up for him in his moment of need.”

An awkward silence ensued as we continued to walk toward our shared first period class. For a second, I thought there was an appraising glint in Em’s eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it revealed itself. A warm, tingling sensation froze me in my tracks. I put a hand on my chest, where my medallion lay against my skin. Adrenaline from the fight, I thought. Ahead of me, Emily had walked ten paces before halting. She was waiting anxiously, seeming to stare through me. Weird. I couldn’t ignore that kind of thing twice. Something was up. Even if she wasn’t hard on the eyes, I didn’t want to be a part of some puzzle she was putting together in her mind. No way.

— Chapter 2 —

English passed me by in the way that it always did when I bothered to show up for school. Mr. Lodin was nice enough, even if I was called out numerous times as I wandered off task.

“Is there something you’d like to share with the class on this topic, Caleb?”

“The Great Gatsby probably isn’t going to help me survive outside of high school. Sure, Gatsby was an admirable fellow. But is it really that important to point out every piece of symbolism in the book? I mean come on, who takes nine years to finish writing one novel?” I brandished the book as proof of the author’s so-called conquest.

“That’s a very interesting point. Maybe instead of reading this book you’d like to bring in your own, and you can take tests on reading comprehension as you finish them. That way I won’t bore you.”

“That sounds great!” I told him, more than happy to call his bluff. “I’ll bring in a new book tomorrow.”

The comment brought laughter from every other student in the room, including Em, who was sitting in the front row. I wasn’t totally surprised at that turn of events. Unfortunately, Mr. Lodin’s response wasn’t all that surprising either.

“Detention, Holden, directly after school today. Don’t be late! And get back on task.”

“Psst. New kid. I heard you got detention already. Nice!” That came from a rich kid with strawberry blond hair sitting two rows to the left of me.

He had the kind of face that teenage girls fawned over, perfect in every regard. Sparkling blue eyes sat under carefully manicured eyebrows. His reddish-golden locks tumbled down over his face in a pleasing disarray, the fad that apparently had become popular since I instigated it. Or maybe it just happened to be the easiest method on the market. Shake your head a little bit and presto, done. An angular nose and jaw line completed his look. I tried to overcome my automatic dislike for him. It wasn’t his fault he was born pretty and rich.

“Yeah, well. What can I say?” I halted conversation for a few moments as Mrs. Determier turned from her explanation of balanced chemical equations. “I guess I’m just the sort that attracts trouble,” I whispered with a confiding grin.

“I’ll see you there. I got detention from Mr. Charleston for back-talking last week. I kept skipping out, but I’ve gotta go today, or I’ll get a Saturday school.” The mischievous grin he gave me was inspiring. I couldn’t help but return it. “Name’s Jason Franklin. Or Jas for short. Yours?”

“Caleb. See you then, I guess,” I replied. Mrs. Determier gave me a blistering look.

Once class was finally over, I rushed out with a hug from Em and a goodbye wave from Jas. I couldn’t help but notice the ways his eyes bugged out as I walked out the door.

Luckily for me, Jas was in my foods class and he volunteered to be my partner. We were making brownies from scratch, and it brought back memories of home-cooked meals prepared by Mom on my birthday. I dispelled the memories before they could take root in my thoughts and went back to work with a lighter heart.

“Pass the eggs, man,” Jas’ request brought me back to the here and now.

I obliged readily. “Yeah, sure. Here.”

A comfortable silence prevailed. We achieved a rhythm, and we were the first group to put our mix into the preheated oven.

“So, where’re you from?” Jas asked in order to fill the growing silence.

“Chicago. Or I was. It’s a long story. I’ve been on the run for years now. I barely even remember what I was actually running from. But I’m done with that now. I’m staying at the foster home for now.”

He winced. “Damn. Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.”

I gave him my best reassuring smirk. “Nah, it’s cool. It had to come up sometime, right? So, I’m guessing you don’t have much trouble with money?” I gave his designer clothes a significant look.

Jas shrugged. “Yeah. No. My dad owns a bunch of clubs and stuff.”

My eyes lit up. “So you can get into all kinds of places, can’t you?”

“I guess I could,” he replied with a confiding grin. “But they tend to attract a very rough crowd. Take my advice, and stay far, far away.”

I moved the topic onto safer ground. “So, do you play any sports?”

“Yeah, I’m the quarterback for the Bucking Broncos. Can’t believe that was the best name they could come up with.”

“Really? Coach Sanders talked to me about joining the team today. It’d be good to have at least one person on the team who wasn’t a complete douche.”

Jas’ eyes widened comically. “That was you!? I heard about the fight, but no one really knows what you look like. Rumors fly, but they sure aren’t very good at nailing down the truth.”

I had to grin. “Yeah, it was. I think the most surprising part of the whole thing was the coach. Since when does a teacher congratulate you on knocking someone’s block off?”

“He’s the varsity football coach. He’s good at it too, and he’s a tough cookie. He knows about Rex and what he does. It’s just karma, for all he cares.” His smile said that he was in complete agreement. “You should come out. It’s a whole lot of fun. And I need a good running back, one who can get farther than five yards before he gets stomped on.”

I nodded hesitantly. “Sure. Why not? Though you might find that a bit difficult to accomplish that in detention.”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s no problem. We only have practice on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. What are you doing tonight?”

“Tonight. Let me check my schedule.” I pretended to pull an imaginary phone out of my jeans pocket. I clicked around to the calendar section in my mind. Nothing. What a surprise. “Nothing at all. What’d you have in mind?”

“Well, since you’re going to miss the bus back to the foster home, I figured we’d have a little fun getting to it. Ever heard of parkour?” The smile he flashed promised trouble.

“Of course! What you think, I live under a rock?” I said, sarcasm in my voice.

Jas rolled his eyes. “You have no idea what it is, do you?”

I leaned back against the oven. “Nope. Care to enlighten me?”

The buzzer sitting on top of the old steel oven rang, and I opened the door to take out the brownies, stuffing my hand in a mitten on the way. I set them on top of a cooling rack. After a quick study of the room, it became apparent that we were the first to get our brownies out of the oven. Who said guys can’t cook? Jas waited until I was done before starting his explanation.

“OK, so it’s like this. Parkour is all about getting through obstacles in the fastest, most efficient way. And, of course, without killing yourself in the process. You can do it anywhere, especially in this city, since everything’s jammed so tight. What it adds up to is jumping off buildings and scaling walls, and if you do it right, you usually end up on the next structure in one piece. It’s loads of fun. We can do it on the way back to your place.”

It looked like he expected me to say he was crazy. But, it did sound like fun. I mean really, jumping across buildings, scaling stuff? Who wouldn’t want to do that? You’d have to be a slightly cracked individual if you did, but I’d been that for as long as I could remember.

“You’re on. Just don’t slow me down!” I smiled.

It was then that Mrs. Conners finally noticed that we had finished with our brownies. I didn’t really think she would even bother to check the quality of our work in a class like this, but the fact that we finished so early must have made her suspicious. She was everything you’d expect in a chef or cook, and apparently that extended to a high school cooking teacher.

She slid a butter knife into the middle of the brownies, and then pulled it out, eyeing the blade as she did. Apparently, we had passed some sort of test, because her face broke into a huge, motherly smile. It was the kind of face that was suited for smiling.

“Well done, boys. Extra credit for the excellent work!”

Maybe I’d be as good at parkour as I was cooking brownies.

“You know Emily Brooks?” Jas whispered out of the corner of his mouth as she came within earshot. We were sitting outside in the bleachers of the ridiculous stadium and field that would have made more sense at a college than a high school.

“Yeah. Met her this morning. Why?” I glanced curiously over.

“She’s the hottest, least approachable chick in school, man! Anyone who’s ever taken a go at her has been shot down, humiliated!”

I bent great willpower to the task of stopping blood from rushing to my face. It just wouldn’t do to blush in front of either of these two, as I’d no doubt be laughed at for months.

Em offered us a beaming smile. “Hey, Jas, Caleb. I see you two have met. I didn’t know you came up here too at lunch.”

I gave Jas a significant look over my apple, and he did blush.

“How’s your first day been so far, Caleb? Get into any more trouble besides the detention?” The look she gave me told me that she wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.

“Nope. Not a bit more. Me and Jas made some brownies in foods, though. Want one?” I extended the plate, which still had four remaining to it.

“I love brownies! Thanks.” The smile she gave me tugged at the corners of my lips.

I heard a muttered “Why didn’t I think of that?” from Jas and hid my amusement with another bite of my apple. It was close to finished, and I was sure I’d need all the protection it could offer. While Emily started on her brownie, I took advantage of the lull to look out over the bleachers. It was such a vast structure, so the crowds weren’t a problem, but I could see the ever-present cliques arrayed all over the benches. It seemed that this place was one of the more popular places to eat lunch.

Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all, I thought. If I had to be in a school, this one sure was up to regulation standards. Nice friends, and it helped that a nice-looking girl seemed to be interested in me.

After a nice bit of PE, where I got to show off my fine physical skills, it was time to face my fate. Detention was in A-7, and Mrs. Nettles was exactly as Jas had described to me previously. Fat to a point far exceeding obesity, she sat in a leather chair with her back to the wall, facing her inmates. A stern expression, close to a scowl, was permanently etched into her stony exterior. Her flowery dress only served to emphasize her completely opposite personality. I barely contained the laugh that craved to force its way past my sternum and into the world; I must have made some kind of sound because she turned toward me, scowling.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Jason Franklin? And you brought another child to grace my halls, how delightful. Take your seats. You’re late. And no talking! You have exactly forty-five minutes until you will be permitted exit. If you talk, you will appreciate an additional day in my presence.”

Feigning an innocent look, I grabbed a seat near the back, next to Jas, without comment. I did a quick head count and came up with another fourteen students who were doing hard time. A deathly silence enshrouded the classroom. Apparently Mrs. Nettles wasn’t one to make idle threats.

I dug a quarter out of my wallet. When in agony from prolonged exposure to complete boredom, loose change is an ingenuous solution. Holding it upright with one finger, I flicked one side of the quarter. As expected, it started spinning like a top. When it neared the right hand corner of the desk, I merely flicked it again toward the left. It’s possible that I had too much free time when uninterested previously, and this amusement was a byproduct. Even if it was a skill that had no practical use whatsoever, I was genuinely proud of the talent. Before the quarter could come too far toward the left, I flicked it again with my left forefinger. It seemed like hours before the quarter actually became in danger of stopping or falling off the side of the desk.

The quarter approached the topmost side of the desk, where there was a depression in the plastic. So far, I had avoided close proximity to it, but this time I was too leisurely in reacting. I knew that once it went any farther, the quarter was going to lose its gyration and create quite a clamor when it fell to the floor. That would not be good for my relationship with Mrs. Nettles, and I didn’t think that I would like to see her again so soon. My hands went toward my face in an act of restless anxiety as I willed the quarter to keep spinning in a downward direction. In every other instance, of course, that hadn’t done any good.

This time was different. I felt the energy as it was projected at the quarter, my will tethered to it. The quarter stopped its upward slope toward the top of the desk and came to rest in the middle, revolving rapidly. I put my hands down and stared. The coin was still spinning, though I hadn’t expended any more will toward it. Glancing nonchalantly around the room, I checked to see if anyone else had noticed. Each person was ruled out one by one, until my questing eyes reached Jas. He was staring openly at the coin, eyes bulging. I concealed the coin quickly with my hand, effectively stopping its unnatural rotation.

I took one look at Jas’ flabbergasted face and decided to wait for the rest of the allotted time to tick down with no more tricks to alleviate my boredom. It took forever and a year before Mrs. Nettles looked up from her grungy paperback to address the class. I hadn’t even noticed that she had started reading.

“That’s all for today, children. Though, I’m quite sure it won’t be the last time we meet. You rotten things never learn. Now off with you! Shoo!”

Her voice contained more pompous arrogance than I thought possible. I snatched my backpack from where I had slung it over the chair, the motion mimicked all across the room as every kid did their best to escape under Mrs. Nettle’s watchful eye. I made it outside the door before remembering Jas. It would probably be an understatement to say I was out of it.

“This way,” Jas said, preoccupied. He stared at me for a second. “I suspected you had power.”

I figured it best to remain silent. We were going toward the football field, where presumably there was a back exit. What kind of power did he think I possessed? What’d I even do, spin a quarter? And, if he knew that I controlled even a shred of something, it seemed reasonable to assume that he also possessed power beyond the ordinary.

“There was a certain… resonance. I was fairly confident it corresponded with Emily’s. She knows there was something different about me, and avoids me like the plague. She didn’t avoid you. And that chick… She’s got power in spades.”

“Em? What’re you talking about? What power?”

We had reached the stadium, but instead of continuing, Jas stretched out on one of the benches. The sun was still far above the skyline, as it wouldn’t get completely dark for a few more hours. We had time. I let my gaze settle on the field. The soccer team was practicing, but we were far enough distanced to make it an arduous task to discern the contours of expression. Ponytails whipped back and forth as the girls raced across the field. The ball was a wild thing, like it was possessed of a mind all its own. It was passed madly across the field, forward and back, with no one procuring an advantage over the other. Eventually, I returned my attention to Jas.

He was staring intently at me. “There’s something you don’t know, but if you aren’t a half-wit, you’ll see it as truth. There are monsters lurking in the enshrouding darkness offered by the night, and they’re not your average vanilla mortal. Sure, some are wicked and depraved, but some are decently respectable, too. What I’m trying to say is that there are people out there who are beyond the accepted norm. Werewolves, Skin Walkers, vampires, ghouls, goblins, Fae, you name it. All those bedtime stories? There’s a kernel of truth to every myth, every ghost story you ever heard. People are afraid of the dark for good reason. ‘cause there’s stuff out there that’ll eat your lunch. And you and me, we’re two of ‘em. Remember Greek mythology? How about the Mayan gods?”

I had just entered the Twilight Zone. “Greek gods? Demi-gods?”

“You have a unique… scent about you. Emily only knows that I’m something different, I know what you two are: Awakened, Empowered, The Chosen. But I wouldn’t want to touch those last with a hundred-yard, menacing stick. Pompous bastards, every one of them. Air, Fire, Earth, Water, Metal. The five elements, depending on who you ask. The Empowered can manipulate an element with their will. Some control more than one, but it’s next to nobody who can exert control on more than three. Again, each has a different, let’s say, flavor, for those of my kind. I can smell all five on you, and your little girlfriend too.”

“You just said that it’s only possible to exert control over three. You just contradicted yourself there.” I couldn’t help the grin that slipped out. In a situation where everything is out of whack, I couldn’t help but point out inconsistencies. “And she’s not my girlfriend.”

“I said next to nobody.” He put a not-too-subtle emphasis on the words while reaching for my chest.

“What’re you doing? Get off me!”

Jas pulled out the chain and the amulet that always rested against my skin.

“That does it!” he said.

“What? I’ve had that since I was just a kid! It’s just a family heirloom!” I was comfortable in my deluded state and wasn’t ready to relinquish it for anything, not yet.

“That,” he pointed at the amulet, “is the verification. Now, there’s… not a prophecy, per se, but a legend of sorts. Mainly, it’s the fragmented remains of a foretelling, that while once whole, has been lost and worn by the winds of time. It’s been floating around since before people even thought to converse in ancient Greek, and all that’s left is tidbits, passed down through incalculable generations. Naturally, it’s probably been warped. Here’s what I know of it and not a bit more, so don’t ask further. The legend tells of seven mechanisms of control, chosen men and women alike, who all retain monumental power. They’ll bring to the world Light, Darkness, Death, Destruction, Chaos, Peace, and Healing. Seven objects of power will be so securely bound to their souls that to take one, you’d have to kill. These objects will contain characteristics that closely mirror their proprietor. The objects themselves are intelligent sentient beings. It’s not defined, in any sense, where all this will end up. Just another doomsday come knocking, if you ask me, but not many bother. Feel free to sit there as long as you’d like with your jaw hanging open, though you’re likely to catch flies.”

I had been doing just that, but I shut it with the clack of colliding teeth. I brought myself back to reality with a pinch. This shit couldn’t be for real. Everybody knew these things didn’t exist. But it made a frightening bit of sense. My parents had been… attacked? Taken? Killed? I still didn’t know, years later, because I hadn’t stopped running, apparently with good reason, if Jas was to be believed.

“If this thing can talk, why hasn’t it said something, then?” I gave the amulet a considerable once-over, holding it at various distances while examining it meticulously for anything anomalous.

It was all that I was capable of dealing with at one time. Later, I would be able to mull over what had been discovered and decide on the best course of action. But right then, there was a pressing need to focus on slightly less earth-shattering revelations, like a walking, talking amulet. Well, sort of walking.

“I dunno. Maybe you have to think harder.”

“That’s because you hadn’t asked anything of me, you dimwit!” a booming voice admonished.

I threw my arms up in disgust. “Great, a sarcastic inanimate object with so-called wit. That’s all I need in my life.”

“The guilt lies within your own psyche, boy. Weren’t you heeding his words? We closely mirror the characteristics of our owners. We’re bonded, you and I. So, get used to it, because I’m not going anywhere. And put me back. You have more important things to concern you. That kid’s no layman. He’s a Skin Walker.”

I broke out of the conversation with an almost audible splintering, staring into Jas’ eyes. Their deep blue eddies held much more intelligence then I gave him credit for. And power. I could feel it emanating from him like some bizarre aura.

“What the hell is a Skin Walker?” I asked. Sounded kind of creepy.

“Looks like I was right after all.” He smiled, a brittle construct that could shatter at a moment’s notice. “Yeah, I’m a Skin Walker. My whole family is, generation upon generation tracing back to the Stone Age. Like I said, not all of us are bad eggs. We’re stronger, faster, and smarter than your average human, semi-resistant to magic. But what we’re known for… is this. We can shape-shift into any animal we can think of.”

He was changing right before my eyes. His clothes vanished as he shifted before my stunned eyes… into a bunny? I couldn’t help myself and burst out laughing. All the tension that had been building up inside me broke, like a dam that contained too much water. Eventually, my laughter, tinged with hysterics, trickled off into giggles as the reddish-gold bunny disappeared and became regular old Jas again, with clothes. At least Skin Walkers had common decency. I had given it fifty-fifty odds that he turned up without so much as a pair of boxers when he shifted back. Thank all that’s preternatural for the evolution of decency.

As my snickers tapered off and I established control of my faculties once more, I asked, in somewhat composed voice, “So, you can shape-shift, and you went for a bunny?”

“Yeah, well,” he rolled his eyes at my antics, “I didn’t want you to run home crying to your mommy after I broke these bleachers shifting into an elephant. Now that’d be a treat.” His demeanor changed. He was solemn now. “It doesn’t… freak you out or anything?”

“Dude. I just got told I’m some genetically challenged freak that can manipulate the elements. Being able to change into any animal you can think of? I’m not so impressed.” I smiled to demonstrate the sarcasm inherent in the statement. “All right, I admit to being a little surprised. But wouldn’t any sane person be a little freaked out when a recently acquainted friend pulls back the veil of ignorance and reveals the grungy picture of reality? I can go sob myself to sleep later. Let’s go do some of this parkour stuff, before my mind latches onto this new information, and I curl up in a little ball. I should get back soon, anyway. It’s a new place, and since it looks like I’m staying longer than expected, I shouldn’t piss them off yet.”

I hadn’t noticed how much time had gone by. The sun was only a few hand spans above the horizon; there couldn’t be much more than two hours of light left to the day.

Jas flashed me a relieved grin. “You’re taking this rather well. I suppose there’s still plenty of room in my schedule to put you in your place.”

We entered what I took for, at first, as an empty office building. Its bulk stretched up into the heavens, far past what any sane person would think to jump off. The adjoining buildings were slightly shorter than the next, providing a probable avenue, though only non-lucid pedestrians would consider it as such. Hopefully, this was a well thought out route. If it wasn’t, chances are I wouldn’t be very pleased with Jas’ organization skills and would make my sentiments known. Jas strolled through the lobby and to the elevator as if he owned the place, even flashing a smile at the aging secretary as he passed her. I fidgeted and watched the digital indication ascend numerically from zero until the doors opened, with a generic “ding.”

“There’s nothing to be worried over, really.” Jas’ attempt to soothe my nerves failed.

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered darkly, “you’ve done this before.”

I was about to jump off a building. To another building, perhaps, but the fact is that has to qualify me for some kind of insane asylum. Granted, the whole thing sounded like a whole bunch of fun when you talked about it as if it was just around the corner, but not an immediate occurrence. The butterflies in my stomach attested to my nervous disposition, and tingles raced up my spine.

The amulet interceded on my anxious thoughts. “Relax. You’re giving me a headache. Your kind has accomplished more dangerous feats when out on a picnic.”

How any medallion could get a headache, whether it was sentient or not, was worth a chuckle or two. My posture relaxed as my skittish nerves were soothed and my muscles loosened. And then I felt my stomach flutter in protest when I saw how high we were. When we reached our target height, we were fifteen stories high and about to hurdle off the precipice of a building. I looked to my left and examined Jas for any outward signs of stress. Impossibly, he wore a smile as if it had been etched permanently into his features.

I soothed my nerves, exerting complete control over my body as we stepped into the corridor. At least my competitive nature still endured. I wasn’t going to be shown up by some no-good shape-shifter, especially when the first animal he invoked in my presence was a bunny. The walls were a deep gray, with doors spaced incrementally throughout the building. Our destination was apparent, denoted by the red “EXIT” sign hanging from the top of the ceiling. After stepping through the door behind Jas, I idly looked down between the gaps in the stairwell. Suffice to say that it was quite an extensive drop to the ground. As I climbed the last flight of stairs to the roof access, I decided there was no way I was going to back down from this challenge. Backing down wasn’t one of my strong points, anyway.

As we neared the elevated brink of the roof, I took another gander at the scenery below. Cars drove by on the busy thoroughfare, oblivious to the two boys who were about to jump off a building. Though, I doubted many residents of this city would spare time from their hectic schedule of their technology-fueled world to glance skyward. At this hour, the streets were jam-packed with people, all of who were no doubt engaged in business of the utmost importance.

The sound of cooing pigeons roosting at various points along the top of the building was most prevalent. There was the sound of running engines, loud conversations made by self-important individuals, and a few vendors hawking their wares to a crowd that was clearly disinterested, utterly disengaged in their own world. Finally, when there was nothing more to put off the inevitable, I formulated my game plan.

It appeared that the next structure was at least ten feet distant. That would be the hardest aspect of the course, as a retaining wall prevented me from gathering up speed for a running jump. The following buildings, luckily, had no more than a foot-high partitioning wall, if any. The buildings were all equidistantly spaced from each other, which, for continuity’s sake, was good.

“So,” Jas said when he noticed that I was done analyzing, “You ready?”

“No, but let’s do it before my adrenaline wavers and my higher thinking regains control,” I replied resolutely.

Jas went first, almost without pausing for thought. That might be a useful skill in these situations. He pulled himself up the wall, and once adequately balanced, leaped into open space. He practically soared through the air, arms extended behind him and body pushed into the wind. As he landed three feet from the edge of the building, he rolled gracefully, using his momentum to carry him farther from the precipice. He gave me a thumbs-up from the other side of the building, and I decided to skip the preparation portion.

Without thinking, I mimicked his approach. I climbed up the five-foot adjoining wall, and propelled myself off the building with as much forward and upward thrust that could be mustered. My hair flew wildly about my head as the wind rushed raucously in my ears, and the gap preventing me from obtaining my goal rapidly dwindled. Instinct took over as my feet impacted the paneling. As I fell forward with the speed of my stop, I brought my shoulder forward and instigated a tumbling, less-than-graceful roll. The fact that I had come out relatively unscathed from my near-brush with death, however, was exhilarating. I hollered with the joy of adrenaline singing through my veins as I stood up from my tumble.

Jas echoed my cry of exhilaration. “Now let’s do it the way it’s supposed to be done. That last one was the hardest bit. All the next ones will be a piece of cake. This time we don’t stop. Keep going as fast as you can, and don’t fall.” He grinned.

“Of course,” I managed to stammer.

And then I pushed him to the ground before dashing off ahead. As I came up upon the next gap, I never slowed before throwing myself forward toward the next objective. I landed lightly, energized at the accomplishment. I blanked my mind of anything besides the next obstruction. There wasn’t a retaining wall on this building, and as I jumped over the rectangular cooling units in my way, I prepared myself for another leaping bound.

I repeated my first jump, competing in an insane race without any conscious thought, but for the feel of the wind in my hair and the electric thrill in my bones. Everything became a blur, the world around me bending into where my focus was centered. I jumped over obstacles without seeing them and was back out in open air faster than I could ponder my reckless actions. The scenario was repeated ceaselessly, it seemed, although I would have been content to remain in those moments for eternity. Eventually, I reached the point where there were no more buildings in sight, but the green grass was now only a measly fifteen feet away, waiting to embrace me.

Without slowing my headlong rush, I vaulted off the two-foot high partition that separated me from the edge, arms pin wheeling. From that point there was nothing left but to enjoy the last adrenaline-charged free fall toward the green blur that was the soft earth below.

I whooped at the thrill, the sheer, primal joy. “HELL YEAH!”

“Have fun?” Jas asked.

“You cheated, didn’t you?” I smirked condescendingly.

“I cheated? You kidding me? You were leaking Air the whole time. Didn’t you even notice how fast you were running?”

I thought back, and as I did, felt something stir inside me. It was the slow uncoiling of a snake as it rears to strike, the hibernating bear that has just woken up from an extended period of rest. It was an alien sensation, and there was only one piece of information that could adequately illuminate it. There was a point where I would have to accept the situation, and this was it. I rode along this new awareness, testing its bounds. It was still frail, I could perceive that much, but it would flourish and strengthen, given adequate time and implementation.

The voice of the amulet emanated throughout my mind, satisfied. “Enjoy the feeling of control while it lasts, boy. Manifestation only occurs once, and then it’s an uphill battle for the duration.”

Swatting the voice like a fly, I felt the Earth beneath my feet as never before, its intricacies not conceivable before this instant. The Air sung around me, and I heard its song for the first time. Pipelines bursting with Water were arrayed all around me, and I rode their current. The Fire in my veins called to me, and the Metal in the world made itself known. And I demanded they all manifest before me.

Water burst a hole through a pipeline and shot straight to the surface. An explosion of Earth followed, and Metal clawed its way out of the ribs of the structure behind me. Air howled, and Fire belched, summoned from within, called from without. All five elements came together in spherical shapes, twisting and turning, gyrating furiously above my head. I laughed, with the surety of the power in my veins, convinced that my opportunities were limitless. I had power. I was power.

Then a sword appeared in my right hand, crackling with electricity, burning red-hot fire. I recoiled in shock, and what had been held together before, so definitively, fractured with my concentration. Orbs of Earth, Metal, Fire, Water, and Air rocketed outwards, wreaking destruction until they too dissipated, their energy expended.

“Now this kid, I can get used to,” my amulet sent to my mind.

Except, as I turned to look at the sword in my hand, I realized it wasn’t any kind of medallion or amulet anymore. It was a katana, perfectly balanced, perfectly weighted, an extension of myself. The curved blade was wickedly sharp, with a guard that, while not decorated, seemed to serve its dual purpose exactly as it was conceived, as a tool of death. The handle and guard were made of the same unknown material as the rest of the sword, and though it felt like metal, it was too light to be forged of any known material. I dubbed it unobtainium. I recognized that this weapon was a part of me, as Jas had indicated from the start. I felt an ages-long connection that spoke volumes, although only the tiniest fraction was gleaned in that fleeting instant of understanding.

“Later, we’ll talk,” I thought. I willed the sword back, where it reverted to its original state.

Now, however, I felt the steady pulse of its power residing against my skin. I brought my hand up to feel it, that warm, near-weightless piece of unobtainium that was resplendent with potential. With myself under control, I surveyed the damage that I wrought. We were directly across from Golden Gate Park, the name of which I remembered because of its close relation to the orphanage. The destruction disseminated into five separate directions from where the chaotic, swirling mass of elements had spun off without any deliberate direction.

Trees dotted the grass, and the Earth and Metal had slammed into two of them, leaving broken fragments in their wake. The Air and Fire had collided with the wall of the building, leaving two spherical holes, one singed and melting, with smoke rising from the points of contact. I had to look around for precious, hand-clenching seconds before the Water’s blast area was discovered. It had collided with a street sign that used to proclaim the speed limit to oncoming vehicles. It lay in two halves on the ground. I figured this was my cue to high tail it out of here.

After coughing self-consciously, I said, “I think you were right. We should get out of here, now.”

“Yeah,” Jas said, dazed. “I think so too. It’s this way.” He pointed through the park.

We started forward, both of us taking regularly conspicuous looks behind us until we were out of sight of the wreckage. I skipped over a broken branch, some couple hundred feet removed from the rest of the tree. We maneuvered around the small clusters of trees in the park, if that’s what it was. Rather than the conventional definition of a park, it seemed that this one was different. Although there were trees to be seen, streets brought a steady number of cars throughout the whole of the greenery.

“You all are so alike in the beginning. No control. I’m surprised you didn’t blow the top off that Skin Walker friend of yours.”

“You know, you’ve got a lot of lip, for an amulet.”

I could practically feel the booming laughter emanating and was surprised that Jas couldn’t. I resolved to speak with my talking piece of unobtainium later and feel for how Jas was coping presently.

I coughed to break the silence. “So, uh, not quite what you expected?”

Though slightly withdrawn, I could see Jas was returning to himself. “No shit! I didn’t know you would be able to do anything like that so soon. You guys are supposed to take time to develop, and if you’re still developing. I don’t even want to think about it. That’s crazy.”

I laughed despite myself. “Apparently that was just a by-product of my manifestation, a transitory period of relative control.” My talking amulet had already taught me so much, it seemed.

He eyed me. “You should ask your girlfriend Emily about it, then. Girls mature faster than boys, remember? I’d bet my life savings that she’s been past this stage for months. She’ll have more control than you, so be wary.”

I patted my amulet, where it rested below my shirt. “I think I have what I need in the teacher department, even if he does mouth off a bit. But yeah, I think Em and I need to have a heart-to-heart.”

— Chapter 3 —

We had finally arrived at the foster home, which I could now actually distinguish from its foliage-filled surroundings. The sign, made primarily of brick, first caught my attention. I had been calling it just the “foster home,” because it was easy to distance myself that way, and partially because I hadn’t even bothered to read the sign in the first place. “The Home For Wayward Children” was displayed prominently in grimy black letters for all to see. The house was deep beige, and it seemed the only thing on the house that was recently refurbished. Everything else reeked of disrepair.

Weeds and shrubs infested the rest of the available space around the house, except for a small circular garden in the back. And, of course, teenagers were everywhere, lazing about after school. The sun had come out rather unexpectedly and most everyone just seemed to be relaxing, though I saw some kids kicking a soccer ball around and throwing some footballs. Typically, the girls had taken over the only table and had congregated in a cluster around it, giggling loudly. Em was visible, but only her blonde curls and sweatshirt could be seen.

Jas saw my interest and returned me to reality with a smack. “Stop daydreaming, man. And be careful. You set off a bunch of alarm bells with what you did today.”

I returned his swipe with a slightly harder punch while yawning extensively behind an upraised hand. It had been an eventful day and I was exhausted. “All right. I’ll keep an eye out, though I don’t know what I’m looking for yet. How are you getting back?”

He saluted me over his shoulder as he strode back into the park. “If you don’t know that yet, I’m surprised they have you in the same classes as me.”

I watched him amble toward the closest strand of shrubbery and trees before I turned away and confronted the house. At least it felt like I was confronting it. I felt the girls’ eyes settle on me. Intrigue was never one of my stronger suits, and so I gave them as direct a stare back before looking away and going inside. I waved and smiled amiably at Sam as I passed through the dining hall toward the boys’ dormitory.

A few boys and girls chatted in groups among the tables, no doubt procrastinating on homework. I wouldn’t have any part in that, though. It had always been within my reach to maintain my grades without doing the schoolwork. So if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. I sat down on my rickety bed, one of many strewn identically about the room. Cupboards and drawers sat underneath and behind it, presumably meant for any possessions and clothes that I had.

My breath exploded through my teeth with a rasp. “Dammit. Forgot my backpack.”

A deep-basso chuckle exploded into my hearing, as if from a distance. “Look on the bright side. You still have me.”

I made my voice as sarcastic as possible without sounding like a twelve-year-old. “I’ve got a magical amulet that gives me random tidbits of information, so instead of stranding me on an island I’m stuck in a brand-new world without any bearings.”

“You desire information? You think your delicate mind can handle it? You’re a wolf cub in a lion’s den. You don’t know what Darkness looms in the deepest night, and the less you know, the less danger you’re in.”

I chuckled mirthlessly back, and it crossed my mind that anyone passing me would think I was crazy. Let them. The bed squeaked in protest as I got comfortable and closed my eyes meditatively. That way, I’d only be seen as moderately crazy to the passing inmate.

I idly traced images into the bedspread. “Chicken shit. So instead, should I walk blind down a dark alley with my hands tied behind my back?”

“All right boy, I understand your meaning. Ask, if you are so dead set upon this course,” came the booming laugh that emanated from the amulet, one that hinted at a breadth of knowledge that I would never achieve.

After rolling over onto my chest, I fired off my questions. “What the hell’s out there? What am I looking at? All my nightmares come to life?”

“Weren’t you paying a whit of attention to the Skin Walker? Of course all your nightmares exist.” Images flashed through my mind at the speed of thought, almost too fast to comprehend. They came in the form of memories long past, as if I had lived them myself at one time. I was the invisible passerby, unable to touch or interact with the memories, only stand in tormented agony as I remembered.

Vampires seduced and fed off their victims, trolls bludgeoned and ate their prey. Monsters of the Fae, with no name that can be understood in the human tongue, killed others for pleasure. Goblins, little creatures with preternatural strength, attacked in teeming masses, bringing down their prey while screeching with delight. Necromancers raised the dead and used them for their gruesome will. Magicians, corrupted by the promise of power, destroyed cities, towns, and villages. Then there was a pack of Were, relentlessly pursuing their prey, silent as death. There was no escape, only a lingering death awaiting all pursued by them.

Countless images forced their way into my consciousness, fighting for supremacy. The knowledge with them was jumbled; my mind had already gathered all that could be stored. The information receded, slowed, and then tapered to a stop, allowing me to gather my wits.

The amulet’s deep voice filled my mind once more. “But then there are all your dreams…”

My mind was filled once more, but this time with beautiful and fantastical images. Fae, beautiful and dangerous, in buildings straight out of fantasy, went about their life in a separate world all their own. They ambled along in forests unknown to this world, and the leaves of their trees caressed them like an ardent lover. Vampires lived off of donated blood, rather than directly from the source, or if they had to, taking diminutive portions from their victims so as to not endanger lives. A coalition of vampires and Were protected humans in a war fought across the ages. Ogres fought goblins that were threatening the livestock of an unassuming farmer. Magicians fought for humanity, fighting off the forces employed by the Dark with fervor next-door to righteous vengeance. Various other images filled my mind: that of preternatural beings coexisting peacefully with humans, merely desiring to live their life peacefully and without outside intercession.

Then the flood of information sped up once more to be filed away, and the glimpse of the past dissipated. No longer was I unseen and unnoticed, and I touched the ground around me in order to convince myself of my return to reality.

“So… People like me. What you’re saying is that they’ll be both good and bad?”

“Certainly, they will. The myths pertaining to the matter are vague, even to me. But one thing’s glaringly evident: when you put a big red button for a nuclear warhead in the same room with children not provided their ADHD meds, all that’s going to be left is rubble. You Seven all have more power than can be imagined, and there’s a reckoning impending. Get your affairs in order, boy, because if you don’t you won’t last past the weeks end, and that means that I will no longer be cognizant of this world, either.”

“Fine. Then let’s start with what I call you. I can’t just call you Amulet.”

A dry chuckle wafted up from our connection. “Jeeves. You may call me Jeeves. This newly developed language would mangle my true name unbearably. Names have power and true names more so when given from your own lips. Remember that, if nothing else.”

I laughed when Jeeves provided his name. I was garnering peculiar looks all across the room and wasn’t surprised. It wouldn’t be out of place for me to be avoided like the plague from this point forward, but that suited me.

I concentrated on the topic at hand. “Okay, Jeeves. I won’t ask how you decided on that one. But, if you are so tied to my own destiny, then it would be wise to provide me with some instruction regarding these newly developed abilities.”

Sarcasm was evident in his response when Jeeves bothered to respond. “Of course. First things first, then. You need to learn basic control over all five elements. It will be an easy task. It’ll take you time, something you don’t have an excess of. You will have a propensity for two elements. No matter what, you’re far behind your lady friend, and that is unacceptable. The other persuasion comes into their power up to a year before males, so she already possesses a large advantage.”

I started with a response that I thought would be the least likely to be seen as incredibly stupid, directing my thoughts internally. “Well then, can’t I just ask Em for some pointers?”

Jeeves’ laughter pounded on the air like a living thing. Apparently my question was stupid after all. “You must be joking, boy. You’re priceless. Let me just take a moment to bask in your ignorance.” He paused, and I stewed and waited, just barely containing a biting response. “Each person goes about manipulating the elements in a specialized manner. They all acquire a unique skillset when touching their power. You’ll need to uncover your own path, but only after will I begin direction of your training, so you don’t spontaneously combust.”

“All right, sounds like I should get to work then,” I replied, preparing to leave the relative comfort provided by the bed. “Wait, What?! Spontaneously combust? Are you kidding me? Yeah, that’s it, right? You’re just pulling my leg. Ha ha, very funny.”

“It’s not as common as it once was, when the leading technology consisted of basic metalworking. Those who went without training and didn’t have the will to conquer and control their powers eventually self-destruct: spontaneously, destructively, and all over the place. Gruesome, really, but there’s nothing to be done when they cannot be trained in time to avoid such fate.”

“All of a sudden, I feel like learning basic control. How do I begin? Concentrate or something…?”

Oddly enough, Jeeves responded without employing sarcasm. However, he did employ lip. “Yes, of course, that should be done post haste. But I’d relocate to a position more isolated, and far more flame retardant.”

I tried to contain my shivers of excitement. Who wouldn’t want to be caught inside a burning building? Being a human torch was so last week. With that in mind, I made my way outside the flammable building through the back entrance. It’s wasn’t my intent to avoid Em. I just didn’t want anyone to see where I went if I was going to raze the place in the near future. It wouldn’t be good for my image if everyone discovered I was a genetic freak. They’d already done a movie on that one, and I coveted no desire to be experimented on. That was me, caring about my image, if you weren’t listening. I don’t avoid anyone, seriously.

The grass had withered ages ago. All that was left were the last desperate vestiges of growth, the final splotches of green that proclaimed triumph over insurmountable odds.

I figured that if I were going to open my eyes to the world and see it for what it truly is, it would be necessary to break out from my dismal cloud of pessimism regarding the nature of man. You can fight eternally, but is it of value if there’s nothing to believe in? Except now there was a cause, a reason to fight. I had been living in a world where the only thing that existed was the need to run, to hide from perceived pursuers on the word of another. It was the only rule that had never been broken. Supposedly, if I had, it wouldn’t have been possible to evade what would have caught me. If I had this kind of power at my fingertips, surely it was likely that my parents did as well. The only unclear part was the guns, when you can be slinging around the elements, what’s the use of human technology? Who could have been able to take my parents with such a mundane weapon? Were they trying to protect me, allow me to escape?

All these questions, and I wouldn’t be able to find the answers on my own. But, maybe, if I chose to enter this new world and make use of my power, the answers would be unveiled to my sun-blinded eyes. The status quo had been irrevocably altered. Before, there had been nothing to do but run. Now, if I could stand up for myself, if I didn’t spontaneously combust, and if I could get my newfound muscles under control, there would be an opportunity for the revealing of the truth. With exaggerated caution, I sat down on the ground, making sure not to trample any grass underfoot, then closed my eyes and voyaged inward, into the abysmal depths of my psyche.

I delved deep into my mind, farther and farther, searching for a beacon, a light, something. And the farther I traveled, the more assured I became. I passed bright gyrating thoughts and snaking emotions that filled my consciousness like twinkling stars. I went through black voids of space, empty save the passing of a stray thought. I traversed a field composed of my memories, whirling masses of swirling shapes that rotated, allowing a glimpse of the recollection inside. Beyond that, amid the chaos, there were two sparkling nexuses of power, illuminating my mind like two miniature suns.

Although immediately drawn to the larger, my curiosity was piqued and demanded investigation of the other before further progression to my ultimate destination. Upon closer inspection, the second spherical orb had a mystical tether tied securely to it, connecting it to the larger one. Gliding hesitantly forward toward it, my suspicion was verified. As I closed in on the glowing globe of untapped power, out popped… me? What walked before me, however, was infinitely different.

Even though his features were similar, the overall image created by slight divergences was a different person entirely. Where I was rugged and dirty, he was refined and sparkly clean, without a speck of visible dust. Where my clothes were torn and shabby from the day’s tribulations, his were immaculate, creased from recent purchase. And his overall air was one of supreme confidence; no one and nothing would faze him. His poise was unsurpassed, and overall, he was just a damn sight better than me. But, I wasn’t going to let that rattle me. I was the one at the wheel.

My voice was only slightly sulky. “Hello, Jeeves. Nice to finally meet you, face-to-face. You’re looking very refined, and, very… me.”

The similarity in his voice was now evident, although it was dramatically altered by the conviction and composure it seemed to possess in boatloads. “Personally, I think you were assembled poorly, but I’ve seen worse jobs.” He glanced around himself, apparently scrutinizing the setting. “This is interesting… very interesting. Quite exceptional, really, you might hold some potential after all. Who knew it was within your grasp.”

I let my gaze settle on the surroundings, on the compilation of memories, thoughts, and emotions. It seemed to me that I was inside a galaxy all my own, which stretched into infinity. If Jeeves informed me adequately, then this wasn’t the only way to establish the connection from which the nexus of my power resided. For all I knew, a giant pink daisy could have been waiting for me on top of a mountain of rocky road ice cream. Although probably delicious, it would have been highly unnecessary.

“You did imply that everyone’s approach in discovering and establishing their power base would be unique,” I pointed out.

Jeeves must have had tuned most of my comment out, for he seemed to be pondering something to himself, although he finally snapped out of his reverie. Apparently, we had that in common.

Every word was dragged out of his mouth as if at the greatest painstaking cost imaginable. “This is a more comprehensive way to contemplate the psyche than I considered a mortal mind capable.” He nodded vaguely at the gyrating landscape. “These are the unseen portions of cognizance, rarely recognized, and even more rarely explored. The mind is an unpredictable place; you would be wise to be wary of it. Its intricacies are indecipherable.”

His grudging admiration brought out the best in me. I couldn’t help but grin. “And those?” I pointed at the two connected nodes of power, the locus of my mind. “The way I see them makes me some sort of genius, right?”

The smugness in his tone was glaringly evident when Jeeves responded. “No, of course not. You’re no genius. You just have a very unique way of perceiving reality, perspective, if you will. This could point to a number of redeeming qualities, though I’m not quite sure where to start, and I’m sure you’ll figure one out, eventually.” He paused dramatically, apparently waiting for a comment on my part, although none was forthcoming, so he reluctantly continued. “Well, this was enlightening, but I have very important business to attend to elsewhere.”

He pointed me in the direction of the larger orb. With that he flashed out, disappearing back inside his domain, going about his enigmatic business. It was only now that I realized Jeeves had taken a shot at me. The bastard. I took a deep breath for courage then glided resolutely forward into the enveloping light and warmth of my power, hoping not to be burned to ash when coming into contact with it. The process was disconcerting, but as heat enveloped my body and the light crowded into my soul, I felt perfectly at peace. No problem was so insurmountable that it couldn’t be dealt with when this power was at my fingertips. There would be no running from danger. There was just the joy of the fight, and the inexhaustible will to see it through.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a new world. Scents were stronger, sights clearer. The grass was greener, and the trees looked as if they would start speaking if only enough attention was paid. My senses were increased tenfold, and I could feel the wildlife around me, down to the smallest worm burrowing through the earth. The Air sung on my skin, whipping my hair back in what seemed a virtual torrent. The Earth called to me, waiting at my beck and call. Metal was present, but far in the distance and spread far apart. Water, however, was in abundance, it filled my senses. I was the Water, eddying and swirling underground, destined for parts unknown. Fire beckoned me with one finger, vast stores of it that filled my veins with warmth. The air around me buzzed with potential, the heat of the air waiting to manifest. There was something else, too, on the edge of my psychic hearing, observing silently, mysterious. Then my heightened perceptions faded, although they still remained above the normal ken.

A flickering image materialized and then stabilized in front of me, and it took me a fraction of a second to recognize Jeeves. I didn’t know he was able to do things like that.

It seemed my hearing was turned up to maximum volume because when Jeeves spoke his voice was akin to standing in front of the speakers at a heavy metal concert. “Terribly sorry, I forgot to impart you with some crucial information,” It was hard to miss the sardonic tone evident in his voice. “Summoning power is a relatively easy undertaking; the difficult part is maintaining that link for extended periods, while also determining how much power is necessary for the outcome you desire.”

I winced at the sound of his voice, and just like that, it returned to a bearable level. “You’ve got to be kidding me. This would have been helpful information before I had walked into that power nexus. So what do I do?”

Jeeves pondered for a moment, but it seemed he was just taking in the view of the area around us; he probably hadn’t been outside in a long time. I waited impatiently for him to respond, and each passing second caused a further slip on the feeble control that was maintained on my power.

Finally, Jeeves shifted his attention to me and continued to impart crucial knowledge. “Well,” he began, smiling as he watched the strain he was putting me through. “You will need to maintain the link to your power at will, though implementing it through elemental manipulation is a largely different process, one that is long and strenuous. Control will be garnered with time and practice, with the addition of demanding work. Experiment when you acquire time away from your hectic schedule.” His grin grew wider. “Retain the power for as long as possible before releasing it. You can hold it in check, but at the tipping point, you are given scarce choices.” He paused.

I gave him the dirtiest look in my arsenal as I felt sweat from the effort appearing. “Tell me now already, and stop enjoying this so much.”

This time, he was more concise with his response, which made me moderately less likely to throttle him. “You can ground the energy, a harmless approach when necessary, but quite wasteful. You can use it, dedicating it to one or all of the elements, although that is not a viable course, currently. Recycling is the best option, release your hold upon the power and allow it to drift back behind all the stops. Containment will no longer be reliant upon your will, and the strain will disappear.”

I sighed in relief and followed his advice. The power slipped back into its resting place, awaiting my call. My absence of power was readily apparent. The world seemed drab and plain in comparison to before.

“Your senses will gradually enhance with time and repeated touching of power. You’ll be faster, stronger. I will be content with your progression, no doubt. Start your control exercises first, calling upon and releasing your power. We can move on from that when you are able to do so.”

With that, Jeeves disappeared back into the deep recesses of my mind. Somewhere in there, I was sure he had created his own demesne, with all the extravagances of a king. But I could explore the depths of my mind another time, for now I needed to practice. I tried two of the available options, recycling and grounding, as I possessed no knowledge regarding the practical implementation of my power. They both came more or less naturally, and I could feel it becoming less strenuous with each successive application, like the exercising of a newly formed muscle.

I couldn’t keep track of time as I continued to draw and release my power, but it was possible to follow the path of a fly through the air as if it was sliding through amber. Except I felt a drain on my reserves; the exertion of this new muscle was not without its challenges. It was disconcerting, feeling my limbs grow heavier and my rasping breath come shorter as I fought to fill my lungs with oxygen. When it became an effort to lift a finger, I grounded the last bit of the energy at my command, and a slight tremble shook the ground.

As I looked around, sweat streaming down my face, I thought the grass expanded before my eyes, lush, green, and full of boundless vitality. I put it down to extreme fatigue and stumbled out of the glade. For a moment, I thought I saw some movement in the brush, but it was gone before there was a chance to further examine it. I decided that hallucinations were commencing due to my exhausted disposition. In a daze, I walked slowly back toward the foster home, wiping the sweat off my face as I did so. I thought that it was about time that I lifted some new digs; these didn’t have much life remaining to them.

I glared at the remains of my clothes. They were torn and ragged in innumerable places. Damned things hadn’t made it through the escapades of the day intact. It was a shame, really, because they were some nice clothes. I had lifted them out of some mall last time I’d passed through in L.A. All designer, all very expensive, it was going to be hard to let them die quietly. I didn’t know the best course to take concerning stealing, either. I had always been on the move, so the law had never caught up, and had always been so careful not to be apprehended.

I made up my mind quickly enough, no more stealing unless absolutely necessary, which meant I would have to resort to begging. Unfortunate, really, but I didn’t think Jas would mind. He could probably dish out that money without it even denting his weekly allowance, so I wasn’t going to feel bad about asking in the first place. That decided, I opened my eyes from my meditative state and found myself already within the foster home. I probably should work on that, as I needed to be more aware of my surroundings, or would be blindsided some fateful day that would likely arrive sooner, rather than later. Rex was sure to come calling again. He couldn’t let such a stain on his reputation go unchallenged. Hopefully, this time he would do without his cronies, although I highly doubted that he would fight fair.

But, if Jeeves were to be believed, I wouldn’t have to worry about petty school bullies like Rexxy. Stronger, faster, more aware. As I trudged the last steps to my bed, I barely had enough willpower to pull the sheets up over me.

— Chapter 4 —

The next morning, I brooded over my steaming bowl for a time before hunger finally took the reins. I gulped down the meal, barely taking time to savor the taste before devouring another bite. I was up for seconds and then thirds in minutes, and then, finally, my stomach was content. Sam grinned benevolently, making a comment about growing boys and their appetites. I got up quickly after that, realizing that I wasn’t prepared to face Em, not yet. I had a vague sense of her, my new powers giving me something of a sixth sense, when they were extended. I felt the texture of her power, so analogous to my own, still down in the girl’s dorm.

I needed time to ponder every aspect of this new development before approaching her. I suspected she already knew of my abilities but wasn’t just going to come out and say it. So, I hurried outside while trying to project calmness. Jas was already waiting on the porch when I escaped to the outdoors, sitting comfortably on the bench with an expensive black jacket, like he was considering buying the place. And I was sure he could swing it, too. If being a Skin Walker had anything to do with bloodlines, I was sure that he had his own crap to deal with, and he was probably still unsure of what to do with me: either keep me at arm’s length for his own protection, or take a chance. I’d like to think he did a little of both, but I wasn’t going to push him.

I grunted amiably in his direction. “What’s up? How was the headwind?”

“Tailwind, actually, it was quite nice. You should try it sometime,” he joked.

I laughed at the incredulity of that statement as Jeeves butted in. “If pigs could fly…”

He looked me over as one would when purchasing an item of worth. His gaze was searching, sensing on a primal level, and it was disconcerting.

Jas looked impressed. “You’ve grown, and I don’t mean in height. What did you do yesterday?”

I bought myself some time while admiring the scenery. The days were starting to lean toward summer, and it showed. The fog that was so ever-present in San Francisco was trying to maintain its stranglehold on the city, but was beginning to fail. The sun peeked over the horizon, and the birds greeted the day with irritatingly joyful melodies. I guess I just wasn’t much of a morning person today.

I grinned, seeing my chance to stick in the barb. “Oh, you know, this and that, Jeeves has me doing some exercises,” I tapped the amulet sitting upon my chest, now comfortably warm to the touch, it seemed that Jeeves had come out of hibernation as my powers started to reveal themselves.

He gave me a disgusted scowl, half playful. “All right, keep your secrets, if you want ‘em so bad. Let’s get out of here.”

Smile affixed to my face, I followed after him off the porch toward the street. What wasn’t expected was the Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500. I should have, really, but it hadn’t crossed my mind that Jas would need something as human as a car. I couldn’t help but admire the all black paintjob, and the tinted windows, which seemed to be more opaque than regulation standard. The red trim accented black and red wheels, giving it an overall sleek and powerful visage. Jas slid into the driver’s seat as if it was no big deal and revved the engine. It was a six-speed, and I’m sure it had enough torque to beat most other cars on the street, even bone stock as it was. I realized a couple seconds later that I had been staring after Jas had casually rolled down the window and looked pointedly at me, then at the passenger door. I hopped to it, careful to touch only the handle as I got inside.

My gaping mouth became responsive long enough to get out a sentence. “Nice ride. Wish I had something like this.”

I was admiring the state of the art entertainment system and heated seats, so Jas’ response was nearly missed. “It’s yours. Registered under your name, sponsored by yours truly, technically.”

He grabbed a bag from the backseat, casually tossing me a credit card with my name on it while juggling the bag. Turns out, it was full of new clothes, all for me, and all ridiculously expensive. But I couldn’t accept all of this, when I had nothing of equal value in trade. Then he turned off the Mustang, flourishing the keys.

I handed him back the black credit card with great reluctance. “No.”

“No? What do you mean, no?” He looked like I had just punched his puppy and then kicked it in the face.

“I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

No one could just give out these kinds of things, not without some kind of Catch-22. I was wary for hooks and was looking for enemies everywhere.

But apparently, I was wrong. “Here.” He handed me back the card. “When the next apocalypse comes calling, I get to hide behind your skirts. I think this is small payment for anything you can do. Think of it as an investment if you want, a hedge fund. I’m just protecting my assets, covering all the bases. There’s no catch.”

He slid out of the driver’s seat and practically forced me into it. I went reluctantly. He made it seem like nothing, but my extra sense was telling me that this meant more than he was letting on. I slid behind the wheel, feeling the brutish power of the car as it turned over, holding the clutch to the floorboard. The dash panels lit up, giving GPS and music options. I clicked music and switched over to 107.7 The Bone. Oddly enough, there weren’t any commercials on, and “Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner was playing. I turned it up, felt the bass buffet me from the back of the car. Presumably, there were added subs in the trunk.

Over the roar of the guitar solo, Jas yelled, handing me a piece of paper. “Oh! I almost forgot! You’re adopted. It’s official and everything!”

I immediately shut the car off, giving Jas a foul look. They were adoption papers, and they were official. Holy shit. I never thought for an instant about being adopted. There was no way with me always on the move. And, even when I stayed in one place for any amount of time, I had always managed to drive off potential families. Plus, there was a prime adoption age, and I was long past it by now. The truth was that I had never factored adoption into the equation. Sure, there had been times when I had thought about having my parents finding me, but I never wanted to be adopted. Deep down, I still harbored some hope that my parents were still alive. Surely, they could have protected themselves against a few stiffs that showed up at the door.

“This can’t be permanent, and once I’m eighteen, it’s hands-off.” I paused. “I still have some lingering hopes for my parents, and I’m not about to give up on them without a whole bunch of evidence. And, I want to know more about your family. What kind of people are they? Or rather, what kind of not-people do they happen to be?”

His relief was evident when I seemed to give in so easily to the proposition, if it was even that, since he had most certainly already bribed his way through the system. There was little possibility that I was just adopted, with no consent whatsoever, and without being conferred with. Plus, the system was so slow that the whole thing was just improbable. There was somebody with serious clout to be able to pull something like that off so quickly and easily.

Jas cleared his throat nervously, before responding, “Done, done, and done.” It seemed he had a bad case of stage fright. I would have loved to witness him make a presentation in front of a class. It was sure to be highly entertaining. “And my family’s… kind of complicated. We’re a diverse bunch, but I guess there’s one important thing you need to know.” A nervous tick started in his right eye, and he wiped at it futilely before continuing. “My father is one of the representatives of the Were Clan. It’s a coalition of the Were-people, and it’s been standing since the formation of the United States. When the colonies first set down on the east side of the Americas, the Were and the Skin Walkers met. The Were trespassed through Skin Walker territories, which were arrayed all over what is now modern America.” He gave me a keen look. “With the migration, the Were became a scattered race, powerless to stand up for themselves. So a pact was made, and the Were Clan was formed. By now, the Clan’s reach encompasses all four corners of the world.”

He was getting his feet underneath him now and his speech improved slightly, though his eyes were constantly on the move, never resting in one place for more than a few seconds. I felt a sort of mental tug on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. At first, I didn’t know what to think, but anger was starting to uncoil in the center of my stomach, a viper waiting to strike. I had no intention of being used by pompous supernatural politicians who only thought of their own interests before the good of others.

Jas cleared his throat again and his eyes flashed toward something that wasn’t visible from my vantage point. “The Were are represented by ten classes: Tiger, Cheetah, Mountain Lion, Lion, Wolf, Bear, Hawk, Eagle, Boar, and the Skin Walkers. Think of the clan leaders as the ruling body of the Were, and though they all are considered to be on equal footing, Skin Walkers have acquired the most influence, since they are considered to be of finer stock, with their inherent ability to shift into any animal. This… bribe, the adoption process, it was part of a carefully crafted plan that was set into motion by the Council after your discovery. Four wished to have you killed, but the other six thought otherwise. It was a close call.” He cleared his throat. “They thought that beneficial aspects of your continued existence might present itself, even though you have just discovered your abilities. Something’s coming down the pipe, and they wanted an ace in their back pocket.” Guilt racked his face, and it was clear who told them about me.

I looked warily over my shoulder, and all the pieces fell into the appropriate places. I was stupid not to have realized it sooner, and the meaning for the mental shoulder tap I had received earlier became obvious. Jeeves had been delivering an important message, and I hadn’t even thought twice about it. It seemed that my sixth sense wasn’t as dependable as it could have been, and my powers of deduction weren’t within miles of them.

I was mistaken about my statement regarding pompous preternatural politicians. They were much, much more than that. The easy grace of a natural born predator radiated with every sinuous step, and their bare feet upon the road made no noise. There were five men and five women visible, but my other senses were telling me that there were more concealed in the surrounding greenery. I was soon proved correct, as the flashing of multiple amber eyes was momentarily detectable before they disappeared from view once more. My anger materialized and my eyes narrowed, taking in the betrayal with instant action. I did what had become natural and started to take hold of my power.

Jas moved to put a restraining hand on my arm, though it looked like he wanted to do nothing except get far, far away from me. “Don’t. If they sense you drawing on your power, they’ll kill you. Half of them want you dead, regardless. You aren’t prepared to take them on, you’d be torn apart. And, if you don’t accept this,” he faltered, “I’ll be killed along with you.”

I stepped out of the car as the Were Clan representatives, two from each of the representative classes, eighteen sets of eyes, all surrounded the vehicle. Sleek muscle and amber eyes that glowed menacingly regarded me with the rational intelligence of a human being. I counted two unnaturally large birds as well, circling a few hundred feet above my head, ready to attack. The five men and women were possessed of a powerful grace, and they moved like dancers readying for the thrilling fight that precedes death. Most wore baggy sweatpants and jackets, presumably so that they could shift more quickly from man to beast, although I wondered if it made any real difference. Jas had slipped out of the passenger side of the car, and he quickly crossed the intervening space to stand at my side.

This time, when he put a hand on my shoulder, it contained more strength than the human body was capable of. “If you won’t do it for me, do it for yourself. We have information on The Chosen, and it is believed that they are the root of your problems. We believe that they are trying to round up all Seven and convert them to their cause. It’s possible that your parents are being held captive to be used against you as leverage.”

I released the hold on my power. The world became less sharp and in focus, the scents in the air reeked less of animals in heat. But some of my clairvoyance remained, and I was still keenly aware of my surroundings. The Were emitted a subtle glow, their power enveloping them in a colorless haze. I stared every one of them down, and then moved on to the ones who had made the change into their beastly form, portraying that I wouldn’t be so easily brought to heel. If a predator saw you in your moment of weakness, it was in their nature to rip you to shreds.

The exhalation of breath from Jas was clearly audible from his position behind me and to the right. “All right, everyone.” He hesitated when no one made a move from their respective positions. “BACK OFF, HE’S AGREED TO THE TERMS!” he shouted, his voice breaking.

I didn’t hear any terms, but thought it was wise to keep my mouth shut. The aggressive stance that the men and women had taken relaxed into something slightly more passive. Those who had been readying to shift into their animal forms backed away, dissipating like smoke into the greenery. Except, a few seconds later, we were joined by more Were. They were all roughly my age and dressed for school to boot. It was obvious from the backpacks that they probably hadn’t participated in the action, although it looked like they were raring to go. Three were girls and four were boys, and I recognized them all from school, though we hadn’t officially been introduced.

I should have known that there were more at the school. It only made sense that Jas had friends. He fit right in with these people, and his posture relaxed subtly, as if in the presence of those he trusted. They must have been keeping their distance, while Jas was on recruitment duty. I felt my anger boil over at the thought of being manipulated so thoroughly, and I punched Jas in the stomach, pivoting and putting the weight of my body behind the blow. To say the least, I wasn’t a happy camper.

“What the hell was that? All this time, you’ve just been using me, influencing me to join your little club? Was that all I was, just a hoop to be jumped through so you can move onto bigger and better things?” My anger seeped through the edges of my control, and my voice had risen to a shout.

The other kids had moved in when I threw the first punch, but remained immobile at a weak hand signal from Jas. He had landed in the street from the power of my hit, and I realized that I had unconsciously harnessed my power during the rage. I let it go slowly, gloomily, and came back to myself with a start. But I wasn’t going to apologize.

“No, I didn’t have anything to do with these plans.” His contrite face reflected the words. “But I had to. There wasn’t any choice, you have to believe me, I didn’t want to do this. They’re my family. There isn’t anything I can do, no way to refuse the commands of the Clan. Not when it really matters. I won’t lie to you. You will have different powers pulling upon you, trying to sway your decisions. Something like this was bound to happen.”

My cold voice provided a grudging response. “Family, I understand, but I’m not about to buy into all that other nonsense off the bat. We’ll talk about this more, when we have the time. We’re going to be late.” The pointed look I gave the others of the group had the desired effect, and his friends dispersed without so much as a backwards glance.

Deep in my bones, I possessed a gut feeling that pointed to another meeting. I didn’t know what to think, really. Jas had given me the impression that he was my friend before he ever knew anything about me. He was the one who enlightened me in the first place. Somehow, the information regarding my abilities had been leaked, and the Were Clan pounced on the opportunity I represented, with single-minded intensity borne of pack mentality. It seemed that was how they operated, and I thought it wise that to proceed cautiously in their presence.

I needed to reflect on what Jas had said. It was obvious that there was something going on, that something was brewing. The air tasted of death, danger, and destruction. There was a struggle coming, and every cell in my body was telling me to get as far away as possible before the world imploded. Despite that, or maybe because of it, I had to stay. There were too many unknowns, too many things that needed to be understood. I couldn’t go anywhere without knowing more about my parents, or talking to Em. There was a lingering curiosity, too about the new world I had just been dropped into, with no warning. There was a quiet allure to it, the thrill I felt when I embraced my birthright, was undeniable.

There were only two choices available in any altercation: I faced it down or didn’t get back up. The only difference in this situation was that the stakes had been raised. This time, I was sure that there were other lives that hung precariously in the balance, and it was my responsibility to get involved. My anger grew scorching when I thought about others controlling the course of my destiny. I was still bitter, too, about the way Jas had just given in to the demands of his family. I suspected that he had no choice, but still harbored resentment. That spiel about always obeying the family had to be a load of crap, right?

But just so there was back-up, I asked the compendium of knowledge known as Jeeves. “What’s your take on this horseshit?”

It looked like we were back to non-visual, mental communication, as Jeeves didn’t appear in front of me. “The Were Clan is known to be very hierarchical, and don’t take no for an answer with much dignity. Although he may amount to something someday, this cub here didn’t have much of a chance in denying them anything.”

That rained on my parade, as I was looking for confirmation of my vendetta, not saving grace for Jas. It looked like this just wasn’t my day, though. I finally noticed that I had just been standing in the road, muttering, and walked toward the car. I could already feel the sticky tendrils of a higher authority attempting to pull me in the direction they chose. Jas was already in the passenger seat, and I moved to join him. It seemed that the car was a bribe that wasn’t to be taken back, even if it was forced upon me. Though, they couldn’t have done much better with their choice of bribe, they must have done a check on the kinds of cars I boosted.

While I was brooding, I snatched up a pair of clothes that Jas brought and deposited them on the ground next to the car. There was no way I was going to be the first one to mess up this ride, and so carefully took off my ruined clothes and stuffed them into the brown bag, transferring my wallet and lucky quarter to the new pair of expensive jeans, once I had gotten them on. The routine of putting on some clothes had reduced my anger slightly, and by the time I entered and shut the car door, most of it had receded.

But it was still there, lurking, and so I delivered an ultimatum. “If anything like this happens again, we won’t last as friends.”

“Hey, man, we’re brothers now. We have to have each other’s back, even more so than we did previously. You have more rights than five minutes ago, so there’s less chance of being killed out of hand. That’s the good news. The bad news is that every Clan member is likely going to have an agenda concerning you, and not all of them are going to be looking out for your best interests. But don’t worry, I’ll see them coming, and should be able to reroute most of them out of our collective path.”

I responded by not responding. Confusing, maybe, but it gets the job done. Sometimes. It didn’t really help me this time, though, because I couldn’t help but grin boyishly as the car turned over. When I pushed down on the accelerator, the stock 550-hp engine in the GT 500 emitted a definite rumble. I further increased the pressure on the accelerator until the purring rumble became an earth-shaking roar. If there was anything that could sway me to join the dark side, this car was it. By this point, Jas was smiling, and we shared a quick grin. All sins are forgotten when fast cars enter into the equation. It was akin to blasphemy to bring your problems inside.

I released the clutch and gave it some gas, I didn’t even think about what might come next in my life. I didn’t dwell on the fact that my life would most certainly be in danger from now until my untimely demise. As I shifted into second gear around sixty, all that was left to worry about was the road. Of course, after that, I had to bring the speed down to the level designated by the flow of cars upon the thoroughfare. The street had too many hairpin turns for me to go any faster. The traffic hindered me even further, but I promised myself that I’d see what this baby could do, sooner or later.

Conversation was much less painful to instigate than expected. “So, you’re a rich shape-shifter who belongs to a secret club full of ‘em. And I’m a rookie something-or-other who just got a rude awakening.”

“Learn fast or die hard. That’s what they say right?” Jas replied thoughtfully.

I had to laugh at his stoic expression as he imparted this bit of information. “I think that’s ‘Live free or die hard.’” Close, I thought.

The streets were packed with the usual teeming masses, but it was less dense here, for this area was distant from any of the main thoroughfares. While I was enjoying the Mustang, the novelty of having a car was slightly diminished by my plight. Despite my earlier statement, it appeared that there were some exceptions to the rule when bringing problems into a car like this.

“You’ll be fine. I’ve got your back. There might be a whole new world out there that’s ready to eat you alive, but there are also places you’d never dreamed existed, with things that will literally blow the top off your head, if you stare too hard at them. My father has this amazing private library. I’m sure you can get your feet under you by learning more about what’s skulking around the dregs of society, snatching up the unwary.”

I didn’t enlighten Jas to the fact that I already knew much about the new world by proxy, through Jeeves. There just wasn’t any practical experience to go with the information, and that needed to be rectified. As he had yet to earn my full extension of trust, he didn’t get the full story.

Though the library could still be useful. At this stage, I only had vague notions of creatures straight out of fantasy, and not much more. I would need to work overtime to discover the particulars of this new development.

I presented Jas with a smile and a nod. “Yeah, sounds like a plan to me. I’ll check it out. Maybe I’ll learn something useful.”

An inquisitive glance was thrown my way, but Jas left it at that. “So, you ready for football? I’m sure you’d be numero dos on the team in a jiffy. Number two, of course, because you can never match my level of awesome.”

I hadn’t even thought about football since I had last spoken with Mr. Sanders. Although it sounded cliché, my perceptions had been altered to an astounding degree in the past day. I had my eyes opened to a world that is regarded as fantasy by the general population, including me. The fact that I had been introduced to it just when emerging from my own metaphorical cocoon helped in my digestion of it. I hadn’t even thought to question my sanity or the credulity of the situation after I first embraced my power. There was no mistake; this was no dream I was going to wake up from if I tapped my shoes together and recited a few lines of poetry or pinched myself hard enough. Next to everything that I had been introduced to, playing football was worth nada. Now that my existence was at stake, I doubted that time could be wasted on something as trivial as a game of ball. I told myself it wouldn’t be any fun, anyway, because I would be able to cream all of them with my newfound mojo.

I repeated that to myself several more times before I was able to make it stick as I pulled into the parking lot at the high school. Most everyone hadn’t arrived yet, so I drove into a desolate wasteland, with some life sprouting defiantly in the face of the early morning. Teenagers are not morning people. I picked a spot at random and decided that I would drown out all conversation with the extremely loud music and heated seats. I toggled the heated seat control switch for the passenger and driver then increased the volume so that the music was blasting. The radio defaulted to 94.9, so the music playing was naturally a cosmopolitan mix of horrible female singers and mostly mediocre rap.

Jas took all this in stride. I had a sudden perception that he was very sensitive when it came to moods, probably a super-duper mood sensor power or something like that. It became necessary for me to turn down the music when Em showed up at the passenger-side door. She was wearing a pink T-shirt that proclaimed “Bow Down Before The All-Powerful ___” The blank had been filled in with Em. She also was sporting a pair of jean shorts that couldn’t be close to regulation length. They made it next to impossible not to stare at some very shapely legs. Her smile was a brilliant flash of white teeth, but it lessened somewhat when her eyes settled on Jas. Apparently she didn’t hold much love for him, and it was clear that Jas was either completely ignorant of the fact or purposefully ignoring the subtle clues. It was odd that he could read me like a book but couldn’t do the same with Em. Maybe dampening my emotions was a developed skill.

I rolled down the passenger window with the switch and Em leaned inside the interior of the car as it completed its journey. The movement did some interesting things to the contours of her shirt, not that I was looking.

I tried to divide my attention between her face and her proclamation of greatness as she talked. I was just analyzing every facet of the situation, really. “Hey, Caleb, Jas, how are you? Nice car. I like the new look.” Her effervescent voice gave me the chills while simultaneously putting me on the edge.

I guessed that I wasn’t supposed to respond to about half of those statements, so I just commented on the one that wouldn’t have me thanking her all day. “I’m feeling different. How about you?”

The smile she gave me held an undertone that I couldn’t quite decipher, so I decided to put it off for further thought at a later date. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. “You sure look different. Oh, and I think we should talk after school, or whenever you can make the time… I have something important I need to tell you.”

I had a very reliable guess on what exactly she wanted to discuss. I knew now that she had picked me out from the moment she realized my gifts, and she was on me like a dollar meal at McDonald’s. I tapped my head a few times for a dual purpose: to dislodge the inactive brain matter that was dwelling within and to get Jeeves to pay attention. I didn’t think that my sixth sense was going to give me a sneak peek at Em, so I decided that it would be pertinent to have Jeeves have a look see. I couldn’t know whether he got anything, though because he didn’t initiate any mental communication, and I wasn’t about to. A guy can only do so many things at once. I presumed he was only being polite and not interrupting. That was definitely his style, for sure.

The bell rang, and I decided it was high time to break up the party. I waited for Em to extricate herself from the window and Jas to exit the side door before rolling it up and getting out. Then I closed the driver’s door possessively before locking it behind me. I shoved the keys into one of my front pockets due habit born through pangs of paranoia; I didn’t want to lose them to some average school pickpocket, or accidental misplacement. I knew it seemed an absurd statement to talk about thieves in a school filled with the rich and successful, but it appeared to me that the affluent were even worse thieves than the poor. Where those left without anything but the clothes on their back were reduced to stealing the bare essentials or begging for their lives, the rich stole from others just because they felt like they deserved your stuff.

Jas threw me a wave before ambling off. “See ya later, boss.”

I returned the gesture before pivoting toward Em. “Ready for a new day?”

She gave me a winning smile from over her shoulder. “Of course, silly. I’m always prepared for everything.”

I voiced my curiosity over Em’s previous comment. I didn’t see why it needed to wait ‘til after school. “So, what’s this thing you wanted to talk to me about?”

The look she gave me was intense, and direct. “Oh, I think you know, Caleb. We need to have a little chat about the abilities you’ve recently acquired. I think you’ll find yourself Enlightened, after I show you the way. Meet me in the stadium.”

I didn’t respond, mostly because I didn’t have even the fragmented pieces of an appropriate response. But she took my non-response as an admission of acceptance. She nodded to herself before her smile appeared once more.

Fifth period came and went in the blink of an eye, and I was in front of Coach Sanders, with Jas, shortly after I had changed into my P.E. clothes. We were in Sanders’ office, and it was a modest affair, severely lacking in the trophies one would expect to accumulate over the passing of years. When Jas and I entered, we found Mr. Sanders lounging in a black leather chair, feet propped up on an industrial desk. It was a cluttered mess occupied with photographs of family members, though there was one picture of a past championship, trophy held aloft in one of the coach’s powerful hands.

A gleeful smile lit up his face when he noticed our arrival. “Jas, my boy, it’s great to see you. Caleb, glad you came. Still interested in taking me up on my offer?”

I shifted from foot to foot restlessly, butterflies tingling relentlessly. I wasn’t sure how Mr. Sanders would take rejection and wasn’t keen on having yet another teacher who wished me ill. “Yeah, well, about that. A lot has happened, and I don’t think it’s possible to join the team. I’m going to have to devote a lot of my time to other pursuits, and I wouldn’t want to join the team without putting forth a full effort.”

I thought it was quite the eloquent speech. For a millisecond, the coach’s smile turned to ash and something close to exasperation replaced it, but it passed so quickly that I thought it was but my imagination that had conjured the image. A firm, whiter-than-white smile replaced it, and everything returned to normal. This was a kind, understanding person, not capable of being angry with me because it wasn’t in his nature.

His tone was ponderous when he responded, but light-hearted. “Caleb, that’s quite all right. I could have used someone like you, of course. We are going to the playoffs, and every advantage counts. I wish you luck in whatever you feel is necessary. If you ever need anything, just call.”

After finishing up my last class, P.E., I remembered with a start the meeting with Em.

“Oh hey, Jas, I’ve gotta go talk to Em. I’ll meet you later at your mansion.”

From my position, two lockers down from where Jas stood, it was clear he wasn’t sold on the idea. Maybe he wasn’t as oblivious to the way Em looked at him as he appeared to be. I wasn’t about to be mothered, though, no matter his misgivings.

“I dunno. You don’t even know how to get to my place. Maybe I should come with you.” His brows drew together.

My irritation trickled through my voice, giving it both a slightly petulant and angry tone. “Come on, man, you’re not my mother. This is Em we’re talking about. You look like you’re all roses with her. Don’t want me to cut in or something?”

“I’m just looking out for your best interests! And they include not getting killed. She may be a rose, but roses have thorns. Be careful not to be drawn in and come out pricked. If you were to die, I would be honor bound to go and avenge your death. I’ve got a lot of math homework, so don’t mess up, OK?”

I figured that was as close to a “be careful” as I was going to get to out of Jas, which was far more preferable than being coddled. He was beginning to get ready for football practice and, no doubt, I would soon be seeing Rex come around the corner if I waited long enough. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him at the moment and so decided that it was time to make my exit. I said my goodbyes and exited the locker rooms. My internal autopilot engaged, and I began the trek to the stadium.

— Chapter 5 —

I’d known Jas for all of two days and wasn’t sure how far to extend my trust across the still unstable bridge that had been forming. Sure, he was a nice guy, and we seemed like we would be tight excluding the addition of supernatural powers. When those were added into the mix, everything became cloudy. I couldn’t be sure how far I could trust someone when I had such a miniscule amount of time to gauge their depth of character. He had already given me reason to distrust him by shoving me into a brother-brother relationship.

I couldn’t see him as an enemy, as hard as I drove my overactive imagination to envision it. I knew when searching within every nook and cranny for enemies, they were sure to be found, which would transform me into a highly cynical and paranoid person, more so than I already was.

Everything crowded in the back of my mind upon arrival at the field. I prompted my temple with a physical tap, figuring that Jeeves would take notice and extricate himself from a slumbering state. He had been incognito all day; I presumed he was just exhausted from the training me, considering he was a mental construct in my mind. Of course, I had no idea whether all the supernatural could sense his presence when he took to the field. Although, there was a prevalent feeling harbored that Em and any other people like me would and could do so without any conscious thought. Jeeves’ energy would burn upon the senses of the Empowered like a torch set feet away from the skin. I could feel the pulse of the amulet, overlapping with my heartbeat. The warmth it radiated was comforting, a security blanket with more bite than the average bear.

Emily was sitting in the bleachers, on the far side of the field. She stood out from the cold metal framework, which was practically deserted, excepting a few juniors and seniors who congregated there after school. Nearing her, the tension within me increased in tempo to the beat of giant butterfly wings the size of an elephant. I was anxious to find out what Em had to share if it could provide me with more information on my enigmatic skillset. I had lost a part of myself after gaining the other, and was still attempting to reconnect the two wriggling new parts of my being. Maybe she would provide the bonding material that would tether them and enable me to move forward.

Her legs were crossed at the ankles languidly, on the bleachers. For a moment, she seemed lost, searching inside herself for a question in which only she knew the answer. She leapt up and gave me a hug as I neared her, and it was awkwardly reciprocated.

“It’s great to see you, Caleb! Sit down. We have a lot to talk about. Don’t be shy.” She patted the bench.

Twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, she began the speech, for that’s what it sounded like.

“I’m sure, by now you’ve noticed that you’re not quite normal. You have control over the five elements, and possibly another little special something. There’s something called The Coming of The Seven, and what remains of the prophecy speaks fairly clearly of what’s to transpire in the impending days. Death and destruction stand out like black sheep, but it will be over and fortune to follow. Like in any war, there are sacrifices that must be made. The Chosen Elite, naturally, will kick start the process and bring about an age of peace and prosperity to this moral wasteland.”

“The Chosen?”

She hesitated a moment before continuing. “The Chosen are an Order comprised of the most Elite of the Empowered, those who hold collective dominion over the five elements. They have dedicated themselves to bringing the world under their rule, so that every vestige of violence and killing will be eradicated from the face of this earth, and the pores of this planet be cleansed of its far-reaching corruption. All other preternatural creatures that are an abomination on this Earth must be eliminated with impunity, and they have taken the task upon themselves to do so. The Chosen will direct and control The Coming of The Seven to minimize casualties in the ensuing battle that will proclaim their arrival. The intent is to make this world a better place for everyone, and those with power to resist will do so with all the might at their command, in order keep that coveted control in their own sullied hands. It will be futile, of course. Their corruption will be their downfall. All evil will be snuffed out from the face of the Earth so that The Chosen may begin anew, in a world devoid of the depravity that saps at the very core of humanity’s essence. It will be a new world order, and you will be vastly rewarded for your help. You will have anything you wish or require, I assure you.”

I was so very screwed. Then, a poking sensation made itself known at my temple, precisely in the spot where I had tapped it before. The world shifted then altered dramatically before my eyes. Everything became vividly clear. A pulsating bracelet lay on Emily’s wrist that I hadn’t previously taken note of, and its representation was clearly defined in my mind. The squalor exuded was overpowering, and I couldn’t help but step backward in reaction to its rot. As I absorbed Em’s image, my surroundings became a visage of complete and utter clarity. Her eyes were black bottomless pits, where red-hot fire burned for eternity.

Jeeves shouted one word into my mind, bringing with it memories of a time long past. “RUN!”

I would never again run like a beaten dog with its tail between its legs. It was true I didn’t know jack squat about using my powers, but that didn’t make me powerless. So maybe Em had more time to learn proper control of her abilities, and maybe she had a propensity for insanity—not something I looked for in my women. But she didn’t seem like she wanted to kill me outright. I think she wanted to convert me to her little group of super-fanatics bent on destroying the world; cue maniacal laughter.

It looked like everyone in this new shadow world was just waiting to dig their claws into me. She didn’t seem like the head honcho, either. Otherwise she wouldn’t have given me such a spiel like that and frozen up when I asked her a question about it. So, I just sat there and ignored the increasingly desperate cries that Jeeves made, his mental shouts reverberating inside my skull. I had a question to ask and wasn’t going anywhere until I had an answer that sufficiently satisfied the burning desire within.

My voice was steel and barb wire. “Are your Chosen Elite holding my parents?”

A lull ensued, and it stretched into oblivion. Finally, Emily deigned to answer. “I have no authorization to provide you with that information. Come with me, Caleb, and discover the answer for yourself. You know you want to. The question eats at your soul. It consumes you.”

Her wrist dripped fire, melting a hole into the bleachers, and I figured there were about ten seconds remaining for me if the question wasn’t answered to her satisfaction. Belatedly, I thought to survey the area. True to my luck, there were figures in hoodies and jackets approaching from all angles, packing, no doubt. Then, there were others, and I could perceive that they could manipulate one or more of the elements. All in all, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I couldn’t help but think about how much ensuing gore there would be when I was squashed between them.

Even with my throat dry and voice shaky, I managed to elicit the appropriate response. “I was never really big on erotic fantasy clubs. Maybe later, though. I really should be going. I just realized that I have some exceedingly important homework to complete. We can explore this avenue tomorrow. How’s that sound?”

Em’s face turned into a vicious facsimile of a smile, and I figured it was about to get hot up in here. Jumping from bench to bench, I gathered up as much speed and inertia as possible without face planting into the next row of seats. In any other situation, this would have been an exhilarating experience, but it was hard to find the thrill in such things when you had some gun-toting maniacs along with some genetically challenged freaks on your ass. My day had definitely taken a turn for the worst.

It continued to worsen as fireballs whipped to the sides of me. I began taking evasive action, which consisted of running faster and faster, while cowering as much as was feasible while sprinting. My power was flooding through me unbidden, but harnessing it proved an impossible task, even with my life dangling by a thread. It did help, however, in identifying the fact that I was surrounded completely by gun-toting fanatics and Chosen Elite. Now I was never going to be able to finish that math homework. What a cruel world.

Oh well, might as well go down fighting, right? I reached deep inside myself and felt something tingling up my spine, setting my nerve endings ablaze. On the edge of thought something lurked, deep within the recesses of my mind. Then it beckoned to me, and I knew what it was. It was a long lost friend and enemy. It was might and it was power. Electricity tingled on my fingertips and for a brief second, I felt my power begin to respond and a feral grin grace my face before someone bludgeoned me from behind.

Black flooded my vision and the last thing I heard was Em’s urgent voice, but she wasn’t worrying about my health. “Quickly, over here. We must bring him before The Enlightened One!”

I awoke with a splitting headache. I couldn’t quite decide whether being alive was a good thing. There were stars dancing in my vision, and based on the scenery, there wasn’t much recommending my accommodations as five star. The room, if it could be called that, was a four-walled concrete structure. The door was set into the wall flush on the inside, and it didn’t appear to be unlocked, unfortunately. I was sitting tied to a chair with an extremely tight length of rope. It had no give whatsoever, and thus no hope of going anywhere, anytime soon. The worst part, as was customary, was saved for last, and I saw them when turning to look over my right shoulder.

On a stainless steel medical tray sat some very interesting looking instruments. I didn’t think surgery was necessary, though, and the tools didn’t look as if they were used to stitch together wounds. Torture implements. Update from my previous condition: I was so fucking screwed. Biting the inside of my mouth, I narrowly prevented the moan that sought to escape from between my lips. I began an extensive search for the tiniest scrap of power. When it obliged to answer my call a slow, bitter trickle that fouled the mouth with its impotence was the only success. There must be something about the room that interfered with my mojo. I released what power that had been harnessed, a paltry stream that instantly was engulfed by the burning, arid desert I occupied.

I never would have thought to prepare for a situation such as this. It was live or die on the streets. No one was going to take you back for some sick, personal amusement. Unfortunately, there were few choices, since I was doomed to remain until I could find a way out. I would have to bide my time, make a run for it when the opportunity presented itself, because there was no way I was going out like this.

I attempted to reach Jeeves through our mental link, but my head was ringing so loudly that there was no way to get a clear message through. The door to my cell opened wide, held by a dedicated goon in army fatigues for the clinically insane. His face was marred by a set of claw marks, and there was barely enough left of the skin above his right eye to allow him the luxury of blinking. Behind the crazed fanatic in dire need of a home makeover was another man altogether, and he looked like he could chew nails for breakfast and spit out origami. There was nothing about the big bulk of his neck or the size of his arms that put out the prey vibe. His enormous size was complemented by a face marked with brutal intent, in a fistfight with this guy, you would run for your mommy as fast as your legs could carry you.

His face squirmed in the light of the cell, most likely reacting to the debilitating loss of power that came with the furnished facilities. The goon behind him made no such untoward reaction, and I could only presume that he was either very controlled in concealing his emotions or that he was just plain mortal. A zealot was worse than any preternatural being, in my opinion. They would charge into the fray with suicidal zeal and an ecstatic smile upon their faces.

I held myself rigidly in place as murder faced me head on, knowing that flinching was the worst thing I could do. Take a viper, for instance. You fall into the nest of a viper, while not happy to see you, it’s not quite sure what to do with you, either, If you move a solitary muscle, that viper, still bloated on the remains of its previous meal, will strike mercilessly. It will attack, and you will soon be reduced to nothing more than another meal long forgotten, once digested thoroughly enough. Looking directly into the brown eyes of the Viper, as he had come to be regarded in my mind, I stared defiantly with every ounce of strength left to muster.

A gentle curvature of his mouth expressed base delight, or genuine amusement. “Ah, my boy, so good to see you… Yes, great to finally meet you in the flesh. I hope that you find your accommodations satisfactory? Yes, I thought so. Splendid, just splendid. I am, of course, Martin Drake, also known as The Enlightened One in more knowledgeable circles. You, Caleb, have great potential as a force for good, and I’m here to discuss your future.”

He couldn’t just be a conniving, big brute of a man that was used to getting his way. He had to be both of those things, as well as sharp as a tack. I doubted many things escaped this man’s attention, and that made him way more dangerous.

I didn’t remove the anger or sarcasm from my voice. “You know, I think we’d be on better speaking terms if you took these off.” I glanced at my restraints. “My arms are just so terribly sore. It makes it hard to pay attention.”

The deep basso chuckle that emanated from the Viper’s mouth was one of amusement. “Of course, Caleb, I can make such things go away.” He snapped his fingers, which was likely unnecessary, and the rope that held me vanished.

I rubbed my arms, testing the bruises that were rapidly appearing on my tortured skin. I didn’t think that anyone could do such a thing with the drain this room was employing on those within its confines. It was a display of power, certainly, one that was meant to keep me on edge and demonstrate the talent in Earth he possessed. It was yet to be seen whether he could exert control over any of the other elements, but it seemed either way I was at a serious disadvantage. My head pounded, reminding me of one more thing that was causing disquiet. I attempted to break through the fuzz that defined my brain activity in order to contact Jeeves and failed. I was in no condition to put up significant resistance. It was best to wait this one out.

I was outclassed, and we both knew it. “Okay, let’s have it then,” I motioned impatiently with one hand and slid down the wall closest to the surgical implements.

He noticed my attempt, albeit a feeble one at that. Surely he could make the other things disappear too, if he so chose. I could also sense metal around him, now that I was closer, the smell of copper filings and steel piping was overpowering. Goon numero uno made a move as if to thrash me for impudence, but one solitary finger and a nod from Martin Drake stopped him firmly in his tracks. He assumed his position at the door, stoic in his duties. When the Viper wishes to stalk its prey, it hides in the foliage and brush, or lies in its den and waits. That’s what I understood to be going on as he whispered sweet nothings into my ears, hoping to lure me into its lair.

“My son, you must trust my benign intentions. I am The Enlightened One of the Order of The Chosen, the most Elite of this organization. I seek to bring peace to the world, and all those in it. The only thing I require is your assistance, and you shall be granted anything within my power, which will be nigh unparalleled. Think of the possibilities! You can rule under me, with riches beyond that of any man in the known universe.”

This, I vaguely understood, was the part where he expected me to be groveling at his feet, but I was never the one to give into temptation. Plus, my gut told me I wouldn’t enjoy being this man’s second in command. I figured that I had months to live after his mad quest for world domination was completed–where was that maniacal laughter soundtrack, again?–and in the meantime, I would be able to rule a plot of desolate wasteland while I waited for my scheduled demise. I realized my end would probably be met here and now, and so prepared myself for an untimely demise.

In the time that between getting up and snatching a scalpel off the tray, the dedicated zealot had my arms pinned behind my back in a death grip. I slumped in his grasp and looked into the eyes of my presumed killer with wrath. I tried to summon my power once more, but it was useless between the resistant cell and my aching head. There was no rescue party coming for me, no avenue of escape that readily presented itself.

I was well and truly dicked. The truth is, when you’re forced into a situation where there’s no evident escape route, and you’re probably not going to see the sunrise, you realize what you’re made of. You can cower away, kicking and screaming to the bitter end, while wading in self-loathing and despair. Or you just spit directly into the eye of Death as he drags you through his inky black gates. Certainly not a puppet to be used at someone else’s discretion, I was determined to cut the lead lines at the source with whatever force was required.

Then, everything became clear, informing me what was occurring, and had been for as long as I was contained within this cell. A hazy recollection appeared in the forefront of my mind, revealing another person in a cell eerily similar to my own box of death. There were torture implements in one corner, however, they were crudely battered into their shape with inexpert methods. The walls were a slate gray, emanating a dark and foreboding sensation that was all but overmastering in its intensity.

The entrapped prisoner was barely old enough to be called a man, twenty-one at most. His clothes were in tatters, and they came from an age before this one by a long shot. His face was battered and bruised, scratched and bleeding. One eye was completely swollen shut, most likely from a punch that left the mystery man reeling, if the colorful disfiguration was anything to go by. The rest of his body presented more of the same kinds of injuries, some lighter, some so horrific that I was amazed he was still clinging so resolutely to life. The image became hazy once more and then crystal clear, except for one thing, which was markedly distinctive. The walls were literally sucking the life force out of his body.

There was practically no vitality, nor light left inside the prisoner, however, he still clung voraciously to the tenuous hold he maintained on his life force. The man was a vacuous husk, but was unwilling to release his hard-won purchase, no matter the cost to his wasted form. What drove him past the bounds of a lesser man’s will to thrive was beyond me. He was the epitome for an unrelenting personality, one who would fight until the bitter end, whether, because it was the right thing to do, to spite another, or out of mule-headed stubbornness. The last thing I saw before the connection was severed, and reality pervaded my vision once more, was another feeble light, clinging desperately to its owner as every vestige of power was extracted from it.

I was transported back into my body instantaneously and dramatically. The Viper was right up in my bubble, as if he had sensed that some crucial component had been altered for the worst. His goon was still standing still in the entrance. I knew now though that to stay in this room would surely result in the death of me. If Drake’s offer wasn’t accepted, it seemed that I would be left in here to be persuaded or succumb to a lingering and painful death.

The fog in my mind lifted, but only marginally. It would have to be enough, because the Viper knew what I was up to and wasn’t enjoying my liveliness. He was much more experienced in rationing his power, and I was sure that that a fair fight would be lost. So, doing what came naturally, I didn’t fight fair. Summoning every shred of power that could be coaxed out of the recesses of my mind, I held it at the ready. There was that tingling sensation on the edge of my consciousness, the one I had previously experienced before being knocked into next week. Latching on to the feeling with all my mental might, the power accepted my offering greedily.

It manifested in the air in gyrating orbs, vibrant arcs, hissing and crackling threateningly. It was fashioned into traceries of power that arced off of my body in waves. The lightning was a part of me, a memory that was previously clouded and obscured. It was the sensation one felt when their sight is returned to them after being in oppressive darkness. There was no way in hell I would be separated from it.

Goon numero uno’s eyes bugged out of his head at the lightning, and the Viper crouched into a defensive position. I didn’t give him the chance to decide. Bolts of lightning sparked and flashed, striking my two captors before they were able to respond violently. I kicked both of them while they were down, for good measure. Their nervous systems had gone haywire and they were convulsing on the ground as if they had been shot with a Taser on steroids. To be accurate, they probably had.

As I turned to shut the door and lock them inside, The Viper left me with a few parting words. “We have your parents, Caleb. You’ll be back!” The gravity of the words was lightened slightly by the pauses and stutters in his broken speech.

So, Jas had been right, they did have my parents. Drake was right, too, as I felt a ball coalesce in my gut. There was anger, determination, despair, but also hope, all squished down until the task at hand could be properly focused upon. I couldn’t allow myself to be captured again. If I missed my chance here, I wasn’t going to get another and would be in no condition to do anything more than moan in the following victory dictations. There was nothing to it, really. Having sporadic control of my powers wasn’t going to get me anywhere in a head-on confrontation.

So I ran. My mantra became live today, fight another day. That was the idea, but it was significantly more difficult to make myself leave. The corridors were of a similar color to the cell, without the dismal mood emanating from them. More doors lay along the seemingly endless corridor, set flush to the wall like my own cell. Every twenty or so yards a new branch would appear and identical doors would stare back at me when I dared to glance from my headlong rush. All the rooms wouldn’t have been protected, obviously, only the cells where the “genetically challenged” prisoners were held. Fluorescent lights flickered then exploded outwards as I ran by them, as lightning trailed alongside, hissing and crackling venomously.

Of course, that was when the alarms started to go off. I was never overly lucky about these kinds of things. A gong the size of King Kong must’ve been ringing somewhere, because entire walls vibrated dangerously with the shock of its tolling. Each toll brought with it a larger tremor, coming closer to an earthquake with every ring. The cacophony was horrendous. I continued running down the same corridor, never ceasing my continuous lope, bulling through my aches and pains accrued through my restraints and inactivity.

By this point, my feet were leaden and my lungs had long been set ablaze. Every step was a colossal effort of will, becoming increasingly difficult with the continued passage of time. The only thing that kept me moving was the fear of what awaited me if I halted my progress. A deep knowing overcame me, and I understood that I would be as good as dead whether I was a rapidly disintegrating husk in that cell or a subservient slave to the Viper. Risking a glance behind me, what I saw turned the blood in my veins to ice. Chosen Elite of all ages were sprinting after me, no doubt intent on a group hug. Some of them toted guns, and I could only extrapolate that they were regular goonies that were alerted by the still-tolling alarm system. That thing was ridiculous, but it did seem to be working properly.

When I began to believe that there was no hope, a tenuous lifeline was thrown to me. The corridor branched off again, and a couple hundred yards down the new hallway, I saw, quite literally, the light at the end of the tunnel. Full to bursting with elation, I could almost cry, but had a sneaking suspicion that if I did, my newly acquainted electric friends would zap my tears to smithereens, or provide me with one hell of a shock. Plus, how would it look to be on the ground balling when my new acquaintances caught up with me? Unfortunately, while looking behind me for the second time, it became apparent that there were seconds remaining to me before capture. I remembered jumping from rooftop to rooftop with Jas, the precision of execution, the speed and thrilling agility. It seemed this was a common application of Air because about ten Chosen behind me were blurring as they gained on me with ferocious intensity, purple wisps streaming behind them.

I strove for some additional speed out of my burning legs, but failed. I was maxed out and there was nothing more that could be done without blowing a gasket. Even the electricity around me sputtered and went out. I was still a couple hundred feet away from salvation when everything went to shit. The Chosen Elite who had employed Air came level, and they had formed a rough square around me. After grasping uselessly at my power, I tried to conjure some form of resistance, but to no avail. A variety of psycho-killer color schemes were blurring around me, and I braced myself for action. Whether man or woman, they all wore identical grins of undisguised glee. Eternal glory for killing me and all that jazz, I was sure.

Spots danced at the periphery of my vision, while my neck muscles strained against the immense weight they were being forced to carry. My arms were burning with the strain they sustained, and my useless legs were merely a Jell-O. Although not prepared to put up major resistance, I forced myself into a facsimile of a fighting stance. No way was I going down without taking the whole lot down with me. It wouldn’t bode well for my reputation. The Chosen Elite approached, their onslaught varying in speed and intensity. Realizing that my destiny was slipping through my fingers, I held myself together for the collision course that seemed to be all but inevitable.

Suddenly, Were converged upon me, dashing into the midst of the Chosen Elite. I think I was as surprised as they were. I knew on a subliminal level that Jas was in the pack, standing before me, an avenging angel. Although motley and eclectic, there was a pack standing between me and the bad guys; that’s what counted in my book. Three of them, Wolf, Cheetah, and Tigress, were recognizably female. The remaining five, wholly male defined by their masculine build and form, ranged from Panther, Eagle, Tiger, Mountain Lion, and of course, Skin Walker. Each Were had a distinct flavor, their scent lingered upon the air as their claws and teeth shredded their prey into bite-sized pieces.

They were the embodiment of the hunt. The Chosen fell back from them, burned. The scent of fear was on the air, and the predators, eager in their bloodlust, fell upon their enemies. It was almost their undoing. A definite pressure was building on the air, and I knew instinctively what it was. Fire. It was about to get uncomfortably steamy up in here. They were going to let all of their people roast if they could take us with them.

There was no way in hell to block the Fire that was about to barrage my saviors and myself. Shit. Instinctively, my remaining power was bent toward projecting my voice upon the air. My face was sweating with the effort. My vision was obscured in shades of black and red, and I seized continued consciousness with every stubborn scrap of my remaining will.

The last vestiges of power scarcely at my command, I shook the walls with the power of my voice. “THEY’RE BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN!”

My vision receded further, contracting to a tunneling pinprick of light that granted me the small allowance of seeing my fate, fast approaching. Falling backwards, the light pin-wheeled sickeningly, following the path of my eyes like Bugs Bunny had just pulled his escape route after him. My nerves were fire. My brain was mush inside of my skull. When my concussed head finally came to rest upon the ground, I could see the extent of the stone corridor. Massed behind our melee menaced the remainder of the pursuing Elite, and the ones in front didn’t look like they wanted to give us a kiss, unless it was the kiss of death. The last thing I remembered before falling into oblivion was maniacal laughter and the spread of fire.

— Chapter 6 —

Pain signaled my continued survival in the world of the living. Straining, I found it was almost beyond my ability to maintain an upright position. Those ever-present spots danced a merry jig in my vision, making themselves comfortable for their extended stay. My clothes were pitted with holes. I did a quick system check and found everything was attached in the right places. Besides some small burns and contusions, everything appeared up to par on the exterior. My insides felt like major crap, and with arms and legs shaking, my guts akin to mummified husks of internal organs, I definitely didn’t feel like doing any calisthenics.

The second I went vertical, Jas was at my side. “Hey, man, you okay? You look like shit. Did you jump out of a car, or something?”

Carefully looking him over with a weary eye, it didn’t escape my notice that he was covered in burns. Jas had taken the brunt of the heat so that I wasn’t charred to a crispy marshmallow like he was. What a sentimental sap. “You look like you went to a tanning salon and turned the temperature up to ‘Full-Fake Bake.’ You know those things give you cancer, right?” My voice was rough and gritty, hardly recognizable.

Jas grinned, though the effort appeared to pain him. “Oh this? It’s nothing. I’ve done more damage straightening my hair.”

“All joking aside, what the hell happened back there?”

Jas itched irritably at one of the gauze pads on his arm. “Well, those Chosen crazies caved in the damned tunnel with that amazingly stupid experiment on the effects of fire on tunnel systems. For all I know or care, every single one of those fanatics is dead or dying underneath the earth. We made it out alive, obviously, though had to take out the rest of the Air users that kept pursuing us. They were a bunch of pansies, anyway. So, you didn’t miss much, not really. I got you back home safe and sound while you slept like a baby, and all the Virgins sang hallelujah.”

My eyes bulged. “Well, I suppose I didn’t, then. Maybe next time you should show up for the premiere, instead of the finale. It was something to be gawked at, that’s for sure.”

Jas finally composed himself and put on a serious face for our discussion. “What happened, man? I thought you were a goner, for sure.”

My eyes clouded over, and I was transported back to the escape from that cold, miserable room, and the confrontation that occurred. “Em… Emily betrayed me. Her head is screwed on far looser than I would have guessed. She had back up. I got sucker punched from behind. The cell they had me in was sucking the juice right out of me, and it was out of my capabilities to combat it. I was dying. There was this Viper… Martin Drake that showed up for a heart to heart, giving me the age-old live-and-serve-or-die-horribly speech. I declined, and… something happened. Though there weren’t more than a few drops of power left in me, but there was something primal inside of me that beckoned and joined the party. The sensation was like gaining the use of an atrophied limb. Lightning, Jas, I called lightning! There wasn’t much more to it after taking down Drake and the goon he brought with him, but getting out of there on the double. That’s when I ran into you, not that any help was needed, or anything.”

I didn’t think it prudent to cue him in on the memory experienced in the cell that revealed the truth of my predicament. Hell, I still felt too unsure about this to do anything productive with it. This was something that would be better off forgotten until there was time to discuss the topic with Jeeves. Most likely, that cell had affected him aversely, if the lifelike recollection was anywhere near accurate. He would need some time to recuperate before showing his grouchy face again, so I might as well enjoy the leisure time while it lasted.

Jas witnessed my face go vacant, my eyelids sag. “You should get some rest, man. You’ve been through a lot. I’ll see you when you wake up again. Want me to tuck in your covers and kiss you goodnight? No? All right, fine!” He backed quickly out of range before a half-hearted swipe could connect.

Despite my best efforts to take in the details of my surroundings, they dimmed to inky blackness as sleep overtook me.

Darkness stretched infinitely. Lifetimes could be spent traveling this place and one wouldn’t find the end of it. Orbiting black holes intertwined with balls of effervescent light ranging from red to deep purple, and the effect dazzled. It seemed I was standing in an undefined and dangerous portion of my brain. To tell you the truth, I was afraid of what secrets might be unearthed here. The black holes, the lights, they all represented my memories, thoughts, and experiences. Who knew what could lurk in the corners of such things, what wisdom one would gain from reliving various experiences in life?

I didn’t know, and wasn’t prepared to discover the truth of the matter. So, I drifted aimlessly, muttering and brooding. It was high time to reflect upon the past few days of my life. What if I hadn’t been able to call the lightning, where would I be now? Dead, or worse, probably. Emily had been working behind the scenes, manipulating me when her implicit actions were least expected. My mind revolved backwards, recollecting every tarnished nanosecond I had spent in her company. She had come off as a straightforward, polite, and emphatic person. Sure, there was palpable tension that arose between her and Jas. But, there hadn’t been undeniable evidence that pointed toward a psychopathic bitch that wanted to bring the world to its knees.

That was the problem with me, finding a girl without a propensity for psychotic breaks appeared out of my reach. Em just had to be psychopathic, of course. I had fallen head over heels for her in the beginning, right into her web of lies. Blinded by stupidity, only half of the image had been clear to my dysfunctional equipment. She had been trying to get inside my guard in order to entrap me. She had power, and whether or not she had more than I did, she had an extended period to hone her abilities. Whoever thought to have girls mature faster than boys? Obviously, someone had it in for all the hapless fellows out there; we didn’t stand a chance.

At this point, it seemed all I could do was react to an increasingly complicated turn of events. Any practice wielding my abilities would require time before I could exert significant control. I was starting to get a little pissed off about the proceedings. Kidnapping, for one, wasn’t on my bucket list, and I never planned on becoming some nuclear powerhouse to be fought over like a bowl of candy. It was taxing, being pulled this way and that, by multiple and opposing sides that all wanted a piece of the pie. My gut informed me that Jas was on my side, and that would have to prove adequate, for now. Jeeves didn’t seem to be on anyone’s side except his own and that comforted me, for some unknown reason. There were no fallacies behind his eyes, nor was there need for them given that he lived in my head.

The scenery around me suddenly shifted, startling me from my ruminations. Blackness was replaced by forest, miles upon miles that stretched into the indeterminable distance. Finding myself within a glade, I was surrounded on all sides by a plethora of trees that were of such varied backgrounds that I couldn’t even begin to identify them. The grass around me shone with vitality, grasping upwards into the air with vibrant tenacity. The sky above me was a crisp, clean sapphire, unblemished and without a trace contamination. Diamond streamers of clouds pranced across the sky, zigzagging about in an unrecognizable pattern. Everything was bursting with a liveliness that surpassed any vegetation in the modern world. Even the sun appeared more alive, a crimson ruby hanging upon the horizon, as if it wished to stay awhile longer in this forest wonderland.

While still gazing around myself, Jeeves jarred me from my studies. “You know, some people knock before they barge into someone else’s room. You can’t just drift anywhere you want in your mind without a care in the world.”

I didn’t exactly agree with all of what Jeeves said, but my mind adhered to the first portion of his tirade. “This is your… room? It’s very… spacious.”

He snorted. “Such is the only analogy that would make sense to your slow-witted, sleeping mind. This is the center of my power, and so it is anything I wish it. It can be fashioned into whatever pleases me. The same could be done in the center of your own power, if you had the focus and determination to do such a thing. Something on this scale, however, is likely out of reach of your mortal competency. This forest stretches on for hundreds of miles, and it is one of my fondest memories.”

I let that seep into my understanding, slowly, and had to agree that my mind wasn’t working at its optimal level, like it was tuned in to a different plane of thought, and, as such, its mode of thinking had altered accordingly.

“As interesting as that all is, there’s some things we need to talk about. Sorry about barging in without knocking and all, but the door was unlocked. You do remember the part where I was betrayed, kidnapped, escaped, and was rescued, I presume?”

Jeeves proceeded to grumble under his breath for a few long moments, pacing around the glade with restless anxiety. When he finally responded, his statement was terse, stoic. “Yes, I recall the events quite vividly, and I recommend you don’t let something like that occur again. You would be pushing the limits of Lady Luck’s obvious endearment for you, if that was permitted for a second time.”

Jeeves was never emotionless, and that alone put me on edge. Something was missing here, and it looked like no epiphanies would be forthcoming from my other half. He was hiding something, and I opened my mouth to voice accusations.

“Well, this has been a great chat and all,” Jeeves said, “But I really should be getting back to pining about the past, and you should be awake. Dream time is volatile, obviously, and you’ve been asleep much longer than you know.” With those parting words, Jeeves gave me a swift, hard slap to the face.

I convulsed upwards in the king-size bed where I had passed out and rubbed my still smarting jaw. Muttering under my breath about paybacks, my eyes began to drift across the room. There were expensive-looking red drapes covering the windows, and the persistent chirping of birds coupled with pervasive sunlight informed me that it was already the following morning. A heavily lacquered dresser sat in one corner of the room, and in the other was an old writing desk, darkened with age. The floor was marble, and my bare feet found it bitterly cold when they came to rest upon it. Having noticed without preamble that I was wearing only boxers and bandages, I set out to ferret out the salvation to my plight. The dresser was the likely remedy, and so I ambled toward it with a severe lack of any pain.

Odd, it seemed that the day’s rest had been rejuvenating. After rifling through the stocked dresser while tearing off my bandages, I was surprised to find that the bruises, cuts, and burns had all vanished from where they had previously taken up residence in my vision. It seemed that I had healed quickly, and was glad for that. Going anywhere covered in contusions, such as these would be sure to garner the attention of every person that happened to lay eyes on me. After removing the offending bandages from my skin, I donned a pair of black jeans and struggled into a black silk shirt.

Soon, I was opening the double doors that adjoined a grand hall set on the second floor of a magnificent mansion and confronted with a butler. At first glance, he seemed only that. Common sense almost kicked in too slow to refrain myself from reacting with brutal force when I realized exactly what it was. It was a ghoul, and a nasty one at that, even though it seemed more refined than some of his brethren. Truthfully, none of them were particularly easy on the eyes, from what the images Jeeves provided indicated. Long black claws that were suited for nothing but rending and tearing jutted out from the sleeves of a very expensive suit, and the feet were of a similar appearance, when I gawked down upon them. Its face and body was a parody of a man’s, as if a child had stretched and mangled its features into something hardly recognizable as human. Beady black eyes studied me silently as my face, no doubt, went through some highly entertaining visages.

I vaguely recalled that ghouls were a human subspecies that went horribly wrong, or horribly right, in someone’s perspective. The race of ghouls was first spawned from a select group of humans, altered magically into a hideous reproduction of their previous existence. They were meant to be eternally obedient to their master, reproduce at an atrocious rate, and have a propensity for being utterly ruthless. Pure and simple, ghouls were highly efficient killing machines. Solely carnivores, they preferred to feast upon the flesh of humans, when such fare was available. The dark magician that attempted to control such a violently primitive race was killed by his own creation, a rather fitting punishment for his deeds. On the other hand, the world was flooded with a new race, lurking in the shadows of every child’s nightmare and under all available bed spaces. This knowledge, I realized, was coming through a metaphorical phone line, the connection provided by the one and only, Jeeves.

Needle sharp teeth announced a raspy voice that was not meant for human speech. “Good morning, masterrr. I ssssssee you have recovered from yourrr orrrdeal. Very good, masterrr. Please, Pleassse, come thisss way, Masterrr wishes to sspeak with you.”

One clawed appendage indicated the spiral staircase, and I proceeded to follow the ghoul/butler to wherever it planned on leading me. The steps were constructed from a highly polished hardwood, and although they seemed old, they neither squeaked nor groaned under my weight during our descent. The ground level was straight out of a Hollywood movie. There were hand-painted hanging portraits adorning every available wall space, depicting various family members in their Sunday best. Enormous couches dominated the majority of the space, but were complemented by various furnishings arrayed around the room. Expensive rugs adorned much of the ground, no doubt accumulated through much time, effort, and a whole truckload of gold.

We proceeded outside, where I was, once again, dazzled by the riches that confronted me. A circular stone driveway surrounded a gigantic fountain, before it continued down to a state-of-the-art remote controlled electronic gate and security personnel. It was probable that many of those who made up the security team weren’t remotely close to the definition of human. Trees and shrubbery were artfully placed and maintained but also served to guard against any prying eyes outside the property. No one would be able to get the tiniest glimpse of the interior of the grounds without being noticed by the swiveling cameras mounted upon the tall metal fences or the personnel that patrolled them.

The vibrant scents and sounds of wildlife and flowers permeated my senses, which exuded from the gardens that surrounded the anterior portion of the estate. Having spotted my final destination denoted by a break in the scenery where Jas and his father were currently sparring, I redirected my course accordingly. Nearing them, I discerned that they both held slim rapiers, inelegantly decorated, but lethal in every aspect of their design.

Nearing the pitched battle, I began to seriously doubt that Jas’ dad was merely the owner of some clubs in downtown San Francisco, even ignoring the whole supernatural thing. This guy was a serious mover and shaker, and I had better be careful where I stepped. The two blades could scarcely be followed, they were moving so fast. Even my newly upgraded eyes were hardly a match for all the parries, slashes, and stabs that took place in the arena. Sweat streamed freely across both opponents’ bodies. They were intensely focused upon the task at hand, and it took some time before I they noticed me. The duel ended with exhausted sighs from both parties, rather than the dramatic flourish of swords one might expect in ostentatious swordplay.

As they wiped themselves down thoroughly with hand towels, I took the time to examine Jas’ father. He was a well-built and statured man, probably 6’2. His forearms were scarred and bulging from years of hard work. He had hardly an ounce of fat on him, and though his salt and pepper hair hinted at age, it was frustratingly difficult to identify how old he was. His handsome face was marred only by a scar across the right cheek. Sparkling blue eyes, full of mirth at the moment, seemed capable of any feat. This was a man who was accustomed to getting his way not because of the money in his bank account, but by strength of personality and prodigious will. I didn’t know how far the vein ran, but to be as successful as he was, one had to possess a vein of ruthlessness coupled with boundless determination.

A deep basso rumble announced the arrival of a voice upon the air. “Why, Caleb, it’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Noah Franklin is the name, but you’re welcome to call me Noah. No formalities here, with family.” He eyed me, calculating.

My impression of the man was positive, right up to the point where I was reminded of the adoption that had occurred behind my back, the bastard. An unyielding ball of anger formed in the pit of my stomach. I never sought to be adopted, this man before me had done so, without even the courtesy of asking for my consent. Most likely, he would dangle some bribe as enticement in order to get into my good graces. Wait, he already did, in the guise of the Mustang, wherever she had gotten off to.

My voice wasn’t as calm and collected as bravado demanded when I responded. “You…” I paused, allowing the pregnant silence to stretch uncomfortably. “Just want to use me. A family doesn’t operate on those standards and if you think you can buy me then you’re going to see otherwise, pops. We better get that straight right now, or we’re going to have some problems, and your beautifully maintained gardens are going to be lesser for it.” I eyed the offending foliage meaningfully, driving home my point.

The belly laugh startled me as much as anything because I was preparing to put Jeeves in sword mode right then, whether or not he was still occupied daydreaming about his precious forests. Jas, in contrast, was busy looking startled. I was reasonably sure that he wasn’t used to people disrespecting his father so openly. His jaw hung open, and before his image was further ruined, he hastily righted it. His ice-blue eyes were the only things that further betrayed his shock; they stood wide with fear, or perhaps apprehension.

Noah’s blue eyes twinkled, underscoring merriment and high spirits. Whether this was from a slaughter to come, or something else, had yet to be revealed. “You, kid, have got guts. Others have been eviscerated for far more inconsequential acts of defiance. And on my own property, no less.” There was a pause, a play-mocking rendition of my own previous one, and it lingered upon the air for several seconds before being filled once more. “But I would expect nothing less from my own kin. You were not adopted for some extravagant manipulation, I assure you, and I expect this is the conclusion you will determine on your own, given time. The others of my Clan, they have their own plans for you, which vary significantly in each instance, and I’ll do my best to secure your position before they can further them. You were taken under my wing and protection partially for our mutual benefit, but also to protect you from the Clan’s far-reaching hand. I will garner more clout from the mere presence of one of The Seven, my support and status will be bolstered. I harbor no illusions, however, of controlling your actions. You are free to come and go as you please, no questions asked. However, on occasion, it would be courteous if you did involve me in the more dangerous altercations. I am not without influence, and can be a great asset, to be utilized in times of need.” Noah coughed, obviously uncomfortable with the whole ordeal. “You, in turn, will obviously garner the influence under my command, and the rights gained by being an affiliate of the Were Clan, of course.” He stumbled over that last bit, but the catch didn’t bother me. “I will explain that portion in further depth at a later time. You also get a roof over your head, a full belly, clothes to wear, deep pockets, and a family out of the deal.” He paused, apparently expecting applause or something of the sort. It wasn’t worthy of the response, and so I didn’t supply one.

I allowed him to terminate his speech peacefully and ran it through my mind a couple of times before offering a response. “So, this is all mine,” I spread my hands expansively, “and at only a 0.9% interest rate and a six month money-back guarantee?” The bullshit came spontaneously and without any effort on my part. It was my defense mechanism, and had just shifted into overdrive.

Noah sighed. “Kid, I’m not trying to put a bit in your mouth. Stop bucking at nonexistent reins. I was like you, once, an orphan out on the streets, left to fend for myself, and someone took me in, too. I’m really just paying my dues, and if a teensy bit more clout can be gleaned out of the deal, then who can blame me?” To emphasize his point, he held out thumb and pointer finger, spacing them an inch apart from each other. His whole demeanor said he was being just plain candid with me now.

I budged, if only a centimeter, surprising myself. “All right, say I buy all of it. Then what?”

He spread both his hands out in front of him. “Then… nothing. Except you get to live a life in the lap of luxury, in a family minus a mother that expects nothing in return that isn’t first given freely. In time, I think you will come to understand that.” A genuine smile flitted across Noah’s face before disappearing back into the folds of his sweat-streaked clothes.

When something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Or at least, that’s what I’d heard. I hadn’t actually had anything relatively pleasant enter into my life, and thus, no experience in the matter. Was this believable, that some old-toad Skin Walker got sentimental regarding someone who had provided a helping hand in his past, and was only reciprocating to a down-and-out kid who happens to be genetically challenged? I’d be stretching to say that was the only deciding factor in my adoption. Now, enhancing the extra spin with my potential power, then the equation might balance out, might being the operable word. “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” said Roosevelt. He sure had it right. No one was going to be using me for their own devices, and I was confident that if things went south, I could probably do something. That would have to be enough.

“Uh… All right I suppose. Though don’t think that I’ll be so easily manipulated, and that I can’t defend myself.” I glared.

That telling twinkle returned to Noah’s eye. “I would expect nothing less.” He gave the swords a meaningful, playful look. “Jas here had planned on taking you into the city today for a little R&R. Are you up for it? From what I’ve heard, you endured quite an ordeal at the hands of the Chosen Elite.”

“What about school?”

He took some time to ponder the predicament before giving me the desired response. “School will have to be postponed until further notice. I have a dangerous impression that the Darkness has yet to make its move, and it won’t be through with you for a long, long time. Death rides upon your shoulder, son, for all those who would care to see it, and not all of those who discover you will be well-wishers like me, as I’m sure you have concluded from your heart-to-heart with The Chosen.” He winced sympathetically. “Homeschooling will have to be put into effect but allow me to handle that at a later time, when things have calmed down enough for less pressing undertakings. Surely you would much rather spend my money and enjoy the sunshine. I insist on buying you whatever you wish as a contribution to girls everywhere, however, don’t break my checkbook, please.”

“That sounds very generous of you, as my wardrobe has become threadbare, of late.” I grinned in return. “Trouble seems to follow me like a lost puppy, and it’s unlikely anything will change with my induction into this… society. As much as I’d like to go, I’m still pretty beat up. Plus, I think I’d still stand out like high-flying fireworks on the Fourth of July.” Considering my not-so-complete trust in Noah and Jas as well as my incipient paranoia, I couldn’t let them know that I was already completely recovered from my encounter with The Chosen. Though, from the gaze the two shared, my charade hadn’t fooled anyone.

Jas had been uncharacteristically reticent throughout the conversation, and it was a relief to finally hear him speak. “We would be taking the limo, and so you wouldn’t have to walk far, just into the stores, unless you wanted to do something else.” It took me a moment to realize there was no joking undertone whatsoever; he was putting up an emotionless front. His voice seemed more remote, as if he too was unsure of where we stood, or if he was about to realize he had pulled a Wile E. Coyote— look down, and you will surely plummet into the unknown.

I reminded myself that Jas had saved my life, whether or not he had helped me out of my original plight. Surely, he would have tried. And so, it wasn’t my place to hold any grudges, when he risked his skin for my well-being. Not to mention, he likely painted a target on himself and his friends by interfering so bluntly. Keeping him on a leash, short though it might be, seemed to be the most viable option, as of present. “All right, sure. I give, you’ve convinced me. Might have to call it a day sooner than I’d like though, as there’s no telling how far my legs will support me.”

Jas’ smile returned for an instant, sunshine breaking out of a dismal cloud. “Well, we can always have your carried back.”

The anonymous black limo was waiting for us when we finally extricated ourselves from conversation with Jas’ father. It was a modest affair, if viewed only from the exterior. He had seemed intent on wringing all the information he could out of me about my most recent escapade and my illustrious past. I didn’t provide perfect details, as I’m sure most parties included would have wished. I wasn’t yet ready to give up information that could potentially end my life in the wrong hands. While skirting the topic of the holding cell completely, I merely glossed over my summoning of lightning. Nonetheless, Noah visibly perked up at the mention of it, and so I rushed through the rest of the encounter and comforted myself that the most vital information had been kept close to my chest. Trust is always slow to be earned and easily lost. I have trust issues, to put it mildly.

The driver must have coordinated with his limo, for he was nondescript and easily forgotten. The rest of the world would come up blank seeing tinted black windows upon a limo and naturally assume things that were associated with expensive dinners, airports, and the rich and famous. Our driver approached the passenger door at the rear of the vehicle and allowed us to enter. Before the door closed, almost silently, the distinct smell that went with dog, or more appropriately wolf, permeated my senses, both the mundane and extraordinary.

Shooting an inquisitive glance toward Jas, who was seated on the longest seat along the length of the limo, I probed. “Loyal to the Clan?”

He scoffed sarcastically. “Of course. Nothing less would suffice for one of their most prestigious representatives.”

A shroud of silence overcame me as I was inundated with memories of my parents. Vague memories piled upon hazy renditions of my past life, where there was no need to sleep outside in the cold, or get into a fistfight over inconsequential matters. Thinking hard upon it brought the realization that I knew next to nil about my parents. Very little concrete recollections remained of my younger years with them. I thought it only human to think of my parents as upstanding people, who raised me well and loved the time we had together, short though it might have been. Distressingly, the only thing I could recall with any certainty was the night that altered the course of my life forever, the escape from the jaws of a relentless pack of indefatigable pursuers that hounded and haunted every passing shadow.

Something was at work here, but, if my life depended on it, I wouldn’t be able to discern my puppeteer in the shadows surrounding me. Though I had been running for years, I had been running from myself. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t in my nature to run from others. So it wasn’t as difficult as expected to break my number one rule, to stop running.

Enemies disguised as friends were on one side, obscure entities on another, friends who might be enemies, and, of course, my personal favorite, the all-encompassing plethora of people and not-people who wanted to either control or kill me. Why did my life have to become so increasingly complex between one second and the next, without even the allowance of a grace period? But crying myself to sleep wasn’t going to solve any of my problems, though the self-pity might provide momentary comfort. The best avenue of attack was to garner as many allies as inhumanly possible.

“You do that a lot, don’t you?” Jas asked.

“What’s that? Thinking? Always.” I grinned sardonically. “It seems there is a lot to be thought about these days.”

“You should be allowed time for thought. There’s quite a lot to process, to be sure. You’re actually taking this all rather well, for someone who just found out they belong to the supernatural community and a bunch of people want to maim, kill and use you,” Jas responded, mask still firmly in place.

I pondered that statement for a moment. I hadn’t really even stopped to think about how thoroughly this newfangled information had become absorbed with hardly a glitch in my operating system. I wanted to harness this newfound power to challenge those of the supernatural community who had entered my life and took my parents away. The fires of my heart burned white-hot in their intensity, and my veins blazed with the passion to stand in front of the not-people that would see others without the power to protect themselves.

Jeeves butted in on my train of thought, his voice sounding equal parts amusement and strain. “Whoa, hey there, tiger, settle down! The atmosphere in here is just a tad bit uncomfortable.”

Jas was squished as far as he could get away from the cloud of roiling electricity. “Ouch! Damn it! Turn down the lights, bro!”

Crackling tracers of lightning were circling around me, crawling down my body and generally wreaking havoc on the interior of the limo. Calming myself with promises of eventual conquest over my abilities, I was able to cut off the reservoir of energy within. Then I was finally able to send it back from where it originated in the nexus of my being, where it remained, a horse yet unbroken to my will. The lightning reluctantly disappeared from sight, spitting and crackling as they protested their dismissal. The loss of control very nearly destroyed the car, not to mention pointed toward a major setback in the control department.

Jas was staring at me, mouth agape, gasping. “What the hell, man! What was that about?! A little warning, next time!”

I took my time surveying the damage before answering his very reasonable question. I’d mutilated the interior. There was tattered upholstery, broken bottles, and destroyed lighting. I tore my eyes from the destruction long enough to notice Jeeves perched as close to the driver as possible, staring intently at the destruction wrought by my indiscretion. He looked worse for wear, his movements strained, which projected a weariness that appeared bone-deep. I could only assume that it was an ailment procured from our recent encounter with the room of death. Shivering at the ill-fated memory and simultaneously wondering why my physical condition felt optimal while Jeeves looked to be recovering from a string of high-speed car crashes.

“You look like you were on the receiving end of an old crone wielding a baseball bat,” I directed at the battered figure taking up imaginary residence in the limo. For once, my reply was vocalized rather than sent mentally, mostly to show Jas his question wasn’t being evaded or disregarded.

Jeeves managed a smirk, but it was a pitiful fallacy. “Some people don’t replenish their stores as quickly as those who are amped up like the Energizer Bunny on cocaine.”

That prompted a smile; Jeeves hadn’t changed one bit, even if he looked like road kill. It was nice to know that at least one thing in my life remained constant even as the rest tilted sickeningly around me. I went back to surveying the scene and was happily surprised to see that the windows hadn’t shattered. Now that would have been hard to explain.

“You know you sound insane talking to yourself, right?” Jas said. “You aren’t just talking to yourself, are you? I was never quite sure I believed the whole sentient object thing, but…”

“The power inside you is increasing,” Jeeves said, “and the longer it takes to master its intricacies, the closer you’ll be to experiencing spontaneous combustion. If you don’t learn to control this power, you’ll end up a gruesome, human-shaped splat on the roadside. Epically gruesome, though highly entertaining as well, but that’s beside the point at the moment, unless you feel like giving it a whirl.” Jeeves giggled, a foreign sound to my ears. After composing himself, leaving only a few stray sniggers to stray around the edges, he continued his instruction. “Think of yourself as a nuclear power plant. You just got turned on after being dormant for a decade, and it isn’t quite clear whether or not you’ll work without a blip in the system or become the next Chernobyl. Failure to harness the very dangerous forces within you will result in creating an outlet for things to go spectacularly awry. And, this is only the beginning. You’re still in the initial startup sequence, so buckle the hell up and put on your big boy pants before it’s too late.”

“Spontaneous combustion? Why didn’t you tell me this shit before? I thought I had more time!” My groaning reinforced displeasure with the position I’d been thrust into.”

I decided to be proactive. I explained to Jas what Jeeves explained to me. Kablooey!

Jas went through the many of the same reactions as my own when he had been enlightened to the plight. “You better get on that, like, pronto. Unless you really feel like experiencing the sensation of burning from the inside out.” He grinned good-naturedly, but it faded quickly.

“It’s all right. I’m planning on it, but I figure we can squander the amount of time it will cost us to go spend some of your Dad’s money. I’m sure I’ll hold together that long.”

A quick glance over to where Jeeves was sitting would verify this, but he had already vanished from sight.

— Chapter 7 —

The limo was waiting outside the entrance on Union Square when we walked out the door of Saks Fifth Avenue. We’ll chalk that one up to the mystic powers of Were Clan limo drivers and leave it at that. Our personal shopper helped us out the door with enough clothes to make a horse wary of dropping. His name was Dave, and he assured us that we could call him anytime whenever his services were required in our future shopping binges. He scampered off with a shaky smile and a hurried wave, however, when confronted with our big bad wolf driver. It goes to show that vanilla humans pick up a whiff of wolf, too, and understand subliminally that they were entrenched in a deep pile of doo-doo.

The door was opened for Jas and me with a courteous gesture, and absolutely no commentary on our excessive purchases, or even the weather. My thoughts wandered to the notion that the man was mute, and it would surely match his appearance. I didn’t think it was possible for someone to look so… dull, dreary, and unassuming. Either he worked very hard to project the image, or he was just an incredibly boring supernatural being. Although, it was ironic that the one thing he couldn’t hide separated himself from the remainder of humanity, making all his efforts null. Even unconsciously, the human brain is aware of predators, firing the part of the brain that initiates the fight or flight instinct and pushing it up to “holy shit I’m going to die mode.” I chuckled to myself as the door closed behind Jas.

While waiting a minute or so for the bags to be loaded into the car by the driver, I took the liberty of modeling my Wayfarer’s. Checking myself out in the reflection provided by the window, I struck some damn cool poses that are indescribable in any language at my disposal, which happened to be limited to one. I’m nothing if not humble, and I save that statement for special occasions where a straight face disguises uproarious laughter. Sometimes, napkins and hands get involved to secret away uncontrollable giggles and smiles that my defenses are unable to hold back.

Jas looked at me like an indulgent mother watching her five-year old son splashing around in a puddle of mud. “How you were able to make it all this time?”

My giggling fits subsided and I assumed a more somber mood. “It was the only way I made it. It’s a better choice than turning your back on the world altogether. Much, much better.” Thoughts flashed through my mind of the possibilities waiting down that particular road, and I shivered.

Before Jas had stepped back into his more conventional role, he had appeared distanced, and I had a good idea as to why. He had spoken about The Coming of the Seven, and had been adamant about them having control over the five elements. But what about lightning? My impression was that it wasn’t anything so simplistic as an element, and that’s where things deviated from the expected plot. It seemed to me that such prophecies, tattered and worn throughout uncountable, unfathomable ages, weren’t entirely accurate, or even complete. Jas was unsure of what my exact capabilities entailed, or if my abilities matched the description that had been hinted at.

But, rather than asking the questions of myself from now until doomsday, I queried Jas, careful to broach the topic with sufficient delicacy in order to make sure that no macho points were lost. A quick glance outside the window of the limo verified that we had already arrived at our next destination, by some Were hoodoo, no doubt. Only a few minutes had elapsed since our entrance into the vehicle, which included a U-Turn made during the short time period. We were stationed along the right-hand side of the street, and our destination became clear to me, out the window on that side.

I lingered in the car. “So, is that why you were acting weird earlier today? I’m still the same lovable teddy bear under all the pretty lights, you know.”

Jas responded in a grimmer manner than I ever thought him capable of. “I don’t know, man. I guess so, that’s part of it. It’s just that I don’t like never knowing what’s going to happen. And, ever since you jumped into the equation everything’s gone to the shitter. It’s only been a couple of days, but it feels like a lifetime has passed. There’s enough going on around me that my head feels like it’s going to come unhinged, and I can’t help but feel that I’m going to miss a crucial chunk of the equation.” His eyebrows drew together in intense concentration. “But, there’s one thing that’s even more important than all of that right now, and I think you deserve to know what it is.”

Waiting in anticipation, he expected me to come up with some obvious response, like “What’s that?” but I merely motioned for him to continue with a rolling gesture from my right hand. That was all that was required to release the floodgates that had become overloaded and teeming with angst.

“Every Skin Walker forms a bond with one being in their lifetime. They experience a tug in the direction of the solitary being that they will share their bond with. A ritual is performed, and the Skin Walker and the being to whom it bonds share a small part of themselves with each other. It’s closer than a blood relationship, the bond exists on a primal level, something close to the relationship between telepathic twin brothers. Much like the bond that you share with Jeeves, if I’m not mistaken. However, I believe it to be less invasive and intense.” He pointed at my amulet for emphasis of his point. “Usually, this is another Skin Walker, and less frequently a member of another clan. It’s even less likely to bond with a preternatural being outside the Clan, like the Fae, vampires, ghouls, trolls, and humans. My bonded falls with a being under none of those categories.”

My expression bordered on distress, but was closer to thoughtful. “So, what you’re implying is that it’s necessary to share my mind with not one, but two different individuals?” A sincere smile was flashed to display that I wasn’t about to bail and jump on the first plane to Antarctica, yet.

Jas cracked a heartfelt smile. Maybe he had believed I would reason he had only instigated our friendship because some incessant mental scratch that needed to be sated forced him to, and I was the antibiotic itch cream. It occurred to me that there could be some inconsistencies with what Jas had told me previously about my adoption into his family. It was peculiar, having been approached so quickly, and taken under another wing before it was possible to utter a “whatsit?” I didn’t doubt his previous statements about the Clan’s decision to harness the closest preternatural nuke and see what developed. But, the rest of the puzzle fell into place nicely when Jas’ part came into play. It went a long way to explaining why I had been accepted into his family so comprehensively.

Deciding to switch tacks, I asked, “And the other Were, the different clans, do they bond?”

“They form bonds only within their own clans, which is why packs are formed, and therein Alphas become an integral part of their hierarchy. Besides the very rare exception for when a Skin Walker bonds with one of their Kin, they keep within their own. No, The Skin Walker’s bond is unique, and it’s why our Clan holds much more sway then one would be lead to believe when we are outnumbered in every direction. It’s caused trouble in the past.”

I pondered that intel for a moment. “So, the ghoul, the one at your mansion… He’s—”

“Yeah. He’s bonded with my father. There aren’t many other ways a ghoul would be able to control its bloodlust. A surplus of strength and intelligence is also provided by the bond, much more than the average, run of the mill ghoul possesses.”

“Fascinating. And now, you’re saying I’m your intended? Isn’t it a little early in our relationship to be thinking of such things?” I laughed uproariously at my own wit.

Jas joined in on the fun, and for a moment we were just a couple of teenage boys having a good laugh.

“Yes. You are the one I am to bond with. I’m sure. It’s nigh unheard of to find one’s bonded at my current age. Some go centuries or even longer before they feel the call.”

“So, what you’re saying is your bond allows us to… do what? Communicate through a mental link?”

Jas started to respond, but then he cut himself off sharply before answering. “Wait, you’ll do it? Just like that?”

I shrugged. “What other choice is there? Can you guarantee me any rights within your Clan without it?”

I had a sneaking suspicion that Jas had put a tricky spin on the truth when he first confronted me about my adoption into his family. He had mentioned my eligibility to secure more rights as an adopted member of his family, and that he would see them coming. This appeared believable enough, if you looked at it through a kaleidoscope. If Jas bonded with me, I expected to gain those privileges. Otherwise, in the eyes of the Clan, Caleb Holden was just another black sheep in the herd of humanity, slightly less obtainable, but considered food nonetheless. It occurred to me that at this point in time, I would only be able to put up minimal resistance if a pack took it upon themselves to eliminate me from the equation. My existence would be a challenge to their authority, and from what I knew of predators, they didn’t stay around long after such things damaged their reputation.

Jas winced, as if he had actually heard my thoughts, and I couldn’t testify for certain he hadn’t picked up on at least the general direction. “No. You’re a target unless you stand within our laws. Since you obviously can’t shift into anything anymore than a mouse can thwart a cat’s attempt on its life, the only way you can enjoy sanctuary under Clan law is to be bonded to one within the Clan.”

“Three questions,” I mentioned, pausing for dramatic effect. “First, haven’t you ever seen Tom and Jerry? And if you haven’t, how have you missed out on such an inspiring rendition of overcoming the laws of nature by the most resourceful mouse I’ve ever encountered?”

His shoulders unknotted from what could only be a highly uncomfortable position. He had expected me to come back with three scathing remarks, and perhaps run in whichever direction he wasn’t for deceiving me.

He started to return with a response, but I overrode him. “Second. What the hell were you thinking, lying to me like that? It had to come out eventually anyways, so why didn’t you tell me in the first place?”

Jas merely nodded, rightly chastised. It was no doubt a question that was on the top of the list of what to expect when you lie in a newly formed friendship. “I’m sorry, man, really. I knew that if I had told you then, you would have just up and left right there. And the Clan wouldn’t have allowed that. They would have killed you. That was exactly what they wanted you to do, before my father and I were able to convince them otherwise, and only just scarcely. Your death would just be another bit of competition knocked off the food chain to them.”

Nodding my head in recognition of the truth in his words, it was appeared likely that I would respond just as Jas had envisioned. That meant that he not only was thinking multiple moves ahead of me, but also had been trying to protect me. Damn, did that make it hard to hold a grudge against the guy. I decided to use what leverage was left to my grudge points before they dissipated completely. They were already withering under the act of friendship Jas had committed when he had gone out on a limb to protect me.

“How the hell does it work? And what’s going to happen if it’s successful? How dangerous is it?” Realizing that I had traveled much past my previous expectations in questions, some mental fingers were crossed over my still evaporating grudge points.

Jas smiled, and our previously fractured friendship became whole once more. “We have to share a minute amount of blood. Sharing of blood is a spiritual and physical act; the intent in which we do it matters more than anything else. In truth, we will be sharing a sliver of our souls. The bond’s potential is within me, so there isn’t some magical incantation that has to be said over a boiling cauldron of pig’s feet or anything.”

Excuse me, if I became a tad tentative when someone announces that we’ll be swapping shards of our souls with one another; I like mine in once piece, thank you. Jeeves was still sleeping, recuperating, or staring at his forest. This obviously wasn’t garnering his interest in the slightest, if he was even knowledgeable of the proceedings.

I was incredulous. “You want to mix blood and share souls? Who the hell came up with that ingenuous idea?!”

It occurred to me that I may have come off as distressed. Jas made placating motions as he defended his reasoning. “It’s age-old ritual magic, and the people who formulated it are long dead.”

I exhaled loudly, making my exasperation well known. “Fine. So we share our blood, but hopefully not the diseases I’m sure you’ve accumulated throughout your short, yet sullied sexual adventures. What are the likelihoods we both drop dead?”

His face cleared of all the telling expressions I relied upon to decipher his thoughts. “I don’t know. It’s never been attempted with one of your… disposition. I don’t think anything bad is going to happen, but I can’t be sure. As to what will happen… that is unclear at this point as well. Although, the swapping of a portion of each soul, at the very least, provides some benefit for both parties. Past that, your guess is as good as mine.”

My questions all seemed to be resolved, although that created further conundrums to turn around in my mind. I couldn’t help but think that events were spiraling insanely out of my grasp. Determined to clutch at all available life supports, Jas’ offer was one that couldn’t be ignored lightly. With it, I might actually get to watch the first snowfall next year. Survival rates had to be minimal in the supernatural community for those who acted out if they didn’t have someone to watch their back.

“All right, but not until we return. I’m not walking into a bookstore like I’m looking for another reference document on a satanic ritual I’m researching.” Was that laughter I heard, or just rushing water?

The store was deceivingly large, when compared to the entrance floor. We arrived in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy section after traveling up a few stories via the escalators and then traversed the length of the store to arrive at a fairly prodigious section pertaining to the demesne of the preternatural, as humans viewed it. Of course, there could be some books in there written by beings of the supernatural community. However, I didn’t think it likely that they would impart secrets of their kind to be understood by the common folk. Reverse psychology has its uses, but declaring truth outright would be a step too far in the direction of revealing the supernatural. Or would it? Rubbing two forefingers on each side of my temple, I winced at the self-induced headache, contracted from my brain bouncing in so many different directions simultaneously.

I focused my attention on one particular section of books. There was an entire shelf dedicated to the books of one man: Jim Butcher. Picking up the first one that caught my eye, it appeared to be the latest addition to a very long and successful series. It was titled Changes, a very apt description for what was going on in my life currently.

Perhaps the first book in the series, Storm Front, would provide some insight into the world I was about to enter. That is, if there was any truth to the man’s words. If there wasn’t, well, maybe something meaningful could still be gleaned from its pages. There were other books of interest to me, mainly ones that might have information about the world as I now understood it. Unfortunately, not many of them seemed very encouraging, and there were inherent inconsistencies between authors and their depictions of the supernatural.

I let out an exasperated breath from between clenched teeth and diverted my attention from the stack of books to Jas, who was actively not looking at the book selection. In fact, he was doing quite the opposite of immersing himself in a world of his choosing. Unless you counted the tales he was most definitely spinning for the two brunettes that he was conversing with.

He pointed at me extravagantly, and I walked closer in order to hear the latest bullshit. “So, would you like to go on a date sometime?” His winning smile was fixed firmly in place.

Returning to my search with a snort, it appeared obvious Jas was easily distracted by the fairer sex as long as all of the body parts were attached in the right places. While finishing perusing the shelf and looking to pack up and skedaddle, Jas sauntered over with a serious case of The Smug. I don’t know how he managed it, but by the time he was done conversing with them, he had two numbers written on the palm of his hand. Smug is a well-known viral infection that occurs in flashes whenever something bad is to follow a recent success. My stomach rumbled loudly, and therefore, rationally, I figured that Jas was going to get some bad indigestion in the near future. But, it was also a cue to get some grub. Taking a peek outside the window revealed that the shadows were already beginning to lengthen, which meant it was already far past dinnertime.

A monstrous line awaited us on the entrance floor when we finally made our way down to it. Jas seemed close to bursting by the time we rang up the couple of books I had harvested.

We were receiving some hostile looks from the more daring of those who had to step two feet out of their way to get around us, so Jas and I, slowly but deliberately, entered the limo, which had somehow retained its place throughout the course of our escapades. Although our continued blocking of the traffic and slow movement irritated the passerbys, it made some mischievous part of me pleased, which is all that really matters, right? As far as I knew, the world still gyrated upon its axis, revolving around yours truly.

Jas had his grinning mouth opened wide in triumph when I interjected. “So, food? I’m hungry.”

We spoke our disparate desires for life-giving sustenance at the same time.

“Chinatown?” was my first choice.

“Home.” Jas spoke assuredly.

No doubt he was thinking about the bond that we had yet to form. As that had to wait until we got home, it only made sense for him to want to get it over and done with. The way he described it, it sounded like an exasperating sensation to live with for an extended period of time. I smiled and produced my lucky quarter out of the folds of my jeans pocket. It was the same one that had been manipulated with Air in detention. With all the shenanigans it had been through at my side, it was no longer considered an average coin to be spent and forgotten. I gave myself a mental slap for being such a sentimental sap. “Let’s flip for it.”

Jas shot me a suspicious look, his triumph all but forgotten. “All right. But I’ll do it.” He snatched the coin from my fingers, disallowing any chance for rebuttal.

“Tails,” I called instantaneously.

“Heads then.”

The quarter spun effortlessly off of Jas’ thumb and into the air, coming within inches of the vehicle’s ceiling. My stoic expression was carefully maintained on the outside, but internally, a brilliant smile shone. Just as I was about to apply my will to the quarter, however, my concentration folded.

A surly voice that bordered upon a childish whine emanated from the subterranean depths of my mind. “Can’t you turn that smile upside-down? Your soul is so bright with glee that it’s disturbing my beauty sleep.”

It was enough to shatter my admittedly weak concentration upon the task. The quarter landed in Jas’ palm tails up, and I couldn’t help the groan that escaped my lips at the sight of it. He wasn’t looking at his hand as he flipped the coin from his right palm to the back of his other hand. His eyes were trained on me the entire time, no doubt looking for signs of tampering. Which is just as well that I didn’t have the chance to do anything. It appeared that either way, I would have lost this one. Jas took his hand from the quarter with slowness akin to the movement of the Earth; you’d have to wait millions of years before you could actually discern the change.

I was astonished when he revealed the coin: tails. I didn’t receive any of Jas’ attempts to make contact with the lunar module that was my intellect. Seems it’s the little things that really blow your mind.

Jas repeated himself slowly when he saw he had my attention once more. “I guess you win this one, then.”

“I guess so,” I repeated dumbly, nodding irresolutely.

Having won the coin toss, I decided we should sample some authentic Chinese food in San Francisco’s most authentic Chinatown. We hadn’t eaten all day, so we dug in and were able to relax. It might have been a nice little outing to relieve all the stress of Jas’ marriage, I mean bonding, proposal. That might have been the more favorable outcome, but unfortunately as we left, I looked past Jas and down the adjoining alley that ran along the street. A young girl was being accosted by a very large, very capable looking man.

I raced down the alley, taking in the details of the man as the night receded from my eyes and the world became sharp and defined. He was at least six foot five, with charcoal-colored skin and deep-set eyes that looked accustomed to cruelty and took enjoyment in inflicting it. His unshaven face spoke volumes about the state of disrepair that his clothes also displayed. He was a thug, pure and simple, and he saw easy pickings when the adolescent showed up alone and lost. From that point, it was a piece of cake to menace a child of her age down the alley and away from prying eyes. It hardly made a difference, as people these days were as likely to turn away from someone else’s plight as to provide assistance.

My rage was sufficient that all coherent thought fled my awareness. Some suggest that rage cleanses the mind and provides a person with strength to proceed past their normal limits. My take on the matter of rage is that it neither refines your actions nor puts your body at a standstill and makes you incapable of action. It’s more of a happy, or rather, infernal medium. No, you won’t gain inhuman strength, but you will be protected from most pain for as long as your fury holds out.

So, as I closed in on a helpless girl who was being accosted by a vicious brute of a man, lightning crackled around me on display like mini fireworks. Even though anyone happening upon the alleyway would witness lightning raging around a teen in a torrential thunderstorm from hell, I couldn’t bring myself to give a damn. There was something inside me that broke under the pressure of my illustrious past when I saw children unable to protect themselves, being accosted by those who preyed on the weak and weary. I hurled a punch brimming with lightning to the floating ribs of Brute, as I classified him mentally, before he had two seconds to register my presence. He tumbled like a ragdoll to the ground, motionless, no doubt feeling the power of my little lightning pals rushing through his body.

When semi-practical thought filtered through the ‘noggin, I realized that a little girl who was almost somethinged would have seen a raging maniac surrounded in lightning lay down her accoster with a single super-powered punch. Most children wouldn’t react well to that kind of thing. My reaction was to look over where I thought I saw when running down the blind alley. But there was no little girl standing where there should obviously have been a damn little girl. There was but a momentary glimpse of startling beauty that had no place in this world before a womanish figure disappeared in blinding light that my eyes could not pierce. Light seared itself into my skull, and I closed my eyes, swaying slightly from disorientation. That was not a helpless bystander that required my assistance. I had been tricked.

I put my back against a grime-coated wall and slid down. My vision was blurry, and it took me a moment to realize that it wasn’t from any leftover rage. Reaching downwards, I felt for the liquid fire that was burning through my abdomen. Poking out of my skin was the black handle of a switchblade. Blood oozed past its metal surface and soaked into my shirt, trickling down my side and continuing its gradual descent as gravity dictated. For what seemed an eternity, I merely stared at the blade sticking out of my side, utterly perplexed. And then Jas was there.

He looked around, surveying the knife, the blood, and Brute lying motionless on the ground. “Shit.”

My last memory before the darkness embraced me was Jas’ blue eyes resting concernedly upon me as he spoke into his phone.

— Chapter 8 —

I awoke with a hoarse throat, a pounding head, and swirling lights encompassing the whole of my vision. And, for a time, I forced myself to lie completely still, battling the raging surf that was my discomfort until it receded to a bearable level. These frequent blackouts were becoming increasingly frustrating, causing me to miss all the important bits, if something interesting did indeed occur. I levered myself into a sitting position with exquisite slowness, opening my eyes in the process.

“And he joins the world of the living once more; we are humbled by his mighty presence.” Jeeves seemed in an uncharacteristically good temper, most likely because I shared his pain.

That reminded me of the knife wound in my side. At some point someone had taken off my shirt, but had left on my shorts, thank god. With deliberate care my hand traveled down to where the gash in my abdomen resided. Wincing as I came upon it, I walled off the burning sensation to afford a look-see. Instead of a puncture wound, however, my eyes confronted a healthy helping of gauze and medical tape. Furrowing my eyebrows, I wished them away, to reveal what was underneath. When that didn’t work as expected, I was forced to take it off with fingers made weak by an incessant throbbing. Where were the pain meds when you really needed them?

Someone probably put them just out of reach of my hand on a dresser so that I’d never be able to get them myself. I checked the surface of the dresser on the left-hand side of the king size bed where they had propped me up. What hellion would do such a thing to a human being? I bemoaned my fate for a time before my mind was taken back to the wound in my side.

I was insanely lucky the switchblade hadn’t torn open my intestines. That would have been a messy sight and would have surely killed me just as well if I couldn’t procure medical assistance in a timely fashion. As it was, although my parted skin was angry and red, it was free of infection and well on its way to being healed. Another illustration of my healing abilities, it seemed.

I decided that Jeeves had been ignored long enough and deigned to answer his jibe. “Women just love a man with battle scars.” I smiled widely.

He appeared instantly at the foot of the bed, hands upon hips. “Let me see this battle scar, as you call it.”

We studiously took notice of each other. He seemed in much better shape since the last time I’d laid eyes upon him. His features were no longer weighed down by the intensity of his weariness, and his characteristic manner was once again restored. A trace of pain remained in his eyes, however. It seemed Jeeves took much longer to recover from his injuries, as he was no paradigm of healing prowess like me. Although, since he was a mental construct rather than a physical being, it seemed appropriate that he would be suffer more from the effects of the holding cell.

“This pinprick? You call that a battle scar?” He snorted indignantly. “Men have become fragile in their age of wisdom and technology.” Jeeves pondered this revelation thoughtfully.

At the moment, there were more important things to talk about than battle scars across the ages. It was some time before he broached the subject, so I studied my accommodations thoroughly. The bed I currently occupied was of the finest make, no doubt, although it was stained in places with bits of my blood. Whoops. Simple carpet adorned the floor of the room, and it took me a further moment to realize what felt off about it. The ceiling was a painted, white metal and domed like an arch throughout the spacious room, which widened considerably as it neared the door set into a wall ten feet away from the foot of the bed.

I tilted my head inquisitively, but it was Jeeves that answered the unspoken question rather than my own deducing of the situation. “Don’t strain your developing mind. It’s a Boeing 727. Cruise speed 450 knots at 35,000 feet. The moment a private physician stitched you up, we were airborne.”

“Ah,” I replied tersely and lapsed back into quiet.

A few more minutes passed in silence until Jeeves could help himself no longer. “The woman-child that you saved in the alley. What did she look like?”

I sulked some before responding. “I didn’t get a very good look at her. She definitely wasn’t a child, that’s for sure. I did a double take after taking my friend Brute out of commission and instead of a teenage girl there’s a drop-dead diva that disappears in a flash of blinding light. Poof. Gone.” I emphasized my point with two clenched fists unfolding quickly. “What was she?”

“This raises many suspicions,” Jeeves replied, stone-faced.

I waited for ten seconds or so before coughing suggestively into a hand. Instead of its intended purpose, however, a coughing fit overtook me for a few agonizing minutes. The pain was excruciating, to say the least. This time, Jeeves was still present when the pain subsided.

“And…” I held my breath over the urge to cough. “Would you care to share those suspicions or are you just going to sit there and brood over them?”

He looked like he was going to do the latter, for he seemed to have no interest in sharing his knowledge. “I believe the Fae are intervening in the world of Man. And they have sought you out and tested your mettle. I cannot tell you what will come of this.” I didn’t test him any further, although I knew he was obscuring the fundamentals of the situation.

I changed tacks abruptly, knowing no more headway would be made on this particular subject. “What do you think about the bond?”

“That boy has had you pinned ever since he met you. You would do well to agree to that proposition. Much good could develop from it.” With that, he flashed out of sight and into my mind, no doubt to stroll in his forest and brood on what might be.

I woke up disoriented and in pain. That seemed to have become a disturbing trend. Light invaded and pervaded my sensitive eyes until a vague image was garnered of what should be the airplane. Bolts of molten fire speared into me as Jas shook me awake from my awkward sleeping position. I felt a deep ache in my back and neck, but the lava that had taken up residence in my body drowned out such trivial discomforts.

“Ouch, I’m awake, damn it! Turn off the massage switch for the bed already!” Then I filled him in on my rendition of the story as well as what Jeeves had told me about the situation.

“Crap,” he said.

“Yep.”

Jas appeared flabbergasted, completely out of his depth. “What would the Fae want with you? They have lived in isolation from our world since time immemorial.”

“Don’t know, just seems everyone wants a piece of the pie. Maybe it’s just because I’m so damn good-looking.”

Jas attempted a laugh for my sake, but even in my pain-stricken state the falsetto tone didn’t pass unnoticed. “There’s something you need to know.”

I managed a smile. “Yeah? Well, get on with it then. No need to get all emotional. Next thing you know, we’ll be taking tea together with Mrs. Bear.”

“I couldn’t survive without my Earl Gray in the morning.” Jas put a hand over his heart and sighed dramatically.

“Out with it, Jas. What happened?”

“The man in the alley. He was dead when he hit the ground. Your lightning strike…” He paused at the unintentional pun, for clearly this was no joke. By this time he had my full attention. “It killed him instantly, seized all his muscles, stopped his heart from beating.”

The dreadful scene repeated in my head, over and over again, with the addition of the deadly aftereffect. A simple punch to the floating ribs, but it was charged with lightning. It hadn’t been intentional, but I had killed a man. According to my perceptions at the time, he had been about to do some very nasty things to a child, but that didn’t change the fact that a man was dead because of my actions.

Would I do the same thing if the situation presented itself? Yes. Did I do the right thing? Yes. Should I have sat by and done nothing? No.

“I killed a man,” became my desolate echo, which was abruptly cut short before I started feeling sorry for myself. Jas was still there when I came to terms with what had been wrought by my own hand. He had sat himself on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle it, and therefore me. It was a new sensation, this friendship where someone genuinely cared for my well-being. I decided it was a good one.

I nodded solemnly to myself and brought some of my consciousness back to the table. The rest remained secluded until further notice. “So, I lost all that blood, and you didn’t form the bond you were pushing for? Come on, what evil scheme to bring me more pain is this?”

“I told you, remember? It’s all about intent. The bond wouldn’t cement in a situation where you’re incoherent and bleeding out in an alley.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t do that again, by the way.” He threw his arms up in the air, clearly exasperated. “Wait for me next time before you do something stupid, you idiot.”

I tried to hide how grateful I felt at that statement, but it seemed my façade cracked at the inopportune moment, or Jas had come to know me much more thoroughly than previously expected.

“Lightning isn’t one of the five elements,” Jas stated abruptly.

I nodded in agreement. “Nope. But I’m no expert here, remember?”

“So, what does it mean?” he splayed his arms wide questioningly.

“It means there’s a lot of junk that I don’t understand. And since Jeeves is a locked vault upon touchy subjects like these, it seems we’ll have to learn by doing.” I drummed my fingers on my leg, a nervous gesture that was bursting with the uncertainty of my present predicament.

Jas remained silent and I directed us to the next important subject. “Where the hell are we going, by the way? And where’d you get a 727 with a bed in it?”

“We’re on our way to Six Rivers National Forest. It’s a very closely held, very isolated gathering point for the Clan. My Father has called a Meeting, and in three weeks the place will be swarming with representatives of the Were.” He glanced apologetically at me before continuing. “They will all have heard of you and will want to survey you personally, possibly trade ultimatums, and the like.”

“Why would your father decide it was necessary to do such a thing?” I laced my words with steel.

Jas sensed my anger and attempted to defuse it before any damage could be done. “He decided that it was high time the Clan got together in order to take a stance on the coming battle. For instance, where we will stand when the bomb drops, or what needs to be done to stop it from causing irrevocable destruction. Anyway, the 727 was bought by my father and subsequently renovated to his liking.”

“And would you happen to be in the know about how we’re going to land this big boy in a densely forested area?”

Just as my question was completed, we started our initial descent toward the waiting forest below. Jitters took hold and the tapping upon my leg increased in frequency for every second that Jas delayed in telling me exactly how we would land in one piece. Jas paced nonchalantly along the end of the bed while allowing me to stew. I growled at him, and he sniggered.

“There’s nothing to worry about. There’s a nice long private runway and lots of open space just in case we miss.” He reveled in the reaction the last part of his statement had on me.

Truth be told, I hadn’t been in an airplane since I was much younger and remembered little of the adventure through the sky. Thus, there was adequate cause to be somewhat nervous regarding the situation, though I felt that Jas could readily perceive my anxiousness. I grabbed at my remaining macho points and didn’t respond to his barbed statement. That in itself probably emphasized my discomfort with the flight, but it allowed me to distance myself from the loss of face. I grimaced as a bout of turbulence hit the plane and traversed its length, my stomach dropping accordingly. I glanced longingly at the morphine as it tumbled from its perch on the dresser to the cabin floor.

“It’s all about intent, right?” I thought furiously through my distress and called the physical representation of Jeeves into being with a force of my strained will.

It came unwillingly at first, for no doubt Jeeves had better things to do then come to my beck and call whenever I felt like making a katana appear as a fancy schmancy parlor trick. The blade’s unearthly metal warped the light around it, refracting it around the interior of the cabin. If I wasn’t mistaken, the guard had tinged a bluish color, where previously it had been plain metallic unobtainium. With exquisite slowness I drew the blade across my palm, and it bit greedily into the skin without any apparent effort. Blood welled up from the wound and I offered the sword to Jas with expedient movements. The pain was a welcome distraction from our imminent arrival upon the ground. Jas reached tentatively for the katana and recoiled with a howl when he got the equivalent of a Taser pressed to his hand.

“Oops.” I smiled mischievously. I’d suspected something like that might occur. Jeeves’ laughter emanated from within my mind.

“You knew that would happen!” Jas accused.

“Now, would I ever intentionally cause you harm?” I inquired innocently then focused his attention on more pressing matters. “And on a side note, I’m bleeding all over your Dad’s expensive furnishings.”

He provided me with a glare that promised retribution before offering his hand once more. This time, I drew the blade across his palm and Jeeves didn’t give him the electroshock treatment. Jas regained some of his lost points when he didn’t make any untoward reaction to the blade parting his skin like a hot knife through frozen butter.

“Intent,” I repeated. “Not constipation, right? You seem a tad queasy over there.”

“Don’t worry about me, sunshine. Just put your hand out and think happy thoughts. Do not think about the plane crashing headlong into the forest. There is no smoke plume, or wildfire. You aren’t horribly maimed. Oh wait, scratch that last bit. Just…”

I tuned him out and focused upon bringing my bleeding hand into contact with his own similarly outstretched hand. Vague contemplations of satanic rituals surfaced in mind before they were dispersed. Our blood mingled, and I felt the skin of my palm stretching from the strain of holding my fingers apart.

I raised my eyebrows. “So that’s it? Isn’t something—”

White brilliance shone forth from our two joined hands, and my eyes closed against it. When there wasn’t any risk of burning my eyes out, I squinted slightly and grunted at the afterimage of light seared into my eyes. Eventually, however, my vision returned normal. Jeeves had taken it upon himself to high-tail it out of existence and back into his cubbyhole. When I gazed down inquisitively at my hand, only smooth, unblemished skin remained where there once was an open wound. Nifty.

I spoke into the oppressive silence that followed. “You know, now that I think about it, that wasn’t really satanic in the slightest. There’d have to be a lot more maniacal laughter, sacrificing virgins and the like.”

A high-pitched giggle escaped me before I shut it off. Sure seemed to be doing that a lot, lately. Manly men can’t giggle. They chuckle. My pain returned with my sanity, and either Jas saw it in my eyes or the bond actually worked. He went and picked up the pain meds from off the floor of the airplane, careful to maintain his balance. He handed me a bottle of water, seemingly making it appear from thin air. Then I took the proffered pills and downed them efficiently.

“It will take some time for the bond to solidify, and more time to figure out what effects it will have upon us. For now just rest, there’s plenty of—”

Jeeves popped in beside the bed and stared down at my uninjured hand curiously. “I’m impressed. You’ve formed quite a durable bond with this one.”

Jas jumped back, which happened to be in sync with when we touched down on the runway. He wind-milled his hands comically and futilely before falling on his back with an audible thump. I decided that flying wasn’t so bad after all, especially when I scored free entertainment out of the deal.

Jas regained his composure quickly, extending his hand from where he lay upon the ground. “Nice to meet you. Jeeves, I presume. You bear a striking resemblance to someone I once met.”

“Now you’ve gone and done it, boy,” Jeeves accused. “My ambiguity has been comprised!”

The morphine thwarted my rebuttal and formed a stranglehold upon my thoughts, subduing them with brutal efficiency. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

— Chapter 9 —

Sunshine filtered lazily through the retracted velvet drapes. An appropriately impressive flatscreen hung on the wall. Marble flooring kept the room both brisk and comfortable, which leeched the necessary willpower required to lever me out of the heavenly bed I currently occupied. So instead, I absorbed the details of my surroundings for a time, acclimating myself to yet another room.

I brought myself back on task with extreme difficulty and examined the aged writing desk situated up against the far wall. It was an old four-poster number that intrigued me at first glance. Okay, my opinion was slightly affected by the big, cushioned chair before it. Hey, what the hell, I’ve always found that the comfortable things in life are worth enjoying. And so, finally, I absorbed the warmth of the expensive silk sheets and basked in the sunlight that streamed through the window. After an interminable amount of time, my body supplied me with the energy necessary to sit upright. I started curiously about halfway through getting into a sitting position, sensing that something was… different. A search through my recent memories soon provided an answer.

Sliding my hand down to where there should have been a good-size gash, a deep incision into my body, I felt almost nothing. I exhaled a questioning “hmmm,” and threw off the covers before sitting up and was shocked to see that my previously puckered and swollen stitches were smooth and unblemished. The outer layer of skin had already mended itself, and my efforts to test the limits of my recently healed body had me standing instantaneously. No pain whatsoever made itself known to my nervous system. I stretched vigorously, backwards, forwards, to each side, and was gratified, for some masochistic reason, to feel a twinge of discomfort at the movements. The news report jarred me out of testing the bounds of my injury any further.

“…And in recent news, a freak weather system has been reported over the city of San Francisco. I don’t know what to make of this, John. As you can see here…” She panned to a live screening of the footage.

Everywhere the video there was an enormous pitch black and roiling cloud, if it could even be labeled as such. The twisting mass reached beyond its bounds, as if grasping at the unwary souls currently commuting the streets below. My feet made an audible slapping noise as I slid off the bed and walked up to the flatscreen, trying to get the best view possible. Just looking at it set all my instincts on overdrive. A wrongness pervaded everything it came in contact with, and I couldn’t help but step back after a few seconds. I analyzed the swirling mass that the reporter was calling a “freak weather system.” This wasn’t any weather system that, by chance, had showed up on the weekly report at seven. It was something else entirely, and although its origins were unbeknownst to me, I felt deep in my bones that it was bad.

The doors flung wide, and Jas practically slid into my room, a half-expectant look on his face. “Did you see it? Did you?”

Eventually, his eyes focused on me, then on the TV, on me again, and finally back to the television. I pointed at the screen suggestively while he glanced at me for an affirmative or negative response.

“I saw it, however, Caleb was busying himself with admiring the scenery,” Jeeves asserted as he flashed in next to the television.

I offered a hurt expression. “Just analyzing the room in order to be more knowledgeable of my surroundings in the case of an attack or siege. I would do nothing so simple-minded as admiring the scenery, good sir! For example, presently I analyzed that Jas didn’t fall on his ass when you appeared, this time.” I smiled winningly, showing off my pearly whites.

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault!” Jas rebuffed me. “The aircraft’s landing put me off balance!”

I snorted, unconvinced. “Yeah, right. Except you fell before the plane touched down.”

“Boys, boys, let’s stop this farce before it wastes any more valuable time.” He turned his attention to Jas. “You did indeed start like a spooked hare and subsequently fell, which most likely instigated a chain of events that will lead to your eventual demise.” Jeeves said it all so deadpan serious that I found myself bursting with laughter directly after he finished delivering his statement.

Jas started to protest instantly against doing any such thing. “I merely wanted to create breathing room, so no one felt an intrusion of their personal space.”

“Ah, but you are such easy sport,” Jeeves said, feigning sadness.

The two shared smirks before letting the matter drop, and I rummaged through my huge closet, trying to find some clothes that would do for some exercise. Settling on a pair of lightweight shorts and a thin cotton T, I pulled the shirt over my head with as much haste that could be mustered and repeated the process with the shorts. The two had kicked it off all too well, I thought grimly. My work would have to be sustained at twice the optimal level in order to stay ahead. The only consolation was the fact that Jas had probably matched my own loss of face when his fall was combined with the electro-shock therapy incident.

“So,” I said, “The cloud-that-is-not-a-cloud. What the hell is it?” I ogled the screen, but the news had already progressed to the next story about a recent missing person case.

My attention diverted to Jeeves when he spoke. “I have no foreknowledge of any such being existing in this realm. We can’t do anything until it makes its move, if it’s anything more than supernatural cloud coverage.”

“My father has no leads either,” Jas said.

Nodding resolutely, I proceeded to turn off the TV. “I’m a tad anxious to get started on learning how to control my abilities, if you get my meaning. And also quite surprised that nothing occurred during my recent incapacitation.”

“Your energies were mainly focused on healing the wound to your body,” Jeeves pointed at my healed stomach. “It’d probably be a fine idea to take those stitches out, before we begin your training. But hurry, we have little time to spare.”

Jeeves flashed out, and I refrained myself from yelling, “Beam me up, Scotty!”

I didn’t know the meaning of all this rushing about, but Jas led me out of my room and to the doctor that they had on hand. Which was very, very helpful to my predicament. I didn’t fancy having a go at the stitches myself when another opportunity presented itself, and Jas would surely make a mess of me. Then it would be another stab wound that needed healing. We passed through lengthy corridors, which branched off in several directions at every intersection. There were stained glass windows depicting various predators of the animal kingdom, and I had no doubt as to the meaning behind their presence. The sunlight warped and bent, traveling through to create colorful images upon the floor. I looked interestedly from one to the next as Jas led me through the halls.

All the twists and turns we made were beginning to make me dizzy and disoriented, so an escort was a given until I was able to get my bearings. For a while, I studied the many doors set in the hallways we passed through, but soon found they were all simple wooden jobs that were mass produced in order to maintain a high holding capacity.

“How many of your Clan actually will show up here?” My question filled the silence.

“For the festivities?” Jas grinned. “Near all of them. The Were are well known for their parties, although no one of any other persuasion is allowed besides those who are bonded.”

“And for when the Clan Meets?”

He chuckled and patted me on the back. “You’re a slow one, aren’t you? Didn’t I just answer that?”

“Oh. So a Meeting is really just an excuse to have a roaring party?” I felt the corners of my mouth start to tug upwards.

His expression darkened. “Usually. But there are things going on in the supernatural community that cannot be ignored. The Fae interfering in this world, your appearance, and no doubt the other Seven, and this…” he pointed at the lifeless TV screen, “thing.” We came upon a set of doors not varied in the slightest from the other domiciles.

The doctor was a wrinkled old man with kind brown eyes and a scraggily beard. His back was slightly bent with the weight that comes with age and occasionally wisdom. His movements, however, were still lithe, enough to clearly emphasize that he wasn’t someone I cared to mess with whether he was eighty or eight thousand years old. So, I quietly studied his simple woolen robes that disguised the wiry strength he possessed.

“Ah, my first patients of the day. Your need of me is not of grave importance, I hope?” He gazed searchingly at us, and I found it difficult to maintain the contact for long before breaking off and studying the cold marble floor, identical to the marble in my own room.

Jas spoke up softly, which was almost reverent, for him. “No, Master Healer, sir. Caleb here needs some stitches removed.”

The Healer busied himself with his work for a minute more before giving us the time of day. Instead of bursting out with a joking retort, I waited patiently. My instincts were telling me that this man was to be respected, and I gave him that. When he finally provided us his attention, he merely shuffled over and examined me from head to toe before proceeding with his work. He came forward, shuffled slightly, and lifted up my shirt. I didn’t stop to wonder long how he knew where my stab wound had been, because he made his equipment appear from thin air and started working on me before there was the slightest chance to speak. The stitches were out before I could even let out a yelp, but it followed close on the heels of the Healer’s small, shuffling steps as he traversed the room to dispose of them.

“Don’t be such a baby,” Jas spoke into the silence after my screech.

I glared daggers at him. “Just didn’t expect it, that’s all.” Lowering my voice, I asked. “Doesn’t speak much, does he?”

Jas spoke just as softly, if not more so, cupping his hands toward me. “He’s a quiet old lion. Best say your thanks and be gone.”

“Ehhmm—” I began awkwardly.

The old man turned, revealing the depth of his age, like a snapshot of the Sahara when it was once a vibrant ocean teeming with life. He focused his intense eyes upon mine, as I struggled through an immobile mouth to speak my part.

“Thanks for the time and the trouble, Doc.” I extended a hand.

His aged, yet vitally strong hand gripped mine in a firm shake. “Don’t come back too soon, or I’ll give you more than that stab wound to remember me by, boy.” I couldn’t place his accent, but immediately decided that English was just one of the many languages he was fluent in.

I grinned. “I’ll do my best, sir. Can’t make any promises, though. Life seems to be getting dangerous these days.”

He nodded his head sagely. “That it is. You watch yourself out there, young man.”

While walking out of the room, it sure felt like I had unknowingly taken a test, and I wasn’t sure if I received a passing grade. At least this time he had called me “young man,” instead of “boy.” Jas led me through a maze of corridors, and I finally experienced the beginnings of a feel for their symmetrical depths. There didn’t seem to be a lot of complexity to their design, however the mammoth expanse was sure to get newcomers confused, if not lost. I was reasonably sure that self-navigation of the mansion would come soon enough, and then the fetters that bound me to a guide would be broken. Not being able to get my bearings irked me, and so I took ample time to study the mansion, absorbing every detail.

“You got that old man to say more than I’ve ever heard before,” Jas said.

“If that was an old man, then I’m a talking Chihuahua. Maybe I’m just a likeable person. I can’t help it if people just love to open up to me,” I dusted my knuckles on my shirt, thoroughly impressed, developing some of my own Smug.

“Now that you’ve finished your preening, I believe it is time to tackle our most immediate concern.” Jeeves flashed into sight ambling along next to us, casual as can be.

After tucking my hands into my shorts, I whistled a tune as I’d never heard what Jeeves had uttered. This time, Jas merely glanced incuriously at our intruder before going back to navigating us out of this warren. Everything was eerily similar, giving us the impression that we hadn’t gone anywhere at all, though I knew we’d been travelling steadily for a good couple of minutes.

“Got something else to do first,” Jas quickly announced. His strides lengthened purposefully, speeding us toward our destination.

We turned a corner to the right and came to a short hallway, which ended at a single door of immense proportions. I couldn’t possibly entertain any notion that someone would need a door of such stature, but walked through without making any verbal note of it. It was momentarily apparent that we hadn’t walked into another section of hallways devoted to living space, but into the biggest garage I had ever laid eyes upon. It was difficult to accurately gauge the size, because the hanging fluorescent lights seemed to stretch on into infinity. There were alabaster podiums that halted the encroaching blank obscurity of the room every twenty feet, which partially obscured some of the pure white tile that traversed the length of the garage.

My eyes went wide, because there was something about this garage that most others I’d seen didn’t possess. It was jam-packed with cars. Granted, a garage usually has cars in it, I admit that. But this one had every dream-mobile you could imagine. I went through those I recognized in my head: Bentley, Maserati, Viper, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Cobra, a ‘68 SS, and a ’67 GT500, ’72 Corvette, and the most modern, fastest counterparts to the last three cars. I did a double take when admiring the GT500, and I walked purposefully toward it.

“Yes!” I pumped my arm in the air in a gesture of triumph that translated across every language.

The Mustang before me wasn’t just any old awesome car, because it was my car. Somehow, someway, Noah had managed to find and freight the vehicle up to the mansion.

“You found it, then,” Jas’ voice came up from behind me, standing next to the hood of the car. He was sporting a huge grin.

“Your dad brought this all the way up here, for me?”

“Yeah, he wanted to make sure you still had a car, if you needed to skedaddle. He said he didn’t want to hold you here against your will, and that you’re welcome to leave at any time.”

“Really?” I coughed awkwardly into my palm.

This sure made me feel like an asshole for thinking that Noah had manipulated me. There was no one but myself to blame for not only attacking someone, but for losing control of my anger, which caused the death of another. I bemoaned my fate: to be someone who wasn’t ordinary, but extraordinary. It’s what I’d always wanted, so might as well buck up and take it while it was still up for grabs and I was still breathing.

I sighed and turned away from the car and let my eyes roam over the vast expanse without taking in any specifics of it. The lighting was kind of screwy in this room. It made the encompassing area appear blurry, you see. Sometimes people these days just aren’t competent in their work. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes momentarily, there seemed to be some eyelashes stuck in them. After a few moments they came out, with some coaxing.

When I brought my hands down from my face and turned toward Jas, he was already holding my wallet out. I took the wallet from his hand and did a quick check to make sure everything was there. It was intact, including the black credit card previously given to me, and a bunch more bills than before. My quarter had also found its way there, and I quickly stuffed it into my front pocket where it belonged. The keys to the car came directly after, and I dropped them into the pocket that wasn’t occupied by the wallet. My eyes started fogging up again, and I rubbed angrily at them, but then let them lie. I doubt that I could hide anything from Jas, anyways, what with the bond we shared.

“Thank you,” came the simple reply. “You don’t know—”

“Yes, I do. And you deserve it. Now, let’s get this estrogen-fest over on the double, or we’ll spontaneously—“

“—turn into a bunch of sniveling girls,” Jeeves interjected.

We both glared daggers at him, but one look confirmed he was merely trying to augment the atmosphere with a dose of his unique wit.

“Let’s go, then.”

I nodded my head, and the three of us, one a ghostly illusion, headed for the door that led back into the twisting corridors of the mansion. From what Jeeves had alluded to, our bond would only grow, given time, into something immutable and unbreakable.

“So, Jas, how much longer ‘til we get out of this labyrinth?”

Jeeves walked in silence as Jas replied. “Just a minute longer. I’m taking us to the training arena.”

My eyes boggled outwards. “You have a training arena? What do you do? Have boxing tournaments?”

Jas listed the specs off in boring detail, a dreadful facsimile of my earlier recitation involving the magnificent cars arrayed in the garage. “Swordfights, boxing, archery, shooting range, mock battles, track, rock-climbing, tennis, football, soccer, volleyball, hockey. The list goes on and on, man. We’ve got everything any sane active person could wish for. Mostly, it’s to keep all the Clans at each other’s throats in a survivable, friendly match, rather than a more realistic version of the same thing.” He grimaced.

“Why would they be ready to tear each other down in the first place?” I asked as we left the mansion through two double doors and continued outside.

Jas looked at me incredulously. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’. If you take a bunch of animals and put ‘em in one place, what do you get?”

“Animal porn?” I snorted.

Jas seemed unimpressed with my response. “You get countless predators fighting for food, survival, leadership, and mating rights.”

“So I was right!”

“Yeah, except there’s a lot of blood and slaughter between your animal porn. These aren’t just unthinking beasts, they’re people who can shift into animal visages, and they possess the innumerable flaws of man, too. Plus, stress levels rise alarmingly when old enemies come to the fore. So, there are parties and games to ensure that there’s minimal damage inflicted by the time debacles such as these come to a close.”

I nodded, rightly chastened. Obviously, this was a touchy subject and not one to be broached lightly. Staring off into the middle distance, taking my time, I trailed in Jas’ wake. Everything described was present, but it was difficult to see past the enormous obstacle course arrayed before me. Sweet. This place was like Disney Land for athletes. A lot of money had been siphoned from someone’s bank account in order to bring this project to fruition. Jas’ family wasn’t just super rich, they were über-rich.

We came to a relatively small clearing, and although the grass and shrubberies were cut down low, it seemed to be vacant. Enormous pine and redwood trees enfolded us in their embrace, blocking further view of the complex, besides from the entrance in which we came. The sun was overhead, and it penetrated into the glade, as if angry with our encroachment into its domain. Jeeves moved forward and took a seat upon the warm grass, as did I. Jas waved and made to leave. Though clearly interested, he appeared to distance himself from prying thoughts and comments.

“You don’t have to leave, we were just getting to the good part.” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively.

Jeeves looked upon me indulgently, as if watching over a child who would be up to unspeakable mischief if unwavering attention was not provided. “You won’t be able to see this, boy. We will be within, not without. Though you are welcome to help him crawl back into bed, for that is where I plan to send him once we are through.”

I scoffed. “Me? Get tired? You’re on, gramps. Let’s do this.”

Jas chuckled evilly at my predicament. Obviously he didn’t think the odds were in my favor. I didn’t think there was much of a chance for things to progress in my favor, either, but figured it best to keep that to myself.

My friend continued his leave-taking, hiding a smile behind one hand. “I’ll be back later, with food. I’m sure you’ll have need of it.”

Turning my attention back to the matter at hand, it immediately came to my attention that Jeeves was no longer present. “You will learn about this power inside of yourself, before you do anything without.”

I was still curiously glancing around when a tugging sensation pulled me back into my mind. Opening my metaphysical eyes prompted the realization that this was the very same glade I had previously occupied, those infinitely distant days ago. It appeared that training would commence in the same place where it began.

“Gather your power,” Jeeves commanded roughly.

I responded immediately and found that it required only a minor effort. The energy fizzled and sparked, and the quasi-world around me became focused, alive. Sights and sounds magnified, the wind on my cheek was a caressing hand, embracing me. The swaying trees animated, and my sixth-sense was on high alert.

“Good.” It seemed we were sticking with quick requests and demands. Jeeves had morphed into the uncompromising drill sergeant, and I was a maggot recruit. “Face me.”

I turned toward the sound of his voice and the stress his weight put upon the earth. A purple aura surrounded him, and although its color appeared feminine to most, it caused me to back away slightly at the power it exuded.

“So far, you have been relying solely upon your instincts to keep you alive. You haven’t consciously called upon your power, rather it has manifested on its own.” Jeeves paused, expecting me to provide an explanation.

“They’ve gotten me this far, right? I thought you were supposed to follow your instincts.”

Jeeves expelled a noisy breath, and even though we were ten feet apart, the disturbance of his exhalation could be felt upon the air. “You understand only part of the whole. If you allow yourself to be dominated by your instincts, you are nothing more than an animal in the guise of a human. Master these potentially debilitating emotions, and you shall control your destiny.”

I bit. “All right, how?”

Jeeves entered full instructor mode. “Do not permit your emotions free reign. Suppress them and make them serve you. Allow them to become only a backdrop, a clarifying lens to see through, not occluding your vision. Condense and discard them, to release the hold they maintain on endorsing brash action. You will be capable of acting freely and without encumbrance, as fear shall not paralyze nor rage drown your thoughts.”

“Sounds valuable.”

Jeeves nodded his head in assent. “Your first use of the elements was through Air. You will be most powerful with this, and one other element, which has yet to reveal itself.”

I scratched my head. “Wait, so what about the lightning?”

Jeeves became exasperated. This clearly was not a subject he wished to discuss. “You are not prepared to possess that knowledge. Suffice it to say that your ability with lightning is unique to you.”

I sidetracked us further. “Whoa. Maybe you should start calling me Lightning Man, or Flash. How about Johnny Lightning Bolt?”

Jeeves face-palmed. “We are not here to discuss childish labels, boy. Names have power. Do not utter them in vain.”

I reluctantly returned to the topic at hand. “So, what’s next on our schedule?”

“Relax your mind. The power you can summon at any one time is but a fraction of the whole stored within the nexus of power you possess. Be wary, however. If the entirety of this energy is consumed, your death will be imminent.”

Sarcasm dripped from my words. “Gee, thanks for the heads up.”

But I did as told, falling to the ground and relaxing my nervous posture, took up a stance for kicks, then brought all my apprehension to the forefront of my being. Instead of allowing it to influence my actions to a detriment, I squashed it down, diminishing it and forcing it to recede deep inside, as a paltry remnant of its previous existence. It had taken me around twenty seconds to reach a state of balance within. My body became a place of calm as I opened the eyes that had closed of their own accord.

“Well done,” Jeeves said. “Now, feel the Air around you. Then call it to yourself.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I grumbled underneath my breath.

Reaching out with intensified senses enabled me to flow along the currents of Air in the clearing. Short stalks and dainty bushes were bending under the pressure exerted upon them and an eagle circled high overhead on an air current. Leaves rustled amongst the trees, and the wind whistled in my ears. Through my awareness of Air, I attempted to bring it to me. And failed miserably. No matter how hard I strained, my efforts went unnoticed by the force of nature. Sweat stood out on my brow from the effort.

Jeeves laughed, and my face heated up. “Boy, you cannot command the wind! You must call upon it, much like a lover or a friend. The moment you try to wrangle it, force it, you have wasted precious time and energy. Try again.”

After forcing the rising weariness away from me, I attempted to amass more power. I rode the sensations of the Air as before, except this time called, rather than demanded that it acquiesce to my directives. Wind swirled around me, surrounding and enveloping me completely. Jeeves grunted, cracking a slight smile. It was the first amiable expression he had projected since assuming the mantle of teacher.

“Now, stop those goblins from trying to kill you.”

“What?” I asked, flabbergasted.

Without the slightest idea what a goblin looked like, excepting hazy recollections provided by Jeeves, I was at a loss to respond. Plus, there was no reason to believe that any goblins resided in my mind. Why would there be a need to protect myself from anything within the depths of my cognizance, something that was assumed to be a stronghold? I scrutinized the landscape around me and saw… nothing. Perhaps Jeeves had just been trying to shake me out of my concentration, yank my chain.

“Jeeves, what the hell are you talking about? There aren’t any—”

That was, of course, when the goblins materialized. One second there was a glade devoid of other life forms, except us. In the blink of an eye, ten goblins surrounded me in a rough semicircle, and Jeeves appeared behind them. I figured there was about two seconds allotted to study of my momentarily disoriented enemies, and I scrambled to take advantage. Half of them were short, green and ugly. The other half were still short, but packed with muscle, red, slightly taller, and really, really ugly. Their scent was not a pleasing one, to say the least. There wasn’t any more time to think as they rushed me, screaming unintelligible war cries. Great, what a way to go, mauled by a bunch of ugly goblins.

My emotions exploded beneath a sea of fright that attempted to turn my insides to jelly. While struggling to regain mobility, the Air around me began to dissipate, returning to its natural tendencies. I shoved my fear into the enclosure created for the other sensations and hoped for the best. After calling the Air toward me once more, I moved forward, thinking it was my best bet to put the goblins off balance from the start.

They obviously weren’t used to the tactics of a crazed teenager. Their incoherent screaming slackened abruptly, and one even stopped to scratch its head in confusion. My initial attack entailed dashing toward the first goblin, which was slow in reacting to a kick in the nads. I don’t care what kind of preternatural being you are: if you’re male, a kick to the jewels is going to put you on your knees. The goblin did go down, although slowly and with a highly entertaining array of visages. The urge overcame me to impart a “Meep, meep.” I pivoted to the left and crushed a red goblin’s face with a left hook. The next one was on me. Its clawed green hand arced toward me in an undisciplined but powerful haymaker.

I snapped up and held my forearm tight against my cheek. If any regular person had thrown the punch, the simple counter would have been sufficient. The problem was that the goblin in front of me had claws. They raked deeply into me, spilling imaginary first blood. Grunting as a fiery line traced itself down my skin, I lashed outward toward a hairy chest with an open palm, the entirety of my weight behind the blow. Purple traceries flared out from the impact site. My goblin friend tumbled backward an impressive distance before colliding with one of his red brethren.

Fear and apprehension I had been able to deal with, but the surprise knocked my concentration off kilter and the carefully constructed cubbyhole of emotions blew up in my incorporeal face. The Air slipped out of my control. My quick responses went with it. Groaning loudly, I dodged a blurred red swipe aimed at my face, then redirected a clawed punch to the left side of my body, putting the creature off balance in the process. I delivered a roundhouse into the side of the tripping monster before I was grabbed in a bear hug from behind.

A menacing growl stopped me in my tracks, but disgruntled, rage-filled faces had me moving again quickly enough. Twisting my body back and forth, my elbows moved with the enhanced power provided by some well-timed pivots of the body. Grunts of pain emanated from my captor. I added a heel stomp into the mix as my left arm was ran down a hairy red arm. I peeled off the restraining appendage, twisting a beefy index finger backwards until it broke with an audible snap, crackle, and pop. My cry of triumph was abruptly silenced when a meaty fist slammed into my skull from behind. Like a felled tree, I slowly toppled to the ground. I brought up my elbows to my face in a daze and held my hands held protectively behind my head before the expected pummeling commenced.

It took several long minutes for my rattled brain to process that there was no longer a threat to face. I withdrew my body parts from their defensive positions, and I absorbed the vacant glade. There most definitely weren’t any Christmas-colored goblins out to brain me. My palpable relief was expressed in a pent up exhalation of tension, while I forced myself wearily to a relatively respectable standing position. With my head feeling like it was packed with wool and any sense of balance sorely affected by a raging headache, my first impression was that round one wasn’t completed at a level of excellence.

I went with what first came to mind. “Ouch.”

Jeeves was tapping his foot impatiently, and his body language broadcasted aggravation. “You lost control of your power almost immediately, and—”

“Couldn’t you have warned me? Those were some very real-looking goblins, Jeeves. How’d you manage that? And was the smell completely necessary?” A gagging noise punctuated the questions.

“If you can hold your concentration in an ambush, you will have no trouble with your control,” Jeeves explained simply.

“Okay. But why don’t you give me two seconds of prep time, first? I’m new to this, remember?”

He imparted some wisdom, dragging out each word painfully. “Use your imagination. You are only limited by what you can imagine and enforce with your will.”

He was obviously in a hurry to get this teaching session finished, and his reasoning was not likely to be flawed. A major event was impending, and my doom was soon to follow if I couldn’t learn how to employ my powers properly. This time, I assumed a defensive position before anything else. I put my left foot forward, feet shoulder width apart, and brought my hands up, balled into fists before my face. Then, I repeated the process with my emotional garbage disposal, summoned my power, and called Air. The entire process was concluded in twenty seconds, which brought me to the realization that my timing was much too slow in harnessing my power for an actual confrontation. There would be mere seconds to act and react.

The goblins returned and this time my actions commenced before they could come within closing distance. Most of them were charging heedlessly toward me, so I began to visualize a preliminary defense. The purplish hue of Air marked my progress. My success was assured when the first two green goblins stumbled over the two-foot high retaining wall fashioned of Air. Grinning, I sent a concussion of purple wind toward two closely grouped goblins, and they went down for the count. Some of my imaginary breath was lost from the excessive drain of my exertions as I sought to harness additional power. Three more goblins approached. The rest were merely observing the altercation as it unfolded. Some rudimentary Air orbs were dispatched toward the three approaching goblins and they too collapsed. I noticed the “defeated” ones dissolved seamlessly into the landscape soon after hitting the glade’s floor.

A snarl caused me to react without conscious thought, sending another concussive blast toward the discordant sound. Turning my head to take in the destruction wrought by the deed, I discovered that the perceived enemy was but a child. At least, it appeared to be a male child. I’m no expert, give me a break here. Only a few feet in height, it wore a pitifully desolate expression as it too, vanished. The remaining goblins were busy cowering, trying, for what it was worth, to stay unnoticed and escape my wrath.

“What the? Jeeves!”

Jeeves had gotten an apple from somewhere, and busied himself with polishing it on his silk shirt. “Not every goblin is evil, Caleb. Just because most give in to their animalistic nature doesn’t mean that all of them are of the same mind. Note that next time you destroy one of their young. They tend to get… Let’s say, irascible.” Jeeves took a bite into his apple, smirking.

“Damn it.” I felt my body tense up while feasting my eyes upon some very angry, very enflamed goblins. From within the folds of reality, they had produced axes to better dismember my flailing torso.

I sought momentary reassurance as they encroached upon my position, roaring retribution. They were just imaginary constructs created to help me learn how to exert over control my abilities. I took a deep breath. By the time I regained control over my body, it was almost too late. The goblins were an arm’s length away from me, their axes descending from their zeniths, toward my vulnerable body, almost too me! This epiphany was my cue to move.

Power surged through my veins and the weapons swung toward me as if moving through molasses. I sidestepped out of the line of attack, making it to relative safety as my three attackers weapons stuck fast in the ground, instead of my pretty face. Lashing out solidly with one foot, I connected with the base of a red appendage. Another snap, crackle, and pop gave me the impression that I wouldn’t have to worry about its axe hand.

An inhuman scream emanated from the throat of the injured goblin, and its buddies were suddenly even less pleased with me. Great. I delivered a side kick to an approaching goblin and followed through with a brutally executed elbow. A searing pain enveloped the band of my neck. I had an instant to feel my imaginary head plummet from its perch between my shoulder blades. Ouch.

One moment, a murky nothingness consumed me, where I was devoid of pain or suffering, which could only be considered a positive side effect of death. Then my consciousness was dragged back forcibly into existence. Jeeves had his teacher face on, so I knew better than to expect a poorly manufactured pun or two.

Jeeves brought his hands up in a universal gesture of exasperation. “Again.”

This was going to hurt. A lot. At least, though, I had something to focus on.

— Chapter 10 —

The next two weeks passed in a blur that came with extreme fatigue, intense cramming sessions, and enjoyment. Jas joined in on occasion with my training, though not as a bunny, so it was hard to kick his ass. Noah, Jas, and I became closer. There was little communication to be had with the ghoul, but I learned his name, an indecipherable hissing and clacking that put my teeth on edge. Having been forgiven for wreaking havoc upon the interior of the limo, it appeared that I had garnered a family of my own, albeit an oddly fashioned one. And every day, treks were made out to the clearing to escape within myself and learn what Jeeves had to drill into me.

Jeeves grumbled under his breath and acted like an impatient child throughout the entire time he taught me. No matter how fast I learned he was dissatisfied with my progress. I put it down to nerves. Jeeves was still withholding information from me, refusing to illuminate the dark places of understanding. But I knew there was something bothering him, as I too sensed the foreboding discordance he toiled under. The tolling of bells rang through my mind, and age-old, enchanting music called me south. These bells were trying to tell me something.

My Air proficiency improved as time passed. Jeeves still mixed in non-aggressive combatants along with those who would do me harm. It just emphasized the point that supernatural beings didn’t just fall into the easy categories of good or evil. They, like their human prey, allies, or enemies, possess the same flaws and redeeming qualities of Man. That realization wasn’t a very happy one, however. I knew that people were capable of cruelty, evil, and spite, as easily as kindness, compassion, and love. I expected nothing different from beings that live in such close proximity with humanity.

I regained my footing once more. The vampires were quick, giving me trouble in keeping up with their movements. Not because my vision was occluded by sparkles, not that. I was vaguely disappointed, thinking that any competent vampire would sparkle. I propelled squares of Air outwards in the place of blocking maneuvers. When a non-sparkly, bone white hand shot out in a left uppercut, my response was a downward thrust of Air. I was starting to get the hang of it, but still slightly shaky. One in three tries usually ended with repeated pummeling by a violently enraged vampire. From what little Jeeves had told me, these were an expendable class of vampires, and, despite the power they possessed, were on the bottom of the food chain when juxtaposed against their royal counterparts.

With the Air powering and speeding my every move, I stayed one step ahead of my opponents and their sharp fangs. Having already experienced the not-so-caressing bite of these vampires, there were no urges to date them, nor stop for a chat. All the popular vampire books were full of lies.

I jumped over a series of lightning fast punches, vaulting up into the sky, borne upon the Air. Giddy laughter escaped my throat. Though only a teenager, I’d already soared higher than any corporate giant. After landing on the balls of my feet, I allowed my momentum to carry me forward into a roll. The vampires were all arrayed behind me at this point, and so I let them have it. Gathering more power from my storage tank, while pulling one arm backwards, as if to wind up for a mega-slap.

A razor-thin boomerang launched out from my hand as I flung forward. I felt the drain immediately as well as the mental strain. The boomerang, trailing a wickedly macho purple tracery, was imbued with an excess of power. The width of the attack caused the vampires to be taken down no matter which direction they ran. One more intelligent male, however, jumped over the obstruction in the nick of time.

The last one came at me with a snarl of rage, and not much in the way of planned thought or action. He threw an unrefined right cross at my face, and it was an easy matter to deflect his blow with Air. His body wheeled in a complete circle from the strength of my counter. I delivered a straightforward palm, bringing my elbow back down immediately following my contact. He was dead, well more dead anyway, or unconscious by the time he reached the forest floor. I looked around the carnage. I had not gotten used to it.

These imaginary encounters were as good as the real thing. The pilfered blood seeping out of vanishing vampire bodies was real enough for me, and their hits were solid enough when they landed upon my body. For all practical purposes, I was embroiled in fights to the death, but, rather like a video game, my lives weren’t limited to the change in my pocket. Sighing, I realized that there was a fatal flaw with that reasoning. In a video game, you were psychologically and physically removed from the action that was occurring.

I realized, finally, that the training was not merely to get me used to fighting members of the supernatural community or recognizing when one meant me no harm. It was to toughen up my psyche, so that when embroiled in a real-life encounter and only possessed a solitary life, I was ready. There would be no coming back from any disembowelment, the foul thought cascaded through my mind.

“You have done well these past few days,” Jeeves admitted reluctantly, startling me from my internal ruminations. “Successfully attaining and holding the correct frame of mind in a confrontation is a vital aspect of training. You have harnessed Air to a satisfactory, if rudimentary, level. Now, you must acknowledge your instincts and utilize imagination to guide you the rest of the way. There is little basic application remaining to be learned about this particular element.”

“What about flying? I was really looking forward to getting my pilot’s license.”

Jeeves shook his head sadly, as if dealing with a lost cause. “This is your mind, Caleb.” He paused. “Well, to be exact, this is my domain within your cognizance, but the end product is unchanged.” He paused. “I am maintaining this,” he flourished his hand expansively, “with my will, and enforcing the laws of nature as you are accustomed. But…” he paused dramatically. “It is not necessary to have these restrictions in effect.”

The landscape morphed around us and the glade disappeared in a shower of glimmering motes of light. I tilted my head up in amazement as the world around me changed. We weren’t in Kansas anymore, that’s for sure. The sky, which was most definitely supposed to be blue in color, was a vibrant green. The stars twinkled merrily, and they were large enough for me to consider backing up a few steps in order to conform with safety regulations. A blue, pitted moon shone down upon the landscape, while the sun was still out. When I got around to looking down, I was again awestruck.

Standing ten feet above viscous green liquid, I came to the conclusion that it was an ocean. No land was visible upon the horizon, though dark shapes lurked under the surface. Colossal waves crashed amid the ocean with deafening finality, spewing droplets high in the air. I suddenly had the feeling that there wasn’t anything in this ocean that you’d want to meet, if you preferred all your body parts unblemished. Jeeves’ mind was no doubt a treacherous place.

“The world around us is shaped by my will, and it can be anything within the realm of imagination,” he said, with more than a little smugness. “And so, something like flying inside your mind is largely superfluous.” He grinned. “Because things like gravity are relative, subjective, and easily turned to your enemy’s cause.” He grin widened.

Simultaneously offended and startled, I bellowed, “Damn you, Jeeves!” before plunging into the depths below.

Colliding with the very real water, my clothes soaked through instantly, and I began to splutter and claw my way to the surface from my submerged position. Air bubbles floated lazily, trailing behind my headlong flight as if in no hurry to reach the surface. Sensing a current glide past me, I redoubled my efforts. I struggled to the surface gasping greedily for breath. I was… back in the glade at the mansion. Damn it all!

Jeeves flashed on the right and I skipped a rock toward him. It would have worked as planned if it didn’t just pass harmlessly through his body rather than strike him. Narrowing my eyes at him, there was a momentary standoff, where both waited for a turn of the phrase. If there were no such action taken, my rights as described in section 5 subsection 12 of the Man Rulebook would be necessitated.

“Do not believe that you get off with such minimal effort, Caleb.” He grinned even more widely than before. “There are four additional elements to be introduced, and only one of them will be as simple fare as rudimentary knowledge in Air was garnered.”

My jaw tightened. “Well, what a sweet transition into our next encroachment into the world of fantasy, teach.”

He waved off my displeasure, unaffected. “There was no harm done, young buck. And yes, Water is the element where your tribulations will begin anew. It is the element you have a secondary propensity, behind Air.”

Curiosity piqued, my hostile mood melted away. “How do you know what my strengths shall be, when we haven’t invoked any elements, excepting Air? And about the lightning? Hmm?”

Jeeves appeared flustered for a few short moments and I savored every second, locking it within the vaults of my long-term memory for later amusement. “I am privy to much knowledge pertaining to you. How I have acquired the information is of trivial importance compared to other, more pressing matters. Survival is infinitely more important than details regarding my collective stores of knowledge.”

“Lightning,” he continued, rather obstinately and irrationally, “is not considered an element. And you will have little need of my help in teaching you about its intricacies.”

I threw up my hands in disgust, an immediate reflex brought on by these incessant shadow games. Was it so difficult to speak plainly?

The night’s dinner, much like most others, was a modest affair for the Franklin family, prepared by their very own chef who both lived and worked in the mansion. My thoughts strayed to my parents and their whereabouts, and prompted an obvious question had been postponed up to this point. The atmosphere had remained light and jovial throughout the evening, ideally suited to taking the chance, while it still remained within grasp.

Through the midst of a mouthful of beef soup, I acted to tentatively broach the subject. “I was wondering.” My eyes surveyed Jas. “About your mom. Is she… Did she…?”

Noah took the matter out of my hands almost immediately after its instigation. “That is not a subject which has been discussed in many a years. The painful memory has been set in a vault under lock and key.” He looked to Jas inquisitively.

He had frozen up at the mention of his mother, but nodded. “He has a right to know.”

Being that both men at the table were tight lipped and irresolute regarding the outcome, I realized that we were in uncharted territory. My eyes wandered as I awaited Noah’s response and they spotted the ghoul, sitting comfortably in a corner eating a humongous slab of beef, then refocused my attention on the table.

“Celeste was a jewel,” Noah began, visibly reacquainting himself with his wife’s name. There was sorrow in his eyes, and I instantly regretted bringing up the subject. “There was no one who matched her beauty, and her intelligence, was unparalleled. Her eyes, the stars of my world, and I revolved around her, whichever direction she chose. We fell deeply in love against all established customs, married, and soon Jas entered the world. For some years, our life was uncomplicated: we raised our child, strove to be parents that Jas here would admire in the future.” His gaze darkened. “But Celeste had enemies from her past, and I was woefully ignorant of their existence. They ghosted within our halls that day with a solitary purpose when I wasn’t there to protect her, while she was vulnerable. Upon my return, her blood had seeped into the stone of our entry hall, and the assailants had fled the scene with nary a mark of their passing. Every vestige of my power was enlisted to locate the smallest connection, to bridge the gap of ignorance, but the trail had ran cold years past, my hands empty. Jas was but a child, and they left him unharmed in his crib, yet too young to lament his mother’s passing.”

Dredging up the shades of his past had clearly taking a toll on the man. When I first looked upon him, he was a figure of strength, a cliff face unaltered by millennia of surf that wished to erode his carefully constructed walls. But now the fracture within his soul was visible; Noah’s eyes were sunken and lifeless. There was a long period of time where the table subsisted upon the modest fare in silence. I polished off the rest of my meal, even the greens, which was most unlike me.

The tension finally eased when Jas broke wind. “Sorry,” he said, feigning a contrite expression.

I was content with the knowledge gained throughout the course of the evening. It went a long way to explain the closeness between Jas and I; we shared a disturbingly similar traumatic experience. I rubbed my palm where the bond had been instigated, a habitual movement.

— Chapter 11 —

My understanding of the lengths others would go when confronted with a raging thirst in the midst of a desert was deepened considerably throughout the course of the next day. Jeeves had continued my lessons, but this time he wanted me to establish the playing field, within my own little spherical sun. I got cold feet when approaching the orb, dreading the thought of being deep-fried down to my imaginary shoes by hot lava. When I neared it, however, there was only pulsating warmth that ran the length of my body. The nexus of my power had grown exponentially in intensity and power since my initiation into the world of the supernatural had been solidified.

“Here goes nothing,” I muttered.

“At last,” Jeeves said. “It appeared you would have us out here all day, at this rate.”

I placed my left hand in front of me and brought it into contact with my own miniature sun. It was the left arm. Only an idiot puts their good arm into a blazing furnace. Well, more of an idiot who puts any arm into a furnace to begin with. The arm came into contact with something that should have singed my eyebrows off just from being in close proximity to its molten core. Resigning myself to fate, I brought the rest of my body in line with the extended appendage. I even went so far as to close my eyes when my face came into contact with it.

“You, who fights vampires and goblins,” Jeeves chuckled, “Are afraid of something that resides in your own mind.”

“For good reason,” I muttered, glancing over at him pointedly.

But that had pushed me over the edge of indecision and into the abyss. I cracked open my eyes and stepped all the way through, expecting to be incinerated. Releasing a resigned sigh, I realized I was surrounded in blackness so all-consuming that there was no way to gain my bearings. Jeeves was a glowing apparition to the left, and my focused attention shifted to his iridescent figure.

“You can fight those things,” I replied crossly. “And I always come back, as if participating in a video game with unlimited lives.”

“Control your emotions,” Jeeves’ ghostly smile appeared before me.

“Control your emotions,” I copycatted childishly.

I retreated into the state of calm that had by now become automatic for me. There was no need to call up my power. My mind at peace, I summoned an image from my imagination. Something from my memories could have easily been recalled. However, there was an undeniable urge to create something with no connection to the past.

I concentrated, bringing up the image in my mind before attempting to force my will on the blank landscape around me. It would be a salt-water lake, although only as large as a football field. The water would be a crystalline blue, devoid of pollution or human habitation. Tall reeds would poke out of the shallow ends, and the ground surrounding the body of water would be warm, white sand. This briefly reminded me of a Scooby-Doo episode from my childhood, pertaining to the Loch-Ness monster, but the thought was quickly banished, lest it take root in my design. The bed of my lake came into being, sporting underwater caves and unfathomable depths.

Light waves appeared in my vision, but were quickly dispelled. It remained perfectly still and clear. For my own amusement, a variety of aquatic life complemented the setting, including salmon, rainbow trout, tuna, swordfish, eels, manta rays, plankton, a slew of smaller fish, sharks, dolphins, killer whales, and for the finale, the Loch-Ness monster. Backtracking, I also added kelp and other life-nurturing plants that would protect and provide for the smaller species. Just to have something even more out of place in the scenery, huge mutated lily pads were conjured in one section, put close enough together so that it was possible to jump across as a failsafe.

Going back to the exterior of my humble creation, I extended the beach to twenty yards and placed redwoods to encompass the entirety. Bird life came next, but nothing beyond that conquered the skies, for the moment. The sky was next, and I pondered thoughtfully upon my infinite selections. In the end, I settled on the ordinary, yet crisp, azure setting that was populated with fluffy clouds that appeared as an army battling one another for dominion. Beyond that, the sun was a necessary addition, but it was tweaked it to a deeper, darker, blood red. Bringing up my hand, my index finger was thrust randomly, populating my space with bright, multicolored stars. Satisfied, my will was hardened to iron and forced upon the dank landscape around me, manipulating it into what I thought it should appear as.

I was met with some resistance, my own mind fighting my wishes. A great weight settled upon my shoulders, enshrouding my mind and pulling loose the threads of my will. I growled then pushed the imaginary weight off with all the might my flustered mind could bring to bear on this new eventuality. The world around me fractured and crumbled, an overwhelming fractal configuration of light and sound, before my creation was made corporeal, a vision made reality.

“Yeah, baby! Who’s your daddy?!” I exclaimed, enjoying my momentary triumph.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to imagine myself anywhere in relation to the creation. So, instead of enjoying the relative safety of hard ground beneath my feet, I plummeted among my battling clouds, failing to catch the air that was whistling through my fingers. I let out a hoarse cry equal parts fear and exhilaration. Jeeves was nowhere to be seen, and since conversation in a veritable windstorm would be difficult, counsel was out of the question. Suddenly, intuition informed me that I wouldn’t enjoy experiencing a collision at terminal velocity. Shut up, intuition, I thought, and take the back seat with all the others.

I tried concentrating on the singular notion that there was no gravity. That didn’t work. I couldn’t concentrate properly to attain the necessary stillness of mind to rescind the law of gravity in my domain. The ground was rushing up toward me, faster than the sights could be appreciated. Splaying arms and legs out wide, I attempted to slow the rapid descent, my clothes flapping wildly around me. There was nothing for it: I would have to either attain my calm prose once more, or get intimately acquainted with the landscape below. I winced, and closed my eyes, the wind buffeting my face and body all the while.

I brought to the forefront of my mind an image of myself standing on one of my lily pads, held it steady while I snuffed my raging emotions and crammed them into my emotional cubbyhole. Daring my eyes open a crack, I noticed there wasn’t more than a thousand feet separating me from gruesome, high-speed impact. Which meant, quite literally, my continued existence could be measured in seconds. Much like a spectral arm wrestling match, I fought my psyche for control of what ought to be. It had the upper hand. I was falling from the freaking sky, but instincts honed with the whetstone of the darkness pervading the world disallowed me the ability to go quietly. Finally, with it pinned, the landscape around me morphed, reformed itself into the image of a mutated lily pad, placid waters and a smiling Jeeves.

“Commendable work, for a neophyte trainee.” Jeeves winked. “Although, not as otherworldly a landscape as anticipated.”

I’ll admit it, for a few seconds, hyperventilating was all I could manage. Recognizing my earlier statement of the restorative properties of water for its true nature, my head was forcibly dunked beneath the still surface of the lake. Then, spluttering on the bitter taste, the realization dawned on me that this was not a fresh water lake. I carefully wiped my stinging eyes with my windblown shirtfront. That just wouldn’t do, and so a less intense wrestling match ensued to alter the make-up of the water accordingly. After that, I imagined that the sea creatures that populated my waters could flourish in fresh water. No problem. I surveyed the landscape, and was satisfied when there weren’t any amphibious creatures beginning to surface belly up.

The moment I had regained full control of my body once more, I flipped Jeeves the bird and was satisfied that my fingers only shook slightly in the act. Considering my recent brush with imaginary death by high-speed impact, this miniscule rebuttal was counted as an accomplishment. Then, I broke out a long stream of profanity, spoken softly but vehemently under my breath. I fixed a brittle grin to my face and turned to an amused Jeeves.

“Well, that was fun,” the mechanical lie filtered through my lips.

“I’m sure you’ve had a very productive learning experience,” Jeeves shot back between bouts of hysterical laughter. He finally calmed. “Water is not just an element. It’s a force of nature so powerful, so deep, that it cannot be fathomed by the mortal mind. The surf will erode a stretch of land over the course of several thousand years. It will continue its ceaseless onslaught long after ten generations of the mundane tribes of humanity have ceased to subsist on the bones of their forefathers. Pounding surf will crash upon the beachfront whether or not your attention is fixated upon it. Water is a timeless mistress, an unknown quantity, despite your explorers’ attempts to penetrate its depths. Those who can bind such a force to their whims must be possessed of the will equal to strength of diamond and a spirit of undeniable fortitude.”

I quickly imagined myself a chair to sit upon to better absorb the lesson. It was interesting that Jeeves knew anything of the current happenings in today’s world. Maybe he watched a lot of TV via my memories. The giant lily pad tilted alarmingly when I popped a squat but righted once more when Jeeves altered his position accordingly.

“So, the lesson before us demands that I chain an omnipotent force to my will, when that incomprehensible entity has no desire to be controlled? Something that has stood unaltered through time immemorial? Am I to call upon the elements, or attempt to control them?”

Jeeves brushed off my questions and dove into the midst of it. “The methods vary among practitioners. Only those with extraordinary determination can perform more than the simplest of workings.”

“So, you plan to teach me the intricacies of an element I may only be capable of influencing a tiny bit?” I shook my head.

“No. I plan to teach you of an asset that will become one of your most cherished possessions. You have been given more than this power are more than a stubborn whelp who may acquire a modicum of control over the elements. You possess within a capability of far greater importance.” He brought his hand up and pushed me hard in the chest. “You can be the Light that stands against Darkness, illuminating the dank, dreary pathways of humanity for those who have lost their way in the oppressive blackness.” His voice was granite and steely bedrock.

My awkward cough filled the void that an extended period of silence had created. “Well then, when you put it that way—”

“Good,” he interrupted. “Now, find your center, calm your shaking limbs, and get off the chair.”

His words were punctuated with vehement gestures, and the chair disappeared beneath me as if it had never been. I fell clumsily into a cross-legged sitting position. Rather than face the wrath of an angry being tethered to my soul, I found my happy place. Sinking into a state of calm, I came to the realization that Jeeves had influenced the makeup of my domain. I filed the information away for later utilization and focused my mind on a task that had yet to be properly explained.

I waited until it became clear that a detailed, step-by-step explanation wasn’t in the cards. There seemed to be no easy button in the near vicinity, either. Nor were there three easy payments of $19.95 that would set me upon the path of enlightenment. And so, I took a steadying breath and trailed my hand along the edge of the lily, submerging my hand beneath the crystalline surface of the lake. The cool liquid rushed between my fingers, while the water rippled audibly on the edge of consideration. My breathing became deep and regular; I let myself be guided by instinct.

The power within me welled as I allowed it to rise and explode outwards, filling my body with liquid warmth, power. Opening the eyes that had been turned contemplatively inward, my domain was revealed in a new light. Pulsating lines of energy occupied my field of vision, battered into existence by the blunt hammer of my will. Shapes danced beneath the surface, while the trees swayed silently to the song of the earth. My previously black and white vision was now full high-def Technicolor. The water flowing between my fingers was buzzing with life, and I followed the sensation, immersing myself in the strain of vitality possessed by the Water.

The quasi-lake wasn’t actually an existing body of water, but it was molded from my memories and imagination. So, the liquid behaved and acted like any ordinary system of water. Light penetrated only so far into its depths, and darkness reigned in the deep pockets and caverns, hiding the furious activity of the imaginary creatures I’d populated the lake with.

Jeeves seemed to be increasingly impatient with me, tapping his foot to an unknown drum roll, possibly a foretelling of my imminent death. I immersed my consciousness into the waters once more and attempted to do something, anything. Visualizing a cascading wave rolling across the lake, then a series of pillars holding up a foundation, freezing the lake, I called upon the Water to do my will, to no avail.

My task was approached at all angles and with calm resolve, deciphering it as I would any puzzle. First it was an unknown enigma, indecipherable, inexplicable, and just damn frustrating. No matter what method was employed to tackle my problem, none of the pieces seemed to conform to one another. Time passed, and Jeeves’ became more impatient with each passing second, although he left me to my own devices. It seemed that this was a task that must be completed in one’s own time. I couldn’t be rushed, and took childish glee in his impatience.

The Water wouldn’t respond to my pleas, threats, harsh words, or pointed fingers. But, just maybe, it would respond to something a little more overt.

Any ship captain recognized that although the sea can appear placid and non-threatening, the weather could take a turn for the worst at a moment’s notice, entrap them in a watery embrace. When one dared to swim in the ocean, they accepted that there was a chance of getting caught in a riptide without the possibility of extrication, miniscule though it may be. There were as many dangers represented by the ocean as seashells adorning the sand. But those who braved the waters all had something in common: they garnered as much control over the situation as was humanly possible before entering the surf.

My pleas had been directed toward something that didn’t wish to be summoned, that defied all attempts by humans to conquer its berth. I dispatched my will upon the waters, forced them to cohere to my demands. Power seeped reluctantly from an outstretched hand, into the surrounding lake. Slowly, as if the Water was resisting any alteration of its liquid state, a semi-large area froze over. Loud cracking emitted from the surface, the water protesting being changed into a solid at such short notice. A slow smile crept across my face as I reveled silently in my accomplishment. Sweat streaked down my forehead in tiny rivulets, which was mopped up by an equally damp portion of my shirtfront.

“Ah, a command, I see,” Jeeves observed passively.

I started forward purposefully, delicately stepping out upon the ice as one would approach an active railroad crossing. We had been drilling incessantly and Jeeves made sure the quality of my work was tested rigorously. Previously, I had made the ice too thin and fell through numerous times. That was precisely the reason why my subconscious mind had imagined myself in a swimsuit, rather than a heavy winter parka.

Once out on the ice and sure of my footing, Jeeves had me further expound on my abilities. The idea was that I had to keep my attention focused upon the ice in addition whatever test Jeeves threw my way.

“Water,” Jeeves told me.

I brought up my tired arms, and I fixated upon the specifics of the desired result before applying any power to my design. Energy lashed out at the lake, forcing tendrils of water to rise, stalagmites of liquid that protruded from the lake. The tentacles lashed out aimlessly, awaiting enemies yet unveiled. A shield constructed of ice rose up to protect the lower half of my body. Offensive components followed, rising up out of the water with deadly intent. The icicles were shaped to resemble throwing daggers, although only a miniscule few were able to be manifested, for splitting my attention so many ways was no small feat.

Jeeves could alter and control my Dreamscape at will, and he took advantage at every possible opportunity. Sensing an alteration in the environment behind, a school of piranha launched themselves at my throat. The first line of defense was my army of tentacles, and they performed admirably, given their aggressor’s small size. Piranhas were snatched out of the air and entrapped in the liquid, and then flash-frozen and shattered to pieces. Time stretched endlessly as I called upon Air, a legion of throwing knives was commanded to take down the few remaining piranha. As discovered from a prior, most unpleasant experience, the carnivorous fish were not gentle when eating someone alive. I had no reason to relive the experience.

A killer whale and a great white worked in concert for the next portion of Jeeves’ assessment. My tentacles did little to slow the behemoths. As the two predators raced across the surface, I released the constructs and whirled one hand in a clockwise motion, forcing the water in the immediate vicinity to gyrate at increased speed. In essence, a miniature whirlpool had been created around my ice island, and the two beasts were cast aside like sacks of meal when they attempted to broach my defense. The ice beneath cracked and split, however, and forced me to divert my attention to keeping it together under the continued onslaught of my whirlpool.

Eventually, I was forced to terminate the brutish efforts of keeping my enemies at bay. Precious energy had been wasted, while other adversaries were given the opportunity to array themselves against me. Keeping still would force me to react instead of act. Abruptly, the ice split open below me and I plummeted into the water. My eyes widened in alarm as my disbelieving eyes were confronted with the sight of a flailing sea serpent, vaguely resembling a pre-historic octopus. Nessie, the Loch Ness had come out to play.

My heart thumped at an alarming speed. My attempts to swear were met with failure. All that I managed was losing more oxygen. Tentacles shot out, and I commanded the water to propel me out of their reach. What ensued after the initial assault was an insane Scooby Doo chase scene complete with matching theme music, wherein I dodged, maneuvered, and veered around innumerous appendages that wished to maneuver me toward a set of fearsome, needlepoint teeth. There was the pressing problem of my depleted stores of oxygen. Nessie had no such restrictions. Struggling through a sense of drowning, I commanded the Water to force me to the surface, full speed ahead.

The killer whale and the white were waiting patiently, circling, churning up the calm surface. I continued shooting toward the surface, screaming narrowly sustained by the expanding gases in my lungs, a by-product of my ascent. Thrashing the shark upon the gills and narrowly avoiding losing my arm at the elbow, I cannonballed out of the crushing abyss. With a greedy inhalation of breath at the apex of my jump, I thought frantically for a way out of this predicament. Now my pseudo-being was dropping from a hundred feet, to impact with the surface of the lake, which would be deadly in any circumstance.

Unless I somehow managed to slow myself down or blunt my impact with the surface. I hardened the Air around me then it was shaped into something reminiscent of a wakeboard, before a parasail was added into the mix. Grinning maniacally as the water rushed up to meet me, my parasail caught the air around it. My board smacked onto the water with minimal force and was catapulted back into the sky before any of my attackers could reveal themselves. I summoned a jet-stream to keep my Air-fueled invention moving, speeding across the water like a skipped rock.

The exhilaration diverted my attention long enough for the next wave of attacks to catch me unaware. A veritable firestorm rained down upon me, and my pain receptors quickly noted that such things hurt, a lot. Glaring over my shoulder where Jeeves should have been, only an undefined figure was visible in the middle distance. Infernos burn in conjunction with oxygen, which made concentrating Air the very worst of ideas. My parasail went first being that it was above, a protective shield that diverted much of the heat. Flames burst forth, tinting my purple column of Air a blood red. I did what any sane person would.

I screamed like a hysterical schoolgirl as I tumbled twenty feet to the lake, wheeling my arms in frantic circles, as if it would slow down my descent to the water. Improvising wildly while arcing downwards, I modified the structure of my jet-stream, which enabled me to continue across the surface unimpeded. My impact was jarring, but my forward momentum saved me from becoming submerged once more, where Nessie and pals lurked. The Air enabled me to retain forward momentum, but didn’t safeguard from the rain of fire. I commanded a hemisphere of Water to form. It protected me from further third degree burns. Luckily, I was suspended in a detached state of calm, because the sight of singed and smoking skin would have been totally repulsive.

My shield hissed and spat when keeping the remainder of an abnormal deluge of flames from reaching my skin. Locating Jeeves became top priority. The tranquil waters of my lake made for smooth riding, while also making it glaringly obvious when Jeeves’ marauders broke the surface. I saw no disturbances so assumed that an ace was kept up an unruffled sleeve. I altered the course of my travel as proximity with the edge of the lake became apparent, curved back toward where Jeeves would be implementing the next phase of his nefarious plan. Movement flashed in the peripheral of my vision. I turned my attention toward it. But only the tail fin of a colorful dolphin disappeared back into the water. Not exactly a big threat.

I focused once more upon the open water. I had a brief moment of calm before mermaids converged on me in a relentless fury, groping toward my exposed flesh with talons ideally suited for rending and tearing. One clawed hand grasped the tip of my purple-hued board, yanking it under the surface and effectively unseating me from my once fast-moving transportation. Catapulted forward, I had no time to save myself from a watery embrace, merely to brace arms before my face and prepare for impact in three, two, one…

The force of the impact sent me reeling, twisting and turning while bubbles of oxygen trailed in my wake. Mermaids threated my appendages with their claws. Instead of submitting to the panic that threatened to overwhelm the senses, I hunted for a way out of this mess, a more logical solution. But they had fashioned their own typhoon of living scales, which impeded all avenues of escape.

A claw raked across my bare chest, tearing out a hunk of flesh before any defense was formulated. The pain followed soon behind the blood loss, a portion of my stores of oxygen was forfeited to screaming before self-control was regained. I tried to withstand the agony, but changed tactics as my walls were battered down under an onslaught of further attacks. My calf was raked deeply, a bicep, followed by my face, a superficial cut meant to frighten. As my levels redlined, I commanded my mind to allow the pain to wash over and through me, an immovable rock in a fast-flowing river. Instantly, my body came back online in full form.

Glancing up, I saw that the only exit was through the eye of the storm, the surface. On the other hand, it was likely that propelling myself out of the water would end as it did previously, with a rain of fire. Nothing would change, and I would be even less capable of defending myself. With my energy reserves lacking, I had serious doubts of surviving yet another assault. It made sense that if Jeeves was able to govern the creatures of my Dreamscape, I would be capable of the same. Concentrating, all feelings of desperation and fear were blocked out.

Then, I entered into the now familiar arm-wrestling match with my psyche, deciding what could and should be. Success was ensured when my vision was occluded by a school of piranhas, which all occupied themselves by feasting upon my aggressors. Thousands of needled teeth went up against raking claws, and my critters won out the day. It seemed the mermaids had no stomach for such a loss of their numbers. A flash of retreating tails and a dimming of my vision made me realize that lack of oxygen was my primary demand.

My lungs burned, convulsing. “Stupid, Stupid,” I mumbled incoherently, berating myself.

I commanded Water to do the heavy lifting required in raising me to the surface, bringing me to rest walking on water. Sputtering and spitting, I managed to gather in some air. Smiling shakily, my steps were only slightly jerky in walking to Jeeves’ position. My arms were lead weights and legs titanic anchors, but eventually the distance separating us was covered. Grinning tiredly, and smugly, I shot a thumb over my right shoulder.

“See that? That is beast mode,” I said.

Jeeves’ attention focused on the area of my fixation, and it seemed he concurred with my statement. “You’re right, of course. I see exactly of which you speak. Quite the beast. You should have tallied your enemies before assuming the mantle of victory. But I assure you, there is no doubt that the same mistake will befall you again.”

My grin widened gradually as Jeeves spoke, and my Smug rose to extreme levels. Then my concussed gray matter discerned the meaning behind his words and I whirled around to take a peek behind me. Enormous tentacles were arrayed ominously, and during the course of my rotation they struck, dragging me off my feet as if my lunch hadn’t added twenty pounds of mass to my stomach. Suction cups held fast to my skin and refused my innumerable pleas for release. Slime oozed down my arm as I followed my mental lead to a logical conclusion. The Goliath known as the Loch Ness Monster was surrounded by water. An obvious conclusion, many hazard, however one with a devious mind might take this one step further.

I gathered the dregs of power I had remaining to me and focused on the slimy water within the monster that had entrapped me. Plunging underneath the surface and no doubt in the mouth of Nessie, I released my pent up energy outward. The command was simple, although draining: I wanted to freeze the water that permeated Nessie at the cellular level. If my plan paid off, I wouldn’t have to find out what it felt like to be eaten alive by a legend brought to life by my overactive imagination. The water came to life with tremendous amounts of noise; currents buffeted my body as the Loch Ness Monster thrashed violently. Luckily, having been detached from the sucker that had ensnared me, I was given the opportunity to swim frantically to the surface, away from the dying beast.

Drained and weary, I levered myself up onto the lily once more, bruised, battered, and bleeding. Chunks of my flesh were missing, and I groaned as a trickling stream of pain threatened to develop into an unstoppable deluge. Jeeves just smiled sadly and scrutinized my wounds. Although, I sensed that it took something out of him to train me in this particular way, and it began to visibly show. His eyes were baggy, as if he hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in weeks. Falling into a heap at Jeeves’ feet, I thought of rainbows and butterflies with arms and legs spread comically in an attempt to create a lily angel. Propping my head up one arm, I stared into the depths of the lake.

Electric thrills of adrenaline pulsed through my body, seeing the immediate body of water come to a boil. Nessie rose up out of the water and before me was a giant eye, looking down upon the insect in front of it. There was no longer any energy remaining for schmancy manipulation of Air, nor Water. In hindsight, it would have been wise to finish the job, rather than allow the creature to thaw. The monster’s gigantic tentacles were already beginning to flail around, and no doubt the first thing on the beast’s mind was to snack on the puny little human who tried to flash freeze it.

Scrambling to my feet, I tried to envision something that would get me through the next couple of minutes intact. My sword came to mind, but I couldn’t use that, since it was merely an embodiment as Jeeves in the physical world. Which meant fabrication of my own sword was necessary, post haste. Lightning had always been the weapon of choice in times of dire need, and this time was no exception. A sword made wholly from lightning formed in my hand, and I did my best to hold the wavering construct long enough to plunge it into my resuscitated adversary.

I directed a blast of energy behind me, while I called to Air and entrusted blind luck to win out the day. Nearing my target, I brought my sword forward, bringing all the strength in two weary arms to bear into a double-handed stabbing motion downward into the giant eyeball promising retribution for my actions. There was a wet slapping sound that accompanied the impact into the giant beast as my bare feet sank partially into the exposed eye. The sword reverted to its original state, racing through the tortured body of Nessie.

A detonation of power and sound that can only be associated with lightning filled my senses, drowning out all other sensations. I remember the shockwave that followed and sent me flying backwards. Then, blackness.

A tumultuous shaking brought me back to consciousness, and my reaction was a defensive one brought on by frayed nerves. There was no way in hell something was going to snare me in its clutches for a second time. I threw up a fist toward my unknown attacker as my eyes opened to plan the next move. My punch was neatly caught in a delicate yet firm grip, and despite its gentle grasp I lacked the strength to disengage. Jas put on a serious expression and wagged a finger at me.

“Now, look here. That’s no way to greet your savior,” he said.

I warmed up a glare, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. “When’d you get here, Jas?”

“I came as soon as your whining voice reached my sensitive ears,” he explained. “Couldn’t get it out of my head. So, I decided that the best course of action was to step up the routine check to an earlier time.”

“Well, are you satisfied that I’m in good health?” I queried.

His expression became serious. “You look like road kill, Caleb. You need to get some rest. This whole Dreamscape thing is draining the life out of you.”

A discording tolling resounded through my mind. “I can’t.”

“Why not? It’s not like a day’s rest and recuperation will bring about the end of the world,” Jas said, ever the voice of reason.

I looked Jas dead in the eye. “Really, there isn’t anything more to tell. Something’s wrong. Something’s not right. And I’m a part of whatever is going down. If I’m unable to learn the basic application of my abilities, a rain of fire will be the least of our worries. It’s as simple as that.”

“Harsh words, dude. How do you know? How can you even be sure?”

I tapped my head, wincing at the brutal contact as a discordant tolling vibrated through my skull at the contact. “I feel it in my bones, and my instincts took the reins from there. They didn’t even think to consult me. You’re the one who first told me all that prophecy or legend stuff about The Seven and doomsday, even before Em.”

“You’re pushing yourself like this on a gut feeling?” Jas said, irritation in his voice.

“It’s kept me alive so far.”

Jas threw his arms up in exasperation, clearly conceding to a lost cause when he saw one. Smiling, we departed the glade and strolled to dinner in companionable silence. It was much more than a naïve gut feeling, although I knew that my instincts had never steered me wrong thus far. They had kept me breathing in situations where the odds were stacked against me, and so they were given an extension of trust when difficult decisions presented themselves. Someone had to careful and deliberate, and it certainly wasn’t going to be me. Too much critical thinking would only exacerbate my headache, so my previous conclusion would remain unaltered: a tempest was gathering, and anyone caught out in the coming storm better be armed for bear.

— Chapter 12 —

With the passing days, I’d become more and more impressed with Jeeves and his ability to summon something new to try and murder me. Goblins, the Loch Ness Monster, mermaids, and even in a recent bout, a dragon. I was getting a tour, albeit a painful one, of the shadow world. It wouldn’t be long until rabid pixies swarmed me in the Dreamscape.

The scenery had transformed, and since Jeeves was satisfied with my ability to alter the Dreamscape, he formulated the design of this one on his lonesome. I was secretly pleased with the fact, having become much too weary to accomplish the feat. Standing upon the harsh otherworldly wasteland, I found myself longing for my cool lake and its unfriendly inhabitants. There was neither hide nor hair of vegetation, nor was any species of animal visible.

Within a few agonizing minutes upon the arid plain my breath was short and strained, most likely in response to the thinner air. Sweat seeped from my pores in an unceasing torrent, and although it was impossible to become dehydrated, a feeling of unalleviated thirst plagued me. More than likely, it was another form of training enacted by Jeeves, and I was determined to persevere in these inhospitable conditions. Finding my center, all senses were tuned into the land while Jeeves waited passively.

“Ah, you are progressing. Good,” he commented offhandedly. “This plain is one prepared to test the limitations and shortcomings of those who are unlucky enough to find themselves upon its barren soil. There is nothing living here, besides the fire elementals. No doubt you have already attracted their attention, and so this explanation must be kept concise, for your sake. Fire is an unassuming element, and yet it can rage unchecked if left to its on devices, blaze with passion unequaled by any force of nature. For all practical purposes, it possesses a mind of its own, hungers eternally for incandescence. You must seek out the passions that drive you before we can continue. Remember the fire in your veins and without, and you might keep your eyebrows,” Jeeves chuckled.

“Thanks a lot,” I replied tonelessly.

Funneling all my emotion to a mere pinprick, its distraction fled my mind. As the clock ticked off the precious seconds remaining to me for preparation, I strained without success to harness the fire dwelling within. No matter the strength of my attempts, however, it appeared an impossibility to create the smallest spark, find the slightest ember to kindle. The elementals had long since arrived, and were only deterred by an invisible barrier of Jeeves’ will. They were expressionless columns of flame, formless entities that didn’t even come close to resembling a human body. Their general physique varied, but for the main part I saw rampaging tornadoes of fire raging, hoping to sizzle me extra crispy.

The entire day passed without the essential breakthrough, and although I strove to keep my emotions at bay, they began to trickle through my carefully constructed defenses. Jeeves was frustrated with my lack of progress, it seemed something of this nature was expected to occur when I had finally progressed to this stage. Sweat trickled down the contours of my body, and for the rest of the day, I stood, exasperated, without success in my conquest.

Halfway into the next day, I voiced my frustrations. “I can’t do it!” I protested vehemently. “I’ve been trying over, and over, for the past day and a half! Nothing’s happening!”

“Well then, you should attempt a different approach in attaining your goal,” Jeeves said.

My frustration with the situation morphed into anger, and my blood began to boil with ire. I paced back and forced irately, my arms pumping, throwing invectives out every couple of seconds as my pent up rage grew. For Jeeves’ part, he just looked on, faintly amused with the proceedings.

“No matter what I do, I can’t—”

Memories flooded through my peanut brain, and I stopped the tantrum abruptly, on the verge of discovery. Times of anger, pain, frustration, sorrow, fear, apprehension, relief, regret, longing, rage, compassion, and love—they were all emotions that fired the blood, drove me to action. And in essence, isn’t that what fire really was? It was a fleeting flash, the crackling of emotion, the entrancement provided by living in the moment. People are compiled parts, and without emotion behind the gearshift, the engine block will fall to pieces, missing a vital component, a facsimile of life. With my realization, I allowed the floodgate that withheld my emotions to unbar, release its charges, then latched onto every speck of frustration and anger felt over my string of agonizing defeats, my inability to proceed.

I raised an arm and let out one whispered word. A flicker of will, a flash of red, and a flame materialized in the palm of my hand. Neato, presto, have fire, will burn. Looking down curiously, I studied the little flame with curiosity. Why wasn’t I being singed?

“Hell yeah!” I exclaimed in celebration, throwing invectives and making obscene gestures at the onlookers.

“Finally,” Jeeves said. “I thought we’d be here until doomsday before you figured it out,” he declared.

“Doomsday?”

“A figure of speech, nothing more. Let’s move on. We hardly have sufficient time to cover the basics, let alone every challenge you overcome.”

A figure of speech? I wasn’t so sure.

He gesticulated at my hand, and the flame resting upon it vanished.

“Hey, what was that for?!” I complained.

“Now that we have your attention focused, we can continue. Playing with fire is dangerous, so listen closely. For instance, the reason you were not singed or baked by the flame you birthed was because it was under your own jurisdiction. Ability will grow with practice, and more likely, experience, however you will never become particularly adept with the intricacies of this particular element. Multiple projections of consciousness disseminated into disparate elements will be particularly difficult when not enacted in those elements you possess a propensity for. When the fire you attempt to control exceeds your power to maintain grasp upon it, you will experience a fatalistic backfire. Wildfires, third-degree burns, self-immolation, you name it. So tread cautiously. For all practical purposes, this is your practice round.” Jeeves indicated our surroundings. “You do it wrong on the outside, and you’re a medium-rare husk of a man.”

My excitement levels were too high for me listen to things like self-immolation, vaporization, or cooking myself extra crispy. Besides, steak tasted best that way. Putting my hand out again, I allowed emotion to inundate mind and body. Triumph and exhilaration were among the top contenders, and so I seized upon those emotions to provide the metaphysical kindling for my fire. Jeeves sat back and provided me with tips, diatribes, and impatient foot tapping. The novelty wore off quickly and I found that my short-lived burst of energy had dissipated. I felt bone tired once more. The day elapsed in relative silence, besides my superfluous curses and Jeeves’ particular form of encouragement. By the end of my lesson, I possessed a general knowledge of the internal workings regarding self-immolation, including the particulars of basic control as outlined in Fire 101.

“Now I’ll let some of the girls in, and we’ll see how you cope,” Jeeves told me.

My panicked face must have been quite the spectacle, because Jeeves just chuckled as two of the fire elementals were ushered inside my little circular boxing ring. Groaning loudly, I prepared myself to command Water, pull it from the air around me, and blast the suckers with it. Unfortunately, to my dismay, there wasn’t enough moisture in the air to do as proposed. The ground was similarly parched, which meant my luck had run dry. I had already witnessed what happened when Air was hyper-oxygenated and fire was added into the mix. That left Fire.

I mixed and matched apprehension, fear, and exhilaration together in the forefront of my mind. I outstretched an arm in the widely recognized come-hither gesture and focused as the two fire elementals closed the distance between us. The only way this adventure was going to be deemed as a success involved absorbing the elementals’ essence and hoping that I could control such sizeable, untamed quantities without going supernova.

My senses drifted toward one of the elementals, and I tugged its fiery energy toward me. A red line of Fire arced between the elemental and myself, causing the two of us to start a tug of war match for its life energy. I had been hoping that the elemental had just been a thoughtless creation, devoid of thought, absent of feeling. That would have made my task much easier, because there would be less resistance from an opponent with no regard for a particular outcome. Except the elemental did possess ability for intellectual thought, and it was tugging with all its might at the fire I was leeching from its whirling body.

Cursing and circling back around, I tried to create distance between the raging torrents of flame and myself, which, in turn, brought me up against the periphery of the enclosure, leaving me with no further room for retreat. Additional heat singed the back of my white cotton shirt. Trying to maneuver my way out of this mess, I discovered I wedged between a rock and a hard place. The second elemental was weakening, however, and he lagged slightly behind the other. If he died sooner than later, then it might be within my grasp to make some additional space between me and the remaining challenger.

Bending down on one knee, mostly for the awesome effect, I strained against the sentient Fire, which had major qualms about entering the afterlife prematurely. Beginning to feel its rage and unquenchable thirst through our contact, uncontrollable shivers shook me. Sweat beaded upon my brow and dripped down, partially occluding my vision. Ten feet. All of my strained will was put to task as the whirlwind of energy started to visibly dwindle. Five feet. My skin was hot and feverish; the hairs on my forearms began to crisp, singe. The smell of burnt hair pervaded my nostrils, while I forced my roiling emotions to coalesce and strike. My desperation and force of will overcame desperation. My body was on fire. It would be inadvisable in the extreme to continue to contain the energy. I leaped back in dismay as red tendrils of energy began to seep from underneath my skin. Considering this definitely was not my forte, it seemed the better course to avoid prolonged exposure of this type. Deciding to fight fire with fire, the crimson energy banging around in my head and beginning to exude from my body was flung outward from an outstretched hand.

“No, not that!” Jeeves shouted, but it was already too late.

My Fire smashed into the elemental, actually driving it backwards a few feet before it halted, wavering. Then it began to grow exponentially before my astonished eyes, and I gulped. Once again, my efforts were expended in a hasty bid to command the water in the air to coalesce, but the product was a minute sphere that quickly dissipated when directed at the towering inferno before me. If I used Air, experience dictated that I would merely burn faster. Lightning would hardly bother something so incorporeal, so I was stuck with a volatile element that I wasn’t on the best of terms with, which needed to be utilized properly in order to destroy this behemoth. Gritting my teeth, I clashed wills with the elemental, and was rocked backwards by the force of its combined might.

This guy wasn’t a pushover like the other twister of doom, and already there was a draining sensation that was beginning to border on hazardous. Streams of intertwining fire shot out toward me, and I rolled frantically out of the way, feeling the blast pass over my head, singing off my eyebrows. Backpedalling furiously in my mind, I began rooting out possibilities that might have been overlooked. Clenching my fists impotently, I extended my senses in every conceivable direction. There, in the depths of this desolate wasteland, was a vast reserve of water. Punching those two fists downwards in adrenaline-fueled triumph, I commanded the water below to surge upward.

A geyser burst forth from the arid ground, as I brought a torrent of water to the land and its fiery inhabitants. The other elementals arrayed outside the barrier were rendered impotent and harried off by the wholly unexpected alteration of the status quo. I ignored them and focused upon the enemy before me. My twisting watery tentacles frothed and mammoth waves splashed. The fire elemental began to show its true colors. Rather than the whirlwind of flame previously advertised, it transformed into a figure of fire, a towering inferno stretching twelve feet high. A roar split the air, as deluges of water began to snuff out its remaining life force. The pivotal point arrived, and weariness struck, causing the constructs of water to become highly unstable.

I gasped. “Wait, no!”

A wall of flame crashed into me, reducing my body to nothing more substantial than ash, a wispy specter of mortality. Pain enveloped my mind, my body, my soul. Surely there had to have been an attempt to cry out in agony, but I no longer possessed the means to do so. The Water was no longer listening to my commands, and I felt out my source of power, that glowing sun that shone so bright within me. When I stumbled upon the locus of my being, I gazed desperately at the orb. It was dark and sordid, slippery and insubstantial, shrunken and disheveled.

“Come on!” I smacked my hand through the structure, trying to suck a semblance of power out of it.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” Jeeves advised from my shoulder.

The reflexive response that blurred my hand backward was brought on by the undertone present in my maestro’s voice. “Why not? Don’t you want me to kill the elemental?”

Jeeves expressed his sentiments by tapping me hard on the forehead. “You must outthink and outmaneuver your enemies, not rely upon superior strength of arms to win out the day. If you rely solely upon muscle in dire situations, rather than your wits, you will find yourself dead in the water. No one will be there to help you, because they surely would have been killed off by your incompetence. Remember that, when you find yourself embroiled in a life-or-death confrontation.”

I rubbed the spot where his fingers had made contact. “So, all these lessons, then? Why didn’t you just tell me this in the first place?” My voice came off as slightly peeved.

“Tangible evidence of this development was required for the lesson to be properly ingrained into your mind. When power is squandered unwisely, you will lose the boon it provides when it’s most indispensable. Do you not think that your enemies will have frontrunner troops? If you expend all your energy before embroiled in genuine conflict, you will already be at a sore disadvantage.”

“You speak of these enemies as if they already exist and you know who they are.”

Jeeves huffed, puffed, and prepared to blow my house down. “You are not prepared for such delicate information, and there are complications in which I cannot predict, foresee, nor entangle myself from. At this point, I am powerless to do anything except further your learning. Which we shall continue, since it has been determined that you have satisfactorily acquired the basics of our trade.”

I blew up. “I’m tired of all these redirections, obscure statements, and partial awareness, Jeeves! If you’re here to assist me, then why are you holding out on me, damn it?”

“Because,” he informed, deflated, “I am incapable of providing the relevant information until the appointed time and place.”

“By who!” I raged. “Who would even know to command something such as you, and have the power implement it? Why not just kill us both, if this person’s so hostile to providing me with knowledge. That’ll be the end product anyways, if I don’t know what I’m up against! What use am I to them dead?”

“Something neither benign nor malignant dictates my movements, and I am powerless to defy that which created me. You are far more important than a singular battle upon the horizon, boy. What is coming is a war for all of humanity, and you’re in the eye of the storm.”

My scowl deepened. “So you’re saying that… I’ve been played? I’m being led like a dog on a leash, a puppet on invisible strings?”

Jeeves’ features became hooded, shadowed. “No. Your nature guides you as a product of your own decisions, not those looking to manipulate you. You are compiled of judgments, mistakes, emotions, and memories. You are who you are because of these collective experiences. Do not mistakenly believe that you have been led to your destination; you have brought yourself to an inevitable transition. What is chosen henceforth in pivotal actions and decisions will determine your allegiance: an instrumental pillar for the Light or a relentless force of Darkness.”

I paced amid the chaos engulfing my mind, which was lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Anger was foremost among my emotions, and it threatened to pitch reasoning out the window. I wanted to lash out at something, anything, but I apprehended that thought before it was acted upon. Though numerous statements, insults, and heated ultimatums were developed, all were discarded.

Finally, I came up with an appropriate response. “I am what I am, Jeeves, nothing more, nothing less. I don’t fit into such categories as Light or the Darkness. If my thoughts and decisions are made based on my own reasoning and conscience, then my fate is no one else’s to determine.”

Jeeves nodded, accepting, and beneath the ambiguity, I sensed a certain satisfaction. “You must tread your own path through the chaos, the bowels of Darkness. But I fear that you will be forced to choose sides, or perish.”

Some of my anger returned, and for a second I even imagined a spark or two dance across my knuckles. “Whatever the course that is decided upon, I’ll decide it. I won’t be an expendable chess piece on the board of reality, to be discarded at another’s whim.” “Splendid.” A faint smile appeared on his face. “If you follow your heart and judgment, I believe you might just might survive.”

The last vestiges of my anger dissipated with Jeeves’ words. In his own way, he believed in my ability, if only I lived long enough to enact my will. I couldn’t hold it against him that he had a gigantic mover and shaker riding his back.

Jeeves stopped before entering his own sphere of influence. “Just remember, belief is a potent, whimsical power of creation.” He paused, emphasizing his words clearly to ensure that my attention had been riveted. “The more people believe in something, the more real, the more powerful that thing is. Where people believe strongly enough that their crops will yield harvest, their dreams will be realized, or their children will be healthy, there is power. And when more people believe in a singular article, idea, natural occurrence, God, gods, there is power abounding. There is power in the mundane just as there is the magical, whether you may realize it or not. Remember this.” He tapped his finger to his temple meaningfully.

“I’ll remember,” I promised.

“Jas, come here!” Jeeves was already beside me, watching in his incorporeal form.

The news was on again and the camera was set upon a landmark that most people have heard of, if not been to. Alcatraz was a badass fortress created in the mid 1800’s, built in response to the California Gold Rush. Although not many made it rich as they had hoped, the fort was born. The military posted on the island were never forced to fire their plethora of cannons, and so it was converted to an island of detention for those charged with treason. For a further hundred years, “The Rock” housed the criminally insane, serial killers, rapists, murderers, and other unsavory characters of their time.

By the 1970’s, the island was turned into a national park, a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. A million tourists frequented the island each year. With such a mass of people coming and going at any given time, I wasn’t surprised that the body count piling up over the past couple of weeks had been overlooked. That is, what remained of the bodies, which were believed to be human. It was tough to tell, when there was merely a foot here, a sightless head there, or a leg bobbing in the water nearby.

Something had made its lair upon the island of Alcatraz, and it had gone undetected for nearly a month. The camera only panned the scene for a second, but the image was burned permanently into my mind. A monster of epic proportions had dug out a cavity in the tough underbelly of The Rock, made itself a place to hide and partake of its meals. It had excavated itself an underwater cavern, complete with a dry plateau.

My stomach abandoned ship, and a futile attempt was made to make it to the bathroom in a timely fashion. Midway before arriving at my destination, my nausea forced me to the ground and my grade-A dinner was regurgitated in an explosion of ick. Dizzy, I propped myself on one arm and wiped my shirt across my lips with the free hand. The acrid taste of bile filled my mouth, and so made to stand up, or be resigned to dry heaving. I selected healthier option and I shakily got to my feet. Never in my life had I witnessed such wanton carnage, such a profane middle finger in the face of humanity. Was this Darkness?

Whatever was responsible for the deaths on that island was not human in the slightest. Not even an accomplished serial killer could have made their own evil lair by tunneling through the hard rock of Alcatraz. It was something from the grotesque side of the world into which I had been so recently inducted. This was my close-up, in your face introduction into the secret society that managed to coexist parallel to mundane civilization. I had been informed that there would be beings belonging to darkness, light, and the gray area that existed between.

But the reality of the corruption and darkness hiding in plain sight hadn’t hit me until this, a sacrilegious waste of human life. My disturbed mind turned to rational thought in order to cope with the situation. The beast living within the guts of the island was out of sight, for now. Either it had decided its location had been discovered and was therefore time to move on, or it would return to form a base of operations within its demonic paradise. No doubt the security on the island would be near insurmountable and some special-ops government team would be keeping an eye on the surrounding landscape. No more flocks of tourists would arrive to feed the insatiable hunger of the beast and most likely the monster would instigate forays into the city.

“Holy shit,” Jas said from beside Jeeves, who was still staring intently at the television.

Then Jas looked at my mess and repeated his sentiment. “Holy shit. You okay, Caleb?”

“I’m fine.”

Going on autopilot, I snatched two towels from the bathroom, wetting one thoroughly before bringing them out to my pooling love stain. Before attempting to clean up the mess, I steeled myself against the smell, less I would have heaved up whatever contents that were still lurking in my stomach. It was a dirty undertaking, with an additional towel necessary to polish up after using the wet towel to soak up the detritus. My gag reflex firmly reacquainted itself, and its tireless onslaught was repelled until the towels could be removed from the scene. Having no intention of allowing the things permeate my room with their ghastly smell, I braved the corridors to dispose of them.

“This is bad news,” Jas said, horrified as the media cycled through the images once more. “This is beyond horrible. This is despicable. Something dark and evil is prowling the world unchecked,” he whispered.

“A reasonable conclusion, although hardly breaking the surface,” Jeeves informed us. “We are in dire straits.”

“You know what this is, Jeeves?” I questioned.

His face held a deep conviction, anger, pain, and a sorrow deeper still. “I know nothing of this monstrosity, but of its like I have encountered countless. Evil beings that are no longer human, if they ever were. Those that predate humanity, or are separated from it by barriers in which should not be crossed except under the most calamitous circumstances.”

I was incredulous. “Did you just imply that this thing could be from another planet?”

“There are many things in which you and countless others are ignorant to, pup,” Jeeves relayed softly. “Infinite dimensions associated with humanity’s Earth border this one. Its highly probable that the being arrived from a dimension far removed from this one, remote enough that it could only be transported here with direct assistance from this side.”

My mind tumbled off the tracks it was attached to as if a giant hand had expelled it from its perch. Worlds that existed, coexisted with our own. I merely sat there mutely, trying to process such an earth shattering declaration.

“Why couldn’t it just come here itself?” Jas asked. I couldn’t help but notice how comfortable he’d become with Jeeves, now that he could perceive him because of the bond.

“Because there are barriers that cannot be crossed, distances that cannot be traversed, without aid,” Jeeves explained patiently.

With growing suspicion and dismay, I fielded my next question. “So what you’re saying is that this thing came through from a completely different dimension, with the help of someone on this end of the equation?”

Jeeves nodded minutely in confirmation. “Not just anyone of this world. Someone with the power and aptitude required to unbar a Gate or a Way of sufficient size to permit entry.”

Jas put it simply. “Why?”

“What drives all creatures of man and otherwise to commit atrocity in the name of their cause? Power.”

Jas’ questions ran dry, and mine appeared similarly exhausted. Only two remained to be answered, although I doubted Jeeves could supply the information sought. What could commit such profane acts and remain untouched by darkness? What insane creature had been made corporeal and was subsisting on the flesh of humans on The Rock, and who or what had brought it there?

— Chapter 13 —

“Be one with the Earth,” I repeated. It had become my mantra.

Nothing happened with this attempt, like all the others that preceded it. It was my second day and the situation had become extremely frustrating. The Earth really didn’t want to talk to me, and I was getting pretty miffed with it too.

“The first connection is the most critical. You must clear your mind of frustrations, Caleb. Focus on serenity, a calm exterior as well as interior is necessary. This process is not a short one.”

“It’s insanely difficult to hold that frame of mind when there’s a backseat driver rattling around in my psyche.”

Focusing upon the landscape around me, I allowed it to penetrate my consciousness in its entirety. The stalks of tall grass were slightly bowed from the gentle pressure of the wind and glowed with vitality provided by the sun. The trees around me were tall and strong, long-lived and prosperous. There were redwood, maple, oak, and pine, all arrayed to portray a very eclectic forest of my own design. Colorful flowers were arrayed around the bases of these trees, and vibrant wildlife revealed itself in the form of rabbit, squirrel, deer, elk, moose, wolf, and bear. The sky above me was crowded with clouds and birds on the wing. I found myself thinking that my mind was a peculiar, impossible place.

This was the third day denoting my failed attempts to make contact with the Earth, and it was a slow and brutal conflict. There was no soft, slow, melodious voice that spoke to me. Nor did I feel any change in the Earth beneath me. Though pointedly ignored, I was still expected to remain even-tempered. Even so, my mind gravitated toward the monstrosity living on The Rock rather than the task at hand, which probably didn’t augment my chances of success.

After an hour of sustained posture, I felt a stirring below. Two additional hours and I sensed vague interest in my presence. Having never achieved this level of success in these exercises, I strove to keep my thoughts tranquil and wait out the grueling process, hoping for the best. For another four hours, the Earth merely studied me. During that time, my stomach growled, my body ached, and I suffered through the time that elapses before the hunger cure is administered. Lunch had passed without satisfaction of my hunger, and so my rumbling stomach was the most difficult to keep under wraps. Wanting to adjust to a more comfortable position but knowing better, I remained unmoving as a tentative thread of consciousness stretched outwards with irritating sluggishness.

“Do. Not. Move,” Jeeves advised sternly.

After what seemed an eternity of anticipation, the Earth wrapped its essence around me in an embrace, twisting and twirling with its characteristically slow motion. Then the tendril started to withdraw, and I strained to keep myself motionless. My breathing was ragged and my body was starting to shake with the long exposure to a state of complete openness. There hadn’t been a time where such a passive hold on my power was maintained since I had started exercising it, and this was a good reminder that there was still much to be learned. My closed eyes were cracked open cautiously. I was covered in dirt.

“Great,” I muttered. “Now I’ll have to give my mind an extensive soaking after we’re through. How am going to figure that one out?”

“At least you have accomplished something today,” Jeeves consoled me, laughter concealed behind his words.

“Yeah, yeah. So can I go get some grub, or would you like to torment me further?”

“You may proceed to gorge yourself as you desire.”

“My thanks,” I replied sarcastically. “I don’t see why you have me learning about these elements when I can hardly influence them in the slightest.”

“It’s beneficial to your health to be prepared.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to get some food before I die of malnutrition,” I stepped out of the Dreamscape.

My body ached as if it had been stuck in the same position for a whole day without cessation, which, in fact, it had been. I rolled my shoulders, cracked my knuckles and neck, and proceeded to walk toward the mansion. The shadows were already lengthening and the darkness looked ready to come alive with the setting sun. Passing through a particularly prominent patch of shadow, I sensed a curious disparity in the atmosphere. Inquisitive, I latched on to my power, holding it at the ready. The encroaching night became no barrier to my enhanced senses, and it was given a cursory examination. A blur of motion traversed the underbrush, before it flashed out of sight.

After convincing myself there was nothing there, I strode the remaining distance to the dining hall with my nerves on edge and my teeth mashed together painfully. Not a glance was spared for the tapestries adorning the halls, nor the expensive items arranged periodically throughout the structure. My thoughts were instead fixated on the beast residing on Alcatraz.

For the first time since I’d been at the mansion, Noah’s bonded sat at the table, rather than taking its leisure at another, more preferable position in the corner. Jas sat nervously at the head of the table with his father, glancing at the door periodically in a birdlike fashion. When I walked in, he did a double take, making sure I was for real. Meanwhile, my attention was focusing on the rationale surrounding the close proximity of the ghoul. The kids from Adams High that I had never officially met were sitting at the table. Noah proceeded to rectify the situation, introducing me properly to Jas’ friends one by one. It didn’t escape me that there were precisely seven of them. That particular number had been cropping up a lot, recently.

I processed the names and faces, classifying and committing them to memory so that no embarrassing mishaps would befall me in the future. Henry: brown hair, brown eyes, sunglasses, caustic smile. Mary: brunette, brown eyes, dimples, whiter-than-white teeth, check feline grace. Simon: blond hair, blue eyes, glasses, pen protector. Monique: black hair, hazel eyes, trimmed eyebrows, coffee-colored skin, put under “bites” category. Xavier: midnight black eyes, skin, and hair; no doubt the black cat of the group. Sandra: highlighted blonde hair, blue eyes, fantastic legs, and interesting attitude. Zack: The odd one out, green eyes, black hair, aloof demeanor, poorly healed scar tissue above his right eye.

Their responses ranged from cold, heartfelt, warm, distanced, and downright livid. There was some uncomfortable coughing and nervous repositioning as I sat next to the ghoul. It even gave me an appraisal for my boldness, but eventually the excess of interest subsided. Jas glanced at me from his place down the table. The most interesting tidbit throughout the entire encounter was that Jas wasn’t taking every available opportunity to ogle the girls that were present.

Jas shot me an apologetic glance. “Sorry about not telling you in advance that they were here. I didn’t want to interrupt you. And, also… SF came on the news again.”

“What happened?” My hand began to inscribe invisible sigils on the wood methodically.

“Ten reported missing and presumed dead in the last couple of days,” Jas shivered. “All from the city. Two of the guards on the island were killed when the thing returned to the fold. The news is trying to claim it’s some genetic or bio-warfare experiment gone wrong.”

“It’sss a bloodbath,” the ghoul hissed in agreement, though it was difficult to discern whether the ghoul was a proponent of the slaughter.

Silence enveloped the room. It seemed that the whole table had been informed of my shared bond with Jas, and they just gained confirmation of that statement. I cursed myself inwardly for so openly providing information to people I had just met, although they seemed an agreeable bunch. Although finding myself wondering just how informed they were, I locked down my acquisitions and relinquished thoughts of inquisitions. That would only drive a gap between myself and the group before I even got to know them.

I was equally shocked as everyone else when Zack spoke up. “So you’re the guy we went to all the trouble in saving? We thought you’d be—”

“Taller,” Henry provided helpfully.

“Dirtier,” Simon added.

“Uglier,” Sandra giggled playfully.

Zack shot a venomous look at those who interrupted. “Recovering, from your wounds.”

I took it all in stride. The rest didn’t care to share their input, thankfully. “What kind of information have you been feeding them about me, Jas?”

“The usual propaganda and slander, of course, Caleb,” he said.

The food arrived and everyone was spared further conversation by the distraction the meal provided. It was yet to be confirmed whether or not my new companions were long-standing friends, or acquaintances of a sort. For me, my stomach was allowed the reins, which urged me to eat everything on my plate, then return for seconds. No one ever told me that ham was so good. Quite possibly, my once-vacuous stomach influenced my assertion, but the food was amazing nonetheless. When I came up for air from my quest to drain the kitchens of its stores, all eyes were on me.

“What? Haven’t you ever witnessed a starving teenager eat?” I demanded.

“You have to eat for two, I suppose,” Simon said.

The discussion turned once again to my kidnapping and Em. They were all given profuse thanks for their timely assistance when I was able to get a word in edgewise. Bringing up the topic was like picking at a badly healed scab; you’re just going to create a bigger scar. Thing is, I always pick at my scabs, a bad habit that now had come back to bite me in the ass. For a short period, I was able to remain reticent, but eventually my personality kept me from sitting on the sidelines throughout the discussion.

“I always knew that chick was bad news,” Henry said

“You always said she had a nice—” Xavier said.

“Who cares about that Emily?” Mary interrupted. “She was always a rotten egg. You boys were just too captivated by the merchandise to pay proper attention.” She sniffed disdainfully.

“I thought she was nice,” Simon said tentatively while adjusting his glasses.

“And look where it got Caleb,” Zack said.

“Here?” I asked.

“On a one-way train to an untimely demise,” Jas said.

“Obviously it wasn’t as unidirectional as you once believed it to be,” I replied smugly.

“Thanks to yours truly,” Henry said.

“Thanks to all of us,” Monique interjected.

“Yeah, sorry, that’s what I meant,” Henry said.

“So, where did you learn to pull lightning from thin air?” Zack asked me, curious.

All eyes returned to me, and I shifted my position under the intense scrutiny. “I didn’t learn,” I told them. “It’s a part of me.”

“Like that amulet?” Xavier questioned.

“Yeah, exactly,” I offered, putting a hand protectively over my chest where the amulet rested against my chest.

“A very unique piece,” Simon repositioned his glasses to a less precarious position, in order to acquire a better look.

“It’s pretty,” Sandra said, after I took my hand away from it.

“Don’t encourage him,” Jas pleaded.

Too late, I thought, as I sensed Jeeves appear behind me. He took in the table’s occupants, though no doubt he had already been peeking before. Jas sighed, bringing his hands up to his face in a gesture of woe. Deciding the best plan of action was to ignore Jeeves with all the willpower at our demand, Jas and I nodded resolutely at each other from across the table.

“This is the band of misfits that you employed to rescue Caleb? They are hardly off the teat of their mothers!” Jeeves chuckled at his own wit.

“Children, please!” Noah exclaimed, rather amusedly. “Clearly Caleb is exhausted from the trials of his day. Let us pick up on this at another, more appropriate time.”

Noah with the save, and the crowd goes wild! The “band of misfits,” as Jeeves dubbed them, all offered thanks for the meal and bade the room goodnight without further adieu. It appeared, though, that blood had been scented in the water and the group wouldn’t be satisfied until they got more information. It seemed there was a lot to learn from Noah, and I looked speculatively at him out of the corner of my eye, appraising. Then Jas and I excused ourselves, with Jeeves trailing after us.

“So, those are your friends, then?” I rubbed one eye tiredly.

“They are. We started off more as a group of disparate allies, and none of us wanted anything to do with each other. But we banded together against the rest of the flock, and over time became close, in our own deranged way.” He smiled.

“Are they to be trusted?” Jeeves asked in all seriousness.

Jas glanced his way. “They are my friends. Why wouldn’t they be trusted?” He appeared mystified by the question.

Jeeves shook his head sadly, and even I shared his opinion, for the most part. “You are not nearly suspicious enough. They come from different sects within this Clan of yours. Have you never considered that they would uphold their own loyalties before friendship?”

I shook my head. “Give him some time, Jeeves. He just hasn’t had enough time to reach an appropriate level of paranoid.”

We came to our exit, and Jas gave nodded to himself at the branch in the corridor. “I’m sure if I hung around you two any longer, I would soon be a paranoid mess, gibbering on the floor in the fetal position. No, thanks, I’ve no desire to end up that way.” He laughed.

“Night, Jas,” I said, smiling.

Jas was in hysterics. “Sweet dreams, boys.”

“He says he doesn’t want to end up like us,” I chuckled.

“Allow him the comfort of naivety, for now,” Jeeves said.

“We cannot spend another day on Earth. You must put forth every effort,” Jeeves reminded me for the fiftieth time.

I threw my arms up in exasperation. “All right, all right! I’ve got it. Can’t you see I’m trying my best?”

“I see that you have much room for improvement, and am merely assisting you in realizing that,” Jeeves said, in his oh-so-reasonable voice.

I released a disgusted noise. “Fine. Just let me concentrate here. I won’t accomplish anything with your wailing voice in the background.”

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and I went back to failing miserably. Even with Fire, there wasn’t an overpowering sensation of complete ineptness. In this, my failings appeared in stark contrast to previous successes of moving mountains, metaphorically. Maybe there should have been a sub clause written that stated, “only if they are really, really small.” Accessing Earth was no longer an irritating process of waiting for three thousand hours. This time, I merely had to maintain the usual disposition, with my emotions clamoring for attention in the background.

Bringing my hand out beside me, I shaped the Earth my mind and forced power into the design. Thinking seriously upon it, it became evident that my foremost obstacle lay with my blundering, novice approach. My skills were more suited to smashing and exploding than employing the extraordinary finesse Earth seemed to demand. My creation was rough and ragged, no doubt paralleling the kind of person I represented. It was supposed to be a circular ball of hard-packed mud, but it came out more as a deranged oval. The point of the exercise was to slowly add on to the ball, until it was no longer possible to hold together as a cohesive whole.

During the first attempt, I didn’t get far before a mid-sized ball of Earth plowed into me. Jeeves was exerting pressure on my construct, forcing me to keep him from exploding my creation. Simultaneously, my task was to increase the size of the ball, which effectively split my concentration in two, a task that became far more difficult when utilizing an element that I possessed no affinity for. The mass of soil and minerals was slowly augmented as more of my power was committed to the effort. Though having found the efforts only served to increase my fatigue, I pushed on. Then I was hit forcefully on the head and chest as the ball of Earth exploded outward. The clumps that collided with my body hit with the force of a well-thrown punch.

“Hah!” I exclaimed triumphantly. “Found you out! I’m not supposed to expend all my power uselessly, I thought?!”

Jeeves sighed in relief. “Thank all that is holy. It only took you most of the day to come to this realization. Directing your concentration, fracturing it into various parts, is an essential skill. Developing this ability in an element you have little affinity for is a prudent exercise that will expound upon all powers across the board.”

I grinned. I might be no master of Earth, but at least I was making progress.

— Chapter 14 —

It was the second day my training had been focused on Metal, and I was exhausted. My defenses had been lessened further by the camaraderie of the evening. Jas had insisted that we have a sword competition. No doubt, this was because he was by far the most accomplished swordsmen of the group and I had no knowledge whatsoever of the art. Ironic that a sword was bound to my soul, but I was incapable of utilizing its full potential. It was rather embarrassing, even using wooden swords, to see how quickly the others bested me. Jas had picked up the sword while he was still swaddled in diapers, and I had been an innocent infant who knew nothing of my dark future.

It was remarkable enough that we were employing swords in an age of guns, bigger guns, and nuclear bombs. The sword kind of paled in comparison to a chemical weapon that could take you out of commission by entering your lungs and frying you from the inside out. I told Jas as much, but he had responded by saying that the supernatural community hardly used any weaponry at all. When you were born a weapon, it was rather redundant to bring something else to the fight. You don’t bring a gun to a magic fight. That all made good sense, if you looked at it with your eyes kind of squinted and your face turned just right.

Personally, as I was someone who didn’t like to be bested in a confrontation likely to end in death, it was an obvious conclusion to assume that people would exploit every advantage at their disposal. The sword, if it was popularly used in the supernatural community, would be one. A gun would be another, and I promised myself right then and there that I would gift myself one such weapon at the earliest convenience. At the moment, however, I was rather occupied with getting my ass handed to me.

Shaking my bruised fingers out in front of my face, I affected a British accent. “Ouch, Char-leeh! That really hurt!”

“Come on, then,” Jas grinned, imitating a British inflection masterfully. “Let’s have another go!”

“Are you out of your ever loving mind? Pick on someone two sizes bigger than you, please and thanks. I’m just going to sit this one out.”

“All right then, sourpuss! We can pick up on this next time you feel like having a little fun.”

“Keep your head up, man. He beats everyone.” Simon patted me on the back sympathetically.

Over the past couple days, I had been adopted into the ragtag group of misfits that Jeeves shook his head at so frequently. My guard had stayed up thus far, mostly because little trust was spared for anyone until they were deserving of it. But the night was young, and my new friends were actually enjoyable to be around. There weren’t any depressing conversations about past lives to be had here, besides mine, and Zack’s. I had my suspicions that he was beaten often, the first clue being the scar above his right eye. Most likely, it was his old man who walloped on him, as it isn’t usually expected of a mother. It would puzzle together perfectly, with his aloof demeanor. Shaking such thoughts from my head, I plastered a weary smile to my face. “You know it. At least some of you last past a few seconds. Plus, he’s going easy on me.”

Henry and Jas clashed in the background, their war cries breaking the relative silence of the night. Birds cawed irritably at the two contenders as they took flight for a place of quiet and solitude. Our little party alternately cheered and booed at opportune moments. Wiping the sweat from my eyes, I took a short step to a welcoming bench, and Simon took the opportunity to do the same. Henry was fairly practiced with the blade, but he seemed to favor more overt maneuvers that left him open to Jas’ blade. Even as I watched, Henry executed a high overhead swing, leaving himself open to a lightning slash made by Jas.

Simon was fascinated with everything supernatural, and he had been trying to figure me out since he had arrived. “So what you’re saying is that you have been training to harness the elements within your mind, in this place you dub the Dreamscape.”

“No, I don’t recall saying any such thing,” I replied.

“Oh, come on, Caleb!” Simon pleaded.

Unfortunately, amid all the revelry, and between my exhaustion, my additional exertions in the Dreamscape had become common knowledge. The others had found it peculiar, to say the least, that I was going out to the glade each morning and sitting there for most of the day, excluding breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was a reactive statement, to explain away my insane actions. The problem was that rather than a lie, the truth flooded in a relentless torrent between my betraying teeth.

“Okay!” I relented.

Simon’s attention was focused one hundred percent on my explanation of the past two weeks spent in the Dreamscape. He expressed no disbelief, though his eyes widened comically at regular intervals.

“So, you’re just going to sit there and believe every bit of that?”

“Of course. We live within a world filled with beings beyond our imagining. We’re not exactly normal.” He shrugged.

“True enough.”

Our attention transferred to the entertainment in the background being displayed by a stubborn Henry and an overly amused Jas. Henry was still holding to his brash, uncoordinated approach, expecting Jas to give way beneath his bulging biceps. I knew firsthand the strength Jas possessed, and had no urge to test myself against it under any circumstances. No doubt, Henry had a similar amount of strength and was used to bowling people over with it. That kind of thinking and action could only end in tragedy. He faced someone with just enough strength as him, but who didn’t use it in such a foolish manner.

Instead of choppy, brutal strokes, Jas flowed from stance to stance in a dizzying array of skill and grace. Henry knew he was outclassed and outmatched, that he was being toyed with, and let his anger get the best of him, which caused him to fumble yet another strike. He slashed toward Jas’ midsection, though Jas didn’t even bother to counter. He moved fluidly inside Henry’s guard and swung a devastating downward stroke at his larynx, stopping mere inches from bare skin. Wooden swords or not, a hit like that would have crushed a windpipe and the fun would have ceased right then and there.

Mary, Simon, Xavier, and I cheered while the rest of the lot took the opposing side. The two rivals clasped arms like brother gladiators, became unwavering comrades once more. Henry’s personality was always volatile when hostility came knocking, as had been discovered over the past days in his company. If he allowed his anger to get the better of him, I would not want to be on the opposing side when he unleashed the beast. As the two maneuvered between the ropes and out of the ring, Mary and Monique took their chance and stepped up. Henry’s smile shone through the night when Sandra walked over to comfort his bruised ego. Jas approached Simon and me, sweaty and reeking of things best left unsaid.

My nose was quickly covered, protecting myself from the brunt of the stink. “Come on! You ever try wearing deodorant?”

Jas shrugged. “Tried it. It clashed with my religious views.”

Simon repositioned his glasses. “Did you know that they actually mix human and animal feces into deodorant for the exfoliating properties?”

I looked at Simon as if he had just confirmed all my suspicions. “I knew it! That’s why I never use it.”

Jas had been guzzling a bottle of water, and so he sprayed what was in his mouth all over his shirtfront. “What?!”

“He was kidding,” I tittered, clutching my stomach. “You actually believed him!”

“I’ll show you something you’ll believe,” Jas said, raising the water bottle threateningly.

I jumped up from my perch, running away from the upraised weapon. “No, please! Not the holy water!” I pleaded between hysterics.

I was standing in Union Square, San Francisco, but unlike the real one, this one was deserted. Jeeves had me visualize and create this particular area because of the happenings in the city. The idea was, since there was a rampaging monster on the loose, the close-to-home Dreamscape would lend a vital edge to my training. Which it did, and I frantically didn’t think of the monster that ate both Kellogg’s and human body parts for breakfast.

My stomach fluttered with excitement and the rest of me reported that it felt like I had walked a thousand miles without food or water. It was as if I had finally reached the edge of my endurance, only Jeeves and I weren’t ready to admit it. What I had come to realize over the past couple days learning Metal was that I failed. Epically. Jeeves had explained to me that Metal was a very hands-on element, wherein much of the time you have to actually be touching the object you wish to affect. Another method, which is more widely employed, is to hold merely a sliver of that metal as a kind of a focus.

That was why I was holding a palm-sized piece of metal, while hundreds of the little buggers associated with it surrounded me. The idea was to further the training of my mind by concentration on multiple strands of thought at one time. It was incredibly difficult for me to fracture my consciousness to numerous tasks not relating to those elements that I possessed a propensity for, as had already been discovered, to my frustration. Using my focus, six pieces of Metal were raised from the ground and shot at the targets, which were staggered at twenty-five, fifty, and one hundred feet. Two of the projectiles slammed into the first target, one into the second, and exactly zilch in the last.

“Again, but this time, seven. You need to augment your ability, focus on the bigger picture,” Jeeves said.

Concentrating intently, I pushed my will and power through the focus, which was gripped tightly in my hand. One, two, then three shards of metal rose from the ground. Three others followed after, although more slowly than the first. My face was a picture of concentration and fatigue as the seventh shard was focused upon. A piece of Metal rattled on the ground, reluctantly shaking and stirring to life. Feeling the nearness of my goal, one more burst of will and effort was pounded out and the seventh rose smoothly into the air. A moment was taken to splutter and gasp before turning to the targets once more.

I thrust myself further into an emotionless state in order to garner more control. Before the opportunity was lost, I fired off all the pieces of Metal in quick succession, with only a short while allotted to aiming. Spots danced at the edge of my vision, black little buggers that pestered me as gnats would a good meal. I tried to slap them out of my line of sight as all the missed targets were absorbed. Damn it. As I tried to gather another set of Metal to throw at the targets, my legs turned to Jell-O and my circuit breaker fried. Those pesky little dots became a horde of locusts, impairing my vision as effectively as a solar eclipse.

“Damn it,” I cursed, but my voice sounded hollow and far away.

The next thing I knew my body was being carried, or, more appropriately, dragged between Henry and Jas. My eyes shot open and I took in my little glade from a new perspective, with my head lolling to one side. My armpits were spots of pain, mostly because they were supporting all my weight.

“He’s awake,” Henry said.

“Damn it, Caleb! I told you that you needed rest! Look what you’re doing to yourself,” he scolded, his accusing eyes taking in my bedraggled state. “Jeeves!” he called angrily.

He flashed in on the side of Jas that wasn’t currently occupied in carrying me. “It seems he’s reached the end of his endurance.”

“Don’t you see?” Jas threw a hand up, almost spilling half his burden to the hard-packed earth. “You both are! You can’t rely solely on quick recovery to keep you going. You’re running yourselves into the ground.”

“Who the hell are you talking to?” Henry said, a bemused expression on his face.

Jeeves was unmoved, although I was in no position to argue the point. “This was our final day, and it was of paramount importance that Caleb progress in expanding his ability to concentrate on disparate tasks.”

“Guys, I’m fine,” I said, trying to get my feet under me. Sluggishly, they obeyed.

Jas shook me by the collar, as Henry opened the door to the mansion. “Oh no you don’t. And no, you’re not okay. Do you want to kill yourself? Because whether it’s from exhaustion, or spontaneous combustion, the end result is the same.”

“Spontaneous combustion isn’t instant,” I offered.

Jeeves’ response was passionate. “Would you rather he die by the sword or by another Empowered? A supernatural predator prowling the dank and dark streets? What he has learned might keep him alive. Without that, he had no chance.”

“You win, this time,” Jas said through gritted teeth. “But you had better pace yourselves, next time. We have all the time in the world.”

“We have the time remaining to this world,” Jeeves corrected. “And as of now, the world is on the brink of demise as humans have become accustomed to it.”

Jas brushed that one off more easily than I’d expect. “Whatever. Doomsdays have come and gone and everyone’s still kicking.”

“You guys are starting to weird me out,” Henry admitted.

“He’s talking to his imaginary friend,” I stage whispered.

“Ah, but is everyone still here? Do your miniscule histories span that far back? Do you know how many times this world has fallen to the dark? Your age of science, so glamorous to those who behold its intricacies, has merely concealed what was once so blatantly visible.”

“Let’s just get him to his room,” Jas’ voice was stony and uncompromising.

Henry was befuddled. “I thought that’s what we were doing?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Jas said, coming to the realization that we were not alone.

“As you will. I am not the one with a corporeal form.” Jeeves waved dismissively.

An important question came to my attention. “Hey, can you do the cat thing from Alice in Wonderland? Where only your teeth stay behind, before you go poof?”

“Why would I ever demean myself by stooping so low? I am nothing like that imbecile.”

“You are vaguely similar,” Jas disagreed.

“You people are all crazy,” Henry said.

“Crazy,” I allowed my head to fixate on Henry’s blurred visage, “is my middle name.”

My head pounded, my mouth was dry, and I was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, again. A thrill of fear trailed down my spine, and I lifted the covers momentarily before letting them fall back, satisfied. No duck prints, this time. Taking stock, it was comforting to find that my vision was no longer occluded by a swarm of locusts. A growling stomach brought me back to taking in my current situation, as well as an over-full bladder. My parched throat was first relieved at the sink, where I imbibed huge mouthfuls of water. Then more pressing matters were attended to, before a well-deserved steaming hot shower was indulged for a good thirty minutes.

Hopping out with hands pruned from exposure to the water, I felt ten times more me. Checking my reflection in the mirror, I discovered that the bags under my eyes had started to recede, and the starved look had faded somewhat. Jas might not have been wrong in his opinion, but there wasn’t any way in hell his wisdom would be recognized vocally. Revitalized, I ambled over to the closet and dressed myself for a day of leisure. I even donned a pair of Ray Bans to accentuate the stunning image. My mind turned to sword fighting and I put one arm out experimentally, flexing it.

The sword appeared in my hand and a smile adorned my features. “Jeeves?”

“Yes?” he was clearly exasperated.

The weapon was given meticulous scrutiny, and was once again it was mind-blowing to feel its weightless quality. This time, the hilt was a multi-colored array of reds, blues, purple, brown, and metallic gray. I saw the connection, and wondered whether Jeeves chose the color scheme or it was preordained.

“Can you teach me how to use this pig sticker?”

“Who do you think taught the first samurai?”

It was hard not to be impressed. “You instructed the first samurai?”

“No, you half-wit. But they hardly learned it on their own. They were schooled by a master of Metal.”

“So the way of the samurai is a duplication of what the masters of Metal teach their pupils?”

“Absolutely not. Their practices have taken a life of their own, just as any culture molds to the trends of the ages. The discipline remains, however.”

“Ohhh.” I nodded sagely. “Of course. So, when can we get started?”

Jeeves dragged the words out of his mouth as if each cost him a fortune. “We have little time to be learning swords. If you survive, then maybe we will find breathing room to do so. Now leave me be, I would have some rest.”

“All right, you old grouch. I’m out to seize the day, as one should on such a fine morning!”

Leaving my room, a veritable swarm of people confronted me, compared to the desolate halls I was accustomed to. Rather than walking by my lonesome, there were seven or eight others visible within my line of sight. Which meant there had to be a lot of people cropping up all over, for that kind of mass to be in one place in the monolithic structure that was the Franklin Mansion. For the most part, there was only one family before me, starting with three children and progressing onto a pair of parents and grandparents. The only variance between what I saw and the average family took only a glance into their eyes to recognize.

The children were as expected: innocent and playful, wreaking havoc wherever they went. There was a subtle difference between the youngsters and the adults. Usually, there is a gap and maturity, common sense, brain development, the works. When I looked into the eyes of the older half of the family, however, those differences were multiplied ten-fold. The difference was astounding, and on instinct my guard came up, because knowledge is indeed power. I wasn’t sure I was a welcome guest at the mansion, and planned to keep a low profile until the answer to that question became known.

“Uh, hey, Jas?” I broadcasted, trying to exclude Jeeves as much as possible.

“Yeah?” He seemed preoccupied. “You woke up? Finally!”

“Boss said to take the day off. And I didn’t sleep that long,” I fumed. People these days; you take one day off and—

“You slept all through the night, and the day following, Caleb.” Finally, I had garnered his undivided attention.

I scratched my head curiously while walking through the semi-populated corridors. “Really? Damn. Probably needed my beauty sleep. You don’t get this pretty without some preparation.”

Jas chewed on that nugget of logic. “That makes some sense, I suppose. Maybe you went through a metamorphosis, thereby curing yourself of all the ugly.”

Belatedly, I realized for the first time since waking up that this day was mine to do whatever suited my desires. I digressed, both playing for time and tracking down an interesting idea. If we could speak over a distance through our bond, maybe I could take it one step further. Stopping in my tracks and setting aside my emotions, I left off trying to chew gum and walk at the same time and tested out my conceptual theory. I gave my mind a mental poke before a search and seizure was initiated, and I rifled through every nook and cranny that might conceal the connection.

“Aha!” the exclamation drew a few inquisitive glances.

Following the pulsing strand that most definitely represented the bond we shared, I rode the line, returning to sender. An exhilarating rush surged through my veins as my point of view was altered. There I–I mean Jas–was, standing at the rock climbing cliff face, drinking from a bottle of water. A light stirring of air breezed through the trees, which made the intense heat of the sun a little less oppressive. The cool water running down my throat instantly sated my thirst. His neck craned around as if he sensed the presence of an unwelcome passenger, and I ghosted back into my own body, which fortunately hadn’t lost all motor skills when it had been spontaneously vacated.

“Sick!” I celebrated, already thinking of the various uses for my new, coveted skill.

His position could be found by relating his location to mine, and that information could be put to good use when sneaking up on him. He would be none the wiser and caught completely unaware. My hands began to rub together of their own accord, the way an evil mastermind might when an evil plot had been recently hatched. There would be no bounds to the extent of mischief that could be caused with such a weapon at my command. I could take over the world! Pinching myself, and the world-conquering portion of my psyche was powered down, for the moment. My other, more rational self did have some good points that could not be denied, however. There were some more practical uses for this skillset, so, unfortunately, I’d have to inform Jas of the new development. That is, after I used it to sneak up on him.

It only took me a few additional minutes of inspired speed walking to get to my destination. People were out in droves, and so there was only minimal trouble blending in. Recalling a memory from a previous encounter with Jas, I understood that my smell wasn’t akin to a Were’s, and therefore was immediately recognizable as different. I guess it was going to be difficult for me to stay under the radar, when those with such a roided-up scent encompassed me. Although I was gathering curious looks, I managed to get behind Jas without him noticing my presence. Maybe he was more acclimated to my smell and so it became something in the background, rather than of immediate concern. Whatever the reason, my tactical maneuver was effectively completed before Jas could register my whereabouts.

Uncapping a chilled water bottle that had been acquired on the trek over, I unleashed its contents on top of Jas’ head. “Hah! Oh, yeah, that’s right! Who’s your daddy? Payback has been served, ice cold!” I strummed the connection that had been so recently discovered.

“Ahhhhhhh!” he threw his arms up in unconditional surrender. “Effing cold!” His head snapped around again in a convulsive shiver, as if he was trying to give himself a good case of whiplash as punishment for not realizing I was there. “What was that?”

“What’s what?” I parroted innocently.

“That!” He splashed the contents of his diminished water bottle on my shirt, giving it a good soaking.

“Ah, now that’s refreshing! Without the inconvenience of finding a pool, either.” I wiped some stray droplets from my face. “Since I’ve been revitalized, I believe it’s time to try my luck at that.” I pointed.

The steep incline was directly before us and it extended hundreds of feet into skyward. This didn’t look like something that was taken on lightly, unless you could fly yourself up. Worn handholds had been carved into the mountain at regular intervals, spread out for easy travel. It would be a straight shot, though require a lot of sweat from both parties to arrive at the top.

“That mountain is a beast! You’ve hardly recovered.” His eyes lit up. “All right, you’re on.” He grinned maniacally. “First one to the top acquires bragging rights, first one to the bottom with a flag gets the Biggest Kahones Award.” I pointed out said flags, which were situated at the top of the incline on each route.

I looked suspiciously at Jas. “No shifting allowed.”

Jas played as if offended. “I’m offended that you think that such a thing could even be considered! It would stain my honor. No elements, either. That way, there won’t be any unexpected surprises when you stand utterly defeated by my superior ability.”

I popped everything on my body that would provide me with a crack. “Put your boasts where your mouth is.”

— Chapter 15 —

I couldn’t help but think of Em. Kicking at the plant life in the glade around me didn’t relieve any frustration, and neither did hitting it, either. I didn’t like to have the wool pulled over my eyes, especially by women. Problem was, it was difficult for me to perceive women in such a negative light, as if pigs could fly. It was a foreign thing, to see someone I had begun to care about pull a 180 and go bat-shit crazy on me. You think you know someone, and then they try to cook you extra crispy with their talents in Fire. Or maybe that was just a very good example of how weird my life had become over the past weeks. Scratch that, my life had become the definition of weird.

At least I had the power to act now, rather than taking everything on the brow. Now I knew what stalked the nights and prowled the heights of the cityscape weren’t fairytales. The problem was that events were passing me by when I should be out kicking ass and taking names. Some monster, maybe from another dimension, was eating people and I was sitting around training. My gut told me decisive action was necessary, but Jeeves had yet to give the green light. The discordant ringing in my ears was still there, however, almost imperceptible, on the edge of hearing. There was something profoundly wrong with the discordant tolling sound, besides the fact that it shouldn’t have been present in the first place.

“I just barely got away from those girls without losing my head,” Jas panted into the clearing, disturbing my train of thought. We’d both taken our Biggest Kahones Contest to the next level for the reason most men do a lot of stupid things: to impress girls.

“Why in the world would you want to get away?” I snorted in disbelief.

“How’d you find me so fast, back there at the cliff?” Jas switched topics abruptly.

“How would it be possible not to find you, standing out like a stick in the mud with those cheeks heating up every time a girl came within arm’s length?”

“Oh, come on. Don’t hold out on me. It only took you a couple of minutes to figure out where I was, all the way back from your room.”

“If you really want to know, then I’ll tell you,” I motioned him toward me, looking around suspiciously. “You better come closer.”

“Fine. But you better not be yanking my chain.” He moved within reach.

All in character, I brought up my hand to whisper in his ear. “You smell, really, really bad. All I had to do was follow the trail of body odor.” Bursting out laughing, I backed up with hands raised defensively.

Jas advanced upon me, one hand raised threateningly. “Don’t move.”

“Aw, come on, Jas. It was just a bit of fun. I’ll tell you what you want to know, calm down.”

“Get down!” he commanded.

When someone you trust tells you to hit the deck, you get the hell to the dirt. Falling backwards, I spun myself around as the ground rose to embrace me. Simultaneously, I extended my arms to blunt the impact and my roiling emotions were squashed before I latched onto my power. Instantly, things became vividly clear. Well, they became more clear than they had been just moments before. The reason Jas had told me to go to ground wasn’t because he wanted give me a good beating from that position.

Dashing from the trees and leaping through the air was an enormous hound born from shadow. Now that it had revealed itself, a certain wrongness exuded from its malignant presence. Like a clear pool of crisp water left to rot and deteriorate, the hound had been morphed and mutated by shadow, enlarged, turned into a snarling beast that possessed no ties to man’s best friend. Jas shifted behind me and leapt through the air in the guise of a red timber wolf, howling all the way. I decided it was time to say to hell with sitting around and watching things unfold. After rolling to my right, I shot to my feet and did what came natural.

I charged into the fray with my friend, backing up his insane bid to stop the beast before it could gain momentum to commit serious harm. The only difficulty with that plan of attack was the size variance evident between Jas and his shadowy counterpart. While Jas was nimble and quick on his feet, he was only half the size of the gigantic shadowhound. One swipe of the huge, mutated claws would put him out of the equation, and there was far too much room for mistakes in any confrontation. After calling Air, I amplified my actions and reactions, watching as the landscape around me blurred and the two quadrupeds slowed mid-leap.

“Damn it, Jeeves! Wake up!” I screamed into the recesses of my mind. “What is this thing?”

Searching frantically within, I looked for the one possibility that presented me with extrication out of this sticky situation. Water just wouldn’t do, although there might be something with Air. The rest of the elements at my command were iffy solutions at best, disastrous failings at worst. But if I were right about one thing, it would be that the shadowhound would have a serious aversion to light, especially in any concentrated quantities. Even as it loped beneath the darkening skies, I could see motes of shadow detaching themselves under the scrutiny of the failing sun. The howling timber wolf and the darkhound met in the air with animalistic ferocity, tearing at each other. Neither of them came out unscathed, although Jas took the worst of it.

Jeeves flashed in at the scene of their collision. “Well, are you just going to stand there like a dumbstruck fool? Lightning, boy! And be quick about it!”

Though I was finding myself disoriented and out of sync with my body, I did as told. My anger sparked and lightning coalesced around my sprinting form, spitting and crackling. Like an avenging angel, I charged the beast before me with no regard for proper safety measures as depicted in section 5 of the survival guide. The problem with such a caliber a fight as this was that they didn’t last long, which Jas had discovered with the brutal demonstration. The shadowhound had turned from Jas, who lay motionless on the ground, and turned to face me. If its attention wasn’t fully diverted from Jas’ prone form, then he was mincemeat.

The hound planted its feet, either preparing to attack or defend. The uncanny intelligence displayed by waiting for me to approach jarred me, forcing myself to think more rationally. Ten feet away and the hound was snarling, opening its jaws wide to swallow little ol’ me whole. Expunging any fear and apprehension, I directed a burst of Air behind and below me. Newton’s laws of motion held true and my body rocketed into the air to land behind the hound, where I took up a defensive stance in front of Jas. I wanted to pat myself on the back for the spectacularly lucky maneuver, but didn’t have the time.

Instead, I packed as much power as could be packed into my lightning beam and aimed it directly at the beast that presumed to eat me for breakfast. There was a pleasing crackle, an emission of light, sound, and power, and then a bolt of cerulean lightning traversed the distance between myself and the shadowhound faster than I could blink. It crashed into the hound, blasting out a huge chunk of its shoulder. My aim obviously left something to be desired, because although the beast stood howling, it was still very much alive. Shadow detached itself in smoking heaps from the shoulder of the mutated canine, dispersing quickly as the sun destroyed it. Although I expected it to charge relentlessly and bring me low, it did just the opposite, disappearing into the undergrowth.

The snapping of twigs and branches alerted me that there was still a fight to be finished. My aim with lightning appeared to be lacking, and my prowess with it clearly needed some work. You wouldn’t think pointing and shooting at something was that hard, but apparently it was. Unless I got near enough to punch the beast, it looked like the next time I took a crack at it, I would be in serious trouble.

“It’s nothing I’ve encountered before,” Jeeves informed me, rather uselessly. “But it is something of a sinister nature. It means to do you harm, although it’s most likely a mere scout, a tool to be discarded. The intelligence it portrays leads me to believe that its movements are being directed.”

“Well, isn’t that just great news,” I snarled.

So rather than relying on my lightning to do the trick, I prepared the Air around me, as the crashing in the underbrush grew steadily louder. The next time it came at me, there was hardly any time to react, even with Air boosting my operating speed. The thing was damned fast, and it was no easy task tracking its movements. But what I had in mind wasn’t fine-tuned or delicate work, all that was necessary for it to work properly was the direction from which my enemy was rushing. Power streamed from my fingertips, wispy threads that began to coalesce in the air above me. A shield of sorts materialized, stretching five feet in diameter. It wasn’t meant to protect, but rather to magnify the sun that was streaming haphazardly through the thickly forested glade.

Funneled through my magnifying glass, the light was much more potent than the rays that regularly shone. While I doubted concentrated sunlight would do much to the average Joe, this beast didn’t appreciate being exposed to it. Swiveling the glass, I tracked the rushing form of the shadowhound, concentrating the sun’s rays into the hounds dissolving face. A concussive blast of darkness knocked me to the ground, sending me reeling.

Tumbling backwards, spinning sideways, tossed around like a child’s toy, I tried to right myself before getting eaten. I stood up quickly and scanned the area for any sign of something readying itself for launch. No sight of the hound, but there was a crowd of Were that didn’t look too happy with the proceedings. Ignoring them for the moment, I dashed to where Jeeves was waiting by a motionless, human-looking Jas.

“He seems to have sustained little injury, though he might have learned more had he suffered additional discomfort,” Jeeves said.

“That’s comforting, coming from you. I’m glad you don’t have any children running around these parts, or the world would be in a lot of trouble.”

His body had curled into the fetal position, most likely a reflexive reaction because he was out like a light. That didn’t surprise me, since he had claw marks down the side of his scalp ending just after his sideburns. Releasing a sympathetic wince, I looked him over for a more serious injury, and, thankfully, found none. That left only the task of staunching the flow of blood running down his face, which appeared a mighty task. Head wounds always bleed like a mother, even if they weren’t very serious. Ripping at my shirt, I tore off a huge chunk near the bottom, leaving most of my stomach bare.

“Someone get the Healer and his father!” I commanded of the immobile onlookers.

Jeeves nodded from his perch, as if everything was going as expected. “Newcomers approach.”

My movements became mechanical as the strips of my shirt were wadded up and held to the side of Jas’ head. Some of the flow of blood was stemmed, but it was obvious that he would still have stitches to endure before the night was through. At least he would have an interesting story to tell to the girls, rather than having to blunder his way through clumsily adapted dialogue. Some sensation on the edge of my awareness caused me to look up briefly. There were indeed two people coming toward us, just as Jeeves had said.

Then I did a double take, because something was wrong with that picture. Rather than appearing from behind me, these two were coming as if they had trekked through the forest. One was a giant of a teen, stretching well above six feet, packed with muscle, and sporting an intriguing razor-sharp spiked collar. Something was off about one of his arms, but it was impossible to discern the inconsistency from a distance. The shortest of the party was of miniscule proportions to the giant, somewhere just broaching five feet. Her brown hair was touched with gray, as if she had aged quickly in a short span of living large. Each of her minute steps were punctuated by the jingling of the bangles on her right arm. Both of them looked as though they had traveled through the underworld and emerged unscathed—well, relatively unscathed. What stood out most to me was their unique power, which resonated with my own.

“Who are they?” I wondered aloud.

As always with the important questions, he was cryptic as hell. “Old friends, allies from a time long left to rot, cake with the dust of the ages.”

“Great. Just as insightful as always, I see,” I mumbled.

Their approach was fairly anti-climactic. They didn’t try to kill or capture me. That was outside the norm. I hadn’t met another Empowered that didn’t want to take me to their leader, and drain me of all my go-go juice. I would have stood up, but couldn’t leave Jas’ side until the Doc arrived to patch him up. There were others, however, that had no such bonds holding them back. A group of men broke off from the crowd, numbering six. I envisaged the destruction the two were likely capable of and found that they wouldn’t be near enough.

I didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt. “Stop.” I raised my free hand at them, which danced with lightning.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” one of them asked.

“We hold no quarrel with you, nor the one you have bonded with,” an older man said. “These two must be evaluated and questioned. We saw the beast. They could have led it here, to our halls.”

“Then give me some time to question them,” I requested.

“You don’t have the authority!” a hotheaded, body-builder type told me.

“You need to see my authority?” I asked darkly.

“There’s no need for that, Travis,” the other man responded, calming his hot-blooded counterpart. “Five minutes will not act as a detriment. There’s no direction they can run that will allow them escape from our grasp.”

“Yeah, Travis. Just take a chill pill and give me a couple minutes.” I winked, imploring.

That almost did it, but the arms of the friends who had just been gearing up to go confront the trespassers conveniently restrained Travis from hasty action. Irony is something that never gets old for me, and this was no exception. By the time I had finished with my persuasion techniques, they were already on top of me. Well, the big one was. The girl had dropped into a squat, pressing the back of her hand against Jas’ forehead.

“I’m Hailey,” she said, while her practiced hands surveyed the damage.

“Razor,” the other one chimed in with a deep baritone.

“Caleb.” I extended a bloodied hand to Razor, who took it unflinchingly.

There was more to them than that, surely. Although I doubted those were their real names, I let the matter be. Wasn’t any of my business really. As there was time, I took the chance to study them more fully. Razor was a piece of work, besides being a slab of muscle and steel, he was missing one arm. You probably wouldn’t convince him of that, though, because his left arm had been replaced with an earthen substitute. I didn’t know the mechanics of such an undertaking but was sure that you would have to employ a lot of skill to pull off something like that. The more interesting topic, of course, would be why he needed to create an Earthly replica in the first place.

Though there was little doubt in my mind that something big and badass in the supernatural community had taken a bite out of the guy. His hard brown eyes attested to that, as well as his crew-cut auburn hair. Hailey seemed to be a very withdrawn individual and I wondered at the connection between the two, besides their abilities. Her alabaster skin partially matched with the strands of her hair, which were now discovered as white, rather than gray. Intriguing hazel eyes came to a decision as I studied her, and she brought my bloodied shirt away from Jas’ skull. Her hands hovered, never coming close enough to touch.

Then, as I watched, she gathered her power, something I had never been able to study from the outside. She wasn’t employing the use of any element I had ever seen, though. Her hands glowed a shade of amber before tapering off and becoming normal once more. The difference in Jas was immediately visible, as he began to stir. His face had been cleared of the mauling and excess blood, and he was whole once more.

“What the hell was that?” I asked Hailey and Razor, as much as the lurking Jeeves.

“Healing at its finest,” Razor said, verifying my suspicions.

“But how?”

“It is a part of her, as lightning is an integral portion of your existence, however, it comes at a steep cost,” Jeeves explained irritably. “What other explanation did you expect?”

“None,” Hailey answered quietly, rising from her crouched position before gravitating toward Razor once more.

I started. It had yet to occur to me that they might perceive Jeeves as well as I did.

“Of course they can see me, boy,” Jeeves scolded. “As you would their counterparts, were they in attendance.”

“It is not polite to address someone of your importance without first being introduced,” Razor rumbled.

I groaned. “No, don’t encourage him,” I pleaded. “I’ll never be able to recover.”

“No, he is correct,” Jeeves preened. “His logic is not at fault, however, your common courtesy could use some evaluation.”

“You would think that we had better things to do than stroking his ego,” Jas commented from his position on the ground.

I knew a lifeline when I saw one. “Yes, I believe we do. First that those guys back there aren’t happy with your untimely arrival, and they’re dead set on questioning you. Second, what the hell was that darkhound doing out here, and third, how did you come to be behind the damned thing?”

“I take it that the blasted beastie is good and dead, then?” Jas asked.

“Dead is relative. That was merely a part of the whole, a counterpart among many,” Razor said.

“Are you kidding me!?” Jas moaned.

“If you have been following the news, you have seen the Shadow, the dark cloud that entered our dimension not that long ago. We know little about it, other than its taste for human flesh and lusts for power. But there is someone who’s commanding the monstrosity.”

My mind ran through the information I had gathered, from the news, and the supernatural demesne in general. The Seven weren’t supposed to all be best buddies. I had already found that out firsthand. There was a tolling on the air, a change in the wind, and I was sure that all of us felt it. It had a timeless, ageless quality of a past time that was coming to fruition once more. If you aren’t careful, history will repeat itself. Battles had been fought, wars been won and lost, forgotten, and forever illuminated in the halls of memory and cemented in history. Standing with two others of my very rare genetic disorder, I felt the urge to move, to fight.

Hailey shared her two cents on the matter. “Those that are forced to serve it can be altered from their intended form into something malignant and powerful. The only reason there aren’t more of what you saw is likely because it is weak, and new to this world. But I am sure Kasper will feed his pet until it has grown obedient to his cause.”

“Casper, the friendly ghost? I wouldn’t think he would do such a thing. He was always such a nice fellow,” Jas said, still disoriented, obviously. “What’s wrong with your hand, dude?” he asked Razor.

“Who’s Kasper?” I asked.

Something flashed through Hailey’s eyes, a combination of pain and admiration. “Kasper is a genius. I met Razor as his powers were emerging, and we found Kasper soon after that. We had thought our discovery of him had been by chance, but I’m not so sure anymore. He brought us in, showed us what it was like to live in the lap of luxury. I—” Hailey put a hand to her mouth. “Caught him in the parlor one night, studying. He said his interest in other dimensions was an idle one. He was always studying something, always learning about the supernatural, ever since he found out what we were. Kasper thought he had pieced together the remnants of prophecy, and that he stood at the center of it. His interpretation was that reform was necessary, that our weakness must be expunged before we could move forward. He said it was unfortunate, but that some people would need to die for the betterment of the remaining. Chaos was an inevitable byproduct, but through his workings, he would be able to bring the world into an era of unsurpassed prosperity. He wanted to bring the world into the light, in his own, sick, deranged way.” Her voice wavered and Razor took over.

“They’ll bring to the world Light, Darkness, Death, Destruction, Chaos, Peace, and Healing,” Jas recited groggily, attempting to sit.

Razor nodded at Jas. “We found out that Kasper had been speaking with a man from the order of The Chosen, refining his ideas, planning to implement them.” His voice promised retribution. “He began to withdraw further in on himself, became irritable, raved for hours about what needed to be done and how he would implement these plans. He put all his efforts into finding the remaining Seven so that he could begin furthering his goals. Kasper thought he would need to force those he found into doing his bidding, but they were of a kind, matching his darkness seamlessly. So he turned on us.” As Razor’s voice rose to a crescendo, his power lashed outwards.

The Earth around him cracked from the force of his anger, and Jas finally found the energy to stand. At least for a fleeting moment, because directly after he rose to his feet he latched painfully onto my shoulder, for moral support, no doubt. I took a moment to look behind me, making sure that no one had been forced over the precipice by the display of power. No one had, although I saw the Doc and Noah approaching, walking through the parting crowd.

“Healing takes a certain amount of energy from the patient, although most of it comes from within me,” Hailey told us when she noticed Jas’ weary state. “He will need rest.”

Jas found the strength to stand on his own, at that. “So what you’re saying is that some evil ghost dude is trying to take over the world? Hasn’t he ever seen what happens at the end of every movie?”

“This isn’t a movie,” I said. “In reality, bad people succeed in their endeavors all the time.”

“So how’d you find me?” I asked. “And where did you lose your arm?”

“They found you through following the Call,” an alter ego of Razor imparted, flashing in beside a much more confident, flawless version of Hailey.

Compared to the tough-as-nails image Razor presented, his companion was even more formidable. He was all decked out in spikes, leather, and chains. He looked like he ate little children for breakfast and didn’t care that it gave him indigestion. There was a tranquil quality to his aggressive behavior, however, as if he fought the good fight, but used dirty tactics and whatever means necessary to secure peace. In Hailey’s alter ego, there was an entirely different representation. While Hailey seemed run-down, I saw a young girl who could take on the world in her buoyant counterpart. Her hair was lustrous and thriving, her eyes mesmerizing. An amber light seemed to radiate from under her skin, a healthy glow that was a balm to my fatigue.

“And you must follow your calling as well,” the other Hailey said. “If you don’t, you will surely perish, along with your loved ones.”

“That’s just a guess, isn’t it?” Spike, as I had come to think of him, said.

The alter-ego Hailey looked offended. “A guess! Surely it is more than that! At least an educated conjecture, if not a refined extrapolation, perhaps?”

“Quiet in front of the children, you two,” Jeeves said, for once assisting in maintaining the peace.

“The Clan Meeting is looming,” I said. “Surely it can wait that long, when you are only able to provide me with an educated guess?”

Hailey’s double fumed. “Fine! And it was an extrapolation! The end is nigh!” She giggled, flashing out.

“She’s always been the weird one,” Spike confided in a whisper before he too disappeared.

“I’m really confused,” Jas confessed.

“Don’t worry, I’m in the same boat,” I said.

— Chapter 16 —

Razor and Hailey ended up under Noah’s wing. His extension of protection was only worth so much, however, so all bets would likely be off once the Meeting was in session. At least the crowd had dispersed and no one had tried to brain the two newcomers from the confines of their drunken stupors. No doubt, that would have been a really bad idea for any of those who tried. The good news was that Jas got the once over by the Doc and was pronounced whole, although exhausted and in need of sleep. I went to see him the next day, bright and early, just to irk him.

“Next time, we should try to be a little smarter when we charge a beastie two times the size of us, okay?”

He was already up when I came in, staring at the ceiling from his bed. “I thought I could take him, and I knew you would be backing me up.”

I laid down on the cold floor, taking a gander at the magnificence of sheetrock and plaster. “We should coordinate then, so we both go in at the same time.”

Jas produced a racquetball from somewhere and idly began throwing it at the wall. “Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

We fell into silence

“What’s the deal with the new blood?”

I told him, not leaving anything out, explaining every little detail that I could remember.

“Crap. Do you think your parents are in danger?”

I threw my hands up, flinging the ball across the room. “I don’t know. I think she meant that everyone would be in danger if this Kasper guy got his way. Which really is just common sense, ‘cause he’s crazy as a three-dollar bill. I’m not even sure my parents are still alive, let alone looking for me, or being held captive. There are too many abnormalities that jumble everything up in a series of misinformation and happenstance.”

Jas bent over the bed to pick up the ball, which had rolled back to him. “Wait, what? Take it easy, cowboy, with the deep, introspective thought, so early in the morning. It’s hardly past sunrise!”

“I don’t know what the hell to think anymore. I’ve got people in one corner telling me this, with all certainty. Pan to the other corner, and you get different information about what’s going on from another source. My parents told me they’d find me, and you and the Viper told me they are being held captive. This tolling, I’m supposed to follow it, but it’s discordant and… wrong. Jeeves is a closed book because some code prevents him from divulging any truly useful knowledge. I can’t walk into a bomb zone without every asset available; I need to know more.”

“Damn. If I was confused before, now I’m confounded. You think too much. Maybe you should just jump on the gravy train, see where it takes you. You say you need all this information, and I think you’re going to get it.”

“So, basically, don’t do anything, and if I follow that rule, the Christmas ghosts of Past, Present, and Future will come to me in a dream and tell me what I need to know.”

He nodded wisely. “Yeah, exactly, man. Just look at all the hero stories. There’s always someone who tells the main character what’s up. ’Cause really, if they didn’t, then the dude would die for sure.”

“Your logic astounds me,” I told him. “Problem is, I’m not the main character in a damn fantasy book. I’m a disillusioned kid who grew up on the streets, probably orphaned by now. I’m just a kid who grew up in a world full of darkness, looking for a sliver of light.”

Some time passed before Jas responded. “Sounds like a damn hero to me.”

“Bleh.” I made gagging noises.

He grinned and opened his mouth to say something when the door burst open.

“How long have you two lovebirds been cooped up in here?!” Henry exclaimed.

The pack of misfits was on his heels, and they all rushed behind Henry to give Jas their congratulations and condolences. Congratulations on his encounter with the supernatural, and condolences that it didn’t go as he hoped. There was edginess in the atmosphere, one that pointed at an important matter that had nothing to do with Jas’ ego.

Xavier spoke up first. “The newcomers are speaking to the Clan. They’re hoping to win the support of the members in order to bring our might against the coming Darkness.”

“What’s with all this encroaching Darkness crap?” Jas complained. “Why can’t it just be all rainbows and sunshine for once?”

I thumbed my nose at Jas. “Rainbows and sunshine? What kind of make-believe world you livin’ in? We should probably go check up on those two, before something catastrophic occurs.”

“One more thing. Your dad’s up there too, Jas; he’s been providing them with his support,” Simon added.

“What?! Let’s get there already, then!” He vaulted out bed.

Henry whistled, and the girls giggled. “You might want to put some clothes on, first.”

The crowd was captivated. “If you don’t act now, then it’s very possible a second chance won’t be provided. Darkness will sweep the land and engulf every soul in its path. Any resistance won’t be concentrated or concerted enough to do any good,” Razor said, his voice extending to the very edge of the crowd.

“Then let’s go kill this monstrosity, and all of those who would think to force their will upon the Were Clan!” someone shouted in challenge.

The predatory crowd voiced their sentiments, catcalling and roaring their defiance. When another supernatural predator on the food chain stepped up to challenge the rule of the wild, these men and women put them back in their place. Not because it was the right thing to do, but because they could not be seen as weak in the eyes of a world that preyed upon the weak.

“Now wait just one moment!” a voice made itself known amid the noise.

“Hey, look, there’s my dad!” Jas pointed to the left of Razor.

“Let’s get up there, guys,” I said before making my way through the crowd.

An old man, looking much aged though still spry and lively, hopped up into the boxing ring that had become a stage. “This is a matter to be discussed by the Council and decided by those who have the wisdom of experience behind them!”

There were some grumbles, but they quieted down when Noah spoke up. “No, he is right, my fellows. But fear not. This is an important matter, and we must get involved. I have been aware of the coming crisis for some time, and called this Meeting in order to properly address it. You must trust we will make the decision that will benefit our Clan, and respect your seniors’ decisions. It would not do to stray from the established customs.”

The aged Were spoke once more. “The Council meets on the morrow. Until then, let the festivities continue. Hold nothing back, for we may be going to war.”

Not surprisingly, this statement was met with much cheer, and with wild abandon the crowd broke up to discover their differing celebrations. No doubt there would be a lot of people deep in their cups this night, and there were sure to be some people getting riled up. By riled up, I meant of course that they were going to go stark raving mad, and get inebriated to their detriment

Noah spotted Jas, who was waving frantically and calling for his attention. As we waited for Razor and the rest to arrive, we watched the crowd disperse with relative disinterest, since there was nothing else to do.

“Well thank you for all the support, Mr. Franklin,” Hailey acknowledged in her usual muted tone.

“Of course, my dear, of course. We happen to have had much the same agenda, by happenstance,” Noah told her.

“Happenstance?” Razor spat. “No such thing, in these circles.”

“Alas, but that is the way of things,” Noah said.

“Are you quite finished bemoaning your fate?” Jas joked, smiling.

“Speaking of fate, anyone think we should go seize the day, or what?” Henry winked.

Jas looked to me, and I shrugged. “Who knows in advance what their destiny shall hold?” I said. “I’m riding the gravy train, remember?”

Jas laughed at my reference but hadn’t offered up whether or not he preferred to join the festivities or sit this one out. It was obvious Henry was going to go attempt to discover his own destiny this night. Even if his destiny consisted of getting roaring drunk and not being able to look back and remember this night in the near future. Most of the group volunteered, and I figured trivial laws like the legal drinking age ceased to exist here. It made a good bit of sense that the Clan got started partying early, because of the more animalistic nature of the beast.

I knew one thing for sure, though. It was far too early to be getting started on anything that dulled the senses and reflexes. My nerves were on edge, beginning to fray from their constant employ. I was too amped up about all the happenings to get down on that particular level. Although, I always found it wildly entertaining to see people make fools of themselves. It always makes for a good laugh. Maybe I would attend after all, to loosen up a little in the face of such darkness. I don’t know when my life went from bad to worse, but it seemed there was need of a change in the status quo to lighten my mood.

“You want to go, Caleb?” Jas asked.

“I’ll spectate, keep you out of trouble,” I laughed. “I’m sure it promises to be a highly entertaining night.”

“It will be that, for sure.” He smiled. “It might be a tad overwhelming for you as a first-timer, but you’ll get used to it.”

“That sounds promising.”

Not surprisingly, much of the night became obscure and difficult to remember after the point I let myself get totally wasted. The brew was only acceptable because of its coolness; otherwise I would have likely gagged on the taste. If I had to be drinking piss, I supposed it needed to be ice-cold piss. My vision clouded over, my head and body became enveloped in a heat wave of semi-pleasurable sensations. My movements became uncoordinated, my speech slurred, and my reflexes non-existent. For a moment I found myself regretting the choice then found I was in no condition to alter it, except to wait it out.

And I believe that was accomplished with relative ease, since next to nothing of the ensuing hours was recalled until later that night, when I abruptly came back to myself. Whooshing and spinning, the gears came back alive in my head, and I was once more a functioning human being.

Although, reflecting, it would have been better to return as a mentally functioning being at a different time entirely. The problem with my mental processes booting back up was the fact that the hectic environment, created by thousands of smashed Were gathered in a concentrated area, had taken a turn for the worst. I was soon to discover that rampaging monsters weren’t beneficial to one’s health.

The charging monsters wouldn’t even be considered a big deal, after all we were in a room of Were who could change into monsters, if they weren’t made of Shadow and busy crafting a gory mess out of the drunken revelers. Looking around frantically, I found most of my table slumped over their cups while Zack was currently heaving his guts out. Jas had actually slid off the bench and fallen to the ground, one arm splayed outward, reaching for his drink. There was much more alcohol than water laying around, so it took me a good while before I finally found a five-gallon jug. All the while, I heard the tortured screams, the violent rending, and the melody of battle in the background. Whatever this was, if I couldn’t get help from my friends, I was going to be bleeding out on the ground soon.

So I carefully upended a good portion of the water over each motionless form one by one then dumped the remainder of it on myself, bringing my mental processes to full clarity. With startled movements and groaned protests, my allies woke from their drunken slumber and brought themselves back to life. Zack was still occupied with his heaving, so I doubted he would be able to provide much assistance in his condition. Though the shocking cold brought my vitals to maximum, I felt the urge to shiver, remain stationary. Protestations and provocations, curses and death threats continued to fall on my deaf ears. Once they heard the fighting and felt the discordance within their bones, however, they came back to themselves as I had.

“Caleb!” I turned and saw Noah approaching, vaulting over tables and obstacles when they presented distraction.

I raised my hand to get his attention. “Jeeves,” I called and he flashed in, ragged and red-eyed, as if just emerging from his own drunken stupor, and perhaps he had.

“It’s a goddam war zone,” Jas said groggily, and many of the others voiced their agreeable sentiments.

Noah crossed the remaining space without any apparent effort before anyone found the nerve to do much more than pull themselves from their recuperating slumbers. From the blood staining his clothes, he had already seen fighting. My body was still slow to react, and I angrily stripped additional power from my reserves to get myself back in order. I assumed a strange calm was assumed, brought on by an uncharacteristically fatalistic outlook.

“Are you harmed, Son?” Noah helped Jas to his feet, before doing the same for the rest of our party.

“I’m fine, Dad.” Jas shrugged off the help stubbornly.

“You are not anything close to resembling fine!” Noah snapped as he went about his task.

“Jeeves, what exactly are we up against?” I asked.

“It seems you’ve been ambushed,” he said.

“Could have figured that one out on my lonesome, thanks. I meant what the hell are we up against?” My apprehension leaked into my voice.

“I have little practical knowledge of something I have never encountered before, save a solitary meeting. It seems you are up against a new species of beast, which are being directed from an external location. It’s highly probable that there are many different strands of the same ilk, possessed of greater or lesser stature. These broods are being amassed in hordes, but these frontrunners are likely the least of your problems. The monstrosity that made these beasts is showing only a portion of its hand. If it has survived this long, a commendable level of intelligence and malignant intent are no doubt an integral portion of its thought process, and the two are a deadly combination in any adversary.”

“Enough of this chatter,” a swaying Henry commanded. “Let us join our brothers in battle!” The entire effect was rather ruined by the hiccup, but the point was still made.

Noah looked at me for a lifeline. “Is there anything you can do to turn the tide, Caleb?”

I raised my hands. “I don’t know. I might be able to do something, but might be useless, too. There’s only one way to find out for certain, right?” I sighed.

“That’s the spirit!” Jeeves attempted to slap me on the back, but ended up with a hand through my midsection.

“That tingles. Are you drunk, Jeeves?”

“Just a smidge.” He spread two fingers apart, recognizing only the slightest intoxication.

“Right. How many hounds are out there?” I directed my question to Noah.

“Twenty, fifty, the number is impossible to calculate. In the endless night, their number is difficult to pin down. Our eyes can penetrate the darkness more thoroughly than any other predator, but they are as the dark come to life.”

“Can you watch them?” I directed his attention at my plastered fellows.

I realized that the girls wouldn’t be going anywhere, and Zack was in no condition to be doing anything, anytime soon. Henry, despite his boasts and bravado, was too unsteady on his feet to be more than an obstacle and hindrance. Realistically, Simon and Xavier were the only candidates that were in good enough shape to come along with us, and even they seemed a bit rough around the edges.

“I think it’d best be the other way around.” Jas gave me a levelheaded stare, now the voice of reason.

“I want to come,” Simon said.

Xavier agreed. “It is our duty to join the fray with our brothers.”

“You don’t seem quite as wobbly as you were a moment ago,” I admitted. “But Jas is right. It is more important to protect your comrades than to amass glory and tales for the fireside. Simon, and Xavier, stay behind and hold the fort. Don’t let the beasts close with these fellas, because they are your brothers, and it’s your responsibility to protect them from injury.” I motioned at our prone companions.

Henry shot me a glare from his precarious position on the table. “Don’t you leave nobody to babysit—” He brought one beefy arm up to halt us, as he threw up noisily over the edge of the table.

Screams pierced the night and roars shook the foundation of the earth. A bell tolled. Perhaps proof that the hounds were related to the Calling. I took a step forward. Then two more were taken, and before long I was ten paces from where I stood just moments before. By instinct I called Air to me, and it sped me as I rushed into battle. My lightning came out to play before it was even consciously manifested. When I chanced a look behind me, Jas and his father were on my heels, despite my increased speed. The hundreds upon hundreds had been caught unaware, with their metaphorical and metaphysical pants down. Whoever had orchestrated this was either entirely too clever or had incredibly fortuitous timing. Or perhaps the Clan was just too cocky and never thought anyone would attack them some boldly with so many Were gathered in one place.

My hand came up, ringed with lightning that hissed and spat venomously, as if it wanted a piece of the action. There was plenty of that to go around, unfortunately. Although the Were are resistant to the overt forces of magic, it seemed that they were reduced to an even playing field when it came to their opponents. They had the skills of the pack on their side, to be able to fight as a team and coordinate to take down their foes. The problem, however, was that many of their pack had been taken out of commission, or been forcefully put out of action by the rampaging shadowhounds. There were as many types as sizes, and they strove to overcome the Were with every fiber of their darkly constructed matter.

They were expendable pieces of merchandise, and there was the feeling that the loss could be dealt with whether or not they were successful in their immediate battle. The point of this venture was obviously to wear down the Clan, to force them to stop and regroup, so they wouldn’t take a hand in the coming battle. Reason told me that there was a battle to be had, if such drastic measures were being taken. I don’t know what the hell the evil dude behind the scenes was thinking, though. Maybe he had lost his marbles. Such a blatant stroke at the Clan’s power base had to be countered in kind, right?

“We should get going,” Jas said.

“Damn it all,” Noah said. “Whoever did this will pay in blood.”

With that vow, Noah shifted into a sleek black and gray wolf, and Jas followed his lead. Noah was by far the larger, although Jas wasn’t too far behind. Then they kicked it up a notch and launched themselves at the nearest hound, which was busy taking mouthfuls out of a wearying panther. Blood oozed out of multiple wounds on the cat’s body, and its weaving movements lent credence to the hypothesis that it was on its last legs. The hound, on the other hand, seemed to only have superficial wounds.

Claws raked shadow, and a roar emerged from the cacophony of the night. Darkness seeped into the night air, and I smiled as Jas and Noah took huge chunks out of the dark hide of the Shadowhound. After a few seconds of this, I expected the hound to take a measure of care with its life, rather than squander it, but there seemed to be only one thing on the minds of all the beasts attacking the Clan: to maim and kill as many members before being brought low.

“Dammit!” I shouted, realizing the precious seconds that had been wasted into coming to the conclusion that my friends were in serious danger.

As Noah and Jas went through a dizzying array of shifting to stay one step ahead of their opponent, I locked onto my target. The lightning coursing through and around my body wanted to be used, and so some of it was propagated to take down the baddie in before me. Then I noticed the blast might hit Jas and Noah when it was released, and their panther friend would fare no better.

The urge to destroy coursed through me. “Back!” I commanded, my voice carried with it a physical blow upon the air.

“Interesting application,” Jeeves commented offhandedly as my allies were rocked backward.

Jas and Noah were behind me in seconds, but our friend was another problem. Obviously, he or she wasn’t very versed in the act of tactical retreat. My patience had worn thin ages ago, and so another blast of Air was my response to the cat’s intractability. As all my allies were out of range, I gave into the lightning’s persuasiveness. Light, sound, and power quivered upon the air as it traveled across the distance to the shadowhound. The blue and white charged energy hit it square in the chest, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. There was a fleeting second wherein I had the impression that another burst of lighting would be required to finish off my enemy.

Then the shadowhound could no longer hold itself together under the stress of having a vast chunk taken out of its midsection. Darkness exploded outwards and there was one less enemy on the battlefield to be dealt with. Noah and Jas appeared in their normal garb and form on the dismissal of our mutual opponent.

“That was quite something, Caleb,” Noah said.

“Bullocks,” Jeeves disagreed. “Such leakage of power, such a poor excuse for a lightning strike! Focus, boy, and show me you have a marginal amount of promise!”

“Harsh words.” Jas grinned. “If you can repeat that spectacle, then we can provide some real help.”

Noah was clearly perplexed by the internal conversation that was being held, but he seemed to grasp that we weren’t completely bonkers. With a flurry of thought, I called upon Jeeves and the familiar non-weight of the katana was gripped reassuringly in my hand. I had completely lost Noah at this point, but Jas had a general idea of what my thoughts entailed.

“What in the blazes?” Noah said.

“A little forewarning, perhaps?” Jeeves’ disembodied voice complained.

“No way,” Jas backed up, hands in the air. “I’m not using that thing. I remember well what happened last time I tried to touch it.”

“You will,” I informed him before tossing the sword his way.

My katana arced through the air, lightning playing off its blade, charged with the energy I provided it. On base instinct, Jas caught the blade by its hilt, holding it out before him as if preparing to have his hand bitten off. I had a hunch that, since our bond had cemented more firmly over the past weeks, Jeeves’ corporeal form would do no harm to him. Admittedly, it was an untested hypothesis, and I was prepared for one of two reactions. Luckily, however, despite the misgivings of the scenario, the sword didn’t blow up in Jas’ hands, and neither did it take a bite out of him. An enormous sigh reached me over the sound of the lightning’s play, and a nasty grin played over my lips.

“Now, I think we should—” I turned to face the direction where I had seen a larger cluster of shadowhounds.

“Oh. Crap,” Jas said, summing up the situation from where he stood in a defensive position with the katana.

Butterflies fluttered around my stomach, and an uncomfortable feeling vaguely recognized as fear dialed my processes up a notch. Before it immobilized me fully, I stuffed the unwanted sensation into the depths of my mind, where it pouted and flooded back reluctantly. A veritable horde had arrived to confront us, attracted or enraged by the presence of lightning. Considering the fact that there weren’t any friendly smiles to go around, I figured it was likely that they weren’t delighted to see me. Darkness seeped around my vision, and a Mexican standoff ensued. No one moved a muscle, except to prepare for the ensuing slaughter.

Tension built upon the air like a hurricane’s waves, moving with the sure steps of the Shadow surrounding us. Noah produced his own rapier from some obscure region on his person and held it at the ready. Sweat trickled down my face and was swiped angrily away. Then, in a concerted effort and with little warning, the entire lot of them charged as one. Greedily, I directed the power at my command, channeling it into me with no regard for my own safety. No one knew better than me that if you weren’t prepared for your adversary, you could do little to stop them. Lightning pulsed and scattered around my body, creating an erratic thunderstorm fashioned from the power being thrown every which way.

Jas slashed with his weapon, taking off the legs of one of the closest hounds. The lightning was obviously not helping with any of the skin diseases that our enemies had procured. Noah was similarly embroiled in his own mêlée, with the exception that the damage he dealt was slightly more involved and less effective. I would have done the same thing for Noah that I had Jas, but there was only the one sword, and it was doubtful that he would be safe from the current running along the blade.

“Little help,” Jas requested, as he brought up the katana to block a vicious swipe at his abdomen.

Concentrating, I tried to come up with an attack that would differentiate between friend and foe. As I studied the gyrating forms of lightning arrayed around my body, a light flickered in my pea brain. I formed spherical wisps out of the lightning, forcing it into the unaccustomed shape with difficulty. It seemed that the force of nature was averse to being told what to do, even by me. Groaning, I forced through the sudden pain expanding in my chest, and relied upon luck. Though often luck hadn’t been sufficient to save me from one plight or another.

This time, it was, but barely. Lightning spread outwards in the dizzying form of balled wisps. The difficulty with the situation I had found myself in was the partitioning of my psyche, to subjectively decide which direction each ball would take. I partially got around that problem by keeping many of the balls in a swirling mass around me. The rest, well, I started shooting them off like a gunslinger in the Old West. My fingers came up in a position that every teenager has used at one point throughout their lifetime. Pistols in the form of fingers directed and propelled the lightning in the chosen direction, which was pretty much anywhere shadowy movement was visible.

I got off shots as fast as I was able to procure the positioning of my enemies. Roars of pain and anger sounded in response. Three of the beings had converged upon Noah, and I took careful aim at the beasts before taking the shots. My breath went from slightly strained to rough and ragged within the space of a few seconds. Stubbornly, I continued my onslaught, taking aim and shooting over and over again. The horde of darkness began to falter, and my second wind came to me. Many of them were maimed with shadow streaming from various wounds across their dark forms. Others were fighting a losing battle and their tenuous hold upon their forms was being relinquished.

Jas was a storm of fury amid the chaos, striking left and right with the sword held lithely in one hand. Shadowhounds fought and fell by his blade, and all the while a fighting grin was affixed firmly on his face. Taking some inspiration from my friend, I continued shaping and firing more of my missiles. When I confronted hounds that got past my blazing guns, the aura of lightning around me provided a shield from the harm that might have been inflicted. Their body parts could not coexist peacefully with the damage imparted by the lightning, and their bodies were torn asunder by my shots. Feeling invincible, if somewhat fatigued, I launched another flurry of shots, and more shadowhounds were taken out of commission. Before, there seemed to be no end to the monsters, but the herd had been visibly thinned. Even better, the fighting was tapering off, and many Were had begun to come to our aid, turning the tide in our favor.

At that point, a few things happened in the span of seconds. My muscles became weary of their burden and began to send a signal that told me of their distaste for my recent actions. They weren’t fans of old westerns, apparently. The lightning surrounding me began to fade, which left me vulnerable to physical attack. And Noah took a brutal swipe from one of the hounds, which sent him flying into Jas’ legs. Both of them went down, and our enemies smelled blood. With Air speeding me, I fought through my fatigue in order to protect my friends. By the time I was able to reach them, Jas was beginning to get up, although Noah was motionless upon the ground.

“Jas, behind you!” I warned, as a mass of shadow streaked toward him.

A stream of lightning appeared from my fingers and collided with the fast-moving hound. It clipped its hind legs, and Jas was able to finish the beast as it slid to a tumbling halt. One down, but there appeared an endless amount still prowling, waiting to inflict harm. Truthfully, there were only ten more able to put up a fight, but they were all swarming us as a singular unit. I no longer had time to form complicated structures in my attacks, and so bolts of lightning were my fallback weapons. My strikes became few and far between, as the adrenaline sustaining me began to trickle away. There was a brief moment wherein I wondered where Razor and Hailey were in the scheme of things, but my attention refocused on more important matters such as staying alive and keeping Jas and Noah breathing.

Jas seemed to need little assistance, even though blood was trickling out of wounds exhibited all across his arms. The katana became a blur in his hands. I wasn’t in any shape for such grand performances. But I did know one thing that might allow us to withstand the combined might arrayed against us. After siphoning more power from my stores, I visualized the application of my will then forced it to become a corporeal presence.

“Get close to me,” I advised Jas.

Jas glared but stopped hacking and slashing long enough for me to establish the barrier. Lightning coalesced around us, starting from ground up and extending above our heads. Then I pulled the ends together, creating a dome of protection that would likely hold long enough for the Were to take down the remaining hounds. Considering the beasts were focused solely on us, I hoped our Were friends would be okay. Already, there was an eclectic rallying party, which was already rending and tearing its way through the crowd. Pressure built up on my shield as hounds attempted to breach its crackling berth.

“There are too many of them!” Jas yelled. “You won’t be able to keep them out!”

“Ye of little faith.” I put my palm out, reinforcing my dome. “We can’t fight them all at once and protect your father. This is the only way it can be done.”

Jas threw his hands up in defeat. After several unsuccessful attempts through the venue of head smashing and clawed swipes, things got real. A fast-moving shadow detached itself from the group and threw its shoulder into the effort of bringing down my protections. The foundations of my barrier shook, and I couldn’t help but think that we were about to die a very bloody death. My power wasn’t totally depleted, but implementing such a wide variety of new tricks in a short period of time was taxing. A gargantuan body smashed up against my shield, and spats of lightning sparked and flew away from the retaining wall. The partition was losing some color with each battering by the shadowhounds, becoming less opaque with each collision. Hopefully the shield was hurting the hounds more than they were hurting it.

“They aren’t going to get here in time,” Jas said. His voice was surprisingly calm.

“With that outlook on life, you could really go places.” My hand shook as two more hounds slammed into the barrier.

“Just hear me out. They seem to have an aversion to light. And for some reason your lightning has been packing quite the punch in that division. Your barrier doesn’t seem to be doing a large amount of harm, just stunning and angering them. But what if you extended it rapidly?”

“Then…”

Without conscious thought or action, I attempted to implement the idea without harming any of the Were that were currently hacking their way through the crowd to retrieve us. Another hound collided with the partitioning, shattering off bits of it. After bringing up my left hand, I interlocked it with my right, creating a rough circle with both hands. I figured I might be able to do this with just a mental visualization, but it helped to have a physical representation of my occurrence. My hands exploded outwards, and so did my shield, created and formed out of lightning, the unique power granted to me.

Light and sound detonated outwards. Concerted howling informed me that I had done something right. The blue force field blasted away the hounds, popping them like fruit left to sit too long in the sun. There was no time for them, or whoever led them, to react to my unexpected attack. A concussion blast pummeled the Were out of the way of the explosion, which was a semi-accidental aftereffect. My breath came hot and heavy for a good half minute but returned to normal after some deep breathing. As there wasn’t anything life-threatening to occupy my mind, I permitted myself that small break.

“That. Was. So. Awesome!” Jas applauded, leaping up into the air in celebration.

“Watch it!” Jeeves abruptly vanished from view and reemerged in his usual form. “I’m not a toy to be swung around in victory like some bauble.” He attempted to dust off his suit, to no avail.

Jas mimicked my hand movements. “You were like this, and then—blam! Man, I’ve got some good stuff up here.” He tapped his forehead.

Jeeves’ was still under the effects of the liquor that I imbibed, and a chuckle escaped me. “Well, that worked rather splendidly.” I wobbled only slightly in fatigue, stretching to my full height.

“Did you even hear me?” Jas complained.

“Yeah, I heard you. I grinned. “Thanks for the help.”

“And you,” Jeeves accused me, his finger weaving slightly. “Handing me off like some hammy-down piece of equipment, I ought a—”

“I think it would be best that you get some rest, Jeeves.” My hand fell through his body in my attempt to reassure him.

The Were who had been trying so valiantly to get to us were finally gathering their wits enough to shift back into their human forms and get up off the ground. Five male, three female, all in varying stages of drunken and disorderliness. Many of them were only partially clothed, and I held doubts that it was because they lost them on the shift back. I hoped they would be more than happy to overlook the fact that I flipped them ass over teakettle, in the process of taking care of our enemies. Plus, I was in no condition to brawl with drunken shape-shifters. It could only be bad for my recently improved chances of sustained health to do any such thing.

“Jas, are you okay? How’s your dad?”

Jas looked down at his bloodied arms and shrugged. “I’ll be fine. At least until the adrenaline wears off.” Then he crouched down next to his father, checking for wounds. “He seems all right. I think he hit his head when he fell. Some broken ribs, most likely, but we mend fast. He just needs some rest.”

Jas seemed concerned, but leery to show it in present company. I don’t think that weakness was a welcome trait, in the circles that his father played in.

“Craig!” Jas shouted, cupping his hands toward a stumbling Were. “Take him to his rooms. And see if the Healer can attend him there, when he has the chance.”

When two questionably capable men had shouldered Noah’s prone form, I faced down the remainder of the pack. “There’s still more fun to be had, if you’re up for it.”

There was still battle taking place across the field, although there was little in the way of resistance against the Clan. Finally, there had been a change, and the Were had come out on top. The hounds that were healthy enough to retreat were in the process of completing it, although many of them weren’t capable of any such thing. I was surprised at the retreat. Before it seemed like they were fighting as if they were expendable. But obviously their master had misjudged, as they had seen that they were going to lose the battle and withdrew their forces. The remaining maimed and dying shadowhounds were fighting to the last beast, however, and seemed determined to take out as many of the Clan as possible.

“We should try and pick off the stragglers,” Jas said, voicing my thoughts exactly.

“Don’t try to take them alone,” I said for those who were actively listening. “Let’s go,” I replied to Jas, more quietly.

“Right then,” he exhaled. “We doing this the old-fashioned way?”

“What’s that?” I smiled winningly. “Going in with no plan and hoping for the best sounds like the best directive to me. You in?”

Jas shifted into a sleek hunting dog. Muscles bulged, tensed, and then we were off. “Have I ever congratulated you on your amazing battle plans?”

I took off behind the giant hound and found I had to sprint to keep up. “So far you have neglected to tell me, but I’m honored by your praise.”

A snort was readily audible from a very amused dog. “I’ll find them and flush ‘em out for you, but you’ll have to do the brunt of the work from there. These things are tough.”

“Sounds like a workable plan, though I feel like my last one had some interesting merits.”

We plunged through the beginnings of the forest, which was mainly brush. Shortly thereafter, we were confronted with trees, and our pace slowed dramatically as we maneuvered around them. I still had a death grip on my power, and so the pace was not overly straining. Or at least it wasn’t currently, but I figured my body was going to be extremely sore come morning. Jas leaped over a fallen tree, where I took the much safer route around it. The darkness around me wasn’t overwhelming, as it had been previously envisioned. Although there was a pervasive darkness, it was not overwhelming, and I discovered my night vision wasn’t a fluke after all. Not enough to go leaping over objects with wild abandon, per se, but enough to make me more comfortable with rushing through a densely forested area in the middle of the night.

The trees flew by me with dizzying speed, and we didn’t seem to be getting any closer to our retreating prey. Minutes passed, with only the sound of Jas’ light breathing to keep me company. When I was about to give up on the expedition entirely, Jas let loose an ear-shattering woof! Lightning appeared at my fingertips, spitting and crackling, bringing detail to our surroundings, as if someone had switched on the color switch from black-and-white. In a split second, I was prepared to launch my power at any hostiles within sight. There was movement on my left. I had thought Jas was going to instigate the preliminary flushing out of our enemy, but I seemed to be on my lonesome. Locking in on where I figured the hound would be, I brought my hands in line with it.

And halted when Jas shifted back into human form. “Stop!” he commanded, hands thrown up into the air.

“Dammit, Jas!” Two bursts of lightning spat skywards, and my mark was wide.

My senses went into overdrive, as I felt a disturbance in the air, a thickening of tension and a congealing of matter. The smell of fragrant foliage blasted toward me, and light filled my vision, where before there had been only darkness. A green aura and vibrant tendrils extended from a circular mass, which was forming on the forest floor.

“What the hell is that?” I prepared to do something drastic.

“I don’t know,” Jas admitted. “It doesn’t feel very threatening. You think we should blast it first, ask questions never?”

Jeeves flashed into existence, partially blocking view of this newly appeared something-or-other. “Don’t be getting hasty, boys,” he tittered. “This here’s what we’ve been waiting for!”

— Chapter 17 —

“I wasn’t aware we’d been waiting for anything,” I replied, instantly suspicious.

“Need to know only.” Jeeves swerved to the right, momentarily off-balance. “And only I needed to know, until you needed to know.”

“Is he not making any sense because he’s tipsy, or because it’s too late for this kind of talk?” Jas prodded his forehead, trying to kick-start his deep thinking.

“I think it’s a prerogative of a back-talking, no-good amulet, to be vague and incomprehensible,” I said.

Entranced, I watched as the spherical construct expanded and sharpened until more detail was visible. It seemed to me that someone or something had just made some sort of portal right in front of us, as if expecting our arrival. While my instincts told me I was in no danger currently, I knew that they weren’t divulging the whole truth. The gate, if that’s what it was, solidified, and a concussion of magic blasted outwards, sending up a very clear signal for any of those who could sense it. The light dimmed and a figure stepped through from the other side, clad in outlandish garments.

Her voice was melodious and otherworldly, equally beautiful and dangerous. “Caleb Holden and Jason Franklin. We meet at last.” Her intelligent eyes turned to regard Jeeves. “And, but of course, you.”

Anyone who could see Jeeves was someone I wouldn’t get within a mile of by choice, but it looked like I was out of options. Jas was at a loss for words, as he seemed uncomfortable in the presence of ethereal beauty. What I saw must have differed greatly from what his perceptions told him. There was a being from another world standing in front of me. She definitely wasn’t any human woman I’d seen. Despite all her beauty, however, she radiated danger, as if we were about to step in to a site full of combustible biohazards. Step wrong there, and you’d be living as a deformed quadruped before you knew it. Surely there weren’t any princesses handy, either, when you needed to undo the curse.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. “And you are?”

“I am but a humble servant of my mistress.” Her eyes flashed. “You will come with me. If you don’t, you will be destroyed. Have you any iron upon your person?”

“No, we don’t have any iron,” I replied, confused.

Jas finally snapped out of his stargazing. “Wait, what?” His eyes widened, and he turned to look at me. “I don’t feel the urge to be destroyed today,” he whispered behind one upraised hand.

Jeeves expressed his disdain with every bit of spectral body language at his command. “We will come with you, emissary, as scribed in the pacts. There’s no need to make a show. We both know you have not the power to detain us.”

“Jeeves—” I started.

“Enough. Do not speak. Your words here may mean your death. And step lightly, or you will find a worse fate.” At least Jeeves seemed sober enough.

Our guide turned and trekked toward our stage left, exit scene. “Let us go, then. The knowledge you seek awaits.”

Jeeves walked forward without hesitating, although a roll of his eyes expressed his sentiments quite clearly. Jas and I shared an apprehensive look; this was not what we had expected upon entering the forest. We had anticipated something trying to kill us, but not anything of this caliber. Whatever was waiting for us on the other side of the shimmering barrier, I sure didn’t want to meet it.

A feminine hand reached back through the portal, making a come-hither motion. “Come.”

“Damn it all,” Jas said.

“The hell with it,” I agreed, nodding irresolutely.

I stepped uneasily through the barrier between this world and somewhere else. My skin tingled at the transition. My internal organs stayed intact and didn’t explode in the slightest. There was still oxygen on this side too, so no problems there, either. Ironically enough, the general landscape didn’t change much. The similarities of forest and greenery ended at that point, however. Luminescent pavement lighted the way, but refused to reveal the eventual destination. Resisting the urge to kneel down and examine the oddity, I continued to be amazed. My feet urged me onwards.

We weren’t in Kansas anymore, that was for certain, and I fervently hoped there weren’t any evil witches plotting our demise. You never can tell, when you suddenly arrive in another dimension full of powerful women capable of practicing magic. Trees encased us upon the wandering trail, and although that wasn’t that surprising, the makeup of them was. Pink, purple, red, orange, blue, and yellow trunks stretched upwards, emitting the similar life and glow the pavement had displayed. The branches were a multicolored array, sporting all colors of the rainbow. Leaves sprouted in whirling, indiscernible patterns, and they sparked light as well, though their multi-faceted design spewed color, rather than any normal form of light. It felt as if I was walking through a world of stained glass, but there was definitely life in this land. I could feel the pulse of this new world, and its buoyant call whispered enticements.

Like our guide, I could only assume that it held many dangers for the casual, naïve visitor. There were no intentions of allowing myself to give in to the pitfalls that surely waited if I only wandered off the path. Jas hadn’t yet wandered out of sight, but he was nowhere near where he was supposed to be. My attention focused on his lean form, which was currently occupied in approaching one of the otherworldly trees. My stomach dropped, and for some reason, my gut told me that it just wouldn’t do for him to touch anything in this vibrant world.

“Jas!” I called out, to no avail. “JAS!” I snapped.

With a dazed jerk, Jas turned around to face me, as if he hadn’t consciously been paying attention to what he had been doing. That, in turn, gave me enough time to reach his side, where I seized his arm in a death grip. The fertile earth below us pulsed and my instincts screamed a shrill warning. Instantly I dropped to the ground, dragging Jas down with me. As soon as I was able, I rolled onto my back, to better see the tree. The problem didn’t lie with the fact that there was an otherworldly tree in my line of sight, but that a leafy appendage was straining to reach us. Its leaves gleamed threateningly like the blade of a dagger, only feet away from my delicate skin.

“We should get back on the path,” Jas urged.

Jeeves was busy fuming by the time we stood before him. Oddly enough, that was all he was doing. His expression was that of extreme irritation, as well as one of impotence. A light went on in my head, highlighting Jeeves’ forewarning about the trials ahead. He seemed to be incapable of doing so now. Gulping, I latched onto Jas, and he in turn gripped one of my shoulders. I doubted we would be so lucky, if we allowed ourselves to be entrapped twice. The emissary continued onward, although I perceived a flash of disappointment in her alien eyes. Apparently, she wasn’t a fan of our continued survival.

“I don’t think we should stray from the pretty alien lady.” Jas nodded sagely.

“And who was the one to walk off the path?” I mocked.

“I don’t like this place,” Jas admitted. “And where are we going? Do you think this path stretches on forever?”

“If that were true, we aren’t going to be getting out of here anytime soon. I’m going to go against the grain here and be optimistic. Look at Jeeves.”

Jeeves was currently lagging behind our unnamed guide, trying and failing to look back over his shoulder at us. Every time he attempted to do so, his head would jerk itself back to its forward position. If I hadn’t been freaked out of my mind, I might have found it funny. As it was, Jas and I picked up the pace, keeping up our conversation. Partly, the chatter was a calming mechanism, but it also filled our minds with sound, a defense against the unnatural silence that shrouded the landscape. The only problem was that the wind was a nonexistent occurrence, and therefore the trees were moving separate from any environmental influences.

“It’s like The Hills Have Eyes, otherworldly-tree-style,” Jas said.

I wanted to get into the fetal position and wait this debacle out, but that wouldn’t get me anywhere, seeing as I wasn’t dreaming, “I can’t help but wonder what they would do if they got ahold of us.”

Jas dug in the wound. “You have to wonder, if they would like, pick us up and drop us or maybe nom nom nom us to bits.”

I pretended to ponder on that for a few moments. “That is an interesting idea. Maybe next time, when you walk up to one, I’ll just leave you, so I can find out!” I slapped my forehead, as just happening across a mind-blowing epiphany.

“Let’s not get too hasty, here. There’s no need to do that. We can find out next time we come here.”

Broadening my line of sight, I realized that there was light at the end of the tunnel, who knew. Thankfully, that light didn’t seem to be multi-colored, and it seemed relatively devoid of trees that wanted to eat us. I wasn’t crossing my fingers, though, because I had a sinking feeling that we were jumping from the fire into the frying pan.

“I hope everything’s okay back home, and my dad’s in one piece,” Jas said.

“Same here. But as of now, I think we should focus on staying alive long enough to return.”

“We’ve been missing for who knows how long, and the Clan will be meeting tomorrow,” he continued stubbornly. “They might think we’re injured or dead.”

I sighed. “That’s if they’ve even noticed we’re gone. They’re probably occupied with their own problems at the moment.”

“Point taken. What do you think those buildings are made of? And what’s with everything in this place glowing? Seriously.”

We had progressed close to the end of the road. Hopefully, that was just a physical representation and didn’t possess a metaphorical significance. If this was the end of the road, my sentiments would be made known to our guide. Chances are I would be incredibly dissatisfied with her services, and she would definitely not be receiving a tip. I doubted the trees would be the end of us, though, because I was soon to be confronted with a mover and shaker in a completely different ball park. Through the arch that marked the end of the enticing, carnivorous forest, a portion of a building was visible. Or at least, in this world, it seemed to pass for a building.

In a vague sense, it did fit into the human idea of a castle, partially. My neck craned upwards as we exited the forest, soaking in the details. I revised my previous assertion as the battlements came into view. Although there was no wall to be seen, the structure before me was no mere castle. It was a stranglehold, and there was no doubt that many had died trying to broach its walls. This was most definitely a fortress, and from where I was standing, it looked near unassailable. Not that I had any experience in storming bastions, excepting childhood adventuring. It seemed we had happened upon the gardens, and that was to be where we would remain for the duration of our stay. The emissary went ahead of us, most likely to inform our host of our imminent arrival. I hoped so at least. I wasn’t too keen on spending the rest of my days in some outlandish garden.

Jeeves stayed behind, although he didn’t do much more than browse the foliage, utterly ignoring us. I wasn’t going to be the one to admit that I was even the tiniest bit interested in what lay inside the monolithic, impregnable structure before us. There were far more interesting things to be seen outside, where you can enjoy nature. The sky, for instance, was a deep, royal blue, unblemished and untarnished by pollution. Instead of enjoying the ambience of the vibrant, and yes, glowing plant life, I continued to study the exterior of the fortress.

I called out to a browsing Jeeves. “Jeeves!” No answer, no reaction whatsoever.

“Maybe she put a spell on him,” Jas said.

“Not likely. There’s an indescribable amount at stake here. I have suspicions that his inability to speak is related to how he wasn’t at liberty to tell me the things I wished him to disclose. That’s starting to get really annoying.”

Jeeves began to cough, as if he was trying to throw up a lung. “I hate,” he paused for another coughing fit, “that damned compulsion!” He inhaled deeply, as if experiencing the world fully for the first time.

Jas and I spun around to confront another being that held many similarities with the world in which it inhabited. It was beautiful, unique, and exotic, and quite feminine, but radiated danger like a landmine right before you get blown to a gazillion pieces and right after you step off. Its lithe body glowed with vitality and strength. It possessed canted eyes of deep purple and lipstick closely resembling that color. Its curves drew in Jas’ eyes, and spit them back out faster than he could scream “Mercy!” The clothes were human in nature, although I doubted they were truly physical. I had the feeling of being distracted from the true nature of the being in front of me, in order for it to get under my skin.

That did it for me. “I don’t think I’d had the pleasure of making your acquaintance, although your guide seemed to know us well enough.”

Jas was a lost cause. “I’m Jason, and I’m honored to have witnessed your unparalleled beauty.”

Jas couldn’t keep his attention on the task on hand for the life of him. I resisted the urge to slap him out of his stupor but couldn’t squander the time. My attention was focused solely on getting information out of the being in front of me, and then getting the hell out of here. If Jeeves had been under a compulsion until now, then it only made logical sense that it might be under one as well. That wouldn’t stop it from trying to get me killed along the way, but it would eventually enable me to make clear the obscure situation relatively unscathed.

A tinkling laughter filled the air, enchanting and enticing. “You mortals and your obsession with names. You throw them about as if they have no meaning, no power.”

Jeeves appeared semi-responsive. “Jeeves, what, and who, is this?” I figured it would be a useless gambit, to speak to Jeeves within my mind. She would have sensed it in a heartbeat and might have taken offense.

“Her origin is Fae,” Jeeves cleared his throat then massaged it delicately with one hand. “She is one of the Elder kind, masters of their race. Devious, manipulative, murderous, powerful beyond imagination, and radiant, despite this illusion she casts to distract you. She has been more than successful, thus far.”

“Jeeves, what a curious name.” She tasted the name, testing its flavor. “And yet, it has a ring to it. You have always been so generous, in providing compliments.” She smiled showing her teeth like a predator. “You may call me Aurelia, if it pleases you.”

“Aurelia then,” I said, slightly apprehensive.

Jeeves snorted at her choice, although I was at a loss as to why. “There are important matters to be taken care of, I believe. Let us be done with mind games, pitfalls, and unfeeling pleasantries. I won’t allow you to lead this one to his death. Do as you are required, and tell him what is required of you.”

“You know of my parents?” I inserted quickly, before Aurelia responded.

“I know much of your parents,” she said. “But am in no way obligated to divulge that information.” She sized Jas up. “If you give me the shape-shifter, I will tell you all there is to know about them.”

I spluttered, flabbergasted. “Did you just offer to trade me information for my friend’s life?”

Jeeves sighed knowingly. “You have much to learn, boy.”

“That knowledge holds much meaning for you. It is not unfair to call for equal compensation,” Aurelia explained patiently.

Jas mooned after the possibility. “I’m all for staying with her for eternity, Caleb. Feel free, but I think you’re getting the worse end of the deal, personally.”

“Snap out of it.” I smacked Jas roughly on the face.

“Ouch, Char-ley! That really hurt!” He grabbed at his reddening face, looked at me, and then looked at Aurelia. Then he looked at me again. “Why does this keep happening to me?”

“You’re too easily distracted,” Jeeves suggested, “even if it is by the finer things in life.”

It seemed some things were back to normal, at least. “There are more important things to discuss than my family, at this time,” I said.

What I really wanted to ask of her involved a plethora of questions, and some choice words about common courtesy. Who tries to barter their friend for information? If that was common practice in this place, I was out of my depth and then some.

“As you wish. The information pledged involves your past, although it has no connection to the family in which you previously inquired.” Her alien eyes focused on Jeeves, waiting, a cat prepared to pounce.

Jeeves’ input was much appreciated, although if he kept up his tone I had a feeling we weren’t going to make it out of this place intact. “You have stalled this coming long enough. It is past time for this farce to be through.”

Creases appeared at the corners of her eyes but disappeared as quickly as they came. “Very well. You, Caleb Holden, are a force of Nature, one of Seven. Chosen by virtue of natural selection and Nature’s unfortunate and extensive jurisdiction, you have been fashioned of her will. You are a weight upon the Great Scale, a representation of part of a singular side of the balance. Forged within darkness and a rallying point, the Fist will decide the outcome of a battle in a war that has raged millennia. You are a slave to your nature, and forced to serve that which spawned you. Death, Destruction, Chaos, Darkness, Light, Peace, and Healing; these are the components, the mechanisms of control through which Nature has deemed to show Her hand.”

“Everyone is a slave to their nature,” I said, nitpicking the only statement I could possibly hope to respond with.

“Belief is power. The more fervently you believe in that thing, the more power said being wields. Humanity’s religion is a prime example of this concept. Do you know how many mortals believe in the basic concept of nature?”

“A lot,” Jas said.

“As you would say, ‘a lot.’ In one form or another, each and every person on that clod of dirt you call home, believes in Nature.”

“So… every religion has power? And all of them are true, respectively?” Jas interrupted.

“That is correct. A portion of humanity worships every religion, and the factions within them. The more prayers, and devotees, the more clout that god or pantheon gains. Many times, however, there is a slackening in belief at some point in a religion’s history. Many pantheons have been forced to desert Earth and retreat to their respective dimensions that border your own. There they stay, for better or for worse.”

I couldn’t help myself. “Did you just say that there are multiple dimensions, and they all border our own reality? And when the level of worship drops to a certain level, gods take up residence in them?”

An amused laugh escaped Aurelia. “No, my dear, innocent child, not quite. There are infinite dimensions that border the realm of Earth. Gods hold sway over their own dimensions upon their birth, however and whenever that may have come about. Within these dimensions, you would find the heavens, and hells that you mortals so wish to travel to, when the spark of life within you has been extinguished.”

Jeeves butted in, to give us some perspective. “If you didn’t yet realize, you are no longer in the land you were raised in. This is the Realm of the Fae.”

“I’m utterly flabbergasted.” Jas smacked his forehead, pinched his nose with his hand.

“And rightly so. Talk of the divine and alternate dimensions is not for a mind so undeveloped. Would you care to hear more upon the subject, or will that be all?”

“That’s—” I began.

“That’s all regarding the subject of adjoining dimensions and their hosts.” Jeeves glared at Aurelia. “Now if you please, continue to explain what we have come here for. Do not attempt to fall short, or shirk your duty. Clear parameters were set, and they are to be followed.”

Aurelia’s voice gained a bitter quality. “Nature has an immeasurable store of power, and Her meddling can be seen whichever direction you gaze. There will be a reckoning, as well as a shift in the power upon Earth. It is never clear which way the coin will fall, but it is best you fear for your life, and all of those you care about. Darkness has enshrouded and entangled your world, and it has no inclination to let go its prize, not when it is so close to its goal. It is likely that there will be much demand for the Light to expunge that Darkness, to an extent where the Light can once again assert dominance over the Denizens of the Dark. The mortal races have short memories, and they have brought another apocalypse to their doorstep.”

“Another one?” I asked

“Foolish boy. You think that the Light triumphs over the darkness, because that is how Nature wills it? Your world has been brought to ashes by the Dark more than the Light has been able to save it.”

“I would think that would be taught in history class, at some point,” I said.

“Your histories tell only a portion surrounding the truth of the events, as is their wont. Your ancient books tell of destruction many times. Those countries and alliances that wrote them down taint them with their involvement. A dating system can only explain a fraction of a war or event, and there is hardly any credence in your books of prophecy. The only way to accurately record each facet of an event is to experience it, and the human race is far too short-lived to do any such thing.” A delicate hand plucked a flower from a nearby plant, stripping it of its bizarre petals one by one.

I thought I heard a faint screeching emitted from the plant, but wasn’t sure. “Am I supposed to be the one who fights at the front line of the coming battles? How is one supposed to survive that kind of abuse?”

“It is not in my prerogative to provide you with an action plan. You must find your own way to succeed, or your failure will likely bring death to your world once more. I would recommend fighting at the front of a war party, rather than in a solitary manner.”

“Damn, dude, that blows. At least you have your one-man war party, right here.” Jas waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

My voice pitched upward. “The Seven mechanisms of control. Which one am I?”

“You are the Fist of Light, as you no doubt have already determined. I believe you are already acquainted with Peace and Healing.”

“If Razor is supposed to spread Peace, we’re doomed,” Jas supplied.

“Peace can be achieved through might and force of arms much more readily than a placid word,” Jeeves filled in. “I would much rather have another sword at my side, rather than a pacifist.”

“He’s got a point there.” Jas nodded in agreement.

“Have you spoken with the Fist of Darkness?” I queried, eyes narrowed distrustfully.

“If I had, then I would not be so inclined to tell you. Unless,” she appraised me, “you have something to trade for that information.”

“Has the Fist of Darkness admitted an extra-dimensional being into my world? Surely, you can answer that.” I crossed my arms stubbornly, waiting for an adequate response.

Aurelia’s eyes were inscrutable. “The one you will know as Kasper, or the Fist of Darkness, has long since brought a creature of the deepest, most despicable Darkness into this world. But it is no more, for he has consumed its power. I am required to tell you nothing more, unless you have something that is of value to me.” She smiled enticingly.

“I have nothing to give in trade.”

“Ahh, but that is where you are wrong, my dear boy. Your power is intriguing. Let me siphon off a portion of it, and I will tell you what you wish to know. What do you say?” Aurelia tapped a finger to her lips, daring me.

Jeeves began to speak, but I interrupted him. It wouldn’t do to have him stand up for me; I would be viewed as easy prey. “I’ve no desire to give you any of my power. Where I’m going, I’ll need it. Is there anything more you’ve agreed to tell me and have left out?”

“Oh, very well then, it is your loss. That is all. Do with it what you will. Now, I have a Realm to run. Feel free to escort yourself back the way you arrived. You will be transported back to your domain without being maltreated by my hand.”

It would be appropriate to say I wasn’t that well versed in politics. “That would be greatly appreciated,” I replied cordially.

Aurelia’s face darkened ominously and all three of us backed up a step, raising our hands nonthreateningly. The glamour she was sporting flickered for a moment, allowing me to glimpse her true for the space of a millisecond. Although I couldn’t come to grips with the image in time to process it, I still got something out of the exchange. Her power blew me over backwards, and it suddenly felt like I was standing amid the eye of a hurricane, being pulled and torn asunder from every direction.

“You know, I think it’s about time we were leaving.” I gulped.

“People are probably wondering where we are, and all that,” Jas added. “I think it’d be best to be getting back before they become overly worried.

Mocking laughter filled the air. “It is likely we will meet again, and next time I won’t be under any constraint to keep you breathing. Remember that, in the future. I wish you luck in your pursuits.” Aurelia disappeared in a billowing cloud of smoke and melodious laughter.

“That is one freaky woman,” Jas concluded.

“That,” Jeeves replied, “is the ruler of this gleaming paradise, and she is the most terrifying woman you will ever meet. Step lightly and hope that you don’t have the misfortune to meet her again.”

“If I see her coming, I’ll be skedaddling pronto,” Jas admitted. “No offense, Caleb.”

Jeeves snorted. “You realize this is not the time to dally, as we aren’t out of the woods yet. She specified only that you would leave unmolested by her own hand. There was no guarantee that repercussions wouldn’t befall upon you from another source. These immortals take offense easily, and Fae aren’t known for their straightforwardness. I believe your natural personalities were quite abrasive, from her perspective.”

I looked around casually, but in reality my level of paranoid had been bumped to Code Red. “This information would have been exponentially more helpful a couple of minutes ago,” I snapped.

“It just occurred to me.” Jeeves grinned apologetically. “Do not sprint until you have entered the tree line.”

I tapped into my power in case there was trouble brewing. I mimicked Jas and began trekking casually to the arch that signified the entrance to the pathway and our getaway. Looking over my shoulder, I took some mental photos of the fortress behind me, doubting that I would be seeing anything close to its grandeur outside of this demesne. One had to hand it to the Fae; they really were master builders. Granted, they probably had millennia to perfect their craft, so they had an unfair advantage over the rest of us poor mortals. Bringing my mind to bear on the task at hand, I surveyed the multicolored trees before us. They didn’t seem to be active in their quest to eat us at the moment, and that was probably all that could be asked for.

I ducked my head reflexively as we entered the carnivorous forest, despite the fact that it would do next to nothing if one of the buggers tried to take a bite out of my hide. After berating myself for being a fool, I removed the protective barrier that my arms represented and focused on running full pelt for the portal. There was no doubt in my mind that Aurelia wasn’t going to play nice. I should have seen it earlier without Jeeves’ intercession, but the flood of knowledge that had been threatening to overwhelm me had distracted me. There were things I would have to sit down and think deeply, but for now thought it best to keep my eyes on the road. Jas hadn’t shifted into anything as I had expected he would, but was sprinting admirably nonetheless.

I could still catch Jas, with a little assistance from Air. After kicking it into gear, the gap between the two of us slowly narrowed. The land around me began to blur, the landscape around me becoming no more than a rainbow-hued haze. Jas was still visible ahead, though I was almost upon him. I hardly expected him to be able to keep pace with me, once the remaining ten feet to his person were cleared.

“Shake and bake!” I projected, hoping he would pick up on the reference.

“Copy that. On it! Anything to get out of this place before we get eaten.” Jas’ form split up and reformed into a red-tailed hawk.

With a flap of his wings and a swish of tail feathers, Jas swooped above and then behind me, catching the wind stream admirably. A ball of apprehension formed in the pit of my stomach as the two of us moved onwards, and my senses were going haywire. It probably had to do with the fact that we were in a flesh-eating forest, situated in a parallel universe. My feet smacked the glowing pavement with rhythmic speed, my long strides putting me an ever-increasing distance from the fortress. Sweat beaded on my forehead as the trees began to sway dangerously inwards. They didn’t seem to want to give me a hug for remembrance, so I figured that that evasive action was necessary.

“It would behoove you to proceed to the dimensional gateway before the trees consume your soul!” Jeeves’ laughter emanated from his cubbyhole.

“I’d like to keep my soul where it is, thank you,” I relayed to him.

“Although there will most certainly be repercussions for any action taken against Aurelia’s prized forest, it might be unavoidable, in this instance. They are hypersensitive to iron, like all things Fae. In point of fact, you have no iron, but like most all trees, they don’t cope well in the presence of fire.”

The sound of cracking and colliding branches filled my ears, stoppering them up with their thunderous sound. A red branch swung toward me at chest level, and I avoided it with only minor difficulty. That’s when things began to get hairy, and I could only cross my fingers and hope that Jas was doing as well as I was. A near-impenetrable barrier of trees began to form on the trail, and I figured it was about time to bring out the big guns. If the Fae weren’t going to fight fair, then neither was I, and damned the consequences that might befall me in our next meeting. If it became impossible to keep myself moving forward at a consistent pace, I would also risk Jas shooting past me. A rocket-propelled hawk maneuvered right into the gleaming appendages of the trees ahead.

Although it wasn’t a piece of cake to chew gum, run, direct Air, and summon up some Fire to barbecue the trees around me, I was something special. My fire, although it was highly unfocused and largely amateur in style, nonetheless spewed forth with deadly intensity. Instead of burning the entirety of the forest to the ground, my attention was focused on the trees that were barring the path. I was getting dangerously close to hitting some branches while continuing to weave through and around those that were in my way. More power was directed toward superheating my Fire, and that did the trick. Shrill screams and billowing smoke were the first reaction to be savored as the flames made contact with the carnivorous trees.

An extensive expanse of foliage withdrew from the path, just as the flames were beginning to touch the multi-colored array of branches. Scared trees. That’s a strange sight in an already strange place. I brought up my hands and directed the smoke that had been created as an unavoidable byproduct to flow around me, rather than allow it to hinder my progress by blinding me. Just in case the trees decided to get smart with me, I kept a steady flame burning maliciously before me. The high-pitched, whining screams that sounded much like nails upon a chalkboard turned even more gruesome in a split second. Hisses emanated from multiple directions, although no further action was taken against us. Apparently, there were limits to what a tree would do in the line of duty for the Fae. Chuckling between gasps and heaves, I tried to get some bearing as to where the portal was situated.

A collision forced me airborne for a few seconds, and on the way I was hopelessly thrown for a loop by the branches of a low-lying shrub. Fully expecting the worst, I peeked ahead of me, to get a clear view of what I was likely to collide with. That something was one of the largest black bears I had ever had the misfortune of encountering, and I slammed into its cushioned form with a highly audible thwack.

— Chapter 18 —

I sat up slowly, careful of any injuries that had been sustained, and took a good look around me. Jas was the first thing that coincided with my line of sight, and he was busying himself with running toward the site of my little accident. If you think I should have been worrying myself with silly things like man-eating bears that don’t like being hit with a human torpedo, think again.

A Southern accent broke through the quiet solitude I had been enjoying. “There’s been a search party out for you two for the past night and throughout this day. Are you two out of your ever-lovin’ minds?!”

“We’ve been MIA for almost a day?” I asked incredulously. “I could have sworn we’d only been gone for a couple of hours!”

“That’s right. And I think it’d be for the best if we took ya to the Meetin’. They have need of your presence there,” he informed me.

Jas labored into view, slightly out of breath from the recent happenings. “You okay, Caleb?” He winked. “And your name is?” Jas asked.

“Clyde’s the name,” he responded cordially. “And this here’s my crew,” he motioned with his beefy arm, pointing out a dozen snuffling and snorting bears.

All of them were massive, their immense forms obviously muscular, although there was a layer of fat evident, which no doubt protected them from being ravaged by the elements. Black, bristling fur was the most prevalent to be seen, although there were some other colors mixed in as well. Hairy appendages extended an impressive number of feet and vicious teeth were sported all around. The attending party made some more questioning snuffles and growls, but Clyde quickly silenced them.

“These here are the one’s we’ve been looking for, boys. Let the others know we found ‘em, so we can all get some grub once we’re through.”

It was disconcerting to be escorted by a pack of lumbering bears, and it went against all my instincts to stand there passively. I had to remind myself that I was in the presence of allies before my paranoid nature was placated. There was much to keep my mind busy with before we arrived at the Meet, but there were more pressing matters that demanded my attention to be considered first. A thorough check of my body and its condition was performed, and everything came out clean, for the most part. There weren’t any broken bones to be seen, and nothing felt out of place.

The landscape around us was comforting since it didn’t harbor any carnivorous trees. Sunlight bathed through holes in the overhead canopy, lending the forest a tranquil feel. You would never have known that beings of the supernatural community had fought and bled within its bounds just the previous night. The feeling was slightly offset by claw marks, black, sooty things that remained as evidence of the darkhounds arrival, or departure. Fresh pine lay on the ground before me, and various composted materials crunched under my shoes with each step. Clumps of grass grew at the base of some of the trees, and wildlife could be seen lurking around the peripherals, keeping a wary eye on the predators infringing upon their domain. Some birds even went so far as to screech shrill calls of warning before taking flight for a less hazardous nesting area.

“We ain’t bad company, once we have a few beers in us.” Clyde patted his prodigious stomach. “So.” He scratched his crew-cut hair thoughtfully while passing some gas. “I hear you’re a big shot, kid.” He shot me a level look. “You did in a lot of those devils when they came after us. That lightnin’ sure shot ‘em to hell. There are many among us who owe you a blood debt.”

“He’s the local heavyweight for all things subservient to Darkness. Those buggers sure hate anything having to do with the Light.” Jas glanced sideways at me, pointing it out to me as much as Clyde.

We stepped out from behind a cluster of trees.

“Just doing what needed to be done, what anyone would have done.” I shrugged noncommittally.

Clyde squinted at me. “People see what needs to be done from differen’ angles.” He spat a globule of chew onto the hard-packed earth. “When your definition of necessary means ya’ll will put others in front of yourself, you ain’t no average person, morally-like. As I said, many of the Clan are indebted to ya for yer efforts. ‘Member that, when ya get in there; it’s gotten hairy since you left.”

“What kind of hairy?” Jas asked, practically wringing his hands.

“More ‘n half of the Chiefs want to get rid of this one,” Clyde began. “They think he’s to blame for them hounds’ appearance. The others think we woulda been overrun without ‘em, and they have all pledged a blood oath. Hasn’t been this much of an uproar since Xander went rogue. That one was a bad egg, he was.” He nodded to himself. “You were in luck that we were the ones to find ya. Some of the others’ who were lookin’ might have killed you boys on the spot.”

“That bad, huh?” I tried to sound like I understood half of the references the big guy threw out.

“Are they holding a collective Meet, or is it higher-ups only?” Jas asked. It sounded like he was amassing ammo for a shootout.

“They got a good number of representatives from each clan, and the Chiefs of each one, ‘course. Been jumping off the walls, with those two Empowered stirrin’ up trouble everywhere they go. Mainly it’s the boy, because the girl keeps to his shadow, mostly.” He paused, looking at me. “Meaning no offense, of course.”

“None taken.” I chuckled.

“We’re in for a treat, that’s for sure,” Jas replied darkly to Clyde’s previous statement.

Our collective party stepped out from behind a cluster of trees and discovered ourselves in a clearing not far from the mansion. The clear blue sky with rolling, white clouds put me at ease.

Jeeves flashed in beside us. “I see you made it out with minimal damage to your person. How’s the other one faring?” he appraised Jas himself, rather than waiting for an answer. “You burn a few tail feathers back there, eh boy?” he joked.

“The only thing I saw that was burning was your face, when Caleb set flame to those trees,” Jas teased.

“The burning of those trees was no light matter; they are sacred to the Fae. You should consider yourself lucky, to have my vast knowledge and wisdom at your disposal.”

“Yeah, thanks for telling us what a good idea it was to set their sacred trees on fire.” I shot Jeeves a dark look.

“Who in the blue blazes are you two young’uns talking to?” Clyde threw his beefy arms up questioningly.

“His imaginary friend.” Jas nodded at me, wagging his eyebrows conspiratorially.

“Now isn’t that the truth,” I laughed.

Clyde seemed to be more than confused with the introduction of this information, but he let the question die quietly. Most likely, he either put the two of us down as crazies, or as pulling his leg. He didn’t appear to be someone who was likely to read copious amounts of scripture, or have any prophetic notions. No, I think Clyde was a simple man, although a very likeable one, at that. Our little party continued through the grounds unmolested despite Clyde’s no doubt credible warnings. There were plenty of bloodstains on the ground, and my stomach clenched involuntarily at the sight of them. Withholding the urge to regurgitate the stomach acid within my body, I forced my mind away from the scene. There weren’t any injured visible, and no dead bodies had been left to bloat in the roasting sun.

When I scanned the edges of the property, however, an astounding quantity of burial mounds were apparent where the earth had been disturbed then put back with more of a burden than it had begun with. Some brave souls were actually holding quiet conversations and playing games of cards on the very benches where a portion of the battle had been fought. My mind kept bringing me back to the night’s bloodshed, and it seemed that the altercations had sullied my memories of the mansion.

There were plenty of things that had been heaped on my plate, and all were of equal importance. All of the collective problems of the supernatural and vanilla mortal society had been thrust upon me and I had to juggle all of them at once. If I turned my full attention to a singular development, it would be likely that I would shatter my chances of resolving another. I was lucky that all my problems seemed to be localized in one specific area: San Francisco. The city came up time and time again, and I had no doubt that it would be my “Final Destination.”

Even though I could be going alone, I had to make a stand. A gut feeling told me that if I did nothing I wouldn’t be pleased by the outcome. Or perhaps, in actuality, it was because a manipulative fairy queen had told me so. I’d rather prefer the first one to the latter, but unfortunately, beggars can’t be choosers.

It seems that, in the end, whatever direction I chose lay a path set by some individual or being that wished to govern my destiny. I had a deep-seated problem with any person or not-person deciding the specifics of my life. I liked to live by my own terms, on my own time, and make my own decisions. Contrary to what I desired for my future, I had been forged as a weapon with a specific purpose. Others had tried to bend that purpose, mold it under their prodigious wills. And yet, I had never been one to yield to any overt forces playing stakes I wasn’t privy to. The problem with my give or take, black and white attitude was that it allowed for little gray in between. There comes a time when a choice has to be made, a vital undertaking enacted, the dice rolled.

Was I truly being used, if the actions I chose were by my own hand?

“For the sake of moving this along, I’m going to say no, you are not being used. Doing what you believe is right, while it coincides with some other being’s agenda, merely demonstrates that you share an analogous desire for a certain outcome,” Jeeves said from his position beside me.

If I had been sitting, my spasms of surprise would have been an amusing sight. As it was, I’m sure they were embarrassing enough. “I thought my internal dialogue was just that, internal.” I glared at the grinning form of Jeeves.

“One would think that, although when an internal dialogue becomes a very vocal, external inner dialogue, it becomes quite obvious what you are thinking, internally.” Jas chuckled at his own wit.

“You two think you’re quite the pair, don’t you? Make your jokes. I’m merely trying to decide the course my life will take, that’s all.”

Jeeves pulled himself together, somewhat. “And I commend you on such deep, intricate thought.” A smile shone through his hard exterior. “But sometimes, it’s hardly beneficial to stand idle and let the course of a war pass you by and lose your chance at turning the tide. The time for action is now, and there is no interval to be mulling over a decision for a day, or even an hour. For instance, in this case, I believe we have arrived at our destination, and it’s high time we enter. The decision placed before you is this: you may either take action, or decide that inaction is the best course. It is not anyone else’s choice to make, although many have and will continue to attempt to take that away from you. Follow your heart, and you will discover the true path of righteousness.”

I wanted to spit, with how cut-and-dry that statement sounded. Just follow your heart, and all your dreams will be realized. As it was, I pulled myself together and brought myself back to reality. Lost in introspective thought, I hadn’t even noticed the passing of scenery as we traveled to the Hall where the Meeting was taking place. Having never been in the Hall since my untimely arrival, I didn’t know what to expect once inside. The exterior of the building was a teeming mass of Were who were all waiting with varying stages of anticipation and tolerance. My sense of the Clan was turned on its head with the realization that these members were acting out against their superiors by being present.

In all avenues, the Were prided themselves on following the orders of their superiors, whether that be on a magic carpet ride or into the pit of death. Some found that belief, that honor, to be foreign to them, and even went as far as saying that it was stupidity at its finest. An uproar followed us as we continued down an aisle, made by the passing of our escort. I couldn’t quite tell whether the sound was negative or positive, but had the feeling I would be finding that out in a short while. The massive double doors that were so prevalent here opened a hair to admit our small party.

“Well then,” Clyde commented awkwardly. “I suppose this is goodbye, for now. Good luck to you in there.”

I proffered my arm, and he latched on to it with his prodigious strength and bulk. “Thanks,” I said simply.

Being surrounded on all sides by those with an undefined agenda will always get your heart beating faster. That, coupled with your stomach rumbling uncomfortably and your mouth dry and parched, makes things infinitely more complicated. Jas and I had entered the Hall with little difficulty, but that’s where the simplicity of the situation ended. There were three representatives from each section of the clan, which meant that I was surrounded by thirty hot and ready predators. Of course, both of us became the subject of attention when we entered, and I retained an inkling of an idea what they had been disputing, prior to our arrival. To chop or to not chop off the head of the resident Empowered. Briefly, I worried about the safety of Razor and Hailey, though I realized they would have no problem fending for themselves. It was myself I needed to worry about, so that I could get out of here, posthaste.

The room was set up in a U shape, meaning I had just entered a supernatural courtroom. This was where the tough decisions were made and I could feel on the air that there was another one on the horizon. Challenging eyes immobilized me. In a bid to force them to reevaluate their opinions, I returned those stares vehemently and with all the strength and intensity that could be mustered. My eyes started to sting from the strain after a short while, because I hadn’t blinked for a minute. Then hearty laughter broke out from the left-hand side of the upraised dais and my attention was directed to that locale. A man of middling age sat, muscles rippling, knuckles scarred, with an impressive mane superimposing itself over his face. A genuine grin adorned his features.

“Reminds me of the good old days, when I was a whole lot less experienced and more willing to take risks. So this is your boy’s bonded, eh, Franklin?” He appraised me candidly. I hardly knew whether to take that as a compliment, or an insult, but the direct approach was a rather enjoyable experience.

Noah occupied the opening. “Caleb Holden is a very determined young man. I believe we owe prolific thanks regarding his actions on our behalf. He is not Clan by birth, and so he held no previous obligation to our cause. And yet, despite this, he bled for it.”

“His initiation into our community was presented on the basis that he would likely form another avenue of protection for this Clan. Have you retracted that statement?” That came from an old Eagle, with sharp eyes and wit.

“I believe you misinterpreted the meaning of that statement. The bonded of this Clan are not bound as we are bound. Their decisions are their own, and you know this, Hayden.”

“And yet, they still become embroiled in many of our confrontations, by the virtue of their connection to our cause,” the voice of reason surfaced in a wiry woman in her early thirties who I assumed to be the Cheetah’s representative.

“Do they know I’m standing right in front of them?” I raised my voice angrily.

A Boar whose youth seemed to have recently deserted him, responded, “We are aware of your location, thank you.”

“I think it’s important to decide whether or not the blame will ultimately fall on the boy for the origination and purpose of the attack,” a Hawk brought up. “He is, as Noah wished, able to speak for himself at this time. Are we not agreeable?”

The representatives all motioned that they were agreeable. “Right, then. Shall we hold a discussion or go directly to the vote? We have had much time to mull over the happenings of the night, and I doubt many will be swayed by extravagant language. What say you?” The Hawk steepled his hands in front of him, calculating.

“Are we not missing a vital piece of the puzzle, here?” Noah slapped the wood table. “The boy has yet to speak his peace.”

“What is there to know that has not already been brought up in this court?” A Tiger snorted.

All eyes settled on me, waiting. I cleared my throat, turning down water that was offered by an attendant. “Well, there are a few details that have been omitted thus far,” I began.

From start to finish, I relayed the unexpected adventure into the Realm of the Fae that Jas and I had been unwittingly dragged into. I had to stop in some places because of my uncooperative vocal cords, as well as the disbelieving comments that invariably arose. By the time I had relayed the entire misadventure to those before me, I could hardly hear, for the commotion that was being made by the Clan leaders arrayed before me. It was quite undignified, if you ask me, but it seemed the Were had a different way of going about operating their debates. Most likely, it involved plenty of infighting and abuse from those of differing views. Wincing, I realized that my words had just brought a war to their attention. These members were from all avenues of life and their homes ranged all across the globe.

The arguing died down as the scene depicted on one of many sleek televisions unfolded. Clouds, pitch black and menacing, sat low in the streets, and people could be seen running and screaming in each direction the camera panned. Cars stopped in the street were in various states of disrepair; some were even on fire. Stores had been extensively pilfered in the chaos, so there was hardly anything sufficient enough inside many of the buildings for them to be deemed a shop anymore. I blanched at a man being taken down by a woman with a tire iron. The news then cut to a static-filled image of Union Square, where a reporter held a microphone as he surveyed the scene apprehensively.

“It hasn’t been ascertained at this time whether this is the beginnings of another riot or a protest, Cheryl, but it’s possible this group is some form of an animal rights movement, because they seem to have brought their dogs along. Besides that, they have only begun to assemble, although their numbers have visibly begun to swell in the past few hours. With the riots still raging here in San Francisco, I think we’re in for a rough couple of days. It’s important for people to stay indoors, and call 9-1-1 the first sign of any trouble. These thunderstorms are causing a lot of mischief, but I fervently hope that they’ll be blowing over soon. If not, there’s potential for chaos on a mass scale.”

The camera panned to who I expected to be Cheryl in the newsroom. She shuffled around some papers on her desk before opening her mouth to speak. “There you have it—”

The enormous flat screen TV went black and the entire counsel was deathly silent. My mind, however, was not. I rolled through the new information that had been gleaned from the newscast and my conclusions were dark indeed. It seemed events had progressed faster than my most pessimistic thoughts. Riots had been raging throughout the city and it appeared that it was the start of a much bigger problem. I had assumed that many of my problems had been localized in one general place. Of course, my assumption was wrong, as the important ones usually are. All my enemies had banded together and decided to take a whack at consuming the world. They had coordinated, caused widespread panic, and had started amassing to knock over the first colossal domino that would get the whole shebang rolling.

See, there had been some people in the crowd that I had recognized. They stood out from the others, as they were the ones that the collection of supernatural beings was formed around. Martin Drake was in the epicenter wearing a black trench coat and sporting a wicked looking double-edged blade. Emily stood there as well, with three others that all appeared to be teenagers. On top of the entirety of The Chosen showing up for an extravaganza of blood and gore, there were also the shadowhounds, which had been lurking around the dark corners of the block. Horrified, I realized that it would be a simple matter to pick off those looters who caused any trouble, the police that no doubt were stretched thin, and the people secreted away in their homes.

The Big Question persisted, and that pertained to their purpose: why in the world would San Francisco be the initial target? How had they all come together? Weren’t there other, more politically and demographically powerful places that would better further their plans? The answer eluded me, though it hardly mattered concerning my decision to act. Whether or not they had a specific target, I thought it best to get there and stop them from completing said quest. I refrained from feeling overwhelmed over their combined efforts. Some villains couldn’t follow the implicit rule that they were supposed to work alone when conquering the world.

“Caleb,” Jas whispered.

“Yes?” I bit off his head then listened.

“We all find, then, that we are not averse to losing the city of San Francisco to these upstarts? That there is no threat to our safety, and no incentive for our involvement at this time?” Hayden queried.

A chorus of conflicting responses filled the room with noise, each echoing off the walls. “Now’s your last chance, kid,” Jeeves flashed in beside me. “Otherwise, you’ll be on your lonesome.”

A working of Earth filtered through to my senses and I felt the ground around me shake violently. The double doors slammed inwards, a direction in which they were not accustomed to moving. An external force had applied excessive pressure to them, enough so that they could no longer remain standing. In a picturesque, comedic display, the two doors crashed to the ground, sending the entire room reeling from the concussive impact. Many of the occupants had actually shifted into their animal forms, preparing for the worst. It seemed Jas, Jeeves, and I were the only ones who weren’t alarmed. A cloud of dust and debris rose up from the ground, and I expected tampering on their part for a dramatic entrance. Why I hadn’t ever thought of such a thing eluded me; it could be very useful when utilized properly, and so the musing was filed away for future reference.

Two figures made their way through the dust, their forms made unrecognizable by that which they strode through. One set of heavy footsteps continued to make sharp impacts with the ground, and the urge to cover my ears was suppressed. Hailey and Razor entered my field of vision, and a malicious grin plastered itself onto my face at the sight of them. It seemed I wasn’t going to be alone in this endeavor after all.

“I hear there was a party, and we weren’t even invited!” Razor smiled viciously, enough to make any of the predators arrayed before us wet their diapers.

Although I wasn’t that well acquainted with the other two Empowered, I had the feeling that they would be an invaluable asset. Peace and Healing— those sounded like two things that worked within the confines of the Light. Razor brought his Earth-crafted arm up before his face and grinned stupidly at it. Obviously, it had been his method of entrance into this fine abode. His affinity must have been for Earth.

“Get these miscreants out of here!” Hayden barked in the general direction of those who would likely be clustered outside the Hall.

I went to stand next to them, followed by Jas and Jeeves. “No, you won’t have any trouble with them,” my voice drowned out those who were shouting to be heard. “We were just leaving, anyways.”

By this time, we had been joined by dozens of those who had been waiting outside for news of a decision.

“Before I go, I would impart to everyone some vital knowledge. Heed it at your own discretion. The roiling Darkness will not be content with engulfing San Francisco, I am certain of this. It will subsume all those who think to usurp its intended rule, and disseminate chaos to every corner of the world and beyond. If I am the Fist of Light, then I am certain that the Fist of Darkness will have a similar, if opposing drive to my own. The problem is, I believe he has much more brainpower and is prone to bouts of insanity. This can only be the first in a series of maneuvers to bring the world to its knees before him. If you think you are sheltered by inaction, your decision will be proved erroneous when he comes for you. By then, I will be dead, and I doubt you will have much of a chance without me and the others,” I motioned at Hailey and Razor, “to counter the remaining Chosen, as well as four more gifted Empowered, with abilities similar to our own, and yet they maintain a very different perspective, which aren’t influenced in the slightest by a conscience.”

“We will not allow you to walk out of here!” Hayden bellowed.

“I believe you will. Do you not owe me some form of debt, for saving the lives of your people?”

“You cannot leave!” Hayden spluttered.

“Watch me.” I winked as lightning played around my fingertips.

As the Hall erupted into chaos behind me, I took the opportunity to survey the room for the first, and likely the last, time. Noah was giving me a thumbs-up from his position amid the chaos, and a few grins were held across the podiums. I wasn’t sure whether it was a majority, but at least I had some of the Were on my side. I had no doubt that they were one enemy that I did not want to acquire; I had enough as it was.

— Chapter 19 —

We passed what I thought to be the entirety of the Were clan, although they had divided into two groups of thought. One obviously harbored resentment for my actions and presence, and they seemed ready to tear my throat out. The other side appeared ambivalent, non-opposed to my cause, or ready to remove the bodily fluids from their former comrades. I realized that I had just put the Were Clan at each other’s throats, and likely done the Fist of Darkness’ job for him. My gut told me that the attack lay with Kasper, and its wisdom was heeded, in this instance.

“So, where are we going?” Razor asked. He was still grinning from ear to ear.

I nodded to myself. “SF. Kasper the not so friendly ghost has amassed the Chosen and shadowhounds to his banner. They looked as though they were still assembling, which means they could be on the move by now. I think his plan is simple. He’s already put the people in a position where they fear for their lives. I believe he’s going to continue to do that, through force of arms. Heck, if I didn’t know what I do now, I’d be scared shitless, to be shocked out of my ignorance and then have certain death arranged for me.”

“How do you know its Kasper?” Hailey probed tentatively.

“Because I saw four teenagers standing in the center of the crowd, with Martin Drake at their side. He’s the leader of The Chosen, if you haven’t had the pleasure.”

Razor shook his head in disbelief, and anger. “We have been introduced. He’s the one who took my arm, when Hailey and I made a run for it.” He paused to rub at the Earth-fashioned replica.

“That’s quite an impressive feat.” Jeeves admired the handiwork.

Razor actually appeared to blush, but I must have been imagining it. “Thanks.”

“So how do you suppose we get there?” Jas asked, making his presence and decision known.

I gazed at him soberly but didn’t insult him by asking if he was sure. “That one’s easy. We can get there in four hours if we push it, and I know exactly how we’re going to do it.”

We stood in the mansion’s garage, surrounded by the cars that people sold their souls to get. Or at least, they took out enough loans that it evened out to the same unit of measure.

“Dibs on the Ferrari!” Razor called out.

“My dad is so going to kill us,” Jas repeated for the thousandth time.

“Come on, he’ll come around eventually. Plus, they say it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission. What kind of teenager are you, anyways? You need to rebel more from the institution that is your father. Live a little.” I punched him on the shoulder.

“You aren’t the one he’s going to kill when he finds out we took his babies,” Jas muttered darkly.

“Hey, at least the blow is slightly lessened for the fact that he actually gifted one to me already. How about this?” I prepared to outline the bet, taking out my lucky quarter. “Whoever wins the coin toss gets to decide our mode of transportation. If you really want, we can all pile in the Mustang, although its backseat has never been known for its legroom.”

“I don’t know, Caleb. That doesn’t seem very fair. I’ll cream you for sure!”

“Sure you will.” I smiled. “So you’re in, then?”

He snatched the quarter from my grasp. “I’m in. But I get to flip it. It’s my ass, after all. As usual, no cheating.” Jas glared at me.

“How could you ever accuse me of such a thing?” I held a hand to my heart, as if pained.

Jas blew on the quarter, taking every bit of luck he could get. “Call it.”

He flipped the coin off his thumb, spinning it end over end. It ended up making me lightheaded, but each and every rotation was followed as I waited for it to reach the zenith of its flight.

“Tails,” I proclaimed.

A door slammed open, and our heads turned in unison to assess whether there was a threat. All of us were obviously non-trusting, jumpy archetypes. In my case I had adequate reason, since half of the people here weren’t too happy with me, and it always helped to expect the worst, since that had a habit of rearing its head in my presence. Someone wanted to spite me, however, because no alarm bells went off in my head and no one charged through the door looking to maim or kill. No one even tried to capture me, and it appeared a leaden weight had manifested to drag me lower on the list of Most Wanted in the supernatural community. The coin fell to the floor, accompanied by a sharp clanging, before it bounced and rolled underneath the Mustang. The pack of misfits had actually shown up to our little extravaganza; this promised to be interesting.

“I got it,” Jas resigned himself to the task.

“You guys come to say goodbye?” I asked.

It seemed all seven of them had decided to throw in, though I didn’t know for sure what their intentions were. If they had decided to put their lives on the line, I might feel the urge to hug them, so hopefully they stayed far away. As a rule, I didn’t like people touching me, and it got awkward fast when you had a poking party. All of them were wearing sensible clothing, and some even sported some suspicious bulges under their jackets. Sandra, Monique, and Mary had pulled back their hair and tied it securely, which gave the impression that they meant business. Henry carried a knuckleduster in one hand and Simon had lost the glasses, although I would be surprised if he wasn’t wearing contacts. Jas got up from the ground, having slid under the car in order to grab the coin, and looked forlorn.

Simon stepped forward. “We’re coming with you, so don’t even try to stop us!” The impact of his statement was slightly lessened by the habitual repositioning of his glasses, which ceased to be in evidence.

Jas whacked me on the shoulder and I looked down at his hand. “You have no dog in this fight,” I replied, reasonably enough. “Win!” I snatched the coin out of Jas’ hand with childish glee. “Thank you very much. Come back anytime you feel like losing. Always bet on the toss, my friend.”

They all seemed a little confused by the spectacle, besides Zack. “We’re your friends, so in a way, we do have a dog in this fight. Two, if you count Jas, since invariably, he’s some form of dog.”

“We can’t let you leave by yourselves. It would inevitably end up weighing down on our consciences when you ended up dead. Plus, you wouldn’t survive outside ten minutes against all that opposition.” Henry assumed a pained expression.

I let loose an amused breath. “Well, if it means that much to you, feel free to tag along. Make sure to pick a car that can keep up. We’re not stopping for anything and speed limits are to be considered loose guidelines.”

Mary surprised me with her forwardness. “Hell yes! I call the Tesla!”

There was indeed a Tesla in the far corner of the garage, which I hadn’t noticed previously. Go figure. I gave myself some credit, because it was easy to be distracted by all the ripsnorters when there was an unassuming car in the background.

“Well, guess this means they are tagging along.” I smiled.

It took some time to travel down the private road to get to the main thoroughfare. Not that we were maintaining the speed limit. We definitely had thrown that pesky regulation out the window. The roads were typical of anything in the mountains or rural areas, snaking and constricted. Therefore, it was very difficult to travel at any speeds far exceeding the speed limit. I gave it my best go, though, for the sake of the deadline threatening. That and the Shelby was just a damn fun car to drive.

Jas gave me a strained smile from the passenger seat. “Do you think we could slow down a smidge?” He was strapped in and forcing himself into the contours of his seat at each turn. “It’s not that I don’t have the utmost confidence in your abilities as a driver, but I have no faith in your ability as a driver.”

“I had thought he was doing rather well, so far,” Zack disagreed from the backseat.

It had gotten rather impractical to be driving a car for every two people, so in the end, we were forced to fit as many people into the high performance cars as we were able. Although, like most expensive cars, there were no more than two seats in most cases, so a loophole was exercised by a few guilty parties. For instance, Razor and Hailey were comfortable by themselves in the Ferrari. Most of the remaining crew was able to squeeze into a Maserati, complaining all the while. Of course, Mary was at the wheel of the Tesla. That only made me laugh at the absurdity of the situation. We were driving down a scenic road in the middle of a national forest, traveling in some of the most expensive cars on the market, riding in Old-West style to save the town from bandits. I hoped we would arrive in time, because the tolling in my mind was rising to a crescendo, and a sense of finality followed close on its heels.

The wheels of the Mustang slid off the side of the road, throwing up dirt and gravel, and I winced as the cacophony reached my ears. Oopsie. I was in front, leading our little assembly, but was by no means all that far in the lead. Razor was practically parked in my backseat and Mary was giving him hell in the Tesla. Henry had taken last in the Maserati, in his eyes some cruel twist of fate. The road finally branched off onto a freeway, the 96 to be exact. I grinned manically and opened it up to see what she could do. I never had gotten a chance before, which meant this could be my one and only, from a fatalist perspective. Might as well enjoy the ride, despite the chance of the five-O getting on our tail. By the time a minute had passed, I was sailing down the freeway in fifth and loving every second of it.

We had to take evasive action when cars got in the way of my breakneck passing. Repeatedly, the drivers on the freeway expressed their distaste with our reckless driving by honking as if Death had appeared on his shining horse before them. Even Jas had lightened up a little as the rule involving sins and fast cars once again intervened. The rumble of the engine was accentuated post-haste by the radio, which was turned up full blast. Sound hit my body from all sides, evidence of the subs at work, and I took in all the miniscule details. My adrenaline flowed and the connection with my power was ever-present, sharpening the scenery around me, as well as enabling me to prepare for any unexpected encounters. As the GPS informed me, the drive couldn’t be much more than four hours at these speeds, assuming the car would hold out that long without overheating or causing any trouble.

“What do you think they’re trying to accomplish?” Simon attempted to push up his nonexistent glasses he had left behind.

I mulled over the question before responding. “It seems to me that he’s trying to spread fear. There were those slayings on Alcatraz, which definitely didn’t make anyone dream about double rainbows. He’s driven the average citizen into a frenzy and sent them rioting in the streets. And now he’s preparing a legion. There’s no landmark or place of power for him to take in the vicinity. The only logical conclusion I can conceive is that he’s making a challenge to any and all who would take it while simultaneously causing panic and chaos, perpetuating his own brand of Darkness that he intends to spread across the globe from this locus. From what I’ve heard, he’s an intelligent guy. I’m not going into the situation underestimating my quarry. I can only hope that I’m right, that we get there in time, and that we can successfully force them back into their dank residences beneath the earth.”

“That’s all you came up with, huh?” Jas said.

I chanced a glance while maneuvering through traffic in order to return the stare. “I think a lot.”

“It would seem so,” Jas said.

“Turn-right-in-one-mile-onto-299-West,” the staccato GPS announced. It also told me I was speeding, but I ignored that inconsequential tidbit of information.

“Hey, Jeeves, why don’t you have a GPS function?” I jibed.

“I’m far more sophisticated than a simple contraption like your GPS system. I would never degrade myself by attending any one person in such a fashion.”

I brought my speed down a notch to make the exit onto the next leg of our journey. It would be really embarrassing to go the wrong direction and not notice, which was why I had a handy-dandy GPS at my fingertips.

I smiled. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, buddy. Anyways, what do you know about the Fist of Darkness?” I asked him.

Zack and Simon shared a look of mutual confusion in the backseat, which was noticed out of the corner of my eye. I winked at Jas, grinning, and he gave me a thumbs-up.

“What I know of the Fist of Darkness would make you cry for your mommy and wet your bed in terror, boy. There have been many, through the millennia, and I have witnessed the atrocities committed by them all.”

I choked in astonishment, nearly missing a gear as I shifted into sixth. “Say what now?”

Jas was equally surprised by the admission. “You’ve seen what?!”

“What, you think someone’s living in a cave eternally, making sentient amulets for the mechanisms of control that Nature decides to grant power? I have and will always serve the Fist of Light.”

“I feel like I’ve been given a mega-magical hand-me-down.” I latched onto the amulet at my neck, feeling the heat and power under the upraised surface.

If Jeeves had been visible, he would have been clutching his chest dramatically. “You would demote me to such a lowly rank?” Jeeves mourned.

Jas put on his sunglasses, pushing them up his nose with one finger. “I think that’s a very generous attribution.”

By this time, Simon and Zack were twirling their fingers next to their ears. “The Fist of Darkness is a force of Evil that innumerable denizens of the dark wish to emulate. He, in his many existences, has destroyed lives, villages, cities, towns, countries, monuments, wildlife, forests, republics, kingdoms, and fractured the world. Have you ever wondered why the dinosaurs went extinct? Why there are so many ancient civilizations that disappeared mysteriously? Atlantis wasn’t just a legend.”

“Obviously, he’s no longer forced to omit this information,” Jas pointed out helpfully.

A simple question remained. “Why?”

“He is the embodiment of Darkness, of evil. His actions are driven by an insane lust for power. And yet he possesses a kind of genius that no other can transcend. In his many lives, he has rationalized his existence in numerous ways. But those that are the most prevalent are that he is doing what is necessary, right, and his duty. That is the failing of the histories: they fall short of defining evil. They paint a distorted, ugly picture of an insane archetype that knows nothing of love or peace. Unfortunately, that is not the case, many times. The Fist of Darkness, like many forces of the Dark, believes that his cause is just, right. Look into your past, and you will see a similar trend; no country goes to war believing they are wrong for doing so.”

“I can’t help but think we’re missing something,” Zack said.

“I agree completely, there’s some vital component which has been overlooked,” Simon peered at my chest where the necklace sat underneath my dirt-challenged shirt.

A minivan driving family man was not happy with our collective driving habits, and he let us know with impunity. Long after we had passed him, my ears were still ringing from the horn.

A smile stretched across my face, and I reveled in the game. “Think we should slow down? People don’t seem to be impressed with our maneuvering abilities.”

“Maybe you should do some more swerving, they might like that,” Jas rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pondering.

I snorted. “Maybe. So, Jeeves, we’re up against an insane genius that believes he’s doing his duty by destroying the world. That’s just dandy. Anything else you’d care to add?”

“He can manipulate Darkness, in every shape and form. Become shadow, invisible to those around him.”

“He can manipulate Darkness?!” My voice rose to a shout. “Don’t you think this would have been pertinent information when we were attacked by hounds formed from Darkness?” I slapped the steering wheel angrily.

“I was not at liberty to speak at that time. And he has never had the ability to shape Darkness to that extent. There have always been limitations. I believe it has something to do with the dimensional being that he summoned to this world. The Fist of Darkness is a resourceful, implacable fellow. He would not be content with a powerful being akin to his own power, running rampant in what he believes to be his world. No, I believe he transported the being to this world because of the compatibility between their powers. It was unfettered, in the beginning, and reckless. But the killings have stopped, and there is only one possible explanation.”

“Well, get on with it,” I urged impatiently.

“It is probable that the beast is no more, its essence, soul, and power consumed, as Aurelia alluded to. What he has gained is unknown to me, however, we know he can tamper with the minds and characteristics of animals, manipulate them and force them into Darkness. What could be the limit to power such as this? And what fuels his abilities now? What you are facing is not merely a Fist of Darkness. Do you not hear an off-tone clamoring in your head, boy? The Call is tainted, like it has never been before. Nature’s intent has been tampered with.”

“We are so screwed.” Jas dropped his face into his hands.

“Well that’s no way to think, or talk.” I slapped Jas on the back of the head. “We have children in the car.”

The GPS informed me of our imminent route change, and I prepared to get onto 101 South. We were around a quarter-way through our journey, and it appeared that it was going to be a long one. If Jeeves was right, I was racing toward someone who had been originally equal to my stature in power, but who also had a veritable army at his command. At this point in time, it was obvious that he had become much more. Insane, but possessing genius, and no genius I knew would recklessly throw any chance of success away by a frontal assault, with no logic behind the move. No, he had been spreading fear throughout the city for the past few days, and that provided him with power. I was sure of it.

That fear would in turn spawn mass panic and chaos, which would compound upon itself until Kasper had all the power he needed to implement his manic designs. The world would be at its knees, and I would be eradicated off the face of this earth. Swerving erratically with sweat beading my face, I took the ramp that would direct us toward our final destination. So far, our luck had held, despite the fact that I had learned we were probably driving to our ultimate demise. Kasper wouldn’t even have to come find us, we were coming to him, and likely, he had planned for that eventuality all along. But how could I not? If I refused to act, the end result would have turned out worse than my current plan; I would be alive and kicking when he came for me, and he would be an unstoppable powerhouse by that time. No other course besides the one already decided upon presented itself. There was no other viable alternative.

Car horns blared on every side, and I found they were really starting to get on my nerves. Checking behind me, I made sure that the rest of the team was still keeping up and was reassured to see that they were. It seemed I would have some additional information to explain to them when we made it to our destination. I couldn’t just let them walk into an augmented level of danger without any warning. Somehow, my thought processes and logical reasoning had been overridden and I was flying by the seat of my pants into the most dangerous situation I had ever had the displeasure of being embroiled in. When I searched within myself, however, I found only satisfaction with my decision, despite all the dangers. No doubt I was becoming a suicidal, masochistic person. I should probably have turned the car around and headed for the nearest shrink. But one thing was certain: the rest of the team had to be briefed, for we could not proceed without allowing them to weigh every risk.

I wasn’t surprised to find the level of performance from the Shelby was more than adequate. Having pushed the car relentlessly in the 120s throughout the span of our trip, I expected some kind of failing. There were none to be found, and with each leg of the journey, I became increasingly anxious to arrive at our target. That incessant clamoring in the back of my head could no longer be ignored. Jeeves had relayed to me that there was always a Call, one that urged The Seven to converge and decide where the balance will tip. Except this one was fragmented, and I was becoming more and more certain that it was because of the imbalance of the scales that Nature herself had directed. All bets were off.

Considering I didn’t possess much experience in my field yet, I couldn’t decide whether that was really, really bad, or need-new-underwear kind of bad. Most likely, I wouldn’t have to dwell upon that question for very long.

Zack and Simon were too curious to have waited for me to fill them in, and so I respected their wishes and enlightened them. As one would expect, that put quite a damper on small talk. We weren’t thirty minutes from our objective, and there could be no mistake as to what awaited us: a supernatural bloodbath of epic proportions. A blinker flashed, and I was forced off to the side of the road in order to maneuver around the obstacle. Another horn blared, and I winced at the harsh noise, which pummeled the inside of my skull with the ferocity of a pro linebacker.

Realistically, I should have expected what followed, but was too distracted to take notice until it was too late. Flashing red and blue lights became visible at the next exit as a police car entered the freeway and prepared to chase us down. The sun was only scarcely above the horizon, and my gut told me that shit would get real when there was no more natural illumination to light the scene.

“Cop!” Simon pointed, his finger extending backward.

I put the pedal to the metal. “Nice spot, I’ve got him in my sights. It seems things are about to get a whole lot more complicated.”

“Don’t you think we should stop?” Jas twitched, fiddling with his seat belt.

“No, I hardly think now is the time to be pulled off the side of the road, when San Francisco is about to become a present-day ruin and mass gravesite.” My fingers flexed on the wheel, and my hand latched possessively onto the gear-shift.

Zack acted as the voice of reason. “You can’t outrun radios.”

“Maybe not forever,” I said grimly. “But we only have another twenty miles to go. Stop now, and we’ll be wasting valuable time that we no longer have. Trust me.” I winced, massaging my temple.

“You okay, Caleb?” Jas asked.

“I’m fine. You wouldn’t understand.” I softened the blow somewhat.

Jas looked hurt. “Try me.”

I rubbernecked, looking back over my shoulder as the police car entered the flow of traffic and its operator gave the vehicle its all in order to catch us. “There’s a Call that each Seven hears, which points them in the direction they’re supposed to go. Jeeves explained it to me. Razor and Hailey were compelled to find me, and I’m similarly urged, so that my path coincides with that of the Fist of Darkness. The whole thing’s gone to hell, since Kasper the not-so-friendly ghost decided to inhale the essence of a dark and incredibly tainted being from another dimension.”

Jas’ mouth formed a perfect oval. “Oh. You were right, that went right over my head, except for that last bit.”

Now, the cops might not have been too happy with me if they caught up to us in the city, but I had high hopes for Noah’s ability to alleviate any legal complications that arose from our escapade, if we survived the night. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the Ferrari dip back in traffic and grinned despite the gravity of the situation.

“Can’t you blow his tires to smithereens or something?” Zack was peering out the window, which provided an unadulterated view of our pursuer.

“I don’t think I’ll be needing to do anything,” I replied cryptically.

The policeman pulled parallel to Razor. “PULL OVER! I REPEAT, PULL OVER!” the intercom blared.

I extended my senses out in order to discern the implementation. I hoped Razor and Hailey wouldn’t resort to blowing anyone to smithereens, as Zack had suggested, but we would benefit greatly if there was no one to give away our position to any cop in the vicinity. If we could just create a fifteen-minute window, we would be able to escape relatively unmolested. As I weaved through honking cars and disgruntled commuters, I felt a change in the Air and Fire warmed the back of my neck. Two largely different powers were working in concert to superheat the Air within the tires of the police car. Razor and Hailey were quite the team. Such cooperation was no doubt difficult in the extreme; I hadn’t the faintest idea how to go about it.

Two of the tires, both oriented on the right side of the vehicle, went kaboom. The police car narrowly avoided crashing into a retaining wall and then came to rest on the side of the road, where it remained immobile. The slamming of brakes was readily audible to my hypersensitive ears, and I winced as I anticipated a multiple-car crash, but it never came. In the middle distance, a storm cloud dark as night was visible, hanging like an angel of death over the city.

“Nice!” Simon shared a high-five with Zack, and I grinned conspiratorially.

“Well, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that one.” Jas smirked. “But I’m sure he’s called for backup by now, if he hadn’t already. We’re in for an old-fashioned chase scene, with a supernatural twist!”

“I think we need more police cars for that to be applicable,” Simon said.

“Jas,” I prodded.

“What’s up?” He cocked his head to one side.

“I never got the chance to tell you before, and things started getting pretty crazy after that. Remember when I found you, and we repelled off that cliff face? I stumbled across a way to utilize our bond to find each other. In case we get separated, I think it’s an important element to have up our sleeves.” I quickly outlined how to follow the metaphysical line stretched between us, and ride it into each other’s consciousness.

“Holy crap,” he said. He transported his mind within my own and saw himself through my eyes. Weird.

“Quite,” I said. “Anyways, I just thought it was a good time to bring this to the table, before it was too late. It’s going to get hectic out there.”

Jas nodded his head morosely. “We have quite a challenge before us.”

Yeah, we only had to stop the First of Darkness from destroying the world.

— Chapter 20 —

Not surprisingly, there wasn’t a single pursuer on our tail throughout the remainder of our journey. It was likely the cops were tied up with more imperative dilemmas and couldn’t spare the time to chase down some juvenile street racers. Still, our sports cars painted us as targets the minute we got off the freeway, so I didn’t respect anything regarding streetlights. If I had stopped for more than a brief moment, the fear-crazed citizens would have been on us. There were some insurmountable odds likely to challenge us in the venue of the common man, and I wasn’t prepared to do harm to those who had gone bonkers during a very credible crisis. Despite that, I wasn’t going to allow anyone to distract me from getting to Union Square, so it was decided that we would stop currently and leg it from here.

I hoped Noah possessed a plethora of well-maintained auto insurance. His monthly premium was about to skyrocket. We pulled into a parking structure, carefully avoiding a few others that looked to be in a state of disrepair and experiencing technical difficulties. I gave a reassuring pat to my Mustang, wishing her luck in the coming hours. She would need it, if the news wasn’t exaggerating the crisis, as they tend to do with most everything. No one was to be seen in the parking complex, which was reassuring, although there was some evidence of those who had passed through. Exhibit A was a Beamer that had been crashed into a wall and then abandoned. Exhibit B was a burned-out trashcan, although I had no idea what had possessed anyone do to such a thing.

“That was the best ride of my entire life!” Sandra squealed cheerfully.

“Did you see the way they blew the tires right off that cop’s car? Epic!” Henry gave props to Razor and Hailey, providing his knuckles for fist bumping.

My hand reached to my side, where I could sense an ethereal sword, its reassuring power a harmonious echo of my own. “We’re going to have to go about this more careful then we had previously thought,” I said.

I ran the team through our discoveries and extrapolations, and their faces began to display a modicum of fear. Razor’s face was a mask, but Hailey was near tears by the time the explanation was through. I wasn’t as learned in the human mind and thought process as a reputable shrink, but I would have liked to think I had a general idea of how people will act under tenuous circumstances. The problematic aspect of rioting was that civilians step out of the box of calm, rational behavior, and enter the realm which lacks all reason, empathy, compassion, and common sense.

“What’s the plan?” Henry asked, breaking the silence.

I fiddled with the black leather jacket Jas had pulled out of the car for me. “Simple. We need eyes in the sky to provide us an inkling of an idea regarding what exactly we’re up against. Once we have that, there’s not a complicated series of maneuvers that we’ll be implementing. In my experience, when you try to construct a series of convoluted scenarios, they end up backfiring explosively. In this case, I’m sure that approach will obliterate us, and I assume the idea is to avoid that at all costs. Thing is, my gut tells me what Kasper’s going to do with his army, and where he’ll be.” My face stretched into the gruesome parody of a smile. “He’ll be right amid the heart of the chaos, waiting for me to approach. He knows we’re coming, and he’ll be rooted to the spot until I’m wiped of the map.”

“That’s a thought bursting with happiness and sunshine.” Jeeves craned his neck to scan the skies, which were occupied by a boiling mass of dark clouds.

Now that I was underneath it, the malignant pulse of cloud-cover above me could be sensed, a poisonous, living thing. My first reaction was to lash out at the hulking nightmare, but it would pinpoint my position instantaneously, decking me out neon for any who deigned to look, an eventuality that needed to be avoided. The only option I had was to get as close as possible to my enemy before he could triangulate our whereabouts. The sun was dipping alarmingly beneath the horizon, and only a tiny sliver of light remained to reach the twisting streets of San Francisco. We had minutes of sunlight before the world was plunged into pervasive darkness from which it might never disentangle itself. By dawn tomorrow, it’d be too late. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have any plans to go in guns blazing, expecting to get shot down directly succeeding my untimely arrival. No, I hadn’t planned for any such eventuality. In fact, I expected to emerge relatively intact, but with merchandise slightly shaken, not stirred.

“That’s it? You want to wait for a whole bunch of your buddies to wander off in the streets, slinging elemental powers left and right, and while they’re occupied with tearing down the city, you want to fight the core team that he’s kept behind just to kill you three?” Henry said.

“I never said it was an overly complicated endeavor,” I said.

“It’s not a bad plan.” Monique shrugged.

“What’d you expect, something more Hollywood?” Zack snorted derisively. “With lots of clever tricks and surprises?”

“I was hoping for a plan that might keep us alive. Haven’t you guys considered what we’re up against? And the threat just increased!” Henry said

We stopped on the sidewalk, car alarms blaring incessantly around us. Vehicles were stationary, abandoned. “I didn’t ask you guys to tag along on a suicide run,” I looked them all in the eyes. “There’s still time to return. I’m not going to force you.”

A chorus of “I’m staying” met my ears.

“It’s agreed then.” Henry dipped his head in agreement.

“Excellent.” I returned the nod. “Simon, I need your eyes. Can you get me a visual on what we’re up against?”

“Piece of cake.” He grinned. “I’m on it.” He shifted before us, his form morphing from human to eagle before taking explosive flight.

“We’ll be out of sight, but look for us around the perimeter of the Square. We need to get into position before the diaspora begins,” I informed him.

Simon squawked affirmatively from the air above, where he had been flying around our position. He circled once before dipping his wing and traveling toward Union Square.

“All right, guys. We only have a couple of minutes before the sun dips below the horizon, and that’s when shit’s going to hit the fan. I think we best find a place to hide before all hell breaks loose.”

Jas kicked up the speed, commanding the lead, for he was the most acquainted with these warrens dubbed as streets. I admit to being lost almost immediately after leaving the comfort of my GPS, if I had to do this alone. Rubbing the coin in my pocket, I hoped some of its luck would rub off. Absentmindedly, I started humming a death hymn under my breath, and had the development been noticed, I would’ve stopped myself. Being that we were indefatigable adolescents bursting with youthful splendor, we had no problem keeping pace. No heavy breathing was evident, although Henry’s knuckledusters repeatedly hit his belt with a jarring noise. The Call had relinquished its hold somewhat, trusting that I was on my way, apparently. Jeeves flashed into sight before the group, floating midair as if gravity was a mere triviality, to be ignored nonchalantly.

“Your plan will most definitely involve gratuitous bloodshed,” Jeeves pointed out.

“I had thought that it was an inevitable outcome,” I muttered under my breath. “You can’t go to war and expect to emerge unscathed, and neither can the coming of The Seven be considered a dignified tea party,” I practically hissed.

Jeeves rolled his eyes. “You are right, of course. Ignore the millennia-old fount of knowledge.”

“I think I’ll do just that, thanks. You might have superior years under your belt, but that just demonstrates that this technology-ridden world is a novel experience for you. Even though you’ve been rifling through my memories, you don’t understand this place fully, because the culture and tradition is so widely varied from what you’re accustomed.”

“And I am eternally grateful that I have not yet acclimated to the atrocious customs currently upheld by humanity.” He grunted. “Right then, what would you have me do? You’re more likely to behead yourself with a sword than to utilize its edge for any productive effect.”

“Go with Jas,” I said. “He knows his way around the sword, even if he’s not particularly familiarized with wielding a katana. And he doesn’t have a weapon, so he’ll need one. He can watch my back.”

“They are entirely dissimilar forms—” Jeeves grumbled, but stopped himself. “Oh, all right.”

Jeeves disappeared from sight, but I could see that there was now a scabbard strapped across Jas’ back. Zack looked at me for a moment before deciding to keep silent. Our concerted, rhythmic running, coupled with my conversation with Jeeves, had us at our destination in the space of minutes. I was surprised we weren’t confronted, since there were looters and crazies at every turn, evident in masse. Most likely, there was a certain safety in numbers, and we had just the right amount of people to stay relatively unmolested. No doubt, there would be plenty of time for that to be made up, and my heart sped up at the thought.

Darkness had enshrouded the world, and nothing was definite regarding whether it would release its stranglehold anytime soon. We made it into the Macy’s opposite the Square without being detected, which was a miracle in itself. Hurriedly, we climbed to the top floor then used the roof access to have a gander at our opposition. By that time, most of us were breathing heavily, by virtue that all power in the area was out. That meant no elevators, and I wasn’t about to use one, anyways. Too many risk factors involved. The windows had been knocked in at the ground level. It was possible we still had company. Simon swooped down from above shortly after our arrival, looking grim.

“There are at least a hundred Chosen, and they all look like they’re ready to rampage. We’re lucky there aren’t more. All the vanilla mortals are avoiding this place like the plague. They must, on some fundamental level, sense that dark forces are at work here. That’s the good news.”

“And the bad news?” I braced myself.

“There’s a hound to every man that The Chosen brought along, and they look a whole lot nastier than before. In addition,” Simon tried to push up his glasses again, which were still AWOL. “Em’s there, and two others who seem to be twins. Plus, there’s some pasty looking guy with black eyes and hair, and he’s literally oozing darkness. I’m going to take a leap of faith here and say he’s our guy. Some bear of a man’s with them, and he looks right at home with all the commotion. They look like they’re preparing to storm the city.”

“What else?” I pressed.

“There’s a man and a woman chained to the monument, guarded by two scrappy looking fellows. They look like they’re in bad shape. There’re some shadowhounds lurking around in the underbrush, and they appear to be long-standing patrolling units.”

My eye’s bulged. “My parents!” I peered over the edge of the building, holding out hope for the possibility.

From this distance, nothing was certain, but I did see two figures chained against the side of the monument, as Simon had relayed to me. Raised voices were carried to me on the wind, and I saw a fluctuation down below. Figures detached, dispersing with efficiency. The time to act was most certainly now, before any further injury could be inflicted upon them. Already, my frailly constructed plans were eroding under this new development. If I could only get there, it might be in the cards to destroy their shackles, free them from their plight. Rational thought went through one ear and out the other. I didn’t hear anything except a reel of thought put on loop, and it had everything to do with reaching my parents. I drug power out of its glimmering spherical nexus, not caring that the action would be sensed.

“Wait a minute!” Razor cautioned, but I wasn’t listening.

I called Air to me like a drowning man in the midst of a desert wasteland, and it came. A vortex of wind twisted around me, buffeting those in the vicinity. Jas grabbed onto my arm, and I tried to dislodge his hold. Then the pressure of his grasp ceased to persist, and I lost sight of his position as I took a resolute step forward. The blood in my veins sang in harmony with that of the Air, and I exhilarated in the feeling before pushing its distraction out of my mind with Jas’ calls to return. I was a bullet trained on those who would harm my family, and had no time for anything else. The noise around me built to a climax and my feet detached from the ground. Forcing more power into my design, I formed a current of air, its delicate power caressing me.

“If pigs could fly,” Jeeves said, in hysterics.

Without pausing for thought, I stepped up on the railing and strode into the open air. At first I thought that I would splat on the cement below. The Air around me solidified, however, holding me steady in its midst as the windstorm pushed me onward. Glass in the building behind me shattered under the impact created by the wind tunnel, and I grinned. I sped up, despite my original scheme to try and slow my progress enough for a landing in the Square. I was new to this, so overshot my mark by a wide margin, flying higher and faster, past all the buildings and encroaching upon the clouds. Back-peddling furiously, I directed a torrent of Air before me in order to retard my forward.

While that worked, it also stopped me mid-flight, which is not a recommended form of safe air travel. Gravity had relinquished its hold on me for a short while, and now it greedily reasserted itself with vehemence. Wind, pure and unadulterated, rushed by my ears and my Dreamscape was revisited, back when I had experienced much the same encounter. This time, however, I couldn’t just imagine myself where I wanted in relation to my current location. Thinking furiously, I duplicated my actions, rallying Air frantically. My downward momentum ceased, and I shot upwards into the cloudbank. Cursing, I tried to get a feel for my movement before ending up as chunky bits on the pavement. I was quickly distracted from that by the blackness, which coalesced into arms and thick tendrils of Darkness. A dozen ravens were fashioned from the sullied vapors, a hundred, a thousand.

“Holy crap!” I screamed, but it was lost to the wind and cawing the birds emitted when they caught sight of their prey.

Lightning came to my aid, a reflexive action against the Darkness around me. When a clawed hand snatched at my free-falling body, the lightning surrounding me blasted it to bits. An unearthly scream buffeted me from all sides, and I covered my ears with the intensity and pain of it. Several tentacles whipped in my direction, and most all of them were dispelled, but my defensive aura took a mighty walloping. This enabled a few to breach my protections and wrap around my legs, their taint expressed in the form of the most intense cold I had ever experienced. My legs felt like they would fracture into a million pieces, and so I ran a current through my body. In retrospect, purposely allowing electricity to flow through your bones is not the best of tactics.

As the wind whipped around my body and lightning crackled down my legs, the tentacles lost their hold and retreated, hissing. I fell back into free-fall and picked up while exiting the cloud embankment, which, unfortunately, couldn’t have been more than a thousand feet from ghastly collision. Correcting my collision course, I sent a bolt of purple-hued power to my side, which in turn forced my flailing body in the opposite direction. After I braced myself with arms splayed wide, I waited until the last possible moment before acting. Calling Air to me, I held it at the ready, and then sent a pulse of it out in front of me, directly at the discernible landscape below. My headlong plunge came to a shuddering halt and my descent slackened dramatically. So the following two stories I fell were merely like jumping off a roof to the embracing cement below.

With whatever minute rotation that could be mustered in the time where the ground rushed up to meet me, I started rolling, taking inspiration from my parkour session with Jas. Had it been that long ago? The impact wasn’t as expected, but it still jarred my arms and sent painful vibrations through my body. The roll enabled me to fall without breaking any important bits, but my momentum was so excessive that it put me through a series of tumbles before I was capable of righting myself. My body ached agonizingly, especially where the tendrils had gotten hold of me. After jumping to my feet, I reached for a weapon, though none presented itself. Surrounding me were the snarling muzzles of the gigantic bodies of shadowhounds, and they looked like they wanted to make me witness them gnaw on my entrails before regurgitating them for my viewing pleasure.

“Quite the display,” an amused voice chuckled. “Easy boys, down boys.” A placating hand entered my view, followed by a body in its entirety.

“Kasper, I presume. The Fist of Darkness.” I brought my eyes up to his.

His pupils were black as the deepest, darkest night, and held an all-consuming hatred within. Though I didn’t know what that hatred was directed at, I had the feeling it wouldn’t be pleasurable to be on the opposing side of it. The next prominent feature was his pasty white skin, as if he hadn’t seen the light of day for most his life. His black hair was long and scraggly, and lent plenty to his dark aura. Supple, unblemished hands patted a hound, placating its bloodthirsty drive, momentarily. Overall, his persona presented the image of a spoiled rich kid who never worked a day in his life, and that idea was accentuated by some of the most expensive clothes I had ever seen.

“And you must be Caleb Holden.” He smiled. “A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. It was a long wait indeed, when you know something is inevitable and yet it seems so distant. I have waited for this day for a very long time, and the simple satisfaction of its arrival is uplifting.” He paused a moment to take a deep breath, savoring the moment.

I kept my voice carefully neutral. “I’ve only been aware of this whole shebang for a short time. You apply for the expedited messenger service?”

The hounds around me took up defensive positions, blocking all entrances into the Square. My vision was therefore broadened, while the rest of my enemies became highly visible, coupled with my parents, who were restrained by some heavy-duty chains. Standing next to them were two people poked at dark memory. Em and two identical twins were within feet us of, merely watching the play unfold. Oddly, I had no desire to do them harm, although I felt as though I should have. My skin tingled with anticipation, or possibly from the sparks that I was emitting periodically.

“Caleb!” my mom shrieked tearfully. “My baby! Please, help us!”

“Son,” My dad’s head rolled to one side, blood caking his face. “Listen to your mother and help us.”

“Brains and Ugly.” I cursed the nicknames under my breath, as my discomfort flared at the sight of the two men who had attacked me years ago looming threateningly over my parents.

Kasper spun on his heel. “Ah, I see you’ve already been acquainted. I’d heard tell that might be the case. They really are eager to finish what they believed to be their job that day in the house.” He grinned, dangling the information.

“I want my parents released,” I demanded.

“Of course, of course. But first, I believe we have an arrangement to formulate, and matters of import to discuss. Come.” He gestured with one hand, and a table appeared forged from Darkness. “A simple matter, once you understand certain intricacies. Sit, it will not bite.”

“From my experience, it will,” I mumbled, but sat down despite all the instincts that counseled against it.

Kasper sat down, taking a bite from an apple that was likewise made of Darkness. “I am prepared to release your long-lost family unto you, under one specific stipulation: You will leave this world and never return.”

My head felt a little fuzzy from the fall, and it was a struggle to form a coherent response. “That’s it? All I have to do is leave? You won’t follow us?”

“I have no intentions of following you or sending any of my retainers through to the dimension you will be traveling.” He polished the apple on his shirt, and then took another bite. “Do you agree to these terms?”

“I suppose so,” I said groggily, rubbing my temples. My body felt as if it was composed of static on a television, fuzzy and crackling.

“Well then, although disappointed, I am happy to give you what you desire. Release them!”

Brains and Ugly didn’t move a muscle, and yet the chains unlocked and fell to the ground around my parents ankles. Intense relief flooded my system, and I stood up from the table. Kasper tracked my movements with his eyes but did nothing to impede my progress. I had the feeling something was missing, but couldn’t quite figure out what exactly that vital piece was. My mind broke through some of its grogginess and recalled that there had been more people here, originally. Once again, I was distracted as my mom and dad rushed up, arms held out to envelop me.

My dad’s features appeared rugged, but he embraced me nevertheless. “Son. Words cannot express my feelings.”

“My boy!” my mother’s arms wrapped around me, viselike.

“If only you had been our child, things might have been different for you, champ.” I felt my dad’s face move from left to right, behind my back.

A spot of cold, and another, entered my body from my stomach, drowning out some of the fuzz that had bound my body. My parents stepped back from me in unison, appraising me. My mother’s eyes were alight with hatred, and my father’s an unfathomable revulsion that had never before been witnessed.

“He was just a foundling, when we stole him away and took on the guise of his parents. A bloody mess indeed, right, Margaret? It was a shame that we had to kill your birth parents, Son. I hope you understand. We were only doing what was required of us.”

“A bloody mess indeed! I was forced to burn one of my most cherished blouses.” She pouted.

My eyes glazed over slightly, and I stumbled. “What are you talking about?”

“You hardly think any mortal could enter our home and leave it breathing? Without our cooperation, none of this would have been possible!” my dad gloated.

My mother sighed. “Although I think he would have accomplished much as a weapon devoted to our cause. It’s a shame that he was such an utter failure. We pushed and pushed, and he just wouldn’t break, as he should have. All those years subsisting upon the leftovers of society and he didn’t falter in the slightest.”

“No, unfortunately not.” My father shook his head forlornly, disappointed. “You could have been the ultimate asset for The Chosen’s base of operations. Think of the fame, the fortune! And you ruined everything!” His voice rose to a shout, a physical force that bowled me over.

Kasper entered my field of vision. “I don’t understand—” I spat out globules of blood, no doubt from the fall.

Em entered my field of vision, followed by two identical twins. “My love here was just exercising her very unique talent until such a time wherein it was no longer necessary.” Kasper kissed Em deeply and passionately.

I tried to sit up, but found I hadn’t the strength to do so. “No, don’t get up,” Em said sweetly, laying her compulsion on me forcefully.

Kasper put a hand on Em’s, holding it delicately. “Please darling, let him have a few minutes of clarity before the end. It’s only just.”

The shroud that was enveloping my mind withdrew and immediately the situation became sharp and defined. The conversation repeated itself in my head on fast-forward and my position was reevaluated. A dampness was spreading rapidly across my stomach, and I levered myself upward in order to yell at whoever had turned on the sprinkler system.

“You see, my eternal love has a unique gift, that of Chaos, which provides her the power of compulsion, as you have no doubt deduced. Frankly, it’s a bit late for such discoveries, but I think it’ll soothe you, to know the details. You have been masterfully manipulated from the very beginning.” A rapier of Darkness appeared in Kasper’s hands, and he maneuvered it elegantly. “You see, you have been an experiment from the time you were embraced into the family by those you believed to be your parents.” He laughed softly.

I looked at my parents, hoping for some kind of rebuttal, but there was none. Their faces concurred, smiling, as they held hands and watched, waited. My body wouldn’t obey my stringent commands. My fingers would only twitch slightly when I tried to maneuver them. The landscape around me seemed darker, but then, the cloud cover coupled with the disappearance of the sun would attest to that.

“Your parents were killed in a raid by The Chosen, and you were the byproduct. Martin there was delighted to add such a potentially powerful asset to his community, although at the time he was unaware of your true potential. You were tested the day those ‘burglars’ entered your home. And you did splendidly, as expected. I have been told you were a talented boy, even then. This is where you deviated from expected reactions, though. Despite the difficulties that lay before you, you persevered, clinging to some hope in your dismal life.” He shook his head sadly. “The two you know as ‘Brains’ and ‘Ugly’ are in fact mortal operatives of The Chosen, and they were to play a pivotal role in breaking you. And yet their plan failed, and you escaped their watchful eye. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Something had gone horribly wrong, besides the fact that Kasper had taken the evil-mastermind monologue route, cliché as hell. Using all the strength at my command, I levered my head up enough to look down my front. Everything was in the right place, with one exception. I was bleeding out from two knives protruding from my gut, two cold points where the pain should have been, if I wasn’t so far gone that it couldn’t even be felt. Kasper’s sword was sitting blade down in a growing pool of my own blood, which was greedily imbibing the viscous liquid. Even with death looming and my vision darkening, I still thought that was just plain disgusting.

I had to know. “Did you devour the essence of an extra-dimensional being of Darkness?”

Kasper indulged my enflamed curiosity. “Ah, I see you’re a perceptive fellow, or have insightful friends. Likely the former because I gather you’re quite lacking in the latter.”

It seemed that Kasper had been fifty moves ahead of me the entire time, and I had been stupid enough to confront him so blatantly. “Em.” I had lost enough blood to stoop to pleading, but only that little bit.

In response, she grabbed Kasper and brought him in for another kiss. “You never accepted me for who I was, Caleb. You should have come with me when you had the opportunity.”

“Fat chance,” I croaked, as she loomed threateningly over me.

Em’s persona transformed from mildly assholeish to psycho bitch in a split second. “I’ll make you regret those words!”

My vision began to fade to black around the edges. “Do your worst,” I spat.

As with most of my life decisions, I probably should have thought more thoroughly upon that plan of action. Egging on a psychopath isn’t really an approved method of negotiation. I suppose Kasper was the dominant sociopath of the relationship. He was running the show and all. Em pulled one of the blades out of my gut, and the floodgates opened, allowing all the pain that my body was experiencing to inundate my mind. I was a little suspicious, between drowning in agony, that Em had compelled me to feel pain. Em raised the knife high, preparing to plunge it into my jugular. My heart beat faster, which in retrospect, was probably not a good thing at all.

“Leave him.” Kasper smiled. “He’ll be dead in minutes. Allow him to experience every agonizing second of his impending death throes. We have a world to bring to its knees, my dear.” He held out his hand, and Em took it graciously.

The silent-type Twins followed. I tried to commit their features to memory for future recollection. Brown hair, brown eyes, they would both pass for middling height, appeared the epitome of average looking. The only thing that stood out about them was the power I sensed within them and the fact that they were twins. Besides that, no one would ever remember their faces in a crowd, because they were anonymous personified. My body convulsed as a swift kick was delivered to my side and a groan escaped me, as the agony was amped up a notch and nausea threatened to overwhelm.

“You would have been my greatest triumph.” The Viper spat on the ground next to me; it seemed we had been doing a lot of that lately.

Dragging energy from reserves I didn’t know I possessed, I flipped him the bird. He kicked me again as he passed, and I rolled over onto my side as a coughing fit overtook me. The pain would have driven an ox to its knees, so I might as well have been happy to be on the ground already. My face was lying in a pool of my own blood, which caused it to ripple whenever a breath was exhaled. My goal in life was not to die young, unless attempting to accomplish something insanely awesome at the time. This most definitely was not on the list. A straggling hound snapped at my heels before moving on with the rest of the pack. I tracked the direction it was traveling, distracting myself somewhat from the deep-seated ache.

I couldn’t quite remember if you were supposed to leave the knife in the wound or pull it out. Moving my hand down to my stomach was a challenge, but eventually I found the wound from which my lifeblood flowed. Inspiration struck, and I put pressure on it, hoping to staunch some of the blood flow. My hand flopped to the ground, appreciating cement’s intricacies for the first time. Everything around me was distorted and blurred, coming dangerously close to making me seasick. Determining to plunge through the feeling, I closed my eyes, lessening the effect somewhat. Yawning, I thought I should get some rest, if only for a few minutes.

— Chapter 21 —

“Sweet Jesus, boy!” a voice called out.

“Go away,” I groaned. “Just a few more minutes! School doesn’t start for another hour!”

“He’s delusional,” a familiar voice said.

An irascible voice continued to disturb my sleep. “That’s because he has two puncture wounds in his gut, you idiot! He’s lost enough blood to kill him already.”

I would have opened my eyes to see what all the commotion was about, but my eyelids were too heavy from sleep. My hand groped for my pillow.

“Don’t move,” a feminine voice cautioned me, her breath catching.

“You can help him!” Jas’ said.

“It’ll kill her if she tries to heal something of that magnitude!” an angry behemoth spoke.

“And he’ll die if I do nothing,” the soft voice next to me replied with certainty. “Without him, Kasper’s plan will succeed, and I already have had enough regrets for one lifetime to continue down this path, Razor. At least he’ll have a chance to right our collective wrong.”

All conversation ceased, and I was grateful. Right as I was drifting off into a deep sleep, however, I was rudely awoken once more. My eyes snapped open, allowing me to see that my body had become an amber lighthouse. Warmth suffused me, and the short respite from the pain was a drug in itself. That pain returned for a short encore, as the other blade was pulled out of my abdomen. I tried to clutch my stomach, but my arms and legs were held stationary. The darkness that had threatened to overwhelm my body and mind lifted, and I could think clearly. Realization of my current plight came first, followed by what exactly was happening. Fortitude returned next, as I was filled to bursting with light and power. An itchy sensation coalesced into two points in my abdomen and I wished it was possible to scratch at it with all my newfound strength. A strained, pale face surfaced in my mind, as slender hands knitted back my internal organs, muscle, tissue, and skin.

My breathing became raspy, and my back arched from a sudden flash of pain. Then it disappeared and my emotions, which had been skulking in the background, rushed to the forefront of my mind. Shock arrived on scene first. Sorrow was followed by anger and then a simmering rage. The amber glow that had averted my death flickered out like a guttering candle that had ran out of fuel. The arms holding me down disappeared and the surrounding landscape brightened considerably. Piercing blue light illuminated the scene around me, and those surrounding were revealed. A crowd of onlookers backed up, possibly in fear, though for what was unknown.

Jas stepped forward. “That was probably the stupidest thing you’ve ever done!” he yelled over the crackling, spitting lightning and then clasped my arm.

I squeezed back and looked down. Razor cradled Hailey in his arms, tears streaking his face. The rock that was his personality had cracked, allowing everyone to see the delicate interior. Touching Hailey’s face, I thanked her beyond the grave, if such a thing was possible. She gave her life for mine, although some of her reasons were obscure. Some of her reticence began to make sense to me, though. She had felt something for Kasper, at some point in time. Her body began to disintegrate, the last power of her amulet dedicating itself to the eradication of her body. Razor tried to grasp the compilation, to force it back together, but it slipped through his fingers and was gone. Wiping tears from my face, I confronted those that were arrayed around me, but couldn’t determine their origins, since the landscape around me was too blurry, damn it all.

My clothes were soaked with blood and my recently acquired leather jacket was most certainly ruined beyond repair. The holes in my shirt did nothing for my image, unless I was trying to come off as a zombie. As brains didn’t appeal to me, I thought that would only be detrimental to my health.

Not knowing what to say, I nodded. “Stand back,” I shouted.

The empty space around me increased in magnitude, providing me with some wiggle room. I moved away from Razor and his burden, and looked up at the sky. That roiling, spiteful Darkness still hung sullenly in the air, tainting the sky with its existence. Kasper would be wreaking havoc in the city, but I knew one way to get his attention. My anger only fueled me, as I siphoned off power. There seemed to be an inexhaustible supply within, and I knew whom to thank for that. Some of the excess was being released in the form of sparks and arcs of lightning.

“I’ll be right back,” I said.

“Not again, are you crazy!?” Jas shook his head, and I felt silent agreement emanate from his back, where Jeeves waited.

“Little bit.” I mouthed the words and held two fingers a smidge apart.

After gritting my teeth and rubbing my hands together, I forged a beam of lightning with my will, lengthening, spitting and hissing all the while. I called Air, the now-familiar vortex surrounding my body, caressing it. The ground around me cracked and split as a portion of the lightning grounded itself. The supernatural extension of Kasper sensed my presence and spiraled down menacingly toward me. As I wrought lightning, ravens of Darkness flocked down in a spiraling tornado, cutting through the air with preternatural speed. My feet lifted off the ground and the surrounding Air rocketed me off toward the unnatural cloudbank above. Before the tornado could make contact with the ground below, I entered it, lightning encasing me in a matrix, a sphere of Light and power.

Finding him in the streets would be next to impossible to do without getting myself killed, again. He would come to me, if only I pissed him off enough for his logic to override his intelligence. The ravens attempted to disrupt my defense, but even in numbers they discovered the task too costly to be of worth. Tendrils snaked out to latch onto my body, attempting to pull me apart with brute strength. The ball of lightning that I had surrounded myself with deflected every instance of attack enacted by the snaking tendrils. Slackening the power I had committed to my flight, the Air obeyed, and I hovered amid the Darkness. With a screech that came close to bursting my eardrums, the entire weather system crumpled inwards upon itself, attacking me from all angles.

Pressure built up on my shielding, as each wave of Darkness was expunged from this world. Sweat beaded on my brow, and for a transient moment the thought of déjà vu occurred to me. I released the dam on my power, allowing me to access it in droves. The air around me recoiled, shook, and protested outright. Lightning streaked outward in a spherical formation, its surface area increasing rapidly as more and more power was committed to its expansion. An unearthly scream echoed, increased in volume and seared itself into my mind, battering down my defenses, slicing through them like butter. Still, I forced my power outward, and the lightning obliged. Bit by bit, the Darkness met my expanding matrix and was destroyed.

Stretching my senses outwards, I scrounged for Kasper and felt his pulsing taint moving toward me. From all angles and directions, there were enemies, called from their destructive acts to end me, and those associated to me. Although technically that was my intent, the other side of that coin was that there was a horde on its way to wipe me off the face of the earth. Wincing, I slackened the power I devoted to keeping me hovering and plummeted downward. Flying had never been on my bucket list, but damn it was fun. A thicker partition of Air kept the wind from blinding me, but my clothes billowed around me as if I was standing in front of a high-powered fan.

The ground below met me within seconds, and I packed Air to cushion my fall. Going by guesswork and extrapolation, I figured a column of Air could be utilized to slow my descent and then cushion the remaining momentum. I was in a hurry, which meant that it had better work, or I’d need another healing session, which was now out of the realm of possibility. I pulsed Air before me and braced for impact. Newton’s law kicked in, and my downward fall slowed enough for my padding to do the rest of the work. I bent my legs and crossed my fingers as I touched down, creating a spider web of cracks in the pavement and sending out a shockwave that bent shrubs and small trees backwards.

My eyes scanned those around me, for our numbers had grown exponentially.

“Caleb,” Bill Tanner stepped forward from a crowd of men and women.

“Director?” I asked incredulously. The orphanage director was the last person I’d expected to see today.

A hammer forged of light appeared in his hand, illuminating the night with its purity and power. “I have been called that, among other things. I confess that I was not completely honest with you. I operated the orphanage pertaining to Adams High due to the honeycomb of preternatural beings that attended the school.” He leaned on the gigantic hammer, holding it possessively. “I lead a secret sect devoted to expunging Darkness from the world in service to God. We,” he pointed at the fifty or so men and women arrayed behind him, “serve the Light and the Lord in our capacity of Paladins.”

“Did he just throw out the G word?” I asked of Jeeves.

“Don’t be naïve, boy. There is power in all Faith. These men—” he paused, “and women are genuine followers of God.”

The crowd behind him produced weapons out of thin air, swords, knives, maces, bows, and spears made of light. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

“The Will of God!” the chant was taken up.

I gazed questioningly at Mr. Tanner. “The hammer is a representation of The Will of God. It holds unparalleled power to those leaders’ of the Order that have been blessed with it.”

“After you jumped off a building like a lunatic,” Jas snapped, still sore, “We found these delightful fellows, and Bill introduced them to us. They’re here to help, and in the nick of time, too.”

Jas’ voice came to me, within my mind. “First, what happened with your parents? And second, when did you learn to fly?”

“Later,” I promised.

An eagle swooped down from the sky to land next to me, and Simon appeared. “They’re coming from all directions!” he said. “The shadowhounds and The Chosen, and they don’t look like they want to have a friendly chat. Caleb,” he nodded to me, “Glad you made it.”

A sense of urgency spread through the crowd. “Me too.” I gazed at Razor, who seemed to have come to terms with what had to be done.

“Form a perimeter! We fight the spawn of the Dark, tonight!” Mr. Tanner’s voice cut through the night.

I gazed searchingly at the man who I had perceived as nothing more than a director of an orphanage, despite his redeeming, commanding temperament. “Can you hold them back long enough for Jas, Razor, and I to take down the others?”

The Pack protested, Henry being the most vocal. “We’re coming with you!”

“They’ll be slinging around power like Taco Bell on Free Taco Tuesday. I can’t protect you and fight at the same time. Stay here, and help the Order, they’ll be in need of your unique skills.”

Already, I could feel The Chosen and the hounds that traveled with them. They had been spread thin, but they were coming together at six points and would hit hard. I fervently hoped that the assembled personages faith and weapons of light would be enough to stand against those who had the power of the elements at their disposal. The shadowhounds would no doubt be at their side, but I worried less about those ferocious beasts. Surely the light at their command would be enough to dispel them. The Pack shifted into their animal forms, with the exception of Jas. Nodding, I reached within myself and felt for my power, which was still flowing as deep and swift as the Mississippi.

“Right. Jeeves!” The sword appeared in Jas’ hands, its hilt a fluorescent blue.

“My brethren will hold as long as required,” Mr. Tanner assured me. “Therefore, I will be with you, where I am needed most.” He hefted his hammer, and I readily agreed.

“Razor, are you with us?” I enquired tentatively.

He flexed the earthen pseudo-flesh of his arm and the ground fractured around his feet. “I am prepared to wipe this city off the face of the earth in order to make Kasper pay for what he has done!” His eyes met mine, and they were full of molten rage.

Razor’s axe appeared in his hands, and he raised it, challenging all those who stood against his might. We were the only four standing in the center of the Square, for everyone else had moved to set up a perimeter at the entrances. Scattering my senses outwards, I searched for the collection of Darkness that would point me in the direction of Kasper and Friends. I needed to direct his attention at myself, or he would bowl over everything in his way to get to me. That, in turn, meant that I needed to anticipate which direction he was coming from. Turning slowly in a circle, I extended my left palm out, and brought my internal eyes to bear on the city around me. After spinning 180 degrees, I felt him and his entourage. They stood out from the rest by virtue of their vast power, as well as their corrupted taint.

Before leaving, I touched a hand to Jeeves, filling the katana with a store of lightning that wasn’t likely to dissipate. “This way!” I beckoned and raced off toward the sensation.

“You need to do all the fancy maneuvering for me,” I told Jas.

Jas’ nervousness, hidden slightly by a faint amusement, was translated perfectly through our link. “Just worry about keeping us alive. I’ve got your back and your front.”

My footsteps were light upon the ground, for the Air around me cushioned and sped my progress. I searched out my available options and went to work on narrowing down the possibilities. There wasn’t much I could do with any of the Metal around me, although there was a surplus of it everywhere. The Magnetic Twins of Death and Destruction were likely to be able wreak a lot of damage with it, so I remained alert for anything of that nature. Water flowed in great abundance in storm drains, fire hydrants, and the underground pipes that transported it all across the city. As we hiked past a group of the Order, I determined that it would be beneficial to have Water on hand, to prepare for anything untoward thrown at me.

Kasper and Gang wouldn’t be long in coming, so I stopped not far in front of the backup behind us. They would be able to move up, or back, depending on what would be storming our position. I was in luck, because there was a fire hydrant off to my left. Finding it within my capabilities, I walked up to the outcropping and touched it, using the slight ability I possessed in Metal. Water exploded into the street in a fountain of spray, soaking me completely. It washed off much of the blood my clothes had accumulated, so I was in no position to complain. Hearing chuckles from behind, I directed a foreboding look that way. Walking back to the middle of the street, I commanded the Water to flow surreptitiously uphill, although the fifteen foot high fountain would be readily visible for any with half a brain. I focused upon the Earth below as it began to tremble tellingly.

No doubt Razor was at work, but his impenetrable stare had me faltering when I began to ask him about his motives. He didn’t seem like he desired company, or to share anything, so I left him to his own devices.

“What in the name of God is that?” Bill asked. It was hard to continue to think of the director as Bill, when he said things like that.

“A perversion of nature. He devoured the essence of a being from another dimension,” I said.

“I know of it,” he replied grimly, knuckles whitening on his hammer.

“Here they come,” Razor grunted.

I summoned mental images of my “parents” stabbing me for fortitude and Em for anger. I didn’t know how much the emotion would mess with my powers, but they were necessary components. I doubted I would be able to keep my cool, so might as well stoke the fire while the opportunity presented itself. I raised my hands and summoned lightning into existence and to insulate and protect me from bodily harm. Gyrating arcs formed in front of me, and flat discs circled lazily above my head. Jas stood unflinching in the midst of it all, and I had to give him credit for his bravery, or stupidity. They seemed closely linked to another, but he was given the benefit of the doubt since he was my friend, and the first option was chosen. Bill held his mighty hammer aloft, and its light penetrated the darkness around us, giving us a clear view of those who were approaching.

The good news was that there were only a few hounds with them, but the bad news slightly outweighed that. My surrogate mom and dad were there, and their attendance was a twist of the now-gone knives in my gut. I found myself speculating about the origins of my true parents, but the ruminations were dispelled and anger was allowed to take firm root. The slow burn of hatred wasn’t permitted to overwhelm my processes, though it lessened my divergence of thought and kept me focused on the task at hand. My musings diverted to The Viper, but he was nowhere to be seen. Kasper oozed Darkness, and it swirled around him, protecting him from harm as the lightning did for me. Em’s compulsion was subtle, but since I was looking for it, I felt the electric thrill on the air, and warned the others of it.

“The girl has a nasty compulsion, so be wary. The Twins there,” I pointed them out, “seem to have no need to come into contact with Metal to influence and control it.”

There was no response, just a piqued readiness of hearts and weapons against the fight to come. Jas brought the katana up in front of me and coiled into a fighting stance. The Earth trembled below my feet, and I looked questioningly at Razor. His face was distorted with rage, and I held my tongue for the second time. They were fifty feet, and then twenty feet in front of us before they stopped. Brains and Ugly were present, causing bile to form in my mouth.

Kasper spoke up. “I see you’re still alive, by some twist of fate. Razor, a delight to see you again! Have you come to join our cause? No? Well then, it seems there’s nothing for it. I have given you every chance to choose the proper path, the path of righteousness.”

“He’s always loved the sound of his own voice,” Jeeves chuckled darkly.

The ground shook and molten Earth burst through the street, splashing onto the forms of Brains and Ugly. Their screams filled the air as they were burned alive within seconds, and my only regret was that they didn’t suffer longer. The Twins faced the shop fronts on either side and made come-hither motions. Metal screeched and buildings timbered, falling in the pathway of the magma, delaying its progress. Dark tendrils snaked forwards, dozens of them, aimed at our party. Jas and Bill went to work on those, while I reacted to halt further action. Lightning streaked outward, but for every shot, a hound leapt in line to protect its master. Grimacing, I called Air, shaped it into a thin arcing line and propelled it down the street.

The pot shot was redirected, however, and sent spinning back our way by my pseudo-mother. I managed to bring up a shield of Air in time to hold the projectile back, but just barely. Taking advantage of the stockpiled Water, I commanded it to coalesce and batter at my enemies. Em and my father worked together, and the waves were turned into steam in quick order. Steam, however, is very hot, and I heard a few screams. We traded blows like that for some time, exchanging them without causing much bodily harm, but tiring ourselves in the process. It seemed it would come down to whoever had more power at their command, and Jeeves’ warnings about such actions echoed in my head.

“Advance,” I panted, then followed my own directive.

Collectively, we marched forward as Kasper prepared more of his ravens to throw at us. The magma had eaten through the supports of the buildings and giant hands formed out of the heated Earth, which began to pursue my father and Emily. The D&D Twins noticed our approach first and worked in concert to stop us. More screeching emitted from the buildings around us and metal objects were attracted to the brothers. Once they had gathered what they believed to be a sufficient quantity, they repulsed the objects toward us at high speeds. The sharp projectiles would do great injury if they touched any of us.

“Caleb,” Jas gritted his teeth, holding his sword before him.

I clapped my hands before me and called Air, forming a barrier of ferocious wind to return the deadly projectiles to their senders. Bill’s mighty hammer fizzled and sent a bolt of light at Kasper, as he was up to no good in the back of the group. He back-peddled, stunned, and sent pure Darkness at the shining hammer. Mr. Tanner took the power on his hammer without flinching, it seemed Kasper might as well thrown flowers at him, for all the good it did him. After reaching up to the rotating disks above my head, I sent them spinning rapidly, creating a blurred convex of lightning. As the Twins formed two spheres of destruction, I sent my energy blast at one of them. It spun dizzyingly, moved faster than anyone was prepared to react, slicing one Twin in half at the waist.

“My baby, join us! You will be a king among men, if you only submit!” my mom yelled.

“You aren’t my mother!” I yelled back. “I see where that got me last time, and I won’t be making the same mistake twice!”

Blood and guts went flying, blinding the second Twin and stunning Em. Score two for the good guys! A flock of ravens locked on to us, and it took Jas and Tanner at their best to keep them away from our crew. Meanwhile, my mom shot a concussion of wind at Razor, effectively taking his magma hands out of the equation. Razor tumbled backward end over end, but quickly righted himself and started purposefully forward. There was hardly a ten-foot spread between the two of us, and so we were forced to stop, rather than continue forward without Razor. At this distance, there was little or no time to react, and so Kasper’s furtive strike was that much more effective. Tendrils snaked up out of the ground, five feet around and not encumbered at all by their massive size, as they should have been.

“Concede defeat, or I will destroy you!” Kasper demanded.

“In your dreams!” Jas managed to stick out his tongue as he slashed a tentacle in two.

I allowed Mr. Tanner and Jas to take care of the problem. A tendril, black as the night it inhabited, smashed down on the ground next to me. I leaped to one side to avoid being demolished in the same fashion as the street had been. Kasper glided forward, rapier in hand, and began a series of lightning fast strikes directed at Bill. I planted my feet and latched onto more power to form a barrier of Air around Kasper’s dark sword, holding it in place. A battle of wills ensued, Kasper’s and mine arrayed against each other. Time slowed, stopped, and we set ourselves against each other. The rapier moved an inch, and then halted. My feet slid back upon the pavement with the movement, but I pushed back with all the strength at my command. In slow motion, Mr. Tanner swung his hammer at Kasper, but it moved through space as if caught in amber, hardly at all.

With a snarl, I maintained the fashioning of Air, but called another four blocks of power, forcing them at Kasper. He diverted all of them, but failed to see the column that had been sent in their wake. With an expression of horror, he was launched backwards through the air, into the molten lava with a scream of incoherent rage. All action stopped, as we determined whether there was no longer a fight to be had. Razor, however, saw no reason for such temporary truce shenanigans, and his magma engulfed my not-parents and Emily in turn. The tentacles around us thrashed, striking out randomly at everything within range. Jas was knocked sideways with a blow to his body, and I rushed over to his side.

“I’m fine.” He rubbed his bleeding temple, grabbed the katana from the ground, and stood unaided.

When I turned around, I was equally as stunned as Jas. Em walked out of the magma unscathed, and my pseudo-father did a fair impression of her, although her clothes were immaculate while his were singed and burning. Kasper made a much more dramatic entrance, or rather, exit from the magma, wrapped in Darkness with wings that carried him above the surface and into the night sky. Orbs of Fire began to rain down on us from above, and I strained to command a veil of Water to form above us. Without further warning, hundreds of snakes fell from the sky, disrupting the continuity of my barrier and collapsing it entirely. Those snakes in turn collected, combined together, slithering into a disgusting whole. Starting from the ground up, legs appeared, then a body, followed by arms, a head, and a gigantic sword forged of Darkness.

“I believe this one’s mine.” Bill stepped forward assuredly and began striking at the monstrosity.

Razor detached from the group and split the Earth at the other three’s feet, and I sent a few bolts of lightning their way on basic principle. The Earth engulfed them and I felt Razor’s struggle to close it upon them. Jas had gathered most of his wits by this time, and so I did what any insane person in my position would have.

“Jas, I need you to protect Razor. I have to go after Kasper.”

Jas nodded. “You gotta do what you gotta do. Take him to the rooftops.” He sprinted off in the direction of the hole.

Calling air to lift me into the heavens, I fervently hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time I saw my friend. After depositing as much power as possible into the design, I shot upward, the night blurring around me. Because Kasper couldn’t be located by sight, I was forced to rely on my other senses to get a feel of where he was lurking. Locking on to his position wasn’t difficult, and I popped off some shots with all due haste. That got his attention, and he turned his focus from Mr. Tanner to me in an instant. A blast of Fire rocketed toward me, and then split into miniscule fragments, snaking outwards and coming at me from all sides. Improvising, I brought the moisture out of the air, forming a sphere of Water around me mid-flight. The Fire became impotent steam as it collided with my makeshift shield, and I flash-froze the Water midair before forcing it outward.

“Just die already!” Kasper screamed.

“If you surrender, I’ll make it quick!” I promised. “You’ve worked long enough to annihilate this world, you can do whatever you wish in the next. I hope for your sake it isn’t as hot as they say it is!”

“I will rule Earth, and you will rue the day you stood against me! Every citizen in my dominion will know of your horrible demise!”

I found myself agreeing with Jeeves’ earlier statement. We were well above any buildings, two thousand or so feet. If one of us fell, there would be no getting back up again. The projectiles of ice moved stealthily toward Kasper, their points sharp and menacing. The night sky seemed to boil and the daggers were snatched up and flung back toward me. Cursing the fact that I was sitting stationary in the sky, I sent a blast of Air out to my right, hoping that I would remove myself from harm by doing so. My body didn’t believe I had done so well in that endeavor. A thump announced the collision of an object with my right thigh, and I cried out at the icicle protruding from my skin.

Lightning flickered into existence, and I set up another column of Air to take me down to the level of the buildings below. Kasper followed, scenting blood in the water and cackling all the way.

“Ready to experience death for certain, this time?” he shouted as we plummeted downward.

Groaning, I touched down on the platform of a building and turned to face my adversary. “Not quite yet.” I grimaced.

I was running out of power, most likely because I had directed so much of it at Kasper and Friends in a short span. My mind was weary and my body wasn’t doing much better. I had another shiv in my leg, though at least this one kept ice on my wound. I couldn’t move much without causing tremors of pain through my femur, which meant the dagger had probably collided with bone. That in turn meant that I probably hadn’t conceived a very well thought out an action plan by forcing weight on my leg. Ah, hell, it seemed that I would have to live with my choices and think later.

Kasper didn’t seem fazed in the slightest, in fact he seemed refreshed. “You’re wounded, tired, and on the verge of death once more. Would you still cling to your stubborn, superficial ideals?”

I didn’t deem to give that question an answer, but rather directed a bolt of lightning at Kasper, Harry Potter style. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In this case it would be my medium for a battle of wills, which at this point was my only hope, only possible avenue of salvation. Kasper, in devouring the essence of whatever the hell he had eaten, had becoming much larger than me in the grand scheme of things. But as a person, he was shattered, fractured, and weak, the Leaning Tower of Pizza, just waiting for the right conditions to be toppled. Darkness met lightning midair, and a concussion of power shattered the glass of surrounding buildings and set off car alarms off.

“You think you can stand against my might? I have more power than you can imagine, and a breadth of knowledge you can never match!”

Kasper’s consuming Darkness strained at my construct, inched toward me with every labored breath. The pain in my leg grew, but I walled it off and ignored the sensation entirely. My vision tunneled and focused solely on the conflicting forces of Light and Darkness before me. I found my mind reflecting back to sleepless nights on the cold, damp ground of an alleyway, covered by some refuse that kept me alive on a chill night. Then there were innumerable wards, prisons of the mind and soul that attempted to bog down the psyche, but in actuality only strengthened my burning desire to survive. Brawls, both the successes and failures, taught me to always fight dirty and to never come at your enemy from where they expected it. Always moving, I had become resourceful, perceptive, and good at reading people.

I had learned that there was no one in the world to trust but yourself, because given the right circumstances, even your friends would turn on you. That last bit had proven over and over again until I met Jas, but it seemed he was an exception, and even he deceived me, in a way. The world was a shadowy, hateful place, pervaded by people who refused to see past their bubble, past the differences that set them apart from another group or race. Hate festered, violence ensued, and deaths followed. There seemed to be a never-ending war taking place within the veins of society, one that no one wished to halt or speak of, despite their ability to change the collision course they maintained, if only an attempt was made. Humans are creatures of habit, and so are stuck in a fatal loop, the perpetual state of self-destruction by their own hand.

“And yet I have something that trumps all that,” I shouted back.

Kasper’s face held no strain, no creases of hurt or loss. He was a blank page, expecting to get what he wanted because he always had. “What could you have, that I do not already possess?”

“You don’t know?” I gloated, as the Darkness overwhelmed my reserves of power, stole the breath from my lungs.

“Tell me!” he demanded, his power slackening somewhat, giving me some breathing room.

“Stubbornness, a charming wit, never knowing when to give up, and the ability to improvise!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, splitting my lightning into seven component parts that all streaked toward Kasper, hissing and crackling venomously.

Kasper absorbed the current of electricity in disparate portions of his body, and his face was a picture of shock and horror as he was blown off his feet and into the night sky. The immediate darkness swallowed him whole as he was propelled off the side of the building and onto the waiting pavement below. The last thing I heard from him was a scream, so piercing and dark that I recoiled in spite of myself. My attack also meant that I had left myself open to the pulsating torrent of Darkness that Kasper had been striving to destroy me with. I only had time to set up a flimsy partition of Air before the blast hit me full force, hurling me backward. The force of the impact had me believing that I had broken every bone in my body, and my deafening collision with the wall added immensely to that effect.

The Darkness that had ran parallel with me throughout my life that made me stronger and more adept in all my pursuits followed me, crushing me downward, driving the air from my lungs, starving me of oxygen. The wall behind me must have been composed of something tough as steel, because although it was bent back from my collision with it, it didn’t empty me into thin air. Spots danced in my vision and I imagined that if I looked hard enough, I could pick out the ones that had become so attached to me in the past. Feeling utterly drained, I allowed the encroaching Darkness to enfold me once more, to protect or hold me forever in its grasp.

— Epilogue —

The pain made itself known first, and I alternately hated and loved it in the same instant. Then came a further sensation of a soft surface beneath me and bandages and casts engulfing most of my body. Sight returned next, which granted me the familiar vision of my room in San Francisco, a reassuring sight that informed me that I wasn’t in any danger. Doing my habitual systems check, I instantly found that I was not in the best of shape. There was a saline drip hooked up to my arm, which told me that most of the pain I would have actually felt was dulled. Despite my pain threshold, and, coupled with the drugs, I still felt like I had been hit by a bus, or possibly pulled a Charlie Sheen and gotten ran over by a subway train. I wanted to test myself, and so attempted to move an arm, twitch a leg, something.

“Don’t move, Caleb. Don’t move, dammit!” Jas’ voice gained some vitality, and I smiled. “He’s awake!”

Sunlight filtered lazily into the room, and I basked in the heat it transferred to my chilled skin. “How’d you find me?” I was pleasantly surprised that my jaw was one of the only things in my body that wasn’t broken.

“Used my head.” He tapped the side of his skull, grinning. “And that whole location technique you taught me. It’s nifty, that’s for sure.”

A nurse rushed in the room, in her thirties and very educated by the look of her. She must have been on retainer for Noah, which meant I’d have to provide him with profuse thanks the next time I saw him. She looked at a bunch of charts and diagrams, holding it up to the beeping monitor on my right. Nodding, she was apparently satisfied.

The nurse leaned over me, adjusting the comforter to her liking. “Caleb, you should refrain from moving as much as possible. I realize that you’re quick on the mend, but even so, you have a long and painful recovery ahead of you. You took quite a hit, when you collided with that wall, and, coupled with the blast, you won’t be mobile anytime soon. You broke both of your legs, your left arm, and five of your ribs. One foot is fractured in multiple places, and you have a major concussion. There appeared to be a puncture wound in your leg, though no projectile was embedded in it. Many of your internal organs took a beating from the impact. All in all, you’re lucky to be alive. Whatever you were doing, I hope it was worth it.”

Jas and I shared a glance. “It was worth it,” I said.

She left soon after that, but promised to check up on me periodically in the days that followed. I had the feeling that I would tire of all this bed rest, but, for now, was grateful for the short respite. Jas leaned back in a comfortable-looking chair, which he must have been sleeping on, as there was a quilt next to it. His eyes were red from sleep depravation, and a cast encased his left hand all the way to the forearm. A slight bulge underneath his shirt pointed to the use of gauze or some kind of wrap. He must have damaged his sternum, or ribs, at some point. Abrasions crisscrossed his arms, but otherwise, he seemed well enough. I was sure there were worse injuries that had been sustained the previous night.

“How is everyone?”

Jas grimaced. “Sandra didn’t make it. The Chosen and a hound overwhelmed her, though she went down fighting. Henry’s nowhere to be found, presumed dead. Monique got pretty roughed up, but she’s a fighter and she’ll come out of it. Xavier lost some teeth and some blood. He had to be stitched up like Frankenstein’s brother. Zack will have some stories to tell, but he came out fairly clean, same with Simon. Mary’s hurt pretty bad, broke some ribs and her hand, but she’s still walking around, so I suppose she’s as good as can be expected, considering.”

I grunted. “They shouldn’t have had to go through all that.”

“They made their own choices. They knew the dangers. They aren’t invalids, or rather, they weren’t invalids at the time.”

I uttered a noncommittal noise. “Razor?”

“Razor damn near dropped dead from all the power he was slinging around, trying to keep me alive.” Jas revealed his teeth. “I’ve got him and Bill to thank that I’m still breathing. He’s battling with his purpose in life, evidently, because he raced off into the sunset before I could get two words in this morning. He was starting to grow on me, too. Doc stitched him up nice and good, but he’s going to be one sick puppy until he gets a chance to recover. I’ve no doubt that it’s not the last we will see of him.”

I expected as much of Razor. He seemed a solo act, and without Hailey, he would be on the move again. She was most likely the only thing that grounded him to reality, and he would be ruminating upon the recent occurrences, searching for the proper course. Hell, I would be too, if I were him. I wished him luck, whichever direction he took, because he’d need it.

“Jeeves?”

“Had been hoping to get an extended period of rest, before he was so rudely awoken.” He flashed in, leaning lazily against the window.

Jas and I looked him over. Jeeves was probably in much the same shape as me, despite the fact that he was a mental construct. His attempt to hide his condition was endearing, but it only emphasized the injuries he had sustained. Although all his bones looked intact, he was teetering on the precipice, and it looked like he needed rest. His eyes were bloodshot and the skin that was visible was purplish, bruising. The clothes he wore were in tatters, which I had never witnessed in all the time I’d known him. I didn’t even know how one could have tattered clothing, when you could change them on a whim.

I finished appraising him. “You look like shit, Jeeves.”

“You don’t look too good yourself.” He stuck his tongue out at me, which I thought rather childish.

“Give me all the juicy details,” I said. “Then you can get your beauty sleep.” I nodded at Jeeves.

The silence stretched, and Jeeves was the first to fill it. “Your ‘parents’ are both dead, but Em and the surviving Twin escaped when the hounds imploded.”

I prepared to interrupt, but Jeeves rolled right over me. “When you did in the Kasper boy, his constructs went kaput. The remaining Chosen scattered to all corners of the globe, where Martin Drake will be sure to find them. The fact that the man was nowhere to be seen throughout the fighting says a lot about his virulent character. The Order lost a fourth of their numbers in the fighting, quite a blow, if I say so myself.” Jeeves was practically panting by this point, and he bid Jas to continue in his place.

Jas coughed into his uninjured fist. “Bill said to give you his condolences, but also congratulations on a job well done and to take some time to recuperate. He took some big hits, but somehow came out relatively unscathed, although the reason behind that is beyond my ken.”

“The city?” I asked warily.

“Still in one piece, for the most part. Razor did a number on it where he tore up the ground and made a sea of molten lava. It’s cooled by now, but its given speculators a lot of ammunition. There are dead folks strewed across Union Square, but that’s not an isolated case. There have been killings all across the city, all put down to gang violence and the widespread panic. People have been coming out about an expanding nexus of lightning in the sky, but those reports have all been written off as crazies, or attention-seekers. There’s a lot of damage to the Square itself and the roads around it, but scientists have come out and said that there was a nasty earthquake.” Jas snorted derisively. “The buildings were pretty beaten up, too, but then, almost all of the one’s that had something worth stealing were. All in all, my faith in humanity’s ignorance has been reinstated and solidified, cemented in stone. There are some websites coming out about an imminent alien invasion, if you would believe them.” Jas burst into a fit of laughter, and then clutched his side in pain.

Jas passed me some water, and I gripped it with the little strength that remained in my right hand. I imbibed the liquid slowly, not wanting to throw it back up the second I ingested it. Jas continued to relay more information as I struggled with the mundane task of drinking the water single-handed.

“The Council chose that inaction was the best course of action. Which is Clan for they sat too long on their asses to arrive in time to throw down. My dad’s wrapping things up there, and he told me he’d be back soon enough. He said there were a lot of people who owe you a blood debt. But he also told me that you should watch your back, because in gaining the support of a portion of the Clan, you have the rest of it at your throat.”

I coughed explosively, spewing water and spiking the pain I felt in my ribs with each breath. “Great. I see I have a whole range of threats and thanks to look forward to, then.”

“That’s the spirit!” Jeeves said.

My eyes narrowed. “Did you find Kasper’s body?”

“We didn’t find diddly-squat, and that in itself strengthens the notion that he’s gone to the underworld, where he belongs. You saw how Hailey’s body disintegrated; I would assume that his would do the same. Falling from the height he did, there’s no way that he could have lived.”

I relaxed, somewhat. “Anything else?”

“I’m gone,” Jeeves announced. “No matter how much you beg or scream, you will not wake me from my slumber, this time.” He glared disdainfully at us, driving the point home before flashing out.

Jas and I shared an amused look, then he smiled deviously. “There’s a girl here, asking after you.” If he could have rubbed his hands together, I’m sure he would have.

“Who even knows my name here, let alone knows where to find me?” I asked incredulously.

“Beats me.” Jas shrugged. “Says her name is Kathryne, and that she wouldn’t leave until she’d spoken with you.”

“How long’s she been here?” I asked.

He grinned. “Just got in this morning. She’s been pacing the halls the entire time, looking as if she wanted to knock someone’s block off. Want me to send her in?”

“Yes!” I hissed, and instantly regretted it.

Jas’ grin widened. “Of course, your highness. Would you have me stay, to protect you from the oh-so-dangerous intruder?”

I started to throw the glass of water at him, but thought better of it. Jas slyly slipped it out of my hands in my moment of hesitation and placed it just out of reach. That wasn’t saying much, though, because most everything was out of my reach, again. Sighing dramatically, I wondered briefly how long I’d be confined to a bed before walking under my own power. I determined that day wouldn’t be far off, despite my compromised position.

My thoughts turned to an item of the paramount importance. Those who I had thought to be my parents had betrayed me, though they had loved me, cared for me, and played that active role without any incidents that I could recall or dredge up. My mind wandered restlessly to Kasper and his admission that those who I had adopted as parental figures had actually killed my true parents. Could he be believed? Had I been hoping to catch a mere glimpse of those who I should most despise in this world? Did the ones who I had thought were family murder my real parents in cold blood? Was my life a choreographed play, a lie in every avenue and aspect? An all-consuming fire burned within me, one that blazed defiantly in the wind and would find the answers I sought unwaveringly, no matter the complications. A cold, calculating portion of me insisted that mastering my abilities was the first step in achieving all my goals.

All thoughts of my parentage and questions about what the universe had in store for me came to a standstill upon her entrance into the room. She walked in with a surety of movement instantly noticeable to my street-honed eyes. Her grace was liquid, impossible to duplicate, a huntress amid cattle. Her long, fiery red tresses did something to conceal some of the menace she radiated, but not enough to make it disappear entirely. Her face was a mask, and no emotion shone through to the surface. That set some alarm bells to ringing, but I could hardly do anything to protect myself, even if I had wanted to. Her long, slender legs were nonetheless defined and muscular, and her arms spoke of strength and fortitude. Her green eyes stood out the most, however, starting in their depth and intensity.

She was my age, and yet she spoke with wisdom beyond her years, which pointed at a eloquence that was rare in form. “Caleb Holden, I presume. I have been waiting quite some time to lay my eyes upon you.”

“And here we are. I won’t be going anywhere, so it also reasons that you have a captive audience,” I said, testing the waters.

She glided over to the chair Jas had been occupying, sitting gracefully. “Ah, I see you’re quite the charmer.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Oh, come out with it. I’m not in the mood for games. Let’s get right to the heart of the matter. Why are you here?”

Her hand snaked out to touch mine, and I felt a searing heat envelop my own. “I was sent here, in case Kasper were to fail. He was smart and realized that there was potential for downfall. The Aevum are always available for hire, for a price, and they sent me, because I was the most likely to succeed.”

I snatched my hand back, wincing. Where there had been only semi-blemished and torn skin, there was now a fat scar. There seemed to be two sevens burned into my hand, one right-side up, and the other upside down, interlocking pieces that held no discernable meaning. A sphere was suspended between these two obscure constructs.

“What the hell was that for? Succeed in what?”

“That is the brand of the Aevum, which lets our hunted know that they are nothing more than a husk of meat, soon to be dead and gone. The Aevum are a secret sect of assassins known only to a select few who can grunge up the money to pay for our expensive tastes. We feed off of the life source of our victims, absorbing their power. It keeps us young and eternally alive, hence the name. We can kill with a touch, or a kiss.” She stood up from her chair, and I scooted over on the bed, bringing my good arm up before me.

“Jeeves,” I called, but there was no answer. “Damn it, Jeeves, wake up!”

Kathryne paused hesitantly. “And yet, you are injured. Though it is my duty, I find myself distasteful of such an unsatisfying kill. This lack of surety is an alien sensation.” Her face took on a peculiar expression.

Time stretched endlessly, and I waited impatiently for her to make a decision. I was tired, hurting, and thought I deserved some time allotted to R&R. I shouldn’t have to deal with crazy assassins that could suck the life out of you with a touch. What kind of luck did I have, that these kinds of things happened to me so regularly? I thought of the coin in my pocket and dug it out frantically, driving through the jolts of pain.

“What do you have, there?” Kathryne gazed interestedly, but made no move to stop me.

“A wager.” I held the coin aloft. “You seem unsure of whether or not to follow through.” I provided her a winning smile. “My life, or death, tethered to the flip of a coin. Your superiors will most likely suspect you dead, whether or not you succeed. I offer you the chance to stay here, under my protection, when I am able to provide it. What do you say?”

“We shall see, although I hardly need the protection of the likes of you.” Kathryne eyed me curiously. “Toss the coin.”

I ran through my actions, wondering what in the world had possibly possessed me to pull out the coin and entrust my life to it. My lucky quarter seemed to have been with me from the beginning of my journey, however, so too could it be its end? I flicked the coin high, watching as it flipped and revolved through the air, displacing the air around it with a whirring sound that echoed as loudly as my throbbing heartbeat.

“Ladies first,” I offered in a cordial fashion.

“Tails,” she said, her voice bursting with coiled menace.

Gravity reasserted its dominance and the coin plummeted into my hand.

About the Author

Derek Edgington is a seventeen-year-old teen from the small town of Pleasanton, CA. His artistic talents are famed for their stick figures and abstract qualities, for that is the only way you can describe inadequacy in the visual art form. Derek finds it incredibly surreal to write about himself in the third person. Being a prolific reader within the realm of sci-fi and fantasy, one could only expect to pick up a thing or two, if only by osmosis. He tried and failed to write his first two novels at twelve and fourteen, but found that he hadn’t the depth of thought for such an undertaking. At seventeen, he tried again, the writing flowed in a way he had never experienced and The Seven was born. Thank you to all those who have taken a chance on this novel. I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I obsessed over writing the damn thing. This book is the first in the series, followed by Leviathan. For more info (or if you’re so bored you can’t see straight) visit www.derekedgington.com.