“Kill them!” Malance ordered his guard. “Kill them all!”
Malance’s guard was dressed in the same armor as the others but was much larger and moved with Rain’s speed. He raced across the cavern. I didn’t dare risk pulling my mind away from the door, or it would open.
Rain turned just in time to see the guard leap over the crevasse, sword in hand. Rain flipped around, pushing his back against the door, digging his heels into the rock floor. He sidestepped, and the sword ricocheted off the elf door. The guard recovered and swung a second time at Rain, lower this time.
Again, Rain shifted his position to miss the sword. Sparks flew wide as the sword hit the solid rock below the door. The vampire guard was incredibly fast and handled the sword as if he was born with it in his hands. Behind the helmet, I could see the fierceness in his eyes as they followed Rain’s movements, ready for a third attempt.
For the first time since Rain was freed from Noshimo’s spell, he stepped away from the door. Atmoro turned his back and dug his heels into the ground. I fell to my knees with my hands stretched out, trying to keep the door from opening further. On the other side, I could see Christine ripping the head off a werewolf. The legends were true—she was a fierce warrior.
Rain and the guard circled each other as the guard expertly flipped the sword from one hand to the next, calculating his next move.
“Drop the sword and let’s finish this like men,” Rain challenged, antagonizing the guard. “You coward!”
“That’s where you make your mistake, fool,” the guard responded. “You think we are men.”
The guard raised the sword high above his right shoulder to strike. Rain, anticipating the next move, moved to the guard’s left. Then, the guard changed his momentum and spun around completely, catching Rain in the left arm as he swept past.
Rain hissed in pain, flashing his deadly fangs. His wound was deep.
I was helpless but did not release my hold on the prison’s door.
The guard and Rain faced off again as blood poured from Rain’s wound. His wound would not heal as quickly that close to the prison. A large boulder dropped from the ceiling, crashing on the floor between them. This disoriented the guard as he took his eyes off Rain to look up for more falling rocks. Rain took advantage of this split-second opportunity and leapt up the boulder, then toward the vampire guard, grabbing hold of a large falling rock as he flew. The guard noticed Rain soaring through the air, but he was too late; Rain crushed the rock on the guard’s helmet, knocking it off his head. They both fell to the ground.
The guard’s sword clanged on the ground. He was now on his back, dazed from the rock’s blow. Rain, with the guard’s sword in hand, lifted the hilt high above his head, pointing the tip downward to make the kill.
Rain hesitated.
“Do it!” I shouted.
The sword fell from Rain’s hands.
The face of Malance’s guard was a mirror image of Rain. Every facial feature was carved perfectly from the same mold as his.
I momentarily lost my hold on the door.
“Two warriors created equally,” Malance stated from behind us, admiring the secret only he had known for so many years.
Rain backed away from the guard, holding his chest, feeling the only place on his body that had never fully healed—a small scar over his heart. Memories flooded his mind as he fell to his knees. He recalled diving through the air as a child, attempting to save his father, an arrow striking his heart.
Atmoro couldn’t believe his eyes, and Christine stopped fighting off the Shadows inside the prison. For many decades they had believed their sons were killed by Malance, then burned along with their home.
The door pushed harder against Atmoro.
Malance’s guard, Rain’s twin brother, stood up and picked up his sword, raising it high.
“Your father commands you to stop!” Atmoro shouted to Rain’s brother. “He is your brother! Your blood!”
The sword plunged through Rain’s chest and came out through his back.
Rain’s brother had been brainwashed by Malance, who used the newborn Shadow Vampire’s strengths as an evil weapon.
“Come!” Malance commanded. “We must leave before the door is fully opened!”
Rain’s twin brother released the sword and leapt over the wide crevasse, following his master. He bolted for the entrance behind Malance, and together with him, vanished into the tunnel.
I focused my energy on the ceiling above the door. “Atmoro! Move! Now!”
Atmoro looked at the ceiling and, understanding what I was about to do, released the door. A boulder the size of an truck fell from the ceiling, crashing down in front of the door, taking Atmoro’s place. It was by no means a permanent solution, but would hold for a few minutes. My mind shook loose a part of the cavern wall, collapsing a large rectangular boulder across the crevasse in front of me—a makeshift bridge.
Atmoro fell to Rain’s side. “My son,” he cried in pain. “I have found you only to lose you again.”
I ran across the rock bridge to Atmoro and Rain. Rain lay lifeless in Atmoro’s arms. “We have to go, Atmoro.”
“I am staying,” Atmoro insisted, not lifting his head. “I’ve had enough of this life.”
“Those boulders will not hold the door for long,” I warned.
Atmoro stood up with Rain in his arms, pulling out the blood stained sword from his chest. “Take my son with you. Take him to the Light World. He does not deserve a grave under this rubble.”
I didn’t have time to argue, nor did I think Atmoro was asking. I let him drape Rain’s surprisingly light, lifeless body over my shoulder.
“You are a gifted warlock, Aeron,” Atmoro said. “Your father would have been proud. I am sorry for the chaos I created.”
I looked at Christine behind the elf door. “I understand why you did what you did, Atmoro. There are higher powers that will sentence you for your crimes.” I handed Atmoro the pouch with the grimlight from Whisper. “Use this to push them back.”
The cavern shook violently several times, nearly knocking us off our feet, and more rocks fell from the ceiling.
“Go!” Atmoro ordered, picked up the sword that had killed his son. “I will hold back the Shadows.”
I ran towards the entrance of the cavern, only turning to see Atmoro force the boulders to the side to enter the prison. He and Christine fought their way into the sea of Shadows, pushing them back away from the elf door. A blast of intense light chased after me as I ran from the collapsing cavern—he had used the grimlight.
Thunderous roars of falling rock chased me down the tunnel, echoing off the walls. I felt the pressure changing as the tunnels sealed off. I could only hope that the tunnels in front of me were still clear.
FORTY-FOUR
A final, deafening roar sealed off the tunnel behind me as I raced out of the mountain through the wooden door Aerona had opened with our mother’s necklace. A massive cloud of dirt and dust settled around the foot of the mountain where the camouflaged door was now closed forever.
I lowered Rain’s body gently to the ground.
Aerona ran over to me. “Aeron, what happened?”
I rested Rain’s head down. “One of Malance’s guards attacked us,” I said, running my fingers over his face to shut his eyelids. “He caught Rain in the chest with a sword.”
Ember dropped to her knees next to Rain’s body, placing her hand on his blood-soaked chest. She sobbed at the loss of her dear friend, who had saved her life on more than one occasion.
Ashes stood silently nearby with Jade at her side.
I looked to where the door had once been. “The tunnels caved in all the way back to the cavern. I don’t know if Malance was able to escape.”
“What about the elf door to the Forgotten Shadow City?” Ashes asked.
“Thanks to you, Ashes, we were able to limit the amount of Jade’s blood that was spilled. It slowed the opening of the door. The entire cavern caved in
around the prison’s door, and it is sealed forever.”
Aerona placed a small bouquet of dimly glowing blue flowers on Rain’s chest. “Kasiah and Atmoro?” she asked.
The last image of Kasiah falling away from me into the darkness kept blazing through my mind. “Kasiah is dead,” I said grimly, not elaborating. “Atmoro sacrificed himself to ensure no Shadows could escape before the collapse. The door has been resealed, and Atmoro has been reunited with Christine, his long, lost wife. They will spend eternity together within the prison walls.”
“You speak of Atmoro as if he’s a hero,” Ashes said, sounding a little defensive.
“Atmoro may not be a hero, but he was only trying to save the woman he loved, Rain’s mother.”
Aerona stared at me with a blank expression on her face, piecing together what I had just said. “Are you telling us that Atmoro is Rain’s… father?” she asked, her eyes opening wide. “Like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker?”
“Yes,” I said, finding it hard to believe myself. “It’s very Star Wars, but there’s more. Rain caught Malance’s guard in the head with a large rock and removed his helmet. The guard’s face was exactly like Rain’s, except for his blonde hair; it was his twin brother. Atmoro and Christine must have had no idea that their young sons had survived Malance’s attack.”
“His brother?” Ember asked, crying. “How can that be?”
I explained what I had put together only moments ago. “Not unlike Jade’s parents, while in the Light World, Atmoro and Christine gave birth to the first true-blood Shadow Vampires. Their existence was never known to anyone else, because Malance covered it up by killing Atmoro and imprisoning Christine. Then, I suspect, Malance kidnapped the blonde twin and raised him in secret. Rain must have been injured badly while trying to save his parents from Malance’s attack. A large amount of blood loss would have shut down Rain’s brain. That’s why he could never remember any of his past. Atmoro and Christine must have thought Malance had killed the twins when their home was invaded.”
Jade knelt next to Rain. “I’m sorry, my new friend,” she said, resting her hand on his forehead, “you gave your life for mine. You are a hero, and I shall never forget you.”
Amazingly, Jade’s hand began to glow with a soft white light. She snapped her hand back away from Rain. “What was that?” she exclaimed, shaken by what had just happened. “I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have touched him!”
I reached out and grabbed Jade by her arm. “Look,” I said, turning her hand over, “your palm is stained with the blood from your wound.”
Jade tugged her arm back and tried rubbing the blood off on her shirt.
“No!” I shouted. “Take off your bandage!
“What?” she asked, confused. “My bandage?”
“Your blood!” I yelled, hastily pulling the bandage from Jade’s arm. “It’s the blood of an angel!”
“What does that mean?” Ember asked, as confused as everyone else.
“I have no idea!” I shouted, placing Jade’s arm over Rain’s face.
We all watched as a red line of blood trickled along the knife wound on Jade’s arm. A drop of blood ran around Jade’s arm, then dripped off on Rain’s lips, which began to radiate the same soft light as when Jade’s bloody hand touched his head.
Jade gripped her arm near the wound and squeezed, causing the blood to flow faster. Several more drops touched Rain’s lips, and his veins began glowing softly. The light traced down his neck under his shirt, and within seconds, Rain’s entire body radiated with the same soft light. Jade continued letting her blood flow into Rain’s mouth. Her face grimaced from the pain of her wound, but she kept squeezing. The gash left by the sword on Rain’s chest was shining brightly. His back arched as a beam of bright white light shot into the dark sky, knocking us all off our feet as though a percussion grenade had just been detonated.
I shielded my eyes from the tower of light now beaming high into the sky. Rain’s body hovered several inches off the ground beside Jade, and her long, blonde hair blew back as if was caught in a whirlwind of energy. Her green eyes shined like emeralds as the column of explosive white light shot higher into the sky, illuminating the Shadow World from above.
Rain’s arms lifted and grabbed hold of Jade’s arm, forcing it to his lips. Jade didn’t scream; instead, she closed her eyes and allowed Rain’s fangs to sink into her flesh. I had to turn my eyes away from the intensifying light.
As quickly as the column of light had burst into the sky, it receded, and the Shadow World was once again thrust into darkness. Rain’s body collapsed on the ground, and Jade fell on her side next to him.
Standing up, I blinked away the white spots from my eye. Jade lay immobile next to Rain as he slowly sat up, shaking his head from side to side, as if waking from a restful sleep. He touched his chest where his brother’s sword had punctured his heart. The wound had healed. He ran the back of his hand across his bloodied lips.
Jade’s green eyes slowly opened. She smiled at the sight of Rain, now alive and looking back at her. “I saved you,” she said softly. “The blood of a stone saved you.”
Rain brushed the blonde hair away from Jade’s face and kissed her lips tenderly.
Jade kissed him back.
EPILOGUE—JADE
The stage lights went out, and the crowd erupted in excitement for Kate’s Mind to take the stage. I heard guitar amps click on and noticed the silhouettes of band members moving around on the stage. The energy of the crowd grew louder as the hum of guitar feedback ramped up through a massive sound system. The stage lights turned steadily brighter. Jimmy and his lead guitarist were in front of their amps, their guitars in hand and their backs to the crowd. The drummer began a nice, slow groove that the bass and the guitars matched perfectly. The music intensified with every measure, and the volume slowly amplified louder and louder.
I felt Aerona’s heart race a bit faster to keep pace with the music.
The music stopped, and the speakers became silent as Jimmy stepped up to the mic. He brushed a few long, dark strands of hair away from his face and smiled as he yelled, “Pick it up, Madison!”
The whole band kicked back in with perfect time.
My muscles tensed, and my mind froze. I was almost knocked off my feet by someone slamming into me from the back.
“Sorry, babe!” a guy shouted to Ashes, struggling to keep his balance from her powerful push that forced him into me. “You’re bound to attract a few guys like me when you look like… damn… like you.”
Ashes stared the guy down until he stumbled backwards, turned, and then pushed his way through the crowd. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know how close he came to being a statistic.
I pointed to Ashes’s tight t-shirt, compliments of Aerona’s private collection. “You’d think a shirt stenciled with ‘I Bite!’ would say enough.”
Ashes opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Aerona grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the stage. Ashes could have easily resisted Aerona’s grip; but over the past few weeks, she had learned it’s pointless to argue with Aerona. I smiled and waved to Ashes as she looked back at me for help while she was pulled into the crowd.
It had been almost a month since we stopped Malance’s insane plan of releasing the Shadows from the Forgotten Shadow City. I was surprised by Ashes’s decision to jump with us back to the Light World. She couldn’t bring herself to serve under a corrupt council in the Shadow World.
Safely back in the Light World, with a little help of Ember’s bottomless bag of money, we vanished. Destiny and Kate’s Mind brought us back to Madison, where our adventure first began. Aerona and I, impersonating federal agents, visited Morgan’s family to notify them of his sad demise in the line of duty. They were devastated but proud at the same time.
Standing close to the stage, Rain smiled with excitement as he told Jade all about Kate’s Mind. Over the past few weeks, Jade and Rain had become quite close—her blood had bonded them together l
ike I have never seen. Their minds were connected somehow, and Rain seemed to have a new outlook in life. Although, he never mentioned a word about his twin brother, who essentially killed him back in the Shadow World.
Ember’s hand rested on my shoulder. She leaned in close to my ear and said, “Whisper just sent me a text. They have his location.”
My mind started spinning. I caught Aerona’s eye from across the room; she must have felt my heart skip a beat. Ashes picked up on Aerona’s sudden change of mood.
“Is he sure?” I asked Ember.
“He and Jess are confident,” Ember confirmed. “They intercepted an encrypted e-mail from Malance to the elves. I’ve instructed Candice to ready the jet.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RICHARD BRAINE JR spends his nights writing about a new world of fantasy as summer monsoons chase the sunset across Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. He has two beautiful children and the most amazing wife by his side.
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