by N M Thorn
Mr. Kogan raised his hands up, covering his face, but he had nowhere to back away. Gunz waved at Yaroslav and proceeded with introductions.
“Allow me to introduce the undefeated fighter of the captive circles, Alucard. But to his friends, he’s known as Prince Yaroslav Potemkin.” Gunz threw a hate-infused gaze at Mrs. Kogan. “I believe you wanted to see him, Clarissa? There you go. Take a look. You can try and touch him, if you want to take your life in your hands… mistress.”
Yaroslav raised his katana, pointing the blade in her direction. His lips curved in a snarl and his eyes lit up with a hungry scarlet glow.
“Prince Yaroslav Potemkin?” moaned Mr. Kogan. “The Scarlet Queen’s son?”
“One and the same,” replied Yaroslav, giving him a smirk to show off his fangs.
Gunz petted the tiger, receiving a small snap from Theron in response and introduced him. “And this is Theron, the weretiger.” Theron growled, lowering his massive head and took a step closer to Kogan.
If Mr. Kogan could shrink any smaller, he probably would. Tears were gleaming in his eyes and his ashen face was contorted in terror.
“I recall, during one of our friendly chats, you said you wanted to know my real name. I guess, being a slave, I can’t say no to my kind owner and master,” continued Gunz snidely. “So, allow me to introduce myself – FBI consultant Zane Burns. But in the World of Magic, I’m better known as the Fire Salamander.”
“The Fire Salamander…” echoed Mr. Kogan horrified, pressing his hand to his chest like he was about to have a cardiac arrest. “But I thought you were just a wizard… with fire magic…”
Mrak Delar chuckled darkly. “He is a wizard, you idiot. An extremely powerful and skilled wizard,” he growled, making the house shake again. “And that makes him the Great Fire Salamander. He doesn’t need the fire magic. He is the fire itself!”
Gunz extended his hand toward Mr. Kogan, forming a smoldering fireball in the palm of his hand.
“Gunz… um… Mr. Burns, please!” yelped Mr. Kogan. “I’ve never meant for all this to happen. I swear—”
“All you had to do was set up a fight, so I could meet Alucard!” yelled Gunz, bright orange flames running up and down his arms. “Why did you sell me to Novak?”
“I had no choice,” cried Mr. Kogan, clasping his hands together like in a prayer. “I swear! Novak had something I desperately needed and the only way he would give it to me was if I delivered you to him.”
“And what might that be?” roared Gunz. “What could be so goddamn important that you betrayed a person who trusted you with his life and his freedom?”
“My life! He promised me my goddamn life!” shouted Mr. Kogan, but then shook his head, averting his pained gaze. “I’m dying, Mr. Burns. Stage four pancreatic cancer. I have only a few months to live. Novak promised me an elixir that would heal me and make me immortal in exchange for you. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t say no to that. And come on, Gunz. You trusted me?”
“Of course I didn’t trust you,” yelled Gunz, punching the air. “But I was hoping you had at least some decency to warn me—”
“Warn you?” squealed Mr. Kogan, throwing his hands in the air. “So you could fight me and escape? No, thank you very much. I’m not that stupid!”
“I wouldn’t fight you, asshole!” Gunz took a step closer, his body set in rage. “I thought I made it abundantly clear that I needed to see Alucard and that I would do anything to make it happen! You knew that you were my only way in. Why would I fight you?”
“Why would anyone give up their freedom to save a vampire!” Mr. Kogan forgot about his fear for a moment, throwing an arrogant stare at Yaroslav. “For God’s sake, Gunz. He’s nothing but a low life vamp. Why would you risk everything to free him?”
Gunz stared at Mr. Kogan, his rage slowly simmering down. “Because, vampire or human, he is my friend. True friends are a rare commodity. And if you were lucky enough to meet people like this, you should be there for them, no matter what… I would give my freedom, my life… I would do anything to make sure that the people I love are safe.”
He fell silent, looking at Mr. Kogan, feeling nothing but pity for this man. His wife slowly got up, cowering closer to her husband.
Gunz sighed and shook his head. “But what would scum like you know about things like that. The words honor and loyalty don’t exist in your vocabulary. I wish I could kill you… smash you like a cockroach under my foot… but I can’t. I don’t kill humans, even though I can hardly call you that,” said Gunz, waving dismissively at his former owner. “Well, now you get to spend the rest of your miserable existence in prison.”
“Prison? I think not.” Kogan chuckled. “I have two-three months to live. What kind of court is going to send me to prison? By the time the trial is over, I’ll be dead.”
“Aw, don’t worry about that.” Gunz smirked, flicking his eyebrow at Mrak Delar. “After the Master of Power heals your cancer, you’ll have a very long and full life in a very special FBI prison ahead of you. You’ll spend the rest of your life surrounded by monsters you used to torture and kill in the fighting pits.”
Mrak Delar approached the Head of the Florida House, his eyes flooded with darkness. “You have no idea how much I want to destroy you, worthless slaver, so if you know what’s best for you, don’t make a move,” he growled, hate distorting his face.
He placed his hands on Mr. Kogan’s forehead and chest and started the healing process. A few minutes later, he took his hands off, wiping them on his pants with an expression of disgust and nodded at Gunz.
Gunz pulled out his phone and dialed Jim’s number. “Jim,” he said, “they’re all yours. You can come in now.”
A few minutes later, Jim and his team walked inside the room. The FBI agents stared at them with curiosity, cautiously walking around Theron. As they took away Mr. and Mrs. Kogan in handcuffs, Mrak Delar grabbed Mr. Kogan’s arm stopping him.
“One more thing, slaver,” he said calmly. “From now on, I’ll keep an eye on you. If I find out that you did anything… unseemly, this very cancer that I just healed will get back to you with a vengeance. I’ll make sure that you die screaming. Am I clear, scumbag?”
Kogan’s eyes bulged and he stared at the Master of Power with his mouth agape as the FBI agents pushed him out the door.
After they were gone, Gunz turned to Mrak Delar. “You can do that?”
Mrak Delar shrugged, grinning at him. “No, of course not. But he doesn’t know that.”
Chapter 34
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Gunz walked through the portal and stopped in the center of his living room. It had been months since he had left his house in the middle of the night and dove into the muddy waters of the supernatural underground fighting. Nothing had changed since. Everything was still just the way he left it.
He was finally home… He was safe and he didn’t have to be on the constant look out, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Without thinking, his hand moved up to his neck. No more collars and abusive owners. No more need to bow before anyone. He was finally free.
Gunz sighed, feeling relieved and headed upstairs. Drained physically and magically, he was at the end of his rope and the only thing he wanted, was to get into his bed and sleep. Despite that, he went into the shower first. He had to get rid of the dirt and stench of slavery. Even though he couldn’t wash it off of his mind, at least he could scrub it off his skin.
He remembered coming out of the shower and collapsing on his bed. He was probably asleep before he closed his eyes because the next thing he remembered was waking up to a bright, sunlit room. But until he picked up his phone and looked at the date, he didn’t realize that he had slept almost thirty-six hours.
He sat up, lowering his feet to the floor and smiled sadly, gazing down at his wrist with Angie’s watch back on it. Before he left Kogan’s house, he had found his bag. Everything had been in place. He didn’t care about the money that was there. The only thing
s he had wanted were his watch and the bracelet that Mrak Delar had made for him.
Gunz went to the bathroom and quickly cleaned up before heading to the kitchen. He needed coffee. Just a plain cup of hot coffee. A simple thing which he had been deprived of for months.
As he walked out of his bedroom, the bitter aroma of coffee invaded his senses and he stopped, wondering how that was possible if he was home alone. He checked the wards and protection spells – everything was intact. He probed the house and relaxed, recognizing the powerful fire energy signature of the Great Salamander.
He rushed downstairs to the kitchen and halted in the doorway. Kal wasn’t alone. Mrak Delar was sitting across the table from the Great Salamander, and they were conversing in hushed tones. As soon as they saw him, they stopped talking. Mrak Delar blanched and got up. Kal turned around and a slight smile touched his thin lips.
“Gunz,” he said, happiness igniting his eyes, “my boy…”
Guilt swirled through him and he stepped closer, lowering himself to one knee before the Great Salamander. “I’m sorry, Father,” he said quietly, meaning every word he said.
Kal ran his fingers through Gunz’s hair in a very fatherly manner and patted his shoulder. “Get up, Gunz. We need to talk.”
Uh-oh, thought Gunz, rising. Kal wants to talk to me? And he brought the Master of Power with him. Can’t be anything good.
Gunz sat down at the table, turning to Kal. “What is it, Father?” he asked. Noticing that his nervousness was obvious in his voice, he cleared his throat.
“Mrak told me everything that happened in California,” continued Kal. He leaned slightly over the table and asked, “Did you attempt to control a Master of Power, my child?”
Gunz thought back to that day in Novak’s lab when he felt Mrak Delar’s heart beating within the grip of his power. “I was hurt, Father, and I was furious with him. So, I remembered the way I controlled wyverns in the Land of Dreams and I just went for it.”
Kal’s eyebrows climbed up as he exchanged a quick look with Mrak Delar. “You controlled a fully-grown wyvern?” asked Kal, disbelief prominent in his voice.
Gunz shrugged. “Not one, maybe twenty or twenty-five of them. Why?”
Kal exchanged another look with the Master of Power and that got Gunz truly nervous.
“I never taught you that. I want to see how you do it,” said Kal, gesturing at Mrak Delar to come closer. “Mrak, could you please assist him.”
Mrak Delar walked around the table and stopped a few feet away from Gunz. The sight of the Master of Power brought back unwanted memories, and angry fire ignited on the bottom of his eyes. He grunted, fighting his internal battle with bitterness and frustration. Without thinking about what he was doing, he connected with his elemental power and reached for Mrak’s heart.
He felt it beating desperately, surrounded by the fierce flow of his fire power. His own heart thundered in his chest as all the unspoken emotions boiled up within him into one explosive concoction. His hand clenched into a fist and he twisted it, squeezing Mrak’s heart tighter. The Master didn’t fight him, but small beads of sweat glistened on his strained face.
“Gunz, please,” he whispered, “let go…”
Gunz didn’t hear him. For a moment he forgot where he was and who he was with. His body dissolved into flames as he stepped closer to Mrak Delar.
“Kneel, you evil bastard,” he hissed, and the fire energy magnified his voice, making it stronger and deeper.
Mrak Delar raised his hands in the air and slowly lowered down to his knees. “I’m sorry, my friend. I truly am,” he said, breathing laboriously, now fighting the grip of Gunz’s power. “I had to do it. It wasn’t my choice. And it was killing me every minute of the day! What I had to do to you… If you can, please forgive me, because God knows, I can’t forgive myself.”
Gunz’s arm shook with strain, but he didn’t let go, unable to unlock his fingers. He felt a soft touch on his shoulder and glanced back. Kal was standing next to him, sympathy in his flaming eyes.
“He’s telling you the truth, my boy. Let it go,” the Great Salamander said softly. “Cease.”
Gunz felt the flow of his Fire power being interrupted and he finally lowered his arm. Mrak Delar sat back on his heels, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Gunz stared down at him for a moment, but then sighed and offered his hand to him.
“I forgive you,” he said quietly.
The Ancient Master raised his eyes and stared at him for a moment. His lips slightly parted as he inhaled, relieved. Then he took his hand and got up.
“I told you, Kal,” he said, arching his eyebrow at the Fire Elemental. “Did you see it?”
Kal nodded and turned to Gunz. “It takes an incredible amount of power to control another Child of Fire, like a wyvern. And you’re telling me that you controlled over twenty of them at once. Are you aware that we, as Fire Salamanders, cannot control a Master of Power?” Kal paused, gazing down at him as his hard face warmed up and mischievous twinkles danced in his eyes. “We wield only one elemental power. He controls all four.”
‘Then why did he obey my command? Why did he kneel?” asked Gunz. As his eyes traveled to Mrak, he caught a sad smile on his face.
“Because I chose to do so,” explained the Ancient Master. “Because I believed that I owed you my apologies. But you gave me a hard time, Junior. Kal is right – you can’t control me, but you could slow me down and give me a hard time, which not too many people can do. In the short few years that I’ve known you, you grew to be extremely powerful, young Salamander.”
“Having said that,” continued Kal, “this is not the only reason why we’re here, son.” He reached under the kitchen table and brought up a Publix plastic bag. “We need to teach you another very important lesson and you’re not going to like it.”
“Neither Kogan nor Novak should be able to control you with the gray stones magic,” said Mrak Delar taking the plastic bag from Kal’s hands. “In reality – no one can. And I told you that when I met you for the first time in Novak’s office. I tried to help you, but you didn’t recognize it as advice. So, now we’re going to show you how you could have escaped the restraints, so no one can ever do it to you again.”
He opened the bag, spilling its contents on the table. The gray stone jewelry, a controller and the key fell on the tabletop with a cold metallic jingle. Gunz gawked at the tools of torture that he had had to endure for the last few months and backed away, holding his hands up.
“No,” he said with a shudder. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious,” confirmed Kal. “No one will ever control my son. Never again. And I’m not going to stop until I see you escaping the magic of the gray stones.” He turned to Mrak Delar, pointing at Gunz. “Do it, Master.”
Gunz backed away, hitting the wall with his back and raised his arms defensively. The last thing he remembered was the Ancient Master touching his forehead and everything went dark.
When he woke up, he found himself lying on top of the kitchen table. The lights were off, and the full moon was staring at him through the kitchen window. Mrak and Kal were sitting next to the table. He raised his hands, staring at the bracelets on his wrists and touched his collar with a shudder. Déjà vu.
“How long?” he asked, his voice painfully hoarse.
“Six hours all together,” said Kal, “give or take.”
“I need to place new wards on my house. The kind that wouldn’t let stray Masters of Power or Fire Elementals cross my threshold without my invitation,” grumbled Gunz.
He sat up on the table, feeling dizzy and weak, and moved his shoulders. His muscles responded with overwhelming soreness. Mrak Delar waved his hand, muttering something under his breath, his eyes swirling with all the colors of power.
“All your wards and protective spells are up and reinforced,” he said. “Kal is going to tell you what you need to do to shed these useless toys off. Don’t worry. You can
safely use your full Fire Salamander power.”
Kal showed him a controller. It was set to maximum. “Gunz, you feel weak because your magic is suppressed by the gray stones,” started Kal. “What you failed to understand was that while the gray stones magic can suppress your magic, it cannot destroy the Fire Salamander in you. Your element is always with you. No matter what. All you need to do is call upon it and let it take you over. Do you understand me, my child?”
Gunz scratched the back of his head. “I’m not sure. I tried to revert when I was in Novak’s care. I couldn’t. The pain was more than I could handle.”
Kal chuckled. “I didn’t ask you to revert. You have everything you need at your fingertips, my boy. You have the power. Just like Mrak said, you’ve become more powerful than I could ever imagine. Now open your mind… sense that fire that is not only within you… but the fire that you are. As cliché as it sounds – allow yourself to be free. Be yourself and burn these goddamn restraints off your body.”
Feeling lost, Gunz slid down from the table, opening himself to the flow of the elemental power. Nothing came. The gray stones suppressed every scrap of magic or Fire power he had. It seemed like the jewelry Kal used was a lot stronger than the one Kogan used. He touched the collar on his neck and felt something wet under his fingers. He glanced at his fingertips stained with his blood and raised his eyes at the Master of Power.
“This jewelry is a lot stronger than the one the low life slavers used on you,” explained Mrak Delar. “I built these myself. And I can guarantee – you can burn them out. Now, stop trying to channel the Fire. Be the Fire.”
“When I get out of these restraints, remind me to kill you, Mrak Delar,” said Gunz miserably.
“Sure I will, but only after you become the Fire.” Mrak Delar laughed, giving him a quick tap on the shoulder and walked back to Kal to give him some space.
Gunz closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, clearing his mind. Be the fire… Easy to say. What the hell is that supposed to mean?
